Woohoo! Another update two days after the last! Enjoy…

……………………………………

Secret Pasts

……………………………………

"Wow, you look hot," Yuffie said with a grin.

Tifa twirled and sneaked a glance at Cloud, who was sitting at the breakfast table, eating cereal, even though it was already dinner time. She knew she looked pretty, but the one guy she had wanted to hear that from was a total idiot who didn't see her. Never mind, maybe Zack would know how to appreciate her. "Thank you. Now, I don't know where he's taking me, but he asked me to bundle up. Still, a girl can look good in these types of pants and a turtleneck, right?" she asked with a grin.

"Dark blue suits you," Yuffie commented as she took a sip from her juice. "Hey, maybe he's taking you ice skating or something!"

"But it's not snowing," Tifa said, catching the snort from Cloud. She turned to glare at him. "What," she snapped, not even making it a question.

Cloud simply shrugged and kept crunching. Yuffie waved a hand dismissively and handed Tifa a scarf. "There's this skating rink downtown. It's open for most of the year and I hear it's a really nice place to go to with your date. If he kisses you, you have to tell me all about it!"

Cloud let out a small, obnoxious laugh. "Am I forgetting something or are we still in boarding school?" he asked, getting up and setting his bowl in the dishwasher. "You're acting like this is Tifa's first date."

"It's my first date with a real man," she snarked, remembering that when they had been sixteen, she and Cloud had gone on a date to the movies, right before he had met Aerith. That had been the one and only date they had ever been on.

The blond's eyes narrowed and he leaned back against the kitchen sink, his gaze on Tifa as they stared each other down. Yuffie cleared her throat and moved towards the door when there was a knock. "Hey, Mr. Fair, how's it going?" the shorter woman asked.

Zack grinned and winked at her. "Mr. Fair is my father, please don't call me that. I'm not in a rush to wear glasses and use loafers," he with a chuckle.

Yuffie just smiled and turned to Tifa, who shot Cloud one last glare before turning to smile at Zack. Tifa walked over to him and pressed a kiss to his cheek in greeting. "It's good to see you again," she said sweetly. "Are you going to tell me now where we're going?" she asked curiously.

The tall man nodded. "We have a date at that popular skating rink downtown tonight. It'll be all for us for the rest of the night, with no other distractions," Zack said. Then he scratched his head. "You do know how to skate, don't you?"

Tifa blushed and shook her head. "I have excellent balance though," she said with a nervous laugh, ignoring the amused look on Yuffie's face.

"No worries then. I can teach you how to skate. Besides, it'll give me an excuse to hold your hand," he said with a wink.

Cloud had had enough of the sappiness. Really, who the hell did this guy think he was? "What time are you going to have her back?" he asked abruptly, coming up behind Tifa.

"Whoo, relax pops, I thought Godo was in his own house tonight," Yuffie said with a smirk.

"I'm the man in this house, and it's up to me to protect you and Tifa. You're both like my little sisters," he said casually.

His words only served to flare up Tifa's anger. His sister, huh? Well, she'd show him that she was most certainly not his sister. "We should go. I want to make the most of tonight," she said, a little smile on her lips.

"Don't worry, big brother, I'll have your little sister back when she decides," Zack said with a grin, ushering Tifa out the door.

They both missed the scowl that crossed Cloud's face, but Yuffie certainly didn't. "Why don't you just admit that you're in love with Tifa? I mean, is that so hard to do?" she asked him with a knowing look.

Cloud gave her a dark look. "I don't feel anything for Tifa but the love for a friend," he said, heading towards the refrigerator and grabbing a beer.

"Yeah, once you do realize that you really care for her as more than friends, it'll be too late and she'll be with this other guy," Yuffie said before heading towards her room. "Though if he treats her like a queen once they're married, I don't think that would necessarily be a bad thing."

Cloud scoffed to himself and didn't pay attention to how his stomach felt sour at the thought of Tifa being married to another man. Besides, she was still too young to be thinking about marriage. Wasn't she?

