The lady remained in the Nibelhiem mansion for three weeks. She tried to teach Yuffie all she could about how to become a proper empress. Vincent would sit in on these lessons from time to time. He had to stop, however, when he noticed his presence was more of a hindrance than help.

He watched the two woman interact and could see there was a lack of attachment coming from the teacher. Yuffie never noticed, but he did. It was on the day when he was upstairs in his room reading when he finally figured it out.

Amaya and Yuffie were in the kitchen when he heard the sound of a chair scraping the floor as it was thrust back in a hurry. Next were the sounds of feet on stairs and he peeked his head out of the door to see what the matter was. Lady Amaya rushed for the bathroom and began to get violently ill.

When he entered she was leaning undignified over the porcelain commode retching. He carefully reached out and pulled her long hair away from her face. One sniff of the air told him all he needed to know. Galien stirred in his mind triggered by the presence of new life. He forcibly suppressed the demon for the time being and helped the noble from the floor.

By this time Yuffie had arrived with a look of concern on her face. "Lady Amaya? Are you okay?"

"Forgive me young empress. I must have eaten something that disagreed with my stomach. I will be fine. Allow me to clean up and I will be back down to finish." Amaya covered her mouth with a dainty hand as she spoke all the while attempting to speak around the taste of acid in her mouth.

Yuffie didn't seem too keen to go, she tapped her thigh before attempting to argue. Vincent interjected before she could do so. "Yuffie, go." With a agitated growl, she did as he said.

After brushing her teeth, Amaya turned to Vincent. "You have a way with her that her father was never able to control. I must know how you managed it." She busied herself with fixing her attire and hair as she waited on his response.

Vincent sighed, did he really wish to reveal why they acted as they did? When they first met, no one of the Avalanche crew knew she was of royal blood. Yuffie was the youngest and child of the circle of friends. She was the brat to most, and that was on a good day. He was standing in front of a member of Wutai's elite. His life could be forfeit if he said anything terrible about the princess.

He finally settled on one simple sentence, "We are friends."

Amaya glanced him over wondering if there was more to it or not. She decided against calling his bluff. It was true that friends help one another, but what this man in front of her was doing was going above and beyond simple friendship. If she didn't know better, she would have thought deeper feelings lay buried under his composed facade. That subject reminded her of the man she left at home. She wandered what he was doing right now? Did he miss her as much as she did him? Or was he too busy sitting behind a desk and staring at papers?

"We should get back to Yuffie's lessons. She still has a lot to learn, correct?" Vincent broke into her internal turmoil. He reached his human hand out as if wrap around her waist, yet remained far enough away so as not to touch her.

"Oh, yes. Pardon me." She sashayed out and back down the hall heading for the kitchen. Vincent watched her go with narrowed eyes.

Godo must not have known about her condition, otherwise he would not have sent the lady to teach Yuffie. Or maybe he did and this was simply another test for his daughter. He hummed quietly before going back to his own room. The gunman had stepped only the first foot in when Amaya's shout called him downstairs.

Judging by the fear in her tone he suspected only the worst. Snatching up Cerberus he ran for the room downstairs. His wide eyes and disheveled hair made her scream out once more, not so much as fear but surprise.

"Mr. Valentine. We have a problem. I can't seem to find the young empress. Why if anything were to have happened to her, I don't know what Lord Godo would do."

Lowering the weapon, Vincent glanced around. It didn't seem as if Yuffie had returned. The chair from before was still laying on its back on the ground. Papers were scattered, yet he could tell they had not been touched by outside hands. Red eyes closed as he searched for help from within.

"Cloud! Cid's here! You ready to go yet?" Tifa Lockheart had one bag slug over her shoulder as she invited the blond pilot in while shouting over her shoulder. They had all planned together to make a trip to Nibelhiem, and surprise their friend and comrade.

It was Reeve's suggestion actually. Though Tifa suspected he really only wanted to know how Yuffie's healing was going. He still bore the burden of keeping her trapped in that room for so long. It wasn't as if he meant to hurt her, he only wanted to protect.

"Hell, you mean to tell me a woman got ready before Spike?" Cid shouted loud enough for the whole bar to hear.

Clomping came down the stairs before black boots and pants came into view at the first landing. "Very funny, Cid. From what Shera tells me, you take twice as long as I do."

Cid bit down hard on his cigarette before laughing, "Alright, I concede. You got me there Spiky. Well anyway, airships ready and waiting. Yer the last to board." Grabbing one of the bags near the door, Cid walked out intending to get back to his beloved ship as soon as he could.

Tifa and Cloud were not far behind. They walked in a leisurely pace, yet speedy enough that they would not be left behind. For some reason, Tifa felt herself feeling anxious. She tugged on strands of her dark hair as she walked.

"What's bothering you?" Cloud asked as he saw her from the corner of his eye.

