Disclaimer: All of these characters, places, etc. do not belong to me. The
only thing that belongs to me is the idea for the story, and most of that
is probably owned by Square anyway. And if it isn't, it should be!!
Author's Note: Okay, two chapters in one day!! This is a sort-of apology. I'm bad. I'm awful. I'm horrendous. I'm so bad a really really bad person takes one look at me and says 'wow she's bad'. I think that about covers it. And, please review!! I would be much obliged if you would review every chapter of my story!! Reviews are my source of energy and inspiration, so no reviews, no energy, no inspiration. But I will be working at this story for a while now, so you can rest at ease that I will not take such a long break again!! Enjoy!!!
AN: Just to let you know, this chapter happens approx. two years after the last one. Which means, technically, that Aeris and co. are now eight years old. But that will change shortly. And, as you will be able to tell, I cannot write action scenes. Forgive me.
Chapter 23:
I Surrender
It was scary, being stuck in here. I heard voices from the other side of the door, but daddy told me not to go out. He told me it was. dangerous? He told me. And I had to do what he said. Even if it meant being stuck in a scary closet.
And this is a scary closet. There's no light in here. It's dark. I don't like the dark. It's scary. Too scary for me. Daddy knows I get a scared of the dark. Why did he leave me in here? But... he told me. Wait. That's what he said, so the danger people won't get me. They can't get their hands on me, or else. That's what he said. So, I'll just stay here. I'd better stay here.
.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was, in fact, dark. And, to a two-year-old, scary. Although she might not have been able to say it properly, Yuffie Kisaragi was definitely able to understand what her father had told her. To stay.
It was something her father was grateful for. She was the only child he had, and her mother was a woman he cherished very dearly. He needed to protect them from these ShinRa monsters. The war that raged in Wutai had never been fiercer, and each side was quickly adding to its losses. Godo would have preferred to be able to take his wife and daughter somewhere safe while he fought off these intruders, but that was impossible. He would have to hope that they would spare them if they were found. After all, how low could a soldier be to kill a helpless woman or child?
Godo whipped his head around at the sound of a crash. Had his guards been defeated? He knew he should have been faster in hiding his family. Silently cursing himself, he ran towards the front door.
In retrospect, he should have known it was futile. He would have seen the thousands of heavily armed ShinRa troops and realized he was outnumbered. He would have understood that they would ultimately win, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop them from taking over Wutai.
But, at that moment, Godo could only look at his people getting slaughtered. He saw the ShinRa troops breaking one man's arm, then stabbing him repeatedly. Other soldiers were burning the villager's homes, and one had taken it upon himself to attack any women he saw.
His mind had the image burned into it. It was an experience he wished he would never have to relive, going out there and attacking. But his honor and pride were at stake. He was descended from a long line of Ninja, and there was no way some uniformed hired guns were going to make him give up his homeland. ShinRa was finished.
Godo began attacking, starting with the soldier who was going after women. He ran up next to the man and attacked, so swiftly that no one could see exactly what he did. But after several more men were taken down, the others began to notice that Godo was a threat.
He found himself surrounded, and without aid. All of his comrades were busy defending themselves. And what could they hope to do against this many soldiers?
A shriek came from his home, and a cold wave of fear settled over him. Oh, no. Had they found his family? He ran past the soldiers and into his house, desperately searching for the source of the noise. He stopped short at what he found.
His wife was kneeling on the floor of his bedroom. Two men stood near her- one gripping her hair tightly, the other holding an unsheathed sword up to her neck. She was whimpering, begging them not to kill her. They merely laughed.
"Stop!" Godo commanded them. At once, the two men looked at him. "Put down your weapons! Can't you see this woman is defenseless?!"
The soldier holding the sword sneered. "Don't spout your honor crap at us. You people should just give up, then-" He gently pressed the blade into her throat. She cried out in pain and began to whimper even more. "Silly little disputes like these wouldn't happen."
"Let her go immediately! I am Lord Godo. You were never invited into my house, so I ask that you step outside so we may continue the battle there."
The soldiers looked at each other and laughed. "Oh, no, you've got it all wrong. The battle's ending here and now." With that, he drew his sword across her throat quickly, with the ease of a long-practiced skill. Godo cried out, and his wife fell to the ground.
A high-pitched scream came from the closet, and Godo rushed forward. But it was too late. They already had Yuffie in their hands.
