Songs I suggest listening to are:
Hand of Sorrow by Within Temptation,
A Beautiful Lie by 30 Seconds to Mars,
All The Right Moves by OneRepublic
Move Along by The All American Rejects
This story is no longer a rewrite. I plan to take this in a slightly different direction. However, there are somethings that will remain the same.
This chapter ended up having about 90% more dialogue added.
I tried to have Vincent talk as little as was possible, while still ensuring his thoughts and feelings would come across clear and make sense to the readers. I'd like to think that after years being around friends, he'd be more open to small conversations.
Also I want to thank ChronaxDeathTheKid and BlueBerryCupCake for your reviews.
WARNING: CONTAINS SMALL AMOUNT OF ADULT CONTENT. (Nothing as bad as last chapter; at least I don't think so.)
Hang On Edited 6/9/13
When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed-door that we do not see the one which has opened for us -Alexander Graham Bell-
The front bell jingled, as Yuffie entered the bar. "Tifa!" Yuffie shouted. "Tifa, where are you? I need to talk to you." Tifa jerked out of her thoughts, spilling a few drops of tea on the table top. "Crap," she whispered, reaching for the dish-towel. "Uh...I'm in the kitchen," yelled Tifa, wiping the table down before tossing the rag over on to the counter-top by the sink.
Yuffie exhaled a breath of air, hoping to push away a fallen stray of hair out her eyes view, while it tickled her nose. A bit annoyed that she had so many bags, her arms aching from their weight. She closed the door to the bar with her foot, nearly losing her balance when she sneezed.
Yuffie slowly walked, trying to keep upright as she waltzed straight to the kitchen. Trying her best not to drop any of the heavy bags, sighing as she entered the kitchen. Pausing in the entry way, surprised Tifa was relaxing. It was rare sight because Tifa was the type that had to stay busy to feel useful.
Tifa was sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a hot cup of green tea. While a radio on the kitchen window sill, played softly in the background. "Tifa a little help here, please," Yuffie asked, tired and slightly annoyed. Tifa raised from her chair, taking a few of the bags, setting them upon of the kitchen table.
"Thanks for doing the shopping." She offered Yuffie a bright smile. Both girls took the items out of the bags and placed them where they belonged. Then, settling around the kitchen table. Yuffie tossed the plastic bag with the two boxes in front of her. Tifa assumed, Yuffie had bought herself something. "Yufs what did you want to talk to me about?"
Yuffie leaned forward, "You know what."
"..I don't know what you mean..." Tifa trailed off. Yuffie huffed childishly, leaning back in her chair. She gave Tifa a look that clearly stated. 'Yes you do!'
"Ohh, yes you do." Yuffie interjected, more out of annoyance than anger. "However, since you want to play the innocent act."
"Here," Yuffie handed the crumbled paper to Tifa, "look at your last item on your stupid shopping list."
Tifa nodded, reading over her list, while taking another sip. "I'm sorry, I honestly forgot about that." She gave Yuffie a half-smile over her teacup.
Yuffie sighed softly, closing her eyes and leaning back against the chair. "Well, what's done...is done." Opening her eyes as Tifa nodded in understanding.
"Want a cup?" Tifa asked as she stood and brushed the black hair from her eyes.
"Sure." Tifa poured her a mug of hot tea, carefully handing it to Yuffie. On her way back to her seat, she grabbed a bag chips. "Catch," Tifa shouted and pitched them at Yuffie as she returned to her chair. Yuffie thanked her, opening the bag and slipping a handful of chips past her lips.
swallowing before she spoke. "Anyhow, I bought two boxes." Yuffie shifted herself around to set down her mug on the table top, popping a chip into her mouth.
"Why two?" Tifa asked, raising a confused eyebrow.
"Why one box for Cloud," Yuffie confidently stated as if it should have been the most obvious thing then as if bipolar she continued shyly. "And... of course, the other box is for Vincent."
Tifa chuckled lightly. "Not sure if Cloud would thank you for it. Vincent probably wouldn't for that matter. Unless, you plan to get a sex life." Tifa pointed out, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Maybe Vincent could help you with that."
"I don't want nor need a sex life..." She spluttered, trying but failing to hide her embarrassment. Tifa heard Yuffie mutter something under her breath, only catching the name Vincent. She remembered clearly the first time Yuffie saw Vincent, the girl's heart became captivated with the gunman and it was obvious her heart still was.
