A/N: I think I'm more suited to one shots than doing the long chaptered stories. Now, don't get me wrong, but I think that I'm deleting Take 2 and that when I finish Scarlet Valentine, I'm DONE with chaptered stories. - heheheh. It's sooooo hard. I enjoy writing, but I hate concentrating on one thing for eternity. Anywho, time to quit my incessant babbling and finish this second half of ATR- about Yuffie's leg, I forgot that it was broken. Er…It was magically fixed, okay? Oh, and CloudxTifa forever! My second favorite pairing ever! Oh hell, I decided, this will all be one gynormous glob of story, okay? I removed the bad songs from the first part…so yeah.

I'm a very repetitive person. Repetitive person I am very. Very repetitive am I person. Er…. I tend to say the same things a lot.

I re-read the first part, and guess what? Like everything I've ever written, it needed to be re-edited! So, I fixed all the grammatical errors that I found (too many) and decided to post this all as one mama-honkin part. Because, I CAN. -….Umm….Onto the Response of the Reader Reviews.

To all my 'loving' Reviewers:

Commander Cheddar Wow...er...Well, I guess I will post more for SV? You like it? jeez louise. All these people like SV, but it's so full of errors I don't know how you stand it! Thank you all! Thank you all so very much!

Noriko Looks like you didn't! I liked my characters too. Woo!

Phoenix18 Well what I meant was complicated, it'd take too long, I'll put it in a review when you write another fic. XD Anywho, thank you for the review, and guess what? It reminded me I still have another half to write! Woohoo! Well, I have really bad grammar, but yeah, we'll blame it on Microsoft. It took me forever to write the first part so…..bleh.

Emri You deserve an award for the sweetest review ever! I am all, 'omg that's so nice' right now! I couldn't have killed Yuffie, though the first time I contemplated doing it and I cried ….er…forget what I said...anyways...thank you so much for your review!

Eternalstar180 I couldn't leave a cliffhanger….-; when I do in SV I get yelled at. Here's the next part. Er….parts…whatever.

Neko-Yuff18 You liked it! You really, really liked it! Oohh! (passes out)

Yuffie Kisaragi2 I was going to leave you hanging on that one part. But then, I remembered how some of my reviewers get when I leave cliffhangers (snorts) so, yeah. Here's the second half!

Kitsuni -Demon Wow you're spazzing out! XD anyways, I don't know what to say. Yes all that stuff you said happens, did happen. So….yeah.

Cian Bleh you didn't really like it. The only reason you read it was because I forced you to hehe. (evil laughter in background)

Right now I'm listening to "Monochrome" of Ayumi Hamasaki's Appears CD. It's pretty good to write to, that Ayu music. The song used for this one-shot is…."And FOREVER…-By Robbie Danzie featuring Takao Naoki.

PART ONE

6:23 p.m. Midgar Ruins

Vincent walked slowly through the muck, each step clinging to the thick mud as he trudged onwards, through the ruins of the city, his metal boots giving a muffled clanging sound with each slap upon the submerged metal and concrete shards, the sloshing of the water adding to the sickening sound. All around him, people were sloshing through the thigh high waters, carrying soaked remnants of their old homes, pictures of anguish painted upon their features. They hadn't deserved this, none of them, they hadn't deserved to have their homes crushed and blown apart by Meteors fierce swirling fiery winds, to be torn apart by the violence, after all the years of repression by the government. They didn't deserve it, but, as with all people, they got it anyways.

Debris floated along the water, which was flowing swiftly from the main water piping that had been busted underneath Meteors intense pressure, and Vincent felt each piece as if it were driving into his very soul. So much desolation, so many people homeless, and there were many dead as well. Valiant as Reeve's efforts had been, there had been NO way to save all the citizens from Meteor's wrath, at least several thousand were already presumed dead. Memorial services were likely to be held together for all the lives lost, unless another, highly unlikely crisis was about to happen. His ruby eyes closed as he stopped, giving a moment of silence to the souls of the men women and children all dead because of Hojo. In the end, it all came down to Hojo. His experimentation, his theories, his need to destroy, it had all brought Shin Ra's hierarchy to naught. For, what power could save in the face of disaster?