"Hold."
Godo turned around at the new voice. There stood a man clad in ShinRa battle armor. He looked to be at least thirty years old, and had many medals pinned on his chest. Godo immediately recognized him to be one of ShinRa's famous generals, but which one? Who was it? If only he knew, he might have some clue of how to deal with him. Would it be better to talk or fight? Stay or flee? If only he could place that face.
"What is going on here?" His voice commanded attention, and he was given it. Everyone in the room stilled.
"S-Sir!" The man who had been holding his wife's hair spoke up. "We infiltrated Lord Godo's home in order to find him, but were unable to locate him. We found a woman, presumably his wife, hiding a few rooms down. She ran to this room, where we trapped her."
The general looked around the room, eyes lingering on the bloody body on the floor, and the small child being held by the soldiers. In his mind he already knew the outcome, but it would be more fun to keep them guessing.
"And why was this woman killed?"
The two men looked at each other, and the one who still held the blade spoke up. "Sir, umm, you see-"
"No!" At the general's voice, everyone again become still. "I want no excuses. This is war, not random killing. What soldier kills a woman who was only protecting her child?" The general turned to Lord Godo and met his gaze. "An extreme injustice has been done to you. For that, I apologize."
"Apologize? You APOLOGIZE?! How dare you. Your soldiers are animals! They behave in ways that are inhuman and vicious. How does ShinRa operate, that it's willing to allow these practices to continue? I'm disgusted by this." Godo's sharp voice was perhaps the only thing keeping him from breaking down completely. His wife was dead- murdered, before his eyes. And this man said he apologized? It was just too cruel.
"I agree. However, training recruits is not my job. My job is to end the war in my favor. Therefore, I have a proposition for you." Godo was cautious, but continued to listen. "You desire your child's life, I desire your surrender. Shall we make a trade?"
"What?! That's outrageous! I don't even control Wutai, how can you-"
"True, you don't control Wutai. However, you and yours are the strongest fighters and protectors. If you surrender, the war will essentially be over. So, have we got a deal? Think carefully before you answer. We wouldn't want my eager soldiers here to do something we'd all regret."
For years after this, he would think of all the things he should have done. He would think about the look on Yuffie's face as strange men were talking about killing her. He would think about how the man seemed so calm, so utterly at ease in such a tense situation. And he would think about how the other soldiers seemed to fear this general.
Godo sighed, feeling defeated. There was no way out. Even if he didn't agree, the people of Wutai would only continue to be slaughtered. Wasn't it better to save the lives of many? That was what he was telling himself as he sealed the fate of Wutai.
"All right. I surrender."
The general snapped his fingers. "Let the girl go." The soldiers dropped her and went to standby the general's side. The general turned to speak to Godo before leaving. "I'll let headquarters know. You've made a wise decision."
As the general walked away, Godo noticed a small strand of hair that had fallen out of his helmet. It looked. ?
But, it couldn't be.. him?
~*~*~*~*~*~
Yuffie hit the floor with a thud. It hurt, hitting the floor like that. But it had hurt more when the men were holding her, so she guessed it was alright. Why was mommy on the floor like that? She almost looked like she was asleep, but there was red stuff all over her. That red stuff was the same as when she had cut her finger before. But there was a lot more of it now.
She looked up to see her daddy kneeling down, next to her mommy. Why was he so sad? He looked like he would cry. Yuffie came to stand next to him and she held his hand.
"Daddy?" she asked, softly. Her voice was slurred and hard to make out, but he understood her.
"Yes, Yuffie?"
"Mommy have boo-boo?"
"Yes, Yuffie, mommy has a boo-boo."
"Kiss, make all better!"
"No, Yuffie."
No? Kissing wouldn't make it all better? But mommy did that to her when she felt sick and she felt better. Maybe there was something else?
"Daddy?"
.
"Daddy?"
"Not now, Yuffie."
She felt her hand fall back as daddy let it go. Daddy stood up, picked mommy up, and walked out of the room. She went to follow. But daddy pulled the door shut behind him, and she didn't know how to open it.
Yuffie turned around and walked over to where mommy had been laying. There was a lot of the red stuff on the floor here, too. How would mommy get it out? Usually she had this bottle that cleaned whatever got dirty. Would it work on the red stuff? She would have to ask mommy that tomorrow, when she was feeling better.
Daddy had been sad, though. Why had he been so sad?
