A/N: Alright, so the reason I included this chapter, and the chapter before is because this is all leading up to something that will make Tifa Lockheart look really, really bad. I don't want to seem like I'm Tifa bashing so I'm including her side of it. I want the readers to understand that Cloud and Tifa had a better than average relationship, but that, to Cloud, there was something missing. In addition, Tifa has a lot of baggage and a volatile disposition that doesn't really suit Cloud's personality well. They weren't met to be. She's also uptight, controlling, and has a penitent for being selfish and slightly manipulative. She has a lot of walls for a lot of reasons and isn't very good at handling certain things. Cloud is more laid back, and really doesn't want to bother with a lot of the stuff she does.

Disclaimer: I don't think this is what Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts had in mind. They have pretty strong in cannon romances and Zack Fair is technically supposed to be dead right now, so. I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy.

Chapter 3: She Wasn't Going to Cry Over This

The prettiest girl in school and beloved queen hunted Cloud down as soon as the bell rang. She barely refrained from releasing her unbridled fury on unsuspecting passersby as she stormed through the halls. The twenty minutes of crying had resulted in all of the various emotions she felt being converted directly into anger. Asking Selphie where Cloud could be and subsequently traveling furiously and quickly to the library, leaving her books and backpack and Gucci purse behind in Mr. Tyler's classroom, took a mere three minutes. The circumstances, she thought, were something he could forgive as she was in a hurry to give her ridiculously stupid boyfriend a piece of her mind, and that's something easily understood. Mr. Tyler liked her anyway. He'd let her back in to get her things.

She fumed as she walked. The crowds of brainless sheep in the hallways parted like the ocean before Moses. She planned out exactly what she would say to her stupid boyfriend who had royally fucked up. She was going to explain to him how thoroughly he didn't want to break up with her. He was going to know that he was stupid to think for a second that a girl like TIFA LOCKHEART would let that fly. A TEXT MESSAGE! A TEXT! What a DUMBASS!

He was going to grovel and beg forgiveness. She was determined. As she walked she hardly thought as she shoved a random freshman to the side. He was going to find a new perspective ON HIS KNEES! She decided as she crashed in to a stupid sophomore and he and his papers fell to the floor. The poor boy quickly muttered unheard apologies as he fell to his knees to pick up his things. Tifa didn't think as she growled at him to watch where he was walking.

He was going to realize how thoroughly he wanted her. Gorgeous, kind, sexy goddess that she was, he was going to want her and plead with her to take him back. She was going to get chocolates, lovey-dovey cards, and plushies. He was going to serenade her, take her for romantic moonlit walks, and fawn over her like a solicitous little slave for weeks.

And HE, he would be lucky if he ever got laid again in his entire existence. That ridiculous pea-brained moron of a boyfriend was lucky she didn't have a knife (curse modern-day high school security) so she didn't castrate the stupid fucker. Pathetic and short, and naïve, and so not manly Cloud Strife was lucky she had graced him with her presence, allowed him to touch her body, and taken his virginity. That freak was so going to get it. And after months of his servitude she was going to rip his bleeding, generous, stupidly kind and weak little heart out of his inconsequential chest and break it into pieces. And then dump his sorry ass for a real man. That bastard had to have a thing for another girl. It was probably that Aerith freak. Or Yuffie, damn the kleptomaniac.

She entered the library at 3:03 pm, eyes blazing and teeth gnashing. She paused and calmed herself with a very long sigh and paused to primp herself in the mirror behind the library lady's desk. She completely ignored the old woman as she welcomed her and asked what she was looking for. Tifa saw that her eyes were hardly at all puffy, and no one who hadn't been in her seventh period class would be able to tell she'd been crying recently. That was good. Never let them see you cry, her father had always told her. Her hair on the other hand had puffed up and out and frizzed, as it inexplicably managed whenever she was angry. She smoothed it out and less than twenty seconds after she had entered the library she turned and scanned the room for her stupid, pathetic, quiet, and absolutely, ridiculously confused little boyfriend. She cursed that she couldn't feasibly insult the size of his dick. Everyone knew of his seventh grade biology boner and how thoroughly above average it was. It was the first story that people from Destiny Tree Middle shared with the kids from Radiant Mill Middle. She remembered how the first thing out of her friends' mouths after she said they did it at the cabin was how bad did it hurt and was the ten inch rumor true. She cursed herself for gushing about it. (Tidus still maintains that he had to have found a ten inch banana and stuffed it into his underwear. Everyone knows that a kid as shy as Cloud wouldn't do that. How his face turned bright red and he was inexplicably absent not just for the next class periods of the day but for the next three days as well kind of trumps Tidus's theory). She cursed that there was no way she could say he was gross and smelly and icky. He always smelled delicious. He smelled like Abercrombie and Fitch and chocolate chip cookies. If there were a superlative for best smelling guy, Cloud would win it.

