Hey dudes and dudetts. It's chapter 5! I quickly finished it before I rushed off to Denmark for 4 weeks. And now I'm gone so I don't think I'll be updating for at least 5ish weeks but I'll try to write a little bit there. Bye! Thanks so much for all the great comments so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter too.

Tifa awoke the next morning find herself in a new room. At first she panicked but soon remembered that she was now living at the ShinRa mansion in Rufus' old room. Tifa sat up and smoothed out her messy hair. She smiled when she realized it was Saturday. Today was the day her was going to go prom dress shopping with Aeris and Yuffie. She hopped out of bed and skipped to the bathroom.

Tifa slipped into a black tank top and jeans. She put her jeans jacket on over her outfit and bounced out the door… smack into Rufus. Tifa wobbled backwards.

"Sorry!" She grinned and Rufus smirked. "Watch it" He commented and kept walking. Tifa checked her watch. It was already 10 am that meant Yuffie and Aeris were already waiting for her. Tifa bounded out the door and down the streets of Sector One. None of the girls were rich but they had been saving for a long time and hoped they could find a sale that would allow them to buy a nice dress. Tifa smiled as she approached them.

"Sorry I slept in" Yuffie and Aeris turned in surprise as Tifa came up behind them. They were so use to see her running from the other direction.

"Figures" Aerith gave her an 'I knew it' look. Tifa smiled sheepishly. "So how was your night in the ShinRa mansion?" Yuffie asked.

"Good" Tifa bounced up and down, "My bed is huge"

"Awesome!" Aerith smiled.

"You guys should come over tonight and see it." Tifa suggested.

"Sounds great" Yuffie agreed.

"What time?" Aerith asked.

"Seven" Tifa told them. The two girls nodded. "Great! Lets get shopping" Yuffie and Aerith were more then happy to begin their shopping trip. The first store they visited was called 'Dresses Galore' which Yuffie thought was a super weird name. They entered and Yuffie instantly ran towards the racks. These dresses were very toned down and she adored them. Aerith and Tifa didn't have Yuffie's luck when it came to this store. Tifa only found one dress she liked and Aerith found none.

Tifa and Yuffie entered the dressing room. Tifa came out the same time as Yuffie. Tifa was wearing a black dress with pink stitching. Yuffie was wearing a forest green dress that tightly hugged her curves and made her shoulders pop out like wow!

"Oh my gosh Yuff that's perfect!" Aerith's eye widened and she rose from the chair she was sitting in. Yuffie looked at herself in the mirror.

"I like it" Yuffie spun around.

"Its soooooo pretty!" Tifa squealed.

"I can't believe you were so lucky on your first try." Aerith was in awe still at the dress. Tifa looked at hers. She didn't like it. She had only tried it on for the sake of getting into shopping mode. She retreated into the change room and got back into her old clothing. When she returned outside Yuffie was still admiring herself in the mirror.

"Are you sure I should go with the first one?' Yuffie was sceptical.

"Defiantly! This is like THE dress" Tifa reassured her.

"Okay" Yuffie smiled and disappeared into the change room. Tifa pulled Aerith back into the main part of the store.

"Lets look for accessories for her" Tifa said and pulled out a matching shawl.

"Oooooo good idea" Aerith ran to another shelf. Aerith dug deep into the trunk of strange items found at the back. "Tifa look at this!" Aerith waved her friend over.

"What is it?" Tifa asked as she approached the excited girl.

"Look" Aerith held up two lightweight hairpins. The same ones Yuffie wore in her hair but these ones were covers this diamonds. Tifa's eyes widened.

"It's perfect! It'll be our gift to her," Tifa said keeping her voice quiet.

"Awesome!" Aerith whispered excitedly. They bought the shawl and clips. Yuffie emerged from the changing room and paid for the dress. After they got outside she finally noticed the bag Tifa was holding.

"What's that?'" Yuffie asked.

"We got a shawl to match" Aerith smiled, she fished her hand into the bag and took it out. "You owe me 10 bucks" Yuffie smirked and handed over the cash.