It felt bad, having daddy leave her alone.
Daddy was acting different now.
Author's Note: Okay, two chapters in one day!! This is a sort-of apology. I'm bad. I'm awful. I'm horrendous. I'm so bad a really really bad person takes one look at me and says 'wow she's bad'. I think that about covers it. And, please review!! I would be much obliged if you would review every chapter of my story!! Reviews are my source of energy and inspiration, so no reviews, no energy, no inspiration. But I will be working at this story for a while now, so you can rest at ease that I will not take such a long break again!! Enjoy!!!
AN: Just to let you know, this chapter happens approx. two years after the last one. Which means, technically, that Aeris and co. are now eight years old. But that will change shortly. And, as you will be able to tell, I cannot write action scenes. Forgive me.
Chapter 23:
I Surrender
It was scary, being stuck in here. I heard voices from the other side of the door, but daddy told me not to go out. He told me it was. dangerous? He told me. And I had to do what he said. Even if it meant being stuck in a scary closet.
And this is a scary closet. There's no light in here. It's dark. I don't like the dark. It's scary. Too scary for me. Daddy knows I get a scared of the dark. Why did he leave me in here? But... he told me. Wait. That's what he said, so the danger people won't get me. They can't get their hands on me, or else. That's what he said. So, I'll just stay here. I'd better stay here.
.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was, in fact, dark. And, to a two-year-old, scary. Although she might not have been able to say it properly, Yuffie Kisaragi was definitely able to understand what her father had told her. To stay.
It was something her father was grateful for. She was the only child he had, and her mother was a woman he cherished very dearly. He needed to protect them from these ShinRa monsters. The war that raged in Wutai had never been fiercer, and each side was quickly adding to its losses. Godo would have preferred to be able to take his wife and daughter somewhere safe while he fought off these intruders, but that was impossible. He would have to hope that they would spare them if they were found. After all, how low could a soldier be to kill a helpless woman or child?
Godo whipped his head around at the sound of a crash. Had his guards been defeated? He knew he should have been faster in hiding his family. Silently cursing himself, he ran towards the front door.
In retrospect, he should have known it was futile. He would have seen the thousands of heavily armed ShinRa troops and realized he was outnumbered. He would have understood that they would ultimately win, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop them from taking over Wutai.
But, at that moment, Godo could only look at his people getting slaughtered. He saw the ShinRa troops breaking one man's arm, then stabbing him repeatedly. Other soldiers were burning the villager's homes, and one had taken it upon himself to attack any women he saw.
His mind had the image burned into it. It was an experience he wished he would never have to relive, going out there and attacking. But his honor and pride were at stake. He was descended from a long line of Ninja, and there was no way some uniformed hired guns were going to make him give up his homeland. ShinRa was finished.
Godo began attacking, starting with the soldier who was going after women. He ran up next to the man and attacked, so swiftly that no one could see exactly what he did. But after several more men were taken down, the others began to notice that Godo was a threat.
He found himself surrounded, and without aid. All of his comrades were busy defending themselves. And what could they hope to do against this many soldiers?
A shriek came from his home, and a cold wave of fear settled over him. Oh, no. Had they found his family? He ran past the soldiers and into his house, desperately searching for the source of the noise. He stopped short at what he found.
His wife was kneeling on the floor of his bedroom. Two men stood near her- one gripping her hair tightly, the other holding an unsheathed sword up to her neck. She was whimpering, begging them not to kill her. They merely laughed.
"Stop!" Godo commanded them. At once, the two men looked at him. "Put down your weapons! Can't you see this woman is defenseless?!"
The soldier holding the sword sneered. "Don't spout your honor crap at us. You people should just give up, then-" He gently pressed the blade into her throat. She cried out in pain and began to whimper even more. "Silly little disputes like these wouldn't happen."
"Let her go immediately! I am Lord Godo. You were never invited into my house, so I ask that you step outside so we may continue the battle there."
The soldiers looked at each other and laughed. "Oh, no, you've got it all wrong. The battle's ending here and now." With that, he drew his sword across her throat quickly, with the ease of a long-practiced skill. Godo cried out, and his wife fell to the ground.
A high-pitched scream came from the closet, and Godo rushed forward. But it was too late. They already had Yuffie in their hands.
"Hold."
