Adult-FanFiction.org : Final Fantasy

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
- 6
- 7
- 8
++++++++ Please see disclaimer & story notes in chapter one ++++++++
++++++++ chapter notes ++++++++
First off, thank you for trudging onward with this fic, because it appears I have another monster on my hands.
As I have said in notes previous, I have never played FFVII and I know very little about certain aspects of the story, most especially monsters, materia and magic. I know, that’s like half the damn game, right? I have nothing but respect for the fans that know canon FFVII inside and out. Nothing will ever replace the knowledge gained from playing the game, and I know that.
This particular story was never meant to focus on those things, I still want to maintain some semblance of canon when they get mentioned. That being said, I have ventured to several reference sites to help with certain aspects of this chapter. I still have to write my fic, though, so please don’t be offended if I get things wrong or twist them ‘round some weird way. I ask, again, that you simply take this as an AU in order for me to tell the story that I want to tell.
But most of all I have to thank Mihoyonagi, pretty much the only FFVII expert I know personally, who despite her busy schedule as of late, has/is helping me try to get these things as plausible as possible while staying within the constraints of my plot. If you haven’t read her fic All Creation over on fanfiction dot net, I suggest you so go do that. It’s my favorite Yuffentine, to this day.
This chapter refused to be broken in two, so… 14K words or so. Enjoy!
I fly beta-less. Please forgive the typos.
As always, thanks for reading!

+

Empress & Concubine

Chapter Seven

The Education of Vincent Valentine, Part I

+

Looks good. You don’t care for it?
“I haven’t decided yet, to tell you the truth,” Vincent responded to Galian’s question out loud, tilting his head at his reflection in the mirror.
They were on their way back to Wutai, only it was Cid with his Shera escorting them home, not another Shinra helicopter. He had to admit he was grateful for the privacy it afforded him, giving him the chance to relax a bit before the proverbial shit hit the Wutainian fan.
But, even that didn’t last too long, not after he opened the package that Oleg had given him when he completed the oath of fealty.
It had contained a set of black ninja silks; kosode, under-kosode, hakama. There was also the footwear – tabi that were sturdy and long enough to tuck the hakama into, and the straw waraji – dyed black, of course. Shake had even seen fit to toss in a couple shiny hira-shuriken, which the gunslinger had stowed into one of the many, many pockets, along with the hood.
It had taken him awhile to figure out how it all went together, but now Vincent stood looking himself over in front of the mirror in his suite. He was wearing the traditional uniform of a Wutai ninja, black top to bottom, the only exceptions being the unusual red color of the under-kosode, and of course his gauntlet… and Cerberus.
The gun’s holster still hung at his right side, attached to a black leather belt that was slung loose across his hips. Additional straps held the holster in place on his right thigh. In all, Cerberus was in the same position on his body as it had been before, but leather on silk just didn’t stay put the same way leather on leather did. It was going to take some getting used to.
It felt strange, being in clothing that did not feel at all constricting. His leather, his cape… the pointy golden boots that he still missed… compared to the uniform of the ninja guards, his former outfit was practically body armor. True, this was fairly heavy silk, and his privates were pretty much secured in the soft, thick wraps of the fundoushi – even though it had taken him more than half an hour to remember how to put the Under Thing of Ancient Design on – but still.
He felt vulnerable.
It’s certainly more comfortable than your previous clothing.
“True enough. But the leather was more durable.”
That cape was downright gaudy, which is odd considering how you claim to hate being scrutinized. This appearance is subtle.
“Subtle notwithstanding, this offers less protection.”
Well, you’re keeping the gun.
“That’s not negotiable.”
It will be conspicuous as the only modern weapon in Wutai.
And it’s not negotiable.
Galian recognized the finality in Vincent’s attitude and dropped it.
Vincent had always held a deep respect for the Wutai ninjas, but not until he was wearing their actual uniform did he realize the level of bravery it took to fight in such clothes. He was less worried about how it looked on him and more concerned about his heart, lungs, stomach, liver, kidneys – nearly all the vitals were practically on display, up front and exposed enough for anyone to jab at with a stick.
He picked up the hand-written note he’d received from Chekov earlier that morning after they boarded the Shera, and read it again.
Mister Valentine,
Enclosed in your package you will find a traditional uniform as worn by the ninja Wutai. The only difference being, the under-kosode is in dark red, meant to set the wearer apart as the Empress’ personal bodyguard. Chekov and I assumed that Reno would be taking the position, so we guessed on his measurements and had this set commissioned before we left. You are about Reno’s height and build, so hopefully it will fit.
It’s your decision as to whether or not you want to wear it. It will, however, make things easier for Yuffie if you blend in a bit more.
Let me know if there are any problems. By the way – welcome to Wutai, and thank you for helping us protect the Kisaragi line. Yuffie is precious to us, and not just as the Empress.
Councilwoman Elder, Chekov
Well, Problem solved. It says so right there - you don’t have to wear it.
“Hn.”
He’d do it though. And not for Wutai. He’d do it for Yuffie.
He set the note back down on the table in his suite when his cell phone went off. Trying to remember which pocket he’d slid that into, Vincent finally located it and flipped it open to respond. He knew who it was and didn’t bother identifying himself.
“What?”
“Look, Valentine, I don’t give a damn about Yuffie’s obligations to marry. She’s already sacrificed too much for Wutai.”
Vincent sighed. It seemed he had more in common with Reno that he wanted to admit.
“I agree with you.”
“What she said, about the wedding night.” There was a long pause, and then Reno finally spoke again. “Don’t let him…” The redhead’s choked voice trailed off, clearly unable to even speak the words out loud. Vincent decided to cover the conversational gap before the poor boy started crying.
“He’ll be a corpse before that will ever happen.”
Reno cleared his throat. “All right. That’s all I needed to hear. Contact me if you need any outside help.”
My turn to be polite, Vincent thought bitterly. It grated on him, but he owed Reno some thanks.
“I appreciate that you informed me about the bodyguard position.”
That was as about as emotionally open as Vincent Valentine was going to get with him.
“Don’t make me regret that,” Reno barked, then ended the call abruptly. His voice had been curt, but Vincent had heard the smile in it all the same. Vincent put the phone away again, this time taking more care in remembering which pocket it was in.
Although it didn’t really matter much, considering he’d have zero bars once they crossed the water and entered Wutai airspace.
He went to his pack and took out a coiled, dark, long braid. It was what remained of Yuffie’s hair after the wreath he’d commissioned for her last birthday. He looked down at the compartment he’d pulled it out of and saw the worn corner of her old note peeking out, daring to be read, just one more time. He smiled softly.
When did I give her things a special place?
Vincent pulled an elastic hair band from one end of the braid, mentally noting that he’d have to re-bind it later. He put Yuffie’s hair away, making sure he fastened ‘her’ pocket securely, and threw his pack on his bed.
He went back to the mirror and smoothed his hair back against his scalp into a thick ponytail. While working his hair, he thought about what he was actually getting himself into. He wondered if Yuffie’s offer in that infamous note was truly rescinded. Given the way she’d reacted to him taking the oath of fealty–
No, he thought, shaking his head. Not now. This isn’t the time for that.
He new duties would take precedence over everything else in his life. No more wandering as he pleased, or crashing at the mansion. Come to think of it, he still hadn’t decided what he was going to do with the mansion. No more freelance monster-killing or materia-hunting.
No more inexplicable leaves of absence.
Watch Yuffie, guard Yuffie, defend Yuffie. Care about all things Yuffie. Vincent frowned at his image as he tried to imagine his new future.
Second thoughts, Valentine?
No, he responded. I can do all that.
Right then and there he stopped brooding on it and made up his mind. He felt a weight lift as he let go of yet another chunk of his past. He nodded, content with his decision, and left for the bridge.
Shiva only knew what kind of comments Cid was going to make when he saw him.
+
When Vincent arrived on the bridge, Yuffie was already there, looking just slightly green as she talked quietly with Oleg while they watched the clouds below them through the observation windows on the deck.
Chekov was the first to see him enter, and she nodded at his appearance, obviously pleased with his decision. She didn’t even balk at the gun. Vincent was getting used to Chekov’s place in Yuffie’s life, and he was not surprised at the feelings her approval stirred in him. It was vaguely similar to when his mother had applauded his accomplishments as a boy.
Then, unfortunately, Cid saw him.
“Holy mackerel, Vince! What’s with the new duds?!”
Vincent bristled. Why was the pilot always so damn loud? His only answer was to glare at Cid, which earned him a chuckle. He ignored that, and moved to stand near Yuffie, who had already turned away from Oleg and was openly gaping at his new appearance.
Vincent directed a surprised look at her as well. Sometime after they’d boarded the Shera, she had cut her hair off. Super short.
