Umm, hiya guys...So like, I'm late, I know, but summer's the time when I live with dad a lot, and he still hasn't fixed the Internet, so yeah...I got access to the Internet a week ago, and i know this isn't much for a week of writing, but I suspect that I'm rusty, because it was really hard :( Anyway, I figured that this was better than nothing, so do please enjoy. Also, I will be better at responding to the reviews I get, they really mean a lot to me! Thanks, all of you who have reviwed this story so far! I love you all!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own FFVII, just my plot and my OC. Geez.

Chapter 8: Relaxation...or so I thought

Saturday morning, we packed ourselves into Tifa's car. It was a big car, but we were seven people and our bags, so it was pretty tight. I got squeezed in between Vincent (yes, Vincent. He was coming with us to the beach. It's true. Someone call the news or something) and Alyera, who looked both excited and scared to death. Couldn't blame her, really. Poor little thing hadn't done anything in her life except being mistreated by her father, so it was quite natural for her to be scared of everything. But it was still annoying sometimes.

The day after my incident with almost-naked-Vincent-in-moonlight-and-horrible-dirty-dreams-following-afterwards, Tifa had been kind enough to ask him during the breakfast. He uttered a 'Hn.' and left. We took it as a 'Yes, I'd love too, I find the beach quite charming and I sooo need to get myself a proper tan before summer is over' or something more or less equal to that, and we were right. Alyera shone like a sun, or rather moon, with her pale complexion, for a couple of seconds, and then went back to her normal, nervous and wondering look.

"The...beach?"

"Allie, please. Don't say that you've never been to a beach."

She looked anxiously at me.

"You lived in Junon. It's by the sea."

"Junon does not have any beaches, only the port."

"I know that, I've been in Junon several times, remember? But there are beaches close to Junon."

"I...I have never left Junon before I came here..."

"Oh for fuck's sake! I'll kill that man, I really will. Never left your homwtown? Geez. Gimme a break."

"Oh, but I do know what a beach is, Yuffie. I have seen pictures. It looks very nice."

"Yeah, you bet it is. An' you're gonna enjoy it, 'cause I'm telling you to."

She nodded, like a child in school who's just recieved orders from the teacher to do the homework. Needless to say, Denny and Marly were absolutely euphoric when they had heard about the planned trip.

So therefore we all squeezed into Tifa's car at Saturday morning. Teefs driving, Cloud in the seat next to her, the kids in the row behind them, and for some reason me, Vince and Alyera in the back. I never understood why any of us didn't sit with the brats, because then we would have had so much more space. Well, I guess that I just didn't want to, because the dwarves were too happy and too loud and too...mobile. Vincent probably had the same reason. Alyera was still quite scared of them, even though she made an admirable effort in trying not to show it. Though she didn't succeed. Denny and Marly loved her more and more every day, and the more they loved her, the more they scared her, and the more they loved her. It was actually rather funny to watch, since this kind of evil spiral didn't really harm anyone. They wanted to hug her goodnight, she saw it as an assassination attempt and tried to flee. I laughed my butt off, Tifa giggled, Cloud smirked and Vincent looked slightly less emo. Shelke still hadn't come home, so Tifa left her a note on the desk ('She has her own keys', she said) telling her where we were and that we'd be home not too late. I kinda feared the first meeting between Shelke and Allie. Two very different and yet very similar personalities, Shelke curious at everything after having spent ten year in DeepGround, Alyera scared of everything after having spent her whole life locked up in her own home. But I was going to make sure to be there when they met, and ensure a safe bonding. When they became friends, they would have lots to talk about, I knew that. Until then...I decided just not to think about it. I'd just make me worry about Allie even more.

I had my bikini that I made Vinnie buy for me in Costa del Sol, and Allie had borrowed one of Teef's. It was 'too small across the chest' for her, but it fit Alyera perfectly. It was black though; I didn't like it because I wanted her to wear more colourful clothes. Black felt so depressing on her, and I feared that it'd remind her of her past. I didn't want that. It would be for her like for Vincent; those clothes, those colours, would hang around her shoulders and weighing her down. I had worked on Vincent for fours years, and it was just a year ago since he at least partly forgave himself, and that little depressed part of me that had been growing the last time whispered that Alyera might take a very long time too. But I repressed it by telling myself that at least Allie smiled, while Vincent had never done that out of happiness, just shown ghost of a smile when being mean to me. But... I remembered that time in Aerith's church. When Cloud returned from the dead, and the healing water cured Denzel's Geostigma, and everyone was so happy and we all smiled and laughed, I glanced behind my shoulder at Vince, and he smiled too. It was beautiful, and so touching to see him do that. Now he actually lived in Edge, among other people, instead of hiding in caves and forests and stuff, so that indicated on a change for him, a change to the better. Sitting in the car, which was more like a minivan, squeezed in between them, I felt it again, stronger now, that this had to be my task, and my task alone. Vincent had helped me so many times, in battles, he had been there for me during my grand escape from Wutai, heck, he had even told me that I had grown more mature and starting to become an adult for real. If he was right about that, I would repay him by playing the supportive motherly and sisterly role that had always been Tifa's, and help to lift both him and my new best friend out of the darkness of their shadowy past. I smiled to myself where I sat, lost in thoughts of my heroic decision to do everything in my power to help my friends. The White Rose of Wutai was back. I could feel her growing inside me, bigger every second. If I succeeded, she would burst into a flower, a beautiful rose, and then I would be that wild rose that Alyera spoke of. When I was that far into my own story of the brave young ninja warrior Yuffie Kisaragi, who sacrificed everything she had for her friends and fought dragons and walked on water for them, Allie woke me up.

"Yuffie? How far is it to the beach?"

"Eh? Who? What? Why? What? The beach? What? Ooh, that beach. Yeah well, it's near Kalm but by the sea, so I'd say maybe two hours if Teefs drive like a madwoman as she usually does. No, just kidding ya. Two hours or something like that. And it took me and Vince like, most of the frickin' day to walk from Kalm to here... Vinnie, why don't you have a car? Or a bike, like Fenrir? Do you realise how convenient that would be?"

"Hn."

"Two hours? Oh, my!"

"It's chill, Allie. We can torment Vincent during the trip and it'll be fun."

Vince death-glared me. I happyfaced him back.

"I'm immune to that, Vinnie-love" I sang and grinned at his expression. "See, Allie? It's really easy, too! And just sooo much fun."

-TWR&TH-

We all arrived to the beach alive and well, even though Vincent looked like he regretted coming with us. The kids got whinier and whinier, I got more and more restless, and in one way or the other it all went out on him. I decided that poking him in the face and say 'poke' everytime I did so was the best way to amuse myself, and the pygmies got louder with every minute. Poor Vinnie, now that I think of him. He had too much stubborn pride to tell me to stop in a way that made me take him seriously. The stupid old vampire never learns. Pride is good, yeah, but not when he's near me. The guy needs to be able to let loose and scream and go berserk sometimes. Then again, Vincent is scary when he's mad, no shit, so it's probably better this way.

The mini-people and I raced each other from the parking lot towards the golden sand. I had been smart enough to put on my bikini under my clothes before we left, so I just threw off my top and shorts, left them on the ground for somebody else to take care of, and ran into the water with a splash. Oh, it was wonderful! Just the perfect temperature, crystal clear near the beach and bluish green further out. Marlene and Denzel joined me, immediately starting a water war. I participated with joy, and by the time Tifa, Cloud and Alyera wet their toes we were all soaked, even though the water only reached halfway up my thighs. Teefs laughed and splashed some water on Cloud, who fled further out and dove below the surface. Alyera now had water to her knees, and anxiously looked at us.

