#I already knew who cloud and Reno were but I didn’t pay that much attention then I saw these on Pinterest and I was like. YOU 🫵

[valentimmy]

redraw

[turtleparadise]

[ ~ One ~ Two ~ Three ~ Four ~ Five ~ Six ~ Seven ~ ]

7. One Year Later

"They'll be here soon, Empress."

"I can't wait!" Yuffie jumped up and down, shaking flowers in the bouquet she was holding on to.

"It's been a long time," Vincent said out of nowhere, making his girlfriend jump into the air. She turned around and gave him an annoyed stare.

"Where have you been, all this time?"

"Searching for my true love," he grinned, lifting up her hand and kissing it delicately.

"Excellent save, sir," said one of their attendants, wiping dust off of Vincent's jacket. He waved them away, and they began dusting Yuffie's clothes instead.

"Does it count as a save if she's still annoyed?" Yamato asked in monotone, not looking up from the clipboard he was scribbling on.

"You know me so well," Yuffie laughed.

"Is everything alright, Yamato?" Vincent asked.

"He's just in a mood because we're not holding the party in Hana."

"I'm not 'in a mood'," Yamato said. "The Imperial City is a splendid place to hold any arrangement. Except..."

"You miss your kids," Yuffie pointed out.

"So, Vincent," Yamato said, trying to take the subject off of himself, "where were you, really?"

"Ah... Speaking with Godo."

"I'm so glad he likes you now," Yuffie said, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him in close.

"It took a long time," he nodded. "I remember how furious he had been, at first. What with you 'shaming the entire nation', as he put it."

"He's such a drama queen," she shook her head.

"You did create quite a stir," Yamato reminded her. It was the understatement of the year. "What with you jumping into his arms in front of an entire city. And all their cameras. And internet connections."

"Worth it," Yuffie said, kissing Vincent tenderly. "One hundred percent worth it."

"Well," Ayase cleared her throat, "the airship has landed, and they will be arriving by cab within minutes. Everything is in order for the special welcome. Places, everyone!" She and Yamato stood off to the sides in the garden square, while the attendants all ran off to take their places. Yuffie and Vincent stood in the center, staring up at the starry sky while waiting to greet their guests.

In no time at all, the cars all arrived, and their guests poured out: Cloud, Tifa, Reeve, and his "son" Cait Sith from one car, and Shera, Cid, Barret, and Marlene from another. They all greeted their two friends with smiles, hugs, and stories. And from a third...

"Yamato!"

"Kids!" Yamato broke protocol and ran toward a group of five, three young adults and two children, who piled on top of him and knocked him to the garden floor. He couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, look at you! Cid, Luneth, you're sprouting up like bamboo! How did you grow so much in a year? Oh... What a wonderful surprise."

"Cloud and Tifa insisted on paying our way," Hikari said, once they had let Yamato stand back up. "This is our first time out of the country."

"Hana is growing," Leon said. "You should come visit soon and see the sights."

"Sorry I'm late," Nanaki greeted, leaping over the archway and into the square. "It's been several years since I last ran through the fields of Wutai... I couldn't resist."

"Naturally," Yuffie winked. "Aren't they lovely?"

"Is that everyone?" Vincent asked, gazing around the small crowd.

"Not quite," Yuffie said, gesturing toward two more cars. From these stepped President Dawn, Mayor Bianca, Mayor Vaast, and several other community leaders from around the world. The Empress greeted them all with hugs - except for Vaast, who preferred handshakes.

"Well then," Ayase said, checking off items on her clipboard before giving the Empress her full attention. "With the exception of a few others, who've already called ahead late, we have liftoff."

"Everyone," Yuffie smiled, barely able to contain her excitement. "Welcome..."

She struck a pose, one arm in the air, fingers outstretched. As she spoke, cherry blossoms were thrown into the air, raining down gently around the guests. At the same time, far in the distance, fireworks leaped high into the sky and exploded into flowers of gorgeous, colorful fire.

"...to the Imperial City of Wutai!" The entire group applauded, keeping their eyes on the gorgeous light show that continued.

"All that, jus' to greet us?" Cid asked. "Coulda' saved a lotta money-OOF." Shera elbowed him in the ribs.

