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Chapter Text

In Gaia, the Inked Ones were once glorified and hailed as the saviours in times of hardship and great trial. Legend held that those graced with the words of destiny inked into their skin, bound to another soul by the power of the bond, were of a special kind: great prowess in battle, uncanny magical abilities, an aptness in strategic thinking and sometimes even the power to transform. It was thus no wonder that many emperors and empresses in Gaian history had been Inked Ones, destined to achieve greatness, always wise and kind rulers. They had built kingdoms of peace and prosperity, their aspirations full of love for humanity and the good of the planet.

However, as the centuries passed, the phenomenon of the Inked Ones began to fade away. Fewer and fewer of them were born, as if destiny had decided that for once, it was not in need of faithful servants and protectors of the planet. Soon enough, they became feared by the new rulers of Gaia as they saw them as a threat to their newly built dynasties, reliant only on the strength of military and political negotiations. All of the good that the Inked Ones had originally brought to Gaia slipped into obliviousness, and bounty hunter guilds emerged to succumb to the selfish wishes of the rulers to keep them save from the Inked Ones. Especially in the younger regions of the worlds, the regard for the legends and stories of them had turned into distaste and fear, a frightful concoction of emotions that had led to Inked Ones being hunted down and burned at stakes for their abilities. The people came to fear what they did not know, and thus being caught with inked words around the wrist in an uncareful moment often related to either an untimely death, or if they became lucky, life-long exile.

It was therefore not surprising that when the daughter of Wutai's emperor was born with dark, black letters inked beautifully into her tender skin like an ancient work of art , he quickly sent everybody away to consult with his wife about this grave occurrence. With Wutai being one of the old regions of the world where the legends of the Inked Ones were still honoured, the matter was not entirely unappreciated. However, both the emperor and the empress knew that being an Inked One, and even if they did belong to the royal family, would face a life of hardship and danger if they were ever to be found out. The bounty hunter guilds did not shy away from anything, and thus even royal blood would not be protection enough. With heavy hearts, the pair decided that it would be best for their daughter Yuffie to grow up hidden away from the world in the depths and walls of the palace until she was old enough to understand what it meant to be an Inked One and to follow the call of her destiny. It was therefore announced that the royal princess Yuffie had been born with a rare disease which didn’t permit her to leave the palace. Only the closest advisors of the Wutain emperor were privy to this secret, with an oath on their life to never let the true identity of the princess be known.

Thus, Yuffie grew up in the confines of the palace, and she grew into a skilful and enthusiastic young woman, with the temperament of a tornado and the passion of a burning flame. Her heart was kind and full of love for the people around her and the world – but it also held great sorrow for the path destiny had carved out for her to follow, since there was nothing she would rather do than to go out and explore the world. She had understood, however, why her parents had decided to lock her away. She had tried to find out everything about the Inked Ones that she possibly could, but a lot was still left in the dark. She also could not understand why people would hate them so much – to her, she was not different than the rest of the people around her. As her mother had said, though, this might be due to the fact that her bond had not awakened yet. Even though no one knew for sure, it was supposed that the powers within an Inked One would awaken at some point in time, and then the letters on their wrists would finally make sense.                                                                   

For Yuffie, however, the beautiful letters around her right wrist did not make sense at all yet. She had spent hours, even days of her life trying to make sense of them, but every time she looked too close, they would seem to blur and fade out of her vision. All she wanted to desperately know was what destiny wanted her to do – she was ready for it! Then maybe it would finally be the time for her to leave the palace, to achieve the purpose that she was apparently sent here for. But as things stood, nothing had happened in the past 18 years, except for her training to be an excellent ninja, a master of materia and an expert of stealth. And trying not to die due to boredom.

But above all, Yuffie was also curious about the soulmate thing tied to the legends of the Inked Ones. The indications on this matter were as vague as the rest of the stories, but some of them had said that an Inked One was also bound to another, like a soul that was split into two parts. Thus, they would always find each other, and their strength would multiply when they stood together in battle. Yuffie thought that was a pretty neat idea – maybe she would have an awesome partner and they would totally rule in battle and smash all of their opponents (whoever they would be)! Well, at least these kind of thoughts and daydreams helped her through her days of training, studying books and politics as per the wish of her father and trying to prank the palace staff without getting caught.

Little did Yuffie know that these late summer days would be the last of peaceful days for quite a while.

In a cave not far from Cosmo Canyon, its entrance hidden from the untrained eye by bouts of wild ivy, cerulean eyes shot open. The darkness of a moonless night gave no way to any source of light except the eerie green glow blazing from formerly blue eyes. At his side, a figure rose, awakened by the sudden movement.

“Cloud, what do you see?” the dark-haired man asked, gaze sliding over his companion who sat rigidly, eyes glowing brightly, but not seeing. His mind and attention were elsewhere, and everything the other could do was to wait for his soul to return to the cave.

From the other end of the cave, two other figures emerged, sure footing even in the darkest of nights as the cave was the only home they knew. Both of them quietly sat down in front of the others, legs crossed in awaiting patience.

“Zack, how long has he been gone?” one of the women asked, retying the ribbon in her auburn hair.

“I’m not quite sure, roughly five minutes I’d say … he’s usually back by now. Seems like there’s something important happening!” The women nodded in acknowledgement. Some time passed without anyone wanting to interrupt the magic thick in the air, before suddenly, the green blaze in the eyes of the blond disappeared and he slumped down.

“Hey Cloud! What happened?” The dark-haired man supported his partner with one arm and helped him to sit against the wall of the cave. The breaths of the blond came ragged, his eyelids tightly shut as if in pain. The woman with the auburn hair reached forward to touch his forehead, a green glow emanating from her hand. Immediately, his eyes relaxed, and a few moments later Cloud opened his eyes, still a little disoriented.

He noticed three pairs of curious eyes staring at him, and he huffed in amusement. It seemed like he had trained them well to not bother him with questions directly after he had seen, but their curiosity was palpable. He cleared his throat and thought back at his vision, willing the details to stay within his mind. “There is another one of us … her Calling is close. We need to get to her though, before he does. The white serpent is on it’s way to Wutai, and he will sense her presence if he’s there before we can get to her.” Cloud’s blue eyes flickered over to Zack. “Zack, you must go, and you must go quickly. We have a week, if not less, to get to her – and if we don’t, she might be done for. You’re the fastest one of us, and you can carry her.”

Aerith cleared her throat and locked eyes with Cloud. “Doesn’t that mean she’s Vincent’s …? Why don’t we send him? He might be even faster than Zack if he doesn’t need to take the roads –“

“We can’t send him”, Cloud interjected, shaking his head. “Something tells me that his state is too volatile right now. Also, I don’t think he will take the message well, knowing that her Calling is near .. you know him. Let’s handle this ourselves.

“You’re right”, Zack agreed, getting up and wiping imaginary dust from his dark pants. “As per usual, I am our best option to get the job done!” He grinned and gave the others a thumbs up. “Since we’re already up and about, I’ll get started immediately. The trip to Wutai will take me a while, and I can make good use of the cover the night provides. Cloud, where will I find her?”

