Do I really suck that bad? X_x People on FFO have been chewing me out on
the description... Well, sorta o.o I realize that I simply can't write
drama and description, but I'm trying here. ^^; I've worked harder on this
chapter, so do tell me what you think. Also, please offer constructive
criticism, it'll help turn this pile of crap you're reading into something
slightly more decent. :D Oh yeah, and do tell me what you'd like to see
happen-I'm writing this fic for all you, not myself. ^_^ ...That, and I'm
running out of ideas. o_o
Overall the chapter focuses on the Yuffie x Vincent gaiden :D For the beginning, I tried a present-tense perspective. Just wanted to try something different. ^^;; Plus, it took me 20 damned minutes to write just one paragraph, multiply that by 10; (seriously, three and a half hours O_o; starting at midnight not to mention) and I worked hard on each, so I'd rather not go back and delete anything. -.-
~*~
{ CHAPTER XVI ~ SILVER CRANES }
Picture it. Early morning. The entire sky bleached with pastel colors, as if someone had spilled buckets of paint over it and then smoothed out the darker hues. In one corner, a diminutive glowing bit, barely peeking out through the cerulean-rimmed clouds.
That shine in the corner would be the sun, beginning to rise at the crack of dawn. And right now two overall unrelated, insignificant events are happening. The first is that a certain man has just awoken from another torturous nightmare, the same as the night before and the one before that. But that's taking place in some hidden natural campground in the concealed rolling valleys and meadows below Wutai.
Our second event is directly in the Oriental city Wutai, inside of a gorgeous grand palace on the edge of a small, calm hill. Birds are landing on the window sill of the top tower. The young girl residing inside stands from the Persian carpet sprawled on the ground, the one she's been sitting on all night. As she walks over to the window, all the birds disappear, as if a part of an illusion. That's what she sees, anyway.
She's too sleepy to see what is really before her. The poor thing can barely stand on her own two feet as she dully pulls up the shades and walks back to the carpet. She slumps down in a weary state and lifts a sheet of paper from the messy stack sitting beside her. Expertly she begins to fold, her fingers moving slowly yet gracefully.
"Crease the edges, fold up the corner, pull the opposite parts together..." she whispers drowsily to herself, "And tuck the corners into the center."
She overlooks the lovely fragile crane that she just crafted, then carelessly throws it into the growing pile behind her. Pulling out another sheet, the poor thing repeats the phrase and starts to fold again. Her fingers are now numb from crafting paper cranes all night.
But she needs the luck that each crane will supposedly bring her.
'Staniv warned me that something will happen... Something bad, to someone I care for deeply...' She throws the freshly crafted crane into the pile and takes a new sheet. 'And Staniv's never wrong. Then again, I don't exactly care for anyone 'deeply'. Father is always busy, too busy to offer any kindness, even toward his daughter. Mother's long gone, and I have no other family. My friends are gone too, and they've probably forgotten about me.'
Yuffie looks outside for a moment, to that softly faded sky. Somewhere out there are her friends, living their regular lives. For a moment, she wishes that she could be there with Cloud and Vincent, traveling the fields. Even if she had the chance a year earlier, her duties of rulership would get in the way.
'No point in dreaming,' she thinks in bitterness, reaching for another sheet of foil paper. Yuffie does realize she couldn't give up hoping to train with Cloud and Vincent.
What she doesn't realize is that she cares not for training, but is reaching for something else. She's just too blind to see that.
~*~
'Another nightmare, another day to be followed by another night. Then the cycle will start over again.' Vincent stared up at the cotton candy-like clouds floating by. It was a bit too early for clouds-there were still a few stars dotting the sky.
He got up, groaning at the pains in his legs. Apparently Vincent was a bit violent in his sleep, and thrashed at every nightmare he had. If only these damned nightmares would stop...
Every night, it was the same thing. As if Vincent's mind repeated itself in his unconscious state. Every time that he closed his eyes, the images of Lucrecia being tortured, of himself transforming into the wretched Chaos would appear. One person, and one person alone caused all of this pain and all of the disastrous nights that Vincent had gone through.
...Hojo.