"Thank you, all of you," she said, bowing to Yamato and Ayase.

"Come in, come in!" Yuffie made frantic beckoning waves with the hand that wasn't looped around Vincent's arm. The two turned and headed farther into the garden, along a beautiful stone pathway that led to a splendid little palace. The giant double doors were left open, so they could easily see that the first floor was completely dedicated to the party in question. Many citizens from all over Wutai were dancing up a storm, playing games, or chatting amongst themselves. "This is gonna be FUN!"

\\\\\

"Yuffie...?"

"Terra!" Yuffie gave the young woman a hug. "Enjoying the party? Where's Hikari?"

"They went to get some drinks," Terra said. "I, er... asked them to."

"Vinnie, can you get me something, too?"

"Of course," Vincent said, bowing to the two before walking away.

"I... I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Terra said. "For getting mad at you last year."

"Don't apologize for your feelings," she said, shaking her head. "If you had yelled at me, or been rude, or something, I would accept your apology. But you didn't. Not that I remember, anyway." Terra simply shrugged at this. "Will you still be my friend?"

"Of course!"

"And... I'm guessing you feel a lot better these days? You definitely look happy with your arm around Hikari..." She nudged the young woman with her elbow.

"Yuffie!" Terra put her hands on her hips, blushing.

"Sorry, sorry," Yuffie laughed. "How long have you two been together?"

"Almost a year now. They asked me out after we danced together at that party. I said no."

"You did? Why?"

"Feelings," she shook her head. "But after a while I called them up and we gave it a shot. I was still kind of hoping I wouldn't like them, but... I had a wonderful time, and they were so great. So we kept seeing each other. Yuffie, I... I think I'm in love!" Yuffie screamed excitedly, jumping up and down and taking Terra with her.

"That's great! I'm so glad to hear it!"

\\\\\

"A water and a green tea, please."

"Right away, Mister Valentine!"

"Valentine?" Hikari looked up from where they were waiting for their drinks. "Vincent Valentine?" Vincent nodded.

"I knew you looked familiar... You probably don't remember me, though."

"Hikari Sakaguchi," Vincent recalled. "You're the young one who spoke out against the party crashers last year. I heard your speech was beautiful."

"I wouldn't call it a speech," they said, their cheeks rosy. "I, uh... I just spoke in the moment."

"Sometimes that's all it takes."

"I guess... Hey, uh... What is it like, being the boyfriend of the Empress?" Vincent shrugged.

"When you're in love, it's an amazing experience, whether they're royalty or penniless. Although... I will say, when I'm here, life is certainly strange. It's different... being around the people she grew up around."

"How did you... Um..." More blood rushing to their cheeks.

"We met on the mission to save the Planet."

"No, not that... Do you have any advice on how to say the 'L' word?"

"I... can't help you there. It was an accident."

"What?"

"Three waters and a green tea," one of the workers at the bar announced, sliding the drinks toward the two.

"Thank you so much," Hikari said with a smile.

"Thank you," Vincent bowed. With fresh drinks in hand, they made their way back to the girls.

"How was it an accident?"

"We had just had... a dangerous moment, let's leave it at that. And we took a while to catch our breaths. I sang a bit for her. She reached out to touch my cheek... And it just..."

"And it just came out," Yuffie was telling Terra; apparently the two young adults had asked the same question. "It was so cute, you would not believe it."

"What did you say?"

"Well, at first I was shocked... But then-"

"But then she kept saying it over and over," Vincent interjected, "because she couldn't stand that I had said it twice before she had said it once. Water?"

"I didn't say it that many times," Yuffie scowled, accepting the glass. "Thank you."

"We said it back and forth for a good minute, as if we were arguing," Vincent said. "And then when I went to-"

"They don't need to hear the rest!"

"...I was going to leave out the sensitive information."

"What sensitive information?" Terra asked, sipping on the water Hikari had brought her.

"We'll tell the rest of that story another time," Yuffie insisted. "When it's just us friends, and not half the country able to listen in."

"That's fair," Hikari nodded.

\\\\\

"So, what are the plans?" Yuffie asked. "Three of you guys are finishing school soon, right?"

"I'm joining the new space administration," Leon said. "I was one of the first to sign up! Would have been the first, if not for Cecil..."

"Friend of yours?"

