Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII with the characters, items, places, etc. are the property of Square Enix, Inc. No infringement is intended.

Author's Note: Prompt for Tifa Week 2019 for the Tifa Stan Club on Tumblr. I picked "Alternative Universe" for the July 30th prompt.

Well, I updated way sooner than I said, but I had to for Tifa Week since I had planned to do a chapter focused on her past. Over 7000 words, the most I've ever written in all of my stories for a single chapter. This latest chapter had me pretty nervous to write too with Tifa's developing feelings as a teenager, taking me three weeks to get just right.

I've had so much feedback and love for this story, including inspiring a new story from one of the readers, theClosetPoet7! Go read The Honeybee Inn when you get a chance to if you enjoy this story. Shoutout to Denebola Leo, a great friend and author, for betaing this story. Thanks again and please review!

The title of the story was inspired by Utada Hikaru's song "Final Distance".

-. Final Distance .-

Chapter IV: A Young Heart and Mind

"I can't believe he just dumped me the way he did," Tifa muttered while hugging the lilac plush pillow and sitting at the head of her bed. Saturday was her seventeenth birthday, and they had their planned romantic date. Come Sunday night, her boyfriend comes knocking on her door to dump her. "I mean, his reasons were so stupid for doing so. Why is he so jealous of Cloud? Of course, I talk to him about all my friends, including you. So why is it a big deal I mention Cloud now and then?" The brunette shrugged at the absurdity.

"Well, probably because I'm not a real threat to Trey," Rinoa explained while placing her hand on her chest, pulling the ring on her chain necklace that rested on her pale yellow summer dress. She came over immediately after school after being told at lunch about the breakup, but none of their classes overlapped on Mondays to discuss any further. She was very angry to hear when Trey chose to do this. "The real question though is, why wouldn't he be jealous of Cloud? You talk about him like any girl would with a crush."

The tops of her cheeks tinted pink as she looked away at what her friend was implying. First Trey, and now Rinoa? "Cloud and I are friends, nothing more…"

"Come on Tifa, it's just you and me right now! I've seen the way you look at him at times, how your smile changes when he's around. It's okay to have a crush on your friend."

"But I don't like Cloud like that, and he doesn't like me," Tifa tried to reiterate to her friend sitting at the other end of her bed. When she was younger she had a crush, but that was many years ago. She didn't feel that way anymore.

"Oh he most certainly does. And why are you bringing up how he may feel?"

"Because it's not like that between us!" the brunette shouted.

Rinoa just giggled back. "That's exactly what I said about Squall."

Tifa did remember that, and the two have been going steady for nearly a year now. But she never teased her friend like this about Squall. Rinoa realized what she wanted and was eventually forward about it. Not that she herself was in denial. She was highly aware of what her feelings for Cloud were: just friends. But she had to ask. "Why are you pushing Cloud on me?"

"Push? You guys are almost joined at the hip!"

"Rinoa—"

"Oh! It would be amazing if you two went to prom together!" The dark-haired girl stood up fast at the idea, before turning around to continue. Clearly, Tifa's dismissal about her platonic feelings on her male friend was being ignored. "You are still going, right?"

"Well yeah, my dress is already ordered…" She tugged at the hair behind her ear, thinking about going with her friend. Tifa went to one dance before with him, in eighth grade for the winter formal. Her classmates made a big deal that a freshman boy took her to a junior high event, most of the girls jealous of Tifa. To her it seemed rather silly, as they went as friends. Maybe they could again, as friends…

"See, you're thinking about it now. You dating Cloud," Rinoa speculated loudly, a radiant smile spreading across her face.

"You're going on a date with Cloud?!" her mother called from the hallway, opening the ajar door to her bedroom even more. Her mother was the spitting image of her, just older and more dignified. She stood next to her friend, looking giddy about the idea.

"No Mom, I'm not," Tifa groaned with exhaustion. Over the years her mom would try to push the dream of her daughter dating her friend's son. It was just a hopeful wish she didn't want to listen to now that she was recently single.

"See? Karin is on 'Team Cloud' too," Rinoa pointed out cheerfully.

Her and Cloud, together? Tifa just rolled her eyes at the two giggling women in her room. It wasn't like that between them.

