At Close Range

Disclaimer:Bleh, Bleh, Bleh. Here it goes: I DO NOT own Final Fantasy VII nor the characters. Don't shoot! I do own this story line though!

Rating:Teen for now. May change later.

Title:At Close Range
Genre: Romance, Drama

Pairings: Tifa x Rufus

Written By:Cheyenne Haskell

Author's Note (A/N):If I use songs in this story, I probably don't own them. I'll let you know if I use any of my originals.

About The Story:Tifa is fed up with Cloud, after catching him with yet another girl. She kicks him out and tries to get on with her life. What happens when she runs into her enemy?

Chapter Disclaimer: Yeah, poor Cloud. Don't get me wrong, I love Cloud, but sometimes he doesn't treat Tifa right.

.oOoOoOo.
The tides take a turn
Another lesson learned
I'm right here but still you wonder
Would you say that you need more
And it's not what it was before
It was before your on your own and going under.
Deep inside your soul knows I'm always there.
.oOoOoOo.

.:Prologue:.

.:She Doesn't Need Him:.

"Cloud Strife! Get the hell out of here! I hate you!" I scream at a wide eyed Cloud. 'Probably still recovering from thinking with his-' I cut that thought short and glare into Cloud's Mako blue eyes. I just caught him, yet again with another girl. It seems to be more and more frequent lately, while before it was only once in a while. I cast a look in the direction of his choice of girl this time. A red head, actually a fake red head, that looks to have the attention span of a toaster. The girl is dressed in a very short skirt, that is in a dark blue, and a white tank top, that's practically see through.

"Tifa, this isn't what it looks like!" Cloud rushes towards me while doing up his shirt. He grabs my hand and I spin on him, pulling away from him.

Thank Gaia is was me who walked in my bar, and caught him with the fake red head. If it was Denzel or Marlene, all hell would break lose. I take a deep breath and lower myself to a chair. "Isn't what it looks like? What is it then Cloud..." When he doesn't answer I jump up and shove him away from me. "What the hell do you take me for Cloud Strife? An idiot, or a moron?" I spin around and pace away from him. "Wait, you take me for a sleeze like the fake red head over there." I nod in the other girls direction. "Cloud...I'm through with this. I'm tired of you screwing girl after girl...you were never like this..." He was never like this, in all the years I've known him. It's been this way since Aerith died. "Aerith is dead Cloud! Stop doing this!" I look at him, as the tears come to my eyes. I know Cloud doesn't love me, but we were trying to be a family for the kids.

"Don't you dare bring Aerith into this Tifa! She has nothing to do with what's going on!" Cloud glares at me and walks over to me. I wince when he grips my shoulders tightly. "Things will never be what you want them to be Tifa..."

I shove Cloud and slap him across the face. He shattered my dream, the dream that I've had since I was a teenager. I've loved this man standing in front of me for as long as I can remember. I'm angry for what he said. "You're nothing but...just get out Cloud..."

"Tifa...I didn't-" Cloud stammers.

"GET OUT!" I shove him again, this time towards the door. I glare at the girl. "You too! OUT!" I stand there trembling, as the two of them rush out of Seventh Heaven. When they're gone, I slide to the floor and curl up in a ball. 'What are you going to do without Cloud?' I sigh deeply when the question goes through my mind. "Live...because I don't need him..." I answer quietly.

.oOoOoOo.

You made me believe the day you surrender to me
The memory will never die
The love that you gave
I'll never throw it away
The memory will never die.
Default (The Memory Will Never Die)

.oOoOoOo.