"Something like that."

"I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time working with Cid and Shera. They'll take good care of you."

"I'm going to university," Hikari announced. "I've already signed up for an internship at Parliament. I'll probably only take food orders or something, but... It'll be a good opportunity."

"Planning on running for President when you get out of college?" Yuffie grinned. Hikari laughed.

"Right... Me, President... What a thought."

"I thought I told you not to sell yourself short."

"Yeah... I guess, you never know what could happen."

"I'm gonna be a Guardian," Terra said between gulps of soda. "I already got my papers. Apparently, I'll be apprenticing under Reno."

"Oh, Leviathan!" Yuffie grimaced. "Not Reno!"

"Yes, Reno." The red-haired man swung by the table and pulled up a chair - sitting backward - next to Terra.

"I still don't have an apprentice..." Rude remained standing behind him.

"When did you two get here?" Vincent asked.

"Heh. Did you miss us, senpai?" Reno winked.

"Senpai?" The young adults at the table all stared at Vincent.

"...It's a long story."

"So, little baby-Turk," Reno addressed Terra. "Are you ready for the workout of your life?"

"Not yet," she laughed nervously. "Let me write my will."

"It won't be that bad," Cloud said, coming up to the table to smack Reno on the back of his head. Tifa arrived with him, but resisted the urge to hit their red-haired friend. "We'll all be with you, every step of the way."

"Do you think I can get as strong as you?" Cloud shrugged at this.

"Anything is possible."

"I'm putting in for an internship at the Wind Plant," Luneth spoke up. "When I reach high school."

"Eww," Cid squinted. "You're supposed to have fun in high school." Luneth shrugged.

"Gotta have job experience to land a good career by the time we get married." Cid choked on his apple juice.

"We are TWELVE. Marriage should be the last thing on our minds."

"That's what I said." It was Marlene's girlfriend, who had been quiet most of the evening. Marlene gave her a sideways glance.

"Krile, you have to think about the future, even a little bit."

"And what kind of job experience are you aiming for?"

"Well... I was a bartender when I was four," Marlene said, nonchalant. Krile's eyes went wide for a moment, jaw dropped, before she suddenly started laughing at the top of her lungs.

"That's right... I forgot we were all born in Midgar."

"A different world, that's for sure," Cid said.

"I'm glad we're the last generation that had to be born in that hell-hole," Marlene sighed.

"Marlene!" Tifa scolded. "Language."

"Sorry, Aunt Tifa."

"You know it's true, though," Leon said. "Living in the slums was a nightmare. And Edge wasn't much better, before the collapse."

"That's why everyone loves you so much, Yuffie," Hikari said. "You gave us all a new home, built from a strong foundation. A clean home, with clean energy, where we can all live in peace and happiness."

"Well..." Yuffie blushed. "I helped a little."

"Now who's selling herself short?"

"You really are amazing, Yuffie," Terra said. "You're so talented and generous. You've been working so hard for the whole world."

"You're just feeding her ego at this point," Vincent said. Yuffie smacked him lightly.

"Quiet, you." He smiled and took her hand in his.

"I didn't say they had to stop. At any rate, I want to dance. How about you?"

"You want to dance?"

"It can be exhilarating."

"I'd better take him up on his offer," Yuffie said to the young ones. "It might not come around again." They all had a good laugh at this as Vincent led her to the dance floor. "So... What is it, love?"

"I just wanted to hold you," Vincent said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in close. "We've both been so busy that I haven't had any alone time with you all day."

"So needy," Yuffie shook her head, before kissing him softly.

"I'm the only one, huh?" Vincent scoffed. "Like you haven't called in sick so you could lie in bed with me all day."

"Yep, it's just you," she teased. "Thank you, though, really... I think it's incredibly cute."

"I love you like the arrival of Spring," he said, leaning his head against her brow. Standing, their heights were too different for him to comfortably rest his head on her shoulder, so that was his main alternative.

"I love you like footsteps on a wooden bridge."

"I love you like a building's shade on a hot day."

"I love you like the smell of a bakery."

"Mmm... That's a wonderful smell. I love you like seventy-five-percent-off groceries."

"Now that's a good one!"

\\\\\

"So, when're y'all thinkin' 'bout tyin' the knot?"

