Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except the ones which you've never heard of.

Chapter 1.

It was a glorious morning in the town of Kalm. Everyone was getting up and beginning on their chores. The baker and his wife were making pasteries. The inn keeper was trying to get travelers to come into his warm inn. Everyone was completely happy. From Kalm's famous bar, The 7th Heaven a very lovely woman of 21 years old stepped out and smelled the fresh air. She wore a black skirt that fell to her knees and a white sleeveless top. Her long brown hair fell to her waist and was pulled back into a fishtail. Her eyes were cherry brown color. And her name was Tifa Lockhart.

As she walked towards the book shop that was around the corner from The 7th Heaven, several people were whispering about her and her father. They were the oddest people living in Kalm. Her father was the bartender and sort of an inventor. He was trying to make the perfect drink that could stop death from coming. He was trying to make it taste good too. But the problem was, he just couldn't figuare it out. So several people called him the odd ball.

Tifa was called odd too because she loved to read so much. Normal women wouldn't read as much as she did. She could read almost any book within three days. She was very gifted in bartending and she was very kind hearted. But she was also the most loveliest girl in town. Everyone admitted that. Her best friend, Cloud Strife, always told everyone that he would marry her someday. But Tifa always refused his proposal. She liked him not loved him. People always wondered why she did. They didn't understand why she only liked him. Her reason was Cloud was so pigheaded and sort of stuck up. He was abit actually but no one really saw it but Tifa. He was abit vain in himself too. He always had to have his hair spiked up. He hated to have flat hair. And his favorite color was purple. It sometimes drove Tifa nuts when he would always wear his purple uniform. Although Tifa did admit, Cloud was a good looking guy. But his mind was like a balloon. Full of air. People told him things and the air would just blow right out his ear. And that annoyed Tifa. Several girls in Kalm thought he was Mr. Terrific but Tifa would roll her eyes and say "Whatever".

Tifa had just entered the bookshop and smiled at Elmyra the book-keeper. "Hello, Tifa. Done already?" She asked. Tifa nodded. "Yup. Got any new books?" She asked placing the book onto the table. Elmyra laughed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Tifa. But it'll take abit longer for me to order new books. And you've read almost every single book in my shop." She said. Tifa smiled brightly and started looking through the shelves. "That's alright. I'll take........this one!" She said grabbing a red covered book. Elmyra took the book and looked at it. "This one? But you must have read this one at least a dozen times." She said. Tifa smiled brightly. "But it's my favorite! Enchanted castle, talking funiture, singing candlesticks and a heartless beast who falls in love with a Beauty and his heart of stone is melted. I just love it!" She said twirling in a circle. Elmyra laughed. "You know, Tifa. If you love this book that much, you can keep it." She said. Tifa was surprised. "But, Elmyra! I can't keep it. What if someone else wants to read it?" She asked. Elmyra shook her head still smiling. "Tifa, your pretty much my only customer. No one wants a book that has no pictures. They like seeing what is happening by pictures and not their imagination. Plus I've had that book over thirteen years. No one's ever touched it untel you moved here from Nibelheim." She said pushing the book closer to Tifa. Tifa smiled. "Oh thank you so much, Elmyra." She said leaving the book store. She was feeling so happy. She left the store beginning to read it while she walked.

People were giving her disapproving looks. "I can't believe that girl. Some day she'll walk right into an open sewer or something." One old lady said. They watched as Tifa was walking straight towards a sewer without a top. They gasped as she got closer. "Oh no! Tifa, dear!" One called. Tifa stopped only a foot away and looked over her book at the old women. "Oh! Good morning, Mrs. Wallace and Mrs. Strife." She said. Mrs. Strife, who was Cloud's mother, pointed. "Watch out for that sewer. You really shouldn't read while your walking. You 'll get hurt." She said. Tifa glanced around her book and smiled. "Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Strife. But I knew about that. You see if I hold the book out like this....." She held her book out about a foot away from her face. "I can see where I'm going. I would have stopped before stepping into that. Thanks anyway." She said waving. Mrs. Strife nodded. She was about to turn back to Mrs. Wallace but stopped. "Oh and Tifa?" She asked. Tifa lowered her book again. "Yes?" She asked. Mrs. Strife smiled. "Did Cloud ask you that question yet?" She asked. Tifa sighed and nodded. "Yes. It was the fiftith time. I already told him. I will not marry Cloud. He's my best friend, yes. But I don't love him like that. Please understand that, Mrs. Strife." She said. Mrs. Strife nodded. "I understand, dear. I know how you feel. His father was the same way. It was the same with me. He wouldn't stop asking me untel I finally got tired of it and said yes. Then bam! We're married, had Cloud and now he wants to marry you. Funny isn't it?" She asked. Tifa forced a laugh. "Yeah. It is." She said and turned away. She rolled her eyes and started towards her father's bar. "Very funny." She muttered. She opened her book again and started to walk away.

