Disclaimer: Same as last time!

A/N: Making up for lost time!

Princess Kisaragi kept a brave face all throughout their tea time, despite her confusion and embitterment towards the quiet man before her. He and Reeve were bantering about boring politics that just did not interest her, and she let her mind wander.

She had been through a lot of these kinds of dates. Awkward attempts to jumping right into what was supposed to be the pinnacle of a 'normal' relationship. The kind of warm, slow relationship whose privilege seemed reserved only for commoners. And even though she was right here, in the home of the man of her dreams...even as he sat across her and chatted brightly with Reeve about things she didn't understand...she felt confusion and pangs of loneliness. This was all so strange. Coming to a country and staying in the house of a prince. Viewing a festival through guided eyes; eyes that were supposed to be set on the throne - the union.

Maybe that's what she liked about Rude. Or rather, the man she thought he was. There was no useless talk of politics and the states of their nations. He didn't make her feel like there was a need for him to impress her, or vice versa. She couldn't place exactly why she felt the way she did; but deep down she also felt as though he wanted her. She felt like he wanted her deeply and wholeheartedly. Not just because she was a princess, but because he was attracted to her and wanted her for himself. Yuffie silently wished she could understand why she felt so deeply that he had proven he wanted her, even though all she could remember was that one date...

"...Don't you agree Princess?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Crown Prince Valentine was just saying how tomorrow would be a lovely day to take you around Nibelheim and give you the grand tour."

"Oh!! Of course! That'd be awesome!...Er...I mean, that would be wonderful, Your Highness."

She bowed her head and focused rather intently on the pretty napkin in her lap, picking at the stitching awkwardly.

"Well then, it's settled. I would have liked to personally show you the grand tour of the mansion, but unfortunately I have a few other affairs that I must attend to. Tonight I am to deliver the NIbelheim Fair opening speech for the festivities. I am sorry that I will not be able to attend to you myself. However, if you do find yourself in need of anything, please let Janice or any of the other servants know, and they will be sure to assist you."

"Will you be joining us for dinner tonight, Sir?"

"I'm afraid not, but whatever your heart desires, it most certainly can be made or gotten here. I do hope you will both attend the opening ceremony tonight...?"

"Of course! We wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"Thank you, Reeve. Now, if you would please excuse me, I must start preparing. Janice, please take good care of our guests."

"Yes, Sire."

Vincent rose from his chair and exited the room in a few long, steady strides.

"What's wrong Princess? Something seems to be bothering you."

"It's nothing...I'm prolly just still feelin' a lil sick from the flight..."

"Did something happen between you two when you went to talk? Did he do something...untoward?"

"No...it's fine. We can talk about it later. Miss Janice? Can you show us to our rooms please?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Vincent sat in his workroom admonishing himself. He couldn't believe that he had been so cold to her again, just as he was trying to apologize for being that way. But something inside of him just couldn't help it. As she started to speak those lines, when she looked at him that way, she reminded him of what he could never have. Yet when he saw her, when he addressed her, when he spoke to her in ways that didn't slight her or didn't make her feel bad, it was plain to see how much different she was from...that other woman. He had to remind himself that this was all the more reason that he should treat her differently than he had Lucrecia. Had he just dared to think that name? Yes, it was time to move on. He had to remember, this time there was no child. There was no other man competing for the woman's affections. There was no reason he had to tuck his passions away, nor overwhelm her with them either. It was all about moderation. If only he could put this in practice it would have been so much easier. Thinking only a few minutes further on the subject, he turned his attention towards his speech. He could make a fool of himself in front of a woman, but not an entire nation and its guests.

In the meantime, Yuffie and Reeve had retired to a spacious double room that they were to share. The Crown Prince had originally placed them in separate rooms, but Yuffie asked if that couldn't be changed because she would feel much safer with her advisor around. It didn't seem to warrant any kind of worry and so was carried out. With their things all stored properly for their weekend stay, Yuffie collapsed on the bed and buried her face in the linens, not caring about her makeup or what Reeve would think. She was clearly distressed and just didn't care much at all about anything.

"Yuffie, what's wrong? You've been acting strange ever since we got here. Did Vincent try something on you while you were alone? If that's the case we can leave right now..."

"No...Reeve. That's not it at all. I just...I just don't understand him. One minute he's apologizing for being so cold to me, and the next he's in his own little world, stalking off without me and making me feel like shit. Then he grabs my arm and tells me to smile as we walk in. What's all that s'posed to mean, huh? I just don't get it. I mean, even Rude may not have been the warmest guy in the world, but at least he didn't make any false pretenses of pretending to like me either."

She sighed and ducked her face back down into the bed. She didn't feel like being here anymore. What she felt like was going back to Wutai and forgetting this whole mess.

"I know it's hard...and I know he has a tendency to act a bit...eccentric at times. But have you ever heard about his family history? Have you ever heard why he ascended to the throne, or the circumstances surrounding his life?"

The young ninja shook her head.

"Not everyone is allowed to stay in their home country and have the freedom to do as they please. Vincent's mother and father were murdered. His older brother, who was supposed to take the throne, went insane and betrayed his own heritage. Vincent himself was sent off to war and lost an arm there, which I am sure you've noticed. He's only twenty-seven Yuffie. Twenty-seven. Just think about having all those atrocities befall you and your family in such a short span of time. At such a young age. Can you imagine how hard all of that has been on him? Can you imagine the pressure?"

"No...I can't. Wow...Reeve...I never knew that all these things had happened to him..."

"The world is cold and cruel, Princess. It has left him bereft of everything but his title and his status. I can imagine he's had to become desensitized to a lot of things because of this. And maybe this is the first time he's had to try to interact with someone on such a personal level. Perhaps this is quite hard on him. So although I know it hurts to be treated so warmly one moment, and then be shafted the next, try to understand what he must be feeling, and how he's had to live life might be affecting the way he behaves around others."

With a little insight into Vincent's history, she think she could forgive him for making her feel so bad, despite her best efforts to try and win him over.

"You really think that it's just coz of those things? Not coz of something I did to make him upset?"

"I'm sure of it. I can't think of a single thing that you've done wrong today. Which is a miracle!"

Reeve laughed as a pillow hit him square in the face. He tossed it back on the bed and sat at the desk, taking a look at the itinerary for the fair.

"The opening ceremony starts at seven tonight. Why don't you get a little rest? I'll wake you up in time to get you presentable again, eat dinner and head over to the town square, okay?"

"Okay..."

Crawling under the covers, within minutes, she was snoring. Reeve chuckled quietly to himself and wondered what in the world was going to become of four simple days in Nibelheim.