-1Author's Note: Many of you seem to think this story is ending, well it isn't. Not yet at least. In addition, for reference, I don't think Yuffie's a whore, so there will be a little bit of TIME between the first kiss and sex. Why you ask? One simple answer, Lucrecia.
My life has become highly unpredictable and dotted with a mixture of laziness, spending obscenely large periods of time with my boyfriend, and writer's block, so the chapters may still be rather infrequent. On the up side, I have someone to dedicate this chapter to.
Dedication: This chapter, in all its chapter-y glory, is for my Soul Reaver, I promise, none of you knows him... And if you do, you and I need to have a LONG talk… heheheh… I swear I'm not crazy…. Or am I?
Reviewer Comments:
Sonora the Free: Please, I have too much fun not updating to end it now.
Sorceress Fujin: Continue further, can do oh mistress Fuji! Heh, I called you Fuji…
Greenbean1: yes… mmm… game plot…
Chaos Sparda: SCORE! I'M THE BEST! One of the best… you know what I mean…
Yurikitsune: I'm certain that you should be sleeping and not reading… Maybe I should update earlier?
IamAudrey: One, I'm a ma'am not a sir. Didn't anyone ever teach you about gender specific names, etc, etc… blah blah… yeah, no sex till Lucrecia's out of the way… maybe on the night before fighting Sephiroth.
Diablos: I love it too, and I like you for loving it
Yumi: I like in game quotes… mmm… in game quotes…
For those of you who couldn't guess, I wrote the reviewer responses while on a sugar high… I apologize…
Chapter Eleven: Haunted
Dawn came early for Yuffie, an unexpected, but exceedingly beautiful dawn. She had never seen the dawn before, not like this. So bright and brazenly beautiful, from the safety of her bed, where she lay wrapped in a blood red, tattered, cloak. The arm around her stomach twitched, and she sat up a little, her baggy t-shirt hanging crookedly, exposing her shoulder and part of her collarbone.
"Morning sunshine," she said quietly, a pale blush staining her cheeks. Vincent opened one crimson eye to peer at her, before rolling over and putting his forearm over his head.
"It is the moon Yuffie, lay back down." He grumbled, his voice throaty and soft. Yuffie smiled and glanced at the window.
"I've never seen a more undeniable-dawn in my whole life." She said simply, prodding him in the side with a finger. "And Cloud and Tifa'll be calling us for breakfast soon."
Vincent groaned again, and Yuffie assumed victory. She clambered out of the bed, but had barely made it two steps when a strong, metallic, arm jerked her backwards, onto the bed.
"I did not say you could get up," Vincent whispered, sending shivers up and down Yuffie's spine. His lips brushed her exposed shoulder, causing her arms to erupt in goose bumps from the gentle sensation. He found a spot on her shoulder, near the junction of her throat, which made her shiver every time he brushed it. Vincent began to systematically nip, lick, and kiss the area, memorizing her reactions. Yuffie, so focused on the sensations he was causing, did not notice his attention to detail, only the strikingly pleasurable effect he was having on her. However, all good things end.
"Yuffie, Vincent." Cloud said from outside the door, "Are you two awake?"
Vincent growled low in his throat, and Yuffie turned beat red and leapt off the bed.
"YES!" She chirped, louder and squeakier than she had anticipated. A long silence followed the noise, and Yuffie cleared her throat. "Yeah, we're awake! Stupid Vincent woke me up at dawn!"
When in doubt, pretend to be indignant.
"Right…" Cloud said, "When you get out here, go see Tifa, she might have something for that cold."
Vincent and Yuffie stared at one another for several moments, utter confusion and shock riddled in each of their faces. It was Vincent that started it, a soft little chortle. Yuffie began a quiet, suppressed sort of giggling that caused her to bow over with effort. It erupted soon after, Yuffie leaning into the wall laughing, Vincent throwing his head back in his own fit.
For the time being, they had gotten away with it, for the moment no one was the wiser.
'The wiser about what?' Yuffie wondered suddenly, her giggles ceased, her face fell. Vincent fell to staring at her silently, watching the emotions as they played across her face.
"Yuffie?" He asked.
'What if this is his revenge?' She thought, her eyes flickering in despair.
"Yuffie." Vincent was on his feet now.
'What if this is Barret's doing?' Rage replaced despair.
"YUFFIE." It was as loud as Vincent dare get. Not his usual soft, almost whispering speech, but a full-bodied voice that frightened Yuffie out of her thoughts. "What are you thinking?"
Yuffie attempted to sidle away from him, but Vincent barred her path by placing an arm on either side of her head.
