Yuna, Aerith & Tifa

[The Painted Lady]

I know we were discussing this before, but I thought I'd make an actual thread xD

Character/Fan-servicing/Weakness/Player:

• Aerith/Telepathy & Teleporting/Physical Attacks & Adversity to Killing/Aerith
  
• Zack/Barrier Magic/Aerith/Tifa
  
• Cloud/Energy-based Magic/ ... /Yuna
  
• Tifa/Time Magic/ Magic-based Attacks /Tifa
  
• Yuna/Dress-spheres & Summoner Combination/Care for All Surrounding Her/Yuna
  
• Tidus/Time Magic & Control over Space/Fire-based Magic/Aerith
  

((Can't remember Cloud's weakness :/ ))

[Tifa Lockhart]

The metallic doors of the Domestic SOLDIER Squad (DSS) Headquarters slid open to admit the tall stockily built man. His uniform was slightly tussled and his pale blue eyes burned with concern.
He held in one and a set of files, and the sword on his back swung slightly, reflecting the light from the fluorencents over head.
"Aerith." He said to the woman sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, conversing with the dark haired fighter who was also there. "Yet another report from the south." He threw the files down onto the table in front of the woman.
"An entire forest just up and died near Gongaga, and the reports of animal attack and Homicide have sky-rocketed all over Gaia. Something weird is going down." His eyes were dark.
Several months ago a major lake that had finally been refilled following the Shinra disaster had just dried up, leaving citizens of a new town near there without water. The DSS had sent in support and the World Regenesis Organisation (WRO) had been sent in to investigate the cause. The entire WRO squadron was found dead a few days later and from that day on the reports of deaths by animal attack and human homicide had grown. There was a strange violence spreading throughout Gaia. Now a major forest had died over night...

Tifa looked up with concern as Zack spoke, her hand coming to rest on her mouth. She knew things were bad, but she didn't know what they could do. These troubles had kept both Zack and Cloud up to their necks in stress for weeks now.

[The Painted Lady]

Aerith stared down at the file, strangely silent and pale for a long time. A delicate hand rose to brush her fringe back with a sigh.
"The Planet won't communicate," she said in an uncharacteristically distressed tone.
"It's like it's just... dying..."
She looked up to Zack with tired green eyes.
"I need to go to the Northern Crater..."
The wound in the Planet still existed there. It was still the only place in Gaia where the Lifestream was exposed at the Planet's surface.
"All of this... it's too much of a co-incidence..."

[Yuna Braska]

Cloud walked in sensing the tension in the room immediately. Aerith looked exhausted and he could see Tifa was worried. He gave a soft sigh and walked just in the groups view away from the door. He didn't like seeing the girls in such a way, exspecially Aerith as she seemed to be tiering herself out by trying to get in contact with the planet.
" Perhaps you need to rest first.." Cloud suggested quietly, it had been a stressful time and he knew that he wasn't getting much sleep with the fact that the plant might be dying on his mind.


Yuna counted in her head with her eyes closed. 3 minutes 21 seconds. Bubbles rose up from her mouth as she let a little bit of air escape. Yuna had been practicing for months on holding her breath. She enjoyed the game of Blizball but she had this sudden interest to start playing. Though she had to learn to last the full 5 minutes of the game. 3 minutes, 56 seconds Once she found it hard to say the numbers in her head she pushed against the sandy bed of the shore and swam quickly up to the surface. Bursting out with a deep breath she frowned. 3 minutes and 58 seconds.. Yuna thought to herself as she made her way to the beach of Besaid. She shook some of the water out of her hair and went towards her boots which stood neatly on the sandy floor.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Tifa shifted uneasily in her seat, and upon Cloud's arrival she looked up to give him a nervous smile, seeking his reassurance. She was very scared about what could be happening.
"You could all use a bit of a rest if you ask me." She said, eyes moving around the three pale faces in the room.

Zack rubbed his temples.
"I don't have the time Tifa. Reports keep flooding in and I have to assign task forces to all the cities to keep the people calm, I have to coordinate with the WRO to help the settlements affected by the degeneration of the wilderness. If crops keep failing at the rate they are the people are going to starve." He began to pace back and forth. "If you get a days rest Aerith i'll escort you to the Northern Crater. I don't want you over-working yourself, you're not looking well." He stopped before Aerith to brush a lock of her hair out of the tired looking eyes.

[The Painted Lady]

Aerith took hold of Zack's wrist gently, looking up to him as he paused in his restlessness in front of her.
"I'm okay, really," she assured in a soft voice.
"This is a lot more important than a little lost sleep. The sooner we leave, the better..."

Tidus grinned as Yuna emerged from the water. So that was where she had been. The sandy blonde had been a bit confused and disorientated when he had woken to an empty bed some time after dawn. He took off in a sprint down the beach, sand crunching under his feet, to scoop up Yuna before she reached her boots.
"Thought you'd go for an early morning dip without me, huh?" he teased.

[Yuna Braska]

Cloud slowly began to make his way a little bit closer to the group, he wasn't far from Tifa when she suggested that they should all get their sleep. He didn't reply to the statement as Zack and himself had been busy with the reports. There was hardly anytime for sleep. Perhaps Aerith was right, the sooner the better. He nodded gently with a agreeing moan,
" I don't think Gaia should be put through another day like this."

