-Notice: Slightly important info in the First PS after the author's note at the end of this chapter. Please take a moment to read at least that after reading. Thanks!-
Chapter 55: Chocolate, Fruit and a little Wutain Tradition
-WARNING!! Contains a bit of slightly citrus content, light lime! Can't say you weren't warned -grins- -
Yuffie looked down into the drawer, tapping her lip before reaching down to rifle through its contents, looking for her pajamas, having no desire to search for them later. Letting out a sound of triumph, the ninja removed the offending articles and pushed the drawer closed with her hip. She laid the small top and matching shorts on the foot of the bed and yawned. Even though she was tired, she wouldn't be turning in just yet.
Grabbing the swimsuit that she had previously draped on her shoulder, she slipped into the bathroom, shucking off her clothing to slide into the older one-piece suit. The clothing that she had shed were placed into the hamper before she stood, studying her appearance in the large mirror. She ran her fingers through her unruly hair, putting it into a semblance of order and smiled, telling herself that soon she would be getting dragged on yet another shopping trip soon.
As if her thoughts had been heard, the sound of her phs rang shrilly from where it was charging near her side of the bed. Grabbing the phone, she opened the device as she flopped back on the soft mattress.
"'Ello! You've reached the world greatest female ninja! Who am I gracing with my awesomeness?"
The sound of laughter was heard from the other end, telling her exactly who was on the other line. "Hi Yuffs, you sound like you're having fun!"
Yuffie chuckled and could hear the sounds of screams and other ghostly moans in the background. "I am! I bet I know where you are. They still have yet to change the soundtrack from the ghost hotel?"
"Yeah, they really need to, but then again it might be happening soon. They're in the middle of renovations so it actually looks a lot better than it was last time we were here. Thank the planet that we have the abilities to turn off the 'ghostly sounds' in our rooms. I think I'd go crazy if I had to work here." Just then, the sound of thunder and another shrill scream could be heard in the background.
"Was that an actual scream or the soundtrack?"
"Real scream. Tourist, ya know. I guess this one is afraid of thunder."
"Geez…" Yuffie muttered, shaking her head. "So, what's up Tifa?"
"Oh, I was just calling to let you guys know that we'll be arriving tomorrow afternoon sometime. Cloud has to meet with Barret and some of the people in North Corel then we'll be heading your way. Our trip so far has been fun with just to two of us and camping out under the stars, but it'll be nice to be in the villa and head down to the beach."
"You'll have to tell me about the places you guys went when you get here."
"You know I will." The girls laughed together. "So what do you guys do today?"
Yuffie grinned as she rolled onto her side. "Oh Tifa, it was so much fun! You should have seen it!
"We went to down for lunch and were going to walk back to the bungalow on the beach at the waters edge, but a group of kids recognized me and Vince from the news feeds. They asked him questions and he answered them patiently, even when they asked him about his arm. The boys thought it was the coolest thing ever and I now have a group of little girls who want to be ninja!"
This gained a laugh from Tifa. "You're going to have competition for your title of world greatest female ninja, Yuffs."
"No way! I'll always be the best! Well…maybe if I have a daughter, she might become the best, but she's gonna have to work her little but off to beat me!" She could hear Tifa laughing and in her mind, she could see the chocolate haired woman shaking her head.
"Anyway, somehow we got coaxed into a game of beach volleyball…and somehow that turned into a massive game of capture the flag! There had to be at least fifty to sixty people playing with us. I think Vince got too drawn up in strategy on how to succeed in his team's mission of getting the flag because he didn't look like he was uncomfortable around all the players. They were mostly kids and teens though."
"So you guys were on opposite teams?"
"Yeah, it was the boys against the girls! But we did have a few boys on our team to even out the numbers a bit. Tifa, the game lasted for almost FOUR hours, we just finished just before sunset and Vincent's team won only because he managed to outrun me and my girls. We almost had him though!" Yuffie growled a bit, still a touch sore at the loss. She wasn't upset though and the sound of Tifa's laughs caused her to smile.
