Final Fantasy 7: Seeing Red

"You want to go on a date?"

The sound of Aerith's soft, playful voice hit Tifa like a punch to the gut. She was currently standing in the hallway of the Golden Saucer's Ghost Hotel, surrounded by fake cobwebs and cheap plastic chains, just outside of the room being used by the male members of team AVALANCHE. She had been just about to step inside when the sound of Aerith and Cloud talking inside had stopped her in her tracks.

Barret, Cid and Cait sith were out betting on the birds, while Yuffie and Red XIII had convinced Vincent to go sight-seeing and Aerith had mentioned something about seeing a play that would be going on in the Event Square as part of the Enchantment Night celebrations. It seemed like a perfect chance for Tifa to talk to Cloud alone. Finally. With nights on the road and recovering from near-constant battles over the last few weeks, there had been little opportunity to talk away from the others. The last opportunity had been their previous visit to the Saucer and she had been too nervous and embarrassed to take the chance. She hadn't wanted to waste this second chance.

She had spent the last half-hour in the bathroom, doing her best to psych herself up and debating whether or not she should dress up for the encounter. There was a dress on sale in the gift shop that had caught her eye. It would have looked adorable on Yuffie and beautiful on Aerith...but she felt ridiculous when she imagined putting it on herself. She'd look like a costumed gorilla with her scarred knuckles and muscular legs and there'd be no time to get it tailored to her oversized chest, leaving it awkward and tight. Eventually, she settled on her usual outfit...she knew she didn't look as pretty as Aerith in her tank top and miniskirt but at least she would be comfortable.

But it seemed like she had taken too long agonizing over it and Aerith must have arrived just a few minutes before her. For a brief second, Tifa considered strolling into the room in the hopes of ruining the moment for the other girl and at least calling it a draw...but Aerith could be surprisingly shameless and might be perfectly willing to continue the conversation with Tifa in the room. If this moment was a mental gut-punch then that would be the emotional equivalent of a brutal beating with a baseball bat.

Tifa gulped around a painful lump in her throat, heart pounding in her chest as she shifted her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Maybe Cloud would turn her down? Maybe he wasn't interested in the slender Cetra girl?

That last hope died as Cloud muttered out something confused and hesitant. Cloud, normally a stoic badass, turned into a spiky-haired himbo around Aerith. Tifa spun on her heel and jogged down the hall, running from the sound of Aerith's playful laughter.

-------

The roar of a bike engine filled Tifa's ears, mixed with excited electric beeps and blorps from the other machines in the Wonder Square arcade. She leaned to the right, tilting the G-bike to take a sharp turn and driving one of the enemy bikers into a nearby wall, causing it to explode in a shower of burning polygons. She shifted her weight sharply to avoid smashing her own bike against the wall as the road curved drunkenly in the other direction.

As more bikes approached from behind, Tifa rocked from side to side, thumbing the buttons on the handlebars to swipe at them and send them both spinning away in flames. A stray bike zoomed past her, headed for the truck it was her mission to escort, and she leaned forward, lifting her butt off the seat and balancing on the foot-pegs of the arcade machine.

She spared a glance at the top of the screen where her current score was displayed: 9,500 points. Just a couple more bikes and she'd beat the high score, 10,050 points, which had been set by Cloud the last time they visited the Golden Saucer. Beating his high score would be possibly the pettiest vengeance Tifa had ever indulged in, but right now it was the only thing she wanted to do.

Tifa's attention was completely focused on the bike in front of her as it swerved towards the truck, her thumb hovering above the attack button. It was a tougher, red bike and survived her first attack and then swerved out of the way of her second as another sharp curve forced her to tilt right to compensate. She growled under her breath as she straightened up and leaned further forward, approaching her wounded target. Just another inch and she'd-

Her focus was shattered by the sensation of two bony fingers suddenly sliding between her thighs and pressing against her panties, right over her pussy. The shock of the sudden intrusive touch sent a shudder through her whole body, causing her to freeze up and for a moment she offered no resistance to the finger's obscene probing. A thumb joined the first two fingers, pressing the fabric of her panties between her ass cheeks.

While Tifa's body was locked up in shock the screen flashed in front of her, the truck she was meant to be escorting under attack by several bikes while hers ground drunkenly against the fence around the road. The words GOAL!! flashed on the screen as the vehicles crossed the finish line, marking the end of the game...dashing her chance at the high score.

