Final Fantasy VII 1. This Is It?

**Summary: Vincent Valentine gets an internet life, and meets a girl. What happens when he falls for her? What happens when he finds out that she is only 15 years old? GASPLE!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7, or any of its qualities or characters.**

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**Chapter One:**

"Here it is, Vincent!" Tifa said as she slapped a large black laptop onto Vincent's lap in the Seventh Heaven bar. Vincent becae startled at the sudden heap of machinery in front of him. Tifa brushed her hands off as though she had handled a large pile of dirty rubble. "The new laptop with high quality sound, picture, and with high speed internet."

"..This is it?" Vincent asked, looking up at her with a questioning look.

"Mhm!"

"...So how do I use it?" Vincent now took the time to study the thing very carefully, being cautious as to not break it.

"Oh, it's simple. You just take this small cord..." Tifa then handed Vincent a cord with an outlet hook on the end, "and you hit the power button. That's all!"

"...It is?"

"Yup! Well, you might want to create an internet account. It's quite possibly the best thing you can do on a computer. You also have word documents, calculators, and alot of other devices you can use to write stories and things like that."

"...I don't write stories, Tifa."

"Oh...Well, just have fun with it! The bar is about to open. How about you go home and check that thing out?"

"Right...Thanks, Tifa." Vincent stood up, awkwardly carrying the laptop in his hands. He started toward the door just as Cloud came into the bar. The ex SOLDIER's eyebrow raised as his eyes searched Vincent.

"...Getting into computers?" he asked.

"Figured that I needed something to do." Without another word, Vincent walked out the door. He didn't feel like taking grief over a computer. So what? He was normal! Almost everyone in Edge used a computer, or at least seen one. Even Marlene and Denzel had their own computer to play with (heavily set with parental controls by Cloud). Getting a computer was just one step closer to living a peaceful life in Edge. Thats all he needed.

Vincent walked the streets of Edge to his townhome in Kalm, where he could rest at last. Once inside, he set the laptop on his bedside table. The TV was still blinking; he had forgotten to turn it off that morning. The afternoon news was on, and there were continued reports of stolen materia and attempts to catch the culprit. Most of the time Vincent wondered why this should be 'news' to the people of Edge. It was _Edge. _

Vincent sat on the side of his bed, sipping a glass of wine he had never bothered to put away. His phone was blinking rapidly, showing signs that messages were waiting for them. He rolled his eyes. All of them were probably from Yuffie.

In the past month, Vincent has found himself stalked by the ninja. She was everywhere he went, and he was astounded that she hadn't appeared at Seventh Heaven when he was there. Many times, he had told her that a relationship between the two of them would not be possible. He was uncomfortable with the age difference, and how their personalities would clash. He couldn't handle her kind of personality and lookout on life; he felt too old to do that.

Vincent's gaze drifted to the shut laptop on his nightstand. It was a large, square piece of metal, and Vincent was somewhat skeptical about touching it. He could break it. However, he couldn't resist the impulse. He set down his wine glass, and slid the computer onto his lap. Slowly he opened it, loathing his childish fear of having something pop out at him. He was relieved to find that it was a blank screen.

He then picked up the cable that Tifa had gave to him, and leaned down to put it in the outlet. He connected it to the computer, and pressed the large power button at the top of the keyboard. His heart jumped as he heard a loopy sound, followed by a mechanical female, 'Hello!'. The screen filled with a blue color, and a box popped up in the middle.

LOG IN:

PASSWORD:

Vincent raised an eyebrow. He slowly raised his hands over the keyboard, touching the letters lightly with his fingers. The gauntlet on his left arm made a scratching sound each time it hit the key.

LOG IN: VINCENTVALENTINE

Vincent then leaned back to ponder a password. Something he would remember...

LOG IN: VINCENTVALENTINE

PASSWORD: LUCRECIA

It took him two minutes to scroll the arrow to enter button. He skeptically clicked.

The screen flashed again, and icons appeared on the left side of the screen. They confused Vincent slightly, as he had no idea what they were. Microsoft Word, Solitaire, Recycle Bin, Windows Media Player, AOL 10.0.

Vincent instantly clicked on the icon for AOL. A screen popped up, leading to a screen where he would create an account.

A small smirk slid across his face. _'I think I'll...like this."_

Vincent spent the next 45 minutes creating an account for the internet. Once he was sure that it was what he wanted, he signed in. There was an unusual sound as it 'connected' to the 'network'. Of course, he had learned about networks in his work for the WRO, but it was still foggy to him. He listened to the odd screeches and the whistles for 5 more seconds until he was finally connected to the internet. A masquerade of pop-ups filled the screen as it welcomed him to the worldwide network.

He smiled to himself once again. _'I think I'll like this...'_


	2. Diary of Jane

**Summary: Continuation! "The Diary of Jane" is the theme song for this story. Hehe.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7, or any of its qualities or characters.**

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**Chapter Two:**

Vincent slowly sipped down his glass of water at the Seventh Heaven bar. It was now 9:00 at night, and Vincent had spent the whole day with Avalanche. Most of them were there too, hanging out and having some drinks. Vincent had always prefered water over anything, and the occasional glass of red wine. While the rest of Avalanche thirsted for beer, vodka, or brandy, he would rather clean out his system with water.

Tifa then approached him from behind the counter. "Having fun?" she asked, drying a glass cup with a white handkerchief.

"As always, Tifa..." he replied before taking another swig of water. He looked around the bar with tired eyes. Cloud was speaking with a very drunk Reno, and Barret was engaged in a very demonstrative conversation with Cid. The smoke from Cid's cigarette slowly drifted over to the bar, clouding Vincent's eyes. He blinked rapidly as he turned away, taking yet another sip of his water. He listened to the sounds of clinking glass and running water as Tifa continued to tidy behind the counter.

Suddenly, someone entered the bar with loud footsteps. "Hey guys!" a girl said. Vincent hunched further into his cape as he recognized who it was.

"Hey Vincent! I was looking for you today!" the black haired ninja said cheerfully as she bounced up to the seat next to Vincent.

Reluctant to come out of the shadow of his cape, he turned his face toward Tifa. "Tifa...Could I please have a shot?" he asked quietly, almost skeptical about asking. It had been awhile since he had a shot. But he didn't want to deal with the Wutai ninja after the day of work he had done. Tifa nodded, her eyes signaling that she knew why Vincnt had crossed his own boundaries. Vincent sighed in relief, shrinking back against his cape once again.

"..Hello Yuffie," he said, his voice barely audible.

The ninja giggled, spinning on the swivelling stool next to him. "Were you with Cloud today? I didn't know where Avalanche would be today. Where were you guys?"

Tifa slid a small shot across the counter to Vincent, evading their conversation. Vincent grasped the glass, speaking before he gulped it down. "..We were outside the Midgar ruins today." The sharp drink stung his throat.

"Really? I looked there. Maybe you were in a different place than I looked. Then again, where could you really find someone in that rubble? Hey, are you guys going out tomorrow? Maybe I could come with you guys if you just come and get me-"

"I don't think we'll be out tomorrow, Yuffie." Tifa then approached Vincent once again, filling his empty shot glass at his request. She stayed close in case he suggested another, or if she recognized that things were getting drastic.

Yuffie whined. "Ooooh, that's a shame! Just let me know when you're going out again, okay? I'll be of assistance to you guys! I'm gonna go talk to Cid. See you around, Vincey!" With that, she bounced off towards Cid's direction. Vincent let out an exasperated sigh, glad that their conversation had only lasted five minutes. Tifa slowly approached him.

"Something wrong, Vincent?" she asked, leaning down as to not put anyone else in the conversation.

"...Yuffie has been stalking me lately, Tifa..."

"Lately? But this has been going on for-"

"I know...She has taken it to escalating heights...One night, I saw her hopping on the sidewalk near my door."

"Vincent, she's just fond of you. So what if she likes you? I think that you ultimately have the control."

Vincent didn't say another word as he lowered his lips to his abandoned glass of water. Tifa sighed, and walked away. He decided not to bother him. All he would ever be to her was a big mystery.

Suddenly, Cloud came up to Vincent and sat on the bar stool beside him. "Hey Vincent," he said.

Vincent nodded in his direction. "Cloud," he acknowledged.

Cloud sighed, sensing a problem. "Hey, what's wrong with you, Vincent? Lately you've just seemed detached, more than you usually are. Did something bad happen, or...?" Just then, Cloud took notice to the empty shot glass in front of Vincent. He eyed him. "...Shots? I haven't seen you drink since-"

"It was two, Cloud." Vincent held up two fingers as he spoke.

The ex SOLDIER merely nodded, arguing no further.

"...I thought the conversation with Yuffie was going to last all night. I figured that I would have a few shots to...weaken the noise."

"I see...Do you loathe her so much?"

"No...I just don't really feel like talking today. Excuse me, Cloud, but I think I shall return home to get some rest. Tell Tifa I said thanks for the shots." The gunslinger stood up, leaving his empty cups at the counter. He tried to block out everything as he strolled toward the door. Something inside him felt sick and uneasy. All he needed was some rest.

"Vincent? Going already?" Cid asked from across the room. Vincent nodded, keeping his head down. Yuffie shouted something out the door as he made his way out.

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_'And now we bring you tonight's big story...'_

Vincent was laying on his bed, his arm laying across his eyes. When he had arrived home, he felt sick as a result of the shots. His body wasn't used to so strong a drink. His head was throbbing violently, his stomach churning wildly. He couldn't really escape the strong moonlight that hit him through his window. The light made his head hurt even worse. Vincent let out a sigh, and popped two more pills into his mouth, hoping it would control the aching.

Then, he got up. He needed something to do. His laptop rested on top of the TV. His vision slightly obscure, he slowly walked toward the laptop, and picked it up. He sat on the edge of his bed as he plugged it in to turn it on. It took him a good five minutes to type in his passwords and log-ins before he finally came to the internet. His email inbox said he had recieved two emails since his last visit, and he was somewhat intrigued by it. He suddenly felt..._known?_

He clicked on his email box, and he saw who sent them. One of them was from Cloud, requesting his return to Healin the next day. It turns out that he was helping to recover the lost materia, which was the main focus of the news. Vincent began to type his reply to him, saying that he would show up. He scoffed at how slow he typed; it took him fifteen minutes to type four sentences. When he was done, he sent the email to Cloud, and looked at his other email.

'HEEEEEEY, VINCENT!' was in the subject box, and the sender was Yuffie Kisaragi. Vincent sighed, and instantly scrolled to the delete button. He had just gotten the computer! How could she know his screenname?

...Of course, it's rather easy when his username is VincentValentine.

When Vincent was about to click the delete button, he had a change of heart. He sighed as he clicked on her email. He wasn't going to make himself _that _mean. A new window popped up to display the ninja's message.

_'Hi, Vincent! Its awesome that you have a computer now. Now we can talk ALL the time! Email me back, okay? Promise? Bye, Vincent!'_

Vincent's eyebrow raised. Yuffie had become overly enthusiastic. Instead of tossing the email into the spam section and blocking her username for good like he had pondered, he hit the reply button with a heavy heart. His message was short and sweet:

_'Thank you.'_

After typing, he sent the email and quickly exited the inbox. He hadn't really had the chance to look up any websites when he was last on. He glanced at the TV just as the late night news was ending, and a late night TV show was just starting. Turning back to his laptop, he clicked on a link for a website the weather. The pages loaded quickly, and displayed what the weather would be like the next day _'Partly cloudy with a small chance of Aeris's rain.' _

Just then, Vincent saw an ad on the side of the page for a singles website. There was a blonde woman on the front, smiling rather seductively and wearing a small shirt. Vincent knew that he would never normally respond to things such as this, resulting from personal matters. However, it had been a long time since he had been with someone. He hadn't seen a woman in her natural state in a long time; he couldn't even remember when. Lucrecia was definitely out of the picture. He didn't even like thinking about her anymore, even though she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. In fact, he still wanted her. But, he knew he couldn't ever have her again. Still, he reserved a spot in his heart just for her. He put his attention back to the suggestive ad. Yellow words flashed at the top of the ad, 'Sexy Singles'. Not particularly interested in the woman on the current ad, he clicked on the link to see who else was a so-called 'sexy single'.

What popped up wasn't what he expected. Busty fonts and sensual designs appeared on the pages, displaying pictures of scandalous women. The large picture was of a naked woman, eyeing the camera temptingly and touching her hips suggestively. Her long brown hair was toussled, and on her feet were a pair of risky, strapped black heels. Her woman parts were beared for all the world to see; Vincent was staring directly at her. He felt his face flush bright red, and his stomach constrict into a tight knot. His hands couldn't quite control the mousepad, making it hard to close the page out. Sparkling words hovered over the picture of the woman. _'I Want You!' _it said.

Vincent was finally able to close the website, and was left with a blank buddy list and small page of local news. For a few moments, he was petrified. It was as if he had messed up his whole part in a play, then toppled into the audience into a naked woman. He just stared at the screen blankly, unable to really comprehend what he had just seen. Half of him was frozen with embarrassment, and the other part of him was filled with regret. What was he _thinking, _going to a website that was obviously for the desperate and perverse?

He felt tainted.

After a few more minutes of sitting in complete shock, he moved the mousepad again. His moves were halting, but he tried to forget all about what he had just seen. Instead, he tried to remember the social site in which Tifa told him about. typed the address into the address box, and waited for something rated G to pop up on the screen. Of course, Tifa wouldn't give him the address to a nudie website; unless she had something to hide...

Instead, he was greeted by a social networking site with many different options. He could 'create an account', 'search Myspace', 'invite someone', and possibly anything else you could do on a site like it. He was interested in it, so he clicked on the link to create an account.

As it had done many times before, a page popped up that asked for him to create a username. He spent the next hour filling out the application with his username (VincentValentine), password (Lucrecia), and things such as status, personality, age, preference, and favorites. When it came time to add pictures of himself, he found out that he had none. However, he knew that Cloud had mentioned something about having a picture of him on _his _MySpace profile. Being a sneak, he used that picture as his own. In this picture, he looked ready to kill, and almost happy about it. **(Author's Note: For anyone who owns Dirge of Cerberus, I am speaking of a closeup of his face of his picture in the character's section.) **Vincent then set his profile to public, not caring about so-called 'sexual predators'. Ha, he had a gun. Really, who would win?

After that, he decided to add some music to his profile page. He hadn't really revealed alot in the 'About Me' section, stating, 'None' for every box. He searched the website for songs to choose, and he finally decided on a few. He chose "The Diary of Jane Acoustic" by Breaking Benjamin to be choice of sound, and "Redemption" by Gackt to be his background melody. Somehow, that song reminded him of himself, and heard it being played whenever he experianced a self-changing moment...

At first, Vincent couldn't believe that he was joining a site such as this. He didn't know that he'd really stoop to a sudden 'teenage' level. Exactly how many people over 50 were on this site? That gave him a reason to be skeptical; that, and the fact that he had always enjoyed solitude, even when it came to computers. Then again, he figured that he needed a change. This would be...an alternate recreation for him.

For the rest of night, Vincent kept his MySpace page up in case he recieved messages. He stayed up until one in the morning, surfing the web for news about Shinra...The news had captivated him lately.

Suddenly, a message popped up in his MySpace inbox. Almost hesitantly he clicked on it, remembering his little slip-up earlier in the night. The username the girl had used made him wonder to the point of paranoia.

The username was _DiaryofJane._

He clicked on the username, and the message came up. Somehow, he thought he heard her voice from her typing.

_"...I do love 'The Diary of Jane.'"_

At first, Vincent thought it was a weird first message to recieve, but he figured that he would see who this person was. Skeptically he clicked on the username, and saw the person's profile pop up. As he had expected, the person was a girl.

Vincent was suprised when he looked at her profile picture and noticed her age. She was only 15, but she looked to be 21. In this picture, it looked as though someone else had taken it when she was writing. The background indicated that she was outside, and sitting on the ground. A notebook was in her hand, and she was writing with a pen. Her eyes met the camera in a way that perplexed Vincent. He couldn't tell what color they were because it was a black and white photo, but they explained something prominent. They were shy, and perched above a lovely small smile. Her eyes peeked out from the top of her black rimmed glasses, which framed her face perfectly. Her hair looked to go past her shoulders. Vincent studied the picture more closely. She was the very picture of youth.

Just then, he was startled by the sound her profile displayed. It started as a soft violin, and then gentle acoustic guitar chords came in. Piano played in the background, and everything fit together perfectly. Vincent had never heard anything like it before; it was the most calming music he had listened to in a long time. He wondered who the artist of the song was. When he looked, he found no artist displayed for the work. _DiaryofJane_'s background was a picture of a beautiful deep red rose, it's petals spiraling outward on the webpage. He eyes wandered to the girl's picture again, and he smiled inside.

Her profile indicated that her name was Jane, hence the liking of the song.

Vincent clicked on the link to reply to her message. Slowly he began to type, a friendly feeling in his heart.

_'As do I, Miss Jane.'_


	3. Sweet Sorrow

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my original character, Jane, who was introduced in chapter two. **

**Summary: Another continuation! In this chapter, Vincent has his first conversation with Jane. It is kind of awkward because he hasn't really felt this 'friendly feeling' in his heart since Lucrecia. But of course, love takes time! (Don't ask Romeo and Juliet since they married not even 24 hours after they met.)**

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**Chapter Three:**

After a very long day searching in the Midgar Ruins, Vincent and Cloud returned to Edge and entered the Seventh Heaven. **(Author's Note: Hehe, this story takes place in Tifa's bar alot.)** They were struggling to find the stolen materia which had been missing for over three weeks. The rest of Avalanche had been there too, assisting in the search. Still, there was no trace of the lost materia. As much as the case puzzled Vincent, it didn't really matter to him so much. Once again, he was too tired.

"Could I have some water, Tifa?" Vincent asked her as he sat down behind the counter. Cloud slid into the seat next to him. Tifa nodded and proceeded to fill a glass with water for Vincent. To the right or the counter, sitting above the wall of drinks, was a TV. The evening news was on, and they were showing the weather. The day had been nice; partly cloudy with a comfortable temperature. Rain was only beginning to fall from the paling sky, as Vincent could see out of the bar window.

Tifa gave Vincent his glass of water, and walked away. Cloud shuffled in his chair, turning towards Vincent. "So, how is that new laptop?" he asked.

Vincent shrugged, not sure if he should explain his MySpace account. "I'm getting used to it..." he said, sipping his water.

"That's good."

"..I am using that network called 'MySpace'."

"Really? I have one, too. What's your username?"

"What do you think?" At this, Vincent stared at Cloud with an I-expect-you-to-know-this face. It took Cloud ten more seconds to figure it out.

"Is it VincentValentine?" he asked, his voice becoming somewhat hopeful.

Vincent smirked, turning away and sipping his water again.

As Tifa brought Cloud his mug of beer, Cloud began to make conversation again. "You know, Yuffie emailed me last night so I could ask you how you were."

"..She emailed me as well."

"What'd she say?"

Vincent sighed. "She was just being her usual...hyper self."

"Is she really _that _obsessed with you?"

"..I believe so." Suddenly, someone entered the bar, causing the bell above the door to jingle. Vincent was hoping it wasn't who he thought it was...He turned around.

"Cloud! I think we found the materia!" shouted Barret Wallace as he stormed through the open door. "Come on! I need your help on catching the people who stole it!" With that, he stormed out the door, Cloud following close behind. Once the ex SOLDIER shut the door, Vincent felt alone again, even with Tifa there. He turned back to the counter, sipping his water with less enthusiasm.

"Aren't you going with them, Vincent?" Tifa asked, approaching him from behind the counter.

Vincent shook his head. "No...I'd rather stay here. I'm too tired to go anywhere else."

"Why don't you go home and rest a while?"

"I will...But before that, could I have a glass of red wine, please?" Tifa nodded, and went to retrieve Vincent's drink. His gaze met the TV sitting atop the wall of drinks. The news was over, and a comedy show was just starting.

Vincent spent the next hour sitting at the bar, sipping two glasses of red wine and watching the TV intently. He had never watched anything other than the news, and watching two episodes of _'Everyone Hates Sephiroth' _was a big difference. Though the humor was rather interesting, Vincent didn't find the show likeable. He'd rather watch the news, which was now a few hours away. The red wine he consumed made his taste buds delighted. It was the only alcoholic drink that didn't make him feel like crap afterwards, at least that is what he thinks. The sick feeling from beer, vodka, or any other party drink was probably an effect of Hojo's experiments many years ago.

Vincent soon got up, and left the bar after saying goodbye to Tifa. Twilight was just beginning to pierce the sky, vanquishing the sunset. Small traces of stars sat high in the sky, surround by a light shade of blue. Soon, it would captivate the entire sky, plunging it into the darkness of the night. Vincent slowly breathed in the air, enjoying it's soothing scent. A light wind blew from the east. He began to walk down the streets of Edge, heading towards Kalm.

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Vincent logged onto his laptop once again, his typing becoming more and more fluid. This time, it only took him three minutes to log in rather than the normal five. He pressed the enter button, and proceeded until he was on the internet. However, he skeptically opened Microsoft Word on his desktop. Something inside him wanted to write, to express his feelings. He had a blog on MySpace, but he wasn't really sure about putting his thoughts out for the open just yet.

He left Microsoft Word open as he visited Cloud's MySpace. There was a rather rare picture of him on his profile; he was smiling. It was one of the few times that Vincent had seen him smile; it was rare even now. Vincent couldn't help but smile. Cloud had only two blog entries, both of which were very short. They were about Tifa, and how he felt about her. His words seemed rather vague, but Vincent knew that Tifa was the kind of person who would understand any of his words. Vincent, on the other hand, couldn't understand what Cloud was talking about, but figured it was none of his business. Cloud only had about seven friends: Tifa, Barret, Cid, Yuffie, Vincent, and two other random MySpace patrons. Vincent found it odd that someone like Cloud would even befriend someone who, in their picture, wore sunglasses and suppressed a gang sign, and the other who just looked hopelessly emotional while there was a Happy Bunny poster in the background. Vincent clicked to go to his own page.

