Cloud was staring at the flames of his campfire. It had been nearly two months since he had stormed out of Yuffie's penthouse in Wutai, and he had found himself stuck in a deeper rut than before. It had felt so good to be with her, but then she had started talking about marriage and how it wouldn't be him. He didn't know how to respond, and he freely admitted to himself that he handled it rather badly. Tifa and Yuffie were the only women he had been with, and he was too used to Tifa's clinging ways that Yuffie's revelations about her future had thrown him for a loop. He couldn't be with Tifa, and Yuffie couldn't be with him. Suddenly his phone went off, and he reached into his pocket and pulled it out, surprised to have a message. Tifa only texted him about Marlene and Denzel's school activities to remind him of his obligations, and it was the weekend.

Please have tea with me again in Wutai. I have to talk to you, it's important.

Cloud felt relieved as he replied that he'd be there in a few days. He had tried to figure out how to apologize to Yuffie during his search for Zack, but it all sounded so stupid. Hopefully he could figure out what to say when he saw her in person, he thought as he climbed into his sleeping bag and closed his eyes.

Yuffie opened the door as soon as Cloud knocked on it. "Please come in." she said. As soon as he walked in, he grabbed her and kicked the door closed. "What are you doing?" she asked in surprise as he carried her to her bedroom.

"You're mine." he told her as he laid her down onto the bed and undid her kimono. This time she had a bra and panties under it, and he quickly removed them before unfastening his pants. "Do you understand? No one else will ever have you."

"Cloud, you know..." Yuffie was silenced as he crushed his mouth against hers and his hands started fondling her.

"You'll be my wife so your precious tradition will be kept." he told her as he spread her legs apart. "Say you'll marry me."

"I want to." she admitted as he drove himself into her.

"Say it then." he demanded as her body welcomed his familiar possession of her. It was as if she had been made just for him. "Say you'll marry me."

"I..." Yuffie moaned.

"Say it!" he snapped. "Marry me!"

"Marry me!" Cloud exclaimed.

"What?" Vincent hadn't been expecting that as he woke up the blonde warrior.

"Huh?" Cloud mumbled, then his awareness sharpened. "Vincent! What are you doing here?"

"I've been looking for you for weeks. I know you've been searching for Zack Fair, and I think there's a hidden cave in the northern Crater that might yield some answers." Vincent informed him.

"How do you know that?" Cloud asked, feeling a rush of adrenaline at the first real lead he'd had in months.

"There is nowhere angels fear to tread." Vincent said and handed him a single feather before disappearing in a swirl of his red cloak. First Tifa acts like he's in love with her, now Cloud blurts out a proposal when he wakes him up. Vincent really needed some quiet time hiding from the world in his coffin.

Cloud stared at the feather. It was very unusual, and he had no idea what animal it could have come from. Then he realized it was dawn and time for him to get moving...he wanted to go to the northern Crater right away, but he didn't have enough supplies, and he did promise Yuffie he'd see her as soon as he could.

Walking down the hallway to the door to Yuffie's penthouse, Cloud was surprised to see royal guards on either side of the door. "Remove all your weapons and you may enter." one of them ordered him. Wondering what was going on, he regretfully handed over the Buster sword and his hunting knife, and then one of the guards knocked before opening the door and announcing his arrival. Cloud walked cautiously inside to find Godo Kisaragi seated in one of the chairs in Yuffie's living room, looking sterner than Cloud remembered, and Yuffie was on the couch next to the coffee table with her tea service on it. She had her head bowed as if in shame and she seemed extremely pale.

"What's...what's going on here?" Cloud asked, feeling like he had just walked into some kind of trap.

"You violated my daughter!" Godo's angry voice boomed throughout the living room.

"You told him?" Cloud asked Yuffie, dumbfounded.

"I had to." Yuffie said meekly.

"Why?" Cloud wanted to know why on Gaia she would do such a thing, since she had made it clear their night together was to be private between them.

She finally raised her head to look at him, and her eyes were red and puffy from lengthy crying spells. "Because I'm pregnant!"