Disclaimer: I do NOT own any thing. All the characters and etc. are by Squaresoft, except Yushi and Mr. Kishi.
Author's Note: It's my first FanFic so please review. I don't mean to offend any fans.
Unforgettable Memories
Chapter 6
The night sky was brightened by the full moon. No clouds were visible, with countless stars twinkling gaily in the bright night.
Full moon... Vincent gazed at the glowing orb greedily. The beast inside the maroon-cloaked-vampire gave a snarl of hunger, urging him to kiss those cherry red lips of the young girl sleeping cozily beside him, wrapped warmly in his cloak. He stared down at the girl; she was breathing slowly, eyes closed. The moonlight illuminated her sleeping face; it was like her face was glowing. He reached forwards and touched her soft cheek, edging himself closer to those small tender lips.
Pale yellow sunshine started filling up Yuffie's room. She covered her head with her blanket, mumbling in her sleep. Quite suddenly, her gray eyes flew open.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" she screamed into the room, sitting up, with hair sticking up in odd places. Memories of the past night came flooding back. Her fingers touched her quivering lips softly. "Did he..."
The door of Yuffie's room banged open. She jumped in her bed, shocked to see Godo in his pajamas at the doorway.
"What was that?!" Godo demanded wildly. "Screaming in such early hours! It's not even 6--"
After 10 minutes of frustration, Yuffie managed to calm down her grumpy father out of her room, with the help of a precious Materia.
"Damn old man... that was my Mastered Ice orb..." Yuffie muttered, as she slammed her door shut.
She slumped onto her warm bed and gazed out the window absentmindedly. The sun was rising now, with birds chirping nearby. The sparkling waters of the Wutai River could be seen reflected on the trees. Yuffie sighed and rested her chin on the windowsill. She gazed into the distance, unfocused. Thoughts of yesterday night warmed her up--sweet memories warmer than the sun outside.
"Am I dreaming...?"
"This is as real as reality could be."
A wide smile spread on the princess' dreamy face. "Hehe... 'as real as reality could be'..." Her fingers instinctively reached for her lips. "So he really did kissed me..."
Yuffie closed her eyes, wishing that the feeling--the touch--of yesterday night's kiss would flow back to her lips. "Was it really real? Oh man... why did I fall asleep? How does it feel, with his lips on mine? Were they soft...?"
Without knowing it, her lips scrunched into a "kissing" pose, like she's kissing an imaginary person. Muah Vincent!
"Heheh... What are you doing? Waiting for a bird to kiss you?"
The gray eyes flew open and stared into maroon ones. She gasped and almost screamed, but remembered that Godo was sleeping in the room next to hers, she slapped her mouth with her own hands. She does not want to lose another Materia this time.
"Sh*t!" Yuffie hissed, looking wildly out of the window, face as hot as fire. "What--are--what--in the world--?!"
She made to close the window on him but stopped, feeling confused and embarrassed. The vampire pulled the window panes gently and clambered onto the windowsill. The early morning breeze blew his long hair gently, as his maroon eyes gazed calmly into the gray ones and smirked.
The girl puffed an air of frustration. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, pulling her blanket towards her, covering her thin night gown.
Vincent's face was expressionless, except for that smirk of his. It was like the lips did not belong to him and have been edited onto his face.
"What are you doing here?" the princess asked again, temperature rising on her face.
The vampire kept quiet, but the smirk remained.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Yuffie growled. Suddenly aware that she's alone with a grown man in her room, she threw her pillow at him. "And stop it with that smirk!"
Vincent dodged the pillow carelessly, and it flew out of the window. Yuffie gaped, eyes bulging. She pushed Vincent aside, and he fell onto her bed, as Yuffie leaned out of the window to stare at her pillow on the dirty ground a story below. She turned wildly, ready to wrestle the man out of her room, but before she knew it, Vincent pulled her onto the bed, towering over her.
The little girl gulped, unable to move her eyes away from the maroon ones. The lips of the smirk moved.
"I'm taking you away from here."
The sun shone warmly high above the torn up town of Midgar.
