Vincent smiled lovingly down at the sleeping Yuffie lying next to him. She looked so serene and content that he didn't want to move and risk waking her; however he was also worried that if Reno came to him looking for her that this scene would only serve to exacerbate the already worsening situation between him and Yuffie. He couldn't say that he would try and stop Reno from leaving if it came to that. In fact, he'd probably encourage him to go. He didn't like the Turk getting in the way and upsetting Yuffie; but he also knew that if Reno were to leave, that Yuffie would most likely fall into a deeper downward spiral, one which he didn't know if he could pull her out of.

She began to rouse from sleep, and to avoid any awkwardness, Vincent quickly pulled a robe over his shoulders and took his leave of her.

Reno, meanwhile, paced the floor of his lavishly furnished room. He debated in his head whether to scour the castle in search of the missing ninja, or rather to wait and allow her time to deal with her emotions and return on her own. He wanted to settle things between them once and for all so that they could move past the dead air that was constantly hindering their relationship, if you could even call it that.

He strode across the floor to the mirror on the wall and peered at the shabby reflection staring back at him. He hadn't shaved in a few days, his hair was tousled and matted, and he had deep, dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't remembered a time he had looked worse. He was normally very keen on keeping up appearances, but lately he had begun to develop lazy habits. He ran his hands through his hair feverishly in an attempt to relieve it of it's "rat nest-like" state. He didn't take much stock in his appearance since his confidence in Yuffie's feelings had begun to wane. He knew if he were a smarter man, he would suck it up and move on. She obviously didn't have any intentions of pursuing anything with him or else it wouldn't feel like they were moving in slow motion. Reno, however, was not that man. He knew he was too blinded by his love for the ninja to pull himself away from her. Even though every time she denied him it felt as though her words ripped at his insides, he had become accustomed to the pain. The pain was what told him that he was still capable of feeling anything at all.

He sighed at the face staring back through the mirror at him and turned away from it. He knew that at this point no amount of primping would help, and he despised the broken man that now took the place of his reflection. He pulled on a jacket, because the hallway was always chill, and inhaled deeply.

Suck it up man, do what you have to do.

Yuffie's eyes fluttered open and she stretched happily. Her arm moved to the side of the bed where she expected a marble-cold body to be, but was surprised to find herself alone.She sat up, slightly thrown, and scoured the room for signs of Vincent. Seeing that she was the only sentient being in the room, she kicked off the sheets and wrapped her scantily clad body in a large, furry throw. She traversed the room, opened the door, and peered out into the hallway. However, rather than her eyes falling upon Vincent, she was met with yet another surprise. Reno, was pacing the hallway a few feet away, not seeming to notice her presence. He looked up in a daze, and jumped slightly to see the ninja peeking out from behind the door-frame.

"O-oh," he sucked in a deep breath, "I didn't see you there."

"I noticed," Yuffie replied, eyes glued to the floor, sheepishly.

"I, umm-"

"If you're looking for Vincent, I haven't seen him," she said with a mock-distracted glance out the window.

"No, actually, I came to talk to you," he replied, building up his courage.

"Oh, about what exactly," she responded in a mutter.

"Well, I...I...umm..."he stumbled over the words that he knew he wanted to say.

He knew the syllables were there, stuck on the tip of his tongue, hesitant to be formed into coherent speech. He wanted to blurt it all out at once, get everything off his chest and turn and run, but he knew he couldn't. He respected Yuffie far too much to simply bombard her with all his pent up feelings and turn and flee before she had a chance to comprehend. He didn't feel like he owed her anything, in fact he felt exactly the contrary. He felt like she deserved to be left in the lurch, but he also was determined to save his last shred of dignity and morality.

Just spit it out! Don't be such a moronic wimp!

"Yuffie, I...I just wanted to say that I think I need to leave the house," he began, "You can obviously take care of yourself much better than I could, and you don't really seem to want me here anymore. You have Vincent, after all, and I just seem to get in the way."

Yuffie was floored, "Where did all this come from so suddenly? How can you say that I don't want you here? You're my friend."

"But that's the problem here! Don't you see, Yuffie? I can't just be friends with you! I'm in love with you but time and time again you push me away! I can't take it anymore, I need to move on because obviously you did a long time ago. I've been kidding myself, feebly holding on to a memory of something that never came to fruition. I don't have as much time as you do, after all, I'm mortal. I need to get on with my life, and I can't do that if I stay here. This house, Vincent, you, it never ages. I do."

Reno paused to catch his breath, and Yuffie took advantage of the break in his tirade.

"I love you too, I just can't love you the way you want me to. I'm sorry if that hurts, and I understand your decision. You need to live your life. Our paths ran parallel once, but now they've diverged."

Reno was taken aback, "I didn't expect you to take it this well, but I guess it's for the best."

The truth is, Yuffie's understanding nature only hurt Reno more. He wanted her to cry, to beg him to stay. The way she succinctly explained herself left a lot to be desired in his mind. He had to make a conscious effort to turn and walk away.

You're just giving up? Just like that? You've been with her and cared for her! You shouldn't let her throw you away that easily!

Reno shook the thoughts from his head and sighed. He'd made up his mind, however hard it was, and he had to follow through.