Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter! Wish I could have gotten this new one written and posted last night for all of you but other plans kept me from doing so. I have nothing else much to say, except I appreciate all the comments I get. Enjoy this next chapter. –Annubis
Chapter 16
The Decision Between Life or Death:
A Second Chance
Aeris awoke in her fancy hotel room. She snuggled the soft pillow under her head, pulling the covers around her tighter. She could feel the warmth of the fire. The soft crackling reminded her of the bacon her mother would make for breakfast. The woman opened her eyes. She had a perfect view over the snow covered city. The tiny, white, powdered orbs gently continued their fall. She smiled thinking this world was absolutely perfect, like a dream. She dreaded leaving Wutai and returning to the awful slums. Her stomach growled loudly in her spacious room.
Thinking breakfast sounded good at the moment, the woman got out of the bed. She kept the silk blanket wrapped around her body, trying to keep her warmth. She cringed at the feel of the icy floor on her bare feet. Aeris trotted across the room and slid her toes into the soft slippers provided by the hotel.
'This place is like heaven…'
Not caring for how she looked, the woman opened the door and stepped out into the hall. She noticed a few of the doors were propped open. She could hear talking in one of the rooms.
"Knock, knock." She stated before entering the room.
"Mornin'!" Cid muttered into a porcelain mug of tea. All the men were in Cloud's room.
"How you feeling?" Zack asked.
"Fine." She smiled. "What time is it?" she glanced at the television that was displaying the news. Kadaj was across the room in the corner playing a game of cards with Cait Sith.
"A little after ten. You slept in later than you usually do." Cloud squint his eyes as he stared at the newspaper in front of his face. The woman smiled.
"Having trouble reading?" she asked.
"Hm?" the blonde looked upwards at her. Zack glanced at the paper. "No…" he squint his eyes again.
"I think he needs reading glasses, but he doesn't listen to me." Tifa's voice rang out.
"Morning, Tifa!" Aeris smiled.
"Morning." The other woman replied. She stepped into the room.
"I don't need glasses." Cloud mumbled quietly. He buried his face further into the paper.
"You sure? You're getting pretty close to it." Zack folded his arms. He took a couple steps away, standing behind the man. "I can read it from here."
"I'm not blind." The man retorted sourly.
"How can he be blind? He's got them Jenova cells in him. Wouldn't that enhance his vision?" Barret scoffed.
"Maybe it's wearin' off." Cid stared at the television screen.
"How can cells wear off?" Cloud glared over his reading material.
"Maybe you're just getting old." Tifa giggled.
"Old!?" the blonde stood up, carrying the paper under his arm, he made his way to the mirror. "I'm not old."
"Damn right! If you were old, what the hell would that make me!?" the pilot set his tea down.
"Ancient." Barret rolled his eyes. "I suppose I'm getting close to that too."
"No…I'm the Ancient." Aeris shook her head. She giggled at the corniness of her joke.
"What's with all the complaints about getting old?" Vincent asked. "What would you call me?"
"Dead." Cid cackled.
"Funny…" Vincent rolled his eyes.
"At least you look young." Zack patted the dark man on the back.
"Did you all forget that I am older than all of you?" Red XIII sat up, the beads in his headdress ticked together.
"Yeah, but for your species you're young." Cid drawled out quickly. He dismissed the animal with a wave of a hand.
"Cloud's still young too." Vincent remarked. He leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. His metallic fingers tapped his arm irritably.
"See, I'm not old. Vincent says so." Cloud nodded.
"But it still doesn't mean you ain't blind." Barret wiped a rag over his robotic arm.
"I can see just fine. Drop it." Cloud plopped into his chair.
"Oh, poor Cloud." Aeris giggled. "Seems we've made him upset."
"No." Tifa shook her head from side to side, her pearl earrings swayed. "He's always grumpy."
"Not grumpy." He growled.
"He's irritable." Zack nodded.
"…" Cloud leaned in closer to the words printed on the page.
"Cranky." Cid pulled out a cigarette from his robe pocket.
"Touchy." Barret grinned. He could see Cloud's ears turning red. "I see red."
"Cantankerous." Vincent glanced out the window.
"ANNOYED!" the blonde yelled. He stood and left the room in a hurry. The men chuckled to themselves.
"You enjoy getting a rise out of him?" Tifa sat in the chair Cloud just left.
"It gives him character." Barret laughed.
"Is he mad?" Aeris glanced at the doorway.
"He's always mad." Cid rolled his eyes. He needs t' loosen up."
"Why is he always so…mad?" she twirled her hair.
"…" The room was silent.