Tifa's smile became even wider. "Unless it was with a certain tall, dark, mysteries man. Named; Vincent Valentine." Tifa opinionated.
"That's different." She shrugged, looking a little flushed. "Besides, I bet you and Cloud have interesting lunch breaks! Yuffie boldly stated, stuffing a handful of chips in her mouth.
"You have no idea, and that man's backside; sculptured like a god." Tifa mused, sending the room in an awkward silence."
"Yuk, now I have a mental image in my head. That was too much information, Tifa. Next time keep those kinds of thoughts to yourself."
Tifa snickered. "Anyway, Yuffie I'm sure Vincent will come around. Just try to remain patient with him."
Yuffie's smile ceased as she turned away from Tifa, and stared out the window. She frowned, trying to figure out how these things kept happening to her. She was a wild, strong, untamed warrior, yet she kept getting herself into odd situations. Just like the incident earlier with Vincent. Yuffie longed to have a passionate romance like Tifa had with Cloud and she wanted that with Vincent. She promised him she'd wait but how long could she really keep that promise. Someday, she wanted to become a mother and she imagined these children with black hair and amber eyes. Running around, high on life.
"Yuffie...Are you alright" Tifa asked concerned, feeling the mood in the air change.
Yuffie smiled briefly. "I ran in to Vincent when I was at the store." Yuffie paused, her frown returning. "Lets just say that after what happened today, things between Vincent and I may never be the same. I did something really stupid."
"What happened, if you don't mind me asking. If you explain it, maybe I can help."
Yuffie put a lock of hair out of her view as she answered. "Fine...I'll tell you as long you promise not to laugh... and trust me on this, there is no way of fixing this."
"It couldn't that bad...I promise not to laugh." She asked sweetly
Yuffie leaned against the counter top, twiddling her fingers. "Well, while I was at the store, I ran into Vincent..."
"What's so bad about that, Yuffie?" She giggled and folded her arms against the edge of the table.
Yuffie grinned as she spoke. "Let me finish." She tried to pass off her smile as being offended.
"Sorry."
"Anyways, I only had one more thing to get that you had on the shopping list. So, I asked, no more like dragged Vinnie with me...and..well...uhhhhh..." Yufie paused, then smiled shyly.
"Come on, don't hold me in suspense." Tifa demanded like a child waking their parents on Christmas morning.
"I never realized their were so many sizes, textures, colors and flavors. I thought they were for you and Spiky. Without thinking, I sorta asked Vinnie what size he was, thinking that Cloud and him wore the same size. Not sure why I thought that...Damn me and my big mouth."
A long pause followed, then Tifa burst into laughter.. "HAhahahahahah!" The glare she was given could have burned a hole through her head and into the wall behind her if she'd kept still long enough. She failed to notice her friend deliberating mutiny as she took another sip, slightly burning her mouth in the process.
"Hey...you promised you wouldn't laugh." Yuffie crossed her arms, and pouted slightly.
"Sorry," Tifa wiped a tear from her eye, "but I can't believe you did that. So, what was Vincent's reaction?" Tifa smiled a little wider as she took another sip of tea.
Yuffie sighed dramatically. "Nothing unless you count disappearing. When I realized what I said, Vincent had already left."
"Maybe he didn't hear you then."
"No, he heard alright. After I asked him his size, I asked what color I should also get, but when I looked at him, he didn't answer. So, I decided to get large in blue since that's Cloud favorite color. I even suggested he should buy the red colored ones for himself because I planned on someday having my way with him. When I turned around, he was gone. Only when I was walking to the checkout did I realized what I had uttered."
Fighting hard not to burst out laughing, Tifa placed her hand over her mouth, keeping her watering eyes trained on Yuffie. Despite her effort, giggles pitifully escaped. "Haaaaaa haaaaa...this is too much. Yuffie, you have made my day."
She glared half-heatedly at Tifa. "So glad my misfortune has made your day all so interesting. This is so your fault." Yuffie scowled at Tifa and stuck out her tongue.
Ignoring the childish act. "How is this my fault?" Tifa asked, taking a sip of her tea.
"Let's see, first you put condoms on the shipping list, then had me to shop for you. If you had just done the shopping yourself then I would never had said anything like that to Vincent."
"It's not my fault you asked him that." Tifa answered firmly.
Yuffie tilted her head and looked blankly for a second. "Well, maybe not. But doesn't change that it happened."
