That was perfect. Well written, honest, and i loved it. I agree 100% with your statement about Aerith in your author notes. Tifa's just more relatable and real.

I remember feeling just like Tifa a long, long time ago on a back packing trip in a remote area--there was not one person like Aerith, every girl was her, and I was just me, a grungy Tifa- except I was also inept at almost everything. I don't even remember the boys name now--life is silly, sometimes. This is a touching tidbit and thank you for it! mc

I think your fiction offers a very realistic view of Tifa, Aeris and Cloud. Loved it ^^

I think this was one of the first CloudTifa pieces I ever read and actually enjoyed, and it's always held a special place in my heart. I thought I'd just tell you how much I love this fic, and to say thank you for writing it.

i love the lifeline and love line on the hand and the cut. very symbolic. =]

I loved it!! Definitely one of my favorite vague CloTi fics; my favorite pairing. I completely agree with you on the perfect-Aeris vs real-Tifa thing. I would end up killing Aeris myself out of frustration if I had to spend too much time with her and her immaculate nice-ness.

Also, THANK GOD that there are still people out there who say Aeris with a damn 'S' at the end, like her name in FFVII was ACTUALLY SPELT, PEOPLE. So, thankyou for that. It's people like you that keep my hope in the Final Fantasy fanbase alive.

xxyorae

I loved it! A real good read, though the end had me wanting more xD.
I can agree with you. Perfect people like that annoy me and drive me crazy. I pratically want to take them apart bit by bit just to see how the heck they manage such a thing.

I'm shorter than Aerith (5'0"--genetics, WTF?!). I have tan lines which refuse to go away, less definition to my waist than I would like, and absolutely no curves at all. Perfect characters just make me so uncomfortable, and I guess that's why I am so in love with Tifa's character. She's got a very sweet, earnest quality about her which makes her believable, and one can believe that she, in real life, would have rough hands and tan lines and whatnot. With Aerith, you can't really do that or it'd be out of character XD.

There's not much constructive criticism I can give, other than stating the fact that you've captured young, shy, insecure Tifa perfectly. Keep going!

Oh my. That's... brilliant. Beautifully written and incredibly thoughtful. You focused on the "realness" of the characters that made them seem almost tangible. Wonderful job!

I do love your portrayal of Tifa, and I have to agree that Aeris is a little bit on the perfect side. 0.0 Gorgeous work! Most definitely a favorite!
~Aero

This story is made of win. Superb characterization for Tifa. It strikes me as being so...so...perfect. I mean, perfect in characterizing her imperfections. ^__^;;

Wow. I really liked this one-shot...it was really sweet...and yeah. I'm so horrible at writing reviews, and I really wish you knew just how much I liked this. It was really cute...and not just that...it really captured Tifa's character. I really hope to see more CloTi fics from you because you're really good at writing them. ^.^

I absolutely adore Aerith. She's my one of my all time favorite characters, so I was surprised that I liked your Tifa so much. I mean, I like Tifa, she's a very strong female character and there's not too many of those it seems, but I really, really dislike Tifa/Cloud. I loved it here though. It was sweet.

thank you for this beautiful story. it shows tifa's insecurities so well, it carries wonderful symbolism, it's aptly titled, and it has a disarmingly sympathetic view of cloud and tifa's childhood relationship. this section of your fic impressed me most:

In Nibelheim-that long-abandoned town of youth and loss-she had enjoyed what some would have called popularity. Not that she thought of herself as popular. It had been a small town, with few children. She'd been the only girl able to keep up with the boys, just as fast, just as strong, just as fearless. Her abilities had provided her an entrée into the group of "popular" boys. Bullies mostly, but to children power often equals unquestioned acceptance. She'd begun to believe that boys were naturally boisterous and oftentimes cruel.
But then Cloud had appeared, a shy, skinny youth. A runt. At the time, there was no hint of what he would become. No hint that those awkward bones would lengthen, that the skinny arms and legs would someday be padded by beautiful musculature. His face had been too delicate for a boy, wide of eye and round of cheek. He'd been pretty, and had suffered because of it. Now, the loss of baby fat revealed a face dominated by hard blue eyes and high, slashing cheekbones.
He was still pretty, but in a way that made women sigh and men grumble.
His looks had meant little to Tifa back then, however. He'd been . . . kind. Serious for his age. Almost wise. He'd been a gift to her, even if she had not learned to appreciate it until it was almost too late. In her childhood, with an endless future ahead of her, Tifa had been supremely confident that she deserved the gift of him, and that he would always return to her, somehow.
Sometimes, Tifa wondered where that confidence had gone. She wished to find it back, but feared it had been left behind on the lip of well, in the hands of a young girl dressed in robin's blue who rarely questioned her worth.

it's rare to find a story that explains tifa's late arrival to the cloud-appreciation party ^^ so well--and yet you did it with logic, simplicity, without being overly condemning or apologetic. this just plain makes sense! and throughout the story, i could feel your empathy and respect for all the characters (not just cloud and tifa).

this part was so sweet and romantic:

He'd done it off-handedly, murmuring that he'd felt sorry for a flower seller and had paid a single gil for it. And what was he going to do with a flower, anyway?
But Tifa had treasured it. She pampered it with water and artificial light until she could stave off its withering no longer, then had lovingly pressed the bloom between the pages of her favorite book.

i just love the concept of tifa _pampering_ that flower :-) your sentences have such melodious flow--it's a treat for the ear as well. and you're making me wish you'd written a fic where cloud gives tifa a kitten (yes, i know you have to work within the framework of the game--i just want all that pampering to go to something that isn't already dead! ^^)

She wished she could explain that her knuckles were callused from punching monsters, and that her skin was chapped and rough from washing dishes or, more recently, from washing off ichor and blood. That with a little more care, perhaps one day her hands would be beautiful as well.
When he fixed his gaze back on her, however, her courage failed and she could say nothing. That special smile was back, reaching his eyes. The one that was just for her.
With her grimy hand still held in his, he said "I've always loved your hands."
And Tifa could breathe again.

this is the perfect ending, after all, tifa lives and dies by his word, by his view of her, and if he should still love her hands despite their less than delicate features, then why shouldn't she relax, at least for the moment? besides, he smiled his special smile. ^_^ i hope you'll write more tifa pieces in the future.

Hello, again!
A lovely piece, well written and believable. I think you've drawn Tifa's character really well, and the bits about all her cuts a bruises added realism.
The relationship between Cloud, Tifa and Aeris has created endless speculation, and will no doubt continue to. Tifa's confusion is very clear in your story.
I hope you write more.