A/N: This one is for my good friend Holyknightsteve. It was supposed to be a Christmas gift, but with my computer's bad timing of catching a virus and crashing…I'm afraid it's past late. (Way WAY late…over two years late…) GOMEN NASAI STEVE! Anyways, this one's for you. Merry (very belated) Christmas!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or rights to Final Fantasy VII as much as I wish I did.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Waking Dream

By: Hoshiko Shinomori

-o-o-o-o-o-

Vincent leaned in close to the tiny flickering candle; its light throwing harsh shadows across his face and the poorly lit inn room. From where he was seated on the window ledge he could hear the joyful laughter of the citizens outside. Somehow though, their laughter was unable to reach his heart. All happiness had long fled from his being. Vincent was nothing more than an empty shell now; he was a free soul who wandered the planet seeking atonement.

It was all my fault.

He should never have met her. If only he didn't look the way he did. If only he wasn't the man that he was. If he could have never appeared in front of her…

Do you regret it?

If their paths had never crossed perhaps Lucrecia wouldn't have had to die. But, they did, and they met. Vincent resembled his father in so many ways. How could she have not been drawn? Vincent as well. Though he was hired merely as a bodyguard, he should have known better than to fall for the one he was sent to protect.

If only they hadn't gotten that close. Maybe then Hojo wouldn't have…

For a second, the pain of memory flashed through his glowing red eyes. Clutching his face with his ungloved hand he doubled over, bringing himself in. Then, barely managing to miss the flames, his long raven locks fell like a curtain, shielding his face from view. After a moment, the flame was blown out and the room encompassed in darkness.

I'm sorry…

Vincent burst out from the glowing warmth of the inn and into the bustling cold of the city. Snow drifted down slowly, landing in large piles on the side of the street. White covered everything everywhere: storefronts, roofs, and trees. The biting cold permeated through everything. Couples wearing multiple layers of clothing bustled around, looking through various storefront windows to see the goods, their breath fogging up the glass. Vincent merely hugged his crimson cloak tighter to his body. Once upon a time that could have been Lucrecia and him strolling down the street side by side.

But that was all in the past.

A little farther up the street, a mother was shopping with her son. The child's face eagerly lit up at the sight of all the toys and delicious candies while the mother's face was softened in the dim light, years of motherhood adding a gentle touch to her features. When she smiled down lovingly at the child, a twang went through Vincent's heart. If things had all gone well…but they didn't. Lucrecia was dead. She had been with child and now she was no more. It should have been Lucreica and her child he saw enjoying the holidays, but that would never happen. Lucrecia was gone now and Vincent was left alone to feel enough for the both of them.

You have to move forward…

He was a Turk once. He was a man for hire and once upon a time he was a man in love, but nevermore. He had shut his heart out to everything. He could no longer hear the joyful laughter of the children or feel the coldness in his skin. He just walked forward aimlessly, listening as the snow crunched beneath his feet.

That's all his existence amounted to. All he could do was idly go through life, watching passively as that which he held dear was destroyed beneath his nose. All he's ever cared for has been ripped from him and as such, he's been stuck, unable to remain in the past, but at the same time, unable to move forward. Vincent was stuck in a dark pit of which there was no escape. And yet, Vincent had people who considered him friend. Despite his best efforts not to get too close to anyone ever again, he still met kind people like Cloud, Tifa, and Aeris, who up until her last breath believed in him. She still probably believes in him even now in the afterlife. Then there's—

"Vincent…Vincent! Wake up!" Two quick jabs in his side quickly brought Vincent out of his solitary reverie.

Somehow unnoticed, the infamous klepto ninja of the group had snuck up right next to him. She was dressed in a green turtleneck similar to the one she was wearing when they first met. The only difference was that this one had long sleeves. She was still wearing that grey hoodie he'd seen her first wear a few years back and as always, she was still garbed in shorts coupled with knee length boots. Momentarily Vincent was awed, wondering how she could pull off wearing such an outfit in the middle of December snow without getting cold. Then Vincent suddenly remembered whom he was dealing with…a klepto ninja.

"What do you want Yuffie?" His one hand was already moving to protectively cover his pouch of materia while both eyes were trained on Yuffie.

"Stop being such a grump." Yuffie's face was scrunched up in a scowl, her hands on her hips, as she was leaning forward slightly. "Just so you know, I was going to give you a present since I didn't want you to feel alone or left out, but if you don't want it—" Yuffie had already turned around and was walking away.

Vincent was fully prepared to let her walk away. The upbeat ninja could be a handful at times. However, knowing Yuffie, she'd stay until she accomplished what she had come to do. Once an idea was in her head, there was no stopping her.

"Yuffie, wait…"

Yuffie paused where she was, unable to resist the urge to stick out her tongue as her face broke out into a huge smile. That had been almost too easy. As she began doing victory poses under the false belief that Vincent couldn't see, Vincent meanwhile turned away from the stupidity. Before he even had a chance to blink though, Yuffie was already up in his face thrusting a small lumpy package into his hands.

"I knew you'd want my present! After all, who doesn't like to receive gifts on Christmas? It is the giving season and since I am oh so gracious—" Vincent had already started to tune out Yuffie and her incessant rambling while he inspected the odd little gift.