Rage broke her paralysis and she leapt off the bike, pulling away from the groping hand. Spinning around she faced the molester: a gangly man wearing a floral-print shirt and a mog hat. He had a Mega-Mog Mega-Gulp cup filled with beer and his lopsided leer and drooping eyelids indicated it probably wasn't his first.

"Holy shit, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Tifa snarled, knuckles cracking as her hands tightened into fists. She could barely hold herself back, desperately wanting to stove this fucker's teeth in. But her teacher's lessons held her back: he had always emphasized that her fists were just as deadly as a gun or sword and she mustn't use her strength against those who couldn't fight back.

"Oooo wheee!" The scruffy-looking man cackled, sniffing his fingertips theatrically. His voice was slurred and his breath was foul. "That'sh is shome prime pusshy."

Tifa took an involuntary step forward, arm trembling with the effort of not breaking the bastard's jaw. She wasn't wearing her gloves, so he probably wouldn't die if she pulled her punch enough...would it really be so bad?

"I am not in the mood, creep." Tifa forced the words through gritted teeth, "Get out of here unless you want me to slap the stupid out of you."

Her chest was heaving as she took deep, calming breaths, putting her already taut suspenders under additional tension. Unfortunately, Tifa's threat sailed over the drunk's head as his attention was caught by the sight of her generous breasts pressed against the fabric of her tank-top. He leaned in closer, looking about ready to drool directly into her cleavage.

"Hey, I said-!"

"How much?" He interrupted her with a grunt, oblivious to her rising fury.

"What?!"

"I shaid, how much?" The man pulled out a bulging coin pouch. "For the night, or an hour."

"I am not a hooker." Tifa's voice was cold and steady. "Go away. Now."

"What about just a blowjob?"

----------

Tifa trotted down the Wonder Square staircase towards the transportation tubes, whistling cheerfully. A pair of Gold Saucer first aid EMTs rushed by her, heading for the arcade where someone had been recently stuffed headfirst into the hoop of the basketball game. She smiled brightly at them as they passed and hopped down the tube towards the main station hub. There was a delightful whoosh of air, causing her long hair to whip upwards wildly, followed by a sudden burst of color as she popped out of the tube and landed lightly in the center of the station circle.

She was feeling pretty good, for the first time since she had almost walked in on Aerith and Cloud earlier that night. Kicking the ass of a perverted drunk was apparently the best balm for a broken (or, at least, badly bruised) heart. She had been half-tempted to take the fucker's coin pouch as well but had decided against it in the end. The Golden Saucer's security might look the other way at a drunken groper getting his just deserts but they probably wouldn't be so lenient with outright mugging.

Still, it was probably a good idea to make herself scarce and avoid any...complications...once they successfully extracted the drunk from the arcade machine. Which was too bad, because the Wonder Square was her favorite part of the Saucer. Chocobo racing wasn't her thing and going on the gondola or the coaster by herself sounded sad and lonely. As she scanned the tube entrances her eye was caught by a man wearing a sandwich board next to the Event Square.

It read: ENCHANTMENT NIGHT ONLY! THE EPIC OF VALVADOS! ROMANCE! ACTION! DRAGONS! FREE!!

They had me at free. Tifa thought sardonically to herself. A play might be nice, it had been the off-season when they were last at the Saucer and there were precious few other chances for light entertainment since they had left Midgar.

Another hop down the tube. Another rush of wind whipping at her hair and billowing up her miniskirt. Tifa landed lightly on her feet in the auditorium lobby.

She could see the lights in the auditorium were dimmed and could hear the voices of the actors, although she couldn't quite make out the words. As she stepped towards the entrance to the auditorium she saw a sign up in the lobby:

"As part of our Enchantment Night celebration of love, our 100th couple will be starring in tonight's performance!"

Next to it was a smaller sign that simply read "already claimed"

Tifa shook her head. The idea of two ordinary lovebirds getting roped into a play was such a cheesy gimmick but it might be entertaining to see them try and muddle their way through the play regardless. She wondered what sort of couple the winners might be as she stepped into the darkened chamber.

"Please help me, Legendary Hero!!"

