Final Fantasy VII 1. CxT Chapter 1

**Just a quick Author's Note! Each chapter will follow a different pairing in a pattern. Tifa, Aerith, Yuffie and repeat. So as much as this chapter is CloTi centred, the next will be Zerith and after that Yuffentine then repeat! c: Hope you enjoy!**

Towering metal gates loomed ahead, creating a perfect barrier between the pitch black night and the dazzling beams used to illuminate the prodigious Mansion and its surrounding land. Light bounced off of our dresses' sequins and diamantes inside of the beautiful – yet insanely expensive- rental car. Honestly, who spends such a large amount of money on renting a fancy car to drop you at a door and be on their way? I'm not entirely sure why Aerith insisted on the rental car but I imagine it has something to do with appearances and trying to impress people. That woman tries too hard. Trembling fingers and legs that would not sit still gave away my anxiety and my stomach lurched every time my mind drifted to the night I had ahead of me. Thank goodness I had a mask to hide behind, without it I felt entirely vulnerable; naked and bare for all to laugh at. I've never been to a Masquerade Ball before, how am I supposed to act? Was I supposed to bring a gift? Do I have to curtsey? Oh boy, this is going to be a long night.

"Whoa, this place is huuuuge!" Yuffie was as nervous as I was, but the good kind of nervous. Her adrenaline fuelled her; the young ninja raring to go as soon as the car door was open. Aerith, however, looked as calm and collected as always. As if she felt my nervousness, she smiled at me and squeezed my shaking hands, her motherly touch calming me slightly.  
"You'll be fine, Tifa." She assured me. The car rolled up the long drive, slowing behind a line of other cars as elegant woman adorned in jewels and sleek dresses and men in tailored suits stepped out of their –most likely rented- cars. Staring at the black lace mask in my hands; I raised it to my eyes and tied the knot behind my head, failing a few times due to my fingers refusing to cooperate. Our car reached the doorway and as I took a look around, making sure I'd grabbed my purse, I reached to open my door only to have it opened for me.

I successfully exited the car as elegantly as possible, for everyone knows exiting a vehicle in six-inch heels and a dress as form fitting as a second skin was not an easy task. My dignity still intact, I turned to Aerith and Yuffie, seeking their refuge. Aerith, in a long, baby pink dress made of light material that caught the gentle breeze and blew around her, making her evermore ethereal than I thought possible, stood beside Yuffie: in a green, kimono style dress with black embroidery. Yuffie now looked older than she did when in her usual shorts and shirt combo, the green of her dress making her porcelain skin and dark hair very striking. Her whole image screamed the word "_venom" _and I couldn't stop my mind from comparing her to a viper. Although I knew Yuffie loved the thrill of stealing, she really was just a big child and liked to look tougher than she actually was. The Great Ninja Yuffie would forever be The White Rose of Wutai inside. With their faces hidden behind masks – Aerith in a mask covered in flowers to remind her of her church and Yuffie in a green bandit mask- I couldn't help but smile at the fact that we could be whoever we wanted to be tonight.

We walked to the door, and following Aerith, I watched her hand the invitation –granting entry to her plus two guests- to a man dressed in a red and gold suit jacket that all staff seemed to wear here.  
"Good Evening and welcome to Master Fair's Fairly Mystical Masquerade Ball." I stifled a giggle as Yuffie's jaw dropped noticeably, for she'd been challenging herself to read the invitation over and over in the car and couldn't manage to say the name almost half the speed of what this young man had done. Aerith walked as if in a daze from painting to painting that lined the walls of the hallway. I followed her slowly, hearing the deep chuckle of the young doorman as Yuffie asked him to teach her how to master tongue twisters so easily. I turned around to see the two slowly saying each word together. Knowing that Yuffie would wander off even if I hung around to wait for her, I turned back to follow Aerith only to realise she was already gone, probably enchanted by the beautiful paintings hung on the walls of the mansion that was so obviously created by a very talented architecture that had poured life and love into every carefully carved pillar and chiselled walls. Following the lush red carpet beneath my feet, I reached the massive and incredibly impressive ballroom.

