Dreamer

Dreamer
By: Catriana


Disclaimer: Don't own em, Squaresoft does. Don't sue me. It's just fanfiction geez.
Pairing: Vincent/Yuffie

It didn't have to be this way. Aeris didn't have to die.
But she did. There is nothing we can do about it.
But it's not fair. She was nice, why do good people have to die?
Sacrifices must be made to save the many.
And what about the feelings of the few? Doesn't that matter at all?
Sadly, to the world, it doesn't.

Originally, if you had asked Yuffie Kisaragi how she felt about Vincent Valentine, she probably would have given you a short shrug and told you to mind your own business. Truth be told, she had never really known the ex-Turk and simply ignored him unless he spoke to her, which he never did. He had rarely spoken to anyone of the group for that matter, and preferred to be alone. His entire nature reeked of rejection, and not just rejection of himself, but rejection of others. He didn't want to get close to anyone, but that didn't mean he lacked emotions and feelings altogether.
Now, after hanging around with Vincent for an entire month, if you were to ask Yuffie Kisaragi how she felt about Vincent Valentine, she would have blushed and promptly tried to knock your block off.
Strange how three years and one month can change someone.
Of course, Yuffie was never a foolish person. She was immature, loud, bossy and a thief, but an idiot she was not. She observed things, took notice of everything but yet said nothing. If you were to ask her something about someone, if she spent five minutes with them, she could tell you almost every aspect of that person just by watching their actions. This was due to the fact that she was a ninja. Ninja were trained to be observant and know when you have a potential enemy. She would not have been able to live on her own for so long and not understand this concept. The good thing about it was that she was simply better at it than most people. But why tell people and be serious when you could have fun? Wutai was now back in shape and with the New Government being established, Wutai was guaranteed a good future. Materia was not as widely used as before, but that didn't stop the Materia Hunter.
Or thief. Whichever you prefer.
And so for the past three years, instead of staying in Wutai, she drifted off, going to find herself. The battle with Sephiroth had her thinking, and even with her perky demeanor, she couldn't pull it off forever. She was still in pain.
Aeris' death plagued her.
She had cried so much after it had happened, because Aeris was like the sister she had never had. Aeris was beautiful and smart and cheerful, just like her. She had wanted to do so many things with Aeris, things that sisters did. Of course, she had never voiced her feelings, because then people would know that Yuffie had a soft spot. She would be vulnerable. And that was one feeling she didn't care too much for. She needed to think about it, needed to get away so she could better understand the Planet and why it let Aeris die.
It was then that she had met up with Vincent.
It hadn't been planned, in fact, it was purely accident that they had even bumped into each other. She had been stealing the Materia around Kalm when she had bumped into the local gang there. She wasn't going to steal their Materia, however, they were quite upset at the fact that she was the local Materia thief. Being her cocky self, she boasted a bit, talking about how she was one of the people who killed Jenova and Sephiroth so the thugs "Better watch themselves" and whatnot. It took her all of five minutes to dispatch her enemies and take their Materia.
And then more of the gang showed up. Each with rather large guns. Regardless of how good you are, a bullet can still kill a person. So she stood, her large Shuriken out, sizing up her opponents and waiting to see who would make the first move. She had been nervous and for a brief moment she wondered if this would be it for her.
"That is enough." a voice came in
Yuffie had never been so happy to see the "Vampire" in her entire life.
Standing, his red cape flying back lightly, long black hair flowing gently, his crimson eyes narrowed at the remaining men of five from the gang. Face still as flawless as it was fifty years ago, Vincent Valentine had one hand near his gun, his metal claw no longer hid behind his cape and out for all to see. This man wasn't normal. You didn't want to mess with him.
"This ain't yo business man!" one of the gunmen snapped at Vincent "This lil' bitch needs to learn some manners!"
If anything, Vincent's dark demeanor became darker "Leave." was the simple statement from the ex-Turk, his hand coming all the more closer to his gun, the Death Penalty.
The men were becoming nervous, this new guy showed no fear, no anger, no remorse, nothing. He simply stood, hand near his gun ready to kill if needed. Kill for this girl? One of the gunmen looked at Yuffie. From far away she was almost plain looking. She had tried to do something with her hair, so it was stylish but short, almost coming to her shoulders. She was dressed in a green turtleneck shirt with no sleeves and beige shorts. She had a figure, but these men had seen better and had messed around with better. She was loud, vulgar, rude and all of those qualities would never get her a man. But this stranger, with no emotions was going to kill them, to help her?
The little bitch wasn't worth the trouble.
Yuffie blinked as the five men looked at Vincent, nodded, and picked up their fallen comrades, going back into the shadows in whence they came. Vincent's hand relaxed and he went into a normal stance, if one could call putting their metal arm into their cape a stance. The ninja turned to Vincent and grinned. Widely.
I think... Vincent thought briefly as Yuffie began to run up to him that I have gotten myself into trouble. And braced himself for Yuffie's advance as she ran, leaped up into the air and put her arms around him, bringing her up close and personal to Vincent.
"VINNIE!" she exclaimed "THANKS a BUNCH! You're such a lifesaver." Yuffie said and gave him one of her best smiles.
"Vinnie....?" was all he could muster out
And so soon after that, the two began to travel together.
But that night, the two went to the tavern where Vincent paid for Yuffie's meal and Yuffie swore that no matter what, she'd repay him for saving her life.
In other words, in Vincent's opinion, she was going to stick to him like glue until something good started happening.
This actually didn't bother Vincent as much as he thought it would. He was a pretty solitary person, bent on living a past that has long but since been gone. He usually stayed inside of his own mind, delving deeper into his self-inflicted depression and further damaging self-esteem he didn't really have to begin with. Oh, he was confident about his abilities to fight, but that was about it. When Yuffie first offered, his first thought was that maybe it would add some liveliness to his dull existence before it went to "By the Planet I'll go insane". Dwelling on that first thought a bit he decided to let her tag along. She'd talk all day but since she would never really expect any answers he knew he wouldn't have to speak much. So he could always continue to dwell in his dark existence and be happy there.
Despite all that happened, Vincent still blamed himself for Lucrecia's death. He had loved her, but she had loved Science more. Maybe if he had tried to take her away from Hojo things would have been fine, but then as he had thought about that he realized that Lucrecia never would have forgave him. Science was her life, and Hojo was her science so therefore she must have loved him. It made sense, but he had loved her as well. Didn't his love count for anything?
Apparently not. Otherwise he would have died already a happy old man. Instead he was damned to live forever or until he killed himself. With no wars and no threat to the Planet, he would not be dying anytime soon. Of course that was all thanks to Hojo. Bastard. And then the real question was whether or not Lucrecia had even ever loved him. Sure she seemed interested in him, but love? Hardly.

