Disclaimer: I do not own Yuffie and Godo Kisaragi, Vincent Valentine, AVALANCHE, all characters and concepts related to AVALANCHE, or, in fact, anything that is from Final Fantasy VII (that honour goes to the wonderful bunch at Square-Enix).

Claimer: I DO, however, own the concept of this story, the name Phe Tsen Shu, the rest of the Shu family, the concept of North Wutai and South Wutai being separate countries, the city of Le Phe Tan, the bastardization of the name Leviathan into Le Phe Tan, and other things not found in FF7. I also own the concept of Heavenly City Da Cha O, the bastardization of the name Da Chao into Da Cha O, and the concept of the Wild Ace's Deuce's Wild Casino. Feel free to use my ideas and original characters, but please give me credit. If you don't give me credit, Tsen Li will turn into a Gary Stu, ruin your story, and then eat your liver.

And When that Day Comes

Dig my head down deep so I can't hear the cars
Outside on the street, and the stars are laughing
They get a kick out of my misery.
I've tried everything short of Aristotle,
Dramamine, and the whiskey bottle,
I pray for the day when my ship comes in
And I can sleep the sleep of the just again

—Insomniac, Straight No Chaser

Chapter Two

Summer, Year of the Star that Did Not Fall

Island of Wu Tai --- City of Wutai (formerly Da Cha O)

"It's not happening, old man. It's not happening, it's not happening, it's not happening."

"Yuffie."

"Not happening. Not happening. Not happening. I'm not doing this, Godo. I'm not."

"Yuffie."

"Just make the apology."

"I will do no such thing. My father never knew about this. We even offered to help, but nobody ever found anything. My father does not deserve to have his name dishonoured in such a manner."

"Hey, hey, hey! Your dad's dead! I'm alive. I think I deserve a little more consideration, here!"

She couldn't do this. She hadn't even turned eighteen yet! Wasn't she supposed to travel the world, accomplish something, maybe even lose a couple thousand Gil in Gold Saucer before she did this?

"It's not fair."

"Your mother's death wasn't fair. Life is rarely fair, Yuffie."

"This is really shitty."

"Yes, I know."

"Let me go to Gold Saucer before you make me do this. Please?"

"No."

"One last materia quest."

"No."

"Daddy… Please don't make me do this."

"Butterfly."

And that was all he had to say. That stupid pet name. Except it wasn't a pet name. That was the name he called her when he had something awful for her to do. That was the name he called her when he was going to do anything to make her do that awful something.

Yuffie almost cried. Not from any real sadness, though. She blinked back tears of frustration. For an instant, she almost hated her mother for passing on the need to cry when extremely frustrated.

"Daddy, please don't make me do this. I'm not even eighteen! I'm supposed to, you know, live a little!"

"Da Chao demands sacrifice. Be worthy of the Pagoda, Yuffie."

"Da Chao hates me."

"Da Chao doesn't know you exist. The Six won't know you; much less hate you, until you sacrifice."

"Dad…"

"Yuffie, you can either sign the scroll yourself, or I can rewrite it and sign it. You don't want me to rewrite that, Yuffie. I'll make it quite clear that I am handing off a useless daughter."

So. Even after she'd saved the world, defeated the man who'd killed her mother, found scales of Leviathan, mastered All Creation, and spent four years finding materia for him… She was still just a tool.

She had no more right to live her own life than a hammer, and no more right to an opinion than a nail.

The vicious anger, the hatred of him that she'd somehow managed to push away, to lock out of sight, returned. And with it came that wailing inside her, that puppy-like need for him to pet her, to love her, to tell her she'd done well.

"Godo…"

"I mean this, Yu Fi. You can either give yourself up with pride and honour, or I can give away something that has no worth to me."

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. I'm nothing I'm nothing I'm nothing I'm nothing.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to kick him in the shins, she wanted to kill him, she wanted to kill all of the Mighty Gods. She wanted to run far, far away screaming, You'll never take me alive, coppers!

"I hate you."

"I know."

I hate you I love you I hate you I love you I hate you I love you but I HATE YOU. I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you. I love you I love you I love you I love you. Why can't you love me?

"Give me the damn pen."

He gave her the pen. She signed her agreement. The beautiful characters, Kisaragi Yu Fi spelled out her doom, just as a spider's web spelled death for the flies.

Her name, Yu Fi, was an old poetic word for butterfly. It had been her mother's idea, or so Godo claimed. With Godo, you could never be sure if what you were getting was truth or lie.

Yuffie hated the name, always had. She'd slurred the two syllables together from the moment she could say her own name. Nobody ever guessed that her name described a fragile, beautiful creature whose beauty rubbed away in the rain.