After the Storm
Chapter 7
Yuffie walked towards the ruins of Wutai, her back straight, her teeth clenched. This hurt like nothing ever had, but Yuffie Kisaragi would never back down or admit she had been wrong. That was one of the first lessons you learned when you had a father like she did. He was proud, spiteful and expected the best from his daughter. Yuffie had tried her whole life to measure up to his standards.
Godo had always believed that Yuffie would be the next ruler of Wutai and hadn't hesitated to tell her so. Until the Meteor incident those three years ago she had never wanted to believe him, never listened. One time Yuffie had tried to run away to become a Materia Hunter.
But after Meteor she had come home a celebrity and everything had changed. The way people treated her had changed especially. She had gone instantly from spoiled brat down the street to hero of their city, and Yuffie had felt like she had to live up to them.
Wutai had grown and changed with the fall of Shinra; touristy was a fine thing but there are many other ways to earn a living. And many of them will let you look at your reflection in the morning.
Pride was at the heart of everything Wutaian, as Yuffie well knew. She remembered Tseng, the Turks great leader before he had been killed at the Temple of the Ancients. He had been born in Wutai but moved to Midgar when he was quite young. Yuffie had never really known him, but during their chase after Sephiroth she'd recognized him as a kindred spirit - figuratively.
And now this is what she had to rule over. The remains of the great walls that had surrounded Wutai smoldered and teetered dangerously in the lightest breeze. Not that there was a lot left. Almost every house and shop had been burned to the ground, and the beautiful pagoda had been completely leveled.
Yuffie walked down what had been the main street, and flinched as piece of scorched material whispered past her face. She reached up and caught it before staring at it. It had once been green with an ornate gold crest upon it. It was the Wutaian flag. She clenched her hand tightly around it before stalking on towards the resting place of the inn.
If anyone had survived the brutal conflict, then they would be hiding underground in the secret chamber where long ago Cloud had found Don Corneo. Yuffie knew all the hiding laces in Wutai, but knew also that this one was her best bet. Any survivors had to be found so she could get them somewhere safe - and get the story of what happened from them.
A street branched off the right, and although Yuffie knew it was the wrong way, her feet took her down there. The biggest house in Wutai, besides the pagoda, had been down this way. Her house.
All the bridges had been torn down and she had to tramp through the stream. She didn't mind getting her feet wet but it felt like she was the only one alive in a ghost town. Trying to ignore the anguish starting to come alive again behind her mask, Yuffie concentrated on the spooky. Spooky was good because you always knew where you stood with goosebumps.
Yes, there it was. Her house where she had lived since before she could remember. You almost couldn't tell it had been a house any more. Whoever had done this had done their work well.
No, she couldn't be here now. There was no time to mourn. Turning around again, Yuffie started to run back the way she'd come. She ran from the ghosts of her memories that she knew should still be laughing and playing. She ran past a black hole she knew all too well as Tessa's house; her best friend since they were children. They'd nearly beaten each other to death in a fight over a Shiva doll, and had been inseparable ever since.
Further down was the twin's house where the little three year olds would sit and play on the porch every morning. Tessa and she often took them out for walks or outside the city to go sliding down the hill in the winter.
And further on, Old man Grant who would sit in front of his house and talk for hours with anyone who would listen. He always had a smile ready for anybody and practical advice for when it was most needed.
And now it was gone, they were gone. Yuffie didn't know what had happened to Tessa although the twins had been on the boat. There hadn't been room for that many people on the ship as it had already been a quite full cruiser. She'd searched everywhere for Tessa on that ship but without success.
Yuffie rounded the corner and slowed down, her face burning but not from the heat. That was when the thought occurred to her. Where the bodies of the people? It Wutai had been trampled as badly as it looked then the streets should be littered. As much as the thought sickened her, Yuffie had to admit it made sense. But instead there was no one, anywhere.
She didn't want to think about it. To be given hope when you know there is no hope to be had is a cruel thing, and Yuffie refused to do that to herself. Continuing on towards her original destination, she headed back towards the underground hideout.
This section of town was as bad as the others, maybe worse. The pagoda that had towered strong and tall overhead forever was not a bit of crumbling stone. Yuffie didn't know what could so completely ruin a stone building, but it had been done. The elegant columns and staircases were cracked and strewn across the ground. The beautiful colored windows had been smashed into tiny shards that reflected the light as tiny rainbows.
