A/N: This took me about a week to work on. Merely because I kept changing the plot, then rechanging it, then fiddling, and it finally ended up as this. This is a gift fic for kaikai PANTS, probably because she's one of the best clouffie writers out there, she's pure awesomeness, OH! and I kinda promised her MONTHS ago that I'd write her a clouffie.
Only took me forever. Hoorah.
"Hey Cloud?"
"Yeah?"
"If I went away, would you miss me?"
"…"
"You don't have to answer. I just thought that'd be the best way to tell you I'm leaving."
"…"
"I'll miss you though! You can guarantee that I'll miss you all."
"Then why? Why are you leaving?"
"I… I don't belong here. I just need to go home for a while."
"Oh."
"Yeah. I leave tomorrow morning."
It's been 12 days.
12 long, arduous, Yuffie-less days since she left.
It's so dull and boring here without her.
Tifa and Leon have taken to arguing with each other to fill the silence left by her.
Aerith wanders around, acting as though she's ok with the situation. But if you look in her eyes, you can see that she misses the ninja terribly.
As for me? Well, I'm alright… Oh who am I kidding. I miss her terribly. She's the one I hold dearest out of all my friends. She claims she's the only one who can make me laugh, smile, and even speak more than five words at a time.
She's not lying when she says that.
When she smiles, it's as if a ray of sunlight has exploded on her face.
When she giggles, it's like a song no instrument could ever mimic.
And when she looks at you with those big, brown eyes of hers; it's as if you're the most interesting person she's ever laid eyes on.
But when she's gone, everything falls apart.
It might not look like I'm fazed on the outside, but on the inside? That's a completely different story.
I keep thinking about her parting words to me: "I don't belong here."
It's been 17 days now.
We've all given up on our charades.
Tifa and Leon can't be bothered arguing anymore. Aerith attempts to do her own thing, but she fails miserably at it.
I'm trying my best to keep it all together. But to be honest, I need to face the facts.
I've liked Yuffie for ages. She's so strong, yet so fragile at the same time. She's beautiful, more so than any other woman I've ever seen in my life. She makes me smile when my day has been terrible, and she makes me happy. She's a miracle.
I need her in my life.
It just figures that I'd work out that I was in fucking love with her when she's basically disappeared off the face of the planet.
She's crazy though. She's needed here by everyone. She belongs here, not in Wutai.
31 days, and still no news from her.
Tomorrow is New Years Eve.
There's still presents for her under the Christmas tree.
Aerith and Tifa have gone out to get some groceries; Leon's down in the Bailey, killing heartless in an attempt to vent his anger at Yuffie's disappearance.
I decided to stay home and finish off the book she told me to read months ago.
Funny that when she's gone, she makes a more profound impact upon us than when she's here.
"Hello?"
I'm hearing things. I want her to be home so much that I'm hearing her voice.
"Come on, there's gotta be someone home! I know you guys wouldn't just leave the door unlocked for all the world to come in!"
There's the padding of feet against the floor.
"Cloud! You have no idea how good it is to be home, and to know it actually is home!"
It's not my mind. She's home. She's finally home.
We all sat around the kitchen table, listening to Yuffie talk about her travels.
We listened about her father, about the state of her land, the way she near on murdered people when she found out she couldn't contact any of us.
We sat there and drank it all in.
We didn't want to blink, in case she was a fleeting illusion, bought on by our desire to see our ninja again.
"But yeah, I realised when I got to Wutai that I'd left the place I truly felt happy in."
"We're glad to have you home." Aerith said once Yuffie had finished her story.
Tifa and Leon agreed, saying how much they missed her.
I just looked at her, content with the fact that she's home.
"OH MY GOD! Cloud, look at the time!" Yuffie yelled. It was 11.55.
"Cloud, come on! We gotta go watch the fireworks!"
It was our tradition to go out to the Bailey and watch the fireworks. It'd been like that since I can remember.
"Race ya there?" she asked, a goofy smile plastered on her face.
"You're so on." I smiled back at her.
We made it there with 2 minutes to spare.
"Yuffie?"
"Yes?"
"Yuffie, I… uh… I don't know how to say this… I…"
She placed a finger to my lips, effectively silencing me as the fireworks began to light up the sky.
"I know, Cloud. I know."
A/N part2: Hope you liked it Kai darling! :D
Reviews are appreciated; constructive, flames, love, I really don't care. Just tell me what you think :)
And as my dear best friend pointed out, the end is corny. Do I look like I care Raff? Obviously not seeing as I left it there you twit. So don't you, dear reader, go mentioning its corniness to me, as I am fully aware of it :)