It's like, 1:20 am, and while I should be getting sleep, my mind was roaming. So I did what I usually do when I'm stressed and can't sleep: I create fanfictions in my head. And in a moment of inspiration, I came up with this and promptly grabbed my laptop, having to write it before I forget. So, born of insomnia and boredom, at the early hours of the too-early-to-even-call-it-morning, comes my first ever Yuffentine!
Disclaimer: I earn no profits from the use of game, plot, characters, names, events, and fun from FF7, all of which belongs to SquareEnix. I don't even own a copy of the game, how sad is that?
In case y'all didn't catch it, no I have never ever ever played Final Fantasy VII. All I know is from Wiki, Fanfiction, and YouTube. If I make a mistake in name spelling, events, characterization, please do not hesitate to tell me so. I'd like to make this as good a story as possible, so I'm going to need all the help I can get from you readers out there!
Updated April 7th, 2013: Changed some spelling errors, added description, and fixed some OOCness of Yuffie.
Prologue
Five months before the events of Chapter One
The cool breeze of fresh air swept over the railing of the Highwind, calming the retching ninja slightly as she gripped the side bar. The morning sky, slightly gray and foggy, seemed to match the tense mood felt onboard the airship. Yuffie sighed, a hand pressed lightly to her head as if to brush her airsickness away.
"Good morning, Yuffie," a sweet voice greeted, but the usual cheer had diminished, if only slightly.
"Hey, Teef," Yuffie replied, her voice edgy. The older woman passed it off as her sickness and leaned against the railing next to the dark haired princess.
"Things are… quiet this morning, aren't they?" Tifa inquired, her eyes on the rising sun in the distance. The Highwind moved slowly through the sky; the farther it traveled, the further Tifa felt from her friends and comrades.
Yuffie drew herself up from her bent position and peered into the distance, quiet as she pondered the thought. Today, AVALANCHE would split up and go their separate ways. Today, there was no Sephiroth, no Remnants, no Omega to fight. Just… AVALANCHE…
"Yeah," Yuffie answered, shaking her head to rid herself of the thoughts while plastering a grin to her face. "But, you know, Barret's bound to wake up any moment now, and the second he gets ahold of the liquor, he and Cid will be swearing like sailors! So enjoy the quiet while you can, or I'll be forced to use my powers of ninja awesomeness to repel the awful silence and bring havoc to all that roam the Highwind!"
Tifa found herself smiling warmly at the girl's antics. Yuffie always managed to bring bubbly cheer to those around her – or annoy them to the point of considering jumping off the Highwind.
"Then I suppose we must endure the tranquility of the morning, lest we find ourselves victim to your – what was it? Oh, yes, 'powers of ninja awesomeness'," came a low timber from behind the girls.
They both turned and stared at Vincent Valentine – one staring solely for the fact that he had managed a joke, and the other solely for the fact that he was Vincent Valentine, in all his brooding, lethal glory.
"Hello, Vincent. It's a pleasant morning isn't it?" Vincent nodded his reply to Tifa, and she took her leave, mentioning that breakfast would be served soon, and she'd yet to make it.
Yuffie grinned at Vincent, her eyes glowing although her stomach lurched. "Sup, Vinnie?! Did you sleep well, or do you even sleep at all without your coffin, Mr. Vampy?"
Vincent smirked lightly from behind the confines of his cloak. He made his way to the railing beside Yuffie and leaned toward her, leaving only a small amount of space between his mouth and her ear.
"You, of all people, should know that." Yuffie blushed a deep shade of crimson, her cheeks in danger of camouflaging themselves with Vincent's cloak. The sight of Yuffie flustered and embarrassed made Vincent chuckle, a sound that Yuffie heard so little of, but longed for constantly. The gunslinger brushed his hand across Yuffie's burning cheek, pressing a light kiss to the other.
"Good morning, Yuffie, and how did you sleep?"
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm gonna head home and getta nice &%$# rest for once! We've been running around savin' the %^$# Planet so long that I forgot what it's like to just to sit down and relax!"
Nanaki nodded, his fur brushing against Yuffie's leg as he moved. "Yes, and I shall return to Cosmo Canyon to continue research on the materia caves we have located."
