To Know You
Chapter Three: Dinner and Dancing
By Darknightdestiny

The cool breeze that washed over the tall building faded with each step, as the balcony became Tifa's shade. She did notice, however, that each breeze that did slip through was a bit cooler. She drew her arms tightly around herself, her spaghetti-thin straps doing nothing in the way of warming her. When she stepped off of the last stone piece of the walkway and out into the garden, she was amazed by how quickly the heel of her shoe began to sink into the soil.

Frustrated with the pleasantly soft ground and not wanting to sprain an ankle, Tifa reached down and undid the straps of her shoes. She then gathered them up in one hand and walked out into the middle of the garden, towards the fountain. The lush grass tickled her feet and found a way to fill all the space between her toes as she walked through it. As she reached the fountain, she could feel the cool water splashing down into the pool below, and some sprinkles flew out and landed on her feet.

Tifa searched the fountain wall for a dry spot, and when she found one, she sat down and stared up at the sky. The night air was chilly, and the lights drowned out most any view that she had of the stars, silencing the pulsating light that used to speak to her when she was young. Looking up at the vast expanse of twilight blue and purple mixed with the coming black, Tifa found one bright and shining star way up there, beyond the red and yellow clouds, amidst the bright city lights that reflected off of the cold and watery mists that hung in the sky.

Tifa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she made a wish on that star. She wished with all of her heart that everyone could be back together like they were when they fought side by side. She knew that there was no chance of reviving Aeris, but she thought that someday, somehow, she and Vincent would have to cross paths. Something seemed to tell her that it was impossible that he was gone forever. It just didn't seem right that he didn't fit in with the rest of their lives anymore.

Perhaps, deep down in her heart, her wish was for much more than she even told herself in thought.

Tifa reached up and wiped the corner of her eye when she realized that she was beginning to shed tears again. It wasn't going to be the same without him. She should have known that he wasn't going to give her a look into his past and say the words he said, and then still return to have her ask him more questions about it.

You may finish it...once this is all over. After I leave.

That was what he had said. She hadn't thought that it would be indefinitely. But when she thought back on Vincent's personality, and the type of person he was, and when she remembered the reactions he would have to the things that others had said, she figured that she should have known. Vincent always said much more than his words gave away. Even when he was completely silent, he was still speaking through his expressions and through his actions.

Tifa sighed aloud, and calmed herself again, the tears letting up. Her eyes remained wet, and the edges of her vision remained blurry. She looked down at the water, watching the tiny bubbling waves that spread from the center, where the water splashed down on the otherwise undisturbed surface. The overall effect was a calming one, but Tifa's thoughts couldn't be pushed away, no matter how hard she tried.

No matter how hard she tried, it was never good enough.

Tifa reached down and gathered her hair together, twisting and twirling it around, and then she laid it over her shoulder. She dipped her hand in the cool water and splashed some up onto her face. Her eyes fell onto the fountain wall and she zoned out for a short while, her thoughts running in those dangerous circles, and then she turned to the sky again, letting the night breeze dry her face.

When her eyes had stopped their tearing, and only the wetness of her lashes remained, Tifa rose from her seat at the fountain and began to walk towards the ornate stairway. Her shoulders rose and fell as she tried to regulate her breathing, and the night air and the soft grass did help in calming her. She was so calm, in fact, that she didn't notice the looming figure in front of her until it was too late.

Tifa stumbled backwards and placed a hand on her forehead after a rather abrupt and harsh contact with the figure. "Ouch..." She hugged herself and rubbed her hands up and down her arms, suddenly feeling very out of place. "...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It is fine," the dark figure replied. It was quite tall and lean, and obviously male, from the voice. It was a familiar voice to Tifa, though for some reason, she could not place it. Most likely, this was because she would have tried to place anyone but the person the voice actually belonged to in his place, merely because she would have thought that would be asking for too much.

Tifa took a cautious step forward and squinted at the figure through the darkness, trying to catch him in some of the light that shone over the top of the balcony. Yet that light shone straight out into the night, and did not spill down over the ledge and onto the ground well at all. Tifa decided that her safest option was idle chit-chat, as opposed to a hasty exit, which would deny her of the chance to find out who this person was. "What are you doing out here?" she asked, feeling incredibly foolish afterwards, seeing as the garden was only there for the enjoyment of others, since, judging from the arrangements, it was obviously man-made.

"...Do I not belong here?"

"What I meant was, why aren't you inside where it's warm, dancing or eating or talking?"

"I could ask the same of you." There was a pause. Then, "...I never was one for crowds."

Tifa nodded. "I can usually take it. But not tonight." There was silence from the other. She wasn't sure, but he hadn't left or turned away, and so she took her chance to continue on. "Have you ever had people surrounding you and felt that you were completely alone? People who expect you to carry some kind of image all the time, and you can never break free from it?"

