(Does the 'New Chapter' dance) Hey there! Lookie lookie, a new chapter! So exciting! I just want you all to know that Vincent is very difficult to write for. I plan out how I want things to go but he takes things a different direction. Says something about his thoughts being his own or whatever. I told him this was my story before he oh so rudely reminded me that I don't own him. Um, yeah I totally already knew that. Why he has to go and rub it in my face is beyond me. And it hurts. So anyway this chapter is dedicated to those who wished for more Yuffie/Vincent interaction. I also want to thank all those who have reviewed. THANK YOU!! Really I love reading all of them, even the ones that critique things as they actually help out a lot. So keep 'em coming! Enjoy this new chapter too!
Isa
Disclaimer: Me no own. Only this story is mine. sigh
Chapter Seven
If The Lady Wants Whiskey, Better Give it To Her AKA
Yuffie + Alcohol Too Much Information, Really.
"We're going to need more than that, Cid. Where did you put them all from last time?"
"I was hoping we would never play again so I had them boxed up in the cargo bay. I just never got around to getting rid of them."
Vincent looked on as Yuffie stomped her foot and started walking back out the door of the small dinning area just off the kitchen. It wasn't the main mess hall where the crew members ate, but the private area Cid used when he had company on his ship. At the moment the gruff pilot was pulling out large glass bottles of an amber liquid Vincent could only assume was the whiskey Yuffie had been referring to.
"Look, I'm going to get out of this getup and when I return, I expect those shot glasses to be here." And without waiting for a response that was sure to be very rude, the ninja took her leave.
"I'd better follow her. She may need help with that." Tifa said as she rose to follow her friend.
Vincent looked around at the other inhabitants of the room and noticed they too had their eyes trained on the door the two women just walked through. All were seated around the circular metal table in the center of the room. Though Vincent had placed his chair in a corner away from whatever festivities were about to take place and Nanaki relaxed at his feet.
"Hey," came Barret's gruff voice. "Think the kid will be alright?"
"She a tough cookie, although, I think the day has taken its toll on the brat. That's why I figure this could help. It won't fix things for her but at least it will help take her mind off it for awhile."
Cid rose to the intercom by the door and sent for one of his crew to bring up the shot glasses Yuffie wanted. Then he too sat down and waited. No one really wanted to say anything else on the events of the day as the shock had yet to wear off from either of them.
"It'll be a shame to see her out of those robe thingies." Barret said.
Cloud just smiled and nodded while Cid grunted and took another drag of his cigar.
"Yeah well, who woulda thought she could pull off lookin' like a lady?"
Barret, who just so happened to be sitting next to the often crude pilot, not so gently elbowed him in the ribs and almost caused Cid to drop his cigar in his lap. "If I recall correctly, you were blushing when she walked in the room for the first time and did so all day whenever you looked at her. You were no better then that Denzel kid." The big man guffawed while slapping the now angry pilot's back at his own joke. "Does Shera know you have a thing for young ninjas who happen to be rulers?"
One of Cid's crewmen came in carrying a small box and handed it to his Captain before giving a jaunty salute to everyone in the room. Cid proceeded to unpack the shot glasses, setting them down on the metal table a bit harder than necessary while glaring at the man next to him.
"Shut yer pie hole! It aint like that at all! It was just strange seeing the brat all done up like that is all. Even I could admit she didn't look like such a little girl and that she actually looked pretty for once."
Everyone in the room laughed at Cid's expense as he tried to fight back the blush that was once again rising on his cheeks. Even Vincent fought down a smirk. He to had been stunned when Yuffie had joined them that morning wearing the first layer of her Ceremonial Kimono; the delicate translucent material clinging to her form very attractively. And he could honestly say that he had never seen her made up to look so…feminine. She had actually looked quite beautiful.
The former Turk really had no idea what to think about it. She had displayed a grace and poise that morning that he didn't think the young woman was capable of. And that moment when Leviathan had risen out of the waters to greet and accept her as Empress had almost stolen his breath. The sun had been at just the perfect position to make her appear to glow and sparkle in her white robe that was reflecting rainbows created by all the pillars of water that surrounded her. And the gentle smile on her face as she greeted the Great Serpent only added to the effect. In that instant, Yuffie had almost looked like a goddess. It was really quite strange to think of her that way.
Shaking his head as though to clear it of such thoughts, Vincent looked up as the two remaining female members of Avalanche entered the room. Once again Yuffie was in her usual tight black shorts, only this time it was a sleeveless navy tunic that ended just past her lower back. Though is was more of what Vincent was used to, he couldn't help but lament the fact that after today, he could no longer look at her as just a young ninja girl anymore. What a shame he didn't indulge in the brain numbing delights of alcohol.
There were twenty-five shot glasses set in the middle of the table and Cid filled them up as Yuffie and her fellow martial artist took their seats at the table. Cloud was straight across from Vincent's location, with Tifa on his right and Barrett on his left. Yuffie sat next to Tifa and across from her was Cid. Vincent had a view of everyone's faces as the loud ship captain dolled out the drinks, five glasses in front of each person and set the bottle in the center of the table.
"You in?"
Vincent shook his head at Cloud's request and sat back to enjoy the show. He had heard stories of this particular past-time amongst his former comrades but he had never witnessed it. It promised to be entertaining at least.
Cid removed the extra five glasses and sat down at the table. "Alright ya pansies, you know the rules, the one who needs their set refilled the least wins, you pass out you lose. Vincent, as the sober one here you are delegated to keep count."
With a nod from the gunman, Cid continued on, "Fine then, Cloud since you won the last round, you go first. And remember, you better not fuckin' lie! Now, first drink folks! Bottoms up!"
Everyone reached forward, grabbed a shot glass and downed it all at once.
