Adult-FanFiction.org : Final Fantasy

Someone to Love/ Someone to Protect	By : MidoriBond Category: Final Fantasy VII > Het - Male/Female Views: 1756 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
Someone to Protect...

by Midori Bond

Chapter 11

Yuffie looked
out of the front door and saw Reno talking on his cell phone. She
wiped her hands on the dish towel around her belt and leaned against
the wooden frame. She wasn't jealous of Tifa's relationship with him,
not after watching them together. And then there was what he said to
Cloud, about how he wouldn't tell "his girl" who she could
or couldn't be friends with. She knew that she wanted to be closer to
him, but she didn't know if she could trust the redhead with her heart.

The sound of
the phone snapping shut brought her out of her thoughts. She looked
at Reno, and saw that he was wearing a serious expression. "Was
that a good phone call, or a bad one?" she asked.

He looked at
her for a moment, his usual grin coming to his face. "A good
one," he said before taking her hand. As he pulled her close, he
leaned back and settled against the wall of the cabin. "Tseng
found one of Shinra's secret labs, and I'm thinking that it's where
they've been keeping Lucky."

Yuffie smiled
as his hands settled on her waist. "We've already seen him
Reno," she said allowing her fingers to tangle in his hair.
"He was here for a little bit, remember?"

"But
that's not saying that we know where he is now,"
he reasoned. He saw the way her eyebrow arched, he pulled her
tighter against him. "He's sending me the coordinates in a few
minutes. Wanna go with me?"

"Is it a
date?" she asked, completely aware of where his thumbs were
slowly stroking her skin.

Reno's grin
grew. "It's possible," he said with a shrug. When she
opened her mouth to say something else, he leaned forward and kissed
her. One of his hands tangled in her hair as his tongue caressed
hers. He felt her knees go week and tightened his hold on her. As he
pulled his mouth away from hers, he looked into dazed eyes. "But
I thought you'd rather a nice night out on the town for our first date."

A slow smile
spread across her face. "We're in the middle of the nowhere.
What town are we going to spend the night out in?" she asked.

He quickly
turned and pressed her against the wall. His eyes widened as she
grinned and kicked off of the house. As they fell off the porch,
Yuffie kissed him again. Reno grunted as he landed on his back, but
it soon turned into an agreeable moan when he felt her straddle his
waist. Just as he was about to turn her over, Reno had a handful of
snow in his face. "What the hell?" he gasped when snow was
also shoved into his pants.

"That's
for just assuming that I'm your girl," she said as with a smile.

Reno was
struggling to get the cold element out of his clothes.
"What?" he asked jumping to his feet.

Yuffie backed
away from him, laughing. "I heard you with Cloud. You told him
that I was your girl."

"Aren't
you?" Reno challenged. When he turned to look at her, a snowball
struck him in his face. "Damn it Yuffie," he shouted. He
ducked under another snowball and made one of his own.

Yuffie
squealed as he hit her in her arm. She jumped out of the path of his
second snowball, and laughed as she hit him in his chest. After all
of the tension they lived through, she knew they needed something to
bring back some normalcy. Even if it was only for a little while.

* * * * *

Tifa's tears
dried as gentle fingers combed through her hair. She and Vincent were
alone in her room. It was time for him to confront her about Lucien,
and to finish ripping out what was left of her heart. Her eyes
drifted shut as she pulled away from him. "I know you have some
questions," she said softly.

He had more
than some questions. "Why did you leave?" he asked matching
her tone. When her eyes flew to his, he brushed her hair away from
her face. "I read your letter. I know you didn't want to hurt
Cloud. But you and I both have things that were left unresolved
between us."

"Like Lucien."

"As well
as Lucrecia." Vincent saw the way she turned her face from his
and frowned. "She was a large factor of my life," he told her.

"I
know," Tifa said nodding.

"No, you
don't," he replied as he turned her face to his.

She shook her
head as she touched his hand. "You love her, Vincent. Like I
wrote, I know that night probably didn't mean anything to you."

"I've
known that Lucrecia was alive the entire time," he told her. He
saw the way her eyes widened and continued. "The cave where
Cloud and I found the Death Penalty, she was there."

It was Tifa's
turn to have some questions. "Why didn't you go to her?"

