The Way You Look Tonight
By Ezri-Candy

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I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its Characters…That privilege belongs to Square-Enix and Disney Interactive. I also do not own the song "The Way You Look Tonight" that belongs to Sinatra.

Summary: (Songfic complete) Squall's personality is changing for the better and Yuffie can't help to wonder why. The gunblade specialist as a few things he wants to tell her, but isn't quite sure how.

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Yuffie was lying on the large bed that occupied the green room and staring at the ceiling. For the past four days, she had been thinking about her friends. Everyone had changed so much since the heartless disappeared.

About a week ago, Sora shocked the group by showing up in Traverse Town with Riku and Kairi in tow. He told them that for some reason, the barriers hadn't returned even thought Kingdom Hearts was now sealed. Kairi and Sora were now dating and Riku was beginning to come to terms with what he had been tricked into doing by Ansem. He still had things that he need to work out, but Sora and Kairi had vowed to help him every step of the way. They also were staying in Traverse town for the time being, and lived in the vacant house in the third district.

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Aerith had finally been reunited with their childhood friend and her long lost love, Cloud Strife when they temporarily returned to Hollow Bastion. After the group stayed there for a short while, the memories their former home held proved to be too painful so they retuned to quickly returned Traverse Town before the world barriers reappeared. The couple was euphorically happy in their relationship and now spent practically 24 hours a day with one another, not that anyone could blame them. Their friends were truly happy for them.

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There was another reunion that day. It turned out that a Gummi pilot was making a delivery to the Coliseum and decided to sit in on one of the matches. She was stunned to see that Cloud, who had been one of the children that she had once cared for, was one of the contenders. After his victory, she caught up with him asking him if he had seen anyone else from their home world.

Shortly after their lengthy conversation, they were traveling together back to Hollow Bastion to see if they by chance, their lost friends had retuned. Surely enough they had and Shera Highwind was finally reunited with her husband, Cid.

Since his wife had retuned, Cid had softened considerably. Oh yes, he still cursed a blue streak and smoked like a chimney, but it was almost as if he had turned into a father figure to the children that his wife had cared for long ago.

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But the person who she thought had changed the most was none other than her roommate and fighting partner, Squall Leonhart.

Since they had retuned to Traverse Town, he had been surprisingly nice to her. He still corrected her when she called him 'Squall' but he didn't yell at her nearly as much as he use to and it seemed that he was slowly turning back into the person that she had known before the Heartless destroyed their lives. Though she was happy to see that he was emerging from that protective barrier that he had built around himself, she couldn't help but wonder why. 'What is making him so…different?' She thought to herself.

Yuffie rolled on her side to glance at the gunblade master who was sitting across the room reading. She watched as he brought his hand up and brushed a few rebelling stands of russet colored hair from his lovely indigo eyes. She allowed her eyes to trail over his handsome face, his muscular arms and chest, all the way down to his strong legs. The ninja felt her heart flutter when she saw a small smile grace his perfect lips as he read.

She sighed. 'Aeris has Cloud, Kairi has Sora, and Shera has Cid. I bet that within six months Aeris will be married and within a couple years, Kairi will be engaged. I will forever be alone. I will never have the one I want…the one I need. Leviathan, I love him…' She thought as her mind flashed images of him holding her in his arms and kissing her deeply.

The ninja's stomach did a back flip and her eyes closed. Finally, she pulled her self back out of her fantasy world and back into the real one. She tried to get the image out, but it was determined to torment her and lingered in her mind. Yuffie tried to think of other things to take her mind off of the imaginary kiss but gave up when she couldn't. There was one thing that seemed to help her at times like this.

"Squall, do you mind if I turn on the radio for a while?" She asked quietly.

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Squall was holding a book pretending to read it, but in all actuality, he was watching the ninja on the bed.

After the safe returns of Cloud, Shera, Sora, Riku and Kairi, he felt a sense of closure overcome him. The knowledge that the people who were once feared dead, and the friends that they had believed they would never see again because of the world barriers, were safe, brought him peace. This sense of peace had allowed the gunblade master to finally confront the feelings that he had been feeling over the last six months.

Over the past months, he had begun to take more notice of his young fighting partner. His feelings for the ninja began to evolve as they worked so closely to one another. Squall realized that under her youthful exuberance, seemingly endless energy, and playful nature there was a beautiful, caring and mature young woman. As he began to see deeper into the young woman, he began to realize that his feelings were turning away from the platonic type. He was falling in love with Yuffie Kisaragi.

And he just couldn't have that.

He didn't know why he couldn't acknowledge his feelings for her but the strain of denying them, made him short tempered around her. The smallest things would set him off, making him say things to her that he really hadn't meant to say. He wished that he could go back and take back all the cruel and harsh things that he had said to his ninja.

Now that he was finding the peace that he had not felt in years, Squall began to admit to himself that he cared deeply for her. He tired to show her through subtle actions, but that wasn't getting anywhere. It was time for him to take a more direct approach and let her know how he felt.

He had been looking in her direction when he saw her examining him with her gorgeous lilac colored eyes, which made the blue-eyed man smiled. 'I think she feels the same,' then he felt a pang of guilt deep in his chest. 'she's probably afraid to say something because of the way that I use to act towards her.'

Squall was deep in thought when Yuffie's sweet voice broke through his thoughts.

"Squall, do you mind if I turn on the radio for a while?" She asked quietly.

He looked up from his book and gave her a slight smile. "I don't mind."

Yuffie was shocked for a moment that he didn't correct her about his name but covered it hastily and gave him a sweet smile. "Thanks."

