Chapter 6: Dischord
Time seemed to forget the three companions as they travelled deeper into the crater. Without the sky to mark the passage of days, the small pocket watch Yuffie brought along was the only way they could keep track of the time they spent underground. In the weeks that followed, it was not the small entourage's first or last meeting with the Tonberries, Dragons, or other creatures residing within the crater, but the battles did slowly become easier as Vincent and Nanaki learned to adopt to the monsters' ways. That was not to say they didn't have their fair share of close calls, but the prowess learned from their fights with Jenova was quickly remembered, and perhaps even sharpened as they faced down the monsters in the crater day after day.
They would take turns during the evening watch, guard duty aided with the help of Yuffie's Enemy Away materia while the others rested fitfully and recovered their strength. It was during these times that Vincent had the opportunity to observe his companions freely, their defenses lowered while they slept peacefully by his feet.
Nanaki was faring the worst of all of them; it wasn't surprising that he didn't want to return to the crater with Yuffie. The giant lion was a creature of the planet, meant to bask in the warmth of the sun and the gentle caress of a fresh breeze under the open sky. The dank, claustrophobic confines of the crater were like poison to his body, leeching the giant cat's stamina continuously. Nanaki also had an affinity for hearing the voices of the planet, and though he could control himself while awake, he would whine and his paws would twitch convulsively as he slept, plagued by the nightmares of the restless lifestream below them. Or perhaps equally plagued by their impending meeting with the Gi, his unusual brethren. They were drawing closer to the place Yuffie had first found them; she kept them informed of their progress constantly.
Yuffie was as cheerful as ever, as though they weren't carving a bloody path through the heart of the northern continent but rather taking a stroll through the beautiful countryside of the Cosmo valley. She would throw herself violently into each battle, however, something even Nanaki noted with increasing concern. He had spoken with Vincent quietly on some of their watch nights, discussing the young ninja as she slept. Yuffie's dual personality as a warrior had always been present, even in her days working under Cloud. But the lion confided in Vincent that it was becoming more pronounced than he remembered. She would charge into battle recklessly with almost any foe, more often than not preferring to land the first blow before the surprised victim could even register her swift attacks. It wasn't that her maniac strategy was unsound, but the apparent disregard for personal safety that she used when she threw herself into a fight was worrying to both of her companions. At night she would fall into a deep slumber almost immediately, her body too exhausted to be plagued by dreams. Vincent was fast coming to conclude that her behaviour was a defense mechanism developed to keep the demons of the crater at bay while she slept.
Surprisingly enough, Vincent found himself to be the lone member of the group the least affected by their extended stay in the crater. He was used to long periods of solitude and darkness, and he found the time away from the petty concerns of the human civilizations aboveground to be a relaxing change from his previous five years of world-weary wandering. But moreover, the dangerous and solitary atmosphere of the crater forced the three friends to become more close-knit than they might have bothered to be in more comfortable circumstances. It was clear to see how Yuffie and Nanaki had developed their friendship, having spent time in the crater together before, and in a strange way Vincent felt as though he was earning the same privilege with each step they took deeper into the earth. Beyond just the added companionship, Vincent sometimes found the atmosphere of the northern crater itself soothing, as if knowing that even the planet itself still suffered and struggled helped ease his own doubts and pains.
Their arrival at what Yuffie had called the "Materia Falls" was a wondrous interlude in their dark and dangerous journey. The huge cavern shone almost as brightly as daylight due to the many pools of bright green mako spread around the uneven floor. It reflected off of the many materia formations in the walls to form a luminescent aura around the whole area. Some of the materia had crystallized in an odd pattern against one entire rock face, forming a clear sheet that looked like a turbulent waterfall unexpectedly frozen in place. They rested for the "evening" there, taking comfort in the light and natural beauty surrounding them. As his companions slept, Vincent heard the materia sing to him with a voice clearer than ever before. For once Nanaki's whines died out as the lion earned a slight reprieve and slipped into a peaceful slumber.
Vincent sat back on a rock overlooking their makeshift campsite, his eyes periodically scanning around the cavern warily, ever on the watch for intrusions from the less friendly denizens of the crater. A slight noise brought his attention back to his companions, and he saw Yuffie stir in her sleep. So… even she dreams sometimes, he thought to himself.
"Ngg… ma… nooo…" she mumbled, tossing and turning restlessly. "… Aeris!" With a jerk, she sat up, bringing her hands to her mouth as she came awake suddenly, the cry dying on her lips. As her eyes focused, she looked around wildly and spotted Vincent's attentive scrutiny. Immediately she flushed, embarrassment rushing to her face.