"I guess I shouldn't have put that on the list. I'm sorry Yuffie. Give Vincent some time, he'll get over it."
Yuffie gulped, took a few deep breaths and tried her hardest to smile. "I hope your right. I really do care about him, even if he doesn't care for me."
"Yufs, I know he cares for you. I've seen the way he looks at you. He doesn't look at anybody else like that. At least not anymore, he's learned to go let Lucretia. I'm sure she'll always hold a small part of his heart but she's the past and your his future." The smile on her face finally dropped as she pinned her with a serious look. "Just give it some time. He'll come around. He'll figure it out soon enough. Then, you'll hold the biggest piece of his heart."
She exhaled with an air of contentment. "Thanks, I needed to hear that." Tifa looked into her mug and then drank down the remaining tea.
"Good." Sighing, Tifa stood and placed the empty mug in the sink, Turning around, she put her hands on her hips then she looked at the wall clock. "Go up stairs, and get washed up. I'll get dinner started." Right on cue, Yuffie's stomach rumbled, even after all those chips she ate. She crumpled up her now-empty bag of potato chips, tossing them in the trash-can.
"Fine." Yuffie turned to leave when Tifa called after her retreating back.
"Oh! Yuffie, catch," Tifa tossed the box of red condoms."You never know when you and Vincent might need these."
Yuffie ran a hand through her hair, holding back a retort. Giving Tifa the finger, she left the kitchen muttering under her breath. "Not funny."
Tifa laughed, something else began to play on the radio, but she ignored it and went about making preparations for dinner.
OoOoOoOoOoO
Deciding that rhythmic melody coming from the radio was a welcome noise, Tifa turned up the volume on the radio placed above the kitchen sink, sitting on the window sill. OneRepublic, filled the room, the volume a little to loud, so she turned it down a little, glaring reproachfully at the pile of dishes stacked up in the sink. She hated washing the dishes. It just gave a person too much time to think. Standing there in front of that small sink, wrist-deep in murky water and scarred ceramic. Slippery soap suds and the feel of a glass' rim through cloth and no place to hide from what was in your head. Tifa was finishing up the last dish, from earlier dinner when it slipped from her fingers, falling back into the water to smack against the other dishes waiting to be washed. Tifa cringed at the sharp crack that echoed through the empty room, wiping stray droplets of water from the splash off her face with a sleeve. She lifted the plate again, scanning its dripping surface for new chips.
"Tifa" A familiar voice sounded somewhere behind her. She looked over her shoulder in the direction of the speaker, and saw Vincent Valentine standing there. She offered him a small smile. "Hey Vincent...You look like you have something on your mind. Is there something I can help you with?"
"I was hoping to seek some advice." He replied casually.
Giving advice was usually a specialty of Tifa's, the brunette Martial Artist who was like the mother hen of the group.
"Why me? Wouldn't Cloud, Cid or Barrett be a better choice? Maybe even Reeve. Not that I mind helping." She assured him.
"I trust you..I know you won't tell anyone else. Besides, Cloud isn't that good keeping things to himself, Cid would curse, laugh and tell me I'm wasting my time. Barrett would just laugh. Reeve is too busy and probably just as clueless as I am, when it comes to women."
'I'm glad to see Vincent seeking conversation a little more, even if it is for only advice. It was kinda creepy that he was always so silent before.' Tifa thought before turning her attention back onto Vincent. "True...so what kind of advice are you seeking?" Then, realization dawned on Tifa. "Can I guess this has something to do with a young ninja?"
"Yes." Vincent answered gruffly, but with a smile in his voice.
"Well, have a seat then and I'll see what I can do for you." Vincent did as Tifa asked.
He let out a long sigh before trusting himself to speak. "I'm not sure where to start." Even as he spoke he felt a wave of uncertainty.
"The beginning is always a great start. But since I'm sure you already know that. Let me ask you this; what are your feelings for Yuffie?"
Vincent half-smiled weakly then glanced down quickly gathering his thoughts before looking at her. "I...find myself falling for her. This feeling I'm experiencing, it's different from what I felt for Lucretia...but I don't know if I'd call it love." Pausing, . "Maybe, Yuffie only feels fascinated with me and is confusing it with love. Which, would mean I'm wasting my time trying to figure out what to do with these...disturbances I have."