Yuffie spat out her wine when she heard the question from Cid Highwind.

"A bit soon for that, don't you think?"

"We've only been together for a year," Vincent agreed, using napkins to dab at the wine that had sprayed onto him.

"I just had ta' mess with ya," Cid chuckled. The eight friends were seated in a large booth surrounding a round table large enough for them, and then some. The party was winding down, and barely any of the guests remained. The children and young adults were all seated at another booth across the hall, chatting among themselves.

"How is everything going between you two?" Tifa asked.

"I'd say it's awesome," Yuffie grinned. "I couldn't ask for more. What about you?"

"I love it," Vincent said, his cheeks turning pink. "I love..." He stared at the table, where his hands rested, fingers intertwining and then separating over and over. "I love Yuffie."

"Tell us something we don't know," Tifa laughed.

"I love spending daily life with her... I love venturing into the places that are dear to her. I love listening to her speak passionately about things I don't care about..." He looked into Yuffie's eyes. "I love waking up to see your face."

"So that's the irresistible charm, eh?" Barret laughed while Yuffie practically mauled Vincent, covering him with kisses.

"Life has been about the same for me," Nanaki said. "Then again, I age much slower than the rest of you. I spend most of my time wandering the world, learning what I can from places besides the Canyon. But it is always nice to go back home... I believe I'll be staying there for the next few months. Any of you are welcome to visit if you'd like."

"That sounds like a great idea," Yuffie nodded, peeking up from where she was depleting her boyfriend's oxygen supply. "Me and Vinnie are running a world tour here in a few weeks. We could stop by on our way to Gongaga."

"World Tour?" Cid asked.

"Going to all the places we've done construction, seeing how everyone's doing. I'd also like to go to South Corel and Mideel to assess damages and see what all I can work with, since I haven't gotten around to that just yet."

"Always busy," Cloud smiled. "I'm proud of you two."

"Space Administration's startin' out great," Cid said. "We're plannin' our first launch six months from now. Y'all wanna come say 'hi', better do it 'fore I'm up on the moon!"

"We'll put it on our schedule," Cloud nodded.

"Life hasn't changed," Reeve said. "The WRO is nowhere near as active as it once was. I can relax with Cait in my new home."

"Just a few blocks from us and Barret," Tifa cheered.

"Does Cait go to school?" Yuffie asked.

"Hmm..." Reeve shrugged. "He hasn't mentioned wanting to go. I'll have to think about that. It may be... very strange."

"Life's the same for me," Barret shrugged. "I love these peaceful days. Not a care in the world, 'cept for raisin' Marlene right. But she's growin' so fast..."

"I've heard they tend to do that," Tifa said. "I'm still not quite ready for one of those, even though it's such a joy having children over."

"How are things for you guys?" Yuffie asked.

"Guardian work is very slow," Cloud said. "But I'm on salary, so I don't mind. Spend most of my time training with the other Guardians."

"I've started giving piano lessons on weekend mornings," Tifa announced. "I still play at theatres and clubs in the evening."

"And so life goes on," Nanaki said. "Sometimes... Sometimes, I awaken with this fear... That the old crises and battles have begun again."

"So do I," Barret said. The entire group nodded.

"I don't think that fear will ever leave us completely," Vincent said. "But I also don't think there's anything to worry about. The old evils are gone. The Planet is healthy. The Lifestream has been cleansed."

"Everything's going to be alright," Tifa said, and believed it. Yuffie nodded, raising her glass.

"I'll drink to everything being alright."

"To everything being alright!"

\\\\\

"And so another amazing adventure of Kisaragi and Valentine begins! Better get ready, Vinnie! With no one else around, I'm gonna annoy the daylights outta you."

"I want you to annoy me," he smiled. "I thought we talked about that."

"Oh... Oh gods... It's hot." She immediately launched herself onto Vincent's back.

"You didn't even try," he laughed, though he didn't mind in the slightest.

"You know, we haven't roughed it together in a long time. I'm gonna be dirty as all get-out. Are you ready for dirty-Yuffie, Vinnie? The Sights and Smells of Dirty Yuffie?"

"I can't wait." Blood rushed to her face, and she dropped her chin onto his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing..."

