Chapter 57: Love TKO!!
Vincent directed Zarek along the outskirts of the town, heading for the stables and wanting to steer clear of tourist. Right now, they were likely to give a poor elderly tourist a heart attack and that was something they'd rather not do.
Nearly five miles outside of the resort town, the couple encountered the unusual sight of a heard of Grand Horns coming from the southwest. The decision was quickly made to head them off before they made their way any closer to the town, risking the lives of any of the citizens or tourists that flooded the streets and beaches. While the battle was easily won, the results were rather messy. Both Yuffie and Vincent had been coated in a layer of Grand Horn blood, innards and other unmentionable, sticky substances. After burning the remains with a well-aimed fire spell, courtesy of a certain female ninja, the pair grabbed Zareks' reins and walked a half-mile north to the banks of a small stream making its way lazily towards the ocean.
They quickly rinsed what they could from their clothing and hair, but until they reached a hot shower and a lot of soap, they couldn't rid themselves of some of the sticker bits or more persistent blood stains. Considering themselves clean enough, they remounted their Chocobo and started back for the stables.
Despite the messy nature of their last, easy encounter, both felt invigorated. While it was nice that things were more peaceful than it was before the meteor crisis, in a way, both missed the thrill of battle and action that sent adrenaline surging through their systems. Picking off the beasts intent on making Zarek into a meal as they rode and the encounter of near the town took the edge off that need.
At nearly 4:45 pm, Vincent directed the large gold to the mouth of the stable and dismounted. Carefully gripping the waist of his princess, he lowered her slight weight to the ground with ease. After she gave him a smile of thanks, they turned as an attendant approached.
"Whoalooks like you two had a bit of trouble." He said sympathetically, turning up his nose slightly at the chunky bits that clung to them.
"Yeah, you might wanna send out word so the patrol troops can do a sweep of the area." Yuffie suggested, rewarding their bird with scratches and nuzzles. "We ran into a group of Grand horns and they're usually pretty far to the southwest."
The attendant nodded. "Yeah, occasionally they migrate up this way around this time of the year. No one has really had a chance to figure out why, but I'll let them know. If you need another mount in the future, please let us know." With a bow, the male took Zarek to be unsaddled and cleaned up.
It took them very little time to make it back to their bungalow and instead of leading Yuffie to the front door, he detoured and slipped into their backyard and patio area.
"We can clean of most of thedebris out here so we don't take any unmentionables inside." He said, pulling the keycard from his pocket.
"Handsome and smart! Damn I'm lucky!" She teased with a grin. "Strip Vincent."
Vincent arched his eyebrow and sent her a playful, yet suggestive look while stripping his clothing and shoes off, leaving him clad in a pair of dark blue boxers. Yuffie pouted as he made his way towards the house, cardkey in hand.
"How is it that even though you have guts hanging out of your hair and gunk on your skin, you still look edible?!"
Vincent's crimson eyes grew amused as he looked over his shoulder at the ninja as she stood, her arms folded beneath her breasts. "Only to you."
Yuffie tilted her head to the side with a small grin. "Must I remind you once again about your fanclub?"
Vincent shook his head, chuckling as he entered the home. Gray eyes watched as he disappeared towards the master bathroom. She shook her head once more before pulling her own clothing off, leaving herself clad in her panties and bra. She moved to Vincent's clothing and gathered them before moving to the outdoor shower. With her nose scrunched, she freed their clothing of the clinging bits and rung the excess water from them. As she was heading for the laundry room, Vincent emerged from the bedroom, his arms laden with towels, soap, shampoo and conditioner. After nodding his thanks, he disappeared outside once more.
Yuffie filled the washer with double the amount of detergent and dumped their thing inside, leaving the lid open in order for their clothing to soak before adding their undergarments. She slipped out the back door, and joined Vincent as he was checking the temperature of the water.
"Would you like to go first?" He asked.
