A/N: I'm not normally one for lovestruck, gushy music, but for this chapter, I recommend listening to Hellogoodbye's new album, titled "Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!" It's a great album to listen to when you're feeling lighthearted and sappy, and it captures the moods of this chapter perfectly. ---------- Yuffie Kisaragi didn't care much for the overly romantic notions of girls her age, nor did she indulge in any puffed up fantasies of beauty and perfection. Despite her energetic and childlike tendencies, she had a severe cynicism towards the words 'love' and 'forever'. She especially became skeptical when the two words were used in the same sentence together. They seemed revoltingly idealistic and much too tame to understand the flaming passions that often took her heart by storm. What the girl believed in was action and a stalwart heart capable of obtaining and defending happiness. Too many times had she seen a soft-minded individual fall prey to the snatching hands of Misfortune, whose greedy fingers itched to take away the blossoms of warmth that sprouted in the souls of humanity. The moment had come slowly as Tifa leaned in. The look in her eyes was something that Yuffie had never before seen, and therefore...was wary of. But when the girl felt Tifa's lips press against her own, something stirred in her heart. In that instant, sound was ripped out from around her, and the fabric of reality tore to reveal the hot currents rushing and thundering beneath. This strong current of emotion caused Yuffie's eyes to grow wide, for it was now coursing down her arms and legs. It was a shock to the senses, one that not even the young ninja could recover quickly from. Tifa, though gentle, was firm, her actions clear of some severe need that the fighter could not name in words. To say it were lust would have been much too shallow an assumption, and to say it were purely love would have been too na‹ve a declaration. The only way to see it was as a peculiar hybrid of the two, a feeling that few understood clearly and which no one could name definitively. Under this, Yuffie felt herself being crushed, like a powerful wave that flooded her senses to the point that she thought she would be ripped apart by its furious currents. Tifa's hands pulled at Yuffie's body, her palms pressing insistently at the girl's mid and lower back. Here, the woman sought to merge herself with her newfound love, her lips seeking what her hands could not. "Where does the soul rest?" Tifa thought distantly, "Where does it end and begin? My head's ringing, and my heart's pounding... I...I suppose...it's here," Tentatively, the fighter ran her tongue over Yuffie's lips, and the ninja parted them invitingly. "Right...here." Yuffie's tongue met hers, and Tifa's hand involuntarily flexed, digging their fingers into the ninja's back. The action brought Yuffie out of her trance. Inhaling deeply, the girl tilted her head and leaned into the kiss as her arms encircled tightly around Tifa's midriff. Her tongue massaged and swirled against the woman's, seeking hungrily the truth she already had. Tifa loved her. And as this thought tore the breath from the girl's lungs, it also caused her heart to soar. Yuffie suddenly felt humbled. She was humbled because all the stories, all the fairytales and legends about love...hadn't been lying. And for once, the girl didn't mind being wrong. Without warning, Tifa pulled her head back, her breath coming in short gasps. She pressed her forehead to Yuffie's and opened her eyes to gaze at the girl. The dim room seemed hazy somehow, as if it were but a hallucination. The fighter's heartbeat coincided with the ninja's. Lightheaded and dull-minded, Tifa didn't know where she began, and Yuffie ended. "Yuffie?" the fighter whispered deeply. The ninja's eyes opened slowly, and she gazed at Tifa with a blank expression before suddenly offering a coy grin. "Couldn't control yourself, huh?" Her grin faded a little. "You...really mean it, then, when you say..." Tifa reached her hands up to Yuffie's face, "I mean it." The woman slid her arms around Yuffie's neck. "I really, really mean it." Yuffie's eyes grew distant and she closed her eyes again. "You...really mean it." She whispered. Suddenly, she burst out a short laugh, one that rumbled through Tifa's body and caused a smile to break across the fighter's face. With a giggle, the girl buried her face in Tifa's neck and hugged her tightly. "Wow." She murmured. "Don't be so amazed," Tifa murmured back. She leaned