Adrenaline burned in my stomach as I saw so many faces, so many people I knew nothing about. My mind flickered between fight and flight. Crowds would gather at Seventh Heaven all hours of the day and night, what difference was this event? Seeking a little liquid courage to remind me of my personal heaven, my eyes darted around the room looking for a bar. There, in the far corner, a sleek marble-top counter was tucked away, a lone barman serving up drinks to be taken out on trays by more men and women in red and gold coats. People seemed to be avoiding the bar, but I put it down to people wanting to spend more time socialising and dancing than waiting for a drink to be prepared for them. Seeing as I had no one to socialise nor dance with, waiting for a drink didn't seem like such a burden, besides; Bartenders always talk to their customers so grabbing a drink and a conversation didn't seem so bad.

Pushing my way through the crowd, many just standing talking while listening to the music rather than dancing, I made it to the bar fairly quickly. Taking a seat on an empty stool I pulled my heels out of the torture devices Aerith had deemed "stripper heels" and rested them on the cold stone floor, breathing a sigh of release.

"Can I help you?" A man grunted almost angrily at me. I looked up from my feet to see where the voice had come from. There stood the barman, at least I assume he was the barman, he wasn't wearing the usual red and gold of the staff outfit but instead, he wore a black long sleeve, button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. His back was facing me as he fixed what looked like a tray of Vodka Martinis.  
"Sorry, if you're busy I can wait?" I almost stumbled over my words in attempt to get them out as quickly as possible, smooth Tifa.

"Yeah, I am busy. So if you don't mind could you-"his voice was angry but his words seemed to get stuck in his throat as he turned around to face me after setting the drinks on the bar to be served. Bright blue eyes almost lost under a fringe of spiked blonde hair, stared at me as if he could see right through my mask. Letting out a loud sigh; he ran his hands through the spiked strands of blonde hair and walked over to me, his handsome features softening to a more relaxed pose.  
"My apologies, I'm a little stressed. What may I get you?" He spoke the apology as if it were rehearsed, no feeling, and no truth behind it. I had a feeling he'd been told off for talking to guests the way he'd treated me and was given that very excuse to replay to anyone he mistreated. I understood the stress of running a bar by yourself. I also understood that you can lash out at someone when under stress, so he was forgiven.  
A small smile played across my face.  
"Got any beer?" He seemed completely shocked and stared at me like I was crazy, one perfect blonde eyebrow raised slightly.  
"Urm, yeah. Draught or bottle?"

"Draught. Although, do me a favour? Make it look all sophisticated, yeah? My friend would kill me if she saw me drinking anything less than martinis in a place like this."

"Heh, yeah sure." He reached for a glass that looked hand crafted and pretty darn expensive. Wouldn't find something like that in Seventh Heaven. I watched him pour my drink, my eyes wandering up his sculpted forearms until I reached his shoulders. The shirt he wore told no lies and showed cords of hard earned muscle flexing beneath his skin with every movement. My eyes dropped to my hands resting on the marble top, admiring the natural made patterns in the stone, before snapping back to my drink as he set it down in front of me. I looked up at him to thank him, a deep blush resting on my cheeks as I found his eyes already staring into mine. I never said thank you and quickly focused on my drink to get away from his eyes that told me he knew that I had been looking and that I liked what I'd seen. My face burned brighter and I took refuge in my drink. Ah, the comforting smell of alcohol. I took a sip, visibly relaxing as the slight burn of the liquid nipped my throat.  
"Oh, I needed that." I moaned from the pleasure of it all. His lips twitched into a small smile as he washed and dried a glass that had been returned to the bar.  
"You know, for a bartender you don't talk much."

"That would be because I'm not a bartender." He stated, slight anger returning to his features.

I gasped dramatically.

"An imposter?! Inside Master Fair's Fairly Mystical Masquerade Ball?! How very daring, I should rally the guards." I joked, trying to break the ice. He exhaled quickly in a silent laugh and turned to me as I took another sip of my beer.

"Go ahead. Rally the guards; maybe they'll finally get me out of this place!" He stared me down, laughter in his voice but also sincerity. Huh, looks like we were in the same boat.

"Masquerade ball's not your scene, huh?" I asked.

"You could say that. I'm not very good with people."

"Really? Well, I never could've guessed." I smirked at him and he shook his head at my sarcasm with another small – but breathtaking- smile on his lips.