That word brought a sick taste to Vincent's mouth whenever he had to speak it. It was a disgusting name that represented a disgusting person, who wanted nothing but power at his fingertips. It was inhuman to feel only hatred toward others, and never love, compassion, or affection. And that's exactly what Hojo was, -inhuman-.
But would that mean that Vincent, too, was inhuman?
When you break everything in the Universe down, there is only one thing that exists. Love. Love is represented in many ways; you can be in love with the person you'll marry, you can feel a loving bond between siblings and parents, feel a protective love toward your children, understanding love toward friends, and even an I-feel-sorry-for-them sort of love for people you don't even know who you may see sitting outside in the cold snow, without a place to go or the family and warmth that you have.
And if you were human, then you would love your worst enemies as well. Just a little. You would have to feel compassion for them, because each person is born flawless and optimistic. Someone who hates the world would obviously have had something awful happen to them, something that caused them to change. If you understood that, you were human.
Guess what? Vincent -was not- human.
He hated Hojo for every single thing that the bastard was responsible for. That pure hatred was the only thing that separated Vincent and a normal person. Looking closer, anyone would see that Vincent was quite comparable to any other person. He once felt love, had his heart broken and mourned the loss, and learned to move on.
...Learned to move on?
'Maybe not...' Vincent laughed at his own dilemma that was forming from the emotions he never knew he had. 'But clinging to someone long gone is normal.' He paused a moment. As Vincent stood to put out the ignited campfire, a firm frown formed on his face. 'I have to learn to stop having to correct myself. It's -not- normal, and not human.'
Vincent sighed softly, his normally fierce red eyes beginning to look almost sad. Funny, he was feeling an emotion right now-sadness-but was sad because he was arguing with himself whether he had emotions or not.
'Well, whatever,' he thought, 'I have to get moving.'
Vincent pushed the confusing thoughts out of his head and packed up his weapons and camping supplies. The main focus on his mind turned to food. He was running out, and would have to find some wild animal to eat. He started off on the roughly carved path that curved through the fields, but before long, his target was spotted.
A Foulander was sitting calmly behind a tree, unsuspecting that someone was watching. An opportunity to snag the creature appeared, and Vincent pulled out and raised the Death Penalty. He aimed at the creature perfectly from years of experience. The pull of a trigger and the deafening bang of the gun later, the Foulander was down.
Or, so it seemed. Vincent placed the Death Penalty into its holster and approached cautiously. Obviously he wasn't cautious enough, because the creature sprang up and clawed at Vincent's face.
"Ugh!" he nearly fell back, but managed to maintain balance. Blood seeped from red gashes that were literally carved onto Vincent's face. He reached for his gun again.
It was gone.
The damned animal flew at him again. In an instant, the Foulander was clawing at Vincent's neck. New gashes made their way all over his face as well. His outfit was no longer black, but now all a deep red with blood. Vincent was breathing lightly, hardly able to scream, hardly able to fight back. The blood loss was unbearable.
Seeing that he was left no option but to give up, Vincent fell to the grass and fainted.
~*~
"M-Miss Yuffie?" Gorki stepped into the room slowly, as if trying to be cautious.
Yuffie sighed and turned to Gorki, letting her unfinished crane drop to the ground. "What is it?"
"Well... We found someone out in the fields... Some man, all dressed in black and r-"
"I don't have time for whatever this is. I have to make 1000 of these damn things"-Yuffie motioned toward the pile of cranes with a look of annoyance upon her face-"and it'll take me the whole day."
"A-Alright," Gorki stammered. "Please forgive me." He started toward the exit.
Yuffie turned back to her craft. She took it into her hands and began to fold again. 'Silly, that Gorki,' she thought, 'interrupting my work. I should have him fired or something.' Yuffie paused and took a second to laugh softly. 'Nah, that would make me too much like Vincent. All mean and uncaring.'
Vincent.
Why did she keep coming back to that name?
Yuffie took a look toward the door. Gorki was down the hall, talking to Staniv. Something suddenly clicked in her head. She froze and dropped the crane, as her eyes focused into space.
'Black and r-'?!