Trying not to look, Yuffie went over to the ashes that had been the small building that hid the chamber. The mechanism to open the way was obviously destroyed, but Yuffie knew where the other one was concealed. It had been installed in case of emergency.
Yuffie got down on her hands and knees before scrounging around in the dirt. It had to be here somewhere. . . Oh yes. A stone buried in the ground like a cobble, indistinguishable from any other. It had been the perfect place to hide it.
Yuffie dug her nails into the hairline crack between the stone and the ground. Surprisingly, it lifted without too much struggle. After lifting it about a quarter of an inch, instead or raising it out she simply let it fall back down. With satisfaction she heard the click and then saw a small portion of the earth slide aside.
She got to her feet again, and examined the stairway critically. It didn't look as if it had been damaged, and so it probably hadn't been found. Gathering her courage, Yuffie strode down the stairs, one at a time.
When she reached the bottom, she was silhouetted by the sun in the dark room, and had to shade her eyes see anything at all. There were. . . Were there? Yes, there were! A group of people sat huddled in a corner, watching her fearfully. Four men, a woman ad two children were wondering if they had been discovered at last. Suddenly realizing the situation, Yuffie stepped out of the light so they could see her.
One of the men who Yuffie recognized as a long time acquaintance jumped to his feet excitedly.
"Your ladyship!? Can that really be you!?" He ran over to her and grabbed her hand excitedly.
"It is! Omni be praised! Everyone, it's alright! It's only her ladyship!"
The people got to their feet, though somewhat warily, but they seemed genuinely excited to see her.
"Oh your ladyship!
"Lady, you're. . . Thank the gods!"
"You won't believe. . ."
The first young man raised his hand for silence. His name was Ben, and he was a year older than Yuffie. The other men were older, all between thirty and fifty. The woman looked to be in her early thirties and the two children about six and ten. Ben gave Yuffie a respectful look.
"Your ladyship, someone has heard our wishes and sent you to us! We have been hoping against hope that you would come!"
"Ben. . . Please, everyone, calm down. I need to know what has happened here. It is very important!"
"Yes. . . Of course, your ladyship. Please, excuse us. We were overcome with joy to see you still alive and well." He made a gesture including the rest of the people in the chamber.
"We were the lucky ones who were able to get down here in time. You see, the night after the ship departed, a great host assailed our gates. We stood strong to meet them, sure we were safe inside the walls. But they came, ladyship, they came with a leader dressed in a long blue cloak. His face was hidden from us, but it mattered not. He led the dark warriors right through the Maze and up to the gates."
Yuffie stared at him, amazed.
"It is true, ladyship. And then they laid siege to our gates and many of them climbed the bare wood itself. The guards were flung to the others below and the men who had been lying in wait were butchered on the walls. Then they opened the gates and let the others in."
"How. . . How is this possible!?!"
"I know not my ladyship, but they flooded into our city by the hundreds. They were soldiers of darkness who even in close combat we could not see properly. Sometimes they were as men, other times as great hounds.
"They did not seem content to occupy, but instead came to destroy. Fire seared our homes and the homes of all those we knew and loved. They destroyed everything they touched and left nothing standing."
"But, Ben! Where did all the people go!?"
"That is the strangest part of the story, ladyship. The warriors arms themselves seemed as blades and they cut as if they were. Many of them carried shadowy bows which when they hit their enemies, caused them to disappear."
"What, poison?"
"Nay, ladyship, I mean disappear. The people who were hit's forms seemed to waver and then float apart into the air itself. The strongest warriors could not stand up to a single blow. Neither could our weapons injure them, your ladyship. Magic either. It seemed for a time as if they were invincible.
"But your brave father stood strong and called his fighters to his side. Together they found that they could hurt the dark soldiers, but I understand not how. They said that it was in the Materia, not the magic, and that the Materia was a focus for belief and hope. The fighters put the Materia into their weapons and stood ready to fight. Then your father called out for them to make their dreams the blade and to believe that they could cut the very air itself, and they could.
"Those who they could reach, namely us, were herded to this place though I tried to go to your father's aid. The battle raged between them, but our troops were fiercely outnumbered."
"And. . . My father?"