And Vincent himself, had some fault as well, for he had not been able to kill Hojo all those years ago. Of all my sins, he thought, making the sign of the cross with his human hand, Not being able to stop you...and Lucrecia...from committing this tragedy…are the things that I regret the most. He mentally whispered. Looking up towards the sky, the moon visible through the smoke and ash, burning a bright silver...Silver hair...Sephiroth. My son of sorts, Vincent's mind mused on the thought as the water began to soak through his supposedly water resistant pants, chilling the skin of his legs, dripping down into his boots, drop by icy drop. It mattered not anymore, he was gone, she was gone, everything from his past was gone. Vincent reopened his faintly glowing orbs and continued to trudge forward, his mind now focusing upon his companions, the people he would even go so far as to consider friends.

They were all were in different parts of the city right now, each helping to drag out bodies and the occasional survivor. Tifa worked in the lower half of the dual layered ruins, near the sectors 6 and 7, near her old bar, the place she had long considered her home. Cloud also worked on the lower levels along with Barrett, each helping to lift large debris out of the murky depths of the water, and slay a few monsters that had drifted into the liquid, attacking the few who lived. Cid worked in the air, aboard his airship, lifting the wounded to Calm and other cities that were willing to take in the seriously injured. Red XIII worked along the more fragile top sectors, sniffing out the survivors so that they could extract the people without risking a collapse. Cat had disappeared with the arrival of Reeve, who used his extensive resources from ShinRa to help out on the top sectors as well, primarily using the Turks, so none of the others were needed up top. Yuffie, well, no one really knew where the hell she had ran off to, and right now, it wasn't important. Past memories began to infiltrate his mind. (stupid a/n: Kind of like ninjas...oohh ninjas…)

His eyes opened at the high pitched sound of a woman's scream. Ahead of him, another water pipe had burst, cutting through the pile of debris that a family had been perched upon, dragging a little boy from his mothers vice-like grip. "Momma! Help me!" "NO! My baby, please, someone save him!" she screamed as the child was swept towards the massive flaming crater in the middle of the ruins (a/n: That I forgot to mention?), where skin scalding steam rose from its fiery depths as water raced down the sides, only faintly tugging at most where Vincent stood, but where the little boy was, the water was gushing directly towards it. Vincent moved as quickly as he could, sloshing through the heavy liquid, about as fast as moving Jell-O, knowing even then it was too late for the child. Suddenly, leaping from pile to pile of debris, a tiny figure leapt from above him, diving into the water without hesitation. A thick rope slapped the water near him as the form of young woman splashed near the child.

Vincents eyes widened as he recognized the tiny figure swimming valiantly towards the little boy. It was Yuffie. She held the end of the rope betwixt her teeth, slicing diagonally towards the child with her arms and legs, quickly approaching the boy's form as he thrashed wildly. She caught him quickly, and knowing they were nearing the edge, quickly wrapped the rope around his body, tying it tightly to his stomach as she held on to the edge. Vincent stood in awe as she worked quickly, then snapped out of his frozen state and leapt upon a pile of debris, jumping from pile to pile to quickly reach the people, the thick rope roll clutched between his fingers as he neared the family, watching with horror as they spread towards the end of the road (er, streaming gushing edge of a waterfall seems more appropriate right now, ne?).

"Grab the rope!" he said stiffly, shoving it into the mothers hand, taking hold of part himself. "We're going to all need to pull to get them back up here!" He yelled, making sure each person grabbed a handful, or more, of inch thick collumn of twisted fiber. His own fingers, the gold encrusted 'demon claw', part of his eternal punishment, and human hand clutched a bigger handful than most, and locking his knees, he felt them all lurch forward as Yuffie and the boy were hurled the edge. Suddenly, the rope tautened, and they ground their heels into the muck, catching them on pieces of metal and such for more stability, preventing the two from dropping into the glowing fiery abyss, straining just to pull them up a little.

In the water, the boy, crying, clung to Yuffie, even though he was tied securely. She felt the rope slashing her palms to bits as she hung as tightly as she could against the water, while trying to reassure him. "Waahhh, what if we die? What if they can't help us!" He cried. A pang of heartfelt emotion, and a memory of pure feeling shot through her, chilling the young woman even further. Looking down reassuringly, Yuffie put the brightest smile on her face that she could, hugging the boy tightly, yelling in reply, "Don't cry! We'll be out of here before you know it! See that guy over there with your momma? He and I helped stop Meteor!" The boy stiffened, bravely, and nodded, though silent tears still streaked down his chubby cheeks. Hope filled his heart, for, one of the Saviors of the Planet was here with him, helping through the journey, and he could not be afraid with such a powerful person on his side.

