Warning: Adult situation towards the middle. Don't read if you don't like that sort of thing. You've been warned...
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Trouble
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The morning after, Vincent awoke to an unfamiliar room, but to the familiar scent and feel of Yuffie in his arms. Blinking into the still the dark room, his eyes roamed over what had once been her bedroom. The room was filled with images of her family and friends, just as her room in Godo's home had been. But this one had more of a warm feeling to it, since it had more than likely been decorated by Yuffie herself.
Sitting on one wall, as if it were the focus of the entire room, was an even larger shuriken than the one that she had left embedded in his old TV back at his office. He couldn't hold the smirk that came over his face as an image of Yuffie punching Lucrecia came to mind. He wouldn't egg his young wife on, but he was smart enough to realize that he and Lucrecia had deserved it; he just wouldn't accept that out loud.
Sighing, Yuffie rolled onto her stomach and blinked sleepily at him. Her eyes shut once more, but then came open again as her head rose quickly. "What time is it?" she asked groggily.
"Early," said Vincent quietly. "The sun is barely rising."
"That's a nasty bruise you've got there. Did a door hit you?" she asked with a lopsided smile, burrowing her face into her pillow.
Vincent ignored her little jab and slapped her blanketed behind, making her grunt and elbow him roughly in the ribs. "We should go get breakfast," he said.
"Maybe you should get me breakfast in bed," Yuffie said, pulling the blankets over her head.
"How about we go to an all you can eat buffet? Imagine all the bacon and scrambled eggs with cream cheese on toast, and freshly squeezed orange juice. Besides, no one will care if I'm wearing a wrinkled shirt or that I'm bruised if we go somewhere that isn't so high profile."
Her stomach grumbled and Yuffie just knew that Vincent was smirking in triumph. "Fine," she snapped, pushing the blankets off and sitting up in bed. Her cheeks colored when she realized that she was naked and that Vincent's eyes had greedily been taking in what she had uncovered. "Geez, Vince, take a cold shower," she muttered, grabbing a robe that was nearby and pulling it on.
He hid a smile at the nickname and sat up too. "There's no need to be embarrassed. You're a very beautiful woman. Even more so when you're not wearing any clothing. I've seen you nude plenty of times, it's not like I'm a stranger anymore," Vincent said, getting to his feet completely devoid of any clothes or blankets.
Yuffie stared for a moment, she just couldn't help it, but then she turned away and walked into her bathroom to start the water, grumbling about his lack of modesty. But really, what man who looked that good naked would want to be modest? She turned to brush her teeth and then handed Vincent a spare toothbrush with toothpaste. She scowled to herself when she realized just how wifely she was acting. Rinsing out her mouth, she dropped her robe and slipped into the water, cursing herself in her head. She had so been manipulated by Valentine the night before, but if he truly wanted them to be together, she wouldn't mind one bit. All he had to do was prove it by leaving her father alone and getting rid of Lucrecia. That's all she was truly asking of him.
Vincent for his part, was debating on whether or not it would be wise to continue with his plan to get Yuffie pregnant. If things truly did work out between them, it would ruin everything at this point if she found out that he had purposely gone behind her back to get her pregnant. Sighing to himself, he made a note to change her pills back to the real ones. After all, he did want a relationship of his to finally work. He'd been known in the Turks as a notorious womanizer in his younger years. It was about time he truly did settle down.
As they finished showering and he was forced to pull on the clothing he had wore the day before, he watched Yuffie curiously as she dressed in one of her many ninja outfits. He had noticed that she loved her boots, though some of them were of a very strange design. As she stood, pulling on a hooded, sleeveless vest, Vincent watched her as her eyes settled on a beautifully crafted box. She sighed and took the box from where it had been sitting in her closet, amidst various ninja stars and other sharp weapons. Opening it, she began to pull out the materia orbs that she had stolen from him a few months before.
"Since we're still negotiating peace terms, I want you to have these back," Yuffie said, carefully placing the orbs onto her bed and looking up at Vincent. She forced down a hot blush when she found him staring at her.
