Chapter Fourteen – Family Matters

Vincent stood his ground, his gaze unwavering. "I was told Emperor Godo had ordered his guard to protect my companion."

"Lord Godo has no desire to make enemies of the men who are searching for the woman. You would be wise to follow his example."

"How about making enemies of every member of Avalanche, the group that defeated Sephiroth and saved the planet?"

"I don't give the orders, Mr. Valentine, but I've never failed to follow them." Kazuki lowered himself into a fighting stance.

"Very well," Vincent uttered before firing three consecutive shots at the ninja's position. Kazuki whirled from their path and Vincent was surprised at his speed; it was almost comparable to his own.

But just almost.

Two more shots rang out; Vincent saw the tiny splatter of blood as a small chuck of skin and black fabric was ripped from Kazuki's shoulder. The ninja hardly winced and again changed positions nearly too fast for Vincent to track. The next few shots were near misses, and Vincent suffered a hard blow to his lower back as punishment. He stumbled forward, never losing his footing, and spun on the black streak.

Vincent was a quick study in battle; he'd already learned this opponent's movements and could second guess his next move. Instead of firing, this time he struck Kazuki hard across the face with the claw, knocking him down to one knee. The barrel of the gun was against his forehead before he could react.

"Don't move," Vincent ordered, his voice resonating violently.

It was then Yuffie and Lulu ran to him from the doorway, keeping a safe distance from Kazuki. "What the hell is going on here?" Yuffie demanded, still quite buzzed. "Kazuki? I don't believe this."

"Greetings, Princess Yuffie," Kazuki said professionally, still panting and clutching at the wound on his arm.

"Don't give me that princess bullshit. I used to kick your butt when we were kids and I'll do it again if you don't start talking!"

"I'm simply following your esteemed father's orders, Princess. Forgive me."

"What is the old man thinking?" she wondered aloud, turning to face Lulu who's jewel-like eyes were full of worry.

"What shall I do with him?" Vincent asked; still holding the ninja guard at gunpoint.

"Argh!" Yuffie growled. "Let him up. I really could've used a couple more hours of sleep, but what the hell? Let's go see the old man."

Vincent took his eyes from Kazuki long enough to shoot Yuffie a questioning glance. "Are you sure?"

Yuffie punched the air several times, then planted her hands on her hips – her signature move. "Damn sure. Let's get moving. Kazuki?"

"Yes, Princess?"

"Lead the way."

The ninja eyed Vincent who still hadn't let him rise to his feet. "You heard the woman," he said, a nervous edge in his voice. Vincent relented, taking a step back and allowing Kazuki up.

The three companions and their prisoner made their way openly through town, the passing villagers gathering behind them out of curiosity. When they had finally reached the courtyard in front of the palace, Yuffie gaze Kazuki a swift kick in his ass that sent him running inside.

In a few moments Godo appeared in the doorway, surrounded on either side with an armed guard; Kazuki was one of them. Vincent noted the young man's confidence seemed to have returned to him the moment a rifle was placed in his hands.

Yuffie seemed unaffected by the fact that the entire citizenry of Wutai had followed them and were now waiting in silent anticipation to see where this odd scene was going. She threw one leg boldly in front of the other and thrust her index finger toward her father.

"Alright, you old coot, I'm here. So what's the big idea, trying to sell Lulu out to the enemy?"

"Welcome home, Yuffie. Your friends are welcome, also. However, to answer your question, the woman in your company is a dangerous fugitive."

"Like hell she is! I can't believe you'd do a thing like this without even talking to me first!"

Godo eyed the crowd nervously. "Yuffie, perhaps we can discuss this in private. Won't you come inside?"

"Fine. But my friends are coming with me. And I want them," – she indicated the guards – "out of my sight."

Godo motioned for the guards to disperse, and they moved inside quickly. Once Yuffie was satisfied, she turned to Vincent and Lulu. "Come on, but don't let your guard down for a second, Vince. The old man's crafty."

Vincent nodded and with Lulu close by his side, followed Yuffie up the steps and into the palace. They were brought to a grand room decorated in red and gold with accents of royal blue. Tea was served, but Yuffie's face told the others not to trust the brew.

Godo smiled pleasantly. "How are you, Yuffie?" he asked innocently.

"Fine until I got your phone call."

"Perhaps we should discuss that matter in private, daughter." The way he said daughter seemed to imply ownership.

"There's nothing to discuss, father. I'm not marrying and that's the final word."

"You know what it means if you do not."

