Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Fragments ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Trick Sparrow 
Misunderstandings cause one of the residents of the Strife household to leave.
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.09.2001 | Updated On: 10.29.2001 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 304 | Status: Completed
Misunderstandings cause one of the residents of the Strife household to leave.
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.09.2001 | Updated On: 10.29.2001 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 304 | Status: Completed
Chapter 3
Yuffie yawned as she staggered down the hall toward her own room. She stopped, however, when looking past the railing down at the living room, she saw Vincent asleep on the couch, his blankets still in a heap on the floor.
Sighing, she shuffled back down the stairs into the living room. *He must have been too tired to untangle that mess of blankets,* she thought, smiling slightly. She bent down and began pulling the covers from each other. After she was done, she gathered a heavy quilt in her arms and laid it quietly over the sleeping man.
She noticed his boots were still on, and she rolled her eyes. *Doesn't anyone know how to do anything themselves?* she thought wearily. She went around to the end of the couch and began to loosen the buckles of Vincent's metal-tipped boots. Unfortunately, he noticed this movement in his slumber. Without warning, his right foot came up, kicking Yuffie hard in the chin.
"OWW, SON OF A--" she stumbled backward, rubbing her face in pain.
Vincent woke in alarm and sat up straight. He spotted the young ninja holding her chin angrily. "Yuffie?" he said drowsily. "What's the matter?"
"I'll tell you what's the matter, buddy," she replied, exasperated. "I was *trying* to be nice and take off your boots, since you oh-so-carelessly went to sleep without any concern for the furniture, and you kicked me in the face!"
He swung his legs onto the floor and stood up, turning on the lamp. Walking up to the offended Yuffie, he lifted up his right hand and placed it gently on her chin. He leaned in close to her, inspecting the quickly-forming bruise.
Yuffie felt her heart leap up into her throat. He had never been this close to her before, and she became fairly lightheaded as he moved his graceful fingers softly against her face. She detected some kind of fragrance, and she realized it was his cologne. *Vincent wears cologne?* she thought absently. *Since when? It smells good.* She found herself moving closer to him, breathing in his intoxicating aroma. She never thought being this close to him would feel so good...
"Does this hurt?"
The teenager blinked. "What?" It took her some time to realize her bruise still hurt. "Oh. Kind of," she lied, when in actuality it was quite painful. "Don't worry about it, Vincent. I know you didn't do it on purpose."
He looked down at the floor, his long black lashes concealing the crimson glow of his eyes. "I know, but I apologize." His hand was still on her face. His gaze averted to the couch briefly, noticing the quilt on the floor. "Thank you for the thought, anyway."
Yuffie stared at him, wishing he would smile again. No such luck. "You're welcome, Vinnie." She paused. "You don't like it when I call you Vinnie, huh?"
He looked back at her, finally dropping his hand to his side. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Yuffie snapped her fingers. "I don't mind."
As he sat down on the couch again, Yuffie felt sudden disappointment. "Because, it's not really like I'm teasing you," she added hastily, picking up the quilt and pulling it straight. "It's more like a term of endear... ment." She closed her eyes. *D'oh, I'm an idiot.* "Wait, that's not what I meant. I mean, it sort of was, but I guess--"
Vincent held up a hand to silence the babbling girl. "Sit down, Yuffie."
She stared at him in disbelief. Did he mean, next to him? Sure enough, he had slightly moved to the side to make room for her. Yuffie felt oddly privileged as she collapsed next to him, finally beginning to succumb to her exhaustion.
Vincent bent down and finished unbuckling his boot. Yuffie felt herself smile as she watched him pull the shoe off to reveal a bare, white foot. *Aww, he has such cute toes!* she thought, then tried to figure out where that had come from. He eyed her strangely as he unbuckled and removed his other boot. Finally, exhaling, he propped his bare feet on the coffee table and closed his magnificent ruby eyes.
After a few minutes of gazing at him, she figured he had fallen asleep. She started to stand up, but stopped as she felt his brass claw push her back down. He opened his eyes again and looked at her. "I'm sorry for being so stern with you upstairs," he said quietly.
She smiled and shrugged. "That's okay."
"I only felt I should warn you," he continued solemnly, "because I realized you had feelings for Rufus, and I didn't want... to see you get hurt."
