"Start at the beginning." Tifa murmured, a gentle hand on Yuffie's slumped shoulders, "It can't be that bad."

Yuffie laughed sharply, a harsh sound, "You're so wrong... but it's not my fault. It's so Vincent's fault!"

Yuffie firmly believed that. The idle daydreams of a sixteen year old aside, Yuffie had never really considered Vincent for a romantic interest. It was plain that his feelings and grief over Lucrecia weighed heavily on his mind. Despite the lovely offering of female flesh in their group, she had never even seen Vincent look twice. It was easy for Yuffie to see he was not interested, and she had better things to do than chase men who were not interested in her.

Then, one day, she noticed changes in him. At first, they were subtle. He spoke with her more often and at times when it was not required. It took time, but he began making subtle jokes at her expense. They became comfortable with one another. He smiled sometimes, just a crinkling around the eyes, but she knew what it meant. To her, it meant the world. The return of her girlhood attraction was inevitable, especially after he appeared like a dark god to rescue her from Nero. When she told Tifa that she did not like Vincent, it was a big fat lie. She was attempting to protect her pride. Yuffie was certain that Vincent would never really give her the time of day.

The last day of their mission in Mideel changed things. When he told her that he could not imagine a world without her, the spark of hope flickered in her chest. When she jumped on top of him to keep him from being shot and his eyes nearly crossed, she dared to imagine that he found her attractive. If she had not chased down the Deepground Soldier, she was sure she could have kissed him without losing a limb for it. It was when he told her that she could keep the cloak that she really knew something was different between them.

They had talked about his cloak one night while they shared watch during the first world crisis. Vincent was rarely bothered by the cold and the color of the cloak did little to provide him camouflage. The fabric was cumbersome and caught on every plant they passed by, tearing it to shreds. She asked him why he had not changed it out for more practical clothing. All he would say was that it was a symbol. Yuffie being Yuffie, knowing how to fill in the blanks of his statements, came to the conclusion that he wore it as a reminder of his past.

It was one of the few things that Yuffie had never been able to understand about Vincent. When she made a mistake, no matter how big, she tried to do something that evened the scales. She had stolen Avalanche's materia and led them on a wild chase through her homeland, but when she realized her error she stayed with them and fought harder than anyone to fulfill their goals. In her mind, the debt was repaid and the only backlash was the occasional, and completely deserved, jokes about her sticky fingers. Vincent could not stop Lucrecia and Hojo from creating Sephiroth, but when push came to shove he helped kill both Hojo and Sephiroth to keep them from doing more damage. In his mind, though, it did not begin to make a difference.

Not that sleeping in a coffin seemed like it would help anything, but Yuffie had long since stopped having that argument with Vincent. Once he had gotten that apartment in Kalm, it became a non-issue.

Vincent handing the cloak to her in Mideel had been a huge moment for her. He had always worn it. She could remember him sleeping in it during their travels. She knew he could have easily carried the Soldier without taking it off. Vincent was trying to make a point. Yuffie knew she never knew when to leave well enough alone. She always tried to push boundaries to see what their true limits were. The cloak was huge and heavy, she could feel the material dragging around her feet. Vincent did not seem impressed by her imitation of him at first, but he did not immediately demand the cloak back.

Yuffie's heart fluttered when he finally chuckled at her antics. He only nodded that she should continue down the path. She marched down the path proudly, holding the cloak up like a ball gown. When they reached the pick up site, she slipped it off and held it to him. He only rested a hand on it for a moment before saying, "It looked better on you."

"Are you kidding?" Yuffie asked, looking at the bundle of fabric, "It's huge on me! I'm way too short to wear it."

"Shorten it."

Yuffie had only been able to make inarticulate choking noises for a moment. Vincent expression remained blank and finally he turned to tend to their captive. They had time until the transport arrived, so Yuffie sat down and began cutting the fabric with the edge of her shuriken. She would have bet materia that he was going to stop her at the first sound of tearing fabric. Vincent did not so much as twitch a muscle to stop her.

She had enjoyed the expressions of everyone who saw her wearing it. She thought Tifa's eyes were going to roll out of her head. Yuffie tried to be kind though, not everyone had her poker face. When she spotted Vincent in Tifa's bar, she had been glad she could hide her emotions. She had wanted to stare and maybe drool a little. In an attempt to play it cool, she had made a comment about his body that she played off like a joke. What a body, though! Yuffie had not imagined that he would be so well formed when she dove at him to protect him. Yuffie had been able to feel well defined muscles as she lay pressed up against him.