Yuffie left her temporary paralysis and sprung to her feet. She ran to Gorki and Staniv and stopped before them. Both turned with a surprised look on their faces.
"Shouldn't you be working on your cranes?" Staniv asked, placing his hands on his hips.
Yuffie disregarded the remark and turned to Gorki. "What was that man wearing again?"
"Black and red, Miss Yuffie."
"...Let me see him."
Gorki bowed in respect and led Yuffie to the main room downstairs, Staniv following. A futon lay on the ground with someone resting on it, a blanket covering them. A blood-covered gun was beside them, some parts worn and damaged.
"Death Penalty," Yuffie whispered under her breath. She meekly crawled over to the futon and sat near it. "Vin... Huh?"
The person's face wasn't visible. Yuffie thought that black and red clothing would tell her enough from a distance, but now that she was closer, she saw that only a few small parts of the clothing were red... And all the rest were bleached maroon with blood.
She pulled the blanket off cautiously. Yes, it was Vincent. But he was -totaled-! A small gasp escaped Yuffie's lips. Scars were all over his face and neck, some even peeking through the shredded clothing on his chest. The blood was covering him head to toe, most now dried. It had even reached his hair, dying it, too, a red color.
Yuffie whimpered lightly at the sight. She turned away and closed her eyes.
"Do you know him?" Gorki asked quietly.
"Yeah... Gorki, how bad are his injuries?"
"By the looks of it, he was attacked this morning. It all may take up to a week to heal."
Yuffie's normally calm eyes lowered. "Who did this?" she hissed.
"Well... It appeared to be a Foulander, Miss Yuffie."
She nearly fell over. A Foulander?! Those things were only three feet tall, weighed 30 pounds, and fought like 6-year-old girls! What could have caused the tall, silent, powerful Vincent to lower his guard?
Maybe his mind was on something? When in a half-unconcious state, even a Foulander could do a lot of damage. Enough damage for broken bones, scrambled thoughts, even... Memory loss. What if Vincent was a victim?
"Gorki, get him to my room."
"Right away, Miss Yuffie."
If Vincent suffered any damage, Yuffie would be there by his side to help him through.
~*~
"Finally awake?" Yuffie asked, trying to keep a huge, cheesy smile on her face. Staniv warned her not to look grim if Vincent had awoken. That would make him ask questions, which would lead to akward answers and Vincent unintentionally causing pain to himself.
Vincent groaned and pulled himself up. He ran his hand through his hair, only to find that it was covered with flakes of dry blood. He raised an eyebrow. "Alright, what happened and where am I?"
Yuffie sighed. So much for trying to keep Vincent from asking questions. Well, she would just have to do this her way and tell Vincent everything.
"Gorki found you in the fields somewhere south. You had blood all over yourself and scars on your face and neck. Gorki says a Foulander"-Vincent raised an eyebrow-"did this. We had you taken up to my room."
"Why?"
"Cause I got stuck with the job of taking care of you, so you have to be near me all day." The statement sounded more like a question. Yuffie closed her mouth. It wasn't the complete truth, but it would have to do.
Vincent laid back down on the blood-drenched futon. He used one hand to prop himself up, giving him a view of Yuffie. "What are you doing?" he asked, looking over one of the unfinished cranes in her hands.
It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. Yep, he was definitely suffering that 'scrambled thoughts' effect. It was quite unlike Vincent to ask random questions like that. "Folding origami," she told him, handing him a crane.
Vincent turned it in his hands. Unaware that it was supposed to be a piece of art, he started to unfold it.
"Hey, stop that!" Yuffie snatched the crane from his hand. "I have to make 1000 of these and I don't need you ruining any!"
"Why?"
Again, that question. Yeah. Scrambled thoughts indeed. Yuffie got up and walked over to the other side of the room. She pulled a book from the shelf against the wall, opened it, and began to read.
"Legends say that the crane can live for one thousand years. Thus the crane is a symbol of peace and long life. Cranes can be given to those who are ill as a gesture of wishful recovery or good luck. 1000 folded cranes can make their bearer's wish come true."
"What would you need luck for?"
"Staniv told me that something bad would happen to someone I care a lot for."
