Note: I realize that this chapter will be very controversial, but please, no flames. My purpose isn't to advocate the type of activity that is depicted in this chapter, but to shed light on the problem. Knowing this, it would be fitting to use this space for a public service announcement.

If you are being abused or neglected in any way, go to They can help you cope with your situation and to find shelter for you.

The problem is bigger than you think. Don't be a Tifa.

Chapter Eight- Her Shaky Hands Condemn Him

'Page 56, My Life As A Hero, Tifa Lockheart:'

…There was no excuse for what he did, but still the list of excuses piled through my head, conflicting with the task at hand. In my imagination, Cloud's embrace was a barbed-wire fence on my tender skin. 'Surely he's done that before. Yes, that must be it! Cloud was a fence, and he pierced me badly.' While I did have the scar to prove it, that simply wasn't the case.

It all started after the second defeat of Sephiroth, on the night of the masks and harvest. I had warned Cloud about going back to the scene of the crime. 'Who knows what could still be left behind!? That area is bound to be ripe with Mako.' Cloud never listened, and I never thought anything of it.

Cloud never told me what he had found, but I suspected that he did run into another Mako encounter. His eyes began to glow brighter than before, and he was visibly more argumentative. That cold October night was the last time that Cloud had made love with me. It isn't worth mentioning without a casual glance of hindsight. Cloud did not act with passion in those moments. It was all business to Cloud; something that was simply his duty. (As simple as clocking in, and clocking out- early.)

It would be natural within a female mind to suspect that there was another woman, but that blonde spikehead covered his tracks well, that is, if there were tracks to cover. I could never find any evidence of adultery, but I didn't need to. I am a compulsive worrier. In the months that followed, Cloud spent more time away from home than ever before. He had nothing to show for his time outside of the house. He claimed that he never did much of anything. The more I think about it, I believe him.

'Page 60:'

I will never forget the night of December 31, 1999. He never came home when he was supposed to, but this night in particular was ridiculous. I was busy working at 7th Heaven, as usual, so I didn't have time for the night's festivities. Barret, Vincent, Yuffie, and the gang had dropped by at 10:00 p.m., but they left soon after to watch the big ball drop in Midgar Square, which was on the other side of town. Cloud was not with them.

I watched the ball drop on television while I served the last patrons before closing time. It was very good to see that the Y2K bug didn't bite, but it wasn't a new feeling. Truth be told, I had been waiting for a large blackout on New Years' Eve for many years now. Sometimes, blackouts aren't physical.

Finally, Cloud showed up at 2:00 p.m. I was awoken from my sleep when I heard the door slam with a violent 'thud!'. His Mako-crazed eyes glowed in the night as he sternfully asked, "Where's my dinner, Tifa?"

"I didn't know when you would be arriving, so i…"

"So you what?"

"I didn't fix dinner for you."

…and then he hit me. Cloud Strife punched me right in the nose, and it began to bleed. I did what any trained fighter would do: fight back. Unfortunately, there was one fact that I was forgetting. Cloud had weapons. Annoyed at my resistance, Cloud unsheathed his sword. I could smell the wine on his breath. The fact that he had bought his alcohol at a different store was just another slap in my face.

'Page 62:'

…And to think, the mighty Tifa Lockheart could have all of her future family plans wiped out with one fell swoop of his buster sword. The slash mark is in the shape a giant 'A'. 'A' stands for adulterer.

'Page 64:'

…So I ate. I ate at night, I ate in the morning, and I ate in the afternoon too. It wasn't hard to see the effects that it was having on me, because I could no longer fit in my old fighting outfit. It was in January that I found that to be true.

From that day on, Cloud code-locked the fridge. Needless to say, he did not give me the code. I can remember the days when he was away and I would systematically try to break the code. I was too stupid to figure out that Cloud was stupid also. The code was all blank spaces. I never cracked that code.

'From the files of Midgar Physician Dr. John Ryster regarding patient Tifa Lockheart:'

Tifa Lockheart originally came into my office asking for pain relievers. Having been her personal doctor for years, I knew why. Tifa had been very 'blessed' since her high school days, and this had always caused her back some very serious discomfort. I can vividly remember Tifa on the day before her prom. She was having a lot of back problems, so I had to put her on the 'special bra'. She was so upset.

When she came in the office this second time, she wasn't wearing it. Because of her recent weight gain, it was no longer 'fit for use'.

I remember hearing on the news so many years ago about how she had helped to defeat Sephiroth. Now, seeing how far she has fallen, it's just heartbreaking. Where has our hero gone?

'Page 68:'

I trained with Yuffie Kisaragi in order to get back to where I needed to be. We ran through the city, climbed mountains, and even did some serious meditation. It worked perfectly, but there was a void in my heart where Cloud used to be. I told myself that the goal of my training was to get back at Cloud, and show him a thing or to. That never happened. When I came back from my long training, Cloud had left town. I do not know where he went, nor do I want to know. I just don't care.