-1Disclaimer: FFVII belongs to Square-Enix.

Note: I don't have time to sit down and dedicate long chapters to a story right now, but I really want to write another Vincent/Yuffie fic. This was my solution! A series of short, drabble-ish chapters focusing on Vincent and Yuffie's relationship from their meeting to post DoC.

One

-peace and quiet-

The ground glowed a gentle, dull blue, lit up by the moonlight reflected off the surface of the smooth snow. It was quiet, and the air was absolutely still. The night felt heavy, like a blanket had settled over the landscape after the sun retreated behind the mountains.

It was eerie, and somehow Yuffie found it comforting anyway. She was seated on the thick branch of an ancient tree, gazing out across the mountainside to the black shadow of the ocean miles away. Smiling contentedly, she leaned her head against the tree trunk and sighed.

The light crunch of footsteps in fresh snow drifted up to her, and she glanced down with slight alarm as a dark figure emerged through the trees less than forty feet away.

A shift and she saw the moonlight reflect off golden metal. She couldn't hide the amused smile that crossed her face as she relaxed again. He really was becoming quite friendly. For him, at least.

"It is a beautiful night." He said gently, not having to look to know where Yuffie was perched in the tree.

He had seen her come down this way over an hour ago, and couldn't ignore the slight worry when she hadn't returned. Somehow, it reassured him a bit too much to know that she was simply relaxing and enjoying such a beautiful sight. He found the feeling more than a little uncomfortable.

"Yea..." Yuffie found herself afraid to say more. It wasn't often that Vincent would make an effort to be sociable, she didn't want to say too much and make him feel more uncomfortable than usual.

She leaned forward and smiled down at him, catching a bit of that unnatural red shimmer in his eyes when he turned his face up towards her. There was a fleeting smile, hidden by the neck of his cloak.

"You should come in, Yuffie. It is getting too cold to sit out here much longer." He said quietly, a touch of protectiveness in his voice. She knew he was right, though. The temperature was dropping fast, and Yuffie shivered at the sudden reminder of how badly she was dressed for the weather.

A few moments later Yuffie landed gracefully in the snow beside him, beaming up at him happily before losing her balance and falling on her rear in the snow. He couldn't stop the grin from appearing behind his cloak, and offered her a hand back to her feet.

Yuffie grinned in embarrassment, thankful for the darkness to hide her blush from him. They walked along quietly, neither wanting to break that beautiful silence between them as they listened to the snow groan beneath their feet.

With the current state of their planet, it was rare to find an area so peaceful and surreal as these mountains, and Yuffie couldn't help but soak it in. Glancing up at the dark man walking silently beside her, she couldn't help but smile. He'd come such a long way since they met…