Silence.
Vincent's silence must have resulted from confusion. Yuffie's must have been from confusion as well, but a kind of wonder too. Trying to keep her eyes away from Vincent's, she turned back to folding the cranes.
"Do you want me to help?" Vincent asked, watching her hands move through the festive colored paper.
"Sure. It'll take longer if I work alone." Yuffie pushed a stack of foil paper his way. Watching her fingers closely, Vincent began to follow the pattern.
The akward silence burned into them as they folded the cranes. Around 500 already lay in the corner, the pile growing larger by the minute. Finally, Yuffie resolved to trying to make conversation.
"Vinny, what's your favorite color?" She smiled in her own unique fake-but- sweet way.
When was the last time that she called him 'Vinny'? Well, two could play at the strange game that was forming. He smiled, trying to mock the devilishly cute expression on her face. "I'd say grey."
"Seriously?" Yuffie turned up her nose. "I thought it would be black. Grey's all ugly and boring."
"Black isn't?"
"Uh... Well, it's much more fitting for someone like you. Why -grey-?"
"..." He looked down at his hands, trying to find distraction in their movements. The reason was too delicate to tell Yuffie. It would not only make her laugh, but would create a feeling of akwardness for Vincent every time that he was around her.
"Vinny-Tell meee-!"
Vincent buried his face in his collar and whispered a muffled phrase.
"What?" She leaned closer to him, raising the level of tension.
"Cause it's the color of your eyes." He pulled down the collar and went back to folding cranes. Coincidentally, the next color he pulled was a dull silver.
Yuffie's eyes widened in surprise at his words. She lowered her gaze to her hands as he did and started to fold again.
Either that phrase resulted from Vincent's scrambled thoughts...
Or it was something much more.
~*~
Okay, I tried X_x Please do give me help. I need help...! *grabs reader's ankles* Help meeee!!!
Uh, alright then. ^-^; I hope that I reached my goal of more description and a longer chapter. It took a damn long time to write, so give me feedback! If I still suck, then write 'you suck because [insert constructive criticism here]' in your review. If you have a suggestion, put that in your review. And if you just wanna say 'ohMYgOSHyUfieANdVInNYR0x0RZZ!!!!111:D' in a review, do that too. :] Just please review, it'll help make the next chapter good.
Overall the chapter focuses on the Yuffie x Vincent gaiden :D For the beginning, I tried a present-tense perspective. Just wanted to try something different. ^^;; Plus, it took me 20 damned minutes to write just one paragraph, multiply that by 10; (seriously, three and a half hours O_o; starting at midnight not to mention) and I worked hard on each, so I'd rather not go back and delete anything. -.-
~*~
{ CHAPTER XVI ~ SILVER CRANES }
Picture it. Early morning. The entire sky bleached with pastel colors, as if someone had spilled buckets of paint over it and then smoothed out the darker hues. In one corner, a diminutive glowing bit, barely peeking out through the cerulean-rimmed clouds.
That shine in the corner would be the sun, beginning to rise at the crack of dawn. And right now two overall unrelated, insignificant events are happening. The first is that a certain man has just awoken from another torturous nightmare, the same as the night before and the one before that. But that's taking place in some hidden natural campground in the concealed rolling valleys and meadows below Wutai.
Our second event is directly in the Oriental city Wutai, inside of a gorgeous grand palace on the edge of a small, calm hill. Birds are landing on the window sill of the top tower. The young girl residing inside stands from the Persian carpet sprawled on the ground, the one she's been sitting on all night. As she walks over to the window, all the birds disappear, as if a part of an illusion. That's what she sees, anyway.
She's too sleepy to see what is really before her. The poor thing can barely stand on her own two feet as she dully pulls up the shades and walks back to the carpet. She slumps down in a weary state and lifts a sheet of paper from the messy stack sitting beside her. Expertly she begins to fold, her fingers moving slowly yet gracefully.
"Crease the edges, fold up the corner, pull the opposite parts together..." she whispers drowsily to herself, "And tuck the corners into the center."
