Please Don't Say You Love Me
A/N: I was feeling very nostalgic with the news of Square Enix doing a remake of Final Fantasy VII so I decided to watch some videos on Youtube while listening to Gabrielle Aplin. Needless to say, after a few dozen Yuffentine fanvids later, this story was born. :) Standard disclaimers apply. My writing's a bit rusty, so forgive me if I make any errors. Reviews would be lovely!
...
Chapter 1: Confessions
"I want to be assigned a different partner for this mission,"
Reeve looked up from his pile of paperwork, looking totally unsurprised by Yuffie Kisaragi's sudden outburst.
"No." his firm statement was met with a fierce scowl.
"Then I won't do it," Yuffie spat venomously, pivoting on her heel to walk out of her boss's office. She was halfway to the door when Reeve spoke up again.
"If you give me a good reason why I should pair you up with someone else, I might reconsider."
Yuffie knew it was rude not to turn around to face Reeve, but she did not exactly want him to see her mutinous expression at the moment.
"He's getting on my nerves," she managed to blurt out after a few minutes of silence.
"Not good enough." she hated hearing the hint of amusement in his tone. There was nothing funny about her current situation. Reeve had no clue about what transpired between her and her partner though, so she could hardly blame the old geezer for acting so damned cheerful.
"I'm getting on his nerves." she tried again. She cringed inwardly because she knew that her statement was one painful truth she had never been proud to voice out loud.
"That's hardly news, Yuffie." her boss apparently seemed to agree.
Reeve could practically hear her teeth gnashing together in barely concealed irritation. Yuffie finally swivelled around to face him, the last threads of her self-control snapping.
"I just... I just don't want to be with him any longer, okay? Is that so hard to understand, Reeve?" Yuffie had clearly reached her breaking point, and Reeve kind of felt bad for baiting her. He could not begin to imagine the cause of her distress, however. He had assumed that she and her partner had gotten along just fine despite their opposite attributes.
It had been an obvious observation among everyone at WRO that the uncanny pair had grown a lot closer since Omega and Chaos returned to the planet. Vincent Valentine had become a lot less stoic and had begun to act more like an actual human being. Yuffie Kisaragi, if anything else, practically shone in the silent gunslinger's presence, miraculously unruffling Vincent's calm demeanor and even bringing out rare smiles from his lips with her crazy antics. He was also one of the few people Yuffie actually listened to, and he managed to make her stay out of trouble most of the time.
"But I thought the two of you have become friends of some sort," he commented, looking thoroughly perplexed at her revelation.
Yuffie cursed when the tears she had been so valiantly trying to hold back started to roll uncontrollably down her cheeks. She swiped angrily at her face, training her eyes upward, as if that tactic would somehow stop the flow of tears.
"Has Vincent done something to you?" he inquired in poorly concealed bafflement, motioning for her to take a seat on the chair across his table.
Yuffie bit on her bottom lip as she collapsed on the chair. She gratefully accepted the tissue Reeve handed her. "He didn't do anything, actually. It was me. I was stupid, and so damn careless..." she drifted off as more tears fell from her eyes.
"What exactly did you do, Yuffie?" Reeve inquired, waiting patiently for the young ninja to get ahold of herself so she could give him a coherent answer. She looked so small and vulnerable that he took heart.
The heir to the Wutai throne looked uncomfortable at the thought of spilling her secrets to the man who paid her salary, but after a few deep breaths, she gave him the most unimaginable answer. "I... I told him I loved him even when he begged me not to." Yuffie confessed between hiccups. A highly flabbergasted Reeve gaped at her. He knew for a fact that the ninja possessed a very brave and reckless nature, but what she did was simply astounding. He was torn between applauding her misplaced courageousness and recoiling in horror at her foolish action. "He warned me that he might not say it back. And he didn't! I wasn't really expecting him to, but he had the gall to tell me that I was too young to even know what love was!" she buried her face on the heels of her palms as she cried some more.
Reeve could do nothing but wait for her to cease her tears. He was bad at comforting women, but he understood that Yuffie must indeed be undergoing some emotional stress right now, especially after being so coldly rejected by Vincent Valentine. The least he could do was make her job easier.
"I'm really sorry to hear about that," he eventually said, unable to offer any advice or words of comfort. "I will be giving you a two-week break from work. I will also be assigning you to a different team once you return."