Of course, that line of thinking was what got her into trouble in the first place. The look in Vincent's eyes when she teased him about his body suggested that he knew what she was really thinking. Since it was not then followed with a look of horror, Yuffie took it as a good sign. During their meeting with Reeve, Yuffie had a hard time keeping her mind on task. She did not do well with uncertainty. Now that she suspected that Vincent might have feelings for her, she wanted to move things along. She was also dying to know if the rest of him was as attractive as his face.

When Reeve called the meeting and Vincent mentioned going to his apartment to catch up on lost sleep, Yuffie decided to use some of her ninja skills to find out about one of the two. She doubted he slept fully clothed in the safety of his own place. Just a little peek and she would have the upper hand on him the next time she teased him about his looks. If she could put him a little off balance, she might be able to find an opening into his feelings. It was the perfect plan... of course it was her plan so she should have known that it was inherently flawed.

She gave him some time to get back to his place and get settled and then she quickly scaled the wall of his apartment building. There was a window at the end of the hallway that she climbed through with ease. The lock on his door was practically useless and she popped it open with little effort. It was not until she opened the door to his bedroom that she realized she had miscalculated. The bedroom was empty.

Behind her, the bathroom door opened, revealing Vincent in nothing but a towel.

Yuffie stared in wide-eyed surprise. She had not been wrong. Vincent's body was lean and well-muscled. A number of thin, white scars covered his pale skin, but Yuffie hardly noticed them. There was one large, barely scarred wound in the center of his chest where the protomateria had been removed and another large, much older scar from where he had been shot. Yuffie barely spared those a second glance. Warriors had scars, after all.

Vincent blinked rapidly, looking more surprised than she had ever seen him look, "Yuffie? What -"

"Hey- uh- Vince!" Yuffie scrambled quickly to her feet, "I was just- uh- that is I- ehehehe..."

Vincent shifted uncomfortably, his face unreadable, "Yuffie..."

"I wanted to see if you were studly!" She blurted out.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she was horrified. Vincent's mouth opened and closed a few times. His expression was strange and Yuffie did not see any hint of his being pleased by her attention or words. She had been wrong and Vincent was trying to figure out how to let her down.

Before Vincent could say anything, Yuffie ran out of the door and jumped back through the window. She did not know where else to go, so she ran straight for Seventh Heaven. The bar was starting to pick up, so Yuffie charged into the kitchen to wait for the support of her best girlfriend. Tifa let her lay over the kitchen counter, miserable, and tried her best to offer encouragement.

Of course, Yuffie knew she could not tell Tifa the whole long story. She sighed and gave the short version, "I guess it doesn't matter. I miscalculated and made a huge ass of myself in front of Vincent."

"Really, Yuffie-"

"I tried to sneak a peek at him while he was sleeping and caught him getting out of the shower." Yuffie said, cutting off Tifa's well meant platitude, "Saw him in nothing but a towel."

Tifa shook her head, trying to hide a smile, "I'm sure you can come up with a reasonable explanation for being there."

"I told him I wanted to see if he was studly."

Tifa could only cover her face with her hand, "Oh Yuffie..."

"I know!" Yuffie cried, "I know. I blurted out the first stupid thing my stupid brain came up with. I really thought there was something between us. I was getting all the right vibes from him, you know? The way he just looked at me though-"

"You did see him in nothing but a towel." Tifa argued, ever the voice of reason.

Yuffie could not help the devious smile on her face, "Yeah I did."

Tifa looked a little shocked, "Yuffie!"

Behind Yuffie, the kitchen door swung open. Vincent stepped into the room, "Tifa, there are several customers waiting at the bar and Cloud seems to be having difficulty keeping up with their orders."

Tifa hesitated, looking between Yuffie and Vincent. Vincent gave her a small smile and Tifa relaxed. With a final pat on Yuffie's shoulder, she retreated and left them alone.

Yuffie refused to look up. She could not bear to watch has he broke her heart. She had been stupid enough to hope for a future for them, but she planned to come through the whole thing with some dignity in tact. She could hear him move toward her and take a seat beside her at the island. They sat in silence for several minutes. Usually she was only too glad to fill the void with her own voice, but this time she was determined to make him make the first move.

He did not disappoint, "Yuffie, we should talk."

Yuffie turned her face away from her arms, but still could not meet his eyes, "So talk."

