Sorry about the cliffie! Will try to make up for it :)


YUFFIE AND THE BEAST

Chapter 9 where The Great Escape finally happens


Two things rush to my senses as I return to consciousness. One is that the searing pain is gone, but I feel sore all over, as if I've been hit by an entire airship. The second, the sound of a man, crying like a child, loudly, unashamedly and brokenly.

I stir and the sobs are cut off abruptly, with a last choking gasp.

"Vince?" I ask, sitting up and blinking a little. I'm in the bedroom, in my own bed.

"I carried you here. Rachael changed your clothes," he says, his voice quiet and subdued. He is looking away, not meeting my probing gaze.

I look down at my bare arms and touch my side gently. Only shiny scars remain where my wounds were, a sure sign of a Cure materia in action. Undoubtedly Vincent.

He keeps his head down but I can see his eyes still rimmed a little with red, and tear-stained from crying. Although physically, he now looks even older than me, I cannot help but see the little boy I used to be able to carry.

"Hey Vince," I say, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "Don't worry about it."

He grimaces, but doesn't pull away. Still he refuses to look me in the eye.

"Vince," I say, a little insistently, but he still keeps his gaze locked downwards. "Vince," I repeat, allowing some of my irritation to show in my voice. I call a few more times and still he doesn't answer. Reaching the end of my tether, I reach out and clasp both sides of his face with my hands, forcing him to look up at me. He doesn't struggle, but the look in his blood red eyes is heartbreaking. There is a dullness is there, speaking of a broken spirit, and guilt, tonnes and tonnes of guilt.

"Listen to me carefully," I tell him. I'm not going to say it isn't his fault or whisper some reassuring words, because I don't think he'll believe me, so I choose to give him something to do instead. "First, when I call your name, you respond. Got it, Vince?"

"Yes, Yuffie."

"Next. Pack. Light. Like I've taught you. Only the essentials, only as much as you can comfortably carry. Are you clear?" He blinks and nods as well as he is able, with me holding his face up that way.

"Right." I hop out of bed, taking care to conceal my wince of pain as I feel the tight flesh on the newly-healed scar protest to so much movement within so short a time. I feel terrible, but I also do not want to remain in this place any longer. I've made enough excuses, I've delayed long enough. Far too long.

Rummaging through my drawer, I pull out my old PHS, one that I've never bothered to charge up since getting here. Surprising it still starts up. These old batteries really are something.

I dial the number I've memorised a long time ago, a sense of relief in me that I'm finally getting this done.

It beeps a few times, and a hear a slight growl on the other end of the line as the other person picks up.

"Whoever the $%^ this is, this had better be good," I hear the grouchy voice.

"Well it's #^&% good to hear from you too," I reply.

"…" I can almost hear his shock.

"Chunder monkey?!"

"The one and only White Rose of Wutai, thank you. Use my proper title when addressing me!"

"#%&. If this is just a prank phone call in the $%^# hours of the morning..."

"No! Wait, Cid! Cid! No joke."

He pauses. "Yes kid?"

"Well. Um. Do you remember your promise to whisk me away into the sunset if ever I called for help?"

"Kid, I'm married. Saying stuff like that is just gonna get me into #%&$ trouble…"

"No really Cid. I need help. And erm. I have a friend. Do you think you can help the both of us get away?"

There is silence, and I can feel my pulse beating so strongly that my head throbs. Not that I don't have an Escape Plan B, just that this would have been the best…

"This isn't some sort of elopement, is this?"

Despite the gravity of the situation, I can't help but snort with laughter. "Listen Cid. It's a bit complicated, but there's this slimy git called Hojo–"

"$%^#! Say who?!"

"Slimy git called Hojo…?"

"YOU'VE BEEN IN HOJO'S PLACE FOR A YEAR?!"

"Er…yes?"

"OH #$%&!"

"Didn't you know?"

"Kid, if I had known to whom I was bringing you to, you would have NEVER been brought %^&# Nibelheim. #$%^! What took you so long to call me?!"

"Reasons Cid. So. Yeah. The ride away?"

"If you can get yourselves out to the same place I dropped you off at, I'll be there in twenty $^&% minutes."

"Thanks –" I begin to say, but he has already hung up.

In the time I've made the call, Vince has already packed and returned. I've sure trained him well.

Pocketing the PHS, I rummage through my own belongings, discarding the unnecessary items I've accumulated over the year, and storing the important things.

I'm done in moments, and as I open the door to leave this place for the final time, I feel a short spurt of joy in my heart, to finally be doing something, to finally be leaving this accursed place.

