100 Fic Challenge.

Fandom: FFVII

Pairing: Vincent/Yuffie

Installments: 001-005

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001 : Beginnings

"Listen, I know you just got back from where ever it was you were," she shoves her hair behind her ear and continues to look at the ground, the sight of him still standing before her in her peripheral vision comforting enough, "and I know you probably want to get back to Shelke, but I just thought I'd say that now that everything's finished and we can kind of live our lives and stuff: I'm really glad that I got to spend time with you, and I'm almost kind of sad that it's over."

"Yuffie."

She doesn't look up, because she doesn't know what she wants to find. His voice is expressionless, as usual, but the moment she catches the light in his crimson eyes she knows she's doomed. "Yeah Vinnie?"

"It's not over."

Her eyes flicker up to meet his face, confusion written on her own. The light in his eyes does exactly as she predicted. Her heart leaps into her throat and she can't breathe for the life of her. Oh gawd, how is she going to live without him forever? "What do you mean, Vince? Omega has been sent back to the Lifestream, the planet is at peace. I..."

His human hand lifts and caresses her cheek, and a small, but still recognizable smile curves his lips. "It's not over, Yuffie."

002 : Middles

His eyes are shut tightly, and his mind is reeling. Over and over again Chaos is reminding him that he is a horrible, sinful man.

"Vinnie?" Yuffie's voice is gentle, concerned. "Are you okay?"

He takes in a shaky breath and prays she goes away on her own without him having to ask her. As a tremor of a feeling that lay so long dormant it was almost foreign shoots through his body, he wonders helplessly why it had to be today, of all days.

It wasn't like Yuffie didn't wear revealing clothes all the time.

And yet, on this day, Chaos chose to become interested in the toned, flat, abdomen of the ninja-princess, who was strutting around in her usual variation of a midriff-baring tank-top and a pair of unfathomably short shorts.

"Vince, you're freaking me out." He felt the would-be calming feel of the ninja's hands in his hair, stroking the unruly locks, trying to get a response from her tense friend.

"Yuffie," his voice is rough. "Don't stand so close to me."

He can almost feel her stiffen, but she doesn't move. He's sure everyone else in the room has taken a cautious step backwards in fear something had occurred to trigger a response in one of the four demons in his skull.

"Vinnie, what's wrong?" The fingers in his hair tighten a little, and he can feel Chaos rumbling, loving the proximity, and causing a reaction in himself. He vaguely blesses the fact that his cloak hides just about anything. She's moving even closer, drawing his head toward her in an awkward hug. He is sitting and she is standing, and they meet in the middle with Vincent's forehead planted against her rib cage.

The beast inside him, if he wasn't a demon, probably would have passed out in excitement at that very moment. Instead, his conviction becomes stronger.

Vincent trembles, hands suddenly gripping the ninja's hips. "Yuffie!" He tries feebly to make her leave, but contradictory to this; a force inside of him will not let his grip loosen. It doesn't seem to matter, as she doesn't try to escape anyway.

He can't control himself, although he fights it for all he's worth. Defeated, he lets Chaos have his way, trying not to admit his own sense of tingling pleasure as the demon takes over just enough to force the gunman's tongue to very sensuously draw a line from the ninja's navel up to the hem of her shirt; tasting the coveted flesh.

Yuffie's eyes are wide and she becomes very still. "Vinnie?"

He's panting when Chaos retreats again, and he cannot bear to look at her. Sin after sin is added to the list as the demon disappears almost entirely, enough for him to attempt to will away the arousal the situation has caused.

"Vincent?"

He curses himself, and wonders idly why on earth she hasn't run from him now that his fingers have released their tight hold on her. He wants nothing more than to get up and escape the whole ordeal, and yet, feeling her fingers in his hair, still caressing him, he knows he owes her an explanation.

"Chaos..." he began, awkwardly. "It seems he has developed a certain fixation for your exposed skin."

"Oh." She takes a minute to ponder, for once choosing her words carefully. "I'm... sorry, Vinnie."

His eyes snap to her face, and a bittersweet emotion fills him, for despite the little frown that mars her face, he revels in the feel of her hands holding his face, her thumb almost lovingly stroking the side of his face. He felt the guilt rise in him as he was once again reminded that it was not only Chaos who had reacted to her. Ashamed he looks away again. "Do not apologize, Yuffie. It is I who must, for I was weak, I allowed myself..." he scoffs and shakes his head.