"It's Cloud." Zack shrugged. "He didn't have the best past."
"He blames himself too much." Tifa looked down. She had a sad look. "For things he had no control over."
"Oh." Aeris bit her lip. "Is he okay, getting picked on?"
"He'll be fine. I did it all the time when we were in SOLDIER. I think the more we do it, the more he grows. That outburst was something he hasn't done in a long time." Zack smirked.
"Any response like that from Cloud is rare." Tifa shrugged. She gave a faint smile, as if remembering something. "It shows that he's enjoying our company."
"Enjoying? But he yelled and left the room." The Ancient was confused.
"It's kind of complicated." Vincent remarked. "I was the same way."
"He enjoys bickerin' with us. The more we do it to him, the more he retaliates." Cid puffed on his cigarette.
"You know, I thought I would eventually get used to those things but I haven't." Tifa grabbed the cigarette from the man's lips.
"Hey!" he leaned forward. Tifa held it into the air and leapt from her chair. She ran to the window of the room, shoved Vincent out of the way and skipped out onto the small balcony. "Don't you do it-." The pilot chased her.
Tifa dropped the smoking stick.
"Wench!" he growled at her.
"Shera told me personally to make sure you stopped smoking those awful things. And I agree you're going to kill yourself."
"It's my life, woman!" Cid stomped.
"…" Tifa glared at him.
"Don't give me that look. Shera gives me that look." The man dropped onto the chair. He stared at the television. "I hate you."
"Good." Tifa patted his back. "At least go outside if you're going to smoke."
"But it's freezing out there!" Cid Highwind grumped.
"It's up to you." She sang and headed for the door. "I'm getting some food. Aeris you eat yet?"
"Nope." The woman smirked at the distraught pilot.
"Let's go." Tifa walked into the hall. "Sorry, Cid. You don't like it, talk to Shera. Just doing my job."
"She's scary…" Kadaj stared in shock.
"Aye." Cait Sith nodded.
"Pfft…doing yer job." The man spat. "Why is it so important I quit anyways!?"
"Maybe because she wants you to live a longer life." Vincent pushed away from the wall. "I'm heading out for a walk."
The man put on his black overcoat. He left the room silently. Zack yawned and poured himself a cup of coffee. He hated the stuff but he decided the caffeine may help with the long day ahead.
"So…how about them thunderbirds?" Barret broke the silence, mentioning his favorite sports team.
Vincent watched the scurrying civilians rush from store to store. Despite it being a holiday, most locations were still open and everyone seemed to be bustling about more than usual. He heard a familiar voice up ahead.
"What do you mean sold out!?" a young woman's voice shouted.
"I just sold the last one, I'm sorry your highness." The store clerk bowed.
"Shh! Don't say that!" the woman groaned.
'Highness?' Vincent walked up to the cloaked figure by the store. The young woman turned around quickly.
"Yuffie." Vincent muttered.
"Vincent!" the girl stammered. "What are you doing out here?"
"Likewise…" he replied.
"Ugh. It's too busy in there for me. I feel like I'm getting in the way." She sighed.
"Shouldn't you be rehearsing or something? Does your father know you're out here?" Vincent asked. His gaze was piercing through her as if she were a child in trouble.
"No." she shook her head quickly. "But I don't care."
"Is this not that important to you?"
"No, well it is…but I just want to have a moment of freedom before I get mar-… go through that ceremony." She laughed nervously.
'What's wrong with her?' Vincent glanced up at the sky.
"What exactly do you have to do during this ceremony?" Vincent asked.
"Oh the usual. Nothing big, really. Lots of wordy things, music, material, praying, vows, you know normal stuff." She added quickly.
"I see." The man ran a hand through his long hair. "So you will be busy all day then?"
"Most likely. Why?" She questioned.
"I think we were all going to get together for lunch, not sure exactly where or when, but I figured everyone would enjoy your company."
"Oh." She lowered her gaze. "I wish I could, Vincent. But I've got a lot to do." She turned around quickly and ran into a young man that looked about a year or two older than her.
"Oh, um! You're highness! Excuse me. I didn't mean to-." The boy bowed. He was only a couple inches shorter than Vincent. His hair was black and messy. His copper colored eyes shone brightly as he looked at her. He was slender, yet very fit. He had a headband tied around his head; much like the one Yuffie would wear.
"Its fine, Rin." Yuffie sighed, almost irritably.
"Well, it was good to see you again, miss. I wish you luck in the ceremony today." He smiled nervously.
"Thanks." She said quietly as the boy ran down the path. Vincent was curious as to why she was so ill-tempered with the boy, especially one he would imagine her swooning over.