Inside her room, Yuffie grinned and brought out a jewelry box made of a dark oak that had once been her mother's favorite tree. The tree had been in the backyard of the house she had been born in, and during a storm, it had been struck by lightning, cutting the majestic tree in half. Her father, Yuffie's grandfather, had made the box by hand, and had given it to her mother as a birthday gift. Upon her mother passing away, the box had become Yuffie's, and it held her most precious possessions. Now though, along with her grandmother's locket, various letters her mother had made to her upon leaning that she would eventually die because of a rare illness, and few other various treasures, the ancient materia orbs sat in the box. Yuffie opened the box and ran a gentle hand over the silk lining before they settled on her personal prize.

She brought out the red one and stared down at it, her thoughts inevitably moving to the rude business man who seemed to know which buttons to push to rile her nerves. Was he doing it on purpose or could it be that she was being too judgmental? Didn't matter anymore. If he had gone public with the robbery, that meant that he had cherished the materia greatly. Maybe taking the gun would've brought on a bigger type of reaction.

Yuffie stared down at the red orb and the light caught it, making it shine beautifully, but also serving to remind Yuffie of the color of Vincent's eyes. She just smirked to herself and placed the orb away just as her computer beeped. She stood from her bed and walked over to the desk, opening her laptop. She typed in her password and the screen came on with the results of a search Tifa had started before getting ready for her date. A heavy sigh left her and she ran a hand through her short hair. "Cloud!" A few minutes after she called, he walked into her room, giving her an irritated look, since he was already in his pajamas. "Did I wake you, gramps? What are you doing sleeping so early?"

"What do you want?" he nearly snapped, eyes a darker blue in his annoyance.

"Take a look at where the painting the client requested is," Yuffie said, stepping away from her computer and moving off to place her jewelry box in its usual spot.

Cloud looked at her screen and typed a few things to make sure the search was accurate. "Shit. Valentine's office? I don't know," he muttered. "How much is the client offering for both Tuesti and Valentine's paintings?"

Yuffie sighed and brought out her trusty Shuriken to polish the sharp blades. "Two million gil," she replied. She noticed the frown on Cloud's face, and though he could sometimes be a jerk too, his instincts were usually spot on. "Think it's too good?"

"To be true?" he finished the saying with smirk. "Yeah, I do. Maybe you should contact the buyer and tell him that he can have Tuesti's, but that you can't find the other one. You've already stolen from Valentine, I don't think he's taken the first robbery lightly. He won't let it happen again."

Yuffie eyed him. "How did you…"

"Come on, Yuffs, give me some credit. I'm not totally oblivious to you and Tifa," Cloud said dryly. "Besides, Godo told me about the meeting and how you were angry when you left. I hate to break it to you, but you're a vindictive type of person."

"No I'm not!" she exploded. Well… "Okay, maybe I kinda am, but I resort to stealing as revenge when people wear out my patience. This guy was asking for it."

Cloud shrugged. "Back to the point, I don't think we can trust this client. Tell him we'll get the Tuesti, take it or leave it. Then we should lay low for a few months," he said, making his way towards the door. "And you know… maybe… it wouldn't be too bad if Tifa found a guy who treated her like a queen," he said quietly, not turning to see Yuffie's reaction.

The ninja watched him go and frowned. If this was one of those, "I'm not good enough for her. She needs to be with a guy who has money," she would shove her shuriken up his ass. Cloud was an idiot if he thought that Tifa cared at all about gil. Though Yuffie was sure that Godo would most likely split half of his money and leave them with equal shares—which she didn't mind one bit—Tifa was a wonderful person who wasn't at all materialistic. She didn't care about money, and she certainly didn't care if her guy was rich or poor either. If Cloud thought Tifa did, then he really didn't know her as well as they had thought. Yuffie sighed to herself and decided to wait for Tifa to come back from her date in order to discuss the heists.

…………

"Oh, wow. This looks great," Tifa complimented, noticing how the lights were focused on the ice skating rink, and all the others were shut off.

"I'm glad you liked it. I just figured that I could take you somewhere guys don't usually take girls to on a first date," Zack said with a smile. "Take a look at this," he said, motioning with his hand. The ceiling above them began to part and the shine from the moon and stars winked above them.

Tifa stared and tried her best to keep her balance as they stepped onto the ice. She would've slipped and fallen on her butt, but Zack was there, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and bringing her close to him. She looked into his eyes and felt herself blushing. Geez, why did this feel like her first date all over again? She was twenty, and she had certainly dated other guys, it was just that she had never dated someone like Zack. A professional business man—since she and Yuffie had looked him up as well—he was an ex-SOLDIER who now worked with Vincent Valentine as his business advisor. He was well off on money, and he was barely in his early twenties. He was his own brand of ruthless wrapped up with an easy smile, and pretty eyes.