"Last time I snuck a peek at your medical file, you were healthy as a chocobo, Pops. I've got plenty of time before I'll be expected to take over Wutai. And when I do, some things are going to change around here."

"Only your husband can decree any changes in our laws and traditions, Yuffie. You know that."

"Actually, you have the power to do away with that particular law, and if you care about me at all, you will do so at once."

"Yuffie, do you not see that my only wish is for both you and our country to be taken care of?"

That pissed Yuffie off. "Since when can I not take care of myself? I only saved the planet for Leviathan's sake!"

"With help from others. And with help from a husband, I am certain you will accomplish many great things."

Yuffie crossed her arms. "Not happening."

"I am sorry you see it that way."

"I am sorry you do not," Yuffie retorted, sounding suddenly very regal. "But forget about that for now. I want to know why you went back on your word to protect Lulu!"

"Lulu? An alias, I presume?"

Lulu nodded. "Vincent gave me the name," she said softly.

"Vincent Valentine." Godo's eyes narrowed as he examined the gunman. "You have quite a reputation for trouble, you know."

"I was not aware." Vincent's tone was calm and level.

"Bringing this fugitive into my village only proves this to be true."

"Lay off Vincent, Dad. He's only here because the three of us were traveling together when you called. I was going to put off coming home until we were done with our mission, but he insisted on making the detour. You should thank him I'm even here."

"I do not thank him for involving you in yet another dangerous errand. But he does have my gratitude for delivering you to this meeting."

Vincent nodded politely, noting the sickened look on Yuffie's face as he did so.

Godo poured himself a second cup of tea and inhaled the rising steam meditatively. "As for your companion here," he said slowly, "are you certain she is what she says? You've told me she is being pursued by an enemy, and yet the men I spoke with this morning claimed she had been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?" they all echoed at once.

Yuffie's jaw dropped. "You can't honestly think Vincent and I would kidnap somebody. I mean, does she look like she's being held against her will, here?"

"I must admit, she looks quite unrestrained. Perhaps I acted too abruptly."

"Ya think?" was all Yuffie had to say to that ridiculous statement.

"Will you accept my apology?" This he said to Lulu herself.

"Of course, Lord Godo."

"What? Are you serious?" Yuffie was shrieking at this point. "An apology isn't going to take back what you did, and it sure as hell isn't going to keep Lulu safe!"

"Ah, yes," Godo sighed. "As usual, Yuffie, you have no faith in me whatsoever. You should know by now I never make a move without a backup plan."

"Is that right? Well I'd like to hear it, and the sooner the better, old man!"

Just then a gentle moan escaped Lulu's lips, and they turned just in time to see her fall. Vincent, as usual, was there to catch her before she hit the ground, but the young woman could not be stirred.

"She needs to lie down," Yuffie said frantically. "Follow me, Vince. I know a good place she can rest."

Vincent rose with Lulu in his arms, and followed Yuffie out of the room. Godo continued to kneel in front of his table and watched them leave without a word.

"This was my room as a kid," Yuffie said, sliding the paper screen aside.

Vincent stepped inside and laid Lulu on one of the three decorative futons. "This is the room we slept in when you stole our material," Vincent said.

"Yep. It's a guest room now, but when I lived here, it was awesome. I had all my weapons on the wall here, my TV over here…" Her voice trailed off and Vincent moved to her side, setting a hand on her shoulder.

"I was impressed with the way you handled your father back there," he offered.

Yuffie sniffed. "Thanks."

"Are you crying?"

She shook her head. "Of course not!"

"It's alright, Yuffie. You've had a long day."

Yuffie spun on her toe then and threw herself against Vincent. "That was harder than I made it look, you know? I love my dad, and I know he's only looking out for my best interest."

"A father can only do so much for his child. At a certain point, he has to step back and let her make her own way."

Yuffie sighed, stifling the tears. "That's not how it is in Wutai." Then she pulled back and a smile formed on her lips. "I love you," she said warmly.

"I love you," Vincent replied. "Are you tired?"

"Not really. Still kinda buzzed, but in a good way."

"I see."

Yuffie looked down at Lulu's limp form and the smile faded. "What's wrong with her, Vince? How many times has she passed out on us?"

"This is the third time that I'm aware of," he said concernedly. "There's something else bothering me, too." He crouched beside Lulu and carefully brushed a lock of hair away from her neck. Yuffie squatted next to Vincent and saw the gray patch of skin forming beneath Lulu's ear.

