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Yuffie sighed with a frown, pushing her drink away from her as she laid down, her back against the booths' cushion. She closed her storm grey eyes as the light from the ceilings' fixture beat down on her. She moaned slightly as the light still managed to slip through her closed lids before adding her arm across her eyes.
"I shouldn't have had that drink . . ." She groaned, turning her body so that she was facing the meeting point of the two cushions.
Note to self, she thought; don't drink drinks mixed by a drunken Tifa. Whatever it was Tifa had mixed up for her, she didn't think that it was what she had asked for.
Since no one had really seen each other in the past six months, Tifa had decided that she wanted to get everyone together for the Holidays. Granted, everyone already had some sort of Christmas plans, but, she had been able to get everyone together to ring in the New Year. Everyone had indeed shown up, and to Yuffie's surprise, Vincent had even shown up. Well, made an appearance was more like it . . . he seemed to have disappeared somewhere in the meantime.
"Yuffie? Are you alright?"
Yuffie dropped her arm down to her stomach, cracking a storm grey eye open. "Hi Marlene," she mumbled, the brunette looming over her and effectively blocking out the light bulb. "What's up? Where's Kadaj?"
Marlene blushed at the mention of the silver haired male. "Why aren't you out there having fun, Yuffie? Are you sick?"
"I don't think so; I think I just need some sleep."
"You should go upstairs then and get some sleep. All this noise can't be good for you," Yuffie agreed, the loud music pumping through the speaker system. Marlene nodded, clasping her hands behind her back. "Vincent left a little while ago."
"Vincent left?"
Marlene shrugged, smiling slightly. "He went out into the kitchen a little while ago. Maybe he went out the back door . . . he's not very social, is he?"
"I guess not," Yuffie shrugged, closing her eye again and placed her arm back over her eyes.
"Okay, but try to get some sleep, Yuffie." Marlene grinned, her dress fanning out as she went to capture Kadaj's attention.
Yuffie sighed . . . Vincent, he was gone. She wished the gunslinger was still here. That way, she wouldn't be the only dateless person at Tifa's party.
"Maybe he did go out back," Yuffie mused, frowning slightly.
Moaning slightly as she moved against the booths' cushions, Yuffie inwardly rolled her eyes. Placing her palms on the cushion, Yuffie pushed herself up, blinking rapidly as the light refracted off the disco ball placed above the dance floor.
"Ten minutes till midnight," Yuffie mused, seeing the clock hanging above the bars' counter.
Gripping the booths' table, Yuffie steadied herself, the room swaying in front of her. She'd have to yell at Tifa tomorrow, what the hell had she drunk? As the room stopped swaying, Yuffie grinned as her eyes swept over the bar. Tifa and Cloud were sitting in front of the fire, a fuzzy blanket wrapped around their shoulders. Cait and Red XIII dozed in a corner as Barret glared in Kadaj's direction as Marlene tried to convince him to dance with her. Cid and Shera, alongside Reeve and Shaula – some girl who had helped him build Cait Sith – sat in another booth, laughing loudly about something.
"Glad you're all having fun," Yuffie bit out, her eyes narrowing as her head throbbed painfully.
She stumbled across the bars' floor, grasping the bars' counter as she approached it. Gripping the counter tightly, she scuffled around it, the back door staring back at her from between the fridge and countertop.
Her eyes flickered to the florescent coloured clock over the back door.
The colours hurt her eyes.
Five minutes to midnight.
Geez, had it taken that long to cross the floor?
She gritted her teeth, mumbling to herself. She let go of the counter in favour of the door handle, slowly pushing it open.
"Fresh air," Yuffie moaned, closing the door and leaned against it.
She smiled brightly as the winter wind whipped around her figure, the back alley covered with drifts of snow. Closing her eyes, Yuffie crossed the small alley, and spreading her arms out, fell back into the large drift. She sighed loudly as the coldness seeped through her jacket, the coldness seemed to work wonders for her headache.
Hearing a low chuckle from behind her caused her to open her eyes. She blinked, looking up.
"Vincent? You're still here . . ." Yuffie mentally cursed herself, that was a stupid thing to say. "I mean, what're you still doing out here?"
Vincent shrugged, his crimson eyes looking intently at the ninja. Yuffie sighed, closing her eyes tightly as her head pounded loudly. She heard a rustle of clothing – Vincent's cloak, she thought – and thinking Vincent had left her to her own devices.
She jumped when a hand was laid on her forehead.
Her storm grey eyes flew open.
She blinked.
Vincent leaned over her, his crimson eyes staring intently at her, a frown marring his features.
"Vincent . . . what?"
The gunslinger didn't respond, his lips moving soundlessly as he stared, his frown growing more pronounced.
"It's just a headache," she shrugged.
Vincent shook his head, moving to his hand down to her cheek. Yuffie closed her eyes, leaning against his hand. Vincent smiled slightly at the ninja.
