Landslide

AN: This fiction was written for a Yuffie x Vincent challenge, and there you have just about all the warnings you need for this story. Standard disclaimers apply: All characters were created by and are property of Square Enix, and I am making a profit only from reader reviews. The snippets of poetry are actually from "Song of Childhood" by Peter Handke.

Chapter 1: The Climb

"Sweet Leviathan, it's freezing here!" Yuffie's teeth chattered together noisily as she hopped around, trying to warm herself in the cold winter air.

Beside her, Tifa laughed. "You're only cold because of the way you're dressed. You should have listened to Cloud, you know. He warned you that we were going to stop by Icicle Town."

Yuffie glared at her taller companion and rubbed her arms. "Yeah, yeah. But I thought he meant later, not like right after he said it!" she whined.

Tifa smirked. "It's been three days since he decided where to go for our vacation. And I did ask you to go shopping with me when we were still in Junon," she scolded Yuffie lightly. Both girls turned at the sound of a door opening.

Cid strolled onto the deck of the Highwind and did a double-take at what he saw. Grabbing the cigarette out of his mouth, his eyes wrinkled with amusement as he regarded the two women. "Lookin' good, Tifa," he said, giving a nod to the taller woman, who happened to be clad in a thick pair of pants and a long wool coat. "Can't say the same for you, brat."

Yuffie scowled and tried to stick her tongue out at Cid. She reconsidered the idea as another chill shook her body. "Gee, thanks, Cid. Hey, you don't really need that jacket of yours, do ya?" she asked him hopefully, hopping from foot to foot.

"Well, let me think about it…" Cid carefully brought his cigarette to his lips and took a very slow puff. The seconds ticked by. Finally, when the smoke threatened to burn through even his tar-coated lungs, he exhaled slowly. "Nope."

"CID!" Yuffie yelled angrily. "C'mon, at least gimmie the scarf!"

Cid ignored the hopping teenager and addressed Tifa. "So why's she still dressed for a tropical holiday?"

Tifa laughed and crossed her arms together. "My guess is that Yuffie thought she could convince Cloud to take us to Costa del Sol instead." Her eyebrows rose slightly as she looked at Yuffie. "She underestimated the power of the call of snowboarding."

"If he wanted to friggin' snowboard, we could've gone to the Gold Saucer!" Yuffie complained loudly. "What kind of a vacation spot is Icicle Town anyway? You can't even go to the bathroom here without making a pissicle!" she yelled.

"Watch your mouth," reprimanded a stern voice as Cloud stepped out onto the deck behind Cid. A brightly coloured snowboard was tucked under one arm and a pair of goggles hung around his neck. "Besides, nothing can compare with the real thing. I'm going to hit the slopes. Who's coming with me?"

Cid grunted and shook his head at Cloud. "Naw, I'm gonna join Barret at the bar. Nanaki's already on the slopes. &#, you know, for a fire cat, that thing sure loves the snow."

Cloud sighed. "Damn. Nanaki always throws my balance off. Having a two-legged partner would help, though…" He smiled and turned to Tifa, who immediately paled.

"Oh no," she said, raising her hands and shaking her head vigorously. "I was with you the last time you tried snowboarding, Cloud. You couldn't pay me!"

The young blonde looked disappointed. "But-"

"No buts!" Tifa said, crossing her arms and wearing a stern expression. "Ask Yuffie, I'm not going with you!"

Yuffie's eyes bulged as Cloud turned to her with a hopeful smile. "I'm freezing my shorts off just standing around, and you want me to go snowboarding?" she said with disbelief. "Nuh-uh, only if you're gonna shave Red and make me a coat outta his fur!" she screeched.

Cloud sighed and turned to the last remaining member of the group, who had been leaning silently on the railing for the entire time. "Vincent? You're dressed appropriately. You might even enjoy it."

The dark gunman looked up silently from the collar of his cloak. He said nothing, but his expression was more than enough of an answer for everyone.

A look of annoyance crossed over Cloud's face as he regarded their tall companion. "You know, Vincent-"

"You convinced me to come on this 'vacation' of yours. I think I've done enough," Vincent said levelly.

Cloud's brows drew together, and he exhaled slightly. "Fine." He turned on the gunman and faced the others, hefting his snowboard. "Let's mosey!"

