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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
- 1
- 2
- 3
Someone to Love...

by Midori Bond

Chapter 2

Vincent slowly
woke up to an empty bed. He frowned as he sat up. "Tifa?"
he called out. He looked around the room, feeling his heart sink
lower with each passing second. His clothes were folded neatly on the
dresser, not discarded on the floor where he left them. Tifa's ruined
bra and shorts were in the trash can. He sighed and rubbed his eyes
as he climbed out of his bed. He hadn't wanted her to leave. He had
wanted her to stay with him, but under the circumstances, he could
understand why she was gone.

He stood and
walked over to where his pants were resting. A neatly folded note
caught his attention. Vincent couldn't help but sigh as he pulled his
pants on. He had known that she was gone, but that note obliterated
the slim chance that she was still somewhere in the house. As he
picked up the note, he glanced at the bed again. He could still hear
her passionate cries, and smell her sent. With a low growl, he left
the room. He couldn't read her goodbye while surrounded by her sent.
The marks on his shoulders and back all screamed for attention as he
walked down the stairs and went straight to the tea room. As he sat
at the piano, he opened the letter and read it.

Dear Vincent,

By the time
you read this I'll be gone. I want to thank you. Last night was
beautiful, and I'll never forget it. But I heard you. You didn't want
to sleep with me. You asked me which would I rather, for Cloud to
live a lie for me, or to know the truth. I would rather know the
truth. And as I'm writing this, I'm realizing two truths. You're just
as honest as Cloud, and while I know you would live a lie for me, I
could never let you. Because I now know, if I stayed with you, I
could, would fall in love with you.

Vincent put
the letter down and slammed his fist into the top of the piano. She
was doing what she does best. Tifa was always the one to sacrifice
her own happiness to save others from suffering. But this time, she
was doing it needlessly. She was ripping out his heart, her heart,
for no reason. He lifted his head and sighed. He would see what the
rest of Tifa's letter had to say, and then he would decide what to do
from there.

I know last
night probably meant nothing to you, and I also know that I have no
right to ask anything else of you, but I do have one thing to ask.
Vincent, please don't come after me. I'm begging you. I don't think
I'd be able to face you or Cloud. I've damaged your friendship
enough. Please just allow me to become a memory. Who knows, maybe
then someone will love me, if I fade into a ghost as well.

Tifa.

Vincent closed
his eyes and lowered his head. He would have to let her go. She
believed that he was still pining for Lucrecia, and there way nothing
he could say to make her believe different.

"Vincent,"
Cloud's voice echoed.

He slowly
stood and walked to the foyer. He could spot the paper clenched in
the blonde's hand and guessed where he had gotten it.
"Cloud," he acknowledged. As wide blue eyes looked at him,
he had to fight down the urge to hurt the swordsman.

"We have
to go find Tifa. She's gone," Cloud said holding out his letter.

Vincent took
it and inhaled. It was significantly shorter than his own.

Cloud,

Please
don't look for me. Goodbye.

Tifa.

Vincent gave
back the piece of paper and looked at Cloud. "She doesn't want
us to look for her," he said calmly. He could only hold onto his
cold expression as blue eyes glared at him.

"So I
should just let her disappear?" Cloud argued.

The taller
gunman felt his jaw tighten as he started for the stairs. "She
needs to think. She can't do that with you."

Cloud opened
his mouth to say something, but only paused when he saw the angry red
marks barely hidden by Vincent's hair. His eyes narrowed as an
outrageous scenario played in his mind. "How would you know what
she wants?" he asked. His tone a blatant challenge.

Vincent
stopped walking and allowed his eyes to close. As much as he wanted
to tell Cloud, he knew Tifa would never forgive him. "I saw her
last night. She was upset over something that happened between
you." He looked at Cloud. At least the blonde had the decency to
look ashamed. "The rest is only an assumption."

"So you
won't help me look for her?" Cloud asked. As the older man
turned away again, he felt his temper snap. "Damn it, I thought
you were her friend." Before Cloud knew what was happening,
Vincent had him pinned against the wall, clawed fingers wrapped
tightly around his throat.

"I care
for her, more than you could imagine," he growled. He could feel
his anger and his self-loathing trying to over take him. The demon
that raged inside of him screamed to be free of his adversary for
Tifa's affections. Without warning or thought, Vincent threw Cloud
towards the front door. "Get out," he growled.

Cloud could
only watch with wide eyes as Vincent turned and walked up the stairs.
He slowly picked himself up from the ground frowning. "What the
hell is going on?" he asked lowly.

* * * * *

"This is
pathetic," Tifa sighed. She could only glare at her truck and
fold her arms across her chest. As smoke continued to ride from the
engine, her temper flared. "Damn you," she shouted, kicking
the sputtering vehicle. "I want to leave the area. Not be
stranded in the middle of nowhere."

The sound of
an approaching car caught her attention. Tifa straightened and felt a
smile cross her face. "Hey!" she shouted. "Over
here!" She started to jump up and down in order to get the other
driver's attention. Her enthusiasm faded as she realized who was
driving the sleek black sports car. "You."

