Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. Glad you liked my new addition of characters! Anyways here's the new chapter, hope you all enjoy it. Gonna try to put some nice little fluff in there. Oh…and some alcohol. –Annubis

The Decision Between Life or Death:

A Second Chance

Chapter 18

Vincent Valentine stood in the corner of the room; his metallic claws tore at the sleeve of his silken shirt. He had never felt so aggravated in his entire life! Now, he had to stand there and watch Yuffie get married. Watch her be given away to a man she did not love. Sure she put up a tough front, but Vincent knew better. Yuffie was dying on the inside. At least, he hoped she was. How could she be happy about the situation she was in? Maybe knowing who her husband was helped settle her nerves. Maybe she didn't have too much of a problem marrying Tseng. His crimson eyes darted to the couple. Yuffie had her arm hooked around Tseng's. Vincent felt a growl escape his lips. Whether it was himself or Chaos, he did not know. Sure Tseng was a good looking guy. He excelled at everything he did, as a Turk and as a citizen of Wutai. The man sighed quietly to himself. Maybe he should be happy that Yuffie was to marry a man like that, rather than some sleaze ball of the streets that would just treat her like dirt.

'Like the way I did?' the man mentally fought with himself. Was all this his fault or was it Yuffie's? Maybe there was something he could have done to stop all this. Maybe it was all out of his hands. It was tradition. He couldn't just walk up there and change the law, even though he wanted to more than anything. He could waltz up there and kill Tseng, but that was out of the question. He couldn't kill a man like Tseng. The guy was just too nice. He could kidnap the girl, but he was sure that if she really wanted to get out of here she would run away like she always did… but her legs were not moving. They were stationary, planted to the ground like roots. Her arm wrapped around Tseng's as she giggled and chatted with her father and friends. Yuffie had apparently changed her mind about her situation.

"Vincent?" a voice sounded from beside him.

"…" he turned his head downward to catch the golden brown eyes of Tifa Lockheart staring up at him. In all his frustration he had one thought.

'Damn it, she's beautiful. Too bad I & that up too.' He stared at her.

"You alright?" her voice was gentle.

"Sure." He answered dryly. His eyes returned to the water soaked floor. There was about an inch of water remaining in the estate, all of it being washed into the basement. The cold air rushed in from the holes in the walls and ceilings. The home was destroyed.

"Sure?" she frowned. "Not much of an answer, Vincent."

"…" he stared at the wall across from him. He studied the golden leaf designs covering the wall reliefs. The picture told a story. It involved a gallant battle between the gods. Leviathan was in the middle of it all, his great wave crashing into his enemies, washing them away. Vincent thought it a little too ironic for the day. However, he did have a sudden wishing feeling that he was one of the enemies to be washed away. He wanted to get out of here.

"It's Yuffie isn't it?" Tifa whispered.

"…" he remained quiet but Tifa saw the discomfort in his body posture and in his eyes. She knew this man very well.

"Why don't you tell her?" the woman suggested. She knew it was a bold statement but she didn't like seeing Vincent this way, it scared her. When he got like this, he often disappeared for months on end.

"I did." He replied coldly and shoved his back away from the wall. "She's not interested."

"Vincent!" the woman wrapped her fingers around his golden wrist. The man looked down, his heart wrenching at the gesture. Tifa was one of the few people in his life to not be afraid of touching his arm. She did not say a word. They stood next to each other in comfortable silence.

"I need to get out of here." The man muttered barely audibly.

"No." Tifa shook her head quickly. The spikes of pulled up hair bobbed as she did so. "Tell her, Vincent. Don't just run from your feelings. She needs you to be there for her, to tell her how you feel about her. You need to tell her how much you love her. She needs to hear it. Don't run away…like you did to me."

"Tifa…" his eyes saddened when he heard this from her. He felt like he was stabbed in the heart. How could he continually make the same mistakes? How was it possible for one man to win every battle, never allow his self to be killed, but lose in every aspect of his love life?

"Just do as I say. What do you have to lose?" the woman whispered, her voice cracking.

'Pull yourself together!' the woman yelled at herself. 'You can't have feelings for this man, it would never work the way you wanted it.'

