Fly into the Night Chapter 4: 04: Adventure at the Canyon, a final fantasy vii fanfic

Adventure at the Canyon

---

Yuffie sighed, flopping down on the dirt ground around the Cosmo Canyon fire. How long ago had it been since they had sat here with Aeris? It didn't feel that long ago; but yet, it had been at least two months. She missed the naïve brunette, and wanted to kill the silver haired swordsman; she had watched Aeris die in front of her. Aeris was like her sister… and now, she was gone. Just like her mother. Yuffie closed her stormy grey eyes, she didn't want to think about that now, she shook her head, getting the image of Aeris out of her mind.

"So, it's decided then?" Cloud's voice sounded, looking around at the seven sitting around the fire. A round of nods went up, all knowing what it was they had to do. "Alright, Cid's group will go off to Rocket Town, I suppose the Turks or someone will be mulling around there as well –"

Yuffie blinked; what were they talking about? She hadn't heard a thing Cloud had said… figures. Maybe if she just listened in to what everyone was saying, she could get the picture, the jest, of what was going on. Yes, that would work.

"The hell they won't be!" Cid shouted, cigarette in his mouth, poking the Cosmo fire with the end of his Venus Gospel. "Wait till I get my hands on their little necks, they'll wish they'd never come there."

Cloud nodded' a smirk on his feature. "Yeah, I can see you doing that. Take them out, whatever the cause alright. Tifa, Barret, we're off to Junon."

Barret nodded, banging his gun arm against the ground in agreement.

"At least we won't have Rufus and them to deal with; they did die in that attack, right?" Tifa said, looking up at the star speckled sky.

Cloud nodded, his eyes focused on the small bartender, shrugging. "I guess they are; I doubt they could survive that attack."

Tifa grinned, smacking her fist into her palm. "Damn, now I won't get to wring that little Scarlet's neck."

Cloud smirked; he could see Tifa wanting to do that; Scarlet had tried to have her killed. "Look at the bright side, Teef," Tifa looked up at Cloud; eyebrow's raised, as if to say 'what?' "You can always wring Reno's neck."

Tifa smirked, that would have to work; he had tried to feel her up in Wutai… "That'll work fine, such a pervert." She muttered, pushing her black hair behind her back.

Yuffie rolled her eyes, her plan wasn't working. "What are you all talking about? Ohh, where am I going! I want excitement!"

Cait Sith, who had the joy of sitting beside the hyperactive ninja, sighed. "You haven't heard a single thing, have you?"

Yuffie turned her stormy eyes onto him. "What'd you say, Cait?" Her eyes narrowed, her hands grabbing his Megaphone and held it out of his reach. "I could have sworn you said I wasn't paying attention? I thought you were my friend… that's hurtful."

Barret glared over at the ninja, why didn't they just leave her in Wutai? They were better off without her in his opinion. "What the hell, girl? First, you steal our materia, and we have to go after you, then you don't listen to us? Too bad," Cid muttered, flicking his cigarette into the fire. "We should have just left you in that resort town."

Yuffie tossed the Megaphone back at Cait Sith, who caught it with surprise, as she quickly balled her hands into fists, intent on lunging across the flames at Cid. "Take that back, old man! Wutai is not a resort town!"

Cid shrugged, picking out a new cigarette. "Then what are those spa's there for?"

Yuffie glared at him, eyes ablaze. "Shin-Ra! They did it with their stupid war!"

"What's the big deal? You Wuati people started the war."

Yuffie's jaw dropped; did Cid just say what she thought he said? Sure, Cid was always shooting his mouth off, but this – this, had crossed the line. Tifa, sensing the tension and distraught in the air all of the sudden, quickly got up, making her way over to Yuffie. Hesitating, she laid a hand on the ninja's shoulder, smiling down at her.

"Are you alright, Yuffie? Don't worry about what Cid said… you know it's not true… Wutai will get back to normal. Just wait till Sephorith is beat… you'll be famous then! Rich, even!"

