A/N: Thank-you all so kindly for your reviews thus far…you've all been most helpful…and the authors I am thanking shall be thanked at the end of this chapter. All the same, do read and review, would you kindly?
Unknown Time and Place…
Yuffie awoke to find herself in a grassy green field…but the sky above her was plain white. As she stood up, she noted that she was on solid ground…it wasn't long until she noted that she was right in front of a field of flowers. For some reason, she had a feeling that someone familiar was nearby…someone VERY familiar…as she checked her surroundings; she made notice of two figures in the distance walking towards a dark forest…one she had known of in her childhood that was wearing the dark blue uniform and black pauldrons of the SOLDIER units, and with black hair. The other figure was too clear to ever forget due to the amount of pink she wore. Oh she knew who they were all right…but wait a minute, if they were here, wouldn't that mean…
It was then to her horror that the realization had hit her…she had died! But then again, if she had died, where was Vincent? What happened to their little girl? With that thought in mind, Yuffie found that now was a good time to go get some answers. As she was brought out of her thoughts, she had realized that Aeris and Zack had already gotten themselves mixed into the darkness of the forest. She growled at herself in anger for her own stupidity until she noted something gracefully towards her—something red and silken was moving around her as if it were inspecting her. It wasn't long until the silk sheet stopped circling Yuffie that it headed towards the forest. Against her better judgment, she followed the silk sheet even through the darkness of the forest until it disappeared, and she found herself looking at a clearing. As she got closer to the edge of the clearing, she looked on upon the shapes of the shadows being illuminated by the firelight, and she immediately recognized the forms of the shadows to be Vincent's tenants and Chaos, and they were surrounding a baby in a blanket that was sleeping peacefully. The scene in front of her seemed ominous, until she remembered! Her last dream! As she looked on upon the scene in front of her with eyes the size of saucers, she then realized that whatever was happening involved that baby before them…a baby that she recognized due to the red eyes she saw during the brief moment that it opened its eyes…the baby that belonged to her and Vincent! It was Anya!
"Yuffie?"
She recognized the voice immediately, despite how weak it sounded. She turned her head to see Aeris and Zack, looking at her with a sad look in their eyes. What got her attention however, was the fact that Vincent was being carried bridal-style by Zack, and that all that was left of him now was his torso and his arms. She did not say anything…she simply ran to Aeris and Zack, and embraced them both in a hug with Vincent in the middle of it all.
"Aeris…Zack…I missed you…" it was then that she broke the hug that she looked on at Vincent with concern in her eyes. "What's happening to Vincent?"
"What you see now Yuffie is what's left of Vincent's soul that belongs to him…that's what's still deteriorating. After a person dies, the spirits that they are bonded to are released from their bonds and become free-floating spirits, which is why we are seeing all of the forms Vincent had taken in the years prior…and from the looks of things, we have a late arrival."
As soon as Yuffie turned around, she noted that there was the red silken sheet flowing from behind her. The sheet spun around in circles until it revealed its true form—a form that she saw only in a few pictures in the clinic that Vincent grew up in…the form that the sheet took was a female that would most definitely be mistaken for Tifa were it not for the fact that this woman also wore a small pair of glasses with rectangular lenses in addition to the red silk kimono that the sheet had become.
"Mother."
The woman simply smiled as she walked closer to Vincent and caressed his cheek and then his chin. "Vincent…at last I am able to speak to you face-to-face. I had hoped that you would live longer so that you could be there for my granddaughter…I'm only sorry that I had not told you of our traditions among the tribes; if I had, you would have been there to hold little Anya for a longer period of time."
"Why didn't you tell him?"
"Amongst our people, there are those of us who are not as receptive to the spirits we are bonded to. When they are not receiving any transmissions from their spirit partner, they live like normal people until they are able to do so. Because Vincent was not receptive to any of Galian Beast's transmissions and messages until his ordeal at the hands of Hojo, he would have been able to live a normal life…and thus, I didn't think it was necessary to tell him at the time."
"And what are you doing here? Shouldn't only those four over there be the only ones who share a tenement in Vincent's mind?"
