Hey everybody! I managed to get this out now, but I might be taking a break. I'll probably get tomorrow's chapter of Messing With Valentine published, too, and I'll mention this there since more people read that, but here goes:

My dad just had surgery, so we've been really busy helping around the house and with him, plus, I have four major tests tomorrow that I should be studying for instead of updating FF - so be appreciative - and I'm stressed to the max :/ Hopefully, my dad's condition will get better soon and schoolwork will lessen, then I'll have more time for you guys. I don't plan on this being a hiatus, only a really short pause. I think of Hiatuses as evil terms that mean the author cares not for FF at the moment - that's what I used it for. But I love you guys, promise!

Hope you enjoy it! Thank you, VervainGirl, for all your help! You're awesome!

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII, yada, yada, yada, now on to the story...

Vincent flew through the W.R.O. building, one hand clenching toward Cerberus out of habit. The few employees and commissioners that weren't so lucky as to hear that a very pissed off Vincent was on his way, ducked into offices, supply closets, and even behind houseplants as Vincent tore down the dreary corridors, his lips pulled down in a hateful sneer. The scraping of his metal boots on the floor brought cringes to those whose ears the sound fell upon as he thundered through the facility, his vermillion gaze locked dead ahead.

"Reeve," Vincent hissed, throwing a door open. He slammed hand and claw down on a desk, frowning. "Show me where she is!"

Reeve had the decency to look startled, his rear lifting of the chair at least a good four inches. Flustered and trying to regain composure, Reeve informed, "I will take you to her, Vincent. There's been discussion of denying you access – for reasons that are obvious – but I spoke on your behalf at the special session this morning. Under no circumstances will you be prohibited from confronting her."

Vincent nodded, wanting to be grateful to Reeve for aiding him, but too enraged at the moment to really give a damn. Straining, he forced, "Thank you, Reeve."

When Reeve stood, he straightened his long blue robe out and shook Vincent's hand, his eyes softened as he considered how irate and lost the gunslinger must have felt. "Vincent, be careful. I understand how angry you must be – no, nevermind, I don't know the half of it, for I've never lost a child – but be aware that she may have valuable information that the W.R.O. could use. I hate to bring politics and petty things such as this into it, but-"

"It's fine," Vincent acquiesced. "I understand. She might have enlisted the help of others, too, so it would be in my best interest to keep her alive. I was a Turk once, Reeve. I know how these things work."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

The dark stairwell that Reeve led the gunslinger down asserted an aura of foreboding. The chill that fell heavy on the narrow stretch seemed to add to the doomed effect. Vincent's eyes narrowed as he spotted a door at the end marked, NO ACCESS, SPECIAL UNITS ONLY. Reeve reached for a card hanging around his neck and pulled it off, swiping it across a keypad before punching in a number code. While this occurred, Vincent stared unblinkingly at the sequence of numbers, his mind memorizing the very extensive and challenging code like it was a simple house address.

After punching the code in, a beep granted the two access, and Reeve pulled the thick handle, opening the door with a creak. Vincent stepped inside and glanced around, his eyes scanning the dismal chamber for the bane of his existence. The room's lighting, dim and harsh, shone down on a chair where the woman who had ruined Vincent's happiness sat, her limbs constricted in a painful looking way by fantastically thick chains and cuffs. Maroon eyes stared back at Vincent with a light in them, a very amused light.

With a roar, any and all self-control Vincent possessed vanished, something within the gunslinger snapping like a flimsy twig. He lunged across the room, his claw latching itself around Rosso's neck, the pointy ends digging into the thin flesh. His heart ached within him, knowing that she ordered his baby's death, that she caused his Yuffie so much grief and misery!

The inhuman beast within him demanded brutal revenge, screamed for sadistic bloodshed, and writhed for merciless torture.

Vincent shook, his memory flashing. He saw himself standing behind Yuffie, watching their daughter sleep in her arms. He saw himself singing to Valencia, kissing her forehead delicately, her skin softer than anything he could have imagined, and her eyes as red as his. He saw Yuffie, screaming and despaired as she clung to the tattered body of their little angel, calling out Wutain prayers and begging to wake up from the nightmare. He saw himself, trying to put back the pieces of their lives, and failing miserably as he watched everything around him fall apart, and Yuffie sink into a pit of depression, wasting away to nothing. He saw the coffin, smaller than the length of his arm, holding the body of the Single Red Rose, the child he should have taught the alphabet to, the child he should have sent off to her first day of kindergarten, the child he should have walked down the aisle.

