AN: I...really have no excuse in why this chapter is coming so late... lol. Although a lot of things have happened, I'm not going to use them as a reason for my absence in this place. I'm terrible sorry for the hiatus, but at least I am here with a new chapter, right? Right? :P

Anyway, here is the fifth chapter!

Nightmares come in all shapes and sizes

A flash of lightning, instant and bright, followed by the sound of thunder clashed and echoed throughout the dark room. The sudden noise had Yuffie almost jumping from her spot off the bed, her mind screaming Chaos!

The hand that splayed across her bare stomach tightened and gripped her waist. She was pulled against something warm and hard.

"Relax, it's just a thunderstorm."

The familiar voice of Vincent drifted to her ears and she craned her neck to see that he had his eyes closed. A look of peace etched into his features. Every part of her that touched his skin burned, and she felt very feminine next to his large body.

True to his word, she began to hear the rain pelt against the outside walls of the mansion, nature's sound of relaxation. Since she has been here, Nibelheim had always been quiet, save for the unexpected visit from the creepy demon. The thought of there being any type of weather escaped her. It was almost...normal.

"Listening to the rain somehow makes being here a whole lot more bearable," Yuffie said, idly interlocking her fingers with his. "It rained a lot back home, so maybe that's why..."

Vincent curled his fingers against her hand and remained silent. Yuffie smiled. It was strange, she mused, how sex really did change things between two people. Here she was, laying against a man she didn't love or trust, but it still felt right, like she belonged right there next to him.

"I'm actually not from Nibelheim," Yuffie continued on despite his silence. "Wutai is my homeland, but after..." She sighed and frowned. "But after the death of my father, I left the country."

Vincent made a noise in the back of his throat. "What about your mother?"

"Why is this Nibelheim so different from the one that I know?" Yuffie's dismissal of his question took it as a sign to drop that subject.

"Chaos' magic makes Nibelheim this way," Vincent said, taking note of the differences of their skin tones; his pale white, hers light olive. "The trees, grass, the sky. It's because his mere presence kills all life here. Which is convenient for me, for obvious reasons."

"So those creepy dark clouds...?" Yuffie questioned.

"Chaos," he confirmed.

Yuffie thought about that for a moment. "But what if...what if Chaos were to leave Nibelheim? Could you survive?" She did not like that thought at all.

Vincent frowned. "Not exactly, no."

Yuffie squirmed against him. "Does he know this?"

"He knows, but it doesn't matter either way," he said, watching her under his dark lashes. "I bound him here."

"You...trapped him in Nibelheim?" Yuffie's brows were furrowed in thought. "No wonder he is so pissed off at you," she joked. "Did you have sex with him, too?"

Vincent nodded, his eyes unblinking. "I did."

Yuffie gasped, pushing herself back from him. "What?!"

"Kidding."

"You really need to work on your jokes," she told him. "That is totally gross."

The rest of their pillow talk consisted mostly of her asking little questions about him and his life before he changed. She came to find out that his favorite color was actually green and not red as she suspected. He loved reading, no surprise there, and he had a taste for dark wines.

He never knew his mother, and he had a strained relationship with his father. Yuffie could relate to that easily. Her mother, Kasumi, had died when she was very young, so she couldn't remember much about her except from various stories she had been told about her. Her own father had been a pain in the ass and unbearable to be around ever since.

Yuffie was skirting around a bigger issue, and now was a time as good as any to get to the bottom of it.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend? A wife?"

It was the question that plagued her mind ever since she realized that he had been human once before. Perhaps she could have worded it a bit more delicately considering his past, but unfortunately her curiosity did not have a filter.

And just like that, Vincent closed up. She could see it happen in his eyes. The wall that she tried to tear down was back between them again. Yuffie cursed herself for being too nosy. From his reaction, she could deduce that he did, in fact, have someone, and that he left her behind. Or perhaps she was the one that left him.

Yuffie sighed. Perhaps it was just too soon for this kind of conversation. "It's alright. I'm sorry for being so nosy."

From the corner of her vision, Yuffie could see Vincent staring intensely at her, like his eyes picked her apart, piece by piece. Why he always did that, she didn't have a clue. It felt as if he was trying to see what laid beyond her skin and into the deep recess of her soul. The feeling of being so exposed under his gaze was a bit overwhelming to say the least.

Why did he constantly look at her like that?

