Disclaimer: All elements of Final Fantasy VII are copyright 1997 Square Co., Ltd. Anything else recognizable is likewise not owned by the author and/or is completely coincidental. No money is being made from this story.

Rated M for mild content, violence and language (mostly Cid's).

Author's Note: Thank you to the people that continue to review. I really do appreciate it. Finally, we hear all about the Weapon! This chapter might seem a little boring, but it's rather vital, with all the information about the massive plot point. Constructive criticism is welcome, as are rave reviews! Flames will be used to help make s'mores.

Panic and Pleasure

Chapter 4

"Imagine life as you know it were to end in the blink of an eye…" the gravely voice of Cid began, the unlit cigarette in his lips bobbing ever so slightly as he spoke. "…everyone you knew, everyone you loved, hell, everyone you even hated, was just reduced to their basic organic materials. And there isn't a damn thing you can do to stop it." Cold, unwavering eyes stared down at her as he crossed his arms across his chest, the tight muscles beneath his skin tensing against the shirt he wore.

A look of confusion crossed the young ninja's face, her mind working to process the words as the blonde captain spoke. She had understood that kind of threat before; after all, she had helped to put down the menace that was Sephiroth. But the way her friend said those words now sent shivering chills racing down her spine. For a moment her breath caught in her lungs as she listened to him, mesmerized by the ease in which he was able to speak those harsh words.

"Now, imagine you knew the cause of it all. You knew how it was going to happen and why. Dammit, kid, pretend for a minute, just one fucking minute, that you've spent years researching the end," the captain growled through gritted teeth, a sudden flare of anger playing onto his once calm face.

"..And no one fucking believed you," he finally finished, the young ninja staring in wide-eyed fright up at her long time friend. For a moment she felt her heart skip a beat, almost expecting him to lunge at her and take out the rage and frustration of his words on her body.

"Cid…I don't understand…" Yuffie spoke weakly, the sound barely audible even to her own ears. A cold sweat began to form against the back of her neck as she fidgeted her fingers against the table, trying in vain to distract herself from his stare.

A long moment passed before Cid finally cooled down, a small grunt escaping his throat as he seemed to relax a bit. Without another word he stepped away from the counter and walked down the hall into his bedroom. A small frown formed across the tender lips of the young ninja as she craned her neck to see where her friend had suddenly disappeared to.

Before long the captain came strolling back into the kitchen, a large brown paper tube gripped tight in his fists. His cigarette had been lit in his small travels and now burned brightly, a small trail of smoke following just behind the blonde haired man.

"What's that?" She inquired, moving the bowl of fruit from the middle of the table at the older man's motions. As if to answer her question, he produced a large parchment from within the tube, for once taking his time and being extremely gentle. The paper that emerged appeared old and tattered, probably dating back centuries by the young ninja's guess.

"This," he said, rolling the paper out across the full width of the kitchen table slowly, "is why I was in Midgar last week. An old friend of mine who worked for the excavation near the Bone Village had found this buried somewhere around that fucking Crystal Forest. It took him months to sneak it away from his damn boss."

Looking down, Yuffie examined the images on the paper. A large circle was drawn in the very middle of the paper, the ink of the shape dulling into a pale grey from old age. Several irregular shapes were drawn within the circle, most of which resembled the continents of the planet, Yuffie noted. In the center of the circle there was a smaller circle in which there were five variously colored round marks. Each mark within this small circle had a small letter written over it, obviously fresh ink from the looks of it.

Cid pointed a finger at the ancient map before him, indicating each dot in turn as he read the letters. "D, S, R, E, U. Diamond, "he began slowly, the muscles in his arm tensing as the tip of his finger traced along the old paper before him.

"Sapphire…Ruby…Emerald…" he said, his voice growing lighter and lighter as he called out the names of the Weapons. Large grey eyes snapped up to look at her friend as he spoke, small rivers of cold sweat beginning to race down the sides of her neck.

"…and finally Ultimate." He finished, his finger resting on the final dot on the map. Yuffie felt her body struggle to breathe as her mind raced with wonder. Her tongue trailed out to moisten her dry lips as she forced herself to gulp down the dread that had begun to creep up on her.

