Recovery on the Edge
Yuffie woke up, blinking in the bright sunlight coming in through the window. The ninja lay in bed, getting used to the light. Finally, after about ten minutes, she got ypu and began to trudge downstairs. The bar was quiet, and no one else was awake yet. Not even early-bird Tifa was up.
Yuffie had been invited to stay in Edge until things in Wutai settled down. Her father had officially handed over the rule, and the bruntette had been stripped of her princess title. Just before her father took away her ninja status as well, Yuffie ran out of the house, despaired. Now, she sat on a bar stool, going over it all.
"This sucks." The young woman shuffled through the room in pajama shorts and a tank top. The cold tile felt nice under her bare, hot feet. Yuffie had been suffering nightmares; and night sweats.
Lately, Vincent Valentine had been in Yuffie;s dreams as well. Nightmare, Vincent. Nightmare, Vincent. This pattern had been repeated for serveral nights. It frightened Yuffie a bit, but she dealt with it.
The ninja's thoughs were interrupted by light footsteps. Tifa came down the stairs, looking much better than Yuffie ever could. The barmaid came over and hugged her friend from behind.
"Are you feeling alright?"The once hardy ninja shook her head. Tifa went behind the bar so she could feel Yuffie's forehead. The brunette clicked her tongue and pointed upstairs. Only the word "bed" motivated the feverish ninja. After settling down Yuffie, Tifa went downstairs. Soon, she came back up with water and a bucket. Yuffie raised a dark eyebrow.
"Just in case," Tifa frowned. "I don't want puke all over the place." Yuffie grimaced, and began to feel a bit nauseous. Obviously, the barmaid noticed this, and brought the bucket up. All she was trying to do was be helpful. However, Yuffie indignantly set the container down.
"I am not ill." she said hoarsely, and got out of bed. Tifa frowned and went out of the room. Yuffie busied herself by opening her second-story window. The clouds were a stormy gray, reflecting the color of the ninja's eyes. Soon, she fell asleep at the window, and after a bit, some familar yelling came through to her. "Eh?!" The girl jumped to her feet, looking around for the source. The yelling was oddly familar, and came from someone close. Yuffie looked down and saw Vincent Valentine.
"Vinnie!" Yuffie called down in joy. "Why are you here? It's gonna rain soon!" The raven-haired man looked to the sky and then back to Yuffie.
"I heard about Wutai!" he called. "I'm sorry. I hope that your betrothed isn't as bad as you assume he will be. I am certain your father is just looking after his country, Yuffie." Rain started to come down, showering Vincent. Soon, he became a dark red blur. Yuffie leaned out the window in earnest.
"Come in Vincent! You'll get sick! I'll go unlock the door!" With that, the ninja shut the window and dashed down the hall. She stopped at Tifa's room, hearing a rushing sound. "Tifa must be taking a shower!" Yuffie had never been so happy about Tifa's personal hygiene obsession. The young woman continued down the stairs, and came to the front door. She was so excited that she had trouble unlocking the door. Her fingers finally got the key in and the door swung open revealing a dripping Vincent. "Vinnie!" Yuffie wanted to hug him, but instead she dashed off.
"I'll get you some clothes!" Yuffie called over her shoulder. She dashed into the nearest closet. Nope. The next one yielded a dark grey t-shirt, the perfect size for the guman. After searching several more, Yuffie found a pair of dark jeans, and cheered. Vincent heard her cry, and began to worry. DisIs she okay? he thought. His question was soon answered as the ninja came belting down the stairs. "Got em!" There was a puddle of rainwater on the floor, and being barefoot, Yuffie slipped and ran into Vincent. He was knocked up against the door, arms around the ninja. She was very warm, and up close she looked like a corpse.
"Yuffie..you're burning up." The raven-haired man held the sick girl by her shoulders and looked into her stormy gray eyes. "You really should get some rest. You might catch something more severe than the flu if you're not careful." Yuffie frowned, and looked away. Vincent could have sworn he saw tears.