It became a traditional pastime for them a few years ago. Their mutual friends weren't interested in the film they picked or hated how they had to talk through the whole movie on opening night. So then it was decided, after reviewing the upcoming movies they would go view it together on Wednesday night instead. Tonight was the newest monster film remake from Wutai, a favorite from their childhood, Gojira.

Tifa had watched the older films when she was younger with her father, and was excited to see the giant moth goddess Mosura join the fight against the three headed thunder dragon King Hydra. Sitting next to Cloud in the nearly empty theater provided the two friends some privacy to chit chat here and there without disturbing others with their nostalgia.

Seeing the serpent god awaken on screen as Gojira stepped into the picture, Tifa's excitement grew, hoping to see her all time favorite get action. "Where is Mosura?"

"Still in her cocoon, you know that," Cloud tilted his head over as he answered her, taking a few bites of popcorn. They only saw very little of Mosura in the opening of the film, getting giddy to see her majestic wingspan open before flying off to hide in a waterfall.

"But she's the best, she should be here!" Tifa pointed to the screen before she grabbed a few kernels to pop into her mouth.

"This is the first kaiju fight in the movie. She's probably going to be there near the end, to save the day for Gojira like she always does," he tried calming her down, reaching for his drink after doing so.

Before she could respond, Gojira had chomped off one of the heads to the three headed dragon, making her eyes go wide. King Hydra had flown back in pain, a safe distance away to regenerate its head by pushing a new one through the injured neckhole immediately. The shot was up close to this rebirth, the sound being a little too grostique for Tifa's ears on the speakers inside the theater. Turning her face she hid into Cloud's shoulder while covering her ears from the hideous sound effects.

"Are you really scared?" Cloud asked, laughing at her.

"I'm not scared! That's just gross! Tell me when it's over. Please," she buried her face further against him, her eyes tightly shut.

He chuckled again. "Okay, it's safe now."

Lifting her head slowly hers eyes met soft sapphire focused on hers. His eyes were brilliant and pure, completely genuine with his gaze but somehow she could feel her heart picking up a bit. Holding her breath, Tifa was confused why her body was reacting this way. They were friends, and their faces were merely inches apart as they...fixated on each other.

As a heavy silence settled between them, Cloud lifted a golden eyebrow at her before he spoke. "Is everything...okay?"

Before she could feel the heat take over her cheeks Tifa quickly turned her attention back to the film. "E-everything's fine."

Everything was fine, wasn't it? Of course it was. Her heart just needed to slow down a bit, that's all.

"Hey, I need to talk to you about something," Cloud said as he sat across from her inside the library. Tifa was almost finished with her note taking for her history class, writing her keywords down efficiently across the white paper notebook.

"Sure," she replied, marking the page in her textbook and flipping it close. "What's up?"

"How come everyone is saying we're dating now?" he began, speaking awkwardly as he shifted his eyes.

"I-I, um, wouldn't know," Tifa stuttered, feeling perplexed as soon as he asked. She leaned further back in her chair, slightly slouching. "People are...saying that?"

"Yeah. Rumor has it that I stole you from Trey. Weird, isn't it?" Cloud chuckled lightly until he noticed her discomfort. "Hey, is everything okay?"

He was making light of the situation, but the rumor was somewhat true with her ex-boyfriend's unfounded jealousy. Her face paled as she stared at the blank space on the study table between them.

"Umm." Chewing on her bottom lip for a moment, she began glancing around the library. She spotted a few classmates pointing to them whole whispering, making her cheeks now tinge pink. Tifa didn't want to be a topic of gossip, but it seemed she was now. Trey did dump her partly because of Cloud but she wasn't about to tell him that. The rumor mill in high school was always brutal. "Actually...Trey dumped me," she replied quickly, rubbing a stray lock behind her ear.

"He dumped you? Since when?" Cloud loudly whispered as he leaned across the table. His blue eyes clear with concern as he searched her face.

Tifa turned away, feeling fazed. She didn't want him to make a big deal out of this, because she didn't want him to know what the cause of the breakup was: him. "Sunday night. I-I'm fine Cloud, really...so don't worry about me."

"He did that to you after your birthday? Can I ask what happened?"

"He just said he wasn't that into me anymore." She told half the truth. He didn't need to know the other half.

"Why...didn't you tell me? You seemed fine on Wednesday night..."

"I...honestly didn't want to talk about it. Or him. I mean...if he can just dump me so easily he isn't worth anymore of my time, right?"

