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Empress & Concubine	By : tinkerheck Category: Final Fantasy VII > General Views: 1952 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII from the Final Fantasy Universe, or any of its forms or related media. I do not own these characters. I spent money to learn about this series, and I make no money in borrowing it.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
++++++++ Please see disclaimer & story notes in chapter one ++++++++
++++++++ chapter notes ++++++++
It is with this chapter I begin a departure from canon from which I can no longer look back...
I fly beta-less. Please forgive the typos.
As always, thanks for reading!

+

Empress & Concubine

Chapter Three

This Crown Thing Sorta Pinches

+
It was now mid-August and the whole of Wutai was in good spirits. Yuffie’s coronation was set for the first Saturday in September, and nearly the entire nation was already in party mode, the movement remaining mercifully quiet. Yuffie and her little staff – which consisted of Chekov, taking a break from her council duties, and Yuri, who was apprenticing to join the council – had time to plan for the big day with little interference.
Formal, handmade invitations had gone out two weeks after she’d returned from the Avalanche reunion at Seventh Heaven. They’d heard back from everyone, including Vincent, who in his reply said he would meet up with Nanaki in Cosmo Canyon and they’d come to Wutai together. There was no mention of a ‘box of hair’; not that Yuffie was expecting a retort.
Even Rufus Shinra was, in his own words, ‘pleased to attend’. Godo didn’t even bother trying to contain his contempt with that one.
“Daddy, please be nice. He is trying to make amends. Besides, Reno works for him and I–”
She gasped as caught herself just in time before she said something she knew Godo would regret.
Reno’s invitation had been returned faster than anyone else’s, prompting Yuffie to imagine that he may have commandeered a Shinra helicopter to drop the fancy envelope from the sky on top of the palace.
Reno had checked the ‘will attend’ box. Below that he crossed dark lines through the ‘with guest’ choice, and amended the selection by scrawling ‘totally coming dateless just for you babe’ in its place. Then he wrote something vulgar about what sort of outfit she should consider wearing for the ascension, as in ‘none at all’.
Unfortunately, Yuffie had been at a fitting the day that Reno’s invitation came back, and Chekov had been going through the royal mail. It promptly wound up in the Emperor’s clenched fist.
It was now weeks later, and the subject of that Turk was still grating on the Emperor’s nerves. When Yuffie winced and turned to face her father, she found he was glaring at her with his arms crossed tight against his barrel chest. Failing health or not, the man was still bat-shit scary.
Giving him an apologetic smile, Yuffie shrugged helplessly. Godo waved an impatient hand at his defiant daughter while making a disgusted sound in the back of his throat, and stomped into the gardens.
+
Two weeks before the coronation ceremony, Tifa Lockhart showed up on the palace doorstep, with Cloud in tow. Her pregnancy was just beginning to show, and she smiled at Yuffie with a gleam in her eye and a suitcase in her hand.
“Cloud insisted on bringing me himself. He isn’t staying long, but I am. Need any help?” She smiled.
“Oh gawd, yes! Thank you!” Yuffie screeched.
Yuffie loved Chekov like a substitute grandmother, and Yuri was always near, so she had him to talk to as well. But a girlfriend? Not really. She was very nervous about the ceremony and Tifa’s timing could not have been better.
Godo had taken Cloud aside to talk news of Gaia or the WRO, but when he found out that Tifa was pregnant, their talk became a lecture about the responsibilities of becoming a father.
“Two hours, minimum,” Yuffie quipped under her breath to Tifa, as Godo dragged Cloud onto the veranda for some lunch. “Cloud’s gonna hear all sorts of shit about umbilical cords and whooping cough and breast feeding and earning a good wage. Watch, his eyes will be popping out of his head when they come back.”
“I’ll get him back, won’t I?” Tifa asked nervously.
Tifa and Yuffie escaped for some privacy. The two women ran a detour to the kitchens, grabbing cookies, potato chips, rice, cold asparagus, and orange juice, prompting Yuffie to say, “That kid’s gonna come out with orange peel for skin, Lockhart.”
Then they locked themselves in Yuffie’s chambers for a little girl talk. They got on her big royal bed, Tifa sitting up at first until she was comfortable enough to lie down on her back. Yuffie plopped down next to her on her stomach crunching on the chips.
“Can’tcha lay on your tummy anymore?”
“Oh? Yeah. I can. For a little while. It’s just my back hurts right now. I’ll flip over in a sec.”
“Are you still practicing your arts?”
“Well, I’m trying,” she muttered. “I get tired quicker. Cloud’s already on me to stop. What about you?”
“Do not tell a soul, but…” Tifa’s head popped up. Yuffie’s voice sounded strange, almost apologetic.
“What?”
“It shames me to say that I am no longer the Great Ninja Yuffie. Just a plain ninja. And not a very good one, either.”
“Shocking.”
“Bitch.” They giggled. “I was in the dojo with Shake the other day. All he did was defeat, defeat, defeat. It was embarrassing!”
Tifa smiled sympathetically. “We’re either going to have to adjust… or make the time to be bad-asses, Yuffie. That’s all there is to it.”
Yuffie nodded. She hated not being the greatest ninja ever. But, a little part of her was actually looking forward to being an Empress, too.
Tifa flipped over slowly, until they were laying side-by-side on their stomachs.
“So… Did Cloud throw my hair at Vincent?”
Tifa shook her head ‘no’ and winced. “Don’t be mad.”
“Aw! You chickened out? Gawd!”
“I’m sorry. I decided to do something else with it. You may not be sentimental, but I am.” Tifa took another sip of her orange juice. “Look, I need to ask you something.”
“Ask away,” Yuffie quipped.
“Okay, well… last week Cloud got an email from Shinra HQ. It was from that Turk, Reno.” Tifa glanced at Yuffie, who suddenly started smirking. “He said Reno was asking for your cell phone number, which Cloud refused to give him. And just now, before we left, I heard your father muttering something to Cloud about him. He sounded pissed. What the heck is going?”
“Eh. Well… Daddy found out that Reno and me…” she paused and shook her head, remembering that night. “Okay, here it is. A few days after you chopped my hair off, we kind of hooked up at a fancy bar in that new rich resort outside of Gold Saucer.”
Tifa looked appalled. Yuffie rolled away slightly to avoid eye contact as she turned six shades of red. “Yuffie! Reno?” Tifa screamed behind a hand, laughing. “Oh gods!”
Yuffie started snickering, then that turned into a full-fledged giggle. Tifa was right behind her.
“You little slut!”
“I know, right?”
Tifa wiped away a tear. “Well… was it any good?”
Yuffie blushed harder. “The best I’ve ever had.”