"You okay?" he asked Tifa with a grin.

Tifa nodded and gripped his forearms as she tried to stand on her own without falling over. "I just need to get the hang of it a little," she said, slipping slightly.

"Come on," he said lightly. "Let's practice so that you can try to stand on your own."

"I thought you wanted an excuse to touch me," Tifa said boldly.

Zack let out a laugh. "Yeah, but I want the chance to do it again some other day. If I take advantage today, you may not want to see me again," he replied as he began a slow lap around the rink.

Tifa smiled and looked around when slow music started to play through the speakers all around the rink. She turned to look at Zack and he just shrugged and turned her into his arms so that they were pressed together, but still moving. "After this date, I think I'll want to see you again," she whispered.

He smiled and nodded, his hands chastely holding her around the waist. "Would you care to share this dance with me?"

"Sure," Tifa murmured, keeping her balance and wondering if this guy would help her in getting over a certain oblivious blond. She had spent most of her teenage years figuring out exactly what she had felt for Cloud, but then he had asked Aerith to be his girlfriend, and they had been dating on and off again for the better part of six years now, though neither one of them seemed to want to move forward with their relationship. Tifa had dated her own share of guys—mostly to spite Cloud—but she had never found a guy who had interested her the way Cloud did. Not until now.

She looked up into those blue, blue eyes and let out a slow breath when he closed the distance between them and kissed her. When he pulled back, Tifa blushed and smiled.

"Your nose is cold," Zack said. "How about I take you to get some hot chocolate?"

Tifa nodded. "How about we go, after you teach me how to ice skate?"

"You'll be a pro by the time we're done!" Zack exclaimed, letting go of one of her hands. Tifa kept her balance for all but ten seconds before she shrieked and fell, pulling Zack with her. "… Or maybe we'll need more practice," he said with a chuckle, rubbing his aching elbow, which had taken his weight when he landed on the ice.

Tifa giggled and took his hands when he stood and offered them. "I've never been on a date like this before," she said, following him once more, still a little wobbly.

……………

"How was your date?"

Tifa froze and stopped, turning towards Yuffie's favorite arm chair, which was occupied by Cloud at the moment. She smirked to herself. "Perfect," she said, making her way towards her room, intent on ignoring him.

"Do you like him?" Cloud asked, standing and following her into her room.

"What's with the Q & A?" Tifa asked, pulling off her warm jacket, and the scarf. Her boots followed and they put her shorter than Cloud, though Zack was far taller than the both of them.

Cloud shrugged one shoulder. "Just curious. I… Tifa, I just want you to be happy."

Tifa sighed and pulled her hair free of the tie it had been in, allowing the long strands to cascade down her back. Cloud's eyes followed the dark waterfall, but he looked away when Tifa pulled off her turtleneck and remained with a tank top. "Don't worry about me, Cloud. I can find my own happiness," she said softly. "I don't need you watching over me. You're not my brother," she said the last part in an even more quiet tone.

Cloud let out a heavy sigh and nodded to himself. "But we're friends, right?"

"Yeah," Tifa replied, turning to look at him with a forced smile. "I can take care of myself, Cloud. And I really do like Zack. It's been a while since I've met such a great guy."

He had the feeling that she was talking about the day when they had met in boarding school, but he couldn't be too sure. His brain usually made assumptions about the wrong things. Tifa couldn't feel anything for him other than care for a friend. She was beautiful and pure, and too good for him. If she found someone who would love her the way she deserved, Cloud would be okay with it. He wouldn't be happy, but he would deal. "Just promise me one thing," he murmured.

Tifa looked at him and nodded. "What?"

"If he ever hurts you, you'll tell me," Cloud said with a small smile, trying to seem positive.

"Always trying to be my knight in shining armor, huh?" Tifa asked with a small, reminiscent smile. Cloud just nodded once. "Okay. I promise to let you know."

Satisfied with her answer, Cloud stepped towards her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Goodnight, Teef."

"Goodnight," Tifa replied as she watched him walk out of her room. As soon as he stepped into his own room, Yuffie pranced in.

"Was it my imagination or did he just kiss you?" Yuffie asked, shutting the door.

