Chapter 8
Yuffie looked through the drawers of the dressers for anything that seemed important. The top drawer had had neatly folded shirts. The one below it had pants. And the next had… socks and boxers.
As Yuffie blushed, she said, "I guess that answers that question."
"What question?" came from behind her.
She slammed the drawer shut. "Nothing!"
She opened the next the drawer and found a tempered glass weapon case holding a three barreled handgun and ammo.
"There it is." Vincent said, kneeling next to her. He pressed on the keypad the numbers 1, 9, 8, 8, 1, 6. The lid opened and Vincent grabbed the Cerberus and ammo.
"That's all I need, let's go get Cid."
"But don't you want anything else in here?"
"No. When all this is done maybe, but for now, I don't want to remember"
"Well, truth be told, I would like to see you in one of these suits."
Outside, they found Cid saying a string of curses on the prices of items here. "Ready, old man?"
"Don't call me old, brat! Yeah, I'm ready. Where do we go to next?"
"Wutai," answered Yuffie.
"Then let's go!"
"Like Tifa said, just call when you're ready to be picked up," Cid said before driving off.
"So, I take it you'll be climbing the Pagoda Tower," Vincent stated.
"Yeah, I want to prove to my old man that I'm not just something that he can push aside. At the top of the tower, he'll be waiting at the top for who ever challenges the tower. Not only will I beat him, I'll make him face up to what he has done, to me and what he made me do to others."
The two started walking to Wutia. "Then you know that I can't help you."
"Yes."
"Then why do you need me? These monsters are nowhere strong enough to kill you."
"I know, I need you with me so I'm strong enough to do it. I haven't been able to face my father for years. As long as I haven't been able to look myself in the mirror until I met Cloud and the others.
"Humph, I have a lot to live up to myself."
"All in good time, Yuffie. All in good time."
"HOW DO YOU STAY SO CALM! It's infuriating! I feel like I'm about to jump out of my skin!"
"Simple, I know that no matter what a person does, or is done to them, the end result is still the same. We will die no matter what and rejoin the life stream. So does it make sense to get mad over something that will pass soon enough? This event will be over soon and, whether you win or not, you will have shown your father that you are no longer his puppet. All that really matters in the end is that you lived, not simply existed."
"…You're right. This is no reason to get worried."
After that, Yuffie started walking lighter steps, as if the weight of the world had been taken off her shoulders and put back on Atlas's. When they got to Wutai, it was near nightfall so they decided to rest for the night. Inside Yuffie's house, they set down there bags and dropped on the couch. Along with the long walk came a long list of monsters. And these two needed to rest for a moment.
"Yuffie, why don't you get a shower first, I can wait."
"Sure, just as soon as I can feel my feet."
Vincent was up and moving before Yuffie was. While she went and got in the shower, Vincent looked for something to cook in the kitchen. After throwing away several empty take out boxes, some as old as two years, and making the room sanitary again, he realized that any food that was in the fridge would be bad by now. Grabbing the garbage can, he opened the refrigerator door and found it empty, along with the freezer. The only thing this was every used for was ice.
Going to the hall that led to the room and bathroom, Vincent said, "Hey, I'm going to get us something to eat. I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Great, I'm starving!" Yuffie called from the bathroom.
As he walked out of the house, he started getting berated by the demons again.
Vincent, if you were any more the gentleman, I would hurl, said Death Gigus.
Now what's your problem?
Only that to take a shower Yuffie would have to, and would still be, naked. And you didn't even try to sneak a peak!
Before Vincent even had a chance to shut him up, the other three did.
You dumb ass! Do you really THINK that Vincent should have done that!
I should tare your throat out just for thinking that!
Just try it mutt!
For the first time ever, the four monsters in his head had gotten into a fight. He could even feel in them trying to kill each other in the back of his mind. But as they couldn't die in there, all they succeeded in doing was give Vincent a head ache.
After a few minutes, they stopped.
If you… give up now, I'll… stop…
Yeah…right. Like…I would… do that.
Hell Mask had pushed himself up with his chainsaw. You're a damn pervert, Death Gigus.
Am…not. I'm just giving him a hard time for being so boring.
Oh, that's okay then. You just should have chosen a different subject though.
Vincent sighed. If he didn't already have a head ache, he would have now. As he went through the store, he grabbed a couple of things; a loaf of bread, a dozen eggs, vegetables, seasonings, and such. After paying for them and returning to Yuffie's, he went in the kitchen, put the eggs in the fridge for breakfast, and started cooking. When he was done, he had stirred fried vegetables with sliced chicken breast and walnuts mixed in.
As he finished setting the table, Yuffie came out of the hall, dressed for dinner instead of combat.
"When you said you were going out to get dinner, I thought you meant take out."
Vincent couldn't say anything; he was caught off guard by her being in a dress instead of her turtle neck and shorts.
When she lifted the chop sticks to her mouth and ate the food, her tongue was in heaven. "This is good. This is damn good," she said with a hint of surprise. Vincent smiled and bowed his head for a moment before he started eating.
When the finished, Vincent put the dishes in the sink and cleaned them. "That settles it," Yuffie said from the table, "from now on, you're my personal cook."
"Am I now?"
"Yes, I would even put up with motion sickness for cooking like this."
"Well, I'm glad you like it."