"Who was he?" Vincent asked.
"Just some boy I grew up with." The girl didn't make eye contact with the man.
"He was from the same school as you."
"Yeah. W e used to be real good friends, but once he heard that I was next in line to take over for my father we grew apart." The young girl lowered the hood of her cloak. She pulled her hair back and lifted the hood once again. "He's all formal now, never stays to talk and never visits anymore."
"Just a friend?" Vincent began walking.
"Um. Yeah. Nothin' more I suppose. It never got further than that." The woman eyed Vincent suspiciously. She secretly hoped he was jealous of the other man.
"Did you want it to go further?" he asked her. His eyes were on the sky overhead.
"What!?" Yuffie stumbled over her words. "I, I'm not sure. I mean…maybe. Who knows, why would you ask me that!?"
"Cause I like making you uncomfortable." Vincent smirked.
"I hate you sometimes, you know that?" she pouted.
"I don't doubt it." The man grinned. His white teeth matched the snow on the ground. He rarely smiled like that.
"Well you should." She replied unexpectedly.
"I should?" he looked down at her.
"I need to go, Vincent. I've been gone way too long. Father has surely found out by now. I'll see you all this afternoon." With that the woman darted down the path towards her home.
"Yuffie." The man reached out but stopped himself.
'What was she saying?' he turned to go back to the hotel. 'She seemed different. Maybe it's just stress.'
"Married!?" Tifa slapped the table.
"Why didn't she tell us?" Cloud groaned.
"I think she was too scared." Aeris pulled on her fingers, a nervous gesture.
"Married!?" Tifa repeated the word again. "I'm gonna kill her!"
"It would seem she didn't want anyone to know." Shelke kicked her feet back and forth.
"I figured I'd tell you all since her father never got the chance to during dinner the other night." Aeris pushed her empty plate away from her.
"She interrupted him…" Zack rubbed the back of his neck. He let out a slow breath. "She didn't want us to know."
"But why?" Tifa rest her head on the table top.
"Who knows." Cid cursed. He tugged on a cigarette and headed for the door. "I'll go outside Miss Tifa. I need this."
"Maybe she was worried we would try to do something." Red XIII suggested.
"Like stop the ceremony!?" Barret growled angrily. "Damn right thas what we gonna do!"
"We can't do that." Tifa shook her head. "That'd be awful. It'll only make things worse for her."
"We wouldn't want to cause a scene." Shelke agreed.
"Why can't she decide on whom to marry?" Zack asked.
"That's not how things work around here." Cloud stood from his chair he glanced at the clock. "Anyways, it's too late now. It's about time to head over there. I imagine it'll take a long time to get prepared for this thing."
"Where's Vincent?" Zack asked. His blue eyes widened. 'Oh shit, does Vincent know?' Zack wasn't sure if Vincent would care or not but Zack wasn't that dense. He could tell he and Yuffie had grown a little closer since the accident in the City of the Ancients. He swallowed hard, he couldn't imagine what he would feel or do if he found out Aeris would have an arranged marriage.
"He never came back from his walk." Red XIII stretched on the floor.
"…" Tifa felt her heart jump in her chest. 'Would he be upset?' she hadn't thought of it before, but she hadn't been paying much attention to the man and lately he and Yuffie had been spending some time together.
"We can't wait for him. I'm sure he knows what he's doing." Cloud nodded. "In the mean time, let's get ready."
The group went up to their rooms, leaving the restaurant. Vincent had promised to meet them for lunch and the fact that he hadn't made the others worry a bit.
'Maybe he already found out.' Tifa sighed. She grabbed a few personal things and headed back down the stairs to meet everyone in the lobby. When she got down Vincent was already there. A carriage was out front like the night before.
"We must hurry." Vincent nodded. Tifa could see in his eyes that there was something bothering him. She figured he must've found out somehow. She debated on asking him.
"Vincent…" she began. He looked at her with his shining red eyes.
"Hey! There you are! We were lookin' fer ya!" Cid hopped down the steps. "Bout time you got yer ass here. I wasn't going to go out looking fer ya in this weather." A toothpick in his mouth bobbed in his lips. The others followed behind him one after another.
"The carriage has been waiting for a while. I hope we are not late. Yuffie would not be pleased with us." Vincent headed for the carriage. "Sorry I missed lunch. I met up with Yuffie in the street and we talked a bit. It made me later than I had planned."
"You saw Yuffie?" Tifa asked.
"She wanted to get away from the house for a while. She seemed very stressed and wanted to get out for some fresh air." Vincent informed. His eyes held an unreadable emotion.
