Sorry for the wait. I really like this chapter. Its really starting to get into how much Yuffie is tormented by the whole situation. I put a lot of emotion into this. Maybe that's why it took so long. That and the fact that I have a toddler. Nuff said. Well please enjoy and tell me what you think. Changes? Keeps? Loves? Hates? I want to know it all!
Unrequited- A feeling, especially love, not returned or rewarded
It was easy for Vincent to see through the black lace bra that Yuffie wore. And the fact that she only had that and a pair of skimpy shorts on, left nothing to the imagination. But his eyes were not fixed on her ever apparent nipples as most men's would. Instead they looked with furrowed brows on the jutting hip bones and noticeable skeletal ribs.
"You've lost weight" He said as he looked at her from his place on the bed, wearing nothing but a pair of dark pants. She climbed on top of him and sat up on her knees.
"Hmm hadn't noticed" she shrugged, hoping he wouldn't think too much of it "OOH! I forgot to tell you! Look what I found on my walk!" She pulled a small object from an invisible pocket in her shorts and displayed it proudly. In her palm was a small materia.
"Hn What do you know. The materia hunter finds a materia on a stroll. No hunting involved" his voice was deep, and resonated with a sort of seductive force. It was what she loved about spending such intimate time with him.
The person they had found in a coffin some years back, was not the man who she visited every night.
In the confines of his or her bedroom, they would sit and talk for hours, always ending in passionate sex. The walls that surrounded him were torn down for only her to see the true man underneath. A man who was compassionate and had a surprisingly optimistic look on life. More than once she found herself staring into his eyes, wishing that they had more than a few weeks to spend together.
Yuffie leaned forward and kissed his chest lightly, smiling on his skin at the sharp intake of breath she heard escape from him. It filled her with pride to know that she was able to get such a reaction out of him. For even when they fought the mighty Sephiroth, and the heated battles took many lives, he was as unmoving as ever.
She felt a warm hand and a cold claw touch her back and begin to rub lower. Then they faltered. She felt Vincent sit up
"What's wrong?" She asked
"Where were you today?" he didn't care to look her in the eyes.
"I told you, I took Jez for a walk"
"A nine hour walk?" he looked at her this time, with accusing eyes that could cut right through her skin if he chose.
She sighed "Ok. The truth is that I can't stand being here during the day. It's too hard for me"
"Hard for you?"
"Yeah. Its too hard to keep my cool. I don't want to ruin this" She absently played with his hair. He loved it, though he didn't let it show "Im a disciplined woman. I don't know why its so difficult for me to control myself around you. I think it would be better for the both of us, if I wasn't around during the day. I might screw things up" She wasn't telling him that it was the way he treated her in front of people that she couldn't handle. She was new at this. And she was quickly getting used to night time Vincent. During the day it hurt her the way he treated her. It wasn't so bad before. He was always cold and standoffish. But now that Yuffie had seen this intimate side of Vincent, she wasn't sure if she ever wanted to go back to the way things were. And that scared her.
A small look of dismay flashed across his face. It was quick, but she caught it.
"You know that's not what I want"
"Well what do you want?"
He was quiet for a long time. Staring at the wall in thought "Maybe I should be the one who isn't around. That way you wouldn't be tempted to do...things"
"That's not what I want either" she said. He raised an eyebrow at her "Ok ok I get the point. I wont take off tomorrow. I'll stick around and keep my hands to myself"
"Promise?"
"Promise"
"Whose been taking my damn cigarettes?!" Cid came down stairs screaming. Each step heavy with anger. The people, who moments before, sat silently eating breakfast, were now open mouthed and gaping at the shirtless man who appeared half mad.
Shera was first to rise coming to his side to calm him down, and shield his abnormally hairy chest from view.
"Cid go put a shirt on. Im sure it's just a misunderstanding"
"Misunderstanding my ass! Someone's been taking my cigarettes!" he looked at each person in turn, hoping to find a hint of guilt in their eyes. When he found nothing he grunted and made his way back up the stairs.
"That was weird" Yuffie said causing several people to laugh.
The sun was just beginning to set. It's colors mixing and breeding new forms of pallette's as the glowing orb settled down for the night. Yuffie sat by the window, noticing the difference in temperature as Fall came nearer.
