"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
Martin Luther King Jr.

A burst of light. That was the last thing she could remember before her world exploded. What had happened? Had they lost? After all they went through... was this the end? Panic buzzed through her mind. Am I dead? she thought. Are we all...dead? A fierce desire to live struggled with her overwhelming weariness. Desperately, she searched for some sign that she was still alive. Please...let me wake up...and find that everyone is ok...she begged.

Abruptly she got her wish. And part of her wished for the sweet, numb darkness again as pain flared across her entire body. She could hear voices speaking as though from very far away. Cloud? she wondered feebly. Oh God...someone help me... Focusing all her strength she struggled to move...Perhaps she was all alone and she was the only one who could help herself. She lifted her incredibly heavy eye-lids...and met cold, hard steel inches away from her face. The Highwind...she realized. It must have crashed. Oh God...please let everyone else be alright... Her eyes traveled downwards and she could see steel protruding from her side and blood. A cold sweat broke out on her body and she felt the chilling desperate need to fall unconscious. I've lived throught worse...I have to be strong, she told herself firmly.

With arms that felt far too weak to be her own, she struggled to push the metal off her body. It barely moved an inch. Dizziness fogged her brain at these feeble actions. She felt herself panting softly. She opened her mouth to call for help but her throat was too dry, and her body to weak to form the words. All that escaped was a low moan. Feeling all the pain, fear, and frusteration at her own weakness crashing down on her, she pushed her broken body to try again.

"He-elp.." she croaked despairingly.

She heard the voices around her stop for a brief moment.

"Tifa!" someone called from seemingly far away. "Is that you? Where are you?"

There were thundering footsteps that jarred her headache, coming towards her.

"Is she under there?" a soft, and frightened young voice questioned.

A gruff voice replied, "It seems so...help me get her out."

Cid and Yuffie...she thought with relief.

The sheet of metal that had her pinned to the ground was lifted and she felt cool, blessed, fresh air cross her face.

"Oh God..." she heard Cid mutter.

She felt a hand clutching her own and opened her eyes to Yuffie peering down into her face.

"Tifa?" she asked in a trembling voice. "Can you hear me?"

She whispered coarsly, "Yes...Is Cloud...is everyone alright?"

"Just worry about yourself right now." Cid said with unusual tenderness. "I'm gunna move you now ok?"

Pain flashed through her body again as she felt herself being lifted. Another moan escaped her before she could hold it back. She felt Cid tense.

"You okay kiddo?" he questioned, his voice unsteady.

Unable to answer, she nodded, an action that caused her brain to turn into jelly. She felt Cid beginning to walk and heard Yuffie's feet softly hitting the ground somewhere behind them. I'm going to be fine, she thought tiredly. Her mind weaved in and out of wakefulness...How wonderful would it be to just fall alseep? ...

"Tifa?" Yuffie's young voice said with a quaver. "Don't fall asleep..."

Next to her ear, she heard Cid's voice rumble in his chest. "Stay awake Tifa...you gotta stay awake. You hit your head pretty hard. If you fall asleep...you may not wake back up."

"I'm awake..." she choked out.

Her headache exploded again as she heard Yuffie shout, "Over here! We found her!"

Someone was running towards them. "Is she alright?" the panicked shout came.

A shadow fell across her face and she felt a trembling hand on her hair.

"Oh God...Is she-" a hoarse voice whispered.

Yuffie's frightened voice interrupted. "We found her pinned under some metal. Her head and side are cut open...we don't know how bad she is."

I'm fine! Tifa wanted to tell them. How she hated to hear them so scared and helpless! But she felt herself drifting again and she knew she was to weak to form any words.

"Here," that familiar voice said softly. "Give her to me."

Cid's arms shifted around her, and she felt herself being pulled into someone else's arms. Her head was cradled gently against a strong, familiar chest and sleep was becoming almost overwhelming. She breathed in shakily and a comforting scent filled her senses. Cloud... she thought happily. So he's alright.

"Tifa?" Cloud said fearfully. "Can you hear me?"

She opened her mouth to speak, to tell him not to worry, but all that came out was another rasping moan.The arms around her shook.

"We have to get her over with the others..." Cloud said with a forced calm.

Yuffie's voice was small as she asked, "How are the others?"

"We think Barret's leg is broken...and Red's pretty cut up." Cloud replied quietly. "But no one's as bad as..."

His grip tightened on Tifa.

"Is Vincent back yet?" Cid asked quickly. "We need potions...all of our supplies was destroyed in the crash."

"He will be soon." Cloud replied.

Silence fell on them. Tifa felt herself being lulled by the steady footsteps and the steady heartbeat against her ear. Gotta stay awake, she reminded herself. Cloud said potions were coming...just until then. I have to stay awake until then... The walking stopped and she felt the warmth of a campfire nearby. Tifa heard a shaky sigh of relief rattle in Cloud's chest.

"Vincent!" he half-shouted. "Did you get the supplies?"

Tifa heard a cold,calm voice reply, "Yes. I've already given a potion to both Barret and Red. They are resting."

"There's still some left right?" Yuffie questioned loudly.

Vincent emotionless voice replied, "Yes."

"Thank God..." Cloud whispered. "Cid? Could you get-"

Cid cut Cloud off. "I'll be right back... let me grab them."

Tifa felt herself being laid out on a blanket. She could still hear Cloud and the others talking around her but the voices blurred together. The pain was still there...brutal and unforgiving as ever...but the relentless panic that had first plagued her mind was gone. Cloud and the others were alive, and she was going to get a potion any minute now. Just as the thought crossed her mind, she felt a hand support her neck and a warm liquid being poured down her parched throat. The sharp edges around the pain disappeared. Another poured down her throat. Her headache was now almost bearable. Another poured down her throat. She felt the pulling on her skin that signified her side wound was closing. And as the last poured down her throat, she opened her eyes as her mind felt gloriously clear of the pain that had fuzzed her mind ever since she woke up beneath that sheet of metal.

It was late at night and she was outside somewhere. The only light came from a campfire several feet away. Four worried and exhausted faces peered down into hers. Happiness filled her with warmth as she pulled her lips into a tired, but none-the-less, joyful smile and she squeezed the calloused hand that clutched her own. Several voices gleefully rang out at these unmissable signs of life.

"Tifa! You're okay! You're okay!" Yuffie sang, her voice regaining that youthful luster.

Cid's voice was jokingly stern. "Never worry me like that again missy!"

She even saw Vincent let a tight-lipped smile slip.

"Tifa..." she heard Cloud say with undeniable relief evident in his blue, mako eyes. "How are you feeling?"

She squeezed his hand and wearily she replied, "Better... can I sleep now please?"

Cloud laughed gently and pushed back her hair. "Yes you can sleep now."

With wonderous relief she closed her eyes and finally gave into the exhaustion as she drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.