AN1: Tags for this chapter only vary from the norm. And also, everyone should go read Sorceress Fujin's awesome stories. If it wasn't for her, this would not be up tonight. I've been having MAJOR problems with the document manager and she helped me with a work around -tacklehugs her-
'memory of previous conversation'
'contents of a letter (will appear centered)'
"Yuffie or Vincent speaking Wutainese""Speaking"
'Thinking'
Chapter 49: A Father's Hope
Rain fell from the dark clouds above Wutai as a gray-eyed man watched. It was the perfect weather to match is current somber mood. Lord Godo Kisaragi ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair as he stood and made his way towards his office, his hand folded behind his back.
"Good morning, Lord Godo," the young woman bowed as he entered. "I'll be back in just a morning with your tea."
He watched her disappear and taking his seat behind his desk. His mind drifted to the thing, no the person, that had been plaguing his thoughts as of late…
Yuffie. His one and only child. The one that he treated as less than what her title and role in his life demanded. He admitted to himself that he had neglected his daughter and hadn't been worthy of being called a father, not since the day his wife had been taken away from him.
That was no excuse, he knew, but he couldn't help the pressure that he felt in his chest when he remembered her request to stop 'hunting' materia. It was seeing the resolution and defiance in his eye that sparked memories of his departed wife that sparked the pain and that fueled his anger. He always denied her requests to stay longer in Wutai between her trips. It was just too painful. It reminded him to much of his beloved Kohana.
Godo closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh. There was a soft knock at the shoji frame as his assistant made her way back in, placing a tray before him and pouring him a steaming cup of tea.
"Is there anything that you need right now, my Lord?"
Godo sat up once more and nodded and watched her remove a small pad of paper and a pen from her kimono. "Kaori, I need the files on the following houses: Kishimoto, Kubo, Takahashi, Yatate, and Takaya. Include any additional information that may be available on their first sons."
"Of course. I will return shortly, my Lord."
The door closed, leaving Godo to his thoughts once more. He wondered where his daughter was on their small planet right now. She had found the family that she had lost with the friends she had made defeating most serious of threats to every living thing known to man and even the planet itself.
The middle age man pulled out a pen and a piece of stationary and began to write. He occasionally stalled, at a loss for words but soon continued forth. It was only when he was finished with the letter to his daughter that he remembered that he had no way to send a courier to her, however he knew of one person who would. He quickly wrote out a second letter and sent for Inari.
Both Kaori and Inari arrived at the same time and where the former placed the requested files on his desk, the latter dropped to one knee, her head bowed. Godo stuffed the letter for Yuffie into a small envelope before stuffing it into a larger envelope with the second letter. He sealed it and placed the Wutain seal on the envelope and stood, moving before the kneeling woman.
"Inari, I need this deliver as soon as possible." He said, giving her final instructions before placing the envelope in her fingerless glove clad hands. She was his most trusted courier and he knew that she would get the job done quickly.
"As you wish, my Lord. I'll depart within ten minutes." Inari made her way to her feet so she could prepare her gold chocobo.
"Be cautious on your trip, especially so while crossing the ocean in this weather."
"Of course, Lord Godo." She said before disappearing from the room with Kaori following her out, closing the door behind them and leaving the Wutain leader alone once more.
Godo returned to his chair and slid it to the large window and made himself comfortable watching the rain falling from the gray skies above. The very same stormy gray that reminded him of his daughter's eyes. Yes, he might not have been the best father, but he knew the color of his only child's eyes.
They were so different than his own, holding a certain something that he could identify. His dear Kohana always said that it was the determination and perseverance that shone in her eyes, giving her gray eyes the intensity and beauty that he saw. She would always tell him that storm clouds held so much potential. They could rain to parched lands or they could hold the power of the lightning god. Hope and power; that's what Kohana saw their little girl opened her eyes for the very first time.
'I couldn't see it like she could.' He thought, a faint smile tracing his lips. 'All I knew was that child had some powerful lungs for a little one nearly a month premature.'
Slowly the smile melted from his lips, his entwining while he watched two women running towards the shrine on the other side of courtyard. Godo's eyes drifted shut and a deep sigh escaped his lips. Yuffie had grown up and he had missed a good portion of her life that he could never regain. She had blossomed and soon she would be a married woman.