"I had wondered if you had sold the materia once you had stolen it," he said thoughtfully. Yuffie rolled her eyes and turned to place her box back in its place. A hand on her shoulder stopped her and turned her back around. "I want you to keep them," Vincent said seriously.
Yuffie's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why?" she asked.
Long fingers slipped into her damp hair to pull her closer. "Most women like their men to give them jewelry. I seriously doubt you're that type of woman," Vincent murmured.
"You're right," she replied, her eyes sweeping over his lips. "So, you're my man now?"
He grunted. "What did you think yesterday was all about?"
Yuffie smirked and pulled him down into a slow, hot kiss, her heart hammering at the sound that came from deep in his throat. If this would be his reaction every time she kissed him, she would make sure to initiate it more often. "I'll hold you to that, you know. You're my man now and I don't like it when other people touch what is mine."
"We agree in that," Vincent said with a nod. He took the materia so that they could go back into Yuffie's box and curiously took in the things she had inside. There were various letters, a piece of jewelry and a few other things that must've had some kind of emotional significance to her. He found himself reaching a hand to pick at something, but Yuffie nearly caught his fingers when she closed the lid and turned to put it away.
"We're not that close just yet," Yuffie muttered before she began to walk towards the door. Vincent just sighed and followed her. They both waved at Cloud and Tifa, who were already at the breakfast table and both sipping on cups of coffee.
Cloud sighed as soon as they were gone and turned to Tifa, who was trying not to laugh. "I didn't take Yuffie as a screamer," he muttered.
Tifa let out an ungraceful snorting laugh and nodded. "That's not something I wanted to know either," she muttered. Her laughs trailed off and she stared down at the half-full cup in her hands. "So... how've you been, Cloud?" she asked him with a small smile.
Cloud shrugged. "As good as I can get, I guess. I need you and Yuffie to come with me to see the chopper. Cid made some more adjustments to it. I think he looks forward to trying out new things on it, since I won't let him touch Fenrir. Point is, he wants us to be there when he shows us the newest additions," he said.
Tifa nodded. "I'll tell Yuffie when I see her again. Which by the way things looked, will be probably next week. She's acting like a true newlywed," she muttered.
The blond man frowned. "Why? I thought she hated him."
"Things must have changed. We can't be against her if she has decided to be with this guy," said Tifa seriously.
"Even after he forced her into the marriage?" Cloud asked smartly.
"If she can truly forgive him for that, so can we," Tifa said with a small shrug.
Cloud met her eyes and noticed how she looked away quickly. "Can I ask you something?"
Tifa nodded. "You know you can always ask me anything," she said, forcing a cheerful smile.
"Did you tell Zack about our date while you and he were broken up?" he asked curiously.
She hadn't truly been expecting that question and it threw her off a little."I... uh, no. He didn't... I didn't want it to start another argument," she said quietly. Cloud just nodded and it was his turn to not meet eyes. Tifa sighed, realizing that keeping her date a secret had hurt him in a way. "I don't regret it, even now, that we gave each other a chance to see how things could've been between us."
Cloud nodded and stood. "Are you happy?" he asked with a slight smile.
Tifa nodded. "I am."
"Good."
"Are you?"
"Yeah. I met a girl."
It was only fair, Tifa reminded herself. "Good luck with that," she said honestly.
Cloud nodded and smiled. "Thanks. You too," he said before standing and walking off towards his room, coffee still in hand.
Letting out a long sigh, Tifa wondered what this mystery girl was like. All she hoped was that Cloud hadn't made her up just to make her feel okay.
...
"Ya know, when you asked me if I could build you this thing, I didn't think much of it. But then... Shera said some shit about this room being in a magazine spread for Shinra's home, and I realized what it was that you were doin'. I don't question the bullet holes the bird has returned with twice before, nor the fact that the Yuffs has a bullet scar on her arm, but I'm starting to think that you kids are nothin' but fuckin' trouble," muttered the blond man with a cigarette hanging from his lips.
Yuffie grinned and slapped the pilot on the back. "Don't worry about it, Cid. As long as you keep this to yourself, there's no reason for you to worry."
"What, are you gonna fuckin' kill me if I blab to someone? Because Shera knows about everything I do," Cid replied.
