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None of these are my fanfics,But are by other very talented people.Love there fics.^^ If you are one of the owners of one of the fics and do not want them here,Please Email me and i will take it down.Thanks.^.^
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Yuffie Kisaragi raised her arms lazily over her head, tilting her neck to the right to watch the beautiful sunrise better. She opened her mouth and let out a loud yawn, shaking her head vigorously. There. Now she felt much, much better. Yuffie had been sitting on the highest top of the Da Chao mountains, after having finally managed to climb to the top, as one of the Ninja tasks she had to do after turning nineteen. Every year the tasks got harder. She had finished climbing up about three hours ago, but she was so exhausted from it she hadn't wanted to get down.
"Mmm," She mumbled sleepily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She smiled at the pinkish clouds, which were turning the sky a brilliant pink hue. How beautiful. The pink reminded her of Aeris's dress that she used to wear when they had been traveling with the leader of Avalanche, Cloud. Now, since Aeris had come back, Aeris wore a light blue dress that swiveled and dropped down to her knees with spaghetti straps on top. She looked really pretty, Yuffie mused, putting her chin in her hands. She wondered briefly if maybe Aeris could give her some tips on catching guys.
"But who is there to catch?" Yuffie wondered, her eyes falling on the tiny town of Wutai below. Wutai was slowly recovering from their 'resort town' image, and was now beginning to be a real town with regular people and lots of jobs for everyone. People were starting to respect her hometown now, and Yuffie liked that. She had always been protective of it. But it was true, no matter how big her hometown was, there was nobody for Yuffie to love. Maybe I'm destined to be alone for the rest of my entire life…
She took a few breaths for a moment, breathing out into the air and shifted her weight experimentally, hoping she wouldn't fall off while she did so. Because it was a long way down. Yuffie clasped her hands in her lap and closed her eyes. It was so frustrating how nobody seemed to take Yuffie for real when she said she was "looking for a man!" She wasn't that childish 16 year old anymore! Her hair had grown out a little longer, her body had…well, developed, and she had caught some men staring at her when she went to the store. So why didn't anyone love her?
Yuffie sighed.
"Better start heading back down," She murmured to herself, placing one right hand on the top of the mountain. Very slowly, she started to climb down, one foot after another. Sweat poured down her head. She knew it was going to be a long task, and she wanted to be ready for come what may.
Soon, it became monotonous. Put one foot down and pull down the other. Put one foot down and pull down the other. She repeated the chant in her head listlessly while making sure her handholds were strong. Yuffie shook her head again and smiled as she noticed the sunrise was ending and the sky was beginning to lighten.
"It's the beginning of a beautiful day," Yuffie mused to herself. "And as usual, I'm all alone…"
*********
"What'd you get her?" Tifa Lockheart turned to Cloud, who was just entering Lord Godo's house with a huge blue present in his arms. Trailing behind him was Aeris, looking beautiful as always. They had all gathered together the old gang for Yuffie's birthday party. They were a little late, but it had taken a while to call over the entire world just to get their attention.
"Materia," Cloud said with an easy grin. "What else?"
Tifa and Aeris laughed while Cloud put the present amongst others on Lord Godo's dining room table. Lord Godo himself was sitting at the head of the table, helping one of his assistants put frosting on Yuffie's birthday cake. He hummed while he did so, and Cloud could tell that he was enjoying himself.
"I think it's a beautiful thing you guys are doing for Yuffie," Lord Godo said gravely, turning his solemn eyes onto Cloud, Aeris, and Tifa. "She gets very lonely sometimes, and I think it's great that you still remember her birthday."
"Well," Cid said a little sheepishly, from the doorway. "We are a little late, aren't we?"
"CID!" Tifa, Cloud, and Aeris called, and the man began walking inside, snuffing his cigarette out as he did so. He dropped it into a trashcan and hugged the girls first, then shook Cloud's hand. He nodded at Lord Godo just as Shera walked in, holding a baby in her arms.
Cid turned to Shera, smiling. "Hey, sweet thing. How's Cid. Jr. doing after the flight?"
Shera affectionately touched the top of the baby's head, and Aeris and Tifa crowded around to play with the baby, cooing and making baby faces at it. "Oh, he's fine," Shera admonished. "He's a regular pilot like you, Cid. He can handle things." Aeris made cutesy kissy noises, fiddling with the top of the blanket.
Cloud laughed. "Hey, that sounds like the noise you made last night Aeris, when we--"
"CLOUD!" Aeris turned quickly back to him, pushing an elegant hand on top of his mouth. Cloud grinned from behind her hand and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Aeris let out a little huff of air but Tifa could tell that Aeris really thought Cloud's jokes were funny. Finally Aeris lowered her hand just as Barret strode into the room with Marlene holding onto his hand.
"Aw, look it's the big papa," Cid teased.
"Foo, you can't be talkin'," Barret shot him a grin. "Look at what's in Shera's arms right now."
Cid smiled sheepishly. "Hey now," He said slowly, then his voice trailed off as he had no smart comeback to Barret's comments. He winked at Marlene to show her that he was just kidding and seven-year-old girl giggled, pushing down her little purple checked dress that Barret had probably gone shopping for with Elmyra.
"Where's your present for Yuffie?" Cloud asked Barret and Cid, giving them sly looks. Cid reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a box the size of his palm. It looked like it contained some kind of jewelry. Barret did the same, although his box was a little bigger. As they put it on the table beside Lord Godo and Aeris gave them suspicious glances.
"What's in there?" She questioned, putting one delicate hand on her hip.
"Materia," Cid answered abruptly. "Quadra."
"Oh…" Aeris stared at his box, tilting her head to the size. Now that he mentioned it, the box was exactly as big as she pictured a Materia should be. She shrugged and turned to Barret. "I suppose you got her Materia, too?"
Barret grinned. "How'd you guess?"
Tifa and Aeris laughed, their different laughter mixing together in the air. As they were giggling helplessly a red beast padded into the room, followed by a man in a business suit, who looked a bit nervous about the whole affair. His business suit looked rather expensive and was colored a deep blue, and his black hair was slicked back.
"Reeve!" Cloud exclaimed before anyone else could recognize him. Reeve's nervous look turned to one of anticipation and then surprise as he spotted the whole gang. Reeve had been the mastermind behind Cait Sith, and this was one of the few times that they had been able to meet him.
Reeve strode purposely forward and smiled at everyone. "Hello, everyone. Where's the birthday girl?"
"Yes," Red XIII growled, having entered before Reeve. Immediately everyone began greeting him. "Where is Yuffie?"
"She is still up on the Da Choa mountain," Lord Godo suddenly interrupted from his position on the cake. He turned the cake's position around to do the back part of it. As he talked he put more frosting on his pitiful cake. "It is a Wutai tradition to climb the Da Choa mountain on your nineteenth birthday…as one of the tasks you have to do to prove yourself a worthy ninja." He frowned for a moment and for a split second he looked a little concerned. "I hope nothing has happened to her."
"No," Aeris assured him, giving him one of those familiar caring smiles. "Yuffie is grown up now. She can take care of herself." Lord Godo paused and Aeris continued on brightly, trying to cheer up all of the suddenly solemn faces. "So, is everyone all here?"
Everyone craned their necks, taking roll call in their heads as they ticked off everyone's names. Cloud counted everyone in his head. Barret, Aeris, Tifa, Reeve, Red XIII, Cid…and me, that makes eight people, not counting the extras. I know there's supposed to be someone else. "Who's missing?" He suddenly blurted, a frown creasing his face. He looked to Tifa and then Aeris, as if they knew the answer. Tifa shrugged but Aeris grew a thoughtful look on her face.
After a lengthy pause Barret finally spoke up. "Vincent ain't here," He resulted to saying, scratching his head with his good hand. "Where is he? Did anyone invite him?"
"I did," Cloud said, remembering the information he'd sent out to everyone. "Yuffie's birthday is a really important thing for her. Of course, Vincent did say he would be hard to get hold of…" He and Aeris exchanged worried glances.
Cid cleared his throat a little nervously.
"I don't think she'll notice if Vincent doesn't show, right?" Reeve mumbled. "I mean, there are a lot of us here, already, and we all brought presents." To prove his point, he put the present he was holding in his hand onto the table with a resounding clunk and smiled hopefully at the others.
Tifa tried to smile. "You're right. Besides, I don't think…I don't think Vincent is the birthday type anyway." It was meant to be a joke but no one laughed. Instead more silence enveloped the room as they all uncomfortably looked a certain spot on the walls. Each of them knew that Yuffie would be hurt that her old comrade didn't want to show up for something as important as this was.
Because if Vincent really didn't care much for showing up for Yuffie…maybe he wouldn't show up at all for anything that anyone did anymore.
******
Her fingers gripped the edge of the cool rock underneath her fingers and she gritted her teeth as she balanced precautiously on a particularly unsteady edge. Yuffie made a worried face as she put her right sneaker about two foot underneath her. She found rock so she put weight on it…immediately the rock dislodged itself and began tumbling down the face of Da Choa.
Yuffie let out a nervous squeak. Maybe I'd better try with the left foot, she admonished herself. She searched with her left sneaker below her, hoping to hit rock of some sort. When she did, she tested her weight on it. It seemed to hold, so, breathing out a sigh of relief, she began moving slowly down. Slowly, slowly, she pulled down her right foot with it.
"The hard part is getting back down," Yuffie murmured, wishing she had brought rock-climbing equipment of some sort. She had already been climbing down for what seemed like hours, but she knew it was probably only about sixty minutes. Already the sun was warming the sky and all she wanted to do was slip into bed and take a long nap. The idea seemed refreshing to her.
But no, she was stuck climbing down an incredibly dangerous mountain. Once again, Yuffie trembled on the ledge. She reached back with her right foot and grunted as she couldn't find rock below her. Once more she tried and this time found a tiny little ledge. Murmuring happily she set her right foot on it without testing it out first.
Immediately the rock gave way underneath her right foot and the whole right side of her body started to plummet down. Yuffie shrieked loudly and clawed at the face of the cliff, scraping her hands on the rough rock. She couldn't believe this was happening! If only there was something to hold onto, something--Her hands scrabbled at the rock, looking, hoping for something to grab. A branch, a twig, a rock, anything!
She screamed bloody murder as the left side of her body tumbled away from the cliff and she fell completely backwards. Now Yuffie was in midair, her arms and legs a tangle of limbs as she tumbled towards the ground, where she knew her short life would be cut off in a mass of blood.
******
Aeris was carefully balancing the pitcher of red punch in her right hand and holding the cup in her left hand while she poured. She poured just the right amount and set it down, immediately picking up the next cup. Beside her, Tifa was arranging napkins in napkin holders shaped like a "Y."
"There we go," Aeris chirped, setting down the second to last cup. She smiled at Tifa who was next to her. Tifa grinned back and stacked some more colored napkins together. Beside the two girls Lord Godo was pacing back and forth more and more anxiously.
"Where is Yuffie?" He wondered. "She should be back by now."
Cloud stepped up beside him. "I'm sure she's fine," He assured Lord Godo. "She can take care of herself, like Aeris said. Besides, this birthday is going to be a special one for Yuffie, I can feel it in my bones."
"He's not usually wrong about these things," Aeris reported, sidling up to Cloud and wrapping one arm about his waist. "Believe it or not," She continued her lighthearted banter, hoping to cheer up Yuffie's father. But he wasn't listening as he absently traveled about the room straightening up various knick-knacks. Despite his lack of attention span for Yuffie, it appeared that he really did care about his daughter, more than he let show.
Cid, who was trying to tape up the end of a blue streamer on the side of the wall while talking to Shera at the same time spoke up. "Hey, everyone, do we have to do any more decoratin'? If we do anymore I swear this room is gonna drive me looney!"
It was true. Since Yuffie hadn't shown up for a while Aeris had cheerfully suggested that they add more decorations to the already heavily decorated room. So while the guys made more banners and put up streamers the girls bustled about the food and drinks. Now, even the appetizers were ready to perfection and still no birthday girl had waltzed in.
Barret sighed. "Me, too. When's Yuffie gonna get here?"
Everyone exchanged worried glances. Aeris let out a deep breath and looked down. What if something bad had happened to Yuffie? How tragic that would be on a day like this, her special day. She didn't know why, but she had a sick feeling in her stomach, as if something bad were happening. Aeris closed her pale eyebrows and concentrated on the feeling, groping for the nearest chair.
"Aeris? Are you okay?"
She heard people exclaiming over her, but she didn't care. All she cared about was this feeling of danger inside, this painful feeling of fear. Yuffie…Aeris closed her eyes tighter and her mind raced inside. Something is happening to Yuffie…"Yuffie," Aeris whispered loudly, her eyes flying open. As soon as she did so, she broke off her concentration and the feeling grew stronger. Everyone had crowded around her chair giving her a concerned look.
"Aeris, what happened?" Cloud asked nervously.
"Yuffie's in trouble," Aeris whispered with wide eyes. It was like a whisper inside of her, a tendril of knowledge that was telling her so. She wished with all of her might that Yuffie was going to be okay. Before anyone could ask her any further questions there was a knock on the door. Red XIII, who was the closest at the time, nosed it open carefully.
Standing there, in the doorway, was a woman with her hair tied up in a bun with chopsticks. She wore the traditional Wutai robe, which bustled around her feet as she anxiously dashed into the room. "Lord Godo?" She asked, her eyes darting around.
"That's me," Lord Godo said, striding to the woman. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"
The woman looked down, then to the door, and then back to Lord Godo. "Well…you have a visitor of sorts. I really wasn't instructed to let anyone in to your pagoda, I know, but…he insisted, and he was very persuasive. He said he was here for a party…" Her voice trailed off. "I wouldn't trust him, though, Lord Godo, he looks very dangerous. He's wearing--"
Suddenly a shadow appeared at the door and all eyes turned to see who was standing there. Almost as if the shadow had materialized itself into a shape, standing there was a dark man, swathed in a cape and darkened pants. His raven hair flowed down behind him and an enigmatic smile showed on his face. The woman's voice choked in her throat as she noticed Vincent standing there.
"I can show him out now, Lord Godo," She squeaked, wringing her hands anxiously.
"No, no," Cloud suddenly interrupted. The woman turned to him, raising her eyebrows. "He's a friend of ours. An old friend. And he's here for Yuffie's birthday party."
Vincent didn't make a move to talk to her himself.
The woman gave Vincent a suspicious look, but after another moment she began walking towards the door. "Hmmm," She clucked with her tongue. "Well, if you need anything Lord Godo, be sure to call me and make sure that you--" She was still talking as she backed out of the house and as Vincent began to move inside. His cape rustled around him.
"You're here," Tifa exclaimed before she could stop herself. When he turned his solemn eyes to her she felt an embarrassed blush rise to her cheek. "I'm sorry," She apologized. "We just didn't think….I mean…it's just that…" Having said her jumbled piece she turned to Aeris for help.
"We're glad you could make it, Vincent," Aeris half-whispered, her hands still resting on her head. The feeling still hadn't faded from inside, instead, as seconds passed grew more and more urgent. Vincent cautiously gave everyone a once-over before opening his mouth.
"Good morning, friends. It is nice to see you again," He announced in his quiet tone.
Aeris stood up from her chair to greet Vincent. As she walked across the room she opened up her small arms in a friendly hug to welcome him back. But as she reached the fourth step a pang of pain hit her head, warning her once again of Yuffie. "Oh," She uttered out, before tripping forward and falling onto the floor. Her blue dress flew about her, fluttering gently to the floor as well.
Everyone gaped.
"AERIS!"
Everyone rushed to her in one huge wall of friends, crowding about to make sure she was okay. "Aeris, Aeris, what is it?" Tifa prodded her friend anxiously with one hand, looking for one movement.
Aeris took a deep breath and looked up. "Yuffie…she's in trouble," She managed to get out before taking another deep breath. Her body racked with pain warning her of danger and she closed her eyes once more.
"We have to find Yuffie," Red XIII announced.
"But what about Aeris?" Cloud answered defiantly.
"I'll stay here with her," Reeve said slowly. "I wouldn't be much help out there, anyway." Already the group had started to move towards the door, with the exception of Shera and Marlene. He saw Cloud pause at Aeris's still form. "Go," He urged. "Find Yuffie before something happens."
Cloud looked torn for a moment but he finally turned his body and dashed out the open door. Reeve was surprised to learn that Vincent had already left.
Vincent had apparently been the first one out the door.
********
Yuffie had heard the phrase, "her life was flashing before her eyes," before but had never experienced it. She had never thought that her own life would be flashing before her eyes so vividly, like a movie player of some sort. She saw the ground below her and the blue sky above her while she was falling and for a few seconds she wished she had wings to sprout above her. The fall, she knew, would only last about ten, fifteen, maybe thirty seconds before she hit the ground--that was about high up she had been.
Yuffie saw in front of her eyes a tiny, smiling baby with no teeth, clawing a Materia orb that her father had given her to play with. She saw herself as an eight-year-old, playing with the boys in town because no girls had liked her. They had claimed she was 'too boyish' because she didn't have a mother, nor anyone to teach her to be a 'real woman.' She saw herself as a pre-teen, getting rid of the obnoxious dress she had to wear and slipping on tan shorts and a green halter-top. Yuffie saw herself maturing, aging, going on a quest that tried all of her values and that gained her new friends.