"Oh man… sorry Vince, didn't mean to wake up like that, cryin' like a little girl and everything," she mumbled.
Vincent shrugged lightly, his face impassive as usual. "You had a nightmare. There is no shame in that," he answered her quietly.
The girl smiled at him thankfully and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Well, I'm awake now. I can take over the watch if you want to get some shut-eye," she said. Vincent shook his head, turning back to his regard of the shimmering walls around them. "I'd rather stay awake a little longer, Yuffie," he replied. She hummed in agreement, and a companionable silence settled as they listened to the song of the materia around them.
Of course, it was Yuffie who broke the tranquil silence first. Vincent suppressed a sigh as she opened her mouth. "It sounds different here, doesn't it?" That caught him by surprise, and he spared a glance at the ninja. "What?"
"It sounds different," she repeated reasonably. "You mean you haven't noticed it by now? The materia talks, Vince. That's part of the fun of finding natural materia caves," she told him. "Every one has a different voice. Sometimes… sometimes, I think I can hear Aeris when I listen close enough," she said quietly. "It's probably wishful thinking," she added as an afterthought.
Vincent shook his head slightly, allowing the ghost of a smile to trace his lips. "No… you are right. I can't imagine any way to be closer to her than this," he said, leaning back and listening to the song around them. Another silence descended, and the two basked in the rare peace that the moment offered them.
After a while, Vincent felt Yuffie's eyes boring into him, and he turned and saw her stare. She instantly blushed bright pink and looked away, caught in the act. His brows knitted together as he wondered what she was thinking. It wasn't the first time he had noticed Yuffie stealing glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking. And it was inevitably the same when he did manage to catch her eye. She would flush brightly and turn away, ignoring him completely. It was beginning to irritate him. "Yuffie." he said. She immediately took up a close inspection of her shoelaces. "Yuffie," he began again, louder this time. "Why were you looking at me?" he asked bluntly.
The young ninja's guard was up instantly. "Who said I was looking at you?" she fenced defensively. "For your information, there was a really interesting looking piece of materia right behind your head!"
Vincent's eyes narrowed. "Really. I didn't know you possessed the capability to look through my head," he said mirthlessly.
Another blush graced Yuffie's face, and her fingers twitched nervously. "Well, okay. Maybe I was looking at you," she admitted in a tiny voice. "But I wasn't thinking about you. I swear!" she said, glaring up at him accusingly.
This caused Vincent's eyebrow to rise ever so slightly. "Oh? Then who were you thinking of?" he asked her suspiciously.
"Cloud!" she answered instantly, her face guileless.
"Cloud." he repeated, his tone clearly indicating his disbelief.
"Yeah, Cloud!" she said eagerly. "I was just thinking about how handsome he is. Those beautiful blue eyes, and that cute blond hair, and all those muscles…" she said, her voice taking on a dreamy quality. "He really is incredible. You don't look anything like him," she added absently. The sensible part of Yuffie registered that she had said the last part out loud after a few moments, and her face exploded into a bright shade of red. "I-I-I m-mean I... that is... uh, it's not that you look bad, actually I think you look kinda okay, I mean, I don't think you look kinda okay. ACK! I mean you look fine, uh, just a different kind of fine than Cloud!" she fumbled desperately. Vincent's sigh cut across the cavern. She gathered her courage and spared him a glance, and her heart caught her throat as she saw him regarding her with his mysterious red eyes.
Vincent felt dread settle in his stomach as he saw the hopeful look in Yuffie's timid gaze. He knew that look, he had been on its receiving end on more than one occasion when he was still a young Turk. It was the look of infatuation, and it was generally followed by the blushing girl's declaration of undying devotion. He really hated those types of looks; they usually came from younger, inexperienced girls who knew nothing of who he was or what he wanted. His response was quick and reflexive. Nip this in the bud. "Yuffie, don't fall in love," he warned her simply. "You'll only get hurt." Though he purposefully left the statement ambiguous, his meaning was clear, and his words fell between them like leaden weights.