"Hot damn, that's what I call a warm up! Alright, Spiky, let's get this show on the road!" Barret said with a cough. Cid's homemade whiskey was like no other.
The Avalanche members waited on a baited breath while Cloud contemplated his first turn. "I've never…lost a game of 'Shots of Truth'."
Everyone but Cloud grumbled before reaching forward and taking a shot.
"Lame-o."
"Pussy."
"Come on, Girl, show 'im what ya got!"
"I've never bragged about playing only once." Tifa smiled as she watched the swordsman reluctantly reach forward to polish off his own glass. He was the only one that time.
"Good one!"
"Ha! Take that, Featherhead!"
"Featherhead?"
"Well, doesn't his hair style resemble a chocobo?"
There was a moment of silence while everyone pondered this. Cloud just glowered at the table with his arms crossed. Finally…
"Ha Ha Hahahaha! Featherhead!"
"Chocobo!"
"No wonder you did so well at Gold Saucer, the damn birds must've felt like you were one of them!"
"CHOCOBO!"
This set off another round of laughter in the room while Cloud just shook his head. Finally after a few more minutes at the poor man's expense, Yuffie decided to take her turn.
"I've never dressed up in drag."
Again there were a few more snickers in the room as once again Cloud reached forward for a glass. What was a surprise is that Tifa did as well.
"Really Tifa?"
The brunette just shrugged after she took her shot. "It was for a school play when I was six or seven. Not a big deal."
It was Cid's turn as he took a long drag off his cigar before eyeing the young woman in front of him. "I've never been crowned Empress."
"Well that was inspired." Yuffie reached forward and downed her shot without taking her eyes off the pilot. "Way too easy, Cid. Lucky for you all I'm playing to lose tonight." With that she licked her lips and set her glass back down on the table with a small smile.
"I've never been kissed by an Empress."
Cid's cigar fell out of his mouth while Yuffie leaned over and high fived Barret. With a grumble about getting him back, Cid downed his glass as well.
On around the table it went. Shot glass after shot glass being emptied then refilled. Vincent kept count but figured that in the end it wouldn't really matter as they were all getting outrageously drunk. He recalled the Captain of the Shera saying something about his whiskey being 300 proof. Vincent wasn't sure if that was even possible but wouldn't put it past the man. The fact that any of the people before him were able to sit up, much less form coherent sentences was completely beyond him.
"I've never tried to light a fart on fire!"
Vincent watched as Cid, Barret, and surprisingly Cloud all reached forward. Yuffie and Tifa looked scandalized. The would-be SOLDIRE just shrugged, although a bit lopsidedly, and grinned sheepishly at them. "I was once a 12 year old boy."
Tifa still looked shocked but Yuffie waved it off before pointing at the man sitting before her. "Well, that's better than him. I caught Flamo over there trying to light his up with one of his cigars a few months ago."
"That's bullshit and you know it!"
"Damn near took out half the cargo bay."
"Ah hell no! That's not what happened at all!"
"So there is some truth to this?"
"Half the cargo bay? Impressive man!"
"Always knew you were full of hot air."
"Damn it BRAT! All I did was put my cigar down on a canister for one minute! One lousy fucking minute! Could've happened to anyone!"
"Right and you just happened to be squatting down right in front of it. Besides, you NEVER put your cigars down. I happen to recall you holding it a discrete distance from your ass." Yuffie proceeded to demonstrate as she stumbled from her chair and mimicked a very drunken version of the incident by squatting on the floor and pretending to hold a cigar near her rear end much to everyone but Cid's delight. Vincent found it very hard to hold back a smile while watching. "Next thing I know this huge flame..."
"It was an accident! And it wasn't huge."
"That's what she said."
"Shut the fuck up, Barret!"
"Cid, you took the shot."
The room got quiet a moment while the chain smoking blonde contemplated the truth of those words. After a minute he too shrugged in much the same way Cloud had done before offering his own explanation. "I was once a 12 year old boy."
Laughter once again reigned supreme in the room as the game continued on.
"I've never stolen from Cid's cookie stash."
"Hey! Who told you about that?"
"Cid has a cookie stash?"
"YUFFIE!"
"I've never stolen materia."
"There you go again, bringing up the past."
"Boooo low blow and an easy shot."
"That's what you get for stealing my cookies!"
"Shera said you had to share!"
"Bullshit!"
"Oohh I'm teeelllllllliiiiinnnnnggggg!"
"I've never tried grope a member of the team."
"I've never lost a bet to Marlene."
"I've never punted Cait's head off."
"I've never asked someone else to kill a spider for me."
"One time, I swear. Just one time and she'll never let me live it down."
"Poor Cloud. Did Tifa have to come rescue you?"
"I've never been mistaken for the opposite sex."
"Just wait till my turn comes up, Flamo!"
To Vincent it seemed that once the line had been crossed and sex had been mentioned even in the most general way, things started to get even crazier.
Tifa surprisingly was the one to start the new rounds. Throughout the game, he noticed that the two women tended to team up, following up with similar challenges. He wondered where the two would take go with this. "I've never kissed a woman." Obviously the three men at the table had to take shot.
"I've never checked Tifa's boobs out."
All three men sheepishly reached for a glass. Cloud not so embarrassed though. 'Interesting. I wonder when that happened.'
"I've never checked out Cloud's ass!" Cid wasn't going to let the girls off the hook. But Tifa and Yuffie just looked at each other, shrugged and took their shot.
"It is a might-y fine one."
"Yes, I happen to agree." Tifa nodded her acknowledgement.
Cloud just turned a bit pink at being made the subject of this.
"I've never considered a headband to be a fashion statement."
"Wait, do goggles count?"
"Fuck you, Brat!"
"If I'm going down I'm taking you with me."
"Yes."
"Bottoms up then, Old Man!"
"I've never walked in on my parents having sex."
"I've never kissed Tifa."
"Ha, I knew it!"
"'Bout time, Spiky!"
"I've never kissed a dude."
Vincent raised an eyebrow not at the two girls but at the chain smoking pilot.
"Ha ha ha!! Good one, Cloud."
"Why do you have to remind me about that shit?!"
"Shut up fool! You think I like it either?"
"Well why the hell aint you takin' a shot?"
"I didn't kiss you back, asshole."
"I WAS DRUNK, DAMNIT! Besides, you almost looked pretty in the soft glow of the kitchen light."
"Hey! Barret, Cid! Watch it guys! You're gonna spill the whiskey!!"
"I've never slept with a woman."
"Cloud can't talk you into it, huh? OUCH! Damn it woman that hurt!"
"Sick-o."
"I've never been sat on by a chocobo."
"That only happened because you told it to!"
"Drinky, drinky Ciiiiiiiid!"
"Oh yeah, well (hic) I've never had sex with a man! Ha!"
Tifa was the only one to reach forward.
"What?!"
"Damn it, Cid. I-hic-I told you I was playing to lose. Why did you have to go and ask a stupiiiiiiid question like that?" Everyone around the table was looking at her a bit shocked. "Oh please. What'sss the big deal?" Yuffie started refilling her other three shot glasses spilling much of it on the table. "Hey, watch the whiskey!" The young woman then yelled at herself as she set the bottle back in the center of the table. Or as near it as she could guess.
Cid sat back with a smirk on his face. "The brat can't find someone to put up with her long enough, eh?"
Vincent thought Yuffie would blow up at the man for such a callous comment but instead she just shook her head, apparently not bothered at all by Cid's words.
"Not quite. The Princess of Wutai is expected to be pure for her husband-to-be. But you know how much stock I put into Godo's words. It was more like I've always been too busy." Then with a mischievous gleam in her metallic eyes that put Vincent on edge, the young woman reached forward and quickly swiped the almost third of the way full bottle of whiskey from the center of the table. Then she downed the five shot glasses before her and stumbled towards the door. "Although, with the help of this little baby here," swishes the bottle around, "maybe I could convince one of your crewmen to help me do something about that, seeing as I have some free time."
"Damn it, Yuffie! You git yer ass right back here!"
"Oh Cid, what are you going to do to stop me? It's none of your business after all." Laughed the ninja as she started going backwards out the door with the bottle behind her back.
"I'll fire them all! If they so much as look at you that way…"
"Well if you fire them then you REALLY can't stop them then." And with a speed and agility that belied the massive amounts of alcohol she had consumed, Yuffie took off down the hall.
"Way to go, ya damned smokestack! Now she's gone and she took the whiskey with her!"
"She's bluffing, right? Tell me she's bluffing."
"Never know with her. She been under a lot of stress and is very drunk. If there is one thing she's always been known for its rash decisions."
Tifa tried getting up but promptly fell against Cloud. "I should go get her."
Vincent shook his head and stood up. "I'll go. It would appear I'm the only one capable of doing so."
Cloud nodded and picked up Tifa, carrying her out of the room while Cid and Barret proceeded to empty everyone else's glasses. "Damn this is some strong shit! Hey what do you put in this?"
"Aviation fuel."
Silence.
"No shit?"
Vincent didn't stay to hear the rest as he left the room. He had a ninja to hunt. The former Turk had guessed right. The evening's events had proved more than just amusing. They were very enlightening. He learned more things about his comrades tonight than he did in all their travels and battles together. Some things though he wished he could still be ignorant to.
As for Yuffie, he knew she was just saying those things to get under Cid's skin. After all, she had been aiming her barbs at him all night. But it did still bother him to hear her talk like that. Despite everything, she did deserve better than some drunken tussle with some random guy. After all, she was now the Empress of Wutai with a reputation to uphold. And she said they were friends, which he supposed he could agree with. So he figured that meant he had to protect her, even from herself.
Vincent found her on one of the outside decks. He walked up and stood beside her, watching silently as she took a long pull from the nearly empty bottle. Then she leaned forward over the rail with her elbows resting on it, the bottle held loosely in her hands.
"Care for a sip?"
Vincent shook his head as he regarded her profile. She didn't look too terribly upset, but there was still a bit of sadness that refused to let her go. "I don't drink."
"Wouldn't you know I don't either?"
"You seem to hold your liquor fairly well."
"And for a sober Valentine you are terribly talkative. Unless you aren't really sober. Hee hee, were you sneaking shots when no one was looking?" Gunmetal grey eyes looked up at him filled with mirth.
"If I had you wouldn't be able to prove it."
"True. So who won this round?"
"Cloud."
"Damn it!"
"I thought you were playing to lose?"
"Oh I was. But that man is downright unbearable when he wins."
"Perhaps if you weren't constantly taking aim at Cid?"
"Yeah but it is worth it to see his face turn so red."
"Hmmm."
"Featherhead. Heh heh heh. Flamo. Hahaha!" Yuffie started laughing again at her own private joke. Vincent only smirked and watched as she turned so her back was resting against the rail and a foolish grin broke out over her face.
"Valentine, I demand you laugh!"
The gunman actually snorted at her. "Is that an order Empress?"
Eyes shinning with laughter met his as she vigorously nodded. "If I say it is will you do it?"
"Perhaps."
"What if I make you laugh?"
"You are welcome to try."
"Now that wasn't the smartest thing to do, Valentine. That sounded like a direct challenge and I, Yuffie Kisaragi the World's Greatest Ninja and Empress of Wutai, never back down from a challenge!"
