A/N:

Crossovers don't get a lot of press, which makes me sad. and maybe a lot of you are thinking WHY ARE YOU NOT UPDATING OTHER STORIES? URG (or something relatively nicer..) but to be honest, I wrote this like...a year ago, and I feel like publishing it. it's not done yet! but I'm curious to see how people take to this idea.

Like I said...crossovers don't get a lot of support, but I really like this concept (no matter how outlandish it may be), and I really hope you give it a chance :D

Disclaimer: I don't own FF7 or FF8 or any of the characters/places associated with them (damn)

There was light outside. That should have been her first clue that something was wrong. Light there? In Edge? It practically wasn't natural. The area had been shrouded with clouds for as long as she could remember, only breaking its grey appearance briefly after Aerith had... and Cloud was back.

That memory distracted her from everything else. Cloud's back. He had been for a good month now, but she still couldn't get over it, over how much he had changed ever since Geostigma was cured. It wasn't like he suddenly became an extrovert or even an optimist. He was just there, seeming happy now and content. He was smiling, which was a miracle all in itself.

He bumped her briefly on her lower arm, moving to put the messy plate in the dishwasher. "Sorry, Teef." The left side of his face held the remainder of a grin, and the blond quickly moved to the other end of the counter. She watched him wrap the peanut butter sandwiches with careful precision and place them cautiously in a brown paper bag.

"Good job."

He turned quickly to her voice, causing her to smile. "With what?"

"The sandwiches. Denzel and Marlene will be happy."

The blond nodded and went back to wrapping, the other side of his face rising into that shining grin. She turned away from him, letting herself fully smile. She picked up the cloth and went to wash the counter, but it was already spotless. But she couldn't walk away. She needed to stay…make sure he packed the lunches correctly. Her hand fumbled for her tea cup on the kitchen table, and she poured the remaining liquid out in the sink.

"Does Marlene like vanilla or chocolate pudding?"

She turned eagerly from washing the cup, glancing at Cloud's spiky head poking in the refrigerator. "Chocolate. Denzel likes vanilla."

He nodded, "Of course. I should have remembered that." Cloud took two puddings out of the refrigerator and put them in the bags.

But she continued to wash the cups, eyes drifting towards the young man in the room every so often. "I think trying to remember pudding preferences is an improvement from how you were a couple of years ago."

She heard him laugh, a noise that would have sounded foreign to her months ago. "Teef?"

"Hmm?" She jumped a little from the inquisitive tone in his voice.

Cloud scratched his head, "You know you can put that in the dishwasher, right?"

"…right." She shut the water off, placing the cup in the machine. "Cloud?" It was her turn to question. He had two more puddings in his hands, one of each flavor. He poured the contents into a bowl, mixing it lightly and then placing it on the counter.

"You like it swirled." He said it casually, but his face read differently. His soft smile seemed to glow with the same luminosity of his blue eyes. And with that look, it was easy for her to ignore the strange day. Sure the sun was shining, but so was Cloud. Her mind left the uneasiness in the back of her head, distracted by something a little more pleasant.

"No sighting yet, sir."

That was not what he wanted to hear. Probably one of the last things besides 'she's gone' or 'we found her dea-' But those thoughts were unacceptable. They weren't an option. They hadn't been together for two years only to have her taken away so quickly, so easily. "Keep looking."

The girl in front of him narrowed her eyes, "Sir?"

But his voice remained firm and even, "She was last seen going to Deling City." She was in her own house! "Did you talk to the general?"

"Sir, General Caraway has his own division of the Galbadian army looking for her."

He shifted back in his chair, the black quilted leather starting to stick to his sweaty hands. Shit. If he doesn't know… "…I...don't know what to do." It was probably the first time he ever admitted something like that aloud, and it was obvious by the girl's shocked expression.

"Sir," The girl moved away from the door frame, seating herself in the chair in front of his desk. "The scouts did see something…"

He lifted his head from his hands, "What?"

"We don't think it was anything relating to her disappearance, but it was very…"

"Selphie," His voice was slightly raised, standing out from his usual even tone, "What did you see?"

She fidgeted slightly in the seat, not knowing where to start. Her green eyes shot up, "There was a crack in the ground."

