Silencing the Chaos
Chapter 7
"Rose!"
Yuffie and everyone else in the house came as Vincent strode into the house.
"Master Luc," Yuffie eyes were wide as Vincent grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the office she just left. The door was slammed shut and Vincent shifted his eyes around.
"Bugs?"
"In the bags of the employees waiting to go back to their owners."
"Send them all home."
"Sure thing," Yuffie nodded and had to tug her arm free to leave the room. Her bare feet padded silently, she hadn't taken the time to replace her footwear in her haste to fulfill Vincent's order. He heard her bellow, "Fitzroy!"
In five minutes, the house was empty. Vincent sensed it and Yuffie did a physical sweep of the house to double check.
"Uh, Vince, if anyone asks, the sex is just a cover up, okay?" Yuffie grinned apologetically. "It was my last resort, I swear, and I don't think Fitzroy bought it anyway."
"Did the spies?"
"They were the ones to leave before Fitzroy gave the final order."
"Then it worked well enough."
Vincent was pacing. He never paced. It was a bad sign. Yuffie went to her desk and pulled out a small semi-automatic. Quickly unloading it of all bullets, she threw it at Vincent.
"You're freakin' me out," Yuffie said.
He sat and disassembled the gun in a matter of seconds and reassembled it with just as much speed and grace. Twice more he went through the actions.
"Calmed down now?" Yuffie was juggling bullets with one hand.
"Yes."
"Good," Yuffie snatched the gun away before he could fiddle with it again. He followed a strict, no talking rule during gun disassembly time. "What'd they say?"
He gave her a long, hard, completely silent stare. She stared back, trying to concentrate on his eyes. Gray and crimson were locked for a long minute.
"No good," Yuffie broke contact first. "Okay, so you're sticking to your promise with the Overlords at the harbor. You won't tell me. Does Chaos know?"
"Yes."
"Let him out. He can tell me. It seems like he has had a lot to say on the whole subject since we first got here."
"No."
"Vincent," Yuffie hadn't used his full name in a long time and the seriousness in her tone made Vincent pause and look at her intently. She had the training to rule a country and she was displaying it well.
Her expression softened and she perched carefully, tugging her skirt hem down, on the edge of Vincent's desk where he had, moments before, taken apart the gun and put it back together. Small fingers stretched out and Vincent sat still as she traced the lines and curves of his face.
"These weren't there before," Yuffie's fingers stroked the wrinkles between his eyes. "This burden is ours to share. We're both on the job. You know I hate it when other people steal my thunder."
"We all have things we dislike."
"Is it better if you don't tell me?" Yuffie's fingers gripped Vincent's chin as he tried to turn away. For being so tiny, her grasp was steel tight. "Is it safer? Am I safer by you not telling me?"
Vincent closed his eyes and sighed.
"Do you want me to go flying into this situation blind?" Yuffie gave him a little shake, the same thing she did when she found a sock in her cat's mouth and it refused to look at her when she wanted to scold it.
Crimson eyes slid open sadly and looked up at her through dark lashes.
"No."
"Then you have two choices: break your promise or let Chaos out," Yuffie released Vincent's chin. Pushing him would be fruitless at that point.
"I promise not to hurt her, V," Chaos assured his host. "Ninja girl and I got along over our Deepground days, just like you. Besides, it is Galian Beast and his…primal, animal instincts you have to watch out for."
"Not necessary to mention that, Chaos. Stick to what you heard, then let me back," Vincent said firmly.
"Sure, V," Chaos smiled. It did nothing to reassure Vincent.
There was a twist in the fabric of nature and suddenly there was not enough room between the back of the chair and Yuffie. Where Vincent's leg had been a few inches away, Chaos's was a few inches between Yuffie's knees. His wings were cramped behind him, awkward in the desk chair.
"Long time, no see, princess," Chaos's voice rumbled in Yuffie's chest as he spoke.
"Hiya, Chaos," Yuffie sidled away, embarrassed at how the demon's leg had pressed hers apart.