Vincent knew this and wondered about his sanity for a moment. Knowing Yuffie he had just opened himself up to a world of promised mental torture and unending headaches while having to endure whatever that diabolical mind of hers cooked up in an effort to make him laugh. He found that he didn't really mind the prospect of that as much as he should. That was the reason for questioning his sanity.
Yuffie just laughed maniacally as she quickly downed the last of the whiskey. "The good thing about Cid's whiskey is that it takes a while to kick in. You don't know how much you've really had till laterz. And then your head feels reeeealllly fuzzy and you can't think logically. Hey speaking of..of well um…does fuzzy logic tickle? Heh heh heh, cause my brain sure feels tickly."
Vincent deftly grabbed the now empty bottle out of the swaying ninja's grip and set it down. "I believe you've had enough."
"Silly Valentine says that only after I've finished the bottle. Hey, wait…when did you learn to multi-multi-multiply? Cuz there's like five of you." She held up three fingers.
"This isn't very dignified behaviour for an Empress."
"Shhh, don't tell her."
Yuffie laughed once again at her own joke which caused her to further lose her balance. Before she could topple over the railing, Vincent caught her and held her by the shoulders to steady her.
"My hewro!"
Vincent shook his head and attempted to remove his hands. He watched with a blank look on his face as the young woman promptly folded up into a heap on the floor of the deck. Instead of being bothered by it though, she merely laid back all the way with her arms and legs out; the goofy grin never leaving her face.
"I'm sure Cid is handling himself much better than this."
Yuffie just rolled her eyes and snorted in a very un-ladylike manner. "You've obviously never seen him drunk. Speaking of…where'd my bottle go?"
"You drank it all."
"Huh? When?"
Vincent held back a sigh. "A few moments ago."
"Prove it."
The tall gunman bent over, picked up the empty bottle and held it above her head.
"That has got to be the most depressing thing I've ever seen."
Even as she said these words, Vincent watched as her eyes started to droop. Sighing, he switched the empty bottle to his gauntlet and held his hand out for her. A smirk came out though as Yuffie went cross-eyed staring at it.
"Did you develop the magical ability to make a full bottle of whiskey appear in that hand?" The wistful tone her voice had taken made the smirk spread a bit more.
"No, I'm going to help you up then take you to your room for some much needed sleep."
"I liked you better when you had magic powers, Valentine."
"Indeed."
"Indeed." She mimicked with a deeper voice. It only made her start laughing again as she reached up for him to help her. As he pulled her up, he slightly over compensated; not counting on her trying to spring up in her usual fashion. The result was her almost crashing against him. His quick reflexes kept them both from toppling backwards but Yuffie had ended up pressed tightly against his chest. It was as though time moved in slow motion as startled yet sleepy grey eyes met and clashed with ruby as a single finger rose up and oh so gently traced the edges of his eyelashes before running along his cheek. "You have great eyes, Valentine. Shame about those eyelashes though."
And Gaia help him, he couldn't stop himself. "And what's wrong with them?"
But Yuffie refused to answer because she had chosen that exact moment to pass out. 'Typical. At least she didn't vomit on me.'
Without any other options, Vincent had no choice but to lean forward and sweep the arm holding the bottle under her legs and attempt to carry her through the narrow corridors to her room. It was awkward but they made it to the Cid's private dinning cabin where Vincent quickly deposited the bottle in the nearby trashcan to get a better grip on the sleeping woman in his arms. Nanaki was still in the corner while Cid and Barret were passed out at the table. Neither looked like they would wake up terribly comfortable in the morning but Vincent wasn't in the mood to do anything to help them.
Instead he nodded towards his wise friend on the floor. "Do you happen to know where her room is?"
The Guardian of Cosmo Canyon nodded and rose up, leading the way for Vincent to follow. "I see you have found our ninja friend." Nanaki said while turning down a couple of corridors before coming to a stop at what Vincent presumed was Yuffie's door.
"Yes. She managed to avoid further trouble till I got to her."
"A miracle then."
Vincent slid open the door and proceeded to place the limp young woman on her bed. He noticed that the room looked as though it was one she had used often. There were even a few pictures of all their friends on a small desk under the window. Tifa it seemed had decided to drape Yuffie's many kimonos over the back of the chair where they gently pooled to the floor. Careful not to step on them, Vincent rose from laying Yuffie on her bed where she promptly curled in to a ball facing him.
"I'll return shortly."
Nanaki nodded before lying down on the floor beside the bed. Vincent came back with a couple of pain relievers and a glass of water, setting them down on the small table by the bed. Then he pulled the small trashcan from the bathroom attached to her cabin and set it too by the bed. Satisfied with his good deed for the day, the tall gunman turned once more to his friend on the floor.
"Are you staying here then?"
The lion-like cat nodded once more before looking up towards the shinobi woman as she turned over on the bed. "I shall watch over her tonight. She has had a very hard day. And when she wakes up, she need not be alone."
Content with the knowledge that she would be looked after, Vincent let his eyes wander to her form once more before leaving the room. He fought not to smirk as a slight snoring sound escaped from her before he heard her mumbling something about a cramming a certain cigar where the sun won't ever shine.
Sliding the door shut behind him, Vincent decided to return once more to the observation deck outside. He found that he preferred fresh air while getting his thoughts in order. He had actually grown to hate being inside small cramped spaces. But then again, thirty years in a coffin tend to do that to a person.
Once outside, the cool air and slight breeze helped to instantly settle his nerves. The day had been stressful for everyone. But worst of all for the young woman sleeping off the alcohol down the hall. He knew the attack on her people bothered her to the core. If there was one thing Yuffie had always been, it was protective of those she cared about. And while he wouldn't have believed it when he first met her, Vincent knew without a doubt that she loved her people and her country. The dedication and hard work she put into Wutai in the past year proved it.
