Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Letting Go

Yuffie Kisaragi should have taken her role as the daughter of Wutai's Lord more seriously years ago. Rebellious, she had instead run away and refused to even speak to her father about the subject unless he cornered her unwittingly and forced the topic on her. Always, every single "discussion" had ended in an uproarious spat that left the link between daughter and father even more unstable than ever before. Yuffie had always fled her father's presence, trembling with unjustified and unspent rage while Lord Godo quite literally stomped back to his room, growling under his breath. She started drinking when she was sixteen, giving her more of an excuse to avoid Godo whenever possible. Unfortunately, the abrupt presentation of Zeno and the almost motherly fondness she had for the child made her break the habit. She still kept her distance from Godo, however, knowing that only this would keep them away from each other's throats.

Now, though, she was left with no choice but to finally face Godo.

If only I didn't want to go with them, Yuffie brooded as she trudged up to her father's house that she had not put a foot inside of for longer than she could remember. If only I didn't care for Zeno so much…if only I didn't have this sudden urge to go adventuring again…

The sliding door to Godo's room loomed in front of her abruptly. Yuffie closed her eyes resignedly and took a deep breath.

If only that old goat wasn't so stubborn…

She raised her gloved right fist and knocked on the side of the door, knowing that Godo would be inside.

"Come in," she heard her father's rough, deep voice answer. Yuffie slid the door aside and stepped in, quietly closing the door behind her.

And stood there, head bowed, completely silent for perhaps the first time in her garrulous life.

Lord Godo Kisaragi stared at his daughter, knowing that she wanted something and unsure of what to say. The fact that she wasn't here for a pleasure trip was stated by the fact that she was wearing her old ninja outfit, complete with the green, no-sleeve turtleneck sweater, khaki shorts, gloves, boots, and origami slung over her back with sharp shuriken no doubt secreted all over her body. That fact was made all the more obvious by the sight—or sound—of Yuffie standing complete still and quiet, with no hint at all that she was about to say anything until Godo did first.

"What do you want?" Godo growled, getting as straight to the point as he could. It had been so long since he had last spoken to his daughter…

Yuffie raised her eyes from the floor, not quite meeting his eyes. "I have a favor to ask of you, father."

Godo almost snorted in surprise. What's with the sudden acquiescence? She's never acted like this towards me before. "Tell me."

"You remember Cloud Strife, the hero of the Planet?"

"Of course I do."

"And Tifa Lockheart?"

Godo glared at her suspiciously. "Get to the point, girl."

"Father, they are in need of help again." Yuffie tilted her head to one side, finally meeting Godo's gaze. "And once more, this could mean the fate of the

Planet itself."

Godo was silent for a very long time; so long that Yuffie almost collapsed from holding her breath throughout the duration of that silence. Finally, he spoke again.

"Yuffie, whether this means the fate of the Planet or not, I forbid you to go. I'm not young anymore, and you are to be my heir. I don't want to leave Wutai in the incapable hands of a spoiled brat."

" 'Spoiled brat'?" Yuffie inquired, feeling her temper rise within her. She snapped her head up, her brown eyes glinting dangerously. "Is that what I am?"

Godo stood, frowning. "You have avoided your duties for too long, Yuffie Kisaragi. It is time for you to leave your childish world behind—long since time. Leave this problem to your friends; they fixed it once, and they can do it again."

"You don't understand, do you, you senile old man." Yuffie leaned forward, malice dripping from her voice like poison from a viper. "This could mean another Meteor, and this time, Holy won't be able to save us. The Lifestream is still worn out from the last time, and the Planet won't be able to use it again. He…" she lowered her voice to a threatening hiss. "…Sephiroth might come back. Cloud needs as many people as he can get."

Godo shook his head, calmly crossing his arms across his chest. "Yuffie, what proof do you have?"

That all but popped Yuffie's motivational balloon. Crap. I can't tell him about Zeno…he'll have the kid exiled or worse before we can figure out what he is! But if I don't go…something might happen. I know it…

"I…I just have to go!" Yuffie was clearly getting frustrated now.

