On the Way to a Smile, Episode: Tifa [Revised]
That day, the chosen day; Meteor came hurtling down from the cosmos. The Lifestream burst out from the planet, converging above Midgar to destroy it. Tifa had watched the spectacle from the sky, aboard the Highwind, together with her friends.
I thought it’d be fine if everything just washed away. Wash away my past. Our Past. And why not me too?
She could feel the inevitable terror that was going to come with the relief brought by the end of the battle.
I wondered if I could continue living the way I was.
If someone else was faced with the same question, then she would tell them, without a moments hesitation, that they should live on no matter what. But when it came to herself, she was unsure.
Thanks to the Shinra Electric Power Company’s development of Mako energy, the world prospered. Light overflowed the ground’s surface, but at the same time, the shadows turned a shade darker. The anti-Shinra group “AVALANCHE” worked to bring that darkness to the world’s attention.
Mako energy was going to lead to the destruction of the planet. But Avalanche’s actions were all in vein, and the world remained unchanged. Once everyone saw the benefits of Mako, it was hard for them to turn their backs on it. Hoping to change that, Avalanche resorted to more extreme measures. In Midgar, the City of Mako, where lots of people lived, they blew up one of the reactors which produced consumable Mako energy.
Due to a miscalculation in the bomb they made, the destruction caused was beyond anything they had imagined, both to the reactor itself, and the surrounding area. In response to the incident, Shinra committed a brutal act in order to destroy the small group. The sector of Midgar, which was home to AVALANCHE’s hideout, was completely destroyed, inhabitants and all. As a result of AVALANCHE, indirectly or not, countless innocent lives were lost.
That was the group Tifa had joined.
She had considered that sacrifices were more or less unavoidable for their greater goal. They had always thought they were prepared to throw their lives away too, but as a result of what happened, they lost sight of their goal. During their long fight with Shinra, they soon found themselves fighting a powerful new foe, Sephiroth. Tifa, along with her childhood friend Cloud – the other remaining survivor of AVALANCHE, Barret – Aerith who they had met during all the chaos, and Red XIII, set out on their journey. After many events had unfolded, Cid, Cait Sith, Yuffie, and Vincent also became her companions, each with their own reasons.
It seemed a new friendship was blossoming, but as if there was a price to pay, Aerith’s life was taken.
Even in great sorrow, their journey wasn’t over. It wasn’t until Tifa felt the battle was heading toward its inevitable conclusion – be it victory or defeat – that she could finally look back on the events which led her there.
It all started when I was just a girl. There had been some trouble out at the Mako reactor, built near my hometown of Nibelheim, that threatened the town’s safety.
Sephiroth was dispatched by Shinra to resolve the problem, but he killed my father. I couldn’t bear the hatred I had for Shinra and Sephiroth. That was why I joined AVALANCHE. Yes. It started with my own personal grudge. The slogans AVALANCHE used, about how they were anti-Shinra and anti-Mako, were just what I needed to hide my true motive. But the many lives lost as sacrifices in saving the planet were too much. If all that was just for my own revenge, then…
The sin held a role deep in my heart. I wondered if I could live on with these feelings.
As Tifa looked down from the sky at what would soon be the ruins of Midgar, she was fearful of the future. But Cloud stood by her, gazing at the same scenery, smiling peacefully. It was a smile she hadn’t seen before during their journey. Cloud noticed her gazing at him.
“What’s wrong?”
“Cloud, you’re smiling.”
“I am?”
“Yeah.”
“It all starts now. A new…”
Cloud searched for the right words.
“A new life.”
“I’m going to live. I think that’s the only way I can be forgiven. We’ve been through … a lot.”
“Yeah…”
“But when I think about how many times I’ve thought about how I was going to start a new life, it’s funny….”
“Why’s that funny?”
“Because I’ve always screwed it up.”
“That’s not funny.”
“After this … I think I’ll be okay.”
Cloud became very quiet for a moment.
“Because I have you this time.”
“You’ve always had me.”
“What I mean is kind of different,”
Cloud answered with another smile.