Tifa's jaws clenched shut at the words, her heart pounding in her ears. That was Aerith's voice. The 100th couple was...

Slowly, she turned her eyes towards the stage, hoping against hope that she was mistaken. On the stage were several actors dressed as archaic knights and royalty and one man in a bulky green dragon costume. At the dragon's feet was Aerith, an expression of comically over-acted distress on her face. Across the stage, standing beside a man dressed as a wizard, was Cloud. He had the same expression he always wore outside of battle, a look of slightly confused stoicism. At any other time, Tifa would have found his complete failure to get into the spirit of the play hilarious...but seeing him on the stage with Aerith was nauseating. The roaring in Tifa's ears finally quieted enough that she could hear what the wizard character next to Cloud was saying:

"...A kiss!! The power of True Love!!"

Cloud looked at him, eyebrows slightly furrowed in confusion. He clearly wasn't quite sure what to do next. She could see the actor playing the wizard miming kissing through his massive fake beard. Cloud shrugged and leaned towards him.

"Not me you idiot! Kiss her!" The wizard's hissing whisper was just loud enough for the microphone to pick up and the audience tittered at the faux pas. The wizard grabbed Cloud by the shoulder and turned him firmly towards Aerith and the dragon and pushed him forward.

Aerith smiled as Cloud approached, her eyes sparkling.

Tifa's heart pounded in her chest.

Cloud took Aerith by the hand and gently helped her stand.

Tifa's vision was beginning to blur.

Their faces were only inches apart...

--

Every actor on stage jumped in shock as an incredibly loud sound shook the room, like a boulder being smashed to pieces. Within moments the lights were back up and security had arrived but all they could find was a single, fist-sized hole in one of the auditorium's thick stone walls, right next to the lobby exit.

----

Twenty minutes after her dramatic exit from the Event Square Tifa was stumbling through the Enchantment Night festival, clutching the largest bottle of liquor that she had been able to locate. It was nearly two feet tall and intended for parties of at least ten people. It was also already half-empty.

Tifa threw back another swig directly from the bottle, glowering at the couples and families who were giving her dirty looks as she wove her way unsteadily through the stalls. She wasn't going anywhere in particular...she just had nowhere else to go. She didn't want to run into any other members of team AVALANCHE in her current mood, or she probably would have just returned to the ghost hotel to drink in peace. So she was left to wander.

As she took another drink from the huge bottle she placed a foot down wrong, causing her to stumble to one side and bump into a young woman in a pink-and-white dress. The woman cried out and fell back against her companion, a well-dressed older man. Quite a bit older in fact, probably old enough to be his date's father.

"Sorry...uh...sorry. My bad." Tifa did her best to avoid stumbling over her words.

"Maybe you've had enough, young lady?" The man raised one graying eyebrow, with an expression of barely concealed contempt.

"Well, maybe you should mind your fucking business." Tifa snarled defiantly, glaring at the two of them. "And maybe...maybe find someone your own age you creep."

The girl's face went bright red and the older man bristled with pompous fury. "This young lady is my daughter."

"Oh...uh..." Tifa was caught between trying to formulate an apology and a smart-mouthed and ended up saying nothing as the two glared at her and hurried away. She shook her head, "Fuck...I've got to get my shit together. Cloud is not worth this."

Despite her words, she could feel a knot forming in her chest and her lower lip trembled. Shit...shit I cannot start getting weepy in front of everyone.

Hurrying towards the edge of the festival she spotted an alley between stalls which led away from the lights and crowds and into the darkened foundations of the massive chocobo race track that ran around the Saucer. It looked wonderfully inviting, a quiet place where she could finish her drink, have a nice ugly blubber and maybe pass out for a few hours. Like a mature adult.

Tifa slipped between the stalls and climbed over the railings marked "DO NOT ENTER". This part of the Saucer was completely empty and unlit. Even the noise of the crowd seemed muffled as she stumbled between massive columns of concrete and steel that held up the glittering extravagance that everyone had come to enjoy.

The gloomy surroundings suited Tifa fine right now. Hell, she felt right at home...it was a lot like the sector seven slums down here. At least, before the plate fell...

Damn it! Tifa berated herself as she rubbed her eyes and took another drink. Stop making yourself sad, you mopey idiot!

"There you are, bitch!"