She thought of Vincent. And how much she wished it was already night. She had come to her room to settle her thoughts. She was fuming when she had tripped over a barstool chair and Vincent, who was right next to her, didn't help her up. It was Reeve who eventually did the deed.
She felt that it wasn't right to blame Vincent. After all, he was only doing what everyone expected him to do. Which was nothing. "Still..." She thought "...It would've been nice to have him come to my rescue"
She sighed, as the thought of Vincent actually caring flew out the window, along with the smoke from her cigarette. She almost laughed at the sight of Cid, ranting about his missing cigarettes. But it made it all worth the trouble to steal them from him as she inhaled another puff of smoke and blew her worries away. She never believed the looney pilot when he said that cigarettes relaxed him. But as she spit into a piece of paper and used it to put out hers, she thought that she might actually
listen to him from now on.
"Yuffie are you coming? I wanna get there early" Tifa said on the other side of Yuffie's door.
"Im just getting dressed" She lied, shutting her window and grabbing her jacket. She opened her door just as Tifa walked away and headed down stairs. It seemed just her luck to walk into a heated discussion between Cid, Reeve and Vincent. She tried to bypass it but, as always, she was sucked in like a vacuum.
"Hey Yuffie!" Cid called out to her. She rolled her eyes before turning around.
"What's up Sasquatch" she said causing rolling laughter from Reeve and others standing around. They had all seen his chest. There were no more secrets.
"Don't worry doll, one day you'll have hair on your chest too"
"I'll pray to Leviathan every night that he doesn't curse me or anyone with a mat like yours!" She quipped. This time even Shera laughed, causing Cid to grunt in annoyance. Yuffie smiled "What do you want old man?"
"What did you think of that Lucrecia girl? You think she was pretty?" Cid said.
"I...uh...well um" Yuffie looked to Vincent. She thought he had looked tense when she came down stairs, but she thought it was simply because she had entered the room. She now knew the cause. She looked at him with sympathetic eyes.
Yuffie knew more than anyone how sensitive Vincent was when it came to Lucrecia.
"Yeah she was pretty. Why?"
Reeve cut in "Were trying to hook up Vincent with a woman. Were tired of him moping around all the time" Reeve put a hand on Vincent's shoulder in a brotherly manner. Vincent didn't look to happy about the topic of discussion, and merely took a sip of his drink. Still, he was curious to see what Yuffie would say next.
"Oh" She said "Well I know a few people in the WRO that might suit him" it tore her limb from limb to say it. But she promised Vincent that she wouldn't mess things up.
"That's the spirit" Cid said in his gruff voice " Lets get him a nice woman he can settle down with. Then he can be as happy as I am. Hairy chest and all" he winked at Yuffie who smiled half heartedly.
"Will you please all just stay out of my life!" Vincent stood from the table "Im happy, alright?!" he squared his shoulders and walked away. Cid and Reeve watched him leave. Yuffie was beaming on the inside.
"Ungrateful son of a..." Cid said
"Ah let him go. If he needs help, he'll ask for it. Besides I think he's already found someone" Reeve said leaning in close to Cid.
"Why would you say that?" Yuffie asked, suddenly more interested in the conversation between the two middle aged meddlers.
"Well two nights ago, Shelke and I were on our way over here when we saw Vincent at the flower shop. He bought a single rose"
Yuffie's heart beat loudly in her chest "Your assuming he bought it for somebody who is still alive" She said "What if he bought it for Lucrecia?" she had to know.
"Well Dr. Cresents birthday was in March. I don't think that was what he intended. Besides, when he got back to the bar, he paced back and forth outside and eventually threw the rose in the garbage. So sad"
"Pfft! You two need to stay out of other peoples business! Why don't you try working on your own lives for once! When's the last time you got any Reeve? And Cid...just...Cid just...shave your chest!" she stormed away with mixed feelings about the information she had just acquired. So what if Vincent bought a rose and threw it away? Why should she care?
Yuffie nearly bumped into Tifa on her storm.
"Hey Yuf. You ready to go? The meteor shower should start in about an hour"
"Yeah" she sighed "Some fresh air would be nice"
The two woman walked out of the bar with linked arms. Yuffie was grateful for having Tifa as a friend. The others followed suit and traveled behind the two woman up the street.
