My corner of insanity

mirime_vy @ 2008-02-28T21:58:00

2008-02-28T21:01:14Z

I finally did it and landed the first place in mf_sanctuary drabble contest.

Fic: Please, Not Tails - longer version

2008-02-03T15:56:22Z

Title: Please, Not Tails
Fandom: Inuyasha
Pairing: Sesshoumaru/Rin
Rating: T
Summary: Mother muses on her son's choice of bride and feels a headache coming.
Warnings/Author's Note: This is a longer version of a drabble I wrote for mf_sanctuary third week prompt "When love is not madness, it is not love". Enjoy.

It was a mistake to think that Sesshoumaru grew up to be one of the most powerful and feared youkais because of his father's heritage. Sure, Inu no Taisho was 'the great dog general' but it was his wife who passed on most of her flaws and vices to their son. Sesshoumaru was intelligent, elegant, calm and rational. He was also cold, ruthless, arrogant and proud. A son any mother could be proud of.

However, not right now. The current Lady of the Western Lands gritted her teeth as she caught sight of her only son in the company of that human girl. It had been only a couple of years since she had seen him for the last time, when he came to her seeking answers about Tenseiga. She remembered the human girl she had been forced to save and the concern her son felt for this Rin. She worried where this fondness for a human might lead.

And lo, she was right. Sesshoumaru appeared without warning, his grown-up human at his side and smelling like him - there were certain things mother should never know about her son - with that annoying toad looking as wretched as the Lady felt trotting behind them. It was clear now that Sesshoumaru had inherited more from his father than she had thought. This... madness that weak people called love had been passed in his blood and took roots without her noticing. What kind of mother did that make her?

Lady of the Western Lands sighed as another thought occured to her as she watched her son pay utmost attention to any need of the girl without being obvious about it. Sesshoumaru intended to marry this girl. It meant they would have children sooner or later, probably sooner. And that would make her a grandmother. She didn't feel like a grandmother yet. She was too young, only 550 years old. She thought that her first grandchildren would come when she comfortably settled into her first millenium of living. Well, she would accept them even at eight hundred but that was absolute minimum. Of course, her dear son had different ideas.

There was also another issue to consider about the children to come. They would be hanyou, not that Sesshoumaru particularly cared, too caught up in the madness of his feelings for the human. And hanyou children with an inu youkai for a father meant one thing - some ridiculous dog-like body part. With a heavy feeling of resignation, Sesshoumaru's mother closed her eyes and prayed, repeating three words over and over.

"Please, not tails!"

mirime_vy @ 2008-01-28T10:15:00

2008-01-28T09:19:19Z

Another second place in mf_sanctuary week contest. What to say? Thank you to everyone who voted for me.

mirime_vy @ 2008-01-21T11:38:00

2008-01-21T10:38:22Z

At least for me. This is a banner I got for 2nd place in a drabble contest in mf_sanctuary. Never expected it, but I'm very grateful. As far as I remember, this is the first time I won anything in fic contest. Ah, well, enough of that.

Vincent/Yuffie fanfic

2007-10-29T18:25:06Z

Fandom: Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus
Title: In Sickness And In Health
Author Mirime VY
Theme: #5 Release my darkness; Bring me warmth
Pairing: Vincent Valentine/Yuffie Kisaragi
Characters: Vincent Valentine, Yuffie Kisaragi, Tifa Lockhart
Rating: T/PG-13
Disclaimer: This author doesn't own anything except for a plot in here.
Summary: Vincent has to face the fact he's no longer invincible. Post DoC with a lot of fluff at the end. Don't say I didn't warn you. Crossposted a lot.

Vincent Valentine would have never thought he would miss Chaos. Not in a thousand lifetimes nor the direst of circumstances. Being without Chaos meant he was partially human again, something he had stopped thinking possible, so he didn't dwell much on the changes his parting with the demon would bring. It had never occured to him what benefits Chaos' presence had given him. Something he regretted very much, given his current situation. Vincent was human again and humans had a tendency to take certain things for granted and forget about them. And after almost thirty years of having a demon share his body, Vincent Valentine had forgotten one extremely important thing. Humans tended to get sick.

"Ah-choo!"

"Bless you, Vincent," his self-appointed nurse said cheerfully as she opened the door just in time to hear him. She entered slowly, balancing a tray loaded with several cups. She kicked the door closed and approached him, grinning all the time. "I've got your tea - black, a teaspoon of honey - and a chicken soup. Tifa insists that's what sick people have to eat and we wouldn't want to get her angry, would we?"

"Stop patronizing me, Yuffie."

"Sorry, Vince, couldn't resist it," Yuffie answered and set the tray down on the night table. She pressed the back of her hand against his forehead, secure in the knowledge that he wasn't going to do anything about it. He had already lost that argument the day before. "The fever seems to have gone down a bit."

Vincent nodded, not bothering to reply verbally. Every sign that his sickness was going away was welcome since it meant his humiliation wasn't going to last much longer. How could he have been such a fool and not realize he was sick, he'd never know. It grated on his nerves that he let himself be so careless. Being sick happened to other people, not him.

Looking at the situation in retrospect, it all started so simply. He had been caught in a storm. It hadn't been the first nor last time and he had never had any problems with his health before. His immunity system was extremely effective in the cases like this and Vincent had realized too late that maybe being a pain in the ass hadn't been his demons' only purpose. Even so, he could have avoided all this fuss if he had stayed in Kalm after he had noticed the first signs - a sore throat and a migraine. But no, he had promised Cloud and Tifa he'd visit them and he wanted to keep the promise. And from that point onwards, everything went to hell.

When he had arrived, he had asked for a glass of water from Tifa, hoping to soothe his throat. All he succeeded in was to irritate it even more and the gathered members of AVALANCHE were privy to a rare sight - Vincent Valentine coughing his lungs out in a spectacular semi-public display. Of course, it led to Tifa and Yuffie crowding him, trying to find out what was wrong. When the truth came out, Yuffie herded him upstairs to one of the rooms reserved for AVALANCHE when they were staying overnight and ordered him in a no-nonsense voice to get in the bed and stay put, or Leviathan help me, I'll kick your ass to Nibelheim and back faster than you can sneeze. And then she started laughing because at that exact moment Vincent sneezed. She left him for a moment and came back with a tea done exactly the way he liked it and after he drank it, she dropped the bombshell. He was going to stay in the bed until he was okay and she was the one who was going to take care of him.

He tried to protest, of course, but Yuffie, being Yuffie, didn't hesitate to use even the underhanded tactics to reach her goal. She blackmailed him using a guilt. Tifa was in the third month of her pregnancy and as Yuffie reminded him, she was not to be stressed or worried. Vincent was left no choice after that and grudgingly accepted Yuffie's terms. The fact that he was starting to feel dizzy and nauseous also helped him to realize he might have been worse off than he had thought. And so he obediently laid down and let Yuffie do her worst.

Which brought him back to the present. He eyed the steaming cup of tea. He felt like he had drunk litres of the liquid over the past two days and maybe he had. Yuffie proved to be an excellent nurse, if somewhat overbearing in her manner. Nonetheless, he appreciated that she had stayed up with him throughout the previous night, cooling his fevered forehead with a wet rag, talking to him in a soft voice and taking his mind off the things his fever-induced delirium had brought up. For that, he was very grateful.

"Yuffie."

"Hmm," she muttered as she busied herself with rearranging the cups on the tray, setting one aside for herself and handing the other to him. Vincent propped himself up on his right elbow and took the proffered cup with his claw. After taking a sip of the black tea, he spoke again.

"I'd like to thank you. For taking care of me."

Yuffie beamed at him and she plopped down into a chair.

"You're welcome, Vinnie. After all, what are friends for? I mean, this is no bother. I kinda like it, looking after someone and stuff."

"You do?"

"Mhm," Yuffie nodded and then added in a conspirational tone. "I don't want to spoil my tomboy image, so don't tell anyone, but I'm afraid I might have more feminine instincts and urges than I let on. Or Tifa is rubbing off on me. Do you think that mothering people I care about is contagious?"

"I wouldn't know," Vincent answered truthfully. Yuffie shrugged and finished her tea.

"Anyway, who do you think the baby will take after? I pray to Leviathan it doesn't inherit Cloud's hair. That's too cruel a fate for an innocent kid."

Vincent snorted and promptly choked on his tea. Yuffie immediately snapped into a nurse mode, sat him up and started thumping on his back to help him cough out any stray liquid that had gone down the wrong way. After a minute or so, his coughing calmed down and Vincent took a couple of deep breaths to get his breathing back to normal. When he looked at Yuffie, she was looking slightly apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Vinnie. I didn't mean to make you choke."

"It's all right," Vincent croaked. His throat was sore again and to top it off, the migraine from the day before came back and brought along a friend in the form of a sudden vertigo. He groaned and massaged his temples, hoping to ease the pain a little bit.

"Vincent?" Yuffie sounded very concerned. "Are you all right?"

"My head hurts," he admitted. Yuffie seemed to think about something for a bit, nodded to herself and started unlacing her boots. Vincent blinked in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" she retorted as she finished taking off one boot and started on the other. "I'm going to climb onto the bed and I don't want to get the covers dirty."

"Why?"

She gave him a half-exasperated, half-mischievous look.

"Do you need to ask? So I can have my way with you while you are all weak and defenseless. Geez," she sighed, yanked off her other boot and winked at him. "I'm gonna try a special Wutainese technique to help you with that headache and I can't do that sitting in a chair. So move over a bit."

"It isn't necessary," Vincent protested.

"Stop arguing," Yuffie leaned forward until they were nose to nose. "You forget how weak you are right now. Marlene armed with a teddybear could beat you up without breaking a sweat so don't make me use a force. Just let me help you," her tone was frustrated as she kept the eye contact with him.

They stared at each other for a couple of tense moments before Vincent admitted defeat and looked away. He wasn't blind. He knew she cared for him far more than just a friend. He just hadn't decided yet how to react to it. He didn't want to ignore her feelings but wasn't sure if he could return them. Dweeling on this dilemma had only one effect so far - slowly but surely she started dominating his thoughts. Her changed behaviour didn't help either. Ever since the Deepground incident several months ago, she grew a lot bolder around him and even started flirting with him, her words a minute ago being a prime example of that. What would he do if she was serious? Vincent shook his head. The illness was influencing his mind processes and the migraine was becoming unbearable. He should let her do as she wanted before he started voicing his thoughts aloud.

"All right," he agreed. "You may try it."

"Great," Yuffie climbed on the bed and sat down with her legs across the width of it. She leaned her back against the wall and patted her thighs. "Lay down," she instructed and he hesitantly did so. His head now laid in her lap and he was looking up at her. She grinned at his anxious look. "Don't worry, I won't kill you even though that's what the technique is used for primarily."

