A/N: And now we have the three chosen successors to Vincent's seat as general of the military police as he contemplates what to put on his will. And it would seem that Rude will make an appearance. Do read and review would you kindly?

Time until Vincent's life expires: 21 days, 5 months…

The work was being handled carefully…the paperwork that Yuffie had been missing while she was away from her office was being caught up, and it was a since the chieftains had agreed to the agreement with a celebration happening shortly afterward, she had a good boost of energy to get the job done. Vincent on the other hand, had found three out of the thirteen appointed captains had the qualifications to be candidates for his successor as general of the military police:

First choice was Matsuyama Hiroaki, age 30, and commander of the 4th precinct. Within the short amount of time that the military police was active thus far, Matsuyama had the highest arrest record at 95 convicts in one year; it was matched point for point by Yuffie's older cousin, Lieutenant Kisaragi Sakura, age 28, with both of them catching the exact same number of convicts. He was a simple farmer, minding his own business and working hard to support himself and his family, while saving up for marriage until he lost his fiancé to a yakuza hitman that raped and killed her. Needless to say, for the next five years, he was devastated, and was drinking his money and the farm away—that is, until he saw a flyer for volunteers to try out as members of a military police force that Vincent was starting up. At that moment, when he saw that flyer, he remembered his own plight—and so from that point on, Hiroaki finished his last shot of sakè, and left the bar with a vow: The next time he picks up that shot again, it'll only be to celebrate a victory or to commemorate the day he lost her, and no other time…he will no longer spiral down the self-destructive path of alcoholism, and he will start to do something about it! He will not have another victim suffering at the hands of that man again! The second his grades had checked out, and Vincent had started training him as a military police officer, he noted that Hiroaki was a rather hard-working individual, and very dedicated to his cause of making Wutai a safer place to live in…and as he watched, he also noted that he was rather dedicated to his family and with a newly-found sense of justice, tempered with the patience of a listener and a good friend…he also had developed the ability to improvise on the fly, which was a very good quality for any leader.

Second choice was Kisaragi Sakura who was in charge of the 7th precinct. Her personal crusade against the rising crime and poverty levels in Wutai had begun a few years before the war against the island empire initiated by Shin-Ra—being born and raised in the imperial family, she was naturally curious about the world outside the palace. Her father wanted to shelter her from any sort of suffering whatsoever wanting her to marry and settle down, but in the end, he failed when she snuck out and saw for herself the land that she lived in. She then confronted her father about what she saw, and vowed to never return to the palace until she had cleaned up the streets of Wutai of crime, and poverty, and the corruption running rampant in the city. And so, her seven-year crusade began with her first act as a vigilante: using the ninja training she had been going through, she instantly foiled a robbery before running off never to be seen again—although many random acts of vigilantism have been attributed to the gang of rogue ninjas she had started known only as the "Tiger Army" in honor of Li Xiao Long Nu and the "Twelve Tigers of Wutai". During the Wutai War, Kisaragi Sakura and her gang had offered their services to the defense of their homeland as auxiliary infantry forces, but shortly after the war, they went underground taking down gangs wherever they saw them. When Yuffie was crowned empress of Wutai, Sakura was present in the shadows during her coronation—and shortly after Vincent started posting the flyers for volunteers for the military police force, she and what was left of her gang immediately signed up after having gained a good deal of respect for the man for defending her cousin. Vincent noted that she was a good woman, rather hard on the outside, but with a tender side to her on the inside…she had true leadership qualities given her heritage and history, and to this day, she was the only person to tie with Vincent at shogi, go, and even chess—proving that her long-term planning skills were on par with their commander-in-chief.

And the third candidate was Niite Nobunaga of the 10th precinct, age 54. Nobunaga was a veteran of the war…when the shortage of troops had happened, he did not need to be conscripted—he volunteered. He knew then and there what needed to be done and why, despite his reluctance to join the army—which was a good quality of a leader; not hesitating and getting the job done good and proper. During the war, he counted 40 enemy soldiers slain by his hand…he was offered a promotion several times after making captain, but refused, saying that promotions were not of any use in the war when it got that bad. When Godo surrendered after the death of his wife, Nobunaga was not happy—after sneaking into the palace once in an attempt to kill him, he wound up talking with the emperor and he came to understand what went through the his mind when he surrendered. After the conversation with him, Nobunaga remembered what happened when his wife died on him because of disease—both men were broken by the loss of a woman they loved greatly…this would be the only time he hesitated, and in the end, he reconciled with Godo, and the two became fast friends within days after Yuffie went out into the world to steal materia to save Wutai. When Vincent put out the flyers for the volunteer tryouts, Nobunaga was instrumental in getting many other veterans together and incorporating them into the military police—he rose quickly through the ranks and had made 87 arrests by the time he regained his rank as captain.