"Vinnie? You're drifting off again."
How could she always tell that? It wasn't as if he ever gave her a look of any difference before, so he was quite curious as to how she was able to tell what he was doing. Giving Yuffie a look of indifference he turned back to the plains ahead of them. They were traveling to their next place, that being Corel, to perhaps see what Barret was up to. Last they had heard, he was trying to get that little village up to shape once again. He had long since married and even had a son who would be a year old in about five months. Barret was also surprised to hear that the two were traveling together and that they had been for more than a month now. So he pretty much told them "If ya'll don't getcha asses down ere, Ima personally come down and kick 'em."
Well, that was enough motivation for them. Besides, Yuffie had been quite insistent on seeing the baby for some odd reason.
In fact, Yuffie was acting really odd in numerous ways. Vincent thought that maybe since he hadn't seen the young ninja for a while that maybe she had changed a bit, and to a certain extent this was true. Yuffie had changed a lot in the last three years, physically and mentally. She didn't talk like an idiot teenager for a change, which Vincent was very glad for, and sometimes she said things about people that surprised him greatly. It never took her long to realize that she was talking to someone who she thought was an idiot and usually ended up either insulting them(which more than likely led to a fight that she won), or her simply leaving them in mid sentence. It amazed him how much Yuffie had changed in such a short time. She was still loud, and she still like to steal, but she was different, almost more feminine. The way she walked was different, the way she carried herself was different, the way she talked when they were alone was different....
Which got him to thinking.
The two of them had been traveling for a month, going from place to place, talking, camping out and looking at the stars. She had talked more about herself than anyone else had in the AVALANCHE group about themselves. She talked about when she was a kid, when she was growing up and how she had always felt like she was overprotected. She talked about how much she missed her mother who was gone and how each year it gets harder and harder for her to remember what she looked like. Vincent rarely talked about himself, much preferring to listen than to contribute and Yuffie enjoyed talking about numerous things. Sometimes she talked about why she liked to steal Materia or sometimes she'd talk about her adventures "Materia Hunting." He'd even laugh, because he began to realize that Yuffie did crazy things when she was younger. It was obvious that the girl had calmed down considerably but he knew that deep down in his heart that she'd always possess that fiery spirit that made her Yuffie. Lucrecia was just the opposite. She had no fiery spirit, she simply had ambition and a deep love for science. It was her only love, now that he thought about it.
"VINNIE!"
Vincent turned to Yuffie who had stopped about a hundred yards ago and had her arms crossed, scowl planted on her pretty face.
Pretty?
I'm in trouble. He thought "My apologies." he said instead "I was thinking."
"As if that explains everything!" Yuffie huffed, throwing her arms up in the air "Honestly Vinnie, I dunno what I'm gonna do with ya." she said and shook her head while he tried to suppress a smile. Failed, but that was okay, since his collar hid most of his face anyway.
"Again, my apologies." he waited for her glare to lose its heat before he continued "I did not mean to ignore you."
Shrugging, Yuffie walked over towards him, tossing her shoulder length hair behind her the best he could. Vincent blinked as he registered a thought about that little movement. He completely squashed it down as soon as he thought about it and looked down as she finally reached him, their height difference apparent.
"S'okay." she said "But you owe me for not listening to me. Dinner when we camp out tonight. And do NOT shoot the kill okay? I don't like the taste of metal in my meat."
She looked at him, her large brown eyes smiling at him with a type of playfulness and something else that Vincent knew all too well. He briskly turned and continued to walk towards Corel with Yuffie, hoping that things weren't as they were seeming. If it was, then he was in trouble and he wouldn't really know how to deal with it.
Before he ran away, Vincent had lived in a family of five, he being the only male and youngest of the siblings. He had no father that he knew of, and so it was only him and his four sisters, the oldest raising them as if she were their deceased mother. He knew of girls and how they ticked, how they talked and when they liked someone. It was in their eyes, the way they moved and with his heightened senses, how they smelled. He would come home and his sisters would flock to him, each telling him how a certain date went or how he needed to treat a woman when he was old enough to start dating(this was usually told to him when a boyfriend was an ass towards one of his sisters). They told him of how a girl can tell when another girl has the hots for "their" guys and such and Vincent, being the ever observant one, grasped the concepts with relative ease. And so, when he had attended school, he knew exactly when a girl liked him, by the way she looked at him. Of course, most of the girls that liked him were usually the ones who treated him like dirt, but he figured that girls were simply weird and left it alone. He had always been a loner, but he knew that many women had found him attractive.
And Yuffie, apparently, was no different.
Her body language was different when she was around him, the way she looked at him described it all. When not thinking of her feelings for him, her eyes were a light brown, but when she was thinking about it, her eyes turned into a dark chocolate color and even her attitude changed towards him. He figured that she hadn't realized it yet, or was simply denying it. But it made him have to think about it, what if she realized her feelings and told him? Would he simply let her down gently?
He still loved Lucrecia, and she knew this, and yet she still was starting to grow more and more attached to him. Vincent figured it was because they had been traveling together, but then he began to think differently. He felt something there, a familiar presence in the air when he was around Yuffie. He had always felt it, a strong urge to simply be around hbut but he ignored it previously. Lucrecia had been the only thing that had occupied his mind at that time, and with that somewhat resolved, he was able to think about other things. He didn't want to act on the feeling that was slowly growing, because him and Yuffie? That just screamed of complications. The age difference was obviously there, the gap between generations and just the simple fact that they were complete opposites was enough for Vincent. Plus, even though he knew that Yuffie was starting to like him, she'd never accept the fact that he'd always hold Lucrecia in his heart more than her, and it would hurt her. Besides, he had decided to live a life of solitude, and even though he wasn't following that now, he would live forever, Yuffie would not. She was a child, he was almost old enough to be her grandfather. Enough said. She deserved a man close to her age, someone who would grow old with her and make her happy. He could never do that, and he wasn't sure he'd want to anyway. Lucrecia was his only love, and when he died, she'd be waiting for him.
"...and his name is...damnit Vinnie, you're drifting off again!"
".......Sorry." was Vincent's reply