"Come on, Allie!" I shouted at her. When she still didn't move, I went to her, grabbed her hand and dragged her with me. Then I pushed her into the water, laughing at her facial expression. When she came up, her long hair (for convenience gathered in a thick braid which reached well past her waist) looked more like a waterfall, and she spluttered and coughed. I almost expected her to be angry with me, but to my big, happy surprise she started laughing too. Then she counterattacked and gave me the same treatment. Me, being trained to fight, tried to block her attack, but was surprised again when she easily overpowered me and sent me flying into the water. She really was strong! When I got up, she was smiling shyly at me.

"I am sorry. I do not realise my own strength."

"Hey, it's okay, Allie. That was great fun!"

She smiled again, and then turned to the kiddos who had come and now wanted us to join them in playing tag in the water. I felt happy. Allie smiled, and she had laughed too. This was a good sign.

I played tag for probably half an hour, before deciding to join vamps on land. I found him in the shade of a tree, wearing a black t-shirt indentical to the one I used for nightgown. But even though it was almost thirty degrees (not in the shade, of course, but it was still warm) he still wore his leather pants. I sat down next to him, leaning against the trunk just like he did. He glanced at me.

"Coming to poke me?" he deadpanned. I giggled.

"No. I just didn't feel like swimming anymore. I thought I'd join you up here and try to make you smile."

"Why?" he asked and looked at me.

"Because you never do. It's depressing. You just sit here all by yourself, watching us have fun, looking broody and gloomy. It's not right. I wanna see you smile, because if we're happy, you oughta be too."

I looked back at him. He was still watching me with that gaze that made me feel like he was reading me like a book, or using his invisible radar to scan me. It didn't scare me this time though, like it usually did, since I had nothing to hide. For once. I met his eyes, and experienced a strange feeling. It was like an elctrical current had been connected to my heart, and the electricity spread through my body and generated heat. I felt like I could drown in those crimson pools, and I didn't want to look away. I realised that I was being very close to him, our faces merely two decimetres apart, but it didn't affect me. I didn't break the contact, but steadily and calmly watched him in return.

"Does it matter that much to you?" he asked.

"Yes, it does."

"Why?"

"Because you're my...sorry to say it Vince, but second-best friend, my comrade-in-arms since many years, and you deserve some joy. Okay? I just wanna se you smile like every other person I know do. Even Allie, and she's had it rough." I still didn't break the eye contact.

"I would like to see you try."

"You will. I will have you smile one day, Vincent, but my main focus at the moment is Allie. I'm sorry. You're not number one anymore", I said teasingly.

"Who said I wanted to?"

"Who doesn't want to be someone's number one?"

"It's not necessary for me."

"I don't care about you and your emoness, Vince. I don't give a damn whether you want to be any number at all, you still are. Number two. I'll make you smile."

"Hn."

"Is that really allyou have to say? You're so hopeless, Vinnie", I sighed, looked away and leaned against him with my head on his shoulder. "I'm tired, Vince. You'll make a good pillow."

"Hn."

-TWR&TH-

When I woke up I joined Allie and the kids in the water. Tifa and Cloud had decided they had got enough of the sea and were lying on towels on the beach, where every male person oh-so-happily could stare at Teef's boobs. Alyera told me that she didn't know how to swim, and I felt stupid for not thinking of that before. Of course she couldn't, she had never had a chance to practise! I told her the basics, and then helped her. She was an studious pupil, and after a couple of hours she swam almost as well as anybody else. She swam for thirty metres, stopped, and swam again. She tried really hard, and it was easy to understand that she wanted to be able to swim like normal people. When we eventually got tired, long after when Denny and Marly found some other kids to play with and left us, we went for a walk along the beach. Alyera kept giving me strange looks, and after a while I got tired of it.

"Allie, what is is? You're looking at me so strangely."

"Oh, I am sorry, Yuffie. Are you and Vincent...are you..." I understood what she was trying to ask.

