Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for the plot. Everything especially the characters belong to Square Enix.

Author's Note: The long awaited chapter is here!

Popularity Feud

ENDING

"A-Ah! Wait you're going too hard!"

"My dear, if I didn't this would have been futile" a deep chuckle was heard inside of the room.

"B-But! Ah! Yep right there! That's the spot."

"My my, you sound so dirty right now,"

"Sephiroth! Stop making jokes! You're literally killing me right now," wine colored eyes met mako green ones. There was annoyance in her voice and a tinge of pain.

"You do have to understand that I'm not the one making lewd noises," he replied as he applied more ointment on his hands and rubbing it together. He resumed his task and the woman before him squirmed yet again.

"I wouldn't be making these sounds if you did it properly," she retorted as she laid her head back on the pillow and tried to relax. The only relaxing thing in the room is the sweet smell of eucalyptus. The man behind her sighed as he placed his hands on her shoulders and started massaging it properly, as the lady told him to.

"I thought you're supposed to withstand a lot of pain, Tifa?" He joked and got another failed attempt of a kick to his side. He could never understand why the brunette was insistent on harming him when she's laying down on her bed with with her back facing him.

"Pain from club activities and pain from massages are two different things, Mr. Hojo," she remarked.

"Oh, so we are back with the last name basis are we, Lockhart?" he replied as he continued his ministrations. Applying another coat of ointment and started working his magic.

"A-ah. Well, if you quit being an insufferable ass, then I'll go back to endearments," she said as she felt her muscles relaxing after a good ten minutes of agonizing pain. She slowly drifted to sleep as Sephiroth continued to massage her neck and shoulders. After he was done, he noticed that the woman in front of him is sleeping like a baby. He smiled to himself and covered her up with her blanket.

He slowly got up, making sure that he didn't wake her in the process and walked towards her kitchen. He took a pitcher of water and poured himself a glass of water. He mused back to when the whole retreat happened and how he was rejected right in front of his peers. It was an experience that he wouldn't forget even if he wanted to. He sat down on the couch in Tifa's apartment, the apartment that he got acquainted with after months of properly dating. He looked up at the ceiling and thought about the events that transpired throughout the year.

The one event that he would never forget was when she finally said yes.

Tifa was walking down the school corridors dressed in a simple black dress and matching mary jane shoes. Today was Cid and Barrett's graduation, along with the other seniors in their school. She wanted to see them go up the stage and receive their diploma, thankfully, Barrett had an extra ticket and gave it to Tifa. It was a melancholic day, she wouldn't be seeing them anymore in school the following year, but she's proud of them like a sister would be to her brothers.

They have matured in the years that she had known them and they helped her whenever she needed them. They were understanding in their own little way and Tifa couldn't dare imagine someone replacing them, they were her friends, her confidants, and most of all, her family. She sat down at the bleachers, watching her friends from afar. Yuffie approached her and sat beside her and sooner or later, the rest of the Avalanche was there, or should she say, ex-Avalanche. Vincent was sitting next to Yuffie and Cloud sat next to Tifa, he brought a box of tissues, knowing full well how emotional graduations could be and how emotional the two females could get.

The brunette looked at the bleachers in front of her and she saw a mop of silver haired people. She instantly knew that it was the Hojo family. She was sort of glad that they were there to support Sephiroth's friends. Angeal was graduating along with Cid and Barette and Sephiroth was proud of him, although he would never say it out loud to anyone.

In a fleeting moment, Mako green eyes locked with Wine Colored ones. She gave a small wave and it was returned by her suitor. After the retreat at Professor Hojo's summer villa, Sephiroth had started courting her properly. When everyone found out that the most sought ought man and woman in their school was supposedly an item, they went crazy. A couple of men challenged Sephiroth for Tifa, even though he told them that she was not an item to win over and that they weren't together...yet. The same happened to Tifa, although it was worse than the dilemma Sephiroth had to go through. Women were cunning now a days and as they say 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'. Thumbtacks were placed in her shoes, she often gets locked inside the bathroom, whenever she goes alone, and there are instances where they would bump into her or accidentally pour food on her.

