A/N: A bit of a throwback to the Yuffentine, I know, but I needed to do something to wait until NorthSouthGorem finishes his beta-work of "Naruto: The Dark Knight". In the meantime, I hope this prologue is enjoyable, so do read and review would you kindly?
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{Play: "Hokage Funeral" by Toshiro Masuda from "Naruto"}
The rain fell on the exsiccate land of Wutai, signifying a great tragedy that had befallen. And fall it did, the day that Lady Kisaragi Hitomi had succumbed to her cancer; such a sad fate for a great woman, and a beauty of the eye and soul. To make matters even worse, it was on the same accursed day that Shin-Ra conquered Wutai. Nobody could blame her tears, especially given that it was her mother who had just died. Kisaragi Yuffie was sad—fate was cruel to the seven-year-old as the funeral procession had just taken the empress to the burial grounds of the imperial family.
She had long left the procession to find some time alone and for some fresh air. After realizing that she was getting restless, Yuffie decided to take a walk around the cemetery to stretch her legs before rejoining the procession. In spite of the rain, the sad air about the area, and her heart that was still heavy with grief, it was still such beautiful scenery. Her musings were cut short when her shinobi training had picked up the sound of whimpering nearby. Was there someone crying? She decided to go and investigate.
After a few minutes of running and tripping, Yuffie found her destination to be a clearing in the woods of the cemetery, and the source of the whimpering grew closer. It was a bit dark, but she could make out the shape of what appeared to be a dying dog, with what appeared to be its puppy trying to lift its parent up. What really set her mind rolling with curiosity was the fact that these shaggy black dogs were larger than what could be considered a normal size; particularly the apparent father if what she managed to see of the larger dog was correct. Even the puppy was about the size of a malamute's. She decided to approach with caution; no need to spook the…little one, after all.
Unfortunately, Leviathan chose to be cruel to her at the moment by placing a twig in the path of her first step, alerting the large puppy to her appearance. The pup turned to face her, and started raising its hackles and growling at her. It was not the threatening gesture made against her that overtook her, but the surprise at the fact that this little dog had glowing red eyes that made the threat all the more realistic. Was she afraid? Without a doubt, but she needed to see if there was any way to save the older dog. Slow steps were taken towards the two of them, and with a placating movement, Yuffie placed her hands on the puppy's head before she ran her fingers gently through its fur feeling it calming down as she pet its head. Its fur was stiff and wiry, like a wolf's and yet it was also very warm.
The sympathetic look in her eyes seemed to assure the puppy that she meant no harm…as if it understood what she was trying to say in her actions. After reassuring the pup of her intentions, Yuffie took a look at the older dog. Even from further away, she could tell that this was a rather big dog, but it wasn't until she got up-close and personal, and looking directly into his equally red eyes that she came to truly appreciate how big the apparent father really was. He was big and strong enough to fight a bear on equal footing! As she studied the larger dog's appearance, she saw a red collar around his neck with the word 'Grimoire' etched onto a tag—was this someone else's dog? Whoever it was that owned this dog was probably going to be very sad. Another thing she noted was that Grimoire had wounds all over him—the poor thing was shot, and would bleed out soon. The look in the large dog's fading eyes seemed to be pleading…as if he were asking something from her.
Yuffie was baffled. What could Grimoire possibly want from her? Her train of thought was disturbed when she saw the dog look on down at the pup, and then back at her. It was then that she understood exactly what it was that he wanted. "You want me to take care of your kid?"
To her shock and surprise, the dog nodded for 'yes'. Did he understand her? What's going on? How could a dog understand Wutainese for that matter? However, the pleading eyes had become her prime concern…did the older dog just give up on life? Oh no! "Look, please…don't die…I don't know…I can't…"
Before she could say anymore, the Grimoire's strength had left him. His neck gave way, and his head had lolled onto the ground, smeared in his own blood. Yuffie's fingers went to his neck, searching a slightest beat of his pulse. There was none. Her attention then turned to the puppy she was crying tears for; the obviously saddened child of the majestic creature that just died. It seemed that the decision was taken out of her hands. She then found another red collar—this time, the tag read 'Vincent'. Was this the pup's name?
A sigh and a reassuring pat on the puppy's head had caused him to soften his stance. He could trust her, and that much he knew. Yuffie picked up Vincent by his forelegs, cradling him in her sticklike arms, and humming a lullaby her mother had sung for her when she was little, as she walked back to the funeral procession. She needed to tell her father of what had just happened…
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A/N: There's not much to be said at the moment, except for a request for my fellow readers to read and review. This is only a prologue, but your reviews may determine if I should write more chapters.