Tell Me I Was Dreaming

By: Yuffie Kisaragi2

I only own my own characters, I think you can tell which ones they are.

Nope, this is not based off of the song... This is an eight chapter short story that I will try to update every week or so. Don't hold me to that, though! Read onward!

Chapter Three: I'm not who you remember...

-- "My only Wutia silk dress and you've ruined it!" Vincent watched the ninja storm back down the hallway to her room.

"Why were you wearing it to begin with!?" Cid shot after her.

"For my date!" came her muffled response.

Cid and Vincent exchanged glances before the pilot started laughing hysterically. "Her.. A date!?"

Knock knock knock. The two men looked at each other, then Cid walked over and opened the door. A young man in jeans, a button up shirt with a black cowboy hat and black bowboy boots stood there. "Is Miss Yuffie here?"

Yuffie walked out wearing jeans and a white tank top. "Hey, Rocky! Well, bye, guys!" With that, the 18-year-old walked out the door.

Cid and Vincent stared dumbfoundedly at the closed door for a few minutes, then Cid turned back to Vincent. "They're not going out on a date, are they?" Vincent nodded. "God dammit! I'm gonna rip that fuckin' boy apart if he lays so much as one finger on her!" --

Garnet eyes flickered open slowly and stared at the ceiling of his cell. "Finally awake?" a male voice asked from his right. He sat up and looked over to see Reno. "Don't bother standing yet. We've got nowhere to go." He pointed across from him.

Vincent looked to his left and saw bars. "Damn... Yuffie's ruler, not Gorki."

"Finally got that through your head, huh?" asked a voice from beyond the bars. Yuffie stood there in shorts and a red tank top. Vincent stood quickly, as did Reno. She coughed into a handkerchief, wiping what looked to be blood from her lips afterward. "So, make a deal with you. You tell me who hired you, I let you loose, free of all charges, and with complete protection while you are in Wutia." Reno looked appalled as she coughed crimson liquid into her handkerchief again. "Don't worry," she said somewhat hoarsely. "My condition is of one host only. It's not contagious."

That seemed to relieve Reno, but made Vincent even more curious than before. "What's wrong?" he asked her seemingly out of the blue.

"It is of my own business and not a concern of yours," she replied firmly, using words that he once used against her. "So, ya takin' my offer, or what?" She was trying to sound as street smart as she used to be, but Vincent could see through the barrier.

Reno held up a finger. "Where's the other two? Elena and Rude? Where are they?"

Yuffie wrinkled her nose. "They're still out. I really didn't think that my Sleepel spell was that strong still.. It's been so long since I've used my materia..." Her intense grey eyes stayed on Vincent even as she spoke to Reno.

Reno nodded. "Champron. He hired us."

She smiled. "Thanks." With a signal, the guard standing nearby opened the cell for the two men. She whispered something in Wutian to the guard and smiled at Vincent and Reno, then walked out of the room.

-- "I'm scared..."

"Scared of what?"

A fragile smile crossed her face. "The monsters... That lurk in one's heart..."

His heart leapt into his throat. He knew that she was sick and mostly asleep, but she seemed to be telling something only to him. "What monsters?" he asked ever-so-softly.

She wrapped her arms tighter around her legs. "You can't tell anyone, Kurt. I mean it! And you can't laugh!" Vincent winced as though she had dealt him a physical blow. By the time he looked up again, she was asleep.

"I promise never to tell," he murmured into his cape, laying her down on her cot. "And I would never laugh at you, m'lady." --

She looked in the mirror. She'd lost more weight and was too pale. "Shake," she called out half-heartedly. He came in. "How do I look? I need the truth."

The tall man that had retrieved her from the bar three nights before looked at her, then at the tiled floor. "Pale and thin, Miss Yuffie."

She nodded, not allowing the tears to fall. "Alright. Call the doctor, we'll visit with him during his next available appointment." The young man nodded and started out. "Shake?" He turned back toward her. "Thank you... For helping out."

Twenty minutes later, she was sitting on the exam room table looking as dignified as ever. The rather good-looking male doctor shook his head. "You have lost ten pounds in the past week and a half, Miss Yuffie. I'm afraid that things are not looking good." She nodded, knowing what he was going to say.