"The reason I am here also ties to Hojo…although Lucrecia is also to blame, good as her intentions were. When Lucrecia first implanted Chaos into Vincent, his body was already unstable as it was already been bonded with Galian Beast…however, after Hojo came and performed his accursed experiments onto my son, he stabilized him—but what he did also had a side-effect. This side-effect will carry on to little Anya in addition to the longevity that my son has received but will never be able to take full advantage of now; and that side-effect is that as Vincent would have lived longer, he would have gained more spirits to bond with and thus gained more transformations. This will start the second we complete this ritual."
This time, it was Vincent's turn to speak—the concern he had for his daughter, even in death, had made his voice all the more sincere. "What does this ritual do?"
"The reason that Anya died was because there was no spirit to bond with her…many of them had died out because of Shin-Ra's destruction of the planet and defilement of the homeland of many spirits that bond with humans: Wutai. Theoretically, if Shin-Ra had stopped its actions, there should be more spirits walking around as it is a sign of life returning to the planet. But the fact of the matter is, the number of un-bonded spirits living in the planet is not replenishing fast enough—as of now, all of them have already bonded to a particular human, or are dead. And so this ritual will not only fuse all four of your tenants and myself together to create a new spirit, but also to provide that spirit to bond with Anya…the requirements for a fusion to take place however, state that more than one spirit is required to participate, and that all the spirits involved have to have a common spiritual signature being generated."
"What does this mean?"
"When spirits fuse together Yuffie, any number of them can fuse together to form a new spirit as long as they all share a common spiritual signature—in this case, because all five of us have been living in Vincent, our spiritual signatures have all been automatically synchronized generate a signal similar to his in order to contain a piece of his soul each (which is the key to a spirit bonding to a human), meaning that when this ritual is finished, not only will your daughter be resurrected, but Vincent will literally be living on in her as the pieces of his soul that we each contain will make it much easier for the resulting spirit to bond with her. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a ritual to participate in. Vincent…" The man looked on at the woman as she called his name. "…it was good to see you again… I'm sorry I left you and your father in life, and that I am leaving you again. Can you forgive me?"
"There is nothing to forgive mother. I will love you in this life and the next."
With that, Li Xiao Long Nu smiled at her son, and then she hugged kissed him in the forehead "Goodbye, my son." She turned and walked towards the bonfire-lit clearing as the four spirits that inhabited Vincent's body turned to see their fifth member walking towards them. Galian Beast nodded at her in understanding before all five of them formed a ring around little Anya. They then began to chant in an ancient Wutainese dialect…the tone and speed of their words suggested that these were words used in meditations or in ancient spells. One by one, everyone focused their gaze upon the little girl, and called out a word:
Galian Beast shot out both of his hands in front of him, right hand behind the left hand, and shouted "Wood"
Chaos set his right hand alight and shot it out in front of him still burning and aflame and shouted "Fire"
Death Gigas slammed both of his hands into the ground and clapped them together did the same as the other two and shouted "Earth"
Hellmasker drove his chainsaw into the ground before his left hand was in front of him as he bellowed out "Metal"
Li Xiao Long Nu finally clapped her hands together and shot both arms out "Water!"
All five beings glowed in a blinding white light before a cataclysm exploded in front of the four witnesses. When the light cleared, the forest was still in one piece, and everyone watched as instead of five beings, there stood a pale woman dressed in an ancient style of white traveler's kimono with embroidered with a pattern of flowers all over. She also wore an indigo hakama, and was blindfolded with a cloth of the same color. Her hair long hair was tied up in a bun held up by chopsticks in an x-shaped pattern to accommodate the sando-gasa upon her head. She carried a nodachi with an inlaid black lacquer sheath over her shoulder with junction inside her left elbow, and baby Anya in the right hand sleeping in peace. Her left hand however, was free as the woman walked with care towards the four onlookers and turning her attention to both Yuffie and Vincent as if she could see them. As they looked upon her features with a much closer inspection, they realized that she was actually a very beautiful woman despite her pale skin due to the natural grace of her curves.
