Beyond Paradise

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, the characters or places, or anything else from the best selling game. Squaresoft/enix has full copyright and ownership to it all. Damn them. I offered them a buck if I could at least own Vincent, but they said no and I was kicked out for threatening their lives. ::sigh:: Maybe next time.

Author's Note: This chapter will be a result of what comes out of my ass while I'm sick and passing out on my bed every five minutes. I apologize in advance if you don't like it. T.T Oh, I absolutely love the reviews so far, though!

Have you been to The Land of Happy,
Where everyone's happy all day,
Where they joke and they sing
Of the happiest things,
And everything's jolly and gay?
There's no one unhappy in Happy,
There's laughter and smiles galore.
I have been to The Land of Happy—
What a bore!

The Land of Happy
-- Shel Silverstein

- Chapter 4: Fools Dare to Dream

The sun had barely risen over the horizon when Vincent and Yuffie checked out of the Ghost Hotel. The two made their way down the ropeway and into North Corel where the newly named Valentine met them happily.

Yuffie smiled tiredly and reached out, hugging the black bird around the neck and leaning against it as her eyes began to close. The morning chill sent a shiver down her spine and she hugged the bird closer.

"It's barely six in the morning and you're chipper..? What's wrong with your bird, Vinnie?" she asked groggily, stifling a yawn with her hand as goose bumps began to form along her bare arms and legs.

Vincent could sympathize with the cold girl. Back in his Turk days, he could remember standing outside at six in the morning, colder than ice, waiting for Lucrecia and Hojo to finish their "scientific business" as the mad scientist had called it.

Yuffie was beginning to doze off leaning against Valentine when she felt warmth close around her shoulders. Her eyes snapped open and she looked up to see Vincent buckling his cape around her. There was a fluttering in her stomach and she smiled up at him, but it could not be seen from behind the high collar.

"Thanks, Vincent. What about you? Aren't you going to get cold?" she asked while watching him hand feed Valentine some Sylkis Greens.

He shook his head before mounting the black chocobo, holding his hand out to her to pull her up. With some difficulty from the extra length of the cape, she finally got up and settled herself in front of him.

Sometime during their trip back to Cosmo Canyon, Yuffie dozed off again. Vincent watched her from the corner of his eye as she sagged against him, murmuring something about food that was still alive, while pulling the folds of the cape tighter around herself.

Vincent took this silence as an opportunity to think back to the strange girls' words. "Chaos, you are still too young, to truly see the nightlife's sun." Vincent visibly frowned at it as his eyes closed.

In the deep recesses of Vincent's mind, the demon lurked in the shadows. Three forms; Hellmasker, Galian Beast, and Death Gigas, joined in, all taunting and laughing at him.

Suddenly, Chaos thrashed against his mind and Vincent's eyes shot open just in time to see the canyon wall. The reins were quickly gathered into his right hand as the golden appendage wrapped around the small girl in front of him.

Valentine ran up the cliffside with a sudden burst of speed, waking the little ninja held in Vincent's mechanical arm. "Huh..? Vinnie, what's happening?" she asked drowsily, looking ahead to find herself staring at the sky.

"It seems that Valentine is taking a shortcut," he replied, leaning forward and into her slightly to keep close to the bird.

Yuffie grinned as she leaned against the chocobo's neck. "Ah, I see you're warming up to the name."

The two made it over and Valentine came to a stop at the bottom of the stairway that led to the front gate. The two dismounted and Vincent began leading Valentine up and into Cosmo Canyon. Yuffie bunched the cape up around her knees like a dress and followed him in.

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Yuffie had spent an hour letting Vincent know how bored she was when the rest of AVALANCHE finally arrived. The little ninja leapt up, nearly tripping over the excess cloth at the end of the cape, and dashed over to Tifa, hands clapping together in her excitement.

"We found out who the leader was! Did Cloud tell you? Vincent didn't tell me," she said in a rush, just happy that she was with her mother-sister- figure again.

Tifa laughed and fingered the crimson cape lightly. "What's with the new look, Yuffie?"

The younger girl laughed nervously, fingers fumbling over the buckles to remove it. "No, no! I was just cold and Vincent decided to be nice," she quickly explained, folding it over her bare arms. "I just forgot about it, that's all."

Tifa grinned teasingly and put her hands on her hips. "Geez, Yuffie. And here I was, beginning to think that you didn't like guys."

Yuffie flushed and shrieked, "Oh my gawd, Tifa! It's not like that!"