"I wasn't married," he said suddenly. Then she saw the passing of a smile on his face. "But there was someone. I still remember the moment I met her."

Of course there would be someone, she mentally sighed, how could there not be? Vincent was crazy attractive, and it would take a blind, deaf and dumb person to not notice it.

"What was she like?" Yuffie found herself asking.

It took Vincent a couple of long moments to reply. "She was...odd," he said. "She did and said things I thought were out of this world."

"Was she human?"

"To this day, I'm not really sure."

Yuffie could tell that he was choosing his words carefully. She wondered why that was. Was Vincent simply sparing her feelings?

"Did you love her?"

"What do you think?"

"That's a weird question to ask me, and how would I know?" Yuffie said. "And don't try to word your way around it. I honestly want to know."

"Yes," he admitted. "I did love her. I still do."

Yuffie steadied her breathing, trying not to react too much. Okay, ithat/i hurt. She wasn't expecting the blow to her pride, which confused her. She wasn't sure if her feelings were the one being bruised, or if she was carrying a sadness for Vincent for missing his chance at a normal happiness.

She supposed it was both.

"I'm sorry." And she was.

"It was a very long time ago," he said.

"But still," Yuffie murmured. "How do you do this?"

"Do what?"

"Be...this, a vampire."

"I don't really have a choice."

When Yuffie heard those words, emotions crashed inside her chest. Her eyes stung, her heart tightened and without another word, she turned and buried her face in the crook of Vincent's neck. She felt his arms come around her and for a moment, Yuffie allowed herself to sink deep into his embrace. It was dangerous, being this close to him, becoming so emotionally attached to something she knew wouldn't last.

If only she could see the nightmare that was about to come, perhaps she would have been able to emotionally prepare herself for the disaster.

"Gold Saucer?" Yuffie was confused. "What's that?"

"It's an amusement park!" Aerith cheered. "And we're going to have fun!"

Aerith surprised her with a visit, bringing another man with her. But when Aerith informed her that it was actually Zack, Yuffie gawked.

Before, Zack was in his were form, but now, Yuffie noticed the closeness between the two. She also noticed that they were both completely clueless to the other's obvious feelings they had for each other. Yuffie felt like groaning at the simple observation. They were oblivious, and yet it only took Yuffie all of five minutes of meeting them a second time to see it.

This is like Cloud and Tifa all over again.

As soon as they were ready to depart, Yuffie pulled at her red spring dress, feeling extremely nervous. She looked uneasy, and she was surprised to find herself so uncomfortable with the thought of leaving Vincent. She turned to the man at her side and frowned.

"You would...you would let me go with them?" She asked.

Yuffie wasn't someone who need permission from anyone to do anything, but this was a whole other world with different dangers and consequences. Sure, there was always trouble back in her world too, but they paled in comparison against things such as demons and magic.

And the only place she really felt safe was when she was with Vincent.

"What about Chaos?" Yuffie continued on. She could not forget the warning he gave her when she first met him, and couldn't ignore the fact that this is exactly what the demon wants. The only possibility that Yuffie could see herself in Chaos' clutches was when she was wide open, and without the protection of Vincent at her side.

"I will accompany you to the outside."

Yuffie gave him a look. "You're not afraid that I won't ditch them and never come back?"

"And where would you go?" Vincent inquired.

She bit her lip in thought. The man had a point.

The walk to the gates of Nibelheim was surprisingly uneventful. As soon as she stepped foot outside of the mansion, Yuffie believed she would hear the flapping wings of Chaos as he flew above them, she would feel the foreboding aura, see the menacing stare.

But the winged demon was no where in sight.

Yuffie sent a prayer of gratitude to Lady Luck. She knew being out in the open like this, even with the protection of the white materia, with the protection of Vincent. Even with Aerith and Zack, she was pushing her luck.

Saying goodbye to Vincent was a lot harder than she would have liked to admit. It was strange to spend her days, weeks, it even may have been a month already, hating the man only to come to this moment and feel almost reluctant to leave his side. Yuffie would have passed it off as his own magic working against her, but she had reminded herself that she wasn't under the influence oh his allure anymore.

Maybe I really am developing feelings for the guy?

Yuffie sighed. That was a scary thought.

