I stumbled out of the room and up the stairs. When I reached my room I
shut the door and collapsed on the bed. I cried for a while before I
walked over to the small backpack I had brought with me and dug out a
small white spaghetti strap shirt and a black pair of cloth shorts. I
donned them and tucked myself under my sheets.
What seemed like a few minutes later, I woke up. I looked over at the small electric clock that sat on my bedside table. The small red letters read 3:02. I rolled over and tried to fall back to sleep but try as I might I couldn't fall asleep.
Sighing, I got up and walked over to my bag, taking a clean pair of black ankle socks out of it. I put them on then wandered my way down to the kitchen. I grabbed a glass out of one of the cupboards then went to the fridge. The light blinded me but I managed to find the milk jug. Grabbing it I poured some milk into my glass then put the milk back inside the fridge.
I walked to the front door and opened it as I quietly as I could then slipped out into the cool of the night. I walked to the gate and stopped. I looked out at the town. Not one light was on. The only lights that could be seen were the moon and the stars. Their light shone down and made the town sort of glow.
I took a small sip of my milk and looked down at the ground.
Maybe I shouldn't have run out on Vincent like that. I know it brings back bad memories but that probably hurt him in the worst way possible. He may be a tough guy but he's really sensitive on the inside because of what Hojo did to him. Maybe I should go apologize but I probably shouldn't wake him up.
"What are you doing out here?" Came the familiar voice of Vincent. I chuckled to myself as I finished the rest of the milk in my glass.
"I don't sleep so well anymore. Sometimes I don't sleep at all," I said, still not turning around to look at him, scared of what I would or wouldn't see in his eyes.
"Whom are you going to visit next?" he asked, his voice anxious.
I tapped the side of the glass with my fingernail, making a tinking sound. I lazily ran my hand through my long, dark hair before turning around. I raised my eyebrows as I saw Vincent standing in the doorway in just his boxers.
"I'm going back to Cosmo Canyon tomorrow late afternoon. Because Red's mate is going to have cubs I want to stay there until they're born. Then after that, I'll go see how Cid and Shera are doing then, maybe, I'll go to the Golden Saucer. I'll mess around in there for a little while then I'll go back to Wuati and continue working at the bar until the day I die, most likely," I said, looking down at the ground before looking back up at Vincent.
"Tifa?" he asked, wringing his hands, looking very nervous.
My eyebrows raised in shock. I never thought I would see the day when Vincent Valentine looked nervous. Yet, here I am, standing in front of him, witnessing it.
I nodded my head. "Go on."
He slowly walked forward and took my right hand, the one that wasn't holding my glass, and looked into my eyes. I recognized a flicker of something in his eyes but I couldn't quite place what it was. I was taken aback. I had never seen Vincent act like this before.
"What's wrong, Vincent?" I asked, my brow furrowing and concern written on my face.
He looked away from me and in this order; he looked down at the ground, to the left, to the right and back at me. He bit his bottom lip before speaking.
"Tifa, I wish to go with you when you leave." Short, sweet and to the point.
My eyebrows shot up at Vincent's statement. He isn't serious, is he? I opened my mouth to ask the dreaded 'why?' but he raised his left hand and put the index finger of his claw on my mouth.
"Because I want to be near you." I raised my eyebrows in shock at this. "Yes, I've missed you and yes, there are so many things I want to talk with about. After we separated, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Please, allow me to go with you."
Translation: I'm lonely and I don't want to be alone anymore.
I know that feeling.
He removed his finger from my mouth so I could speak again. But the thing is, I couldn't speak. Not even Cloud had been this open to me about his feelings. No one has, ever.
Vincent must have taken my silence the wrong way because he began to turn around and walk back into the mansion. I reached out and grabbed his human hand. He looked back at me with hurt clearly floating in his crimson eyes.
"You can come with me if you want," I said, walking towards him so instead of being behind him I was in front of him. "It's just that, what you said. No one's been that open to me before. It kind of shocked me."