"B—but I don't need a vacation! I need—" Yuffie started to argue, but Reeve shook his head firmly. Yuffie rolled her eyes as she wiped the last of her tears away. She knew it was useless to argue with her boss.
"Fine." she tried her best not to sound ungrateful. "Thanks, Reeve. And please, don't tell anyone about this. I'm embarrassed enough already as it is,"
Reeve nodded, watching in pity as the young woman walked out of his office, her shoulders slumped in defeat. When the door closed behind her, he pulled out his cellphone and dialled a number.
"Vincent. You will be going with Steve for the mission in Mt. Corel. I'm afraid Yuffie has been indisposed,"
The voice at the end of the line displayed no hint of emotion. "I see." he replied after a few seconds of silence. "Do you know what's ailing her?" he asked a heartbeat later, and Reeve raised a brow at the undeniable concern in the gunslinger's tone.
"I think it would be better if you asked her yourself," Reeve advised coolly. "You are her friend after all, am I correct?"
Silence. Then, a very quiet, "Yes." came from the end of the line, sounding so resigned and filled with self-hatred that Reeve inwardly flinched.
He didn't know who was in a more difficult situation, the young ninja or the mysterious gunman. He was simply damned glad he was in neither position.
...
Vincent was not one bit pleased upon hearing Yuffie's confession of love. He had known that up to some extent she felt something special for him, seeing it in the way she looked at him, the way she went out of her way to coax a smile from his lips, and the way she did everything in her power to make him reach the closest thing to happiness, even with the most little things. He never assumed it was love, of course. He was sure he would have done the same for the rest of her friends. Besides, he wasn't even remotely loveable in the first place. He was too old, too surly, too quiet, too serious, and too messed up to deserve anyone's love, let alone Yuffie's heart.
"Vincent, I need to tell you something."
Garnet eyes raised to meet hers in a curious stare. His nimble fingers worked listlessly over her injured arm while he waited for her to continue. Her face seemed so sombre that he felt a twitch of nervousness in his gut. Yuffie was rarely serious, and when she was, she usually did not bring good news.
She chewed on her bottom lip, uncharacteristically silent, and Vincent's brows furrowed in concern. "What is it, Yuffie?" he asked.
The woman in question let out a deep, shaky exhale. She looked so torn between staying quiet and screaming her lungs out.
"I love you."
He dropped the roll of bandage he was putting on her injured arm, the strength leaving his fingers at the impact her words made on his chest. Had he even heard correctly? He wished he misheard, but his keen sense of hearing confirmed his worst suspicion. Surely she was playing a prank on him again. It had to be a joke—only it was not one bit funny this time.
He averted his eyes from her as he tried to calm the sudden racing of his heart. He stayed silent, hoping that his lack of response will make her stop talking.
"Vincent, did you hear me?" she sounded so weak and vulnerable, a far cry from the spritely ninja he knew. "I said I love-""
"Stop messing around, Yuffie." he interrupted her curtly, bending over to pick up the fallen roll of bandage on the floor. He inwardly cursed when he saw how badly his hands were shaking. He had never been as affected by her teasing before, but she had crossed the line this time.
Her chin quivered, and her eyes turned glassy with unshed tears. "I love you, Vincent, and I—"
"No." Vincent cut in, his tone tinged with quiet desperation. The sight of her tears made warning bells clang in frenzied alarm inside his head."Yuffie, please. Don't say anything. I don't want to hear anymore,"
"But I—"
Vincent shook his head at her, and the rest of the words she wanted to say so badly died in her mouth. "I'm not going to say it back, Yuffie, so you may as well just stop." it was not his intention to sound so cruel and cold-hearted, but he was so caught off-guard by her confession that his sense of self-preservation automatically started kicking in.
"I did not say those words so I could hear them back," Yuffie informed him fervently. "I just wanted you to know, Vincent, because I'm so tired of hiding my feelings. My heart feels like it's going to burst every time you're near. I tried to tell myself that I'm not supposed to have any romantic inclinations towards you because you're way out of my league, and I know you'll never see me the way you see Lucrecia, but my stupid heart just couldn't help falling in love with everything about you-from the way you take everything in life way too seriously, the protectiveness you display, your loyalty, even your ratty cloak and your poker face! You've become the most important person in my life, Vince. I feel incomplete without you." she hastily dashed away the tears from her cheeks, letting out a breathy shudder that tore through the gunslinger's chest. Vincent seemed to have stopped breathing altogether. "Lately I've been thinking about how frequently we've been risking our necks to save the world, and I realized that I'm afraid of dying in the middle of battle one day without even getting the chance to tell you how I feel."