"YOU!" Vincent cried. "YOU DID THIS TO US!"

Rosso managed a meager laugh through her struggle to breath. In her thick accent she taunted, "Me? Yes, Valentine, I killed your daughter! I ordered her soft and yielding baby skin to be shredded to strips, her delicate little form crying out, wanting her mommy and her daddy! How she must have cried, her tiny little wails miserable and pitiful! Oh, how fun it must have been to slice open her skin!"

Vincent snarled and raked his nails across Rosso's face, tearing her cheek open. He was pretty sure he felt his claw go into her eye, too. He didn't focus on the details, only on making her suffer. Red clouded his vision and his knees almost locked. Never had he felt so truly murderous.

He'd never hated Hojo the way he hated this Tsviet.

Vincent shoved his boot into Rosso's stomach, knocking the chair backwards, the sound of a skull hitting the concrete reverberating in the damp and dark room while. He loomed over the Tsviet, watching blood rush out of the place where the metal of his boot had punctured her midsection.

"You," Vincent seethed, "will pay for what you have done to my family. I will make you suffer every damn day for this!" Before he could finish her, Vincent backed away, afraid of losing control. No matter how badly he wanted to murder her, he was determined to let her live, determined that she would ache and beg for mercy, only to be denied, just how she denied his daughter. Even if he lost his humanity, he'd never allow her mercy.

Vincent approached the woman again, fisting his hand in her hair and yanking her head up. He slammed it into the floor once, watching her black out. He turned to Reeve, the commissioner having been patiently standing by, albeit with a nauseas look on his face.

"Pump her full of epinephrine. I want her awake to feel that." He then turned on his heel, not waiting for a reply. He threw open the door and took the stairs two at a time, emerging on the first floor with a sense of disorientation at the change of lighting. He blinked and gazed around. There were many people staring at him like they'd never seen someone quite so insane, some still hidden behind leafy potted plants.

Reeve appeared beside him and whispered, "There's an echo. They probably heard everything you said."

"…" Vincent stalked down a corridor and took a left, finding a side exit in a stairwell. He slipped outside and leaned his head against the building, shielding his eyes with one arm. His breaths shook, ragged and heavy as he fought to control the storm of emotions inside of him. How he wished to rip Rosso apart, limb by limb and watch her squirm!

"Vinnie?" a soft voice called.

"Yuffie," Vincent answered, not bothering to turn around. He knew it was she; his Yuffie-radar was off the charts. "What are you doing here?"

He felt a hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles and helping to ease the tension in his body. "I came to see the woman that murdered our daughter, Vincent. You don't think I was gonna let you have all the fun?"

Vincent scoffed. "I can control myself, Yuffie. I cannot expect you to even begin to try to rein in your hatred – I wasn't the one to find Valencia first. You… you cannot be told to hold back, Yuffie. If we went down there, right now, and you wanted to kill her, I could not deny you. It would be your right. However, we need her around, at least for a while longer."

Yuffie wrapped her arms around Vincent from behind, leaning her head against his back. She could feel the way he trembled in rage, the way his skin burned through his clothes from all of the blood rushing angrily through his veins.

Her Vinnie, with his calm demeanor and slow-to-temper disposition.

Her Vinnie, the man of few words.

Here stood her Vinnie, shaking lividly, teeth gritted in an attempt to fight the need to kill growing within him.

My Vinnie, Yuffie reflected miserably.

"Okay, Vince, I don't have to go down there." Vincent turned to face his ninja, curious as to why she wouldn't want to after everything. Yuffie held his claw in her hand and explained, "If you are this angry after seeing her, I don't think it would be a good idea for me to see her. You're right, I would strangle the very life out of her, and that wouldn't be very productive, now would it?"

Vincent smiled and pulled the young woman into his arms, his heart already calming from just her soothing presence. "No, no it wouldn't." He kissed Yuffie softly and held her close, ignoring the midday sun of the Eastern Continent. "I will call Cid and see if he'll take us back to Nibelheim. Excuse me, Yuffie."

Vincent pulled away and searched his pocket for his phone, dialing Cid's number. It rang for a while, and then there was a click.

"Who the &^% is this?" Vincent cringed at Cid's greeting.

"Vincent Valentine," he replied through gritted teeth.