"What are you thinking." It was no longer a request, but a command uttered in question form.
"You and… and… and…" Vincent shut his eyes tightly, he already knew her question.
"I kissed you, and I held you all night, taking no more liberty than to merely hold you." Vincent stated in a business like manner. "This morning upon waking I attempted, and would have succeeded, to entice you back into bed with me."
"B-but…" Yuffie stammered, amazed at Vincent's apparent level headedness.
"I have feelings for you that are more than plutonic, if you do not feel the sa…" Yuffie's arms were around his neck instantly.
"Do you mean it?" She said quickly, pressing her face against his chest.
"Yes," was his reply.
"What now?" She asked, Vincent smirked and pulled her face up to his.
"We go along with our day as normal, but I will see you tonight…"
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"Gawd, waking that fuckin' brat up must be like wakin' a fuckin' rock!" Cid grumbled as he lounged with his feet on the table of the meeting room.
"Why would you say that?" Tifa asked curtly, her eyes fixated on the muddy boots propped on the newly polished surface.
"It takes Vincent forty-fucking-minutes to wake her lazy ass up!" Cid grumbled, knocking some dirt off one of his boots.
"Vincent's very soft-spoken, and Yuffie sleeps like a brick, wouldn't it take you that long to wake up somebody like that?" Tifa stared pointedly at Cid, "No I don't suppose you've ever been quiet in your whole life."
"Damn straight, woman," Cid growled at her, Tifa threw a level one restore materia at his head. Yuffie walked in soon enough to watch it smack him in the forehead.
"Nice throw Tif," Yuffie said as she sat down. "Ever considered a career in the Ninja arts?"
Yuffie grinned at the older woman, Tifa tossed her hair back indignantly.
"I'd never be allowed," Tifa replied.
"Why not?" Yuffie asked, picking up a glass of orange juice that had been set out for her and taking a sip.
"She's got too much fuckin' boob," Cid stated. Yuffie spit her orange juice all over the table as she burst out laughing hysterically, Tifa began to throw any, and everything, she could get her hands on at Cid. Vincent, Red and Cloud wandered in as Tifa hefted a chair to hurl at the old man, who had finally ducked down on the other side of the table.
"TIFA!" Red shouted.
"Cloud!" Tifa gasped.
"Cid." Vincent stated.
"Red. Vampire." Cid growled.
"Yuffie." Yuffie chirped, drinking the remnants of her juice. Everyone gave her a look.
"I felt left out." She stated with a shrug, Cid slowly came up from his hiding place.
"I can't leave the room for three minutes without some major catastrophe occurring!" Cloud yelled, Tifa and Cid stared at him, Yuffie shrugged and finished off her juice.
"Maybe if you stopped leaving rooms they'd stop occurring." Yuffie suggested mildly, "Or maybe it's just because you entered the room that a catastrophe occurred."
Cloud turned on Yuffie, who faced him with a level gaze.
"Or maybe it's because of a certain lying, THIEF, is always in the room in which the catastrophe…"
"I do not think Yuffie had anything to do with this, aside from the large quantity of orange juice currently residing on the table." Vincent said softly, Cloud stared at him. "Everyone is rather on edge since Meteor appeared, perhaps we should go scouting for anything that could help us defeat Sephiroth."
The solution was in typical Vincent fashion, with an underlying atypical Vincent motive. Never the less, Cloud agreed and wasted no time splitting their forces.
"Tifa, Barret and I will head to the City of the Ancients and see what we can find there. Vincent and Thief, you two can explore the cave Cid found while doing some terra readings, it isn't too far from here. Cid, you Cait and Red…"
"Where the hell are Cait and Barret anyway?" Yuffie asked, her mood reflected in her language.
"Watching the pathetic Fuck-heads up on the bridge, they ain't worth shit as far as flyin' this rig goes. They do al-right as long as I ain't bustin' their asses up on the bridge." Cid said as he lit his cigarette, "But I wouldn't put it past em to use Cait as an impromptu auto-pilot, them lazy fucks."
Everyone took a moment to imagine Cait Sith auto-piloting the Highwind into a mountain, Cid decided to go send down the others and supervise the amateurs. Tifa and Cloud began sorting materia while Yuffie sat idly by, waiting for them to finish their selections. She was not pleased by the outcome.
When Cloud divided out the materia, Yuffie ended up with a level three bolt, level two restore, level one choco-mog, her throw mateira, and a level one manipulate.
"You've gotta be shittin' me!" She growled at him, Cloud gave her a dark look.