'So he did see her. He must know then.' Tifa decided not to push on further more.
"Let's go!" Aeris grinned. She loved riding in the carriage.
The journey to the estate was long and in silence. No one dared to bring up the previous conversation. They did not want to get worked up over Yuffie getting married. Tifa didn't want to bring up anything in case Vincent actually did not know. Who knows how he would react.
"I hope it isn't too long." Barret groaned.
"Even if it is, we will have to live through it. She needs us to be there for her, it's a very important moment in her life." Vincent stared out the window of the carriage. He watched the fluttering snow. Everyone glanced at the man uncomfortably.
"I'd say." Cid snorted.
"I just don't get it. Does she really have to go through with it?" Zack crossed his arms. He breathed heavily in protest.
"Of course. Regardless of whether or not she's prepared, I think she needs to go through with it. It takes a great responsibility but I am sure everything will turn out fine in the end." The red eyed man nodded to himself.
"How can you say that?" Zack slapped his forehead. "I can't imagine going through what she is right now."
"This is the way her country works, therefore she knows of her responsibilities and what actions need to be taken in order to care for her country." Vincent went on.
"Zack…she made her decision. If she wants to go through with it, then let her." Cloud said monotonously.
"I'm happy for her. She has made a good decision." Vincent replied.
"…" everyone remained silent. The gates to the mansion opened slowly.
"…You do know about everything, right?" Red XIII asked.
"What do you mean?" Vincent glanced at the animal on the floor of the carriage.
"Welcome!" Lord Godo's voice interrupted the stagecoach. "I do hope your ride was a pleasant one! Please come in!" he opened the door.
Everyone exited the mobile and followed Godo indoors. All around servants and guards hurried about trying to prepare for the ceremony. There were tons of flowers, cakes, and other delicacies rushed from room to room inside the house.
'Looks like a wedding…' Vincent eyed the sight curiously.
"We must hurry. Time is short and the ceremony will begin in a few hours." Godo stood with his arms apart. Two servants, one a man and the other a woman, stood on either side of him. "Women over here, men over there. You will be guided to your locations to be dressed and prepared for the ceremony. Afterwards you will meet up in the ceremony hall." With that the man turned and hurried up the magnificent staircase.
"This way!" the man and woman shouted and went either direction.
Aeris glanced over her shoulder. She caught Zack's matching gaze. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face.
"I can't believe it…this place is beautiful. I can't wait." Tifa whispered. "But I don't like the idea of her getting married."
"Neither do I, but I think Vincent was right. She's aware of what's going on. As long as it's her decision and she's not forced." Aeris nodded.
"Perhaps it is one of those situations where there actually is no decision." Shelke replied.
"Pressure…" Tifa clenched her fists.
"I surely hope she wasn't forced into this." Aeris sighed.
"In here!" the woman pushed open two large wooden doors. She revealed a room full of fabrics and drapery.
"Oh my!" Tifa squealed. "This is more exciting than that time in wall market!"
One by one all the maids in the room gathered by the woman's sides and began measuring and throwing fabrics over them.
"I want to get married here!" Aeris exclaimed.
"Definitely." Tifa nodded.
"Oh goodness." Shelke rolled her eyes.
"Hey watch it!" Zack's eyes about popped from his head as one of the servant's hands ran a little too high up the inside of his thigh.
"Is all of this really necessary?" Cloud asked nervously as the men measured him and threw fabrics in his arms.
"Absolutely. You are a guest of honor and here for Miss Yuffie's ceremony." The servant replied. 'We apologize for wandering hands, but we have very little time and are in a hurry."
The men were groomed and dressed in highly adorned fabrics of silk and cotton, the colors rich and traditional of Wutai.
"You sir, what shoe size do you wear?" a man pointed at Kadaj.
"I, I'm not sure." Kadaj stared at his black boots. "...I was born with these…"
"Excuse me?" the servant asked.
"Kadaj, take them damn shoes off and find out what you need to wear!" Cid cursed at the young man. "An' you were born naked! You jes don't remember."
'Strange group…' the servant smiled uncomfortably.
"Miss Yuffie, you should smile. It's your wedding day, are you not happy?" the maid pulled her hair up and twirled it in her hands.
"I suppose I should be." Yuffie frowned. "I should have told my friends…about it. I don't think they know it's a wedding."
"Oh no, they do."
"They do?" Yuffie looked up in her reflection in the mirror watching the maid.
"I overheard your friends talking about it when I was taking them to the dressing rooms." The maid smiled.
"What did they say?" Yuffie asked.