“Well, well, well,” Yuffie quipped, looking him up and down. “Looks like we both made some changes!” She placed her hand on his forearm and pulled just a little, until he twisted slightly and she could see the ponytail hanging down the middle of his back. She breathed out hard, relieved.
“Oh, thank Gaia! From the front it looked like you’d cut it all off.”
“Shouldn’t I be saying that? You – Yuffie, why?”
“Why for the marriage ceremony, of course!” She turned a pair of flirtatious eyes up at him while fingering the edges of her very, very, very short hair. “Ginto will simply hate it.” He shook his head at her as she had managed to surprise him yet again.
Oleg and Chekov had watched their banter closely and were exchanging knowing looks with each other. When Vincent glanced at them, they turned without a word and strolled to the other side of the bridge, whispering to each other in Wutai like gossiping hens.
It was an obvious ploy meant to give their Empress and her new bodyguard some privacy, but Vincent chose to ignore any greater meaning. When their audience was completely out of earshot, he muttered, “Did you keep the clippings this time?”
“Hn.”
Vincent raised his eyebrows at her use of his trademark response.
“Are you going to throw them at me?”
“Maybe later, if you are a good boy. Are you in leather withdrawals yet?”
“Very funny, Empress.”
+
Oleg and Chekov stood firmly behind Yuffie as Shinshuro and a few Wutai foot soldiers approached them as the Shera took off in the distance. With Valentine at her side, the councilwoman noticed the Empress’ gumption was heartily restored – not what it once was, surely, but it was much improved since plummeting after Godo’s death.
Still, a little healthy reminder about their subterfuge was probably a good idea.
“Remember, child, the Grasslands farming communities were a marvel to witness,” she sang-songed under her breath to Yuffie, whose back straightened.
“They sure were,” she returned, grinning lightly. “Very enlightening.”
Her bodyguard was to her left, Hiroyuki to her right, and they both grunted at her comment.
Of course, all Yuffie heard was laughter.
+
“Did you see the look on his face when he saw my hair? Hah!”
“Yuffie, do not make light of Shinshuro. He was clearly livid with the decision of your new bodyguard. That man is a threat to you,” Chekov scolded her as she plopped on the bed in her chambers like a teenager.
“Gaaaah, okay okay! I’m already just so tired of his shit. And I want to take a nap after the Shera. I got airsick again.” She rolled over and looked up at Chekov with puppy-dog eyes and blinked. “Please…?”
Chekov couldn’t say that she wasn’t pleased that the old Yuffie appeared to be back, but they still had work to do.
“Don’t you try that on me, young lady. I know your tricks. Now go splash your face and change into some silks. You’re to meet with Shake and the ninjas. They want to size up Vincent.”
“Yeah… about that. You think he’s doing okay in there?”
She tossed a thumb in the direction of the door to her chambers.
Vincent’s new rooms were directly across the hall from hers. It was by no means as large as her royal suite, but it was no meager servant’s room either. Yuffie and Chekov had escorted him to it, opened the door and told him to settle in. Whatever he needed, he just had to ask. Then they left him there so that Yuffie could go get cleaned up in her own room.
Chekov was trying to sort the dirty clothes from the clean ones in Yuffie’s suitcases. Not really being able to tell them apart, as Yuffie’s style of packing clothing consisted of ball up and shove in, she gave up and threw it all in the dirty clothes hamper for the laundry maids to figure out.
“It’s hard to say. He’s a man of little words, and apparently little needs as well. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s probably more overwhelmed than underwhelmed with our generosity.”
Yuffie nodded, then leapt off the bed to get refreshed, as instructed. When they exited her room some ten minutes later, Chekov promised to report to her before bed, then she left the Empress, citing work in the council chambers.
Yuffie stood in the hallway, alone except for the two ninja guards that seemed to be permanent fixtures walking the hallway outside her chamber door. The door to Vincent’s room was still open, and he was sitting like a stone in a hard chair next to a writing desk. His pack was laying behind him on his new bed, still closed and untouched.
“Vincent?” Yuffie asked, tentative. “You okay?” She peered into the room, wondering if there was a problem.
“I am fine.” He stood up. “Are you ready to go?”
She entered the room. “Uh, are your digs okay and everything?”
“This is very generous, Yuffie. But I hardly need this much room.”
“We aren’t going to keep you in a closet, Vinnie. This is to be your home now, for as long as you choose to be here. We want you to be happy, not just comfortable.”
After a moment, he finally said, “It’s fine, Yuffie.”
She tilted her head at him, then glanced at his pack. “And you’ll unpack at some point? Settle in?”
She thinks you aren’t happy.
Shut up.
Look at her face, you’ve worried her. It’s a lavish room, what is your problem?
Vincent ignored Galian, and addressed Yuffie. “Everything is fine, Yuffie. I’m just getting used to it. Don’t be upset.”
“All right…”
“Shake is waiting for us on the lower level. We should go.”
“Okay…” she said, glancing around the room skeptically as he followed her out into the hallway.
They made their way below, and met Shake and Hiroyuki in the main foyer, which was practically the size of a ballroom. Hiroyuki and Vincent nodded to each other, exchanged pleasantries, then actually shook hands. Yuffie blinked.
When did they become girlfriends?
“All right, all right, I’m sure you two will be very happy together.” Both men turned to look at her with blank expressions. “Hooo-kay,” she said, raising her eyebrows. Leaning in closer to Shake, she muttered, “Yeesh, it’s like watching a couple of brick walls reading poetry to each other…”
Hiroyuki cut to the chase. “The majority of the ranks are assembled in the designated meeting area, Empress. And there are sentries along the way.”
“Excellent, dude. So, Vincent, you ready to meet my ninjas?”
“Of course.”
“I’m just warning you… Get ready to be grilled like a fish.”
He huffed, smiling. “I think I can handle it.”
“They won’t just grill him, Yuffie. They are agitated as of late as you well know. With another stranger in the mix, I’m expecting a display.” Yuffie looked at Shake, a bit concerned. “And they’ll expect one of Vincent, as well.”
“Oh,” she said sarcastically, “Goody.”
Instead of heading towards the front gates of the royal pagoda, Shake and Yuffie led Vincent on a path through the gardens, which confused him.
“We aren’t going to the dojo?”
“Not yet. But that’ll be after, I’m sure,” she sighed.
+
Vincent found himself being stared at by thirty-seven sets of stern eyes, men, women, old, young, and all scrutinizing his appearance in their uniform.
Along the way to this very remote part of the gardens, he sensed several more ninja in the shadows, watching them as they passed through the many twists and turns they had taken to get to this overgrown, clandestine spot. These ninja did not leave their positions after Yuffie and her escorts passed – they were clearly the ‘sentries’ that Hiroyuki had mentioned earlier, no doubt staying put to guard against anyone else crashing their party.
Shake and Hiroyuki stood off to the side, arms crossed and not joining in the debate. The ninja, however, had obviously been given free reign to question Vincent. They had already been drilling him for fifteen minutes and it did not seem like they were even remotely finished.
Vincent did not begrudge them this right; he would be just as cautious and suspicious had he been in their sandals. In fact, that he was in their sandals, so to speak, was one of their many problems with him.
“You are dressed in our clothing, yet you have not proven yourself to us in a dojo or anywhere else for that matter. Are we to call you ninja now, as well?”
This came from a man in his thirties, wiry and hard, with a long, black poker-straight hair.
“No. I am not one of you. You have skills that I do not possess, and I would never presume to be considered one of you. I am dressed in your garb…” he glanced over at Shake, who nodded at him approvingly, “because it will be of benefit to the Empress. However, I would not have taken the position if I did not think I could handle it.”
“What makes you think you can protect our Empress?” one of the younger ninjas asked, brashly. “From what I can tell, all you got is that gun.”
“Hey, watch it!” Yuffie spat, glaring at her. “That’s Vincent Valentine you are talking to! Show some respect!”
The girl fell to her knees immediately, begging forgiveness. Yuffie rolled her eyes.
With the exception of Shinshuro, she hated it when people did that.
Vincent put a hand to her shoulder to calm her, and before he could blink, most of the ninjas were on him, separating her from him, restraining him, in mere seconds. Again, Shake and Hiroyuki kept back. Shake was clearly repressing a laugh, but with Hiroyuki it was hard to tell – he had fewer facial expressions than Vincent.
Her loyal ninja had Vincent by the throat, the legs, the arms – he was not being choked or twisted in pain, but he could not move. He did not fight back. There were at least five more of them standing between the mess of limbs and Yuffie, and she herself was draped with two others.
“Sheesh,” the Empress finally muttered when everything went still. “You guys have, like, totally proven your point. Now let the man go so that he can tell you a little bit about himself.”
+
When the interrogation was over, they moved to the dojo where the ninja demanded a demonstration of Vincent’s hand-to-hand combat skills.
