((I am writing this because the time spent playing as the characters I loved was the only joy I had when I was younger. I am writing this because although decades have passed since I have been able to dedicate time to write as them regularly, doing so, with all of you, helped me survive when everything else in my life was pulling me into despair. I am writing this because all of you, all the characters that you played, this game we put our hearts into, helped me feel a little less alone and afraid. It was in your hearts and creative minds, living in our shared fantasy where we could all be heroes fighting for better worlds and better selves, that gave me hope-that kept light alive in me, when abuse, trauma, neglect, and loneliness tried to keep me in darkness.
I like to imagine all of our hearts being connected through space and time, taking comfort in being allowed to exist as even a blip on your radars. If I had been born any other time, we would have lived so far away that I never would have even known any of you existed, and because I got to know you all, got to witness all of your creativity and be a little part of your lives, I am almost grateful for the pain. It was worth it to know all of you—to have the chance to be with you in mind and spirit, for even just a little bit of time within our lives.
Thank you. Thank you, Cloud, Matt, and Vincey. Thank you Rikku, Tidus, Steffy, Kelsey, Sam, Sara. Thank you Sephy, Hojo, Reno (even if we don't politically see eye-to-eye.) Thank you Noct, who I haven't known long, and Tifa, even though we didn't get along. A lot of us lost contact, some of us only spoke to each other through our characters, some of us are still great and lasting friends today. I love all of you, even if we fell out of contact years ago. I still think about you every day, and refer to you as my best friends, because very few were so patient, or so kind.
I hope if there are other lives, I can find you all again and be your friend.))

The sound of rubber scraping against stone seemed to echo in her ears as the young woman walked, slowly but with determination, forward. The bitter chill in the evening air gave her exposed flesh goosebumps, or maybe it was the chill of the looming silence that made her shudder as if being splashed by ocean waves. Time stood still here; mountains sheltered the property from destructive winds, and the season never changed since most trees lining the property were dead or dying. The same dismal, gloomy state was maintained come earthquakes, meteors, Lifestream eruptions, or any piece of life moving through the walls of the mansion or across its grounds.

Keeping the ever-so-slightly-rusted wrought iron gate firmly in her sights as she walked kept her focused toward a goal; the rust was the only sign of change, the only visible way to prove the old mansion was still grounded in reality, the only thing that allowed her to stay sure she hadn't just waked into a creepy, frozen moment from some undetermined point in history. First was the gate, then the long and weathered sidewalk, then the stairs, then the door. Keeping focused on goals kept her mind from wandering into what she would say, how she would be received, how many times she'd tried to call-three—before finally deciding to make the trek.

There were a few times along the way her finger hovered over the button to dial him, like on the Outskirts of Edge after visiting with Cloud, Tifa, and Shelke, who had graciously offered to carry the news Yuffie shared on in her place. While appreciative of the offer, Yuffie turned her down even while knowing Shelke would have a much easier time getting in contact with Vincent. At first it was a matter of pride-she was head of WRO espionage and intelligence! She could find anyone, anywhere, whether they wanted to be found or not! As the days passed, though, the pride in her work was eroded by irritation, then spite. Why didn't he ever answer her calls? Why did she always have to come back out here and demand he listen? Her arms reached forward unconsciously to grip the iron gate she now stood in front of. The rust was rough under her slender fingers, the bars felt colder than ice.

Damn, this was why she hated thinking-she'd had at least another five minutes before she had to consider going inside, and all that precious time was now lost. She pressed her face against the bars as she peered through them, shivering gently in the cold. Patches of dead grass largely covered the mansion's courtyard, but closer to the house's brick foundation the grass was a little taller, damn near lively. The pine trees nearest to the house had lost most of their youth long ago, their lower branches falling away as the green needles travelled towards the sun. The trees now seemed more like comically inefficient bushes rather than majestic elder pines, though despite their golden years being far behind them, they were still clinging to mortality.
Life's like that, huh? She thought. Everything keeps hanging on.

