Chapter 4: Changing Feelings
Disclaimer: Square Enix owns Final Fantasy VII
Dedicated to Beeria
Vincent's POV:
I could have sworn I was having a nightmare.
That same one that I've been having since Lu died.
But this time it was a little different.
"It's ok… You're safe now…"
I could have sworn I heard a voice.
And strangely enough, the darkness melted.
I wonder why.
Vincent's hand stopped in mid-writing, sighing. Writing was something his therapist had told him to do on a regular basis. A duty he had neglected for over 9 years ever since he found the efforts to be futile. He closed his wine colored eyes for a bit, thinking as he closed the pocket book and tucked it away in his back pocket.
"Hey, you. Why don't you try smiling for a change?"
Thinking of the words she used to say always left him vulnerable to the instrumental ensemble within his being, sinfully playing the requiem. He used to envy those that he killed, that at least they had the chance to die. It had been 9 years… What exactly had he been doing these past 9 years? Had he even been living a life? The last 9 years had whizzed by without him even realizing, staring at his reflection in the mirror now, he was just glad he hadn't aged as much as others would have. What DO I remember?
It was queer, but all that he could really remember of the time he had spent since Lucrecia passed on was from the very first time he'd seen Yuffie. She was window shopping alone dressed in her uniform, her expression blank as she peered through the windows of the stores. Something about her had caught his eye, and she had stood out amongst the glitter and lights of the street. It was astounding that it seemed as if she stood out in only the most brilliant color even when everything around her seemed bleak and in shades of black and white. It was raining and he had walked over, his mouth dry for reasons unbeknownst even to himself. She stilled for a moment, suddenly realizing she wasn't getting any wetter than she should to see him offering her an umbrella over her. "You shouldn't stay out in the rain like that… Least you fall ill."
As the words flowed from his mouth, her large eyes had brightened suddenly, and her mouth parted slightly. She moved towards him, slow as a cat… Like a wife who had not seen her long-lost husband in over 20 years… And suddenly, those soft lips were on his. His eyes shot open, the umbrella dropped from his hands. And then the intimate contact was gone, and he nearly whimpered against her soft, sweet-smelling skin wanting more. Need… Was a feeling he had not felt in ages… And it excited him. Her mouth was at his ear now… Whispering. He had to
suppress a groan from escaping his lips at the sensual touch of her breath. "… My name is Yuffie…" Her voice soft, seductive and a tad shaky… As if she were afraid. "Would you like to sleep with me?"
And that was that…
Vincent sat himself next to that same girl, watching her sleep. It was strange that fate should have thrown him into this situation. But not that I'm complaining… Yuffie's spirit… Was so much like… "Mmmm… 5 more minutes Mom…" Yuffie groaned, throwing the covers back over her sleepy face and went back to dream land. Vincent had to smile at this as he felt a pang.
"Rise and shine beautiful… It's a lovely morning."
"Vincent?"
He smiled at this. "Not 'Cloud' anymore?"
Yuffie's POV:
His question caught her completely off guard. Since when did I start associating that voice with Vincent…? But before she could further question herself, Vincent
smiled a breathtaking smile that almost made her face go beet red and definitely made her heart stop. "So what shall we do today? Shall we go on a date?"
"A date?" She squeaked out, her voice coming out both high pitched and breathless sounding. Vincent chuckled.
"Well… Technically… You ARE my girl." He reasoned.
The very thought for some reason sent Yuffie's brainwaves into overdrive, but not before she replied. "I would like that."
--
Yuffie's POV:
"Come on Vincent! It's just a photo sticker machine…"
"A photo-what machine?" Red eyes eyeing the flashing machine cautiously. "It's a machine that takes your photo silly, what's so hard to understand? Come on" Yuffie chirped, grabbing Vincent by the arm and pulling him towards her into the booth. Vincent flew towards her, colliding into Yuffie and nearly toppling both over. She laughed at this and turned to insert the coins into the machine.
Yet, she was acutely aware of him, the scent of his cologne that seemed glazed to his smooth skin… The comforting warmth of body as he pressed herself lightly against her back. Desire, like an all-encompassing circle radiated from her very core and spread its way to the very tips of her toes. "So… Do I smile… Or…" Said the warmth of his breath at her ear. Yuffie smiled despite her tremors and whispered as suggestively as she could. "…Anything you want…"
"…Anything…?"
