Notes:
Hello!
This is a rewrite of a previously posted and unfinished fic. This version has been reformatted with a different writing style and incorporates new canon information as well as makes some changes to the plot. However, this fic will not be completely canon compliant and will contain some AU elements as well as embellishments and personal interpretations of gaps.
I will likely be deleting the original version at some point.
This is going to be a very long fic that will cover the entire timeline of the compilation and Cloud & Tifa's relationship. I will be uploading the first few re-written chapters rather quickly, and then pacing the rest of the story over time.
Hope you enjoy.
PART ONE
Nibelheim - 1993-2001
It hits me when I'm watching her work the bar from across the room, where I've been standing and watching her all night as she moves back and forth between wooden tables and patrons that are too demanding and handsy, through thick plumes of cigarette smoke and the stale odor of slum beer.
She's stretching, reaching up for a glass above the bar when it hits me.
I'm always full of nervous energy these days, the paranoia coiled tight around my shoulders, waiting for someone to step too close or make a wrong move. But she's so pretty, even in under this harsh, mako-fueled lighting of Sector7, shadowed in hues of red and white and black that always flood my awareness when I think about her, so pretty that I can't help but watch, distracted from the way her customers move too close and her friends talk too loud, making my neck tense up and my fingers itch for the hilt of my sword.
The first time I'd seen her again, I didn't know why she was so familiar to me, why she was looking at me like she had just found something so important that she had once lost. I couldn't understand why the way that she said my name burrowed so deep. It confused me the way she talked about a home and a town and moments of a life I could only feel in my blood but couldn't see in my memories.
I know this girl, I realized when she stared down at me in the rain. I know her but I don't remember anything about how or when or why or how.
I've only been in Midgar for a day and a half when it hits me. Tonight, watching her move behind the bar, exhaustion rippling off of her shoulders, I can feel something that reminds me of the memories I can't find. It feels like a riptide hits me, knocks me face-first into the sea and pulls me under and drowns me.
I know this girl.
I once loved this girl.
I still do.
I. The Sun Is Also a Star
TIFA
[ μ ] - εγλ - 1993 | 3rd June
This is how it begins.
All of these things happened, one way or the other, but they start when the sky is blue and the mountains are gray, when the sun is also a star.
Tifa Lockhart sits cross-legged on a small patch of grass and wildflowers in the playground beside the schoolhouse, squinting up at the sun as it burns bright, early June rays on her face. Nearby, Lester Rigsby sits, red-faced and playing in the dirt with his hands, plucking dandelions and tossing them in different directions beside him. On the field ahead, a group of their friends play, all boys, kicking a ball and shouting in high-pitched voices that ring higher as their small lungs strain for air. Other children play nearby, some running ragged playing tag on the playground, others using the opportunity outside to explore the field that serves as the small school's playground, searching for rocks to throw later at Nibelheim's water tower or over the fence of the Shinra Mansion.
It is a small school in a small town. Tifa's entire elementary school consists of only twelve children. The town's secondary school, which students in their preteens attend, is even smaller. The schoolteacher, Ms. Henley, is a young woman who has recently returned from Junon where she earned her teaching degree two years prior and is still considered a novice in her craft. Even so, she is remarkably well-adapted to the ways of young children, quickly esteemed in the village as an excellent teacher. She stands, conservatively dressed in a tailored blue dress, by the schoolhouse's entrance, brushing wisps of strawberry blonde hair from her eyes and keeping careful watch over the gaggle of children who amuse themselves at the midday recess following the lunch hour.
Of Tifa's group of friends, Lester is the one who is a little clingy, glued to her hip, following her around like a lost puppy throughout the day and when they play together after school. He is a skinny, dark-haired child, ruddy from spending too much time in the sun with skin that is not well suited for its burn. He is quiet and a follower, with an affinity for Tifa, and the other boys in their circle often find him useful for one reason or another. His grandparents own an inn in Nibelheim, right by the visitor's pass into the town. Lester has a bit of an awkward way about him that the other boys lack, but their small group doesn't seem to mind.
