a/n I'm not expecting many reviews from this one shot, like I usually get from my Squffies. But that's alright. This story was created just for a friend of mine, ShadowBeaw, and the only opinion on this story that really matters to me is hers. Not that I don't want reviews!

disclaimer The song "You Are So Beautiful" briefly mentioned in here was written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher, sung by many different people. All characters belong to Squaresoft.

At the Corner of Long and Circle
Written by pingpong867

At the corner of Long Street and Circle Drive stood a small diner. It emanated a warm, enveloping light and usually had at least nine or ten customers in there at a time.

That night, it was empty. Rain splashed on the roads outside, and only those who had no one to go home to filled the diner. The aroma of brewing coffee wafted from behind the counter, and the cook had departed for the night. Music fluttered through the room from the radio in the corner.

Yuffie Kisaragi was a waitress at the diner, in her jeans, t-shirt, and tennis shoes as she waited for someone to come in. No one had been by for an hour, and Yuffie had considered closing up early. But then her boss would have her head, and she really needed this job as she made her way through college. Not to mention her head.

Yuffie put down her notepad and pen and went into the kitchen. She grabbed a frozen pack of French fries and emptied them onto a cookie sheet, putting them into the oven and turning the heat to three hundred sixty-five. While setting the timer, she heard the ringing of the bell on the door, signaling the presence of a potential customer.

"I'll be right out!" Yuffie called from the kitchen. She finished the preparations for her fries, which would be done in approximately ten minutes, and then washed her hands in the sink. Yuffie wiped her hands on her apron and then ventured out into the main room of the diner.

The waitress picked up her pad of paper and pen and then went over to the table, where a man was sitting. She walked over there, and without looking up at him, she asked, "What'll you have tonight, sir?"

There was a pause as the man contemplated Yuffie, and she stared at a particular spot on that table that she'd have to scrub hard to remove the stain. After a moment from the man, she heard in a quiet, surprised voice, "Yuffie?"

Yuffie's head popped up, and she met the bright jade eyes that she hadn't seen in years. That handsome face, framed by the long silver hair… it was a most unusual combination and to her knowledge, there had only ever been one man in her life who had that sort of coloring.

"Seph? It can't be you," Yuffie told him, truly shocked by his sudden appearance. "It's been so long… years, Sephiroth. What are you doing in town tonight?" Yuffie slid into the booth across from him and smiled brightly. She saw the hints of a smile on his own lips, something that was so rare to see except for when he was around her. She hadn't lost her charm, Yuffie supposed.

"It has been a while… I had no idea you worked here, Yuff. I just needed a bite to eat – I came by to visit my parents. Are they doing alright?" Sephiroth inquired quietly, watching Yuffie with his eyes. Yuffie nodded vigorously.

"Of course! How could we forget the father-son combination of genetic oddities? Yeah, Vince and Lucy are both doing fine. They still come by every Sunday morning and bring me a bouquet of flowers. Just like they used to do. I visit them every once in a while too, on the farm. They've missed you since you've been gone, soldier." Yuffie failed to mention that Sephiroth's parents had often expressed their desire to have Yuffie as a daughter-in-law like everyone had assumed would happen. But that had been so long ago…

"So where have you been? Have you been discharged yet? I want to know everything, Seph!" Yuffie told him enthusiastically, pushing the bad memories to the far reaches of her mind. He was probably only back for a few days, and she didn't want to ruin anything.

"It's a long story, Yuffie. So much has happened in these four years. I've been to different boot camps across the country, and they even shipped me to Alaska for a while. I missed home, my parents." Sephiroth whispered something else, but Yuffie didn't quite catch it. It sounded vaguely like "you" but she didn't want to presume anything. They were officially over; they had been for four years.

"But yes, I am out of the army now, Yuffie." He's just as quiet as he was when I first met him. I thought I'd cured him of that! Yuffie thought, somewhat frustrated. She had been so involved in everything that had to do with Sephiroth before he went off… it was hard for her to acknowledge the fact that they were no longer together, especially seeing him here in front of her, tapping his foot with hers under the table. Now all that was left was the milkshakes and it'd be just like so many of their dates after they came back from wherever they had gone. Forget about that Yuffie!

They sat there in silence for a moment, thinking back on some memories. Perhaps they were remembering different things… perhaps not. But neither seemed to be happy with what their minds chose to bring up to them.

At that point, it was so quiet that the beeping of the oven made both of them jump. Yuffie laughed and ran a hand through her hair, slightly embarrassed by her show of nerves. "You want some fries?" Yuffie asked, though she didn't stay around long enough to hear his answer. She went into the kitchen and turned off the oven, then put on an oven mitt and retrieved the fries.

After depositing her snack onto a large plate and picking up the catsup bottle from the counter, Yuffie went back to the table and set the fries between them. She put a lot of catsup on the plate, and began dipping her fries in the condiment. "You want some?" She asked while her mouth was full of fries, resulting in a weird noise coming out of her mouth. Yuffie laughed hard, then swallowed her food and tried again.

"Do you want some fries? They're on the house," Yuffie offered. Sephiroth nodded and picked up a few French fries, chewing on them thoughtfully.

"So what have you been doing these past years, Yuffie? How has school been?" Sephiroth asked her, his jade orbs intent upon her. Yuffie swallowed her food and then returned his gaze.

"Well… after you left, I traveled a lot. I visited some really great places, too. My parents weren't too happy about that, but then again, they could never control me. Not really. I just ate up all the money I had saved for college with my traveling. That's all right though. I was restless, you know? I'd been restless for a long time, and I needed to get out there, to see at least one corner of the earth."