"Right... Hey, Vinnie, if we ever do get married, there are certain customs when dealing with the Imperial family, you know?"

"Tell me all about it."

"Well, as much as I'd love to be 'Yuffie Valentine', you're gonna have to take my name."

"Good."

"'Good'?" Yuffie couldn't help but laugh.

"Yuffie..." Vincent stopped walking for a moment, trying to stare up at her eyes, though she had to lean forward a bit. "The name 'Valentine' is just another withered remnant of the past I've left behind. When it's gone, I'll have nothing left of those old wounds but the painful memories that still come to me from time to time."

"Does that mean you've forgotten about... her?"

"I still remember..." He continued walking. "Sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks, I'll remember again. But for the most part, yes, she and all the rest of the pain are the farthest things from my mind."

"...Good."

"Don't be jealous of someone who's not even there."

"I'm not jealous!" She pounded her fists against his shoulders.

"Let yourself feel your feelings."

"Make up your mind!"

"What I'm trying to say is, I love you more than the tattered phantoms of my past. I love you more than the person I was when I buried myself in sleep for all those years. You have my heart. Leave all the rest of it in the past. Where it belongs."

"I love you, Vinnie," she sighed, burying her face in his shoulder. "You know what I've realized? We don't jump on each other as much anymore." Vincent paused to stare up at her again. "That's not what I mean! We're not... Like..." She grumbled.

"It's less often that we're desperately intimate," he offered.

"I like that... desperately intimate. Sounds nice."

"We've been together more than a year now. Granted, quite a bit of that time has been spent away from each other, but the result is still the same. Our brains release the 'love' chemicals less often. We don't feel the desperate need to touch each other every moment. At that point, love shifts into its next phase. The chemicals have done their job, and now it's up to the people in the relationship, working as a team, to keep it going."

"That's scary..."

"A little. But... We've done the work. We communicate openly, and don't hold each other to unreasonable expectations. We respect each others' boundaries, listen when the other says 'no'. We respect each other as individuals. I think we can handle it. And... the desperation may no longer be there, but we still want to touch each other."

"A LOT," Yuffie grinned, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Hey... But there are still times when I feel the... 'desperation'."

"Of course. The chemicals are still released, just not nearly as much. I think we'll always have those moments. The important thing is to continue to do the work. Together."

"No sweat."

"I love you like a train, travelling fast, creating a strong wind."

"I love you like the wind making trees dance."

"I love you like a cold breeze on a Summer day."

"Hey... Will you still love me when I'm old and withered and grey?"

"...How would I know?" Yuffie felt a dagger pierce her heart, and she lost her grip on him and fell backwards onto the grass. He turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Are you... alright?"

"Vinnie!" Yuffie grumbled as she sat up. "When your girlfriend asks you that, there's only one answer! 'Of course, I'll love you forever, you'll always be beautiful to me!'."

"That sounds unrealistic." Another dagger.

"Vinnie!"

"No one can predict the future. As much as I love you, something could happen... I mean, it seems highly unlikely at this point, but you never know..."

"You're just making me feel worse and worse..." Vincent sighed and knelt down, lifting her chin with his fingers.

"Yuffie... I love you now. I love you today. I'll love you a year from now, I'm willing to bet. Even two or three... Who knows how many years?"

"Urge to stab you, still rising."

"There's no telling what will happen... But... If I have my way, I'll love you longer than the rest of our lives, until the Planet is gone, until the stars themselves have gone out one by one, until time and life itself no longer exist. If I have my way, we will love each other forever."

"That's... better." Her cheeks were flushed again. "'If I have my way'... Beautiful... Yes, yes, much better." Vincent leaned in to kiss her. They brought their hands to brush against each other's cheeks ever so gently, and remained locked together for quite some time before he pulled away to continue.

"I love you, Yuffie Kisaragi. I love you more than any simile I could ever think of. No comparison could be enough. I love you. And I don't want to think about tomorrow."

"What do you want to think about?" She asked, grinning.

"I don't know... Nothing, at the moment."

"Good. Because the sun's going down, and I want those lungs. I wanna be 'desperately intimate'." He smiled at this and laced his fingers with hers.

"Show me how."

[ ~ One ~ Two ~ Three ~ Four ~ Five ~ Six ~ Seven ~ ]

[ And they lived, to some extent or another, happily ever after.