Cloud looked at him and smiled. “In the palace, Zack. Seems like we’re getting ourselves a royal addition.” Aerith and Tifa cheered to that, while Zack grinned as he fastened his buster sword at the back of his harness. “Guess I’ll better be on time then to save the princess”, he chuckled. Zack stepped over to run his hand fondly through Cloud’s blond locks while the other leaned into the familiar touch. “Be safe?”, he asked quietly, and Zack smiled and nodded. “Always. Be my eyes, Cloud”, and with a kiss on his head, he left the cave.

Breathing in the crisp night air, Zack looked up at the sky and did some squats to get his blood pumping for the long journey he had in front of him. To be honest, it had been quite a while since he had last travelled for such a long route, and his legs almost twitched in anticipation. He loved running. And what better purpose to go and save one of their own! Right as he turned to make a start in the direction of Wutai, he heard a loud roar in the distance and the tell-tale smash of trees breaking under brute force. Zack laughed nervously and ran his hand through his thick black locks. “I guess I get what Cloud meant with Vince not being in the right state of mind …”

And with this, he turned on his heels and became one with the darkness.

The last few days had been shaken with thunderstorms and heavy rain. In Wutai, this was normal weather for the late summer, as the water god Leviathan seemed to answer their prayers for a bountiful harvest in fall. Yuffie had always loved the storms, her eyes following the path of the lightning curiously and wondering where they made impact with the earth. In this particular night, she had stayed up longer than usual, her mind far away from the thought of sleep.

Something lurked at the edges of her mind, a darkness that felt strangely familiar, but nevertheless out of reach. There were whispers in the back of her head that she could not understand, words that escaped her grasp the moment she concentrated on them. To ease her mind of these weird feelings, Yuffie had gone out to the gardens in the back of the palace, throwing her shuriken at the practice dummies hidden in various places across the courtyard. She had caught a dry period in this starless night, but the scent of rain was heavy in the night air. Sweat began to form on her brow from the exertion as she moved to practice with her Conformer, perfecting the deadly dance of Wutai’s old military tradition. Just in the moment she caught her weapon safely in her hand again, the world suddenly began to spin.

With an ear-splitting sound, the dark sky was alight by the biggest lightning Yuffie had seen in her entire life. She screamed, surprised by the force of nature, before she felt a sudden pain in her right wrist. With wide eyes, she looked down and saw the letters on her wrist jumbling, disappearing and reappearing, like an intricate dance that only they seemed to know. And then, suddenly, they were gone, and Yuffie gaped – before the letters started to appear again, one after the other, accompanied by a searing pain as if they were burned into her skin. Yuffie clutched her right arm close to herself and hissed, sinking onto her knees under the pain. What on Gaia was happening with her wrist?

It seemed to last an eternity, and then the pain subsided, while the sky opened its gates and cool rain began to pour down. The cool wet was welcome to Yuffie, who only now started to slowly open her brown eyes again. What had happened? Had she only dreamed all of this? But as she rose her wrist to her face, her breath hitched. The letters on her skin, in a beautiful and elegant font, were legible, for the first time in her entire life. “Boundless Chaos, Endless Freedom ..” She trailed the letters with her fingers and sighed in wonder. What did this mean? Wasn’t this supposed to be the description of her destiny? She had kind of hoped for something more concrete, something like “Go out and save the world” or something, but this? It seemed like destiny was fond of riddles or something. Of course it would be.

As Yuffie made to get up from the ground, she felt something jolt through the back of her mind. She could feel the darkness again, more insistent as before, the shadow of a foreign presence in her thoughts. Finally … a dark laughter roared through her head, and Yuffie felt her heart enclosed in a cold grip. She gasped and clutched at her chest, unable to breathe. She wanted to cry out for help, wanted somebody to come and save her from this something that attacked her, but before she could finish the thought, the feeling was suddenly gone.

Quickly, Yuffie scrambled to her feet and dashed towards the palace. She needed to get away from whatever had happened outside in the courtyard. Maybe this had only been a bad dream, maybe she was still dreaming .. A look down at her wrist told her otherwise. Within the blink of an eye, she reached her quarters and slammed the door behind her, leaning against it in an effort to catch her breath. She was just focusing on getting enough air back into her body, as suddenly, a bright lightning outside illuminated the room and a tall person standing in the middle of it. Yuffie shrieked and instinctively threw one of her knives at the intruder, not having time to think about her reactions.

She heard the knife clatter to the ground, the darkness once again embracing the room and the figures within. “Oh whoa princess, hold on! I’m not here to hurt you! I’m here to protect you.”

With a quickly whispered fire-spell, Yuffie lit up her bedroom and stared at the intruder. He was holding his arms out in front of him in a offering of peace, but nevertheless he was an imposing figure, with a broad build, shaggy black hair and a huge sword strapped to his back.

“Who are you?”, Yuffie asked suspiciously, her eyes never leaving the man. He would be dumb to underestimate her, and she would not hesitate to break his bones if he wanted to hurt her. But the man just laughed sheepishly and lowered his hands. “I’m Zack”, he answered her question, and slowly began to remove the glove of his right hand. As he raised his now bare hand again for Yuffie to see, she felt her breath halt. “And I am just like you.”

Chapter Text

Yuffie stared the the black letters around Zack’s wrist in stunned awe, before she sprung into motion and closed the gap between them, all suspicion lost in the revelation that finally, she had found someone who shared her fate. Finally, she was not alone anymore. She extended her right hand to touch the black and intricate letters, but just before she made contact with his skin, she remembered her manners. With an embarrassed blush, she raised her eyes to meet amused blue ones. “Ehm … may I?”

Zack smiled and nodded. “Go ahead. I’m probably the first Inked One you have ever met besides yourself. I understand if you’re curious.” His voice was gentle, and Yuffie felt encouraged enough to continue with her motion and finally touched the skin on the other man’s wrist. The skin didn’t really feel any different, still smooth and cool, just like her own. She did not know what she had actually expected, but just touching the mark that made this other human being share the same call of destiny on this planet gave her an eerie peace of mind. Yuffie cocked her head a little to read the entirety of the inked words. “Guarding Vision, Protective Honor. Weird … seems like destiny also chose not to be very specific with you, am I right?”

Zack laughed and shook his head. “You could say it like that. To be honest, you’ll learn that destiny is all about that vague stuff. It’s honestly quite annoying most of the time, but what can we do? Gotta make sense of it somehow.” Yuffie grinned up at the man and took a step back to extend her hand in a more formal gesture. “I’m Yuffie, by the way. Though I guess you somehow already know. How did you find me? And why are you here? Just before you came something really weird happened outside in the courtyard and this really threw me off guard, so your timing is actually amazing ..”

As Yuffie continued to blubber on, Zack felt a familiar presence in his mind. Zack, you need to take her and leave, now. He’s on his way and won’t be long. We’ll be waiting for you. Zack’s blue eyes narrowed and with a gesture he interrupted Yuffie’s talking. “I’m really sorry princess, but we have to go. Now. I’ll explain it to you later, but right now, we’re running out of time. I must ask you to trust me on this, but if we stay, we’ll be in grave danger.”

