Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.

Tifa yawned a mighty yawn as she slumped further down in the passenger seat of Lightning's car. Her eyes watched the building pass her rapidly before she shifted and looked at Lightning who was entirely focused on the air in front of her. "Y'know?" Tifa started, "It wouldn't be technically correct if we call this a road would it?"

"I guess." Lightning shrugs, "It's an airway."

"Hmm... if your vehicle runs out of gas, does it fall from the sky?"

"Our vehicles don't use gas. It uses a gravitator which uses light energy."

"Light energy? I guess that's why Academia's so clean and bright."

The soldier shifted and the car made a smooth turn. Tifa could see the Academy in front of them, "Thinking about Midgar?"

"I'm not really thinking of much right now." Tifa admitted with a small laugh, "Kind of making things up... I mean, it's tiring to think and worry about everything I say. I wish... I was more like you."

"Do I even want to know..." Lightning muttered underneath her breath and ignored Tifa's glare.

"Maybe I should tell Cloud how I feel." Tifa murmured and twiddled her thumbs, "What do you think?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it does!" Tifa exclaimed and sat up properly, "I've told you the most so..."

"Then you already know what I think." Lightning retorted, "Can we not talk about this?"

"Do you really hate Cloud that much?"

"I don't hate him."

"Yeah right." Tifa rolled her eyes, "He's a nice guy! If you'd just get to know him better I'm sure you two would get along."

"Look, you confessing to Cloud has nothing to do with whether I like him or not."

"You're my friend-"

"Tifa, I don't care." Lightning breathed as they pulled up to the Academy's main entrance and hovered beside the platform, "Whether I like him or not won't change your feelings for him. When are you going to stop doubting yourself? You keep looking for excuses not to step in and make your feelings clear. Are you scared that he's going to reject you?"

"This wasn't what you said this morning."

"Well, things change." Lightning cut in and agitation slowly seeped into her expression and voice. "Our situations aren't the same, its far from the same. I can't change what I've done but you can still fix your problem. I have more to worry about than your love life. If you're still so hung up over Cloud then go and tell him your feelings before it's too late and he decides he likes Aerith more than you."

"Light, it's not that easy-"

"You don't realize just how simple your problem is do you? Go tell him and if he shuts you out then you have your answer. Get over it. How is this hard?"

Frustration welled up in her. She thought Lightning would listen and understand, but clearly she didn't. "Of course you don't understand." Tifa snapped as she flipped open the passenger door and climbed out, "You're a rock you know that?" Slamming the door shut, Tifa turned her back on the car and crossed her arms in a fit. There wasn't a moment wasted as Lightning's car immediately pulled away. "Idiot." Tifa muttered as she looked up at the Academy. Shaking her head, Tifa walked forward and entered the towering building.

She was careful to walk in with her usual smile so that the effect of Lightning's words on her wouldn't show. "Tifa!" The said woman looks towards her friend and waves, seeing Jessie smile at her before she returns to the small device she and Hope had been examining. Tifa looks at the young man smiling as he kindly explained things and felt a twinge of sympathy for him. He's got it rough; falling for someone like Lightning. Everyone was there; Sazh, Biggs and Wedge were talking in one group and she noticed Aerith with Vanille and Fang, which meant that Cloud was alone for once. He was sitting at the large table reading the newspaper. For a quick moment, Tifa truly considered what Lightning had said before she slowly approached him. His eyes flickered up to her, watching her closely and Tifa could feel her heart start to pound in her chest.

"H-Hey." Tifa greeted from where she stood on the other side of the table.

"Morning." He said before he glanced around, "Where's Lightning?"

"Parking."

"Parking?" He raised his eyebrow.

"Parking her car." Tifa elaborated, "She uh... went out to pick up something so I went with her." Cloud nodded and turned back to the pages on the table. "So, how was last night?" Tifa held her breath, watching painstakingly as he flipped the page.

"It was good."

"Good?"