They were appeased, but it had been a very long time since Vincent had needed to hold back in a fight, let alone step in a dojo. He managed to refrain from leaping to inhuman heights into the air or breaking anyone’s bones. Even with everything that Chaos had stolen when the demon had fled his body, the ninja as individuals were no match for him, though the more experienced ones were frighteningly skilled. Hiroyuki gave him a serious run for his gil, but even he could not overpower or outmaneuver Vincent.
Were they to rush him as a group it would be a different situation. Together, they’d probably be strong enough subdue him… for a time.
Yuffie proceeded to tell them tall tales that were actually closer to the truth than not, about his gauntlet and Chaos and Cerberus, and all “the cool shit I’ve seem him do over the years.” Only a handful of them were even interested in his trusted gun, and he refused to fire it just to convince them of its power.
Vincent learned that the young ninja who had verbally challenged him was named Neeri, and it turned out she was quite special to Hiroyuki. They were standing over to the side of the dojo, watching as Neeri had the dubious honor of a demonstrative weapons-throwing match with Yuffie. While a hand-to-hand combat match was still out of the question – not until the purity test was over, in any case – even with her rusty skills and the fourteen-year-old’s enthusiasm working against the Empress, Neeri had no hope of beating Yuffie.
“You’ll have to forgive my daughter-to-be, Mr. Valentine. She may be young, but she is fiercely devoted to the Empress.”
“There is nothing to forgive. She was well within her rights to be suspicious of me. And it’s just Valentine, or Vincent if you prefer.” He looked at the quiet, intense ninja standing next to him. “You are to be married?”
Hiroyuki’s eyes smiled, because the rest of him sure as hell didn’t.
“We’ve recently decided. Her name is Nadja. She and I have been quite close for a long time. Nadja is a widow, she is a nurse in Wutai hospital, and the daughter of a rancher – if you could call farming chickens and collecting their eggs ranching. He is a very fine gentlemen, successful, but not quite ready to approve of me, especially since his granddaughter has decided to follow in my footsteps when the announcement of her mother’s marriage to me has not been made official yet.”
“So you’re to marry a straightforward, practical woman, and will inherit a headstrong, nearly grown child, along with some family conflict. You have your work cut out for you.” He looked at Neeri then back to Hiroyuki. “My sympathies,” he ground out.
“Do you speak from experience?”
“Of a different sort, but yes.”
“Has this anything to do with the Empress?”
He paused, then said, “No. But she was one of the people that helped me get past it.” Vincent looked back at Yuffie.
The match was over. Yuffie was laughing as she bowed to Neeri, who returned the gesture. “Yuffie is… persuasive,” Vincent finally said, choosing the word with obvious care.
“That is putting it mildly, my friend. By the way,” Hiroyuki gestured to Shake, who was now lecturing both combatants, letting them know all the mistakes they had made. “Has Madam Chekov or Sensei talked to you about public protocol yet?”
Vincent frowned. “No.”
“You have proven your worth to us, but we have also seen that you and the Empress are close. You are good friends, that is clear. You have a history together, whatever it may be. None of the ninja will ever doubt you again, or become combative should they see you touching her as you did earlier today. However…”
“Yes?” Vincent asked. “Any help you have to offer I will accept, Hiro. Please don’t hold back.”
The ninja nodded, taking a breath. “Do not touch her in the public eye. Do not refer to her as ‘Yuffie’ or speak to her casually, or tell her what to do in the public eye. ‘Public’ also includes those not of Wutai, the council, the military and the clergy, or at any royal function that requires your presence. Where others can scrutinize your behavior, and they will, you must maintain respect for her authority over you at all times – while keeping yourself close enough to do your job.”
He nodded. “I will remember.”
“When you are amongst the ninja, or those individuals you know you can trust, or when you are alone with her… that is another story. And, in this dojo, you will find that anything goes.”
Vincent tilted his head at Yuffie, whose short hair was being ruffled by Shake. “Dammit! Quit that, Sensei!” she shouted at him, smacking his hand away and feigning irritation. Neeri giggled at her behind her tiny hand until Yuffie rudely shoved the girl in the shoulder, causing the others around them to laugh.
“You see the difference, Valentine?” The gunslinger smiled faintly as he watched the display. “You will learn very quickly who is friend and who is foe in Wutai.”
“Now it is my turn to ask a question of you, Hiroyuki, if I may.”
“Please.”
“Why didn’t Shake and Chekov get her a bodyguard from within your own ranks? I speak fluently and read the modern dialect of your nation’s language, and Reno has learned to get by in it, and both our defensive skills have already been proven. But to have a native citizen of your land seems preferable over a foreigner for such a task as guarding a royal.”
Hiroyuki nodded. “There was more to the offer than just finding a competent bodyguard. She has been spiraling as of late – slowly, but we have all noticed it. The light had left her eyes, and can you blame her?”
Vincent frowned at the topic. Between Godo’s death, Yuri’s murder and Shinshuro’s aggression, he had been very worried about Yuffie’s state of mind as well – when he was not worrying about her being assassinated.
“Having one of her friends nearby has put the smile back on our leader’s face.” Vincent raised his eyebrows at that, looking back at Yuffie. Hiroyuki lowered his voice and leveled his gaze at the Empress as well, looking every inch the predator when he continued.
“Not to mention the fire is back under her ass.”
+
They skipped lunch when Yuffie insisted on showing him just one more thing before the day was out.
“Yuffie, you need more rest. The nurse said–”
“It stuck, Vinnie, I’m all virginal again.” She looked back at him and rolled her eyes. “I’ll be fine. Besides, this is important.”
Yuffie strolled through a few unused parts of the royal pagoda, with Vincent at her side, and Shake following behind them. They eventually went down a few steps and through a lavish set of glass doors, to enter an area slightly below ground level. It was large, and it looked like it was being used as a sunken indoor garden, though it had seen better days.
She walked across a very overgrown courtyard, decorated with half-crumbling statues of the gods, vines growing haphazardly on their stone bodies. Arbors decorated the enclosure as well, thick wood beams with carved decorations reminiscent of the pagoda itself. At the left corner, the opening to a long pergola invited them in, and just before they walked under it, Vincent noticed birds and lizards were roaming free in the enclosure, and its ceiling was actually the glass of a greenhouse.
She strolled down the alley underneath the pergola, shaded and thick with the scent of frilly purple flowers hanging everywhere. When she came to a small fountain about forty feet in, She turned to her left and right, scanning the length of the pergola in either direction, with Shake doing the same. She scooted behind the fountain and disappeared through a thick curtain of vines.
Vincent looked at Shake, who had his back to him as he was diligently looking in the direction they had just come.
Yuffie’s head popped back into sight through the vines, and she said, “All clear. Let’s go.”
Vincent followed her, with Shake right behind him.
When he emerged from the curtain of vines, he saw Yuffie standing in front of a huge wooden door that looked to be hundreds of yeas old.
“Yes, our royal palace has a secret passage or eighty. Cool, huh?” she quipped.
She stood to one side as Shake began to open the door. It wasn’t locked, but it took some effort, which wasn’t surprising when you saw it was not only large, but very thick. Vincent immediately began to help him, and Shake nodded, but quickly added, “Easy, son, it’s got a wicked kick-back if you push too hard too soon.”
“Least you got told. Damn thing knocked me on my ass the first time I opened it,” Yuffie muttered.
It opened to blackness, and Yuffie strolled right past them and was swallowed up by it.
“Yuffie–!”
He reached for her, getting a gauntlet full of nothing for his troubles. They heard her giggle about fifteen feet in from where they stood, and Shake shook his head.
“Always been quick, that one. Here we go, then,” Shake said, clapping a hand on Vincent’s shoulder and pushing him in. “Walk normal, the ground is level. For now, anyway…”
The Sensei pulled the door closed behind them, and after a loud, echoing thud, they were thrown into total darkness.
“Well, come on kiddo, light ‘em already!” Shake said impatiently. “I’m hungry!”
“Just a dang minute! I’m curious about something… Vincent, can you see anything?”
“No, Yuffie. My human eyes can see even in the dimmest of light, but where there is no light at all, I cannot see.”
“Huh. What about Galian?”
“Yes. He can see heat signatures in situations such as these.”
“You can’t see that stuff through his eyes?”
“Yes, if I transformed,” he said, then when she took a breath to speak again, quickly added, “And no, that won’t be happening.”
You’ll need to tell her why, one day.
I know that, and when the time is right–
“That’s too bad. I haven’t seen you do that in years.”
“Yuffie.” It was Shake who spoke that time, and the irritation in his voice was clear.
A scraping sound was heard, the lighting of a match, then a small flame appeared, illuminating Yuffie’s deceptively angelic face. She lit an oil lamp that was hanging on a metal rod, the rod buried deep in a masonry-carved stone wall. Then she lit another, and another, until the room was flooded with warm, yellow light.
