Chapter 1: Throwing Caution Into The Wind

"How long...? How long has it been? Since that race we won... since we met Yuffie? Feels too long to me.Well...We're back now...Pray for the best Hapan." Kuro flew over the cerulean sea, the occasional mist of the clouds mingled with the sea blowing past him, chilling him to the bone. Hapan, however, was quite warm under all his feathers. It was not even close to the time they were to arrive to the shore; in fact, it would still be half anhour till the island of Wutai was visible. But Kuro played it smart. "Ride lower hapan. Ride so low, that a dolphin could come up and over your head." All he got in response was a "kweh", and Kuro never liked the fact that a chocobo was unable to talk, or learn. He pulled his clothes around him tighter. "This had to happen during the fa--...faa--...faa--ACHOO!...Fall...oh...sorry Hapan." 'KWEH!' "I said sorry man!" Kuro wiped his snot off the back of Hapan's neck with a hankerchief.

Ten minutes later, Kuro's thoughts began to drift again. It was that fatefull night...we went out on a date...shelooked lovely, with her hair up in a bun and her elegant red dress...emerald earrings...and I looked like a bum, with a wrinkled tuxedo and messy hair. Oh, but it was a wonderful evening. I never knew how to dance untill that night. He recalled a ballroom dance after they had finished dinner, and Kuro stumbled alot during it. But Yuffie was undaunted by it, and eventually Kuro got into a groove. By the end of the night, they were both dancing in harmony. "The food was good...I never knew that fish could taste like that! But...the next day, I had to leave to pay my repects to my kind guadian. Word traveled quickly to me. How did she change so suddenly? The day before was heavenly, then she turns into an evil succubus, wanting me hunted down like a dog.

He stared up at the endless night sky, admiring the stars and moon glowing with a brightness, then being swallowed up by a passing cloud. Well at least afterwards, I met her friends Tifa and Cid. Great pair of people they are! And Tifa makes a mean scotch. Cid is always a fun guy to talk to, if his constant cursing didn't make him completely unintelligible...When I met Vincent, he showed me a few gun tricks. I was surprised at how much better I could use them from his help. Reeve was always a nice guy who knew the gambling secrets of the Golden Saucer, but why did he always use that silly mog robot with that cat on top? Barrett was always happy to give me ammo...for a price. But he gave me a discount whenever I brought his daughter a nice gift or flower. Why did Cloud get so huffy over the conversations I had with Tifa? Was it that she kept consoling me? Or maybe it was when I got overly drunk and kissed her. Hell im glad she stopped him from slicing me in half...how did he ever use such a big blade? I think he's compensating for something...HA! Kuro began to laugh heartily. All that good from one evil deed. What are the odds? Hopefully something like that will happen again later. Guess thats why it's hoping for the best. He banked left, toward the tip of the tallest mountain the island had. And im going to need all the hope I can get.

Kuro rolled over and stared more intently at the stars. She still kept that bounty up, even after her friends talked to her. She secluded herself, and they said she would not listen to their reasoning. There was an advisor there, telling her about it...Oh, whats the point of thinking about this now? Reh... "Fly swiftly, And we'll be there in no time Hapan. After that...I want you to go back to everybody in Kalm. Make sure they're safe...I'll have a note tied around your neck. It'll tell them to send word if anything is wrong. It'll be an 'Ace In The Hole' should I need it to not get assassinated by Yuffie." But his mind suddenly woke up. He could've swore he heard the flapping of a cloak, one that was farther from him. All that his eyes could see was the milky white moon, shining stars, and the thin, misty clouds. Sitting up revealed nothing but miles of ocean. He shuddered. "Hapan." He dropped his voice to the point where the bird could only just hear it. "I have a bad feeling about this..."