Sink To The Bottom With You By
Catalina
Valentine
(No Summary as of yet)
Chapter 1: The Ninja and the Gunslinger
“How about ‘Piss on yourself’?” Vincent Valentine
Chapter 2: I Think I'm Paranoid
“I have to hold onto your nasty claw?” Yuffie Kisaragi
Chapter 3: The Men Without Faces
“You sure picked a hell of a time to develop a sense of curiosity.” Yuffie Kisaragi
“You sent Yuffie to check on a boat? She’s probably somewhere in that cave blowing chunks all over the floor.” Reno
Chapter 5: Vincent and Yuffie's Great Escape
“Oh my god! I almost fell in the water with the sharks!” Yuffie Kisaragi
“He’s no good to me dead.” The Running Man
Sink To The Bottom With You By Catalina Valentine
Chapter 1: The Ninja and the Gunslinger
It’s a reason
Why I’m down
I am beaten
And pushed around
It’s a ceiling
Without a sound
Everyone I know
Considers me a clown
“Why I’m Here”
Oleander
A shadow hung over the docking bay, deeper
than the bluest midnight. The sharp tangy smell of seawater permeated
the
night air like a thick blanket. At first, Yuffie Kisaragi had
relished the smell of the ocean so close. At Wutai, if she stood
on the top of the Da Chao Statue, she could see the ocean stretching for
miles and miles and feel the gentle sea breezes caress her face.
It had always given her a sense of peace and serenity, but not now.
Nope, right now it felt as if someone had stuffed packets of salt up her
nose. Open packets of salt. The saline smell hung so heavily
in the night air that she had to resist the urge to hack and cough like
she had a frog stuck in her throat.
The full moon was obscured by a flock
of thick and bloated thunderclouds that didn’t even allow the barest fingers
of
moonlight to peek through, and Yuffie couldn’t decide whether that
was a good or bad thing. The utter lack of light hid their
hiding spot behind a box of crates well enough, but it also made things
a hell of a lot more difficult to see. She could barely see the nose
in front of her face, much less the person they were “following.”
She turned to her partner for what seemed like the millionth time and said, “Psst! Hey, Vinnie! Any sign of him yet?”
The shadow next to her, the one more
ominous than the rest, shifted slightly, and for a moment, she saw a flash
of a red
bandana covering even redder eyes. “No,” Vincent Valentine said
shortly, then turned away from her.
Yuffie folded her thin arms across her
chest and made a face, shifting restlessly to get the blood flowing back
into her legs
again. She and Vincent had been in the same crouching positions
for what seemed like hours, with Vincent keeping a lookout
around the side of the crate while Yuffie tried her best to keep herself
entertained (which wasn’t working at all). “If he doesn’t show up
soon,” she threatened grumpily, “then I’m leaving.”
Vincent didn’t say anything so Yuffie continued venting her frustration.
“It’s past midnight, and I’m cold and
wet and tired and grumpy. Why did dumbass Cloud have to send us here?
We could
have investigated Midgar just as well as freaking Reno, Rude, and Elena!
But no, instead he sends us onboard an old stinky ship to look for some
dude that we know next to nothing about. And just when we’re about
to leave, who shows up but the dude we’re looking for! Then we have
to stay on the damn ship and let it take us to who the hell knows where
we are! And then, to top it all off, Vinnie here decides to push
me into the water just as we’re getting off—”
Vincent suddenly whirled around, startling
her so bad that she jerked away from him, the edge of the Conformer poking
one of her numb legs. “Yuffie, be quiet,” the older man said
calmly despite his sudden motion.
Yuffie scowled, refusing to be intimidated.
“Vinnie, I’m cold and I’m wet and my legs are asleep. Can we please
go home
now? That guy already knows we’re here.”
“And whose fault is that?” Vincent asked flatly.
“Are you saying it’s my fault?!” she
demanded, squinting at him in the darkness until she could just make out
his left claw
braced on the concrete between them and his red eyes glittering faintly
in the darkness. “You’re the one that knocked me into the water,
Vinnie!”
“No,” Vincent said without a trace of emotion. “You slipped in a puddle and fell into the pool. I had nothing to do with your mishap. And while we’re on the subject, our quarry would have no idea of our presence if you hadn’t insisted on yelling an screaming after you had your accident.”
“It was no accident!” Yuffie insisted,
knowing she was whining and not caring. “Someone pushed me and that
someone
had to be you!”
“I told you before that you slipped in
the puddle. All I did was pull you out of the water. Blame
me if it will ease your state
of mind and keep you from complaining. I don’t care either way.”
He turned away again, the end of his red cloak brushing her leg in the
darkness.
Yuffie pouted, but kept her mouth shut.
It was bad enough that she was here, even worse that she was here with
Vincent.
Not that Vincent was a bad guy. In fact, he was okay if you wanted
someone who didn’t talk much, and he was kind of
good-looking in a twisted sort of way, but he definitely wasn’t Yuffie’s
idea of amiable company. Why couldn’t Cloud have
partnered her up with Tifa, who would probably at least sympathize
with Yuffie’s soaking wet and miserable condition? Even Cid or Barret
would have been better company than Vampire Boy. Cid’s cigarettes
could drown out the seawater smell, and both of them would have been more
fun to fight with than Vincent, whose flat tones and one-word answers tended
to kill any attempt at conversation.
“Hey, Vinnie,” she said again, glancing at the statue-still shadow next to her.
“Yes, Yuffie?”
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
“There’s a lovely pool of seawater three steps to your left.”
Yuffie’s mouth dropped open. “Did
the dark and gloomy Vincent Valentine just make a joke? Wow, and
I was here to
witness it. Tifa and Cid will be so jealous. But that still
doesn’t change the situation. I have to go to the bathroom!”
Vincent turned to stare at her again. “What do you want me to say, Yuffie?”
“How about, ‘Oh, Yuffie, since I know
you’re wet and cold because I pushed you in the stinky seawater that was
probably
filled with gross amoebas and who knows what, let me go find you a
nice clean hotel where you can rest, eat, and go to the
bathroom.’ I think you should say something like that, Vinnie.”
“How about, ‘Piss on yourself’?”
Yuffie’s mouth dropped open again, but
she managed to sputter out, “That was so rude, Vinnie Valentine!
I see you’ve
been hanging around Cid and Reno a bit too much!”
“Actually, I think it was spending two hours with you on a boat and then waiting here with you for one more hour that did the trick.”
Yuffie punched him in what she hoped
was his shoulder. “You’re so mean to me, Vinnie! Next time,
leave me in the sea
water with the amoebas; I’m sure they’d be better company that you!”
“Forgive me, Yuffie,” he said flatly. “I’m afraid I’m not in the best of moods tonight. I’m sorry for insulting you.”
“No, you’re not,” Yuffie grumbled.
“But I’ll just pretend your apology was sincere. At least we can
be cold and miserable
together.”
Vincent didn’t reply; he simply turned
away from her and continued to watch for their quarry. Yuffie drew
her trembling
knees up to her chest and shivered, pushing impatiently at her shoulder-length
hair, which she had been allowing to grow out at
Tifa’s prodding in the year since they had defeated Sephiroth.
The young ninja sighed inwardly and found
herself reflecting on all the things that had happened in the past year,
something she had started making a habit of. Reeve, formerly
known as Cait Sith, was working hard on rebuilding what was left of Midgar.
He had taken over the remnants of Shinra, going as far as calling the Turks
back in to help. Naturally, and with the Planet’s best interests
in mind, he had discarded the idea of Mako reactors and was in the process
of changing all the reactors into electric generators to power the sectors.
The progress was slow, but with Reno, Rude, and Elena to help him out,
the former Urban Development manager was optimistic about the future of
both the Neo-Shinra and Midgar.
Cloud and Tifa had taken up residence in Tifa’s new bar at Kalm. Surprisingly, the two hadn’t gotten married as most of the others, Yuffie included, had thought. Though they pretty much lived next door to each other in the rooms above the bar, their relationship didn’t seem to be deepening all that much. Both Tifa and Cloud, however, seemed content with their neighbour-like existence, and though Yuffie thought that they should have gotten together, she was happy as long as her friends were happy.
Barret had taken his daughter Marlene
and moved to his ravaged hometown of Corel, where he was working on revitalizing
the town with the same dedication and uncharacteristic optimism that
Reeve had for Midgar. Personally, Yuffie thought he should just put
that dump out in the pasture and shoot it, but if that what he wanted to
do with the rest of his existence, then that was fine by her. Whatever
floats his boat.
Red XIII had returned to Cosmo Canyon,
of course, and was in the midst of reading all he could on the history
of the
Planet, the Cetra, and whatever other bits and pieces of information
he had in that old, musty library of his. He would soon be the Guardian
of Cosmo Canyon, and the lion-like creature was taking his responsibility
very seriously. Yuffie visited him whenever she could and bugged
the living hell out of him. Hey, the furball needed a little spark
in his life.
Cid had immediately returned to Rocket
Town and asked Shera to marry him. He was both surprised and overjoyed
when
she said yes. Yuffie was surprised, too. If someone who
had used to treat her the way Cid used to treat Shera asked her to marry
him, she would have told him to shove that ring up his you know what.
But she was happy for her friends at the same time. Even from the
very beginning, she had felt that Cid and Shera belonged together.
It hadn’t taken an idiot to see the unspoken attraction between them.
The wedding had been fun, too, with Cloud,
Cid, and Reno all a bit giggly and tipsy during the reception after drinking
too
many shots of whatever it was they could get their hands on.
Before the bride and groom had said their vows, however, Cid had been so
nervous that he smoked cigarette after cigarette until finally Yuffie and
her unwillingly partner in crime, Reeve, had swiped his pack and flushed
it down the toilet. That wedding had been one of most fun times of
her life. Even if she had to wear that uncomfortable bridesmaid dress
that made her feel half naked. The highlight of her evening, aside
from watching Reno try to climb up and dance on a table only to fall in
a very surprised and very unhappy Barret’s lap, had been when she had managed
to drag Vincent out onto the dance floor. She practically had to
pick him up and carry him, but that had been the best part of it.
Yes, life had been good.
Then one day, out of nowhere, Cloud had
called Yuffie on the PHS, sounding extremely morbid for a man who seemed
to
be leading a very happy existence.
“Hey Cloud! What’s up?” Yuffie
asked as she lay on her mat, holding the PHS with one hand and juggling
a mastered Fire
materia with the other.
“We’re having problems, Yuffie,” he said dully, but the ninja could hear the underlying worry evident in his voice.
“Who? You and Tifa?”
“No,” Cloud answered. “Reeve is missing.”
Yuffie’s heart skipped a beat.
She forgot to catch the materia she had tossed in the air before Cloud’s
previous statement,
and the emerald orb plummeted down to smack her right in the middle
of the forehead. “Ow!” she cried, but quickly returned her attention
to the situation at hand. “What? How can that be? When
did this happen?”
“Last night. Reno was going to ask Reeve to go drinking with him and Rude when he heard scuffling sounds in the office. He burst in there, but it was too late. The window was broken, but there was no sign of Reeve or his attacker, whoever he or she was. Reno tried to call someone on Reeve’s office telephone, but the lines had been cut and all he got on his own cell phone was static. He and Rude showed up at the bar at dawn today to ask me and Tifa for help.”
“Who do you think could have done this?” she asked, trying to keep down the flutter of fear in the back of her throat and ignore the growing lump in the middle of her forehead. “A rebel group? I’m sure that there’s plenty of people who would want to kidnap the President of Neo-Shinra.”
“I don’t know,” Cloud said glumly.
“There’s rebel groups for almost everything, but somehow I have a feeling
that this has
something to do with Reeve being part of AVALANCHE. I’m calling
in everyone and organizing a search. Can you bring all our materia
to Tifa’s bar in Kalm?”
“Okay,” Yuffie said eagerly, surprised at how much she wanted to help. “What do we have to go on?”
Cloud sighed. “Not much, I’m afraid. Me, Tifa and the Turks searched the office, but the kidnapper left no trace of anything. We found drops of blood, however…”
Yuffie swallowed a lump in her throat, and forced herself to ask, “Were they Reeve’s?”
“Yeah,” Cloud said grimly. “They were Reeve’s.”
“Crap,” Yuffie said, unable to think of anything else to say.
“We had pretty much the same reaction.
There were only a couple of drops so we still have hope that wherever Reeve
is,
he’s not seriously injured. But what we’re really worried about
is the man Rude saw in the remains of Hojo’s lab a few hours after Reeve
was captured.”
“What kind of man?”
“Rude said he was dressed all in black
with a ski mask covering his features. He was searching through old
files of Hojo’s
when Rude surprised him. The man ran away and managed to escape
through a place that we haven’t been able to find yet. Turns out
that Reno, Rude, and Elena had seen this man sneaking around before, but
he had always run away when they attempted to talk to him. We’re
calling him the Running Man…”
Which brought her to the present moment,
soaking wet and stuck in the docking bay next to a rotting and seemingly
abandoned boat that Cloud had wanted Yuffie and Vincent to investigate.
Now she had no idea where she was, what time it was, how long they were
going to be here, or if they would even get a chance to apprehend the Running
Man. All she knew was that she was cold, wet, tired, and ready to
let Reeve fend for himself, wherever he was. She had a broken and
waterlogged PHS, a rumble in her stomach that sounded every bit as fierce
as those damn green dragons at Mt. Nibel, and boy was she ever COLD!
Yuffie shivered again and rubbed her
bare arms. She glanced over at Vincent, who despite what he has said
earlier,
looked warm and toasty in his long red cape and black pants.
“Hey, Vinnie,” she spoke up again. “Can I use your—”
Her entreaty was cut short when her dark
companion suddenly spun around and clamped a gloved hand over her mouth.
Though her first instinct was to struggle until she was released, she
quickly repressed it, trusting Vincent’s senses and knowing that he rarely
touched anyone for any reason. She flicked her eyes to the side and
was just able to see a shadowy blur as Vincent shifted closer to her.
“I saw him,” he whispered, lips close
to her ear. His warm breath against her ear sent pleasurable chills
running down her
spine. Strands of ebony black hair flopped forward to caress
her cheek, and she was suddenly aware of how close he was, close enough
that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. Suddenly,
she wasn’t cold any more.
“He went down a stairwell to a lower level,” Vincent continued, oblivious to the change that had overtaken her. “Just follow me. Got it?”
Yuffie nodded, not trusting her voice.
Vincent removed his hand from her mouth
and crept closer to the edge of the crate, peering out from behind it to
see that
there was no one hanging around the docking bay. He took the
Death Penalty from its holster, and seeing this, Yuffie followed in suit
with her Conformer, trying to work the kinks out of her muscles as she
did so.
Vincent stepped out from behind the crate
and into the open, motioning for Yuffie to follow him. The young
girl did so,
wincing as her knees and back popped loudly, protesting so much movement
after being inactive for almost an hour.
Keeping as quiet as possible, she followed
her shadowy friend into the darkness until the inky black seemed to swallow
them whole.
Author’s Note: Okay, there’s the first chapter of what’s
probably going to be a pretty long fic. Not much so far, but the
plot deepens as it goes along. Any comments, e-mail me (catalina2717@go.com)