"No need to be shy, I'm not Valentine," Chaos smiled.
"It's not that," Yuffie said, stuttering over her words a little. She had forgotten what it felt like to be near Chaos when not on the battlefield. Like how a powerful cologne can overpower more than just the sense of smell, Chaos had a way of oppressing all of a person's senses.
When Chaos stood, the room seemed to dim at his physique. The glowing yellow eyes, the pale bluish skin, the dark wings. As he stepped closer to Yuffie, she gulped, but didn't move back. That made Chaos chuckle.
"Something funny, Chaos?"
"Just admiring your bravery, princess," he circled her, quiet for all his bulk. "Anyone else would shy away. Demon like me walking up to them."
"You're not a demon."
"What did you say?" Chaos stopped behind her.
"I don't think you're a demon. You are what the Lifestream made you. No, the Planet. If anything, you're a higher being than humans. Long life. A destiny, job, whatever," Yuffie waved her hand around.
"I like you. You aren't stupid."
"Finally! Finally, someone sees the truth."
"Alright, listen up, ninja girl. The plan is to revive the Jenova cells in… Lucrecia Crescent," Chaos shuddered at the awful taste in his mouth when he said her name. He went to stand in the center of the room where he had room to spread his wings a little. "They will revive…"
"Her."
"Yes, her, from the cave. Adjustments to the mako chambers, they hope, will liquefy the crystal to allow access to her. Then they will do tests to find out if they need to revive both or if they can leave her dead inside the mako chamber and still get to the Jenova cells."
"Can they bring her back to life?" Yuffie was taking notes. "I mean, it took three other entities for Vinnie to become a possible host for you. And you are the only way Vinnie 'came back' to life."
"I'm sure this Green guy can figure it out. He's cunning. Just as bad as Hojo and her put together."
Yuffie pondered, but shook herself awake to ask him to continue.
"These Overlords want superior people again. They will use mako, taint, Jenova and whatever else necessary to become superior beings."
"Can we prevent it? Cure the Jenova in her using Aeris's Healing Rain?"
"You mean like that Geostigma," Chaos pondered. "Perhaps. But you can't just splash it on her crystal."
"Alright, but it's an option."
"Yes. Though, be careful. Nothing of her went to the Lifestream. She isn't technically dead."
"She's in stasis," Yuffie nodded. "Maybe…we should ask Aeris to take her away, like Kadaj."
"You can try. But the situation will have to be fully explained, both to Aeris and Valentine."
"Alright, thank you, Chaos," Yuffie put her notes down and smiled into the golden eyes. She saw them glaze over briefly before a wicked and mischievous glint covered them. "What—"
"A parting gift," Chaos strode to her in one giant step.
His knees slid between hers, pushing her legs apart and her skirt up as he grabbed her forearms firmly in his hands and pushed until she laid on her back, half on, half off her desk. Chaos shifted his grip so one hand held both of hers above her head.
"You're cute when you're flustered, pissed and turned on," Chaos grinned as his free hand worked at sliding her skirt up more so when she tried, in a gallant effort, to kick him, he managed to rub his crotch against hers, completely throwing her off her game.
Then suddenly, there was another twist in reality and Vincent was the one pinning her down, rubbing against her and had his hand decidedly up her skirt. They both froze. Vincent in absolute confusion and Yuffie in panic. Unlike when Vincent was in control and Chaos chose to pay attention, when Chaos was in control, Vincent had no way of telling what was going on. It was like he was in a locked room in Chaos's mind, whereas Vincent's mind was Chaos's playground. Which explained Chaos's mad, cackling chant of, "Do her, do her," echoing in every corner.
"Yuffie," Vincent said, very quietly and very slowly, as if talking quickly would be bad.
"Vincent," Yuffie stuttered out, just as quietly in response.
"What is happening?"
"Uh, Chaos is… causing chaos?" Yuffie couldn't move, didn't want to move. Even breathing was dangerous.
