Chapter Four: Rained in at Nibelhiem

Yuffie awoke to find that the pain in her leg had subsided, but it was still quite sore. She opened her eyes a bit, noticing that it was morning (though it didn't feel like it since it was still raining) and she was wrapped in something big, red, fuzzy, and smelled of a sweet smelling… laundry detergent? What is this? She sat up and looked at it closely, with her eyes half opened. Is it…Vincent's cloak? Wow…and he actually DOES wash it! It smells like…Tide! Yawning, she rolled over to her left and felt something large and warm. Ohmigawd is this… Yuffie looked up. Vincent!

Vincent was sitting up with the Death Penalty in his lap. His attention shifted to the ninja awakening from sleep beside him. They should have left some time ago, but since the sun was covered by rain clouds, they would still be able to move about in darkness. "You are awake," Vincent said in monotone. "Can you stand?"

Yuffie moved about. Holding onto a tree branch, she stood without too much difficulty. "Uh, yeah...I'm fine…" Yuffie took the cloak off and handed it to Vincent. "Here…you look kind of odd without it…!" Vincent shifted his gaze to her. "Hold onto it. It is cold." Yuffie 'held onto it', cause heck, it WAS cold. "Hey Vinnie?" Vincent cringed when she used this childish nickname for him. Oh well, at least it isn't 'Coffin-Boy' or 'Dracula'.

"What is it, Yuffie?" The girl looked up at him with her huge, grey eyes. "Why aren't you cold?" Vincent looked up and frowned. "…I can not feel the chill." The ninja lowered her head. Oh crud, first thing in the morning and I just had to get him depressed. Wow, great job, Yuffie. Vincent started rummaging in his backpack. He pulled out something that resembled a Granola Bar and tossed it to Yuffie, who caught it before it went over the tree branch. "Thanks, Vinnie!" Vincent nodded slightly in reply.

"We should keep going," Vincent said as he started scaling down the tree with Yuffie following after him. Figuring her leg was better, Yuffie 'trusted in her elite ninja skills' and jumped from one of the lower branches onto the ground. Vincent had just gotten onto the ground when Yuffie jumped down after him, who upon hitting the ground lurched forward on her bad leg and came face to face with the wet grass of the forest floor.

Ohmigawd this is disgusting! Yuffie grabbed onto Vincent's cloak to pull herself up. "Are you okay?" Vincent asked as he steadied the very much embarrassed ninja. Yuffie felt her face get hot as the gunslinger put his claw on her shoulder. Egad! Not again! Blonde hair, blue eyes! Blonde hair and blue eyes! She brushed the mud off of her face and picked up her backpack that had fallen off. She shook her head to rid it of the excess rain water that was steadily pouring down from the sky.

The Shin-Ra Mansion: Basement

Two men sat at a long table in the basement of the Mansion, opposite from each other. The first man spoke. "Sir, they have gunned down a few of our men in the forest and are nearing the town. Should we send out…a 'welcoming committee'?" The other man grinned in the candle light.

"No…let them come to me. Is the girl with him?"

"Lady Kisaragi? Yes, my lord…but what use do we have for her?"

"Valentine will not cooperate without an incentive."

"But, he has not cared for anyone since…Lucrecia..."

"Yes…that is what puzzles me."

"So…we will use the ninja for…"

"…Bait. Yes. Now, leave me."

"…As you command, Lord Talbot."

Yuffie rejoiced when she saw Nibelhiem. "Finally, civilization! And look, there is the Inn! We can rest for a little while, right Vinnie?" Vincent nodded in agreement. The rain had gotten the Death Penalty quite wet, and he feared it would be ruined if he didn't clean it soon.

That would be terrible. I received it from…

Lucrecia…

Chaos! You have been silent for some time, demon.

Ah, that I have.

So why do you choose to speak now?

I have been roused. Plotting…

You speak in riddles. Explain.

I will…in my own time.

"Vincent! Come on! I've got mud in between my teeth and in my ears!"

The girl beckons, host.

Vincent pushed Chaos into the farthest depths of his mind and followed after the young girl that was soaked to the bone, still wrapped in his cloak. They entered the Inn which was warm compared to the wind and the rain outdoors.

"Gosh, Vincent…everyone is staring at us." Yuffie whispered.

"I don't suppose you have looked at yourself in a mirror recently." Vincent replied.

"Well…how do I look?"

"…like you got ran over by a confused Chocobo."

Yuffie let he jaw drop.

"Ohmigawd, Vinnie! You made a joke! Your very first joke! Congrats!"

Vincent stepped up to the counter. "Two rooms, please." He placed the money on the counter, but the Innkeeper handed half of it back. Sorry, we only have one room…but it has two beds. Is that okay?" Yuffie began to protest, but Vincent accepted the room key and began walking up the stairs.

Yuffie tossed her bag onto the bed closest to the wall. She placed the borrowed cloak on a bar next to the window to dry. She tossed her Conformer under the bed and started walking across the room. "Yuffie, what are you doing?" The ninja stood with her hands on her hips. "You said I look like I got ran over by a Chocobo, right? So before we go explore that Mansion-o-Heck, I'm going to wash off." She darted to the bathroom as if her life depended on it and locked the door behind her.

When he heard the water running steadily in the bathroom, he pulled out a rag from his pocket and began cleaning the Death Penalty. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. The gunman put the gun in-between the sheets and answered the door. It was the Innkeeper.

"Yes?" Vincent asked.

"Hullo, I was just making my rounds and figured I'd tell you that no one will be able to leave the Inn tonight. I'm quite sorry."

"What is the problem?"

"Well now, haven't you looked out the window? It's raining Chocobos out there! Further information about the storm should be on the Weather Channel on the T.V. in your room, sir."

"Thank you for the information. Goodnight." And with that, Vincent shut the door.

Hmm…they didn't have a television in here the last time I was here… Vincent grabbed the remote and pointed it at the black T.V on the dresser. Busted. There was a radio on the nightstand, which he turned on. A voice filled with static filled the room. "For all residents in or around Nibelhiem, a flood warning has been issued and will last until 6:15am tomorrow morning. The…" Vincent turned the radio off. Lovely, we're stuck here until tomorrow. Vincent lay back on the bed, listening to the sound of the rain on the roof and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Author's Note: Yah, chapter four is done. Go meh. –is happy- Hope it wasn't too short this time. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and picked up a few mistakes. Now…who the heck is this mysterious 'Lord Talbot' and what does he want with Vincent? How do they know about Yuffie? What does Chaos know that the others don't? Guess you'll have to keep reading!