He hadn't changed his profile much. He had yet to upload more pictures, and had no videos on his page. The two songs he had added were still there, and he pondered adding more. He shrugged it off, figuring that he would get to it sometime later. When he had discovered it, Vincent also added Cloud to his friend's list. Right then, he thought that he was all the friends he really needed. His background wasn't very representative about his insides, but more of his outside. The photo was a large, crimson satin blanket which seemed to cover the whole screen. It was as if he was hiding; it reminded him of his cloak.

His homepage theme, "The Diary of Jane", began to play in the background.

And he remembered Jane. The girl who had first commented him. Since his last reply, he had not visited her page. At this point, he was just waiting to see whether this was really an interest, or just some kind of coincidence; possibly a trick that Yuffie was playing.

But how could it be, with those eyes in her profile photo...

The raven-haired man soon waved those thoughts off, thinking himself foolish.

Vincent then opened Microsoft Word, and stared at the blank page. He lifted his hands over the keyboard, and slow began to type.

_The darkness bends across the sky_

Vincent's mind wandered to his walk home earlier that evening. It had been quite peaceful, for no one was roaming the streets at the same time as he. It was a time when Vincent was feeling most drowsy, but he still struggled to remember what he first saw after leaving Seventh Heaven. Twilight had always been his favorite time of day, but now he didn't really have any words to describe it. Still, he pressed on.

_In the stars, I see my dead reflection._

Just then, a little _ping!_ sounded on the internet page, and Vincent clicked on it to bring it up. His MySpace was still on the screen, and he had just recieved some new comments. He hesitantly clicked on the comments section, wondering if this would disturbed his already halted poetic mood. He didn't really want to give up writing at that moment; his ideas could flee at any second! Still, he didn't refuse to check his comments. The first comment came up on the screen; it was Cid. When he saw the name, he couldn't even believe that someone like Cid would even _want _a MySpace. When would he ever find the time? Vincent very much hoped that he wasn't looking for eye-candy, meanwhile Shera remained oblivious. Casting away those thoughts, Vincent proceeded to read his comment.

_'Hey, Vince! Just found out you made a Myspace. Thought I'd check it out. Perty cool, except you might wanna add some moor videos or pictures onto it. Trust me: women of Myspace do NOT like guys with boring profiles! See ya later, Vince.'_

Vincent smirked, and typed a reply.

_'Yeah...Thanks, Cid.' _He clicked the Post Comment button, and returned to his own profile. There, he once again entered his comment section, where once more comment awaited him.

His eyes scrolled the username: _DiaryofJane._

For some odd reason, his body completely backfired on him, doing things he didn't expect. His heart suddenly thrust forward with excitement, pushing his fingers to click the Read Comment button. His eyes had widened, and his back had straightened. Why was he this eager? He didn't even know her! He asked himself; was it because she simply replied, or because he just wanted to talk to her? He hadn't even had a conversation with her, and yet he wanted to. Internally, he hoped that she was online at the time he was. Struggling to retain his abnormal, immature composure, he clicked the button to read her comment.

Once again, he heard the girl's voice clearly as he read the words.

_'So...it is Vincent Valentine. That name has a ring to it. You look as though you are quite an interesting character, seeing your photo and such. And yet, your profile has not much on it...Hmm, I'm guessing this is supposed to symbolize mystery? Well, Mr.Valentine...I do like your style.'_

How did Jane want Vincent to interpret this message? Was it _supposed_ to be suggestive? She didn't seem like a very in-your-face person, judging by her picture and conservative profile. Did she _know _how old he was? Unfortunate for her, she had no idea that she was talking to a monster. A man who was conformed hideously, with a claw on his left hand and pupils forever stained crimson. She had no idea that she was speaking to a man who has killed with a pistol, and is reluctant to discussion. In the end, she was an innocent girl who had no idea who she had gotten involved with.

_Involved with..._Vincent quickly changed his train of thought. She was _involved with _no one.

_'I hope..'_ Vincent then slapped his hand to his face, angry at such thoughts crossing his mind.

Jane's profile then popped up onto the screen, and once again, Vincent saw her face. An icon appeared underneath her username, signalingthat she was online. He was puzzled by the expression in her eyes combined with the smile on her face. She looked shy, and _pure. _Vincent still could not believe that she was still at the tender age of fifteen, while she looked so much more mature in the picture. Her way of talking was like no other he had heard come out of even an eighteen year old's mouth. She had three entries, all of which had titles that sparked interest in Vincent. _Sweet Sorrow, Burning Ice, _and_ Joyful Sadness _all held some meaning for him, and he wondered what was beyond those titles. Jane's background was that of a perplexing, but beautiful picture: it was a gorgeous picture of a crescent moon hanging over a fading sunset. It cascaded all down the page, blending into beautiful colors. It was a photo which brought Vincent to a most tranquil state.

She didn't have many comments, and Vincent suddenly became hurt at what was written by the people who had commented. He automatically assumed they were people from her school, thinking that random people wouldn't say things so...heartless. He didn't know what to think as he forced apathy to close around his heart as he read the comments.

_'What the fuck is up wit u???? Your poetry confuses me!!! Get a life!'_

_'How can you have joyful sadnesssss??? That don't even make sense! Go write somewhere else!'_

_'heyy, breaking benjamin sucks ASS! haha, ur name is Jane. dats there suckiest song...'_

_'UR WEIRD!!!!'_

Vincent glared at the screen, wishing the worst things upon the patrons who had delivered those comments. How could anyone be so cruel? He imagined that most, if not all of these people had no imagination, and a very low grade in spelling and grammar. Rather than become engrossed in gaining verbal revenge upon the commenters, he clicked on her Add Comment button. Once it popped up, he began to type.

_'Miss Jane...We speak again. I believe this is the first time we directly speak. May I ask what music is on your homepage? I must admit, it captivated me from the first time I heard it. It is quite beautiful.'_

Vincent could admit, he was kind of shy and skeptical about talking with a young girl over the internet. He was convinced that it was wrong, which is why it took him ten minutes to type just that. There were alot of things he wished to tell her, such as he was a man she should never be talking to, she was speaking with a man who was clearly going to hurt her feelings whilst telling her that conversation was too uncomfortable, and that she was speaking to an apprentice of the devil himself. Of course, he didn't want to end up scaring Jane; he was going to be nice. Perhaps through this, he would be able to open up a little more.

He hit the Post Comment button, and waited for her reply.

About five minutes later, he was hit with another comment from _DiaryofJane._

_'Well, Mr.Valentine, the music you witness on my profile is the work of myself. I combined tracks of myself playing the violin, piano, and acoustic guitar, and created this. It has no lyrics, making it harder to give it a title. In the end, I decided to name it, '_Dirge of the Snow_'. Don't worry; most of the songs I write and play aren't this depressing...(Smile). And I thank you for complimenting my music. It is rather nice to know that someone actually enjoys it.'_

As he read it, Vincent's smile grew gradually. She sounded talented. 'Dirge of the Snow' played in his head faintly, and he imagined her playing all of the instruments required. He proceeded to reply, and their conversation continued like this:

_'You are welcome, Jane. Speaking from hearing the music, I assume that you are very talented... And yet I wonder how someone could not find your music enjoyable, or at least soothing in a sense...Speaking of the matter, the comments that were left on your profile are quite harsh...I must ask why they would have such reason to think in such a manner.'_

_'Thank you...Well, um, the comments you see are from people at my school. They aren't too acceptable of poetry, literature, and music such as mine. I admit it is quite harsh, but I do my best to ignore it. As you can see, I never bothered to stop writing journal entries just because of they're words. I prefer to stay ignorant to such language...Have you read any of them, Mr.Valentine?'_

_'Allow me to say that they are of a more immature class than you are, and they should grow up...Unfortunately, they don't know the true talent of people such as yourself...Not to suddenly sound rude, Jane, but I am rather uncomfortable about you calling me 'Mr.Valentine'...Frankly, it makes me feel as though I am your schoolteacher rather than someone you are talking to...Feel free to call me Vincent. Also, I have read your entries, and I must say they are quite beautiful...My favorite is your work of '_Sweet Sorrow_'...Was it inspired by the oxymoron made by Romeo in _'Romeo and Juliet'Vincent smiled slightly as he typed this message.

_'(Smile) Well, I shall begin to call you just that...Vincent. I must admit that _'Sweet Sorrow' _is my favorite work of poetry. I enjoyred writing it. And I believe that you have hit it right on the head, Vincent. It was very much inspired by Romeo and Juliet. It is one of my favorite stories thus far in my life. However, tragic romances always grip my heart in a way that is...most uncomfortable.'_

_'Most uncomfortable...Miss Jane, I know just what you mean by that.' _Vincent paused. He couldn't possibly reveal his past to her. Speaking of 'Romeo and Juliet' usually made him feel a heavy burden of sorrow, but ever since he let go of Lucrecia, that weight has gotten lighter. Still, he knew he shouldn't be revealing too much about himself just yet. And yet, he wondered what pain she could have possibly experianced to make her use those words...As he debated, he kept on typing. _'You are a very good writer, Jane. I look forward to seeing more of your work. At this point in time, I think I will retire to rest...It is becoming late, and I am growing tired.' _

_'Yes...Is it really so late where you are? It is only two in the afternoon here. I hope you rest well, Mr- I mean, Vincent. (Smiles).'_

Vincent smiled as he read her reply, and began to close his laptop just as he was hit with a realization.

The time difference was too off for her to be on his planet. He glanced at the clock. It was eleven fifty at night, and it was only two in the afternoon where she was. There was only one place Vincent knew of that had that specific time difference.

...She lived on another _planet. _She lived on Earth.


	4. Geometry

**Summary: Chapter four. I must say that I'm still going to update this story no matter who reviews it, or in what manner. It doesn't really matter to me. My ears are open to anything, I suppose. Well anyway, in this chapter, Vincent is with Avalanche at the (guess where) Seventh Heaven before his SECOND conversation with Jane, where he finds out more and more about her.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy, Jerry Springer, 'Talk Sex With Sue Johansen', Jack Daniels, 'The Spongebob Squarepants Movie', 'Titanic', 'War of the Worlds', or the song 'So Far Away' by Staind, which are mentioned in this chapter.**

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**Chapter Four:**

"Vin-CENT! You messed my drawings up!" Yuffie screamed as Vincent stepped through the door to Seventh Heaven followed by Avalanche. He froze, not quite sure what she meant. He had just come in the door...He didn't _do _anything to her. Staring at her, he made his way across the room toward the counter.

"...How?" he asked, keeping his voice hidden.

"You opened the door with such force that it scared me, and I scribbled all over my drawings! I was doing good, too!"

"...And that's _my _fault?"

"Yes!"

"...Sorry..." Vincent sat down at the bar beside Cloud, not wanting the conversation to persist any longer.

Avalanche had a reason to celebrate. They had caught the ones who had stolen the materia that was lost for about two weeks. The culprits were actually two youthful orphan boys who had very short tempers. Cloud related them to Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz, who were now dead. They were hiding in an abandoned part of Shinra Building, and their reasoning for stealing the materia was because they were sure the crystallized materia would help them remember their parents. When caught, one of them attempted to hit an Edge officer. Vincent didn't know where they were now, but Cloud informed him that they were being held at an orphanage.

"What would you like to drink, Vincent?" Tifa asked him after she had asked Cloud.

"...I'll have a glass of beer, please." Vincent's taste in drinks had escalated to much alcohol over the last two days. No one knew why he had stopped choosing water over wine. Two nights ago, he drank two glasses of Jack Daniels and a red wine, and he walked home alone in the rain. Cloud called him to make sure he was okay, and was alarmed when Vincent said it took him about forty five minutes to get home. The next day, Vincent hadn't seemed so well. Therefore, Cloud wasn't too sure about letting Vincent drink.

"How come you've been getting into so much alcohol lately, Vincent?" asked Cloud, sipping a glass of water.

Vincent shrugged. "I'm not sure, Cloud...It's just my taste. Don't worry about it." Tifa slid a large glass of beer across the counter to Vincent, and he downed a large gulp.

"You're not becoming depressed, are you?"

"...No, Cloud."

Truth be told, Vincent didn't know why he was beginning to warm up to alcohol when all it ever did was made him sick. It was really a small form of torture; done enough, he would give up. Why would he ponder that thought, then drink anyway? What did he have to be depressed about? Nothing was really going on in his life...

Except Jane.

It was odd. They were friends, but he had yet to tell her who he was. 'Jane, I'm a sixty year old man in a twenty seven year old body. I'm like this as a result of experiments made by an insane scientist. I live on a whole different planet, meaning that everything we do is different. Feel free to never talk to me again.'

Then again, why was it so important to him for her to know? She shouldn't know anything about a twenty seven year old, and Vincent certainly shouldn't know anything about a fifteen year old. There was no way he could possibly pursue an internet relationship when he was already distant outside the internet. They had only talked twice! He pondered leaving her alone, and never speaking to her again. That's what he should do each time he was faced with a situation such as this. But, he couldn't lie to her. He was also too fearful about giving her the truth. He decided to keep it under wraps for the time being.

"Vinceeeentt? I'm talking to you!" Yuffie said at Vincent's side, waving a hand over his frozen face. Vincent slowly put his mind back to the present, and looked at her.

"...What?" he asked.

"What's wrong? You seem out of it. I was just trying to talk to you, and your face was all blank!"

"Oh...Sorry. What is it?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering what's been up with you lately."

"I'm fine, Yuffie." Vincent turned his attention back to his glass of beer, which he slowly drank.

Vincent's thoughts quickly returned to Jane. Why did he even bother befriending a fifteen year old girl? What did he really seek? But then he began to ponder the realization that they would just remain friends. She was just someone to talk to, someone to be just friends with. Why did he fear it would go farther?

Why was he so bothered by the fact that she was on another planet?

Vincent asked Tifa for another beer, one which she reluctantly filled. Vincent sat at the counter in silence as the other members of Avalanche continued with their conversations.

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_'We here at the news station are proud to say that the culprits who stole the lost materia from Sector 7 church have been caught...'_

Before he could hear any more, Vincent clicked his TV to a different channel. He pushed the button to scroll all the way up the channels, passing the late night comedies and Paid Programmings. He heard Jerry Springer yell, "We'll be right back!" just as he changed the station. He wandered into the movie section, where some of his least favorite movies were playing. _War of the Worlds _reminded him too much of something that would happen to Edge. _The Spongebob Squarepants Movie _was Denzel's favorite movie, and he wasn't about to stoop to the level of liking a talking sponge who lived underwater. **(Author's Note: No diss to Spongebob, because he is the COOLEST cartoon to hit this planet.) **_Titanic _made him cold, and reminded him that his own love life was flushed down the toilet.

The woman playing Rose's character was now in the icy water of the 'Atlantic Ocean', surrounded by frantic bodies. _'Jack!' _she cried, her breath pouring out in a cloud of blue. A chill ran through Vincent's spine, and his bones rattled. It was as if he were the one in the freezing water. Quickly, he changed the channel.

His eyes widened as he came across late-night movies with scandalous behavior. He felt his cheeks turn red, just as they did when he accidently stumbled across that 'Sexy Singles' site. His finger didn't lift from the channel changing button as he continued through the channels. Finally, he gave up and changed it back to the usual news station. It was better than watching _'Talk Sex with Sue Johansen' _which was on his second favorite daytime news station.

Vincent stood up, getting ready to settle into his bed. He took of his cape, and threw it to the floor. He proceeded to take of his shoes and shirt. The cold air stung his arms and back. He wished for the heat to work. He then sat back against his headboard, and slid his computer into his lap. The light from the screen hurt his eyes, but still he did not close it. He signed onto the internet, his fingers moving faster on the keyboard than usual.

He signed onto Myspace, even though he wasn't sure he should. Just to make himself feel a little better, he opened Microsoft Word. He still hadn't finished that poem he had started only two nights ago. Now he wasn't sure if he had that poetic touch. Still, he had began to write his third line.

_The darkness bends across the sky,_

_in the stars I see my dead reflection._

_On the ground, wilted roses lie,_

_kissed with starry affection._

He had never known that he had these words in him. Throughout his life, he had never been the poetic type. As his mind struggled to process the next stanza, he checked his New Comments on his Myspace page.

One was from a boy, judging by the profile picture, who looked about 13 years old. In his picture, he stared at the camera like he would kill someone. Vincent smirked at the youth's look; he didn't know what it was like to kill. At least he hoped so himself. The comment said, _'hey, you look awesome! cood you add me as a frend?'_ Vincent shook his head as he typed a rather withdrawn reply.

_'...For what reason?'_

He pressed the send button, and went back to his own page. He decided to add another song to his page, figuring that it needed something else to hint about his character. What songs could _really_ express himself? He was sure that absolutely none would; none that he knew of. But just then, he remembered a song that he had become fond of the first time he heard it, and now he figured that it would go perfectly with what he was feeling. He couldn't remember the band, but he remembered the chorus quite fondly.

_Now that we're here,  
_

_It's so far away  
_

_All the struggle we thought was in vain  
_

_All the mistakes,  
_

_One life contained  
_

_They all finally start to go away  
_

_Now that we're here its so far away  
_

_And I feel like I can face the day  
_

_I can forgive and I'm not ashamed to be the person that I am today_

It was then that he remembered the name; a band by the name of Staind. He searched for the song on Myspace, and discovered that it was open. He added it to his profile, and it became a choice of music on his playlist. _'The Diary of Jane' _was still his initial background theme, which always played.

Suddenly, he had an urge to comment Jane, and see how she was doing. He figured that he was the elder; he should make sure no one was bothering her with inappropriate comments such as the ones he had seen two nights earlier. What would he say? _'Hey there, Jane. Just wanna let you know that I'm not from your planet.' _He shook his head, touching his forehead with his palm. He was stressing too much. He was stressing to much over a girl that he should have nothing to do with.

He traveled to her profile, noticing that neither one of them had added the other as a friend yet. _There, Vincent! There's proof that you will just be a mentor to her, nothing more._

Once again, he was hit with the sounds of her own music, and the sight of her mysterious profile picture. He was tantalized by her eyes. His eyes gazed over to her blog, where she had recently added another entry titled, _'I Hate Geometry'. _She had added it yesterday. Smirking ever so slightly, he clicked on the blog. For the first time since they had talked, he heard frustration in her voice while he read.

_'Sheesh, I'm going to fail geometry. I was doing fine in Algebra last year! What does geometry have against me? I can never quite figure out the exact pinpoint of the angles, or measurements that don't go completely off the scale. I have a huge exam tomorrow, and I'm afraid that I'm going to fail it. If I do, I'll have to take it next year...So...back to studying.'_

_Geometry, eh? _Vincent thought to himself. He His mind flashed all the way back to his school days, when he for some odd reason always excelled in Geometry. He had taken it two years before he actually had to, making his math career easier than it had to be. But he didn't know if he still remembered much about geometry off the top of his head. He figured that he was too old and plagued by bad memories to remember. Still, he did not hesitate to comment.

_'By the looks of your recent entry, I see that you don't like geometry. I hope you did well on your exam; try not to stress too much.'_

He made it short on purpose, not wanting to make her angry for the fact that she didn't have a liking for geometry. He posted the comment evasively, and quickly returned to his own myspace. For some odd reason, he was feeling somewhat shy, as if Jane would find his comment funny.

For the remainder of the night, he struggled to finish his poem, which failed. That night, he couldn't find the words to finish the second stanze, or even begin it. He was pretty sure that no one else would comment him on Myspace, so he closed it out. But just as he did, he recieved an email stating that he had just gotten a new comment. It was from who he expected most: _DiaryofJane._

_'Yes, I really HATE geometry. Math has never been my good subject; it makes me so frustrated! Anyway, I do hope that I did well on my exams today, even though I am skeptical. Don't worry, I will remember to keep the stress at a low level...So, how have you been?'_

Vincent returned to her profile once again to comment. He so desperately wanted to tell her that they were worlds away, but she would think him weird! It was too early; they didn't even have such a relationship where they needed to know location. He tried to keep his comment calm and collected, just as though there was nothing urgent at hand.

_'Math is a difficult subject, I know from experiance.' _Lie. _'But it will get better with time if you work hard. I'm sure you will do well enough on your exams to pass. As for myself, I have been working alot with a few restoration organizations...We struggle to keep the peace in our environment.'_

_'Wow, that's interesting. I've never really heard of there being any restoration organizations where I am; perhaps you live in another place than I do. However, our time differences seem to be out of place. They don't seem to fit, and it doesn't seem that you are anywhere else in the northern hemisphere...Where are you exactly, Vincent Valentine?'_

Uh oh.

_'Well, Jane...I'm sure that I live in a place very much different than yours in many ways. Let us try not to worry about it to much; location is not too important at this moment.'_

_'Oh, I'm sorry...I shouldn't be asking of such things...Well, I must resume studying so I can get ahead in geometry. God knows that it will help at least a little.'_

_'No need to apologize. Not to be intrusive, but can't your parents assist or help you in any kind of way? I'm sure they could if you ask.'_

_'...There are many reasons why they can't help me, Vincent. I'm sorry, but I should go now. I'll talk to you later, I assume.'_

The sign under Jane's name signaled that she was no longer online. Vincent sighed, and closed out Myspace. Her last message sounded elusive, and almost reluctant. Now he knew that he had hit home on a subject that was sensitive for her. He wondered why her parents wouldn't help her with something so vital as schoolwork...If she had any parents. There were many possibilities, but Vincent figured that he couldn't mettle in the lives of others, especially in lives like that of Jane.