She overlooks the lovely fragile crane that she just crafted, then carelessly throws it into the growing pile behind her. Pulling out another sheet, the poor thing repeats the phrase and starts to fold again. Her fingers are now numb from crafting paper cranes all night.
But she needs the luck that each crane will supposedly bring her.
'Staniv warned me that something will happen... Something bad, to someone I care for deeply...' She throws the freshly crafted crane into the pile and takes a new sheet. 'And Staniv's never wrong. Then again, I don't exactly care for anyone 'deeply'. Father is always busy, too busy to offer any kindness, even toward his daughter. Mother's long gone, and I have no other family. My friends are gone too, and they've probably forgotten about me.'
Yuffie looks outside for a moment, to that softly faded sky. Somewhere out there are her friends, living their regular lives. For a moment, she wishes that she could be there with Cloud and Vincent, traveling the fields. Even if she had the chance a year earlier, her duties of rulership would get in the way.
'No point in dreaming,' she thinks in bitterness, reaching for another sheet of foil paper. Yuffie does realize she couldn't give up hoping to train with Cloud and Vincent.
What she doesn't realize is that she cares not for training, but is reaching for something else. She's just too blind to see that.
~*~
'Another nightmare, another day to be followed by another night. Then the cycle will start over again.' Vincent stared up at the cotton candy-like clouds floating by. It was a bit too early for clouds-there were still a few stars dotting the sky.
He got up, groaning at the pains in his legs. Apparently Vincent was a bit violent in his sleep, and thrashed at every nightmare he had. If only these damned nightmares would stop...
Every night, it was the same thing. As if Vincent's mind repeated itself in his unconscious state. Every time that he closed his eyes, the images of Lucrecia being tortured, of himself transforming into the wretched Chaos would appear. One person, and one person alone caused all of this pain and all of the disastrous nights that Vincent had gone through.
...Hojo.
That word brought a sick taste to Vincent's mouth whenever he had to speak it. It was a disgusting name that represented a disgusting person, who wanted nothing but power at his fingertips. It was inhuman to feel only hatred toward others, and never love, compassion, or affection. And that's exactly what Hojo was, -inhuman-.
But would that mean that Vincent, too, was inhuman?
When you break everything in the Universe down, there is only one thing that exists. Love. Love is represented in many ways; you can be in love with the person you'll marry, you can feel a loving bond between siblings and parents, feel a protective love toward your children, understanding love toward friends, and even an I-feel-sorry-for-them sort of love for people you don't even know who you may see sitting outside in the cold snow, without a place to go or the family and warmth that you have.
And if you were human, then you would love your worst enemies as well. Just a little. You would have to feel compassion for them, because each person is born flawless and optimistic. Someone who hates the world would obviously have had something awful happen to them, something that caused them to change. If you understood that, you were human.
Guess what? Vincent -was not- human.
He hated Hojo for every single thing that the bastard was responsible for. That pure hatred was the only thing that separated Vincent and a normal person. Looking closer, anyone would see that Vincent was quite comparable to any other person. He once felt love, had his heart broken and mourned the loss, and learned to move on.
...Learned to move on?
'Maybe not...' Vincent laughed at his own dilemma that was forming from the emotions he never knew he had. 'But clinging to someone long gone is normal.' He paused a moment. As Vincent stood to put out the ignited campfire, a firm frown formed on his face. 'I have to learn to stop having to correct myself. It's -not- normal, and not human.'
Vincent sighed softly, his normally fierce red eyes beginning to look almost sad. Funny, he was feeling an emotion right now-sadness-but was sad because he was arguing with himself whether he had emotions or not.
'Well, whatever,' he thought, 'I have to get moving.'
Vincent pushed the confusing thoughts out of his head and packed up his weapons and camping supplies. The main focus on his mind turned to food. He was running out, and would have to find some wild animal to eat. He started off on the roughly carved path that curved through the fields, but before long, his target was spotted.
A Foulander was sitting calmly behind a tree, unsuspecting that someone was watching. An opportunity to snag the creature appeared, and Vincent pulled out and raised the Death Penalty. He aimed at the creature perfectly from years of experience. The pull of a trigger and the deafening bang of the gun later, the Foulander was down.