He had noticed during his time there that her thoughts were first and foremost with her people. Vincent had often caught her sneaking away during the preparations for her coronation just to walk around the city and talk with its citizens. And despite her being their ruler, the people welcomed her into their fold as though it were natural for her to walk into a ramen shop and help make the noodles, or play a game of tag with some children in the street. Perhaps it was normal to them. From what he gathered, she had never been sheltered from her people and had always chaffed at formalities her title called for.
But she knew how to handle the serious responsibilities of that title. She knew just how to take care of the situation when her people were under attack. She responded with a calm determination to see to her people's safety and needs. In Vincent's mind, she was already proving to be a wonderful leader. The perfect leader for Wutai actually; ready to do what ever was necessary.
And while it was admirable, and not surprising considering her training and upbringing, Vincent had problems accepting the fact that the fun loving ninja was more than prepared to get the information she wanted out of the captured terrorist by any means necessary. Being a former Turk, Vincent knew a thing or two about interrogations and torture. The idea that Yuffie had knowledge of such things bothered him to no end.
He watched with a combination of surprise and morbid fascination as she pulled a kunai from some hidden pocket on her robe. While he was happy to know she always carried some form of protection on her person, hearing how she was planning to use it on the crazed man before her caused a strange reaction in him. Chaos had been thrilled, always happy with the prospect of blood shed, and had been beyond delighted and utterly fascinated with the possibility of the delicate looking woman performing the task. Vincent on the other hand wouldn't have it. While he knew she had been trained as a Wu Shang assassin, that didn't mean he wanted to see how for that training went. He had a vision in his mind of Yuffie and thought it had been altered enough in one day, or even in the past couple of weeks to have it so drastically and permanently altered anymore.
So he had stepped in. Knowing he had Chaos' full support was both reassuring and disturbing. And while he didn't relish the thought of resurrecting the ghosts of his past, he would do so for Yuffie. Luckily it hadn't taken much on his part. Chaos being as close to the surface these days as he was, along with the situation all but demanding his presence, Vincent was able to sit back and let the ancient demon do most of the work. He kept enough control over the situation to ensure that the right questions were asked and that the prisoner was not harmed. Not that Vincent really cared about that, he would have been more than happy to extinguish that particular bit of wasted life. But he figured Yuffie wouldn't like it. It was a shame that Wu Shang Captain beat him to it. As much as Vincent hated senseless killing, he had been known to make exceptions.
But it would seem his efforts had been for naught. Wutai had been attacked, its capital destroyed, and its Empress now on the run. Not that Yuffie was really running away. He knew she would take it upon herself to take out Malakai, for herself, her people, even the whole world. If there was one thing Yuffie was more than capable of, more than ready for, it was a fight. And Malakai had just made it personal for her. And he also knew without a doubt that he and the others would follow her. Men like Malakai were like parasites that needed to be exterminated. It was just a shame there weren't others capable of performing the task. Why Fate seemed to enjoy choosing them to constantly be the saviors of the world Vincent didn't know. He made a mental note to ask her sometime should they ever meet.
Fate certainly did enjoy messing with him though. Very much like a certain sarcastic ninja now that he thought about it. He wondered what it was about her that allowed him to let his guard down. The only other person he felt more comfortable around was Cloud and perhaps Nanaki. Nanaki though was an animal, a wise and intelligent one, but an animal nonetheless. Cloud understood him on a more fundamental level though. Both had tortured and troubled pasts that they had difficulties letting go; although it would seem the swordsman was progressing in that area in his life. And Vincent wished him all the luck and knew that a certain martial artist and two kids played a big part in that.
Yuffie on the other hand, where she didn't offer understanding instead she offered acceptance. She even knew when Chaos' feelings would leak out in his mannerisms and yet would not shy away. Even during the worst of his transformations, she had been there, calmly taking everything in. He wondered if this was something she had received from her late mother for Lord Godo didn't seem nearly as accepting. Although, during his stay at Wutai everyone had treated him respectfully; doing everything they could to make him feel like an honored and welcomed guest. So perhaps it was just her culture that made her so accepting.
And while he was almost to the point where he could say he was comfortable with the idea of his friendship to Yuffie, things had changed tonight and he blamed it entirely on Cid's whiskey. Yuffie invading personal space was a very common thing. In fact it was accepted to the point of actually being expected when dealing with the spirited young woman. But never before had she done so in such a manner and that was why he blamed the whiskey. Or Cid, because really, it was so much easier that way seeing as how he made it and allowed her to drink it in such quantities. Vincent still didn't know how such a small person had managed to consume amounts that would put a man at least twice her size out of commission.
Her actions had completely thrown him off balance. It had been a long time, years actually since anyone had touched him in a way that didn't involve violence or small casual contact like a hand on an arm or shoulder. This had been completely unexpected. But it was her words that had shocked him to the core and made him contemplate whether or not he was suffering from a mild form of indigestion due to the strange feelings in the pit of his stomach. Even thinking about it now caused him to wonder if Cid kept medicine for such ailments in his first aid box by the kitchen sink.
'What had her words meant?'
Not the part of her liking his eyes, although that was strange enough, but what was wrong with his eyelashes? He had never really paid attention to them before as he wasn't one to dally in front of a mirror for any reason other than perhaps trying to stitch a wound on his back. He had certainly done that many times although nowadays Chaos took care of such things easily enough. But as far as closely examining his appearance, he never saw a need. Nor did he want to look close enough and see the demon he knew was there looking back at him through his eyes. Knowing the demon was there and actually seeing it were two entirely different things.
