A/N; So...This oneshot is the preview of my upcoming story Memoirs of an Empress (you can read more about all my fics in my personal page!) That's why there are some holes in the storyline, I can't give it all away. But if you want, I guess you can read it as a independent little oneshot-romance...
It's been BETAed, but if you find any errors PLEASE tell me so I can fix them! Any feedback will be greatly appreciated, though flamers will be ignored unless you give me some real constructive criticism. Don't just flame me because you think tha bashing other peoples' stories are fun...
"Dad!"
Yuriki greated her father the usual way; with hyperly movements that almost made the kitchen's furnishings crash to the floor. She was the image of her mother, with her petite figure and ever grinning, and talking, mouth. The only thing that really differed from her mother was her eyes. Just as her father's, they were crimson red and extremely intense.
"Yuriki. Please, be careful in where you wave your arms..." Vincent Valentine saved a plant from a deadly fall from the window counter, carefully putting it back where it belonged. It was their daily morning routine, she was sweeping through the house like a tornado, and he, doing his best to prevent anything from breaking.
"Yeah, sure dad. Whatever." Yuriki grinned broadly, pouring herself a cup of fresh coffee. Not that she really needed any; even without any caffeine she was one big bundle of energy. But she was her mother's daughter and no one would ever dare try to stop her. And in the long run, one doze of caffeine made a non-existent difference in her hyperactive personality.
The teenage girl swept her eyes around the room. It was Saturday morning and normally, her mother would have joined her in all her craziness. But she was nowhere to be found.
"Hey, dad! Where's mom?"
"Cid picked her up earlier. He needed her help with something." Vincent carefully removed all emotions from his voice, eager not to let his daughter know what he thought about his wife taking off with Cid. It was his first day off in weeks and he'd looked forward to spend it with his family. Yuffie had been nagging him for not being home enough. Well, he was home a lot, but his free time always managed to collide with her working time.
"Heya! You don't sound too thrilly-willy?" After 15 years of parenting the daughter of Yuffie Valentine, born Kisaragi, he should have known better than to think that anything could get past Yuriki's attentive ears.
"It's nothing, Yuriki." He said in that low tone of voice that he always used when irritation struck.
"But,dad!"
"Leave it, Yuriki."
"But-...!"
"Didn't I hear you rambling and bragging about a day downtown with Zack today?" Vincent succeeded with his change of topic as his daughter started a lengthy description about her plans with the son of Cloud and Tifa. The two were best friends and they always made sure to get in as much trouble as possible.
As Yuriki danced her way to the front door, Vincent's cellphone rang. He saw who it was and answered the call.
"Yuffie?"
"Hey, Vince..." After seventeen years together, the sound of her voice still sent him to heaven.
"What's going on?"
"I'mreally sorry, Vince, but I have to do one hell of an overtime today. Things are messy in Rocket Town and they need me to clean it up."
"..."
"But I promise you that by the power invested in me, Yuffie Valentine, conqueror of Earth and Wind, I will do all I can to get home to my loving family ASAP..."
"Yuffie! Move that tiny ass of yer's and get workin'!"
"Shut it, old man! I'm sharing a special moment with my hubby here, show some respect!"
"Brat!"
Vincent couldn't help a little smirk when he heard Cid in the background. They were companions and close friends, but they always were in each other's throat. That was something that was never going to change. Throwing insults at work was half their fun. But still, Cid was the closest thing to a loving father she'd ever had.
"Get to work, Yuffie. I'll see you when you get home." Not waiting for an answer, he hung up.
Yuriki overheard the talk between her parents and hesitated by the door. Her dad sounded so sad, correction; sounded more sad than usual for a man named Vincent Valentine. But it was sad nonetheless.
Quickly, she made her decision and returned to the kitchen. It was time for her to spend some quality time with her dad. She'd often wondered what the heck made a once self destructive gunman hook up with a crazy putz of a ninja. She knew that they'd saved the world a couple of times, along with their friends. But her parents weren't much to talk about the past, and Yuriki was curious of nature. Yep, it was the perfect time.
Yuriki had never been one to tiptoe around a subject. Instead, she walked straight into the kitchen and promptly announced:
"Dad, tell me about you and mom."
For once, Vincent was left without words. He was more than surprised, because his daughter had never shown any interest of their past before, but he regained control over the situation and tried to avoid her request.
"Talk about that with your mother."
"Mom's not here."
"Then wait."
Yuriki jumped up to sit on the counter and started to kick her legs around, almost turning some of the chairs over.
"Nah. I wanna hear it from you."
Vincent sent her a mild version of his infamous deathglare. She was his daughter after all, and he didn't really want her to fall dead on the floor.
"C'mon, dad! It can't be that bad?"
He silently stood up and walked out of the room. Maybe she would leave him alone if he walked out on her? He sighed when he heard Yuriki's steps behind him. Feeling the sudden need of fresh air, his feet took him to the terrace, facing the slightly neglected garden on the backside of the house.
Father and daughter sat out there, without speaking. But Yuriki couldn't bare the silence for very long.
"So. Why mom? I mean, I'm glad to exist and all, but face it, dad, you're each other's opposites."
Vincent didn't answer, so she kept on remarking all the differences between her parents. And they were many!
"Because she saw through me..."
His quiet statement made her stop dead in her tracks.
"Huh?"
Glancing over towards his dumbfounded kid, a smirk appeared on his lips. "Yuffie saw through every layer of protection that I surrounded myself with."
"Protection from what?"
"Myself."
"Yourself?"
"Yes."
"Were ya really that self destructive? What did ya do? Try and stab yerself with yer claw?" Vincent knew that she was only making a joke, she and her mother did so often. But he took it different this time. It was the beginning of a conversation that was far more serious than his daughter was used to, and that gave him the feeling that he should clear some things first.
"I had destructive thoughts, Yuriki."
Yuki stared questionably at him, this was new information for her.
Closing his eyes, Vincent took a deep breath. To talk about this was not easy, it was not a period of his life he was proud over.
"Your mother was not… She was not my first love."
"What?"
"I was a Turk once. My first big mission was to bodyguard Lucrecia Crescent, a young scientist who worked with my father before he died. I fell for her beautiful face and charming ways, and soon we were secretly involved with each other. We could not risk getting caught since I could lose my rank as a Turk and Lucrecia could lose her upcoming status in science. When Lucrecia's new lab partner, Hojo, asked her out, she had to say yes so no suspicion would rise.
Something happened and she got pregnant. As soon as I found out, she told me that she was in love with Hojo and they were getting married. If it weren't for the look in her eyes when she told me, I might've believed her, but she was so sad, a part of me knew that she didn't want that to happen.
But I did nothing to help her out of it, I felt so betrayed by her that I refused to listen to her apologies. The whole discussion ended with Hojo shooting me."
Vincent heard the gasp escape from his daughter. He silenced and glanced over to her side. 'Maybe we should have told her this a long time ago…'
"In an attempt to save my life, Lucrecia used me for an experiment that needed an exceptionally strong body. She turned me into the man I am today, because she'd rather see me as the immortal host of four monsters than lying six feet under ground. She died in the process."
"What happened when you realized what she'd done?"