Or, so it seemed. Vincent placed the Death Penalty into its holster and approached cautiously. Obviously he wasn't cautious enough, because the creature sprang up and clawed at Vincent's face.
"Ugh!" he nearly fell back, but managed to maintain balance. Blood seeped from red gashes that were literally carved onto Vincent's face. He reached for his gun again.
It was gone.
The damned animal flew at him again. In an instant, the Foulander was clawing at Vincent's neck. New gashes made their way all over his face as well. His outfit was no longer black, but now all a deep red with blood. Vincent was breathing lightly, hardly able to scream, hardly able to fight back. The blood loss was unbearable.
Seeing that he was left no option but to give up, Vincent fell to the grass and fainted.
~*~
"M-Miss Yuffie?" Gorki stepped into the room slowly, as if trying to be cautious.
Yuffie sighed and turned to Gorki, letting her unfinished crane drop to the ground. "What is it?"
"Well... We found someone out in the fields... Some man, all dressed in black and r-"
"I don't have time for whatever this is. I have to make 1000 of these damn things"-Yuffie motioned toward the pile of cranes with a look of annoyance upon her face-"and it'll take me the whole day."
"A-Alright," Gorki stammered. "Please forgive me." He started toward the exit.
Yuffie turned back to her craft. She took it into her hands and began to fold again. 'Silly, that Gorki,' she thought, 'interrupting my work. I should have him fired or something.' Yuffie paused and took a second to laugh softly. 'Nah, that would make me too much like Vincent. All mean and uncaring.'
Vincent.
Why did she keep coming back to that name?
Yuffie took a look toward the door. Gorki was down the hall, talking to Staniv. Something suddenly clicked in her head. She froze and dropped the crane, as her eyes focused into space.
'Black and r-'?!
Yuffie left her temporary paralysis and sprung to her feet. She ran to Gorki and Staniv and stopped before them. Both turned with a surprised look on their faces.
"Shouldn't you be working on your cranes?" Staniv asked, placing his hands on his hips.
Yuffie disregarded the remark and turned to Gorki. "What was that man wearing again?"
"Black and red, Miss Yuffie."
"...Let me see him."
Gorki bowed in respect and led Yuffie to the main room downstairs, Staniv following. A futon lay on the ground with someone resting on it, a blanket covering them. A blood-covered gun was beside them, some parts worn and damaged.
"Death Penalty," Yuffie whispered under her breath. She meekly crawled over to the futon and sat near it. "Vin... Huh?"
The person's face wasn't visible. Yuffie thought that black and red clothing would tell her enough from a distance, but now that she was closer, she saw that only a few small parts of the clothing were red... And all the rest were bleached maroon with blood.
She pulled the blanket off cautiously. Yes, it was Vincent. But he was -totaled-! A small gasp escaped Yuffie's lips. Scars were all over his face and neck, some even peeking through the shredded clothing on his chest. The blood was covering him head to toe, most now dried. It had even reached his hair, dying it, too, a red color.
Yuffie whimpered lightly at the sight. She turned away and closed her eyes.
"Do you know him?" Gorki asked quietly.
"Yeah... Gorki, how bad are his injuries?"
"By the looks of it, he was attacked this morning. It all may take up to a week to heal."
Yuffie's normally calm eyes lowered. "Who did this?" she hissed.
"Well... It appeared to be a Foulander, Miss Yuffie."
She nearly fell over. A Foulander?! Those things were only three feet tall, weighed 30 pounds, and fought like 6-year-old girls! What could have caused the tall, silent, powerful Vincent to lower his guard?
Maybe his mind was on something? When in a half-unconcious state, even a Foulander could do a lot of damage. Enough damage for broken bones, scrambled thoughts, even... Memory loss. What if Vincent was a victim?
"Gorki, get him to my room."
"Right away, Miss Yuffie."
If Vincent suffered any damage, Yuffie would be there by his side to help him through.
~*~
"Finally awake?" Yuffie asked, trying to keep a huge, cheesy smile on her face. Staniv warned her not to look grim if Vincent had awoken. That would make him ask questions, which would lead to akward answers and Vincent unintentionally causing pain to himself.
