The End

A/N: Warning, very loaded with angst and depressing stuff. Just felt that there should be a warning. And .. this has to be one of the fastest updates ever. I must have been inspired or something. Thank you to reviewers and betas. I love you all, just in different ways. 3

"Yuffie," a husky voice whispered, blood red eyes gazing upon the crumpled form behind the mansion.

The small woman had remained there for over an hour, or perhaps two, seeing as Vincent had lost track. She would cry off and on, her body trembling and tensing between fits of rage and extreme suffering. He had hurt her, he knew that. He just didn't understand why he had said what he had said. Lucretia hadn't been on his mind at all, and now that he thought of the woman who betrayed him, he felt a distinct bitter taste and sinking of his stomach. The thought of her repulsed him; she had desired Hojo.

Pain welled up inside his body; the mental anguish caused his heart to beat painfully. Every time it would pump blood, it felt like a knife was being twisted inside his flesh. It hurt to know he hurt the only one who cared for him, the only one he loved. It hurt more than he would have liked to admit.

But for how long had he loved the beautiful creature sobbing below? When had he stopped believing her to be the annoying brat from AVALANCHE? He didn't know. Or, at least, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he loved her, and he needed to tell her.

On that thought, he whirled into the mansion, his intentions sorted out.

Dark gray eyes stared forth, empty and dull from the battering she had just taken. It had not been physical, for she could have easily bounced back from that. It was the only person she cared for who did this to her. It would have been better had he shoved his metal claw through her chest and plucked her heart out. She knew he could do it.

But remembering the gentle caress of his lips and the fierceness behind the full kiss left her momentarily breathless. Until she remembered it was all a sham. He hadn't meant the words he mumbled beforehand. He hadn't meant it when he murmured he wanted her. That he needed her.

It was a lie. A filthy, disgusting lie.

Yuffie rubbed at her eyes with her fingertips, forcing herself to stop crying. She was never wanted, would never be wanted. It was as if destiny had a sick mind and it wanted this particular girl to suffer forever. Or at least suffer alone for eternity.

Was that her punishment for being such an annoying, whiny brat? That had to be it. She was being punished for how horrible she was. For how obnoxious she was. A sigh slipped from her, a sign that the ninja was accepting her fate. Accepting that the gods needed her torment to atone for any sins she had committed.

A sardonic smirk pulled at her abused lips, the hollowness of her gaze becoming more intense for but a moment. She slowly forced her frame into a standing position, and she turned awkwardly, as if a broken doll. Perhaps she was one.

Vincent was surprised when the door he was reaching for slowly swung open, revealing a very rumpled Yuffie Kisaragi. Her tear-stained cheeks and blood-shot eyes tore at his heart, and he reached out to her. He was fully expecting her to fall into his arms.

He was wrong.

Yuffie jerked back as his fingers brushed her shoulder, pain cracking through her face despite the odd smile twisting her lips. As if burned, her own hand covered the susceptible area he touched, her fingers covering the 'injured' skin.

"Yuffie, I –"he started, voice rough.

She cut him off, "Save it."

Her eyes bore holes into his skin, the agony mixed with anger making a nearly unbearable amount of guilty weight pull his shoulders down. It made him want to be back in that coffin, suffering for what he did to her. If only he had never come out, none of this would have happened.

"No, Yuffie. Listen to me." He was begging her. Yuffie almost had the heart to listen to him, but she remembered what had happened last time she believed him. No. She wouldn't make that mistake again.

"No, Vincent. You listen," she hissed, voice low and throat hurt. Her hands reached up and covered her eyes, slender fingers rubbing over the puffy lids. She stared at his shirt, eyes slowly shifting to his metal claw. Her sight turned up slightly, focusing now on the gun he kept tucked against he body.

"Vincent, can you make my pain go away?" she whispered, hands dropping down and her head tilting back so that she could stare up into his eyes.

His mouth opened, but she did not allow him a chance to say anything.

"Then kill me."

He stared at her, his lips firmly pressing into a line. His face paled, if that was conceivable. He reached out once more with his organic hand, wishing that she would let him touch her.

"Vincent, either take your Death Penalty and blow my brains out, or stab your claw through my heart. Rip it from my body. Make my pain go away!" she cried, tears welling up in her eyes once more. Vincent stared at her some more, lips parting before he spoke.

"Yuffie, I can't do that. I –"

She spun on her heel instantly, not willing to listen to the rest of his words. Tears blurred her sight and made it hard to navigate, but she knew where she was going. She visited there late at night and demanded, begged, and pleaded with the gods to give her the understanding as to why she loved Vincent.

Vincent stood in shock as he watched the woman he loved speed away from him. He soon took off after her, but her speed and her stealth made it nearly impossible to find her. He paused to think. Where would she go?

The woman ran and ran until her lungs felt like they were going to burst. Then she kept going, collapsing to her knees only when she was what she was looking for. That damned woman's waterfall. The pool at the bottom was deep enough.

She jumped in, making sure everything was still strapped to her. She would not struggle. She would let the releasing sleep come. As the water enveloped her and she closed her eyes, she relived the kiss that made and broke her heart. Then everything was black. Bliss had finally come.

"Shit!" Vincent shouted, turning on his heel and sprinting to the waterfall of his past love. Yuffie had enjoyed the place, but why would she go there now? He didn't know. He just had a feeling.

He ran, finding her footprints. This led him to believe she was there. He ran faster.

Pausing as he reached the waterfall, he gasped for air when he didn't see her. His eyes darted back and forth, unsure as to what was happening. Where was she?

He looked down and saw ebony hair floating beneath the water. He instantly reached in and grabbed her wrist, splashing into the water to pull her out. With her small body pressed to his, he dragged her from the water.

Trembling fingers reached to find a pulse, but there was nothing. It couldn't possibly be too late, could it?

Pent up tears finally fell from his eyes.

A/N: Don't hate me! Don't flame me! And it isn't necessarily what the title means! Just let me know if you want it to end like this or not. Do it in a pleasant way, too, please. I have some ideas. I just need some inspiration for putting it down. That's all. So ... feedback and comments are welcome! I'm thinking about writing a Squffie, too, since I've fallen in love with them via Deplora. Go read her stuff, people.