Tifa smiled. "Whipped much?" she asked in amusement.
Cid glared at them before turning to Cloud, who was inspecting the chopper a few hundred feet away. "How did ya survive living with these two?" he called.
Cloud shrugged. "They just love me that much," he replied, walking towards them to take a look at the exact replica of the room they would be stealing from. "Are we sure that what we're looking for is in this room?"
"Where else?" Yuffie asked with a frown. "We can't possibly know what we'll find in the safe, but at least we can practice getting into it."
"Should I walk away?" Cid asked, looking at them all curiously.
Tifa smiled and patted his arm. "Maybe. Plausible deniability and all that. The less you know about what we're truly doing, the better for you."
"All three of you thieves?" asked Cid curiously.
Yuffie shrugged. "Maybe. But you can't truly know. Otherwise we'd be forced to kill you for all that you know."
"What did you think all the additions and upgrades on the chopper were for?" Cloud asked in amusement.
Cid shrugged. "Shit, I don't know. I guess I didn't truly think about it. I've known the snot-nosed ninja brat since she was born. Her pops and I went to school together so I never really thought she'd be a hardcore criminal," he said, lighting up another cig.
"You should quit that shit," said Yuffie. "I bet Shera would miss you if you croaked."
"Admit it, damn brat, you'd miss me too. You and your little friends," said Cid with a smirk.
"Keep dreaming old man. Now, don't get too freaked out by all the new technology. My cousin here is a brain when it comes to security systems. We're going to practice once today and then we'll keep modifying and upgrading. We'll also need to include various scenarios," Yuffie said, stepping into the replica of Shinra's office.
"Fuck, I have to see this," Cid said, grabbing a chair from a nearby place and taking a seat to watch them work.
"You know, this means you're our accomplice," said Tifa.
"I can suddenly get a bout of amnesia if anybody asks," he replied with a shrug.
Tifa just smiled and turned to Yuffie who nodded. This heist would either make or break their careers as thieves.
...
Zack didn't know if he was in love, but the way his heart jumped in his chest every time Tifa smiled at him had to mean something. He had never met a woman that moved him the way she did. She was beauty, sunny smiles, and gentleness. She was everything he had ever really wanted. That was why he was enduring a painful Sunday shopping with her. She was so very far from being boring, but his manly hormones could only take so much of her modeling short dresses for him. Not to mention that the lingerie and the bathing suits were driving him crazy. She hadn't come out to show him those, but she did make it a point to describe them in very exact details.
"Don't pout," Tifa said in amusement. "I've picked out a bra and panties set that matches your eyes," she said in a breathy voice that made his cheeks color, but not in embarrassment. "Not to mention a very revealing bathing suit that leaves little to the imagination."
"How little?" he asked, wanting to kick himself, even before she answered.
"Very," she murmured, feeling his fingers dig into her hips roughly. "If you're a good boyfriend, I'll finish up quickly here and we can go to your place to do more interesting things," Tifa said with a smile.
"How much longer are you going to take?" asked Zack, not hiding the grimace at the thought of Tifatakingmuch longer going from store to store. He had always been more patient than most, but shopping did get on his last nerve, even if it was to buy clothing for himself.
Tifa gave him a flat look and turned to walk back into the changing room. Zack kept his boring perusal of the shop and let out a long sigh. He smiled politely when every woman he passed gave him an appreciative look. He was starting to get a little antsy when he noticed a woman walking towards him, a purposeful look on her face. He turned and nearly ran into a very familiar face. He smiled brightly. "Hey, Aerith!" he said, thankful that he wouldn't have to deal with shooting a girl down.
"Zack, what are you doing here?" she asked him sweetly.
He shrugged. "Trying to find a dress that doesn't clash with my eyes," he said humorously. "Actually, I'm here with Tifa."
At the mention of the other woman, the shine in her green eyes faded a little. "You're still with her," she said. It wasn't a question.
Zack nodded. "She isn't a bad person, Aer. She means a lot to me."
"So did I, at one point," Aerith replied, not able to meet his eyes.
"Yeah, you did. But we both wanted different things. You went after Cloud and you left me behind. I've found someone who is making me happy now," he said quietly.
