Yuffie walked aimlessly around in RedXIII's observatory. "Gawd, this is so boring!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Without that big cat to tease, there's nothing to do here!" She looked over at some old photographs he had, standing on a small table. And lots of large books. "This guy needs to get out more. Maybe, when we find him, I'll make him come with me all the way back to Wutai!"

"Yuffie!"

"What??" Yuffie turned around. No one was behind her. She checked outside, but no one was there either. "...Huh?.." She began to remember something.

"Yuffie Kisaragi! You know your father wouldn't want you to do that, now don't you?"

"No, Ayumi," she had replied, sniffing a little.

"Then give back the nice man's materia."

"Oooo-kkeeeyy...." Little Yuffie lifted up the orbs and someone snatched it out of her hand.

Little Yuffie looked sadly up at the girl, Ayumi. Ayumi bent down to be eye-level with her. "Already a tough materia theif at age two, eh? How about a money theif too?"

"Nuh-uh! Only materia, 'cause it's really pretty," Yuffie answered stubbornly.

"Alright then, sweetie pie. But did you know..." She leaned in closer, and so did Yuffie, "... it's bath time for little girls!"

"Eep!" Yuffie screeched, and before she could get away Ayumi had her arms wrapped aorund her, and was carrying Yuffie back to her house. "I dun wanna!"

"But, Yuffie-Pie, you're dirty. You need a bathis!"

"Mm-mm!"

Ayumi smiled to herself. "If you doo...." She walked into Yuffie's house, then her bathroom, "I might give you a materia...."

"Okey!" Before Ayumi could even touch the water faucet, Yuffie had stripped and was jumping up and down. "Materia! Materia! Materia!"

Ayumi giggled. "You're a silly girl, Yuffie! Or shall I say, Miss Kisaragi?" She mock-bowed.

"No! The Shinra'll take over Wutai before I get a chance to rule it," Yuffie said poutingly.

She frowned. "Shinra? Here!?"

Yuffie stopped bouncing. "Uh-huh. Why?"

Ayumi turned on the water for the large bath. "Because. Well, do you remember my brother, Eric?"

"Yeah! When's he coming back?" She pouted.

"He's in SOLDIER! Which means when the Shinra comes, so will he! He'll come and visit us again."

"Yay! I miss him!" Yuffie cried.

Ayumi checked the water. "Almost ready, Yuffie-pie. After this, it's nappy-time, though."

She pouted... again. "Uh-uh!"

Ayumi took out a yellow materia. "Then I guess I'll have to give this Steal materia to Eric when he comes..."

Yuffie suddenly ran to the bathtub. "OK! OK! Mateeeeeriaaaa!"

"Time now, Yuffie-Pie."


"Yuffie!"

She jerked her head away from RedXIII's pictures, angry to be back in the present. "What Cloud!?!"

Cloud burst through the door. "Eric Trisa vanished a while ago right?"

"Yeah, that's what I said. Why?"

He walked over to her. "Turns out him and Tifa knew each other."

"That's why she was upset?" He nodded. "Well, Eric was in SOLDIER. He was stationed temporarily in Midgar... about 6 years ago."

"Cloud! Yuffie! Hurry!"

"Tifa!?" Cloud and Yuffie exclaimed, and ran down to the weapons shop. "What's wrong?" Cloud asked urgently.

"Follow me!" Tifa ran back down the other set of stairs and to the inn, with Cloud and Yuffie close behind. "Look!" She pointed to the television.

"...Realated to our main story tonight, a building in Kalm was blown up. Formerly known as Tifa's Seventh Heaven, it was destroyed early this morning. A young lady was seen entering moments before. She's described as a blonde, about 5'5. Officials are still searching for her body. Coming up next, the dissapearance of Midgar's new mayor."

Cloud gaped. "Seventh Heaven was destroyed!?"

"And Reeve's been kidnapped too!" Tifa added.

"Red, Vincent, Elena, now Reeve. Someone must really hate Shinra and AVALANCHE," Yuffie said, leaning on a bench. "I wonder if they have a picture of that girl."

They heard a phone ring, and Cloud realized it was his PHS. "Yeah? Cid! Calm down... yes, Tifa and I are safe, at Cosmo Canyon.... Huh? No, Red's missing, and so's Vincent and Elena. I'm positive... Emerald Weapon?? And another?"

"What's he saying, Cloud?" Yuffie demanded impatiently

"Hold on a sec, Cid." Cloud took the phone away from his face and said, "Cid says he saw a Weapon near the Nibelheim Mako Reactor yesterday, and today a strange new one was there."

"But we destroyed all the Weapons! Is there a new threat to the Planet?" Tifa said, mostly to herself, and sat down on the bench next to Yuffie.

He shrugged. "Hey Cid, can you wait until we get to Rocket Town? Great." Cloud closed his PHS and said, "He wants us to go to Rocket Town. He says he wants to go check out the Weapon."

"And we get to come along for the ride, right?" Yuffie guessed, and moaned as Cloud nodded. "Damn that airship...."


Vincent opened his eyes. He saw the girl who had brought him there. She was smiling smugly, as if she were better than him. "All that's left is those pesky Turks and Cloud Strife," she said. "They'll be easy to get."

"Why... are you...?" he croaked out. Speaking was suddenly difficult, and so was breathing.

She tossed her head. "You'll know soon enough." The girl turned and seemed to fade away into the shadows. Vincent blinked and stared hard, then passed out.

Okay, took me a while, but now I'm finished. Thanx for the reviews, please give me more! I'm going on vacation next Saturday, so I'll try to get another chapter up before then. BTW, I was the first Aeris Gainsborough, so why are people copying me? . J/K Okay, now I think I'll go back to my room....