Yuffie shook her head. "Don't bother, Teef. I – Wutai – it's finished." Yuffie angrily brushed away tears in her eyes, before pushing away Tifa's hand. "Leave me alone for a while, okay?"

Tifa bit her lip, watching as Yuffie ran away from the Cosmo fire towards the stairs leading to the Observatory. No matter how much Yuffie stayed with them… she always seemed to change as soon as you thought you knew her. She felt a presence behind her, as a gloved hand landed on her shoulder. She jumped a little, turning around to see who it was, only to come eye to eye with Cloud. "Do you think she'll be all right?"

Cloud shrugged, casting a glance over at the stairs Yuffie had vanished up. "She'll be all right, she's a tough kid. Are you ready to go though? The last thing we need is an angry Cid…"

Tifa laughed, nodding. "I think so, but do hope Yuffie'll be alright."

"She'll be fine. Wait until we come back, I can guarantee Yuffie will be bouncing off the walls."

Tifa nodded. "I guess so –"

"What's taking you two?" Cid yelled from the base at the Cosmo Canyon. "We'll leave without you if you're not in that ship by the time I get there!"

Tifa laughed, pushing Cloud ahead of her. "At the pace he moves, we'll be there light years before him."

Cloud shook his head, letting himself be pushed by the small bartender. "You're sounding a lot like Yuffie."

"She's rubbing off on me," Tifa shook her head, her hands clasping behind her back. Cloud, who was leaning against Tifa's hands, faltered before he fell to the ground. "Sorry Cloud." Tifa grinned, holding her hand out to the blonde.

Cloud said nothing, but took her hand anyways. "Now, now, stop playing mean tricks like that, we don't need a Yuffie the second."

Tifa shook her head; that was the last thing they needed! "I'll meet you down on the Highwind, okay? Tell Cid not to leave without me, I have to look after something first."

Cloud nodded slowly, eyebrows raised. What could be that Tifa needed to look after first? They had to get to that Underwater Reactor… "Alright, but Cid won't wait long."

Tifa nodded. "I won't, I'll be there in a minute," Cloud nodded warily, making his way down the path to where Cid and the others had vanished. Tifa watched Cloud until he was out of view, before turning on her heel. She knew he was here, somewhere. She sighed, if she was Vincent, where would she go? "The Weapon Shop."

She quickly darted around the fire, stopping at the base of the ladder to take her up to the store. "Need something before you leave?"

Tifa stopped, eyebrows coming together. Who was that? She quickly cast a glance down, only to see Vincent looking calmly up at her. Okay, maybe her intuition was wrong. "Ah, no, I was actually looking for you." She said calmly, jumping down from the ladder.

Vincent's eyebrows rose, Tifa was looking for him? "What was it you wanted?"

"Watch Yuffie for me, okay?" Vincent, like always, said nothing, but merely stared ahead. "I know you probably don't want too – ah, knowing what happens when you two get together – but she's… oh, I don't know what she'll do! But Cid went too far that time! Just make sure she doesn't do anything stupid… okay?" She asked, her hands shooting out and grabbing his real arm. "She was thinking about Aeris again… you know what she gets like when she thinks of her, she might do something stupid, again. This will be the last thing I'll ever ask of you – I swear – she's like, a sister, I suppose. Just like Marlene was, is."

Vincent said nothing, but merely nodded. Since he was going to be left alone here with her, he might as well find out what was going on in the hyperactive ninja's mind. Not like there was much else to do in Cosmo Canyon…

"Thanks a lot. See you later then!" Tifa called with a wave, running back in the direction that Cloud and the others had gone in.

---

The cold metal surface felt great against her back as she stared up at the sky. The Cosmo heat was hot, and their constant running around after Sephorith didn't seem to help beat the heat either. Figures, air conditioning was the one thing Cid didn't add to the Highwind airship. She sighed; looking up at the sky, for some reason it always seemed to make her feel calm…

"Mommy, Mommy! Look at all the stars; they've come out again tonight."