Late at night, in the middle of nowhere, a gunshot was heard loudly, scaring the local wildlife back into whatever hiding places they had emerged from. They were in the grasslands, so it was very possible to camp and avoid monsters by simply lighting fires and whatnot. As Vincent held his kill and looked up into the sky, he admired the stars and the moon for a brief moment before he brought his head down to look at Yuffie's angry face.
She was real cute when she was angry.
"I THOUGHT I told you not to shoot the kill!" Yuffie exclaimed "Now you've scared dinner away!" she turned to face the plains just before it hit forest and almost pouted. "Now my dinner is going to be all metaly..." she groaned
"I shot only my dinner." Vincent said and held up another kill "This is yours." he said and simply walked over towards the fire where the newly-made spit was waiting for its kills.
Can he ever say more than seven words in a sentence? Yuffie thought grumpily as she walked back over to camp. Nightfall had just arrived, basking the entire plains with its velvet embrace, letting the whiteness of the moon illuminate the Planet, giving it a beautiful glow. This was what Yuffie loved about traveling, all one had to do was stay up and watch the stars and eventually something beautiful would happen. Being a ninja she loved the night and its natural cloak of invisibility, and on this night of a full moon, she loved it even more. She laid down on the plains grass, folding her arms under her head and looking up at the stars.
"Ain't it pretty Vinnie?" she suddenly asked
Vincent looked up from the spit and looked over to her small form "What is?"
"The sky. At night, when there's a full moon out, ain't it pretty? Everything just seems to glow. It's always fascinated me as a child."
For a long moment, Yuffie thought he wasn't going to answer "The full moon is a beautiful thing." he said finally and when she looked up, he had been looking at the sky. He looked back down and concentrated on dinner. "It's supposed to snow in Nibelhiem." he said without looking up "It's almost wintertime."
Yuffie nodded "Yeah. We're supposed to get a tree and stuff in Wutai, even though it don't snow. We like to be festive and stuff. Watcha gonna do for Winter Celebrations Vinnie?"
"Nothing."
Yuffie turned on her stomach, resting her chin on her hands "Wanna spend it with me? Ain't like I got a lot to do."
Vincent shifted a bit, almost uncomfortably "I...suppose it would be alright."
"You got anything else to do?"
".........No."
"Then we can chill together! I don't feel like going home, and snow sounds nice. Maybe we can go and chill wit' Cloud and stuff!"
She looked at him, noticing his change in demeanor. She knew he wasn't a people person, but id bed been a while, she wanted to see her friends. She knew that they would all be happy to see Vincent as well, so might as well drag him along. Besides, deep inside she knew that the longer she was with him, the happier she would be. So she realized that she liked the vampire, well the best thing to do would be to deal with it. No sense in dwelling on it right? Right.
"I..will spend the winter holidays with you, Yuffie." Vincent finally said "...Thank you for the offer."
"Yay! He finally says more than seven words in a sentence!" she cried and leaped up, walking towards the fire and grabbing her meal "Congratulations Vinnie! You've moved on up in the world!"
".........."

"And jus' why in da hell did it take ya'll so goddam long ta git here!? Emma's been cookin' 'er damn hands off all day fo' ya'll! C'mon in foos!"
Yuffie gave Barret a wide cheesy grin as she walked into Barret's home in Corel. The smell of made from scratch cooking filled the entire area, no scratch that, the entire town almost. Emma Wallace was one of the best cooks around Corel and she loved cooking for her husband and children.
"Yuffie...wanted the scenic route." Vincent slightly protested as he let himself be allowed in by Barret. Even Vincent had to admit that the smell of Emma's cooking was very inviting, and since they had been on roa road for about two weeks he was beginning to miss home cooked meals. One could only tolerate rabbits and other wildlife for so long. Especially with no spices. Everything needed spices. It was just wrong without them. Looking around the room, Vincent began to admire the décor. It was nice and simple, earth tone colors with various pictures on the walls, some pictures of family, one of their newborn son, Dyne. Comfortable furniture without being pricey, large enough rooms for a small family such as this one. Looking at the small but cozy home, Vincent began to feel a bit...lonely. If things had gone his way, this would have been him and Lucrecia, happily together with two-point-oh kids, running around and happy. But of course, the powers that be decided that this lifetime Vincent Valentine wouet net nothing but shit, so they cursed him and pointed and laughed as he struggled through life trying to make something mean something important. Fate and Her two sisters were bitches. It was that simple.
He looked at Yuffie as Barret came out with his son, Dyne. She chirped about how the baby was soooo cute and how, thank Planet, he looked nothing like his father. Obviously Barret took that one the wrong way. So while they playfully argued Vincent looked as she held the baby, how natural she held him, as if she had been doing it for a long time. For some odd reason Vincent could see her as a mother, not now, but maybe later when she matured a bit. She had a natural glow to her when she was around the child and she looked happy. Her eyes were shining with a strange light and he found it to be...very addicting. He could look into her eyes forever.
Seeing where that line of thinking was getting him, he quickly turned away and asked to see the kitchen. When shown, he left the room, but not before he noticed that Yuffie was giving him a strange look. He ignored it and went to go meet Emma Wallace.
Emma was a pleasant person. She loved to cook, clean, and talk and she could do all of those three at once. Vincent was impressed. She also knew her stuff when it came to cooking. If one were to give her a dish, she could tell you what you needed, where to get it, how to make it and how to improve on it so that it tastes better than the original recipe. Vincent became fast friends with the friendly woman, and since cooking was actually someg heg he was good at, they began to exchange recipes. They talked about Barrnd hnd how he and her and met, they talked about Dyne and how they were trying to rebuild Corel into a beautiful city again. They spoke of cooking and spices, Vincent's favorite subject excluding science and astrology, and about other little things. They spoke until Yuffie came into the kit and and then he went silent once again and left the room to go and spend some time with Barret, before he became annoyed.

Apparently, Vincent was not accustomed to handling small children. Or small appliances. Both were things that Vincent tried to leave alone, lest there be dire consequences. While he didn't have to deal with the latter, he did have to deal with the former, and he wasn't sure which was worse, blowing up a kitchen due to misusing a microwave or droppingcreacreaming, angry, red-faced baby who was squirming for anyone to help save him from the misuse of his current holder. Vincent hadn't asked for this, in fact, he had expressed his extreme discomfort at holding the tiny creature. But since Yuffie went to help Emma out with shopping and Barret went for a walk to find some firewood, taking care of the child ended up being his responsibility. As Vincent shifted the screaming baby onto his shoulder he silently asked the Heavens just whn Hen Hell's name did he do to deserve this torture.
"Uncle Vinnie?" a little voice chirped "I...think you're holding the baby wrong. He doesn't like it when you hold him like that."
Turning his attention towards the small girl who was slightly tugging on his coat, Vincent nodded "Yes...I realize this Marlene. I am...unaccoustomed to holding children. But his crying still seems a bit odd despite the fact that I am holding him incorrectly."
"Maybe he's hungry?" she suggested "I know how to make the bottles for him."
Relieved, Vincent set the child down into his small crib "Please do." he said "I will watch Dyne."
Marlene smiled at him and nodded "Okay!" she said and was gone within moments
Vincent sunk into the couch and looked at the small cradle that was sitting in front of him, Dyne still crying. He briefly wondered for a moment if having kids was all as it was cracked up to be. This little one did nothing but cry all day, and he was sure that this drove Barret nuts. He took some time to study the child. His skin was lighter than his father's, which was probably due to the fact that Emma had Wutain blood in her, he had black curly hair, which was matted to his tiny head. His hands, which were in little fists, were up to his face, which was contorted in a scream at the moment. Dyne Wallace was dressed in a small blue baby outfit, his little covered feet kicking away in anger and frustration. When Vincent had first heard the name, he was surprised. Barett had named his child after his best friend Dyne? Marlene's father? Well, perhaps he shouldn't have really been surprised. Barret was very close to Dyne, it was only natural that he'd name his first son after the man.
And what of himself? Vincent had always wanted children as a child and as a young man, but because of what happened in his life, he was pretty convinced that reproducing wasn't anything that was going to happen soon. But if he had a child, what would he name him? Perhaps a name that was fitting, like his own. Nothing starting with a V, it was always good to be different.
Marlene soon arrived with a baby bottle, walking over to baby Dyne and picking him up with surprising skill and slowly giving him the bottle. Dyne, after much squabbling, eventually took the bottle, and soon was drinking to his heart's content, obviously pleased.
Vincent had to admit, the little girl was good.
The rest of the day went pretty well, Marlene pretty much in charge of keeping Dyne from crying and Vincent watching over the two, or reading. He had been catching up with the years that he had missed with history books and current event articles. He had been asleep for fifty years, and he really needed to know what was going on in the world. He also had a manual on how to work microwaves but he didn't really share that with too many people.
Eventually, Barret came home with a ton of firewood in his truck and a huge grin on his face. Vincent glanced at him before going back to his book.
"The children were fine." was all Vincent said
"Yeah, 'Lene is good with da kid." Barret said "Ain't that right sweetie?"
Marlene, who was watching the baby Dyne, looked up at her father and smiled "Yup! Uncle Vinnie was really nice too, even though he don't know much about babies."
There was no response from Vincent, but Barret laughed outright.
"Yeah, I 'pected that Vincent wouldn't be able ta handle lil' Dyne." he said, still laughing "Did ya have yer hands full there buddy?"
"You have no idea." Vincent said through the book. "I'd rather had picked up firewood."
There was a small silence as Barret, still laughing, walked out of the house for a second. He walked back in, carrying an arm full of firewood, placing against the fireplace in the room. He turned to Vincent "Wanna come help me out?"
"I don't see why not." Vincent said and placed his book down, standing up and following Barret outside towards the small brown truck full of firewood.