Her other friends are a mixed bag. There is Emilio Bentley, the de facto leader of their small troupe, a boy who is tall for six with light brown hair that is wispy but still neat around his head, pale blue eyes set in an already narrow face. Emilio, who Tifa thinks is confident and brave, usually plans the gang's exploits after school, leading them on hikes as near to Mt. Nibel's gates as they dare venture, hosting them in his parents' vast backyard, and setting the gamesmanship for their daily games at recess. He lives a few houses away from Tifa, on her street, and so it is often that she runs into him. Their group, even at this young and aimless age, rarely does anything without Emilio suggesting or approving it first.
Like Lester, Emilio lives a comfortable life, his father a financier who does accounting work for many residents of the town and is frequently seen with the men and women in suits who appeared at the Shinra Mansion on the northern side of the village once a month. Emilio has an older brother in high school who is planning to soon leave for university in Midgar, aiming to join Shinra's elite Weapon's Division. And Emilio already knows he is going to ultimately do the same.
The fourth member of their group is Taylor Mullen. Taylor is round-faced and thick-muscled, well aware that his size gives him a slight physical advantage over some of his peers. Tifa considers Taylor to be the clown of their group, frequently making jokes, usually ones that Tifa finds to be gross but that send the other boys roaring, clutching their bellies and falling to the ground. Taylor, with his mirthful green eyes and auburn hair that looks as if his mother has not had it cut since his birth, is frequently in trouble at school, usually for playing pranks on the teachers or other students, or for distracting the class. His father works maintenance at the reactor deep inside the mountain, often coming home dog-tired and smelling of mako. His mother tends to the home and his younger sister. Taylor's home is a tumultuous one, though Tifa doesn't know or understand much about that.
It is a curious thing how children often forget during those young, early years how many of their friendships and bonds had formed, and it was equally curious how Tifa has fallen in with this ragtag group of boys. Tifa, who has lived in Nibelheim all of her life, has a healthy appreciation for the girlish: tea parties, fashion dolls, pretty dresses. Nonetheless, she has a wild, tomboyish streak that has often drawn her outside of her family's front yard, playing in the dirt, venturing into the fields, swimming in the streams. Somehow, she has drifted to these boys in the neighborhood, who all live within a few blocks of her and are her classmates at school. She vaguely recalls that their group loosely formed sometime before they entered school, that tender age when children's self-awareness and identities begin to form, and that their friendships have solidified over the summer before their school days began as the four of them spend all of their time making Nibelheim their own personal kingdoms of adventure.
Tifa lives a comfortable, happy life, even in such a small and traditional village as Nibelheim. Her father is a well-respected solicitor in town and provides for them by both negotiating disputes and managing much of Nibelheim's trade and commercial interests with other cities and towns, assisting in keeping the small mountain province thriving. Her father also leads the town council under the leadership of Chief Zonder, and is an avid and vocal member of the local political arena. For this, he is wildly popular. Much of his trade and council work puts him in direct contact with Shinra and their proceedings with the mako reactor and the mansion where the scientists work in furtive confidentiality. Brian Lockhart is considered the town's liaison with the corporation and their local interests, and his diplomatic manner and political savvy has served the town well.
Tifa's mother, Thea, is another matter altogether. Thea Lockhart is a free spirit who spends much of her time as she pleases, never having worked outside the home despite a brief stint at the university in Cosmo Canyon, where she had traveled to study music. From the outset, this has always made Thea somewhat strange, because in the days of the old Republic, women were never expected to work outside the home, much less get a formal education.
Thea, a tall, curvaceous woman with dark hair, has never committed to much in life, flitting between goals and interests much as a butterfly in a field of tulips. Absentminded and prone to daydreaming, Thea spends most of her time playing the piano in their home, walking along the town's edges while Tifa is in school before scurrying home in time to try and keep up with the housework, enlisting Tifa to help with the cooking before Brian walks through the door.
