THREE: "What Once Was Lost"
It was a bitter cold day. The winds from the north blew hard and constant over the tiny makeshift Bone Village. It was a day like any other and excavation continued on schedule. With Midgar out of commission for a while, many people flooded into the other towns and populated areas around the planet. Many seeking employment decided to go up north to help with the excavation of the arctic continent for answers to the past, intrigued by the recent events of their planets history; that, and a paycheck.
With all the new action around the planet, one person was busy globetrotting to take advantage of the situation. Her travels had lead her to Bone Village, where she had caught wind of riches laying in wait. Now Yuffie Kisaragi was just attempting to avoid the wind. She came to the arctic in hopes of maybe uncovering new materia for her ultimate collection she had acquired from her friends, but instead she could barely move from the cold weather.
"God! What was I thinking? Coming back to this barren place!?" Yuffie questioned her own actions as she dropped her bags at her feet just inside the doorway to the main cabin in Bone Village, which had actually become a village with the sudden expansion of workers. A freezing blast of air blew through the open door behind her and across her bare legs. Immediately she slammed the door shut and gathered up her things. After a moment of rummaging she pulled a small slip of paper of one of her bags.
"Twenty eight." She said to herself with a scowl. "That's way down the hall... argh.." She shrugged and gathered her stuff up for a second time since walking into the room and took off to find her own room.
After finding the right door to her room she entered quickly and threw her bags onto the tiny bed in the corner and opened one up to investigate. She pulled out a much more suitable outfit than her usual green shirt and tiny little shorts that she was always wearing. She changed into the new clothing, which consisted of long black pants and a brown winter jacket. After a moment she was warm finally and then looked over to her other bag, which she opened quickly.
Yuffie dumped a large collection of tiny marble like trinkets all over her bed, and sorted them all out by the five colours they came in, Green, Blue, Purple, Yellow and Red.
"Ultima.. Slash All.. Knights of Round.. Mime.." She mentioned a few more that were of special value to her, even above the others. "Yep that's them all. Every different type of materia there is in existence, and they are ALL mine!" She thought for a minute. "Except for the Black and the Holy Materia... but they were special cases. The rarest and most dangerous of them all." Yuffie frowned at the thought of her collection being forever incomplete.
Some time later, the diggers outside had just finished setting up the machine that let them take readings of the ground in their newest location at the encampment; just within the Sleeping Forest. The strange readings from within the forest had stopped ever since the day that North Crater exploded, and it was now fair game to excavate. They started the process and it took a while to gather the data, when the results were posted on a tiny screen on the device they used, a feeling of awe struck the minors. All that time that they spent excavating was right beside what could possibly be the greatest discovery since the unearthing of the ancient 'Knowlespole' Cetra ruins.
Yuffie stepped out into the cold outside air, she approached the site where the new discovery had been located and everyone in the camp had already begun to dig into the frozen earth.
"What the heck is going on around here today?" Yuffie inquired to the foreman.
The foreman explained what had transpired and Yuffie's eyes immediately began to gain a new glint of hope for what she had been wishing for, a brand new location to scrounge for undiscovered new materia was becoming a reality. It had been a day and a half of digging, and just then Yuffie took notice of the beginnings of what looked like a stairwell. On her break she also noticed, eerily enough that the opening was in the exact location Cloud had pointed out earlier to her where Sephiroth had appeared in one of his prophetic dreams. She was then bombarded by thoughts like 'Did Sephiroth know about this place?' and she began to think about her friends again. A familiar sly smirk came across her face as she began to ponder more deeply into the subject.
"This is how you SHOULD be living, instead of working yourself to death." Tifa said with an overbearingly playful tone. "Just sitting back and relaxing in your beach house." She plopped herself down on the couch in a state of strange joy. Tifa had been more hyperactive since their encounter with the Bubble beast in Junon. Cloud figured it was just a build up of adrenaline after she had been settled down for so long. He peered over the top of the stall he was standing in at Tifa who was facing the opposite direction.
