Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square-Enix and Disney.

A/n: Sorry if there are any typos, I got a new laptop and I'm not used to typing on this keyboard. Anyway, this is a new obsession of mine and I just had to write it out. This is a Tifa+Leon/Squall story with Aerith+Cloud, rated M for adult situations, language, and alcohol use, and it is indeed very angsty. I'm not really sure how far it'll go, I guess it depends on how many people want to read more.

Don't read if you don't like it, and don't flame me because I really don't care if it made you mad.

Chapter One

"I tried so hard and you act like it was nothing…"

The sudden creak of the door startled her, and she spun around in surprise. Clasping a hand to her chest, she reached behind her and set down the towel and glass she had been drying, trying to calm herself. She felt like a weight had hit the bottom of her stomach when she saw him standing there.

"Cloud!" She breathed, a small smile catching the corner of her mouth. 'I had hoped you wouldn't come…'

He knew better than to try and start up a conversation with her, he simply nodded a greeting before continuing through the kitchen doorway and into the living room.

Tifa watched him go, her fist clenching around the dish towel she held behind her. After several tense moments, she forced herself to turn back around and finish drying the dishes.

"Bye, Tifa!" Aerith chirped happily, waving to her room mate as she walked towards the door.

She forced a smile and waved back, trying desperately to ignore the fact that they were holding hands. Cloud looked away just before their eyes met and Tifa felt a sharp pang go through her heart. "Bye, have fun you two!" She replied, dropping the towel beside her as her hands started shaking.

The door closed and Tifa fell to her knees staring down at the tiled floor beneath her. Tears fell quickly down her face and she wiped them away hurriedly. She had put her entire being into trying to get him to love her, she had searched everywhere for him, and now that she had found him, he had chosen Aerith. He was all she had ever wanted, she couldn't even remember having a crush on anyone else.

"Oh my gods, Tifa are you okay?"

She looked up in horror when she realized Yuffie was standing in the doorway staring at her. Pushing herself quickly to her feet, she wiped her face and turned back towards the sink, head bowed. Yuffie stared at her in shock, she had no idea Tifa even knew how to cry. She had seen a tear or two here and there, but sobbing? It didn't seem right.

"I'm fine." She plastered on that fake smile once again and looked over her shoulder at the young ninja. "You're home early."

"Yea, the store closed early tonight, some idiot was playing in the backroom and damn near burned the whole shop down." She huffed, keeping a close eye on Tifa as she took a seat at the table. That got a snicker out of Tifa, and she smiled to herself knowing she could take her mind off of whatever had been bothering her.

"By idiot do you mean 'idiots', as in you and Sora?" Tifa asked brokenly, sniffing slightly as she tried to hide the fact that she had been crying. A wide grin crossed Yuffie's face and she gave the martial artist a sly look.

"Who told you?" She asked across the table.

Tifa shrugged. "Leon might have mentioned it when he was searching the town for you in a blind fury." She said simply.

Yuffie laughed nervously. "It as all Sora's fault, I told him not go back there." She said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, but weren't you the one that said you should see if the new elixirs were really flammable?" Tifa replied, staring the ninja down as she tried to fight the laugh that was bubbling up inside her.

"Yuffie!!"

A loud bellow from the next room and the sound of the back door slamming made both women jumped, and Yuffie shot out of her seat with a shriek. Leon dashed into the room just as Yuffie vanished out the door. He sighed heavily and leaned on the table in anger.

"I swear, one of these days that brat is going to get it." He muttered, looking over towards Tifa's surprised face.

"What happened to you?" he asked wearily, noticing her tearstained cheeks. She quickly rubbed her hands over her face.

"Oh, nothing." She replied, looking up at him. He watched her doubtfully for a moment before she changed the subject.

"So do you know what the next project is yet?" She asked.

"There are still a few houses in town that need repaired, maybe a couple that need rebuilt. We're going to do that first and move on to some sections of the city walls." He said quietly, glancing around the room.

"Where's Aerith?" He asked suddenly, the name almost startling Tifa as she stared up at him with wide eyes.

"On a date." She finally managed to say as he watched her suspiciously. "With Cloud." That last part almost made her burst into tears again, but she fought it back and forced herself to stay calm. Leon still caught the slight quiver of her jaw and her hands shaking gently on the table as she looked at him seriously.