Yuffie looked at the other, perplexed. In danger? What did he mean? She didn’t quite understand the urgency, but somehow, she did not feel wary in the slightest. The instant kinship established by the inked words on their skin had removed every doubt she had ever had about Zack only wanting to protect her, and she knew instinctively that going with him was important. Also, she was finally ready to leave this place that she had been confined to these past 18 years. Of course she would miss her parents, but she itched to get out and learn everything about her fate, as apparently, she really was not alone in this. “Can I quickly say goodbye to my parents? Then we can be on our way”. When Zack nodded, she quickly grabbed her Conformer and her bag of mastered materia and essential stuff she usually carried around, and with her hand she signaled Zack to follow her. The way to her parents’ room was quick, and Yuffie entered after a quick nock on the door, knowing that her parents would feel her presence and not be alarmed.

She was surprised to see them still up, both of them kneeling on the ground in the traditional pose of a prayer to Leviathan. “Ma, Pops – I will need to leave.” Yuffie was proud of her voice remaining calm, though her legs were trembling. She was ready to leave, she really was,  but leaving her parents behind was still a difficult decision. Her mother opened her eyes and her arms alike, encircling Yuffie in a gentle hug as she moved closer. “My dear, strong, wonderful daughter”, she said, “we felt the planet calling out for you. You have felt it too, haven’t you?”

In her arms, Yuffie nodded and raised her right wrist for her parents to see. They silently read the words, before they exchanged a glance and both of them hugged their daughter close. “We can’t keep you here, as destiny does require you to do your part. But do not forget, Yuffie – you are the single White Rose of Wutai. Remember your strength, have courage and faith, and everything will go well. We love you, daughter of Leviathan, and we will meet again. Never forget that we love you.”

“I love you, too”, Yuffie murmured and tried to keep her tears to herself. “I’ll be strong, and I will come back”, she promised. And with a last kiss on her parents’ cheeks, she turned and whispered “I’ll make you proud, just you see!”, before she smiled at them and left the room. Zack looked at her knowingly and patted her head. “It’s always hard to say goodbye to your loved ones. But we’ll take care of you, too, promise – just like family.” Yuffie laughed through her tears and as she followed Zack to the outside of the palace, she could feel excitement slowly superseding the grave feeling of farewell.

Once they reached the back of the palace through a hidden pathway, the night was still pitch black around them. “Where do we actually go?”, Yuffie asked, curious to see how they would travel. “We go to meet the others, near Cosmo Canyon”, Zack answered, righting the huge sword at his back. “The others …?” Yuffie remarked, her pulse picking up a beat. Did this mean …? Zack seemed to feel her excitement, and he smiled down at her. “Yes, the others. There are actually eight other Inked Ones besides us. You’re actually the last of us to complete the circle. But now hold on – you’ll learn everything about it once we’re there, but we have to move fast. Just please, don’t be scared at what you see, ok?”

 Yuffie puffed out her chest. “Afraid? Me? It seems like you really know nothing of Yuffie, the White Rose of Wutai and the most remarkable ninja you’ll ever encounter! There are countless stories about my fearlessness, let me start with the one where I …” But her tale was interrupted by a sudden feral growl and the weirdest thing that Yuffie had seen in her entire life. Right in front of her, Zack was growing a black snout and a bushy tail, just as fur began sprouting on his arms and legs. Yuffie shrieked in surprise as she watched Zack fall onto all fours, but where his hands and feet had been, paws had come to replace them. And as she blinked again, there was no human Zack anymore – just a huge, black wolf with the same blue, piercing eyes as Zack.

“What the hell?!” Yuffie exclaimed, startled into shock by what she had just witnessed. “Zack, is that you?” The wolf seemed to grin at her and he shook his fur to get comfortable in his feral body. “Yep, it’s me”, he said, and Yuffie gaped like a fish. “You’re Zack who just turned into a huge-ass wolf and you can speak. Okay cool. Nothing out of the ordinary. Alright. Cool. What do we do?” The wolf laughed again, and the sound was so foreign to Yuffie that her skin broke out in goosebumps. “Could you please grab my sword and then get comfortable on my back? You should be able to take a hold of the harness and get seated there; we’ll be traveling as fast as we can, so make sure that you really hold onto me. That alright?”

As Yuffie did not know how to react differently in such a situation, she just nodded, grabbed the sword (which was stupidly heavy, what the hell!!) and made to climb on the back of Zack the wolf, who had conveniently lowered himself to the ground as to make the ascent easier for her. After a few tries and a little help from Zack’s tail, she managed to get seated on his back and to fasten the sword in the harness so she would not need to hold onto it for the whole journey. “Okay, I’m ready” Yuffie said as she felt confident that she was seated securely, and with a quick “Then let’s go” from Zack, the wolf began to move. To Yuffie, it felt like flying.

They were traveling at a speed that Yuffie had never even imagined possible. To her, every second out of the Wutaian palace was a wonder – she saw the landscape fly by, with green and luscious trees, with planes of grass and spiky mountains in the distance. She saw the water of lakes and rivers pass by, the sight of other animals like deer and sheep that scrambled out of their way once they approached like the wind, and Yuffie cheered in glee at the feeling of absolute freedom that she experienced on the back of the ginormous wolf.

They only stopped in their tracks once the sun began to slowly rise at the horizon. Zack had carried them to the edge of a forest, and beneath them in a valley close to the mountains, Yuffie could make out a small village. “Where are we?” she yawned and stretched, suddenly feeling the tiredness in her bones after their nightly travel. She had descended from Zack’s back and in a second, the large wolf began to disappear, fading away into his much smaller human body. “Wow”, Yuffie exhaled, still not used to seeing a transformation happen right in front of her eyes.

“This is Nibelheim”, Zack answered, and his voice was full of longing and sorrow. “There is much history tied to this place, but it is not my story to tell. I’m sure Cloud will tell you the tale of Nibelheim sometime. Or Vincent will. They both have heavy memories filled with this place.”

Yuffie nodded, curious about the stories. But as Zack said, she would get to the bottom of it for sure if she got to know the others. At that thought, she whipped her head around.

“Hey Zack!” she exclaimed, her brown eyes shining brightly. “You mentioned that there were ten of us in total, right? Does this mean that everybody has their partner, like the other person with the same words, with them?”

Zack looked at her warily and seemed to contemplate something. Then, he slowly nodded and Yuffie felt the heat rising in her cheeks. This meant that she would soon get to meet her soulmate! The other part of her soul that would complete her, that she would be bound to and together they would be super amazing and strong!! She felt herself becoming giddy, and apparently it showed on her face because Zack’s eyes suddenly became hooded. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Yuffie, but meeting your soulmate for the first time is not always how you think it will go, just based on the stories.”

