A/N: Dear readers! How are you? :D I'm sorry it took me a very long time to update this story... I was really busy because I have a new job now. OTL Anyway, since tonight is Christmas, this is my Christmas present for all of you~ I hope you like it!

"Do you think this is a good idea, miss?"

A sleek Phantom Rolls Royce was cruising on the somewhat dilapidated streets of Sector 3, earning a few awestruck gazes from the dirt-ridden civilians. The mafia princess was sitting beside the driver's seat while the president's daughter sat at the backseat. Yuffie's eyes were closed, which made her look like she was meditating, but people who knew her best knows that she was actually plotting some crazy ruse.

"Miss Yuffie?" At hearing no response, the somber bodyguard betrayed his rational side and permitted himself to sneak a glance at his little mistress. Vincent watched as Yuffie's chest rose up and down calmly. His father had taught her that patterned breathing has a huge impact in clearing one's mind. His gaze softened as it traveled from the thinness of her lips to her cute little nose, and his crimson orbs lingered on her long eyelashes which concealed her youthful eyes. The gentle light of the sun streamed from the car window and its rays made Yuffie's hair glow into a golden brown. Entranced and as if urged by a mysterious power, his hand reached out to touch her little brown head.

When they were still children, Vincent would always pat Yuffie's brown little head when she cries, to comfort her; when she does something grand, to congratulate her. At each step of the way, the orphan boy was there to support his little mistress through thick and thin, through anything or even anyone. Even if the only reward he received is a toothy grin, or a gentle hug from her... it was enough for him.

"Vincent?"

The hazy mist that clouded Vincent's eyes instantly cleared when her voice finally registered in his mind. The raven-haired looked down and saw Yuffie enclosing his hand in both of hers. Vincent shook his head lightly and withdrew his hand from her grasp, a move he knew he would regret later on.

"About Miss Aerith..." He started, to avert his mistress' attention from his face that was now turning red.

A playful smirk graced the princess' lips at Vincent's remark. She never thought the man could be as nosy as a middle-aged woman considering his dark demeanor. No one could blame him though. Making decisions at the drop of a hat is a pretty childish thing to do, and that attitude of hers always caused Yuffie-or rather, Vincent's ears to be deafened by his father's lectures.

.-+-.

"YUFFIE KISARAGI!"

A 7 year old Yuffie gasped and scrambled clumsily towards her bedroom door. Unfortunately, she had not received enough training to be swift with her movement. The sliding door of the Yuffie's room opened so fast that she didn't have the chance to lock it. Her heart raced when a deadly aura emanated from the shadows that haunted the empty hallway.

"...F-Father!?"

It took only one step to make the mafia princess tremble in fear.

Godo Kisaragi, head of the Kisaragi household and one of the most feared men in the whole planet, had a look of murderous intent when light finally caught his face, and it was focused at the young girl before him. He was a huge man, standing at 6 foot 5 inches; his muscles hardened by years of rigorous exercise and training were concealed beneath layers of exquisite Oriental clothing. No one could really tell that this man was actually celebrating his 60th birthday in a few days time. He looked like he was still in his mid thirties.

Godo took another step forward, the muscles on his fingers tensing.

"S-Sir!"

Godo turned slowly to the high-pitched chirp behind him. Despite the master of the household's murderous aura, a scrawny 16-year-old raven-haired teenage boy, stood before the huge man, knees shaking a little, but he had a brave sparkle in his eye.

"I did it! I poured salt on the broth." The boy fell on his knees and bowed so low that his lips were kissing the floor. "Please forgive me!"

The head paused for a second, eyes scanning the boy's face. There was no fear in his eyes, though his body gave it away. That look in his eyes was the reason why he took the boy in. He will become a loyal member of the Kisaragi family one day. Godo breathed hard, gave Yuffie a swift glare and with one scoop, took the scraggy little boy by the collar and dragged him towards the darkness of the hallway. After a few minutes, Yuffie finally regained her senses when she heard a series of loud whacks from across the dark hallway. The mafia princess practically flew to the only place where she could hear such a noise. She stopped at the huge entrance of a mysterious room and opened the door a little bit. Her eyes widened when she saw bloody wounds scattered on the boy's back and her father holding a long wooden stick.

"27." Whack! "28." Whack! Yet, not a sound came out of the little boy. No more, Yuffie thought. Tears were building at the ends of her eyes. No more, father! "29." Whack! "30." Whack!

Yuffie fled from that scene. She only wanted to help! When she saw the cook making his father's favorite soup, Yuffie thought she could do something for her father since his birthday was so near. It was only an accident when she poured the whole bag of salt into the pot. She meant to tell her father about it, but why did that little boy get the blame?