"I see." he murmured, walking slowly over to the door. "I'm going to look for Yuffie." He said simply, giving her one last glance before stepping outside and closing the door behind him.

Moment after the door clicked closed, Tifa let her head fall heavily on the table. 'This is going to be a horrible week.'

x:X:x

She knew long before she had arrived at the restaurant exactly why everyone was there. The table up ahead was filled with people, laughing, smiling, joking people. Some she had known for many years, others she had just met. Young and old, members of the Restoration Committee and people depending on the committee for their homes. At one end of the table Aerith sat leaning against Cloud, smiling happily at all of their friends as the "reunion" began. The food had long since arrived, and they had taken the time to reserve the largest table the restaurant had to offer for the mass of people who had come to celebrate. Sora and his two best friends sat at the other end of the table, and Tifa watched as someone called a toast on the recent defeat of Organization XIII.

"Don't like parties?"

The sudden voice in her ear made her jump, and she quickly turned to see Leon standing right beside her. She looked back toward the table in time to see Sora reach over and shove a bread roll in Yuffie's mouth as she explained something very loudly to Cid.

"I don't feel welcome, I shouldn't be here." She turned to leave, looking down in shock as Leon's hand gripped her wrist.

"Those two are still your two best friends, broken heart or not. If I have to be here for them, so do you." It was really more of a request than a command, but Tifa found it comforting. She followed him through the restaurant to the table and pulled out a chair for her as cheers broke out around the room.

"Tifa! You made it!" Yuffie hollered from down the table, waving excitedly to her friend. "How'd you get Leon to come?" She asked around a mouthful of food as he sat down beside her.

She just smiled and filled her wine glass, nibbling gingerly on a roll as she stared at the table. She quickly finished the wine and refilled the glass, staring at the red liquid curiously. She had never been one to drink wine, but it seemed inappropriate to start on hard liquor before the party was even over.

She refused to look up when Aerith called everyone's attention, couldn't even sneak a glance as the two at the end of the table stood up and smiled happily at each other.

"We're getting married!" Aerith cried, smiling widely at the crowd of people as cheers broke out once again.

People called out at the couple all along the table, clapping and laughing and expressing their relief that Cloud's love life wasn't hopeless after all. Leon glanced back over to Tifa in time to see her gulp down her entire glass of wine.

x:X:x

She saw them everywhere now when she tried to leave her apartment. Looking past the stone wall beside her, she could see them just around the corner. Aerith was laughing and Cloud was holding her in his arms again, kissing the side of her neck as she playfully tried to shove him away.

Turning sharply, Tifa dashed back up the stairs, holding up a hand to block the sun from her eyes as she ran from them. The early summer air was warm on her skin, but she ignored it as tears stung her eyes once again. Her body felt cold even as she ran along the twisting streets of Radiant Garden, dodging back and forth to avoid hitting people as her vision began to blur from the tears.

"Tifa!" She glanced over to see Yuffie and Leon standing there talking with some people, waving to her as she ran by them. She made eye contact with Leon for a split second, catching his worried look before dashing around the corner in shame.

Her friends had seen her cry, the love of her life was marrying another woman, and even worse, she would have to hear them tonight yet again. She held her hands over her ears for a moment as she remembered the squeaking of the bed, their muffled voices coming through the wall as she sat in her room late last night trying not to care.

She reached her house in record time, slamming the door and collapsing against it as she buried her face in her hands.

x:X:x

"Tifa, are you sure you're alright with this?" Aerith's voice grated loudly in her ears as she looked up from the catalogue again. The kind flower girl was staring down at her in worry, and she found herself hating it to her own horror. She put on that fake smile again and nodded.

"Of course, I would tell you if it wasn't." She said simply, looking back down at the colorful dresses on the page.

"But-" Aerith began as Tifa cut her off, pointing enthusiastically down at the page.

"I like this one the best, and they'll match the flowers you picked out." She beamed up at the worried brunette and handed her the catalogue.

"Oh, are you sure? I thought you didn't like light blue." She said hesitantly.

Tifa laughed, almost grimacing at how forced it really sounded. "You wouldn't like the bridesmaid dresses I'd pick out." It worked, however, as the brunette hugged the thick magazine to her chest and smiled warmly.

