Fireworks

Yuffie shivered under her blankets, though they were thick comforters. Over head thunder sounded, loud enough that, to her, it shook the room. Thunderstorms had always scared her. Before her mother had died, she had been comforted by her. But ever since she'd been alone.

She cringed as lightning struck outside. She tried to change her thoughts, getting them off her fear. She tried different topics in her mind. She tried Wutai, but it didn't work. She tried her friends. No luck. Not even materia got her mind off it.

But when she thought of Vincent, it stuck. He had to be her best friend. She knew him better than anyone else on the team did. And vice versa. He had been the only one that had listen wholeheartedly to her when she was sad or angry, or just felt like talking. She was thankful for that.

"I wonder..." She tried to vanish the thought before it came from her mouth. But she still had the thought. 'I wonder if Vincent would sit with me through the storm?'

She hesitated before standing and walking out of her door.

Three hard knocks woke Vincent from sleep. It hadn't been a deep sleep because of the storm raging beyond his window. He could see lightning flash through his scarlet curtains and thunder would boom soon after.

Vincent opened his door to find behind it a shivering Yuffie. She looked up at him with her purple-grey eyes and spoke in a slightly trembling voice, "Vinnie, do you think I," She flinched at a sudden burst of thunder then continued, "Do you think I could sit with you a while? At least until the worst part of the storm is over?"

Vincent looked at the woman who was his partner on the battlefield. It was almost odd to consider her a woman, but there was no doubt she was though. She was twenty-two now and had grown quite a bit in height and attitude since the first time they met.

Vincent nodded and she sat down with him. He put his arm around her shoulders comfortingly. Yuffie flinched again as thunder rumbled overhead. He tightened his arm around her slightly.

"It's stupid, huh? Me being afraid of thunderstorms. I mean, I'm I just turned twenty-two, I shouldn't have such a childish fear." She shivered and Vincent pulled his blanket off his bed so she could use it. She pulled it around herself and noticing the color said "Love the color red, huh Vinnie? Thanks."

"It's not stupid. I was also uncomfortable with storms such as these until my late teens to my early twenties. But someone pointed out a different point of view I could look at it from." He stood and began to lead her to the chair by the window. She hesitated for an instant, but she trusted the man that led her so she followed.

He sat in the chair and let her sit next to him, though the chair wasn't big enough for both of them so she was half sitting on his lap. Beneath Vincent's skin where Yuffie was making contact with him, burned. He loved having her this close. He probably wouldn't ever admit it to anyone or act on the feelings he harbored.

"Look." Vincent said calmly and pulled back the curtain. Immiediately after he did so a huge fork of lightning flashed across the huge expanse of the sky. Yuffie gave a small yelp and groped for his hand.

He squeezed her hand to help comfort her and said again, "Look."

"MmmMm." She denied him his request and turned her head away from the window so her cheek was on his chest.

"Don't worry. Just open your eyes." Vincent put a gentle hand beneath Yuffie's chin and coaxed her face in the direction of the window. But she refused to open her eyes. She practically cowered into him and he felt a strong urge rise up to protect her.

"It's fine, Yuffie. I'm here, the storm can't hurt you." He reassured her.

"I know..." She replied quietly, "Storms just freak me out alot. My mother dyed during one, so they bring back bad memories." She was hit with a quick flash of her mother's lifeless face, and cringed into Vincent. Yuffie had absolutely hated storms for that reason. She was glad Vincent was with her for this one. All the others she had been alone, scared, hiding beneath her blankets.

"Please look?" Vincent asked.

She tenatatively opened her eyes, though only slightly. "What...?" She squeaked out.

"You like fireworks, right?" He asked softly. She nodded. "Think of it this way. The lightning is the firework without the color and the thunder is the 'boom' afterwords."

She thought about it for a moment, taking in the similarity. Then she smiled. "Wow, Vinnie!"(He had always loved that nickname.)"I've never thought about it that way!" She hugged him for a moment. The horrible memory was being replaced in her head with the better ones she had had watching fireworks with her mom. And one memory that she had just made.

"An old friend that I knew back in the Turks taught me that when I first started out." He explained briefly.

Yuffie grinned happily as she leaned against Vincent. She was still wrapped in the blanket that held his scent so well. It was an inticing smell that in Yuffie's opinion, was better than any cologne or perfume made. When she inhaled she purposely did so deeply.

She was expiriencing a feeling that she always got with Vincent. It always made her happy and full of laughter. But she never really understood what it was. But understanding dawned on her as she sat with him. When she realized what it was, it permeated through her, warming every inch of her body. She sighed in happiness and before she realized what she was saying, spoke.

"I love you, Vinnie."

His eyes grew wide at her revalation and he hesitated a moment before replying in his deep baritone.

"I love you too, Yuffie."

He then pressed his lips to her cheek in a small, but loving kiss.

Yuffie leaned her head back against his chest and smiled again. She was genuinly happy. She snuggled against him and watched the 'fireworks' out the window.

Vincent hugged her to him slightly. He had never expected her to say anything even remotely similar to that at all. It had startled him, to say the least. But he was glad he had replied the same, thhat he had told her he loved her.

By the time he realized that Yuffie had fallen asleep, a half an hour had passed.

Vincent smiled at her sleeping form. She had her head resting against his chest and one hand clutching the front of his shirt. He slipped an arm under the crook of her knees and one around her back. He stood and carried her over to the bed. He laid her down and lay next to her.

She smiled in her sleep and snuggled closer to him.

"Th..anks, Vinnie..." She mumbled in her sleep.

Her dreams were filled with a stoic gunslinger and fireworks in a dark night sky.

Well? This is one of the plot-bunnies that I mention in the story 'Plot-bunnies, Ninjas and an aim to kill.' Please read it.

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