Yuffie stopped in the meadow she'd met Vincent in earlier that day. Slowing her breathing, she looked around for a sign of the gunman. She only realized their presence a moment before she was pinned to the ground. Struggling fiercely, the ninja managed to knock a few of the soldiers off of her. But she was outnumbered. She didn't even have a chance to draw her shuriken before she was forced to her knees by the strange men.

"So, you must be Princess Yuffie," a voice said from the shadows.

The speaker stepped out from the cover of the surrounding trees. Yuffie was surprised; she hadn't expected her captor to be a young woman.

"Yeah, and what if I am?" she spat.

The woman laughed a bit, "Well, then I'll just have to make sure you don't reach Vincent."

Yuffie gasped, "Wait, what have you done to him? Who are you?"

She grinned wickedly, "Oh, how rude of me to not introduce myself, especially in the presence of royalty," she swept into a curtsey mockingly, " Lucrecia servant of Hojo."

No way, Yuffie thought, Hojo? The evil sorcerer known throughout Gaia?

She struggled with her next words, "But, what does Vincent have to do with this?"

Lucrecia merely gave her a condescending smile, "Don't worry, all will be explained in due time, once you are made more comfortable."

Shackles were locked around Yuffie's wrists.

"Take her to the boat," Lucrecia ordered, "We set sail for Nieblhiem first thing tomorrow morning."

The Three Good Fairies tried to comfort Vincent in the room that was prepared for him in secret by Lord Godo. It did little good.

He looked resignedly at them, "Please, just leave me be," he sighed sadly.

His guardians looked at him pityingly before they took their leave, their hearts heavy with regret. Aerith looked back at him one last time before she closed his door, Oh Vincent, she thought unhappily, I wish this didn't have to happen.

Vincent gazed at his reflection as he got ready for bed, Tomorrow he thought, I'll meet my father as... a prince. He tried to imagine himself in the crown the fairies had given him and walking with the Princess of Wutai, toward his father and soon to be father in law. But he couldn't. Whenever he tried to imagine the grand entrance he'd make with the princess like his guardians described, all he could see was the meadow in the forests of Wutai. When he tried to imagine the princess's face he saw Yuffie smiling and dancing in his arms. It was unbearable.

In his misery, he didn't notice the materialization of another in his room. Black flames surrounded the figure announcing his appearance. Vincent could only turn before the figure hit him with several spells. Silence and immobilize again, Vincent thought wryly, why is this a reoccurring trend? Maybe a should wear a ribbon from now on.

He watched as the man cast several more spells directed toward the door. When he was done, he turned to Vincent with a sneer on his face.

"Those fools, they thought that a child's game of hide and seek would keep you safe? I am the great sorcerer Hojo, Lord of all evil! Nothing escapes me!"

Though Vincent was still immobilized he managed to narrow his eyes questioningly.

"Ahh, that's right," Hojo said, those Three Good Fools didn't tell you about me did they?"

He laughed, "They thought you'd be safe from me and that all you'd have to worry about was a loveless arranged marriage."

Turning to face Vincent he sighed, "Of course I can't kill you and use you to awaken Chaos; those fools got that much of their protections right."

"But, I can make you fall into a deep sleep only to be awakened by, what was it?" He tapped his fingers against his chin, "Oh right," he cackled, "love's first kiss!"

"It's too bad the princess is indisposed at the moment." He looked at the confusion swirling in Vincent's eyes.

"Oh, I forgot to mention it? Well I'll let you in on a little secret, that girl in the woods you fell in love with?" he scoffed, "Was none other than your betrothed, Princess Yuffie Kisaragi of Wutai."

He ignored the shock on Vincent's face, "Isn't it tragic? Your betrothed was actually your true love," he spat the word, "and now that I have her imprisoned you will never awaken."

Aerith sighed as she sat next to her companions in the room they shared together.

"I wish we didn't have to do this to him," she said sadly.

Nanaki nodded, "I agree Aerith, but we all know that without this union with Wutai both it and Midgar will fall."

She folded her hands in her lap, "I know it's just-" she looked up suddenly, "Hojo, he's here!"

All three of them cursed themselves for not noticing his aura sooner as they rushed out of their room to Vincent's. By the time they broke down the barriers Hojo cast on the door, it was too late. Vincent laid on the floor in a death-like sleep near the evil sorcerer.

Chained and shackled in a cabin aboard her captor's boat, Yuffie had never felt more helpless. Lucrecia sat in front of her waiting for her to stop struggling before she started to speak.

"Let me tell you a story," she said mockingly, in a voice that was sickly sweet, "Once upon a time there was a young prince born to the king and queen of Midgar. The royal couple were overjoyed at the birth of their first child."

She sighed dramatically, "But alas, their joy would not last, for the boy had something the evil sorcerer Hojo wanted. He wanted to kill and use the prince for an experiment to resurrect the demon of legend, Chaos."

Lucrecia scoffed, "In vain the Three Good Fairies tried to save him from this fate, with their pitiful protections. All they managed to do, was buy time for the prince before Hojo could find him and it was not death that he could bring to the prince, only death-like sleep. So for many years they hid the prince and raised him as their own, in a cottage in the remote forests of Wutai."

Yuffie's eyes widened, could it be that Vincent was... a prince?

Lucrecia noted the understanding that illuminated the princess's features, "Yes, the man you fell in love with was none other than Prince Vincent Valentine of Midgar."

She stood up and cast a spell. Suddenly, it was not the cabin in the ship that Yuffie saw, but a room in the royal pagoda. Even Lucrecia was not among the surroundings, but Yuffie still heard her voice.

"It is here that the prince will rest, along with everyone else in the kingdom of Wutai, for the Three Good Fairies have put all to sleep just as the prince."

Yuffie saw Vincent laying on a bed and even though she knew he was only asleep, her heart clenched. The images of her father and King Grimore, as well as the rest of her court flashed before her eyes.

As the images faded Lucrecia continued, "He will sleep awaiting true love's first kiss to break the spell."

She cackled, "And our story comes to an end, for his princess will never reach him or see him again."

At this Yuffie struggled against her chains, wanting to cry out but unable to do so, being gagged.

Lucrecia walked out the door with a laugh, "I guess true love doesn't always win."

A/N

I hate to end it on a depressing note, but don't worry things will get better! Sigh, this was so hard to write, I'm seriously suffering from writer's block. Don't get me wrong, I want to finish this story and I will but... I just feel so uninspired. I hope you guys liked this chapter, because I just didn't feel my creative juices flowing when I wrote this. So I'm sorry if it didn't have the appeal of my previous chapters. Anyway, thanks so much for reading! I should have about two chapters left and then this story is done! It's been fun writing this and my reviewers have really been the ones that have helped me keep writing the story and not dropping it like I'm always tempted to do and start something else. (Which I usually don't end up finishing either. xD) So thanks a lot guys!