"Right…I never liked him anyway," he stated as he sneered.

It seems that Trey never liked him back either. Hearing the chime for the end of her study period, Tifa grabbed her books and placed them into her cardinal red backpack.

"So how does some ice cream sound?" Cloud asked gently. "Ice cream always makes guy problems better, right?"

Tifa giggled at his offer, knowing what he was getting at. Just trying to be a friend in need right now, and it honestly made her smile that he was trying. "I'm meeting Rinoa in the cafeteria for lunch. You can join us if you want, but you'll probably have to buy her ice cream, too."

"Sounds like a plan," he accepted her invite as he pushed out of his chair, hoisting his backpack up on his lone shoulder. They walked in a matched pace to the cafeteria along with the crowd, some giving them a second glance as they passed by. It was rather silly to her that people would gossip about her and Cloud like this, though. He was a good friend, and he'd make a good boyfriend, but he definitely wasn't her boyfriend.

Wait...what did she just think, he'd be a good boyfriend? Certainly he would...but not in any notion of being with her did she think that. Any girl would be lucky to be with Cloud. Genuinely sweet and good looking, with a heart of gold like his hair. He was a catch for any girl that liked him. Any girl but her, as she didn't think of him that way, nor would she want to.

Tifa cherished Cloud as a dear friend, nothing more. Growing up together they were practically family with how close their mothers were. Nothing romantic had ever happened between them, so there was no way he may have had feelings. It was the same for the both of them: just friends. If it weren't for the words of her mother and Rinoa she wouldn't be so confused lately. This rumor about them didn't help either as her heart beat anxiously in her chest.

She placed her palm over her chest to calm herself down. Side glancing Cloud as they continued to walk, she had to ask herself: this was just nerves from the school gossiping about them, right? Why her heart was reacting this way?

That Saturday afternoon she pulled up into the driveway, feeling tired after both the morning and lunch rush of the Seventh Heaven diner. All she wanted to do was get out of her black polo shirt and pants and take a shower before meeting up with Rinoa tonight. Tifa already had her dress for prom, while her friend did not.

Grabbing her purse she climbed out of the car, deciding to go through the garage as the door was open. What she didn't expect was to see a man under her mother's car. Her father was out of town for business, but there was someone clinking and clanking away under the engine. Tifa approached slowly, seeing grease stained jeans and the bottom half of well-defined abs and tanned skin. Whomever her mother hired was in fine shape from her view. And what a view it was, she mused.

"Damn it," the familiar voice muttered.

"Cloud?" Tifa squeaked, recognizing the voice of her friend. Her mother hired Cloud?! She couldn't believe she was unknowingly checking him out. Or he had even possessed that type of muscle tone. At least the approaching summer heat could be blamed for her blushing. The brunette would hate to be caught staring at him the way she was...

"Tifa, could you hand me the swivel oil wrench? It's the tool with the steel band on the end," he directed, sounding relieved she was there.

Going over the tool box she grabbed what she believed was the correct gadget for him to use. He snuck out a little bit to reveal his taut muscles, and she placed the device in his hand while darting her eyes away. Even his arms looked different…more capable…and strong. As soon as he grabbed it he scooted further back up under the car while she retreated to her father's work station. What was the matter with her? This was her friend. Friend!

She had seen him working in his yard without a shirt on before, but not this close up. Always from afar, where she wouldn't even give it a second thought. But it had been a long time since then with the weather changing from chilly spring to the warm summer. Maybe he started working out? Tifa started to imagine him lifting weights, his biceps flexing with each move. Her hands running over such toned, powerful muscles that could easily hold her.

Oh god. What the hell was she thinking too much into this? She shook her head.

"Thanks."

"Y-you're welcome," she stammered a bit, sitting on the blue cushioned stool as she cooled her thoughts. The chair was surprisingly comfortable, and she could see why her father could spend hours out here woodworking. She leaned into her hand that was propped up on the counter, covered in sawdust. "I wasn't expecting to see you here today."

"Karin called about changing the oil in her car. Says your dad forgot to do it before he left for Junon," he explained, then groaned when his hand slipped. "Ow."

"Are you okay?" Tifa got off the chair and kneeled down next to the sedan.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he reassured her. "Just a small cut. I'll be out in a second."

