Less then 15 mins after Yuffie left, Rude returned. He just grunted to me to let me know he was there. When I finally looked up, he asked, "Did you tell her?"

I shook my head. "How can I? She wouldn't understand." I looked back down to the note as I held the wrench out to Rude. "Reno's going to teach me how to clean while he lives here..." I looked back to Rude. "Would it be much trouble to teach me to fix the sink?"

Rude walked towards the bathroom, and motioned with the wrench to follow. So I did.

~~~~~

After learning what needed to be done to fix that particular problem, Rude left letting me know that Reno would be by in a couple of hours. I figured that I would use that time to run down to the clothing outlet and purchase some jeans. They would be far more comfortable then leather.

I walked out the door, and headed down the hall. In the elevator I prayed to all known and unknown deities that the elevator didn't' stop on the second floor. Which it still did.

She got on. Her name was Kathrynia. She was strange. She would randomly talk to me or ignore me. I think. I can't tell really. But most of the time she's giving me this very strange look, the kind of look that was in the store clerks face as she hides from me...

"Hi Mr. Valentine. You look nice today. New shirt?"

I nodded. I figure that the less that I say to her the better.

Just then she did something very odd. She tripped. Landing on me, she wrapped her arms around me. She sniffed my shirt. "It smells so clean." She looked up at my face. "And makes you look so Great!"

I pulled away. Helping her to stand again, which of course was something she didn't want to do.

"Why do you spend all your time with that Yuffie chick?" She grumbled. "I mean, I'm like so much better then she is."

So that's what it was. I looked her in the eyes. "Kathrynia." I said to her in the calmest deadliest voice I could give when talking to a woman. "She is my friend. She is my comrade. And most importantly. She's the woman I love. That makes her better then you in the case you are referring to."

The elevator came to a stop at the first floor just at that moment. Instead of her usual of waiting until I left to ride the elevator to her floor again. She ran off crying.

As I walked out the front door of my building, I saw Yuffie. She was watching Kathrynia run off. She looked over at me. "What happened to her?" She asked.

I wondered what Yuffie was doing back here, as I answered, "I turned her down." I felt like elaborating, "She insulted you. So I told her that she and I would never be able to have a relationship because she insulted one of the people I care the most about."

Yuffie had been shooting daggers with her eyes back to the fleeing girl. When I had finished speaking, she looked back to me, surprise written on her face. "You care about me?"

I nod. Wondering again, as tears start to fall down her face again, 'What have I gotten myself into?'