Here it is. Last chapter for Unrequited. Thank you all so much for reading. All of your reviews have made it worth the while. But it's not over for me! Nope! I still have to finish 'Protection' and I have more Yuffentine's on the way. Feel free to head on over and check them out, no pressure lol.

Unrequited- A feeling, especially love, not returned or rewarded.

For the second time in the month of September, Yuffie woke with a strange feeling. Only this time it was a feeling that made her heart skip a beat and rush past the finish line in a state of utter happiness, instead of the usual 'strange feeling' that made her heart look around in confusion and wonder how in the world it got there. No, Yuffie was almost accustomed to the experience of waking up dissatisfied and trodden in her life choices. Today, though, was quite a different experience. On this particular morning she had slept in past seven in the morning, and didn't feel the hurry of racing back to her room to hide her love affair with Vincent Valentine. It was a good feeling indeed. If 'good' could even define what she was feeling at the moment.

Yuffie sighed, feeling lucky to be beside him, lucky that they no longer had to hide. No longer had to mask the love she felt for her long time friend and, more recently, secret lover. Subconsciously her hand went to rest on his arm, feeling the warmth of his skin under hers.

Yuffie knew that she loved Vincent. It was just something she felt, but couldn't quite put into words. Hearing him say them to her had been more than shocking, and left her feeling guilty that she hadn't said them back.

Even though she longed to say the words for quite some time now, they still felt foreign to her tongue. The only other person she had graced with those words was her mother, and that had been years ago.

Yuffie stared at the ceiling as she laid next to Vincent.

Turning her large eyes toward him, she tested the words from her tongue, feeling awkward even as they left her mouth.

"I love you" she said, softly into the lifeless room. It sounded strange directed at Vincent, her friend and comrade, and yet a warmth welled inside her and she knew it was right. Thought, to her horror, Vincent turned over and faced her in the new morning light.

"I love you too" He smirked. Yuffie almost slapped herself, burning every shade of red permanently to her cheeks.

"I didn't think you were awake" She whispered, turning away from him in embarrassment.

"Is that why you said it?"

"..."

"Well im glad you did" Vincent said, pulling Yuffie flush with his body. The action, seeming peculiar at first, came as second instinct to him, as he recalled his latest epiphany, and the events that took place the previous night.

"Im almost afraid to go downstairs" She frowned, but smiled on the inside. Though the idea of telling her friends about her newfound love for Vincent was something that she dreamt of for weeks, it was something new, and therefore, frightening.

"You don't have to be afraid" Vincent assured her in his voice, calm and deep, and rumbling like a thunderstorm that somehow lulls you to sleep "I have already taken the first step in educating them of our relationship. The ice is broken, and if you somehow fall through...I will save you" His face portrayed nothing of what his words had expressed, though his eyes told her that he meant every word. She stifled a smile at first, almost afraid to trust him in the company of their friends, though his eyes told a story of trust and the first shaky steps onto the frozen lake of hope and newfound love "I regret to say that I know how hard this past month has been on you, but for me..." he sighed "...It's been the happiest of my lengthened life..." Though it pained him to be so openly honest, as it just wasn't what he was accustomed to, it felt refreshing to be so open with another human being, and share the thoughts that he had blatantly hidden for so long.

Vincent wasn't the kind of man to be changed over night. But when you've overcome such a dramatic transformation of the heart when trying so vehemently to hide it, expressing your feelings in alteration of it was as easy as learning to speak.

"Your right..." She said, in a stern voice that was somehow stuck in her throat from her long weeks of trifles with Vincent "...they were hard on me. I tried so hard to ignore what my heart was telling me. Im not used to that. Im sorry that I broke our deal...I didn't mean to fall for you. It just...sort of...happened"

Vincent grabbed her face and directed it towards him as he spoke "If you apologize then I must as well. For I broke our deal just as much as you did"

Yuffie was quiet for a long time after Vincent had spoken. Her eyes directed toward the ceiling as silence loomed over them both. The morning light crept in slowly as the two laid beside one another in complete silence, merely enjoying each other's company without the constraints of a secret affair.