And Yuffie felt her breath catch in her throat as she felt his warm arms scooping her up bridal style with unstrained ease. Terrified of the idea that she would fall from Vincent's towering height, her arms shot around his neck without thinking and she clung onto him like a little baby Koala. "Sweetheart, relax… You're not going to fall. I've got you… You're safe with me." Vincent said, his eyes dancing.
Her heart thumped a little faster at this, but at the same time, looking at the devilishly evil look in Vincent's red eyes, Yuffie didn't know whether to be relieved or to scream Bloody Mary. "Don't you dare drop me." She grounded out the warning through her wide and very fake 'camera' smile.
Vincent's eyes became playfullishly evil at this. "Then… Try not to fall." And with a suddenness that surprised her, the fingers around her waist twitched mischievously and tickled with a ferocity that made Yuffie laugh and squirm so
hard, it was an effort to actually hold on to him. "HAHAHAH!! VIN- HAHAHA!! S-S-STOP!! HAHAHAHAHA!!"
In the midst of her laughter, somewhere in the seemingly far off distance, she heard a camera click.
Funny…
Why do I feel so comfortable around him?
… We really DO look like a cute couple don't we?
--
"Let's see, we got cabbage, prawns… Miso paste… Flour… Eggs… Yup… I think we're done! Are you SURE you want to eat my cooking?" Yuffie raised an eyebrow after checking through her shopping basket.
"Absolutely… It's been a while since I've had a proper meal. And after that… Maybe we can have… Desert?"
Yuffie stared at him her face reddening as an image popped into the back of her mind. Vincent gave a sheepish smile as he held up a tub of strawberry ice cream.
She wanted to smack him. "…You're hopeless." She rolled her eyes and tsk-tsked as she deposited her groceries at the cashier counter. "And I still can't believe you did what you did in the photo sticker machine."
Vincent just smiled.
Yuffie smiled back, as she pulled out some money to pay. "… But thanks to you… The photos came out wonderful."
"You're welcome."
There was a silence as Vincent gathered up the grocery bags and led the way out of the supermarket, across the road and cutting through the park towards Yuffie's home. "This has always been my favourite place in this whole city…" She began, eyes shining. "I used to drive my Dad nuts climbing trees, swimming in the lake… I was… Still am one big ball of energy."
"Mmm… Like a walking exclamation mark."
Yuffie had to snort indignantly at this.
"… It's a compliment."
"How?"
Vincent sat himself down on a bench and lounged back lazily, like a contented cat. "Because your spirit is so bright that it draws people in… And that's something you don't find in many people."
"Mmmmm… Like… Lucrecia?" She ventured cautiously.
The raven haired, blood eyed man blinked in surprised, then scowled as the pieces came together. "… Reno. Is. Dead."
"No no… I kinda made him tell me… I've been feeling terrible ever since."
"You don't have to… It was a long time ago." He whispered, tucking the loose raven strands behind his ears. "A very long time ago…"
"… What was she like?"
"Well…" He started, tilting his head back to look at the endlessly blue sky. "She was… The gentlest… Most unassuming person I'd ever met.'
"… I see." The sixteen year old felt sick to her stomach so she started skipping to hide the pangs radiating in her chest. "Makes sense why you married her…" I can't be jealous right? I mean… I love Cloud…
"Mmmm hmmm…" He replied nonchalantly. "Well, my turn… Tell me about Cloud…"
Yuffie stopped skipping dead in her tracks. "… Like you, I can't help but be curious about the man you know? But I'm sorry if I've intruded too much and I do understand if you don't want to say anything." Vincent quickly added.
"No… I understand. You have a right to be curious after all… But honestly… There's nothing much to tell… Except…"
"Except?"
"He already has a steady girlfriend; they're even cohabiting together…" She sighed sitting by his side. "I'm so stupid… It was only when they got together that I finally realized… That all that while… All that time before, the one thing I wanted… Was to always stay by his side… Holding hands, laughing together… Sleeping together… And…" She stopped at this, looking away as though she was ashamed of the thought.
"Hearing him say 'I love you'…" She quickly turned away, blinking back the hot tears that filled her eyes. Wishing that she hadn't lost control of herself as she had. "Oh Yuffie…" She heard him whisper, his voice gentle and filled with tenderness.
"Yuffie…" She felt Vincent's warm arms coming from behind, surrounding her, holding her gently, holding her close. She shivered at the closeness. Felt one of those long fingers gently caressing her cheek, pushing back a lock of her hair as his warm breath came dangerously close. "I love you… Yuffie…" Vincent breathed into her ear, the simple sentence laced with complete seriousness and sincerity.