"I am Izanami—the goddess of death. Vincent Valentine and Yuffie Kisaragi, the ritual is complete, and I have bonded with your daughter. It is up to her biology if she will be naturally receptive to me…but other than that, she lives again. I shall take my leave now." With that, Izanami bowed before them, and vanished in a baby blue light with Anya still in her hands. As the two of them watched, their reactions were that of parents relieved that their child was going to live—the tears of joy were very clear on their faces. Vincent however, noted something amiss about Yuffie…she was glowing brighter and brighter, and was turning into a bright yellow sand that blew away into the wind without noticing.
"Yuffie…something is happening with you!"
Upon hearing this, Yuffie looked upon her hands, and noticed what Vincent had seen. She turned to look at Aeris. "It seems that as the avatar of Phoenix, while you can resurrect as many times as you want as long as you have been killed, you can only resurrect from death by any natural cause save aging only once. I think the gods foresaw this, and decided to grant a mother a bit of mercy while keeping things balanced. I'm only sorry that you will be going to leave for life alone."
"What do you mean?"
"Vincent cannot leave. He has too little of his soul left. I'm sorry Yuffie…but it has to be this way…even I cannot change it."
Yuffie looked hurt…but she understood why. If there was too little of his soul left, then there was no point in resurrecting him as well. She may as well have left him here. With sad eyes, she simply walked towards Vincent, and gave him one last kiss while hugging him for the last time. "I'll make sure Anya grows up to be a good girl."
"And don't forget your promise to me Yuffie."
Aeris had a look on her face that indicated she had just remembered something. "And don't forget to tell Cloud that Zack and I said 'hi' and that we're doing fine here!"
Before her body had disappeared completely, Vincent heard one last line from her. "I won't."
Aeris Gainsborough General Hospital Morgue, Kalm…
Present time…shortly after Vincent's death…
Tifa and Cloud looked at the bodies of their friends and their daughter. When Dr. Edwards made the call, they were devastated…and they had to call all of AVALANCHE together, as well as Godo to see them. Their bodies were pale with death, but Vincent was even more so due to his complexion. Tifa sobbed into Cloud's muscular frame while the latter did what he could to avoid breaking up into tears so that he could comfort his wife despite the fact that he was so close to crying as well. Cid and Barret looked on at the family members that had been taken from them while comforting their wives. Nanaki had left the room earlier with Reeve. Godo however, was hit the hardest by the news of his daughter—his face was blank but it was clear in his eyes that he was a broken man. The people in the room were too entwined in their sadness that they did not notice two glows flashing for a moment from both Yuffie and little Anya's bodies.
When Yuffie awoke, she noted that she was naked and cold, and she heard the sounds of sobbing nearby. She then looked to her left and saw two things: closer towards her, she saw the small chest of Anya's body rise and fall in a peaceful slumber—this sight before her made her cry small tears of joy that were tainted with tears of sadness when she realized what had happened. The body she saw further away from her only reminded her of what she lost, as it was the body of Vincent grayed from death. She then put her hands to her eyes, and let out a cry of anguish before weeping away—drawing the attention of all the people in the room with her.
"Doctor!"
One week later…the top of Mt. Da Chao
This was a moment to remember—as this was the day that they all wished would never have to come. Shortly after their night in Gongaga with the "Wise Titan" as witness to their act of love and as requested among other things in his will, Vincent requested that he be cremated and his remains scattered to the winds atop Mt. Da Chao. Yuffie held the urn in both hands with Rude and Reno standing side-by-side with her…the tears from knowing what she was going to do were flowing. In the week that had passed, Yuffie and little Anya had both regained their strength, the former getting her strength back for this moment. As Anya was being held by Rude and Reno, both men looked at the woman they truly loved—upon remembering that their competition for Yuffie's heart would have to be put on hold for the next few months, both looked at the little girl with love in their eyes…the same sort of love that a father would reserve for a daughter.
