Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale Of Tifa ❯ A Lesson in Broken Love ( Chapter 1 )

*Hello…O.k. I have a great story here that I hope will be better then my others. Now for the usual, the FF7 people belong to Squaresoft, but the fic is mine! ^-^ Enjoy! *

Chapter 1

A lesson In Broken Love

Tifa Lockheart sat outside her bar watching the afternoon pass by. It was so hot outside in Costa del Sol and business was slow. Many of her customers were at the beach or inside where the air conditioner kept them cool from the sun's wrath. It had been a year since the AVALANCHE gang had defeated the mighty Sephiroth. Tifa sighed and remember afterwards when the media had interviewed them and had their pictures in every newspaper on the planet. The whole entire gang was so thrilled, Yuffie practically died in front of the camera and Red gave a speech that gave tons of detail describing their fight to all the journalists and reporters. Everyone was happy except Cloud; Of course he signed a few autographs and smiled a bit here and there, but his mind was somewhere else. Aerith. She died during the journey to save the world and Cloud had never gotten over her death. It was like he ceased to exist after he got his revenge out on Sephiroth. Tifa tried to cheer him up and she even tried to tell him to get on with life. Yet he turned his back on her and left. No one knew where he ran off too and it left her empty of any hope of love with Cloud. She had given up on him that day.

Barret had gone to pick up his daughter and last she heard he had fallen in love with a woman called Aretha. Marlene was only now beginning to get used to the new woman. Tifa laughed when she got a letter from Marlene, asking Tifa if she could live with her. Tifa wrote back and told her to give the lady a chance. Cid went back to his hometown and he still lives with Shera. I wonder when he's gonna ask her to marry him? Cait Sith went back to the Golden Saucer and opened up his own shop, called, "The Fortune Shop." He made quite a bundle of gil.

Yuffie traveled back with Nanaki to Cosmo Canyon and were determined to study everything about the planet. Yuffie also got interested in rare materia and was always going here and there in search of materia. Vincent, on the other hand, he left without a word. He was probably traveling around the planet with no plan in mind, a vagrant. Tifa felt sorry for him and hoped he would find another true love like Lucrecia.

After sitting outside in the sun, Tifa went inside and up the stairs to her bathroom. Her bar also had an inn, and she was thankful for that.

Tifa entered her bathroom and looked in the mirror. She had changed a lot. Her skin wasn't a creamy white, but a nice light tan. That's what happened when she would stay outside in the sun too long. Her hair was long and she had built her muscles up a bit. She always practiced at a nearby gym; Tifa vowed never to stop practicing her fighting skills. After a nice long cool shower, Tifa got out and brushed her wet hair out. Then she threw on some jeans and a short blue shirt. Instead of leaving her hair down, she braided it. She quickly ran downstairs and closed her bar. She would open it later when she came back. She went to the nearest flower shop and bought several roses with different varieties of colors. Tifa tried to grow her own flowers but she didn't have the green thumb. As she entered the store she saw Levin sleeping behind the counter. The fan was on and blowing his way. He was a nice young man, twenty-five years old and he always gave her funny looks. Tifa took a few roses and went to the counter.

"Levin? Levin… For heaven's sake! Wake up you idiot!" Tifa yelled. Levin in turn almost fell out of his seat. He then realized that Tifa was laughing at him.

"Tifa…please, don't do that again. By the way, what are you doing tonight?" he asked.

"I'm going on a quick journey and I'll be back in the evening, why?" Tifa asked as she took twenty gil out of her pocket.

"Just wondering…maybe a date?" Levin asked. He had always asked and hoped that she would at least accept his millionth invitation.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go somewhere. Maybe next time O.k.?" Tifa said and left the shop. Levin on the other hand was not very happy. He was the sexiest man in Costa del Sol and she refused him again.

* * *

Tifa walked to the nearby Chocobo Town Stables. Her golden Chocobo, Bright Rose was there. She was a gift from Barret and Marlene for her birthday. Bright Rose warkedher welcome to Tifa and nuzzled her beak in Tifa's braided hair. Tifa saddled her and left the town for the Temple of the Ancients. Today was the Aerith's memorial and Tifa had to go there and give her friend some flowers. Aerith was more then just a friend; she was a sister, which Tifa never had. She was utterly devastated when Aerith died.

About an hour later, Tifa entered the temple and looked around the chamber. It had changed over the last twelve months. The stones and boulders were covered with moss and vines clung to the walls. It was absolutely warm and full of love in there. Just like Aerith's little flower garden that grew in the old Midgar Church house. It brought back so many memories. Where Aerith fell, there was a young tree growing with flowers and vines clinging to it. Nearby was the pond that Cloud had lain Aries's body. Tifa slowly walked over to the tree and laid two red and yellow roses on the cool crisp covered moss. Tifa's eyes swelled with tears and she sniffed a bit before the first wave of slow tears came racing down her cheeks.

