The Bandits, Chapter 8

Taking Tifa

Yuffie's POV

Cid's gone? Well at least it may be quieter around here. But everyone else didn't seem to be in such a cheery mood. "C'mon guys! I'm sure the old coot will turn up eventually." I said trying to get everyone to at least smile. Ghost Square was a lot creepier than it used to be.

"Let's stay for the night. We can try and figure things out." Perry suggested to the rest of us. "Not a bad idea." Vincent concurred. We entered and upon getting a room I just sat down on the couch they set up in the lobby. "Man, I'm so tired." I said out loud closing my eyes.

"Hey there." A voice said to me. When I opened my eyes it was Perry. "Oh, hi." I said still feeling tired. "Sorry to wake you. You just looked so cute sleeping here." He laughed. "I feel asleep here?" I said a bit confused. "Yeah. I just decided to leave you here for the time being." He said sitting down near my head. I moved closer to him and rested my head on his lap looking up at his face. "Where's Tifa?" I asked. "She's sleeping too. And she almost undressed with me in the room." He said. "How did that happen?" I wondered. "She told me she was used to Cloud being in her room all the time so she was used to it. Was I embarassed." He said turning red.

"What do you think happened to Cid?" I asked my boyfriend. "I don't mean to sound too negative, but he may have been kidnapped." He responded. "What? Really?" I said sounding shocked. "That Siren Company must know who he was and took him. Like they did with Cloud." He explained. "Didn't that happen to Barret? We haven't heard from him in weeks since Marlene went to visit Elmyra for a few days." I said. "You're right. The Siren Company must want them for some reason. We need to find out what." He said sounding so brave. "Yeah, but first some sleep." I said closing my eyes again. "Want me to carry you to bed?" he offered. "Sure" I agreed with my eyes still closed.

Once morning came we all met in the lobby but something was strange. "Where's Tifa?" I asked the remaining three of us. "She wasn't around the hotel today." Vincent informed us. "I haven't seen her either. Her bed was empty when I woke up." Aeris said. "You don't think..." Perry suggested. "Siren!" We all said together. "OH what the hell do they want with us!?" I protested aloud. "I'm not sure. We need to contact Reeve. He may know where their headquarters is." Perry suggested. "No need. While in the reactor I found some information on a computer." Vincent said holding up a disk. "What does that contain?" Aeris asked taking it from his clawed hand. "It has the location of the headquarters. It lies in the ocean." He told us. "Ocean. I'm beginning to hate the water." I complained. "But that's like away from any kind of land." Aeris said. "Let's plug this a computer and find out more." Perry told us.

We left the Gold Saucer and went into Corel. We got into Barret's house and used his computer. The people of Corel are so advanced now. When the disk was in we found out it was directly in the ocean west of Cosmo Canyon. "It's out here. Let's find them." Perry said. Just then my PHS rang. "Wha? Hello?" I said into the reciever. "Yuffie, it's Tifa." The voice on the other side told me. "Tifa? Where are you?" I asked as the rest of us looked surprised. "I'm in some cell. These guys have Cloud, Cid, and Barret too." She told me. "We're on our way. We found where you are." I told her. "Good hurry. Oh no!" she said as the ling went dead. "She's in trouble." I told everyone. "How do we get there?" Vincent brought up. "We have no way of getting there. Cid is gone so airships are out of the question."

I hate it when Vince is right. Well at least I wouldn't have to go on a GAWD awful airship. "Well maybe Reeve can give us one like he did last time." Perry suggested. Well...maybe I was wrong. Oh well, airsickness here I come. "Sorry Yuffie. I know how much you hate riding them but we have little choice." He said taking my hands. "I understand. Let's go." I agreed. We left Barret's house, locking the door of course. "I'll call Reeve. Wait a moment." Aeris told us. She dialed his private line and in a minute we all heard his voice over Aeris' PHS.

"What's the news?" he asked. "We believe they have taken Cid and Tifa. We know where but need a way to get there. "I'll send an airship to pick you up. Where are you exactly?" he asked her. "East Corel." She said. "Okay, I'm coming with you. Well Cait Sith will." He told her. "Oh, why?" she asked him. "To gather information and to hack into their systems. I made improvements on him. Well wait for awhile. I'm sending the ship as we speak. Out." He said ending the conversation.

"How much time till he gets here?" Perry asked his sister. "Probably ten minutes or so." She told him back. "No rush. I have to prepare myself for this." I said sitting down on a log bench. Perry sat down next to me putting his arm around me as usual, I always felt small around him. Well I was a tiny girl after all. "Care to sit with us sis?" Perry offered. There was enough room for the four of us. "Sure. My legs are tired from the walk from Gold Saucer." She said sitting beside her "big" brother. Those two were never sad together, it was a beautiful thing. "Want to join us Vincent?" Aeris offered him. He just looked over from where he was standing. "I'm fine where I am." He told her. "C'mon. I won't bite. I mean, even you must feel some fatigue." She said trying to get him to sit down. "I suppose it couldn't hurt." He mumbled. He sat down next to Aeris, and she did the most unpredictable thing.