"I blamed myself. I told myself that everything was my fault. If I had protected her better, if I hadn't gotten as emotionally involved, she'd still be alive. And I would never have become such a monster. Those were my sins, Yuki, and I'd get to spend the rest of my eternal life atoning them. So I locked myself inside a coffin and slept for thirty years until your mother came and woke me up."
Yuki had been listening intently to her father's words. She could see in his eyes that the subject was uncomfortable to him, so she decided to change the topic to something a little more entertaining. Truth be told, she felt a bit overwhelmed too. She needed some time to melt it all before asking him more about this Lucrecia.
"How old was mom when you met? Was it love at first sight?"
"No. I met her when she was 16. I thought she was a fulltime brat."
"No way!" Yuriki roared with laughter, a sound very similar to her mom's. "What'd she do?"
"She tried to steal my materia."
"Haha! Why?"
"Your mother may be a part of AVALANCHE, Yuriki, even the princess of Wutai, but most of all she's a full-fledged thief. She did it because it was fun..."
"You let her get away with it?"
"No. I asked her to give it back..."
"And what'd she say?"
"She told me I was a real mood-killer. Keeping her from doing her job as the queen of thieves."
"Guess she learned her lesson not to steal from ya, didn't she?"
"No, she took every chance she got after that. Anything to make me lose my temper." He smiled at the memory of their earlier period of acquaintance. Yuffie had done everything she could to piss him off, and he'd done all he could to avoid her.
"C'mon, Vinnie! Tell some nasty details of your love life! Any ghosts in your closet?"
He was alone with Yuffie on Cid's airship. She'd been hurt and he was ordered to stay with her to make sure she didn't make any trouble. It didn't matter that she lied in bed with a stab-wound in her stomach, things tended to go wrong with her around anyways.
"Hmm... Let's see. Well, love is always the biggest ingredient to everyone's dark past, so this shouldn't be any different." And with an expression of deep thinking, she started to go through every love-related disaster after the other, each one crazier than the other.
Vincent did pay attention to her speech, though he hid it behind a mask of indifference. He sat on a chair beside the bed, close enough to press her head back onto the pillow when she tried to sit up. He was annoyed, but since that was exactly what she wanted, he made sure she didn't notice it.
"Oh gawd! Did she leave you for someone else? Yeah! I bet she did. Someone richer… hm…" Yuffie had narrowed her eyes while studying his reactions closely. He must've given something away, because she followed up with more of her nosy questions. "Was he younger? No, that's not right. He was older, wasn't he? Older and with a more promising carrier, huh?"
She had hit the truth dead on and he was terrified. No one was supposed to know about that, his only weakness. A glimpse at her curious gaze and he lost it. With his temper out of control, he reached for her mouth and stopped her from saying any more. He didn't care to lower his voice when he yelled at her.
"Not one more word, Yuffie! My life is none of your damn business!"
The lips under his hand moved and at first he thought she was going to bite him. Then he looked into her eyes. There was no a hint of anger in them. Just satisfaction and…understanding? That didn't make sense! She'd just managed with that mission of hers to piss him off, the least she should feel was some broodiness…
He jerked his hand away to reveal one big, and for once, truly genuine smile.
"Finally!" she said with a chuckle, confusing him even more.
"Pardon?"
"I said 'finally'." she laughed quietly in a way that he thought was impossible for her nature. "It's about time you let your guard down."
"My guard?"
"Yeah. You know, the others don't really see it, but I do. Maybe we're the same that way…"
Since he was short of answers, all he did was glare. What did she know? She was just a kid, just a spoiled little kid. She had no idea what pain was…
"Dad? DAD!"
Yuriki's voice broke through the mist of memories, dragging him back to reality.
"Yes?"
"Wow, finally! I lost you for a while. Where were you?"
"…"
Yuriki tapped his shoulder, well aware that he didn't like it. "C'mon, dad! Tell me more!"
Vincent's gaze swept over the garden. It was a long time since he'd really taken the time to remember. Good memories never came alone and he no longer dwelled on all the things he'd lost in life. He had a family now. And they sure were a handful!
But Yuriki had the right to know whatever she wanted to know. And since her mother had no second thoughts in beautifying the truth, it was probably for the best if he told her.
"What more?" he sighed.
"So… If it wasn't love at first sight, when was it love?"
"It didn't come right away, Yuriki."
"Tell me, dad!"
"It took many years for that to grow. We went through a lot before then. Most of all, I had to get to know her…"
"Well duh! It's not that hard to figure out what mom's about, dad…"
"Harder than you think…"
He sat on the couch in one of the many guestrooms of Seventh Heaven. The tension never left his body, even though he no longer shared it with Chaos.
A week had passed since that battle with Omega. The planet was safe again and the ordinary life was back. Still, some things had changed too much. He'd finally let Lucrecia's memory go, no longer desperate for her presence. He'd realized that life kept on living , no matter how much one kept pacing around on one spot.
He had Yuffie to thank for that. She'd…-
His track of thoughts stopped as the door burst open and revealed the girl herself, balancing a tray of food on her right hand and a paper bag in the other. When the tray threatened to slip away from her grasp, he quickly caught it before Yuffie had any time to react.
"Always the gentleman, huh?" She grinned towards him.
"…"
"Tifa asked me to bring you some lunch and since I had nothing else to do, I might as well do it. You've been kinda hard to get a hold on, Vince…" Yuffie stepped inside the room without waiting for permission and threw herself on the couch, still holding the brown paper bag.
"Thank you." Vincent waited for her to continue with her babbling. He hoped that she wouldn't get stuck on the subject about him not being available. But she was quiet, tossing the bag in her hands. For once, she looked a little uncomfortable and that made him slightly amused. Not that he showed her that.
"Was there something else?" He watched her squirm a little in her seat, avoiding to look at him. That made his inner smile fade away to be replaced with the worried concern that something must be wrong. She wasn't herself.
"Yuffie?"
"Uhm… Well…I just…"
Vincent put the tray down on the coffee-table and walked up to her, crouching down in front of her. It was impossible for her not to look him in the eyes when he was so close, but she tried her best not to.
"Yuffie, talk to me..."
She leaned deeper into the couch to escape his crimson gaze, clutching the paper bag tightly to her chest. She was so out of her normal Yuffieness that it almost scared him.
"I just... I wanted to thank you, Vincent." She looked up to face him, but her eyes where still distant, as if she was lost in her thoughts. "If it's possible for a soul as lost as yours were to find peace and move on, maybe others can, too..."
Her choice of words made him confused. What did she mean by 'others'? Before he had a chance of speaking, she was striding towards the door. With her hand on the doorknob, she pointed at the bag she left on the couch. "That's for you..."
Vincent opened it and pulled out perfect copies of every materia she'd ever stolen from him. Amongst all the small spheres, he found a little note tucked in. As he read the lines over and over again, he had to confess that he did not know Yuffie Kisaragi at all.
'I hope you'll find happiness, Vincent Valentine. We've been through too much for you to give it all up!
Don't go back to that damn coffin! Promise me that, because I won't be here to check up on you anymore. It's time for me to grow up...'
"Wow… Mom said that?"
"…"
"What happened then?"
"I looked up and she was gone."
"Huh? Gone? Wadda'ya mean 'gone'?"