"Nothing, I suppose. I've already lost everything else important to me." The man placed a warm hand on hers. She looked up at him, her eyes watering. With that said, the man journeyed to join the rest of the group. Tifa stayed where she was a moment, wiping at her eyes.

"What!?" Yuffie shouted. "Seriously!?"

"I'm sorry Yuffie, but it has to be this way." Lord Godo said disappointed.

"What's going on?" Aeris asked.

"I don't have to get married!" the young girl jumped up and down. Everyone shared their gasps and silent cheers. Her father cleared his throat. "Oh, um I mean at least not for now."

"What do you mean not for now?" Tifa spoke up, joining the party.

"One of the temples was destroyed. It's a sign of bad luck to get married without one of the temples standing, also this specific temple was needed for the wedding ceremony today." The girl said with a bright smile on her face. "Plus this place was completely flooded. My home needs to be repaired before we can even think of continuing the wedding!" there was a look of relief on Tseng's face.

"How long will it take?" Cloud asked. Yuffie looked over her shoulder to her father.

"It's hard to tell, since we do not know entirely the extent of the damages, but we are trying for next month." Lord Godo stated.

"Next month?!" Yuffie's eyes bugged out of her head. "Um, are you sure about that? The whole city received damages, and the temple was basically obliterated! And our home-!" she was interrupted.

"Yuffie, you will return here in one month's time, if you do not I will be forced to find a new suitor." The man grumbled angrily.

"What!?" the young girl covered her face. "…fine." The room was silent.

"Good. I'm glad we've come to an understanding for once." Her father turned away from her.

"But I'm not staying here! I'm going with my friends." The young woman shouted.

"Whatever you want to do, just be back next month!" the man followed her tone as he exited the room.

"At least we now have some extra time." Zack rubbed the back of his neck.

"There will never be enough time though." Yuffie sighed. She rubbed her eyes, her makeup smearing even more. "Let's get outta here."

The group happily followed the woman out of the house. They all rode in a carriage toward the hotel. The sun was setting already, casting an orange glow across the damaged city. Yuffie was looking forward to staying with her friends for the night. It seemed like weeks rather than days since the last time she got to enjoy their company.

'I've gotta think of a way to get out of here.' The ninja girl frowned.

"Ahhaha!" Tifa cackled loudly. She kicked her feet back and forth. Aeris giggled with her, leaning back far enough on her rear-end to lose her balance.

"I'm serious!" Aeris covered her mouth as she giggled.

"Aeris, you can't be serious making a statement like that!" the brown eyed woman sat up. Her long hair flowed over her shoulders.

"Speaking of which…" Aeris tilted her head, thinking. "Wonder where those two are?"

"Probably having their own slumber party!" Tifa suddenly whispered, as if anyone could hear the two. Aeris giggled, imagining the thought.

"Maybe we should sneak up on them!" the Cetra giggled, she wobbled slightly.

"Sounds like fun!" Tifa cackled again as she jumped over the side of her bed and headed for the door. Aeris squealed and followed the other woman. Tifa held a finger to her lips. "Shhh! We gotta be quiet… don't wan' 'em to hear." Aeris nodded quickly in obedience. She giggled again with excitement, she felt like a spy.

Tifa bit her lip as she pulled the door open slowly, it creaking silently. Ignoring the cold chill of the dark hallway the woman squeezed through the tiny crack of the wooden door and bounded down the way a couple of doors. She heard Aeris stifling a laugh as she padded across the carpeted floor with bare feet. Tifa put her finger to her lips again, giggling herself. She tiptoed to one of the doors. She saw light glowing from the underside of the door. A large smile crossed her lips as she pressed her ear against the cold door. She could hear a faint mumbling like a conversation. Aeris stumbled into her, causing a giggle to erupt from the other woman's lips. She covered her mouth with her free hand; the other occupied a certain item. The Cetra this time hushed the other woman. Tifa quickly shut her mouth, nodded and then pressed her ear against the door once again, listening. This time there was no sound. It was dead quiet. She furrowed her brow, concentrating. Aeris stared at the light on the floor. She gasped and pulled on Tifa's shoulder as a dark shadow passed quickly by, interrupting the light on the other side of the door. They watched in silence, staring at the floor in interest. Suddenly all light evaporated into darkness. The two women squealed, and the door in front of them flew open. They screamed, as two dark figured leapt out into the hall and grabbed each of their arms.

