-=Part II- Heart of Stone=-
-Part 2.1-
Vincent Valentine was silent as the submarine surfaced from the depths of the ocean floor. While this wasn't anything unusual, it made Yuffie Kisaragi feel extremely uneasy. His expression was blank, but his ruby eyes were clearly troubled. The submarine suddenly rumbled, shaking the passengers inside. Yuffie's stomach churned and she got up, unable to sit still any longer. Her motion sickness was getting to her again, and she paced the floor, trying to concentrate on other things. Finally, she slumped in a corner, clutching her stomach. Vincent detected her restlessness and glanced down at his feet, not saying anything. Cloud Strife also noticed the way Yuffie was moaning, and motioned for Vincent to take control of the sub. Vincent nodded and sat down in the seat, slowing it down as much as he could.
"Are you okay?" Cloud asked softly, approaching the corner. Yuffie glared at him.
"Do I look okay to you?" she asked dryly. She got up, wobbling a bit. "Does this piece of scrap metal have a bathroom?" Cloud shrugged. She sighed, and left the room to go search the small submarine, muttering about useless guys. Cloud shook his head, empathising with how she felt. His own sickness was present, but over the years he had learnt to control it somewhat. Or maybe that was something Zack felt and not me, he thought bitterly. He suddenly noticed that the submarine was no longer moving, and looked over to Vincent for an answer.
But Vincent was just staring into space, his mind elsewhere. Cloud raised an eyebrow, noticing that his eyes had glazed over. Was he… crying? Vincent seemed to sense that he was being watched, and blinked.
"We're here," he said shortly. Cloud nodded. Yuffie took that moment to emerge again, with a wide grin that was quite the contrary to the atmosphere of the room. Her motion sickness was forgotten, as she donned a long, brunette wig. She had tied it up in a ponytail, but her normal hair had fallen back into place underneath the wig. Vincent stared at her, shocked at the resemblance. No one else noticed.
"Look what I found in the back!" she said enthusiastically. Cloud smiled at her, remembering the way he had been when he was her age. They were much the same, in many ways. But he had been a quiet person, while Yuffie basically never shut up. Yuffie beamed, and looked to Vincent for any sign of acknowledgement, but he just stared vacantly at her. Yuffie frowned, and waved at him, annoyed.
"Vincent, snap out of it!"
'Vincent, snap out of it! I'll be fine!"
Vincent said nothing, as Yuffie crossed her arms indignantly. He still remained silent, lost in his own little world.
"VINCENT!"
'VINCENT! I've decided! I'm not going to change my mind!'
At last, Vincent came to, and blinked uncomfortably. Yuffie suddenly saw the anguish in his eyes, and her own eyes widened in sympathy. She backed away, and Vincent pushed past her out the door. Both Yuffie and Cloud heard the submarine hatch slam shut, and winced. Cloud looked at Yuffie in bewilderment, but Yuffie just shook her head and sighed, pulling off the wig. I always manage to do that, she thought, her ears burning. The wig fell to the floor softly.
"I'll call Tifa on the PHS and tell her what happened," Cloud said awkwardly, pulling out his small communication unit. "We might be back to Junon a little later than we expected. Go see if Vincent's around up there. If he's not, I'll arrange for Cid to do a round of the area in the Highwind." Yuffie nodded, and ran out the door to find Vincent. Cloud dialled Tifa's number, and waited for her to answer.
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Yuffie climbed out of the submarine in relief, but her heart sank as she saw no sign of Vincent. They had come up in a small bay, with a large waterfall flowing nearby. The radar had said that they were near Nibelheim, but the mountains were high on all sides and she couldn't see any sign of the small town. The bay lead down to join a river, which had to be the one that led back to the waters they had come from. Yuffie used her ninja agility to swing herself from the top of the sub to land delicately on the soft grass. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a black cape flutter… behind the waterfall?
"What is that idiot doing now?" she muttered, hurrying after him. She reached the edge, where the grass ended and was taken place by some damp soil. She grimaced, knowing that this was a suicide mission she didn't particularly want to be on. I'll come back and haunt Cloud forever if I die, she thought as she leapt through the waters, doing a tumble roll when she landed on some solid ground.
A bright light was flickering ahead, and for a few seconds she wondered if she had fallen to her death. But no, she was kneeling on soft wet earth. She got to her feet slowly, and waited for her eyes to adjust to the surroundings. She was behind the waterfall, and in a narrow passageway. The walls were slimy and wet, she discovered as she leant against one. She grimaced in disgust, and wiped her hands on her shorts. Her ears pricked as she heard a soft, female voice.
"Vincent…" He had to be ahead! She walked warily towards where the light was, and saw a tall shape silhouetted by the light. He mumbled something under his breath.