"Yuffie, you are very good at shopping for groceries."
The small ninja shrugged, paying the cashier and grabbing a few bags to take to the car outside of the store. "Hey, when you're a...uh....trader, you tend to look for the better bargains." she said, giving Emma a bright smile.
Emma Wallace shook her head at the young woman, grabbing the rest of the groceries and walking out towards the car. As they began to place their items inside of the small vehicle, Emma turned to Yuffie, giving her a look.
"So then, tell me, how long have you two been seeing each other?"
It took a lot of control to stop Yuffie from dropping her bundle onto the ground below. Instead, she simply placed the bags inside of the car and closed the door, not looking at Emma. "What are you talking about?" she asked. Yuffie knew exactly who Emma was talking about, and it really wasn't a topic she wanted to go into right now.
"You and Mr. Valentine." Emma said
Yuffie replied by laughing "C'mon Emma, me and Vinnie? I mean, he's kinda old and I'm really young and we're both total opposites! He's like, not even my type!"
"But you like him." Emma said "Barret and I first noticed it. I thought that maybe you two were an item, but now that you say that, I suppose that you are not."
"I do not like him!" Yuffie huffed, slumping into the passenger side seat and crossing her arms "He's an old fart who can't get over his dead girlfriend."
"Are you jealous of Lucrecia?" Emma asked
"Hell YES I am!" Yuffie suddenly burst out, her arms jutting out of their position in a fustrated manner "I can't stand the fact that he looks at me as a child! I'm damn near twenty years old now, I can't stand it! I hate the fact that he'll never notice me because he's so infactuated with a dead woman that never wanted him in the first place! I'm pissed because I want him to notice me as the person I've become, and I want him to LIKE ME damnit!"
There was an odd silence after Yuffie finished her tirade and she looked at Emma who had sat down in her seat and was smiling gently at her. "I see." was all she said.
Busted. How the hell did Emma do that? She had asked her one small question, and Yuffie went off. How did the woman do it?
"I'm older, and I know how the mind works." Emma said and smiled "Listen, Yuffie. You are young, and he is much older than you. He is still very much in love with another woman and you have probably never loved another man have you?"
At Yuffie's shake of the head, Emma continued, "Then you'll understand this situation. There was a man who had a wife and a child. They died a long time ago, and he ended up adopting a young girl named Marlene."
Before Yuffie could say anything, Emma placed her hand up to silence her.
"The man soon met a woman not long after his adventures. She was a fighter, and she was good at it. The two hit it off right away, and while they were seeing each other, the woman soon found that something was "missing" in their relationship. She would ask him about it, and he'd shrug it off, saying it was nothing. Months went by and their relationship began to reach a stalemate. She loved this man that she had met, and yet, not once had he ever expressed his feelings for her. She began to feel as if he'd never really feel anything for her, so she decided it might be best for them to go seperate ways. When she went to tell the man of her feelings, he was inside of his home, upset, and it had appeared that something was troubling him deeply. She asked him what was wrong, and he spilled everything to her. old old her of how he missed his wife and child, and how he was troubled because he cared for this woman, but he still loved his wife. He was confused as to whether or not he was doing the right thing by dating another woman, and whether or not his former wife was disappointed in him for moving on.
The woman listened as the man continued to speak, telling her of how he was falling in love with her, but he felt so guilty because he felt as if he were betraying his wife in some way. She listened to it all, taking it in and forming a conclusion. When the man finished, she smiled at him and said these words:
If your wife cannot allow you to move on, than she did not truly love you. When you love someone, you want for that person to be happy, even at the cost of your own happiness. If your wife were to be disappointed at you because you're trying to be happy, then she did not truly love you. As long as you try to be happy and fulfill your life, your wife should still love you and be happy for you, because that is what love is all about. I love you, and I want to be with you, but if you do not feel as if you should move on, or if you do not feel the same, please let me know, and we shall remain friends. I would like to spend the rest of my life with you, but I cannot wait forever. We all have to live in the present and hope for a better future. If you wish to dwell in the past, I cannot help you, but I will still love you all the same.
There was silence after the woman spoke her words, and eventually the woman left, disheartened. She had felt as if she had lost something, and so decided to move on by moving out of the city.
The next day, as the woman began to pack her things, she walked outside of her door and there was the man, looking at her. His eyes were dark and deep within themselves, and he walked inside of the house, closing the door and pulling the woman into a deep embrace. For a long moment neither of them moved from their spot and the woman didn't know what to think. When they seperated, the man said nothing, he kneeled down and offered to take her hand in marriage. He understood her words, and he realized that he did need to look towards the future, and he wanted the woman within his future."
Emma placed her hand on top of Yuffie's.
"The point of the story is that Vincent is much like Barret, he is dwelling within the past and won't move on towards the future. What you must do is convince him that he now lives in the present, and he needs to move on."
"What if he don't like me Emma? Then that story don't mean a thing. Barret liked you, and he fell in love with you. Vinnie probably doesn't even think I look good."
"Then he's an idiot and he doesn't deserve you." Emma said flatly, turning on the engine to the car "You're a beautiful woman Yuffie and any man who doesn't see that is an idiot. If you want a man, you go for it, even if it looks impossible. Think about it like Materia, if you want it, you take it. You don't let them find out or ask questions until it's too late. Steal his heart without him knowing it, and by the time he starts asking questions, he'll have answers. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Yeah...but I'm no good at this stuff. What, you want me to start dressing like a girl and prance around him?"
"No, I mean for you to be yourself. You're an open and honest person, even if it can sometimes be a bit crude."
"Gee, thanks."
"Listen! If you really want something, you go for it. Never try and have regrets in life because that only leads to trouble. If you like him or if you love him, tell him how you feel. The worse thing that could happen is that your feelings get hurt. Feelings get hurt all the time, but it's those unanswered questions that plague you forever. Don't let those unanswered questions delve deep into your life."
Yuffie sighed, "I...I don't know. Rejection is a powerful thing, I don't want himpushpush me away."
"Then, don't let him."

