Hey, I'm back! Promised a Valentine's day update, here it is - however, it may be late by an hour, making it post VDay :(
I'm so sorry for it taking so long. I recently lost an old friend, the girl who'd been my lieutenant in color guard when I was captain, to a woman who was driving recklessly (151 and 121 miles an hour, and sadly I'm not exaggerating). It's been a hard time for a lot of my best friends who were even closer to her than I had been, so I've been trying to be there and be as supportive as possible. Please bear with me.
Also, I have not replied and will not reply to reviews yet - I will eventually, hopefully by the next update in who knows when.
I am really, truly, sincerely sorry for my keeping y'all hanging every time and never making the deadlines I set.
Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from any of the material here. All rights go to respective owners. Don't sue me.
At the sight of the stately Grimoire slinking out of the cottage bathroom, head hung low and hair dyed blonde, Yuffie choked on her saliva. His eyes snapped up at her, and though he glared, the red orbs shimmered with concealed mirth. The ninja covered her mouth with her hand and pretended to cough, trying to cover a traitorous giggle.
"Nice hair," she teased, and he shook his head. Grasping a lock of the silky blonde tresses, her nose scrunched up and she stated, "But we gotta do something about those Valentine eyes of yours."
The man opened his mouth as if to remark, but then closed it again. Finally, he settled for inquiring, "If I might ask, where did you acquire hair dye and contacts?"
With a wink, Yuffie spun around and dug through her bag wildly. Miraculously, Grimoire had snatched it up when he… spirited her away. "W.R.O. They have everything, and I do mean everything."
Grimoire smiled softly at her answer, resigning himself to the frantic movements of the hyper girl as she pushed him down on the lid of the toilet and tilted his chin up. Sticking her tongue out in concentration, she carefully fitted the dark brown contacts in his eyes. Brown was about the only color that could conceal the shade that is seemed all the Valentine men inherited.
As she worked, she questioned, "Uh… Grimoire? Why did you… you know… um…"
"Kidnap you?" His voice remained level and casual, as though he hadn't just said what he did. Pursing her lips, Yuffie nodded slightly. Honestly, she hadn't stopped to wonder about it herself. Everything had happened so quickly. But now that she thought about it…
What an odd thing to do.
In retrospect, befriending the man who'd kidnapped her and transformed into a monster in front of her very eyes might not have been the smartest thing she'd ever done. But he was Vincent's father, and if there was anything the little ninja had learned in her lifetime (besides the numerous expletives Cid had happily imparted on her), it was to trust monster-men with the last name Valentine.
Hopefully Vincent never had a cousin that was a serial rapist. She'd never know not to trust him.
"I'm not sure. It was… an urge I had. It comes with…" He stopped speaking, his face falling blank. The ninja sat back and observed him. It was so like Vincent, his quietness, his expressionlessness. Fortunately she could read the former well, so the latter proved no challenge.
"The Nibel Wolf thing," she answered for him. After having traveled and been with Vincent so long, she knew what was causing the afflictions. It was his Chaos thing, and the Galian Beast thing, and all the other screwed up things Hojo had inflicted on his victims.
Grimoire nodded tersely.
Yuffie turned her entire body to look out the small, pane-less window in an attempt to hide from the crimson eyes that seemed to plague her. The red seeped through her soul. It stole her breath away. It reminded her that the Valentines were perpetually drowning in the blood of their pasts. The past could never go away for those men.
It was even in their DNA.
The moonlight filtered in through the overgrown ivy and reflected off of the fragile petals of the moon lilies blooming along the sill, each as pure as a pearl. Thousands of brilliant, diamond-like stars glittered outside, and the splendor of the night struck Yuffie so deeply that she momentarily forgot to breathe and her eyes welled up with tears.
"It's beautiful."
And unfair, she mentally added, unfair that the world could be so beautiful when things were so corrupt, so awful and evil. It was just as beautiful as Vincent ― dark, silent, and sensual. And his life was unfair too. It was something that Chaos ― who had remained quiet since his one-liner two hours ago, thank Leviathan ― served as a constant reminder of.