Yuffie stepped towards the edge of the face, and opened the lid of the urn before pouring the ashes into the wind. As she cried, she knew that it was official…she had just said goodbye to the man she loved. She then walked on back to the limousine with Rude and Reno in tow—the reason the two of them were there was because they had resigned from the Turks, and had agreed to form a sort of secret service for the imperial family. The underlying reason however, was so that both of them would be closer to Yuffie—and this limousine ride was their opportunity to comfort her on the way home. It was selfish for both of them, but at the same time, they truly cared, and they didn't want to leave her alone in such a vulnerable moment.
It wouldn't be long until the limousine had arrived at palace. The two of them followed Yuffie in and saw that as the will was read, they noted that she was crying even more upon hearing what Vincent was giving up: To all the children, his money in all his bank accounts would be divided among them equally in separate accounts to help pay for college tuition. Rufus would get the Death Penalty so that he could reverse-engineer it when he has the time. Reeve had been given a signed and written document that all members of the Wutainese Military Police Department would be working very closely with the WRO and the Turks to the point that some troops could be transferred over to either of those organizations…and under the command of Niite Nobunaga with Kisaragi Sakura and Matsuyama Hiroaki as his right and left-hand advisors respectively due to their trains of thought. Tifa would receive his mother's cookbook, while Cloud got her sword. Cid was given a tobacco pipe that belonged to Grimoire Valentine with some high-quality leaves for smoking—a gift he was all-too-eager to hide from Shera who received a pile of books on medicine that have been translated from Wutainese to Basic that came from the same clinic. Barrett got the blueprints to all of Vincent's personal gun designs that he had filed away while drawing up the ones for the Zeus rifle (whether he has to share them with Rufus or not was up to his discretion). Elmyra received a black pine bonsai tree that was cared for by his mother's apprentice Dr. Hazama. Yuffie however, would get Cerberus and his house on the outskirts near the capital to do with as she pleases…both that he intended to give for her to remember him by.
As soon as she stepped out of the palace with Anya in her arms and Reno and Rude at her side, Yuffie noted something clipped to the gates. It appeared to be a DVD case written for her. Her two bodyguards looked to the sides with their 9mm semiautomatic pistols quickly drawn searching for anyone who could be watching the area…when satisfied that nobody was around, Rude silently asked Yuffie for the case, walked at least thirty feet away, and opened it. As soon as it was clear that nothing was happening, Rude had come back with the opened case, with a puzzled look on his face…as written at the bottom of the DVD was the line "Please watch this". With that thought on mind, the four of them walked into the palace after setting Anya in her crib, and placed the DVD in the player as the three of them watched the HDTV screen show something…only to see someone with long and disheveled black hair and grayed-out skin playing on the piano—Yuffie had listened to Vincent play piano enough times to know when someone was playing seriously, and knew that this pianist was only warming up due to the fact that this recording had started while this person was in the middle of the song. Although the song that this particular person played used a song only she and Vincent knew—because it was the song that Vincent had continuously played to sharpen his skills that nobody else seemed to know. It was also played in the same manner as Vincent had on that night—as if the song being played now was to…FUCK! How the hell could she have been so blind? She slapped her own head with the revelation of her own foolishness. But tears from her eyes had would have already come by now, but instead they were open with a bit of fear and shock upon knowing who it was that was playing on the piano.
Rude looked to Yuffie with concern in his eyes. Why was she crying? "Yuffie, are you alright love?"
"I'm fine Rude…it's just that that pianist is Vinnie."
Reno and his friend had looked to Yuffie as though she was crazy, but then they noticed that the song had stopped, and the pianist had turned to face the TV screen. They studied the face of the pianist with a look of shock and fear in their eyes—his skin was indeed grayed out, and his once-clear red eyes were made white from death, but it was undeniable. This was Vincent Valentine. What was more unbelievable was that according to the date shown on the screen as well as the background, the DVD was a recording from a week ago—the same night Yuffie and Anya had come back from the grave and it took place in the piano room of the hospital.
