A/N: Thanks again to all my wonderful reviewers! I finally am done with finals yay aren't you excited? Yah sure Haha anyways... so I have a free summer except for work woohoo. Don't know how often I'll update, but I'll try to keep it going steadily! Thanks so much for R/R:D Sorry if this chappie's a lil short... I'm on my b/fs computer since mine won't be plugged up until next friday or saturday so it's hard to type without word or a decent keyboard whose keys don't get stuck ;) LoL. I'll make up for it next chapter! But this chappie is cute... and !warning!, has somewhat sexual themes, not really tho.

Thanks:

cLoTiHeArT: Hehe yeah well it takes time ;) Don't worry, they're well on their way tho!

Rend: You haven't seen the movie, or what? Erm... well he looks redheaded to me shrugs Hey now, by the time I finished 7 I had sooo much friggin' gil I was like woah... they really need banks, I dunno how they keep it all in their pockets XD

atOmicsquid: Haha well it's just something I came up with from the top of my head... prolly cuz I've been playing Grand Theft Auto lately. And where am I going? Hmm, we shall see ;)

ShadowligerV: Yeah... don't we all? I've had so many moments like that myself...

perfectedhell: Oh really? Well you know I get tired of all his macho unemotional stuff...I figure it's time to let him grow s'more And yeah,I could see Aeris and Zack... that would be cute. THanks, I'm happy they're over with (went well btw) and am excited to be gettin out of the dorms!

demonic girl, Dark-luver-forever, Mystic Dragon Eyes, Aurora Rehona, Meeeee, PandyBas, goatgod: Thanks to you all so much for your reviews! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter yay 'tis so cute :D Hehe... enjoy!

The rest of the afternoon went by rather quickly, and soon Denzel was returning from school. He had a huge beaming smile on his face as he walked in the door, his red hair more tousled than usual. Tifa eyed him curiously, a sideways grin on her face.

"Welcome home. What have you been up to, mister?" she queried, glancing down at her wrist as if she had a watch on, then back at him. She already knew what time it was; a half hour later than the time Denzel usually returned from school.

"Hehe... nothing much really..." he replied, drawing out the really with a mischievious look on his face. He came to sit next to Tifa, putting his bag next to him.

"Right... like I really believe that. You're later than usual," she responded with a no-nonsense look in her eyes. Denzel tried keeping quiet, but soon was gushing his news out to her.

"I was going to stay after class and get some tutoring, but my teacher was busy, so I was leaving until a girl in my class stopped me. Her name is Eilianna... she's so nice. She helped me with some of the stuff I was behind in, then said we could get together every day this week until I'm caught up! What a great girl..." he said, his voice holding a different note than usual. Tifa caught on immediately.

"And is Eilianna pretty?" she asked nonchalantly, as if it was just a side thought. Denzel's eyes shined as he replied.

"No... she's beautiful. Absolutely! Pretty is too petty a word to describe her..." Tifa tried staying serious, but an excited giggle made its way out of her lips.

"I think you have a crush! Aww... I don't know if I'm happy or sad. I think I'm both," she told him, thoughtful. Then she eyed his messy hair. "What's up with the 'do?" she questioned. Denzel blushed then.

"Erm... Eilianna walked me outside and then her hair ribbon, which was loose, fell out of her hair and went flying in the wind. I chased it down and got it back for her," he said, still smiling. Tifa just shook her head, then hugged him.

"Well I'm happy that you found you someone to turn you into a gentleman, if nothing else," she told him teasingly. Denzel gave her a look in return just as Cloud walked in the door. Tifa sensed his presence before she saw him, so she started speaking immediately. "Hey there you are Cloud! I looked around and saw that you had just left... you're real quiet... where'd you go--" Suddenly she stopped, for she had turned to look at him. Denzel's mouth was hanging open, and soon Tifa's joined his. Cloud was completely transformed. He had on an entirely new outfit consisting of khaki pants with a black belt and a button-up dark royal blue shirt which currently had two buttons undone at the top, exposing part of his muscled chest. The long sleeves were rolled up to just above his elbows. He also had on some different shoes than normal; instead of boots he wore some sort of dress shoe.

"Wow..." was all Tifa could say, and Denzel nodded his agreement. Tifa's eyes wandered over Cloud's form hungrily. He looked good in black, but dang, his new clothes totally showed what sort of body he had beneath, and it made her mouth water. She felt a blush creep up her neck as she realized that she was practically gawking, and was surprised at the direction her thoughts were taking. Sure, she had been in love with him for a long time now, but she was always dreaming about snuggling with him or kissing him; sexual thoughts had never entered her mind. Now however... her mind was working overtime. Thankfully Denzel took over the conversation so she could calm herself down, hoping he hadn't noticed the blush.

