Okay, for those that have seen my profile, I've had this story in the works for a little while, and it likely won't be more than ten chapters (and that's even a high guess.) counting an epilouge. I got the idea from the last chapter in the manga Love Letters, called: A Mailman's love. It's my first Yuffie/Vincent, so constructive critisisum is welcomed. But don't worry, I couldn't resist my usual Cloud/Aerith either. ) So there will be plenty of both...

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Final Fantasy, or the manga 'Love Letters'.

Enjoy! (Oh, and reviews will be replied to either in private on on the next chapter.) Suggestions welcome.

SeeingFingers

Chapter One

Words Unspoken

Yuffie Kisagari knew a few things about herself.

One was that she was an expert ninja. Though her job required little 'sleuthing' on her part, she always kept her weapon ready, and Materia equipped just in case. She came from a long line of fighters, and even if for the moment she was not defending her country, she still wanted to keep them proud, especially the spirit of her mother.

Two was that any sort of Materia should rightly belong to her. Who else could appreciate their power? Who else could use them with such reverence? Who else could see them for their...shininess...

Ahem. Anyway...

Three, was that though her job was not what she had originally wanted, it had its perks.

"Nuyk, Nuyk, Nuyk," she whispered deviously, clutching the shining, glorious balls of Materia that was paid to her rather than money.

Being a Princess sort of paid for itself, anyway.

Not that the Materia was the only perk of course. It was just part of the deal. A BIG part, but only a part nonetheless.

A beautiful young woman kneeled in the dirt of her garden. Her golden chestnut hair was piled atop her head, bright green eyes shaded by her hand as she waved and smiled at Yuffie as she passed by.

"See you next time Yuffie," she called out cheerfully. "I can give you your birthday present then- sorry it's so late!"

"It's fine Aerith," Yuffie called back, waving. "Make up for it with EXTRA Materia!"

Aerith was one of the people that had become what Yuffie would call a friend. Though she wasn't usually into the cheerful, helpful, gardening type, Aerith had an effect on her. Aerith had an effect on everyone- you couldn't help but like her. She, and another girl Yuffie had come to call 'friend' also reminded her a bit of her dead mother. Yuffie fought back a sigh at the slight memories of a tinkling laugh and sweet smells that came from thoughts about her mother. She pushed them back, making her way to Tifa Lockhart's house, just next door to Aerith.

Tifa was a beautiful woman, with long black hair, and ruddy red-brown eyes. Mothering and kind, she was often misperceived as being weak. But she had studied martial arts since the age of ten, and would annihilate anyone that messed with her, or her friends. Most of the time she worked at the bar she owned, titled Seventh Heaven. But on rare occasions, or late nights, she was at her house, and always invited Yuffie to stay if she needed. Today was one of her absent days.

Yuffie reached deftly into the mailbox, a laugh of triumph escaping her lips as she felt her hands close not only around envelopes, but also around the shiny, wonderful, Materia balls that Tifa left for her on pay days.

Though Yuffie knew neither Aerith nor Tifa would deceive her and not pay, it still filled her with a sort of immeasurable excitement each time she got some.

But even with those perks, that wasn't to say that there weren't any downsides to her job.

"You are freaking CRAZY!" Yuffie yelled as she ran down the sidewalk, clutching her bag of mail, trying to not let the contents spill over. A small rocket exploded at her feet and she ran faster.

"&(# right I'm crazy!" The blonde, middle-aged, man called after her, cigarette hanging out of his mouth. In his hand was a rocket launcher. "Like I'm going to (# PAY you after that F stunt you pulled!"

"It was a JOKE! Can't you take a JOKE!?"

"That was my PERSONAL tea! You don't joke about F& TEA!" He shouted, face red with anger as he fired another rocket.

Luckily, Yuffie was out of reach. She skidded to a stop, panting and muttering under her breath about crazy old men that smoked too much. It was just TEA after all. How could she have known that it would catch fire like that...I mean, who'd a thought that tea was a flammable object? Obviously, there was no way that Yuffie could be blamed for the honest mistake.

Crazy Cid wasn't the only adverse part of delivering mail.

There was the equally nuts Barret, a man that had an actual GUN for an arm. And he wasn't shy about firing it either. It was thanks to him that Yuffie always had to buy new mailbags. Surprisingly, he had an adorable daughter named Marlene. She was really the only one that could calm him down- though most of the time she was at the 'flower-lady's' house, gardening with Aerith. So Yuffie suffered alone.

