Thanks for all the reviews everyone!

NTRshadow- Auron is in Kingdom Hearts 2? Wow, I didn't know that! That's so cool! Who else is in it, you know? Um... The ninth person is kinda gunna be an important aspect, somewhat... lol Confused?

Hypernated Rikku- lol, You want more, you're getting more. Thanks for reviewing, along with all the other stories you've reviewed lol. You really are following my Final Fantasy related fics, ain'tCha?

DidiKiwi- Heh, heh. It's not like she did it purposely. Glad you enjoyed the last chapter.

Lil Angel Rini- Hee hee hee, That's the nice thing about Cloud. You may not like him at first, but sooner or later you find something about him you can't help but love.

carbuncle- Thanks! Here's the next chapter

Neon Raine- Naw... All reviews are great. The more I get the better I feel. The better I feel, the quicker I update!

The Evil Leprechaun- Hmm... I don't know why... I guess she's just fun to torture Heeheehee!

Aoi-butterfly- Woohoo! Dang straight! Now comes the fun part!

Kirakayano- Yea, I don't like Sora either, As a matter of fact, I only liked the Final Fantasy characters in the game lol.

Annjirika- Hmm... That'll be my new goal! Swinging you over to the Cloud/Yuffie side. Heh heh heh.

SwT-LiL-AnGeL- Sorry I had to make you wait until now. I know you can't stand to wait for me to update this thing.

Wow... so many reviews! I love it! Heh heh. And here I thought this wouldn't get much feedback. glad I started this.

Beginning Of The Plan

If there's one thing Yuffie can't stand, it's waking up. What's worse is waking up early. Yuffie is in no way, a morning person. Yet she forced to awaken by the sounds in the room. Drawers opening and closing, feet hurriedly shuffling on the carpet. It was enough to drag the tired ninja out of her slumber. For a moment all she did was stare blankly at the ceiling, waiting for her vision to focus.

Yuffie rolls to her side to see who or what had awakened her. Aerith continued to scurry about the room, looking through drawers in her dresser, creating enough ruckus that Yuffie wouldn't be surprised that she woke Leon up next store. Yuffie directs her eyes on the clock hanging above the door connecting their room with the guys. The young ninja gave a small cry when she saw it was only five-thirty in the morning.

Having heard her younger friend, Aerith turns away from the mirror attached to the dresser, and gave her room mate a bright smile. How she could look so energized and happy this early in the morning, Yuffie will never know, "Good morning Yuffie! Did I wake you?" The older woman asks apologetically.

"...No... The alarm clock did." Yuffie comments sarcastically. She raises her covers up over her head, in hopes to block off the light coming from the lamp on the dresser. 'Honestly. Who the heck gets up this early in the morning?'

Aerith gave a quiet giggle at Yuffie's comment, "I'm sorry Yuffie. I just wanted to get ready."

"Ready for what?" Yuffie voice comes out muffled from the covers.

"I'm suppose to be showing Cloud around Traverse Town today." Aerith replies excitedly.

"Aerrrrith... It's five-thirty in the friggen morning! No one wants to get up this early. It's unheard of." Yuffie gave a tired groan from inside her makeshift cocoon. There's a pause in the room before Yuffie sits up straight, "You're going out with Cloud?" She asks a little bit more loudly than she meant.

Aerith tilts her head to the side, a little confused by Yuffie's sudden interest, "Yea, he's never been here before. I figured I'd show him around so he doesn't get lost when he goes out and wanders around."

"Oh..."

"So, how do I look?" Aerith asks extends her arms out at her side for better observation.

Yuffie rolls her eyes at the woman, "You could be dieing from some funky disease and you'd never look bad, Aerith."

"Thanks... I think." She places a finger on her chin as she gazes up at the ceiling in thought, "I wonder if I should wake Cloud up."

"Let the poor guy sleep Aerith. He's probably exhausted from everything." Yuffie comments with a yawn.

"Don't be silly. Cloud never slept in late." Aerith replies with a giggle. Yuffie rolls her eyes. Aerith walks over to the door connecting the rooms together. After a moment's hesitation, Yuffie leaps out of bed and follows Aerith across the room. The two open the door quietly and creep into the room.

'Never slept in late, huh?' Yuffie thinks to herself sarcastically upon seeing Cloud sprawled across the bed, fast asleep. Yuffie gaze wanders over to Leon's empty bed, 'HE on the other hand, is always up early, no matter what day it is.'

Yuffie watches amusedly as Aerith wanders over to Cloud's bed and pokes him gently in the shoulder. The blond swordsman pulled the covers over his head in hopes the intruder would just give up and go away. "Cloud, wake up." Aerith called out gently shaking his shoulder. Yuffie couldn't help but grin at the scene.

Cloud pushes the covers off of himself and sits up. He scratches his spiky locks and yawns. Yuffie can't help but think it was cute. Her attention is caught by the bathroom door opening. Her lowers her head to hide the blush across her face as Leon walks out of the bathroom shirtless.

"What are you two doing over here?" Leon asks, surprised at the sight of them in his room. He raises an eyebrow at the two, "At this time in the morning."

Aerith turns around to look at Leon, the smile never leaving her face. Yuffie had long ago decided Aerith's expression is frozen in a smile considering she's rarely doing anything different, "Good morning Leon. I came to pick Cloud up to show him around town."

The corners of Leon's lips twitch in amusement, "It's nearly six in the morning. The only thing that's going to be opened is the cafe."

"Well that's where we're going first. We're going to get some breakfast. When we're done some other places should be opened." Aerith explains.

Yuffie glances between the two than back over at Cloud. She places a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing, "Uh... Aerith. You're going to have to wake Cloud up before you go anywhere." Yuffie manages to say without laughing.

"I already woke.." Aerith turns to look back at Cloud, stopping mid sentence as she sees Cloud fast asleep. She puts her hands on her hips and frowns slightly at him. "Cloud! Wake Up!" Aerithe yells. Cloud jumps awake, almost falling off the bed in the process. He shakes his head to rid himself of the dreariness. Aerith smiles seeing that he's awake, "Good, now hurry up, we're going to be leaving soon."

Cloud nods his head once before getting up and walking towards the bathroom. Yuffie watches him as he closes the door, "Doesn't talk much, does he?" She comments.

"Oh he's just quiet because he's still tired. Once he's wide awake he talk a lot."

Yuffie raises an eyebrow and glances over to Leon. The Gunblade specialist shakes his head and heads over to his dresser. Yuffies looks back at Aerith, "Uh... right. Um.. " Yuffie tries thinking up something smart to say but couldn't think of anything. Than she remembered that she's suppose to put her plan into action, what better time to start when Leon is still in the room? "Um.. were you two like, going out before?"

The question got the desired affect. Leon stopped sorting looking through his clothes, apparently interested in the question while Aerith's face became flushed, "What?" Aerith asks a little embarrassed, "Yuffie, don't be silly. Cloud is just a friend."

Yuffie holds back her smirk, "So...He's available then?" Yuffie folds her arms behind her back and leans forward, smiling innocently.

"Um..." Aerith bites her bottom lip in thought, "I guess it would make him, available that is."

Yuffie nearly jumps out of her skin when there's a sudden crash in the room, caused by Leon slamming his drawer shut, having found a shirt. He turns around and raises an eyebrow at Yuffie, "Why are you so interested in him all of a sudden?" Leon asks, his voice neutral.

Yuffie shrugs her shoulders, deciding to play it safe, "Just curious. Can't blame me if I'm curious about someone I'm supposed to know, can you?" Yuffie would have applauded herself for her good acting if she were alone.

Leon's brows raise in surprise, "No, I guess I can't. But you shouldn't ask too many question." Leon warns before heading towards the door.