Confused, Yuffie looked up at him. “What do you mean? Certainly it will be super amazing, I mean we’re like destined to be together! Doesn’t it?” Zack paused, and nodded again. “It does mean that, yes, but sometimes, destiny can also be … cruel. Just – take it slow when you get to it, alright? Eventually, it will all work out.” Yuffie really didn’t get what Zack was playing at, but she shrugged it off. He was surely just trying to be nice. But she was convinced that meeting her soulmate would be absolutely magnificent. And not even Zack could convince her otherwise. Zack sighed as if he had heard Yuffie speak her thoughts aloud. He could understand how she was feeling, he really could – in the end, he had been the same romantic before he had actually met his soulmate for the first time.

Zack shook his head to remove the pictures flooding his mind, and he turned to Yuffie again. “Let’s rest here until the sun sets. We’ve been traveling fast last night, so we should be able to reach Cosmo Canyon before daybreak. But we should get some sleep while we can, it’s gonna be a long night”. Just as he finished, Yuffie had to yawn deeply. “Alright, alright”, she nodded, and quickly made to find a comfortable spot on the moss below a big tree, her head cradled in her arms. “But before I go to sleep, will you tell me why we had to get away from Wutai so quickly?”

And as Zack began to tell her a tale about an Inked One who had fallen prey to madness because he had tragically lost his soulmates to the tyranny of war between opposing kingdoms, Yuffie fell into a restless sleep, with dreams of a huge white serpent chasing after her.

As Zack had promised, they arrived at the cave before the sun had risen a second time. With stiff legs, Yuffie got off his back and stretched her limbs. “We’re finally here?” she asked, her eyes roaming around the scenery. They were in the middle of the mountains, close to Cosmo Canyon but outside of the civilization. She could see a huge part of the stony wall before them covered in beautiful ivy, and next to them, there was a thick forest with the sound of water rippling in the depths of it. “That’s right. This cave here is our base, where we live most days and where we meet up again if we ever got separated. It is important that you keep this location hidden, do you understand? It would mean great danger if we were to be found out.” Yuffie nodded. She understood Zack’s caution, after all she had to live with the same fear of being found out all of her life. Though she could still not quite understand why others would fear her or the Inked Ones in general. Okay, maybe Zack – after all, he could turn into a huge-ass wolf and probably smack some people real good with his new form, but her? Nothing had really changed after this night where her letters had finally started to make sense, and she was quite ready to believe that there had been made a mistake by destiny since apparently it had forgotten to assign her any awesome powers.

But just as Zack turned and said “We should get inside, I bet the others will really want to meet you”, Yuffie halted and turned towards the forest. Something tugged at the edges of her mind again, more insistently than ever before. “I” Yuffie started, touching her head with her right hand at the sharp pain that jolted through it. “I have to go somewhere before”, she said, and turned towards the forest. As if she had lost control over her body, her feet began to carry her towards the sound of the water she could make out from within the forest, picking up the pace with each step. Zack’s gaze followed her, and he called a “Be careful, Yuffie, alright? We’ll meet you back here” after her, before her small form vanished in the shadows of the trees. As he stood there, his eyes still fixed on the trees, he felt a warm hand wrap around his right one. “Don’t worry”, Cloud murmured, “I’m sure he won’t hurt her.”

To his left, Aerith had also come out to watch the scene unfold. She giggled and looked over at Zack and Cloud. “Oh, the joy of feeling the bond reach out for the first time. I bet she will be so excited. I just hope that Vincent behaves himself.” And with this, all three of them turned their eyes towards the forest.

With every step she took through the dark covert, the sound of water and the ringing in her ears grew louder. It was as if something was drawing her towards it, something strong and dark. She could feel it in her mind, and a shadow of the voice she had heard inside her head two nights ago lingered in her thoughts. Yuffie could feel the words on her wrist burn themselves deeper into her skin, and she did not have any doubt about who she would meet at the end of the path.

As the noise in her head got louder and peaked in a crescendo, she rounded a corner and stumbled into a clearing. Her eyes shot wide open as she took in the sight: the stars in the night sky illuminated the beautiful lake, with a waterfall shooting down from a rocky hight above. But the nature was not what caught her eye. In the middle of the clearing lay the largest creature she had ever seen in her entire life. It’s body curled in on itself, the black scales shimmered in a reddish light under the glow of the stars. Its head was propped on its sharp talons, fierce horns adorning its head. It was a sight right out of the book of legends that Yuffie hat always loved to read. As if in trance, she took another step towards the beast, and then another one. “A dragon”, she breathed, awestruck.

And just as she touched the dragon’s head with her right hand, bright yellow eyes shot open and Chaos exploded in her head.

For a quick reference what kind of dragon Yuffie is seeing at the end: Dragon (all Kudos to IrenBee)
And of course, Zack the wolf: Zack, the wolf (all Kudos to Apofiss)

Chapter Text

Everything went dark, and when Yuffie opened her eyes again, she saw the world burn. It was as if she had gone straight to the deepest and darkest nightmares she could ever fathom. In the vision before her, it seemed like she was high up in the sky, and below her she could make out the landscape and villages from Wutai. But it was not the idyllic and peaceful life that she had grown accustomed to over the years, having heard the tales of life beyond the walls of the palace from her parents and counsellors. Instead, everything was burning, thick black smoke rising to the sky and blurring her sight. Where once towns and villages of splendour and glory stood, only broken walls and rubble rested in their place. Yuffie could hear desperate screams and wailing, and she wondered what had happened to render this once peaceful place hell on earth.

Yuffie’s heart clenched at the sight and tears prickled behind her eyelids. What was she seeing here? This couldn’t be real, could it? Wutai did not look like this when she left it behind, two days ago. All of this just had to be a bad dream!

As her eyes slid over the scene underneath her once again, trying to make out more details, she could suddenly feel another familiar presence in her mind. ‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’, it whispered, a dark and rumbling laughter at the edge of her mind. ‘Wouldn’t you love to hold that power, to destroy every enemy and to not be afraid ever again?’ Yuffie wanted to deny it, wanted to fight against the grip she felt over her consciousness, but at the same time she felt a sickly satisfaction rise in her body. The feeling spread all over her, tingled in her fingertips and as she breathed out, she felt powerful. And most of all, she felt the need to destroy.

With a roar that wasn’t hers, she plunged down from the heavens towards the burning ground. The wind carried her and just before she would make impact with the burning land, she angled her body upwards, opened her mouth and breathed fire. Another wave of heat and destruction rolled over the village beneath her, and Yuffie could smell the scent of burning flesh and gunpowder. And at the moment, it was the best thing she had ever smelled. ‘This is it … be engulfed in chaos, pain and death! Follow the calling within you and I will grant you the power and freedom you so desire … give yourself up to me and you shall never have to worry ever again!’

The dark words echoed in Yuffie’s mind, before the scenery changed. Suddenly, she was in the mountains, a cold wind clawing at her skin and making her shiver. She felt restless, afraid and frantic – as if she were looking for something, no, someone, but already knowing deep inside that what she would find would break her. She could not control her movements, as if she was a passenger in the body of another. Seeing, but unable to act. With quick steps they rounded another corner and halted.