"What-?" a male voice sounded and the light from a very small lamp clicked on.

"Tifa?" Cloud's voice sounded.

"Aeris?" Zack smirked at the two women as they laughed to themselves.

"You scared us!" Aeris held a hand to her chest, a wide smile on her face.

"You did the same to us." Zack let go of the woman.

"What are…you doing?" Cloud asked.

"Nothing." Tifa smiled. She held her hands behind her back.

"…" the two men gave each other a questioning look before glancing back at the dark haired woman.

"What have you got?" Cloud asked. The two men entered the room, leaving the door open for the two girls. They happily ran into the room, shutting the door behind them. Aeris and Tifa sniggered and turned around to face the men. Despite the cold, the women were wearing only their pajamas, which surprisingly consisted of only short silk shorts and matching tank tops.

"You two are up to no good…' Zack smirked at the large bottle in Tifa's hands. It was half empty.

"You've been drinking." Cloud simply stated the obvious.

"Uh huh." The girls nodded.

"You've been doing the same, I see." Tifa pointed at the table. There were a couple of glasses full of a golden liquid. A thick, square bottle sat between the two.

"Just one." Zack smiled.

"Where'd you get that?" Cloud asked the woman holding the giant wine bottle.

"In the shops the other day. I couldn't resist it! It's great!" the woman held it into the air.

"I can tell…" the blond eyed her suspiciously. He knew Tifa pretty well. Besides being a bartender, she could over-do it at times, getting herself tipsier than the drunks she usually threw out of the bar late at night.

"Must be some strong stuff." Zack wrinkled his nose. He noticed Aeris wobble slightly. Aeris couldn't hold her alcohol very well. It didn't take much to get her more than a bit tipsy. "You're a bad influence." He pointed to the Ancient. Tifa turned her head quickly to Aeris and smiled.

"She's fine." Tifa murmured quickly.

"Thas right." the green eyed woman nodded. "I can take care of myself."

The two men shook their heads; they couldn't help the smiles that crossed their lips. These two women could be a handful at times, but it was so long since they were able to see the two women together having fun like old times.

"Zack's right, Tifa. You are a bad influence. Shouldn't you know better?" Cloud raised an eyebrow, trying to get a rise out of the woman.

"Oh!? And who said you were my father?" she asked as she took a swig from the bottle. She pursed her lips, looking at the blonde as if challenging him.

"Just doing what you always do to me, mother." Cloud glanced at her sideways, taking a drink from his glass.

"Mother!?" Tifa stumbled toward him. "Since when have I become your mother!?" she put her hands on her hips, the liquid sloshing in the bottle. Aeris reached around the woman and grabbed the bottle. She took a drink of it and smiled. Usually she didn't like this stuff, but Tifa was right, it was delicious. She eyed Zack. The man was sitting quietly at the table. He rested the side of his chin on his fist. He stared at her with a smile. His fingers were wrapped around the small glass on the table; his brilliant blue gaze never left hers.

Aeris stared at him a moment, she felt her cheeks turn a shade or red. She took a breath and walked up to the man, holding the bottle out for him. All the while Tifa and Cloud bickered to each other.

"Try it, it's good." Aeris smiled. The man grinned at her and grabbed the bottle from her hands. He acted like he didn't notice the graze of their fingers as he did so. Aeris quickly tugged her hands behind her back, watching the man. He twisted the bottle, reading the label. He thought about Aeris and the last time he remembered her ever drinking anything like this. They had shared a glass of wine during a picnic. After only one Aeris was giggling and acting all squirrely. The man smiled and tried the wine from the bottle. It had a very sweet taste, barely having the sour taste that most wines had. It tasted like juice more than anything, which could be very dangerous.

"Well?" Aeris asked.

"Very good." The man nodded and took another drink.

"H, hey!" Tifa shouted a moment later. She strode over to the man. "No more! I spent a lot on this stuff!" she stuck her tongue out at the man. "Cloud, none for you!" she huffed.

"Why not share with me?" Cloud folded his arms. "You shared with Aeris."
"That's cause she's my friend!" the woman nodded once.