He closed his laptop, and settled into bed for the night.


	5. How Old Am I?

**Summary: Chapter five. In this chapter, Vincent finds out something about Jane, and he tries to give her advice so it will not happen again. JUST SO YOU KNOW, VINCENT AND JANE WILL MEET, but not any time soon. Teehee.**

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**Chapter Five:**

"Vincent, what exactly do you do on Myspace? Do you comment anyone? Or do you just put your profile out there for everyone to see?" asked Cloud as he and Vincent took a walk around Nibelheim. The day was quiet and peaceful, and had no chance of rain. It was late in the afternoon, and the temperature was fairly comfortable. Vincent was glad that they had not been accompanied by the rest of Avalanche or Yuffie.

"I _do _talk to people, Cloud...I'm just not too public with it." Obviously, he hadn't told Cloud about his recent talks with Jane, or the fact that he was warming up to her as a friend. What would Cloud think of Vincent befriending a fifteen year old? He knew Vincent as the already-dead guy with no emotion. At least, thats what he thought when he met him. Cloud would forever have Vincent in his mind as an undercover internet pedophile.

"Really?...Like who?"

"You haven't bothered to look at my comment section?"

"...No." Suddenly, they approached the area around Shinra Manor, where Vincent's worst memories were.

"Do you want to go any farther, Vincent?" Cloud asked, showing concern for the gunslinger's mental state. He didn't want Vincent to become depressed again; he had only just gotten over it.

"Yeah...It's fine, Cloud." Without hesitation, they continued their walk. As they approached the front of the mansion, Vincent forced himself to turn away any bad memories. He couldn't afford to become depressed over something that he had turned away from just recently. He wasn't going to let it overcome him again. Rather than enter the eternally cursed manor, Vincent put his back up against the outside wall and crossed his arms. Cloud kicked up a cloud of dust, and began to pace silently. Vincent knew he would soon ask him a question.

"Vincent, I was just wondering...I don't know if you'll be mad if I ask, but...have you ever considered getting married to someone?" He turned to Vincent, and gave him a look that he could not decipher. It was way beyond vague, and it looked a little hurt. Vincent guessed that Cloud was expecting him to point his gun at him and pull the trigger.

"...Maybe," he replied, looking away quickly.This was a matter he had _never _discussed with anyone. He was sure that it would never be touched ever again. In fact, he never expected Cloud to be the one to ask. He always thought that it would one day be Cid or Barret or Yuffie...

He unfolded his arms, and just stood there. "...It's something that I've always wanted, Cloud."

"Really? You've always wanted _marriage_, Vincent?" Cloud looked alarmed by the gunslinger's response; his expression became wide eyed, and it looked as though he would die of a heart attack. Vincent sighed.

"..Yes.." he replied.

"Wow...Why don't you ever act on it, then? You can date women, Vincent. I'm sure they would find you attractive. What's stopping you?"

"..The fact that I will never age with them stops me, Cloud. Who wants to be with a man who slept in a coffin for 30 years, a man who is forever scarred by a mad scientist? Really Cloud, who wants that?"

"Oh, Vincent. You shouldn't let that keep you down! I mean...I might not be the guy who should be saying it, but...If you feel love deep in your heart, it is irrevocable. If its true, I don't think any force can stop it, nothing including age."

Frankly, Vincent didn't want to hear Cloud talk anymore. He knew his thoughts were harsh, but hadn't he been depressed over Aeris's death? Sure, he was now with Tifa, but he didn't have to deal with the burden of looking forever twenty seven. Cloud had no idea what it was like to see women his age in Edge and know that they'd never want to be with him. So what if he never tried? He didn't have to in order to know that he would end up heartbroken. He's always wanted marriage, but he always dreamt about it being with Lucrecia. Now that he was beginning to loosen his grip on her, he wanted to be alone.

...But a part of him yearned for that someone to make him feel right again.

He sighed, crossing his arms once again. "...I just don't feel that there is anyone willing to make a commitment to one such as myself," he said, turning and staring at the manor.

"Are you kidding, Vincent? I know you may be reluctant to it, but...I imagine that many women could be attracted to you."

"...Tell me, Cloud. Do you think any woman would truly want to be with me, not just for my looks?" The look that he gave Cloud was that of intimidating and serious. It almost slashed Cloud's soul. Deep down he really did feel bad for Vincent, but he was sure that one day he'd find someone else. The ex SOLDIER sighed, beckoning him so they could go back.

"Maybe we should head back..." he said shyly before turning his back on the gunslinger. Vincent stopped, and turned to look once again at Shinra Manor. Deeply he pondered the thought of finding love again. Would he really be able to do it one day? Was he really capable of finding love after Lucrecia? These questions he did not know the answer to, which made the torture even worse. In his own heart he knew that he really did long for that connection with someone, especially after all he'd been through.

On a more perverse thought, he _did _need physical relief as well as mental. Vincent sighed, and headed after Cloud back to Edge.

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_''Somethings getting in the way/ Somethings just about to break/ I will try to find my place in the diary of Jane.'_

Vincent sang along in his own head as he once again entered Jane's profile. The evening was just coming to a close; he had logged on earlier than he ever had. However, the first site he visited was that of Myspace. Once the internet popped up, he typed it into the address bar. (He had become very accustomed to typing). His profile had recieved no comments, but his hand involuntarily clicked onto Jane's name. He pondered requesting to be her friend. Of course, they _were_ friends but he still felt that same sense of unrelenting awkwardness among them as they talked. Jane _still _didn't know who he was. Once again, he thought it was too early to reveal himself. However, he couldn't help but feel that he was...manipulating Jane.

The signal under Jane's name indicated that she was online. Something sparked inside him; something of excitement. He clicked on the Add Comment link of her profile, and began to type...

_'Hello, Jane...It seems that we left on a bad note; you stated something of your parents. However, I do not wish to force you to talk about it. I just came here to see how you were doing...Hm, I see that the people leaving harsh comments have begun to evade you?'_

Once he sent his message, an email popped up in his online inbox. Unknowingly he clicked on it, and it presented a loud _DUN DUN DA!_ sound once it was opened. It seems as though Yuffie had embedded sound into her email...

_'Heeeey, Vincent! I hope this woke you up! You looked kind of drowsy today. I don't know why I didn't just comment you in Myspace; then again, it wouldn't have had the sound! Oh, and by the way, who's that _girl _you're talking to? She's like, the only person in your comment section! You know, that's whats called flooding! Fine, I'll go comment you just so it will break the chain. See ya!!!!'_

Vincent's heart almost gave out. He hoped that Yuffie didn't see what was going on.

_Going on? Nothing's going on, stupid! Get yourself together, Valentine! _Vincent thought. His thoughts were right. There was _nothing _going on between him and this girl. She was just a friend. How could there be something going on? Was he becoming paranoid?

...Did he _want _to have something 'going on'?

Vincent carelessly typed a reply to the ninja.

_'...Thanks for the unnecessary alarm clock.'_

After sending the email, he pulled up his Myspace page, and saw that he had been commented by Jane. Another wave of lightning went through him. How could he feel such delight? It was just a comment! His eyes scanned the words carefully.

_'Yes, I do believe we did leave off awkwardly. Please, don't worry about it. I will tell you once I am comfortable, if it is alright. Right now I'm...feeling happy. I've gotten revenge of a different kind, but of course it isn't appropriate. But this guy deserved it.'_

Vincent smirked at the last part, and quickly commented her back.

_'That is fine with me. And what is this...revenge of which you speak? Try not to do anything that could get you into trouble.'_

A few minutes later, their conversation began.

_'Well...This one guy who was one of my best friends at one point embarrassed me to death in front of my former boyfriend. I kind of still have feelings for him, which was why I got so mad...So I threw a cup of applesauce at him. Hey, he deserved it! I never get so mad as to do that...'_

_So...she _does _have a bad side, _Vincent thought, completely losing control of his mind. He had to admit, it was kind of mean, but he couldn't help but want to congratulate her. The whole time he's known her she hasn't said that she had done something like that. He found it interesting. He found it somewhat...exotic.

Then again...his heart was somewhat hurt when he saw she still had feel for her former flame. Of course, he knew how she felt...Disregarding all his pedophilic and depressing thoughts, he typed a reply.

_'So...applesauce in the face, hm? I have to admit that it is somewhat funny, even for a man like myself. However, I'm not sure if a 15 year old sure be doing things such as that. In other words, try to stay out of trouble...What was his reaction?'_

_'Oh, his reaction was hysterical! His face went completely blank, and he couldn't believe that I did it. Actually, I couldn't believe it either. Luckily, higher authorites didn't see it...Yes, you do seem like a man who would turn the other cheek towards situations such as this...Your profile does not say, but exactly how old are you?'_

_How old am I? _Vincent said in his mind. He had two possibilities; twenty seven, and sixty. Immediately having the correct feeling, he decided to tell her twenty seven...However, how would she react? Would she immediately ignore him and spread the word of a pedophile in Myspace? What would she do? He couldn't hide that this forever.

_Of course I can. It's the internet. I'm never going to meet this girl. _He began to type his next message.

_'Hm..that does sound somewhat humorous...I do not wish for it to come as a shock to you, Jane, but...Could we possibly continue this conversation elsewhere?'_

He detected the reluctance in her next comment: _'Okay...I-I'll just instant message you.'_

For a few moments he waited, and became fearful. What if she was officially freaked out? What if she knew he was a desperate man who was hunting for younger girls over the internet, and reported him to the authorities? He would become a convict! The word would spread all around Edge, through all of Kalm and Nibelheim! What would Cloud think, befriending a desperate pedophile who had obviously had perverted dreams while asleep for thirty years?

_Okay, now you're really getting paranoid..._Vincent thought.

Just then, a new window popped up onto his screen. It was an instant message, and it was from Jane.

_'What's the big secret, Mr.Valentine?'_

Vincent sighed. Not even five conversations with her, and he was ready to tell her his life story! What was he _thinking?_ She was not mentally prepared to handle the news of a man madly twisted by a scientist and made to sleep for thirty years, and a man who loved a woman who gave birth to the man who would try to destroy the world. She was a teenager! How much could she possibly understand? For her world, nothing like that was possible!

However, she expressed much maturity in her words and passages in Myspace. Just the form in which her words were put lead Vincent to believe she was older than her age. She expressed such wisdom, and surely beauty on a non-physical level. But her profile picture was also beautiful, as much as Vincent knew it was wrong to say.

He put his hands over his eyes. He couldn't. Now was not the time to tell her.

Now _was _the time to tell her.

It was now or never.

But of course...Vincent chickened out.

_'My apologies, Jane, but it seems as though we must cut this short. I have just come down with a sickness, leaving my head in excruciating pain. I'm sorry to leave you.'_

Vincent waited in pathetic desperation for her reply. What was he _feeling?_

_'Very well...Vincent.'_

He found himself wincing at her last words before closing his laptop. His head began to throb, and as if truly cursed by his fib, a sickness came over him. He blindly made his way to the bathroom, wondering if it was really an ailment, or simply...heartache.


	6. Drugs!

**Summary: Chapter six of this odd story. In this chapter, Vincent finds out Jane's major flaw. This time, he talks to Jane first.**

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It was around midnight when Vincent opened his laptop. He still felt bad about leaving Jane like he had two nights before. Now he felt like he had to get back to her as soon as possible. All he wanted to do was apologize for his evasive behavior. _And, _he wanted to know more about her before confirming his feelings. The girl was still an enigma to him, and _he _was close to spilling his life story! He couldn't do that without knowing her...She could be a fraud for all he knew.

There had to be a different side of her...Everyone has a flaw.

He quickly logged onto his computer, and signed into the internet. When he typed in his password, he began thinking, '_I haven't been to see Lucrecia in a while..._' Of course, he knew he was getting over her. Each day he felt the strings of steel holding them together begin to break by an unknown force. Then again, he didn't want to completely shut her out of his life. She _had _saved him. But he couldn't help but worry; if he went back there, would his feelings be renewed? At this point in time, he really didn't need that. He didn't think he could handle dealing with his past emotions. He _had _let go of her.

...He didn't know what he wanted.

The first site he visited was Myspace. Cloud had commented him, and also uploaded a new display picture. This one showed his tougher side; he looked pissed off. Vincent smirked. Sometimes the ex-SOLDIER was so various. In his message, Cloud told Vincent how he and Tifa were planning to go out the following night, and hoped that Vincent would watch Denzel and Marlene. At this, Vincent sighed. He wasn't too good around children. They bothered him in a way. But then again, he had an advantage. He knew Denzel and Marlene very well, and liked them more than other 'rugrats'. He was hit with relief when Cloud had said both of them would most likely be asleep by the time he would arrive. Vincent quickly typed his reply, accepting the job.

Vincent went back to his comment section to find that three unknowns had posted. Two of them were male teenagers, one of them was sixteen, and the other was fifteen. Both of them had the idea of immaturity, at which Vincent rolled his eyes.

One of them wrote: _'dude your a mercenary???? you get to mess wit guns and stuf?! thats fuckin awesome!!!! plz add me'_

The next one wrote: _'no one wears red headbands anymore, dude'_

The last one caught him by suprise. There was a picture of a girl in a bikini, smiling seductively. It looked like something off the site Vincent had accidently stumbled across during his first internet experiance. The girl wrote: _'check out my profile and ADD ME!'_

Heres what Vincent wanted to say:

_'Yes...guns and stuff...'_

_'I'll strangle you with it while you're sleeping.'_

_'No thanks, whore.'_

Of course, Vincent didn't do that. He wasn't totally upfront with his evilness. Instead, he deleted the three ridiculous comments and went about his business. What was the use in being mean to them? They obviously didn't know right from wrong.

Jane hadn't commented him.

_I probably scared her off..._he thought. Thats all he did lately; thats all he'd ever do. If he tried to get to know someone, he'd say something wrong, and scare them away. He kept thinking these thoughts to himself, bashing himself down internally. He knew that he couldn't handle this self-loathing, but he didn't care. Vincent sighed, putting his hand to his eyes. Why must he feel so much despair over nothing?

Just then, a new window popped up on his screen. It was an instant message, and it was from Jane. His eyes widened, and something inside him came alive. His whole body overreacted once again.

_'Vincent...could I tell you something? I feel like you're the only adult person here, so I should probably tell someone.'_

Vincent was shocked. He personally thought that she'd scold him and ask him why he left her abruptly with no reply until now. Obviously she wasn't that type of person, but Vincent still wondered what she could possibly want to tell him. She obviously trusted him enough, which came as a shock. Vincent wanted to listen to anything she had on her mind, especially now. He needed hear someone else's thoughts rather than his annoying own. Snapping back to the present, he began to type his reply.

_'I'm listening.'_

Once they began to talk, Vincent realized the awkwardness and fear in her words. He didn't know exactly where those were rooted, but he knew it was hurting and affecting her. Of course, this confession was that of a different type. She was doing something to herself; something that to Vincent sounded unbelievable. _Her? Jane? This girl..._

_'I started doing pot and coke when I was twelve. Eh...one of my friends gave it to me. Thats one of the reasons that I'm not doing so well in Geometry. I usually take a hit whenever I can, whenever I'm feeling stressed out. Writing usually helps, but its nothing like getting a hit...'_

In the very small perverted moments, Vincent's mind wandered off-topic. In an instant, he got a disturbing mental image. He involuntarily thought of her getting high...getting out of control...

Right when he spotted himself thinking that, he wanted to take Cerberus out and shoot himself. Of course, he didn't.

_What the hell is up with you, Valentine? You perverted fool, thinking thoughts like that! _he thought. Staring at the screen through lost eyes, he typed a reply that displayed his prominent disbelief.

...He could type nothing. All he could do was sink lower into shock.

_Jane? This girl?...She does _drugs_? How can that be? How could someone doing drugs look so young and beautiful in their profile picture? How could they use such vocabulary? How could they bring me such a vibe that I'm considering letting go of my own boundaries just to be happy? _

His hands hovered over the keypad for a few more moments before he began to type again.

_'How long has this been a secret?'_

He wanted to say so much more than that. He wanted to tell her to stop, keep her beauty alive, and stop hurting herself like that.

_'I hide it very well, Mr.Valentine...Its been secret ever since I started. I live by myself, so I can't tell my parents, obviously. But it is my fault. I refuse to quit. And the thing is...whenever I'm on it, I get angry easily. I become a totally different person. Most of the time I have no idea whats going on. My friends have tried to get me treatment, but I refuse. I don't know what to do about it, really...'_

_'How do you succeed in things such as vocabulary when you're doing it?'_

_'I...I don't know. Its my outlet, I guess...Look, the reason I told you is because I've been talking to you for a while and I guessed that you'd actually listen. Plus, I can only see you type, so you can't yell at me.'_

Vincent smirked at her last statement. He knew that he probably would yell at her. He'd yell and scream and ask her why and do so many things. He'd not only yell, but he'd comfort her. He'd force her to get help no matter how much she refused. He knew that he would scold her and take away her whole supply of the drugs...He'd tell her it was okay, and he'd be there for her when she needed it...Vincent Valentine knew that he'd go near drastic measures to keep her safe. From their previous conversations, he could tell that she had great potential. Deep inside, his mature adult side didn't want her to waste that potential on drugs.

_'It is true that I cannot yell at you, because only my neighbors would hear it...But Jane, I don't want you to do it. I know I may sound like a No-Drug enforcer, but...I don't want you to do that to yourself. Tell me, is it really worth it?'_

_'...It is. The problem is...I forget all my problems whenever I'm on it. Its just like I feel good and don't have any worries. But I don't know...Most times I have no control. Its not an everyday ritual, its just...Times when I am most stressed out.'_

_'Well Jane, wherever you are, there are probably others who could help you in a way that I can't right now. All I can offer right now is...the idea of mental and moral support. My goal isn't to be a psychologist, but I'll listen to you, Jane.'_

_'You're probably right...But its so hard to stop. I just love how it feels...Okay...I'll try and get help for myself. And I thank you, Vincent. The idea of mental and moral support sounds great...I must learn how to control myself when I get high...I'll do my best to cooperate.'_

_'Alright...However, do be expecting a tougher side. I get tough when I'm dealing with these things... And I do expect the truth, Jane...Could you promise me?' _Vincent smiled.

_'Okay, Vincent...I'll try not to disappoint you.'_

That last line sparked something in Vincent. _'I'll try not to disappoint you.' _Thats exactly what he wanted. He suddenly became shocked at his new personality; he never really dealt with his authoritative side. He didn't expect to be enforcing the no drug rule among a young woman with whom he'd...become attached to, to a specific degree...

_'Alright, Jane. I must rest now. I've got to babysit tomorrow, meaning I'll be drained. Please, take care, Jane.'_

_'...Yes. I will. Good luck with those rugrats tomorrow. I'll...I'll hang in there until then.'_

_'I do hope you will. Rest well, Jane.'_

Vincent logged off with a renewed sense of authority.


	7. Red Wine And A Broken Motorcycle

**Summary: Chapter seven. In this chapter, Vincent babysits Denzel and Marlene for Tifa and Cloud, and someone joins him.**

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**Chapter Seven:**

Vincent opened the door to the Seventh Heaven, and was greeted by darkness. The only thing illuminating the room were the candles on each table. Vincent thought he had been set up; he really didn't want a blind date.

It was then that he saw the couple that would be leaving him alone with two kids. Cloud had cleaned himself up well; he wore a nice dress shirt with black pants. Vincent saw no sign of his big sword. Tifa look more feminine than usual, being rid of her usual tomboyish attire. She wore a sleek black dress, blending well with her partner. Cloud gave Vincent a shy smile from behind the counter. "We'll be heading out soon," was all he said.

Vincent nodded, already feeling tired. He approached the counter. "Where are Denzel and Marlene?" he asked.

Tifa huffed, walking around the counter towards the door. "Well, you're in luck; they fell asleep a while ago. But they might wake up a little later. Don't worry, we shouldn't be out for too long." Cloud followed close behind her like a puppy dog.

"Well...Where exactly are you guys going?" asked Vincent.

"We're just going out to a restaurant in Kalm. We should be back a little later." Tifa started out the door. Cloud turned around to look at Vincent before following after Tifa.

"What do you plan on doing this whole night?" he asked, looking at him in a way that made Vincent slightly angry. He hoped that he wasn't thinking perverted little thoughts. There were _kids _in the bar.

Vincent shrugged, turning his back to the blonde and walking to the back of the counter. "Maybe I'll have a few drinks," he said.

"Alright, Vincent...Bye." The door closed behind them, leaving Vincent alone in the dark. He smiled to himself, taking a sip of wine that he had just poured himself. His taste for alcohol had grown over the past month; he grew fond of it each time. Of course, he didn't let it get too out of hand, at least not just yet. He took a deep breath in, exhaling sharply as he realized that he was now alone. The night was his. He looked around, surprisingly more aware than his nature intended. Once he was sure no one else was around, he reached underneath his cloak.

He hastily pouring himself another glass of red wine before walking to the seat on the other side of the counter. There, he sat down with his glass on the surface, and he pulled his laptop out from underneath his cloak. Opening it, he logged on, listening to the quiet _pings_ of the mousepad. The whole bar was quiet; he hoped the night would stay in his possession. He clicked onto the internet, feeling a sudden urgency. Of course, he knew if anyone saw him they'd know that he was an obsessed freak. Then again, he knew that he had a new responsibility.

He found out the night before.

