~Fang's POV~

"Get a move on then!" I call to the annoying ninja girl in front of me. She huffs and sticks out her tongue before sliding onto a chocobo behind Hope, who's behind Vanille.

"KILLER KIDS, UNITE!" She yells loudly and Vanille's eyes widen at the volume. Hope just groans and shakes his head, absentmindedly running his gloved hand over the golden bird's sleek feathers.

"Killer kids, huh?" Snow chuckles. He's been in a better mood since we've met these weirdos. "That's different."

"She's Yuffie, what can I say?" Tifa laughs. He glances toward her and shifts uncomfortably. Well what's up with the big oaf?

"Come on, Vampy. Onto the birdy ya go."

"Where will you ride?" He asks in that flat, but deep, voice of his.

"In front, of course! You're not that big, Vince. No, I'd say you're rather bony, actually."

"Sorry to disappoint." I can see the smirk clear in his eyes, but I just clench my jaw and hop on.

"Oi! We goin yet?"

"Just a minute!" Sazh calls, trying to calm his bird. "There we go. Ready Dajh?"

"Yup!"

"Where's Light?" Cloud frowns, looking around.

"That's Lightning to you," the rose haired woman appears a few yards away, a small sneer playing on her lips. She hops on behind Cloud and sits sideways, holding onto the feathers firmly. "Now let's get to Midgar."

"Cmon Vinnie," I sneer, knowing how much the tall man hates the nickname. He huffs and gracefully swings up behind me, one leg accidentally bumping into mine. I smirk and turn my face forward again. "Yah!"

Our long legged animals race across the ground quite smoothly compared to the ones on Gran Pulse. Once we reach the water, Vanille, Snow, and I stop expectantly at the edge, looking at Cloud for direction. But he just rides on and his chocobo... Walks? Vanille squeals in delight and starts up again, Snow laughing and following. I hesitate, frowning at the clear liquid until warm hands cover mine on the reins. I whirl around to see Vincent nod in approval and he takes control, sending the bird sprinting after his friends. I scoot forward a little to get a better view. We're walking on water! Well, in a way. I'm so tired.... I yawn and fight back at sleep. We had such a hard time sleeping down in Mideel, and Cid wouldn't let us sleep on his ship, stupid man. Vincent seems to notice my battle and hesitantly pushes me back to lean against him.

"Sleep. You are tired." I don't disagree, Vampy.

All too soon, I feel someone lightly carrying me from the chocobo's back. Smells like blood and regret. Must be Vince. Still half asleep, I turn and bury my face in his shirt. Too tired. The light needs to go away. And he still smells like he did on that island. Really good... Not like cheap cologne like Cid.

"Aw! Fang's sleeping on Vincent!" Vanille coos. I block her out and squeeze my eyes shut. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep... Not tired. Blinking my eyes open, I jump into a sitting position and nearly knock my forehead into Vincent's chin.

"We there already?" I yawn, leaning back. This ain't half bad. Got my own ride to the city.

"Only a few more minutes," he replies calmly. "Would you like me to let you walk?"

"Nah, I like having a free ride every now and then," I smirk, crossing my legs. He sighs and keeps walking.

"Fang, what the heck?" Snow laughs. "Got yourself a red chocobo or something?"

"You could call him that. I'll name him Hottie." Vincent glances down and raises an eyebrow. "If only he could live up to that name." Vampy huffs irritably and looks back forward.

"Hey Fang! Vinnie doesn't like being called ugly!" Yuffie giggles.

"I didn't call him ugly. Just said he wasn't hot."

"You seemed to think otherwise on Mideel," he murmurs, mood suddenly changed to amusement.

"I said it was hot, not you."

"Does that make me an it?"

"Do you have a gender?" I shoot back.

"Pretty sure I'm a man," he smirks down at me.

"Pretty sure?" I laugh. "Well I certainly hope you figure that out soon, Vin."

He doesn't complain that he has to carry me all the way to Midgar, nor that he has to live with me, Vanille, and Yuffie until we get used to this world. Poor guy's gonna be the only man in his house for awhile. Not that he should mind.

"Your room is down the hall and to the right," he says to me. "Vanille and Yuffie will be right across the hall."

"Where'll you be?"

"The living room."

"Vincent! I can't take your room from you!" I insist while the younger girls skip off to explore the apartment.