"What made you decide to get new clothes, Cloud?" Denzel questioned, eyeing the handful of bags the warrior had. Cloud, whose eyes had been rivoted on Tifa to gauge her reaction (he wasn't disappointed a bit either), looked to the boy. He shrugged slightly before speakng.

"I decided that since I am going to be meeting with a client who is used to formal attire, I should get some. Plus, your mother mentioned I had a drab wardrobe," he explained, his blue eyes agan moving to Tifa. He had noticed the blush and had enjoyed it very much... as well as her eyes roaming possessively over him. Tifa finally recovered in time to gasp and give him an offended look.

"I never called it drab! I only pointed out that you seemed to have one single outfit that you wore over and over... never did I say anything about drab," she defended huffily. Cloud resisted the urge to grin.

"Oh, so there's a difference? Well okay... your mother mentioned that I had a boring wardrobe," he corrected, speaking to Denzel. Tifa's eyes grew rounder before she finally just gave up and started laughing.

"Regardless of what I said... you look good," she told him after she had regained her composure. Cloud smiled at her then.

"Thanks... I appreciate it. It means a lot to hear that from you," he responded softly, holding her gaze intently. Denzel felt like he was interfering so he moved to leave the room, which broke the spell. They immediately both looked at him.

"Ready for homework?" Tifa asked, to which the boy groaned. He felt like he had just left school, only to return to it! After getting his grumbling out, however, he finally sat down and started on it, while Tifa read a book and Cloud put together some sandwiches for supper (they had taken a vote and no one was too terribly hungry). They ate quickly and spent the rest of the evening relaxing, playing cards and other games like that before going to bed. Tifa was able to make it to her room unassisted, and after showering, finally fell asleep. Her leg muscles were rather tired, and so she slept fitfully, as did everyone that night.

The next morning, Cloud and Denzel went through the same routine, except Tifa got up and helped fix breakfast as well. Denzel left for school, and Tifa decided to do the cleaning up herself, which earned her an argument with Cloud. After going back and forth, Tifa finally convinced Cloud that she wouldn't keel over from exhaustion, and if she needed help she would call him, so he finally let her have her way. He began getting ready for his meeting, and by the time Tifa had finished and was relaxing at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, Cloud had put on his new formal attire. Another button up shirt, but instead of blue, it was a forest green, and was buttoned all the way up with a white tie hanging loosely around the neck. He had on the khaki pants again and the same shoes, and overall looked very professional. He came into the kitchen with a pitiful look on his face.

"Tif... I can't tie this tie for the life of me! The seamstress tried showing me but I forgot what she said," he said pitifully. Tifa just giggled before moving to help him. She gave a brief explanation as she pulled it into a knot, then patted it down. Satisfied, she smiled up at him, and was frozen in place for he was looking at her with such an intense expression in his eyes. He had a serious look on his face, and suddenly her heart beat sped up like she was running in a race. He began leaning closer, and she held her breath, afraid to move forward or backward, afraid of the consequences. Suddenly a loud musical melody sounded from his pocket, and the moment was lost. He moved back to answer, and Tifa slowly let out the breath, her heart still racing. Cloud was speaking to his possible new client, but Tifa didn't hear his words for she was still star struck by what had almost happened. Cloud was going to kiss her. The girl he had always called his best friend but had never expressed romantic interest in. What was going on here?

In that moment Tifa's universe shifted ever so slightly, and she found herself regarding him with a sense of wonder. Cloud was attracted to her, at least on some level. She knew that; why else would he attempt to kiss her? If so, then that meant that maybe she did have a chance with him after all... not daring to hope, she tried pushing the thought away, but it kept nagging at her. Finally Cloud hung up the phone, and Tifa forced her mind back to the present.

"Your client?" she asked in a strained voice. Cloud looked at her then, nodding.

"Yep. He's just landing... I'm to go meet him at the port. I guess I'll see you when I'm done... feel free to call if you need anything," he told her, replacing the phone in his pocket and giving her a smile. Tifa walked with him to the door, wishing him luck as he left, then turned, still shell shocked. Whatever happened in future, there was no way things would ever be the same between them. Even if the act hadn't quite occured, it was meant to.