Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
My Eyes Can't Lie...
"Cloud? Have you heard of the secret shrine of Wutai?" Yuffie asked one day at breakfast.
"Yeah, why?"
"I kinda wanna go there. You know. To pray to the Gods." Yuffie replied. Cloud spit out his orange juice all over Vincent who sat next to him.
"...I'm flattered...somewhat...to have the honor of you spitting all over me...right after I took a shower..." Vincent said with angry annoyed eyes.
"Sorry, but...Yuffie? When did you start praying to Da Chao and Leviathan and your other Gods?" Cloud asked.
"Since...since daddy died. He wasn't that great of a leader, but the Gods made a high priority in his daily schedule. They even made a higher priority than me, his only living daughter."
"Only living? Does that mean you had brothers and sisters?" Tifa asked while trying to wipe some of the orange juice from Vincent's clothes. Vincent was cleaning the juice from his face.
"Well...yes. I was the youngest of 16." Yuffie said hesitantly.
"16!?!?!?!? WHAT HAPPENED TO 'EM ALL?!?!?!" Barrett shouted.
"Barrett!"
"...sorry Tifa."
"Well, my older brothers, Ryu and Yu, they were twins, they didn't want to rule Wutai. They fought and said that the other brother would rule. Well, they died in a battle overseas. My sisters, Mei, Mai, and May, they were triplets, they were too vain and elegant to want to "soil their hands" by ruling Wutai. They were kidnapped one night by a SOLDIER and were killed because they didn't let his wife stay at their house when the inn was full. My brother, Li, was probably my role model. He was really nice and caring. He always stood up for me. He killed himself though, because he knew he would have to rule Wutai, and no one wanted to rule such a fallen city. That was one of the saddest days in my life. My brother Godo Jr. died at age seven with pneumonia. My sister, Lina died at birth with some disease, Emma and Katira, twins, died as sacrifices for the Gods. My father, damn him, sacrificed them himself. Juju and Celei ran away and were found dead hanging on a branch of a Sakura tree by ropes, Roan died at sea during a storm. His body left on the bottom of the ocean, Kirin was sacrificed, and my sister Yukkie, my twin, died giving me a heart. I needed a transplant, and hers was the only one my body wouldn't reject. I told her no, but when I was taken to the hospital for collapsing, she forced the doctor to do the transplant or she would kill him. She was a master with the shuriken at age 7, just like me. She was the feisty tomboy, and I was the elegant girly one. I wanted to be a Wutainese Dancer. With the pretty kimonos. But when she died...I was too depressed and didn't want to be elegant and happy anymore. I became angry and started stealing things. She as my best friend. She...she never had the chance to live her life. Because of me." Yuffie finished her say, and no one could say anything. What would they say? 'I feel your pain, Yuffie?' They didn't know what to say because they don't know what it's like to lose a brother, sister, mother, and father. She was the last of the Kisaragi's. The last.
"When I recovered from the surgery, my father changed. He started praying more than before, and promised to never sacrifice another person ever again. My mother died giving birth to me. The townspeople were a little relieved though, because they still believed Godo would sacrifice the children. The weird thing about everything is that all my family members never lived past 50. I am 17, and will soon be 18. Knowing my family history, what do I have to look forward to?"
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No one was saying much since that night. With only 2 more weeks until Yuffie's birthday, everyone was feeling mixed emotions. Some people, like Cid and Cait Sith, didn't even remember her birthday.
"So...what are we going to do today?" Tifa asked trying to start a conversation.
"I don't know about you, but I am going to see Doctor What's-his-face to see if I can take these things off and start using my eyes. Then, I want to go to worship the Gods like I planned a while ago. But it is kind of hard to go to the shrine when you're blind. I can't find the way. And as the last Kisaragi, I have been sworn to secrecy and will never reveal its location...unless I really have to." Yuffie said.
"Oh..." That was all Tifa could say. She didn't know what to say. Who did?
"Are you and Cloud coming to make sure I don't kill him?" Yuffie asked.
"Huh? Oh, ummm...I don't know. Are you feeling like killing something?" Tifa replied with a question.
