EDIT: So it seems that there were no breaks within the entire story. WHICH SUCKS. You know..like the little astericks and what not. So I'm editing each and every damn chapter and putting "xoxoxo" instead of those invisible astericks. So if you read through it again..it might make more sense. I know I wouldn't read it if the author didn't show the little breaks like that. (just one of my personal pet peeves)

Rated R for mature situations, drug references, mature language, and explicit sex scenes. You've been warned.

Author's Notes: I'M SEEKING A BETA READER! I repeat, I would REALLY find it helpful to have another pair of eyes read through my story and help me fill in plot holes or help me reconstruct sentences that make no sense. I would also like to say that I had posted the first six chapters of this story once before, but I decided to take them down due to some revisions, and for the fact that I've turned this project around a bit. Instead of just being a short story about Tifa and Reno I decided to make it end up being more intracit. So bascially, what I had before is just all turning out to be part one of a longer story.

As another note, I have part 1 completely finished (only ten chapters)! So if anybody is interested in being my beta, just write me a little note in the reviews section and we'll talk about it more after that.

Anyway, I'm now reposting chapter one in hopes to spark someone's attention to be my beta.

G A W D Y F O R T U N E S
Part 1: Unfaithful
By: Xtine

Chapter 1: Happy Moments

The autumn breeze swept through the chilling air, brushing across the young woman's arms and caressing her lithe body in its wake. She felt a smile creep upon her lips as she embellished the tranquility of her surroundings, and indulged in the time alone and the solitude that surrounded her. A deep sigh escaped her throat as she cast her eyes up towards the heavens, the leaves beginning to dance in the sweeps of wind that enveloped her.

Tifa Lockheart for the first time in her life enjoyed the time alone. To her, it seemed as if she finally had some time to think as the world twisted and coiled its cruel games around her. Everything seemed to really stir up after Meteor, her emotions now playing a vital role in her life, as they were the only things that dwelled in her cranium anymore.

Lust, love, infatuation…she would constantly contemplate her inner feelings, trying to unravel their mystery. At the moment though, nothing seemed to matter, as it was she and only she in the world. She was beginning to enjoy that feeling—it made her feel important. Right now she didn't have to impress anybody, she didn't have to dwell with the thoughts of humanity, and most of all, she didn't have to deal with her child-hood friend.

"Cloud," his name rolled off her tongue like a drop of dew off a leaf. She loved that man with all her heart, and more if it was possible. Every single day of her life she lived for him, tried to please him, tried to make him notice her, but all her efforts seemed to be tainted by another, a greater being than herself.

Aeris, I never really had that much of a chance to know you, but it seemed as though you had a good thing coming for you, Tifa gave a thought and kept her gaze to the heavens, as if praying to the long lost ancient. A smile was still perched on her lips and she tried to shrug off her thoughts, letting her muscular legs carry her off into the distance, to let her dance among the wind; let her soar with her dreams.

She skipped off into the distance, finding herself on top of a rolling grass hill and looking deep down into the town below her. Her eyes focused upon the town of Kalm, the name itself truly telling the meaning and living life of the town.

After the adventure she had set on with the members of AVALANCHE to destroy Sephiroth and save the planet from Meteor, it was far time for everybody to then go their own ways. Nibelheim didn't exist anymore, only a skeleton of her memories remained in tact and she was not one to enjoy the mimicking lie of her childhood.

There was no other place to really go that reminded her so much of her hometown other than Kalm, and so that was where she decided to nest herself. Cloud had agreed that he would enjoy staying there also, as he was planning on helping with the reconstruction of Midgar, and Kalm was the nearest town to the once great empire.

With the destination settled, Tifa found herself quickly making herself at home in the quiet town, setting up her bar and becoming quite a hit business. Everything seemed to be running absolutely smoothly, and months began to pass and the whole planet seemed to be realigning itself. She had to smile on that thought, as everything was almost perfect yet again with the exception of her twisted emotions.

Give it a rest, she instructed herself, trying to calm her nerves. One day you'll be able to settle down and have yourself a family. Just you wait Tifa; one day…you'll have the perfect life.

xoxox

Tifa descended from her sanctuary when the sun was high in the sky, its rays illuminating the reds, oranges and yellows of the falling leaves like a fire blazing in a humble fireplace. She trotted down the rolling hill, the grass making a small crunching sound beneath every step she took. A certain bounce had taken over her body as she strolled, a strange happiness of knowing that something was to happen today, whether this was all in her sub-consciousness or not, she would never know, but the feeling was still overwhelming her.

