Author's Note: To clear up any confusion, we're going backward and then forward. So, here's their childhood and moving forward in the timeline. I'm also adding little bits and pieces from FFVII Remake that we know so far from the clips and trailers. Obviously, we don't know what else is in the new game for Cloud and Tifa, but it's still worth mentioning.

Chapter 2. Blue Dresses and Scraped Knees

Nibelheim is a small mountain village at the base of the treacherous, winding Mt. Nibel. Only the foolish would dare try to cross the mountain paths, and no one really had any reason to unless they were Shinra employees heading off to the Nibelheim Reactor.

In all honesty, that's the only thing that Nibelheim has any claim to in Gaia. Otherwise, there really wasn't much going on out in the countryside. Just the typical small-town life of simple things and growing up with childhood memories that many would look back on fondly.

The village children would gather near the center of town, and then break off into their own little groups. Everyone knew each other, and often time get together to go on their adventures for the day like daring each other to walk into the abandoned Shinra Mansion that had been emptied for quite some time.

Some days they would patron the town's small general store where one of the kids' parents owned it, and they would come out with small sacks of candy to share amongst themselves. Lemon drops, suckers and chocolates with hints of caramel that would stick in between their teeth and cause for some sticky grins.

But not all the children found it in themselves to include everyone in their reindeer games. At least, not when it came to Cloud.

The little boy would watch from a distance, but he was this small lanky kid and no one paid him any mention. He didn't really know why they would stare at him whenever he walked by, but he just decided to keep himself away from everyone else. Even from the next-door neighbor who reminded him of a small little bird that chirped in the trees during the coming of the seasons.

Tifa was the popular girl in town. Everyone wanted to be friends with her, and Cloud didn't doubt the reasoning as to why. She was beautiful, smart and cheery. She also was a pretty decent piano player, and sometimes, Cloud would listen to her play outside of her window during the day.

They were next-door neighbors, but they never really played together. Tifa was always surrounded by the town's boys who fawned over her. It looked like they never had room for one more little boy to join. He was a year older than all of them, and Cloud would justify distancing himself by rejecting them before they could reject him.

It wasn't the most mature response, but the boy couldn't stand being gawked at whenever he was out and about. Plus, the look in their eyes whenever he approached made him feel different. Maybe…they were all just laughing at him. For what though? He didn't really do anything to anyone.

They're stupid, Cloud thought. Always laughing at every little thing. It's not that funny. Well, screw them. I'm better off.

He spent most of his days wandering the village and going out on little excursions to the base of Mt. Nibel. No one would dare travel the mountains on their own, and so, Cloud knew that no one was going to bother him there. He had made himself a little shelter in a grove of small almond trees that created a dense, thick fortress that would take quite a bit of extra work to break into if curious eyes tried to pry.

Cloud had hauled a battered old door to place as an opening of a small shack made out of plywood that one of the townsfolk let him have in exchange for clearing out the muck from horse stalls. It wasn't much, but to Cloud, it was a place where he could go and shut himself away from the rest of the world.

He'd spend many hours hiding out in the shelter by himself. Usually with just a small sketchbook and maybe a few snacks that his mother would pack for him in his makeshift rucksack. This arrangement might seem lonely to others, but Cloud didn't mind so much. At least, he wouldn't admit to feeling lonely.

Not openly anyway.

One day, Cloud was finishing a sketch he drew of some of the people he encountered that day: A woman and her son conversing at the shoe shiners, an elderly man with the leather apron who often fashioned new rubber soles for shoes and even the local barber who was giving another person a close shave. The smell of after shave reminded him of clean linen, not unlike the soap that his mom would use in their laundry.

There was another sketch that Cloud had been working on, but he'd die if anyone else saw it. It was of the little girl next door with her long dark brown hair and ruby-colored eyes. She was out gardening with her own mom, and they were giggling over digging through the soil and planted yellow flowers.

The boy took extra care in drawing Tifa's doe-like eyes and sweet smile. He did remember the way the girl caught him staring and waved at him. The way she would greet him still caught him off-guard. It was like she didn't know about his reputation of being the lone wolf in the village. It made him feel warm inside.

Once finished, Cloud tucked his sketch book away underneath some of the things he had placed inside the fort. An old wooden chair, small table and maybe a trinket here and there that neighbors discarded like

Cloud's mother, Claudia, worried over her son not having any playmates. She lamented the fact that she was raising her son on her own. Her husband had died when Cloud was just an infant, and no one really discussed the matter in town. They would give her reassuring looks that she was doing the right thing by raising Cloud, but no one offered to help her.