On the quest she had thought that Cloud Strife was cute--what woman wouldn't? He was handsome, charming, funny, sweet, strong…everything that Yuffie liked. But then she had realized that she was 'just a teenager' to him while Aeris was, in his eyes, the perfect woman. Maybe there was no one for her.
Her hand slapped against a rock as she went flailing past and she wondered why she was thinking such unimportant thoughts. Yuffie was going to die soon and she realized---she realized she didn't care. That thought alone frightened her more than the prospect of hitting the ground--which was only a few seconds away.
Yuffie didn't care because…as much as she hated to admit it, she was lonely. There would be no one to grieve her death. Sure, her father would be sad, but he was the only one. Her friends had seemed to had forgotten about her birthday--if they forgot something about her that quickly they must not care as much as she had thought they did. They probably would pretend to mourn her death but secretly, on the inside, be not affected at all. Slowly, every so slowly, Yuffie closed her eyes and prepared for the landing, accepting death as it would come.
******
Cloud was the first one to see Vincent running towards the mountain at an incredibly fast speed. His mouth opened to call for the man but immediately he snapped it shut when he realized that Vincent was obviously doing something. The Da Choa mountain was almost down the block from Lord Godo's pagoda and it wasn't a long walk. But Vincent hadn't been in sight until just now.
Then everyone saw it at the same time. Everyone gaped, and couldn't believe it. A tiny figure was falling down the side of the mountain, arms and legs flailing in the air. Her short black hair was ruffled in the wind as she started to fall. Surprisingly, the young girl wasn't screaming, instead, from as far away as they were, she actually looked peaceful.
"Oh my god!" Tifa screeched, putting a hand to her mouth. As one movement everyone paused and looked at each other. Tifa broke into a run towards the base of the mountain, even though she couldn't do anything. Cloud immediately followed her, and was followed by the rest of the gang. Tears were streaming down Tifa's face, as she knew what would happen as soon as Yuffie hit the bottom.
Poor Yuffie, Tifa sobbed sadly, pushing her tear-stained face into her hands, crying as she ran. She was so young…and to die on her birthday…She shook her head sadly, tight-lipped. She looked to Cloud for reassurance, a sign that Yuffie would somehow be okay, but instead he was looking down at the ground.
Suddenly they heard an inhuman scream of pain. Immediately their heads whipped around and they saw Vincent, standing as close to the rock as he could, one hand bracing himself, the other on his head. As they watched, he sprouted wings and his skin grew purplish, muscles bulging out on his back. His shirt ripped from the growth, as did some of the fabric on the legs of his pants. He screamed again, a mixture of animal and human. It made the hair on the back of Tifa's neck stand up. A few seconds later Vincent was fully transformed, as the Chaos beast.
It took Tifa a few seconds to realize what Vincent intended to do. As his feet lifted off of the ground with his wings flapping in the air, sending torrents of wind flying into her face, she realized he was going to catch Yuffie! Eyes wide with amazement, she, along with the rest of the group, watched as the Chaos beast began flying upwards, heading towards the limp figure of Yuffie. In a split second, he would be able to grab her. Tifa crossed her fingers, hoping he would be able to catch her. If he didn't…
I don't want to think about that, Tifa thought tearfully.
The Chaos beast reached out one long arm as Yuffie slipped past. Her arm slipped through his grasp and continued falling. Tifa screamed shrilly in panic. Vincent lunged downwards and grabbed a thin arm of Yuffie's making Yuffie jerk her eyes open in surprise. Yuffie screamed as well.
Soon everyone was screaming out of panic. The air filled with terror, so thick you could cut through it with a knife. Vincent paused in midair, still holding onto Yuffie's arm. They trembled there, and for a moment, Yuffie looked pained, as if she wished she could have fallen and died. Then she stared at Vincent in shock.
"YUFFIE!" Cloud cried, cupping his hands to his mouth. "YUFFIE, ARE YOU OKAY?"
Vincent began slowly flying downward, pulling Yuffie into a safer hold. Yuffie didn't answer Cloud's question until she safely touched the ground. First she scuffed the ground with one sneaker as if making sure it was real. Then she turned to Cloud, her lip trembling.
"I…I…" Yuffie half-whispered. Some people had to lean in to hear what she was saying. "I…no! I'm not okay!" She finally burst out screaming out of rage. To everyone's amazement and shock Yuffie burst into loud, wailing tears. She pushed her way out of the crowd of comforters and broke into a run for her house.
********
"Yuffie?" Aeris blinked a few times as a blur whizzed past her, a blur of tears and crying, one full of rage. She barely saw the young woman running past, and she reached out a hand to her, though knowing full well she would not be able to reach across the room. Instantly Yuffie was out of the room leaving Aeris and Reeve to exchange shocked glances. Lord Godo was nowhere to be seen, after the group had left, he had also left the room to attend to something or other.
Yuffie, still in tears, dashed to her bedroom. She was mortified. Everything was too much for her. Her friends, Vincent, her death, everything. It was all weighing down on her, too much guilt for her bear. She couldn't understand why she was acting like this. She just wanted to leave, to get away.
Why?
She wanted to run. It was…
"It's an instinct," Yuffie whispered, her hands trembling on her purple duffel bag. No, no, I have to sit. I have to think before I act. I have to be grown-up. For just a moment she paused. "What's so bad about the situation?" She whispered to herself.
For one thing, there was the fact she had just cried in front of her friends. For another there was the fact that she wished that Vincent hadn't caught her. She had just wanted to die. Why did that stupid jerk have to go and catch her anyway? There was no one who would care! Then there was the fact that people were in her home at the moment and they had obviously decorated the living room just for her. Did they really care?
Or was it just a trick?
Yuffie's breathing slowed. She couldn't think like this. She was too close to the situation. Almost dying was a serious thing…it was almost like a suicide attempt. Yuffie needed to think for real, she needed to get away. Instantly she was up, and dashing around her room, throwing various sets of clothing into her wrinkled duffel. After a moment's pause she threw in a tiny doll that she had always loved, and then finished off with her hidden pouch of materia. After surveying the room she had grew up in, Yuffie gazed at her bedroom door.
With her delicate ears she could already hear people starting to arrive inside her house. They were obviously concerned and had been running, from their panting breaths.
"Is Yuffie here?" She heard a male ask. Cloud.
"She ran to her room," A female answered, probably Aeris.
Yuffie leaped to her door, her short black hair flying into her eyes. With nimble fingers she twisted the lock on the door. Almost seconds later she heard the doorknob turn, then the person who was trying to open the door realized she had locked it.
"Yuffie? Yuffie, you in there?" It was Cloud again.
Yuffie didn't answer. She closed her eyelids for a moment, trying to ignore the aching pain she felt inside. Nobody cares, nobody cares. The thought repeated itself inside. Nobody cares, nobody cares. She was right. Nobody cared anymore. Her friends were just pretending they cared. If they really cared, they would have been able to see she was hurting long before today. They would have been able to read the pain on her face whenever they made fun of her for being "too small" or "unloved." They would be able to see the anger that flashed in her eyes when they made those dumb jokes. NOBODY CARED! Tightening her jaw to keep back those stupid tears from rolling down her face again she turned to the glassy window that overlooked the lawn. Without hesitation she pressed her fingers against the window and rolled it up silently.
She could hear pounding on the door, demands that she let them in. Yuffie ignored them all. They all blurred together in one huge voice that made her see red. She slipped one thin leg over the side of the house and then the other, slinging her duffel bag over her shoulder. Silently she dropped to the ground and began running. Running, running, far away, through the streets of Wutai.
She hadn't run far when she saw a chocobo standing outside of a village pagoda, obviously awaiting it's owner inside. Without a second thought she had undone the tie and was squeezing it's flanks. Yuffie and the chocobo began to flee Wutai.
Freedom, Yuffie thought. At least.
Yuffie, surprisingly, didn't even care about the fact that she was free. She just wanted to get away.
Because nobody cared.
********
"The stupid door is locked and she's not letting us in," Barret growled to Cloud, slamming his good fist on the door. The door shuddered under the pressure but didn't give way.
"YUFFIE! OPEN UP!" Cloud said to the door, but got no response. It was oddly quiet in the room. He looked at Aeris, who was frowning beside him in the hallway. Lord Godo was standing beside them all, trying to decide what to do. Everyone had crowded into the hallway by now, and it was quite crowded and that only made the feelings more tense.
"Yuffie!" Tifa called. "It's us!"
Nothing.
Vincent stepped forward. "I fear that something may be wrong inside." He spoke up, his voice resounding in the hallway. Cloud gave him a worried look. "May I?" He gestured towards the door.
Lord Godo nodded his permission.
Barret followed. "I'll help," He grunted.
Cid scuffed out his cigarette and handed the butt to Shera, who deftly tossed it into a nearby ashtray. "Yeah, me too," he said, rolling up his sleeves. Cloud followed silently. "On the count of three," Cid informed them, as everyone cleared the hall. The four men stood in front of the doorway, leaning slightly forward.
"One…two…THREE!"
On the third count, all four leapt towards the door like a human wall and banged into it with their shoulders, arms, etc. The door shuddered again and the doorknob jangled, but it didn't fall. It took several repeated attempts to get the door to actually swing open. Once it did, everyone ran into the room to see.
Yuffie bedroll was lying on the floor. Empty.
Her clock radio and books were still where they belonged. Her materia and some clothes were obviously missing from their usual spots, but no one noticed, as they did not know the placement of Yuffie's room. They did, however, notice the open window in the breeze, and they exchanged anxious looks.
"She's gone," Reeve said in astonishment, stating the obvious.
"What was yer first clue?" Cid asked sarcastically, shaking his head.
*********
She had been riding for about an hour before Yuffie realized her stomach was growling. She slowly bounced up and down on the chocobo, gliding with its walk, and gazed down at her flat stomach. "I am so stupid," She finally groaned, looking around at her surroundings. "I forgot to bring food!"
Yuffie slapped her forehead, shaking her head defiantly.
She gazed around her, hoping to maybe see a supply shop around the corner, but there was no luck. Yuffie had reached the mountains just south of Wutai, and she and the chocobo were climbing over them to reach some bridges that would make the going a little easier. Yuffie tightened up on the reins, wiping the sweat away from her forehead. It was getting hotter, she was hungry, she was exhausted, she needed sleep, she needed to think…her needs listed on and on, practically stretching on forever.
What would I give for a nice warm bed and some of Dad's noodles? Yuffie wondered with a sleepy smile on her face. She urged the chocobo to go about faster on the rocky ground and leaned slightly forward. Mmmm…
She could just turn around and forget the whole thing…but then again, that would be not only embarrassing, but she would be teased and…That is obviously not an option, Yuffie grimaced. "Happy birthday to me," She sang softly under her breath, and the chocobo approached a swinging bridge up ahead. "Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday dear--"
As the chocobo approached the bridge there was a loud sonic boom that knocked Yuffie completely off of the chocobo's back. She was flung into the middle of the bridge, surprised. The fall took the air out of her stomach, and for a moment she lay gasping, darkness swimming in front of her eyes. She could hear the chocobo warking and running off.
Yuffie could hear the slap of her duffel bag hitting the ground beside her, but she only cared about the first noise. "WAIT!" She screamed. "COME BACK!" As she got the strength to sit up, she realized it was hopeless. The chocobo was long gone. She slowly closed her eyes once more.
Suddenly a shadow crossed the ground in front of her. Fear struck her heart and Yuffie looked up, up, up, to see a large vulture bird flapping it's wings in the air. It let out an angry cry, tossing its beak.
Another sonic boom rocked the air and she was thrown back a second time, hitting the rope guardrail. Yuffie gulped nervously as the bridge swung a second time, and she got a wonderful view of the rocky ground far below, picturing her body laying on the rocks. "Look," Yuffie said anxiously to the bird, hoping it knew English. "I don't want any trouble…"
A gust of air hit her from the bird's wings, tossing her farther back. Yuffie skidded to the ground, just in front of the bird's talons.
"…but I guess you do…" Yuffie finished weakly.
She looked longingly back at the duffel bag where her materia lay. As she looked up at the bird she could see it was ready to attack again. Summoning her courage she crawled to her feet and then bolted towards her bag. This time a sharp pain struck her in the back, making her stumble and pitch forward onto the ground, skinning her knee on a rock. Yuffie yelped from both pains, reaching her arm out towards her bag, which was only a little ways away.
She was not going to let this annoying bird stand in the way. As she watched, her eyes growing bigger, the bird flapped in her direction. Gusts of wind pelted her in the face from its huge wings. Slowly it touched the ground and raised its beak to her neck. Yuffie began shaking from fear, her whole body paralyzed from moving.
Daddy, she thought, her arms trembling. Daddy!
The bird began to peck viciously on her neck, causing her to scream in fright. Its beak was jagged and sharp, drawing blood. Yuffie's vision swam as fright overcame her. Her eyes closed and she passed out on the swinging bridge, the bird still pecking away.
And that was where Vincent made his gallant entrance.
The first thing Yuffie felt when she came to was a sharp sting in her neck, as if someone were slapping her. She gasped out loud, sucking in a deep gasp of air. Yuffie's dark eyes flew open and she cried out softly in pain. Utter silence met her ears. It took her a moment for her eyes to focus and for her to grasp where she was.
Her head was lying on a soft, white pillow, and her entire body was tucked underneath a soft furry, black blanket. The bed was big enough for two people, though she was the only one who was occupying it. Yuffie shook her head in disbelief. Where am I? How did I get here? Is this a dream? To the right of the bed was a huge window with long dark blue curtains swaying to the floor. Beyond the window sparkled the night sky, complete with stars and a shining full moon. The room was too dark to see the rest of the details, but she could see the outline of a chest of drawers across the room, and more furniture as well.
Yuffie slowly slid back the covers, shivering in the new surroundings. She placed her feet delicately on the floor, as if afraid that the floor would swallow her up. As soon as she realized it was okay, she started to stand. Once she did, she gasped. A sharp sting of pain racked in her neck. Yuffie's hand shot up to her neck and she clamped her mouth shut, completely worried. She was in a strange, dark, place and her neck really hurt. As she touched her neck she realized there was a makeshift bandage on it.
"Who put that there?" She whispered softly to herself.
Someone must have put that there with intent to heal her. That meant she didn't have to worry about this someone attacking her in any way…or did she? Yuffie padded over to the window and pressed her forehead against the cool glass, looking out.
She gasped.
Outside were dozens of rocky mountain tips, with the moon shining on them. Now she knew exactly where she was. "The Nibelhiem mountains," Yuffie whispered harshly, as she could see the town glittering far below. Plants and shrubs grew in front of the wall of the window. "Who would have a home on a mountain?"
Shivering with the thought, she turned and something brushed against her ankles, something furry. Yuffie shrieked, surprised. Everything was suddenly creeping her out. The dark room, the black blanket, the furry thing…she started screaming and couldn't stop.
"AHHH! AHH! AHHH! AHH!"
Suddenly the door to the right of the room flew open and a square of light protruded inside. Standing in the doorway was a dark, tall, figure.
"Yuffie? Are you okay?"
Yuffie stopped screaming and blinked in disbelief. "Wha--"
There was a click, and then the room was flooded with light. Yuffie turned and, with her mouth gaping slightly, stared at her surroundings. She could see the details now, and saw that there was a painting of a cherry orchard hanging on the other side of the wall, surrounded by shelves and shelves of books. The bed, still covered in its black blanket, also had black sheets with gold trim. There was a nightstand with an alarm clock on it as well as a leather-bound novel with a bookmark in it. Yuffie took all of this in with astonishment and then turned and faced the man at the doorway.
"Vincent?"
He nodded curiously, and Yuffie stared. He wasn't wearing his cape any longer, and she could easily see his basic black shirt and black pants. His long raven hair hung loosely on his back.
"Are you alright?" He questioned, stepping forward. Then his eyes fell on the object by her feet. "Oh. You met Midnight, I take it."
"M--Midnight?" Yuffie voiced shakily, her eyes darting down at her bare feet. There, staring up at her, was a black kitten, rubbing against her leg contentedly. It let out a contented sigh as Vincent strode across the room and picked it up. Now he was standing right in front of Yuffie. She shrank back from him, almost afraid in this unfamiliar atmosphere.
"My cat," Vincent explained, hugging the cat to his chest. "I'm glad to see you're awake," He nodded at her.
Yuffie looked around her again before shivering once more. She looked down at her outfit and saw she was still wearing her green tank top. "Where am I?" She questioned, her hands shaking in her nervousness. She carefully strode to the bed and cautiously sat on it, making sure to keep Vincent in her sight at all times.
Vincent nuzzled the cat a bit more before setting it gently back down on the floor. Midnight pranced around for a bit before settling down and licking it's paws softly. "My humble abode," He intoned, his eyes meeting hers. "Up here, in the mountains. Built it myself, not too long ago."
Yuffie set her jaw. She didn't know why, but she didn't trust Vincent at the moment. Maybe it was the strange atmosphere. Maybe it was because everything was suddenly a little too weird for her to take in. Maybe it was because she felt so…emotionally distraught at the moment…"Well, what am I doing here?" She snapped out loud, running her hands over her cold arms. She wanted to get back in bed again and cover up with those furry covers. They had been so warm.
Then she realized it was Vincent's bed and he probably slept in it every night. Uncomfortably she stood up and paced over to the window, looking out. Vincent walked over to her and gave her an odd look.