Despite the near-polar opposites of her parents' natures, Tifa sees them as they are, a couple hopelessly and desperately in love, devoted to one another. They are village sweethearts, and although Brian is several years older than Thea, they both grew up together in Nibelheim. Their romance blossomed when Thea had dropped out of her studies in Cosmo Canyon, returning to Nibelheim in pursuit of her newest passions, finding them not in career or academic interests but rather in the arms of a handsome trader who was gaining local acclaim for his business acumen.
And so is their home life. Brian is protective of his daughter but diplomatic in his parenting, frequently settling himself with Tifa at eye level to have conversations that are straightforward and honest, if not a little too severely pragmatic. Tifa appreciates it, because even at the young age of five, she has a strong sense of self and of life as it transpires around her. Thea, on the other hand, loves her daughter with a vivid sort of affection, wanting her to live the free and capricious existence she herself had stopped short of pursuing. She encourages Tifa to enjoy every fleeting moment, never minding that there might be people or expectations waiting at every juncture. With this curious blend of parental approaches, Tifa finds a happy balance in her home, considering herself to be fortunate to have such a wonderful mama and papa.
"Caves and Cactuars today?" Lester asks suddenly, throwing another broken dandelion across his sneakers.
Tifa looks away from the other boys, turning her squinting scarlet eyes to glance at his profile as she tucks a stray lock of her dark hair behind her ear. "I guess. Did Emilio say so?" Emilio always plans their hunts for their games; they would usually set up in his yard or in one of the local fields on these warm spring days.
Lester rolls his shoulders in a childish shrug, not looking back at her and letting his head fall to one side. "I guess."
Tifa nods, not really thinking anything more of it. As if hearing their conversation, Emilio, across the field, stops with the ball to turn and wave to them. Tifa smiles and waves back, but doesn't move to join them, instead enjoying where she was sitting.
"I'm so sorry I am late. I had some paperwork to take care of at the Town Hall and it took much longer than I expected."
Tifa looks up, turning toward the schoolhouse. Ms. Henley stands with her hands folded in front of her, facing a petite blonde woman whose hair stubbornly falls out of a messy bun on the top of her head. The woman holds a slim folder in one hand, her purse draped over her forearm. In her other hand, she holds the hand of a small child.
Tifa's interest is immediately piqued, as are those of some of the other children. The boy who stands a pace behind the woman looks to be close to Tifa's age. He has a mop full of messy blonde hair on his head, hair that fans out in every direction and is growing into a rattail at the nape of his neck.
The child hides behind his mother's skirts, shyly keeping his gaze away from the other children on the playground. Tifa watches Ms. Henley wave her hands in the air dismissively.
"It's no worry at all, ma'am. Please, leave those with me and I will let the principal know right away. We are just having recess, so he is welcome to stay for our afternoon class," Ms. Henley rejoins to the boy's mother.
The blonde woman appears visibly relieved, handing the folder over to Ms. Henley. With that, she steps away from the boy, using one hand to gently push him toward the teacher.
"This is Cloud. Cloud, say hello."
Cloud stands in front of Ms. Henley, looking up at her reservedly. The teacher bends down to his eye level.
"Hi, Cloud. I'm Ms. Henley. Where are you from?"
The boy is quiet for a moment, then, "Midgar."
His mother clears her throat. "We are originally from Nibelheim. Cloud was born here, in fact. We moved to Midgar when he was a baby, just for a couple of years, to live with my cousin. We've just returned."
Ms. Henley nods, smiling warmly at Cloud. "Well then, Cloud. Welcome back to Nibelheim. I am sure we are going to have a lot of fun learning together. We still have a few minutes left of recess, so why don't you go play with some of the other children while I finish up with your mom?"
Ms. Henley rises back up to her full height, crossing beside his mother and walking her to the schoolhouse door. His mother waves and blows him a kiss as she departs.