"Yuffie, you need sleep. Why are you up?"
"You sound like Marlene," Yuffie laughed lightly. "But, I wanted to ring in the New Year with everyone," Yuffie paused, looking up at him. "Why are you out here? Don't you want to party with us?"
Vincent shrugged. "Watching everyone's displays of affection isn't for me."
Yuffie grinned. "I didn't like it either," she shook her head, laughing lightly. "Looks like we can ring in the New Year together, single and . . . uhm . . ."
"How much did you drink?"
Yuffie shrugged. "Just what Tifa made – she was a bit woozy then – its' still on the booths' table though."
Shaking his head, Vincent moved his hand from her cheek to behind her neck, his gauntlet moving around her legs and picked her up effortlessly. Small drops of the white snow fell from Yuffie's hair and clothes as he placed her on her feet, a hand still around to stable the ninja.
"TEN!"
Yuffie sighed as she heard the countdown begin, they were starting without her!
"NINE!"
Vincent shook his head, only Yuffie would get a drunken Tifa to mix her a drink. Why did Yuffie want to grow up so fast?
"EIGHT!"
Yuffie blinked, smiling slightly as she noticed that Vincent's arm was still around her waist, holding her to him.
"SEVEN!"
Shrugging, Yuffie learned her head against his chest, his heartbeat echoing in her ear.
"SIX!"
Beneath his cloak, Vincent fought back a blush at the ninja's closeness. He noticed his arm still rested on the ninja's waist, but shrugged the thought off, he doubted Yuffie could stand on her own.
"FIVE!"
"It's funny," Yuffie mumbled, shaking her head. "The two of us alone and together at New Years . . ."
Vincent looked down at the ninja as he felt her arms tentatively wrapped around his torso as she spoke. He smiled slightly.
"FOUR!"
Yuffie closed her eyes; the more she thought of it . . . the less she wanted to ring in the New Year. Maybe she should have gone to bed like Marlene had suggested earlier.
"THREE!"
Yuffie blinked, hearing the rustle of clothing, Vincent's arm brushing past her. Yuffie sighed, fixing her grip on his shirt; at least she wouldn't be spending New Years alone.
"TWO!"
"Together and alone . . ." Vincent mused, thoughtfulness in his tone.
Yuffie brought her eyebrows together, moving to look up at him, confusion written on her features.
"ONE!"
Yuffie blinked; did she just see a small flicker of something in Vincent's eyes? She shook her head, she couldn't have; he was the serious one of them all.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Yuffie sighed, leaning against the gunslinger as silence ensued from the bar beside them. "I guess it looks like we really are together and alone."
She heard Vincent laugh, making the ninja blush as she noticed her arms around Vincent's torso, his arms resting on her waist. Aren't you supposed to kiss the first person you see when the ball drops? Yuffie cast a sideways glance at her taller companion, smiling slightly.
"Do you know the tradition of New Years, Vincent?"
She moved away from the gunslinger, running her hands across his arms before grasping his hands in hers. She smiled up at him, waiting for his answer as she slowly swayed back and forth to a tune inside her head.
"No, what would that be, Yuffie?"
Yuffie smiled, she hadn't thought Vincent might remember . . . he had been only out of that coffin for about two years, and last year, the group had all spent New Years apart.
"Want to find out?"
Silence, then; "Sure . . ."
Smiling at his answer, Yuffie moved closer to Vincent, standing up on her tip-toes to see eye to eye with the gunslinger better. Inwardly, she laughed as Vincent's crimson eyes blinked back at her, eyebrows raised. Tentatively, Yuffie took her eyes away from his, letting go of his hands, placing her hands around his neck. She took in a deep breath – she was actually going to do this – and locking her grey eyes to his crimson ones, leaned forward, lightly crushing her lips to his.
"And that's the tradition," Yuffie smiled cheekily, backing away from him, hands clasped behind her backs. "So, what did you think?"
Vincent smirked slightly from beneath his cloak, crimson eyes staring at Yuffie. "It was . . . fine."
"Fine," Yuffie mumbled, hands on her hips as she stared at him. "That's all you think?"
Vincent shook his head, moving towards Yuffie, grasping her gloved hands in his; lowering himself to her level. "We're being watched by a . . . captive audience."
Yuffie blinked, looking confusingly at Vincent before following his gaze to the bars' windows. She blushed crimson as she noticed the occupants standing in the small window. Tifa had a glass held up to the window, trying to listen in and reiterate the conversation to the others. Cloud stood behind her, smirking slightly while Barret and Cid must have been letting out a loud laugh. Shaula shook her head, whispering something to Reeve who nodded. Marlene just smiled out the window, waving slightly, Kadaj no where in view.
Yuffie shrugged, turning her attention back to Vincent. "Who cares if they watch," she smiled, closing the distance between the two. "Let them for all I care."
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