Vincent and the boy's family managed, with each excruciating pull, to haul Yuffie and the woman's boy against the rushing current, ever so slowly towards the pile of debris, closer and closer to safety. Unfortunately nearing the completion of saving the duo, each and every one of the people, save Vincent, was exhausted, and hardly could pull any farther. Vincent surely could not haul them on his own, and deep within his soul hoped to god they could all just struggle a little more, a little longer to bring the two to safety. Suddenly, the mother felt her grip weaken, and she let go as the rope slid between her fingers, burning the tender flesh, ripping the skin from her palms a. Both Yuffie and the boy screamed as they lurched back, the rest of them redoubling their efforts just to keep the two where they were.

Yuffie's voice, unusually calm, met the rescue groups ears, "We're too heavy, you'll never pull us both up!" She cried out, trying to keep her head, and the young child's above the gushing water. "One of us will have to let go!" she screamed, "Or we'll both die!" Vincent's eyes widened, surely she didn't mean that the child would...no. A flash of desperateness he could see within her stormy eyes, and he could see her grip relaxing on the rope. "I know how much your baby means to ya lady!" She smiled, tears beginning to well in her eyes, dripping down her cheeks into the torrent of water. "So, in order to keep him alive, I guess it's time for the great Yuffie Kisaragi to say goodbye!"

Within her mind, a peaceful feeling, a sort of calm, took over her panicking brain, soothing her. The great Ninja makes a valiant sacrifice, she laughed inwardly, I can see the headlines on the papers "Teenage Hero Saves Brat!" haha!. Well Go-dad, yep, I guess I should call you Dad in the end, I guess I wish I could say that I'm sorry I disappointed ya, I hope that maybe an honorable death will restore fame to the infamous Kisaragi name..yeah, ya old fart, I won't be around to disgrace you-even her mind was beginning to choke up, so I guess...you can be happy, right? A voice from above suddenly ripped through her thoughts.

"Yuffie, don't you DARE let go!" Vincent's voice cracked as he yelled. It kind of sounds like he's being murdered by strangulation, Yuffie chuckled inwardly. Opening her eyes, she saw clearly the anguish written on his normally impassive face. But, she had made her decision. It was too late to change her mind now. A child's life was at stake, and like her mother, Yuffie would rather die than see a young one die. Smiling brightly, she let go with one hand, feeling the water jerk her some, though she kept hold with the other. I'm sorry... her mind whispered to him. Reaching onto her belt, she took out the pouch of materia and threw it up to Vincent, the child's mother catching it. "Here ya go Vinnie! Give it back to everyone for me!" She yelled, eyes bright with water and tears.

No...Vincents eyes widened, that surely, couldn't mean...Suddenly, he felt the child being launched up out of the water with a slick 'pop', himself being thrown back as the extra weight released itself from the clinging rope. Scrambling to the edge, Vincent looked down at the thrashing waters, his cloak dramatically whipping back behind him. With a battle cry "Ayaa! Don't forget me Vinnie-poo!", Yuffie waved at him, before being dragged under, disappearing right as the water crashed over the edge. "Y-YUFFIE!"

8:17 PM Midgar Ruins

He sat atop the same pile of ruin, even after the water had stopped flowing, slowly descending, slowly receding into the pit, until nothing but soaked, sopping water littered the ground. Vincent sat, one knee bent towards his chest, an arm leaning on it, his head down, saying a prayer for the loss of the valiant little ninja. "Damnit...Yuffie…you committed the ultimate sacrifice, willingly and without a thought", Vincent whispered, his human hand, down near his side, clutched around the small sack of the materia, (that he had realized later upon further investigation was only what she had had equipped) feeling the damp, rough texture of the fabric upon his palm. His fingers mussed the thin leather tie of the drawstring bag, feeling the worn leather warm the skin of his palm as it heated slowly in the cold night.