"What? No!" she exclaimed, laughing. "I don't have feelings for Rufus." Or did she? Unfazed, she said, "He just needs a friend, so I want to be one for him."
Vincent gazed at her thoughtfully, some undetectable emotion in his eyes that she'd never before seen. "You're a very caring person, Yuffie Kisaragi."
Her eyes widened. Two compliments from two adorable men in just one night? Man, she was good! "Thanks," she said, blushing deeply.
He continued staring at her, that uncharacteristic softness in his eyes. She could feel her heart going a kajillion miles per hour. *Why is he looking at me like that?* she thought wildly. *Oh, man. Oh, man. He is so freakin' hot. Oh, man. Why is he look--*
The rantings in her mind stopped when she noticed him shiver slightly. "Oh, hey!" she blurted, springing up to retrieve the quilt. "No wonder you're cold. You don't have any blankets." She wagged a finger at him jokingly. "What am I going to do with you, ya helpless little tyke?"
She motioned for him to lie down on the couch. Feeling foolish, he stood up and attempted to take the quilt from her. "Yuffie, please, I can--"
"Don't argue with me, Sonny," she said, yanking on the other end. "I've been around long enough to know you can't do anything by yourself."
Something akin to mischief actually appeared in Vincent's eyes. "I'll teach you not to call me 'Sonny', *young lady*." He pulled hard on the blanket.
"Hey, don't call me 'Young Lady'!" she retorted, laughing. "I'm almost eighteen-- Whoa!"
Vincent pulled, evidently too hard, for he set the young ninja off balance, causing her to fall backward. However, in the process, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him to the carpet with her. Unable to stop laughing, she pounded her fists against his hard chest as they lay side by side on the floor.
"Eee, how dare you knock me over, you big oaf!" she said in protest. Instead, Vincent grabbed her arms and forced her to stop hitting him. She struggled to break free, but stopped moving altogether when she saw him smile again, warm and gentle.
*Ohhh yeah, that's the stuff,* she thought, instantly overpowered by his handsome face.
He continued to smile as he took her hands gently in his. Yuffie felt the cold metal of his claw against her skin, but she didn't care. Of all unpredictable events, she was laying on the floor with Vincent Valentine, who was holding her hands. Talk about unexpected.
Vincent released one of her hands to grasp her waist and pull them both to a sitting position. His claw still resting on the small of her back, he lifted his other hand and caressed her cheek softly.
Yuffie discovered she had been holding her breath the entire time. She released it, whispering a breathless "Vincent..." as she exhaled. He lifted her chin up with his reluctant fingers and lowered his head close to hers. His eyes began to close, and as he tilted his face slightly, it finally hit Yuffie. *Oh my God, he's going to kiss me.*
She gasped.
Just as their lips brushed, Vincent reacted to her gasp and jerked away, releasing her hastily. "Forgive me," he whispered, standing up.
She blinked in disbelief. Could this day get any more confusing? "But, Vincent--"
"I'm terribly sorry," he said, avoiding her gaze. "I think you should go to bed now, Yuffie."
Tears suddenly sprang to her eyes. She blinked them back furiously. "I..."
Falling silent, Vincent closed his eyes in shame.
Yuffie hung her head and retreated silently up the stairs to her room. Once inside, she kicked the door closed and fell onto her back on the bed. No longer able to fight her tears, she sobbed into her pillow, rivers streaming down her cheeks.
*Why am I even feeling this way?* she thought miserably. *I never even thought twice about Vincent before! Why now? Why do I have to start now?*
She sniffed, and slowly her hand came up to rest on her lips. "Vincent... Why did you do that?" she whispered through her tears. "You must be crazy... But I'm crazier than you."
Vincent leaned against the wall, his head in his hands. What in God's name had possessed him to do such a thing? The girl was so much younger than him; technically forty-one years younger than him, though he was physically twenty-seven. She had such a bright future ahead of him. Wasting it on him was just foolishness. She deserved better.
But when Vincent was with her, when she laughed or told a cheesy joke, he was reminded of the Vincent Valentine he used to be. Full of hopes and dreams, the person he was before Professor Hojo had snatched his future away from him. And Yuffie was slowly bringing the old-- or young-- Vincent back.