Not that Claudia sought it out. She made sure Cloud got everything he ever needed. Clothes. Food. Love. Attention. Everything that she thought her son would need. They didn't have fancy things, but they had the things that mattered most.

That's how I want Cloud to see things, Claudia thought. I want him to make friends, raise a family of his own and do better for himself. I just wish he wouldn't fight with the neighborhood kids so much…

Claudia knew that there was one neighborhood girl that Cloud seemed to gravitate toward but would always shy away at the last minute. She tried arranging play dates with her parents next-door, but there was always a bit of unease from the girl's father. Yet, the little girl's mother would beam at the thought.

So, imagine Cloud's shock when he came home from one of his daily excursions to find Tifa sitting at the dining room table with a small plate of cookies and a bouquet of yellow flowers soaking in a vase. She looked especially pretty with her white dress and black bows with small white slippers that matched.

Tifa's ruby eyes locked onto Cloud's blue ones, and she broke out into a smile. Her dark brown hair glistened in the glow of the gas lamp that stood off in the corner of the kitchen and living room space.

Cloud felt heat rise in his face when his mother explained that Tifa's parents were out of town for the weekend, and that she offered to them a place for their daughter to stay and play with him while they were away.

"Isn't that nice, Cloud?" Claudia asked with a smile. "You'll be able to have some company for those little trips you've been making by yourself."

No. Absolutely not, Cloud thought to himself. That place is for me to get AWAY from everyone. Even from the girl next door.

"Mom," Cloud responded with a depth of desperation. "That's supposed to be a secret!"

"I'm good at keeping secrets!" Tifa said with a smile. "I promise, I won't tell anyone. Not even to my cat. She's really good at not saying anything."

Cloud didn't know what to say. He wished that Tifa wasn't staying with them. In fact, he wished that he could still admire Tifa from afar, but now that she's here, there's a higher risk that he might make a fool of himself in front of the one kid that he liked in Nibelheim.

"I don't know, I'd rather go there by myself," Cloud said slowly, which resulted in a slight frown on Tifa's face. "Sorry."

Sensing some awkwardness, Claudia excused herself to finish some chores around the house. As she left, she placed more warm cookies onto the plate and smiled at the two children before heading outside.

"Well, in any case, have some cookies," she said gently with a nod. "I'm going to finish up the laundry and do some work in the garden out back. Why don't you go outside and play after your snack? It won't hurt to have some friends to have fun with for a change, Cloud."

The blonde rolled his eyes, but Tifa giggled. She seemed comfortable to be there, but Cloud was apprehensive. So, the two sat in silence with the soft ticking of the Strife's wall clock breaking the quietness of the household. They ate some of Claudia's chocolate chip cookies, and the sweetness of the chocolate chips gave Cloud an excuse to go grab a glass of milk.

As he returned, he brought back two glasses. One for himself that was already partially drunk, and the other for the guest that was sitting across from him.

"Here," Cloud muttered, handing Tifa the full glass. "I got you some, milk."

"Oh, thank you!" Tifa beamed, while accepting the glass. "Your mama's cookies are really good. Almost as good as my mom's!"

Cloud scoffed a little bit at this, but then softened when he saw Tifa drinking the milk with thoughtfulness. She really was cute. She wasn't at all what he pictured. Those kids seemed stuck up, but when Tifa was alone…she seemed sweet like he imagined from afar.

"Yeah, everyone says that about their mom's cookies," he retorted.

"But, it's true!" Tifa giggled. "Did you help yours make them?"

"No," Cloud responded, even smiling a little bit. "I'm a terrible cook and baker. I don't think my mom would ever let me come near an appliance."

The two laughed unexpectedly at this, and then there was another lapse of silence. Their conversations were slowly improving minute by minute and soon, dove a little deeper into other subjects.

What was Cloud's favorite food?

His mom's beef stew.

What kind of hobbies does Tifa have?

Playing piano and drawing.

Same.

What's Tifa's favorite color?

Blue. Blue like the sky. Her mom had a dress that Tifa eyed that she wanted to wear when she was a little older, and it hung inside her wardrobe at home.

Favorite season?

Both liked the spring and fall, when the weather wasn't too hot or cold, and provided ample amounts of things to do outside like go hiking and fishing. Tifa liked to garden with her mother, and Cloud often skipped rocks at a nearby creek. They shared the love of the outdoors and ended up spending a good hour talking about that alone.

Then came the next question that Cloud didn't expect Tifa to ask within the first day of chatting.

"So, Cloud…" Tifa said while dunking a cookie into her glass. "Why don't you ever come over to my house? You live next door. It'd be easy for you to come out and play with us."

Cloud didn't answer right away. He felt his ears redden when he realized that Tifa was expecting an answer. It was innocent enough. It wasn't an accusatory tone, more of a curious one.