"Vincent!" she breathed, approaching him carefully. Maybe he had done a Cloud and gone nutters… He didn't respond, just remained as still as a statue. She saw that beyond the passage was a large area with a crystallic floor and large ice-like stalagmites huddled together around the vicinity. She shuddered in sudden fear, her arms wrapped around her. She reached Vincent's side, and noticed the figure hunched over on an alter-like slab of stone. It wasn't someone she recognised, but the person seemed eerily familiar all the same. She wrinkled her nose.
"Lucrecia…?" Vincent's voice was unusually faint and full of emotion. He stepped forward, either unaware of Yuffie's presence (which she doubted) or ignoring her. Yuffie made sure her weapon was secure in case this was another Sephiroth joke. With a jolt, she realised that Lucrecia, whoever she was, was glowing with a pale blue light. She was almost transparent… A ghost! Yuffie jumped back, unnerved, wishing Cloud would show up. This had to be some kind of trick, for Vincent couldn't possibly know anyone. He'd spent his life in the coffin… or so she was led to believe. Cloud and Aeris never had told her what really happened when they found Vincent imprisoned in a coffin in the basement of the Shinra mansion in Nibelheim.
At Vincent's voice, the woman looked up, and got to her feet quickly. Yuffie got a better look at her, and was unsettled by the resemblance in outfit that the woman had to a Shinra professor. She was wearing a long white labcoat, which came down to her shins, and black heels. Her hair was tied in a ponytail- like how Yuffie's had been! So that was why Vincent had gotten so upset by it. This lady was obviously a close friend of his, or had been. And, Yuffie wondered as she saw the look in Vincent's eyes, were they perhaps more than friends?
At times like this, she usually felt the urge to make a comment, or complain. But now, in this cave, she felt as if she couldn't. Something held her back. She watched as Vincent ran out to Lucrecia, unable to move. They were more than friends, she mused. It was so obvious. But she was surprised when, instead of welcoming Vincent, Lucrecia cried, "Stay back!!" The desperation in her voice stopped him dead in his tracks, and Yuffie screamed as the area was filled with a bright white light, brighter than anything she'd ever seen before and hotter than anything she'd felt before. She fell to her knees, holding her head in pain.
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Authors Note:- *sob* Makes me want to do a Yuffie-Vince fic! I was originally going to put Tifa as the third person, but Yuffie seemed like a better character. Do you agree? Please let me know! Review this for me ^_~ Hope you all enjoyed! And please review! I love reviews!!
-Part 2.1-
Vincent Valentine was silent as the submarine surfaced from the depths of the ocean floor. While this wasn't anything unusual, it made Yuffie Kisaragi feel extremely uneasy. His expression was blank, but his ruby eyes were clearly troubled. The submarine suddenly rumbled, shaking the passengers inside. Yuffie's stomach churned and she got up, unable to sit still any longer. Her motion sickness was getting to her again, and she paced the floor, trying to concentrate on other things. Finally, she slumped in a corner, clutching her stomach. Vincent detected her restlessness and glanced down at his feet, not saying anything. Cloud Strife also noticed the way Yuffie was moaning, and motioned for Vincent to take control of the sub. Vincent nodded and sat down in the seat, slowing it down as much as he could.
"Are you okay?" Cloud asked softly, approaching the corner. Yuffie glared at him.
"Do I look okay to you?" she asked dryly. She got up, wobbling a bit. "Does this piece of scrap metal have a bathroom?" Cloud shrugged. She sighed, and left the room to go search the small submarine, muttering about useless guys. Cloud shook his head, empathising with how she felt. His own sickness was present, but over the years he had learnt to control it somewhat. Or maybe that was something Zack felt and not me, he thought bitterly. He suddenly noticed that the submarine was no longer moving, and looked over to Vincent for an answer.
But Vincent was just staring into space, his mind elsewhere. Cloud raised an eyebrow, noticing that his eyes had glazed over. Was he… crying? Vincent seemed to sense that he was being watched, and blinked.
"We're here," he said shortly. Cloud nodded. Yuffie took that moment to emerge again, with a wide grin that was quite the contrary to the atmosphere of the room. Her motion sickness was forgotten, as she donned a long, brunette wig. She had tied it up in a ponytail, but her normal hair had fallen back into place underneath the wig. Vincent stared at her, shocked at the resemblance. No one else noticed.
"Look what I found in the back!" she said enthusiastically. Cloud smiled at her, remembering the way he had been when he was her age. They were much the same, in many ways. But he had been a quiet person, while Yuffie basically never shut up. Yuffie beamed, and looked to Vincent for any sign of acknowledgement, but he just stared vacantly at her. Yuffie frowned, and waved at him, annoyed.
"Vincent, snap out of it!"
'Vincent, snap out of it! I'll be fine!"
Vincent said nothing, as Yuffie crossed her arms indignantly. He still remained silent, lost in his own little world.