The family had long left, the wife tearfully thanking Vincent, and saying a prayer for the ninja, telling him she would be remembered always by their family, the little boy pulling at her hair, crying softly into her chest as she had wrapped a thick blanket about her son to keep him warm. The moonlight filtered through the cracks in the upper level, lighting the area of Sector 4 in an eerie, yet comforting silvery gray glow. Standing, Vincent made his way slowly down the pile of rubble, not once stumbling upon any of the items scattered about, such as metal, wire...bodies...ect, his movements lithe and graceful even when he cared naught.

Moving along like a zombie, Vincent retraced the path of the rushing water, damning ShinRa even more for taking the life of such an young woman, who had naught lived her life to the fullest. Drawing up memories, Vincent replayed the one in his head that he had tucked away, not caring about it at the time.

They stood in Nibelheim, waiting for the rest of the party to return from the Reactor, ignoring the glares of the townsfolk, at the time not knowing they had been hired as ShinRa employees. Yuffie sat atop the well, tapping her foot along the thick wooden panels that covered the metal of the water holding device. Vincent stood on the platform near her, stoic and silent, his eyes closed to better ignore the people who inhabited the once friendly town. The ninja was eating a Popsicle, quite noisily, slurping the quickly melting ice as it trickled down the small thin stick, as she stared down at the man, and moving closer, she tapped his shoulder, gaining a look from him.

"Hey, Vinnie?" He sighed, rubbing his temple. "Yes Yuffie?" he asked emotionlessly, knowing if he did not reply she would have taken insult and started berating him for god knows how long. "Umm…What was it like?" her voice was little more than a whisper as she looked down at me from above. "What was what like?" His mind asked, though remaining silent, waiting quietly for a better explanation of her words. "…." After a few moments, she tried to rephrase what she said before. "Ya know…" She said slowly, "Like…all those years in the coffin. What was it like?"

"………." He refused to say a word, and in true Yuffie fashion, she kept talking, though more to herself now. "Maybe," she said, absentmindedly throwing the stick at a random passerby, who glared at her, earning a rude gesture as from her as they turned away, the Popsicle stick stuck to the back of the persons head. "Is it like….an emptiness inside you, like knowing you were helpless to stop it? Like, no matter what you had done, it would have happened anyways, that it was futile to even try? A drowning despair…" She whispered, her voice breathy and sad, looking at the bright moon as it drifted lazily overhead, full and beautiful. Yuffie rested her hand upon her knee, and sighed, staring absently into the starry expanse.

Vincent arched an eyebrow, and spoke, his voice unsure. "Yuffie-" Suddenly, she leapt off the top, and ran towards the mansion, waving, "Heeeeyyy!" she called to the party. "You're back!" She smiled happily as she ran, tripping once, but catching herself before falling upon her face. Vincent sighed, and followed, though definitely not as bouncy and buoyant. She hugged Tifa, strangling in a sort hug that she became famous in the group for, laughing exuberantly as she spoke quickly. "Ohmigod it was so boring while you were gone! I was eating an ice pop, and threw the stick, aiming for the trashcan, but some idiot stepped in its way, giving ME a dirty glare! I should have given them a taste of my Ninja-fu, but I didn't, the lucky ducks!" She said. Tifa merely smiled, ruffling the ninja's hair, nodding.

And ever since then…when they saw Yuffie smile, he could tell…it was fake. A play of light, a shadow deep within her eyes, the happiness painted on like a doll. A doll…porcelin features that slowly cracked, each a miniscule tiny thing, spider webby, but with one good hit she would break. A thousand infinitesimal pieces, leaving but a tiny form of shadow, hollowed emotion. Just….like him.

Reality set in. The ninja, whom like the rest of the group, Vincent had become accustomed to having around, was dead. Her life, so fresh and new, was snuffed out like a candle. She had not even had the chance to live yet. Such a vibrant person, she did not deserve this death. Vincent thought, I will make sure…that everyone knows of her sacrifice. She will not have died without recognition for this deed.

Reaching the edge of the abyss, Vincent peered down at the lake Meteor had created, the water having calmed now. A circular indentation around thirty or forty stories down, and half a mile wide, two miles across, the artificial lake was enormous. ((Midgar was a huge city…so I made it big too?)) Looking down, the waters, which started at around the twentieth story, so it was a rather large drop if you fell, the liquid reflected the light from above, shapes outlined by steaming machinery and things around the walls on the way down dappled across the water. Several large outcroppings lined just his side of the lake, popping out regularly across the abyss.