But of all the things Yuffie had to say and do, why those? And why was he still thinking about it? Deciding his thoughts were only going in circles and confusing ones at that, Vincent decided instead to head to his cabin. The sun would be rising in a few hours so he may as well try to get his customary two or three hours of sleep. Damn demon made him an insomniac. Reaching his cabin, he dimly noted that Yuffie's was slightly larger than his, not that he really cared as he had slept in much worse. Resolving to no longer let his thoughts stray to the ninja tonight, Vincent slipped off his boots, set his cloak on the hook by the door, and promptly fell asleep over the covers of his bed.
Vincent rose with the sunrise, feeling its warmth even through the thick steel walls of the airship. His room only had a small porthole to allow sunlight in but it was more than enough for him. Donning his cloak and boots once more, the still somewhat tired gunman slid the door to his cabin open and went in search of his fellow comrades. It wasn't a difficult search, having only to follow the obnoxious and tired grumbling of the two loudest men on the face of the planet.
Sure enough, Cid and Barret were exactly where Vincent had left them last night, albeit instead of sleeping soundly, both men were holding apparently throbbing heads in their hands and complaining quite pitifully about everything.
"Fuck…feels like a bloody midget with muddy shoes has been walking along my tongue all night. Gawd my head!"
"Shut up, Fool. Why do you hafta be so loud? Muh head's not any better. I swear someone took an axe to it and split it in two. Do you see my brain? I can feel it tryin' to explode."
"You talk too fuckin' much."
"I'm never drinking that shit of yours again."
The pilot sniffed before once more cradling his head in his hands. "You say that every time."
"I sure as hell mean it this time."
"Yeah? Well you say that too."
Vincent smirked at the men, and then moved out of the way as Tifa walked into the room.
"Here guys, stop being such babies." She set a hand on each man's shoulder and used a panacea and cure 2 on them. "There, all better?"
"Tifa you're a saint."
"My hero."
Tifa shook her head at the men before glancing up and smiling at Vincent as he took his seat from the night before. "Good morning, Vincent. You're up early as usual."
"As are you."
"Yes, well, Cloud gave me the same treatment last night so I wouldn't wake up in a similar condition as these two here. I think he was saying something about having a meeting later on this morning, after everyone has fully recovered first."
Vincent thought this was a good idea and had expected something like this from their former leader. Though Cloud was always reluctant to be called that, Vincent felt no qualms over giving the blond that responsibility. He certainly wasn't the one for it, but Cloud was perfect. Some men it seemed were just born to lead no matter how much they might not wish to.
"Where's the kid?" Cid asked as he poured himself as cup of coffee and added a shot of whiskey. "Don't look at me like that, Tifa. This will take the edge off. I've had a hang over enough times to know."
The brunette sighed before answering the question. "Still sleeping. And I'm going to assume she will for a few more hours yet."
Barret stood up and stretched, groaning as a few loud pops and cracks filled the room. They were nothing, however, compared to the loud cracks Yuffie could produce. "I'm thinkin' we should just let her sleep then. The past few days had been bad enough with all that planning and shit. Then yesterday, well…ya know?"
Cloud walked in at the moment and took a seat in the same chair from the night before. "I agree. The meeting can wait till after she wakes up."
Cid finished off the rest of his coffee, grabbed a bagel and headed out the door. "Well, I guess I'd better go make sure those idiots haven't screwed things up too much. Let me know when she wakes up, eh?" And with that, the pilot walked out the room and it wasn't long before his booming voice could be heard even through the steel walls as he made his way down the stairs and through the door that lead to bridge. "ALL RIGHT YOU FUCKTARDED COCKBITES! WHO'S THE BRILLIANT THINKTANK THAT ACTUALLY SPILT COFFEE ON MY CONSOLE AND DIDN'T CLEAN IT UP?! WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU ALL WHEN THE SCREW-UP FAIRY DECIDED TO PAY US A VISIT ON THE ONE NIGHT I LEAVE YOU ALL IN CHARGE?"
"Yes, obviously he suffers no remaining effects of the hangover." Tifa said as she stood next to Cloud's seat and drank her glass of orange juice. With a final shake of her head, she squeezed the blonde's shoulder and started to head out the door. "I'll be doing my morning exercises on the outside observation deck if anyone needs me."
Barret rose from his seat and left as well. "I gotta get cleaned up. I feel like I've slept in a vat of alcohol."
"You kind of smell like it too." The swordsman said in his quiet manner though you could tell by the twinkle in his unusual blue eyes that his was joking.
"Shut up, Spiky. You're not exactly a bucket of daisies yourself."
Cloud simply shrugged and sipped some more at his coffee. Once the two were left alone, a companionable silence filled the room, both men content to be left alone with their own thoughts. After a few minutes though Cloud looked up from his still steaming cup and regarded the man before him. "How are you holding up from yesterday?"
Vincent knew what he was talking about but was glad that the question was presented in such a general way. "Fine. The situation could have been worse but I am glad they did not turn out that way. Things are still under control."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"Hn. You seem more content lately."
"I am. Or at least I'm finally started to get there. I can honestly say that, taking current events out of it, I'm actually kind of happy. I think…well…I know Tifa being there through it all helped."
"I had thought as much." Vincent almost smiled at the man across the table.
"How was it staying with Yuffie for almost two weeks?"
Vincent paused, not quite sure how to answer the question as he was trying to decide that himself. "It was…interesting. Yuffie is not quite the same girl she was when we fought against Sephiroth."
"She still doing her stretches in the morning?"
The dark haired man nodded.
Cloud smirked as he took another slow drink of his beverage. "She taught Tifa, you know? One morning when Yuffie was visiting us, Tifa watched her and wanted to learn. You could say the rest was history. Now she does them every morning as well."
Vincent closed his eyes as he recalled having watched the various poses and positions the young woman was able to bend her body into. He figured it must come in handy for a martial artist to be so limber. He said so to his friend.