Although to call it a ‘room’ was a generosity. They were in what looked like a very dank basement. There were scraps of metal and wood equipment lying about, and buckets, and rags… and bones.
Vincent raised his eyebrows as he looked further and began to recognize bars, and cells, and torture devices.
Yuffie nodded at Shake, who got a handheld oil lamp down from a shelf, lit it, and gave it to her along with a handful of matchsticks.
“You ready?” She grinned at Vincent, shoving the matchsticks into a pocket in her kosode.
He nodded, completely at a loss for words.
Vincent followed her as she entered a tunnel. He took one look back at Shake, who was yawning as he leaned up against the heavy door with his arms crossed.
“Seeya soon,” he said, entirely too pleased with Vincent’s discomfort.
“Hn.”
+
“Yuffie, are these… dungeons?”
“Vince, keep up. This is a part of the royal pagoda, the Kisaragi clan palace. Wutai has a long and rich history, nearly all of it inappropriate for general audiences, thank you very much.”
She winded through more tunnels, and more rooms. Each time they left one area, it got very dark in a hurry, as there was no visible light except for the stationary lamps that she was firing up along the way, using the lamp and sticks she carried. There was more than one path to choose from, but she knew exactly where she was going, that was clear.
“What about monsters?”
“My people cleared them all out of this place centuries ago. No worries.”
She said ‘duck dude’ now and again, as the labyrinth was clearly not built by someone of his stature. When they passed into yet another room, Yuffie lit the lamp in it and looked over at a particularly nasty piece of torture equipment.
“Yikes, that one still gives me the willies. I had bad dreams about it when I was a kid.” She bristled and kept walking.
“I cannot believe Godo allowed you down here. He must have had a fit when he discovered you were sneaking arou–”
“Sneaking?!” she said sharply, stopping in her tracks and turning to face him. “Allowed? Sheesh, Vinnie, Godo’s the one that brought me down here in the first place. I was eight.”
He gaped, just a little.
“Ah, don’t sweat it,” she said, blowing it off and turning back to her hike. “Besides, wait till you see what’s down here.”
Some five minutes later, the last tunnel eventually gave way to a system of natural caves, not carved by any Wutai stonemason or any other human being. When Vincent asked if the oil lamps were their only means of finding their way back, Yuffie was, of course, completely unperturbed by that fact.
Eventually they came to a large cave, and Yuffie lit the lamp just inside it. The foreign light flooded the open space with a nice, warm glow. A room unto itself, the cave had a high ceiling and a lovely round shape, like a cathedral, with smaller, uneven alcoves punctuating the curved wall. What the alcoves led to, he could not guess, but he smelled oxygen-laden air, as if from a mountaintop, in one of them, and faint salt spray in yet another.
Yuffie walked over to the far side and scanned a section of cave wall before stopping. She turned around to face her bodyguard and smirked at him.
“How are you with memorizing things, Vincent?”
He tilted his head at her.
“I’m fairly decent. Why?”
She nodded. “Cuz this ain’t written down, like, anywhere. C’mere.”
When he was next to her, Yuffie stood facing the cave wall, which to Vincent’s eyes looked completely innocuous.
“Vincent, listen to my instructions and don’t do anything until I tell you to. Okay?”
“I understand, Yuffie.”
“Good,” she grinned. Holding up her lamp, she gestured at the wall with her head. “There’s a man-made circular depression, about two centimeters in diameter, on this section of the wall. Find it.”
She watched as he methodically scanned the wall with his eyes, until he located it. Vincent pointed at it, but did not touch it. She smiled with satisfaction.
Yuffie led him through the details of opening a hidden door in the cave wall. It was fairly simple, considering Wutai was notorious for the export of maddening puzzle boxes. The only tricky part was when his human hand would have gotten utterly crushed in a small fulcrum tunnel if he hadn’t stopped when she told him to, and listened carefully to her instructions before completing the next step.
She’d exhaled, and mentally counted the fingers on Vincent’s hand when it had reappeared. “That part’s always been tough for me because I have small hands. I’ve had a couple close calls, I can tell you,” she said, grinning at him. “It’s a teeny little deterrent, I know, but if you get your paw stuck in there, you’re either lucky enough to have a sharp blade within reach so that you can cut your hand off, or you’ll totally die down here. Slowly. So, if anyone were to find out about this, it would do its job!”
Gears turned and chains cranked from somewhere in the caves, and what appeared to be a lacquered wooden chest slid smoothly into view, creeping up from out of the darkness in the hole they had just opened. There were two doors on the front, with brass latches keeping them closed. Yuffie handed him her lamp, then stepped forward and unlatched the hardware. She looked up at Vincent, grinning.
“Ready?” He nodded. “Here we go. Keep your eyes closed, then open them slowly, okay?”
She closed her own eyes and opened the doors, then stepped back.
Vincent’s eyes had gotten used to the dim light in the cave, so the sudden rush of light surrounding them would have hurt if he hadn’t done as she’d told him to. Slowly, he looked over to see a very large display of materia orbs, their pretty mako colors glowing in the cave.
“Surprise…” she intoned, sounding almost guilty.
He gaped, trying to focus, trying to identify them. It was a dazzling array. Each one was nestled into a perfectly square-shaped recess of more lacquered wood, looking eerily like an antique apothecary with colored light bulbs stuffed into it. There were a few empty recesses, but not many.
“These aren’t Cloud’s… are they?”
She shook her head. “Nope. And not Cid’s, or yours, or anyone else’s either. We hunted, or found, or confiscated, or earned them all, fair and square.”
“We?” he asked, eyeing her.
“Uh huh, we. But with Daddy gone,” she said, “only me and Shake know where it’s at. Well, you too, now.”
“I… I don’t know what to say, Yuffie.”
“Don’t gotta say anything. In fact, you say nothing, ‘cuz this is a secret.”
“So not Father Oleg… or Chekov? Do they know?”
“Oh, they know we have some, in fact all the high priests know. They just don’t know where it is. Look, I love them both, but they get too emotionally invested in the average everyday person’s plight. They’d want to use it for any kind of crisis, and… Well, I’ll get to that.”
He nodded. “How many of them are there?”
“One hundred and nineteen. The only catalogue of which is in my head, so get a good look.”
Vincent paused, looking over the orbs. There was no dust on the shelves. In fact, each orb was set dead center in its compartment, painstakingly so, with no signs of them being recently disturbed.
“You… don’t plan on using any of it, do you?”
“Well, there’s the thing. Since the war ended, the casual use of materia in Wutai pretty much declined to nothing. You remember when Godo finally told me to go hunt it? But I was naïve, even that wasn’t going to help Wutai. When I came home after Meteor, Shake helped me get most of the Cure orbs out, to help with the wounded, but I didn’t touch the rest. There’s only two of those left now – one there, and there,” she pointed to the bottom row.
“Then during all that yucky remnants business,” she crinkled her nose, “Larvae? Seriously? I’m still wrapping my brain around that one… Anyway me and Yuri looked for some sort of new materia hoping to cure people with Geostigma, but that didn’t pan out either. After that, it was usually just bratty kids playing pranks with really low-level stuff, but Godo put a stiff enough penalty on that to slow them down as well. We confiscated all of those and stuck them in here, too… I’ve never seen such grateful parents.”
She sniffed, her expression unreadable. “I was so proud of my dad for holding off Deepground without ever resorting to using these. We decided to stop after that, though. I put the last one in one month after Deepground ended, then we made a pact to just leave it all down here, for the good of Wutai… Godo and Shake, and me, together.”
“Is this why you left so abruptly before I came back? When you left me that note…”
She smiled at him, blushing. “Yeah. I came home because we had to make a decision about this.”
He nodded.
Awww, you brought up the offer. You brought up the offer. Heh…
Vincent blinked, trying to focus.
“Even if I broke the pact – which I will not – using materia now wouldn’t exactly go along with what my people–” she paused, smiling at him briefly, “our people want for Wutai. We can’t start abusing Gaia’s power like that again, not just for better crops and pudgy sheep.”
Vincent frowned in a thoughtful way. “I can see why the three of you elected to not tell Chekov and anyone else how to get to it.”
“Like I said, love her and Oleg dearly, but…”
“Indeed. In any case, Cloud did say to ease up on its use, that the Planet would benefit from it. I cannot say that I don’t agree with him.”
She grinned at him. “Yer thinking about Cerberus though, aren’t you Vinnie? ‘Bout keeping it full of magic?”
He huffed, smiling in the ethereal light of the orbs. “Old habits, Yuffie. I just want to do my job to the best of my ability… I am charged with keeping you safe, after all.”
She smiled at that, looking down at her feet. The cavern was dark and the light from the materia was bathing their skin in hues of blue and green, but he still saw the blush rise in her cheeks.
