A/N: I don't own any of this stuff ;D
Vincent sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Is she going to be much longer?"
"Heh, how long have you known her? It must be coming up to 8 years now, when has Yuffie ever been on time for a mission." Tifa chuckled as she poured the gunman another cup of coffee.
"She is still getting her weapons ready, I think she stayed up late playing cards with Cid and Cloud last night." Explained Marlene as she helped herself to a slice of toast.
Vincent glanced over his shoulder into the other room, Cid and Cloud were both unconscious on the sofa with a few empty bottles of beer and a deck of cards scattered around them.
He shook his head and sipped his coffee.
Footsteps thundered down the stair case. "Sorry, I know I'm useless you deserve a better partner, yaddayaddayadda, got my mail?"
Vincent held up Yuffie's letters, she snatched them as she ran around the kitchen collective various breakfast items.
"Ahh insurance boring, pay check goody and a letter from daddy, I'll read it later, we don't have time now do we? What is it where doing again?"
Vincent put his cup down and sighed, "So I take it you did not read the report I gave to you on Monday?"
"I could give you one of my many excuses, because I know how you enjoy them so, but let's skip that and accept that I forgot, 'kay." Yuffie gave a tentative smile; she never really knew what kind of reaction she was going to get from her partner, especially before 11am.
He gave a shrug and briefed her, "Reeve wants us to inspect those recently salvaged tunnels that run deep under the old Midgar wreckage, so we can be sure that there are no unusual fiends that might cause a fret to Edge."
"Oh fun!" She said with a flick of her hair.
Marlene gave a giggle at Yuffie's reaction, "You remember that you said you'd help me with my history project right? I really want to hear about Wutai from you yourself Yuffie."
"Sure 'Lene, as soon as I get back I promise." She said with a wink.
"Come, we should get going." Vincent folded his napkin and made for the door.
"Oh Yuffie, you haven't had a proper breakfast." Tifa pointed out.
"Ah, no worries I'm sure one missed breakie won't kill me, even if it is pancake Thursday." She replied with a slight sneer aimed towards Vincent who was keeping her from the tasty pancake goodness.
He rolled his eyes, but decided not to bother pointing out that if she were up on time she could have had as many pancakes a she would have liked.
"Take care, yeah?" Tifa called out after them.
"Laters, sexy." Yuffie called back.
Yuffie got into the passenger seat of their rental car and started raiding the glove compartment for some of the sweets she had put in a few days ago. Vincent started the engine and backed of the driveway.
"Yuffie, Remember to empty all the fast-food containers from the back before I take this car back, they made me pay a fine last time."
"Some of them are yours, actually most of those donut ones are yours, which you know is annoying cos you eat so many and your skinny ass does not show it."
"Just remember too…"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, duly noted princess." She continued to search for sweets in vain; all she managed to find was a selection of Vincent's bullets, some loose change, a discarded protect materia and a C.D which Vincent considered to be to "loud and obnoxious" to be played when he was driving.
"Can we stop at the gas station and get some more of those sweets?"
"Lets just get this over with Yuffie; I think there are some left in my coat pocket." Vincent replied.
"Scoooorree, Love ya Vincey!" Yuffie leant over into the back of the car and dug out his coat, which was buried under the discarded cardboard packages.
She found her the sweets she had wanted and Vincent's phone.
"You're supposed to keep this with you." She flicked it open, "See I sent you a joke and you haven't even opened the message."
"Well I can't look at it while I'm driving, that's illegal."
"Well I'll read you it, so like, there's this bloke and he is checking it to his hotel right? And he turns round and accidentally bumps this girls boob with his elbow. So he goes, "Miss, If your heart is as soft as your boob, I know you'll forgive me." And she replies, get this, "If your penis is as hard as your elbow I'm in room 116." Hahahah, good right?"
Vincent remained nonchalant, "And that was so urgent that you had to text me it?"
"Well, forgive me for thinking you of all people could do with a laugh." She jibed.
Vincent gave a slight smile, "All these years, you still trying to make me laugh?"
"Hey, I'm nothing if not persistent." Yuffie shifted in her seat and leant her elbow against the window, "heheheh"
"What?"
"Sorry, I'm still thinking about elbows."
4 hours later…
"Gawd this place is a dump, it seems like only yesterday we were down here fighting those Turks. Look! Here's where you missed a shot you were taking at Rude." Yuffie traced her fingers over the mark in the concrete; she felt an overwhelming emotion that she could not identify.
