Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or places. I only own the plot. I am making no profit from this story.

Fighting Temptations

Cloud Strife could easily say that for the majority of his life, he had cared for nothing but himself. His childhood had been a misery thanks to the stuck-up children that surrounded him. Tifa was his only friend back then, and the raven-haired woman was now sitting opposite from him at the campfire. However, despite feeling her eyes upon him a lot, he hardly glanced her way, instead his eyes would travel across to the bubbly brunette who was petting Red XIII's nose and speaking to Barret about his daughter Marlene. Occasionally, she would look across and meet his eyes, giving him a large smile instantly that made him lower his eyes as his cheeks burned.

He would never admit it aloud but for a long time, he had loved Aeris Gainsborough. He was not sure which part of her he loved the most; he did not think it mattered. He wanted to be rid of the feeling for he had never felt such an emotion before and it frightened him.

His eyes turned to the land before him, the town of Junon just noticeable. The group had recently heard that Sephiroth, the once great General had been spotted there and Cloud needed to find him. He had a score to settle.

"I'm off to bed," Aeris said suddenly after the group had been silent for a while. "Goodnight everyone," she added cheerfully as she dusted off her dress.

"Goodnight, Aeris," the group chorused, except Cloud, who was trying desperately to keep the cold expression on his face, no matter how much he wanted to just say the simple words of 'goodnight."

"Goodnight Cloud," she teased with an air of a mother patronising a child. Cloud did his best to muster a glare but the effect was lost when he was met with her twinkling eyes and graceful smile.

"Goodnight," he muttered, lowering his gaze to the ground. She giggled a little as she walked away and he frowned as he heard Barret give an amused chuckle and Red cleared his throat suspiciously. Shooting an annoyed glance their way, Cloud saw Tifa get to her feet.

"I'm going to bed too," Tifa sighed. "Goodnight,"

Once again, Barret and Red said their goodnights while Cloud remained silent. She walked towards him, giving him a smile that made him tilt his head to the side.

"What?" he asked after she had spent a moment looking him over. She snapped out f her daze and shook her head.

"Nothing, goodnight Cloud,"

It did not really surprise her when he did not say it back but she could not help the sad feeling in her heart. Aeris got the 'goodnights', the smiles, the longing looks. Oh, yes! Aeris may be oblivious to Cloud's attraction to her but Tifa knew of it all too well. It was not fair! She had always loved him but he had always loved Aeris, from the moment he first set eyes on her. A part of her hoped that Aeris did not feel the same way about him, then when his heart was broken, she could pick up the pieces and show him her true feelings.

"Are you alright Teef?" Aeris asked as the younger woman entered their shared tent. The woman jumped at the sound of her name but smiled and nodded in an assuring manner as she unrolled her sleeping bag. The flower girl was already tucked beneath the thick covers of her sleeping bag and Tifa could feel her eyes digging into her back. She couldn't take it much longer.

"Aeris?" she asked, turning to the girl with her most cheerful, interested expression. "What do you think of Cloud?"

Aeris blinked and then, to Tifa's dismay, she blushed. She seemed hesitant to answer and sat up her face held an expression that seemed to show she was thinking about her answer.

"Well, honestly?" she replied. "I really like him. There's just this aura about him that attracts me,"

"Aura?" the former barmaid questioned, forcing her tears back and her voice to sound light hearted.

"Yeah, it's something Cetras are blessed with. We can sense someone's aura."

"What do you mean? As in, if somebody's lying?" the younger woman pressed. Aeris shook her head.

"No, it's more their feelings. I mean…Cloud's confused and something's hidden deep within his memory that he's hiding." She explained before she locked eyes with Tifa with a serious expression. "And your heart is breaking," she added. Tifa's mouth fell open in shock and she tried to shake her head, only Aeris' gaze told her that she could not lie. Besides, the woman had just told her that she could sense her emotions.

"Teef, it's alright you know. Nothing is going to happen between Cloud and me. I don't think he feels the same way,"

Tifa didn't reply as she lowered herself onto the ground and gave a sigh. She didn't want to tell Aeris what Cloud's eyes were saying when he looked at the Cetra. To Tifa, she thought he might as well be looking at the girl naked judging by how intently he watched her sometimes with darkened eyes. But she did not say a word. She couldn't. Aeris was her best friend but Cloud was the love of her life. She couldn't lose her chance with him, not while it was still there. Aeris did not have to know about Cloud's feelings and vice versa. Both of them seemed to think that nothing would come of it anyway so why should Tifa say anything, especially when it ruined her own chances. Some people would call her bitchy for making such a decision and she knew Aeris would probably hate her for the rest of her life but really, she wasn't the only person in the world who had fallen out with their friends over a similar love interest, nearly everyone does at some point.

She sighed and closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks as she heard Aeris whisper Cloud's name in her sleep. Slowly she turned to face the sleeping girl, the outline just noticeable in the dark.

"I guess now, all we have is dreams," she sighed before she closed her eyes to sleep.

A.N: Okay, first off, I like Tifa okay she's one of my favourite ever characters and though some people would think her action was bitchy, it was realistic. Even the sweetest people can turn sour from unrequited love or love triangles.

Secondly, this is rated M because of things that happen later on.