"So, why did you take the job then? If you're not a bartender, why are you here, tending a bar?" I gestured at the marble top, spreading my arms over the counter like a show girl advertising a new car. His eyes dropped momentarily to my cleavage. Well, I guess I advertised that like a show girl too.

"I'm a friend of _Master _Fair. He didn't realise that when you put plus 2 guests on an invitation, a lot of people show up and he was understaffed, so I stepped in." He dropped his eyes back to washing and drying glasses as he talked. He put a lot of emphasis on the "Master." Out of jealousy or just making fun I couldn't tell. I opened my mouth to reply when three red and gold clad men arrived, each carrying two trays filled with empty glasses.

"Cloud, we need four trays of Vodka martinis, a tray of Appletinis and a tray of Gin and Tonics." The bartender's head dropped a little, hands grasped the counter top as if trying to gain some self control and anger returned to his features once again.  
"And be quick about it, Cloud." One of the men said before they all set the trays down and scurried off into the crowd to fetch more glasses. The Bartender snapped his head up to look at the back of the retreating man, his hands flexing and chest heaving deep, angry breaths.  
"Cloud." I almost whispered, unsure as to whether or not it was his name.

His head twisted round to look at me and I could see the stress and exhaustion in his eyes. Gentleness graced his features as I took his attention from the demanding staff.

"Would you like some help?" I asked, but to be perfectly honest, I wasn't going to give him much of a choice. He looked back down to all the glasses he had to wash as well as what he had to serve, a hand came up to rub the back of his neck and before he could say anything I had gathered a handful of my dress and my shoes before climbing over the bar and giggling as he stared at me like I was a woman gone mad. I stashed my shoes behind the bar and began to untie the lace mask before scrunching it up and using it as a ribbon and tying my hair up off of my back.

Cloud's eyes watched my every move and I pretended not to notice his eyes drift lower until he'd reached the bottom of my dress, slowly drinking in the curves the gown did nothing to hide, before his eyes journeyed back up to my face. I hope he knew I'd seen him looking and that he had liked what he had seen. I walked over to him, enjoying his faint blush and the hint of desire in his eyes as I stood right next to him before I plunged my hands into the sink and flicked water in his face.  
"Better get to work, Cloud." I said quietly as he was very, very close. I suppressed a shiver as he leaned in close to reach behind me and grab a towel to dry his face, a smirk gracing his lips the whole time.

"Sure thing, Boss." He mock saluted after his face was sufficiently dry and went on his way gathering ingredients for the drinks.

"My name's Tifa." I said quietly, far too quiet for him to hear, I thought.

"Sure thing, _Tifa_." He repeated, putting emphasis on my name, and _oh_ did it sound heavenly. I could hear the smile in his voice as a blush burned from my chest to my face. What had I gotten myself into?


	2. ZxA Chapter 2

I wandered from painting to sculpture, through the great halls of the mansion. My heels making faint clicks on the vast stone floor as I left the red carpet that seemingly stretched on for miles, leading guests to the preferred destination within the sculptured walls and pillars. Although, I'm sure it was to be expected that some guests would stray from the path to explore such an incredible masterpiece such as the building housing the masquerade. So much love echoed in these walls, each pillar carved precisely and the artwork hanging upon the walls; all subtly matched in art style.

My fingers longed to follow the brush strokes, to feel the passion the artist felt for their creation. I didn't want to offend anyone by touching the masterpiece, and so I stepped away from the painting rather forcibly as I tried to pry my eyes away from it and ran straight into a nearby sculpture. Losing my balance, I began to fall backwards until a pair of arms wrapped around me and pulled me flush against the sculpture; warm stone smooth beneath my finger tips. However, upon further inspection I realised that beneath my hands was a smooth, white dress shirt and black suit vest and the warmth was in fact coming from a well built, impeccably dressed, gentleman.

"Whoa, didn't mean to startle you!" His voice; dripping with amusement but also concern, vibrated against my palms that were still resting on his chest.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there; I didn't even look where I was going, how clumsy am I?" I stammered the words out; heart pounding in my chest at the fright of what I thought was a surely disastrous moment for a sculpture to be knocked to the floor by my clumsy steps, only to be wrapped in the arms of a man with excellent timing. I looked up from where my hands lay, pinned between our bodies, to see bright blue eyes staring down at me.