Quickly she got back up on her feet and snatched the first aid kit that was stored on top of the refrigerator by the door. As she knelt back down on the concrete floor, Cloud fully wheeled back from under the car, adjusting himself to sit up. Tifa knew his claim of his injury being insignificant would be a lie, and she was right when she saw some blood seep through the dirty rag he already wrapped around his knuckles.

"Just a small cut?" she kindly mocked while grabbing his hand, undoing the makeshift bandage to reveal the mangled knuckle. Her brow creased as she assessed the damage.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Cloud countered, then quickly inhaled as she dabbed the alcohol wipes on his hand, his face grimacing as the disinfectant worked. "Do you have to use that stuff?"

"You used an oily rag on your 'small cut', Cloud," Tifa smartly replied. Inspecting the gash closer she saw it was fully clean, then moved on to dressing the wound with ointment and gauze. "I'm almost done."

"Thanks," he said while the corner of his mouth turned up. "You didn't have to do this, though."

"And have you only slap a bandaid on it? I don't think so," she teased while tsking at him. Tifa secured the dressing cloth in place with the medical tape, smoothing the bonding strip down with her fingers. "There, all done!"

Her lips lifted upward at him, as her eyes did while still holding his hand. His eyes twinkled from the mid afternoon sun pouring into the garage, his golden halo shining a bit under the light, too. Sitting there before her with his bare chest and perfectly chiseled abs, her mahogany eyes trailed the rippled muscles under his skin.

He was one beautiful specimen of a man...

Wait, hold on!

"Can I have my hand back now?"

Tifa turned bright red and released him, unable to say anything. Lifting herself back up to her feet, she turned away from him quickly as he stood up as well. He was her friend and she was staring at him, half naked, in her garage! Earlier she didn't want to be caught, and now she was. It was his fault though, shirtless and sweat glistening his skin. She needed to get into the house.

However, her plans of escape was thwarted as her mother stepped out to join them. "Oh good, Tifa. You're home! I have your dress for prom inside the house for you to try on."

"Wait, you're still going to prom? Who is taking you?" Cloud questioned her, his tone a little shocked she was still attending the dance.

"Umm…" She bit her lip, feeling embarrassed. Honestly, she had no date yet, and had given serious thought to ask him.

"She's going to go by herself, but at least Rinoa and Squall will keep her company. Tifa has such a beautiful dress too," Karin offered the very unnecessary information to her friend. "It's a shame she hasn't asked anyone else to take her. Do you have a date for the prom, Cloud? Maybe you can take her."

Tifa covered her face with her hands, mortified by her mother's pushiness. Yes, it would be amazing to have someone take her, but to have her mom solicit a date for her was making her feel more pathetic than ever. She can get her own date if she wanted to, and if she wanted to ask Cloud, she wanted it to be while they were alone.

"Actually, I do have a date."

Tifa blinked at the revelation, turning to him. Her palms started to sweat as her heart literally dropped to the floor.

Cloud has a date? And he didn't tell her?

"Oh, really? What a shame," her mother grabbed her chin in mock disappointment. "If only my daughter didn't 'dilly dally' so much about this, she could've snatched you up instead!"

"Mom, I am fine with going with my friends!" Crossing her arms, she was miffed by her mom.

"Tifa, this is your first prom and I really wanted to get some pictures before you go, in the traditional sense that is," Karin waved her hand as she continued on before smiling. "Cloud, would you be a dear and promise me to dance with Tifa that night? I picked a ball gown for her, and it needs to have some use."

"Mom, please!" Tifa begged her mother to stop embarrassing her. Now she was asking Cloud to pity her. And she was already disappointed with herself: it was too late to ask him.

"Oh Tifa, the dress is meant to be for a princess, not a wallflower," her mother argued back.

"Of course I will," Cloud cut in to save the two from further arguing. It was a known fact he had witnessed this mother daughter dynamic for years. "But Tifa, if I had known about Trey sooner I would've turned down Cissnei to take you."

Her face was even darker now. If she had been more forthcoming, he would've taken her? Now he had a date. And Cissnei was really pretty, much more feminine than she was with her wavy chestnut hair. Of course, Cloud would get such a beautiful girl for prom. "Oh, I see. I just...didn't want to talk about it."

"Yeah, I know," he scratched the back of his head. "I'll make sure you have fun that night. I promise."