"They said they didn't like the idea of you getting married. I didn't say anything though because they are the guests of honor. But they said that it was your decision." The maid shrugged. "I think they are good friends to be worried about you."
"Yeah…they're all great friends…" Yuffie sighed.
'So they all know. And they don't have any problem with it?' Yuffie dug her nails into the chair arm she was sitting in. 'Vincent knows. What does he think about all this?'
"Sit here a moment. I need to get more bobby pins." The maid turned and left the room.
Preparations for the ceremony took nearly three hours. By the end of it all, the men were ready to head back to the hotel for the night. The ladies, on the other hand, were as excited as the day they first arrived.
Cloud and the others stood in the front of the ceremony hall by a large altar. It appeared to be a church more than anything. The door to the side opposite of them opened and one by one Tifa, Aeris and Shelke filed in. The men couldn't help their dropping jaws.
"How do we look?" Aeris giggled. She wore a green and gold ceremonial robe, underneath was layers of other robes and a dress. It was adorned with small decorative designs. The colors alternated with reds and pinks. Her hair was partly pulled up on top of her head the rest pooled around her in large, lose curls. Her lips were painted with a shiny pink paint. Her eyes were outlined, the dark line curving upwards slightly at the corners of her eyes.
"Amazing…" Zack stammered. Cloud closed his mouth quickly and nodded in the girl's direction.
"I think they're blushing…" Tifa giggled. Her gown was like Aeris but the colors were white with black patterns. She had a maroon colored under dress. Her hair was pulled and splayed on top of her head, held with a decorative stick. Her lips were a dark red, matching the dress and her eyes were lined like the other woman's.
"I feel ridiculous." Shelke sighed. Her robes were blue and silver. Her short, red hair was pulled up into a decorated bun. She had very light makeup on; tiny gems dotted the corner of her eyes, a typical fashion for young children of Wutai.
"You look great!" Tifa smiled.
Aeris glanced at the men. She smiled at Zack whom seemed very uncomfortable. They were all wearing similar clothing as the other night, just with ceremonial robes placed over the top. The blue decorative designs brought out the man's eyes.
"You all look wonderful!" Godo announced. The group turned quickly to the man standing on top of the altar. "Now, the ceremony will begin in less than an hour. You will have to remain here. Our guests will be coming in from the back. Do not worry about any of that. They will be seating themselves. All you have to do is sit here." He pointed to the piles of fabrics and pillows lining the sides of the altar.
"We just sit?" Aeris asked.
"Just sit and look pretty." Godo nodded.
The group ascended the stairs very quickly. The doors to the side burst open rapidly. A maid rushed out in a hurry.
"Sir! Miss, Miss Yuffie! She's gone!"
"What!?" the man strode over to the maid. "Where the hell is she!?"
"I, I don't know! I left the room a moment and when I came back, she was gone!" the woman fumbled for her words.
"Find her!" the man shouted. "Damn it, Yuffie! I told you not to run away from this!" He ran his hands down his face. Tifa and Aeris exchanged a worried look.
'Yuffie!' Vincent headed for the door.
"Sir, allow me to look for her." Vincent bowed. "I am sure I can talk some sense into her." Without waiting for reply, Vincent headed out the door.
"No! You must stay!" Godo yelled. "What a disaster!"
"Please. Trust Vincent." Cloud began. "He can handle things."
Vincent ran out into the snow covered garden. He hurried to the garden maze in the center. He remembered once how Yuffie would brag about how she was the only one who knew the path through the maze.
'Yuffie, you stubborn thing.' Vincent leapt upwards. He landed on top of the plant wall. He stared at the middle of the maze. He jumped from wall to wall. He made his way to the center and dropped down. The core held limestone statues of the gods from Wutai. In the center was Yuffie, dressed for her ceremony, sitting in the snow.
"Yuffie." Vincent said in a stern tone.
"Gah!" she stood quickly and faced the man. "Vincent!?"
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked impatiently.
"I…" She sniffled and wiped at her eyes, smearing the makeup a little. Her face was decorated like the other girls, except her face was painted entirely white. She had jewels and other decorations along her eyes and on her gown. The robes were gold and silver. The dress underneath was white. Her train was long and was decorated with patterns of flowers and cranes. "I can't do it!"
"Why not?" Vincent asked. "What are you afraid of?" the man folded his arms.
"What am I afraid of!? Vincent, how can you not know!? Wouldn't you be scared?" she screamed at him.
"…It takes a lot of responsibility. I know it sounds like a lot of work and you don't want to go through with it, but I know everything will turn out alright for you, Yuffie. You're strong. You can do anything." He tried his best to encourage her.
