Disclaimer: Don't own it. You know it.

Boo. Guess who's back from China? Oh yeah. That's right. ME! =) Anyways. Uh, I've been writing somewhat of a story line for something else with my brother so I'm kind of stuck in a rut of blank. Thank gods I wrote this chapter before then. =)

I'm sorry if there's too much fluff or mush through the last couple of chapters but... romance. Hard to write one without either one. But I'll see what I can do, okie dokie??

PS. I wish I can say this chappy isn't fluffy. But I can't seem to define fluff from.... everything else... O.O

PSS. I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, I… uhh wrote a bunch of other stuff and stuff… -ahem- yeah.

PSSS. uhh sorry for any typos I didn't have time to proof read it.

Forget Me Not

A bright light was ebbing away Tifa's sleepiness, closer she got to consciousness, the more aware of her surroundings she became. Firstly, a subtle wet scent was enveloping her. Second... the woman was wrapped up in arms, warm, welcoming arms. Slowly opening her eye's shutters, Vincent's tranquil face fuzzed in only a short distance from her own. Recalling the previous night's events, a single moment stuck out from the rest; the kiss. The usually touch-hating man did not flinch nor push her away. On the contrary, Tifa had only planned on pecking his lips but strong arms had quickly pulled her closer. So... did that mean he felt the same as she did?

"Mmmm." A low groan emitted from the male beside her, breaking her thoughts.

"Morning." Grains of sand stuck to her hair as Tifa sat up, waiting for the gunman to do the same. "We should get back to the Inn."

"Yes. We should." Even last night, after the lip-lock, a thick uncomfortable tension had settled amongst the two.

A young Wutainese girl pouted at her comrade. "Those stupid asshole ruined all our hard planning and work!! Why couldn't that loser keep his freaking mouth shut?!"

"Either way, that doesn't give you the right to beat him half to death." Speaking a serious phrase, Nanaki couldn't help but smile. The rude boy had it coming.

"Yes it does!"

"How?"

"Well, you see-" A loud knock knock knock at the door cut off the ninja child's words.

Nanaki barely managed to pull off the chain lock before Tifa forced the door open. "Yuffie!"

Knitting her fingers behind her back, the younger woman tried to look innocent; Tifa and Vincent were bound to have figured out who the criminals were. But before a brawl could begin, Cid, Barrett and their families came bustling through the entrance. "Ready?"

The group hit the town, scouring for anything on the ever elusive Tammy Du. She was vital to their spell, the submarine driver was one of the few people that knew the exact location of the Ares Temple and the only one that could take them there. In the deep depths of blue and navy, a ruined temple, which would only be a faded arrangement of rocks, would be hard to notice through the aquatic world. As the time slowly disappeared, not much information piled up. Though... they had received the location of her son, Chris 'Chen'. Soon, though, the neon signs ceased to glow leaving no more people to question.

As the team moved to the Inn, Tifa trailed behind with Vincent.

"Hey." She gave a quick wave to ensure his attention was with her.

"Hello."

"I thought maybe we could talk... about last night." Only five feet something, her legs struggled to keep up with his now quickened pace; it was obvious he didn't want to speak of the subject.

"I do not wish to speak of such things." As the group reached the Inn, the vibrant fighter wouldn't give up.

"Last me rephrase that," A gloved hand flew out and grabbed his human arm, stopping him from enter their room. "I think we should talk about last night."

The seconds ticked by and the tension grew thicker. Instantaneously, Vincent twisted out of her grip but faced Tifa. "And what exactly do you wish to speak about?"

It's now or never. "The kiss."

"…" Expression, unreadable; body, tense; all the whilst his eyes avoided hers like a plague.

"if you don't say something, I'm going to start talking."

"…"

"Fine." Out in the soulless hall, aside from the two, Tifa poured out all the thoughts that had been whirling in her head earlier. "For the longest time, Cloud was… everything. I only wanted him to be the only one to… to touch me, look at me; his scent the only one to envelope me."

Turning her back to Valentine, Tifa crossed her pale arms protectively over her chest. "And I didn't think anything could change that… much less another person."

Needing to see him, Lockheart turned to him. Don't let the stars be wrong. "Then you came along."

Searching his face for a reaction that would never come. "You made it all so good for me, you not only saved my life, you made it worth living."

"…"

"Then you started to become my everything." Vince continued to avert his eyes as he processed the new information. "… Say something."

"…" The stoic man did nothing but cross his arms.

"Please?" Desperate for some kind of recognition, the girl pressed herself against him, leaving barely inches between their faces.

"… Forget." As if bitten by a venomous snake, the graceful fighter shot back.

"What…?"

"Forget it all." At last pulling his eyes from the end of the hall, the blood pupils aligned with Tifa's. Only one thing was apparent in them, Lucretia. "Forget your everything and let me be only a comrade in battle. Leave the kiss in the past."

"How can you say that?" Fragile tears glossed over her eyes; tears that represented easy break. " Didn't you feel it?! The hot, the cold?! You must have!"

He did. Vincent Valentine had felt something that was specifically reserved for Lucretia but… for another woman. However, he couldn't just let thirty years of thought and ream die… could he? I love Lucretia. But, deep within his long chilled heart, he questioned, was it love or obligation. Did he love her because he loved her or did he only believe he had feelings for her because he was obligated to her? If the first was right, then he should forget his feeling for Tifa and redirect all affection to Lucretia. But. If the second choice was the one to speak true, then he should let free the feelings that Tifa causes him.

You're trying to do the undoable, Vinnie boy. Do you actually think you can control your emotions? Emotions are puppets for everyone else except their owners. The underlying truth. God how he loathed that Chaos could always find it before he could. Sigh. Tifa was young; she didn't really love him… right? Either way, she deserved better than… than some creature.

"I… felt nothing."

For mere moments, the twenty something simply gazed up at him. Out of the blue, she ensnarled Vincent in a sense-numbing smooch.

Every bit of him wanted to follow the urge to attack her in a fury of tongue and lips. Yet green eyes and luscious locks restrained all of his muscles from moving. Did this symbloise that Lucretia would always win against Tifa?

When their mouths parted, the kisser smiled and the kissed. "Did you feel that?"

"I felt…" Thousands of voices chanted yes but a booming voice screamed no. Lucretia's voice. "I felt… nothing."

Suddenly, the sun stopped shining and all that replaced it was a frown and rain. Slightly shoving him, the damaged woman's hand touched the doorknob. Tifa's head was dipped low enough so it was impossible to see her salty tears. "Then… I guess we should forget it."

With that whisper of cracked words, she slipped into the room and disappeared. Vincent stayed where he was, contemplating if he had done the right thing. Damn it. Tifa would forget him in time. But could he forget her?