Chapter III: Shut Up Yuffie...

A days travel by foot led them to the city of Kalm and, as usual, the streets were filled with celebrations and festivities. Salem grit his teeth as he tried to drowned out the music and screaming dwellers of the town. The desert is more bearable than this place. How on earth could Vincent live here? The noise and the lights were enough to set Salem on edge. Practically anything at any moment could have happened. Again, caution was key.

Shelke walked close behind, steady pace, and by the love of the heavens, she was quiet. She had been for hours, a majority of the time. Though her unemotional state preceded her, she was still not shy to smile from time to time at the fireworks booming overhead in the night sky. She gazed up at them for minutes before she would look back down to where she was walking, often running into things or people. Salem would often remind her from time to time with a loud and crisp call of her name. All in all Shelke was behaving well in his opinion. Acting a some what of a "normal" while the situation calls for celebration.

But Yuffie, she couldn't get enough of the situation. Salem would often turn to the ninja to find her making small talk, dancing, signing autographs, even to the point of hugging- random strangers that they had been passing by. All while maintaining the most enormous smile he had ever seen on any persons face... Ever. Typical Yuffie, really. She walked with a bounce in her step that unconsciously made Salem give a sigh of disbelief in her unusual liveliness.

Yuffie and Salem knew Yuffie through Vincent. Of course, there was something there between the two. Well her anyway. Yuffie cared for Vincent in ways more than one. Salem could tell. The way she talked about him. How much she knew about his past. The adventures and close calls. It seemed as if Vincent was more of a hobby than a friend. She liked checking up on him QUITE often. She told him the first time they met by the slip of the tongue that she "literally came by everyday." Sweet, yet unsettlingly creepy.

There had been select few occasions that Salem would stop by his brothers home and "catch up", whatever that meant. It was often silence. Not a single word between the two. Vincent would say a few words like, "How are you?", or "Thirsty?". But his words always sounded empty and Salem could tell when there was emptiness in his brothers words. But for some strange reason, Yuffie had managed to always arrive at the most coldest of moment between the brothers and thus end up, "lightening" the mood, so to speak and Vincent would go into hiding, leaving Salem not only helpless, but quite off guard. She would even to go as far as to FIND him, and there was always no sight of him.

There was a time that Vincent allowed Salem to use his gun cleaning kit and somehow managed to casually leave the room as Salem was cleaning out his gun. When Salem turned to find Yuffie breathing into the back of his head with that same big smile he instantly went into panic mode, nearly letting his condition get the better of him. Yuffie though it was funny before a wing sprouted from his back- in which she tried to retaliate but Salem managed. With a few Sephiroth bashes and a swift smack to the face, Salem eased himself, for the sake of her life, even though he wanted to. She had even made a remark that she had scared him so much "That three drops of pee came out." That is called a quote.

But alas, here he was with a easilty amused ex-Tsviet and a WAY to overly friendly ninja princess. Salem continued down the street weaving through onlookers and pedestrians, lost in thought. His mind flooded with memories of the past. Of his mother. Simpler times of his life , when he was very young. He could barely remember her smile.

"Salem!", Yuffie whelped far from behind them, making him stop in his tracks. She scurried through gatherings of spectators as she waved her hand high above her head, tightly gripping something. Her fumbling feet tripped past Shelke, barely missing her and another person before she reached Salem. She was grasping a well decorated and fat money pouch. She held it close to his face by its ties, "I found money in case we get hungry later or whatever!" Her tone was innocent along with her gullible smile. But even her batting eyes couldn't lie. Found?

With a stern expression Salem closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. Could she honestly NOT steal from anyone for a single day? Salem took a moment as he took a deep breath, opened his eyes, exhaled with enough force that Yuffie resorted to squinting. His expression chained as he noticed a fellow behind her standing still in the crowd. Well dressed, quite wealthy looking from the looks. As a few moments passed, Salem noticed he was shifting his hands over his abdomen and waist, searching. Salems eye twitched as he looked down to the princess and swiftly snatched the large bag from her hand. Salem made his way in the direction he had once came, sliding himself through a few drunkards.

"What are you doing," Yuffie screamed out with a stomp of her foot letting her arms dangle around her hips.

Salem gritted his jaw before turning back to her, taking long and swift steps back in her direction before looming over her with the pouch overhead, "Did you want to give it back to him?", He growled. Shelke shivered at the sound.

"Um... Um... No?" Yuffie managed to let out under her breath, "But I-."

Salems brow furrowed a bit deeper, cutting her off from her words. He stood his straitest while his eyes remained connected with hers until his shoulder broke contact when he turned again. By now the man was angered. Salem noticed him arguing with a couple of men who must have been standing close to him when he noticed the missing money. The man was red faced and pointing a accusing finger in the men's direction.

The Valentine hesitated on his approach. All three men were apparently drunk and he new this wasn't the place to lose his own head. People and their greed. Would the avarice never end? His hand tightend around the large bag as his steps slowed, squeezing himself between the crowded streets. The mens' argument grew louder as Salem closed in until finally he was hearing every word between the three.

"I know you have it," the rich man exclaimed, drawing closer to the innocent men, "Now give it up, thieves!"

The two men looked wide eyed, clearly offended by the words before one of them spoke, "How dare you call be a theif. I'll say it again, we do not have your damned money."