"…You think that I'll be fine?" she stared at him with a blank face. "You think this is fine!?" she went into a rage. She pounded her hand against his chest.
"What are you so upset about?" Vincent lowered his arms and stared at her in shock.
"What am I upset about!? Damn it, Vincent!" she tugged at her ornamented hair. "You are completely heartless! You do hate me, don't you!? You don't care about anything at all! Just yourself!"
"Yuffie…I-." he was thoroughly confused.
"I really thought you would bail me out or something." She breathed a laugh. "This is unbelievable."
"Why would we? We thought this is what you wanted!" Vincent held out his hands.
"What I wanted!? NO!" Yuffie held her lips together, screaming silently in frustration. "What was the kiss for?" she sat on one of the statues platform.
"Kiss…?" Vincent swallowed hard. "What does this have to do with it?"
"OH MY GAWD!!" she held her ears and shook her head. "I'm a complete idiot! I knew it! I was stupid to think that you would have feelings for me!"
"Feelings…!?" Vincent shook his head. He couldn't understand her.
"None of you care! You are just going to let me go up there and be married!?" The girl sobbed. Vincent felt his blood run cold.
"Wait-" he began.
"No! You listen!" Yuffie pointed a finger at him. "I don't know what to do! I want to care for my country but not like this, where I'm forced to go through a ridiculous ceremony that proves nothing of my capabilities of protecting my country! It's just a way for me to be bred like an animal and he'll just take over!" she shrieked in fury.
"Yuffie!" Vincent grabbed her arms. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"What!?" she glared at him. "What the hell do you think I'm talking about!? The ceremony! It's my wedding!"
"Your wedding!?" he froze. "This…today…is your wedding?" his voice was quiet.
"Yeah!" she spat out quietly and nodded her head, her eyes piercing his.
Vincent took in a sharp breath. "…Today is your wedding?"
"What? You didn't know?" the distraught woman asked sarcastically. He gaped at her and shook his head. "Damn it Vincent! You freakin' idiot! How could you not know!?" she burst into another fit of tears.
"No one told me I guess." The man stared at the ground.
"AH!" She covered her face. "Go away! Leave me alone!" she turned away and crouched in front of one of the figures made of stone. She rested her head against the side of it and sat in silence.
"It's arranged isn't it?" Vincent looked up at her. History was repeating itself to him.
"…" she didn't reply. Only nodded her head.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He rolled his head to the side closing his eyes.
"I was afraid to." she whispered.
"Why?" He walked toward her.
"Because… I didn't know what to say. How to say it…" she shivered.
"You should have told us, not left it up to all of us to guess." Vincent kneeled down beside her. She hid her face.
"I told Aeris. I thought she would have blabbed about it instantly." Yuffie sighed. "Besides the nurse said that everyone was talking about it."
"Was I the only one who didn't know about it?" he thought about the conversation in the carriage. He now understood what Zack was so upset about. "I'm a fool."
"Perhaps we both are." She muttered.
"Why would you agree to it?"
"Like I really had a decision, Vincent. You know my father. There's no way he would accept 'no' as an answer. He would surely disown me. I would never be able to show up here ever again if I refused such an offer!" she sniffed. The cold air burned her lungs as she tried to stop the sobs.
"Who is it?" Vincent asked.
"Who knows? I don't find out till I'm up there." She refused to look at him. "It's all one big surprise."
"Yuffie…" Vincent whispered her name. "I'm sorry. I didn't understand the situation. If I had known, I would have said something. I would have tried to stop this from happening." He spoke quickly.
"…" she sobbed harder.
"Look at me, Yuffie." He placed a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it away. "Yuffie!" he grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her. She was pressed against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, crying loudly. He lowered his head onto hers.
"I don't want to get married!" she said after a minute.
"…" he remained silent, trying to pull his thoughts together. Lucrecia and he had met the same fate. She was taken away by a man that she didn't want to be with. Now, Yuffie had to go through the same thing. It was her duty, her job to go through this. He couldn't let her refuse the offer, but at the same time, he didn't want to allow anything like this to happen to her.
"Why did I have to be his daughter?"
"…I'm sorry…" his voice was dead.
"Is that all you can do?" Yuffie muttered. "Say you're sorry?"
"No." Vincent replied. She looked up at him. "I can do more, but I don't know how much it'd help." He leaned down and kissed her. She was held tightly against him, he held her hand in his. They sat in the snow, Vincent refusing to let go, to let her leave the center of the maze. No one else knew how to get into the center. She and him could stay there forever, and never find them. He knew it was ridiculous.