"Are you sure she's not with him behind your back?" she asked him softly. She hadn't meant to sound like a bitter ex, but that was exactly how she was making herself look. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. It's just that Tifa isn't my most favorite person and what happened between her and Cloud right before we broke up made it all worse. Now she's with you, you who used to be such an important part of my life. I just can't trust her completely."
Zack shook his head. "I trust her, and that's enough," he said softly.
Aerith nodded, feeling uncomfortable. "I'm sorry. I should go," she said before walking away from him quickly.
Tifa approached him, catching sight of the long, thick, brown braid as it trailed behind Aerith's retreating form. "Was that...?"
"Aerith, yeah," Zack replied.
Tifa noted the small sad look on his face and walked over to place her things on the counter so that the sales person could start ringing her up. She turned to Zack and hugged him around the waist, marvelling at just how tall and thick he was. He was like a great big teddy bear. Of course she wouldn't tell him that because it was too embarrassing, but she was happy just thinking it. "Do you still feel anything for her?"
Zack stared at her with his vibrant blue eyes and shook his head. "She's my friend, and I care about her the way you care for Yuffie, but for a long time I felt for her what I feel for you now," he said honestly.
Tifa stood on the tips of her toes and pressed a kiss to his forehead, a little smug over the envious looks she was receiving from the various other women at the store. "I don't think she's given up on you yet," she said quietly.
Zack's eyes darkened into something that made her catch her breath. "That's too bad for her. It's you and me now, and I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize what we have," he said quietly.
She smiled up at him and then slipped out of his hold when the saleswoman gave Tifa her total. To Zack's surprise, she hadn't spent as much as she had at previous stores and he wondered just how used to having money she was. "Ah... Teef, is this what you normally spend every time you go out shopping?"
Her eyes narrowed at his tone. "Don't worry about that. My parents left me enough money to be happy for ten lifetimes, and uncle Godo gives both Yuffie and me some shares too. I give to charity and I spend the rest on myself," Tifa said with a little grin. "Besides, I do like to play the stock market and that adds to the money that I don't necessarily need."
"If only I'd known what a spoiled brat you were before I asked you to be my girlfriend," he murmured, chuckling when she elbowed him in the ribs.
"Very funny, wise guy. I may seem spoiled, but I'm not. I love doing charity work and donating for organizations. Not for the recognition, but because there are so many people in need out there that no one else gives a crap about. Just think about it," she said as he took her new and previous shopping bags and walked her out. "If every single rich person here in Midgar donated a few thousand gil a year, the slums wouldn't be filled with so many homeless and orphaned children."
"Is that why you and Yuffie steal?" Zack asked quietly.
Tifa nodded and slipped her hand into his free one. "That's one reason, but the main one."
"What's another reason?" he asked, truly interested. This was a side of Tifa he hadn't listened to before. It was captivating.
"We're just that good at it. I can give Reeve a run for his money in the technology department though he still has more years of experience than I do. Yuffie, she has the skill and the stealth to handle the dirty work." Tifa froze and turned a critical eye on him. "You're not by any chance taping this conversation in order to turn me into the police, are you?" she asked suspiciously.
"Of course not," said Zack. "Then who would I have to model their lingerie and bathing suits for me?"
"You pig!" Tifa exclaimed, slapping him in the back of the head.
Zack let out a deep laugh and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a short kiss. "I was kidding, sweetheart. But hey... you're still going to show me the ones you promised, right? The bra thing that matches my eyes?" he asked hopefully.
Tifa shrugged. "Just one condition though."
"Anything."
"That you find some boxers that match my eyes!"
"You've got yourself a deal," Zack said with a grin, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple. Well, he still didn't know if he was truly in love, but he did know that he was happy to be with her and that she was with him. Besides, he was a sucker for matching lingerie.
...
That very same Sunday, Yuffie found herself incredibly bored herself. She'd been living in peace with Valentine and he had promised to do something about Shinra changing the person they sent over to deal with him so that Lucrecia would no longer come over to pester him. If that wasn't an indication that he was serious about them getting serious,Yuffie didn't know what was. As she made her way towards the kitchen for some water, she heard one of the maids answer the door and receive something from a messenger. Grabbing a cool bottle of water from the fridge, she intercepted the woman, who handed over the large envelope.