Yuffie looked away quickly. It was getting harder to read the emotions in her normally expressive eyes as the mako seeped deeper into her bloodstream, masking her reactions behind their bright glow. She inhaled deeply, and when she looked back at Vincent, her face was stony. "Gawd! SOMEONE here's got an ego, doesn't he?" she shot back. "You sure know how to assume a helluva a lot from a look, Valentine. Well let me tell you something. You shouldn't do any more assuming. It only makes an ass outta you, not me!" she growled. With that, she turned her back to him roughly and flopped to the ground to sleep. "Wake me up when we're ready to leave," she called over her shoulder irritably before falling silent.
Vincent remained motionless, although inwardly he winced. That didn't go as badly as it might have, but it still felt as though the situation had been handled poorly. He hoped it wouldn't affect their travels through the crater too much. Still, the peace of the evening had been broken, he thought with a resigned sigh. The gunman turned his gaze away from the back of the fuming ninja, and tried to concentrate on the sound of the materia's song.
Some hours later, he eventually gave up. Yuffie was right, the song was different in every cave. The only other notes he managed hear that evening were discordant and unsettling.
… … …
Nanaki's tail swished back and forth in irritation. He fixed his glare on the back of one of the causes of his annoyance as he followed her upwards on the sloping path. Yuffie demanded to lead the group that day, and was currently trampling through the passage at a breakneck pace that had already attracted the attention of an unusually large amount of monsters. As if that were not enough, she remained atypically silent, giving no explanation for her behaviour. It wasn't that she needed to, however, as that was clear enough to the lion.
He flicked his ears backwards as he heard the crumbling of stone underneath Vincent's metal-tipped boots. The gunman was being silent as usual, having said nothing since they woke up and left that morning. He might have assumed it to be the normal behaviour for their stoic companion, but Nanaki was becoming familiar with the slight changes in Vincent's moods from the way he carried himself. Today the human's posture was painfully stiff, indicating his mental discomfort. The giant cat's ears swiveled forward once more as he growled softly. "I've come to expect this sort of childish behaviour from Yuffie," he began, "but I'm surprised that you would be a part of it as well, Vincent," Nanaki finished, trying to break free of the tension sandwich that he was currently caught in.
Yuffie whirled around violently, her finger already pointing towards Vincent as her eyes flashed furiously. "He started it!" she yelled immediately. "And what did you mean by that anyway? I'm mature!" she added, stomping her foot childishly for emphasis.
Vincent's eyebrow shot up immediately, and then lowered dangerously into a scowl. "Yuffie is simply overreacting to a reasonable request I made of her last evening," he answered.
"REASONABLE? Why you-" the girl began, but Nanaki cut her off with a growl. "No yelling!" he shouted. "Now will one of you please tell me what this argument is about?"
"Fine!" Yuffie huffed, planting her hands on her hips. "Mr. Icicle caught me looking at him last night, and now he thinks I'm madly in love with him," she said, pinning Vincent with an accusing glare. "He's afraid I might touch him with a 10-foot pole and muss his perfect hair now," she smirked.
Nanaki felt his own eyebrow raise as he regarded the girl. Well, it wasn't surprising, she had developed a crush on Cloud before, after all. Yuffie's romantic magnet always did seem to have its poles switched. He turned his head to regard Vincent. "Well?"
The scowl seemed to embed itself deeper into Vincent's expression as glared back coolly. "Yuffie, your attentions are unwanted," he said evenly. "They are the capricious desires of an infatuated child. You had best be rid of them before they turn into an unpleasant distraction for both of us."
Yuffie's face turned red and her fists clenched by her sides. Nanaki bowed his head and covered his good eye with a paw in resignation, hoping that Yuffie wasn't planning on testing the strength of the All Creation.
"Infatuated child? Unpleasant distraction? On my GAWD!" she screamed, throwing her hands up into the air. "Just where do you get off thinking that, Vincent Valentine? Do you think the sun rises and sets for you too? I can't BELIEVE you!" she sputtered. He only raised his eyebrow at her, as if silently challenging her to prove his statement wrong. "You know what your problem is, Vincent? You take things way too seriously," she hissed in a low voice. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I thought… and you hear that, buddy, THOUGHT, past tense… you were kinda cute looking. Maybe I was wondering what it might be like to get to know you better. But no, apparently, you're too EMOTIONALLY CONSTIPATED to even HANDLE that idea!" she continued, her voice rising with each word. "No, Vincent Valentine can't have a normal relationship with anyone. He can't even handle having friends! It's gotta be all or nothing with you, doesn't it, Vincent?"
"Yuffie—" Nanaki cut in, sensing that she was pushing too fast and too far. But the young ninja would have none of it, too caught up in her own rage.