Crouching, he studied a particularly strange looking one, too rounded to be twisted metal, and…He squinted his eyes, trying to gather the entire shape. It looked like a body.. Leaping down one level, Vincent crouched upon an outcropping himself, checking the form out. Surely it was a monster… No. It was a body. A human body! Surely it could not be- Vincent began to leap down the levels, one to the other, panic arising within, a new sensation for him, one that had not been felt even when fighting the seemingly futile battle with Safer Sephiroth. ((A/N: Safer, I wonder where they got that from? I mean, he's not exactly safe to be around. Heh.)) The form began to grow larger as he neared it, and he could make out details. It was stretched out, and definitely a woman's form. It was….it was…

PART TWO

8:45 Midgar Ruin Lake

Yuffie lay, bruised and broken upon the platform, her eyes closed, biting her lower lip to stay a cry of anguish. Her head hurt, her back felt like it had been broken, and at the angle her leg was, Yuffie KNEW that was definitely not right. The metal beneath her was jagged and had cut into the flesh of her back when she had been slammed against it, tearing the skin and the shirt to shreds, along with her leg mesh, leg warmers, everything that had landed upon it. She could hardly keep conscious as the blood seeped slowly from her body in a few hot streams of the trickling liquid.

The roar of the water beneath her, though it looked calm, was deafening, and Yuffie cringed, knowing that if she lived through this she'd never yell again. Her body, tense, began to relax, accepting the fact that she wouldn't make it out alive. But, it had been worth it. The little boy, he was safe and with his family, his mother, and that was where he deserved to be. Yuffie's thoughts turned back to her own mother, whom she had watched get murdered in front of her during the Wutain War, so long ago. Yuffie had been two at the time, and how the memory stayed with her she'd never know, all she knew was that Masako Kisaragi had been carrying her daughter to safety when she had been shot several times by ShinRa soldiers.

Every smell, sound and sight was etched into Yuffie's mind, even the feeling of overwhelming despair and fear of being left alone, while she had tried to shake her mother afterwards, begging the bloody, cold body to come back, that it was time to go home. Her father had found her three days later, and taken the girl home, and that was when her life had changed. Ahh stop it Yuff. she told herself chidingly, letting out a ragged breath of air, weak and shallow. The past is the past, and there's nothing you can do about it now. You never could do anything, I mean look where you are now. Just give it up.

"Yuffie…" She felt herself drifting off, letting go into the current of the Lifestream, separating from body and mind. It was a glorious feeling, she felt giddy and happy to be going. I feel so good, it's so wonderful…and the best part is, that no one will miss me, heh…. The trippy delirious feeling receded, and she felt a pang of pain at the thought of not being missed. I was so horrible, why should they miss me? I did nothing but annoy them, and steal their materia.. I was useless. Maybe, at the beginning, if Sephiroth had killed me instead of Aeris, none of this would have happened. Depression began to set in as she let go. "….Yuffie!"

Her eyes snapped half way open, a blurry red and black figure stood above her, well crouched actually. She groaned, feeling warm hands lift her head. "My god…" She heard a mans voice whisper. A very, very familiar mans voice. "…….ugh...Vin…cent?" she asked, her voice slow and thick. Two human hands touched her face, cupping it gently as she felt a cushioned warmth beneath her head. That wasn't right, Vincent had a claw that looked like a tarnished golden metal…or was it bronze? Anyways, he had a claw over one hand, it couldn't be him. But, her vision began to clear, she was proven wrong, it was him, and her head was laying on his lap.

She heard the clang of metal upon metal as the hands left her face, and she strained to see what he was doing. Two, distinctly human hands were on his gold claw, searching for something, and finding it apparently, they pulled out a tiny green, faintly glowing orb. "Full cure…" Vincent's deep, melodic voice whispered. Closing her eyes, a familiar green light wafted over her, and Yuffie cringed as minor cuts, bruises and such were closed instantly, each feeling like a needle prick. The deeper cut, one the size of Vincents arm that sliced its way down her back closed slower, eliciting a scream of pain from the girl, for it felt like something was tearing her apart. After the duty had been done, she lay back, her physical injuries healed.