"She left. I ran downstairs after her, but Tifa said that she left the house just minutes ago…"
"Where'd she go? Did you go after her? That's when you realized that you love her?"
Vincent glared at his daughter for asking far too many questions in a row. She, of course, ignored it. She was one hopeless case.
"No one knew where she went… I tried my best to chase her down, but she hid her traces too well, it was impossible to find her."
"You must have missed her somewhere. You can't disappear from the face of the world, dad…"
"I searched everywhere, Yuriki, but if your mother doesn't wish to be found, then no one can."
"How long was she gone?"
"One year, two months and five days."
"Geez, dad. Keepin' the record?"
It had been a hard year, not only for Vincent, but for the whole AVALANCHE-group. They had tried their best to work like they used to on their mission, but it just wasn't the same without Yuffie. She had always referred herself to be 'the glue that held the group together'. She was right. Without her energy and optimism, they were all just a bunch of tired heroes, struggling through every mission with more quarrels and disagreements than ever before.
As the months passed with no word from Yuffie, some started to doubt that she was still alive.
One day, it turned into a real verbal fight, with Cloud and Barret trying to convince the rest that she wasn't coming back, and Cid, Tifa and Nanaki being just as stubborn to continue the search. Vincent didn't participate in the fight. He sat in a shadowed corner of Final Haven, pondering in thoughts like why she left, why she didn't tell them and why she didn't want them, him, to come with her. It hurt him that she didn't seem to trust him enough to let him know.
A muffled knock on the door pierced through the sound of his friends' yelling voices. Vincent knew they didn't hear, or care, so he walked to the front door and opened it.
There she was, looking up at him with a wide grin. As if she never left.
Yuriki listened to her father's memories with a fascinated look on her face. Not much could make her sit still for more than a minute, but this was a special occasion. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear him talk like that. His voice always changed when he talked about her mom. It softened. When he talked about her now, he sounded happy. Really happy.
"Why'd she go? Where was she?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?!"
"No."
"Didn't you ask? I mean, if someone disappears for a whole year, you damn well wanna know why!" Yuriki received a warning-glare for her foul language. "Sorry."
"I did ask, Yuriki. She's the one who does not want to tell…"
The issue of Yuffie's disappearance had caused many fights between the two of them. Every time he'd tried to bring it up, she changed the topic. Years had taught him to let it go, but he didn't deny that it bothered him. A lot.
'Wonder why she never told?' It was hard for Yuriki to imagine her mother keeping a secret. Yuffie Valentine was the kind of person that could shut up only for the seconds required for inhaling fresh oxygen. Last year, their friends decided to make the surprise party of Yuriki's birthday a surprise to the ninja, too. She could see how it worried her father since he wasn't used to being shut out. If this was the one thing she refused to share, then it must've been seriously top secret.
"Dad?"
"Yes...?"
"Whendid you start loving mom?"
"I already loved her, Yuriki…"
"But you said…?"
"I loved her, I just didn't know it yet."
"So when do we get to the juicy parts?"
"We're getting there…"
"So… If she came back, what happened?"
"She stepped inside the manor and told the others, they were still arguing, to shut up and give her something to eat."
"Ha! That's so Mom! What did they do when they saw her? What did you do?"
"They all hugged and yelled at her for disappearing like that. Tifa made her lunch."
"That's all they did? Hugged and yelled? No bash? I'm shocked! You guys take every chance you get to hold a party!"
"Yes, Tifa already talked about whom to invite and so on. That's when Yuffie told us that she was just stopping by."
"I thought she was back for good?"
"So did we."
"Sorry, guys. I'm just passing through."
"What? Brat, you just came back. You can't fuckin' go now!"
Despite everyone's loud protests, Yuffie rose from the table and walked to the kitchen with her cleansed plate. She hugged Tifa tightly, thanking her for the meal. As the two female members of AVALANCHE took hands, Yuffie caught sight of the golden engagement ring on her friend's hand.
"So, Spikey finally came to his senses?" she grinned. "You do realize that your kids probably will suffer severe head-traumas with all that gravity-defying hair?"
Tifa nodded, amused and sad at the same time.
"Okay, just checkin'."
The ninja turned to the rest of her friends, saying her goodbyes for the second time. She winced a little at their hurt features. They did care for her like a family member. And witnessing a member so close to them, even after a year of absence, weren't easy on either of them. With a sigh and a promise to come back and visit as soon as she could, she left. Again.
Yuffie was just about to round the first corner when she abruptly halted. She didn't turn around. She didn't need to. Instead, she held her head high and her face forward, sensing the glare at her rigid back.
"You can't come, Vincent."
Vincent stepped closer, so close he could smell the flowery scent of her hair.
"Why?"
"You just can't." she stated and began walking.
But he had no intention of letting her go that easily. She couldn't just come and go and think that it was okay. Because it wasn't okay! His human hand jerked out and caught her wrist.
"Where were you?"
Yuffie shook her head with a sad smile. "It doesn't matter."
He caught her eyes with his. His words matched the intensity of his eyes. "It matters to us. To me." The grip around her wrist tightened. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me what is going on."
Storming grey met crimson in a silent battle. Her eyes never failed. Never gave in. And he knew that he could never force her to stay, because it didn't matter how changed she was. She was still Yuffie Kisaragi, and no one could ever hold her back. Not even Vincent Valentine.
"We're friends, right?" She asked, breaking the silence. A small part of his heart protested at her question. It screamed that 'friends' wasn't enough to describe their relationship. After five years they should be more than that. But he smothered that feeling, just as he smothered everything else.
"Yes."
"Then you have to let me go."
And he did. Because this new side of Yuffie made him understand that she wasn't always a brat, a child. She had let her guard down, a shield he never knew she surrounded herself with. She trusted him enough to let him see the mature woman she really was and he had no choice but to trust her too.
Hours had passed and the sun started its way downwards from its high position in the sky. Soon the backside garden would lie in the manor's shadow and bestow a grateful hideaway from the tropical sticky, warm weather that forced almost every citizen of the city to seek shelter inside. But Vincent and Yuriki didn't bother to think about something as trivial as weather. They had other things on their mind.
The thought of her mother being grave and secretive confused Yuriki. Heck, it was even hard to picture her mature! Yuffie Kisaragi, the absolutely coolest, funniest, craziest person in the whole world, her mother and best friend, had different sides of her personality that she never knew about. What happened? What made her reject the concerns of her closest friends? What did she run from?
Yuki got interrupted in her train of thought when she heard a very uncharacteristic sigh from the man beside her. Vincent's face held no signs of emotions, but his eyes always deceived him. Whatever happened all those years ago still troubled him.
The ex-Turk felt a bit torn. 'Should I really talk to her about all this?' he pondered. 'Not even I know the whole story…'
Vincent and Yuffie's marriage had never been easy. There came times when his cold nature and her recklessness and stubbornness clashed rather violently. He loved all of her, the unruliness included, but when it came to life-dangering situations, he just wanted her to slow down. The thought of ever losing her...! But trying to talk to her about it was just a waste of time, she wouldn't listen to anyone, and at that point, least of all him. It was the times he tried that always led to disaster. Yuffie did not respond to lectures very well. Usually, he gave up on the matter before they both took it too far and before he would be sentenced to a week or more on the couch, depending on what they argued about.
For the AVALANCHE group, there were dangerous times, and there were dangerous times. As saviours of the world and protectors of the innocent, they faced death every day, but some missions got too much to handle, even for them. Yuffie was a great ninja, the best, but she was so petite and fragile in a way that didn't make her suitable for combat in close range. She was vulnerable and that scared him. Vincent recalled numerous times when she got overpowered and beaten almost to death. He hated himself for not being able to protect her from harm. Those times their arguments didn't stop in time. Her indifference to his concerns frustrated him and she continued to provoke him until he finally lost his barriers and unleashed all the rage he kept inside him.
Their daughter had not witnessed any of those fights since she was five and walked in on them. Once the couple calmed themselves down enough to hold a conversation without screaming at each other, they came to the conclusion that Yuriki shouldn't have to be in such a confusing situation again, so ever since, they made sure to have total privacy whenever they needed to clear the air.
Last night they had one bloody rumble. They had been cuddling in bed, making plans for their day off, when Yuffie's PHS began with that horrible noise she called "total ass-kicker tune". Deep in his mind, Vincent already knew what it was about. Silver haired men had been spotted in Rocket Town and it made the inhabitants go crazy. Cid relied on Yuffie's skill in talking everyone out of doing anything stupid. The gunman did not hesitate to show his disapproval when she confirmed his distress. Things could get out of hand. What if the people of Rocket Town only saw her as a small obstacle in their quest in driving away the SHM? What if they thought she tried to protect the SHM instead of them? What if she got hurt?
His wife only huffed and scolded him for being such a dumb-ass for not having faith in his great ninja, but he refused to let the matter go. He didn't want to show her how hurt he felt for being turned down for the sake of her damn work, so he transformed that, and all other confusing feelings, into anger toward her.
Vincent knew he was wrong, and he knew she knew he was wrong. They continued to throw accusations to each other until Yuffie suddenly froze and lost all sparks in her eyes. Far too late Vincent realized his mistake. He'd told her it was time for her to truly grow up and take responsibility of her family because her daughter needed her to be there. How was she supposed to take care of the ones close to her when she was 60 miles away?
He'd sounded just like Godo. And if there was any man she'd hated more than Sephiroth it was her father. The ruler of Wutai once used almost the exact words when he had tried to force Yuffie in to taking the throne.
The look on her face bothered Vincent, she only reacted with such calm when she got pushed too far. "This work is my way to keep all of you safe, Vincent Valentine," she replied with a cold voice which made him cringe in discomfort. "If I have to die in order to save you all, then I will and you know that. So goodnight, you'll find your pillow and blanket in the closet. Sweet dreams."
Before he got the chance to say he was sorry, the gunman found himself to be pushed out from the bedroom and as he turned around, he heard the door close and lock. He sighed and decided to give her a couple of hours to calm down until he picked the lock and sneaked inside. Unless he wanted to spend the coming nights alone, he'd better crawl in the dirt for his wife's forgiveness.
As he'd snuggled closer to her in bed, he'd made an attempt to sneak an arm around her lithe waist. The act proved to be futile and he got pushed back and ordered to stay on his side. In any other situation he would have done as he was told, if he wanted forgiveness rule number one was to follow her every command. An angry Yuffie was not easily managed, but Vincent had a feeling that he needed to make it up to her as soon as possible. It wasn't often he took his case so far just to hurt her, because he knew he'd thrown that insult for that reason, and if she'd have to work the next day it still didn't mean she would never come home. He guessed he could settle with a couple of hours. Still, those hours would be worthless if she'd use the time to punish him.
The night watch was set on a few hours past midnight. Yuffie wouldn't have to get up before seven, so he had plenty of time. Vincent ignored the ninja's protests by dragging her closer to him. Light kisses trailed the arch of her neck while he whispered his apologies. One thing led to another and Vincent finally managed to warm her up.
"You think something bad happened to mom when she was gone?"
The frank question woke him up to the present. He glanced to his side and he realized that he'd never seen his daughter so serious. She was truly stunned to find her mother being more complex than she'd ever fathom. While he studied her he took his time to think over his answer.
"Yes, I do."
Somethinghad happened. Ever since that day she'd returned, she was a little bit different from whom she used to be. The innocence was still there, even her childish behaviour, but it all seemed a little battered, like she'd seen things that she wasn't supposed to see. The changes were small, you wouldn't notice them unless you knew her from the times before. Her closest friends barely noticed them, even he himself had a hard time doing so. He wanted so badly to know what had happened!
"Then why didn't she ask you for help? You're her friends! Why would she push you away?!"
For Yuriki, this was no longer just a little quality-time chat with her father to get juicy details of their history, she desperately needed answers to understand what formed her mother to be the person she was today.
"She-…" Vincent started but lost his track when his throat thickened. He cleared his throat and started over. "One thing that is very important to your mother is to keep the ones she loves safe. She knows no boundaries when it comes to protect her family."
"That's what she was trying to do?" Yuki huffed, slightly irritated at her mother for being so stupid. Her voice soaked with sarcasm. "Protecting you by making you worry for over a year?"
"I agree with you at some points, Yuriki, but don't judge her that fast. Yuffie probably wanted us to stay out of it so that none of us would get hurt. That is the way she works. If one person have to jump out in front of a racing train to save another from harm, she would never hesitate to sacrifice herself."
"Yeah, yeah… You're right, I guess. But I still think it's stupid!"
"So do I, Yuki, so do I…"
"Then what? If you let her go again, when did she come back to you?"
"Just because I let her go, doesn't mean I didn't follow her. I was not ready to see her disappear again, so I followed her from a distance and watched her fly off in a helicopter, heading north. I got back to the bar and gathered my things."
Vincent pushed his chocobo to it's limit to catch up with the once again running Yuffie Kisaragi, all the way trying his best to suppress the guilt inside by telling himself that he did trust her by letting her believe that she was going alone, that he just wanted to make sure she got to whatever destination she headed safe and sound. It had nothing to do with his fear of losing her.
It took him several weeks to hunt her down and finally he ended up in Icicle Inn. Exhausted, he got himself a room and ordered up warm food while he took a well needed shower. Dirt had grown into his pours since he'd never allowed himself to stop for more than an hour to rest.
As he'd travelled, he'd gotten himself plenty of time to think over the Yuffie issue. Not that it brought him nearer a solution, he could find no reason for the girl to pack her things and leave, at least not without telling someone. It didn't make sense!
A knock on the door signalled that his food was ready. He got up from the bed he'd lied in and walked to open the door. Outside he found a chart loaded with more food than he would ever be able to eat and a small note from the innkeeper.
'Dear Guest!
I am terribly sorry to say that we are overbooked and, as the only Inn in Icicle Town, forced to let you all share rooms!
This inconvenience ought to last no longer than a few days, due to the penguin conference at the Icicle University.
My condolences // Innkeeper of Icicle Inn'
Sharing room with another didn't bother Vincent, he was there to rest and nothing else. How others spent their time was their business. He had a mission, and he would not allow himself the slightest of distractions. There for, he settled himself by his bed and ate before going to sleep.
"Distractions? Wha' kinda' 'distractions'?" Yuki stared at Vincent. "Ya' thought a real sexy hottie'd come an' seduce ya? Never thought my daddy 'ould be such a p-…"
"No. You should stop spending so much time with uncle Cid."
"Actually, I heard mom discussing it with aunt Tee-…" This time Yuriki interrupted herself before she got in trouble. Her father radiated with irritation and she knew she was done for. 'Here goes the puppy-eye look! Hope it works…'
"Am I in trouble, daddy?"
Vincent saw her pull off her cute pouting smile of complete innocence and gave an exasperated sigh. "No, but your mother is…"
"Yeah? What'ya gonna do?" Yay! Her mother was in trouble! She loved it when that happened.
"That is none of your business, Yuriki…"
"Huh? Aw, come on!"
She groaned loudly, but Vincent just leaned back and closed his eyes, making his plans while a devious smile tugged the corner of his lips.'Yuriki surely wouldn't mind spending the night at the Strife's…' he pondered.
"Stop musing and get on with the story, pops!"
He woke up by the sound of people clomping up the stairs. The sun was far gone and the moonlight spread streams of silver across the room. No one had come to join him in his room yet, so he guessed, by the stomps, that he'd meet whoever it was rather soon. The footsteps stopped by his door, muffled voices were heard through it.
"Yay, here's our room!" Then a sudden whimper came from the feminine voice. "We're five feet from a bed, could ya at least TRY and stand tall 'til we get there? And don't ya even dare to puke on my new top!"
Apparently, her companion wasn't too sober, he started to sing terribly off key as soon as the door knob turned and the door opened to reveal a thin, tall man hovered over a petite woman.
"Shut up, moron! Don't wake our roomie!"
It only took Vincent a second to realize who the woman was, but she had yet to see him. From his corner of the room he could watch a familiar ninja shoving a drunk and almost passed out man to the other bed without her notice. Yuffie was too concentrated to look in his direction since she had a lot of trouble taking off the man's shoes. Vincent assumed it was a tiring task, when she was done her shoulders slouched and she sighed as she started to make her way to the couch. A hand gripped her wrist and yanked her down on the bed.
"Stay here, babe. Not used to sleepin' alone…" The seductive whisper sent chills down Vincent's spine. How dared he talk to Yuffie like that? Like she was available to any man? Yuffie Kisaragi wasn't available! She belonged to hi-… to Wutai.
At first he thought that Yuffie would break away from the man's grip. She may dress in the quite scanty way she did, but she was a woman of Wutai and they held pride in their dignity. But to his frustration she never pulled away.
"You should try it sometime. Y'never have to fight over the covers…" she muttered.
"We could do more than just fight over covers, babe, but I'm too tired…"
The reply nearly sent the gunman up the roof. He had to spend the rest of the night trying to stop himself from going over there and rip them apart. The following morning, she'd have a lot to explain.
"Who's the guy? He sounds kinda familiar…"
The first rays of sunlight exposed fiery red bangs and pale skin on the other bed and there was no longer any doubt that Yuffie's nightly friend was Reno. Reno, the Turk. Reno the ladies man. And he still had his arms wrapped around Yuffie.
'They better wake up soon, or I'll have to do it myself. I can't let a man like him taint her…'
As if on cue Yuffie opened her eyes and fixated the two storm grey orbs onto him. 'Oh, crap!' was written all over her face. Quickly she turned to face the man beside her, shaking him roughly.
"Wake up, Turkey! We got company…"
"Fuck off! Lemme sleep…"
"I got a knife, Turkey. Real near your personal stuff…" A threat like that would always work on a man like Reno, and the fact that Yuffie was aware of that worried Vincent. Were they together? Had she left AVALANCHE for him? They did seem close and they shared the same bed…
When Reno saw who towered over them, his face expression was an exact replica of the ninja's. Maybe he could sense the hostility steaming from Vincent, because he stood up right away so he didn't have to strain his neck by looking up at him. Reno was cautious, it was no secret that Vincent had taken it on himself to protect the ninja ever since he became friends with her. No one touched her without his permission, unless they wanted their limbs shot off, though, of some god forsaken reason, Yuffie herself was completely oblivious to that.
Vincent glared at the Turk. It was time for him to have a little talk with Yuffie, and Reno was not invited.
"Out."
With a glance to Yuffie's side, Reno was surprised to see that her face for once was completely void of the feelings he usually could read right away. She met his gaze and nodded. It was his sign to leave.
"Okay, Valentine." He said and picked up his things. With one last look at Yuffie he strolled to the door. "You hurt her, I'll kill ya."
The door kicked shut. Vincent had no reason not do take the last words seriously, he'd seen 'feelings' luring in the depths of the redhead's mako eyes. Following his old comrade's every move as she made the bed, he wondered if she returned those feelings.
"Do you sleep with him?" The question became colder than he'd wanted, and it wasn't what he'd planned to ask her. He just needed to know and the words slipped out before he could stop them.
Yuffie grew stiff for a while, surprised by the query, but she rarely lacked retorts.
"Well…" she pointed to the bed with a sheepish grin on her face.
Frustration spread through his veins. She knew very well that that was not what he'd meant. He tried to send the real message with his gaze, but she acted as oblivious as a newborn baby and stared up at him with innocent eyes. She wanted to force it out of him, he knew it. The gunman extended himself to his full length. There was no way he'd sink so low as to really say-..!
"Are you having sex with him?" He silently cursed himself for his lack of self control. How did she do that? She made him say things he didn't want to say.
Arms frantically flailed in his face. Yuffie had jumped up in front of him.
"No! Nonononono! No way I'm doin' THAT! Gross!"
He nodded quietly, filled with relief.
"You know I'm not allowed, Vinnie-vin. I still live under the laws of Wutai. Not for long though, nyuk nyuk!"
Not for long? What did she mean with that? The laws said that sex before marriage would be punished with death and not even the future empress stood over the law. Yuffie sure was careless, but she didn't have a death wish. She loved life too much. Vincent could only find one reason for her to express herself so frankly.
"Are you getting married?"
"Huh?" The ninja's face showed utter confusion. She frowned as if thinking really hard until realization seemed to hit her. "You really don't know?"
"Know what?" he asked with a glare of irritation.
"Pops bought the one way ticket."
"Pardon?"
"Godo's dead."
"I'm sorry, Yuffie-…"
"Don't be."
Yuffie waved his words off as they didn't mean anything. He knew that the two never had gotten along, but to act so indifferent to Godo's death made him wonder what made someone as sweet and kind as Yuffie hate her own father so much.
"Ha! Kinda surprised the media actually did what I bribed them for…"
"How long?"
"About two months ago."
"How?"
Yuffie looked away. "That's confidential."
"Even from me?"
"Yuffsters! Time to go, babe!"
Reno's loud pounding on the door saved her from giving him an answer. Vincent knew she'd run for the door so before she could escape he quickly placed himself in front of it and cut her off.
"Does he know?"
She didn't need to say it out loud, he knew it already. Reno knew her secret. And if he so needed to force it out of her, he'd find out too.