"I always sleep on the couch," he says finally after sulking to the kitchen.

"Why?"

"It is just more comfortable to me."

"You're weird," I shake my head and cross my arms. "You know that?"

"Yuffie tells me on a daily basis."

"Smart girl," I grin before noticing his frown. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He turns to pretend to be busy with the cabinet.

"Vincent," I snap. He ignores me. Angered, I grab his stupidly high collar and yank him down so that he's looking me in the eye. "I don't like being ignored, Vincent." His expression darkens and he jerks away.

"Deal with it." I clench my jaw and resist the urge to throw a punch in his general direction as I throw my hair over my shoulder and stomp away. This is what you're missin' if you upset me, buddy.

"What's wrong, Fang?" Vanille frowns when I flop down onto the carpet in she and Yuffie's room.

"Oh you know, Vincent's bein all angsty again."

"Psh, he's always like that," Yuffie waves me off.

"Honestly, how do you do it?" I groan, laying back with a thud.

"Eh, you just annoy him until he tells you to go away. I've actually gotten him to yell at me a few times!"

"... Good job, I guess?"

"Well I think he's had it hard, so we should make him happy again," Vanille beams, sitting next to me. Yuffie scoffs.

"Yeah, whatever. I'll be setting up a few pranks, if you don't mind."

"Is she always like that?" I raise an eyebrow at Vanille. She shrugs and lays her head against my shoulder.

"How am I to know?"

~|~|~|~|~

Not going to lie, Vincent's bed is really comfortable. It also smells like him, which in one word, is AMAZING. With the best emphasis possible. I wake up with my hair a wild mess, not that it's ever anything but wild, and the long tail of the cloth attached to my shoulder tangled around my legs. I wrestle my way from the bed and force myself to stand and stretch. When I open my door and step into the hall, still half asleep. The smell of coffee floats to my nostrils and I see Vincent tiredly leaning against the counter. His crimson eyes flicker up to mine and I raise an eyebrow. Silently, he reaches up and moves a piece of my hair over. Then he jerks his hand away and looks at the machine, his blush evident with his cape missing.

"Sorry. It was bothering me."

"It's fine. My head feels a little more balanced now," I give him a relaxed smile.

"Coffee?" He offers once the machine beeps.

"Gotta drink it all before Vanille and the devil wake up." Vincent laughs to himself silently, a small smile at the corners of his mouth.

"I believe the name you called her was 'Yuffs'."

"Nah, now she's the devil," I roll my eyes.

"Thank you for understanding my pain."

"... Don't make this feel like therapy," I say finally, taking a sip out of my mug. He raises an eyebrow.

"You don't want anything in it..?"

"Ew, no!" I crinkle my nose. "That ruins the flavor."

"... Alright," he blinks at me before doing whatever gross thing people put in their coffee. I like it black. Just plain. Natural.

"Morning Vincent!" Vanille says cheerfully. Yuffie's absence puts me and Vincent on edge, but I shrug it off and finish off my coffee, heading to my room to sleep a little longer. I'm weird like that. I get up, get some coffee, and go back to sleep for about half an hour before actually being awake.

My face doesn't feel right when I wake up. I blink and stand going to the bathroom and looking at my reflection.

"YUFFIE!!!" I scream, angrily grabbing my spear, ready to kill something, and storming out of the room. I push past Vincent, who was going to my room after hearing me yell. When he sees my spear (or maybe it was my skin?), his eyes widen and he hurries after me. The ninja bursts into laughter when she sees me and Vanille squeaks, hiding from my fury. Yuffie's giggles stop abruptly when I slam her up against the wall by her throat.

"What the..!" I start, but someone pulls me off her. I struggle to free myself from Vincent's grasp, but he just pulls me after him. I scream empty threats to Yuffie at random, wrestling against the vampire man's hold. I finally break free and rush toward her again. Vince has me pinned against the wall in moments, hands crushing my arms to the hallway wall.

"Let her go," he mutters. "She's nothing but trouble."

"Yuffie! Get your butt over here so I can kick it to the grave!" I yell, ignoring him.

"Fang," he hisses, his warm breath fanning over my face. "Relax."

"But she wrote..."

"Yes, I know. And we both know it's not true," he says, avoiding my eyes. He looks kinda sad.

