FFVII Before Story
Disclaimer: Don't own anything that belongs to Squaresoft or Square Enix. Just a copy of the Games that I play when I can.
AU Prologue to my FFVII Love Story
Summary: A few short scenes of Tifa's life before the Nibelhiem Incident leading into my Alternate Universe story FFVII Love Story
Authors Notes: At the end of the story...
(FFVII Before Story)
'Thoughts'
"Wutain"
"Common"
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Part 1 : The Fall
'...hurts... why does it hurt?' Slowly her eyes open to reveal unfamiliar surroundings. It is a room with a decent sized bed that she lay on and a piano over by the door. A mirror by the closet nearby takes her interest and she sits up to get a closer look. 'Where...?'
A man comes into the room suddenly causing her to startle. He is tall with dark hair and tired features, and as he looks up at the sound of her movement she can see that he has brown eyes. They seem to widen as a smile forms on his lips.
"Y-you're awake!" The smile takes over his entire face, and though she is scared she can feel he won't hurt her. The pure relief in his voice tells her that he had worried for her. "Are you ok? Does anything hurt?"
A flash of pain radiates from her right eye, causing her to wince even as she shakes her head no. "...m' fine."
"Thank Gaia! I've been so worried sweetheart. Y-You've been out of it for a long time." He reaches over to hug her, and though she knows he wouldn't hurt her she is uncomfortable to be touched.
'...sweetheart? Who...?'
"Tifa, honey? What's wrong?"
"...Tifa? Is-Is that my name?" Even as the words left her mouth, she knew they would hurt this man. He knew her, of that she was certain, but she could not say the same.
"...what? You... you don't remember?"
"I'm sorry." The look of happiness vanished from his eyes so suddenly it was like watching a candle go out. It hurt her to see this man like that, though she didn't know why. "Can... can you tell me?"
Though the happiness remained gone, she could see a new spark born in his eyes and was warmed to have put it there. "Please. I would like to know..."
"Of course." He smiles then and Tifa smiles in return as he sits next to her upon the small bed.
"You're name is Tifa Marriana Lockheart and you were born on the 3rd of May, Seven years ago..."
(FFVII Before Story)
Part 2 : Child Hood Differences
"Tifa? What are you doing?" Roan Lockheart had just come home from a full day of work only to find his daughter staring into a mirror as if it held all of life's answers.
"Looking." Tifa didn't turn to acknowledge the man she had come to learn was her father, even as he came over and hugged her from behind.
"At what? You already know what you look like."
"...true." And she did know what she looked like, now. When she had first woken up after her fall from Mt. Nibel, Tifa had known nothing about herself or her life. The doctors had called it 'amnesia', and though it was unsettling to see a stranger in the mirror she had quickly grown used to it.
"Papa? Why are my eyes so different from everyone elses?"
Being startled by her question, the grown man nearly tripped over his feet as he turned to look at her. "W-What? Why do you ask that?"
Sensing that her father was trying to evade the question she turned to him and spoke frankly. "When Cloud and I were playing today my eye patch fell off and the other kids started making fun of me. They said my eye wasn't natural and that I was a freak."
"You are not a freak honey. You're just... different." He tried to look away but couldn't. Ever since she had fallen he had known she would be different than other children. Losing an eye at the age of six would do that, but Tifa hadn't really lost her eye.
"But... why am I so different? I know both eyes used to be red like my left one, before I fell." She looked away to the mirror once more.
"Tifa, come here. Let's sit down as we talk ok?" He plopped down onto their couch and waited for her to do the same. "As you know, you were very injured after falling from the Mountain. As far as we could tell your eye had been destroyed when you landed, but the doctors believed that the mako energy from nearby had begun to rebuild it for you."
"rebuild... my eye?" He watched as she reached up to feel her right eye in disbelief. "Is that why it's all green and glowy?"
"Probably." She turned to him with questions floating through her natural eye. Though he had grown used to seeing her right eye swirl with the mako energy it was made of, he had never grown used to the thought of the differences it had brought.
"Papa?"
"Yes?"
"Why do I have to wear an eye patch? You always tell me to never take it off around others."
He was trapped. How would he make her understand that it wasn't because he was ashamed, but because it kept her safe from people who wouldn't see her as a little girl. Though she had been born and raised in this town some of the residents still thought her a savage simply because her mother had been Wutain. No doubt those same people would call her much worse than freak should they discover her eye.
"...sigh."
"Papa?"
"Tifa, you remember what I told you about bad people right? That even if you know someone for a long time they can do bad things to you because they are scared or jealous?" He smiled lightly as she nodded a hesitant 'yes'.
"There are people out there who would get scared and try to hurt you because they see your eye, not as an eye but something that may one day hurt them. Do you understand?" He hoped she would understand what he meant, and was relieved when she finally said that she did.
"Papa?"
"What is it Tifa?"
"Are you afraid of my eye too?" She looked at him then with such a sad face and he knew that he could never lie to her.
"Never. In fact I love your eyes, both of them, because you are my little girl and I will always love you no matter what." He hugged her then, reassuring her that what he said was true.