"Thanks guys" She bounced and continued to do so down the street. Tifa and Aerith followed after her. They soon reached another store. Tifa knew she was going to like it in here. It was called 'Alternatives' and the dresses were all very different. Tifa headed to the racks; this time it was Yuffie's turn to walk around. Aerith was looking but she wasn't finding anything here either. She sighed with frustration. Having given up on this store she went searching for Tifa's gift. Yuffie joined Tifa at the racks.

"Find anything good" Yuffie asked peering at what Tifa had in her hands.

"Yeah a couple really cool ones." Tifa smiled.

"Oh I forgot to ask" Yuffie snapped her fingers as she remembered something, "How's life with Rufus?" Aerith who was near them and not one to miss out on any good gossip ran over to join in.

"Fine, I've only been there a day so nothing much has happened" Tifa shrugged.

"Come on there has to be more then that!" Yuffie pressured her.

"Well, I met his dad and he just kinda stared at me" Tifa told them, "Then this morning I smacked into him again while I was running to meet you guys"

"What did he say to that?" Aerith asked.

"Nothing, surprisingly enough" Tifa laughed. Yuffie and Aerith's face sunk.

"No big fights"

"No secret romance"

"Noooope" Tifa sang as she moved to the next section of dresses. Aerith and Yuffie shrugged and went back to what they were doing before. Tifa headed to the changing room. She tried on her first dress. She didn't like it, plus it was black and she was trying to stay away from that. Tifa headed back into the dressing room and tried on the second dress. This time Yuffie and Aerith joined her at the mirror. They agreed with her when she said the bright pink dress was just "okay"

"That's defiantly the one!" Aerith gasped in amazement when Tifa emerged in the final dress she had found. Tifa was wearing a dark blue strapless dress. The top half was very close to a corset but much less bulky. It held her waist accenting its beautiful shape. Black belt like straps wrapped around her waist and the rest of the dress naturally flowed around her.

"I like it!" Tifa smiled. Yuffie agreed with Aerith.

"This is so the one!" Yuffie smiled brightly. Tifa disappeared back into the changing room and Aerith pulled Yuffie to the other end of the store.

"Look what I found!" Aerith gave her a cunning look. Aerith held up a very nice pair of shoes. They were like boots but had a kick to them that made them wearable on fancy occasions.

"Wow those are perfect for Tifa" Yuffie grabbed them and took them to the counter. Yuffie and Aerith had shoes already but Tifa did not. Tifa came out of the dressing room and grabbed a blue shawl to go with her dress. Tifa's shawl was made of gritty material while Yuffie's was made of fine silk.

Aerith stuffed Tifa's item in with Yuffie's as Tifa paid. The girls headed back out side again. Across the road was a store that was perfect for Aerith. She had her heart set on a pretty pink puffy princess dress. They entered the store called 'Cinderella Shop' and Aerith's face brightened up while Tifa and Yuffie shielded their eyes from the mass amount of pink.

Aerith was totally engrossed in the dresses so Tifa decided to make a break for it to look for Aerith's gift. Yuffie came along with her. They searched the shelves to see what they could find. Tifa pulled down a pink ribbon covered with diamonds and another longer, thicker ribbon came with it.

"That's very pretty" Yuffie said eyeing the ribbons. "It'd be perfect for a necklace and for her hair"

"Yeah, I really like this" Tifa got excited.

"I'll go buy it" Yuffie bounced with happiness. Tifa blinked and her purse started ringing. She opened it up and took out a ringing cell phone.

"Hello?" Tifa asked half dazed by the new contraption that had magically appeared in her bag.

"Hey Tifa," Rufus greeted. "I see you've found your new cell phone"

"I guess I have" Tifa blinked.

"Well I just called to say, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to cut your shopping trip short. Your mother is here to see you," He told her.

"What!" Tifa hissed, "I though she was"

"In Paris? Yeah she said she was but when she got your rush delivery letter she decided to come down and see you" Rufus said.

"Oh" Tifa frowned. "Okay I'll be back as fast as I can"

"Okay bye"

"Bye" Tifa clicked the phone off and looked at Yuffie who was staring at her in bewilderment.

