WARNING! MAJOR ANGST!

Tifa fans don't hate me. :( I'm not bashing her, but I think I'm kinda being a little mean.

Based on the song Little House by The Fray.

She doesn't look, she doesn't see
Opens up for nobody
Figures out, she figures out

Tifa cleaned the glass at the counter, silence surrounding her. The room was empty. The house was empty.

Her life was empty.

She let out a deep weary sigh and set down the glass. She stared at it.

She felt so tired. Tifa glanced up at the front door, wishing and hoping someone would come in with a smile and arms ready to hold her. Wishing and hoping for the man of her dreams to sweep her off her feet and take her away her loneliness.

Wishing and hoping for Cloud to come home, to come back to her.

Narrow line, she can't decide
Everything's short of suicide
Never hurts, nearly works

Marlene and Denzel had grown older and could take care of themselves now, and though Tifa was proud of them, she couldn't help but feel sad. She didn't know why, but these days she yearned for someone to talk to, for a shoulder to lean on.

Cloud was never home anymore. He was off on his motorcycle all day, every day. Tifa missed him so much. She wanted him to come home.

He was lonely too, she knew that. They were the same. She was lonely because he just wouldn't come back, and he was lonely because Aerith wouldn't come back.

She hated knowing that was why he wouldn't come home. She hated it.

She hated Aerith for leaving, not only taking her best friend, but also Cloud's heart. The two people who she loved, both gone at the same time. She hated it.

But Tifa didn't ever show this hatred, she couldn't. It would cause so much damage for everyone, but at the same time she knew it was driving her deeper and deeper into madness every second of every day.

Something is scratching
Its way out
Something you want
To forget about

Tifa felt a pain in her chest. She let out a soft groan and clutched her heart, sinking slowly onto one knee. She took out a tube of pills and emptied it into her hand. She filled a glass of water and took them all at once, downing the drink. It didn't help. She sank back onto the ground.

All this pain, all this suffering… she didn't know if she could hold it in any longer. Years and years on end, she wanted Cloud to love her, to love her like he loved Aerith. That was all she could ever want, for that one day when he would hold her like he meant it, to kiss her like the rain kisses the wind.

But that day never came.

The past was so painful, the past that brought Tifa and Cloud closer, yet pushing them apart at the same time. It continued to haunt her every single night, more unbearable each time. The dream she had of death dragging her away, stripping her of love and life, drowning her in the sorrows she had tried so hard to bury.

Tifa let out a strained gasp as the pain in her heart sharpened. She collapsed, squeezing her eyes shut. The pain pumped through her veins, weakening her and draining her of life.

She inhaled shakily and glanced up at the counter, seeing her cell phone sitting on the edge. She raised a trembling hand and tried to reach for it, but it was too high. She collapsed back down as she felt another rush of pain.

Tifa heard the front door open and voices. Barrett, Marlene, Denzel, and… Cloud. She struggled to control the pain.

"Some… one…" she choked, trying to sit up. "Hel… help…"

No one heard her.

A part of you that'll never show
You're the only one that'll ever know

Tifa desperately looked for a way to call out to them. She laid her head back down, unable to keep it up any longer. She took a risk and banged her shoulder against the counter to get their attention. Each jolt pumping more pain into her damaged heart. She clenched her teeth.

"Hey," she heard Marlene say. "What's that noise?" Marlene wondered slowly to the counter, letting out a gasp of horror as she saw her. "TIFA!"

Everyone rushed to her, Cloud being the first to reach her. He lifted her off the ground into his arms, the look of pure terror in his eyes. Tifa managed a weak smile, so glad to see the man she loved. She winced with agony, clutching her chest.

"Call a doctor!" Cloud shouted to Barret. "She's having a heart attack!" He dragged her carefully out from behind the counter. Barret immediately ran off as Denzel and Marlene watched Tifa anxiously. Cloud helped her sit up as Marlene quickly grabbed a glass of water and some more of her pills. Tifa took them and fell back into Cloud's arms. He stroked her hair gently. "You're going to be okay… shhh… it's okay…"

Tifa smiled as she saw a tear in his eye. She shook her head slightly.