It was a poorly wrapped package, surrounded by a mellow shade of yellow wrapping paper. Lots of tape had gone into keeping the present intact. A sad looking bow had been tied with some excess green ribbon. It was a bit lopsided and the present was very lumpy due to an excess of folds and wrinkles in the wrapping paper. While the present didn't look like much, it was obvious that great effort was put into wrapping it. The corners of Vincent's mouth turned up a bit at Yuffie's attempt.

"OH! And maybe you can dress up as a jolly old man and give gifts to other people. Since it's Christmas, of course I expect a present as well." Yuffie's voice finally brought Vincent back.

"What?!?" Vincent always knew that Yuffie was strange, but…

"I knew it! You weren't listening to a word I said! As punishment, I think I'll have to take something from you."

Vincent's hand had instinctively gone to cover up his materia pouch, while his other hand was stuck holding on to the gift. He stood his ground, but even he began to worry when Yuffie determinedly approached him at a brisk pace while grinning mischievously. Then things seemed to speed up. Suddenly Yuffie was stopped in front of him, hand clutching at the front of his black shirt. He was jerked down to her level until they were nose to nose. She stared into his eyes for a few long seconds, searching for something that only his eyes could tell. Suddenly she leaned forward as her cool lips touched his thin chapped ones. Vincent barely registered her action as his brain ceased functioning at that moment. His hands dropped uselessly to his side as the package fell soundlessly in the snow. Slowly, he closed his eyes as his world narrowed to only that point of contact, all images and thoughts fading in the dark.

Stop holding back! You deserve happiness too! Stop blaming yourself...

Vincent jerked up out of bed with a gasp. For a few confused seconds he sat in his bed, blinking.

"A dream…it was only a dream." Vincent couldn't stop himself from laughing bitterly at the irony, as he ran one hand through his thick mane of hair, letting out the frustration. "I really am a fool."

Don't you know by now...?

Getting out of bed, he padded across the floor and lit the lone candle in his rented inn room. The flame flickered in an unusual pattern and Vincent suddenly felt the draft coming from the east side. Looking at his open window, the source of the cool air, he finally noticed the odd package lying on the sill. As he got closer, he realized it was identical to the one Yuffie had given him in his dream, right down to the lumpy wrapping and lopsided bow. Curiously, he picked up the present and opened it. Inside was a small keychain that appeared to be part of a set. His keychain was the left half of a white cross with a singular black demon wing. In the space made between the cross and the wing was a yellow material orb.

"It must have been really hard for Yuffie to give up a precious materia for me," Vincent mused, the faintest hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Half a cross and a single demon wing…how fitting."

Vincent then noticed for the first time a small slip of paper hidden amongst the wrapping. Taking out the crinkled piece, he unfolded it and read its message.

"Since I didn't get a gift from you in return, I helped myself. Thanks for the present." The bottom had been signed, "Love Yuffie," with a small chibi Yuffie face drawn in the corner striking a victory pose.

Vincent tensed up as he read. Hurriedly he checked for his small pouch containing all his materia. It came as no surprise that he couldn't find it.

"Yuffie!" Vincent bolted out of the inn door in search of the sneaky ninja. The weather outside had dropped a few more degrees and it had begun to snow again. No one was walking outside anymore as the sun had started to set. Vincent briskly walked along the snowy streets, his ragged breathing coming out in short puffs of visible air. "I'll kill her once I find her. I'll murder her!" he thought as he glared ahead, quickening his steps.

In his haste, he almost overlooked a lumpy object lying in the middle of the road. Picking up the foreign object, he carefully brushed away the snow covering it, revealing a plain brown pouch. It was a bag full of materia…his materia. Looking inside, Vincent saw a folded note tucked in, a bit crinkled from the unkind movements of the materia within. It was written in a slanted girlish font and some parts became increasingly hard to make out as snow landed on the parchment, water rubbing away some of the ink. Vincent moved and stood under an awning of a chocolate store as he read the note using the light from a nearby street lamp to help him see.

"Thanks for the gift. I figured that you didn't want anyone learning that you talk in your sleep, so I'll keep one materia as payment for my silence. Now we're a matching set!"

"Hee hee!"

Vincent looked up suddenly from his reading. That laugh sounded too real to just be his imagination. Then he spotted Yuffie across the street, wearing the same outfit as she had in his dream. She had a huge smile as she held up a keychain that perfectly completed his. Yuffie's keychain was the other side of the cross; the only difference was that hers was pure black and had an angel wing rather than a demon's. Glittering on the keychain was a red materia orb.

"Merry Christmas Vincent," she mouthed from across the street.

"Merry Christmas Yuffie," he mouthed back.

Somewhere, somehow, he thought he heard a voice whisper in his mind.

I'm happy for you Vincent.

As the snow drifted downwards and the stars twinkled on one by one, it was the perfect setting for a new beginning. Vincent knew that from this moment on, he would no longer be lost within the dark. He had finally woken up to find a pleasant dream.

-o-o-o-o-o-

A/N: Somehow, I just can't let go of the feeling that Vincent is somewhat OOC! Gomen Steve! Gomen lovely readers! In any case, I hoped it was at least enjoyable...Merry Christmas (?)