"And I'm not your friend?" the man asked with fake shock.

"No." Tifa shook her head. She didn't know how to further reply and headed for the door.

"Oh, where are you going?" Aeris asked.

"Back to my room, Cloud's being a jerk." Tifa eyed the blond suspiciously.

"Well that's not very nice." Zack glanced at the other man.

"Hey, who's side are you on?" the man gawked at the other.

"The ladies, of course." Zack grinned. "Besides you should be nice to her, that's some very nice wine she's got there. It would be bad for her to drink all that by herself don't you think?" his eyes traveled to Tifa. He smiled at the blush on her cheeks.

"…" Cloud glanced at the woman. "Tifa, don't drink all that." He said in a warning tone.

The woman grinned widely and brought the bottle to her lips. The man yelled her name again, as if she was a child. She lifted it, pouring the liquid into her mouth as she took a gulp of the stuff. Cloud stood from his chair, a hint of amusement in his eyes as he pointed a finger at her.

"Don't…" He watched her take another swig and dart out the door. Not sure what to do, the man just ran after the woman, leaving the room.

"There he goes." Zack smiled. There was a loud cackled that sounded down the hall and a door slam shut. Tifa was up to her games and poor Cloud was stuck in the middle of it.

"Darn. Tifa has the bottle." Aeris frowned and sat in the chair Cloud was previously in.

"Here, have Cloud's drink." Zack topped of the glass. "Doesn't taste as good as the other stuff, but it'll help keep you warm."

'I can think of other ways to keep warm…' Aeris smirked. What was she thinking? Tifa had put too many ideas in her head lately.

Aeris lifted the glass to her lips. She shrugged and took a big drink of the liquor. She cringed and made a disgusted sound. Zack chuckled.

"Not supposed to drink that much at once." He took a large swig of his and was unfazed. "Unless you're used to the taste. Something we drank quite a bit of in SOLDIER."

"Tell me about being in SOLDIER." Aeris leaned forward, resting on her elbows.

"It was busy all the time. We always had missions, training to go through, and sometimes paper work. That was the worst!" he rambled on about mission reports and learning to use materia. "But that all is boring to talk about. Let's see. Cloud and I met on a mission once. We became friends after that; he wanted to be Soldier, First-Class. It started out talking about that stuff and then after a while we just began to hang out."

"What type of things would you do?" Aeris took another drink. She gave the same reaction as before.

"We mostly talked about things, our lives, battles, girls, what we would do when we were older. And we'd play cards a lot."

"Girls?" the woman asked curiously.

"Yeah." Zack smiled as if remembering something.

"Like who." She leaned in even closer, absolutely interested.

"Like y-…" Zack cleared his throat. He had to remember that he told Aeris he only met her during the first adventure, not five years before. "Well, Cloud would tell me about Tifa."

"Tifa! Really?" Aeris grinned from ear to ear. "What type of things would he say about her?"

"He could go on and on about that girl. It was the only thing I could get out of him that he would get lost in. At first he was reluctant to say anything, but after prying a bit I would get him started and he would never stop!" the man laughed. "He would talk about when they were little. He thought she was the most beautiful thing in the world. He would mention the way she laughed, the way she cried, walked, and talked." Aeris smiled as Zack went on.

"That's cute."

"Yeah." Zack nodded. "Never thought I'd get to meet the woman myself, but then we went to Nibelheim…"

"Nibelheim?" Aeris tilted her head.

"We went there for a mission. Cloud, Sephiroth and I." Zack clenched his fists. "Cloud was ashamed cause he wasn't First Class. Tifa was upset cause Cloud wasn't there. It was a mess. Cloud hid in his helmet, never saying anything to her. She was our tour guide. She brought us to the mountains and showed us the reactor. Cloud was too scared to say anything and Tifa was too embarrassed to mention anything because she wanted to hide her feelings."

"Why?" Aeris asked quietly.

"When they were kids, Tifa and her friends made fun of Cloud. Tifa felt bad and didn't really realize it till Cloud left the small town to join soldier." He took a drink. "Anyways, the next day…Sephiroth goes on a rampage and kills everyone; burning the town to the ground…He went to the reactor and cut off Jenova's head. But before that Tifa went there to stop him, but it was too late. Her father was killed and he attacked her, cutting her across the chest and throwing her down the stairs."