And just like that her heart was back up, pumping loudly in her chest. "Thanks, Cloud."

"You need to bust his date, right now," Rinoa put forward to Tifa again, for the third time that night. All three of them –the girls plus Squall– were sitting at one of the many round tables setup at prom, each covered with pearly white linens, golden candle pillars and royal blue flowers for centerpieces. Tifa chose to ignore her suggestion, instead fixing the skirt of her navy blue dress as she crossed her legs over. Her gown was long and shimmered under the lights with its sequins, with off shoulder sleeves and a heart shaped cut at the top that hugged her curves.

"He should be here with you, not Cinnamon," she tried again. Rinoa was super pushy about this tonight, but she knew it was because she was here without a date while her friend was. Squall seemed to enjoy just sitting by her side while sipping on his lemon lime soda quietly. They should be dancing, not keeping her company. The dress Rinoa wore was a periwinkle v-neck with a flowy chiffon skirt. Tifa helped her picked it out, with the silver studded belt that wrapped around the waistline.

"Her name is Cissnei," Tifa corrected as she played with her corsage. Much to her surprise, Cloud dropped by her house before the dance to give her the flower arrangement. Her mom was thrilled by the sweet gesture, and ran to get her camera immediately and took pictures of the formal exchange most prom dates do. A few poses in front of the house, holding each other as if they were together.

Except that Cloud wasn't really her date. A dance later that night would happen, but only as a kind gesture from a friend. That's all it was between them, even though she started to feel more towards him lately. She began to look at him differently since that one Saturday afternoon in her garage. Her corsage was red roses, sprinkled with white baby's breath and enveloped around her hand with navy blue ribbon. Upon seeing him on her front porch, dressed in a fine black tuxedo, when she saw the gift he held her heart skipped a beat. The color of the ribbon, it was the same as her dress, which she had never mentioned to him.

"If you're thinking he doesn't care for you in return, you're wrong Tifa," the raven-haired girl leaned forward and grabbed her hand wrapped in the flowery circlet around her wrist. "Look at this. He picked red roses, for you!"

"He was just being nice to me. It doesn't mean anything," Tifa argued, mostly to persuade herself rather the girl sitting across from her. It made her so happy he gave her such a beautiful corsage, but Rinoa didn't need to know that.

"Red roses mean 'romance and love'," Rinoa explained excitedly. "And I saw Cissnei's corsage. It's rather plain with yellow roses." She finished the latter part by scrunching up her porcelain face.

"So?"

"So...yellow means 'friendship'. Why did he get you the better corsage when he has a date here?" Her friend convincingly added. "Like I said, he should be here with you, not her."

"I just...I don't know what to do," Tifa confessed as her cheeks hued. Rinoa trusted her with her secret crush on Squall before they got together. And she honestly didn't know what to do in this territory. Liking your friend was really hard. She pursed her lips before confessing to her friend. "I like him...but I don't want to ruin our friendship."

Rinoa's smile just widened. "At least you can finally admit it. It only took years for you to do so," her friend pointed out.

Tifa would've argued back, but she knew she'd be wrong. She was holding herself back from the truth, as she was too afraid to admit her feelings for Cloud. She liked him. A lot. And she wanted to be with him. His voice, his face, his everything was dwelling in her mind lately. Whenever he looked her way, she would blush and lose her words, feeling like a fool in front of him. Cloud both thrilled and terrorize her as he was more than a friend to her now, but she was petrified of just losing him entirely. These feelings...would change everything, and she couldn't risk it.

Her heart twisted and sunk with her nerves as she thought about it, her troubles clear on her face as Rinoa softened up. "Hey Teef, you don't have to say anything to him tonight. Just have fun with him when he asks you to dance. He promised you one, didn't he?"

She was smiling a little now, remembering the small vow he made in front of her mom. Cloud always kept his word. "Yeah, yeah he did."

Rinoa looked past Tifa quick, then leaned further forward as a slow song started to play on the sound system. "We're gonna go dance now. Don't react, but looks like your guy is heading this way for you."

Her cardinal eyes widened a bit, trying to stay still as she was left alone to act cool and collected. She had been looking forward to this moment all night, and it was finally going to happen. To be close with Cloud, him holding her under the lights as the music played.