Cid was already climbing down the rope ladder, and Cloud tossed his snowboard over the side of the airship. Tifa moved to follow him, and Yuffie's eyes widened. "H-hey, wait a second!" she yelled, running in place to keep her legs warm. "What about me?"

Only the top tuft of Cloud's spiky hair was visible as his voice rose over the side of the ship. "Get some clothes and join us on the slope afterwards."

Tifa's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Shopping! Now that sounds perfect!" She whirled and clapped her hands together. "Come on, I'll help you pick out a new outfit."

Yuffie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, alright, I guess anything is better than freezing here." She scurried over to the rope ladder and waited for Tifa to descend. A sudden thought struck the young ninja, and she whirled around. "Hey, what about you, Vince? Are you gonna come with us?"

Vincent remained motionless against the rail. He gave Yuffie a cursory glance and then turned his head away, ignoring her.

Yuffie scowled and huffed, causing a large plume of white breath to rise before her face. "You know, Cloud was only tryin' to help you out there. Geez, Vincent, you're colder than all of Icicle Town put together!" she chided. Then she smirked at him. "Heh, maybe when we get back, you'll be frozen and we can mount you on the bow of the Highwind like a trophy! So hold your gun out or something while you're hanging around, okay?" She pulled down her lower eyelid with a finger and stuck out her tongue, and then with a wild leap, slung herself over the ladder and climbed down.

After a while, the commotion of the other members of AVALANCHE leaving the ship died down, and Vincent was finally alone on the deck. A cold wind blew once more, and he pulled the edge of his cloak up. The merry, twinkling lights of Icicle Town beckoned to him with promises of warmth and company. He glared at them accusingly and turned his gaze towards the mountains surrounding the tiny village. The high peaks were dark, quiet and desolate. The perfect place to brood, in his opinion. Pushing himself off of the railing, the gunman leapt down from the airship and headed towards the mountain range.

- x – x – x -

"It's too tight!"

"This one's too long."

"I don't really like this color."

"Gawd, this makes me look fat!"

"But it's itchy!"

Tifa rolled her eyes upwards and threw another pile of clothes onto the rack. The saleswoman in the small boutique gave her a nasty look as she sorted through the growing pile of costumes Yuffie had rejected. Tifa inwardly sighed with embarrassment and made her way to the dressing room. "I'm coming in, okay?" she called out.

The inside of the dressing room was not looking much better than the rack outside. Shirts, pants, hats, socks and gloves lined the floor. It looked as if a tornado had landed inside of the room and demolished its contents. And standing at the eye of the storm was Yuffie, her hair messy and barefoot amidst the piles.

"What is your problem, Yuffie?" Tifa said, planting her hands on her hips. "That saleswoman outside is getting ready to use a limit break on me! And look at this mess! Why can't you find anything to wear?" she said sternly.

Yuffie sighed uncomfortably and pulled at her collar. "It just doesn't look right, Tifa. This shop is full of stuff you'd wear, not me!"

Tifa raised an eyebrow and picked up one of the scattered pairs of pants lying on the floor. It was made of a stretchy lime-green fabric with odd purple and orange blobs printed across it. "Excuse me?" she said, throwing the pants at Yuffie with a meaningful look. "You're the one who's been picking out these things, not me. I think you just have a problem buying new clothes," she said dryly.

Yuffie sighed and hung her head dejectedly. "I've never been shopping before…" she mumbled quietly.

"WHAT?" Tifa yelled. She stuck her head out of the dressing room quickly and muttered a short apology as the saleswoman came running. When she was finished, she looked at Yuffie critically. "What do you mean you've never been shopping before? Don't tell me that's all you have to wear," she said, gesturing at Yuffie's rumpled shorts and tiny green top.

"Well, umm… see, women are supposed to wear kimonos," the ninja muttered as her cheeks flushed slightly. "Don't ask, it's a Wutai thing. I sorta had to 'borrow' my own clothes from the guys back home."

Tifa's eyebrow rose impossibly higher as she took a closer look at Yuffie. "So that's why your shirt's too small and your shorts are too big?" she said finally.

Yuffie scowled at the older girl. "Hey, I look fine!" she grumbled.

"You look like a tomboy," Tifa corrected her with a smile. "Here, I love shopping. Let me pick something out for you. I promise, you'll look good in it."