"So, when ya gettin' married?"
Vincent tripped, tried to regain his balance, and ended up dropping all of the logs onto the living room floor. Mumbling a slight apology he grabbed the fallen wood and walked over towards the fireplace, putting it where it needed to be.
"I do not think I understand what you mean." Vincent said, not looking at Barret.
It was just the two men at the moment. Dyne was asleep in his crib and Marlene was in the kitchen preparing for dinner. Vincent stood to his full height and looked at Barret, his crimson eyes darkening in confusion as Barret grinned.
"I meant what I said." Barret said "When you gettin' married?"
"I don't plan on it." Vincent said, walking over to a chair and sitting down, their task of placing firewood near the fireplace done.
Barret crossed his arms, giving Vincent a stare "Then why ya leadin' that girl on?" he asked
This got the man a raise of the eyebrow from Vincent.
"I'm serious!" Barret snapped "Ya sittin' dere lookin' like ya don' know what I'm talkin' bout. I see ya lookin' at ol' Yuff there, and I'm just wonderin' when ya gonna finally stop makin' faces and when ya gonna say somethin'."
Glad that his coat made it hard to see his face, Vincent leaned back into his chair, sighing.
"She is a child."
"She almost twenty years old!" Barret snapped "An' you can't sit dere and tell me that ya ain't noticed how she's changed?"
Silence.
"When ya gonna tell her ya not interested?"
"It's not something I thought needed to be said."
"Oh, so ya just gonna string her along?"
"No. I wasn't under the impression she had a crush on me."
"Bullshit Valentine!" Barret suddenly snapped, moving towards Vincent "Ya know good and goddamned well that tha girl likes ya sorry ass! Why the hell didn't ya tell her ta take a hike when ya the the chance? Why she travelin' witcha if ya don' like her?"
"She wanted a companion."
"Oh, so ya HAD ta go right? Ya couldn't just say that ya were gonna go on ya own, like you did when we asked ya to come an' stay wit us. We wanted ya as our companion when we left, why din'cha come with us? Why she different?"
"It's not like that." Vincent said, becoming slightly annoyed "We were going the same way."
That got him a snort from Barret "When have ya eva' gone ta same way as anyone else unless it involved an enemy?"
"What do you want me to say?" Vincent asked
"Ta' truth." Barret snapped
There was an uncomfortable silence as Vincent's crimson eyes bored into Barret's dark eyes, neither of them wavering. Vincent was curious as to why Barret cared so much about something that wasn't his business, and he also wondered if Barret was right.
Was he leading Yuffie on? It wasn't intentional, she was....well, she wanted him to tag along, and so he did. It wasn't really for any otreasreason. It wasn't as if he had someplace to be. But he didn't have anywhere to go before either. Why was Yuffie different? He had rejected the others and did not Yuffie. She had never asked until a month ago when they had started traveling. But it had been an entire month, he didn't have to have stayed with her for so long. It was just that....
"I care for her." Vincent said suddenly "However, I do not want to hurt her. She is young...I am....different."
"Foo', age ain't got nuthin' ta do wit dis and ya know it."
Vincent sighed "Even if a relationship between us were possible Barret, I'd do nothing but bring her misery. As it stands, a relationship between us is not feasible. We are....I still love Luc...."
"If ya keep hangin on ta a woman dat ain't alive and who ain't doin' nuthin fer ya, ya deserve ta be lonely, believe me." he cut in "Ya ain't ta only one who's lost somethin', remember dat. If I hadn't moved on, Emma and I never woulda got married, an I'd be miserable. Do wat'cha gotta do man."