That thought brought him back to the stack of files that now rest on his desk. He knew that the sons from each family were exceptional to say the least, but if he had to be the one to decide for his daughter, her would choose the best of the best. He would not allow his daughter, the young woman who had more than earned the respect from him that she deserved, to marry someone who wouldn't treat him as a loving husband would.
Deep within his soul, he hoped that her time away from Wutai would prove fruitful. That she would come home with a man who loved her more than anything on the planet. He wanted her to be just as happy as he had been with his wife and for her to have a choice in who she spent it with. For so long, he had taken control; she had no choice but to do his bidding, but now it was different. Whomever she chose, he would not fight it as long as they treated her right. If they treated her with any disrespect or were abusive to her in any way, then they would feel his wrath.
Godo stood and moved his chair back to his desk and opened the first file. 'Yuffie, please find someone. You may not believe it, but I do want you to be happy and I hope you find that man who will love you unconditionally. Don't make my choice be all that there is when everything is said and done.' He thought as he began to read the first file.
.::-o-::.
Elena poured herself a cup of coffee when the sound of a yawn came from behind her. She glanced casually over her shoulder and allowed a small smile to trace her lips as Reeve stretched and padded over, clad in a pair of pajama bottoms and an old gray t-shirt. No doubt he had just staggered from the bedrooms on the second floor of the small, cozy home within Cosmo Canyon. Due to the fact that Reeve and the Turks were often in the canyon on business, Nanaki and the elders had given them the use of this home so they wouldn't be staying in the inn on every one of their trips to the area. The home was functional and a place easily defendable for the President's three protectors.
The woman promptly poured another cup of coffee with two and a half spoons of sugar before turning and handing it to the green eyed man.
"Morning Reeve."
"Morning Elena," Reeve yawned once more and brought the heated brew to his lips.
"The elders had to push the meeting back from eleven to one." She stated softly, turning her gaze to the sight outside of the kitchen window.
"Hn, that's good especially after last how long the meeting went last night. Just gives me a few more hours to relax." The president said honestly as he moved to her side to see what was interesting outside.
The pair watched as Reno shouted tips to Yoshi as he sparred with Rude. The teen was holding his own against Rude even though it was obvious that he was holding back. After a slightly awkward punch, the red-head walked over and shifted Yoshi's fist into the correct position and demonstrated, throwing a punch at Rude. The bald man easily blocked the move before seemingly nodding in agreement to whatever Reno was telling. The teen was traveling with them since they would be passing through the mountain town on their way to Rocket and apparently the guys took it upon themselves the help the kid out.
"They got bored…well, Reno got bored and dragged them out." Elena said and watched as Reno took up position against the teen. She watched as her lover stepped back and crossed his arms, watching as Reno took on the boy.
It didn't take long before Reno let out what could only be described a surprised yelp as he landed on his back. Elena laughed along with Reeve as the teen scratched the back of his head with what looked like an apology while Rude offered Reno a hand up.
"Rude showed him that leg sweep when they first started. I don't think Reno was prepared for him to use it so soon."
"He has improved greatly. Even I can see that."
"He has and Reno now knows not to drop his guard even with a kid." The blonde brought the cup up to her lips but paused when she saw the person approaching the three males. She placed her cup on the countertop before pulling the gun from the holster at the small of her back. She removed the safety before putting it back in its holster and heading outside to see who their visitor was.
.::-o-::.
Reno and Rude had already detected the approaching person and watched as the person approached, making sure that the teen was behind them. The heard the door open and soon they were joined by their small, blonde partner.
"Can we help you?" Elena asked masked person before them. By the stances of the three Turks, they made it obvious that they were prepared to defend. It was obvious to the Turks now that despite the ninja-like attire, the person was obviously female and a courier from Wutai.
They watched as the person removed the cloth from her face and dropped to one knee. "My name is Inari and I come with a message from Lord Godo for the President." She said, the accent clear in her words as she sat her kodachi's on the ground and removed an envelope from her bag. She handed the envelope to Elena as the door behind them closed once more.
Reeve moved to stand at Elena's side as she checked the envelope and deemed it safe. He broke the seal on the letter pulled an envelope and a second letter from the larger one. After reading the first note and learning of Inari and the reason for her visit from the leter, he nodded, placing the second in the pocket of his pajama bottoms.