Yuffie snaps her fingers as an idea crosses her mind, "Hey, Aerith, why not let me show Cloud around? Then you could go with Leon and help search for an apartment?"

Leon stops short and turns around, "How do you know where I'm going?"

Yuffie rolls her eyes at the seemingly stupid question, "Where else would you be heading today? You said you were going to look for an apartment yesterday." Yuffie turns back to Aerith, "So how about it Aerith? This way I can get to know him as much as you two."

"Well..." Aerith trails off a little unsure. After a few moments of hesitation Aerith smiles, "Sure okay. Just don't get him in any trouble."

Yuffie's mouth drops as she pretends to be insulted, "Would I get him in trouble?"

Leon can't help but roll his eyes at that one, "Trouble seems to follow wherever you go."

Yuffie puts her fists on her hips and glares at Leon, "I resent that."

Leon smirks, "I bet." He turns around and heads out the door. After a quick farewell, Aerith leaves to follow him.

Yuffie glances around the room, to make sure there wasn't anyone around to see her. She wanders over to Leon's bed and throws herself down on it, burying her face in his pillow to inhale his scent lingering in it. "Mmm..." Yuffie closes her eyes and smiles as she hugs the pillow to her chest. "Now if only this pillow were the real thing." Yuffie says out loud before giggling.

"What are you doing?"

Yuffie shrieks and jumps right out of the bed, landing a good three feet away from it. She quickly looks over to the bathroom door to see Cloud standing there, looking at her. It took her a moment to process what he had asked, all she remembered was hearing someone speaking in the room while she was in the middle of her daydreaming. When she finally did understand what he asked, she doesn't know how to answer it, so she chooses not to, "Ready?" She asks, feeling as energized as ever.

"Ready?" Cloud repeats quietly.

Yuffie nods her head frantically, "Uh-huh. Aerith decided that I should show you around so she can help Leon find an apartment." Okay, so it's not exactly the truth, but it's not exactly a lie either. She is helping Leon with the apartment hunt, and she IS going to show Cloud around town, whether he likes it or not.

For the longest time, all Cloud did was stand there looking at her blankly, as if what she said had not yet processed through his mind. Than he finally moved over to his bed and picked up the crimson cloak that laid quietly on the nightstand. He put the crimson cloak on and turned back to Yuffie, signaling that he is ready to go.

"Oh, you fixed it." Yuffie comments dejectedly, noticing that the cloak is no longer turn around the neck. Now half his face is hidden from her view again, leaving it even harder for her to figure out what he's thinking, or feeling for that matter. "When did you do that?"

Instead of answering her, Cloud brushes pass her and opening the bedroom door, holding it open for her. Yuffie raises an eyebrow at first before walking out. Cloud closed the door behind him as he followed.

"This here's the cafe." Yuffie says, indicating to the small building with tables set up outside, "You come here to have some food or a drink. Ya know the works." Suddenly her stomach rumbles, causing the ninja to laugh embarrassedly, "And speaking of which, I'm hungry. So we're going to stop here and get some food."

Yuffie scrambles over to one of the empty tables and takes a seat. She waves Cloud over, pointing to the seat across from her. The blond warrior glances around cautiously before wandering over. A waiter walks out almost automatically when they're both seated and drops two menus at the table. Yuffie quickly scans the menu, "Um... I'll take... A short stack, two eggs over easy, French toast, bacon sausage, and uh... a cinnamon bun."

The waiter raises an eyebrow at the girl, wondering how she plans on eating all of it, "And for you uh... sir?" The waiter asks, a little unnerved by Cloud's looks.

"Same." Came Cloud's emotionless reply.

"Okay... And what would you like to drink?" The waiter asks, turning back to Yuffie.

"Orange soda!" Yuffie announces, a grin spreading across her face.

"Uh.. right.." The waiter turns back to Cloud, "Same?" He asks.