"On the forehead," Tifa said with a little shrug.

"How was your date? Did he kiss you?" Yuffie asked excitedly, bouncing on Tifa's bed. "Tell me!"

Tifa blushed and then nodded. "Yeah, we kissed, and sweet Leviathan… it was… I don't know how to describe it! It's totally cliché, but I had butterflies in my stomach. The only thing that ruined the night was that I fell on my butt like five times, and two of those times I brought him down with me!" she said as they both giggled. "The night sky was shining over us with stars and the moon, and we even danced as we skated. Then he took me to this small Wutain restaurant and we had dinner at a table with candles!"

Yuffie grinned and was happy to see Tifa so giddy. She had never seen her this way after a date, especially with the torch she was carrying for Cloud. The ninja let out a sigh and went serious. "The search found the painting we need."

Tifa paused in her hair brushing and gave her a questioning look. "And I take it it's somewhere unattainable? We do love challenges."

Yuffie shook her head. "I don't know about unattainable, but it is somewhere that may pose a big problem. It's in… Vincent Valentine's office," she said with a sigh.

Her cousin's eyes went wide and she fell back onto her bed. "And with the robbery on his house, he'll double his security and check that his offices and home are well guarded. Great," Tifa muttered.

"Cloud thinks we should just offer Tuesti's painting and let the client know that we haven't found the other one. Then that we should lay low for a couple of months because we're hot right now. Police will be guarding any place with priceless items," Yuffie said with a sigh. "We can do it, Teef. I know we can."

"You want to go ahead and try to take Valentine?" Tifa asked, sitting up and leaning against her headboard.

Yuffie nodded. "This isn't about revenge anymore. We're getting two million gil. One mil will go to the Midgar Scholarship Program for needy teens, and the other mil will go to the research of the illness that my mother died of. Cloud gave his okay, what do you think?"

Tifa nodded and smiled. "It doesn't matter who we help as long as we keep helping. Do you mind if I pick our next organization?" she asked.

"Of course, my dearest cousin. At this rate, we're going to make Midgar a better city by ourselves," Yuffie said with a smirk. "So how do we do it?"

"I'm going to prepare some scanners that you'll have to plant in Valentine's office, so start thinking of an excuse to getting in there. I'll have you install them in his office, the elevator, and somewhere in the hall outside of his office. That way we can scan the security system when the building closes for the night," Tifa said.

"Undetectable?" Yuffie asked as she stood and made for the door.

"Of course."

"Then I'll be ready. I already know how to get in there," Yuffie said with a mischievous grin. At Tifa's questioning look, Yuffie told her. "I have a wallet to return and a truce to fake."

"Good luck with that, then. I'll let you know when the scanners are ready," Tifa said with a smile.

"Night, Teefs. I hope you dream with many little Zack's," Yuffie said before closing the door after her.

Tifa just smiled to herself and hoped that she dreamed with Zack too. She was getting tired of having the same unattainable dream with Cloud.

……………

"Mr. Valentine?"

Vincent looked over from where he had been watching his stocks and smirked faintly. "Aerith, I thought I asked you to call me Vincent," he said lightly.

"Not while in the office, sir," she said with a sweet smile, green eyes twinkling brightly. "There is someone here to see you. I told her that you don't take visitors without appointments, but she insisted. She said that you wouldn't say no."

"Who is it?" Vincent asked suspiciously. Someone that sure was either foolish, or just plain arrogant to assume so much.

Aerith smiled faintly at the surprise it had been to see Yuffie there, since she was one of Cloud's best friends and roommates, but she doubted that Vincent would bend his will for someone so… not his type. "A Miss Yuffie Kisaragi."

Vincent started and turned fully to look at his secretary. "Yuffie…" What could the little thief possibly want? "Show her in, Aerith, then hold any calls and let Zack know that I want no interruptions on his part either."

Aerith stared for a moment. Vincent didn't usually bend his will for anyone, why would he do it for Yuffie? Aerith broke out of her small trance when he gave her a pointed look. She smiled in embarrassment and nodded, quickly walking out. Seconds later, she showed Yuffie in before shutting door behind her.

The ninja was dressed similarly to how he had seen her in Godo's office, and Vincent realized that this was her normal getup. He didn't mind the shorts—what hot blooded male would—but he also came to understand that for all her thieving ways, she was still a child. "Hello, Mr. Valentine," she said with a small drawl.

