Author's Note: This story is set about 6 months after Cold Shoulder, so if you haven't read that yet I recommend you do before reading this. Also, there are some adult themes in this chapter, but nothing explicit (I never write lemon, so you'll never see anything rated M in that respect from me.) With that said, enjoy!
It had been a long time since Vincent remembered being this bored. There was nothing on television, he had finished every book he owned at least five times, and Reeve had been so busy developing new machinery for the W.R.O. that no one had called him for a mission in several days – he wasn't overjoyed to have become their go-to monster killer, but at least it was something to do. And to make matters worse, Yuffie had been materia-hunting for two weeks now, and it was in an area that had no cell phone reception, so he could not even call her, no matter how much he wanted to. Just the day before, after months of frustration, he had finally figured out text-messaging; now, ironically, he had no one to text but Cloud, who never answered his phone anyway.
And so it was that Vincent Valentine came to be sitting in an old armchair in his recently-acquired apartment, staring at an infomercial on the television as it droned on and on about some kind of new diet pill and not really registering any of it. Just as he was considering braving the bright May sunshine and going out for a run across the rooftops to entertain himself, Chaos spoke up.
"Lover incoming," he announced cheerfully, sending Vincent a mental picture of the door to his apartment just before the doorbell rang. Vincent sighed in relief, smiling softly as he strode over to the door and unlocked it. An instant later, he was almost bowled over as Yuffie launched herself at him, kicking the door shut before grabbing onto his shoulders and wrapping her legs around his waist while she kissed him passionately. He returned her enthusiasm, walking backwards with his armful of ninja and flopping down on the couch with her still on top of him. Finally, she opened her eyes and removed her lips from his, grinning at him and playing with his eternally-knotted black hair.
"Hiya, Vinnie!" she said cheerfully, sitting up and grabbing his clawed hand to pull him up, too. "I missed you!"
"I missed you too, Yuffie."
"Understatement of the century, Mopey."
"Shut up, Chaos."
"Fine, fine…"
"So, what have you been up to while I was gone?"
"Learning how little I care for television," he deadpanned. Yuffie giggled and snuggled up to him.
"Wow. I'd go outta my mind if I had to do nothing but watch T.V. and read all the time. Did Reeve forget your number or something?"
"No. Everything has just been very calm for the last few days. It's great for the W.R.O., but very boring for me." Yuffie made a face.
"Aww, I'm sorry, Vince. If I would've known that, I would've taken you with me!" Her face brightened suddenly, and she reached into her backpack, which was still on her back, and produced a handful of brightly colored crystal orbs. "But look what I got! Lots of great materia! Let's see, there's Firaga, Blizzara, Ultima, All – ew, why'd I keep that All Materia? – an Ifrit summon, a…" Vincent listened attentively while she rattled off the names of all the new materia, genuinely interested and still amazed at how she somehow managed to remember them all by looks alone. Although come to think of it, he was able to do the same with most guns at a glance, a skill he had tried over and over again to teach her but one that never seemed to stick. It seemed they were both just better off sticking to what they knew, and helping each other with what they didn't.
"Aaaand, last but not least, a Leviathan summon!" Yuffie announced proudly, holding up the bright red crystal for Vincent to examine. "This red is so pretty, see?" she asked as she turned it around in her fingers. Suddenly her gaze softened, and a mischievous smile crossed her lips as her eyes locked onto his. "But you know something? No matter how many summon materia I came across the last two weeks, all I could think of was those pretty red eyes and just how much I missed them…" Vincent gulped, recognizing that hungry look in her eyes and realizing she had set that up on purpose. He tugged at the collar of his cloak, suddenly finding it too restricting and uncomfortably warm. Yuffie slipped it off of him in one fluid movement and tossed it to the floor. She giggled and began to undo the buttons on his shirt, trailing kisses down his neck and over his sharp collarbone as she worked. Vincent couldn't help the soft moan that slipped past his lips as she trailed her fingers across his chest, toying with him and making him want more.
Suddenly, with a playful growl, she pounced on him and pinned his arms down at his sides, sitting on his chest and baring her teeth in a wicked grin. He didn't even try to free himself; he was happy right where he was. Yuffie leaned down and kissed him softly, nuzzling his hair before she spoke to him again.
"You are now the prisoner of the White Rose of Wutai," she whispered into his ear. "If you want me to let you go, you know what you'll have to do." Vincent smiled, narrowing his eyes and bucking her off of him to pin her down instead.
"Well, now, who am I to deny an order from my White Rose?" He leaned down and kissed her deeply, tasting the sweetness on her lips and breathing in the aroma of her honeysuckle-scented perfume as he used his gauntlet to slice through the straps of her shirt. She grabbed his hands, locking their fingers together and kissing the tips of his metal claws before pulling his palms to her chest. His eyes seemed to shine brighter as he looked hungrily at her, reaching for the edge of her shirt and –
DING-DONG!
The two of them stared wide-eyed at each other for a moment in total disbelief. Honestly, of all the times for someone to visit, they picked now? Vincent sighed, the mood effectively ruined, and stood up, helping Yuffie to her feet and offering her his cloak to cover the now barely-functioning midriff shirt. He buttoned his shirt back up as he strode to the door, knowing his face was still flushed but not caring in the least; he was about to kill whoever had just interrupted them.
His eyes were already beginning to glow with a golden light when he opened the door, revealing a small, thin Wutaian man dressed in a summer kimono and haori coat. Yuffie, who had not yet seen the visitor around Vincent's imposing form, gasped when she saw who it was. Vincent's eyes returned to their normal red color as she immediately began conversing with the stranger in Wutaian, her eyes bright and a smile lighting up her face. If she was happy to see this visitor, then so was he. They spoke for a moment longer, and then the man – called Hachi, from what little Vincent had managed to understand of their conversation – reached into his coat and pulled out a small envelope, handing it to Yuffie and bowing deeply. Her face fell immediately, and Vincent was suddenly on edge. Without another word, the strange man departed, leaving a stunned Yuffie and a confused Vincent staring after him in the doorway.
"Yuffie? What is it?" Vincent asked gently as she continued to stare at the sealed envelope in her now-trembling hands. She didn't answer, instead turning away from him to open it and read whatever was inside; he wasn't sure why she bothered – it wasn't as if he could read Wutaian anyway. After several tense moments, she turned to him, and he was alarmed to see tears falling from her eyes. "Yuffie?" he asked again, kissing the top of her head and hugging her as she began to sob into his chest. "What's wrong? You can tell me."
"V-Vincent…" she whispered, not allowing herself to look him in the face. "T-this is a letter from m-my father… He… He's ordering me back to Wutai… for good…"
