A/N: Bit gory sorry guys ^.^

Thank you to; Asrialth, ikutoJS, and MinnieMouse8990 for reviewing the last chapter! I've come so far and this is the penultimate chapter!

*Note: You won't get the dust bunnies reference if you haven't watched My Neighbour Totoro!

Vincent's gun lay pointed directly at Keto's head. "One wrong move and that's it."

"Why are you protecting her?" Keto growled, he hadn't let go of his sword.

"Put your weapon down."

"Why did you follow me here?"

"Put your sword down or I'll make you."

"Hm." Keto smirked. "How?"

One of Vincent's bullet pierced through Keto's hand and he instantly dropped the sword, like it was on fire. "That's how." He trained his gun back on Keto's head.

Keto screamed in agony and stared at the gaping hole in his hand, surrounded in a circle of black gunpowder.

Yuffie's heart was pounding furiously as she watched the two, her head was swimming and black dots kept invading her vision. There was a sharp stabbing pain in her gut.

Keto grabbed his sword from the ground and scrambled away from the angry gun slinger. His run was jagged but he disappeared soon enough.

"Oh ****"

Vincent turned to look at the young ninja, sprawled across - and through - the golden wooden steps. The thing was, that golden paint was quickly turning red.

"That's not good is it?" Yuffie looked down at wooden debris twisted through the side of her stomach, dripping in her blood. Her eyelids drooped slowly and her grip on reality loosened. "Whoa Vinnie where'd you go?"

Vincent crouched beside her, ripped off part of his cloak and pressed it against the wound. "...It's just a scratch, but you're loosing blood.." He cradled her in one arm to keep her steady.

"Mm, you smell good Vinnie." The thief murmured.

******

Laughter filled the warm summer air as cicadas chirped and an inviting blue filled the sky from horizon to horizon. The flowers bloomed a rainbow in the private gardens behind the pagoda as a little girl ran from her nurse. The garden was a great hiding place, filled with secret waterfalls and footbridges to hide under, perfect for someone as tiny as Yuffie.

She giggled to herself behind a low wall as she watched her distressed nurse search thoroughly. There was no WAY she was having a bath! She liked having mud in her hair and keeping the soles of her feet black. No one else seemed to care, why should she? But then again no one seemed to notice her at all, like she disappeared after she was born. Someone else came and took everyone's attention away, now they just looked sad when they saw Yuffie and told her they had to deal with Shinra. What was so special about Shinra? Did she act like 'a proper little girl'? She must really be something if she was more important than Yuffie. But when she asked to meet Shinra, everyone just laughed her, it wasn't fair!

A sliding door lay open near the pagoda. An escape route.

Yuffie's nurse had already made her way down to the orchard, now was her time to make a dash for it. She took a deep breath and pushed off the wall with stealth no nine year old should have. Her feet brushed gently through the lush grass that lay beneath her inky black soles and she ran full pelt through the door inside.

Instantly her eyes filled with unsuspecting dust bunnies but they soon disappeared and Yuffie skipped down the long corridors at the back of the pagoda.

"I don't care!"

Was that her father's voice?

Yuffie steered herself to a halt outside a partially open door and peeped through at the men inside.

Sun rays blasted through the open blinds and cast great white stripes across everything, Yuffie laughed at her fathers striped expression. Two men clad in black stood to attention in front of her father, silver blades hung all over belts, their faces hidden by black.

"I don't care if we are having peace talks with Shinra, do you know how many of my people they've killed with their damn SOLDIER?! Even when this war is over my country will not be able to recover from the damage they've done. There must be a way to fight back unseen..."

"MISS KISARAGI!!" A very large lady stormed down the corridor with a towel in one hand.

Uh oh...

******

Keto stared down at Yuffie's silent face in the darkness. She'd been unconscious for more than a day now, but she was recovering fast, luckily.

After running into the caves of Da Chao and having time to clear his head, he thought of what an idiot he had become, hurting the girl who was trying to help him. It was obvious she had no idea what her father was doing. What had he become?

"Get out. Now." A pair of scarlet eyes stared out from the shadows of the room. No lights shone in the small bedroom but moonlight floated through the windows, only illuminating about three quarters of the space.

"I wanted to apologise." Keto kept his hands free of his sword to show no intent.