"I don't think this is such as great idea Tifa." He said, changing the subject in his own mind.
Tifa looked back over her shoulder with a slight grin. "What are you talking about? Get out here and let's see this before Barret gets back."
Cloud's height dropped a little as the inevitability washed over him and he swallowed his pride. He pushed open the door and stepped out into the middle of the room; wearing only a pair of uncharacteristic boxer shorts. "I feel like such a tool."
"Maybe shorts aren't going to work after all." Tifa mused. Cloud folded his arms in response. She laughed. "I'm only kidding Cloud, you look... wonderful."
"Why'd you just hesitate there?" Questioned Cloud, feeling very vulnerable for once.
"It's NOTHING, I'm just not used to seeing you out of uniform; that's all." Tifa answered a bit too quickly for Cloud's liking. "It fits you better than your dress did anyway."
"I've told you, I don't want to talk about that. AND it wasn't my dress." Cloud stated quite unamused.
Tifa just shook her head. "Well I suppose now I had better get changed if we're going to have that day on the beach you owe me."
"I still think you swindled me on that bet on the ship somehow....."
"I would never cheat just to see you in your underwear, Cloud, I swear." She said through her smile and raised her hand as if to pledge the truth.
"Yeah, yeah..... well go and get ready.... We had ought to do this and then get on to Cosmo Canyon." Cloud motioned to the stall.
Just then Barret burst through the door, and his eyes locked with Cloud's, who widened his own but froze in stride. "Jeezus! Put some pants on, I don't need to be seeing all that..." Barret said averting his attention somewhere else.
"One to talk, Seaman." Cloud couldn't resist another jab at Barret's own fashion faux pas.
"Hey, I.... uh, hrrmm. Nevermind." Barret backed down not wanting to draw out this conversation. Instead he began to relay the news he had been out collecting. "It turns out, there are plenty of ships going out today, but for us, there ain't no buggy to rent - they're all out."
"I knew opening up a buggy business here would be like that.... booked solid." Cloud shrugged. "I guess we're here for the day after all."
"In that case, do you want to join us Barret?" Tifa asked.
"As tempting as the idea of laying under the sun is, I'm afraid I'm not much for it." Barret raises his gun-arm. "Metal grafted to your arm gets pretty hot in the heat, and I was thinking -"
Cloud wanted to say something but from lessons learned in the past decided not to burn Barret any further.
Barret continued. "- I think I'm going to help out in Corel for a while."
"Yeah, I heard that renovations were beginning on a site for a new Corel." Tifa added her two cents to the conversation. " I think that's great Barret."
"I think so. It will be good to put something back into where I grew up."
"Good luck then Barret, don't work too hard, or you may find yourself with your meddling friends on your case." Cloud quipped as he attempted to get Tifa back for the dress remark she had made.
With that said Barret grabbed a few supplies, said his goodbyes and went on his way, leaving Tifa and Cloud alone for their day out, and alone together for the remainder of their journey to check up on how the gang was doing and onto Nibelheim.
"So Tifa, you were about to change?"
"Yes, I was; I suppose it's only fair....." Tifa said as she stood up off the couch and approached Cloud slowly.
"Only fair?"
"Speaking of fairness; the scale is definitely tipping in your direction. " Tifa said as she ended the conversation and walked into the stall.
Just then; they heard a sound they had not heard in quite some time - the PHS (Personnel Homing System). Tifa bent down in the stall and rummaged through Cloud's pants, which were left crumpled on the floor slovenly, until she fished out the PHS and activated it.
"Uh.... Hello?" Was all she could muster, holding a bikini top out in front of her with the PHS on her shoulder.
After a short moment Tifa replied: "What?... Your Kidding!" Cloud looked up from where he now sat on the couch with a questionable look upon his face. "..What's going on?"
It was a bitter cold day. The winds from the north blew hard and constant over the tiny makeshift Bone Village. It was a day like any other however excavation had ceased. Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie and a small team of excavationists were gathered around a small opening in the middle of a clearing.