her head against Yuffie's and gazed quietly up at the ceiling. "You're beautiful and full of life. You're...the only person who's ever made me feel this way." And in all honesty, it was true. Looking back, the woman recalled all her past crushes and infatuations...and realized that none of them had ever brought her the sense of comfort and joy she felt with Yuffie. There were hazy memories of innocent dates with boys in Nibelheim...late nights with the fiery-headed Johnny, and of course, Cloud, who never seemed within her reach. "When you leave, even for a second, I become lost." Tifa's eyes fluttered and she turned her gaze downward. "I...need you." Yuffie pulled away from her, then, her eyes severe. "That's crazy." Yuffie cupped her face and frowned. "You don't 'need' me for anything. You've got a strong personality and a golden heart. It's what makes me admire you so much." Tifa's eyes turned downcast and she looked away. "If I were that good a person, I wouldn't have hurt you." Yuffie fell silent at this remark, her eyes turned soft at the pain she saw in the fighter's gaze. The ninja slid her hands down the woman's face, her fingertips stopping at the chin to turn the fighter's head gently towards her again. With eyes closed, Yuffie brushed her lips against Tifa's, and whispered, "If you weren't that good a person, I wouldn't be kissing you now..." That said, she kissed Tifa in full, one arm wrapping around her waist while the other trailed to the base of Tifa's head, pressing her gently closer. The fighter took a sharp intake of breath, tears falling from her eyes as she closed them. The emotions curled up into the woman's throat: her guilt, her joy, her lust-and all at once they were released in the form of a sound-a whimper. It was all the woman could manage as she felt her heart throb and her spirit ache. Yuffie's anger and scorn had been hell to know, but to have her forgiveness was euphoric. Tifa swore quietly never to earn that spite again. Yuffie pulled back for a moment and gazed at Tifa with heady eyes before leaning forward and kissing her lips quickly again. "My things," the girl said between breaths. "My stuff is still downstairs." Tifa nodded in understanding, her cheeks pink and her eyes cloudy. "I'll still be here." She breathed back. The girl grinned, "Promise?" The woman returned her grin. "I promise." Yuffie pulled away from her then, her hands clapped behind her back as she backpedaled towards the door. "Rusty, if this is a dream...I never wanna wake up." With that, the girl turned and hurried out the door, an ecstatic smile on her face. Tifa stared after her, and with a delirious grin, turned her eyes upward. "Gods, thank you." ---------- Yuffie ran down the hall, her footsteps reverberating loudly along the floor as she turned sharply to head down the first set of stairs. Her feet were lightning quick, descending downward step by step as she made it to the floor below. A middle-aged man with dark brown hair gazed up at her in bewilderment as she passed him by, skipping. "Hello there, mister!" she sang, her joy now taking on a more child-like energy. As she came to the stairs to the ground floor, the girl cried out, "Otis! Hey Otis!" The man at the reception desk looked up in surprise, the phone in his hand lowering a fraction. "Ms. Kisaragi!" Yuffie raised a hand as she hopped down the steps, "Hey, about my giving you my room key...ya think it'd be all right if we forgot that ever happened?" Otis nodded jerkily, his tongue sweeping his lips nervously as he placed the phone back on its receiver. "Yes, th-that's fine, Miss, but-ah..." he pointed uncertainly towards the door, a worried expression on his face. "There seems to be some gentlemen outside hovering about your bike. I-I was about to call your room, to be certain of the situation before I-" The man stopped short as Yuffie held up a hand. Her eyes turned to the hotel entrance, and as she spotted what Otis was talking about, they narrowed dangerously. Uteki and his men stood stiff and alert on the sidewalk outside, eyes trained on her as she gazed coldly back at them. Uteki stood with a grim look on his face, the perspiration clear in the afternoon sunlight. The ninja suddenly smirked at him, her eyes taking on a sharp and confident look. Placing her hands behind her head, the girl sighed melodramatically. "Oh well. I figured they'd do this..." And with a slight chuckle, Yuffie left to join them outside. ---------- Tears streamed down the ridge of her nose and dripped onto the carpeted