Cloud sat behind a boulder looking at the smooth water and wondered. He wondered how she was…wished how much he wanted to be with her. She meant everything to him and he loved her so much that he was too chicken to tell her that. When she was around, she also brought joy and happiness along with her. Oh Aerith, how much I wish you were here so I could tell you everything. I miss your face, your perfect smile and your very essence… Cloud snapped out of his thought when he heard crying nearby. It was faint and small and he stood up quickly. He emerged from his hiding place and looked around the large chamber. He caught sight of a shape half way in the light and shadow. It was a woman by the way she was standing. Her hair was braided and she stood there with a few flowers in her hand. Yet he couldn't see her face, it was covered by the shadow the loomed over her. His heart leaped. Aerith? Could you…could it be?

"Aerith?" Cloud said in an exciting but steady tone. Curiosity was getting the best of him until the woman turned toward him.

"Cloud?" she asked. It was Tifa and Cloud noticed that her eyes were red and streaked with tears. She looked different since he last saw her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked angrily. He didn't want anyone near him unless it was Aerith and yet she was gone. Tifa dried her eyes with her sleeve and looked at Cloud oddly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know this place was off limits. Now the question is what are you doing here?" Tifa retorted. She was determined to fight back if Cloud began giving her a hard time like he did the last time.

"Why don't you just leave." He said coldly.

"Not until I pay my dues to Aerith. I came here to give her flowers so she would know that I will always remember her." Tifa explained. She walked over to the pond and threw in the roses. She watched as they slowly sank underneath the crystal blue surface into the dark depths. Finally Tifa turned toward Cloud who had his arms crossed looking at the pond, stuck in his own fucking little world.

"So where the Hell have you been all this time?" Tifa asked.

"Around and why do you care anyway?" He quipped.

"I'm only asking because everyone is worried about you…and so was I." Tifa countered.

"Well you wasted your time." answered Cloud. Tifa thought for a moment and then decided that now was the time. It was like something or someone told her to tell him her feelings for him. It was as if Aerith was right next to her and yet she wasn't.

"Cloud, what if I told you…that I love you?"

Cloud raised his head slowly in her direction and sneered, "You were never in love with me and you never will be. No one will love me unless it's…" he was cut off by Tifa's answer.

"Aerith." Tifa finished. Tifa felt sick and angry. All her life she had loved him and even though she gave up on him a year ago, she still wanted to try. She looked up at Cloud who had returned his gaze back to the clear pond. He was now leaning against the boulder with his arms crossed. Tifa was a foot in front of him and asked, "Didn't you ever love me?" Yet Cloud looked passed her as if she was thin air. She had enough of this! Tifa grabbed him by the arm and shoved him against the rock. He looked at her angrily and she looked at him equally. Cloud was getting annoyed with this.

"Don't touch me…you don't deserve me." He said out flat.

"What!?! I don't deserve you?! That's bullshit! You know what? Everyone was right about you; you are a selfish ass hole who doesn't care about anything and is blind to even see what's underneath his nose!" Tifa began. Words poured through her mouth, yet she didn't think twice about them. They just came filling Cloud with truth, which he had been avoiding. Tifa stepped back, watching Cloud look at her with his blue glowing eyes that were boiling.

"Well, I defended you while everyone else dissed you. Now here's some news for you, youdon't deserve me! And you don't deserve Aerith for all you're worth."

Cloud exploded, grabbed Tifa by the neck and threw her around toward the rocks wall. The force almost made her yelp and the pain arched through her back. There came a soothing feeling over her and she didn't feel the pain anymore.

"Aerith loved me and I loved her." Cloud spat out from between tightly clenched teeth. He released his grip on her neck and stood back as she gasped for air. Tears were begging to escape but she wouldn't allow them this time. She stood up straight and attacked again, "She did and now she would want you to go on with life."

"What life?! I died the day she died!" Cloud shouted.

"That's not true, Cloud." Tifa quipped.

"I said leave me alone…your just a friend and nothing more." Cloud said quietly. Tifa pushed past him and left the temple angrily. Cloud watched her go; his mind was empty of everything but Aerith.

You are a fool…the air whispered. Cloud looked around only to see the surface off the water ripple angrily.

* So what do you people think? Oh and for all you Cloud fans, sorry for making him sound so evil here. Please R/R! Please? *