Thinking better of it, Tifa had to stop herself from saying that’s only because you and Vincent haven’t gotten together yet.
“Really? That good?”
“It was mind-blowing.”
“Wow. Good for you, Yuffie. I’m glad. You deserve to have your mind blown now and again.” She grabbed a cookie and took a small bite. “So… are you involved with Reno now?”
“Nah. It was just that one time.”
“Sounds like it was a helluva time, though.”
“Well, he is planning to come to my coronation, and if he does, I am hitting that again.”
“What if you get caught?” Tifa asked, biting her lip.
Yuffie closed her eyes and hummed happily. “Mmmmm, don’t care.” Then she thought about Godo. She didn’t really want to cause the old man that much grief. “No, not true, I do care. But, I will not get caught because while I am no longer a great ninja, I can still sneak around well enough to play doctor with a boy.”
Tifa smiled at her. “Okay then, so you might be falling for him?”
“With Reno? I don’t know… It was nice. I mean we were affectionate and all, but…” she grimaced slightly. “Probably not. It wasn’t like that. Eh…Definitely not.” She nodded. “Okay, never.”
“You still want that to be Vincent?”
Yuffie looked at Tifa, who offered no apologies. “Vinnie had his shot, Tifa. He missed.”
“Vincent doesn’t miss. Ever. He just chose not to shoot.”
“Yeah, but… From my boots, it’s the same thing.”
“What if he decides to shoot later?”
Yuffie tilted her head, saying, “That’s tricky. I may be married by then.”
“You’d marry Reno?” the older woman asked, incredulous.
“No! I can’t marry Reno. The dude has to be Wutai, or at least look like it. Reno couldn’t pass for Wutai with the lights off, trust me.” She snickered. “Besides. I am not in love with him.”
“Then… who?”
“Whatever guy I can find that fits the profile and won’t drive me crazy and… keeps my interest peaked… The point is, to find him before the council finds someone for me.”
Tifa curled her lip.
“I know. It’s totally gross. But that there’s the life of a Wutai royal.”
“Your mother and father…?”
“Fairytale romance. Council never had a say in that. Daddy met and fell in love with mama, and vice versa, shortly after she was crowned. They married, he took the Kisaragi surname as royal tradition dictates, and that was that.”
Tifa picked at the quilt they were laying on, slyly adding, “Vincent could pass for Wutai.”
“Would you get off that chocobo already? Vincent. Is. Not. Interested.”
“Well, I disagree. He just needs to gather his nerve.”
“You think? Well, he better gather his nerve really fast, ‘cause I only have so much time left.”
“Like how much time?”
She put a finger to her lip. “Okay, well… don’t freak, but… I’m gonna be twenty-three this November. If I don’t find a husband myself by the time I’m twenty-five, they’ll find one for me. A quarter of a century has pretty much been their limit. Traditionally.”
“That’s just over two years. Have some patience. He’ll come around.”
“Tifa, we are talking about Vinnie. Three decades napping in a coffin Vinnie? It took him over a year to pick out a new pair of boots after I finally onvinced him the shiny pointy ones were a tad overkill since Deepground ended.”
“Still.”
“It’s all hypothetical anyhow. All I can think about right now is the coronation. I’m… a little petrified, you know?”
“Hey,” Tifa said quietly, rubbing her hand on Yuffie’s back. “You’ve got me here for as long as I can handle it.”
“Thanks, Teef. I can’t believe you did this. Especially not now!”
“Well, you know how you said you didn’t want to be treated any differently just because you’re gonna be Empress?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, don’t treat me any different just because I’m gonna have a baby, okay? All the guys are doing that already, and it’s making me nuts. Cid dropped by the other day and he actually pulled my chair out for me when we sat down to lunch.”
Yuffie curled her lip.
“I know. It was creepy.”
Yuffie paused to look her in the eyes.
“Thanks, Tifa. You’re my best friend.”
“Sweetie… I thought that was Vincent.”
Yuffie bit the inside of her lip and looked down. “Vincent is…” she sighed. “Oh, hell. I don’t know what to think about Vincent Valentine anymore. Whatever future I thought we may have had never existed, and whatever we had before, well… I may have totally fucked that up.”
Tifa winced. Yuffie was clearly still distressed over Vincent. It was obvious that she wanted to patch things up with him, but she was still pretty angry too. Either way, there was no time for her to deal with that now.
Trying not to dwell, Yuffie beamed at her. “But you are my best girlfriend, Teef. And no one can compete with that!”
+
Yuffie stood in front of the Altar of Leviathan in the middle of the largest public courtyard in Wutai, trembling. Get your shit together, girl. You’re doing this for Wutai, she thought, and looked over at her father briefly.
Godo had seen for himself just exactly how nervous Yuffie was before the ceremony began. The large breakfast had been a big mistake. Both Chekov and Tifa had tried to warn her, but no, she just had to have that last sausage link.
She’d vomited it all up right before the ceremony, and it was worse than any motion sickness episode by far. Godo tried to put the image out of his head – Chekov yanking off Yuffie’s ceremonial kimono at the last possible second, while she hurled into the bucket that Tifa had decided to carry around – “just in case”. He considered Cloud a very lucky man to have such a smart woman in his life, but if the fool didn’t marry her soon, he’d have to have a another talk with him.
Then he though of his own little girl, and how selflessly she had given up her wandering ways for him. He could see the fear in her eyes, so he gave her a sympathetic smile and winked for good measure.
And Daddy, Yuffie thought, giving him a quick nervous smile in response. I’m doing it for Daddy.
She wore a pure silk dark gold kimono that was decorated with various images of Leviathan in iridescent greens and blues – Kisaragi Yuffie’s coronation kimono, custom made just for her. She would have considered such a thing romantic, but by tomorrow it would be locked behind glass in the Wutai Royal Artifacts museum. The traditional tabi were far too thick and hot for her tastes, and the geta were just too hard, but she persevered. And despite the fact that her super short boy-hair looked out of place with her outfit, she was truly beautiful, like an elf wrapped in gilded paper. Down below in the assembly, Vincent tried not to look like he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Reno didn’t bother with formalities and blatantly ogled her.
To Yuffie’s right was the High Priest of the Clergy of Leviathan, a very nice and patient man, who had long suffered her practical jokes with an understanding that only comes from age and experience. Godo sat off to the side in the altar’s throne, the subtle crown of the Emperor on his head. Standing next to him at the ready was her childhood friend Yuri, holding a silk pillow. Nestled on top was what would soon be Yuffie’s crown as Empress.
The assembly present was larger than anyone had expected. A good portion of the Wutai population was there, packed into the courtyard. Children had scaled the stonewalls in the back to get a better view. Guests of the Kisaragi Family, the clergy, the military, the council and the ninjas were present. All were silent in joining the High Priest as he completed the prayers to Leviathan. Then he and Yuffie turned to face each other in front of the ancient stone statue, and he began Yuffie’s coronation ceremony.