"Please tell Lord Kisaragi that I will definitely give this to it's intended recipient." Reeve gave the courier a kind look and a small bow of the head. "Thank you, Inari. Why don't you go grab something from the inn and get some rest before you depart."
Inari bowed respectfully in return placed her kodachi's back at her hips before gracefully making her way to her feet and bowing. "Thank you, Sir." She quickly disappeared, intent on doing exactly what he suggested, having not stopped since she left Wutai. A few hours rest and a good meal would be all she needed before going home.
Reeve watched her go before nodding to the three sparring partners. "Keep going and Reno, you better watch yourself," He grinned and tossed his head at the teen with the glowing violet eyes. "from what I saw, Yoshi will take you down again."
He walked back to the house with Elena at his side until they reached the bottom of the staircase. "I'm going to get a shower, you call can do what."
"Okay. I think I'm going to make breakfast before the boys come back in." Elena parted ways with her boss before heading into the kitchen to start cooking she said, leaving Reeve to ascend the staircase.
The raven haired man moved to his room and took the envelope from his pocket. He studied the Wutain script on the front of the envelope before placing it in the back of his dresser drawer for now until he could place it in Yuffie's hands. Godo knew that he would be in Cosmo meeting with the elders because he would be attending the upcoming summit that Reeve and the elders were planning.
.::-o-::.
o-Four Days Later-o
Yuffie sighed happily as she allowed her head to drop back to the couch cushion as she ran her fingers though soft raven hair. She cracked an eye open and looked down to Vincent as he lay with his head in her lap, pillowed by a soft, red throw pillow while he read. She loved the times that she spent with him like this, just the two of them.
The last few weeks had been wonderful to say the least and the pair felt a sense of freedom with one another that they hadn't had before. The soft kisses, hugs and caresses that became a part of their everyday lives made the gunman look forward to each day. No longer were his nights plagued with nightmares. It didn't mean that hadn't had any, but over the last month, he could remember a mere two or three occasions where the dreams were less than pleasant.
Yuffie found that with the happiness that she had found with her gunman, her enthusiasm for her hobbies only increased. The piece that she had started of the mansion the day that Jonathan had asked her to dinner was nearly finished. She had even had a chance to finally work in the darkroom that had been constructed in the basement, developing the pictures that she had taken with the camera that she had been given for her birthday.
It pleased her greatly to see the change that had occurred with Vincent. He was so sweet and caring to her, but not to the point where it was overly sappy, like in the chick flick that she and Tifa had seen a few days ago. There was a light in his eyes that made her heart skip a beat. He still was a bit more reserved and quiet around their friends, with exception to Cloud and Tifa. When they were out in public, he reverted a bit, regaining some of his stoicism, but she never expected anything different from him.
Her whole goal was to see that her friend was happy and moving forward with his life and she was happy to say that he was doing just that. A complete 360 was never the goal for him, but he had definitely had changed from the atoning and nearly self-loathing man that he once was. He seemed content with life and that's what made her happy.
His happiness became her own and hers became his. They took things slowly, simply enjoying the simple day-to-day life that came with their relationship. Neither wanted any other way.
The sound of the door bell caused both to turn in the direction of the main hall. Yuffie leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead as he sat up, hopping from the couch and dashing for the front door as Vincent headed for the kitchen with his book to grab another cup of tea. After quickly unlocking the door and pulling it open she hugged the green eyed man who stood before her with his small group.
"Reeve! I was wondering when you guys would get here." She pulled back, smiling at him before waving to the three Turks. She caught sight of Yoshi and ruffled his hair, gaining a blush from him.
"Sorry we're late. We ended up leaving the canyon a little later than we expected." Reeve shifted the laptop bag on his shoulder, looking down to the small ninja.
"Well come in you guys, just put your bags over there," She pointed to a spot near the steps while they filed in. "we'll show ya where you're sleepin' later."
"When we eatin'?" Reno asked as he dropped his duffle bag, stretching his arms high above his head.
Yuffie tilted her head to the side with curiosity and amusement. "Do you ever think of anything other than food and women?"
Reno appeared to think about it for a moment before giving her a grin. "Booze."
"Figures." The ninja snickered with amusement as the door bell rang once more. "That's probably Cloud and Tifa."
