The Inevitable Crisis
Chapter 21: Faith
Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII CC. This is purely to satisfy my fangirl desires and an overactive imagination.

"I want you to question everything, but sometimes it pays to just have a little faith" -Lauren Kate, Torment

Autumn

She was ready to force herself to fall asleep when her PHS pinged, notifying her of a new email. Opening it up, she noticed it was from Cloud.

He talked about a message he sent Fair, thanking him for his inspiring words and positive attitude which bolstered his confidence alongside many other rookies. The blond who held her heart told her about how seeing her so high up and strong despite staring down the people who destroyed her life in the face encouraged him to push harder. He lamented his desire to join SOLDIER knowing her past. And he asked her to forgive the ravenette aforementioned.

Autumn sighed, playing with the curls resting on her chest, separated from the rest of her hair, which was down from her ponytail for a night's comfortable sleep (she hoped). So much for relaxing a bit after such a pleasant evening and a shower. She was glad Sephiroth planned ahead of time and reserved a separate room for her, otherwise he and Fair would've noticed her look of disdain and conflict.

She… didn't hate him. Not anymore. But she couldn't forgive him for what he did. It was just so stupid and reckless, and he betrayed her sister. Fair was one of the few people she decided to trust, despite not telling him the entire truth. It was so hard for her to trust in the first place.

Aerith's influence lessened her harsh standards for earning her trust when they were younger, but after Tifa's friends who – by extension were hers as well – ran off that fateful day to leave them on that rickety bridge to Mt. Nibel, she decided it was better safe than sorry.

The brunette might've enjoyed Sarrel, Tyler, and Jason's company, but she never trusted them. They were too loyal to the company. Same with Frey and Cissnei. She thought Fair might've been different. He was innocent in a way and open to different perspectives. Then he had to go and ruin not only their friendship but her trust in him as well. Then again, he still hadn't told anyone else in Shinra her true identity. If he had, she would've been arrested by now and thrown into one of Hojo's cells for testing.

Her conflictions wrestled in her mind while Cloud's latest message remained at the forefront. As she anticipated, despite heading to bed around the time Sephiroth suggested, Autumn experienced another fitful night of sleep.

Mainly because Minerva decided to whisk her away to that blank space in her mind and proceeded to show her visions of what they would find in the reactor, as well as how she should handle it.

She witnessed Sephiroth's shock upon discovering the monsters encapsulated in the reactor, and Genesis's taunts only worsened his mental state. The brunette watched him slowly fall apart in the span of a week after locking himself away in the library of the secret lab she hadn't known existed in the Shinra Manor, questioning his humanity until he finally snapped.

It broke her heart to see a great man lose himself in such a way, but also fueled her determination to prevent it from happening.

When she woke up about half an hour before dawn, she felt as if she hadn't slept at all.

'Ugh. Why…?' she vaguely wondered, though sleep-deprivation from a single night wouldn't interfere with her skills in the slightest.

But, as she slowly realized, she'd been sleep-deprived for over a couple of months. Nightmares haunted her when insomnia didn't. Thanks to SOLDIER enhancements, however, she was still at around 80% functionality.

After sluggishly preparing herself for the mission and ordering some breakfast, Autumn glanced into the bathroom mirror. Her dark circles from long nights and stunted sleep were prominent against her scarred, pale skin. She stared at the imperfections, tracing the faded silver one lining her left cheekbone to end at her chin.

It wasn't a pretty scar. She'd gotten it on a mission in Wutai, in the middle of a massive battle. In the midst of all the chaos, the cut one of Wutai's ninjas managed to get in was the least of her worries. Until she discovered it was poisoned, but thankfully she'd already been dosing herself with antidotes in anticipation for such a predicament.

The brunette's eyes trailed down the exposed flesh of her arms due to her sleeveless turtleneck, soaking in the numerous scars and a few burns scattered all the way down to her hands. Backing up, she stared at her battered legs. Her healed bullet wound, the bite mark from the Guard Hound back in Junon, burns, still relatively sensitive whip marks…

Autumn's mind flashed back to yesterday afternoon when Tifa noticed her injuries in a combination of disgust and horror. She didn't say anything in fear of ruining the mood or offending the brunette, but it hurt to see even her closest friend gawk at her legs in such a manner.