floor. She had cried so much that day, tears of misery and shame...but now... Tifa laughed incredulously, her mouth covered by a shaky hand as she tried to make sense of the past ten minutes. Her nerves seemed shaken to the point that her body refused to quit shivering. Legs weak and unsteady, the woman had sat heavily on her bed, her exhaustion cutting away at the strings that kept her upright. But at her heart, exaltation continued to throb. The relief. It was going to be all right. In fact, the feeling was so intense, that the fighter found there was only one thing she could relate it to-and that was Avalanche's victory over Meteor and Sephiroth. Tifa bunched a fistful of her dress in her other hand, the one that covered her mouth now regaled to wiping away tears. "If I can just stop shaking-" the woman breathed in a quaking voice. She sighed when it became clear that her wish would not be granted soon. However, her eyes turned to her other hand, which still clutched at her dress. "This thing," the woman grumbled, "I need to get out of this." With a deep breath, Tifa stood to her feet, the dress hissing in alarm as she slowly traversed the length of the hotel room, her bare feet making contact with the cool linoleum of the bathroom floor. Reaching behind her, she pulled at the dress zipper, the buzz it made as it sailed down her back eliciting a sigh from her lips. The dress fell lifeless to the floor, and Tifa glared down at it, her vehement dislike coming not from hate of its design, but of the memories that still lingered on its silky fabric. Kicking it away, there was only a slight bit of guilt in the woman's heart as she recalled just who GAVE her the dress. The feeling was quickly squashed however as the fighter reminded herself that it hadn't been a gift, but a purchase, and as such, was no injury to the vendor himself. Speaking of which... "Roland. That man. He's amazing. He's helped me so much, and yet I barely know him...Something about him, though. He's rare-a sweetheart. I have to thank him. I have to repay him. And then...I have to make sure we don't lose touch." Tifa stepped into the shower, her wandering mind forgetting of the open bathroom door. "A person like that, you can't just let go. I see a lifelong friend in him." She pulled the bathroom curtain shut, and with a quick turn of her wrist, the showerhead spurted to life and rained water down onto her head. "I want Yuffie to meet him. He's nice, but he's got attitude. I think she'll like him a lot." She lathered her head in shampoo and closed her eyes. A small smile spread across her face, and she suppressed an excited giggle. "My god, I'm still shivering!" ---------- Pink saliva splattered onto the concrete sidewalk, and the ninja wiped the taste from her lips. She glared daggers at the prone bodies around her, her eyes severe and unforgiving. In her left hand, she clenched tightly the strap of her duffel bag, the tension turning her knuckles white as snow. Otis, his appearance turned harried in the last twenty-four hours, looked on in dismay as Yuffie turned to him unsteadily. Gesturing crudely over her shoulder with her thumb, the ninja remarked off-handedly. "Don't bother getting the cops. These guys'll clear out soon." Otis blinked rapidly as she slowly began to walk past him, her body swaying a little with each step. "Ah, M-Miss Kisaragi!? Y'know...it was an honor having you stay here, but I'm afraid I-I can't just let these-these, ah..." the man rubbed the back of his neck ruefully, his gray eyes gazing nervously down at the bodies of Uteki and his men. After a moment, he sighed in exasperation. "Look, Miss, it just isn't good for business. My friend, the owner, would kill me if he found out I left this unattended." Yuffie raised her eyebrow at him. Then with a shrug, she turned back around. "All right, Otis. Don't sweat it. I'll clear these bozos out in a jiffy." Slinging her bag carefully over her shoulder, the girl sauntered up to the awkward lump that was Uteki, his rump in the air and his bleeding face planted squarely into the ground. The ninja, with grit teeth, nudged the man tenderly with her foot. "Oi." When he didn't move, Yuffie growled and pulled her foot back far. "It-tai!!" Uteki screamed, as Yuffie's foot connected squarely with his hip. The force of the blow rolled the man over, and he stared, with tear-filled eyes, at the sky. The ninja glared down at him in annoyance. It always came down to this whenever one of her father's men decided they wished to pick a fight