The rich man reacted with the withdraw of a hidden knife from his colour coated sleeve and pointed it at the men, "If one of you don't give me my money, I'll kill you both." He had now just gathered his own crowd. Women and children drew away from the situation as the mans eye fixed on the two. A silence fell over the men and the bystanders.

"One!" the rich man began, "Two!".

"Hey! Ugly!", Salem let out with a roar, The man jerked his head in the direction of his words to see the Valentine gripping the pouch over the heads of the on lookers, "You dropped this..." He then swiftly tossed to to the mans feet, the ties now loose, letting gold pieces scatter into the street around the man.

"You idiot!", the man cried as he quickly put away his blade and frantically began to pick them up, along with a few other hidden hands. Salem turned away and pased quickly back to the now frowning Yuffie and blank stared Shelke. He passed by them without the urge to as much as say a word, until Yuffie had to do it.

"That was mine," she said crossing her arms and allowing her weight to be shifted to one leg.

"Shut up, Yuffie." Salem said plainly as he continued under a large brick walkway and into its shadow. Granted, the man didn't seem to "deserve" the money. He probably had more. And something in Salems being told him that he should allowed the theft to take place. But that would have probably ment allowing someone to die. One less poor soul to worry about.

They had finally made it to the two story building that was Vincents house. Very unlively and grim if one considered the homeiness of the rest of the homes and buildings. Only a few passer-by's walked down the darkend street. Salem looked to the up stairs window intently. No movement. No lights. Nothing. He lowered his gaze to the front door and eventually set his hand on its knob and gave it a quick shake. Locked...

"You said someone looked for him here," Salem said looking back to the window, "In Kalm."

"Yes," Shelke said plainly as she watched the Valentine in his movements, "I came to Kalm a week ago."

"And you didn't go inside?"

Shelke stood silent, her hands folded behind her back. She slowly lowered her head as Salem shook his head. He took a few steps away from the door as he scanned the building for entry and found none. Taking a deep breath he lifted his boot into air before forcing it into the door with a crash. The door spintered and fell to the floor as the three gazed inside through the doorway.

Yuffie gave Salem her own frown, "You didn't have to do that," Her voice was flat and unamused.

"Did you have a better idea?" Salem said just as plain and scratchy, as if mocking her-mocking him.

One after another they made their way through the empty home. It was silent as well as dark. Of course, as dark as a coffin. The Valentine brother slipped his hand into his pocket and retrieved his metalic lighter and striked it. The light shown blinded the three for just a moment before the living area was slightly illuminated. Tables and chairs were turned over, glass littered the dining room floor. The place was a mess.

"What... Happened here?" Shelke asked as she bent down to pick up a piece of Vincents cloak that was hung on a broken chair leg.

"Someone was looking for something..." Salem said plainly as he scanned what he could see in the room.

"Who?" Yuffie said frantically looking through the rooms, tripping and stumbling over debres.

"The better question is what..." Salem said making his way for a stairway. The two women followed slowly. Yuffie slipped her satchel from his back as she gripped her Shuriken, Shelke arming her electro-magnetic sabers, giving a better light to the corridor. Salem then slipped his lighter back into his pocket. He turned to face Yuffie as they reached the door to his brothers room and pulled his gun. They could never be to cautious. He pressed himself against the wall for a moment as he locked the hammers of his gun and turned his head to see a bit into the room. With a deep breath he gave a single nod to Yuffie and then cut the corner, beading his sights in only an instant.

Vincents room was trashed even more so than the floor below. The bed was overturned. The T.V. laid face down broken on the floor. Glass and empty picture frames littered the floor which made Salem think for a moment.

"This is not good," Yuffie said as her legs became a bit unsteady, "Not good at all. What happened Salem? What were they looking for? You have to know."

Salem kept his eyes to the broken frame at his feet, glass scattered around it. There was more than one, but from the looks of it- the only things that were stolen from the empty room where photographs.

"Pictures... I don't know what of though." Salem looked back at Yuffie with a smirk, "A fangirl perhaps?"

"Shut up, Salem!" Yuffie scream, tears swelling to her eyes once again, "This is no time for joking! He is in trouble. I know it!" She fell hard to the floor onto her knees throwing her weapon to the floor and her face into her hands before weeping shuttered her chest.

Salem whiped away the smirk in utter frustration and fell into thought. Why would the only things they would take would be framed pictures. What were so important about them? He didn't even know Vincent had pictures. He barely had anything much less pictures. Salem lifted a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and stuck on between his lips before lighting it in even more thought. This was quite strange, even for Vincent.

Shelke powered down her weapon and turned to the now blank stared Salem, "Well what is our next move, Salem Valentine."

"We stay here for the night and rest. Maybe the thief wasn't done with his work. We will be here in case he comes back." He walked over to the overthrown mattress and corrected it onto the metal framed bed, "You can bunk together. I'll be down stairs." His feet turned and made way for the door.

"What is in store for tomorrow, Salem Valentine?" Shelke said as she knelt down beside her friend in hopes to comfort her.

A sigh escaped his lips before he released the cigarette from his lips, "I'll wake you in the early morning and we'll leave for Junon at dawn." Salem scanned over the room once again before turning out the door, "Lock the door behind me. Just in case."