Grimoire turned to gaze at the night sky too, but his eyes wandered back to Yuffie. "You're scowling."
"Huh?" Immediately, Yuffie blanched and snapped her head to stare at him. Hastily, she composed herself and forced that ever-present, happy-go-lucky grin back to her face. It wouldn't do to worry Grimoire when he'd been nothing but kind and accommodating. She didn't want him thinking that she was unhappy still. And if there was anything she was good at, it was masking pain.
"Scowling, me? The Great Ninja Yuffie? Never!"
For a moment, she thought that he'd comment further because it was very clear that he knew better, but alas he let the matter drop. She knew that she hadn't fooled him, but she appreciated his feigned ignorance nonetheless. At least then she could pretend that her world wasn't bottoming out.
"Ready to go?"
Standing up, Yuffie pulled her thick, fluffy cloak over her head. She hadn't worn it since the Deepground plight, and it reminded her so completely of Vincent that she turned away to hide her trembling.
"I am," Grimoire answered.
Glancing back at the man from over her shoulder, the ninja smiled and cheered, "Then let's get this show on the road!"
The traveling had exhausted Yuffie by midday. The sweltering heat alerted her to the gradual change from spring to summer, and she didn't much care for it. Luckily, Grimoire continued to be more than accommodating, allowing for numerous breaks along the way. The chocobo they'd borrowed — though Yuffie had a tendency of calling stolen things 'borrowed' — seemed more than okay with the breaks and had not been quite as grouchy as he had been during the first leg of the trip.
Wiping her hand along her sweaty hairline, Yuffie glanced up and squinted her eyes at Vincent's father. "How much longer 'til we make it to the ferry?"
Grimoire's brow crinkled as he thought, and the ninja had to bite back a laugh. As many things as the Valentine men had in common, they had that many differences too. Vincent would have simply ignored her question, answered in a halfhearted grunt, and continued on. No forehead-crinkling there.
"An hour or two more, I suppose." Formal conversation, Yuffie added to her list of similarities.
After she allowed him to help her up and took the proffered water bottle, Yuffie swept herself back onto the back of the blue chocobo. It warked at her for ending his leisure, but she ignored him and felt slightly generous, giving him greens in return for his grumpiness. Immediately, the chocobo perked up at the treat, then proceeded to snub her following its consumption.
Ingrate, Yuffie thought with a huff.
It wasn't long until they'd finally made it to Junon. The streets were filled with the usual clientele and the sky was relatively gloomy.
"I think it would be best to stick to the shadows," Grimoire advised, and Yuffie was no one to disagree.
They dismounted the chocobo in the back lot of a building and it took off at a sprint away from them. Yuffie watched it go, and she felt a pang of hurt inside of her. With a frown, she wondered why she felt that emotion, especially since it wasn't her chocobo, and it hadn't even been nice to her in the first place.
"Alright?" Valentine asked, his eyes full of sincere concern.
Shaking her head of the odd thoughts, Yuffie forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah, let's get going."
"Are you sure you're up to traveling? It will be a long time before we make it to Wutai, and I'm not sure we'll be able to get you anything to eat. You are pregnant."
Food, now that was a thought. She hadn't eaten since they'd left, and her stomach was beginning to ache. On the other hand…
"I won't have anything to throw up!" she grinned.
"Motion sickness?" he asked.
"More or less."
Grimoire nodded knowingly. Then, with a glance at the off-colored water of the bay, he motioned for her to follow.
"It'd be best if we purchased our tickets now. If we're late for the ferry, we'll be here through the night."
Yuffie shivered at the thought of spending the night without much money or any lodgings in dirty Junon. The city wasn't so bad during the day, in fact it looked like an ordinary shipping port. However, night unleashed the shadier side of the Junon dwellers. She'd often heard Reeve complain about the many missions in Jonon he'd sent his agents on to bust certain high-profile drug lords and rapists. The place was quickly becoming the new Sector Seven of Gaia.