"Well, I don't mind if we clean up together." Yuffie said, smiling. "Plus, if you wash my back, I'll wash yours and I don't think that you'll be able to get all the gunk out of your hair by yourself.
Nodding, they took turns divesting each other of chunky bits and spots of sticky fluid that managed to survive the dip in the stream. Once they were clear of substances marked as 'other', they cleaned up the solid remains and tossed them out onto the sand. The number of birds that had begun to circle above would be more than happy to dispose of the waste.
Wrapped in a towels they ventured back to the washer. Vincent added his boxers to the load as Yuffie wiggled out of her bra and panties, adding them before Vincent closed the lid. After they both grabbed undergarments from the master bedroom, they both disappeared into the two bathrooms to finish up.
.:-o-:.
Clad in his boxers, his towel draped over his head, Vincent entered the bedroom and took a seat on the bed, rubbing his ebon locks roughly with the towel. He sighed at being clean once more. Though he missed the thrill of the fight, he didn't miss the clean up after some of the more messy battles.
The gunman was pulled from his musing by faint sound of music playing. It was something he had heard on many occasions before and dropped the towel and began hunting for the device as it started to draw closer to the end of the digitalized version of the chocobo waltz.
Spotting Yuffie's rucksack, that thankfully had escaped splatter, he opened it and pulled the device from its depths and pressed the button to answer it.
"Hello?"
"inc..et" Static marred the words. "Hel..o"
Frowning, he moved closer to the window and gave a phone a tap on the palm of his hand. "Tifa?"
"Hi Vincent!" There was still heavy static in the background, but thanks to his enhanced hearing, he could hear her now that the words weren't breaking up. "I just wanted to let you guys know that we've arrived and we're on our way to the condo. We wanted to know if you and Yuffie would have dinner with us."
"That would be fine. I will let Yuffie know when she gets out of the shower. When would you like to meet?"
"Iink your pne is going ut." Vincent tapped the phone once more as she continued. "Its 5:40 nowhow bout we meet around seven?"
"That is fine. Shall we meet you at the condo?"
"Of course! We'll see you soon then! Bye Vincent!"
"Goodbye."
Vincent hung up her phone and examines the phone, finding a rather sizeable crack in the side. 'It probably occurred when she tossed it to the side before our encounter with the grand horns.' He thought, placing the phone on the nightstand before he went in search of clothing.
.:-o-:.
A few minutes later, Yuffie came from the bathroom and let out a sigh as a cloud of steam followed in her wake. She plopped on the bed and flopped onto her back, watching as Vincent pulled a black cotton shirt from the drawer. She watched the fine muscles move beneath his skin as he slipped into the shirt and pulled black pants up taking a moment to button his fly. Yuffie smiled happily at the way his shirt clung to his chest.
She hopped to her feet and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. A pleased sigh escaped her lips when she felt his fingers trail across her back through the thin material of her robe.
"Tifa and Cloud have arrived. They want us to meet them at seven for dinner." He said softly.
"When did they call?"
"Not long before you got out of the shower. Also, you need a new phone. I believe it broke when you tossed the rucksack to the sidethere's a crack in it and the call breaks up." He mumbled, slipping down to the graceful curve where her neck met her shoulder to place a light kiss on her soft flesh. The site of the white satin strap of her bra against the tan skin of her shoulder was very enticing.
Yuffie shivered, and watched the gunman, a bit dazed by the feel of his lips on such a sensitive area. In a way, it reminded her of those B-rated movies out of Midgar about vampires. It always happened that the bodacious blond drooped into the arms of the handsome vampire as he kissed along her neck, preparing to strike. On many occasions she remembered throwing popcorn at the television, crowing about how she would have kicked the vampire in the balls for even trying it, but the sensation of Vincent's lips against her flesh and the way he could make her swoon with a simple peck on the lips made her wonder if she'd be coherent enough to rack a man.
Thinking about it for a moment, she finally came to a conclusion. If said vampire was Vincent, oh yes, she'd play blood bank for him any day, and would do so happily. If it were any other male, she would definitely make it infinitely easier for them to sing soprano. They'd never glimpse their testicles again for they would be permanently retracted into their abdomen.