The scene before her was so crass that it seemed utterly unreal. There, in the otherwise white and untainted snow, lay a woman. Her face was soft and peaceful, as if she were sleeping – but the red blossoming from her chest and all around her, colouring the snow in the deep red of summer roses, gave away the farce. Yuffie felt words on her tongue, a name, but the ringing in her ears was so loud that she could not make it out. She then felt emotions overwhelm her that weren’t hers, but at the same time, they were – love, anger, hurt, betrayal, and above all fury. The other presence was still sitting at the back of her mind, like a hunter waiting for the right time to strike at their prey. Yuffie took one step towards the woman, and then another one. Her right hand reached out towards her, black words around the wrist that wasn’t hers but felt familiar nonetheless, and as her tears fell, crystals sprouted on the ground like glassy spears.

The mountains vanished, and Yuffie found herself once again in another place, in a dark cave in front of a glowing crystal. The huge formation seemed to draw her in, calling out to her, and as she took a few steps towards it, she was surprised to see the face of the woman from before behind the crystal wall. She still looked peaceful and alive – but deep inside she knew that it had been too late for her. She felt her heart clench again in a painful knot, even though she had never known the other woman, and a wave of crippling guilt crashed over her. It constricted her throat and Yuffie fell to her knees, her right hand reaching out for the crystal as if begging for forgiveness. It was her fault, everything was her fault and instead of the woman, she should be the one dead and frozen in a crystal …

“Let her go” a deep and monotone voice demanded and Yuffie felt the grip on her mind suddenly ease up, the images blurring before her eyes. When she opened them again, she could still see the nightly sky above the clearing she was in before, but there were no piercing yellow eyes anymore. Instead, she found herself face to face with a man whose eyes were a dark red and whose black hair fell unruly over his shoulder, held back only by a red bandanna tied around his head. Those intense crimson eyes brought back the images of the fire, blood and terror Yuffie had just seen, and before she could say anything, the world blacked out again.

Aerith was the first one to spot the pair as they emerged from the shadows of the forest. The first sunrays were slowly making their way over the ridges of the mountain and were reflected by the metal of the gun Vincent always carried at his hip. His red cloak was a stark contrast to the dark green of the vegetation around them, and Aerith quickly called a “Hey guys, they’re back!” towards the cave to beckon the others to come out.

As she took in the approaching figures, however, her forehead began to wrinkle in thought and slight distaste. Yuffie, as it seemed, was not conscious – Vincent was carrying her in his arms, delicately but still firmly. His blank expression did not give anything away – it usually didn’t.

“I didn’t think anything would happen so soon …”, Aerith sighed, and quickly glanced at the others who were filing out of the entrance of the cave. Currently, only Tifa, Zack and Cloud were here at the cave. Reeve and Nanaki were on a mission somewhere on the other continent, and Cid and Shera were still busy repairing the airship that they had wrecked on a wild hunt some weeks ago in Rocket Town. She could see Zack clench his fists as he laid eyes on Vincent and Yuffie and Cloud slightly frown. Tifa came up from behind and hugged her loosely around the middle while resting her chin on Aerith’s shoulder. She didn’t say anything, but her rigid posture gave her feelings away. At least to her soulmate, who could feel the uneasiness as vividly in her mind as her own.

Vincent didn’t say anything as they came closer. Instead, he started towards the cave, but Zack held him back with his arm firmly placed on his shoulder, his gaze unwavering. “Vince, buddy” he said, and there was a slight hint of a restrained growl in the back of his throat, “you meet her for the first time and she’s totally knocked out of it! What in the name of destiny did you do to her?!”

Vincent turned his head and met Zack’s heated gaze colly. “I did not meet her”, he then said slowly, “Chaos did”.

With that, he wound his way out of Zack’s slackened grip and disappeared behind the wall of ivy.

“Boy oh boy”, Zack sighed as he watched the other dark haired man disappear, “that couldn’t have gone any more smoothly, now could it”. Cloud looked at him and shook his head. “There was nothing you could have done, Zack. She would have found out soon enough. Maybe it is better that she’s seen it sooner rather than later.”

They all sighed, and Aerith rubbed her temples. “Well then, let’s get going to make sure that at least she’ll be fine once she wakes up. I can’t wait to meet our royal addition!”

Yuffie’s head hurt like hell. Did she hit her head again? It had happened occasionally that she had lost control over her Conformer during training, a circumstance that most often led to minor concussions or other injuries. However, as her eyes blinked open, it was not the familiar ceiling of her room or their infirmary that came into view, but the rugged ceiling of a dark cave. Startled, Yuffie tried to sit up, but a sudden pain jolted through her body and with a wail she slumped back down again. “Ouch!”, Yuffie said indignantly, and was surprised when she heard giggling voices next to her.

“I see that you are finally awake!” a soft voice said, and Yuffie turned her head to see who was talking to her. Right, she was not at home in Wutai anymore. She was somewhere near Cosmo Canyon, if she remembered Zack correctly. Next to her on the ground of the cave were two women who smiled kindly down at her. One had auburn hair with a ponytail held up by a pink ribbon and sparkling green eyes, and the other one had long and straight dark brown hair with warm, red eyes.

“I’m Aerith, and this is Tifa – it is so nice to finally meet you, Yuffie! Zack has told us so much about you already!” The woman with the straight hair, Tifa, handed Yuffie a glass of water. “You must be thirsty. Here, have something to drink.”

Yuffie wanted to thank her, but found no voice to do so. So she just smiled and nodded, took the glass and gulped down the water. Leviathan, drinking water had never felt so good!

When she was finished, she felt her voice returning to her. “Thank you so much”, she said and beamed at the others, “I’m Yuffie and it is so nice to meet you, too! I couldn’t really believe it when Zack told me that there were more of us, but this is great!”

Aerith laughed and drew Yuffie closer in a tight hug. “We know how it feels to think that you’re all alone in this world. But you don’t have to worry about that any more – we’re here to protect you. These words on our wrists, they connect us, and these bonds run deeper than any blood ever could. Welcome to our family!” Tifa joined the hug, and Yuffie couldn’t hold back a few tears that slid down her cheeks. She instantly felt that the others understood her on a deeper level. They had probably gone through the same feelings as she had – feeling alone, sad and angry at the destiny that had made her an outcast. She closed her eyes and hugged the others back.

Once they let go of each other and Yuffie dried the tears on her cheeks, the events from this morning came back to her. “Actually”, she began, but shook her head. “I am not quite certain if this really happened or whether this was a dream, but I remember when Zack dropped me off here, I kind of went to the forest and saw a … dragon?”

The feelings and visions crashed down over her like a wave and she felt nausea rise in the back of her throat. She remembered yellow eyes, chaos, destruction, death, pain, and then … calm red eyes, and the feeling of a safe harbour. What on earth had happened? It was hard for her to make any sense of it. She distinctly remembered the feeling that had drawn her to the forest – like a firm tug on her mind – and she remembered being so excited because she thought that she would meet her soulmate. And then … everything kind of went wild.