Stepping outside of Nibelheim, Yuffie was gifted with dark green landscapes, cool breezes and the bright shining sun. She cast her eyes up at the blue sky, taking great pleasure of the warmth on her face. Spending her recent days in the mansion, with the ever constant unnatural dark glow of the gray clouds, she had a higher appreciation for the colorful world of her surrounding nature, and as Yuffie looked back at Nibelhiem, overshadowed by mountains, she was shocked to see the entire town encased in darkness.

"Just a question," Yuffie began, remembering something strange she saw at the entrance of Nibelheim. "There was a weirdly circular shaped etching on the ground by the gates. What is that?"

Aerith was the first to answer. "It's one of the Seals of Solomon; The Fifth Pentacle of Mars."

"What does it do?" Yuffie asked.

"It protects Vincent from Chaos," she said. "But not only that, it gives him authority over the demon as well."

"Chaos is Vincent's...slave?" This was new information. If that was the case, why was she in such a mess worrying over her safety from Chaos? Vincent could simply tell the demon to go away. In fact, she had heard him do just that once before.

"Not exactly. Chaos is a very strong demon, and so his will constantly clashes with Vincent's," Zack turned his head to look at her and Yuffie caught his stare. "I don't know how he does it, but Vincent always manages to win against him."

A will stronger than a demon's? An eerie chill ran up Yuffie's spine, leaving her cold to the bone. All this dark magic talk was making her nervous. She took a glance back. It was strange to think that danger and safety resided in the same place for her. "It's like...Nibelheim is stuck inside a bubble of darkness."

"That's exactly what it is," Zack said. "And Chaos has been trying to escape for centuries now."

Centuries?

Yuffie swallowed. Her mind went wild after that small piece of info. Just how old was Vincent?

She grimaced. She didn't want to know.

The ride to Gold Saucer was uneventful, which surprised Yuffie considering all the crazy things that have been happening to her recently. But upon entering the amusement park is where the wonder had began.

The tram she rode in drove on twin rails in the clouds. Gold Saucer was exactly what the name implied. There were huge saucers of gold suspends in the air, one stacked next to each other, on top of one another. Some were upside-down, others were sideways. All encased with gold that reflected off the majesty of lights that encircled each and every building. What she suspect was magic had the sky darkened for the display of fireworks. Each one more colorful and beautiful than the last. They popped and exploded as the tram came to it's final stop, almost as if they were celebrating her arrival.

"This place is awesome!" Yuffie exclaimed as a high-beat tempo music reach her ears. "I've never seen something so...crazy and enormous!"

Aerith seemed pleased with herself. "I knew it was a good idea to take her here," she said matter-of-factly. "This place has tons of rides and games, I'm sure you'll have a good time here."

There were seven major saucers, or buildings, that held it's own special attraction. There was a map, to which Zack acquired upon entrance and handed it over Yuffie. There, he pointed to various places on the map and informed her of each and every location.

"This here is the Event Square. They preform plays and beginner bands. Their shows only last for about thirty minutes to an hour, and there is numerous ones each day. It's pretty popular with newcomers," he said.

"What is this one?" Yuffie pointed at the top of the map with the stamp of a weird looking chicken.

"That's the Chocobo racing area," Aerith told her. "You can bet on races and win cool prizes and GP."

Yuffie raised a brow. "GP?"

"Gold Saucer's currency," Zack said. "They're called gold points."

In the end, Yuffie decided on the Wonder Square. She was in the mood for some games, and to take her mind off the fact that she would be leaving to Nibelheim after this was over.

The entire Wonder area was roofless, but well illuminated. Fireworks were going off, but not in the fast paced manner that they had when she first arrived. There were magic chutes built-in on the ground labeled with the names of each and every Square attraction.

Lush red carpet donned the floor, benches and street-style lamps bordered along for light and easy viewing. There was a hologram, or what is a large screen, suspended in the sky with a man doing various announcements.

Yuffie followed after Zack and Aerith, her eyes immediately catching the 3-dimensional one-on-one battle minigame.

"Nanaki!" Aerith suddenly cheered at her side. Yuffie stiffened as the Cetra ushered over isomething/i-what looked to be a huge red feline. She tried not to gawk at it, but it's paws were big enough to cover her entire head. There were various scars and tattoos over it's entire body, and was it missing an eye?

"Greetings, Aerith," the beast said, nodding over to Zack now. "Zack."

"This is Yuffie," Aerith introduced with a wave of her hand. "She's new."

Yuffie caught the hidden meaning behind Aerith's words, and she noticed the huge cat had eyed her up and down, taking her in. He raised his nose in the air as if he was sniffing her.

"..I smell...nothing from her," Nanaki sounded perplexed, like he didn't believe it himself.

Aerith gestured to the necklace hiding underneath Yuffie's dress. "I have a magic blocking her human scent."

Nanaki eyed Aerith for a moment. "No scent is just as dangerous as human scent," he told her. "Be careful."

Zack nodded and Aerith smiled. "Of course."

Yuffie watched, wide eyed, as Nanaki said his goodbyes, giving one last look at Yuffie before taking his leave.

"Watch yourself, little human, there are creatures around here that can see iyou/i." It was all he said before he disappeared down the stairs and around a corner.

Incredulously, Yuffie turned her gaze to Aerith. Her mouth was still open in shock. "Wh...What the hell was that?!"

Aerith waved her off with a secret smile on her face. "Nanaki is Nanaki," was all she said.

"That's such a cop out," Yuffie told her.

The Cetra giggled. "I know."

They moved into the inner Wonder, and Yuffie immediately took to the motorcycle, to which was known as G Bike. Aerith and Zack watched in amusement as Yuffie shifted onto the bike and placed the virtual reality head set over her eyes, her shock and wonder at the technology she was currently experiencing.

Adrenaline and nausea rushed through her veins as she struggled to maneuver around innocent bystanders on the highway to get to the bad guys with the guns and swords. In the end, she had failed horribly and Yuffie climbed off dejectedly, holding her stomach.

"There's no way anyone can beat that game," she claimed with a sour face.

Until Zack had proved her wrong.

Aerith giggled at Yuffie's scoffing at how easily he had beaten the mini-game.

"I bet you cheated," she pouted.

Zack smirked. "I'm just a professional, that's all."

Yuffie moved on from the G-Bike game, feeling the need to have a moment of reprieve. She didn't experience air sickness often, but when she did, it was intense. Yuffie sat beside Aerith and Zack as they battled against one another in air hoops. She had decided to sit this one out simply because of the name.

Aerith cheered at her win and watched Zack's look of defeat. She had a feeling he was actually trying to best her at the mini-game. She really did see the parallels of Tifa and Cloud with Aerith and Zack. Or perhaps that was her mind twisting to believe she saw the resemblance simply because she was homesick and missed her friends.

There was a chorus of giggles that rose above the white noise, breaking her train of thought. Yuffie turned, her eyes catching view of a wall of long silver hair and a tall body clad in black leather. She couldn't miss the large black protruding feathery wing from his back.

Yuffie's mouth dropped open when he turned and saw his face. He had a face like Vincent's. Sharp features with an angled jaw and not a blemish on his skin. Yuffie could tell that he had the most intense pair of green eyes she had ever seen. And they glowed, much like Vincent's.

From across the room, she saw his eyes shift directly onto hers. A single shiver traveled up her spine and Yuffie lacked the courage to meet the stare. Her eyes adverted down, unnerved and very flustered.

Yuffie couldn't breathe, much less swallow the huge lump that she had trouble getting down. The air seemed to have been removed from her lungs and she had momentarily forgotten how to breathe.

She gathered nerve to raise her eyes only to see that he was no longer there. A quick sweep of the room told her that to be true. Her hand shook as she raised it to touch the white materia from underneath her dress as if it were to provide her some sort of comfort.

Who in the world was that? Was that stare deliberate? Am I not safe here either?

"Anyway, that's enough winning for today," Aerith gloated as she poked and teased at Zack, both oblivious to Yuffie's inner turmoil. "How about we get some lunch?"

The mini trip ended several hours after they ate. Yuffie didn't see the mysterious man in black leather again, both thankful and disappointed in that prospect. She really didn't want to see what would happen if they had met face to face if what she experienced earlier was anything to go by. She had a feeling he was what Nanaki had warned her about.

They were soon passing the gates of Nibelheim, all missing the slow subtle transition from the dusk of the evening sky, to the dark gray clouds of magic, too wrapped up in chatting about the experiences of Yuffie's first time in such a place.

They bragged that there was no way that she would be able to experience all that Gold Saucer had to offer within a week, much less a day, but Yuffie had mixed feelings about the matter. Of course she would love to be able to come back, but that would mean that she was still far away from home. As much fun as she had, as much as she liked Aerith and Zack, she really wanted to leave and go home. She wanted to be with Tifa and Cloud, complain about working late, rant about shitty drunk customers and joke around with the both of them on their off days.

Aerith noticed the look that passed over Yuffie's face and grew sad. "I'm sorry, Yuffie..." she apologized. "Vincent is a very stubborn person, but I think it's time you demand some answers. This isn't fair to you."

"I've tried in the past, I got nothing from him." Yuffie spoked as if she had resigned to her fate.

Aerith looked a little shy as she spoke, "you guys seem to be pretty close when we left..."

Zack tried to hide the smile. He snickered. "I noticed that, too."

"You guys are gross." Yuffie waved them off. They didn't know what they were talking about.

"So, no?" The Cetra asked. "That's too bad. I bet he's pretty hu-"

"Oh my GAWD, Aerith!" Yuffie gasped, her face going beet red. "You're suppose to be lady! Quit that!"

Aerith laughed and so did Zack. Yuffie crossed her arms in annoyance. She wasn't really angry at them poking fun, in fact, she felt a little bit more at home. But still, who knew Aerith could be so crude?

"And as if you're the one talk." She didn't mean say that out loud.

Both Aerith and Zack stopped their laughing and stammered. "W-what?"

Yuffie gave them both a knowing look.

Ohhh, here we go.

"Yeah. It may been my second time meeting you both, but anyone within a mile radius can tell you guys totally want to bump uglies," she playfully poked. "It must be pretty difficult to restrain yourselves from tearing each other's clothes off right about now."

Every time Yuffie teased Cloud and Tifa about their obvious feelings for one another, she was always met with denial and long rebuttals from Tifa. But both Zack and Aerith stood in their spots, looking very shy and sheepish.

Yuffie blinked. This was new.

"I won't deny that Aerith is attractive," Zack suddenly said after a long bout of silence.

Aerith looked at him in surprise, and Yuffie smirked. "Totally knew it."

"Of course, my feelings for her have never been put into question," Zack continued, looking from Yuffie to Aerith, "but if you were to ask me if I like her, I'd say yes."

"Wow. You're a pretty bold and honest person, Zack," Yuffie praised, then turned to Aerith. "You lucky gal you."

The Cetra looked away, but Yuffie caught the smile on her lips before she could completely hide her face from the both of them.

In the midst of what Yuffie suspected was a huge breakthrough in their relationship, a terrible odor wafted through her nose. It caused her gag, her hand coming up to cover her face.

"What the hell is that smell?!" She exclaimed through her coughing. "It smells like death!"

Aerith and Zack didn't have the same strong reaction that she did, but Yuffie could tell that they both were able to detect that there was indeed an odor in the air, and that it smelled terrible.

Zack's face twisted in a scowl and Aerith's mouth dropped open in realization. The atmosphere changed within seconds, a blanket of dread draping over the three of them.

"Aerith, Yuffie, get back." Zack's tone was deep and authoritative, and it had them both obeying him instantly.

There was a crack, a snap and then a growl.

"Galian Beast..."

Zack's words echoed in her mind as something came into her view from behind the trees. It reminded her of Chaos with it's rough purple skin and huge jagged horns. It had dark sharp claws and a long red main going down it's back. It's face was that of a wolf and it had yellow eyes.

"And Death Gigas."

Out from behind the first demon, came a second one. It looked like a modern day Frankenstein with bolts of metal in it's mouth and arms. It also had patches of different color skin as if it was actually put together piece by piece from several different animals. The only way to describe them was that they were beings of existence. Their walk had no real purpose, but their angry gazes were enough for her to know that they knew she was there. And that they wanted to hurt her. Badly.

"Chaos' demons," Aerith said.

Yuffie felt chilled to the bone. Fear wrapped around her mind and she started to shake. The white materia she wore around her neck provided her real no comfort, despite what it was capable of. Aerith had reminded her of that fact, but from these demons?

They stood before her. She missed Zack's transformation and Aerith now had a long silver rod in her hands. They were both in a position that looked like they were ready for a fight. This was something beyond Yuffie's capabilities. And the worst of all, she had to rely on both Zack and Aerith for protection.

None of which she believed were capable of defending against these creatures.

Yuffie gripped the necklace and prayed for a miracle.

Vincent!