Vincent refused to look at her. The gnawing pain in his chest was starting to suffocate him. He was horrified to realize that her words mirrored the emotions he had been striving so hard to avoid. The whispers of growing feelings he had been adamantly paying no heed to were now screaming in agony, begging to be released from the rigid confines of his seemingly still human heart.
He will not relent, however. She deserved so much better.
"You are a child," he told her when he was able to find the strength to speak. "You know nothing of love, Yuffie. Perhaps when you are older, and—"
"I am not a child!" Yuffie's eyes turned livid. "Stop deluding yourself, Vincent. I'm twenty-three, and I'm old enough to know how to tell the difference between love and infatuation, so don't you fucking dare judge me!" she rose from her seat, wincing at the throbbing pain on her injured arm. "If you can't accept the fact that I was dumb enough to fall in love with you, then fine! But leave my maturity level out of this because I am not a damn kid anymore!"
Yuffie bit hard on her lower lip to keep her sobs contained, gave him one last look that was filled with so much disappointment and heartbreak, and fled the room.
It had been five days since he last saw her. She had been purposefully avoiding him at WRO and even at Seventh Heaven, but he understood her perfectly.
At the moment, however, as he set down his cell phone after conversing with Reeve, he knew he had to talk to her at least once more to explain his side. And to apologize.
...
"Why the long face, princess?"
Yuffie did not even have the strength to roll her eyes at Reno, who took a seat beside her at the bar, looking so exuberant and enviably carefree. When she did not answer, Reno reached out to tilt her face towards him.
"You haven't been eating properly, have you?" he asked accusingly, a frown slashing his brows as he took in her hollowed cheekbones. "And you haven't been sleeping well, either," he shook his head in disapproval when he saw the bags under her eyes. His sea-green eyes were filled with genuine concern as he cupped her cheek. "What the hell happened, sweetheart?"
Yuffie took a deep breath, pulling away from his touch. She wasn't in the mood to talk, or to do anything in general. She just wanted the earth to swallow her whole so she could end her miserable life. Was falling in love and getting rejected really this painful? Why couldn't she choose to love someone less complicated? She wanted to vent out to someone so badly, but she was too embarrassed to let anyone know how she made a spectacle of herself.
She sure could use some company though. It had been three days since Reeve asked her to take a vacation, and precisely eight days, three hours and forty-seven minutes since she had last laid eyes on Vincent Valentine. Not that she was counting, really. She was tired of moping and wallowing in self-pity, but the ironic thing was, that was the only thing she also wanted to do. She hated inactivity more than anything else, but having her feelings mocked and thrown back in her face seemed to have incapacitated her temporarily.
Without really thinking, she moved forward and rested her head on Reno's shoulder, snuggling to his side as his hand automatically pulled her closer. His touch was surprisingly comforting, his company becoming a welcome distraction.
"You're not gonna cry, are you?" Reno asked worriedly, trying to peer at her eyes, which were hidden behind the curtain of her bangs.
Yuffie gave a little chuckle. "Of course not, you dumbass. Yuffie Kisaragi never sheds a tear," to her complete mortification, however, a lone tear rolled down her cheek. Reno quickly caught the droplet with his thumb.
"Liar," he told her softly.
"Fuck off," she answered weakly, and he grinned.
"Do you really want me to?" he asked, his thumb lingering on her cheek.
Yuffie slowly shook her head, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from turning into a complete mess in front of the Turk.
"You gonna tell me what's bothering you?" his gentle inquiry almost made her want to talk. Almost.
Yuffie sighed at the persistence in his voice. "I don't feel like talking about it,"
Reno tilted her head so that their foreheads were touching. "Who are you and what have you done to Yuffie Kisaragi?" he asked in a dead serious tone. "The Yuffie I know isn't one who'd know how to shut her trap, and would rather vent out her frustration with her fists rather than mope around like this,"
The young ninja gave him a head-butt that made him wince a little. "Maybe I'm starting to grow up," she told him wryly.