Caught off guard by his alluring eyes that shined like natural spring water glistening in the sun; all words left me, and I was left staring up at him like a fool. A navy blue silk mask was tied neatly around his eyes -the knot nestled somewhere in his wild black spikes of hair-obscuring his cheek bones but doing nothing to hide the chiselled angles of his handsome face. His perfectly symmetrical features called to my finger tips to memorize every inch of this charming man's face. Noticing that I had been staring at him in silence, I tried to break free of his seductive embrace and stepped back, blushing as I smoothed imaginary creases out of my dress.

"Thank you for catching me, I was so caught up in all of this art, I wasn't paying attention." I almost whispered, gesturing to the paintings on the walls.

"Ah, don't mention it. I'm glad you like the paintings, but these are nothing. Follow me!" The man quickly took a hold of my hand with wild enthusiasm and led me through many halls, twisting and turning through a maze of passages. I slowly stopped, tugging on his hand for a second before removing my hand, holding one finger up to tell him "just a moment" before slipping my feet from my shoes, picking them up before grabbing the stranger's hand again and running off in search of whatever he wanted to show me. We came to a large oak door, obviously hand carved to show intricate knot designs and patterns. The man pushed the door open as if it weighed nothing and gestured for me to go first.

"Ladies first." He spoke, a smirk evident in his voice. I picked up a handful of my dress, now trailing on the stone ground as it had only just touched it with my heels on. I stepped beneath his hand and peered around the door. Refractions of moon light bounced off of the stone walls through stained glass windows in what seemed to have been a conservatory turned into a personal art studio and gallery. The room was immense. Easels and canvases stood all around, palettes piled high on counters and thousands of brushes of every size slotted in hand crafted vases. Sculpting tools I had never even seen before, this place was heaven for an artist.

"Wow." I exhaled.

"Beautiful, isn't it? It's my favourite room in the house; I spend hours in here every day. Sometime I spend whole days in here." I heard the man say. Realisation hit me like a slap in the face.

"You live here?!" I nearly shouted; shock evident on my face -even if half of it was concealed behind a mask. The man let out a deep laugh, something I found myself wishing I could hear more of.

"Well yeah, I'm Zack Fair." He acted so nonchalant. As if being _the_ Zack Fair; the man that owned this unimaginable mansion and hosted the most lavish balls; was as plain and simple as it gets.

"You're Zack Fair? _Master _Fair; of Master Fair's Fairly Mystical Masquerade Ball?"

"The one and only!" He puffed his chest out slightly at my acting like a crazed fan of some celebrity – I mean, this was Zack Fair, can you blame me? A dazzling smile graced his lips.

"Oh, Gaia. It's wonderful to meet you! I'm terribly sorry about slamming into you earlier; I don't know what I was thinking. Your home is beautiful; you're a very lucky man to live in such a place as incredible as this. And the artwork too, it's your art work?! Oh Gaia you are very talented. I had no idea you were Zack Fair! Oh goodness, now I'm rambling. Dreadfully sorry it's just; you're Zack Fair!"

He let out another beautiful laugh and placed his hands on my shoulders trying to calm me.

"Aerith, calm down!" He said with laughter in his voice.

"How do you know my name?" I said suddenly; realising that I hadn't told him my name yet.

"Oh, urm, see, well..." It seemed it was his turn to be embarrassed. One of his strong capable hands left my shoulder to reach behind him and rub his neck bashfully –it was the cutest thing I had ever seen.

"Walk with me as we talk, I have something to show you." He removed his other hand –I internally cried at the cold breeze drifting over my now bare shoulder- and we walked through a door to a continued part of the studio, an easel standing in the far corner.

"Once Upon A Time," he started, jokingly. "I was out on an adventure; exploring ruins and finding treasure. Y'know, typical Friday night stuff." I giggled at his light tone.

"And as I travelled through the jungle that is Sector 5 of the Midgar Slums, a single sun beam shone right down through the plate in front of me -and thinking it was fate, I decided to follow it." He gestured to the painting in front of us and as my eyes drank in the realistic painting, my heart leapt. It was painted as if we were standing directly at the entrance to my church, a bright sun beam shining through the broken roof and down into the patch of flowers that fought against all odds and continued to grow wonderfully despite the nearby Mako reactors. It was beautiful, and this time I didn't hold back my hand as it reached to feel the brush strokes and the intensity of the emotion inside the painting. Zack truly was an amazing artist.

