#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

[feverinfeveroutfic]

chapter twenty-three: flight or fight

“Every couple that loves each other very much will fight at some point.” -my dad about 14 years ago

Sam kept the sheet of rice paper close to her as Cliff walked her across the street. Even with the closeness to the San Francisco Bay, she believed it would snow at any given moment from the heavy dark blanket of thick clouds over them; meanwhile, she held onto his hand with her free one. Every so often, she took a glimpse down at the paper and the rose scrawled in soft pencil. Even as a young guitarist, he could draw quite well, as if he had been doing it for years.

She thought about the recent drawings she had made, namely the ones she made for her first tier drawing class, and she struggled with shading with the graphite pencils. Alex filled it in even with a bit of the graphite and he was able to resemble to a genuine rose, complete with those pointed petals and a pair of fine little leaves. His penmanship was quite neat but still scratchy with the rush of an autograph.

“You with me?” Cliff called back to her as they reached the street corner. Sam lifted her head in time for the curb right before them, and they stood side by side. She kept the paper next to her chest. She wondered why Alex didn't mention the fan club given she had sent in those papers two months before and thus they could've had enough time to give her something as a member of their new club, but then again, he was in a hurry and he needed to be home.

No sooner had that thought crossed her mind when she recognized Alex himself right across the street, and with the yarmulke still upon his head as well. He stood at the curb as if he awaited a ride from someone, or the city bus back to his place. Cliff saw him as well, and even though they had no ride themselves, he waved at him to grab his attention.

“Hey, Alex!” he called after him, and his voice echoed over the pavement. “—Alex!”

But Alex kept on going towards the other side of the street, way out of earshot. He walked at a brisk pace past a small blue car parked at the curb. A little beige car rolled towards him the stoplight across the corner, and he almost broke into a run towards it. He stuck his guitar case into the back seat first and then he slipped into the actual seat itself.

“He probably didn't hear you,” she assured Cliff, and she tucked the rice paper into her coat pocket. As long as she didn't forget it was there. “Anyways, where are you taking me?”

The car up ahead drove way and Cliff turned his attention to her.

“Right over here,” he pointed up the block. “Alex running up there brought my attention to this restaurant here. I was willing to call them from a payphone but that little nondescript car right there at the curb beat me to it, though.”

He held onto the crown of his hat as he led her into the cozy restaurant. She spotted an elderly couple and a young woman nestled in a booth on the far side of the room: the woman resembled to Cliff from the look in her eyes. She pointed them out once they made their way over to them.

The bespectacled white haired man wrapped in a heavy sweater then stood to his feet and turned around, and showed Cliff a big beaming smile.

“Hey, Dad,” he greeted Ray Burton, who put his arms around Cliff.

“What a surprise!” he declared as part of his own greeting.

“I recognized Con's car at the curb,” Cliff explained as he stood back a bit, “and I wanted to come on in and show you what I brought.”

He turned his attention to Sam, and Ray gasped at the sight of her.

“Is this that little girl you were telling me and your mother about?” he asked his son in a broken voice.

“Darling Samantha from New York,” Cliff introduced her, and Sam held out her hand for him. “The art student who already has a bit of a reputation with us, Anthrax, and also Stormtroopers.” Ray put his hands on either side and then he brought her hand to his lips for a little kiss.

“A friend of Cliff's is a friend of ours,” he told her with a little twinkle in his eye. He then gestured for the two kids to join them at the table in the corner.

Connie had a lovely heart shaped face and her dark hair sat flat upon her head much like with her brother. She was a bass player herself but she hadn't the same confidence as him.

“I hope you can do something with it, though,” Sam assured her.

“Cliff is the true artist,” she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “There's something empowering about being his eyes and ears, though.”

Jan whispered something into Cliff's ear right then and he nodded in response, complete with a lopsided little smile on his face.

“Eyes and ears but not the whole dead body, though?” Sam joked as she held her water glass close to her lips.

“Not the whole dead body, exactly!”

“If the dead body starts playing an instrument, I'll be impressed,” Cliff retorted as he took a sip of his black tea.

“Like bass?” That brought a laugh out of Ray and Jan both. But Connie gasped and Cliff almost gagged on his cup of tea. Sam paused for a second. It was something meant to be innocuous but she had no idea that would bring the whole conversation to a grinding halt around her. She brought her hands to her mouth and she could feel her face growing hot.

“I'm so sorry, I didn't mean—”

But then Connie burst out laughing, albeit a nervous laugh. Ray reached across the table so as to touch her hand and Jan shook her head.

“Oh, no, it's okay, sweet heart,” she assured her. “We've learned to laugh at pain! It's brought us a world of good for the better part of ten years now.”