Yuffie's attention was immediately earned at the mention of the 'M-word', and Nanaki let out a deep growl that could only be referred to as his laughter. "Materia?"
Before the conversation could go further, and Yuffie's insatiable love for materia could be further ignited, Tifa interjected, "I think I'll return to being a barmaid and continue to look after Denzel and Marlene. Of course, if it's alright with you, Barret, if Marlene stays with us."
Barret hesitated, but finally replied, "You just better bring her around to see me every now and then. It might work out better for us both, though. I got some oil fields I'm studyin' right now, and I'll be workin' longer hours. Just make sure she calls."
Tifa smiled and nodded, her brown locks swaying gently. "Of course!"
Cloud glanced up, his eyes locking on Tifa's form before adding, "And I'll accompany you. You'll need another 'delivery boy', no?" Tifa beamed in delight, and Cloud's gaze tore from her.
"What about you, brat? Where are you headin'? Back to Wutai to rule the land of the tourists?"
Yuffie huffed at Cid, sticking her bottom lip out in a pout. "You shut up, old man! Wutai will be great again one day, you'll see!"
"A'ight, spitfire, you calm yer britches over there. Sure, you're gonna lead Wutai to be great and all that %$^&. But I asked ya where you was goin', not what you was gonna do."
Yuffie stuck her tongue out a Cid before grinning and replying, "I was thinking about maybe going to Nibelheim! I don't feel like returning to Wutai just yet, and I kinda wanna enjoy my freedom while I can."
"While that's great, lassie," Cait Sith supplied from his perch on an end table, "Why Nibelheim?"
Yuffie's eyes darted to Vincent's. The man leaned against the side of the airship passively, his tattered red cloak hiding any expression from the ninja's eyes, but she caught a swirling emotion in his own crimson orbs. There seemed to be a light there that Yuffie hadn't noticed earlier. He's okay with me telling them.
"I'm going with Vince," Yuffie answered nonchalantly. "I mean, it isn't like we haven't traveled the world together before! And for serious, have you seen that mansion!? It's huge-o! It's like, as big as Sephiroth's ego! He has rooms to spare, and I need a place to stay. I'm gonna help him clean out the monsters and fix the place up, Yuffie-style. No, Cloud, do not give me a disapproving look, it's perfectly legal, my style! 'Sides that, Vince'll probably crawl back into his Cuddle-Coffin and sleep the next thirty years away just he can pop out and join the next great rebel team as their resident vampire brood . He needs a little bit o' Wutai Super Ninja or he's gonna turn into a real broodster like you, Cloud!"
"I do not brood, Yuffie!" Cloud bit back, a grin on his face. Yuffie shrugged.
"You've gotten better; I'll give you props for that. But if I hadn't been here, Chocobo-head, you'd have been a goner for sure! And now the Planet needs me to protect the citizens of the world from the impending doom that is Vincent unless he takes his happy pills!" Yuffie smiled at him innocently, blinking her eyelashes as she waited for his reaction.
Vincent raised an eyebrow, and the corners of his lips pulled up slightly, although no one could see it behind the collar of his cloak. "I hardly think that is fair, Yuffie. It is you who must take pills, not me."
Yuffie pouted and crossed her arms. "I do not take pills for ADHD, Vinnie!"
"Well maybe you should, brat! Now shaddup, all of ya. I've gotta fly this &^%$ ship and I don't want none of your distractions!"
After the meeting, Vincent disappeared into the halls of the airship, leaving no word of where he was going. Yuffie stuck out her bottom lip in concentration as she stalked the dark haired gunman like a cat.
She rounded a corner, peering down a corridor before backflipping into hallway. She tiptoed a couple of steps before she heard mirthful chuckling behind her.
Yuffie spun around to glare at Vincent, her eyes narrowed due to his ruining her fun. "No fair! You can't sneak up on the Single White Rose of Wutai! I'm the ninja, not you!" Even so, the sound of his laughter was enough to bring a smile to her face. She'd worked so hard to hear that sound, and now, it seemed he never failed to make it when he was with her…
Vincent smiled slightly and bowed. "My apologies, princess. Allow me to fix this." Vincent backed up and went back down the opposite corridor, walking back the way he came before eyeing Yuffie and saying monotonously, "Yuffie Kisaragi, how you've frightened me. Do not sneak up on me like that."