"Oh, hey there, Vamp-boy! Whatcha callin' for?"

Vincent glanced over at Yuffie, watching her carve dirty words into the side of the W.R.O. building with Conformer. Briefly, he called, "Yuffie, restrain yourself." He drew his attention back to the phone and answered, "Yuffie and I need a ride back to Nibelheim, can you pick us up?"

"I ain't no damn taxi-service!" Cid grumbled. "Fine, I'll be there in an hour, a'ight? And keep an eye on that ninja, sounds like she's up to no good, judgin' by your tone of voice earlier. Over and out!"

Vincent almost sighed in relief when Cid hung up. He put his phone in his pocket and turned to where Yuffie had been graffiti-ing the walls. "Gaia," Vincent hissed, spinning around. Now where did that damn girl go?

"Yuffie!" Vincent called, a disapproving tone in his words. "Yuffie Kisaragi! Where did you go?"

He heard giggling and turned to it, nearly falling on his rear when the ninja leaped at him and tackled him like a rabid dog. Cheerily, she jested, "Yes, Vinnie-dear?"

Vincent shook his head at her, pushing the ninja off his chest to stand. She jumped up and twirled.

"I want ice cream. Vinnie, go get me chocolate ice cream." Yuffie cocked her hip and put her hands on her waist, eyeing him challengingly. He sighed.

"Would you like anything else, princess?" Yuffie giggled at Vincent's reply.

"Yeah, now that you mention it. I want nuts, strawberry syrup, sprinkles – but they have to be multi-colored, whipped topping, gummibears, and caramel sauce! Ooh, and don't forget the hot fudge!" As an afterthought, Yuffie added, "And I want mayonnaise with pickles."

Vincent stared at her, not even blinking, wondering why she would be in want of something so odd. Yuffie cocked her head and cried, "For the love of Leviathan, what!?"

"…I do not believe they sell ice cream here," Vincent pointed out, addressing the dull area surrounding them, the only building of significance being the W.R.O. Headquarters. Yuffie stuck her tongue out at Vincent and blew a raspberry.

"I want ice cream, Vinnie. You said you'd get me ice cream!" She bounded over to the gunslinger and linked her arm with his, ignoring the chill of metal from the claw. Grinning, she added, "Or, you could always sleep on the couch…"

"Yuffie, you don't even sleep in my room, so why would it even be of consequence?" Vincent realized too late that that might not have been the wisest move on his part. The little ninja drew back from his arm, glaring at him.

"You're such a jerk, Vincent." Yuffie tramped away from him, kicking up dirt and flinging rocks. Vincent watched her with a passive visage. She stomped around, her eyes narrowed and nostrils flaring. Vincent glanced off at the horizon, shielding his eyes from the blinding sun.

"Cid should be arriving shortly." Yuffie humphed at his answer, crossing her arms and sticking her nose up in the direction opposing him. With a sigh, Vincent made his way back to the ninja, pulling one arm to unlock it from the other, and sliding his own arm around her waist. He found himself often at a loss with her constantly swinging moods. It seemed her hormones were off balance – he couldn't place why.

"Yu, I'll buy you ice cream when we get home, if it really means that much to you." Vincent's eyes pleaded with the ninja, but she had already disregarded the ice cream completely in favor of a new prospect.

"You called me Yu!" Yuffie pointed at him, beaming. "The great Vincent Valentine has a nickname for little old me!"

Vincent rolled his eyes at the ninja's antics and kissed her softly, drawing back to lean against the building once more. Yuffie weaseled her way into his arms and leaned her head on his chest, sighing as he held her close and stroked her hair. His claret eyes came to rest on Yuffie's pursed lips, and he wondered what his little ninja was thinking about. So often, he felt absolutely useless to her, like nothing he could do would bring her happiness back.

"Vinnie, what do you plan to do with Rosso?"

Vincent halted his caressing and regarded Yuffie with a curious expression. He shifted his weight slightly before replying, "I plan to allow Reeve the time he needs to obtain whatever information he deems necessary. When the time comes that she is at the W.R.O.'s disposal, I will do with her as I see fit."

Yuffie shriveled at the biting and almost matter-of-fact way in which he spoke of the Tsviet. She allowed the information to sink in, imagining just what he'd do when that time came. She almost felt sorry, but immediately hated herself for even daring to think such a thought. No, she had held her daughter's bloody and lifeless body, wishing for the warmth to come back to the cold corpse. No, she did not feel sorry one bit for what Vincent had planned.