Hey, it was a rough job, but SOMEONE had to do it. And leviathan knew how much more Yuffie would rather deliver mail than sit on a throne, being bossed around by her father and his council.

There were also many aspects of her job that could only be described as 'weird' as well.

For example, there was a small house that never had any car in front, never had any people in the window, and yet, whenever Yuffie would deliver mail, a strange fire cat/dog thing would come out of the house, take the mail in it's mouth, and push a pouch of materia toward her. Then it would growl softly (seemingly in thanks) and it would turn around and walk back into the house, tail flickering. Yuffie had her suspicions about the creature, but all she really could do was wonder how he signed a check.

Then there was Reeve, a man perfectly able to walk down his sidewalk and get his mail, but delighted instead in sending a robotic cat that rode on a moogle and carried a megaphone out instead. The thing could even TALK! And he was always trying to read her fortune. But Yuffie dealt with this, deciding that Reeve must be one of those men that had nothing better to do than play with technology in their parent's basements.

There was also the silver-haired man named Sephiroth, who gave off a distinct air of creepiness. He actually carried a long samurai sword around with him! And whenever there was a strange disappearance, everyone seemed to suspect him, though no hand of his was ever found in any crime. He also seemed to have a 'mother' complex, and an eerie hate/love toward Aerith that bordered on obsession. Yuffie tried to avoid any contact with him.

After that there was Cloud, a rather good-looking guy with hair that seemed to defy gravity itself. He never received any letters, but he always sent one out- one that he did not put a return address on, and had threatened Yuffie under pain of death (With a freaking HUGE sword Yuffie was sure it wasn't legal to own) if she ever told the recipient who they were from. Yuffie had a feeling that Aerith knew anyway though. And Tifa was getting over it, so she delivered the letters with the threat in mind.

And then there was the Turks- four people that were apparently related to each other (though one of them was black) and always wore suits, ties, and carried guns and clubs. They spent most of their time arguing, though every once in a while the red-haired one would go and get drunk at Tifa's bar and would then be fairly sociable.

And then there was the last house on Yuffie's route.

It was an old mansion- red bricks worn down and dirty, windows rusting and gate creaking, the mahogany door peeling, and the brass knocker dull and unused. Vines crisscrossed their way down the walls as thick smoke unfurled from the chimney. But there was a large window on the first floor, one that nearly filled the whole wall, through which Yuffie always saw two people. She would have to get close, so thick was the trees and unkempt vegetation, but whenever she delivered mail she saw two people in the window. One was a woman, with long golden-brown hair that was always up in a ponytail, sitting demurely in a chair with her head cocked slightly to the side as she listened to something Yuffie couldn't hear. The other was a man with hair blacker than the darkest midnight, and pale skin that looked as though it had never seen sunlight. He always sat behind a piano, fingers moving over the keys with a precision that comes from knowing something as well as you know yourself.

Yuffie found herself straining to listen, for any hint of the melody she knew to be playing. But she heard nothing, and a part of her went home unsatisfied. She couldn't understand why it mattered to her so –it's just a stupid instrument –she told herself. But the feeling would not cease.

Today she pushed the thought from her mind as she made her way down the now familiar road to the mansion.

Lately the woman had not been in the window.

And the man had merely sat at the piano, unmoving.

This day was no different- he was there, she was not. Yuffie looked down at the letter in her hand and sighed, curling her fingers around the crisp envelope. She knew that she was far too close, and if the man were to turn his head, he would see her clearly, but she just kept staring at the letter in her hand. She turned, after an immeasurable amount of time, to put the letter in the mailbox.

But despite her innate ninja skills, her foot caught on a tree root, and she was sent tumbling forward, crashing into broken bottles that littered the ground.

"Oof!" Her stomach hit the ground. Slowly she picked herself up, freezing as she heard the window be thrown open- a deep voice calling out –"Who's there?"

Yuffie quickly brought herself to her knees, head snapping up, staring at the man that stood at the window, one hand holding the shutter open, the other clenched upon the sill.

His skin was paler than she had imagined, and his eyes were a piercing crimson, that even at the distance shocked her. The eyes flickered about, seeming to pass right over her. "Who is there?" He called out again.

Yuffie stood up. 'Can he not see...?' She cleared her throat. "Uh, just your mailperson here." Anxious, she shifted her weight from foot to foot. This however, seemed to tell him where she was, his head snapping toward her. "Who is there?" he repeated threateningly. Yuffie gaped at him for a moment.

He's blind...

