A/N: All right, so it's been a while since I've last uploaded anything for this drabble set! Anyhow, I thought 'Start' would be good for Tifa thinking about her sudden development of feelings for Cloud. I don't know, I find Tifa to be one of the more shallow, almost dependent characters in the series. Maybe this is my intense dislike for short-skirted, big bosomed, stereotypical nice gal fighting characters? I mean, if she were as strong as she's supposed to be, do you think her busty size would be what it is?? Anyhow. xD; I thought 'Start' was good for her.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.
She didn't know what had started it.
For as long as anyone could remember, Tifa Lockhart did not pay any sort of attention to gawky, gangly, awkward Cloud Strife. It didn't matter that he was probably the nicest, sweetest and politest boy in the entire village; Tifa did not look twice at him.
It wasn't like she didn't know he existed or anything. They were neighbours for as long as she could remember. She could clearly remember the first day she had seen him outside of his house: sitting on the front porch, watching the boys play street hockey. She could see the longing in his big blue eyes to go join them, but she knew he wouldn't. He was too small, too thin and too fragile. She remembered his mother coming to the door after she had looked at him for a while, bringing him back inside with whispered words that made him sigh.
Tifa didn't know why she hadn't spoken to him before, since it wasn't like he was a mute or an idiot of any sort. In fact, he was probably one of the smartest kids their age she knew. Yet she had still kept away from him.
That is, until the day a group of kids, including herself and Cloud, went to Mount Nibel so that she could 'find her mother'.
She knew the bridge was dangerous. She also knew that her assumptions that her mother was just on Mount Nibel and not dead were stupid and childish. She couldn't help believing it, though. She didn't want to lose her mama at such a young age. When she had started across the bridge, none of the other boys followed; only Cloud followed her, urging her to go back, that it was dangerous, that this was stupid. She didn't listen, though; she vaguely recalled yelling at him. Then they had fallen.
She had no idea how she was still alive. She remembered being told that Cloud seemed perfectly fine after the fall, while she had been in a coma. Some adults took that suspiciously; what kind of child that frail looking survived a fall at that length? They called foul play, said dirty things about Cloud; the blonde was more and more ostracized. Yet after she had woken up, she had started to see Cloud in a different light and tried to spend more time around him.
When Tifa had heard that Cloud was going to go to Midgar to become a great SOLDIER and prove to everyone in Nibelheim village that he was good enough for them, even better, Tifa felt as if her best friend was leaving her. It didn't make any sort of sense to her, since she never remembered thinking of Cloud as a friend, let alone a best friend. Still, she had found him sometime the day after she had heard of his leaving, asking him to meet her by the well in the village.
They had met up, sitting at the well and just talking about whatever. Cloud had a lot of things to say, and a lot of big ideas. Tifa realized she admired him for that, and once again wondered why she had never taken any proper notice of him. Finally, she had looked up at him and asked him to keep a promise to come to her aid if she was ever in a jam once he was a famous SOLDIER. He promised, and something like butterflies went through Tifa's entire body, making her feel giddy.
When he had left, she had been one of the few to see him off, waving and calling to him, 'Good luck!' and 'Make sure to keep your promise!' Once he was out of sight, she was sure she had never felt so lonely.
She wasn't sure what had started it. But Tifa Lockhart was undoubtedly in love with Cloud Strife.