The door opened to reveal said couple before closing it once more as they exchanged greetings with the mansions' guests. She followed them into the living room where Vincent was waiting and once Tifa and Yuffie grabbed drinks for everyone, they all made themselves comfortable.
Reeve spoke of his meeting with the elders and the upcoming summit and that the would be holding there. They were also told that they had narrowed down the selections for the new company name. The need to leave Shinra behind was something they had all been thinking about. None of Avalanche, the supporters of the new company or even the Turks wanted to have the stigma of the Shinra name attached to what Reeve and the others were trying to do. Soon the conversation turned to the Mount Nibel trails the area where the reactor once stood.
"I think we're going to do a little assessment with Yoshi outside while you guys talk." Tifa said and looked to Yuffie, who nodded eagerly.
"Yeah, its getting late and I wanna see what you can do, Yosh!" She hopped up and stretched as the plum eyed teen nods and climbs to his feet. "The we'll know where to start with you and what to work on."
The gunman glanced at her. "One hour, Yuffie."
She smiled brightly at the look in his eyes and nodded in understanding. "Don't worry. We wont get carried away."
"This time." He continued for her.
"Yeah, yeah." The ninja disappeared into the kitchen and returned with three bottles of water before turning to Tifa and Yoshi, handing them each a bottle. "Race?"
The teen and the female fighter grinned with a nod as Yuffie started for the door. Tifa placed a kiss in Cloud's cheek as "See ya later guys!"
They stepped out into the front yard, each stretching their muscles. Once they were all ready and outside of the gate of the mansion, Yuffie picked up a rock. "We all know the rules. We head straight for the building site. No materia, no early starts, and no blocking. You can use short cuts or direct routes. Go when the rock hits the ground."
The ninja girl gave the medium sized rock a squeeze before tossing it into the air. The clatter of the rock to the earth once more sent three dashing in the direction of their training dojo. Three figures leapt over obstacles, dodged the occasional bystander or pet.
In the distance, stormy eyes caught sight of their dojo and Yuffie poured a bit more power into her legs, pumping them faster. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tifa closing in on her left and on the other side of the fighter, Yoshi had pulled out in front.
"Oh no you don't!" Yuffie allowed her competitive nature to spring forth, as she caught up with the teen, not failing to notice the smile on his lips. Tifa was barely behind her when they finally reached the site.
Yuffie glared playfully at the boy who was only a few years her junior, shaking her head. "I'll win next time, just watch kid." She griped as Tifa laughed as she pulled the her gloves down on her fingers, making them a bit more snug.
Yoshi looked around the site as he slowed his breathing. The dojo still was still under construction, but they had made good progress since the last time he was there. Last time he had been in this natural clearing, the construction crew had only finished digging out soil for the basement, where Tifa explained, would hold training weapons and equipment such as kendo sticks, replacement practice mats, and practice dummies.
Now, he could see the cement foundation and the beams for the walls and roof had and been placed. The base of the floors were in place and he could see the location of the stairway leading into the basement. "They've done a lot of work since I last saw this place."
"Yeah, it should take another month or so until the structure is done. They'll be doing the wiring and plumbing soon." Tifa said proudly as she looked at what would be her dojo, then turned back to the teen and ninja. "You guys ready?"
"Yes." Yoshi nodded as Yuffie bounced on the balls of her feet, displaying her pent-up energy.
"Yoshi, you can start on your kata." Tifa told the boy and watched as he nodded and started as she suggested. "Yuffie, do you wanna spar or should I?"
The ninja looked over to the fighter and moved to her side, holding out her fist. "Doesn't matter to me. Best two out of three?"
"You're on!" Tifa held out her fist and after chanting together the pair threw out their moves.
First game: Rock beats scissors. Tifa 1, Yuffie 0
Second game: Scissors beat paper. Tifa 1, Yuffie 1
Third game: Rock beats scissors.
Tifa let out a whoop as Yuffie stuck her tongue out at the burgundy eyed woman. "Alright, Alright. Yosh, let go before Vinnie and Cloud come to hunt us down for being late." She took their bottles from them and sat them by her feet.
The teen and the fighter faced each other, the younger bowing to his partner. Yuffie held her hand up and after gaining a nod from the two of them dropped her hand. "Begin!" She shouted before jumping back to observe.