"You
shouldn't be jumping up and down like that," Reno said with his
usual attitude. "You could give a guy the wrong idea."

Tifa looked
into his smiling face and frowned. "Go to hell," she said
before turning back to her truck.

Reno looked
around, expecting to see Cloud or one of her other friends. He
frowned and climbed out of his car. "You by yourself?" he
asked following her.

"What do
you care?" she responded. As she looked at him, she folded her
arms over her chest again. "It's not like I'm helpless, you know."

He nodded and
rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I remember. You beat up Rude
pretty good," he said lowly.

Coffee colored
eyes rolled. "You were there too," she added dryly.

Reno waved her
off with a smile. "Details, details. What's going on with the
truck?" he asked turning to it.

Tifa frowned
as she turned her glare to the machine. "It looks like the
engine's fried," she mumbled.

"And
this?" Reno asked pointing to the dented grill.

"It
happened after it broke down," she mumbled.

"And now,
even if I could fix it, you probably busted something else," he
countered. When she paused, he rolled his eyes. "Get in my car.
I'll take you with me."

She scoffed.
"Like I would go anywhere with you."

"Listen
Doll..." Whatever he was about to say was cut short by the fist
in his stomach.

"Do not
call me Doll," Tifa growled. As he fell to the ground, she
turned back to her truck. "Besides, I don't need anyone to come
to my rescue."

Reno snorted
and made his way to his feet. "You don't want anyone to come to
your rescue," he said bitterly. When she looked at him, he
cocked an eyebrow. "Or am I the wrong person. Maybe if I was a blonde?"

"What the
hell do you know?" she asked with a frown. "I don't need
Cloud's protection, especially from you."

He was about
to speak when his cell phone rang. His eyes remained focused on Tifa
as he answered it. "Yo."

{Where the
hell are you?} Elena's voice barked.

Reno smiled,
knowing that she hated being held up for any reason. "I'm on my
way. Just having some car trouble."

{Did you
find someone yet?}

Blue eyes
looked up to the sky. "I'm working on it."

{Working on it?!}
she shrieked. {I swear Reno, if you don't get here before sundown,
I will personally see you shot.}

Reno fought
down a laugh. It was always too easy to get her riled up.
"Whatever," he said before snapping his phone shut. He then
turned to Tifa and paused. Her leather clad backside was turned up to
the air for everyone to see. Reno could only shake his head at the
innocent temptation that radiated from her. "Would you come with
me if I told you a secret?" he asked going over to her. He
couldn't deny that she looked damned good in tight leather, but he
wouldn't let his thoughts wander too far. She kicked his ass enough
in the past. As he moved to stand across the truck, he shook the
thoughts from his mind. ""Us Turks stumbled a stash of new materia."

She looked at
him. "I should be interested, why?" When he frowned, she
sighed. "Yuffie's the materia hunter."

He looked at
her and smiled. "You're not the slightest bit interested in
finding a new creature that can be summoned."

Tifa tilted
her head to the side and gave him a tired look. "What do you
want Reno?" she asked tiredly. When he mumbled his answer, she
frowned. "What was that?"

"None of
us can handle summon materia," he yelled. He frowned when she
started to giggle. "Are you coming or not?"

The smile on
her face wouldn't fade. He was an annoying man, but it was a drastic
change from the other men in her life. "I have nothing better to
do," she said jumping from the truck. "Take me to this big
bad materia."

He stepping
away from the truck. "Damned tease," he mumbled as he
followed her to his car.

* * * * *

Cloud frowned
as he sat at the inn's table. He was still trying to figure out
exactly what happened back at the mansion. Vincent had never been so
quick to anger, and he never lashed out at his friends. It boggled
his mind.

"So she
left. Tifa's a big girl," Yuffie said easily. When blue eyes
looked at her, she shrugged. "Come on, you expect her to stick
around after last night?"

He looked away
from her and his frown deepened. "I just want to make sure she's
safe," he said lowly. He then winced when she struck his arm.
"Yuffie," he warned.

She returned
his frowning expression. "You're being a selfish jerk," she
said clearly. When he turned to glare at her, she
continued."You're still in love with Aeris. You can't keep Tifa
close to you while you're still trying to figure out how you feel.
It's not fair."

Cloud was
about to frown, only to pause when he realized she was right. His
shoulders fell and he leaned back in his chair. "So you're
saying I should just let her go? Just like that?"

Yuffie smiled
as the waitress placed her breakfast on the table. "Actually, I
think you should just give it some time. She'll come back after she
gets her head straight," she said cheerfully. "We still
have to check on the kids in Wutai, you know."

Cloud looked
at the letter in his hand and slowly sighed. He didn't have any real
choice. "Yeah," he whispered. "Once Barret and Cid
wake up, we'll leave."

* * * * *

Reno looked at
the quiet young woman next to him. She was watching the scenery as he
drove towards the mountain area. "So, you gonna tell me why
you're running away?" he asked. When her eyes turned to glare at
him, he sighed. "I know, I know, go to hell."