"Yeah, sounds good."
The two remained well hidden despite their altered appearances. It was incredible, really, the way Yuffie looked like an entirely different woman with her curly red hair (a wig, of course, because she refused to endanger her child with any chemicals, and Grimoire certainly wasn't complaining) and green eyes. The makeup she'd applied made her cheeks seem higher and thinner, more like a grown up woman and less like a young lady. Her eyes she had managed to make appear Midgarian, round in shape and less Wutain. In all, the effect was astounding. Even so, neither of the travelers were willing to risk detection.
At the ship yard, Yuffie pulled up her grey hoodie and hunched over, waiting patiently on a bench as "William" purchased two tickets for the ferry — one for himself, and one for his daughter, "Eliza."
The normality of the exchange angered Yuffie in a way that she couldn't describe. What would it be like, she wondered, to be just a William and Eliza, never having to save the world or hide from enemies who wanted to murder you and your friends? These people had been saved by AVALANCHE numerous times, not having to do anything to help. Their lives went on like normal.
What would it be like to be normal?
It would be like… Vincent not having demons inside of him for the longest time, or being immortal, or betrayed by crazy biochemists! It would be Cloud staying in Nibelheim with Tifa, no chemicals in his veins, no heart-wrenching memories of a Soldier he thought he was but had only been friends with. It would be so different, maybe perfect. Maybe Yuffie would have been just another girl, not a princess expected to bring materia back to Wutai and save her crumbling nation.
No Deepground, no ShinRa.
"I never would have met him though," she whispered, hanging her head as she imagined the cloaked gunslinger. "I never would have had Valencia."
Quickly the kunoichi swiped the morose look of her face and smiled brightly at Grimoire as he returned with two white tickets in tow. He sat beside her and pulled the brim of his sunhat down. Yuffie had to stifle a giggle at that. It was so weird to see him look almost normal.
Normal, there was that word again, she thought grumpily and sighed.
The next half hour passed by in a blur of grey, blue, and black. Business men and thugs passed by, each oblivious to any world beside their own. How many of these people had even thought of thanking Reeve and the W.R.O. for all their help? AVALANCHE? Yuffie wrapped her arms around her legs.
After a while, Grimoire stated, "Ehem, Eliza? The ferry will be arriving in a moment."
She allowed herself to be helped up and followed the older man to the dock, inhaling the familiar scent of salt-water. They slipped into the line of passengers lingering around to board the ship and waited as the large vessel pulled into the port, its horn blasting loudly.
The sight of the waves crashing into the dock sent a wave of sickness through Yuffie. She turned away, praying that she didn't get sick now. Not that I've even eaten anything I could throw up.
Finally, they made it onto the ferry, and the bobbing of the ship caused the sick feeling in Yuffie's stomach to intensify. She found a bench nearby Grimoire and sat down with her head between her knees. When he asked her if she needed anything, she waved him away and thanked him for his concern, but stated that she'd rather be alone.
By alone, she meant that she'd rather wallow in her nausea without having someone watch her with a look of pity. She'd had enough pity to last two lifetimes.
Just as Yuffie had been about to curl up on the bench and attempt to get some sleep, a voice called out, "Miss? Is anyone sitting with you?"
Yuffie opened her eyes and looked to the side, finding a bright blue-eyed young woman smiling at her. In her arms was a child, giggling softly and pulling on the woman's hair; he could be no more than two years old.
"Uh, no," Yuffie finally answered, offering a fake smile. It was odd, she thought, that a total stranger had approached her in a place like Junon. She watched the woman sit down on the bench and shift the baby to her lap, bouncing the child and causing its huge green eyes to widen.
"I'm May," she greeted, her attention on the ninja. "I'm traveling with my husband to Icicle Inn for our first vacation with the little one. She just turned two last month."