"Best friends or none at all! True love or revulsion! You probably think of this whole damn place as one big Vincent Valentine Vacation Resort, because down here you don't have to deal with other people! Especially the ones dumb enough to call themselves your friends!" Yuffie's voice became shrill. "Except for us, right? Except for me and Nanaki? So when are you gonna start calling him an 'annoying distraction', huh Vince? Or do I get the special treatment just 'cause I'm the only girl around here?" She finally ended her tirade, her chest heaving and her breath leaving her in ragged gasps.
Vincent remained silent, but recoiled slightly as her words struck him like a slap. When he did finally respond, his voice was low and emotionless. "If you didn't wish me to accompany you on this trip, you should have mentioned it earlier." Yuffie's mouth opened and closed slightly as a look of shame crossed her face. He cut her off, brushing past Nanaki brusquely. "When we return to Cosmo Canyon, I'll leave. Until then you will have to tolerate my presence," he said, stopping before the young ninja, his great height towering over her darkly. "However detestable you may find it to be." He pushed past her, the tattered remains of his cloak swirling into the darkness.
"#!§?. I messed it up, didn't I, Red?" she said quietly as she stared down the passage he had taken. The lion's low sigh made her spirits sink even further, and she bit her lower lip to prevent it from trembling.
A comforting purr rumbled from Nanaki's throat as he pushed his head under her hand and nuzzled it gently. "Look on the bright side, Yuffie," he told her gently. "We still have two months to spend together here. It's more than enough time for you to repair the damage you've caused."
Yuffie's eyebrow raised slightly as she glanced down at the cat. "Whoa, wait a second there, Nanaki, it's not like he's completely innocent, either," she said stiffly.
The giant cat fixed his one eye on her. "People who are only beginning to discover their own flaws do not usually appreciate the mirror being put upon them forcibly," he answered mildly. "I am sure that if a good friend of mine had problems with attachment and a fear of rejection, it would not be very helpful to tell her that lashing out at her companion's understandable reaction to her overtures would come to no good." With that, he stood up and continued down the passage, leaving Yuffie staring at his retreating figure with an open mouth.
… … …
Vincent kept his eyes trained on the tunnel ahead, ignoring the sounds of footfalls as Nanaki scrabbled after him. His mind was turning, his anger sparked by Yuffie's sharp words of attack. The anger gnawed at him, causing a familiar and slightly painful stirring in his breast. The Chaos Beast, he thought to himself. The corners of Vincent's mouth turned down slightly, the only visible sign of his seething anger. He had almost forgotten what it felt like, to be chained to a physical manifestation of his anger One good round of verbal sparring with the impudent ninja had managed to change all that. He ground his teeth together, his eyes narrowing. Not since… not since Lucretia… Red seeped into the corners of his vision as his thoughts whirled on each other like vicious animals. How dare she, SHE of all people, flay open his inner demons and pronounce judgement on them, as though she were his keeper? His anger boiled under the surface of his skin. He wanted to tear the angry expression she had worn off of her face with his claws… Vincent's murderous contemplation was interrupted by the sound of soft footfalls beside him, and he glanced around quickly to identify the source of the intrusion.
Nanaki stared back at him, his golden eye squinting in concern. "Vincent. Are you feeling well?" the lion asked him, continuing his pace at Vincent's side.
"I am fine," the gunman responded, managing to keep his voice level. He pulled his face back into the shadows of his cloak and stared ahead resolutely.
Nanaki wuffled beside him and flicked his tail. "That's strange. I would be angry with Yuffie if she spoke to me that way," he said nonchalantly. Vincent looked down sharply, but Nanaki was staring at the darkness ahead, seemingly paying no mind to the human beside him at all.
Vincent considered whether or not to allow the giant cat to continue in silence. Then, with the vague feeling that he might regret his decision, he spoke once more. "Perhaps a little upset," he admitted. "That girl should learn to think before she opens her mouth," he said, a hint of the anger raging within him colouring his voice.
"While I agree that Yuffie often takes actions too quickly for her own good," the lion offered to his companion, "I wouldn't make the mistake to assume that she hasn't thought about them." Nanaki's voice took on a slightly disapproving quality. "I would also caution you against assuming that Yuffie is still the same sixteen-year-old girl you left behind five years ago," he growled quietly. Noting Vincent's silence, he continued. "Yuffie has trouble expressing her feelings to others, Vincent. She isn't so unlike yourself," he added. "Perhaps you could give her the benefit of your understanding, even if you are uninterested in what she might offer." At last the cat turned his eye away from the road and looked up at Vincent. "Yuffie's greatest desire is only to be heard, Vincent. I don't believe that is beyond your emotional capabilities," he finished.