He clicked onto his Myspace page, seeing that he had no new comments, but a message. He instantly clicked on it, his first instinct telling him that Jane was having problems. His mouse scrolled over the message as he read each word carefully.

_'Hi, Vincent. I'm just messaging you to say that...I'm trying to lay off the pot as of now. I only took one hit today; a little one in the morning. It was really hard in school today; I could hardly concentrate in Geometry today. See what I mean? Doing it helps me focus more...even though my grade in Geometry is bad...I don't know what to do, Vincent. You don't know how badly I want to go and smoke right now...Maybe talking to you, or writing will help. Please, distract me.'_

Vincent became pained by this message. Before she made her stunning revelation, she never expressed this feeling of need and obsession. She seemed like any normal girl with an amazing talent for writing. He still couldn't understand how she could hide it so well; beyond her intelligent words, beyond her beautiful photo...He rested his head in his hand, sighing. He wanted to help so badly. But how? She could be lying, and taking a hit right now! Their communication was just between typed words; Vincent knew he couldn't physically make her stop, or tell her to stop through typing. He wasn't _there. _As of now, he didn't have a lasting effect. But still, he tried his best to muster the adult authority which he knew he had.

He clicked out of her message, looking to reply. His heart was already beginning to feel heavy; he just hoped it didn't stay that way. He had to..cheer her up in some way...But _how_? He wasn't the kind of guy to cheer others up! He would just do what he normally did; be there for her to talk to. It was obvious that she was in distress. He entered her message section, and began to type.

_'I really hope that you can keep your promise. I know that you may be doing it when you're not talking to me. It bothers me, but there isn't much that I can do as of now. However, I do wish to advise you to try harder in Geometry. It is a hard subject, but I want you to try. Tell me Jane, what else would you wish for me to do that could be of assistance?' _Vincent really didn't know what else to say. This was a situation in which he couldn't really have a lasting effect. He clicked the button to send his message.

...Deep inside, he was hoping that she was on.

Suddenly, he heard a noise. His first thought was that one of the kids had awoken. He let out a sigh, thinking that now he had to muster as much energy he had to be seen as entertainment. When there was no more noise, he knew it wasn't one of the kids. He twisted around in his bar stool, looking over his shoulder. Outside the window, a streetlight spilled little light into the bar. Other than that, there was darkness, lit only by the faint glow of candlelight. There was no sign that someone was here; he hadn't heard the door open. Pretty much glaring at nothing, he twisted back to face his laptop. By this time, Jane had come online, and instant messaged him.

From her words, Vincent knew that hopelessness was seeping into Jane's heart.

_'I really don't know what you can do, Vincent.'_

He was frustrated by her message. She was losing hope too quickly. Maybe he needed to buckle down, get a little harder on her. After all, he was an adult. He had the right to! Then again, he didn't have the right to control someone he didn't truly know. Then he wondered...did he truly know her yet? He sighed, and began to type a reply.

_'Jane...I really don't know what I should do. I know that you promised me to cut back on the drugs, but you could be hiding something from me...And...its not like I have the ability to come to you and stop you. That would be...the wrong thing to do. However, I can't help but feel that it is my responsibility to look after you and help you. Therefore, thats what I'm going to do. You understand, right?'_

_'I...I do, Vincent. I wish it was easier to quit, so I couldn't disappoint you.'_

_'I know, Jane. It must be hard. You just have to focus.'_

_'I'm trying so hard not to...Hm, and I have to concentrate for a test tomorrow. Pot kind of...helps me get rid of the stress, but I just end up forgetting to study.'_

_'Try not to give in yet, Jane.' _What else could he say?

After he typed his message, he waited a while for her reply. After two minutes, it didn't come. Five more minutes passed with no reply.

_'Jane?'_

He sighed, laying his forehead on the table. She had given in.

Suddenly..."Hi, VINCENT!!!"

He nearly had a heartattack. He instantly recognized the voice of an allie, but he still pulled Cerberus out of the holster. He found himself pointing it into the face of Yuffie Kisaragi. His heart was pounding erratically, threatening to explode from his chest. He couldn't afford that now. His finger was far from the trigger, but he wanted so badly to pull it. Instead, he put his arm back down in anger.

"Yuffie, you're gonna wake up Denzel and Marlene!" he huffed, angrier than anyone had seen. He didn't want the kids ruining his night alone, being an online mentor.

Yuffie simply smiled, even though she had just had a gun pointed at her face. "Sorry, Vinny! Tifa and Cloud told me you were going to be here, so I figured that I would drop by and say hi!"

"Well, now that you have, why don't you leave?"

"No! We never hang out together, Vincent!" She leaned to the left, peeking behind the gunslinger and to the counter. Her eyes widened and she got a sly smile. "On the internet again?" she asked, starting to head to the laptop. Vincent got there first, and slammed the laptop shut before she could look at it. He gave her a stern look, one that an annoyed parental unit might give to their child.

Yuffie smiled, poking his tight arm. "What? Having chats with _girls, _Vince?" she asked, bouncing toward another bar stool and sitting down.

Vincent sighed through his nose. "Yuffie, what I do online is none of your business."

Yuffie suddenly got a look of accusation. She looked at one of her fingernails while speaking. "Well, I _have _seen your myspace page, and I see that you only have two friends...I already know why Cloud would be your friend; you know him. But...that other girl? Jane? What's with her?"

"Its none of your business, Yuffie."

She scoffed. "Yes it is! I just find it...odd that you'd make room for her and not people like Tifa...or Barret...or me..." The young ninja got up, walking towards the gunslinger. She stood in front of her, criticizing him with her eyes. Vincent folded his arms, planning to block out anything she said. Yuffie smiled, seeming to think. "You have a weird taste in girls, Vincent!" At this, she giggled.

"Yuffie, you're not much older than her."

"So? I'm still more mature. I can guarantee it!"

"Okay, Yuffie. Now, are you going to stay her and pester me anymore? You probably woke up the kids, and now they're going to bother me."

"Why'd you accept the offer Cloud and Tifa made if you didn't want to be bothered?"

"Yuffie-"

Suddenly, the door to the bar swung open, and Cloud and Tifa walked in. Both of them looked amused at the sight of Yuffie and Vincent standing head to head. Vincent glared at the pair softly for letting Yuffie know of his whereabouts tonight. Yuffie huffed away, greeting the couple as they came in.

"Well...did you guys have fun?"

_What? Is their date already over? _Vincent thought to himself. It seemed like only an hour passed by! Was their night over already?"

"You guys weren't gone for long," he said, leaning towards the counter to get his laptop.

Cloud and Tifa giggled; Vincent thought he was missing some inside sex joke. He instantly crossed the thought out of his mind. Once they regained their composure, they replied to him. "Well, we were driving along the road when Cloud's motorcycle broke down. Barret gave us a ride back," Tifa explained, walking farther into the bar from the doorway.

Vincent smiled. "Tough luck," he said, heading for the exit.

"Do you want to stay for a few drinks, Vincent?" Tifa asked.

He shook his head, backing into the door. "I had my drinks tonight," he said. The door closed behind him.

_Oh, what a night..._


	8. Stolen Wine and the Alien

**Summary: Chapter eight. This chapter is very important. In this chapter, Barret takes Vincent out for a night. First, Vincent does some swiping at the Seventh Heaven.**

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Vincent stepped through the door to the Seventh Heaven bar, feeling as tired as ever. The night before, he didn't sleep a wink. Just as he was drifting into the depths of fatigue, the sun began to rise. Of course, when the sun started to approach, he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep. Eventually he gave up, getting up and preparing for his day.

However, he began to realize how dull his schedule was. Each and everyday, he went to the Seventh Heaven bar, only to go home afterwards. He needed to have some variety! He was already enough of a zombie; he couldn't resume a life filled with the dullness of one. As far as he was concerned, he deserved a more exciting life than which he lived. Of course, he never really tried to make his day a little brighter; it was what it was. He still couldn't help but want some variety in his life. The day he thought of that, he began thinking up ways to make his life somewhat different.

He sat down at the counter, seeing that no one was there. He could hear Tifa's voice coming from upstairs; it sounded like she was on the phone. "Be right down!" she called down the steps. Vincent made no reply. Instead, he eyed the bottles sitting on the shelves behind the counter. There were many different kinds of alchohol. He eyed a large, half empty bottle of red wine, and got up from his seat. He grabbed a glass cup on his way around, and snagged the red wine bottle off of the shelf. He uncorked it, filling the glass almost to the rim. He smiled to himself before putting the bottle back and walking back around the counter. By then, Tifa was off the phone.

Tifa stopped before him, first gazing at the cup, then back at Vincent's face. "Oh, I'm sorry. You didn't have to get your own drink," she said, heading behind the counter.

Vincent shook his head, retreating to his seat. "No, its alright," he said. He took a gulp of his drink, loving the flavor. Tifa went to the sink and began to wash dishes.

"Vincent?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"Do you have something going on with Yuffie?"

"...No, Tifa. She snuck into the bar when I was babysitting two nights ago."

"Oh...Well, she kept saying that you were talking to this girl on the internet."

"...That made you think we were dating?"

"No...She seemed kind of frustrated, though." She laughed.

"Oh..."

"Were you?"

"Was I what?"

Tifa scoffed, turning her head momentarily. Sometimes she didn't know why he lost a conversation so quickly. "Were you talking to a girl on the internet?"

Vincent didn't want to tell Tifa about Jane yet. He didn't want to tell anyone, for that matter. There was no one he could tell without having them freak out. He took one sip of wine before answering. "...No."

He noticed that Tifa was now staring at him, an undecipherable expression on her face. He felt his cheeks go red; he didn't like being stared at. Sighing, he set down his cup. "What?" he asked, trying to seem annoyed. Hopefully it would turn her away.

"You seem hesitant," she replied, still halting her dish washing escapade.

Vincent instantly grabbed his cup, gulped down the rest of its contents, and held it out to her. "Refill, please." Knowing that she'd sense his secretivity in his eyes, he looked away.

Tifa put down the dishes she was currently washing, and grabbed his cup. "Vincent," she said, her voice soft.

He looked up at her, feeling awkward at their closeness.

"You can tell me," she said. Vincent sighed, knowing that he wouldn't yet. She wouldn't understand what was happening. She wouldn't understand how he felt about Jane.

_How he felt about Jane..._

Just then, the door to the bar swung open, letting in a cold blast of outside air. Booming footsteps came in, followed by lighter ones. Vincent twisted around in his seat, turning his back to Tifa. He saw Barret and Cid walking through the door.

"Hey guys!" Barret said, coming to the counter and sitting next to Vincent. He hit the gunslinger's back with a mighty pat. "How you doing, Vincent?"

Vincent nodded in his direction, drinking down his whole glass of red wine. He sighed, feeling the strength of the alchohol burn his throat.

Suddenly, the phone rang upstairs. Tifa became alert, telling Barret and Cid that she would be back. She looked at Vincent with a look he didn't want to decipher. He knew that she wanted to talk to him. He knew that he didn't really want her in his business; he turned away before standing. "Tifa, I'm gonna go..." he said.

"Okay," she said before answering the phone upstairs.

Before leaving, he said goodbye to Barret and Cid. But then, he eyed the bottle of red wine behind the counter. Knowing that Cid and Barret wouldn't mind, and that they were too stupid to notice, he walked behind the counter and hid the bottle in his cloak.

"See ya, Vincent!" Barret called out in his scruffy voice before Vincent walked out the door.

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That night, Vincent didn't drink.

As much as he told himself that he wanted to, he didn't. He wanted to stay focused to talk to Jane. In fact, after going to the Seventh Heaven, he bought two more bottles of fine red wine to take home; he felt kind of awkward. He had never bought alchohol before. But when he got home, he simply put the three bottles into the refrigerator and went straight to his computer. At first he thought he was becoming too authoritative; giving up drinking for the computer. Then he straightened himself out, knowing that he had the right to do whatever he pleased.

Even though it was late afternoon, and he was sure that she would be sleeping because of their time difference, Vincent was talking to Jane.

_'How have you been?' _he asked her, implying more than she thought.

_'I've been...fine.'_

_'I see...How many hits have you had today?'_

_'I took one this morning, and ended up getting sick. Thats all I've had so far...Then again, its only noon.'_

_'Try your best to suppress the urge, Jane.'_

_'I will...Could we change the subject?'_

Vincent always hated changing the subject. At this point, all he cared about was knowing that Jane was okay, and not completely delirious. He had to track himself carefully, just so he could sense the honesty in her words. He tried not to pry too much; he had let himself know that he didn't have the right to. So this time he tried to cooperate with her, and go with her own wishes.

_'We can.' _He typed back.

_'You know...This would be much easier if it wasn't over the internet.'_

_'I know what you mean, Jane. But I...I don't think it is possible for us to...meet anytime soon.'_

_'Well, I don't want to sound like a total idiot here, but...Why is it impossible? I mean, you're not like..an alien, are you?'_

Vincent laughed to himself at this. _An alien..._he thought to himself. But then he thought that he could be much worse. He could never tell her who he truly was. She would hate him forever, and always feel like she had been violated. He knew that she would. Vincent sighed. But, he wanted so much to tell her. He _needed _to tell her.

_'I'm not so much an alien, Jane...'_

Suddenly, he was startled by the loud ringing of his phone. Sighing, he pulled it out of his pocket and pressed to his ear. "Hello?" he asked.

"Vincent? Hey, its Barret!"

"Barret?...What is it?"

"I'm just calling 'cuz Tifa told me that you were bein' a little down in the dumps, so I decided to do something about it!"

Jane then replied to him. _'Then what are you?'_

Vincent stared, mezmerized by the screen, stammering on the phone as he tried to type coherantly. "Yeah, Barret...Uh, what's that?'

Vincent messaged her back, trying to stay focused on her. He wanted to stay focused on her. _'I'm too complicated for you to understand right now. Let's just leave it at that.'_

"I decided to take you out tonight. I'm comin by soon, so get ready!" Barret said.

"What? Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see! Just be ready when I get there. Bye!" With that, he hung up. Vincent sighed, flipping his phone back down. He wondered where he would be taken this time. He didn't want to do anything right now, much less go anywhere. He had something that he needed to do; now was the time. Sadly, he knew that he couldn't avoid Barret and his masculinity. His hands hovering over the keyboard, he began to type.

_'I apologize Jane, but I have to go out for the night. I'm sorry; it was short notice.'_

Her next reply made him blush.

_'On a date?'_

He smiled slightly as he typed. _'Would that bother you?'_

_'...No. I mean, why would it? I hardly know you...Sorry for prying.' _For the first time, she had indented a smiley face into the last part of her message.

_'Its alright, Jane...And for the record, I have no plans for a date tonight. Stay well.' _He then logged off, hearing that Barret was already knocking on the door to his townhouse. Sighing, Vincent got up from his seat and went to answer the door. Like anyone would prerequisitely assume, Barret stood before him.

"Hey, Vincent!" Barret exclaimed.

"Hey...Barret."

"You ready to go?"

"That depends. Where are we going?" Looking over Barret's shoulder, he saw that Reno, Tseng, and Cid were in his truck. He got a sick feeling in his stomach. Barret took a hold of Vincent's arm, leading him away from the doorway. Vincent followed, unwillingly surrendering to Barret's rough-housing.

"Come on, man! We're gonna have fun tonight! We're all going to a strip club!"


	9. First Dream

**Summary: Chapter nine. This chapter is funny. It leaves off at the strip club, where Vincent uncovers some very awkward emotions. Then, he dreams a dream that takes him over the edge; the edge of insanity. BEWARE: this chapter has mentions of sexual content, therefore the rating was changed.**

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Once he entered the club, Vincent knew that he wanted to go home.

The entire place smelled of musk and sweat, emanating from the very skin of the half-naked dancers. Flimsy pieces of paper blew across the floor at times, and even in the dark, Vincent knew it was money. He knew he hadn't brought his wallet, so maybe he had saved himself sticking his hand in a g-string. The music made his head ache, and the lights hurt his eyes. The constant beat of the music pounded him. Every single beat made the entire place shake. He felt the floor vibrating beneath his feet. There were silouhettes of women twirling around poles in the distance, the men of Midgar staring at them in awe. He tried to imagine himself in those men's places, tried to see himself gazing at those same women and throwing money their way. He couldn't see himself sitting in those seats, doing what they were doing.

"Barret, I want to go home," he said, beginning to head for the exit.

Barret grabbed his arm in protest, and Cid blocked him. "No! You have to stay and have fun, Vincent," he said.

"Yeah! Let loose!" Reno said from behind him, already holding a bottle of beer in his hand. He ran to an empty table, waiting for the dancers to do their job. Vincent saw him grasping his wallet with excitement. Barret pulled Vincent from the doorway, leading him to the table where Reno was. He sighed heavily.

Vincent grunted. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to see other women dancing before him naked. It had been so many years since he had seen a woman naked and had made love to her; he blushed at the thought even today. Tonight, he wasn't prepared to have women rubbing their bodies up against him in a manner of 'pleasing' him. Frankly, he found it disgusting. He was still trapped inside his cocoon, and he wasn't ready to come out. He really didn't want to open up to some strange woman grinding up against him! He didn't even know any of these people. At this moment, he hoped there were drinks.

The guy pushed Vincent down into a chair next to Reno, and soon there was a large tray of shots sitting before him. The women were just beginning to come out, their bras and underwear still on their bodies. Vincent quickly looked away. "Hey, Vincent! You want a shot?" Barret asked.

Without moving his head, Vincent reached over to the tray and grabbed a shot glass. He put it to his lips, allowing the liquid to shoot quickly down his throat. It was a hard drink; he closed his eyes tight at the intensity. Somewhere beside him, he heard the others cheering him on for some odd reason.

He didn't want to be here. All he wanted to do was go home.

Suddenly, he heard Cid say in his ear, "You got any money? The strippers are coming out!"

Involuntarily, Vincent faced the stage, seeing two women standing on each side of the large stage. One was sliding down the pole, her eyes seductively stuck on Vincent. Vincent couldn't turn away no matter how hard he tried. Something inside him leaped out, something like desire. For the first time in probably his whole life, he felt what most other men feel everytime they look at a woman; he was aroused. Of course, it wasn't like he'd never been aroused before; this was different. He felt...dirty. The woman seemingly floating above him smiled, her tongue dancing on her lips. She slid her back down the pole, shaking her hips in front of Vincent.

Even though his eyes were glued to the woman in front of him, he continued thrusting shots of vodka into his mouth until the another full tray was placed in front of him. Soon, his vision began to become blurry, and he couldn't think straight. There were sounds all around him, but he couldn't sort them out in a coherant manner. All he saw was the woman in front of him; all he could feel was the physical desire inside of him, eating him away. And in a more private way, he was aching in his most guarded area.

All of a sudden, he saw the blurry body of the woman slide off the table, and grab the clips on his cape. Unexpectedly, she threw him down onto the stage, smiling in his face. Vincent was too woozy to protest. In the background, he heard the voices of all the guys, cheering some incoherant chant. He felt something cold touch his lips, and recognized it as a shot glass. The stripper was holding it to his mouth, whispering in his ear things so suggestive that he drank every glass he was offered.

Soon the stripper was straddling him, gaining the attention of nearby men. Vincent was smiling, his eyes occasionally rolling into the back of his head. The feel of the fairly cold liquid rushing down his throat repetitively was like nothing he'd ever felt; it was better than red wine. Each time the unknown woman above him reached for another glass, he grabbed her arm. He wanted her to hurry up. She was acting like he was a baby; cooing to him in a very sensual manner. And for some odd reason, he felt on top of the world.

Then again, he was drunk.

Suddenly, when the music seemed to get faster and the lights seemed to get brighter, the stripper pulled Vincent up from the table and whispered in his ear once again. This time, it was a request. "Do you wanna come to the back room with me...?" Barret and the others had obviously overheard her question, and began to hoot and holler. All of them slapped Vincent on the back, raving like a bunch of dogs.

Meanwhile, Vincent's world was spinning. He couldn't see straight, much less make out the true features of the stripper in front of him. He stumbled a little, catching himself before saying, "Yeah...S-Sure."

The woman then took his hand, leading him back behind the main area of the building, and into the back. If he was thinking straight, Vincent would know that this was where the 'dirty deeds' were done. Anything having to do with sex was done back here, including the dirtiest things. Vincent went along with the woman, following her in her skimpy bra and see through underwear, not knowing what he was doing. He had no idea where he was going, or what awaited him beyond those doors. He followed the woman inside the door, and listened as she closed it. Darkness surrounded him, but he felt her. Her hands traveled over his sick stomach, and down to his pants.

"This will only take a minute..." she said, and Vincent felt her unbuckle his pants. Her lips wrapped around the length in his pants, and the events that followed were lost to him...

* * *

That night, Jane appeared in his dreams...

_He recognized her face instantly when she turned around. Her bright red hair fell far down her back, and twirled when she did. Her beautiful blue eyes were smoky, and there was a hint of something in them that Vincent had never seen before. There was lust in her eyes. He felt himself sitting in a chair, but he couldn't see his surroundings. _Where am I?_ he thought. All he could do was look ahead, to the young woman standing a few feet in front of him, clad in just a bra and underwear._

_He watched as she smiled at him, winking as she slid her bra straps down her slender shoulders. She turned so her back faced him, looking over her shoulder at him. Her fingers danced to the back of her bra, and she unhooked it. Vincent felt his eyes widen, yet his vision not get any better, when he saw her back fall bare. She tossed her bra to the side, and then faced him._

She's more beautiful than I thought, _Vincent found himself thinking, truly unaware that he was thinking it. Her breasts had been revealed to him, and something inside him had leaped up. He felt something wrong about this. She was too young! He was looking at a teen's half naked body, and what was worse that he was becoming aroused by it. He felt himself beginning to ache in his most private part, and his hands began to shuffle uncomfortably._

_She started to approach him, her hips swaying and her form glowing as if she was a god. He followed her gaze, looking at the hunger in her eyes. He then touched his right shoulder, leaning down. Her shoulder pressed against his lips. Her lips touched his ear, and she whispered something._

_Before he could sort out what it was, he woke up..._

Vincent's eyes shot open, becoming completely washed over by a wave of heat. He sat up, a streak of sunshine hitting his face. He was in his home, laying on top of the sheets on his bed. The clock said it was eleven o' clock, an hour before noon. His vision was blurry, his head was aching, and his stomach was churning. As he recollected the events of the night before, he wondered how he had gotten here. All he could remember was going into a dark room with a woman, and feel her perform oral sex on him. Had Barret and the others taken him back home? Fearing that he had been too drunk, he sighed.