Her head felt still was reeling though, and she was thankful all she had the strength to do was lay there, motionless and seemingly lifeless, upon Vincent's lap, breathing only when she felt she'd die of lack of air. Every muscle was sore, feeling like she had ran a marathon in world record time, then swam several knots as well. Yuffie's fingers and toes were stinging, like she had been numb from cold and heated quickly, as blood flow returned to the frozen limbs. Yuffie knew instinctively she was going to pay for this, pay for all the healing that the materia had done. For, when it healed physical injuries, the pain would come back to the person later, stinging and burning, and it would linger on...she only hoped that when it hit, she could deal with the shock.

PART THREE

9:42 p.m. Midgar Ruins, Lower Level.

Yuffie groaned, her body feeling like it had when she had fought Ruby Weapon once again, battered, bruised, and pretty much completely broken. This time however, she was not injured, merely in pain due to the materia that Vincent had healed her with. Full Cure healed quickly, but the recipient still retained the pain of the injury long after it was gone, for hours, even days, sometimes, in rare cases years, afterwards they were incapacitated from the agony. She felt the warmth of enveloping arms holding her body ever so gently, the clomp of feet in gravel, crunching on the rocks and metallic debris, the waft of hair as it slid forward off its owners shoulders and tickled her nose, and the steady rise and fall of an unmistakably man's chest. Sighing heavily, and regretting it as she heard the crack of her ribs, Yuffie tried to snuggle closer, to feel the warmth of her carrier, to feel it permeate her chilled limbs.

To her complete and utter happiness, Yuffie heard and felt the rustle of cloth, and the minor disturbance of her tiny form, before it was enveloped beneath a fragrant cover, the scent unknown to her, yet comforting and old, like that of a worn out blanket, of Vincent's soft red cloak. Her body was hauled against his chest, like a small child, a hand splayed at her lower back to keep her in place as her head was rearranged to lay upon the crook of his neck. Had she been able, Yuffie would have happily wrapped her arms about her macabre savior, but instead, due to the current pain lancing through her arms and legs, which now was akin to being poked with a thousand needles, she lay there, content with the current position of her body. Her arms dangled down, and moved to and fro with each step he took.

Vincents eyes narrowed in the perpetual darkness as he carried his tiny charge, feeling the tremble of her body as she breathed in and out, her breath tickling the ivory skin on his neck, causing tiny bumps to form on the chilled skin. Yuffie coughed a few times, though she soon stopped, he was concerned if the girl had completely healed from her fall, for along with her trembling, she had yet to say more than his name to him. On the way up from the lake outcrop, she had not so much as squealed as he had transformed into Chaos, carrying her in strong arms, lifting them on leathery wings to the safety of the Sector Five Slums, right beneath where they had scheduled to meet after dusk, a small ShinRa branch office located in Sector Five's upper plate.

Yuffie cracked open an eye experimentally, then tried clearing her throat, smiling slightly when she realized she could do both without much pain. Looking up, Yuffie smiled contentedly at the moon, before realizing when it was they had been told to meet the others. Panicking, Yuffie asked shakily "Vincent, we were supposed to be back before the moonrise!" He nodded, replying with a stoic "I know." Gaining some anger induced energy, she poked him with her finger as best she could, in the stomach, though it was much more a meaningless touch with her finger than anything else. "You knew? Well gee, how wonderful. So, did you call them so they knew we'd be late?" Yuffie asked, knowing his answer already. "…No."

"Why not?" She said hoarsely, her equivalent to yelling at the time, trying to poke harder. Suddenly, her carrier set her upon the ground, well, rather dropped her. "Ouch!" she said, hitting her rear on a pretty sharp piece of plastic…metal…whatever was currently beneath her, Yuffie's body weakly managing to hold its upright position, her eyes fixed upon his face. Covered in shadow, cloth and hair, none of the stoic man's expressions, or important facial features for that matter, were visible, and so, after a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Yuffie looked down. "Why not, you ask?" Vincents voice said a few moments later, causing Yuffie's head to jerk up. His voice was nearer than before, and so was the rest of his form.

