OMG my baby is done! Well at least until I write the Sequel LOL… All the stuff is the same, and if you like the teaser for the next one, R&R and let me know, or I won't bother writing it LOL! Copyright Squeenix, except the made up characters of Yuki, Lazarus, Cole and Diana… and if you are wondering who they are, then read on! Thank you all for the support of this story, I wouldn't have been able to finish it without all your wonderful comments!

Nanaki ran down the trench, approaching Edge, and fervently hoped that his friends and last surviving comrades were in place. He was counting down in his head, his son and daughter running behind him, probably doing the same thing. The detonation device was very volatile, but they had no other choice… they had to get into Midgar, Edge most importantly, since the last materia on the planet was in the ruins. The regime that had taken the world over had destroyed all the arcane knowledge, sending it into space. The only place there was still magic was in the safe, hidden in the old Seventh Heaven bar. They hadn't been able to get there to retrieve the safe before GeoCorp had sanctioned it off as an archeology preserve, placing the force field over it.

The fire cats made it to the cliff, jumping up the wall and hurrying to the edge. Red roared, hoping that his friends could hear him. A flock of birds took off at the sound, the count down still going on… that marker meant that they had thirty seconds until the generator blew, and they had only thirty minutes to get in and out before the cyborgs showed up to either fix the generator, or kill them all…

"Hurry Vincent, Yuffie… you're our last hope… I'm even getting to old for this…" Maki came over to her father and bumped him affectionately with her head, "if anyone can do this, it's Aunt Yuffie and Uncle Vincent…" Desa nodded, "she's right Father… they will succeed and come out with Knights of the Round." The protector of what was left of Cosmo Canyon nodded, letting out a sigh. "We've done all we can, we need to get out of here before they find us…" He started off at a run, knowing they had to meet back up in Neo-Midgar.

.:xXx:.

Yuffie Valentine, immortal ninja and wiseass, picked up a rock and tossed it at the force field, watching it get vaporized. She didn't know how many rocks had met the same fate, but she was just glad she hadn't… GeoCorp knew that the forbidden technology in Midgar had to be kept from everyone, though it didn't stop the organization from harvesting the information. She still couldn't believe that it had come out of the WRO. That group, started by their friend Reeve, had done nothing but protect the planet, this new entity was basically an Empire, and was enslaving everyone on the planet. She tossed another one, and then felt the ground quiver at Nanaki's explosion; the rock sailed right through to the other side. "Thank Leviathian!" She called, punching into the air. The petite woman didn't look a day over 25, her body was clad in a black leather cat suit, her black heels were high and deadly when she kicked, her hair was long and pulled into a braid, tied off with a red ribbon. The long red jacket she wore was just so she would match her husband, and her shuriken Valentine was strapped to her back, along with some kunai on her left thigh. "Come on Vince! We don't have forever!"

Vincent Valentine came out of the shadows from his watch, hopping down from the tree and croaching next to his wife. The gunman had seen too many people die in his life to not be vigilant even now. He blood red trench coat dusted the floor as he stood, his own black boots matched his black leather pants, his black cotton peasant shirt unlaced and showed his collar bone and a bit of his chest. Cerberus was strapped to his leg, and Shattered to his back. His hair was as long at Yuffie's, and pulled back into a messy ponytail at the nape of his neck with what had been his bandana once upon a time. He no longer had the claw, after almost five hundred years being free of Chaos, the purple flesh had healed it's self, so now he only wore black gloves. "How far are we from the bar?" His voice was still soft and scratchy, but his wife didn't seem to mind too much. The shinobi pulled a small device from her pocket, placing it on her palm to so the map of Edge was projected into the air, and how to get to Seventh Heaven was highlighted. He looked at it, refreshing his memory and nodded, pulling his rifle off his back.

The ninja pulled her weapon off her back as well, "we don't have any idea what could be in this jungle…" The streets and buildings were completely over grown with vegetation, and they started out slowly, trying to get a feeling for the area, but it was eerie… it was like there wasn't anything alive except the plants. Everything so quiet it was unnerving, and Yuffie moved a bit closer to Vincent. He reached down with his hand and squeezed her, running his thumb over the wedding ring he'd bought for her all though years ago. "It's not far," he whispered to her, turning a corner and going down the street. The woman kept her eyes peeled for cyborg SOLDIERS, and she felt him stop, so she directed her gaze to what he was doing. The breath caught in her chest when she realized she was standing in front of the bar, and she pursed her lips, trying not to think of how all their friends, except Nanaki, were gone. "Come on, I still remember the combination to the safe that was in place before the Strife descendents were forced to abandon it…" Yuffie only managed a small whisper and she stepped through the broken portal, seeing the tables and chairs still stacked neatly, the bar was covered with dirt, but even the pictures still hung on the wall, though there were hundreds now, rather then just a few… the family hadn't even been allowed to take them.