After several moments Yuffie spoke, turning towards the man beside her.

"Vincent can I ask you something?" she propped her head up on one elbow and stared at Vincent with an innocently curious expression.

"You may" He inclined his head towards her, facing her in the same manner.

"Why is love so hard?"

Vincent raised an eyebrow at Yuffie's question, surprised by such a simple sounding question that he could not answer simply. How could he explain to her that love was always hard and ever harder to explain.

"Nothing that is worth fighting for ever comes easily Yuffie" It was a simple phrase, no doubt one that had been exploited since he had last used it. But it satisfied the young ninja as she smiled and laid back down.

"What made you change your mind?"

"About what?"

"About me?" She said softly "Why did you come back to me? Not that im complaining, I was just wondering beca-"

"-'Even when it seems totally wrong, there is something right in it when two people can make each other happy'" he said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it lightly "A very wise young Ninja told me that. And im sorry that it took this long for those words of wisdom to sink in, but they finally did"

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The sound of running water alerted Yuffie that Vincent was taking his morning shower. Her plan was to wait until he was finished so that they could face the wrath of their friends together, though the smell of fresh bacon was quickly making her revise her plans. Though she was frightened, the promise of food to her shrunken stomach was quickly winning over any fear she might have of interrogations and embarrassing questions.

The smell that graced her senses as she stuck her nose into the hallway was tantalizing, and made her stomach growl with anger beyond hunger. Forgoing food for the better part of two weeks did numbers on her appetite. She was practically eating the tips of her fingers.

Yuffie's mouth was watering as her feet carried her down the stairs to the breakfast table. Through her trials and tribulations with Vincent, Yuffie had almost forgotten to eat, thus forgetting how wonderful it tasted and how much she loved it.

Before she had even realized that she was downstairs, Yuffie was sitting at the table beside Barret, waiting to be served. Her hands almost shook as she held her bare plate up to Tifa, who turned and smiled happily at the young woman, before throwing some bacon and pancakes onto her plate.

The buxom martial artist hummed her own happy tune as she began sizzling more bacon.

"Morning Yuffie" Cloud said, still slightly pink from the night before. Yuffie smiled through a gorged mouth but said nothing, content to simply eat her food. She glanced across the table and noticed Cid who was, seemingly, asleep beside his plate. She almost snorted a giggle until he spoke in a voice much hoarser that usual.

"Shut yer damn mouth" he said, judging what she would say before she even said it. "My head feels like a damn airship landed on it"

"Im not gonna say anything..." Yuffie smiled before taking a sip of her juice "...I think Tifa has already given you an ear full for not recording Cloud's proposal" She laughed, and it felt as if it had been forever since she had last done so.

"That wasn't the only thing you missed" Marlene chimed as she climbed off her seat and handed her plate to Tifa. Suddenly Yuffie remembered that Cid was not awake for Vincent's announcement either, and suddenly felt embarrassed.

"Oh yeh? What else did I miss?" he looked around to his friends, taking in their secretive smiles, and wondering what the hell else he'd slept through.

"Yuffie fainted" Marlene said.

"You what!?" Cid played the anger card, though there was an underlying hint of concern beneath the gruff question. Cid cared for Yuffie, and had seen, as they all did, the transformation that the young girl had gone through the past couple of weeks.

"Don't worry old man, I just got dizzy spinning on the dance floor. It's no big deal" She smiled lightly, rearranging the food on her plate.

"Well a lot of shit went down last night that im not happy about" The pilot frowned and looked to Yuffie "I said some shit to you last night that...well it just wasn't appropriate and im sorry"

"I forgive you" Vincent said, coming down the stairs behind Cid.

"Uh, heh heh...actually Vincent, I was talking to Yuffie" Cid laughed

"I know" Vincent smirked, walking to Yuffie and kissing her on the forehead before taking a seat beside her. Tifa also smiled knowingly and placed a cup of hot coffee in front of him.

"What the..!?" Cid practically fell off his chair "How long was I asleep?!"

FIN

Sorry for the wait. I have a list of things that have been going on in my life that have gotten in the way of my writing. But I hope to get a move on my other projects soon. R&R.

Jake