"Promising Entirely."

Disclaimer: If you havn't figured out I don't own ANYTHING yet...well...dumps a bucket of cold water on you.

A/N: Woot! Its finally here! FINALLY...this chapter took me so long it was like...agony to punch out every word, I tell yer.

Shout outs:

Yuffie Kisaragi2: Hey, you know what's really good? Cinnamon and gravy. Yes, I know it sounds gross but...I had a poutine and my friend had a Beavertail (cinnamon pastry) and I was dared to eat it together and...it was good. Cheers to boys being stupid! Woot!

October Breeze: Hehehe! His face is MELTING. Like something in the Mummy or something. Wow...I havn't seen that movie in ages. Haven't I updated this since Christmas? Yikes...oh well, I used chrismahanukwanzakuh ALL THE TIME after that and everyone gave me weird looks. Heh.

Deplora: Heh! So much for my one shot...actually, I should go write that! runs off Well, here's the update as promised, and another before I work on SSTH. Would you forgive me if I work on Foolish Games and spit that out before I update this? Hah. Probably not. Foolish Games isn't even close to being done. Yes! Squffie Sensors! Very acurate!

Kimou: Any time! You need a day brightening, you just ask!

Yukari: Love your name by the way. Eh, well...I'm sure it's a bit more complicated than all that but..I'm worried. We have really weak leadership in the world these days.

Ann: YOU hate ME? is shocked You could fit a MILLION of these into your stories and it still wouldn't add up. I might be biased because I adore ya but...REALLY. Yikes, I should go and work on that Yuriku eh? ITS COMING, I PROMISE! Hopefully sometime before your birthday eh? Seven months. Seven months...you're still writing a Tyku for MY birthday right? I hope soooo!

The Contessa: Yo! I tried to fit a dance into this one...but I couldn't really find a place. Next time, hopefully!

Iris: HAHA! Dude, that is SUCH a good idea! Instead, you should have a Ring Pop as your ring. I mean, it would go away fast 'cause its edible but it's a TASTY ring, so I think its well worth it. Oh, I would adore being an author but...I've never written any of my own characters/plot/ideas ect, you know? I'll have to work on that. Now to more pressing matters, what you would like for your wedding gift? Does this make me your mother in law?

Bronzetoast: Sorry it took so long!

Sugacoated-Cherries: Oh yes, VERY corny. That's why I kept it in there, for my own amusement. Heh. That's no threat! Squall could NEVER bore me! I could think of a few ways to keep myself entertained with him around!

Now, on with the show! This chapter took me forever, and it was almost painful to write, but I think it just might be my favorite so far. For now, atleast.

It was one of those mornings. A morning where you woke up with your body in the perfect comfort; where you could see that the sky was perfectly blue and cloudless. When you could bounce out of bed without so much as a second thought about sleeping in. Yuffie Kisaragi grinned as she opened her eyes, stretching her arms high above her head and looking through the open window with relish. It was a beautiful morning.

She quickly dawned her clothing, deciding it was too much of a nice day to stay in her pyjamas. Today was a day for going outside and getting things done. The halls were practically humming with contentment as she strolled down them towards the kitchen. The carpet was warm against her bare feet and the light that peeked through the curtains was sprinkled with floating dust. It was the perfect calm and for the first time in awhile Yuffie felt completely relaxed. She had nothing to worry or feel nervous about; she had nothing to anticipate. Yesterday, when she had sat with Squall in the grass the slate had been wiped clean.

"Yuffie?"

She was surprised to see Cloud standing by the window she had just passed. She hadn't even noticed him standing there. She greeted him with a smile and a tiny wave, her heart jumping as she caught sight of the way he was standing. Arms crossed, eyes unwavering and leaning against the wall. Whenever he stood like that, it usually meant large amounts of trouble for her. She knew he was going to demand an explanation as to her whereabouts the night before last. He never let her get away with anything. She stood still for a short moment, in low hopes that all he wanted was a simple greeting. Then he grinned, bearing all his teeth, and she slouched over to him with a heavy pout. So much for her perfect day.