“I am honored that you’ve entrusted me with this secret. I will put the thought of its use, however practical, out of my mind. It is very tempting, but I understand your feelings. I have one Thunder materia remaining in my possession. I’ll be frugal with it.”
“Thanks, Vinnie. I know it’s hard, but that’s how I want it.”
He nodded at her, then a thought occurred to him. “Oh, and Yuffie?”
“…Yes?”
“Do not steal it. I want it at my disposal, should a situation arise that…”
“I won’t, sheesh!” She bit her lip, trying to keep from smiling, and looked up at him slyly, though he wasn’t facing her. “Yer the one eyeing the Fires up there in the left corner.”
“I’ll not touch them, Empress.”
“Good.”
The desire to tease her was not beneath him, however, and Vincent continued. “I would think the temptation to play with it is even more difficult for you – such a renown materia thief,” he said, a barely-heard lilt in his voice. She looked up at him with an incredulous expression.
“Thief? Hey, listen you,” she said, poking him in the arm, “I don’t use the V-word on you, so you can stop with the T-word.”
“But there is red-handed history on my side – whereas I have never sucked anyone’s blood.”
“You mean you’ve never been caught sucking anyone’s blood,” she muttered, with an evil smirk on her face.
The corner of Vincent’s lips twitched.
“All right. Fine. I’m calling you Emo-insert-noun anytime I want, then, cuz I got tons of history on my side for that,” she blurted, then muttered under her breath, “Emo… bodyguard.”
Vincent smiled softly, increasingly aware that the cloak was packed away with his other things, and with it went his ability to hide his facial expressions easier. He watched Yuffie’s dancing eyes as they returned to gazing at the beautiful orbs.
When caught eyeing materia in her youth, she had resembled a woman of avarice leaning over a jewelry counter. This look…
This was more like respect.
More and more it was sinking in that the Yuffie of Vincent’s past really had grown up. But he was enjoying their banter, so long absent in his life over the past year, and he couldn’t stop himself from extending it just a bit more.
“I’m just being realistic. Materia hunter doesn’t really cut it with you… You were more like an addict.”
Despite the twinkle in her eyes, her teeth worried the inside of her cheek as she pondered his words.
“Addictions can be overcome,” was the only explanation she offered.
She shut the doors, latching them. Yuffie walked him through closing the secret space, and when he was done, it was undetectable.
Yuffie brushed her hands off in a dramatic fashion. “So there ya have it. Wutai’s big secret. Whatever. Let’s mosey.”
As he followed her out, he had to ask her one more question.
“Do you not worry about Shinshuro getting his hands on… on what you didn’t just show me?”
She scowled at the general’s name. “I’d die before I’d tell anyone else about what you didn’t just see. So would Shake and the others. I’m sure I don’t have to worry about you, either.” She tilted her head at him. “Anyhow, I once thought he might have some materia, but turns out Shinshuro hates mysticism, or any use of magic. He’s super-pumped about bringing fossil fuel excavation into Wutai though, which… well, I like electricity as much as the next guy, but to exploit Wutai’s lands on that level – that is just unthinkable. Frankly, I’m more worried about him trying to put guns into the hands of our soldiers.”
Methodically, they made their way out of the caves. Vincent snuffed each lamp they passed while mentally mapping their path, Galian doing the same, until they were through the tunnels, then the dungeons, then back in the room they’d left Shake in.
“Gee, that was fast,” he drawled, still leaning on the big red door.
“Yep.” Yuffie grinned at him, conveying her satisfaction.
“And what did you see, Vincent Valentine?”
“Absolutely nothing. The Empress is a terrible tour guide,” Vincent deadpanned.
Yuffie pursed her lips to keep from laughing, and Shake nodded. “About what I expected to hear. It’s late. Let’s go get some supper.”
+
“Vincent, answer me honestly…”
Vincent had been on the job as Bodyguard to the Empress for nearly a week, being seen with her in public everyday since they had returned from her royal tour of the newly installed ‘Grasslands Farming Co-Ops’. Reeve even had the decency to create a faked edition of the Edge Times, complete with manipulated photographs of her ‘visit’ and a lengthy article, and had it delivered to Her Highness as the “officially published memento of your visit. Enjoy, and do return!”
Vincent had taken Hiroyuki’s advice immediately regarding protocol, but he noticed (and not without some measure of conceit) that Yuffie herself would engage him in conversation in public. He rarely started a conversation with her, but he felt free to answer her. When she did speak to him where others could possibly hear, she was careful to use language not of Wutai, but of Midgar, of Nibelheim. Very few others around them understood what they said to each other – that is, if they even heard the conversation. She also spoke in a manner so hushed it rivaled the citizens of Wutai when they addressed her. Another tactic, but a good one; with his augmented hearing, he could understand her even if only the slightest of hint of breath moved passed her lips.
He returned her inquires with an equally quiet voice, and always in a respectful manner, using the proper titles and parlance even if no one else could hear them. He would not take any chances.
From behind her, he answered, “Yes, Empress?”
“Do you want to be in the room for this?”
He exhaled long before speaking again.
“I do, and I do not, Empress.”
The day of her purity test had finally come. Yuffie was confident that she would pass – she had every faith in Reeve and what the WRO had done for her, even if it had been hush-hush. But she was incredibly annoyed that the laws assuring Shinshuro’s right to ask for this test had not yet been abolished. It was a violation of her privacy not to mention her person. It was degrading, humiliating, sexist, and a host of other nasty words that flooded her fretful mind when she thought about what was about to be done to her.
The right of a man to demand this ‘test’ be performed on his intended bride, Yuffie had decided, would be the first law she’d overturn… even if doing so killed her.
“Explain.”
Vincent frowned as Ginto Shinshuro himself entered the doctor’s office they were waiting in. His red eyes, narrow and hard, followed the General as he walked through the lobby and strolled up to the receptionist’s desk. He listed to the conversation Shinshuro had with the nurse at the front desk, noting with some disgust that the man thought he should be allowed in the examination room during Yuffie’s test, to perhaps even do the inspecting personally. When the nurse simply told him with a very curt voice to have a seat and stop bothering her, Vincent let go the breath he had been holding.
“I want to be there because I do not trust these people to… to examine you respectfully. I do not want to be there because… well, I think that is obvious, yes?”
Yuffie nodded. “Good enough,” she said. “I’d only want to hold your hand through it anyway, which would probably just freak you out.” He had no response to that, and she sighed. “This way you won’t get all awkwardy and you can keep an eye out for Shrimp-shuro,” she quipped bitterly.
“Gladly, Your Highness.”
Yuffie felt warm inside. Only when he spoke to her under his breath and in his own language did Vincent sound so menacingly confident.
When the remaining witnesses finally arrived, the nurse called Yuffie into the back. Vincent remained behind her, giving Shinshuro a glare as he rose from his seat, intending to follow them whether he was invited or not.
“Have a seat, General,” the nurse barked at him as she held the door open for Yuffie and her bodyguard, “your presence is not required.”
“Oh, Madam, I beg to differ.”
The nurse paused, as did Vincent and Yuffie, although Yuffie made a point of not looking back at him. Vincent, however, stared him down.
“Have a seat, General. Do not make me call hospital security.”
Good to see someone else is still on her side.
Vincent continued to watch Shinshuro closely, until he finally got the point and turned back to his seat.
Bodyguard followed Empress to the examination room, which was more like a small surgery than not. He entered the room before her to assure there was no one else in it. He shot an inquiring glance at the nurse, pointing to another door in the back.
“Scrub room. The doctor will enter from there.”
Vincent gestured for Yuffie to enter. The nurse entered after her, and then Vincent shut the door.
“Empress, I am Nadja,” she said, bowing low. “I believe you know my intended, Hiroyuki?” She smiled warmly.
“Yes!” Yuffie’s eyes lit up. “Hey, nice to finally meet you. This is Vincent Valentine, my recently appointed bodyguard and hero to the Planet twice over.”
“Empress…” said hero moaned, looking quite uncomfortable. Nadja extended her hand to him, and he shook it once.
“Nice to meet you as well. Hiro has told me a bit about you since your arrival.” Vincent nodded. “Yes, you are just as stoic as he is.” Yuffie giggled. “Okay, well, just for the record, I think this entire situation is ridiculous,” she said bitterly, rummaging through drawers.
“You and me both, sister.”
“And I have the pleasure of doing it almost twice a month on terrified seventeen year old girls, isn’t that nice?”
The subtext in Nadja’s voice was not lost on Yuffie: get this fucking law abolished already.
“Are you, uh… in on things… here? With this?” Yuffie asked, reluctantly.
“You bet. And you know whose doctor this quack is?”
“Yep.”