Vincent sighed and was quiet again for a moment. Then he said, "Why were you in my apartment?"

Yuffie's stomach sank. Like she often did in situations where she was at a disadvantage, she lied, "I was going to set up a prank. I thought you were sleeping."

She knew without really looking at him that Vincent was frowning at her. He always seemed to be the only one who could usually catch her in a lie. Finally, he said, "Why say what you did?"

"Blind stinking panic." Yuffie replied tartly, "I got caught and blurted out something that would distract you so I could get away."

Yuffie heard him shift uncomfortably beside her. She knew this conversation could not be easy for him. He was not terribly confrontational. She heard him sigh and he moved so that she could not avoid his gaze, "There was a time I would have allowed you that lie. I would say we are past such days, wouldn't you agree?"

Reluctantly, Yuffie nodded and realized she was being childish. She knew Vincent was right, regardless of how much she wished he was not. They needed to get everything out in the open. It was what she had wanted only a few hours before. Only her pride kept her from telling him everything about her feelings. Instead, she searched for the words to say what she needed to say.

For once, Vincent did not seem to have any such issue, "It has been a number of years since I have been in a situation like this."

Yuffie nodded and braced herself for his gentle let down.

"Truthfully, the last time I was in this situation, it ended badly." Vincent smiled wryly, "Of course, you're not Lucrecia."

"No." Yuffie agreed, gritting her teeth against the flash of anger that comparison evoked, "I'm not."

She was better than Lucrecia in every way. She was Yuffie Kisaragi, the single white rose of Wutai. One day, she would be the Empress under the Law of Leviathan. She had saved the world on numerous occasions before she was twenty. She was an impressive fighter and damn fine to look at. If that was not good enough for Vincent "atone for my sins" Valentine, then he did not deserve her.

"That is why I believe this could work out."

Yuffie stared at him, blinking. She could see he was surprised by her reaction, "That was why you came to my apartment today, was it not? You have certain feelings for me, and you wished to see where I stood?"

"I- well- something like that." Yuffie murmured, "I wasn't sure exactly what would happen, but I wasn't expecting you to just come out in a towel!"

Vincent cleared his throat and looked away in embarrassment, "Yes, well-"

"Wait... you like me?" Yuffie's brain had finally caught up with the rest of the conversation, "Like me, like me?"

Vincent only nodded, watching her expression guardedly.

Yuffie frowned, "For how long?"

"Some time now." Vincent replied, looking decidedly uncomfortable under her scrutiny. To his credit, he kept his eyes on hers.

Yuffie made a noise of acceptance and tried to make sense of it all. This was not what she had been expecting. It was too easy! Part of her wondered if this was his revenge on her for getting a peek at his less than clothed body. As a test, she leaned forward and closed the space between them until she could press her lips to his. He went tense under her hands, but did not pull away. Her fingers reached up slid around his neck. Her lips were soft and warm against his. It seemed to take him a moment to catch up with her, but once he did he responded in kind. He stood, pulling her up with him and crushing her body tightly against his. He let his ungauntleted hand wrap itself in her short hair and pulled her back into his kiss.

The door to the kitchen banged against the wall and Tifa inhaled sharply. She carefully set the plates she was carrying in the sink before they fell from her hands.

Yuffie turned, grinning from the circle of Vincent's arms, not the least bit embarrassed about being caught, "Tifa! Vincent likes me! Can you believe it?"

Tifa looked at Yuffie's exultant face and the slight flush in Vincent's cheeks before bursting into full-throated laughter. She did not say a word and walked back into the bar.

"Not the reaction I expected." Yuffie murmured, glancing at Vincent, "What do you think that was about?"

Vincent shifted uncomfortably, "I may have... well... mentioned-"

"You told Tifa you liked me before you told me?"

A tiny fist walloped him on top of the shoulder. Yuffie knew she looked delicate, but her strikes hurt all the same. She could not believe that Vincent would tell someone else about his feelings before he told her. Then, Yuffie realized that her best friend had known and had never said a thing. In Yuffie's mind, that was a far greater crime. She untangled herself from Vincent's arms and cried, "Tifa!? You knew he liked me and you never TOLD me!? You're a DEAD woman if I catch you!"

A/N: I tried to go for a slower approach to the big reveal, but Yuffie wasn't having it. Nothing worked right until I let her go spy on Vincent... so I let her go spy on Vincent. Of course, things are not going to be sunshine and roses for them all the time. Hope you enjoyed!