There was a swift exhaling of air, a sort of a laugh, but a quiet and almost bitter one. "...Yes, I know that feeling."

Tifa stood there in silence for a while, hiding her feet underneath the long white hem of her dress, holding her shoes behind her back. She looked back up at the stars, reminded of why she was so disheartened in the first place. She was about to go back inside and leave the stranger to his own contemplation when a small ray of moonlight shone through the clouds in the sky and her eyes caught a glint of something bright on the man's wrist. A watch, perhaps? No.

"...Vincent?!"

"...And here I had thought you had forgotten me." It was his same voice, constant and soft like the night clouds themselves. Simply existing.

"Vincent, is it really you? But when did you- How did you-" She came to a sudden stop when she realized she couldn't think of anything to say. Instead, she opted to run up to him and give him the most sincere hug she could muster. This was something she had never attempted before, and at first, she got no response.

Eventually, though, hesitant arms found their way around her and just grazed her back.

Well...half way there, I suppose.

After all, knowing Vincent, he might have just complied out of a sense of duty, not wanting to be rude to someone who valued him enough to give such a personal gesture in his direction. Vincent's golden arm was cold on Tifa's skin as she stood in her backless gown, but though Vincent normally would have found another way, he dared not move lower for the sake of touching material rather than skin. He would live through it, just this once.

It was at this moment that Tifa realized exactly how much she had missed her friend. It wasn't during the crying, or during the wishing when it had been most obvious to her. No, it was in the moment that she realized that she had taken a frighteningly forward step in the direction of someone who was frighteningly reserved. And she hadn't even thought about it.

She never would have done that in the past, even during the few talks they had had together. And they had been apart for a year, and so they really did not know each other much at all. Tifa quickly backed away from him. "...I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I just...well, I missed you."

An awkward silence hung in the air. Looking straight at Vincent, Tifa saw that she could recognize a soft red glow coming from his eyes. She wondered why she hadn't noticed it earlier, when she was trying to figure out who he was. "Why didn't you call?"

There was more silence from his end. Being alone in the dark and away from the crowds and from the others, Tifa felt that it was quite the personal setting, and that she was justified in the path her words were choosing. It seemed to be the right place to have that conversation, as she knew it would come up sooner or later. "Why didn't you come and visit any of us?"

"..."

"Vincent...do you know how long I spent looking for you?"

He turned to look at her, and though it was dark, he was able to see her features clearly with his enhanced sight. Her face was sad and plagued with worry, and there was a hint of frustration underneath. "...I never meant to cause you any trouble," he murmured.

"Is that what you think it was? Trouble? Vincent, I thought I was never going to see you again. Do you have any idea how sad that made me feel?"

"..."

"How did you end up here?" Upon hearing this, Vincent was prepared with an answer. He had not been prepared to answer her previous question, since it boggled his mind why anyone would be sad over his disappearance in the first place. Of course he had no idea how sad that would make her feel.

"I often come here at night to think," he answered, turning his head slightly and looking out at the trees that lined the far side of the garden.

Tifa blinked. "You live near here?"

Vincent gave a barely detectible nod. "I do."

"That...is something."

"Mmm?" Vincent turned back to face her again, and he tilted his head in question.

"All this time I've been looking for you, and here you were all along. You know that I live in Junon as well."

"I would have thought you would go back to Nibelheim, or to Midgar."

Tifa shook her head. "Too many bad memories. I live near the Junon Pier. You know that cluster of shops and restaurants just east of there? Where all the fishermen go to sell their catches, and those kids have been selling their jewelry?"

Vincent managed a small smirk, but it was lost in the shadows. He nodded.

"That's where the new Seventh Heaven is."

Vincent sighed. "...I know."

"You know?" Tifa sounded a bit curious, and a bit upset.

There was some hesitation, but he continued on. "I had done some travelling. I have only been in Junon for approximately three months. I did not think you would want to see me after nine months had passed. Especially since I did not tell you I was leaving. I was surprised to see you had come to Junon."

"Pffft. 'Approximately,'" she repeated, mocking his formal choice of words. "Vincent, of course I wanted to see you!" She grasped him by the collar of his long, black trenchcoat and made sure he was looking down into her eyes. "Don't you think that I would understand? I want to get away from everything too, sometimes."

Vincent was surprised at the fact that she wasn't mad at him, only frustrated with his actions. He was even more surprised that she'd understood why he had done what he did. She might become mad at him later though, he thought, once she got over the initial shock of seeing him again.

"So, was it a coincidence that you decided to come here tonight?" she asked, thinking she knew that it wasn't. She was right.

"...It is hard to ignore the words that outfit a bright purple and yellow sign hanging above the place you tend to visit."

Tifa laughed. "Come on," she said, and pulled him towards the stairway. "Come inside and sit with the rest of us." Vincent stiffened and stopped dead still in his tracks. Tifa's grip loosened, and she sighed in frustration. "Vincent...some of them think you don't like them."