"I'm sorry ladyship, he did not make it. The last thing I saw before I was pushed into this hole was an arrow hit your brave father. Lord Godo continued to fight even as he form grew indistinct, and it seemed he would win over the terrible magic. But even as he struggled, a hail of arrows struck your father, and with a last battle cry he broke apart and was gone as the others."
Yuffie was stunned. Her father, Lord Godo was dead. Although she had known it was so, she had not wanted to. She wanted to rage her grief to the heavens, but no. There would be time for crying later. She began to tell Ben not to call her ladyship, they had known each other far too long, but then she stopped herself.
Long ago, her father had told her that in a crisis, people need a leader, not a friend. She remembered it well. Do not offer forgiveness, kindness, pity. To be kind, sometime you have to be cruel. If there was ever a time for Yuffie to do what her father had believed she could, it was now.
"Ben, I know you are a competent man and can be trusted to get out of here without my supervision. I need you to take these people somewhere else, somewhere safe."
"But where. . ."
"I suspect soon there will be nowhere safe, but I would sooner you were far away from here. We have several ships and small boats moored upwards along the coast about a day's walk from here. I want you to take a small vessel and make your way to Rocket Town. There's a man named Cid Highwind there.
"Go to him and tell him what has happened. He will surely give you a place to stay until something better presents itself. Please ask him to send word to a man named Cloud and a woman called Tifa. But also tell him they are not to get themselves involved. This is something I will handle on my own."
For a moment there was silence. Yuffie had never given orders like this before, but she knew what she was doing. Finally, the young man nodded.
"As you wish, ladyship. I wish you well. But, before you depart I wish to give you your Conformer. Lord Godo gave it to me for you just before they took their final stand." Yuffie took it in her hand and gazed at it. It had been a long time since she'd held this thing. Well, they say you never forget, and even as she held it in her hand, Yuffie could feel it coming back. She smiled faintly.
"Thank you, Ben. You'd better get going.
"Oh, ah, one last thing, ladyship. They came from the east." He smiled, although it was a worn one. "Goodbye, ladyship. May you live for us to see you again."
And with that, they were gone. Yuffie watched them climb the stairs and felt suddenly very alone. Yuffie thought briefly of Reno. An army of nearly invincible black soldiers against one ninja chick?
Well, she was a ninja chick with a vengeance.
~*
Chapter 7
Yuffie walked towards the ruins of Wutai, her back straight, her teeth clenched. This hurt like nothing ever had, but Yuffie Kisaragi would never back down or admit she had been wrong. That was one of the first lessons you learned when you had a father like she did. He was proud, spiteful and expected the best from his daughter. Yuffie had tried her whole life to measure up to his standards.
Godo had always believed that Yuffie would be the next ruler of Wutai and hadn't hesitated to tell her so. Until the Meteor incident those three years ago she had never wanted to believe him, never listened. One time Yuffie had tried to run away to become a Materia Hunter.
But after Meteor she had come home a celebrity and everything had changed. The way people treated her had changed especially. She had gone instantly from spoiled brat down the street to hero of their city, and Yuffie had felt like she had to live up to them.
Wutai had grown and changed with the fall of Shinra; touristy was a fine thing but there are many other ways to earn a living. And many of them will let you look at your reflection in the morning.
Pride was at the heart of everything Wutaian, as Yuffie well knew. She remembered Tseng, the Turks great leader before he had been killed at the Temple of the Ancients. He had been born in Wutai but moved to Midgar when he was quite young. Yuffie had never really known him, but during their chase after Sephiroth she'd recognized him as a kindred spirit - figuratively.
And now this is what she had to rule over. The remains of the great walls that had surrounded Wutai smoldered and teetered dangerously in the lightest breeze. Not that there was a lot left. Almost every house and shop had been burned to the ground, and the beautiful pagoda had been completely leveled.
Yuffie walked down what had been the main street, and flinched as piece of scorched material whispered past her face. She reached up and caught it before staring at it. It had once been green with an ornate gold crest upon it. It was the Wutaian flag. She clenched her hand tightly around it before stalking on towards the resting place of the inn.
If anyone had survived the brutal conflict, then they would be hiding underground in the secret chamber where long ago Cloud had found Don Corneo. Yuffie knew all the hiding laces in Wutai, but knew also that this one was her best bet. Any survivors had to be found so she could get them somewhere safe - and get the story of what happened from them.
A street branched off the right, and although Yuffie knew it was the wrong way, her feet took her down there. The biggest house in Wutai, besides the pagoda, had been down this way. Her house.