Vincent follows me, just slightly behind by half a step, and his silence is somehow heavier than usual. I hardly need to ask, for I already know what haunts him.

"Vince," I begin, taking a deep breath, but increasing my pace. I don't want to miss Cid at the pickup point and I'm not sure how long he will wait for us if we're late. "Listen up."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him throw a quick glance at me, and then look away. The slump of his shoulders increase, and his head lowers.

"What did I tell you earlier? Vince."

"Yuffie," he replies, barely above a whisper.

"Listen," I hiss insistently. I know I've reasoned earlier that it wouldn't work, but I'm Yuffie, and I'm just a happy bundle of contradictions sometimes. Anyway, I can't stand Vincent trying to take on the guilt. "Whatever happened isn't your fault. If we have to blame anyone, we blame Hojo. He made you what you are! He's doing these…things to you."

"No," Vincent replies, his voice a low rumble that I still am getting used to. He has finally achieved his deep, rich baritone of manhood.

"Vince, you have to stop blaming yourself! It isn't your fault. And if I have to knock your silly head to convince you that…"

"But it is," he replies, and the listless tone in his voice tells me that he, at least, is fully convinced. "I am a monster. I am a danger to all around me."

"OH #%^!" I exclaim, breaking one of my rules to never swear in front of Vinny.

He gives me a weird look, and opens his mouth to ask the dreaded question all parents never want to hear. "Yuffie, what does #%^ mean?"

I inwardly curse myself, but realise that he would have to be told sooner or later. After all, he will be meeting Cid in a matter of minutes. This also has the added advantage of distracting him, at least for the time being.

I am saved from answering by the long unheard beat of the airship's propellers above us. Cid got here in record time.

As we wait for the rope ladder to be lowered, I grab Vince's arm.

"Are you willing to leave? Away from all this?" I know, I sound like some idiot stud seducing a young girl to elope with me.

"I'll go wherever you are," he says. And deep inside, I realise it's the same for me. Vincent, in our one year together, he's become... home to me. I'll go wherever he is too.

We climb up the rope ladder dangling down, and as soon as my feet touch the wooden deck, I can already feel my stomach start to perform little queasy rolls.

"#$% kid, you really know how to pick 'em," are the words I'm greeted with, along with the familiar whiff of cigarettes, tar and machine oil that hang around Cid like a cloud.

"What?" I turn to ask and am surprised by the bear hug that aggravates all my recently inflicted only-barely-healed wounds.

"'m sorry," Cid says, after releasing me as I desperately choke for air. "Didn't know where the #$% I was bringing you one year ago. You never told me the name of your employer."

"That's ok." I wonder why is everyone around me today showing me a guilty face as if the whole world has wronged me. That could really get to a girl's head. "Oh yeah. Cid, Vince. Vince, chain-smoking evil captain of the most horrendous bucket of bolts I've ever known." I look up to see Vince give a cold nod, exuding pure iciness, while Cid just grabs Vince's limp hand, crushing it with a quick grip.

He leans back to whisper in my ear, "Like I said, you sure know how to pick 'em. Tall, dark and pretty, eh?"

"#$%^ you," I reply, pushing Cid roughly. It's good to just see him again.

"Well it's all good to get acquainted and all, but I've got a $#%^ airship to run." With those words, he strides off, to attend to whatever he needs to do.

"Yuffie," Vincent's voice has a rather uncharacteristic coldness, which I've rarely heard before and eeriely reminds me of Hojo. Ew. He must have picked it up from him. "What are #$%, $#^# and #%^$ and why do you and that man keep on repeating those words?"

Oh man. I've never explained the birds and the bees to Vince before, and even defining any of those words, especially that word would be a problem. And why is he being so stiff and standoffish? Has Cid somehow offended him?

Looking at him looking at me, I come to the best (and easiest solution) at hand. "CIIIIIIID!" I yell as loud as I can.

He comes running back gratifyingly fast. "WHAT? Did that $^$ Hojo send his troops…" and he breaks off when he sees my too-innocent face. "Oh $^*."

"Cid. You're a man, and a married one at that. I assume one day, you will plan to have little Cids, and when you have little Cids, you will eventually have to explain the birds and the bees, and also all those expletives that exit your mouth, to those little Cids. Understandably, that must be a matter of concern to you, and as such, I shall provide you with an opportunity today to practice." I try to sound as serious as I am able, throwing in as many words as I can. That's my best strategy when manipulating people. Confuse them with many words.

"What?"

"Vince here knows nothing of where babies come from, of the bad things of the world, and so on and so forth. Do be a good father figure and educate him? Please?" I make my best puppy dog face at him.

