Chapter One:
It's bitter cold. The snow encircles Yuffie, getting ready to make her a part of the endless mounds of ice crystals. She follows his dark form from a distance, watching him enter the small cabin. Finally arriving, she slams the door shut and plops herself onto the rug in front of the burning fireplace.
"How are you.. Feeling?" Vincent asks, monotone as ever while closing the curtains as though it'll make the storm disappear.
"C-cold, and kind of hungry." The girl mumbles, glancing at him curiously. He takes a seat on the couch and she continues. "-How are you?" With the tilt of her head, he answers hesitantly.
"Fine. Why are you suddenly interested?" He returns her question with his own, as always.
"I've always been interested." Pouting slightly, she stretches out her arms and sits next to him, sinking into the plush cushion. He sits up and stalks towards the small kitchen. Raising a brow, she lays her head against the arm rest and sighs audibly.
"I'll make something."
Once they've finished eating, Yuffie falls asleep on the couch. He's about to lay on the cot to the right when she begins snoring. The mans brows furrow in disapproval. Looking over her, he has the urge to poke her awake, despite how cranky the ninja can be when awoken. Stirring, her eyelids flutter open to reveal the hazy gray orbs beneath them. Her gaze meets his, and for the first time, he really looks at her.
Whether it's because he's tired or feels something for her, Vincent leans in until their lips are a mere inch away, the tip of his nose brushing against her own. A deep shade of pink creeps onto the girls face and he backs away suddenly, giving her a look like it's her fault. She knows what he's thinking: sin sin sin, that's all I do, blah blah blah. Her large eyes look at him wantingly. He glares at Yuffie, leaving her with a wound like a shot from Cerberus.
Fighting back tears of frustration, she leaps up, grabs her coat, and runs outside. When she turns back, she notices that he doesn't chase after her. No, the man simply sits there and ponders what caused him to do such a thing as the ninja vanishes behind the clouds of falling snow.
It's been a year since then.
Vincent checks his phone, noticing that her calls have stopped all together.
Yuffie's given up on the man who makes no progress.
"Miss Kisaragi, your father wants to see you." She grunts as the lady leaves her bedroom. Yuffie walks down the long hallway to his room, her bare feet cold against the stone tiles. With a quick nod, she enters before his consent and sits across from him on the floor.
"Ah, good. You're here. I have some.. things to discuss with you." The way Godo says things worries her, though she crosses her arms and looks at him, emotionless.
"Go ahead." She licks her dry lips in a rather obnoxious way, but since he's already begun talking, there's nothing he can say against it.
"You turn 20 next year, correct?" She gives an agitated nod, and he continues. "Life has a limit, and that's time. My life is limited." She's about to groan when he gives her a serious look. "You are the princess, and we need someone to rule. You can't rule alone." She knows where this conversation is going, but she expects him to just say 'screw it, you helped save the world!' Instead, he blatantly says "You need to find a husband, Yuffie. Don't try and push this aside."
Eyes widen and her mouth hangs agate. He's always been cold towards her desire for adventure, but marriage? Settling down and ruling Wutai? He's never mentioned that she'll need a man. You'd think, after all she's done to prove her strength, that he'd be convinced. Within moments she makes a beeline for the door and hardly notices his pained expression. Running down the hall to her bedroom, she throws her things in a bag and leaves.
"Lord, shouldn't we go after her? Calm her down?" The woman bows, concerned. "No.." he peels the pained look from his face, his serious expression softened just slightly. "She needs time."
She fights back all emotion as she walks calmly through the people who smile in her presence, the children who look to her for guidance, the small girl who she's been teaching self-defense. What if he dies? She thinks to herself, reaching the gates to leave. What if.. All this is gone once I return? Am I being selfish, running away to think?
She closes her eyes and opens them, breathing slowly. No. I'll be back.. And if they can't see my potential alone, that's their problem. But she knows it's not their problem. It's hers. It rests on her shoulders, weighing her down more and more with each passing day.
Yuffie doesn't know where she'll go. Just that she needs to be away. To breathe and work out a plan. Hopping onto her Chocobo, Star, she pats it on the side and heads off. After what must be hours of travel, she looks around at her surroundings for the first time. Have I been that deep in thought? It's on rare occasion she thinks things through. Unfortunately, this is not one of those times.
Around her; snow, for miles and miles. A large mountain blocks her view of anything further. Her throat aches and her hands are numb from holding the reins. Star trots slowly around the tree line, searching for some sort of refuge for the night growing near. Finally they stumble upon a cave. Though it's not very sheltered, it provides a roof until Yuffie can come up with something better. With nightfall coming quickly, she finds herself cold, sick, and lost.