"Is something wrong, Miss Yuffie?" He crouched down in front of her so that he could see her face. "Why are you crying?"

Yuffie didn't realize that tears were already running down her face when she looked up at the boy. She was at their secret hiding spot at the far end of the Kisaragi gardens.

"It's because you're hurt!" Yuffie wailed.

"I'm the one who's hurt, yet you're the one who's crying." The boy chuckled heartily and ruffled her hair. When he saw Yuffie pouting her lips, the little boy smiled gently at her. "I will always protect you, Miss Yuffie. You can count on me."

.-+-.

From that moment on, each time Yuffie does something outrageous or dangerous, the bodyguard took responsibility of her actions. And in every single time he did, Yuffie never heard him complain when he was punished for it. Ever since Godo adopted Vincent into his household, he had fulfilled every wish of the mafia princess. May it be stupid or reckless, Vincent never questioned nor prevented her from doing what she wanted. Knowing Yuffie, she could only realize her mistake when she sees her father beating Vincent with a Shinai, a bamboo sword used for discipline, that had been in the family for generations. Not once did that sword touch her skin. It had always been Vincent's. Yuffie became so spoiled because of him. So spoiled in fact that she was kicked off their mansion. That was the time when she met Aerith. Something happened to Yuffie within the time she spent with Aerith, and when she returned to the mansion she changed drastically. Although she was still immature and silly most of the time, Yuffie can be as wise as the wisest man in her village when it comes to Aerith's well-being. She would do almost anything possible and/or impossible for Aerith.

"...just like what she will to me..."

"Miss Yuffie?"

Yuffie shook off the thoughts of her past and turned back to her Aery. The brunette was gazing outside the window with her chin resting on the palm of her delicate hand, a gesture that was a little off from her usual self. On normal circumstances Aerith would sit straight, her back would never lean on the seat and would always be at a perfect 90 degree angle, with her hands elegantly positioned on her lap. She would face her present company, smile and converse like a well-educated princess. Now, however, Aerith was laid back. Her emerald green eyes reflected the many lights that adorned the city, like a kaleidoscope. She wasn't looking at the lights though, her gaze was somewhat distant. Even though she was physically present, Yuffie could tell her thoughts are off to some place. A place that no one could reach her, or harm her. Wherever she may be right now... she was happy.

I want to be in that place too. With Aery and Tifa... I want us to stay like that forever~

"We've arrived." Vincent announced.

Sunlight pouring from the broken beams of the church gave off a soft aura on a figure in black who was kneeling between white and yellow lilies. Cloud took advantage of the warmth that the sun graciously offered. He had not seen the sun in days because of the rain. The flowers seemed to rebel in his presence-since his shadow blocked off the sun's rays that they needed in order to bloom-for they had been swaying back and forth with the wind. The blonde noticed this and moved to a spot where he couldn't disadvantage the flowers. Cloud's eyes softened still when he caressed a petal of a nearby flower. It reminded him of something...more specifically, someone.

"I have to repay her somehow," Cloud averted his gaze from the patch of flowers to the eyes of the one who was crucified, as if seeking answers from the saviour himself. "But what can I do?"

Clouds that passed the sky darkened the entire room for a second and the sun came rushing in again. When it did, a flash blinded the fighter's eye. Cloud blocked the light with his hand and moved sideways to get away from the glare. He can clearly see now, and what caught his gaze stunned him. Lying on top of the dark brown soil was a silver ring. When Cloud took it in his fingers, he felt the mass of the ring weigh down his hand.

"This can't be just silver... it's more like... " Cloud breathed hard, realizing the gravity of his discovery. Platinum!

The blonde turned the ring on all sides, inspecting it like an expert jeweler. There were two silver bands that interlaced with each other to form the main form of the ring. One band was shaped like vines and leaves, while the other only had a simple straight shape however it was lined with the purest diamonds Cloud has ever seen in his existence. The main attraction was not the diamonds though. It was a rose. A simple rose; intricately, carefully, lovingly sculpted for the sole purpose of that ring. It was not as valuable as the diamonds, but somehow, Cloud knew that the rose was far more cherished, undoubtedly the most important part of that ring. The rose reminded him of something again, well, all flowers that he encountered did. The blonde shook of his thoughts before it totally consumed him. He had to remain constant. Cloud inspected deeper into the ring. He searched inside the band because usually someone would engrave the name of the person that the ring belongs to. He expected one name to appear, the ring exceeded his expectations when he found two.

"G x I..." Cloud looked around for more clues. Unfortunately, there were none. Whoever owns the ring must have the initials G and I. This could belong to Tifa. But, that's impossible. How could a servant like her own such an expensive ring?

His thoughts were broken off when he heard footsteps echoing althroughout the halls of the church.

"Ti-fa?"