She felt the warm brush of his lips against her neck and she shivered. "I love you…" His long fingers deftly guided her face to look at his, when their eyes locked, Yuffie was enslaved and by her own volition, she leaned forward and realized to her surprise, Vincent had done the same. Their lips met halfway, the pressure soft and gentle at first but soon became as rough and exciting as the open seas. Vincent had always been a good kisser, but she had never felt a kiss like this before… She found herself gasping into his mouth, inviting his tongue to slide in. As their tongues danced, Yuffie found her hands diving into his hair, pulling his face towards hers wanting more… Needing more…
"…Vincent…" She moaned in between kisses, vaguely aware of the stares she and Vincent were inviting from passerbys. Opening passion drugged and foggy eyes, Yuffie found herself completely enraptured by his blood red orbs. "…Yuffie." He
was staring at her now with a look she had never seen before on his beautifully sculpted face. "Yuffie…" Vincent whispered again, his eyes shining momentarily before closing them and pulling her close…
"KUPO!! YOU HAVE A CALL!! KUPO!! YOU HAVE A CALL!!"
The two jumped apart like children caught in a cookie jar at the shrill cry of Yuffie's mobile phone. Blinking simultaneously, the shared magical moment broken, Yuffie smiled apologetically as she took the call. "Hello? Yuffie speaking." She cleared her throat lightly as Vincent stepped away to give her some space. "Oh. Hey Mom… You'll be back tonight? Really?? No no… Of course I'm happy to see you again, it's been so long! Of course I missed you… Big brother's coming home too?" Her cheeks glowed pink.
Vincent dug into his pocket for some gum, his lips twitching upwards when he saw her cheeks flush.
"Sure I'll cook… Traditional Japanese alright with you? Great… I'm grocery shopping right now. See ya later then… I love you too." There was a soft smile that warmed up her whole face. "Sure I'd like to talk to big brother… I haven't heard from him in ages."
"Hey there! Miss me? Of course I missed you… The house ain't the same without you man… It actually smells better." She chuckled to herself. "Yeah yeah… I'm
good… You doing ok in College?" She laughed. "Oh Cloud… You're always so busy."
CLOUD??
Vincent froze in mid chew. So did Yuffie in her conversation when she realized what she had just said. Turning to look at Vincent with frightened eyes, she dropped the phone without ending the call, causing the phone to come apart in several pieces when it hit the ground. Vincent was suddenly in front of her.
"Cloud… Is your BROTHER??" He mouthed, grabbing onto her shoulders. "Vincent…" She managed to gasp out. "You're hurting me…" "Then what you said about him having a girlfriend is just an excuse isn't it?" Yuffie winced. "You don't understand…"
"What's there to understand? Cloud is your brother, you're his sister!!"
"We're not blood related!!"
"Cloud is my distant cousin… 10 years ago his parents died when their apartment caught fire and left Cloud in my parents care… Ever since then, Cloud has always treated me just like his baby sister… What do you expect me to tell him? That's why there is just no way I can tell him how I feel… Because we're still family… If I
tell him… He would lose a 'sister' wouldn't he? How can I be so cruel as to make him go through the lose of another family member again?" Yuffie took a deep breath, shutting her eyes as she shook her head. "That's why I decided to not ever tell him how I feel! Don't you get it?"
Vincent watched her quietly, a strange look in his eyes. "So… You still love him…" He finally stated, a sadness that shocked Yuffie emanating from his eyes. … What?
He sighed.
"Vincent?"
"… I was a fool." He murmured then shook his head. "That's enough… That's your problem… And they've got nothing to do with me what so ever. Heck. It doesn't even matter who you take me for, the result would still be the same…" His face suddenly turned stoic, all emotion erased. "Just enjoy yourself when you're doing your thing with me then. Since I'm good in bed anyways and I still benefit from this don't I?" He stated coolly, as he handed her back her groceries. When she didn't take them, he placed them on the floor on front of her.
"Call me anytime. I'm out of here." He mumbled and strode off.
"Enough…" She choked out, hardly believing that Vincent could have said what he just did. "I've had it…."
"I don't need you anymore." She whispered, the back of her eyes and her neck burning with unspilt tears and anger.
Then, she screamed at his retreating figure.
"YOU HEAR ME VINCENT?? I DON'T NEED YOU ANYMORE!! I DON"T EVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!"
This…
Facade that I've been pulling over my face… The wool over my eyes…
Should end now…
But if that's what I should be doing….
Why do I want you to come back to me?
--
Hey everyone!
It's been a LONG while since I updated this fic ya? My sincerest apologies…
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