"Alright, I'll call the dress shop tomorrow." Aerith said happily. She walked quickly out of the room, no doubt to show Cloud what Tifa had picked. She watched her go, her face finally falling as she heard the front door close behind her.

"If you keep this up, you are going to lose you mind." She turned around to look up at the girl standing in the doorway.

"What?" She asked tiredly, resting her chin in her hand as she watched Yuffie bounce into the room and throw herself down on the couch.

"You're totally nuts about Cloud, and this whole wedding thing is killing you." The ninja stated. Tifa gave her a blank look. "It's so obvious it's ripping you apart even I can see it."

"Well, there's nothing I can do." Her chest hurt, but she ignored it, pushing herself up from her seat hurriedly.

"Where ya goin'?" Yuffie asked as she made her way out of the room.

"To find them a wedding present." She said sadly, looking back for a moment before catching the look of pity on the girl's face.

Leon watched as Tifa brushed past him out of the house, looking back up at Yuffie questioningly.

x:X:x

Tifa watched as people rushed back and forth, moving tables and putting up streamers as the last minute preparations were made. It had been three weeks, and she had managed to hang on until this point. Her heart ached, but she stood at the end of the chapel, clutching the white and sky blue bouquet to her chest like a shield. She had promised to be here for them, no matter how much she wanted to run away and forget about it all.

"You know, it's alright to admit you've got a problem with this."

She looked over to Cid, standing there awkwardly in his rented suit. He had replaced his cigarette once again with a toothpick, and shifted it back and forth in his mouth as he watched her.

"It doesn't matter, they'll be happy together." She said, more to herself than to him. Cid snorted and glanced over to watch some of the townspeople running to put snowy white tablecloths over the tables.

"I'm willing to bet it matters to Cloud, he does care about you ya know." It seemed weird to hear from the gummi builder, but she knew he was right. He had known them for years and should understand exactly what was happening, it seemed like everyone else did. She sighed.

"I'll be fine, really." She said quietly, smiling widely as Yuffie walked up beside her.

"I cannot believe you made me wear this. I am going to kill you." Yuffie growled through clenched teeth, gripping her bouquet in one hand like a weapon. She stumbled slightly trying to walk in the high heels Aerith had insisted she wear, and looked up sharply when Cid started laughing at her.

"You don't look so good yourself, geezer, I wouldn't be laughing if I were you." She said spitefully, waving the bouquet at him threateningly as Tifa watched with interest.

"Yuffie, you look.. Nice." She spun around, seething with ninja wrath as Sora walked up to the small group cheerfully.

Screaming broke out and Tifa quickly turned and walked away, they only had a couple more hours until the wedding would start, she needed to finish her chores. Pushing open the door to the side rooms, she noticed Leon standing near a long table. He looked up when she entered and finished setting the tall wine glasses on the table.

"I thought you weren't going to come." He said curiously, watching as she stepped forward and picked up a box set under the table for her.

"I had to…" She mumbled quietly, keeping her eyes down as she felt his gaze sweep over her.

She suddenly felt herself feeling self conscience, she didn't usually wear dresses, and combined with the high heels it was difficult to move in. She knew her face must have looked hollow, and her hair was tied back messily at the base of her neck. She opened the box and reached in, pulling out bags of confetti, candy, and thank you cards. She set them on the table and got to work filling the glasses with the confetti and candy and tying thank you cards to each one.

Leon watched her for several minutes, trying to decide if it was really his place to say anything. Finally deciding against it, he picked up several finished wedding favors and walked out of the room to set them on the tables.

An hour later, Tifa had finished her work and stood against the table staring down at it. Leon had long since taken all of the favors to place on the overly decorated tables, and she wondered how long he was going to let her stand in the empty room and mourn over the events of the day. At some point while she was standing there hoping for something to happen to stop the wedding, she had sunk down to her knees beside the table, resting her head against her arms as she gripped the edge of the table.

"Tifa." She didn't bother turning around this time as Leon kneeled down beside her.

"It's time to get ready." He said, looking up towards Yuffie, who was standing worriedly in the doorway.

She stood up quickly and stared back at her friends, they really were being patient with her. "Alright, let's go." She said, putting on her smile and walking swiftly out the door.

End of Chapter One