Chapter Nineteen: Goodbye, Yuffie

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII.

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"Where is she?"

Vincent had half-growled as he forced the double doors of the room off of its hinges upon entering the room. Yuffie's eyes widened. She had never seen him like this before…and recently she had spent a lot of time with him. His crimson eyes flashed as he searched around the dim lit room for her.

She wanted to call out, but couldn't due to the cloth in her mouth. Guards readied their guns, but Vincent didn't flinch. Yuffie struggled to escape from her bonds, but it was of no use; this wasn't the first time she had wished that she had paid more attention in the Art of Escape class back in Wutai.

The gunslinger and the ninja's eyes made contact in the near-dark laboratory.

"Yuffie!"

He dodged forward toward the ninja, only to watch Kyou slowly place a small glass bottle full of murky liquid on top of Yuffie's head. Ashton Talbot smirked fiendishly.

"I wouldn't get too close to her if I were you."

Vincent snarled just as Cloud and Cid dashed into the room.

"What is that, Talbot!"

The man snickered.

"Just a little vial of a certain liquid that my science lab conjured up a few months back; One drop can bore a hole into your skin half an inch deep. Just think of how this poor young woman would look if one of my men or a stray gun bullet happened to break the bottle atop her head?"

Quiet had filled the room.

"Will you now cooperate? You may save this girl's life."

Cloud readied his upgraded Buster Sword and Cid his Venus Gospel. Yuffie's face had gone white with fear. This is it. I—I could die. I might die right here, right now; and so could Vincent and the others. Could this…be the end? Yuffie felt herself go stiff, trying to carefully balance the vial on her head. Meanwhile, Vincent raised the Death Penalty to aim at Talbot's head.

"Let her go."

Talbot laughed.

"I may, only if I can get a hold of your cells, Valentine."

Silence filled the room for a full minute and then Vincent smirked.

"Fine, I'll just take her."

Talbot looked mildly shocked.

"You wouldn't."

Vincent moved his arm slowly and aimed right above Yuffie's head: right at the vial of toxin; Yuffie's eyes widened in shock. He wouldn't. He couldn't, but knowing him…no! This isn't happening. He has to have a plan. Dangit, I hope he has a plan. Viinnnceeenntt...

Vincent pressed his finger to the trigger. Yuffie cringed at the loud ring of the gunshot and the thought of a bullet racing toward her head faster than her eye could follow, silently praying that Vincent knew what he was doing.

The ninja winced as she heard and felt the vial shatter atop her head. Although she didn't feel holes boring into her skin, she could feel the liquid seeping through her hair and down her face mixing with the involuntarily shed tears that released them selves in her fear.

Now that the threat was out of the way and Yuffie was safe for the time being Vincent, Cloud, and Cid charged weapons first into the group of guards surrounding Ashton Talbot. Within a matter of seconds the remaining guards lay lifeless on the cold laboratory floor.

Vincent now directed his gun to Talbot's forehead.

"You were bluffing."

Talbot seemed both frightened and amused.

"…Apparently, but not this time."

He nodded curtly, signaling Kyou who nodded back.

The man beside Yuffie opened his hand then he put it behind Yuffie's bent neck. Kyou smiled grimly.

"I'm sorry, Yuffie. It changed me, you know, meeting you. Goodbye…"

He swung his hand forward and hit the ninja on the back of her neck. She felt like she was falling down a black tunnel, only able to hear gunshots and the faint noise of a roar and the swish of wings. Huh?

What was that…?

Cloud and Cid had shouted her name followed by what the ninja thought to be the soft click of a lock. Yuffie felt the chains being released from her arms. As she hit the ground, she heard a thud near her. Before she could even think, she finally blacked out.

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Yeah, the chapter was short. I'm SOOOO sorry to take so long to write this, but every time I started writing I kept getting distracted. Getting Vincent to react to Yuffie's capture was quite hard. REVIEW!