"Y— Eliza," Yuffie answered quietly, her eyes glued to the child. The baby smiled at her and reached out, its soft hand, gently grazing her cheek. May laughed.
"He likes you. Of course he does, he likes everyone. He's the happiest and sweetest baby I've ever seen, though I might be slightly biased. He started talking a while ago, but he doesn't do it much. He's fairly quiet, but he can talk up a storm if he wants, isn't that right, Erik?"
A man walked up and introduced himself, but she didn't hear. Everything the couple said, Yuffie realized, was lost. Everything beyond the babbling toddler was lost. Her throat had tightened and she felt a burning sensation in her eyes, and suddenly, she knew she was going to cry or rip the baby from its mother's arms.
"I'm sorry! I — I… I have to go!" Yuffie jumped up from the bench and flew across the deck, elbowing passengers out of her way, her chest burning from the ragged, sob-laden breaths she gulped down.
I hate you, Shelke! Yuffie's mind screamed. Her hands curled into fists and her nails stabbed the flesh of her palms as she continued to run towards the hull of the ship. I will make you suffer if it is the last thing I ever do!
"Whoa, whoa!" someone cried, gripping her wrists and pulling her to a halting stop. Yuffie stared at the ground, trying and failing to quiet her gasping and crying.
She inwardly cursed at herself. How could she be so stupid? She let herself get worked up, and if this person didn't buy whatever sob-story she produced, they might question her about abuse or something like that, and then her identity might be discovered, and then Grimoire would be discovered, and then—
"You okay, hun?"
The voice sounded vaguely familiar, and Yuffie wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. At this point, seeing anyone she recognized could be dangerous.
She nodded her head in response to the question and continued looking at her feet, watching teardrops plunk onto the deck of the ship.
"Well, usually when women run into me cryin', I have to tell 'em I ain't the father of their baby. At least, I haven't been the father yet. 'Course, there was this one chick that swore up and down it was mine, and let me tell you, waiting for the results of a paternity test is scary. It wasn't mine, so, you know, life's good."
A choked-up laugh bubbled out of Yuffie as she identified the voice, "Reno?"
When she looked up, her eyes met aquamarine and she felt like jumping for joy. This one she could trust.
Immediately, he let go of her wrists and screeched, "You know my name? I swear, the kid isn't mine!"
"Reno!" she repeated, throwing her arms around his neck. The Turk usually irritated her beyond reason with his constant flirting and crude remarks, but at the moment, she was just glad to see the dumb turkey.
"Wait a minute — Yuffie?!"
"Shhh!" she commanded, lifting a finger to her lips.
What an idiot! How did he become a Turk again?
"Oh," he commented, glancing around. He grew serious and then took her by the arm, dragging her toward the women's restroom. "In here, I gotta talk to you."
It crossed the ninja's mind that she ought to question why she was being dragged into the woman's restroom by a Turk, but seeing as it was Reno, she supposed strangers things had happened and decided to follow him into the cramped space. The smell of the less-than-well-taken-care-of restroom had her pregnancy-sensitive gag reflex kicking in. Reno thought it appropriate to laugh at her.
So she punched him.
Holding his gushing nose and glaring lightly at the ex-thief, Reno wheezed, "Touchy, touchy. I should probably retaliate, but we've got bigger fish to fry, princess."
The use of his old nick-name caused Yuffie to wince, but she hid it and nodded. "Alright. Tell me why you dragged me into the bathroom and probably convinced half of the passengers that we're rendezvousing in a piss room to fornicate."
Rolling his eyes, he replied, "Because your friends have been kidnapped and thrown into a Wutain prison."
At that she sobered up. "What?"
"When they fell off the radar, me an' Rude did a little investigating." His mouth twisted into a grim line and his eyes had gone a dark shade of turquoise out of anger. "They kidnapped Reeve too. I took the copter and did a fly over— and before you tell me how dumb that was, I know. But I wasn't really thinking of anything but the fact that these new 'Deepground' punks were screwing with my family."