“Ah yeah, about that” Aerith started and exchanged a knowing look with Tifa beside her. “You must have so many questions! Why don’t we go ahead and try to answer them as best as we can? It’ll be a while before dinner is ready, Zack and Cloud are currently hunting for it.” Yuffie nodded to the proposition, and she followed Aerith and Tifa through a tight tunnel into a larger room of the cave. There was a fire cackling in the middle and a row of rugs, blankets and pillows strewn around it as if they frequently camped by the fire. “This is kind of our living room” joked Tifa dryly, and added “I’m sure it is nothing like the comforts of the palace in Wutai, but it is our home and we cherish it”.

Yuffie smiled, thinking to herself how well she fit into this place. She had always been a little too rough around the edges to be a proper princess, with too much energy and a too fiery temper. Politics would have always bored her out of her mind, so living in a cave in the middle of nowhere actually seemed very fitting and exciting to her. “I think its wonderful”, she then said aloud and settled next to Aerith on one of the pillows.

“So”, Yuffie breathed out as she glanced into the yellow flames of the fire, not entirely over the visions she had seen not that long ago, “the dragon, what’s up with it? I think it’s safe to say that that’s not very usual for the outside world, right? Not that I could tell, just a feeling … and also – the guy with the red eyes? I am pretty sure that he is my soulmate, even though I fainted before I could really say something, so yeah …”

Aerith listened to her questions and sighed before she drew in her legs and placed her chin on her knees. Her gaze went from Yuffie to the fire and back, and her once so sparkling eyes seemed suddenly so much darker. “You’re right, it’s not very usual for dragons to be around … anymore, to be specific. In the old tales there are countless mentions of dragons and how they used to roam the world, even how they would befriend humans and Inked Ones alike and fight together with them. But over the centuries, they disappeared from the earth and from history, just like our ancestors did. As far as we know, the dragon you saw is the only one left alive from an ancient time, and it’s a rather complicated matter.” Aerith stopped there and looked at Tifa with a question clear in her eyes and in the back of Tifa’s mind. She cleared her throat. Tifa had always been the one better at explaining complicated things, as Aerith tended to get carried away with her emotions. But Yuffie needed to know all of it.

“You see”, Tifa began to speak with a soft yet firm voice that carried through the cave, “the dragon itself is not a separate entity – it is actually a part of Vincent, your soulmate. I’m sure you’ve felt the connection as you’ve been drawn out to the forest. We think of it as the calling of the bond, when destiny connects you the first time with the one who carries the same words as you. Most often it is a rather intense first meeting –“ Tifa stopped for a quick glance at Aerith who blushed at her words, “but how it manifests is entirely individual.”

“But”, Yuffie interrupted, “I didn’t even meet him! Instead, there was this huge-ass dragon, and when I touched it, I saw a lot of awful things …” Aerith quietly patted her head and Tifa smiled sadly.

“That’s the thing. You did meet him – kind of. Vincent is not the only one in his head, so to say, the dragon is there, too. His name is Chaos.” Yuffie’s eyes went wide as she processed the words and glanced at her wrist. Boundless Chaos … well, that part at least started to make sense. “That … kinda sounds awful?” she tried and shuddered at the thought of having another being, a dragon nonetheless, in her head. But as she thought about it .. “Actually I think that Chaos has talked to me before … in my mind. In the night that the letters on my wrist started to make sense for the first time.”

At this, both Tifa’s and Aerith’s eyes flew wide open and they looked at each other in surprise. “You mean Chaos was somehow connected to your Calling?” they both asked in unison. “I … think so” Yuffie said and got the feeling that this was not quite normal, not even for other Inked Ones. “However, I don’t get the feeling that he particularly likes me”, she added and thought of the dark and rattling laughter in her mind, trying to make her do awful things.

“I guess that is how Chaos is. The dragon is an ancient beast, with the will and power to destroy. It is not used to being confined in another being’s mind, and this is why it is so bitter and evil. Vincent usually has a hard time keeping it under control, and this frail control has been dwindling those past weeks. It’s harder and harder for him to stay himself, and this is why he isolates himself so much. He doesn’t want to be around people or near us when his control breaks and Chaos is let loose. You’ve probably seen how this turns out.”

Yuffie nodded and her heart went out to Vincent, the man who was apparently her soulmate, whom she didn’t even know yet but who had to carry a burden so heavy that she could only imagine what it would feel like.

There were still so many questions left to answer, so Yuffie asked away, determined to learn as much about the other Inked Ones and her new home as she possibly could. One of the topics that was most important to her was – of course – the dynamics between soulmates. She realized now that she’s had a very romantic view of their first meeting, and she finally understood why Zack had told her not to be disappointed (he had probably thought of Chaos as he had said it). However, she couldn’t feel it in her to be disappointed or somewhat sad – she had met a dragon, which was very awesome, mind you, and she would have enough time to get to know Vincent, who apparently had cared enough about her to carry her (bridal style! Once she found out, her face went as red as the ripest tomato in their garden in Wutai. How could something like this happen to her, and she was unconscious!!) back to the cave, so she supposed that this was a good start. Still, there was a minor annoyance in her mind that her supposed soulmate had not been coming running to her side once she woke up, but after what had happened and what she’d seen she could somehow understand why Vincent was so … not here, at least.

Yuffie learned a lot this afternoon. She learned that not all soulmates were indeed romantically involved – most of them were, as the intensity of the connection usually brought forth those feelings, but there were also others who were just deeply bound in friendship and unwavering faith, as for example Reeve and Nanaki were.

Yuffie also learned that in order to protect themselves from the outside world and especially the bounty hunter guilds who were chasing the Inked Ones, the group had in fact founded their own guild, AVALANCHE, to hide in plain sight. As such, they were taking on missions and man hunts to keep up the semblance, and were known for their fast and efficient dealings with customer queries. However, they had to be super careful when out on missions, and no one could ever see their wrists. They would lose their whole protection if that happened, so Aerith and Tifa made sure to drill this promise firmly into Yuffie’s mind.

Yuffie learned that usually, the missions were delivered by Cid and Shera, who toured the continents in their airship and took on the missions from customers all around the globe. It sounded like an exciting way to live, and Yuffie was all in for the action after 18 years of being confined to a palace (at least she hadn’t had to live in the gutter, so she supposed that it could have been worse). Her fingers itched to get a hold of her Conformer and go hunt some, but of course they had to wait for new missions to arrive. She had Aerith’s and Tifa’s promise though that they would take her with them on a next hunt, since Vincent usually went to deal with things alone and far away from any civilization.

She also learned that none of the Inked Ones around her had yet made sense of the words around their wrists. Destiny was a fan of puzzles, she supposed, as she absentmindedly rubbed her fingers over the inked letters. However, they knew that something was happening, since the visions Cloud was having were becoming more frequent. This was the special talent of Cloud – he could See things. Things that had happened in the past, things that were happening in the present and also sometimes things that were bound to happen in the future. Yuffie learned that Cloud had been the reason that Zack had come to get her, because apparently, a group of Shinra soldiers had been headed to Wutai and the threat of her discovery had been too great. She shivered at the thought of the white serpent she had dreamed of, but tried to heed the thoughts no more. She was safe here now, and this was all that mattered for the moment.