All the bridges had been torn down and she had to tramp through the stream. She didn't mind getting her feet wet but it felt like she was the only one alive in a ghost town. Trying to ignore the anguish starting to come alive again behind her mask, Yuffie concentrated on the spooky. Spooky was good because you always knew where you stood with goosebumps.
Yes, there it was. Her house where she had lived since before she could remember. You almost couldn't tell it had been a house any more. Whoever had done this had done their work well.
No, she couldn't be here now. There was no time to mourn. Turning around again, Yuffie started to run back the way she'd come. She ran from the ghosts of her memories that she knew should still be laughing and playing. She ran past a black hole she knew all too well as Tessa's house; her best friend since they were children. They'd nearly beaten each other to death in a fight over a Shiva doll, and had been inseparable ever since.
Further down was the twin's house where the little three year olds would sit and play on the porch every morning. Tessa and she often took them out for walks or outside the city to go sliding down the hill in the winter.
And further on, Old man Grant who would sit in front of his house and talk for hours with anyone who would listen. He always had a smile ready for anybody and practical advice for when it was most needed.
And now it was gone, they were gone. Yuffie didn't know what had happened to Tessa although the twins had been on the boat. There hadn't been room for that many people on the ship as it had already been a quite full cruiser. She'd searched everywhere for Tessa on that ship but without success.
Yuffie rounded the corner and slowed down, her face burning but not from the heat. That was when the thought occurred to her. Where the bodies of the people? It Wutai had been trampled as badly as it looked then the streets should be littered. As much as the thought sickened her, Yuffie had to admit it made sense. But instead there was no one, anywhere.
She didn't want to think about it. To be given hope when you know there is no hope to be had is a cruel thing, and Yuffie refused to do that to herself. Continuing on towards her original destination, she headed back towards the underground hideout.
This section of town was as bad as the others, maybe worse. The pagoda that had towered strong and tall overhead forever was not a bit of crumbling stone. Yuffie didn't know what could so completely ruin a stone building, but it had been done. The elegant columns and staircases were cracked and strewn across the ground. The beautiful colored windows had been smashed into tiny shards that reflected the light as tiny rainbows.
Trying not to look, Yuffie went over to the ashes that had been the small building that hid the chamber. The mechanism to open the way was obviously destroyed, but Yuffie knew where the other one was concealed. It had been installed in case of emergency.
Yuffie got down on her hands and knees before scrounging around in the dirt. It had to be here somewhere. . . Oh yes. A stone buried in the ground like a cobble, indistinguishable from any other. It had been the perfect place to hide it.
Yuffie dug her nails into the hairline crack between the stone and the ground. Surprisingly, it lifted without too much struggle. After lifting it about a quarter of an inch, instead or raising it out she simply let it fall back down. With satisfaction she heard the click and then saw a small portion of the earth slide aside.
She got to her feet again, and examined the stairway critically. It didn't look as if it had been damaged, and so it probably hadn't been found. Gathering her courage, Yuffie strode down the stairs, one at a time.
When she reached the bottom, she was silhouetted by the sun in the dark room, and had to shade her eyes see anything at all. There were. . . Were there? Yes, there were! A group of people sat huddled in a corner, watching her fearfully. Four men, a woman ad two children were wondering if they had been discovered at last. Suddenly realizing the situation, Yuffie stepped out of the light so they could see her.
One of the men who Yuffie recognized as a long time acquaintance jumped to his feet excitedly.
"Your ladyship!? Can that really be you!?" He ran over to her and grabbed her hand excitedly.
"It is! Omni be praised! Everyone, it's alright! It's only her ladyship!"
The people got to their feet, though somewhat warily, but they seemed genuinely excited to see her.
"Oh your ladyship!
"Lady, you're. . . Thank the gods!"
"You won't believe. . ."
The first young man raised his hand for silence. His name was Ben, and he was a year older than Yuffie. The other men were older, all between thirty and fifty. The woman looked to be in her early thirties and the two children about six and ten. Ben gave Yuffie a respectful look.
"Your ladyship, someone has heard our wishes and sent you to us! We have been hoping against hope that you would come!"
"Ben. . . Please, everyone, calm down. I need to know what has happened here. It is very important!"