The men of AVALANCHE stared in wonder as Tifa waved them off, holding in laughter as she patted the younger girl on the back. "I was joking, Yuffie, just joking," she said with a helpful smile.

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AVALANCHE gathered around the fire, all fully rested from their trips, and began with the information.

"So, Dio made you fight for the information?" Cloud interrupted as Vincent was getting started.

Vincent nodded, seemingly not bothered by this, and continued. "Afterwards, of which, he told me that this man was his cousin. His name is Zeb Mahonney. Dio believes he was residing in Midgar before Meteor fell."

"But if Midgar was destroyed, where would he be now?" Tifa asked, head tilting to the side. All eyes fell on Cait Sith.

The robotic cat looked at its comrades. "What, what!? I don't know nothin'!" the cat shouted in its defense, waving its gloved paws in the air.

"You may not, but Reeve does. Where is Reeve now, Cait Sith?" Nanaki sat back on his hind legs, good eye focusing on the cat and its fat moogle.

"That sounded like an insult..." the robot muttered before continuing loudly, "He might still be in Midgar."

"Don't you have some kinda radar or somethin'?" Barret grumbled, arms folding over his chest.

Cait Sith hissed in a strange robotic way and lay on top of the fat moogles head. "No. I'm not a submarine or anything!"

"No shit," Cid grumbled, lighting a cigarette and stuffing it between his lips.

"Our story isn't finished yet!" Yuffie suddenly shouted, pulling all attention towards herself. She shifted uncomfortably and looked away, making it a point not to look at Vincent. "Tell 'em about the girl," she mumbled.

"Girl? What girl?" Tifa looked from Yuffie, to Vincent, and then back to Yuffie. "There was a girl?"

Vincent brushed his hair away from his eyes and settled himself down in front of the fire. "Yes. She was dressed strangely, and she seemed to know Yuffie."

"Well, that would make sense. Strange people know other strange people," Cait Sith teased. Yuffie sent him a cold glare and he quieted down immediately.

"She was different," Yuffie started, gaze traveling to focus on the flames. "She was... so cold," she murmured. And, as if she snapped out of a spell, "She seemed to know Vincent here had Chaos, too," and she jerked a thumb in his general direction.

"Do you remember what she looked like?" Cloud asked, hands folding in his lap.

"Yeah. She looked like some sort of clown. And she had these really bright blue eyes. It was kinda freaky," Yuffie commented, stretching her legs out in front of her.

"Ah... Then what happened?" Cloud gestured for her or Vincent to continue.

"She disappeared," Vincent said flatly, as if it were an everyday occurrence. Cloud blinked at him, then looked to Yuffie, hoping she had a more detailed explanation.

"Just as he said. She disappeared. Poof! into thin air." Yuffie shrugged and fell back, arms folding behind her head as she stared up at the reddened sky.

The members of AVALANCHE remained quiet as each tried to envision the young clown. Slowly, Tifa stood up, brushing the dirt from her skirt.

"Well, I'm going to get something to drink. Yuffie, come with me," she smiled down at the little ninja and held a gloved hand to her. Yuffie took her hand and, with Tifa's help, pulled herself up to her feet.

"Anybody want anything? No? Good. Wasn't going to get you anything anyway," she said as she and Tifa walked to the bar.

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"Yuffie," Tifa began after ordering herself and the younger girl a glass of water, "Are you alright? Back there... you weren't..." she trailed off.

Yuffie blinked at her in confusion, smiling thankfully to the barkeeper as he gave them their water before turning to face Tifa again. "I'm fine, Tifa. Really. Don't be a hen," she giggled as she took a sip from her glass.

The two women sat down at a table and Tifa set her glass down in front of herself. "You know, if you ever need to talk about something, I'm here for you."

Yuffie smiled and took another drink. "I know, and I'm here for you. We are the only girls in this parade," she smiled to herself before setting her glass down as well.

Tifa, seeing that she wouldn't get anywhere further, decided to change the subject. "So, what's up with you and Vincent, huh?"

"What do you mean? Nothing's up with me an' him. It was just a cape, Tifa!" Yuffie sputtered. Tifa laughed and shook her head.

"Yeah, I'm just teasing you."

"Well, you shouldn't. Don't you know what happens when people do that?" Yuffie stared at her accusingly.

"Do what?"

Yuffie rolled her eyes, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "When you start teasing someone about liking someone else, that person you're teasing starts actually thinking about it, and then they start liking them, and then they get embarrassed 'cause the other person doesn't like them back," she explained.

"It's like, if I started asking you if you like Cloud, and then started saying that Cloud might like you. Then you'd start thinking about it and stuff," she finished, trying to make a revengeful point.

