Within an hour, Stasha, the massive black chocobo, had carried her
passengers into the dry farmland that patched the vast plains that
stretched between Cosmo Canyon and the next mountain range. They'd arrived
at a small village containing a few shanty-like homes and a run down
trading post with an inn attached.
When the chocobo stopped moving, Tio found it difficult to dislodge Yuffie from around his waist. "Yuffie? We're here."
One brown eye slowly opened. She slid off Stasha's back, collapsed onto her knees, and vomited on the dirt road. Tio tried to help her up but she shook herself free of his grip. "I would have made it by dark on foot," she spat, staring up at him, her pale face sick with loathing.
Tio didn't deny it. He just chuckled to himself and reached to wipe off the remains of her last meal from her face. "You're a funny kid, Yuffie. I could get to like you." The weathered young man turned to lead Stasha to the inn's stables, leaving the ninja in a crumpled, filthy heap.
Several hours later, Yuffie immerged from the small bathroom, relishing the fresh clothes on her slight frame and feeling of clean skin, now radiant with a fresh tan. Tio sat on one of two twin beds, polishing a dangerous looking dagger.
"I used up all of the hot water," she said casually, plopping down on the other bed. The inn had only one open room, which Tio had insisted they share.
"Well look who cleaned up pretty," he said cheerfully, looking up from his work. Her first reaction was to blush at the complement, then she remembered she was supposed to be angry at her new companion.
"Whatever…" she grumbled. "So what are you doing here attempting to flirt with Lady Chastity instead of racing your champion chocobo?"
"Do you know a man named Don Corneo?" he asked, ignoring her question.
The ninja scratched her head, feeling suddenly feeling important. "Yeah, actually. If he hadn't messed with me, he'd probably still be alive. Why do you ask?"
"Tell me what happened," he asked, his face grown serious.
Yuffie settled herself on the bed, preparing for a lengthy monologue. "Well, back in Midgar, he had a run in with my friends, before I knew them, back when they were the terrorist group, AVALANCE. Tifa, who ran the bar AVALANCE used at their headquarters, got stuck when she went to Don Corneo's place to get information about Shin-Ra. Cloud Strife, who was a mercenary back then, and Aerith, a flower girl he'd met—she's dead now—rescued Tifa and got Don Cornebutt to tell them about Shin-Ra's plans to drop the Midgar Plate on Sector Seven and blame it on AVALANCE.
"The Turks, you know, Shin-Ra's special agents? Well, they weren't very happy about Don telling my friends that information so they tracked him down to Wutai, at the same time that my friends were following me… no, I mean traveling through. Don's cronies grabbed me and Elena, this Turk chick, and tied us up on the mountain face. Cloud and the Turks caught up with him and Reno, the Turk, pushed him off the mountain."
Tio looked concerned. "Oh…"
"What, is that bad?" Yuffie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"He's not dead."
"What!" Yuffie jumped to her feet with surprise. "Of course he is, I saw him fall!"
"But did you see him die? See his body?"
She paused for a moment, placing her hand on her chin in a gesture of thoughtfulness. "Uh, I guess not…"
"Well, it seems he didn't die. People he held grudges against are turning up missing, or dead, and there is a price on his head higher than anything since the old days."
"You're a bounty hunter?" Yuffie wondered if she was supposed to be frightened.
"You could say so," Tio said, remaining nonchalant.
"Wait, back up a moment. Don Corneo is still alive and kickin', and is killing people who screwed him over? People he's mad at… um, that would be me, and my friends. Is that why you insisted on harassing me back on the road?"
"No, I had no idea you were involved, it's merely a coincidence." Yuffie, always skeptical, wondered if he was telling the truth. "I think he would be more likely to pursue the Turks or your friends who betrayed him in Midgar. If Cloud Strife is half what his reputation describes, Don Corneo would be a fool to attempt a straight assassination. However, your other surviving friend… Tifa was her name? Her safety concerns me."
Yuffie's stomach plummeted. "Tifa is living in Costa… wait. You said you were headed towards Costa del Sol. Does that mean Corneo is there? He wouldn't really kill Tifa, would he?" Yuffie felt childish, asking such naïve questions.
"It's doubtful, but possible. Corneo usually sends one of his men to do his killing. He knows the bounty on his head is huge so he wouldn't risk exposing himself. I'm not the only one after him, after all. However, my sources have brought to my attention he is back at his old tricks. He opened a new brothel at the Golden Saucer since the famous Honeybee Inn was destroyed. Like Gold Saucer, Costa del Sol is a tourist town, ideal for his line of business."
"That's disturbing," Yuffie said, loosing her appetite.
"Indeed it is. That is why you best get some rest tonight, because we're leaving at sunrise. After what you've told me, I don't want to waste anymore time."