"Get out." He repeated, not taking one step out of the darkness.

"Just tell her I'm sorry, for everything that happened, and everything that's going to happen." There was twitch in Keto's hand and he felt a yearning to stroke Yuffie's beautiful sleeping face.

But that twitch was the last straw for Vincent. He pushed his cape aside pulled out his shotgun. "Going to happen?" The ex-turk took a few steps out into the moonlight, but he still looked just as menacing.

There was a pause as Keto chose his words. "... I've spent a long time thinking about this, but I can't just let it go. Godo sent orders for me and my family to be killed, I have to do something. I know Yuffie hasn't got anything to do with it and I won't hurt her, but I have to settle this score."

"Revenge isn't as sweet as you think it is."

"That maybe so, but I don't care. It's a matter of pride. I've requested an official duel between myself and Godo, that way either I kill the man that ruined my life or die myself.

Vincent lowered his gun. "You know that will hurt Yuffie either way."

"That's why I'm saying sorry." With that departing word, Keto jumped fluidly out the window and vanished.

--

Groggily, the bright sunshine awoke Yuffie from her silent state, bringing her back to reality. Her head was heavy and dark but she managed to sneak a peek at where she was.

She could see stereotypical wooden shutters on the windows, wooden floorboards, and white walls. "Wutai?"

A red blob sat in the corner of the room.

"Vin-" Suddenly the memories of what happened flooded back into her head. "Keto!" She shouted, sitting upright and looking around.

"Keep still." Vincent warned, catching Yuffie as the head rush caught up with her. "You've been out for two days."

Yuffie didn't complain about staying longer in Vincent's warm arms. "I blacked out again? You know that's the forth time in a week..."

Vincent propped up her pillows and lay her against them. "Hm.." He grunted.

Yuffie pulled the cotton sheets away from her stomach to survey the damage. "Ewwwwww..." She groaned, picking at the black congealed blood surrounding the right side of her torso.

Vincent grunted in agreement again and turned towards the door at the other end of the room.

"W-Wait where are you going? You can't leave me here!" The injured ninja protested. She tried to get up but then decided it was probably best not to...

"Telling the nurse you're awake." He replied as he carried on through the door.

Yuffie huffed at her confinement and glared at the door entrance, did he really think she would let some stuck up nurse examine her and make her stay in bed for another couple of days?

Soon after a podgy, middle aged, Wutain nurse waddled her way into the room. "Alright Miss Kisaragi how are you feeling this morning?"

"Well I've just scooped out half my stomach with a wooden pole and lost pints of blood, how do you think I feel." She asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"It was a wonder you didn't hit any major organs Miss, but luckily that wonderful man Mr Valentine carried you to safety and saved your life." The nurse sighed and looked over at the door as if Vincent would become her own knight in shining armour.

"Ch'a like that would happen, Vincent wouldn't save my life if Leviathan was chewing my own head off!" Yuffie snorted, wrestling away from the nurses cold hands.

"Oh but he did, he stayed next to your bed night and day just to see you got better! He's also been talking to Master Godo everyday!" She'd been removing all the blood soaked bandages around Yuffie's middle and replaced fresh ones in their stead. She now moved onto feeling Yuffie's forehead with the back of her hand and checking her pulse.

"He was talking to the old man? What good would that do?"

"Well after that young man from Junon turned up, he's been trying to pick a fight with Master Godo since! Mr Valentine has been persuading him against it but Master Godo's just about lost his tether!" The nurse tucked Yuffie's sheets back in exceptionally tight and started clearing up the bloody bandages.

Yuffie thought about the nurses words. A man from Junon... "What does this guy from Junon look like?" She asked.

"Well very handsome in my opinion, at least I wouldn't turn him down!" She gossiped. "Very rugged, with messy brown hair and he always wears these open necked white shirts, they look gorgeous on him! Of course who knows what'll happen to him after today, Master Godo's a very formidable foe!"

There was no mistake about it, she was talking about Keto. "What's happening today?" Yuffie grilled her in a panicked voice.

"The fight darling! Master Godo got asked for a formal duel, just like you asked him a few years ago. He's put it off for a couple of days but they're putting an end to it today, why do you know him or something?"

Yuffie's breath caught in her throat. What?! "Vincent!!" She screamed.