“This we do before all Wutai. Will you, Princess Kisaragi Yuffie of the Kisaragi bloodline, solemnly promise and swear to govern the Peoples of the Empire of Wutai, according to our respective laws and customs?”
“I solemnly promise so to do.”
“Shit, she sounds terrified,” whispered Cid, and Shera shushed him.
The High Priest smiled down at her softly, hoping to instill some courage. He hadn’t conducted a coronation ceremony since Godo had married Yuffie’s mother and was crowned Emperor. “Will you to your power, cause Law and Justice to be executed, impartially and mercifully, in all your judgements?”
“I will,” she fairly squeaked.
The High Priest had seen this girl scale the face of the palace at eight years old, and laugh while cutting down monsters unaided as a teenager – both incidents that had frightened him. Yet here they were, a simple little crowning ceremony, and she was shaking like a leaf.
He whispered, “You’re doing just fine, Yuffie,” and she nodded just enough for him to see. He continued, “Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the Empire of Wutai the Laws of Leviathan and the true profession of His words? Will you maintain and preserve without fail the settlement of the Altar of Leviathan, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in Wutai? And will you preserve unto the Clergy of Leviathan, and to the Altars committed to His charge, all such rights and privileges as held by the laws that appertain to them?”
“All this I promise to do,” she said, and her voice was a bit stronger.
Yuffie turned back to the Altar, and was handed the ceremonial tantō of the Kisaragi bloodline from the priest. She stood at the base of the water snake and turned to face the assembly. Raising the tantō high above her head, she said aloud to the people gathered, “The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep as the next Empress in the Kisaragi bloodline. So help me Leviathan.”
She turned back, and held her left hand above the coiled scales of the snake, still just a carved stone statue but looking all too real to her in that moment. She pierced her palm with the tantō, never flinching. Yuffie squeezed the wound and blood dripped from her fist onto the altar, and she said a silent prayer to herself.
Gazing at her blood as it trailed down the curve of the serpent’s body, tiny rivulets of red between the scales, Yuffie knew there was no going back now.
The High Priest moved in quickly, taking the tantō and handing it to another priest for ritual cleaning and storing. He cleansed Yuffie’s palm using purified water from the altar’s fountain, all the while sensing her nervousness and smiling at her gently. Then he bound her wound in clean, white silk.
The High Priest bowed and declared to her, “Kisaragi Yuffie of the Kisaragi bloodline, you will be Empress and Ruler of all Wutai. May your days be long and your rule be just.” She offered him her hand, and he kissed it, as the rest of the clergy fell to a knee. She spoke quietly to the High Priest, then gestured for the clergy to rise.
Yuffie turned and smiled with tears in her eyes, the first of many that day, looking out at the crowd for a moment as they began to cheer.
“Step one,” breathed Tifa, “only two more to go, Yufs.”
“Ya mean we ain’t done yet? Dammit, I’m hungry!” said Barrett. Marlene stomped on his foot.
“What’s next, sweetie?” asked Cloud in Tifa’s ear.
“Godo relinquishes the throne, and places the Empress’ crown on her head,” TIfa whispered, nodding her head towards the Emperor.
Yuffie walked to her father. For the next several minutes, father looked at daughter and vice versa, and it was like no one else existed. Godo rose from the throne, and took one of Yuffie’s hands to assist her into it, effectively replacing him as leader. Yuri moved forward so that Godo could remove her crown from the pillow, then Yuri left the altar to take his place among the council.
Godo never took his eyes off of his daughter. He smiled warmly as he placed the delicate crown on her head, and he had to admit that it looked stunning with her short hair. She looked like a grown woman for the first time in her life.
“That was step two,” whispered Tifa, holding Cloud’s hand. The crowd got a little louder.
Then Yuffie looked up at Godo with tears shining in her eyes, and she was his little girl all over again. Not quite ready to let her go, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, near the back of the assembly, a large group of people dressed in causal clothing stood up from where they had been sitting on the ground, and began to recite a chant of old, low and steady, and very somber – sounding very similar to a Mantra or a Vedic Hymn. Despite the noise level of the crowd it was easily heard throughout the assembly. Back up front in the section where the guests from Avalanche, the WRO and Shinra were seated, all heads except Tifa Lockheart’s and Vincent Valentine’s turned as one to the source of sound, perplexed as to what it was.
“Wow… They were quick. Step three,” said Tifa quietly, getting misty herself. She gave Yuffie a thumb’s up, and Yuffie smiled back at her, biting her lip shyly. “And you are in. Way to go, girlfriend.”
Reno glanced at Vincent, who was still focused on Yuffie.
“What are they doing – praying? Do you understand that stuff?”
“It’s a chant in an ancient dialect of Wutai. I cannot speak or write it, but I know of this particular verse. The Legs and Arms of Wutai are showing their acceptance, and indeed their approval, of Kisaragi Yuffie as Empress. In fact, she cannot be fully seated on the throne unless they agree to it. It’s a great honor.”
“Uh…” cloud began, speaking for all of them. “Legs and Arms?”
Tifa giggled. Having spent so much time with Yuffie and her staff the last couple weeks, she had learned a great deal about Wutai and its traditions.
“It’s another name for the farmers and ranchers. Remember, Wutai is still mostly pastoral with an agricultural-based economy, despite Godo’s efforts to industrialize.”
“Well, If they’re that important, then that’ll be good for Yuffie, right?” Reno asked. “I mean she’s always on about restoring Wutai, but when she talks about a strong empire she means within traditions, not technology.”
Vincent tried to ignore what he had said, but it was proof that Reno actually understood Yuffie’s feelings more than just a little bit.
“Yep,” Tifa agreed. “And from what I’ve seen since I’ve been here, the Arms and Legs love her for it. If these folks had rejected her as their leader, it’d be all over for the Kisaragi line. Their chanting says otherwise.”
“Yes it does, and how wonderful for her!” Reeve cut in with his own opinion, and no one was surprised that he knew about the Arms and Legs either. It was Reeve, after all, a Geek God if there ever was one. “I imagine that Yuffie has been holding her breath waiting for just this moment. Their approval matters more than the priests or the council combined.”
“I’m so happy for her! But… did I have that switched ‘round wrong, Vince? I can’t remember.”
“Indeed, Tifa, although it impresses me that you know of it. It’s the ranchers that are referred to as ‘the legs that we stand upon’, and the farmers that are called ‘the arms that support us’. While those are the traditional terms, these days they are just called Wutai’s Arms and Legs – or Legs and Arms… It really depends upon which group you happen to be talking to. There is more than a little friendly competition between them.”