She sighed, shimmying out of her shorts to pull on a pair of leggings she'd haphazardly thrown in with her belongings when she packed and threw on her long-sleeved motor leather jacket before strapping on her pauldrons. Her body was an eyesore. She felt secure having all evidence of her mistakes and moments of weakness hidden. Satisfied with her change in dress, Autumn pulled on her mask and equipped her materia, items, and weapons.

A bit of her layout had changed since she recently purchased a Good-Luck Charm and found a Super Ribbon in the carnage of the Dragon she and Sephiroth recently slew. She mostly used materia, since CQC was still a no-go for her. Sure, it was disgusting to dig for it at first, but a Super Ribbon might come in handy. With that in mind, she tied the ribbon around her right wrist.

The 1st emerged from her room awake and confident in her strength to see the mission through, but just as insecure in the rustic village as she was before she left for Shinra. She heard voices which grew louder the closer she approached the hall until she saw Sephiroth and Fair at a window letting in the dawn's rays.

"This scenery…" she heard her Masamune-wielding friend mutter, "I could swear I've seen it before…"

The female 1st nervously played with her hands and shuffled her feet a little. She knew now why he felt Nibelheim was familiar. He was born here. She didn't know who his real mother was but knew for fact Jenova wasn't it. Sephiroth was experimented on with her cells since development in the womb, which she discovered in the visions Minerva conducted. It drove him mad, thinking he was the spawn of such a demonic entity. That, in addition to seeing the failed experiments in Mt. Nibel and misinformation fed to him throughout his life regarding his creation.

But, as Minerva was so keen of reminding her, Jenova herself helped drive him to insanity and used her cells to manipulate him, using him like a puppet on strings.

Her nervous fiddling worsened. She settled for twirling her hair in place of shuffling her feet, worried it might make too much noise otherwise and give her away before she wished to reveal her presence.

"Am I interrupting some intimate moment?" Autumn decided to call out, one hand still running through her mid-back length hair in its ponytail, twirling random strands, with the other on her hip.

Her right foot tapped impatiently. Keep moving. Keep pressing onward.

'Don't think about it, don't think about it… stop thinking about it.'

Sephiroth tore his gaze away from the window, eyes minutely softening at the sight of her. "No. I assume you're ready to begin the assignment?"

She smiled at him under her mask, stepping forward to pat his arm. "Always. You should know that by now, Sephy."

He sighed, shaking his head at the nickname. "Very well. Let's depart."

They then walked out of the inn in relative silence, until she saw Sephiroth glance at her out of her peripherals.

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

"I've noticed your attire has changed."

"Oh. Yeah. I like this jacket. And my legs felt too exposed."

The silver-haired man quirked a brow in suspect but didn't press the issue. That was what she liked and respected about him. He knew when to leave things alone, and when to push. Comfort was difficult for him to give, but she'd learned his subtle ways of expressing his empathy.

Fair, however, looked at her funny. "How come you're just wearing them now?"

Autumn tensed while they were briefly stopped by a photographer asking Sephiroth for a picture of him and his fellow SOLDIERs by the front gate to the manor. The silver-haired man reluctantly agreed though she noticed his slight irritation at the idea of yet another picture of him to have the press buzzing over.

"Because I decided to."

The ravenette glanced away dejectedly, seeming hurt by her clipped tone. She pushed the pang of guilt aside in favor of focusing on their rapid approach towards the gate, where Tifa's father stood waiting near Cloud and the other infantrymen.

Sarrel grinned at her, shooting her a wink and mouthing "you got this!". Autumn rolled her eyes but sent a thumbs-up back at him.

"Once the guide gets here, we're heading out," Sephiroth announced.

"Mr. Lockhart?" The brunette piped up, catching the older man's attention.

His brown eyes lit up in recognition and elation. "A-…er, Sakura, is that you?"

She smiled under her mask, nodding in confirmation. He grinned, greeting her with open arms. The 1st accepted the hug almost too readily. She'd always gotten along quite well with Tifa's father. The man was positive and charismatic and treated her like a second daughter.

"Yeah, it's me, Mr. Lockhart. Been a few years. Sorry about not staying in contact…"

Mr. Lockhart chuckled, pulling out of the hug to pat her shoulder, mindful of her pauldron. "No need to apologize. I get the impression that working at Shinra tends to get hectic."

"An understatement, but yes."

He observed her for a moment, mouth curving downward in a concerned frown. "Did you manage to sleep well? You look tired."