Quickly he put his hands over his face, regretting his own dream. Mentally he cursed himself for thinking such thoughts about a girl only 15 years old. He suddenly became protective, thinking of her as being victimized by his perverse thoughts. Now he felt as though she'd been violated somehow, and that he had taken something so innocent and turned it into something so unpure. He felt as though he'd taken something from her and she could never get it back.

But then, he cut himself some slack. It was only a dream. But he felt so many things. It was just a dream, but it held so much. All in one night he had felt lust, seen her exposed, and felt something he hadn't felt it a long time...

Something like the protectiveness of love.

But then, he was hit in the head with the memories of last night, and all the alchohol he'd had. He then leaned over the side of his bed, throwing up all the contents of the night.

_I'm a mess...And so I don't deserve her..._

_She doesn't deserve such a disaster like me..._


	10. Confession

**Summary: Chapter ten. Whoot. In this chapter, Vincent talks to Jane, and she finds out just who he really is.**

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Vincent sat at the counter in the Seventh Heaven bar when suddenly Barret came bursting through the door. It was now six in the evening, and the hangover which he had this morning had just begun to pass. Even though he was sitting in a bar, he refused to drink tonight. His stomach couldn't handle it. At first, he even thought that he had alcohol poisoning. In an attempt to cover the previous night, he stayed home for four hours until his hangover began to weaken. His stomach still hurt a little, but not as much. He was sure that Tifa didn't know what had happened the night before; she looked a little taken back when he refused a glass of red wine with a grimace.

But now that Barret had come in, he knew he was ruined.

"Hey, Vincent!" he said, sitting next to him. He slapped him on the back, as if acknowledging him in a higher manner. Vincent just looked down at the cold counter, not moving.

"You have fun last night?" Barret asked.

Just as Vincent was about to say how much he remembered, Tifa cut in. "Where'd you go last night?"

"Ha ha! Vincent, me, and the boys went out to a strip club last night. I don't know about you, Vincent, but I think you got special treatment!" At this he laughed hysterically. Vincent discreetly glared at him.

Tifa stopped washing glasses for a moment to turn and stare at Vincent. Her gaze was caught between the two men, but she finally focused on the subject of the topic. "Vincent? What did you do last night?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Vincent sighed. "I was too drunk to remember; I hardly remember a thing..."

"Oh, come on! I'm sure you're still hot about havin' that hot chick all over you!" Barret said.

"Shut up, Barret," Vincent said coldly, thinking of pulling out Cerberus and unleashing his fury for the first time in a while.

Tifa turned around even further, her hands covered with soap. "You had a stripper all over you?" Her eyes signaled that she was astonished.

"I already said that I-"

"Why don't you tell her about when she took you into the back room? Everyone knew what you were doing back there! Ha ha, did you-"

At this point, Vincent's anger was boiling. He _said _that he was too drunk to remember, but he really remembered more than he should. He remembered everything that happened, up to the point after the stripper took him in the back. He remembered how she fed him the poison of vodka, the poison that made him dream a sin. It angered him that he allowed himself to get that drunk, to get that far as to get a blowjob from a stripper. He knew that he was perfectly strong enough, physically and emotionally, to get her to stop before he went mad. It angered him that his actions had been so perverse that he had a dream about the one thing he never really wanted to. He knew it was only a dream, but it still hurt. Never did he want to feel that he discriminated _her._

_Jane..._

That was when he stood, pulling his gun out of the holster and pointing it directly at Barret's face. He thought of pulling the trigger, but quickly restrained himself. The smile and humor that was on Barret's was now gone, cleaned away by a selfish slate of fear and terror. His eyes screamed, his jaw dropped, his whole body came on full alert. Vincent saw his body tense up, all humor gone away. Never had anyone seen Barret so struck with fear, so paralyzed by it, that Tifa screamed and dropped a plate.

"Vincent, no!"

And Vincent just stood there, taking in all of the tension in the air, breathing it in. For a moment, he once again became Chaos. Maybe not the form, but the mentality and the brutality took over his mind and soul. For a moment, he didn't care at all about the fear written clearly on Barret's face. He didn't care about the sound of the shattering glass on the floor, or the sound of Tifa's shrill scream as she begged him to stop. Apathy completely washed over him, fueled by anger.

But as always, a high point of insanity eventually has to come back down to realization.

Vincent wrist suddenly became weak. The gun slipped right out of his hand, falling to the floor with a crack. His hand began to shake, and his chest began to tremble. He looked at Tifa, seeing her shocked face. She was paralyzed, too. He looked back to Barret, who was shocked beyond all hell. There was a terrible aching in his heart. Slowly he clutched his chest, feeling the pain beginning to swell inside him. Something clawed inside him stomach, making him nauseated once again. He set one hand on the counter to balance himself. Neither of the two people in the room moved to comfort him, or to see if he was okay. He stood there alone, soaking in the horror of what he had just done. His bones began to ache madly, as if he were his true age.

He'd just pointed a gun at an ally's face.

"I..." he began, his head hanging, his eyes moving rapidly. His head began to twirl. He could feel the heat of their eyes as they looked but never touched. "I'm..."

_Vincent..._

He gasped, unsure of who he had just heard in his head. "I need to go..." he said, running for the door and into the streets.

* * *

Vincent was sitting on his bed, his laptop resting on his lap. For the first time in a a while, he logged into myspace. Lately, all he had been doing was talking to Jane via instant message. It was alot easier; he could cover it better. He knew how Yuffie would react if she saw how he felt about Jane. She would call him a pedophile, and hate him forever.

He then cradled his head in his right hand, remembering the events that happened that day. He had closed himself inside his house when he returned from the bar, ignoring phones calls that he recieved. Most of them were from Cloud's cell phone. It had probably been Tifa; she was the one who was there when Vincent lost himself. All day he slept, dreaming of nothing. He was glad to be rid of any dreams that he would regret or nightmares that he would fear. He then watched TV, ridding himself of any care. Now that he was on the computer, he couldn't help but think of the monster he had become today. There were so many emotions swelling inside him; rage, hurt, anger, and sadness. He felt so alone, and it was his own fault.

Uncovering his face, he checked the new messages he had recieved on myspace. He had three; one from Yuffie, one from another random kid, and one from Tifa. His stomach turned upside down at the last message. He clicked to check Yuffie's message...

_'Hey, Vincent! I heard you had a breakdown at the bar. Pretty scar-'_

Vincent instantly closed out her message. He couldn't imagine her high pitched, annoying voice speaking these words. He clicked on the next message from the random kid, knowing it would delay him from reading Tifa's message. It was a teenage boy. His display picture was of him with a sad face.

_'you look lonely.'_

Vincent raised an eyebrow. Why did all these weird kids always message him? Was he the pinpoint of some great fascination or something? How did they even find his profile? It wasn't like he was completely out there with himself. He only had a few friends on his list, so it wasn't like he was popular. He just waved it off, clicking into his inbox once again. Dreadfully he clicked on the last message in the box.

_'Vincent? Its Tifa...I don't know how you're feeling about what happened at the bar today, but I kind of feel like you need to talk. Is something bothering you? Are you thinking of...you know who, again? Hmm...Well, I hope you get this. Just please talk to me as soon as you can.'_

Vincent's heart dropped into his stomach as he closed out of the message. He felt horrible. She was probably afraid of him now. He couldn't tell her how bad he was beginning to feel, how obsessed he was starting to become over his feelings for a teenager...She would think him insane.

_Jane..._

He sighed, coming to a conclusion. All he wanted right now was her. He needed to talk to her. It had been awhile since he checked up on her and her addiction...

But what he really wanted was to tell her the truth. He knew it'd lift a great weight off his shoulders. That was his main point of the hurt in his life; Jane had no idea who he was. She still had no idea who she was talking to. So far in their 'relationship', honesty had not played a prominent role. He could change that if he just had the courage. As of now, it was about as little as it could get. How could he become a big enough man to tell her about him? He was so afraid of what she would think...

Would she tell him that she never wanted to speak to him again? Would she hate him forever? What if she didn't? What if she still continued to talk to him even after knowing all about his grizzly past? Both sides terrified him. He didn't want her to lose contact with him. He didn't know what he'd do...

Casting all of his own worries aside, he checked to see if she was online. He saw her name appear, and he sent her a message. His heart was already racing.

_'Jane?'_

She replied instantly. _'Hi, Vincent. How have you been?'_

_'Oh, I'm alright...What about you?'_

_'I'm...doing a little better. Since today was Saturday, I had a really bad impulse to do alot of pot...I only took one hit this afternoon, but then I took another one a few hours ago...They were little, I swear. Oh, I'm so sorry, Vincent. I hate letting you down like this. Its just so hard!'_

He was pained by her response. She was only fifteen, and caught in a spiral of drugs. How could he help her? He wasn't _there_! He felt powerless. Even so, he knew that his words would help a little. Thats basically all he could do.

_'No need to apologize. I understand that its hard to try and resist. Just be strong, Jane. Go at your own pace. The only thing I ask of you is to take care of yourself as best as you can. One day at a time.'_

How could he be saying these things when he couldn't even control his own emotions? He wasn't taking it one day at a time; he was letting it bombard him without resistance.

_'Thank you, Vincent...I will try.'_

He smiled, knowing that there was truth in her words. She couldn't disappoint him at all, even if she tried.

_Tell her, _he told himself over and over. If he just got it out, he would feel so much better! But he was so scared about how she was going to react...He needed to tell her.

Vincent swallowed a lump in his throat, and began to type.

_'Jane, I must speak with you.'_

It took a few moments for her to reply. When she did, he felt a twinge of anxiety.

_'Really? What is it?'_

It was a simple reply, showing no reason for Vincent to feel sick. But he did. All he wanted was to tell her the truth and have her still like him.

_Like me...?_

His hands hovered over the keyboard as he began to type back to her.

_'There are...alot of things that you don't know about me. I understand that since this is the internet, it should be restricted, but...I've begun to feel some sort of connection to you. Could I ask you if you wish to hear what I have to say?'_

_'I'm listening, Vincent..'_

He took a deep breath in, and started to type. _'My name is Vincent Valentine...'_

And so he told her everything. He started at the beginning, where he fell for a woman named Lucrecia while on duty as her bodyguard. Vincent explained his father's death to her, and how Lucrecia refused to be with him because of her guilt. He explained in depth what Hojo was like, what he did to him many years ago. Jane learned everything about his thirty years in a coffin and how he got there. He told her everything about who he was, and how he felt about being who he was. Jane had learned everything about the Jenova experiment, how Hojo was killed, and who Sephiroth came to be. He tried to break it to her gently as to not scare her or creep her out. And with every fiber of his being, he prayed that she found the truth in his words with no hesitation. He told everything to her, even about his age.

For a few moments, he waited for her to reply. He knew he had to give it time, finding himself getting antsy...

_'...You swear that this is the very truth about your life?'_ she said.

_'With every fiber of my being, Jane.'_

He had lost her. He knew it before he even saw her reply. His vision suddenly became hazy, and he lay back on his pillow, staring up at the ceiling. His laptop fiddled on his lap, almost falling over. He rested his hands on his stomach, trying to forget the situation he was in. He closed his eyes. There was no sound around him, and he began to relax. Deeply he breathed in, thinking he could fall asleep before realizing the ugly truth about what he had done to her...

But then, he heard the sound of a new message. Instantly he sat up, supporting himself by his hands. His eyes widened.

_'Such a huge part of me believes you...Then again, it is the internet...But Vincent, I believe you.'_

_She believes me..._

He couldn't believe it. Jane believed him, every word he said, even though it would sound ridiculous to a girl like her. How could she find the truth? Why was he finding it so hard to believe when that was what he _wanted_?

Now he had to control himself, and refrain from saying something stupid. He couldn't mess this up. What would he say? He had to say what he felt. But how could he? He wasn't really sure how he felt, and he couldn't just blurt out something that he was going to regret. This had to be as true as possible. And deep inside, he hoped that she would feel something for him in return. He had wanted it for so long...and now, he felt he deserved it, even after becoming a breakdown at the bar. Never had he been so nervous; never had he been so scared.

_'Jane...I care about you alot. And I know that it is wrong because you are still young, still vibrant...But involuntarily, I feel some sort of attraction to you that I can't fully understand. Perhaps you could tell me what you feel?'_

He hoped he had not been too sappy. As he typed more and more, he finally began to let himself feel what he wanted to feel. Even though he knew it was wrong on so many levels, he let himself feel it...For the first time in a long time, he became honest with himself. After all this time, he had slowly fallen in love again. He had felt its warmth, even in the company of a young girl. He was scared about it, but decided to go along with it. He wouldn't let himself be alone again just because he was afraid. It was time that he got rid of his guilt, his anguish, and his obsession with Lucrecia. He knew that now was the time to let her go.

_'I know that its wrong..Thats why it scares me so much!'_

_'It scares me too, Jane. I feel very...odd, knowing what I feel for a girl your age. But you seem so mature, and I feel the need to protect you. Everyday I worried about you, and how many hits you were taking a day. I..I wish I could be there with you to really help.'_

_'I..I know what I feel, but I'm still a little scared...Vincent, where you are...is it different from earth?'_

He smiled. _'I'm not too sure, Jane. I couldn't imagine it being any different. That is, of course, if you don't have fiends and mad scientists on earth.'_

_'I don't think we do. Earth is pretty melancholy, other than war and things like that...I can't imagine any planet such as yours...Really, I can't believe something like this is happening.'_

She couldn't believe it...He could relate. Never did he think he'd use this laptop to meet a girl and fall in love again. He thought for sure that he would always stay in love with Lucrecia. But then he came to the realization that he hadn't visited her cave in a number of months.

For that, he was glad.

For Jane, he was grateful.

_'Jane...Maybe there is a way that I can see you. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but very soon...But I must ask you if you would ever feel comfortable with that. I don't wish to do what you don't feel is acceptable.'_

_'You could...do that? But how?'_

_'We have many methods, here on my planet. I know that it can be done...Would you ever want something like that to happen?'_

_'...I know that...this is real, deep down in my heart...But someday, I think I would like to see you, even if it is a risk. Just to know that its real.'_

_'Oh believe me, Jane. I know that I would not be here if this was not real...Never have I felt this way, but I don't want to hurt you.'_

_'Then...shall we give it some time? I would like to be able to meet you one day, Vincent, but maybe we should...get to know each other a little more.'_

_'Then that is exactly what we shall do.'_

_'Thank you, Vincent...I really hope that this is not just a hoax.'_

He understood her worry more than anything. He was worried too. What if she wasn't who he thought she was? What if she was a haggard old hillbilly?! The image flashed in his mind, and he instantly threw it out. He didn't want to be disturbed for the rest of the night.

Besides, he believed that she was true, just as he was. And he would do anything to protect her and keep her safe. He felt his heart swell at the very thought of her. He remembered the first time he set eyes on her picture on her myspace; the way her eyes held the camera, how she looked in the sunlight. He remembered the night she revealed to him that she wasn't perfect, and she had been doing drugs since she was young. He saw how she got angry and frustrated, and heard her guilt. But most of all he _understood. _He knew now that he had a job to do; he was going to protect her however he could.

...Did that start with protecting himself?

_'Well, I should say goodnight now. I'm going to bed early...I have a Geometry test.'_

_'I hope you do well. Be strong, Jane.'_

_'I will. Don't worry...Thank you, Vincent.'_

_'No..Thank you for believing in me.'_

He smiled as she bid goodnight and logged off.

That night, he fell asleep with a new sense of love and redemption.

He was in love again.


	11. Second Dream

**Summary: Chapter eleven. In this chapter, Vincent has another dream about Jane, and once again hears her say something incomprehensible. Then, he is faced with Yuffie, who is beginning to become worried, and at the same time, curious. SORRY FOR THE DELAY! My computer was getting worked on because it had like, a million viruses...All good now!**

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That night, Vincent went to sleep knowing that things could possibly be better from now on.

But he also had another dream about Jane...A dream he failed to forget about.

_He looked around, seeing that his surroundings were hazy. The bed he sat on was soft and large, covered by a white sheet. He looked down, his vision slightly blurred, and saw that he was topless. The air in room was cold, and there was a TV in the background. It seemed to be the only object he could clearly see in the room. However, a milky white color covered the screen, showing no picture whatsoever. There was a window to his left, but all he saw was bright white light outside of it. His eyes were hurt a little, maybe even swollen. _Where am I? _he thought, preparing to get up. That is, until he saw someone walking towards him._

Jane!

_She walked toward him, a black lace shirt covering her upper body. There were ribbons of silk tied in the front, concealing something personal behind it. Shorts covered her young legs, and moved as she herself strode toward him. The look in her eyes was breathtaking. She looked beautiful, and Vincent wanted her. He wanted her so badly. A weird feeling rose in his chest, like a mix of nausea and lust. Occasionally, his eyelids would droop over his eyes, and his vision became blurry. It bothered him; he wanted to keep all of his focus on her. His eyes widened and his heart raced as she fingered the laces on the front of her shirt._

_Jane approached him, putting her arms around his broad, naked shoulders. The most private part of him began to get aroused, much to his surprisement. Jane's hand ran along the side of his face, travelling down his neck in a sensual manner. Her lips connected with his in a kiss that was almost like a fantasy. Vincent felt his hands involuntarily wander to her stomach, untie the laces, and slide her shirt off her skin. At almost every moment, an invisible force would hit him in the head, throwing him off track. Jane still kept her lips engaged in a strong kiss with Vincent's, even as he revealed her naked upper torso. _

_Things began to get heated, and Vincent slowly began to lose consciousness. Jane pulled away, gazing seductively into Vincent's eyes. He slowly began to grow weak from an unknown force. Jane then leaned down, and whispered something in his ear. The vibrations he recieved from her smooth voice sent chills down his spine, pulling him out of the cloudiness for a moment. He floated back down anyway._

_Suddenly, a sharp pain charged through his entire body, like a strike of lightning. His scream became gruesome, and bloody..._

* * *

Vincent awoke with a jolt, shooting straight up out of his bed. At first, he thought he had been struck by lightning. His heart was pounding erratically, as if it would jump out of his chest. Slowly, he began to calm down. It was just a dream.

Jane...

She had come into his mind again, but not in the way she was supposed to. It was only the night after they had decided about their feelings, and he already had his second adult dream about her! He felt like he was completely degrading her with his mind. He looked down at his hands, vaguely remembering what he had done with them in the dream. He'd touched her, he'd felt her, he'd tasted the sweet flavor of her lips. Would he ever do that in real life? With a quick scoff of disgust, he got out of bed. How could he _think _such a thing?

He couldn't let this dream bother him. He'd done it enough, so he couldn't do it any longer. Besides, he had something to be happy about. Finally, he had confessed his feelings to Jane, and she returned them lightly. This was the beginning of a relationship that was in many ways, most awkward. As he began to get dressed after coming out of the bathroom, he addressed all the consequences of this situation.

He knew that if any of his allies found out, he would be doomed to live in exile for the rest of his life. At least, thats what he told himself. No one could know about this; only he and Jane. He tried to imagine Cloud's reaction if he ever found out that Vincent had rediscovered feelings of love for a girl over the internet. Cloud would probably die if he found out that she was only fifteen. Hell, anyone would! Vincent finished getting dressed, waving the picture from his mind.

Today, he needed to apologize to Tifa and Barret.

Not once did he reply to Tifa's message. He knew that he was in deep shit no matter what happened. And what about Jane? She had said something about living by herself, refusing to stay with her parents. He needed to ask her more about that. There had to be some other authoritative adult to watch out for her besides him!

_Besides me...?_

Was that really what he was? Could he be a caretaker while attempting to stay in a relationship, too? It could be possible. She was just a teenager.

He knew that if he ever met her, he would take the best care of her that he possibly could.

* * *

Vincent pushed through the door of the Seventh Heaven, and got nervous when he saw Tifa standing at the counter. She looked up, saw him, and made no move. The look in her eyes was very reserved, not to freak him out. Vincent was very grateful for that. He walked to the counter with dignity, and sat on the barstool at the far right end of the bar. Tifa was finishing up washing the rest of the dishes.

She then approached him. "Do you want something to drink?" she asked, her tone very low key.

Vincent nodded. "The usual, please." He watched in a haze as she poured him a glass of red wine. He sipped it slowly, enjoying its taste. Irrelevant thoughts tried to force their way into his mind, but he blocked them fiercely. He needed to concentrate today.

"So...what did you come here for?" Tifa asked him. Vincent looked up, gazing into her face.

"I came to...apologize. Lately, I've just been going through some tough personnal stuff, and its been really stressful."

"Like what?"

He sighed. He didn't feel like spilling the details of his 'personal troubles', especially if they consisted of Jane. "Its just...certain emotions have been resurfacing. You understand, right?"

She nodded, not wanting to push him any farther. "Okay..."