"I'm not giving up singing, Dr. Hushman. You can nag all you want, but until I pass out once on stage, I refuse to stop singing at Turtle's Paradise."

He shook his head. "Fine, but you must promise me that if you ever pass out on stage, that you'll quit."

She merely nodded and looked at Shake, who understood what she wanted. He handed her the scarlet and gold jacket that matched her gypsie skirt and white blouse. "Excuse us, doctor. I have a show to attend in twenty minutes."

He gaped at her. "You've been vomiting blood and still refuse to take a break?"

She smiled. "I rule over Wutia... Singing is my break, Dr. Hushman. It's the simplest things that bring one joy. To hear my voice bring that joy is more than enough break for me. Perhaps you should come hear me sometime."

At that, she and Shake left the blonde doctor, who still look utterly befuddled at why she made herself hurt worse just to sing.

-----!-----
-----!-----

Vincent watched the Masked Woman sing again that night, knowing full well who it was. For three nights, he stayed in the palace as a guest and watched the Lady of Wutia sing as if she was a common person out on the streets at night. She finally noticed him on the fourth night. As people were yelling for enchore, she nodded. "What song?" Of course, she got various answers, so she had to pick someone to pick a song.

With a smile, she pointed a perfectly manicured finger at Vincent. "You. What's your name?"

He smiled back. "Vincent Valentine." This got the expected gasps of awe. He, after all, did help save the planet from Meteor and Sephiroth.

"Well, Mr. Valentine. What song do you choose?"

"My Last Breath..." He saw her gasp slightly and everyone else looked at the two awkwardly.

"O-Okay... My Last Breath... it is, then..."

-- "Encore! Encore!"

Tifa blushed a brilliant shade of scarlet. "I'm not that good, guys!"

Yuffie laughed. "Aw, c'mon, Teef! You're better than me! Just one more!"

Cloud nudged Yuffie, a grin on his face. "How 'bout you sing, Yuffs?" She looked horrified. "You may as well, everyone has.. Well, except Vincent, that is."

Cid snorted. "I've heard that brat singin' in the shower! She can't sing!"

Tifa shot him a dirty look and smiled helpfully at Yuffie. "Come on, just one."

With some hesitation, Yuffie agreed. Vincent, who had turned his back to the party, turned so that he could hear the ninja better, curious about her singing abilities. She hummed to herself for a minute, then nodded resolutely. Tifa sat down at Yuffie took her place in the middle of the semi-circle.

In a voice that seemed to mature for the 17-year-old, the ninja started singing with her eyes closed to block out the images of her friends sitting there. "Hold on to me, love. You know I can't stay long. All I wanted to say was I love you and I'm not afraid. Can you hear me? Can you feel me in your arms?

"Holding my last breath, safe inside myself! Are all my thoughts of you? Sweet raptured light, it ends here tonight." Everyone stared at her in disbelief. "I'll miss the winter. A world of fragile things. Look for me in the white forest, hiding in a hallow tree... come find me...

"I know you hear me... I can taste it in your tears! Holding my last breath, safe inside myself! Are all my thoughts of you? Sweet raptured light, it ends here tonight.

"Closing your eyes to disappear," she had her eyes closed still. "You pray your dreams will leave you here. But still you wake and know the truth. No one's there! Say goodnight. Don't be afraid. Call-ing me, call-ing me as you fa-ade to black." Her smokey grey eyes opened to see everyone gaping at her.

Everyone remained silent as her last note slowly faded into the woods surrounding them. "What was that song?" Tifa gasped out in awe.

Yuffie shrugged. "I don't know.. I made it up as I went. Uhm.. How about.. My Last Breath?" --

"Call-ing me, call-ing me as you fa-ade to black..."

As the last note echoed around the room, an applause, so loud that it shook the tiny bar, broke out. Grey eyes flickered over to the man as she nearly panted for breath. He smiled and walked out the back door. She got her belongings and a bottle of water and followed her friend out.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" he asked her, leaning against the wall.

She frowned slightly and shrugged. "Maybe I wasn't sure about the new you."

He laughed. "True... I'm not the person you knew before. I thought you, of all people, would like me better now."