"Nah, you're just getting a little stale," he teased. "But I'm not gonna let you go down that dark road!"
Yuffie let out a surprised gasp when Reno suddenly pulled her up and started dragging her by the hand towards the bar's exit.
"Wait—where are we going?" she asked in surprised outrage as he lifted her off her feet and swung her rather inelegantly over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Out," Reno answered brightly. "I'm hoping you might act more like yourself when you're outside," Yuffie was too weak and hungry to fight him off, but she did manage to knock the air out of him when her boot connected solidly to his stomach.
"Put me down, Reno! And stop trying to cop a feel, I'm not dumb enough to fall for your—"
Reno surprisingly set her down, and once she righted her position, she found herself gazing up into the garnet-hued eyes of Vincent Valentine. He stood in that familiar forbidding manner she knew so well, his cold stare sweeping over the indecent way Yuffie was huddled against Reno. Suddenly she was conscious of the Turk's hand that lingered on her waist, and his warm body pressed against hers.
"Valentine," Reno nodded at Vincent in greeting. His hand did not move away from Yuffie's body, instead skimming downwards to caress her hip in an insolent display of affection. Vincent's jaw hardened, his eyes narrowing with a flash of offended anger. He did not acknowledge Reno's greeting.
"Is he giving you a hard time, Yuffie?" he asked the suddenly silent ninja. Yuffie shot him a cool glare, although her heart rate had already begun to kick up, something her body unconsciously did when he was nearby. Stupid heart. Stupid Yuffie. Stupid Vincent.
"I don't see how that's any of your business," she told him bitingly. "Go away and find someone else to babysit, Vincent."
He sucked in his breath, his crimson eyes narrowing into slits as he scowled at her. "Where are you going?" he asked in a surly voice.
"Like I said, it's none of your business," Yuffie cocked a hand over her hip and glared right back at Vincent. "I'm a grown woman, in case you failed to notice. I can take care of myself,"
"Apparently you thought wrong," he countered brusquely. "Because you wouldn't be mixing with his company if you knew what was good for you," he gave Reno a contemptuous look.
Yuffie gave a bark of unamused laughter. "And since when have you become such an expert in knowing what's good for me?" she inquired in an insulting tone that even Reno flinched visibly. "You think you got me all figured out, Vincent? You think you know me well enough to recognize what I want and what I need?"
Vincent gave no answer, only shook his head in silent fury as he turned to walk away from them.
The sight of his retreating figure made Yuffie so furious she had to catch her breath. Ignoring the searing pain in her chest, she shouted after him, "That's right, run away like a coward and don't listen to me! That's becoming one of your newfound talents, besides being an unfeeling block of ice and an inconsiderate—"
She found herself being dragged bodily, this time by Vincent, before she could even bat an eyelash. Reno tried to intercept, but the gunslinger only shot him a deadly look, and the redhead reluctantly backed away.
"Where do you think we're going? I don't want to go anywhere with you! I hate you! I think you're the most despicable man to ever walk this planet!" Yuffie didn't care that she was getting a lot of weird looks from the passers-by as Vincent continued to pull her by the arm towards the direction of his old apartment, and she hurled curse words she heard Cid use countless times, but her insults fell on deaf ears.
The moment he closed the door of his apartment room, he turned to face her, his grip on her arm tight enough to guarantee some bruising. His eyes were bright with a mix of anger and frustration, and for a fleeting moment Yuffie felt fear rise within her. She had never seen Vincent this enraged before. Perhaps she had crossed the line with her harsh words, but he had had riled her up so hard she wanted to punch him in the face.
"I am not a coward," he said fiercely. "You may not realize this, but I..." he had started to breathe heavily. He seemed to be fighting an inner battle to get the right words out of his mouth. "I only want what's best for you."
Yuffie sneered at him. "I don't need another father, Vincent, so stop trying to act like one. I can take care of myself," she tried shaking off his hand on her arm, but he refused to budge.
A muscle twitched on Vincent's jaw. "I never said I wanted you to see me as a father figure," he said through clenched teeth.
"Then quit acting like Godo and leave me alone!"
"No." Vincent looked positively murderous. "I will only leave you alone if you cease acting like a spoiled child."