Ayumi laughed, watching her black haired daughter run across the lawn, hands held up to the sky. "Yes, they have come out again. Do you know why they come out?"

Yuffie stopped, looking curiously over at her mother. She grinned, shaking her head. "Is it because the sun went to sleep? They can play now?"

Ayumi smiled, sitting down on their stone bench, patting the spot beside her. Yuffie grinned, running over to where her mother sat. Grabbing a fist full of her mother's kimono, she pushed herself onto Ayumi's lap. Ayumi just grinned as she wrapped an arm around her daughter, while her other hand pointing up at the sky. "You see all the stars there? They come out when you've been good."

"When you've been good? If I've been bad… does the sun stay up all night too?"

Ayumi laughed at her daughters' antics. "No, they will come out anyways. But their shine won't be as bright."

"They won't shine?" Yuffie grinned, wriggling closer to her mother. "Then I'll be good every single day!"

"You'll be good just for the stars?"

Yuffie nodded. "Yes, and for Wutai too."

"Wutai?" Ayumi asked, casting a look at her daughter. "How come you'll do it for Wutai?"

"Daddy's the Lord! I'll be the Lordess eventually."

Ayumi laughed, hugging Yuffie closer. "Yes, only if you find a man though."

"A boy?" Yuffie wrinkled her nose. "I'll rule Wutai alone, I'm strong."

Ayumi giggled. "You are, but things change."

Yuffie shook her head. "As long as there are stars, things will never change right? We'll be together like this, forever!"

"Yes, we will be, together forever. Your father, you, me, and you're lucky boy."

"Don't be gross, mommy! Boys are yucky!"

Yuffie sighed, that's why she loved looking at the stars so much… they connected her to her mother. Soon after their conversation out in their garden backyard, her mother had gotten sick and died within the week. That left her and her father, who she never saw; he was always too busy with the war against Midgar during her childhood. She had grown up alone, and was thrown into this world, and was surrounded by, more or less, all guys. Maybe her mom was right… maybe it wouldn't be only her and Lord Godo forever; there was the lucky boy, Ayumi talked about.

"I wish you were here, mom. I'm so confused."

"What's so confusing?"

"Ahh!" Yuffie shouted, jumping up, her hands flailing towards her ninja stars she kept in her pocket. Then she saw him, standing there in all his black glory, staring down at her. "Don't just sneak up on me, Vinny!"

Vincent shrugged, his crimson eyes focused on her. "What's so confusing?"

Yuffie crossed her arms across her chest, glaring at him. "Were you listening to my conversation?"

"If it was private, it would have been in your head."

Yuffie glared at him. "I thought I was alone."

"Well you're not the only person at the Canyon."

"Shut up Vinny," Yuffie snapped, brushing past him. "I need to think, so kindly leave me alone."

Vincent watched as Yuffie stomped down the metal ramp of the Observatory, muttering angrily to herself. He sighed, following after her, his cloak swishing after him. Tifa wanted him to watch over Yuffie for her, but yet, the girl was still angry about Cid's comment and had turned into some ice queen.

---

Tifa sighed, leaning against the railing of the Highwind, the wind whipping around her. She knew that she should be down in the bridge with everyone else; Cloud had wanted to go over the plans of attacks and what ifs with Cait Sith filling everyone in on what Shin-Ra was up to, but she just couldn't be there. She still couldn't believe that Cid had said that to Yuffie – everyone knew she held Wutai in a high-priority – she just didn't want to be in the room with him, she might just pound his head in.

"Hey Tifa, you alright?" A male's voice sounded, coming up behind her.

Tifa turned around, leaning her back against the railing as she smiled at the blonde. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't want to be around Cid right now. He went to far that time…"

Cloud nodded, leaning up on the railing beside her. "What'd you run back to do in Cosmo Canyon?"

Tifa just smiled at him, shrugging. "I asked Vincent to keep an eye out on her… try to get her back to normal."