(Qwerty)

The castle was quiet. Too quiet. Aerith padded down the hall from her bedroom quite suspiciously and almost suspected someone to pop out at her. Cloud had convinced her to sleep in the morning, something she rarely had the chance to do. She knew something was up when he didn't sleep in as well; Cloud hardly ever got up without some persuasive work on her part. Her bedroom clock had told her that it was nearly ten o'clock, which was when the group usually assembled for breakfast. And breakfast was always accompanied by shouts and slaming doors, or perhaps an insanely hyper Yuffie who had put too much sugar on her cereal. Yet the castle was quiet...

Too quiet...until...

A loud squeal errupted from around the corner, and Aerith quickened her steps with a smile. She stopped at the start of the new hallway, blinking confusedly at the sight before her. Cloud had Yuffie held in a death grip, arm hooked tightly around her waist and hand covering her mouth. Yuffie was laughing hysterically, face bright red and limbs twitching with uncontained excitement as she tried to break from his hold.

"What's going on?" She questioned lightly, unable to keep the amusement from her voice.

"N-nothing." Cloud muttered a little too quickly and none too convincingly. Yuffie snapped her eyes open at the sound of her voice, normally blue eyes a much lighter shade in the evidential happiness she was feeling. Cloud bent his head close to her ear, muttering something Aerith couldn't quite catch. Yuffie nodded and after a moment of hesitation, Cloud released her.

"Hiya, Aerith!" She giggled, hands covering her cheeks. "I'll... heh...gotta go!"

"What's with her?" Aerith pondered, extremely confused as she watched the ninja dart away, tittering madly.

"Oh, you know.." Cloud took her had, leading her to the kitchen. "Being her usual self."

"You're hiding something!" Aerith smiled. "I can tell! Spill it!"

Her blond lover shook his head, pushing the kitchen door open with one hand and leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"Later." He promised. "Now, what do you want for breakfast?"

(qwerty)

Normally, when one stepped into Squall Leonhart's room, they would be met with freezing and almost unbearable air. Normally, one would have to brace themselves. But when Yuffie pushed open the door, wincing at the loud squeak it made, she was assaulted from all sides by warm air. Squall never slept in warm air. Squall couldn't sleep in warm air! She stood in the doorway for a long while, looking around the room in shock.

"If you've come to steal something." A soft voice interrupted her thoughts. "Standing in the doorway is not the smartest move."

Squall was lying on his side, elbow cushioned by his pillow. He was staring at her in his usual intense way, demanding without words that she give an explanation for her presence. Yuffie sighed despite herself. Apparently, when things went back to normal, everything went back to normal. She wasn't sure if it was a fare trade. In any case, she felt incredibly good about all this. The calm after the storm; perhaps now she could come up with a better plan to ease him up? If she had learned anything from this not-too-enjoyable experience, it was that she had been trying way too hard. Squall needed to be handled like a flower.

The thought made her giggle as she plopped down beside him on the bed, wondering how Squall would react if he knew what she had just compared him to. Her stomach gave a tiny flip and that nervousness that had assaulted her at the prospect of facing him dissapeared.

"And what does Squall Leonhart have planned for today?" She asked, tilting her head up to look at him.

He closed his eyes. "I'm tired." He muttered, surprising Yuffie as she had expected some cruel comment or demands that she leave.

Maybe something had changed...

"So whatever maniacal idea you have concerning me doing anything," He continued. "Is not worth even your time."

Or not.

"Come on," She pleaded, sitting up and turning to look down at him. "I wanted to take you out to town! I still need to repay you for letting me vomit in your toilet."

"Such a way with words." He said with a face filled with distaste at her phrasing. "I'm not going into town. Forget it."

"We never go anywhere!" She pouted, jumping up so that she was standing on the bed. "In fact, I don't think you've even been to town since we came back here."

He snorted and sat up, pushing her legs so that she fell on to her back. He ignored her complaints as he stood from the bed, making his way towards the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. Yuffie sat on the bed, not sure if she should feel indignant or stunned at his actions, considering how used she was to his grumpiness. A few minutes later she heard him turn on the shower. She huffed quietly to herself, standing and squaring her shoulders as she marched over to the bathroom door. It wasn't too difficult to pick bathroom locks, and she swung the door open as soon as she heard the lock give. She heard Squall curse from behind the shower curtain, the water drowning out his words and she smiled smugly as she sat down on the toilet. No one could outwit the Great Ninja Yuffie!

"If you're a good boy and keep quiet," She called out over the water. "I'll tell you why I want to take you out to town."

"Your motive is different than usual?" He said dryly, and she saw his shadow shake his head in mock disbelief. "Are you actually sincere this time, Yuffie?"

"I'm always sincere!" She cried indignantly. "When am I not sincere?"

"You just broke into my bathroom when you knew I was in the shower." He pointed out dryly, smirking despite himself. "That doesn't exactly scream truth and innocence."

Yuffie sniffed. "Shut up, jerkface."

The bathroom went silent except for the running water occasionally splattering against the side of the tub if Squall moved. Yuffie sighed, wondering if Squall was thinking the same thing as her in the silence. That maybe things had changed, and if they hadn;t, the could in the future. Either way, she was determined not to give up. She refused to give up. She would get inside his head, and she would fix him and everything would be jolly. Just jolly!

"Anyway," She stressed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you want to hear my perfectly sincere and considerate reason for making you come in to town with me or not?"

"I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyway." He sighed. "Not that it matters. I'm not going."

"We'll see about that." She chirped, covering her eyes with her hands when she heard him turn the water off. She sniffed the air loudly and hummed approvingly, the scent of his shampoo wafting as he passed. Leon covered his smile with a towel, not that she would have seen it with her eyes closed so tightly. She only opened her eyes when she heard the clinking of his belts and even then it took all of her efforts not to let her eyes stray. She was defending her sincerity after all. Not that it was her fault he had such a deliciously toned stomach...

She jumped and squeaked when he flicked the towel, both from being startled and at her own thoughts. Since when had she found Squall attractive? Sure, she'd been aware that other girls found he was gorgeous. It was impossible not to notice that. Yet she had never been appealed by him...she had never even thought about it before... This was Squall!

Soaking, Shirtless and Sexy Squall.

"Yuffie?"

She snapped her eyes to his face, mouth working like a fish as she realized what she had just been thinking. His mouth was quirked slightly to the side with amusement, and she realized how obviously flustered she must have been acting at the sight of him fresh from the shower.

"I'm leaving now." He said, gesturing towards the door. "Feel free to stay here."

"N-no!" She jumped up and followed after him, face burning. How humiliating.

She quickly composed herself while his back was turned, pressing her hands to her face in an attempt to cool her cheeks. Why was her body betraying her like this? It wasn't as though she'd never seen him shirtless before...

But Squall was standing in front of her with his arms crossed, expecting an explanation. She shook her head and giggled nervously, pacing from foot to foot. She would have to ponder this unexpected occurrence later.

"Are you going to come now?" She asked brightly, lifting her blush free face to look at his. "Or am I going to have to force you?"

"You can't force me to do anything." He muttered, picking up his jacket from the back of a chair and slipping it on. "Weren't you going to tell me why you want me to come out so badly?"

"Because of your pleasurable company of course!" She said sarcastically, smiling innocently as he glared at her.

"Yuffie." He said warningly, making his way towards the door. "I can only stand to keep my attention focused on you for so long."

"I've noticed." She muttered, stepping in his way. "If I tell you, do you promise not to tell anyone else?"

"Who would I tell?" He pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh...good point." She agreed, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, I talked to Cloud this morning. He was kinda upset about me sneaking off without telling anyone."

"Naturally." Squall replied, remembering Cloud's glares at the dinner table that evening.

"Well, after he finally finished lecturing his butt off, he kinda asked me for a favor." Yuffie continued, her smile growing brighter with each word. "And that favor was for you and I to get out of the castle for the day."

Squall's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why?"

Yuffie paused, perhaps to make him feel the agony of impatience and to heighten the suspense. She didn't pull it off for long, jumping rapidly on spot and clapping her hands together.

"Cloud's going to ask Aerith to marry him!" She squealed. "Isn't that fantastic?"

Squall, who had just been taking a sip from the water he kept on his bed side table choked. He was forced to bend over and have Yuffie pat him on the back before he could fully catch his breath. When he finally straightened, he could only stare at his former partner in shock, trying to come to terms with all the wild thoughts running through his head. It was only natural progression he supposed, for two people that in love to marry. But when it came down to it...

"I never thought they'd get married." Yuffie said suddenly, "I mean, obviously they would someday but...it seems so weird after everything that's happened that they'd do something so...normal."

"Hnn.." Squall replied distractedly, running a hand through his hair.

Yuffie frowned at him, wondering if she should say something...if this was really the time to bring up a certain discussion they'd had once...

"So..." Yuffie said quietly, seeing the look on his face and feeling slightly apprehensive. "Will you come? I figured we'd tell Aerith we were getting groceries and stuff and we may as well do that anyway but...if you don't want to go..."

"No." Squall muttered after a moment, turning his back. "No, I'll go. Just let me get ready. I'll meet you at the Rising Falls."

Yuffie nodded, sobered and puzzled to his odd reaction. Not that she had expected him to be as excited as she was or anything. But why would the idea of marriage upset Squall as it had? Turning moody was an old habit of Squall's; lately he only became angry when he was upset. But as she turned back to look at him from the doorway he was sitting on his bed, head down and hands gripping his hair. Her heart gave another sharp pang, the usual feeling she got whenever Squall seemed sad. She wanted nothing more than to walk back into the room and comfort him. But she knew it wouldn't help and it would probably just make him angry...

"Are you sure?" She said softly, and he looked up as if shocked that she was still in the room.

"Yeah." He said, his voice so quiet she could hardly hear him. "Go. I'll be down in a minute."

He watched to make sure she really left this time, turning to face the ceiling as soon as he heard her footsteps fade. He could see her face, laughing and mocking him. Rinoa would be disgusted with him if she knew he was anything but happy for his two companions. In fact, Rinoa would probably be disgusted with everything he had become in the last thirteen years. Leon groaned, closing his eyes and turning his face into his pillow.

"Everything passes in time, even love."

His eyes snapped open, a stinging sensation burning them fiercely before he recognized what that feeling meant. He closed his eyes tightly, taking handfuls of his blanket and trying with all his might to clear his mind. Yuffie was so naive; young and forgiving. She had cared for him unconditionally for so long, and even after how he had treated her...she was still here. Rinoa was not. And he was powerless to change it.

"Squall...If you're not married by the time you should be, I'll marry you."

A trickle of water slipped past his eyelid, rolling down his cheek and pooling at his chin. He wiped it away agressively, snapping his eyes open as wave after wave of anger pooled in his stomach. He would not waste his time crying. Crying wouldn't change anything and it certainly wouldn't bring Rinoa back.

"Hey you." A quiet voice said from the door, and he tilted his head up to see Yuffie standing in the doorway. He cursed, sitting up quickly and praying that she hadn't been standing there long. Though by the look on her face, his prayer was probably futile.

"Thought I told you to meet me at the Rising Falls." He said grudgingly.

She grinned sheepishly. "Well, I thought we might have to discuss what we're going to tell Aerith before we leave. I mean, I doubt she'll believe us if we tell her we're going on a nice little shopping trip together."

(qwerty)

"So where should we go to first?" Yuffie chirped, hanging off the back of her seat as the bus driving them to town bumped along the road.

Leon shrugged, keeping his gaze out the window and hoping more than anything that no one was paying attention to her embarassing antics. She was always complaining about being treated like a child yet he was pretty sure children were the only ones who hung over their seats and acted ridiculously in public.

Yuffie frowned. "Well, you must have a preference."

"I don't care." He muttered indifferentlypropping his knees up against the seat in front of him and slouching into his own.

"Well, then..." Yuffie muttered, confused at his sudden sullen behavior. He'd seemed in a good enough mood that morning..."Why don't we go visit all of the old places we used to go when we were little?"

"Our towns were all destroyed." He reminded her, his stony gaze remaining out the window. "You know that."

"Of course I know that." She replied impatiently. "But what about the ruins we used to explore? And the gully? And that pond we used to go swimming in?"

"I thought you wanted to go into town." He replied, hardly bothering to cover up the tone in his voice that indicated he didn't want to go anywhere near those places. " Grocery shopping. Isn't that what you said?"

She rolled her eyes. "Its an expression, Squall."

"Leon." He growled, turning his head to her finally and fixing her with such a harsh glare that she froze. Never, in all of the years that she'd known him, had he looked at her quite like that. Even when she'd annoyed him to boiling point. This was the type of look Squall had usually reserved for Seifer.

"Sorry." She whispered, nodding, since that's all she seemed to be able to do. She turned back into her own seat slowly, almost expecting him to tap her on the shoulder and apologize. But when she snuck a look back at him through the crack in her seat, he was merely looking out the window like before, his face completely devoid of expression except for his omnipresent glare. She had a sudden, mad urge to hit him in the face, her heart pounding with indignation. So he was going to go back to being unpleasant was he? He had a lot of nerve. He certainly owed her a bit more than that.

Her face set in a grim line she jumped up, balancing herself as she pulled down on the tiny string the ran along all of the windows on the bus. The vehicle rang with a tiny buzzing sound, alerting the bus driver. He raised his eyebrows at her through the window.

"Balam Ruins." She called to him, and the bus driver gave her a tiny nod before turning his eyes back to the road. She heard Squall shift, but she couldn't be forced to care at that moment. For the first time ever, she was truly annoyed with him. She was going to drag him through every old place she could think of, making him recall every memory. And he wasn't going to say a word about it.

(qwerty)

The air was unpleasantly cold when she stepped off the bus and she was reminded again of the severe climate change that seemed to be occuring on this world. She could remember quite clearly visiting this area every summer for picnics and family gatherings and she was almost certain it had never been this cold. Pulling her scarf more tightly around her shoulders, she smiled out at the sight before her. The Balam ruins, although slightly hassled looking and dusted with snow, looked exactly as she remembered. The remains of an old city, a battered mound of stone. Playing there when she'd been young had always proved exciting.

She jumped when she felt Squall brush past her; she was surprised he had even got off the bus with her since she hadn't forced him to. But there he was, shaking his head as he looked out at the rubble and looking completely unaffected by the chillier weather.

"Looks the same as always!" She said in an attempt to be cheerful.

"Ugly." He agreed, turning to her with an expecting gaze.

"Is that all you have to say?" She cried, twiling around happily as the pair of them slowly made their way up the hill that lead to the first section of ruins. " This used to be our favourite spot to play! All the summers here and the explorations we used to have! And all you can say is ugly?"

He shrugged, pausing at the top of the hill and crossing his arms impatiently. "Even if I did care, which I don't, some old sentimental attatchment doesn't change the fact that it's just a big pile of stone. Ugly."

"You had your first kiss here!" She continued relentlessly, throwing her arms over her face dramatically as she anticipated his harsh glare.

He casually reached out his harm, taking hold of her black tresses and giving her head a sharp yank. She yelped loudly, flailing her arms wildly in an attempt to break his grip. Squall dodged her fists with unsurprising ease, gazing down at her in a stern fashion that made her feel like a naughty child. She played her part well, dropping her arms to her sides and attempting to look ashamed as she peeked up at him.