"I just…" Cloud began slowly. "I don't know." He shrugged. His answer wouldn't suffice for most people, but Cloud didn't want to admit to Tifa that he hated her friends. The ones who laughed at every stupid little thing and laughed at his expense when Tifa had her back turned.

Maybe that's why he nursed a soft spot for Tifa. She always said hello whenever the two were near each other at school and acknowledged each other whenever Cloud came back from his excursions and Tifa was outside of her house that was bigger than his one-floor cottage.

Tifa's parents were wealthy, but she never flaunted that around like other kids would have. She dressed nicer than most of the other children in the village, and was always on her best behavior, but Tifa was kind. She'd always greet Cloud's mother whenever the two were outside gardening.

From the small interactions Cloud had with Tifa, she seemed sweet. But her friends were the ones he had issues with. Not her.

"I just prefer one-on-one," he added while rifling his chocobo-like spikes. "I'm not much of a huge group kind of guy."

Tifa looked thoughtful, and then brushed the cookie crumbs that gathered at her fingertips. There was a more comfortable silence between the two of them, and Cloud didn't mind watching Tifa twirling the end of her hair with her finger. She appeared to be deep in thought.

"Well, Cloud, I'm here all weekend," she said with bright smile. "What do you usually do during the weekends?"

Cloud nodded toward the door. "I go for walks," he said with a faint smile.

The two children walked down the streets of Nibelheim and made special care to stop by various places on the way. They spoke with the shoe cobbler and then with the blacksmith. They didn't really do much, other than converse with the shopkeepers and learning what they were doing that day.

Cloud worried that Tifa may grow bored with simply talking to the grown-ups but was pleased when Tifa sweetly asked questions about their trades and would express genuine interest in what they had to say. The blacksmith pounded away at the burning red metal and then dunk it into cold water where the steam rose quickly into the air with a sputtering noise from the heat.

Tifa jumped back at surprise, but she excitedly tried to get Cloud's attention to the most mundane things, and he couldn't help but admire her curiosity. Granted, the things Tifa showed interest in were things he already knew about, but he grew more comfortable in her presence and even found her company to be pleasant.

No wonder everyone loves her, Cloud thought to himself. I can see why she has so many friends…But, I wonder why someone sweet like her would be with people like—"

"Hey, Teef!"

Tifa looked over and saw several other neighborhood boys she normally hung around with come up the street. They all had suckers in their mouths from the general store and watched Tifa with curious expressions and gave Cloud no mind.

I think that kid's name is Johnny, Cloud thought to himself as a red-haired boy poked at Tifa's arm. Johnny…yeah, he has a huge crush on Tifa. You don't need to be a friend of hers to know that.

"What are you up to today?" the kid named Johnny asked with a toothy grin. "My parents said you could come over and watch movies with me and Blake."

Cloud's eyes shifted uncomfortably over to the three other boys standing behind Johnny. They were the ones who never passed up a chance to throw him side glances and whisper loudly into each other's ears about his hair. What were their names again? He thought. Oh, right, Sean, Thomas and Blake.

Tifa shifted her weight from one foot to the other as if she were embarrassed but smiled gently at Johnny's invitation. She nodded to Cloud who was standing next to her.

"That's nice of you, Johnny," she said. "But I'm staying over at Cloud's this weekend. I think I'd like to spend time with him. Can we invite him too?"

There was a weight of awkwardness that spread amongst the youngsters, but Cloud shook his head with a little bit of forced politeness. He was not interested.

"I mean, my parents said specifically you and Blake," Johnny said scratching the back of his head. "But he can come too, I guess. I just would need to ask them. That might take a little while for me to get their permission, though. They're not really a big fan of having more than three people at a time at our house."

"No, it's OK," Cloud said a little too firmly. "I'm supposed to be going home anyway. Tifa, if you want to go hang out with them, I can let my mom know where you are."

A sharp pain started piercing Cloud's palms before he realized that his hands were clenched into fists and his fingernails were cutting deep into his skin, enough for marks to be left visible.

He shifted his gaze down onto the ground. Cloud had a feeling that Tifa might choose to be with her group of friends. Which was fine by him. He was just getting to know the girl, and he didn't really want to deal with her having to hang out with him just because his mom and her parents arranged for this.

It wasn't like she wanted to spend time with the neighborhood "freak."

After pausing for a few minutes, Tifa looked at Cloud, and then at her friends, before turning to Johnny with blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"Johnny, I'm going to spend some time with Cloud, if that's OK? I was having a really great time getting to know him," she said brightly. "He's my neighbor, and I never get to see him that much. We'll talk later, OK?"

