Chapter 3
When Yuffie got pregnant, everyone was joyous. As her pregnancy went along, Tifa and Cloud's daughter, Skye, and then Cid and Shera's son, Taylor, were born. However, Vincent and Yuffie's family noticed strange things during her pregnancy. Yuffie would have horrible nightmares, and thrash in her sleep. She would suddenly bleed from somewhere on her body where she had no cuts. Something was wrong, but no matter how many times the Shinra doctors checked her over, they found nothing.
"Yuffie, are you doing all right?" Vincent asked her as they walked near the lotus pond. She walked carefully on the bridge, making sure all of her steps would not make her fall.
"Yeah, I-" And then she fell over herself. Vincent quickly grabbed her and held her in his arms.
"I'm sorry… It's my fault… I'm a monster…" He gripped her shoulders tightly. She took her hands and stroked his back.
"It's not." She smiled. "And don't call yourself a monster. We've been over this."
"Yuffie…." He kissed her on her lips and he felt better. However, all this relief was erased when the day of their child's birth came. Everything…
"Jenovah entered your wife's womb from the lifestream."
"But how…?"
"Because you, the father, are Omega's host." Yuffie writhed in pain, kicking her legs and gripping on the pillow.
"It's my fault…!" He held his face in his hand.
"Now's not the time to be blaming anyone." The doctor said as Yuffie's pants and held-in screams filled the silence. "We need to make sure your wife is safe."
"What do you suggest we do?"
"She may be saved if we kill the baby." He coughed. "We have to protect this world from Jenovah at all costs."
"That's the reason, you-"
"Yes, that's the entire reason I came today. I have to kill this child-" Suddenly, the doctor felt the feel of cold titanium against his left temple.
"DO IT AND DIE." He glared furiously. "Even if Yuffie lives, if this baby dies, she won't be able to take it. Neither will I."
"Calm down, calm down." He said perfectly free from fear. "It already seems to be too late." The two looked down at the ground, where Yuffie screamed her lungs out.
"YUFFIE!" Vincent fell to the ground, holding her hand. The baby had come out.
"The child seems to be free from Jenovah's influence for now." He took the bloody heap of a child and brought it to rinse. "It seems to be a healthy baby girl." The child cried.
"…my baby…" Yuffie whispered and raised her hand.
"Yuffie…"
"Give me back my baby…!"
"I'm sorry, we have to kill her. It's Jenovah's legacy, and it needs to die."
"You don't dare…!" Vincent growled.
"I'll kill you…!" Yuffie dashed in a fury towards the man and bashed him against the wall. Except… The wall was now gone. Her power had smashed it away.
"Yuffie!" Vincent called to her in urgency.
"…Ow… You'll kill your own baby if you do that…" The doctor pulled out a gun. "I see you've been infected by Jenovah as well."
"RAAAAAAHHHHH!" She grabbed him by the neck, about to snap it.
"Yuffie, stop it!" He ran towards her.
"Vincent…!" The doctor choked. "Take the child!" He saw the child, who was in fact still by the sink. He passed it to one of the maids and ran after Yuffie, who was still intending to kill him.
"KAAAAA!" She snarled, held back in his arms.
"Yuffie, that's enough!" She looked at him with feral eyes and chomped down her sharp teeth on his neck.
"Gah…!" He yelled in pain and let go for a moment. She pushed away, but then held her head in pain.
"…Guh…! Vin… cent…!" She cried, blood dripping from her teeth.
"Yuffie? Yuffie, is that you? Wake up! You can't run around like this! You'll die, your body is…!" He saw the blood on the ground that had come from her pregnancy.
"…Quick…! Vincent…! SHOOT ME!" She screamed, and then went to attack him once again.
"Yuffie…!" His hand ached as it reached for the trigger. However, Yuffie fainted where she stood. "Yuffie!"
"It seems Jenovah's toxins wore off for now… As long as we apply the right medicines, she'll be fine."
"What kind of medicines?" Vincent asked in the Shinra hospital in _. He looked through the bright ER window, where Yuffie was connected to an oxygen machine. She breathed in and breathed out, just as a human should.
"We've developed a medicine to null Jenovah's toxins for a month's time. It'll be a monthly dose for Yuffie and her daughter."
"My daughter…?"
"Yes. As I mentioned earlier, your newborn daughter does have an immense amount of Jenovah's toxins inside of her. Much more than your wife. Yuffie should be able to live normally with the medicine, but I don't know about the little one…"
"She'll live. She's my daughter." He said confidently, yet with a grim tone.
"…All right." The doctor smiled. "We'll let the child live."
"Vincent…" Yuffie looked up happily. Now she had woken and was sitting up in her bed. She had been brought the child to be with.
"Yuffie… Are you feeling all right?"
"Of course! Who do you think I am!" Yuffie said this in a soft voice, as to not startle their child.
"Heh… Sorry." He said as quietly as she did.
"…Vincent?"
"Yeah?"
"If… If I ever go crazy like that again… Please… Shoot me."
"Wait, what?" Vincent yelled and jumped up, and the baby squirmed. He sat down again.
"I know… I know it will be hard, but I can't do any more damage to my people, to this world… To you." She gazed at the light stain of blood coming through the bandages on his neck. He covered it with his hand.
"The doctor said you'll be fine."
"But…"
"I won't kill you, Yuffie. You're my wife. We're supposed to spend eternity together." He interlaced his hand with his wife's. She smiled softly.
"Vincent… There might be a day where I endanger you again. I need you to. You don't have to even promise. Just hold it in your heart, OK?"
"…" Vincent felt so powerless, not being able to do anything for his wife, the one person who truly loved him with all their heart. Yuffie opened her mouth slightly and began to sing.
Erika no hana…
Erika no hana…
Hanabira ga maiochiru
Kono kaori
Wasurenai wa
Haru ga kuru toki
Watashi no suki na hito to
Maki ni arukimasu
Erika ni miru tame
(Erika flowers…
Erika flowers…
The petals are fluttering down
I won't forget
This fragrance
When spring comes
With my beloved,
I shall walk to the field
To see the Erika.)
"Yuffie, that song…?"
"My mom taught it to me when I was a kid."
"…Erika."
"What?"
"The Erika flower could be our daughter's name."
"Erika, huh… That's a pretty name."
"Then we're decided?"
"Yeah. From today till the end, your name is Erika. Erika Valentine."