"So let's see, you can cook, you're a sharp shooter, a philosopher, is there anything else you do that I would like to know about?"
"Yeah, I know how to play this," Vincent said, pulling a violin case out of his bag.
"Now I know you didn't have that this morning."
"I grabbed it while you were going through the drawers."
He sat down on the couch and played a small tune on it. When he finished, he said, "And the piano."
"Okay, Mozart, the bed is mine, couch is you. Good night."
"Good night."
The next morning, Vincent made breakfast, eggs and toast, and went to the Pagoda Tower with Yuffie.
When they entered, she made herself known. "Hey Gorky, I'm going up!"
"Lady Yuffie, I didn't expect to see you today. Or anytime soon for that matter. Did you come to see your father, Lord Godo? You can go up to see him."
"I didn't come to see him, I came to beat him!"
"I see." Gorky turned and rang a gong. "Beat me and you shall be allowed to go to the next floor."
The fight wasn't that long, with Yuffie as the winner. "You have gotten much stronger. I remember when you could barely lift your shuriken, much less throw it, and now look at you. The very image of your mother, in looks and skill. You have proven yourself, you my past."
The next three battles were over as quick as the first, Yuffie always coming out the victor. She only needed a cure two spell when she finished them.
As she stepped onto the fifth floor, Godo's eyes widened. "Yuffie, what are you doing here!"
"I'm here to fight you. I'm tired of stealing Materia for you. I have done it to be a good daughter to you but no more. I won't be your tool any longer."
"Impudent whelp! I'm your father and…"
"NO! My father died when my mother did. All that's there now is a heartless old man."
"Fine. Fight me with all your strength or you will die!"
Vincent wanted so much to help her; it ate at him not to. But this was one fight that she had to face herself.
See, I told you not all enemies are fought on the battlefield. She needed your help to make this happen. Okay, I'll admit it, you were right. What was that? Your voice got really low, I couldn't hear you. I SAID YOU WERE RIGHT! No need to yell. HAHAHA! Planet save me from demons.
When it was over, Godo changed back to a human and fell. Yuffie followed a few moments afterwards. But a winner had been decided, and that was Yuffie.
"Yuffie, as the victor over the Tower of the Five Gods, you are awarded the full title of ninja of Wutai and the scroll with the final technique. As that you have beaten me, and there fore proven your worthiness as the next Lady Kiseragi, ruler of Wutai, I present you with this," Godo held up the Leviathan Materia. Yuffie accepted the scroll and materia and bowed. Godo returned the bow and turned away from her.
Yuffie then bowed to those she had just fought before they left the fifth floor. When the last had left, she turned to Vincent and said, "Let's go Vinnie." She left and never looked back at her father.
On the way back to her house, Yuffie couldn't stop talking. She was both amazed and relieved that she had beaten him and she said so. Vincent just kept congradulating her, glad that she had won.
"You know what this means?" asked Yuffie.
"What?"
"To celebrate, you get to give me a gift!"
"Is that a fact?"
"Sure is and I know exactly what I want."
"Which is?"
She smiled, grabbed his hand, and ran back to her house. She then raced through it, stopping only to take off their shoes, down the hall, and to her room.
Wait, she couldn't possibly be thinking…
In her room, she pushed him to a piano. It wasn't big necessarily, but it took up more room then the tatami mat, or futon, will when it's rolled out. "Play!"
You're more of a pervert than we took you for, Vinnie.
He couldn't help but laugh a little as he sat down. It was covered in dust. But despite that, it was well cared for and perfectly tuned. He opened the music sheet and saw the title "The Moonlight Sonata, Movement One."
Vincent took a few seconds to get his keying right, and then started playing. He didn't rush, this song sounded better when it is given time than when it's rushed. More importantly, Yuffie was on the edge of her chair, listening to the slow pace.
When he finished, she looked like she wished he wasn't. And since this was a time for a little celebration, he didn't stop. Without a moment's hesitation, he went onto movement two, then onto movement three. When he finished, he turned to her.
"I've never heard my mother play those two."
"Understandable, the first speaks of something deep. But the second is far too melancholy and the third is ambiguous and high spirited. Not as many people like them as much as the first. Would you like me to keep playing?"
Yuffie swallowed and nodded, a tear starting at the edge of her eyes at the sound of her mothers piano being played again. Vincent reached up onto the top of the piano and grabbed a sheet book. Opening it to a song that was as deep as the first movement, he started playing Dance of Death. When he did finish, he turned to Yuffie and saw she was shedding silent tears. He got up and sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around.
"That piano was my mother's before she died. She played just about every song in that book and that was one of them. I spent allot of time by this piano and I always could still hear the songs but to actually have them played again…"
Vincent just stayed there. He had no words of wisdom for this. He knew not what to do besides hold her and pray that she never had to cry like this again.
But his prayers didn't reach the planet. Only three days later, she cried harder then Vincent had prayed not to when Sephiroth killed Aeris.
Author's Notes. Sorry for the sad ending. But we all knew it was coming. That scene is the saddest thing I have ever seen. I had never read of those four fighting so I put it in there for a laugh. The same thing with the 'I told you so' and the 'you pervert' from Chaos to Vincent. Last and least: I don't any of the characters above or the game 'Final Fantasy 7.'