Vincent then looked back to when the military police succeeded in its first assault with them a few weeks after training them.

Flashback: 1.5 years ago…

It's been a while since that attempt on Yuffie's life. As Vincent sat around in the stealth helicopter loaned to Wutai by the WRO, loading Cerberus' eighteen chambers with .500 S&W hollow point rounds, he could remember that day well as he was part of the security detail…she was walking on her way to the temple with the guards following close behind. In Wutai, prior to walking to the temple in order to make a coronation official, if the empress wishes to rule independently, then she has to not only defeat the guardians of the pagoda, but she has to be recognized as the heir in the first place, otherwise, she will only be considered a guardian of the pagoda and nothing more. If she succeeds in being able to rule independently, then she can marry on her own terms instead of having to deal with an arranged marriage—this was an unbreakable law, for while Kisaragi Heishiro managed everything just fine, it was Kisaragi Rin who was said to have been the one who actually wore the pants in the house although they both shared rule. As a matter of fact, it would appear that ALL female members of the Kisaragi that were chosen to be the heir or who married into the family happened to be women who were rather strong-willed.

Going back to the matter that prompted the formation of the military police, as he watched Yuffie walk down that aisle, all was peaceful until he heard that one word that threatened his love—that one word that caused the beast within him to awaken, and attack the one who uttered it. A man ran out and into the aisle crying out "whore" carrying a 9mm pistol in his hand pointing it at the general direction of Yuffie's head. After getting out one shot, he never got the chance as Vincent transformed into Galian Beast, pushed the man's arm up, and clamped his jaws around the assassin's throat and ripped out his trachea and larynx in one motion while severing his jugular veins with his canine fangs. After transforming back into himself, Vincent ran back and checked up on Yuffie…fortunately, she dodged that shot that would have taken her head off her shoulders. The next day, she was properly crowned the empress with a tighter security around the temple, and her first act was to start up the Wutainese Military Police Corps from volunteers and veterans alike. It was a harsh few months, but it was worth it for the volunteers because this would be the first day that they'll see action—and from the moment he saw their discipline and their strength, he knew that they were ready.

Vincent checked his semiautomatic .50 BMG sniper rifle with a built-in sound-suppressing muzzle brake and checking to make sure that the barrel was clean. He had five 6-shot sniper rifle clips on his combat harness, and enough speed-loaders for four full reloads for Cerberus. He also checked the scope of his sniper rifle and made sure the sights were clean and working properly. With that, he put the microphone of his headset close to his mouth. "This is Team Alpha, we are good to go. All other teams please respond."

"Team Bravo here, we are locked and loaded."

"Team Charlie here, we are good to go."

"Team Delta responding, we are good to go."

"Team Echo, we are Oscar Mike."

"Team Foxtrot, we are armed and ready."

"Team Golf, locked and loaded."

"Team Hotel, we are green and we are mean."

"Team India, point us to our prey."

"Team Juliet is Oscar Mike!"

"Team Kilo, ready to bring down the hammer."

"Lima Team, we are good to go."

"Team Mike, it's about time we did this!"

Vincent smiled. Each team consisted of ten people, all of whom were rather qualified after a crash course in his boot camp, and it was time to get them clear on this mission. "All teams listen up. You've all been trained for this moment, and by Leviathan, we are going to show those crooks that they can't push around the people of Wutai anymore. With this assault, we'll cut the head off the snake and we'll be able to start working our home into the beautiful place it once was. You all have your missions, and so I trust you all know what to do. It's high time we clamped down on the biggest yakuza families in Wutai, and once we're done with this assignment, we will start doing our jobs as cops. Remember, those families deal with terrorist scum, so any tango you see, light them up. And now, ladies and gentlemen, synchronize your watches because 'Operation: New Dawn' begins in 5…4…3…2…1! Mission start!"