Vincent inclined his head and motioned towards the chair. "Have a seat, Miss Yuffie. How can I help you?" he asked her.

"First off, you can call me Yuffie. The Miss makes me feel a little weird," she admitted with a smile.

Vincent stared, wondering if he had missed something between their exchanges. Why was she being so civil if she had been peeved at him the last time they had seen each other? "Can I offer you something to drink?"

Yuffie shook her head and reached into a pocket of her shorts, handing over his wallet before she took a seat. "I'm here for a truce. I know I've been rude from the moment we truly met at the fundraiser, but you also had a part in this mini-war thing we've had going on."

He sat back and watched her with a blank expression. "Did you take the money in the wallet?"

She grinned and scratched her head. "I didn't take it for myself, honest. But I did donate it at the fundraiser. So, in a way, you did a little more good for the homeless people."

Vincent refrained from smirking. She really was something else. "Why do you want a truce now?"

Yuffie shrugged. "Mostly because my dad asked me to do it, but also because I really hate going around making enemies," she replied.

"You shouldn't go around stealing from people then," he said lightly.

For some reason, his words made something in the back of her brain itch. She crossed her legs, and his eyes twitched a little, but he didn't watch the motion. Yuffie inwardly clapped him for his self-control and smiled faintly. "So what do you say, Mr. Valentine?"

Vincent thought about it for a moment and wondered if she was up to something. He nodded and stood, walking around his desk and standing in front of her. He extended his hand and watched as Yuffie looked at it before standing and shaking. In her ninja boots, she was even smaller when compared to him. "How about we celebrate this truce with dinner?"

Yuffie pulled her hand back and leaned back against his desk, slipping one of the scanners under his desk. "Dinner." He nodded and Yuffie bit her lip briefly. Her father would probably start planning the wedding if she accepted Valentine's offer for dinner. But in order to make her apology believable, she would accept. "Okay. But nowhere too fancy. I don't really like those high-collared places."

"Where would you rather go, then?" Vincent asked curiously.

"How about we go to a small place. Maybe a Corel or Wutai food restaurant," Yuffie offered. "Somewhere we can dress casually and not worry about using the wrong fork."

Vincent let out a small chuckle and nodded. "Is Saturday good for you?"

Yuffie tapped her chin in thought and nodded. "You can pick me up in Godo's home."

There was a knock at the door and Aerith stepped in with an apologetic look on her face. "Sir, I know you didn't want to be disturbed, but I have Rufus Shinra on the line. Should I ask him to call back? Because the last time I did, well… we both remember what happened."

Vincent let out an irritated sigh and nodded. "Transfer the call here." He turned to Yuffie and she offered him a bright smile that lit up her face. He could tell it was still a little forced, but it didn't take away from the fact that she looked pretty when she smiled.

"I'll get going then," she said. "You know where Godo lives right?"

"Yes. Saturday at seven in the evening?" Vincent asked. "Walk Yuffie out, Aerith, please?"

Yuffie nodded and walked out, cheering inwardly when his eyes followed her legs when he thought she wasn't looking. So much for his self-control, she thought with a smirk. All men were the same. "Don't worry about me," Yuffie said. "I know my way out."

Vincent didn't doubt that. He just didn't want to end up with anything important missing once more. Aerith looked at him. "Just get back to your work. I will handle Rufus on my own," he said.

Aerith walked out with Yuffie and offered her a smile. "You're a friend of Vincent's?" she asked casually.

Yuffie hummed. "We're trying to be friends. We started off on the wrong foot, and I came over to offer him a truce. I didn't know you worked here. You've known him for long?"

"A little. I basically grew up with him, since my mom has watched over him since his teenage years," Aerith replied, sitting at her desk and organizing some files.

"It was nice to see you again," Yuffie said honestly, reaching under the desk to plant another scanner. Though if Tifa had heard her, she would've choked on her own air, even if Yuffie was just saying it to be polite. "We should get together to have lunch one day, so that we can discuss your boss a little more," she said jokingly.

Aerith smiled and nodded. "I don't know about discussing my boss, but it would be nice to get to know you a little better, considering you're one of Cloud's best friends," she replied. "Have a good day!"