He nodded again but his eyes never looked up at her, "Did you talk to Lightning?"

It was hard. Tifa desperately tried to read his expression but he kept it schooled and wondered if he had learned that from the soldier herself. Was he angry considering the way Lightning had lashed out on him yesterday? "I did." Tifa murmured, "Are you alri-"

"I'm fine." He interrupted before he released a deep sigh, "I'm going out with Aerith tonight again."

"O-Oh..."

"Do you want to come too?"

"You're asking me?" Tifa breathed.

"Aerith wanted to know."

Tifa smiled warmly and shook her head, "Ah, sorry, I can't." She laughed apologetically. "Light said she'd show me the city later, but next time for sure. Hm?"

"Suit yourself." He answered her curtly before he got off from his seat and left her. Tifa watched him approach Aerith and willed another smile at the frown the brunette had given her. It was the hardest thing she had ever done. Her chest crushed against her and she found it difficult to breathe. It felt as if her heart just broke in two. Tifa was struggling to keep herself together as Aerith walked towards her.

"Tifa-"

"Next time." The fighter beamed, "I promise."

"But there's a trip-"

She had never understood why Lightning had such a presence amongst them, but for once, Tifa was eternally grateful that the soldier had decided to make her appearance now. As the door slid open, all attention was immediately turned to her. Lightning though, never having cared much for attention didn't notice and if she did, she didn't care. Her eyes moved over them and they found Tifa. Nothing was said but the way her blue eyes narrowed seemed to give the fighter some sort of reprieve as if Lightning somehow knew and understood. "Good morning, Light-" Hope started but the soldier had only took the time to give him a brief nod before she marched straight towards Tifa.

"Let's go." Lightning's tone was low and demanding. She understood that it was an order and not a request.

"Yeah." Tifa nodded and smiled again just for the others to see. "I'll talk to you later, Aerith." Giving the flower girl a small glance, she quickly moved ahead as the soldier rounded up behind her. No one dared to protest or approach them and Tifa had no doubt that it was due to Lightning's sudden and unexplained threatening aura. They made their way through the building and into the simulation room. It wasn't until they were in the privacy of the locker room before Tifa collapsed, leaning against the wall and slid down to hug her knees to herself. Lightning moved to the lockers and started changing. Tifa frowned and only buried her face.

Footsteps clicked until they stopped in front of her. "Can you train?"

"Train?" Tifa whispered. "Is that all you can think about?"

"You'd probably think so."

"I wonder why." Tifa retorted bitterly.

"In my eyes, Cloud's the only thing you can think about." Lightning said, "News flash. You're not here to mope about your love life. You're here to train and that's what you'll be doing."

"You're insensitive. You know that right?" Tifa mumbled into her legs and hugged herself a little closer.

Lightning grunted causing Tifa to peak out at her to see the soldier crouch down, "Why do I bother..." Tifa pouted and narrowed her eyes on the soldier but Lightning's gaze never wavered. She clamped her eyes shut when Lightning reached forward, half expecting the soldier to slap her awake, but to her surprise a firm yet gentle hand rests on the top of her head. "Don't get too depressed."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No." Lightning shrugs and moves to pull away but Tifa quickly reaches out and holds Lightning's hand where it was. The soldier tilted her head slightly in confusion at the fighter's actions but she allowed it. "So? What excuse did you come up with this time?"

"Huh?"

"Aerith looked as if you just slapped her."

"S-She did?" Tifa stammered, her eyes widening in surprise.

"No."

"Then-"

"Look, don't get too caught up with it." Lightning sighed before she pulled her hand away, but not completely. Instead, she slipped beneath Tifa's chin and tilt her head up, "You've got bigger problems to worry about. If Cloud can't see you, then he's blind. It's not your fault. He doesn't deserve you anyways."

"So you can be nice." Lightning's brow raised slightly at Tifa's statement before the fighter giggled lightly. Whatever Lightning did, it made her feel much better. The weight seemed to lift from her shoulders and the dull ache numbed.

"Just don't think too much." Pushing herself up first, Lightning then offered a hand to Tifa, "Remember what I said? You're a pain in the ass when you do because you worry about every single thing."

"Well sorry for being considerate." Tifa retorted, but smiled nonetheless as Lightning pulled her onto her feet.

"It's not about being considerate or inconsiderate. It's about knowing what you want and going after it no matter what or who gets in your way."

"Uhm... Light?" Tifa started, stopping Lightning as she began to leave, "Can you show me the city tonight?" It was a sudden request, Tifa knew that, but she didn't want her excuse that she had given Cloud fall onto grounds that weren't really there.

"What?"

"Well... can you show me Academia?"

"So you basically want me to be your tour guide?"

"Being a tour guide isn't all that bad and I can say that from personal experience."

"Fine." To say the least, she was surprised that Lightning agreed so easily. "But only if you forget about Cloud and Aerith and focus on training for the rest of the day. I'm sick of hearing about them."

Tifa grinned and nodded to seal the deal, "Done." She made a child-like move to pretend to zip her lips and laughed when Lightning rolled her eyes at her.

...

"We're not taking the car? It looks like it's about the rain."

"No. There's more to see on foot. We can just get umbrellas later."

"I see... Where are we going?"

"You wouldn't know if I told you."

"Well," Tifa fidgeted and tried to come up with a rebuttal that would top Lightning's point, "knowing, at the very least, the name of the place would be better than simply wandering around."

"Academia." Lightning answered before the elevator bing notified them of their arrival to the ground floor, "You said you wanted to see the city so I'm taking you to the city."

Tifa nodded and kept silent until they were standing outside before the neon blue walkways. She glanced at Lightning and saw her glaring at nothing in particular before Tifa sighed, "You don't know where we're going do you?"

Lightning glares at her from the corner of her eyes and shakes her head, "There's a place Hope keeps telling me about. A lot of shops and restaurants. Do you want to go there?"

"Sounds good to me."

"The Grande Avenue."

"Alright." And so, they start on their way. They walk along the blue pathways that bring the city zooming past them and Lightning rounds corners just as quickly as how she does so in the base. "So," Tifa starts, giving a small signal to the soldier for the impending small talk, "Hope huh?"

"What about him?"

"Do you like him? I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"I do." Lightning answers without missing a beat and Tifa almost splutters at how easily and effortlessly the soldier had said it.

"Y-You do?"

"He's a friend."

"A friend."

"Yes, a friend." Lightning stressed.

With a huff, Tifa pouted slightly before she decided to put it straight out in front of Lightning, "He likes you, and I mean in a romantic sense."

"No he doesn't."

"Stop denying it! I've seen the way he looks at you. It's obvious. I know that you know." Tifa argued.

"Look, he's a friend. He will always be a friend." Lightning sighed, "So stop acting like Fang. There's nothing between Hope and I because there's actually nothing there. Even if he does like me in that way, I don't like him like that. If he absolutely has to be something, he's more of a younger brother to me."

"You'll break his heart if he knew."

"He already knows. So can we just drop this? I don't want to talk about it. I get enough from Fang and Vanille, I don't need it from you."

"Alright! Alright!" Tifa said as she held her hands up in mock surrender, "I won't ask again."

Her eyes followed Lightning's back whenever she would fall behind, or when she walked side-by-side, she would still sneak occasional glances at the soldier. She wasn't surprised that Hope would fall in love with Lightning. Beneath her cold and tough exterior, Lightning was a big softie. Not to mention the pink haired woman was an ice beauty. Her skin was a pale and clean, her lips in contrast were a soft and warm pink. It matched her hair, which had a slightly more silvery shine to it. Lightning was special; that much Tifa had figured from her time here in Academia. No one has had the same hair color and it made her wonder, "Light? Is your hair naturally that color?"

Lightning looked at her as if she had said the most ridiculous thing ever and Tifa couldn't help but blush underneath the scrutiny. "Where the hell did that come from?"

Laughing nervously, Tifa shrugged, "Left field?"

"Yes, it's natural." Lightning sighed as she shook her head in disapproval of the question.

"It was just an innocent question." Tifa pouted before she could feel the light speckles of rain droplets tickle her skin. The sky was a light gray tingled with a pinkish orange-y hue from the sun's rays that still escaped the shifting horizon. "It's raining." Tifa stated the obvious.

"Let's hurry then."

"Yeah let's-" Her voice dies in her throat and she loses all control of herself. Her feet are rooted to the ground as if constricting vines had suddenly slithered around her and continued until she was completely bound. It tightens around her until it's painful, until she can't breathe.

"Tifa?" Lightning calls out to her when she notices that she hadn't moved an inch. "Tifa-" She follows her eyes and sees what Tifa sees. Her fists clench and her nails dig into her palm. For the first time, it felt as if someone had taken a drill to her heart and took sadistic pleasure. Tifa sees Cloud and Aerith; the two too lost in their own world to notice the people around them. The rain falls on her cheeks and rolls down.

It was like a scene taken out of a romance novel, in the soft light of the setting sun the rain falls, yet the lovers are too lost in their embrace and in each others warmth to notice anything else. They don't turn to see her break, to see her heart shatter into a thousand pieces and more. Aerith whispers something, her words too far for her to hear and pushes herself slightly away from Cloud. He's smiling; smiling a smile that Tifa had never seen before. His happiness is clear to all. He sweeps down and captures Aerith's lips, and it's like a dagger twisting into Tifa's chest.

She doesn't see anymore because she's forced away. A deadlock grip closed around her wrist. Tifa staggers forward, her feet heavy and she's tripping over herself. Tifa sees the silvery pink hair first, feels the strength of the person in front of her. She realizes that it was Lightning slowly before they come to a stop. Tifa stands there like a limp doll and stares at the ground. "Hey." Lightning calls out to her but she doesn't move. "Snap out of it."

Arms grab her shoulders and shake her. It breaks the chains holding her down and Tifa pushes the soldier away. "S-Stop!"

Lightning snorts and she looks beyond pissed but Tifa neither notices or cares. "It'd make your day if Cloud finally noticed you wouldn't it?" It was like adding salt to the wound that's still bleeding profusely. Anger ignites and conquers all sadness and pain that she had felt. Tifa glared up at Lightning but the soldier continued brashly, "Get over it." She hated those words with a passion. "He only thinks for himself, why can't you see that?"

"He's not like you!" Tifa screamed ignoring how the world suddenly seemed to stop and Lightning was the only person she could see, "You're the one that only thinks for themselves! You can't see the people you're hurting, the people you ignore because you're too selfish to try to see otherwise!"

"How is Cloud any different?!" Lightning seethes but Tifa's too forgone to notice the darkness tinging the soldier's eyes.

"He cares! He notices-"

"Bullshit. You saw it yourself! He's too busy making out with Aerith like it was a damn Broadway show just because he can't get any-" She was mad. Tifa was absolutely furious and her hand lashed out uncontrollably with a resounding slap. Only when the foreign gasps could be heard did Tifa snap out of her rampage. Everyone's staring at her, the normal and innocent civilians caught in her violent display of anger. Lightning's cheek was blistering red and even her own hand stung like prickling needles to her palm. Tifa backs away when Lightning's eyes turn to her, the stare so intense Tifa suddenly wished she could cease to be. Like a coward, she turned around and ran.

These few chapters have been intensely focused on developing character relations so it's slow, however once I've established all that I need to, then I'll start messing with things.

Tifa's character may seem OOC considering she's relatively shy about her feelings in FF7 (from what I've heard). Lightning serves as an outlet where she can freely express her own emotions without fear of being judged... until now.