He brushed her
hair away from her eyes again, this time, allowing his hand to linger
on her skin. "I wanted vengeance. I wanted Hojo to pay for what
he did to me. I wanted him to suffer as much as I did."

"And
after? Why didn't you go to her after you had your revenge?"

"Because
by then, another woman had managed to steal both my respect, and my
heart." He saw the confused look in her eyes, and took her hand
into his own. "That night meant everything to me," he whispered.

Tears returned
to her eyes as he leaned closer to her. Without a thought, Tifa met
him halfway. The tension in her body left as his tongue entered her
mouth. His arms tightened around her as she shifted to get closer to
him. This was what she missed. What she wanted. Vincent was comfort
and security. She felt alive with him. Like nothing could touch her
or bring her down. Every thing around her seemed to spin as he pulled
away from her. "Vincent," she whispered as he leaned his
forehead against hers.

"I have
only one regret from that night," he told her. As he looked into
her eyes, he wiped away the tears ghosting down her cheeks. "I
wanted you to come to me, because you wanted to be with me. Not
because you were lonely." He nuzzled her neck, mindful of the
tender skin still healing from Lucien's scratches. "You said you
wanted someone to love you. Give anything, and give up everything for
you." Her fingers tangled in his hair as he placed gentle kisses
on her skin. "I do; I would."

Her head was
swimming as his words sank in. "Vincent, please," she
pleaded. Her heart felt like it wanted to burst, and she was
terrified. "I can't be hurt again."

He
straightened and caressed her face. "You know I'll catch
you," he told her.

Those were the
words that he told her when they were lost in the throws of passion.
He would catch her. He would keep her safe. She bit her lip as she
straightened and straddled his lap. She loved him. She knew that now.
As his hands settled on her waist, she ran her fingers through his
hair. "Catch me," she whispered before kissing him passionately.

Vincent
returned her kiss, savoring in the feel of her in his lap. The sound
of the floorboards creaking caught his attention. He pulled away from
Tifa's lips and looked at the door. His jaw tightened as he looked
into hurt Mako-blue eyes. "Cloud," he said lowly.

Tifa turned
around and inhaled. As she climbed out of Vincent's arms, she watched
as Cloud simply turned and walked away. "Cloud," she called
out. As she was about to go after him, Vincent's hand stopped her.
She looked into his eyes for a long moment. "I have to go after him."

"You have
to rest," he told her as he stood. "I'll go speak with him."

Tifa shook her
head. "Vincent, no. I don't know how he'll react."

"He has
no other choice but to get over it," he said reasonably. He
leaned forward and kissed her once more. "Get some rest, and
when I return, we'll talk about our son."

* * * * *

Cid sat back
on the porch with a glass of scotch, highly amused. In the front
yard, Yuffie and Reno were involved in a free-for-all snowball fight,
and while Reno connected with eight out of ten balls, Yuffie's skills
had her in a ten-out-of-ten lead. He laughed when he saw the Turk
finally lose his patience and shove Yuffie into a snowbank.

Cid's laughter
died when Cloud stormed out of the cabin. "Cloud?" he questioned.

Reno and
Yuffie stopped their games as they saw Cloud approach. Yuffie brushed
the snow out of her hair and jumped to her feet. "Cloud, are you
okay?" she asked running over to him.

"Leave me
alone Yuffie," he growled walking past her.

"Well,
shit," Cid said as Vincent walked after the swordsman.

Yuffie's eyes
went round when she saw Vincent approach. She stepped out of his way,
and gasped when Cloud's fist connected with the taller man's jaw.
"Cloud!" she shouted as she jumped between the pair. She
took a slow breath when she felt Vincent's hand on her shoulder.

"You and
I need to discuss Tifa," Vincent said in a cold tone.

Cloud shook
his head and took a step away from his friends. "No we
don't," he said lowly.

Vincent read
the expression he wore. He was trying to withdraw into himself and
allow his problems to swallow him whole. "It was her
choice," he said. "Everything that happened between us was
her decision."

"And you
expect me to stand back while you make her fall in love with
you?" Cloud asked hotly.

"You
expected the same of us," Vincent said quietly. When Cloud's
eyes widened, he pushed on. "You want her to stand in the
shadows while you debate between her and a dead woman. You keep
Yuffie on a leash so when Tifa can't baby you, she can."