Yuffie gave Tifa a frightened stare. "I don't wanna wear a skirt as short as yours!" she panicked. "I don't know how you manage to sit!"

Tifa laughed and waved her hand at Yuffie. "Don't worry, it'll be modest. Besides, we're in Icicle Town now. You'd freeze in something like that!" A glint entered her eye as she appraised Yuffie's figure. "Just wait here, I'll be right back. And clean up this room!" she added, gesturing towards the floor as she left.

Some time later, Tifa finally returned to the dressing room, where a nervous Yuffie was picking at a stray thread on one of the mismatched costumes she had folded. "Well, I thought you might be comfortable with something that looked familiar, so I picked these out for you," Tifa said, depositing a pair of pants and a long-sleeved top on the chair. "You won't be able to go snowboarding in these, though," she added, hanging a jacket onto the rack.

Yuffie's eyes bulged as she examined the clothing the other woman had brought in. "Tifa… this is suede!" she said, fingering the creamy-coloured pants.

"I know, it's going to look fantastic on you," Tifa said proudly.

"Forget fantastic! How am I gonna afford all of this?" Yuffie moaned, eyeing the matching suede jacket hanging on the rack and the forest green turtleneck sweater on the chair beside her.

"That's simple. Cloud's footing the bill!" Tifa said with a smirk.

Yuffie squeaked as she looked at the price tags on the clothing. "He's not gonna spend his gil on this stuff, Tifa!"

Flames roared to life in Tifa's eyes. "You're not the only one who suggested we go to Costa del Sol instead, Yuffie. If Cloud wants to snowboard that badly during our vacation, he can pay for it. Literally." The flames died down and a mischievous smile spread over her face. "Now come on, try it on."

Some time and one very pleased saleswoman later, Yuffie and Tifa managed to exit the boutique. Yuffie was finally appropriately dressed, and Tifa was carry carrying a few bagfuls of "necessary accessories" that she had found along the way.

"I think we better drop these things off at the Highwind before we do anything else," Tifa said as she juggled around a few of her bags.

Yuffie snickered. "I wanna see Cloud's face when you show him all that," she said with a grin. As she spoke, Tifa tripped and one of the bags fell over, spilling out the contents of a box with a very notorious lingerie label printed on its top. Yuffie gawked while Tifa flushed and quickly collected the scattered package.

"Not for all of them," Tifa giggled as she hefted the packs together once more. "But the sooner we get back to the Highwind, the better," she mumbled, her cheeks still slightly red.

Yuffie laughed and nodded, grabbing a few of the bags from Tifa and skipping ahead. She paused suddenly and turned around, waiting for Tifa to catch up with her. "Hey, you think Vincent's still up there?" she said as they both resumed their walk towards the huge airship.

Tifa sighed slightly, glancing at Yuffie over the pile of bags she was carrying. "I really don't know, Yuff. I think it was lucky that we managed to get Vincent to come along for this reunion trip at all…"

Yuffie blinked. "You guys picked me up last. I mean, I thought Vincent was being a little quiet, but he's always quiet. You mean he didn't wanna come with us?" she asked sadly.

Tifa smiled half-heartedly. "Well, we had to pull him out of Nibelheim again. He went back to the coffin after we… after everything else." She sighed slightly. "Cloud was angry with him. I was the one who had to convince him to even bother inviting Vincent. And even now, Vincent's not making it easy. It's like he doesn't want to live…"

Yuffie scrunched up her nose thoughtfully. "That sucks!" she said finally. "I can't believe he went back to that stinky old coffin. I mean, gross! No wonder he has that dead person smell!"

Tifa choked back a giggle. "Yuffie!" she scolded. "Don't be mean!"

"Why not?" Yuffie said carelessly. "He's mean to the rest of us. I think we're allowed to mean right back!" She huffed loudly as they reached the base of the rope ladder leading up to the ship's deck. "Even if Mr. Vampire was still up there, I bet he wouldn't come down and help us carry these bags!" she yelled loudly.

Tifa glared at Yuffie, and then breathed a sigh of relief when they heard no movement from above. "He's probably not there, Yuffie. We're lucky he didn't hear you say that!"

Yuffie stuck out her lower lip and sulked. She began to struggle her way up the ladder, carrying a few of the bags with her. "I wish he had heard me," she mumbled. "I'd like to give him a piece of my mind!"