"I found you passed out on one of the bridges near the Wutai mountains…I saved you from the odd creature that was attacking you. I figured, that since you had run away from your home in Wutai that it would be fruitless to return you to your father, as you would most likely leave again--"
At this part, Yuffie nodded slightly without knowing she was doing so.
"And I really did not know where to take you. So, with lack of any better place to go, I decided to take you to my home. You needed healing, and you didn't want to go home for the healing, so…" Vincent stopped suddenly and looked Yuffie over. Yuffie found heat rising to her cheeks and she looked away, suddenly embarrassed. "So you're here."
Yuffie looked out of the window without really seeing anything out there. She pictured Vincent putting her on a chocobo gently, then riding to his home. Then opening the door, with her in his arms, striding to his bedroom, and tucking her in his bed. He had done all these things…for her. But why? Could Yuffie still trust him? Did he want something from her? She gave him a sidelong glance and was surprised to learn he was also studying her.
Absently she ran her fingers over her skin, shivering once more. This green tank top wasn't suited for mountain air. Vincent caught her gaze and frowned thoughtfully. "You are cold?"
"No, I'm rubbing my hands over my arms to create a static charge," Yuffie said sarcastically, glancing over at her reflection in the window carefully. She didn't like what she saw. Her short hair was kind of messed up and her eyes had dark circles underneath them. She would give anything for some make-up and a brush right about now….
Vincent walked over to the closet against the opposite wall and slid open the door. Yuffie glanced at him and saw all of the dark shirts hang neatly on hangers. It looked like they were nearly all the same. She snorted back a laugh as Vincent pulled the nearest one off the hanger and handed it regally to her, as if it were some prize possession. Yuffie carefully took the black shirt and examined it. It was one like the one Vincent was wearing, and seemed to be made of a light cotton material. Giving him a suspicious look she put first one arm through a sleeve, and decided it was okay. Cautiously, she pulled the other arm through and adjusted it. It was pretty comfortable, she had to admit.
Yuffie grunted. "Thanks."
Vincent nodded without saying anything.
Yuffie turned back to the window and crossed her arms over her body. She honestly didn't know what to say next. How about thank you? A strange voice inside spoke up to her. Yuffie whirled around and bit her lip. "Hey, um…"
Vincent looked up.
She awkwardly tightened the shirt around her thin body and trained her eyes onto his hardwood floor. Why were things like this so hard for her? It was just a simple thank-you. "Um…thanks for rescuing me," She finally mumbled to him, her words coming out slurred and rushed. Can't I say anything without sounding like an idiot? She wondered.
He nodded slowly, with an unreadable expression on his face. Vincent seemed to be waiting for something or other. With a giddy thought Yuffie wondered if she was supposed to tip him for his services. She giggled out loud and Vincent looked a little confused.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing," She waved him off. "Nothing at all." Yuffie let out another loud snort of laughter at the thought of giving Vincent money and shook her head. She uncrossed her arms as her stomach rumbled a bit. Yuffie looked up at Vincent and then down at the cat on the floor. "Hey, um, I'm a little hungry…got any food?"
He raised his eyebrows. "Of course. That is what I meant to tell you. I have a dinner prepared in the other room. If you would care to join me…." He left the sentence hang off as an unspoken question. Vincent stood up, and Yuffie followed him with her eyes. He swept an arm towards the light hallway.
"Sure," Yuffie chirped a little nervously. Once more she wondered why Vincent was being so hospitable to her. She had been such a jerk, and such an immature little brat. Why was he being so nice? Maybe he wants something, a voice spoke up. Maybe he wants something important. That's the only reason a man would pay attention to YOU. She shook her head and set her jaw as she followed Vincent out of his bedroom.
She found herself in a hardwood hallway that branched off in three directions. One led to the right, one led to the left, where she could see a bathroom, and one, she could clearly see, led to an open living room, with black leather couches and a white rug. Vincent strode to the right and she scurried after him, in her socks.
"Hey, that reminds me, where are my shoes? And my duffel bag?" Yuffie asked quickly, scurrying to keep up with him. He didn't answer for a moment and she reached the dining room, which amazed her.
One wall was covered with an amazing painting of what looked like a jungle, tropical and dense with trees and leaves. Panthers and strange animals lurked somewhere in the underbrush, and Yuffie could feel the exotic feel that the painting was obviously hoping to irk from her. It was humungous as it took up the entire wall. Yuffie realized that she felt like she was in the painting. She felt that somewhere, her good luck would end here--everything was too good to be true. A 'beast' would come along and ruin it all when she least expected it. She had to be ready for something bad that was sure to happen.
In the center of the room was a wooden table covered with a simple black, elegant tablecloth. A sliding glass door was behind that, that led to what looked like the side of the mountain, kind of like a backyard. Yuffie stared at it all, her mouth slightly open. She had never expected Vincent to live in a home as exotic and beautiful such as this.
"This is yours," A voice startled her thoughts. She jerked in surprise and turned to see Vincent holding up her wrinkled duffel bag. It was dirty and obviously had taken quite a trip from Wutai to Vincent's house. Yuffie dutifully took her duffel bag from Vincent and held it in her hand, uncertain of what to do next. She looked at Vincent, but he had walked into the kitchen, and she was left alone in the strange surroundings.
A few seconds later he walked out with a bottle of wine, which he set on the table. After a moment's pause he turned to Yuffie, his brow wrinkled. "Do you drink?"
A burning fury grew in the young ninja. He still thinks I'm a little child, the thoughts burned and rolled furiously over in her head. He doesn't realize that I'm 19 years old now and that I've changed from that stupid, bratty, little kid! I'm an adult! Yuffie sighed and met Vincent's eyes. "Yes, I do," She said, trying to control her wavering voice.
At least try to be civil to him, her voice spoke to her. After all, the rest of your friends don't care. They don't care about you anymore. It hurt her, like a sting in the heart about what had happened yesterday…or today? Or…her whole sense of time had been thrown off. Yuffie couldn't remember what date, time, or month anything was.
Vincent had, meanwhile, uncorked the bottle of wine and poured it into two fluted glasses, handing one demurely to Yuffie. The other he set on the table, went around to the other side, and pulled out her chair gently for her, motioning for her to sit down. The whole experience was new to Yuffie and for a moment she didn't know what to do. She faltered before finally moving to the chair and sliding into it, dropping her duffel onto the floor beside her for safe-keeping.
She nervously sipped the wine and turned to the table, hoping he didn't have one of those fancy set-ups with like, eight forks. Her eyes scanned the table, but to her relief there was only one fork, one spoon, and one knife, along with a beautiful cloth napkin.
"Steak?" Vincent asked.
"Hmm?" She looked up and saw him offering her a tender looking, juicy steak. Her stomach rumbled, and her mouth watered in apprehension. Yuffie nodded vigorously, and Vincent almost smiled (Yuffie was certain the man never smiled) and slid the steak onto her plate.
Yuffie piled a few more things onto the plate before she began chowing down. Luckily, she remembered to use her utensils. She cut down piece after piece and shoved it into her mouth. The only sound at the table was her chewing, and an occasional sound from Vincent's silverware clanking against his plate.
When she was halfway through she found something was nagging at the back of her mind again. Why did he rescue her? Why did he take the time and trouble to take her to his home? Did he…want something? "Hey," Yuffie said carefully, as Vincent looked up, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Uh…back there…when I was being attacked…why did you rescue me?"
Vincent frowned, and his dark eyes seemed to flash at her. There was almost another long silence before he spoke up again. "That's a very odd question."
Yuffie shook her head. She wanted answers. If he wanted Materia from her, that was just plain rude, and besides, she wasn't going to give him any if he was the last man on Earth! "Just answer my question," She said in a steely tone, giving him a look across the table. Something in her warned not to flare up at him, but she ignored it.
Another pause.
"I rescued you because you were in need," Vincent finally answered, putting down his knife and picking up his cup. He kept his solemn eyes on her as he spoke. "I help people who are in need."
"And so do Girl Scouts," Yuffie shot back sarcastically. She slammed her glass on the table with force. She knew that he was lying. What was he holding back from her? Did he have a secret reason for rescuing her? "Come on, Vincent, I know you're not telling the truth! Why did you rescue me?"
"I just told you," He said, sounding almost confused. He gave her a puzzled, odd look, and stopped eating altogether to stare at the young woman across the table.
"Oh, please, Vincent, you know that's a bunch of crap!" Yuffie practically shrieked. Calm down, she told herself, and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Play along with it…then maybe you'll get answers…"Ok, so you rescued me because I was in need…is that the only reason you rescued me?" She raised an eyebrow at Vincent, who immediately looked away from her. She wasn't sure if he was avoiding her look, or if he wanted to look at his plate to see if he'd finished it all.
Vincent wiped his mouth with his napkin again. "Yes," He replied, before reaching for some more salad. "Would you care for some more salad?"
"Stop changing the subject," Yuffie argued. She knew, from that look on his face that he was lying. There was obviously another reason he had rescued her. The instincts inside her, given to her from her dad, told her to watch her back. Vincent wanted something from her--and since he wasn't telling what it was…it must be something big. Gawd, she knew it!!! If he would just tell her…what a liar! She half-stood up. "Vincent…I'm trying to say this calmly because you are a nice person…but…why DID you rescue me? I know it's not because I was in need…or maybe it was, but there is another reason. I can read people's expressions. And yours tells me you're hiding something! TELL ME WHY YOU RESCUED ME!" To her surprise she found she had gotten out of hand and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. I'm acting like a little kid again, she thought painfully.
Vincent's hand paused on his plate. "I did tell you, Yuffie, there is no other reason."
She closed her eyes with a raging fury. She knew he was lying, she just knew it. It was his look, his face, everything. She could read him like a book. It was infuriating to her that he would lie to her face like this. She couldn't stand this! Yuffie stood up, raging angrily. If he was going to lie to her, maybe it wasn't worth staying here. She threw down her cloth napkin onto the table.
"Vincent, I tried being patient, but I know you're lying! If you want something from me, why can't you just say something? I can't stay here with a person who lies to my face! I think those people are just so dishonorable! And you are a liar, Vincent! A total, absolute liar who wants something from me!" With those last words she slammed her chair into the table, picked up her duffel from the floor, and began briskly walking into the hallway.
She expected Vincent to call her back, but he didn't. Nothing was heard except the throbbing, pulsating fury in her own head. First her friends and dad hated her, she almost died, she had no one to love her, and now Vincent lied straight to her face. Boy…wasn't life grand?
She stomped into Vincent's room, on the verge of tears again. Tearfully she slammed his door as loud as she possibly could, making sure it rattled. Yuffie couldn't believe how safe she had felt in this room not so long ago. Now everything in it seemed evil. She had to leave again.
Yuffie noticed her shoes in the corner, beside one of Vincent's bookshelves. She stomped over to them and sat down on the floor, jamming one foot into the right shoe. In her anger she had put on the wrong shoe on the wrong foot. Letting out a cry of frustration, she threw her shoe off and flung it at the wall. She sighed and broke down into tears again.
I don't know what to do…
Suddenly a thought came to her. She didn't have to leave just then. She could leave the next day…yes, that was it. The next day. That way she could at least get some sleep…besides, it would be rude. And Vincent might apologize. It seemed to make sense to her, so she locked Vincent's door, without a thought that he might need something inside his own room, turned off the lights and slipped into bed. It must have been utter exhaustion and anger that made her fall asleep as fast as she did.
As soon as her dark head hit the pillow, poor Yuffie was fast asleep, dreaming of a better day to come. Dreaming of a love just for her, for friends who loved her for who she was, for a father that would appreciate her…for….
She was asleep.
**************
Yuffie awoke to a silent house. For a moment she lay in bed, thinking she was back at home, on her bedroll. A tinge of light kissed her face from the window and Yuffie immediately opened her eyes. Instantly the image of the room swam before her eyes and she gasped as the events of the night before flew into her mind. I was so stupid, Yuffie realized, clutching her head. She looked around the room for a bit more, enjoying the relaxed feeling in her body. Yuffie closed her eyes again, trying to sleep, but she couldn't. She kept thinking about that annoying Vincent.
"Even when he's not here, he is still annoying," Yuffie rolled her eyes. She pulled the blanket up to her chin, relaxing in it. The blanket smelled nice…like men's cologne. It took a moment for her to realize that it was Vincent's scent. She jerked back and climbed quickly out of bed, her socked feet grasping the floor for relief.
Yuffie walked over to her duffel bag and pulled out a fresh change of clothes. For once, she pulled on black pants and a dark blue sweater. It was cold up here in the mountains…even when the heater was on. From here she could see out the window, that it was snowing. Does Vincent have a fireplace? Yuffie wondered. She shrugged to herself. She turned to examine her reflection in Vincent's mirror, then realized he didn't have one.
"That's weird," She murmured. Realizing she probably looked really ugly from lack of being able to brush her hair and teeth, she grabbed her duffel bag, to head to Vincent's bathroom. Yuffie neared his bedroom door and unlocked it. For a moment she was frightened. What if he popped around the corner and screamed at her?
Then she shook the thoughts off. Since when was she frightened of him? The vampire boy who was a total freak of nature? Yuffie forced herself to laugh and she opened the door, wide open, making sure that if he were nearby he would be able to hear it open. She paused in the doorway.
Nothing happened.
Frowning in confusion, she stepped into the hallway, still carrying her duffel bag in front of her, like a weapon. In the middle of the hallway was Midnight, licking her paws. She lazily looked up at Yuffie and gave her an innocent look. "Keep your owner away from me," Yuffie warned the black kitten, waving her bag in the air for emphasis. As if the cat understood, she mewed softly and waved her tail in response.
Yuffie-half grinned and turned to the left, where she had seen the bathroom the night before. As she walked towards it she noticed the only sounds in the house were that of her footsteps and the cat meowing. No Vincent-like sounds. Is he still sleeping? She shook the thought off and walked inside the bathroom, setting her duffel down on the counter. Yuffie examined her reflection. Her stylish short black hair was horribly awry, with hairs sticking out everywhere. And she had morning breath.
"Ugh," Yuffie moaned to herself, reaching into her duffel bag for a toothbrush. She pulled it out and reached for Vincent's toothpaste. Soon she was brushing vigorously, trying to get the awful taste out of her mouth. Once she was done she put the toothbrush in Vincent's toothbrush holder and reached into her bag for her hairbrush. She yanked the brush through her hair, doing her best to make sure all the hairs fell back into place. Once she was satisfied with her appearance she put the brush back in her duffel, switched off the lights, and cautiously stepped back into the cold hallway. Yuffie once again shivered.
A rustling sound, from the living room, met Yuffie's ears.
She jumped. "Vincent?" She called, before she could stop herself.
Nothing.
Carefully, slowly she emerged into the living room, which had a white plush rug and deep leather couches. Guns of all sorts lined the walls, like a showcase of some kind. Yuffie looked around in awe, amazed at the majestic, mysterious appearance of it all.
Scritch…scratch…
Frowning, Yuffie shivered at the sound and from the cold, and turned around the living room. "Hello? Vincent?" She craned her neck in all directions but saw no one.
Yuffie looked out of the huge window on the bay and watched all the snowflakes fall down in fascination. She remembered her father telling her, a long time ago, that no snowflake was alike with another. She longed to romp and play in the snow, as if she were a child. But I'm 19 now, Yuffie remembered sadly. I have to be mature…
Scratch. Scratch.
Yuffie's head jerked up. It was coming from outside. Did Midnight get locked out or something? She padded over to the doorway, unlocked it, and opened the door. The frigid cold wind bit into her skin and some snow blew inside, but that wasn't what frightened her.
It was the huge monster standing in the doorway.
Yuffie shrieked and slammed the door shut immediately.
The door began to undergo a series of heavy blows and scratches. Yuffie was certain the monster would be able to come inside. Her mind raced in panic. What should I do? "VINCENT!" She yelled. He would know what to do. He would protect her. "VINCENT!!!!"
Nothing.
She screamed again as a particularly loud blow resounded throughout the house. Midnight streaked past her into the living room, to cower under a couch. Yuffie wished she could do the same.
Yuffie looked up at the guns on the wall. If she had to, she would figure out a way to use one of them. Maybe that's why Vincent put them up there, Yuffie swallowed hard. Where IS Vincent? She thought, frightened, as the door rattled under pressure. Why would he just leave me here with a monster, all alone?
She sank down onto the nearest couch and wished with all of her might that she had brought a weapon along. Some Materia, even…Materia! That's it! Yuffie reached for her fallen duffel bag and pulled out a smaller leather pouch full of Materia. With shaking, anxious hands she managed to undo the strap and pulled out the nearest Materia. She stomped over to the door, said an anxious prayer in her mind to the Wutai gods, and threw it open. Immediately the monster tried charging inside.
With a cry that surprised herself, Yuffie cast Fire 3 on it. The creature reeled back, and she could smell singed flesh. Wrinkling her nose, she mercilessly cast Fire 3 on it, over and over again, for lack of any other Materia in reach. After a few minutes of torture, the poor monster's eyes rolled up in its head. It stumbled slightly and then fell into the snow beside the doorstep, a crumpled heap of flesh and blood.
Yuffie let out a tortured cry at the sickness of it all and flung the door closed. Her hands were ice-cold from panic and from the snow and air. Letting the door open was just enough to make the house frigidly cold.
Her heart still thumping in fright, she sank onto the nearest couch and closed her eyes, shivering.