Tifa laughed in agreement, and Cloud looked at her anew. She caught him gazing, and simply smiled back.
“Their chanting will go on for some time yet while she works her way through the assembly. Just wait until you see what happens when she finally greets them,” Reeve said, laughing. “I’m glad they let me have my camera for this. I want to make sure we have a permanent record of it.”
“Blackmail material, Reeve? Really?” Tifa asked, teasing. Vincent openly smiled at their inside joke.
Tearing his eyes away from the mesmerizing chant, Reno looked back at Vincent, a bit perplexed. “How do you know so much about Wutai tradition, Valentine?”
Vincent smirked his tiny smirk, but refused eye contact. In fact, he hadn’t taken his eyes off of Yuffie the entire time. “Simple. For every bar you ‘hop’, I read a book.”
Reno smiled, shaking his head, and gave his attention back to Yuffie.
With the endorsement of the Arms and Legs, she was officially Empress now. It was time for her to greet her adoring crowd.
While her guests had been given an impromptu history lesson, Yuffie had extended a shaking hand to her father, and he took it fast, noting she was still trembling. He was sure it was not out of fear, she wasn’t wearing that face anymore, but rather she was a bit overwhelmed. He steadied her by first palming her hand, then kissing it formally. When Godo dropped to his knee and bowed to her, she lost a bit of her composure and some of tears she had been holding in slipped down her cheeks.
Godo got to his feet and grabbed her hands, getting her to stand with him. The crowd rose with her, continuing to express their happiness. Godo took his little girl in his arms, and kissed her forehead while hugging her tight. She sobbed just once, then whispered in his ear, “I wish Mama was here”, to which he replied, “She is, you silly thing.”
Yuffie laughed then, and leaned back in his arms. Father and daughter shared a few private words before they began the walk down the ancient stone steps and into the assembly, crowd still cheering.
They passed the council first, noting that only Chekov and Yuri had their hearts in their curtsy and bow. Yuffie and Godo looked warily at most of them. Godo smiled warmly at Chekov when she hugged the Empress, and Yuri blushed when Yuffie hugged him.
The military was next. Gorkii looked at her dispassionately as he bowed, which made Yuffie a bit upset. Staniv looked at her nervously, but he finally gave in and bowed deep, kissing her offered hand.
Beyond them stood General Ginto Shinshuro, the head of Wutai’s army and a man long regarded as the military advisor to Wutai’s royals. Tradition or not, he made himself welcome at every council meeting. He was a thin but powerfully built man in his fifties, with a face full of hard lines. His favorite thing to do in his free time was to read military autobiographies and sift through ancient scrolls on Wutai law. It was rumored that bachelor Shinshuro liked to have a few loose women around him on occasion as well.
It was also rumored that he was a silent supporter of the movement, but when asked at council meetings in what capacity he actually supported them, he never really elaborated.
He looked Yuffie up and down, his eyes lingering a bit too long on her extremely short hair. As was her right, she did not extend her hand in return for the uninvited critique of her person. Shinshuro laughed a fake laugh and smiled an oily smile before giving Yuffie a shallow bow.
Publicity stunt, thought Godo, frowning. He’s disgusting. It was no secret that Godo Kisaragi had never trusted the man. He used to look at Yuffie’s mother like that as well… The son of a bitch is always assessing and categorizing. Yuffie’s gonna have to keep a close eye on him.
Yuffie moved on quickly and smiled at the next group, Wutai’s ninjas. They were separate from the military and steadfastly loyal to the blood royals and all their kin – of which, the only remaining two now stood before them. At their head was Shake, Yuffie’s sensei in the ninja arts since she was a child and a man she had come to love as family. Behind him stood about fifty Wutains trained as deadly ninjas – women and men, in their prime, old, young – every one of them now at her beck and call.
Shake was in favor of following ancient traditions over the more modern ones, both in the dojo and at ceremonies. “Your Highness,” he said, then he and every last one of the Wutai ninjas fell to their knees, both of them, and bent forward until their foreheads were touching the ground. Yuffie teared up again, touched at their devotion.
Godo nudged her out of her reverie. Laughing, he said, ”A response is needed, Empress.”
“Oh! Yeah, um…” she quipped, flustered and blushing. “You efforts please us greatly,” she said, remembering how her mother used to talk to the ninjas at ceremonies. Her sensei looked up, and she extended her hand to him. Shake rose, smiling, and the rest of them followed suit. He kissed her hand, and then gave it a squeeze when he winked at her.
Having finished with the priests, the council and that horrid Shinshuro, Shake had managed to give Yuffie her confidence back. She moved on to the next group and found herself face to face with all of Avalanche, including Nanaki, Shera, Marlene and Denzel; Reeve Tuesti, Shelke and a few other heads from the WRO; and Rufus Shinra, his glamorous date, and the Turks. They were all mixed up, sitting in no particular order, and she noted that Vincent was near the back. Standing next to him, oddly enough –
Reno winked at her when she finally made eye contact. I’m getting a lot of winks from a lot of men, she thought, slightly dazed. It was the first time she’d seen him since their memorable tryst. She swallowed hard, as she was very happy to see him but she hoped his mouth had not gotten away from him where their night together was concerned, considering who was standing next to him.
Tifa smiled, and curtsied, perfectly as taught. Cloud bowed, low and stoic. Marlene’s curtsy was perfect, a miniature version of Tifa’s. Denzel blushed and bowed, avoiding eye contact. Nanaki sat before her, and lowered his head reverently. She reached out and touched his muzzle, and when he looked up, she was almost glowing with happiness. “Thank you so much for being here, Red,” she whispered.
Barrett bowed, and was about to kiss the hand she offered to him, but standing next to him was Cid Highwind who broke into manly tears and decided to ignore protocol. He grabbed the Empress and gave her a bear hug. Shake came forward slightly, but Yuffie waved him off, rolling her eyes. Cid sobbed something about how he didn’t know she was so grown up and where’s that dumb little kid that followed me around. She looked over at Shera who was covering her face.
After freeing herself from the slobbering mess that was Cid, Rufus Shinra was next. His bow could not be beat, neither for elegance nor the sheer sexiness of it. How in Hades does he do that? Yuffie thought. His date’s curtsy made her look stupid, but Yuffie figured when you’re that hot, no one really cares.
Reeve, Elena, Shelke, Tseng, all of them behaving proper and dignified.
And then, there he was, her one-night conquest, in all his spikey red glory. Just before Yuffie got to Reeve, Tseng had muttered in his ear, “Behave yourself. Or I’ll kill you.”
Reno cleared his throat and smirked at Yuffie as she faced him, and she bit her lip in response, clearly trying not to laugh. She actually extended her hand to him, and even though the Emperor-Father Kisaragi Godo was glaring at Reno from behind Yuffie’s back, the Turk took her hand graciously. To everyone’s surprise, he didn’t blurt out anything vulgar, in fact he didn’t say a word, and bowed with the intent to plant a kiss on her knuckles. At the last minute, Yuffie yanked her hand away, and Reno glanced up at her, confused.
“Psyche,” she whispered, grinning. When he smirked harder, she gave him back her hand, and he completed the kiss. She giggled and moved on.
“What?” Reno said to Tseng, who frowned at him. “That was her, not me!”
Vincent was last. She wondered if he had planned it that way, or he was just hiding in the back as he had wont to do. Godo caught his eye and nodded at him. The gunslinger nodded in kind, then looked to the Empress. He bowed low and respectfully, but unlike the others, he never took his eyes off of her face. She blushed and nodded, acknowledging his acceptance of her new role, and smiled down at him softly.
No kissing of the hand. Neither one of them could take that.
As Yuffie moved on, Tifa and Cloud had moved up next to Vincent. Tifa nudged him in the side ever so slightly, so that no one else saw it, save Cloud. Vincent smiled again, trying to keep his expression neutral.
“Glad you came?” muttered Cloud, and Vincent simply said “Hn.”
Yuffie passed though random citizenry, accepting flowers and small gifts of tea and spices, some origami, inspecting each gift appreciatively before handing them over to an aide, and making small talk with as many of them as she could.
When she finally came to the farmers and ranchers, they were still chanting.
Reeve moved up quickly amongst his group to get a better angle, camera in hand.
“Reeve,” Tifa whispered harshly, “I hope that thing is quiet. You know what is about to–”
“Yes, yes,” he hissed, interrupting her. “Every precaution.”
Everyone looked at Tifa, who just smiled and put a finger over her lips to indicate they be quiet. She pointed at Yuffie.
Godo slipped back from Yuffie as she stood before them. The chanting grew louder and more intense, and the crowd suddenly fell silent, watching, listening.
Empress Yuffie, not the Arms and Legs, fell to her knees and bowed low before them, similar to Shake, all the way to the ground, her head to Gaia. As soon as she did that, Godo and everyone else in the assembly fell to the ground, bowing before the farmers and ranchers as well. Reeve positioned himself as best as he could while still maintaining propriety, gleefully recording every moment on his tiny digital camcorder.
Vincent reached up to drag Reno down, who was looking rather confused at that point, by clamping his human hand onto Reno’s gray dress shirt. “The Empress bows, you bow,” he hissed.
“Okay, okay… But why is she doing this, Valentine?”
“Where you not paying attention to what Tifa said?” Vincent whispered harshly, trying to be heard over the loud chanting. “These people are the life blood of Wutai. As such, the newly crowned Empress will show her respect to them. It will never happen again during her rule, so consider yourself lucky to have seen a rare sight.”
An elderly woman standing at the front of the Arms and Legs strode forward, her experience alone making her appear far more regal than Yuffie. She tapped the Empress gently on her bowed head, neatly avoiding the crown. Yuffie rose, and the old woman took one of her hands in her own. The crowd stood with Yuffie, many old knees protesting with creaks and pops that could not be muffled.
Tifa rolled her eyes as she helped Reeve to his feet, as he had stumbled while trying to rise and maintain his view in the camera at the same time.
The old woman smiled, and when she nodded to a little boy and girl near the front, they stepped forward and handed Yuffie two things; a sack of rice, and a newborn lamb. Once the Empress accepted these gifts, the chanting stopped abruptly.
“Empress Kisaragi,” the woman said. Yuffie finally recognized her as the matriarch of a large farming family. Her voice was surprisingly strong as she continued, “The Arms and Legs of Wutai are here to serve your rule. May it be long and prosperous.”
Fireworks went off, music began playing, and everyone started cheering again. Speechless at this point, Yuffie wavered on her feet. Godo stepped forward, linking her arm in his.
“Daddy,” she said through her tears. “These people, all looking to me… I’m scared.”
Godo hummed happily. “Of course you are. Only an idiot wouldn’t be.”
She gripped his arm a little tighter and looked at him, before saying, “I don’t think I can do this.”
Godo smiled at her, and every ounce of love he felt for his baby girl was showing in his eyes right at that moment.
“Daughter… I am not going anywhere just yet.”
+
“Reeve, just what are you gonna do with that movie?” Tifa asked him bitterly.
“Oh, put it in the WRO archives, of course. It’s the first known recorded evidence of Wutai’s Arms and Legs being bowed to by the new monarch! And it’s all mine!”
Tifa cleared her throat. “So, you aren’t going to use that as blackmail?”
Reeve looked at her, confused. “What? How?”
Cid piped in. “Jeez, Tuesti… what Tifa meant is that ya never see the likes of just plain ol’ Yuffie Kisaragi bowing down to people, either.”
Reeve’s eyes went glassy. “Ohh…”
“Lovely,” said Cloud, with his usual monotone reaction. “You’ve just given him new ideas.”
+
After she came back from changing into more modern clothes, Reno managed to find Yuffie without Godo hovering over her, and he gave her a hug.
“When you said you had important stuff to do in Wutai, I had no idea you meant you were taking over,” he said in her ear, making her laugh.
“I’m sorry for being so cryptic. I wasn’t really allowed to say too much to anyone,” she said, pulling back.
“S’ok,” Reno said as he kissed her cheek. “I’m happy for you, really.”
“I guess,” she began, kind of shy, “I’m kinda happy about some of it… now.”
“These people love you! You’re gonna do great, Yufs.”
She bobbed her head from side to side, unable to voice of her mixed feelings on the subject. “I’m no Godo,” she simply said, sounding worried.
“You’ll be a good leader to Wutai,” a dark voice said, adding to Reno’s praise, and Yuffie looked over the Turk’s shoulder to see Vincent standing behind them. “Just give yourself some time.”
She squeezed Reno’s upper arm before extracting herself from his embrace. Moving towards Vincent, she smiled warmly and had to remind herself not to cry, even if it was from happiness.
Getting up on her toes, she hugged Vincent around the neck. “I am so glad you came. Wouldn’ta been the same without you, Vince.”
He hugged her back, more than a little glad that she was not still angry with him. “Thank you for inviting me. After the last time we saw each other–”
“Never mind that,” she said, cutting him off, and stepped back a bit.
He looked her face over before saying. “You’ve cut your hair off.”
“Uh.. Yeah.” Yuffie fingered the fringe again in what had become a nervous habit. “I mean, Tifa trimmed it up for me this morning before the coronation, but yeah. I cut it all off a while ago. You… you didn’t know that?”
“No, I didn’t.” Yuffie thought to file a complaint with Strife Delivery services before Vincent added, “I like it. It suits you. Brings out your eyes.”
Reno had to bite his tongue before blurting out hey pal that’s exactly what I said to her, and cleared his throat instead. Not having heard him, Yuffie watched Vincent’s eyes as they slid to Reno, then she jumped.
“Oh! Yeah, Vince… You remember Reno.”
“Yes. Yes I do.”
Reno extended his hand. “Hello, Valentine. Long time no see.”
Not long enough, Vincent thought, and he heard Galian laughing deep inside.
“Indeed. I hope all is well with Shinra.”
“Things’r well enough.”
Vincent nodded, indicating he was done talking to the Turk.
“You’re taking advantage of the guest rooms in the palace… right?” Yuffie asked him, sounding doubtful.
“Yes, along with all the rest of the people I came with, your staff has graciously set us up in our own rooms. Very lavish.”
She nodded. “Good. I was afraid you’d run off right after the formalities. The truth is the party will go on into the night.”
“I just wanted to take a moment to congratulate you personally, Yuffie. The ceremony was impressive, and I am glad Wutai is showing their favor towards you.”
She grinned. “Thanks, Vincent.” He nodded, and she hugged him again. “Try not to be a total stranger just ‘cause I wear a crown now, huh?” she whispered, and his heart clenched. She was covering it well, but he still heard a tiny bit of anguish in Yuffie’s voice.
Setting her onto her feet again, he promised, “Of course, Yuffie.”
“I’ll definitely see you later today?”
“You shall. But if you don’t mind, right now I need to find something that Nanaki can eat.” Vincent glanced at Reno one last time before leaving them there to catch up, and the Turk did not miss the warning in his red eyes.
“Shit,” Reno finally said, praying that Vincent’s enhanced ears were far enough away.
“What?”
“Valentine. He’s jealous.”
“Oh, he is not!”
“Oh yes he is.”
Yuffie scoffed. She was not going there. Not again. Not even if someone else were to shove her. “You are imagining things, Turk.”
“Don’t think so, but whatever. C’mon, let’s get some grub. I’m starvin’!”
+
Wutai may have been known for it’s agriculture and it’s poetry-inspiring scenery, but one thing Yuffie’s guests learned that day was that no one could surpass Wutai when it came to throwing a party.
The ceremony had taken place in the morning, so that the entire day could be spent partying. The usual things were there to be had – great food and plenty of it, a lot of alcohol, balloons, circus performers, live music, a dance floor with a DJ, speeches, streamers… even silly hats.
But being that Wutai was agricultural, there was a bit more to be had.
For instance, when Godo and his childhood friend got together, a cattle rancher named Kai, they began drinking before lunch was even served. They drank. Then ate. Then drank some more. It was somehow decided that Yuffie’s guests needed to witness a milking contest, so a large group piled onto chocobos and headed to Kai’s ranch.
It had been a pretty nice gesture, because some of them had never seven seen a cow before. But when the actual milking took place, it was a sight that greatly disturbed the men, especially Denzel. It didn’t help matters that Godo and Kai, still plastered, were the ones pulling on the teats. Most of the milk landed everywhere but the bucket.
“You gotta understand,” Yuffie said to the shocked faces surrounding her. “They grew up without television.”
After that, Kai suggested they go cow tipping, and who was the Emperor-Father to deny his best friend a little fun? Cloud, Cid, Reno, Rufus and Reeve had brought their booze with them and they were now fully trashed, so they decided to join Godo and his buddy. Tifa and Shera were appalled, but Yuffie told them to just watch, because it was still early in the day and rancher Kai’s cows were just grazing, not sleeping. She was dying to see how fast grown, drunk men could run away from angry bovine.
Turns out, pretty fast.
The farmers that had joined their little escapade were determined not to be outdone. They invited Yuffie’s guests to ride to the nearest cornfield so that they could reveal just how crop circles were formed. Unfortunately, the drink was involved again, and they looked more like crop string theory models when they were finished.
Then they decided to combine the efforts of Wutai’s Legs and Arms, and had a pumpkin-tossing contest – on chocobo-back.
Yuffie and the other women – and Vincent and Tseng, who had elected to stay sober – decided to return to the party in the courtyard before the crop-circle incident had taken place. But when the drunkards finally returned to the party, they decided to have a herding contest, just not with dogs and sheep. Drunk men were involved, again. Some of them got lucky, still more of them were told to get comfortable on the couch when they went home that night.
When the sun began to set, the bonfires were lit, and the drinking, dancing, eating, story-telling and laughing went on until after dark. All in all, it was a great success, mostly because the wet blankets left very early.
Apparently, base humor and frivolity was simply too far beneath the tastes of Ginto Shinshuro and his buddies.
+
Much later that night, Vincent was alone in his guest room in the palace, cleaned up for the night and reading in bed. He had been using the old novel in an attempt to try and distract himself from thinking about how beautiful Yuffie had looked during the ceremony, which wasn’t really working, when Galian suddenly chimed in.
Valentine. Something much larger than a bug is crawling around near your window.
Vincent stiffened, wondering who on Gaia would be so stupid as to try and assassinate the Empress on such a night, with the entirety of Avalanche and the Turks under the same roof – not to mention the ninjas, who were clearly quite devoted to her.
The room was already dark, his enhanced senses ensuring he didn’t need light to read, which gave him the advantage over the intruder. He tossed off the covers and silently moved to the window. He froze, waiting until whoever it was got close enough to the window frame.
It’s right below the sill.
I know. Shut up.
He moved like quicksilver, flinging the shutters open and reaching out and down to grab the person. Whoever he was, he was slight, short, and… smelled nice? A very feminine sounding yelp reached Vincent’s ears, followed by a scraping noise as the person’s sandaled feet slipped and scratched, desperately trying to regain footing against the traditional wood shingles of the palace. There was nowhere to go but down. Four stories.
After the yelp, oh fuck me was the whisper that followed, but by that time Vincent already knew who it was. His heart skipped a beat when he realized Empress Yuffie Kisaragi was about to fall to her death, and the only advantage he had to stop that from happening was a semi-decent hold on her forearms under the dark silk of her kosode.
“Yuffie!”
“Fuckfuckfuckfuck–”
Vincent panicked. Gripping hard enough to cause her to cry out in pain, he yanked harder than necessary and pulled her into his room. A tiny tearing sound was heard, and they tumbled to the floor, rolling over each other until they slammed to a stop against the lacquered side of a small writing desk.
They both held their breath, and it was oddly quiet until Yuffie finally spoke.
“Ouch.”
Suddenly angry that she’d be so foolhardy, Vincent frowned at her.