If that was supposed to make him feel better... He startled a bit when her cold fingers brushed his hair away from his face and then settled at his temples, applying a soft pressure at first and then their touch grew firmer and they started to move in a soothing pattern. He could feel the pain abating slowly and his thoughts scattered in all directions as his breathing evened out, his eyelids grew heavy and in a matter of minutes, he was asleep.

He wasn't sure at first what had woken him up. Yuffie was still on the bed, holding his head in her lap but instead of massaging his temples, she ran her hands through his hair in the slow strokes which were just as soothing and pleasant as her previous touches. Then he heard the creak of the floorboard and realized there was someone else in the room with them.

"How is he?"

He recognized Tifa's voice immediately but didn't open his eyes. He still felt drowsy and wanted to get back to sleep. He knew she wouldn't mind since the rest helped his recovery.

"He's still asleep," Yuffie answered. "He still has a fever, although it isn't as bad as the last night. I think he'll be fine in about two days."

"What about you? You haven't slept since he became sick."

Vincent frowned mentally. This was news for him. She had disappeared in the morning for about four hours and he thought she had been catching up on her missed sleep.

"This is more important than my beauty sleep," Yuffie responded defensively, her hands stilling in his hair. "Tell me you wouldn't do the same in my position."

"Yuffie," Tifa sounded exasperated. "I understand better than anyone what you are feeling. I just want you to take care of yourself as well."

"Don't worry. I promise that as soon as Vincent is okay, I'll sleep for a week. All right?"

"You promise?"

One hand left his hair as Yuffie made a child-like gesture.

"Cross my heart and hope to die."

He heard Tifa turn around and slowly walk out of the room. She paused in the doorway.

"I hope Vincent realizes how lucky he is," she said. "Good night, Yuffie."

"'Night Tifa."

The door closed quietly and Yuffie returned to playing with his hair, humming some melody under her breath. It started to lull him back to sleep but there was something he needed to say.

"Yuffie?"

There was the slightest pause before she answered.

"What is it, Vinnie?"

"I'm glad you're the one taking care of me."

"Really?"

Vincent muttered his assent. Feeling a shift in the air, he opened his eyes to find Yuffie's face inches from his own. She was smiling at him.

"Thank you," she whispered before she straightened up and tucked his blanket more securely around him. "Now go to sleep."

He obeyed immediately and as he fell asleep, he felt a warmth within him that had nothing to do with the fever. Because this warmth was to stay for a long time. As long as Yuffie was there.

THE END

30_nights fic

2007-03-25T15:24:31Z

Fandom: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Title: It Was A Dark And Stormy Night...
Author: Mirime VY
Theme: #39 Hear the thunder roar and the lightning flash
Pairing: Vincent Valentine/Yuffie Kisaragi
Characters: Vincent Valentine, Yuffie Kisaragi, Aeris Gainsborough
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: All of these characters belong to SquarEnix and I have no profit from writing about them.
Summary: Stuck together during a storm, Vincent and Yuffie learn to deal with each other and Yuffie visits someone dear to her. AC spoilers, very mild. Crossposted to 30_nights, yuffentine
Notes: Written in a span of almost a year, so the later parts might seem different in style. This is also very long, kind of an apology for taking so long to write.

"This is all your fault," Yuffie Kisaragi informed her silent companion. When he failed to answer her, she frowned. "OK, maybe Reeve's too, but Reeve's not here so I'm gonna blame you. Do you understand?"

Sigh.

"Yes. I understand."

The reply didn't appease her as he hoped it would. She planted her little fists on her waist and stared up at him.

"Don't make fun of me, Vincent. I'm not in the mood."

"Obviously," he muttered more to himself than her. Technically, the situation they were in, was Reeve's fault. He had called Vincent few days ago, asking him to help out with an investigation of the damage the silver-haired Sephiroth wannabes had caused. While WRO workers were fine for searching ruins of Midgar with the help of Cloud and Tifa, Vincent was asked to head to the City of the Ancients, seeing as he spent a lot of time there anyway. The request was sound and logical. Then Reeve told him that WRO's head of intelligence showed an interest in joining him. The fact that Vincent had prefered to keep to himself and not to take too much interest in the personal affairs of his teammates turned against him this time. Where he had expected a middle-aged nondescriptive man with glasses he had gotten almost nineteen years old, loud, perky and slightly annoying ninja with a penchant for calling him Vinnie and picking up on his way of life. In few words, his partner was none other than, quoting: Great Ninja and Materia Hunter Yuffie Kisaragi, the stealthiest sexy thing on the face of the Planet and you should thank heavens that I'm coming along because I'll be the bright ray of sunshine this mission needs.

And bright ray of sunshine she had been, at least until the sun above hadn't disappeared behind dark clouds and heavy and steady downpour of rain had started. Her mood changed to fit the sky and she was scowling all the way throughout the forest until they reached the Forgotten City. There they seeked shelter in one of the better faring houses which structure was still intact to keep the raging storm outside. Upon getting inside Yuffie voiced her thoughts, well, more like complaints, aloud. She was drenched and cold and therefore miserable. Her clothes, shorts and sleeveless top covered with a sleeveless jumper, weren't as bright as her former attire but did nothing to cover and warm her up. She turned and shot Vincent a death-glare.

"Did you say anything?"

Vincent didn't reply and instead moved further into the house. Her glare didn't leave him for one second as he went around, gathering some wood and placing it into an old hearth in what once had been kitchen. He muttered "Fire 2" and the kindling immediately burst into flames.

"It seems the storm is going to last for some time. We'll stay here."

"Hey, who made you a boss?"

"Reeve did."

"You!" Yuffie growled but Vincent cut her off.

"I was supposed to undertake this task alone. You made me accept your presence but it was my mission from the very beginning. Therefore I am the leader here. We'll stay."

"All right, no need to bite my head off, I just asked," she muttered sulkily, rubbing her arms subconsciously to warm them up. Vincent stood there for a moment and then undid clasps on his cloak and placed the fabric around her shoulders. She looked up in surprise but his face showed nothing. Then she noticed something else. The cloak was slick with rain water on the outside but inside it was dry. One look at Vincent's clothes confirmed her suspicions. The damn thing was water-proof. She debated with herself whether to blow up on Vincent for making her trudge through that stupid forest in the stupid rain or not when she realized another thing. He had all of his weapons hidden underneath the cloak and seeing as all of them were guns - long rifle, smaller side-arm and that three-barreled Cerberus - he needed to keep them dry. She, as a ninja, had no such problem with her shurikens. If they got wet, they were harder to catch but didn't malfunction.

Okay, chewing Vincent out for not giving her the cloak sooner was out of question. But she needed to complain about something to show that she didn't appreciate his behavior much.

"Why did you give it to me?"

"You seemed to be cold," Vincent said as he continued to scan the room. He acted strange, she noticed. Why? There was a flash of light as lightning stroke the ground nearby, immediately followed by a deafening crash of thunder. Yuffie saw as Vincent tensed and wondered for a short, fleeting moment if he was afraid of the storm. Nah, he was Vincent. The guy wouldn't be distraught by Judgment Day happening right next to him. So she carried on with their conversation, one-sided as it was.

"But now I can't complain. See, if you didn't give it to me, than I could bitch about what a jerk you were for making me freeze while you were warm in the cloak. That way I could amuse myself while we waited the storm out and none of us would get bored because you would be busy trying to ignore me. But now I've got your cloak and I'm not freezing anymore and can't complain so we're going to die out of boredom here and haunt this place with the ancient ghosts of the Ancients," she giggled at the pun. Vincent looked at her with somewhat incredulous look.

"So your point is," he started as he tried to comprehend her thought processes. "I shouldn't have offered my cloak to you when you were clearly cold, so you could harass me for not giving it to you? And the only benefit gained through this action would be not being bored?"

Yuffie pondered the question. When he phrased it like that... If she said yes, she would look like a petulant child who thought only of her own amusement. If she said no, she would disregard what she had said before. What to say, what to say?

"Maybe?"

Vincent gave up. There was no talking to her when she was like this. Like he didn't have enough on his plate already. The storm was complicating things very much. He was afraid of it but for vastly different reasons than one could think. The weather was making demons in him restless. They demanded to be released. They wanted to play. Having good idea what their idea of playing looked like, he put a lot of effort into suppressing them and he needed to concentrate on it, not to argue with the young girl who was another complication. If he was alone there, he might have let them out, one by one. They were easier to control for weeks following such periods of freedom, as he had found out. That was one of the reasons he kept visiting the ruins of the city. There had never been anyone demons could have harmed. But with Yuffie there... Inspite of her occasional bratiness - her own term - he liked her and didn't want her to get hurt. Not if he could help it. He'd just have to wait it out.

He sat down, crossing his legs and closing eyes.

"Uhm, Vinnie?"

"Yes?"

"Are you going to sleep?"

"Yes," it wasn't exactly a lie and hopefully it'd keep her quiet.

"Oh. Then good night. At least one of us is emotionless enough to not care about our predicament. What a joy," she muttered bitingly.

"Yuffie?" he opened one eye and looked at her. "We wouldn't find anything in this weather anyway. So please, stop being a brat."

She grimaced at this and Vincent felt a pang of regret and something else which he rather didn't dwell on but with Chaos and Hellmasker commenting in the back of his mind how they would shut her up if only Vincent let them, his way was much safer. For both of them.

"Fine," she plopped down facing him and then mirrored his position, closing her eyes as well. "You didn't have to be such a jerk about it, you know. You could have said it nicer and be less cold about it. If I bother you, just say so. I'll try to stop."

"I'll remember that," Vincent replied, glad that she wasn't too mad with him. Yuffie, on the other hand, was thinking. Something was seriously wrong about him. He was more... irritated than usual. Not at all like he usually was, like something was bothering him really bad. She snucked one glance at him. He had both eyes closed and looked as calm and collected as he usually did. Then the blazing tempest outside made its continuous presence known to them again. If she hadn't been watching Vincent closely, she might have missed the slight twitch of his hand but she caught it and again started to wonder why the thunder and lightning bothered him so. She opened her mouth to ask him when she remembered how he had reacted before and closed it again. She settled on watching him from under half-lowered eyelids, hoping she would figure it out sooner or later. Save for the occasional rumble of thunder outside and neverending patter of raindrops everything was silent for some time.

Yuffie stirred and opened her eyes. She had dozed off sometimes during her Vinnie-watching and she had no idea how long she had been asleep. The fire almost died down and Vincent was no longer sitting across from her. She looked around the dwelling and saw him standing near the door, gazing off into distance. Looking past him, she realized the storm hadn't relented yet. Well, so much for getting out of there soon. What in the hell had possesed her to go with Vincent on this investigation? Oh, yes. She had been curious and wanted to find out what Vincent had been up to. So far, she had only managed to annoy him to the point where he called her a brat. Good job there, Yuffie, she thought to herself. She stretched out her legs which were protesting against the long time they had been folded underneath her and stood up, letting the cloak slide down. She quickly crossed the space separating them.

