author's note: First off, thank you for all the reviews! I really appreciate hearing back from you guys, and I'm glad to know I'm touching some feels. :) Secondly, this is my longest chapter so far, and I tried to make it amusing but heart-wrenching. I'm not very happy with the end, but I hope it conveys all the emotions I felt while typing it. Enjoy! (I know the ending part about Yuffie sucks, but I was set so much on what I wanted to happen that I couldn't seem to think of a good way to put it. :/
Snow
It was the first snowfall of the year. The sky was such a light blue that it could be classified as white and large flakes fell. It was a soft snowfall, gentle and pleasing to look at.
A few, it had been quite the opposite. After having unseasonable warmth for a good half of the winter, snow was brought in a harsh blizzard, wind whipping against buildings and violently shaking anything not perfectly stable. It hadn't been long after their second time saving the world, and he was content to remain locked away while the storm churned.
It was right then, a midst the terrible weather conditions, that Yuffie had knocked on his door and demanded that he come outside and play. He had to experience the first snowfall of the year, she claimed, and that meant dealing with the nipping winds against his nose and cheekbones. Though, looking back, he had to admit it hadn't been all too unpleasant. He had almost enjoyed watching the tiny girl dance around, struggling against the winds that threatened to blow her tiny body away - but she was a ninja, and she worked with the winds, making it seem as if they were all part of some odd performance.
Ever since that year, she had insisted he spend the first snowfall of every year outside and with her. Sometimes, he wasn't sure how she had even managed to get to him. He took a mission around the time it was forecasted to snow, purposefully trying to ruin Yuffie's annual plans, but with her stubborn determination, she had showed up and pulled him off; not before putting a bright green knitted hat atop his head. (She claimed it was because he needed to stay warm, but he was sure she was punishing him for trying to evade her.)
Many years had been spent together, and somehow, he found himself looking forward to every snowfall when she would visit. Her other visits were spontaneous and few and far between; she had a hectic schedule of thievery and adventuring, of course. But he always knew she would come the first snowfall. He was so sure of it that he didn't bother to let a recent report fester in his mind - a beast had attacked a nearby town, taken down by a hero but at the cost of that person's life.
No, he did not let that enter his thoughts. Rather, he was focused on the sky, watching as a particularly big snowflake landed a top his nose. He was wearing the bright hat, as he had gone too many years being beaten and scolded for not wearing his lovely present, and taking in the sight. Vaguely, he realized that normally she would have been there before the first flake hit the ground. She would already be dancing around like a fool, smiling that brilliant smile at him. And, as the sun began to set, he realized that they should already be inside, drinking hot chocolate as she excitedly told him of her recent battles and new-found materia.
When the moon was high in the sky, Vincent closed his eyes, his heart thudding painfully as he realized that this was the first time he had been alone for the first snowfall in many years.
And it wouldn't be the last.