Final Fantasy VII: Reflections - Book 1: Descent

THIRTY-ONE

"A little higher, Jessie," Tifa instructed.

We were in the large yard behind Seventh Heaven, dirt beneath our feet as we practiced. It had been a month since our scouting mission to the Shinra supply depot and our harrowing escape through the sewers. I felt good as new now, though it had been a week before I was back on my feet. Biggs or Barret had often carried me downstairs before that so I could get out of my room for a while and hang out with everyone. I'd spent most of the first few days in bed or in a chair, and the others had been quick to help me whenever I needed it.

Even after I'd started walking again, I was still wobbly and weak at first, and I'd had to hold onto the bar, wall, or a table to stay on my feet and get anywhere. Biggs had brought me a cane to use as well and a bit of teasing to go with it. But he and the others were always there for me, Tifa most of all. She had hardly left my side and had always checked in on me whether she was working or not. And she'd also worked with me to help me start walking and recover my strength.

I lifted my arms a bit. "Like this?"

"Right," Tifa nodded. "And widen your stance, too. But don't tense up. Stay loose, Jessie. You've gotta be able to move around easily and as often as possible. The more you do that, the harder you'll be to hit. So, now that you're in position, try to block me."

"I'm ready," I told her.

She brought up her fists. "Remember, like I showed you."

I winked. "Bring it!"

I'd only been training for a few days, but I'd already learned a lot of the basics. Tifa and I had been spending a few hours each afternoon on this, and I practiced quite a bit on my own time as well. I really wanted to learn and be able to hold my own in a fight just like her. Like always, I'd taken off my armored vest and chain shirt for today's lesson and had left them in the bar, and my dark blue leotard top was damp with sweat as I fixed my eyes on Tifa and readied myself.

She moved fast, throwing a quick punch at my chest. But I swept it aside just as she'd taught me, my fist moving in a quick circular motion as it pushed hers off to the left. We repeated the exercise over and over again, with Tifa varying the height and angle of her punches. Some got through, stinging me a little but not much more than that—Tifa wasn't using her full strength—but I managed to block most of them. She was teaching me defense first, how to deflect and avoid incoming blows, as well as how to move around the battlefield.

"Good job, Jessie!" Tifa grinned, stepping back. "Now let's see how you do against some kicks. Here I come!"

It was all so exciting, even doing just these training exercises, and I could feel the adrenaline flowing and my heart pumping in my chest. I braced myself for Tifa's attacks the way she'd shown me. Some of them came high and some low, but I caught or knocked away most of them. As with her punches, the ones that got through did hurt a bit, but they were only small jolts to get my attention and help me learn. I intended to listen to what Tifa was telling me and get better.

After a while, Tifa started mixing punches in along with her kicks, and I had to concentrate harder to block everything she threw at me. I kept up pretty well for the most part, using the different high, low, and side techniques she'd taught me over the past few days. Still, I was sore by the time we finally finished—Tifa had gotten a couple hits in on me, and even with her holding back, my arms and chest still smarted from the blows. But I was happy as we relaxed and caught our breath. It was early afternoon, and we'd been at it for hours.

Then I heard footsteps and a familiar voice as Biggs walked toward us from the front of the bar. "Hey, ladies!"

I turned toward him and waved. "Hi, Biggs! How—"