"Yes. . . Of course, your ladyship. Please, excuse us. We were overcome with joy to see you still alive and well." He made a gesture including the rest of the people in the chamber.
"We were the lucky ones who were able to get down here in time. You see, the night after the ship departed, a great host assailed our gates. We stood strong to meet them, sure we were safe inside the walls. But they came, ladyship, they came with a leader dressed in a long blue cloak. His face was hidden from us, but it mattered not. He led the dark warriors right through the Maze and up to the gates."
Yuffie stared at him, amazed.
"It is true, ladyship. And then they laid siege to our gates and many of them climbed the bare wood itself. The guards were flung to the others below and the men who had been lying in wait were butchered on the walls. Then they opened the gates and let the others in."
"How. . . How is this possible!?!"
"I know not my ladyship, but they flooded into our city by the hundreds. They were soldiers of darkness who even in close combat we could not see properly. Sometimes they were as men, other times as great hounds.
"They did not seem content to occupy, but instead came to destroy. Fire seared our homes and the homes of all those we knew and loved. They destroyed everything they touched and left nothing standing."
"But, Ben! Where did all the people go!?"
"That is the strangest part of the story, ladyship. The warriors arms themselves seemed as blades and they cut as if they were. Many of them carried shadowy bows which when they hit their enemies, caused them to disappear."
"What, poison?"
"Nay, ladyship, I mean disappear. The people who were hit's forms seemed to waver and then float apart into the air itself. The strongest warriors could not stand up to a single blow. Neither could our weapons injure them, your ladyship. Magic either. It seemed for a time as if they were invincible.
"But your brave father stood strong and called his fighters to his side. Together they found that they could hurt the dark soldiers, but I understand not how. They said that it was in the Materia, not the magic, and that the Materia was a focus for belief and hope. The fighters put the Materia into their weapons and stood ready to fight. Then your father called out for them to make their dreams the blade and to believe that they could cut the very air itself, and they could.
"Those who they could reach, namely us, were herded to this place though I tried to go to your father's aid. The battle raged between them, but our troops were fiercely outnumbered."
"And. . . My father?"
"I'm sorry ladyship, he did not make it. The last thing I saw before I was pushed into this hole was an arrow hit your brave father. Lord Godo continued to fight even as he form grew indistinct, and it seemed he would win over the terrible magic. But even as he struggled, a hail of arrows struck your father, and with a last battle cry he broke apart and was gone as the others."
Yuffie was stunned. Her father, Lord Godo was dead. Although she had known it was so, she had not wanted to. She wanted to rage her grief to the heavens, but no. There would be time for crying later. She began to tell Ben not to call her ladyship, they had known each other far too long, but then she stopped herself.
Long ago, her father had told her that in a crisis, people need a leader, not a friend. She remembered it well. Do not offer forgiveness, kindness, pity. To be kind, sometime you have to be cruel. If there was ever a time for Yuffie to do what her father had believed she could, it was now.
"Ben, I know you are a competent man and can be trusted to get out of here without my supervision. I need you to take these people somewhere else, somewhere safe."
"But where. . ."
"I suspect soon there will be nowhere safe, but I would sooner you were far away from here. We have several ships and small boats moored upwards along the coast about a day's walk from here. I want you to take a small vessel and make your way to Rocket Town. There's a man named Cid Highwind there.
"Go to him and tell him what has happened. He will surely give you a place to stay until something better presents itself. Please ask him to send word to a man named Cloud and a woman called Tifa. But also tell him they are not to get themselves involved. This is something I will handle on my own."
For a moment there was silence. Yuffie had never given orders like this before, but she knew what she was doing. Finally, the young man nodded.
"As you wish, ladyship. I wish you well. But, before you depart I wish to give you your Conformer. Lord Godo gave it to me for you just before they took their final stand." Yuffie took it in her hand and gazed at it. It had been a long time since she'd held this thing. Well, they say you never forget, and even as she held it in her hand, Yuffie could feel it coming back. She smiled faintly.
"Thank you, Ben. You'd better get going.
"Oh, ah, one last thing, ladyship. They came from the east." He smiled, although it was a worn one. "Goodbye, ladyship. May you live for us to see you again."
And with that, they were gone. Yuffie watched them climb the stairs and felt suddenly very alone. Yuffie thought briefly of Reno. An army of nearly invincible black soldiers against one ninja chick?
Well, she was a ninja chick with a vengeance.
~*