"Should I be afraid?"
Yuffie shook her head and blinked, watching Vincent run his brush through his hair. "Huh?"
"I asked if I should be afraid?" He repeated, his eyebrow arched and a smirk tracing his lips. "You had a rather sinister look on your face."
Yuffie blushed but laughed and shook her head, telling him it was nothing while unwrapping the towel from her body. Tossing her towel to the side, she pulled out the only pair jeans she brought and slipped them on before slipping a pale yellow tank over her head. After grabbing her damaged cell phone and grabbing other needed items, the couple left the bungalow.
The ninja looked towards the freshly darkened sky and saw the first tiny points of light that fought that last shred of sunlight to outshine the others. It was truly beautiful out here, especially at night. Being away from the main strip of town, Vincent and Yuffie had spent a fair amount of time outdoors at night during their time here, enjoying the cool breeze off the ocean looking up at the stars. Sometimes they spoke about things that really were of no consequence, other times, they simply enjoyed the privacy and Vincent held her in his arms.
"They sky seems so different here than in Wutai. I almost miss being able to go to the top of Da Chao and just enjoy how quiet it can be up there. The lanterns in the village make it really beautiful to look down on." She rocked back and forth on her toes, as he put the key back into his pocket.
Vincent reached out, taking her hand into his own as they started towards the town, taking their time. Claret eyes turned skyward for a moment before looking towards the town in the distance. "When I was a child, my father would tell me stories about how he would race his brothers up to the top of Da Chao to star gaze, but their favorite time to venture to the top was during the meteor showers and festivals. The fireworks are beautiful from the top." Yuffie made a sound of agreement. "Yuuta and Yukio would team up to make it so that one of them would make it to top before my father." The corner of his mouth tilted upward slightly. "On one occasion, Yuuta tackled my father to the ground while Yukio continued to the top. He ended up with a slight break in the bones of his forearm. Instead of getting angry, he was proud of his brothers for working together, grandmother however, was furious. By the time they had come down from Da Chao, father's arm was an interesting shade of black and blue. I believe all three of them were punished by having to grind charcoal and clay for the forging process."
Yuffie chuckled and looked up to her taller love. "Grinding charcoal and clay? Why?"
"Its mixed together with a few other elements and painted on the blade to let portions of a blade cool faster while keeping other areas hot during the process to harden the blade. It creates the ihamon/i(1) that you see on swords and bladed weapons made by the family. Some use acid to create it, but the Koizumi family has always used a clay mixture."
Yuffie nodded in understanding, having seen the hamon on her four-point shuriken, which had been created by the Koizumi clan. The walked in silence for a few moments before the ninja spoke. "If you come with me back to Wutai, will you visit your uncles?"
He gave her hand a squeeze. "First, there is no if. I will be accompanying you back to Wutai when it is time for you to return. I will be there when the announcement is made, whatever it may be." He said quietly. "When it comes to my extended familyI have considered it. I think I may seek them out when we return to Wutai in November. I've been away for far too long as it is. I believe that my uncles are around seventy years old at this point"
"Are you worried that they've forgotten about you?" She looked up to him as they drew closer to the town.
"Part of me wonders if the will remember me or if they gave me up for dead long ago. I will bedifficult to explain everything." He thought about how his extended family would take his reappearance.
"You know I'll help you if you want me too. Its possible that they very well know you're alive thanks to the news feeds. I won't have you go alone if you don't want to. Besides, I was thinking about getting Cloud an original Koizumi blade even if it's just for collector's purpose. No self-respecting swordsman should be without one. It would be the perfect gift for the winter festivals."
Vincent nodded and smiled at the little ninja and squeezed her hand. "I believe that I will be taking you up on your offer. Though they are family" He trailed off and watched as she nodded.
