Junon Harbour. 7:20
Tifa stirred and got up from the floor. Where was she?
She groaned and looked out of the window. It was dark. Suddenly, she
threw up on the floor. She felt sluggish. For some reason she had been
asleep on the floor.
She tried to sit up and look for the shop keeper. He was moaning on
the floor. After a few minutes he picked himslef up off the floor and staggered
over to her.
“You all right?” he managed.
Tifa shook her head. “I can’t get up.”
The shop keeper looked surprised for a sceond and helped her up.
“Sorry.” he said gruffly. “Didn’t realise. How far along are you?”
“What?” asked Tifa.
“Your baby. How far along is it?”
Tifa looked down to her stomach and screamed.
-
“I’m pregnant!” she cried out.
“Of coarse you are!” said the puzzled shop keeper.
“But you don’t get it!” said Tifa shakily. “I-I- I was definatly not
pregnant before.”
The shop keeper looked down at her bump. “I’d say you’ve been pregnant
for about three months.”
Tifa shook her head. “We can’t have been asleep for that long... could
we?”
-
Lori woke up.
First, she realised that she was laying sprawled across the floor.
She couldn’t remember why.
Then she realised she was pregnant.
“Oh, golly.” she whispered. “How did that happen?”
-
Out-skirts of Junon. 7:40
They realised the town was awake when people came staggering out of
their houses.
Cloud ran through the streets trying to find Tifa. Several heavily
armed troops were keeping everyone clam and finding out what had happened
to them.
Cloud and the others burst through the door to a shop to find Tifa
sitting there with the shop assistant.
“Jesus, Tifa!” blurted out Cid. “What have you been up to?”
Tifa looked down and smiled sarcastically.
“If you’re inquiring about the baby, then no, I haven’t done anything.
Every woman is like this.”
Vincent went outside for a moment. “She’s right, Cloud. Several woman
are out in the streets. They’re all pregnant.”
Cloud was flabbergasted. “But why?” he asked.
“I don’t know! I’ve been asleep for three months!”
Yuffie sniggered. “What are you talking about, Tifa? It’s been a week!”
Tifa was puzzled. “Do I look like a week pregnant to you?”
“Curious.” said Red XIII. “Tifa, I think you should come back to the
Highwind with us.”
“Ok.” she said slowly. “But only if you’ve got some ice-cream. I’ve
got a real craving at the moment.”
-
Mideel, 8:00
Mideel had changed a lot in five years. Most of the town had been rebuilt,
but this time it was centered around the life-stream. General Thomas yawned
and looked outside. It was a beautiful day.
His wife, Martha, was in the kitchen making breakfast. Thomas yawned
and fell back to sleep.
Fifteen minutes later his wife woke him up.
“You’ll never guess what!” she said excitedly. “But they says Junon’s
awake!”
“Do they now?” replied Thomas.
She looked at him crossly. “You should take more of an interest in
the world.”
“Why should I?” he retorted. “That’s the point of retiring. You go
away to a nice, carefree place where you don’t have to worry. You just
sit and eat and read and see your grand-children.”
She changed the subject. “Come on, get up. Your breakfast is getting
cold.”
Thomas flung himself out of bed and got dressed. He went downstairs
with the smell of bacon and eggs in the kitchen.
-
Junon. 11:20
The situation had calmed down considerably, but Cloud still didn’t
know what had happened.
“So, I was asleep for a week?” Tifa asked. She was sitting in a hospital
bed, wired to a machine.
Cloud nodded.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. A Doctor clad in overalls came
in.
“We have the test results.” he said in a grave voice.
Tifa looked up. “And?” she said.
“Your baby is growing at a massive speed. Almost twelve times the normal
rate.”
“And what does that mean?”
The Doctor shrugged. “What it means, I don’t know. But your baby should
be born in a month.
“A month?”
The man nodded. “It is advisable that you stay here for the duration
of your pregnancy.”
Tifa opened her mouth to protest, but Cloud silenced her.
“Thank you, Doctor.”
The man left.
Cloud looked over at Tifa. “So... what are you going to do? You can
have an abortion...”
“No.” she said sharply.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to keep this baby, Tifa-”
“And what if I am?”she shouted.
“Tifa, this baby is just a part of Sephiroth’s game!”
“Cloud, you don’t understand. You can’t understand. This baby... it
deserves a chance. It deserves to live.”
“Think, Tifa. Just think what you’re doing!”
“I’ve had a long time to think, Cloud. I don’t need you making decisions
for me!” Tifa was crying now.
“Fine!” said Cloud viciously. “Let it be born, whatever it is. This
thing will destroy us all!”
Tifa looked at him, speechless.
“I want you to get out, Cloud.” she said quietly. “And I don’t want
you to come back.”
He realised what he’d said. “Tifa...”
“Get out!” she screamed. “Get out before I call in security!”
Cloud stormed out of the room and left Tifa alone.
-
Junon Hospital. 12:19
Lori was probably the only woman in Junon who had not been visited
by anyone. She had no family: her husband had died five years ago when
Weapon attacked the harbour.
But now... now she had a son. Even if it was thanks to Sephiroth.
Lori stroked her stomach fondly. The Doctor said the baby would be
born in a few weeks. So she had some time to think of a name.
One particular name stuck in her head and wouldn’t go away. It wasn’t
bad so she chose it.
“All right.” she told herself. “Jenova it is.”
-
Yuffie’s House, Wutai. 7:28
This is it. This is the big night.
Yuffie looked at her watch. Reeve was late. Anxiously, she smoothed
her hair and looked in the mirror again. She was pleased by what she saw.
She wore a red silk dress with black shoes. Yuffie had never worn make-up
before, and when she tried to put in on it looked awful. Instead, she turned
the light down and hoped that Reeve wouldn’t think she hadn’t made an effort.
Wow, Yuffie. You’re looking good!
She smiled and sprayed on some perfume that she stole from Elena.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Yuffie jumped and rushed over
to open it.
“Hi, Reeve.” she smiled.
Reeve wore a black suit that really suited him. He had trimmed his
goatee into a neat line around his mouth.
“Can I come in?” he replied.
“Oh! Yeah, sure.”
They moved into Yuffie’s living room and sat down.
“I’ll get the food.” said Yuffie hastily.
She returned with the food. It was a Take-away, but Reeve wouldn’t
know.
“You know, Reeve...” she began, trying to start up converstion.
He looked up from his food. “Hmmm?”
“You’ve always been like me, in a way.”
He sucked up a noodle noisily. “Why?”
“Well, for instance... oh, I don’t know.”
Reeve munched on a prawn. “To be honest, Yuffie. We’re not alike at
all.”
“No.”
So why do I feel so attracted to you?
He must have read her mind, because he said: “Why did you ask me here,
then?”
“I don’t know.”
“I think you do.”
Stop reading my mind, damn you!
“Maybe... maybe it’s because... I don’t like to say.” she admitted.
Because I’m a lonely thief with no one to love and no one to protect.
“Really?” he said.
“Oh, gawd.”she gasped. “Did I say that out loud?”
“Sure did.” He resumed eating his dinner.
There was a silence.
“But you know, Yuffie?” he added.
“What?”
“It doesn’t have to be like that.”
It was an awkward moment. Yuffie rushed out to get the wine.
-
“I had a great time tonight, Yuffie. The food was superb.”
“Thanks.” muttered Yuffie, blushing.
“And Yuffie?”
“Yeah?”
“I had way too much wine.”
“Me too.”
They kissed.