Chaos had been sneaky, transforming so Vincent would pitch forward even more. Their bodies were now tight against each other. Each breath, no matter how shallow, pressed her chest into his, his into hers. If she tried to get away, she knew more sensitive places would rub. It had been a while she had been, even remotely, in the situation where intimacy was tangible. With his heightened senses, she knew he could hear and feel her erratic heartbeat, see the contraction of her throat as she swallowed and, worst of all, she knew he could smell her arousal.
"Why?" Vincent could barely get the question out.
"I think he wanted to pull a prank on you," Yuffie's back was starting to cramp and she was losing blood to her right leg as it hung awkwardly over the edge of the desk, but was unable to reach the floor. Ironically, her left leg was fine since Vincent's hand was holding it over his hip with the hand under her skirt. "Can you let go now, Vinnie?"
Finally regaining his motor abilities, Vincent backed away quickly. If he had the capability of showing emotion, Yuffie figured it would be horror.
Struggling from his sudden departure, Yuffie flailed slightly before sliding off the desk, pulling down her skirt and closing her legs. What she didn't notice in her rush to fix her clothes was Vincent's struggle to swallow as he watched the white satin disappear under the skirt. Now he had something else to haunt his mind. It was hard enough with her prancing around in a short skirt, now he knew what she wore beneath it.
Embarrassed, Yuffie coughed and picked up her notebook.
"So Chaos said they want to revive the Jenova cells in Dr. Crescent to create a superior race. Like SOLDIER," Yuffie hid behind her desk.
Vincent made a noncommittal grunt. He still wasn't going to talk about it. What Yuffie didn't know, was that he was suddenly unable to form words.
"I suppose I won't be able to go with you when you all go see her?"
She watched the back of Vincent's head carefully for the small nod.
"I'll contact headquarters. Maybe they'll send us some of the water from Aeris's church," Yuffie reached for her phone. Her eyes flicked up as Vincent left the room with less than his usual grace. "Reeve, we have a breakthrough."
When Yuffie got off the phone with Reeve, she scurried down to her room. There were sounds of Vincent taking apart, what sounded like, his entire gun collection.
Embarrassment was not a welcome emotion for Yuffie and she did everything to expel it. In order for that to happen, she knew she had to get her hormones and, more importantly, her pheromones, back to normal.
The water was hotter than necessary as Yuffie scrubbed soap everywhere. She was fairly certain that she was imagining things.
"I mean, seriously, Chaos has no need to reproduce, so he might not have the same anatomy. Him changing back to Vincent would account for the difference," Yuffie cackled in near hysteria. Vincent liked tall, shapely, grown up women. One with long hair and a calming voice in particular. There was no way her short, skinny, loudmouthed self could get that reaction from Mr. Faithful. "Oh, holy Leviathan, I was doing so well. Stupid Chaos."
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Upstairs, Vincent was graced with the absence of Chaos's taunting and laughter. But, instead, was forced to confront his many thoughts.
The mission. Lucrecia. Jenova. Yuffie. Lucrecia. Yuffie. The possibility of Lucrecia alive again. The idea of Lucrecia free of Jenova. The feeling of Yuffie pressed against him. Pressed tightly and hotly against him. The smell of Yuffie's skin. Of her.
Yuffie was always so warm. Both in personality and physically. Unlike Lucrecia. His first love kept all her secrets. Yuffie kept none from him. She was always open and free with telling him everything.
Being with Yuffie was comfortable. Never once did Vincent feel bad about being himself. With Yuffie, he was free to be Vincent Valentine. Not the son of Grimoire, not the Turk, not anyone else.
With Lucrecia, there was love, but loneliness as well. He was pushed aside. Guilt gave birth to Sephiroth. He still loved her. He knew that. But conflict raged in his mind. Did he want her back? Did he want to cure her and continue to love her?
Or did he love the idea of loving Lucrecia?
Sounds of metal pieces sliding filled the room as he disassembled his entire gun collection again.