"This is amazing." Tifa said to herself as she pulled her jacket tighter around her.
"This is the highlight of my career." The Foreman stated.
Cloud remained silent. His eyes were gazing deep into the blackness beyond the stairwell, and his mind stirred with thoughts that he had never encountered before. What lay beyond within the ruins? The secrets of the Cetra? Anything at all? All other thought eluded him for a long time, the only thing he knew for sure is that whatever was in there he wanted to experience for himself, right now. Almost that instant, his feet moved forward and Cloud began his curious descent into the dark. Everyone else looked from face to face to face and then slowly cautiously followed after him. Immediately after the Forman entered with his electric lamp, an entirely different kind of understanding of the Cetra unfolded before their eyes.
"This is amazing...." Tifa managed to sputter out again as a richly detailed coliseum-sized sub-terrain cavern was revealed to them. The stairwell they were currently walking upon came down to a balcony and then split off to either side and continued down the circular wall to the main floor, which from above seemed to be a library of sorts. In the middle of the room a large raised table was placed with many varying objects scattered across it's surface. Everything was covered in thick dust and cob- webs, and other than the groups steps and breathing was completely silent.
Cloud was a few paces ahead of the group and ran his hand along a stone banister, then brushed off the thick gathering of particulate. Yuffie did the same, however let out a slight squeak as she noticed the dirt. As everyone made their way down the path and took in the wondrous sights of detailed carvings and masterful architecture lost to their time, where most buildings were created of steel. It was an awesome feeling when they finally reached the main floor.
"What is this place?" Yuffie asked after a moment.
The foreman looked around a bit more to clarify the surroundings before he stated what the place was most likely. "This is the information center of the ancient people. It has to be."
Tifa stood at the bottom of the stairwell. "Information center? Like.... everything they knew is here?"
"Maybe. I'm really not sure... I think we might have to get someone from Cosmo Canyon to take a look around, maybe they can translate a bit of this language I keep seeing on everything." The Foreman pointed to various architecture around the place where they stood.
Cloud was too engrossed in the objects upon the huge table in the middle and he walked along the perimeter of it gazing long and hard at each new and strange thing he saw. Various instruments used for measuring and plotting course seemed to be most of them, or so it seemed to him at that time. Eventually he came around to a raised rectangle built directly into the top of the table and as he wiped his hand across it's sleek surface, he uncovered that of an ancient map.
"I've found something interesting." He said aloud as everyone else made their way towards his find.
"What is it Cloud?" Tifa said, for she was the first to arrive beside him.
"It's a map.. not nearly as detailed as any map now, but it is clearly this world." He replied calmly.
"It's different. The continents are a little bit off on this map." Yuffie leaned in closer and noticed as she gazed upon it. "It also says here that during the time when this map was useful, this arctic continent was lower and warmer.."
The Foreman came up at last and looked upon the well preserved map. The light from his helmet immediately pointed out more detail previously unseen.
"This map has markings of all of the ancient temples and cities on it... we've seen them all though." Yuffie looked frazzled.
"Wait. Move your hand." Cloud pulled her hand off the map's surface and beneath it a strange symbol was there, in the mountains close to Junon.
"That is Crater Lake. Why would there be anything there?" The Foreman spoke to himself.
"Was that always Crater Lake? Or is that just the remnant of some other Meteor that ended some other civilization?" Cloud Questioned. "Perhaps at that time, it was the Cetra equivalent to our Midgar?"
Tifa blinked a few times. "That is quite a bit of speculation on your part, Cloud... All considering you've really no idea what your talking about."
"True... I suppose."
Yuffie chimed in. "I think it's worth a look-see!"
In an instant she had made up her mind and dashed off up the stairs. Cloud and Tifa shook their heads and then looked at each other in the darkness from either side of the Foreman's lamp. Without a word it was agreed that a trip back to Junon was necessary and that their other priorities would have to wait.
