Three years later

When word had reached Midgar of Godo Kisaragi's death, Vincent had been on the next ship he could board for Wutai. Had he asked the pilot, Cid probably would have flown him in, but he'd wanted to give Yuffie time to adjust to her new role as leader of Wutai.

He'd stopped at the Turtle's Paradise when he got to town, wanting to hear some news before going to see her.

After a few minutes of listening to them talk about Yuffie's family, he silently left the bar.

The city of Wutai had grown a bit sine he'd been there last, and it had developed several back routes to the Kisaragi manor. Quietly, he crept down one of these back roads to Yuffie's home.

Silently, he crept past all of the guards and into the servant's door of the manor, just as he had when he'd wanted to visit her nearly a decade ago. As he began walking the darkened hallways, he realized that he wasn't sure where he was going. Though he knew the layout of the house, Yuffie had changed all the rooms when it became hers.

After a moment's hesitation, he decided that he would simply search until he found her.

He was passing the room that had once been Godo's when he heard her voice. She was reading a children's story aloud, presumably to the so he'd heard about in the Turtle's Paradise.

He leaned up against the wall and listened as she read, waiting for her to finish. A few minutes later she stopped and closed the book.

He heard the rustling of bed covers and then the voice of a small child say, "G'nite, mama!"

"Good night, Val," Yuffie replied.

Why did she name him Val? Not a very Wutain name.

He heard her footsteps cross the room, then the light went out and she stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

Vincent watched as Yuffie started down the hall, lost in her own thoughts. She stopped at the corner and turned back, peering down the hallway. When she started to reach for Conformer, he knew that she had seen him.

"Hello, Yuffie," he said.

"Vincent!" She sounded unaccountably happy to see him.

"I heard about Godo. I came as soon as I could." He stepped from his place in the shadows. "And when I got here, I learned a most disturbing thing."

The look in Yuffie's eyes told him that she knew where he was leading the conversation already.

"They told me you were married, Yuffie. And that you had been for four years."

She looked down at the floor, a tear sliding down her cheek. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

So am I. "I forgive you." Vincent placed his hand under her chin and forced her to look up at him. "I couldn't trade that night and day for anything."

He kissed her. Softly, to that she would know he was saying one last 'I love you' before he left. "Goodbye, Yuffie."

He turned to go, but stopped dead when he saw the boy in the hallway. The boy was staring up at them with innocent, red eyes.

His eyes.

Now I understand why she named him Val.