Disclaimer: I disclaim all ownership of the characters of Final Fantasy VII.

Center of Gossip

Regardless to her distaste in attention, she had always been immersed in a sea of pointed fingers and spectators, relentlessly attacked by rumors, calumny, and gossip. No matter how much she tried to avoid it, Tifa Lockhart was always the center of attention.

As a child, she had been the tallest girl in town, consequently making her the one everyone noticed. Whenever the children would get together to play, Tifa was the one that would catch your eye. If there had been an accident or prank, Tifa was the one to blame. If one of the children got hurt, Tifa was responsible.

In her teenage years, she established a bar in the slums of Sector Seven in hopes that she'd be able to mature through the self-reliant task of managing a business. Though Tifa was no longer considered tall for her age, her attention-attracting magnetism did not falter. All over the small vicinity of Sector Seven, Tifa was relentlessly engulfed by nicknames, gossip and rumors. With names like "dolphin-tail" or "the bar chick," Tifa Lockhart could not escape her position as everyone's favorite gossip topic.

Only during her travels with AVALANCHE was Tifa finally relieved of such social mayhem. But now that she had settled down again, her life had returned to normal.

And normal for Tifa, meant more gossip.

She rolled her eyes, tossing the trash bag into the dumpster and ignoring the giggling women that gave her occasional glances in between their conversations. One of the ladies looked strangely familiar, and it didn't take Tifa long to realize that it was the woman from last week—the one who had screamed at her for Denzel's involvement in a fight.

"-and she's only twenty-two years old! Now if you ask me, that's just sick!"

"Well why do you think she runs a bar, for heaven's sake?!"

"True, true. I mean, first of all, she dresses in all black! On top of that, she's a barmaid, and has two elementary children living with her! And like you just mentioned, she's only in her twenties!"

Tifa shut the door behind her as she stomped into the bar, her cheeks flushed with red and her fists clenched up into balls. It was now the fourth time she had seen those women gossiping about her, and it was making her sick! Tifa ran up the stairs, skipping every other step, and hopped onto her bed, stuffing her face into the pillow and letting the tears pour out. She hated crying, but right now, that's all she wanted to do. No one was home to see her in this pathetic state, so she just let her anger take over, allowing the tears to soak into the soft fabric of her pillow. Why did everyone pelt her with such horrible accusations and judgments? Why was she always the one they gossiped about? Why couldn't she just be another normal person like everyone else?

"Um…"

Tifa jerked her head up, startled at the voice.

"You okay, Tifa?"

It was Cloud.

Wasn't he out delivering? Tifa quickly wiped her eyes and forced a weak smile.

"I'm fine, Cloud. I thought you were out—"

"I was out in the back, trying to fix Fenrir's kickstand. I heard the door slam and thought I should see what's up."

"Oh…"

Tifa sniffed. It was embarrassing to be caught crying, even in front of Cloud, who she had known for a great bulk of her life. Cloud stepped into the room, tossing aside his stained gloves and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You sure you don't wanna talk about it?" he asked, eyes concerned.

Tifa smiled. "Yeah, it's nothing. I just kinda…ya know…felt like crying."

Cloud stared, perplexed. "Felt like crying?"

"Yeah."

"Tifa Lockhart, you're probably the worst liar ever."

Cloud smiled, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Whatever it is, don't let it get to you."

Tifa nodded. "Thanks."

"It's like you always told me. 'Be strong!'"

Over the next few days, work at the bar was slow, primarily due to the cold winter weather. The patrons began to visit the local coffee shops and cafés, preferring hot drinks like the toffee nut latte over the cold beverages on Tifa's menu. She didn't mind, though. It was actually kind of nice with the unusual peace and quiet in the bar. Her most loyal customers continued to stop by for a drink or a little chat, but other than that, Tifa was left alone. Marlene and Denzel were busy with school since their winter break was only a few weeks away, and Cloud was absent most of the time due to his deliveries and "problem with the kickstand."

Tifa stood on the tip of her high-top sneakers, reaching high into the cabinet and stacking up the clean dishes. She knelt down and pulled out a large metal tray, but hissed when she bumped her head on the rack. With a deep sigh, Tifa placed the tray near the stove. She was planning on making casserole for dinner, but shook her head in disappointment when she opened the fridge. It was almost empty.

Tifa glanced at the clock. She had an hour before the kids would arrive.

Tifa quickly grabbed her gil pouch, tying it onto her belt and forming a small knot so it would stay in place. She'd have to walk to the market.

Before she opened the door, Tifa had almost forgotten about the gossip women.

There they were, just as always, gathered around a small round table across the street, drinking their expensive tea and sharing the latest gossip and rumors with each other. Tifa just let out a sigh as she locked the door, quickly pacing past and hoping that she would pass through unnoticed.

She had failed.

"Oh look! It's the barmaid!"

"I wonder if that's the only set of clothes she has."

"Haha, what are you talking about? I am absolutely all over her taste in style!"

"My eight year old daughter wears the same shoes as her!"

Tifa pursed her lips and walked on, trying as best as she could to just ignore the women. It took her about another two or three minutes before she was finally out of reach from hearing their talks of calumny, and Tifa slowed her pace as she headed for the market.

Edge Mart was the nearest grocery store, but Tifa didn't like shopping there, as she often ran into Reno for some strange coincidental reason. The red-headed Turk would always stalk her around the store, overwhelming her with endless chatter and useless conversations. It wasn't that Tifa had anything against Reno (actually, on second thought, she did have a lot of things against Reno!), it was just that he made shopping a lot more time-consuming than it had to be.

So Tifa walked further.

The Gaia's Fruits Food Market wasn't a very lively place as most of its customers consisted of elderly women, but Tifa preferred their fresh products and foods over any other store in Edge. She pulled out the grocery list from her pocket, scanning over it quickly with her ruby eyes and tucking it back in. Her casserole was Denzel's favorite dish. Even though she usually only bothered to make it once a month, Tifa now had too much time on her hands due to the lack of customers, and she didn't see the harm in surprising Denzel a second time in two weeks. Cloud, on the other hand, wasn't the biggest fan of casserole, but this was unknown to Tifa since he always pretended to love it.

When her shopping was done, Tifa held the bags in two hands, shivering slightly as she returned to the winter cold outside of the store. Despite the black jacket she was wearing, her teeth began to chatter, causing her to giggle slightly.

It was almost as if they had been waiting for her to return.

The gossip women began to taunt her again as Tifa made her way back to the bar, heaving the weight of her grocery bags and trying hard to ignore them.

"Well, well, it looks like the city tramp has returned!"

Tifa widened her eyes. City tramp?!

"Oh will you stop teasing the poor thing? Look at her having to walk all the way back from the store. I guess she can't afford a car."

"Well that's too bad. My housekeeper does all the grocery shopping for me."

Tifa dropped her bags, unable to take any more of their ridicules. She was about to shout something, when she felt a hand press gently onto her shoulder.

"Excuse me, miss? Do you mind if I help you with these?"

It was Cloud.

He took the bags in one hand, and wrapped his arm around Tifa, leading her back towards the bar. The gossip women had ceased their chatter, each of them now gaping in disbelief at the handsome man.

Making sure his voice would be heard, Cloud said in a loud voice, "So Tifa…how about I take you out on a date or something tomorrow? You know, if you're not busy." He winked at her, grinning as the women scowled behind them.

Tifa smiled, resting her head on Cloud's shoulder, and together, they headed back into Seventh Heaven.

After that day, Tifa never saw the group of women again.