It was a bitter cold day. The winds from the north blew hard and constant over the tiny makeshift Bone Village. It was a day like any other and excavation continued on schedule. With Midgar out of commission for a while, many people flooded into the other towns and populated areas around the planet. Many seeking employment decided to go up north to help with the excavation of the arctic continent for answers to the past, intrigued by the recent events of their planets history; that, and a paycheck.
With all the new action around the planet, one person was busy globetrotting to take advantage of the situation. Her travels had lead her to Bone Village, where she had caught wind of riches laying in wait. Now Yuffie Kisaragi was just attempting to avoid the wind. She came to the arctic in hopes of maybe uncovering new materia for her ultimate collection she had acquired from her friends, but instead she could barely move from the cold weather.
"God! What was I thinking? Coming back to this barren place!?" Yuffie questioned her own actions as she dropped her bags at her feet just inside the doorway to the main cabin in Bone Village, which had actually become a village with the sudden expansion of workers. A freezing blast of air blew through the open door behind her and across her bare legs. Immediately she slammed the door shut and gathered up her things. After a moment of rummaging she pulled a small slip of paper of one of her bags.
"Twenty eight." She said to herself with a scowl. "That's way down the hall... argh.." She shrugged and gathered her stuff up for a second time since walking into the room and took off to find her own room.
After finding the right door to her room she entered quickly and threw her bags onto the tiny bed in the corner and opened one up to investigate. She pulled out a much more suitable outfit than her usual green shirt and tiny little shorts that she was always wearing. She changed into the new clothing, which consisted of long black pants and a brown winter jacket. After a moment she was warm finally and then looked over to her other bag, which she opened quickly.
Yuffie dumped a large collection of tiny marble like trinkets all over her bed, and sorted them all out by the five colours they came in, Green, Blue, Purple, Yellow and Red.
"Ultima.. Slash All.. Knights of Round.. Mime.." She mentioned a few more that were of special value to her, even above the others. "Yep that's them all. Every different type of materia there is in existence, and they are ALL mine!" She thought for a minute. "Except for the Black and the Holy Materia... but they were special cases. The rarest and most dangerous of them all." Yuffie frowned at the thought of her collection being forever incomplete.
Some time later, the diggers outside had just finished setting up the machine that let them take readings of the ground in their newest location at the encampment; just within the Sleeping Forest. The strange readings from within the forest had stopped ever since the day that North Crater exploded, and it was now fair game to excavate. They started the process and it took a while to gather the data, when the results were posted on a tiny screen on the device they used, a feeling of awe struck the minors. All that time that they spent excavating was right beside what could possibly be the greatest discovery since the unearthing of the ancient 'Knowlespole' Cetra ruins.
Yuffie stepped out into the cold outside air, she approached the site where the new discovery had been located and everyone in the camp had already begun to dig into the frozen earth.
"What the heck is going on around here today?" Yuffie inquired to the foreman.
The foreman explained what had transpired and Yuffie's eyes immediately began to gain a new glint of hope for what she had been wishing for, a brand new location to scrounge for undiscovered new materia was becoming a reality. It had been a day and a half of digging, and just then Yuffie took notice of the beginnings of what looked like a stairwell. On her break she also noticed, eerily enough that the opening was in the exact location Cloud had pointed out earlier to her where Sephiroth had appeared in one of his prophetic dreams. She was then bombarded by thoughts like 'Did Sephiroth know about this place?' and she began to think about her friends again. A familiar sly smirk came across her face as she began to ponder more deeply into the subject.
"This is how you SHOULD be living, instead of working yourself to death." Tifa said with an overbearingly playful tone. "Just sitting back and relaxing in your beach house." She plopped herself down on the couch in a state of strange joy. Tifa had been more hyperactive since their encounter with the Bubble beast in Junon. Cloud figured it was just a build up of adrenaline after she had been settled down for so long. He peered over the top of the stall he was standing in at Tifa who was facing the opposite direction.