"I'm fine," Autumn answered, checking her tone to ensure it wasn't curt or irritated. "Just had a lot going on, that's all. Don't worry about me."

"Ever since that day on the bridge, I can't help but worry about you. You and Tifa both. I swear you're out to give me a heart attack with your 'sense of adventure'. When I saw in the news you were deployed to Wutai, I nearly choked on my meal."

"You should have more faith in me," she teased, nudging him in the side while trying to ignore the curious stares Zack and Sephiroth were sending her, "I always come out alive. I'm a natural survivor."

"Hmph, more like naturally drawn to trouble."

She shrugged. "Hey, I don't go looking for it. Trouble always seems to find me. I can't help it!"

"Speaking of trouble…" Mr. Lockhart drawled, approaching the General with a grim expression, "Listen to me, Sephiroth. In case something happens…"

Sephiroth gazed at him calmly, meeting his glare and stern countenance with an incredible amount of charisma. "… Trust me."

Tifa, at that point, finally joined them. She turned to her father with a brilliant smile. "I'll be alright, Papa! I have two men from SOLDIER with me, and the one and only Sakura Gains watching my back."

Fair was surprised at the sight of the curvaceous brunette. "Tifa! You're our guide?"

She smiled radiantly at him. "At your service!"

Autumn huffed, stalking past Fair to lock arms with her best friend. "Of course, she is. She's the most knowledgeable person in town about Nibelheim and Mt. Nibel."

Tifa blushed under the praise while the 1st had the decency to look apologetic. "No, it's just - I wasn't… I just didn't expect it. I have no doubt we're in good hands with Tifa!"

Before she could open her mouth to argue further, the photographer – who had been waiting impatiently near the brunette guide – stepped in.

"Ready for the picture?" he asked excitedly, camera already in hand.

Autumn sighed, giving a sideways glance at Sephiroth, who nodded. Groaning at the thought of getting her picture taken, she positioned herself between Tifa and the silver-haired general, linking arms with them despite the general's obvious discomfort at the contact.

"Sakura, let go of my arm."

"Shush. You got us into this, so I'm gonna pose how I want to," she huffed, tightening the grip her arm had on his.

Sephiroth heaved a sigh. "Fair enough, I suppose."

Fair looked at Tifa, debating whether or not to maybe stand a little closer. She locked eyes with him, smiled, then gestured for him to get closer so he would be more in-frame. He grinned back, despite the cold stare he felt emanating from Autumn.

"Okay… Say cheese!"

For a moment, the female 1st was tempted to snap back with a "no" but thought better of it considering she knew the photographer didn't mean any harm and hadn't been rude in the slightest. A bit overly eager and starstruck, but polite.

Zack crossed his arms with a beaming smile, Tifa adjusted her hair then put her hat back on with her free hand still on the top, Autumn kept her arms linked with Tifa's and Sephiroth's with a slight smile underneath her mask, and Sephiroth merely stared at the camera.

Once the picture was taken, Sephiroth shook off the female 1st's arm. She stuck her tongue out behind her mask. He shook his head, sighing.

The photographer thanked them profusely, promising them each a copy once it was developed.

"As 1st Class Gains said, nobody is a better guide than me in this town."

"But it's too dangerous! We can't get you involved in something like this!" Fair protested while Autumn shot him a glare.

"She'll be fine, if you and Sakura protect her," Sephiroth replied, nonplussed while they moved out of town and in the direction of Mt. Nibel.

"Exactly, so man up and stop complaining," the dark-haired 1st added, earning a bit of a glare from Zack with a pout.

They proceeded to head out of town, with the ever-optimistic Tifa leading and Autumn close behind. The two infantrymen who accompanied them – Cloud and Haynes, the one who kept leering at the female 1st – brought up the rear. Ironically, Sarrel didn't do well with heights outside of choppers, so he opted to stay behind in case any monsters found their way into town.

Autumn glanced from Tifa to Sephiroth. She was worrying again, but she couldn't help it. She didn't trust herself to be strong enough to protect the general from himself. How could she, a single person, convince someone like him?

He was the pinnacle of power in SOLDIER. She doubted she was anywhere near his league, despite her improved sparring sessions with him.

Her heart drummed wildly, head throbbing from the stress.

Breathe. Don't think about the what-ifs. Focus on the plan and not screwing it up.

She tensed when Sephiroth glanced at her in concern, noticing her shift in mood. Autumn forced a smile.