The hair on the back of her neck raised when she heard him approach her from behind, and then stopped. She pretended to not notice him, staying still to wait for him. After a pregnant pause that began to worry her, he tapped on her shoulder gently, making her heart stop. She turned around slowly to him, unable to breathe while still managing to give him her biggest smile at the sight of him once more. Dark colors really did look good on him.

Holding out his hand, he smiled down at her. "How about that dance I promised you?"

Grabbing his hand, she accepted with a nod as he helped her out of her chair, like the perfect gentleman. "Yeah."

Escorting her to the dance floor, he brought her in closer, placing his hand gently on her lower back as he still clasped her hand, holding it up properly. As he stepped closer, he calmly asked, "is this okay?"

"Mmhmm," she slowly nodded back, her heart picking up its pace just as they began to sway to the rhythm. Placing her other hand on his shoulder, she allowed him to take the lead. Surprisingly, Cloud seemed to know what he was doing this time. At her winter formal years ago he stumbled a bit with his steps. Tifa let out a soft giggle at the memory.

"What's so funny?" Cloud asked, his curiosity perked.

"Just thinking of our last dance. You've gotten better," she sheepishly explained, concentrating on the lapel of his dark tuxedo.

"Mom taught me when Karin told her about the promise." Slowly he began to twirl her, taking her a little off guard by the move. Tifa followed his lead smoothly as her heart fluttered more through the graceful twist. Out and back to him, her hand landed softly back to his shoulder again. Claret eyes connecting to his stunning sapphire that twinkled playfully under the ballroom lights.

"How was that? Mom would want feedback." As he delivered the question a smug smirk appeared, making Tifa immediately think how cute he was with his confidence.

"Good. It...was good," she couldn't help but smile, her cheeks starting to color a bit. Right now, the only person that mattered was right in front of her.

"Do you mind if I cut in?"

Her face fell a bit. That voice…

Tifa glanced to her side and saw another blond man, but with shoulder length hair and a scowl on his face as his blue eyes darted between the two. Seriously...he was the one that dumped her! She went to open her mouth to tell Trey to 'get lost' just as her dancing partner let her go, releasing his hold from her back to block her off from her ex.

"Actually, I do mind," Cloud stated, the two men warring each other with their own icy glares.

Her eyes widened at his act of chivalry, his assertiveness against her ex-boyfriend. Cloud wasn't a man of many words, but what he said just now resonated her feelings even more for him. He was...protecting her.

She could feel it. Every pound of her heart beating in her chest as it echoed internally with excitement. As other students began to notice the scene brewing, Tifa clasped her hand firmly in his while touching his upper arm gently. "Cloud, lets go."

Cloud relented after a moment of continuing his stare down with her former boyfriend. Quietly, he pulled her away from the mass of teenagers who were either watching the two blond men about to clash over her or too busy dancing away to the upbeat music. Whisking her through the crowd, he stopped abruptly, almost causing her to slam into his shoulder. Tifa quickly stopped the impact with her hand resting on his arm again.

As he turned to face her he entwined his fingers with hers, squeezing her hand after doing so. His ultramarine eyes were so perfect as they pierced through her, standing there holding hands as they looked at each other. The way she was feeling was starting to scare her. All he was doing was holding her hand as he gazed into her, making her tremble.

No boy before had ever made her heart beat like a thousand fists, and Cloud has been around most of her life. She may have crushed on him back when she was merely thirteen, but now he was becoming a man. A handsome, sweet, and gallant man she was lucky to call a friend. And Tifa was downright afraid she would ruin it if she spoke her feelings for him. Maybe this was what made it more exciting? The stakes were awfully high.

"Do you...wanna get out of here?"

Together? Alone? Tifa licked her lips nervously before answering. "But this is your last prom…what about Cissnei?"

"She didn't want me to dance with you, so she gave me an ultimatum: her or you," Cloud explained just as the corner of his mouth lifted up. "I picked you."

Tifa bit her bottom lip nervously as her skin began to tingle a bit. He picked...her?! Over his date? She was trying to calm her smile as she spoke. "You didn't have to do that."

"Tifa, you're my friend."

Right. Friend… we are friends.

But being alone with him would be fun. And she wanted that, even if they were just friends. Nodding, she brightened up her smile. "Let's get outta here."

