The very air seemed to crackle with tension for several moments after Vincent had spoken. The monks of the temple shrank back into the shadows, terrified by the fury they could feel emanating from the two men who had begun to draw closer to each other with slow, calculated steps. Rain began to fall as Vincent growled and curled his lips back in a snarl, revealing a mouthful of long, sharp fangs that Chaos had been only too happy to lend him. He flexed his clawed hand menacingly, barely listening as Chaos shouted suggestions for ways to kill the other man; he knew plenty of ways to do that on his own.
"It's not too late to back off now, Valentine," Koichi said with a smug grin, sinking into a fighting stance even as he spoke. "Just leave Yuffie to me and I might let you escape with your life. If not, however, I will be forced to kill you." Vincent threw back his head and let out a harsh, barking laugh, the whites of his eyes glowing with a strange golden light that reflected off of some of the falling raindrops.
"I'd like to see you try. Let's see if you fight as well as you claim you do."
"Very well. But don't say I didn't warn you."
Vincent tensed, seeing Koichi's muscles move an instant before the warrior sprang at him with a katana clenched in his fist. He reached for Cerberus, but to his surprise it was not in its holster. He barely dodged out of the way as Koichi struck at him, losing several strands of wet black hair as he twisted under the swing of the blade and landed on his feet a short distance behind the Wutaian. With strength and speed he had not thought possible for an unenhanced human, Koichi whirled around again, almost managing to land a kick on Vincent before he blocked it with his gauntlet; he could hear Yuffie gasp in horror at how close he had come to being hit. The gunman sighed, cursing his luck. Hand-to-hand combat had never been his strong suit, but until he could find Cerberus it seemed he had no choice.
The two went at it again in a whirlwind of kicks and slashes, neither managing to land a hit but coming very close each time. Koichi was smaller and faster than Vincent, and had studied martial arts his entire life; his attacks were hard to predict and incredibly quick, like a cobra strike, and Vincent was barely managing to block them, let alone counterattack effectively. Granted, he was also distracted with keeping Yuffie well out of the fray, but that was usually still an easier task than it was right now. He threw a punch at Koichi, managing to catch him in the side of the jaw and noting the way the bone gave easily under his hand. The other man snarled and spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, but seemed otherwise unfazed. He slashed at Vincent with his katana, and the gunman bent over backwards, laying his palms on the slick ground and kicking his feet up over his head; the tip of one of his metal shoes raked across Koichi's chest, leaving a deep gash, while Vincent was left with only a small cut that had come dangerously close to his left eye.
Again, Vincent observed that Koichi seemed not to notice the pain of his wound, charging back toward him with his katana drawn. Vincent slashed at him with his clawed hand, leaving four long gashes down his arm; he dropped his katana but did not miss a step, instead aiming a kick at Vincent's suddenly exposed body. It made contact and Vincent winced, feeling a few ribs crack. He jumped backwards, still scanning the ground for Cerberus as he dodged punches and kicks from Koichi. Finally, he spotted it on the ground not far from where he was standing, almost buried in the tall grass. Running forward on long legs, he reached down and grabbed it, turning and aiming it just as Koichi caught up with him. He pulled the trigger, but Koichi managed to hit his hand just as he did; the bullet left a shallow gash on the Wutaian's arm but didn't kill him as it was supposed to. Vincent hurried to shoot again, but these were far from ideal conditions for the marksman; the rain and wind made it hard to get a good grip on Cerberus, and Koichi was too close and fast to get a decent shot. He fired two more bullets, each missing by only inches and leaving shallow cuts on the other man's body.
Beginning to tire and realizing the danger he was in, Koichi lunged at Vincent with his katana, aiming to stab him through the neck. Vincent raised his metallic arm, intending to deflect the blade as he had done several times already. Instead of letting the edge of the blade glance off of the gauntlet, however, Koichi turned it just in time to stab the tip of the blade into the palm of the gunman's hand. It pierced the metal with horrifying ease, and Vincent cried out in pain as the blade travelled straight up through his gauntlet all the way into the flesh of his left bicep. Koichi jerked the blade back out, further damaging the prosthetic arm as he did, and watched in satisfaction as the limb hung useless at Vincent's side. Yuffie gasped in horror, leaping to her feet and doing her level best to fight through the group of guards to get to Vincent; his jaw was clenched in pain, and blood was beginning to pool around his feet.