The cloaked man ran into the room with a raised eyebrow, hand on the hilt of his gun.

"Get me to the pagoda now!" She demanded, pulling the nurse's suffocating blankets off her again and trying to stand.

Vincent strode over and grabbed Yuffie's arm before she toppled over. Her weak frame made him feel more protective over her than he had ever felt. "But-"

"Cut the crap Valentine!" He flinched at her use of his last name. "Take me to the pagoda now or so Gods help me!"

Vincent paused as he looked into Yuffie's large, mahogany eyes. All he saw was fear.

Together the couple limped their way out the door and down the corridor that lead outside. The sun pumped its rays down at full force in the little tourist town and few people were out in the siesta hours. They walked much faster than any other people on the street, which confused some passers by. Even though Yuffie was still walking, Vincent took most of her weight and used his strength to propel her forward with every step.

Much sooner than should have been possible, they reached the pagoda. The steps Yuffie had fallen through days before had now been covered with unpainted pine wood and secured insufficiently. The duo flew up them and raced into belly of the beast.

--

Keto took a deep breath and looked at his foe, a balding old man. He felt the swords weight in his hand and tossed it to and fro, checking its balance. The crimson blade flashed in the dim light of the top floor of the pagoda.

"Are you ready" Godo asked.

Since he was six, this man had been causing him pain and suffering, but why was he still feeling regret? Whatever the reason, the pirate swallowed his feelings and faced the leader. "Yes."

Godo smirked and clicked his fingers.

His figure blurred in the air, as if caught on a bad video camera, different parts of his body jerking right and left in the purple mist that surrounded him. The mist grew twice in size and a great shadow blocked the light behind it, something was lurking inside. The fog cleared and a huge monster stared back at Keto. The face wasn't much of a face, instead a large yellow mask with black holes where eyes should be looked at him. The head turned to the left and another head replaced it, this one a fiery red with a long snout, tongue and horns. A third head also lay behind, but it could not be seen from the angle Keto was now cowering at. It was draped in a variety of bright, royal colours with a large scimitar in one hand. The hand hurtled towards Keto with great force and sunk into the floor next to him.

Keto rolled away with expertise and immersed himself in battle.

The duel continued for several minutes before two people burst on the scene. One tall and dark, draped in a russet, ragged material, the other covered in white from chest to waist. She was limping.

Keto winced at their timing and dodged another ever advancing attack from the beast. "What are you doing here?!" He screamed from his stance across the room.

"Saving your ass that's what!" Yuffie yelled back, limping towards her mutated father before a strong hand held onto her.

"No." Vincent stated, pulling her back.

Yuffie stared at him in protest.

"It's too dangerous, Keto would never forgive himself if something happened to you again." He explained, keeping a firm hold of her. "Besides, you're injured."

The fiery ninja knew he was right but she didn't want to admit it. She instead turned her attention back to Keto. "Please stop! Please call it off!" She pleaded. "As soon as you say the word he'll retreat!"

Keto deflected another blow and rolled between the monsters legs and out the other side, using it's height as a disadvantage. "No! I started this and I'm going to finish this!" He shouted back.

"Please!" Yuffie was almost in tears by this point."I can't lose one of you!" She begged. "Stop old man, stop!" But of course Godo would only listen to his opponent.

Keto was breathing heavily by this point and was barely being able to dodge any attack Godo put to him, let alone the fact that he was getting stronger every second.

Suddenly the demon stopped attacking and brought it's hands together. A large dark green orb grew between his hands as he brought them apart. It hovered in the air in front of the audience.

"Oh crap..." Yuffie whispered. "He's using Bio 3... Keto! Get of the way! NOW!" She screamed as hard as she ever had!

But it was too late. The green sphere shot through the air and smashed straight into Keto's chest, being absorbed by his body straight away. Keto still stood, his breathing now constricted and harsh as he strained against the force of the virus infecting his body slowly but surely.

Godo used this as his opportune moment.

"NO!"

Keto saw it coming but didn't bother avoiding it. His body ached and all he wished was release. He wished for release from the cloud that had hung over his life since the beginning.

So, as he looked into Yuffe's eyes from across the room, silently remorseful for her sake, he let fate take its course.

Godo's blade sank through the centre of Keto's chest...