Tifa looked at
him for a long moment before lowering her gaze to her hands. "I
left because I was stupid," she answered. She stayed focused on
her hands and remained silent. "I told Cloud how I feel about
him, and found out he didn't feel the same."

The redhead
nodded. "He's still hung up on that Ancient chick."

A low muse
escaped her. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Reno kept his
eyes focused on the terrain. "Was that before or after he gave
you those?"

Tifa frowned.
"Excuse me?"

"Your
neck," Reno clarified. He chuckled as she jumped up and lowered
the mirrored visor. "I can only guess at what happened."

Her eyes
widened as she saw three dark hickeys on her neck. A blush crossed
her face as she remembered passion filled ruby eyes and gentle hands
on her skin. "It's not what you think," she said softly.

Reno glanced
at her again. "Oh? You don't want to give the juicy details?"

"It's
complicated, okay?" she asked hotly. Her eyes closed as she
tried to think through her problems. "I couldn't deal with it,
so I left."

Reno's smile
fell as he pulled up to a mountain pass. "We're here," he
said lowly.

Tifa looked
around as she got out of the car. "You guys found materia out
here?" she asked, grateful for the subject change.

"Yeah. A
part of Shinra's scientific department's researching the development
and growth of summon materia. One of our doctors found this place and
discovered a number of different summon creatures."

She chuckled
as they went to the entrance of the cavern. "I can't believe
none of you know how to handle materia."

Reno's eyes
rolled. "We need someone that can handle powerful summon
materia," he clarified. He frowned when Tifa stopped walking.
"What is it?"

She pulled her
gloves out of her shirt pocket and put them on. "Something's in
here. Some of the creatures could have been released," she said
in a warning tone.

Reno shrugged
and moved past her. "That would just make the materia itself
easier to find, won't it?" His eyes widened when a heavy
creature slammed into his chest.

Tifa jumped
over to a small walkway and barely dodged the attack of another of the
large wolf-like beasts. She tightened her fists and attached the
thing on top of Reno.

Blue eyes were
wide for a moment. With one hit, the beast on top of him was thrown
clear across the cavern. "You could've killed me!" he shouted,
jumping to his feet.

Her eyes rolled
as she kicked the thing leaping at her. "I wasn't going to hit you."
With ease, she turned and slammed her elbow into another's side.

Reno growled
and swung his baton, easily shocking one of the beasts. "I meant
when I picked you up," he yelled at her.

Tifa looked at
him. "You can't be serious," she said putting her hand on
her hip. "I didn't even hit you that hard," she argued.

"You may
not have," he said dodging an attack. As he straightened, he
realized he was standing face to face with her. "But you could have."

"Oh
please," she groaned. She quickly grabbed his collar and moved
him out of her way. She kicked another beast in its jaw and watched
as it simply faded into black smoke. Just as she turned back to Reno,
she saw him cast one of his infamous pyramid spells. "You
idiot!" she yelled out. When he looked at her, she growled lowly.
"These are summon spirits. Spells don't work on them!" She
dropped to the ground when the spell richoeted off of the walls of
the cave.

"How was
I supposed to know?" he yelled in his own defence. "That's what
you're hear for!"

Tifa looked
around the cavern and saw that only one of the attacking beasts
remained. With a growl, she grabbed Reno by his collar and pulled him
to her eye level. "The next time I see you cast any
spell, I swear, I'll beat you bloody." She released him and
focused on the beast slowly circling her. "Summon materia is
delicate. You have to gain their respect, or they'll backfire on
you." Her eyes narrowed as the beast charged her. She squared
her shoulders and slammed her fist into its snout. As the dark beast
fell to the ground, Tifa looked at it coldly.

Reno watched
in awe as the beast slowly rose and approached Tifa with a lowered
head. She knelt down and gently stroked the thing's head. "What
the hell just happened?" Reno asked standing up.

Tifa looked at
him. "This is a Dark Elemental. I'm going to guess that it wants
me to be his master."

He slowly
nodded and approached the pair. "You gonna keep him?" When
he reached out to pet it, it growled.

Tifa tugged
lightly on the creature's ear. "Behave," she ordered. She straightened
and soon saw a glowing piece of materia embedded in the wall. As she
walked over to retrieve it, she saw Reno moving to follow her.
"What should I call him?" she asked.

"Hellhound,"
Reno offered.

Tifa shook her
head. "Be real Reno."

"I am.
This thing is a hound straight from Hell." Reno looked at
the Spirit and moved closer to Tifa.

She rolled her
eyes and tucked the materia into her pants pocket. "Come on Epy.
We have to save Shinra." She couldn't stop the giggles that
bubbled up as the newly named Epy ran towards her and vanished. She
looked at Reno and playfully shook her head. He was the direct
opposite of both Vincent and Cloud, and she had a feeling that she
would have an interesting time with him. "Don't just stand
there. You might activate something else."

TBC...
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Someone to Love/ Someone to Protect