I love writing this...

Softening of Stone

Yuffie snapped the phone shut and handed it back to Vincent. "Thanks, Vinnie." They stepped through the dark, abandoned house, heading towards the exit. Yuffie stepped through the door frame and gasped. The woods around them had little soft bits of fluff floating through the air like snow.

"It's cottonwood, right?" Vincent nodded his silent reply. She smiled and gazed at the beautiful things surrounding her.

Yuffie and Vincent continued traveling through the forest until they came upon a small clearing in which they could be seen by the team on Cid's ship. "We'll rest here. Is that okay with you?" Vincent asked.

"Anywhere that's not that...place is better." Yuffie said quietly. She looked up at him trustfully. Vincent tried to get her mind off the terrible experience she had had.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, slightly timid. She looked cute in his cloak, a smile amidst folds of crimson fabric.

"Yeah. A little." She admitted. He dug into his pocket and pulled out an apple. She sat against a tree while Vincent lit a fire at the center of the clearing. Yuffie watched the concentration on his face, absorbing every detail. She hadn't seen him in over a year. She had missed him an incredible amount.

Biting into the apple, the juice ran down her chin. She closed her eyes and savored the sweet taste. It was the first food she had had in a year. At the lab she had survived off of Mako, and luckily had not gottan Mako poisoning.

Vincent sat down near the fire. Yuffie, who had finished her food, moved to sit close to him. "Thank you, Vinnie." She said.

"For what?"

"Saving me. Proving it wasn't a dream." She stated plainly, "I was sure I would die in there. He conducted experiments on me. And..." She lost her voice.

He looked at her, his eyes questioning. She stared into the fire and watched its dancing lights. "And he...uh.. he put... a... demon in me..." She trailed off.

Vincent gasped. "It not overcoming you, is it?" His voice thick with worry.

"No. Not at all. I only just realized she was there. She has told me that her name is Destruction. She hasn't tried to overcome me."

"She?"

"Well, Chaos is a guy, isn't he?"

"You had better say yes." Chaos' voice entered his head.

Vincent nodded.

"Then why shouldn't she have a gender?"

"I agree completely." Destruction added.

"I sensed her presence." Chaos informed Vincent.

"And you didn't tell me why?" Vincent asked in his head.

"I wanted to see if she would tell you. Besides, there are loads of things I don't tell you, Valentine." Chaos sneered. "Like how your ninja friend-"

"Shut up, Demon." Vincent wasn't in the mood to listen to Chaos talk about Yuffie in any way.

Yuffie looked downcast. She was sitting close to him, still staring at the fire. Her eyes were sad. It tortured him to see her so.

"Are you mad at me, Vinnie?" Came her question.

"How could I be? It wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything." He felt as though he were being awkward towards her. He made his face stone.

Yuffie sat in a silence that was unlike her. She mulled things over in her head, not knowing what to do. She really liked Vincent. It was originally a tiny little crush that grew. She had tried to ignore it and now she just hid it.

"Why don't you tell him?" Destruction asked.

Yuffie sighed. "Why are you reading my thoughts?"

"I have no such ability." The She-demon replied, "It was simply a strong emotion coming from you."

Yuffie didn't reply.

Yuffie began to nod off. Vincent looked down when he felt slight pressure on his shoulder. His face held a faint trace of a smile as he saw Yuffie leaning on his shoulder. He shifted slightly to help her feel more comfortable. He leaned back on a tree. Yuffie, asleep, continued to lean on him, her head now on his chest.

Vincent fell asleep. In her sleep, Yuffie smiled, Vincent's mysterious smell surrounding her.

~X~x~X~x~X~x~X~

"Yuffie...Yuffie." Vincent shook the ninja gently. Yuffie rubbed her eyes.

"Vinnie?" Her voice sounded as though she were still looked at the gunslinger and they locked eyes. Vincent's own eyes widened slightly.

"Yuffie...! Your eyes..."

Yuffie grew frightened at the way he said it. "What's wrong with them, Vincent?"

"Nothings wrong with them just... They're not the same. They're different." Vincent pulled out his phone and used the reflection of the morning sun to show her. She let out a small yelp.

What were once purple-gray eyes had become a deep purple. They were dark and intense.

"It is," Vincent paused, "similar to what happened to me. Only, my eyes turned as they are now. Red."

Yuffie was silent for a moment. "When will they be here?"

"That's what I originally woke you for. Tifa called and said that-" He was cut off by the sound of an airship, and, sure enough, The Shera came into view moments later.

"Vinnie, could you keep my secret? About Destruction? I'd rather they not know." Yuffie said uncertainly.

"Of course." Yuffie smiled at the reply.

Minutes later, both were on the ship. Yuffie was surrounded by Tifa, Marlene and, surprisingly enough, Shelke.

"Yuffie!" Tifa had tears in her eyes, "Never do that again!"

Yuffie hugged her friends. "I've missed you guys so much!" Yuffie's smile grew ear to ear. She had sat in that horrible cage only ever dreaming of being back with her friends. Of escaping merciless experiments and torturing needles.

"Come on, Yuffie. We're celebrating having you back!" Tifa informed her.

~X~x~X~x~X~x~X~

Yuffie leaned back on to the wall behind her. She was sitting on the upper deck of 'The Shera' enjoying every minute of looking at the stars. She had taken a pill so her air sickness disapated. Most of her friends were probably asleep at the moment. Tifa had made a lot of Yuffie's favorite foods as celebration.

Yuffie sighed as a warm breeze wrapped it's long fingers around her.

"Hey, Vinnie." Yuffie smiled as she heard the ex-turks cloak rustle beind her. He sat in the place that was empty beside her. He didn't say a word and only sat in silence. The quiet was not an akward one. It was a soft quiet that made Yuffie feel safe. The exact opposite of the silences after she embarresed herself.

"It's kinda weird being back." Yuffie stated simply. "I hadn't really thought I would ever return. But now I can take things a little more seriously now. I mean," She paused, and shifted so that the were sitting back to back. She leaned gently on him, "I know now that the things in my life could be ripped away at any moment. My friends, the night sky, or... you... But it is a horrible feeling."

Vincent reached his hand back and placed it on hers. "I know that feeling. It is truly frightening. But don't be afraid." I'm not letting anything else be taken from you, he added silently. "We're all here for you."

"Thanks, Vincent." Yuffie's reply came. "You're sweet." And for the second time in the past two nights, Yuffie fell asleep surrounded in Vincent's alluring smell.

X~x~X~x~X~x~X

Tifa entered the deck area of the big air ship. She had seen Yuffie come up after most of them had dissapeared into their rooms for sleep. It was nearing twelve and Tifa was tired.

She came upon Yuffie leaning on Vincent, fast asleep. She was back to back with Vincent and Tifa could tell that he didn't mind at all. She then realized they were holding hands.

"I'll bring her to her room shortly." Vincent whispered softly, careful not to wake Yuffie. Tifa was shocked at the warmth in his eyes as he looked at the slim princess that was leaning on him. Tifa nodded, her eyes slightly wide.

She had never seen his eyes in any other state then when they were hard as stone and unemotional. Tifa left, confused, but happy for her friends.

I'm typing on a phone right now! Its really annoying. And its in the middle of a thunderstorm. I seriously hate thunder as well. And lightning.

Anyway, enough of my problems. I'm just glad that I could finish this chapter. I don't know why but I'm going to continue this Vinnie smells good thing. I'm not sure where I got it either. But I hope you all liked the chapter. R&R