Yuna could hear the sound of feet on the sand but when she turned to see who it was, Tidus scooped her up quickly off the beach and into his arms. She gave a playful scream of surprise but then it turned into giggles. She was still wet so some of the sand was stuck to her arms and legs.
" I didn't want to wake you... plus how can i concentrate when you pull faces at me under the water. " she spoke before smiling gently.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Zack sighed, pressing his forehead to Aerith's. Even he seemed drained, usually the one with boundless energy, even he was beginning to feel the draining effects of stress.
"Tifa... contact Cid for me. Tell him we need the Shera to get us to the Northern Crater." He didn't look up from Aerith.

Tifa looked to Cloud and gave a nervous smile before her crimson eyes darted to Zack and she nodded.
"Alright." She pulled her phone out of the front of her skirt and began dialing. Soon she was having a short, quiet conversation with someone, and then she hung up.
"He was with a WRO squad investigating the ruins of Midgar, so he'll be here shortly."

"Thanks Tifa." Zack murmured, still not moving from watching Aerith with concerned eyes. "Can the two of you stay here... and keep an eye on things while we're gone?" He finally turned to look at Cloud.

[The Painted Lady]

Aerith sighed softly, wrapping an arm around Zack's waist, stroking his cheek with her free hand.
"It'll be okay," she whispered to him as Tifa spoke to Cid.
She really hated this drama... They had only just been entering the first real peacetime any of them had experienced in their lives, only for this to happen. Everyone had been looking forward to living normal lives... she had even managed to start implanting ideas of settling down properly and family into Zack's hyperactive skull. But it seemed as if normality was an unnatural thing for Gaia.
"We'll get to the bottom of this, then we'll be able to fix it."

Tidus laughed happily.
"You have to learn to perform under pressure," he winked, placing a tender kiss on her lips before he set her down softly onto her feet again.
"And you'll have to learn to live with my distractions if you're going to play on my team," he said, thumbing his chest enthusiastically.

[Yuna Braska]

Cloud looked up from the floor when he felt Tifa's eyes on him, he gave a small smile towards her worried face but that disappeared when she turned away. This was beginning to become more than just a mystery. He was curious. Nodding, Cloud glanced over to Zack who was not taking his eyes off Aerith.
"Sure.."

Yuna touched her lips lightly when Tidus parted from them, her smile growing sweeter. She placed her hands behind her back when Tidus considered himself a distraction to her. This was fully true, he distracted her from everything. Especially meetings with her friends Gippal or Nooj. Though she appreciates it from him, it made meetings interesting. She placed two fingers on his open chest and slowly walked them up his body.
"who ever said i wanted to join 'your' team" She teased before going to finally fetch her boots.

[Tifa Lockhart]

"Thanks buddy." Zack murmured as he stood, slowly urging Aerith to her feet as well.
"We'd better go get ready." He glanced over at the blonde and the raven haired fighter. "Don't over-work yourselves OK?" He said, gently leading Aerith out of the room.
A transformation occured the moment the metal doors of the briefing room shut behind Zack, his tired face hardened and was fixed with a confident look.
This was a mask Zack wore for the sake of his men and the people of Gaia. He had to look confident so that they would not loose hope. This part of the job was even harder than the reports.

Tifa looked at Cloud again once Aerith and Zack were gone.
"What are we going to do... if the planet really IS dying?" She asked Cloud, her voice soft.

[The Painted Lady]

Aerith tightened her grip on Zack's hand a little, bringing it to her lips to kiss his knuckles, knowing the war that was raging within him.
"Once I've talked to the Planet, we'll be able to tackle this problem the right way," she whispered softly.

Tidus laughed.
"Oh-ho-ho! You are a cheeky one, aren't you?" he said, rubbing his chest where Yuna had walked her fingers.
He placed his hands on his hips, leaning forward.
"What plans do you have for today?" he grinned.

[Yuna Braska]

Cloud watched as Aerith and Zack left the room, his eyes still on the door as Tifa spoke to him. He was silent for a moment as he thought. " We wont let it die" Cloud replied gently. after all that Gaia has been through, all that they have been through, Cloud was not going to let it go into the darkness again. They had all work so hard for this peace, and Cloud was frustrated that the world could be in trouble once again. " If it is dying, perhaps we may need some more help this time."

" Well.. 'I' was thinking of going to Bikinel Desert, Rikku wanted to show me something"She said with a confused look, Rikku had returned to Bikanel to help her father rebuild the city which the Al bed had during the time of Sin. It would be a good comunications center for Spira as it is in the right positions for contact with the other planets. So far it has developed along a lot, though it is still partially in construction.
"you can come if you want.." She teased again as she wiped her feet and placed her boots on.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Zack glanced at Aerith but didn't let his mask falter, especially as they passed a squad of DSS that snapped into attention as he passed.
"We can only hope it's nothing too serious." He murmured. The walk to the hangar was not long, and they were just entering it when the Shera pulled in for a temporary dock.

Tifa nodded, wanting to believe what Cloud had said. They'd fought for so long to rebuild their home... having it crumble beneath them now was a horrible feeling.
"Where would we get more help from though?" She asked.

[The Painted Lady]

Aerith drew herself in close to Zack, remaining silent for now. She didn't want any of Zack's squads to overhear them.

"What else am I meant to do with myself?" Tidus grinned.