She reminded him *so* much of Lucrecia. So much it hurt. She possessed the same lightheartedness, the same concern for others as his once-beloved. He hated to see such innocence taken away. Not again.
Yuffie was good; Vincent was evil. He could see now that they were on opposite sides of the coin. He was guilty of far more sins than he could count, and she didn't deserve to be tainted by his impurities. And he had to make sure that it would stay an impossibility.
After writing a heartfelt note on the coffee table, he shouldered his bag and opened the front door. The howling wind and blinding snow awaited him. Stepping into the blizzard, he turned back once. "Goodbye, Yuffie," he whispered, soft but determined. "Take care of Rufus. You need him far more than you need me."
And he closed the door.
Cloud yawned as the alarm clock by his side of the bed began to buzz. "Oh, God, already?" He swung his tired legs onto the floor and stood up reluctantly.
Tifa rolled over to blink at him sleepily. "Want me to make breakfast for you, babe?"
"No, that's okay," he replied, yanking off his sweatpants. "I'm sure I can find something microwavable in the back of the freezer." He walked over to his dresser in his boxers and pulled out a pair of jeans. As he hopped on one leg to shove his foot through the pant leg, he asked, "Hey, Teef, did you hear something last night?"
"Nuh-uh," she replied, deciding to get up and at *least* make her husband coffee. "Nothing could have woken me up."
He smirked. "Yeah, I figured. You were snoring like it was going out of style." He ducked as a slipper came flying toward his head, and he shrugged. "I guess it was just me."
After Tifa had put on a light blue robe, she followed Cloud out of the room. As he staggered into the living room, she went into the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker. Suddenly she heard him shout for her.
"Tifa, come here, quick!"
She hurried, confused, to the living room, where Cloud was standing by the coffee table with a note. After noticing Vincent was gone, her eyes widened as she put a hand to her mouth.
"I think you should read this," he said solemnly.
She took the paper with trembling fingers and forced herself to read:
--Dear Cloud, Tifa, Rufus, and Yuffie,
I thank you all for your hospitality, but I realize I am not the most wholesome influence on you all, and I must leave before I stain you with my already bloody hands. Though it pains me to leave, you would have been better off never having met me. I doubt I will ever see you again, so I suppose this is goodbye.
Cloud, you are a true hero. Despite your less than ideal life, you have managed to remain upright. This is highly commendable, and you deserve your wife more than anyone else on this Planet.
Tifa, your love for others is remarkable to say the least. The genuine consideration in your smile alone proves it. I hope you stay just as sweet as you are now. And please do not worry about happens to me. You would only be wasting your concern.
Rufus, though you have been on the Planet for twenty years, you have only just begun to realize that you have your whole life ahead of you. Take good care of Yuffie; she is the greatest friend you could possibly need.
And Yuffie. I am terribly sorry if I hurt you; I certainly never meant to cause you any harm. You must understand that I left out of concern for your welfare. In time you will realize that you deserve much better than the likes of me.
I am beyond grateful for your companionship, my friends. You have my word that I will think of you every day.
All My Love,
Vincent Valentine--
Tifa had already begun to cry halfway through the first paragraph. Cloud put a consoling arm around her shoulder, and she started crying harder. "Oh, God, Cloud," she said in between sobs, "Why did he wait until *now* to say all this?"
"I don't know," he replied miserably. "Something must have happened..." He recalled the part in the letter Vincent had devoted to Yuffie. What had he meant by not meaning to hurt her? Or that she deserved better than him?
Rufus came down the stairs sleepily. "What's going on? What-- Why is Tifa crying?" He ran up to her in concern. "What's wrong, Tifa? Where's Vincent?"
Then he noticed the letter. He took it from her shaking hands and began to read it. His blue eyes grew wide as they darted back and forth down the page. "He-- he's gone?"
Cloud nodded, silent.
"Wh-why...?" Rufus read the letter over again. "He... He hurt Yuffie!" he exclaimed angrily. "What did he do to her?"
"We don't know," said Tifa, drying her eyes. "But I should probably go up and tell her." She trudged past them with the letter and climbed the stairs to Yuffie's room. Cloud and Rufus heard her knock on the door faintly. "Yuffie? I have something to tell you..."
They heard the door close again, and the two young men looked at each other until suddenly they heard loud and anguished sobs explode from Yuffie's bedroom.
