A/N- Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Love you all. Here is chapter 2…

Chapter 2

The park was almost empty except for a small family taking an evening walk and a young man sitting on one of the many park benches. It was a very magnificent park particularly this time of year when the leaves changed colors. People would come from every part of town to see the vibrant leaves in this specific park. Despite the parks popularity, today it was peacefully empty leaving its occupants to enjoy a tranquil evening to reflect in their own thoughts. The young man watched as a mildly strong gust of wind blew and caused a flurry of multi-colored leaves to fall around him, some landing on the bench but not one daring to fall into his platinum blonde shock of hair.

Cloud watched as a particularly bright leaf slowly descended to the bench he was lounging on. He noticed that the leaf was almost flawless, it had very few of the imperfections that adorned most dead leaves and it was a beautiful orange color. He gazed at the leaf as it landed on the slightly weathered bench a few inches from his hand. It was almost mesmerizing the way it continued to dance with the light breeze even after it had settled on the bench. Cloud reached his hand out to grab the leaf but before he could, a strong gust of wind blew it away.

'Typical,' Cloud thought to himself as he sighed, 'Everything that captivates me is always out of my reach.'

It had been three days since Cloud had gone to Leon's house to study and he still could not get the events that had conspired there out of his head. He had felt more emotions in the short amount of time he had spent at that house then he had in almost his entire life. It was almost unimaginable the way he could go from enthrallment to agony almost instantly.

Cloud's thoughts drifted back to the silver haired boy. Cloud didn't know if it was jealousy corrupting his mind or something else but that Riku looked almost identical to someone else that he knew, someone he deeply wanted to forget.

"Sephiroth," Cloud all but whispered allowed. How could he never forget that man, the man that had ruined his life. No, he wouldn't forget him, not until he killed him with his own two hands. Sephiroth had taking the most important person in his life from him. Aerith had died because of that bastard and Cloud would have his revenge one way or another.

Cloud's parents had died when he was eight and left him and his older sister, Aerith, all on their own. Aerith was only twelve years old but she had taken care of both herself and Cloud without complaint. Cloud could remember the smile that always adorned her face and the cheerful attitude she always displayed despite the intense pain that she felt deep in her heart. She never asked anything of Cloud and would do anything to make him happy.

Cloud shook his head to rid himself of his thoughts; it was no good to get lost in them here. He could already feel the pressure settling in his chest at the thoughts of his deceased sister. He closed his eyes as another strong breeze came, the sweet air stream cooling his face.

"Cloud!" came a rather loud yell, if there had been more people in the park he would be feeling very embarrassed right about now. He looked over to the source of the scream and his eyes landed on the little vixen that had been occupying his thoughts and keeping him from concentrating on much of anything but her. He suppressed a sigh as he saw her waving overenthusiastically at him with a goofy grin on her face. He waved back to her slightly and smiled back as she walked over to him. "What are you doing out here all alone?" she asked as she took a seat next to him while picking up a leaf and expecting it closely.

"Just thinking," Cloud replied.

"Oh," Yuffie said dropping the leaf and turning to look at Cloud, "Do you mind if I hang out with you for a while?" she asked.

"Squall's girlfriend is over and I really don't want to be in the house while they do whatever it is that they do," she shuddered slightly and then looked back at Cloud with a sweet smile.

Cloud immediately wanted to ask why she didn't go hang out with her 'boyfriend' but when he looked into her stormy eyes he knew he couldn't be that spiteful to her. The thought of making her feel bad made a bitter taste come to his mouth. He nodded to her not trusting himself to speak.

"Cool," Yuffie replied.

The family that had been taking a stroll in the park was now walking past them. The small boy who looked to be around five or six turned to Yuffie and made a face, sticking out his tongue and pulling at his eyelid. Yuffie snorted and puckered up like a fish while crossing her eyes. The little boy laughed and turned back to his mother. Cloud chuckled slightly at Yuffie's antics; she really was a fun girl to be around.

"Do you want to go get some coffee?" she suddenly asked looking over to him.

"Okay," Cloud said shrugging. He stood you and dusted off his pants. Yuffie did the same and gestured him to follow her.