"The world is very different from back then." Vincent mused.
"Yeah, you wouldn't have missed that shot now, that's for sure."
"Is that a complement?"
"Yup, you just love to eat them up don't you, you vain git." She turned away and continued onwards with Vincent.
He sniffed in indifference and turned on his flashlight; aiming it further down the tunnel the light caught something.
"There's something down there." He cocked his gun and took a shot. Whatever it was didn't appreciate being shot at and flew into them, knocking Yuffie into one of the support scaffolds.
Vincent awoke and tried to gather his thoughts, what had happened.
Rubble was all around him, he was trapped.
"Yuffie?"
"Uh-uh Yeah?"
"What was that thing?" He asked, clutching his shoulder, blood was flowing from a bad wound.
"I – not sure, wager a guess, it was a mutated Bahamut spawn, whatever it's dead now, heard it collapse quite far away."
"Are you injured?"
"Badly, what about you?"
Vincent forced himself up and moved closer to her; the dying light from his torch lasted just long enough for him to see what was wrong.
He lay back down on the ground, his cheek against hers, his head against her shoulder. What he had seen had chilled him to the bone. Yuffie's trim body was pinned to the ground by a piece of metal shrapnel that had pierced her waist.
"Trust you to breach your personal space issues at the worst time." She joked.
"Yuffie, we can't get out."
"I know, I'm dying I know it. You can't die can you?" she asked, trying to control her wincing.
"No, I think this will do it."
"Scared Vince?"
He shook his head, "We'll join the planet, life stream and that."
"Do you believe in that, I was never sure."
"I didn't know that about you."
"S'lot you don't know about me." Yuffie took a deep breath, she was too afraid to look down at what she was sure was a totally gross wound.
"I do believe, at least I want too."
"That's nice for you; will you see your lady again?"
"Lucrecia? No, she can't forgive herself." He said softly.
"Bummer, oh-owww!"
Vincent was filled with sorrow. Yuffie deserved a better death, and she had deserved a better life.
"There is so much I wish I could say to you, but words never were my strong point."
"Oh great, the nicest, most romantic thing you are ever likely to say to me and I'm never going to get to tell anyone. I wish Cid were here, cos he'd believe me."
Vincent gave a slight laugh.
"You son of a bitch! That really isn't funny, it's so depressing." She smiled in spite of herself. "Also if Cid were here he could probably get us some much needed medical attention."
"Or at the least…. a decent cup of tea."
"Oh get off! Now you start lightening up, If we weren't about to die terrible, awful deaths this would have been a great day." Yuffie mustered the energy to lift her hand; she ran her fingers through his hair and turned Vincent's head so they were forehead to forehead.
He felt her eyelashes close.
"Yuffie?"
"Uh, yea…"
"Keep talking, if you don't it makes me think…well you know." Tears were streaming down his face.
"Vince I love you so much, and you deserved to be loved the way I would have loved you because you have such a big heart. I know that's it was badly wrecked but its still good, you are so good…and so beautiful." Yuffie spoke slowly; clearly she was running short on time.
"I couldn't save you, not in the end, and I let you down." Her voice cracked.
"No, Yuffie, you were my friend always, no matter how cold I was to you, you stayed there right by my side and I can never repay you for that, you never let me down, not once."
"It was an honour, and you, well you stood beside me no matter how crazy I drove you. Remember when I gave you a bleach blonde streak in your hair whilst you were sleeping and you didn't kill me, gawd, I knew I would love you forever after that. Ouch oh, so maybe it's for the best that I die with you, because if I didn't I'd probably turn totally emo, like you."
Vincent was becoming increasingly dizzy; he was glad that death was upon him because his guilt and regret were becoming too much for him to stand.
He shifted closer and kissed her soft lips, she was so beautiful and he hated himself for wasting her heart. Yuffie kissed him back; she brushed his tears away with her hand, only for more to fall when he tasted the blood in her mouth. Vincent broke away when she stopped responding.
"I'm sorry, Yuffie, I'm so sorry."
Her breathing had ceased, he closed her eyes. Forcing himself up into a seated position, Vincent lifted her body up, but could not free her, so he held her and leant back against a pole. The pole gave out, the concrete fell and buried the wasted hearts of Vincent and Yuffie.
A/N: Nice bit of angst for yah's. please r and r. ;D