A/N:
yeah, so I felt bad. So i went on a streak (plus my 4th of july bbq ended super early) so here's another chapter! Thanks for being so patient for the last one.
and special-super thanks (wow I sound like yuffie...) to my reviewers!:
always-kh, LovelessGenesis, and vx-Luna-xv
Disclaimer: NOT MINE. ok :D
Tifa wiped the sweat forming on her forehead. Her eyes threatened to shut from exhaustion every few seconds, but she wouldn't relent. Almost done. She finally decided to move Yuffie to the Turk table, Vincent's past history being too messy to deal with and Reeve not the most comfortable around his former employer.
"Cloud's getting the flowers, cake, and favors." She murmured to herself. "I need to get all of the dresses fitted today and pick up Shera's…and then I'll be done."
"Tifa." Marlene was still in her pj's. "Cloud's gone."
She remembered first hearing those words from the little girl's mouth. Back then, those 2 small words shattered her, but they barely had any effect on her now. "It's okay, Marlene. He's just preparing for the wedding. We'll see him tomorrow, okay?"
She nodded, light brown hair bouncing around her shoulders. "That's okay. Oh! Are we getting my dress today?"
"Mhm. Flower girl's need dresses, right?"
Marlene's small smile was glowing. She looked unexplainably happy. "Right!"
He quickly dismounted from the glossy, black motorcycle and looked up at the small, brick house before him. The harsh whisper of a tea kettle could be heard from the open kitchen window, making Cloud smile to himself as he knocked on the door.
"Who the hell is here now? Don't you know I have a damn wedding tomorrow?" The door soon swung open in fury with Cid Highwind on the other side. "Well, isn't it Cloud! Come in!"
Cloud walked in cautiously. Is he okay? Cid's greetings weren't usually so calm.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" Cid poured the boiling water from the kettle into two mugs, offering Cloud one. The smell of cigarette smoke hung in the air as Cid extinguished the light in an ash tray. "You're here early."
"I brought things for the wedding." Cloud gestured to outside. "I'll get them unloaded…"
Cid held up his hand, stopping Cloud, "Now, now, we can sit and talk first, right?"
The younger man only blinked.
"Shit, well at least listen, will ya!" Cid fumbled in his pants' pocket for a brief moment and then removed a crumbled piece of paper. "I need your help with this thing."
Cloud reached for the paper, "What is it?" On the oil stained paper, in messy print, was the single word Vows.
"Shera got the big idea from your girl."
My girl? Does he know too? Cloud didn't want to wait for any more comments about the situation. "So you don't know what to say?" His Mako eyes blinked up to Cid's normal blue ones. "You want my input?"
Cid cracked a grin, "…Why aren't you denying it anymore, Strife?"
He acted dumb. "Denying what?"
The older man huffed and relit a new cigarette, letting the grey smoke fume across the table. "You and Tifa." His boots soon fell on top of the flat surface as the man became even more comfortable. "Finally admitting you like her now, aren't you? Are you gonna act on it or be a stupid wuss forever?"
"Um…I already did." He scratched his blonde hair, awkwardly. "But your vows…"
"Are you shitting me?" The cigarette was hanging off the tip of his mouth. "Wait, so you're telling me you actually gathered up the balls to admit your damn feelings for her?"
Cloud nodded and took a sip of tea.
"So what the hell happened?!"
Since when do you care so much about my life? "…well, she feels the same way."
"No shit she does! But did you two…you know?" Cid was laughing to himself. He loved how uncomfortable Cloud was getting, his once pale face turning perpetually red.
"Look, Cid. Just tell Shera how you feel, okay? I'll leave your stuff on the porch. I have to go to a fitting." Cloud downed the rest of the tea and headed of towards the door.
"Fine, fine. We'll talk later when you come back to sleep, 'kay Strife?"
He could hear the trilling laughs from the pilot even when he was back on his bike.
"You have 14 unheard messages. First unheard message:
'Hey, Vince? It's Yuffie. I just wanted to…' "
Vincent fumbled with his cell phone. His golden claw managed to press the delete button swiftly, not wanting to hear the ninja's voice again.
"Second unheard message:
'VINCENT. Okay…I know what I did was…' "
The familiar, comforting sound of the message being deleted was soon heard again and again as the ninja's voice kept appearing on the other end of the phone.
"Seventh unheard message:
'Hey, Vincent. It's Tifa!'
Sudden relief fell throughout the man's body.
'Ha, ha. Silly of me to try and call you I guess, but hopefully you'll check your messages! Anyway, no need to call me back. I just wanted to remind you that Shera and Cid want everyone to dress up for the wedding. Cloud's going for his fitting in Rocket Town, so maybe you can join him? That's it! I'll see you tomorrow.'
Vincent hung up the phone and deleted the rest of his voicemail, knowing who would be the voice behind it all. But a rather abnormal thought suddenly fell into his mind. Should I call her back?
It was immediately dismissed. He had nothing to say to her. What could I say to her after she called…
His red eyes glanced up from the ground to the delicate figure in front of him. Vincent originally came here to gather his thoughts, to reenter his usual calm state. He couldn't believe his actions back at the bar. Did I really intend to shoot her? It would seem unwarranted, but the little ninja had no idea how much that woman had meant to him. She was his last bit of humanity, his last fragment of physical emotion. The dark haired man suddenly stood up, cape whooshing at his feet. His gloved hand reached out in front of him, tracing the edges of the Mako crystal smoothly. Lucrecia…
The cave had the opposite effect on him now. Seeing her small frame imprisoned, preserved forever, only mirrored his own inner anguish. Am I trapped in there with you? His fists clenched at the thought.
Vincent cringed as the sudden vibration from his phone came through his pocket and up his back. He flipped the phone open quickly, eager to have his mind distracted from the former woman in front of him, "Hello?"
"Whoa, Vincent? You picked up?"
The high-pitched voice was a cue for him to hang up, but he stayed. "…Yuffie."
"No, No! Please don't hang up."
Vincent relented, but made no further noise.
"Okay, look, Vince…I said a lot of things I shouldn't have and I'm super-duper, completely sorry for them…and I understand if you never ever want to talk to me again…but I also wouldn't mind if you did decide to talk to me again…"
There was hesitation on the other side, like Yuffie wanted him to respond. But Vincent had no intention to.
"…Alright then…So I just wanted you to know that I feel completely shitty about this. And I'll guess I'll see you tomorrow? Or not…if you wanna ignore me. I get that…so, yeah. Bye!"
He heard the younger girl sigh on the other end and suddenly found his voice "Wait, Yuffie…"
But all that was left was the soft hum of the dial tone.
A/N:
aw, yuffie/vincent drama...
So, a little question for my readers. Where did Rufus put the Jenova parts?
haha, just curious to see if anyone knows :P. I'll reveal the location eventually. I actually wrote chapter 5 today too, so maybe I'll post it soon? But I shall get back to writing.
Bye all!
~Mira