It had been just over a week since prom night, and the last time she saw Cloud outside of school. After the two ditched the dance they went out for food and back to his house for a movie. Unfortunately the night ended with her being grounded. Tifa had fallen asleep on the couch with him and didn't wake up until later that morning. It was purely innocent, but her father was furious she was 'out all night with a boy', making it sound way more scandalous than necessary. Now she was stuck with a strict curfew halfway through her summer break.

At least she can work late at the diner, which could provide her the perfect excuse to see Cloud tonight. Earlier she had received a text message to meet him at the water tower, stating he had something rather important to tell her. Her heart raced as she read the message, making her a little hopeful of what it could be. The possibilities were endless, she thought as she climbed out of her car after parking it in the empty lot next to his. The shy brunette wasn't going to get many chances to see him much until she was ungrounded. Tomorrow is the last day of the school year, and his graduation the following after. Hopefully her mother could get her out of this so she can spend more time with Cloud and her other friends.

Tifa spotted the peculiar blond resting his back against the wooden planks of the round barrel. She hoped she hadn't kept him waiting long, but Cloud being here already made her heart anxiously skip a few beats.

The water tower was old and abandoned, near the edge of a local park where they played as children. Often times they climbed the tower, and just as often got in big trouble for it. Slowly she made her way up the rickety ladder, the piece of lumber wobbling a bit with each step. She would've been scared to climb, but Cloud calling her out here was even more intimidating to her. The night of their prom was so perfect together as soon as they got to dance, and she hadn't had much of a chance to see him alone since. Now she was risking being further punished for the boy next door.

Making it up to the platform, she scooted off the ladder with ease and greeted her friend with a big smile. "Hey there, I didn't keep you too long, did I?"

He gave her a crooked smirk back. "Nah, not too long. Are you sure this is okay? I don't want to get you in further trouble with your dad."

"I'll just tell him the diner kept me late. He really overreacted to the whole thing," Tifa sat down beside him, tucking her legs to the side. "Mom is trying to talk him out of it."

"It's my fault you got in trouble," Cloud shot back, throwing a stray stone off the tower.

"Don't say that, I fell asleep too," she pressed back. All they did was fall asleep on the couch after a movie, fully clothed. But her father freaked out about it. But the night meant a lot to her, remembering how warm and safe she felt that morning she woke up in his arms. Tifa could still recall the scent of his cologne and his hands intimately holding her. Looking away, she hid her blush that was blooming on her cheeks. "Let's not talk about Dad."

Cloud just grunted in return.

They sat in comfortable silence under the stars, which were like a beautiful, surreal blanket above them. Twinkling back as scattered fairy dust across the night sky. Tifa could feel his soft breaths by her side, as she was now resting her head on his shoulder watching the stars with him.

He reached for her hand gingerly, his touch was soft and tender as his fingers laced with hers. "I have something to tell you…"

"Mmhmm." Tifa squeezed his hand back, smiling at his sweet gesture.

He took a deep breath before he began. "I got into the Soldier program. I'm leaving for Midgar on Sunday."

Her heart sank. A lump formed in her throat. Her chest tightened as her deep red eyes misted over. "Oh…"

He was leaving. Cloud was leaving…

"...I probably won't be able to come back home for a while. At least, not until I make First Class."

The thought of not seeing him for years made her sniffle. She was aware of how competitive the program was, strict and very ambitious for any man. Over the last few months he had talked about attending the community college and moving onto a university afterwards. Tifa thought they had time, that he called her out here for something else.

"Tifa, are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's...just a little shocking. This is the first time you ever mentioned Midgar," she explained calmly.

"I applied back in March. If I didn't get in, I didn't want anyone to know," Cloud ran a hand through his pale locks. "I've been training...so I'll make it to the top fast."

"And then you'll...come back?" Tifa was on the brink of crying and blinked rapidly to hold back her tears. She lifted her head up to look at him, her heart quickly beating inside her chest.

His eyes caught hers, sweet cobalt that was bright as the stars. "Yeah…"

"Promise me?"

"I promise."

Tilting her head up, she had no idea what compelled her to do so but she softly placed her lips on his cheek. Time had stopped, and her heart finally came to a halt by the action she took. She lingered there as her mouth tingled against his skin, unable to breath. Never before had she kissed him, even an innocent peck on his face. Really, what had come over her all of a sudden? Cloud was leaving, and made a vow to return. Leaning back she darted her eyes away, looking at their locked hands instead.