with her. Either they cried...or they weren't breathing anymore. "Aw, shaddup, ya big baby! I didn't even use any magic on you guys." The girl scolded. She wagged a finger at him, her admonishment now set off only by the mischievous grin suddenly blooming on her face. "I warned you, damn it. I warned all of you chuckle heads that if you bugged me, I'd beat you black and blue. But NOOO, you had to do the 'honorable', 'heroic' thing and try to follow orders. Well you bit the dust, pal. You bit it hard. Now I don't think I need ta tell you guys that if you bug me again, I won't hesitate in shipping your baby butts back to my old man in separate little pieces. And that goes for any other muscle-headed moron that thinks they can take on the single greatest ninja Wutai's ever produced!!" She gave Uteki another kick, and the man let out another cry of pain. His swollen face was already turning funny shades from the bruising, and Yuffie made a disgusted face at the sight of it. "Eyech...look, Uteki. Your ugly mug is bad for business, as Otis tells me. So gather up what pride ya got left and just beat it, will ya? Take up your guys an' just go. Yer blubbering is giving me a frickin' head ache." The man gingerly rolled onto his fours. With a hoarse voice, he squawked out in his native tongue, "You heard her, damn you all! Get up!" The conscious ones rose up slowly at his order, but the rest lay still, their eyes rolled into the back of their heads. Painfully, these less than fortunate men were gathered into the arms of the barely able, and with a resentful glare, Uteki and his men turned and began to limp away. Yuffie watched them go as her mind anticipated the trouble she had created for herself. Her father was as stubborn as she was, and if she would not yield to his will, he would force her to. "They aren't going to be the last goons he sends," the girl thought grimly as she resumed her walk back to the hotel, Otis following her with a look of relief. Her eyes turned fierce as she glared ahead determinedly. "But he's crazy if he thinks I'm going back now! I might have left if Uteki had come to me last night, but sure as hell not now. There's no way...I'd never leave Tifa." The ferocity faded from the girl's face as she thought of the fighter... And the girl smiled. The trek back up to their hotel room was a slow one. Despite Yuffie's victory, she had taken some hard hits. Her muscles ached and a metallic taste still lingered in her mouth. Her exhaustion made an otherwise easy fight harder. At least ten men she had to fight off on her own, and for all her training, the girl, really, was only human. Fingers reaching up to the cut on her lower lip, Yuffie thought sourly, "Uteki got in a cheap shot at the end. I hate it when they get desperate like that. It makes for a lousy fight." On their hotel room's floor, the girl stopped at the top of the stairs. "Oh no!" she thought, her eyes widening. Nervously, Yuffie looked down at herself, one hand wiping the sweat rolling down the side of her face. "I look like crap...Tifa's gonna wanna know what happened." The ninja glanced around her, as if hoping the hallway would suddenly produce some answer to her dilemma. Shoulders slumping, the girl hung her head. "Aw forget it. I'll just have to give it straight...No point starting this relationship out with secrets, I guess." Swallowing anxiously, Yuffie pushed the key Otis gave her into the doorknob of their room. "If more of Pop's guys are gonna be after me, then I might as well just tell her anyway. I can't really keep that from her." Entering the hotel room, Yuffie immediately picked up the sound of the shower head, and her face brightened. "She beat me to the shower." Closing the door behind her, the girl stepped further into the room, dropping her bag next to her bed. "But the sound," she thought with a frown, "It's clearer than it should be..." turning her head, Yuffie looked to the bathroom and her heart stopped. The bathroom door was wide open, and though the shower curtain was shut, Yuffie could see Tifa's form behind the thin plastic. The ninja's mouth turned slack and her eyes widened in surprise. Slowly, the girl drew closer, her feet dragging along the carpet floor. "T-Tifa??" The woman didn't respond. Yuffie wasn't sure if it was due to the sound of the running water...or if the woman were simply playing deaf. Hands gripping the door way, the ninja stared uncertainly at the shower curtain. Her mind struggled to make clear the scenario, for this was certainly unlike the shy