A/N: hey, minna. um, yeah.. Ok, I don't have anything to say.

Disclaimer: *in speakerphone* FF7 is not mine, and neither are any of the characters! Just wanted to let you know! *ducks people nearby who are angry at having their ears screamed out* .hehehe. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Yuffie turned from the hearth to stare at her friend. "Why am I alive?"

Aeris stared at her for a moment. Where did that come from?

"Because you're needed." She said flatly.

"By who?" asked the brunette, her eyes reflecting the fire as she turned her back to her Cetra friend.

Aeris didn't have to think twice. "Me, Cloud, Tifa, Red, Barret, Cid."

She didn't realize she had left out a name.

"Oh." Yuffie said softly. Her eyes were filling with tears.

"Yuffie." said Aeris softly, stepping to her friend's side.

Silly Aeris. Yuffie thought. She just had to go and notice that I was crying, didn't she.

Yuffie stepped away and set one hand on the frosty glass of a windowpane. They were in the building because of a severe snowstorm, and she was slowly getting colder and colder despite the warmth from the fire. The others were somewhere outside, probably at a village looking for help. So it was just Yuffie and Aeris.

The ice melted at her touch, and Yuffie watched the slow trickles as they went down the window. A tear slid down her cheek. Aeris noticed the similarity.

"Yuffie, what's wrong?" she asked, emerald eyes filled with concern.

The other girl shivered. "Nothing," she lied, and slid slowly down the wall, settling on the floor with her back pressed up against the chilly structure. She folded her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees, resting her head on it. Aeris sat down beside her.

"I know that's not true," she chided softly. Her honey-brown braid slid down over her shoulder as she reached out to comfort Yuffie. "What is it?"

Yuffie blinked eyes that were bleary from silent tears. Aeris's gorgeous eyes were too soft to be emerald, but they still held that brilliance and concern. Her soft hair framed her heart-shaped face, giving her an innocent look that only added to her beauty. Her soft, creamy complexion was free from blemishes or lines, and it was somehow both wise and youthful.

Her slender arms hugged Yuffie around the shoulders and the girls didn't have the heart to refuse the comforting embrace.

Yuffie looked down. Aeris was pretty, thin and well developed. How could she compete for someone's attention with a girl like that? Yuffie look at her arms, which were scarred in some places from fighting monsters.

She had always considered herself rather plain. Her chocolate brown eyes were something that she ignored, and she ignored her own youthfulness in her own confused jealousy. She wanted to be like Aeris, who was selfless, quiet, loved by everyone, and pretty.

All she would ever be, or so she thought, was just another ninja thief. Plain, plain ninja thief.

"I." she hesitated. This was hard to say. "I want to be like you!" she blurted, and Aeris started.

"What? Why?"

Yuffie sighed. "Do you like Vincent?"

Aeris laughed suddenly. "No, Yuffie. I can tell you do, though. And you know what?"

She winked at her friend. "I think that he likes you too. But you have to give him some time."

Yuffie started in turn. "What?"

"Remember about his past?"

Yuffie nodded.

"You have to take that into account," said Aeris.

"I see," said Yuffie, and looked down again.

"What's the matter? That's not all, I can tell."

The ninja but her lip. "I. I really want to be like you."

"Why?" asked Aeris, her eyes careful yet caring.

"Because you're so pretty, and so nice. And I'm not."

Yuffie thought that she was being honest with herself. Aeris gasped. "Yuffie! Do you really think of yourself that way?"

The other did not answer.

"I'm not pretty. Look at Tifa. She's pretty. I'm not. You are. But I'm not. I'm just a flower girl. I can't do anything really special, Yuffie. You can. People always think of me as nice and selfless."

Yuffie looked searchingly at Aeris. "What do you mean?"

"I can be just as selfish as anyone. I love Cloud, Yuffie. But Tifa is meant to be with him, and I'm not. But I just can't give up on him."

Yuffie stared, not quite believing. "You mean, you don't like Vinnie?"

"No," Aeris chuckled, "and I wish you the best of luck with him."

The thief smiled. "Thanks. But I don't know if it's reciprocated. I don't think so. I mean, he barely talks to me."

"He doesn't talk to anyone else. He talks to you more than me," she laughed. "Don't be so harsh on yourself, Yuffie."

The other sighed. "You're right."

At that moment, the door was kicked in. Both girls stared. Vincent stood there, his cape billowing out behind him.

"Yuffie! Aeris!" he called. The two jumped up.

Yuffie, in traditional Yuffie behavior, threw herself dramatically at him, crying, "Vinnie!" He sidestepped and the teenager landed on her face.

Or rather, on Red, who hadn't seen her in time to get out of the way. As Yuffie picked herself up she heard Aeris giggling.

Yuffie looked up at Vincent, ready for revenge. Time to steal Death Penalty, Yuffie! She thought gleefully.

The thief inched her hand in towards the holster at Vincent's side. And found that she couldn't move her hand. She looked up and found that 'Vinnie' had seen her already and was holding her hand in a very firm grip.

Yuffie flushed.

"Hey, let's go before another storm hits," called Cloud, and everyone automatically obeyed him, moving towards the door.

Aeris looked over and saw Yuffie being towed by an annoyed looking Vincent. Giggling, she winked at her, and got a wink in return, then dashed after Cloud and Tifa, mythril rod in one hand and Yuffie's forgotten shurriken in the other.

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A/N: whoa! That turned out different than I thought. this is my first -shared- FF7 ficcie. r&r, please!