"You're not a social butterfly Vince. Though they're family, you havent seen them in what, a little over thirty years? Things will be awkward at first, but no matter what, they're still family and I'll still be at your side. I promised I would help you, and I don't break my promisesthough I'm doing it because I love you, not just because of the promise, I just wanna make sure you're crystal clear on that fact, buddy." She rambled, gaining a chuckle from him.
"Of that, I have no doubt. I am very fortunate to have you at my side, Yuffie."
"And I'm glad I have you as well, Vinnie."
The finished the walk in silence and as they reached the main strip, Yuffie released his hand, not wanting him to feel awkward with the show of affection in such a public area. No, it didnt bother her that he wasn't comfortable enough around people to do so because she knew that he loved her, and thats all that mattered.
As they walked through past the businesses that were still open and doing quite well from the looks of thing. But Yuffie began to grow a bit anxious as they drew closer to the condo. With every step they took, the crowed grew denser as people began to start their nights with dinner at a local restaurant or dancing and drinks at one of the many restaurants.
When they were less than two hundred feet away from the stairs leading up to the villa, the pair was stopped when Vincent's name was called. A group of young women stood near the entrance of the bar, waving at the gunman and trying to urge one girl forward. Yuffie watched as the girl came to stand before them, her face a bright red as she pushed her glasses higher up on her pert little nose.
"UmMiss Kisaragi sorry to stop you two butMr. Valentine? Can we please get a picture with you!" She held up a camera and lowered her voice. "Please? It'll only take a minute. My friend over there, the one in the blue, she'll never let me live it down if I don't get you to agree."
The girl in question was very open in her admiration of the gunman. That admiration was quite loud and drawing attention. Yuffie could feel Vincent's unease looked up to meet his gaze and unknown to those around them, a silent but quick conversation was had.
'Must I?'
'No. I know you don't want to, but I don't think she'll just go away quietly. Its your choice though.'
'Very well.'
Vincent's visage remained stoic and the sudden desire for his cloak was strong as he gave a single nod.
Yuffie stepped forward to take the camera. "It has to be fast. We're late for a meeting." She said while the other girls rushed forward to join. The ninja shook her head and gave a quick countdown before snapping the photo, seeing on the camera's screen that the girl in blue had grabbed Vincent's arm just before she snapped the photo. The young woman with the glasses rushed forward and claimed the camera, mouthing the word 'sorry' to her as she did so.
Yuffie, strode forward and reclaimed Vincent's arm from the young woman, entwining her fingers with her gunman's. "Gotta go! We're late." She started walking towards the stairs, not missing the glare that the blue clad girl sent her way.
"Vanessa I can't believe you did that!" The girl with the glasses admonished. "You don't just grab someone without permission! I swear" She turned back to Vincent and Yuffie, giving them a small bow. "I'm sorry. Please, enjoy your evening."
"S'alright. You didn't do anything." Yuffie waived off and gave the girl a small smile. As they headed for the stairs, the ninja smirked as the seemingly shy girl laid into her friend for being rude as they went into the bar.
"Hopefully the rest of the evening will be eventless." She said, watching as Vincent gave a stoic nod. It was only when she felt him squeeze her hand that she realized that she still had his. Her smaller hand loosened on his, giving him the chance to pull away.
He didn't.
He guided them up the stairs and only once they reached the door did he let her go. He reached up and rang the doorbell. Yuffie felt a warm tingle surge through her body as his warm hand came to rest against her lower back. She flashed him a smile just as the door opened.
"Hey guys, you're right on time." Tifa greeted them. "Come on in." She stepped aside, allowing the pair to enter.
She felt the warm on her lower back drift away as Vincent moved into the condo. She caught his eye and gave him a quick wink as she hugged Tifa. "Where's Spike?"
"He's locking up the valuables. Thanks for dropping our stuff off; it would have been a pain to lug it along." She took a seat on the love seat, and watched as the gunman took a seat next to Yuffie on the couch. Though he didn't touch her with his hands, he made sure that the line of their bodies did. That warmed her. She loved observing the two and she could tell that they were happy and even the aura around Vincent was a bit relaxed all though she could see a touch of tension around his crimson eyes.