But every so often she looked over at Cliff, who showed her a look of disdain whenever he got the chance. And she knew she had to pay for that joke as it came in the form of a glass of sparkling apple cider spilled onto her jacket pocket. Frantic, she brushed off the cider with her napkin as she remembered that rice paper was inside of that pocket.

She bowed into the ladies' room to wash it off all the way with paper towels and a bit of cold water. She wadded the paper towel in her fist and then she took the paper out of her pocket and she held it up to the pale bathroom lights. Not a single blemish one, but the graphite on Alex's name began to fade, perhaps from being in her pocket for so long.

She had to better protect it as she tucked it away in her pocket for a little while longer.

Cliff was silent for the rest of the evening and their dinner with his parents and his sister. But it looked as though he had let it go given he never mentioned that joke one time, and in fact he offered to buy Sam a plate of cake for them to split after dinner. Ray and Jan both insisted on slices of cake for each of the three kids. Connie vowed to find something for Sam if not for Christmas then her birthday.

“Oh, shit, that's coming up here, isn't it?” Cliff asked her right then.

“My birthday? Yeah. The twenty first. I'm turning twenty one believe it or not.”

“Good thing we got the sparkling cider then!” Ray chuckled with a raise of his crystal glass.

By seven thirty, the Burtons let Sam and Cliff loose back on the street, where they spotted Ruben and Esmé's car posted by the venue. They flashed their head lights of them and they hurried up the street together. Sam had completely forgotten about the joke as they returned home to Reno: they had had dinner already but Esmé wanted them to at least try the new cake they had brought home with them from San Francisco.

Indeed, it would be a full ten days of treats and all manner of food courtesy of the parents, but Sam didn't mind in the least. She was on vacation with her boyfriend and in what better place than the area she grew up in: if she returned home with a few extra pounds, it was all worth it.

The day after Christmas, she showed him her old school near the north side of town. They sat inside of the back seat of the car as she pointed out all those old buildings and the old courtyard in the center of it all.

“The onslaught of memories right now,” Esmé remarked at one point.

“There's just so many,” Sam agreed with her as they reached the far corner outside of the campus. “Almost too many memories to think about!”

A couple of days later, the four of them made another day trip over the mountains to the Bay Area, but that time it was for the first of Metallica's shows before the new year. Sam noticed the waist of her jeans and the bottom of her long sleeved shirt both fitting her a little bit more snugly than before, but at the rest stop in the mountains, she walked along the wet pavement towards Cliff with a bit of a sashay to her step, and he returned the favor with a wink and a mischievous little smile.

She also noticed Lars and Kirk both looking at her more than usual as well before the show after he had whisked the four of them backstage. Ruben made a joke about how they had the best seats in the house but it was confirmed. Given the whole set stood wide open under a series of lights, they found they sat right next to the stage with a full view of James' long blond hair as it sprawled down his shoulders; of Kirk and his long black curls in the vein of the tentacles of an octopus; of Lars and his wild jerky movements all around his drum kit; and of Cliff himself as he towered on one side of the stage, complete with those big bell bottoms over his boots. They plowed forth with the vast wall of noise, but Sam noticed something different about them.

Maybe it was the size of the stage, or maybe it was the lack of glances to each other, but they seemed a little more distant from each other in comparison to Legacy, Anthrax, and the Cherry Suicides.

She began to wonder if everything Cliff had told her about him and Lars started to ring true as he hardly looked over at the big drum kit for the entire show.

They only played a small set, but it was enough to for her to start thinking about their tour with Anthrax in a few months. The stagehands waved him off and he caught up with Sam and her parents right there. The four of them ducked out to the backstage area and ultimately, the back door.

“Cliff, that was incredible!” Esmé declared over the roar of the crowd, but then again, it might have been the leftover whirring from all the noise within Sam's ears that made her think the crowd was still going.

“I definitely wanna see you guys again,” Ruben agreed as he pushed open the door.

“Wait, don't you all wanna come along backstage and meet everybody?” Cliff asked them.

“That's so lovely of you, but it looked like it was gonna snow, though,” Esmé replied.

“Yeah, I'm sure you know how that road gets when it snows,” Ruben added, and he held the door ajar enough to let in a sliver of a street light to the otherwise dark spot. “I mean, we've got chains once we get back into Nevada—”

“Oh, absolutely! I'll just tell the three of them that we're going, though.” Cliff then hurried back to the dressing room to do just that and also to fetch his hat. Meanwhile, Ruben held the door for Esmé and Sam. The snow was upon them as they piled into the car there at the curb together: Sam shivered and rubbed her arms, even though she had on her jacket. That piece of rice paper still in her pocket.

“Yeah, we better get a move on,” Ruben declared as he took a glimpse in the side mirror. “Is that him?”