The ninja pressed the rest of her lithe frame against the bars, her weight pushing them open slightly. She pulled her feet off the ground and allowed the gate to carry her through, officially into the courtyard, the iron hinges creaking loudly in protest as the gate settled against the other side of the brick fence. With her nose so close to the weathered bricks she could smell the dirt on them, see the age. They still looked clean from far away, but up close they were faded, smoothed by rain, flecked with mud. Still clinging to the gate, she gingerly looked over her shoulder. The mansion was still there, looming, like a monster ready to pounce, or a parent ready to scold. She plopped onto the ground, her feet hitting the brown, frosted grass with a tiny crunch, and turned to face the building.

She'd only left Vincent one voicemail during the three attempts to call him. It was the second time, after Reeve's attempt.
Surprise! Its Yuffie! Been a while, huh? Listen, can you call me back already? Something is going on with the Lifestream, and its BIG. Reeve tried to call you too, and we were both surprised when you didn't answer for him. Don't MAKE me come find you, Vincent! And sure enough, he did. She was here, in front of the mansion, no room for denial now.

"You're not just messing with me, are you?" She narrowed her eyes at Reeve, accusingly. "I bet you've already spoken to him, and you're both just trying to make me look dumb! Well, I'm NOT falling for it!" She crossed her arms and kicked her foot for emphasis while watching the man, waiting for him to admit defeat.

Reeve responded with a scoff and a small shrug, his face a mixture of irritation and concern."What would I have to gain from instructing Vincent to miss my call?"
Reeve paused, leaning the front of his body against his desk, his fingers combing through his goatee contemplatively.

For a moment, the man's words made the ninja feel small, but any time she was feeling less-than, she knew she had to puff out her chest and fight it. Nothing could keep her down! Not Sephiroth, not Meteor, not sickness, and not mean old men. Being in that dark place was how Geostigma spread through the world-almost destroyed it all over again-and she would not allow it to take root in her. She knew what Reeve meant; he had more important things to do than play pranks. Or care about my feelings, the thought continued.

But was it really about Reeve? He was the sort of person that cared about everyone. Even if he didn't say it, his actions always did. For a split second Yuffie felt guilty for the thought, but as she pulled out her phone and gave Vincent another dial, she gave the man at the desk a wink and a thumbs-up.

"Don't worry, Reevey! We'll get him," she said softly as the dial tone connected.

Yuffie remembered the concern on Reeve's face melting into amusement as she recorded the message.

"I'll have a helicopter ready to bring you to Wutai in a couple of hours," he said. "Report on new occurrences around the area before you officially set off to get Vincent, and be sure to check in with me regularly."

The ninja nodded reluctantly.

She took a few steps to reach the walkway, delicate crunching of the grass interrupting the silence once more.
She couldn't let Reeve down. She kept her eyes focused on her feet; crunching turned to clopping as shoes met stone. It wouldn't be long now.

"You should have seen it, Yuff!" Yuri gripped her shoulders as he excitedly broke away from their hug. "One moment Okuma's grandmother was preparing to breathe her last breath but," he paused for a moment and shook his head, clearly still amazed by remembering the old woman on her death bed, and having trouble putting his thoughts into words, "but then she just didn't! She opened her eyes and told her family that a woman's voice told her not to return to the Planet just yet!" Yuri shook Yuffie slightly, unable to contain himself. "Dogs bitten by venomous snakes get sick, then recover with no antidote!"

Yuffie wrinkled her nose. "Who's letting their dogs get bitten by snakes?"

Yuri finally let his hands free from his friend's shoulders so he could point frantically to the east. "Outside the village, Keena got lost in the forest trying to find his way to his father's fishing spot. He was bitten, his dog fought off the snake and was also bitten. They tried heading back to the village but collapsed after a few hours of wandering. Keena remembers waking up to his dog licking his face, hearing his name being called as we searched for him. He came to us healed-the bite was closed!"

