Disclaimer: Square Enix owns all. (sobs)

Seventh Heaven

An Innocent Gesture

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Cloud Strife knows he's in trouble when he accidentally hurts the little girl from next door.

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Six-year-old Cloud Strife ventured out into the front yard of his house, his bright blonde hair sticking up on its own accord. He put both of his hands on his head and rubbed it vigorously, looking disgruntled. His mother had tried to comb out all the knots before letting him outside and it had hurt his poor scalp terribly.

"Cloud, sweetie," his mother's sweet voice rang out down the hallway, "Just let me comb it down for you - "

His blue eyes widening, Cloud hastily slammed the front door before running out onto the grass, as far away from the house as possible without going out onto the street.

"I'm not lettin' you anywhere near my hair again, mum!"

Had he been any closer, he would have heard his mother's hearty laughter as she abandoned her attempt to tame her son's hair.

Cloud shook his head violently so that his spiky tufts sprang up again as messily as possible before he stepped back onto the green lawn, twirling the sky blue baton in his hands skillfully.

The blue baton was a poor substitute for what he really wanted; a sword. He'd seen some pictures of weapons from the magazines his father was always exclaiming over and his mother was always shaking her head at. The sword was his favourite. He'd asked his parents for one the other month, but they sternly told him they were for much older people. Cloud had pleaded for a toy one "just to play with!", but his mother said he was too young for that too.

"When you're older, Cloud, and you still want a toy sword, mummy and daddy will buy you one," she promised wearily.

But he couldn't get the image of that glowing blue blade out of his little, innocent mind. It was so fascinating and had such a breathtaking beauty about it. Cloud dearly wanted to hold it and slash it around in the air, just to hear the swift sounds it made. To his childish mindset, that was all a sword could do. Just be a toy to play with and admire and have all the other kids in the neighbourhood be jealous of. He envisioned himself jumping into the air and bringing the sword around impressively, swinging it in rapid circles above his head.

Cloud tossed the baton up and caught it again on the full, wandering around the yard as if deep in thought. Before his father had got him the baton he had been using his mother's prized sunflowers as swords. He never forgot the severe scolding he received for that.

The yellow flowers were lifting their heads up joyfully to soak up the warm spring sun. Cloud held onto the end of his weapon with his little hand and whipped it around above his head fiercely. Standing at one end of the yard, he sprung up into a jump, galloped a few steps and then flung the baton valiantly in the air.

He cried out in surprise when he tumbled over a tuft of grass and the baton sailed out of his grasp, over the wooden fence. He had rolled over on his head back onto his bottom and was groaning when he heard a small voice cry out from next door.

"Ow!"

"Uh oh," he gasped. Cloud's light blue eyes grew as round as saucers as he scrambled to his feet, almost ramming into the fence as he climbed up onto the ledge and peeked over into the neighbour's front yard.

There was his prized bright blue baton, lying on the grass near a little figure sitting cross-legged with her lap full of dandelions. She was gently rubbing her head and looked as though she were about to cry.

It was the little girl who lived next door with a scary father; Tifa Lockheart.

Cloud immediately winced and hopped down from the fence. He glanced over at his house. Surely his mother wouldn't mind if he left the yard for just a minute to retrieve his baton.

The little blonde boy cautiously stepped onto the pavement, feeling as though he had just walked off the boundaries of the world. He tiptoed onto the grass of the house next door, where the little brown-haired girl was sobbing in the middle of the lawn. Cloud wondered if he could just quickly slip by, grab his baton, then run back without her noticing.

Unfortunately, as he approached her, she quietened down and opened an eye to peer at him.

"Are - are you okay?" Cloud asked awkwardly, stopping short in front of her.

The five-year-old girl just stared at him avidly without answering him. Cloud began to blush. He'd always admired Tifa Lockheart and once shyly admitted to his chuckling mother that she was 'kinda pretty'.