Yuffie wrinkled her nose at Vincent and bounced on her toes. "Don't make fun of me, Broody McVampire!"
Vincent only smiled once more before sweeping Yuffie up and pressing a kiss to her lips. After a moment, Vincent pulled back, leaving Yuffie breathless.
"Little Rose," Vincent murmured before pressing a far more heated kiss to the ninja's lips. The Wutain girl moaned slightly as Vincent trailed kisses down her neck. The kisses abruptly stopped, making Yuffie voice her disappointment as her eyes flew open, then she heard a gasp. Both Vincent and Yuffie craned their heads to see Barret standing at the end of the corridor with a look of utter shock on his face.
In panic, Vincent flew to the other side of the hall, pressing against the wall opposite Yuffie and vanishing into the shadows. The girl in question pressed a hand to her mouth, holding her breath and waiting to see what the dark skinned man would do.
"Well, what are you waiting for, Barret!? Sorry, but I've been waiting since Deepground to see Vincent give birth to a black chocobo, and it ain't happened yet, so quit your staring and scram! Can't you see I'm busy giving Vincent a dental appraisal?! He's got very nice tonsils, by the way, vocal or not. And I'll tell you when he's really vocal-"
Surprising Yuffie and Vincent, Barret simply turned on his heel and left the way he came, leaving Yuffie gasping for breath and Vincent weary. The ninja bit her lip, her heart hammering in her chest.
This is not good! What – what if he tells the others? Oh crap, what if he tells Cid!?
"Vince?" Yuffie asked worriedly, letting her own worries dissipate. The gunslinger shook his head slightly and walked toward the ninja.
"It is fine, Yuffie. Even if the others discover the nature of our relationship, I'm sure it will be fine. It even seems that Tifa has been pushing us toward each other. I believe she wishes for us to see each other."
"Even though we already are," Yuffie whispered, gazing up into Vincent's blood red eyes.
"Yes. That we are, Little Rose." Vincent kissed Yuffie deeply once more, and she sighed, looking forward to all of the kisses that she knew she would share with the gunslinger.
How wrong she was.
When Yuffie awoke, she rolled over, seeking Vincent's warmth that was always close by in the recent nights. She patted the bed, expecting to find Vincent, or warmth – a sign that he'd been there – or even an indention of where he had slept. She found only cool sheets.
Sitting up quickly with her heart pounding, Yuffie glanced around. Her eyebrows narrowed when she noticed the dresser drawers pulled out, all empty and an un-shut as if yanked out in a hurry. All of Vincent's things were gone.
"…Vinnie?" Yuffie called apprehensively, anxiety coursing through her veins like ice. Maybe he had gone and packed already. Maybe he was waiting for her by the hatch. Maybe they had landed in Nibelheim and he hadn't wanted to wake her, so he told Cid to wait for her to awaken on her own. Maybe this, maybe that.
In seconds, Yuffie pulled clothes on, not even caring that they were the ones she'd worn the day before. "Leviathan - I swear Vincent Valentine!"
"Teef, you gotta help me! Tifa, open up!"
"What, what's wrong!?" The busty brunette flung the door open, pulling her gloves on as she did. Her eyes were hazy with sleep, and her dark brown hair mussed, but she still gave off the appearance of being on high alert.
Yuffie grabbed at her, her eyes wide and frightened, slightly misty with the coming of tears. "It's Vin, Tifa. I can't find him anywhere! I checked all over, in the stables, in the mess hall, in the rooms, and I can't find him!"
"Yuffie, sweetie, do you know what time it is? It's four in the morning. He probably just went to the bathroom." Tifa shook her head and turned to go back to sleep, but Yuffie yanked her back with lightning fast reflexes.
"Teef, his things are gone."
Tifa's eyebrows lowered slightly, and she looked pensive. "Gone, all of it?"