“Lights.”
On the desk above them, a small lamp flickered on. Yuffie’s frightened eyes stood out like dark violet jewels in the eye-slit on the black silk hood of her ninja uniform. Her body went rigid for a moment, like she was expecting to be slapped. Vincent yanked off the hood and tossed it aside.
When her eyes adjusted to the glare of the desk lamp above her, the newly appointed Empress of Wutai found that she was looking up at a very pissed off Vincent Valentine, who was lying on top of her. Their legs had gotten tangled in the tumble to the floor, and her gloved hands were still clinging tightly to the thin material of his t-shirt.
Staring into the other’s face, they were breathing heavily and clearly confused as to how they wound up where they were. Yuffie frowned, finally, and Vincent realized he might be crushing her. He rolled off of her and sat up, and her hands went slack as his shirt slipped out of her grip. Before he stood, he saw something shiny on the floor scattered in the path they had rolled. Whatever it was must’ve fallen out of one of the pockets in Yuffie’s ninja uniform. He turned to look, fully intending to help her gather her things up – knowing her, it’s probably shuriken… or candy – then he froze when he recognized, faintly, several individually wrapped condoms, and a small tube of…
Oh Shiva’s tits.
Vincent clenched his eyes shut and refused – refused – to react.
“Oopsie,” Yuffie muttered, and when he turned back to face her, she was sitting up and staring at the condoms with an intentionally vacuous expression. She looked at him and shrugged, grinning painfully.
Vincent rose carefully, and went to extend his hand to her, but she had already crawled past him and began scooping up her personal items. When she finally stood up, Vincent looked at her, confused and speechless. Yuffie stuffed her things in some hidden pocket, then tugged on her hakama and straightened her kosode. She smiled again, a useless attempt to try and keep things casual.
He had very different ideas. Vincent Valentine respectfully fell to one knee before her. “Empress,” he said quietly, lowering his gaze.
Yuffie’s eyes bugged out.
Are you fucking kidding me?
“Vinnie… what’re you doin’?”
“I am a visitor in your palace. This is an awkward situation. I am trying to stay within protocol.”
She strode past him and smacked him on the back of his head, although she didn’t hit him very hard.
“Well quit it. Yer giving me the willies.” Yuffie plopped herself into the oversized chair next to his bed and examined the small rip in her kosode. “Dammit,” she muttered, “Shake’s gonna kill me. That’s the second set of silks this week.” Vincent stood up and faced her, crossing his arms. She looked him up and down. “Nice jammies,” she teased saucily.
He wore a tight short-sleeved black t-shirt, which looked great on him… but it was the loose black sweats clinging desperately to his hips that she couldn’t stop staring at.
For the love of Leviathan. He’s got perfect fucking V cuts.
Arms, hand, claw, belly button, feet, neck – all were exposed now, showing more pale flesh and sinew than she considered reasonable for a man who simply wasn’t interested in her. That wild black mane of his was pulled up into a high ponytail, a practical style for sleeping that she’d used herself when her hair was that long. It gave her a very clean view of his very beautiful face.
Oh dear gods. Yuffie lowered her eyes, trying not to stare at his pretty face, but she wound up staring at his flawless belly button instead… and the sparse, silky black trail that cascaded below it, politely disappearing into the sweats. She swallowed hard.
What the fuck was I doing, again?
“What were you doing?” His hard voice cut through her thoughts and she jerked, looking back at his face. For a moment she was scared he could read her mind. “Are you trying to get yourself killed before your first real day on the throne?”
“Hey, you grabbed and I slipped, that’s all. Shit happens.”
“You’re clumsy, but I don’t recall that happening to you when it really counted. For instance, when you are scaling high walls,” he said, pointing to the window. She balked, then thought better of it and swallowed her witty retort. “Your great ninja skills are getting rusty, Yuffie.”
Vincent regretted it the moment it came out of his mouth. “I know that!” she shouted back angrily, fists clenched.
He sighed. “I… I wasn’t trying to humiliate you. I’m just trying to point out that you have different priorities now… If your physical prowess is waning–” He closed his eyes and tried to stop thinking about how she nearly fell to her death less than five minutes ago.
Then again, she had probably been doing just fine until he went and interrupted her. Conveniently ignoring the fact that her near-death had mostly been his fault, he continued.
“Maybe you should get used to using doors and hallways a little more.”
She looked away from him, a blush creeping up her neck and into her face. He became instantly suspicious.
“Yuffie.”
“Actually… I can’t use the hallways for this. I can’t be seen. I was… sorta… sneakingintorenosroom.”
There was a moment, very briefly, where she saw his nostrils flare.
“I know I am going to regret asking this, but for what reason?” he fairly seethed.
“Uh… a little post-coronation nookie?” She smiled at him innocently.
He palmed his face.
Life was peaceful… in the coffin…
Don’t even think about it, Valentine.
“What will it take for you to leave my room right now, Empress? Through the door?” He was mad, sure, but he definitely didn’t want her getting busted up. Or worse.
Yuffie picked up on Vincent’s discomfort immediately. Four years of her life had been spent waiting for a response from him regarding her feelings, and she wound up with a handful of words on Tifa’s back porch that had amounted to ‘move on’. After that day, she promised herself that should Vincent Valentine ever criticize her choices regarding men, dating, or sex, she’d skewer him using his own embarrassment as the weapon.
“Gosh. You seem disturbed. Is it that I’m fucking Reno, or that I’m simply gettin’ me some?”
“I have no opinion on your sex life.”
“Oh. Yeah. I gotcha… You don't care what I’m doing, including the idiotic way I’m doing it?” She waited a beat, then gave him an oily smile that did not reach her eyes.
“I knew, someday, you’d use those words against me. I’d have gutted Corneo and cut you down myself if I’d known what you were really trying to accomplish with our materia. How many times do I have to tell you that?”
“An incalculable number.” She grinned, but this time she meant it. “Oh, and let’s not forget that the people who did actually rescue me from Mister Corny Toes were, in fact, Rude… and Reno.”
Vincent bristled.
She got up to leave, all chipper and bright. “Well, I must be off! I have a man waiting.” Smiling at him, she tugged and checked her gloves. She balled a fist onto her tiny hip with one hand and wagged a finger at him with the other. “Now don’t you worry, Vinnie. You’ve given me a good scare tonight and I will be Super-Ninja as I complete my mission!”
Yuffie moved around him nonchalantly and picked her silk hood up from the floor. She stuffed it into a pocket in her kosode. He couldn’t stop himself from wondering if it was the same pocket she had those condoms in.
Strolling to the window, she had the gall to hum, pissing him off further. Then he found himself holding his breath as he watched her climb out.