"I love you too."
(FFVII Before Story)
Part 3 : Friendship
"Cloud Strife! Get back here NOW!"
"Catch me if you can Teef!"
Tifa was mad as could be. Her best friend in the world had stolen her eye patch and was on the run in a game of keep away. But Tifa wasn't just mad, she was scared. She remembered that talk so long ago with her father about never removing her eye patch in front of others. She didn't want people to fear or hate her just because her eye looked so different than it should.
She didn't want HIM to fear or hate her.
"I mean it Cloud! I need that back!" Her voice was starting to take on a scared tone as she raced after the older boy, trying to catch him before anyone saw her eye. 'This would be easier if I didn't have to cover my eye like this. I can't see through my hand like I could my patch.'
"You gotta catch me first!" He yelled over his shoulder, laughing as he made his way towards their favorite spot.
"Cloud I'm serious! Papa told me not to take it off! I promised him! Give it back!" Finally the older boy began to slow down until she manged to catch up with him.
She watched as he came to a stop by the old tire swing and turned to look at her, a curious expression on his face. "You promised your dad?" He looked at her with a guilty expression even as he handed the small item over. "I didn't know that... I'm sorry Teef."
Panting from the run she bent over to catch her breath and to hide her eye as she retied the material snugly. "I-It's ok. Just don't do it again."
"I won't. Promise. But..." She finally looked up at him, both eyes letting her see the curiosity he held.
"But what?" He hesitated a bit and she nearly snapped his head off out of annoyance. "Spill it!"
"How come your Dad made you promise to never take it off? Is it gross or something?"
"Sigh. Figures you would ask that." Knowing her best friend like she did, Tifa knew he wouldn't give up until he had either found out, or driven her to murder him. "Alright... might as well sit down for this."
She sat by the tree while the annoying blond she termed 'best friend' sat on the swing. "Remember when we first met and how I didn't remember anyone?"
"...Yeah. I was so happy you were ok at all that I didn't care if you couldn't remember." Cloud spoke lowly, remembering the fear he had felt when he had seen her fall. The anger he had felt at himself for not saving her. The happiness he had felt when she had introduced herself to him after waking up.
"Papa told me that when I fell, I lost my eye. I didn't believe him at first, since I could see just fine. But then I looked in a mirror for the first time." He looked over at that, wondering what she meant.
"One eye was this pretty red color and looked just like anybody elses eye, but the other..." She paused and feeling the stress he got up to offer her some comfort. "Cloud? Could you... ever hate me?"
"No. You are my best friend in the world Tifa Lockheart, and I could never hate you, even if you wanted me to."
She stared into his eyes then, reading his intent and understanding it to be true. He was like her Papa, someone who cared no matter what. "...I believe you."
And with those words she reached up to uncover her eye, though kept it closed until she was sure he was ready to see. "One eye red, the other..."
Opening her eye she let him see the swirling mass of glowing green it had become so long ago, and watched him smile at her in friendship.
"It's so pretty... why do you have to hide it?"
And so she told him the same things her father had told her, and laughed as he made a promise to always protect her from people like that.
(FFVII Before Story)
Part 4 : Loss
The intense heat of the flames was nothing compared to the rage in her heart. That horrible man had taken everything from her.
"Sephiroth… SOLDIER… Mako Reactors… SHINRA… Everything! I hate them all!" I would have my revenge, I had to...
"Mother, I'm here to see you. Please, open this door."
"How could you do that to papa and all the townspeople?" The sword was large and unwieldy in my hands but I cared not. He would die, and by my hands. I knew even before I swung that he would overpower me and as he attempted to slash me I ducked long enough to punch him in the nose, and had to smile as he bled even if only a little.
Pain horrible and sudden took over my body as I fell from the mans strike, I hadn't seen him move and now I would die.
Voices drift through my conscience, and at some point I had seen Cloud's blue eyes shining with worry and begging me to hold on. Then there was only black, before I see HIM.
Beady eyes hidden behind glasses, stringy black hair and such a cold smile. Even as I slipped away I prayed to my dead father to watch over me. This man was one of those people Papa had always warned me about, and I hoped he never got the chance to hurt me.
To bad my prayers were never answered.
(FFVII Before Story)
Tifa fell off Mt. Nibel at age 6 instead of 8 after her mother died. It is widely assumed that she is half-wutain (at least I assume it) and she gets it from her mother. She was raised as such from birth and speaks both languages easily.
She fell into the Mako Fountain severely injured (Just a coma after falling isn't very realistic at that height and age so she nearly died and lost an eye) since MAKO is lifestream it helped her heal ALL her injuries.
Nibelheim has ALWAYS been under SHINRA control and that's why her father feared for her safety as a child. He was afraid of people like HOJO getting a hold of her.
Cloud has always and will always be her best friend and NOT a love interest. They are like Brother and Sister.
Also Tifa is a year younger than in the game story line, and is in the coma for 6 months after the fall making her 7 when she wakes up.