My Hero

One

"Hey, Tifa? When's Daddy gonna come back?" Marlene was seated at the bar of Seventh Heaven, eating a small bowl of soup made by the girl in question. It was late in the evening, and the two were left to hold down the fort while the AVALANCE made their mark on Mako Reactor 1.

"Oh, don't you worry, he'll be back real soon. You know he'd rather not keep you waiting." Tifa hummed, smiling from her place at the sink. She washed each dish thoughtfully, though there were few. "You might be going to bed soon after he get's back.. but if you want, you can come with me to see Marle? She's due for a filter change." A light gasp came from the child, causing her to raise her eyes.

"Will I get to play with her puppy?!" Tifa set down her last dish, and rested her arms on the counter with a soft giggle. "Of course you will, but only after you've gotten a good night's sleep." She cooed, booping Marlene's nose and giving her a grin. "Store up lots of energy for tomorrow, and I might see about getting some snacks too. Sweeten the deal."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

A quiet groan came from disrupted a seemingly eerie silence as her consciousness resurfaced. Her body was aching, and her head throbbed to an extent, but otherwise she was more or less okay. Her eyes fluttered open, and she was met with the immediate sight of Cloud staring back at her. He'd been kneeling beside her still form, waiting patiently for her to awaken. She might have found it endearing, under different circumstances. Barret had compared her childhood friend to a dog many times before, and while usually the term was directed at him in the form of an insult, at this moment, he really was just safeguarding her.

It's so typical of him..

The moment she began to move, he visibly relaxed, watching as she carefully sat up, placing her hands on the ground she laid upon. She almost wished she'd remained unconscious, because nothing hurt more in that moment than seeing their cruel, harsh sight of reality.

Sector Seven was gone.

Those living beneath the plate didn't have much. They were poor, and many were living unfortunate lives, struggling to get by each day. Even so, that's what made everyone so dependent on one another. They were all struggling together, helping where help was needed, whether it was building shops, fighting monsters, or finding a lost pet. Now, they had nothing. That was, if they lived. Topside too, sure, they had a little more money in their pockets and lived comfortably above the plate, but they'd suffered the same fate, and probably without even knowing why.

It hurt even more, knowing that all of it was because of AVALANCHE. It was their fault, and now, the entire sector was paying for it.

Not trusting her voice just yet, she kept quiet, getting to her feet, with the help of Cloud to keep her steady. She didn't have any words for the complete destruction surrounding them. She never dreamed that things could get so.. catastrophic.

"Tifa."

Rather than answering him, she walked, finding an opening in the rubble and ducking under it. He simply followed her without any further attempts at conversation. He knew better than anyone, if there was no initial response, now really wasn't the time. He was familiar with the sight of death, and destruction. That was his life, and he was used to it. Tifa was a completely different story.

She was searching, for anyone they knew, any signs of life. Under piles of debris, over them, through flames, everywhere.

"Hey! Is anyone out there?! Can anybody hear me?!"