"You have a cell phone?" Yuffie said putting Aerith's gift into her bag.

"You do?" Aerith popped out of the change room.

"Apparently so" Tifa was still confused.

"He gave you a cell phone!" Aerith giggled.

"So what did he say?' Yuffie asked.

"He said my mom is here to see me," Tifa informed them. Aerith and Yuffie's face dropped.

"Oh" They both said. "Yeah so I have to go" Tifa smiled meekly. "Sorry"

"That's okay, we got Aerith's dress" Yuffie pointed at Aerith who was wearing a beautiful dress with thick silk straps and diamonds lining the top part of it. It was pink and puffy, perfect for Aerith.

"Yeah that's defiantly the one" Tifa's face brightened. "Yeah so go, go, go" Aerith shooed her away.

"Bye!" Tifa ran out the door and down the streets of sector one. She ran into the ShinRa building and jumped into the elevator. She pressed the button that would take her to her floor. Tifa ran down the hall, slowing down just before she reached her room. She opened the door slowly to find her mom sitting on her bed.

"Hi Tifa" Her mother greeted her in a formal tone.

"Hi Mom" Tifa smiled. She put her bags down and gave her a hug.

"What did you buy?" Her mother got up and looked through Tifa's bag.

"A grad dress" Tifa smiled brightly.

"This is beautiful honey," She informed her.

"Thanks" Tifa was stepping on thin ice with each response. She knew her mother's mood could change just as fast as her own.

"Where did you get the money for this?" Ms. Lockhart asked. Here we go.

"I saved up all the money I earned working for a while and looked for sales while shopping" Tifa told her.

"Don't you think it would have been better spent on paying the rent instead of having the Shinra's take you in" Her mother looked at her coldly.

"I've been saving up for five years mom. I was still paying the rent" Tifa sighed.

"You could have used the money towards school" Ms. Lockhart snapped lightly, "I wouldn't have had to work so hard"

"I didn't think…" Tifa's eyes fell. Outside her room Rufus was listening closely. He wanted to protect her from everything and this was one of the things that he wanted to shield her from.

"Of course you didn't think. Your always out with your friends" Her mother snapped. "You never once think of me do you"

"Of course I do. I'm never out with my friends. I go to school and then I work for hours until I come home and do my homework and then sleep! I do it for you, I'm always thinking of you" Tifa fought back.

"Ever since your father died you've been acting out" Ms. Lockhart narrowed her eyes.

"Don't bring dad into this. It's hard enough not having him around without you making me feel like I've betrayed him somehow" Tifa snapped.

"How dare you!" her mother raised her hand and slapped it across her face. Tifa winched and sunk to the ground. She was so sick of this. Every time her mother came home it was fine for about two minutes until one thing was said that led to an argument that always ended with a red cheek.

"I'm sorry" Tifa said quietly.

"I'm leaving again Tifa. I'll be in Australia this time. More business conferences" Her mother started walking away. "I hope you're happy here"

"Bye" Was all Tifa said as her mother left the room.

After Tifa's mother left her room Rufus slipped inside. He walked over to her and looked down at her. Tifa stared at Rufus' feet not daring to meet his eyes. His hand came into her vision and she took it. He lifted her up and her looked at the ground. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah" Tifa nodded slowly. Rufus trailed his finger along her jaw line and lifted her chin. Tifa tried to avoid his eyes but couldn't. She didn't want him to see how hurt she was. Tifa was surprised at the look he was giving her. Rufus looked so sympathetic and kind. Rufus removed the tears from her cheeks.

"Your face is too pretty to be tainted by such ugly tears," He told her. Tifa let a small smile cross her lips.

"Thank you" She sniffed and stopped crying. She whipped her eyes and straightened herself out. She looked up at Rufus again. She was really happy he was being so kind.

"Your sure you're okay?" He confirmed.