Those were the same thoughts when Lucrecia left him for Hojo. He wanted to take her and run away, never to be found again. But it was Lucrecia's decision, much like how this was Yuffie's.
"It's your decision." He whispered after pulling away from her.
"…" She stared at him with hurtful eyes. "What do you want?"
"For you to decide which is more important to you." He stood slowly from the ground.
"How can I? How can I choose? My country…my entire life. Keep all that and all I have to do is marry someone I don't know. Someone I don't love. Or leave all that behind for a man…a man who probably will never love me like the woman he still dreams about, still blames himself for losing." She turned and headed down the path through the maze.
"…" his eyes stared at the stone in front of him.
"Love is something that only chains people…" she muttered bitterly.
Vincent was left alone. The figurine before him crumbled to pieces as his fist crashed into its surface.
"What is being in love without having the other side?" Vincent asked to no one in particular.
There was a gentle knock at Reno's door. The red head hurried, turning down the television as he did so. His hand dropped to the knob and he turned it quickly.
"Hi!" a cheerful voice called out.
"Hey! Elena! What's up?" he opened the door quickly, letting the woman in.
"Oh nothing, I was just thinking that maybe…" She hesitated. "Maybe you would like to-."
"Elena!" Marlene's voice called out. The little girl ran out into the living room.
"Oh! Marlene! Hi!" Elena kneeled down and hugged the girl. "You still have the kids?" she questioned.
"Yeah…Tifa's still on her wonderful vacation." Reno scoffed.
"But…I thought she was going to be back a week ago." Elena waved back at Marlene as the girl ran back out of the room. "You've had them all this time?"
"Yup." The man grinned. "Been an interesting week without you."
"Oh?" Elena perked up.
"Yeah watching the kids, cleaning, cooking and working for the boss all by myself. Kinda was lost for a while." The man headed for the kitchen. "Where has everyone been lately? I've been bustin' my ass and it seems as though everyone's on vacation!"
"Well it is that time for the holidays." Elena sighed. She sat at the chair by the bar in the kitchen.
"No kiddin. Rude left a couple days ago to enjoy Costa Del Sol. Tseng's been MIA, and you were gone on that assignment. How'd that go by the way?" he poured her a drink from the bar.
"Hm…easy. Nothing exciting happened at all. Turned out the reports were all a fake. Just some damn teenagers trying to have some fun." Elena groaned. "I'm sick of chasing phantoms anyway."
"I was just curious because Tifa told me that there was something important she had to take care of just as those reports were coming in." Reno sat in the chair next to her.
"I knew it was ridiculous. Why would Sephiroth be back? There's no reason for it. Tifa and the others would have told us something." Elena rubbed her shoulder. "All the incidents in Midgar must've just been caused by Hojo's lab finally collapsing. I'm sure there are plenty of explanations."
"Rufus gets worked up about it sometimes. I think he's looking for trouble. He seems so bored lately." The man slapped her hand out of the way and rubbed her shoulder for her. The woman groaned and fell forward onto the counter. Her and Reno had gotten pretty close over the past couple weeks.
"Where's Denzel?" She garbled.
"Staying the night with some friends. Marlene has a sleep over too." Reno stated. "I haven't had the house to myself in weeks."
"Ready!" Marlene shouted and ran out into the living room.
"Ok!" Reno turned, letting go of Elena's shoulders. She moaned in protest. "Be good, and make sure you call me if anything bad happens, alright?" he hugged the girl. Elena smiled at his gesture.
"Alright!" she beamed and headed out the door and down the stairs.
"She's going by herself?" Elena sat up.
"Yeah. It's just down the street." He pointed a thumb to the right. "She goes over there a few times a week to play after school."
"I see." The blonde smirked. "Well I should go…Like you said; you haven't had the place to yourself in weeks."
"Ah…but you don't have to go." He stepped in front of her.
"I don't want to be a bother, really." She grinned.
"What were you going to ask me when you first got here?" he tilted his head.
"Oh that? Nothing!" She walked around him. He grabbed her arm. "Elena…" he looked down at her. His red hair fell clumsily over his face.
"What?" She glanced at him uncomfortably.
"How 'bout you stay for dinner at least? I'll make it. We can talk about your trip." Reno made his way to the kitchen.
"But I already told you, it was nothing. Just some kids."
"Elena. You're making this hard for me." He stood in the kitchen with his back to her. He re-tied his ponytail.
"…" She stared at him, feeling her cheeks turn red.
"Where's Tseng been anyway?" He turned to look at her.
"Tseng?" she looked to the side.