"Not really, but that could change."
"Then I'll go if you want me to. Do you want Cloud to go too or someone else?"
"He can go I guess. It doesn't matter. As long as it isn't changing anyone's schedules, I'm OK with it." Yuffie replied. She took off Vincent's headband (She never did find hers, but that was OK with her. She got to use Vinnie's! ^^) and tried to put it back on. It was falling off.
"Need help with that, Yuffie?" Vincent asked as he walked up to her.
"A little..." Yuffie replied with a slight giggle. Vincent took his headband and put it around Yuffie's head like last time. Then, not really caring what others thought or whether they could see him or not, he put his arms around her and held her close to him. He smelled her hair, which smelled like...strawberries. He looked at the length of her hair, noticing for the first time that it was longer than it used to be. It was down to her mid-back. No one noticed at first because she had it pulled back.
"When did you decide to grow your hair, Yuffie?" Vincent whispered into her ear.
"When I got back from beating Sephiroth and saw a picture of my mom. That was before I lost my sight completely. It grew a lot in that little time, didn't it? I guess I never knew how fast it grew because I always cut it and made sure it stayed short."
"Would you mind if I...braid parts of it? To add to the look?" Vincent asked.
"Sure, but when did you learn to braid?"
"When Lucrecia let me braid her hair...it was infrequent for me to braid it, she never let me do it. She was too busy with Hojo and research, but I loved to do it." Vincent said as he started to braid little braids so that when he finished, they would lay on top of her unbraided hair.
"Vinnie?" Yuffie said breaking the silence.
"Yeah?"
"Since you are braiding my hair, I am going to do your hair, OK?"
"How are you going to do it?"
"Oh, I'm just going to brush it, and put it into a loose ponytail, kinda like you have now. But I'm taking the hair you have in your eyes out and in the ponytail too."
"I don't have hair in my eyes, Yuffie." Vincent fibbed with a little chuckle.
"No! You're laughing! You do have hair in your eyes!"
"Yes, Yuffie I do, but it is there, because one, I am used to it, and two, because people on the streets feel frightened of me when they see I have red eyes."
"But that's no excuse! Just because your eyes are red, doesn't mean they will be scared!"
"My claw also adds to my deformity. They add together and then the world knows I am a monster."
"G*dd*mm*t, Vincent James Valentine! (A/N: I made up the James part.) You are not a monster!"
"Yuffie Mai Kisaragi, I am too a monster! (I made up the Mai part too.) How many people do you know can turn into a creature like Chaos?!"
"I'd tell you, but I was told never to tell. I can't say."
"Sure." Vincent got up to leave. Yuffie sensed this and grabbed his arm.
"I'm sorry, Vinnie. If I offended you I mean. I just don't think you are a monster. Appearances don't matter. It's what's inside. For everything that I have done, I am probably more of a monster than you think you are."
"You are far from a monstrosity like me."
"If only you knew..."
The others just stood where they were silently, too scared to move. With an argument like that...
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"Hmmm...with the medication, I think it will be OK for you to take the bandages off permanently and try to focus your sight. It may hurt the first few days, and your eyes will tear up frequently, but that is normal. I have a new medication for you as well. To help focus your eyes sooner." The doctor said.
"New medication my @$$! I bet it's a *&^$# needle, isn't it!?"
"Actually, I had my assistant run over hear and drop off my medication supplies. So, this is in the form of a pill or needle. Pick one."
"Gee, I wonder, Old Man."
"Needle? Did you say needle?"
"I hate you! I wanna pill, you *&% (&^$ #$^&^%$ (&^% *^$" Yuffie had a string of profanities form out of her mouth and she knew her mother was looking at her in amazement (not happy amazement). But, hey. All could be blamed on Mr. Cid Highwind. He was a great teacher.
"Yes, yes. I know." The doctor sighed and shook his head. He went to his cupboard thing to take out a tube of pills. "Mr. Mr...Valentine, is it? Would you please take off her bandages?" Vincent took off the bandages, a little surprised to the title Mr. Valentine. For the first time in a while, he saw Yuffie's face. Without any bandages. If she would just open her eyes...
