I've wanted to make a story like this for a while.

There she is again.

I watch her clean the place with enthusiasm that no other person in the world would ever be able to show while cleaning.

I tried my best to keep my eyes on her pretty face. I really did.

But I found my eyes trailing towards other parts of her body.

After Barret and Cid had found out about my little 'crush', as Reeve had called it, they had begun to talk to me a lot. Making a few remarks about the girl and how she 'had a nice ass' or 'she was too skinny', or random comments of the like.

So I suppose it wasn't surprising that I started to take these things into account to find out, to my horror, that these things are true. I never liked secondary sources.

Eventually (inevitably), Reeve found out.

From Cid.

I wasn't very pleased. I had entrusted both of them with my secret. I suppose I shouldn't have trusted Cid of all people. Oh well, it wasn't like I was keeping it away from anyone anyways. No one ever asked.

Reeve was… delighted, to say the least. I think he has grown a fancy towards me. He treats me a lot like a man would treat his daughter. I don't tend to complain, there are a lot of benefits that come from it, like being able to keep an eye on the Head of the Intelligence Division, for one.

'Keeping and eye on' meaning, of course, to subject myself to creating puddles on the floor while watching her every move.

I suppose that it's my fault, really. I know they say a person can't choose who they love, but I really wished I had chosen someone else.

It's not that I didn't like her… it's that I didn't like me liking her. It's a bit difficult to explain.

To be completely honest, I don't think she likes me very much in the first place.

She always greets me, because it's who she is, but I find it difficult to have a conversation.

Not only do I not have anything to talk to her about, I also tend to get a bit nervous and self-conscious of what I say, and every thing I say to her is calculated. I mean, I'm always making sure my sentences are calculated, it's who I am, but I become more distressed when she's around me.

If I was really a robot, like she says I am, I'd have short-circuited by now from the stress it takes to talk to her.

Never-the-less, Reeve had asked her to look after me for the day. A wink placed in his sentence at my direction when she wasn't looking would have caused me to blush had I been able to express emotion like a normal person. All I got was a bit of pink that was not even visible, although I did have this odd feeling of cold-warm water down my spine. I think it might be embarrassment.

Yeah, I think it was.

I wondered for a little bit what type of things she would do if she found out that I liked her. Would she stop hanging around me? Would she avoid me like a plague? Would she never speak to me?

Would she accept me?

"Hey Shelke! Want to help out a little bit? I'd really appreciate it!"

It was foolish to wish for more than friendship. I stood up and dusted myself off, smiling towards the ninja. That's all I could wish for. Friendship, and that she would always be happy and smile, and even laugh, when I'm around, or when I'm just watching her.

"Thank you! Means a whole lot! It gets tiring, y'know?" She patted my back graciously, grinning at me from ear to ear as she handed me an extra rag.

Sometimes the person you love will be happy, and it's a sad, sad, but very real thing that usually that happiness won't be made by you.

"Who do you like anyways?" she asked after a while of working and small talk.

I forced a small blush and looked dreamily out the windows towards the sky on the other side.

"It's a love that shall never be returned."

She huffed and looped her arm around my shoulders, as if giving me an awkward but manly hug.

"You never know until you try!"

It was nice to dream though.