His grip on her hair finally loosened and Yuffie shivered as the cold leather of his gloves brushed her neck. Then she was shoved away from him, tripping over a rock and falling into the snow. She glared up at him, rubbing her side and cursing him for ruining the freakin' moment. Would it be so difficult for him to act the Romantic Novel Hero when the part fit?

"And the signifigance of our friendship comes to light," she sniffed, getting up and hurrying to follow him down the hill. "We're such good pals that violence is an act of affection."

"Hardly." He commented, smirking at her as she huffed and pushing open the gate that incircled the ruins. "I was trying to teach you a lesson about how snow could can be when you're not wearing very many clothes."

She gasped delightedly as she caught full sight of the empty, anciet city, ignoring his comment as she shot forwards. It took only a moment, while he was wiping something out of his eye, for him to lose sight of her. He frowned, looking around at the empty, beaten up street and seeing nor hearing any trace of her.

"Yuffie?" He called, checking behind his shoulder just in case she was...planning something.

"In here!" Her voice floated from a small, burnt scorched house to his left. He crossed the road in exasperation, pushing open the half-torn door and stepping inside the old house. He couldn't see her at first, distracted by the burnt walls and colony of spiderwebs that littered the high ceiling. He stepped foward hesitantly, eyeing the ceiling suspiciously.

"I don't think its safe in here." He said, looking around until he caught sight of Yuffie crouching in the far corner of the house. "Doesn't look very stable."

"Hold on!" Yuffie called, dusting the walls furiously. "I think we may have signed the walls here somewhere!"

"This house might have looked a little more agreeable back then." He stressed, standing behind her. "We should get out."

"One second–"

Her furiously swiping arm came in contact with the support poles. The iron post shook uncertainly. Squall jumped foward and grabbed Yuffie by the collar, tugging her with him as he jumped out of the way. Peices of burnt ceiling wood fell in a shower.

"Woo!" Yuffie giggled, swiping peices of dust from her bangs. "That was a close one!"

Squall pulled her angrily from his chest, gripping her tightly by the shoulders and giving her a few shakes.

"A close one?" He yelled, staring angrily into her startled face. "Do you realize what you could have done?"

"Eh..." The hand brushing the soot from her face stilled as she considered this. "Ceiling falls...Squall and Yuffie go squish?"

"Exactly. When I tell you something, you do it. Understand?" He growled, gripping her shoulders in an even tighter grip. "The last thing I need is for you to go squish."

She stared at him with wide eyes. Squall dropped his gaze almost immediately, taking his arms from her shoulders and standing so quickly Yuffie could have sworn she was burning him. However, she didn't say anything, gazing at him in wonder at the feelings washing over her.

"Squall..." She whispered, clutching at the skin above her heart.

"Leon." He whispered in return, standing in the doorway. "We're leaving."

She watched as he pushed his way into the street and knew she should follow him. Yet she continued to kneel in the center of the slightly spinning room, her eyes on the spot where she had last been able to see him and her heart pounding wildly. Slowly, almost unsurely, the sense of possibility both attractive and frightening, drained from the room. Her heart slowly turned to normal and she hopped to her feet, taking off after him down the street.

Something had changed...

The rest of the day was so uncomfortable that Yuffie often considered suggesting they return to the castle, despite the fact that they would be interrupting Cloud. But no matter how mad the desire was, she knew she couldn't do that to him. So instead, she forced herself to live through the silences that accomponied them every place they went and the disappointment in what had promised to be a fun day. It was an odd feeling really; she had been so bent on getting some reaction out of him for so long and yet now that she had, she wasn't sure if she liked it. He had unintentionally, if not violently, shown her that he cared. So why was she so...nervous?