Where's Vincent?
***********
She was still laying there when there was the sound of a key in a lock, and footsteps on the front doorstep. She quickly sat up and looked at the clock on the wall. Lunchtime. And I didn't even eat breakfast. Yuffie shivered in the cold, which was biting into her limbs and wished she had brought a blanket to cover herself up with. Suddenly the door swung open and even more cold air rushed inside the house. Yuffie shuddered violently.
Suddenly Vincent came into the house, adorned in a thick winter coat, gloves, a dark hat, and boots. It was all in black, as usual. Snow covered the tips of his clothes, like frosting on a cake. His arms were full of what looked like wood, and there was a plastic bag in his right arm. He stamped his feet violently on the doorstep, shaking off the snow before coming solemnly inside and slamming the door. Yuffie wondered why he didn't take notice of the monster's corpse still laying outside.
She narrowed her eyes angrily. He probably doesn't care about the fact that I almost died--again! He just left me here, alone, on my first day here! He's so inconsiderate! She grumbled to herself.
Vincent walked over to the fireplace in the center of the room and gently released the logs with a tumble. He arranged them the way he wanted in the fireplace, then, satisfied, walked over to the black hook on the wall and slid off his stiff, cold coat, putting it away.
Yuffie couldn't stand it any longer. "Where have you been?" She shrieked.
Vincent turned as if he'd just noticed her there. He continued sliding the sleeves off, like she hadn't talked at all. "I've been in Nibelheim." He said gravely. Then, he didn't continue farther conversation. He sat down on one couch and slid off his boots, dripping with melted snow. The plastic bag he was carrying slumped to the ground, forgotten as he walked across the room, to the fireplace, to start a fire.
"Oh, Nibelheim, well, that just explains everything," Yuffie retorted. She glared at him. "Excuse me, but you just left me here all alone with a monster who was trying to get inside the house!"
Vincent blinked a few times but his face remained neutral. "I am sorry I had to leave you by yourself, but my job called for me to make the long trip to Nibelheim." He offered no farther explanation, just kept arranging the logs and then set to make a fire.
Yuffie's brows furrowed even deeper as she watched the quiet man. "Well, did you ever stop to think about me? Here? All by myself? A monster tried to break inside! And I didn't know where anything was! I couldn't even make myself breakfast, I was so cold, scared, and alone!" She paused to see if any of this had broken through his thick skull. "Hello? Is anyone home?"
He didn't answer for a few seconds.
Then, "I thought I saw a corpse outside. I was wondering what had happened."
DUH! Yuffie wanted to scream. But she was silenced as a tender flame emerged from the logs, and then grew into a cheery blaze, making shadows dance on the walls. Vincent huddled closer to the fireplace, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, she wanted to be closer to the warmth.
She stood up and walked over to the fireplace, her eyes on the dancing flames. As Vincent replaced the grate, she sat down quietly on the ground next to him.
"Midnight," Vincent crooned softly, in a gentle tone she never knew the cold, solemn man could repress. "Midnight, over here," He made a few 'chh' noises to try to call his black kitten over. Soon, before she knew it, the tiny bundle of black fur was bounding across the carpet to its master, and leaped in Vincent's lap.
"I can't believe you left me here by myself," Yuffie mumbled bitterly.
"As I said before, I'm sorry," Vincent apologized. "But I work in Nibelheim and I had to work." He lapsed into silence again, stroking his kitten and looking into the fire.
"Yeah, well, couldn't you take a day off for once?" Yuffie said sharply. "I mean, leaving me here was just plain rude and scary! How could you do something so mean?"
"I couldn't just take a day off," Vincent said, after another long pause. "My job doesn't work like that."
"Oh, yeah?" She sneered. "Well, what's this 'job' of yours, anyway? Do you go down and bite people if they get in your face?" She raised her eyebrows triumphantly at Vincent and he gave her an odd look.
Vincent turned to face her and said in a soft, solemn tone, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"I mean, you dress like a vampire! And you act like one, too!" Yuffie said bitterly. "So is that what you do in town? Go around biting people and stealing their Gil? Hmm? How much Gil do you make anyway, on your 'job' that is so important you have to leave your only guest here to go down the mountainside and let her be eaten by a monster. What Gil is worth that?"
He abruptly stood up, making Yuffie reel back in shock. She half expected Vincent to strike at her, but instead he dropped tiny Midnight to the ground and walked back over to the couch. When he returned he was carrying the plastic bag.
"Here," Vincent said shortly, dropping the bundle into her lap.
Yuffie looked down in surprise. What is this? "What the…" She murmured half to herself as she curiously opened the bag. Inside were several items of winter clothing as well as some snowshoes and gear. As she continued to dig farther she noticed some 'female products' that were also necessary. Her cheeks reddened and for a moment she was stunned into disbelief that Vincent would do something so nice as to go shopping for her. A warm feeling spread across her insides.
But, as usual, her defensive mode sprang up. She had to be careful. Yuffie carefully closed the bag and set it down with a thump. "What's all this crap for?"
Why did I say that? She admonished herself. Why do I do the things I do?
"If you are going to be staying here with me, I thought you might need some winter apparel," Vincent explained, sitting down and turning back to the fire. "If you need more, or if they do not fit you, tomorrow I will---"
"Wait!" Yuffie interrupted shortly, holding up a hand. "Are you saying that you're assuming I stay here with you?"
Vincent turned back to her, his black eyes meeting hers. "Where else would you go?"
Yuffie opened her mouth instinctively to reply, but nothing sprang to mind. He was right. Where else could she go? Her friends had forsaken her, her father obviously didn't love her anymore, and everyone thought she was a psychopath.
Except Vincent.
"I just don't like how you automatically assumed I was staying here," Yuffie argued. "Are you trying to…to lock me in here with you or something? Are you that desperate for a woman that you have to buy me clothes as a bribe for me to stay here with you? I woulda thought that after Lucrecia, you would have learned your lesson about women!"
She realized her mistake too late. As soon as "Lucrecia" had slipped from her mouth she wished she had taken it back. She noticed the change in Vincent almost immediately. His shoulders tensed, the neck muscles in his neck sort of bulged, and his expression grew even stonier than usual. She expected him to say something, anything about Lucrecia, maybe even scream at her, get mad at her. But he said nothing.
Somehow, that made her angrier still. She stood up.
"Talk to me!" She screeched. "I feel like I'm talking to a stupid wall!" Yuffie watched Vincent closely, but he made no move.
She shook her head.
"And you expect me to stay here with you when you're not even on speaking terms with me?" She couldn't seem to stop the flow of bitter words spewing from her mouth. "Wow, that's a real charm you've got there, Vincent. Don't talk to a woman when you want her to stay with you. Is that what you did with Lucrecia as well?"
Lucrecia again. Why do I do this to myself?
Suddenly Vincent spoke up. In a steely tone he murmured, "Don't bring up Lucrecia ever again." He stood up and headed towards Yuffie. Suddenly her heart was filled with terror. She didn't like that look in his eyes. It was demonic, almost angry. A small cry escaped from her lips as he began advancing towards her.
As soon as he was close enough to touch he leaned in.
"There is no need for you to stay here. I did something as a favor to you, and I can clearly see it wasn't appreciated. If you want to leave, the door is always open." He gestured angrily towards the door, and looked at Yuffie. "Don't insult my hospitality, when I can see no others want to lend theirs to you."
The insult stung like a bee to Yuffie. Her eyes watered with tears. It was something she had already known but she tried defending herself broadly. "That's not true," She spat back. "They all would love having me stay at their home!"
Vincent shook his head calmly, neutrally. "Many pardons for having brought this up, but it is true. Everyone either thinks that you are an immature brat, or an ungrateful teenager." He stopped talking suddenly and looked at Yuffie in surprise as if realizing for the first time that she was there. Almost as if he were ashamed he looked away from her.
Immature brat.
Ungrateful teenager.
All the things I thought I moved out of…
Her lip trembled and she tried to hold back the tears. "Yeah, well I'm sure they'd rather have me stay at their house than you, a sober "I don't wanna talk unless I don't have to" guy who doesn't have anyone to love him and can't ever love anyone back!" She spat out, turning madly on her heel and fleeing from the room.
As soon as she was out of the living room she noticed she was in the wrong hallway. In fact, she didn't even know where she was. Yuffie, confused, looked around curiously. The only thing in this hallway was a hardwood floor leading to the right, where a circular staircase curved up over her head. Curiously, she advanced forward without a thought to Vincent again. She still burned with anger inside, but some of the curiosity had scuffed out the fiery flame of her anger inside.
She approached the black staircase and stared up at it. It ended somewhere where she could see. Yuffie took a deep breath and wiped the tears out of her eyes, stepping up the stairs as quickly as she could as she heard Vincent's footsteps in the hallway. She began running up the stairs as fast as she could, when she heard the footsteps quicken.
Yuffie arrived at the top of what looked like a balcony. There was a single brown wooden door awaiting her. She opened the door, angrily, and flung herself inside, slamming it behind her, making sure it locked. She wanted to be safe from Vincent. His comments still stung…
Am I really the same little girl I thought I grew out of three years ago? Uncomfortably she crossed her arms over each other and bit her lip sadly. I thought I grew out of it…
Yuffie's eyes widened as she looked around the room. Skylights let the winter's grey light stream in through, illuminating several items of the room. The room was bare except there was a plastic sheet on the floor, and several items piled up in the corner of the room. Why does he have a plastic sheet on his floor? Frowning curiously she stepped forward, hearing the plastic rustle under her feet.
She stepped towards the jumble of items, picking one up and examining it. It wasn't until she had looked at it for several seconds until she realized it was a tube of paint. "Paint?" She whispered into the air, and her whisper sounded louder than ever in the silent air.
What is he doing with paint?
Narrowing her eyes, Yuffie picked up several more objects and was surprised to find more tubes of paint, paintbrushes, water trays and… She sucked in her breath rapidly as soon as she saw it. Yuffie was drawn towards the beautiful picture painted on the white canvas, a splash of life through a small window. The painting was leaned up against the wall, it's back partially turned to her. Obviously Vincent hadn't wanted anyone to see it. She crept closer and pressed her fingertips on the soft canvas, turning it to examine it better.
It was a painting of a beautiful woman, with dark hair and glasses standing before a sunset. There was an expression of absolute love and peacefulness on her face, and she seemed to be looking out from the painting with loving eyes. Yuffie stared at it for a moment longer…she seems so familiar…she looked down at the signature in the right hand corner and read the flowing strokes with a stunned silence.
Vincent Valentine.
"He painted this?" Yuffie whispered in awe. Vincent was an artist? That alone was shocking to her. She couldn't believe Vincent had painted this gorgeous picture, this work of art. Shaking her head, Yuffie put down the painting. As she did so, her hand pressed up against a box. Curiously she pulled the box closer to her, in a whirlwind of dust. It took only a few more seconds to have the box open and her eyes scanned the contents.
More paintings.
Paintings of white clouds and beautiful mountains. Paintings of dense jungles and fish deep under the sea. Paintings of beaches and clear, jaded oceans, and hidden cottages in the mountains. Paintings of red swirls and orange hues that represented anger.
And they all had something in common.
They all had the same gorgeous woman in them. Who is this woman? Yuffie wondered, staring at her haunted eyes. And why is Vincent painting like a billion paintings of her? Why?
Then it hit her.
"Lucrecia," She said with a whisper.
Obviously Vincent loved her so much he was painting everything he possible could of her. Her mouth fell open and she suddenly felt hurt inside, although she didn't know why. She felt…betrayed, and she didn't know why. Lucrecia. She couldn't believe he still loved her. The woman who lived in that cave. With a brimming sadness she couldn't hold back, Yuffie picked up all the paintings and gently placed them back in the box. Her hand touched on one unfinished one. Squinting, she scanned the painting.
Waterfalls were pouring down the side of a cliff, the mist rising up to frame a beautiful woman in the background. Lucrecia again. Only the figure of her was outlined as Vincent had obviously not worked on her yet. Shaking her head, Yuffie hastily put all the paintings back and shoved the box into it's usual spot. She walked over to the window and looked out at the tiny snowflakes falling past and tried not to think. She tried to clear her mind of all the hurt, all the memories, everybody she ever knew. She tried to be blank, be emotionless.
But she couldn't. And Yuffie cried softly to herself as the snow fell silently down, to form a thick white blanket on the ground.
A red nosed, bleary eyed Yuffie wiped her nose and sniffled a little bit, almost ashamed of herself. I'm too emotional sometimes, she thought disdainfully, struggling to her knees. The ninja took a deep breath and sucked in air, trying to breathe normally. Immediately she almost gagged. It smelled like a paint factory up here, and the fumes had gotten into her lungs. Drying her eyes a second time, she opened the door and stepped quietly out into the hallway, shutting the door behind her.
Biting her lip, she started down the stairs, where she was almost afraid to meet up with Vincent again. She hoped she didn't smell like paint. She felt almost guilty for having looked at his paintings. But it wasn't her fault. It wasn't as if she went hunting for them…she just…somehow discovered them.
And I didn't STOP discovering them, Yuffie thought guiltily, remembering how she had spent over an hour in the loft, crying and just sitting, thinking for a while. She didn't know why she cried, come to think of it. It wasn't a big deal. Vincent painted pictures of Lucrecia. Why did it bother her?
She stepped into the hallway and walked through it silently, when she sniffed the air. It smelled good…like soup of some sort. A rich, creamy, tomato soup. Yuffie closed her eyes and breathed in again. Mmm… Midnight came up and rubbed against her ankles happily, and Yuffie scooped the tiny kitten up, ruffling her fur playfully.
"Hey," She whispered, still in a morbid mood. She carried Midnight towards the smell and was surprised to find Vincent spooning soup into bowls around the table. He barely looked up when she came in, just kept on spooning food into bowls.
A very, very, awkward silence enveloped the two.
Finally Yuffie broke the silence by blurting out, "Sorry."
Vincent looked up and scooted back his chair, sitting down all in one fluid motion. His dark eyebrows raised above his brow for a moment. Yuffie wasn't sure he heard her so she repeated it.
"I'm sorry…" This time her cheeks turned red and she felt like falling into a hole in the floor.
"As am I."
The response was so sudden she hadn't expected it. Yuffie looked up at Vincent and was surprised that he was actually sorry. She was the one who had been a brat…who took everything he said and did for her for granted…who argued with him too much… "No," She shook her head. "I really am sorry. I keep arguing with you, I--"
He cut her off abruptly. "I know."
Their eyes met and locked. Yuffie felt an incredibly guilty feeling sweep over her. She had seen into this man's soul. She had seen his secret paintings. She opened her mouth to confess but something held her back. Why should she tell him? He would probably never know, anyway. Yuffie sat down, feeling as if she should say more. But nothing sprang to her lips. Instead her fingers curved around the spoon and she began eating the fragrant soup slowly, savoring each drop. It was delicious but she couldn't open her mouth to tell Vincent so. She felt the need to be quiet. To never open her mouth again…to not fight with him.
The dinner was short and quiet. It was one of the quietest meals Yuffie had ever experienced in her life. Not a single word had been spoken after Vincent had told her he knew she was sorry. Not one single word, grunt, or "please pass the napkins." Nothing.
Yuffie slowly walked off to Vincent's room, after having changed into her pajamas, then felt another guilty feeling come over her. I keep taking his room. I am so selfish. What if he wants the room? She paused, turned around, and came back to the living room. By this time, it was quite late at night, and she noticed Vincent silently spreading a blanket over the sofa, putting a thin pillow into position. Tears sprang to her eyes. There he is again…being so nice…and this is HIS house…it should be me on that couch…God, I'm selfish… She didn't say anything, just ran off through the halls to Vincent's room. She closed the door and lay on top of the bed, not sliding underneath the sheets just yet.
Yuffie lay on top of the sheets.
Silence.
Slowly her eyes closed and she fell into a fitful sleep, one that wasn't peaceful at all. She dreamed of dark things.
***********
Yuffie slept in late, waking only when she almost fell of the bed, her ninja reflexes stopping her just in time. Her eyes flew open and for a moment she felt so frightened, so alone that she sat up in bed, shivering. Why didn't I sleep with the blankets on top? She wondered, frowning at the comfortable blankets that she had slept on. It is so cold up here in the mountains…
Yuffie knew that the point of waking up now and expecting to see Vincent would be fruitless seeing as he probably went to work until about noon. She got up anyway, and changed her clothes, using some of the new ones that Vincent had gotten her. They were in the right size, and fit her exactly the way she wanted them to. One outfit she picked out was a dark blue sweater with stripes on it and some comfortable dark blue, drawstring sweat pants. She shook her head and clipped off the new tags, slipping her new clothes on as quickly as possible. There. Now she felt warmer.
Yuffie ran a brush through her short hair quickly and then bounced down to the kitchen, pausing in the hallway to look out at the snow. She wondered again what it would be like to build a snowman out there…to have some fun…
Then she turned back to the kitchen and made herself some toast. It was the only thing she knew how to make.
**********
Yuffie was sitting in the living room playing with Midnight when Vincent opened the door. Immediately a gust of cold air blew into the room. Vincent gave her an apologetic look but didn't say anything. Instead he closed the door behind him and stamped his feet on the inside rug, shaking off all of the snow. Once again, he was wearing his usual all black ensemble, and Yuffie found herself growing used to it.
