When You and I Collide

18) The Truth Revealed

~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.