"Yes I'm fine." Tifa giggled. Rufus place his hands on her hips and pulled her closer to him. Tifa fell softly into his chest and sighed. Rufus ran a gentle hand through her smooth hair. Tifa relaxed into him and she felt warm. Rufus lifted her chin once again and kissed her softly. Tifa deepened the kiss, feeling the need for him to be with her grow. Rufus ran his hands up her side and kissed her harder back. Tifa was enjoying his company too much too notice the clock had just turned seven.

Aerith walked into the ShinRa building cautiously. She still couldn't believe Tifa lived here now. Aerith stepped into the elevator. She pressed the '75' button as Tifa had told her too. Yuffie would be joining them soon. After they purchased her dress the two girls decided to head home quickly and put their stuff away. Aerith stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall. Ms. Lockhart stormed past her. Aerith stopped and watched as the woman got into the elevator and disappeared from sight. Aerith stood there and thought. Tifa was probably in bad shape after that. Aerith walked down the hall and found the open door that contained the number of Tifa's room. Aerith looked straight inside and what she saw shocked her. She clasped her hand over her mouth and backed away from the door. She ran back to the elevator and headed back down to the main floor.

Aerith burst out into the main floor and bumped smack into Yuffie. Yuffie got up and pulled her wide-eyed friend up.

"Aerith what is it?" Yuffie asked.

"Tifa and… and…" Aerith stuttered.

"What it can't be that big of a deal" Yuffie raised an eyebrow.

"Tifa and Rufus are kissing!" Aerith finally found her voice.

"What!" Yuffie gasped. "Are you sure you don't need glasses"

"No seriously, I saw her mom walking out of her room and I went to her room and right near the door way the two were together" Aerith said in one long breath in which her put words together that barely made any sense.

"Get out! No way! I can't believe this" Yuffie was in awe.

"How long do you think she's been keeping it from us?" Aerith asked.

"I have no clue, it could have been a one time thing now or it could be a forever thing starting now or it could have happened at camp or even before" Yuffie's mouth was going a mile a minute.

"This is huge!" Aerith exclaimed.

"I can't believe this" Yuffie paced around her friend in a circle.

"I know!" Aerith took a deep breath.

"She's with Rufus Shinra!" Yuffie flipped out.

"I know!" Aerith flipped out as well. "What do we do"

"I don't know" Yuffie said calming down again.

"We should just straight out confront her about it" Aerith decided.

"Ooooor we can tease her" Yuffie thought, "She kept it from us, she can pay for it. We'll hint about it and drive her crazy. We'll even drag him into it!" Yuffie bounced in excitement.

"Yeah!" Aerith and Yuffie skipped to the elevator and took off to Tifa's floor. They marched down the hall and through Tifa's door. Rufus was just leavening but they weren't about to let him. Yuffie and Aerith each put a hand on his chest and pushed him back into the room.

"Hey!" Rufus snapped lightly totally confused about what was going on.

"Hi Tifa" Yuffie purred and pushed Rufus towards her.

"Um hi?" Tifa was totally confused about the behaviour of her friends.

"We have a few questions to ask the two of you" Aerith said being very obvious she was up to something.

"So Rufus how do you take care of your guests?" Yuffie questioned.

"I put them in a room, they can take care of themselves" He told them, his expression remaining solid.

"So why were you in Tifa's room if Tifa could take care of herself" Aerith advanced slightly on him.

"She needed to be told something" Rufus lied.

"What was that?" Yuffie asked moving up beside Aerith.

"Just some rules, none of your concern" Rufus told them, unfazed by the marching girls headed in his direction.

"So you wouldn't like kiss them or anything?" Aerith took another step towards him. Rufus took one back. Tifa's eyes widened. They knew! Rufus had probably figured that out as well but was remaining more calmthen she was.

"No" Rufus shrugged.

"Alright then, tell me Rufus, what type of girls are you into?" Yuffie asked moving up beside Aerith once again.

"Nice girls" Rufus rolled his eyes at the ridiculous questions they were asking.

"Nice girls like Tifa?" Aerith advanced again.

"Yeah Tifa's a nice girl" Rufus said flatly.

"So you admit you like her!" Yuffie pointed a finger at him and moved beside Aerith again. They now pretty much had him backed into a corner now, literally.