“All rightie then. Let’s get you declared a virgin and back out into the sunshine.” Nadja laid out a sanitary liner on the table and then handed Yuffie a freshly laundered patient gown and blanket. “Everything below the waist off, with the opening in the front. Then hop up on the table and sit with your royal bottom directly on the liner, and drape the blanket over your lap. The doctor will enter from the scrub room, and despite the royal circumstances, as a female patient you can have the right that I be here as well, if you like.” Yuffie nodded fast, eyes wide. “That’s fine, Empress. I’ll be asking the others to join us after you have finished dressing.” She smiled at Yuffie sympathetically. “Do you have any questions?”
“Yeah. Who’s gonna be sticking their fingers in me, and who all gets to look?”
Vincent looked positively green.
“The doctor is the only one allowed to touch you, and the only one required to look. However, now that you have requested my presence, I intend to stick my head in while he is poking about to make sure he doesn’t miss anything,” she said pointedly, and Yuffie smiled at her sarcastically, nodding.
“Good to know.”
“It’s the High Priest’s discretion as to whether or not he takes a peek, and the council elders may only do so if you allow it.”
“Which High Priest is officiating?” Vincent asked.
“Father Oleg,” Nadja said, smiling. “Any other questions?”
Yuffie exhaled. “Um. The doc will just open me up and visually check for a hymen, right?”
“Well, before that, he’ll check you for…” she sighed, clearly tired of certain aspects of her job, “vaginal laxity.”
Yuffie’s jaw dropped open. “The doctor’s estimation of how tight I am – that is considered evidence that I’m a virgin? Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Like I said, this is ridiculous.” Looking to Vincent, Nadja said, “Let the folks outside know when the Empress is changed and on the table.” She pat Yuffie’s shoulder, bowed respectfully to her again, and then left the room.
Yuffie looked to Vincent, the misery evident on her face.
“You will pass,” he said, trying to ease her fears. When she didn’t respond, he stepped towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
“I know I’ll pass, I just… Vinnie, this is making me sick. And so angry!” Her words came out in a harsh whisper.
His human hand moved to her cheek, and all he could think about when he looked in her eyes was the atrocious idea that she was ‘okay’ with Ginto Shinshuro forcing himself on her.
‘For the good of Wutai’, she’d said.
“If this doctor does one thing, anything, that you deem inappropriate, call for me and I will shove his arm down his throat. Do you understand?”
She blinked up at him, putting her tears in check. “You’re pissed too, huh?” she whispered.
“I do not have any words left to describe how much this is bothering me, Yuffie.”
He caressed her cheek one last time, then moved to leave her.
“Vincent?”
He turned back.
“Please let in just Father Oleg in when I knock on the door, okay?”
He nodded, saying, “As you wish, Empress,” then smiled at her softly. Vincent stepped back out, shutting the door securely behind him and planting himself in front of it.
As Yuffie began to undress herself, she glanced up at the window on the scrub room door. Seeing no one in there just yet, she changed her clothes in silence. Grabbing the blanket and holding the front of her gown shut, she knocked on the door just once.
Oleg entered quietly, a gentle smile on his face. When the door was shut, he turned to face Yuffie and bowed.
“Empress. You wanted to see me alone, before…?”
“Father Oleg. What I am about to ask you, well… you ain’t gonna like it, and it’s still your choice, but I’m going to have to insist.”
He frowned. “Yuffie, I’ll do whatever you tell me to do. Whatever it is that will help you get through this with as little trauma as possible.”
She nodded. “Good. I need for you to look.”
He tilted his head at her. “Look, child?”
“At my parts. When the doctor does his thing, make sure you watch him, and look as well. The nurse is gonna watch too, but I want you, and your authority, to witness my hymen personally.” She swallowed hard. “I don’t trust him. Hiroyuki told me last week that he is Shinshuro’s personal physician.”
Oleg’s normally open face went stern, and he sighed before answering. “Of course he is.”
She moved to the end of table and looked at him sarcastically. “So you see my concern?”
Oleg gave her a hand up onto the table, then covered up her legs with the blanket. Looking her face over, he smiled at the young woman that he’d known since birth. Her face scrunched up again, fighting tears. He squeezed her hand, still in his own, and spoke quietly.
“I tied and cut your umbilical cord, you know.”
“I know,” she smiled weakly, “Mama told me that after I nearly gave you a heart attack – remember? I was six, scaling up the side of your temple.”
“I was still a novice back then, but your mother selected me to reside over your birth herself. It was as though she knew I was going to look out for you for the rest of my life.”
“And here you are doing just that. Even in this lousy situation.”
He laughed. “You have been the most worthwhile trial I have every experienced, Yuffie.”
He patted her hand, then moved to let the others in. Chekov entered behind the other three council elders, and the one who had been on the fence already looked shaken. Two more men, the remaining High Priests, followed them. They all managed to bow to her in the tight room, and she had to suppress a laugh at how comical her life had become.
Oleg moved to stand in front of Yuffie’s legs before anyone else could take that spot, and Chekov came to her side, nodding at her.
The doctor entered in a flurry, giving her a bad impression right off by acting self-important, blustering as though he had very little time to conduct her exam. The nurse was right behind him and she gave Yuffie a look, rolling her eyes.
“All right people let’s get this over with, I have many other patients to see today,” he barked, snapping on his gloves and tossing his empty hand back over his shoulder so that Nadja could put Yuffie’s chart in it. “Place your feet in the stirrups and spread your knees apart wide if you please.”
Yuffie had been around doctors with no bedside manner before, she knew how that worked. But what bothered her more was the way he was acting like her life did not depend on this one silly little exam.
I know what you are doing, you piece of shit. All right then. Fuck with the rabid chocobo, you get the talons.
The fear left her face and the regal mask slipped into its place. When she did not move, the doctor finally stopped scanning her chart and looked up at her.
“Empress? Feet stirrups knees apart please.”
Yuffie paused a good long while before speaking to him in a cold and quiet manner.
“Who exactly do you think you are? Who is it you think you are addressing?”
The room got very, very quiet.
“I meant no disrespect, Empress, but the fact is I am a very bus–”
“You are to bow when entering a room where We are present. Or did your primary school education delete matters of royal protocol?”
He blinked, five or six times. Yuffie turned to look at Chekov.
“Madam Councilwoman, are We to understand that Our schools no longer teach Our youth proper manners?”
“Not at all, Empress. It is a basic class taught to six year olds. At that age, they are finally coordinated enough to bow or curtsy without falling on their little faces.”
“We see,” she said, icing over and looking back at the doctor. “Then maybe it is just physicians who deem themselves above such things.”
“My apologies, Empress,” he said meekly, bowing. He looked back to see Nadja not following suit. “Bow,” he hissed at her.
“This woman has already bowed before Us. Twice.”
Nadja smirked at her soon-to-be-ex-boss.
I fucking hate you, you jackass, I can’t stand the shit I do for you, and I am so quitting you after today.
“I did not mean to upset you, Your Highness,” he said, still bowing. “I know you must be worried, but–”
“We do not appreciate your assumptions, either. We have no worries regarding passing this test. We are upset because We are absolutely disgusted by this custom.”
“Yes, Empress.”
+
Outside the exam room door, Vincent bit the inside of his cheek to keep from openly smiling. He made a mental note to ask Hiroyuki for some pointers on keeping the emotions off of his face completely –
You’ve gotten lax… too cape-collar dependent, Valentine.
– when he heard Yuffie gasp quietly as the doctor began his first check.
The bones in his human hand creaked as a fist formed involuntarily.
+
“A woman’s vaginal walls are supposed to possess good elasticity, for both child-bearing and sexual enjoyment, no?” Father Oleg paused when the doctor did not respond. “Or so I have read.”
There had been a few brief, rude comments made about the ‘lack of proper tone’ to Yuffie’s muscles, which resulted in her narrowing her eyes and clamping down on the doctor’s fingertips like a snapping turtle.
“Gee. That looked pretty tight to me, Doctor,” Nadja muttered.
“Yes. Well, moving on.”
He barely parted Yuffie’s labia and began his search.
“Wider, perhaps, I think, Doctor,” said Oleg, with an overly-supportive tone.
The physician complied until the proper parts were on display. Yuffie shuddered a bit, though from anger or humiliation, Oleg could not tell.
“Just breathe child. I am sure the Doctor here knows what he is looking for, and will not be much longer.” Oleg could see his jaw muscles working furiously. “Correct?”
“Well, I’m having a bit of trouble locating… Hmm. I am not sure…”
Nadja, ever-practical, pointed towards Yuffie’s privates, slightly shoving her boss aside in the process. “Right there, Doctor, that is her hymen, pink and perfect. Father Oleg, would you care to corroborate?”
“Gladly, child.”
The doctor sighed impatiently and took his time before leaning to the other side, allowing Oleg to see for himself. Oleg leaned in dispassionately and looked at Yuffie’s bits. Then he spoke in a matter of fact tone, directly in the doctor’s ear.