"You're kidding." The words flew out of Cloud's mouth before he knew it. Sitting next to him, Tifa gave the chocobo-head a big nudge in the ribs.
Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Never heard you giving out opinions!"
The vampire next to her grunted and drank his glass of ice water in one gulp.
They were in 7th Heaven. Tifa and Cloud were behind the bar counter, looking anxious, while Vincent and Yuffie, still wearing her silky night gown, sat opposite of them. Two oily plates of bacon and egg crumbs sat in front of the latter two. The two newcomers have just finished with their "story"--or rather, the girl was the one who had done all the talking.
It was nearly noon. Voices and laughter could be heard from outside the bar. Yet, it was dead silent inside. The two listeners behind the counter were lost for words, sharing awkward glances at each other.
"So where's Barret?" the princess broke up the silence.
Glad for a change of topic, Tifa quickly replied, "He's out shopping with Marlene. Should be back soon."
The young girl opposite of her snorted. "What a daddy he's become..."
Cloud and Tifa shared another look. Silence filled the air again. Finally, the bartender said, "Well, Yuffie, come up and I'll get you a change of clothes," and ushered the girl up the stairs into her room.
The two men sat silently, staring at the bacon bits on the two plates between them. The man with the blonde hair spoke up, to the surprise of the vampire.
"I had no idea you enjoyed that girl's company. Let alone like her."
Shrugging, the cloaked man continued to stare at the plate. It was a moment before he spoke. His voice was deep and serious. "Love... is a funny thing."
The chocobo-head almost fell off his chair upon hearing these words coming from the morose vampire, the one with the dark shadows under his maroon eyes, the one whom rarely ever talks about his feelings, the one with such a dark past, the one named Vincent Valentine.
Up in Tifa's room, the martial artist busied herself, rummaging in her drawers for clothes that would fit the ninja's petite figure. But her curiosity would not hold on any longer...
"Yuffie," Tifa turned towards the young girl on the other side of the room. "What... what are you planning to do now?"
The Wutai princess had no idea. She looked around the room uncomfortably, shuffling her feet, unsure how to answer the question. The truth was, what had happened merely a couple of hours ago had been a blur for her...
"I'm taking you away from here."
"What?!"
Next thing the ninja knew, the vampire had swept the girl into his arms, and jumped out of the window. The girl clutched tightly onto the vampire's cloak, screaming her lungs out. And away they flew, towards the shining sea...
"Yuffie?"
The ninja blinked and saw concern growing on Tifa's face.
"Are you all right?"
Yuffie nodded weakly. "I... Teef, I have no idea what I'm going to do. It was all so sudden..." She looked into the brown eyes of her friend, who was like a sister to her. "Was it ... really such a surprise? Such a surprise that Vincent ... likes me?" Doubt and uncertainty could be heard in her voice.
The older girl smiled kindly. "Well, it was a surprise for Cloud. I mean, he's not the brightest when it comes to love," (Yuffie giggled), "But it wasn't such a surprise for me."
"Really?" surprise in Yuffie's voice.
Tifa nodded thoughtfully, holding several t-shirts in her hands. "I've known it all along," Seeing Yuffie's confused expression, Tifa added, "that Vincent feels something towards you." After a pause, she continued, "It's true that Vincent rarely talks, especially about his feelings. But on the rare occasions when I have talked to him, I knew that there was something going on. And I guess you haven't noticed; he watches over you--all the time."
Astonishment filled Yuffie's face. Did he, really?
"That's why he's always in the same trio as you, Yuffie!" Tifa smiled. "To watch over you." She grabbed a pair of shorts out of the closet next to her. "And it so happens that I notice him watching you when you're throwing up all over the Highwind."
Disbelief and shock pierced Yuffie's heart. This is too good to be true. "Maybe he just doesn't want me to get the others killed. And he was probably just disgusted with all the barf."
"Yuffie!" Tifa exclaimed. "He said he loves you, didn't he?"
"I-I... well..." Not exactly, thought Yuffie. He just wanted to "see" me.
"Here," Tifa handed the other girl a pair of blue shorts and a white t-shirt. "These should fit you."