Vincent said nothing for a long while, thinking over the beast's words. "I do not…. can not offer her the comfort she is seeking," he said after some consideration.
Nanaki only rumbled under his breath slightly in his closest approximation of a human chuckle. "Vincent. You might find it beneficial to make the attempt," he said. "For both of your sakes."
The anger drained from Vincent's body as he slowed his steps. "Wise words, Nanaki." The cat dipped his head in slight acknowledgement of the compliment. He stopped, turning around and looked behind them at the passage. "Where is Yuffie?"
Nanaki also paused, turning his head and squinting at the passage behind them. "She should have reached us by now. We should go back and see what's keeping her," he growled.
The young ninja in question had actually not moved very far from the location where she had exploded at her friends. She found a particularly large piece of twisted root jutting out from the cave's floor and sat down on it, putting her chin in her hand.
Am I really that bad? she thought, twirling the Oritsuru before herself absently. Sure, she knew she had said some pretty horrid things to Vincent, but it was Nanaki's words that chased through her mind now. Was I really just overreacting to him turning me away? It's not like it hasn't happened before, she thought stubbornly. The metal crane winked at her, its wings condensing and reflecting the weak light of the cavern in brief flashes as she turned it. It's actually happened a lot. A whole lot. A whole lotta lot… She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear the soft pattering in the cavern before her. It was only when irregular sound of stone crunching was next to her ear that she looked up quickly.
"Nanaki?"
Yuffie bit back a scream as she looked up to the owner of the soft footfalls. Or, rather owners. Those weren't footsteps, she thought with dread as she flipped off of the root, thankful that her Oritsuru was at least in hand.
The four innocent looking orange balls bounced in front of her almost playfully, looking for all the world like a set of animated children's toys. But Yuffie wasn't deceived by their harmless appearance, and cringed as they quickly trapped her in the center of their makeshift square. "Movers!" she groaned, taking aim at the nearest one and letting the Oritsuru fly. The swift orange ball quickly bounced out of the path of her throw, eliciting another curse from the ninja. "And four of them, too. Gawd, this is just Yuffie's lucky day, isn't it?" she groaned, as the four objects suddenly began to twirl in unison around her with dizzying speed. She drew her weapon to her head as a shield, once again cursing the Oritsuru's ridiculously small size, and squeezed her eyes shut as the attack hit.
Stars exploded around the cavern and Yuffie felt her stomach drop out through the bottom of her shoes. Motion sickness lurched through her body as the creatures' attack disoriented her sense of direction completely. "Ugh…" she coughed, the stars refusing to leave her vision even after the spell faded. Spinning wildly, she desperately tried to focus on the sounds of the tiny bouncing balls to identify their location.
The Movers decided to be helpful, as one by one they began to dive at her and painfully reveal their presence across her unprotected flesh. The air rushed out of her with a gasp as one slammed into her stomach, and she let out a shriek of pain as another crashed into the back of her legs, knocking them out from under her. Yuffie hit the floor with a groan, but the pain was at least enough to make her head clear. It was fortunate, too, as she saw two of the balls descending towards her face with terminal velocity. This time she didn't waste her breath with a scream, opting instead to continue her roll. The deadly orange balls showered her with bits of debris as they slammed into the stone floor beside her, shattering it with explosive force of their impact.
"!#$!" she swore, tumbling messily to her feet. "Sorry guys, gotta go!" she yelled, her pride not allowing her to retreat without at least a verbal blow, before turning and sprinting up the passage as fast as her feet could carry her.
… … …
The sound of Yuffie's scream followed by a few blasts caused Vincent and Nanaki to break into a run.
"Yuffie!" Vincent murmured, fear suddenly seizing him. If my words and actions bring her to harm… he thought with a sense of dread. His feet seemed to be moving too slowly, and vaguely, he thought he could hear the musical tinkling of Lucretia's laughter in his ears. Failed again, Valentine. Bonus points for effort, better luck next time, his ghosts whispered in his ear maliciously.
Nanaki gained ground ahead of the gunman, his four legs enabling him to move over the rough terrain faster than his human companion. But it was still hardly enough forewarning for Vincent to stop his own momentum when the lion suddenly put his feet together and leaned backwards, skidding to a halt.