Then, without warning, Tifa had enclosed her hand over the baton, her eyes flashing, and flung it at him. Cloud yelped at this sudden violent streak in her and ducked out of harm's way.

"That hurt!" she yelled at him fiercely, having ceased crying.

Cloud went even more crimson as Tifa glared at him with as much intensity as a child of five could muster. She was smaller and younger than him but he took a step back tentatively after plucking up the baton. Tifa Lockheart was usually so gentle and happy. Seeing her yell and throw things made Cloud extremely wary.

"I'm sorry!" he stammered childishly, rumpling up the back of his blonde hair, "It was an accident!"

"Well, don't hit me next time!" she retaliated, her face tear-stained, "If mama and papa find out you're mince meat!"

Cloud was not exactly sure what mince meat was, and it is quite likely Tifa didn't either. However, Cloud knew enough about Mr Lockheart to see a very real threat in harming his little princess. And if his mother ever found out he had hurt the sweet little girl from next door with his baton...

He gulped. Tifa was still glowering at him and Cloud bit his lip nervously.

"I'll tell you a joke," he tried sheepishly, still blushing a deep pink. She looked at him tentatively, some of the anger going out of her brown eyes, and he took a deep breath, "Why did the Chocobo cross the road?"

Tifa continued to look at him expectantly.

"To get to the other side!"

The brown-haired girl just stared at him blankly for a second, then stated disdainfully, "That's stupid." Even so, Cloud could see a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips and felt rather relieved.

"Why did you throw that thing, anyway?" Tifa asked in her innocent, not fully developed voice, looking at the item in his hand.

Cloud glanced at it and sheepishly replied, "Just for fun..."

She looked curious, "For fun?" Her large brown eyes gazed at the baton for a moment and Cloud felt rather nervous. She flicked her eyes back up to him and asked brightly, "Can I try?"

"Uhh... okay."

With a sunny smile, little Tifa Lockheart got to her feet and took the blue baton Cloud handed to her.

"Do I just swing it like - this? WAH!"

The stick was flung up into the air and came whizzing back down rapidly, striking Tifa on the head and making her fall abruptly to the grass. Cloud's mouth twitched and a snicker escaped from him.

She turned looked up at him reproachfully. "It's not funny," she complained tearfully, her face scrunched up again, "It hurts!"

"Don't be such a baby," the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, "It can't hurt that much."

"I am not a baby!"

"Are too. Look at you, you're gonna cry."

"AM NOT!" Tifa thundered viciously, though her shining eyes were telling otherwise, "You're a booger monster!"

Cloud stared at her apprehensively as she screwed up her eyes and let out a wail, then glanced nervously at the imposing wooden door of the Lockheart house. He half-expected Mr Lockheart to burst out, his scary face contorted with fury.

As Tifa began to whimper some more, Cloud chewed anxiously on his lip. There was clearly only one thing left to do.

Tifa wailed, as her head really did hurt, and that mean little boy wasn't even saying sorry! Sure that he was still standing on the yard and watching her, she cried even harder. As she wept noisily, she felt him creep close and hastily peck the side of her head with his lips. Her eyes flew open in shock, her wails dying at once.

The spiky-haired boy was blushing madly as he dashed away from her, carrying his blue baton. Tifa just stared as he reached the pavement and turned back, her eyes as round as saucers.

"My mum told me that makes a boo-boo feel better!" he yelled defensively, still crimson-faced, "So don't think I like you or something!"

With that, the little blonde boy ran off, back into his own lawn and shut himself up in the house. It would be some time before he ventured out there again.

As for Tifa, the little brunette stopped crying and decided not to tell her parents about the incident. She resumed playing with the pretty flowers that surrounded her, humming cheerfully, the pain in her head having subsided.

---

"I told you not to try and sneak around me," Tifa admonished with a sigh, putting the ice pack onto the side of his head.

"You know there's no one else in here, you didn't have to attack me," Cloud said in an innocently woeful voice, looking up at her reproachfully. He was holding onto a tissue, pressed against his cut lip.

