~Snow's POV~

Let's just say the mansion in Nibelheim is the creepiest place I've ever been. And habit stayed here two days is starting to make me extremely paranoid of supernatural beings. Specifically ones that aren't there and make me look stupid for shuddering every five seconds in front of Tifa. Speaking of her, she's probably out daydreaming on the roof again. Wonder what she thinks about. Wonder if she thinks about me as I much as I do her.

I'm almost positive the amount of thought and mental pictures aimed toward Tifa is considered stalking, but I can't help it. Serah is slowly slipping out of my hands, and into the light comes a saving grace, one that I wish I didn't want. Maybe life would've been easier if I had been the one in that car wreck.

"Snow?" I jerk my head up and look at Yuffie. Cloud's group didn't want to go to Nibelheim, so we traded spots, giving up Kalm for this.

"Hmm?"

"Tifa sent me to ask if you were alright. Said you weren't being yourself lately or somethin."

"I guess I'm not," I sigh and look back down at my necklace.

"Why does that thing always make you so mopey?" She cocks her head to the side, sitting beside me on the creaky old couch.

"I gave it to Serah instead of an engagement ring."

"Leviathan, you're just as bad as Vincent."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I frown at her. I'd before not to be compared to Mr. Tall Dark and Scary. Even though he's shorter than me... He's still pretty tall though. I'm just a giant.

"Nothing bad! He's just always sitting around and thinking about his dead girlfriend. 'Lucrecia this, Lucrecia that'. It's so annoying."

"Be nice to him," I smile. "I'm sure he's had it hard."

"I know, but I don't talk about my mom all the time! I loved her, and she's dead!" She says all too cheerfully. I raise an eyebrow at the grinning ninja before shaking my head.

"Death just effects people differently, I guess."

She nods and tosses something at me that bounces off my arm.

"That's from Tifa. Told me to tell you that she knows you haven't been eating."

"How does she know all this?" I groan, throwing my head back to look at the ceiling.

"She had to deal with it with Cloud," she stands, scowling suddenly. "And if anyone else puts her through that again, I'm gonna have to kick their butt, so quit being such a wimp and stop making her worry, Snow."

"I didn't.."

"No," she snaps, glaring at me. "She's practically my sister, and she's had enough people being sad in her life. Just because she's a kind person doesn't mean you should walk all over her. Just remember what I said, alright?" Then she stomps away, leaving me to wallow in my confusion. Tifa... What am I doing that's so wrong?

After minutes of just thinking, I stand and leave the dark, cold room, heading upstairs toward the bedroom Tifa's staying in. The door is open and the window is open, just as I expected them to be. Squeezing through the window, which is pretty hard, I swing up into the roof, clumsily climbing up the slippery slope of the mansion. On the top sits Tifa, under the stars and hugging her pointy knees to her chest. In the moonlight, I can see one wet trail down the side of her face and tear my gaze away. Is that my fault? Being me, I've just got to try and cheer her up.

"Tifa?" She hastily rubs the tears off her face and smiles at me.

"Hey. Feeling any better?"

"Yeah. Do you, uh, feel alright?"

"I'm fine," she forces a soft laugh.

"Don't lie to me," I roll my eyes, sitting down beside her. "You're crying."

"Was," she corrects under her breath.

"Same difference. What's wrong?" She inhales shakily and blinks down at the ground.

"I just feel like I'm the reason you're slipping away."

"Slipping away?" I furrow my eyebrows.

"You used to be so friendly, so open and fun. Now you're just... So closed off and you're pushing everyone and everything out. All you do is sit and stare at that dang necklace and it... It drives me insane. I know it shouldn't, but it does. Maybe if I just backed off a little, gave you some space, then you might be the same. It's torturing me, I can't figure out what I did..." She trails off, swiping at her eyes.

"It's not you," I shake my head and look up. "It's me. I'm forcing myself to close off because I don't want to hurt anyone." Anyone meaning Tifa. "I can't stop thinking about Serah." And you. "How it was all my fault and I can't let her down by messing up again."

"Snow," she rests her chin on her knees. "This is kinda weird, and really random, but how do you really feel? About me, I mean. Gosh, I feel so hopeless." This is it. Sucking in a deep breath, I force the words to spill out of my mouth without looking at her.

"You want the whole truth? I can't think a single thought without it leading to you. I don't hurt around you, not in a bad way. I can't stop thinking about you, even when I try so hard not to because I know it isn't right. I should be thinking of Serah. I should be... I should be trying not to be around you so that those feelings don't come up.

"I can't leave you alone, though. It's like a magnet, I guess. How? No idea, guys are bad with words. But sometimes it does hurt to be around you, because I know that this can't happen. I'm supposed to be mourning Serah and you have Cloud... No, you don't now, do you? I guess we're both hopeless then."

"Yeah," she says, glancing at me carefully. I close my eyes a sigh, relieved to have it all off my chest. What does she think of me now? I'm stupid? Ridiculous? Ungrateful? "Snow? Can you do something else for me?"

"Anything," I open my eyes and look at her with all honesty.

"Kiss me?"

"What?" I give her a look of surprise. I was not expecting that.

"Uh, nevermind. Forget I ever said that," she turns beet red.

"I don't want to," I laugh. "I was just expecting... something else."

"What?"

"The opposite of that!"

"You don't have to," she smiles, embarrassed. I grin and grab her hand, scooting forward so that I'm beside her.

"What if I want to?"

"Go ahead, Trenchcoat." She smirks. You little devil. I do just what she wishes, holding her close to me as I do so.

"Ew! Snow, you could've at least warned me that you too would be kissing!"

"Yuffie!" Tifa groans.

"What!" The ninja holds up her hands and turns around. "Continue."

"I'm good," I chuckle, looking over at Tifa awkwardly.

"Come on," she laughs, still holding my hand as she leads us down the roof. I let her in through the window first before cramming my shoulders in. Ow... I manage to get in downf to the waist.

"Uh... Teef? I think I'm stuck." She bursts out in hysterical giggles. "Stoooo.... Ow!" Something hard lands on my butt.

"Your bum is cushy, Snow!" Yuffie calls to me.

"Get off my butt!" I whine loudly. Tifa just laughs harder. "Yuffie! Guys, stop laughing at me! I can't move!"

"Here," Tifa purses her lips together, holding out her hands. I grab them tightly and she pulls. "Yuffie, move. You're not helping by perching on him like a bird."

"Fiiiine," she groans and pulls herself back up onto the building.

"Ow!" I complain as Tifa pulls again, the window pane scraping my hips as she pulls me through. "That hurt!"

"Sorry booboo," she sticks her tongue out.

"Poo head," I stand, pouting at her. She laughs and kisses the tip of my nose and runs away. "Hey! Come back!" I start to chase after her. And guess what? No guilt.