Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, the song, final fantasy, or any other crud that might be copyrighted.
--
There you see her
Sitting there across the way
"Vinceeeeeeeeeeeeeeent I'm booooooooooooooooored." Yuffie sighed as she plopped down in the chair across from him. Discontent was clearly written on her face as she proceeded to play with a loose strand of hair that had fallen in her eyes. Twirling it around her finger she looked up hopefully at he boy. Perhaps he would have some clue as to something that could entertain her.
"I'm trying to read." All right not what she was going for. He had stated it like it should be obvious; they were in the study after all. But of course that was only wood to the fir that burned within the small girl's heart. She always got what she wanted and today she wanted to play. What Vincent wanted to do was really of little concern to her. After all; the world was merely there to amuse her.
She don't got a lot to say
But there's something about her
It was uncomfortably awkward for a moment or so as Yuffie fidgeted in her chair. Her dreary friend didn't seem to notice so she began to hum. When that did not work she proceeded to tap her finger against the arm of the velvet chair.
"Fine." Vincent finally muttered in defeat. He closed the book he had been reading and set it on the small table next to his chair. Fingers running over his temple at the thought of what horrors might ensure after asking his next question, he allowed a small sigh of annoyance to escape his lips. "What do you want?"
That was it! Exactly what the hyperactive ninja was waiting for. She leapt up off of her chair and hurried to the boy. Eager eyes she pulled on the red fabric he had draped across his neck and shoulders. "Can I try on your cape? Pleeeeeeeeeeease? Pretty please with sugar on top?" She pleaded.
"No." He answered flatly. There was no way he was letting her try on his cape. Not after the last time. There were still holes and singe marks from when she had attempted to cook with it on. It astounded him as to how much of an airhead she could be. Most people would have noticed the smell of the fabric beginning to burn. But no, not Yuffie, she had to wait until a good portion of it was on fire before screaming and throwing it out the window onto the poor Vincent that was walking below.
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease." She cried jumping up and down. To be honest she gave the appearance of a toddler whose mother had just told them they could not take a sacred cookie from the cookie jar. A pout crossed her lips; caramel hues glistening with that had to be the start of tears.
"All right, fine, just stop it!" He yelled in annoyance. Standing up he unbuckled the clips that held the fabric up around him. With a reluctant look of pity towards the beloved cape that he had just sent into the lions den, he handed it over to the girl.
And you don't know why
But you're dying to try
You wanna kiss the girl.
"Whoo! Look at me!" Yuffie yelled as she hoped up onto the desk that was positioned in front of the window. Spinning around she shot her hands out to the side so the cape danced up around her. "I'm the great Vincent Valentine!" She cheered. With one last spin she flipped backwards off the table and, thankfully, landed in the boy's outstretched arms. True he had been going for the cape; but hey, why not get him to carry her as well?
"You've had your fun. Now may I please have it back?" He inquired as he placed the girl back down on her feet. Hands on her hips she opened her mouth as if to protest. But a devilish glint appeared in her eyes and she took a step backwards.
"Only if you can catch me!" And with that she took off. Vincent stood in awe; mouth agape. It took a few moments for it to sink in. When the realization came he was not sure quite what he should do. It appeared that his cape had been cape-napped and, though he usually did not negotiate with terrorists, he would have to make an exception.
"Yuffie you obnoxious child! Get back here!"
Yes, you want her
Look at her, you know you do
It's possible she wants you too
There's one way to ask her
"You'll never catch me Vinny!" Yuffie teased as her hands planted themselves on the second story railing. With a wink behind her she allowed herself to twirl over it. A few summersaults later she landed perfectly on the first floor. The long marble corridor of the place they were staying in spread out before her. Cape-napping, the dramatic escape, it was all simply too easy for the small ninja.
"Yuffie this isn't funny!" Vincent roared as he hurried down the circular staircase. Why he did not take the same route as her was still a mystery, but it was probably for the sake of the building. God only knows what god awful marks his claw and shoes would leave if he slammed into their nice floor. Reaching the bottom his crimson hues darted furiously around for any sign of the thief. She was fast, he'd give her that. A bit of red cloth flared out from the right but by the time he turned around it was long gone. No matter, that was the direction he was going to try anyway. Alas; once he reached the room it turned out to be nothing more than a red lace curtain blowing innocently in the wind. "Yuffie, enough of this! Where are you?"