"Vincent?"

"Hmm?"

Well, he didn't tell her to shut up. It was a good sign.

"What time is it?"

"Around one a.m."

"Ah. Would you mind me asking something?"

"It depends on the question."

"Well," she fidgeted somewhat. "Are you afraid of the storm?"

He was silent for a long, long time. Yuffie shuffled her weight from one leg to the other and finally, Vincent spoke.

"Why do you ask?"

"Uhm, you know, you've acted pretty strange before, I mean, even stranger than usual and I've noticed that you kinda... tensed... everytime there was a thunder and so I thought that you might be, I dunno, afraid," she waited expectantly for his reply. He lowered his head, as if thinking and then walked past her to sit down in his previous spot. "You don't have to answer me of course. I'll just keep wondering what the hell is wrong with you. Is that fine with you? Or you don't care what I think at all? If you're afraid and don't want the others to find out then you could ask me real nice - and I mean nice, like with a smile and please and everything - and I won't tell them. But only if you ask really nice."

"Sit down, please."

"Wow. That's it Vinnie. Your smile needs some work, though. You have to move your mouth, especially the corners, upwards."

"Yuffie," the warning was clear and Yuffie plopped down and stuck out her tongue. Okay, maybe she was a little childish - a lot - but she was stuck in a place with not so many pleasant memories attached, not to mention the whole deal with the storm and rain and Vincent's strange behavior, so how could anyone blame her for being somewhat... cranky and difficult?

"I'm listening now."

"Your assumption regarding my fear of the storm was uncorrect. I'm not afraid of it. To put it right," Vincent paused but she was in AVALANCHE. She knew about his
predicament and realized the threat the demons posed, having witnessed them in the battle and he was sure she held them in respect. And knowing his trouble, she might decide to be of help and let him concentrate. He picked up where he left off. "I am aware of the danger it posseses. The demons in me like this kind of weather. According to them, it is fitting. I need to keep them at bay and that's why I was cross with you before."

"Gawd, I'm sorry Vincent. I didn't mean to make fun of you. Are you still in control?"

"It's all right and yes, I am but I need to focus on it. That's why I need you to keep quiet."

"Okay," Yuffie piped up and true to her word, a blessed silence covered the room. Then Yuffie shifted to one side. Five minutes later, she stretched out her legs just to fold them back after two minutes. She moved the straps that kept her shuriken lower on her chest. Then higher. And lower again. She undid them and put them back on. She stretched her right leg. Inspite of the quietness of these movements - she was a ninja, after all - Vincent was well aware of them. And because she kept moving, it was distracting him. He stood up.

"This isn't working."

"I was quiet!" Yuffie stood up as well.

"Yes, you were. But you weren't still."

"Oh," Yuffie realized that her fidgeting had probably similar effect to her chatting. Than she got an idea. She picked up the cloak. "Can I borrow this?"

"Yes, you may."

Vincent watched her as she put it on and draped around herself. Then she twirled around and he could swear she mumbled something about getting one for herself in a smaller size.

"I'm going to visit someone. You stay here and concentrate, else I'll have to kick your butt from here to Midgar. Okay?"

"Who are you going to visit?"

She smiled but it was a sad smile.

"Aeris," and she was gone, entering the storm outside without hesitation. "I'll say hello for you too," he heard her shout before her steps died away. Vincent let a small smile cross his lips. He should have known.

The rain seemed to be more gentle in the heart of the old city. Yuffie lifted her head to gaze around at the only remainder of the once great civilisation. Would Midgar be the same in a couple of hundred years? Only ruins where life had once thrived? It was well on its way as it was but still...

Yuffie shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. They were useless in her situation. She had a different goal in mind, coming here. She didn't want to ponder past and future. Live for the present, that was what she did. Kneeling at the edge of the lake that was flower girl's last resting place, she cupped a handful of water letting it trickle down in between her fingers.

"Hi Aeris. I hope you can hear me here. Cloud was saying something about you being in your old church but you're in Lifestream so, theoretically, you should be anywhere where it is. And this is a special place, as well. Probably not full of nice memories," Yuffie grimaced, "but still special. And important. You know about Kadaj and his bros, right? After all, you helped us somehow or so Tifa says. Speaking 'bout Tifa, she and Cloud are still taking their time getting together. Unbelievable, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," a laughing voice answered and Yuffie stood up in shock.

"A-Aeris?"

"Who else, silly?"

"But I thought you were in Midgar, in church..."

"But you said so yourself. I am in Lifestream. So I can visit here, especially if someone calls me."

"Aeris. It's really you," Yuffie got into her previous position on the edge of the lake. "What is it like in there? In Lifestream."

"Green," was a dry reply and Yuffie laughed though her eyes were stinging with tears.

"You must be a sight then, in those pink dress."

"Please, not you as well. I get enough from Zack."

"Zack? Oh yes, your boyfriend and Cloud's best buddy, right?"

"You seem to be well informed."

"Oh, you know me," Yuffie waved her hand around. "Sneaking here and there, I'm bound to hear a lot of interesting things."

"Speaking of interesting," Aeris' voice turned mischievous. "Isn't that Vincent's cape you're wearing?"

Yuffie swore at herself as she blushed and Aeris' melodic laughter filled the space around them and Yuffie decided to get back at her. She was a good actress. After all, the skill was necessary for a thief.

"Oh, well, I guess you could be the first one I tell but you have to promise to keep it a secret," the laughter stopped and Yuffie grinned before sighing wistfully. "Vinnie and I are getting married."

"What?!"

"Yes, we were dating for a while in secrecy but then..." Yuffie swallowed hard to keep herself from laughing and ruining it all, "we kinda weren't careful and I ended up pregnant. So to stop my father from killing him, we have a ceremony next week. It's a surprise for everyone so if you talk to Cloud before that, don't mention it."

"I... of course..." Aeris stuttered. "Con... congratulations. I think."

"Thank you," Yuffie bowed her head demurely, desperately quelling the urge to laugh her head off. "What do you think I should name the baby? I kinda like Ayame for a girl and Takeno for a boy. Of course, Vinnie might want non-Wutain name. We should really talk about it but everytime we are alone, well, you know..."

"I... I think I heard enough," Aeris spoke weakly. Yuffie giggled. "That's not funny," Aeris spoke reprimandingly. "It was a shock to me," Yuffie giggled harder. "I really don't see what's so funny about you getting married without telling anyone and-"

Yuffie lost it and roared with laughter as she couldn't control herself anymore. She shook with the force of it and the cape slipped off her shoulders, pooling behind her as she took in large gulps of air.

"I... I can't... believe... that you... that you fell for that..." Yuffie got out in short gasps, desperately trying to gain breath. There was an indignant huff as Aeris realized she had been fooled.

"That wasn't very nice Yuffie."

"You... you asked for it with that comment," came Yuffie's breathless reply. "And honestly. Can you imagine me and Vincent ever getting together? It's about as likely as... I don't know, something unlikely," she managed to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

"Hmm, I don't know. Stranger things happened," Aeris mused but Yuffie shook her head, finally able to talk properly..

"Not going to happen and anyway, I've got his cape because it's raining so you can get your mind out of the gutter or romance novel or wherever it is. He lent it to me for practical reasons."

"Okay. Speaking of Vincent, how is he?" Aeris asked.

"The same old Vincent as always," Yuffie shrugged. "Oh, he says hello to you, I almost forgot 'bout it."

"He didn't want to come?"

"Well, he can't. As I said, there's a storm and he needs to focus on controling his demons. I left to give him some space. Apparently, I was too much of a distraction."

"Couldn't keep your clothes on?" Aeris teased and Yuffie froze. To turn her own joke against her that way...

"You, young lady in the pink," Yuffie started, "are one devious, dirty-minded woman and I'm shocked at your behaviour."

"Oh, Yuffie. But you asked for it with that comment," Aeris said innocently before laughing and Yuffie joined her. "Although, it was a good prank."

"Better than making Cloud think you and Tifa were a couple so he would take me out in Golden Saucer?" it was one of Yuffie's secrets and she had never told the girls how she got Cloud to go with her.

"That was you?"

"Yup."

"So that's why he kept giving us those strange looks for a week anytime Tifa and I talked."

"Yeah and he almost strangled me once I confessed to what I did."

"Can't say I blame him."

"You know you all love me anyway," Yuffie shivered a little and put the cape back on. "He now knows the truth, though, so I don't really know what he's waiting for. It's obvious how he feels for Tifa. And she's as bad as him."

"Maybe they need a little push in right direction."

"What do you have in mind?"

"A little matchmaking never hurt anyone."

"I think I like the way you're thinking," Yuffie cackled to herself. This was going to be so much fun.

It had been two hours since Yuffie had left and thirty minutes since the storm had turned into a rain. Vincent sighed in relief as he felt the pressure on his mental shields decrease until it disappeared entirely. He felt slightly better now and once again crossed the room to stare out. His eyes caught the flash of red and he watched as Yuffie practically skipped down the road. She seemed to be in better mood then before. She waved at him before a mischievous grin passed over her lips and she started to run towards him.

It didn't take him long to figure out what she planned to do and he quickly stepped back just as Yuffie landed in the large puddle of water, sending drops of it everywhere with the exception of him.

"Vinnie!" she pouted at him. "Why did you step back?"

"I did not wish to become drenched."

"You're no fun. Aeris thinks so too," she finally shook off the excess water and stepped inside. "I am to say hello for her but I don't think I will since you are so mean to me. Unless..." Yuffie trailed off.

"No."

"You don't even know what I want to ask."

He didn't need to know. Just the fact that her mood had improved so dramatically was proof enough that he shoudn't inquire as to what had pleased her so much.

"You should get some rest. Today's going to be a long day."

"Aw, c'mon Vinnie. Aren't you curious? Not even the tiniest bit?" Yuffie frowned at his lack of response. "Fine. I'll tell you anyway and then you will want to help too. Aeris and I are going to get Cloud and Tifa to admit their feelings for each other. Great, isn't it?"

Vincent shuddered to think about the horrors awaiting Cloud and Tifa. Yuffie was a she-devil capable of persuading even the perfect angel Aeris to conduct whatever strange plan she thought up.

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"Well, we're still working on that part. And I told you you would be interested in helping."

It's not that I'm interested. I'm just trying to figure out how much time I'm going to spend as far away from Edge as possible, wasn't probably a good answer. After all, he was going to spend at least another two days in Yuffie's company. It was time to make a deal.

"I won't help you," before she could protest he continued. "However, I won't inform Tifa nor Cloud about this under the condition you stop asking for my help."