"I never said that" Rufus crossed his arms over his chest as he took a step back into the wall.

"Would you kiss nice girls?" Aerith asked stepping forward once more.

"Yes"

"Nice girls like Tifa?" Yuffie said moving forward again. Tifa couldn't take this anymore. Her friends were being so stupid. They knew and they knew she knew they knew. Or something.

"Would you stop interrogating my boyfriend" Tifa snapped and quickly placed her hands over her mouth. Oops. Yuffie and Aerith's lips curled into wicked smiles.

"Ah ha!" They both said turning to her. "We knew it"

"Okay so you found out," Tifa sighed.

"Wow!" Yuffie danced, "It's actually true!" Rufus let his breath go and moved away from the wall.

"Can I go? All this girlyness is creeping me out" He rolled his eyes at Yuffie and Aerith who were dancing around happily.

"Yes, bye bye lover boy" Yuffie and Aerith blew him a kiss. Rufus' cheek turned bright red and he stormed out the door.

"You guys be nice" Tifa sighed.

"Fine we will" Aerith giggled. "So when did it happen?" Yuffie asked.

"In the cabin" Tifa admitted.

"No way!" Aerith jumped on her bed.

"Yeah, we had a bet and if I wont I had to kiss him and that kind of started things" Tifa blushed.

"Oh my gosh, that's so cool" Yuffie bounced around. "Yeah yeah" Tifa rolled her eyes and smiled warmly at her friends. She gave her friends no time to interrupt as she started to show them around her huge room. Yuffie wasted no time in jumping on the bed and Aerith hit the mini bar.

"This place is amassing Tifa" Yuffie smiled, "You really deserve it"

"Thanks, I know, I'm really lucky" Tifa grinned.

"Hey Tifa are you and your mom okay?" Aerith asked in a quiet voice.

"No but what else is new" Tifa shrugged as if it was no big deal. Yuffie bounced over to Tifa's piano and sat down. She started playing random keys and making horrible sounds. Tifa giggled and shoved her friend over with her hip as she sat down.

"Any requests?" Tifa asked. Aerith thought for a moment and a huge smile crossed her face. "Hit me baby one more time!" Aerith squealed.

"Noooo!" Yuffie sighed" Tifa grinned, the girls hated Brittany Spears but like the Back streets boys her songs were easy to sing to and so this was their favourite type of music to sing to. Tifa started the intro with skilled fingers moving over the keys. She rapidly played wither precision and Aerith got ready to sing.

"Oh baby, baby. How was I supposed to know" Aerith picked up a hairbrush to use as a microphone. She held it over to Yuffie who in a grunting tone continued. "That something wasn't right here. Oh baby, baby"
Aerith looked at Tifa for the next line and in a loud voice her belted out "I shouldn't have let you gooooooo. And now you're out of sight, yeeeeah!" Aerith started dancing around the room while singing on. Yuffie grinned brightly and finally got into it as she always did.

"Show me how want it to be" Aerith sung and Yuffie joined her in the next line "Tell me baby 'cause I need to know now, oh because" Tifa took over the course by herself.

"My loneliness is killing me" Tifa sung and in the back ground Aerith and Yuffie added a "And I!" "I must confess I still believe" Tifa giggled as she sang. Yuffie and Aerith added a high pitched "Still believe" after her. The three girls sang together with huge smiles "When I'm not with you I lose my miiiiiiiiinnnnnndddddddd!" Yuffie and Aerith pranced around Tifa's room dancing to the beat as Tifa played. "Give me a sign. Hit me

baby one more time!" They finished the first chores together. Tifa giggled and kept playing. Before Tifa could continue Rufus interrupted.

"Ahem…" He announced his presence. Tifa's fingers falter on the keys in shock. She whirled around to face the door. Yuffie and Aerith who had preciously been dancing stopped and turned beat red. Rufus had the hugest smirk on his face. As Aerith, Yuffie and Tifa all exchanged glances. They all knew they were thinking the same thing. 'How long had he been standing there'

"What is it Rufus?" Tifa asked.