Tifa blinked at the speech, then smiled warmly. "Am I that transparent?"

Yuffie nodded successfully. "Yeah. I really think you should tell him. Before he just goes away or finds someone else."

The older woman let out a sigh and picked up her glass, sipping idly at it. Yuffie glanced down to the table, then to her own drink.

"Besides, Vincent's way too old for me." Yuffie said and finished her water before standing up and leaving Tifa to smile knowingly at her own unfinished drink.

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All eyes turned to watch as Yuffie approached them, a grin on her face. "Hey, guys. I'm going for a walk. Which one of you young men would like to escort me?" She laughed as Barret and Cid attempted to avoid eye contact. "Red, you lucky dog, you. C'mon, show me around or something," she called to Nanaki.

The red beast let out a heavy sigh and stood on all fours, trotting over to Yuffie's side as the two walked off to explore the canyon.

Once at a safe distance, Nanaki glanced up to Yuffie. "Why didn't you ask Tifa to go with you?"

Yuffie shrugged, hands folding behind her head as she stared up at the sky. "Tifa's going to be busy with her own things, so I figured you were the next best thing."

Nanaki rolled his eye and lowered his head to sniff at the ground. "Ah, yes. To be second choice on your list. It is a joy," he said sarcastically. Yuffie laughed and patted him on the head.

"That is not your scent," Nanaki remarked as she stopped to glance up a canyon wall.

"What are you talking about?" she asked without a care to what he was actually saying.

"Your hand. The scent isn't yours. You smell of Wutai and the ancient dust of Da Chao. The one on your hand isn't yours," he repeated, a little more loudly so she would stop ignoring him.

Yuffie blinked down at him. "You know my scent? That's a little creepy, Red..." she grumbled.

"That's beside the point, Yuffie. What is it that's on your hand?"

The little ninja thought for a few seconds, then stormy hues became wide in remembrance. "The clown! It's her scent!" flashes of the young girl grabbing onto her hand flitted through Yuffie's mind as she hopped around Nanaki excitedly. "We can find her if you can follow the scent!"

"I'm not a dog, Yuffie..." Nanaki muttered before she dashed back to Cosmo Canyon. He let out a heavy sigh and followed in her trail.

--------------------

"Guys! Guys, we can find her!" Yuffie shouted out as she approached the members of AVALANCHE gathered around the fire.

"Who, Yuffie?" Tifa asked as the young ninja stopped to catch her breath. Nanaki came up beside her, nudging her forward with his paw.

"The clown-girl! We can find her! She grabbed my hand, and Red here can follow the scent!" she said between gasps for air.

Cloud slowly stood up, arms crossing over his chest. "Yuffie, even if she is strange, what does she have to do with the Zeb?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

Yuffie stared down at the ground as she thought about it. I know she might have nothing to do with this at all... but I want to find her again, she thought to herself. "Please, Cloud," she pleaded as she looked back up to him.

"Cloud, you can send some of us to look for the girl and the rest of us to find Reeve. We shouldn't need all of AVALANCHE to find him, right?" She smiled up at him and he let out a defeated sigh.

"Fine, fine... My half of the team will look for Reeve, Yuffie's half will find the clown. Cait Sith, you're coming with me since I need you to help find Reeve. Nanaki, Yuffie needs you to help search for the clown. As for everyone else, it's your choice," he ordered.

Tifa smiled over at Yuffie and the young ninja mouthed an 'I owe you' in response.

"You jus' had ta' put someone annoyin' on both sides, didn't ya'?" Barret grumbled as he stood up. "I'll go wit' you, Spike."

"Hah! Good choice. I'd die if I had to travel for too long with a bear like you!" Yuffie stood mockingly, hands pressed to her hips.

Tifa smiled and walked over to Yuffie. "I'll go with you, Yuffie."

The little ninja frowned and shook her head. "No. Go with Cloud. You're ignoring everything I said to you."

Tifa laughed and nodded. "You're right. I am. Alright, then you be careful, okay?" At the ninja's nod, she smiled and walked over to Cloud's side.

"Ugh, god dammit," Cid grumbled, flicking his burnt out cigarette into the fire before standing up. He scratched uncomfortably at the back of his head before looking over to Cloud. "You don't mind if I go back and stay wit' Shera for a bit, do ya'? I mean, people back home are startin' to side with these bastards and Shera couldn't do a damn thing to protect herself if anything happened..." he trailed off.

Tifa smiled and nudged Cloud lightly in the side. The swordsman groaned and waved a hand towards Cid. "Go ahead."