“Although I am a servant of Leviathan and celibate, I have seen more than a few hymen in my day, having presided over many of these unfortunate, outdated exams, so I can attest that what I am seeing before me is definitely female genitals with an intact hymen… Doctor.”
Oleg stepped back. Yuffie exhaled slowly.
The doctor, having had enough, stood up and tore off his gloves making the official announcement to the room that Empress Yuffie is a Virgin as he tossed the gloves into a non-medical waste bin. He pushed the scrub door open much harder than necessary as he left the room.
“You heard him, now get out,” Nadja barked. They all fled the room, Oleg winking at Hiroyuki’s brave fiancé on his way out. Chekov stayed behind.
Yuffie waited until they were gone, searching for a glimpse of Vincent’s eyes before the door shut again.
Chekov smiled at her. “It’s all over,” she whispered to the young woman.
“Thank Gaia,” Yuffie breathed, covering her face with one hand and reaching out to grasp Chekov’s fingers with her other. She exhaled again, shakily.
“It’s all right, Yuffie. You handled the doctor extremely well. Very regal.” When Yuffie’s hand dropped to her collarbone, Chekov reached out and stroked her hair. “Take a moment. Relax. Compose yourself. Then get dressed and come out, all right?”
The girl nodded, eyes still closed.
“We won, right?”
“Yes, we won. Absolutely,” Chekov answered.
+
Yuffie did as Chekov suggested, and twenty minutes later she was calm and dressed and ready to go back home to the pagoda. She wanted a very hot bath in a very bad way. As she looked her face over in a mirror, it dawned on her that there were a lot of people she had to thank for today, certainly, but only one of them had been the one to save her, and he was standing just outside the door.
She smiled, nodded at her reflection, and grabbed her coat from off a hook next to the scrub room door. Just as she reached up, the swinging scrub door opened, and another, larger hand shot out to wrap around her wrist.
Ninjas don’t scream like babies, her training kicked in. They wait for the right opportunity.
Ginto Shinshuro stood in the doorway to the vacated scrub room and stared down at her surprised face.
“You passed,” he whispered, his words like cold water in a pipe.
Without warning, he twisted her body around and pulled her into the scrub room, quietly pushing the front of her torso up against the wall while applying pressure to her back with his other hand. His hands felt like bands of steel.
“You’ll still give me the crown.”
“I will not–”
Yuffie inhaled sharply when he twisted her arm in a direction it wasn’t meant to go.
She gasped again when Vincent Valentine’s human hand closed around Shinshuro’s throat, quick and sharp like the strike of a snake. When he dragged the General backwards towards the opposite side of the room, Yuffie turned and righted herself. Old friends looked at each other, and she nodded stiffly, silently conveying I’m not hurt.
“How did you…?”
“I heard you gasp. Again.”
Yuffie was not able to hide her smile. After a beat, Vincent’s eyes slid back to the general.
Shoot him. Shoot him shoot him shoot him shoot him shoot him–
“Vincent, don’t kill him,” Yuffie pleaded, “…not just yet.”
As qualifiers go, it didn’t completely repress Galian’s rage, but it helped. The beast liked to tear things apart when angered, true, and Vincent even had the right to kill Shinshuro for touching her… but even Galian had the intelligence to recognize a political move when he saw one. Vincent sighed hard, blinking just once, further quieting the alien life within. He had not yet begun to squeeze, because he wanted to make sure Shinshuro listened to his next words.
"Let me make this clear. Touch her, in any way, ever again, and you die."
“You can’t do tha–”
At that, Vincent squeezed, and Shinshuro sputtered as he turned pink.
He pushed Shinshuro hard up against the wall of the scrub room, shoving at his chest with the gauntlet. He was lifted off his feet momentarily as sharp, golden tips pierced the wool jacket and silk shirt of his uniform, dangerously close to puncturing the skin on the General’s chest.
Just then, Nadja opened the door to the scrub room and leaned in, a box of personal things under one arm. She took in what was happening, and then paused. Over-qualified nurse looked at Bodyguard, who was looking back at her. The General continued to sputter, and his face was now beet red.
“Huh. I wondered where he went.” Nadja turned to Yuffie, smiling. “It was good to meet you, Empress.” The nurse shouldered her bag, nodded at Vincent and shut the door behind her.
Tighten your hand, Valentine.
Vincent turned back to Shinshuro and smiled darkly, obliging Galian for once. He squeezed the man’s throat just a touch more, conveying his message far better than any spoken words ever could: I can kill you, and right now.
He released Shinshuro and watched while the General slid down the wall and grabbed at the edge of a scrub sink, gasping for air. When he finally slid to the floor in an undignified pile, Vincent was satisfied that the man was not going to be stupid enough to retaliate. He turned and nodded, gesturing to Yuffie that it was time to leave.
As Yuffie stormed out of the hospital, Vincent maintained his bodyguard position exactly three feet behind her. He scanned the area to confirm there were no other ears and eyes nearby, and chose his words carefully, seeking to calm her down.
“I admire your gait, Empress. Very regal and composed.”
She paused, then slowed, clearing her throat. She took a deep breath and resumed her stride – slower, confident, relaxed. Regal.
“Are you all right?” he asked quietly.
“Perfectly fine, thanks to you. But you should’ve disobeyed me and snapped his fucking neck,” Yuffie muttered disgustedly, knowing full well that it had never been an option. Vincent simply huffed in amusement.
I love her. I just do.
Sorry, Galian, but she’s ta…
Wait – was that an admission? From you?
He didn’t elaborate on what he almost said to Galian.
“One day, Empress, I may do just that.”
+
Vincent followed Yuffie all the way up to her room, nodding to the ninja guarding her door. He entered her room, checked it over, and then went to leave. He meant to give her some privacy and wished her a good night, but she objected.
“Stay, please? Neither of us have eaten since breakfast, and I threw that up, remember? Have supper with me. They’ll bring it up.”
“Are you… sure?”
She scoffed. “Of course I am,” she said, all bravado and blowing it off again, but her voice sounded funny to his ears, so in tune to it after all these years. “Go get some paper and a pen from my desk,” she said, sitting on her bed and removing her shoes with a long sigh. “One of the guards can run the order down to the kitchens.” He obliged her, and sat down to write the order at the desk. “That’ll need to be in Wutai script, Vince.”
“I can handle it, Empress,” he returned, and there was that friendly fire in his voice again.
She froze. Listening to the sound of his voice, so comfortable with her when they were alone, it was like a brick had fallen on her head, and she started to shake.
She wasn’t even destined to have a marriage based on friendship, let alone love. She would have to be content with small conversations, when they were free to speak their minds with each other.
It would be infrequent, at best.
She inhaled sharply, then whimpered.
Vincent dropped the pen and went to her immediately, kneeling before her as she sat on her big bed. She looked so small, very much like a frightened young girl.
She’s only twenty-three and in charge of a nation. She’s allowed to be a frightened young girl.
“I can’t–” she started, then leaned over, her face buried in her palms. “I can’t do this, Vincent! It’s too much,” she wailed. “Gods, I’m sorry, I can’t–”
“Yuffie, it’s all right. Please don’t cry. You have many people surrounding you that you can trust, and Wutai’s people–”
“No. That isn’t why I’m upset,” she blurted, wiping her tears away. “Being Empress is hard, and Leviathan knows it’s only going to get tougher everyday. But I can handle that. I can. I will,” she stated emphatically.
He nodded. “Yes, you will. You are off to a great start.” When she went to wipe her eyes off again with her hands, he pushed them away gently and offered her a silk hankie from somewhere within his kosode.
“Pockets,” she blubbered, wiping her face with the soft cloth, noting it was the same red shade as his under-kosode. “Useful, aren’t they?”
“Yes. Stop changing the subject. Was it the purity test? Because you have every right to be crying your eyes out over that.”
“That sucked. That really sucked.” She hiccupped.
“Yes, and it’s over. And I heard you hand that doctor his hat. I was very proud of you.” She avoided his eyes, and he noticed. “That’s still not it though, is it?”
She shook her head. He waited. Finally, she got it out.
“I can’t marry him, I can’t do this I can’t–” she nearly shrieked. Vincent did the first thing that came to mind. He grabbed her, pulling her off the bed and into his arms, holding her tight against his chest. She proceeded to cry her eyes out on his shoulder, holding on to him for dear life.
“I know I said I’d do anything for Wutai, but…”
“Nonsense. But not marrying him, you are doing everything for Wutai. No one wants this marriage, no one, except for the Movement, and that is only because they want control of the country.” He stroked the back of her head, and stood up, lifting her into his arms and taking her with him. He carried her to one of the chairs by the fireplace. After setting her down gently, he stared at her for a moment, the he went to the ninjas on guard outside her door.
When he came back, he put a blanket over her shoulders and got her a glass of water.
“What did you tell them?”
Looking at her tear-streaked face, it was difficult to look away. He busied himself with starting a fire in her fireplace while they talked.