I'm glad he's back, she thought to herself, although she didn't know why. Maybe for protection? Yeah…for protection, she told herself, though she knew it wasn't exactly all true.
Vincent was carrying several logs like before, and he carefully arranged them in the fireplace before speaking to her. Once more, he started a fire, turned around, and slid off his outer garments. Even then his eyes did not rise to meet Yuffie's. She actually found herself being kind of hurt because of that fact. Vincent turned to Midnight instead.
He scooped up the tiny kitten and cradled her in his arms tenderly. "Hey," He crooned. Yuffie watched, interested. She liked this weird voice, this gentle voice that he used talking to Midnight. She found herself wondering what it would be like to be on the receiving end of that voice. A blush spread to her cheeks. "Hey, Midnight," Vincent petted Midnight's head softly and she mewed in reply.
Vincent finally turned his solemn eyes to Yuffie and she blushed even more. What is wrong with my face? She wondered, putting one hand up to her hot face. He nodded at her. "Hello."
Yuffie swallowed hard. "Hey…how was your day?" She hoped to start conversation with him.
Vincent nodded at her, still standing in the middle of the room, petting Midnight absently. "It was fine." He made no attempt to elaborate.
Yuffie was at a loss for words. "So…uh…um…anything interesting happen?" She was hoping desperately that he would do something to end this awkward silence, anything that would end this uncomfortable feeling in her gut. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this…uncomfortable.
"No."
She bit her lip, looking around the room for anything, for a topic of conversation. Yuffie couldn’t figure out for the life of her why she cared so much about talking, see as she was talking to the "Human Wall", but she definitely cared. Why? She asked herself. Why even bother? Just let Mr. Stone Face walk away. Why does it bother you so much? She paused to consider it, and found herself still looking frantically around the comfortable living room. Yuffie needn't have bothered as Vincent paused for a moment almost as if he were considering something important. His eyes were locked on hers.
"How was your day?"
Yuffie looked up at him, happy that he'd finally said something without prompting. "It was…good," She finally blurted out. Ugh. I sound like an over-eager fool. "I…uh…feel kind of cramped in here, though…I mean…not to sound like I can't handle inner spaces, which I CAN, but uh…I mean, I'd like to get out more…and uh…I mean, I can understand if you kind of go out more than I do…but I just…never mind, I'm babbling, you know what, I'm going to shut up now." Yuffie nodded importantly, feeling like a babbling idiot. Greaaat, Yuffie, now he thinks you're a total retard.
"Well, if you would like to, maybe go on a walk with me, I would love to have your company," Vincent said softly, setting Midnight on the floor. Now his total attention was focused on her.
She felt badly for having troubled him. "No, no, I don't want to, uh, trouble you." When was the last time I cared about troubling anyone?
"It's no trouble. No trouble at all." Vincent walked deftly across the room, reached his jacket and pulled it back on. "In fact, I was just about to go for a solitary walk by myself. It is an enchanting day," He said in his usual, quiet calm tone. "If you would join me….?"
Yuffie gave him a very small smile. "I…I would definitely like to…" She nodded and stood up for the couch, suddenly very happy.
********
Their feet crunched in the snow as white flakes floated down around their bodies. Yuffie was wrapped up happily in a white parka that Vincent had also bought her. She wondered if she was camouflaged in the snow. Maybe it just looked like her head was floating in thin air. She giggled, feeling giddy now that they were out in the open air.
Vincent glanced at her but said nothing.
Yuffie breathed out happily in the air, and you could see the air puffing out around her. She scampered after the silent man, who kept walking. She felt so energized out here that she felt like turning cartwheels. Yuffie giggled once more, feeling so…alive.
Soon they couldn't see the house any longer, half from the distance and half from the thick snow falling. Yuffie thought of the monsters lurking nearby but found it was only a fleeting thought that didn't matter. Nothing mattered out here. She was safe out here. It was open air! It was perfect! Before she could stop herself she leaped ahead of herself and Vincent and did a backflip in the snow, leaving imprints. She finished with a flourish and did a little twirl.
"Yeah! Whoo-hooo!" She exalted, pumping a fist into the air. "This is so much fun!"
Vincent nodded at her. "I enjoy the snow myself."
Yuffie twirled around again, looking at their surroundings. There was white as far as the eye could see. And she loved the snowflakes falling around them. The snow was like a huge blanket covering that land. "It's not the snow," She argued. "It's the whole atmosphere. Everything! The open air, the snowflakes, the land…being out here…" She closed her eyelids and sucked in the cold mountain air. "It even smells fresher out here." When she opened her eyes she was surprised to find Vincent studying her.
Vincent looked even paler in black than he did inside. She blushed under his stare, wondering what he was looking at. A little self-consciously she put a hand to her face. "What?" She asked nervously. "Do I have something on my face?"
"You are so much more animated out here," Vincent commented, putting his hands slowly into his black, thick jacket.
Yuffie nodded. "I just…love it out here. I love it out here so much…" Her voice trailed off and she looked around once more, trying to etch it all into her memory. It was beautiful. Like a painting…painting…images of Vincent's paintings flashed into her brain, as well as Lucrecia. Her…her stomach felt funny.
"You love it out here?" Vincent frowned.
"Yeah…" She looked up at him, scuffing her feet in the snow, making tiny flakes fly up into the air and then fluff back down. "Yeah, I love it out here." What is so wrong with that?
The quiet man paused, and then blew out his breath into the air. Finally he spoke up, not meeting her eyes as he did so, almost as if he were ashamed of some sort. "Love is a strong word, Yuffie." Vincent kept his eyes trained on the snow. "Only use it if you mean it."
Yuffie was stunned into silence. She didn't know what to say. What had brought this profound thought on? Yuffie awkwardly shoved her hands into her parka and the deep silence continued on. Does he think I am incapable of love?
**********
Vincent was gone again the next morning. The ninja was used to it, and she spent the morning choosing her clothes carefully. She allowed herself a long, leisurely time of laying in bed before getting up. After all, there was nothing to do. It was almost 10:30 before she actually got up to choose her clothes. She looked through them before carefully selecting red sweater and black pants. The material on her pants was stretchy and very comfortable. Her sweater was loose fitting and hugged her skin. She hopped around in Vincent's room trying on the outfit. Yuffie remembered with a faint blush how childishly she had been acting the day before and wished with all of her might that she could take her actions back. It had almost been like Vincent was reprimanding her, telling her that she could never love anyone.
"I am going to go insane," Yuffie muttered to herself, picking up her clothes from the day before and shoving them into the hamper for later, when she did the wash. She padded across into the hallway and ran into the bathroom, her socked feet slipping on the hardwood floor. It was amazing how well she was getting to know Vincent's house, especially without him here. She knew now exactly how his schedule worked. He went to work until about lunchtime, then came home. It was easy. On Fridays, of course, he worked the whole day, but that was to be explained, she supposed.
Yuffie brushed her teeth, spat and rinsed, and then combed her hair carefully. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked like a nineteen year old. Not a 16 year old girl anymore. She definitely looked more mature. And her hair curled around her ears…but…Biting her lip, she grabbed her comb and carefully flicked two tendrils of hair over her forehead. It gave her a more dramatic effect.
There.
Why am I even bothering to care about what I look like? Yuffie wondered curiously as she shoved all of her toiletries into her bag and carried them out of the bathroom, flicking off the light as she went. The only company I have in this house is a guy who thinks I am a little kid and a kitten.
"Speaking of kittens," Yuffie muttered, looking around her feet. She didn’t see a streak of black fur as she usually did. Shrugging it off, she headed for the kitchen, turned on the light and decided to try to make French toast.
"It can't be too hard," Yuffie thought, opening Vincent's cupboard and pulling out a loaf of bread. "After all…it's just toast…French. Right?" Since there was no one there to answer herself she pulled out the milk from the refrigerator and set it down uncertainly on the table.
"Let's see…what do I need?" Yuffie asked herself. "Milk…um….syrup…uh…" She realized she didn't know how to make French toast. But she sure would try. "Uh…" Shrugging, Yuffie just decided to go along with whatever ingredients she remembered. Midnight chose that moment to appear on the floor, mewing for food. Yuffie smiled down at the kitten. "Hungry, sweetie?"
Midnight mewed.
Yuffie refilled Midnight's dish quickly and then set back to the task at hand. French toast…First she poured the milk into the bowl with a slosh. It looked…strange. Then she added sugar. Then…flour? Yuffie didn't know. She added a cupful of flour to the mixture. It kind of bubbled and looked…weird… "This doesn't look right," Yuffie thought uncertainly, grabbing a spoon. Maybe it just needs to be mixed. She mixed and stirred and still it didn't look like how her father made it. She bit her lip again. This is NOT good.
She pulled off the syrup cap and squeezed the brown liquid into the bowl. It made the mixture all brown and weird looking. "Ew," Yuffie said, accidentally squirting some onto the counter. "I'd better clean that up." As she turned to the sink to get a wet towel her hip hit the bowl.
Before she knew what was happening, in almost slow motion, the bowl tipped over the counter, hit her elbow, and sloshed all over her clothes. Yuffie let out a cry of surprise as the disgusting mixture covered her clothes, seeming to seep down into her outfit. "Ugh! Ew! Oh no!" She cried, leaping around, as it thickened over her sweater.
Just then she happened to look up. A form was staring at her, semi-amused, with a confused look on his face.
"Hi Vincent," Yuffie babbled nervously. "Um…you're home early."
He looked like he was trying not to smile at her predicament. But Yuffie knew that was crazy. Vincent never smiled. Well, rarely. He had already taken off his jacket and was carrying no logs so Yuffie knew he must have been home for a while. Just how long was he standing there? She wondered, then she realized she was covered in slop.
"It is already 12:02," Vincent answered with a straight face. "What are you doing?"
"Doing? I was…trying to make um…French toast," Yuffie murmured, embarrassed. Even though she knew Vincent wouldn't laugh she was still humiliated. Her cheeks burned as she stared at the fallen bowl on the floor. "I kind of uh…dropped the bowl and uh…it spilled over me." She avoided his eyes, looking down at the floor as if it would absorb her into it.
Ugh!
Vincent walked over to the sink and quickly wet a washcloth. He handed it to her, wringing it out. "Here. You'd better wash off before that begins to seep into your clothes."
She grinned sheepishly. "Too late. Heh."
Vincent didn't say anything and another blush spread over her cheeks. He must think I am so foolish! Yuffie took the washcloth and headed off for the bathroom. She could already see Vincent cleaning up her mess and she closed her eyes, suddenly getting a horrible headache.
"I am a klutz," She muttered to herself, banging her head into the mirror lightly. She looked up at herself and Yuffie had to laugh. The brown goop had splattered on her face a little and it had seeped into the sweater, making it look like mold. Yuffie giggled and began to wipe off the goop nervously.
She went back to Vincent's room and rummaged through her new clothes again. This time she selected a brown fuzzy sweater and slipped it over her head, throwing her goop-covered sweater into the hamper with an embarrassed giggle. As she finished changing she started to walk back, stumbling over an open drawer. It's sharp edge scratched her knee and Yuffie yelped.
"Ow!"
The movement was enough to make the drawer tumble out, sending pages and pages of paper fluttering to the floor.
"Now I know I am a total klutz," She mumbled. "Two things in one day? That is a bit much, even for me." Shaking her head, Yuffie admitted defeat, sank to her knees and began scooping up the papers into a neat pile. She carefully arranged them in a neat pile and had almost gotten them all picked up before she thought to look and see what they were.
Her eyes scanned over the page and she read the precise handwriting carefully. "February 13," She murmured to herself. "I met the most beautiful young woman today. Her name is Lucrecia. I do not happen to know her last name or I would enclose it with you here. I am almost afraid to admit--"
Yuffie stopped reading. It was Vincent's journal. And this was obviously an old entry, from long ago, when he had met Lucrecia. Her lips fell open in a slight O. Should she continue reading or should she respect his privacy and put the journal back? She had already looked at the paintings…what would one more journal entry be? Stop this is wrong, the other part of her brain argued. But what more harm can it do?
A frown creased her forehead as she seriously considered reading them. Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Yuffie jumped in surprise, hastily stuffing the papers back into the drawer, shutting it firmly. Her heart thudding she stood up, arranging her sweater. "Y-yes?" She called out.
Vincent opened the door cautiously. "Are you finished changing?"
"Me?" What a stupid question, Yuffie, Gawd. Do you see anyone else here? She smiled at him what she hoped was a very casual smile. "Oh yeah, I'm finished."
I am so dorky sometimes, Yuffie thought nervously. First I go and scare him off by talking about love yesterday, and then I go and spill slop all over me…ugh, I am so--
"Would you like to go on another walk with me?" Vincent asked.
The girl's jaw dropped open.
********
He probably just likes my company, Yuffie thought in her head as she began tramping across the snow again with Vincent. The cold air felt refreshing, so different from the inside, where it was cozy and warm. She liked the cold. It made her cheeks red and rosy and she liked playing in the snow. Just like a child, she thought a little bitterly.
Suddenly she noticed Vincent was walking with a long stride, as if he were heading somewhere in particular. Are we going somewhere in particular? She wondered.
After a moment of hesitation she finally spoke up just as a gust of cold snow hit her face. Blinking back the cold she finally said, "Hey, Vincent?" He looked up at her. "Are we going anywhere, like in particular? You seem to be walking with, I don't know, a purpose."
He gave her a small shrug and she noticed uncomfortably that he had his gun holstered by his side, ready for almost anything. Finally he talked. "Actually, to tell you the truth I do have someplace in particular in mind. I spotted it several months back and now I would like to revisit it." Without waiting for an answer he hurried on forward, leaving Yuffie to stare at his receding back.
"Wait for me," She called into the air, hurrying after him. She glanced around her at the winter wonderland and smiled at the pine trees whose boughs were heavy with snow. Reaching out a gloved hand she knocked off some snow onto the ground with a delighted laugh.
Vincent looked at her.
Yuffie giggled.
He turned around and continued on his way, making Yuffie frown. What is wrong with this guy? Doesn't he EVER like to have fun? After a few more minutes of cold silence Vincent finally stopped and waited for the girl to catch up. Once she did she looked up at him.
"We are here," He finally intoned.
"Where?"
Vincent nodded his head forward.
Yuffie looked and a smile spread across her face. Almost in a semi-circle were a bunch of pine trees, each looking like a snow-covered Christmas tree, the snow sparkling in the cold air. In the center of the trees was a glassy, frosted, thick-looking frozen lake of ice. "WHOA!" She cried, her voice breaking the air. "Wow! A lake!"
Vincent said nothing as Yuffie dashed across the snow happily and leaped onto the lake. Immediately she skidded and almost lost her balance once she hit the slippery surface. But, with her ninja reflexes she reached out her arms and maintained the balance she needed to continue on her way. Once she was standing upright she pushed out and soon was sliding/skating around happily on the frozen ice.
She turned back to Vincent for approval. "This place is so cool!"
He nodded. "Yes, it is."
Yuffie wished he would talk more. He always made her feel uncomfortable. She bit back a retort, instead concentrating on the beauty of the place. She reached back with one leg, sending herself into a lazy spin, reaching out her arms above her. Yuffie, who always thought she was a klutz, was surprised that even though she had been a major ditz back at Vincent's house seemed to be at home on the ice. "Look, I'm ice skating," She cried out.
Yuffie grinned, picturing herself with real skates on instead of snow boots. She pretended to skate forward, picturing herself ice skating in front of real judges. "And Yuffie Kisaragi does a triple axle," She said in an announcer voice, leaping into the air and coming down gracefully, surprised she didn't fall. "And it's a 10! YEAH BABY!" She exalted, laughing giddily, tossing her head back.
Vincent spoke up. "You are pretty good."
She had forgotten he was there, caught up in her own excitement, and skidded to a stop. Yuffie laughed again. "Oh, I'm not really skating," She admitted, her cheeks flushed. She noticed Vincent had not stopped onto the ice. "Hey, come on out here. It's fun!"
Vincent shook his head. "No thank you."
"Oh, come on," Yuffie begged. "Why not?" She twirled around again, laughing at the easiness of it all.
Vincent paused, not looking at her for a moment. "Ice skating is…almost like dancing. And I do not dance."
"Dancing?" Yuffie frowned, confused. What is he talking about? Suddenly she quieted down and stopped moving on the ice completely. She got the feeling Vincent was hitting at a very important, serious subject. One that she should stop kidding around about. Concerned, she licked her lips and stared forward at him. "Why…don't you dance?"
He closed his eyes almost as if he were in pain. When he opened them, there was Yuffie, still looking at him. "Because…the last person I danced with…died."
Lucrecia again.
The realization hit her like a lead weight. Won't the memory of her ever wear off on Vincent? She wondered sadly. Why does he keep thinking of Lucrecia? Why won't he ever get his mind off of her? She turned abruptly and began skating madly away, suddenly wanting to get away from him. Once again her instincts told her to run. She still couldn't figure out why the heck it bothered her so much, but suddenly she was boiling mad at Lucrecia. How cruel Lucrecia was to leave Vincent! To leave him in love with her…
Her hands balled up in fists and Yuffie skated to the center of the pond, almost in a dizzying rage. WHY does he keep thinking of her? When will he stop? It seemed almost like she were immortal to Vincent. He painted pictures of her. He wrote about her in his journal. He talked about her constantly. She took several quick breaths. Will I ever have that effect on anyone? Yuffie wondered. Probably not.