"Yuffie!" cried Rufus, but Cloud seized the boy's shoulder to stop him and shook his head. Yuffie's heartbroken cries continued to pierce the cold, white morning.
Yuffie yawned as she staggered down the hall toward her own room. She stopped, however, when looking past the railing down at the living room, she saw Vincent asleep on the couch, his blankets still in a heap on the floor.
Sighing, she shuffled back down the stairs into the living room. *He must have been too tired to untangle that mess of blankets,* she thought, smiling slightly. She bent down and began pulling the covers from each other. After she was done, she gathered a heavy quilt in her arms and laid it quietly over the sleeping man.
She noticed his boots were still on, and she rolled her eyes. *Doesn't anyone know how to do anything themselves?* she thought wearily. She went around to the end of the couch and began to loosen the buckles of Vincent's metal-tipped boots. Unfortunately, he noticed this movement in his slumber. Without warning, his right foot came up, kicking Yuffie hard in the chin.
"OWW, SON OF A--" she stumbled backward, rubbing her face in pain.
Vincent woke in alarm and sat up straight. He spotted the young ninja holding her chin angrily. "Yuffie?" he said drowsily. "What's the matter?"
"I'll tell you what's the matter, buddy," she replied, exasperated. "I was *trying* to be nice and take off your boots, since you oh-so-carelessly went to sleep without any concern for the furniture, and you kicked me in the face!"
He swung his legs onto the floor and stood up, turning on the lamp. Walking up to the offended Yuffie, he lifted up his right hand and placed it gently on her chin. He leaned in close to her, inspecting the quickly-forming bruise.
Yuffie felt her heart leap up into her throat. He had never been this close to her before, and she became fairly lightheaded as he moved his graceful fingers softly against her face. She detected some kind of fragrance, and she realized it was his cologne. *Vincent wears cologne?* she thought absently. *Since when? It smells good.* She found herself moving closer to him, breathing in his intoxicating aroma. She never thought being this close to him would feel so good...
"Does this hurt?"
The teenager blinked. "What?" It took her some time to realize her bruise still hurt. "Oh. Kind of," she lied, when in actuality it was quite painful. "Don't worry about it, Vincent. I know you didn't do it on purpose."
He looked down at the floor, his long black lashes concealing the crimson glow of his eyes. "I know, but I apologize." His hand was still on her face. His gaze averted to the couch briefly, noticing the quilt on the floor. "Thank you for the thought, anyway."
Yuffie stared at him, wishing he would smile again. No such luck. "You're welcome, Vinnie." She paused. "You don't like it when I call you Vinnie, huh?"
He looked back at her, finally dropping his hand to his side. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Yuffie snapped her fingers. "I don't mind."
As he sat down on the couch again, Yuffie felt sudden disappointment. "Because, it's not really like I'm teasing you," she added hastily, picking up the quilt and pulling it straight. "It's more like a term of endear... ment." She closed her eyes. *D'oh, I'm an idiot.* "Wait, that's not what I meant. I mean, it sort of was, but I guess--"
Vincent held up a hand to silence the babbling girl. "Sit down, Yuffie."
She stared at him in disbelief. Did he mean, next to him? Sure enough, he had slightly moved to the side to make room for her. Yuffie felt oddly privileged as she collapsed next to him, finally beginning to succumb to her exhaustion.
Vincent bent down and finished unbuckling his boot. Yuffie felt herself smile as she watched him pull the shoe off to reveal a bare, white foot. *Aww, he has such cute toes!* she thought, then tried to figure out where that had come from. He eyed her strangely as he unbuckled and removed his other boot. Finally, exhaling, he propped his bare feet on the coffee table and closed his magnificent ruby eyes.
After a few minutes of gazing at him, she figured he had fallen asleep. She started to stand up, but stopped as she felt his brass claw push her back down. He opened his eyes again and looked at her. "I'm sorry for being so stern with you upstairs," he said quietly.
She smiled and shrugged. "That's okay."
"I only felt I should warn you," he continued solemnly, "because I realized you had feelings for Rufus, and I didn't want... to see you get hurt."
"What? No!" she exclaimed, laughing. "I don't have feelings for Rufus." Or did she? Unfazed, she said, "He just needs a friend, so I want to be one for him."
Vincent gazed at her thoughtfully, some undetectable emotion in his eyes that she'd never before seen. "You're a very caring person, Yuffie Kisaragi."
Her eyes widened. Two compliments from two adorable men in just one night? Man, she was good! "Thanks," she said, blushing deeply.
He continued staring at her, that uncharacteristic softness in his eyes. She could feel her heart going a kajillion miles per hour. *Why is he looking at me like that?* she thought wildly. *Oh, man. Oh, man. He is so freakin' hot. Oh, man. Why is he look--*
The rantings in her mind stopped when she noticed him shiver slightly. "Oh, hey!" she blurted, springing up to retrieve the quilt. "No wonder you're cold. You don't have any blankets." She wagged a finger at him jokingly. "What am I going to do with you, ya helpless little tyke?"
She motioned for him to lie down on the couch. Feeling foolish, he stood up and attempted to take the quilt from her. "Yuffie, please, I can--"
"Don't argue with me, Sonny," she said, yanking on the other end. "I've been around long enough to know you can't do anything by yourself."
Something akin to mischief actually appeared in Vincent's eyes. "I'll teach you not to call me 'Sonny', *young lady*." He pulled hard on the blanket.
"Hey, don't call me 'Young Lady'!" she retorted, laughing. "I'm almost eighteen-- Whoa!"
Vincent pulled, evidently too hard, for he set the young ninja off balance, causing her to fall backward. However, in the process, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him to the carpet with her. Unable to stop laughing, she pounded her fists against his hard chest as they lay side by side on the floor.
"Eee, how dare you knock me over, you big oaf!" she said in protest. Instead, Vincent grabbed her arms and forced her to stop hitting him. She struggled to break free, but stopped moving altogether when she saw him smile again, warm and gentle.
*Ohhh yeah, that's the stuff,* she thought, instantly overpowered by his handsome face.
He continued to smile as he took her hands gently in his. Yuffie felt the cold metal of his claw against her skin, but she didn't care. Of all unpredictable events, she was laying on the floor with Vincent Valentine, who was holding her hands. Talk about unexpected.
Vincent released one of her hands to grasp her waist and pull them both to a sitting position. His claw still resting on the small of her back, he lifted his other hand and caressed her cheek softly.
Yuffie discovered she had been holding her breath the entire time. She released it, whispering a breathless "Vincent..." as she exhaled. He lifted her chin up with his reluctant fingers and lowered his head close to hers. His eyes began to close, and as he tilted his face slightly, it finally hit Yuffie. *Oh my God, he's going to kiss me.*
She gasped.
Just as their lips brushed, Vincent reacted to her gasp and jerked away, releasing her hastily. "Forgive me," he whispered, standing up.
She blinked in disbelief. Could this day get any more confusing? "But, Vincent--"
"I'm terribly sorry," he said, avoiding her gaze. "I think you should go to bed now, Yuffie."
Tears suddenly sprang to her eyes. She blinked them back furiously. "I..."
Falling silent, Vincent closed his eyes in shame.
Yuffie hung her head and retreated silently up the stairs to her room. Once inside, she kicked the door closed and fell onto her back on the bed. No longer able to fight her tears, she sobbed into her pillow, rivers streaming down her cheeks.
*Why am I even feeling this way?* she thought miserably. *I never even thought twice about Vincent before! Why now? Why do I have to start now?*
She sniffed, and slowly her hand came up to rest on her lips. "Vincent... Why did you do that?" she whispered through her tears. "You must be crazy... But I'm crazier than you."
Vincent leaned against the wall, his head in his hands. What in God's name had possessed him to do such a thing? The girl was so much younger than him; technically forty-one years younger than him, though he was physically twenty-seven. She had such a bright future ahead of him. Wasting it on him was just foolishness. She deserved better.
But when Vincent was with her, when she laughed or told a cheesy joke, he was reminded of the Vincent Valentine he used to be. Full of hopes and dreams, the person he was before Professor Hojo had snatched his future away from him. And Yuffie was slowly bringing the old-- or young-- Vincent back.
She reminded him *so* much of Lucrecia. So much it hurt. She possessed the same lightheartedness, the same concern for others as his once-beloved. He hated to see such innocence taken away. Not again.
Yuffie was good; Vincent was evil. He could see now that they were on opposite sides of the coin. He was guilty of far more sins than he could count, and she didn't deserve to be tainted by his impurities. And he had to make sure that it would stay an impossibility.
After writing a heartfelt note on the coffee table, he shouldered his bag and opened the front door. The howling wind and blinding snow awaited him. Stepping into the blizzard, he turned back once. "Goodbye, Yuffie," he whispered, soft but determined. "Take care of Rufus. You need him far more than you need me."
And he closed the door.
Cloud yawned as the alarm clock by his side of the bed began to buzz. "Oh, God, already?" He swung his tired legs onto the floor and stood up reluctantly.
Tifa rolled over to blink at him sleepily. "Want me to make breakfast for you, babe?"
"No, that's okay," he replied, yanking off his sweatpants. "I'm sure I can find something microwavable in the back of the freezer." He walked over to his dresser in his boxers and pulled out a pair of jeans. As he hopped on one leg to shove his foot through the pant leg, he asked, "Hey, Teef, did you hear something last night?"
"Nuh-uh," she replied, deciding to get up and at *least* make her husband coffee. "Nothing could have woken me up."
He smirked. "Yeah, I figured. You were snoring like it was going out of style." He ducked as a slipper came flying toward his head, and he shrugged. "I guess it was just me."
After Tifa had put on a light blue robe, she followed Cloud out of the room. As he staggered into the living room, she went into the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker. Suddenly she heard him shout for her.
"Tifa, come here, quick!"
She hurried, confused, to the living room, where Cloud was standing by the coffee table with a note. After noticing Vincent was gone, her eyes widened as she put a hand to her mouth.
"I think you should read this," he said solemnly.
She took the paper with trembling fingers and forced herself to read:
--Dear Cloud, Tifa, Rufus, and Yuffie,
I thank you all for your hospitality, but I realize I am not the most wholesome influence on you all, and I must leave before I stain you with my already bloody hands. Though it pains me to leave, you would have been better off never having met me. I doubt I will ever see you again, so I suppose this is goodbye.
Cloud, you are a true hero. Despite your less than ideal life, you have managed to remain upright. This is highly commendable, and you deserve your wife more than anyone else on this Planet.
Tifa, your love for others is remarkable to say the least. The genuine consideration in your smile alone proves it. I hope you stay just as sweet as you are now. And please do not worry about happens to me. You would only be wasting your concern.
Rufus, though you have been on the Planet for twenty years, you have only just begun to realize that you have your whole life ahead of you. Take good care of Yuffie; she is the greatest friend you could possibly need.
And Yuffie. I am terribly sorry if I hurt you; I certainly never meant to cause you any harm. You must understand that I left out of concern for your welfare. In time you will realize that you deserve much better than the likes of me.
I am beyond grateful for your companionship, my friends. You have my word that I will think of you every day.
All My Love,
Vincent Valentine--
Tifa had already begun to cry halfway through the first paragraph. Cloud put a consoling arm around her shoulder, and she started crying harder. "Oh, God, Cloud," she said in between sobs, "Why did he wait until *now* to say all this?"
"I don't know," he replied miserably. "Something must have happened..." He recalled the part in the letter Vincent had devoted to Yuffie. What had he meant by not meaning to hurt her? Or that she deserved better than him?
Rufus came down the stairs sleepily. "What's going on? What-- Why is Tifa crying?" He ran up to her in concern. "What's wrong, Tifa? Where's Vincent?"
Then he noticed the letter. He took it from her shaking hands and began to read it. His blue eyes grew wide as they darted back and forth down the page. "He-- he's gone?"
Cloud nodded, silent.
"Wh-why...?" Rufus read the letter over again. "He... He hurt Yuffie!" he exclaimed angrily. "What did he do to her?"
"We don't know," said Tifa, drying her eyes. "But I should probably go up and tell her." She trudged past them with the letter and climbed the stairs to Yuffie's room. Cloud and Rufus heard her knock on the door faintly. "Yuffie? I have something to tell you..."
They heard the door close again, and the two young men looked at each other until suddenly they heard loud and anguished sobs explode from Yuffie's bedroom.
"Yuffie!" cried Rufus, but Cloud seized the boy's shoulder to stop him and shook his head. Yuffie's heartbroken cries continued to pierce the cold, white morning.