As Cloud's
eyes turned to Yuffie, she looked away from him.

"You
can't stand here and see Tifa try to put a life together with me.
Yet, you expected me to stand by and allow you to play with her
affections." Vincent's eyes narrowed as Cloud stood with his
gaze focused on the snow. "I figured you for a lot of things,
but never a hypocrite."

"I'm not
going to stand here and be insulted," Cloud said before turning
and walking down the snowy path. A low growl escaped him when the
gunman moved to step in front of him. "Get out of my way
Vincent," he warned. "I'm not going to listen to anything
you tell me."

"I know
that already," Vincent said easily. "You never have."
He looked into narrowed blue eyes, and leaned closer to the smaller
man. "But I want to ask, have you found forgiveness for your sins?"

"Why do
you care? You never tried," Cloud shot.

"I want
you to know, that what you're about to do is the most unforgivable
sin of all."

Cloud shook
his head. "She doesn't need me. She has you."

"You're
her best friend."

"Reno's
taken that space," Cloud mumbled before moving around Vincent.
"I'm leaving."

Vincent slowly
sighed as the blonde walked away from the house. "You're
childish nature is going to kill us all," he said before going
back towards the house.

Reno closed
his phone and looked at the older man. "Hey, I've got the
coordinates to that lab Lucien probably went to. Do you wanna check
it out?" he asked walking over to where Vincent stood.

Ruby eyes
looked at the redhead. From what he had been told, he owed Reno a
lot. "Tifa wants to wait for Lucien to return," he started lowly.

Sapphire eyes
remained neutral. "But you know Sophia Gast, don't you?" he
asked lowly.

Vincent
frowned as he thought about the woman that had stolen his son. He
looked at Yuffie. "Tifa's resting. Make sure she stays that
way," he said before going into the house.

Yuffie went
over to Reno and sighed. "There goes our date," she said
wrapping her arms around his waist. She looked into his eyes as he
draped his arm over her shoulders. "That's gonna cost you,"
she smiled.

He pulled her
closer and gently kissed her. "When this is over, I'll take you
to the Gold Saucer for a week," he whispered against her lips.

Her smile grew
as she pulled away from him. "I'll hold you to that," she
said before going to the house.

* * * * *

He could
feel a tender hand caress his face. As he tilted his head towards the
tender touch, Lucien's eyes slowly opened. He looked into the smiling
face of the woman from his dreams, and frowned. "Who are
you?" he asked in a whisper.

She brushed
his hair away from his changed eyes. "I am a lot of things,"
she responded in a whisper. "I would like to think I'm a friend
of yours."

Lucien
closed his eyes. His entire body was in pain. "I don't think I
can figure out any riddles right now," he said shaking his head.

She smiled
as she continued to stroke his hair. "I'm a part of the
lifestream. The last of the Cetra, and a good friend to your mother
and father."

Amethyst
eyes looked at her. "You're Aeris Gainsborough?" he asked.
As she nodded, he forced himself to sit up. "This can't be possible."

"Yes
it is," she countered. "When you become one with the
Planet, anything is possible."

Lucien ran
his fingers through his hair. His eyes went round when he saw white
locks of hair mixed with raven. He turned to Aeris with a panicked
expression. "What's happening to me?"

She gave
him a saddened smile. "The people that have you, want something
very wrong. You have to fight the urge to do what they tell you. I'm
not strong enough anymore."

His mind
was racing as he continued to look at his hair. The people that had
him. The people he thought of as his family were trying to get him to
open a path to the Promised Land. The same thing they tried to
get.... Lucien's eyes grew horrified as he looked at her.
"They're trying to change me into Sephiroth?" he panicked.
He backed away from Aeris as she continued to look at him with large
green eyes. "They can't do that."

"Then
wake up."

* * * * *

Peter calmly
typed his information into his computer. Lucien was still
unconscious, but his body was reacting rather nicely to the
Jenova remnants. Hopefully, the mistakes he made with Kadaj
would be rectified, and Lucien will be able to open the path.

He glanced
over to where the teen was strapped to a medical table. It was time
for Lucien's final injection. This one would be the one to bring out
Chaos fully. Peter crossed the lab and readied the syringe he was
going to use. A smirk crossed his face when he heard Lucien's sharp
intake of breath. He'd need the boy awake for this last one. What he
wasn't expecting, was the vicious snarl that erupted from Lucien.