Quickly, she found her voice. "Um, Yuffie Kisagari, your mail...person." She coughed as comprehension dawned on his face. "Uhh, you have a letter."

He inhaled sharply. Though his voice did not change, Yuffie sensed something more urgent about his tone when he spoke. "What...is the return address...?"

"Umm..." Yuffie fumbled with the envelope. She read the address aloud. The man seemed to change again, though she could not sense how she knew this- for there was no apparent change in his demeanor.

The man twiddled his fingers on the windowsill. "Would you..." he paused. Yuffie realized that he was nervous.

"What? Do you want me to read it to you?"

The man looked away (not that it made any difference) and Yuffie took that as consent. She gaped for a minute, before remembering that he couldn't see. "Uh, I don't think that's such a- well..." She gulped. A part of her was infernally curious as to what lay inside his house, and wanted to know more about him. But another part of her was throwing alarm signals. WHO did this guy think he WAS anyway? He could be a murderer, or a rapist for all she knew!

But something about this man gave her pause. Maybe it was just because he was unlike anyone she had ever met, or maybe it was because there was the chance that he had some REALLY cool Materia...but for some reason, Yuffie found the word "okay" slipping out of her mouth.

The man disappeared from the window for a moment. He reappeared at the now open door, holding the frame lightly as Yuffie came forward. She took a deep breath. Come on, she told herself. Yuffie Kisagari isn't lead anywhere! Yuffie Kisagari charges forward!

And she did just that. She blew past him, tripping slightly up the front steps, running into his house. She skidded to a stop in the hallway. She looked around, muttering to herself, "Not even slightly creepy. Darn..." Dunno why, but I was half expecting a coffin...

The house was spacious and polished, the hardwood floors gleaming. Stairs that spiraled up to the second floor were before her, and a doorway to her left led to a sitting room, where she could see a table, while the doorway on her right led to the piano room.

"So, where ya wanna do this thing?" Yuffie put a hand on her hip, forgetting that the gesture was lost on the blind man. Wordlessly, he walked through the doorway on the left, to the table in the sitting room.

Once they were seated at the black table, Yuffie nervously began to tear open the letter.

She cleared her throat, opening her mouth as she spread the letter before her. She froze, the words catching her eye. Elegant script was dotted along the top half of the page. It wasn't long, and it took Yuffie only a moment to read it.

Dear Vincent,

The letter began.

I am sorry. I will always love you, but professor Hojo and I are working together on a project, and, well, it just wouldn't work. He really is a fine man, very intelligent. I'm not coming back. I can't, and I don't want to. I'm going to start a new life here- there's so much I can do. I'm sorry. I hope you can find someone to read this to you. Someday, perhaps I will venture to that town again. And when you see me, you'll know that I am very happy. I want to do everything that I can, and I can't do that if I have to take care of you. Perhaps it is unkind, but know also that I am doing you a justice. I never would have stayed, and I am sorry to hurt you this way. I will remember you fondly, always.

Be happy, Vincent.

-Lucretia Crescent

Yuffie felt her throat close upon itself. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. She tried swallowing, and almost choked.

The man - Vincent - cocked his head to the side expectantly.

Words poured from her mouth of her own accord.

"Dear Vincent," she said, surprised that her throat was working with this train of thought. "How are you? I am well, and settled in. I hope to start working soon, and I am very excited. I think of you often. I think of your voice and smile and the way you smell. I think of your house. Mostly I think of you playing the piano, and it makes me happy. I cannot wait to visit so that I can hear you play again. Love, Lucretia." Yuffie looked up from the letter, staring at Vincent's slightly shocked expression.

He blinked a few times, and shook his head. He licked his lips nervously. Slowly, he held his hand out. "May I...?"

"Uhh, sure," Yuffie pushed the letter into his waiting fingers.

He grasped it, pulling his hand back and moving his fingers over the corners of the paper- not caressing it, but moving so gently, as though afraid it would shatter. He held it like a sacred treasure. He closed his eyes, seeming to be content, running his fingers along the smooth writing.

Yuffie knew in his mind that he was seeing, seeing with his fingers.

And she wondered, as the man opened his eyes and showed her to the door with a thank you, if he would eventually see the falsehood she had created with those same fingers...

There ya go! Hope you liked, next chapter is mapped out in my head, so enjoy!

Oh, and for people that are C/A and Y/V fans, check out my fic Prisoners of Time and Space, or my C/A one-shots. Also, check out my newest one-shot focusing on Tifa, called Inevitable.

That's it, reviews make me smile inside!

AerithHeartilly