"B-But, we defeated them all." She insisted, a nervous smile playing across her lips.

A loud thumping drew her attention back to the map, the captain's finger moving away from the circle in the middle, outward towards the very edge of the map closest to the teenager's chest. His finger stopped less than an inch from the edge of the map, a good distance away from the large circle representing the planet, giving it another hard tapping. Peering down to see, a sharp gasp escaped Yuffie's lips.

There was another round mark.

"This is what I saw," came the voice of her long-time companion. The words were soft, almost gentle, as he pressed his finger down several more times to express his point. It seemed, at least for a time, that he had forgotten his gruff demeanor and seemed like a rational human being. "This is what I saw in space that day. This is…" his finger pulled back, revealing the small black letter that displayed just beside the newly established form, "…Onyx Weapon."

"You…you saw this?" She pressed, her fingers trembling as she reached up to lightly brush against the old paper before her. The harsh, rough bumps of the old map caused small, terrified tremors to race against the young woman's body.

Cid nodded his agreement. "Yeah, that day we were up in the damn ship. At the time I thought it was my eyes playing tricks on me." He confessed, a slight shrugged lifting his shoulders. "I mean it just looked like a big black…hell I dunno…blob! And really, a big black mass in space? Shit, I thought it was just from the excitement of finally being up there. Ya know? I mean, that was my dream, kid. And I was finally up there…" his eyes softened slightly as he looked up to stare out the window, a small satisfied smile spreading across his face.

"Then how do you know…"

"It looked at me, kid. It fucking looked at me." He said, suddenly snapping his attention back to the map before him. "Like I said, I didn't give two shits about it at the time. But once shit started to settle down I began to think about it. I mean one minute we're floating by this big dark shape in space, and the next minute a huge fucking eyeball cracks open and stares right at our damn escape pod. Hell, I thought I was going insane."

Sudden realization hit her as she drew her hands into her lap. Her head bowed down slightly, allowing wisps of her dark hair to fall around her eyes. Several small tears threatened to race down her cheeks as she offered a small nod. Of course, that's when he told everyone. We thought he was insane too…

"I was ashamed at first, thinking I had lost my mind with the stress of Sephiroth and shit. When I tried to bring it up…well, shit, kid, you know what happened," he finished, walking around the map to return to his chair. He grabbed the back and spun it around, straddling the chair between his thighs as he sat down, staring across the table at the young woman.

"Well..uum…maybe this map isn't accurate? Or maybe it's a fake? Maybe you did just imagine it? I mean it's been almost four years and we haven't heard anything from this...Onyx." She offered; hope suddenly filling her voice as she turned up to stare at those deep cobalt irises staring at her. She knew she risked his wrath once more at calling out his ability to remember things, but she also knew the planet could not handle another Weapon assault.

"I already thought of that, ya damn brat. Reeve had some of his best head shrinkers examine me. I'm fit as a fucking fiddle. Well, aside from my charming personality that people can't fucking stand," He quickly defended, waving his hand in the air as if to dismiss the thought. "And the map is the real deal. It's actually a Cetra map that my pal had his boys cross-reference with the Ancient City…or some shit. This thing is thousands of years old…not bad for a big ol' chunk of aged shit, eh?" he smirked, obviously hinting at more than the just map with his comments.

"It went along with some books that warned about endangering the planet. Ya know, shit we figured out the hard way when the ol' silver-haired shit blew up the north and summoned Meteor. As for 'why,' well…"he turned his eyes back down to stare at the map, his head shaking in an annoyed frown. "According to some shit that was found, mostly old texts, this thing is the mother of all mother fuckers."

"These other little pissants," he said, indicating the five central dots, "…These here are the janitors of Gaia. When shit gets dirty these bastards come up to clean house, then go back to sleep. But if all hell breaks loose, this thing here is activated," he indicated the dot closest to Yuffie. "From what my buddy's dumb-ass scientists could gather, there were five locks restraining this thing. Keeping the little fucker asleep as it were and out of our hair. Guess where the damn locks were?"

"Inside…the other Weapons…" Yuffie realized, earning herself a confirming nod from Cid.

"Damn right. Once we knocked off these little shits…Momma woke up. And she's a bitch in the morning."