"Will you kill her?" Yuffie asked, gazing into Vincent's eyes boldly. He narrowed his own, hatred flashing in them briefly, like the searing strike of a lightning bolt, lethal and rapid.

He shook his head. "No, that would be too easy."

Yuffie nodded, not truly sure how to respond. Relief came in the form of the approaching Highwind, however, saving her from having to reply to the answer. "Look, Vince, Cid!"

Vincent blinked his eyes and shielded them from the sun, nodding. He reached for Yuffie's hand and pulled her to where the Highwind was lowering. Cid lowered a rope and Vincent moved to hold it steady as Yuffie climbed her way to the top. Vincent followed, being greeted by the sailor-mouth pilot, a cigarette in his mouth.

"Hey, vampire, brat," Cid greeted, grinning around the cigarette. He ruffled Yuffie's hair, earning a grin and swat on the back from the ninja.

"Hey, old man!" Yuffie returned, sticking her tongue out. "You still haven't stopped smoking? You know, Shera's gonna kill you if you don't stop before she gets pregnant!"

Cid gaped at her. "Kid, what are you talkin' 'bout!? Ain't no way I'm going to be havin' no kids!" The pilot shook his head at her, and Yuffie grinned wider.

"Yeah, I wasn't too thrilled about being prego, but you know what? When you get to hold 'em, and there all squishy and warm, and friggin' softer than you could ever have imagined possible, you'll change your mind. They get to be real special to you the first time you hold them. I promise, it's the first time you get to cradle 'em in your arms!"

Cid balked at the ninja, and Vincent turned, hiding his face. "Excuse me," Vincent interrupted, his voice flat. Yuffie and Cid watched as he walked away, his red cloak flowing out behind him. Cid's lips flattened and he grunted.

"Yuffie, I think you struck a nerve," Cid commented, eyeing Vincent's retreating form.

Saddly, Yuffie answered, "I think you might be right."

Cid clapped Yuffie on the back and pulled her beside him in a sideways hug. He walked off in the direction of the stables. They walked silently, neither speaking up. Yuffie rubbed her arm, feeling bad for upsetting Vincent.

"It ain't your fault, kid."

Yuffie stopped and looked at Cid, her eyes narrowed. "What are you, a freaking psychic?"

Cid huffed. "Yuffie, I'm bein' serious right now. You can't blame yourself for anything – Vincent getting all distraught, or Rimmy's death!"

Yuffie bit her lip, shutting her eyes tightly. Meekly, she replied, "I… was there, Cid… I heard someone upstairs – but I never heard her cry, I never heard her cry for me, Cid! I didn't protect her!"

Cid pulled Yuffie into his arms and grumbled, "I know, Yuffs, I know." He let her cry for a while, allowing her to release all of her pent up anxiety and stress. After a few moments of tears, Yuffie pulled back and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Thanks, Cid," she mumbled, cracking a forced smile. Cid returned a sad smile of his own.

"Yeah, you just come to me if you needa talk, okay? Now I gotta ship to pilot, cuz them damn morons can't do nuthin' right!"

Yuffie chuckled a little as Cid walked away, smiling excitedly when he added, "Oh, yeah, your chocobo's in the stable. Thing's right stupid, Yuffie. Ain't got a lick of sense!"

Yuffie clapped her hands and raced off to the stable, sliding into the smelly room. She glanced around, crying out happily when she spotted a gold chocobo, its face bored as it glared at a pile of hay.

"Yuki!" At Yuffie's shrill exclamation, the chocobo perked up, warking happily as Yuffie ran to her. "Yuki, hey there, pretty girl!" She fished out greens and fed them to the bird, grinning in delight. Yuki nuzzled her affectionately, her feathers ruffling as she hopped around. Yuffie rubbed her head, stating, "It's been so long since I've seen you! I guess I should thank Cid for getting you back from wherever you ran off to!"

After a moment, Yuffie felt the presence of a second chocobo, almost laughing at the very Vincent-like way the black chocobo in the corner regarded Yuffie with superiority, giving her its best condescending look. It warked once in an obvious greeting to the ninja, but nothing more.