Yuffie's vision dimmed as white-hot rage filled every vein in her body. She pushed him away from her with all the strength she could muster, but he held her firmly in place.
"Don't you ever—" she rammed a closed fist against his chest, making him grunt in pain and surprise. "—call me a child again, you insensitive bastard!" she managed to hit him twice before he grabbed her wrists in an iron-clad grip.
Yuffie was so blinded by rage that a violent urge to take any form of physical action to hurt him overrode any other sensible thought she had. With great effort she managed to reach for his hair, and she yanked a few handfuls so she could level his face to hers. His eyes widened when her lips touched his in an angry assault, her teeth sinking punishingly on his bottom lip. His grip on her wrists slackened. She took advantage of her newfound freedom and wrapped her arms around his neck, her tongue sliding easily inside his half-open mouth. He tasted so good, and the cavern of his mouth was so warm. She felt his initial shock pass, and for a moment she feared he would push her away in disgust. To her utter amazement, his lashes lowered and he succumbed to her brutal kiss.
His hands found their way to her cheek and waist respectively, his gentle touch contradicting her savage attack on him. He pulled her body snug against his, and she gasped when she felt him return her kiss with an urgency she never thought he was capable of. His hot mouth drifted lightly on her jaw, trailing down to the sensitive juncture between her ear and neck.
"Is this what you want, Yuffie?" he whispered raggedly in her ear, and before she could answer, he was kissing her again. Yuffie's legs felt like jelly as his mouth slanted over hers in ardent strokes until she could no longer form a single coherent thought. Her senses were stimulated so hard that she forgot how mad she was at him.
Vincent's kiss eventually gentled, and he slowly pulled away from her. His eyes were glazed with emotions Yuffie could not even begin to decipher. She looked away hastily, afraid to see revulsion in those crimson depths.
"I hope this finally proves that I'm no longer a kid," she managed to croak out after a long stretch of uncomfortable silence. Her lips were still tingling, and her heart rate felt nowhere near normal. With unsteady legs, she tried walking past him, but he weakly grabbed her by the shoulder.
"Yuffie, I'm sorry."
Yuffie blinked up at him in utter befuddlement. "If you're apologizing for acting like a total jerk last week, then I'm afraid I'll have to decline." she told him snidely. "But if you're saying sorry because you can't say you love me back, I will grudgingly accept your apology. I mean, it's hardly your fault that I'm so unlovable and undesirable, right?" she honestly wanted to make a joke out of her pitiful situation, but alas, she ruined everything by bursting into tears again. "Besides, I have no hold over your feelings. I know I'm no match against that beautiful and sophisticated scientist you're so hung up on, and I'm not really expecting anything from you. I'm made of sterner stuff than you think, Vinnie. I'll move on, and I'll be happy with another man before you know it," she managed to twist the corners of her stiff lips in a brave smile.
Vincent looked far from pleased by her passionate pledge. "You're not unlovable," he responded gruffly. "And you are very much desirable. I am just not the right man to show you," he reached over and gently wiped away the tears that were cascading down her cheeks, but she swatted his hand away. The hollow space in his chest hurt like hell. He knew he needed to let her go, but every molecule in his body screamed that he needed her; needed her radiant presence to bring in sunlight to his otherwise gloomy life. To bring light into his darkness. He needed her like he never needed anyone before, not even Lucrecia, but that did not mean he would be selfish enough to drag her down with him in his miserable life.
"I'm sorry." he repeated, because he couldn't say it enough.
The gnawing sensation in his chest intensified when she shrugged off his hand on her shoulder. "Not as sorry as I am," she whispered sadly, before turning away to leave him alone once more.
...
"Are you alright, Yuffie?" Tifa's voice broke through Yuffie's rather bleak train of thoughts. The young ninja had been sitting alone in a dark corner of the bar, looking so pitifully morose and contemplative that Tifa felt the need to intervene.
"I'm okay, Teef," Yuffie sighed, draining her glass full of wine and pouring herself another glass before the older woman could stop her. "Just... woolgathering, I guess,"
"About Vincent?" Tifa asked gently, and Yuffie stiffened in response. "I just noticed... the two of you have been avoiding each other the past few days," she continued, but the younger woman remained uncharacteristically silent. "Have you guys been fighting?"