Yuffie leapt to her feet, her fists trembling as she leaned over the table to stare at the small grey dot that lay forebodingly below her eyes. The young ninja felt sick to her stomach, the burgers prepared for her earlier threatening to rise back up and make another appearance. "And what…this Weapon destroys everything? Like the whole planet?! ALL OF US?!" She asked, her voice crackling with hints of exploding into tears.

"Every…damn…one of us." He confirmed, leaning forward and resting his arms against the back of the chair.

For a moment the shimmering grey pools of the young thief danced across the man's features, marveling at the ridges and contours that formed with the flexing of his arms. His rugged face stared down at the map, oblivious to the fact that eyes were upon him, tracing the outline of his jaw with a silent wonder of desire. Only for a brief instant did she allow herself the fantasy of seeing her love in the same light, a handsome stare of determination.

But then, doesn't Vincent ALWAYS stare like that? She wondered, before reprimanding herself. FOCUS!

"As far as I've been able to gather, it makes Meteor look like a damn fart in the wind." He grumbled, snapping Yuffie out of her ill-timed fantasy. "You ever hear the term…Scorched Earth?"

"No…what is it?"

"In wartime, you raze everything to the ground where ever you go. Everything. You leave nothing for the enemy to use. Not a single fucking grain of rice or a damn piece of bread. You make the place inhospitable." A discarded cigarette butt flew the air and landed in the sink with a gentle hiss. "That's what this fucker does. It'll make planet fall; kill anything that lives, and then burn the planet to a cinder. It's basically Gaia's reset button. From there it'll just start from scratch all over again, taking thousands upon thousands of years to rebuild. But the planet is patient, ya know?"

A gentle gasp escaped the young woman's lips as her hands clapped up to cover over her mouth. Tears ran down her cheeks as she quickly stepped away from the table and raced for the back door. She pushed her way passed the screen door and out into the barren yard, heavy sobs shaking her shoulders as she ran into the cool breeze of the outside. Her hair danced lightly across her pale cheeks as she turned her head up to stare into the gentle blue of the sky above her, trying to come to terms with the horror that lay behind the soft white clouds that slowly wafted overhead.

Heavy thumping of boots echoed behind her as Cid followed her out. He reached up and placed a strong hand on her bare shoulder for comfort, giving it a gentle squeeze. Several more sobs trembled under his fingers, causing him to withdraw his hand in concern.

His gesture did little to sooth her aching heart at the thought of all their hard work, all of their effort, being for nothing. They had accomplished so much for it all to end. They had beaten Sephiroth when the people said it was impossible. They had stopped Meteor when the odds were against them. They had even defeated Kadaj when the very planet itself seemed to deny their mission.

"Why Cid…why hasn't it landed yet? Why are we still here? This is stupid! If we're going to die, why isn't it over with yet?" She bawled, turning her head up to look at him beside her. "All of our work…everything! If you're right old man, and Godo curse me for saying that you usually are, then why are we still alive? Why have we survived for four years when that thing is still around?"

"Meteor…" came the gruff word, a small growl following close behind from deep within his throat.

When she offered no further response, he decided to explain further. "Near as I can tell, when Meteor came racing towards us it really didn't give two shits what was in the way. That little black fucker, the Weapon I mean, was in the wrong place at the right time. I figure the little bastard got knocked for a loop and thrown out of whatever fucking orbit it had around our planet. Ironic don'tcha think? I mean Meteor doin' some good before getting its shit tossed."

"So…then it WON'T land?" Yuffie allowed a small glimmer of hope to cross her face, turning big grey eyes back up to stare into the beautiful sky.

"Well, I'd like ta think so kid. But the thing is…I saw it again."

Quickly the ninja spun around, horror dancing across her tear-streaked features.

"Course I wasn't up there this time," He added quickly, pointing a finger up to indicate the vast reaches of space beyond their atmosphere. "I was outside one night about a year ago, finishing up some repairs for some farmer n' his tractor, just south of here. I looked up to gaze at the stars, ya know, like a dumb kid I guess," he admitted bashfully, a childlike grin forming across his cheeks. Every time he spoke of space, Yuffie could almost swear he was, for lack of a better word, happy. For a second she wondered if this was how he had felt with Shera, being near her in that house, as well.

