CHAPTER 14: Reject Before Reciprocate

Disclaimer: I do NOT own FFVII characters, worlds, ideas, etc.

Author's Note: Belated updates seems to be my motto. Sorry about that :-\ I would have update sooner, but I was gone for four days for college orientation (lameness extreme!). Welp, hope you like the new chapter :) It's quite fluffy. Enjoy!

--V--

Yuffie clung desperately to the leather bindings criss-crossing over Vincent's chest as he gently palmed the back of her head and deepened the kiss further. Their bodies hungered for one another and their hearts screamed for more.

'Oh gods… I had almost forgotten what bliss felt like... She is so beautiful, so spirited, so… perfect.'

As if in reply to his complimenting thoughts, she moaned softly into his mouth.

'What happened to protecting her? "She's just a child"? Have you already forgotten your vows to live in solitude?'

Crimson eyes snapped open at the horrific realization of his unrestrained actions. He pulled away instantly, pushing her from him as if to rid himself of her completely.

She gasped at the sudden lack of warmth from his lips and fixed her eyes on his in question.

Vincent breathed raggedly through flushed lips – bruised from the temporarily ignited passion – and tried to comprehend how he was going to repent for such a sin. He dared not look into her eyes; those perfect silver eyes, he knew, were begging for loving reciprocation—he feared he would surrender to their ardor, as if their innocence was prone to draw him in and suppress all worry, making him vulnerable. He could not have that; he could not be without his guard.

"I-I'm sorry…" her voice quivered nervously. She had noticed his suddenly reclusive behavior, and knew she had wronged—even if it had saved him.

He ignored her apology, and hesitated a moment before stating rather harshly, "We should go."

Continuing to avoid eye-contact with her, Vincent strode passed her to the open cell door.

"…Okay," she whispered sadly.

Vincent stopped to glance over his shoulder at the young woman who remained stationary with her back to him. Guilt burdened his chest as he watched the ninja wipe her face to hide any indication of sadness.

'It's for the best, Yuffie… I wish you could understand.' With his past and her age, they could never be a proper couple. Even if he did kiss back, and even if he did love her in return, they were not meant to be. He could not be lenient with himself on the subject; Yuffie was a princess – nay, the future empress of Wutai – and he did not deserve her. She was light and he was dark; such things never mixed. He would never let them be any more than what they already were… he couldn't.

Vincent looked away as she turned around to follow him, and continued to walk out the door.

--Y--

Back at the inn, the two were greeted by the rest of Avalanche in the lobby.

Yuffie cringed as she felt Vincent brush against her. She felt so hollow with him in her presence. That kiss would have been the highlight of the evening if he had not rejected her immediately after. She had already dealt with enough torture as it was.

"Fuck, you guys look like hell!" Cid declared by looks of the rugged ninja in her wool cloak, and the gunman with disheveled hair.

The pair grimaced at the comment.

"What the hell happened?" the pilot asked worriedly. When he last saw Vincent, he was struggling to maintain his human form.

'I'm too worn… too depressed to even tell you.'

Vincent's eyes darkened as they looked up irritably at the inquisitor. "Mara—she's using Tifa as her human host."

Cloud stared intently at the gunman. "Tifa?!" he gasped, taking a step closer into the small circle they had created.

Vincent nodded.

"And what about the baby?" the blonde warrior asked eagerly. "Is the baby okay?"

"No." Yuffie's voice was forlorn. "The baby's dead."

The crew stared at her, shocked by her cruel bluntness.

Cerulean eyes widened. "D-Dead?"

The princess bowed her head solemnly. She could not take anymore of this—she had seen enough pain for one night.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, gripping slightly. "I'm sorry…"

Yuffie then took her leave up the stairs to her and Vincent's room.

--V--

The group watched as the remaining female member of Avalanche gravely climbed the stairs and disappeared from their sight.

Barret looked to their leader. "You should probably get some rest, too, Cloud."

The spiky-blonde was still stunned by the news; his face was contorted in pain.

"…Cloud." The dark-skinned man placed a hand on his back.