"VINCENT!"
'VINCENT! I've decided! I'm not going to change my mind!'
At last, Vincent came to, and blinked uncomfortably. Yuffie suddenly saw the anguish in his eyes, and her own eyes widened in sympathy. She backed away, and Vincent pushed past her out the door. Both Yuffie and Cloud heard the submarine hatch slam shut, and winced. Cloud looked at Yuffie in bewilderment, but Yuffie just shook her head and sighed, pulling off the wig. I always manage to do that, she thought, her ears burning. The wig fell to the floor softly.
"I'll call Tifa on the PHS and tell her what happened," Cloud said awkwardly, pulling out his small communication unit. "We might be back to Junon a little later than we expected. Go see if Vincent's around up there. If he's not, I'll arrange for Cid to do a round of the area in the Highwind." Yuffie nodded, and ran out the door to find Vincent. Cloud dialled Tifa's number, and waited for her to answer.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Yuffie climbed out of the submarine in relief, but her heart sank as she saw no sign of Vincent. They had come up in a small bay, with a large waterfall flowing nearby. The radar had said that they were near Nibelheim, but the mountains were high on all sides and she couldn't see any sign of the small town. The bay lead down to join a river, which had to be the one that led back to the waters they had come from. Yuffie used her ninja agility to swing herself from the top of the sub to land delicately on the soft grass. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a black cape flutter… behind the waterfall?
"What is that idiot doing now?" she muttered, hurrying after him. She reached the edge, where the grass ended and was taken place by some damp soil. She grimaced, knowing that this was a suicide mission she didn't particularly want to be on. I'll come back and haunt Cloud forever if I die, she thought as she leapt through the waters, doing a tumble roll when she landed on some solid ground.
A bright light was flickering ahead, and for a few seconds she wondered if she had fallen to her death. But no, she was kneeling on soft wet earth. She got to her feet slowly, and waited for her eyes to adjust to the surroundings. She was behind the waterfall, and in a narrow passageway. The walls were slimy and wet, she discovered as she leant against one. She grimaced in disgust, and wiped her hands on her shorts. Her ears pricked as she heard a soft, female voice.
"Vincent…" He had to be ahead! She walked warily towards where the light was, and saw a tall shape silhouetted by the light. He mumbled something under his breath.
"Vincent!" she breathed, approaching him carefully. Maybe he had done a Cloud and gone nutters… He didn't respond, just remained as still as a statue. She saw that beyond the passage was a large area with a crystallic floor and large ice-like stalagmites huddled together around the vicinity. She shuddered in sudden fear, her arms wrapped around her. She reached Vincent's side, and noticed the figure hunched over on an alter-like slab of stone. It wasn't someone she recognised, but the person seemed eerily familiar all the same. She wrinkled her nose.
"Lucrecia…?" Vincent's voice was unusually faint and full of emotion. He stepped forward, either unaware of Yuffie's presence (which she doubted) or ignoring her. Yuffie made sure her weapon was secure in case this was another Sephiroth joke. With a jolt, she realised that Lucrecia, whoever she was, was glowing with a pale blue light. She was almost transparent… A ghost! Yuffie jumped back, unnerved, wishing Cloud would show up. This had to be some kind of trick, for Vincent couldn't possibly know anyone. He'd spent his life in the coffin… or so she was led to believe. Cloud and Aeris never had told her what really happened when they found Vincent imprisoned in a coffin in the basement of the Shinra mansion in Nibelheim.
At Vincent's voice, the woman looked up, and got to her feet quickly. Yuffie got a better look at her, and was unsettled by the resemblance in outfit that the woman had to a Shinra professor. She was wearing a long white labcoat, which came down to her shins, and black heels. Her hair was tied in a ponytail- like how Yuffie's had been! So that was why Vincent had gotten so upset by it. This lady was obviously a close friend of his, or had been. And, Yuffie wondered as she saw the look in Vincent's eyes, were they perhaps more than friends?
At times like this, she usually felt the urge to make a comment, or complain. But now, in this cave, she felt as if she couldn't. Something held her back. She watched as Vincent ran out to Lucrecia, unable to move. They were more than friends, she mused. It was so obvious. But she was surprised when, instead of welcoming Vincent, Lucrecia cried, "Stay back!!" The desperation in her voice stopped him dead in his tracks, and Yuffie screamed as the area was filled with a bright white light, brighter than anything she'd ever seen before and hotter than anything she'd felt before. She fell to her knees, holding her head in pain.
----------------------------------------------------
Authors Note:- *sob* Makes me want to do a Yuffie-Vince fic! I was originally going to put Tifa as the third person, but Yuffie seemed like a better character. Do you agree? Please let me know! Review this for me ^_~ Hope you all enjoyed! And please review! I love reviews!!