Silence followed the night as Yuffie looked out of her window from her bed. The day had gone by without incident, with dinner, Emma and herself chatting and playing with baby Dyne, Vincent being his aloof self and Barret seeming deep in thought. They had chatted and Yuffie got to play with Dyne and Marlene. It was a lot of fun, but her thoughts would always go back to Vincent.
Okay, so he was an old fart and she was a young dish, that happened. It wasn't like Vincent looked as if he were fifty something years old. It was probably the fact that she was Yuffie, and maybe he thought that she hadn't changed over the years. It would be true, but to a certain extent. She was still herself, just a bit more mature, and she wished Vincent saw that. She wasn't quite sure how she ended up caring for the guy as much as she did right now, but she just knew that she did, and she wanted to do something about it. Obviously, Emma and Barret both knew about how Yuffie felt about Vincent, and even with Emma's advice, she didn't feel right going up to Vincent and saying "Hey Vampie! Let's go on a date! Yeah, I think you're soooooooo hot!"
Nope. Not happening.
Besides that, she was a ninja of high class, she didn't deserve to be someone's second, even if it was someone like Vincent Valentine.
She wasn't going to be a second to Lucrecia. Even though Yuffie was everything that was opposite of "Perfect Lucrecia", she refused to be a second just because the chick happened to be dead or whatnot and Vinnie couldn't get over her. Yuffie really couldn't see someone being so great when they betrayed you and let some cooky professor experiment and turn you into a freak, however, had it not been for that, she never would have met the scary vampire. So she had to thank Lucre eve even if she thought the bitch should have been slapped. Yuffie had no desire to try and follow in Lucrecia's shadow just to get Vincent to like her, she wanted him to like her because of her, not because he may resign to the fact that she may be the only person who will like and/or tolerate him. That's not how a relationship should start or end.
The soft knocking on her door alerted her and she spun sharply, her eyes narrowing as her posture became defensive. "Who is it?" she asked harshly before thinking why was she being so defensive when she was in Barret's home?
"It's me."
Two words. Two words was all it took for Yuffie's heart to start beating faster and her defensive posture to totally go to hell. She recognized the soft tenor of his voice anywhere, and she cursed herself for being so weak just because of two little words.
She stood up and adjusted her night gown which consisted of just one long large white shirt and wooly socks. Padding over towards the door she opened it, looking up as her eyes focused onto his deep crimson eyes. They were dark and it seemed as if he were thinking about something very important as he walked into her room and towards the window. He had traded in his other outfit for the night for a baggy shirt and too short pants. His long raven hair was tied back and away from his face, making clear view as opposed to his hair usually hanging in front. He placed his hands behind him, back towards Yuffie as he looked out the window. She closed the door softly, clearing her throat a bit and trying to fight down a blush. What was he doing in her room?
"I came here to speak to you." Vincent said without turning to face her.
Well I could have figured that out genius! Yuffie thought but instead shrugged "Bout what?" she asked
He sighed, crossing his arms but still not facing her."Yuffie, I am fully aware of your...growing feelings for me. Barret and I had a discussion about it and he gave me an ultimatum. He did not give me a time limit on my decision, however, I felt that perhaps it would be best if I made one anyway, so that I could not only have time to make a decision, but I would make it and not take forever. Before I do this I must ask you...." he turned and began to walk towards Yuffie, his expression, as always, serious, his eyes never moving from her face as he stood in front of her, towering over her. "how do you feel about me exactly Yuffie? Is this just a childish crush or do you seriously have feelings for me? I need to know so I can make my decision."
There was silence for a long moment. Yuffie, who was now shocked out of her mind, could do nothing but stare up at Vincent as her mind slowly processed everything that had been said to her. Not only had Vincent said more to her than he had ever since she had known him, but he was talking about...she wasn't quite sure, but it felt as if he were considering a relationship with her, and if that was the case....
Her mind went into overload as she could no longer process anymore information. She was not only horribly shocked, but also horribly confused. How was she to answer this question if it was something along the lines of rejection? Could she handled being rejected?
"If I were to tell you that I liked you, would you tell me that I'm just a kid and I need to get over you?" she asked. Well, thaemedemed as good of an answer as any.
"Have I said that to you yet?" he asked back. "I already know you like me so to speak, I'm asking on what level are these feelings based on?"
She moved to look away from him, from those piercing eyes of his, but he moved his hand to tilt her chin up so that she faced him. During this, he had moved closer to her than he already was, and she wondered just how the hell had he closed the small space between them so that now he was very, very close, and she hadn't even realized it.
"The truth, Yuffie." he said "I only want the truth. I will not shun you for that."
"I...." she hesitated, the fear of rejection filling her every pore and choking her words back. What he if didn't like her? What if he just saw her as a little kid?
Then, would his arm be around your waist?
Hey, when did that happen?
"You're not half bad for a vampire." she said finally and smirked at him. It had taken a lot of inner strength to smirk at him like that, but she did, and she felt a bit smug with herself for doing so. She didn't feel like losing her dignity over a guy, even if it was a guy like Vincent.
She had expected him to be insulted, or even worse, annoyed, however, he simply leaned back a bit, standing to his full height and smiled. She had never seen Vincent smile since she had met him, and she decided that she rather liked his smile.
"And you're not half bad for a thief." he said, still smiling
"Ninja." she corrected
"Thief." he countered
"Ninja."
"Whatever." he let go of her and moved back, but not before he moved his hand to brush it across her cheek. She blushed at the motion, looking away from him. "You're actin' strange." she said defensively, but in a way, this wasn't really like him, to be so personal.
"Yes, yes ow.ow." he said and sighed again "It's not my best quality." he motioned towards the door, opening it softly "There are some things I need to work out, Yuffie, however, if you're willing to put up with me until Winter Celebrations, I can try and give you an answer....or maybe some explanations, I'm not sure."
"I'm not gonna be a second for your old love." she said suddenly and flatly "I'm not Lucrecia, I'm nothing like her, and I don't want to be a substitutedo ldo like you Vinnie, but I just can't look into your eyes and hope that you'll see me instead of her."
There was silence for a moment, Vincent's hand still on the door knob, Yuffie's back still turned towards him as she looked out the window. For a brief moment she thought that her words had angered him, or maybe that he had left. When she heard the door close softly she turned around to see if he had left. She almost cried out loud as she faced Vincent's chest inches away from hers, and he had to grab her arm to keep her from falling. He pulled her close to him and she gasped at his affections, wondering what in the nine hells had happened to her vampire.
"I understand." he said finally "And no, you're not Lucrecia, you're nothing like her." he let her go and walked towards the door, Yuffie looking at his retreating back and trying to fight back the tears. So, he was rejecting her after all. Life was so predictable at times.
He turned towards her as he moved to close the door.
"I'm glad for that." he said finally and closed the door.