"This came by messenger?" Yuffie asked in interest.
The woman nodded. "Yes, Mrs. Valentine. I thought it was strange too, but it is addressed to both you and Mr. Valentine."
Yuffie nodded. "Please just call me Yuffie? Mrs. Valentine is just a tad creepy," she said with a grin as the maid nodded and Yuffie turned to walk off to find Vincent. On her way, she opened the letter, which was starting to look like an invitation and her eyes narrowed when she saw exactly what it was for. She found Vincent in his training building, underground in the shooting range. "We are not going to this!" she yelled once he had finished emptying a mag from his gun. With a start, Yuffie saw that it was the Cerberus.
Vincent removed the eye and ear protectors and turned to her. "Pardon?"
"This!" she nearly spat, throwing the invitation near his guns and bullets. "It will take hell freezing over for me to go to that thing."
Vincent set down the gun and took the invitation, a look of distaste on his features when he saw the fancy script. "My foster father will expect me to be there. So will Sephiroth."
"Why do you give a crap about what they want?" Yuffie nearly yelled.
"Sephiroth is my brother. He was more family than Hojo was. Besides, this would be our chance to show Lucrecia that we're serious and that she's history," Vincent said with a slight smirk.
Yuffie glared, planting her hands firmly on her hips. "Do you want me to end up making a scene for the media? Because with Lucrecia, you know it'll come down to that. This is their anniversary we're talking about, Vincent. I'm sure neither of us wants to make a spectacle in public."
Vincent shook his head. "I'm sure you will manage not to make a scene. You're more mature than that," he said in a mocking tone.
Yuffie grabbed Cerberus and aimed it at Vincent's head. "Care to repeat that?"
He looked at her coolly, staring down the barrel at her. "Careful. You might slip and do something you regret," he said in a low tone.
Despite the fact that his voice always managed to make something stir inside her, Yuffie just cocked her head to the side and sighed wistfully. "I know how to handle guns."
Vincent's eyes swept over her bottom lip when she licked it. "You know how to handle a triple-barrelled gun?"
"Maybe," she said tauntingly.
Catching her by surprise, Vincent grabbed her around the waist and turned her to face a target, pressing her bottom against him. He felt her shiver in surprise and he let one of his hands slide across the bare skin of her waist. "Show me," he whispered against her ear, watching as the hand holding his most prized weapon shook a little.
"What do I get in return?" she asked breathily.
"How about we shoot and see who is most accurate? If I win, we go to the anniversary, no arguments," he said, trailing a finger inside the waist of her shorts. "And if you win..."
"I want Cerberus," Yuffie finished. She grinned to herself when his hands stilled. She waited for the negative, but none came.
Vincent stepped away from her. "Fine. You have yourself a deal. We use regular guns. No Cerberus just yet."
Yuffie nodded and grabbed one of his regular weapons, sliding in a magazine with amazing ease. She could feel his eyes on her, and it was distracting to a point, but Yuffie had always made sure to pay close attention to her training. Taking her position behind the counter next to the one he had been using after putting on the ear and eye covers, she raised her arms and let free all the bullets in the gun.
Instead of keeping his eyes on the target that had taken a barrage of bullets, Vincent found his eyes drawn to Yuffie's shooting pose and in the ease in which she was using the gun. It made him wonder what other things she had done had not been included in her reports. Continuing with his slow perusal of her pose, he hadn't even realized that she had already finished.
Yuffie smirked at the look on his face and turned to him. Before she could give him any type of smug retort, his lips were on hers, demanding for her to yield control to him. Sliding her hands up his arms and shoulders, she slipped them into his hair and tug roughly. He growled against her lips and dug his teeth into her lower lip. "I thought this was a challenge," she gasped out. "Weren't you going to shoot?"
"You win by default," he murmured, using his lips against her neck and his hands under her shirt.
"What?" Yuffie gasped, feeling the wet pull of his lips on one breast, then the other.
"You win by default because you have a perfect form," he said, using quick fingers to tug off her shorts and panties.
