For Materia or Love

For Materia or Love part 6

By Yuffie Valentine

"Oh my gawd, you're that guy who tried to steal my bag early. You bastard!" Yuffie said and kicked the man in the leg.

"Ouch, hey. I came to say I was sorry, I'm just a little hard up for money." The man said. He took a seat next to Yuffie.

"Well...I can see your point. I was going to steal someone's bag too. Hi, my name is Yuffie." She put out her hand to shake it. He took a grasp. With his other hand he removed his hood to reveal his face and hair. Yuffie had to do a double take.

"Hi, my name is Zack." He smiled.

"OH MY GAWD YOU LOOK LIKE CLOUD!" Yuffie said. Zack gave her a funny look.

"You know Cloud? He is alive?" Zack asked.

"Damn right that asshole is alive." Yuffie said. "He would be dead at the moment, but I had in my good heart just to let him live."

"Why what happened?" Zack asked. Yuffie explained to Zack about the journey to fight Sephiroth, the months after, and the recent development with her and Cloud.

"Wait, wait, wait! You are telling me first Cloud hooks up with my woman Aeris and then doesn't save her. Now she is dead, he hooks up with Tifa the cute tour guide. Then, he goes after you and accused YOU of being sneaky and lying. I am going to kill him." Zack said. He got out his new sword he bought at Cosmos Canyon.

"Calm down! I don't really want him dead." Yuffie said.

"Yeah, but I have been looking all over the world for Aeris. When I couldn't find her I started to search for Tifa to see what happened after Sephiroth flipped out. Then I looked for Cloud and couldn't find him either. Now I find out they found each other and Aeris is dead. I mean, this sucks." Zack said. He gripped his sword and slashed a near by bench in two.

"It's okay. What were you going to do before you found out that Cloud did this?" Yuffie asked. She was hoping to change the subject.

"I was planning to kill off the Shinra." Zack said, "They ruined my life."

"Hey, I hate they Shinra too. They ruined my town and are a bunch of perverts." Yuffie said. Zack looked here up and down.

"Hmm, well. You did fight with Cloud and you seem to be pretty strong. You were part of a team that killed Sephiroth and the Weapons. I could sure use a partner." Zack said.

"Really?" Yuffie asked with wide eyes, "Is there a chance I can get free materia?"

"Sure, you can steal it off the dead bodies." Zack said. Yuffie froze.

"I ain't touching any dead bodies." Yuffie shuddered.

"Fine, I'll get them for you. Will you be my partner?" Zack asked.

"Okay, as long as I get 50% of any gil we take in." Yuffie said.

"It doesn't work like that," Zack said, he sat down beside Yuffie. He was just as cute as Cloud, and he seemed a bit smarter. "Everything we make goes towards Inn fees, food bills, and supplies."

"What? Are you dumb? You don't know how to live do you? You spend all your money on things you can get for free. Instead of an Inn, we have my tent. Instead of food from a store, we have chocobo and rice." Yuffie said. Zack gave her a weird look.

"You eat chocobo?" Zack asked. He never heard of anyone doing that.

"Sure, it taste just like chicken and you get a lot more." Yuffie said, "And supplies we just steal."

"And you live like this?" Zack asked.

"Well, I know I am the heir to Wutia and that I am one of the best fighters around. But you see, I still live by the way of the ninja." Yuffie said.

"That is true. We would save a lot of money. Okay, we'll live like a ninja." Zack said.

"We only need to buy one thing." Yuffie said.

"What is that?" Zack asked.

"Motion-sickness pills. I just finished the last of mine and I need some more." Yuffie said. Her face was a little green.

Cloud looked out the window again, no sign of her. She had been gone for two months. No one had seen her. He called her father, but that just led to the father wanting to know why Cloud was on the front page of the newspaper with his daughter. He tried the materia shops around the world, no show of her anywhere.

"Cloud, come away from the window. She isn't coming back." Red XII said.

"She might." Cloud said.

"The chance of her coming back is the same chance of me scoring with Tifa." Barret said.

"Yeah, I guess you are right, she would have come home by now. But she has to be out there somewhere." Cloud said. He looked out into the ocean from the window.

"She most likely just went back into the forest to wait for some other fools to pick her up." Cid said.

"No, I checked all the forest, no trace at all of her." Cloud said.

"Hmm, why don't you come watch TV with us?" Tifa asked. Cloud groaned and walked over to TV and sat next to Tifa.