Cloud shook his head, looking at the bartender. "You asked him to keep an eye out on her?" Smirking, he let out a laugh. "That'll go over interestingly, what with all the past trouble they've gotten into; especially after that whole ordeal between then in Mideel."

Tifa just shrugged, smiling up at him. "No, they won't get into trouble, it'll just give them time to work out their problems without us barging in and giving them out opinions."

Cloud nodded, eyebrows raised. "And when Yuffie's angry, and stubborn, I'm sure he'll be able to get through to her… if he threatens too shoot her…"

"Don't joke about that Cloud," Tifa muttered, whacking him in the chest. "That's just a jinx. It'll all be worked out by the time we get back. So don't say anything bad about it."

Cloud pushed Tifa's pointed finger away from him. "You try too much to be a matchmaker and solve people's problems," Tifa shrugged, smiling up at him. "C'mon, we'll be in Junon soon, so we got to perk up."

Tifa smiled; the Highwind rumbling to a stop beneath her feet. "I've always wanted to try this; I'll meet you and Barret at the shoreline, okay?"

Cloud nodded, slowly. What was Tifa planning? He watched her walk backwards a few steps, then with a deep breath, she ran forward, her hand latching onto the railing as she jumped over it. Cloud's jaw dropped; did Tifa just jump off the Highwind? "Tifa!" He yelled, leaning over the railing.

"Yo Cloud, where's Teef?" Barret asked, coming up behind Cloud. "What're you lookin' at?"

Cloud shook his head, pointing over the railing. "Tifa just jumped off here… wanted to try it out."

Barret shook his head. "That's Tifa for you… but I'm not jumpin' nowhere."

Cloud shook his head, again. "Me either, Cid'll stop soon enough."

---

Yuffie sunk into one of the wooden chairs in the Cosmo Inn, a large drink of Cosmo Ale sitting in front of her. She stared moodily at the drink, a scowl on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest.

What the hell, girl? First, you steal our materia, and we have to go after you, then you don't listen to us? Too bad," Cid muttered, flicking his cigarette into the fire. "We should have just left you in that resort town."

Yuffie tossed the Megaphone back at Cait Sith, who caught it with surprise. She quickly balled her hands into fists, intent on lunging across the flames at Cid. "Take that back, old man! Wutai is not a resort town!"

Cid shrugged, picking out a new cigarette. "Then what are those spa's there for?"

Yuffie glared at him, eyes ablaze. "Shin-Ra! They did it with their stupid war!"

"What's the big deal? You Wuati people started the war."

"Are you alright, Yuffie? Don't worry about what Cid said… you know it's not true… Wutai will get back to normal. Just wait till Sephorith is beat… you'll be famous then! Rich, even!"

Yuffie shook her head. "Don't bother, Teef. I – Wutai – it's finished." Yuffie angrily brushed away tears in her eyes, before pushing away Tifa's hand. "Leave me alone for a while, okay?"

Cid was right – as much as she hated to admit it – Wutai was finished. It was a resort town; it always would be a resort town. No amount of materia would be able to bring Wutai back to its glory. Sinking down further in her chair, her butt almost slipping off the edge of the chair, she reached out an orange glove for the Ale. Maybe she could drink it all away… who cared if she was underage anyways? Vincent was the only one around; and well, they'd tried to avoid each other for the past week since what happened in Mideel and Wutai. Bringing the cup of Ale up to her lips, intent on drinking the whole thing in hopefully a single shot, when metal clanked, the cup taken away from her.

"You shouldn't be drinking that."

Yuffie's eyes narrowed, glaring at the man across from her. Vincent. "I don't care, I bought it. Give. It. Back!"

Vincent shook his head. "No. You might have been able to boss around whoever gave this too you, but not me."

Yuffie glared at him, how the hell had he found her? Hadn't she told him to leave her alone? But yet, there he was, sitting across from her. "Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?" She snapped, shuffling up in her seat. "Now, give me my drink." She seethed, reaching across the table.