"I'm not sure. I just have this dreadful feeling. What if Vincent taking her from Reeve was not good for her? He still had problems with his own demons much less hers."

A soft smile crossed his face as Cloud reached one hand out and wrapped around her waist, "Don't think so much on it. I'm sure Vincent knows what he's doing. I don't think he would have taken her away if he didn't have a plan."

Tifa didn't have an answer, but she did think on his words.

The reunion when they reached the Shera was loud enough to be heard by those on the very borders of Edge. Barrett stepped up and lifted Tifa up into a bear hug that took her breath away. He mentioned something about Marlene before setting her down.

Nanaki stepped up and bowed his head as his tail twitched in eagerness. Even Reeve was there in person, although Cait Sith was sitting inanimate on a nearby seat. "So glad you could join us finally. Cid, whenever you're ready I think we can go!" The commissioner called out to the pilot standing on the landing above. He turned away and sat down next to his animatronic. Tifa could see the worry and doubt in his eyes but chose not to bring it up.

Cloud grabbed her hand as he pulled her over to a nearby seat himself. From this vantage they could see the entire bridge and most of what lay outside the glass windows. Cid was shouting something about and hour or two, but Cloud was too focused on the woman next to him to pay heed to it. He still held onto her hand and so gave it a gentle squeeze to let her know he was there for her.

"Tifa, I know you're worried," his head bowed as if thinking through his next phrase. "But this is Vincent. He's not going to hurt a friend. Besides, this is probably good for him too. The planet only knows how much he needs to stop blaming himself for everything. Some things are not his fault."

They leaned into one another to continued their private conversation. Meanwhile on the other side of the bridge, a man in long blue coat watched them. It wasn't as if Reeve was jealous of the couple, but he longed to have someone that he could talk that intimately with. He glanced over at the robot next to him. Perhaps if he put away his toys, he could find that person. Problem was they were a part of who he was.

He shook his head and stood with full intentions to brood elsewhere. He didn't need the group to worry about him. Nanaki watched him leave the bridge. It wasn't as if he was in deep conversation with anyone, but he didn't wish to upset the crew member he was talking to. Politely making an excuse, he left to follow the commissioner.

Following his scent was easy. Red's nose was strong and the ship wasn't that big. He soon found him in the back of the loading bay sitting atop a crate and gently petting his cait sith as if it were a real cat. There was a certain aura of gloom about the man.

"Reeve, I can't help but notice," He large cat began as way of conversation. Reeve jumped slightly in his seat as if he never knew the beast was there, "You seem withdrawn. Would you like to talk about it?" He sat back on his haunches and waited for the answer. His flame tipped tail remained still.

Reeve sighed as he set the robot aside. He stared for a couple of seconds before releasing a barking laugh. "Of all people. Don't tell me you stopped talking to someone just to see an old man like me."

"I was...concerned. You seemed troubled as you left the bridge. I came to check in on a friend. I suspect it has something to do with our leader and his girlfriend?"

A small smile remained although faltered for only a second. "A good guess, however wrong. I'm happy for them. What gave you that impression? If you don't mind me asking."

Nanaki lowered his head as if ashamed to have made such an assumption. "Forgive me. I simply witnessed you observing them before you left."

"It's nice of you to worry, but I tend to fall into bouts of depression. You would think working with Shinra all those years ago would have made me tougher; problem is, it made me care more." This time his grin did fall as the corners of his mouth began to slip down.

Nanaki stood and moved closer before settling his head on the man's lap. He hated to be pet like a domesticated animal, but he felt he could put away his own pride and encourage another. Reeve took the hint and hesitantly ran one hand through the thick red mane.

Reeve's expression grew far away, "You ever wonder?" He began but never finished. It was almost as if he was embarrassed to ask whatever was on his mind. Gentle nudging under his hand reminded him there was someone to talk to. "You ever wonder if there is someone out there just for you?"

Nanaki was shocked. Although in hindsight he shouldn't have been. Humans didn't live as long as he did. Sure he wasn't positive if he was the last or not, but he had years to find her. Reeve was reaching middle age. If he didn't find a mate soon chances were slim he would get that chance. He never got an opportunity to answer as Cid's voice came over the loudspeaker telling them that they would be reaching Nibelhiem soon and they should get whatever stuff they had together.

Thankful for the reprieve, Reeve stood and grabbed cait sith leaving the question hanging in the air. Red shook his head as he watched him go. A low growl escaped without meaning to. "Thanks a lot, Cid. I almost got it out of him."

By the time the eight of them arrived in Nibelhiem (Shelke saying she had things to take care of in Edge) Marlene and Denzel were practically driving the adults crazy with their excitement. They were planning all the things they were going to do once they met up with a recovered Yuffie. Cloud still sported a smile as he answered questions with patience. Reeve took up the rear as he still had doubts in his heart.