As if on cue, Yuffie slowly opened her eyes. The room was lit by a few windows, but it was a good thing that the sunlight didn't shine in her eyes. She quickly shut her eyes and tried to blink away the slight pain. Then opened them slowly, only to shut them again. She did this several times and was finally able to keep them slightly open...squinting...
"Do you see anything, Miss Yuffie?" The doctor asked her.
Miss Yuffie...what about...Mrs. Yuffie Valentine? No...that would be too sudden...too soon...maybe later...someday...Vincent thought to himself.
"Uhhhh...besides blurry little grey things? No. Not really." Yuffie said rubbing her eyes now.
"Well, here are your pills. Wear sunglasses in the sun, but start taking them off after a week. Take three pills a day. One at breakfast, one at lunch, and one at dinner. They must be taken with food. They HAVE to be taken with food. And DO NOT over take these. Bad things will happen."
"OK, OK! I know what I'm doing! Geez! You act as if I don't know how to follow a prescription!"
"You may go now."
"Laterz, old man!" Yuffie said as she ran to the door. Or tried to. She ran INTO the door.
"...owww..." Yuffie said from the ground.
"Do you think that this is what the Gods are giving you for being so mean to me?"
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"Are you sure you want to leave now? You should rest! Get used to your sight first! Yuffie! You aren't fit for traveling! Yuffie! Don't be a brat! Now is not the time!" Cloud pleaded. He was trying to block Yuffie's way from her room at the hotel but failed when Yuffie punched him hard in the gut.
"You don't understand, Cloud. There are more important reasons of why I am going to Wutai right now. Not only am I praying to the Gods, but I...I just have to go." Yuffie whispered to him apologetically.
"Yuffie..." Cloud tried to say while gasping for air on the floor.
"Yuffie! I just heard from Cid! You can't leave!" Tifa said as Vincent, Barrett, Nanaki, and Cait Sith followed behind her. Cid was fixing the Highwind for Yuffie's trip back home.
"Actually, Tifa, I can go whenever I please, now. Thank you all for helping me during my time of need. I really need to be going now. Farewell." Yuffie said with a mysterious new speech. Never before have the members of AVALANCHE heard her talk in such a proper business-person type way.
"Yuffie, don' be such a brat raght now, ya hea'! You ain' in any condition to be runnin' off ter Wutai! You gotta think a little! Wha' do ya think we'd do if you were hurt again?" Barrett said half angry, half sad.
"Don't worry about me. I am going to be fine. I know what I am doing now. I just need to go back to Wutai. None of you understand. There's...I really have to go! You can't stop me! Vinnie, you will let me go, right?"
"..." Everyone stared at him, sending him death glares, daring him to say 'yes'.
"Right?" Yuffie repeated.
"...I respect your wishes and decisions, Yuffie. But, they are right. You still haven't fully gotten your sight back. You should wait a little longer." Vincent said, hoping no one would kill him.
"I see. You are just going along with them because they put you up to it. I see. You just don't understand. For the sake of Wutai and the lives of many, you have to let me go. This isn't a request. I have to leave. I shouldn't have even left Wutai, but I had to because if I didn't have my sight, it would be difficult to defeat...I HAVE TO GO!" Yuffie screamed as she ran out the door to the Highwind. Vincent grabbed her arm quickly with his claw thing.
"Vincent James Valentine. Let go of me. Now." Yuffie stated sternly. It was so harshly said, that everyone looked at her, not believing she was really Yuffie. "I mean it Vincent."
"No, Yuffie. I won't. I can't." That did it. She didn't know why, but she did. She realized what she was doing only after she did it, and couldn't stop herself. She had slapped Vincent Valentine.
"...I am leaving now. You aren't stopping me. I'm sorry, but you don't understand. If you don't let me go, people are going to die. Innocent people. Because of me. I can't let that happen. I hope you can forgive me, Vinnie..." After everything she said, it was surprising she called him 'Vinnie'. With 'Vincent James Valentine' this and 'Vincent' that, 'Vinnie' seemed non-existent. "Good-bye." Yuffie walked out of the room leaving a shocked AVALANCHE group and an even more shocked Vincent.