"And I forbid you to."

"You can't do that!"

"I am your father and your Lord. If you set one foot outside of Wutai, then you are hereby exiled and disowned from the Kisaragi bloodline."

Godo's cold verdict should have immediately cowed any girl with a weaker spirit than Yuffie, but she was far past that point now.

"I don't care!" she snapped. "I broke my lines five years ago, and like hell will I try to take them back again! Cloud and the others need me, and nothing…is going…to stop me!"

Godo stared in barely visible shock as his daughter abruptly turned on him, displaying the same amount of anger she had always shown in the past…and yet so much more. She was trembling, every hair on end, with no signs of backing down.

Oh, gods…she's so much like me…and…

If Yuffie had had much longer hair and had lost the hard, intense look of anger in her dark brown eyes and slender face and body, she would have looked so much like her mother. So much like the woman Godo had loved long ago…the woman who had died and left him, an unworthy parent, with a balking, stubborn girl-child.

So much like her mother…

That was the only reason why Godo let his daughter whirl around and stalk out of the room, her attitude plainly saying that she would never, ever return to Wutai again.

Leviathan, watch over her…

* * *

Cloud twirled the hilt of his sword between his fingers as if it were a baton, the large, cleaver-like blade slicing through the air with a faint hissing noise. Zeno watched in pure fascination as the sword's slightly purple tint spun in a complete circle, over and over again while his "uncle" continued whirling it around as if it weighed little more than a feather.

"Cloud, stop that," Tifa chided after listening to Cloud's Ultima Weapon whistle on for about ten minutes straight. "At this rate, it's going to be worn down just from you spinning it like that."

Cloud stopped almost instantly, grabbing his sword's hilt in his fist and effectively ending the weapon's momentum. "What about you? Are your gloves in working order?"

Tifa flexed her hands unconsciously, still trying to get used to their feel. "Well, it's been a while since I've last worn them, but I can still fight. I've been practicing when you guys weren't watching."

"Good." Cloud nodded approvingly.

"I have a question." Zeno raised his head, straightening his body from its leaning position against the bridge nearby Wutai's entrance. "Exactly why do we have to bring weapons along?"

"Protection," Cloud answered shortly. "You never know what might hit us out there."

"And is there any reason why you didn't let me bring any weapon more than one dagger?"

"Training."

"Ah." Zeno turned away, training his eyes once more on inner Wutai.

"When is Yuffie going to get here?" Tifa whispered to Cloud.

"I don't know exactly," Cloud admitted slowly. "She said that she had to talk with Lord Godo first, and then she would join us."

"Here she is," Zeno announced, moving back to Cloud and Tifa.

Cloud shaded his eyes to catch Yuffie's slight figure dashing towards them, a grim expression pasted on her usually mischievous face. "What's wrong, Yuffie?"

Yuffie tied her usual headband onto her head, flipping her bangs out to hang over it on her forehead. "Nothing," she snapped. "Let's move."

As Cloud, Tifa, and Zeno started out of Wutai ahead of her, Yuffie nerved herself and cast one last look back at Wutai. The quiet little town, graced with red shades for good luck, watched her go with the blank eyes of the windows. In the far back was a tall, graceful tower that hovered over the rest of Wutai with a quiet presence. Yuffie stared at the five levels of the pagoda tower, tracing its shape and height with her eyes. Finally, she ended at the top level, the place where she had fought—and defeated—her own father almost five years ago.

Five years ago, I would have been happy to leave this mess.

…But…that was five years ago…and now I love this little village more than I can try to explain. Yuffie turned and ran to join the others, squaring her small shoulders.

And I'm never coming back.

* * *

"So, genius…" Tifa dug the toe of her boot into the soft dirt, staring down at the large, three-toed prints in the earth in front of them. "How do you suggest that we catch chocobos without any chocobo lure?"

"I…hadn't thought of that," Cloud admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with his hand. "I figured that we had most of the materia that we started out with way back at Midgar years ago, but…I guess I didn't inventory it too well."

"And where, exactly, is the Chocobo Lure materia?" Tifa prodded Cloud with the tip of her index finger as if she were trying to urge an answer from him.

"I…uh…" Cloud's sapphire eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah! Um, I gave it to Cid, because he was interested in breeding some chocobos of his own."

"Great." Tifa let out a groan, covering her wide, doe-brown eyes with one gloved hand. "Rocket Town is supposed to be where we're headed next."

Zeno crossed his arms over his chest, fixing his dark, stony gaze on Cloud. "So we aren't going anywhere?"

"I guess not," Cloud muttered reluctantly. "Yuffie, what are you doing?"

"Looking for the chocobo I released here years ago," Yuffie replied in a bare whisper. "Now sit down and shut up. There's a very slim chance that Ryu is still alive. And even if he is, he probably has a family of his own. Now, I know there's a rare female blue chocobo in this area, too—some of our hunters spotted her—and if Ryu might have gotten to known her…"

Cloud shook his spiky golden head regretfully. "She's off her rocker."

Cloud's comment almost made Tifa and Zeno think it was true when Yuffie suddenly crouched low to the ground and began making high-pitched, chirping noises. She crept forward in that position, a pose that would have been agony for any other person than a ninja in just a few moments. With her hand extended forward, she slid into a tall brush of grass nearby that was trembling slightly and emitting squeaks of some sort.

Complete silence followed.

Finally, Cloud decided that he had waited enough. "Look, Yuffie, did you find something or—"

Yuffie dashed out of the grass in mid-phrase, clutching a small, black bundle of fluttering feathers to her front. A look of utter panic was on her face as she worked her slender legs like pistons, eyes wide with surprise.

"—not," Cloud finished, watching Yuffie come to a sliding halt nearby, the mass of feathers still hugged to her. "Yuffie, what the hell is going—"

Once more, Cloud was interrupted in his sentence as a snarling, red-scaled creature dashed out of the brush, following Yuffie's tracks. Cloud didn't bother finishing his sentence this time; he simply grabbed his huge sword and twisted it around into a fighting position, ready to defend and attack.

"What is that thing?!" Tifa cried out as she ran forward to stand beside Cloud.

Cloud took a quick second to study the animal that hissed at them, fluttering ruby-colored bat-like wings that were clearly useless at its sides. It seemed like a miniature version of the breathtaking red dragon they had fought in the Temple of the Ancients years ago; stunted, mutated, and still deadly.

"Some dragon of some sort," he responded. "Yuffie, do you know what it is?"

"It's a new species," Yuffie explained as she stayed to the back of the group, arms full already. "I think it just appeared; I got news of it from our hunters again. We call them 'Kajiha,' which roughly means 'fire tooth' in our language. And believe me, you don't want to find out why we call it that."

"So just kill it, right?" Cloud started to move forward, sword raised to strike the Kajiha that stood its ground, pale yellow eyes glinting dangerously.

"I wouldn't do that," Yuffie warned. "Use something long-range if you want to live, Cloud. Um…shoot…" Unable to reach for her throwing origami and shuriken, Yuffie started to back away, motioning with her head for the others to follow. "Let's leave it alone!"

"I don't think it wants us to do that quite yet," Cloud murmured as the Kajiha followed them instantly. "Do we have anything else long-range?"

"Done," a voice announced quietly at his side. Cloud had barely turned his head to identify the speaker when a flash of pure silver went flying by his head, burying itself in the Kajiha's neck. The creature let out a wet, gurgling howl of pain before it collapsed on the ground, unmoving.

Zeno strode forward and looked down at the dead animal. Finally, he prodded it cautiously with the toe of one boot.

The response was almost instantaneous. The Kajiha's head flew up and its malicious yellow eyes opened, glowing from within as they focused on Zeno. It opened its jaws and whipped its head around to point directly at the young man, a strange, blood red ball of light shooting out of its throat in a speed that was far faster than the blade that Zeno had thrown.

"Zeno, look—" Cloud began to shout, knowing that his warning wouldn't reach the boy in time.

Zeno dodged it.

In the time that it took for the fireball to leave the Kajiha's mouth and move with amazingly high velocity and speed towards Zeno, he had simply stepped to the side and twisted around slightly, letting the dangerous final attack blaze right past him and disintegrate into the air. Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie stared in utter shock at Zeno. They had known that the young man trained hard and that he was very, very fast, but they had never expected him to be that fast.

Fast enough to step aside as a fireball moving at the speed of a bullet shot towards him, and fast enough for him to be completely unmarked. His lean form wasn't marred by a single scorch mark, much less the ash from the passing inferno. Even his long hair that would have surely been caught by the tips as he leaned away wasn't singed. Zeno wasn't breathing hard in the slightest, and the only emotion that registered in his light-swallowing eyes was of mild amusement.

"What a pathetic little animal," he muttered as he stepped past the gaping trio and moved to the clearly dead body of the Kajiha. "No one could have gotten themselves killed by that stupid little trick."

"Maybe you couldn't have, but at least one other person did," Yuffie said quietly. "That hunter who first reported the Kajihas died after he had gasped out his news on his last breath." She paused, and then elaborated. "He got caught by that final attack. And he was a very good hunter, too."

Zeno snorted softly as he reached down and yanked the dagger that had finally killed the Kajiha out of its neck. He frowned slightly as the blade came away covered with a strange, scintillating green liquid.

"Uncle Cloud," he finally asked, "what kind of blood is this?"

"What kind of blood"? What kind of question is that, kid? Cloud thought as he moved to Zeno's side, sheathing his sword over his back. That response, however, fled his mind as soon as he saw the "blood" that covered Zeno's weapon from the bottom of the hilt to the viciously pointed tip.

"Good question," Cloud replied slowly as he took the dagger from Zeno and turned it around in the sunlight, watching the green substance shift in color tones and drip in soft plops to the ground. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that this was Mako. I should know; I've swum in that junk before. But…if something like this…Kajiha…had it inside of it as blood, then how would it be able to live without getting Mako poisoning?"

"Maybe it was poisoned to begin with," Tifa suggested, moving to peer over Cloud's shoulder. "That would explain its decrepit look, and the reason why it could summon up that huge final attack without completely burning its body. Its blood was completely Mako."

"Hmm." Cloud thoughtfully cleaned the blade off on a leaf he picked up from the ground, letting the cleaning article flutter to the ground after he was done using it. He glanced down to make sure that the dagger was completely clean and got his first good look at it. Cloud's eyes widened involuntarily in complete surprise as he took in the foreign design. "Zeno, where did you get this?"

The dagger was a strange cross between a throwing knife and a fighting knife, which was a reason why Zeno had thrown it with such accuracy. If he had been further away, however, it might have been more difficult to get it on target. Its hilt was simple wood, carved to fit the holder's hand in an easy fighting or throwing grip and covered with a resin to protect it from wear. The blade itself, though, was like no other dagger Cloud had ever seen. It was long and well sharpened, but located at a little less than midpoint between the hilt base and the knife tip as well as near the hilt's base itself were sharply pointed hooks that curved towards the hilt. Each hook was located, one diagonally from the other, on the two edges of the double-sided blade. Their curved bottoms that pointed towards the blade tip were sharpened as well into an edge that could cut through anything just as easily as the blade itself.

Zeno shrugged as he took the weapon back, sliding it easily back into his boot. Cloud watched as its hilt disappeared from sight into the depths of the boot top. "The blade smith in Wutai made it according to my own design. Basically…" he smiled briefly; not a smile of joy, but one of cold calculation. "Basically, it's supposed to hurt more coming out than it does going in. The hooks catch on the flesh well enough so that it takes a very hard jerk and a well-nerved person to get it out. Even then, it won't come out smoothly. The edges of the wound are pretty much torn, and it can often ruin a muscle or more when it comes out. You see, the hooks can grab a lot more than mere skin on the way out." He broke out into a strange, eerily familiar grin of twisted pleasure. "Sometimes it can cripple an animal for life. Of course, I've always made sure to finish off the animals I…practiced on."