"Kid, that guy looks older than you. I'm sure he #$% knows more than you do too, with a face like that –"

"Cid, it's complicated and I promise to tell you all about it soon, but he –" I point to Vincent, "–need an education, and since he lacks a decent parental figure to do that," I point at Cid, "You will have to fulfill that role. Hear ye, hear ye, the Princess of Wutai has spoken. I shall now retire to that far side of the deck where I will be emptying the contents of my guts to the skies, while you two get nice and cosy and acquainted."

With those parting words, I run to the side, already feeling the first heaves making their way up my throat.

I don't think I'll ever know what Cid said to Vince, but I'll give a lot to find out.

Later, once my stomach has been completely emptied of its contents and I have a brief reprieve from the nausea and pain and vomiting, Vince comes to stand beside me, a bit of a distance away, which is wise, as I'm sure I smell of puke.

"So how was it?" I say, raising my eyebrows at him.

He has a slightly dazed look on his face, and as he looks at me, I can see he is still digesting that glut of information he never knew.

"There is something I still do not understand."

Inwardly, I sigh. Trust Cid not to do a good job. I brace myself for the inevitable. After all, I've taught Vince much of what he knows. Why not this too?

"Go ahead. Ask."

"So from what I grasped of his explanation, every time you use …that word, you are desiring intimate relations with the person you address it to?"

"What?!"

"After explaining human reproduction in depth and detail..." As Vincent says this, he goes slightly pink, a fact I store for private amusement later. "...he gave me the definitions of the other words. According to its definition, when you say… that word, it is some sort of…expression of desire for intercourse?"

"No!" I can't believe Cid bungled up that badly. "It's…a way to express feelings. Not necessarily of desire for...argh. Usually more of anger. But when I use it with Cid, it's…sort of a form of affection. But not that kind of affection," I add, seeing the confused look on Vince's face. "They let us vent out feelings." The look he gives me is of blank incomprehension. I think I may have raised him too well. "Let's just say that they are words never expressed before polite society, but Cid and I aren't exactly the conventional type of people. Don't ever use those words unless in the grip of great emotion. If I hear you swearing around, I will wash your mouth out with soap," I say, echoing the many mothers before me. I sound like a prude, but hey, Vince is practically a child to me, and no parent desires to see their kid running around cussing their heads off.

"I...do not understand."

"Great Wutaian philosophers say that is the path to enlightenment," I reply, grinning, hoping that this will bring a change of topic and also lighten the rather funny mood this discussion has brought about.

He throws me a quick, red-eyed Vinny-glare that he has been prone to lately as his body and mind matured. I dread the coming day when he will chide me for childishness. I am glad for the distraction this whole incident has produced though. The more time Vince spends trying to figure these things out, the less he will have to mull over his guilt about hurting me.

Vincent tries to sit next to me throughout the trip but I shoo him away, telling him that there is no point in him watching me vomit (or trying to) when he should be getting some rest to prepare himself for the journey ahead. I haven't talked to Cid about where we're going, but anywhere far away from Hojo would be good. However, whenever I try to stumble up to him to ask him if he's willing to set us down somewhere remote and hidden, he just grunts and continues steering the airship. Thing I've noticed about most men is they lack the ability to multitask.

Between the vomiting and the brief rests I have while too tired to vomit, the flight goes by, and I realise as the airship comes to a stop that we are hovering just outside the fringes of Midgar, the rotting pizza of Gaia.

"Ew," I say.

"#$^& ew is right," Cid says, coming beside me to look at the city. "$^%* place that."

"Why are we here?"

"There's some people I want you to meet. If you've had dealings with Hojo, I'm sure they'll want to speak with you."

"Friends of yours?"

"Yes."

"But you don't even know what's happened!"

"Trust me kid, we treasure any information, any at all about Hojo. #$^&, that man's slipperier than an eel."

"What sort of people are these?"

"They're… rebels."

"Ooh. I like that. What are they rebelling against?"

"Against Hojo. Against Shinra. Against this #%^ way of life that is sapping our Planet."

"Nice. What do these people call themselves?"

"AVALANCHE."


AN: Heh heh heh.

Sorry, due to lack of time, no reviewer comments! (but this doesn't mean I love you guys any less!)

Did a quick read through and didn't notice any burning questions, so there.

BTW, if anyone's wondering, Vinnie's physical age in this chapter is nineteen … (so haha, he's technically older than Yuffie now – who is seventeen, in case you guys lost count ^_~).

And how oh how could we ever have a FFVII story without the rest of the lovely cast of AVALANCHE making at least one appearance? ^_~