HOME | DD

Description
Chapter Eight: Redux
Secret

Outside the 7th Heaven…

Vincent was getting ready to leave, when a voice from behind stopped him.
“Vinnie!” Yuffie came running out of the door, her face beaming.
“Yuffie.”
“I-I just wanted to say…” her voice trailed off and she looked down to the side, blushing.
“…”
“I’m…glad…that you’re okay.” She said, a little hesitantly. That wasn’t exactly what she wanted to say.
“…Yuffie…” he said walking towards her. She just leapt to embrace him, but he stopped her, grabbing her by the arms to keep her back. She looked back up at him, his expression was calm and barely betrayed the fact that he was feeling pain.
“Vinnie?”
“Try not to knock the wind out of me this time.” He said softly releasing her arms, faking yet another smirk to seem normal. She grinned at his sense of humor, something she hardly ever did, and gently wrapped her arms around him. He wrapped his own arms around her, wondering why she was attaching herself to him like this lately.
“Tell me, Yuffie,”
“Yes?”
“What’s with all the affection lately?” Her eyes widened and she blushed then let go of him and looked down to the side in embarrassment.
“You don’t have to be nervous.” He turned to look up at the waning moon that had just begun to rise. He suddenly felt a painful pulse sweep through him, nearly bringing him to his knees. His normal hand wanted to come up to clutch at his racing heart, but he checked himself and instead brought it up to his mouth, turning his painful grunt into a fit of coughs. But that motion rather backfired. Blood came up with each cough and he felt his wounds reopening from the harsh motion.
“Vinnie?!” Yuffie’s attention snapped back up to the ailing gunman who was now doubled over in a fit of rib-racking coughs. She rested her hand on his chest and around his broad shoulders for support as she helped him to the ground.
“Vinnie…”
The coughing eased to a stop, leaving poor Vincent bleeding, lightheaded and gasping for breath. He was eventually able to pull himself back together and collect his thoughts, reestablishing his usual composure.
“Vinnie..?” Yuffie repeated uncertainly.
He got up and dusted himself of as if he’d only fallen and turned to leave. She had removed her hands and was now inspecting them with horrified eyes.
‘Oh no…’
Yuffie was gazing up at him with worry and confusion in her stormy grey eyes.
“B-blood..? Vinnie, what-?!” she looked up at him again, with fear added to her expression.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” He said looking back at her.
“Don’t worry about it? Don’t worry about it?! Vinnie, how can you say ‘it’s nothing’ after what I just saw?!”
“Yuffie, I’m telling you, it’s nothing.” He said as calmly as he could.
“And I’m telling you that you’re hiding something!”
“I can assure you that I’m not hiding anything.” He said, trying to make his voice firm without sounding angry.
“Oh yeah?” she said crossing her arms. “Turn around.”
“Yuffie, you’re wasting your time.”  He said remaining with his back to her. He didn’t realize that she had come up behind him to force him around until he felt her hand clamp onto his shoulder and shove him roughly about to face her. He was shocked, to say the least, that she was so daring and he watched her with incredulity in his eyes as she inspected him with disbelief. She suddenly stepped back and glared at him furiously, balling her fists up at her sides.
“You lied to us!!” she cried angrily, glaring at his blood soaked shirt.
“Yuffie…” He couldn’t meet her furious gaze now. She had caught him in a lie and now would be demanding an explanation. And he’d get only two choices: he could tell her and like it or he could tell her and not like it. Either way, she was getting the truth.
He sighed in defeat and frustration, running his hand through his hair. He was tired and hurt and, despite how childish to him it seemed, he just wanted to go home.
“Fine. Come with me.” He said taking her by the wrist.
‘Dammit.’ He couldn’t hide anymore. He couldn’t lie to her again. He took her aside into a nearby alley and collapsed, leaning against a wall, the effort of concealing his ailing condition finally taking its toll on him.
This was more than Yuffie could bear. She had to look away to prevent tears from spilling down her face. She blinked them away as Vincent regained his own composure, leaning his back against the wall with his eyes closed in concentration.
“How long were you planning on keeping this from us?” Yuffie asked quietly. Vincent opened his eyes and sighed, pushing himself off the wall to stand in front of her.
“Only as long as I needed to.”
“And how long is that?” she glared at him again.
‘Please don’t look at me like that…’ “As long as it would take me to find a way to change back.”
There was silence between them, and Vincent, realizing that Yuffie wasn’t going to break it, sighed and brought his hand up to his forehead, his other hand on his hip.
“Yuffie…before I explain…I want you to promise, promise, that you will not let the others know about this.” He said, willing her to realize how important secrecy was right now. There was a desperate light in his eyes, but she wasn’t looking at him and thus took no notice. She blinked, trying to stop the tears from showing as she thought about what he had just asked of her.
It troubled her that she would have to lie to everyone to conceal the fact that Vincent, their dear friend and comrade, was hurt; to act like everything was great while the man she cared about most was secretly suffering.  It broke her heart just thinking about it, but at the moment she felt that she had no choice. She felt trapped and she finally broke out into silent tears, making the stoic gunman feel all the more guilty. She sobbed and nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“I promise..!” she said. Vincent sighed and hesitantly reached out to embrace the young ninja, thinking that was perhaps the last thing she wanted. But when he had her securely in his grasp, she melted into the embrace, burying her tearstained face into his chest.
“Yuffie…I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am for this…” The young ninja slowly brought her hands up to clutch at his shirt, sobbing silently into the fabric.

