Disclaimer: They still elude me, dear readers.
Mystic: Inspiration for this chapter is brought to you by a dear friend of mine.
They say the devil's water, it ain't so sweet
You don't have to drink right now.
You can dip your feet in
Every once in a little while
"When You Were Young"
The Killers
For a man and woman, the line between friends and lovers is never a great one. Most often, the pair must choose if the circumstances surrounding their friendship was worth swimming over to the romance ship. Would the swim to the other side be smooth and easy, or would stormy weather befall them? What was their incentive for jumping off the boat titled, "just friends"? Vincent and Yuffie certainly dipped their feet in the stream of love before, prior to their official splash in the elevator and giant cannonball in the waiting room. Vincent remembered vividly the numerous times he had protected Yuffie in the heat of battle, taking a hit that was aimed for her. Or when she nursed him back to health by utilizing various Wutaiinese herbs and potions. It was in the years that they had known each other, that their relationship deepened to the point that the two purposefully sat on the edge of the ship, waiting for that one gentle push into the ocean called Love.
Vincent still wasn't sure what the final shove was. Maybe it was when Yuffie first asked him to return to Wutai with her, or maybe it was when the council mistook him for her husband. Whatever, or whoever the reason, this new feeling of being her lover and secret betrothed made him think back to a time period long gone by; when just the simple stroke of skin could incite passion and an innocent blush. One small, yet suggestive phrase from the gunman's lips was enough to cause a sly grin on the face of his beloved kunoichi. Both had that quality about them; innocent and loving, but at the same time, coy and seductive.
At one point, Vincent resigned himself to being no more than a wonderful friend to her. He had to ponder if Godo would call Yuffie back home to arrange a marriage for her. That would have been the death of him, since he did not want to go through another Lucrecia-Hojo situation. To fall hard for Wutai's White Rose, only to lose her to someone else, would have left the ex-Turk more broken than after being shot to death by that greasy mad scientist. If he thought about it, that was why he jumped at the chance to masquerade as Yuffie's husband and eventually propose for real. Subconciously, Vincent didn't want to lose her.
Yuffie Kisaragi would always -- always -- belong to Vincent Valentine.
For the first time in over thirty years, the gunslinger found himself writing prose. The poem came to him as he watched the ninja drift off into peaceful slumber after a round of spine-tingling, toe-curling sex. Words started to flow freely from his mind, his poetic muse having finally awakened. It's that rare situation where one must literally climb out of bed to find a pencil and piece of paper, lest inspiration disappear into the unforgiving abyss known as Lost Writings.
Never good for any author.
Yuffie stirred briefly as he left her bed that smelled of him and the love they had been physically expressing. She saw Vincent pull on a pair of soft sleep pants (pity; his ass was a work of art) before she drifted back to dreamland. Her immediate thought was that he was making a trek to the restroom, but alas, her eyelids closed of their own accord, leaving her oblivious to the fact that he stayed up to pen her a poem. His pencil scritched and scratched away for a good couple of hours, his simple verse turning into a sonnet of sorts. Every word, every line, spoke volumes about the new romance he recently dived into.
Sleep should've been his top priority at the moment, as he and Yuffie were to make one last trip to visit Godo in the morning before heading out to Icicle Inn. All the council knew was that "Lord and Lady Valentine" were taking a weekend to themselves because of Godo's insistence.
"My daughter has worked hard running the country and taking care of me. Yuffie and Vincent deserve a couple of days rest."
Chekov delivered that message earlier today to a shocked Staniv and Shake. After silently picking up collective jaws that dropped to the floor, the two relented and obeyed their lord. It would only be for the weekend. Friday morning through Sunday evening. Vincent already arranged the ceremony with the local Justice of the Peace and offered him quite a sum to keep it quiet and media-free. Only their Avalanche comrades would witness the marriage; which would be quick, simple, and completely secretive.
With his poem now finished, Vincent leaned back in the desk chair and looked over to the sleeping girl. She looked almost lonely without his presence beside her. Utilizing his skills as a former Turk, the gunman quietly slipped the written verse into one of her packed bags. The first thing Yuffie would see when she dumped out her belongings would be a beautiful sonnet dedicated to her. Words described the peppy personality he came to crave, the slim curves he liked to smooth his hands over, and the laughter he needed to hear. She was his and he was hers. The ninja and the gunslinger; opposite souls of light and darkness that were one day destined to rule Wutai. Hopefully, not in the near future, but one day.
A small smile moved across his usual stern face as he lay back down between the sheets. He heard a pleasant sigh escape from Yuffie when she curled up tighter against him. Completeness is what they both felt. She brought him out of the dirge that once consumed his soul, while he provided the safety and love only a true man would ever contain.
Oh, boy. Vincent could already hear Cid cussing him out and Reno giving out the catcalls.
This ... was going to be interesting.
Mystic: Just a short and sweet filler chapter. Hope you guys don't mind. Don't forget to leave me a kind review, okay?