"You're kidding, right?" she asked, breathless when his fingers began to ready her for him.
In reply he only kissed her, grabbing her bottom and hauling her up onto the table next to the one holding his guns. Yuffie watched with half-lidded eyes as he made quick work of his belt before shoving down his pants and boxers. "Geez, Vince, you act as if you haven't gotten laid in months," Yuffie teased, feeling his fingers dig into her hips as he positioned their bodies.
Vincent looked up to give her some type of retort, but he caught sight of her eyes, such a soft shade of brown, sparking with a bit of confusion as he reached a hand up to run over her cheek. He leaned forward and kissed her gently, smoothing his hands over the skin of her hips gently, trying to ease the red marks he had left in his near frenzied state only seconds before.
Yuffie kissed him just as softly, still confused at his sudden change. She wouldn't deny that it was damn good when he took her desperately, sometimes rough, but she never minded. She also didn't mind when he took his time, when he was slow and gentle, though those times had been very few in the last few months since they had married.
"You win," he whispered, pushing into her warm, welcoming body.
She gasped and clung to his shoulders, shivering when his hot breath touched her shoulder. "You won't make me go to the party then?" Yuffie asked, her eyes closing as he began to move.
"No," he rasped out, finding a slow, strong rhythm that worked for the both of them.
"We shouldn't be... doing this here. What if someone walks down here... looking for you?" Yuffie managed to voice.
"They all know better than to interrupt me while I'm training," Vincent replied, angling her hips so hit deeper. Hearing her drawn out moan only managed to raise his desire for her, but really, it had been that way since the first time he had touched her. Using his back and hips with more force, he groaned when her still boot-clad legs wrapped around his hips as best she could. He planted his hands flat on the table behind her and Yuffie was forced to either fall back or cling to him, but she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and clung to him as he truly began to move.
Her breath was fast against his ear and though it was as good as it always was, Vincent could feel something changing between them. He didn't know if that meant that she truly believed he was taking her serious now, but it was different. Her touch was less hesitant, and she felt more welcoming. "Harder," she whispered. "Harder, Vincent!"
He gladly obliged and was rewarded when a few thrusts later, her body tightened to the point of near pain around him. Her lips moved softly over his face, his neck, and his collarbone, making his own breath come out in rough pants as he neared his own release. But then she dragged her nails down his back in a not too painful manner, and the sensation made him shiver and let go with a shout of her name. He fell forward, pressing her into the table as he tried to get his breathing under control.
Yuffie slipped her arms around his neck and hugged him as she stared up at the ceiling, her own body still sensitive to any movement. "You really won't make me go to the party and you'll give me the Cerberus?" she asked him after a long moment of just laying there with his heavy weight over her.
Vincent moved to lean on his elbows and kissed her, taking his time and tasting her languidly, thoroughly. Then he pulled back and nodded. "If you do not wish to go, we will not go," he said seriously.
Yuffie let out a sigh and averted her eyes from his crimson gaze. Then she turned back to him and smoothed his hair away from his forehead, smirking slightly. "I guess we could go for a little while. As long as you promise not to find yourself alone in any room with her," she muttered.
Vincent raised an eyebrow in surprise before sitting up and pulling Yuffie with him. "You are willing to go to this party?" he asked, a little disbelieving.
She shrugged carelessly and began to dress, making a note to herself that she needed a shower within the next few minutes. "If your brother means so much to you, we'll go for him, but let's not draw it out. We'll give them a gift, mingle for an hour, and then we're gone. Okay?"
He pulled his pants back on and nodded. "I think that is an acceptable bargain, since you own my most favorite gun now." Vincent paused and smirked when Yuffie ran careful fingers over the barrels of Cerberus, touching the engraved silver dog heads from which it had been designed. "Take care of it, and don't sell it."
Yuffie let out an honest laugh and nodded. "If I didn't sell the materia, what makes you think I'll sell this bad boy?" she asked with a grin. "I'll keep it in your office for now, but if anyone asks, it's my property."
Vincent nodded and began to remove the magazines from his guns before depositing them into a hidden safe where various other guns were located. Then he stepped back and turned to Yuffie, who was watching curiously. "Yes?" he asked expectantly.