"But..!"

"Go take a shower," he sighs. "I will talk to her. You've probably already made her pee herself." I nearly laugh at the sound of those words coming from Vincent of all people and pull out of his grasp, going to the shower. I glare at my reflection once more. The redness of my cheeks makes the random doodles stand out a little more, but I flush a little more when I read the words scrawled across my forehead. ❤Fang loves Vinnie!❤ Yeah, right.

~|~|~|~|~

I almost rip Yuffie's throat out multiple times over the next four days. Every time Vincent is there to stop me, dragging me to his old room, now mine, and holding the door knob tightly until I calm down. She spray painted my spear hot pink, temporarily dyed my reddish tips green, and set off a gunshot noise when I entered the apartment after a walk. I nearly stabbed her for that one, but Vincent literally threw me over his shoulder and tossed me onto my bed, giving me a lecture about attacking Yuffie.

Now I'm sitting on the couch glaring at a suspiciously silent Yuffie. Vincent remains alert while reading some cheesy romance novel and Vanille plays with little lightning sparks in her hands. If only I had elemental magic. Yuffie would be a very roasted child.

"Cmon Vanille. I'm bored." Yuffie yawns, leading my practical sister to their room.

A while later, Vanille runs out of the room bawling. I stand instantly, ready to beat the crap out of Yuffie, but Vanille hugs me tightly before I can move anywhere, her tears soaking my shirt. I can feel Vincent watching us and I hold her back by her shoulders and look into her deep green eyes.

"What wrong, Missy?"

"I-I had a d-dream about the wh-whole R-Ragnarock thing," she stutters over her sobs. I sigh and hold her to me tightly. I should've known that whole crisis would bring her cursed nightmares back.

"Vanille? Where the heck did you go? You just up and left and now... Your crying?! You've got to be kidding me," Yuffie rambles. "God, such a baby."

I don't care if she's young. I don't care if Vincent shoots me. No one makes fun of Vanille. I've already slammed my fist into Yuffie's face by the time Vincent is on her feet, and have had knife buried in my arm, but I just hit her again.

"Fang!" Vanille squeals and I feel someone try to lift me off the stupid little ninja... Wait, since when I was I on top of her? Anyway, it doesn't work because I'm too busy punching Yuffie. In my anger, I don't realize that Vincent has turned me around and I accidentally hit him too. He just sighs deeply and pulls me toward the bathroom.

"Hey!" I shout when he yanks the short blade from my arm harshly.

"That was payback for the black eye I am going to get," he says flatly, opening up the medicine cabinet to reveal gauze and all that crap.

"I can take care of myself," I pull my arm from his grasp.

"You're right handed."

"Huh?" I frown.

"You're right handed. It will be hard for you to wrap it with your left hand."

"Well aren't you observant?" I laugh darkly. "Go take care of the little demon."

"I believe Vanille has already cured her of her injuries." I huff and rip the gauze from his hand before unraveling it and awkwardly attempting to wrap my cut. He finally rolls his eyes and takes it back, revealing a glowing green orb in his hands.

"Cure materia," he clarifies before casting a spell on me. "It only heals so much."

"Whatever," I attempt to get the bandages back, hiding them behind my back before he can take them again. His jaw sets in determination as he reaches around me to get them, but I side step with a confident smirk. He sends that smirk right back at me and swivels me around so that I'm cornered against the wall. His arms block any escape and I practically growl in frustration.

"I believe that belongs to me?" He says cockily. I force my angered demeanor down and give him a sly smile.

"I've got no idea what you're talking about."

"Fang," he groans.

"What?" I grin, ignoring the fact that he's getting dangerously close. No! No gauze for you, Vince!

"Let me help you."

"Nope."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Nuh-uh."

"I got stuck with the most difficult woman in the world."

"You got that right."

"Fang, just please.."

"Hey guys, I think..." Vanille opens the door. "Oh! Um... I'll come back later, I suppose."

Vincent uncorners me in less than a millisecond, but Vanille's already run off. I groan and try to ignore the redness of my face as it practically glows off the mirror. Vincent stares out the door in silence a few moments before speaking up.

"I will leave you to dress your wound then," he mutters without so much as looking my way before leaving the room. I sigh and look at my very noticeable blush. But what if I want to be annoying until you take care of it?