"And I saw this, how do I word it, obstruction. Yeah. It was like a damn silhouette across the moon. It wasn't there for long, maybe a minute or two. But a month later I looked up and saw it at the damn exact spot again. It was bigger that time. I think," He offered, reaching a hand up to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly, "that it mighta been closer than before. I ain't no scientist, I couldn't count how many fuckin' shoelaces it'd take to keep my shoes on, but I think it's in a spiral. I mean every month or so I look for it, it's getting to be sooner each time. And bigger too. I had all but forgotten about it, too."

The teenage girl offered a small nod as she turned her head back up to look into the sky, soft white clouds drifting by lazily as if they had not a care in the world. She thought to herself, her arms idly wrapping around her stomach in quiet consideration. The tears had stopped and her cheeks had begun to lose the small red puffiness from her fits. She worked silently to process all she'd learned in such a short time.

Meanwhile the pilot had propped his shoulders back against the doorframe, a freshly lit smoke-stick dangling from his lips. His dark eyes stared at the young woman on his dried-up and dead lawn, a small smirk tugging against the side of his mouth.

She's a tough kid, he contemplated in his mind. She took all that shit and it only brought on a few tears. Well a lot of damn tears, but given the circumstances who could blame her? Now if only that spiky-haired asshole and that giant fucking marshmallow with a gun for an arm could accept it as well as she had, we might have a damn chance.

Cid's fist clenched slightly as he turned his gaze down to stare at his fingers. His palm turned up to reveal the calloused flesh of his hand, a hand that had helped to save the world countless times and had wielded numerous weapons for the cause of good. He mused to himself, that no matter how much he had worked with his hands, how many tools he had handled, how many parts he had replaced, and how many people he had punched, nothing compared to the warm feeling now tickling against his fingertips.

His hand had just touched her for a moment and he knew at the time it was innocent enough. He had meant to console her in her hour of grief; an act he knew now was futile. She was strong enough to handle the news, it would just take time.

But the warmth of her body lingered on his hand. He didn't understand it. It soothed the normally painful ache in his fingers. He had touched her before, usually in more provocative locations, but this time it felt different. This time, her soft flesh had actually sent a shiver of goose bumps up along his arm.

He wasn't changing a bandage, or slapping a hand away from his beer, he was trying to offer comfort. And he felt a twinge of guilt for savoring the gentle touch her skin had left on his hand. Cid mused to himself as he shook his head, forcing himself to get over the feeling as quick as it had wormed its way into his mind.

"Cid?" her voice came, smooth and unwavering. Whatever bouts of sobbing she had left in her was suppressed for the time being. For a moment it took the gruff captain by surprise as he looked up to gaze at his young friend. "You said I could use your room right?"

"Uh, yeah. I cleared a lot of shit up earlier when I grabbed the map. It's all yours." He answered, jerking his thumb back over his shoulder to point into the house.

She turned and offered him a thankful smile, "Alright, old man. I think I'm gonna lay down for the night, my head is starting to hurt."

"Alright, kid, get some rest. You're not even fully healed yet." He offered, slipping his hand down into a pocket as if to hide his earlier actions from her notice.

She gave him a brief nod before returning to the house, stopping only to reach a shaky hand up to pat him on the forearm. "And, um, thanks a lot, old man. For…for everything." And then she was gone, the gentle thumping of her bare feet on hardwood reverberating lighter and lighter as she returned to the room prepared for her.

Cid's eyes turned one final time to gaze up into the sky, staring intently up at the white puffs of cloud hanging over head. "Son of a bitch. If you try to fucking hurt the kid, all the Holy magic in the world won't save you…" the gruff captain swore, his eyes scanning the vast blue reaches of the sky for the creature he knew to lay just beyond his sight. Resigning himself to the wait of its approach, he turned and returned himself to the house.

"Oi' Ciddy, she took it well, aye?" a little voice chirped as Cid entered the kitchen. Cait Sith had taken it upon himself to once more climb onto the table and had begun to roll the old map back up into its tube.

"Well, how the fuck did you think she'd react? Yell, bitch, and moan like Spike and Barrett?" Cid snapped, grabbing another dark green bottle from the fridge and snapping it open with a flick of his thumb.