She watched intently as their fist flew at one another. They bobbed and weaved, avoiding the pulled, yet still stinging punches. Yoshi brought his arm up, blocking a kick sent towards his head, sending a punch towards Tifa's abdomen and causing her to back up a bit. She followed up with a combination that she had assimilated from Yuffie's taijutsu.
She nodded, impressed with the teen sent Tifa to the ground with a leg-sweep that she hadn't seen him use before. Tifa seemed a bit surprised by the move but rolled out of the way quickly as he brought his foot down, making it to her feet.
.::-o-::.
They continued on for an additional ten minutes. Both were breathing hard by the time that the younger of the two finally hit the ground, and stayed there, looking up to the darkening sky above. Yuffie clapped as she approached the two.
"That was great you two." She complimented as she dropped to the ground and sat cross legged on the ground beside him. She handed him a bottle of water and tossed on to Tifa when she joined them.
"Where'd you learn that sweep?" Tifa asked, taking a long drink of water from her bottle.
He sat up and unscrewed the cap of his bottle with a shy smile. "Rude showed me while we were in Cosmo Canyon. They spar with me when I travel with them."
"That explains it." Tifa said, remembering going head to head with the bald man when they were fighting against Shinra. "You did well today and I think we have a good idea of what we'll work on while you're here."
"Yeah," Yuffie leaned back, bracing her hands on the ground. "You're physical strength is pretty well balanced but you seem to be just a tad bit more powerful in the legs. Agree or disagree, Teef?"
"I agree. We're also going to work on your defenses so we help you plug up some of those holes. Since your legs are your strong point, we'll work on enhancing that strength and increasing the speed of your moves. Your endurance is pretty good, but we'll always be working on that no matter how good you get." Tifa commented and watched as the violet eyed boy nodded in understanding.
From what Yoshi had learned from Cloud and Vincent, it would take him a while for his body to get used to the change from the mako and Jenova. The way that Vincent had explained it to him a few months ago was that his body had the potential for many things now that he had been infused with the two foreign substances. It was something akin to water flowing through a hose. When you turn on the hose, water can gush through the hose at first before becoming a regular steady stream. If you apply pressure to a point in the garden hose, the water is restricted and the flow slows. The greater the pressure or outside influence, the bigger the decrease until eventually it stops.
'In the research I have found from Doctor Gast,' He remembered the crimson eyed man saying. 'It was his theory that any potential benefits gained from any mako or Jenova infusions in someone who was not physically mature, would have temporary limitations. The body has access to the power, but the brain sets a failsafe and dampens the body's ability to fully utilize that power. Its all in order to protect the body from any potential damage. Gast estimated that it would take anywhere from six to nine months, depending on the person, for the brain's 'failsafe' that was set to disable or reset to a higher threshold.'
"I understand."
"You'll be watching us spar, sometimes with each other, or even with Cloud or Vincent and its during those times that you'll have a chance to work on analyzing our moves as if you're in one of our shoes. You'll try see if there's a pattern to our movements because if you watch your opponents, you'll never know when you might learn somethin' useful that you can incorporate for your own use." Yuffie smiled proudly. "That's what my mom used to tell me."
"I will try my best." He said honestly and with conviction.
"Good!" Tifa gave his back a pat before climbing to her feet and offering hands to both of her seated companions. She pulled both of them up easily. "We better head back so we can get cleaned up. Hopefully they'll have food by the time we get back 'cause I don't know about you two, but I'm starving!"
With that the trio made their way back to the mansion at a more sedate and casual jog rather than the full out sprint they had done to get there.
.::-o-::.
Cloud watched the door open on the way back from the bathroom and glanced at the seemingly tired teen and the grinning ninja. No doubt, the ninja and his beloved had put the teen through his paces. "Things go well?"
"Yup! Teef said she'll be back in a few minutes, she stopped to change and take a shower…which is what we're about to do."
"Well, you better hurry up. The food will be delivered soon and with Reno here…" He trailed off, immediately seeing that both understood the full implications of what he was saying.
"Grab your bag Yosh! Same room you usually stay in!" She darted up the stairs with the teen hot on her tail, his bag slung over his shoulder. Cloud chuckled, shaking his head as he slowly ambled back towards the living room. Vincent had enough foresight to order a couple extra pizzas because of the red head's presence so there would be plenty for everyone…but it was still fun to mess with the teenage ninja.
