She'd fallen asleep wrapped in his arms with her head pillowed on his shoulder. Vincent marveled that she trusted him enough to do so, knowing—as she did—how unpredictable the demons inside him were.

Her mere closeness was temptation enough. He ached to touch her, to take her and make her his. He wanted her so badly that it was almost a need—and Chaos' promptings in the back of his mind worried at the control he'd imposed on his body.

If Yuffie wanted sleep, she'd sleep. He wouldn't do anything to disturb his angel. And if she wanted more later, she'd have that too. For now, she would have peace, and he would revel in the fact that she was there at all.

Somewhere during his musings, he fell into a sleep troubled by Chaos' voice whispering that he should take what he wanted.

He dreamed then, and they were in her room in Wutai, holding each other much less platonically than in the real world.

He kissed her, savoring the taste of Yuffie on his lips. She moaned as his hand cupped her breast, and he nipped at her earlobe.

Her hand trailed down his chest and stomach, and the dream became a bluff of sensations. He knew they made love, but Vincent couldn't keep track of the details.

Suddenly, despairingly, a hand reached out and pulled Yuffie from him. He extended a hand to her, and his fingers brushed hers as she reached back. Then she was gone.

His eyes snapped open and he drew in a sharp breath as his mind forced him awake and away from the rest of the nightmare.

"Vincent?"

He looked down at Yuffie, surprised to see her there. Somehow, he'd managed to convince himself that her presence was just part of the dream. "Yuffie?"

"Yeah. You okay?" She looked more than a little worried, and Vincent wondered if he'd said anything in his sleep.

He felt tears welling up in his eyes, and he pulled the ninja to his chest so she wouldn't see him weeping. So she wouldn't ask him why he was crying.

"Vincent?" she asked again.

"I am all right," he replied softly, wanting only to savor his time with her and not dwell on the nightmare. He knew he'd be seeing it again often enough in the coming weeks.

"Are you sure? Seemed like a pretty intense dream."

"I am." He was touched by her concern, and amazed that he could still feel so close to her after six years away. "It was only a nightmare."

He ran his hand over hear hair as she laid her head on his chest, just over his heart.

"Okay," Yuffie replied as she settled herself. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

Here it comes. And I cannot deny her an answer. "You may." He really didn't think that he could give anyone else an answer to a personal question, anyway.

"Why did you leave Wutai?" even though he knew the question was coming, Yuffie's words still sent him to the depths of despair at the memory.

"Be quick, Mister Valentine. I am an incredibly busy man." Vincent knew the lie to Godo Kisaragi's words. The man did nothing but sit in his rock garden all day.

But he pretended that the lie was truth and got straight to the point. "Lord Godo, I would like to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage."

"No." The lord of Wutai did not even think about the answer. He simply dismissed Vincent's request out of hand.

"Sir, if you would hear me out—"

"I will not, Mister Valentine. You are dismissed." Godo gave Vincent an icy stare. "If I ever see you within the boarders of Wutai again, I will have you killed. You may say goodbye to my daughter."

As if Godo Kisaragi could have prevented that.

"Godo would not let me have what I desired. He told me to leave, or he would kill me."

He felt her tense up in his arms and wondered if it was anger or shock. "What was it you wanted?"

He should have known Yuffie would ask all the hard questions all at once. "You."

"Me?" She sounded mystified by his reply. "Why?"

"I love you." He hadn't meant to say it. Had wanted to keep it quiet until he knew how she felt.

But she had wanted the truth, and he could never deny her that.

He held her, fingers twined in her dark hair, while she sorted things out. Once, perhaps twice, she opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again before she could say anything.

The sun was peeking over the horizon when Yuffie turned in his embrace and straddled his lap. He was painfully aware of their nakedness, and his body's reaction to it, as she stared into his eyes.

"Vincent, do you still want me?" Yuffie's question burned him with words that were almost what he'd been dreaming of hearing for so long.

"Your father…" Inwardly, he cursed his token protest as it came out. Of course he wanted her. She was everything he wanted.

"My father isn't here. Do you want me?"

"God yes." The words hadn't finished falling from his lips when she pulled him into a searing kiss.