"If I told you what fun would that be?" He turned swiftly to see her standing in the doorway he had just come through. How annoying it had been to backtrack to find this slacker. Vincent's arm shot out to grab the girl but a think wooden door slammed right in his face. She had just stepped over the boarder of irritating and was now treading in dangerously deep water.
It don't take a word, not a single word
Go on and kiss the girl (kiss the girl)
Quick raspy breaths escaped the boy's lips as he hurried down the long corridor. Up ahead the black haired girl skipped happily. She was just out of his reach and loving that fact; for every now and then she would turn and stick out her tongue just to infuriate him even more. With a single lurch forward he grabbed the girl by the ankles, causing a small squeal of laughter to escape her glossy lips. He was sure he had he, that is until something powerful and painful found it's way onto the top of his hand. As he withdrew it a set of teeth marks were obvious. The girl had bit him! Talk about no respect for your elders! His eyes, on fire with rage, shot up just in time to see her taking off once more. But she was not getting away thing time; his hand deserved justice. A turn here, a corridor there, and a few doors and rooms later he was standing before a shrub maze. No, that was too light a term. This colossal structure was more like a shrub labyrinth.
"Come on Vinnnnnnnnnny"
Shalalalala
My oh my
Looks like the boy's too shy
Ain't gonna kiss the girl
"Yuffie! Come out!" Vincent demanded as he wandered aimlessly through the rows and rows of shrubs. It seemed that every path he took left him facing a dead end. There was no way out, he would swear to it. The entire place seemed to be nothing more than useless paths that took forever to walk down and then resulted in nothing but a bush blocking his way. Seriously, all he had to do was equip a fire material to Cerberus and he could simply torch the place. That was one way to get rid of the maze probable. But, seeing as how this was private property, such vandalism probably would not go over to big with the officials.
"You can do it Vinny!" Came a loud, obnoxious sounding cheer. His gaze turned to the sky just in time to see a small black haired figure perched high atop the incredibly large fountain in what was most likely, judging by it's position on the horizon, in the center of the maze. Well that was just great; how on earth was he supposed to get over there? An even better question was as to how she had gotten over there so quickly. He knew for a fact that Yuffie would never have the attention span to memorize the way though, so she must have cheated somehow.
He cupped his hands around his mouthy to call out to the cheerful girl who had begun to wave as if she were flagging down a plane. "Yuffie please. Just give it back."
"But that's no fun!" The spunky ninja called with a light burst of laughter. She held her hand out to the side, as if pointing to something. "Take the right up there."
Shalalalala
Ain't that sad
it's such a shame
Too bad, you're gonna miss the girl
go on and kiss the girl (kiss the girl)
Why had he listened to her? How gullible had he just been? Indeed he had ran in the direction she was pointing in and taken a right. But now he was looking face to face with yet another dead end. When he got a hold of her he swore he was going to kill the girl.
"You said to take a right!" Vincent roared angrily as he attempted to stare the wall into submission. Who knew? Maybe it would panic and spontaneously combust, leaving him a clear path the center. Too bad that seemed highly unlikely.
"Hehehehe, I lied." The boy whirled around in surprise to find that the white rose of Wutai was at the end of the road that he had just turned off of. She was shrugging her shoulders with a slight smirk on her lips.
"How on earth did you do that?" He asked in awe, mouth agape. He could not make heads or tails of this crazy place and she was simply breezing right through it. There had to be some key to mastering the art of the maze.
"It's a secret silly." Yuffie's voice was entwined with laughter as she gave the boy a small wink. With that she was off once more, his oversized cape trailing in the wind behind her.
"Oh come on. What kind of answer is that?" The long haired boy inquired in frustration. With a heavy sigh of annoyance he took to the art of mindless running once more. All the while he could not help but wonder if this was how a mouse felt as a cat toyed with it before eventually massacring it.
Nows your moment
Floating in a blue lagoon
Boy, you better do it soon
No time will be better
She don't say a word
And she wont say a word
Until you kiss the girl (kiss the girl)
As he charged down the path a bright light illuminated the end of it. Success! Or at least he thought so. Too bad that when he stepped out into the rejuvenating light it turned out to be nothing more than a break in the endless paths. As his crimson hues skimmed the area he noted that it was a round area. In the center there was a small crystal like pond full of lily pads. It was truly a magnificent sight to see. In their bleak world one hardly saw an act of nature anymore.