The redhead seemed disappointed, but playfully poked at Tifa again before agreeing to the unusual plans. He waved at Cloud and then hugged Tifa in front of him before running off with the trio of boys off into the distance. Cloud was shocked by Tifa's sudden willingness to stick by him, but he appreciated it deep down.

"Thanks, Tifa," Cloud said more to himself than to her. Tifa looked over at Cloud and held out her hand. Wait, what? No! I wasn't…I mean, I don't think she means she wants me to?

Then Cloud looked down and saw that Tifa meant for him to hand over the candy wrapper he was twisting in his hands. She was just going to toss it into a nearby trashcan with her empty soda bottle. He felt foolish, but he handed it off to Tifa and she quickly disposed of the trash they had been carrying around for the last hour.

"Say, Cloud," Tifa asked. "Do you know Mr. Wagner's horse stables?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Cloud said.

"Well…" Tifa began before blushing. "I never got a chance to see his new horses, and my parents said I could only go if I had someone with me. Since they're not here, would you mind taking me there?"

Cloud was surprised that Tifa never ventured to Mr. Wagner's on her own. Then again, Cloud was there almost every week to clear the stables in order to get more materials for his fortress in the almond grove. The horse stables weren't very big, and it wasn't really a ranch by any means. But, sometimes, Mr. Wagner would allow the neighborhood kids to ride the horses around the pen if they helped him in exchange.

"OK," Cloud nodded. "I'll go with you."

It took a little longer to get to the stables, but the two made it within 15 minutes.

Copper colored mares and stallions grazed within the pens. Every now and then a horse would whinny and snort, kicking up musty smelling bedding. Mr. Wagner had allowed Cloud and Tifa to come through to look at the horses in exchange for them drawing fresh water for them to drink.

Tifa's eyes grew round when a white mare gently nosed her, and she petted its velvety nose. The owner of the horses who Cloud cleared the muck for, smiled at the young girl and offered her a carrot to feed the mare. Tifa squealed at the horse munching the carrot and kissed its nose.

"She's so pretty, Mr. Wagner," Tifa grinned. "Thank you so much."

Cloud was amused by Tifa's carefree nature. He always figured that she was shy, then again, Tifa was full of surprises and he was enjoying the little things he learned about his neighbor. The only thing he knew was that he was only one year older than her at the age of 9, and her at 8.

Once Tifa had a chance to feed the horses, the two kids walked out of the barn with not having much to say or do. Claudia was expecting them back home for supper in a couple hours, but most of the village shops and vendors closed early. They had already been to the stables.

Not unless…

"I'm having a lot of fun with you, Cloud," Tifa spoke suddenly, breaking through Cloud's thoughts. "I really like getting to know you. Maybe…once Mama and Papa come home, maybe you can…start hanging out with us?"

It was clear that Tifa had been contemplating about the status of their budding friendship since the start of this impromptu weekend together. Still, Cloud was innately pleased that Tifa was starting to warm up to him and consider him a friend so soon. Though he remained cautious with most kids, Tifa seemed…different.

"Hey, Tifa?" Cloud asked with Tifa looking at him with a puzzled look. He turned to her and gave her a small smile and surprised himself with his next question: "Do you want to see a special place with me?"

Those special days with Tifa were ones that Cloud held in his heart, though he was too prideful to really admit them out loud to his only friend.

Once school was done, the two would go out to Cloud's shelter out in the almond grove. They'd pick a few and snacked on whatever provisions Claudia had packed for them that day. They'd talk until sunset, when Cloud would hurry with Tifa back into the village in order to make it home for supper.

When Cloud first introduced Tifa to his fort, it was a sudden decision that caught both off guard but Tifa immediately got excited and agreed to the mysterious request. She seemed bewildered at what Cloud created out of scrap wood and junk but to her, the fort seemed like a refuge from the troublesome life experiences that might've driven most kids insane.

She'd run there sometimes before Cloud, but she would never tell anyone about his special place. She vowed that this place would just be a place meant to be shared between the two of them, and that it'd always be a place that belonged to them. To which Cloud believed and full-heartedly trusted her genuine feelings.

The growing bond between the two children had caught the attention of some of the townspeople, but for the most part, no one really bothered them. Except, maybe a few of Tifa's jealous friends. They wondered where Tifa would run off to with Cloud and debated whether they should follow them.

They haven't really seen Tifa much as of late, and whenever they had asked her to do their usual hangouts, Tifa seemed to prefer being with the village weirdo. The three thought that maybe the blonde did something to her with magic or blackmailed her to stay away from them.

"You think we should see where those two goes?" Blake asked the group one day. "I'm tired of waiting for Tifa to tell us when she's ready for us to hang out. She hasn't been around in forever."