"I don't think this is such as great idea Tifa." He said, changing the subject in his own mind.
Tifa looked back over her shoulder with a slight grin. "What are you talking about? Get out here and let's see this before Barret gets back."
Cloud's height dropped a little as the inevitability washed over him and he swallowed his pride. He pushed open the door and stepped out into the middle of the room; wearing only a pair of uncharacteristic boxer shorts. "I feel like such a tool."
"Maybe shorts aren't going to work after all." Tifa mused. Cloud folded his arms in response. She laughed. "I'm only kidding Cloud, you look... wonderful."
"Why'd you just hesitate there?" Questioned Cloud, feeling very vulnerable for once.
"It's NOTHING, I'm just not used to seeing you out of uniform; that's all." Tifa answered a bit too quickly for Cloud's liking. "It fits you better than your dress did anyway."
"I've told you, I don't want to talk about that. AND it wasn't my dress." Cloud stated quite unamused.
Tifa just shook her head. "Well I suppose now I had better get changed if we're going to have that day on the beach you owe me."
"I still think you swindled me on that bet on the ship somehow....."
"I would never cheat just to see you in your underwear, Cloud, I swear." She said through her smile and raised her hand as if to pledge the truth.
"Yeah, yeah..... well go and get ready.... We had ought to do this and then get on to Cosmo Canyon." Cloud motioned to the stall.
Just then Barret burst through the door, and his eyes locked with Cloud's, who widened his own but froze in stride. "Jeezus! Put some pants on, I don't need to be seeing all that..." Barret said averting his attention somewhere else.
"One to talk, Seaman." Cloud couldn't resist another jab at Barret's own fashion faux pas.
"Hey, I.... uh, hrrmm. Nevermind." Barret backed down not wanting to draw out this conversation. Instead he began to relay the news he had been out collecting. "It turns out, there are plenty of ships going out today, but for us, there ain't no buggy to rent - they're all out."
"I knew opening up a buggy business here would be like that.... booked solid." Cloud shrugged. "I guess we're here for the day after all."
"In that case, do you want to join us Barret?" Tifa asked.
"As tempting as the idea of laying under the sun is, I'm afraid I'm not much for it." Barret raises his gun-arm. "Metal grafted to your arm gets pretty hot in the heat, and I was thinking -"
Cloud wanted to say something but from lessons learned in the past decided not to burn Barret any further.
Barret continued. "- I think I'm going to help out in Corel for a while."
"Yeah, I heard that renovations were beginning on a site for a new Corel." Tifa added her two cents to the conversation. " I think that's great Barret."
"I think so. It will be good to put something back into where I grew up."
"Good luck then Barret, don't work too hard, or you may find yourself with your meddling friends on your case." Cloud quipped as he attempted to get Tifa back for the dress remark she had made.
With that said Barret grabbed a few supplies, said his goodbyes and went on his way, leaving Tifa and Cloud alone for their day out, and alone together for the remainder of their journey to check up on how the gang was doing and onto Nibelheim.
"So Tifa, you were about to change?"
"Yes, I was; I suppose it's only fair....." Tifa said as she stood up off the couch and approached Cloud slowly.
"Only fair?"
"Speaking of fairness; the scale is definitely tipping in your direction. " Tifa said as she ended the conversation and walked into the stall.
Just then; they heard a sound they had not heard in quite some time - the PHS (Personnel Homing System). Tifa bent down in the stall and rummaged through Cloud's pants, which were left crumpled on the floor slovenly, until she fished out the PHS and activated it.
"Uh.... Hello?" Was all she could muster, holding a bikini top out in front of her with the PHS on her shoulder.
After a short moment Tifa replied: "What?... Your Kidding!" Cloud looked up from where he now sat on the couch with a questionable look upon his face. "..What's going on?"
It was a bitter cold day. The winds from the north blew hard and constant over the tiny makeshift Bone Village. It was a day like any other however excavation had ceased. Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie and a small team of excavationists were gathered around a small opening in the middle of a clearing.