"Was that so hard?" she said putting her arm around Vincent. Vincent looked at her but he wasn't blushing or anything. "How long have we all been friends Vincent?" she asked him putting her head on his shoulder. Perry and I were just sitting there with the most befuddled look on our faces. "Three years I believe." He answered. "What does this have to do with your current behavior?" "You think after three years you would've opened up to us a little more." She told him. "Well...wait, the airship is here. We should make haste." He said standing up. "Yeah, let's go you two." Perry said to us. I walked holding Perry's hand like usual. Holding hands was a special thing to him. He always believed that if two people who really cared held hands they could hear each others thought about them. It sounded pretty farce but he said the last time he held Aeris' hand he could feel like their hearts were beating in unison.

"No fair. He got off too easy." Aeris moaned holding her hands to her hips as the rest of us were walking away. We boarded the airship and I felt myself become dizzy already. "Uh...I don't feel so good. I'm gonna rest over there." I said pointing to a bunch of crates in a corner. I hobbled over and sat down near them. "I'm gonna sleep for awhile, kay?" I said closing my eyes and drifting into sleep.

Now what I dreamt was very strange. My body was floating above a wasteland. Dead bodies were everywhere and the earth was ravaged and scarred. "What is this? I've never seen this place before. Is this our planet?" I wondered as I felt something shake my body. "Huh?" I said waking up. "We're almost there, but Reeve says we may be under attack as soon as we set foot above wherever this base may be." Perry told me. "Fine, I'll get up." I said getting out of my laying position and into a sitting position.

"I'm sorry I woke you up. You looked so adorable sleeping." Perry said with a smile. He was always saying that to me. Of course I thought the same way about him. "Your too kind." I said laying my head on his shoulder. "Just being myself." He said calmly trying to sound macho but failing. Then I noticed his gaze shift to behind me a little. "What? Something on my back?" I asked turning my head around to see. "No, never knew you liked pink." He said. "Pink? Oh, dirty person. Looking at a girl's underwear." I said playfully slapping his arm. I was getting a bit bored with red. Pink was such a vibrant color, kinda like me. "Sorry I looked." He apologized. "It's okay. We've been boyfriend and girlfriend for such a long time I don't mind if you look." I told him. We have known each other for so long. "But if you'd like a closer look than I'll give you one after this mission." I said with a big grin on my face. "Look who's dirty know, Yuffie." Perry said chuckling. "Yeah, well I'm a girl so its okay." I said. "Whatever." He told me back.

I noticed Aeris was sitting directly across from Vincent just staring into him. He was doing that same thing back. The two of them are starting to freak us out. "What's with them?" I whispered to Perry. "No clue. Maybe they're having a staring contest." He whispered back. "You've been staring at me this whole time. Is something the matter Aeris?" Vincent asked her. "N...nothing at all. Just occupying my time." She explained to him. Then we all felt this large thud. The ship crashed.

"What the hell happened?" Perry shouted to the pilot. "We have no idea. We just crashed into something. But look out the window." The pilot shouted back from the cockpit. The four of us looked out the window of the cargo bay we were in. That was weird. We were suspended above the ocean. "What?" I said feeling vertigo. "This could be a trick by Siren. Maybe you four should go out and look. The Cait Sith unit will follow you." The pilot suggested. "I suppose. Watch your step." Perry said carefully stepping down from the plane. He fell a bit but it wasn't that big of a drop. "Who's next?" he asked. "How do we know if we'll land safely? Aeris asked. "Here. I'll poke the ground with my sword. Obviously if it hits something its safe to stand on. "Good thinking." Vincent complimented. He was next to drop down right next to Perry. "I guess I'll do it." I said standing up pulling my pants up a bit, they sagged a bit from not buttoning the top, but I didn't care. I bent down and Perry extended his arms out and taking my hips he set me on the ground carefully. "Oh thanks." I said blushing. Aeris climbed down by herself but almost fell on the way down, until Vincent saved her. "Oh, thanks Vincent." She said. He just nodded as we carefully made our way west of the ship. Eventually we reached some wall.

"Feels like a ladder is here." Perry said sheathing his sword and climbing up it. "Something is here." He said as he touched the top of the ladder. An opening appeared. We all crawled into it. Inside was a bunch of machines and a walkway. "A cloaking device." Vincent pondered aloud. "Perhaps." Aeris said. "I think this is why it's in the ocean. Nobody would look here." Perry said. "Let's continue down this hallway." I suggested. It was a dark and spooky hallway, but I had my Perry there. Well at least his arm to hang onto for dear life. "An elevator. Wonder where it goes?" Aeris said. "I'll find out in a moment." Cait Sith said hopping up to a small computer. "Elevator A. Leads to Containment Level 4. It's near the Holding Cells. I'll give us access." He said as the elevator came online. "Thanks Reeve." Perry said as we boarded and went down a few floors.