She fiddled with the dials, looking for the station that usually helped her clear her mind. "Come on…" she mumbled to herself as she tuned the radio then finally soft music flowed thought the room. "There!" She said with a pleased sigh and fell back onto the bed to gaze at the ceiling.

Squall arched his eyebrow slight at her station choice. The station played old classic jazz, like the music his parent would listen to when he was a child. He watched her as she closed her eyes and began to sing the song that was playing on the radio.

'She's good…I didn't know that she could sing.' He thought to himself as he listened to her beautiful mezzo soprano voice. Soon he too lost himself in the relaxing music.

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The pair sat for nearly and hour in silence, listening to the sweet music that poured through the radio.

"…Up next is a classic originally by the great Frank Sinatra. This version is performed by none other than James Darren…here he is…" The deep masculine voice said.

Squall's eyes widened at the artist's name. James Darren was his parent's favorite singer and eventually, though he would have never admitted it to his parents, became his favorite also. He stood from his seat as the beautiful string intro began to play. This happened to be his favorite song.

He gazed down at the beautiful ninja. She was lying with her eyes still closed and he smiled. "Yuffie?"

The ninja's eyes shot open. She had not heard him approach. "Yeah Squall?" She said a little nervously.

"Would you care to dance?" He said offering his hand.

Though she was a bit confused, she gave him a bright smile and took his hand. "Of course."

Squall turned the radio up a bit before he gently wrapped a hand around her waist and adjusted her small hand in his larger one just as a rich tenor voice came poured from the speakers.

Someday,

When I'm awfully low

When the world is cold

I will feel a glow

Just thinking of you

And the way you look tonight

Slowly they began to sway to the music. Two hearts pounded and both felt lightheaded as their bodies moved closer. 'I can't believe he asked me to dance!' Yuffie's mind screamed in excitement.

You're lovely

With your smile so warm

And your cheeks so soft

There is nothing for me

But to love you

Just the way you look tonight

"Yuffie, I didn't know you had such a beautiful singing voice. Matter of fact, I did even know that you listened to this station." He said as he inhaled the sweet scent of her lilac scented shampoo.

With each word

Your tenderness grows

Tearing my fear apart

And that laugh

That wrinkles your nose

Touches my foolish heart

Yuffie smiled up at him. 'He likes my singing!' Never before had she felt so content…she could spend the all of eternity just living in this moment. "Thank you. I use to love singing. I haven't done it in a long time so I'm a little rusty. I found this station a while back when I was feeling a little down. From then on, whenever I need to relax or just think, I listen. It makes me feel at peace. This song just happens to be one of my favorites." She said quietly.

Lovely

Never, ever change

Keep that breathless charm

Won't you please arrange it

Cause I love you

Just the way you look tonight

'This song is saying exactly what I want to say to her. It's almost as if this song was made especially for her.' Squall thought as he tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her closer.

Yuffie blushed and rested her head against his muscled chest, breathing in the scent that was uniquely Squall. She heard his heart pounding inside of his chest and smiled. "I wish this would never end…" she said, not seeing the look of joy that crossed the tall mans face.

"Yuffie there are some things I want to say, but I'm not quite sure how." He admitted sheepishly as they continued to dance their way around the room.

With each word

Your tenderness grows

Tearing my fears apart

And that laugh

That wrinkles your nose

Touches my foolish heart

Squall stopped their movement in the middle of the room and encircled her waist with his strong arms. She looked up to him confused but was only met with a wide smile. Her eyes grew wide as her Squall began to sing to her as he stared into her eyes.

Lovely

Never, ever change

Keep that breathless charm

Won't you please arrange it

Cause I love you

Just the way you look tonight

Just the way you look tonight

Just the way you look…

Tonight…

Gently he lowered his lips to hers in a gentle kiss as the song ended. Yuffie felt her knees go weak as her heart soared. The kiss broke, leaving both panting and gazing up through heavy lidded eyes at each other.

"Yuffie, I love you." Squall said pulling her close to his chest.

Yuffie brought her head back to look into his eyes. A tear fell down her cheek and he wiped it away with his thumb. "You don't know how many time that I've prayed to the gods that someday I would hear you say that to me. Squall, I love you so much."

Their lips met once more in a fiercely passionate kiss. Squall looked down at his love and drank in her beauty. Her lips were kiss swollen, her eyes had turned a darker shade of purple, her chest heaved from their recent activities.

He brought a hand up and cupped her cheek as he sang the last verse to her one final time.

Lovely

Never, ever change

Keep that breathless charm

Won't you please arrange it

Cause I love you

Just the way you look tonight

She buried her face in his shirt as placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. "I hope you never, ever change Yuffie Kisaragi, because I love who you are and always will."

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AN: My first songfic. I know it sucked but that's ok.

I was listening to some random jazz (ya know, Claude Bolling and Jean Pierre Rampal, Frank Sinatra, etc.) on wimamp when this started playing. I love James Darren's version of this song, I'm not quite sure why I prefer it, I just do. I just started typing the lyrics as he sang them and got this picture of Squall and Yuffie in my head.

Anyway, I hope ya'll got something out of it. I hope you get a chance to review. I might end up coming back to this story at a later time and revising it slightly if any good suggestions are put forth, but for now, I'm going to leave it as it is.

Any flames will be tossed on the head of Hades and set ablaze.

It's now 3:20 am and I have to be at work in a few hours so I better be headin' off to bed.

Ja ne peoples… and don't forget to review.

Ezri-Candy