"So, I'm sorry for what I did." He looked up at Tifa, wondering what her expression might reveal. She only looked down at the counter, her eyes not moving. He hoped that this was the right thing to say.

"Well...I accept your apology. However, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

She was right. Now, he began to feel bad. He didn't have any idea how Barret was feeling. He sighed, taking a large gulp of his drink, wiping out the whole glass. Reluctantly, he slid the glass across the counter, signaling a refill. Tifa took the glass, a relieved, but expectant look in her eyes.

Suddenly, the door to the bar opened and someone came bouncing in. Vincent looked back, an instantly regretted it. He was staring straight into the face of a Wutai ninja, one he'd been trying to avoid. Not only did he want to stay away from her perkiness, but he actually wanted to keep her out of the drama that had been unfolding lately. Even he couldn't believe that. He also knew how sneaky she could be; one day she could pop into the bar with news of Vincent's teenage Myspace girlfriend.

"Hey, Vincent! Haven't seen you in a while!" she said, sitting on the bar stool beside Vincent.

"Hi," said Vincent. His hand constricted around the wine glass in his hand as he gulped it down. He was already beginning to feel the effects of alcohol.

"Did you get my message? I heard that you had a breakdown here yesterday."

"Uh, Yuffie...," Tifa said, shaking her head at the ninja. She went back to what she'd been doing beyond the counter, resuming the sound of clinking glass.

Yuffie looked around rapidly, obviously unaware of the tense atmosphere. "What? He can talk about it, can't he?"

"I'd rather not, Yuffie," Vincent said. He couldn't stand her stubborn will to continue uncomfortable talks.

"Okay then...Well, see you around!" She bounced off the seat, and towards the door. Vincent could finally breathe when she left.

"Just ignore her, Vincent. I can see that what she says bothers you," Tifa said, wiping down a glass.

He shrugged. "I know she doesn't mean it...She just...bothers me a little." A little?

Tifa smiled. "I know, I saw. Just don't worry about it."

"Yeah..." Vincent knew that what Yuffie would say would soon get the best of him. His head began to ache, and all he wanted was Jane. She was now his zone for comfort. She made him feel so much better, even if he was the one talking to her. However, there was a small feeling of doubt inside him. It could all fail. They could never meet, someone could find out, or she would realize how ridiculous this situation was. She had to come to her senses sometime.

But that feeling of doubt was still very small.


	12. Deep Discussions

**Summary: Chapter twelve. In this chapter, you see a follow up of Jane and Vincent's 'relationship'. Just read it, you'll see!**

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Four days passed by since Vincent last visited the bar. In that time, Vincent had searched for and located Barret, and gave him many apologies. He found himself being more embarrassed than he ever felt, simply because he had never made an apology so sincere. Usually, he was the type to wave it off without a second thought. And to his surprise, Barret wasn't very angry about it. Obviously, Tifa had let him know of Vincent's personal situations beforehand.

Now, he was participating in his nightly ritual of talking to Jane. He found it amazing that he wasn't yet sick of doing the same thing every night. It had been a little over a month that he had been doing it, and he didn't want to stop. When he woke up in the morning, that was what he always looked forward to. He felt responsible for checking on Jane every night to make sure that she was alright. But now, it all went deeper. A new feeling arose in his heart each time he got on the internet and saw that she was there, waiting for him.

Maybe he was taking this too seriously.

_'How are you doing this evening, Jane?' _Vincent asked her after she greeted him warmly. At least, as warmly as you can be on the internet.

_'I'm doing okay right now. I barely got any sleep last night, only because I kept stressing about a Geometry test that I took. Of course, you already know how that is.'_

_'You probably did well, Jane. Try not to worry about it.'_

_'Thank you. I hope I did good because I already have a D in that class.'_

_'Just try hard, you'll do well...' He hated to know that she was doing bad in that school subject, all because of the drugs she had been taking. But then, a new thought arose in his mind. What if was partly his fault that she was messing up? Having an online relationship with a man would be very stressful; he was surprised that she hadn't completely broken down. At least not when he was talking to her._

_'Jane, could I ask you something?' he asked her. He felt as though he was really talking to her through his mind. _

_'Yes you can.'_

Not exactly sure why, he smiled at her simple answer.

_'You once told me that you couldn't talk to your parents about your drug problem, and now I was just wondering why. You don't have to tell me, of course, if I don't have a right to know.'_

It took her a moment to reply. He wondered why. Was it out of hurt? Or did something bad happen?

_'Well, I do have parents, but I don't live with them. I live in my own apartment where my aunt comes to check on me once in a while. But you see, I wasn't kicked out or anything. I chose to move out and live on my own because of who they are. My mom is always drinking, and basically never home. My dad is constantly cheating on her, and I just got sick of it. So one day, I approached them and told them of my plan to move out. Apparently, they weren't too bothered by the idea.'_

Vincent frowned.

_'But, I don't necessarily consider myself a victim here. I chose to move out. And I admit that I didn't really make things better by living with them. Sometimes, I broke out and yelled at my mom about her drinking when she was at her worst. Just recently I realized that maybe things there would be better without me yelling all the time.'_

_'Have you had any contact with them?'_

_'Yes, but not excessively. Last year, they came by for Christmas. I was impressed to hear that my mom was going to a class to help her with her drinking...Of course, they suggested taking me home, but they don't understand. I'm better off alone...And I'm not sure they'd be too happy with me doing drugs in their house.'_

_'So they don't know?'_

_'Nope.'_

He was surprised. Vincent just thought that she lived in an abusive household, and did drugs in secrecy. He was impressed by the fact that she lived on her own, and a little afraid. A fifteen year old shouldn't be living on her own.

_'How do you handle matters such as bills?' he asked._

_'My aunt comes by once in a while and gives me the things I need. When I'm running short on money, she helps me by paying my bills. Its not really a lot. It might come off that I'm mooching off of her, but I appreciate her help so much. My aunt is also helping my mom, so...'_

_'Well, I'm thankful for your aunt as well. However, it makes me slightly...nervous that a girl your age is living on her own. Are you sure you're okay?'_

_'Oh, its fine! It gets a little lonely sometimes, but its not a big deal. Sometimes my friends come here, but they just try to find my stash...'_

Vincent didn't know what to think of that. Each mention of drugs made his heart ache a little more.

_'But you know...Living alone may make it easier for me to meet you one day, Vincent.'_

His eyes widened. _So soon?, _he thought. He got a little nervous each time he thought of going to her planet and meeting her. Sometimes he contemplated the idea of her being fake about her personality and image, and end up being a completely different person. He was afraid that he was being fooled, something he did not want to go through again.

_'If that is what you desire, I will find a way to make it happen...It may take time, though.'_

_'Its okay. I'd rather it wait, really. I need to know a little more about you...Even though a part of me fears it.'_

She fears it? She fears knowing about him? He could see why; his past isn't at all glamorous. He would be surprised if anyone ever wanted to know about him.

_'I need to know a little more about you, too. But Jane, I don't want you to feel awkward; I know I do at some points, and I've been in the most awkward of situations.'_

_'I admit that I do feel very awkward at some points, especially when I think about who you are and who I am...I just hope I don't say something stupid.'_

He smirked, finding her skepticism cute in a way. _'You won't say anything stupid, Jane. I'm the one who will most likely mess this up.'_

_'Don't talk like that, Vincent...We'll make this work any way we can. I promise.'_

What a promise to make...

_'So, Jane, I'd like to know about your progress with your addiction. Has it been a little better?'_

_'Unfortunately, not too much. Each hit I've been taking has been a little heavier, but not by much. And it sucks because each time I smoke or shoot up, I think of you and how I'm letting you down. I just wish it was easier to quit...But I promise, I'll start doing it less.'_

_'I'm truly sorry to hear that, Jane. I just hope that I'm not the root of your drug use. If I'm causing you stress, simply tell me.'_

_'I will...'_

Vincent sighed. He wished that he could help her. He wished that he were there for her rather than here. Maybe things would end up going better if he were there with her. Things weren't going to good here; it seemed like he was messing things up again.

_'Sometimes, the bad thing about living alone is that I could overdo it at any time. If I were to come back from school and I'm really stressed out, I could accidentally take in too much. Even if I'm doing fairly well in keeping it under control, the lack of parental authority leaves me without a limit.'_

That scared Vincent. It scared him a lot. Now, he hated the idea of her living on her own. His heart jumped a little bit inside his chest.

_'That scares me, Jane. And I'm not usually someone who gets scared too easily.'_

_'I'm sorry, Vincent...But, living on my own also keeps me alert. I'd hate for my aunt to come by and find me passed out on the floor; I've found that I do have control.'_

_'I would hate for that to happen, also. Promise me that you'll do your best, and keep the control that you now have.'_

He felt very protective at this point. Not yet like a lover, but more like a father. In his mind, he pictured it as wrong. He was running far away from the idea.

_'I promise,' she finally said. Vincent smiled._

_'Well...As you said before, you wanted us to meet someday. Where exactly do you live?' As he asked this question, he felt like a predator. Even on this planet, he saw the shows where men hunted down teenage girls on the internet to participate in scandalous acts._

_'I live in a state called Washington...But I'm still puzzled; I don't understand how you would get here. That signifies that your planet has some sort of power not yet familiar to Earth.'_

_Vincent felt like he was in a science fiction film. They were talking about their planets, and how one could possibly be teleported to the other. He didn't feel very comfortable about this, but he knew that he would be doing it for her. It was obvious that he cared about Jane._

_'I'll find some way. I know for a fact that it is possible...Its just a matter of time until I find out how.'_

_'Wow...Thats amazing. What you're saying is the kind of thing I only see in movies...Its still hard to believe that all this is possible.'_

_'It is for me, too...If I got the choice, I probably wouldn't have chosen to feel love resurface inside me for a fifteen year old girl, but...Its inevitable now, isn't it?'_

_'Yes...Vincent, I remember what you said when you told me about yourself...What was the woman's name? You know, the one you fell in love with?'_

Wow. He hadn't been faced with the thought of her for a while. Once again he noticed how long it'd been since he visited her. Ever since Omega was defeated, he'd let go of Lucrecia completely. He still considered her a strong factor in his life; she'd saved it. Now, he was fairly happy with his position with her. If he were to go back now, what feelings would resurface once again?

_'Her name was Lucrecia. Are you curious about her?'_

_'Somewhat...Is she still alive?'_

_'...It depends on what you mean by alive. As odd as this may sound, she has been crystallized in a cave which I used to visit quite often. Recently, she helped me to overcome a huge obstacle in my life, and I thanked her for it. She has been like this for over thirty years.'_

_'Could she ever...come alive again?'_

_'Thats the thing that I find troubling at some points...She can uncrystallize herself at any time, but chooses not to. However, I do not hold a grudge about it. I would rather her have peace than be thrown into a world of chaos once again.'_

_'Wow. Do you still love her?'_

Vincent smiled. _'I wouldn't be talking to you if I was, Jane.'_

The pause between her next comment showed that she may be flattered. _'Hmm...and I remember you saying how your body was twisted...I shouldn't say that I find that amazing, but how do you live like that?'_

_'...My truly age is sixty, but I appear to be twenty seven. One day I will die, but I do not age...Frankly, thats where most of my skepticism lies. If we were to ever continue this, one day you would grow older than me. Of course, it wouldn't be for a good number of years...Do you understand, Jane?'_

_'Wow...I'm afraid of that, too.'_

_'But if this is going to work, we'll just have to focus on the present. Even though the future might look hard, we should just focus on being right here, right now.'_

_'We will make it work, Vincent.'_

That was a big promise to keep. He knew that he'd try to do everything in his power to make it work.

_'Well, I just heard a knock on the door. Its probably my aunt. I'll talk to you soon, okay?' Jane said. Vincent could hear her voice through the letters._

_'Alright. Stay safe.'_

_'..I will.'_

Vincent finished up on his computer and closed it. He slowly laid back on his pillow, staring out the window. From what he could see of the sky, he tried to imagine another planet floating out the universe, where Jane waited. He began to think that it was ridiculous. He began to think that it could be the best turn his life would take.

He knew that he wanted it.


	13. Pain

**Summary: Chapter thirteen. This is it! The chapter we've all been waiting for (I think). In this chapter, you see a follow up of Vincent and Jane's relationship, and see that Vincent will finally try to see her. Will it work? I apologize for the delay. School makes me abandon my stories. :(**

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Four weeks passed since that night. As always, Vincent took the time to talk to Jane every night. He was quite satisfied with the progress that their 'relationship' was taking. Everyday he could tell how comfortable she was getting around him; her words signified that. Vincent was beginning to grow closer to her, much to his hidden dismay.

However, he noticed how he had been neglecting his other companions. Figuring that they would soon become suspicious, he made sure that he took at least one day to spend time away from his computer. He admitted sheepishly to himself that it was tough, but still manageable. He took the time to hang out at the bar for a while, talking to his allies. He didn't really do much talking; all he did was listen. Of course, he participated when it was necessary. He didn't want the others to think that he was completely reluctant.

The quality time spent at the bar paid off for Vincent. Tifa was beginning to calm her prying ways, seeing that Vincent had finally come around. Cloud was pretty satisfied, too, and to Vincent's surprise, Barret even began to come around. He was glad that what had happened wouldn't be held over his head.

With all these benefits, there had to be something to keep him down a little inside.

Yuffie insisted on hanging out near him more often. When he was not at the bar, she _insisted _on walking home with him to make sure he's okay. Vincent became increasingly annoyed; it wasn't like he was about to keel over from disease. And while they walked, Yuffie would always find stupid things to talk about. He only replied with 'hm' or 'yeah', but most of the time he replied with nothing at all.

Vincent just decided to ignore it as much as he could before he went insane. And he tried to be polite about it.

However, during these times with his allies at the bar, he secretly opened a portal of thought that involved Jane. Each day, he gave himself at least a little time to contemplate ways to leave this planet without disrupting the flow of the Lifestream. He knew that it could be done; methods of travel were over the top on his planet.

Then again, there was always the thought of what to expect when he arrived on Earth. He could find himself miles away from her, having landed in the wrong place! He knew that it would be very different from his own planet. People there would probably look at him differently. But he didn't really have any plans of going anywhere besides Jane's home. He knew that she had school; what would he do during the day? How long would it take to travel to her planet? How long would he plan to be gone? If he went once, would he ever be able to come back? Would the others know that he was gone and go looking for him?

There were so many questions that he had to get answered, some that he wanted to get answered before he left. He decided to go to Jane, and ask her. At first, he chuckled at himself for going to get an opinion from a fifteen year old.

_'Jane,' _he said once he appeared online. It was only late afternoon outside. Even so, he couldn't understand the time frame of which she lived. It seemed as though his night was her day.

_'Hi, Vincent. How have you been?'_

_'I'm doing well. What about you?'_

_'I'm doing okay. Its a little cold here, though.'_

He smiled. _'Make sure you keep yourself warm, Jane...You know, lately I have been contemplating ways for me to travel to your planet. So far, I haven't really come to any conclusions...Do you think it would be too soon?'_

He waited for her answer. _'Well, I'll admit that I'm a little scared about it. Who wouldn't be? Knowing the age gap between us as well as the differences, it makes me a little shaky. But so far, you haven't given me any reason to be extremely skeptical.'_

_'I feel exactly the same way. I know that I really shouldn't be doing this because of my age. I know better than to do this, Jane. I just can't stay away.' _He sounded like a teenager. He sounded like a pedophile. Sometimes, he even felt like one. But he knew that it wasn't manipulative. As ridiculous and stupid as he knew it was, he did have feelings for her.

_'Even though I should, I don't find that scary at all,' _she said.

He smiled.

_'So, are you sure that coming here is even possible?' _she asked after a while.

_'There has to be some way. The level of technology is very high on this planet. However, much of it was destroyed about three years ago...I'm sure there is still a way. Something new is created everyday.' _He stopped typing for a moment to continue thinking. Would materia have to play a role? How would it help? His mind wandered to the Midgar Ruins, and he thought there was something there that could give him an answer.

_'Well, tell me when you think of something. I have to get...prepared.'_

His eyes widened. _'...In what ways?'_

_'Mentally, I guess. I mean, you might just pop in out of nowhere while I'm in the bathroom or getting dressed or something... It would be a weird way to start this off if you saw me naked.'_

My heart almost stopped. He'd (involuntarily) dreamed about it before, much to his disapproval. Would she look the same as in his dreams?

_God, you're so stupid, Vincent! _he thought to himself. His priority was not to see her naked. He wanted to rekindle the love he was beginning to feel in his heart, find out if its real. He blushed and seethed at the thought of seeing her exposed. It was quite possible that he never would. He wouldn't exploit a young teenager that way. He still couldn't even understand how he had fallen in love with a fifteen year old. It was perfectly disastrous, perfectly illegal. But he couldn't help what he was feeling, even if he hated it. He hated not being in love with a _grown woman _as he should be.

_'I'll try not to pop in at the wrong time. Prepare yourself as much as you can.'_

_'I'll try...Vincent, could I ask you something? Its kind of about a topic.'_

_'Go ahead.'_

_'Well...I'm really embarrassed to say this, but...would we do things that other couples would do? Like...kiss and stuff? Its obvious that there are boundaries on the internet, but it appears that we may be meeting sometime soon.'_

If this flame inside his heart was real, he would want to kiss her and hold her more than anything. It was already very strong, and only being able to talk to her on the internet made it that much harder. If things got to that level, he knew that they would eventually feel comfortable doing those things. However, he didn't think he'd ever feel fully at ease while doing it.

_'If it got to a point where we would feel comfortable enough, then I guess we would. However, I won't push you into doing anything that you don't want to do. And remember, I would just be getting back into my comfort zone.'_

_'Okay...That was a question I've been thinking about lately...Vincent, do you think that there will be any...physical attraction? I mean, I've only seen one picture of you on your myspace, and I'm not really sure what your physical preference is...'_

Physical attraction? The first time he'd set eyes on her myspace picture, he thought she was a very pretty girl. But when he looked at it now, he described it as beautiful. He hadn't bothered to look at her photo section, simply because it had slipped his mind. Right now, it probably seemed like a good idea.

_'Well, I've only seen one picture of what you look like, also. Are you afraid that I won't be what you were hoping for?'_

_'Not really. I...I don't know...I have more pictures in my photo section on myspace if you wish to look. Really, I'm just afraid that you might not like me in that way. I mean, not that it really matters physically...'_

He smirked. She seemed very doubtful. In a way, he found it cute. _'Its okay, Jane. It seems like you're very skeptical. Is this an issue of trust, or curiosity?'_

_'...Curiosity, I guess. I'm just...nevermind.'_

_'...Are you afraid that I may not like the way you look?'_

_'A little.'_

_'Well...From what I've seen, you are beautiful. Do you mind if I look at your pictures?'_

_'Not at all.'_

Vincent then typed in the correct url, and logged into myspace. It'd been a while since he'd been on myspace. All he did now was talk to Jane through instant message. He hadn't gotten any messages, but he had a new comment. It was from Yuffie.

_'Hi, Vince! You haven't been on in a while. Whats up?!'_

He ignored it. He knew that he was being mean, but he wasn't particularly interested in Yuffie getting into his business. He knew she'd try to sooner or later. Jane was in his top friends, but not in the first spot. He didn't want Cloud or Tifa to see; they might get suspicious. He clicked onto Jane's profile.

The song that greeted him was apparently called 'Leave Out All The Rest' by a band called Linkin Park. Vincent was familiar with the band, but not the song. He didn't really listen to music a lot. He took a minute to listen to the song, listening to the words.

_When my time comes_

_Forget the wrong that I've done_

_Help me leave behind some_

_reasons to be missed._

_Don't resent me,_

_and when you're feeling empty,_

_keep me in your memory,_

_leave out all the rest._

_Leave out all the rest._

He wondered if the words applied to her in any way. He clicked on the link to her pictures, and a page of pictures came up.

There was only one page. He spotted the one she'd used as her display. The pictures at the top were the most recent. One caught his eye. She had taken it herself, pointing the lens towards her face. A smile stretched across her face, almost one of humor. Her blue eyes were piercing the lens, and captured Vincent's heart in a way he couldn't really describe. He saw someone carefree in this picture, but knew that was not the case.

He saw a few pictures that had been taken by her, too. One was of a book she was reading, apparently one of her favorites. He saw many pictures of instruments; guitars, piano, and drumsticks. He knew that she was a musician; he was somewhat excited by that fact.

Then, another picture caught his attention. Jane had taken it herself. She was laying down, one hand resting on her collarbone. Her body language exuded innocence, but her eyes gave off something else. There was a hint of seduction hidden behind her beautiful crystal blue eyes. A small smile lifted one side of her young face. Vincent saw youth in this photo, but also saw a hint of something else. Something more adult than she showed. He liked it.

_'Your pictures are beautiful, Jane,' _he told her, feeling kind of skeptical about saying it. There was always a hint of doubt in his heart.

_'Thank you. Most of them are kind of dorky. I try to take pictures that show my true side.'_

_'Your true side is...entertaining.' _He looked at her pictures once again.

_'Hehe. Thanks.'_

Vincent smiled again. Even when she said hardly anything, he was amused by some of her childish tones. He could hear her fifteen year old voice in his head, almost as if she was right beside him.

_'So are you satisfied with my looks?' _Jane asked.

He was more than satisfied. At least, more satisfied than a man his age should be with a fifteen year old. He felt like a pedophile, but he couldn't really fight what he felt.