"You too," Yuffie said before walking off towards the elevator. Tifa would skin her alive if Yuffie ever decided to consort with the enemy. Once inside the elevator, she scanned for the camera and found it. She pulled out her phone and faked dropping it, reaching to the ground and sticking the flat scanner by the doors, where no one would really see it. "We are a go," she muttered to herself, just as the doors slid open.

Tifa was outside waiting for her inside of a different color and make of SUV they had recently borrowed from Godo. Yuffie slipped into the passenger seat and grabbed her lap-top, typing quickly as Tifa began to drive away. "How did it go?" she asked.

Yuffie grinned. "Like taking candy from a really big baby," she said. "We're going to dinner on Saturday."

"What? Hold up!" Tifa exclaimed, keeping her eyes on the road out of sheer force of will. "You went to make peace and you ended up accepting to date him?" she asked loudly.

"I couldn't turn him down when we were supposed to be making nice," Yuffie said with a shrug. "Besides, he's not too bad to look at. Especially in those expensive suits of his."

"Do I detect a crush?" Tifa asked smartly, turning into their favorite fast food place for lunch.

Yuffie rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Nope. But I will admit that he's hot."

Tifa just laughed and moved down her window to order their food. "I bet you a thousand gil that you end up marrying him this year."

Yuffie looked horrified. "Don't even joke about that!" she hissed, looking into her computer. "Okay, so far we have scans of almost every floor, thanks to the sensor scanning every floor the elevator stops on. You've got a very nice invention here, Teefs. You should be working in the space program or some shit like that."

Tifa grinned and finished ordering. "Space doesn't interest me and you know it. Stealing, now there is a hobby worth pursuing," she said with a wink. Yuffie nodded and sighed as she looked through the schematics of the security system. By this time next week, the job would be over.

…………

"Daughter, are you sure that he isn't interested in you that way? Valentine has shown more interest in you than he has with any other women that he has previously dated," Godo said as he sipped on a glass of brandy.

Yuffie sighed in irritation and looked at herself, dressed as she normally would, but with shorts only a fraction shorter. Her shoes were more like boots, but she was in love with them, since they were a black with white shoe laces. It took her nearly thirty minutes to get them on, but it was so worth it. "Dad, I'm trying to be nice to this guy. We're not getting married, and he hasn't shown any signs of being attracted to me. Stop hallucinating," she said impatiently.

"Shouldn't you wear a dress?" Godo asked.

"Dad," Yuffie started, but the doorbell rang through the mansion and one of Godo's maids opened the door, letting in a casual dressed Vincent. Yuffie tried not to stare as she took in the dress shirt and the slacks. He probably didn't know what jeans looked like, but he looked very nice as he was.

"Good evening," Vincent greeted, shaking Godo's hand and then pressing a kiss to Yuffie's knuckles as she watched him carefully. "Are you ready for us to go?" he asked.

Yuffie nodded and turned to her father, who looked far too pleased than she was comfortable with. The old man was crazy, and she suspected that he'd had a little too much brandy already. "Get to sleep, pops. You aren't getting any younger," she said with a wink, pressing a kiss to his cheek before she walked out with Vincent. Her eyes moved over the luxury car in front of her and she wondered vaguely if Vincent had anything that didn't scream money and power.

He opened the door for her and shut it like the perfect gentleman that he showed to the media, and Yuffie refrained from rolling her eyes. She wasn't opposed to dating a guy that could be a jerk once in a while. She had grown up during a different time than Vincent Valentine, though that didn't mean that he was that old. They drove in silence for about thirty minutes, and he took her to a small restaurant as she had requested, though the place still had valet, and it looked a little expensive anyway.

Yuffie took a seat before he had the chance to pull her chair out and he merely smirked at her, taking a seat as well. "I hope this is to your liking," he said after ordering wine and a regular drink for her. After all, he couldn't forget that she wasn't even legal enough to drink alcohol or buy it on her own.

"It's nice, I'll admit that. Are we on a date or something?" Yuffie asked with a grin.

"Why do you ask?" Vincent questioned, eyes scanning the menu.

"Because I'd hate to tell my pops that his suspicions were correct. He has this insane idea that you're interested in me, and I'm not believing that," Yuffie said lightly, not even bothering to be embarrassed over such a bold comment.