"Took you long enough!" Yuffie said in an exaggerated voice of annoyance. Walking over the girl stood on her tiptoes and gave the boy a small bop on the head. "You're so slow Vinny, lucky I'll always wait up."
"But how? When? In back of me?" Vincent inquired in confusion, not able to get past the idea that she had just came out from behind him when he was chasing after her. Everything about this place seemed to defy all logic. The world had principles; what was in front was not in back, so then why did this keep happening?
"I'm the great ninja Yuffie! I can do anything durr!" And with that she ran around the small pond and took off down another path. Vincent mentally smacked himself for not grabbing her when he had the chance. With a have of the shoulders he found himself chasing after her once more.
"Not again! Yuffie!"
Shalalalala
My oh my
Looks like the boy's too shy
Ain't gonna kiss the girl
He rounded another corner to find a stone bridge ahead of him. Shimmering water trailed gently down what he hoped was a midway point in the never-ending labyrinth of hedges. The sunlight reflected off the water and shone brightly upon a small figure in front of him. It was none other that the dreamy girl herself. She was sitting upon one of the sides of the bridge, kicking her feet and humming a tune. Having her eyes closed Vincent thought he had the upper hand. But as he moved forward her eyes shot open. With a light laugh she gave a small wave.
"Hurry up Vinny or I'll leave you behind!" She called to her friend as she skipped merrily off down the path once more. As he ran across the stone he could simply not believe he was doing something so childish. But he had to admit, as a small smile danced across his lips, it was kind of fun.
Shalalalala
Ain't that sad
it's such a shame
Too bad, you're gonna miss the girl
"Yuffie?" Vincent called softly when he found himself facing a fork in the road. At this point there was only one thing left to do. Just as the poem instructed he looked down both paths as far as he could see. Then, he chose the one less taken. Unfortunately it did not make all the difference for he soon found himself at a dead end. So with a heavy sigh he back tracked his steps in time to see the spunky ninja searching for him.
"Psssssssssssssst. Vinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnncent. Over here." She whispered as if it were a secret. Raising a small fragile hand she motioned for him to follow. With a reluctant shake of the head he stopped dead in his tracks. There would be no more running until he knew the meaning of all of this.
"Yuffie where are we going?" He inquired. She no longer seemed to be running from him to avoid capture and the returning of his beloved cape. It seemed there was a deeper meaning to this mindless wandering.
"Heh that's a secret!" With another wink she dropped a small marble shaped object that she had pulled out of her pocket. As it hit the ground it exploded into a mass of colorful glitter filled smoke that was almost painful to look at.
Shalalalala
Don't be scared
You better be prepared
Go on and kiss the girl
The next area consisted of a lush garden. There was an abundance of flowers that consisted of every color of the rainbow. A truly splendid aroma filled Vincent's senses as he inhaled deeply. It was a nice change from the constant trudging through prickly hedges that were getting caught on the skin of his arms. As his bloody orbs focused on the countless flowers he almost did not notice the girl before him; picking one of the flowers. Of course she was surrounded by roses, what exactly was her obsession with those things all about? He took another step forward, careful not to step on any of the brightly colored flowers by his feet. "Yuffie." The boy cooed, as if calling over a rambunctious puppy.
"Vinny? Oh wow, you caught up fast that time!" The black haired girl exclaimed as she twirled the white rose around her fingers. With one last look of sorrow at the flower she flipped backwards in the air, releasing it as she jumped. It cut through the air like a senbon needle and was headed right for the boy's heart area. Thankfully his golden arm reached out in a split second and he caught it between two of his claws. As she landed soundlessly a few feet back a dainty finger reached up and pulled down on her right eye. Just to go the extra mile she stuck her tongue out at his as well. "Nya!"
Shalalalala
Don't stop now
Don't try to hide it how
You wanna kiss the girl
Go on and kiss the girl
(kiss the girl)
(oh, ohnoo..)