"So, did either of you have a preference on where we go?" She asked.
"Somewhere quite would be nice." Yuffie answered
"I agree." Vincent said with a nod.
"I'll need to get a new phs. Mine had a bit of an accident." She pulled the phone out of her pocket and tossed it to the fighter who caught it with ease. "You'll have to call the bungalow or Vincent's phs until I get a new one."
"Yuff, your phs isn't as tough as you are," Cloud said, as he entered the room, nodding his greeting to the gunman who greeted him back.
The ninja hopped up from the couch to give the blond who was like a brother to her. He gave her a squeeze before plopping on the couch next to Tifa. "What happened to it?"
"We had a run-in with a group of grand horns outside of Costa." She relayed the details of their encounter.
Cloud let out a gruff 'hn'. "We ran into a few to the east of Cosmo on the way here. I let Reeve know so he can get a group to the south to thin their numbers out a bit. He said it's been a problem for since the destruction of Gongaga's reactor and they're looking into the reason for the migration north."
"Well, we can go shopping together tomorrow Yuffie, that way we'll have plenty of time to browse."
"Yay" The ninja deadpanned as Cloud chuckled in amusement. She truly did dislike shopping, but she had been preparing herself for the extended trips that she would be taken on when Tifa, the queen of shopping, and the rest of the women arrived.
"Come on Yu, it wont be that bad." Tifa grinned and shook her head. "Anyway, you said you wanted to go somewhere quiet. There's a steak house a few blocks away that Cloud and I went to last time we were here. It's away from the main strip and its pretty spacious so the tables and booths aren't all crammed together."
The fighter watched as the ninja looked to the gunman, observing the silent and rapid communications between the two of them before Yuffie turned back to them. "That sounds good. I think I could go for a good steak right about now"
Cloud and Tifa stood and watched as Vincent pulled Yuffie to her feet. The blond sent his girlfriend a look and a small smirk. "Let's head out." Cloud grabbed the keys off the end table. "It sounds like we all need rest tonight."
The three others nodded in agreement to his statement. With Tifa and Cloud coming after traveling along with Yuffie and Vince's venture to the south, they all felt the need for relaxation and sleep. As Yuffie walked at Vincent's side, she wondered if she'd be able to talk him into a dip in the hot tub later tonight. The thought of resting in the bubbly hot water, with Vincent's arm wrapped around her as she listened to his deep voice sounded very appealing.
Being deeply in thought, she didn't realize that they had arrived until she collided with Cloud's back, forcing Vincent to reach out and steady her. Blushing, she smiled at the blond. "Sorry, had my head in the clouds"
"Oh Yuffie, that was a bad one." Cloud said with a smile as Tifa giggled.
"I know, but I couldn't resist." She replied as Vincent opened the door, allowing the other couple to enter first. The ninja let out a sigh and winked to the tall male as his hand once again found its way to her lower back.
The restaurant was just as Cloud and Tifa described. Dark wood made up most of the large interior. To the right, there was a large bar, its cherry surface polished to a mirror like shine. A few couples and obviously single men sat at the bar, nursing mixed drinks or beers from all over the planet between bites of their meals or laughter thanks to a well placed jab at one another. Tables covered in layered dark blue and white cloths were placed strategically, allowing people to pass freely without twisting and turning their bodies to squeeze past. A single white candle set within glass provided warm light as they flickered on all the tables. The booths were large and done in dark leather nearly encircled a circular table with the same blue and white tablecloths that graced the tables. Large, healthy green plants were spread throughout the restaurant and made the ninja wonder if they were real or not. The noise level was surprisingly low and soft music played in the background.
"This is nice," Yuffie nodded in approval as the host greeted them.
"Welcome to the Candlelight steakhouse." He nodded his head in greeting. "Mr. Strife, Ms. Lockhart, welcome back. Would you like a table or booth for four?"