"Well, I dinnay think she'd do tha', but she is still a young lass. It's a lot of bad news ta be receivin' at such a tender age. N' after all she done against the other chaos." The small cat defended, struggling a bit to fit the map into the tube by himself. Fully rolled, the map stood as long as he was tall, so maneuvering the map was much the same as if he were trying to wield Sephiroth's sword alone.

"She'll be fine," Cid mumbled as he took several long gulps from the cold brew. "She's a tough kid, ya know?"

"Oh, aye, Cap'n, but remember…she is just a kid." Cait Sith reminded, sticking his tiny tongue out as he attempted in vain to thread the cumbersome map into its home.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Cid snapped, his eyes darting to the closed door of his room. Instantly he regretted his outburst, out of fear of waking the young materia thief that had taken refuge in his room.

"Well, Ciddy, ya said it yaself. She's a kid. N' you, well…don't be gettin' fresh ideas about 'er, ya see?" the small black creature explained, finally slipping the long map into the tube with a triumphant laugh.

The dark green bottle whistled as it flew, end over end, through the kitchen. A loud clank filled the room as the glass met with its target, the side of Cait Sith's head. With a yelp, the small creature fell from the table and onto the floor. The bottle landed on the table and began to roll slowly towards the edge.

Sitting up, Cait Sith turned to yell at his friend, only to be silenced by the hard paper tube housing the map to roll off the table and bonk him on the head with a dull thud. A small curse escaped his lips as he grabbed at the tube and again began to say something, only to be silenced once more by the bottle following behind the tube and landing on the crown atop Cait Sith's head.

Cid roared with laughter.

A small glare came from the tiny robot as he brought himself up to his feet, the bottle balancing gingerly between two arches of his crown. "Tha' was nay funny!" he whined, rubbing his small furry noggin beside the crown.

"Yeah? Neither was that shit you were saying." Cid defended, returning the glare down at his tiny friend.

Both the captain and the small robotic figure stood glaring at each other, each clenching his jaw in a determined grit. Neither made any motions to move, lest they lose this silent battle of wills.

Seconds had passed, and then minutes before either of them made any move. It was the gruff captain who caved first.

"Fuck it!" He said, storming away from the glare of Cait Sith and making his way for the front door. He snatched his jacket from its resting place on the ground and angrily threw his arms through the sleeves before he yanked the door open. "I'll be at the fucking bar." And then the door closed with a loud slam that rattled the dishes in the overrun sink.

"G'down then, ya damn lush!" Cait Sith countered, throwing his tiny paw in the air in a little fist. He knew the captain could no longer hear him, but in his mind he had the last word and he felt proud of that. It was rare that the two of them ended an argument peacefully. But the small black creature knew Cid would be home sometime in the middle of the night, pass out where ever his body could fit, and then they would get to work in the morning. In the mornings they usually pretended nothing happened, each too proud to admit when they had made a mistake.

"Blimey," he muttered to himself, plucking the glass bottle from atop his crown and tossing it into the trash, "If'n I did'nay know any better, I'd almost say we were a married couple." And then he was back in his room, returning to his work.

The inside of Cait Sith's room had been completely transformed from the simple drabness it once was. Before the walls were bare and the hardwood floor was visible. Now large monitors and screens adorned the walls. Wires of various colors dangled lazily from the machines like snakes slithering to the ground, coiling on the floor and disappearing beneath the bed. Several cords ran from beneath the bed to large boxes, each of which possessed numerous blinking lights of some shade or another.

The window had been blocked off with a giant black sheet, blotting out any sun that may threaten to damage the sensitive equipment. The pale lights of the monitors offered more than enough illumination for the little robotic creature to see.

Each monitor contained the image of a large, metallic creature surrounded by a different environment. From a dark red monster in the sands of a massively expansive desert to the dark green form of a beast beneath the ocean waters, the monitors flickered with their silent images. A total of six monitors in all covered the walls of the small guestroom, each one buzzing and flickering with data.

Cait Sith strode expertly through the room, stepping in between the many strands of wire. He stopped below the image of a near black screen, a large ominous silhouette hovering menacingly over his head.

"D'nay worry Cap'n. I believe ya…" he said, the small servos of his body whirling as he stared up at the image of the Onyx Weapon. "…Even if Reevey ordered me ta nay listen ta tha' Weapon business. After all…" Cait Sith said, a small shimmer forming against the squinty slants of his eyes, "…only ya treat me like a real person."

***

Yuffie found the strong arms encircling her to be relaxing, almost soothing, as she buried her head against the strong chest. His fingertips danced along her back, causing shivers to race up and down along her spine against the caress.

She felt her bare breasts crush tight against the broad, ridged chest of the man holding her; she relished the feel of his hot skin pressing against hers. Her naked legs were hooked around his own, the sheet clinging desperately against her sweat-soaked skin.

Her own fingers snaked around to his back and gripped tight against his unclothed shoulder blades, squeezing him tight to her small frame. Her lips danced tenderly against the warm flesh of the man holding her, causing a satisfied growl to vibrate deep within his chest. Her soft pink tongue darted out to flick lightly against one of his nipples, showing it the same love and kindness that she had felt from him.

Strong fingers gripped her pert backside, squeezing her tight against the powerful body as a gentle moan escaped her throat. She could feel the warmth building between her thighs, the moisture doing little to hinder her desire. Her pale grey eyes fluttered open, her cheeks flushed with her passion as she gazed up at the long dark locks of hair hugging the man's face.

"Oh, Vincent…" she cooed, dipping her head down once more to flick her tongue lightly against the previously ignored nipple.

"Yuffie…" the gravely voice responded, a small gasp quickly following from the caress of her attentive tongue on his flesh.

The sound of his voice only added to her lust, her legs squeezing tight around the man's well-toned hips and drawing him against her waiting flesh. She could feel his increasing desire brush against her thighs, twitching against her delicate skin as if having a mind of its own.

"Oh, Vinnie, honey, take me…" she whimpered, burying her face against his pale skin. She waited for the moment she had longed for, the feel of his flesh against her own hot body. She trembled with anticipation at the chance to finally feel her love within her body.

"Son of a bitch!" a voice called.

She suddenly jerked her head up to look at the cool features of Vincent, a confused look dancing onto her furrowed brow. His mouth was drawn back in an evil snarl, his fingernails pressing hard against her tender skin.

"Fuck you too!" The voice came again.

With a faint whimper, the young Wutai-native forced herself awake.

Her eyes drifted open slowly, her head still ringing from the booming voice calling from behind the closed door. A soft sigh escaped her throat as she fought desperately to hold onto the image of Vincent in her mind, his strong naked body within her grasp.

"Don't fucking touch that, you asshole!" Again the voice was there; the voice of her captain friend.

The words quickly chased away the thought of her romantic fling with the emotionally dark man, causing a huff of frustration to escape the young ninja's tender lips. Within seconds, Cid had destroyed a fantasy many years in the making, causing the young ninja woman to instantly regret her decision to stay with him.

Sitting up, Yuffie gave her arms a slow stretch. Finding the stiffness of the previous day reduced, she opted to take her arms through a full range of stretches before tossing the heavy comforter off of her lap.

A faint groan of frustration shook her jaw as her fingers reached down, brushing briefly against the warm moisture left by her intimate fantasy between her legs. "Oh, gawd, old man, you couldn't have waited five more minutes?" She whimpered, her legs squirming against the bed.

Determined to make him pay for destroying her fantasy, the young thief leapt from the bed and made her way to the bedroom door. She flung it open with a huff and stomped out, making sure to announce her presence to the irate captain as she approached. With her mouth open, ready to hurl a barrage of angry insults his way, she froze.

The color drained from her cheeks as the pale grey of her eyes settled on a tall, dark caped figure standing in the kitchen. Black hair hung loosely around the man's features while the blood red of his cape drifted idly against the broad back facing her. A shimmering gold gauntlet hung limply at his side, the other hand gripping a small brown duffle bag.

Upon hearing her approach, the figure turned, casting his cold stare on her. Blood-red eyes gazed down at her, an emotionless straight-lipped expression upon his face.

"Kisaragi…" the deep, soothing voice of the man called, causing the color to immediately race back to her cheeks with fervor.

Her dream had come true.

End Chapter 4