Tifa's Triumph: Elegance in Victory by Jade Gretz

Tifa Lockhart had always dreamed of seeing the world beyond her hometown of Nibelheim. She loved the mountains and the fields, but she longed for something more. Something exciting. Something adventurous. She wanted to follow in the footsteps of her childhood friend, Cloud Strife, who had left to join SOLDIER, an elite military unit of the Shinra Electric Power Company. She wanted to be a hero, like him.

But her dreams were shattered when Nibelheim was burned to the ground by Sephiroth, a legendary SOLDIER gone mad. Tifa survived the massacre, but lost her family, her friends, and her memories. She was rescued by Zangan, her martial arts teacher, who took her to Midgar, the capital city of Shinra’s empire. There, she opened a bar called 7th Heaven, and joined a resistance group called AVALANCHE, led by Barret Wallace, a man with a gun for an arm. AVALANCHE fought against Shinra, who was draining the life energy of the planet for their own profit.

One day, Tifa received a surprise visit from Cloud, who had become a mercenary. He claimed to be a former SOLDIER, but Tifa sensed something was off about him. He didn’t seem to remember much about their past, and his eyes had a strange glow. Still, she was happy to see him, and convinced him to join AVALANCHE for a bombing mission on one of Shinra’s reactors. She hoped that by fighting alongside him, she could help him recover his true self.

The mission was a success, but it also attracted the attention of Shinra’s forces, who pursued them relentlessly. Tifa and Cloud, along with Barret and two other AVALANCHE members, Biggs and Wedge, escaped to the slums of Sector 7, where 7th Heaven was located. There, they met Aerith Gainsborough, a flower girl who had a mysterious connection to the planet. She offered to sell them a flower, and Tifa bought one for Cloud, hoping to cheer him up.

The next day, Tifa and Cloud went to meet with another AVALANCHE member, Jessie, who needed their help to get some explosives for their next mission. They infiltrated a Shinra warehouse, where they found a crate full of bombs. But as they were about to leave, they heard a loud roar from the back of the warehouse. They turned around, and saw a huge, hairy creature with glowing red eyes, sharp claws, and a mouth full of fangs. It was a werewolf, a beast that was said to be created by Shinra’s experiments on humans and animals.

The werewolf lunged at them, and Tifa barely dodged its attack. She grabbed her knuckles, her weapon of choice, and punched the beast in the face. It snarled, and slashed at her with its claws. Tifa blocked with her arms, but felt the pain of the cuts. She kicked the werewolf in the chest, and it stumbled back. She looked at Cloud, who was holding his sword, the Buster Sword, a massive blade that he had inherited from his mentor, Zack Fair. He looked terrified, and frozen in place.

“Cloud, snap out of it!” Tifa shouted. “We have to fight!”

But Cloud didn’t respond. He just stared at the werewolf, as if he was having a flashback. Tifa remembered that Cloud had told her that he had fought Sephiroth in Nibelheim, and that he had seen him kill Zack. She wondered if the sight of the werewolf had triggered some trauma in his mind.

She didn’t have time to think, as the werewolf charged at them again. Tifa ran towards it, and jumped over its head. She landed behind it, and punched it in the back of the neck. The werewolf howled, and turned around. Tifa dodged its bite, and elbowed it in the jaw. The werewolf staggered, and Tifa saw an opening. She ran towards Cloud, and grabbed his sword.

“Sorry, Cloud, I need this!” she said, as she swung the sword at the werewolf. The blade sliced through its flesh, and blood spurted out. The werewolf fell to the ground, and stopped moving. Tifa breathed a sigh of relief, and dropped the sword. She ran to Cloud, and shook him.

“Cloud, are you okay?” she asked, worried.

Cloud blinked, and looked at her. He seemed to snap out of his trance.

“Tifa?” he said, confused.

“Yes, it’s me. Are you hurt?” she said.

“No, I’m fine. What happened?” he said.

“We were attacked by a werewolf. I killed it with your sword. Don’t you remember?” she said.

Cloud looked at the dead beast, and then at his sword. He frowned, and shook his head.

“I don’t. I’m sorry, Tifa. I don’t know what came over me. I just…froze.” he said.

“It’s okay, Cloud. It’s over now. Let’s get out of here.” she said.

She helped him up, and they ran to the exit. Jessie was waiting for them outside, with a motorcycle.

“Hey, you guys
...(more at deviantart.com/jadegretzAI).
For more supergirl, chun li, batgirl, tifa, lara croft, wonder woman, rogue and much more, please visit my page at www.deviantart.com/jadegretzai - Thanks for your support :)
https://www.deviantart.com/jadegretzai/art/Tifa-s-Triumph-Elegance-in-Victory-1005777327