"What's on?" Cloud asked.

"Well, We are about to watch Happy Gilmore on Fox." Tifa said.

"Why, they edit out all the good parts." Cid said, " I say we watch the comedy on HBO."

"You just like it cause they cause more then you." Barret said. They screen went flashing and then cut to a news desk.

"We interrupt 'When chcocbos attack' to bring a news flash." A man said.

"This is boring, turn it." Cid said. Tifa threw her shoe at his head.

"Just shut up, this might be important." Tifa said.

"Hello, this is Andrew Conwell with a news update. The Shinra murders have stroke again. This time taking out 57 Shnira troops. Police are finally clear on what weapons the killers use. One is a gigantic sword, most likely a two handed one. The other used a...pinwheel and origami. Police are still baffled." The reporter said. Everyone in the room looked over at the lone box of Yuffie's stuff in the corner. Sticking out of it were origami birds and other things. And a pinwheel from Cosmos Canyon.

"It can't be." Cloud said.

"It would explain a lot." Barret said. "She turned back to crime. But why the Shinra, sure they piss her off. But Yuffie hates killing things. She hates dead people. Why would she do this?"

"The question is more like who is she with? Cloud, you think it might be Sephiroth?" Tifa asked.

"No." Cloud said. He pointed to the TV where they were showing picture of some of the victims. "Look at those cuts, they are too big for Sephiroth, he uses a thinner sword. They are deep and jagged, like my swords."

"So it was a SOLIDER?" Barret asked.

"Yeah, looks like." Clod said studying the screen, "A strong one too."

"But that is impossible. Any SOLIDERS died back at the Northern Crater. Remember, the Shinra had a search part to recover all of them." Barret said. "All were accounted for. The only SOLIDER's body not found was Cloud cause he is alive."

"There is still one more." Tifa said. Cloud looked at her strangely.

"Who?" Cloud asked. Tifa looked up at him with a fear in her eyes.

"The only SOLIDER that served Sephiroth, but never made it to the reunion. Zack, his body was never found. Reeve sent people out to find his remains so he may have a hero's funeral, but they found nothing. He is out there Cloud, and he has Yuffie." Tifa said. Cloud sat back with a look on his face of confusion.

"Sure, Zack being alive would make sense. But the killings, why?" Cloud asked.

"Do you need it spelled out you dumb blond. He is killing Shinra cause they took away everything. I am sure he would go after Sephiroth if the old mommy's boy was here today." Barret said.

"BARRET! You said you would stop with the blond jokes." Cloud said and pouted.

"The point is whatever is happening, we have to stop it before anymore people die." Tifa said. "Shinra isn't dealing in Mako or being too evil so they are our freinds."

"I hate to admit it but she is right. This can't go on or good TV shows will keep getting interrupted by guy's with bad hair cuts." Cid said.

"Nice set of ethics you got there Cid." Red XIII said. The group got up and headed for the Highwind.

"Where was the last attack?" Cloud asked.

"It said it was at the new Bone City Branch." Tifa said as she got on the aircraft.

"Okay so we are hading North." Cid said.

At the City of the Ancients, Yuffie showed Zack to Aeris's final resting space.

"This is where we put her." Yuffie said pointing to the lake.

"You couldn't have just dug a grave?" Zack asked.

"Hey damn it. Aeris wouldn't want to be stuck in the ground she would like to be free and resting at the bottom of this beautiful lake. Now have some respect for the dead damn it and prey." Yuffie said and got down on her knees. She took out a small scroll charm and put it on a near by rock, "For a happy afterlife Aeris."

Zack took out a flower he had gotten in their stop at Midgar from the church. "I remember when you first planted these. I know how much you love them so I brought one for you to enjoy." Zack said. He tossed the flower into the middle of the lake. He turned to hide his tears.

"You alright?" Yuffie asked.

"Fine, let's go!" Zack said. Him and Yuffie left. They didn't see the white translucent figure hovering over the flower.

"How nice of him!" Aeris said. She picked up the flower and smelt it's honey like scent. "At least he visits, unlike another spikey headed fighter I know.

Aeris disappeared into the lake and continued her watch over the planet.

Zack and Yuffie were walking through the silent forest. They also did not see the Highwind hovering over their heads.

Fin

Well, I think it was a bit short, but the next one should be better and longer. REVIEW!