CHAPTER TEN

After things calmed down, like Yuffie's stomach, she finally agreed that I would keep watch during the trip, and she would sleep. We were still hunkered down in the ship's lifeboat lest the sailors came back down suddenly, so there wasn't much room for us to move. Yuffie was laying down next to me on the side closest to the ship's wall, glaring at me harshly and threateningly, though she looked like she would just pass out right there, making her threats less potent. The agreement was: If I touch ANYTHING of hers – especially her materia – she kills me when she finds out. After agreeing to these terms, she thankfully fell asleep, where her dreams kept her stomach's problems mostly at rest. At first, she tightly clutched the bag in her hand, but as sleep overtook her, she loosened her grip, and I set the bag out of the way, but at arm's reach, in case she needed to use it suddenly.

The lifeboat was not comfortable by any standards, we had rolled up our disguises and used the clothing as pillows, but that was the best we had for the hard wood 'bed' that was the lifeboat. Yuffie lay sleeping anyway, she must've felt *really* horrible, I can't imagine her trusting me with her materia otherwise – not that I had any intention or motivation to steal her materia, but Yuffie didn't seem like a person who let rational thought get in the way of her paranoia.

For a while, I just sort of laid there, trying to get comfortable, I watched Yuffie as she slept and realized I probably wouldn't see her sleep very often. I had only known Yuffie for a few hours really – though it felt like longer. I had a lot I had to get used to in this strange new place – strangest of all Yuffie – but she had been with me for nearly every step of the way… it was almost like she was my friend, even though I knew that neither of us truly trusted the other. Not yet anyway.

She was breathing slowly, her chest rising and falling as she turned onto her side and was facing me directly. The close proximity of the lifeboat made it so this movement had placed her arm squarely on my chest, and Yuffie grasped onto me suddenly and laid her head on my shoulder. Oh god… She had snuggled UP TO ME! I thought with a mixture of rage, confusion, and suspicion. I was about to protest, but I saw that she was still sleeping; her breathing hadn't changed in the slightest.

I tried to ignore her, to just let her sleep – I mean, at least this time she wasn't strip-searching me for materia. But try as I might, my heart rate wouldn't go down. I mean… if she woke up… what would she do? This thought frightened me… but even more frightening was the idea of me waking /her/ up.

And so I laid there in anxiety, mulling over what to do for most of the trip. I'm not sure for how long before I finally fell asleep as well.

It was dark when I found myself hovering on a vast plane of nothingness. I whirled around, still more nothing. But now, Ellone's disembodied voice had returned. I was dreaming… again.

"You must save the ancient ones." Ellone's voice echoed.

"Why?" I asked her, "Why me?"

She ignored my question, "To save them, I have taken you back to the crucial moment."

"Moment? You mean I'm in the past? How far?" I cried, panicked.

"Eons passed," She answered cryptically. I felt a tug, and turned around to see Yuffie standing there, she opened her mouth to speak, but Ellone's voice came out, "I have seen your companion, make sure she does not deter you from your path."

"My path?" I repeated.

"To save them, to save us, to save us /all/…" Ellone said through her Yuffie-image.

That's when I awoke to the sound of an alarm, "Just five more minutes, mom…" I muttered.

"Get up, you idiot!" Yuffie shouted and smacked me in the back of my head.

"Ouch," I complained, sitting up slightly, rubbing my head. The sheet we had thrown over the lifeboat was still there, and restricting my movement, "What happened? What's going on?" I asked her groggily.

"I don't know," she hissed. Yuffie looked a bit worse for wear, but at least she wasn't throwing up anymore. "Maybe they know we're here?"

"Should we go and find out?" I asked, "Or would it be safer to just hide here?"

Yuffie laughed, "'Safer'? Is that what you're worried about?" she asked, "We're ninja, we don't need to worry about whether it's 'safe' or not, eh? We can take 'em out!" she boasted. I wasn't sure whether she was trying to boost MY confidence or HERS…

"Still…" I said, "If they're NOT looking for us, then wouldn't it be better to have stayed hidden?"

Yuffie crossed her arms, her attitude changed, "Well, fine then," she muttered sarcastically, "Just take the fun out of it with your silly 'logic', Zell!" she said, conceding.

I sighed with relief, "Then the alarm?"

Yuffie smirked, "As long as the ship's not sinking, we'll be fine… and if it is, where better to be than a lifeboat?"

And with that, we settled on staying hidden within our current place. I kept watch to see if anyone was coming, and we slowly rode out the remainder of the trip.

A/N: Yup, that's the part where Sephiroth attacks the ship, etc. But even though we haven't run into any of the others yet, don't fret, they will be in this. As well as some others besides them. The main focus will continue to be Zell, Yuffie, and the plot I've devised (once it starts).

Also, here is a little tidbit of plot: Ellone finally reveals to Zell that A) she can talk to him through his sleep. And B) He's been flung into the past for a reason. He'll figure it all out eventually. But that's not important right now.