Sean and Thomas both agreed, but Johnny muttered that he wanted to stay out of it and to leave him out of the ongoing talks of what's happening between Tifa and Cloud. He liked her, but it was clear that Tifa was figuring things out with her neighbor and he respected her enough to let her be.

It was settled that the three boys would follow Cloud and Tifa whenever their next opportune time would be, and they didn't have to wait long for that moment.

After school one day, the trio waited by the school doors and sure enough Cloud and Tifa walked out together. They seemed oddly deep in a conversation that seemed serious. What made Blake's blood boil was seeing Cloud tuck a strand of hair behind Tifa's ear. She blushed a deep red.

The two nodded to each other and they ran off down the street, unbeknownst to them that there were followers coming after them through the winding paths leading to the base of Mt. Nibel.

They were hesitant at first thinking that the two were headed up the mountains but breathed a sigh of relief when they diverted to a thick bramble of trees near the base. What could they possibly be doing?

Sean, Thomas and Blake ducked behind a cluster of bushes and saw Tifa and Cloud giggle as they headed off into a little structure made from makeshift plywood with a door. It wasn't fancy, but it looked like a little house in the middle of the almond grove.

Whispering in hushed tones, the three of them crawled low and peered into the small openings on the side of the house that Cloud and Tifa had just walked into. Inside, they watched Cloud and Tifa munching on apples and drawing on scraps of paper. They appeared to be deep in conversation.

Sean noted that Tifa's eyes never left Cloud's and Cloud had a faint blush that appeared on his face whenever Tifa reached over playfully play with Cloud's hands. She never did that with any of the other boys in the village. With that, jealousy reared its ugly head amongst the three boys.

It felt like forever, but the two eventually exited the fort with Tifa's smile radiantly meant for her best friend.

"Same time tomorrow?" she asked. Cloud nodded with a sheepish look on his face.

"It's going to be OK, Tifa," he said with a smile. "I promise. Your parents will understand if you decide to quit piano lessons for martial arts lessons. I can even go with you when you tell them!"

Suddenly, Tifa gave Cloud a hug. All the boys in the vicinity jumped at this, including Cloud who had turned a bright shade of red and fumbled with his words. But it was clear that he liked it.

"See you, Cloud," she said with a nod.

"See you, Tifa," Cloud responded with a shy smile.

Once the two headed off in separate directions from the grove, the trio looked to see if the coast was clear before entering the fort. It was plainer than what they had saw from the outside, but it was filled with drawings that were signed with "TL" for Tifa and "CS" for Cloud.

Tifa's drawings mostly pertained to animals like horses that Mr. Wagner had at his stables and some flowers. But Cloud's took realistic portraits of recognizable people from their village. Each of the boys pilfered through belongings and didn't care that they were leaving a mess behind.

"Hey, what's this?"

Sean turned toward Blake's voice and Thomas wandered over to meet them at the corner of the fort where Blake stumbled across a leather-bound sketchbook. On the corner of the cover were C.S.

Cloud Strife.

The boys looked inside the book and found multiple sketches of Cloud's that weren't meant to be seen by anyone else but him. There were dozens of drawings that Cloud had clearly imagined that showed stars and planets. There were unusual looking animals of mixed species and weird abstract imagery from nightmares.

But at the end of the book on the last page was what caught the attention of the boys. It was a picture of Tifa, and it looked like she was gardening with her mother. It was realistic, and certainly beautiful, but Cloud's attention on the prettiest girl in the village was disconcerting to say the least.

Blake tore the page out of Cloud's sketch book and frowned at their discovery. This kid needed to be put in his place.

They knew what they needed to do.

The next day after school, Cloud ran to the fort hoping to get there before Tifa.

In his hand was a small yellow daisy he found along the path. He thought she might like it to press for later and to remember how happy she made him with her friendship.

We're still kids, Cloud thought to himself with a small smile, But I want Tifa to know that I hope that she can be more than a friend some time in the future. Maybe, we can be more than 'best friends.' Maybe-

Cloud's thoughts halted. He had reached the fort and saw that the door had fallen from its hinges. Something wasn't right. Something felt off.

He slowly approached the entrance of the structure, and the sight mortified him. The minimal furniture that he and Tifa had gathered from their expeditions had been destroyed or tipped over. The glass bottles from visiting the local apothecary that contained Potions and Elixirs had been smashed into fine powder on the ground.

All the drawings that the two had drawn together were ripped, crumpled or dirtied by random unknown stains.

What if…oh no. The boy ran over to the hiding place of his sketchbook and was dismayed at the sight of the worn leather cover ripped and the inside drawings completely crossed out with marker. He flipped through the pages as his heart sank lower and lower. Months of hard work were destroyed.

He flipped through a couple more damaged pages and finally came to the last drawing he did of Tifa. It was relatively unscathed, but there was a note written in the corner with red marker that read: "STAY AWAY, FREAK." Cloud felt his face redden in anger and tore out the picture before crumpling it into a messy ball.

His ears perked up at the sound of crunching glass and Cloud turned to find that Tifa had wandered into the shelter while stepping through and picked up the crumpled piece of paper. She had unfolded it and her face grew a bright shade of pink. There were no words, at least ones that Cloud could say right now to her that didn't involve profanities.

"Get out of here, Tifa," he said through gritted teeth. "I don't want you coming by here anymore."

"Cloud, what happened?" she asked bewildered. "Let me help you clean up!"

"Shut up!" Cloud roared at the girl. "Your friends did this! They did! I should never have trusted you! You…you stuck up, little…just…go."

At this, Tifa's eyes brimmed with tears. It was clear that Cloud was angry, but she never expected him to treat her that coldly. She never saw him get mad at anyone before, let alone her.

"But, Cloud!"

"GO AWAY!" Cloud shouted, swatting at Tifa with one of his hands. His focus was on cleaning up the mess and leaving the grove. He couldn't stand the idea of having let someone into his special place, and then betraying his trust. Especially by the girl he liked next door.

Cloud picked up the broken pieces of trash and dragged out a metal barrel he had been using as a makeshift trash can. He swept up the broken pieces of glass and food wrapped that had been carelessly thrown about the room. He lifted a chair that had been thrown onto its side and sat it upright again.

Then he found something that belonged to Tifa. It was a small fairy tale book that she had brought to read quietly while Cloud drew pictures in his sketchbook. He flipped through the pages and found the one fairy tale that she liked to read more than several times. It was the story of a knight who protected a maiden from a fire breathing dragon. She had often joked about Cloud resembling the knight in her book, but he'd scoff at the idea and roll his ideas.

I'm no hero, Tifa! He would tell her. I'm not a knight. I don't have a sword or magic powers. Heck, I'd have even worse helmet hair than the spikes I have right now.

It's not about what you look like, Cloud, Tifa responded. It's about the knight's code of honor. His chivalry and bravery to protect the woman he cares most about in the world. Actions speak louder than words, that's what Mama would say.

Cloud closed his eyes as he held the book. Tears strolled down his cheeks as he gripped the book harder. It was all too much. It seemed that his princess had betrayed him. He turned around, and sure enough, Tifa had already left.

Over the several months, Tifa and Cloud barely spoke to each other. They avoided each other whenever they walked home from school. Even if they were assigned to be partners in class, they only spoke politely and rarely talked about anything else that would be considered small talk.

They were neighbors, and nothing more.

In all honesty, Cloud's heart ached for those conversations with Tifa that gave him a spring in his step every day. But he was still too angry at her for allowing her stupid friends to destroy his safe haven. Let alone defending them for being so ruthless. For betraying his secrets and for his trust in opening his heart to her.

It was hard, but Cloud felt it was best to keep Tifa at a distance if she was going to continue hanging around the group of kids that he could not find in himself to forgive.

But one cold morning, Cloud woke to find his mother at the stove making a casserole. He asked her if it was for lunch, but Claudia shook her head sadly. She appeared tired and her eyes were red and swollen as if she had been crying for several hours straight. After peeling potatoes and chopping peppers and onions, Claudia seasoned the meat that was being browned for the casserole.

"It's not for us," she responded as she stuck the casserole dish into the oven. "It's for the Lockharts."

"Why?" Cloud asked shortly and rather harshly while his mother stood straight and prepared a clothed picnic basket with glass plates and utensils. "It's not like they have any problems getting food themselves. For all we know, they'd feed our casseroles to their cat. It's not fancy enough for them."

That was when Claudia's grey eyes steeled over at her son's heartless response before turning to face him with a stern look etched on her tired face.

"Cloud Strife," she said. "I hope that whenever I die that you wouldn't let anyone else say anything that mean about our family when we would need it most. That's not how I raised you to be."

"Die?" Cloud asked, confused. "Who died?"

There wasn't a response that Claudia gave, but Cloud immediately began to soften. Tifa's mom had been coughing quite a bit within recent months and hasn't been out gardening with Tifa like they normally did during the spring. Come to think of it, Tifa hadn't been around with her friends as of late either.

"Is it…Tifa's mom?" Cloud asked.

"Cloud…I know you and Tifa hadn't been talking to each other, but I would like you to go and deliver the casserole to the house," Claudia said. "I think more than anything, Tifa is going to need a friend to help her get through this."

"Mom…she doesn't want to see me," Cloud answered with his head bowed. "I was awfully mean to her. I'm probably the last person she would ever want to see. EVER."

Claudia sighed, and motioned Cloud to take a seat at the kitchen table with her. The two sat down and didn't say anything for a good while. Eventually, Claudia held Cloud's hands in hers and stared intently into her son's eyes.

"Cloud, sometimes we say and do things out of anger that we never really meant in our hearts," she said. "But, if Tifa means something to you, then you should let her know how you feel and that you value your friendship with her. I haven't seen you so excited to spend time with someone other than with me. It really warmed my heart to see you like that."

The soft lulls of the wall clock kept ticking in the background.

"Cloud?"

"Yes, Mom?"

"Life can change in an instant. Make sure that you make every moment count, and that you take the time to tell people in your life that you love them and that you cherish them. You never know when those moments might be the last time you get to say that. Ever."

Boy do moms have a way with words, Cloud thought.

Cloud was slightly pleased that Brian had allowed him inside and accepted the casserole. He mentioned that a group of Tifa's friends were upstairs in her bedroom if he wanted to go and say hello.

"Thank you, Cloud," Brian said with a sad smile. "I'm sure Tifa would love to see you. She's been keeping herself cooped up in her bedroom."

Brian looked as if he were about to say something else, but his mouth closed, and Brian shook his head. He then turned down the hallway into the kitchen to put the casserole on the supper table. Cloud was left to head upstairs by himself. Come to think of it, this was his first time in Tifa's house. Even during the months they had spent together playing and having fun.

Maybe, Tifa never wanted me to come over, Cloud thought to himself bitterly. C'mon, Cloud. This isn't about you. You're here to tell Tifa you're sorry about her mom.

Each step felt like stones were tied to his feet. He knew that Tifa wouldn't be happy to see him, but she was going through something that he never thought could happen to a kid their age. It'd be devastating if he lost his own mom so suddenly too…

Reaching the landing, Cloud turned to his left and saw the kids that gathered inside of her room. Cloud gently knocked on the door post, only to have all the boys glare at him from the inside. He felt himself wither inside, but he wasn't there for them. He was there for Tifa.

"Cloud's here, Tifa," one of the boys said in a huffy tone. "Do you want him to leave?"

Cloud looked in and saw that Tifa had her head nestled into her knees. She was wearing the light blue dress that she had talked to him about when she spent the first weekend over his house. Her brown hair had grown even longer and acted as a curtain that hid her face from everyone else.

"Hi, Tifa," Cloud mumbled. "Tifa, I-."

Tifa shook her head. She acted like she didn't want to hear his apologies or his sympathies for that matter. It was too much too soon. They said her mom had died, but she didn't want to believe it. It seemed too final. Her mom who loved to play piano, cook and draw, had to be alive somewhere. She's waiting for her somewhere.

"I want to see, Mom," Tifa said.

Suddenly, Tifa got up from the bedroom floor and dashed out the room. The boys followed in pursuit, including Cloud who had a sinking suspicion of where his neighbor was headed. He had to act quick. Before Cloud headed out the door, he turned to Brian who was sitting by the hearth of the kitchen fireplace with sobbing quietly.

Should I tell Tifa's dad where she's headed? Cloud thought. He was torn and quickly looked at Tifa's father and the door where his daughter had exited. What if something happens to Tifa? I can't let anything happen to her, otherwise her dad will lose two people in his family.

Cloud made up his mind to dash after Tifa. There was no time to lose.

It took several minutes, but Cloud immediately headed for the base of Mt. Nibel. He was getting close enough to hear Tifa's sobs. She was close.

"This is Mt. Nibel," one of the boys told Tifa. "Many people have crossed through it and died. They say that spirits pass through the mountains."

"Is Mama waiting on the other side?" Tifa asked. Cloud then saw her slowly taking steps forward. It seemed she made up her mind to go and find her mother on the other side of Mt. Nibel, though the paths through the terrain were treacherous and no one was known to have made it through to the end.

Whether it was from falling from the path, or from the monsters that lurked in every crevice of the mountain's face. Cloud knew that Tifa would not survive the trek through the pass.

He made his way after Tifa, and he slowly saw one by one, boys turning back from the path as Tifa pressed onward. She seemed unaware of the shrinking group of friends who abandoned their companionship with her, or maybe she simply didn't care. Tifa's grief blinded her.

Despite his own fears of walking on the mountain path, Cloud knew he had no choice. Tifa would be walking into danger and no one would be there to save her. Except for himself and that's what terrified him.