"You were gonna tell me about the dog, but not Keena?" Yuffie put one hand on her hip and pointed the other at Yuri accusingly. "I woulda found out eventually, you know!" The village didn't have too many children, but they were growing in number as the Planet's situation stabilized. Eventually, she thought, maybe I won't know. She both looked forward to that time and dreaded it. She always prided herself on knowing everyone, greeting them by their names. Training them and their children in martial arts during the Geostigma outbreak proved just how important those connections were, and she didn't want to lose them. Eventually, her thought continued, father will be gone, and Wutai will be my responsibility. She visibly perked up, and an irritated Yuri noticed. But if no one is dying, I guess he can't either! The ninja almost cackled.

"Yuffie," Yuri started, desperate. "We have tonics to treat snakebites in humans now, but it only works if we find them within hours. And-and we don't know if its safe for dogs. And both of them were gone for a whole day!" The young man's face was serious, his muscular but thin frame slumped forward pleading the woman to take the conversation seriously. Yuri's tight bun, almond eyes, and lightly tanned skin reminded her of her father in his youth, the father she saw in pictures. I bet father was just like Yuri once, she mused, before the war, before he became a mean old man.

She still hadn't forgiven Godo for locking her in a hut when the illness started. That was part of why she decided to work for the WRO, having a reason to get away from him... And the responsibility he wanted her to take on.
I tried to help, I tried to stop it, but no one wanted to listen to me. Instead, he decided I WAS the problem. Just thinking about it made Yuffie fume.

Anytime she had to be around Godo now, she always made note of exits and possible obstructions to them. Emotionally the two of them had never been particularly close; Godo wasn't affectionate as a father, as most of his time and effort through her childhood was spent on the war. Yuffie adapted to his aloofness by finding other ways to entertain herself, mainly mischief. Yuri was typically involved.

Yuffie unclenched her pointed finger to clap Yuri on the shoulder. She gave him a wide grin. "You've done a great job gathering all this info! Find any materia while I was gone?"

Yuri scoffed, but his thin lips formed into a disbelieving smirk. "Do you ever think about anything but materia?"

The ninja laughed out loud and clasped one of Yuri's hands in both of hers. She moved in close to him and with a lowered voice asked, "How is my father?"

"You do not intend to see him," he stated flatly, his voice equally as low. He gazed at his friend's profile through his peripheral vision, though it was largely blocked by her hair. It was just a tad longer now, though whether that was via preoccupation or a personal choice he could not say.

"No." Her voice was softer now, but fierce.

"I understand why," Yuri said as he shifted in place to better face his friend. "But he probably already knows you're here. Not many other people ride loud metal birds into town." He made an awkward spinning motion with his free hand and Yuffie laughed again, clearly not expecting his antics. Yuri lowered his voice into a gravelly tone, doing his best old man impression. "Loud steel birds are…most unbecoming of my daughter." Yuffie laughed even harder.

Her feet stopped pursuit of the remainder of the walkway as she remembered the scene and smiled.

She followed Yuri's impression with her own: "Come back to Wutai, daughter, too much travel will corrupt the mind…it is unbecoming." Her old man voice wasn't as convincing, but they both laughed regardless.

A bit more banter left the two of them nearly breathless, and they were still recovering upon Yuffie deciding it was time to depart. As they were leaving Yuri's small hut, they spied Godo watching them from the porch of the village's tallest pagoda, where once Yuffie fought him and triumphed. Yuri's composure turned grim and he stayed in the doorway as he signaled Yuffie to go on with a short nod.

"See ya, Pops!" Yuffie yelled as she turned away, throwing a dismissive wave in the direction of her father. She continued down the forest path without looking back, feeling Godo's eyes on her every second until the village was completely hidden by the forest. Dawn was just breaking.

A blast of thunder so loud it seemed to shake the mountains struck the ninja's ears, startling her out of her thoughts so quickly she jumped in place and nearly stumbled. Yuffie, 0. Thinking, 2. She made a disgusted face. Just as quickly as the rumble crashed across the sky it tapered off, replaced by rhythmic tap-tap-tapping.

