Chapter Three
Yuffie gulped and decided to just wait for the person to appear, she did not wish to be caught off guard again. Only a few seconds went by when a man slipped through a curtain from the back of the store. He was a short, thin man, maybe in his early sixties. His hair was graying and his eyes wore a small pair of spectacles that rode high on his nose. He smiled as he walked behind the counter. He stopped just before the cash till, which was now shiny and clean. " How may I help you? Would you like to Buy or Sell?" Sell! The thought came as instantly to Yuffie as the man said the word. Surely he would know how much her little sphere was worth, after what she had just seen, she was sure he had seen far more.
Yuffie stepped up to the counter and asked, " I have something I wish to know the value of, and if it is worth much, I might be interested in selling it. In fact it is much like these other items you have in your display cases, but it is different." Yes, in fact as she looked around the store again she realized that he carried many similar orbs, only in different colors, blue, green, yellow, and a few pinkish colored ones. However, she saw no red ones.
"What is it that you have my dear?" he asked, a smile still on his face, but she noticed a hint of curiosity as well.
"First, will you answer one question for me?" She was dying to ask, but didn't want to look like an idiot. The clerk nodded his acceptance, and she went on, "What is this place, and what are you selling here?" She soon realized she had asked two questions, but it did not seem to matter to the clerk.
His smile broadened and with his hand he waved it across the room at all his items. "This, my dear is a Materia Shop, and here we sell only the finest in Materia Spheres. They will help you on your journey, or they may hinder you. It is up to you how you use them. But if used wisely they can prove to be of the utmost value." He looked back again at her and waited for a reply.
Yuffie was confused, she had never heard of materia, but she was also amazed, she knew now what her little treasure was, and that it could be of "utmost value". "So... uh... what exactly is materia? Why is it so special?" She dared two more questions.
"Materia, my dear, is essence from the life of this planet. It can be molded to aid others, and us or used to cause great harm. A form of 'magic' if you will." Magic? What was this guy going on about? Just then he reached underneath the counter and pulled out a green materia. It looked like a small planet with its incandescent emerald glow swishing inside the orb. "Here, I wish you to have this."
He handed her the green materia, and she readily took it, eager to examine it. She felt its smoothness in her fingers, and then found its name in small letters, "Cure". It was so beautiful. "Thank you, but uh...what do I do with materia? How do I unlock its magic?"
The clerk smiled and said, "Simply concentrate on the orb, you need not even be holding it, just have it on your person. Remember, now concentrate, think about the orb, then with a strong voice, call out its name! It will then unleash its power, but alas, be warned; it will take a part of you as well. It will take part of your inner strength. It should get easier to use as you use it more often, but if you find it won't respond, take a break for a while, or take a nap, it feeds off you, so you have to be strong for it. Some materia will not respond to you at all at first. This is a sign that it is stronger than you. If you wish to yield it, you must train your mind and body to overcome it, and then it will help you whenever you need."
She couldn't believe her ears! It sounded so easy! She couldn't wait to give it a try. Without hesitation she gripped the cure materia in her hands, she closed her eyes affixing her concentration towards the orb, and in the strongest voice she could muster, she called, "CURE!" In an instant the orb brightened in its hue, and she was suddenly surrounded by glittering stars cascading around her. She felt totally renewed, as if she had just gotten out of a cool lake, awake, and refreshed. Refreshed? She gasped, she had totally forgotten about the refreshments from Turtle's Paradise!
"Thanks again mister, but hey, I gotta go now, or else my dad is gonna kill me, I'll be back!" She gripped her new materia and ran out the door. She turned to look behind her, and she saw the same old dirty building again, hiding in the weeds. The sun had almost completely vanished now, and she was sure to reap death from her father if she didn't hurry.
Yuffie had always been a fast runner, and in no time flat she was in and out of Turtle's Paradise with everything she needed. The sun had been down for about half and hour by the time she got home, and the look on her father's face was even redder than when she had last seen him. He angrily sent her to her room in order to get cleaned up for their guest, and she grumpily obeyed. Old codger, she thought, he didn't deserve to know what had happened to her while she was out anyway.
Once Yuffie got to her room, she flopped down on her bed, pushing old comic books out of the way, and picking up loose ninja stars. She then reached into her side pocket and pulled out her new treasures. Materia, just the name was mystical enough for Yuffie. But after what she had experienced, she found herself yearning to discover more materia. She was very curious to know what her Master materia did, and so she promised herself that after helping her father tomorrow, she would go to the Da Chao Mountains and find out for herself. In the meantime, she changed into her temple garb, which she had never had to wear before. She found them to be very restricting, and too bulky. Oh well, it was for the company, and that was another curiosity she was intent on satisfying.