This did not do on Sephiroth's list of acceptable ways of mourning because he knew that they were upset of the fact that he was courting her and their poor little hearts are practically dead. So he did what any other man would do in the name of love, he confronted those who made Tifa's life hell and assured them that they would receive the same treatment ten folds. Sometimes the silver haired man and the brunette would eat lunch together, either with Sephiroth's friends or Tifa's. The first time that the silver haired man sat with her friends, everyone in the cafeteria thought that hell was gonna break loose. They were disappointed.

"Sephiroth," the chocobo haired man at the table said as he acknowledge his presence.

"Cloud," Sephiroth said as he sat next to Tifa. They all ate in amiable silence, much to everyone's chagrin.

There were moments that Tifa wanted to say to yes to Sephiroth but she never got the chance to, whenever she did, there always seemed to be someone interrupting them. So it has been on hold for almost two months. She missed him, that was for sure and she knew that she was a bit unreasonable when she turned him down. The only she wanted was for them to be together with their friends acknowledging them. The brunette already knew that her silver haired suitor was already living up to her expectations and she didn't want him to wait that much longer.

During the ceremony, it was clear that Sephiroth and Tifa were stealing glances from each other even though they were at different ends of the gymnasium. It was Cid's turn to receive his diploma and immediately after he shook the hands of their principal, he dabbed in front of everyone. His fellow students laughed at what he did and cheered him on. It was heartwarming to see how everyone was in high spirits, they were excited to see what was in store for them after high school while the others were in denial.

After the ceremony has ended, Tifa and the rest of her friends waited outside to greet Cid and Barrette. Their parents were also there and it was probably a little bit awkward knowing how they only met their parents probably once or twice in their high school lives.

"I can't believe that Cid and Barrett are off to greener pastures," the brunette sniffled and took another ply of tissue from Cloud.

"I sure will miss them," the young ninja beside her tried to suppress her tears from falling. She received a comforting pat from the older brunette.

"It will never be the same, the brought the humour in our group," she replied.

"We can be funny too you know," Cloud replied, feeling a little bit unappreciated. Tifa and Yuffie looked at each other and laughed. The blond felt embarrassed and clenched his fists to show a little bit of dominance. Vincent chuckled at his friend's remark and got a playful punch from the blond.

"H-hey! It's true! I'm no longer that depressed emo kid you guys knew," he huffed.

"I'm sure that the past few months did wonders to you Cloud," Tifa replied with a small giggle. Her chocobo haired friend looked to the side and blushed in embarassment.

"Y'all are jolly as usual!" A voice came from behind them and everyone turned to see Cid and Barrett smirking and grinning at them. Tifa ran towards them and gave them a big hug and they hugged her back. The others joined afterwards and soon it was a mixture of laughter and tears.

"Geez guys, you know we'll always keep in touch right?" Barrett said as he wiped the tears on his face.

"Y-yeah! But it won't be the saaammeeee, no one will annoy me anymore," Yuffie whined with her tears still rolling down her face. The tears she tried suppressing just started flowing non-stop. "Or keep me from g-getting in t-trouble."

"Awww c'mere you!" Cid took Yuffie and gave her a noogie and a big warm bear hug. "If ya ever need us, you got our digits." he assured her and patted her head. She nodded and hugged them again for the last time.

"Thank you guys, for putting up with me," Cloud replied solemnly which made the older teens laugh.

"I thought ya weren't gonna be depressed an' all?" Barrett punched his shoulder and give him a good hug. Cid ruffled Cloud's hair and the blond couldn't help but smile. He will surely miss this, having them as his friends was one of the best things he had.

"You're right, I'm a changed man now," he replied as he sniffed.

Tifa couldn't say anything, since all she did was cry most of the time but she was able to thank Cid and Barrett to be there for her as her brother and fatherly figures. Vincent patted her back to calm her down and she thanked him for comforting her. After a while, Cid had to leave with his parents, but not before they could all take a ton of group pictures. Barrett soon left afterwards with his parents in tow. They waved goodbye and promised to meet up during the break.

"Geez, that was too sad for me," Yuffie said as she sighed a breath she didn't know she was holding. Tifa nodded in agreement. "I guess I'm gonna go stuff my face with food now."

"I'll go with you guys," Tifa said but was stopped by Cloud. She looked at him with a brow raised.

"It's okay Teef, the three of us can go, besides, someone has been waiting for you for a while now," he replied and turned his head to her suitor's direction. Lo and behold, Sephiroth was casually leaning on the school gate.