If Koichi thought that Vincent would be stopped by something like that, however, he was sorely mistaken. The gunman pulled himself up straighter, seeing the look Koichi was giving Yuffie and determined to kill him before he could touch her again. He lunged at the Wutaian again, using his full weight to tackle him to the ground and hitting him across the head with Cerberus. Koichi fought blacking out as blood ran down his face from the split in his skull, grabbing Vincent around the throat as the gunslinger pointed Cerberus at him. Vincent just smirked, and Koichi finally began to feel the beginnings of utter terror as he looked into the fiery-red eyes of the ebony-haired gunman. Vincent's lips curled back in a sneer, and he pressed the barrel of Cerberus to the younger man's head before driving the tips of his damaged claws deep into the Wutaian's chest, grabbing his heart in his fist. Koichi gasped and choked as blood began leaking from his mouth, and Vincent chuckled mirthlessly, making a shudder run up the dying man's spine.
"Let this be a lesson to you," Vincent growled, Chaos's fangs making his words sound strange and lisped, but somehow even more intimidating. "Lay a hand on anyone I care about…" He tightened his finger on the trigger, and Koichi's body lurched as the bullet pierced his skull and ended his miserable life. "…and it will be the last thing you ever do."
With an exhausted sigh, Vincent stood, kicking Koichi's limp corpse away from him and flicking the blood from his gauntlet as he began making his way toward Godo; the emperor met his gaze steadily, unmoving and unflinching as the blood-soaked gunman made his way toward him. Vincent did not see one of the guards stooping down to retrieve Koichi's katana as he made his way toward Yuffie's father, and the rain masked his footsteps and the sound of Yuffie's warning screams. Just before he reached Godo, the guard lunged at him from behind, driving the katana through his back and stomach before jerking it roughly back through. Vincent gasped in pain and fell to his knees, clutching the bleeding wound as the guard prepared to strike him again. An instant before he could make his move, the guard suddenly dropped to the ground. Through his now blurred vision, Vincent could see the point of an enormous shuriken sticking out of the man's back, exactly where his spine was. He turned slightly, smiling gratefully at Yuffie before he groaned and collapsed onto the ground.
"Valentine, I need to take over now. We have to get out of here so you can have a chance to heal," Chaos said in what sounded like a very faint voice to Vincent's tired mind.
"Do… as you wish…" Vincent said mentally, lurching slightly as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. "I don't have the strength to resist you now, anyway."
"You did well. I'll get Yuffie out of here; just rest for now."
"Thank you… Chaos…"
Yuffie reached Vincent just as Chaos began to take over, turning his skin a pale blue as a pair of wings unfurled behind his back and his eyes began glowing a bright gold. Knowing the demon could handle himself for a moment, she made her way over to Godo, picking up the katana the guard had used on Vincent and holding it up against his throat. He looked at her in shock, never imagining that his daughter would be willing to threaten her own father.
"Godo Kisaragi," Yuffie said loudly, her voice strong and unwavering as she stared into his wide eyes. "You and the rest of Wutai can stay here and rot; I wash my hands of all of you. From today on, I am no longer the daughter of the Kisaragi clan – I am no daughter of yours. And if I see any of you anywhere near me or my friends again, I'll have this entire country signed over to Rufus ShinRa in a heartbeat. Enjoy the rest of your miserable life, Godo, and good luck finding a new ruler by then."
With that, she spun on her heel, tossing the katana at his feet and letting Chaos slip his arms around her. Before Godo could think of anything to say to her, she had already vanished into the dark clouds, feeling lighter than she had in a very long time.
Author's Note: Who else is glad Koichi is dead? Raise your hand. (MEEEEEE!) I think this story has maybe two or three chapters left in it, so please look forward to that, and review if you can - I LOVE getting reviews!