(kiss the girl, kiss the girl)
It seemed that he had lost the girl ages ago. With a grumble of a few inappropriate words he slumped down, back against the hedge. This was drawing on his last nerve. In a few minutes he was going to fire material his way out of here and Yuffie would have to pay to repair it. It would not be his fault, he would plea insanity. Just having the jury look at Yuffie-let alone spend even ten minutes with her- would be case enough.
"Yuffie?" He inquired aloud as the path came to a three-way intersection. When there was no reply he yelled again. "Oh come on now, which way do I go?" Still there was no answer. But a small square object was floating softly down, maneuvering in and out through the air. Like a flower petal falling from the cherry blossom tree that was the sky.
His crimson hues gazed down at a little piece of paper that was now landing on the ground before him. It might be a trap; one of her little escape methods or worse. But, deciding to live life on the edge, he reached over and brought it up to eye level. There appeared to be something scribbled on it. It was horrifying to realize that the scribble was indeed the ninja princess' handwriting. But, after a few minutes of deciphering, a small smile flickered across the boy's lips. "Got it."
Lalalala, Lalalala
Go on and kiss the girl
Lalalala, Lalalala
Go on and kiss the girl
He took the left path at the fork and entered a large area with lush plant life. In the corner of the open space lay a quaint looking stone house. Now breaking and entering were illegal, but the note had told him what to do. So, with the hopes that no security alarm would sound, he stepped forward and opened the wooden door.
Inside it was dark and musty. The layer of dust on everything gave the appearance that no one had been here in decades. It was a bit odd for such a place to be located here but perhaps it had been the grounds keeper's home at one point. Set so far back in the maze it was a safe bet that no one would have accidently stumbled upon it. Any sensible person, not being drawn by a thief, would have turned back long ago. But here he was, infringing on many lost memories. There were remnants of long since wilted flowers and broken windows with vines beginning to weave their way in between the cracks. However uninviting the place may be it still held the sot of peacefulness that Vincent loved. With a quick shake of his head he remembered why he was here.
"Where is it?" He muttered as he surveyed the small one roomed house. Everything was the same worn out grey; that is everything except an object on the banister above him. It was the so out of place sparkle that had caught his eye. The gun loving man easily hoped up and grabbed the object from its resting place. As he landed swiftly and silently on the ground he noticed that it was a small music box. As his golden clawed fingers ever so careful opened the small porcelain box a high pitched noise flooded the room. The tune, it seemed so familiar, in the blink of an eye he remembered it as the tune she was always humming. Something about her own personal theme song, Descendant of Shinobi, or whatever. Honestly she could be so childish at times. Still, the reassuring sound seemed to bring a new life to the dried up old room. The colors seemed more vivid and the flowers seemed to spring to life one again. The windows were repaired, glittering in the sunlight and the unique aroma of a blended coffee was coming for the pot on the stove. Birds chirped on the windowsill and children's laughter could be heard from the area outside. Indeed it was simply magnificent. But as the music began to slowly fade away back into the box he found himself once more in the dusty old room. As his eyes lingered on the box, perhaps searching for it to liven up again he noticed something he had not before. Yet another piece of paper was eagerly awaiting him. As he read the letter he could not help but find himself nodding. Before he left the house he made sure to secure the small music box to his side. After all, the girl would probably throw a fit about not being able to go to sleep tonight if he did not have it beside her. "This is getting interesting Yuffie."
Shalalalala
My oh myyyyy
Looks like the boy's too shy
Ain't gonna kiss the girl
Just as instructed he had taken two lefts and three rights, but it seemed as if he was even more lost than he had been earlier. Sure it was another nice little area, there was even a picnic et up on the ground. As he cautiously approached he could not help but notice that it looked as though someone had gone to an awful lot of work to prepare it all. There was a lacey white tablecloth spread out on the ground with a china tea set placed strategically upon it. On the side was a small wooden basket that he opened curiously, only to find a mixture of sandwiches and cakes. Not exactly what he had been hoping for. The way it had been going he just assumed he was searching for another clue and the basket seemed like a wonderful place to hide it. But Yuffie never did like to make things easy for him. So the black haired boy began to search under all the plates that covered the cloth.
"Darn, not here." The next place he checked was the little bouquet of roses in the vase. Red and yellow flowers snapped underneath the weight of his claw, bringing a very un-amused look to his face. The girl loved flowers and there was simply no way he was going to escape her wrath when she found them broken. He would have used his other hand to check, honest he would have, but sticking his hand into a pit of thorns did not sound all that appealing.