I want to thank anyone who reads this, once again. If you've read this entire story, it means a lot to me. Please feel free to tell me what you think, tell all your friends, etc. I don't know what I'm going to do with this blog now, if anything, but I have a few ideas... ]

[stingslikeabee]

cloudvii​:

Cloud isn’t looking at her as she speaks. This time, it isn’t fully intentional to be rude as the SOLDIER is holding on and paying attention to every word. It is both a habit of his to not look at people when in conversation with them as he’s never been big on eye contact as well as just taking in the inn. Reno was vague about what, exactly, he wanted Cloud to do down here. With Don Corneo gone, he just wanted to make sure that no other slip up’s happen again. What exactly what was Cloud didn’t really know. His time, at large, was spent by the side of the Vice President while the Turks were sent out on orders both from their mutual boss and the sitting President. Sure, he went out on SOLDIER missions too, but even Cloud has noticed there isn’t the same frequency as others in his rank. He accuses Lazard for this.

His eyes only wander back to her when a tone seems to shift, glowing mako meeting hers. At the mention of the Vice President, though - Cloud’s body language shifted a complete 180, revealing exactly what the nature of his fondness for the mention was. Nostrils flare, fingers tighten into fist, and heat is already visible rising from the collar of his uniform and crawling up his neck. If it was believed he disliked her before - that was nothing. He was glaring at her with venom and hostility with his imagination about the notion of being in the presence of someone else who has shared Rufus’s company. Is that why Reno sent him down here, just to piss him off? Or is this woman bluffing and just Reno’s little Igor? 

He growls in his venom, now pulling himself out of the chair he’d just sat in to create distance between himself at her. He doesn’t want to talk about this and wants the images of sex and sweat out of his head. It’s likely a bluff anyway - he needs to calm down.

“Find it pretty suspicious you toss out that client when the resting President’s known for finding your kind of company.” He snarls, focusing on that instead. It wasn’t as if SOLDIER worked close to the President or his son - that was the Turks and formally Sephiroth. The wording wasn’t an accident - she knew he worked close to him. Has she seen them traveling together on some trips down below here without having formally made each others acquaintance, or was this still tied into Reno? Maybe he’s paranoid, but that Turk is a sadistic fuck and he has no trust for Reno to not pull everything he could to get rid of him.

“That’s reason enough, if you ask me.”

Ah - so there was something between the vice-president and the SOLDIER, as Reno had told her; it frankly surprised Melissa, not because she didn’t trust the redhead as an information source, but more because... It was rather unexpected. During all her time as a honeygirl and then as madame - she had heard of and seen many Shinra-based affairs, including among the employees; she had been a party to some herself, a supporter of others, a matchmaker in even more situations - her roles had been varied, but a SOLDIER and Rufus? Now that was something she had never seen before.

Precious information, too - although hardly of any value for the Turks considering Reno had been the one who disclosed that to her.

“Mr. Strife, I am not sure I follow what you are implying,” her tone was still cordial, but with a hint of displeasure; she was playing coy, of course - she knew perfectly well what Cloud meant, but between the two of them, Melissa had much more experience with reading people, using the right bodily cues and manipulating others for information. Nothing in her posture - still relaxed as ever, save from her eyes which narrowed a bit - denounced any discomfort or the fact she believed herself at fault for anything. Rather the contrary - she had been pleasant and very collaborative.

“The President visiting the Honey Bee Inn is not something I can claim credit for - his ties to the establishment predate my ascension to the throne, so to say. He continues to do so because we offer unparalleled service, but I did not create these connections. Others - such as the VP and some of the high-ranking members of the board - those have been indeed fostered by myself because they came to me with a request and I am nothing if not dedicated to my clientele, regardless of their rank.”

She sipped her drink once more, moving only to grab the fruit - it was a small bowl of cherries, their scarlet color just perfect and lustrous. They looked delicious, and Melissa took her time biting one of them, her teeth separating the fruit from the stem while eyeing the SOLDIER that had grown so visibly agitated over the last minutes, “As I said - I am merely replying to your questions and I still have no idea why I am being questioned. Has something happened? Has the inn been involved in something that needs my attention or SOLDIER to step up and act?”