A/N: Alright, thanks again to the people that reviewed (of course) which I will mention soon. I just wanted to say that this one is a slow, suspenseful chapter that builds up to the next one. Yes, jealousy plays a factor in this one as well. Heehee, I'm completely evil! Anyhow, here's to the people that reviewed:
Karaoke Risa - Always glad to have someone new review! (Ha, that rhymed!) I intend on reading your works, but I haven't played FF VIII all the way through yet, so I didn't want to spoil anything yet. Don't worry, I will soon!
Babygurl - The 6th review! Wow! Thank you for all your reviews, you're really a positive person! Because the last one was short (my apologizes) I made this one longer for ya, about doubled the last chapter. I would have made it longer with Tifa's and Yuffie's little 'chat' (you all know what's coming) but I thought Cid's little remark made a good ending and I can keep a smooth flow going with the talk and the whole changing group things and how they react. Thank you again!
Without further ado, here's chapter 12, Cold Touch!
Chapter 12
"Lartsa, you failed to eliminate those humans. This serves as a great disappointment…" The ominous voice trailed off, and Lartsa kept his eyes on the cold, stone floor. He remained bowing in front of his Master, guilt and shame creeping upon him.
"Master…it shall not happen again." Lartsa could hear Hojo's distinct laughter, ridiculing him. He gritted his teeth but made no acknowledgment of him, only straightening himself at the snap of his Master's fingers.
"Gather the others; take Golem and Ryo with you this time. I shall not be so tolerant of your next failure, Lartsa."
The swordsman bowed his head in respect. "My word to your decree, Master."
Hojo's snickering became more pronounced. "You spoke those very same words the day you died. Even if you had managed to push the prototype to its limit and isolate itself out of guilt, it is still walking."
"And so he shall until eternity stops," retorted the Turk harshly. "Though to you he is only a failed project, he is still a living being. Remember that, Hojo. He did kill you as well." He spun about and exited the cave, leaving the others cloaked in darkness and silence.
Rufus spat on the ground, his arms crossed. He turned to the man sitting above them and frowned. "I certainly hope you are aware of the dangers in this, Scientist. That traitorous executive has made Mako mining highly punishable, and my connections with my company must be kept on low profile if I am to continue this ruse."
Hojo chuckled his loudest yet, but faltered slightly as he heard Sephiroth sharpen his giant blade. "You humans are so cowardly," Hojo taunted, keeping his voice low and conceited. He sneered at Rufus's angered expression. "We have knowledge, power, and wealth; the Professor knows what he is doing."
"He better, I did not reawaken from my slumber in the Lifestream so early to simply play coy."
This was one of the few occasions Sephiroth provided his own output; they knew he was infuriated by his resurrection yet again.
"Now, now, Sephiroth," called the man quietly. "Everything is almost in place. Now all we need is this new specimen. Hojo…?"
"Yes," he mumbled, looking down. "The final sample is complete and is ready for the new world."
The man nodded his head. "Excellent. We shall see how Cloud handles his haunting past…" A low, deep laughter bubbled up from his chest, and he threw his head back and laughed wildly. The others joined in, and even Sephiroth broke his suave expression to smile knowingly.
"To think," he whispered. "I am hoping the last man I killed actually does come back. Ironic."
Vincent could feel they were nearing Gaea Cliff; the cold wind slapping at the exposed portion of his face told him as much. Cold…these temperatures…I can feel them slightly. Why is that, Chaos?
Chaos remained silent, apparently dumbstruck that Vincent would willingly speak to him. Why do you ask, human? And even so, how would I know the answer?
You are a demon of long age and you are the most intelligent of my being as a whole. I am…curious.
No, really. Why are you even talking to me? Chaos's suspicion merely grew as Vincent chuckled lightly. What are you laughing at, human?
Are you really so tense when I merely ask a question?
I know you too well, immortal scum.
