CHAPTER 15

Confrontation

It didn't take long for Vincent to get rid of the rest of the guards. When he was done he ran back to the cell to check on Yuffie.

He found her going through all the security guards weapons and clothing. She had a triumphant grin on her face.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Yuffie picked up a green stone and looked up at him at the same time. She quickly hid the object behind her back. "Uh, hey Vinnie, back so soon? I was just uh..."

Vincent shook his head in amusement. Even in the most trifal of times, leave it to Yuffie to be thinking about Materia.

He grabbed her arm. "Let's go," hesaid.

He pulled her along. "Where are we going?" she wanted to know.

"The sixty-eight floor," he responded. "Hopefully Hojo is up there. This time I'm going to get rid of him once and for all!"

The ninja let him drag her to the elevator. They got in and waited till the little bell told them to get out. When it did the door opened and they exited.

Yuffie immedialty saw that Vincent had been right. They saw Hojo at his computer, his back turned to the two fugatives.

"Hojo!" Vincent shouted.

"I knew you'd come after me if you ever got out," the mad scientist said not looking at them just yet.

"That's right and this time I'm taking you out permanently."

Hojo laughed. "I'd like to see you try it," he said turning around.

Vincent pulled out a gun he'd stolen from a security guard. "Don't tempt me," he growled. "All I want is that book back."

"What for?" the scientist demanded.

"I want to destroy it," the gunman replied angrily. "That book is too horrible to let others read."

"I was just recording my research," Hojo tried to justify himself.

"That crap isn't research," Yuffie spoke up. "That's just a bunch of professional porn wishing it was research."

"I was planning on adding another chapter soon," the scienstist said giving her a lustful look. "It was going to be about you."

Vincent put an arm protectively around Yuffie's shoulders. "I won't let you hurt this girl," he said. "You have no right to talk to her like that."

"I'm sure she would have enjoyed it-"

"In your dreams!" Yuffie cut in. "I would have enjoyed it about as much as I would enjoy pulling out my own teeth!"

"It would have been a lot less painful."

"Shut your stinkin' piehole!" she shouted.

"You are such a caniving bastard," Vincent told him. "Which leads to a question that's been on my mind for some time now. Why the hell did you lie to Sephiroth and tell him Jenova was his mother!"

Hojo laughed. "You still brooding over that?" he sneared. "Well I'll tell you by asking you this; How do you think he would have felt if he had known his mother was just an average pathetic woman?"

"Lucrecia isn't pathetic! You are!"

Hojo laughed again. "Maybe I should add that to my book as well. Better yet I'll add it to my computer files."

Vincent aimed his gun at the computer next to Hojo's shoulder. "Not if I destroy it first!"

He pulled the trigger and fired. The computer exploded in a shower of glass and sparks. The scientist flopped on the floor to avoid flying glass shards.

When he looked back at Vincent he found the gunman aiming the gun at his face. "The next one goes through that pathetic thing you call a face!"

Hojo got to his feet. He put his hands in front of him to keep Vincent from doing anything he might regret later. "Now, Mr. Valentine, let's talk this out..."

"I don't want to talk it out! Give me that book!"
"I'm sorry but I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"It isn't finished yet," the scientist replied. "I still have another chapter to write."

"You're not adding anymore chapters to that garbage book!" Yuffie said glaring at the scientist. "That book is full of people you screwed up. I bet Lucrecia wasn't the first person you messed with. I bet you messed with almost everyone we know didn't you? I wouldn't be surprised if you experimanted on your own mother! Gawd!"

Hojo started laughing again.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

"You're cute when you're angry."

"WHAT?"

Vincent once again put his hand on the ninja girl's shoulder. She looked up at him a question in her eyes "Don't," he said. "That's what he wants you to do."

"He does?"

"Yes, he knows if he can get you mad enough you'll attack him. If you do, he'll probably grab you."

"Ew...!"

Hojo grinned. "You know me so well, Mr. Valentine."

"Well enough," Vincent growled aiming the gun at the scientist again. "Now if you don't mind I want that book."