"You finished with the Spanish Inquisition yet? I gotta go, Vince…"
"Yuffie, would ya hurry up! Just dump the damn guy…"
Vincent replied to Reno's muffled voice with a kick at the door.
"Geez, why do ya always do that? It's a nice door…"
"Shut up, Reno! Go get your chopper ready or somethin', I'll meet ya there!"
They waited silently until they no longer heard his cursing mumbles. Vincent took his time to really study her, she'd changed quite a bit the last year. Her lanky features had transformed to a curvy, but slim body of a young woman, gone were the flat chest and boyish hips. Her hair was a little longer, cut just above her shoulders, and she still used her Wutain headband to keep her bangs from falling in her eyes. And the eyes. They seemed darker. Deeper. They weren't as open and honest as they once were.
"Are you gonna let me go soon? I'm sorta on a timeline here-..."
"Tell me where you were." Vincent laid no emphasis on his words, instead, he gave her a stare of steel.
"No."
"Tell me." There came the emphasis. It was not enough for Yuffie to notice it, but he did. It was an attempt to reach her sub conscience. A part of him wanted her to feel guilty for not telling him. He'd told her his darkest secrets once, and she'd accepted them all, no matter what she'd thought of them. She'd always been honest with him, what was so different now?
"No, Vincent. I'm not putting you through that. Let it go." Her voice was as cold as the weather outside. He scowled at her.
"You told Reno. Why can't you tell me?"
"I never told him. He was there."
Yuffie's lips were pressed into a tight line, he would get nothing out of her for the moment. He'd have to bide his time. Instead of pushing her further, he changed the subject.
"Where are you going now?"
The cold expression disappeared from her face, her normal cheekiness was back.
"Wutai." She flashed him a smile as she rounded him. "Gotta go now, Reno get so grumpy when he has to wait longer than five seconds… Say hi to everyone for me, and tell Tifa that she better not get married without me, or I'll go all ninja on yer asses! Er… and tails… Whatever, y'know what I mean! See ya-…!"
"Let me come with you."
Yuffie stopped dead in her tracks. She was already halfway down the hall and Vincent had thought she would pretend she'd never heard him. But she slowly turned around.
"And if I say no?"
Vincent merely raised a brow.
"Yeah, thought so." She nodded. "You'll follow anyway."
There was no reason for him to deny it.
"Well well, Vinnie-vin!" the ninja chirped and started to jog backwards. Vincent anticipated her to trip over at any moment. "Hope I'll give ya a good chase then! Nyuk nyuk! See ya in Wutai!"
Vincent stared after her in awe as she turned around, mischievousness written all over her, and almost fell over a bench. She regained her balance and waved to him before she took off toward Reno's chopper.
"Ough! Mom! Put her in a place totally void of bumps an' loose objects, and she'll find something to stumble onto. She's so hopeless…" Yuki sighed deeply, completely ignoring the little detail that she was just the same. When she received no response from Vincent, she started to wonder if her mom was a player in her younger days. If she'd shared bed with Reno, who was like the ultimate player amongst players, with her future husband in the same room, she sure weren't a prude. Yuffie had the flirtatious manner that made men turn her way whenever she roamed the streets, so be that she'd turn 37 in a month, but she didn't look a day over 25. Yuki snickered to herself. 'Dad's not too excited 'bout the "men turning her way"-part.'
"Y'know dad. For bein' such a hen-pecked hubbie, you're kinda possessive… I'm surprised you didn't go all trigger happy on Reno's gut when you realised it was him in bed with mom, ya don't like him much anyway."
Was he that obvious? He grunted silently. Reno was one of Yuffie's best friends, but whether or not she was aware that Reno had feelings for her that stretched far longer than friendship he didn't know. After the night in Icicle Inn, when Vincent had learned that the two had gone through a lot together, the two had never really been able to hit it off. They were civil in public, and in Yuffie's presence, but otherwise they ignored each other best they could.
Not prepared to agree to his daughter's statement, he had indeed felt the urge to do the exact thing to Reno until he'd forced himself to think of the consequence that Yuffie would surely never forgive him, he asked Yuriki if she was hungry.
"I'm fifteen, I'm always hungry!" she huffed. Vincent merely nodded so Yuki continued.
"Hey! Why don't we order in? I wan't… Hm… Er… Everything?"
"Go order whatever you wish, Yuki."
"Yay!" She enthusiastically dashed for the phone in the living room and dialled the number to her favourite restaurant. Vincent listened to her order with the conclusion that it would be one expensive meal. It was a relief to be quiet for a few minutes, he was not used to talking as much. He'd thought Yuffie was the only person he could ever talk to without unease, but it was just as easy to interact with their daughter. Scolding himself for the fact that it took him fifteen years to find that out, he let his head fall onto his hands. Why was he cursed to never see what was before him until it was almost too late? In a few years Yuriki would be old enough to seek her own adventures in life and he would lose her. By telling her this story, maybe she'd learn something she could use in the future.
Yuki observed her father from the doorway. It was nice, having this time with him and listen to his reminiscing the old days, when the world was a much more broken place then it was now. Thanks to AVALANCHE the planet were given many chances to start over from scratch.
She thought about what he'd just told her. If her mother had been heading for Wutai, it must have been for the coronation. Tifa had told her briefly of what happened, but she'd seemed reluctant to go into any details and told Yuriki that she should ask her parents instead.
Stepping back out to the terrace, she reached for one of the white, wild roses that grew freely in their garden.
"Mom was on her way to the coronation, weren't she?"
Vincent shot his gaze to her. "How much did Tifa tell you about it?"
The girl jumped to sit on the railing. Sighing, she shuddered towards him. "Not much."
It was not half as difficult to follow Yuffie when he knew of the destination. When he didn't have to travel in blind, he took his time to relax and ponder. If Godo was dead she'd have to take the throne.
Vincent had never doubted that she would make a good empress someday, but he feared that she still was too restless to sit inside the pagoda doing paperwork day after day. But after all, she was the only heir, the people depended on her to lead them. With all of the visions she'd talked about, how to see Wutai bloom to be the beautiful land it once had been, before Sephiroth's slayings in the war against ShinRa and before Godo had turned it all into a tourist attraction, she was most certainly stubborn enough.
She'd told him that she'd started to steal others materia to help restore Wutai to its former glory. Vincent admired her for her unconditional devotion to the country and its people, because she held no grudges towards them, she knew it was Godo and his royal council that was to blame.
He'd asked her about her harsh feelings towards her father being an emperor once and she'd told him that Godo was a strong leader, but he didn't think about what he could do for his country, instead he thought of what Wutai could do for him. She could understand his concern to not let the kingdom go bankrutt, but his means was all wrong. Rather a land in poverty than one who's lost the pride and tradition that it stood for. "One day," she'd said. "I'll give them back their pride. I'll give them everything they've lost and more to it, I'll give them my dreams."
Her statement had surprised him. A lot. It was at the beginning of their friendship, and he had not fully understood her ways to hide her maturity with childish games. Years later, Vincent was one of very few who knew that she'd been taught to rule from her early years, he also knew she'd decided to live out her life as a child as long as possible because she knew that once she took her rightful place as the ruler, all that innocence would disappear for all time.