Normally Yuffie would have protested getting up at that hour, but she just nodded obediently.
When the chocobo stopped moving, Tio found it difficult to dislodge Yuffie from around his waist. "Yuffie? We're here."
One brown eye slowly opened. She slid off Stasha's back, collapsed onto her knees, and vomited on the dirt road. Tio tried to help her up but she shook herself free of his grip. "I would have made it by dark on foot," she spat, staring up at him, her pale face sick with loathing.
Tio didn't deny it. He just chuckled to himself and reached to wipe off the remains of her last meal from her face. "You're a funny kid, Yuffie. I could get to like you." The weathered young man turned to lead Stasha to the inn's stables, leaving the ninja in a crumpled, filthy heap.
Several hours later, Yuffie immerged from the small bathroom, relishing the fresh clothes on her slight frame and feeling of clean skin, now radiant with a fresh tan. Tio sat on one of two twin beds, polishing a dangerous looking dagger.
"I used up all of the hot water," she said casually, plopping down on the other bed. The inn had only one open room, which Tio had insisted they share.
"Well look who cleaned up pretty," he said cheerfully, looking up from his work. Her first reaction was to blush at the complement, then she remembered she was supposed to be angry at her new companion.
"Whatever…" she grumbled. "So what are you doing here attempting to flirt with Lady Chastity instead of racing your champion chocobo?"
"Do you know a man named Don Corneo?" he asked, ignoring her question.
The ninja scratched her head, feeling suddenly feeling important. "Yeah, actually. If he hadn't messed with me, he'd probably still be alive. Why do you ask?"
"Tell me what happened," he asked, his face grown serious.
Yuffie settled herself on the bed, preparing for a lengthy monologue. "Well, back in Midgar, he had a run in with my friends, before I knew them, back when they were the terrorist group, AVALANCE. Tifa, who ran the bar AVALANCE used at their headquarters, got stuck when she went to Don Corneo's place to get information about Shin-Ra. Cloud Strife, who was a mercenary back then, and Aerith, a flower girl he'd met—she's dead now—rescued Tifa and got Don Cornebutt to tell them about Shin-Ra's plans to drop the Midgar Plate on Sector Seven and blame it on AVALANCE.
"The Turks, you know, Shin-Ra's special agents? Well, they weren't very happy about Don telling my friends that information so they tracked him down to Wutai, at the same time that my friends were following me… no, I mean traveling through. Don's cronies grabbed me and Elena, this Turk chick, and tied us up on the mountain face. Cloud and the Turks caught up with him and Reno, the Turk, pushed him off the mountain."
Tio looked concerned. "Oh…"
"What, is that bad?" Yuffie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"He's not dead."
"What!" Yuffie jumped to her feet with surprise. "Of course he is, I saw him fall!"
"But did you see him die? See his body?"
She paused for a moment, placing her hand on her chin in a gesture of thoughtfulness. "Uh, I guess not…"
"Well, it seems he didn't die. People he held grudges against are turning up missing, or dead, and there is a price on his head higher than anything since the old days."
"You're a bounty hunter?" Yuffie wondered if she was supposed to be frightened.
"You could say so," Tio said, remaining nonchalant.
"Wait, back up a moment. Don Corneo is still alive and kickin', and is killing people who screwed him over? People he's mad at… um, that would be me, and my friends. Is that why you insisted on harassing me back on the road?"
"No, I had no idea you were involved, it's merely a coincidence." Yuffie, always skeptical, wondered if he was telling the truth. "I think he would be more likely to pursue the Turks or your friends who betrayed him in Midgar. If Cloud Strife is half what his reputation describes, Don Corneo would be a fool to attempt a straight assassination. However, your other surviving friend… Tifa was her name? Her safety concerns me."
Yuffie's stomach plummeted. "Tifa is living in Costa… wait. You said you were headed towards Costa del Sol. Does that mean Corneo is there? He wouldn't really kill Tifa, would he?" Yuffie felt childish, asking such naïve questions.
"It's doubtful, but possible. Corneo usually sends one of his men to do his killing. He knows the bounty on his head is huge so he wouldn't risk exposing himself. I'm not the only one after him, after all. However, my sources have brought to my attention he is back at his old tricks. He opened a new brothel at the Golden Saucer since the famous Honeybee Inn was destroyed. Like Gold Saucer, Costa del Sol is a tourist town, ideal for his line of business."
"That's disturbing," Yuffie said, loosing her appetite.
"Indeed it is. That is why you best get some rest tonight, because we're leaving at sunrise. After what you've told me, I don't want to waste anymore time."
Normally Yuffie would have protested getting up at that hour, but she just nodded obediently.