Tifa shivered, and she wasn't the only one who did. "Zeno, that's…that's…" She bit her lip, trying to think of a way to gracefully finish her sentence.

"Wonderful," Zeno finished for her. "This kind of weapon can inflict even more pain than any other in the world. Perfect for an agonizing death, don't you think?"

"You are one twisted kid," Yuffie muttered under her breath. Cloud was the only one who caught her, but he couldn't help but agree.

Zeno is acting stranger and stranger as each day goes by…

He's acting more like you, Sephiroth. So much like you…

"Hey, Yuffie, what is that thing you're holding, anyway?" Tifa abruptly asked, startling Cloud back into reality.

Yuffie gently unshielded the little black-feathered body and lifted it carefully towards Tifa's curious eyes. "This is what the Kajiha was trying to eat when I sneaked in on it." Cloud and Zeno both leaned in as well to see, eyebrows raising in slight surprise.

It was a baby black chocobo—gawky, scrawny, and an obvious adolescent. Its feathers, although jet black like an adult black chocobo's, were more of a down than the stiff, elongated feathers of an adult. Here and there, patches of its down was missing, showing pale flesh underneath that was marred by bleeding scratches. Its eyes were huge and frightened and seemed to be out of place on the baby's still-growing bird head. Its long neck was completely pulled into the extra large fluff at the base of its neck so that it could safely peer up at the strangers from beneath wavy plumes.

Tifa immediately softened towards it as her feminine side came through. "Aw," she murmured gently. "It's only a baby." She reached out and gave it a faint stroke on its head that rustled the tiny spikes of feathers sticking out of that area.

"That's weird," Yuffie remarked with her old mischief sneaking back into her voice. "It has hair like Cloud. Now, if it was a golden chocobo instead of a black one…"

"Shut up," Cloud muttered, turning slightly red. He knew that his hairstyle wasn't exactly common, but having it compared to a chocobo was a little far!

"I think I'll name him Cloud Junior," Yuffie announced, keeping her teasing up relentlessly. "Junior for short. Too bad he won't be growing up anytime soon."

"But, Yuffie," Tifa objected, "how do you know it's a he?"

"Easy. I checked."

"And, um…what about his parents?"

"Parents? Like where?"

"Like those parents, maybe?" Zeno suggested calmly, pointing a finger over Yuffie's shoulder.

Yuffie froze as a thin, menacing gurgle emitted from the area that Zeno was pointing at. She turned around slowly, still holding baby Cloud Junior in her arms.

Standing there were two chocobos; a blue one and a green one. Both of their long necks were lowered angrily and their feathers practically stood up on their bodies. Their black eyes were narrowed with rage and focused on one person—Yuffie. Behind those two birds was two black chocobos, both apparently almost adults and both just as enraged as the first two adults.

"Uh, hi," Cloud said, waving his hands at the chocobos.

"Shut up," Yuffie shot back. She stepped forward and slowly lowered Cloud Junior to the ground, who peeped and raced under the legs of the blue chocobo. The green chocobo paced towards Yuffie until it stood about a foot away from the ninja. It lowered its head again, sniffing at the girl's hair and narrowing its eyes once more.

"Uh…" Cloud began again, cut off short when Tifa elbowed him in the ribs.

The green chocobo let out a loud snorting noise and opened its huge beak that was a little smaller than Yuffie's head. It leaned forward and closed its beak on a lock of Yuffie's hair and began tugging away at it, feathers once more relaxed upon its body. With a happy squawk, it let go and rubbed its head against Yuffie's cheek, eyes closed in pure contentedness.

Yuffie exhaled, reaching up and scratching the bird's head with fingers that were almost weak from relief. "It's okay, guys. He's Ryu."

"So, um…do we have a ride now?" Cloud asked.

Yuffie glanced over her shoulder at him, smiling once more. "Of course. If I can get Ryu to speak with his mate and his kids…then we should be in Rocket Town by nightfall!"

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