Description
Chapter Eight: Redux
Secret

Outside the 7th Heaven…

Vincent was getting ready to leave, when a voice from behind stopped him.
“Vinnie!” Yuffie came running out of the door, her face beaming.
“Yuffie.”
“I-I just wanted to say…” her voice trailed off and she looked down to the side, blushing.
“…”
“I’m…glad…that you’re okay.” She said, a little hesitantly. That wasn’t exactly what she wanted to say.
“…Yuffie…” he said walking towards her. She just leapt to embrace him, but he stopped her, grabbing her by the arms to keep her back. She looked back up at him, his expression was calm and barely betrayed the fact that he was feeling pain.
“Vinnie?”
“Try not to knock the wind out of me this time.” He said softly releasing her arms, faking yet another smirk to seem normal. She grinned at his sense of humor, something she hardly ever did, and gently wrapped her arms around him. He wrapped his own arms around her, wondering why she was attaching herself to him like this lately.
“Tell me, Yuffie,”
“Yes?”
“What’s with all the affection lately?” Her eyes widened and she blushed then let go of him and looked down to the side in embarrassment.
“You don’t have to be nervous.” He turned to look up at the waning moon that had just begun to rise. He suddenly felt a painful pulse sweep through him, nearly bringing him to his knees. His normal hand wanted to come up to clutch at his racing heart, but he checked himself and instead brought it up to his mouth, turning his painful grunt into a fit of coughs. But that motion rather backfired. Blood came up with each cough and he felt his wounds reopening from the harsh motion.
“Vinnie?!” Yuffie’s attention snapped back up to the ailing gunman who was now doubled over in a fit of rib-racking coughs. She rested her hand on his chest and around his broad shoulders for support as she helped him to the ground.
“Vinnie…”
The coughing eased to a stop, leaving poor Vincent bleeding, lightheaded and gasping for breath. He was eventually able to pull himself back together and collect his thoughts, reestablishing his usual composure.
“Vinnie..?” Yuffie repeated uncertainly.
He got up and dusted himself of as if he’d only fallen and turned to leave. She had removed her hands and was now inspecting them with horrified eyes.
‘Oh no…’
Yuffie was gazing up at him with worry and confusion in her stormy grey eyes.
“B-blood..? Vinnie, what-?!” she looked up at him again, with fear added to her expression.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” He said looking back at her.
“Don’t worry about it? Don’t worry about it?! Vinnie, how can you say ‘it’s nothing’ after what I just saw?!”
“Yuffie, I’m telling you, it’s nothing.” He said as calmly as he could.
“And I’m telling you that you’re hiding something!”
“I can assure you that I’m not hiding anything.” He said, trying to make his voice firm without sounding angry.
“Oh yeah?” she said crossing her arms. “Turn around.”
“Yuffie, you’re wasting your time.”  He said remaining with his back to her. He didn’t realize that she had come up behind him to force him around until he felt her hand clamp onto his shoulder and shove him roughly about to face her. He was shocked, to say the least, that she was so daring and he watched her with incredulity in his eyes as she inspected him with disbelief. She suddenly stepped back and glared at him furiously, balling her fists up at her sides.
“You lied to us!!” she cried angrily, glaring at his blood soaked shirt.
“Yuffie…” He couldn’t meet her furious gaze now. She had caught him in a lie and now would be demanding an explanation. And he’d get only two choices: he could tell her and like it or he could tell her and not like it. Either way, she was getting the truth.
He sighed in defeat and frustration, running his hand through his hair. He was tired and hurt and, despite how childish to him it seemed, he just wanted to go home.
“Fine. Come with me.” He said taking her by the wrist.
‘Dammit.’ He couldn’t hide anymore. He couldn’t lie to her again. He took her aside into a nearby alley and collapsed, leaning against a wall, the effort of concealing his ailing condition finally taking its toll on him.
This was more than Yuffie could bear. She had to look away to prevent tears from spilling down her face. She blinked them away as Vincent regained his own composure, leaning his back against the wall with his eyes closed in concentration.
“How long were you planning on keeping this from us?” Yuffie asked quietly. Vincent opened his eyes and sighed, pushing himself off the wall to stand in front of her.
“Only as long as I needed to.”
“And how long is that?” she glared at him again.
‘Please don’t look at me like that…’ “As long as it would take me to find a way to change back.”
There was silence between them, and Vincent, realizing that Yuffie wasn’t going to break it, sighed and brought his hand up to his forehead, his other hand on his hip.
“Yuffie…before I explain…I want you to promise, promise, that you will not let the others know about this.” He said, willing her to realize how important secrecy was right now. There was a desperate light in his eyes, but she wasn’t looking at him and thus took no notice. She blinked, trying to stop the tears from showing as she thought about what he had just asked of her.
It troubled her that she would have to lie to everyone to conceal the fact that Vincent, their dear friend and comrade, was hurt; to act like everything was great while the man she cared about most was secretly suffering.  It broke her heart just thinking about it, but at the moment she felt that she had no choice. She felt trapped and she finally broke out into silent tears, making the stoic gunman feel all the more guilty. She sobbed and nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“I promise..!” she said. Vincent sighed and hesitantly reached out to embrace the young ninja, thinking that was perhaps the last thing she wanted. But when he had her securely in his grasp, she melted into the embrace, burying her tearstained face into his chest.
“Yuffie…I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am for this…” The young ninja slowly brought her hands up to clutch at his shirt, sobbing silently into the fabric.