Vincent groaned and pulled himself up. He ran his hand through his hair, only to find that it was covered with flakes of dry blood. He raised an eyebrow. "Alright, what happened and where am I?"
Yuffie sighed. So much for trying to keep Vincent from asking questions. Well, she would just have to do this her way and tell Vincent everything.
"Gorki found you in the fields somewhere south. You had blood all over yourself and scars on your face and neck. Gorki says a Foulander"-Vincent raised an eyebrow-"did this. We had you taken up to my room."
"Why?"
"Cause I got stuck with the job of taking care of you, so you have to be near me all day." The statement sounded more like a question. Yuffie closed her mouth. It wasn't the complete truth, but it would have to do.
Vincent laid back down on the blood-drenched futon. He used one hand to prop himself up, giving him a view of Yuffie. "What are you doing?" he asked, looking over one of the unfinished cranes in her hands.
It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. Yep, he was definitely suffering that 'scrambled thoughts' effect. It was quite unlike Vincent to ask random questions like that. "Folding origami," she told him, handing him a crane.
Vincent turned it in his hands. Unaware that it was supposed to be a piece of art, he started to unfold it.
"Hey, stop that!" Yuffie snatched the crane from his hand. "I have to make 1000 of these and I don't need you ruining any!"
"Why?"
Again, that question. Yeah. Scrambled thoughts indeed. Yuffie got up and walked over to the other side of the room. She pulled a book from the shelf against the wall, opened it, and began to read.
"Legends say that the crane can live for one thousand years. Thus the crane is a symbol of peace and long life. Cranes can be given to those who are ill as a gesture of wishful recovery or good luck. 1000 folded cranes can make their bearer's wish come true."
"What would you need luck for?"
"Staniv told me that something bad would happen to someone I care a lot for."
Silence.
Vincent's silence must have resulted from confusion. Yuffie's must have been from confusion as well, but a kind of wonder too. Trying to keep her eyes away from Vincent's, she turned back to folding the cranes.
"Do you want me to help?" Vincent asked, watching her hands move through the festive colored paper.
"Sure. It'll take longer if I work alone." Yuffie pushed a stack of foil paper his way. Watching her fingers closely, Vincent began to follow the pattern.
The akward silence burned into them as they folded the cranes. Around 500 already lay in the corner, the pile growing larger by the minute. Finally, Yuffie resolved to trying to make conversation.
"Vinny, what's your favorite color?" She smiled in her own unique fake-but- sweet way.
When was the last time that she called him 'Vinny'? Well, two could play at the strange game that was forming. He smiled, trying to mock the devilishly cute expression on her face. "I'd say grey."
"Seriously?" Yuffie turned up her nose. "I thought it would be black. Grey's all ugly and boring."
"Black isn't?"
"Uh... Well, it's much more fitting for someone like you. Why -grey-?"
"..." He looked down at his hands, trying to find distraction in their movements. The reason was too delicate to tell Yuffie. It would not only make her laugh, but would create a feeling of akwardness for Vincent every time that he was around her.
"Vinny-Tell meee-!"
Vincent buried his face in his collar and whispered a muffled phrase.
"What?" She leaned closer to him, raising the level of tension.
"Cause it's the color of your eyes." He pulled down the collar and went back to folding cranes. Coincidentally, the next color he pulled was a dull silver.
Yuffie's eyes widened in surprise at his words. She lowered her gaze to her hands as he did and started to fold again.
Either that phrase resulted from Vincent's scrambled thoughts...
Or it was something much more.
~*~
Okay, I tried X_x Please do give me help. I need help...! *grabs reader's ankles* Help meeee!!!
Uh, alright then. ^-^; I hope that I reached my goal of more description and a longer chapter. It took a damn long time to write, so give me feedback! If I still suck, then write 'you suck because [insert constructive criticism here]' in your review. If you have a suggestion, put that in your review. And if you just wanna say 'ohMYgOSHyUfieANdVInNYR0x0RZZ!!!!111:D' in a review, do that too. :] Just please review, it'll help make the next chapter good.