"The maid wants to know if you guys want desert" Rufus rolled his eyes. In truth the maid hadn't sent him, like he would ever listen to "the help." He just wanted to get on Tifa's friends good side since he did care a lot about her. He had wondered to her room when he saw Tifa singing loudly and Yuffie and Aerith backing her up. This moment was to priceless for him to ruin just yet so he waited to stop them.

"Sure" Tifa stood up and walked towards him.

"Foooood!" Yuffie bounced after her. Aerith smirked and came along as well. The girls followed him down the halls and around many twists and turns before they reached the kitchen. There were no maids around which made Tifa suspicious. Rufus opened the extremely large, shiny fridge and pulled out a huge chocolate cake. Yuffie's mouth dropped open at the sight. Aerith giggled at the look on her friend's face.
Rufus cut each of the girls a peace and they sat down at the island in the middle of the kitchen. Yuffie admired the piece of cake with the same appreciation Aerith had for art. Tifa looked over at Rufus and he was staring back. She gave him a sheepish smile and looked down at the table. Rufus smirked inwardly at her cuteness.

"You bought that dress right Aerith?" Tifa started talking.

"Yeah it was so pretty" Aerith smiled.

"It was perfect for you" Yuffie laughed lightly.

"I can't wait till grad" Aerith commented.

"I know! It'll be great" Tifa said.

"Meh who cares" Yuffie shrugged.

"Only every girl who's every existed" Aerith rolled her eyes.

"With you being the exception of course" Tifa smiled and Yuffie looked proud of that fact.

"I'll make her excited by the end of the year, just you wait" Aerith warned.

"Yeah right" Yuffie snapped softly as her. Tifa looked over at Rufus and he was staring at them with wide-eyed fascination. Tifa was sure he had no idea that look was on his face. Aerith stopped talking and looked at him. So did Yuffie. All three girls saw his look and at the same time exclaimed "What"

Rufus nearly jumped out of his chair and shook his head. His same solid expression returned and he waited to speak.

"You guys are like an episode of Gilmore Girls…. God do you ever shut up!" He said bluntly. Tifa looked at him for a moment before bursting out in laughter. Aerith and Yuffie soon did that same. Once they gained control of their fits and caught their breath Tifa spoke.

"Rufus I don't know what's more funny about that, the fact that you think so or the fact that you watch Gilmore Girls!" Tifa laughed once again.

"I don't… just once when nothing was on…. and only for 3 minutes but there was a lot of talking!" Rufus snapped in defence. "What? You don't talk with your friends?" Yuffie gave him a puzzled look.

"Not like that I don't" Rufus shrugged. His friends never talked about much more then school or business and getting geeks. Elena and Reno talked lots but when he came they never said much. Rufus looked like he had entered a deep train of thought so Tifa gave Aerith and Yuffie a 'be quiet' look. Her friend understood and ate the rest of their cake in silence.

Tifa waved good-bye to her friends as they left. Rufus was standing in the shadows behind her. Once she tuned back to go to the elevator he stepped out and put his arm around her waist. She sighed and entered the elevator.

"I'm so tired" Tifa leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Me too" He kissed her forehead and left her side as she went to her room.

"Good night" She smiled sweetly at him.

"Night" He waved slightly.

It was once again time for school. Tifa's Sunday had flown by with work and homework and little contact with Rufus. Aerith had called her twice but nothing more had happened. Already bogged down with homework,

Tifa sat in the cafeteria with her friends. They were chatting and laughing but something was wrong. Yuffie and Aerith had told everyone about Tifa and Rufus. Cloud and Vincent had freaked out but were now clam and accepting. Tifa looked over at Cloud. He was so quiet and looked very troubled. Tifa kicked him under the table.

"What's wrong?" Tifa asked, her features forming a concerned look.

"Um…" Cloud looked around at all his friends. They notice he was talking and turned their attention to him. "What wrong Cloud?" Yuffie asked.

"Well…" He started slowly. "I was taking to my mom yesterday and she told me that she got a job back in our home time. It's a really good job and it'll make life easier for all of us"

"But?" Aerith asked.

"We have to move."