Expecting that, Vincent moved the Cosmo Ale out of Yuffie's reach. He fixed his crimson eyes on the ninja, immediately sending her back to her chair, glaring at him. "We need to talk."

"And I need my space."

Vincent shrugged. "I don't care what you think you need. You've been moody for the past week, so we'll talk whether you like it or not."

Yuffie glared at him. "Did you hear what Cid said to me? He called Wutai a resort town, it's anything but that!" Vincent sighed, sure that was what Yuffie was angry about now, but there was something else boiling under her skin. Something was really annoying her, but she had it all clammed up inside. "I hate him! He's rude, he's arrogant, and he keeps calling me brat! I wish Aeris was here!" Yuffie shouted, folding her arms up on the table, as she rested her head in her arms.

Vincent watched Yuffie's outbreak, shaking his head as her head disappeared into her arms. "Is all this about Aeris then?" Yuffie remained silent, but shook her head. "It's not; then what's it about?" Yuffie didn't say anything, no move, making him roll his eyes. "It has to be something. I'll keep asking you until you tell me. I have all day."

Yuffie sighed, her shoulders falling; Vincent would do that too. She slowly brought her head up, her stormy grey eyes locking with his crimson ones. "It might have something to do with Aeris…"

"Then what is it?"

"You're a boy," Yuffie scrunched her nose up. "I can't tell you."

"Then why don't you tell Tifa? She's a girl too."

"I can't tell Tifa; she isn't Aeris."

"Isn't Aeris?" Vincent echoed. "What was so special about her?"

Yuffie was silent for a moment, debating if she should say something or not. "She was like a sister… she cared about everyone, even me," Yuffie shook her head, holding her hand up to stop Vincent from saying something. "Then she died… right in front of me! Do you have any idea what that was like, watching Sephiroth drive his sword through her? He didn't care, he laughed, and all I could do was watch. Watch as she died, her own blood pooling around her! She died like that! I couldn't do anything!"

Yuffie angrily wiped tears from her eyes. She had to get this out. "Then I felt so left out of everything; like no one even cared! Barret and Cid always call me the brat, Red always looks down on my immaturity, Cloud – well what does Cloud think about anyway, he never speaks! – Tifa tried to fill in for Aeris and Cait Sith tries to tell me jokes about whatever. And you! Mr. I-don't-care-about-anything, you don't do anything! Did you even care that she died?" Yuffie whispered, her voice going from a yell to a whisper.

Vincent watched Yuffie with calculating eyes; he hadn't expected her to have that much stuff bothering her. However, he had found out what had been bothering her… it was everyone here. They all treated her like a little kid that didn't know anything. "Is that why you went back to Wutai?" He asked at length.

Yuffie nodded, wiping at her eyes angrily again. "I didn't want to be with you all, no one cared anyways! But… then you all came for me anyways… so you must have liked me a little," Yuffie whispered to herself, staring at her hands. "But I wish Aeris was here; it's just not the same."

Vincent remained silent, for once, he wasn't being silent because it was his thing, but because he had no idea what to say. Realizing he was still holding onto the Cosmo Ale, he sighed, pushing it back across at Yuffie. "I suppose you do need this after all."

Yuffie shook her head, pushing the drink back into the middle of the room. "I don't want it anymore," She said, some happiness coming back into her deflated personality. "Telling you this actually seemed to work out," Yuffie smiled at him, as she stood up making her way out of the inn. "Oh and Vinny, about what I said in Mideel… it might have been a little over the top… maybe my emotions were just getting in the way." Yuffie called over her shoulder, the inn door closing behind her.

Vincent watched the hyperactive ninja leave, falling back in the chair when she was gone. Yuffie was definitely a complicated person. His eyes fell onto the Cosmo Ale, sitting mere feet in front of him. With a shrug, he reached his real hand out, clasping the cup. No use letting it go to waste, it had to have cost at least a hundred Gil. Yuffie was back to normal for the most part, all hyperactive once again and trying to deny what she said previous. That was how Yuffie worked.