"Yuffie, if you are watching this, chances are my body has already been cremated and the ashes scattered to the winds like I asked. I don't have much time, so I'll get straight to the point—yes, for now, I'm a zombie, but only because the Ancients decided to give me a small moment longer. I would have been there longer for you and Anya, but you were under the effects of sedatives and our little princess was sleeping peacefully, and to wait for you to say goodbye properly to the two of you would not do…I've only ten or fifteen minutes left as it is before death comes to reclaim me, so I decided to record one more song…for you and Anya. This will also be the first time I've ever done a duet, so please forgive me if I do this behind your back, but I wanted to say goodbye properly, even if I had to record myself doing so. Before I play, I have a few words to the both of you:
As Yuffie was listening, she had a recollection—in her sedated state, she remembered feeling something comforting and she remembered cold lips that brought back her memories with Vincent…he was there to see them one last time before he went to record this for her and Anya to watch. "To you Yuffie, I thank you…for being there for me…and for giving me so much love and happiness in my life. You are the one person I've been waiting for in all my years of living…and you are the only person I've ever needed. I shall do whatever it takes to see to it that we are reincarnated in the same life again…if only to have the light you brought to me in this life in the next I shall be seeing you in."
"To you Anya, I am sorry for not being there for you. I am sorry that I am going to be missing your first of everything. Your first steps…your first words…even your first moment of being fed your first solid foods by me and your mother. For anything I will be about to miss, I will apologize, but know this: I will forever love you even from beyond the grave.
"And without further ado, I shall bring about my final performance to you…and for this lovely moment, I shall bring Miss Hilda Williams to this stage—and we shall be playing a song for the two of you as a duet."
A voice from behind the camera spoke out. "Vincent, I don't know if I can do this…I don't think I can sing in front of important people…"
Vincent looked to the voice behind the camera as she walked towards him. "Hilda…I know you're scared. But there is a trick I have been taught—perhaps it will work for you…think of the people you usually sing to—think of your usual audience when you close your eyes. Think of that, and you should have no fear even if you sing to the king of the world. That is the very first thing you should be able to do when you intend to go out on the path you are going down. Think of your usual audience, and breathe very slowly—close your eyes for this if you need to. In any case, remain calm, and you'll be fine."
With that, Hilda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Are you ready?"
The teenage girl nodded her head, and Vincent started playing…this was not like the song he used to warm up—he was now playing seriously. He was playing from his heart for Yuffie and Anya. It would not be long until Hilda opened her mouth to sing…the fear that was in her voice before had been replaced with sheer confidence.
Hajimete no takaramono yo konna ni suki ni natte
Tsuyokute yowai kokoro toki ni wa sabishigaru kedo
Kimi ga warau to sore dake de mou ureshikute
Subete ga mukuwareru 'n da
Utsumuiteta hi wa koko kara miteta no wa
Demo ima wa sora wo miageteru
Tohou ni kureru senaka ni kotoba wo kaketai kedo
Doshaburi ni nureta kata wo sugu ni mo dakitai keredo
Itsumo itsudemo motometeite kurenakute ii
Donna hi mo kimi wo shitteru
Kokoro no kagi wo akeru no wa tsuyoi chikara janaku
Massugu ni omou kimochi
Kimi ga warau to sore dake de mou ureshikute
Subete ga mukuwareru 'n da
Utsumuiteta hi wa koko kara miteta no wa
Demo ima wa sora wo miageteru
Kyou mo ganbarou makenai tsuyosa wo motou
Ai suru hito no tame ni mo
The second that Vincent stopped playing, the song had started fading off at the end before he turned to face the camera. It was clear that he was beginning to run out of time as he was beginning to swagger and was using the last of his strength to stand up. He was smiling…the contentment as if he had completed a mission was clear, and the tears of sadness from knowing that death had started to regain its grip on its claim. The wish that he could stay alive longer was very sincere in his dead eyes. "Yuffie, Anya, I will always love the two of you…Reno and Rude, if you are watching this as well, remember my warning—especially you Reno, and with that in mind, I wish the two of you happiness in the future. And to everyone watching this video, I don't have much else to say except…goodbye."