Tifa slammed a fist down on the counter top, adding a small crack. "Don't be an idiot, Vincent. Yuffie loves you! You need to recognize that and except that Yuffie wants you in her life; as a lover. Moreover, your feelings are not disturbances, their emotions." 'Why are men so pig-head when it comes to talking about their emotions.' Tifa mentally rolled her eyes, cuffing at the silliness of men's pride and the fear they harbor inside themselves; at showing sentiments of the heart.
"I'm beginning to realize that. However, I don't know how to go about this. If I even should. With my past, do I deserve to love, again. Then there's the age difference." Vincent confessed.
"I never want you to ever think that you don't deserve love. Yuffie loves you despite what you've done in the past because that is what it is, the past. Everyone deserves to find that one thing that makes them happy. Because the heart isn't about what one deserves, it doesn't care if you think you deserve it or not. Yuffie choose to put her heart, in your hands. She didn't care if you deserved it or not, she just did it. That's what love is, blind faith. There's no real reason that anyone does it. It just happens, and it happens to the most unlikely people." Tifa paused, taking a deep breath before continuing.
"Being loved isn't anything about deserving it, it's all about who your heart chooses. It doesn't matter what they've done in the past, or what they're doing in the present. You love them for who they are, not what they've may have been or done in the their past. Also don't let age get between what you want or feel. Yuffie doesn't care about the age difference and neither should you. Give love another chance. If Cloud can learn to love again after losing Aerith, then it's possible for you. Have faith that it will work out in the end."
"Tifa, you are wise beyond your years."
"Thank you. So, are you going to take me advice?"
"I understand what you said but moving on isn't easy. "
"I never stated it was or it would be. However, don't sell yourself short." Tifa decided it was best to change the subject. "By the way. A little Birdie explained to me about what happened at the store today." Tifa smirked, while Vincent's eyes widened.
"Yuffie was just as embarrassed as you were, after she realized what she babbled to you about."
"..." He actually looked like he was blushing.
"Oh, don't worry. Only us three will ever know about it." Tifa announced while giggling before calming down, again. "Sorry about that. Anyways, what are you going to do about Yuffie?" Vincent looked away, wishing Tife would let it go. Long moments passed and still he refused to acknowledge Tifa's question.
Ignoring his silence, Tifa continued, wanting to get her point across. "What I can suggest for you is that you express your feelings to her in an honest, sincere way. Let's face it; we all dwell on the past from time to time. That's okay we're human beings with emotions. As we live life and experience it to its fullest, it's only natural that we sometimes cling on to what once was. That's okay, but it becomes a problem when we desire to cling to the past, blocking out the present that it starts to affect our future. In other words, we begin a potentially unhealthy and seemingly endless battle with anchors that can hold us down and sink us. Forgive yourself for the things you can't change. Forgiveness brings a kind of peace that helps you go on with life. Open our hearts to let someone new in." Tifa paused, seeing if Vincent understood what she was trying to deliver.
Vincent nodded, the only indication that he was listening to her speak. It always amazed her how he seemed to understand someones silent questions.
Gathering her thoughts, she continued. "As a woman, I know Lucretia would have wanted you to find happiness. Find someone who makes you happy. Most importantly, when you do find that person, hold on for dear life. Don't forget to savor everyday moments. All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous unpremeditated act without benefit of experience. Vincent, you have a chance to be with Yuffie, I don't want to see you pass that up. I remember a quote that was once told to me by my father and I believe it just might help you with your decision. When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed-door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."
Vincent nodded in understanding. "That quote was...insightful." He needed to first find and speak to Yuffie. It was time to take a chance. He wasn't going to make the same mistake that he had with Lucretia. Vincent was beginning to see that the love he had for the little ninja was stronger than it had been for the scientist, Lucretia. It was time for him to move on and finally lay the ghosts of his past to rest.
"I will take your advice into account."
"I'm glad I could help. Do you any idea what you're going to do now?"
"Yes, it looks as if I have a ninja to find and sort out my jumbled thoughts." He was usually so sure of everything. However, given recent events, he wasn't completely confident in anything anymore. Not when it came to dealing with his feelings for the ninja.
"Well, good luck!" Tifa mused. 'Those two are walking drama. All I'm missing is the tub of popcorn.'
Tifa watched him walk out of the kitchen. "There is no falling Vincent Valentine. You've already fell. No doubt in my mind, you're in love with Yuffie." She whispered to the empty room.
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