Yuffie giggled as she skipped to the chocobo's side and scratched it on its neck, right where she knew the chocobo liked it. "Heya, Obsidian. I know – I ignored you. Poor you, you pretty boy!" Yuffie fed the chocobo some greens, petting him to gain back his affection. After a moment, Obsidian warked happily, but only once, and Yuffie laughed at its carrying on.

"You're so much like Vincent – no wonder you two bonded instantly." Yuffie kissed Obsidian on the head and then followed suit with Yuki. She waved goodbye to the chocobos as she left the stable, running into Vincent. Happily, she proclaimed, "Cid stabled Yuki and Obsidian!"

Vincent nodded, replying, "Yes, he told me. I was on my way to feed them. I assume that Obsidian will be the more difficult of the two in regards to mollifying them for such a long absence."

Yuffie nodded, grinning. "I already fed him greens, Vince, so you'll have to come up with another tactic. He's not gonna accept the greens-and-forgive policy this time around."

Yuffie pecked Vincent's lips and smiled when he wrapped his arms around her. When they pulled away, Vincent entered the stable and Yuffie continued on her way, drawing out her PHS. She dialed Tifa's number, waiting for the barmaid to pick up.

"Hey, Yuffie!"

"Hiya, Teef," Yuffie answered. "How goes things?"

She heard Tifa laugh. "Marlene keeps begging to see 'Aunt Yuffie' again!"

Yuffie smiled, replying, "Yeah, I promised her I'd teach her how to pickpocket and spot the best materia! I – I mean, I promised to help her study the history of the Shinra War."

"Mhm, I'm sure you did, Yuffie. Listen, do you want Cid to drop you off over here? It'd be great to see you again, you know, when the occasion isn't so solemn."

Yuffie considered the invitation and smiled. "Sure, it sounds great! I'll talk to Vinnie about it , and then I'll call you back! Bye Teefster!"

"Bye, Yu!"

Yuffie turned to make her way to the bridge, shrieking when she bumped into Vincent. She stumbled backwards and he immediately reached out, steadying her with a concerned look. When she righted herself, she shook her head.

"Damn, Vince! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Vincent regarded her with a smirk. "Are you not a ninja?"

Yuffie humphed and blew a raspberry at Vincent, replying, "You suck, vampire-boy!" He pulled the indignant ninja to him, kissing her softly as his heart melted in the comfort she provided him. Their lives seemed to be falling apart around him, but as long as he had her in his arms, he knew he'd be fine.

She was the air he breathed in, his lifeline.

"What was it you told Tifa you would talk to me about?" Vincent inquired, his red eyes curious as he placed kisses on Yuffie's forehead.

Yuffie shrugged. "You heard that? Well, she wanted to know if we'd like to stop by and see them, you know, because it won't be as sad as the – as last time."

Vincent nodded knowingly, and replied, "Yes, I see no reason to object- if that is fine with Cid."

Yuffie grinned in response. "I love you, Vinnie! You're the best!" She eagerly sped away in search of Cid, her grin stretching from one side of the Highwind to the next.

Vincent returned to the chocobo stables, making his way to the grand black chocobo. It eyed him suspiciously, turning its head away in supremacy. Vincent smoothed down the feathers on the chocobo's neck, scratching just between its wings. Obsidian warked happily, but then shuffled away from Vincent, not ready to forgive him for his long absence.

"So much like Yuffie," Vincent remarked fondly. He'd been away from the chocobo for the better part of two years, and was receiving the cold shoulder as punishment. Yuffie might have accepted Vincent as soon as he returned, but only for fear of losing him. He supposed that, were he to leave her again, it would take a hell of a lot more than a 'kiss and make up' on his part to return things to normal.

Vincent allowed himself to drift into thought, remembering the day that Yuffie turned twenty. He had been away from her that day, still searching for Rosso. He tried calling her PHS as many as fifteen times before the hour had reached eleven in the morning. He contacted Tifa next, only to be informed that his little ninja was sleeping, much to his chagrin.

She'd called him back later, exclaiming, "Vinnie!" And he'd never been happier to hear her effeminate voice, the tight squeal of joy that accompanied the beautiful sound bringing a small smile to his lips.

"I've missed you," Yuffie confessed, her tone at once excited and sad.

"Hn," Vincent replied. "Happy birthday, Yuffie." He wanted to say more, to tell her how much he had missed her and loved her, to tell her he wanted nothing more than to be with her, but his guilt made him bite his tongue. He was unworthy of Yuffie and Valencia.

"Thanks, Vinnie," Yuffie replied. There was a pause, and then, "I hope you find her soon. I want you to come home to Rimmy and me, 'kay?"

Vincent chuckled. "Yes, Yuffie. We have tracked the Tsviet to Icicle Inn, and Reeve has dispatched a W.R.O. unit to investigate. I must go now, Yuffie." He desperately wanted her to keep the conversation going, reluctant to hang up on her.

But of course, she answered, "Okay, Vince. I love you, be careful."

Vincent sighed, replying, "I will. Goodbye, Yuffie, and stay safe. Take care of Valencia for me."

"Bye, Vincent." And then she hung up, and Vincent watched his PHS screen as it flashed the 'call ended' sign. He stuck it back in his pocket, turning his gaze to watch a group of W.R.O. officers gather around and discuss a course of action.

Vincent's daydreaming ended as his eyes closed in sleep, the black chocobo beside him warking angrily when Vincent resorted to using him as back board.

The first strange thing that Vincent noticed was the air. It smelled of ozone and tasted static-y, making his hair spread oddly. Vincent glanced up at the sky, finding it a bitter grey, mixing with black and purple to create an alarming display of meshing shadows. Clouds, heavy and thick, scattered the sky in a misty fog. The gunslinger felt a rumbling in the distance as it shuddered through the ground and reverberated in his chest.

A storm was coming.

Vincent stood from his spot on the cold grass and searched the area. The place was unrecognizable, but Vincent assumed himself to be located somewhere in the southern part of the Northern Continent. He took a step, but the earth shook violently, throwing his balance off. Vincent grunted, throwing his weight into his knees to remain upright.

"Hey, Vincent! Aerith's told me a lot about ya," a voice called. Vincent turned, rather surprised to find a strong looking young man with jet black hair leaning against a boulder nonchalantly, the turbulent quaking of the ground affecting him not.

"…" Vincent raised an eyebrow, and the man laughed.

"I'm Zack Fair, an old friend of Cloud's. Shinra SOLDIER First Class," the man greeted, smiling cheekily. "Aerith visited Yuffie, I thought I'd visit you. You know, I think we've met before – well, haven't met, exactly. I opened your coffin while you were sleeping, back before AVALANCHE got you outta there."

Vincent raised an eyebrow, remaining silent. He assumed he was dreaming, but given Yuffie's odd dream, he decided it was more likely to be the Lifestream attempting to contact him.

Zack threw his head back, laughing heartily. "You aren't much of a talker, are you? I mean, Aerith always said you were quiet, but not even a 'Hey, I'm Vincent Valentine?' Wow, talk about the silent hero type!"

Vincent still did not speak, watching as the man made jokes. After a moment, Zack sobered up. "Look, as you can tell from your surroundings, there's a storm brewing. A bad one – and I'm not talking your typical weather storm. From what Aeris' gathered, its materia focused, and might possibly be the work of an enemy. I came to warn you, as Aeris warned Yuffie."

Vincent nodded, his only answer to Zack. He made to turn and leave (goodness knows where he thought he was going to end up), but Zack reached out, placing his hand on the gunslinger's shoulder to stop him. Vincent raised an eyebrow, and Zack looked sheepish.

"I forgot one thing, wait here for a sec!"

Vincent barely blinked when Zack dematerialized, leaving the area vacant where he stood. Vincent shifted his weight, his eyes narrowing. After a moment, Zack reformed, in his arms a blanketed figure.

Gently, Zack held the object out, urging Vincent to take it. "Here, thought you might wanna hold her again."

Vincent's eyes widened, and he gingerly collected the baby from Zack's arms, cradling her to his chest. Softly, Vincent responded, "Thank you, thank you so much. How can I repay you?" Vincent kept his eyes on his daughter's, each set of claret matching the other. He smiled softly, caressing the little girl's forehead as she gurgled at him, cooing quietly.

Zack smiled. "No need to thank me! And, hey, you even talked!"

Vincent nodded, watching as a fleshy pink hand reached up and grasped his forefinger, the warm skin gripping his finger as tightly as it could. Some wordless baby babble followed, and Vincent smiled, shifting his daughter even closer to him. "My little red rose…"

He kissed Rimmy's forehead and smoothed down her wavy brown hair. His little daughter fit in his arms perfectly, and Vincent couldn't help the squeezing of his heart when he imagined how his life might've played out if she had never died. He would have more moments like this, where he could just simply appreciate her existence and love her as any true father would love his child. The sadness and anger seemed to dissipate with his daughter's presence, but he knew he could not stay with her forever. He had to wake sometime, and he'd have to kiss his daughter goodbye. For now, he was content to listen to her baby giggles and rock her gently, kissing her soft skin.

"We should be gettin' back, the Lifestream will be missing us."

Vincent glanced up at Zack and then back down at his daughter, his eyes slightly misty. He only wanted to be with his child – was that so much to ask? Zack reached out, and Vincent reluctantly handed his daughter back to him, his heart breaking when he could no longer feel her warmth.

"Thank you, Zack, for allowing me to see my daughter again."

Zack forced a smile, knowing that the gunslinger full well was hurting more than he could show. "She's an angel, alright. I'm sorry things didn't work out… You take care, Vincent." Zack waved and disappeared, and at that moment Vincent awoke, finding Yuffie bent over and gazing into his eyes with concern.

"Hey, Vinnie, are you okay?" Vincent nodded slowly, his mind still reeling from the shock, and the loss of his daughter being taken from his arms once again. "Did you see Aeris and Zack?"

"Just Zack… and Valencia."

Yuffie smiled knowingly and hugged Vincent, something he very much needed. "Do you think she knows who we are? I worry 'bout that, you know? As much as I love Aerith, and Zack's pretty cool, I hope she doesn't start thinking of them as her parents. I wonder, will she age in the Lifestream? Will she become physically or mentally older, or forever be only three months old?"

Vincent reached up and caressed Yuffie's cheek. "I am not sure, Yuffie. I am not sure."

Yuffie withdrew, covering her mouth suddenly. She raced to a pail and dumped the straw out, puking into it fiercely. Vincent made his way to her, rubbing her back soothingly. She continued vomiting, but due to lack of food in her stomach, all that came up was bitter gall. After a moment, Yuffie's shoulders stopped shaking and she sat on her feet.

"Are you alright?" Vincent asked, eyeing her pale features. Yuffie laughed.

"I'm always airsick, Vinnie. You don't have to play overprotective boyfriend and make sure I'm feeling well." Vincent frowned at that, taking Yuffie's chin into his hands. He pressed a hand to her forehead, but found that her temperature seemed fine.

"You should rest," Vincent stated, helping Yuffie up. He led her away from the stables. She stumbled slightly, and Vincent scooped her up. "Yuffie?"

"Juzzz… tired… is all," Yuffie yawned, her eyes blinking. "I've been really tired lately. Probably all of the stress."

Vincent raised an eyebrow but remained quiet. "Would you like something to eat?"

Yuffie shrugged, an awkward feat for the ninja, as she was being carried by the gunslinger. "Maybe."

Vincent nodded and carried her in the direction of the operation room, knowing that Cid kept a fair supply of food in the room. He had moved a minifridge and some various appliances into the room for AVALANCHE's use.

Vincent set Yuffie down in a seat and set about making her tomato soup. He opened a carton of orange juice and set a glass in front of the ninja. She took a sip and immediately gagged. Vincent pulled the glass away.

"Sorry, Vinnie, it's not sitting well on my stomach." Vincent resumed making the soup after he replaced the orange juice with a glass of water. Vincent minced some garlic and searched for the chicken breast he had seen in the fridge. He pulled it out and set it to fry in a pan. After a moment, Yuffie began gagging again.

"Vincent, I'm sorry, I know you're trying, but those smells are making it worse!" Yuffie jumped out of her seat and headed to the trash, puking gall and water into it. Her stomach heaved and she gasped in between hurling. Her eyes clenched shut as she vomited, her stomach churning as it emptied. Vincent watched, feeling useless as he stood by, unable to do a thing to help his little ninja, but wanting to help her desperately. He placed a hand on her shoulder as she took calming breaths, and then tentatively stroked her thick dark hair, smoothing it away from her pale face.

"Yuffie, what's wrong?" Vincent inquired after the kunoichi had settled herself.

"I don't know. I'm really not in the mood for anything right now, though. I just want to get some sleep." Vincent nodded, eyeing the ninja. There was something off…

"Get some rest, Yuffie. I will wake you when we reach Nibelheim."

Okay, I hope yall enjoyed that. I've got to get to bed now, wish me luck on my tests! The more reviews I receive, the better my grades will be ;D