When Yuffie asked about the special powers of the others, she listened in awe as Aerith and Tifa pointed them out: so Cloud was having visions and like Zack, he could shapeshift into a wolf (no fair, why would he have two powers?). Zack, like she had already witnessed, could shapeshift and was apparently strong as hell, considering the huge sword he carried around as if it weighed nothing. Aerith had special healing powers which made her a centrepiece of the whole group, especially during fights, and moreover she could sometimes hear the planet and the plants speaking (which was super wicked! Yuffie would have loved to be able to talk to flowers).

Tifa was especially gifted in martial arts and was thus not to be underestimated in a fight. She could also use some earth magic, but like she said herself she hadn’t really gotten the hang of it yet. Cid and Shera were very talented with a lot of technical things and machinery – thus they were able to build an airship and communication devices that the group used to stay in contact. Nanaki was another shapeshifter (a lion, how cool!) and could control powerful fire magic, whereas Reeve was more of a strategist and very apt at tactical planning. The group mostly relied on him to give pointers on how to handle difficult missions.

And then there was of course Vincent, who could turn into a stupid dragon, for crying out loud, had like a super-ancient and powerful being inhabiting his head (which could be a nuisance, she supposed) and apparently he was also a gifted sharpshooter. Yuffie couldn’t help the thought that this mix sounded very exciting, dangerous and above all sexy as hell, and she blushed fiercely. She really needed to get a hold of herself or things would become very awkward very quickly. Almighty Leviathan, she hadn’t even talked to Vincent yet!

Just as Aerith turned to her to ask whether Yuffie already knew what her special power was, the ivy at the entrance of the cave shifted and gave way to Zack and Cloud who entered the cave. “Dinner’s here!” Zack shouted out in glee and put down a huge lump he was carrying. Yuffie thought that she could make out the antlers of a deer, but at the same time, Cloud approached her and lay his hand on her shoulder. “Yuffie”, he said quietly and stormy blue eyes met her brown ones, “he’s on the top of the mountain above the cave. If you want to talk to him without anyone listening in, this would be the moment to go.”

Yuffie knew who Cloud was talking about without him mentioning the name, and she nodded. She could feel a vague tug at the edge of her mind – a feeling that she was somehow getting used to – and got up as Aerith and Tifa were engaged in a lively conversation about dinner with Zack. “Thanks, Cloud” she whispered and made her way out of the cave. Like a shadow, she was gone in just a moment.

Chapter Text

The last sunrays of the day were slowly disappearing behind the mountains of Cosmo Canyon as Yuffie began the steep climb above the cave. She had to admit that it was a marvellous sight, seeing the horizon tinted with red, orange and pink colours as the day faded away into a young night. The moon was rising at her back and she made her way continuously up the mountain. It was not the easiest path. The cliffs were steep and the soil was dry and crumbling beneath her feet, making her sweat more than once when she almost lost her footing. However, Yuffie, the apt ninja that she was, just huffed and continued on, not letting the challenge discourage her.

If Vincent can get up here, then so can I! she thought, but stopped. Wait … or did he fly up here? That would be like a super unfair advantage!  She pondered the thought for a moment but then shook it off. There would be enough time to ask him about it, if she ever were to reach the top before he left. Filled with renewed vigour, Yuffie continued her ascent, her heart pounding faster and stronger in her chest the closer she got to the top.

Finally, the end of her climb came into view and with a last push she hoisted herself over the edge of the cliff and onto the plateau. Yuffie promptly landed on her back and couldn’t help breaking out in breathy laughter. What a journey! It had been a long time since she had climbed up a mountain like this, and the challenge had exhilarated her. She felt spent, in an awesome kind of way, and wiped the sweat off her brow. She’d need to come up here again - maybe she could even beat her time from today! As she contemplated the idea, suddenly her real reason for being here crashed over her like a wave and she scrambled to her feet, embarrassed that she might have been seen. What a stupid first impression, lying giggling on the floor, she internally scolded herself and removed the dust from her shorts.

Her fear, however, was unwarranted. There was nobody watching her, and it sent just a tiny little pang of disappointment to her heart. On the far end of the plateau though she spotted a familiar crimson cape fluttering in the wind. With determined steps, Yuffie set one foot in front of the other while trying to calm her erratic heartbeat. She felt excited, hot, wary and impossibly shy at the same time. Somehow, now that Vincent was only a short distance away, all the things she wanted to say to him vanished from her mind. How would he see her? Did he feel the same sort of connection to her? Did he even want to be with her? She had no clue how all of this was supposed to work and her own thoughts and fears most definitely didn’t help. Yuffie suddenly wished she would have had more experience with talking to people outside of her family, but that certainly hadn’t been in the cards for her, with having to stay hidden most of the time.

Caught up in her own thoughts Yuffie only stopped walking when there was suddenly the rim of the plateau right in front of her. At the edge of her peripheral vision she saw wild black hair swaying in the breeze and the metallic glimmer of supposedly Vincent’s famous gun. Well, here goes nothing. Yuffie inhaled deeply and closed her eyes before opening them again, staring straight ahead at the horizon. „It’s beautiful up here, isn’t it?“   

Next to her, nothing moved and nothing was said. Yuffie waited for an awful long moment and then suddenly she heard a rustling sound. As she turned to her left she came face to face with Vincent’s back. He looked like he wanted to leave, and Yuffie panicked. She could not let that happen!

„Wait!“, she called and Vincent stilled. Well, that was at least something. Yuffie’s mind was totally blank and she could hear the blood rush in her ears as she sputtered the first thing that came to her mind. „It’s really nice to meet you!“
She almost screamed the words and when she opened her eyes again she noticed that she had reflexively extended a hand towards Vincent as if she wanted to shake his own. What she noticed next were crimson eyes on her, and when Yuffie raised her gaze (gawd, he was tall!!) she was instantly trapped in his piercing stare. Vincent looked at her calmly, his face not betraying any thoughts or emotions. And just as Yuffie began to lower her hand because she started to feel incredibly stupid, he sank down onto his right knee, inclined his head and took her hand to press a cool kiss on the back of it. „Yuffie“, he said in a low voice that chased goosebumps down her back and she felt her cheeks heat up. What was that all about?!

At the same time that Vincent got up again, her hand still in his, and Yuffie tried to get her thoughts coherent again, she felt a familiar rumble in her mind and electricity cackle through their joined hands. You’ll be the end of her, Valentine, the dragon‘s dark voice echoed through her head and her eyes widened. Vincent suddenly let go of her hand as if burned and both of his hands rose to his temples, his face distorted in what looked like deep and fiery anger. It somehow reminded Yuffie of the fire and chaos she had seen in one of the dragon’s visions.

„Shut up!“, Vincent hissed and Yuffie’s heart clenched up. It seemed like both of them had heard the words, and she briefly wondered if that meant she would have to deal with the dragon in her head as well.