"...If by 'some of them' you mean Yuffie-"

Tifa playfully punched at his shoulder. "Vincent! I know you're just joking."

"...Perhaps."

"Ten gil says you're wearing dress clothes under that coat of yours."

"...And you will be willing to give me ten gil if you are wrong?" he replied, a devilishly smooth tone to his voice, as if he were striking a business deal.

"You are, aren't you?" Tifa placed her hands on her hips, her shoestraps still caught up in the fingers of the right.

"...I would imagine they would not take my sudden appearance as lightly as yourself."

"Vincent, you're a great friend, and I care about you a lot, but sometimes you make me want to smack you."

Vincent blinked at her. "Do I really?"

Tifa laughed and tugged on the sleeve of his coat again. "Please? I know you've just spent a lot of time out there trying to decide whether or not to come inside and find us, so why don't you just save yourself the trouble and come with me?"

"...I have not spent a great deal of time in deliberation. Not just yet. In fact, I had just started when you so viciously attacked me, and so I am not quite ready to make an educated decision."

"Vincent?" Tifa addressed him in the most innocent of voices.

"...Yes?"

"Cut the crap," she intoned flatly.

"Where's Tifa?" Yuffie asked Cid. "She should have been back a long time ago!" Yuffie played with her straw, continually dipping it in her iced tea, her finger plugging up the end of it, and then raising it and releasing her finger, so that a small stream flowed through the end. Once she had done that, she repeated the action, again and again. "I'm bored, old man."

"You shut yer yapper. I ain't gonna tell y' ag'in. Tif's out there tryin' t' fig're things out. Takes diff'rnt amounts o' time fer diff'rnt people, an' I sure as hell ain't gonna go out there an' bug 'er jes' fer you!"

"...Tifa's tough, but she's a sensitive person," Cloud said, running his hand through his hair. "She will probably come in shortly, but I don't think she'll get over it tonight."

"Well she better!" Yuffie popped up from her seat. "Because I just got two really cute guys to say they'd dance with us! And if she doesn't do it, I'm going to look like a jackass!"

"Ain't sayin' y' need any help there."

"Watch it, gramps!" Yuffie pointed an angry finger in Cid's face. "I don't need your insults tonight!"

"Well, I ain't havin' none o' yer whinin', either!"

"Yo, Cid," Barret interrupted, "you's been keepin' tabs on dat whiskey bottle?"

Before Cid had time to check his pockets, Tifa hustled back over to the table. "I'm back. I'm sorry I was gone for so long. I'm not sure what came over me, but I think I'll be just fine."

"Hey, kiddo! We were jes' wonderin' when you'd git back."

Tifa knelt down and began to scratch Nanaki behind the ears. "I'm sorry. I just haven't been myself lately."

"Hey, Tifa!" Yuffie called from the other end of the table, a mischeivous glint in her eyes. "Guess what I got?"

"Dare I ask?" Tifa replied, a bit of Vincent's formal vernacular slipping into her own speech patterns.

Yuffie just laughed it off. "I got us a couple of dancing partners. They're cute! I'm gonna make sure you have fun tonight!"

"Ahh...hold that thought, alright? I just remembered...there's something I need to take care of. I'll be right back." Tifa sped away, while the others just looked at each other, a bit bewildered.

Two minutes later, on the other side of the dance floor, hidden by all who were participating, Tifa stood at the open bar, next to the darkened shadow of Vincent Valentine. Vincent sat on a barstool, while Tifa stood casually next to him, leaned against the counter.

"Vincent, please come and see the rest of them." As soon as they had gotten through the door, he'd refused to go any further.

"...I do not think that would go over well."

Tifa inched closer to him. "Please, Vincent." She put a hand on his shoulder, but it might as well have not existed. "They would really like to see you again."

"I somehow doubt that."

"Vincent, I don't know what else to say. Why did you get all dressed up to come out here if you didn't plan on seeing any of us?"

Once again, Tifa was rewarded with silence.

A/N: Well! It is really hard to code a chapter with a six-month old kitten sitting in your lap, and resting its head and entire upper body on your left forearm! Silly Faye-Faye.

Hee. Faye-Faye Valentine. Shhh. The roommate would kill me if he heard me associate the cat's name with Valentine, but little does he know that the character she's named after is named Faye Valentine. But his girlfriend named her in the first place. So...shhh.

[grins]

Anyways, thanks for reading chapter three! I had to try to switch it up a bit, because...you guys kept reading my mind. You naughty ESPers. Aha. Espers. Terra. Final Fantasy.

Here we go again. [runs off to play with console]

And here I am, 7:11 AM and no sleep. Work at 4 PM. Ah...such is the life of an addicted fan writer/artist/thingie-ma-bob.