A/N: Don't own any of this stuff.

Cloud shut his bedroom door and made his way downstairs. The house was filled with friends scattering around and chatting.

"Woh, sorry you okay? I didn't spill any on you did I?" He asked as he narrowly avoided knocking Shera and the jug lemonade she was carrying over.

"No, I'm fine, just taking this to the back yard, Tifa's started the barbeque."

"Great, you should try some of the spicy chicken she does, its amazing."

Shera smiled, she looked well. Cloud had felt guilty for not being aware that she had suffered from the stigma at the same time he had. That was over a year ago now.

"I'll be sure to try it, I've got to get this outside, the captain's thirsty and you know how he gets."

Cloud side stepped out of her way. As she went out the backdoor Red XII came in.

"Hey Cloud, have you seen Tifa, she looks very nice today." He passed comment.

Cloud looked out the window at his friends.

Shera was now pouring some lemonade for her husband.

Barret was throwing a tennis ball back and forth with Marlene and Denzel.

Reeve was making adjustments to his new Cait Sith robot. Cloud had lost count of how many there had been now.

Tifa did indeed look lovely, She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt with a pleated red skirt, Her long dark hair was swept up into a bun. She was busily cooking away and laughing as the Cait Sith Head fell from Reeve's lap and rolled away, causing Marlene to jump back in fright.

Cloud smiled and made his way towards the front door, he didn't feel like joining them quite yet. Red passed him again.

"Have you seen the princess?" he asked

"Nope, probably still up in the guest room sleeping I'd guess."

"No, I thought that too, so i checked but she's not there. I thought she'd be too excited and buzzing around impatiently by now." Red replied.

"Ah I'm sure she'll turn up."

Red nodded and went to join the others.

Cloud opened the front door to the bar and stepped out.

It was a hot and dusty day; the rest of Edge seemed practically deserted.

He almost told the woman sitting on the step that 7th Heaven was closed for business today, but before he opened his mouth he recognised her.

"Woh, you look amazing, I didn't even recognise you." He sat down beside her.

"Hey back off Strife you had your chance." She joked.

Yuffie was dressed a tight fitted blue dress, she had clearly been using Denzel's volume boosting shampoo, silver earrings dangled delicately down from her earlobes and she was wearing make up. Cloud had never seen her sitting so still.

"No really, you look great."

"Well it's a party isn't it?"

"I guess but I just changed my shirt."

"Girls tend to make more of an effort, have you seen Tifa, I mean hot!" Yuffie looked up.

"Yeah, she looks beautiful and the food smells great as always." Cloud sighed.

"Still don't know what to do huh?" the young girl asked. "Fool."

"I do love her, so much, but…"

"I know, it's hard, she really was one of a kind."

"Some days I just miss her so much."

Yuffie placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Nail varnish as well?" he noted.

They sat in silence for a moment or two; a light breeze blew some sand from the ground.

"Cloud, I think that you will never feel for anyone what you felt for Aeris."

Cloud felt rather helpless, but he listened.

"But I also think that you will never feel for anyone the why you feel for Tifa. She won't be replacing Aeris, but she could still make you very happy."

Cloud smiled, but Yuffie did not look him in the eyes, he had a sinking feeling that perhaps those lines had been rehearsed over and over in her head and that the message wasn't necessarily meant for him. He felt that although Yuffie was smiling she was in fact troubled, he decided to show her something to try and cheer her up.

"I have this for her, I bought it a few years ago, I think I'll know when its time to give it to her." Cloud reached into his pocket and showed the gold ring to Yuffie.

Her eyes shone with surprise, "Wow! Does anyone else know?"

Cloud shook his head, "But I think Marlene suspects."

"She's sharp that one, but I guess it doesn't take a Rocket Town scientist to know you and Tifa belong together."

Cloud put the ring away; Yuffie went back to looking out over Edge.

"Yuf? Are you mad at me for sending Shelke?"

Yuffie shook her head, "No, of course not, I mean why would I be."

"I dunno, because you and Vincent are friends right?"

"Hah! Are we?" She looked at Cloud curiously and rolled her eyes. "Friends reply to each other's text messages." Yuffie picked up her purse and rummaged for her cell phone.

Cloud had never seen Yuffie with a purse that wasn't filled to the brim with materia.

She lifted up her phone and showed him, "Look see an empty inbox."

"Yeah but he used to always complain about you phoning him all the time to me, but he stopped."

"Well be that as it may, he's a weird dude." She said trying to sound nonchalant. As she dropped her phone back in her bag Cloud noticed something fall out of it.

"Oh Yuffie you dropped something, what's that?" He asked as he leant down to pick it up.

The ninja was too fast and she snatched it away before he could get a proper look, she concealed it in her clenched fist.

"Oh Come on, I showed you my secret item."

"Perv!"

"I meant the ring you saucy little minx." He gave her a charming smile.

Yuffie reluctantly gave in. "I know its wrong to steal, I learnt my lesson and I promise I am going to give it back, but it's just that I thought maybe he would never come back because he's like that, and I dunno maybe sometimes I miss him too and I can't miss Aeris and Vincent because I'd totally get depressed and it doesn't mean anything by the way."

"Yuffie just show me."

Yuffie unclenched her hand and revealed the three head dog charm that usually hung from Vincent's Dirge.

"How did you get that?" Cloud said, half surprised and half impressed.

"I snapped it off the gun before he went to fight that creepy thing. I just wanted something I could keep, you know just in case…well in case we needed to start wearing red ribbons as well as our pink ones."

Cloud put his arm around his friend, "Well now we don't have too worry about that do we."

They smiled at each other and looked up at the two new arrivals. Yuffie and Cloud's jaws dropped.

Vincent was dressed in black trousers with a white shirt, cape-less and gauntlet-less. His long raven hair was tied up in a high ponytail.

Shelke gave a hurried hello and walked past them into the bar.

"New look?" asked Cloud.

"Well it's a party isn't it?" Replied the gunmen.

"Everyone's missed you man." Cloud stood up and put a hand on Vincent's shoulder.

Yuffie sat still slightly lost for words.

"Yuffie, I apologize I don't know how to text and my phone keeps saying I have no credit." Vincent said turning his attention to the stunned girl.

"S'kay, good to see you aren't dead."

"Uh, thank you."

Yuffie snapped out of her stupor and got to her feet, she was slightly taller in heels.

"Come on Vince, there's a party in your honour and you're late for it."

The three of them went to join the rest of thier friends.

A/N: reviews please