.::-o-::.
By the time that Tifa had returned from her shower, the pair whom had showered at the mansion were also coming down, having changed into comfortable loungewear, following the scent of food to the kitchen. The dinner affair was quite loud but it was still fun for everyone to be together again. Vincent observed the group as he set beside his ninja, his arm draped around her shoulders.
Their relationship was common knowledge amongst their friends and they fully supported them. They had yet to see Cid and Barret face-to-face since they found out about them, but he knew that his love was in for some mischievous teasing from the two older men. And as the hour grew late, the energy of all waned, the need for sleep after a long drive for their visitors, becoming well known.
Cloud and Tifa said their goodnights to their friends and headed for their shared home, with a vow from Tifa that they would be sleeping in. After locking the front door, their visitors grabbed their bags and followed Vincent and Yuffie upstairs. Yoshi retreated to his room as Reno was placed next to the teen's. Elena and Rude shared a room across the hall from the pair while Reeve was shown to the room that Tfia and Yuffie had deemed to be his.
"Good night guys." She said to them as she and Vincent started down the hall, capturing Vincent's hand in her own. As the got halfway down the hall, a door opened.
"Yuffie, wait a second. I have something for you." He said and walked down the hall to where they had paused.
He brought forth the letter from his side and held it out to her, noticing the marked widening of her eyes. "It was delivered to me by a courier while we were in Cosmo."
"Inari?" She asked, knowing that the woman was her father's most trusted courier.
"Yes."
"Reeve about that…"
The older man held up his hand to stop her and smiled warmly. "I've known for a long time now, about who you really are to Wutai. I'd say its been since shortly after you joined Avalanche. Reno, Elena, Rude and even Yoshi know who you are, but won't say anything. The Turks know from intelligence gathered on your group, of course. Yoshi is from Wutai and knows your family name and that Godo only has one child. We all figure that you'll let people know when you're ready so you don't have to worry about it coming from us. You shouldn't hide it though."
A yawn escaped the green eyed man as he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt unconsciously, wanting nothing more than to sleep. "You two have a nice night. I believe sleep is calling me a bit too loudly now for me to ignore it much longer. Sleep well."
"Night Reeve and thank you." The ninja said sincerely as Vincent placed his hand on her lower back, ushering her down the hallway as she looked at the sealed envelope. The corner of her lips upturned slightly as she headed for his room instead of her own and opened the door for her.
Yuffie slipped into the room while Vincent closed the door and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. She slipped her smaller form to sit between his legs, her back resting against his chest as she did so. He wrapped his arm around her waist and both felt and heard her take a deep, calming breath when nimble fingers carefully opened the envelope, careful not to damage the wax seal. The parchment was pulled from within and opened, exposing the Wutain script to his claret eyes.
To my daughter--
I hope this letter finds you well and that your search has been fruitful thus far. I know that you are aware that your time is growing short. You now have a little over four months until your engagement must be announced. I will be deciding over the next week or so who will be your intended in the case that you cannot find the right person…but it is my hope that you do.
This letter is not to throw the fact that I am unjustly bringing this up to cause you stress. No, this to make sure that you know that I hope to the gods that you do find that person for you.
Your mother was the woman that I alone, chose. She was not tied to me as an arranged marriage, as you already know. We spent many happy years together and when I found that she was with child, that you were growing in her womb, I could not have felt more joy. I want you to know that kind of love, my daughter. I want the man that you chose to rule by your side and support you. To love you and cherish you as I did with my sweet Kohana.
Whether you believe me or not, I do love you. I do respect you and you have proven that you deserve that more than any person that I know, in not only your actions over the last year, but your determination and your growth. I know that I can never make up for what I've done to you, but I regret it with all that I am.
Yuffie, please find someone. I want you to be happy. If you are in need of anything, simply let me know.
Love you, my child.
Your father
Yuffie stared at the letter in her shaking hands as tears rolled down her cheeks. She felt the arm tighten around her as he brushed his lips at the back of her neck comfortingly, whispering soft words of comfort into her ear. When her tears slowed, he took the letter from her fingers and folded carefully.
"He really does love you. He wants what is best for his daughter and knows that you will choose what is right for you."
Yuffie turned to him, her reddened eyes wide with astonishment as she tilted her head to the side. "Vincent…since when can you read Wutainese?"