Tifa sits and watches with curiosity as this new boy stands by the playground, absently looking around, completely unsure of what to do. He glances around at the different groups of children who are playing on the playground before his eyes flicker to rest where Tifa and Lester sit. Tifa inhales when she locks stares with his, catching eyes that are a deep cerulean blue, the color of the chalcanthite that crests along the side of the Nibel mountains near the mako streams. Tifa has never seen eyes that color before, such a deep blue that even across the playground, they bore into her like the night sky above her bedroom window when it is lit up with bands of turquoise stars. Good naturally, she smiles, waving her hand at him to come over and join them.
Cloud hesitates for a moment before walking over to her and Lester. As he does so, Emilio halts the game of soccer he is playing with the other boys, trapping the ball underfoot, oblivious to the protests of Taylor as he watches the new boy walk over to Tifa and Lester.
Tifa wrinkles her nose as the boy approaches. His blonde hair is a mess of soft, spiked fringe, seeming to have little rhyme or reason to the way it fashions itself around his head. His eyes grow more piercing as he approaches, and Tifa finds herself fixated on them. Lester grunts next to her, uprooting another wildflower.
Cloud stops just a few feet away from them, looking awkwardly from side to side, unsure of what to say or do. Tifa, always eager to make new friends, quickly closes the gap of silence.
"Hi. I'm Tifa. This is my friend Lester."
Lester just looks up, saying nothing. Cloud nods.
"I'm Cloud."
"Hi, Cloud. Do you want to play with us?"
"What kind of a name is Cloud?"
Tifa narrows her eyes, noticing that Emilio has jogged over to them and was standing behind Cloud with the ball tucked under an arm. Taylor is traipsing not far behind him, taking interest in the new kid and the conversation.
Tifa frowns at his comment, thinking it rude, but doesn't interject. Instead, she watches as Cloud turns on his heels to face Emilio.
"That's my name. My mom gave it to me."
"It sounds stupid," Emilio says blithely, and Taylor chortles behind him as if it were the funniest thing he has ever heard.
"Don't call me stupid," Cloud quickly retorts.
"I didn't call you stupid," Emilio rebuffs, "But maybe I should."
Some of the other children in their class have stopped their own recess games to watch the back and forth between Emilio Bentley and the new boy with the messy blonde hair.
Cloud opens his mouth to fashion a response, but Ms. Henley is on the playground again, waving her arms.
"Children," she called. "Recess is over! Time to come in."
Tifa looks at Emilio with disapproval as Taylor continues to laugh. Through their laughter, she vaguely hears him and Emilio mutter and spew something childish that she can't completely decipher in Cloud's direction, watching as they turn and head back in the direction of the schoolhouse. Feeling a little uneasy, Tifa stands to her feet, dusting off her dress.
"They are just being silly," she says to Cloud,
Cloud's eyes lock with hers then, and he stares at her for a long moment, absorbing her appearance before shrugging as if completely disinterested and unaffected by what has just happened.
"Whatever," is all he provides in response.
Lester rises then and abruptly stands between them. "We better go inside, Tifa. Ms. Henley is waiting."
Tifa nods and starts to follow behind him, but she turns, letting her gaze fall back to Cloud as she walks toward the school. She stops then, waiting for him to catch up while the others continue and make their way to the schoolhouse.
"Did you go to school in your old village too?" she asks, hoping to make conversation.
Cloud is quiet for a very long moment, and he is staring at the ground. She thinks she can hear him puff out a sigh of air, and then finally, he looks back up at her.
"Not really," he answers cryptically.
"Oh," Tifa responds, unsure of what to make of that. "Ms. Henley is really nice. You'll love her!"
Cloud shrugs again, and Tifa is thinking that it is difficult to get him to talk. She thinks about what to say next when she realizes that Ms. Henley is calling her name.
"Tifa, Cloud! Come along!"
She glances at Cloud, streams of questions suddenly burning her mind, but unfortunately, there is not a whole lot of time to ask any of them right now.
Later. She would definitely ask him everything she wanted to later.
"I'll see you after school!" she vows, not asking him for any agreement to this. She flashes him a smile, and she runs off inside to the schoolhouse, not realizing that Cloud is following behind her with his eyes transfixed to her and a smile on his face as she goes.
And this is how it begins.