A/N: I don't own any of this stuff.


Tifa stretched her arms up behind her head.

Everyone had decided to come down to the little lake and just spend the day altogether as a team.

Shera was talking to Marlene, the young girl was very excited about meeting the baby when it was born.

Barret and Cid were sleeping leaning against a tree. Reeve was sitting with them, he was awake and was flicking through a book but he didn't seem to be paying attention.

Cloud was showing a small glow worm he had found to Denzel who seemed a bit nervous but still rather fascinated.

Tifa smiled at her boys, her future husband and their son.

It didn't matter that Denzel wasn't biologically hers, he was her child and nothing would ever change that.

She thought for a moment that it was a shame that Vincent hadn't managed to see Shelke in the same way. While he cared for her and enjoyed her company he just couldn't be the father she needed him to be.

Tifa considered Vincent for a moment more. He was 27 when the atrocities that were performed on him took place and as far as she was aware he was younger than his years even then. He had had his life stolen from him simply because he loved the wrong woman, so she couldn't blame him for not wanting to be responsible for someone else right now.

Vincent was sitting on the side of the lake dangling his feet into the water. Tifa laughed to herself as Yuffie pushed his shoulders, she kept a firm grip so he didn't fall in.

Vincent glared and gave words of protest. Yuffie smiled and ignored him, she pulled off her top and dived into the rather deep water.

Tifa had to admit that she was a little startled by how attractive Yuffie had become. She had always been the one who got all the men staring when they walked through towns whilst Yuffie was rather tom boyish back then.

Time really had flown by, Yuffie was an adult now, and apparently, as she had heard from Reeve's comments about the work she had done for him she was surprisingly intelligent and hard working. I

t was a far cry from the stubborn materia thief they had met first of all. Tifa occasionally had reason to worry for Yuffie as she saw some of herself in the younger woman. The willingness to throw her safety aside in order to protect those she cared for, especially when it came to Vincent, reminded Tifa of how she herself would act when it came to Cloud.

Perhaps Yuffie was in love with Vincent. Tifa would never ask deign to her, as she knew how it felt to love someone who had been so deeply wounded in the past, it was heart aching. But then again Vincent was become more and more human everyday.

Yuffie surfaced from the water, and placed a materia that she had found whilst diving next to Vincent. He picked it up and inspected it carefully.

Red XIII came and sat down next to Tifa.

"I think its just a fire materia." he spoke giving a slight yawn.

"Materia is Materia in Yuffie's eyes." Tifa replied.

Yuffie disappeared under the water again.

"Don't fancy a swim then?" she asked knowing full well that Red did not enjoy being in the water.

He looked up at her and then rested his head on his paws.

Tifa dipped her hand in the lake and splashed him slightly.

"Urgh, nooo." he protested.

Tifa laughed.

Yuffie broke the surface again and this time hauled a small chest upon to the surface.

Vincent opened the box and picked out a few of the daggers that were inside.

"Where are you finding all this stuff?" Tifa heard him ask. Vincent leant forward to try and see if he could spot anything. Unfortunately he slid forward and fell face first into the water.

Yuffie laughed at his humongous failure but dived under the water to save him.

"All those years locked away he probably is a little rusty at swimming." mentioned Red XIII

Yuffie dragged Vincent back up, he clung to her quite tightly.

Vincent coughed and spluttered as he was pushed back on to the land by Yuffie.

"That's why you should be careful near edges." lectured Yuffie.

Vincent's hair was plastered to his face. Yuffie lifted herself out the water and went to get him a towel. She wrapped it around his shoulders and held him a little too tightly to her for two people who were denying any romantic evolvement with one another other. Yuffie took a smaller towel and ruffled his hair dry.

Red XIII and Tifa exchanged glances.

Cloud came over to join them.

"Vincent? Are you and Yuffie having a wet t-shirt competition?" he teased.

Vincent gave him evils, but Yuffie stated that they were and that she was currently in the lead.

"Oh in that case then I have an entry."

The others looked up at him with surprise.

"Oh no Cloud, not the drag again." joked Tifa.

"Nope." With that he grabbed his fiancé and tossed her over his shoulder.

"NO CLOUD, Don't even dare!!" she shrieked in protest.

"Do it, do it, do it, do it!" Chanted Yuffie encouragingly.

With that he threw Tifa forward into the lake. She screamed out as she splashed into the water.

Denzel dashed over and jumped in after Tifa.

"Tifa are you okay?" he asked sounding concerned as he swam towards her.