The corner of his lips upturned as he moved to lay on his bed fully facing her and watching as she laid by his side, expecting an answer from him. He brought his hand up to brush against her cheek. "Yuffie I understand Wutainese and I can read Wutainese because I was born in Wutai."
"What?!" She sat up slightly with wide eyes.
"It is true. My father was Wutainese, my mother was a quarter Wutainese, three fourths Mideelian and raised in Mideel before moving to Wutai with her family. My father and mother left Wutai and lived in Mideel for the first two years of their marriage, then when my parents found that mother was with child, they decided to come home. I spent the first nine years of my life in Wutai playing at the base of Da chao."
She looked at him in wonder. "But what about the name Valentine? Where did that come from?"
"My grandmother's maiden name. She married and took the surname of Kim. Malana Kim was my mother's name."
"What about your father? What was his name?"
He couldn't help but to smile at her curiosity about his past and his parents. He would answer all of her questions honestly and didn't want to keep anything from the woman he loved.
Vincent draped his arm over her hip lazily, as his eyes met her own as he answered. "My father was Daisuke Koizumi. Our family was known for their weaponry, namely the swords that were crafted."
"I know that name well…my old man has a five body blade made by Yuuta and Yukio Koizumi. He treasures that sword and I've seen how beautiful it is. My four-point shuriken was made by the Koizumi family and it was commissioned by my mother. They're still a well known for their weapons they create."
"Yuuta and Yukio were my father's younger twin brothers."
She wanted to ask Vincent if he ever thought about contacting them, but she remained silent. Right now wasn't the time to ask and she was still a bit surprise over the fact that she hadn't realized. Looking at him now though, she can see the traces of his Wutain heritage in his handsome visage. The young ninja snuggled closer to the raven haired man and closed her eyes.
"Yuffie?"
"Yeah Vinnie?"
"Outside of Lucrecia's cave, you were writing something in the sand. I know there were two names, mine and yours. However, there was one character that I didn't see clearly. What was it?"
Yuffie froze as she remembered that day all to well. She could feel the blush rising in her cheeks as she pulled away to see his warm smile, one that was meant for her alone. "I…it said 'Yuffie loves Vincent.' I thought it was just a crush back then…I-" She didn't know what else to say and seeing his handsome smile was making her even more flustered. "Vinnie?"
"Yes Yuffie?" He replied in Wutainese.
"Can I kiss you?" She asked shyly, receiving a soft nod in reply.
Yuffie leaned forward and placed a shy kiss on his lips, gasping lightly when she felt his hand tighten a bit on her hip. Vincent nipped gently at her lower lip before the pulled away, their hearts beating hard within their chest.
"I love you too, Yuffie." He said softly as the held each other until eventually, the small ninja fell asleep.
Vincent debated whether or not to move her to her own bed before deciding against it. He untangled himself from her and sat the letter on the night stand before moving to a dresser. He took out a pair of sweats before disappearing into his in-suite bathroom, removing his shirt and pants, exchanging them for the sweats.
Returning to the bedroom, he lifted the ninja into his arms and pulled back the blankets, placing her gently on the dark sheets and covering her. He slipped into the other side of the bed and almost immediately, Yuffie rolled, her arm covering his bare chest as she made herself comfortable. Vincent let out a soft chuckle as Chaos 'purred' within his mind. A kiss was placed on the top of her head before crimson eyes closed, succumbing to the need for sleep with the woman he loved securely in his arms.
o-o-Author's Notes-o-o
6,547 is the magic number for this chapter. I hope there as no meltdown for ya while reading this. This is actually the longest chapter in the entire story, the second longest being Chapter 31. This chapter covers so many places, I hope it wasn't too confusing and for those of you who might have been a bit lost it went Wutai->Cosmo->Nibelheim->Dojo construction site in Nibelheim->Mansion. Hehehe, if I forgot a place, I forgot.
There are a few things that I want to cover in this author's note, so I'll get right to it.
1: Over the last three months, this story has undergone a major editing session and I have no doubt that I will be editing this again sometime in the future if I see a mistake. If someone points out a mistake for me, I will change it. I'm not perfect by any means, but I'd like to get this story as clean as possible.