Hojo pulled out his own gun and aimed it at Yuffie. "How about I help you?" he asked.

"Help me?"

"I'll help you bu giving you a choice. You either forget about the book or you forget about Yuffie."

Vincent stepped in front of her now. "I will not let you harm her. I won't let you get away with having that book either. You either give it to me or I'll have to make you!"

Hojo aimed the gun at Vincent now. He was totally calm and not at all afraid, even though he knew Vincent could turn into Chaos any minute. "Doesn't this look familiar?" he asked smirking. "You standing in front of me with a gun aimed at your heart."

Vincent's expression froze. He knew what Hojo ment. He could still see the day when Hojo shot him. Is still haunted him to this day. Suddenly he was filled with a strange panic. He ran up to Hojo and clamped his clawed left hand onto Hojo's wrist with an iron grip. He lifted the gun into the air out of shooting rang of anything except the ceiling.

"Vincent?" Yuffie said as she watched. She noticed something behind Hojo. Is that the book?

Before she could open her mouth to tell Vincent she noticed the scientist pull a sharp knife out of his coat. He looked ready to stab Vincent with it.

"VINCENT, LOOK OUT!" she screamed running forward.

Just as her body came in contact with Vincent's and knocked him out of the way Hopo stabbed downward. Yuffie let out a scream of pain as the knife dug into her side.

"Yuffie!" Vincent screamed letting go of the scientist.

Hojo stared a moment. "I..."

Vincent knelt beside her. "Yuffie..."

"I'm fine," she said clutching her side.

Hojo saw his chance and ran.

Vincent suddenly was filled with rage. That bastard! How dare he! He got up and ran after the scientist. "You will pay for that!" he roared, his voice halfway between his and Chaos'.

Just as he vanished up the stairs the elevator door opened. "Now what?" Yuffie said gritting her teeth and looking toward the elevator.

Someone stepped out. Actually a lot of someones.

"Cloud! Tifa! Cid! Barret! Nanaki! Cait Sith!" she exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"We came here on the Highwind," Cloud replied. He and Tifa knelt down beside the ninja girl. "You're bleeding!" Tifa gasped.

"It's nothing," the ninja girl said wincing.

"What happened?' Cloud asked. "Where's Vincent?"

"You have to go after him!" Yuffie exclaimed grabbing Cloud's wrist in an iron grip. "He's going to kill Hojo!"

"Hojo?" Barret exclaimed. "I thought you guys did him in already."

"He's still alive," she replied. "The Jenova cells in his body saved his life!"

Cloud looked at Cid and Barret. "We'd better go after Vincent," he said. "I can just imagine what Hojo could do to him."

The other men nodded.

They ran off leaving Yuffie with Tifa, Nanaki, and Cait Sith. When the men were gone Yuffie asked. "How did you find us? How did you know we were here?"

"We guessed," she answered. "But what are you and Vincent doing here?"

Yuffie hesitated. She'd promised Vincent she wouldn't tell anyone but now she felt she had to. "Vincent wanted to find some research files about Hojo's work and destroy them."

"Why didn't you guys tell us what you were up to?"

Yuffie winced and added pressure to her wound to stop the bleeding. "He was afraid that if he told anyone they would try to stop him. The only reason he told me was because I weasled it out of him. He made me promise not to tell anyone by making me come with."

"But that was stupid," Tifa said shaking her head. "If Hojo is alive and Vincent's going after him he could be in real trouble."

"What kind of trouble."

"Hojo could use that Jenova magic to turn into something awful. A demon that could take Vincent right to Hell!"

"Of my gawd!" Yuffie exclaimed getting up. "Nobody tells me anything!"

She started for the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Tifa called after her.

"To help save Vincent!" the ninja called back.

"WAIT!"
Yuffie ignored her and kept on running.

A/N

I finally got this chapter done. I hope it was okay. I only have two chapters left in this story. I hope you can wait. I decided to change the rating to T. There is just too much stuff in here for younger kids. I made up the thing about the demon. I had to think of something to make Tifa say. That happened at the spurr of the moment :sweatdrop: