Disclaimer
The following content is the intellectual property of
Sony Computer Entertainment, Square Enix, and their
respective subsidiaries as well as any participating
organizations that own various designs and concepts
that will be featured. The Author in no way claims to
be a part owner of any of the characters that will be
portrayed, and writes with the full authorization of
the ffnet website.
Warning:
The following content is rated K for ages 5+, and is
appropriate for children and adults. This is a work of
fiction: Any and all similarities to real life situations is
purely coincidental.
The New1
When he awoke she was already there. Her pale white skin glowed under the effervescent moonlight. Looking up, he saw that OMEGA's shadow formed a cross over his eyes. From his perch at the top of the cliff overlooking Memorial he could see the glittering tide wash over aged debris. The prancing winds which brought to him the scent of stale ash stole imperceptibly to some other field and left to Vincent Valentine the warm, gently rising odor of something sweet and unfamiliar.
He noticed it immediately, but refrained from looking around him. He was too bored to take an active interest, but too restless to go back to sleep. But he didn't want to go back to 7th Heaven, and leaving Yuffie behind to go somewhere else would incur her wrath.. So it was a matter of waiting for her to wake up and force him to walk her home. That smell was beginning to dig into his nostrils. He was becoming irritated by his own inability to put it out of his mind. He clambered down the tree quietly and gravitated towards the source, an odd, pink little flower sitting in her lap. He eyed Yuffie, asleep, before tentatively reaching out to it.
As he closed his fingers around the stem and drew his hand away to examine the flower in further detail, she uttered his name. He paused, not looking at her, fearing for a moment that she might be awake. But no, she was just dreaming. As she shifted her position in her sleep, he ignored her murmurs to focus again on the flower. It was small, and had many bells coming out of its branch. The closer he held it, the stronger the sweetness. It was...
"Please don't go..."
She grasped his cape between her fingers, squeezing it tightly and pulling on it. When he looked up, her eyes were closed. When he tried to extricate his garment from her clutches, she relaxed and her head rolled to the other side. "Vincent," she said softly, "I..."
"..."
Vincent eased her fingers away and placed them gently on the ground. Then he stared long and hard at Yuffie's face, a blank expression on his face. Well, he didn't quite understand it. People just didn't make sense to him. He pulled back a little, and the clinking of his claw roused her from slumber.
"Good morning," he grunted.
She yawned and looked around. "Uh...?" she groaned sleepily. Her hazy eyes locked onto Vincent's sharpening silhouette. "Mmn..." She rubbed her eyes and stretched against the tree, yawning again, loudly.
"How long have you been awake?" she queried. Scratching her back as she stood up.
"Long enough," he smirked a little and stood up, turning to the edge of the cliff.
She pouted and stood up, alone. "You could at least have helped me up, y'know..."
He didn't say anything, didn't even turn around. Just closed his eyes and inhaled. It was picturesque, though a little too much so. Blushing, Yuffie smiled to herself as her heart fluttered.
"Oh! You're just so boring, Vinnie!" She launched at him, wrenching backwards, stifling a gasp of surprise. Then an idea formed in her mind. Now was the perfect opportunity. Seizing the moment, she reached over his shoulders and tried to tickle him.
"..."
Nothing happened. Vincent's only reaction was to quietly cough and pull away from her and stand up by himself. She lay on the ground lazily, sighing in disappointment. The mood was awkward for a few moments. Then he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply again. She didn't want to interrupt him this time, but she didn't have to. He looked down at her quickly and then, hesitantly, offered her his hand.
"Well that's no good," she commented, pulling herself up. "I don't want you to be nice to me just because I asked you to."
"Sorry..."
She curled her lip and sighed, scratching the back of her neck. "You're hopeless aren't you? Oh, well... Hey, I'm hungry!" She declared. "Whatcha think Tifa made tonight?" She licked her lips hungrily as she tried to imagine.
"..."
"Oh, come on! Humor me, won't ya?" She pleaded, grabbing his wrist and pulling him down the mountain-side. "Let's hurry," she urged him, half a step too late. "I found a shortcut home!"
"Home..." Vincent thought to himself. Strange...
From the author: I haven't the foggiest where this came from, but I recognize my own writing style. This was buried in an ancient USB that I was recovering. Can't understand the meaning of the title, but it was listed in the .doc.
This seems like a rather tranquil epilogue following the end of Dirge of Cerberus. More accurately it's more like an: After the game sequel. Honeysuckle is a prominent theme here, so I'm guessing I was originally gonna make this a romantic escapade between Yuffie and Vincent. Since I don't have any interest in it, I'll leave it as a one-shot. If you want it, drop me a line.