Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Guns and Roses ❯ Is this...? ( Chapter 13 )

Disclaimer: FF VII and all the characters herein belong to Square Enix, except Liana (I made her ^_^).

 

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Vincent lifted Tifa off the ground, sitting in the passenger seat and pulling her into his lap. He held her head against his shoulder, wondering what had happened between her and Cloud. It was obvious they had had an exchange of some kind. He listened as her sobs diminished into sniffles, before turning into half-hearted hiccups. He stroked her hair.

 

“Please don't cry, Tifa,” he said, holding her tighter.

 

She turned her head so he could feel her breath on his neck. He felt his heart leap at the sensation.

 

“I'm such an idiot,” she whispered.

 

He shook his head, his raven hair falling across his crimson eyes as he looked at her. “No,” he said softly. “You couldn't have known.”

 

She sat back, pain in her eyes as she shook her head. “No,” she said emphatically. “I did know.” She looked away. “I did, and I still wanted to ignore it.”

 

Vincent watched as more tears filled her eyes. He touched her cheek, brushing them away. He noticed the surprise in her hazel eyes as he searched her gaze.

 

“Why are you still trying to hold on to him?” he asked quietly.

 

Her eyes grew wider.

 

“So, he loves her,” he said, trying to make her understand, “he's not the only guy in the world, and you're not the first person to feel the sting of unrequited love.”

 

Tifa stared at him, feeling her jaw drop slightly. Had he really just said that to her? She hid a scowl as she looked away. “What do you know about unrequited love?” she said bitterly. “The only girl you ever loved died.”

 

Vincent felt the sting of that comment as he watched her cover her mouth, her eyes widening in shock.

 

“I'm sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn't mean that—“

 

He placed his hand over her mouth, silencing her. A smile had come to his lips at her reaction, and it still lingered. He shook his head. “It's alright, Tifa,” he said softly. “But I meant what I said.” He got her to stand and also got to his feet. He searched her eyes. “You have to let Cloud go and stop blaming yourself. He's as much at fault as you are for not letting you go sooner.” He smirked, tilting his head. “It's time to move on, don't you think?”

 

Tifa looked at the sidewalk. “I guess you're right,” she said softly.

 

He grinned ruefully, arching an eyebrow. “Of course I am,” he said. “I've had lots of time to learn how to read people.”

 

Tifa smiled a little as she looked at him. “What are you? My psychologist?”

 

He held out his hand to her, smirking suggestively. “I'll be whatever you want me to be,” he said quietly. His smirk grew when Tifa blushed darkly. “Shall we go?”

 

Tifa looked away, taking his hand. She let him help into the car, then closed her eyes. She could feel the heat slowly leaving her cheeks. He was such an enigma, and she was constantly surprised at what came out of his mouth. She avoided looking at him as she listened to him get in beside her.

 

Suddenly, all she could think about was what he'd said, and the way he'd said it. She could still feel the warmth of his arms around her, and she shivered slightly as she recalled the sensation of his hair brushing against her cheek. She felt her chest tighten as she realized that she was very attracted to him, and it wasn't entirely an unpleasant feeling. At first, she had just wanted to be friends, but it seemed as if her heart wanted more. She glanced at him as he started toward her house.

 

His eyes were focused on the road. “Something wrong?” he asked, startling her. She hadn't noticed him even look over at her.

 

She shook her head. “No,” she said quietly, her voice sticking in her throat.

 

He glanced at her. “Quit lying to me,” he said playfully.

 

She looked at him. “I'm not lying,” she said.

 

He looked at her as he stopped at a red light. “So does that mean you're going to tell me what's going through that head of yours?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.

 

She looked away, her nose in the air. “Why should I?”

 

“I'm your psychologist, remember?” he said, smiling as he looked at her.

 

“Is that all?” she asked, smirking, her mind still on his earlier statement. She saw him pull his eyes slowly away from her. She gave a short sigh when they reached her house.

 

“Talk to you later?” Tifa asked, climbing out. She looked back at him, seeing him staring at her. She noticed his crimson eyes were shaded, but with what, she couldn't tell.

 

After a second, he blinked. “Yeah,” he said, looking away quickly. “I'll call you.” He glanced back at her.

 

She nodded, a little disturbed by his behavior. She said bye and closed the door, walking up the sidewalk, feeling his eyes on her once more.

 

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Vincent picked up his phone once more. He started to dial a number, before closing the flip phone and pacing his study again. Finally, mustering his resolve and nodding his head, he dialed the number and pushed the call button. He held his breath as the phone rang. He listened as a male voice answered.

 

“Hojo?”

 

“Ah, Vincent,” Hojo purred on the other end. “I've been expecting you.”

 

Vincent scowled at the tone in Hojo's voice. “I want to meet with you,” he said, suppressing the urge to slam the phone down.

 

“Oh?” Hojo asked, sounding clearly surprised. “Really?” Vincent could imagine him grinning as he sat at his desk. “When would you like to meet?”

 

“This evening,” Vincent said, hearing the edge to his own voice. How he loathed Hojo.

 

“Alright,” Hojo said. The sound of a pen on paper could be heard in the background. “How about you meet me at my lab? Then you can see the facilities.”

 

Vincent was silent, contemplative. Part of his mind screamed in protest, but he ignored it. “Alright,” he said quietly. “But no funny stuff, understood?”

 

Hojo chuckled. “Why Vincent, who do you take me for?” he asked, his voice holding a lilt of mirth.

 

A lying bastard, Vincent thought. “I'll meet you there then,” he said, shifting the focus. Then he hung up on Hojo.

 

He set the phone on his desk, feeling apprehension twisting in his chest. He felt weakness suddenly sweep him, and he leaned against the edge of the desk. He had been feeling that way a lot lately. He didn't want anything to do with the crazy scientist, but he had to find out what was wrong with him. There were some instances when he could barely stand.

 

He closed his eyes, sighing. Something was telling him to stay away, but he couldn't. Not at the risk that what Hojo said was true and he was at risk of really dying this time. At first, he had thought the elderly scientist was just lying to try to get him to help in his research, but now he was feeling a strain on his body that he hadn't felt in a long time. He felt weak. And it scared him.

 

He glanced at the clock, standing. He had promised to call Tifa, and it was getting late. He glanced at his phone, wanting nothing more than to leave it lying there and go to bed. He was feeling sick, and his nerves weren't helping. But he sighed instead. He reached for the phone, flipping it open. He was feeling the familiar sense of sadness and depression he normally felt when he thought about his life. He knew it wouldn't do any good to push Tifa away, but he was still not ready to let her in completely.

 

He dialed her number, biting his lip as he listened to the phone ring. After three rings, she answered, and he heard the smile in her voice.

 

“Hey, Vince,” she said lightly.

 

He couldn't hide a smile at the sound of her voice. He suddenly felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “Hey Tifa,” he said quietly. I missed you… He listened as she began to talk, telling him about what had happened to her after he dropped her off, and his smile grew a little. I think I love you.