---

"Tifa! Welcome back!" Yuffie hollered, the sun just rising over the endless terrain surrounding the canyon. "Did you get the Huge Materia?" Yuffie jumped down from the platform the Cosmo fire was on, running over to the petite bartender.

"Hey, Yuffie, glad too see you're back to normal. You're alright now, right?" Yuffie nodded. "We got the Huge Materia, both of them actually!"

Yuffie grinned, looking intently at the large blue crystal in Tifa's hands. "It's bigger then I thought; the one from Corel isn't that big! Do we have any more to get?"

Tifa laughed, Yuffie was back to normal; she was asking question after question again. "I think we have them all."

"That's good, so did you have any trouble?"

Tifa nodded, resting the Huge Materia on the fire's platform. "We did, we ended up in the water under Junon, in a Shin-Ra Underwater Reactor. I think they knew we'd be coming, and the Shin-Ra soldiers were waiting for us. Like always though, they weren't that tough, so we ended up in the submarine dock pretty quickly… and guess who was there?" Yuffie brought her eyebrows together, trying to think. Tifa laughed, shaking her head. "Reno was there, nice little surprise he had for us; Cary Armor. They took the Huge Materia… so we followed them in a submarine and kind of blew their submarine up."

Yuffie let out a loud laugh, clutching her stomach. "Did you kill them, then?" Tifa shook her head. "A shame, but that's good too! I want to be there when we defeat them! But, you guys were lucky, you all had action!"

"Didn't you then?" Tifa asked, looking at the ninja. The real reason why they hadn't taken Yuffie with them on any of these escapades was because they thought she might try to steal their materia again. Everyone knew she wouldn't steal from Vincent though; he'd probably shoot her if she tried that.

Yuffie shook her head. "No, not really, it was just Vincent and I here. We just talked and did our own things." Tifa nodded, eyebrows raised. She'd have to remember to ask Vincent about what happened this time, as it looked that Yuffie wasn't going to tell her anything. "So, what happened with the other group?"

Tifa blinked, focusing in on what Yuffie was talking about. "Oh, Cid, Cait and Red? They went off to Rocket Town, I don't know really what happened though, you'd have to ask them… all I know is something happened to that rocket."

Yuffie nodded, inwardly smiling. "The old man must have had a field day with that."

"Who're you calling old, brat?" Cid's voice boomed, carrying a Huge Materia as well, as he glared at Yuffie.

Yuffie shrugged, glaring back at him. "Obviously I'm talking about you, you are old, aren't you? Besides, you have the attitude of a grumpy old man as well, so, if the shoe fits…"

Cid dropped the Huge Materia next to the one Tifa had brought, before glaring over at Yuffie. "We should have just left you in Wutai."

Tifa's eyes widened, why would Cid bring up Wutai again? Yuffie just stared at him, glaring, before shaking it off. "Whatever you say, you still came for me, which must mean you missed me." Yuffie taunted in a sing-song voice. "But I still say you're an old man."

Cid grunted, picking out a cigarette and lighting it up. "Whatever, Tifa you and Strife can take these up to the Observatory right?" Tifa nodded. "Good, I'm going to bed. G'night."

Tifa waved at Cid as he made his way towards the inn where they were staying. She cast a glance at the two Huge Materia's lying there, sighing. One was heavy enough, and Cloud was still on the Highwind talking to Cait Sith about something. "Now, too get these up to the Observatory."

Yuffie shook her head, smiling at Tifa. "Let me do it, I don't mind. You guys were gone for almost twenty-four hours; you should go get some sleep. I'm not tired, and I like to look at the stars."

Tifa nodded slowly. "You sure you don't mind?" Yuffie shook her head. Tifa grinned, giving Yuffie a quick hug. "Thanks Yuffs, it means a lot!" With a wave, Tifa made her way towards the inn as well.