He looked at me like he didn't believe me before he nodded his head and walked back inside. I followed suite and went back to bed.
What seemed like a few minutes later, I woke up. I looked over at the small electric clock that sat on my bedside table. The small red letters read 3:02. I rolled over and tried to fall back to sleep but try as I might I couldn't fall asleep.
Sighing, I got up and walked over to my bag, taking a clean pair of black ankle socks out of it. I put them on then wandered my way down to the kitchen. I grabbed a glass out of one of the cupboards then went to the fridge. The light blinded me but I managed to find the milk jug. Grabbing it I poured some milk into my glass then put the milk back inside the fridge.
I walked to the front door and opened it as I quietly as I could then slipped out into the cool of the night. I walked to the gate and stopped. I looked out at the town. Not one light was on. The only lights that could be seen were the moon and the stars. Their light shone down and made the town sort of glow.
I took a small sip of my milk and looked down at the ground.
Maybe I shouldn't have run out on Vincent like that. I know it brings back bad memories but that probably hurt him in the worst way possible. He may be a tough guy but he's really sensitive on the inside because of what Hojo did to him. Maybe I should go apologize but I probably shouldn't wake him up.
"What are you doing out here?" Came the familiar voice of Vincent. I chuckled to myself as I finished the rest of the milk in my glass.
"I don't sleep so well anymore. Sometimes I don't sleep at all," I said, still not turning around to look at him, scared of what I would or wouldn't see in his eyes.
"Whom are you going to visit next?" he asked, his voice anxious.
I tapped the side of the glass with my fingernail, making a tinking sound. I lazily ran my hand through my long, dark hair before turning around. I raised my eyebrows as I saw Vincent standing in the doorway in just his boxers.
"I'm going back to Cosmo Canyon tomorrow late afternoon. Because Red's mate is going to have cubs I want to stay there until they're born. Then after that, I'll go see how Cid and Shera are doing then, maybe, I'll go to the Golden Saucer. I'll mess around in there for a little while then I'll go back to Wuati and continue working at the bar until the day I die, most likely," I said, looking down at the ground before looking back up at Vincent.
"Tifa?" he asked, wringing his hands, looking very nervous.
My eyebrows raised in shock. I never thought I would see the day when Vincent Valentine looked nervous. Yet, here I am, standing in front of him, witnessing it.
I nodded my head. "Go on."
He slowly walked forward and took my right hand, the one that wasn't holding my glass, and looked into my eyes. I recognized a flicker of something in his eyes but I couldn't quite place what it was. I was taken aback. I had never seen Vincent act like this before.
"What's wrong, Vincent?" I asked, my brow furrowing and concern written on my face.
He looked away from me and in this order; he looked down at the ground, to the left, to the right and back at me. He bit his bottom lip before speaking.
"Tifa, I wish to go with you when you leave." Short, sweet and to the point.
My eyebrows shot up at Vincent's statement. He isn't serious, is he? I opened my mouth to ask the dreaded 'why?' but he raised his left hand and put the index finger of his claw on my mouth.
"Because I want to be near you." I raised my eyebrows in shock at this. "Yes, I've missed you and yes, there are so many things I want to talk with about. After we separated, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Please, allow me to go with you."
Translation: I'm lonely and I don't want to be alone anymore.
I know that feeling.
He removed his finger from my mouth so I could speak again. But the thing is, I couldn't speak. Not even Cloud had been this open to me about his feelings. No one has, ever.
Vincent must have taken my silence the wrong way because he began to turn around and walk back into the mansion. I reached out and grabbed his human hand. He looked back at me with hurt clearly floating in his crimson eyes.
"You can come with me if you want," I said, walking towards him so instead of being behind him I was in front of him. "It's just that, what you said. No one's been that open to me before. It kind of shocked me."
He looked at me like he didn't believe me before he nodded his head and walked back inside. I followed suite and went back to bed.