"A booth please." Tifa answered.
"I have the perfect place for you." He grabbed four menus. "If you'd follow me please."
He led them through the bar to a quiet corner near a window. While there was no ocean view, it did allow them a perfect view of a garden terrace that sat lower than the restaurant's main level.
The women sat next to one another in the circular booth while their male companions sat beside them like two handsome bookends. Their host told them of the specials as he handed them their menus and promised the waitress would be with them in just a moment. Vincent felt himself relaxing in the semi-private booth as he listened to the conversation between Cloud, Tifa and Yuffie while glancing over the menu. He was grateful that Yuffie didn't mention the picture incident on the way to the villa. That was an irritation and a discomfort that he'd rather just forget and it was obvious that the girl in question had a few drinks before they had even arrived at the bar.
Vincent looked up as four stemmed glasses of water were placed on the table before them along with a bowl of lemon slices. Nodding once in thanks, he took a sip from the glass as the woman spoke.
"Good evening, my name is Mira and I'll be your waitress for the evening." She handed them each a drink menu. After a few moments of decision, Yuffie spoke up.
"I'll have a virgin strawberry daiquiri please."
"I think I'll have a peach daiquiri," Tifa added.
Mira nodded and looked to the men. "And for the two of you?"
"A bottle of Rocket Town Hefeweizen please." Vincent requested, handing his and Yuffie's drink menu to the young woman.
"I'll have the same." Cloud nodded and handed the remaining menus over.
"Very good. Have you decided on your meals?" At the nods from around the table, she quickly wrote down their orders and with the promise of their drinks and appetizers being brought to them promptly, disappeared.
"Now Tifa," Yuffie started with a grin, "what was this you were telling me about an incident involving a stream, the frog song spell and a certain nude blond?"
Cloud gaped and turned to Tifa. "You didn't"
"Oh, but she did!" Yuffie laughed. "I didn't get to hear the whole story, but Teef, you can't leave a ninja hanging!"
Tifa opened her mouth to speak but it was quickly covered by Cloud's hand. "No!"
Vincent watched the trio with amusement shining in his eyes as he watched Tifa struggle to get free, resorting to attempting to tickle the blond to get free. Eventually she was able to do so.
Who knew that Cloud Strife, swordsman extraordinaire, was extremely ticklish?
.:-o-:.
Dinner was wonderful and the food was great. Vincent even joined in the conversation a few times, though mainly he listened to his companions as they joked and Cloud told them about their trip from Nibelheim. The gunman found that he had enjoyed the evening. While things wouldnt be quite the same with everyone arriving, he would make sure that he spent time with his little ninja alone. Matter fact, he already had some ideas of how he could accomplish this.
A small smirk traced his lips at that thought while he grabbed the bill when the waitress returned. Ignoring the protest from his friends, Vincent paid for the meal and left a generous tip and stood, holding his hand out to Yuffie as she moved across the leather seat of their booth. She took it and smiled when he squeezed her hand, leading her from the restaurant not caring who probably was watching their movement through the establishment.
He didn't let her hand go once they were outside either.
Tifa stretched and let out a yawn. "You guys feel like walking up the beach as we go back?"
Yuffie looked up to Vincent and then shook her head. "Nah, we don't mind."
The two couples made their way up the beach, taking their time as they did so. Yuffie and Tifa made plans for the next day and as Yuffie expected, they would be doing a lot of shopping. Oddly, she didn't mind the idea as much as she thought she would. She was looking forward to spending time with the woman she looked to as a sister.
It wasn't hard to realize that they had made it back to the main strip of the beach. There were a few bonfires with groups of people sitting, enjoying the heat and music from acoustic guitars or the occasional boom box. As they made their way to the condo, the passed people still lounging in the beach chairs and chaises that were set up below the stair case. A few appeared to be doing some stargazing while others appeared to be passed out. One poor guy was having some impromptu facial art drawn on his face by what appeared to be his friends.