She was just about to walk up the stairs when suddenly her book was snatched from her hands. She jumped abit and turned around. "Good morning, Tifa." Cloud said smiling. Tifa smiled faintly. "Good morning, Cloud. Can I please have my book back?" She asked making a grab for it. But Cloud danced away on his heels opening it and started to flip through it. "How can you read this, Tifa? It's got no pictures." he said. Tifa snatched it away. "I read it by a way that you can't." She said. Cloud looked confused. Tifa sighed. "I use my imagination, Cloud." She said. Cloud rolled his eyes. "Oh that how mumbo jumbo use your imagination thing again, huh? You really need to get your pretty little nose out of that thing and pay attention to reality. Something like.....me." He said proudly. Tifa sighed and punched his shoulder. He winced and rubbed his shoulder. "Shut up, Cloud. Your the reason why I don't pay attention." Tifa said. Cloud tilted his head. "Uh......." He wondered out loud. Tifa rolled her eyes. "Never mind, Cloud. I've got to get home to my father. He needs my help in the bar today." She said.

There was some laughing. Cloud's friend, Zack Flare, stepped up. "Ha, ha, ha. That crazy old loony brains needs all the help he can get." He said twirling his finger around his head. Cloud burst out with laughter with him. Tifa scowled. "Don't talk about my father that way! He's a genius, Zack!" She said sharply. The two leaned on each other laughing. Tifa growled and stomped her foot. She stomped up the stairs. Cloud looked up with surprise. "Tifa! Wait! Wait, Tifa!" He called after her but she didn't stop. She was so angry at her friend for laughing at her father like that.

She hurried into the bar and found her father mixing things again. He was trying to concentrate on what to put in his concoction. "Hello, daddy." Tifa said. Mr. Lockhart jumped and poured too much of the liquid he was using. "Tifa! Don't scare me like that." He said. Tifa winced abit. "I'm sorry." She said shamefully. Mr. Lockhart just smiled faintly at her. "It's alright. I know you didn't mean to. I really think I'm on a brink to this elixer." He said. Tifa nodded. "I know." She said sitting at one of the stools. "So did you have a good time at the bookstore today?" Mr. Lockhart asked. Tifa nodded. "Elmyra gave me the Beauty book." She said. She then looked distant. "Father, do you think I'm odd?" She asked. Mr. Lockhart looked up. "My daughter? Odd? Who would say something like that?" He asked using tongs to pull out the small vile that fell into his small pot. Tifa shrugged. "Everyone's been saying it. It's because I read too much. But I can't help it." She said. Mr. Lockhart nodded. "It's okay to read alot. It just helps build your imagination." He said.

He noticed that Tifa had a sad look in her eyes. "Honey, what's wrong?" he asked. Tifa sighed and shook her head. "Nothing, daddy. I just feel abit lonely. That's all." She said. Mr. Lockhart tilted his head. "Lonely? But what about Cloud? You two get along pretty well. How can you be lonely?" He asked. Tifa rolled her eyes. "Yeah. But Cloud is naive. He doesn't use his brain and he's constantly flirtting with me. He's not the one for me." She said. Mr. Lockhart smiled abit. "It's alright, Tifa. Once I get this stupid thing down, that's actually an if, we'll be rich and we'll get out of here." He said. He looked saddly at his concotion. "But that's a really big if." He said. Tifa looked at his potion he was making. "Don't worry, Daddy. You'll get it." She said. Mr. Lockhart sighed. "I really hope so." He said. He grabbed a spoon and took a spoonful. "Cheers." he said and stuck it into his mouth. He waited for a second and then his eyes went wide. Tifa stared. "What is it, daddy?" She asked. Mr. Lockhart took another spoonful. "Try this, Tifa. What do you think?" He asked.

Tifa did. Her eyes lit up as she felt refreshed. It was delicious. She smiled. "Daddy! You did it! I feel like new!" She said. Mr. Lockhart looked over the stuff he used. "It must have been when you startled me. I dropped this stuff in it and it's turned into a success!" He said. Tifa laughed with happiness. She went around the counter and hugged her father. "You can attend the convention tomorrow then. Sell your potions in the city!" She said happily. Mr. Lockhart nodded. "I will go to the city and make a fortune. What would you like me to bring back for you?" He asked. Tifa smiled abit more. "Books. Any books you can." She said. Mr. Lockhart nodded with a grin. They hugged tightly.

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think.