Yuffie woke up and felt the empty bed next to her. She jumped up and threw her clothes on quickly, racing down stairs. She stopped at the top of the stairs; Vincent was opening the front door about to leave. Silently racing down the steps she grabbed a vase of the side table and threw it at him, smashing it against the door way next to his head as he exited.
"You're running away? Again? Didn't last night mean anything to you?" she yelled at him.
"Yuffie… I was wrong, I shouldn't have….." Vincent was cut off as she pointed at him viscously.
"Don't bother leaving, I will go," Yuffie ran upstairs stuffing things in a back pack and putting her Shrunken on her back she walked back down the stairs. Vincent looked at her as she walked out of the door.
"Goodbye Vincent," Yuffie glared at him and slammed the door, making the glass windows near it rattle as she stormed off into the early morning sun. She walked with out purpose, through the town munching on a pastry she had brought. Suddenly it struck her. It was time to go home. Finally she had learnt enough, grown enough. She was going to go back to Wutai and make her father see what he was doing wrong. Yuffie smiled despite the sadness she felt and set off on the long track home.
It took Yuffie a little over a week to reach Wutai. She was welcomed home like a returning Princess should be. She smiled at her father when she was taken to his large audience chamber. He had missed his daughter and longed for her return. They hugged and he spoke to her softly "I have missed you, my Yuffie. I have seen the wisdom you held even before you left, we must make Wutai what it once was,"
Yuffie pulled away and beamed at her father "I will help you father, I am home now," she headed off to her rooms where she bathed and changed out of her clothes. Glad to be clean and anticipating a good warm meal after days of travelling. She looked out of her room's window across the town, lit up like a reflection of the night sky above. It had been the right time to come home; she no longer feared a forced marriage. She loved Vincent and if she could not be with him, any man her father might choose was as good as any other.
Vincent to was thinking of his lover. He stood in her room; he had left it exactly how it had been while she was here. Her scent still lingered but it was fading rapidly, he touched the little cats and smiled slightly. Yuffie was so young really, not long out of childhood and immature in many ways but in others….she was wise beyond her years. Vincent sighed and cast his glance on the large painting of Wutai, it certainly was beautiful. He wondered if Yuffie had returned there, what she was doing, if she was happy.
Yuffie found a sort of contentment living with her father, they worked together daily, and became closer than they had ever been. She was starting to smile more and cry less after a year of being parted from Vincent. Her heart still ached for him sometimes, especially on warm summer evenings when she strolled the gardens and heard lovers whispering to each other. She rounded a corner of a large hedge and a servant collided with her.
"I'm sorry Miss Yuffie!" he rambled "but you must come, your father there was an accident, I am afraid her dieing,"
Yuffie sprinted towards her father chambers and burst into the hushed room. She knelt next to his bed and clutched his hand in her own.
"What happened?" she demanded of the attending physician.
"He fell… down the stairs and he has damaged himself quiet severely. I am afraid we have used all the materia we can, there is nothing left to do," The physician looked away ashamedly.
Yuffie turned back to her father and kissed his hand crying silently.
"Don't leave me father, not now please," she whispered looking up at him with big brown eyes.
"I'm so sorry my girl, I wish I could have more time with you, but you will be Empress now you must be strong….." he closed his eyes and Yuffie let out a scream, shaking him, but he would not be roused.
Yuffie turned away dropping his limp had and hid her face in her shoulder.
"Send out the word, the people must know what has happened," she whispered to the advisors who were standing stony faced in the corner.
Yuffie left them to make arrangements. Tomorrow she would become empress and then a few days after she would release her father back to the life stream.
The day Empress Yuffie was crowned was perfect. The sun shone brightly in the sky and a soft breeze kept the heat at bay. Thousands pf people had turned out to see her take her place as the leader of Wutai. Yuffie stood before them, the sun rays shining down upon her, reflecting off of her simple silver crown and she could not have been colder. She looked out into the crowd. Mothers holding children, husbands holding wives who wept for their lost leader. She turned and looked behind her, the advisors standing there straight backed and pale and was very aware of the empty space on either side of her. She bowed low, the ceremony was complete. Word of Wutai's new ruler raced across the lands and messages of congratulations and condolences had already started arriving.
Yuffie returned to the palace, refusing to talk to anyone. Advisors were clambering for her attention eager to secure their place once again. She missed Vincent and her friends, and the father she was only just beginning to know.
She sat in her father throne, the large empty chamber warm in the summer air. She wept then, silent tears for her father and then louder once for herself. The next few days, she closeted herself away in her chambers, refusing to see or speak to anyone. Telva sent word that her friends were coming as soon as possible but would not be in time for the funeral.
The message never made it to Yuffie, she had blocked locked all of her staff out, many messages intended for her stacked up on a table outside her door. The day of the funeral arrived and a pale and thin Yuffie emerged from her room. She walked straight backed to thought the city in morning to the small lake not to far from the city. Yuffie ignored the whispers as she passed, no one expected her to take her fathers death so hard.
The bubbly princess of Wutai was heart broken and parentless and her people's heart went out to her. Yuffie stood near the shore of the lake as her fathers body drifted away, returning to the life stream. Her voice warbled in a Wutanese song of honour as silent tears wound down her face. Her voice was lost in the drone of the crowd as they sang to their fallen monarch into the evening air. It was over, he was gone. Yuffie knew now she had to find a way to start again.
Yuffie climbed to her favourite place, a small outcrop that looked over Wutai. She would give herself tonight to morn him. She could see most of the city from here, small green lights burning in each window as a mark of respect. Yuffie whispered gentle prayers and thought of Vincent and their final night together.
Strong arms wrapped around her stomach and she turned and buried her head into a familiar chest.
"You came," she whispered against Vincent shoulder.
He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tightly. He had to come; he had heard the news and known that she would need him. Yuffie looked up at him.
"I have missed you so,"
Vincent kissed her softly, wrapping his red cloak around them.
"I am here now, I can never pledge myself to you Yuffie, especially now. But I will stay while I can, but do not rely on me for I can offer you nothing," He kissed her again and carried her back to the palace.
Yuffie's heart healed from her father's death and Vincent kept his word, he stayed at Wutai and shared her life and bed. Every morning Yuffie woke up panic and reached out across the bed frantically to see if he had slipped away in the night. Vincent drew her into his arms and whispered "I will be here at least one more day,"
Yuffie ruled her people well and slowly returned the carefree princess that had once fled so eagerly from Wutanese halls. She heard little from her friends, until a frantic phone call came from Tifa and once again like heroes they set off to save the world. Yuffie smiled as they sped towards their friends. Life was good and she was looking forward to seeing Telva again and making Vincent jealous by hanging out with spiky.