Vincent fell to the ground as the sleep of death had reclaimed him…and Hilda moved quickly shut off the camera as he did.
Yuffie cried loudly…it was a beautiful song. She also wished to have that kiss they shared to last longer, and she also wished that she was awake to have felt it…even if it were cold because he was dead. The sincerity behind it all was enough to make her cry, as tears of joy and sadness had filled her eyes. Reno and Rude could only think of how shocking it was and the impossibility of it all…but understood that there were things even science could not explain. They knew it was genuine because there was no known way to fake the eyes of the dead…and with that knowledge they also silently cried—they had just lost a very good friend and the best upperclassman they've ever run into. Nobody could replace him as of this very moment…
Sixteen years later…
Yuffie knelt down in front of the picture of Vincent with a stick of incense in her hand. She bowed with the stick alight, before placing it in the stand next to the offerings of an orange, a bun, and a shot of sakè inside the small shrine. The memories of all the good times she had shared with him came flooding back.
"Mom!" a voice called out from outside the door, and in walked a teenage girl with smooth and silky raven-colored locks and crimson-colored eyes. She was the female version of Vincent with a good amount of her personality mixed in. "Are you ready? Uncle Cloud and Auntie Tifa are waiting in the car downstairs."
"Just paying respects to your father sweetie. I'll be down there in a minute"
Anya had grown significantly well over the years…a master of the guitar and piano…captain of the gymnastics team…fluent in three languages…head of the student council…and a generally good student and human being…if only you were not on the receiving end of her pranks for doing something to hurt her friends for no good reason. And because of the good looks she inherited from Vincent and Yuffie, she had heads turning in her direction from both boys and girls in school, and after two years in Wutai Capital High School, she had qualified for and earned an airship ticket to go to Kalm for overseas education—Yuffie saw to it that Reno and Rude would not leave her alone, but they would have done it anyway; even if she was directly related to Vincent, she was the same as a daughter to them, and so they wouldn't let anything bad happen to Anya if they could help it.
"Don't worry mom, I'm sure daddy is smiling at you from the Lifestream."
"I know Anya…it's just, I miss him."
"I'm sure you'll see him again. One day. And when my time comes, we can be a real family…providing that Uncle Rude and Uncle Reno get to come on in."
"I'm sure he'll be welcoming them…but in the meantime, he has to catch up with your brother. And once he's done being a father to him, we can all be one big happy family. Now, let's get downstairs and see your uncles and aunts…we wouldn't want to miss the wedding of Marlene and Denzel now would we?"
A/N: This, ladies and gentlemen (well mostly ladies anyway) is the end of the story…if anyone is willing to make a sequel, you are most welcome to do so, all I ask is that you send me a link of your story so that I can see your take on what will happen afterwards.
Readers to thank:
Serenbach
XlittleninjaX24
AzureSora
CupofTeaforAliceandHatter
PrincessofBadLuck
Orangetamaki
Stella
Ski October (wherever you are)
Weskette
Kittykatkawai
Kissychan1101
FFrocksURsocks
Sirithgliniel
Eliza Moonchild
Fethrhd
Knock-Out92
Songs Played:
"Descendant of Shinobi" by Nobuo Uematsu from "Final Fantasy VII Piano Collections"—Vincent warming up
"Serenade" by Ritsuko Okazaki from "Fruits Basket"—Vincent's last song
"Teardrop" by Massive Attack from "House MD"—Vincent's ashes scattered and his will has been read
Vocabulary and Culture notes:
Sando-gasa—this is a very popular type of sedge shade worn in ancient Japan…keeps the wearer dry and shaded at the same time.
Nodachi—this is a very long samurai sword…a good deal longer than your standard katana; few are made due to the fact that the naginata does the same job, costs less, and is easier to make.
The Elements—in Taoism, there are five elements: earth, fire, water, wood, and metal, and they form a sort of elemental chart. This spell that is being used for the ritual uses the aforementioned elements in the order of what creates what.
Izanami—the wife of Izanagi; she is essentially the Shinto goddess of death.