Tifa Lockheart

'''This is not FF7 canon. Well, some of it is. Most of it is not. This is mostly me trying to keep my notes straight. Spoilers abound.'''

Born May 3, 1977

A native of Nibelheim and a student of martial arts, Tifa left her hometown with her friend Cloud to seek further adventure across the sea in Midgar.

Early Life
Tifa lost her mother when she was thirteen of an unknown illness. Local legend had it that the spirits of the dead traveled over to the other side of the Nibel mountains on their way to heaven. Wanting to

see her mother one more time, Tifa attempted to climb the mountains herself. Her friends followed her to a point before losing their nerve and heading home. Only Cloud- who at the time was only a vague acquaintance through school and the neighborhood- continued to follow after her. During her climb, the mountainside gave way and both Tifa and Cloud fell a not inconsiderable height. Tifa suffered a concussion and lay unconscious for three days before regaining her senses. Cloud escaped with only minor injuries and was blamed for putting Tifa up to such a dangerous stunt. They later reconciled to a degree, and became closer friends than they had been. Cloud left for Midgar shortly thereafter. Unwilling to be thwarted in her attempts to reach heaven, Tifa made it her personal business to become intimately acquainted with each cliff and outcropping of the Nibel mountains. As a result, she knows the area better than most of the adults who work daily on the mountain. She did not seen Cloud again until a few years later when he and accompanied General Sephiroth and two other soldiers on a mission to inspect the Nibel reactor. Tifa led them up the rough mountain trail to the reactor.