Slightly, one of Cloud's eyebrows raise at the question, "Coffee." The waiter grabs the menus telling them that it'll be there in a few minutes. Cloud lowers his gaze and stares at the clean table top.

"So uh..." Yuffie starts, not sure how to start up a conversation with the man across from her, "So uh..." She says again. He raises his head till his eyes are resting on her form. Yuffie shifts in her seat uncomfortably, "So um..."

"You have an interesting beverage choice for breakfast." Cloud comments, surprising Yuffie that he had actually spoken.

Yuffie laughs and scratches her head, "Yea well... Coffee tastes like chalk. And I need my daily dose of sugar to keep me awake." The blond merely nods his head before returning his gaze back to the table top. Yuffie growls in annoyance, "So uh... how old are you anyway?"

"Twenty one."

"Twenty one?" Yuffie's brows shoot up in surprise as she thinks, 'Wow... he's younger than I thought. I knew he was younger than Leon but not that young. Heck he's a year younger than Aerith.' "So your really from Hallow Bastion huh?" She doesn't receive an answer, "Yea, guess we already got that down. So uh.. where have you been then? I know you were at the Coliseum, but you couldn't have been there all this time."

"Searching"

"Searching?" Yuffie scratches her head in confusion, "Searching for what?"

Cloud glances up briefly before returning his gaze to the table, "My light."

'O-k' Yuffie thinks to herself, 'Well he's a little out there isn't he?' Yuffie looks around the cafe, suddenly feeling uncomfortable about where the conversation is heading, "Did you find the switch?" Yuffie asks lamely. She knew he wasn't talking about a light you can turn on and off. But she wasn't one to go into some deep conversation, she tends to get lost in them.

"Yes. Yes I found the switch."

If Yuffie had been more observant, she would have noticed his voice had gone up a notch or to in anger. She either didn't notice or ignored it, "Oh...That's good." Yuffie replies casually, "Did you turn it on?"

"Food's here."

Yuffie attention snaps towards the waiter, sure enough the food is there. Yuffie glances back towards Cloud, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. She has a hunch that he just wanted to avoid the question and used the first excuse that presented itself. Than again, Yuffie is too hungry to care for the details. Once the waiter places their meals on the table she digs in, wolfing down the food like a hungry dog.

Five minutes later, Yuffie leans back in her seat happy to have eaten her fill. "Ah.." Yuffie pats her stomach, "That's better." She glances over to Cloud's side to check out his progress. She disappointed to see that he's still got a long way to go as he eats at a leisurely pace. She leans her head on one hand as she raises her drink until the straw is close enough for her to drink. She watches, bored as Cloud eats his breakfast. She thought about snatching some of his bacon but decided she doesn't know him well enough to know whether or not he'd drive his fork into her hand if she tried.

Cloud was well aware of Yuffie's impatience. He has to admit, he's never seen or heard of anyone eating that much so quickly. He also wonders how she remains so thin if she eats so much. He reaches over to his coffee and picks it up. He stops and stares into the white cup and stares at the black fluid in his cup.

Just the way he likes it, black, no cream, no sugar, as dark as it possibly could be. Because that's what he is, darkness. He's forever trapped in the darkness, without the light. His mind wanders back to a few months ago. Cloud can still hear his voice even after all this time.

"Finally we meet."

"I was searching for you too."

"Yoohoo Cloudy! Come back to civilization!" Cloud blinks out of his reverie at the sight of Yuffie's hand waving in front of his face. Seeing that he's back from his daydreaming, Yuffie sits back into her seat, "Geez... you were zoned out for who knows how long. You're food's gunna probably be cold now."

"Sorry." Cloud says quietly. He glances back down at the dark liquid in his cup briefly before taking a gulp. He puts it down on the table and looks over to Yuffie. "It's cold."

Sorry everyone! But that's it right now. I know I know. "How could you stop it right there! Grr..." Well... I have a very, very good excuse. And you wanna know what it is? Give me until the next chapter to think up of one and I'll tell you it. TTNC! Review please!