"O-Oh…okay, I'll see you guys okay?" she said with a smile and gave her friends a hug. Before she left, she saw Yuffie mouth tell me everything. She nodded and waved goodbye before walking towards the silver haired man.

"Sorry I made you wait too long," She said as she approached him, a tinge of red on her face. "I didn't know you were waiting for me."

"It's alright, I wanted you to enjoy your time with your friends," He replied as he took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Let's go eat."

"Sure," she replied and they held hands as they walked towards his car. Surprisingly there was no driver, so Sephiroth opened the passenger seat for her before seating at the driver's seat.

"Where are we going?" She asked. She looked at him and looked outside the window, they are currently on the highway, the sun almost setting, painting the sky with a variation warm colors. She smiled at the scenery and a few seconds later felt the wind in her hair. She looked at the man beside her and noticed that turned the convertible into open-air mode. His silver hair billowing in the wind, illuminating the different colors reflected on it was a pure work of art.

"You'll see," He replied in his deep voice, giving her a quick glance before focusing on the road in front of him. She decided, that today is the day to answer him and tell him how she feels wholeheartedly.

They are seated at a window booth in Cheesecake Factory. Now Tifa never had the money to eat at Cheesecake Factory or try any of their cheesecakes but she has shared with Sephiroth her love for Cheesecakes. The interior of Cheesecake Factory was amazing and she never knew that they offered food other than cheesecake. They ordered their food and ate in comfortable silence. Tifa ordered a slice of blueberry cheesecake while Sephiroth insisted that he was content with his food. The brunette still shared her slice of cheesecake with the silver haired man in front of her.

After a bit of talking about how Sephiroth bade farewell to Angeal and informing his family about his plans, he paid the bill and escorted Tifa out of Cheesecake Factory with a whole cheesecake in his hands. The brunette assured him that she didn't need a whole cake or another slice, but he bought it anyways, stating that it's not everyday that they get to go to Cheesecake Factory.

They were on their way home, Tifa's home to be exact and she felt anxious. She wasn't able to tell him what she wanted in the restaurant because she got cold feet. She wondered if it was the perfect place or not. Before she knew it, they were already parked at her apartment. Thankfully there was a free parking spot so they had time to talk, at least according to Tifa.

"Sephiroth," She started, the blush on her face was still visible in the darkness. She looked down as she grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. She was breathing heavily, as if there was a lump in her throat.

"I know," He took her hand off her jacket and kissed her knuckles. She stared at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. He reached a hand to cup her face and stroked his thumb lovingly on her cheeks. "I've known for a while now."

"T-Then why didn't you…"

"I was waiting, I told you I would wait," he said in a low soothing voice. Tifa bit her lip and kept her tears back. She didn't know what to say, so she looked up and admired the handsome face of the man before her. His gorgeous long lashes and his captivating mako green eyes, the ones that she always felt drawn to.

If she couldn't find her words, then she decided to act upon it. She brushed her lips against his and she remembered how her lips fit perfectly into his own. His hand brushed away the stray hairs from her face and pulled her closer for a deeper and passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck to give more access as he turned the convertible into enclosed mode.

It was cramped in the car and Tifa's back hit the passenger's door but that didn't stop them. They had breaks in between their kisses to gasp for air. Sephiroth's tongue licked her lips asking for entrance which she gladly complied. They battled for dominance, sucking each other and it was so new, the fire within them has sparked. Sephiroth broke the kiss and peppered her face with kisses trailing it down to her neck. He tried his best to keep his hands to himself, and even though there was an urge for him to touch her in other places, he knew he had to restrain himself.

He left a mark on her neck and gave her a long kiss before settling back into his seat. Tifa's disheveled state did many things to him and it was something he did not want to act upon. Her lips were swollen, her cheeks red, and her eyes glazed over. Her hair was in a mess, and he brushed back the strays with his fingers.

"Wow." She said after a gaining her composure. He chuckled.

"Wow indeed." He gave her a small smile, and she beamed with happiness.

"I love you," She finally said, her smile never leaving her face. He took a small box from his jacket. Her eyes widened at the familiar object.