“I sent a ninja to fetch your closest associates. One of them needs to find a way to call off this marriage. You must not be made to go through with it Yuffie. I am certain your father would never have allowed it to come to pass, were he still with us.”
+
“But, the council–”
“The council does not hold sway over Wutai marriage laws.” Oleg’s voice was laced with authority, a voice he did not use too often. “I, however, do.”
Oleg, Chekov, Shake and Hiroyuki were conversing in Yuffie’s room no less than fifteen minutes after Vincent had sent a ninja runner to get them.
“They voted in favor of a proclamation for me to marry Shinshuro because I wasn’t making plans to marry fast enough. Don’t I have to?”
“Not if you are already married to someone else,” he said, this time tenderly. “They only managed to throw that at you because you hadn’t already found someone yourself. That’s all there is to it, Yuffie. Get married. The sooner the better. Tonight, if possible.”
“But, who–”
“I’ll do it.”
Oddly, the only one in the room who was surprised was Yuffie herself.
“That’s very noble of you Vincent. But the entire country knows you are not Wutai. If you had offered sooner, before your face had become so familiar…”
As Chekov’s voice trailed off, Yuffie could not help the I-told-you-so glare that she leveled at Vincent.
Déjà vu, Valentine?
Shut the fuck up, Galian.
The next voice that chimed in was so quiet, he didn’t hear it over Galian’s laughter.
“What did you say, Hiro?” Shake asked, incredulous.
“I said, I’ll do it.”
“Excellent idea, Hiro, just excellent,” Oleg said, clapping him on the back. The High Priest sat down opposite Yuffie in the other comfy chair, and poured himself some tea.
“Yes, this could work very well in our favor. Hiroyuki’s family goes back many generations unbroken, he is quite the pure Wutai. He is a prominent fixture among our ninja. He is loyal to the throne, devoted to his country, and very handsome to boot.”
Hiroyuki nodded at Chekov, not even blinking. “Thank you, Madam.”
“Not at all. The people will love this union.”
Vincent couldn’t disagree with any of it, but the fact that he’d lost his only chance was sinking in rapidly.
Told you so.
He exhaled, right before Yuffie started yelling.
“Hold on, hold on! What about Nadja?”
“Do not worry yourself, Empress. Nadja and I will still have the life we planned.”
“She’ll be considered a concubine, that is all,” Oleg said casually.
“That isn’t fair to her–”
“With all due respect, Empress, I know her better that you do. Once she hears why, she will not object.”
They all looked to Oleg for confirmation. He shrugged, “That’s totally within Wutai law. You can both have as many concubines as you’d like, just as long as Yuffie produces an heir one day–” The entire room took a deep breath to start responding to that one, but Oleg put up a hand and continued, “and we will cross that bridge when we get to it. One crisis at a time. Everyone just relax.”
“Hiro, what will you say to Neeri? She’s just a kid, and she’s going to be pretty upset with you,” Shake asked.
“I’ll tell her that Empress Yuffie wants her to be the flower girl for her royal wedding, and that she’ll get to live in the palace afterwards. As to the rest… Neeri is ninja. She can keep a secret.”
Chekov nodded. “In fact, we can even get this done tonight, it doesn’t have to be a headache. All we need is the right witnesses–”
Yuffie shouted, “Whoa, whoa! No way. The villagers will be hurt if we do this so sneakily. I won’t disappoint them now.”
“What do you propose?” Vincent finally joined the conversation.
“Let’s wait till tomorrow morning, at least. Have several of the ninja put word out to the villagers tonight that my marriage will take place tomorrow morning, early, and they are to keep quiet about it and just show up, preferably with a covered dish, ready to party their asses off.”
“And what do we tell the council, and Shiunshuro, when they storm the ceremony during the have-you-any-objections part?” Shake asked.
“We tell them…” Yuffie started, then frowned and sat back down.
Chekov spoke up. “I tell them, that you and Hiroyuki have been engaged for over a year now, and how dare the council expect to be privy to the Empress’ very personal business anyway thank you very much, and that Yuffie went ahead with the purity exam just for kicks, because oh, ha ha, we all know how spontaneous Kisaragi Yuffie can be, and then the two of them decided that today was the day, and hee hee hee who could say no to a devastatingly handsome man like Hiroyuki blah blah blah.”
They all stared at Chekov, who simply shrugged.
“So. I suppose you’ll wanna be crowned Emperor after, huh Hiro?”
He face remained impassive. “Not a chance in Hades, Your Highness.” He bowed, kissing her knuckles. “I am honored to protect the Kisaragi line in any way I can, even if it means becoming your husband. But I’ll only do so if I can remain subject to you, as…”
Hiroyuki looked to Oleg for the answer, and so did everyone else.
“Ah, yes… It’s entirely Yuffie’s decision as to whether or not she puts the crown on her husband’s head or not. If not, you will simply be given the title Prince Hiroyuki, Defender of the Crown.”
“Acceptable. Wutai is, and will remain, all yours, my Empress.”
“Nifty. Oh… by the way Hiro, inform Nadja that she is to report to me in private right after the ceremony so that I can inform her of her new duties.”
“Empress?”
“Administrator of the Royal Medical Center.”
“Yuffie, we do not have a medical facility in the palace,” Chekov corrected.
“We do now. And Nadja’s gonna staff it, then run it.”
Hiro tried very hard not to smile, and he almost failed.
“Excellent. After what happened she quit her job today. She will not disappointment in her service to you, Empress.”
“Of that I have no doubt.”
Oleg stood up, clapping his hands together happily. “Good, that’s all settled then!” He grinned at them all, then looked down at Yuffie, stroking the top of her head with his palm. “Empress, you look exhausted, please get a good night’s sleep. You’ll want to look stunning for your wedding photos tomorrow. Madam Chekov, Shake, Hiro, I believe we have a wedding to plan. Let’s put on the kettle and call in some favors.”
+
Yuffie sagged in her chair, sipping some herbal tea while Vincent stoked the fire.
Right after Oleg and his posse left, she went to take a bath to try and soak away the memory of unwanted hands touching her. Vincent stayed in her room, and ordered her some supper from the kitchens.
When she exited the bath, she looked much better, but still very tired. They ate together in companionable silence, mostly because they were both starving and their mouths were full of delicious food.
Now they were having tea, and discussing the long, strange week they had been through together.
“I know it’s fighting fire with fire and all that, but I feel like I’m battling deceit with lies,” she said, swallowing a sip. She sounded weak, and Vincent was sure sleep was not far off. “I’d prefer a straight up fist-fight at this point. Can’t that be made into a law? When two prominent parties cannot come to an agreement, they enter the dojo and kick the crap out of each other, and last party standing wins?”
“Hn. That’s not very different than what you and I have already experienced in Avalanche over the years, Yuffie.”
“Hell, if it ain’t broke, all that.”
“Yes. As trying as they were, I miss the old days sometimes.”
They fell silent again, and she yawned. Her eyes drooped, and she sank a bit lower into her chair, gazing at the embers in the fireplace. Her eyes closed for just a moment, and when she opened them again, startled, Vincent was removing the cup and saucer from her hands before they could fall.
“To bed with you, Empress Kisaragi,” he said quietly, and gave her a hand up.
She walked him to her door, linking her arm in his.
“So…thank you for…”
Yuffie lowered her head, looking at her feet, sounding miserable.
Vincent reached out with his human hand, and cupped Yuffie’s chin. He tilted gently, getting her to look him in the eyes. When his thumb stroked across her cheekbone, wiping away some perspiration from the hot fire, she relaxed and smiled up at him.
“You do not need thank me for what happened. I am grateful that you trusted me enough to express your own feelings on the matter honestly. No matter how you thought this might have gone, allowing Shinshuro to consummate the marriage to you was and always will be out of the question. And even if the union did remain solely on paper, I have been struggling with the thought of you being trapped in this loveless marriage. Then when he threatened you today, I nearly…”
She closed her eyes again, leaning into his palm. For a moment he thought she was going to start crying again, but she held it together.
“After seeing the level of your distress tonight, there is no way I could have allowed the union to take place, Yuffie.”
“What would you have done, then, if there hadn’t been a legally acceptable solution, Vincent?”
He removed his hand, reluctantly, and weighed his words before saying them out loud.
“I’d already made a contingency plan to drag you out of Wutai, kicking and screaming if need be,” he said, looking down.
“A plan, behind your Empress’ back, Valentine? Tsk, tsk,” she teased. “And just where were you going to take me?”
“To some remote place where no one would ever find you.”
“Us.”
He paused. “Pardon?”
“Us. Where no one would find us.”
Vincent smiled that imperceptible little smile.
“Yes.”

+

tbc

+
++++++++ notes ++++++++
If you read it, **please** review it. Thanks!
- 6
- 7
- 8
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Empress & Concubine