Disclaimer: Please? I just want to own them a little bit? No? Shizzit.

Mystic: Daddy's home and he's doing great. His scar looks pretty good too. It's not that bruised and all his vitals are plum perfect. Whew! On top of that, my little boy turned three over the weekend. My son is easily my husband's clone. They look exactly alike, it's almost eerie ... By the way, ten people have this favorited and eleven people on alerts. I'd be willing to thank you if you all would review. I'm only getting six or seven reviews per chapter. Don't put me on favs or alerts if you're not going to review cuz then I have to worry about plagiarism. Come on readers. Just a quick yay or nay is all I ask. Nothing major. Oh! I threw in a Rodney Carrington song! Guess which one!

It was a heavenly and very manly scent that Yuffie awoke to early the following morning; a thick combination of faded cologne, faint sweat, and tingling sake. Vincent was warm and the steady rise and fall of his breath lulled her nearly back to sleep. His snores were quiet and resembled that of a low growl. Despite being seperate from Chaos, it would still appear that the demon left his mark on the gunman. Chaos influenced Vincent on his choice of music (hence the Disturbed and other heavy rock), and though Yuffie really didn't realize it, Chaos not only took a liking to her, but developed a rather boyish crush on her too. Vincent suffered the annoying plight of listening to the wretched demon talk nonstop about "the sexy and flexible shinobi". As horrible as the former Turk hated to admit, Chaos was right about most things. He was extremely sarcastic and very sadistic, but surprisingly better company than the other tenants that used to take up residence in his tired brain. Galian Beast was obsessed with fighting and Hellmasker wanted to tear everyone limb from limb and use the severed appendages to start a horror-fest bonfire.

Very, very creepy. As if sleeping thirty years in a coffin wasn't creepy enough.

Pathetic, evil Hojo.

Vincent eventually stirred and felt the familiar weight of a woman snuggled next to him. It had been well over thirty years since he woke up next to a female and doing so again forced him to realize how much he damn well missed it. He also came to terms with realizing that he really, really missed the events that often preceded waking up with a woman. His body did at least. As soon as Vincent's muscled form felt Yuffie's more petite one, all the blood rushed to a head he had been rudely neglecting for far too long. He could swear the thing was growling at him. Or singing.

Dear Vincent, I don't think I like you anymore ...

Eh, no more sake.

He confessed last night that he would make love to her and it felt like a gigantic anvil of angst freed itself from his shoulders. The stupid thing was getting heavy anyway. Lack of sex did not feel good on a healthy male. His virginity probably grew back from the absence of the dirty deed, but sleeping in vampire quarters for a prolonged period of time was to blame for that. He looked down at Yuffe, who was absentmindedly pinching the soft fabric of his pajama shirt while her head rested on his chest. Her eyelids were still heavy but a noticeable smile graced her pretty face. It would be ... nice to wake up next to her again, after a busy night of intense and passionate sex.

Dear Vincent, I think I like you afterall ...

Seriously, lay off the sake. He was turning into Reno.

Vincent just leaned against the sterile wall. He really wasn't needed for anything so he used the sheetrock and drywall to help hold him up. That's usually what he did in situations like now; take refuge in a dark corner or quiet wall. He could watch what was going on from a distance, but still be close enough to intervene if the desire arose. Considering Yuffie downed to two cups of coffee to ease her hangover and was hyper once more, he felt that intervention might be necessary. So, he leaned against the wall directly behind the caffeine-ladled girl and hoped for the best.

Godo and Yuffie sat in two chairs opposite of the surgeon's desk. His name was Doctor Sal and even though the man was Wutaiinese, his attire screamed "modern hippie". His slightly grayish hair was slicked back with copious amounts of mousse and a moderate amount of what Yuffie called "bling" hung from his neck. Instead of fancy slacks and a dress shirt, faded jeans and a half-buttoned t-shirt was the choice attire. As soon as he walked in, Yuffie stated that she was NOT going to trust a bling-wearing hippie with her dad's vital organ. Godo sighed in a way that reminded Vincent of himself (scary), but was relieved to hear the WRO employee crack a small joke. Yes, Vincent made a joke. He remarked that he liked the casual form of dress and lack of a white lab coat because white lab coats reminded him of very bad things.

Yuffie nearly had a heart attack herself after Vincent's words entered her ears and registered in her mind. He wasn't supposed to make jokes! Not at a time like this!

Doctor Sal laughed a hearty chuckle and pointed to his many fancy-shmancy university diplomas. He was the best heart surgeon in Wutai and more than capable of caring for Lord Godo. Sal explained that during a routine physical, Godo's general physician discovered "something funky" in his heart and referred him to Sal's team of specialists. It was during those exams that two arteries found to be over eighty percent blocked. There was also a third artery that only contained fifty percent blockage, but Sal stated that he was going to take care of that one as well. The surgery itself was scheduled for early the next morning at their top cardiac hospital and the ruler would be going under an assumed name to protect his privacy. Yuffie would lead the country temporarily in his absence, but she made it quite clear that she was going to be at the hospital for his surgery. Anybody who said differently would meet with severe pain.

There was no argument.

Today's tests were mundane bloodwork, making sure Godo's platelets and white blood cells were normal and stable for the heart-lung machine that he would be hooked up to. The main thing today was mapping out the veins in his legs to determine which one's would be used for tomorrow's bypass. Wutai's ruler was going to have blue Sharpee marks all over his legs like a giant connect-the-dots. That should have made Yuffie laugh, but it didn't. She remained seated with a face almost as pale as her proxy husband's. The reality of this situation was starting to sink in and she was clearly not acting like herself. Vincent walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder to offer reassurance.

Her father noticed it as well and spoke in a low, calm voice. "Yuffie, I'll be okay."

"After they map your legs," she whispered, "can we stop by Leviathan's Shrine?"

"Of course," Godo answered.

"Vincent?" She looked up at his crimson eyes that were filled with concern.

"I'll be right beside you both."

Mystic: Okay, a little history about this chapter. My dad's surgeon looked like a hippie. I'm not joking! He wore his hair slicked back, got the bling going on, and wore this almost see-through white shirt most of way unbuttoned. Mom and I were like, "This is a heart surgeon?" Can't complain though, cuz he did a great job. Now don't forget to review, lest I accuse you of plagiarism. It's happened on this site plenty of times.