Shaking his head, Vincent led Yuffie up the stairs behind Tifa and Cloud.
.:-o-:.
"Alright, you've had enough. The boss says its time to go, so its time to go." The bouncer commanded as he took the inebriated young woman by the hand, leading her towards the exit.
"Aww, come on baby! I'm a'ight!" The girl complained, trying to disappear into the bars depths once more.
"Vanessa, stop it! You've had too much to drink. You see! This is why I don't go out with you guys!" Naiya complained with a glare as she pushed her glasses higher on her nose. Now she remembered why her mother and father had subtly told her that there were certain people that it was best that you kept your distance from. She ran her hand through her pale hair and growled. 'This is friendship is definitely not worth it.' She helped the bouncer drag her friend out of the establishment.
Their friends gathered around them, a couple of them frowning at the drunken girl while the rest of their group (equally drunk) saw their ejection from the night spot as unfair.
At five foot nothing, Naiya looked up to the taller Vanessa and sighed heavily. "I'll help you back to your hotel because I would feel really bad if something were to happen to you, but don't bother asking me to come out with you guys again." Her two sober friends echoed her sentiments.
"Whatever, you're so boring! Thats why you don't have any fun! You don't even have a boyfriend!" Vanessa gave the girl a dismissive wave before teetering a bit, but managing to stay upright.
A red flush of anger and embarrassment filled Naiya's cheeks as her violet gaze turned head. "Let's go so this night can be done and over with." Grabbing the taller woman's arm, she apologized to the bouncer and got a sympathetic look in return as he told her not to worry before she began to drag her friend in the direction of her hotel as her friends herded the others along as well.
She was suddenly jerked to a stop. She turned to her blue clad ward and prepared to ask her what the problem was, but was cut off by a venomous growl of anger.
"That bitch! Why is she still hanging all over him!?" Vanessa pulled her arm free and started storming away, leaving Naiya flabbergasted.
"What in the world" She mumbled and blinked, however her eyes widened as she saw the direction in which the sloshed woman was heading. 'Holy crap! She's not'
"Vanessa, stop!" She shouted and ran towards the impending disaster pushing her way through the people milling about. The sound of her sandals slapping on the cobblestone and the sharp, rapid clicking of Vanessa's heels was all that she could hear as she tried to stop what was going to end very poorly for her companion.
.:-o-:.
Yuffie was jerked to a stop by Vincent's sudden lack of motion, causing her to turn when his hand stiffened in her own. She couldn't believe the site that greeted her.
"Hi," the breathy voice reached her ears. "I saw you passing through and thought you'd like to go have a drink with me. I mean, you'd have a lot more fun hanging out with me rather than that 'little girl.'"
"No thank you." Vincent said firmly, the stench of alcohol coming off the woman was powerful as he dislodged her hand from his arm.
"I'm sorry but we must be going," Tifa said, the surprise at the sight clear on her face.
"Yeah, we gotta get going. Have a nice night!" Yuffie said with a small smile, though her irritation could be heard in her strained voice. How dare that girl come right up to her gunman like that! And with her right there! The ninja could tell that she was drunk so reigned her inner self that wanted to put the girl in her place.
The made it a few steps before Yuffie felt nails digging into her arm. When she turned to confront her assailant, a loud crack that snapped her head snapped to the right. A gasp escaped Tifa's lips and the crowd around them stopped. Someone in the crowd grabbed the struggling girl.
Naiya broke through the crowd, having seen what the girl had done. "Vanessa, how could you!? You idiot!" She moved towards Yuffie and bowed her head. "I am so sorry!"
Yuffie slowly turned to the white haired girl and smiled. "You know, it's not your fault, but you really should rethink your choice of friends."
"I definitely have! I was just trying to get her to her hotel." She said tiredly. "I'm not putting up with this anymore!"
"Good for you." Yuffie rotated her neck, cracking a few bones before turning to the man that held her attacker. "It's alright; you can let her go."
"You little bitch!" Vanessa screamed at the ninja.