fighter. Was Tifa giving her an invitation? Did she want Yuffie to...? A drop of saliva fell from the girl's mouth, and the feel of it falling from her lip seemed enough to snap her out of her trance. Face turning beet red as she wiped hastily at her mouth, the girl pulled away from the door, slamming her back into the wall nearby. Yuffie's chest heaved as she stared forward in bewilderment. "God, what am I, a pervert!? Am I really such a lecher?" The ninja clutched at her chest and squeezed her eyes shut. "Come on! THINK! This doesn't make sense! Tifa's not that free-spirited! If she were...you wouldn't love her." Her eyes snapped opened. With a determined nod of the head, she turned back to the bathroom door way. Nervously, she kept her eyes trained on the sink as she carefully shut the door, the heat creeping up her neck like liquid fire. When the door was closed, Yuffie gave a relieved sigh. "I may be an opportunist," she thought. "But I'm no creep." ...Still, the girl's mind wandered on to less than innocent thoughts as she fell onto her soft cotton bed. ---------- Tifa carefully stepped out of the shower, her towel wrapped and tied securely around her body. She felt refreshed and reenergized. "I really am starting anew..." the woman thought as she took another towel and rubbed it vigorously into her hair. Her eyes idly wandered about the room, first falling onto the fogged up mirror, than the wet sink, and finally the door. She frowned at the last. "Did I shut that? I...can't remember." The woman pondered this silently, but after a moment, she only shrugged. "I guess I must have closed it. I can't think why I wouldn't have." Her cheeks turned pink, "My god, what would Yuffie have thought if I left it open?" Without proper clothes on, the woman found the idea much too embarrassing to consider. Of course...she realized that with any relationship, there would come the time when... "We'll get to that." The woman thought, her body quivering both in excitement and anxiety. "There's no need to skip so far ahead. I mean, Shiva, we've only expressed our feelings some half hour ago!" Laughing slightly at herself, the woman opened the bathroom door and stepped out onto the hotel room's carpet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yuffie lying quiet and still on her bed. With a turned head, Tifa saw the girl's closed eyes and gently rising chest. She had fallen asleep. The woman's eyes turned soft as she regarded her newfound love. "She was so tired." Steam curled about the woman's ankles as she stared quietly at Yuffie's quiet form. Then with a content smile, she proceeded forward to her backpack, where she pulled out her cotton tank and shorts. Back in the bathroom, she shut the door behind her again, her mind made up. They would rest tonight. It was clear that with all the excitement, any more activity would only cause stress to the mind. Her clothes pulled on, the woman gazed uncertainly at the dryer sitting on the bathroom counter. Would it wake Yuffie up? Tifa opened the bathroom door again and poked her head out. To her surprise, she found Yuffie propped up onto her elbows, her eyes sleepily gazing forward into nothing. When she felt Tifa's gaze, she turned her head and grinned. "Hullo," she said tiredly. Tifa smiled back at her. "You're awake." She said. Yuffie nodded. "Just shut my eyes for a few..." the girl yawned, hand reaching up to cover her mouth. "Oh man," she sighed, scratching the back of her head. With a push, Yuffie sat up in full. "So," she looked at Tifa inquisitively, "What do we do from here?" Tifa shrugged. "You look tired. I don't mind just staying here for the rest of the day." Yuffie nodded. "Sounds good ta me..." she gave another yawn, and Tifa laughed at her. "Here I'll be out in a moment, then you can get in here and get washed up." The ninja raised her eyebrow shrewdly. "Are you suggesting I stink?" "I'm suggesting you smell like Barret after his fourth jog." Tifa responded smartly. The girl grimaced. "...Ew." Tifa laughed as she started up the blow dryer. The hot air felt hot against her scalp, but the woman didn't mind as her hair began to dry and regain the life that made it so famous around the world. Its length was often an annoyance to the woman, but fear of change had kept her from cutting it. Now however, she considered that act with great interest. If she cut it, it would allow for greater freedom. No more worrying about how to style it, no more knots, no more strands getting caught in odd objects...at the very