"I guess that's the best I can hope for. Fine," Yuffie sighed deeply. "You've got a deal," she offered him her hand to shake on it and after some hesitation Vincent did so. Yuffie grinned widely at that. "And that makes us partners in crime so no backing out of the deal now."

"I always keep my word," he reminded her. "And you really should get some rest. I guess you could have two hours of sleep before we head out."

"Aww, you're concerned for me? That's sweet."

"No. I just know what you are like without sleep."

Only when her eyes widened Vincent realized he had said it aloud. And suddenly, the cranky Yuffie from earlier in the evening was back. She hurled his cape at him and stomped over to her bag, pulling out a blanket and huddling close to the dying fire. She revived it with a well placed, if slightly over-enthusiastic, fire spell. Only after that she glared at him.

"This is all your fault. And Reeve's so going to have his ass kicked once we are back. Of all the mean, depressed, emo guys..."

Vincent put his cape back on and tuned her out. It seemed that once one storm ended, another one began. At least, this one he knew he could handle. It was all thunder and no rain.

"Idiot!"

And an occasional lightning bolt. This was going to be a long and stormy night.

THE END

Fic: "Laws, Weddings and Hangovers"

2006-10-12T17:54:31Z

Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Title: Laws, Weddings and Hangovers
Author: Mirime Vy
Rating: PG13 or T
Summary: Yuffie stole materia, ascended pagoda and went to sleep. But in the morning, everything went wrong.
Warning: A bit of cursing
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own rights to them and it's probably just as well.

Yuffie plopped down on her futon, totally worn out by the day's events. In the morning, she had stolen AVALANCHE's Materia only to be chased by them, caught by an ugly pervert, threatened to be made into a Yuffie, the pervert's bride, then Yuffie, the squished tomato (you can guess which one she'd prefer - long live the tomato!), finally being rescued by the very same people she had robbed blind before. And that was only the beginning. Somehow, she had let out a word about the ascension ritual and Cloud, being the jerk of the group, had asked if she would be able to make it while they had been staying in Wutai as he hadn't known when they would have the time to return there.

It was the worst afternoon of her life. But, she gazed at the Leviathan Materia in her hand, it was so worth it. The feeling of satisfaction as she had finally defeated the monstrous form her father had assumed in the fight was better than being sugar high and on the same level as the feeling she got when finding a new and rare Materia. Letting out a sigh, Yuffie brought her attention to a small group of three men that filtered into the house behind her.

"Will it be all right if we rest for the night? I'm spent."

"Sure, Yuffie," Cloud assured her. "Just tell us where the inn is and we'll go there."

"Don't be stupid," Yuffie scowled at him. "I've got enough room for the three of you. You've got your sleeping bags, right? You can get some spare tatami mats from the basement and stay in the front of the room. I'll pull the screen so I'll have some privacy. No sense in wasting gil when it can be put into better use buying supplies."

"Or Materia for you to steal," Cid pointed out, puling out a cigarette from his pack.

"Hey, no smoking inside!" Yuffie quickly pulled one of her sneakers off and with an accuracy born out of a life-long training nailed Cid in the face. He let out a long string of curses but calmed down somewhat after Yuffie weighed her other shoe threateningly. "Good night then. Cloud, Cid, Vinnie," after geting a nod from each of them, she pulled the screen across the room and fell asleep almost immediately, leaving the three men to fend for themselves.

When Yuffie woke up in the morning, she felt much better. She stretched like a cat and climbed out of her futon, getting ready for a trek to the Tiny Bronco. She located one of her sneakers and hopped around on one leg, trying to find the other one when she remembered what she had done with it. She pulled away the screen and jumped nearly three feet into the air when she saw who was in her house.

"Godo! What are you doing here?"

He turned to her, a terrible frown on his face.

"I came to wish you good luck and found these men in here. What is the meaning of that?"

"A meaning? I put them up so they didn't have to pay for the night in the inn. It's not like it's against the law to help out your friends."

"It is," Godo spoke gravely and elaborated. "Especially when those friends are unmarried men."

"What kind of nonsense is that? How could that be-"

"Yuffie," Godo started speaking very quickly. "You are a young woman who isn't married and you spent the night in the company of men who aren't married either. Your reputation is soiled. You'll never get married and it can threaten your position as my heir."

"Excuse me?" Yuffie couldn't believe her own ears. She had never heard about anything like that before. "How come I never heard 'bout it?"

"It's an ancient law. I, of course, understand that during your travels you might have met with other customs but others won't be so understanding."

This was getting seriously weird. Godo was being understanding and... dare she say it... supportive? That was new. And weird. Was there some 'people changing' Materia she had never seen and Godo had found it? That was the only possible explanation. As for that stupid law, she loved her country but it had no right to tell her how to spend her nights or who with. Not that anything happened.

"But nothing happened!"

"It doesn't matter. The only fact is that they spent the night here."

"Say something," Yuffie turned to her male companions. Damn Cloud! Couldn't he have brought Tifa or Aeris? "It's your fault as well."

"Erm," Cloud coughed. "Is there something we could do to help?"

"There is one thing," Godo spoke thoughtfully. "However, it is a very permanent solution."

"How permanent?" Vincent asked.

"Lifelong commitment to make Yuffie a respectable woman."

"Huh?" Yuffie didn't like where this conversation was going. She didn't like it at all.

"A marriage."

"WHAT???" the scream could be heard all the way through the town. "No fucking way! I'm not getting married just because some dead assholes thought up a rule. I'm just sixteen. I've got crazy men with long hair to stop, adventures to go on, Materia to find. I can't settle down."

"But your husband would be one of these three so I guess it wouldn't be a problem to continue your journey."

Yuffie looked at the three men and noted they all looked surprised - Cloud and Cid's mouth were hanging open and Vincent's eyes were slightly widened. At least they were as shocked as her. There was some comfort in that thought.

"No. I refuse."

"Yuffie, if you don't do as the law says, you'll be outcast and may even be exiled."

"Now you're just pulling my leg. You said my reputation would be soiled. That's not the same as making me an exile."

"But you're a member of the ruling family. Laws are more strict for us."

"Oh gawd," Yuffie buried her head in her hands. The situation was quickly spiraling out of control. It was like a terrible nightmare. Yes, that was it. She was still asleep and was having a nightmare and-

"So the only way to help Yuffie is that one of us marries her?" Cloud interrupted her thought processes.

"That's right," Godo nodded.

"Well, it can't be me," Cid said with more relief than Yuffie thought appropriate for the situation. It was her life at stake, after all.

"Hey! Don't tell me you agree with that."

"Sorry brat. Law is law and as I !#$@ said, I can't do it," Cid raised his left hand and pulled off his glove. A simple gold band was on his ring finger.

"You're married?" Yuffie gasped. The shock of that revelation overcame her worry about her fate temporarily.

"Four years, to Shera."

"But you treated her like crap when we visited. She destroyed your dream, you said so."

"Ah, you're still a !#$@ kid. I got over it. Sometimes we play like that so she can apologize to me, beg for forgiveness, if you catch my draft," the pilot wiggled his eyebrows and Yuffie turned green.

"I'm going to be sick. That's not an image I want in my head."

"What about you?" Godo turned to Cloud who scratched his head sheepishly.

"I didn't want you guys to find out this way, but..." he pulled out a chain he was wearing around his neck. And on it-

"A ring? You're married, too?" Yuffie was feeling like everything that could go wrong, went wrong. How come she hadn't found out before? Am I loosing my touch? That was a horrifying thought.

"Yes. Me and Tifa-"

"Tifa?" Yuffie considered Tifa a friend. Why didn't she tell her?

"Yes. We got married in Golden Saucer on our first visit."

"But, Aeris..." she shouldn't have gone to Chocobo Racing, she could see what a mistake it was now.

"Aeris was Tifa's witness and Barret mine," a goofy smile appeared on Cloud's face. "It was a wonderful ceremony. Tifa put on white miniskirt because she couldn't find a dress so quickly-"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Yuffie yelled at him and grabbed him to shake some sense into him. "You are Cloud! You don't smile like that! You don't go around marrying girls at random! And you!" she spinned to face Vincent who stood there until then, observing everything silently. "Are you married too? Did you and that Lucrecia whatever tie the knot before she carked it? Did you? Are you going to pull out a ring out of thin air and confess? Huh?"

"No. Lucrecia and I were not married. As a matter of fact, we were just friends."

"Aargh!" Yuffie came close to pulling out her hair. Everyone was behaving in a strange way. Well, Cid wasn't. She expected something perverse like that from him. But Cloud? He was supposed to be torn between Tifa and Aeris, a gloomy hero suffering from his inability to pick one. And Vincent? He said Lucrecia had been beautiful. You didn't talk that way about your friends. So it was clear. Someone and I'm not saying any names, right, Leviathan? up there hated her and took a great enjoyment in tormenting her. As was proved by the scene taking place in her room which right now took the turn for worse.

"So you would be able to marry my daughter?" Godo perked up, looking at Vincent.

"It appears so."

"And would you?"

Yuffie was stunned by the question. Her father, as in the man who brought her up and was supposed to kill every guy who as much as looked at her, was trying to get her married? And to Vincent of all people? Vincent who seemed to be thinking about it? Please, Vincent, say no, say no. I'm too young to be tied down.

"Yes, I would."

"No! No! No! Vincent! How could you?"

"It is for your own good."

"But what about you?"

"I do not mind."

"Well, I do. It's not that I hate you or anything but, for Leviathan's sake, we barely know each other. We can't get married," forgetting what kind of help she had received from them before, she turned to Cloud and Cid, who were looking at this little drama. "Guys, please, tell him it's a stupid idea. Please!"

"Better him than me," Cid grinned at her. "Congratulations brat. You'll soon be Mrs Valentine."

"Sorry Yuffie. I agree with Cid."

Traitors! Damn traitors! I should have kept the best Materia for myself and then told you I had lost it. Yuffie was seriously thinking about commiting quadruple murder, starting with her so-called friends and finishing with her father.

"So it's agreed," the man in question smiled for the first time since he had entered the room. "I'll go tell others in Pagoda to start preparing everything. I think you could wear your mother's kimono for this occasion, what do you think?"

"But I don't want to get married," Yuffie tried to reason with her father one last time. "Isn't it a condition to have the bride's consent?"

"Not when she's underage which you still are," Godo smiled at her, nodded at Cloud and Cid and shook Vincent's hand. "Welcome to family, son."

Yuffie stared in horror as her life took a turn in a direction she had never imagined it to go. There was only one thing she could do. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Yuffie opened her eyes slowly. She was in a bed and she took it as a good sign. There was no bed in her or her father's house. She turned her head to the side and screamed.

"Vincent!"

He was sitting in a chair next to the bed, watching her.

"You're finally awake," he noted. Yuffie tried to sit up but a sudden vertigo made her reconsider. She grasped her head.

"Ouch. My head's hurting."

"That is not surprising after the amount of alcohol you have consumed at the wedding."