"If worse comes to worse, she is welcome to stay here. My people will protect her," Nanaki spoke up to try and calm Cid. The older man grinned and picked his Venus Gospel out of the ground.

"Well, Red. Looks like it's just gonna be you an' me. Can't you just see the fun we're gonna have?" Yuffie teased, poking the beast lightly on the nose. He snorted and turned away.

"Oh the joy..." he mumbled.

"What about you, Vincent?" Cloud asked, gaze focusing on the dark gunslinger.

The silent man broke from his thoughts and looked between the two groups. "I will accompany Yuffie. There are things I would like to know about this 'clown' as well," he replied, moving to stand beside the ninja.

Yuffie, just as surprised as anyone else, was the first to recover and grinned mischievously at her comrades across from her. "Well, then. Looks like we have our groups." Then, making her best impersonation of Cloud that she could muster, "Let's mosey!"

A few laughed, then AVALANCHE separated throughout Cosmo Canyon to gather needed supplies. Yuffie started to follow Tifa when a hand grabbed her shoulder.

She turned on her heel and found herself having to tilt her head back to look up at Vincent. "What?"

"How is it that her scent still clings to you? You took a shower, did you not?" he questioned her, removing his hand from her shoulder to hide it under his cape.

"Duh, Vinnie. It probably just stuck to my glove or something," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "Now, c'mon. Let's get some Potions an' stuff. You never know when we'll need it," and with that, she left him there to ponder things over.

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"It's still early, so we should head out now. You each bought yourselves some tents, right?" Cloud asked the group as they reassembled by the front gate. Yuffie nodded to him, arms crossed impatiently over her stomach.

"Yeah, we got everything. Now get going!" She urged them on.

Cid mounted Bronco and waved to them before sprinting off towards Rocket Town again. Cloud and Tifa hauled themselves up onto May while Barret threw himself and Cait Sith onto King's back. Vincent helped Yuffie onto Valentine before pulling himself up behind her.

"We all ready?" Cloud shouted over their heads. Tifa winced and he immediately regretted it. "Sorry, Tifa," he quickly apologized. She smiled softly and shook her head.

"Alright then, Let's—"

Barret glared over at him.

"...err... Move out!" he waved a hand out and his half of AVALANCHE rode off towards Costa del Sol.

Only the three of them remained. Yuffie glanced down to Nanaki. "You remember what she smells like?" she asked.

Nanaki nodded and closed his eye, thinking back to it. "It was paint, wood, and... something else..." he frowned as he concentrated on it.

Yuffie shoved her hand in his face, much to Valentine's and Vincent's displeasure. Vincent held her legs tightly to keep her from falling headfirst into the dirt as Nanaki leapt back from her.

"Yuffie, please settle yourself back on the chocobo," Vincent said as he began pulling her back up.

She laughed. "Thought you needed another whiff, Red."

Nanaki let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. "It's hard to pinpoint because your scent is stronger, but it can either be oil or mythril," he concluded.

Yuffie tapped a finger to her chin as she thought about it. "That gives us three destinations," she closed her eyes and flipped her short hair back to give herself a dramatic appearance. "Mythril Mines, Junon, and the Weapon Seller."

When the time calls for it, Vincent thought as the little ninja nudged Valentine with her heel to get him moving, Yuffie will make a good leader.

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"Moira!"

The spotlight fell on the small girl, dressed in blue with black bruises decorating her pale skin. The jester puppet remained in her arms, black streak tainting the white face. "Yes?" she spoke in a broken voice.

"They're coming for you. For all of us."

The small girl looked down at her jester puppet and smiled slightly. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Oh, but you must."

Her dulled blue eyes began to fill with tears, but the smile never faltered. "I want friends."

"They don't want to be your friends. They want to use you."

The bells on the jester began to ring as the small girl trembled with held back sobs. "She would be my friend," she replied to the disembodied voice.

"...are you sure about that?"

Blonde curls shadowed her facial features, yet that timid smile turned spiteful. The jester fell to the cold ground as the spotlight faded away.

A/N: Yes, finished another chapter. I'm actually quite happy with the way this one turned out. I think I should write stories while I'm sick more often. It also helped to lie down, 'cause then I was able to just focus on what to write instead of what was on TV or what I was listening to. I hope you enjoyed the wonderful Yuffentine-ness and the soon-to-be CloTi-ness and Cera... Er... Shid? I don't know how we would put Shera and Cid together in one name. But you will enjoy it! I hope. Please, Review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. Thank you.