She was thrown from side to side in her seat as the bus bumped along the road, watching the bus' lights dance along the grass as they passsed. The silence was pounding on her skull more forcefully than it had the whole day, and she noted that the bus ride seemed considerably longer than before. There was only so many things she could do; look out the window, hum, untie and retie her shoelaces, examine her nails. Finally, with an inner cry of agony, she turned around in her seat.

"Squall?" She said carefully, in case he was asleep.

He blinked his eyes open, lifting his forehead from the window and turning to look at her. She swallowed nervously, examining her nails as she thought of what to say.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked, hoping for once that he would say no.

His eyes flickered and he gave a small nod.

"U-um." She cursed inwardly. "I'm really sorry for what happened today. I should have listened to you."

He looked away and she stuttered over her words. Surely, she probably should have thought of what to ask before telling him she had a question. But then...when had she ever had nothing to say to Squall? He was sitting patiently, examining the floor very closely, and she knew she had to ask something. Finally, in desperation to end the silence, she blurted:

"If you could get Rinoa and I to trade places, would you do it?"

The silence that followed was worse than anything that had gone on that day. Yuffie slowly brought her hand to her mouth as she watched Squall's eyes harden slowly in anger. He was practically shaking with it.

"Why would you ask that?" He hissed, shifting forward in his seat. "Why the hell would you ask that?"

She wrung her hands, shaking with nerves. "I didn't...that came out wrong...I didn't mean it like that...Squall...I'm so sorry!"

He snorted, shaking his head as he slumped back into his seat. Yuffie watched in misery at his jaw tightened, arms crossed and nails digging into his own skin. This was an opening for Leon's thoughts to resurface, to drag Squall back into his old shell. She couldn't let that happen!

She swung herself into his seat, launching herself at him and wrapping her arms tightly around his chest and clinging there. Squall shifted in shock and probably slight pain, staring down at her head.

"I'm sorry!" She repeated, her voice hoarse. "I didn't mean it, I really didn't!"

He sighed, his chest rising and falling under Yuffie's head. The young ninja clamped her eyes tightly shut, failing to stench the flow of tears that were steadily flowing down her cheeks. Squall shifted again, this time lifting his arms and holding her back in a loose embrace. Yuffie looked up in shock, arrested by the expression on his face. Sad, almost, as if he knew what was going through her head. Knowing him, he probably did.

"I understand." He was all he said, hands warm against her back.

She looked into his face, and the sense of expectancy was back. Yuffie's hearing dulled to the point where she could hear her own heartbeat. It felt to her as though she could do or say anything in that moment without facing any consequence. Like a dream. Squall's open expression only encouraged this feeling, and she parted her lips, ready to spill out whatever thoughts have been plaguing her mind for so long.

Suddenly, the bus gave a rather sharp jerk, throwing Yuffie to the side before Squall could tighten his grip to keep her in place. The man was frowning up at the bus driver, and Yuffie was suddenly aware of her pounding heart and what she had been about to do. What the hell was going on?

"G-geeze." She feigned indignance, flopping back into her seat. "Holy drunk driving, Batman!"

Squall chuckled, looking back out the window.

"Hey, sorry for the waterworks." She said cheerfully, although she felt anything but cheerful. "Visiting all these places gets me a little worked up, y'know."

He raised an eyebrow, no doubt seeing through her lie and shrugged. "Whatever."

She felt as though at this point some awkwardness should have come into play. They should have kept caught eachother sneaking looks, but every time she looked at him he didn't or pretended not so see. Finally, the bus drove over a Fate Implanted Pothole, and Yuffie lost her balance slightly, her leg slipping foward across the floor of the bus and coming in contact with Squall's. He looked down at their touching skin, his hand brushing his chin as he tilted his head to look at her. She grinned and turned away, slouching comfortably into her seat. Something had changed, she had no doubt.

She left the leg where it was.

"Yuffie..."

"Mmm?"

"We never got any groceries.."

YAY! How did you like it? Oooh...I hope you liked it. checks time This took me four hours. I should probably go...you know eat, stretch my legs, do homework ect..

Well?