He nodded. There was an earthquake in Deling City three days ago. That's why she had left in the first place. "Leftover from the aftershocks?"

"Most likely…but that wasn't the strange part." Selphie stood up again, catching his eye contact. "…there was a green light radiating from the crack…like a stream of emerald glitter."

What? It was weird, for sure, but it had nothing to do with her. He couldn't, didn't care about that, not when she was still missing. "What does that have to do…"

"Probably nothing, sir." She gave him a curt nod. "It is just my order to report everything unusual that is seen."

Squall stood up in the chair, coming to the front of his desk. "I know…" His light brown bangs fell gently in front of his face as he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Selphie. This is just…"

"Hey." She patted him lightly on the shoulder, her positive smile becoming slightly contagious. "We'll find her, Squall. She couldn't have gotten too far, and with SeeD's on the mission? Come on!"

He nodded and leaned back on the desk, "Yes…you're right."

"Of course! If she's in Galbadia, we'll definitely find her."

"Can you tell Barret to take them on some of the bigger rides? Oh, and let me know how the oil program is going, okay?"

Cloud smiled at the slight worry stinging her voice, "Tifa, you need to relax."

"Relax?" She blinked, the sun stinging her eyes a bit. "I am re…"

"You're nervous." He was touching her arm now…which didn't help calm her one bit. Her anxiety spiked just from his proximity, and the warmth of his touch was anything but soothing. "It's just a trip to the Gold Saucer, and Barret will watch them."

She moved to the left, away from Cloud, using Fenrir as an excuse. "You sure you can hold them both on the bike?"

"Tifa…I've done this before. I got it."

But that weird feeling was returning. The sun was just too bright today, making her know that something was off. "I know…" She turned around and gave a confident smile, "They're still inside?"

Cloud nodded and moved closer to her again, making her catch her breath. "I'll be back as soon as I drop them off."

"Not that quickly…you'll have to drive home." Her comment made him smile again, an action he had done more today than what seemed like a decade. It made her want to… "Cloud?"

She just waited for him to lift his head slightly before her own moved up. He wasn't that much taller than her, which made it easier to make contact, to touch his lips. It was their first time, but she couldn't count how many instances she thought about it, how many times she just wanted to grab him and…

Wait.

Tifa immediately broke when the realization hit her. She looked at the blond, shocked at what just happened…what she did. His blue eyes were glassy, only confirming how horrified he was. The hundreds of times that she dreamt this, she didn't think he wouldn't…

"…what?"

"I'm so sorry."

She couldn't face him, not after embarrassing herself like that. How could she have done that? She spent so much time with him, building a strong relationship, a makeshift family. And she had to ruin it all by kissing him?

"Tifa…"

The door opened and closed, and Denzel and Marlene made their way outside towards Cloud's bike. Tifa snatched at the opportunity, "Are you two ready to go?"

They nodded and grabbed Cloud's hand, dragging him towards his own motorcycle. But he didn't seem as eager to leave. "Tifa, what just…"

"Bye! Have fun!" She didn't know how, but she managed to throw some cheer in her voice, a feeling that didn't seem to be present anywhere else in her body.

The two kids were smiling, excited at their vacation to come, but Cloud just look confused. He's disgusted, isn't he? He seemed almost immobile, like the kiss poisoned his body into paralysis. "We need to…"

"No." She shook her head, "Bye, Cloud. I'll see you when you get back." A part of her wondered if he would.

He just looked at her, his Mako eyes seeming dull. Cloud only gave her a slight nod before mounting his bike and driving off.

Tifa quickly retreated back inside, closing the curtains on the damned sun. Her body fell on the floor, filled with disbelief, of shock. Whatever hope she had of a future with Cloud was gone. Will he even come back? The thought made her throat burn. She never thought she could do something like that…never thought she could just kiss him. And she never thought he wouldn't kiss her back.

A/N:

So the actual plot will truly develop in the next part, but I really hope you all enjoyed it! Reviews are always welcome, and I'll post the next part depending on the response I recieve.

Oh! and note this takes place post AC (for 7) and two years after the Sorceress crap (for 8). But I think that was kinda clear...

byebye!

-ASX