“If he's got a hat on, I would think so,” Sam told him. The door next to her swung open and Cliff slid into the back seat with that hat upon his head. Without another word, they drove away from there and headed on over the freeway. A four drive and the clouds over them menaced with that orange glow of snow.

“We're doing another show on New Year's Eve,” he told them at one point. “But Sam's leaving tomorrow, though.”

“Yeah, I am,” she replied as she huddled closer to him there in the back seat.

The four of them were silent for a little while longer, at least until they reached the top of the mountain summit and the snow still hadn't begun yet. Ruben said something and Esmé chuckled at it. Cliff then turned his attention back to Sam.

“Stay with me,” he begged her in a hushed voice. “Please stay with me.”

“But my life is in New York!” she said: it was a bit difficult given her ears still whirred from the noise of the show and whirred even more from the noise of the road, but she managed to keep her voice down low.

“But I want you with me, though,” he insisted. “Please. Sam, please, stay with me.”

“You'll have to come to New York then,” she pointed out.

“I don't really want to, though—as much as I love it over there and as close as it is to me.”

“But you can do it, though,” she insisted. “You can move across country.”

“I'd think it's hard, though,” he resisted.

“It is, like it take a bit of adjusting, but it also isn't, though. You get acquainted with the weather changes and the three hour time difference pretty quick if you let it.”

“But I can't really leave the Bay Area, though. This is my home, and you hailing from California, it'd be like a home coming of sorts.”

“Going to New York was a home coming of sorts,” she continued, stubborn.

“Well, I don't know if I can keep doing this long distance thing,” he confessed.

“Why?” She frowned at that.

“Because it's long distance,” he explained. “I want to be closer to you.”

“We can work it out, though,” she consoled him.

“But how can we work it out is what I'm asking. Neither of us are willing to leave our homes for each other. I think that's fucked up.”

“It is fucked up. But it's the truth about the both of us, though.”

They both fell back into silence as Ruben and Esmé chatted about something in the front seat before them. Her parents had lasted that long and yet they still spoke to one another as if they were the only best friends they ever needed in life. They were the only best friends they ever needed in life.

She glanced over at Cliff and she had no idea what she was doing wrong right then.

It was a four hour drive but they managed to make it back home to Reno in time before the next snowstorm from the lake slammed into the area. A black sky and a gust of snow riddled wind later, and Sam and Cliff returned to her old bedroom for one last night before she returned home to New York City alone. Sam set down her purse and she draped her coat over the back of the chair. She began changing her clothes when Cliff took a seat on his side of the bed. It was going to be a long distance thing and she had no idea if it would last given the entirety of the distance. She hesitated for a second and she watched him take off his boots and his bell bottoms.

“I also don't know how our parents would react to one of us having a spouse from either coast, either,” he confessed in order to break the silence.

“What do you mean? I thought your parents liked me.”

“They do. It's just—” He hesitated as she slipped on her pajama bottoms.

“What?”

“I don't know if they like your sense of humor, though,” he replied in a small voice.

“What—What you still thinking about that?” she demanded.

“Yes,” he answered, nonchalant.

“I was just making a joke, though!” she declared. “I even apologized to your dad and he told me it was fine. Connie even took it in stride!”

“Yeah, it might be fine by my parents and my sister, but that doesn't mean I'm fine with it.”

“Cliff, I was trying to have a laugh at that!” she said, heated. “I figure that, since it's winter time, it's a good time to laugh at things that make you feel otherwise somber. And your family is willing to remember Scott in a fond light, too. You're making a huge deal out of something that can probably help you.”

“Yeah, but sometimes it can be in poor taste, though,” he pointed out. “And hey, at least I didn't let my dark sense of humor out of the bag at the worst possible time over Christmas dinner.”

“Oh, my god, will you let that go already?” She was scorn. “I apologized to Connie and she told me it was funny. But I didn't know it would hit a nerve like this.”

“Oh, come on, you know how difficult it is for us to talk about Scott's death,” he retorted.

“No, I didn't?” She had to stifle a chuckle at the sound of that. “Also—us? It's just you, Cliff!”

“And it's not funny!” he exclaimed.

“I wasn't laughing right then? Hey, you know what? I'm not the one who laughed like a maniac when I got that wine on my blouse and I was freaking out it soaked through my coat, onto that little piece of rice paper that Alex gave me.”

“Yeah, but I'm not the one who pulled that kind of petty tasteless shit in front of your parents, though, Samantha,” he jeered. “Petty, tasteless shit when the wound is still raw.”

“Yeah, well, I'm not the one who lied about going on tour with Anthrax, Cliff!” she spat, and then she stopped herself. That took him aback at first, and then he frowned at that.

“Wait, how'd you know they were coming with us?” he demanded.

“Joey told me,” she blurted out.