With that word, everyone rappelled down from their respective helicopters, and stole through the streets of Wutai. Tonight was the gathering of all the biggest yakuza lords in the land. In the past, the yakuza were actually honorable, and it was considered to be proud of among the civilians to be a member—nowadays, with lawlessness running amok, people found that the yakuza were getting deeper and deeper into committing crimes rather than preventing them, being concerned only with profits. It would be on this night that Wutai would begin to clean up her streets of crime, and poverty will be at an all-time low…once the biggest yakuza lords are killed off, and the civilians are left alone, Wutai's law enforcement will be re-established, and from that point on, there will be no more killing unless in times of war.

It took five minutes, but everyone had snuck around in the shadows to make it to their respective areas: Teams Alpha through Delta took the north end of the building, Echo through Golf were at the east, Hotel through Juliet at the south, and Kilo through Mike were at the west. The building was a large and abandoned temple, a good place for a meeting given its anonymous location, and with the estate having so much room meant for monks, there would probably be enough room for an army of yakuza soldiers. With that on mind, the first phase of Vincent's assault plan was carried out…all snipers, including himself, would move into the surrounding buildings, and take out all the guards in the temple. Once he found his place, he put the microphone to his mouth. "All snipers, on my mark, open fire on all guards. Everyone else, get ready to move on in once we've taken out the guards; once you're in, we'll cover you…there can be no mistakes, so don't let a single tango out alive. Remember, we need to kill everyone in that meeting in order to demoralize all the yakuza families. Once they're demoralized, cleaning up Wutai will be easier. Now let's get this show on the road…snipers, pick your targets…" Vincent found his target, moving his sights on the head of a lone guard. Meanwhile, all other troopers had set plastic explosives on the entrance to each end of the temple. "Ready…aim…fire at will!" With that said, all the guards were killed silently with a bullet through the head.

"All teams move on in! Go, go, go!"

He didn't need to repeat himself—the plastic explosives went off, and the soldiers moved on in, gunning down all yakuza soldiers while the snipers provided covering fire to pin down the yakuza bosses and their lieutenants while keeping the soldiers in cover as the WMPC moved on in to storm the main building of the temple, their assault rifles taking down anyone who stood in their way. With their elite training thanks to Vincent, the WMPC was able to dodge bullets even while wearing flak jackets, and once they made it to the meeting place of the yakuza bosses, all the leaders were taken down. Victory was to the WMPC, and now, the cleanup would begin as soon as they paid respects to those unfortunate officers who died in the action…

Present day…

In that assault, twenty officers and nine captains were killed. Of the nine captains, those three survived and Vincent survived the attack—even today, he feels bad for the lives lost in that military action, but it was necessary to clean up Wutai, and so he worked hard for the next year and a half to ensure that their deaths were not in vain. He was right—once the WMPC had a better foothold against the crime families in Wutai it was easier due to how demoralized the rest of the yakuza were upon news of the dead bosses. Afterwards, the remaining yakuza filled the newly-built correctional facility in Wutai, teaching them the hard way that crime never pays—now, there is still crime in Wutai, but not as bad as it was when the gangs ruled the streets, and as it stands, the people are discouraged from terrorism due to "Operation: New Dawn".

With that, Vincent started writing in his will—he had to do this now, otherwise he may never have another chance. He opened the word processor on his computer, and began typing various words on the screen. Before he could type another word on his will, he heard knocking at the door to his office. "Come in."

The door opened to reveal the shiny head of none other than the Turk named Rudolf "Rude" Porter. "Wotcher mate! I was in town, and decided to come and pay you a visit. Were you busy Vincent?"

"As a matter of fact, I was."

Rude, Tseng, and Elena were all respectful of Vincent given that he was at one point their boss. Rude especially comes around to visit Vincent whenever he is in the area as the latter was his role model in the Turks. "So, may I ask what brings you over to my precinct Rude?"

Rude looked very put-out at the question. "Oi, can't a man visit 'is upperclassman without 'im askin' any bloody questions? Anyway, I 'eard a very interestin' rumor from Tseng."