"You'll give me the combination to that, won't you?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Will you tell me if you've ever shot someone?" he asked, pushing a button so that the thick paper of the target she had shot zoomed towards them. He looked at it in amazement, seeing that all her bullets had been on target.
Yuffie shrugged. "I've never killed anyone, if that's what you truly want to know."
"But you've shot someone?" Vincent pressed.
"Maybe," she replied evasively. They were silent for a moment and Yuffie smirked. "You do know that I can find a way to get into that safe if I wanted to, right?"
Vincent rolled his eyes and tugged her towards the stairs and then out of the building towards their home. "I don't doubt it. But then again, you'd have your own ways of getting your hands on dangerous weapons, wouldn't you?"
Yuffie shrugged.
"You'll find something nice to wear to this party, won't you?"
Yuffie nodded. "It'll be something good. Don't worry about it. Lucrecia will be jealous," she said nonchalantly.
"Hmm. You do know that you don't need to impress Lucrecia at this party, right?" Vincent asked her sarcastically.
"No, but I want her to see that I'm not the child that she thinks I am. Don't think about it too much," she said with a shrug. Still, she had to call Tifa so that she could help her find something that wouldn't be too scandalous but that would also be tasteful and stylish. "Is Zack getting invited to this thing?"
"Lucrecia makes the list and she invites him for me. Hojo has always accepted Zack there because of me as well. I suppose he must have received it by now," Vincent replied.
Yuffie nodded. "Good. I don't think I would survive that thing without Tifa."
"Will you be going out with her today?"
"Why?"
"So that I can leave and go have a couple of drinks with Fair."
The ninja smirked. "Are you seriously asking me for permission?" His death glare meant that he wasn't. "I was only kidding," Yuffie muttered. "But yeah, Teef and I were going to hang today. Maybe we'll even find our dresses for this thing."
Vincent nodded and pulled her into a kiss before she could make her way to the bathroom. "Stay out of trouble," he murmured, planting gentle kisses to the corner of her mouth.
"You know me," Yuffie called as she turned towards the bathroom.
"That's exactly why I say it," Vincent said before she shut the door.
......
Yuffie stared at the huge home that belonged to Shinra, which was where the anniversary of Lucrecia and Hojo was going to be held. That had to mean that Hojo and Shinra were some type of friends. Scrunching up her nose in distaste, Yuffie turned and smiled when Tifa and Zack walked up behind them. "Nice place Shinra has here," she said to her cousin.
Tifa grinned and nodded. "Flashy," she said. "Hello, Vincent."
"Tifa, you look beautiful this evening," said Vincent politely.
"Hey, you can't have them both," Zack muttered, taking Tifa's hand and kissing her knuckles.
"I've got my own beauty at my side," Vincent murmured, turning to look at Yuffie, who only scoffed and rolled her eyes at his cheesy line. "Let's go in."
The inside of Shinra's mansion was just as fancy as the outside, and Yuffie had begun to wonder if it would've been easier to wait for this party to start the mission instead of making Cloud find a way in all those weeks before. As they entered, they were greeted by Rufus Shinra himself, dressed in a fancy suit and looking far too handsome than was natural. "Valentine, it's good to see you and your lovely wife," he said politely.
"You too, Rufus. You decided to host the party this year?" Vincent asked, only vaguely interested.
"It was my father's idea. He and Hojo are old friends. Come on in and have a good time. Lucrecia is around here somewhere," Rufus said with a hint of something in his voice.
Yuffie would've punched him if Vincent hadn't pulled her towards the guests and the party. She just hoped that Shinra Jr. didn't decide to insult Tifa or Zack. "Please tell me we're leaving this thing early?"
Vincent nodded. "I believe we are. I cannot stand Rufus all that much either," he said quietly.
