Disclaimer: Yeah, as if. I wish I owned it though. I'd be freakin' rich!
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"I'm sorry, Yuffie," the red-cloaked man said to her softly.
"But... but..." the teenager stuttered. "I... I thought you loved me!" she whispered sadly.
"Yuffie," Vincent tilted her head towards him, "I'm sorry, but I can't be in a relationship with you. I have to deal with my... personal problems first."
"Vincent!" Yuffie yelled, stepping away from him. "SHE'S DEAD! She's never coming back, and she never loved you! Can't you just accept that and move on!?"
The man's red eyes flashed viciously. He grabbed her shoulder tightly enough to leave bruising. "Don't talk about her that way," he hissed. "You weren't there. You wouldn't understand."
With that, he spun around and walked away. Yuffie stared after him miserably as she rubbed her shoulder.
"Vinny," she murmured, and she felt a drop of water on her arm. The ninja looked at the dark sky as the rain started to pour down. "Of course it would rain at a time like this," she muttered.
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There was a knock at his door. Reeve looked at his clock curiously.
"Oh come on," the man muttered, putting down his hot chocolate. "It's 11:30 at night. Who would show up at my door without calling first?"
He pulled himself from his couch and walked to the door. He opened it to see a drenched teenager on the other side of the doorway.
"Yuffie?" he asked gently, seeing her eyes were red from crying. "Yuffs, what's wrong?"
"Ree-Reeve," she started, her teeth chattering, "can I st-stay here to-tonight?"
"Well, of course you can, but won't Vince get worried?" he asked curiously.
This promptly made her throw herself into his arms. She turned from a shivering, miserable person into a sobbing lump of woman. Reeve caught her in slight surprise.
She really is soaked through, he thought as he stroked her hair.I'm gonna hurt whoever did this to her.
"Come on, Yuffs," he said gently. "Why don't you take a shower and get cleaned up, and I'll make you some hot chocolate. Then we can talk, okay?"
"Okay," she sniffled. She headed towards his bathroom.
"Oh, and I'll leave some clothes for you on my bed, okay?" he yelled.
"Okay," came the reply.
Reeve went into his bedroom as he tried to figure out what was wrong with his best friend. She had been okay until he had mentioned... Vincent. He must've said something to her... Well, he'd find out soon, he reasoned to himself as he set out clean boxers and a tee shirt for Yuffie.
Then he moved to the kitchen and started on Yuffie's hot chocolate. By the time he finished it, the ninja had appeared in his doorway. He felt his heart leap at the sight of her in his clothes, but told himself that they were just friends, and that she was involved with Vincent.
Oh, yes, he had been harboring a crush on the slender woman for quite some time now, but then her and Valentine had finally gotten together, and, well, there had gone his chances.
"Hey," she said quietly. "Thanks for the clothes. Is that mine?" she asked, motioning to the drink in his hand.
Her soft voice made him freeze for a moment. "What? Oh, yes, this is yours," he told her, handing the warm drink to her. She smiled at him, and he felt his heart stop for a moment.
Silly, he told himself. Stop it, she needs a friend right now!
"Come on," he said gently. "You can tell me everything in the living room."
The pair walked to his couch, and Reeve settled back in his previous position and picked up his hot chocolate. Yuffie settled on the couch next to him and leaned on his shoulder. This wasn't particularly unusual for them. She used to come over to his house every weekend, and the pair would watch movies together. Ever since she had gotten with Vincent though... well, the movie nights had spread further and further apart.
"So," he started, breaking the awkward silence, "why did such a beautiful woman show up on my doorstep in tears and dripping wet?"
Yuffie ran her finger along the top of her mug. Reeve didn't say anything to her, he just waited for her gather her thoughts and answer him.
"Vincent broke up with me," she said in a deadened voice.
Reeve stiffened. How DARE that man? He couldn't help but think.Breaking Yuffie's heart like that! Then he paused. On the otherhand... that means that she's single now... He broke off his thoughts. It was too soon after her break-up to think such things.
"I'm sorry, Yuffs," he murmured, sliding an arm around her shoulders. "If you want to talk, I'll listen."
She smiled weakly at him. "I know that, Reeve. You're probably my best friend." She stared ahead again. "I don't know why he did though," she whispered. "And then I went and got him mad about Lucrecia..." She dropped her head forward onto one hand. "That was stupid."
"No," Reeve told her. "Vincent seeing his ex-girlfriend instead of the gorgeous girl in front of him was stupid."
Yuffie looked at him blushing. "You think I'm gorgeous?" she asked shyly.
"Incredibly so," he told her truthfully.
"Thanks, Reeve," she told him gratefully. He only smiled at her and wondered if she had gotten the hint. "You're the best friend anyone could ever have," she told him, putting down her empty mug and placing her head on his shoulder.
Obviously not, Reeve thought with a mental wince.
The brunette yawned. "I'm tired," she mumbled.
He smiled softly at her. "You can go to sleep," he whispered, stroking her silky hair again.
"Thanks again, Reeve," she murmured. Reeve watched her fall asleep, and he couldn't help but hope that maybe, just maybe, now she would see that he'd been there for her all the time. Then, maybe she'd given him a chance.
"Good night, Yuffie," he murmured once he was sure she was asleep. "I love you." He felt his eyes start to slip shut with his statement.
As he drifted off to sleep, he missed the half-smile slip across Yuffie's peaceful face.
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A/N: Well, there it is. My first ever Reefie... Hope it wasn't too painful. Lol. And please review so I know how to improve!
