Chapter sixteen

This was possibly the most embarrassing scenario Yuffie had faced within the last few days, and that wasn't a light-hearted statement, given the hell she had been going through. Even if most of that hell had been due to her own ridiculous actions, it still counted as suffering. She could handle being belittled, defeated, mocked, and generally made a fool of, but being treated like a child as Vincent made small talk and chided her into holding onto the chocobo tightly? Oh man, was she pissed.

Mideel couldn't come soon enough, and she had a plan once she had her hot little hands on the clue. Darkness would be setting in by the time they made it to Mideel, so obviously they would be stuck spending the night. She was going to steal the chocobo and race ahead on that damn vampire. Yuffie wouldn't be a slave to no man.

The trek across the sea between the mainland and Mideel gave them some quiet moments of reflection that she hadn't had since her friends proposed this ridiculous adventure. What was the point of it all, really? Vincent wasn't the sort of man to participate in such childish behaviour. It was one of the reasons she liked him so much; he was so cool and stoic. She knew she came across as wilful and silly. Was he doing this for her? Or was he so over her antics that this was a farewell between those components of their friendship? Maybe they all thought it'd teach her a lesson to grow up?

She was lost in thought as the distance to their destination shortened. There…there was something so fantastic about riding such a majestic, giant chocobo across the ocean though. The salty breeze hit her face, cooling her cheeks and the setting sun created a hue of gorgeous dusty pinks across the sky to her right. She knew it was a race but there was a moment of tenderness to this part of the journey that filled the young ninja with unequivocal serenity.

She shivered. Darkness really was setting in as her thoughts trailed off amongst all matter of things. There was a rustle behind her as Vincent tugged the tattered end of his cloak around her. The simple gesture warmed her heart and she gave into the temptation of the moment, leaning back against him as she stared up at the silver of the stars beginning to line the night sky.

Mideel had been a beautiful place before its destruction in the events of the Sephiroth war. She could see that the people of this town were slowly restoring it to its former beauty, with sturdy little cottages being re-erected and business clearly blooming. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite ready for tourism yet, which meant they had nowhere to sleep before setting out clue hunting.

"We're camping out tonight, Yuffie," he murmured, swiftly sliding from the chocobo behind her. He tethered Peter to a post before reaching an arm out. He was offering to help her dismount, and unwilling to ruin the brief respite from the insanity that had been the last few days, Yuffie gingerly accepted it.

For a ninja, she wasn't the most graceful, and slipped dismounting. With catlike reflexes Vincent grabbed her, gently pulling her into his arms before setting her on the ground. She was shivering for completely different reasons as she looked up at him, twilight setting in around them. It was as if they were in their own little bubble in time.

That moment ended when Peter the chocobo head-butted the back of her head and knocked her to the ground.

A deep rumble of a laugh escaped Vincent as he helped her to her feet, shaking his head ever so slightly as he set about to prepare a camp for the night, just like they used to when they traversed the planet, desperately seeking to save the world. In a way, this was no different. Even though they had no clue beyond the frivolous goals given by their friends, this was something else they were desperately trying to save- the blooming, and unrealistic love between a young girl and an immortal man carrying the sins of a past that he couldn't stop living in.

Dinner was a quiet affair of bread and meat that Vincent had bought from a nearby home, eaten in relative silence around the warm hue of the campfire. They were both clearly drowning in their own thoughts, but Yuffie's were at a bursting point, once again.
She cleared her throat, before finally asking something that had been nestling in her mind since she met him. "Can you tell me…about Lucrecia? I mean, about you and Lucrecia. Not the whole Sephiroth's mother stuff blah blah evil experiment stuff."

Vincent's left eyebrow raised slightly as she pressed on.

"She was beautiful, wasn't she?" her voice shook with a timidness that surprised her. Vincent glanced away, an unsettling pain crossing his face as he sighed.

"She was the most beautiful, courageous, and stubborn woman I had ever had the misfortunate to fall for. Before I met her, she worked with my father, and I don't doubt for a second he was as taken by her charm as I was." He raised his eyes back up to Yuffie, a ghost of a smile traipsing his lips. "I guess we all have a type we go for though."

Heat flushed Yuffie's face as she continued to watch the quite gunman.

"I loved her and I know she loved me too. I know she feared that love however, and it cost us both deeply," he grimaced before continuing. "It cost her not only the possibility of us, but her son, and my life. Now we both live with the sins of our love in our own ways. An eternal burden to bear."

Silence once again settled upon them and the embers of the fire began to die down. Sleep beckoned at the young ninja, who happily gave in. Perhaps she gave in too soon, as only the wind heard Vincent whisper, "I hope I don't have to lose that this time."

The next morning, she awoke to find Peter still there, with a slip of paper tucked in his bridle. She leapt to her feet, staggering as pins and needles jarred her left leg. Eagerly, she pulled the paper out and read the note contained.

If it's a war you two want, the best way to win is to learn from those most experienced. Prepare yourselves and battle your way to victory.

One thing was for certain. Vincent had given her a quick moment of respite before dogging her the exact way she planned on doing to him.

"You colossal asshat," she hissed. She was seething. No one made Yuffie feel vulnerable then used it to their advantage except for her emotionally distant father. He wasn't going to get away that easy.

Yeah, I bet none of you were expecting to see ME again. I've taken a long hiatus because life happened, and I wasn't motivated to write. Now that I'm in the swing of producing original content once again, you're going to be overwhelmed with ridiculous amounts of Yuffentine. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, go easy on me as I pick up the pace. Nacina xx