Baroquen Heart
Note: If you have not yet read the first story in this series, 'Psych Heart', I highly recommend that you do. I realize that this is a lot of reading, since Psych Heart is 25 chapters, so you don't have to if you don't want to, but just know, you might need to read up on what's happened so far to understand why things are the way they are in this story.
Chapter 1- Cashing a Check She Couldn't Pay
"Not now!", Yuffie cried out. "Why did this have to happen now!?
Yuffie did not disagree with Elena's ruling at all. Sure, she placed the 'Sephiroth Materia' into the box. Yes, she gave the box to Marlene as a Christmas present. And of course, through a series of unfortunate events, that Materia killed Marlene. There was only one problem with that scenario:
Yuffie didn't know about the 'Sephiroth Materia'.
All that Yuffie knew was that she bought a box of Materia from the Materia Company of Midgar, and that's what she got. In fact, she couldn't have recognized it off hand, because it was brand new. So why then should justice be served by condemning someone who was unaware of what they were doing?
"Vincent, I'm scared! Elena's going to send her forces after me, and then I'm dead!"
Yuffie's newlywed husband, Vincent Valentine, carefully lifted a hand to stroke her cheek and calm her.
"Yuffie, don't worry. All you'll have to do is just explain your side of the story, and then they'll have to let you go."
"Vincent, didn't you read the newspaper? Elena's mind is made up, and she's going to kill me!"
"I think you're overreacting. Besides, the baby is crying. I think he wants his mother this time."
"You know, he has a name. We called him Hunter, so please stop calling it a 'him'."
"But now you're calling Hunter an 'it'."
"You know what I mean, Vincent! Gawd, sometimes you get on my nerves so bad!"
It only took a matter of seconds before Vincent heard Yuffie's exclamation, "Grossness!!"
"It's not grossness, Yuffie." Vincent said. "It's perfectly normal."
"Then I'd like to see you change him!"
"You know, Yuffie, he has a name."
"Will you shut up!?"
Yuffie's last exclamation startled Hunter, and he began to cry out.
Yuffie could hear Vincent saying, "See, now you made him cry!"
Yuffie stormed out of the room and stood on a footstool so that she could face him eye to eye. "Vinnie, why do you always insist on turning everything around on me? I guess since I made him cry, it's my fault that he's crying. Is that what you're trying to say?"
A slight grin began to appear on Vincent's face as he replied, "Do you realize that what you just said makes no sense at all?"
"Whatever. Why do we always argue, anyway? We're supposed to look like the perfect couple to everyone else in the world, and I sure as heck don't want us to end up like Cloud and Tifa did."
"Perhaps it's because we jumped into this marriage too quickly, Yuffie."
"I don't know. Our marriage was great before. Maybe you should have used protection."
Vincent's eyes grew wide as he blurted out, "What!? We have a beautiful child now, and are you trying to say you wish you never had him?"
"No, no! I don't mean it that way. I was just talking in hindsight."
"Oh. That's good.
…besides, you could have used protection too."
At that moment, a rock flew through the window of their house, landing onto the kitchen table.
"Vincent, what's going on?"
"Let me check it out. You can go calm Hunter down."
When Vincent found the brick, he saw that it had a note wrapped around it, which read:
"Yuffie,
By order of Elena, the soon-to-be ruler of Midgar, you are not to leave your house until Elena is appointed as head of the Midgar Parliament in one weeks' time. If you run, we will hunt you down until we find you.
Sincerely,
Tseng "
"Uh, Yuffie, you need to read this."
"Is it safe?"
"Yes, come in here."
When Yuffie had finished the note, she blurted out the first thing that came to her head.
"We need to run away!"
"Why? They'll hunt us down!"
"Yeah right! Do you really think Midgar authorities are that good? I don't think so. Besides, it's better than sitting here, waiting for my death. I don't want to die!"
"I don't want you to, either."
"Then it's decided. Let's hurry up and pack!"
"Yuffie, this plan is entirely stupid!"
"I know. That's why I thought of it. But I've got you to protect me and Hunter, right? You are coming, right?"
"Of course I am. If you're intent on running from the law, then I'm enough of a fool for you to follow suit. But what about money? We're not exactly rich, you know."
"It's alright. I'll take care of it."
"I thought you might say that."
As Vincent scurried around the house to collect his things, a thought entered his mind:
"What have I gotten myself into?"