"It's wonderful." I exhaled, shakily as I almost cried with happiness. The painting captured everything perfectly! The light inside the church, the flowers; I could almost smell the soil and water. I felt so calm looking at this painting, as if I were relaxing within the church. Zack smiled, ecstatic about my reaction.

"When I saw flowers growing in the Midgar slums, I knew that Church was special. I remember bending down to smell the flowers and finding gardening tools. Gardening tools, in Sector 5 slums! Who would ever think you'd need them in a place like the Midgar slums?! So I asked around, looking for whoever cared for those plants so affectionately. And everyone told me your name, Aerith. And when I saw you tonight, in a mask made of flowers identical to the ones in the Church; I knew I'd found you. And here you are!" Zack's hand had reached up to touch the flowers of my mask, knuckles brushing against my cheek as he did so. I found myself looking at the floor, trying to hide my blush and my tear filled eyes as I remembered the day I found an invitation addressed to me hidden inside my flowers.

His hand slid down my face to lift my chin up to look at him and he was smiling that perfect smile at me. He stepped closer, his other hand reaching behind me to undo my mask as I reached up to undo his. The masks came loose and I inhaled sharply. Zack Fair was the most handsome man I had ever met. His head tipped down to look at me yet still gave the appearance of his head being held high, proudly. His captivating blue eyes stared deep within me as if seeing my very soul. My fingers had untied his mask and it had already fallen; yet my hands stayed buried in his soft, black, naturally wild hair that personified him so greatly. My hand slowly stroked his hair absent minded, and I saw a slight shiver run through his body. His hands had peeled my mask off and returned; cupping my face slightly, thumb running over my cheekbone. I retrieved my hands from his person quickly as realisation dawned on me that we had stood in silence, staring at each other for a while now and we both stood, shyly, side by side –blushes coating our faces.

Zack's left hand rose slowly to the back of his neck, rubbing it in that display of bashfulness that I already knew I loved. We both stood in silence for some time, rerunning our intimate first moments together as blush burned our faces once more.

"Well, Aerith, would you –Urm, like to see the rest of my home?" He asked shyly, his hand still buried in the back of his black spikes. I reached up to take his hand from the mess of hair and pulled him towards the main door of the incredible art studio.

"I would love to, although I feel a little parched, maybe we could grab a quick drink?"

"Excellent, I know just the guy!" And before I knew what was what, we were running through the halls on the hunt for a drink. Gods, I hope Tifa and Yuffie are having this much fun.


	3. VxY Chapter 3

**In response to reviews;**

**Sunflowerspot- I'm terribly sorry about the spacing, I actually never even thought to break it all down, thanks for pointing that out, it's very much appreciated. I shall edit the last two and remember it for this one. (: CloTi is definitely my bias too but I felt like throwing in the others because I love the interactions between them all, and I feel if Zack was still alive Cloud wouldn't be so deep in his own shell that Tifa would have to coax him out super gently. Plus the bromance between those two is brilliant, I feel like it will be loads of fun to write the bro-moments between the two of them. :') Hope you enjoy this Yuffentine Chapter and then back to Cloud and Tifa at the bar! **

**I would also like to say that Vincent is slightly out of character in this chapter but it will be explained in a later chapter. (:**

There were so many rooms to explore, so many things to find and steal. After all, finders; keepers -right? I swallowed a giggle, trying to remain as quiet as possible. How could anyone live here? This place is a maze! I'd turned corner after corner, each one leading to another stretch of passage, I doubt I'll ever find my way back to the party now. Completely lost I sighed in defeat and leaned against the nearest wall, giving a sharp inhale as the ice cold stone touched the skin on the backs of my arms. I spun around quickly at the shock of the temperature change and there stood a large, intricately carved, oak door.

Man, this Fair guy was big on decor. My fingertips traced the carvings of a large simplified drawing of an angel –or a demon, depending on what way you looked at it. The wings of the creature protruded from the back of a human looking man with his arms outstretched towards the ceiling. The wings reminded me of bats, the membrane of each wing torn in some places giving the carving an intimidating look but the face of the creature was so calm and serene –and beautiful- that it couldn't possibly be a demon. Demons were meant to be ugly and evil; this man did not look either of those things. Slightly confused I tried to push the carving to the back of my mind and moved forward to see what lay behind the door.