Cloud dashed through the rocky road and was running at break-neck speed. Where is Tifa?

"Tifa?" Cloud asked loudly, hoping his voice carried through the vast mountains. "TIFA!"

He approached the rickety bridge that should've been replaced years ago and saw that the last of Tifa's friends turn back and run away like cowards. Tifa in her light blue dress was walking as if she were in a trance. She took a step onto the bridge that hung precariously over the ravine.

No. Cloud thought. No, don't take another step Tifa! Please!

Cloud swallowed his fear and took a step onto the bridge too. He had to make sure Tifa was going to be OK. He didn't want to come back to Nibelheim without her. Brian must be worried sick. Did he even notice that his own daughter had left the house?

There was no time to ask what-ifs. Cloud ran forward.

Time slowed as Cloud saw Tifa slip on the foot bridge and her slim frame slipped through the gaps in between the boards. Her screams were silent as he couldn't hear anything. Cloud ran as fast as he could to grab her, but he also felt himself lose his footing on the bridge.

He couldn't bring himself to scream as the two of them fell off the bridge down into the ravine below.

Cloud! What were you thinking bringing Tifa to a place like this?!

The boy had been laying on the ground with bloodied knees on the rocks. His shirt was stained with dirt, blood and presumably water from having been dragged out onto the riverbank by townspeople who had been searching for him and Tifa.

He had opened his eyes and felt relief that there didn't seem to be any broken bones.

But, Tifa…

Cloud turned his head to see Tifa had been unconscious. Her light blue dress was in tatters and blood congealed from the back of her head. She didn't move at all, and the shoe cobbler had been holding Tifa in his arms while Brian Lockhart's face was red from tears and from anger.

Anger directed at Cloud for failing to protect the only person left in his family after just losing his wife.

What the hell is the matter with you? What if she dies?!

The small search party that came with Brian followed him and the shoe cobbler as they carried Tifa away from the ravine. Cloud was left behind to watch the procession of people following the little girl who was hanging at the edge of her life. He felt tears stinging his eyes.

He didn't blame Mr. Lockhart for getting angry with him.

It was his fault for not being able to stop Tifa. He failed to stop her from crossing the bridge and talking some sense into her.

Because of his own weakness, Tifa may be dead.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Cloud was sobbing into his pillow. Claudia was stroking his blonde spikes in a vain effort to comfort her son. She had just finished wrapping his scraped knees with ointment and cloth bandages. Thankfully, Cloud only had scraped knees and after some serious reprimand, he was no worse for wear.

But…Tifa…she had been in a coma for several days. They weren't even sure if she's going to make it and it was all Cloud's fault for not being able to save her like the brave knights in the fairy tales that Tifa would read to him during their times at the fort.

"Sweetie, it wasn't your fault," she spoke softly. "Don't pay Tifa's father any mind. He didn't mean it."

"Mom, I-I should have caught her," Cloud said through tears. "I should have stopped her. I should've gotten someone else! Her dad even! I didn't know what to do. I just had to go after her…and look where that ended up."

"Shh…" Claudia hushed Cloud gently. "I know what happened was scary, but Tifa is going to be all right. That little girl has been through a lot with losing her mother but it's not your fault. Don't blame yourself for her choice."

Cloud looked up at his mom. He wondered how she managed to go through these scary situations by herself without his dad around to be there for her.

"Mom…when Dad died, were you sad?" Cloud asked through sniffles. To which, Claudia closed her eyes. Her blonde bangs hung over her face like a curtain. Her son could see tears welling behind them.

"Of course, Cloud," she said. "I…I miss your Dad every single day. You know, you look so much like him when he was your age. But, more than that, I was scared about having to take care of you all by myself. You know how people in this town like to gossip."

Cloud's eyes widened. He knew that people often chattered about women being single and alone with a child. But he had hoped that the townsfolk would be kind to Claudia, just as she had always been kind to everyone else. Maybe, he had too high of standards that he held people to in respecting others.

"Did Tifa's dad say when she'd be waking up?" Cloud asked. "I wanted to say sorry for telling her to leave. I shouldn't have done that. I want to talk to her."

Claudia smiled sadly.

"I know you do, sweetie," she responded. "But I don't think it's a good idea just yet. Let her dad cool down first, and then when Tifa wakes up, we can go visit her together. We can give her some presents to make her feel better, how's that?"

The two embraced. The sounds of the wall clock ticking gave Cloud some comfort, but he prayed silently for Tifa to come out of her coma. She was strong. She was kind. Tifa will wake up, he knows it.

Please, Tifa. Cloud prayed. Please wake up. Give me another chance to be someone you can be proud of. That would be worthy to be called a hero. I'm so sorry…please.

Come back.