"Yeah, Tifa! I think he left me. Oh Leviathan – what if he's left me!?" The ninja held herself together, chanting that she would not cry. Ninja didn't cry…
"Yuffie, even if he did, that's his choice. He's a grown man and he doesn't need your permission to return to his mansion. I know you talked about going with him, but did you consider that he might not want that?"
Yuffie furiously shook her head, and a traitorous tear slid from the corner of one eye. "Tifa, he and I weren't going to Nibelheim to fix up the mansion, clean out monsters, or prevent him from brooding. We were going back because he asked me to move in with him. … We've kind of been together for a while."
Tifa's jaw dropped and she found herself smiling, but given the current situation, she ceased immediately. "Wait, together?"
Yuffie bit her bottom lip as a new wave of tears threatened, but she stuck her chin up and held back the floodgates. "He… told me he loved me! How could he say that and then leave me!?"
That broke Yuffie. In seconds, her bottom lip trembled uncontrollably, and then her eyes unleashed a waterfall of salt and water. Tifa pulled the kunoichi to her and stroked her hair, murmuring reassuring words to her. After a moment of the ninja's crying, Cloud emerged from the room next to Tifa's, looking dead on his feet and slightly peeved. His demeanor altered completely when he noticed the sobbing Yuffie.
"What's going on?" he demanded, eyeing the distraught ninja. Tifa glanced up slowly at her blonde friend, her eyes portraying the sadness in Yuffie's eyes, but substantially less so.
"Cloud, where did Vincent go?" Tifa asked softly, nearly mouthing the words.
Cloud rubbed the back of his head, his blonde spikes dancing even as they were matted with sleep. "Vincent, what's he got to do with this?"
Tifa narrowed her eyes, and though she was a sweet, caring, and motherly woman, she could be lethal when angered. "I asked, where's Vincent?"
Cloud gulped. "Highwind said he dropped him off around one this morning. Didn't tell him where he was going, either. He dropped him off somewhere near Cosmo Canyon with Red, I think. He could be anywhere by now."
Yuffie blinked and turned her bloodshot eyes towards Cloud, the latter of which blanched slightly at the raw sadness that radiated beneath the stormy gray-brown of the ninja's eyes.
"Cloud, why didn't he wake me?"
"I'm not sure what you mea-"
"Why did he leave me!?" Yuffie screeched, throwing her body to the floor. The sight of the once bubbly girl collapsed on the floor in despair made Cloud and Tifa uneasy. Never had she seemed so lost or alone. She always radiated happiness and cheer. Something was entirely too wrong…
After Yuffie's tears subsided, she wiped at her eyes and stood shakily, allowing Tifa to help her to her feet. Once she was balanced, Yuffie glanced down at her midsection, most of which was exposed due to the short top she had on.
"…Teef?"
"Yes, Yuffie?"
"I didn't tell you the worst part."
"Worst part?"
"Yeah… . Tifa, I'm pregnant."
"Yuffie, how did this happen?" Cloud hissed, his words almost sounding like one long groan as he slid his hands through his hair.
"Well you see, Vincent put his-"
"I know damn well how it happened!" Cloud cried, exasperated. "What I'm asking is how did you end up in this situation?" Her big brother like figure paced around the room, angry and near snapping.
"He told me he loved me! We were going to live together in Nibelheim and I was going to tell him I was pregnant, and we were going to start a family." Yuffie scoffed at herself and then hissed, "They always tell you not to believe your first relationship will work out, not to trust the first man you fall in love with. Wow, I'm so weak…"
Cait Sith hopped onto Yuffie's knee and pat her head encouragingly. "Ah, cheer up, lassie! I'm sure there's a good explanation for this. Vincent isn't the 'love-em-and-leave-em' kinda guy. You see how long he brooded over Lucrecia. It wasn't 'til you came along that he opened his eyes and realized that crying over a girl that betrayed him wasn't solving his problems."
Yuffie flinched at the mention of Lucrecia. "Do you think he left me because I'm not her? Am I not good enough?"
Tifa pursed her lips, about to offer her friend some kind words, but Cloud beat her to it.
"Really, Yuffie? You are the Single White Rose of Wutai who cries over nothing, and you're going to let a brooding man bring you down in a single blow? You helped defeat Sephiroth and Deepground! Pull yourself together, woman! If you want him back, go get him! 'Cause I sure as hell have never seen you give up anything you have your eye on without a fight: materia, Sephiroth clones, or men!"
