Disclaimer: FFVII and Dirge of Cerberus belong to Square-Enix.

Note: I really have no excuse for this chapter. Blatant filler, that's what. Please review, I have this suspicion everybody gave up on this story.

What It Brings

Chapter Three

It had been a week since their arrival in Midgar, and Yuffie could reluctantly feel herself adjusting to her new life. Maybe even enjoying it. Something about Vincent holding that gun sent shivers down her spine and made her want to squeal like a middle schooler. He changed when he held it, his face hardened and his eyes seen to sharpen their focus, bringing an all new meaning to the term 'in the zone'. You don't disturb Vincent when he's 'in the zone', just coming close to him while he was so focused was nearly terrifying. But Yuffie was happy to just sit and watch from a safe distance away, relaxing in the afternoon sun with the knowledge that nothing bigger than a flea could get to her without Vincent knowing.

She had learned that one day when a rather scrawny little creature had stalked up on her while she was watching Marlene. The gunshot reverberating off the collapsed buildings around them scared both girls nearly to death, and Yuffie had wasted no time is screaming some rather rude words at him for not warning them ahead of time.

It was also probably the first time she had ever really seen him smile. She had stopped mid-rant to stare at him with startled eyes as he flat out smiled down at her from his perch, relaxing his grip on Cerberus once again. The gesture faded almost as soon as she noticed it, but she continued to stare at him for a long while afterwards out of utter shock.

Then she was angry. He had found that funny! The nerve!

She refused to keep him company during lunch after that, and during their daily visit to the bar he had finally apologized, much to her embarrassment, with a soft kiss right in front of Tifa. The woman had watched shamelessly, smiling happily for the girl. But she had to admit, she got along with Tifa pretty well, and she had at least made one friend in town. Well, two, counting Marlene. The girl was kind of relaxing to be around, she didn't act like other little kids her age.

But back to the point, Yuffie was currently sitting on the bed again, lounging around in her pajamas watching TV. Vincent had left a while earlier without telling her where he was going. He did that fairly often, but she wasn't worried. She had followed him once, and all he really seemed to do was wander around getting used to their new town.

This particular day, however, he had been gone especially long. She had fallen asleep waiting for him, only to wake up alone. The sun would be going down soon, and she stared out the window miserably.

The door flew open and Yuffie jumped, barely suppressing a yelp of surprise. Vincent was standing in the doorway, looking across the room at her with a strange look in his eyes. He closed the door sharply and crossed the room in long strides, and leaned on the bed to pull her into a hug. He held her there for a while, enjoying the smell of her hair as she held onto his arms.

"What got into you?" Yuffie asked quietly. Vincent sighed and hugged her tighter.

"I found a house, Yuffie." He replied. Her eyes went wide and she struggled out of his arms.

"Are you serious?" She asked. He nodded and she leapt up to her feet.

"Why didn't you tell me you were looking? I wanted to help!" She pouted, unable to hide her excitement.

"Get dressed and I'll take you to see it." He said gently. Yuffie jumped off the bed and ran over to where she kept her clothes, scattered on the sofa.

x:X:x

It certainly wasn't what someone from a clean cut city like Nibelheim might have expected in a house, but in Midgar, it was common. She stared at it with some mixed feelings, crossing her arms in front of her against the evening chill.

It was small, barely two stories, and due to the lack of wood in this area, it was made from scrap metal welded and riveted together. It was practically a work of art, in a modern sense, and she was itching for a look inside to see if it truly was a house. All of the houses in this neighborhood looked just like it, some bigger and some smaller, but all essentially the same. They were near the outskirts of town, and in her opinion, the houses out here were preferable. It looked more like something from Nibelheim, with a cement road leading to town. The yards around the houses were bare and rocky, however, as was usual with the soil around Midgar. Some better maintained lawns had plants in them and someone had picked out the rocks, but it seemed almost pointless in such a desolate landscape.

"I have the key." Vincent said quietly. Yuffie looked up at him and smiled.

The door opened directly into a large living room, with a doorway to the right and a staircase. There was a doorway leading to the kitchen against the far wall. The door to the right, Yuffie discovered, was the bathroom, and she inspected it for a moment before moving on. The first thing she wanted to see was what was upstairs. She bounded up the stairs ahead of Vincent and found a door at the top. Pushing it open, she found the only bedroom in the house, a spacious room with beautiful windows against the far wall. The ceiling sloped gently with the roof, and she slowly walked into the room.

"Do you like it?" Vincent asked. He couldn't help but feel somewhat ashamed, if his father was still alive he would have referred to this place as being 'servant's quarters'. Vincent himself didn't mind, his father's mansion had been too big, and this place felt more comfortable.

"It's cozy." Yuffie interrupted his thoughts with a beaming smile. He relaxed somewhat and took the hand she offered to him.

Before he could react, she pulled him close and fell down, taking him with her and landing gently against the carpet. He braced himself up against his claw and gazed down at her. She had that mischievous look in her eyes again, and he knew exactly what she wanted. He opened his mouth to object, but stopped when he felt teeth graze against his neck.