Vincent set down his menu and looked at her in the eye, watching her blink a little as she tried to keep his gaze. "We're working on our truce, aren't we?" he asked.

Yuffie nodded and gave a small laugh. "Yeah."

"But… that doesn't mean that I do not find you attractive," Vincent added almost as an afterthought. He wasn't lying either. She was pretty, and he had eyes. Especially for legs like hers. Yuffie stared at him and then swallowed hard.

"Don't mention that to my dad," she muttered, turning to her menu.

Vincent smirked at her slightly flustered state and looked at his menu. "I wouldn't dream of it," he replied a few seconds later.

Yuffie started when she felt her phone shake in the pocket of her shorts. "Will you excuse me for a moment? I need to use the ladies room," she said, standing.

Vincent nodded. "Of course. Have you decided what to order?"

"Uh, anything that you get will be fine for me," she said before walking off.

Vincent grabbed his phone from his pocket and noticed Zack's missed calls. He dialed his friend's number and waited. "Fair?"

"Hey Vince. I found the person who took care of Yuffie Kisaragi's file. I won't tell you over the phone, but she's done pretty impressive stuff. Godo has bribed and threatened to keep her name clean, and in the eyes of the law, Yuffie has no criminal record anymore. But the guy who does the erasing keeps the old files for blackmailing purposes," Zack said.

"Did you dispose of the things you found?"

"Yeah. I destroyed everything the man had saved from clients and people he had been blackmailing. All I brought back was Yuffie's file. You need to see it man, she's… she's something else," Zack said with a chuckle.

"Fine. I will see it when I return home. Thank you," he said to his friend.

"You're welcome man, but I expect a good vacation when the time comes," Zack said brightly before they both hung up without saying goodbye.

Vincent sighed to himself and ordered for the waiter to fill his glass of wine once more. He did have a weak spot for women who were utterly impossible, and Yuffie Kisaragi was proving that she was the most impossible one of them all.

……

Yuffie pulled out her phone and answered when it began to shake in her hand once more. "What's going on, Teef? Did you accomplish what you were trying to do?"

"Yeah Yuffie, we managed to hack into Shinra's server, just to see if it could be done. And it can be done for all but five minutes before we're shut out and their system attempts to locate us. This system must've been designed by Reeve or something…"

"Quit stalling and just tell me," Yuffie said impatiently.

"We found Valentine's real file," Tifa said urgently. "It was Cloud's idea, but I thought he was being stupid…"

"Teef!"

"Yeah?"

"Get to the point."

"Right. I really think that we need to leave him alone. You need to leave Vincent Valentine alone."

"Why?" Yuffie asked, feeling her gut clench in worry. Tifa didn't usually beat around the bush so much.

"He once worked for Shinra, during his teenage years, Yuffs. His files had been black-tagged as highly top secret. Vincent Valentine used to be a Turk."

Shit. That meant that Vincent had been a killer once upon a time. Not many knew the true function of a Turk, but her father had always watched out for Shinra and he had told Yuffie all about the company and what they had done back in the day. Turks had been used as assassins, bodyguards, and had carried out all of the dirtiest deeds the old president Shinra had wanted. Things had changed with Rufus, but sometimes there was no erasing your past. Yuffie sighed. Things just kept getting better and better. She shouldn't have messed with the guy in the first place. Now she was on a date with an ex-hit-man and she didn't know if she could get out of it. Goodbye cruel word, she thought before walking back to her date, a small, wry smirk on her face.

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The continuation of the date will be in the next chapter, so patience my friends. So I've decided to keep up with the ZackTifaCloud triangle for a few chapters. As of right now, the votes are still tied. So please be specific! I promise this is the last chapter I'll pester you all about it, and then I'll zip my lips--or my fingers--if that makes any sense. Anyway, we've made a little progress but the action comes in the next chapter. The plot unfolds much more, and I think you'll all be shocked. Also, I know I said there would be more stealing here, but it was moved to the next chapter for secret purposes, hehe.

I really want to thank those of you who reviewed, thank you so much, and hopefully you all enjoyed? I went back and corrected a few things in the last chapter, including where I wrote that Vince was wearing a red suit? The cloak suits him in that color, but an all red suit? I don't think so. That was my mistake and I laughed for a couple of minutes when I reread it. So thanks for reading and remember that commenting makes me write faster! I'll see you all around and I'll try to update by next week.

Joey