Vincent smiled slightly, not knowing why he did so. True, this creature had been inside him for years now, since he had injected him into his body to face the threats against the world. Still…
He looked from his perch on the Highwind, leaning on the rail in front of him as he took in the blinding white snow below. We should be there in an hour, he calculated. Chaos merely shrugged in his mind and retreated to a dark corner to slumber.
Vincent pulled up his cloak slightly, trying to cover as much of his face as he could. He had not felt the icy snap of the wind for a long time; only inside did he ever feel cold, never physically.
Vincent heard the door behind him open and he lowered his hand back down to the rail, taking in Tifa's scent that carried in the rushing wind. Intoxicating, he thought. Of course, he would never say that to her.
"Are you doing all right, Vincent?" she asked gently, stepping up beside him. She had a thick, furry coat wrapped around her body, possibly from the last time they had journeyed here. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and she sniffed slightly. "It is awfully cold here. You could get sick. And…" she started, feeling him open his mouth to reject. "Don't give me that crap about 'immune to the cold' or something like that. Come on inside, please…" She pleaded with him for a few moments, then he sighed in defeat and allowed her to drag him back by his human hand.
Once inside, Tifa shrugged the snow, along with the coat, from her shoulders and shook her hair while Vincent merely brushed off the flakes from his cape and ran his hand through his hair.
"Vincent, I wanted to talk to you about something," Tifa said suddenly as they made their way down the stairs to the bridge. She turned and he followed her into the meeting room, where a cadet was snoring lightly in a chair. Tifa cleared her throat and he awoke with a start, about to say something but quickly got up and left at the look Tifa brandished at him.
She waved her hand to offer a seat, but Vincent merely shook his head lightly and she didn't press him. She sat down and looked up at him. "Vincent, you remember when we first ran into each other that day at my bar?" He nodded in response. "I remember when you walked in, you were in white and your eyes were…bluish silver. I thought you said…"
"Because of the Jenova cells in my veins, my eyes will turn when my emotions are at a peak." He smiled inwardly at her confused expression, asking him to elaborate. "I was just…glad to see you. Pleased to see someone that brought back memories of when I was actually in someone's company that would not cringe at my sight."
Tifa smiled widely as she giggled. "Come on, Vincent. I love it when I see you. You're always so calm, and you make me feel like…like nothing bad is going to happen." Vincent cocked his head to the side, wondering how he had such an effect.
"Be that as it may, I cannot always guarantee that nothing bad will happen. You saw that when we faced the Turks and when Lartsa revealed himself." He shook his head adverted his eyes at the mention of his old comrades name. It still brought out painful memories…
Tifa noticed his sudden change in mood and stood up, wrapping her arms around his waist in comfort as she buried her face in his chest. She felt him stiffen from the sudden contact again, but he quickly regained himself and returned her embrace. She thought she felt the faintest chuckle flow through his chest, but she just smiled and disregarded it.
"Tifa…"
Tifa merely whispered, "Shh," savoring the moment in his arms. She knew he would protect her if anything happened. Not out of duty, such as Cloud looking out for his sister, but for compassion, Vincent looking out for his beloved. She knew she could bring it up, but the slightly voice in the back of her mind still grew worried.
'What if he doesn't feel the same? You thought Cloud would, and look how that ended!'
You'll never know unless you try. In love, you have to jump out on a limb sometime.
The voice grew silent as she braced herself, sighed into his chest, and murmured, "I love you, Vincent Valentine."
There was no pause, no hesitation in his voice. "And I you, Tifa Lockheart. I love you." It was completely un-Vincent, to jump out without even a brief stall. He lifted her chin with his hand and their eyes met, her wine-colored eyes meeting his light blue ones. How she loved his eyes, both of them.
She closed her own as he leaned forward, kissing her gently on the lips. She knew he would not deepen the kiss unless she did so first, even after his statement; that had been a one shot thing. Vincent made to pull back, but she placed one hand on his neck and one ran through his hair. She sighed at the silky strands sliding through her fingers as she pushed him back into her.
She knew she was rushing him, and that he was uncomfortable, but she was so caught up in her passion for him that she did not, could not, stop. She needed to feel his lips on hers, to feel his arms around her. She ran her tongue along his sealed mouth, only to feel his own gently slide against the edge of hers.