2: There were a few new name changes throughout the story and a few new names in this chapter.
a) Yoshiko: I've know for quite a while now that Yoshiko is a female name, which is one of the reasons WHY I've been doing the editing. As of July, I had only edited up to chapter 14/16 so his name had not changed and I left it as is. Now his name is simply Yoshi.
b) Yoshi to Hiroshi: Initially, the name Yoshi was one of the three gold chocobo's that Yuffie had bred. Because I needed Yoshi for the actual human, the chocobo Yoshi was changed to Hiroshi.
c) The names in this chapter were ones that I've thought about for the last few days. I'll start from the top of the chapter to the bottom as far as they go:
Kohana (Yuffie's Mother): Little flower
Kaori(Godo's Assistant/Attendant): Fragrant
Inari (Godo's Courier): Successful one. A fitting name in my opinion since she's his most trusted. She carries weapons for her protection while traveling, of course
Malana (Vincent's Mother): Calming, Relaxing (Hawaiian)
Daisuke (Vincent's Father): Lionhearted. I know that his real name in DoC is Grimore but I'll be diverging from the information in that game when it comes to this name and the new name for Shinra Company. (Thank you, Shadowneko for finding this for me!)
Koizumi (Vincent's real surname): From what I've seen, it means little spring. Ko: Small/little, Izumi: Spring or fountain.
Yuuta (Daisuke's younger brother, oldest of identical twins): Elegant, Big
Yukio(Daisuke's younger brother, youngest of identical twins): Gets what he wants
d) The Five Wutain Families:
I decided that I would use the names of the creators of my favorite anime/manga series. (Please don't point out that they've done more than the series' below, I know that they have other great works too :-) )
Kishimoto: (Kishimoto Masashi) Creator of Naruto
Kubo: (Kubo Tite) Creator of Bleach & Zombie Powder
Takahashi: (Takahashi Rumiko) Creator of Inuyasha & Ranma ½
Yatate: (Yatate Hajime) Creator of Cowboy Bebop manga & Escaflowne
Takaya: (Takaya Natsuki) Creator of Fruits basket
Now there is one thing that I need an opinion on. Yuffie didn't ask if Vincent was the name given to him at birth. I'm thinking of just leaving his name as Vincent but he could have another name. The whole 'Vincent Valentine' could be a alias. If I decide to have him with a different 'given' first name, what could you see Vincent's real name as being? Of course, I would nevah change my Vinnie's name to a different one for the duration of the story, I was just curious. Depending on the answer/suggestion I may do a part that incorporates his given name for a segment of a future chapter I've been thinking about. If I happen to get a list of names, I will narrow them down, put them in my livejoural, and see what name people see as more fitting for Vincent.
Confused yet? Lol, sorry. Moving on now…
3) Like I said, I've gone through the story and I've come up with a timeline. In the last chapter, I said in the author's note that it was may, that has been changed now and it's approx June 6th in chapter 48. In this chapter, it takes place between July 1-5th. There are 143 days til Yuffie's birthday at this point.
4) The Shinra Company will not take the name given in DoC. Instead, I will be using the name I chose for the company in my fic "Of Them All". When DoC came out, I was kinda surprised by the name cus I thought it was kinda close to what I had chosen back when I wrote the ficcie, lol.
5) And finally, all of the chapters have been renumbered. There were at least two chapters in this story that would not let me load as one, so it was split into two parts. So it was listed chapter 7 part 1, chapter 7 part 2 for example, which in ff net, it of course, would count part two and the numbers of the chapter and in the ff net numbering wouldn't match up. It wasn't anything big, basically just something that kinda irked me and over time, grew into almost a pet peeve.
Anyway, thank you so much for reading this chapter. I'm pretty happy with it because of the insight from Godo. I've been updating my progress on my stories in my journal and it's taken about 21 days to update 3 stories, and edit the remaining approx 33 chapters of this fic.
I just responded to all of the reviews for Chapter 48, but there were a couple people who weren't signed in. I want to say thank you to Raveia, hannah sole, salty, and wingedwithfireymana!
Love ya all!
Ezzy
Ps: I don't own Final fantasy VII or any of it's characters, only the charries I created. I also don't own any of the manga series that were listed in the author's notes, no matter how much I wish I did…
-cries-
Vincent and Reno: -come to console ezzy-
10/13/07
-Steals masamune and stabs document manager-