Wedding. Yuffie shot out of the bed as she remembered what had happened prior to her passing out.

"We are married?"

Vincent gave her a strange look.

"As far as I know, no, we aren't."

"Thank Leviathan," Yuffie plopped down on the bed, not noticing Vincent's expression. "Then whose wedding it was?"

"Cloud and Tifa."

"They didn't get married in Golden Saucer on their first visit?"

Vincent stood up and leaned over her, putting his right hand over her forehead.

"You do not have fever," he said with just a barest hint of surprise. Yuffie swatted his hand away.

"Ha-ha. Very funny. But I could swear that he was already married to her when we went to Wutai for the first time. Cid, too."

At the mention of Cid's name, Vincent's mouth curled in a smile.

"What is it?" Yuffie asked.

"I imagine he must be in a similar state right now."

A piece of puzzle fell into place and Yuffie remembered the reason for her headache. A drinking contest with Cid over the name of his first child. The one Shera was expecting after two years of marriage. And slowly, all other missing pieces appeared in her mind.

"It was just a crazy dream," she sighed in relief. Then she propped herself on her elbows, looking questioningly at Vincent. "Well, who won?"

"Cid's firstborn daughter is going to be called Yuffie Highwind."

"Yes!" Yuffie cried out. "I'm the best, I won. Ouch," the headache made its presence known again.

"Take it easy," Vincent advised. "Maybe you could tell me about that dream of yours."

"It was really weird. Godo wanted me to get married to either you, Cid or Cloud because there was some strange law saying so but Cloud and Cid both said they were married and you weren't and Godo was all 'Could you marry her?' and you were 'I don't mind' and then he called you son. That's when I fainted."

"So me marrying you is that terrible?"

"No!" Yuffie didn't want him to think that. They had been together for over a year. It was just- "The way it happened in the dream was terrible. I couldn't even decide for myself."

"Ah," Vincent retrieved something from the table. "Then I guess I still have a chance."

Yuffie blinked. What was he going on about? He handed her a small box. A small black box. A small black velvet box. Yuffie gulped and slowly opened it.

"I meant to ask you last night but then you decided to get drunk."

"You... you mean... I... you..." Yuffie shut up. Then her brain kicked the rest of her into an action. She leapt out of bed and latched onto Vincent. "Yes. I will- ouch."

I hate hangovers.

Vincent helped her to lie down again.

"Go back to sleep and then we will tell others."

"'Kay," Yuffie reached to stop him as he turned away. "Just one thing. The moment Godo calls you son, we're eloping."

THE END

AN: I really have nothing to say to this. There's not much fluff (more like zero) but I wanted this to be more funny than fluffy. At least, I hope it's funny.

#26 "Not Quite The Love At The First Sight" Vincent/Yuffie, FFVII

2006-09-22T15:57:03Z

Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Title: Not Quite The Love On The First Sight
Author: Mirime VY
Theme at 30_nights: #26 Frozen moment at the first sight
Pairing: Vincent/Yuffie
Characters: all of AVALANCHE
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: FF VII and related characters, places, settings etc. do not belong to me but to SquarEnix
Summary: Their very first meeting. I've taken certain liberties with the setting as you will see. Crossposted to yuffentine, 30_nights

It was official. Yuffie Kisaragi was bored. She looked at the people seated around the small fire in their camp at the base of Mt. Nibel. Cloud's group had been gone for soooo long. Almost half an hour. And she was left behind like she was useless. She was Great Ninja Yuffie. She could do in battle almost as well as Cloud. She would do even better but the jerk kept all the best Materia for himself and his group - Tifa and Barret, occasionally Aeris. Yuffie sighed and stirred the flames with a stick. He should have taken her. She wanted to see the mansion again. It was old and spooky, meaning there must have been treasures hidden all throughout the place.

" 'We won't be gone for long,' " she mimicked. " 'I'll be fine with Tifa and Aeris.' Hmph. Sure he will. Like we didn't know why he took the two of them. They'll end up eaten by some huge monster because Cloud will pay more attention to Tifa's boobs and Aeris' ass than his surroundings."

Red flicked his tail closer to the fire. Yuffie had been complaining nonstop for last thirty minutes, probably to mask her worries.

"They'll be all right, Yuffie. Don't worry about them."

Yuffie snorted.

"I'm not worried 'bout them. But if they get eaten, the Materia will be gone too."

"Shoulda 'now you be concerned 'bout da magic balls more 'an 'bout dem," Barret contributed to the conversation from where he was cleaning his gun arm.

"Aw, shut up, you. But I... erm... we have a quest and we'll need Materia to make it."

"Yuffie is right," Cait Sith piped up. "Finding Sephiroth should be our priority and we have to be prepared for when that happens."

"Cloud knows wat he's doing. He's got good head on 'is shoulders."

"But when will he come back?" Yuffie insisted. "I'm bored."

"Then find something to amuse yourself with," Red suggested, curling next to the fire. "I'm going to take a nap. Will you watch over the camp, Barret?"

The dark-skinned man nodded and adjusted his position so he could watch the forest better. Cait Sith laid down on his moogle and with a click shut down. Yuffie stood up.

"I'm going to take a walk."

"Ain't dat dangerous?"

"I can take care about myself," she twirled her shuriken and struck a pose. "Great Ninja Yuffie is in action again. Monsters beware!"

Barret shook his head, mumbling something about crazy teenagers. Yuffie paid him no heed, walking quickly into the forest, in the direction of mountain. She wanted to try and climb it up. Not far away but enough to have some time alone which, in last few weeks, was impossible to find. She listened to the sounds of the forest around her, hoping to avoid any monsters that might wonder by. The sun was still up and Yuffie felt quite safe. She had lived in a forest like this for some time and was sure nothing could happen to her.

After some climbing and occasional cutting of the branches that were too stubborn to get out of her way, she emerged in a small clearing that offered a view of Nibelheim. On the other side, Mt. Nibel stood proudly and challenging. They'd have to cross it next day and then - Rocket Plains. And after that, the sea (Yuffie grimaced as she realized the sickness that was bound to come over her once they sat sail) and finally Wutai. There she would ditch this group and leave them high and dry without their Materia.

Yuffie swallowed. It was the original plan and she was going to carry it out but... No buts. She could and would do it. After all, she was the one who mastered some of their most powerful Materia. She deserved a reward. A reward she could offer to Wutai, to restore it.

Yuffie sat down and hugged her knees, looking up at the mountain. Only a week, maybe not even that and then she could say good bye to them all. She closed her eyes to stop the tears that wanted to leak and leaned backwards to rest upon the grass, her weapon clutched firmly in her hand and her mouth whispering a prayer to Leviathan to give her strength to do what she had to do.

They had not spoken a word to him ever since leaving the coffin room. The women, Tifa Lockhart and Aeris Gainsborough, his mind supplied to him, were keeping their distance. Not that he blamed them. He must have looked intimidating to them, especially after his entrance and subsequent introduction down in the basement. Cloud Strife, the leader of their group, AVALANCHE, spoke only when necessary. Mostly in combat. He saw their awed looks at the precision he shot monsters with. Did not they know that Turks were required to have an impeccable aim? They were obviously familiar with the names of Shinra lapdogs. On the other hand, he had been locked away for years. It was possible the quality had deteriorated. Shame, but not his business anymore. He pledged his skills to this group. Hopefully, they would encounter Hojo soon and he could avenge Lucrecia. After that, he did not know.

Cloud led them out of the town and Vincent cast one last look at the mansion that had been his prison for so long. Its shape was a testament to the years that had gone by. It was almost in ruins, looming and casting a dark shadow over the land that surrounded it. Had Shinra left it immediately after his disappearance? It was possible, seeing as Hojo had finished what he had been trying to do and Sephiroth had been born.

Vincent turned away and looked forward to Mt. Nibel. The sun was setting down but he could see the smoke in the distance. It must have been the camp fire where they were heading and where he would meet the rest of his new team.

"Vincent?" it was Aeris and Tifa stood right next to her.

"Yes, Miss Gainsborough?"

She seemed taken aback at the formality of his answer but quickly recovered, giving him the sweet smile she seemed to be bestowing upon everyone.

"I just wanted to ask why you were so silent. Don't you want to know more about us?"

"That is not the case," he said, carefully choosing his words to avoid offending her. "I prefer to keep to myself. I do not talk only for the sake of talking. I hope you understand."

"Oh, of course," Aeris nodded and then Tifa giggled as a thought occured to her.

"Just wait 'til you meet Yuffie."

Aeris put a hand to her mouth to muffle her own laughter. Vincent looked from one girl to the other, hoping for explanation but the girls kept giggling and he gave up on getting an answer. He slowed down to bring up the rear, still on the lookout for a danger. He could already smell the heavy scent of burning wood and knew they were close to the others. And really. Only a couple more steps and they entered a small camp with three tents and a blazing fire. Their arrival was noted by a tall and muscled black man who had a gun prosthetic in the place of his right arm. There were two other... beings in the camp. One of them was a large feline, comfortably nestled next to the fire. It appeared to be sleeping but Vincent noted the quick flicker of its one good eye as it took in the newcomers and deeming them safe returned to the sleep. Its tail had a flame on the end and Vincent remembered the supposedly extinct species from Cosmo Canyon. Interesting. The last one in the camp was a large mechanical toy in the shape of a cat that was resting upon a moogle. It seemed this time his fate brought him together with a very strange group of... individuals.

"Guys, this is Vincent Valentine," Cloud started introduction and the feline and the toy sat up, paying attention. "We met him in the mansion and he agreed to help us."

"Whatcha were doin' in that place?" the black-skinned man asked.

"Sleeping," came the unexpected reply. Cloud interrupted before it could continue.

"That's not important. Vincent is very skilled marksman. He used to be in Turks-"

"Turks? Why da hell did ya bring 'im 'ere-"

"Used to be, Barret," Cloud stopped his protests. "He no longer is one, right?"

Vincent nodded, seeing the man, Barret, calm down a little.

"Anyway, this is Barret Wallace, Red XIII or Nanaki," the feline flicked its tail, "and Cait Sith," the cat took a bow and almost lost its footing. "And this is... Guys, where is Yuffie?"

"She went for a walk shortly after you left. She said something about you getting eaten because you didn't take her with you and she was bored," Cait Sith explained.

"Is someone missing?" Vincent inquired. Cloud sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Yes. Her name is Yuffie Kisaragi. She is very... lively and doesn't stand not being in action. How long has she been gone?"

"Almost three hours."

"Great, just great. We need to go looking for her. Barret, you and Cait stay in camp. The rest of us will look for her. What direction has she gone in?"

"Towards the mountain."

"Cloud," Vincent stopped their leader. "What does she look like?" not that it was very likely that the forest was full of missing girls but Vincent was used to work with as many leads as possible.

"I forgot that you haven't seen her yet. Well, she's about five feet, she's dressed in green shirt-"

"Turtleneck," Tifa corrected him and took over an explanation. "She's dressed in green turtleneck, beige shorts, white and green headband, orange sneakers. Trust me, she's unique. And she has a shuriken with her."

"Very well," Vincent stored away this information and without another word left the camp.

Yuffie woke up with a start.

'Damn, I've fallen asleep.'

One look at the sky told her the sun had almost set. The others were probably back and looking for her.

'Damn, damn, damn.'

The worst thing was, that inspite of the light in the clearing, the forest was already dark. The shadows of the trees reminded her of menacing figures reaching their clawed arms to grab her and never let go. Yuffie shivered.

'What a time to get overactive imagination,' she scolded herself. She had passed through the same forest only a couple of hours ago. The fact that it got darker was no reason to get scared like a little girl.

"I'm Great Ninja Yuffie. I'm not afraid," and with this declaration she headed back into the forest. Her first plan - to run through as fast as possible, after all, she didn't want to have the others worried - was abandoned when she realized that she'd sooner get herself impaled on a branch than get to the camp. After that, she focused on getting through the darkness under the trees in one piece. It wasn't easy, as the protruding branches seemed intent on poking out her eyes and she kept mumbling curses.

It was all Cloud's fault. If he had taken her with him, she wouldn't have gotten bored and left and then she wouldn't have had to go through this damn forest that was determined to kill her. She glared at the trees around her. It was their fault too, for being tall and thick, not letting last sun rays in.

Yuffie was so deep in thought she didn't heard snapping of the twig, nor did she notice the tall man that approached her from behind. Therefore, she was partly to blame for what happened when the man put a hand on her shoulder. Her reaction was automatic. She spinned, bringing her shuriken up and sliced down, aiming for man's chest. He threw up his left hand and with a metalic 'clang', the shuriken hit the man's forearm, sliding against the metal uselessly. Yuffie gulped and started backing away slowly when the man stopped her.

"Miss Yuffie Kisaragi?"

How did he know her name?

"Yeah, that's me. What do you want from me? I warn you, I'm armed."

"I assure you I do not intend to bring you harm. Your friends are looking for you."

Yuffie stepped closer. She could see only his silhouette. He was taller than Cloud and seemed to have long hair. She couldn't see his face clearly as it was in a shadow.

"You mean Cloud and the others?" he nodded. "And who are you? It's not fair you know my name and I don't know yours."

"I am Vincent Valentine."

"Well, pleased to meet you Vincent. I guess we should go now or Cloud'll have chocobos. He knows how important I am to the group. Without me, they'd be lost. Did they tell you I am Great Ninja Yuffie? No? You know now. How did you meet them? Are you in AVALANCHE now?" she paused to give him time to answer.

"We met in the mansion and I joined their quest."

"Cool. Finally a new face. I was getting tired of seeing only Barret and Cloud. Well, I guess Cloud isn't that bad to look at otherwise he wouldn't have both Tifa and Aeris after him. How do you look like?"

"Excuse me?" Vincent started to understand Tifa's merriment when she imagined Yuffie and him meeting. The girl seemed to have a special ability to talk about anything at will.

"I mean, are you good-looking, handsome or hot?"

"..."

"I'll wait and see, what do ya say, Vinnie? Oh," Yuffie remembered something and stopped. When Vincent turned to her to find out what was wrong, she grabbed his left hand. "Have you this gauntlet custom made? It's awesome. It stopped my deadly attack so it must be of some special alloy. Where could I get something similar?"

Vincent yanked his left arm free. 'She doesn't know its origins,' he reminded himself. 'She is just curious.'

"I do not wish to discuss it now, Miss Kisaragi."

Yuffie frowned at him. She just asked, for Leviathan's sake. He didn't have to be so mean about it.

"Fine," she huffed. She was about to storm off when he pulled her back.

"The camp lies in this direction," he turned her around. Yuffie looked up at him, ready to yell when she finally caught sight of his eyes and froze. They were red. Red as blood or as summon materia or... She stopped thinking about it at all and simply stared into them. She had sworn once that Cloud's mako eyes had had a hypnotic effect on her and that was why she had joined AVALANCHE but Cloud's eyes were nothing compared to Vincent's. She swallowed hard. She didn't need to see the rest of him. His eyes alone were enough to make her weak in knees and she suddenly forgotten all about being angry with him.

Vincent himself was finding it hard to concentrate. She had turned around, opened her mouth and then simply stopped, her grey eyes locked onto his. They seemed so clear and open and there was no fear or disgust in them. It was as if a spell was weaved around them. The rest of the world just faded away and Vincent felt he could stay like that forever.

"Vincent? Yuffie? Is that you?"

Tifa's voice broke the spell. Yuffie looked quickly away, hiding her face in the shadows of the night forest.

"We're here Tifa," she called out. "Vinnie found me. Sorry to get you all worried."

Tifa approached them and smiled.

"So you and Vincent have met."

"Yeah," Yuffie stretched her arms. "He isn't very talkative but I'm going to work on that. Okay, Vinnie?"

Vincent marched past the two of them without another word, hoping to find his equilibrium again. Yuffie looked after him and then turned to Tifa.

"See what I meant? Hey, wait for me!" she chased after him. Tifa smiled to herself. She would wish Vincent luck later. He was going to need it.

THE END

Vincent/Yuffie fic

2006-07-27T10:14:43Z

Title: Wash Away The Poison
Author: Mirime VY
Theme at 30_nights: #18 Listen to the music at night
Pairing: Vincent Valentine/Yuffie Kisaragi
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: All of these characters belong to SquarEnix and I have no profit from writing about them. The song used is Wash Away the Poison by Edguy.
Summary: She used to love to dance. That was before she lost her faith. Crossposted to 30_nights, yuffentine

Yuffie Kisaragi was born a princess. She was trained to be a ninja. She grew up to be a thief. She had a bright spirit, always celebrating her victories by jumping up and down and laughing. She was graceful in the battle, moving smoothly and efficiently, like a dancer, like she was listening to some music others couldn't hear. And he liked to watch her in combat. She was different then. She didn't fight. She danced. It was a dance with danger, dance of death and her moves were fluid and flawless when her weapon cut through monsters and she spinned away from retaliation. She danced in battles but never outside of them.

He realized it for the first time when they were in Junon, buying supplies. The inn they were staying in had a small bar and all of AVALANCHE gathered there in the evening. There was a band, playing popular songs and some people were moving to the music in a small space between the tables. They all laughed when Tifa dragged Cloud off to dance with her and Yuffie was the one to let out a piercing whistle when a slow song came and Cloud blushed, putting his arms around Tifa's waist. Vincent was sitting next to the young ninja and he noticed that her fingers were tapping the table in the sync with the rhythm. He half expected her to stand up and head to the dance floor but Yuffie never did. She just watched and there was a longing in her eyes, carefully disguised as she sipped from her glass.

He didn't think anything of it at first but as the time and their journey progressed, he started to notice little things, like her humming songs softly to herself during watches, how she sometimes skipped and twirled and then suddenly stopped as if caught doing something inappropriate. And she never danced. Not even after Sephiroth was finally gone and they threw an impromptu party aboard slightly beaten but still intact Highwind. Cid digged up some CDs and they put them on and Tifa danced with almost every man in the room. Yuffie, on the other hand, sat on the table and just watched. When Cloud asked her to dance, she declined, saying she was tired and that he should rather look after Tifa else she was going to elope with Red.

That had been a year ago and now all of AVALANCHE gathered again to celebrate the fact that Cid Highwind finally managed to accept the truth and asked Shera to marry him. Vincent had slipped out to get some fresh air and maybe some peace away from all the noise. He didn't think anyone else would be out there but there was. Yuffie was sitting on the railing, her legs swinging back and forth, head bowed and cocked to the side as she listened to the music from the inside. She didn't seem to notice his approach.

"Yuffie," he said to get her attention. The effect was immediate. She jerked and almost lost her balance and fell down. Almost. She managed to keep her perch and once she was safe she turned to glare at him.

"What did you scare me for?"

"I apologize. I merely wanted to alert you to my presence. You seemed to be deep in thoughts."

"Well, yeah. I was thinking about something."

Yuffie looked ahead again. She didn't eleaborate and Vincent didn't ask. They stayed in a silence like that for some time, Yuffie sitting on the railing and Vincent standing behind her. Finally, she spoke again.

"They seem to be having a good time, huh?"

"Yes."

"C'mon Vinnie," Yuffie sighed. "I'm trying to start a conversation with you but I need you to cooperate. That means using more words than 'yes' or 'no'."

"I am sorry. Old habits die hard."

"That's better. Now, let's start again. They seem to be having a good time, huh?"

"Yes, they do," he paused to gauge her reaction. As she opened her mouth to scold him again, he added. "But you don't. Why aren't you inside with the others, having fun, dancing?"

Yuffie looked away.

"I just don't feel like dancing at the moment."

"Ah," Vincent nodded to himself. Yuffie was waiting for him to say more but he didn't.

"All right, I can't dance. Happy now?"

"Yuffie," he shook his head. "I didn't want to look like I pried into your personal affairs. But you are wrong. You can dance. Anyone who moves in a battle like you is a capable dancer. Dance is just another type of combat. You strive to achieve different goals instead of incapacitating your opponent but footwork, coordination, balance are all there, just like in a real fight."

Yuffie couldn't help it. She gaped.

"Okay. Who are you and what have you done to Vincent?"

That brought a half-smile to his face. Seeing that, Yuffie grinned too.

"Well? I'm waiting."

"For what?"

"You're impossible, Vincent," she told him. "But I'm glad you're keping me company."

A soft tune floated from inside to them and Yuffie tensed suddenly. The melody was played by the piano at first and a singer started to sing as other instruments joined in one by one.

Here alone now I'm staring at the sea
Behind the far horizon
Is there a better place for me?

A guitar picked up the rhythm.

Afraid to drown, afraid to dive
Scared by fears and the hot sunlight, yeah

Drums took up the lead for a moment with the guitars in the background as the voice of the singer started on a chorus, the drums accentuating his words perfectly.

And I dance in the rain, dive in the pool of life
Wash away the poison
And I dance through this pain, my body in a starless night
To wash away the poison from my soul, turn it to gold

It was a beautiful song, not too slow but not too fast either and the lyrics had a bittersweet feeling of longing in them, yet there was also hope. Vincent glanced at Yuffie and was surprised to see tears rolling down her cheeks.

Between the devil and the deep sea
I don't know how to carry on
I only feel that inner force that's pushing me along

The tides of life bring clarity for my tumbling mind
I'll dive to see, set me free

And I dance in the rain, dive in the pool of life
Wash away the poison
And I dance through this pain, my body in a starless night
To wash away the poison from my soul, turn it to gold

When the guitar solo started, Vincent reached to Yuffie but she shook her head and wiped her eyes.

"Let it finish," she whispered. He nodded and listened as the chorus was repeated until it faded into nothingness with the last 'wash away the poison from my soul'. Yuffie took a deep breath to try to compose herself.

"I haven't heard it in more than ten years. You must think I'm stupid, breaking down over a song like this."

"No, I don't think that. It probably brought up some memories you'd rather forget, am I right?"

"No," Yuffie said. "I don't want to forget. I just don't want to remember."

She leaned backwards on the railing, somehow keeping her balance even in that precarious position.

"You wanna hear a story?" she asked, looking at him.

"You don't have to," Vincent replied. "I'm not asking."

"But could you listen?" after receiving a nod, Yuffie closed her eyes. "Once upon a time, there was a girl. She lived with her parents who both were great warriors and she wanted to become as good as them so she trained ever since she had learned how to keep her balance and stand without falling. Mind you, she was a genius kid and did it much sooner than other kids her age. So she was taught how to fight and she learned but that was not all. She loved music and she found out she also loved to dance. Her parents approved, saying that dancing was a great way to train body and learn to move with a grace that is necessary for every ninja. Because she was going to be a ninja, you know?

So, she loved to dance and most of all, she loved to dance for Leviathan. I forgot to say she was from Wutai and she believed in Leviathan very strongly. In Wutai, people believe that when it rains, it's Leviathan crying. So during the rain, she went out and danced for him."

Her voice started to resemble way in which all storytellers narrated their stories for people, words falling down in a rhythm now.

"She danced in the spring dazzle, which are tears Leviathan sheds because he is happy that the world is coming alive after the winter. She danced during the summer thunderstorms when Leviathan was angry with people who didn't pay their respects for having a good harvest and she thought that her dancing would calm him down. She danced in the autumn hails, though never for long, to show Leviathan he wasn't the only one weeping for the summer gone by. And she danced in winter cold, steady rains when the spring was so far away and it seemed the cold would never leave the land. And she was happy."

Yuffie's face suddenly hardened.

"When she was seven, a war started. Her parents went out to fight for their country and she was left behind, though she begged to go with them. So she did the only thing she could. She prayed to Leviathan and danced for him, asking nothing but safe return of her mother and father. She loved one song, though she was too young to understand all of its meanings. She danced and she sang it and she prayed and she hoped. Until one day when her father came back and hugged her for what was to be the last time for long years to come and he told her that her mother was dead, killed by an enemies' general. And the girl lost her faith that day because Leviathan let it happen, he let her mother die even though the girl prayed and danced. And she swore that she would never again dance for him and she stopped believing in him and instead started to believe in her country because that was all she had."

Yuffie looked at her hands which were gripping the railing so tightly her knuckles were white.

"I never danced after that. And I stopped thinking about it, too. Until I heard the song tonight, I thought it was behind me. It seems I was wrong."

Vincent put one hand on her shoulder. He was uncertain what to say or do but he knew he had to try.

"Yuffie, I-"

"Don't say you're sorry," she interrupted. "It's not like I'm the only one with some dark events in one's past. It's just this night and the song that got better of me. I'll be fine tommorow."

Vincent hesitated but complied and pulled his hand back.

"As you wish."

Yuffie turned and jumped off, smoothed her dress and then look up at him.

"Do I look like I was crying?" he shook his head no and Yuffie sighed with relief. "Well, I'm heading inside. Maybe there're some drinks left. You coming?"

"I think I'll stay here for a while longer."

"Okay," Yuffie looked down as if thinking about something. "You know, I miss dancing but I can't bring myself to do it. Not yet. Maybe on Cloud and Tifa's wedding, who knows. I'll probably have to dance at least once on my own wedding, that is, if I ever decide it's worth the trouble to get hitched with a guy," she grinned.

"I'd like to dance with you when that day comes."

"That's what I'm counting on, Vinnie," she replied and disappeared inside while Vincent stood there, contemplating all possible meanings and implications of that last few sentences and deciding that some of them, if not all, definitely looked promising. He would wait what the future would bring but he was sure it was going to be worth all the trouble.

THE END

Tseng/Elena Fic for 30_lemons

2006-06-28T08:13:36Z

Pairing/Fandom: Tseng/Elena FF VII
Theme: #16 The Classroom, or, "Teacher Hit Me With a Ruler."
Title: Punishment Divine
Author: Mirime VY
Disclaimer: I don't own them, SquareEnix does.
Warnings: dominance/submission, oral

It was late in the evening when Elena entered Tseng's office. She had been busy since Turks' return from Mythril Mines, the first mission she had undertaken as a Turk and had managed to royally screw up with her mouth. Blabbering to enemy about their plans certainly counted as a failure. When they had returned to Midgar, Tseng had ordered her to write a report and then stop at his office. It had taken longer then she had expected and most of other employees had gone home, including Rude. Maybe it was a good thing, because she was sure Tseng was going to tell her off for her mishap. She hoped he wouldn't fire her but was prepared to take whatever punishment he deemed necessary. She knocked at his door and after his 'Come in' she pushed the door open and tentatively approached his desk.

He was sitting in the chair behind the table, reading over some papers. He didn't acknowledge her presence so she stood before the desk, waiting for him to say something. After about a five minutes, just as she was getting fidgetty, he finally raised his head to look at her. His dark eyes seemed to pierce her and she swallowed hard.

Here it comes, she thought to herself.

"You failed today, Elena, you know that."

"Yes, sir."

"Turks do not tolerate failures," he continued, putting the papers aside. She stiffened. He was going to fire her, she knew it. "However," he continued and she felt hope surging within her, "I understand you were under pressure and without any field experience, so I'm not going to fire you. Yet," he added.

"Thank you, sir. It won't happen again, I assure you."

"Oh, I know it won't because this job means a lot for you, am I right?"

"Yes, sir," she nodded, determined not to make any more mistakes.

"Still, I have to punish you somehow because we need discipline, especially in our ranks. You understand that?"

"I do and I'm prepared for anything."

"Really?" he raised one eyebrow. "Good. Then undress."

It was a command and she obeyed commands. Always. She undid her jacket and discarded it on the floor. Tie followed shortly after and she started unbuttoning her dress shirt.

"More slowly," he commanded again. Her hands stopped and then moved to the top button. She circled it with her fingers before plucking it and sliding through the buttonhole. She repeated the motion with the second and then third button, occasionally glancing at Tseng to gauge his reaction. He was breathing harder and his eyes seemed fixated on every movement of her fingers. She smiled a little and continued on her journey down. Finally, the buttons were undone and she shrugged it off. The action left her in her bra, her nipples straining against the confinement. She looked up at him. He loosened his hair and took off his jacket as well. The shirt clinged to his muscular form and Elena couldn't help it but notice how firm his abs were. He glanced at her, seeing she stopped.

"Go on, finish it."

She did it, quickly discarding her bra, slacks and panties. She bent down to take off her shoes and socks and when she stretched up, he was dressed only in his pants. He beckoned her to come closer and swivelled the chair to face her. He let his eyes roam her nude form, etching it into his memory as she stopped less than a feet from him. He relaxed into the chair.

"It was your mouth that got you into trouble so I think it fitting that your mouth shall be the thing to get you out of it."

She nodded, immediately knowing what he wanted. She kneeled in front of him and her hands went to the zipper on his pants. She undid it, brushing against his erection as she did so. She grasped the hem of his boxers and pulled at them, his hips lifting to allow the clothing slid away. Now, free of the confinement, his member stood erect as she trailed her fingers alongside it. She stroked him few times and then let her hand rest against the base of his penis while her mouth closed upon the head. Her tongue darted out and licked at the tip before sliding down. She repeated it from different angle and he groaned. His hand went to her head, intertwining in her hair and pushing her down on his cock as she complied. Her hand started to massage his balls as her mouth sucked at him. She set the tempo of moving her head on him, up and down his length, taking him as deep into her mouth as she could, her tongue caressing and teasing him, enveloping him in wet warmth. She could taste first beads of his precum gathering at the head and she licked them away before looking up at him. He was watching her with half-closed eyes, the hand in her hair not dictating her movements anymore so she went back to her job.

"That's enough," he rasped. "Stand up."

She let go of him and he pushed her against the desk. Pressing against her back, he made her lean forward, her breasts coming into contact with the smooth wooden surface. She felt his hands as they settled on her hips, steadying her. Then he pushed into her, his cock burying itself in her sheath. The wood was cool against her skin but it was nothing compared to what she felt as Tseng withdrew and then slammed into her. Her position made it impossible for her to do anything but moan and she realized that this wasn't about sex. It was about control and he had all of it.

His pace quickened as he drove into her fast and hard and Elena knew that he was getting close just as she was. She shifted a bit and after few more pushes it was enough to send her over the edge. Her inner muscles tightened, squeezing Tseng and with a groan he followed, spilling himself into her. She tried to get her breathing under control as she was still bent over the desk. He pulled out and rested one hand on her shoulder for a second.

"Put on your clothes."

She managed to do so and in a minute both of them once again stood presentable. Elena looked at his face but it was as unreadable as ever. He let her stand there again before finally looking up at her.

"You got away easily this time, Elena. Should you fail again, the punishment will be worse and consequences dire. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

There really wasn't anything else to add after that.

THE END

Fic: Robbing the Thief

2006-05-03T12:18:31Z

Fandom: FF VII
Title: Robbing the Thief
Author: Mirime VY
Theme at 30_nights: #6 Stolen Heart
Pairing/Characters: Vincent Valentine/Yuffie Kisaragi
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer/claimer: They belong to SquareSoft/Enix no matter how much I want it to be otherwise.
Summary: She has stolen his materia because he had stolen from her first. Crossposted to yuffentine, 30_nights

I am a thief. Quite a good one if I say so myself. Of course, sometimes it can get me into a lot of trouble but who doesn't get into it? Right? Anyway, once I stole materia from AVALANCHE who were my friends. I felt sorry for them but... Wutai came first for me. It still does though I have found other methods of obtaining materia it needs. And they forgave me and I helped them to save the world. But it's an old story. One that you certainly know and I have moved on since then to higher goals. So you may ask, what am I doing right now? Well, I am in trouble. A lot of trouble. An I-had-a-stupid-idea-and-pissed-off-Vincent kind of trouble. Uhm. THAT kind of trouble.

And to think it started out as an innocent joke.

I fought it, honestly. Full out nails-clawing-teeth-biting-legs-kicking fight with all of my power. I called forth reinforcements, included special equipment, even went as far as to ask Tifa for help... And all in vain. I was defeated before I could retaliate against the enemy and bring him down in glorious show of skill and level-headedness on my part. And I put all blame for last few sentences on my father and his insistence I study military tactics to become a better leader. It messed up with my head, seriously.

I really fought it.

I lost.

Great Ninja Yuffie Kisaragi, the best Materia Hunter to ever live, beaten by a simple crush.

Garrrh. And on HIM of all possible people I could have fallen for. Doesn't that just put the crown on it? Yes, laugh all you want. Yuffie Kisaragi, Princess of Wutai and one very sexy girl is in love with Vincent Valentine, the great Mr. Dark and Moody himself. Don't you feel sometimes that life is too cruel? I did save this frigging planet and this is thanks I got? Well, I won't bother next time.

I was in a predicament once I realized the fact. I didn't want to have a crush on him. So I did the natural thing and fought it. I have already mentioned how that ended. After that, stage two: denial. Vincent? Oh, he's a friend. You know, the silent-doesn't-talk-much kind of friend whom I see occasionaly. No, really. He's just a friend and... Stop laughing Tifa, damnit, he's a friend! Do you hear me, Tifa? Do you hear me? HE'S JUST A FRIEND! And no, I'm not denying it and what do you mean I told you otherwise? I was delirious that time. Yeah, I ran high fever and was talking nonsense. That's it. Yes, that's what I want to believe.

Denial worked for a week, not more. Sneaky Tifa always managed to turn a conversation to the subject of Mr. Valentine and I capitulated once more. Okay, I like him, I admitted to myself. And to Tifa who coaxed the admission out of me. But what could I do about it? It's not like he even knew I existed. Strictly speaking, he did. It is kinda hard not to notice me with my loud mouth and a penchant for annoying everyone in the perimeter of, say, twenty meters. So he knew I existed but he didn't know how I felt about him and I doubt he'd feel the same even if he did. Time for stage three: acceptance of the feeling and dwindling down its importance.

It's just a little crush, la la la...

You know, it's unfair. Here I am, trying to come to terms with my feelings for him, while he is holed up in that gross mansion of his in that spooky Nibbelheim. It's definitely not fair. He should suffer too, my wrath at least, to let him know I'm not happy about liking him when he doesn't reciprocitate. And it was this line of reasoning that got me into my current trouble. What kind of trouble you ask? I didn't tell you? Oopsies.

It's close to midnight and I'm trying to put as much distance between me and Nibbelheim (and subsequently Vincent) as I can. It was a stupid idea but I'm a teenager. I'm allowed to have them, aren't I? It was supposed to be easy. I sneak into the mansion, find Vincent's materia and get out before he knows I was there. Then, few days (weeks, yeah, he deserves to be parted from his materia for weeks) later, I come back and He-he, Vincent, didn't you lose your materia recently? Lookie, I have it. Funny, huh? You should be more careful about where you put it. It would, hopefully, pass as a not so funny joke and help me to soften the pain of my rejected crush. I don't have to say it didn't go that easy.

I got into the mansion and I found his materia. In the basement! Next to the coffin! Can you say EWW? So I crept closer, all ninja-like and stealthy and reached out and - something moved in the corner! I grabbed the materia without thinking and bolted out of there like I was chased by demons from hell. And if Vincent saw me stealing the materia, then I probably was.

I am on the run. I haven't noticed anyone close and maybe, just maybe, I overreacted down there. It's not that I'm afraid of Vincent. I know he wouldn't hurt me. It's more like, if he caught me down there, he used to sleep there, maybe still does, it was like his bedroom. And how would you feel, being caught in a bedroom of a guy you have a crush on? Embarassing and awkward because I know if he found me there and asked me what I was doing, I would stutter and say something idiotic and totally, absolutely, completely lose any chance of him having a regard for me as something more than a walking, five-feet-two, bright-colored, dressed-in-green-and-brown annoyance.

There really isn't anyone trailing me. Figures, my imagination had to work overtime to pull that on me. I slow down and look around. I will camp here and move on in the morning. Even if Vincent finds the materia missing, he can't pursue me in the night, right? Right. I settle down and go around the usual routine of unpacking the bedroll, making sure Conformer is close at hand, eight mastered materia orbs nestled safely in their slots and generally preparing for few hours of undisturbed sleep if I'm lucky.

Crunch of a twig in a darkness. Damn, I'm not lucky tonight. I tighten my grip on the shuriken and am about to throw it when the oh-so-familiar voice sounds.

"That's me, Yuffie."

Vincent?

"Vincent?"

He emerges from the darkness, tall, imposing, red cloak and eyes and golden claw and everything and he takes my breath away and... How do I know what he looks like when I can't see him? Stupid crush! Be gone, I tell you! Go, go, go! You hear me?

"You have something that belongs to me," he says and my eyes kinda slide to the side where the materia I nicked from him is safely tucked away in a pouch.

"Do I?" yes, that's it, girl. Play dumb, maybe he leaves and... Yeah, yeah, self-deceiving doesn't work. "Heh, you're right Vinnie. I didn't mean it. It was a joke. I'd give it back, really."

He waits patiently as I bend down, retrieve the pouch and hands it to him. Please, don't let our fingers touch or brush or... Shit! His hand touches mine and I can't help but shiver a little and I'm sure I'm turning red. Get a grip! You're a ninja, for Leviathan's sake, not some awkward teenage girl with a crush of the size of Meteor. He's just Vinnie, not some godlike, so-devastatingly-handsome-it-should-be-a-crime man who is right now staring at you with his strange and mysterious eyes that have a colour of blood and is speaking to you. Speaking? Damn it, girl! Focus!

"...ight, Yuffie?"

"W-what?" I squeak and oh god, it's so embarassing and I have no idea why the ground isn't opening and swallowing me whole. Maybe if I use my Earth materia I can get the desired effect? Worth a try.

"Are you all right, Yuffie?" he repeats.

"Yeah, just peachy, never been better, don't worry, I'm totally all right."

Is it just me or have I overdone it? Nope, it isn't me, I have overdone it.

"I don't believe you."

The nerve of him! How does he dare to accuse me of lying? How would he like to have Conformer shoved up where it isn't comfy, huh?

"Because I stole from you? C'mon, Vinnie, I told you it was a joke."

"You are blushing," he can see me in the dark? Not fair! "And you shivered a moment ago. You aren't all right."

"Well," when he puts it like that. Damn Vincent Valentine and his perceptiveness! "I am tired," good excuse, girl. "I was about to go to sleep when you showed up, so now that you have your materia back, you can leave me to it. It was great to see you again, bye Vinnie."

He stands there and I can't see him at all but he can see me and I bet anything he is looking at me with his head slightly cocked to one side, thinking about what I just said and contemplating his next course of action. And he takes a step... forward, closer to me. Eep!

"Why did you steal my materia?"

"I told you, it was a-"

"Truth, Yuffie. It wasn't a joke."

"You call me a liar?" good, pretend to be angry with him. That will shut him up. He takes another step and I fight the instinct to step back because his closeness does funny things to me and why can't I affect him that much?

"Why are you nervous?" he sidesteps my question just like that.

"I'm not. And did you call me a liar?" perseverance is the key. Perseverance is the key. Perseverance... He's so close I can see his eyes glowing dimly in the darkness and I shiver again inspite of myself. Why does he do this to me?

"You're shivering again," Vincent notes. "The night isn't so cold even if your lack of attire can contribute to the feeling of cold. Do I make you nervous?"

No. No! NO!

"Yes."

NO! I didn't want to say that. I'm taking it back but... it's late for that, isn't it?

"Why?"

"The same reason I took the materia."

"And it is..." he coaxes me and I think What the hell! What's the worst that could happen, anyway? Confession time.

"Life isn't fair and I wanted to..." this is hard and it will make me sound stupid and petty but I won't go back now. "I wanted to do something to you as a revenge because it's not fair that I am the only one miserable."

He just looks at me without saying anything and so I plunge ahead and say the most cheesy thing I have ever said but I don't care because it's the truth and he wanted me to tell him the truth so I'm going to.

"I have stolen from you because you stole something from me first. My heart," I snap my eyes shut. Don't look at him, don't look at him, don't look at him.

"Look at me, Yuffie."

And I do. Pathetic, but I'm in love with him and he's standing close and I don't want to think about anything else but him and so I obey. He is gazing down on me and I don't see him laughing at me or anything. He understands and maybe... no, don't hope, it's foolish.

"I'm sorry," he says. Well, good thing I didn't hope so I'm not disappointed but then, what is that lump in my throat and stinging in my eyes? Wait, he continues. "I had no idea."

"Don't worry 'bout that Vinnie," I try to mask my hurt. "It's okay, really. I got your materia and it helped, it really, really did help," I'm trying to convince him as much as I'm trying to convince myself. "Things like this happen all the time, so don't lose your sleep over that."

I turn away from him so he won't see the tears that gather in my eyes. Don't you dare to cry. Not in front of him and not over him. I still feel his presence behind me. He doesn't move for some time. What is he waiting for? I told him it wasn't his fault. He should take the materia and get away before...

Oh. He steps closer and hugs me from behind. My subconsciousness betrays me (it will pay later when Vincent isn't hugging me, oh yes, it will) and I lean back. His chin rests atop of my head.

"You really like me?"

I nod.

"Why?"

That's... let me count... fourth time tonight he asked me that. He's awfully chatty, dontcha think?

"I dunno. I just do. It's hard to explain, it's a feeling, an emotion. You can't explain something like that."

"No, you can't," he agrees and he's still holding me! Take that! But why? It's a little nagging question and I decide that for now it doesn't matter. But then he releases me and I spin around to face him and his face is unreadable. "How did you find out you liked me?"

What kind of question is that? Are you enjoying this, Vincent? And why do you ask? But I'm going to answer. I have gone this far, I can go a little further.

"I... I was thinking about you a lot and when we met I found myself staring at you and... then it somehow clicked and I just knew," I shrug and attempt to smile. It's strange to discuss it with him but I don't mind, not really. "Why do you ask?" Hey, I can question him, too.

He shakes his head and then takes my hand and pulls me closer. What the...

"No reason in particular, little thief."

Huh? What is he talking about? Well, I get the thief part. I am a thief. Although, Vincent has never called me that. Cid and Barret yes, but not Vincent. What is going on here?

"I'm sorry about that materia. It was childish and stupid-"

"I didn't mean materia."

He didn't? Then what? Suddenly, it is like a lightbulb has been switched on in my head. Oh. My. God. It can't be. It's too good to be true. Inside my head I am jumping up and down in glee. He likes me too. He likes me too. He...

"Vincent, if you don't kiss me right now, I swear I'm-"

He cuts me off when he does exactly what I asked.

I am a thief. Quite a good one if I say so myself. Of course, sometimes it can get me into a lot of trouble. Other times it is quite rewarding. I stole materia from Vincent Valentine as the means of revenge. But it wasn't the only thing of his I had taken. I got his heart too just like he did get mine. And no one can persuade me now that revenge isn't sweet. It tastes like him.

THE END