He's not the Reeve she once fell for, will he ever return to the one she once loved? Better yet should she want him to change?

Disclaimer: None of the characters or anything that revolves around Final Fantasy 7 has ever belonged to me but will always be credited by Square-Enix.

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Chapter Nine – The Scientist & Gentleman

His brown eyes watched her ever so calmly as he noticed her pluck a petal from the given rose and wondered why. His state of expressions and raise of an eyebrow seemed visible of his confusion as she gave a soft giggle which escaped her delicate lips and made her way towards him. She sat down alongside him holding the plucked rose as she stared at the clouds above here. She imagined them to be shapes, one of them to be a cat like figure.

She shook her head wildly blushing at the thought of him and he was sitting next to her and avoided his more confused stares. Finally nodding at the rose and the fallen petals close by, she began to speak.

"Old tradition when a girl gets a flower, she plucks each petal" she said and demonstrated then continued, "to see if that person likes her" she stated not feeling embarrassed by what she said but noticed her ears feel slightly flushed.

"I wonder if I should check up with Cloud, he said there were some things he needed to talk to me about" he stated formally as he didn't seem to show any emoticons to what she said.

She allowed a soft sight to escape her well known feeling as she wondered why he acted so serious around her, couldn't he be just as exciting as when he was with the others? Was there something wrong with her?

There was only one way to find out, allowing her fingers to pluck another petal she muttered the words 'loves me' under her breath as she proceeded on plucking the next until he rested a hand over the flower.

"Look" he stated allowing her to look upwards, maybe just maybe now she would be able to make him open up. "Those clouds look as if they are an omen of some sort, don't you think?"

She thought he was going to say something, anything but a serious conversation about omens and such. She gave a nod as she felt her hopes sink down.

"Vincent is doing alright, but he didn't seem himself" Lucrecia stated softly hoping he would help her out figure out why Valentine had chosen to act so strange these days as she had given up on the fact that he would open up to her that day.

"Must be under the weather" he continued stating as he drummed his fingers against the log they had been seated upon.

"I guess, or it could be something else"

"Oh is that true? And what's your thought on what's wrong with Vincent?" He asked finally giving eye contact to the pure beauty as she parted her lips to speak.

"I don't know" she spoke before looking down. Getting up she stared at the rose with the little amount of petals left. Once more she plucked another one. "Loves me not" she thought gently before looking back at the vacant log, now where did Reeve depart to?

She shook her head as she crouched down and allowed the natural atmosphere to enter her with a single breath, Reeve must have left. No, she shouldn't think of him like that; she knew him well enough to understand he would never leave without a farewell given.

He was different, when she first met him. He teased her romantically and complimented her in many subjects that others would insult her on. He made her smile with butterflies in her as she allowed an occasional leap to be made when she finished talking to him. She was still happy to be with him, but she just wished he didn't change into Reeve Tuesti the man who allowed his emoticons to be devoured by work.

She allowed the rose to rest on her lap before she picked it up to straighten her white skirt.

She was an angel, a miracle who had bought her staircase to heaven. She was fragile and innocent, she was Lucrecia Crescent.

She was a light to the eyes of the soul; she was pure white like the snow. She resembled the healing light, she was an angel both guardian and not because of her pure heart.

Standing up, she made her way once more the log and traced her fingers around the rings; it was twenty years old. She thought as she closed her eyes slightly and soon opened them to find none other then Reeve returned to the scene standing close by.

She had her fingers at her collar bone as she played with the pendant and kept her blue eyes so carefully on him, not wanting to miss a movement of his.

Letting go of the pendant, all her fingers curled around the stem as she plucked another petal. "He loves me"

He was walking over her, his hands behind him as if hiding something. Just a few steps from her, he stood there not moving as his next actions made her melt.

A smile tugged at both of his lips, that sight so pure so perfect; she thought.

As if obeying him or understanding what he was mentally telling her as he stood there like a statue; she sat down on the log her fingers still curling upon the rose while two fingers held the recent plucked petal before she let go and watched it fall onto the grassy ground.

She sat in such a faithful posture as if trusting him and proving she wouldn't do anything. Inhaling and exhaling deeply as she heard and felt his footsteps once more start towards her as her back was to him.

Finally, she could see his shadow overpowering her white aura as she shook with excitement, she wanted to turn but she knew it would spoil the moment.

"Reeve" she stated softly with a smile as she had finally figured out, it didn't matter how he was; just his presence made her tingle with joy.

He stood there behind her not saying anything, but her voice made his smile stay longer.

She wanted to turn, she couldn't take it anymore but when she noticed his shadow depart her she had a feeling he was crouching.

He was pulling something out, was he after all really hiding something when he returned?

"This is all that is needed to be said" he noted with his smile heard as he shuffled through trying to find the object.

While waiting she plucked a few more petals, each time whispering what it meant.

"You love me not" she whispered so delicately.

"You love me" she stated still plucking more petals.

"You love me not…" She said and soon stopped at the last petal as she didn't pluck at as her attention was given to the object that was resting on her lap around the fallen petals.

Reeve now seated next to her as he waited to see her reaction.

"He loves you" she read the object Reeve gave her; it was a paper with only that sentence she read out.

Raising the rose to Reeve, she welcomed him to pull the last petal.

"She loves me" he stated as he pulled out the last petal before wiping away the tear of joy from her cheeks.

-TOBECONTINUED-

Author Note – Thanks so much for still staying strong for the fan fiction ichi-nana-hachi it makes me enjoy continuing the story more then ever. Sorry but your wild guess was wrong, Vincent, Tifa & Cloud will come soon but till then the next chapter involves Denzel & Priscilla the moogle girl.