She remembered.
She was walking home from school that day, so long ago. Being from such a backwater town meant any education was nothing short of a miracle. They only schooling her family could afford was the minimum offered. For the most part, she was on her own.
Before she could make it home the heavens opened up, sending fat torrents of rain down on her head. Hissing a word someone her age shouldn't know, she took the only shelter she could find: a single lonely tree, stripped bare by late autumn, its skeletal arms hardly helping against the chilly downpour.
Shivering, she rubbed at her arms, trying in vain to ease the goosebumps rising on her bare skin. Of all the days to wear a sleveless shirt...
Spitting another curse, she turned back to the road, determined to make a run for it.
That was the first day she laid eyes on him.
Just visable through the mist rolling in was a figure. Closer inspection revieled a boy, about her age, though probably a bit shorter. Catching sight of his hair, she stifled a giggle. He looked like a chocobo!
The boy was standing in the rain, face exposed to the stormy gray expanse, and she frowned. Did he want to catch a cold?
Mind made up, she marched straight to him. He was going to her house whether he liked it or not!
Reaching out a hand drew his gaze to hers. Grabbing his hand with her own, she began the task of pulling him down the muddy road. She vaguely noticed that his eyes were blue.
The boy stumbled after her, a surprised noise of protest rising from his throat. He tried yanking his hand free but found, much to his chargrin, that he couldn't escape her grip. She was strong!
After a few minutes of fruitless struggling he gave up with a huff, and she grinned. There, wasn't that better?
They made it all the way to her house, her leading the way and him following like an obediant, albeit slightly grumpy, puppy. At the door she finally stopped, realizing she would get scolded by her mother if she couldn't produce an identity for this boy. Spinning around, she asked him, never letting go of his hand.
"...Cloud," he voiced shyly.
After a moment of thought, she laughed before proudly saying, "Tifa! My name's Tifa."
Aww! Aren't they cute? I think I've fallen in love with this pairing. 3