_'Of course Jane, but its not about the way you look. I...I really like you for who you are, at least who you seem to be on this internet.'_

_'Yeah, I feel that way too. But I'm really scared, Vincent. Really scared. I've never been in an actual...relationship with someone else. Especially with someone I met over the internet, and with someone who is basically twelve years older than I am...I already know I can trust you, but there is still so much doubt...Do you understand?'_

_'Yes, I completely understand your position. If you ever feel uncomfortable about this, just tell me, and I will no longer be a factor in your life.'_

_'I will...But don't count on it. I really like you...Really, I feel comfortable with the idea that you might be coming here soon.'_

_'Really? So soon?'_

_'Well, we've been talking for quite a while now. I feel comfortable talking to you...Do you think it's time for us to meet?'_

_'Well, I don't know. It depends on how long it will be before I can figure out a way to travel there. It may be today, maybe tomorrow. I don't know.'_

_'Okay...Well, I'm going to go now. Should I be expecting you?'_

_'...I suppose.'_

He would find a way.

_'Okay. Goodnight, Vincent.'_

_'Goodnight, Jane.'_

He closed his laptop, and looked out the window. It was approaching nighttime, and he was beginning to have an idea of what he needed to do. It seemed that in the last few moments, he'd been drawn to a place in his mind where he thought he could accomplish his goal. His mind traveled back to a time over a year ago, where Omega had used its power to travel back to the planet. Perhaps materia would need to be involved. All he could think of was that it may be possible.

He reached out to pick up his phone, dialing Cloud's number. He picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Cloud. I'm going away for a while."

"Where?"

"I'm travelling beyond the Midgar Ruins...Its personal. I should be back pretty soon. I just called to let you know, so none of you would worry about me if I don't show up at the bar for a while."

"Oh. Alright. I guess I'll see you later, then."

"Bye." He hung up without another word. He quickly put his laptop on the nightstand, and headed out the door.

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It was deep into night by the time he arrived at the sight of Omega's return. It'd taken him a while to get here because he went to Shinra Manor to get Lucrecia's materia. He was thinking that it may be helpful. He hadn't been here since that day, not even to retrieve his missing Cerberus chain. The ruins still looked the same, but the entire place felt different. It held a deeper meaning to him now. Even though he technically wasn't there, he could still remember the way Omega's remnants had rained over what seemed like the entire world, giving back its missing glow. He recalled Yuffie describing it as one of the most beautiful things she had witnessed, even though she was upset that Vincent was gone.

He refused to think about that night, even though it was a highlight in his life. He had helped the whole planet. Vincent walked around the ruins, glowing under the touch of the moonlight. The stars overhead seemed to drift a little lower in the sky each moment. There was destruction everywhere, but he still couldn't help but think that it was beautiful. A weird feeling arose in his chest when he thought of what he was about to try.

Trying to vividly remember the exact spot of everything, he walked farther into the ruins, near the old mako cannon. He remembered that Omega had been planted somewhere here. The heaps of rubble had only gotten bigger. His breathing became slightly heavier when he had to constantly step over collecting piles. He tried to focus, tried to clearly remember exactly where Omega had been. He turned right, turned left, and finally headed down a slightly straight path. Now, he was exactly beside the old mako cannon, surrounded by the mako reactors. He remembered seeing Reeve and the WRO cut off Omega's supply to the Lifestream through Chaos' eyes. All his allies had shouted his name in encouragement, attempting to fill his spirits. He had been so focused then, intent on only one thing. He didn't know that it had almost cost him his life.

Finally, he found the spot. The mako cannon was gigantic compared to him. This was it, he knew it. There was an indentation in the ground where Omega had been planted, and he knew there was one on the other side of the mako cannon. It was very large, and remnants of mako had dried the ground, making it look brighter than the ground surrounding it. He wondered if the power was still there, or if it had faded away.

All he could do was try.

He fisted the materia in his pocket, slowly pulling it out after a while. He stared at the ground intently, knowing something would happen. Even so, there had to be more than this. He probably had to be connected to something in order to do it. Still, some good had to come from trying.

Before taking a step forward, he wiped his mind clean of everything. All he pictured was Jane, and nothing else. He clutched onto the materia fiercely, and slowly stepped into the dried puddle of mako where Omega had made its landing, and return.

Right when he did, he felt something. It was some sort of power going through him, sending a chill throughout his entire body. There was ringing in his ears, and the picture of Jane in his mind. He tried not to open his eyes, even when a bright light began to pierce them through his eyelids. He could feel his body begin to tremble, and he couldn't believe it. Rather than become sidetracked, he forced himself to keep the image of Jane inside his mind. As his body trembled even more, he struggled to remember the name of the state in which she lived.

"Washington."

Throughout the entire time, thats all he thought of. Over and over he repeated the word 'Washington' in his head, along with the thought of Jane's blue eyes. A sharp tingling shot through his arm from the hand in which he was holding the materia. He felt completely cold, but he refused to open his eyes. He wanted to do this right. Vincent began to struggle in order to keep his feet firmly planted on the ground. Something inside him was about to burst.

Suddenly, he was hit with the sharpest pain he had ever felt as he began to spin out of control.

An extreme violent wind began to push on his body from every direction, racking every organ in his body. He screamed out in pain, his eyes closing tighter than before. He hand clutched tighter around the materia, filling his body with power. His bones began to shudder under his skin, and he felt like he would break apart at any moment. A sharp light threatened to open his eyes, as the wind threatened to take his life. He couldn't breathe, couldn't even concentrate on exactly what was happening to him. All he could think was '_Washington, Jane. Washington, Jane..._' He didn't let those thoughts escape his head for one instant.

The pain was too much to bear.

But then, in that moment, the pain stopped. The winds died, the light went out, flickering to darkness. Still, he was afraid to open his eyes. The materia fell from his hands as he fell onto his knees, holding himself up by the palms. He could barely breathe; his body was still shaking from the trauma of the wind he felt, and his eyes were glued shut. He hadn't experienced anything like that in his life! Not even when he'd collided with Omega in an attempt to unite Chaos and the giant weapon! What had just happened? Where was he? Was all that racket just a figment of his imagination? Was it real?

To open his eyes was a battle.

But finally, he did. He was in a place he did not recognize. It looked like a bedroom.

He'd come to Jane's _bedroom?_

Arms shaking, he lifted himself from the ground. There was carpet underneath him, but he felt nothing due to the numbness he felt. He tried to quiet his breathing, just in case he really was in Jane's home. _Where else would I be? _He thought. Slowly, calmly, he lifted his head to look straight.

"I-Its...Its you."

Vincent whirled around, his eyes flying open completely.

And in the doorway stood Jane.


	14. Music To My Ears

**Summary: A continuation!! Sorry for the delays. Ever since school, I just haven't been able to update as much as I used to. I apologize!**

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Vincent couldn't believe where he was, how he had gotten here, or who he was looking at. She was real. Jane was in the flesh, right in front of him. He couldn't believe his eyes. For quite some time, he had been beginning to think that she was a joke, too good to be true. Part of him had been expecting a lone, loony woman seeking love. Now that he was sure that he was being faced with a fifteen year old, anxiety was beginning to arise inside him. Something nervous grew inside him. He had never been so uncomfortable. He hadn't expected this to be real, or to happen so soon. It was so surreal to him.

Slowly, he turned around completely. His eyes danced over the young woman in front of him, trying to see that she was real and not just a figment of his imagination. There was pure shock in her eyes; he couldn't blame her. Anyone in her position would be shocked.

"Vincent...?" she asked, her voice soaked with denial.

Her long brownish red hair fell past her shoulders. She was a lot shorter than Vincent, probably only standing at five feet two inches tall. Her hands at the time were paralyzed, open by her sides. Her shoulders were slightly tensed, and her eyes were frozen on Vincent. He was pretty sure that he had scared her. Did he look frightening? Maybe the way he looked wasn't really normal on her planet. Jane hadn't seen many pictures of him, but she definitely recognized him.

After a long while of struggling to find his voice, he finally spoke. "I assume that you are Jane."

Jane's shoulders suddenly relaxed as she let out a sigh. Her hands came together, nervously intertwining. "And you're Vincent...right?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the floor.

"Yes."

It seemed as though she was trembling. Vincent wanted to walk over and hug her, but he knew that would be somewhat inappropriate at this time. He didn't have any idea what she was thinking. Maybe she would break down and tell him to get out. Maybe she would become so afraid, and not believe that this was happening. Which one could it be? As Vincent pondered this, he became increasingly more nervous.

Suddenly, she looked up at him. Her shoulders had stopped trembling, but her hands were "It didn't take you long to get here."

He began to breathe a sigh. He was actually _here. _He was extremely surprised that she hadn't been scared of him. Was she really expecting someone to look like this? She hadn't known what he really looked like, having only one picture to go from. He couldn't believe that he was here. All of that pain he'd went through...it lead him here?

Suddenly, he began to feel his face get red.

He had no clue what to do.

"Er...I can't believe this is actually happening," Jane said, nervously shoving a strand of hair behind her ear. The small smile on her face signified that she wasn't completely mortified.

"Neither can I," Vincent replied.

Jane looked at him. "I guess we need to, um...introduce ourselves?"

Introductions? Vincent was surprised that she wasn't on the floor hyperventilating! Just a few moments ago, he had magically materialized into her bedroom. He knew for a fact that people on Earth didn't do that. And she wanted to make introductions with him? Was she seriously ready for this kind of entrance? What had this girl really been anticipating? He was impressed that she hadn't been expecting more than this.

But Vincent decided to go along with it. He was happy that he was here. All this time he'd been anticipating seeing her, and now he had gotten his wish.

Slowly, he stepped forward. "I guess we should," he said.

Jane slowly held out her hand. "I'm Jane," she said.

Vincent took it with his normal hand, noticing the major size difference. Her hand was lost in his. "I'm glad to finally meet you, Jane. And I must say that I'm surprised at how lightly you seem to be taking this."

She smiled slightly. "Well, I'm really just kind of freaked out right now. I'm kind of...nervous."

"You have a way of hiding it. Do you feel uncomfortable at all?"

"No...This is just so weird. We're going to have to get used to it."

Vincent let go of her hand. "Yes, we are."

She smiled again. Vincent found himself loving the sight of her. He looked at her up and down, ignoring his mature conscience for one moment. He never expected for them to meet so soon. He had no idea what was going to happen next. Part of him was nervous. How was he going to get back home?

He decided not to think about Edge right now. His eyes wandered around the room. "So, this is where you live?" he said, not really making it sound like question.

"Yup. Well, this is just my bedroom. Its basically where I spend most of my time," Jane said. Her tone made it sound like they had known each other forever, when they had just met in person a few minutes ago in the strangest way. Jane reached up to the wall, and flicked a switch. The overhead light came on, allowing him to see the room better.

He stood in the middle of a good size room. The bed was located on the north wall, covered in white sheets. The carpet was also white, making it seem like heaven. There was one window near the bed, and one on the west wall, leading to nothing but a brick wall. As Vincent looked harder out the window, he noticed that it was raining. He heard the raindrops on the roof clearly. It was nice to hear. The walls of her room were painted smoothly in white, and there were some posters hang there. One of them was of a band called Skillet, and the other was of a band familiar to Vincent; Linkin Park. A medium size dresser sat near the bed, a small nightstand separating the two. There was a slim mirror on it, reflecting the overhead light. A TV sat across from her bed on a stand.

Vincent saw the teenage side of her when he saw clothes laying in a pile near the wall. There was also a CD laying there. Her closet door was open, leading to a very small space. Clothes hung from hangers on the bar, and some lay lifeless on the floor of the closet. She seemed like any other teenager.

Jane then laughed a little nervously. "Sorry for the mess," she said, beginning to pick up her clothes.

Vincent smiled. "Its alright. I don't mind," he said, leaning against the wall and folding his arms. He wondered if he was being too casual...

Jane gathered up her clothes in her arms, and walked out of the room. Vincent heard the light 'plop' of the clothes being dropped into another room. She came back into the room, leaving the door open. Vincent watched her as she slowly came up to him. Her pace signified that she was nervous.

He looked straight into her eyes, wondering what she was feeling. Her face showed so much youth. Her beautiful blue eyes screamed many emotions at him, but one stood out prominently. There was a hint of fear in the blue depths. He knew that it was wrong for him to even be here especially if she was feeling fear. It was strange for someone his age to be speaking with someone her age, especially when they lived on totally different planets. He was still wondering exactly how he got here. Now he was staring into the eyes of Jane, a young woman he had only known for a few months through the internet. And he couldn't help but let himself feel what he wanted to. Part of him felt bad, but the greedy part of him that had been longing for companionship for so long didn't care one bit.

Jane then hesitantly reached up to touch his cheek. Her hand shook against him. Vincent stiffened. He hadn't been touched like this in a very long time. He felt nervous, like he would end up doing something wrong. He tried to stay as calm as he could.

He then began to think of why he wasn't pulling or pushing away. If it was someone else, he would feel majorly uncomfortable. Even if it was Yuffie he would pull away. Why wasn't he reacting the same way with a girl he met via the internet? There was something very different about her; he felt comfortable around her even when he knew that he shouldn't.

"You're so..." she said, trying to find the right words to say. Vincent could hear his heartbeat accelerating by the second.

"You're so different from everyone else," she said. Vincent saw that her other hand was balled tightly into a fist, signaling anxiety. He wondered if he should reply, or stay quiet to preserve this moment.

He had never felt like this before.

She slowly trailed her hand down his cheek, only using her fingertips. When her hand left his cheek, he suddenly felt cold. She looked away nervously. Vincent watched her walk to the door.

"Not that its a bad thing," she said, her voice bouncing up a little bit. She turned around, one hand on the door frame.

She was so much different than Vincent thought...He loved it.

"Do you want anything to eat or drink?" she asked, hospitality beginning to show.

He shook his head politely. "No thank you," he said.

She nodded. "Well, come out here. I want to show you something," she said, beckoning him to come out of the room. Vincent followed her, finding himself smiling.

He looked around her apartment as she lead the way. It looked clean thanks to the white walls and open spaces. She didn't have much furniture. In the living room, she only had a love seat, a little table in front of it, and a small desk. He assumed that this was where she worked on school stuff. The table in front of the love seat had a small stack of books on it. He looked in the corner of the room, and saw a keyboard up against the wall. Next to it was an amplifier and a guitar case. He loved the fact that she was a musician; she needed some kind of outlet other than her nasty habit of doing drugs. He didn't want to think of that right now or bring it up, knowing it would ruin the moment.

Jane walked to the keyboard, and pressed a button. "I want you to hear something. Sorry that its kind of random, but I want your opinion," she said, pressing different buttons to get it to the right tone.

"Hm...Okay," he said. He felt in the mood to listen to some music. He backed up and sat down on the love seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jane smiled, looking at him. "Be honest," she said.

Vincent smirked and nodded. Jane turned back around and began to play.

The sound of the notes she played was full, almost like a grand piano. Her left hand fluttered over the lower keys, while her right hand danced among the high notes. Her face showed much concentration as she worked to play this beautiful song. It sounded melancholy, as well as edgy. Vincent had no idea how she managed to combine the two without making it sound weird. Vincent closed his eyes, soaking the music deep into his soul. He actually chuckled when she accidentally hit the wrong note and cursed.

When she finished, Vincent stayed where he was.

"Well?" Jane asked.

Vincent opened his eyes and looked at her. She mocked impatience by tapping her fingers on the side of the keyboard.

He knew that this was going to go somewhere.

"It was music to my ears."


	15. Mushed Food

**Summary: A continuation of this bizarre story. And I do not own Jerry Springer or Final Fantasy. Merely the plotline of this fanfiction.**

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Vincent and Jane were back in her room, he leaning against the wall, she sitting cross-legged on her bed. It was still the same day. Vincent wasn't keeping track of how long he had been there, unsure if telling time there was different than telling time in Edge. There was a slight hesitation when it came to closeness. Vincent was too afraid to go near her just yet; maybe she wasn't really as comfortable as she seemed to be. And Vincent knew that boundaries would be important if they wanted to have a relationship. Then again, he was willing to do anything that she wanted. He couldn't help but feel just a little selfish.

Jane sighed, smiling a bit. "So, what do you think of...Earth?" she asked.

Vincent was simply amazed at how easily she could talk about this kind of thing. He wondered if that part of her was real or not. He shrugged. "I haven't seen much, Jane."

"Are you afraid to go outside?" she asked, a teasing look on her face.

"Why would I be afraid to go outside?"

"I don't know...Its not a bad thing, but you don't look like anyone I've ever seen..."

"Well, perhaps that is a good thing. Variety never hurts." He smiled.

Jane laughed, hugging her knees to her chest and letting her chin rest on them.

Vincent slowly and cautiously approached her. He didn't really know what to do. What he had in mind was getting to know her more. He knew that it was going to be awkward at points. She was bound to ask some deep questions sooner or later. Then again, it was the first day. It had only been about two hours. He slowly sat down beside her, being cautious so they weren't touching.

"Can I ask you something?" Jane asked, her tone full of wonder.

Vincent nodded.

She turned to him completely, still hugging her knees to her chest. "I feel like I don't know enough about you...I mean, you've told me a lot online, but...Tell me about yourself."

Vincent smirked, folding his arms across his chest. "What do you want to know about me?"

Jane shrugged. "I don't know. What do you think I should know?"

Vincent took the time to look at her, try to figure out what was truly hiding behind her eyes. She seemed to really want to know something more about him. What he felt like telling her was something he didn't know. He didn't want to end up tainting her young mind with the knowledge of all the bad things that happened to him. He also wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about Lucrecia. He wasn't too sure if the pain wrought on him by the thought of her had subsided. But it was her choice. If she wanted to know about her, then that is what he would tell. As he looked into her eyes, he still could not think of anything to say.

Jane suddenly reached down, and seized the gauntlet that covered his left hand. He watched her face as it became solemn, somewhat confused. Through the rusty metal he could feel her fingers probing along, feeling what was underneath it all. Her hands then came at rest, closing around his fingers. The love inside his heart became to swell up into his throat. He closed his eyes, and breathed out slowly. He opened his eyes again, and looked at Jane.

"Like this," she said, holding his arm up. She occasionally interlaced their fingers with reluctance.

Vincent looked down, almost ashamed. "I told you about...Hojo, right?"

Jane nodded. "Yes."

"Do you remember?"

"I remember that you were experimented on...That is so hard to believe, but I do." She let his hand rest, but she kept a light hand on it.

"That is what this is from," he said. Vincent hated having the gauntlet on everyday. He had trouble taking it off, so he never did. He did his best wash around it whenever he bathed just so he felt at least a little more sanitary. Either way, he hated having to deal with it every single day. He hoped that he didn't end up accidentally hurting Jane with the claw.

"What else did he do to you?" she asked. Vincent was sure that she could see the things that had happened to him physically; she just wanted to know more.

"Well...Its obvious that he twisted my body."

"And you've been like this...for thirty years?"

Vincent nodded.

"Oh..." Jane looked down again, and once again began trailing her fingers along his hand. Vincent could sense the sorrow in her bright, youthful eyes. She shook her head. "I couldn't imagine..."

"I hope you do not feel pity for me, Jane. I've learned to live like this. It really doesn't bother me like it used to."

"It doesn't?" Her eyes were full of sadness for him. Vincent couldn't stand it. He loved it when she was happy. But he couldn't deny that she was beautiful in an entirely different way when she looked sad. It made his heart ache.

His stomach swelled with reluctance as his other hand lifted slower and slower. She twitched slightly when his gloved hand touched her cheek. Vincent felt prominently uncomfortable doing this, but he felt like she liked it. Jane closed her eyes, a bit stunned at first. But then he felt her lean in to his touch very slightly, and he could tell that she was feeling a little more comfortable.

"...Not at all, Jane," he said, almost whispered. He hoped that he didn't come off as being awkward. He hadn't done anything of this sort for a long time; he hadn't really planned to, either. He then took his hand off her cheek, returning to his reserved side for backup.

"Well, I'm amazed," she said, getting up. A small smile on her face signaled a brightening of the mood and atmosphere. Vincent smiled back at her as she walked to the door.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat or drink? You've been refusing ever since you got here," she said.

"I'm fine, rea-...What do you have?"

Jane laughed. "I don't know. Come and see." She walked out the door, and Vincent quickly followed.

Just from being in the kitchen Vincent could sense how mature she really was. Dirty pans in the sink signified that she knew how to cook, and the bottles of different oil sitting on the counter showed that she wasn't just a microwave gal. He liked the thought of her being a good cook. It pushed her way up in his book.

"Do you cook a lot?" Vincent asked, rooted at the entrance.

"Sort of. Sometimes when my aunt comes over, I'll cook just to be hospitable. Learned it from my mom before her drinking days," she replied, taking a glass from the cabinet and reaching into the refrigerator.

"All from your mother?"

"Well, Home EC classes at school helped, too." She flashed him a smile that sent a chill down his spine. Vincent was adoring her youth.

He watched her with admirable eyes as she poured water into the glass. His eyes danced over her bare arms, her shorter but defined legs covered by gray pants. He tried to imagine himself standing beside her. She was so small; even smaller than Yuffie. To picture himself next to her was a little awkward. He was so large compared to her. He would be scared of breaking her. Perhaps it was in his power.

But he saw definite change in physical maturity when he gazed over her collarbone and chest. For a fifteen year old, she was 'well-equipped'. Vincent didn't keep his eyes there for very long once he noticed that she was staring at him.

"Were you looking at me?" Jane asked, a second meaning to the word 'me'.

Vincent's cheeks reddened immediately, as if on cue. "I...just got stuck in a staring episode...," he said, desperately trying to excuse his perverse act. Part of him wanted to run away and hide...part of him wanted to laugh.

Jane just rolled her eyes in a joking manner, proceeding to take a sip of water.