She was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't hear the first crack.
Yuffie definitely heard the second, especially when Vincent spoke up a quiet, "Yuffie." She froze. She knew that sound.
Crack.
A chill spread over her body and not just from the freezing cold. Cracks were spreading out all around her, over the ice, like some kind of spider web. Cracks! The ice was…splitting! Yuffie froze in horror, locking her limbs in place as she could see the cracks spread out to the outside of the ice. Oh my god. Oh my god.
Crack.
"I'm on thin ice," She whispered into the air.
She didn't want to plunge into the cold water, so cold she could get pneumonia. She didn't want to fall through the ice, where she might not find the hole in which she fell through, to suffocate down there. Icy terror gripped her heart and frightened tears sprang to her eyes. "Vincent," She called out. "Vincent!" Her voice rose to a feverish pitch.
"Stay calm," Came the smooth reply. "Just stay calm. Do not move. Do not move."
Easy for you to say, Yuffie thought as she tried to hold her breath. Please oh please do not make me fall…
She couldn't even look up at Vincent to see what he was doing, she was so scared. Yuffie closed her eyes, praying it would all be over soon. Please don't make me move, she thought. Just then some cold snow blew past her. She didn't think anything of it until some got into her neck and down her jacket. Yuffie shuddered at the cold, almost wanting to shiver violently.
Don't move, she remembered.
The cold seeped down into her waistline, biting into her skin. Yuffie cautiously reached one hand back to her jacket trying to knock the snow slowly out. Just then she chanced to look up and saw Vincent crawling across the ice slowly towards her. Surprised that he was actually coming she jerked her arm and shook the snow out in one brisk move. That made her upper body tilt forward, and of course she reached out a foot to stop her from tumbling forward.
"NO!"
Yuffie shrieked in terror as the ice caved in beneath her body and she went crashing through to the numbing cold water awaiting beneath.
********
Vincent watched a shivering cold, almost blue looking Yuffie hug the blanket tighter around her thin body. She scooted closer to the blazing fire in the hearth and sipped her mug of steaming hot chocolate with a giggle. They had been sitting there in the living room for almost an hour now, and still she hadn't warmed up. Well, not completely.
"Whew," She blew out two wet tendrils of hair from her face. "Gawd…today is just not my day." Yuffie didn't look at Vincent while she talked, instead she played with her mug and looked into the fire. "I mean…first I trip and spill out slop all over me. Then I…" Her voice trailed off as she remembered the journal. Fortunately she stopped herself just in time.
"Then you what?" Vincent asked curiously.
"I…fell through the ice," Yuffie improvised. She let out a deep sigh. "What is wrong with me? My limbs…they just aren't coordinating." She comically lifted one arm into the air and waved it about. "See? They work, just not together." She laughed a little bitterly, shaking her head. She lowered her eyes to look into the fireplace.
Yuffie could feel the silent man's eyes on her as she stared into the dancing flames before her. She didn't really remember the valiant rescue that well, but she had been incredibly panicked underneath the water, thrashing when her clothes had held her down. It was enough to give her nightmares for months. And the cold…oh the cold…it bit her down to the bone. She shivered again, taking a big gulp of hot chocolate.
I am such a klutz.
Yuffie's eyes flickered outside to the falling snow. She knew she should hate it outside because of what happened, but, surprisingly, her close call only made her love it more. "Can I ask you a question?" She said suddenly, turning to Vincent.
He didn't move a muscle from his spot beside her on the rug. "Yes?"
She broke out into a broad grin. "Tomorrow can you please stay home from work so we can build a snowman?"
*********
"It is almost compleeeeted," Yuffie sang out the next day, grinning at the almost formed snowman in front of them. She couldn’t believe that Vincent had actually skipped work to build a snowman with her! Maybe he was actually lightening up. She was so proud of the snowman that she and Vincent had built together. Already he was shaping the head in the snow. He looked up at her, his dark eyes meeting hers.
"Would you assist me in moving the head?" He asked her.
She grinned, stooped down, and helped him hold up the ball of snow, plopping it onto the middle figure. Neither of them had ever made a snowman and it was obviously apparent from the lopsided snow figure half-way sloping over.
"Whew," Yuffie breathed out into the air.
She smiled at the figure, then realized it still needed a face. "Vincent, we definitely need eyes, a nose and a mouth. Do you have any coal? And a carrot for the nose? Or is that too traditional?" A small smile pulled around the corner of her mouth playfully.
Vincent looked a little puzzled. "I do not have any coal. I do however, have carrots. Inside." He motioned for her to come with him and she followed excitedly back into the warm house where they raided the kitchen. Finally they came up with one large carrot, and Yuffie decided to use chocolate candies for the nose and mouth. With the red plastic candy bag in her hand and the carrot in the other, she pranced back outside.
"One," Yuffie sang out plopping one chocolate into place for the snowman's eye. "Twooo…" Jokingly she stuck the other one into place while Vincent watched. Yuffie turned back to him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm leaving you out. Would you like to put on the nose?" With a comical bow she held out the carrot to Vincent.
Vincent took it and with a seriousness that made Yuffie giggle, positioned it over the snowman's face and carefully embedded it in the snow.
"Good job," She congratulated him. This is so much fun! Handing the bag of chocolate to Vincent, she took some more candy and pushed it into the snowman's face firmly to form a lopsided smile. She laughed at the goofiness of it all. Yuffie shook her head. "This looks so good," She kidded.
Vincent raised his eyebrows.
Yuffie giggled again, popping the remaining chocolate into her mouth. She stepped back and examined it from farther away, moving her hands as if she were picturing it in a photograph. "It is still missing something…" She scrutinized the snowman with narrowed eyes. "What does it need…what does it need…"
After a moment of contemplating the girl leaped up and down. "I've got it!" She dashed madly into the house only to return with one of Vincent's capes in her hand. Yuffie gave him a questioning glance. "You don't mind, do you?"
Vincent shook his head.
"Great!" With enthusiasm that she hadn't felt for a long while Yuffie fluffed it around the snowman's shoulders regally and tied it up in the front with the long black tie. The inner lining of the cape was red and looked really good against the snowman's white snow. She smiled at the completed snowman that had taken forever to make. "It's a snow Vincent," She proudly announced to the man, laughing again.
She had finished laughing hysterically when Yuffie suddenly noticed something kind of alarming. Vincent isn't smiling…Why isn't he smiling? Am I just not funny? Why isn't he ever happy? Taking a deep breath, the smile slid off of her face. Yuffie looked down at the ground, biting her lip.
Her heart thudding in her chest, she looked up at Vincent. "Hey…aren't you ever happy without Lucrecia anymore?"
She didn't expect an answer. In fact she expected a rebuke or an obscenity screamed at her to never mention Lucrecia ever again, like before. Instead Vincent rubbed his hands together in the snow solemnly to keep warm. Yuffie could see the hurt in his eyes, as she could read people like a book. "I am happy. I just don't show it."
Yuffie didn't believe a word of that. If she was happy, she smiled. Vincent on the other hand, well, she couldn’t remember him every smiling…if he did, she would probably faint or something. She tilted up her head cockily. "Oh yeah? Smile."
"Why?" He asked, shrugging.
"Because that is how people show their emotions," Yuffie said, exasperated. She felt like a teacher of some sort.
Vincent sighed. "No."
"Why not?" Yuffie demanded.
He had no answer.
"See!" She insisted. "Come on, smile. It's easy. Really. Watch me." She demonstrated a smile for him, giving him the best "I-am-so-cute grin" that she could muster up. Finally, before she knew it, Vincent was staring at her.
The corners of his mouth slowly turned up. His eyes began to sparkle. Finally he gave her an easy grin. Wow…His whole face seemed to glow when he smiled. Yuffie stared back at him, the same grin never sliding off of her face. Her heart thudded in her chest as she stared at him, their eyes locked on each other.
And their smiles continued for one magical moment as the snow sparkled down around them like jewels.
"So this is how you make French toast," Yuffie laughed as Vincent arranged the plates and silverware onto the table. As soon as he was done he walked back over to Yuffie and gave her an almost amused look. Even though he had smiled once it wasn't like he was going to change immediately and smile every chance he got. But from the very first moment when he had smiled at Yuffie something between them had begun to change. Even she felt it.
"I'll take that," Vincent said, carrying the platter of French toast over to the table and setting it down carefully in the middle. Yuffie wiped her hands on a dishtowel and leaped happily over to the table while the scent of French toast wafted in the air.
Yuffie sniffed the air. "That smells so good," She grinned.
"Is it better than your first attempt at French toast?" Vincent asked.
Yuffie sat down in her seat and her mouth fall open, letting out a little laugh. "Why Vincent Valentine, are you making fun of me?"
Vincent raised his eyebrows at her.
She burst out laughing and shook her head. Vincent really has changed ever since that day. Yuffie dug into her French toast, picking up her knife and fork and began to eat. She was almost half-way down with the food before she realized that Vincent was studying her with that amused look on his face again.
"Yes?" She demanded jokingly. Vincent looks really cute like that…what am I THINKING? This is Vincent here…
He still looked amused. "Nothing. I was just picturing you with that French toast gunk all over your body."
Yuffie snorted out laughter and she collapsed onto the table, laughing silently, her shoulder shaking as she pictured herself as she must have looked before, wearing it all over her sweater. She laughed and laughed on, having a great time over breakfast with Vincent.
************
"Ok, now just watch me, I am a total expert at this," Yuffie voiced expertly, putting a hand to her chest modestly. She was standing in front of the roaring fireplace with a pan in her hand, oil in the other, and was looking down at Vincent who was sitting comfortably on the rug before her. She pretended to think for a moment. "I will be Dr. Yuffie and you can be my assistant Jo-Jo."
"Jo-Jo?" Vincent asked in disbelief, raising his eyebrows.
Yuffie tried not to laugh. "Yes, Jo-Jo." With a swift turn she turned and faced the fireplace. "Jo-Jo, your job will be to hand me the correct materials. We must move quickly before the job will be too hard to handle." She heard a little snort of amusement from Vincent and she realized she was close to hysterical laughter herself. Without looking at him she put the pan over the fireplace, unscrewing the oil lid and putting a little bit in the pan.
"Jo-Jo, hand me the patient," Yuffie ordered.
There was a pause.
"Patient?"
Yuffie turned to him, exasperated. "Vin-CENT! The popcorn!"
"Oh! Oh, the patient, yes I see." With a bemused look on his face Vincent handed over the box of popcorn kernels, which Yuffie took with a flourish. She nodded cordially at Vincent.
"Thank you my dear Jo-Jo."
This time she heard another snort of barely suppressed laughter. She bit back a laugh that was rising to her face and poured the kernels into the pan. "Now, remember, Jo-Jo this is a job for experts only. In fact, I would appreciate it if you would take several steps back and hide underneath the couch." She heard a low chuckle from behind her and realized with a jumpy start that Vincent was almost…laughing. Vincent laughing? A warm feeling filled her heart and she felt something strange happening inside of her. Something really strange, actually. Feeling disoriented, she turned back to the popcorn over the fireplace.
With a jolt she realized she'd put too many kernels into the pan. Her eyes flew open and she glanced frantically around for something to close up the fireplace with.
Pop! Pop!
It was too late. The popcorn began to pop and the pan grew and grew and kernel after kernel exploded into white fluffiness. Vincent raised his eyebrows. "Wow. That's amazing."
Yuffie looked over at him nervously. "I'm not so sure you'll be saying that when--" She was interrupted as a kernel of popcorn escaped the overflowing pan and flew out, hitting her in the face. Her mouth fell open in astonishment. What is he going to say when he realizes I might get butter and salt all over his living room?
She needn't have wondered long before popcorn exploded from the fireplace, in almost a popcorn rain as the exploded pan couldn’t take much more of it. Fluffy kernel after kernel pelted the two. Midnight gleefully leaped into the living room, cheerfully chasing after these strange objects which were flying around the air. Yuffie looked to Vincent through the popcorn.
"Vincent?" She asked nervously.
Then she heard the sound of laughter again. Relieved, she let out a sigh of relief and shrieked as another popcorn hit her in the nose and began giggling hysterically, trying to dodge popcorn kernels. Vincent and she began to laugh and Yuffie realized just how stupid the whole situation was, which only made her laugh even more.
"Jo-Jo, we are under fire," She gasped out.
"I see, Dr. Yuffie," Vincent said in a low voice and she smiled at him, surprised he was playing along. "The only way to get out of this dangerous situation is to…rid the world of the evil." Just then another popcorn kernel flew by his face and he reached out with his mouth and snapped it up. Yuffie was so astonished she let out another giggle.
Vincent raised his eyebrows and gave her another one of those great grins that she had experienced outside. Yuffie suddenly found herself ignoring the popcorn flying past and just looked into his eyes.
There was that funny feeling in her stomach again.
************
Yuffie looked over the small hill of snow she had created and saw Vincent peeking over his little snow fortress at her. "Ah, trying to peek into my camp, eh?" She accused, jabbing a finger into the snowy air. They were on Vincent's front lawn and had just finished building snow fortresses of their own, packing snowballs furiously in either camp.
"Yes, I am secretly a spy," Vincent hissed in return, ducking his head down. Yuffie smiled to herself and took the moment to contemplate what they were doing.
A few weeks ago she had never thought she would be here, on the lawn, with Vincent, about to have a snowball fight with him. With Vincent! The guy who never smiled, never said anything cheerful…yet she could feel that he was slowly changing. Not quickly, just slowly. And he actually had a sense of humor. She closed her eyes and wondered when the change had begun. Was it that day when he had first smiled at her? She felt that funny fluttering feeling inside.
Am I sick? She wondered, frowning and tugging her hat down over her ears more firmly. Yuffie began absently packing snowballs again.
She just couldn't figure out why she was slowly and surely becoming more and more attached the cold aloof man who she had only known as "Vincent Valentine." Now he was "Vinnie", "Vince", and "Jo-Jo." She still teased him about being Jo-Jo sometimes. Yuffie closed her eyes and wondered why she was becoming attached. Was it because he was a father figure to her? No…that wasn't it. Why did she care so much?
She knew that to find out the answer she would have to search through her head, through her heart, and through her inner soul. Could she do that without losing herself? Yuffie looked deep inside. Vincent was a friend of hers…Vincent was nice to her…Vincent cared about her…a little…Vincent was just so…so…wonderful…
Then it hit her.
It hit the ninja like a ton of bricks.
Just as she was about to stumble upon the horrible revelation of why she acted so stupid and clumsy around Vincent, and why she always felt so funny when she thought about him a snowball hit her fortress and knocked a chunk of snow off. Now is not the time to be thinking deep thoughts, Yuffie admonished herself, quickly darting up and picking up a snowball.
She launched it in Vincent's general direction, praying it hit.
"You missed!" was the jovial reply.
She growled jokingly and picked up another snowball. Just then another one bit her in the face. "VINCENT!" She screamed with fake outrage. Yuffie pelted his fort with all of her might, but she noticed the snowballs didn’t seem to be doing much damage. She kept scooping up more and more snow and launching them at the fortress, hoping it tumbled down on Vincent himself. Just as she was beginning to think she couldn't do anything the whole wall of the right side of the fortress crumbled down.
"HA!" She screamed out.
But nothing moved in the fortress. Frowning curiously, Yuffie crept out from where she was hidden and began to crawl cautiously across the "battlefield" to Vincent's fort. Ok, where is he? Is this a trap? She approached his fortress and slowly peeked inside.
There were snowballs there, but no Vincent.
"Huh?"
Yuffie turned around to head back and found Vincent was standing right there. "AHHH!" She shrieked in surprise.
"Surprise attack!" Vincent announced, lunging at her. He pushed her playfully down in the snow and tumbled after her. Yuffie "fought" back, trying to push him off her, making sure she didn't really hurt him. They rolled in the snow, each of them thinking they could get the better of the other. They must have fought for almost five minutes straight. Finally Yuffie couldn't take much longer of it. Her muscles strained and she sucked in a deep breath.
"Vincent," She whined. "I'm exhausted."
Vincent, who had just gained his upper position on top of her raised his two dark eyebrows. "Ah, I see. So you surrender."
Surrender? "NEVER!" She shouted into his face.
He winced and she realized she had been a bit loud. "I would like to keep my hearing, thank you," He voiced, not making a move to get off of her.
"Sorry," She whispered. She looked up and met his eyes, which were staring down into hers as if he could read her soul. Something inside of her shivered and she felt incredibly happy just then. Happier than she had ever felt in all of her 19 years. And this time, her happiness didn't come from Materia.
Vincent looked down at her and the world lay still.
Yuffie found a sneeze choking it's way up to her throat. She commanded it to stay put but it exploded out of her mouth onto Vincent's face. The moment was ruined and he laughed a little as he rolled off of her body, wiping off the spit droplets.
Normally Yuffie would have been mortified, but with this new Vincent…she could finally be herself.
**********
"Ah ha…a three…" Yuffie announced, pulling the card from Vincent's hand and laying it down beside her identical match. Happily she lined up her stack of little cards. She was happy at having made those meager matches because Vincent seemed abnormally good at these small games. Maybe he is cheating, she thought slyly, watching his eyes. Though the new Vincent smiled a little more and actually took jokes, he wouldn't cheat… Would he?