Yuffie shrugged as if she had no care in the world, but her trembling bottom lip betrayed her distress. "Not really, but it doesn't really matter," she mumbled. "Vincent can go to hell with his dead ex-girlfriend for all I care," she downed the rest of her drink without even batting an eyelash.
"You're giving up on him without putting up a fight?" Tifa asked dubiously. "That's not like you, Yuffie,"
Yuffie gave another careless shrug. "I already did my part, Teef. I told him how I felt, but that callous icicle king only made scornful comments about how I was too childish to even know what love was in the first place,"
Tifa clapped a hand over her mouth at Yuffie's statement. "You really told him you loved him?" she asked skeptically. At Yuffie's sombre nod of affirmation, Tifa leaned over to give her friend a comforting hug. "Oh, you poor thing. You must have given Vincent quite a shock with your confession,"
"I know that, but he didn't have to mock my feelings and call me a child!" Yuffie was unable to keep the bitterness from her voice.
Tifa's eyes were full of understanding and concern as they gazed at Yuffie. "I think Vincent only reacted in that manner as a way of self-preservation," she told the ninja in a soothing tone. "You know how the last woman he loved ended up betraying him with another man,"
Yuffie snorted derisively, but she did not contradict Tifa's comment. "He's just so confusing, Teef. When I told him about my feelings, he looked like he wanted nothing to do with me. But when he saw me with Reno the other day, he nearly unleashed the Galian Beast on us,"
Tifa's eyes brightened up at Yuffie's news. "If he's getting jealous over you and Reno, then there's hope for you yet, Yuffie," she said cheerfully. "Vincent has a stoic disposition by nature, but if you are able to ignite such emotions from him, then it only means one thing—he could be feeling something special for you too, but is just too scared to admit it,"
Yuffie rolled her eyes, but a hint of a smile crossed her lips. "I don't think he's scared at all, Teef. He's just too emotionally stunted to return my feelings,"
Tifa shook her head in disagreement. "I bet Vincent's very much capable of loving you the way you love him, Yuffie—but I really think you should help him remember how to,"
"How?" the young ninja asked cynically.
Tifa pretended to think for a moment. "Hmm... Maybe you could give him a few lessons on how to properly express his feelings?" she suggested with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Yuffie burst out laughing for real this time. The thought of teaching Vincent how to act more human, of giving him lectures on how to express himself more fully seemed like a very ludicrous idea. If he was so determined in staying like the brooding loner that he was before she found him in Shinra Manor, then so be it. "You can't teach someone who isn't willing to learn, Tifa,"
"Just give him time to come to his senses," Tifa said encouragingly. "It'll all work out if you give him time, Yuffie."
"I can't say I'm in agreement," Yuffie answered desolately. "And like I told you, Teef, I'm not expecting anything from him. That's the least I could do for my poor heart—the lesser I expect, the lesser it'll hurt."
...
Vincent was forced to attend the annual charity ball Shinra hosted the following week, despite his determined efforts to weasel out of the occasion. Reeve had told him that everyone will be there, and his absence would be questioned if he did not attend.
So he begrudgingly agreed to come, even going as far as letting Shera and Tifa fuss over what he would be wearing. The women made him wear a simple but smartly cut suit and tie, and he had to abandon his red bandanna for a low ponytail to keep his long raven locks away from his face. Shera gushed about how handsome he looked, earning a reproving glare from Cid, while Tifa smiled and told him he had been really nice about letting them interfere with his wardrobe choice for the event.
"Yeah, I'd say it's a wise choice, man! You'll really give that cheeky Turk a run for his money over the ninja brat!" Cid commented, getting a strong jab on the ribs from Shera. Cloud and Tifa exchanged anxious looks, while Barrett made a pretence of being interested in the ceiling design of the venue's entrance hall.
"Reno and Yuffie... are going together?" he asked no one in particular. He quickly shook off the first stirrings of jealousy bubbling in his chest because he knew had no right to feel that way. He had made it clear two weeks ago that he was incapable of returning her feelings for him.
"They are," Tifa finally answered after a few moments of tense silence. "They've been practically inseparable since last week," she couldn't resist adding. Cloud frowned at his girlfriend, but she gave him an innocent look in return.
