Hello...I know I should be updating for my story Ashes, but I can't get this story concept out of my head. Hehe.

I do not own any of the characters from FFVII, but SQUARE ENIX does. Meh. Just go on and read and let me know if this story has potential.

Tifa x ?

Chapter 1

The Dead Move On

I feel such a terrible deep hollow feeling in my chest cavity; Too vast to hide. One could get lost in this feeling, but I have gotten a good grip on myself since I have realized this. I can't let the black hole of emptiness take everything away and leave me without strength in a world that doesn't accept the weak.

He was afraid to hurt me so he left only to be found months later submerged in the same lake they had buried her. Beautiful how the the world worked these days and the people in it. I loved him...loved him with everything I had. It's not the same without him. They didn't even touch him at the bottom of that lake...we all felt it would be wrong to take him away from her. I lost to the dead...and love.

Hah! Let me tell you about love. It's a slower form of suicide; It's when you make a pact with the Devil himself, and oh, he'll give you anything you want, but in the end you belong to him and all the pain that comes along with it. So like a fool, I took the Devil's bait and here I am now, drifting among the emptiness razed in pain.

In my state of hell, I was deemed as unstable to watch over the children I had custody of. Barret took them back with him to Corel for my own good and thier's. Maybe he had a good point. Maybe he's right. The children didn't need to see me laying there in my bed staring at the ceiling as the minutes, the hours, the days flew by. It was unfair to them. Look at what I've become though: My body has lost it's golden glow and I resemble a pale corpse. My hair just lays there limp, lifeless, just like my eyes.

Everyone came to console me, but they all left but one: Nanaki. He insists that I leave Edge and move to Cosmo Canyon with him. I told him several times that he didn't need to stay here on my account. they should have just left me to my own demise, but this beast was too stubborn. Nanaki never strayed when I got sick even when I hallucinated...I saw him. We spoke all the time. Nanaki must have thought that I was really losing it...haha. Speaking to the dead, what a cliche concept.

Most of our conversations were short though, but he was always there keeping me alive in my time of illness. Why bother I asked him one day and he said it was because I had so much more to live for. Haha. There was nothing left here for me if he wasn't here with me. So here I am, on Sierra flyng swiftly over the mountains, hills, and plains below toward Cosmo Canyon. Suddenly I saw the cliff side where Cosmo Canyon resided, but the sight really didn't stir me at all. I still feel hollow on the inside. I still feel lifeless, and perhaps...it's better this way.

-X-

"Tifa, we've arrived." Nanaki said as he walked up to the lone brunette. She stood staring out at the scenery as the airship began it's descent, a gray blanket lying limp around her shoulders.

"I'll have one of Cid's trainee's get your stuff and then we'll be on our way." the beast said as he sat down beside her. Even sitting on his haunches he was level with her waist, maybe a little more. Tifa only blinked, her pale but beautiful lips parted slightly as she continued to stare out into the outside world.

"Well I'll be damned." Cid began as he snubbed his ciggarette out, "So this is where you will be staying from now on." he said more in confirmation then question. He raked his calloused hands through his short blonde hair and sighed when even he couldn't get a reaction from Tifa. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she turned her head to look at him causing Cid dropped his hand. She looked too lifeless. So unlike the woman they had grown to know and love years past. Turning around he shouted for one of the crew to gather Tifa's belongings and make thier way into the village.

Tifa stared about her and she noticed that the light of the villiage, the large flame still burned strongly at the heart of Cosmo Canyon. So many memories overwealmed her mind that she automatically walked over to sit in front of the burning flames. Nanaki hesitated wanting to go to her but decided against it, leaving one of the crew men to stay behind towatch her in case anything happened. Everyone else made thier way up into Nanaki's abode and began to settle Tifa's belongings into the spare bedroom.

"Think there's anything we can do?" Cid asked as he placed one bag at the base of the twin size bed.

"I do not know. She seems to be in a sort of state...locked within her own spirit." Nanaki explained as he went over to the large bay window and looked down below at the subject of thier topic.

"You mean cuz of ol' spike?" Cid said as he mimicked Nanaki's movements and watched the woman below.

"Yes. The loss of him has caused her to shut down completely. Like she is dead to the world, her soul is locked away...almost gone one might say. This is what is left of her." the lion sighed.

"There must be somethin' we can do." the pilot muttered.

"I don't know, but I have a few tricks I would like to try to bring her around. Otherwise I'll just keep searching until I find something that can bring her back to her normal sense of mind." he replied and frowned, "I must admit, I hate seeing her this way."

"Makes two of us ol' boy. Makes two of us." Cid said and patted his friends back and walked out the door.

-X-

The flames licked the very air that surrounded and fueled it's calming rage and among the flames she saw him once more. He smiled at her sadly like he always did.

"Why." she whispered.

'I don't know.'

"You never did."

'You need to stop this.'

"Stop what?" she muttered quietly.

At this time, Cid had walked up behind her but stopped when he heard her muttering incoherently, he strained his sense of hearing and listened:

'You can't do this. Don't lock yourself away. Come back to life.'

"No Cloud. I can't let go. If I do, I'll be in far worse pain then I am now."

'Tifa.'

"Tifa?" Cid inquired in worry. Her mumbling with herself stopped and she sat still.

"Umm, I'll be leavin' an' if you need anythin' please let us know. All right?" the captain asked as he came around to face her. Tifa only sat there still as a statue, but she did look at him and that was all he needed to confirm that she heard him. Regretfully sighing for the third time that day, he strode back down the stone stairway, waving the man who was watching Tifa to follow suit to where Seirra was docked.

So what do you guys think? There will be more.