"Why not indeed." he said, grabbing both of her arms, pulling Yuffie close to him, face to face. A certain type of anguish, like that of hopelessness, was clearly etched upon his normally expressionless features, as was agony, another emotion she had never seen so clearly before in anyone, even her father at her mothers' loss. "If I had chosen to 'inform' them, and leave you after locating you while I contacted them on the PHS, you could have died, Yuffie. You could be dead, and I would have more to atone for. I did nothing, could do nothing to stop you from letting go, and inadvertently caused you all the pain you feel right now." Yuffie could do nothing but stare, and let her mind contemplate how long it would take him to realize he was cutting off the blood flow to her arms.

"So what?" She replied, feeling tears well in her eyes. "So what if I had died? It doesn't matter, even if it's a sin for you, that doesn't mean that anyone will miss me. It's just the fact that you couldn't stop me that would affect you!" Yuffie tried to jerk back, to pull away, and yet, his fingers retained their icy grip. "I know that the only reason I was with all of you in the end was because I followed you, it's not because I was needed…" The last few words were nothing more than a choked sob, as she gave up her pointless struggle. "…Never because I was needed….I was always a burden. You should have just left me there. It would have been better. You all would have been better off…" a timid whisper, before two stormy eyes lifted to meet crimson, tears leaking from the rims, washing down pale cheeks.

Vincent loosened his grip, listening to the words of the tiny ninja. She felt worthless…A burden was what she believed herself to be. (A/N: Told you I repeat myself.) "Yuffie…" He whispered, hoarsely. She turned from his piercing red stare, biting her lower lip to prevent herself from sobbing. Leviathan knows I do it enough when I'm alone. I don't need to be doing it in front of one of my, 'friends'… 'comrades', especially Vincent. Damnit Yuffie, DON'T CRY! Her mind yelled waspishly. She couldn't bear to look at him. Probably the same distaste was shown in his eyes, like everyone else. A few wispy tendrils of hair snaked down her face, and her eyebrows drew downwards as she closed her eyes in pain as a particularly violent shudder racked her tiny form. "……Come on, we need to arrive at the rendezvous point, or they may send someone out." Vincents voice stated coldly a few minutes later, after he had collectind his wits about him, becoming once more the cold, stoic man that they knew him to be. Gathering her in his arms, heedless of her silent anger and the fact she refused to relax, stiffly remaining in his grip, her eyes closed and a determined expression of distaste fixed upon her lips, Vincent started towards the Plate elevators that would lead to the upper world. Hopefully, his mind mused, they were still active.

Part Four

10:48 p.m. Midgar Ruins Fifth Plate, Upper Level. ShinRa Bar. (some branch office XD)

"Damnit, where are they?" Cloud slammed his fist upon the bar counter, jarring the glass that stood mere inches from his hand. Running the other gloved appendage through his spiked hair, Cloud cringed when his fingers scraped a stitched wound just above his forehead, hidden by his blonde bangs. In front of him, Tifa rescued a glass that was teetering on the edge of the table from where he had hit it, placing it carefully in the sink and washing it before drying her ungloved fingers with a stained dish towel. Sighing sadly, Tifa patted her friends shoulder, and put a fake smile on her face, saying what a Tifa should say during these situations.

"Don't worry Cloud, I'm sure they're both alright. You'll see, they might have been caught up in something. I bet you they'll be back by morning, you wait and see." He looked up at her, mako eyes meeting her wine colored orbs, and gave her a rueful smile, filled with exhaustion. "You have always been optimistic, haven't you, miss Lockheart." She smiled playfully and stepped back, placing her hands upon her ample hips. "Yeah well, mister Strife, no one else would believe there would be a happy ending, so it's always up to me to keep you all going." He laughed and stood, downing the rest of the liquor in the glass, before handing it to her, the ice clinking in the bottom of the shallow cup. Fingers brushed as she grabbed the item, turning quickly to plunge it into the still steaming sink water. The ice floated to the surface where it began to melt among the suds, much like the brunette wished she could do.

"You were the only one who thought we could do it." She heard from behind her, and turned, seeing a rather grim looking Cloud. It was only now, after the battle, that the toll the stress of the constant fighting had on his body was now visible. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his mouth was pulled down at the corners. Too much had this young man been through, that fact would have been evident to anyone. "…" Without a reply, Tifa turned back towards the sink, washing the glass and drying it quickly. Setting the glass down in the rack, alongside the other clean dishes, Tifa dried her hands with the plaid dishrag, running the slightly damp material over her fingers, red from the heat of the water. She touched them together, intertwining the digits, nervously, as she chewed her lower lip. I should tell him… "Cloud? I…I…" She tried, her face aflame as she desperately tried to get the words out. "Yeah?" He replied, nonchalantly, not knowing what it was she wanted so dearly to admit.

I can't...not yet…oh I'm such a coward… "N...never...never mind Cloud. Um...I'll tell you later…" She said shakily, before running off, through the connective doorway that led to the ShinRa employee lounge. "Tifa?" Cloud called after her, worried. "…." He stood, and brushed off the thick fabric of his pants, bits of dust and debris littering the clean swept floor. Thick soles of his boots clopped on the wood as he stepped back from the barstool, watching as the rotating seat turned from his body movement, thick red plastic covered leather cushion 'whooshing' as air refilled the somewhat permeable fabric, puffing back to its former glory. Walking towards the connecting doorway, he watched the graceful sway of her hips beneath the thick leather skirt as she neared the grand piano she had watched a woman play at earlier. Her fingers, bare and vulnerable without their usual hardened leather, metal coverings, the leather armor that had made the woman seem so impenetrable.

She had pulled her hair over one shoulder, her right hand's fingers playing at the silken chocolate brown strands as they cascaded down one side of her front. Tifa was humming, lowly, the tune light and slow as she walked, her feet, still clad in her trusty hiking boots, the heels clicking lightly on the polished wooden floor. The low light of the intricately designed glass covered candle lighting on the walls illuminated her skin, the darkness of the room making it pale yet rosy. The wine colored eyes were a deep russet brown in the yellowish lighting, as small shadows played over her features. The smooth white of her tank flowed over her 'ample bosom' (to say the least), magnified a bit, though unintentionally on her part, by the thick leather suspenders that kept up her skirt as she moved, being the active person she was. Her muscular legs moved with the innate womanly sway that most females flourished.

He watched, leaning on the doorway, arms crossed against his chest, a tightness settling in that pulled at his heart. She had unconsciously made her way towards the highly polished grand piano, black with the dull glaze sheen, red candles glowing atop it surface, setting a romantic amber glow across the area surrounding the piano. VIP seats were near by, thick cushions of crushed red velvet against the same black polished painted wood that made up the piano. Tifa stared at the ivory keys, bright white against the pitch black of the smaller inset keys above them. Her fingers trailed lovingly across the sparkling, spotless keys, eyes trailing with wonder. "…" She looked one way, then the other, before she sat down upon the polished bench, her fingers moving over the keys expertly, a clear tune ringing out with each strike during her practice test.

Smiling, Tifa gently placed her fingers once more atop the ivory peaks, and began to play, slowly. Cloud pondered the tune as she played the intro, knowing the song was famous somewhere. After a few mishaps with the tune, Tifa cringed, and stopped, placing her fingers over the keys, smoothing the thin rectangles with each finger. Cloud watched with a bit of amusement as she played invisibly, practicing the tune before she touched the keys again. Soon, she began to play once more, the keys slowly being pressed as she concentrated on the music. Her melodic voice, gentle and soft slowly filled the room as Tifa began to song.

"Sometimes I feel so all alone,

Finding myself callin' your name...

When we're apart, so far away,

Hopin' it's me that you're thinkin' of...

Could it be true, could it be real?

My heart says that you're the one...

There's noone else, you're the only one for me.

Yes, this time my love's the real thing.

Never felt that love is so right.

The world seemed such an empty place.

We need someone we could give our all.

Baby, it's you, we'll be together now and forever..."

END OF PART ONE: Yeah...um...I re-worked it. Edited and such. Gotta do part two. But...I don't know when this or SV will be finished. Maybe I said this at the top, I donno, but right now, I feel too...yeah. I don't think I can write anymore. Part two is going to be...shorter...I hope. Sorry about stopping it here...- maybe. Sorry about the reviews in a 'new story' I did have this up...but somehow it got deleted - Damn you sister dearest.