Tifa looked up blearily as the gruff voice interrupted her bout of drunken self-pity. It was the man from the Wonder Square arcade, the asshole who had groped her on the G-bike. His face was swollen and bruised from the broken nose she had given him and he had numerous scratches that he had probably sustained after she stuffed him head-first down the basket of the ball game. He had another Mega-Mog gulp in one hand and a furious, drunken glare on his face.

But more importantly, he wasn't alone. Six other men, wearing similar stained floral shirts and with similar looks of drunken contempt on their faces. She had seen crowds like this back when she ran the Seventh Heaven...a drunk would get bounced for causing a fuss and he'd round up a posse of his drunkest and meanest mates looking for payback.

"Is this the one you were talking about?" One of the drunks asked, eyes unfocused. He raised his eyebrows in inebriated surprise, "Damn...you were right...those tits are huuuge."

"That's right. This is the slut." The first man snarled, spitting a gob of bloody saliva on the ground. "She had two big guys jump me while she was flashing her ass at me."

"Oh, I see how it is..." Tifa got to her feet, somewhat unsteadily, and flipped off the lead drunk. "Don't want to tell all your friends that you got your ass kicked by a girl?"

"Shut your mouth, you cunt." The man growled. "We've been looking for you all over the Saucer. We're going to teach you a lesson."

One of the scrawnier men in the group grabbed his crotch and licked his lips theatrically. "Who knows, play nice and maybe you'll enjoy it."

"Not if I have anything to say about it, she won't." One of the other men said, a sadistic grin on his face.

The gang was starting to spread out to the left and right, trying to cut off any attempt to escape. Several of them produced weapons such as bike chains or empty bottles, but nothing serious enough to worry Tifa. It was true that her gloves and bracers (and the materia socketed in them) were all back at the hotel right now but even half-drunk she could wipe the floor with this pitiful group with no effort. She set her bottle on the ground and clenched her fists...

...only to slowly unclench them as a terrible thought slithered into her head. How would Cloud feel if he came back from his date and found out that she had been attacked while he was out gallivanting around the park with Aerith? It wouldn't be too unbelievable...there were seven of them and she was pretty drunk...

As the drunken louts closed in, the internal debate raged inside Tifa.

Obviously, I'd only let them get a few hits in...I mean, I'd still kick their ass in the end.

It's not like I'd let them do anything awful to me...but if they tore up my clothes a bit...

Although...

"Get away from her!"

The familiar growl startled Tifa and caused all of the men approaching her to freeze in place, eyes wide and mouths open. It wasn't a human noise, it was the sound of an enraged predator. It was a noise that echoed off of sharp, white fangs. Even though Tifa knew it as the voice of a close friend and ally, it still sent a shiver down her spine.

Red XIII was crouched about a dozen yards behind the gang of drunks, fangs bared and his one good eye glinting dangerously. The heatless flame on the end of his tail cast leaping, wild shadows as it swept from side-to-side. Red's hackles were raised, making the already huge beast seem even larger.

Red stepped forward, another growl building deep in his throat. This seemed to shatter the spell on the drunken goons and they spun around to face the giant lion-wolf. Unsurprisingly, the men "brave" enough to gang up on an unarmed, inebriated young woman were not prepared to face a seemingly feral beast. They scattered like rabbits, dashing away into the darkness between the support pillars.

All except one, the man with the broken nose. Maybe braver, drunker or just stupider than his companions, he reached behind his back and drew a concealed gun. The snub-nosed barrel of the revolver jittered in the drunk's shaking hands and did nothing to deter Red's confident approach.

"Stay back!" The man's voice cracked with fear.

Red's only response was to lick his fangs with his flat, pink tongue.

The man looked ready to flee now, perhaps realizing his odds of hitting Red XIII were slim to none, but Red was clearly too close for him to have any chance of escaping. Instead, he turned towards Tifa, eyes wide and desperate. She could see the gears in his head struggle to turn, bogged down by fear and booze. Finally, something seemed to click and he rushed towards Tifa, grabbing her by the arm and pointing the gun at her face.

"Call it off!" He hissed, his foul breath making her wince slightly. "Call it off or I'll blow your fucking head off!"

Red XIII stopped his approach, sitting back on his haunches. The three of them were completely alone now, with the drunk's erstwhile allies nowhere to be seen.