It was then that Yuffie's calm inner self to be trampled and pinned by inner rabid Yuffie. In a blur of movement, Yuffie pulled her fist back and knocked Vanessa to the ground. She knelt on the ground next to the dazed girl as her inner self restrained her rabid side with chains, bringing her temper back under lock and key as she wound her hand in the long bottle-blond hair, leaning in close to her ear.
"You'd do well to remember that he's mine and if you ever disrespect me like that again, you will be a lot worse off than you are now. And you know what? You hit like a girl!" She released the girl's hair and watched as the girl passed out.
The ninja stood and stretched lazily, smiling at the gunman whom, though his face was stoic, his eyes held an odd mix of worry and pride. She reclaimed his hand and looked to Tifa and Cloud while Naiya directed the drunken girls that she and her two friends had been herding to pick Vanessa up. "Ready to go?"
Cloud chuckled and shook his head as he led them the short distance to the Villa where the swordsman and the fighter agreed to meet them at their bungalow for breakfast the next morning before heading out to shop. They exchanged their goodnights and soon enough, Vincent and Yuffie were once again walking the road back to their home away from home.
As soon as the lights from the main strip began to fade a bit, Vincent pulled Yuffie to a stop. Her eyes fell closed as she felt his cool, calloused hand on her cheek. She felt the familiar sensation of a cure spell wash over her.
"You didn't have to do that, Vinnie. I'm okay."
He shook his head. "It shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry."
Her brow furrowed. "That was in no way your fault! Geez, what's with people taking the blame for the actions of others tonight?" She asked more to herself. "Vince, I'm okay. What damage could that ditz do to me? I'm Wutai's best!"
He smiled down at her. "Well, I'd hate to see you bruised over something that so asinine." They began walking once more when she heard his voice. "Why should I wish to look elsewhere when you are at my side?" He squeezed her hand.
The ninja giggled softly. "You're so sweet, Vinnie." She caught his quick smile from the corner of her eye.
.:-Author's Notes-:.
(1) Okay, I have to admit that I'm a bit of a geek with this. I tend to watch a lot of the science channel, discovery channel and Nova when bored. When you pull up an image of a samurai swords, you should notice that some of the blades have this beautiful (well I think it is) wavy line above the ha or edge of the blade where it appears lighter or more silver than the rest of the blade. During the forging process, the clay is painted on the blade and its dipped in water to cool it. When the sword is sharpened and polished, you see the hamon on the blade's surface. Type in hamon in google and you can see it very clearly in the image results. Hamon means blade pattern. Its a really interesting thing to watch and learn about. The television program is called "Secrets of the Samurai Sword." It talks about how the blades are made and how the sharpness was measured back then (for example, five body blade means that it could cut through five human bodies)the whole process is fascinating to me and its made my desire to have a sword even stronger. Hehehe, my aunt used to have a small collection of katana. I used to love looking at them when I was little.
I had to get Vanessa in there. I don't know why, but I needed a so-called beautiful party girl that Yuffie could knock out for touching her gunman (hence the title of the chapter). She's totally made up and has no part in this story other than this and a small mention in the next chapter. Naiya is actually an OC that I've created for a story/rp I do with my best bud, Angey, aka shadowbeaw, but this is a watered down version of her. I believe this is the only time she will make an appearance since though she does live in the final fantasy 7 world in the rp/story, I try to keep the invasive OC's to a minimum if possible and it looks like Yoshi is the only one that will remain in the story, though not with a major role. He's a side character who comes to train from time to time and plays a big bro role for little Marlene.
This chapter is actually finished today, February 4, 2010, but I'm not going to post it today for many reasons, mainly, my internet connection. I'm trying to write two more chapters before I get access and post this. Edit: I wrote the extra chapters! Yay!!
Thanks for reading!
Ezzie
PS: Thanks Ellie91 for your review! -cheers for new reviewer- Kuon, I tired to reply, but your pm's are turned off. Thanks for your review!
Posted 2/14/10