DoordoordoorDOORDOOR! Her prior lightning focus on her goals resumed; she forced her torso forward, lowered her stance to the ground as if prepared to dodge a blow. The muscles in her legs sprang into action, propelling her forward as fast as a bullet. One step, two steps, three steps, her body cut through the air like a shuriken through flesh. The stone arch of the doorway grew larger by the second. The droplets splashing through her hair felt like melting ice; they trickled down her forehead and into her eyes, blurring her vision as she continued, unblinking, to the safety of the dry archway.

The heavy door came upon her like the ground after a fall-sudden, unyielding. The embrace of its frame as Yuffie collided wasn't as graceless as a crash, but it caused a resounding THUMP throughout the courtyard and within the desolate building. Were the mansion not able to withstand the literal end of days, the ninja's entrance may have shaken it to its cold, empty core.

She froze in place, anticipating, her tiny frame pressed hard against the door, shivering.
After the ghostly echoes of her collision had faded from her mind, the only persisting sound was rain.
A few more moments passed, and it became clear that nothing was coming to investigate her arrival.

She carefully pawed around the door with her hands, trying otherwise to remain poised, prepared, and still. A chill finally overtook her spine as she gripped the iron handle loosely and turned it. The door shifted inward slightly but was otherwise unaffected, not quite as generous and welcoming as the gate. Figures. Yuffie huffed. Well, maybe this'll wake you up, Vincey. She pushed the weight of her body against the door, forcing all her power into her shoulder. The door scraped against the old wooden floor with a shriek, but still only opened halfway. It must have swollen with the moisture of the air, yet another consequence of the erupting Lifestream energy: very vibrant seasons with lots of rain and humidity.

"Last winter was the shortest ever on record," Reeve's voice echoed in her mind. "Whatever is happening with the Lifestream is affecting every ecosystem on a microscale. Overabundant plant life, growth spurts occurring within creatures well into their life cycles…" The man shifted numerous papers around in his hands, seeming to momentarily lose focus. "Folks worldwide are considering this a miracle, that the Planet is forgiving them for ShinRa's corruption."

Yuffie scoffed. "Well, I guess the whole 'surviving mortal wounds' thing is pretty convincing. Does this mean Mako poisoning is the thing of the past too?"

"That has yet to be tested. Don't be the first to try it," Reeve watched the ninja with a smirk.

"As if!" She put her hands on her hips and stomped her foot in response, her bangs falling into her face and obscuring her glare. It sure would make materia hunting easier, though-getting the goods right from their source.

I need to call him. Yuffie absentmindedly slipped her phone out of the pocket of her shorts as she stepped through the half-open doorway, scanning the area before her. The parlor was always illuminated well via the large decorative windows above the staircase at the far end of the room. Even with the dismal weather outside, the windows allowed enough natural light to filter in such that the dust particles glittered as they settled from the violent force of the door swooping them away from their piles and nests.

In its prime the mansion was beautiful; the aged furniture was nearly pristine beneath the tattered sheets that covered the wooden frames. Like sad, old ghosts they stood as relics of a forgotten age, their forms swaying gently in the chilly breeze from the open door. The once-polished floorboards were starting to warp from lack of care; soon they would shift, break, become jagged like the teeth of a great beast.

Vincent and the mansion fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Together they made a photograph, a memory; like the last grain of sand slipping through the tunnel of an hourglass, a wave crashing ashore only to be pulled back to the ocean-they completed one another in a way that not even the world's greatest poets could convey with words alone. Like a challenge, living history, remaining steadfast and unchanging despite the rest of the world turning upside-down around them. Even the town of Nibelheim, home to the great mansion-as much of a home as it could have, being an alternate dimension opposed to time itself-turned a blind eye to its existence.