Yuffie cracked a slight grin at Cloud, her eyes filling with a spark of hope. It was no wonder Cloud was the leader, Tifa thought. He could inspire anyone and control any situation, even a pregnant and sobbing Yuffie.
"You're right, Cloud! I'm going after him! He had to have a reason for leaving, right? He wouldn't have just left without due cause, huh? No, Vinnie's more of a man than that. And I'll kick his ass if he ain't, I don't care if I'm pregnant!" Yuffie grinned, feeling considerably less mopey and pitiful.
Cloud grinned and ruffled Yuffie's hair. "That's my ninja!"
"Now 'old up!" Cid grunted. He'd been surprisingly silent the entire time, not commenting on Yuffie and Vincent's relationship, or even the fact that the ninja was pregnant. "There's somethin' I might needa add."
Yuffie cocked her head. "Spill it, old man."
"I might'er told ol' Vampy-britches to get the 'ell of my airship." Cid flinched, expecting a barrage of verbal – and possibly physical – attacks.
Tifa, Cloud, Cait Sith, and Yuffie's mouths collectively dropped. The only person who didn't look surprised in the group was Barret. It suddenly clicked with the ninja – Barret had told Cid.
"You did what?" came Yuffie's poisonous response. "Cid *^$% Highwind, what the &^%$ did you &^$%$ say to Vincent, you *^%$!?"
"Barret caught you two making out in the hallway, and that just ain't right! Now I know you think I don't care about ya and all that %$#, but Yuffie, he's troubled. Just look at his past! He gets a kick outta killin' monsters and he's unpredictable! Not to mention you're only twenty, and that's still young enough to be a brat in my book!"
Yuffie gaped at the man. "You had no right! And I- I'm pregnant and now he's gone!"
"I didn't know he'd knocked you up when I shoved him off the airship!" Cid cried, his blue eyes narrowed. He glanced away guiltily.
"Shoved him off the airship!? What the hell, Cid?"
Cid pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it, taking a drag before retorting, "'Kay, so I didn't 'shove' him off, I 'least gave 'em time to get his &%$ and get gone. Can't say I was too nice 'bout it, though."
"Damn you, old man!" Yuffie cried, jumping off of her seat on the couch. She flew toward Cid, her fist contracted and ready to punch, but Tifa pulled her back, glaring all the while at the pilot.
"Everybody calm down," Cloud moaned. "Relax, okay? We'll find Vincent, you'll apologize, Cid, and it will be okay. This will all be okay in the end. He'll return, you know he will."
"He always does." Yuffie's voice was barely audible, but the whisper could be heard by everyone, along with the sorrow it carried. She blinked away some moisture in her eyes and let her hand brush her stomach, imagining how long the next eight or nine months would be – depending on how far along she was – if Vincent wasn't there.
Cid groaned and raked a hand through his sandy hair. "Look, kid, I'm real sorry 'bout all this. I was only trying to look out fer ya. I didn't meant to screw everything up."
Yuffie smiled a little and replied, "Whatever, old man. You're just crotchety because I'm younger and prettier than you! You drove Vinnie away 'cause you couldn't keep him for yourself!" At this, Yuffie stuck her tongue out and tilted her head, making Tifa sigh in relief.
She'll be alright, she has to be.
"When did it happen?" Cloud asked, catching Yuffie alone on the deck. She glanced over at the ex-Soldier and smiled, a real smile that lit up her face.
"We kinda became closer during Deepground, you know? We fought together for so long, and we became each other's support beams. He changed after Omega. He seemed happier, lighter, care-free. When I asked him about it, he said that he'd let go of the one thing that had brought him the most pain, when he believed that it was the source of his only happiness. He said that he'd lost touch of reality until he joined AVALANCHE. He realized that he couldn't be happy-"
*Flashback*
"- if my light is only casting shadows over my future. If the candle burns in the past, how can I move on to the present and see the horizon, there are only shadows there. All I could see was the happiness – the light and love in my past. I almost forgot to realize that everything around me was good, even though the past told me I could not be happy, not happy without it. I needed to let go of the past to be free of sin and burden."