"I don't like it one fucking bit," growled Cid as he lit another stick of cigarette. "That damn Turk's too slick and smooth-talking for my peace of mind. And the way he touches the brat—"
Fury exploded behind his lids at the mental image of Reno touching Yuffie indecently. He was filled with strongest urge to break something, Reno's face in particular.
What made things worse was that Yuffie chose to descend the stairs at that precise monent, with Reno at her side. She was wearing a silver strapless mermaid dress that hugged her compact figure in all the right places. Her eyes were lined with kohl, and her lips were painted red. She looked every inch an adult that they all had to physically reel back in shock.
Vincent had long reconciled with the fact that Yuffie was no longer a child, and the sight that greeted his crimson eyes completely confirmed his realization. He really should have known better than to accuse her of being a child, because she certainly did not look like one. Or kiss like one, for that matter. His gaze riveted towards those tantalizing lips, and his thoughts catapulted back to the moment when she kissed him. His face felt hot all of a sudden, and he was filled with the sudden urge to loosen his necktie and take her away with him. His heart squeezed painfully when he saw Reno holding her hand.
Yuffie and Reno went up to them to exchange pleasantries. Cid had to cough a couple of times before managing to string two sentences together.
"I never thought I'd say this but... damn, you look so gorgeous, brat!" Cid patted her on the shoulder, his eyes proud. "And you," he glared at Reno. "You try to do anything funny and I'll make sure my fist is the last thing you'll ever see, ya hear me?"
Barrett nodded in agreement from behind, flexing his muscles menacingly at the unfazed Turk.
"Aww, Cid! I didn't know you cared!" Yuffie joked, a teasing light in her dark gray eyes. She turned to Tifa and Shera, giving both women a tight hug and complimenting their outfits. She laughed at Cloud's hair, which still stuck out in all directions despite his obvious attempt to tame the spiky blond locks with gel. She asked Barrett how Marlene was doing, and he happily regaled how well she was performing in school. Finally she turned to face Vincent, who literally managed to stun her into silence with his handsomeness. He was wearing a very smart-looking black suit, with a matching red tie. He had also abandoned his gold gauntlet, leaving Yuffie to admire his bare, long-fingered hands. His hair had been slicked back with a ponytail, revealing the perfectly chiseled contours of his face. He looked so young and compelling that he attracted a lot of curious female eyes in the room.
"Yuffie," the way his voice caressed her name sent shivers down her spine. "You look beautiful."
"So do you," Yuffie said absently, her mouth going dry at the sheer sight of him. Her hand flew to her mouth when she realized what she said. "I—I mean, thank you. Yep, that's what I was going to say—thank you!" her cheeks were suffused with color as he continued to stare at her, an amused smile curling at the corners of his lips at her adorable slip up.
"C'mon, princess, let's dance," Reno cut in smoothly, taking Yuffie's hand and escorting her to the dance floor before Vincent could say anything else.
He spent the rest of the night watching them dance, trying with all his willpower not to pull out Cerberus and empty its bullets into the smirking face of the redheaded Turk. He nursed the ache in his chest with a few glasses of whiskey, although it did little to dull the pain he felt. After over two hours of quietly observing them dance and flirt, Reno unwillingly left Yuffie's side to stand beside Rufus while he made his speech.
"You know, you really should make a move on her before Reno completely steals her from under your nose," Cloud suddenly appeared at his side, his blue-eyed gaze pensive and filled with concern.
Vincent swallowed the rest of his whiskey, relishing the temporary numbness the fluid gave his chest. "She's too young for me."
A frown marred Cloud's forehead. "No, she's not. She's almost twenty-four, and you're—well, chronologically you'd be over sixty, but your body's been frozen for decades, and you're probably not much older than her now,"
Vincent eyed the swordsman warily. "That doesn't matter. I'm too physically and emotionally messed up, and the last thing I'd want to do is taint her with my darkness."
Cloud looked totally sympathetic, understanding dawning in his blue eyes. He too, had been in a similar dilemma once. "Would you rather hand her over to Reno without as much of a fight, then?" he asked bluntly.
Vincent closed his eyes and did his best to tamp down the feeling of regret rising within him. "If that will be good for her, then I can try." he answered monotonously.
"Won't you at least tell her how you feel?" Cloud urged.
"She's better off not knowing." Vincent said with a note of finality.