Tifa flung her wet hair back and laughed, "Oh don't worry Denzel, I'm going to get him back!"

Hauling herself out of the water she ran straight for Cloud. Cloud began to run as fast as he could. He jumped a fence into a large open field and ran like his life depended on it. Tifa easily vaulted the fence and was hot on his tail.


They were both ridiculously physically fit so their game of chase took a little longer than it might have done the average couple.

Tifa eventually managed to tackle him and pin him to the ground. They were at least a mile or two away from the others now.

Tifa panted and tried to think of some suitable revenge now that she had caught him. Her mind went blank, she laughed in defeat and fell down beside him.

"Not going to give me a beat down?" asked Cloud when he finally caught his breath.

"Nah, in my infinite benevolence I have decided to forgive you, that and I'm exhausted." she huffed.

"Ha, are we getting old?"

"Speak for yourself!" she replied jabbing him in the ribs.

"Today has been so much fun." Said Cloud wrapping and arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, who knew life could be so worthwhile even when we aren't busy saving the world."

"Tifa, one day when we can afford it, I'd like to live out here, ya know more in the country with nature and all. What do you think?"

"Sounds…wonderful, somewhere where we can see the stars clearly again. Like when we were young. Somewhere where kids can play outside without us having to worry about them wandering into dodgy establishments." Tifa smiled and kissed his arm.

The two of them lay in the long grass staring up at the sky for a good long while. The sky had turned a dark orange as they made their way back to the little lake.

When they arrived back they found that only Yuffie, Vincent and Denzel remained.

A small camp fire was burning upon which some fish were cooking. Denzel had fallen asleep.

Yuffie and Vincent were sitting on the ground and competing with each other in a challenge that seemed to consist of seeing who could throw the daggers Yuffie had found earlier the highest into a near by tree.

"Hey, sorry we got sort of side tracked." Apologized Tifa.

"S'okay, we've been having tonnes of fun. Ya see that dagger there, next to that branch? Denzel did that all by himself." Yuffie announced proudly.

"I did mention that it probably wasn't the best idea to let a child play with knives." added Vincent.

Yuffie rolled her eyes, "That's why the kids say I'm the fun one."

Cloud shook his head and went to pick up Denzel.

"Thanks for keeping an eye on him anyway. Did the others go home?"

"Yes, Shera was getting tired and Marlene really wanted some ice cream so they took off."

"Yeah lucky we're responsible, eh? We weren't going to just leave poor Denzel behind."

"No but you did let him play with a dagger."

"And I got to hold Vincent's gun." Murmured Denzel enthusiastically in his sleep.

Cloud raised an eyebrow.

"It was completely empty, totally safe." said Vincent sheepishly.

Tifa gave an unimpressed glance towards Cloud, "You are one to talk! Remember when you left the Buster Sword in the bath tub?! Hmm!?"

Yuffie's eyes widened "OOOHHH ouch!"

Tifa laughed "Don't worry, I found it before I got in."

"We should get Denzel back, its getting kind of late."

"Don't you want some of this fish? I caught it myself." offered Yuffie.

"Thanks but your okay, you guys have it."

"G'night then."

"Yeah good night, don't stay out here all night though, it'll only offer to fuel the rumours." Teased Cloud as they made their way back to Rocket Town.

Yuffie passed Vincent one of the fish and took the other for herself.

After the light dinner they resumed their game. They played until there was only one more dagger left. Vincent picked it up and passed it to Yuffie.

"Last one, lets make it interesting, offer me something?"

"Get this the highest of all and I'll kiss you again." he said bluntly, keeping his eyes forward. His voice not faltering from his usual dulcet yet gruff tone.

Yuffie's lips snuck into a smile, she had been thinking of a materia but the reward he offered was far superior.

"Okay, but I think its too easy, I have been going easy on you all this time."

"Very Well." Vincent removed his head band and tied it tightly around her eyes. "Is it more of a challenge for you now?"

Without any hesitation she threw the dagger. It struck the tree and pierced the wood. The dagger was as high up as was possible for them to still be able to see, thus beating all the others.

Vincent could not deny that that was incredibly impressive. Yuffie was really rather amazing, even more so because he knew that her abilities came from hard work and dedication and not from Jenova Cells or Mako poisoning.

"I know it was successful. Now where is my reward?" she asked not removing her blind fold.

"Impressive."

"Well I am Yuffie Kisaragi, The white rose of Wuta…" her sentence was broken off before she could finish it by Vincent kissing her lips.

A/N: please review XXX