- III -

"Names"

The mountain had been quite a trek, and he wondered if leaving the village – his room even – was a smart idea. Gazing down upon Wutai Village, he lay eyes on a spectacle indeed; the grey-tiled rooftops of the buildings outlined by the bright red wood of fences, beams and posts; the sandy-brown and pale green ground on which they stood, just no more than a metre above the shimmering blue stream that ran like a watercolour painting through the village, under bridges, cutting through the thick forests to reach the dazzling pagoda.

He was sitting, resting against one of the faces of Da Chao, staring blankly outwards into the clear, sun-breached sky. He was confused, frightened and lost. He had no thought as to who he was, or how he even came to be. He knew nothing, yet, somehow knew everything; a blank slate with just a tiny blot of spreading ink that held the central knowledge. However, it was surprising how well he was taking it, and he felt no subconscious weight on either his body or his heart. And, like Wutai Village before him, he was for the first time in his existence – and probably for a while to come – serene.

His eyes reflected that serenity, gleaming vibrantly with transcendent possibilities.

"A sight and-a-half, isn't it?"

Yuffie Kisaragi had followed him, like the ninja she was, and had left him alone with his thoughts for a while, contemplating some of her own. She was dressed in her usual attire, headband catching the light, encircling breeze that always managed to find its way up to this height. She met eyes – those eyes – with the young man, until switching to the view surrounding her, of which he did the same. "You seem to be feeling better."

He nodded in contempt. "I feel greatly… refreshed." His voice was youthful, but was painted with an implausible maturity. Yuffie realised that how could he feel any different? He had no life story that he knew of. Hers had been digging at her for quite a while.

"When I left here to, well, basically save the world –"
"Save the world?" He was impressed.

"Yeah. Multiple times." Yuffie replied proudly. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, when I did leave, there was a part of me that missed this place. But, to be honest, now, I've gone beyond caring." She didn't seem saddened. The young man pondered; has her home no longer become her home? Maybe, if he stuck with this girl, he would learn about this world and, somehow, remember…

"Do you… miss adventure?"

"Too much!" She answered quickly, almost too quickly. "But my friends have disbanded, many haven't been heard from in years, and I have my new responsibilities here". He glanced her at in a way to enquire about what she meant. "I'm next in line to rule after my father." She sighed. "God, he's really screwed this place over"

She seemed more annoyed now, than saddened.

The young man felt sorry for her, sensing her sorrow, her loss.

"What is this… feeling…?"

The world replied; empathy…

"And you don't want to." He confirmed her wishes. What Yuffie wanted more than anything in the world was to relive what she had lived. She was only twenty for God's sake, and she was already having these judgments. "You're taking a great interest in me."

"That's because," she glared that penetrating glare at him once again, yet this time it was lathered with anticipation and hope, "I can't help but think that you're the answer." There was a pause.

She moved from where she had been leaning all this time and gently sat down next to him, swinging her legs over the edge of the mountain. She turned to meet his gaze once again, those ice, crystallised blue gems radiating nothing but… no, nothing.

"Eyes…" she whispered. He looked back perplexedly. "That'll be your name: Eyes."

* * *

"What's happening?" The rugged-haired, dashing suit of a man was puzzled. "Not just a second ago this was as problematic as 'No.I'. Now you're just shrugging it off?"

Alyssa sat cross-legged upon her somewhat throne-like position in her office, resting her head upon her limp wrist, absorbing the scent of black leather and dark mahogany. She loved what she had created. Everything. It was her ecstasy, her pill. Everything but that.

"The mention of Big Sis is intolerable." Her face depicted no distinct expression yet she spoke with immediate remorse. How vexatious he was to bring up that incident. If it weren't for the interference and mediation of the Turks, the whole world would have known of GLORIA, and her life would be of no importance; Gaia would've been over before anyone knew of a threat.

How could she have been so stupid?

The associate cleared his throat and looked down at the floor apologetically. Then he continued.

"Are you sure Reno's capable?"

"He's the only one I would trust in this baggage of a team." She wasn't holding back. Was she annoyed at the people underneath her, or still aggravated by his previous remark? The man could not tell, and could only help but feel slightly hurt by her words. "The people here know shit. Theirs is no room for old people in 'important' professions."

"But... the eldest here is barely thirty!" He was fighting a losing argument that wasn't even his.

"And how old am I, Nikolai?"

"Nikolai turned away from her in disapproval. He hated the genius sometimes, even if she was just nineteen. "Reno's leaving in a bit," she knew she had won, "I want you to meet him at Junon and accompany him. Find the Aimata so we can finish the project."

Nikolai turned to walk away, yet spun to face the girl one last time before departing.

"Do you really not trust me?"

"Don't worry," she replied somewhat warmly, "it doesn't mean that I don't love you, brother."

* * *

The woman behind the information book had caught sight of the girl entering the village, and had started talking to her automatically; her was her job after all, albeit slight – or greatly in fact – annoying. She said nothing out of the ordinary, the pleasant "Welcome" and the offer of one of the pamphlets that lat neatly strewn about her book, gesturing as her role commanded.

"How about 'Wutai and Mako'?" she asked cheerfully, her rosy, middle-aged cheeks rose with a smile, "a complete document of Shinra's effect on the country."

"The young woman simple glared at her darkly; her gem-like green eyes hosting pure menace, her smooth brown her shimmering in the sunlight. She spoke quietly, disregarding the other woman's question and joyful demeanour.

"You want to help me?" she hissed, "I'm looking for something."

* * *

The helicopter had been waiting a while for him, and as Reno walked across the landing strip, red hair scattering wildly from the rapid pumping of the propellers, his eats being bullied by their deafening noise, he didn't know what he should feel. Disappointment? Excitement? Loss?

It had been his fault that the Aimata had been lost, yet he had been given the highly sought-after mission of retrieving it. God, the others must be so jealous. In fact, all knowledge that he was actually in trouble had faded from his memory. The only though in his mind was just describing him as being the best.

That was Reno, after all.

The step into the helicopter was quite a steep one, yet the clumsy stumble inside after doing so also let him shut the door with his collapse onto one of the leather seats in the back. They were empty, yet he knew that they were picking up his colleagues on the way there. However, he wasn't expecting the individual piloting this expedition.

"All strapped in, sir?" she spoke mockingly.

"E…Elena…?"

* * *

Yuffie had rushed to the village as soon as she had seen the rising smoke, cutting Eyes off mid-sentence and leaving him atop the stone mountain. She had no clue as to what was going on, yet she was praying that it was just something minute; a small, wayward bulb that had caught alight and that it wasn't anything big,

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Every single tree surrounding the village was ablaze; scorching radiance of yellow and red replaced the luscious green. The sky was darkening with grey smoke, soot and ash rose with the earth. People were screaming, children were crying, yet the girl could not see anyone from where she was. All Yuffie was concentrated on was the glowing figure of immense power staring straight at her, the chaos emanating from her very spot.

Yuffie Kisaragi," exclaimed Lily, ""give me the Aimata!"