"I can't go without telling you…" she muttered. "Not again."

Take it back when it all began
Take your time, would you understand
What it's all about?
What it's all about?

Cloud took her hand and held it tightly.

"You're not going to die," he said firmly. He shook his head, stroking the strands of dark brown locks from her sweaty forehead. "No… I can't lose you too…" Tifa let out another gasp, oxygen no longer willing to enter her lungs. Tears were streaming down her cheeks now as she stared up at Cloud.

"I… love you, Cloud," she said tearfully. Cloud's eyes widened. "I've loved you for so long, and I'm sorry I never told you. I never got the chance to." She reached up and cupped his jaw. "All those years, I'm just so sorry I never told you, and I regret it every single day." She clutched her chest again, more tears rolling down her face. "Every day I lose more courage, because of the way you grieve for Aerith…" She sobbed harder. "I could never tell you when she was alive, because of the way you felt about her." Cloud stroked her hair, shaking his head.

"Shhh…" he hushed, his voice forcefully soft in a desperate attempt to calm her down. "Just calm down. Don't talk like this…"

But Tifa just cried harder, despite her strength fading by the second, she clutched onto him.

"Even though she's gone I still couldn't tell you," she said tearfully. "You don't know how much that hurts me. You… you never do." Her eyes squeezed shut as another pulse of pain shot through her chest. She gripped onto Cloud's hand tightly, unable to breathe.

Something is scratching
Its way out
Something you want
To forget about

Tifa opened her eyes again, panting for breath, the heartbroken look in her eyes unable to be ignored any longer. Cloud returned her gaze, but with guilt. Tifa blinked back a tear.

"My heart can't take being unloved anymore, Cloud…" she whispered. "Because it wants to be loved by you…" Cloud struggled to hold back. He pushed a hair out of her face.

"Tifa…" he begged, his voice quivering. "Don't do this…" Tifa clutched her chest even more tightly.

"Then… tell me you love me."

Cloud let out a soft, shaken breath, and Tifa felt his hands tremble.

"Okay," he said, nodding shakily. "I love you." His eyes darted to the side for half a second, a misty emotion in the shades of blue. He swallowed and shifted his hands to hold her closer.

Tifa took another gasp of air; she wasn't fooled. Another tear fell as she shook her head, heartbreak in her ruby eyes. She let out a final weak, plaintive laugh.

"You're… a liar…"

She let out another soft, almost inaudible gasp, and her eyes rolled back. Her head lowered and collapsed against his chest. Cloud felt the painful grasp of her hand loosen, and slowly her entire body fell limp in his arms. Marlene covered her mouth with her hands as Denzel threw her arms around her. Cloud shook her gently.

"Tifa…" he whispered. She didn't move. Cloud pressed his finger to her throat to feel a pulse.

There was no pulse.

Cloud breathed out shakily and held her body close to his, pressing her head onto his chest and staring into space with wide, confused eyes. Just then, Barret ran back into the room. He let out a gasp of shock.

"She's gone," Cloud muttered, more to himself. "Tifa's gone…" Marlene released herself from Denzel and ran to Barret, crying. Barret held her tightly, bitter sadness flashing in his eyes.

Cloud kissed Tifa's forehead tenderly, rocking her body back and forth. Her heart was strong, but it wasn't loved. It wasn't loved by him, and it wasn't loved by anyone. That was all Tifa wanted; for Cloud to love her for just one moment, but he just couldn't.

He couldn't even do that.

"I'm sorry, Tifa," he whispered into her ear, still holding her close. He closed his eyes, shaking his head. "I'm so sorry…"

No one expects
You to get up
All on your own with
No one around

That's it. I'm done with torturing Tifa. I love her now, so I'm gonna start writing her into romances. :)