The city was strangely calm that day as she walked through, and it brought a strange awareness into her mind as she proceeded forth to that familiar house that she resided in. Everything seemed to be different, not in a bad way, but in a new exciting way that pulsated through her veins. As she continued forward her bar became visible, the sign not showing its usual enthusiasm that it enjoyed showing its customers in the midst of the night when it glowed its name proudly.

She reached the steel door in what seemed like no time at all, and she gave an experimental turn on the knob to see if her best friend was home at the time. Effortlessly the knob turned in her grasp, and she slowly swung the door open, surprised to see the bar strangely quiet, even for this time of day. She figured if Cloud were to be home, he would at least be doing something downstairs, considering the upstairs only contained the master bedroom.

Tifa quirked an eyebrow as she took a step in and quietly closed the door behind her, cautious to not make too much noise in case Cloud was perhaps taking an little afternoon nap in her bed—which he occasionally did—after a long day's work.

A sigh escaped the young woman's lips as she proceeded to weave her body around the maze of tables and chairs. Her feet guided her along effortlessly, making only the smallest of sounds in the quiet little bar. As she continued to glide across the varnished wood floor, she began to hear the smallest chimes of music playing deep within one of her back rooms. Her attention was suddenly roused, her eyes focused towards the direction she heard the music coming from and she directed her body to follow.

It hummed so quietly, so softly throughout the small bar that it would have been almost impossible to be truly heard, but her soul was what took it in and held onto it as she was guided through her hallways and back into the depths of her quaint house. Just as she expected, she saw a small door emitting strands of light through its small open crack, and a smirk breached upon her rose lips.

Cloud, what have you got yourself into today? She pondered to herself, knowing that he obviously found a way into her junk closet and was fiddling with old and used "junk" as she thought it as. Cautiously she let her eyes peek in, her hands gently pushing the door forward to allow herself a better look.

What she saw brought warmth into her body she hadn't felt for months. The little lit oil lamp dimly lighting the room and an old record player spinning around its track emitting the soft music she had heard from the main room humbled her turmoiled soul. As she looked at the scene, she felt a little dumbfounded, as the person she was expecting to be sitting within the small cavern was not there at all. The small room was completely empty of any life.

Her mind floundered for a moment, and she found herself trying to turn in the opposite direction when she suddenly felt a presence soar behind her. Making her turn around quickly, she found herself meeting face to face with the one she was seeking. Surreal blue eyes laid themselves down upon her, their gaze meeting with her own and only being fractured by the few loose strands of golden blonde hair that dared to fall from the rest.

Cloud had a smile sketched on his lips as he saw the enthusiasm placed upon Tifa's face. He gave a small chuckle as he gently placed his hands upon her shoulders and turned her back around to face the tiny room. Obeying his silent command, she prodded forth into the small closet and went in as far back as she could possibly manage, considering all of the junk that was lying around. She held a smirk on her face as she found a place to stand and quietly watched Cloud follow in behind her.

In his mind, Cloud took a deep breath. He was about to do something he would either regret for the rest of his life, or something that he would love and cherish and hold onto forever. Deep in his mind the world was turning at a deafening slow pace, all of his assumptions, thoughts, and troubles whirling around together as they all made a jumbled mess at this very moment. Everything he ever wanted, everything he ever needed was right there in front of him.

The night before they were to fight Sephiroth was when things had really been beginning to click in his confused mind. That night he found himself being anxious, nervous, and deeply exhilarated by the one he was privileged to share it with. He had made love to the ever-elusive Tifa Lockheart that night, although at times he still had to ponder what had composed him to do such a thing. He loved her, yes, but he still felt as if he were taking advantage of her, using her eager love to suppress his own feelings towards another.

Aeris, he still hated to think about her. Honestly she was the only thing stopping him from doing the one thing that felt right any sooner. He loved that little flower girl with all of his heart; everything she did made him pulsate with an energy that he had never felt before. That didn't matter now though, as there was another love he was to take in his arms, to hold and to cherish.