Cloud snapped out of his trance of agony and gazed up at his comrade.

"We'll get her back," Barret assured him.

Strife lowered his eyes in defeat and followed Yuffie's suit.

"We can discuss tactics in the morning," Vincent's calm monotone came after a few moments of awkward silence.

His comrades nodded in agreement before starting their own ascent.

Vincent began to head for the stairs as well when Cid grabbed his arm. A dark brow rose in question at the random gesture.

"What's with the brat?"

Vincent glared. He hated when Cid referred to her in such a derogatory manner.

"I do not know," he replied coolly.

He went to move again, but the pilot gripped his forearm tighter. "Bullshit. What the hell did you do to her?"

Crimson eyes narrowed warningly. "Don't make accusations, Highwind. I did nothing."

Cid pushed his arm away disgustedly. "So help me, Vince, if I find out you hurt her, I'll fuckin' kick yer ass! I don' give a damn if it Chaos really is to blame! You're the fuckin' dumb ass who can't control yerself!"

Why Cid was so protective of Yuffie, Vincent did not know. But he did not push the blonde's limits, for he was too tired for insults.

'Damn pilot! Tell him I -'

'Silence.'

--Y--

Yuffie sat on the edge of her bed, forehead supported by her palms as she stared at the ground in thought. Vincent had not come to the mansion to save her, he had come for solitude; he wanted to isolate himself from the others by locking himself in his coffin. She knew he was unstable the moment she had heard his husky and guttural voice. It did not matter, though, she just wanted to dismiss everything that had happened that evening; it was almost too overwhelming to think about. The gruesome memory of her killing Vincent scarred her mind, and made her tremble with fear. She really had no idea who, or what, she was up against. Everything she had witnessed was just too inconceivable.

But the kiss…

It had been everything she thought it would be: perfect, passionate, and blissful. And yet he acted as though it was a mistake.

Yuffie fell back on the bed and instantly regretted it as excruciating pain shot up her back.

"Shit!" she sucked in through her teeth, stiffly standing to her feet. Carefully, she removed the coarse wool cloak.

She sighed as she entered the bathroom. 'What did I expect from him? I knew he would react like that, so why am I so butt-hurt about it? He doesn't even love me, for gods' sake!'

It was very painful for her to shed the neoprene shirt she donned due to the form-fitting tightness. She bit her lip hard as she pulled the bloodied clothing over her head to assess the damage done to her back. Looking over her shoulder, she saw eight deep gashes running from her shoulder blades to her waist, and the scarlet liquid oozing from the open wounds. Grabbing a white washcloth from the provided towel rack and setting it beside the sink, Yuffie turned on the faucet and waited for the water to warm.

She looked into the mirror at her dirtied face, silhouettes of dried tears blotched her usual fair complexion. She removed her tattered bandana from her messily strewn hair and discarded it onto the floor. She gripped the side of the counter, just staring into her own silver eyes.

'I'm no beauty, it's true. I'm still the tomboy I've always been. But I'm not exactly ugly, either. I don't get it…' She released a quivering breath, trying to calm herself. 'I just wish...' The thought was too painful to finish; too overwhelming.

Yuffie let out a sob as her head fell against her chest. Her body shook uncontrollably as wet trails persistently flooded her cheeks.

'Gods! I'm so weak! I can't even control myself!'

A door shut rather loudly from behind her. The ninja frantically looked up to see that Vincent had just entered, and was now staring back at her through the mirror. She instinctively covered her bare bosom with her arms and sniffed a couple times to rid the evidence of her sorrow.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she shrieked in a quivering voice.

"My apologies," he replied quickly, embarrassedly casting his eyes down so Yuffie could wrap a bigger towel around herself.

'Ugh! This is the second time he's seen me half-naked!'

"Shit!" she hissed through her teeth as the rough material made contact with her injuries.

Vincent frowned at the reflection of the bloody injuries on her back. "I thought you said you were unharmed?"

Silver orbs stared daggers at the man before her. "I'm fine," she told him bitterly.