Vincent let out a sigh…oh he knew who it was that spoke. "I suppose Reeve let it slip in front of him?"

"I'm tellin' ya mate, that bloke don' know the firs' thing abou' keepin' mum. Although the fact that 'e was researchin' like a bloody mad scientist didn't 'elp 'im any…Tseng threatened 'im to fess up after he let it slip. Anyway, 'ow's your condition guv?"

"I've taken my pills, so I should be fine for the next few hours or so. But in the meantime, I have roughly six months to live, and so I'm using this week to get my affairs in order…a last will and testament included."

Rude was silent for the next few minutes. "You mind if I have a butcher's at that will o' yours?"

"If you want to be witness to me signing the will, you may want to bring someone else over…otherwise, it will be invalid. Besides, you didn't miss anything—you caught me at the beginning of writing it."

"Tseng's already on 'is way 'ere, chum. When 'e 'eard abou' your condition, 'e threatened Reno that 'e won' be seein' 'is next paycheck if 'e didn' fly us over. Righ' now, he's talkin' to Elena over the phone, tellin' 'er that 'e's 'ere to see you. The bloke's gotta make sure 'is bes' man is gonna be alive for the weddin' in two days."

Vincent let out a small smile on his lips. "It makes me feel happy to know that I have such good friends Rude. And since I know your secret, I'm relieved that Yuffie and the baby will be well taken care of should I be gone."

Rude looked at Vincent with his eyes wide with surprise behind his sunglasses. "What are you talkin' about guv?"

"You think I haven't seen the way you've looked at Yuffie, Rude? I've known since the wedding that you've fallen for her. I've always known."

"Are you daft man? What kind of blighter do you think I am? I don' do that!"

Vincent looked at his underclassman with serious eyes. "Rude. Tell me the truth. How do you honestly feel about Yuffie?"

When Vincent said those three sentences, and looked at him seriously, Rude knew that there was no denying it anymore—that gaze was enough to break any sort of lie he could come up with. He sighed and hung his head in shame, unable to face his god. "I'm mad abou' 'er guv. I feel like whenever I see you with 'er and she's happy, it makes me wish I was there makin' 'er happy. She made it so that all my one-night stands after that day she married you were unsatisfyin' unless I pictured 'er in their place. I'm sorry mate, but I didn' mean to feel this way abou' your wife, but that's 'ow I feel."

He sighed…oh, Vincent knew what it was like—he felt it with Lucrecia once, and so he couldn't fault the man for falling hard for another man's wife. He reached up to Rude's shoulder. "It's okay Rude, it's okay. I understand. I just want to make sure that Yuffie and my daughter are in good hands when I leave this world. Although if you're seeking Yuffie's hand in marriage, you will have competition in the form of Reno."

Rude's head shot up in shock. "Reno? As in my bloke Reno?"

"Apparently, you were not the only one looking at Yuffie with sincere love in his eyes after the wedding. Apparently, I caught him looking at her the same way you do when you aren't looking and thinks I'm not either. If either of you win her hand in marriage, then I'll give you both my blessings…although you may want to send Reno a message from me."

"What is it?"

"Any man who abuses Yuffie or my daughter in any way will be dragged to the Lifestream and beaten senseless by yours truly."

"Any message for me?"

"No need. I already trust you not to do any of the aforementioned things; Reno on the other hand…"

"You've got a bloody good point."

"Now then…to get started on that will while Tseng is on his way here…"

A/N: Oh my lord…which captain will be promoted to the seat? And which man will win Yuffie's hand? I'm still open for names just so you know…so please, don't be afraid. Do keep it up with the suggestions would you kindly?

Songs Played:

"Face On" by Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts—Operation: New Dawn

Vocabulary and Culture notes:

Hollow point—the bullet has a concaved tip so that when it goes into the target, the bullet practically explodes, and so this puts a bigger hole in the target while adding a good deal more stopping power than FMJ.

.50 BMG—this is a rather big bullet, and for good reason; it was originally designed to be used in the M2 Browning Machinegun that was famous for its use since World War I and II…nowadays, we still use the M2 Browning, but the ammo can also be used for a sniper rifle.

Oscar Mike—this is NATO alphabet for "On the Move".