Yuffie smiled, yes, she was glad that she was back here. As much as she felt left out sometimes, talking it over with Vincent, she seemed to get over it. Maybe, just maybe, Vincent would be the one to fill the spot Aeris left behind? She shook her head; she'd have to worry about that later. She quickly grabbed the materia Tifa had put down, and made her way up towards the stairs to the Observatory. "Hey mom, I'm coming up for another visit tonight."

---

Tifa, unknown to Yuffie, had heard what Yuffie had said. "Your mom… is that what this was all about?"

Had Yuffie missed her mom that much, that she bottled everything up in her mind? Tifa sighed, she realized, then and there, that she didn't know Yuffie all that well. She had never tried to either… maybe she should start now. Yuffie seemed to be in need of a friend right now, someone to keep her stable.

"Tifa!" Cloud shouted, coming up beside her, worry in his eyes. Where's the other Huge Materia?"

Tifa shook her head, smiling at Cloud. "Yuffie took it up to the Observatory; she wanted to talk to her mom. What did I tell you though? I told you Yuffie would be back to normal when we returned; Vincent must have gotten through to her."

Cloud raised an eyebrow. Vincent, a man of few words, managed to snap a moody Yuffie out of it? That must have been an interesting discussion…"

Tifa laughed. "Yes, I suppose it was," She looped her arms with Clouds, leading him towards the inn. "C'mon, we should go ask Vincent about it."

Cloud stopped, Tifa jolting backwards as the blonde abruptly stopped. "What is it, Cloud?" She asked, throwing her hair over her shoulder.

"It isn't any of our business what happened between Yuffie and Vincent, right?" Tifa nodded. "So, why bother? Obviously they're fine; Yuffie's back to normal."

Tifa huffed, unlooping her arm from Clouds, and placed it on her hips. "You're just no fun! If you don't want to find out, don't come with me! I'm going to go and find out." Clasping her hands behind her back, Tifa turned on her heel making her way towards the inn.

---

"Hey Vincent, can we talk?" Tifa asked, sliding into the chair opposite him. He merely nodded in response, looking up at her. Tifa smiled, getting off the chair and grabbing his arm. "C'mon, we can talk outside, right? It's not that cold out. There are too many people in here."

Vincent nodded, standing up and following Tifa out of the inn and over to the Cosmo fire. "So, what was it you wanted to talk about? Out here, of all places?"

"I wanted to talk about Yuffie," Tifa said, sitting down on the edge of the platform and staring up at him. "Whatever you said to her, you made her change her mind, she's back to being happy again."

"I didn't say much, really."

Tifa raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, you obviously said something worth listening to," Tifa stretched, falling back onto the platform. "Can't you tell me what was bothering her?"

Vincent remained silent, which Tifa took for a no, but Vincent sat down on the platform's edge as well. "It was all about Aeris."

"Aeris?" Tifa shouted, bolting up. "But, she died four months ago…"

"I know," Vincent said, shaking his head. "She said that Aeris was like a sister to her, the one that she never had growing up, and that Aeris cared a lot about what happened to her –"

"But, we all cared about what happened to her." Tifa interrupted, looking over at Vincent.

Vincent nodded. "We know that, but Yuffie didn't. All she heard from us, was us calling her the brat, the kid, and looking down on her."

Tifa was silent, nodding at what he said. "I never thought of that… leave it to Barret and Cid."

"That's not all of it though," Tifa raised her eyebrows, there was more? "It was watching Aeris die in front of her, and her not being able to do anything."

Tifa gasped; the pieces all falling together.

"Hey mom, I'm coming up for another visit tonight."

"That must have happened to her mom too… died in front of her."

Vincent raised his eyebrows at Tifa's comment. "What are you talking about, Tifa? Did Yuffie say something about her mom?"

Tifa shook her head, staring at the ground. "No, no, she didn't. I overheard her as she took the Huga Materia up to the Observatory, she looked up at the sky and said I'm coming up for another visit tonight…"

"That's where I first found her," Vincent muttered. "Staring up at the sky intently, she never even heard me come up behind her. When she found out, she snapped, it looked like she had been crying."