"Every muscle in my body hurts, especially my hip. We were just about to get in the hot tub to relax. Vince thinks it'll help the pain."
"Well I wont keep you any longer. Go relax and have fun. I'll tell you more about the trip and you can tell me about some of the other things that you guys have done. Cloud should be back out in a few minutes anyway, he just went into this new restaurant that they have here and we're going to eat up in our room."
"Tell Cloudy I said hi." After Tifa asked Yuffie to pass along her greetings to Vincent, the two said goodbye and Yuffie closed her phone, plugging it back up to its charger.
Grabbing two towels, the young princess left the bedroom to seek out her gunman.
.:-o-:.
Vincent crouched and ignited the gas-fed fire pit, making sure the flames danced merrily in its black metal shell. Grabbing the tray that he sat on the nearby table, the gunman made his way over to the hot tub, placing a bowl of warmed chocolate sauce, a plate of fruit and a book on the flat stone tile that made up the ledge circling the back of the tub.
The door leading into the kitchen opened and a smirk traced his lip as he stalked towards his prey. Without warning, he scooped her up into his arm, gaining a squeal of surprise from the little Wutainese girl that was silenced with a soft brush of his lips on hers. With her light weight in his arms, he carried her over to the hot tub, placing her on the edge, next to the bubbling, warm water.
"Wait here." He commanded gently and disappeared into the home to shut out the lights.
Yuffie watched as he exited the home and smiled, holding her hand out to him. Once her reached out to her, she captured his larger in her own and brought it to her lips and placing a soft kiss on the back of his fingers. The ninja turned and slipped into the water, hissing quietly at the heat while ushering her gunman into the bubbling water. Gray eyes watched as he settled within the water and reclaimed his hand, instead reaching out to her, pulling her close to his body.
She settled and allowed the heated water to begin to soothe her aching muscles. With a relieved sigh, the young woman closed her eyes when she felt his lips press lightly against her temple. "Tifa called before I came out. They'll be arriving tomorrow afternoon sometime. Oh, and she said to tell you hi." She smiled when she felt his lips move in what she knew was a small smile while he gave a sound of acknowledgement.
When Vincent pulled away moving the tray of chocolate and fruit closer, she immediately snatched up a strawberry and dipped it into the dark chocolate sauce before biting into the sweet, red fruit. A blissful sigh slipped from her as she devoured the treat and reached to grab another. "So Vince, what do you think about your growing fanbase?" She asked, gaining a chuckle from him as he grabbed a couple grapes, popping them into her mouth.
The gunman pulled her a bit closer and gave a little shake of his head. "When you first freed me from the coffin, I thought that those outside of Avalanche would fear me…especially children…but I don't understand why they don't." He admitted, his brows furrowing in confusion as she picked up another piece of fruit.
His princess turned slightly to look into claret eyes, giving him a smile. "I've never been afraid of you, no matter what form your were in. The kids we were playing with today surely weren't afraid of you. Hell, the boys though your arm was the coolest thing ever and the girls were blushing whenever you happened to look in their direction." Yuffie snickered and popped a chocolate covered strawberry into his mouth as she continued. "Why do you think so many of the teenage girls seemed to get caught where you were near?"
Vincent smiled, and Yuffie swore that she saw him blush slightly, but it could have also been because of the heat of the water. "Vince, even Marlene adores you and has never feared you. You can be intimidating when you need or want to be." She grinned and snickered. "I love intimidating Vinnie! I still laugh about how you made Jonathan squirm." She felt her smile grow when his turned feral at the thought of that pig doused in cologne.
"You're Vincent. You've made great strides in my opinion and you aren't the same man that we first encountered. There's always room for more change or maybe become a tad more social, but in my opinion, you're perfectly fine just the way you are. Our friends have no problem with the way you are. You don't need to be a social butterfly with them and you certainly don't need to change for me. I love you, Vinnie."
"I love you too, Yuffie." He said, leaning in and pressing his lips to hers.