An unexpected, yet familiar sound comes from the ninja. Her laughter causes him to look up and he sees the brilliant smile that has taken her face. "You're a man, Vince." He's sure he's gone red and is suddenly thankful that the rest of the group had taken off due to threat. "You can't help that you find my body seexxxxxyy." She wiggles her hips slightly, making him groan inwardly. She giggles, drawing her hands away from him and spinning away. "However, if it's making the beasties roar, I'll find a new way to exert my female prowess." She tosses a wink over her shoulder.

He sighs, sinking deep into his chair. "Thank you, Yuffie."

She laughs again: a manic cackle aimed to the ceiling. "Who would have thought? The harbinger of death is attracted to bare middles?"

003 : Ends

"Just the ends, Vincent, I promise." She's poised in front of him, a pair of scissors wielded threateningly in her hand.

"No, Yuffie."

She sighs, obviously frustrated with his refusal. "But you've got the worst split ends I've ever seen in my entire life!"

He blinks, but decides not to take it personally. "I don't trust you."

She roars in annoyance and slams the scissors down on the table beside her. "GAWD! You're such a wimp!"

He raises an eyebrow, looks off to the side for a moment and then sighs. "Just the ends."

She grins and swipes up the scissors again. "I promise."

004 : Inside

"Okay, so let me get this straight..."

They're sitting together in Tifa's living room. Vincent is sitting on the floor, one knee propped up with his back supported by the couch that the ninja perches in. His head is tilted back slightly, looking at her as she hovers over him, face twisted in concentration.

"Chaos is gone-zo, but Galian, Gigas and Hellmasker are still here?"

He nods.

"But you have control over them, right?"

He shrugs slightly. "Comparatively speaking, I have more control over them that I did Chaos, yes." He frowns slightly. "But I am still not safe, Yuffie."

She "Pssht"s loudly. "They won't hurt me."

He sighs and tilts his head back down, eyes staring but not seeing the movie on the television. "You don't know that, Yuffie," he says absently.

His eyes shift upward when he feels her chin on top of his head, and her arms circle his neck from behind. "I do know that, Vinnie."

He doesn't need to ask her to explain.

"I'm making myself a nice little home in your head, too, you see. You can't stop thinking about me. Soon I'll be just one of the gang, hanging out inside your skull."

His human hand lifts to hold one of hers, bringing it to his lips and kissing the palm lovingly. He couldn't bear it if she was ever hurt, and yet when he tells her to leave it is half-heartedly and full of reluctance.

When he instinctively acknowledges her wishes and tilts his head backward to catch her lips in an awkward upside-down kiss, he can't help but wonder if she might be right.

005 : Outside

"Come on, Vince! It's time you learned to enjoy the wonders of the great out-doors!" Yuffie pulled him along reluctantly behind her, her mittened hand grasping his gauntlet tightly.

"Just what do you have in mind, Yuffie?"

In a flash she rounded on him and pushed him backward, hooking her foot behind his knee to ensure he lost his balance. He fell flat on his back with a grunt.

"Snow angels!" she cried, falling backward into the snow beside him.

The gunslinger sighed, closing his eyes and attempting to sit up. He was stopped, however, by a displeased looking ninja, whose finger was stuck into his chest.

"Where do you think you're going?" She questioned, trying to shape her eyebrow into an elegant questioning arch like he could.

He pulled her hand away from his chest. "It is cold, and snowing, and I am getting wet lying here in the snow." When he saw her pout he suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "I don't even like the snow, Yuffie."

She sighed, annoyed. "Just lie down Vincent."

He refused.

"Just lie down already!" she cried, pushing back on his chest and leaning over him, pinning down his shoulders. She looked into surprised crimson eyes and shook her head. "This was so much cooler when I planned it in my head."

He arched an eyebrow, but the situation became much clearer as the ninja lunged at him, trapping his lips in a kiss. He didn't stop her or push her away, but in one swift movement he rolled her over, pressing her back into the snow and letting his tongue ravenously explore the warmth of her mouth.

When he finally pulled back to allow her breath, she gaped at him with wide eyes. "Wha..."

He simply nodded at the ground. "Now you're the one soaked."

006-010 next week.

Author's Note: Well, thanks to NaNoWriMo and the sequel to Convergence, I've been pretty swamped for the month of Novermber. Here's something to chew on while I sort through finishing Providence and getting it to the state of being postable.