"Tifa Lockhart, would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?" He opened the box, the silver band sitting neatly inside it. Tears were forming on her eyes and she nodded her head. He slipped the ring onto her left hand's ring finger. "I promise that I will be there for you whenever you need me and to love you fully."

"I love you," he added.

"I love you too," she said in between a mixture of sobs and laughter. He leaned his forehead against hers and laughed.

Finally.

Sephiroth woke up from his nap unwillingly due the doorbell buzzing. He groaned as he got up his back aching from sleeping on the couch. He wondered if he could get a massage from Tifa but then shuddered knowing that she would probably make him feel the pain she felt a moment ago. He walked towards her room and saw that she was still asleep. He was contemplating whether to wake her up or not, but then decided on the latter.

He walked towards the door and opened the door. What he saw surprised him the most. Two girls, a redhead and a blonde looked at him in shock. Then they looked at their phones, and at the nameplate of the apartment, and then back at him.

"Um… do you think we have the wrong address?" The redhead whispered to the girl beside her.

"Maybe? But it does say, Tifa Lockhart," the blonde replied. Sephiroth stood there, watching the girls throw shady looks at him.

"Hey mister!" the redhead pointed at him.

Mister? "Yes?" He asked, bemused at the young woman.

"Who are you?" She replied, crossing her arms. The blonde told her to be polite but she was being stubborn.

"Who are you?" he asked her, making the girl annoyed.

"I asked you first," she replied with a humph.

"I'm sorry sir, but we are looking for Tifa Lockhart," the blonde said, noticing that they weren't getting anywhere.

"She's inside, follow me," he replied as he opened the door wide enough for them to enter with their...luggage. Odd.

"Make yourselves comfortable," he said as he walked towards Tifa's room. He shook her awake and she groaned at how he ruined her sleep.

"You have company," he said. "Two teenagers"

"Oh shit!" Tifa practically bolted out of her room, not caring that her hair was messy from thrashing about it in her sleep.

"Tifa!" the teenagers exclaimed, as they ran up to her and gave her a hug. The brunette hugged them and spoke excitedly.

"This weird man was questioning us! He's creepy!" The redhead said. Tifa laughed and shook her head.

"Sephiroth can do that, but he's a nice guy. He's my boyfriend." She replied and ruffled the redhead's hair.

"He's your boyfriend? What happened to that kid you liked?" the blonde asked her sincerely. Tifa rubbed the back of her neck and gave an awkward laugh.

"Well we're still best friends, but it didn't really go further than that," she told them. Sephiroth cringed at the word best friends but he couldn't stop her from being friends with the chocobo haired blonde.

After a while, Tifa introduced Sephiroth to her cousins, which made sense according to her lover. He decided to make juice while the females talked about a lot of things. Apparently there was a lot to catch up to.

"So, Kairi, Namine, what's your plan?" She asked the girls as she helped Sephiroth distribute the drinks and snacks.

"Well, we decided to go to school here, if that's okay with you Tifa," Namine, the blonde replied while fiddling with her fingers.

"Does your parents know about this?" she asked in a motherly way that Sephiroth admired.

"Mom and Dad said it was fine but we'd have to live with you," they said in unison. Tifa looked at Sephiroth and he nodded his head.

"It's fine with me, but will you guys be okay transferring to a new school?"

They both nodded their head in unison. Tifa sighed and gave them a smile. Seems like next year would be a whole new experience. Not only is she officially with Sephiroth, she also will be playing the role of a guardian to her cousins. She talked with her cousins and Sephiroth joined the fray after warming up to them.

Who knows what her senior year will bring her.

A/N: AND THERE YOU HAVE IT. The ending! Yes! The cousins are Kairi and Namine from Kingdom Hearts. This was originally planned to be a Trilogy with the second part focusing on Kairi and Namine's transition in their first year of high school where they will meet Sora and Roxas. I don't know if it's still something I have the heart to do or not but I will definitely let you guys know if it will be in the works or not. Sephiroth and Tifa will be a side pairing but they will be appearing often.

Thank you so MUCH for sticking with this! I can't believe people actually like this story. If it weren't for you guys, I think this would have been discontinued a long time ago. THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO REVIEWED, FAVOURITED, AND FOLLOWED. BLESS YOU.

Also sorry if there is any mistakes, I had to write it down before I lose the inspiration.