Don’t fall don’t fall don’t fall I really don’t want to be the one who has to save your bratty ass tonight don’t fall…
Hanging onto the window frame, Yuffie popped her head back into his room for one final barb.
“Uh, Vincent?”
“…”
“You might wanna go for a walk or something… Our guest rooms are more modern than the royal suites, but they ain’t exactly soundproof.”
There was a pause, then she got a tight, clipped answer.
“I’ll keep that in mind, your highness.”
She grinned at him, then made a determined retreat, clinging to the outside of the palace like a real fucking ninja this time.
Galian howled with laughter.
You wanna take a breath now, or shall we pass out right here on the floor?
+
Reno paused, taking a much-needed gulp of air after kissing Yuffie deeply.
“Yufs, I have to tell you something–”
She cut his words off as she yanked on his t-shirt and pulled him in for another searing kiss. Reno sank into her mouth, wanting nothing more than to get naked with her and break the bed frame, but he tore his lips away from hers and tried again.
“Yuffie – listen. I’d like to leave Wutai tomorrow morning with my tender bits intact, okay?” He laughed quietly.
“Oh, Godo wouldn’t do that! He likes you… well enough.”
Reno smirked down at her. Gently taking the sides of her face in his hands, he lowered his voice. “I wasn’t talking about your pops. I was talking about what Valentine would like to do to me.”
She frowned, or at least tried to. “Like I said, you’re imagining things. Can we please make out now? I’ve been thinking about this since that night.” She pouted, sticking her lower lip out dramatically while she held his wrists in her curled fingers, keeping him close.
“Really?” he asked, trying not to gloat.
Yuffie rolled her eyes. “Tell me you haven’t! Please.”
He giggled, gleefully whispering to her. “Gods, I’ve missed you!”
Reno kissed her again, long and languid, then he trailed his lips across her cheek until he got to her earlobe. Sucking on it gently, his warm breath blew across her ear, and Yuffie’s knees went weak.
+
As the evening wore on, Vincent was glad that his bed was situated opposite the wall next to Reno’s room and up against the wall next to Cid’s. The pilot’s snores were drowning out the noises coming from the other room.
You have real estate in Denialville, Valentine.
The truth was, he had to force himself to ignore them, as his enhanced hearing was picking up every vulgar remark Reno said, every tiny giggle out of Yuffie’s mouth, and all those various noises they were spewing.
It was an annoying situation, yes, and if that was all there was to it he would tolerate it. Unfortunately, spoken claims of honest affection were making their way into the lover’s tryst. Neither one was going so far as to say ‘I love you’ or ‘marry me’, but still. This seemed to bother Vincent much more than the fact that Yuffie was having sex in the room next to him. The Galian Beast picked up that juicy bone and ran.
Of the veritable litany of human emotions you’ve allowed me to observe, jealousy is by far the most ugly.
Now he had to ignore Galian. And the noises.
The most amusing aspect of this for me is that you have no right to be jealous.
Vincent groaned. Who was he kidding? He couldn’t ignore Galian. Or the noises.
It was you who missed out on her, after all. You are the one who told her she should put a relationship with you out of her mind and find another to be with.
“Yes,” Vincent hissed dangerously, “Just not with him.”
Ah. So you think you have the right to approve of her choices in that regard. Telling, that.
Disgusted, Vincent shoved the covers off of his body for the second time that evening. He dressed himself in record time and grabbed the novel, just to have an excuse in his clawed hand. He stomped to the door of his suite, heading down to the palace library where he knew Nanaki was surely poking his nose around.
+
“Good heavens, Vincent. Why are you up this late?” Nanaki yawned, twitching his tail.
“Can’t sleep,” he started, with the intent to mention something about his noisy neighbors, but luckily Vincent noticed the Emperor-Father sitting in a chair by the fire before he said anything further.
“Which room are you in?” Godo demanded. “Isn’t that damn Turk next to you?”
“I’m not sure,” Vincent answered. He didn’t give a damn about Reno’s fate, but he quickly decided diverting Godo’s attention was the kindest thing to do for Yuffie. “To be honest, Sir, I don’t require as much sleep as most people.”
The diversion worked, and Vincent managed to join their conversation concerning the movement. He got an earful about the current political climate in Wutai, which did nothing to improve his mood, as he could now add worry to the pile of feelings he was collecting regarding Yuffie.
After an hour or so of discussion Godo started lagging, which sobered Vincent up. Since his arrival in Wutai the day before it was the first time he remembered that the Emperor was actually quite ill.
“Well, it’s very late, and it’s time for this old man to get some shut-eye.” Godo stood, and Vincent and Nanaki rose as well, Vincent bowing to Godo. “I’ve always liked you, Mr. Valentine,” Godo said, narrowing his eyes at the gunslinger. “It’s too bad you are not Wutai.”
With that, Godo turned on his heel and left them alone in the library.
Vincent frowned. “What did he mean by that, do you think?”
“Oh… it was just something the Emperor-Father and I were talking about before you showed up.”
Nanaki didn’t elaborate any further, and Vincent was too stressed to push it.
+
At a little after five in the morning, Yuffie was making her way back to her private room, still not by way of the doors and hallways. She made sure to stay extra-quiet as she crawled past Vincent’s window, but as it turned out he wasn’t even in his room.
Scowling hard at this discovery, Yuffie plodded on, scaling her way across the Palace wall back to the window of her room, where she had left it cracked open anticipating her return.
She nearly jumped out of her silks when she saw Shake standing in the middle of her bedroom, arms crossed and face stormy.
“Leviathan’s teeth, sensei! What the hell?”
“I don’t give a damn what you get up to with your boyfriend back there. That’s between you and him. But your ninja is weak, my dear Empress, and I’ll not have that.” He uncrossed his arms, and pointed at her. “Dojo, you, me, tonight, after dinner. Be prepared to ache.”
He turned and melted out of her sight as silent as smoke.
“Aw, shit,” Yuffie spat out, collapsing onto her bed. She loved her sensei, but he was like a whip on her back sometimes. At least when Godo was angry at her, she knew how to tug on his heartstrings. Shake didn’t really have any of those.

+

tbc

+

++++++++ notes ++++++++
If you read it, **please** review it. Thanks!
I used the United Kingdom's Coronation Oath (as found on Wikipedia; apologies if it in incorrect) as a model for Yuffie's Coronation scene.
Apologies to animal lovers everywhere. I am one, too, and I would never tip a cow. But country boys get strange ideas when they are drunk. Still, take a trip to straightdope dot com and type in their search field: is-there-really-such-a-thing-as-cow-tipping
“you wouldn't know he and his fellow frat rats really were looking for the sheep.”
I laughed so hard I hiccupped.
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Empress & Concubine