Yuffie's eyes widened a little when she saw Sephiroth approach Vincent and greet him, and she turned to give Tifa a pointed look. The long haired brunette let out an annoyed sigh and wrapped her arm tighter around Zack's, who only gave her a bright smile. Sephiroth greeted them all, but his attention was drawn to Tifa, who looked like a supermodel. She was in a dark blue dress that had a long belled sleeves, but showed off long, toned legs. It also hid her most obvious assets in a stylish way, and the color seemed to work with her skin tone. Her long hair was up in a high ponytail and she had opted to only wear long, dangling diamond earrings and a ring Zack had given her as a gift. She withdrew her hand from Sephiroth's grip and forced a smile, aware that they were all the center of attention now.
Zack's eyes cooled from the friendly light they had been shining with when he saw the look on Sephiroth's face. "It's nice to see you again, Seph," he said in a tone bordering on loud to draw the taller man's attention.
Green eyes moved to his and a smirk quirked his lips. "Zack, same here," he said calmly, his attention diverting to Tifa once more. "You are... a lucky man to have this woman at your side."
"I'm the lucky one," Tifa said seriously. "Excuse us," she said before tugging Zack along and trying to ignore Sephiroth as his eyes trailed after her.
Yuffie's eyes met his and she narrowed them slightly. "I know all about you. Leave her alone. I don't particularly care if you're Vincent's brother because Tifa is more than my cousin, she's my sister. Hurt her relationship with Zack and I will hurt you," she said before stepping away from Vincent and following her cousin.
Sephiroth turned to Vincent and gave him an amused look. "She likes to play in the big leagues?"
Vincent smirked. "And she holds her own. Don't harass them, Sephiroth, they don't threaten in vain."
"Tifa and I go way back. She's too much of a woman for Fair," Sephiroth said quietly.
"Don't do it. Leave her alone," Vincent warned.
"You should worry about your own woman. She seems to be attracting a lot of attention. Though with that dress, who wouldn't look?" Sephiroth taunted, turning to look at Yuffie slyly.
Vincent's eyes moved over to follow his wife and he knew that the dress she was wearing would garner that kind of attention. He should've told her to remove it when he had first laid eyes on her. Though the pale lavender color went well with her skin, it was the fact that it was strapless and that it molded to her curvy body that threw him off. Towards the hem it flared out a little, but that didn't much matter when the material clung to her hips, waist, and breasts like a second skin. Add to that the fact that her eyes were accentuated and looked more slanted because of the make-up, her hair was in slight waves, and that she was wearing a silver and diamond necklace he had given to her only minutes before the party, and he had a wife that no man could obviously resist. Those who weren't resisting now were grating on Vincent's nerves, and he had a feeling that he would be the one causing a scene that evening. His eyes narrowed as he saw Genesis approach her right after Reeve, and two Turks had moved over to talk to her.
"I suggest you go over there and stake your claim," Sephiroth said from his right.
"Stay out of trouble," Vincent murmured instead. "I know how it seems to follow you around, but trust me when I tell you that you do not want to mess with these women." He began to make his way towards Yuffie and left his brother behind to mull over his words.
Sephiroth's eyes moved to follow Tifa and Zack as they greeted familiar faces, and he couldn't help the way his eyes moved over Tifa's flawless face, the slope of her neck, and the graceful hands that were wrapped around Zack's arm. He had never been one to give up a challenge, and ever since he had seen Tifa at his brother's dinner, he had been mesmerized. He just couldn't step aside and let someone like Zack Fair have her so easily. Besides, what could Tifa and Vincent's tiny wife possibly do to him?
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Okay, so I've run into a very nasty roadblock. My computer got a virus and it won't let me open up Microsoft Word or check my email. I'm trying my best to fix that, but my writing time is even more limited now. I have to write at school now, and I don't get much time then. The only reason I got this chapter out today was because I had it saved already in the document manager and I was typing it here on the site, but there's only so much time I spend on the net and I do get bored easily. So I don't know how this will affect further updates, but please don't get impatient, since I will be trying my best to this quickly. Okay, so the shooting scene was similar to one I used in a previous fic of mine, still, this one had a much different end to it and I was fairly happy with it. Also, next chapter we'll get into the party and there will be a little more of Seph in there. Lucrecia gets a wake-up call and Yuffie finds out a few disturbing things about the guests at that party. Thank you so much for the encouragement and your support for the last chapter. I'm so happy and I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Until next time!
Joey