Yuffie reached out for the clothes slowly. Something was still bothering her. She glanced at the feminine body of the friend she admired so very much. "Tifa..." Yuffie pulled her night gown over head, revealing her still developing figure, with a hint of baby fat in the tummy area. "Would he ... would Vincent really like a girl like me?"
Tifa blinked in surprise.
"I don't have a womanly body like other women... I still look like a kid," the young princess blinked back tears.
The older of the girls stepped forwards and wrapped her arms around the younger girl. "I'm very, very certain that Vincent would love you no matter what type of body you have." She felt the skinny arms on her back, wrapped tightly. "And," Tifa whispered, "haven't big boobs isn't as cool as you think it is!"
Yuffie couldn't help but let out a giggle.
The two girls finally emerged back downstairs to join the other two men. However, they found them joined by another man, a huge mass of brown muscles.
"Barret--!"
"You--!"
Yuffie and Barret both exclaimed simultaneously, with Barret pointing at Yuffie and Vincent back and forth, in astonishment.
"Y-you--and you--you--" Barret was still pointing at the two back and forth, not able to believe in what he had just heard from the two men beside him. A little girl smiled shyly behind him, unaware of what's happening around her.
"Marlene!" Yuffie cried happily, pulling the little girl towards her into a tight hug.
"You--you--" Barret was still uttering and pointing, no other words came out of his mouth.
"Yes, Barret," Yuffie hissed, annoyed, "Vincent and I are--"
A loud screech came from Vincent's chair, as he pushed back his stool, which rubbed the floor, and stood up. Every single one turned towards the vampire's cloaked back.
"Yuffie," the vampire turned around. His face was expressionless. "Come."
The cloaked man led the clueless ninja out of the bar. Meanwhile, their teammates scurried over to the bar entrance and peeked out, with Barret covering little Marlene's ears.
Vincent had his back on Yuffie. The princess was sure that the man would say "let's break up." No wait, we aren't even officially an "item" yet--
"You need to go back," Vincent turned to face the girl. "Back to Wutai."
A soft gasp could be heard from near the bar entrance. The two outside ignored it.
"What?" Yuffie demanded. "What do you mean?" Just then, something dawned on Yuffie. Her voice was harsh. "Is this it? That you're going to tell me that you acted stupidly and spontaneously... that you never meant it when you said you wanted to take me away. Is that it?"
Shock seemed to fill Vincent's face. First the first time, there was something like fear in those maroon eyes. "No, Yuffie, no--" He made to walk towards Yuffie, but the girl slapped his hands away.
"Don't touch me!" Yuffie spat.
She was about to turn away, when Vincent draped his arms over Yuffie's body.
"No--!" Yuffie struggled and was about to bite on those arms she despised so much when--
"I love you."
The sweet words slipped out of the vampire's mouth and into the princess' ears like air. Yuffie blinked and stopped struggling.
"You are the princess of Wutai. You must return," Vincent said quietly, "But... I will be by your side. I will return with you."
Overwhelmed with joy, real joy that she have not felt for a long, long time, filled every single vein in the princess' body. Tears of joy swam in her eyes. She turned around to face the man she love so dearly and wrapped her thin arms around his neck, giving him a great big kiss on the lips. She laughed and cried at the same time, too absorbed in her own happiness to notice the faint pink growing on the vampire's dull cheeks.
Back at the bar entrance, Tifa, Cloud, Barret, and Marlene smiled at each other. There were tears in Tifa's eyes, and Cloud put his arm around her shoulders. Barret shook his head dazedly, still in disbelief.
"I can't believe this," the gunman muttered. "Wait 'til Cid hears about this..."
Cloud shrugged. "Love... is a funny thing."
Staring in astonishment, his two teammates swung their heads so fast facing the ex-soldier that they were sure they've cracked their necks.
Author's Note: This is a super long chapter, ending the story. I should move the Yuffie x Vincent chapters into a completely different story. I enjoy writing about them too much. :) Anyway, I don't think I'll be doing any Cid x Shera chapters. I'll see how things go :) -August 22, 2009.