"Not here either." With that he began to turn the teacups upside down. Thankfully they were empty or it would not have been good for the white cloth underneath. But still he found nothing. Truthfully he was beginning to wonder if there even was a clue here or if he was simply running someone's lovely little picnic. If that was true god only knows how guilty he would feel. Just about ready to give up and leave an idea stuck him.
"I know." It wasn't exactly full of emotion, but it wasn't exactly lacking it either. After all he never got too excited, but this was the closest he would ever get to sounding like it. Vincent opened the top on the little teapot and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper with a smiley face sticker on it. "Success."
Shalalalala
Ain't that sad
it's such a shame
Too bad, you're gonna miss the girl
"It says that there's only one more. I must be getting close to getting my cape back…that is if there's anything to get back." Vincent muttered nervously as he entered in the next area. It was a wonder as tyo how she had set up all these clues already. Was she really that ahead? Or perhaps that was what she had been doing all morning when he couldn't find her at breakfast. No matter he allowed himself to focus on the hedges shaped into animals that were in the center of the area. There was an elephant, a lion, and an angel. How fitting. The fist one he examined was the closest, the elephant. The boy searched high and low, checking everywhere including the trunk. But it seemed there was no letter to be found. Now the lion seemed like it would be a task to search. Its mane was made of roses and he was already feeling like a flower murderer. So he decided to come back to that one. Taking a few steps over to the angel it did not look like there was anyplace to hide a note. Just a simple pose of the winged girl standing straight upward, hands clutched over her heart. Upon further inspection however there was a the edge of a piece of paper sticking out from between her hands.
"Too easy."
Lalalala, Lalalala
(Go on and kiss the girl)
Go on and kiss that girl!
Strolling confidently and leisurely he entered the area with the fountain, an obvious pleased look on his face. Not that the clues were hard, but the maze was one pain to figure out so he was quite happy with himself for finally making his way through. So what if it was only by relying on the assistance of another? Who ever said friends were a bad thing, of wait, he had. Nevertheless it was nice to see the Wutai princess sitting on the side of the fountain, making a small crown of white roses. It seemed she would never change.
"Vinny!" Yuffie cheered happily as she waved her hand eagerly in the air. "Looks like you found me, congrats." The black haired girl said with her light and bubbly laugh that had always reminded him a bit of a songbird's coo.
"Thanks to your clues." He motioned towards the pieces of paper that were sticking out of his pocket. He would have to be sure to push them father down before returning, for being seen with hot pink paper was not exactly his idea of a good time.
"Hee, I take it they weren't too hard to find." She teased as she finished the crown and placed it on the black haired boy's head.
"No." Vincent said as he bowed his head so that the carefully crafted roses would not fall off. "But you were."
"It was fun though, right?" She inquired as she nervously played with a lock of her hair, a bit afraid that the dark man was going to scold her for her behavior.
"Yea, it was fun." He agreed with an affirmative nod. It surely was strange for him to consider anything fun. The girl was bit to shocked to immediately answer. But finally she simply smiled.
"Good. I'm glad." A look of confusion came over her as he began to fiddle with the multiple belts and such on his side. However she beamed when he produced her favorite music box. It sure took off the pressure to rush right back and retrieve it before someone else made off with it. Losing it would be almost as bad as losing her material. Almost being the keyword.
"I believe this is yours." He bent down on one knee and handed her the box like it was filled with priceless jewels instead of just a little ballerina.
There was another sweet laugh as she took it in her arms, holding it close like a child. "And this is yours." Yuffie added as she handed him the flowing red material. He allowed a small sigh of relief to pass his lips when he noted it was all still in one piece.
"Hey Yuffie…"
The free spirited girl glanced upward from her music box just in time to see the dark boy lean forward. A pastel blush spread like wildfire across her face as his lips gently touched her forehead. "I win."
Lalalala, Lalalala
(Go on and kiss the girl)
Go on and kiss the girl
Kiss the girl
(Kiss the girl)
Go on and kiss the girl
Hope you liked it. Yea, i know the end is lame...actually the whole thing is. It's based off a game that me and my best friend played when we were younger. Oh and the poem I was referring to when he came to the fork in the road was 'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost