This is by far the longest chapter, it's almost ten thousand words. I'm so sorry, but it's because so freaking much happens in this chapter. It's a little all over the place, and things are a little out of whack, but I think it's going to come together soon.

Thanks for all of the reviews, favorites, and alerts! And a special shout-out to Zana Zira for adding this to her community! :D Y'all should check it out, it has some great Yuffentines on it!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here. I don't receive any profit from this fic, others, or the site itself, FanFiction. But you knew that.

"Reeve, what are you going to do?" Cloud asked stoically as he regarded the man with cool eyes. The commissioner inhaled deeply, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. The meeting room, silent with anticipation, seemed eerily calm.

"I will do what must be done. She might have been my fiancée, but she killed Vincent and Valencia. There is a punishment for crimes of that degree."

Yuffie grit her teeth, the effect looking so much like a rabid dog that Tifa nearly shuddered. "Damn right!" Tifa cut her maroon eyes at Yuffie, a warning in them.

"Reeve," Tifa began sweetly, her maternal affection oozing out, "this can't be easy. Maybe you should take some time off." As heartfelt and sincere as the gesture had been, the dark-haired man shook his head tiredly.

"I have people counting on me, Ms. Lockhart," Reeve replied, his voice soft. "I thank you for the sentiment, but my feelings should not get in the way of how I run the W.R.O. and how I take care of business."

"Understood," Cloud added, uncrossing his arms and narrowing his Mako-inhanced eyes. He glanced at a clock resting on the otherwise barren wall and frowned. "Hate to rush things, but I have a feeling that Shelke's taken off by now. We need to find her before she gains the upperhand."

Yuffie cracked her knuckles, a menacing sneer stretching across her face. "When we do, can I rip out her hair!? I've always liked her hair color…"

"Brat!" Cid exclaimed, shaking his head and taking a drag from his cigarette. "Jealousy never looked good on a woman."

"Ah, what do you care?" Yuffie returned. "I ain't a woman in your book, anyways, I'm just a ninja brat little girl, and that's fine by me." She punctuated her remark by sticking her tongue out at the pilot.

"Kiddo," Cid sighed. "Don't take things I say so literally."

The whole display unnerved the martial artist. She merely watched Yuffie as Cid and she bantered, her heart sinking as she feared that Vincent's death and Shelke's betrayal had altered her friend's bubbly personality into something infinitely more vengeful and callous. Tifa reached over and took Yuffie's hand, smiling warmly in an attempt to bring back a gentler side of her dearest friend. "You may not act like it sometimes, but we all know that you aren't a kid – whether Cid refers to you as kiddo, or not." This was said with her trademark motherly smile.

"I had a kid, Tifa," Yuffie mumbled indignantly with an underlying hint of misery. "I don't need anyone telling me I'm a woman, I know that."

Nanaki flicked his tail, watching the ninja closely with a look of sympathy. After being silent for so long, he decided it was time for a subject change and offered, "Yuffie, I believe that Vincent has a plan." The ninja's eyes narrowed in response.

Reeve drew his dark eyebrows together, stroking his beard in contemplation. "Whatever do you mean by that, Red?"

Sliding down in her seat, the kunoichi whispered, "He's dead, 'Naki. I can't… I can't let myself go on thinking he's going to come back…"

The firecat stood on his haunches, shaking his fur out as he explained, "Yes, dear Yuffie. You cannot allow yourself to await his return for it will not happen, but I do believe that he had this planned."

"What does that even mean?" Yuffie asked, her bottom lip pushed out in a pout. All of the talking about Vincent was making her heart ache.

"Vincent never did a thing without reason," Nanaki supported, trotting around to Yuffie's side. "Do you think he would have done something that absurd without thinking it through? Absolutely not. What we need to do now is figure out what Vincent was on to."

Yuffie crossed her arms, giving Reeve a knowing look. He shook his head slightly, a clear warning not to bring up their conversation. She consented. "And just how do we go about that, Red?"

"Retrace his steps," he answered, stretching his body and raking his claws across the floor. His red fur rippled as he nuzzled Yuffie's leg. "We cannot hope that he will return, Yuffie. He is very dead. But we cannot neglect his memory. Things will be difficult, and it is entirely understandable if you wish to not accompany us. None will judge you."

It had sparked some sort of hope and defiance within Yuffie, and she shook her head determinedly. "Uh-uh! I'm gonna follow things through til the end. Let's go find Shelke, kick her ass, and then figure out whatever the hell it is that Vincent thought was worth buyin' a one way ticket to the Lifestream for!" She jumped up, her fist pumping the air. Grinning as she raced from the room, she motioned as she called from halfway down the hall, "All aboard the Highwind for an AVALANCHE adventure!"

"She's breaking," Cid commented, his lips flat. He ground out his cigarette, huffing. "Damn kid! She's tryin' so hard to fool us, make us think she's okay."

"It's her defense mechanism," Reeve added. "Much like Cloud's was distancing himself physically. Vincent's was putting up a front and building a wall around himself. Tifa, you surround yourself with the ones that care the most for you – the children. Cid, you smoke until you smell like lung cancer in its purest form. Nanaki, you speak words of wisdom to those around you, focusing on their problems to make yourself feel better. Barret, you find things to bring your anger out on, through fighting or cursing. All of us have our own ways of convincing ourselves that we are fine, even if other's can see right through it."

"And you, Reeve?" Cloud asked.

"I bury myself within my work, keeping myself occupied with the W.R.O.," Reeve replied nonchalantly. "The most we can do now is make sure that Yuffie does not keep herself so contained that she's pushed to the edge."

Cid took a steadying breath, and then admitted, "Kid's got me worried. ^%# vampire – wormed his way into her heart and tore her from the inside out!"

"Cid," Tifa scolded, "to be fair, she wormed her way into his life, not the other way around."

Cid barked a short laugh, agreeing, "Yeah, kid has a way of gettin' under people's skin and makin' them care more 'bout her than they bother to admit."

After a long pause, in which everyone merely pondered their own thoughts, Cloud instructed, "We need to find Shelke now. Besides, Yuffie's probably wondering why no one's boarded the Highwind for an 'AVALANCHE adventure'. Let's mosey!"

"Ugh, I'm gonna be sick," Yuffie moaned, her hand on her stomach. She clutched at the railing of the Highwind out on the deck, the wind whipping her hair into her eyes and stinging her pale cheeks. Her stomach flipped once more, and Yuffie felt bile climbing up the back her throat. She puked over the side of the Highwind, feeling the nausea worsen. The uncomfortable retching from air-sickness seemed inclined, more so than usual. For a terrifying moment, Yuffie's subconscious leaked a most unwanted thought.

"Yuff?" Tifa called, sticking her head out to spot the ninja. Her long dark hair flew wildly in the rushing wind. "Are you okay?" The ninja internally cheered at the distraction.

"No," Yuffie answered, her point proven when another wave of vomiting hit her. "I hate flying. I hate motion."

Tifa nodded, patting her on the back comfortingly, and went back to the bridge, leaving Yuffie to bend over the chilly rail and puke her guts out. Yuffie finally emptied all of her stomach, leaving nothing but an ache in its place, and made her way to the chocobo stables. She silently moved through the corridors, entering the stable with the stealth that all great ninja possessed. Her stomach flipped at the smell of the creatures.

She crept toward Yuki, clicking to alert the chocobo to her presence. The golden warked happily, but Obsidian merely glared at her, turning his regal onyx head to the side. Yuffie fed both of them greens, and then plopped down beside the resentful black chocobo, her eyes watering as she graced her finger over the red ribbon her lover had tied around its neck.

"Vincent's dead," Yuffie whispered, drawing lazy patterns in the dust and straw on the floor. "He died yesterday, early that morning. He was being stupid – activated some materia that was unknown. Killed 'im."

Obsidian cocked its head at Yuffie, nudging her hand. He seemed to sense that something was wrong. He blinked and glanced around, warking apprehensively.

Yuffie's mind began to cloud, and she clutched her head, doubling over and pulling at her hair. She couldn't think straight, could barely even see. An all-consuming rage crept up her spine, starting at the base and worming its way up, slowly taking over her body as it reached her brain stem and filled her heart with a deadly fire. She opened her eyes, scowling.

The bird warked at her again, sensing the change within her, and she snapped like a twig. Infuriated, Yuffie jumped to her feet, shrieking, "Don't you get it, you stupid bird!? Vincent's dead, your owner's dead! Damn it, you dumbass chocobo! You don't understand, you useless featherbrain!" She pounded at the chocobo furiously, her fists bruising its delicate skin. "You stupid, stupid chocobo!"

The chocobo warked frantically, pecking at Yuffie in defense. It flitted around fearfully as it tried to avoid the barrage of attacks from the ninja, and Yuki got up, cowering in a corner. Yuffie continued to shout nonsense, wailing on the bird madly as the rage in her veins engulfed her body like a roaring inferno. She slammed her foot into Obsidian's chest, crying out. Dropping onto its back, she viciously yanked the feathers out of its neck, making the chocobo shriek in fright and pain.

"Yuffie!? Yuffie!"

The ninja was drawn back, crushed into a firm structure. For a moment, her brain short-circuited, and she asked weakly, "Vinnie?"

"No, Yuffie. I'm sorry, kid, it's just me. You're alright now, kiddo. You're alright." Cid cradled the kunoichi to his chest, stroking her hair. He reeked of cigarettes and was drenched in sweat, but Yuffie couldn't bring herself to care. He was comfort, and he was the damned closest thing she had to a real dad.

"Cid! I want Vincent!" Yuffie garbled, her hands fisted in his shirt. The anger that had previously swallowed her began to dissipate, leaving her shaking and frightened, wondering just what had come over her. She'd never felt so out of control, never lost her temper like that, and it frightened her. The way it had occurred… It reminded her of Chaos.

A shiver ran through her.

"I know, Yuffs. We all want the vampire back. It just ain't AVALANCHE without him." Cid picked Yuffie up gently and carried her out of the stable, ignoring the frightened chocobos that warked anxiously as they left. He brought her to the bridge and passed Cloud, the swordsman eyeing Yuffie worriedly. The pilot just shook his head, smoothing hair back from Yuffie's bloody face, avoiding the gashes where the black chocobo had managed to get a hit in on her.

"I'm gon' take her to get some rest. Gaia knows she needs it."

Cloud nodded, turning to Tifa and taking her hand soothingly. She bit her lip, concerned for Yuffie's wellbeing.

"Cloud, she's not okay. She's loosing it." Tifa pulled away, wrapping her arms around herself. "We have to fix this."

"Teef," Cloud sighed. "I'm not sure we even can."

SHHHRRRRREEEEECCCHHH!

A sudden explosion rocked the airship, sending Tifa crashing into Cloud, the swordsman embracing her to hold her steady as another explosion threatened to knock them over. The deafening shriek of metal ripping apart rattled their brains, and Tifa winced, trying vainly to block out the noise. The platform beneath them trembled and quaked like the metal had become rubber, and steel fragments rained down from above.

"Cloud! What's going on!?" Tifa planted her feet firmly to keep her balance and Cloud followed suit, wrapping a hand around the barmaid's upper arm to keep her stable.

Shouting over the screaming of wind and metal, Cloud cried, "I don't know! We need to find Cid! I think we're being attacked!"

Tifa nodded, gripping the rail of the bridge to stay upright. She turned around, her jaw dropping as part of the Highwind ripped away, leaving jagged edges where the titanium had been. Bits of steel flew backward, sucked by the sheer force of the wind in a backwards spiral. Tifa backed up slowly, her grip tightening on the rail. Cloud pulled her with him, fighting the wind to drag them forward. Through lowered-eyelids, Cloud could make out Cid holding tightly to Yuffie, barking orders to his crew above the roar of wind.

"Tifa, hold on!" Cloud called, gripping her bicep as he trudged against the current of wind, crossing the bridge and making it over to Cid.

"Damn it! What the hell is going on?" Cid cursed, trying to contact ground control at W.R.O. The pilot's eyes darted around as he held to Yuffie and manned the controls simultaneously.

Yuffie moaned, her hand going to her mouth. "Ugh, why now!?"

Tifa pressed into the rail, shaking her head as her hair flew around her face in the freezing wind and goosebumps broke out on her arms. "Who's attacking us? Do you think it could be Tsviet followers? Shelke might be leading the aerial assault."

"I dunno, but whoever is beatin' up on my baby has got another thing coming to 'em!" Cid spat, his teeth clenched. "Ain't no one hurts my baby!"

Cloud smirked, mocking, "What about the Ultimate Weapon?"

"Shut it, Strife!" The pilot picked up a radio transmitter device, clicked it, and ranted, "Hey, Reeve, some little shits are attacking the Highwind. Couple a' explosions gon' off already, I think they might have been missiles of some sort. Rippin' my baby apart like she's a piece of foam!"

"I've contacted Shera, she has your coordinates. Try to take the airship down somewhere – you have a better chance of fighting when grounded. You need to locate your enemies." The tone in Reeve's voice held an edge of apprehension. "Be careful!"

"Roger! Take 'er down, crew!" Cid readied the ship for landing, training his eye on a plateau in the distance. He steered the Highwind as well as one could when half the airship was missing. The vessel began dropping speedily, flipping Yuffie's stomach wildly. She tightened her grip on Cid's shirt, flinching as her ears popped painfully with the rapidly changing air pressure.

"She's going down too fast!" Cloud yelled, reaching for Tifa and Yuffie. He encased them in his arms, blocking their bodies from the soaring wind that chilled their bones, holding them in place. "We're going to be guts beneath a fly swatter at this rate!"

"Damn it, Strife, I know that! Hold on to the girls, I'm gonna try and skid her!" Cid's lips pulled back in a grimace as he yanked the controls, pulling the Highwind back. The nose of the airship slid across the rocky ground and sparked with friction, the movement jarring the group. The screaming of wind continued to pound in their ears, coupled with the now awful noise of the ground ripping beneath the ship. Every movement sent shockwaves up the groups feet, rocking them mercilessly.

"She's gonna drop off the edge!" Cid called as the Highwind bounced and skidded across the plateau top. Cloud reinforced his grip on the young women as the Highwind flipped, crashing down from the plateau to slam painfully into the valley below, its structure crumpling as the nose drove into the unforgiving soil. Yuffie clenched her eyes, burying her head in Cloud's chest as they were thrown from the bridge to slam into a wall opposite them. The ripping frame of the Highwind echoed in Yuffie's eyes as a searing pain shot up her spine, exploding in her brain and behind her eyelids unbearably. Her teeth rattled with the force of the blow and her head wacked against the unforgiving metal. She could feel a wave of dizziness threatening to drown her in its oblivion, and she fought desperately not to black out. Her heart thundered in her chest as fear began to overwhelm her. After a minute of fighting off sleep, she possessed no energy to protest, and sank into the black.

"Yuffie, open your eyes." The darkness, so encompassing and warm, called to Yuffie, but something in that voice brought her out of the void abruptly. She blinked her eyes in an attempt to adjust to the sharp light. A figure stood before her, the light blurring the edges of the person. She tried to focus her eyes, but her head screamed in agony. She found her mouth doing the same.

"Yuffie, love, what hurts?" The voice sounded close to her ear, and warmth tickled her neck sweetly. She could not place the person, but the voice was so damn familiar. She found herself moving towards it, needing to drown in it.

"My head and my chest."

Soothing warmth washed over, feeling like a field in spring, alleviating the torture. After the relief faded, Yuffie felt numb, a welcomed feeling compared to the soreness. She rubbed her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

"Is that better?"

That voice! The deep, husky timbre washed over Yuffie and brought far more joy than the relief of pain could.

"Vincent!?" The ninja jumped up, the blurry picture sharpening to reveal her gunslinger, clad in his crimson cloak, gauntlet shining, dark tresses falling softly, carmine eyes bright and loving. "Vinnie!"

She ran to him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders as he swung her off the ground, his own arms going around her waist, one hand holding her head to his shoulder. "Yuffie…"

She felt tears dripping down her face as she whimpered, "You're here, Vinnie! Oh Leviathan, I've missed you! It's been a couple of days, but it feels like years! I never meant what I said to you, Vincent, I've always loved you!"

Vincent smoothed her hair down and whispered, "I know my love, and I have always loved you." Their lips met chaotically as the gunslinger gripped his ninja against him as tightly as he could manage, and she melted against him in return, allowing the flavor of him to seep into her. The moment was almost too perfect with the two of them together again.

Yuffie pulled back from Vincent and kissed his cheek, her arms still around him. She inquired softly, "How is this happening, Vinnie?"

He regarded her with his crimson eyes, seeming to ponder the question. "I'm not sure, Yuffie. I believe you are in a suspended state, caught somewhere between Life and the Lifestream due to the crashing of the Highwind. You were near death, and that is why we are able to see each other… Are you sure you are fine?"

"I'm not sure how fine I am there, but whatever you did here, it worked." Yuffie smiled at him reassuringly, and he came undone by that simple look. He captured her lips with his once more, crushing her to him as he caressed her everywhere he could reach. She tangled her hands in his hair, wrapping her legs around his body as they embraced passionately with a sense of completion. Yuffie sighed as his mouth moved to her neck and she held his head tighter to her skin, wanting to get lost in the heavenly moment of finally being in Vincent's arms again. She was so caught up in him that she failed to notice the feeling of his lips against her collarbone fading, become just a whisper of warmth. However, when she felt something akin to air in her arms, her eyes flew open and she cried out in despair.

"Vincent!" Yuffie shouted, holding him tighter. He kissed her sweetly, leaning his forehead against hers as he breathed raggedly and offered a very Vincent-esque smile.

"We cannot be together, Yuffie. You know that. Eventually you must return to the present…"

Yuffie shook her head violently, not knowing how she'd ever survive without him, not knowing if she even could. "No, Vincent! Screw reality, I want to be with you!"

Yuffie felt her gunslinger dissipating in her arms, and she selfishly clung to him as he replied, "You need to return, Yuffie. If not for yourself, at least live your life out for me." The thought of him not being beside her brought a new wave of tears to her eyes, but the pleading look on his face made her heart still in her chest. For a moment, she couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Everything stopped.

"Okay, for you," Yuffie relented, nuzzling Vincent's hand as he cupped her face and brushed away her tears with his thumb. Then, in a way that astounded the kunoichi completely, she felt something clawing up inside of her, dying for release; it was a sense of elation, as though Vincent truly held another piece of her, like something beyond Yuffie herself needed his presence more than anything – something that wanted him to hold her tighter.

Suddenly, she remembered something she had meant to tell the gunslinger when she was searching for him, before he'd died. She gazed up into his crimson eyes, a look of anguish in her own brown orbs.

"What's wrong, Yuffie?" Vincent inquired, caressing her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered when a soft kiss brushed away a bead of wetness from her lashes. How… How could she tell him?

"Vinnie, what if… What if I'm pregnant again?" Yuffie dropped her gaze, trembling slightly at the notion. He'd hate her for sure…

With a bittersweet smile, Vincent returned, "I suspected as much when you were sick, though I wanted to give you time to come to the conclusion and tell me yourself." He knew?

The ninja's heart shattered as the realization that she could possibly be carrying a baby and Vincent would not be beside her yet again, set in. Her knees wobbled and she began to collapse, but the gunslinger caught her and supported her weight, kissing her forehead comfortingly. Yuffie burst into tears, gasping, "But you're supposed to be here with me! I can't do this on my own!"

"But you did before, Yuffie. You're strong and independent. It is what I love about you." He tightened his hold on her, cradling her head while she wept. After a moment, he whispered, "You're capable of taking care of our child on your own. I trust you entirely to do your best and be what our child needs. You'll be a fine mother, Yuffie."

She let his words sink in for a moment while she calmed down. A smile came to her face when he added, "Tell her that her father loved her, Yuffie. Please, tell our child nothing of who I was or what my life had been. Don't let her know what I had become."

Yuffie shook her head, looking into his eyes with a displeased expression. "Vincent, you are not a monster, and you never were! … I… I won't tell our child about Hojo, or Lucrecia. But I will say that you were a damned good fighter, a wonderful man, and loyal to boot – and that I loved you more than my heart could even stand."

The ends of Vincent's lips quirked up and he pressed a kiss to the ninja's nose, stating, "I'll be waiting for you both in the Lifestream, Yuffie…"

That thought made Yuffie stiffen, and she took a step back. "Leviathan – I hadn't thought about it. Oh, Vincent, what if I've killed the baby!? What if the crash hurt it!? No, not again!"

Swiftly, Vincent pressed a tender kiss to Yuffie's cheek, mollifying her and encouraging, "It's not your fault, love. If you miscarry, do not ever think it is your fault."

Yuffie nodded, though she didn't truly take his words to heart. Her mind drifted to that place where she had stood only a few weeks prior, staring down in anguish at the sight of what had once been her little girl. Vincent hugged her amorously, stroking her cheek, and she quivered in his embrace, breathing in the scent of gunpowder and leather.

"What were you doing out there?" Yuffie asked, and they both knew what she was referring to.

Vincent sighed and confessed, "Yuffie, that message we received-"

Time caught up to their suspended state of tranquility, ripping Yuffie from Vincent and startling her awake in a sterile room, the smell of formaldehyde and disinfectant stinging her nose.

"Vinnie…" Yuffie trailed, feeling hollow as she gazed miserably at her empty arms and remembered how wonderful it had felt to be in Vincent's. One second, she felt utterly at peace, and the next - she woke up in some foreign place and the gunslinger wasn't beside her.

Something moved in the room, drawing Yuffie's attention. She looked up and found a young man gazing down on her curiously. His clean-cut brown hair and blue eyes gave him a genuine look, although she shrunk back a little due to the array of chemicals and gadgets nearby. Vincent's life story had made her slightly fearful of doctors and scientists. "Miss Kisaragi, you are awake."

She nodded dumbly, her eyes blurring. She didn't want to be here with this man, answering his questions. How could fate be so cruel to her? She was with Vincent, with her Vinnie.

"How long have I been out?" Yuffie asked, wiping a bead of sweat from her hairline. She focused on the present to block out the agony of her dead gunslinger. There would be no more moping for the time being, not when the current situation was much more critical than being on time to her pity party.

"Nearly a day," the man replied, making his way to a monitor, white coat swishing. "The doctors here at Healen Lodge have been working strenuously to fix you up. You've suffered a severe concussion and fractured two of your false ribs."

She choked up. Cracked lower ribs meant damage to her core area, which was awfully close to the region where her womb would stretch to accommodate a baby in the later part period of her pregnancy. Shivering, her lip trembled as guilt and sorrow crept up her veins, whispering biting words of her blame for injuring another child, hurting another innocent being that she bought forth onto the Planet.

"What happened to the others?" Yuffie asked, her voice tinged with worry, both for her friends and for the possibility of having a child growing inside of her during such an event as the one she had experienced. She tried vehemently to erase such ill thoughts and focus on the positive aspects of the situation like… like – like that she was pregnant at all!

Some twisted piece of her scoffed at the notion of that being in any way positive aside from the outcome of a pregnancy test.

The doctor sighed, a sound that prompted Yuffie back to attention. "Miss Lockhart has some cracked ribs and bruising, but not much else. Mr. Strife is in a coma, and Mr. Highwind is in surgery under anesthesia. He had shrapnel embedded in his diaphragm and a punctured lung," the doctor addressed as he flipped through a folder and scribbled little notes with a pen he had pulled out of his pocket protector.

Biting her lip, the ninja slouched down, her face troubled and unlike her usual demeanor. She hated to admit it – it wasn't her style – but Yuffie Kisaragi, Wutai's super ninja and Single White Rose… was scared. Unbelievably so.

"They will get better though, right?" The thought of losing another one of her teammates brought an ache to her chest. Hadn't she endured enough suffering when she lost her mother to the Shinra-Wutai war? Or her daughter to the Tsviet? Or Vincent to something as laughable as plain stupidity? When would the heartache end?

A little voice in the back of her mind whispered, When everyone you love is dead and gone…

The doctor halted his scrawling and met her eyes, replying optimistically, "It is believed so. We are unsure of Mr. Strife's conditions, though. I will get back to you on that, Miss Kisaragi."

"It's Mrs. Valentine." The response had come immediately, shocking Yuffie as much as the doctor. She wasn't quite sure when she had started regarding herself as Vincent's wife, but the thought had leaked into her mind on more than one occasion, and after having his child, it just felt right.

The doctor nodded at her somewhat unsurely, but then gave her a smile and continued to right on his chart. Yuffie avoided his eyes, her gaze falling on a heart monitor beside her bed. Her friends were all injured, all carted off to the other rooms, all in bad condition. What had happened on the Highwind? Was it Shelke that had been the one to attack, leading a team of her own? Yuffie shuddered at the thought of a new Tsviet unit – the first one had done enough damage. The second would likely be devastating.

Yuffie's thoughts rerouted, focusing on the fears she had expressed to her love. At some point, she needed to know the truth. If she was pregnant, it would be better to find out now so that she could at least attempt to get some prenatal assistance.

Taking one deep, relaxing breath, the kunoichi gathered her wits and choked down her insecurities. Now or never, Yuffie. She tugged at an end of her hair and asked meekly, "When you were uh… running tests, did you like… you know… find anything unusual?"

"… Unusual?"

With an exasperated sigh, the ninja shook her head and prompted, giving the doctor a knowing and indicative look, "You know, out of the ordinary? Abnormal?" After receiving a blank stare, she deadpanned and her gaze bore into the man's. "As in, I could be gaining weight in the near future?"

The man cocked his head, the question seeming to have puzzled him. "Can you be more specific, miss?" Honestly, was the man stupid? Her teeth gritted in anger, but a sudden wave of terror overcame her emotions, and she wanted to snatch her questions out of the air and cry, 'Nevermind! It's not important!' She wanted to bite her nails, to sink beneath the sheets and disappear. No, she didn't want to know the truth. Though she had assumed it to be, having the facts laid out before her only made the situation irrefutably real, a veracity she wasn't sure she could handle. Another pregnancy without Vincent, and this time she knew he wouldn't be coming back…

Keep it together, Yuffie! she encouraged herself, outwardly grimacing. It took all of her will power to get her limp tongue to move, to force an airstream out of her throat, to produce sound. With a stabling breath, the kunoichi blurted, "Am I, like, pregnant or something?"

The doctor blinked in shock of the woman's outburst. He took a moment to consider the question, pursing his lips before replying in an uncertain tone, "I'm not sure, but I can run tests if you'd like. Is there someone you'd like us to contact – perhaps the father of the child if you are indeed expecting? Your husband, a Mr. Valentine was it?"

Yes, I'd love for you to contact the father of my unborn child. Oh! And while you're at it, tell him to get his ass back to Gaia and kiss me until I can't breathe!

She wondered how well that would blow over with the dear old doctor.

"No, that won't be necessary," Yuffie finally coerced herself into replying, but went no further into details at the time, for she did not think herself strong enough to delve back into the memories that caused her heart to ache with loneliness. The doctor regarded her with a strange look on his face, his baby blue eyes conveying an inner argument.

For a while, silence filled the room as the man seemed to search for the right words to use. At length he stated hesitantly, "Miss- Mrs. Valentine, I must inform you that… after the crash of the Highwind… there's very little chance of your child – and I say this with the utmost regret – being born without difficulties, physical, mental, or otherwise."

Yuffie nodded, her brown eyes sad as his words cut right through her, piercing her heart like the blade of a knife. Her vision blurred slightly and she could feel dampness on her lashes, but she managed to nod and give the man a very composed look. "I understand... But I still need to know for sure if I'm pregnant." The words came to her, but it still hurt to utter them. Finally the ninja divulged, "I recently gave birth – about four months ago, actually. I didn't think I could get pregnant so quickly after having a baby, but I was getting all the same symptoms..."

The doctor nodded at her, his face sympathetic as he took in the information. "Yes, women are very fertile after delivery. The odds are greatly in your favor for conception following child-birth… I'll go run the tests with the samples we collected prior to your regaining consciousness. I'll return with an answer." He shifted his weight as he began taking notes once more on his clipboard.

Yuffie conjured a weak smile, mainly for the sake of appearing at least somewhat strong, and replied, "Thank you." Inside, she trembled in fear, disgust, and – though she was loathe to admit – hope.

When the man exited the room, she leaned back into her hospital bed, staring at the off-white ceiling tiles as she pondered how she'd react if she found out she had been pregnant. Her father could never know, that was a given. After how he had reacted to her first pregnancy, she knew he'd be even less willing to accept the second.

Bitterly, Yuffie wondered how the others would take the news. It almost humiliated her. The thought of having to explain to Reeve and everyone else that she couldn't fight with them because she was pregnant again made her feel ashamed, childish, like she shouldn't be fooling around with Vincent if she was too dumb to figure out the consequences the second time around. Would they laugh at her, make jokes about her ignorance? She guessed she should have at least gotten some form of contraception if she knew that she and Vincent weren't going to end their activities, but she had never even considered that she might be fertile immediately after birth. It simply never occurred to her as a possibility.

"Vinnie, I hope I'm not, or wasn't, pregnant. I don't want to bear the thought that another child of mine has died – and this time, inside of me. Isn't that where babies are supposed to be the safest, where they shouldn't fear for their lives?" Dropping her head into her hands, Yuffie sat alone in her room, the droning of machines her only company. Thoughts raced through her head, each a different scenario of how she would confess to the others. Some were variations of how her test results would come out.

"Yuffie?" The ninja's head turned to the door, seeing Shera peek in. Yuffie's eyes widened and a grin grew on her face. Leviathan, someone she could trust!

"Sher-bear!" Yuffie cried excitedly, her brown eyes brightening considerably. The woman entered her room, smiling happily at Yuffie as she approached the hospital bed, her brown hair pulled back into a tight, swinging ponytail.

"My goodness, Yuffie! It's such a relief to see one of you awake! Cid's been in surgery since he got here, Tifa's been sleeping, and Cloud's in, well, a coma. But you're awake!"

Yuffie nodded, beaming. "Yeah, look at me! The Great Ninja Yuffie rises before all in the midst of disaster, victorious in the fight against death, valiant in the face of danger! Towering over all that is-"

"Don't exert yourself too much, Yuffie," Shera remarked, laughing lightly. "I wouldn't want you to go and pop a vein or something."

Yuffie pouted, crossing her arms. She watched as Shera stroked her stomach, the gesture seeming subconscious and common, done without thought. Yuffie knew where she'd seen it.

"Are you pregnant!?" Yuffie asked excitedly, bobbing on the bed. She leaned forward tilting her head and examining Shera's stomach. If Shera was pregnant, and she turned out to be pregnant, too, then maybe the ninja would have someone there to comfort her.

"Well, yes, yes I am." Shera rubbed her flat stomach, watching her movements with a small smile. Eyes glazing over slightly, the ex-princess bit her lip and fell silent for a moment, caught up in thoughts of how nice it must have been to have the father of the baby with her during the gestation period. It took only an instant for the justaweebitenviousbuttooproudtoadmitit ninja to shake her head and expel the thoughts.

"That's awesome!" The ninja grinned and pumped her fist in the air. "Congrats!" Yuffie maintained her upbeat disposition and sat back on her heels, her lip pulled between her teeth. She glanced at the heart monitor and watched its steady rhythm, letting the motion of the light calm her. Hesitantly, she glanced down at her own stomach, a sort of wonder in her chocolate eyes. She turned back to the engineer.

"Can I tell you something?" Yuffie asked, sounding shy and guarded. To be honest, it terrified her to tell someone about her predicament. She'd rather pretend nothing was happening. But this was Shera, and if Yuffie was going to tell someone she'd gone and gotten herself knocked up again, she was glad it was someone pregnant as well.

"Yes, Yuffie," Shera answered warmly, unaware of the kunoichi's inner turmoil. "Is something bothering you?"

Yuffie sucked in a deep breath, then, "WellyouseeIthinkIgotpregnantagaincuzVinceandIwent atitafterIhadValenciabutIdidn'tthinkIcouldgetpregn antsoquicklybutitturnsIcanandnowIthinkIwaspregnant butI'mafraidthecrashmight'veterminatedthepregnancy andkilledthebabyandI'mreallyscared." Yuffie inhaled deeply, sucking air greedily into her lungs, and Shera's jaw dropped. For a moment, it felt as though the weight of the world was lifted off of the kunoichi's shoulders, leaving her feeling lighter than she had before, but significantly more self-conscious.

"Yuffie, slow down and repeat that, please." The engineer's eyes were large but welcoming as she waited.

Yuffie pursed her lips, replying, "I think I got pregnant again." It had come easier this time, less difficult to state the issue at hand and be done with it. There was silence as both the women sat and absorbed the full weight of her admission.

"Wow. Well, this is certainly a development. Are… are you sure?"

How can I not be? I've tried denying it to myself for weeks now, even before Vinnie died. A nod came as the kunoichi's reply. "I had all of the same symptoms, and I think I was spotting. I – I just don't want to think that I might've potentially killed my child in that crash." And that I'm responsible for the death of both of my children. Leviathan, I'm an awful mother.

Nodding and patting her knee encouragingly, Highwind's wife offered Yuffie a reassuring smile. "Yuffie, dear, it will be alright. If you were pregnant and the child died, it is not your fault. Miscarriages are more often than not out of a mother's hands, and this situation is no different. There's a good chance that you were never pregnant in the first place."

At that, the kunoichi shook her head determinedly. She would've liked to believe that, but all of the signs were there. Either she was still pregnant, or she lost her baby. Neither sounded particularly wonderful at the moment.

"No, I'm certain I was. I had to have been…" She ran both hands through her hair nervously, glancing at the door in apprehension. "The doctor said he'd come back with some test results." Then I'll know. I'll know for sure if I killed my child. I'll know if I really don't deserve to live.

Leviathan, now I know just what kind of guilt Vincent felt over Lucrecia and Sephiroth.

They fell into a state of silence, both pondering their own futures. The monitor continued bleeping, filling the void with its monotonous tone that droned in the women's ears. Yuffie rubbed her arm, her chocolate eyes anxious as the clock ticked on. How long would the tests take? Would she even know today? Tomorrow? Within the week? Yuffie shook her head, clearing her thoughts.

What happened to The Great Ninja Yuffie? Leviathan, I'm so weak, stressing over Valentine's death and stewing over the possibility of pregnancy. What happened to the White Rose of Wutai, where is she? Yuffie thought miserably, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

I can't believe it – four years ago, if I'd been told I'd be reduced to nothing, I wouldn't have considered it. I was just sixteen, joining AVALANCHE with the wind at my back, flying high with someone else's materia in my pocket – crushing hard on a certain gunslinger. Had someone told me I'd be having his baby at nineteen, I would've given them a good, swift kick to the nuts. Where's she? Where's that Yuffie? Or did she die when Vincent Valentine left her the first time? No, she died beside her daughter's crib that night…

Yuffie blinked away tears, her eyes closed as she imagined Vincent's pale face, crimson eyes studying her after she opened the lid to the coffin, gasping at the sight of a human in there. Suddenly, she was swept back into the memory, the time she first met the man whom would forever change her life.

"Yo, guys! Guess what!? You are not gonna believe this – there's a friggin' body in here! That's the shit, guys!" She couldn't believe her luck. Here they'd stumbled into a creepy old mansion, all the while she kept telling them, 'I bet there are bodies in here!' And not one of them took her seriously. Nuh-uh. Well, she'd show them! She was right all along!

"Yuffie Kisaragi, get back here right now!" What a killjoy.

"Oh, Cloud, live a little. Whoa, this dude's like, perfectly preserved and everything! He's damn sexy, too!"

Yuffie remembered that moment, the moment she'd first laid eyes on Vincent Valentine. Sure, she'd thought the vampire belonged on the cover of Gaia Quarterly, but it hadn't been 'love at first sight'. She hadn't even introduced herself to the guy, and at that point, she was pretty damn sure he was dead – until he'd opened those gorgeous blood-red orbs, blinking at her with his lusciously thin lips pulled in a frown. She shrieked, slamming the coffin lid shut with a thud and crying, "Vampire, vampire! Cloud, get the garlic! Call Aerith for the holy water! Tifa, we need a wooden stake up in this bitch! And for the love of Leviathan, Cid, let in the daylight!"

It took a moment for the ninja to calm herself, which she only did to save her dignity as the rest of AVALANCHE stared at her blankly, though Cid's face held something akin to amusement. A second after, she crouched beside the coffin and slowly opened the lid once more, and the ninja poked the man's forehead, grinning.

"Holy materia! It's alive! You're alive? Awesomeness! Grossness? Whatevs! I'm Yuffie, the Single White Rose of Wutai, the Greatest Super Ninja eva! What's your name? Do you live here? Is it stuffy in there? How do you even breathe? Are you a vampire – wait, of course you are, you sleep in a coffin. How long have you been in there!? How old are you!? Leviathan, you're gorgeous!"

He'd stared at her expressionlessly, and three years later, when they were lying in bed together, he told her that he'd been terrified out of his mind when first they met, for he'd been locked away for thirty years and hadn't had to strike up a conversation with anyone, but fortunately, Cloud had come to his rescue at that moment, warning, "Yuffie, get back! He could be dangerous!"

She scoffed, grinning lopsidedly. "Dangerous!? Are you kuh-idding me? Hey, Mr. Vampirebutt, are you dangerous?" He stared at her, not answering, not even blinking for Gaia's sake. She grinned wider, her lips stretching from one side of her face to the other like an upside down rainbow and just as bright. "Seeeeee, Cloudy? He ain't gonna hurt me, he's harmless!"

"Harmless, miss?" Were those chills running down her spine?

That voice melted her insides the instant the rich tone kissed her ears, and her knees shook. She'd practically melted into goo, all ninja awesomeness aside. Yuffie leaned closer to him, captivated by his crimson eyes and hanging on his every word as he continued, "Madam, I harbor demons beyond your comprehension. I've committed sins beyond your wildest imagination. I'm your worst nightmare, little girl."

If he had expected her to feel intimidated, he had another thing coming! The kunoichi scrunched up her face and spat, "I am no little girl! You know what, Cloud? Let's leave 'em here and board up that coffin so he can think about how he insulted the White Rose for the rest of eternity!"

She'd slammed the coffin shut only to be accosted by Cid. He dragged her back, barking at her about manners and shit. Oh, the irony! Receiving a lesson in manners from Cid, the same man that went on to marry the woman he'd verbally abused for the better part of their partnership.

"But he's an asshole!" Yuffie protested as Tifa opened the coffin and apologized profusely for her friend's behavior. Who really cared if they'd broken into his house and disturbed his eternal slumber? Leviathan, had the man never heard of common courtesy, being a good host, hospitality and all that hoopla!? "He didn't even give us a freaking name!"

"Vincent Valentine," the beautiful voice replied, the tone seeming a little tense, as if he were trying to appease the ninja and diffuse the situation. Yuffie glared at him, but then her grimace grew into a grin.

"Is that your real name!? Sweet, that's like, the coolest last name ever! Yup, Cloud, we can keep him." Like he was a stray dog they rescued in the slums – they could keep him. And they did, soon becoming the most well-known group of bad-ass revolutionaries known to the Planet. It took a great deal of time, but the gunslinger and the Wutai ninja grew closer and closer, almost becoming one person, for they were never seen without the other. She'd fallen for him, and he for her, a fate sealed with his coffin thirty years prior to AVALANCHE's discovering him.

"Come back to me!"

Vincent spun around and stared at her, watching as she gazed at him in agony, the transformation into Chaos already beginning. She'd stared on, scared out of her mind as Omega grew in the sky, towering over her in the heavens and casting a frightening shadow over the land. Her Vincent was going to fight that, he was putting himself in grave danger. In dismay, she wondered if she'd ever have the chance to tell him what he meant to her. "Come back to me, Valentine!" Or I don't know what I'll do…

He nodded at her once, but it was just enough, and then he gave into Chaos. She watched as he transformed, a strangled cry escaping his mouth as his teeth elongated into hypertrophied canines and his skin turned a horrific mixture of silver and lavender, his beautiful red eyes now a deadly yellowish-gold.

"Take care of yourself, Vincent – Chaos, whoever you are." It didn't matter, she just needed to have her Vinnie back home when everything was said and done.

He nodded at her again, and to this day, she'd never known which it was that acknowledged her in that moment. Either way, when he disappeared for a week, she'd cursed the being, man and demon both for stringing along her fragile heart.

When he made it back to Seventh Heaven after his hiatus, Yuffie hid from him, afraid though she knew not what for. She'd locked herself in her room, unable to go downstairs when Shelke entered and called out that Vincent had returned. She stayed upstairs, afraid of what she'd find. Would he be angry that she had not waited up to greet him? Would he be too far gone, amnesiac and not at all recalling their previous bond? Would Chaos have changed him? She didn't think her heart could bear any of the three.

When someone knocked on her door that night, she knew it was Vincent. He was destined to come looking for her after she'd been avoiding him. Instead of opening the door, she pretended to be asleep and tried to even her breathing. The door opened agonizingly slowly, a stream of light entering her room as metal clicked on the floorboards of the upstairs in Seventh Heaven. She squeezed her eyes shut, endeavoring to keep her shoulders from moving too much.

"Yuffie," he whispered, and she involuntarily shivered at the rich voice that always seemed to calm her when she was afraid and fill her heart with admiration. "I wonder… have you missed me as much as I've missed you?"

Her breath stopped altogether at that, and she wanted to jump up from the bed and throw her arms around him. But she contained herself, still feigning sleep. A feather-light caress of cool metal against her warm cheek nearly broke her resolve, but then it was gone. There was shuffling, and she heard him near the door, the light diminishing as it shut with a creak.

Faintly she heard, "Goodnight, little Rose."

Things had been somewhat tense between them after that. She avoided him, and he avoided her, mainly to keep from confrontation – something neither was good at when it came to their relationship. It was a week before they finally relented and had their first real conversation, one that mainly consisted of Vincent apologizing copiously for panicking her, and Yuffie insisting that she hadn't really worried that much (lie). After the night on the Highwind, the night he'd confessed his love for her, they were never apart. The others had taken notice, but they hadn't interrogated either of them as to why they suddenly seemed to cling to one another – well, more so than usual. The gunslinger and ninja were happy, and that was good enough for them.