“Joey told you? When did he tell you?”

“Last month. We had coffee together and he told me that you guys were going on tour with them. What I want to know is why didn't you tell me you were going tour with them?”

“Because we had no idea if they actually were, Sam!” he insisted. “And that shit's confidential, too, I'm sure you know about that.”

“Well, of course but—”

“But what?”

“But you still lied to me about it, though,” she continued on. “You could've at least told me about it and then maybe I could work something out with my classes.”

Cliff kept the frown firmly plastered across the face, and he tilted his head to the side a bit.

“Wait a minute,” he started in a low voice. “Are you seeing Joey behind my back?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” she argued.

“You met up with Joey for a cup of coffee,” he recalled, “are you seeing him behind my back?”

“No! Why would I do that?”

“Because he's a New Yorker! That's why you don't want to leave New York, isn't it?”

“No—Cliff, what the hell, no!” she stammered. “I told you clearly that I'm not leaving New York because I have school and I went there for a reason. It has nothing to do with you or Joey. And now, let me ask you something.”

“Surprise me,” he commanded with his arms folded across his chest.

“It's perfectly okay for you to lie to me but not for me to do it to you, too?” she demanded in a single breath and with her hands pressed onto her hips. Cliff nibbled on his bottom lip and he watched her with a stern look on his face. She had him right there.

“It's okay for you to lie to me and slack away, but it's not okay for me to do it back to you?” she repeated.

He never replied. Without another word, she rolled her eyes and she crawled into bed next to him. She reached up and switched off the lamp on the nightstand, and the room engulfed with tense darkness.

“Your lies are not comparable to mine,” he pointed out in a low voice. Sam rolled over onto her back and she glared up at his dark silhouette, still upright before the headboard of the bed.

“When have I ever lied to you?” she demanded to him.

“No, I'm not talking about you,” he clarified, “talking about my own lies.”

“What the hell does that even mean? When have you lied to me about something so serious that it can compromise our relationship? Besides the fact that you don't trust me?”

“It means—it means—” He could hardly speak, and Sam rolled her eyes again and she turned back onto her side. She sighed through her nose and closed her eyes. She didn't hear Cliff's answer and she didn't care, either.

She especially didn't move a muscle when he touched her hip and whispered, “you're getting soft. I like it.” right into her ear.

She fell asleep and she awoke the next morning ready for the return to New York.

She didn't even give Cliff a good morning kiss or anything of that nature upon her waking. Ruben offered to drive Cliff back home to the Bay Area given the snow had melted away enough to make that drive solo; Sam took to the back seat with her arms folded across her chest. Every so often, Ruben peered into the rear view mirror and he knitted his eyebrows at her. When they reached the airport and climbed out the cold crisp snowy morning, he turned to her with a concerned look on his face.

“Is everything okay?” he asked her in a low voice.

“We got in a big fight last night,” she replied right into his face. “He's lied to me about some things and I don't know if he trusts me. Like he basically admitted to me that he doesn't trust me.”

“Well, honey—every relationship has its speed bumps from time to time,” Ruben explained, “like your mom and I have had our share of arguments when we first got together. But after a while, you learn from each other's mistakes. I can hope that Cliff learns his lesson and he can learn to give you what you want. My best advice is to convince him to trust you. Keep showing yourself to him. Show him how you feel when you get the chance.”

Sam swallowed and then she nodded her head in response to that. Ruben put his arms around her and she lay her head against his chest for a minute, but it felt like a blink of an eye. They followed Cliff into the airport, towards her gate near the far end of the shiny white corridor. Ruben gave her one last embrace before he let her go back home to New York.

She picked up her things and she strode past Cliff towards the gate.

“Sam!” he called after her, and she turned to him with a stone cold expression on her face.

“Will you at least come back here to visit before we head out on tour with Anthrax?” he asked her.

“I'll come back when I feel like it,” she scoffed at him as Ruben's words remained firmly in mind, and she turned away from him.

“Will you come to any of the shows this spring?” he called after her. She stopped right in her tracks. She had promised Joey that she would for them at the Northeastern dates, but after the night before, she had no idea if she was willing to do it for Metallica.

“I don't know. We'll see.” Without another word, and without a kiss goodbye, Sam wheeled around and she headed on down the gateway to the plane, which at that moment felt as though it awaited her. She took her seat next to the window, once more behind first class. She folded her arms across her chest and sighed through her nose.

The first flurries of snow floated down from the gray sky overhead. Cliff was still in there and although she knew he couldn't see her, she couldn't help but feel that he could see her. Sam sighed through her nose as she kept on thinking about what her father told her. He needed to know the truth. He deserved the truth.

The one question that hung over her head was could she even tell him the truth once she landed back in New York.

[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?”