Vincent didn't even have time to register why Nanaki had stopped before Yuffie barrelled into him, sending them both rolling to the floor. "Yuffie?" he managed in surprise and more than a little relief as she crawled off of him.
"Get up, get UP!" she wheezed at her friends as she scrambled to her feet. "Movers! Move it or lose it!"
"Too late," came Nanaki's growl as the four deadly globes spun into view, pausing to take stock of their new opponents. "Why are there four?" came the lion's annoyed howl as he twisted to dodge one of the small creatures' attacks.
"I dunno, maybe they got social!" Yuffie screamed, diving as another one went for her head.
A shot rang out through the cavern, and then Vincent joined them in their game of dodgeball as he narrowly missing being decapitated by one of the angry attackers. "Only three now," he managed to tell them curtly.
This caused Yuffie to stop with her mad dodging and display a feral smile. "Gotcha! Three we can do, right Nanaki?" she yelled, readying the Oritsuru. The giant cat was already in motion, his roar echoing through the passage as the magic he tapped into exploded around them. The cavern was blanketed with numbing coldness, and massive chunks of ice exploded from the ground, trapping the three spinning Movers within. As the spell faded, the little balls wobbled haphazardly, their speed reduced by the force of the Freeze spell. Still, they were already forming a triangle around Yuffie, preparing to blast her with another collective spell attack.
Holding her weapon above herself and taking careful aim, Yuffie gave her friends one warning. "Duck!" And then she let it fly with all of the speed she could muster, flattening herself against the ground.
Vincent hit the floor, watching as the shuriken whirled through the air, completely missing their remaining three opponents. Yuffie's aim is not normally this bad, he thought to himself as the weapon struck the wall over him and ricocheted off of it. The three tiny balls seemed to agree with his conclusion as their motion stopped and the stars of their cast filled the passage once more. The Oritsuru, however, did not stop, continuing its flight around the cavern to fly back towards the center, neatly slicing one of the creatures in two. The spell collapsed as abruptly as it had started, as the shuriken continued on its deadly path. It deflected twice more off of the walls and struck down their remaining opponents before Yuffie finally reached out and caught it.
"Oh yeah, score another one for Great Ninja Yuffie!" she yelled, twirling the Oritsuru around gracefully and striking a short victory pose on one leg. And then, "Ow!" as she lost her balance and fell over unceremoniously, rubbing at her injured calf.
Vincent made his way over to the girl as he holstered his gun, kneeling and offering her his good hand. "Are you okay, Yuffie?" he asked quietly as she spared his outstretched hand a debilitating glance.
"Why do you care?" she answered nastily, and then winced and quickly amended her tone. "Uh, I didn't mean that…" she mumbled, slipping her hand into his. He pulled her onto her feet quickly, unruffled by the cheap blow. "I did," he answered, holding her hand for just a moment longer than necessary before turning away.
Yuffie watched his retreating back guiltily, and then her face set with determination. "Hey, Vince, wait up a second!" she called after him, running up behind him and tugging on the edge of his cloak. He stopped and regarded her silently, and she shuffled a foot against the ground and put her arms behind her back. "It's just… well, you walkin' off all cold like that is how this mess got started in the first place, you know…" Watching his eyebrow raise fractionally, she winced and tried again. "Uh, maybe it wasn't your fault actually," she continued, feeling as though she was shrinking by the second under his unblinking gaze. "In-fact-maybe-it-was-kinda-my-fault," she finished quickly, pink rising over her face. Then she put her hands on her hips and squared her shoulders resolutely. "Now listen, I'm not saying that you didn't act like a big jerk last night," she grumbled defensively. "But I acted like a bigger one just now, and I'm sorry. So let's just forget about the whole thing and go back to being friends like before! Okay? Okay!" she said, the slight pink on her cheeks turning into cherry tomato red.
Vincent hid a slight smile behind the folds of his cloak as the temperamental ninja whirled and began to march back up the passage without giving him the chance to reply. Yuffie Kisaragi apologized, to me of all people. Sensing another presence behind him, he turned around and looked down at Nanaki, who was doing his best imitation of an ear-splitting grin.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" the great beast rumbled in amusement as he trailed after Yuffie.
"HEY! Are you guys coming, or am I going to have to get a rope and drag you after me or what?" came Yuffie's shrill demand from ahead.
He held back for a moment, the fleeting smile dropping off of his face as another confused thought occurred to him. No, it wasn't bad at all.