The Lady of Wutia drank a foul tasting blue liquid and washed it down with a gulp of water. "I've always liked you as a friend, Vincent. I don't want someone to change so that people will like them better..." She stared at the ground, shivvering occasionally from the bitter November winds.

She noticed a shadow come over her and felt strong arms wrap around her to keep her warm. "Tell me," he said softly. "Why are you so secretive?"

"I can't let myself get assassinated on stage, now can I?"

He looked down at her, though she was still staring at the ground. "You're sick... What illness? And don't say a common cold, because I'll have to hold you upside down like Barret used to."

Yuffie giggled a little at the memory. "That's not very funny, Vincent!" She sighed. "... I have Mako poisoning. They think it might be where we were all down in the Northern Crater. Since I was so young, they think that it may have affected me greater than anyone else. It poisoned me." The once-so-scary man looked down at her in disbelief. "And I... I'm dying from it. That's why I was taking charge the other night. If I'm going to die, I would rather die in battle. At least it's quicker and less painful than dying from some damn disease."

"Yuffie," he gasped. She clutched his shirt and buried her face in his chest. Within a matter of moments, he could feel the warm wets spots on his shirt where she had started crying. He wrapped his arms tighter around her as if he could ward off the dreadful disease by holding her tightly. "I'm here," he said softly. "We'll find a cure."

YK2: YAY! Another chappie finished and uploaded!

Surka: That's a good thing?

Paine Kisaragi (PK): It is if you're an authoress that people like.

Hacker the Thief: Awww.. .C'mon, PK! People like you! It's just your first fic! -- Gets glared at -- Not what ya wanted to hear, huh?

Toni: Allow her to smother herself in self-pity, if that is what she wishes to do.

YK2: Nope! Can't let friends do that to themselves! Cuz...

Hacker & YK2: Friends are friend forever if the Lord's the Lord of theeeeeem! And a friend could not say never, if the friendship should not eeeend! Though it's hard to let you go, in-

Surka: MAKE THE INSANITY STOP!!!

Dracon: Please... I think I need another beer...

Sky: Come join me, guysh!

YK2: Uhh... No thanks, Sky. Gotta stay sober for the a/ns! Anywho!

Vincent: ...You forgot your replies to the reviews...

YK2: Oh, yeah! Thanks, Vince! Knew I was losin' my mind somewhere!

The Pebble - I UPDATED! Glad you liked! Hopefully, you're a very happy person, because I updated ASAP!

Iflytev.Bluedestiny - Hope I got your name right! Thankies for your review!

Ezri-Candy - Who DOESN'T like your stories? Any of them!? -- evil grin -- Evil cliffies are much fun! To write, that is! Not to read! Hope this chappie cleared up why they were tryin' to kill her! They're mercenaries.. And happened to be makin' a lot of money from Champron, who hired them to kill the leader of Wutai, who they thought was Gorki, but was really Yuffie! I like Yuffie/Sephy pairings too! I just don't know if I could write one.. I might try sometime! No citrus, though.. I suck at lemons!

Hotaru170 - Glad ya think so! weeeee! I love having people like my stories! Makes me feel important, even though I'm not!

foureyes - My basis (and I mean the basics of what little I know about the disease) was Turburculoses. I hope that it wasn't too expected!

Neko-Yuff16 - Hope you enjoyed this chappie!

YK2: And, of course, I thank Evanescence for singing and introducing me to that song! I LOVE Amy Lee's voice! I WANNA SING LIKE HER!!!

Reno: That was certainly a lot of rambling nonesense.

YK2: RENO!!!

Dracon: RENO!!!

Surka: Heh.. I'm goin' to AN3's fic to chill out with muh hubby! -- Disappears --

YK2: Oh! If you like "Sucked into the FF7 World" fics, check out A. Nonymous III esq.'s "Alternate Earth" and "Alternate Earth: Season Two"! Surka's in there! She's Sephy's Guardian and... er.. yeah.. If ya wanna check it out, I think she's allowin' people to still send in resumes!

Sky: I'm in there!

PK: And I also submitted a character. Though she's not added yet. Her name is Jennifer, Jenn for short.

YK2: Welp, Till Next Time!

All except YK2: AUDI!!!

YK2: Hey! That's MY word, DAMMIT!

-The gang of TMIWD