Just when she thinks things can't get much worse, a storm approaches from the distance. Star lays protectively in front of Yuffie in the back of the cave. Her eyelids grow heavy, her body aches. The ninja quickly feels herself fall asleep.
"Whaddaya expect me ta do, plow through that mess?" Cid howls at him, steering clear of the blizzard in front of them. Vincent stands beside him stoically, wishing Tifa had never forced this. "Light me one, would'ya?" He asks, not taking his focused eyes off the storm. Vincent pulls a cigarette out of the pilot's pocket, grabbing a lighter from the drawer next to them. He shoves it in his mouth hastily and sits back.
"It wasn't my idea." He says.
"Why'd she go'n book you a place at this resort? You'll be wallowin' in self pity the whole damned time anyhow!" He shakes his head in frustration, mainly because of the detour.
Vincent's not sure why he agreed to go, either. Maybe it was because Tifa begged or that Cloud said she worked really hard planning it out, that he couldn't deny it.
"I'm guna have ta drop you off at the base of the mountain, Valentine. Ain't no way we gettin' up there." He nods briefly before realizing Cid didn't notice.
"Alright. I'll manage."
As a section of the floor drops and a ladder is released, Vincent hauls himself down and nods in appreciation at the man. "Thanks." It's all he says before disappearing into the storm.
Once he reaches the end of the ladder and the airship flies off, he looks at the area around him. Hopefully, the mountain the resort sits on, (which is now impossible to see) is fairing better than here. The storm rages relentlessly, whipping his black hair and blood-red cloak behind him. Walking in the direction he assumes is up, he comes across an opening below a hill. Deciding a small rest won't hurt, he walks closer towards the area to find it's a cave. Inside this small hollow in the earth, he finds an unusually pale Yuffie clinging tightly to a chocobo. Kneeling beside her, he puts a hand against her own to find she's freezing. He allows an agitated exhale to escape his lips.
Vincent tries at first to sling her over his shoulder, but finds it insufficient now that she's grown taller. Carrying her in his arms, he holds her close in attempt to warm her body as they -including the chocobo- begin their ascent up the mountain.
"C-cold.." the younger mutters softly, reminding him of the last time they'd talked. Even Vincent strains to hear her. Her eyes are still clamped shut as she buries her face into his chest and slips away again.
It doesn't take long for him to arrive at the resort. He hands the chocobo over to a lady that greets the trio. Walking inside, he signs in at the front desk and finds his room. Nearly the last suite on the second story, he definitely has the most beautiful view. The treacherous drop of the mountain seems all too close, the storm still stirring below. While wondering how he can repay Tifa for this, he hears Yuffie groan from under the plush blanket. Walking to the small kitchen, he gets a glass of cold water and sits next to her until she wearily opens her eyes.
Sitting up, she seems confused for a moment, unable to speak. This effect doesn't last long.
"Where are we? What's going on? What day is today?"
Vincent calmly pulls out his phone and replies to her questions.
"A resort. I found you passed out in a cave. Today is Tuesday."
"What're you.. Don't call my dad!" She looks at him with pleading eyes.
Vincent raises an ebony brow. "He.. Said I have to get married by my 20th birthday." Yuffie's gaze drops to her pale hands, their conversation replaying in her mind.
"I promise I'll behave. Just please, don't call my father.. I need some time to think."
None of it sounds right, in his opinion. Yuffie, thinking? Yuffie, getting married? She's matured quite a bit. The old Yuffie would've run away to ignore her problems. Right now, though, it seems she's trying to sort them out; to tackle them in the most logical way. As her silver eyes look back up at him, begging, he has no choice but to put his phone away.
"Thank you thank you thank you!" She says, smiling the best she can before sneezing.
Wordlessly, he hands her two small pills and the glass of water, dew sliding down the sides. She takes the medication and leans back against the couch, trying not to think so much. Because when Yuffie does thinking in the presence of Vincent Valentine, she realizes how much she cares for him.
He stands, walking over to the door and turning to face her before leaving. "I'm going to get you your own room."
"You don't have to get me my own room." She protests, poking at the glass.
He looks at her seriously. "We aren't sharing a bed."
"There's a couch, isn't there?"
"You can't sleep on the-" he begins, only to be cut off.
"Yes, I can!"
With a sigh, he admits his defeat. He grabs a coat off the silver hook protruding from a wall. "I'm going ..out. You should sleep."
"Yeah, yeah." She waves her hand goodbye before sinking into the soft blanket, falling into a deep sleep.