"Yeah, well, I always knew Tifa was limber. And you're right, her martial arts plays a big roll in that. But that first morning when I watched her perform them myself…well it was enlightening. I never knew just how limber she actually was." Cloud set his mug down and the twinkle that had shown up in his eyes let Vincent know just what he was hinting at. "Gave me the courage to confront her about a few things. Now if you don't mind, I think I'm going to see just how those exercises are coming."
Cloud set his now empty mug in the sink and walked out the door with a small smile on his face and his hands in his pockets while Vincent just shook his head. He really was happy for the man. It was nice to see his shoulders lifted of the burden of his past. Like Vincent, Cloud tended to internalize everything; never opening up to anyone. But Vincent was the one person he had turned to in order to relieve some of the pressure. Though he was somewhat more talkative than the former Turk, it would seem he was even more so now that he was starting to find happiness in his life. Vincent imagined he was seeing a bit more of the man Cloud would have been if not for the tragic events of his past; joking, smiling, just being more relaxed in general.
He could admit to being a tad bit envious in all honesty. Though he would never admit it out loud, having a hard enough time doing so to himself, Vincent wished for the sense of peace and contentment his comrade seemed to have found. If nothing else he wished to remove the constant presence of a certain demon in his life. That would certainly go a long way towards giving him some sense of peace.
Vincent was drawn from his thoughts by the clicking sound of claws on a metal surface as Nanaki walked into the room followed by a drowsy looking Yuffie. The newly crowned Empress grunted in greeting from her current position leaning into the open refrigerator door. Finding something that seemed to satisfy her, Yuffie plopped down in a very undignified way in the chair Cloud had just vacated and pulled her kunai from one of her hidden pockets. With a critical yet bleary eye, as one of them seemed to want to stay shut; she scowled at the helpless orange in her hand before proceeding to peel it with her deadly weapon.
"Are you sure you should be handling a blade this early in the morning?"
The baleful glare she sent his way was answer enough. Knowing that now was definitely not the time to question the surprisingly silent ninja before him, Vincent decided to take his cues from the four legged beast that was currently drinking from a bowl set down for his convenience and keep any other thoughts to himself. Nothing new there really.
After a few more moments the silence was almost starting to get to him. He was actually worried about the young woman sitting across the table and he'd be damned if he was going to allow her to ignore him. He knew Yuffie had never been a morning person but this was ridiculous. Even for her.
Clearing his throat, because this was certainly new territory, Vincent tried once again to start a conversation with her. "Perhaps a panacea and a cure 2? I know the others had to…"
"Don't need it, thanks." Came the terse reply.
Vincent looked to Nanaki who gave an animal impression of a shrug before turning to look at Yuffie once again. He knew his conversation skills were somewhat lacking but this was waxing on pathetic. The gunslinger had no idea he was apparently this bad at it. Though he had always been unsure of just how to deal with the sometimes temperamental ninja and all her Yuffieisms, this was something else entirely different and now he had no idea how to proceed.
And the violent way she was peeling and subsequently eating the orange made him very reluctant to try again. Being a firm believer that discretion was the better part of valor, especially in a situation like this, Vincent thought it best not to say anything else. Perhaps if he was lucky, she would forget he was even there, particularly with the way she was handling that knife. He hadn't survived as long as he had in the Turks by being stupidly reckless. And only a fool would provoke such an unpredictable woman when she had a weapon. Make that especially when she had a weapon.
Finally after what seemed like hours yet in reality had only been a few minutes, Yuffie rose and headed back to her room, muttering something about taking a shower. Somewhat bewildered scarlet eyes met feline ones across the room, asking silently what the hell that had been about.
"Was that what a Yuffie hangover looks likes?"
The great cat shook his head no. "I do not believe she has ever had one. I think it has something to do with the ribbon her father gave her. It dilutes and nullifies everything that tries to enter her system. That is why she is often able to drink more than anyone else. In all the times I've seen this game played, she has never had any of the negative side affects the others demonstrate."
Vincent pondered this and concluded that it was a logical assumption, well at least part of it. "And her…" the man tried to search for the right word, "mood?"
"I believe she drank away part of her grief last night and has moved on towards anger."
"Ah." Now THAT made sense. Finally Vincent felt he was on stable ground once again. Yuffie's anger was something he could deal with. It wasn't directed at him and he didn't have to wonder about the source or the cause. Yes, this was good. Well for him anyway. Though this was a new way for her to express it as usually her being angry involved a lot of shouting and something getting beaten or threatened with a certain large pointy shuriken; this was also a new situation. Of course she couldn't shout and beat something or someone to a bloody pulp, at least not yet anyway, so instead she took her anger out on fruit and well, himself. Although he was thankful for the fruit's sacrifice, but he would rather it bore the full blunt of her anger than him.
And knowing her emotional state for the moment would certainly make things easier when dealing with her. Last night had set him a bit on edge around her as he didn't know how to exactly handle it. While he knew what he might have done in the past should a situation like this come up, he was now a different person and this was Yuffie. He would certainly never bring it up and for now he was just happy that she apparently had forgotten about it. It was bad enough that he was forced to acknowledge that fact that she was no longer the little girl he had always thought of her to be, but to then add unwanted physical contact, well, Vincent could only handle so much.
Another bonus was the fact that she was no longer crying. It had been quite the shock to his system when he first saw those silent tears falling down her face. He should have known she wouldn't be the type to sob loudly. If he hadn't known better, he could have sworn she hadn't even known she was crying when Judoki first wiped the tears from her cheeks. They didn't stop running the entire time till after the ship took off and she ordered Cid to bring out his whiskey. Vincent just hoped with all his being that he never saw such tears in her eyes again. Cold hearted killer he may seem to be, there was just something un-natural about tears in the eyes of someone like her.