Making absolutely sure no one saw me –although, I don't believe anyone else would have strayed this far from the party- I wrapped both hands around the enormous door handle and heard the resounding click as the latch lifted. Hauling the heavy, intricately carved door open slowly I slipped inside; thanking the Gods for the door's hinges being regularly oiled. Turning around slowly -jaw dropping slightly at the view- I thanked the Gods yet again, but not for well oiled door hinges; I thanked them for books, hundreds upon hundreds of books!

The walls were lined with bookshelves, all the way to the ceiling; although you'd think that would be silly, no one was _that_ tall, and there were no ladders around. Dark, blood red wallpaper coated the walls, bordered by dark wood -stained with thick somber-looking varnish that matched the flooring. Old fashioned furniture was scattered around the room. Two red upholstered chairs sitting in front of a lit –also intricately carved- fireplace that I hadn't realised I sorely needed as the corridors of the mansion had been draughty and rather cold. So strange, as all the rooms in the corridors before this one had been empty, or filled with unneeded furniture that was covered in blankets or thick coats of dust. This wing of the mansion had almost seemed uninhabitable –apart from this very room.

Sometime during my shock induced daze, my hands had reached up to cover my mouth; as if trying to silence an excited yelp –so as not to alert anyone that I had hit the jackpot, of course. I do love books, nothing beats a good book. On days Godo would keep me from running off on an adventure I could always escape in a book full of excitement and wondrous escapades. I stepped forward, my flat shoes making almost unnoticeable taps on the wooden flooring. Walking to the towering bookshelf closest to me, I reached a hand out to stroke the bindings. Leather, real leather bound books. As I stepped closer I was hit with the distinguishable smell of books and a deeper, sweeter smell with a pungent metallic taste to it. I couldn't recognise the other smell at first but subconsciously my mind seemed to register what it was –gunpowder. Inquisitively, I reached for one of the beautiful tomes, plucking it from its place on the shelf and raised it to my face. The smell grew stronger but didn't seem to come from the book. With one eyebrow raised in confusion, I moved to slip it into a secret compartment within my purse only to be stopped by a deep, velvet voice right by my ear.

"Stealing is a crime, you know." I whipped round, shocked that anyone had managed to sneak up on me, The Great Ninja; Yuffie!

"Wha-How did you? What?!" Stunned that no one stood behind me- or anywhere else in the room- an ominous shiver crept down my spine. My hands had reflexively sprung up to guard myself against any attacks but as I took note of the empty room, my right hand reached to my neck where only seconds ago I had felt the warm breath of a man that held himself as silently as a highly trained Ninja. Due to the shock of the event, I had dropped the book and after taking another quick look around the room I concluded I was alone and must be going crazy. The warning hadn't deterred me from taking the book that I had become so interested in. However, my hands shook slightly as I slipped it into my bag –proving that although stealing it didn't bother me, I wasn't fond of the idea of hanging around long enough to be caught. After pulling the drawstring of my purse closed I moved to walk quickly to the door only to see the shadow of a man standing tall in its place; effectively blocking my exit.

"Didn't you hear me the first time?" His voice rumbled again, I could feel it vibrate in my chest from the other side of the room.

"Whoa, Holy Leviathan! Don't sneak up on me like that!" My heart pounded in my chest and my voice shook ever so slightly as I talked.

"I did not sneak. You were just too busy stealing to hear me." The shadows concealed his face and so any smile he held was shrouded, but I could hear faint traces of amusement hidden in his voice. He began to move closer, slowly, with agile feline grace; as if he were stalking his prey.

"Whatever, it's not like it's something this guy's gonna miss." I fiddled with the drawstring of my purse nervously, trying to appear nonchalant and tough as I waited for the predator to pounce.

"Quite the opposite, I do rather enjoy that book." My stomach dropped to the floor and my breath caught in my throat, I think I'm gonna be sick.

"Wait, you're Master Fair?!" A deep, velvet chuckle reverberated around the room.