"Oh no, no, no, we're just friends, okay? We've been friends for so long, it's nothing strange when I use him as a pillow. It's not like this is the first time, either. He's everything for me; pillow, punching bag, bullying victim, hanky...and also my favourite emo. Up 'til I met you, he was my best friend. The differences between us never mattered, you know? He's...41 years older than me, fifty-six times as serious, one hundred and seven times as brooding, and eight squadrillions nine thousand two hundred and three times as emo, but we still get along great, in our own way. We're the most odd couple ever, but it works out just awesomely. We kick major butt in fights, and if Cloud wanted trusty party members when he suspected we would have to fight aerial or very nimble enemies, we were always his natural choice. Vincent never misses, did you know that? I have never seen him miss a single shot, no matter what he fights. I miss sometimes, I admit that, but it's very very very rare that I do. We're like...ketchup and mustard, pepper and salt, night and day, so very different but at the same time, what would we be without each other? I think that's the best way I can describe our relationship."

"Oh, okay. I understand. That was a very clever metaphor, Yuffie."

"You really think so?"

"Why, absolutely!"

"Gee, thanks a lot! Hah, I needa tell Vinnie that he's not the only intelligent person in the gang anymore! Ooh, that'll own him big time. Thanks, Allie!"

We went along the shore talking for more than an hour, reflecting on things we saw, gossiping about Cloud and Tifa, predicting Cloud's proposal to her, and so on. When we got back to the others, Tifa waved at us and told us it was time to go back to Edge. Still merry, we jumped into the car and drove off. After ten or so minutes, I got bored and started asking Cloud when he actually was going to propose to Tifa. He was the one driving, and it was fun seeing him trying to contain himself while Tifa blushed and tried to change the subject. I am sure of that all the other passengers enjoyed our discussion immensely, even Vincent. I can tell when he's listening and when he's not, and if he's listening it means he's enjoying it. Ain't harder than that. We all sat at the same seats as when we had gone in the opposite direction, except Cloud and Teefs who had changed with each other, and now I felt myself lean slightly towards Alyera. There was some kinda tension between me and Vince, and I didn't know why or who had started it. I suspected it was me, or rather, Allie, with her comment on how it looked like me and Vinnie were together. In the car, when teasing Cloud eventually started to bore me, and I had time to think about it, I remembered that electrical current I had felt running through my body when he looked at me like that. What if? What if I actually had more feelings for him than I had realised myself? No, that couldn't be it. No way. I had known Vincent for too long. He was a very good friend, from there came my strong feelings for him, and he was a damn good-looking fellow, from there came my reactions when being so close to him. It wasn't love, not even a crush. Never.

Or maybe it was.

No, it was not.

Was I really sure about that?

Yes! I was not in love with Vincent, I had never been and I would never be. Drop the subject, Yuffie. Drop it.

I had made myself annoyed, and I sat silent during the rest of the drive. When we finally parked outside of Seventh Heaven I could barely stand myself anymore, and hurried off with the excuse that my bath towel was wet and needed hanging up. I earned some strange glances; it was a very poor lie, but I had to say something. I went into my room, hung the towel over a chair and then sat down on the floor. Why did I feel so confused about my own feelings now? Wasn't this a thing people went through during their teens? I was gonna be 21, and I felt completely emotionally lost. I decided to take a shower, hoping to wash my troubled away.

"I'm going to take a shower, I'm all covered in salt!" I shouted and entered the bathroom, locking the door behind me.

The hot water helped some, and my own awesome ability of thinking positive helped the rest. I'm so awesome! I felt the awesomeness grow inside me as I stepped out of the bathroom which I had been occupying for over an hour. As I reached the door to my room, I could hear the phone ring and Tifa answer. I got dressed and was thinking of what to do next, when Teefs called my name.

"Yuffie! It's...for you."

There was something strange in her voice, and full of bad premonitions I went down the stairs to the kitchen, where I took the phone from her.

"Hello?"

"Yuffie, it's your father. I demand you return to Wutai now."

Ooh, cliffhanger! I am so very evil. Anyway, hopefully I'll be able to write something worth reading soon, until then, review and

Love,

Shade Lamora