"He's been gone for a while. Every time we get on the subject of him, you change it. What's going on?" The man put his hands on his hips.
"He's on a trip to Wutai. I don't know when he'll be back. I guess there's something important going on there that as a citizen, he needs to be there for." She rolled her eyes. Reno could see the tears forming. She refused to make eye contact.
"What happened 'Lena?" he removed his hands from his hips.
"Before he left…we had a long talk." She sniffled. "I noticed that things had begun to get rocky. We weren't talking much; he was keeping his distance…" she walked around in a circle throwing her hands about.
"…" Reno listened intently.
"He told me that we should take a break. He said that he was having a hard time, but he never would talk to me! He wouldn't say a word! Just run away from the problem." She stared at the floor, embarrassed that there were tears dropping to the wooden surface.
"Elena…" Reno sighed. He made his way to her.
"What's wrong with me, Reno? What did I do wrong? Why did he leave me?" she bit her lip.
"There's nothing wrong with you. Tseng has a lot of responsibilities. I don't think he'll ever be able to settle down as he would like. He takes his job seriously as a Turk and as a civilian of Wutai. He's constantly going between the two for jobs and responsibilities. He's always been like that." He tried to comfort her, putting an arm around her.
"So he'll never change then?" She wiped her cheeks.
"…I don't know." Reno answered quietly. "I doubt it." He tried to give her a reassuring smile.
"Ugh!" She threw her arms into the air. "The time I wasted on that man! I was like a school girl! I could tell from the beginning that he never shared the same feelings for me as I did him!" she squeezed the tabletop.
"It's hard when you love someone who doesn't love you back." Reno nodded. He turned and entered the kitchen again. He opened the fridge.
"You speak as if you had experienced that." Elena eyed him. She felt her heart pounding. Why was she scared?
"Perhaps because I have." He said nonchalantly. The man began pulling out the ingredients for dinner.
"Why did that person not love you back?" she asked.
"Hmm…could be lots of things. Maybe I wasn't prince charming to her. Maybe it was my hair, tattoos, my messy clothes. Perhaps it was my drinking. What makes a woman not like a man?" he glanced back at her.
"Perhaps…it was insecurity. Maybe she was afraid of dating someone like you."
"Afraid? Of me!?" he watched her. "How am I scary?"
"You can be a lot to handle, Reno." Elena informed the man.
"A lot to handle!" he was offended. "But what about you? You're a lot to take care of!"
"What!?" she put her hands on her hips. "I wasn't insulting you, Reno. You asked and I gave you the truth. Maybe that woman thought you wouldn't be there for her. Maybe she thought you were one of those guys who dated any girl and would hurt her in the end. Maybe you're one of those guys who can't keep a job. Would become an alcoholic, treat her badly, and make her cry!" she realized what she said and knew she had gotten worked up. She added a shrug at the end.
"…" he stared at her coldly. "But you know me…"
"I do. To an extent. I know you a lot better now than I did four, five years ago! What's a woman to think when she barely knows you?" she tried to stand up for herself.
"But I have a job. I've never lost my job!" the man shouted.
"I don't know Reno! You asked and I answered!" she grit her teeth.
"Well at least I know the answer now…" he rinsed out his glass.
"What?" She leaned forward, staring at him.
"I don't know. Sorry Elena. I shouldn't have yelled at you." The man turned back to the stove.
"I shouldn't have gotten so worked up." She nodded. "What's wrong with us? Taking our anger out on each other…"
"It's good to let off some steam every once and a while." The man smirked.
Yuffie stood in front of the enormous group of people that filled the ceremonial hall. Her face was stern, showing no emotion. She stared at the wall in front of her, squeezing the flowers in her hand. Music began, signaling the entrance of the woman's new husband. Vincent cringed at the sound of trumpets and violins. He hated being here; he hated this hall, this building, Wutai and their ridiculous rules. He would much rather be in the basement of the mansion in Nibelheim.
Aeris glanced to the side. Zack was staring at her. She grinned. He gave her a wink and looked forward as the door opened.
A man walked in. His robes were dark and light, contrasting with each other. His long hair flooded down his back like a black waterfall. The red sword he wore on his back made him look like a warrior rather than a husband. Vincent made a grunt as he saw the man's face. The man turned toward Yuffie. He looked as blank as she did. Yuffie brought her eyes to him and covered her mouth.
"Tseng!?" wide eyed, she gasped. The rest of the group followed her actions.
MWahaha! I wasn't going to have Tseng up there until I got to this part! So this chapter is a little longer than the others due to some added story. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing! -Annubis