I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING PERTAINING TO FINAL FANTASY OR ITS CHARACTERS. I ONLY OWN RIGHT TO THE FICTIONAL STORIES I WRITE.
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Vincent Valentine leaned back on his bed and closed his eyes as the silence continued to surround him. He had spent such a long time alone and wrapped in moments just like his current state until he met the AVALANCHE gang many years ago. It was simple to convince his body to remain locked away from everyone and wait until he got sick of breathing to finally end it. Time ticked by and nothing happened for a long time. Then along came a blond man with spiky hair ready to crash his tomb of solitude. Deep down, he loved the man for it.
Now he spent his time hanging out at his own place and venturing out to 7th Heaven to see the gang. He smiled with them and they even got the rare laugh out of his mouth on occasion. Tifa and Cloud were almost always there with Denzel popping his head in every now and again. Barrett and Marlene stopped in every now and again when passing through the city and Cid was always ready to jump on a beer from the bar. Red XIII stopped in a couple times each month and Yuffie was almost like another adopted daughter for the couple.
Vincent wondered how the little ninja managed to stay so fit and still appear as if she was a sixteen year old girl. It killed him to admit she was twenty-six and a grown woman. She was just as hyper and just as jumpy as she had been in the beginning, but there was something different about her. He could never put his finger on it. Honestly, it wasn't a pressing matter worth much of his time.
After a quick shower he changed into a black sweater and a pair of dark jeans covering the top of his black boots. In the back corner of his closet the old metal pair of boots from his battling days sat in wait to be touched once again. He ditched the long, red cloak after the battle against Deepground and was pleased to do so. Even with the major fights over he still kept a gun on his hip at all times. He would get a call from Reeve every now and again asking for his help in some minor battle or another. In fact, Reeve had each member from the old group on speed dial. They kept the town safe, and that's all Vincent felt he was good for any more.
Vincent flipped his leg over his motorcycle and started the engine. 7th Heaven was only a short drive away and he was craving some social interaction with his friends. It was an addiction that grew out of the time together and he wasn't ready to quit it just yet.
He parked in the parking lot and caught sight of Reeve's van at the edge of the lot. It wasn't a bad sign the man was visiting, but it wasn't usually a good sign. Vincent killed the engine and walked into the bar receiving smiles from the familiar faces around. He didn't return with a smile but gave a nod of his head as they all expected.
"Hey, Vince," Reeve said. Vincent didn't hate the nickname some had begun to use with him. Only a few even dared to pull it out. "What brings you in today?"
"Just got a little bored sitting at home. Thought a trip out for a drink would defeat some of the boredom," he said. He sat next to Reeve and Tifa poured him a glass of their only white wine.
"You're just in time to hear some news about our little ninja girl," Tifa said as she sat on a stool behind the bar. "What news do you have, Reeve?"
"It seems Mr. Kisaragi has officially given up on Yuffie taking over as leader. In fact, he kicked her out of the village and hired some boy to train in her place. Said it would be best to keep the matter in the hands of men," Reeve said.
"He said that to her? What did she do?" Tifa asked. They knew Yuffie had been fighting to get out of leading the village for a long time. It just seemed like a hopeless battle. Her winning this over was a miracle.
"She danced her way over to me," Reeve said with a smile. Everyone froze at his words and the man laughed at what they had to be thinking. "No, no. Not like that. She got kicked out of her home and needed a place to stay. She asked me if I would lend her a place and as payment she would do work for me as I need. In fact, I have her out on a job at the moment."
Vincent continued to remain silent as Reeve explained some of the jobs Yuffie had done. She was finally free of what kept her locked away from them. How long had she been free and why didn't she tell any of them about it. And why was he so obsessed with knowing?
"They are called Wiping Wasps by the hidden company that created them.. Each wasp has some hidden poison they deliver when they sting their enemy. Some of the stings bring a simple case of the flu and others can kill you instantly. My people haven't found their location yet, but they seem to be getting close. Yuffie is running through different areas trying to take out as many as possible," Reeve said scratching his chin.
"Is it safe for her to be doing that alone?" Vincent asked. Tifa looked at him with a smile and shook her head as if he was the foolish one.
"You remember fighting with our little girl, I think she knows how to handle herself pretty well," she said and filled his empty glass up with more wine before walking away to a new customer.
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Yuffie jumped up a pile of large rocks and threw her shuriken directly into the wasp's face. The creature fell instantly at the bottom of the rock pile and she jumped with pride. "Take that you nasty bee!"
Her work for Reeve had been going on for almost a month and she was doing pretty well with beating all the creatures she came up against. The sudden appearance of the wasps put in a little excitement into her life since no one new what the complete story was behind them. They were only able to dig up a few facts about them.
1) They have found many carrying different diseases.
2) A mad scientist equivalent to the sanity of Hojo was making them.
3) They were very fast wasps to fight against.
4) Their population was growing quickly.
5) And finally, Yuffie wanted them gone!
Yuffie sat down on her rock mountain and took the canteen of water out of her backpack. She looked through the forest she was located at the center of and refused to admit she had no idea where she was. It would take some time, but she would find the area she entered eventually. As a ninja, she hated to admit how often she got lost on her missions.
A quick stretch of her arms and she was jumping back to the ground. It was time to go to 7th Heaven and crash with Denzel until she was kicked out. The kid and her had a lot of fun playing the video games she got him for his last birthday. Even if she considered her work for the day done, she kept an eye out for any creature dreaming to sneak up on her while she was leaving them. But hell would freeze over before she was harmed by any monster!
"Gah!" Yuffie hissed as a sharp pain hit her side. She took the small pocket knife from her back pocket and nailed the wasp in the neck before it could fly away. She cursed heavily as she fell to her knees. How had she not heard the buzzing and what was going to happen to her?
Yuffie left the dying wasp on its own as she continued walking. She didn't care where she got as long as they had medicine. There wasn't a feeling of sudden death and her body only hurt where the stinger had hit her. Maybe she was lucky and only poisoned with a mild case of chicken pox. She could hope. The edge of the forest appeared before her and she recognized the backyard behind Reeve's business building. Her luck wasn't completely done just yet.
As she walked through the back yard she took in a sharp breath and fell to her knees. Pain filled her side as her vision left her. She saw flashes of light and it felt as if the skin around the sting was moving. She knew things were not good as she blacked out and lost consciousness.