"OhmygoshbythePlanethejustlookssoadorabledoesn'theCloud?!" Tifa squealed as she grabbed baby Dyne from his loving mother's arms and began to brush her finger against his little chubby cheek. She was rewarded with a loud giggle as she looked at Cloud longingly "I want one." she said whistfully
Cloud, who was still trying to process what Tifa had exclaimed not too long ago, rolled his eyes and sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets and moving back andth oth on his feet. "Yeah, I know." was all he said
Tifa turned to ignore him, losing interest in her husband and gaining interest in the small bundle in her arms "Oh, Emma, I'm so jealous of you, I wish I had a child."
Grunting, Barret walked inside of the Strife household in Nibelhiem and slumped down onto the couch by the fireplace, which was lit and crackling nicely. "Yea', see if ya say dat once it starts cryin', pissin', and shittin' all over tha damned place." he muttered, leaning back and trying, very successfully, to relax. "Nice pad ya got her'." he added
Emma nodded, going over to sit beside her husband in the Strife household "Yes, I agree, you've made your home quite lovely Tifa."
The younger woman blushed, looking at Dyne once again "Thank you." she said "I spent quite some time gathering some things, but we only stay here during the wintertime, after that we go to Midgar for the rest of the year. This is kind of a...vacation for Cloud and myself."
Shaking snow off of her jacket, Yuffie shrugged, hanging the garment on the coat rack "Hey, if ya gotta take a vacation, might as well be where your home town is right? Besides, ya got a lot of history here and it's really pretty out in the forests when it snows."
Tifa sighed, giving the baby back to his mother "Yes, it looks just like a picture painting." Tifad had happily "I told Cloud that we're never giving up this little cottage, I don't care how broke we get, this is our home away from home. I want to give my children a place to go to when they don't like the city. It's also a good place to train them as well. Midgar is kind of stuffy."
Cloud, who had began to poke at the fire, looked up at Tifa "Children? Who said anything about children?"
"Nothing honey." Tifa waved him off and gave Emma a look that supposedly only women were supposed to understand "He only wants one child, and a boy at that."
"That's usually how men are." Emma said, smiling serenely at her son "Women want a girl and the men want a boy. That's just how it always is. Right Yuffie?"
Jumping, Yuffie looked over at the two women who were now looking, as well as smiling, at her. She looked for some salvation, and found none.
"Uh...." Yufbegabegan "Yeah, I guess a girl would be cool. If not, a boy's alright. I . I ain't picky about it because they're going to be great and kick ass either way it goes."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Tifa said and grinned, turning to Vincent "Have you ever wanted drendren Vincent?"
Having made himself unnoticed thus far, Vincent shifted from his position against the far wall and began to walk over to the rest of the group, sitting down on one of the plush seats adjacent from the couch. Clad in only his black shirt and long black baggy pants, Vincent looked at the women thoughtfully before answering.
"It's up to whoever I end up marrying. I don't care either way if I have children or not."
There was silence for a moment. Not the uncomfortable silence that happens when someone says something horrible or embarassing or something along the lines which leads to the silence, but a thoughtful silence that filled the room. Mainly it was for the simple reason that everyone had naturally assumed that Vincent would not be interested in getting married, much less having children. It had mainly been a question to ask out of kindness, no one had actually expected him to answer, and no one especially expected him to answer with an answer like that. It meant that he felt he would end up with someone, rather it be Lucrecia or not, and that was a bit shocking. They always felt that Vincent would never move on from his lover's death, and that he would never try to find another woman in his life.
"That's great then." Emma said kindly, breaking the silence "And may you two be happy forever, whoever the lucky girl ends up being."
Vincent said nothing, simply turning his attention towards the fire. Yuffie, now a bright red, wished she could just disappear.
Emma, Marlene, Yuffie, Barret, Dyne, and Vincent had all left for Nibelhiem a week before Winter Celebrations were supposed to begin. Considering that Nibelhiem was still one huge mess, they had planned on not staying long, and in fact, going to Wutai since it was much warmer. They hadn't expected Nibelhiem to be in the good shape that it was in at the moment, being that it was now a small, but successful, village with cabins and all. Cloud and Tifa lived in a s cot cottage that Cloud and her had built themselves during the warmer seasons, and it was their "home away from home". It beiinteinter Celebrations, this was the greatest time to go to Nibelhiem, because it was the mountains, and it snowed quite a bit, and that was a beautiful sight to see. Not as beautiful as Icicle Inn, but beautiful all the same. Yuffie, being from Wutai, wasn't quite used to the cold, but even she admitted that it was beautiful.
For the most part, Yuffie had been able to successfully give Vincent space. She avoided him and spent her time with the others, while Vincent usually kept to himself, being help when needed. He did not come back into the guest room to have any more talks with her, but when they were around she would feel him staring at her, and that made her feel a bit better about their position. She wasn't quite sure what would happen between them during the week of Winter Celebrations, but she hoped that he at least went and got her a present, because she sure as hell got him one.
Winter Celebrations was the time when families and close friends got therther and gave thanks to the Planet and to each other. It was usually when romances began to reach their peak, or when romances began. It was a time of giving and sharing, a time of selflessness and love. It was a beautiful week of Celebrations, in which people decorated their homes with lights and wrapped packages. It was also the time of year when people were the most nice to you.
If a person cared about you, they purchased you a present. It didn't really matter who it was, mother, cousin, lover, friend, etc, if they were close to you, you tried to purchase a present for them. Yuffie, thus far, had purchased many presents for her friends and even one for little Dyne, even though he wouldn't remember his first Winter Celebrations. The Celebrations lasted for a full week, the last day being for presents and togetherness. By the time they had reached Nibelhiem, it was already a good two days into the holiday, meaning that there was only five days left to go until the day of togetherness. Vincent only had until the end of the week to tell her how he felt and what he wanted to happen between them. Whatever he proposed, she'd try to be respectful of his decision, whether she liked it or not.
The days passed by like a blur, and by the time Yuffie knew it, they were setting up a tree and placing presents under it, keeping those eciaecial" presents to give to the person they loved secretly. Yuffie dug her hand into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around the small box that she held for Vincent. She hoped he liked her present.

Something had been bothering her. She didn't really say anything about it, but something was really bothering her. Over the days, many people had came by, Cid with his pregnant wife Sherra, good ol' Red XIII or Nanaki, Reeve with Cait Sith, it was like old times.
Except someone was missing. Someone very, very important.
As everyone ate dinner prepared by all of the females of the group, Yuffie sat, looking at her food blankly. Something was horribly wrong with this picture, but yet, everyone was here.
Tifa stood, holding up a wine glass. "I'd like to make a toast." she began "To new beginnings, new hopes, new dreams, new everything. It's almost been a year since our battle with Jenova and Sephiroth, and everyone is rebuilding, everyone is together again, at these Winter Celebrations and I'd just like to give thanks to the Planet for letting us be here today."
No, she was wrong.
Someone was missing. Someone important.
Tifa's gaze dropped and her smile was gone "I'd like to pray to the Planet that Aeris...."
And that's when everything turned to silence. Yuffie could no longer hear Tifa's words after she had uttered that one word, that one syllable which made everything come tumbling down on her all at once. Her chest felt heavy, her eyes were burning, and she could only hear the roaring in her ears.
Aeris.
Sweet, wonderful Aeris. Her friend. She had been like the older sister she never had. She was supposed to be here, and she wasn't.
That hurt more than any wound she had ever endured, and the shocking thing was, she never realized just how much Aeris' death had hurt.
"Excuse me." Yuffie said abruptly, stopping Tifa's toast in mid speech as she stormed out of the dining room and out into the snow.
No one saw Vincent get up and go after her. No one except Emma, who had calmly went back to her food, a small smile playing on her lips before she turned towards Dyne, spoon-feeding him.
They will be all right. The Planet will make sure of that.
And so Yuffie began with speed walking which turned into full outright running as she sped out of Nibelhiem and into the village's forests. The snow was mighty thick, and with Yuffie's shoes, almost impossible to tred through, but Yuffie continued anyway. She didn't want them to see her cry.
She had been so into her own pain that she never noticed that Vincent had grabbed her arm and that she was now in the circle of his embrace. She never noticed that she was sobbing uncontrollably into the man's chest until he began to stroke her hair in a comforting way.
"Would you like to talk about what is on your mind?" he asked
After reality kicked in and she accessed her situation, she focused on stopping the tear shed before she spoke again. Vincent simply waited for his answer, holding her and stroking her hair all the while.
"It didn't have to be this way. Aeris didn't have to die." Yuffie choked out finally
Vincent was silent for a moment, realizing what the true reason of Yuffie's departure and sighed.
"But she did. There is nothing we can do about it." he said softly, trying to be realistic, but not trying to hurt her feelings or make her seem as if she were overreacting. He understood why Yuffie was so upset, and making her seem like she was behaving in a stupid fashion wasn't what he wanted to do. She needed comfort, he'd comfort her as much as possible.
"But it's not fair. She was nice, why do good people have to die?"
"Sacrifices must be made to save the many." he said honestly
"And what about the feelings of the few? Doesn't that matter at all?" she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. It tore at his heart.
"Sadly, to the world, it doesn't." and it was the truth. It didn't matter. The fact that some girl had helped in saving the Planet at the cost of her life didn't matter to the many when it came down to the girl's friends and their feelings. It was all to save them right? So what did it matter if she had to die? It was for a good cause.
But it still didn't help the fact that the woman was dead and that she wasn't coming back. Vincent, in the brief time that he had known the flower merchant, had grown to like her and had been quite fond of her. He had been saddened when she had died.
But death was part of life, it happened. Yuffie knew this, but it didn't help the fact that she had lost someone that she looked up to as one would look up to an older sibling.
"I hate this Vinnie." she said and buried her face in his shirt "I hate the fact that she died and I couldn't do a damned thing to save her. I hate the fact that we never got to go shopping, and I never got to help plot with her to get Cloud away from Tifa. It would have been a fun game, nothing serious, just for drama y'know? It would have been great....to have an older sister." she said and snuggled closer to Vincent.
If possible, he pulled her closer to the warmth of his body.
"Yuffie, you have two older sisters and a younger sister inside waiting on you. You have three older brothers waiting for you to come back and say you're okay."
Yuffie looked up at him "And you? What about you?"
A gloved hand moved from Yuffie's waist and to her face, the thumb caressing her cheek. His crimson eyes bored deep into her eyes, trying to search for something.
"I am...whatever you wish for me to be in your life." he said "This is a time of Celebrations, a time of giving, and a time for love. Now, answer my question Yuffie, what do you feel for me?"
"I love you Vincent Valentine." she said honestly and was surprised when he didn't jump or looked repulsed "I don't care if you don't love me, but I love you, and I just....I just miss her, I wish she could be here for me now."
He tilted her chin up so that he could bend forward and be only inches apart from her lips "I am here for you now Yuffie." he said, his warmth seeping into her as she gazed into those beautiful crimson orbs called Vincent's eyes.
"Really?"
"If you want me to be." he said "I cannot say that I do not hold Lucrecia deep in my heart." at her disappointed face he continued "However, in order to move forward, you must move on and away from the past. Lucrecia is Lucrecia. Yuffie is Yuffie. You are no replacement for her as I would be a replacement for Aeris, your name-sister."
Yuffie giggled, visioning Vincent going shopping with her and trying on the latest fashion designs. "I don't want you to be my sister, I want you...." she paused. What did she want him to be? She loved him, and since she was already being honest, why not continue to do so? "...I want you to be mine."
"And I do not want someone to replace a love that didn't happen." Vincent said "I want you to be mine."
Yuffie gasped, her heart pounding and her face blushing, and not just from the cold "You...you mean that Vinnie?" she asked
At this, Vincent leaned back, looking down at Yuffie "I know that I care for you deeply, and that I do want to be with you. I realize everything that we're putting out in the open, and I realize that things might be difficult for us, but as long as I know you love me, that is enough for me to go on."
"Do you love me Vinnie?" she asked
"I would be lying if I said I did." he said and her expression fell "But, I know that I could grow to love you, in time. Are you willing to give me that time?"
Nodding, Yuffie threw her arms around Vincent's neck, hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much Vinnie!"
Vincent pulled her away for a moment, cupping her chin in his hand again. "I am not finished." he said "Yuffie, I feel very strongly for you, and I know that this could result in something bigger. I need time to learn to love again, however, in time I feel that I could do this. I need your patience, and your understanding. Know that while I still love Lucrecia, I don't care for you any less or the same. You are two different people, and I will love you as who you are, and not who she was. It will be difficult, but please, I only ask that you stand by me and wait, I promise you I will not disappoint you. Would you like to do this? Would you like to be a part of my world Yuffie? I offer you nothing easy, but I offer you no falsehoods either. What you see is what you get, I cannot change who I am now, I can only be me."
"That's who I fell in love with." Yuffie said and smiled "It's who I'm in love with."
Vincent smiled again and Yuffie thought that if Vincent wasn't holding her, she'd just melt.
"Then Yuffie, will you be mine?" he asked
"Yes." bre breathed "Yes, I will Vinnie. I'd thought you'd never ask."
"For a brief second, I didn't think I would either." he said and bent down to kiss his new woman.

Merry Winter Celebrations!

Epilogue

The warm summer sun was beginning to take its toll on the Wutain tourists as they took the tours and took pictures and brought many usseless things. Small children were running around along the sidewalks, playing a game of tag. Old men were sitting outside of a small hut, playing a game of cards. Yuffie walked along the sidewalk, a bag in one hand, her other hand on her rather large belly.
"Honestly Vinnie, is this necessary?" she asked, trying to shrug off her husband's arm from around her shoulders, "I'm pregnant not crippled!"
"You should be in bed." Vincent snapped lightly "But since you're so stubborn, I decided to go along with you to the store. You shouldn't be walking around when in any time you could go into labor."
"Nag, nag, nag, why did I marry you again?" she asked
"You threatened to use me for target practice if I didn't ask?" he offered
Smartass. "Hush." she snapped "I did not do such a horrible thing.
Vincent said nothing, but she noticed the small smirk graced on his beautiful face.
It had been almost a year since Yuffie and Vincent finally tied the knot after a long, and rather heated, relationship bloomed during Winter Celebrations. Vincent wore his gift, a necklace with two silver guns for the charm, around with pride. Yuffie had gotten a beautiful turquoise bracelet from her lover that year and wore it ever since. The two had jumped in head first into their relationship, and it didn't take long for things to become rather intimate.
And then Yuffie announced that she was pregnant. That night, Vincent proposed to her and they were married weeks later.
Vincent and Yuffie were able to stay in Wutai and because Yuffie was nobility, she was granted her own small home, with two cats. She rather liked cats. Now, Yuffie was due any moment to have a child, a baby girl in fact, and Vincent didn't want her taking any chances. As it was, he was having a rather difficult time keeping up with a pregnant ninja, which annoyed him. So today, he went with her to the store. If she wanted to be stupid, she could do it with him around to protect her should she be hurt.
Things between them had changed drastically once they became an item. Vincent opened up a lot more, if only to Yuffie, and Yuffie confided in someone where she usually didn't. Because of this, they were very close, and Yuffie was the only person Vincent ever fully relaxed for. Anyone else got to see same old Vincent. At least until Yuffie started doing crazy things involving climbing up trees with a huge stomach, climbing stairs she knew she wasn't supposed to be climing, all those good things that she wasn't supposed to do she was doing, and it was driving Vincent crazy. He wished she'd hurry up and have the child so he wouldn't have to worry so much.
He got his wish. Yuffie suddenly doubled over, her face contorted in pain and her hands under her large stomach.
"I think...the bun is ready to come out of the oven." she said before Vincent lifted her into his arms and headed for the hospital.

Vincent and Yuffie Valentine had a beautiful baby girl of six pounds, eleven ounces. The girl had bright brown hair and it looked as if she would be blessed with her father's eyes. Yuffie named her Lucrecia Stashya Valentine.
"Why Lucrecia?" Vincent asked as he shifted his sleeping daughter in his arms. He had never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life. His daughter, his. He had never...felt such a sensation in his life. He hoped it never went away.
"It fit." Yuffie said weakly, childbirth taking out all of her energy "It just fit."


End.

AN:I finally finished this damned story! FINALLY! Almost a whole year of putting it off too. Well, I had to cut it short because it was getting rather long and it's supposed to be one shot, not a novel. Anyways, I hope you all like this story, it's somewhat of a prequel to Final Chance a Final Fantasy 7 story written by Sentora and myself, artwork done by the ever talented Agra. Well I hope you all like the story, and read Final Chance! Read it!