Tifa and Vincent went silent, staring at relatively nothing. "I think that there's more to Yuffie then what we first thought," Tifa sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I do wonder what happened to her mom though."

Vincent shrugged, he had no idea.

"Do you want to know? A voice broke in.

Tifa's head shot up, looking around, Yuffie was standing at the other end of the platform, hands wrapped around the second Huge Materia. Tifa smiled, shaking her head. "You can just tell us when you're ready; we were just worried about you."

"She died," Yuffie said, placing the Huge Materia down and walked slowly over to Tifa and Vincent, sitting down beside Tifa. "She died when I was about six. I don't know what she had – my father wouldn't tell me – but it was a disease, one that went from the inside, out. She was dying slowly and painfully. She would be fine one day, and couldn't move the next. Then, while in the mountains of Tao, she collapsed. She died right there, in front of me."

Tifa smiled apologetically, placing an arm around Yuffie. "That's why Aeris death hit you so hard… you'd see it before," Yuffie nodded, eyes downcast. "You could have talked about this to me, Yuffie. I'm here for you… we all are. I know I'm not Aeris; but still."

Yuffie nodded. "Thanks Tifa."

Tifa just smiled, pulling Yuffie closer to her. "That's why your tie to Wutai is so strong… you want it to be the way you remember it; when your mom was there," Yuffie nodded. "Is that why you tried to push everything away, push us away? You didn't want to see anything happen to us?"

"I think so, I don't want to see anyone else I care about get hurt or killed…" Yuffie's eyes widened, looking up at Vincent. "You understand what I meant earlier, right?"

"Oh and Vinny, about what I said in Mideel… it might have been a little over the top… maybe my emotions were just getting in the way." Yuffie called over her shoulder, the inn door closing behind her.

She didn't mean it; she was just trying to cover up what she really felt. Girls, they could be so strange sometimes. He just nodded, before getting up off the platform. "I understand, but I doubt it will last long." With a flick of his cloak, he turned on his heel, heading back to the inn.

"What happened, Yuffie? What did you say?"

Yuffie wiggled out of Tifa's grasp, looking anywhere but at the brunette. "I told him what I said at Mideel might have been my emotions talking."

Tifa sighed. "Why'd you do that, Yuffie?" Tifa asked, bringing a hand to her forehead. "You know it's not true, I can see it in your eyes. You're not fooling anyone, only yourself."

"Really? You think Vincent knows it's a lie?"

Tifa bit back a laugh. "Yes, I think he does know."

"Oh, well, I guess I'll just pretend it never happened."

Tifa shook her head, standing up. "Boys don't work like that Yuffie; they're completely useless when it comes to finding out girls' emotions. Vincent might know, but not really. He probably isn't completely sure. You'll have to tell him again."

"WHAT!" Yuffie yelled, her voice carrying throughout the quiet canyon. "It was hard enough the first time." She whined, falling back beside Tifa.

Tifa smiled, shaking her head. "You'll have it all figured out eventually, Yuffie. Just think about it overnight, you'll think of something to say regarding Vincent and your feelings soon enough. C'mon let's get some sleep. I'm tired."

Yuffie grinned. "You go get some sleep, Tifa. I still have to take the next Huge Materia up, and I think I just want to mull things over, maybe mom will have some good ideas."

Tifa smiled, nodding her head. "Okay, tell your mom you're in good hands. I hope you work everything out, Yuffie."

Yuffie smiled, making her way towards the stairs leading up to the Observatory. "Thanks Tifa, I'll let her know. See you in the morning," Tifa waved as she disappeared into the inn. Yuffie's gaze went back to the stars overheard. "Have you been watching, mom? I have good friends, and I'm in good hands. Don't worry about me. I do need your help though… there's this guy…" Yuffie talked away as she walked, staring up at the sky.

As she did this, she swore that she saw one of the stars grow brighter and flicker at her as she spoke. That was her mom's star, she knew it was.

---

Sorry for the delay in updating!