Yuffie sat beside Vincent on the Highwind. The others had long since turned in, but Yuffie had caught Vincent heading for the deck. She could since something was… off, but she didn't know if it was good or bad.
"Vince?"
"Yes, Yuffie?" Vincent remained leaning against the railing and gazing up at the stars. His eyes seemed brighter than before, and he hadn't even scolded her for calling him by one of her ridiculous nicknames.
"Can I ask what you gave up? What was the candle, Vinnie?" Vincent turned to look at Yuffie. Said girl sat on the rail of the Highwind, dangerously close to falling off if she leaned too far backwards.
"Lucrecia."
Yuffie's eyes grew to saucers and she flailed to keep from falling off of the rail. Vincent steadied her and she burst into one of her "Yuffie Speeches".
"But, Vin-Vin, you've been pining over that bitch since you locked yourself in a freaking vampire-sleepingbag! And even after we gotcha to get out of the coffin, that's all you ever brooded about! Lucrecia this, and Lucrecia that! What changed? People don't usually have a change of heart over something that means that much to them!"
Although Vincent had flinched at Yuffie's term for Lucrecia, he had shown no other reactions to anything she had said to him. When she finally stopped talking, Vincent elaborated.
"As I said before, I thought she was the world. I didn't think I could ever love anyone as much as I loved her, but I found that I was wrong. She only brought me pain and guilt, not happiness and forgiveness."
"So where did your happiness and forgiveness come from, Vin? What made you change your mind?" Yuffie tilted her head at him, her eyes soft and sympathetic as she trailed a finger over the gauntlet that encased the gunslinger's arm.
Vincent smiled at the ninja, noticing how her dark, Wutainese hair swayed in the cool night air and the stars lit up her eyes. How the moon cast a glow on the dark halo of hair around her head, giving her the appearance of an angel.
"You are no angel, that is for certain. And you should never be mistaken for such, lest you prove the person foolish enough to think so wrong. You are a thief and a ninja, and are not to be trusted."
"Wow, Vinnie. This change of heart has certainly made you talkative, hasn't it?" Yuffie giggled, rolling her brown eyes.
Vincent smiled as he uncrossed his arms and stepped away from the rail. He moved to go inside, but he paused for only a moment, glancing back at her with his glorious claret eyes.
"Yes, you are right. The change of heart has made me more talkative – one can only expect that from a girl as talkative as yourself."
Yuffie gaped and tumbled gracelessly from the railing. "Wha- what? Wait a minute, Vince! Vincent Valentine, don't you walk away from me! No, Vinnie, get back here! What do you mean by that? Are you trying to tell me- You shut that door in my face, Mister, and I will steal all of your materia-!"
Vincent spun around to face the tiny, seething ninja at his door. "Steal my materia? Little Rose, you have stolen my heart and my future, what could stealing materia possibly do to hurt me now?" And with that, Vincent Valentine shut the door, leaving behind a babbling ninja that was, for once, at a loss for words.
*End Flashback*
Yuffie snapped out of her daydreaming when she heard Cloud shift. He was walking away, but she could hear him when he whispered, "Don't worry, Yuffster, we'll find him."
"Did you think to call his PHS?" Yuffie rolled her eyes.
"No, Cait, I did not think of that."
Cait Sith huffed. "No need to be rude, lassie. You needn't get your obi in a twist."
Yuffie flicked the cat's nose, the latter hopping off of her leg before she could annoy him further.
"Say, lassie, how far along are you?"
Yuffie froze. It was so easy to forget that she had a life growing inside of her. Hard to believe that the lanky ninja – who had once been so determined to be independent – had a baby forming inside of her. Inside of body that lacked the hips to carry a baby, height to support the weight, and probably the breasts to feed it.
"I found out when I missed my period. I think it was three weeks ago. I figured I might have been late because of stress, but then we stopped in Costa del Sol to assist the Turks, and I got a test from the pharmacy. I didn't believe it. I… I couldn't bring myself to tell Vincent."