But then, Vincent decided to bring up a tougher subject. He didn't know whether it was to take the spotlight off of his embarrassment, or to shine it on something way more important. To him, this was very important. He knew that eventually it would need to be touched on; why not touch on it early? He straightened up in the entrance to the kitchen, and looked down at Jane.

"Have you...smoked at all today?" he asked.

Jane's face fell, but not from annoyance. It was obvious that she knew he would be asking these things each time they were to see each other. She slowly nodded. "You came here at two o' clock...I had two very, very small hits today. That's why I'm feeling under control," she confessed.

Vincent nodded, taking it all in. He knew that she wouldn't just be able to give it up in one day. He was committed to working with her to beat this addiction.

"Are you disappointed in me?" she asked.

Vincent shook his head, then smirked. "No...But I am rather amused that you checked to see what time I arrived today."

Jane couldn't keep herself from smiling.

"What day is it now?" Vincent asked.

Jane sighed. "Saturday. Got to get ready for school. You should come with me, you know. I want to show you off to all of my friends!" At this she chuckled, walking back through the small hall to her room. Vincent followed slowly, wanting to make sure she actually didn't mind being followed everywhere she went.

Once in her room, Vincent looked out the window near Jane's bed. It was looking dark, and he began to wonder what time it was. Jane sat down at the foot of her bed, continuing to sip out of her cup of water. Vincent's eyes searched around the dimly lit room. He was trying to figure out exactly how he was going to get out of here.

"What's on your mind?" Jane asked, flipping on the TV.

"...Just wondering how I'll get out of here," Vincent replied.

"Sick of me already, huh?"

Vincent smiled, looking over to her. "No, Jane." He walked to the front of the tiny TV, and stood with his arms crossed. The small sound of buttons being pushed delayed the silence as Jane flipped quickly through the channels. She finally landed on one that she seemed to like: "Jerry Springer."

The screen was instantly taken over by two women throwing mushy food at each other while the audience jeered for the security guards in the middle of it all. At the bottom of the screen was the episode title: "Jerry's Thanksgiving Special". Vincent could hardly stand the sight of the squished pumpkin pie and bread being hurled around the stage. Clothes were slipping off the women's torsos, and the inappropriate body parts were blocked out with large fuzzy marks. There were pauses almost each second, signifying another curse word being blocked out.

"Is this even appropriate for your age group?" Vincent asked, sounding more like a disapproving parent rather than a supposed 'love interest'.

"I don't even know why I watch this show. Its so dumb. But its funny," Jane replied.

"I think we should watch something else..."

"Why?"

"I don't like the sight of all the food..."

"Why? Its only food."

"In a mushed state, it doesn't look very appetizing."

"Judging by the gun, theres 24 hour mortal combat on your planet?"

It took Vincent a while to see where the discussion had went. Jane was staring at Cerberus. Vincent turned to her, hoping she wasn't taking it the wrong way. "If it scares you, I'll leave it at home the next time I come," he said, almost too quickly to be possible.

"No, it doesn't scare me...I'm just curious..."

"About what?"

"Well...is it mandatory to carry a weapon...where you live?"

Vincent sighed. He hated seeming like a monster. But rather than try to run from it, he had to tell the truth. Everything he told her had to be the truth. "...Its safe, I suppose...I can already see, even though I haven't stepped a foot outside your home, that my world is a lot different than yours." He then sat down on the edge of the bed, looking down. He didn't know how she would take it having a man with a gun in her home. Especially when he was from another planet, claiming that it was mandatory to have one.

The bed shifted as Jane shuffled closer to Vincent, lightly touching his shoulders. "Its okay...I admit that its a little bizarre, but thats only because I've never heard of that before. Don't take it the wrong way, Vincent," she said. Vincent was deeply touched by her efforts to comfort him. He didn't really need any comforting; all he was doing was testing a reaction, he supposed.

She then grabbed his hand, striking a reluctant chord in his heart. "And I trust you...Unless you plan to use that thing on me," she said, a small laugh escaping her on the last words.

Vincent faced her. Even though that reluctant chord in his heart was loud and still strong, he squeezed her hand in response.

"Never."


	16. Thief

**Summary: Continuation, people! You know the drill. In this chapter, you watch as Vincent begins to get crept upon by curiosity.**

**WARNING: I just need to give you a heads up here. In later chapters, there will be some strong sexual content. If you don't like it, I don't suggest you read it. But if you're fine with it, by all means read! XD Thank you. **

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Chapter Sixteen: 

It was now eight o' clock, and Vincent was beginning to think that maybe he needed to go. They were now sitting down on her bed, watching TV. This made him feel like a kid again. If something funny occurred, he actually ended up laughing softly with Jane. He knew that she was happy that things were beginning to become more and more comfortable. The look in her eyes told him this. Sitting there with her made him feel so young; he was taken back to the days he used to spend with Lucrecia, but this was totally different. This was so much newer, and happier in a way.

Then again, it felt darker, more secretive than even trying to hide a relationship with Lucrecia.

"Well, I think its time that I should go," Vincent said, standing up from the bed.

Jane faced him. "Already?" She put on a mock sad face, sticking out her bottom lip like a child smaller than her age. Vincent couldn't help but smile.

"Space is important, Jane. I don't wish to clutter you or your time so soon," he said. He turned to face the room, wondering just how he could get out. It was funny; he'd said that he was going to leave, yet he didn't have a clue as to how he was going to. Maybe he would end up having to stay the night...

"Do you know how?" Jane asked, getting up.

Vincent began to look around the floor, searching for Lucrecia's materia. He must have dropped it when he realized where he was. His eyes scanned the floor, past the CDs and the clothes and the furniture, too finally spot the round crystal peaking out from beneath the TV stand. He reached down and picked it up, holding it so Jane could see it clearly. "This is what I need...At least, this is what I needed to get here."

"What is it?" she asked, putting her fingers on it. Vincent let her hold it. She put it close to her eyes as if looking through the crystal. "It's so pretty...," she said, admiring it in her hand.

"Its called materia...This happens to be one of Lucrecia's."

"Materia?"

"Its basically something called mako, the form of the Lifestream's energy, crystallized. Within the materia rests the knowledge and memories of who's spiritual energy from the Lifestream it belongs to."

"Wow...And this is Lucrecia's?"

"Yes."

"What does it do?"

"It allows people on our planet to use various magic spells. In this case, it helped me get here...I hate telling you this because I think it would sound so foolish to you. Like something from...a fairytale, or something."

"It...Its odd. Thats only because I've never experienced living on your planet, Vincent." She handed him the materia, smiling. "I would love to see it someday, though."

Vincent smiled. "I will try to make it possible." He gripped the materia in his hand, already beginning to feel its energy. He was wondering if would be able to get back to where he came from. What he was thinking about most was the _pain._ Coming here had not been easy at all; he tried not to reflect on the feeling that had shot throughout his entire body. He wasn't looking forward to feeling it again...Feeling dreadful, he began seriously pondering the thought of staying.

"What was it like? Did you fly through space and see other planets?" Jane asked, her eyes widening with sarcasm. She laughed at herself.

Vincent smirked, but it soon faded. "No...But I must go now...When do you think I should come back?"

"Anytime you feel like it. You probably won't catch me in the shower or anything."

Vincent blushed.

"Well, I guess I'll see you sometime soon," she said.

Vincent turned to her. "Yes, I will..."

Jane lightly touched his hand, her cheeks reddening. Vincent squeezed her hand, keeping his eyes on her. Jane suddenly wrapped her arms around his torso, and Vincent froze up. He wasn't used to this kind of behavior. He was nervous being this close to a 15 year old. The part of his mind that knew better wanted to stop this right now, and never come back once he left. But most of his body, mind, and soul wanted to be here. He wanted to be with Jane, even if it was wrong. Even if it was all forbidden, he still felt like he wanted to have a connection to her. The idea of pedophilia had plagued his mind, but now he was trying to ignore that. He wasn't a perverted guy.

He slowly returned the favor, hugging her gently. "I'll see you soon, Jane." She let him go and smiled. Vincent then stood exactly where he had been standing when he got here. He closed his eyes, squeezing the materia in his hand. He wiped all memories of the last hours away from his mind, and just focused. 'Edge' flashed in his mind. He closed his eyes harder, concentrating beyond belief. He began to feel the power of the materia rising into his body. With his eyes closed he stood there, Edge being the only thing in his head...

...and waited for the pain.

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Vincent was at the bar now, one hour after he arrived back at home. He had landed in the Midgar ruins, right where he had went to Earth. Of course, the pain was excruciating. Part of it was worse than when he initially went to Earth. When he landed, his body went limp, and he fell to the ground. It had been daylight when he arrived, and he wondered what time it was. Giving his body time to recover, he then pushed himself off of the rubble and headed back home, his bones aching like never before. Now, he was relaxing and having himself a drink.

This drink was different than the others. It was a lot stronger than red wine, and therefore he tried not to drink too much. However, he felt like letting loose. He'd finally met Jane, taking a huge load off of his shoulders. That was now checked off his list. Maybe having a little more of his current drink would help to further ease the stress. He continued to sip his drink while Tifa washed dishes behind the counter.

Suddenly, the door to the bar opened. Someone's shoes clacked on the floor as they approached. Yuffie was suddenly beside Vincent. "Hey Vince," she said.

He instantly knew that something was wrong with her. Yuffie was usually this calm; her tone was not usually this taciturn. He was slightly put off track, but he didn't make it bother him. At least she wasn't being her ordinary annoying self. Vincent just went back to drinking his alcohol, acknowledging her only with a nod.

"Where were you? You've been gone the whole day," Yuffie asked, swiveling on her stool like a child.

"Didn't Cloud let you know?"

"He did, but I'm just wondering exactly where you were."

Vincent glanced over to Yuffie, surprise hitting his eye. The young girl's eyes antagonized him to the point of annoyance. Vincent felt like glaring back, but he didn't want to intimidate her. He was just wondering why she was looking at him like that. It was like she knew something he didn't.

He twisted on his stool to fully face her, one elbow still on the counter. "It's not your business to know, Yuffie."

"I'm just curious. What exactly could be..._personal _for you, a guy like Vincent Valentine?"

"Why do you need to know?" He turned back around to the counter, shrinking into his cloak.

Yuffie giggled, hopping off the chair. She approached Tifa, who had been watching from behind the counter the whole time. "Nevermind, Vince!" she said.

Vincent rolled his eyes in annoyance, gulping down the last of his drink. It hit him hard, sending a shock up his nose and down his throat. A sharp pain shot through his head, and his mouth burned with the taste. He squinted his eyes together, letting the rest of the alcohol to go down. He put the glass down on the counter, signaling a refill.

Tifa walked over, refilling the glass with the same drink.

"Thank you," Vincent mumbled, taking the glass.

"So what are you doing tomorrow, Vince?" Yuffie asked, once again perching herself onto the stool beside him.

Vincent then got up, gulping down the last of drink before heading towards the door. "Nothing," he said blankly.

He didn't hear her follow as he walked out the door.

Vincent finally returned home, and collapsed onto his bed. He felt like sleeping, but it seemed a little too early. He wondered just how long he had been gone; he remembered that it was dark when he had left. That means he hadn't even spent a day there. He wondered why Yuffie was being so curious after being so quiet. He covered his face with his hand, feeling fatigue creep up upon him. His stomach was burbling with the foamy alcoholic drink he had filled himself with at the bar.

He got up, suddenly remembering the red wine he had bought from a store. When he bought it, he decided not to drink it in fear of getting completely wasted. Walking to his small kitchen, he reached into the small refrigerator and pulled out the large bottle. There was a round glass left on the counter near the small sink, and so he rinsed it and filled it nearly to the rim. Taking the first sip, he reveled in the taste. It was his favorite drink. Placing the bottle back into the fridge, he walked back into his bedroom.

Setting his phone down on the table along with his drink, he turned on the television. The evening news was on, and so he kept it there. Sitting on the bedside, he looked to the nightstand and reached for his laptop.

There was nothing there to grab.

His first instinct was that he had misplaced it. Perhaps he left it on his bed; he checked the sheets around him, only to see that there was no machine there. He checked around the room with his eyes, thinking he might have put it on some other table. There was no sign of it. He bent down not too far to see if it was on the floor near the nightstand, but there was still no sign of his laptop. He sat back, his breathing becoming agitated.

...The door had been unlocked when he came in.

He sighed in anger, taking his drink and shooting half the glass down his throat. Someone had come in and taken his laptop.

The sound coming from the television was blocked out by his heavy footsteps as he paced back and forth. His mind instantly went to Yuffie, even though he knew he probably shouldn't be jumping to conclusions so fast. She had been acting funny at the bar, and remembering the mischievous look in her eyes, he knew she was the culprit. He felt like going back to the bar and forcing her to give it back, but he knew she would probably be gone by now.

"Damnit, Yuffie," he said, gluttonously sipping his drink in rage. He didn't know that he would become so worked up over his laptop, but he wanted to speak to Jane. He likened himself to an obsessive teenager, one who stayed on the internet for hours just waiting for a specific person to get on and talk to them. He tried to convince himself that it was different; he loved Jane. Until they could spend more time together, he needed to speak to her often.

Vincent sighed, picking up his phone. Quickly dialing Yuffie's number with his heightened finger abilities, he waited for her to answer. While waiting, he went back to the kitchen and grabbed the entire bottle of wine. She answered on the fifth ring while he was walking back to his room.

"Hello?" she asked.

"You have my computer."

Silence.

Vincent huffed in anger, a low growl emerging. "You came in my house and took my computer."

"Do you need it right this second?"

"Why do you have it, Yuffie?"

"I wanted to see it. My computer broke..."

"Look Yuffie, I don't care if yours is broken. That gives you no right to come into my house and steal my computer."

"Geez, Vincent! You're acting like there is porn on there! And I know there isn't because I already looked."

"Yuffie, you need to give me back my damn computer."

"Fine, fine! I'll come over in the morning to give it to you. You're so petulant!"

"You stole my computer, Yuffie. Wouldn't _you _be touchy if that happened to _you_?"

She sighed. "Whatever, Vincent. You'll get it back in top shape."

"Hm..."

"Hey, I could very well keep it!"

"If you did, I'd send people after you. I'll see you in the morning." He hung up, more agitated than when he had begun the discussion. He threw his phone down onto his bed, and poured himself a new glass of wine. He could already feel it getting to his stomach; his vision was becoming blurrier and blurrier. Sitting down so he could keep his balance, he kept chugging down the wine while his eyes stayed glued to the television.


	17. Third Dream

**Summary: A mere continuation. This chapter begins with another dream...**

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Chapter Seventeen: 

"_Vincent."_

_Never had he felt this sick in his life. His stomach was churning a million times a minute, and he was sure that the actions would make him faint. He tried with all his might to hold back the nausea. He wondered how he'd gotten to this point. There was no sound around besides his own breathing. Inhaling deep, exhaling wholesomely. Gradually the sickness lurking inside his bowels calmed down, coming to nothing but an innocent burble. He couldn't tell where he was in that instant, but his numb body finally began to get some feeling. He was afraid to open his eyes after what he was feeling. Lowering his head, he found it resting on bare flesh. Someone was beneath him. Slightly alarmed, he opened his eyes._

_Once he saw her, he could actually feel the way her arms were wrapped around his waist, holding him close to her body. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable about on top of her; he wondered if he was crushing her. It was then that he noticed he was devoid of clothing, just as she was. As everything began to come into his own feeling, he noticed his true surroundings. He almost laughed at himself. Gradually, the feeling in his body returned, allowing him to feel the bare skin to skin contact of their most private parts. _

"_Vincent," she said again, her lips moving, making very distant sound. Her voice echoed, making it harder for Vincent to make it go away. He looked into her eyes, and she smiled. She looked beautiful laying beneath him._

_He lifted a hand, and stroked her cheek. "Jane, I..." he began, noticing that he couldn't hear his own voice. It was apparent that she could still hear him. She took her hand and hooked it around his head, pulling him close to her and capturing his lips in a velvet kiss. Vincent gave in, his numb body going limp above her, his lips giving in to hers. He felt her arms pulling him closer, and suddenly he was inside her. Everything went back to being blurry, and the sickness came back to him. He groaned, a shudder crawling down his spine._

_Jane pulled him in deeper, obviously feeling him inside her. Vincent couldn't control what she did with his weakness finally being nourished. His head fell back down to her chest, and he closed his eyes. The world was spinning fast, and so he hoped that blocking out his views would help him. He still heard her delicate voice, not used in such an innocent manner. He was beginning to be aroused by her groaning, knowing he was the cause of it. He lifted his head, looking at her beautiful face. _

_He slowly began to move in response, knocking his hips into hers. Jane's grip loosened as he began to take control. With each thrust his stomach lurched forward a little farther. As they were getting caught up in the moment, Jane reached up roughly, pulling him down to touch her lips to his ear. _

_Now all he heard were her moans of pleasure. His heart pounded twice as hard each time she did. But then, she began whispering something over and over. He recognized the rhythm of the words, but he still could not make out what she was trying to say. As she came closer to her peak, she said it faster and faster, pulling him deeper and deeper with her other arm. Vincent groaned, frustrated because he could not understand what she was saying. Soon, it became all too much for him, and he dropped unconscious into her arms..._

* * *

Vincent woke up sweating, finding that he was fully aroused by his dream. There was an empty bottle of wine next to him, drained from his night of drinking. He was surprised that he actually managed to get up; the rapid spinning of his head would certainly knock out anyone else for at least a few more hours. Sighing a huge sigh, he tried to lift himself up. Of course, being completely drunk, that was a bad move.

He lurched over the side of the bed, feeling all the contents of the previous night burble to his throat. His head began to pound as he tasted bile in the corners of his jaws. He wished that he would just throw up; it would stop his stomach from frothing, threatening to implode at any moment. "Damnit..." he mumbled, opening his eyes to stare at the ground. Much to his surprise, there was a trash can perched next to the bed, waiting for him to hurl his lungs out. He didn't remember putting the trashcan there.

"You gonna throw up, Vince?"

He jolted, his stomach pounding once more. Yuffie was there, sitting atop his bureau, swinging her legs back and forth like a child. Vincent had trouble seeing, but he could see his laptop sitting beside her. He sighed in anger, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. Anger was rising in him, more than necessary for the ninja. He looked up at her, and she smiled in his face.

"How...the hell...did you get in here?" he asked, his panting becoming the disturbance between some of his words.

"Your door was unlocked. You should be happy; you didn't have to get up."

"How long have you been here, Yuffie?"

"Maybe an hour or two. It looked like you were having some pretty hardcore dreams there, Vince!" She then giggled, eying him below the belt. Vincent felt his flushed cheeks go red, and he looked down.

His erection was sticking straight up in the air, even minutes after waking up. He groaned, turning away from Yuffie towards the window. She didn't need to see that. He never wanted her to see or know about any part of him, and this just flushed that down the toilet. His cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, just like a teenage schoolgirl. Yuffie was still silently snickering behind him. The empty bottle of wine rolled into the corner of his bed, making a clanking sound against the wall. He closed his eyes, needing more sleep.

"Go away, Yuffie," he demanded in a less than harsh tone.

"You wanted your laptop back! You can use it now!"

"Just leave it there."

"Are you going back to sleep?"

"I hope to."

"Vinny, are you drunk?"

Vincent decided not to answer. Answering would only humor her, and she would continue nagging him. Sometimes he wished he had never met the ninja, then again he knew he was probably being too harsh. She was, however, a great nuisance. At this age, he was starting to get sick of it. He couldn't deal with it anymore. He was too old for it.

He was too old for many things.

Vincent heard Yuffie's footsteps as she approached him. They were slow, but he knew that she wasn't going to sneak up on him. He closed his eyes, thankful for the moment of peace.

"Vincent?" Yuffie asked, her loud voice now not verbose, much to his appreciation.

He slowly lifted himself up, thinking that he would feel a little better if he was in a sitting position. A heavy sigh exploded from his chest. "Yes, Yuffie?" he asked.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Yuffie set the laptop down on the nightstand. "...Who is Jane?"

Vincent's heart stopped. His fear had come true. Now he remembered exactly why he'd been so frustrated with Yuffie when he found out she stole his computer. It was bound to happen. He just hoped that Yuffie hadn't said anything stupid, or Jane hadn't said something to completely give them away. It was highly unlikely for her to just come out and say, "I love you so much, Vincent!" She was way more subtle than that.

Vincent swung his legs over the side of his bed slowly, getting up in the manner of an old man. "Why?"

Yuffie was messing with her fingers, staring down at the floor. "She messaged you last night. She seemed kind of taken back when I told her who I was...So who is she?"

Vincent sighed. "Just this woman I've been talking to."

"Woman, eh? Where'd you meet this here woman?" Her usual bouncy tone was beginning to resurface.

"Yuffie, my personal life is none of your business. Now do you mind leaving so I can go take a shower?"

"I'm your friend, Vince. I'm only trying to protect you. You know that! Besides, I didn't ask her too much..."

Vincent leaned up against the door, feeling queasy. "What did you say to her, Yuffie?"

The young girl shrugged, beginning to twirl on the balls of her feet. "She just messaged you saying hello, and I told her that this wasn't Vincent. I told her I was one of your friends, and I told her my name...She didn't really say much after that."

"Hm..."

"Whats the big deal? You can talk to your woman later!"

"Shut up, Yuffie."

"Shut up?"

Vincent was fed up. Having heard enough of her voice, he threw his fist toward the wall in a drunk rage brought on by a heavy hangover. "Yes, Yuffie! Shut up and get out of my house!" He enunciated his angry words with his hands, trying to prove his point. After his fit, he refused to make eye contact with her. Doing that always made him feel guilty.

Silence. Footsteps. Yuffie walking out his door.

...Guilt.


End file.

Final Fantasy VII, Romance