In the past few months of their housing together, they had grown fairly close, especially on those lonely nights when neither could find sleep and the only thing that seemed to be any real company was alcohol and each other. That was how their life was becoming now, each of them swimming in an emotional drain, and one using the other as a floating device.

He felt this would be the right thing to do though, ask for her to take his hand in marriage, and then they could seal their love—if there was any real love—and then at least attempt to have a family and live a normal life. The right thing, that was all he could think.

Aeris would have wanted it this way. She wouldn't want me to waste my life. Those were the thoughts he would constantly bicker about in his mind, until he finally had made the fateful decision.

He had bought a ring earlier that month, making sure to find a jeweler that would have had the most exquisite ring for sale—the perfect ring. He had searched only for a week before he saw the jade encrusted jewel staring back at him through the glass casing in one of the jewelry shops. Seas of emerald greens and blues danced within the small jade gems that were entombed in a pure silver band.

When he purchased the rare jewel from the shop owner, he had to admit that it was a little pricey, but after his adventure he found himself with plenty of money to spare. The ring then rested in his pocket for days upon days, waiting for the time that the foolish man would finally reach enough courage to do what he felt "was the right thing".

And now he stood, his hand sunk deep in his right pocket fumbling with the black velvet box as he looked down upon the curious eyes of Tifa. His eyes seemed to suck her in as she was put into a trance by the swirling colors that surrounded his pupil. She found her stare interrupted as she then felt a warm palm place itself upon her cheek, which she instinctively hugged her face into.

"Tifa…" Cloud finally managed to break the silence, as the music had stopped playing its rhythmic tunes. "These past few months have been torture on both of us, trying to deal with ourselves, trying to deal with our past."

She felt her heart stopping, his speech sending chills down her spine and butterflies soaring in her stomach. What is he getting at? What does he want from me? Questions drowned her sober mind and only surfaced through her curious eyes.

Cloud found his throat drying; the pressure was building, as was his anxiety—but he continued on. "I think it's just about time that we put the past behind us. We need to move on, let memories be just that. Memories."

"Cloud, what are you getting at?" she spoke through at his pause. She hadn't meant to be rude, but she was becoming impatient with his speech and her bewilderment was attacking her mind.

Cloud took in a deep breath, her fragrance filling and intoxicating his senses, but he had to continue for if he didn't, he felt he would never be able to let all of this out in the open. Assuming the position of a loyal knight, he found himself dropping to one knee, his hand slipping out of his pocket and almost flawlessly opening up the small gift and then presenting it for the princess. Her eyes glistened as she watched the stones dance and sing with the light rays that feed through the carefully crafted cuts of diamonds.

Everything around her seemed to stop. He hadn't even spoken, but from everything that she knew in life, she already knew the words that were to slip from his mouth. Subconsciously she placed her hands over her heart, as if protecting it from the intruder, and at the same time asking permission to let this intruder take its place inside of it.

"Tifa Lockheart, I want you to be my wife. I don't want to spend another morning without your brilliant soul beside mine; I don't want to spend another moment of my life not knowing what could have been. I want you with me now, and forever," his heroic voice seemed to somehow curse his nervousness to the darkest pits of his emotions, which he was very good at doing in times like these—even if he didn't like to admit it.

At that moment a single tear streaked down her face, glistened from the light from the oil lamp, and then fell upon the damp cement floor of the closet. She smiled down at him, followed by her body plowing into his arms, the joy wracking her small body. Cloud found himself losing his balance as she fell into his arms, but he quickly regained it as he returned the loving embrace.

A small chuckle escaped his lips as he fed his desires with her at that moment. "So, is that a yes?"

Tifa found herself playfully hitting him on the shoulder at his shallowness, but the joy that surged through her was still too great to defeat her annoyance. Instead, she found herself torn between a sobbing and a laughing as she hid herself deeper within his embrace.

Author's Notes (again...): Well isn't the first chapter cute! So romantic, I suppose. Anyway, not to spoil anything, but this is a TifaXReno fic, so if you were expecting a happy story of Cloud and Tifa, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Although, you could just stop reading the story now and pretend that they lived happily ever after.

Disclaimers: I do not own any of the names, characters, or places mentioned in this story.