She spotted him. She stared at him with his stupid, handsome face, and adorably flatteringly spiked hair. She noticed, all over again, that his blonde locks were always a mess and that reminded her that they were the softest she had ever felt, and she remembered that he let out a soft, tiny little part-squeak-part-moan-part-groan when she tugged softly on them during a particularly intense make-out session. She noticed, all over again, his pale skin that was so soft and warm and smooth, and remembered how it was the same light tan, almost pale, pearly color all over his body, and that reminded her of how toned and chiseled his upper torso was and made her blush softly as always. Finally, she noticed, all over again, his gorgeous blue eyes she could spend hours staring into, the blue eyes that always gave him away, the eyes that held soft adoration, slight wonder, and so much love whenever she looked up into them and smiled.

She wanted to cry again. She felt yet another stab of pain in her chest, began to feel nauseous, and felt the writhing mass of insecurity she tried so hard to hide from the world rise up, and considered, for less than a second, of course, turning around, grabbing her things and fleeing to her car to drive home and cry. She considered for less than half a second, giving up on this boy that she loved so much, who she knew deserved so much better. But then she remembered how happy they were together, that time on the beach splashing in the waves, that time by the bonfire at Rinoa's back to school party the first time they kissed, and how he always supported her. She thought of the last one and a half years, even of how he had always looked out for her when they were kids, and determined that it wasn't over yet. There was a misunderstanding that could be fixed diplomatically. She slammed those bothersome emotions down, converted them into steely determination, collected herself, and walked gracefully over to the corner of the room.

"Cloud, sweetheart," she said with a soft smile that didn't reach her hard, glaring eyes, "We need to talk."

Her voice was coldly sweet. She was only a few steps away from the table. She came up from behind him and put her right hand on his. He had seen her coming. The fact that he let her touch him gave her more hope. His friends stared at her with slight dread. Anyone could see that no matter how hard she was trying to be sweet, she was pissed.

She had seen his eyes widen as she made her way over, she saw him flinch as she laid her hand on his, but he didn't pull his hand away. She had seen the dread and guilt on his face at the sight of her. She perceived this to be regret and convinced herself this would be easy. She would assuage his troubles, convince him to forget breaking up, and this humiliating text scandal would never make it into the light of day again. It was going to be perfect. Everything was going to be perfect. She'd get him to talk to her, get his worries, and his overwrought doubts to disappear as she always did with a smile and a teasing "dilly-dally shilly-shally". Her reputation would remain untainted by the shame of being broken up with via text message. This boy that she loved was not going to break her heart.

Then she saw his jaw set and his eyes harden and remembered that her boyfriend was the most stubborn person known to man. He almost violently shook his hand out from under hers and another knife shot its way into her heart and those doubts began to rise again.

"There's nothing to talk about." He said firmly, quietly, with that hint of calm finality his masculine, sexy voice managed so effortlessly and so well. She hated it with every fiber of her being how that utterance had infuriated her and turned her on at the same time.

"Cloud," She smiled and spoke softly, sweetly despite her rising anger and gods damn it hurt and betrayal- Always in control Lockheart she thought to herself, "We are going to talk."

"No we aren't." He looked away from her and started back on his homework.

"YOU!" She screamed. She grabbed his arm and yanked him out of the chair.

"Tifa-"

"SHUT UP!"

She had shoved him, and forced him upright.

"YOU SHUT UP YOU MANIPULATIVE CONTROLLING BICTH!" He screamed.

She froze, stunned. Tears, gods damn them, she would never admit to crying because of this stupid shit, welled up at the corners of her eyes. Hurt and betrayal, heartbreak and remorse welled up in her chest. She felt loss. She felt devastated. This wasn't happening.

And in the face of all these emotions she fell back to her number one safety mechanism. Anger. The floodgates broke, her control shattered, and she opened her mouth and let it all out.

By the time Zack Fair arrived at the library she had been screaming at her boyfriend for a full 42 minutes.