They walked in silence to a small café that looked like a local hot spot. Yuffie led them to a booth near the back with an air of habit and Cloud briefly wondered if she came here on a regular basis. A server came and asked Yuffie if she wanted the usual to which Yuffie replied with a nod. He turned to Cloud who asked for a cup of French Roast coffee, black. The waiter nodded while writing the orders down and left with a short comment of "It'll be right up," or something along those lines.

"I love this place," Yuffie said to Cloud.

"Do you come here often?" he asked with a slightly humored tone in his voice. Yuffie nodded to him enthusiastically.

"Where else can I get coffee, chocolate, and sugar all in one beverage?" she said smiling excitedly. Cloud smiled unable to help it with the contagious joy that the young girl exuded. Yuffie smiled as much as Aerith used to he noted there was one major difference, Yuffie's smiles were genuine happiness, and they reached all the way to her eyes. When Aerith smiled, it was only to hide her emotions from him and convince Cloud that everything was all right. The last thing she wanted to do was make her little brother worry. They had one thing in common though; both Aerith and Yuffie could brighten his day with a single smile.

The server came back shortly after with their orders. Cloud accepted his coffee silently and took a sip as he looked over to Yuffie. He raised a blonde eyebrow at the concoction that sat in front of her.

"What is that?" Cloud asked her, his eyebrow still rose.

"This, my friend, is a super, mocha, caramel, iced cappuccino with hot fudge and extra whipped cream," Yuffie said animatedly, "Jumbo sized," she added as an afterthought.

Cloud's other eyebrow rose to meet his already raised one as he took in all the information. He chuckled slightly and took another sip of his plain coffee.

"Do you want to try it?" she asked gesturing down the monstrosity of sugary chocolate-ness that was supposed to represent coffee. She had already gulped down a quarter of it in the time that Cloud had taken two sips of his French Roast.

"Uhh…No thanks," Cloud said shaking his head.

Yuffie shrugged and proceeded to inhale the rest of the mixture that looked like it could rot one's teeth on contact. She finished before Cloud was half way done with his small cup.

The server returned with the check, handing it to Cloud and walking away.

"How much is it?" Yuffie asked getting out her wallet to pay for her expensive cappuccino.

"I got it," Cloud said paying for both drinks. Yuffie's eyes widened at his generosity and she thanked him with a cheerful smile on her face. Cloud handed the bill back to the server when he walked by and told him he didn't need any change. Taking one last sip of his bitter java Cloud stood up to leave, Yuffie doing the same.

"So…what now?" Cloud asked as they exited the café.

"I guess I should get home," Yuffie said looking back to Cloud. Cloud nodded and opted to walk her home. They spent the walk back to her house in a comfortable silence, neither wanting to speak, simply enjoying each other's presence.

"Thank you so much for spending time with me," Yuffie said when they reached her house. It was almost dark outside, the dim light giving Yuffie an almost angelic look.

"Any time," Cloud said back.

"Really," Yuffie said back, "How about this weekend?"

Cloud looked back at her with a questioning face.

"A whole bunch of us are going camping, Squall will be there too," she said letting some of her excitement leak out through her voice. She was obviously looking forward to this trip very much.

His first reaction was to say no. Yuffie had a boyfriend, who was no doubt going on the trip as well. He looked back to Yuffie and his resolve diminished; she had so much hope in her eyes he felt that he would say yes to anything she asked of him. That was it, he had made up his mind, and he would go. Why give up the chance to be her friend? He would not come between her and Riku. He would be cordial to her, almost brotherly. He could have that kind of relationship with her, maybe she could fill the hole in his heart that Aerith had left when she had died.

He nodded hid consent to her and what she did next startled him. She nearly tackled him in a bear hug, her arms going around his neck in a tight embrace.

"Perfect! You are going to love it Cloud!" she said still hugging him. Cloud did not trust himself to return the hold, afraid he wouldn't let go of her. She let go and gave him a happy "Goodnight," as she entered her house.

Cloud stood there collecting himself. All thoughts of having a brotherly relationship with her had left his mind. It was amazing how much power she had over him. He had never thought himself a weak-minded person before, especially after everything he had been through, but for some reason he was under the spell of this young slip of a girl. He didn't think he would be satisfied with only being her friend, he wanted more, and that thought alone scared him.

A/N- Chapter two is done! The story is kind of boring right now but trust me, it is about to get going. REVIEW!