The teen
snarled and hissed as he struggled against his bonds. He didn't know
what was happening to him, but he knew, that he couldn't allow it to
continue. Lucien looked to his side and saw Peter standing over him
with a needle full of the green substance that had been setting his
body on fire. He jerked his arm, and felt the shackle holding it
snap. "Stay away from me," he growled as he heard another snap.

Peter's lips
pressed into a thin line. "Lucien, you have to calm down. This
will only hurt for a moment." He moved closer to Lucien, only to
be knocked away when his arm broke free of its restraint.

"I'll
kill you first," Lucien snarled as he freed himself. He tried to
stand, only to realize that his legs wouldn't support his weight. As
he crashed to his knees, he saw Peter approach him. "Stay
away," he growled again. "I won't be like him."

"I don't
want you to be like Sephiroth," Peter said easily. "I want
you to be better."

"No,"
Lucien whispered as he backed into a corner. He started to flap his
wings and lifted himself off of the floor. "I don't want this."

Before Peter
could respond, the doors to the labs opened. Peter turned wearing a
deep frown. Sophia should have slept for another two days with her
injuries. His eyes widened when he saw one of Reeve's Turks, as well
as Vincent Valentine, walking into his lab. He stumbled back away
from Lucien. "What are you doing here?"

Lucien looked
at Vincent and flew to his side. He didn't care if he was supposed to
be one of the most dangerous creatures on the planet. Right now, he
was a little boy, that knew his father would protect him. "Keep
him away," he said in a small voice.

Vincent kept
his eyes on Peter as he pulled Lucien behind him. "What have you
done to him now?" he asked in growl.

Reno frowned
as he looked at the computer monitor. He remembered Reeve telling him
about Peter's obsession with the Promised Land, and all of Gast's old
research. But what he was seeing on the screen in front of him was
not normal. He mused as he realized how well Lucien's nickname fit
him. Reno caught sight of the blue cloak on the desk and tossed it
over to Lucien. "Put it on and go outside," he ordered.
"You don't need to see this," he said going over to
Vincent's side.

Lucien's hands
were shaking as he fastened the material around his shoulders.
"Where's my mom?" he asked lowly.

"Sophia
is in her...."

"I mean
Tifa." Lucien's eyes stayed trained to the floor. He couldn't
look at the man that he thought raised him. From what he remembered
of those old books, family would never do what Peter was.

"She's
waiting for you," Vincent answered as his eyes stayed on Peter.
He stood silent as Lucien quickly left the labs. Once he was sure his
son was gone, his fingers caressed the gun at his side. "What
have you done to him?" he asked again.

Reno went back
over to the computer and started to delete the files he saw. "The
good doctor's been trying to make his own Sephiroth," he
answered. "Complete with Jenova cells and everything."

Peter opened
his mouth to speak, only to find Vincent's clawed hand around his
throat. His eyes were round as the taller man pressed him against the
wall. "He's.... the key," he gasped.

"He's
only a boy," Vincent growled.

"Fuck!"
Reno shouted. He looked at Peter and frowned. "What the hell is
this?" he asked

Peter forced a
chuckled as he looked at Vincent. "Safety protocol," he
answered. "The next move is yours."

Vincent
growled as he leaned closer to Peter's ear. "This isn't
over," he warned before releasing the scientist. He ran over to
Reno's side and grabbed the Turk. "We have to get out of here. Now."

Reno's eyes
narrowed as he saw Peter run to the other side of the lab and out of
a smaller door. "What's going on Vincent?" he asked as the
dark haired man pulled him down the corridor. His eyes widened when a
pair of wings extended from Vincent's back.

"The lab
is about to blow up," he said lifting Reno into his arms. As he
flew down the corridor, he saw Lucien trying to make his way to the
door. "Lucien," he called out.

The teen
turned and saw Vincent flying towards him. Without a word, he reached
his hand out, and allowed Vincent to pick him up as well. He couldn't
trust the people that raised him. He only had one place to turn. He
would go to his parents, and see if they would be able to help him.

TBC...
- 10
- 11
- 12
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Someone to Love/ Someone to Protect