"You're lucky you even got materia, Tifa was the one who convinced me to give you any." Cloud growled at her, "She didn't want Vincent to get hurt because you let him do all the fighting."
Yuffie fell into perfect silence, stung brutally by Cloud's words. Vincent could see the change instantly, even when she got up to vomit from airsickness, she was silent, discreet, and very un like herself. Vincent, on Tifa's nod toward the door, followed Yuffie onto the deck, where she vomited spectacularly into the ocean they were flying over. Her fingers strained against the railing as she rested her forehead on the cool metal.
"Will you be alright?" Vincent asked, Yuffie nodded.
"I really hate flying," she muttered, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Then you will be happy to know that we will be at the waterfall cave in a matter of moments." Vincent said simply, his hand gently touching her shoulder.
"How do you know?" She asked, straightening up a bit.
"I can see the cave from here…" Vincent stated, Yuffie blushed.
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The Highwind hovered over the cave, and Yuffie and Vincent were forced to descend the rope ladder to reach the terrain. With a promise of a swift return, the two agreed to meet the Highwind near the surrounding grasslands at dusk. As Yuffie dropped onto the solid ground, Vincent surveyed the waterfall, finding no rapid solution to the problem at hand.
"Is your soul so unclean that water will ruin your complexion?" Yuffie asked simply, striding along the jagged rocks to the veil of salt water.
"No…" Vincent grumbled, watching her hands cup some of the falling water. She smiled at him, tossing the water into the air.
"It's not too cold, we could get through without much trouble…" She said simply, he shook his head.
"We will get soaked…" Vincent began, Yuffie shrugged.
"You're cloak could use a wash, it smells like old people and moth balls…" She was lying and both of them knew it. Vincent hopped along the rocks to reach her, briefly pulling her back in his arms.
"You were not complaining…" Vincent began, Yuffie blushed and jumped through the curtain of water. Vincent followed her quickly.
The cave was not dark, as both had anticipated, but glowed with a strange purple hue. Before them, in the center, was a cluster of glowing purple stones, which had somehow formed a seat, almost a throne. And upon it sat a woman, dazed but beautiful, dithering a lullaby to abnormally shaped stone.
"It's turned so cold, it's past your bedtime, you've played the day and soon it will be night…" She crooned out, her voice cracking as she stroked the rock.
"That voice?" Vincent rasped suddenly, stepping past Yuffie. "It can not be... Lucrecia?"
In a daze, she lifted her head, her brown mass of curls shielding one glowing green eye.
"Vincent...?" She said, Vincent strode forward, her name on his lips.
" Lucrecia!" She shrank away from him.
"Stay back!"
The light filled the room, and Yuffie shielded her eyes. Images bombarded her sense, voices, people and places she had never known assaulting her mind. She fell back, into the corner, clasping one hand to her temple, the images searing through her skull.
A baby with silver spikes of hair atop his head, covered in blood and birthing fluids. The woman reaching out for the baby, asking for her son, her beloved's child. Hojo handing the child to a man in a black suit, Vincent lunging for Hojo, Hojo shooting him, the surgery, all the blood. The coffin.
"I tried to save him when I agreed to take our son and leave with you…" Lucreacia's voice echoed in her head, driving Yuffie to press both hands over her ears..
"This body is... the punishment that has been given to me... I
was unable... to stop Professor Gast and Hojo…" Vincent's voice replied, "Lucrecia... I was unable to stop them... All that I was able to do was watch... That is my punishment…"
The light faded, the images with them, and Yuffie found herself on her butt, staring at the two lovers.
"Lucrecia…" He sighed, "you are alive…"
"I wanted to disappear... I couldn't be with anyone... I wanted to die…" She said, defensively, "but the Jenova inside me wouldn't let me die... Lately, I dream a lot of Sephiroth... My dear, dear child. Ever since he was born I never got to hold him, even once... Not even once." She looked at the oddly shaped rock, the replica of the son she never had. "You can't call me his mother... That... is my sin... Back! Stay back!" Vincent tried to draw closer to her and stopped at her words, "Vincent... Won't you please tell me?"
"...What?" He asked, her eyes shone with mako infusion and bloody tears.
"Is Sephiroth still alive? I heard he died five years ago. But I see him in my dreams so often…" She caressed her glowing throne of crystallized mako. "And, I know that physically, like myself, he can't die so easily. Please, Vincent tell me…"
"Lucrecia…" He could not tell her that her son was trying to kill everyone, that he did not know of his human birth. "Sephiroth is dead…"
Lucrecia let out a sob of anguish, her hands clasped to her chest.