Yuffie devoured more French fries. "Naturally, when I ran out of money, I was done traveling. No more road trips for me. I started working here after my parents moved to California, paying for my apartment and for the few classes that I do take at the local community college. I'm getting along."

Sephiroth leaned back in the booth. He watched her eat, and a faint smile came to his face. She really was a beautiful woman. He had missed her dearly, but he knew that she had probably moved on, that anything that had been between them was gone now, without any hope of retrieving it.

"Did you find a… a guy to take my place?" Sephiroth asked after a moment. Yuffie started and lifted her head, staring right back into the eyes that so unarmed her. She couldn't take her gaze away, but finally she forced herself to look back down at the fries.

"I… I've tried. There have been a few guys, I guess, but they weren't good enough for me. I'm beginning to think that I'm meant to be eternally single… I haven't had a decent date in four years. I haven't loved anyone… not like that… for… four years," Yuffie whispered, turning her head to the window. She watched as a car flew past.

"I'm sure you've met women. Have you found anyone you're interested in?" Yuffie wanted to put him on the spot, see what he had been doing after they broke up. Her love life was nil except for him, but she knew that he had probably been with many women when not around Yuffie.

Sephiroth shook his head. "There's been no one," he told her quietly, glancing up to gauge her reaction. A smile crossed her face briefly, and it caused Sephiroth to chuckle inwardly.

They polished off the French fries quietly after that, occasionally getting in a bit of chatter here and there. Yuffie took the empty plate to the kitchen and put it in the dishwasher, turning the machine on. She looked out through the window from the kitchen to the main room and watched Sephiroth.

Yuffie thought of everything they had been through… everything they had done together. They had been young, but that didn't mean that she couldn't still love him. That she didn't still love him. She wanted desperately to get to know this new Sephiroth. There was always the hope that he would be like the old one.

"I gave you everything, Seph… I wish you could come back to me," Yuffie whispered, knowing that he couldn't hear her. She shook her head and removed her apron, hanging it on a hook in the kitchen. Yuffie grabbed the keys from a hook in the kitchen, then turned off the lights and came back into the main room.

"I'm going to close up soon, Seph. You should get home to Lucy and Vince before they go to sleep. You want to catch them tonight, I'm sure. And I have to get home to… to… to my boyfriend," Yuffie said hurriedly, rushing over to the employee break room to put on her jacket.

Sephiroth stood in stunned silence in the main room. She couldn't have a boyfriend! She had said… she said… that there was no one else. He stood rooted to the spot, watching as she slowly made her way out of the break room and towards the front door.

The music from the radio floated to his ears…

You are so beautiful… to me
You are so beautiful… to me

Can't you see?
You're everything I hoped for
You're everything I need

You are so beautiful… to me

Yuffie's eyes met Sephiroth's for a moment before she lowered them again and zipped up her jacket. She heard the sound of boots, saw his feet in her vision, then felt the touch of his gloved hand on her chin, lifting her face to meet his eyes.

"You don't have a boyfriend, Yuffie," Sephiroth accused, a smile in his eyes and on his lips.

"Ye-Yes I do! I do too! His name is… is… Blayne! Blayne Roberts! His name is Blayne Roberts and there is no way that I am interested in you-" Yuffie was cut off when Sephiroth's lips came down to hers, and suddenly the sensations she had been deprived of for so long came flooding back to her.

Yuffie wrapped her arms around Sephiroth and pushed her lips back into his, tears spilling out from her eyes and running down her cheeks. One of his arms wrapped tightly around her waist while the other softly rubbed her cheek, drying the tears.

Yuffie pulled away slowly, her eyes staying closed for a few moments before she opened them again, dusty lilac meeting vibrant jade. "I missed you Sephiroth," Yuffie whispered to the man that she had once loved. "And you never wrote once. Ass." She sniffled and laughed slightly, hugging him tightly. "I should be angry, but I'm not."

"I missed you too, Yuffs. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry I never called, never wrote. I missed you so much, Yuffie. Please forgive me. I want us to continue where we left off. I want there to still be an 'us.' Give me another chance, Yuffie," Sephiroth pleaded with her, holding her tightly to him. The small young woman nodded, and he kissed the top of her head.

Yuffie removed herself from his arms. "How did you get here?" She inquired. "I don't want you paying for a cab or waiting for a bus in this rain. I'll drive you. Come on… we'll make a run for my car." Yuffie flipped off the light switch and then opened the door, ushering Sephiroth out before she closed it and locked it with her keys.

They both dashed for Yuffie's car, and she unlocked it as quickly as she could, jumping into the driver's seat and immediately closing the door after her. Sephiroth followed suit on the passenger's side and soon they were driving down the road in Yuffie's car, heading in a direction completely opposite of that they needed to go to get to Sephiroth's parents' home.

Yuffie and Sephiroth stayed silent on the way to wherever they were heading. Neither was quite sure. Finally, Yuffie pulled her car up to her apartment building and cut the engine. Both of them sat in the car in the dark, while the rain came down outside.

"It's too late for you to go home; Vince and Lucy are probably already asleep by now, and we wouldn't want to bother them. I have a couch that you are more than welcome to sleep on for the night," Yuffie offered. Sephiroth nodded slowly and smiled at her.

"And… I think I can give you another chance." Yuffie leaped out of the car and began running through the rain. She heard footsteps behind her, and then strong arms wrapped around her waist and twirled her around. Lips met hers, and she smiled into them.

"You'll definitely get another chance," Yuffie told him with a laugh before they quickly made their way inside.

a/n Review and I'll love you forever!