An Angel's Freedom (Final Fantasy VII Fanfiction)

Chapter Six: Dreams

Tifa knew she was dreaming before she even pinched herself.

She stood within the lifestream. The long turquoise strands of light curled around her body and caressed her skin. Her clothes were different, she was no longer in her comfy pjs but in a ceremonial red dress with a low back and ruby sequenced sleeves. Her feet were bare and although there was no visible ground beneath her, she managed to take a few steps forward, looking into the illuminated darkness with guarded eyes.

Her skin prickled and she automatically reached behind her for her sword however her hand came up empty and she sighed tensely. Her hands curled into fists by her sides as she came to a halt, her eyes searching the never ending plain for any other presence.

"Aerith?" She called out blindly.

Silence was her answer.

"Aerith?" She tried again. Her voice echoed as if she was in a cavern, bouncing off invisible walls and causing the lifestream to vibrate in response.

"Tifa?" Aerith's voice spoke out loud and clear. She looked around for her deceased friend. She was still alone though.

"Aerith? Where are you?" She called out, hiking up her dress and beginning to run in the direction she presumed Aerith's voice had come from.

"Tifa! Wake up! Please, get out of there," the urgency in her tone made her stop and it was then she realised Aerith was in her mind, speaking through her thoughts. "You're not safe, I can't protect you-!"

Her voice cut off abruptly and Tifa waited impatiently for her to come back into her mind. It was as if a bond had been severed, a connection broken, a line snapped in two and she was left hanging on the other end.

The silence was broken by dark laughter and the lifestream around her pulsed a pure red colour to match her gown before reverting to its original shade. She drew her fists up, legs spread as far as her dress would allow and she looked around, her guard up and ready.

"How lovely you look, daughter."

She froze, her muscles tightening and veins turning to ice. A chill ran through her whole body, making goosebumps appear on her skin. She knew that voice, it was the same one that had spoken out to her eleven months ago. Cold, hard, sadistic and controlling, her voice could make even the bravest of people cower in fear.

"Mother..."

The word left her lips before she could stop it and her fists began to lower. It was as if she was in a trance, hypnotised by her voice. She couldn't remember the last time she had addressed someone as her mother. That title referred to the person who could keep their children safe, who raised them, who took care of them...

"No, you're not my mother," she said shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "You're not, you didn't raise me. My mother's dead, my mother died when I was little. You're a monster!"

"And what does that make you, daughter?"

"I am not your daughter," she growled through her teeth.

"Powerful, intelligent, determined," there was a pause and the lifestream wavered in front of her, curling upwards into the form of a woman with blue skin, silver hair and a single read eye. Her heart lay at her feet, beating like a drum with numerous tubes flowing out from it. They floated in the air around her while a single wing protruded from her back, expanding outwards proudly as she smirked at Tifa. "Beautiful, just like me. Daughters always tend to take after their mothers."

Tifa visibly bristled and her fists tightened dramatically, nails digging into the palm of her hands. She opened her mouth to snarl in response but nothing came out. She didn't know what to say to her.