They all stopped short, however, as they reached the mansion gates. Two Wutai guards stood in front with two more standing watch in front of the door down the path. One spoke as they came close, "Halt! What is your business here?"

As one they all turned to Cloud to answer for the group. With a shrug of his broad shoulders he approached. "We thought we would surprise Vincent and Yuffie. They are here, right?"

The guard who had spoken leaned closer to his comrade before a third joined the whispers. Finally after a few tense moments they broke up and the third walked away to enter the mansion. They were ordered to stay where they were for the time being.

Marlene and Denzel moved away to look back over what used to be a small town. They had never been there themselves, but heard the stories from Tifa and Cloud. The others stood in place too concerned and tense to do much else. No one spoke outside of the kids.

When the front door opened, jaws all around dropped. No one had ever seen Vincent outside of black leather. Now he wore black denim jeans and a deep red long sleeved dress shirt. The left arm was even rolled down to cover his gauntlet yet had to remain unbuttoned for obvious reasons. On his feet were a pair of black dress shoes slightly scuffed. He stopped on the other side of the gate, yet never opened it to invite them in.

"Damn Vamp! Who knew you could clean up so well?" Barrett spoke first breaking the ice.

When the gunman gave a soft laugh they all froze. This was not the man they knew almost two months ago. Perhaps it meant Yuffie was getting better and rubbed off on him. "Hell, don't do that to us." Cid reprimanded as he began to light another cigarette as the first had fallen to the ground in his surprise. "So I guess this means the brat must be okay?"

His right hand closed in a loose fist. Vincent took a deep breath and looked away as he said what came next. "You must leave. I cannot allow you in." He turned on his heel and began to walk back up the short path.

Tifa grew bold and ran up near the guards. They blocked her path by crossing the pikes they held with one another. Angered, she began to shout, "Vincent, what is going on? We came here to see how Yuffie is doing and you're just going to push us away? She's our friend too and we have a right to see her just as much as you do! Don't you think we're hurting and miss her?" She held one fist to her chest as if to hold in her broken heart.

Vincent paused in his tracks. "You're not going to leave no matter how much I insist, are you?"

"You know it!" Tifa cheered. She figured they had him right where they wanted.

Still without facing his friends, Vincent gave the order. "Let them pass." He walked on without waiting and entered the mansion.

Even Marlene and Denzel grew silent as none knew what to make of this. Cloud was the most concerned as he was the last to see the gunman in person within two months ago. Vincent was learning how to make jokes and was starting to become expressive. Yet here he was, once again pushing others away and giving simple phrases.

A feeling of dread began to build deep in his bowels. Had Yuffie succumbed to some darkness inside her? And why the guards? She had been out in the world since she was thirteen, surely Godo did not see the need for them now? Cloud took a deep breath as he prepared his mind for the worst.

As leader, Cloud took initiative and opened the gate and door to enter first. The sight that greeted him both alarmed and comforted him.

Yuffie sat on the dark couch with her arms wrapped around her knees. A middle aged yet youthful woman kneeled in front of her whispering in tones to low to be heard. Vincent stood behind the furniture like a vigilant sentinel. His eyes were flamed a deep red as if fighting within himself.

"Oh come on! What's the brat's problem now?" Cid shouted earning dark stares from everyone. He should have stopped there, but was too fired up to pay attention. "The kid came out of Nero's darkness just fine. What's the big deal about this?"

The moisture that had been building within Yuffie's eyes finally fell. As is struck by a bolt, she jumped from the couch and ran for the stairs taking them two by two.

Vincent faced his pilot friend with a murderous expression. His red eyes were showing the first signs of turning beast yellow. Cid stood frozen in place before he found himself flaying backwards and onto the wooden flooring.

Barrett stood over him as he shouted down, "You fool! Why you go and say that? What's the matter with you?" His broad frame towered as he went on. "I been doing some thinking. What if that was Marlene? How would I feel if she were in that position? Yuffie may be strong and quick, but those damn demon clones weren't no pushovers." Marlene stepped closer to her father and grabbed his hand earning a smile in return from the dark skinned man.

Vincent seemed to be calming down, the beast fading back into the recesses of his mind. It was Tifa who spoke her fears next. "Since Yazoo and Loz came back, does that mean we should be on the look out for Kadaj?"

Cloud pulled her close as he answered her question, "I don't think so. I was there when he died. He went peacefully and willingly. So, Vince?" He shifted his attention to the gunman. "What's up with the guards?"

The woman who had been tending to Yuffie spoke up. They had almost forgotten she was even in the room. "They are for my sake. I am Lady Amaya. Second daughter of Wutai after our honorable Kisaragi, Yuffie."

Vincent added onto her introduction, "Everyone, meet Godo's wife."