Tifa just shook her head despairingly, lightly pushing the ice pack harder onto his bruise so that he winced. She hid a smile.

Cloud sat on the chair glumly, still pressing the tissue against his bleeding lip, with Tifa standing above him and applying the ice pack on his head. What a situation to land himself in. All he'd try to do was steal some cookie dough while she was mixing it up. Tifa's cookies were food for the angels, but there was something so delicious about the dough. Unfortunately, trying to sneak underneath and around her was not the wisest thing to do. Mistaking him to be some sort of insane murderer, Tifa had spun around, grabbing his arm, and slammed him onto the ground, all in the matter of two seconds.

He grimaced, glad that Barret and Yuffie weren't around to witness it.

"Does it still hurt?" Tifa asked in her usual warm, slightly concerned tone, lifting the ice off a bit.

"Yes."

Cloud watched her as she re-applied it, flicking a few dark strands from her eyes. There was something odd about this... something familiar... he felt like he was having deja vu. As he watched Tifa carefully examine his bruise, he remembered. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. That was right... it was when they had been kids. He'd hit her with his baton and she'd got mad at him.

"Tifa..."

"Yeah?"

"You're funny when you're angry and throw things at me."

A skeptical look crossed her face and she stared at him perplexedly, probably trying to remember the last time she'd lost her temper at him and it might've been classified as "funny".

Then she smiled slightly, shifting the pack a little.

"The baton... you remember," she said softly.

Cloud was a little surprised that she hadn't forgotten about it, either, but he let his smile widen. Tifa seemed to remember everything; memories she cherished and treasured in her heart.

"I guess we're even now," Tifa said with a smile, "You hit me with that thing, seventeen years later I slam you on the ground."

He frowned, "We're not even. Don't you remember? I cured you," he winced as the side of his head throbbed, "And I'm still hurt."

Tifa looked from him to the ice pack she was holding, looking thoughtful. A playful gleam sparkled in her eyes as she took it off with a mischievous grin, "I guess it's worth a shot. After all, the ice doesn't seem to help."

She bent down and kissed him swiftly on the side of his head.

Cloud's eyes widened as she withdrew suddenly, her cheeks imprinted with a faint pink. With a bashful smile, Tifa quickly turned away and walked back to the freezer to replace the ice. Cloud felt her warmth suddenly leave him and he watched her, almost gaping, sure his face was a bright pink as well. Then his gaze mellowed as the shock wore off, and the pleasantness of that sweet kiss began to sink in. Cloud smiled impishly, still watching the back of her as she busied herself at the counter, too embarrassed to face him.

He got up from the chair quietly and crept up behind her with a small, innocent smirk.

"Hey, Teef..."

Tifa stared, whirling around and taking a step back in alarm when she founded herself face-to-face with him, "Cloud! What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?" she cried, half-embarrassed, half-scolding.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. It's just..." Cloud scratched the back of his head with one hand as he sheepishly took the tissue off his bleeding lip.

"My lip still hurts," he said innocently, feeling the heat creep up into his cheeks.

Tifa just looked at him, her face rapidly flushing as she registered his words. Their eyes were locked intently. Then with a shy laugh and taking a tentative step closer, Tifa cupped the side of his face tenderly with her soft hand and kissed him gently, shyly, bashfully, but full of the love and affection she secretly always had for the spiky-haired fool.

And Cloud returned the gesture with equal fondness and tenderness; a strong, unbreakable love that had blossomed from the rosebud crush he'd had on the pretty girl since the day he told her why the Chocobo crossed the road and she called him a booger monster.

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A/N: Puehehe, lil Cloud and Tifa are so cute! I know their houses don't have front yards nor are they exactly set on a street .. hehe, sorry, just imagining their houses to be like .. the ones where I live in! x) Please drop a line and let me know what you think of it! Of course, always more to come. xD - msq.