Both father and daughter jumped high in the air when they heard the front door fly open with a bang. They rushed out to see what was going on and met a scene that both worried them and made their lips twitch in their corners.
"Put me down, ol' man! You'll break yer back. I'll tell ya! Put. Me.Down."
"Stop yer fuckin' squirmin', brat! Or I'll drop ye right 'ere on the spot!"
The fifty year old Cid Highwind did his best not to lose his grip of the ninja in his arms. She did a pretty good job in giving him a hard time, even though her movements were restricted to a flailing of arms and legs, due to the bloodied bandages wrapped around her middle.
Vincent came forth in an attempt to take over his burden, but Cid waved him off, as best he could, and proceeded to the master bedroom with the bawling Yuffie. The gunman followed, quickly drawing Cid to the side as soon as he'd put Yuffie down on the bed.
"What happened?"
Cid shook his head in distress. "Some guys didn't like 'er doin' her job an' shot 'er. I took 'er to the doc'n' they took the bullets out. Said she needs to stay in bed for a'least two weeks. Wanna make sure all 'e tissues'n'shit heal okay."
Highwind could see the pupils of the Ex-Turk expand until the iris almost disappeared. He knew that code, Valentine was pissed.
"Who?" he hissed. He'd take care of the bastards that dared to hurt his Yuffie. He'd told her it would happen, why did she never listen when he tried to reason with her?
"Don' ye worry, I put 'em in the remand prison with 'eir guns in 'eir asses. They ain't goin anywhere."
Vincent managed to calm himself down somewhat. "Make sure they stay put. I wish to talk to them tomorrow."
"They're all yer's!" Cid gave his old companion a pat on the back before he turned to Yuffie. "Ya stay there now, y'hear? If I hear that ya been up 'n' walkin', I'll reduce yer salary for a fuckin' month!"
She responded with a death glare and a pout. She managed to lie still for the seconds it took Cid to leave the mansion, but shortly after, she sighed in relief. "Thank Leviathan, he's gone." A wide grin threatened to split her face in two. "I'll tell ya, the old man's the worst mother hen I know! If he could've breathed for me, he would've. Hmm… Kinda cute, really… But if ya tell anyone I said that, I'll deny it 'til the end!"
Pushing herself up to sit, Yuffie shouted when two pair of hands pressed her back down. "Hey!"
"The doctor ordered bed rest. You're not going anywhere." Came the relentless retort.
"Yeah, well, he said nothin' about having to lie down. I can sit if I want to!"
"You may want it as much as you wish. I'm telling you to lie down."
"But-..!"
"This is not a request, Yuffie."
"Meanie…" She muttered under her breath.
The door bell rang and Yuki ran to open the door. Suspecting it was their dinner, she snuck her father's credit card from the chest of drawers.
The two figures left in the room glared at each other, both refused to back down.
"I told you you'd get hurt."
"So? Shit happens." Apparently, Yuffie had decided to be troublesome in the matter.
"It wouldn't have if you'd listened to me."
"If I listened to you, Vince, you'd have me locked up in a mattress clad room just so I'd be safe." She huffed. "Sorry, but I'm not really feeling up to that."
"I don't want to lose you."
"I know, hun, but I'm still alive. You can't get rid of me that easy, ya know…"
"Mom?" Yukiki stuck her head through the door. "You hungry?"
"You bet I am!" Yuffie ignored the other's protests and pushed herself up so that she could lean her back against the headboard of the bed. She craved food and no one was going to stop her from eating!
They all settled on the bed and spread the different Wutain meals around them.
"So dad." Yukiki started with her mouth full of rice. "You gonna continue?"
Yuffie waited for him outside the Pagoda, testing her balances on a banister. When she saw him walking towards her, she smiled and jumped down to greet him.
"Vinnie! I almost thought I'd have to go pick ya up! You're kinda late…"
"My apologies."
"Never mind. You're here now." She leaned closer to grab his arm. "Yuck! You smell! Come, I'll show ya to yer room so you can shower. I have to go soon, gotta get ready for the big speech."
The ninja continued her ranting as she led him through halls and corridors until she stopped by a door at the far end of the west wing.
"I'll leave ya here, Vinnie. I'll send a servant to show you to the balcony where I'll be speaking. Bye!"
She was too happy, too chirpy. He knew she wasn't ready and now he needed to know if she knew it, too. His hand gripped hers as she turned away.
"Are you sure about this, Yuffie?"
"Sure I am. I never really fit in anyway…"
Removing herself from his grasp, she smiled at him and left. Vincent waited until she was out of his sight, then he walked inside his room and leaned back on the closed door behind him, closing his eyes. Was that how she felt? Like she didn't belong with AVALANCHE? Sure, the others teased her often and took out their aggressions on her, but she knew they loved her.
Right? Or didn't she?
Didn't she know she gave Tifa someone to vent all her womanly issues with? And that Cloud needed her to show him that even though life gave you hard bumps sometimes, you had to jump back up just because it was a part of living? Cid saw her as the daughter Shera couldn't give him, someone he could scold, tease and love in his own way, wasn't she aware of that? That Barret adored her for being the only one in the group that ever got his jokes, and that he respected her for having the guts to step in front of his loaded gun arm when he got drunk and pissed and stopped him from doing something he would regret. Had she no idea of Nanaki's unconditional loyalty towards her since she saw him as the cat he was with his natural animal instincts, not only the wise talking creature many others saw him as.
Didn't she know he loved her so much that he weren't sure he could let her go, now that he was on the verge of losing her? Did she not know how much he needed her beside him just so he could finally feel like the complete man she said he was?
How could she feel she didn't fit in with that
He couldn't force her to stay with him, but he had no desire repeating the events from 30 years ago.
"Don't let her go, Mr Valentine."
Vincent's eyes snapped open. He frowned in confusion when he saw that he was not in his room, but on a never ending field of white roses. A woman looked at him with a sad smile. Her face was of Wutain origin, with the black hair and silver eyes. Her features reminded him of Yuffie, he could only guess it was the mother that had left her in such early years.
"Pardon?"
"Don't let my little Yuffie run away from the love she needs so much."
"I try, my lady." He sighed. "But I cannot seem to keep up. She's too fast."
"Yes." The lady bent down to pick up a small rose. When she looked at him again, she gave the rose to him. "But with her pace, she is bound to fall to the ground. She needs you there to pick her up." And with the blink of an eye, the late Lady Kisaragi was joined by another woman. Aerith stood there, looking just the same as he remembered, her smile was just as warm and gentle as it had been when she was still in life.
"Hello, Vincent."
"Aerith."
"So I hear you have fallen for our little ninja…"
"I-.."
"Don't worry." She laughed. "I won't tell."
Vincent merely raised his brow. If she was there to tell him he was in love, it was unnecessary. He was painfully aware of that fact.
"She's loved you a long time, you know. It's about time you make your move."
Now that was something he hadn't dared to dream of. Did Yuffie really love him? Then maybe it weren't too late after all.