"I know. But..I've just been a bit...unwell lately." There was a melancholic tint in Yuffie's voice. "It's nothing, I promise." Even though Chaos hated it, Vincent held the girl tight against his chest. The ninja began to sob, her tiny frame shuddering with every one. "I don't know what to do, Vinnie." Yuffie held onto Vincent tightly. He was very surprised, and blushed a little.
"Yuffie, it's okay. I'm sure everything will work out." The man untangled himself from the sobbing girl and looked into her eyes. "Now, let's go upstairs so that you can rest and so that I can change. I do not want pneumonia. And I'm sure that you do not want it either." The ninja nodded and wiped away her tears. Yuffie led the way into her room, the only spare one.
"I'll go downstairs and get something, mmkay?" Vincent nodded and as Yuffie went downstairs, began to change. The girl collapsed into a nearby chair and held her head. "What am I supposed to do?!" she scolded herself. "I'm the single white rose of Wutai! I shouldn't be bawling like a baby!" The ninja stood up defiantely, slamming her hands on the table. "I'm gonna go see if Vinnie is done changing!" Yuffie, thoroughly pumped now, dashed upstairs. She knocked on the door about five million times.
"You can come in if you stop that insistent knocking." Vincent said indignantly called, and Yuffie burst in. The man stared at the suddenly rejuvenated ninja.
"OKAY, MONSTER BOY!" Yuffie cried, "WE ARE GONNA GO HAVE SOME FUN!"
"Monster...boy? I could be your grandfather, you know."
"Whatever! We're gonna go prank Tifa! C'mon!" Yuffie grabbed Vincent's hand and tugged him into Tifa's room. Unfortunately, the barmaid was running her blowdryer, so they didn't have much time. Yuffie looked around wildly, and spotted the pile of towels in the linen closet. She grinned evilly, and snatched them up. Vincent winced as the ninja stashed the towels in Cloud's room. She then took some pictures that the blond had of his childhood friend and put them on his bed. Finally, for a last touch, Yuffie took some white hand lotion and dabbed a bit on Cloud's bed.
"Hee hee!" The ninja giggled and took the gunman downstairs, and pretended to be looking in the fridge. Following along, Vincent sat at a bar stool, and struck up a conversation.
"So, Yuffie, how have you been?" the man began, when suddenly, the blowdryer turned off, and they could hear a door open. Yuffie, who had her head stuck in the fridge, giggled evilly. Vincent rolled his eyes.
"Oh. My. GOD!" Tifa cried, coming down the stairs wrapped in a towel. "Cloud was..was..." The barmaid couldn't bring herself to say it.
"What?" Yuffie withdrew her head from the fridge, clutching a bottle of rum. "Cloud was what? Isn't he away on a delivery?" Tifa shuddered, and her wine-colored eyes were wide with fear mixed with possible revulsion.
"M-m-m..." the barmaid began. Vincent frowned, and turned to Tifa.
"Masturbating?" he finished, and the woman nodded. Yuffie couldn't hold it in anymore, and busted out laughing. Tifa looked at her with wide eyes.
"What's so funny?" she asked, and Vincent sighed, though it was barely audible over the laughter reverberating off the walls.
"Yuffie pranked you. She stashed the towels in Cloud's room to make you go look for them. Then she put the pictures and lotion on his bed."
"Wait...lotion?!" Tifa exploded. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! WHAT A BRAT!" She would have chased her, but the circumstances of her being in a towel, well...that's just a recipe for disaster. So, Tifa stomped upstairs, fuming. Yuffie stopped laughing, and wiped away at her laughter tears.
"That was hilarious!" She leaned up against Vincent, shaking her head. "Did you see her expression? 'Ohmaigod! Eee!' Haha!" The gunman looked at the tiny ninja on his shoulder, and had a weird urge.
No, man, Chaos said in the back of Vincent's mind. She's a brat. And not worth it.
Shut up, Chaos. I can choose whoever I want without permission from you. I am a grown man. I do not need a parent.
Sheesh, man. You deserve someone better. Like that curvy bartender. Whew.