She watched him as he surveyed the kitchen table and looked at her hand of cards, which she waved in the air. "Don't get the Old Maid," She teased. She had stuck the Old Maid on the second from the left, making it look very unsuspicious. She hoped Vincent would fall for it. Maybe then she would win. Vincent had won the last four, no five games.
"I won't," Vincent said, managing a small grin. He looked down at her small hand of cards. "Hmm…." Pausing, he scratched his chin, a twinkle in his eyes.
Yuffie gave him a smug grin.
Vincent looked at each card long and hard and Yuffie wondered if he could see through the cards. She used her other hand to cover up the red backs of the cards. "No fair peeking," She admonished.
"Peeking? How I am supposed to peek?" Vincent wondered aloud. He didn't wait for an answer and instead went back to looking at the cards, studying their backs intently. "Hmm….hmm…."
Yuffie shoved another card up front, making it look like she wanted him to pick it. Making it look like the Old Maid. That was the trick. Please fall for it, she pleaded. Please…please…she couldn't keep that same goofy grin off of her face. If she won now it would be some kind of historical event.
Vincent finally reached a hand out and wavered over the middle card. No…no…Yuffie frowned very slightly. Vincent shook his head and then moved it over the Old Maid card, almost uncertainly. Yuffie kept her poker face on, not daring to move. Inside her brain was screaming, yes, yes, that one! Finally he lowered his hand and pulled the Old Maid out.
"YES!" Yuffie let out a scream of happiness.
Vincent turned it over and his face fell when he saw the Queen staring up at him. "Aw," He shook his head, giving Yuffie a sheepish grin. It was too late. She had already pushed back the kitchen chair and had begun leaping around the table, whooping and hollering loudly about how she won.
"YEAH YEAH YEAH! I WON, I WON, I WON!" She shrieked excitedly, reminding Vincent of a little kid. Yuffie danced around the table happily, yelling some incoherent things about celebrating a National Holiday.
*********
The girl paused at the edge of the snowy hill, dragging the large, circular trashcan lid behind her. She looked behind her to see if Vincent was right behind her. True to his word, he was, though he looked a bit wary about the whole thing. It was a bright and awfully cheery morning, turning Yuffie's cheeks rosy and setting her on a happy outlook on everything. She and Vincent definitely had become considerably closer and she now considered him a very good friend…maybe more?
Stop thinking like that, Yuffie frowned. He is still in love with Lucrecia…
"C'mon!" She bellowed, motioning for him to hurry up.
Vincent quickened his step, letting out a puff of white fog into the air, from his breath. Soon he caught up to Yuffie on the edge of the small edge of the snow hill, his boots sinking into the heavy snow. "What are we doing up here?" He questioned, rubbing together his gloved hands.
"We…" Yuffie grinned cockily, "are going sledding."
"Sledding?" Vincent cocked an eyebrow.
"Yeah, sledding!" Yuffie said excitedly. "Look around you…all this snow…it's beautiful! It's a beautiful day! Here we have…a hill! And a beautiful hill it is, Bob," She added in a funny announcer's voice, making Vincent break into a small grin. "And what's this?" She held up the large trashcan lid with a little difficulty.
"A…trashcan lid?" Vincent ventured, tightening his coat farther around him.
Yuffie gave him a look. "NO! Don't you have any imagination? It's not a trashcan lid! It's a sled, duh!"
"A sled-duh?" Vincent teased.
Yuffie gave him a second look.
Vincent shut his mouth.
Yuffie carefully climbed onto the sled happily, setting it down on the snow first. Once she had positioned herself on the garbage can lid, she sat Indian-style and motioned for Vincent to come closer. "Ok," She said slowly. This is gonna be fun. "Now…push me off, and while I'm gathering speed, leap onto the back of the sled. Got it?"
Vincent nodded a little slowly.
"Good…" Yuffie's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Let's go!"
He had already begun pushing her before she could say anything. Soon she was jetting down the hill at a quick pace and she almost forgot about Vincent until she heard a thump and the sled slowed it's speed a little as Vincent squeezed his body into the back end of the sled. She grinned softly as he put his arm around her to hold on tighter.
So this is why you're so happy Yuffie…her mind told her quietly. You…you love him. You love this man who you have spent time with. You love him because he is so nice to you…because he actually cares…She felt hurt thinking about that. She knew that there was no way on earth that Vincent would ever feel the same way towards her. But, oh, how she would do anything to have him look at her the way he looked at Lucrecia…to write about her in his journal…to paint pictures of her in the loft….So, to keep herself from getting hurt, she pushed her thought into the edges of her brain and managed a sickly grin as the sled coasted to a stop.
******
Her heart raced. Any second now…
Three…
She heard the sound of the click in the lock and she smiled.
Two…
Yuffie bit her lip and stifled a snort of laughter.
The door flew open and Vincent stepped through, looking cold and almost a little red from the snow biting his face. He shut the door.
One…
NOW!
The ninja launched herself out from behind the couch at Vincent. He stepped back in shock just as she landed on him, wrapping her legs around him like a child. "You're hoooooome!" She shrieked, hoping that she thoroughly surprised him. She expected him to be ticked off, or maybe to give her that 'you are such a child look.'
Instead, as she gently fell to the floor he gave her a look that she had never seen before. One that melted her to the bone…one that made her heart flutter and almost shrivel away. I love him so much, the thought sprang to her head again as Vincent smiled at her in that special way, an almost uncanny tenderness in his eyes. She had seen that look before…she just couldn't remember where…
He handed her his good hand to help her up. She took it.
It was only that same night, when she was alone in bed that Yuffie remembered where the look had come from.
It was the same loving look Vincent used on Midnight.
**********
Vincent led Yuffie through a throng of people down in Nibelhiem. He had to admit, no matter how many times he came down here, he didn't like people staring at him. He wasn't normal, he knew that. He had a metal claw on his right hand, which had had to admit must freak out everyone, including Yuffie. In fact, he had spotted Yuffie staring at his claw just the other day, probably thinking that he was a monster. He wouldn't have been surprised if she, like all the others, made such judgmental thoughts on the superficial details…like the fact that he didn't have one hand.
He looked back at the smiling Yuffie, who looked like she was enjoying being down in the town of Nibelheim. He had taken her down during the weekend so she could go shopping and just get out of for a while. He understood that she was very cooped up, although sometimes they would go for walks. They had been getting closer. A lot closer.
Vincent knew what would eventually happen. He studied Yuffie for the millionth time, going over the details of her impeccable face. My, how she had changed from three years ago. Her personality was still almost childish…almost petty…but he could tell her feelings, her emotions, her thoughts had developed and changed more. He stared into her eyes, how they lightened to a chocolate brown and then faded to a soft black. They were beautiful.
She looked almost distracted by something or other, biting her lip as her smile faded. Not only distracted but maybe bothered by something. Vincent wondered about it as he continued to study her.
He knew that she was attracted to him. Maybe she cared…for him…Vincent didn't know how he felt about that. He did know that he felt more for the ninja than just friends. Sometimes he would be upstairs working on his paintings of Lucrecia and his mind would drift off. When he would look back he would realize that his vision of Lucrecia had shifted, melted, almost morphed into Yuffie's smiling, darting face.
Vincent sighed. What ever happened to the bond that he had promised Lucrecia would always be there?
Yuffie looked down at her toes, biting her lip as she waited for Vincent's further directions.
Do you love her? A voice inside his head asked Vincent. Love is such a strong word…can you commit to someone without love? No. At least Vincent didn't think he could. Although there were times when the cold man wanted to…to grab Yuffie and kiss her…no, that's crazy.
He swallowed.
"Vincent?" A soft voice probed into his thoughts.
He looked back at her and found himself breathing heavily back and forth. He swallowed heavily for the second time, trying to clear the lump in his throat. "Yes?"
"Should we stop somewhere for lunch?" Yuffie asked, darting around a large man carrying a bunch of parcels behind her. She glanced back at him disdainfully and then turned back to Vincent.
Vincent looked at her and saw clearly that she was still preoccupied with her own thoughts. For as soon as the question had slipped from her lips she began playing immediately with the button on her jacket, not really caring about the outcome of the question. Instead of answering her inquiry about lunch he put a hand on her sleeve, looking down at her face. A strand of hair was hanging limply over one eye, out of place. Vincent wanted to push it out of the way with his good hand. But…wouldn't that be a bit forward?
"What's wrong?" he voiced softly.
She frowned harder, looking away from him at a scarf store advertising brightly knit scarves and sweaters in the window. Vincent followed her gaze, knowing full well that she wasn't thinking about scarves nor sweaters. "I…" She started, her small lips stopping on the word. "I…never mind."
That only made him more concerned. She had been acting like this ever since late morning. Almost like she were deep in thought about something or other. "Yuffie…please…what is wrong?"
Yuffie looked around him at the ground. Vincent looked down at her, begging her with his heart to tell him. Maybe he could somehow make it all better. A sudden urge bit at him to hold her close, to hug her and whisper that he could fix everything. But as usual, his shell held him back and the scene played on in his mind. What about your eternal love, Lucrecia?
"I got a letter today," She suddenly whispered, tearing him away from his thoughts. He looked down at her.
"From whom?"
Who would know where she was? And what was so important that she had gotten the message by mail, something that obviously disturbed her greatly.
Yuffie opened and closed her mouth a few more times, like a fish out of water. "It…it was from my father…" She stared down at the ground. "I…don't even know how he knows that I was with you…but…he said a lot of things….He wants me to come home, Vincent." Yuffie looked back up at the solemn man but Vincent didn't say anything.
Inside his heart was beating. He had grown accustomed to coming home and having her there…waiting…laughing….smiling at him. She had taught him how to smile again. She was good for him. He knew now that he would miss her if she left. Terribly.
He fought back the cold emptiness rising in his stomach. She was going to leave him. He froze and his eyes locked onto hers. "Would you like to return to him?"
She paused and didn’t meet his eyes. Vincent's heart was screaming inside.
"That's the scary part," She whispered, finally raising her eyes to meet his. "I don't know."
************
Back at Vincent's home, Yuffie sat in his living room, staring at the wrinkled piece of paper in her hand. The ripped open envelope was sitting on the floor beside Midnight, who was tearing into it with new claws. Yuffie didn't care. Her eyes were scanning the paper, although she wasn't seeing the words. Her father…wrote her. Her father wanted her home.
She sighed.
Vincent was in the shower and she knew he wouldn’t be out for several more minutes. She had the house to herself for maybe 10 minutes or more. He liked to be really clean, she supposed.
Why am I worrying about something as…trivial as why Vincent takes so long in his shower? There was so much more Yuffie needed to contemplate. So much more she needed to meditate on. So much more…she read the letter again. Up until she had received this letter from her father, she had been in her own little world with Vincent. She had forgotten about everyone while she was up here, with him. About her friends.
About her father.
About the hurt.
She was so happy up here. Now the letter had come. And it was begging her to leave this happy place and come home. To leave Vincent and go to her father.
Her father who had taken care of her when her mother had died. Her father who had whispered in her ear when she was crying over the bedside of her dead mother that he still loved her and that he would never leave her willingly. Her father who had understood Yuffie's love for Materia. Her father…who loved her. Her father was begging her to come home.
"What about Vincent?" She whispered.
Could she really give all this up? Her happy life here in the mountains? Playing with snowball, joking around with Vincent, getting to know him…hoping that maybe someday he would get over Lucrecia and see her for the woman that she was…
Tears sprang to her eyes as her head argued back and forth. God, this was so hard. Having to choose between her father and Vincent. Yuffie folded up the letter and held her head in her hands for a moment.
Father…
Vincent…
Father…
Vincent--
STOP IT!
"STOP!" Yuffie suddenly said loudly suddenly really mad that she had to choose between her love and the man who had raised her. Stop, stop, stop, stop…she shoved the wrinkled piece of paper back into her pocket and gulped in heavy breaths of air. Closing her eyes for a few seconds she ignore the throbbing that suddenly appeared in her temples.
She was suddenly lost. She didn't know what to do anymore. I have to be with the person I want to be with the most.
That thought hit her surprisingly. Yuffie didn't know what to think about that. "The person she wanted to be with the most…" Who was that? She closed her eyes and pictured herself walking back to Wutai. She pictured her father standing here, his arms open and wide, smiling at her in a 'welcome back, Yuffie' kind of way. His eyes would mist over and she would run again…
Suddenly the image shifted. She was no longer herself, an adult. Yuffie was smaller…running…barefoot. She was on a dirt path. Her father disappeared and she realized that she was somewhere in the cherry tree garden, lost in the small hedge maze. Alone.
Yuffie remembered this place. She had a bad feeling in her gut about the whole thing and she wanted to stop remembering but the memories flooded her openly, like water gushing out of a broken dam. The little Yuffie, small as she was, hugged her silk robe tighter to her chest and turned to the right, stomping through the maze. She walked for about ten or twenty more seconds until she heard a woman's throaty laugh through the wall of the maze.
It's a way out, little Yuffie thought excitedly.
Stop, Yuffie whispered, wanting to cover her eyes. She didn’t want to see this. She knew what she was going to see.
But her eyes remained open. And she watched as the small little girl carefully pulled open the thick bushes and peered through curiously. Seated on the wicker chair, sipping a fragrant tea delicately was Yuffie's young mother, laughing and flirting.
But not with her father.
Yuffie had been too young then to grasp what this meant, but she knew that the man was not her daddy. Even she sensed something wrong when her mother leaned over and kissed the strange man. She shut the bushes and ran, and ran, and ran…
The image shifted again.
This time she watched her mother die. Slowly. The life had faded out of her, making the glow that was always there on her face diminish like a flame doused out. Yuffie had cried. She had cried and cried until her father had hugged her to his chest and the two of them cried together, out there, alone, looking up at the stars and wondering why.
The image shifted again, tilting dizzily, crazily.
Yuffie saw images of herself and Vincent fly past. Funny ones of herself and Vincent leaping around and fighting in the snow, ones of herself trying to make French toast…and other not-so-funny ones of where the bird attacked her on the Wutai bridge and where Vincent had come to save her…she saw in her mind's eye just how carefully Vincent had taken her up to his cabin.
The image shifted for the millionth time, this time changing to one of Vincent. He was looking down at her, whispering something. Yuffie wanted to hear but she wasn't close enough. She leaned in closer to hear and then--
Yuffie pulled her eyes open from the craziness of the images. Visions…hallucinations…was that what they were? She didn't know what they were, but frankly, they scared her. What had brought that torrent of images on? Shakily she stood up. She had to move, to do something. She couldn’t just sit here…going insane…
Then it hit her. She could go see if Vincent worked more on that waterfalls painting. Yeah, that was it. She didn’t feel the least bit guilty as she stomped past Midnight and looked around the hallway to make sure Vincent wasn't coming. She hoped he wouldn't come out of the shower and catch her. That would be…awful…
Yuffie climbed the stairs, the images still fresh in her mind. She shut them out and opened the door carefully, wincing at the squeak. Leaving the door open behind her, as she knew she would only be a little while, she dashed for the paintings across the room. Her eyes locked on the box, where she knew she could look through and find more paintings of Vincent's lost love…Lucrecia.
Her fingers nimbly picked through the stack of canvases, looking over frames she knew she had seen before. Her eyes scanned over the beautiful swirls of colors that had come from Vincent's hand. Her nostrils sucked up paint-filled air, and she didn't care.
She wanted to see the waterfalls painting.
And suddenly, there it was. The second to last one in the box. She scooped it up and stared at it, studying it. Expecting to see something fabulous.
But…
She looked over it. There must have been some mistake.
Yuffie frowned.
Vincent hadn't worked on the painting at all…there it was…still the outline of Lucrecia…not even filled in all the way…it looked like some kind of ghost. Yuffie put it back hastily, closing her eyes. She almost felt like fainting as she remembered the images. She had come up here to make herself feel better but it was only making herself feel worse. A loud buzzing sound filled her head and she wondered if something serious was wrong with her. She knew this must be happening out of stress or something. Yuffie massaged her temples again, briefly, and turned back to the last canvas.
She picked it up and turned it over.
Yuffie's eyes narrowed. Vincent didn't do a very good job on this one. Lucrecia didn't look the least bit like herself. She had short dark hair, wasn't wearing glasses and was…
Me…
She sucked in a short gasp of air, staring down at the girl painted on the paper. That's me! Vincent painted a picture of me!
Her limbs trembled and faltered under the excitement. He had painted a picture of her! All the other paintings were of Lucrecia, so this must have been some kind of--
"What are you doing?"
Yuffie looked up, startled, only to find Vincent, with his hair dripping wet, standing furiously in the doorway.
She froze, out of fear. Her fingers shook on the canvas as she found her eyes were locked on Vincent. Oh my God…he caught me…The phrase played over and over again in her heart. She felt sick inside, like she had committed a crime, even though she knew she hadn't done something that bad. Yuffie hoped, prayed, that somehow Vincent wouldn't be angry, even though she had looked through his secret, hidden things. Oh please…oh please…
"I asked you what you were doing," Vincent repeated. There was something underneath his tone of voice, something cold and icy. It made Yuffie shiver. His eyes gleamed in that reddish way that they used to.
"I…I…." Yuffie whispered, putting a hand on her chest nervously. "I…was just…." Her throat felt dry. She sucked in some more air, trying to calm her nervous, fluttery breaths.
His ears pulled back. "You are looking at my paintings." It was a statement, not a question.