“Yeah, shut up indeed!”, she added angrily and threw her head back to get her dark hair out of her eyes. She noticed Vincent looking at her and the question was clearly enough written all over his face so that he did not need to say the words for her to understand. “I guess you’re not alone anymore with him in your head”, she cracked a smile and put her hands on her hips. “So, let’s find a way for you to deal with him, aye?”

There was a short moment in which an almost hopeful and unbelievably light expression flickered over Vincent’s usually so stern face, but it was gone in just a second. As his hands lowered down to his sides again, his face fell dark and hopeless behind a curtain of black bangs. “I’m afraid this will be impossible. I can’t risk hurting more people … especially you.”
The last part of his sentence had been whispered so lowly that Yuffie was not sure if she had heard correctly. She still felt her heart flutter desperately in her chest and she had the instinct to move forward and comfort Vincent, in any way that would work. But as she moved forward, her hand extended towards her soulmate, a deafening roar cut through the air and Yuffie suddenly felt the air getting knocked out of her lungs as something crashed into her shoulders and threw her backwards. Dizzy from the fall, she looked up to make sure if Vincent was okay. However, right in front of her, she witnessed something similar to what she had seen happening to Zack: there were dark, black horns sprouting from Vincent’s head, and from his back small wings protruded which started to grow bigger and bigger. Yuffie gaped. She couldn’t move, entranced by the sight of Vincent’s transformation before her. She saw how black and red scales began to cover his fair skin, and as she locked eyes with him he cried out a desperate “Go, now!”, before crimson turned to piercing yellow and Yuffie felt how her mind got overwhelmed by the dragon’s power of will.

Yuffie’s mind swirled with familiar pictures. She saw the burning villages and smelled the charred flesh in the smoke-laden air. Visions of pure snow and blood-stained fingers flashed before her eyes, and the glimmer of deadly crystals engulfed her. She felt the odd sensation of emotions that did not belong to her weigh her down. Through the haze of her feelings, suddenly Chaos’ voice vibrated through Yuffie’s body like thunder.
Do you see what he has done? Blood and terror follows wherever Vincent Valentine goes. Girl, you should be afraid of him! Leave his side before he does what is his inevitable fate: bring death to those he loves and everything around them.

Yuffie felt herself shudder at the words, a feral and ancient instinct begging her to get up and run, to get as far away from the creature before her as possible. But at the same time, a small but strong place in her mind felt serene. Engulfed in white light there was hope, strength, and trust. Yuffie didn’t know what it was, but she felt the tie to Vincent from that place of light, and she suddenly realized what she needed to do. Her brown eyes shot open and at the same time, she propelled herself to her feet and lurched forward. The dragon stood imposingly before her, his piercing stare on her, head hanging low and his fangs bared. What are you doing, you fool?, his voiced thundered, and just before his spiky tail could crush her, Yuffie jumped to the side, determination in her gaze.

“You are not winning this little mind game!”, she screamed, and with a roar of her own she jumped and extended her hand to the dragon’s horns and hauled herself up to sit on his neck. She felt Chaos twist and shake wildly below her in an effort to get her from his back, but Yuffie held on for dear life and closed her eyes. She needed to get through to Vincent if she wanted to help him. And with a long breath out, she grasped for the darkness and terror sitting at the edge of her mind and dove back into the dragon’s consciousness, for the first time voluntarily.

It felt different this time – not like being overpowered and thrown into an unfamiliar scene, but rather like crashing through a transparent wall into utter darkness and suddenly loosing grip of everything that tied her to the real world. Yuffie felt as if she was in a free fall for a long time, until she concentrated herself and thought of what was most important to her in this moment: getting through to Vincent.

Suddenly, her fall stopped. When Yuffie opened her eyes, white snowflakes touched her skin and she found herself in the eerily quiet mountains, familiar blood-stains before her. But as she rounded the corner, this time she did not only see the unmoving woman on the ground, but Vincent besides her. Curled in on himself, all she could see was his crimson cape and his black hair, his face hidden behind his long, delicate and bloody fingers.

“Vincent?”, Yuffie tried tentatively, suddenly feeling as if she was intruding a very intimate moment. As no reaction came, she balled her fists and slowly made her way towards Vincent. With every step she took towards him, the feeling of sadness, rage and crushing guilt started to grow in her. Startled, Yuffie slowly began to realize that those feelings she had felt during the visions had been Vincent’s all along, and suddenly everything made sense to her. Each step became more and more painful, but Yuffie knew that she needed to get to Vincent, to touch him, in order to make things right. The stench of blood became more prominent the closer she got, and as Yuffie raised her hands she noticed with horror that her hands were also covered in blood. It’s not real, this is not real, he is just screwing with our minds, Yuffie tried to repeat to herself, and shook off the feeling as best as she could.

It felt like forever until she finally reached her soulmate, and she sank down to her knees to pull him into a tight embrace. With the close contact, Yuffie finally felt what she had been hoping for all along, not entirely knowing for sure that this would work, but hoping nonetheless. The bond in her mind sparked up again and she reached for this bright and serene place in her mind that she somehow knew she needed to bring Vincent to. With desperation lacing her quivering voice, Yuffie begged “Please, set him free!”, and suddenly the light pulsated and engulfed everything around it, and Yuffie felt herself getting whisked away.

Zack scrambled up the mountain frantically, cold sweat on his brows. They all had heard Chaos’ roar, there had been no mistaken it for something else. Cloud had just looked at him in horror, and Zack had understood without another word: they needed to make sure that Yuffie was safe. All of them had left in an instant, but he was far ahead of the others given his strength and endurance. Fuelled by the cold fear of losing another one of their kin, he finally reached the edge of the plateau on the top of the mountain and pulled himself up, mentally preparing himself for a dreadful sight.

This sight, however, never came. It was quiet on the top of the mountain, only stars illuminating the nature and wind rustling through the low grass that grew sparsely on the plateau. In the middle, Zack saw two figures. A smaller one lying on the ground, while a larger one was bent over it. “It can’t be”, Zack breathed out and ran towards the figures, dread coiling in his gut.

As he reached them, Zack saw that Vincent had cradled Yuffie’s head gently in his lap, and his head was hanging low, face hidden behind his bangs. With his heart beating fast, Zack sank down to his knees and put his fingers to Yuffie’s pulse, almost daring to hope.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

“Oh thank Leviathan!” Zack’s face split into a wide grin and he patted Vincent on his back. “You had me worried there for a sec, Vincent!” he laughed, relieve heavy in his voice. But as Vincent didn’t react, Zack’s smile fell. “What’s wrong? Vincent, talk to me!”

And then, as Zack looked at him expectantly, Vincent slowly rose his head and there was the tiniest of smiles on his stoic face. “He is quiet”, he whispered and gently smoothed stray hairs from Yuffie’s forehead with an incredibly gentle gesture, “I do not know how, but she made him disappear. At least for now”. He was not sure if he understood exactly what the other meant, but Zack thought to himself that he had never seen Vincent Valentine as happy as he was in that moment. And that a smile was unmistakably a good look on him.

Note: What I have in mind when I think of Vincent transforming