An unfamiliar face grinned at him. Reflected upon his steely blue eyes was a boy-girl, he couldn't discern what this person's gender was. He/She had short hair and was wearing a white shirt, black suspenders and baggy pants. The mischievous twinkle in the person's eyes made the fighter furrow his brows and stand his ground. Whoever this person may be, he/she irritated him... and Cloud didn't know the reason why!

"Hullo!" This person, Cloud found, is a girl. She had a high pitched voice and had a bounce in every step. "My name's Yuffie~"

Yuffie... where had I heard that name? Cloud followed her every movement with his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Yuffie scoffed and wagged a finger at him. "Don't act as if you own the place, mister!"

"And you do?" Cloud spat.

Yuffie smirked as she bounced to the edge of the broken floorboards. "What if..." She gave him a look of challenge which made him realize what she was about to do.

"Stop," He commanded.

"...I said..." She crouched down, preparing to leap. "I DID?!" And leap she did!

"DON'T-!"

Cloud's eyes widened and his breath withdrawn as he saw her tiny body flying through the air and into the most abundant patch of lilies. Fearing for the flowers that Aerith loved so much, he acted out of pure instinct. When Yuffie's foot was about to crush one flower, the blonde disappeared from where he stood and reappeared before the mafia princess, avoiding as much flowers as he possibly can, and attempted to shove her out of the way. However what he shoved wasn't the irritating boy-girl, but a man who was a few years older than he was, with eyes as dark as night, and wearing a blank yet fierce expression. The blonde jumped back and when he landed, his gaze immediately dropped to the flowers beneath the strangers' feet. The flowers were ultimately crushed, their petals that scattered around their broken stems gave off a sweet yet bitter aroma. Seeing that scene made the blonde lose his composure.

"I warned you." Cloud raised his eyes to them, and he could see Yuffie flinch when she saw his dark expression. "I won't be merciful."

With a speed of lightning, Cloud hauled his huge sword that was hidden beneath the floorboards and raised it to his face. I won't let you cause any more damage. A brief image of Aerith's smile clouded his mind. I won't let you be the cause of her grief. Blue energy started to flow from his body, into his arms and his fingers, and was transferred to the huge sword. He drew it back and leaped from his spot to the two strangers that had infiltrated his sanctuary.

If this is the only thing I can do for her now, then I'll do everything. The blonde swung his sword in front of him and pointed it towards the heavens. The blue energy that came from his body had accumulated to the sharp end of his sword. For that person's sake, I'll protect this place!

With a raging shout, Cloud brought his sword down with a force of a thousand soldiers.

"Ehe."

His attack would have cleaved both bodies in one swing, but to the fighter's surprise and dismay something got in the way of what was supposed to be his bloody victory. The blonde's steely gaze traveled from across his blade to the girl who was smiling mischievously behind his opponent. Cloud's pupils narrowed in shock when he realized that his blow was blocked by the older man who was using a bizarre weapon.

"That gun," Cloud started while staring at the three-barrelled pistol that the raven-haired man held in his hands. "It can't be. Only one unit was made in this planet."

The raven-haired man didn't give off an air of pride or arrogance nor he gave Cloud the luxury of thinking as he sent the blonde flying across the patch of flowers with one powerful kick. Fortunately, the blonde had blocked the raven-haired man's attack when he crossed his arms in front of himself. As Cloud's feet touched the floorboards, a bullet was shot just a few inches from where his feet stood. The preceding shots were blocked by Cloud's sword as the blonde fighter tried again to get closer.

Tsk. I can't believe I'm fighting that legendary three-barrelled gun, Cerberus. Cloud thought while he jumped from pillar to pillar to avoid the bullets. It's my dream to see it up close, but now I'm actually avoiding it! The blonde smirked as the bullets stopped coming. Only one problem though. Cloud brought his two feet together at the last pillar that was closest to the two strangers. The raven-haired man was staring up at him, his dark eyes reflecting the blonde who was crouching against a pillar as if gravity no longer existed. He pointed the gun at the blonde haired man and pulled the trigger but no bullet came out. Cerberus' 18 rounds were over. Reloading is pretty troublesome, right? Charging his sword with blue energy, Cloud leapt from the pillar and dove in front of the two with his sword trailing behind. He swung the sword forward to cleave the two when a shout was heard from the entrance.

"CLOUD STOP!"

It was too late though. Cloud was already flying towards the two strangers, intending to kill. If it only were ordinary humans, the church would've already held a funeral service. Though, these aren't ordinary humans, Cloud gathered. His sword was blocked yet again by the raven-haired man using Cerberus, and not only that, another pistol was aiming at the blonde's chest. Though Cloud was neither in a perilous situation in the position he was currently in. The raven-haired man knew it as well... because the fighter's huge sword was just sitting a few millimeters from his opponent's head. If Cloud didn't hold back at the last few seconds, the raven-haired man wouldn't be able to save himself from certain death.

"Death Penalty and Cerberus," Cloud complimented with a smirk as he jumped away from the raven-haired man. "You must be Kisaragi's faithful dog."

"C-Cloud, are you... are you alright?" Aerith breathed heavily when she stopped running. She threw a strict glance at Yuffie who playfully stuck out her tongue to her. The brunette returned her gaze to Cloud and smiled wearily. "Forgive them. They are friends from Wutai."

"I know." The blonde returned his sword to its hidden place and sat on a broken pillar that was overlooking the flowers.

"Yuffie! How could you leave me in the car and attack Cloud in this sanctuary?" Aerith scolded, trying to make her voice stern.

Yuffie hugged Aerith, burying her tiny head in her bosom in the process. "But, Aery~ I just wanted to see if this man of yours is strong!"

A race of pink ran across Aerith's cheeks and pouted. "Apologize to him, please."

"But... but!"

Another stern look from Aerith sent Yuffie somewhat struggling to walk towards the blonde fighter.

"Vincent, apologize for me."

"As you wish, Miss." Vincent bowed at Yuffie and bowed again at Cloud. "Forgive me for attacking you earlier, sir. My name is Vincent Valentine and this is Yuffie Kisaragi. I humbly request your pardon."

Cloud had no reason to forgive these people for nearly destroying the flower patch and as well as the church he so tediously taken the time to care for. He sought out Aerith, she was the one who needed their forgiveness. When the blonde found Aerith, she smiled at him, and that was all he needed.

"You're a worthy opponent, Vincent. I hope we can spar someday." Cloud smirked and held out a hand. Vincent's eyes widened, nonetheless, he accepted Cloud's outstretched hand and shook it. "Cloud Strife."

It was Yuffie's turn. Yet, Yuffie also had no reason to apologize to Cloud. But for Aerith's peace of mind, Yuffie muttered a soft 'sorry', so as not to wound her pride, then she quickly returned to Aerith who was already tending to her damaged flowers.

The blonde studied Vincent for a long time. If what he heard was correct, this bodyguard was an orphan that was brought in by Godo Kisaragi himself. He heard that Vincent was considered as Godo's right hand man since he didn't have any sons of his own. Being the right hand man, he was well educated and well trained. Judging by the quick encounter they had earlier, Cloud was witness to his strength. Cloud had almost revered him. But, as he also discovered, Vincent had a weakness.

The only way to survive in the world is to think of nothing but yourself.

Barret had inculcated that into him ever since the huge man took him in as an apprentice fighter. Looking now at the bodyguard, blindly following every word of his mistress made Cloud admire and at the same time scorn him. Watching her every move, protecting her from any danger even if it means putting your own life on the line... its almost as if the bodyguard...

Ahh, I see. Everything became clear to the blonde now. This was his weakness, and Cloud knew, this weakness will bring the bodyguard to ruin.

"So you like her, huh?"

The bodyguard blushed a deep scarlet before stammering, "I-I live only t-to protect M-Miss Yuffie with my l-life!"

After half-shouting those words, the two girls turned to their direction dubiously. The mafia princess yelled a shut up before turning to Aerith with a shrug. The stoic crimson-eyed man heaved a sigh of relief for his mistress didn't seem to comprehend what he just blurted out earlier.

"Hmm "

Vincent cast a murderous glance at Cloud who was looking at him with a blank stare but the bodyguard could clearly see the mock grin that the fighter was trying to hide.

"What?" He whispered in shame and exasperation.

The blonde shook his head at him and returned his gaze to the girls.

"What about you, Mr. Strife?"

"Hm?" Cloud turned to look at Vincent who was watching the girls with the blush he had on earlier.

"What do you think about Miss A-Tifa?"

"I think," he paused thinking while looking at her intently. "I think she's a good person. Kind, looks after just about anyone not a very wise trait, but kind nonetheless."

As Cloud continued to speak Vincent couldn't help but notice the gentleness in Cloud's expression, but then, without reason or cause, the blonde's face suddenly turned to something else entirely. It was the kind of expression that the bodyguard wouldn't hope of seeing in the battlefield with the fighter as his opponent.

This man... Vincent's eyes darkened as his gaze lingered on the blonde's face.

Sneak Peek: Cloud's feelings are still unclear. Would the fighter's past be the reason why he couldn't express emotions to the people who surround him? What would become of Cloud and Aerith at this stage? Will the new characters contribute to their blossoming relationship? Or will they contribute to it's demise? Find out more..

Next Chapter!

Chapter 17: She's Mine!

See you then!