Godo turned around at the new voice. There stood a man clad in ShinRa battle armor. He looked to be at least thirty years old, and had many medals pinned on his chest. Godo immediately recognized him to be one of ShinRa's famous generals, but which one? Who was it? If only he knew, he might have some clue of how to deal with him. Would it be better to talk or fight? Stay or flee? If only he could place that face.
"What is going on here?" His voice commanded attention, and he was given it. Everyone in the room stilled.
"S-Sir!" The man who had been holding his wife's hair spoke up. "We infiltrated Lord Godo's home in order to find him, but were unable to locate him. We found a woman, presumably his wife, hiding a few rooms down. She ran to this room, where we trapped her."
The general looked around the room, eyes lingering on the bloody body on the floor, and the small child being held by the soldiers. In his mind he already knew the outcome, but it would be more fun to keep them guessing.
"And why was this woman killed?"
The two men looked at each other, and the one who still held the blade spoke up. "Sir, umm, you see-"
"No!" At the general's voice, everyone again become still. "I want no excuses. This is war, not random killing. What soldier kills a woman who was only protecting her child?" The general turned to Lord Godo and met his gaze. "An extreme injustice has been done to you. For that, I apologize."
"Apologize? You APOLOGIZE?! How dare you. Your soldiers are animals! They behave in ways that are inhuman and vicious. How does ShinRa operate, that it's willing to allow these practices to continue? I'm disgusted by this." Godo's sharp voice was perhaps the only thing keeping him from breaking down completely. His wife was dead- murdered, before his eyes. And this man said he apologized? It was just too cruel.
"I agree. However, training recruits is not my job. My job is to end the war in my favor. Therefore, I have a proposition for you." Godo was cautious, but continued to listen. "You desire your child's life, I desire your surrender. Shall we make a trade?"
"What?! That's outrageous! I don't even control Wutai, how can you-"
"True, you don't control Wutai. However, you and yours are the strongest fighters and protectors. If you surrender, the war will essentially be over. So, have we got a deal? Think carefully before you answer. We wouldn't want my eager soldiers here to do something we'd all regret."
For years after this, he would think of all the things he should have done. He would think about the look on Yuffie's face as strange men were talking about killing her. He would think about how the man seemed so calm, so utterly at ease in such a tense situation. And he would think about how the other soldiers seemed to fear this general.
Godo sighed, feeling defeated. There was no way out. Even if he didn't agree, the people of Wutai would only continue to be slaughtered. Wasn't it better to save the lives of many? That was what he was telling himself as he sealed the fate of Wutai.
"All right. I surrender."
The general snapped his fingers. "Let the girl go." The soldiers dropped her and went to standby the general's side. The general turned to speak to Godo before leaving. "I'll let headquarters know. You've made a wise decision."
As the general walked away, Godo noticed a small strand of hair that had fallen out of his helmet. It looked. ?
But, it couldn't be.. him?
~*~*~*~*~*~
Yuffie hit the floor with a thud. It hurt, hitting the floor like that. But it had hurt more when the men were holding her, so she guessed it was alright. Why was mommy on the floor like that? She almost looked like she was asleep, but there was red stuff all over her. That red stuff was the same as when she had cut her finger before. But there was a lot more of it now.
She looked up to see her daddy kneeling down, next to her mommy. Why was he so sad? He looked like he would cry. Yuffie came to stand next to him and she held his hand.
"Daddy?" she asked, softly. Her voice was slurred and hard to make out, but he understood her.
"Yes, Yuffie?"
"Mommy have boo-boo?"
"Yes, Yuffie, mommy has a boo-boo."
"Kiss, make all better!"
"No, Yuffie."
No? Kissing wouldn't make it all better? But mommy did that to her when she felt sick and she felt better. Maybe there was something else?
"Daddy?"
.
"Daddy?"
"Not now, Yuffie."
She felt her hand fall back as daddy let it go. Daddy stood up, picked mommy up, and walked out of the room. She went to follow. But daddy pulled the door shut behind him, and she didn't know how to open it.
Yuffie turned around and walked over to where mommy had been laying. There was a lot of the red stuff on the floor here, too. How would mommy get it out? Usually she had this bottle that cleaned whatever got dirty. Would it work on the red stuff? She would have to ask mommy that tomorrow, when she was feeling better.
Daddy had been sad, though. Why had he been so sad?
It felt bad, having daddy leave her alone.
Daddy was acting different now.