He really should slap himself to stop such sentimental thoughts. Perhaps he really was starting to come down with something. First the indigestion and now this, whatever this was. If he were a man of less self-control he might have been tempted to bang his head back against the wall. It would not help things in the long run but on the short term he might feel better. Too bad he could never be alone even in his thoughts as Chaos was thoroughly enjoying the mess his already troubled mind was in.
Nothing like demonic laughter to start the day. Wishing for something to kick, as well as the lack of self-discipline to actually do so, Vincent stood and quietly left the room. Perhaps it was time he checked on his own chocobo Ruth. He did not want the animal stressed from the pandemonium and the flight.
He was found two hours later still in the chocobo stables leaning against Ruth's stall with a book in his hand. He rose from his spot on the floor as Tifa walked into the room.
"Cloud's ready now, Vincent. He wants us all to meet in the conference room by the Bridge."
"Very well, Tifa."
The brunette silently waited as she watched Vincent put the small book back into his cloak. "I know we don't get much time to talk, Vincent, but I want you to know how grateful we've all are at how well you take care of Yuffie. And that if you ever need anything…well you know; I mean I know you and Cloud are both the strong silent types but you have friends. I just…I just wanted you to know."
Vincent studied the young woman before him; saw the sincerity shining in her warm chocolate eyes and found he was moved by it. Not really knowing what to say, the dark gunman settled on a slight nod and a quiet "Thank you" before following the now smiling Tifa.
Everyone was already waiting for the pair as Vincent took the vacant seat next to Yuffie and Tifa took the one to Cloud at the head of the long table. The room was surrounded by tall windows all around, letting in a lot of sunlight and showing the ocean they now flew over. Vincent had to blink at the sudden brightness compared to the dark and artificially lit haul where they kept the chocobos. He was relieved to note that though Yuffie seemed just as tense now as she had this morning, her anger seemed to have dissipated. Or at least was now kept in check.
"Alright, now that we are all here, let's begin. Obviously we have much to discuss. First on our priority list is making sure Yuffie remains safe."
There was a very rude sound from Vincent's right.
"No matter what you may think about that, you know it's true, Yuffie."
"If you think you are keeping me out of this fight…"
"If there was a way to stop you I'm sure Judoki and Li would love to hear it. As it stands, nothing short of constantly keeping you drugged and tied up would suffice. And I don't know any knots that could stop a ninja. Vincent though might."
Vincent shook his head. "Perhaps a ninja but not a Yuffie."
Cloud nodded as Yuffie smiled. "So that leave us little choice but to make sure that you are never alone."
"I don't need a damned babysitter."
"Call it what you will, Yuffie and solo missions are now nonexistent. Any time you are not on this ship you will always have someone with you. Maybe even two people, and always one of us."
The ninja grumbled a bit and folded her arms but declined to say anymore about it. Taking this as a sign that he could go on, Cloud decided to continue. "As for the source of the attack last night, Cid and I have concluded that the missiles seemed to have come from offshore submarines. Having found no traces of boats or other such weaponry that could have sent those missiles at us, that is the only other source that makes sense."
"How da hell did that bastard get a hold of a submarine?" Barret said while angrily slamming a fist down onto the cold surface of the table.
"That we do not know, nor do we know how many he has or what other weapons he has in his control. That is why are on our way to Fort Condor to see what information Reeve may have. Cait has been in the other room charging up so when he is done we can ask him. Though I doubt how helpful he may be in this."
"So what do we know?" Tifa spoke up from watching Yuffie's fidgeting fingers across the table from her.
"Well, not much as of yet I'm afraid. Vincent, tell me if I'm wrong in this but those were Shinra mid-range missiles, were they not?"
Vincent nodded. "But I don't believe that Shinra is in league with Malakai. It is far more likely that some of their old storehouses have been raided."
"That is what I think as well. Won't hurt to alert Rufus about this either. See if he can help in locking down any other such facilities."
Everyone agreed that this was a good course of action. Satisfied with everyone's cooperation so far, Cloud turned his Mako-enhanced blue eyes towards the young woman at Vincent's side. "Yuffie, I need to know if there is something that made Malakai come after you and Wutai specifically. Is there anything you could think of that made this more…personal for him?"
"Eh, the scenery?"
"Yuffie."
There was a deep sigh before sorrowful grey eyes looked up and met everyone else's at the table before looking back down again. "Look, I wish I could tell you guys, really I do. I mean, if I were to trust anyone with this it would definitely be the people in this room. But…not now, Cloud. Ask me later when we meet up with Reeve so all you of can hear it at once and I never have to repeat it. I should be ready then. I mean, I guess I have to be since our enemy already knows, or has guessed at it. I want just want…shit I wish it never came to this because this…this is more than just my reluctance to discuss a family secret. This is over two thousand years of Wutai and Kisaragi hidden history I'm carrying. So excuse my reluctance."
Silence filled the room as everyone stared at the young woman whom refused to look up to meet their eyes. Instead she stared down at fingers that fiddled nervously with the hem of her shirt. A gloved hand reached out and held them for a moment effectively stopping their movements. The sadness that met him when her silvery eyes finally rose up to meet his made Vincent tighten his hold a moment before letting go.
"We understand."
"Thank you." Came her whispered reply.
"Can't you tell us something then, at least give us some idea what we're up against or whatever?" Cid's frustration laced heavily in his voice.
"I can tell you that if ever Malakai found what I believe he is seeking and we fail to stop him, we would be spending the rest of our lives hoping Sephiroth's meteor really had hit."
A/N: Well, what do you all think? You know you want to hit that little button that tells me. Either way I hope there was enough Yuffie/Vincent interaction for now. I like to give hints of what is to come. Special cookie to anyone who can guess what the secret is that Yuffie is hiding. Like a chapter dedicated to that person or persons. Either way, keep an eye out for updates!!