Hello everyone!

This is the sequel/companion to "Eyes Open," but I guess it could stand alone, if you don't feel like reading the other one. It will make a lot more sense if you read "Eyes Open," though, so I suggest you go check that out first.

If you have read "Eyes Open," I just want to let you know, this does not pick up where that one left off. They overlap one another, since I've switched character viewpoints.

That's all I have to say for now, so enjoy!

Chapter 1

I'm bleeding out

So if the last thing that I do

Is bring you down

I'll bleed out for you

Vincent glided through the ruined streets of Midgar in the middle of the night. The sound of clashing weapons echoed through the city, causing him to change course. As he exited the alleyway that he had used for a shortcut, he heard the unmistakable snarling of a behemoth and readied Cerberus.

The monster had cornered someone and was about to pounce. Two quick shots brought it crashing down, and the person that it was about to attack stood shakily. Vincent bit back a gasp as the figure began to turn towards him.

"Heh, thanks for that Le-"

"Yuffie," in an instant he was standing directly behind her, and when she turned, he stared in awe at her storm gray eyes, which he had begun to suspect he would never see again. Before he could say anything else, she faded into the night.

Vincent bolted upright with a gasp, clawing at the bedsheets and breathing heavily. A nightmare, that was all it was, he told himself as he stood and walked to the window of his small apartment. Outside, the neon signs of Edge illuminated the city in an eerie glow.

Leaning against the window frame, Vincent forced himself to breathe slowly through his nose, and tried to let go of the last image from his dream. The idea of Yuffie being lost to him forever was not one that he wanted to dwell on at the moment. It had already been two years, two long years, of searching for her. Cloud and Tifa as well, but Yuffie was the one that he was most concerned about. He wanted the chance to set things right with his little ninja, and apologize for … well, for everything. Of course, he doubted that that would go over very well with her. She frequently scolded him for dwelling on past mistakes, but he felt that this time it was absolutely necessary.

He sighed and closed his eyes, resting his head against the glass. Yuffie, where are you?

The entire planet had been searched, multiple times, by all of their friends. Reeve had assigned an entire section of the WRO to Vincent's command specifically for this task. Vincent appreciated the help, but he often ended up traveling alone. He wasn't used to working with such a large group of people, and he also didn't want word getting back to Reeve about his continuing downward spiral. The commissioner had enough to worry about without adding Vincent's problems to his list, and he would, because that was just how Reeve was.

Everyone had stopped worrying about Vincent after Yuffie had moved into the Shinra Manor with him. They noticed an improvement in the gunman's demeanor; he was no longer "Mr. Doom and Gloom," as Yuffie once called him. He smiled more often, became more sociable. They watched in amazement as Yuffie's bright influence led him out of his dark past, and he seemed ready to live in the present again.

Then she disappeared, along with Cloud and Tifa, and Vincent could feel himself slipping back into his old ways. The only difference was that the memories he reflected on were no longer of Lucrecia, but of a certain ninja princess. The more time passed, the more he felt the desire to give in to despair and crawl back into his coffin. But that was no longer an option. Yuffie had made sure of that.

Vincent pulled a chair over to the window and sank down into it, letting his eyes drift closed again as he remembered the day, just a few weeks after Yuffie had first moved in, when…

"Okay, Vinnie, we need to talk," Yuffie skipped down the newly repaired stairs, pausing briefly on the step that she had fallen through on her first day at the Manor.

"What about, Yuffie?" he asked in his usual monotone. He wasn't eager to hear what she had to say, since that was the same statement that she used when she announced that the room she had selected for her own was too small, so they had to knock out the wall and connect it with the next room, which Vincent was using as a library. Needless to say, he vetoed that idea immediately.

"The basement, we have to do something about it!" she stopped in front of him, hands on her hips and a defiant look in her eye.

"Why must we do something about the basement?" he asked, fighting back the urge to roll his eyes.

"Because! It's full of monsters! And let's face it, there's lots of bad memories down there for everyone. We don't need it for anything, so we should just board it up. That way, we don't have to worry about it anymore!" She gave him a triumphant grin. "And it's not like you need to use your coffin anymore. I'm never gonna let you get back in that stinky old thing ever again. Ooh! I know! We should burn it!" Vincent just stared at her as she prattled on without stopping. "It'll be all ceremonial, like you letting go of your past! It's such a great idea, I know," she clapped him on the shoulder and laughed. "I'll go get some matches!" She dashed off, and Vincent was left staring after her, not sure what he should do.

When she reappeared, he blocked her from going up the stairs. "Yuffie."

"Yeah?"

"You are not burning my coffin."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. And you are also not sealing the basement."

"Mmhmm."

"Give me the matches." He held out his hand and waited.

"Okay, sure. Whatever you say, Vince." He started feeling very uneasily as she said this, but held his ground. "So when do you wanna start tearing down that wall in my room?"

"?" He stared at her, wide-eyed, and tried to figure out why she had switched topics so suddenly.

"Cuz, I mean, we have to start another project soon if we're gonna fix this place up, and it's my turn to pick what we do, since we're roomies and all. So, the way I see it, I've given you two options. If you don't like this one, we can always do the other. It's really up to you. What do you want to keep more? The library, or your coffin?" She gave him an impish grin and handed him the box of matches as she stepped around him.

Vincent could feel his eye begin to twitch, and mentally cursed manipulative ninjas, before turning to find her leaning against the bannister.

"Well?"

He stared for a few more moments, then slowly dropped the matches into her open hand.

"Good choice!" she chirped, then spun on her heel and trotted up the stairs. "C'mon, Vince, we've got work to do!"

As he watched the flames lick over the coffin's sleek black surface, Vincent had to admit that it did feel vaguely satisfying to watch it burn. Although, he would rather take a bullet to the head than admit that to Yuffie.

Vincent opened his eyes and blinked a few times. It was still dark outside, so he moved back to the bed and tried to go back to sleep, knowing that the attempt was useless. He had not slept through an entire night since Yuffie went missing.

In the morning, he planned to make his way through Junon and then continue to the Ancient Temple. He briefly considered stopping by the WRO headquarters first, but dismissed the idea. If there had been any news Reeve would have contacted him, so it would just be a waste of time. And besides, it had been several months since the WRO commissioner had last seen him, which made it even more likely that he would notice the change in Vincent.

Turning on his side, Vincent stared at the wall and wondered which would come first, a clue about Yuffie's whereabouts or the final break in his sanity.

Poor Vincent! But the coffin is gone, so now he has to face his problems instead of hiding from them.

Anyways, please let me know what you think! And if you have an idea for a flashback, let me know and I'll see if I can work it in somewhere.