"No. But I do live here. This is my room you have entered and it is me from which you steal. Now, I really would like that book back." Relief flooded my system and I regained control of my breathing. The tall man walked ever so slowly closer to me, away from the shadows that had obscured his features. Holy White Materia! This man was absolutely beautiful; his features carved as elegantly as the wooden door to his room and sent down by the Gods to laugh in the faces of us mere mortals and our petty looks. His hair was long and swayed with each step; its colour so dark it seemed to absorb all light surrounding him; encasing him in permanent shadows. A crimson strip of fabric wrapped around his head beneath his bangs, contrasting greatly with his snow white complexion. Although he lived in the mansion, it seemed he did not plan on attending the ball as he was dressed in a fine red shirt and black suit trousers and was bare foot as if that combination was his most casual attire.

Hit with new found courage and a small hint of desire as my eyes drank in the stranger in front of me I found myself carelessly vomiting words out without much thought.

"What book?" I uttered innocently. The man's face remained stoic but his eyes glistened with amusement.

"The book you stole from me." I shivered slightly as his words once again rumbled in my chest, the vibrations slightly stronger now as he continued to walk slowly towards me; only a few metres lay between us now.

"I did no such thing." One hand clutched my chest in mock offence, a smile spread across my face. I had been caught but maybe I could squirm my way out of this with humour -and the book still in my possession.

"Don't play with me girl, hand the book over and be on your way." His voice spoke a warning but his eyes flashed with playfulness. After all, it must not be often he has company this deep into the recesses of the mansion.

"Make me." I almost smacked my hands to my mouth to push the words back in but before I could lift my hand to do so, I found myself pinned hard against the bookshelf. Shocked that the man had managed to catch me off guard and move fast enough to pin me between his body and the bookshelf, defiance surged through me, there was no way I would let this guy beat me; as much as I did enjoy the feel of his hard body pressed fully against mine. Quickly I ducked beneath his arm that was pressed against the bookshelf beside my head and pushed him into the bookshelf and pinned him there, his face was turned sideways but was pressed against the books and I could see a small smile on his features as he grew shocked and slightly impressed that I had switched our positions. To someone watching, it must have looked awfully strange, this man was very tall and the muscles of his back -that I had my body pushed against to pin him to the shelf- showed that he was very capable of manhandling me into submission. Yet, he didn't. He stayed there, inhaling slowly as I regained my breath from what had been quite a hard feat.

"Fine, keep the book. Your impressive skills have earned it; no one has managed to surprise me in a long time." I let up on trying to keep him pinned slightly and found myself once again pushed against the shelf, hands pinned by my head on either side, I inhaled sharply and the deep strong smell of gunpowder and masculine scent hit the back of my throat and I stared at the man's face; a blush colouring my cheeks and neck as I realised it was his personal smell that had hit me -and I liked it. I kept eye contact with him, attempting to show that I would not submit to him. His pupils dilated almost fully at my show of defiance, a thin red sliver remained around his pupils that were drawing me in almost as if he were hypnotising me. I blinked rapidly to break the trance.

"What is your name?" He grumbled seductively.

"Yuffie Kisaragi, and you?"

"Vincent Valentine." I tried my hardest not to shiver as his voice rumbled once more through my chest, this time almost knocking the breath out of me with how strong and deep his voice sounded.

"Well, Vincent, as charming as this has been I'd quite like to get back to the party. Directions would be of great help." He leaned ever slightly closer, his scent growing stronger as his hair slid down his face as he tipped his head to make direct eye contact with me despite the height difference.

"Two rights and a left, from there you should see the red carpet again and it will lead you to the main hall." He straightened slowly, lowering his hands from mine that he had pinned by my head. A small smirk played at the corners of his mouth and I had the feeling he was playing with me, once again making him resemble a predator and me; the prey. I rubbed my fingertips over where his fingers had applied forceful pressure that may have been just enough to leave bruises. I walked passed him, brushing his shoulder as I moved towards the door. Heaving the door open I stopped and without turning to look at him I muttered;

"Have a nice night." I said although I received no response, turning to see if Vincent had heard me, my eyes fell upon an empty room.

The fire was extinguished and the room was cast almost entirely in darkness, another ominous shiver ran down my spine as if Vincent were still in the room but watching me from the shadows. The once immaculate room that enticed me into its arms now screamed of cold and dark -and seemed to suck all happiness and light from within me and the corridor outside. Confusion and fear filled me and I closed the door behind me quickly; wasting no time finding my way back to the party.

Man, I need a drink.


End file.