"It's not that easy, Vincent…"Aerith winked at his surprised look. "Yes, I can hear your thoughts! Now, listen to me. Yuffie's afraid of the love she feels for you. For starters, she's fears it's just one of those long time crushes that dies after some time, she's afraid of the hurt she'd cause you if she fell out of love with you, for some reason, it hasn't occurred to her that feeling like that shows just how much you truly love that person. And even more, she's afraid of being the second best. She's not sure you'll ever love her as much as you loved Lucrecia…"
"And you know that's not true, don't you?" The sound of Lucrecia Crescent's voice came from somewhere behind him, in a matter of seconds he could see her walk up to the other women and join them in their line.
"L-…"
"Don't deny it for my sake, Vincent."
Still, he couldn't just-…
"But-…"
"You love her more than you ever loved me. And she has feelings stronger than mine ever were. I couldn't give up my work and dreams for you, Vincent. Yuffie is prepared to do just that. She completes you the way I never did."
"She makes you happy." Aeris added.
Lady Kisaragi nodded and smiled a smile so much like her daughter's. "She makes you feel content, loved and embraced."
"She makes you whole, Vincent. Don't let her run away with those skills…"
The three women from the past grasped each other's hands and in a flash of bright light, the returned to the life stream. Their mission was completed.
Meanwhile, Yuffie was standing on the balcony, ready to face the people of Wutai. Behind her stood the persons that had come close to her heart the last year, but the most important one in her life wasn't there yet. Behind her blank features a fear ravages her heart and stomach. She did it all for him, but he didn't seem to feel like joining her. She knew he had no right to claim his heart, but if she did this, she'd still be close to him, in the platonic version of loving friendship. She tried to persuade herself that would be enough.
The public below her started to get impatient, she knew she had to get started, and there was no turning back.
Just as she opened her mouth to greet them, the door behind her rustled and revealed an almost panting Vincent. He tried to catch her eye, but she ignored him best she could. By the panicked look in his crimson orbs, he'd already found out what she was planning to do and wanted to stop her. The ninja turned her back on him, she'd made her decision.
"Citizens of Wutai!" she began.
"As you all have heard by now, your Emperor, Lord Godo Kisaragi, my father, have left us to join the lifestream and my mother." Yuffie tried to stop her voice from shivering. This was a big moment for her. "You also know that I have been raised to take the throne after his departure. I have visions of a Wutai that has been brought back into it's former glory, where tourist attractions no longer fill the streets, where we can regain the pride we always took in being called Wutains. I want the Wutai my mother always talked to me about in her bedtime stories."
The people cheered her on and she quickly glanced at the others over her shoulder. Two of them gave her encouraging looks, but Vincent was crushed, shaking his head with a begging look.
"People of Wutai!" her call calmed them enough to see that she wasn't finished yet. "I will not be the one to give you that!"
A collective gasp traversed through the assembly.
"I am not fit to take on the role as Empress of Wutai, so there for, I'm placing this responsibility in the hands of the only one I can see worthy. Fate gave him a dark way to walk, but his heart is strong and warm, and I trust him with my life. I suggest you to do the same."
Yuffie turned away once again to call her successor onto the stage.
"People of Wutai! I give you your new leader. My brother and best friend. Tseng Makoto Kisaragi!"
It was done. She was free. Smiling, she pecked her brother's cheek and whispered in his ear:
"Take care of my country, big brother. Give it back to the era of our mother…"
As she turned to leave, she felt Tseng's hand on her shoulder.
"Just a minute, Yuffie." He said. "Just one more thing."
"People of Wutai!" she listened to her brother's strong voice and smiled as she wondered if the citizens weren't getting tired if hearing those three words. But they were as quiet as mice. "My sister requested for me to take over her place as the leader of this land, and I complied to her wish. Now I have a request for her."
Tseng faced his little sister. "Yuffie, will you consider to keep the title Lady Kisaragi, the Single White Rose of Wutai and Protector of the same?"
Maybe she didn't have to say goodbye to everything after all. "Yes, Tseng." Tears of joy fell from her face as she hugged him tight. "Yes, I will!"
Yuffie waved to her people, she still considered them as hers, before she stepped down and left the balcony.
It was time for her to go home. Home to the place where she'd belonged ever since she was sixteen years old.
While she packed her belongings, she made sure to take her time to say goodbye to her heritage. She knew she was welcome at any time, but at the moment, the place held to many bad memories for her to handle. She'd be back one day, though. Her brother would make it the home it never had been since her mother had died. He'd do a good job.
"You can't run forever…"
Yuffie looked up with a start to see Vincent leaning against the door. Somehow, he'd managed to close it without her notice. 'Damn! I'm losing touch…"
"I'm not running…"
"You're always running, Yuffie. And I can never keep up..."
Yuffie knew he was right. She was a runner. She wasn't proud about it, but it was the truth. With a sigh, she walked to one of the huge windows and looked down at some kids that played in the garden.
"Honestly, I'm not really sure how to stop." 'Maybe I have to run away again, I'm not sure if I can really manage just being your friend.'
Vincent saw he shoulders drop. Maybe, if he told her now…?
He stepped up behind her, as close as he could get. "Stay with me…"
"Why, Vincent? What can you give me? And what can I possibly give to you that is of any worth? It's just…pointless."
"You give me happiness…content…love… You can give me your heart, if you're ready for me to love you back."
"Love me back?"
"Love you back. Let me love you the way you deserve to be loved. Let me protect you with all I have… Please…"
"How much do you love me then? I can't stand being the second best, Vincent. I'm not strong enough for that…"
"I love the way you laugh, your smile is an entity of its own. When you cry, I want to hold high and steal your pain away. I'm all broken when you're not there, and I don't feel like I'm strong enough. You complete me. I know you, from your heart and all the way out. I know the equal balance you hold between childishness and maturity, though you prefer not to show the latter. I know that you have your hair cut short in honour of your mother who died saving you. I know the headband you wear have a Wutain lullaby embroidered on the inside. I know you gave up your title not only for Tseng, but for me, because you love me so much you're willing to give it all up for love. I know you're afraid I loved Lucrecia more, and you should know that is not true. I let Lucrecia go, I'm not prepared to do the same with you. I love you too much. I kn-…"
"Enough! I get the picture…" The lithe ninja whirled around, grabbing him by the collar to drag him down close enouh for a kiss. "I love you, too…"
He smirked amusedly. "I know…"
"Oh, shut yer trap, meanie. More kiss, less talk!"
Vincent was happy to oblige.
"Aww! That's so sweet! Gross, but sweet!"
"Thanks, hun! I think so, too!"
Vincent watched them interact in their usual playful way. He realized that even if they indeed were a handful, they were his handful. He wouldn't trade them for any serenity in the world. He loved them too much.
It was getting late, and even if Yuffie would deny it, she was beat. It was time to sleep.
"Yuriki, it's late. You better go to sleep now." The look on his face told Yuki that there was no point in arguing.
She was really tired anyway, so… 'Who'd have thought spending a day listening to yer dad could be so exhausting? Hmm… Wonder if it burns any calories…?'
Truth be told, Yuki was happy. She had two parents that loved each other more than people could possibly know, and they loved her, too. They trusted her with their story, and she'd keep it with her. Always.
"Would you tell me now?" Vincent whispered through the night.
"Tell you what, Vince?"
"Where you were that year…"
"Not tonight… Someday maybe, but not now. Now, come here so I can give ya a kiss! These damn bandages are worse than a Wutain corset!"
The End