"Yes," Yuffie admitted, hanging her head. She fingered the edge of the painting of herself. It was truly beautiful, the detail, the loving care that Vincent had managed to work into the canvas fibers. She longed to tell him that she loved the painting, all of his paintings, but her voice caught. She was trembling now, hoping she hadn't lost everything she had worked for with Vincent. Yuffie held up the painting of herself. "It's so beautiful," She started out, looking up at him.
Vincent started across the room, his footsteps echoing on the bare floor. He was wearing black pants and a very dark shirt, with his wet hair, freshly combed, still dripping. He approached Yuffie faster than she thought possible and suddenly had the painting in his hand. "These were my private thoughts…my private feelings…worked into these paintings. Why are you looking at them? Can't I trust you?"
"I'm….I'm sorry," Yuffie shivered, her eyes wide, filling with tears. "I just…I stumbled upon them a long while ago…it was by a mistake. I came up here…and then I accidentally found these paintings, I--"
"You accidentally found the paintings?" Vincent's tone was one of cold disbelief. "You accidentally found them, you accidentally KEPT finding them, you accidentally CAME back up here, EVEN THOUGH you knew you were WRONG to!" He was practically bellowing now. Yuffie cringed, pulling back from Vincent. Midnight, who had followed Vincent up to the loft, turned and ran away from the room. Yuffie followed him with her eyes, wishing she could do the same.
She looked down with shame.
"Vincent, please…" She begged. "It wasn't like that…I came back up here after…"
"After what?" He demanded icily. "What lies do you want to feed me now?"
"I'm not lying…" Yuffie murmured to him softly. She couldn't rise her eyes to meet his. She felt so ashamed, so sick of what she had done. But yet some part of her couldn't comprehend why Vincent was so mad. I looked at his paintings, but I didn't do anything REALLY wrong, so what's the big idea….?
"YES, YOU ARE!" Vincent practically roared. She jumped back at the cold fury in his voice. "Yuffie…I…you came up here and saw things you shouldn't have. When you saw the first painting you should have PUT IT BACK. Why did you continue to look at them?" His voice shook, and Yuffie felt the anger practically vibrate in the air. She shook, trembling.
"Vincent…" She wanted to retch on the floor. How could she possibly undo all of this? It was spinning out of control, so fast, so quickly. How could she stop this train from wrecking? How could she stop the fury raging in Vincent's red eyes. She put her voice into what she thought would be calm, soothing. "I saw your paintings by accident…and when I saw them…I thought they were beautiful…I couldn't stop. It was like…an addiction…I…"
"An addiction? So you're addicted to lying, sneaking, and reading into MY private things?" Vincent snapped back. There was more than fury in his voice. There was…disappointment.
Disappointment in me, Yuffie realized.
He shook his head, his hair dripping out onto the floor. "I thought better of you, Yuffie. I thought you knew my limits. I thought you knew when to stop pushing me, I thought you knew…I thought you knew me."
Suddenly his tone had changed from one of anger to one of cool disappointment. The grief tinged in his voice. Yuffie tried to read between the lines. What was he talking about? How had the conversation turned so rapidly from her crime from looking at the paintings to…this? It was getting way out of hand and she had to stop it somehow. Or she was going to lose the Vincent she had worked so hard to dig into…
"I do know you," Yuffie argued softly. "I do!"
He shook his head again. "No," Vincent almost whispered. "I was foolish to think anyone could know me the way that…" His voice trailed off, only leaving Yuffie to think of what he was going to say. Her mind reeled, and she stumbled back a little.
"The way that what?" She questioned, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer. Not sure if she wanted to have her heart break.
For a moment she wasn't sure that Vincent was going to answer. Then he spoke up so softly she had to strain to hear.
"The way that Lucrecia did…."
My God…It hit her like a slap in the face. He still hasn't forgot about her! What about ME? What about the fact that I thought…I thought we had something between us? I thought that he changed! I thought that we had moved beyond this obsession with a DEAD woman! I'm ALIVE! Look at me, Vincent! Look at me standing here, in front of you, look at me! I'm waiting for you to say something…I'm waiting for you to realize that…
That I care about you…
She hadn't realized tears had begun to pour down her face. So this was what it felt like to lose. She hadn't realized it was a game until Lucrecia had "won." Again. Again and again Lucrecia had come back to haunt Vincent's mind and there was nothing she could do about it.
Yuffie jerked her head up and realized Vincent was staring at her in a way she never had seen him look before. The tears came down, getting bigger as she stared at all of the paintings that Vincent had so lovingly spent hours on. On Lucrecia.
Not wanting Vincent to see her cry, she put her face in her hands, and ran blindly out of the room, stumbling down the stairs, somehow managing to grab a thick sweatshirt. Pushing open the door like a robot, stumbling into the snow, grabbing for anything that would turn her world around…make her feel better…
Like home, a little voice in her head said quietly. Home would make you feel a lot better. Home is where you should have gone.
"That's right," Yuffie whispered into the frosty air, looking around. "Home."
She ran, and she kept running, leaving footprints of her snow behind. And those footprints were the only mark that she had ever been to Vincent's home--that she had ever managed to change the "Man of Ice's" cold heart.
And it snowed and the footprints disappeared.
****************
She had been walking for a very long time, so long that her eyelashes had become tinged with snow, and Yuffie was almost beginning to think that the snow would never end. Slowly she approached the first patch of green that she came to, breaking her trudging pace to an all-out run, knowing that more grass was ahead. True to the sign, it was.
The weather began to significantly warm up as she kept moving, and Yuffie even got to take off her sweatshirt. She had stopped crying long after she had begun to run, but she was still full of adrenaline. And she felt sick inside. God, how she wanted this day to end.
She felt like a part of her had literally been torn from her body. She hadn't realized how close she had been to Vincent until this had happened. At first her instinct had just been to go home, but now…Now she didn't know where to go. She realized she didn't really want to return to her father--her father who she would end up disappointing, her friends who were probably still worried sick about her, and that lifestyle of hers…it all seemed so surreal. The only thing that seemed real was her life with Vincent for a short while.
Now everything seemed dreamlike again to Yuffie. She looked up at the trees and wanted to tear off their leaves so see if they were real. Her world was crashing down around her and she couldn't hold it up any longer.
Why do I feel this way? She wanted to scream. He doesn't love me! Why can't I get over him??
Suddenly she knew where to go.
***********
There it was. She could hear the roar of the falls before she could even see it. Yuffie had braced herself, but nothing could have prepared her for…this. When she emerged around the rocky, grassy corner, her breath caught sharply and she sucked it in. It was beautiful…words couldn't even describe it.
The water droplets seemed to fly off of the waterfalls, flip-flopping into the crystal clear lake like dolphins with a life of their own. The spray at the bottom of the falls, soared up several feet, sending white foamy, frothy water into the air and down again. Reeds of different kinds surrounded the pool of water, and a rocky outhanging jutted out like a neck over the water. Almost like an intruder.
So this was where Lucrecia had stayed. Had lived. In exile.
Yuffie stared for a moment, her limbs unwilling to move. The sun made the water sparkle. Vincent had been a good artist, but nothing could capture this beauty. Still, it was almost like the painting had been brought to life.
She blinked, the spell finally over. She didn't even know what she was doing here. Some impulse had just forced her in this direction. Yuffie, confused, continued forward, her feet thudding softly on the ground. Her heart felt cold, broken. What else was there to lose? Why not break her heart more by looking at the place that Vincent had come to paint?
Maybe she could find one of Vincent's old paintbrushes and kill herself with the end of it. Maybe. If she was lucky.
How had Lucrecia gotten up in that little cave there? Yuffie realized she didn't care. Why should she care? Why was she here, anyway? Why was she torturing herself? Because it's better to do than pining over a man who obviously can't love anyone but a memory.
That's all Lucrecia is…a memory.
And still Vincent picked the memory over her.
God, that stung.
She put her palms on the cool rock, tinged with wetness from the spray of the falls. The roar was loud now, like the screaming voice in her head. Like the voice saying, 'You were an idiot, Yuffie. No one can ever love you.' No one…no one…Not even Vincent. Especially Vincent.
She had started climbing before she even realized it. The rock was slippery, but she managed to hang on. It reminded her of her birthday…how she had to climb the mountains to prove her worthiness of a ninja. What a piece of crap, Yuffie thought. Her birthday seemed years from now. From this day. Vincent had really opened her eyes, he had made her realize she could love someone much, much more than herself.
Stop thinking about him, Yuffie ordered herself, before your heart breaks again…
She reached the top, and her limbs quivered. Yuffie pulled herself up on the top and gazed down at the crashing falls. Her arms relaxed. She relaxed. How little it would take to lean just a little bit forward…to fall from the cliffs and end this torture, this lifestyle of hers…
How little it would take to just lean a little too far and her body would tumble from the edge…once again, just like her birthday. Déjà vu, Yuffie thought wryly. In the short amount of time that it had taken to get from her birthday to here, she had grown…considerably. And gotten her heart broken.
She put one foot close to the edge. She knew her body would probably be sucked under the falls. She would really have to fight to get to the surface again. But why fight? Why bother? Why fight to live in a life where there was only pain, sorrow, and heartbreak?
Tears began to flow from her sad eyes again. She never knew the meaning of true heartbreak until today. When she was with Vincent it was like her emotions were somehow magnified. Let me die…get me out of this world! Choking back another sob, she stepped forward again.
"Don't do it."
The voice appeared so suddenly behind her that she almost tottered forward from surprise. She knew instantly who it was without turning around. Thoughts whirled through her mind--How did he find me here? What does he want? The tears continued to fall, but she didn't tip over the edge. She sucked back another gasp.
"Why?" She choked out bitterly, gazing down at the water. "There's nothing to live for."
"You're wrong." The voice was calm now, soothing. "You have lots to live for."
Why do you care? Yuffie asked in her mind. All you can think about is Lucrecia. Lucrecia, Lucrecia, Lucrecia. Lucrecia this. Lucrecia that. What about me? What do I look like, standing before you? A naïve little girl?
"No, I don't," She whispered. "Everything is gone."
"That's not true," Vincent shot back immediately. "You have your friends…your father…"
But not you, she thought painfully.
"My 'friends' haven't made any move to contact me in as long as I can remember," Yuffie whispered angrily, "and my father only wants me to run and get his materia for him. That's all I am. A gopher. Just like all the rest of his servants. Only I'm expected to bend over backwards to please him because I'm his daughter." She shut up immediately, feeling a new wave of pain wash over her.
There was a little silence after that. She felt a little proud that she had actually shut him up. Tears still rolled down her face at the fact that Vincent hadn't actually said why he followed her, why he was here at Lucrecia's cave…was he here to paint? Was he actually so unaffected by her disappearance that he came here to PAINT?
"There's no need to end your life because you think no one cares," Vincent finally continued. "I've been alone most of my life. I'm still alive."
"That's because you've experienced something I haven't," Yuffie retorted angrily, feeling hot tears roll down her cheeks.
Pause. "What's that?"
Yuffie eyed the falls longingly. "True love," She finally whispered. "It keeps you alive…it burns up in you, like an everlasting fire. Once you've felt this…this love, you feel so animated, so alive. You want to jump up and down. And you want to turn cartwheels. And you want to turn to the person you love and hold onto them so dearly before they vanish from your life and you never get a chance to tell them how you really felt…" She hadn't realized she was rambling. She abruptly stopped. "And once you've felt it…you realize how alive it makes you feel…it makes you realize you have a reason to go on…"
There was silence behind her. "Yuffie…" His voice sounded different.
"But something comes along…like an eraser…and erases the beautiful picture that there was of love…it erases all of the hearts, all of the beautiful, wonderful things you ever saw when you felt this emotion," Yuffie said, still not turning around. She clenched and unclenched her fists. "Heartbreak. It makes you want to die. It makes you want to crumple up into a little ball and curse the day you were born."
Yuffie took another few baby steps forward until now she was gazing down at the waterfall.
"It makes you want to give your life up…"
"Please…don't…" His tone had completely changed. Now it almost sounded as if he were begging. "Yuffie, don't…"
"Why shouldn't I?" Yuffie practically screamed. "It's my life! I can do what I want with it! Why are you trying to boss me around? A few minutes ago you were screaming at me over a bunch of your paintings, and now you're trying to tell me not to jump? Who died and made you king of the world? Why do you even care anyway, why do you even CARE?"
"Because…I…"
"You DON'T care!" She raged. "The only person you even remotely cared about was Lucrecia, and HEY, she's DEAD! What are you going to do now, huh? Are you going to paint more pictures? Maybe make a flipbook? Try and resurrect her like Cloud did to Aeris? Because I sure wouldn't want you to be lonely in this world when I died! Because I have to tell you something, Vincent, I CARED about you. I was probably the only person in this entire world who gave a DAMN about whether you smiled, or what you ate for breakfast. I was probably someone in the entire world who gave a damn on what you wore, or what you said to me. And you wanna know why? You wanna know why??"
She broke down into deep, convulsing sobs.
"Because I…"
Yuffie broke off and turned around. She was shocked at what she saw. Vincent was staring at her sadly, almost a peaceful look on his face. Gone was the rage, the anger, now replaced with a sad, miserable look. She couldn't recognize that look in his eyes, but it made her want to run to him, to throw her arms around him and whisper that she was sorry…
But she couldn't. Because she knew he would never, could never love her back.
"Goodbye," She whispered.
Then she turned around and jumped.
*****************
Vincent's eyes widened. He had to do something, he had to stop this from happening. Before he even knew what he was doing, he had run after her. Transforming as fast as he ever had done in his life, his clothes ripped and his muscles bulged as he neared the edge of the cliff.
Yuffie! He thought, panicked. How stupid this whole situation was. How stupid EVERYTHING was. Why couldn't he just tell Yuffie how important she was to him? Why did he keep clinging on to Lucrecia like she was still there? He knew why…you never forgot your first love. But if it interfered with--
He couldn't think about it right now. He leaped right off of the cliff, his new wings catching the air. He saw Yuffie falling ahead of him. He didn't have long. Maybe two, three seconds. Vincent propelled his body down. He had to catch her this time--had to.
He reached, LUNGED, for her. Missed.
Vincent let out a scream.
He lunged for her again. Missed.
Sweat appeared on his face and he swiped for her this time, fearing the worst. He caught a thin leg between his fingers. Carefully he scooped her up into his arms, reliving the moments when he had rescued her on her birthday. He hadn't recognized the turning point then, but he clearly saw it now. He cradled the sobbing, tearful girl into his arms and felt her heartbeat against his.
Gently they hit the water, away from the falls. Carefully Vincent turned back into human form, his jet black hair appearing on his shoulders, his wings sucking slowly into his back again. He looked at Yuffie, who was sobbing, sniffling. Her eyes were puffy and red.
He reached out a hand and tenderly brushed away a few tears.
Yuffie couldn't talk; she was crying so hard.
Gently he put his arms around her. She sobbed on his shoulder while he treaded water. No words were exchanged for seconds while she cried.
"Why," She finally sobbed, "Why did you save me again?"
A gentle smile appeared on Vincent's face. Could he say it…? Could he actually tell her why? Without falling apart. Some part of him was scared to let himself go. What if something happened and..
And what if she were to disappear just like…Lucrecia.
Somehow, thinking Lucrecia's name now didn't send the same chills through his body that he normally felt. Looking at Yuffie's face…just looking at it, sent those same chills automatically down to his toes. He realized with a jolt that he hadn't answered her question.
"Yuffie…" He whispered hoarsely, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She looked up at him, her dark eyes swirling with soon to be spilled tears. "I love you."
She paused. "Love is a strong word, Vincent," She whimpered. "Never say it unless you mean it."
A slight smile appeared again. His words thrown back at him like a boomerang. "I love you," He whispered again, this time with more confidence and feeling. It was amazing to see a wavering smile spread over her face, to see her face glow and transform into a beautiful smile, one that made him smile himself. As tears continued to spill down her face, though this time out of joy, he leaned forward and softly pressed his lips against hers, the roar of the falls seeming to grow with the beating of his own heart.
Yuffie returned the kiss softer, then as it grew more passionately, she wrapped her arms around him, feeling the tingle in her own heart. Finally she could be happy. Finally.
EPILOGUE
Now, a painting hangs over Vincent's mantel, replacing much of the earlier ones that he used to paint. This painting is a very detailed one of waterfalls, with swirls of clouds and sprays of the water coming down over a very cloudy looking cliff. The sky is a brilliant blue and the sun's rays are reflecting off of the water.
A beautiful woman with a tender looking face and swirls of dark hair stands over the cliff, smiling down at the bottom, where, in the crystal waters, swim a very happy, embracing, Yuffie and Vincent.
And they're all happy and satisfied there together…under the waterfalls.
THE END
Author's Note: I always get a little…misty…when I finish a good fic. It seems like I've closed a chapter of my own life as well. But I also get this really satisfied reason. I think it's about darn time that I finished this up. I bet you were all starting to think I forgot about it. Well, sometimes I put fics on hold until I get the urge to finish them. But I NEVER just forget about a fic. NEVER. Unless it sucks ;) Then I "forget" it.
I really, really, hope that you enjoyed this fic. It was fun delving deep into Yuffie's tortured psyche. I figured it was about time that Yuffie finally found some happiness--this story is just a way of showing how she could find it. And, as you can see, Vincent and Yuffie didn't just "fall in love", either. It happened over time, as most relationships do. Thank you for reading.
© Kylene C. 1999
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