Cait Sith watched as Yuffie caressed her stomach, a look in her eyes that he couldn't place. She pulled her hand away and dropped her gaze.
"Do you think I'll be a good mother? I'm still the loudmouth, swearing, ninja brat that everyone thinks of as a child. How am I going to raise my own?"
Cloud made his presence known at that point, moving into the room and out of the shadows. "You've made it this far, haven't you? You've survived and helped defeat countless enemies. If you can raise that child the way you've raised yourself, even if turns out to be a loudmouth, swearing, brat, I think it'll be alright."
"Well said," Cait Sith added, a cheery smile on his face. "I think you'll do just fine."
"'Sides, we'll be there to help ya," Cid added, lumbering into the lounge. The ninja glanced up at him, taking in his furrowed brow and tentative smile. She could see the guilt in his blue eyes.
"Hey, old man, it's not your fault! You just overreacted-"
"Not unlike what you do, Yuffie," Cait Sith interjected merrily, and Yuffie cut her eyes at him.
"And now Vin's gone, but we'll find him!"
If there was one thing that bothered Vincent more than Chaos, it was his own thoughts. He'd long since extracted the demon being from his conscious, leaving his own dark thoughts to flow through his brain tiresomely. Cid's fury at his relationship with Yuffie had taken Vincent somewhat by surprise. He'd known that there would be hesitation from the group to accept their relationship, but he had not expected Cid to go off as he had.
*Flashback*
"Vincent, *^%&^! You can't do that to Yuffie! You'll destroy her. She's nothing but a young kid with a crush, and she's still innocent to most of the horrors of the world-"
"Highwind, Yuffie has been traveling with us since she was sixteen. She may be innocent, but she is not ignorant." Vincent's steely gaze bore into Cid's eyes. The two silently regarded each other, neither making an attempt to gain the upperhand.
After a moment, Cid swore and turned away. "Look, Valentine, I'm only trying to look out for her. She hasn't exactly had the best parental guidance, you know – what with her mother being dead, and her father a dead-beat. Anyway, all I'm saying is consider your past. Can you really protect Yuffie? The way she needs to be protected? Sure, she can handle herself just fine in battle, but she needs someone to preserve her happiness. And over time, Valentine, you're only going to drag her down to the depths of your own hell."
Vincent faltered slightly, thinking, and not for the first time, himself incapable of adequately shielding Yuffie from his own sins. He couldn't taint her with himself…
"I'm sorry, Vince, but you gotta let her go, buddy. If you truly love her, you'll do what's best for her."
Vincent packed up and left, long before his beloved would rise. He watched her sleeping beneath his sheets, a smile on her face as she curled into the pillow that he normally used. He found himself smiling, wanting to engrave the memory into his mind forever. He placed a final kiss to her lips, which were parted in sleep, and then set off into the night, his goodbye to his ninja carried on the wind with the burden of innocence he longed to preserve.
As of April 7th, 2013, I'll be updating this story and tweaking it to make it better.
Okay, so there's the first chapter! I'm not sure how I liked it, cause Vincent and Yuffie seemed kinda OOC to me, but I think given the circumstances, it could work. The added fluff here and there was to lighten the tension for what is to come. The next part gets increasingly darker, and I wanted to end the first chapter on a slightly fluffier note. BTW, the barriers are ticking me off! They wouldn't show up, so I had to be all *flashback* *end flashback* How lame?! See, even Chaos is laughing at me.
I like post AC and DoC Vincent cause he seems kinda jokey and smirky to me, and I think a Vincent that hangs around Yuffie that much is bound to pick up some chatty habits ;) Plus, he seems kinda sexy and all in the last games, like he knows he's got it going on, but he won't admit it out loud, cuz duh, he's Vincent.
Anways, the upcoming chapters will probably not be as fluffy and "Oh, Vincent," - "Oh, Yuffie," as this once. Nope, definitely not.
So, tell me what you thought - what's the good, what's the bad, what's the just plain don't have my facts straight about something? Just don't flame :) Vincent will extinguish those for me and then glare at you, and it would be unfortunate to have a sexy Vincent glare at you rather than smirk at you, which he will do to all those who give positive reviews and constructive criticism in a courteous way. Thank you!