'Sephy. I'm gonna save you. That's a promise. I just have to believe in the plan. After all, who better to put my faith in than the Goddess herself?'

Tifa

She kept a bright smile on her face while leading the SOLDIERs through the rocky, winding paths toward the mountain. Autumn didn't seem to really need her guidance, but a few of the paths had changed due to the harsh winter they had a few years ago, so she seemed to just opt following her lead rather than risk going up a less stable trail. No one wanted a repeat of the fall they took when they were kids.

A Jatayu lunged at her from its hiding place, only to crash to the ground seconds later unconscious from the blunt end of Zack's massive blade. The infantryman who seemed close to the arguing 1sts cautiously approached the fallen Jatayu, bending slightly to poke it.

The dark-haired 1st noticed and quickly stopped him. "Stay back, it's just knocked out. It could wake up and start chowing down on you!"

The other male quickly stepped back, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Tifa giggled at the exchange, amused at the apparent friendship between them. Hearing a sigh, she redirected her attention to her best friend, who rolled her eyes while evidently fighting a smile.

Curious at Zack's mercy towards the monster, she decided to question him about it. "Why didn't you kill it? Wouldn't that be safer in the long run?"

They continued their trek, soon coming up on the dreaded bridge which had been restored shortly after it broke down all those years ago with her and Autumn on it.

Zack hummed, acting more cheerful than he had been yesterday. "Use brings about wear, tear, and rust. So usually, I just hit with the blunt side."

"Huh. Well, I guess whatever works, right?" she smiled, earning one from the 1st in turn.

"Hmph…" Autumn huffed, visibly tensing at the ravenette's choice of words.

Tifa wanted to ask what was wrong, but saw the pain and sadness in her half-masked face and decided to leave it be. It hurt to see her friend suffering from something she couldn't understand, but she didn't want to make it worse by making her talk about it.

She fearlessly jogged onto the bridge, turning to grin at her 'customers'. "It gets harder from here! Follow me!"

Halfway through, she heard the telltale noise of tearing rope. Her heart constricted, suddenly incredibly conscious of how high up they were and the pain she suffered all those years ago from a similar fall.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Autumn hissed in both vexation and fear as the bridge began to break down, the left ropes snapping with ease.

"The bridge!" Tifa gasped, barely saving herself by desperately grabbing onto the side of one of the wooden planks.

Zack, who had been beside her, immediately grabbed hold of her. "Gotcha!"

She smiled at him gratefully, then looked around wildly for her best friend, who had been up ahead of her with the infantryman and Sephiroth, catching her clinging to one of the planks with an iron grip on the infantryman's wrist. They locked eyes, a shared terror passing between them.

"Teef-"

Before the brunette could continue, the bridge crumbled, letting them all fall to the ground below. There was screaming, with Tifa only belatedly realizing it was herself before she was wrapped in Zack's arms protectively. The wind whipped her revealed skin, her hair obscuring her face. She didn't know long they fell for until they crashed onto solid, rocky ground, and Tifa was knocked into unconsciousness. All she knew was that she was panicking and scared and hoped Zack could somehow get them both out of it alive.

Tifa-Dream

"Mama… are you gonna get better soon?" A small, young Tifa queried, lying with her mother in her bed.

Callista forced a smile, her weak arms fidgeting around her daughter. Tifa noticed how pale her beautiful mother was and the lack of energy in her embrace.

"We'll see, sweetheart. I hope so."

Tifa fell silent, snuggling further with her mother. She listened to her breathing, hearing the faint, fragile heartbeats beneath her skin. Callista stroked her daughter's hair, combing through the long, dark strands with graceful, frail fingers.

"I'm sorry baby. I know it's not what you wanted to hear…"

"It's okay Mama. It's not your fault."

"Still, I just wish… I could do more for you. You deserve much more than I'm giving. You always help Papa around the house, make me meals, make sure I'm doing alright… I'm so sorry."

"Please, Mama…" Tifa murmured, tears welling in her eyes, "It's okay. Really! Just focus on getting better. I love you, Mama."

"I love you too baby girl," Callista replied shakily, tears of her own trailing down her face to get lost in her daughter's ebony locks, "I love you so much. Promise me that whatever happens, you know that."

"I promise."