Vincent watched Yuffie walk with Tifa, still angry with the nosy busybody's. But most of all, he was worried about how Yuffie would react to the subject. It worried him when he saw her coming down stairs at the moment they brought up Lucrecia. Truth be told, he wasn't that hung up over her anymore. He had long ago made peace with himself and with Lucrecia at the cave where her body dwelled. And though he had vowed to never search for love again, he rather enjoyed spending time with Yuffie. At the very least it satisfied his male desires. But she was also a good companion. A completely different person when they were alone. She actually listened to him. A feat he thought the young ninja would never accomplish.
Tifa and Cloud led them to a favorite spot atop a large tower. They all had to climb many stairs, but the view from the top was well worth the climb. The tower looked almost like a lighthouse. A large glass room sat atop the long shaft and had a balcony that circled the round room. It was dark when they reached the top. They all found a spot and laid down blankets to sit on. Tifa pulled out a basket full of snacks and drinks and served wine to everyone. She left a large container inside the basket. Cloud was first to notice.
"What about the jell-o I made?" he asked with furrowed brows. His recent interest in cooking, to impress Tifa, was encourage by the dark haired martial artist. But she knew his main talent stopped at swordsmanship. And she feared for the stomachs of her friends.
"Uh..oh yeah. I forgot" She pulled the container out and handed it to Cloud.
"Hey guys! I made jell-o! Who wants some?" he held the plastic container in the air. Barret almost choked on his wine and looked around his teammates to see who would speak up first. When noone spoke, Cloud's face fell.
"I'll have some!" Yuffie stood, walking over to Cloud, who had a satisfied grin on his face "What flavor is it?" she asked with false enthusiasm. It went unnoticed by Cloud, who was absorbed in serving the jell-o in one piece, but to no avail.
"Cherry" he said
"Mmm" she looked at the bowl, pretending to smell the aroma rising from it. "What are those round things?" she asked looking at the jiggly substance.
"Cheerios. I thought it would give it some crunch"
"Oh. Thanks" she took a bite, finding the cheerios had absorbed the jell-o and were not crunchy but soggy. She swallowed hard. "Very good" she said with a smile. Tifa smiled gratefully to Yuffie who scrunched up her nose and smiled back.
"I'll take some" Vincent said coming beside Yuffie with a bowl of his own. Cloud served him happily. Vincent thought it admirable for Yuffie to step up the way she did. Another attribute he found had come with age. Soon everybody was asking for a bowl of mushy cheerio and cherry jell-o.
"You know what you should call this?" Yuffie said forcing another bite "Cherry-o Jell-o!"
"That's not a bad idea" Cloud said holding up the bowl and looking on his creation with new light.
"Oh I see one!" Shera said pointing to a streak of light in the sky. All heads turned upward. Cloud, Shera and Tifa laid down to get a better view without hurting their necks. Yuffie rested back on her hands and Vincent just leaned against the glass wall. Reeve and Shelke sat beside each other. Within a few moments he discreetly snuck an arm around Shelke's tiny frame. No one seemed to notice. But Yuffie had a keen eye and an amazing peripheral advantage over the rest. She looked up to Vincent and nodded her head towards the snuggling couple. He raised an eyebrow.
"There's another one!" Tifa said. The shower was now coming faster. Streaks of light decorated the night sky. Only second in comparison to Aurora Borealis. Still, the falling lights of burning rock were a sight to see.
Vincent looked down at Yuffie, who was pouring herself a fourth glass of wine. He sat down beside her, much to her surprise.
"You'll be seeing a lot more stars if you don't slow down" he whispered to her
"So?" she quipped with a razor on her tongue.
Vincent didn't say anything but merely snatched the bottle and set it beside him, knowing that Yuffie wouldn't reach over his lap to grab it.
"Hey!" she said softly "Since when are you my dad?"
"Im not. Only someone who cares about you"
"Pfft only when the sun goes down" she said under hear breath.
"What was that?" he heard her, but he wanted her to say it again.
"You probably just don't want to be the one who has to help me down the stair" she whispered with hot anger. Vincent didn't answer her. In all honesty, he just didn't know what to say.
