Disclaimer: Final Fantasy, characters and everything associated with the Final Fantasy world belong to Square Enix.

A/N:Hi all! Thanks again for taking the time to read, review and send kudos for Connected Hearts here. I am going to take a break for a bit to concentrate on the CloTi/Zertih Endless Summer 2020 prompt event. I hope to be back soon and get out more updates. I am going to get all 100 themes finished, eventually. I am determined!

Summary: In which Tifa tries to play the piano perfectly.

Genre: Childhood fluff

Warnings: Please note that some of the stories will contain spoilers or reference to the original game, Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus, Crisis Core and Remake.

~Playing the melody~

The first time Tifa met Cloud, she was only five and half years old, with shoulder length dark chocolate hair and a toothy smile.

Tifa approached him with excitement, curtsying in her cream colored lace dress and then shooting out her hand for a handshake, greeting the new kid in town,

"Hi, I'm Tifa, nice to meet you!"

Cloud had cerulean blue eyes and obnoxious spiky blonde locks, a unique feature only he had. She was mesmerized, almost tempted to step forward and tug on his gravity defying spikes.

How did he get it to go like that? It didn't even look like he was using hair gel.

His calm demeanor shocked her when he spoke softly and told her something about the nimbus clouds in the sky.

It was quite an awkward introduction, as she found herself scratching her head, not sure how to actually talk to him then.

She didn't know much about nimbus clouds and didn't pay much attention to science in school all that much.

Fortunately, it was just a brief introduction to the new neighbors and she waved goodbye to him.

Cloud waved back sheepishly.

Tifa did not realize until a few days later that what he was telling her was simply his name.

Cloud? What a weird name. The other kids teased him for that.

Although the name was weird, she liked how it rolled easily off her tongue.

Cloud was quite the shy boy in contrast to the rowdy boys she knew. He was quiet around others and stayed mostly at home, secluded from the rest of the children or stuck closely to Mrs. Strife, his mother.

The other kids took offense as he rarely played with anyone and usually kept quiet. It looked like he just gave them a cold shoulder.

Tifa wouldn't believe any of the kids though. She often found herself having long conversations with him. She'd be doing the talking most of the time, and he'd throw in a few replies here and there, usually one or two short words.

The thing about Cloud that made him, well Cloud, was that he listened. The other kids always talked about silly things or played pretend knights and Princesses, tag or whatever silly children games they were into nowadays.

These were the things that didn't really matter to Tifa as much, but she was taught to always respect others, listen and play nicely.

Cloud on the other hand, liked to listen to her talk. There were things and habits that Tifa shared only with him, mostly because he didn't make a big deal about it like all the other boys.

Unbeknownst to her at the time, he admired her piano playing, listening to the calm melodies of each porcelain key her dainty fingers pressed down upon.

To be honest, Tifa wasn't very good yet as she just started learning. She wasn't ready to let anyone hear her play, not until she absolutely nailed it down.

He was her next door neighbor, and he would often sit on the top floor bay window, which overlooked her house.

There was quite a distance between them, but he could still see her and hear her play Erik Satie's 'Gymnopédie No.1'.

Tifa only knew the beginning chords, but she practiced it everyday until she got it perfect. It was mama's favorite song and she wanted to get it just right in time for her parent's anniversary.

She would sometimes glance over her shoulder for a brief second to look out the window.

As soon as her head turned, Cloud squirmed and disappeared from view. Over the years, Tifa never took notice of him secretly admiring her from afar. She always had her windows open, enjoying the nice cool breeze of the Nibelheim weather. It never got too cold or too hot.

Tifa continued focusing on her piano playing but every now and then, she would mess up on her chords and she would get frustrated. It was quite embarrassing as it was such an easy song to learn. She was quite the advanced piano player for someone her age, but she just couldn't hit the right notes.

It just didn't sound perfect to her ears. As soon as she hit a flat key, she'd start over. Even when she was near the end, one flat and she'd go back to the beginning.

Tifa was so frustrated that she gave up piano playing for a few days.

Cloud of course was the only one that noticed her crestfallen look, even when she held up a beaming smile and kept on laughing at everything around her friends.

It was always Cloud who paid every little detail about her that most people didn't notice.

Tifa wasn't always the perfect girl everyone thought she was. She may have many friends, and looked to have the perfect life. She had just turned 8 years old this year. Her mother had also gotten very ill recently, which added on to the pressure of helping more around the house and caring for her mother.

She pushed herself.

One day, Cloud finally confessed that he had been listening to her play all these years and had the courage to tell her to not give up. "I can see how much you enjoy playing the piano. You play the song flawlessly."

Tifa perked up slightly upon hearing those words, "Really? You're just saying that to be nice. Be honest with me."

He'd always avoided looking at her straight in the eyes but this time, his eyes didn't waver.

It was adorable really, but she'd never admit that to him.

"I think your mom would love to hear it." Cloud told her with a reassuring nod, "And...I'd want to hear you play again too." His voice was soft and quiet here, but Tifa could hear him loud and clear.

He had finally opened up to her. It was a step, and it made her ecstatic.

Tifa had tried again. She couldn't help it though. She was a perfectionist, a habit that she found hard to break out of.

But she played with less tense shoulders, as she glanced over to find those cerulean eyes staring into her window from across the house. She didn't mind that Cloud watched her play.

She had learned many years later from her Martial arts teacher that perfection was impossible to achieve. Hard work took practice which came with failing and learning.

Mama had long forgotten how to smile since she fell ill. But the day of her parent's anniversary, Tifa played proudly, and continued on when she heard one or two flats.

Mama finally smiled just slightly and kissed Tifa on the crown of her head, "Beautiful, my sweet angel of Nibelheim. Just beautiful. Please continue to play the song for Mama."

Tifa played the song again and again until Mama got tired for the day.

~owari