Yuffie liked it that way; she enjoyed sneaking off into remote places with Vincent, away from the group. She relished the privacy and quiet they received while they appreciated each other's company. Vincent had obviously enjoyed the quiet, too, and Yuffie often poked fun at him, for it seemed he was the spontaneous romantic of the relationship. He'd grab her waist while the others were distracted, drawing her back and into the clandestinely secluded shadows to kiss her senseless. It shocked her, really, that Vincent was the one to initiate all of their tender moments, that he could never keep his lips off of hers.

Tifa had announced a week later that she wanted to stop in Costa del Sol and commemorate the defeat of Omega, which AVALANCHE had no qualms about. The ninja had certainly looked forward to getting some downtime with her gunslinger and possibly furthering their relationship.

Yuffie sighed at the heart monitor, watching it pick up a little as she recalled the cheek-reddening memory.

The ninja smirked slyly, sliding her hand into the gunslinger's claw as they strolled along the shoreline, the luminous moon glinting off the waves that lapped at their feet. Yuffie had forgone her shoes in favor of the shifting sands that squished between her toes and squelched underfoot. She appreciated the salty air and the feel of the cool metal against her palm as Vincent walked beside her in the balmy breeze, both glad to be alone as their comrades had all gone to bed for the night.

"Is there something on your mind?" Vincent inquired, not looking at her but giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. Yuffie glanced up at him and smiled slightly, wrapping her arms around his bicep and leaning her head on his arm. Moments like these filled her with complete tranquility, and she would have given anything to freeze time.

"You," she confessed, suppressing a giggle at the color that crept into the gunslinger's abnormally pale cheeks. He stopped walking and turned to her, no doubt admiring the way her Wutain hair looked like the silk of a spider web in the pale moonlight. She smiled sweetly at him and he cupped her face, his thumb caressing her cheekbone. She leaned into his palm, nuzzling his hand for a moment and sighing when he held her fully. It wasn't long before she desired more than just his embrace.

Boldly, the ninja grinned as she took a step back from Vincent but kept her hand around his wrist, dragging him toward her as she stepped backward into the waves; she shuddered as the chilly water kissed her thighs the further she waded in the azure abyss. Turning her back to the gunslinger, she winked and slid her emerald bikini top off unhurriedly, but did not give him the view of her front. Vincent placed a hand at the small of her back and she shivered, tilting her head backward while he slid his hands up her soft skin and pressed a kiss between her shoulder blades.

The air filled with tension, and they both knew that if things were to change, they could never be as they once were. The fate of their relationship hung in the balance, and neither was moving to tilt the scales.

"Yuffie," Vincent whispered against the shell of her ear. "I love you."

The kunoichi smiled, delighting in the way those three words sounded when he spoke them, for he did not say them often. She turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. They hadn't been together for long, yet they knew it to be true. "I love you too, Vinnie."

Vincent pressed his lips to hers and they fell back onto the shore, hitting the soft sand with the surf nipping at their calves. He rolled them over until he was above her, staring down into her brown eyes with his passionate crimson ones. Summoning her courage, Yuffie unclasped his cloak and pushed it off his shoulders, her hands only slightly shaky. Never had she experienced that look of total devotion in a man's eyes before, and the sight thrilled her beyond words.

"Yuffie, do not rush-"

"Oh, hush!" she snapped, running her hands through Vincent's glossy hair. "Don't think. For once, Vince, just get lost in the moment."

Vincent withdrew from her touch and cut his gaze away with an expression of shame on his darkened face. He took a steadying breath, seemingly caught up in a feeling of dishonor. After a moment, he finally met her eyes, his own unwavering, and Yuffie trembled in fear that he would reject her. Guilt radiated in crimson pools.

"I do not wish for you to feel forced or to regret this, Yuffie. I love you too much to have our first night together tainted. Give it time." Vincent pressed a loving kiss to her forehead and made a move to get up, believing the conversation to have been dropped. Defiantly, Yuffie gripped his arm and pulled him back down, not ready to give up just yet. Her heart yearned to be close to him.

With a genuine smile on her face, Yuffie confessed, "I'd never regret being with you, Vinnie. And besides, you'd never hurt me – okay, my first time will hurt – but you'd never intentionally harm me or bring me pain. I want to know that I'm giving myself to someone who loves me fully and will take good care of me. Vincent, I trust you - I love you."

Vincent took hold of the ninja's hand in his own and stroked the skin with his thumb in contemplation. He hesitated, and the visible war projecting in his eyes nearly made the ninja laugh. Pressing a tender kiss to Vincent's lips, Yuffie repeated the three words they both needed to hear, and the ex-Turk melted. With fervent passion, Vincent surrendered to his desire, and Yuffie to her own. She spent the rest of the warm night basking in the love of her gunslinger beneath the glowing silver moon, the waves caressing their bodies like a silent touch from Leviathan.

"Mrs. Valentine?"

Yuffie broke out of her dreaming and into the present, the memory of her first time with Vincent disintegrating swiftly as she shook her head to expel the blush that rose on her cheeks. It didn't help that he'd just called her Mrs. Valentine, either. "Uh…?"

"I was just saying that I've got the test results." Yuffie eyed the doctor, her face looking like a deer caught in headlights. Her heart sped up, thumping like a war drum in her chest, signaling the coming of something destructive.

"I don't know if I'm ready for this…"

Shera clutched Yuffie's hand and squeezed. "Be strong, Yuffie."

The ninja nodded nodded, steeling herself for the outcome. No matter what happened, she could handle it. She was ready. "Okay, what are the results?"

The doctor took a steadying breath and replied, "You're pregnant, Mrs. Valentine."

Well, maybe she wasn't ready.

Oh my gosh. She's... PREGNANT! Some of you called it ;) Smart little Holmes that caught my little clues from chapter one til now. The puking and the hormones, Vince's little suspicions! Kudos! Now the question is, how will this pregnancy go? Will the child be alright, will the crash cause complications? Find out in the next chapter!

You're welcome for the Vince cameo, I thought we'd gone long enough without a good Yuffentine scene ;)

You better review - cuz I MADE THIS FOR YOU! (Hot Kool-Aid reference XD )