Yuffie laid in her bed. She knew sleep would not come easy tonight. So when they returned to the bar, she stole a bottle of whiskey from behind the counter and laid in bed taking shot after shot. Her anger had not cooled since the hours after they returned. To make matters worse, Vincent had not said a word to her, nor made any attempt to communicate through morse. Every second that passed fueled her anger like a fire. The whiskey didn't help. Her mind was already spinning with the words they had exchanged. Now the room was spinning along with her sense of control. She felt she would break at any moment.
She had just huffed a cry when she heard tapping on the wall behind her head.
"Yuffie?"
"What?"
"Im coming in"
She didn't reply. But quickly screwed the cap back onto the bottle and hid it under her bed. She ran to the bathroom to rinse the burning taste from her mouth. Just as she was coming out of the bathroom, Vincent entered.
"Hey" she said trying to put her hands into pockets that weren't there. He took a few steps closer to her.
"I didn't think you were still awake" he stopped a few feet from her.
Her head was spinning but she tried with all of her brain to act sober. It wasn't easy. She had planned to drink the night away. Almost sure that Vincent wasn't coming tonight. Now she felt dumb for drinking so much, for she already felt sick to her stomach. She walked over to the bed and sat down.
"Well im awake" she said quickly. He sat beside her.
"Im sorry"
"Don't Vincent" he looked confusedly at her "You don't have to apologize. I was just being dumb"
"That's it?" he asked disbelievingly.
"Look, we don't have much time left together. I don't want to spend our night's fighting. It's all we have. These beautiful nights"
"Your right" he leaned in to kiss her, but stopped half way. "Have you been drinking?"
"W...why...why would you say that?" she'd been caught
"I can smell it on your breath"
"A little" she admitted
"You really shouldn't drink alone" his eyes held a look of worry. True worry. Not brotherly worry, or false worry. It moved Yuffie. She looked into his eyes, noticing for the first time that he had a light spray of freckles on his nose. She smiled goofily.
"Well im not alone now, am I?" Yuffie reached under the bed and retrieved the bottle, unscrew the cap and took a swig. Vincent was mortified. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey from her, looking heavily at the half empty contents.
"Was this bottle full?" he all but screamed.
"Maybe, just a little full" she held up two tiny fingers.
"Yuffie, this is a lot of alcohol! You could get alcohol poisoning!" He stood up looking her up and down, checking for any traces of sickness. She looked fine, maybe a little dizzy, but fine none the less.
Yuffie stood up and walked to him. She put her arms around his neck and placed sloppy lips against his. He pulled back.
"Yuffie stop"
"No Vince...nt! 's our time. We cant...we cant waste it" she slurred "Make love to me"
she threw herself at him. Falling into his chest and rubbing her face against his shirt "You smell so nice. Make love to me" she tried kissing him again.
"Yuffie. Your very inebriated"
"Fine! Fuck me then! If you wont make love to me! Then fuck me!"
"I will do no such thing!"
"Why not!? You do it every night!"
"Is that what you think we do? Fuck?" pain was evident in every note of his words. "Yuffie...I...I don't know what to say" he placed his ruby eyes to the floor. Unable to look at her face.
"Isn't that what it is?" she asked
"No"
"Then what is it Vincent?"
"..."
"That's what I thought! You might as well be paying me to sleep with you! The way you act like im some diseased HOOKER in the morning!"
"You know that's not how I feel" he stepped towards her, placing a hand on her cheek. Tears began to flow freely down her face. She had no control over them, just as she had no control over how she felt. She loved him. But she could not tell him.
When they began the agreement, she was sure she could keep her feelings under control. But Yuffie was young. She had no prior experience with love. She couldn't know that you cant control love. It just happens. And it just happened to be Vincent Valentine that Yuffie fell in love with.
Yuffie cried hard. She cried for the love that she was not aloud to express, for the secret that she could not tell, for the fact that she finally found love in a man who was incapable of returning it. Vincent held her long into the night. Until finally she got so sick that she vomited all over the bed and the floor. She finally passed out on the uncovered mattress, holding Vincent's hand, who was asleep halfway on the floor.