"Yuffie…," his deep, velvety voice cooed softly.

"It's nothing," she said grievously, avoiding eye contact with him.

She let the towel's ends fall from her back, still hugging its body against her chest. She turned off the faucet, seeing that the sink was full of steaming water, and dipped the washcloth into it.

'Gawd, this is gonna hurt like a bitch!' Yuffie dug her teeth into her bottom lip, anticipating the stinging agony she was about to endure. She withdrew the hot washcloth from the blistering pool and gently reached over her own shoulder to dab at the top of her wounds. It scalded against the raw flesh, and her eyes shut tightly as she let out a small whimper.

A hand grabbed her wrist and she felt the tiny towel being tugged from her grasp. She looked up to see Vincent gazing back her with a pained countenance.

"Sit down," he said quietly.

At first, Yuffie just stood there, staring at him incredulously as his crimson eyes softened at the sight of her own.

"Please," he urged mellifluously.

With that, she seated herself on the lidded toilet, her back to him.

Vincent removed his cloak and threw it onto his bed before rolling up his sleeves.

"Forgive me for having done this to you."

Yuffie's eyes widened for a moment at his apologetic realization of Chaos' actions.

He pressed the washcloth to her wounds, and she arched her back slightly, groaning as the searing anguish numbed her body.

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as the gunman repeatedly dipped and dabbed. His metal claw lightly clasped her forearm sympathetically, his artificial thumb massaging her unmarred skin soothingly.

Her heart nearly stopped as she felt his lips graze her ear. "I'm sorry…," he whispered. His romantically deep voice provoked chills to ripple across her body. She loved and hated the sensation at the same time. If he did not have feelings for her, then why did he caress her? Why did he help her? She wanted his lips to graze more than just her ear…

A strained cry broke passed her lips, not having expected the rigid washcloth to make such sudden contact with her open wounds. She cursed through tightly gritted teeth and her knuckles went white as her hands fisted a death grip on the towel blanketing her bosom.

Vincent threw the scarlet cloth into the equally scarlet water, having finished cleaning Yuffie's injuries. Looking back at the ninja, he could not help but feel a longing for her lips one more time. Just touching her drove him mad—he wanted to feel all of her.

"Cure materia?" she suggested, innocently holding up the green sphere.

Vincent gave a brief nod as he accepted it and absorbed it into his human hand. "You're aware that with injuries like these, you will be left with temporary bruises?"

"Yeah."

The immortal furrowed his brows in concentration as his claw grasped his wrist. Green energy radiated from his palm and seeped into her back. Her skin rejuvenated over the wounds, leaving nothing but thin scars.

When he had finished, Vincent sat back on his heels, slightly fatigued. Yuffie swung her body around, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Thanks," she spoke quietly.

Silence fell over the pair as they just sat there, eyes locked on to each other's.

"Yuffie…," he said tensely, "At the mansion-"

She raised her hand to prevent his continuation. "It's okay… I understand." Her heart broke to say it; to acknowledge the feelings he did not share--but it was necessary.

Yuffie stood from the porcelain pedestal and went to walk out of the bathroom.

"I think not," he said smoothly, rising to his feet.

She paused and placed a hand on the threshold, not bearing to look at him. "It's okay, Vince… I know I'm not what you want. Nothing like it."

Again she made to move towards her bed, but Vincent caught her wrist and twirled her around to pull her against his chest.

"You are all I want, Yuffie," he whispered melodically against the softness of her cheek.

Yuffie's heart hammered against her ribs as she Vincent's ruby irises desirably penetrated the platinum of her own. He grasped both of her hands and brought them to his face, closing his eyes as he needed to feel the warmth of her skin.

"Vincent…" Her voice quivered with overwhelming joy, bringing tears once more to her eyes.

He opened half-lidded eyes to give a lustful gaze before allowing his lips to claim hers passionately.

Eek! Wonder what happens in the next chapter?! Possibly something definitely "M" rated! Muahaha! But I'll leave it up to you to figure it out ;) Anywho, please review and let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading! XD

Coquettish Siren