She gasped in pleasure as he ran both his warm human hand and his cold claw under her shirt and along her bare back. What had she done that had him react this way?
Suddenly, before she knew it, Vincent had pulled up for air, his breathing shaky and deep, hers no better. He bowed his head slightly as if in shame and said, "My apologizes. My body took over and I was too pleased by this to react." Tifa was stunned, then giggled behind the back of her hand. He looked up, his eyebrow raised.
"Come on, Vincent!" she said playfully after she got over her laughing fit. She wrapped her arms around his waist and threw her hair behind her, looking up at him. "It was a kiss! Sure, it was pretty intense, but I wanted it as much as you did!" She could not believe he thought he had brutally worked her with his tongue when she had planned to do the same.
Vincent laughed, again surprising, not only Tifa, but Vincent as well.
What's happened to Vincent? He's so…non-Vincent-ish. Not like I don't like him better…she thought devilishly, smiling at him. He returned both the smile and the embrace and kissed her lightly on the lips, perfectly timed as Cloud, Cid and Yuffie walked through the door.
Everything froze; it seemed an invisible law: 'If you move, talk, or breath, you die.' No one broke the cold air, and even Cid's cigarette dropped from his parted lips as his mouth hung in surprise. Cloud's eyes were wide, and Yuffie looked both amazed and infuriated.
"Heeeeelllllooooo!" cried out Cid suddenly, causing everyone to jump (and no, he was not killed or struck down with a godly thunderbolt). "What the fuck is going on here? Did hell freeze over of what when I turned my fuckin' back? Holy shit, I'm gonna fall on my ass, damn Vamp!." He shakily walked to a seat and threw himself in it, taking out a new joint and setting it ablaze on the end. He took a long drag and closed his eyes, rubbing his temple. "I think I just blew out my whole mother-fuckin' nerve system."
"Nervous system, Highwind," corrected Vincent, gaining a scowl from the closed-eyed Cid.
"Tifa!" cried out Yuffie, jumping up and down in excitement. "Talk! Now!" She grabbed her arm, dragging her out of the room, her trademark grin seeming slightly different as they disappeared from sight.
Vincent crossed his arms and leaned on his back against the wall. "What is it?"
Cloud gritted his teeth slightly, before replying heatedly, "Look, you better not hurt her, Vincent…"
"I meant why are you in here?" Cloud looked as if he had been slapped in the face as Vincent looked from the ground to him. "If I want a lecture, you'll be the first I will alert. Now: What is it?"
Cloud's muscles tensed and a vein in his forehead was slightly visible. Then he closed his eyes and took a breath before continuing, "We're a few minutes away from the mountain climber's house. It's at the base of Gaea Cliff and we don't know exactly where they were supposed to meet this 'client' of theirs, so we were going to split into three groups: Two to explore the mountain and one to guard the Highwind in case we need a ride bad."
Vincent stood there silently, his eyes closed as he rested his head on his chest. Cloud waited a moment before continuing. "The groups will be Barret, Yuffie and Red, then you, Tifa and me. Cid and Cait Sith will stay here."
Cid suddenly opened his eyes, confused. "I thought you were with…"
Vincent could actually feel the deadly look Cloud shot him, and he immediately shut his mouth without finishing his sentence. Cloud turned back to Vincent and saw him nod before getting up and leaving.
Cid looked from the open door to Cloud. "Why did you suddenly change the teams? I thought it was you, Tifa and Barret and then that cat, Vampy and the Yuffie chick."
Cloud shook his head and exited, leaving behind a confused and exhausted Cid. "Damn, this romance shit is really overrated." He got up, slowly walking out. "I need some aspirin for this headache. Vincent…kissin' a chick. Fuckin' hell…"
A/N: Alright, just wanted to remind you of Vincent's sudden notice in temperature and Yuffie's little 'mechanical smile' so you'll be prepared for the next chapter. Action and romance in the next one, review!