Had it been any other occasion, Yuffie might've pointed out the fact that he'd referred to them as his family, but at the moment all she could do was force herself not to cry again. It was starting to be a bad habit (but at least she could still blame the pregnancy hormones, and she would).
"Did you find anything?"
He shook his head. "Nearly got shot down, but no dice. I haven't heard much either. The constant news streaming was interrupted about three days ago. I don't know what happened, but I figure they're building up the suspense to air something big."
"Like what?" Yuffie asked in a hushed voice, feeling a chill run down her spine. They had AVALANCHE? Things were definitely getting worse, and the tides had certainly turned for her friends.
"Dunno," Reno admitted, rubbing the back of his head. He grimaced and glanced at the wall, not meeting Yuffie's eyes. "But if they cut off all news this long, I know it's gotta be huge."
A knock on the door made both of them jump.
"Eliza?" a panicked voice called, "Are you in there?"
Reno cocked a brow at Yuffie and mouthed, 'Eliza?' She waved away his comment with one hand.
"Yeah, I'm in here." She turned and unlocked the door, stepping out. Grimoire's face flooded with relief at her appearance, making Yuffie feel slightly guilty at running off without telling him where she was.
When Reno emerged, face flushed from when Yuffie had punched him, the relieved expression on Grimoire's face changed into one of question and masked accusation.
Suddenly realizing what he'd implied, Yuffie gasped, "He and I… We weren't… I mean—"
With a reassuring nod, the man covered, "It's fine, Eliza. Vin—Victor is dead, and it is perfectly understandable given your pregnancy hormones—"
"Pregnancy hormones?" Reno shouted, his eyes wide. He flailed his arms at Yuffie and gawked. "When were you going to tell me you're pregnant?!"
At that, Grimoire's face blanched, and then went blank and icy as he stated, "Unless, of course, the child is his to begin with…"
"Mine?!" Reno floundered, his bright red ponytail swinging as he whipped around to look at Yuffie.
With a groan, Yuffie slapped her face and exclaimed, "Reno was just telling me the current state of things. And no, he and I have never and will never be romantically or intimately involved."
"That hurts, right here," Reno lamented, pointing to his heart as if wounded.
Rolling her eyes at him, the ninja wrapped her hand around Grimoire's upper arm and glued herself to his side, retorting, "As much as the punch did, right?"
Cutting his losses it seemed, the Turk asked, "Who's the grandpa? You always did go for the older ones."
"Vincent's father," Yuffie answered without skipping a beat. The look on Reno's face was one of shock. He met Yuffie's eyes and then met Grimoire's.
"I thought Valentine died."
"So did I," the ninja returned, her voice smaller than before. And if he was alive, how many other experiments were out there with a file marked deceased? One more reason for her to hate ShinRa.
A moment of silence passed, and then, "So, you're like, with the dad of your dead lover..?"
"Ew, no!" Yuffie cried. Grimoire looked positively scandalized at Reno's insinuation. "He used to be a scientist, or maybe a doctor, but anyways, he's good with medicine. Currently, in my condition, having someone who I can trust that can advise me is a good thing."
"Ah," Reno commented. He still had a slightly disgusted look on his face.
Effectively interrupting the awkward tension, Grimoire deadpanned, "So you are Reno." He nodded at the kunoichi, letting her know he recalled the red-haired man from her story.
The Turk grinned and held his hand out to Grimoire, but the older man simply glared at it. Slowly, he retracted the limb.
"You'll do well to protect Yuffie and her baby. Should you betray her, I will personally see to it that you are never found again."
Gulping, Reno remarked, "I definitely see the family resemblance 'tween you and Vincent."
Yuffie smirked.
For the first time since I began this - I did not reach my 5000 word mark. I'm sorry for the let down, since nothing really happened except for Reno joining their group. But on a slightly happier note, it's been exactly ONE YEAR since this began! Whoot whoot!
I hope y'all still like it :)
Not proofread, sorry!