"What the-?"

"It's worse than it was two days ago."

"What is it?"

"I have no idea. Whatever it is, it's spreading at an alarming rate."

"What does Lulu say about it?"

"She hasn't said anything, and I haven't brought it up."

"Why the hell not? This could be serious?"

"I didn't want to upset her. Perhaps it's just a skin flaw."

Yuffie glared at him. "A skin flaw? You're kidding, right?"

Vincent shrugged. "I can't explain it any other way."

"We need to ask her when she wakes up."

"Very well. Are you volunteering?"

"Argh. Fine, I'll do it."

Vincent smiled. Not a little smile either, but a full-fledged grin. Yuffie jumped back and held her hands up in a square as if to frame his face. "Vince, hold that position! Let me get a picture!"

The smile transformed into a quizzical expression.

"Damn! I missed it."

"Is it that shocking?"

"Well, yeah. I've never seen you smile like that before."

"Hmph. I never realized."

"It looked good. You should do it more often."

"I'll bear that in mind."

"Hey, Vincent, how come I don't have any pictures of you?"

"Would you like one?" he asked, surprised.

"Of course! You should let me take one some time."

Vincent reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. From it, he pulled a small, wrinkled photo and handed it to her.

"That was the last picture taken of me. It was the day I became a Turk."

"Wow, that's you?"

He nodded. "Surprised?"

"It's just… so different. I don't know which you I like better."

"Hopefully the one standing in front of you now."

She smiled up at him. "Yeah, definitely."

"You may keep the picture, if you'd like."

"Are you sure?"

"If I may have one of you."

Yuffie thought for a moment. "Hang on. I'll be right back!"

She ran from the room and returned a moment later with a leather bound album. "There are tons of pictures in here," she said, plopping down on a futon and patting the space next to her. Vincent took a seat beside her as she opened the album.

"Wow, look at me when I was a baby," she said. "I was so cute!"

"You're still cute," Vincent said, kissing her temple.

"Awww. Hey, check it out! My first karate lesson. And look at this one! My first day of school!"

"I imagine you gave your teachers a difficult time."

Yuffie shrugged. "And I bet you were a perfect student."

"You might be surprised."

Yuffie giggled and flipped the page. "Here," she exclaimed. "This is the one I was looking for!" She ripped the photo off the paper backing and handed it to Vincent.

"But this is…"

"Tifa took this one on the Highwind the day everybody came back to fight Sephiroth."

"I'm in this photo."

"That's why… this is my favorite."

In the photo, Yuffie was posed, Shuriken in hand, on the bridge of the Highwind. Vincent could be seen standing in his alcove beside Red XIII in the background.

"Are you certain you want me to have this?" he asked.

"I have copies," she teased.

She leaned over and kissed him gently and Vincent put his arm around her shoulder, leaning his head against hers. "Thank you for the picture, Yuffie."

"Thank you, too. I'll keep it forever."

"Forever," Vincent echoed thoughtfully.

"Is something wrong?"

"Something Lulu said earlier, when you were asleep."

"What did she say? She's not still trying to seduce you is she?"

"No, nothing like that. I think she finally gave up when she realized how much I care for you."

"What was it then?"

"Just now, you said you'd keep my photo forever… The truth is, you won't live forever."

"It's just an expression, Vincent."

"Not for me. I am… eternal. With a serious enough wound, I can be killed. But I will not age, and I will never die of natural causes."

Yuffie's voice was quiet. "I know that, Vince. And some day, I'll be an old woman… and you'll still be as beautiful as you are now. I suppose by then you'll have moved on."

"But I don't intend to move on. I only want to make certain you understand what kind of life you face."

"I'll just be happy for as long as we have together, Vincent. Wutainese people maintain their youth longer than most people, so I figure I've got at least twenty, twenty-five years before I start looking old and you leave."

Vincent turned her face toward his. "I won't leave. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that true love doesn't come to everyone. I'd be foolish to throw it away."

Yuffie just smiled knowingly. "I guess I should get back. I doubt my dad's done talking about the whole arranged marriage deal yet."

"Would you like me to go with you?"

"Thanks, but I think this is something I need to do on my own."

Vincent stood and offered her a hand up. She took it and when she was standing, she threw her arms around him. "Remember to stay alert. I still don't trust the old man."

"I will. And you, be careful as well. Call if you need me. I promise to answer."

They hesitated a moment, gazing fondly at each other, before Yuffie finally backed out of the room and shut the screen behind her.