"What was that for?" He sounded a little taken aback by her gesture. Surprised, yet in a happy way? She couldn't tell.

Tifa couldn't believe how bold she was just now, but had no regrets. A grin formed on her face as she said the first thing that came to her mind. "For luck."

"Thanks, I'm gonna need it."

Giggling nervously she looked up at him again, hypnotized by the look in his serene eyes. They were...amative? Whatever it was, his cobalt orbs were intense, staring down at her. His breath tickled the tip of her nose. Was he...leaning in? Or was she leaning in? Tifa shivered as she kept looking up at him with a half-lidded gaze. She tried to calm herself, to not give away her own anticipation as he was still holding her hand.

Was Cloud really going to kiss her? She would pinch herself to see if she was dreaming, but if she really was she wouldn't want to miss out on any kiss by him. Tifa closed her eyes, and waited.

And her cell phone rang, vibrating harshly in her pocket. Red eyes popped open, she could now see Cloud was sitting straight up, looking ahead and away from her. His eyes were now closed as he let out a deep breath through his nose, his hand moved away from her.

What she thought was possibly happening really couldn't be what it was. Was her mind playing tricks? Was she overthinking it with the beautiful stars and devout promise tonight? Scrambling for her phone, she answered the blasted device that would dare interrupt them.

"Tifa?!" Her father yelled over the phone. His impeccable timing, his overprotectiveness...

"Uh, hi Dad," she answered weakly.

"Where are you? Aren't you supposed to be home by now?" He bellowed to her across the line.

"I got caught up working late. I sent mom a text message," Tifa somewhat lied. She side glanced Cloud as she still held the phone to her ear, trying to read him. He could probably hear how upset her father was by how he had crossed his arms and was pinching the bridge of his nose. She always felt so guilty of his dislike towards Cloud, one of her dearest friends.

"So you're not with that boy again?"

"No Dad, I'm not. I'll be on my way home soon, okay?" Now she was outright lying. After some small talk and a quick goodbye, she hung up the phone and turned back to Cloud. "Sorry about that."

"'That boy', huh?" he muttered. They both never truly understood it. Her father never reacted this way about any other boy around her, not even ones that she dated. An accident occurred while they were children that made him more protective of her. If it wasn't for Cloud, she would've been in worse shape. Their two mothers saw that, but not her father.

Tifa looked between their hands, clutching hers closed as the cold night breeze swept by. Her hand was so warm in his, and she wished she had a longer moment with him. But what she thought was going to happen really couldn't be what it was. It was impossible. It was just wishful thinking on her part.

"Cloud, I have to go."

"I know you do."

Her eyes fell. Cloud sounded so dejected with his words. If she stayed she risked not being able to see him any further, and with how little time he had left in town she couldn't do that. "I'll see you tomorrow, Cloud."

He nodded in return, giving her a weak smile.

Waving goodbye, she moved to start descending down the ladder. Tifa had no idea how she made it to her car, as wet tears were now trailing down her cheeks. Her eyes had begun to overflow as soon as she had made it safely to the ground. It wasn't a surprise to her she was crying. It was a surprise at how her heart ached as much as it did with everything closing in on her. He was leaving, and she wasn't going to see him for a long time. Rubbing the tears from her eyes she turned on the engine before looking at the water tower once more.

Part of her wanted to run out of the car and kiss him herself, but the sensible part told her not to. He wasn't going to kiss her tonight, which meant only one thing: he was not interested. All she would do was be rejected and make things awkward for her friend before he left.

Not only was she losing her best friend, but she…

Placing a hand over her chest, she realized what the heart of the matter truly was.

She loved him. These newfound feelings she had for Cloud that terrorized her so much was because she was in love with her best friend. And he was moving away, and she'll never get to tell him. Never at least try to be something more. This was what it always was, was love.

And now she was heartbroken.

Author's Note Continued: What an ending! It makes me quite sad that Tifa was too late with her realization, but we all know she really wasn't in the end. The scenes in between each one in this update that were mentioned, i.e. Cloud and Tifa leaving prom and the night sleeping on his couch, will be written from Cloud's POV for his chapter. I am not holding out on any fluff with these two, just delaying it for a purpose. Thanks again for reading and let me know your thoughts on the chapter about young love!