I knew I shouldn't have interfered. I knew I shouldn't have cared. She obviously doesn't.
Of course she does. She just has priorities.
Shut up, Chaos. And what do you know?
More than you think. Just let her go. You will see her soon enough.
What do you mean, Chaos?
...
Stupid beast. If you aren't going to answer all of my questions, don't interfere with any of my thoughts.
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"Are you ready to go, kiddo?" Cid asked.
"Yeah. How come you aren't going against me like everyone else, Cid?"
"...I figured, everyone *^%# grows up sometime. And for some (*&$@~ reason, I had a feeling your time came today. And you should have the @~$&(^ right to go wherever the (*&$# you want to without being criticized. You really have grown up, kid. From a little brat, to a big brat with some maturity."
"Thanks, Cid. I think."
"Well, we are going now. Got anything you have to do before we take off?"
"No. Let's go before I change my mind."
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"Vincent? Are you OK?" Tifa walked up to him. She pulled out a damp cloth from somewhere and tried to wipe his red face with it, but Vincent just pushed it away.
"I don't need your sympathy. She didn't care for my concern or consideration, I don't need yours. Just leave me be."
"..." Tifa walked away from him and sat on a different couch.
"Just because your girlfriend left you doesn't mean you have to take it out on Tifa!" Cloud yelled.
"Don't start with me, Strife. She wasn't my girlfriend."
"Shut up! We don't need this right now. I don't need this." Tifa said.
"Who cares what you need or don't need? I've had it with you all. I don't care about you, and you sure as hell don't care about me. I can't stand to look or even hear you anymore. You never needed my help anyways, for anything. Why did you pretend?" Vincent walked out of the hotel just as Yuffie had not too long ago. What was becoming of AVALANCHE? Why was everyone separating?
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"So, Yuffie. Do you have any last requests? I'll probably never see ya for a long d*mn time." Cid asked lighting a cigarette.
"Yeah, actually, I do. Give this to Vinnie...I mean Vincent for me." She handed him a little box. Plain, not velvet, silk, or other exotic fabrics. Just a regular, small, cardboard box. Of course, to spread the Yuffie-ness, it was a lime-green cardboard box that had the Kisaragi family crest on the top where it was sealed shut.
"Kind of...attracting, don't ya think?" Cid said, shielding his eyes a little from the brightness of the box.
"Yeah, maybe. Make sure he opens it. It is very important. He needs to open it and there is something in it that explains everything. I also have one more thing I want you to do for me." With that, she walked to Cid and pulled him into a great big hug that was close to crushing his bones; quite surprising, for such a small fragile looking ninja. "I want you to give everyone a hug for me."
"A hug? I'm gonna just tell 'em all you wanted to &^$#!~( hug 'em, 'cause I ain't huggin' nobody! 'Specially no Barrett Wallace nor a Cloud Strife. Tifa on the other hand..." Yuffie then kicked him hard in the gut.
"You are just so gross and twisted sometimes, you know Old Man?"
"...I never...really saw it...that way..." Cid struggled to say as he clutched his stomach in pain.
"Well, I'm going now. There is no turning back now. I have already reached Wutai. Thank you, Cid. For everything." Yuffie grabbed her stuff and jumped off the balcony part of the Highwind.
"Wait! Yuffie! I didn't lower the Highwind low enough for you to get off!" Cid yelled, but Yuffie was already falling down to what he thought was her death.
"I can't believe I did that. I sent her down to her (*&%$#@~ death before she lived her life. I am a *&$%$@$#@%&%(. That's all there is to it. I'm a..."
"Thanks, Cid! Bye!" Yuffie called from the ground.
"...hey...did she...wait. Yuffie? Ninja? I'm a *&$^# moron. Yup. I, Cid Lyle Highwind, admit I was a stupid *&%^%$#@ for that little moment of time."
"I think I'll remember that." A voice said from behind him.
"What? How the hell did you get in here!"
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Wow. I never really know what to say down here after the chapters, so...^^' yeah. Please read and review!
Ruri-sugar