She bit him and he flinched slightly, catching that look she gave him before he could try to avoid this again. She was pleading with him silently, and he suddenly felt ashamed. He had denied her a wedding night, even weeks after the event. She wouldn't ignore that fact forever, though he hadn't realized just how much it was affecting her.

So he gave in, right there on the cold carpet in a dark bedroom they had never been in before. He kissed her until he thought his jaw might go numb, raw passion showing through as he helped her pull her shirt up over her head. She tossed it aside and pulled him closer, his elbow finally buckling and pressing his weight against her chest. She didn't mind however, and busied herself with sliding his jacket off.

Despite the significance of it, their movements were desperately rushed, clothing scattered across the floor haphazardly to make room for exploring hands. It was a little awkward, they both discovered, when he momentarily forgot about his metal claw and scraped it along Yuffie's back. She looked up at him and shivered, the sensation tickling and making her struggle. He had been almost horrified by it, though Yuffie thought of it as more of a game, despite the thin scratches across her skin. He hesitated and tried to sit up, only to find Yuffie digging her fingernails into his shoulders and pulling him back down.

Time seemed to stop entirely as their panting breath began to echo in the room, bringing Yuffie's attention to just how disturbingly quiet it really was in the house. She stared up at Vincent poised above her, his bared chest pale and tinged a gentle orange from the dying light outside the window. He gazed down at her sadly for a moment, quickly looking away before she could catch the look in his eyes.

She let out a gasp as he entered her, making her back arch in more than just surprise. By all means, he should have waited longer, build up tension for the moment that would emotionally signify them as a real couple. He was rushed, and she knew it, but didn't voice her opinion. It hurt, in more than one way, and she pressed her face against his shoulder when she knew she couldn't hold back the tears any longer. He wasn't going to see her cry tonight, not during their first time since the wedding, and not during the first time in their new home.

She had imagined it as meaning so much more, maybe some candles or something cheesy like that, a bed, at the very least. She had tried to get him to do this so many times over the past few weeks, and couldn't really believe it was happening this time. There was some underlying emotion to his reasoning, and he refused to voice it to her.

She supposed it really didn't matter now, as he moved so gently against her, managing to stir up those feelings within her, though just barely. He tried to look at her, and knew she was avoiding his gaze. Reaching a hand up, she almost jumped against him as he took her chin and pulled it up to see her face. Tearstains marked her skin, and he frowned slightly, brushing his cheek against her face tenderly. He paused for a moment to kiss her, his hand petting her hair lovingly before slamming back down against the floor with a nearly violent jerk of his muscles.

Somehow, she had managed to put her heart into their actions, and dug her fingernails into his shoulders until she knew she had drawn blood. He grunted slightly in acknowledgement, but didn't stop her. She smiled this time, and arched her back in ecstasy.

If their neighbors were home, she was sure they could hear the enthusiastic noises on both their parts.

x:X:x

"What's up?"

Yuffie looked up wearily as the brunette woman set a shot glass in front of her. She poured in the usual rum and Yuffie sighed.

"Vincent has been… weird." She murmured softly. Tifa looked thoughtful and sat down across from her. The bar was relatively empty tonight, with the only real customers Barret and his gang sitting at the table in the back.

Yuffie looked back over her shoulder, taking note that though Vincent was holding a beer, he had yet to take a drink from it. And she was sure the last time Tifa had dropped anything off over there had been nearly an hour ago. She caught the look of concern on Tifa's face before the girl turned away sharply.

"How so?" She asked gently, worried to upset the girl. They had only really known each other for a little over a week, but it wasn't like either of them really had anyone else to talk to. Yuffie eyed her for a moment before reaching out to fiddle with the shot glass.

"Well…" She sighed heavily and downed the shot, forcing herself not to grimace. A shiver ran down her spine anyway and Tifa bit back a giggle. "He's been… ignoring me, I guess you could say." She said softly, staring at the empty glass in front of her and spinning it absently.

"Like ever since we got married things have been really different, it's like he just doesn't want to try and bother keeping me happy since I can't get away now anyway…" Yuffie said miserably.

Tifa was quiet for a moment, glancing between the back table and the depressed teenager in front of her. Vincent was sitting in the corner, his chair turned so he was facing away from Yuffie. The men around him laughed and joked, seemingly oblivious to the unusually quiet gunman.

"Yuffie…" Tifa said gently, looking back down at her. "Why exactly did you two get married?" She asked suspiciously. She knew she had been right when Yuffie blushed and looked away, setting her forehead on the countertop for several long moments before sitting up again and heaving a sigh.

"We really had something special, I knew he was probably going to wind up getting in trouble, but I needed him and I…" She faltered and her voice cracked. "I guess I just didn't care what happened, or didn't think it really would, I'm not sure. But, someone found out about us and reported him, and I wasn't ever going to see him again unless…" Her voice trailed off and Tifa nodded knowingly.