The ninja took another step into the parlor and leaned backwards to close the door behind her. It latched with a simple click, entirely undramatically. The furniture ghosts danced with a final woosh, the house's last breath of fresh air for now.

He isn't here. She heard the whisper rapping at the edges of her mind, but it wasn't her voice. It wasn't really ANY voice she knew that told her that Vincent would not be found today. It was the profound emptiness the mansion projected within her. It was longing for its companion and had been for some time. She slid down the door and plopped onto the floor in a wet, defeated heap.

There wasn't anything stopping Vincent from abandoning this place just as the souls of the past had, but she'd never considered he actually would. Anytime she needed to find him, he was always here. She never thought he wouldn't be.

The mansion had managed to trap her in a moment too, one that Vincent had apparently long moved on from.

Beep. Beep. She hit Reeve's speed dial setting and held the phone to her ear, bringing her knees to her chest to hug them tightly against her. One ring…two.

"Yuffie," Reeve's voice was measured. "Status?"

"Vincent isn't here," she said, flatly.

"Hm," Reeve paused. "I will send additional agents to the cave to aid in locating him. I assume you will be back at headquarters by the morning?"

The ninja hesitated. "Probably not…" Unless you wanna see your helicopter fried mid-air like a spit-roasted rat in old Midgar's slums. That sounded like something Cid would say. Something Barret would threaten to kick his ass for. As if on a cue, another crack of thunder ripped through the skies.

Reeve waited for the rumbling to cease before responding. "Understood," he paused once more. "Return as soon as you can, and no dallying. Stay safe."

"Yep," was all Yuffie could say before the conversation was over. She sighed and shifted her legs to pack her small phone back into the safety of her shorts. This sucks!

Yuffie was upset, but not at Reeve. She'd had a 50-50 chance to get this right and find her target, but her intuition had failed her. Either Vincent was now an unknown quantity and she was the predictable one, or he'd finally decided he never wanted to be found again.
Maybe he died…? No way. Yuffie shook her head. No one is dying right now. And I don't think death would be dumb enough to come for Vincey.

Now that she was on the thought-train, there was no getting off 'til the station. He'd probably shoot the reaper right in his boney face. She chuckled unconsciously. BANG-BANG- re-dead, dead guy. Can you even kill a dead guy? The ninja shuddered. This shit was weird. She was positive the mansion was invading her mind with its creepy vibes. She shook her head.

Reeve'll probably just find Vincent at the cave and when I get back, he'll make some smartass comments about me being WRONG… The ninja glared at the floor. Maybe she was losing her touch. Or worse: her luck was running out! No more master materia hunter! No more flawless, deadly, beautiful ninjutsu expert! I'll go down in history as nothing more than my father's daughter! THAT thought was DEFINITELY the scariest. She awkwardly stamped both of her feet on the floor from her sitting position, attempting to scare the thought away.

"UGH!" Yuffie screamed into the abyss. The ninja suddenly sprang to attention, her legs propelling her upwards so quickly they seemed like rubber. "YOU DON'T SCARE ME, YOU STUPID HOUSE! With your STUPID BRAIN-GHOSTS!" She pointed into the vacant room accusingly, at nothing in particular. No furniture-ghost was safe from her scrutiny-all were equally culpable for giving her these bad thoughts. "You stay out of MY HEAD, and then I'll leave as SOON as the rain stops!" She put her hands on her hips and paused momentarily, as if waiting for a response.

Silence.
Good.

The ninja was satisfied that she had come to an agreement with the house. She huffed and finally stepped into the foyer, still maintaining a sense of false bravado from her outburst. The house really was empty; the soft pat-patting of the rain outside seemed like a world away.

Yuffie remembered waiting for her radio signal to depart for Wutai. She could hear Reeve on the phone from his office. The conversation was serious; Reeve's tone sounded equal parts concerned and fascinated. He kept his phone louder than a grandpa needed to, though, so she could even make out peaks from the voice on the other line, and it didn't sound nearly as interested.
It was afraid.