"Oh my baby!" She cried, "my baby boy, our son! Our Sephiroth!" She collapsed out of the throne, clawing at the floor. "Who?"
"Who?" Vincent repeated.
"Tell me who took my baby from me!" She cried out, glaring up at him. Vincent flinched away, his own sense of self preservation finally kicking in after years of disuse.
"The same person who took him from you before." Was the reply, cold and calculated. Lucrecia rose, her form clothed all in white. Her body moved like a swift wind, swift and silent, she strode towards him, her hand closed about a vile of murky red liquid.
"He's killed my son, our boy!" She cried as she clasped Vincent's human arm. He tried to disengage her grasp but she held him firmly, her mako eyes glaring at him as thought she knew of his lies.
"Hojo has killed your son," Vincent told her, struggling to get free. She growled at him, as though she blamed Vincent for the deed.
"Our son," she said once more, icily, with contempt in her voice. "Hojo isn't his father, never, it was you," her tone changed suddenly and she enfolded him in her white robed embrace. "My beloved Vincent!"
How could someone so beloved hear his own name stated so coldly?
"You are Sephiroth's father, he was our baby!" The words burned more than any flame, had it been with in his power, Vincent would have brought Meteor crashing down upon him right then. He tried to escape her clinging grasp more vehemently than before, tried to get away from her and her analytical gaze.
"One night," she said as she pressed closer to him, the vile forcing its way into Vincent's hand. "That's all it took. You must avenge him, avenge our baby…"
"No," Vincent gasped, toppling backwards in his eagerness to flee. "I He Is Not My Son!"
Lucrecia smiled at him, moment by moment she became less of the woman Vincent remembered and more of the deity the Cetra battled. She knelt, her mako eyes glazed with some hidden power.
"Is this the face of a woman who would lie to you?" And like a roaring wind the cave was empty, save for Vincent and Yuffie. Lucrecia left no mark of her presence save the vile in his hand and the child shaped stone by the glowing throne. Vincent , shaking, terrified, and distantly aware of the other body in the room, scrambled to his feet, desperate to escape. There were bloody marks on his flesh from where her nails had dug into him, and blood trickled away in tiny rivulets. Turning, Vincent saw her, his light and salvation from this atrocious nightmare.
Yuffie, tucked into a corner near the Waterfall's entrance, huddled, shaking and staring at him.
"Yuffie," he whispered, needing her voice to sooth him. He reached out to her, she pressed herself further into the stone.
"She created him," she said softly.
"Yes," Vincent replied, Yuffie's eyes turned a distant black.
"And you helped her…" The words ripped into him with the power of All Creation, "you helped her kill my mother…"
"No, she is mistake…" Vincent pleaded, Yuffie was on her feet though, her eyes several years in the past.
"You helped her create him!" She said, pointing accusingly, "You as good as killed my mother! Killed Aeris!"
Tears were cascading down her face, her hands clenched so hard her knuckles turned white. Vincent took a step closer and she fell back, her shuriken drawn.
"I did not!" Vincent cried, desperately he reached out to Yuffie. A blast of lightening struck at his feet, a low level of electrify, but a warning none the less. "I could not! It was one night, one night and nothing more!"
"One night is enough!" She shouted, her own eyes red and puffy from tears. "One night and you destroyed everyone's lives! What if something had happened last night, would I be the next creator of death?"
"NO!" Vincent cried, reaching out once more, a second bolt, stronger than before, struck the floor again. "It was not me, Hojo… Hojo…"
"Isn't it always?" Yuffie asked, lowering her arm an inch or two. "I suppose it's her fault you knocked her up, and Hojo's fault for experimenting on what he thought was his own kid, never your fault."
He began to tell her how much he blamed himself for, and that he should have told her about his possible offspring; but Yuffie was gone, the veil of water fell once more over the exit to the cave.
The demons that had been silent for a time began their babble at once. And, desperate for relief, Vincent uncorked the vile and lifted it to his lips.
"It will make you stronger…"
"It will make me well?"
Pain never exploded quite like this.
Fire consuming his mind, ice took his body. Thunder and lightening ravaged his soul, and darkness clouded the would be light inside his twisted memories. His body writhing in agony, his cries echoing in the cavern. Two bleak red eyes, imprinted themselves, permanently, on his mind.
'Hello Vincent,' a demon's voice never sounded more like Vincent himself.
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Fin
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Author's Note: I hated Lucrecia because she allowed Hojo to experiment on her child, regardless of who the father was. She had no right to do something that she'd couldn't predict the side effects of. Hence the evil bitch she is portrayed as… This is artistic liberty at it's best.