This is a response to a challenge by Kysic on the forum Genesis awards, for a fic about friendship between Yuffie and Vincent, rather then romance. I'm not sure if this fits that category, but it's been in my head for a while and her challenge is what inspired me to finally write it.
"No… no don't… Mum… Mum where are you…"
The sound of frantic murmuring awoke Vincent from his sleep. Looking around for the source of the noise, he was not altogether surprised to see it came from the young ninja, curled up in the corner of the cave the group had found to spend the night in, not far from him. She was curled up in a jumble of limbs and blanket, muttering feverishly in her sleep, hands clenched in tight fists. Her vulnerability came as a shock, as he was used to her loud, brash arrogance, desperate to hide any sign of fear or weakness, always searching for the approval of those older and more experienced then her, yet pretending their opinion meant nothing.
Now however, she seemed like the young child she truly was, trapped in some nightmare and asking for her mother. Vincent found himself moving towards her. She seemed so alone, away from the others in this corner.
Yuffie was running, running as fast as she could but they were after her, behind her, and if they caught her they would kill her, just like they killed her mother. She was running faster then she'd ever run before, she was floating over the ground she ran so fast, but her pursuers just got faster. Then suddenly, with a jolt, she realised it was a dream, and if she just opened her eyes she would be back in her room with her cats and plenty of traps and weapons to deter any would-be attackers.
So when she sat up and opened her eyes, and found herself in a cold, dark cave with no cats to cuddle and only one shuriken lying beside her, the shock was too much to bear and before she realised what was happening, her eyes filled with tears and she was sobbing. And once she started she couldn't stop, even when she remembered that Tifa or Aerith were always there for a hug if she needed one, and that Cloud and his buster sword was better protection then any trap she could devise. But the tears kept coming even as she tried to stifle them for fear they would wake up the others and they would see she was just a stupid, scared little kid after all and sent her home to her father.
But suddenly, there was a slight disturbance of air, and then she was surrounded by torn red velvet and there was a strong arm around her shoulders that was almost like her father but not quite. She looked up, and the crimson eyes that returned her gaze showed not pity or derision but understanding. So she wiped her face against the cloak, leaving a trail of snot and tears (it did not matter, it had been stained by far worse in the past) and rested her head against his side, that was not as warm as Tifa or Aerith but not as cold as she had thought it might be, and with a muffled "Thank you", let herself drift back into sleep.
Once he was sure she was asleep, he carefully laid her back in her nest of blankets, and moved back to his original spot. He knew that tomorrow she would pretend this had never happened, erase it from her memory, make fun of his cloak and Cloud's hair and try to get Nanaki to let her ride him. She would try to steal the materia, and laugh when they caught her and tell them it was a joke and of course she meant them to catch her, and generally be a nuisance and annoyance. But tonight, he saw behind the mask of hyperactivity, and saw something of himself. For he knew about nightmares, and waking up alone in the dark.
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