"So you married him, to make the charges void." She finished for her, pouring her another shot as she noticed the tears welling up in Yuffie's eyes. None fell, and she shook her head to collect herself.

"I feel horrible, I can't even tell him. I ruined his life and I wouldn't be surprised if he hates me for it." Yuffie said miserably. Tifa rolled her eyes.

"Yuffie, have you even really looked at him? I mean really, look at him!" She gestured over to the corner, which seemed to have gotten ever so much darker since the man had taken refuge in it.

"He won't look at me." Yuffie said softly, head bowed. Tifa giggled and the girl looked up at her sharply.

"It looks to me like he was thinking the same thing as you, that he ruined your life. I mean really, you're sixteen. People don't marry sixteen year olds, they go to jail for getting involved with them." Yuffie's face fell and Tifa smiled in amusement.

"But he did marry you, which says a lot about how he feels about you. People tend to choose the least painful option, I'm serious. The most painful thing that could have happened to him was losing you, and he's probably starting to realize that now. He's an adult, Yuffie, he knows what he wants and that's not going to change anytime soon. You, however, could grow out of him at any moment, and then he'd be alone and starting over all by himself. So let's just put it this way, most guys tend to be clueless in love, if you want to keep him you'd better step up and show it, because he might not catch on otherwise." She said knowingly, taking out a rag to wipe down the countertop beside them.

Yuffie thought about it for a moment, glancing back once again to see him slouched somewhat unhappily in his seat.

"He's still avoiding me…" Yuffie said almost darkly. Tifa laughed.

"He's giving you room to make a decision. He could come over here and shower you with all the affection he wanted, but it wouldn't give you any room to think about your situation. And chances are you would just get annoyed." She replied, leaning heavily on the counter. Yuffie sighed.

"You sure know a lot about this." She said suspiciously. Tifa grinned.

"When you get to be my age, you'll understand. Hopeless romantics like us have to know how these things work!" She said quietly. Her eyes darted over behind Yuffie and she stepped back, barely giving the girl warning before an arm wrapped around her stomach carefully.

"Ready?" Vincent asked gently, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder. She nodded and smiled.

"Leaving so soon?" Tifa asked in disappointment. Vincent stepped back and Yuffie hopped off the chair.

"Yea, we have a house, but no furniture. And I'm not spending a week sleeping on the floor." She said hesitantly, waving a quick goodbye before following Vincent out the door.

Almost the moment they were out of sight of the bar, he reached out and stopped her, pulling her up against his chest. She braced her hands against him in surprise, but enjoyed every moment of the unexpected gesture. He brushed his face against her hair, making her eyes close happily. His lips brushed over her forehead and he let her go, leading her along again with an arm around her waist.

x:X:x

She was nervous. Unnecessarily so, and she hated it. There was absolutely no reason she should be worried, it wasn't like she had to win his heart or anything.

It had been several days since they had gone out together and spent entirely too much money on new furniture. The money left over from when Vincent had sold his father's estate was diminishing, though not alarmingly so. If nothing else, they had a real home now, and Yuffie had spent the past few days arranging the house more to her liking and trying to figure out how to go about the business of cleaning and shopping. Thankfully, Vincent had taken over cooking, so she wouldn't have to worry about burning the house down anytime soon.

But there was still that unfamiliar air between them, more or less driving them apart. The past few nights she had even awoken to find Vincent missing, and wandered around the house in the middle of the night looking for him. She had eventually found him in the backyard, sitting outside the door watching the stars. She hadn't dared to join him, if he wanted to be near her he could come back to bed.

Looking back, she regretted that now. She knew the moment she saw him the next morning he had known she was watching him. He seemed disappointed, but didn't say anything while he made her breakfast.

And so, she was determined to salvage their relationship.

Pushing the front door open, she peeked inside. Vincent was sitting on the floor, cleaning Cerberus almost wearily. He looked up when she forced herself to go into the room, and pushed himself up to his feet. She hadn't told him she was going anywhere, and though he disappeared often, she didn't. She could tell from the look in his eyes he had been worried.

"Yuffie…" He said gently, reaching out to touch her shoulder carefully. His eyes traveled down to the package gripped tightly against her chest, and she blushed lightly.

"Here, it gets so windy out there, I thought you could use it." She said quickly, shoving it into his arms and rushing for the stairs. He didn't stop her, he was too surprised.

Staring down at the package in his hands, he ran his fingers over the paper. It was tied with a white cord, and he pulled it off carefully. The paper fell away and he held up a bundle of heavy crimson fabric. He unfolded it curiously and held it out. It was a cloak, a specially made one, judging from the hand stitched hem. There were buckles down the front, and he ran a hand over them almost absently.

Yuffie was sitting on the bed when he went after her. She was looking out the window, despite the fading light outside. She turned and looked back at him when she heard the door close, giving him a small smile. Vincent crossed the room quickly, and she leaned back nervously as he leapt on the bed. He kissed her roughly and received a squeal in response as he forced her down against the blankets.

End of Chapter Three

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