Tifa would never tell her mother how much her heart was hurting, seeing her so weak and ill in bed. She would never say how many times she broke down crying from the stress and worry about her condition. She would never say how often she'd have to help her father home, barely keeping him from alcoholism in his own bar because he was so wrought with despair. And she would definitely never say how hard it was to stay positive, but it was all she had to keep her sanity now.

Tifa locked all of those thoughts and feelings away deep inside herself, where no one could be burdened by them. Then, no one else would have to suffer even more because of her.

Tifa-Reality

"-fa? You alright? Tifa?!"

She groaned, rousing from her state of unconsciousness to feel solid ground beneath her. So it was just a dream… no, a memory. One which kept her from smiling in reassurance when she saw Zack's face looming over her through blurry vision.

"... Zack?"

"Yeah, it's me. We fell pretty far. I used Curaga to heal your injuries. Nothing was severe, just a fractured leg and a sprained wrist. Don't worry, they should be fully healed."

"Really?" she answered dubiously, testing both of her wrists and marveling at how normal they felt.

"Yup! I was kinda forced to learn how to heal broken bones and stuff thanks to a certain someone."

"Well, thank you very much. And 1st Class Gains, I'm guessing?" she edged a smile while getting to her feet.

"Yeah. She's uh… still mad at me though. Not that I blame her. I messed up… anyway, you sure you can stand? You looked dizzy."

She accepted his larger, gloved hand in steadying her while she got her bearings. "I'm okay. Are you alright?"

"Right as rain!" he grinned, flexing an arm.

Tifa quickly glanced away when her mind wandered to marveling at his biceps, her cheeks burning in shame.

"Great! Um… if it's not too much to ask… what happened between you two?"

Zack scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, gaze turning to the rocks nearby. "Well, it's… complicated."

"Tifa?! TIFA!" A feminine voice called out, causing Zack and the brunette in question to turn their attention toward the rounding section of the mountain pass they'd fallen to.

Autumn came into view with Sephiroth and the infantryman. The other one was nowhere to be seen.

Sighing in relief at the sight of her, the female 1st rushed over to envelop Tifa in a crushing hug.

"Oh, thank Gaia! I was so worried it'd end up like last time, I… thank Gaia you're okay. You're okay, right?" Autumn pulled back out of the hug to look over her with a scrutinizing gaze for any injuries.

Tifa laughed, hugging her back. "I'm okay, I'm okay! Zack patched me up before I came to."

The blue-eyed brunette paused, glancing from her to the ravenette kicking a pebble. "Oh, he… did?"

"Mmm-hm! You should thank him for that."

"Nah, it's really no biggie-"

"Thank you… Zachary," Autumn said with actual gratitude in her expression, facing him fully.

Zack froze, at a loss for words for a moment.

"Teef is my best friend. I don't know what I'd do if she… anyway, thank you. I appreciate it."

Tifa blushed in embarrassment, ducking her head away in an attempt to avert the attention away from herself. Her friend just grinned at her, throwing an arm around her small, thin shoulders.

Zack, uncertain of what else to say in such a situation, threw back a "You're welcome…?" with hesitant uncertainty. But, he had a smile growing on his face as well.

Sephiroth cleared his throat, disrupting the spell the warming tone to the atmosphere cast. "Everyone seems to be all right. Can we get back to where we were?"

Tifa flushed again, mortified she acted so unprofessional and got so caught up in the moment. "Yes, we can. These caves are intertwined, just like an ant farm… Oh, and Sephiroth… There seems to be one person missing…"

"It may sound cold, but we've got no time to search for him. We can't go back now, so we must go on. We'll travel together from here."

The brunette looked at her best friend, who avoided her pleading eyes. She then turned to Zack, who seemed to disagree but was outnumbered in this instance. Had something happened regarding that infantryman?

"I'll explain later, Teef," Autumn promised, her glowing sapphire eyes burning into her own.

While Tifa confidently strutted into the cave system, she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Something wasn't right. But… but she had Autumn to protect her. Zack, too. Even the famous General Sephiroth himself.

Despite the twisting of her gut, the brunette decided to put her faith in the SOLDIERs she guided. After all, their job was to protect, wasn't it?

A/N: I'M SORRYYYYY! I've been so busy with life lately I haven't been in a writing mood lately. Or, well, I have been but don't make much progress. Anyways, I'll be working on my LOTR fic next if you wanna check that out! How do you like my take on Tifa's mom? Let me know your opinions and anything else about the chapter in the reviews! If you like this story, make sure to favorite and follow! Until next time lovelies!