Be quiet.
Even though this silent battle was being waged in his mind, Vincent began to turn pink as Chaos brought up many pictures of Tifa. He shoved it back and looked at Yuffie. She was staring at him avidly.
"You okay, Vinnie? Kinda look like you watched some porn or something." This of course made Vincent blush even more. Yuffie shook her head and went upstairs, still snorting about Tifa. Vincent, who was trying his hardest not to look suspicious, went upstairs with her, but instead went to Tifa. He knocked on her door three times.
"Come in! Unless it's Yuffie." Vincent cautiously opened the door, and Tifa smiled. "Hello, Vincent. Do you need something?"
"Yes. I need a pillow and some blankets. I'm probably going to turn in soon. I've been out there for a while."
"Okay then!" Tifa went rooting through the closet, kneeling down.
Whoo!
Shut up, Chaos.
C'mon man! She's waaay better than that ninja brat.
Tifa has Cloud. And they belong together. Her and I would be the end of the world.
So would you and brat.
Tifa was holding out a bundle, smiling. "Here Vincent. Sweet dreams!" The gunman, a bit pink again, took the blankets and pillows. He walked to Yuffie's room and didn't even bother knocking.
"Yuffie, would it be alright if I stayed with you tonight?" Vincent asked, and the ninja, taken by surprised, nodded. Vincent began arranging a pallet on the floor, using the generous amount of pillows Tifa lent him. Tifa must've thought I needed a lot to keep warm or something. The man stood over his work, satisfied for the time being. Later he would probably rearrange them a few more times before laying down. Vincent glanced at the clock. In red, it read 11:30 pm. Yuffie, who was climbing into bed, yawned.
"Night, Vincent!" she said cheerily, and turned over on her side. The gunman wished her a good night as well, and settled himself on the floor. His thoughts began to wonder, and Chaos spoke again.
Are you sure you don't want the bartender?
Very sure. Yuffie is the only one I would want to be with.
But she is so annoying. She steals shiny crap and runs around like she's insane. The initial definition of brat.
But she also would love me unconditionally. She has a box with the Cerberus emblem with newspaper cutouts of me.
She called you monster boy.
Teasing. Merely teasing. Now, shut up. I have to get some sleep.
With that, Vincent Valentine fell asleep.
"AHH!" Yuffie cried, jolting upward in her bed. This outburst caused a sleeping Vincent to sit up suddenly too.
"Yuffie? Are you alright?" The raven-haired man scrambled up onto the ninja's bed, concern etched across his face. The young woman was wrapped in blankets, rocking back and forth. Her gray orbs were wide with fear.
"I think so." Yuffie's voice was shaky. "Just a dream, right?"
"Yes. Do not worry. I'm sure that nothing bad will happen while you are with Tifa and Cloud. They are very hardy and caring people." Yuffie hugged Vincent fiercely, and he fell back a little before encasing her in his arms.
"You are so nice, Vincent. If I could, I'd marry you instead of that hoity-toity son of a prep back home." Vincent gulped and turned pink in the darkness.
"You would?"
"Hell yeah!" Yuffie Kisaragi untangled herself from Vincent's arms. Although she was scratched by his claw in the process, she kissed him fiercely on the lips, holding his face in her hands. Vincent, once again taken by surprise, closed his eyes and held Yuffie closer. The ninja eagerly ran her tongue over his lips, making them open. He responded by running his own tongue across Yuffie's white teeth, making her arch in his arms. Finally they broke apart, panting slightly.
"Wow, Valentine," the ninja remarked, swaying in his arms a bit, "Didn't know you were so good at that stuff!"
"I didn't either." Vincent replied, and scooted the ninja closer. "But I do know that I want to do that again." This time the kiss was much more gentle. Occasionally would one of them run a tongue across teeth or simply explore with it, but overall, it was mostly lips.
"That should've been our first kiss." Yuffie declared after pulling away. "But it's better late than never, eh, Valentine?"
"Yes, Yuffie. Better late than never."