Yuffie moaned against his lips, moving to her knees on the small ledge where she once sat. Her arms looped lazily around his neck as his strong hand ran across the thin fabric that covered her flat stomach, causing a gasp to escape her lips.
"Vincent…" She moaned before pushing deeper into the kiss.
He lost himself easily in the natural taste of Yuffie, mixed with the sweetness of the fruit and chocolate she had taken from the tray. His arms wrapped around her small form, pulling her to straddle his lap. The minds of both were clouded with the desire to touch and to be touched, to truly feel what they did to one another.
She could feel his strong hand running down her back to brush lightly across her rear as she pressed her breasts to his chest. It was only that tiny bit of rational thought that kept her from shrugging her swimsuit down to her hips in order to feel his lithely muscled chest and toned stomach against her own heated flesh. The pain that she was feeling from their physical activity earlier in the day was lost with the release of endorphins that flooded her bloodstream and helped to further cloud her mind. Did the kisses that he trailed down the side of her neck, and the soft nips he gave to her collarbone add to the pleasurable haze?
Hell yes and she didn't want him to stop.
Her fingers ran through his damp raven hair kissing his temple when she heard the soft groan that escaped his lips. Their lips met once more and that's when she felt it. A distinct firmness pressed along her thigh as she pressed her form against his once more. She knew what it was and though she could feel her cheeks heat, there was also a wave of desire, of want that shook her to her very core.
"Vincent…"
It was that lustful moan that managed to slip through the haze that had been halting rational thought. Vincent focused on the sound of the bubbling water; her ragged breaths and buried his face in the crook of her neck, hugging her close to her body. He could feel his flesh hard as steel within the confines of the baggy trunks he wore and knew that his Yuffie could feel his desire as well. Her hand moved across his back in comforting motions, causing her to smile against her flesh.
"Yuffie I'm-"
"Don't say it Vince."
"I couldn't control myself. You strip me of my control."
He heard her chuckle as and kiss his cheek. "Well, if there was anyone that I'd want to see without their control, just completely wild and passionate, it'd be you."
"I'm still sorry."
Yuffie smacked him on his shoulder, causing Vincent to pull back, his eyes wide as she smiled at him. "Don't apologize for touching me, ever." She said, her cheeks darkening. "In case you hadn't noticed, I was enjoying myself…immensely. From the feel of things, you did as well." She looked between their bodies suggestively at his slowly waning erection.
"I don't think I've ever felt like that before. If you hadn't stopped, I don't know if I could have stopped you…or if I would have wanted to." The ninja said with honestly.
Vincent couldn't help but to kiss her gently before allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. His hands came to rest on her hips, her thumbs making small circles on her exposed skin. "As much as I wish to touch you and be with you, I know of some of the traditions and taboos that the royal families of Wutai must follow."
Wutai was a nation of traditions and those traditions tended to apply more to the ruling families of Wutai than the more 'common' citizens of the island nation. While there were no laws broken if one were to break free from those traditions, it was greatly frowned upon. However, that was not the case in the time of her great grandfather. All traditions and rules were followed to the letter. Any deviations were not accepted and punishments were swift and sometimes severe.
Yuffie nodded, shifting her position in his lap only to resettle with her head resting against his shoulder once more. "My mother taught me about our society's customs and rules. As the years passed, they became less stringent.
"During my great grandfather's time as ruler over Wutai, it was required for the recently wedded Lord and Lady of Wutai to hang the sheets of their marital bed for all to see. The blood that stained the sheets showed that the union had been consummated and that the new lady had come to the marital bed as a virgin."
Vincent nodded, remembering the history lessons given to him by his own father. It wasn't until Kisaragi Souji handed over rule to his only child, a daughter, Kisaragi Himawari and her spouse, that the rules on what an engaged couple could do when it came to expressing their love for one another. The rule remained that there was to be no sex until after the official union.
"We will take any intimacy in our relationship slowly, Yuffie. There is no rush and we'll have plenty of time." He said softly, closing his eyes, simply enjoying the heated water and having her in his arms.
"Good, 'cus I like touching you…" She said with a smile before closing her eyes and sighing.
.:-o-:.
The couple enjoyed their time in the heated, bubbly water until Yuffie felt her sore muscles relax enough that they weren't as painful, the ninja manned the chocolate and fruit as Vincent opened the book of constellations. They searched the night sky, finding the constellation they hadn't previously known about. Vincent's rich, deep voice read the stories behind the stars, his words only occasionally broken by a chocolate covered strawberry, cherry or just a plain piece of sweet fruit.
Seeing the moon's position in the sky, he knew that it was quite late in the evening, squinting as he looked back towards the house confirmed it when he caught sight of the clock.
"I believe that it's time for us to retire for the evening."
Yuffie lifted her hand the water and chuckled at how pruned the tips of her fingers appeared. "Yup, way past time." She stood and stretched, watching as he got out of the water.
She took the book and the empty tray that once held their dessert as Vincent covered the hot tub once more. A squeak escaped the ninja when she was lifted and carried off to the master bathroom. "I'll use the guest bathroom." He said and stole a kiss before leaving her alone in the bathroom.
The ninja stripped her bathing suit off and tossed it in the general direction of the hamper, not quite caring if it made it inside. Stepping under the spray for a quick bath, her mind lingered on how wonderful it felt to have the gunman she loved touch her in the ways that he had, knowing that it could only get better from here.
She was looking forward to further exploring intimacy with Vincent.
.:-Author's Notes-:.
Well, like with the other story that was updated, I wasn't planning on posting this todaybut I seem to always have something to post on my birthdays, lol, so I thought about giving my readers who have been waiting so patiently, a small little gift of appreciation for waiting so patiently.
This chapter has been done for a couple months but numerous health problems, stress and depression has kept mewell, otherwise occupied. This month alone has not gone well yet for many reasons.
I HAVE been able to outline chapters 56-58 and half of chapter 59. Currently (when I have been feeling well enough to be able to, that is) I have been typing out chapter 56, but as I've said before, I can't tell you when I'll be able to post them. When I'm not able to type an actual chapter that I've previously plotted, I do write out outlines. Muse-sama at least helps me with that.
I enjoyed writing this chapter because of the capture the flag game. When I was a camp counselor, we had a camp-wide game of capture the flag. It lasted for about 4 hours with over 220 campers and about 50 staff members playing over 132 acres of forested land and riverside beach. It was so much fun! I was going to go into that in detail, but decided not toall the ideas and actual game time I had in mind would have made the chapter extremely long and would have taken tons of time to do so. Who knows, maybe I'll do a little side humor story that focuses on the gamebut I doubt it.
As you could also see, I DID put a teeny bit of lime content. I wanted to go further, believe me I did, but I decided not to. The stuff with Wutain culturewell, I know in various cultures around the world, it was once practiced to display the sheets of a newly married couple to prove that the woman came into the marriage as a virgin. I used that because I wanted some bit of (in my opinion) archaic traditions as part of Wutai tradition.
Anyway, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all of your support. Thank you as well to my new readers. It makes me happy to know that people are still locating this story even when buried amongst the tons of new updates.
-tosses out plushies of mini Vince's and Yuffie's holding their respective flags-
Thanks again!
Ezzie
PS: As some of ya may have noticed, I changed my username :-D
I tend to go by several variations of my original name of Ezri-Candy, but I tend to sign everything with either Ezzie or Ezriee. So its now Ezzie Valentine.
PS2: If you see any missing spaces between words or weird formatting, please let me know, for some reason, this doc manager is eating up this chapter.
PS3: Shadow-
Aww shadow, I'm sorry to hear that! I hope that things are a lot better now that some time has passed. I hope that if you see this update, it will give you something to smile about if its good enough to do so! I would have responded to you personally in a PM, but you weren't signed in -pouts- Thanks for the review!!
Posted 7/13/09
Edited 7/15/09: problem with doc manager. Its removing italic tags and eating spaces between words. Grrr!!