The ninja sniffed, trying not to start crying, "This is so wrong Vincent… look…" She pointed to the encased Tsurugi that was on display behind the bar… "Cloud would not have wanted this left behind…" Vincent let his eyes linger over the weapon and nodded, stepping over and pulling Cerberus out to use the butt end to break the glass. He pulled the intricate sword from the stand and slipped it onto his back with his rifle. "We can give it to Cole when we get back to Neo Midgar…" She nodded and gingerly started toward the stairs when something caught her eye. The shinobi blinked and looked up, a grin splitting her face. Instead of going upstairs, she got on a table and leapt into the rafters, pulling herself up and reaching out… It was the Cerberus Relief that she'd put up all those years ago. "We should take it…"

The gunslinger shook his head… "Leave it… it connects us here… I don't need it, but it will serve as a reminder that they are still with us…" Yuffie nodded and brushed the tears forming in her eyes, and looking down from her vantage point, she could almost see Tifa standing behind the bar and cleaning glasses, with Cloud leaning over and watching her, little kids running round and playing… Her own children were still alive, they'd inherited their immortality, which made life a little easier, but sitting there, remembering Barret yelling, and Cid smoking… and how the bar had looked during Cloud and Tifa's funerals, and how their children had looked to them with accusing eyes because Uncle Vincent and Aunt Yuffie never aged… It had hurt. Tears started to slip down her cheek and her husband moved under her, reaching up and gently tapping her foot. The ninja was startled and fell back, and Vincent was there to catch her. "Come on," he whispered, his own voice thick with sadness, "Yuki and Lazarus will be mourning us if we don't get the Knights and get out…"

The gunman sat her down and she nodded, pushing the ghosts out of her head and focusing on the safe. They hurried up the stairs, careful not to fall through, and got to Cloud's old office… It had been changed over the hundreds of years since his death, but it still had the large combination safe in the corner. She went over and pulled her bag over her head, quickly opening the safe to reveal the treasures within. She grabbed out a case and opened it, looking at the most powerful materia AVALANCHE had harvested, and she started to pulled them into the bag, that was specially lined with lead in the center, so they could smuggle the stuff, but it seemed that it was nothing but a purse. She also grabbed the mystiles, and a handful of ribbons, along with the minerva bands, imperial guards and one crystal bangle. She grabbed a few rings and accessories, stuffing the inside pocket full, before closing the safe. "Let's go…"

.:xXx:.

The Valentines were in the Shera and nearly to Neo Midgar by the time cyborgs swarmed the place, the unfortunate people that had become the drone soldiers for GeoCorp, completely stripped of what once was a person… now they were just killing machines. Yuffie leaned on the bulkhead of the airship and glanced up at the descendent of Cid and Shera, her crazy hair sticking up everywhere. "Diana, how long until we make it back."

"Hm, I'd reckon 'bout thirty minutes… still sick?"

"Yeah, I'll be in my room…" She started out and down the hall, still feeling badly about the trip to the bar, even though it was a success. She ran a hand down the smooth metal; still amazed the Shera was in such perfect condition. Though it had been an old piece of technology to begin with. She walked into the small room to find Vincent sitting on the cot, staring at Tsurugi, which was propped in the corner. The Lady of Wutai walked over and sat next to her Lord, even if they hadn't been the acting monarchy in awhile, she still thought of them that way… "Gil for your thoughts…"

He sighed a bit and turned his head to kiss her forehead… "Do you ever wish you could die?"

Yuffie shrugged a bit and looked up at him, "not as long as I have you. Sure I miss the people we've lost, but we have each other, and our children, what more could we ask for." Vincent smiled softly and pulled her close, laying down and gently moving her to lie on his chest. "We'll be there soon…"

"I know, then the war will begin…"

"We may not survive this…"

Yuffie nodded and kissed him deeply, "I know," she whispered after she pulled back a bit, "but we'll be together… that's all that matters."

FIN

To be continued in Shattered World! The Sequel to Shattered, continuing the epilogue!