"That's terrible!" Aeris covered her mouth.

"I came in right after it happened. Luckily, she was still alive. I went in after that lunatic…but I wasn't strong enough." His mouth was a straight line. Aeris shivered at the intense look in his eyes. "I was cut up pretty bad. Don't remember much what happened after that but I guess Cloud was able to stop him, receiving fatal wounds. Then, we were both taken to the Shinra mansion there…" he remained silent.

"Wh, what happened?" Aeris asked.

"We were experimented on for five years." Zack struggled to tell her. "I got out, drug Cloud's ass across nearly two continents to get to Midgar. And then…" he stopped. He took a drink and sighed.

Aeris watched the man silently. She never saw him so sad. She felt bad, asking these questions.

"I was shot down." He remembered everything so vividly. Lying in a pool of his own blood, bullet holes wracked his body. He couldn't feel anything after a while, his mind was elsewhere. He thought of Aeris in her garden, how close he was to seeing her again and thinking that it was all over, he'd never see her again. He remembered the tears that fell as his life faded away into darkness. Cloud's screams shrieking over the barren land, the only sound he had made since they left the mansion.

"Shot…down?" Aeris felt herself shiver. "How…? Why?" she felt a tugging at her heart as a memory resurfaced. She was in her church, rain came falling in. It was unusual. She remembered a sad whispering in her ears from the planet and could feel the shaking pain that did not belong to her. Something was wrong and she knew it. The woman gasped as a tear slid down her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"Nothing. It's just so sad…" Aeris sniffled. "I thought I had remembered something, but it was more of a feeling than anything."

"Really?" he lifted his head.

"For some reason…I felt very sad when you told me that. I can't imagine something like that happening. It's horrible!" she wiped at her eyes. "Look at me, getting all worked up. I didn't even know you then."

'Yeah…you did.' Zack sighed.

"But even then, I feel great sadness thinking of you going through so much." She smiled faintly and stared at the empty glass in her hands. "How can a man go through so much pain and suffering…and live through it all?"

"I had something important to live for." The man gave her a cockeyed smirk.

"…" she stared at his eyes. They glowed with such an intensity she never had seen before. They were beautiful to her. She wished her eyes could glow like that. "Like what?" she asked finally, feeling the slight buzz in her head from her previous drink.

Zack watched her intently. Aeris was leaned in very close to him. He could smell her flower perfume, much like the one she wore so many years ago. He stared at her face, seeing the red shade it had. Her long curls flowed down her back and around her shoulders. He glanced down at her pink lips; she gave a hint of a smile. Zack leaned forward, placing his hand on top of hers. He noticed her hold her breath as he kissed her softly on the lips.

Aeris wrung her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. A soft whimper escaped her lips, encouraging him to continue. Zack's arms wrapped around her waist. He lifted and pulled her toward him, setting her on his lap. Aeris repositioned herself, straddling him. She ran her fingers through his black, spiky hair, kissing him. She felt his fingers run up and down along her spine, almost tickling her. Her kisses trailed down the side of his jaw and down his neck. She felt his hot breath on her skin, could hear him breathing heavily. She loved the sound.

'What are these feelings? What am I doing!?' She stopped. The two stared a moment, their breathing never settling. She felt goose bumps on her skin. She rested a hand on his chest, could feel the pounding of his heart. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. His arms wrapped around her softly as he laid his chin on the top of his head.

"Zack?" she whispered. "Is there more to us than I remember?"

"…Perhaps." He replied quietly.

"Tifa!" Cloud turned around quickly. The woman was pressed against the door, the bottle in her hand held close to her chest. Her hair was a mess, falling in her face as a sly grin crossed her features.

"Hand over the bottle." Cloud said assertively. He held out his hand. Even though he was a year older than the woman, he always felt younger than her. She had so much authority and sometimes scared him more than a behemoth.

"Come and get it." She said playfully, shaking it from side to side.

"I'm…" he breathed out a laugh. This was ridiculous. "I'm not playing your game."

"Why not?" she pouted.

"Because…you're drunk."

"I'm not!" She acted insulted.

"Prove it." He folded his arms.

The woman nodded, stuck out her chest a little too far and walked heel to toe toward the man. She poked her nose with either finger while singing the alphabet. Cloud stifled a chuckle. Had she practiced this when he was not home?

"There. Told you." Tifa leaned forward. She was inches away from him, but he stood his ground. In a flash he snatched the bottle from her hand and turned away from her taking a drink.

"Cloud!!" She growled and ran across the room toward the man. "I paid a lot for that!" she screeched as he drank a fourth of the bottle in an instant just to spite her. She leapt into the air, giving a battle cry. The blond had only enough time to turn around before the woman pounced on him and took him to the ground. The bottle toppled to the ground, the liquid pouring onto the wooden floor.

"Gah!" she shouted and while on top of the man reached and lifted the bottle from the ground and set it back down the way it should be. Her glare went from the bottle down to the man beneath her. She leaned forward, pressing her nose against his. "I paid twice as much as I wanted for that stuff."

"I'll buy you two more." The man replied and wrapped his arms around her back tightly. He tilted his head slightly and pressed his lips against hers.

Tifa gasped against his kiss. Her eyes were wide. She felt like she had been hit in the face with a brick. Was this really Cloud Strife? The man who had lived with her for so many years and never shared more 

than a few words with her? Barely ever touched her!? Now the man was holding her against him and kissing her more passionately than she ever imagined him to.

She reluctantly touched him, her hands shaking. Her fingers trailed over the side of his cheek and upwards into his messy blonde hair. How many times she wanted to play with his hair, to tease him and put them in tiny pigtails to make him angry. She always wondered what it would feel like to be in his muscular arms, pressed against his chest, to be kissed by him, to be whispered to, to be touched by him and to be with him every day without worry of whether or not he'd come home that night or seven days later. Her eyes stung and her heart wrenched at the thought. She never thought anything like this would happen. She expected Cloud to always keep a stone wall between him and her.

"Cloud." Tifa whispered between a kiss. This isn't right, it can't be him! She suddenly felt very scared. Sephiroth had done something like this to her before. She sat up on the floor, pushing away from him. "Wait!"

"Tifa?" Cloud sat up with her, his eyes held shock. Whether it was because of his or her actions, she didn't know. She leaned forward, holding his face. His eyes were blue, the magnificent blue color that she had always loved. His pupils were normal and so was his voice. The man before her was Cloud, and no one else.

"Nevermind!" Tifa said quickly as she pressed her lips against his once more.

Yuffie sat out on her balcony, she ignored the freezing cold. Snowflakes flurried downward. It was a light snow. The water in the town was beginning to turn icy in parts. She shivered. A warm robe suddenly was placed on her shoulders.

'Vincent!' Yuffie turned around quickly but was met with disappointment.

"It's quite cold out here, Miss Yuffie." Tseng walked to her side. "I'm sorry, but I noticed the door was open."

"Was it?" Yuffie turned to look; indeed the door was propped open.

"If you wish to be alone, I can leave." The man simply stated.

"No, you're alright. I guess I could use someone to talk to." The young woman smiled softly.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry for the situation you are in." Tseng began. "I noticed that it was something you are not happy with."

"Not quite." The woman muttered. "Nothing against you. It's just, no one wants to be married to someone they do not know."

"I understand." Tseng nodded.

"That's right. You have to go through the same thing. I'm sorry, Tseng." The girl looked up at him. "Perhaps I really am selfish. This is for my country; perhaps I should be more adult about it."

"I don't think it's selfish. I'm sure there are lots of people who have had the same feelings. You're not human if you don't feel anything when being forced to marry someone you do not love." Tseng leaned forward on the balcony. "Especially when there's someone else you love."

"…That's right. You were dating Elena, weren't you?" Yuffie turned quickly to the man. "What about her?"

"I wasn't talking about me and Elena." Tseng glanced sideways at her.

"W, what do you mean?" the girl stuttered.

"You… had feelings for Vincent, did you not?" he asked her.

"Me? And Vincent?" she forced out a fake laugh. "Oh don't be ridiculous."

"Hm, if you say so." The man cleared his throat. "I just could not ignore the red glare I had received from that man today. Perhaps he just does not like me."

"He glared at you?" the girl stifled a laugh.

"The most heinous glare I've ever seen. It was like being stared at by Diablo himself." The man chuckled. "If you ever need to talk about anything, you always have me. I understand that you are not happy with your responsibilities, but when next month comes around, if nothing has changed I would want for you to understand that the situation is same with me and I will try my best to be as supportive for you as I can." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do not think of me as your husband. Think of me as a friend whose job is to take care of you."

"Thank you, Tseng." Yuffie stared at the tiled floor of the balcony.

"Then, I'll leave you be. Good night, Yuffie." The man gave her a quick peck on the cheek and he left her in silence.

"I've gotta find a way out of this." Yuffie groaned. She really didn't have any ill feelings toward the man; it was just the fact that she did not love him. He was a nice, good looking guy. Perhaps she could learn to love him. "I wanna die." She let out a loud sigh, not serious in her statement, but it didn't stay out of her mind to think about what would happen if she did give her life. But she knew it was absurd. She may as well just abandon her duties and be banished from Wutai for life. Maybe that was what she should do, runaway and never return. Then she could be with her friends at least. The thought was very tempting.

"That's worse than running away, Yuffie." A cool voice sounded from behind her. Without a doubt she knew who this intruder was.

"I need to learn to lock my door." The woman muttered.

"It was open." He replied dryly.

"I realize. Doesn't mean people can venture in and out of my room." She said bitterly.

"I saw Tseng was in here." The man leaned against the wall, keeping his distance. "Getting to know your future husband better?" he was really grating on her nerves today.

"You know what, Vincent!?" she turned to the man. "You are such an asshole!"

"…" he smiled at her.

"What!? You come in here, treat me like crap and then just sit there and smile at me! WHY!?" she shrieked at him.

"Because you're beautiful when you're angry." He replied.

"I-! What?" she looked at him stupidly.

"You heard me." He pushed off the wall and walked to the ledge and leaned against the frame like Tseng had done.

"What are you up to?" the woman folded her arms. "What are you going to do now? Haven't you hurt me enough?"

"Afraid not." He glanced up at the black sky. "I want to make you angry every day." There was a hint of amusement in his voice.

"So nice of you Vincent." The girl said sarcastically. "What… is that your way of saying you're sorry?"

"Sorry?" he shook his head. "No. It's my way of saying that I want to be with you."

"…" he turned to find a very upset Yuffie pacing in her room.

"Yuffie." The man walked into her room, closing the glass balcony doors behind him.

"Vincent! What are you doing! Don't tell me these things, it only makes it worse!" she shouted, tears stinging her eyes.

"What would you prefer? Get out of my life? I never want to see you ever again? I've never loved you?" the man shouted. Vincent rarely raised his voice.

"Did you ever?" the woman asked, letting a stray tear fall down her cheek. She plopped onto the bed.

"Why would I kiss you if I never did?" the man sat next to her on the mattress. He sighed. This woman was such high maintenance. "I don't know what you want me to do, Yuffie. I've told you and I've kissed you and you still act as though there's something more I can give you."

"I'm scared." Yuffie sniffed. "I'm afraid you're just going to disappear. Do to me what you did to Tifa. Besides, I'll be married next month. It would be better if I didn't get involved with something like this."

"Tough shit." Vincent shook his head. He gave up, didn't care to talk anymore. He grabbed the woman and pulled her against his chest. "We'll figure out something. If you don't then I will. If you can't except my love then just tell me to leave and to get out of your life and I will. I'll go back to the mansion in Nibelheim and go back to sleep for another thirty years…fifty years if I have to."

"…I don't know what I want." Yuffie grabbed onto the man, wanting so badly to give into her emotions. "I want to run away. I want to be here for my country. I want to be in love. I want to be with you."

"Then I will be with you, until the day comes where we must part. Whenever that is, it's up to you." He muttered. His metallic hand rested on her hip.

"We are setting ourselves up for a lot of pain." The woman sighed.

"It'll be worth it." The man whispered.

Okay! That's the end of this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it! Added lots of conversation and fluffiness. More to be added in the future. And yes, couldn't help it…I through in some Cloud and Tifa for once. Thanks for reading and reviewing! -Annubis