least, she wished it to be at a more manageable length. Near the end of her labor, Tifa looked up to see Yuffie standing in the door way, her eyes gazing intently as the woman finished drying her hair. She turned to look at her, her eyes teasing. "You aren't kicking me out all ready, are you?" the fighter giggled. Yuffie smiled quietly at her. Then without warning, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Tifa's waist, hugging her from behind. Burying her face in Tifa's hair, the girl whispered faintly, "I love your hair..." Tifa blushed to feel Yuffie embrace her, but she closed her eyes just the same. Her body felt soft and warm, the girl's breasts pressing intimately against the woman. Tifa set down the blow dryer, and with one hand placed on Yuffie's arm, the other reached for the girl's head. The woman curled her fingers in the girl's soft hair, her head tilting to the side as Yuffie nuzzled her neck. Gently brushing the woman's hair back, Yuffie kissed her exposed neck tenderly, savoring the feel of the fighter's skin against her lips. She smelled fresh and clean, her hair giving off the scent of lavender. It was an assault on the senses, and the ninja began to forget herself in her indulgence. Taking her hands, she trailed them up Tifa's abdomen until they brushed the underside of the woman's breasts. The woman in question held her breath at this, but the ninja's hands only trailed down to her sides, where they turned Tifa around pressed her against the bathroom counter. Yuffie's eyes were lidded in lust, and she had all but forgotten her earlier prudence. Leaning in, she meant to catch the fighter in a kiss, when suddenly, the woman stopped the girl an inch away. "Wait," Tifa breathed, cheeks tinged pink and eyes just as cloudy. Leaning back, she frowned as she gazed at Yuffie's cut lip. The ninja, snapping out of her trance, cursed inwardly. "Yuffie...what happened to your lip?" Tifa asked as her eyes cleared themselves of her desire, and instead, replaced it with shrewd concern. "That wasn't there before you left the hotel room!" Yuffie looked down, sorely tempted to just lie about her fight with Uteki. It was one thing to swear honesty, it was another thing to actually practice it. Things were just getting so nice...why trouble their content with such annoyances? The girl shook her head inwardly. That excuse wouldn't do. "I was attacked downstairs by my dad's lackeys. They thought it would be a swell idea to force me to go home with them." Yuffie looked up, her face a scowl. "I proved 'em wrong." Tifa gazed at her in dismay. "You fought them off on your own!?" she took a hold of Yuffie's face, "Did they seriously hurt you?" The ninja shrugged. She took hold of Tifa's hands and squeezed them. "A few bumps, but it's nothing considering half the crud we faced in Avalanche." Tifa wasn't soothed. "I wasn't there to help you," she said miserably. She lowered her gaze, "You got hurt and I wasn't there..." Yuffie raised an eyebrow at her. "Tifa, you aren't psychic. How were you supposed to know they were going to jump me? I didn't even know it!" She shook her head and hugged the woman, "Don't worry so much about it. Those guys are gone and the bumps I got will practically be gone tomorrow." Tifa buried her face in the girl's shoulder. "There's gonna be more, aren't there?" the woman muttered sadly. Yuffie sighed and nodded her head once. "Yeah. There's gonna be more." The fighter lifted her head enough to peek over Yuffie's shoulder. Why did this problem have to come now? When they had barely even begun to be together? Tifa's eyes turned suddenly dangerous, and she hugged Yuffie even more tightly. "I'm not going to let them take her away from me." The woman thought savagely. Her sudden aggression quickly fell away as Yuffie gave out a small yelp. "Yowch!" grabbing Tifa's shoulders, the ninja pushed her back some, her face a wince. "Oh boy, that smarts..." the girl muttered rubbing her right side. Tifa sputtered in alarm. "Oh, shoot! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-I-!!" Yuffie laughed and held up a hand, "That sorta hurt, but I'm glad to know you feel the same way I do." Tifa bit her lip and turned, looking around the bathroom counter. "I think they've got some complementary aspirin pills or something here..." The girl blinked. "Aspirin?" she waved her hand. "No way! I'll just take a warm bath...that should clear things up..." The fighter looked at her worriedly. "You sure?" Yuffie nodded. "Yeah." Then she suddenly smirked. "You wanna join me?" Tifa blushed fiercely at the girl's audacity. "W-What!?" The ninja shrugged, her smirk still on her face. "I'll take that as a 'no.'" ---------- The ceiling held all the answers to her questions it seemed. Weighed precariously on the edge of her mind, Tifa sent inquiries flying one by one upward into the uneven sea of paint and plaster over her. What made a relationship work? What made love sincere? All these questions and more she asked her ceiling, and yet the ceiling seemed as perplexed as she did. Tifa had only really flirted with the idea of love and the steady relationships that seemed to form in its wake. Her dabbles at romance had been touch-and-go experiences: as was the fate of a popular teenager, a struggling bartender, and world-weary hero. But who was she now, and what did love mean for her? The woman didn't know, but this time, with a courage and determination she had never known before, she was certain to find out. But she couldn't figure this out on her own. For these answers, she would have to speak with Yuffie, seriously and on the level, about what it would mean to be together. At the moment the girl was getting out of the bath. Tifa could hear the water draining from the bathtub from where she lay on her bed. A moment later and Yuffie emerged from the bathroom, a towel over her head. Dressed in her usual pajamas, her plain t-shirt and striped pajama pants, the ninja gave a satisfied sound. "That felt good. I feel like a million gil!" Whipping the towel off her head, she looked at Tifa. "Are you all right? You're sitting there quiet." Tifa propped herself up onto her elbows. "I'm fine. I was just thinking." "I love it when people say, 'I was just thinking.' It's so somber and ominous." Tossing her towel carelessly onto her bed, the girl sat near Tifa with a 'fwump', her body facing the direction of the bedside table. "So what were ya thinking about then, Rusty?" The woman sat up all the way and tilted her head to one side as she regarded the opposite wall, her back to the bed's headboard. "Where do we go from here? Us, I mean?" Yuffie smiled and scooted closer to Tifa, so that their shoulders touched. "Well..." she began slowly. Tifa turned her head to look at her, and Yuffie did the same. "It's sorta hard to say, isn't it? I mean, we've both realized that we love each other, right? But do we suddenly go on like we've been an item forever? Or do we take it slow? But how do you take it slow with someone you've already known for years? When you've all ready begun to recognize and cherish the things that separates them from others? Do you go all the way then?" Yuffie leaned over and kissed Tifa's bare shoulder. Whispering against the skin, she said, "It all goes by feel. And what I feel like doing is holding you, and kissing you, and gushing on and on about how you make me feel." Yuffie's left hand planted itself next to Tifa's left hip as the other hand reached around and grabbed her other shoulder. Shifting her body so that she could lean forward, Yuffie pressed her lips against Tifa's, her kiss smoldering. Tilting her head to deepen the kiss, Tifa pressed forward, a moan sounding from her throat as she did so. It all happened quickly, lighting the both of them in a spell that threatened to overwhelm them... But Yuffie pulled back before that could happen. Tifa gave a frustrated sigh, her lips immediately missing the connection. "That." Yuffie hissed, her voice turned deep and harsh from her lust. "That's what I mean. We're all ready sitting on the edge, and I swear, it won't be long till we go over, but we won't until I know your heart is ready..." she smirked. "I might test it, I might see if I can coax it forward, but I won't ever force it." The girl shook her head. "When it happens, I want it to be because we both want it to happen." The girl reached up a hand and brushed back a stray strand of hair from Tifa's face. "As for the others," she continued, her voice still low, "Cid, Barret, Reeve, Nanaki...I think we should just tell them the truth. But if we do, word'll get out, and everyone will know-" Tifa quickly shook her head. "I don't care. I want them to know." She pressed her forehead to Yuffie's. "I want them all to know..." Yuffie smiled happily. "So we'll tell them, then." The fighter grinned, and suddenly, with a giggle, she fell back onto the bed, her arms stretching over her head. "Today's been an incredible day," the woman said dreamily. Yuffie leaned over her, her eyes pleasantly roving over her form. It was the necklace around Tifa's neck that caught the ninja's eye. Reaching forward, the girl took the butterfly pendant between her fingertips and gazed down at it quietly. Tifa looked up at the girl as she inspected the pendant, her fingers handling it carefully as she turned it. As she watched, the fighter recalled her idea sometime ago, back in Tiesmire, of Yuffie helping her into a butterfly outfit. The train of thought brought a smile to her lips, but it soon led her to recall a certain shop owner in downtown Costa del Sol. "Yuffie," Tifa said. The girl looked into her eyes curiously. "Tomorrow...if it's all right, I want you to meet someone." "Yeah? Who's that?" "Well...he's the one who helped me out last night and gave me a place to stay. I'd been meaning to tell you about him. I met him when I went to buy my dress." "What's his name?" Tifa bit her lip. Yuffie raised an eyebrow to see her do it. "Tifa?" "His name's Roland." Tifa finally finished. "Roland...so you didn't just pull that name outta nowhere yesterday, huh?" The woman winced at the girl's tone of voice. Yuffie's expression softened quickly. "Sorry," she said, her face apologetic. "I didn't mean to sound like that." Tifa shook her head. "It's fine. I understand how you feel." The girl shook her head. "No, it's not that...it's just..." Yuffie looked off to the side, then back at Tifa again. "He didn't hit on you, did he?" Tifa stared at her. "...What?" Yuffie frowned slightly. "That Roland guy. He hasn't hit on you? I can't think of why this guy would just let a woman stay at his house when-huh? ...Uh, Tifa, why are you laughing?" The fighter covered her mouth as a giggling fit overtook her. Yuffie stared down at her in bewilderment. "Hey!" she gave the woman an exasperated expression, "I was being serious!" Tifa shook her head, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry it's just-" she took a deep breath and tried to stifle her laughter. Meanwhile, Yuffie glared down at her huffily. "What?" she snapped, her cheeks turning lightly pink. Sitting up quickly, Tifa grabbed Yuffie's arm. "Yuffie, listen to me! Roland is gay!" Yuffie stared at her. "He's what!?" Tifa grinned, "He's seeing someone right now. This intense guy named Mason." The ninja blinked rapidly. "So...when he let you stay at his house?" The fighter nodded her head, "He was just being nice! I mean, I was wearing nothing but a t-shirt and underwear, and the entire time, Roland just kept fussing over some new haircut Mason got. He couldn't be less interested in girls!" Ruefully, Yuffie rubbed the back of her neck. "Well now I feel like a jerk." Tifa laughed and hugged her. "Don't worry, Yuffie. Your concern was justified..." "So you want me to meet him, huh?" "Yep," "Oh well...I suppose I can spare a visit to the guy who helped out the one I love." Tifa kissed her on the cheek, "How generous of you." Yuffie smiled a smile so huge that Tifa couldn't help but laugh at her expression. "What is it?" she asked. Her spirit felt like it was floating. "I liked that." The girl stated simply. "Liked what?" "What just happened now." "Which was what?" Yuffie touched a hand to her cheek. "That...it was kinda like...no, that's just weird. I won't say it!" Tifa pouted, "You can't start to say something then just not say it!" The ninja covered her face with one hand. "Aw geez, don't make me say it, Rusty! It was way too sappy a thought!" Tifa leaned forward. This was so like all the times they spent together, fooling around and laughing...but there was intimacy there this time that both thrilled and soothed Tifa. Her attitude was quickly turning more and more confident as she experienced her feelings in their entirety. Nuzzling Yuffie's hair, the woman whispered into her ear, "Tell me? ...Please?" A pleased blush spreading across the girl's face, she turned to look into the fighter's eyes. "When you kissed me on the cheek the way you did," the girl began, "It...felt sorta like we were a married couple," she grinned and ducked her head, "Aw geez...there! I said it! Happy?" Without warning, Tifa hooked an arm around Yuffie and with a strong pull, the girl suddenly found herself laying in Tifa's lap. The woman, before the ninja could do anything, ducked down and kissed her. A cry of surprise sounded from Yuffie's mouth, but she quickly melted into it, her hand reaching to the back of the fighter's head. Tifa, satisfied, pulled away with a smirk, and Yuffie blinked up at her dazedly. "I'm very happy, Yuffie."
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