"This is amazing." Tifa said to herself as she pulled her jacket tighter around her.
"This is the highlight of my career." The Foreman stated.
Cloud remained silent. His eyes were gazing deep into the blackness beyond the stairwell, and his mind stirred with thoughts that he had never encountered before. What lay beyond within the ruins? The secrets of the Cetra? Anything at all? All other thought eluded him for a long time, the only thing he knew for sure is that whatever was in there he wanted to experience for himself, right now. Almost that instant, his feet moved forward and Cloud began his curious descent into the dark. Everyone else looked from face to face to face and then slowly cautiously followed after him. Immediately after the Forman entered with his electric lamp, an entirely different kind of understanding of the Cetra unfolded before their eyes.
"This is amazing...." Tifa managed to sputter out again as a richly detailed coliseum-sized sub-terrain cavern was revealed to them. The stairwell they were currently walking upon came down to a balcony and then split off to either side and continued down the circular wall to the main floor, which from above seemed to be a library of sorts. In the middle of the room a large raised table was placed with many varying objects scattered across it's surface. Everything was covered in thick dust and cob- webs, and other than the groups steps and breathing was completely silent.
Cloud was a few paces ahead of the group and ran his hand along a stone banister, then brushed off the thick gathering of particulate. Yuffie did the same, however let out a slight squeak as she noticed the dirt. As everyone made their way down the path and took in the wondrous sights of detailed carvings and masterful architecture lost to their time, where most buildings were created of steel. It was an awesome feeling when they finally reached the main floor.
"What is this place?" Yuffie asked after a moment.
The foreman looked around a bit more to clarify the surroundings before he stated what the place was most likely. "This is the information center of the ancient people. It has to be."
Tifa stood at the bottom of the stairwell. "Information center? Like.... everything they knew is here?"
"Maybe. I'm really not sure... I think we might have to get someone from Cosmo Canyon to take a look around, maybe they can translate a bit of this language I keep seeing on everything." The Foreman pointed to various architecture around the place where they stood.
Cloud was too engrossed in the objects upon the huge table in the middle and he walked along the perimeter of it gazing long and hard at each new and strange thing he saw. Various instruments used for measuring and plotting course seemed to be most of them, or so it seemed to him at that time. Eventually he came around to a raised rectangle built directly into the top of the table and as he wiped his hand across it's sleek surface, he uncovered that of an ancient map.
"I've found something interesting." He said aloud as everyone else made their way towards his find.
"What is it Cloud?" Tifa said, for she was the first to arrive beside him.
"It's a map.. not nearly as detailed as any map now, but it is clearly this world." He replied calmly.
"It's different. The continents are a little bit off on this map." Yuffie leaned in closer and noticed as she gazed upon it. "It also says here that during the time when this map was useful, this arctic continent was lower and warmer.."
The Foreman came up at last and looked upon the well preserved map. The light from his helmet immediately pointed out more detail previously unseen.
"This map has markings of all of the ancient temples and cities on it... we've seen them all though." Yuffie looked frazzled.
"Wait. Move your hand." Cloud pulled her hand off the map's surface and beneath it a strange symbol was there, in the mountains close to Junon.
"That is Crater Lake. Why would there be anything there?" The Foreman spoke to himself.
"Was that always Crater Lake? Or is that just the remnant of some other Meteor that ended some other civilization?" Cloud Questioned. "Perhaps at that time, it was the Cetra equivalent to our Midgar?"
Tifa blinked a few times. "That is quite a bit of speculation on your part, Cloud... All considering you've really no idea what your talking about."
"True... I suppose."
Yuffie chimed in. "I think it's worth a look-see!"
In an instant she had made up her mind and dashed off up the stairs. Cloud and Tifa shook their heads and then looked at each other in the darkness from either side of the Foreman's lamp. Without a word it was agreed that a trip back to Junon was necessary and that their other priorities would have to wait.