The blonde man exhaled in disappointment. "I really think you should give yourself a chance to be happy with her—I know you may be feeling unworthy, but if she had been brave enough to tell you she loved you, it only means she wants you bad enough, even with your so-called flaws and all."
Vincent's crimson eyes swivelled towards Cloud in alarm. "How did you know about that?" he couldn't help but ask.
Cloud grinned guiltily. "Yuffie had been indulging in spirits the past week—she's been driving Tifa crazy with her demands for hard liquor. She can get really loose-tongued when drunk and heartbroken, you know,"
Vincent turned to assess Yuffie, who was standing alone by the pillar across where Rufus was speaking. That's when he noticed that she had lost weight. Her cheeks were hollowed, and her eyes looked tired underneath all the eye makeup she wore.
Cloud's eyes followed Vincent's fixed stare at the young ninja. "She hasn't been eating properly lately. I'm sure she hasn't been sleeping much either, because I'd see her climbing the roof at night and she'd only come back down at the crack of dawn, her eyes red and puffy,"
Vincent did not linger to hear the rest of Cloud's revelations. Wordlessly he stood up and walked over to the princess of Wutai, who seemed absorbed with Rufus Shinra's speech.
Yuffie's eyes widened when he reached for her hand and encased it on his own. She tried not to gape at his bold gesture, but failed miserably. "Let's go," he said, tugging her towards the ballroom's exit.
"Wait—what—where are we going, Vincent?" she asked with a hint of apprehension in her voice.
Vincent did not break stride as he and Yuffie made their way outside. "Somewhere you can eat," he answered vaguely.
Yuffie eyed him quizzically. "There's a lot of food inside, thank you very much—and besides, Reno would be worried if—"
She gave a yelp when he stopped walking so suddenly that she crashed bodily into him. His hands automatically reached out to steady her teetering figure.
"What the hell, Vincent? Can't you be more careful?! I'm not exactly used to wearing heels and if I take one wrong step I could break my neck and—" she paused in her tirade, startled to see pain etched on his handsome features. "Vincent?..." she called out imploringly.
"Are you... are you and Reno together now?" he asked with a touch of uncertainty, his brows furrowed.
Yuffie eyed him in puzzlement, willing herself to ignore the warmth of his fingers wrapped around her arms. She wanted to lie so she could gauge his reaction, but she knew she would only be setting herself up for disappointment. Vincent would never be jealous of Reno. Not that he had any reason to be. "No," she finally responded in a glum voice.
"Do you... like him?" he seemed genuinely embarrassed when the question came tumbling past his lips, his usually pale cheeks turning slightly pink in silent mortification.
Her brows slammed together as she tried to decipher the motive behind his incessant questions. Was he genuinely interested because he cared, or was he only looking for more proof to shove her confession of love right back in her face?
"It doesn't matter," she told him with a bitter smile. "I mean, it's not as if it would mean anything to you, Vincent."
Vincent looked like he wanted to say something, but he remained maddeningly silent. Finally, after a few deep breaths, he said gruffly, "It should not matter to me," he hesitated, his gaze holding hers so steadily she felt her breath catch in her throat. "But I can't deny that it does, Yuffie. It matters greatly to me,"
Yuffie's heart felt ready to leap out of her chest. "But why? Why do you even care?" she asked, unable to mask the desperation in her voice.
His grip on her arms tightened, and his garnet eyes smoldered with an unfathomable emotion. "Because I..." he exhaled slowly, looking so pitifully defeated at being unable to voice out his thoughts that Yuffie's heart broke. "Yuffie, I... I can't do this. I'm sorry." he slowly let go of her, and Yuffie felt as though she had been doused in ice-cold water.
"It's okay. I understand," her eyes stung with the threat of tears, but she refused to cry over Vincent Valentine again, no matter how much her heart hurt. "Excuse me," she spun around to head back inside, her head bowed.
Vincent could only watch in helpless silence as Yuffie walked back to Reno. He kept repeating to himself that it was all for her well-being, that he was staying away because she deserved someone better, until the night drew to a close and he saw the redheaded Turk lean down to brush a kiss on her porcelain cheek.
...
A/N: I'm not sure if everyone here came as OOC. I'm trying to make Yuffie more mature here, and Vincent more in touch with his human emotions. Let me know what you guys think!
