Howdy y'all! So you guys anxious for this chapter? Get to finally see what Wutai is like! Isn't that great! I think it is. It's one of the parts of the story I been dieing to get to. It's midnight right now so I'm writing this kind of late. Hopefully I'll finish this by early morning because I want to update the fic today or tomorrow. So how will Yuffie react to finally seeing her home once again? What pain will it cause her, what secrets will be unlocked? Read on and find out!

Disclaimer- Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! (Continues to pound head against the wall.)

Malice- (Walks into the room seeing the blood all over the wall that Z.A.G. is beating his head on.) What's wrong with you?

(Glances over to Malice, blood running down his face.) She.. got away again.

Malice- (Laughs and looks over to the barred windows, one of the bars have been broken off) And how did she do this?

(Gives an embarrassed look) Well... she kind of tricked me..

Malice- (Raises eyebrow and glances over to the chain on the ground) And how did she do this?

(Face turns bright red) She... uh... heh heh. (Scratches the back of his head)

Malice-Teens and their hormones. You'll never take over Squaresoft (Shakes head and walks out)

(Chases after Malice) She tricked me! I swear she tricked me!

Chapter 52- This Is My Home

Wutai, one of the most beautiful towns in the world. Known for it's mountains, ocean, religion, and ancient beliefs. One of the few towns that believed in a higher power above mankind. The soft breeze of the cliffs is said to be able to calm one's soul. The fragrance of flowers would fill the air all across the town, making any tourist relaxed. The town is said to be protected by a water god, Leviathan. The buildings and homes of Wutai were built to keep the look of the old days when the town was first created. A town considered once to be a symbol of the planet's beauty.

Now, the town is nothing more the rubble. The buildings that were the towns beautiful attractions, lay in piles of ash and debris. The soothing calm breeze that once blew throughout the town, has become a roaring cry of sorrow. The river, that ran throughout the town, is nothing more then a dried up path. In the most northern part of town, where the tower of the four gods is, stands a beaten down building, half of the tower is in shambles. The trees are burned to the ground and the grass is dead, leaving nothing but blood stained dirt in its wake.

Yuffie takes it all in. She knew seeing her home would be one of the most painful experiences she'd have to go through. She hasn't moved from the entrance of the town since she's laid eyes on the scene in front of her. The rest of the group stands behind her, silently waiting for their friend to move forward. Her eyes scan the town, barely recognizing the ruins as her home.

Her house, the building on the northeast side of town, seemed to fair better then the rest of the town. The only thing that seems wrong with it is the that part of the roof has caved in. Perhaps if she's lucky the inside of it is still in tact. The rest of the town however, is almost unbearable to look at. She had tried for so long to get her home to its former glory, only to have it completely destroyed in the coarse of one night. The air is heavy with the smell of death. Everything about the town seems dead to Yuffie. The trees, the grass, the flowers, rivers, the town it's self has been turned into a ghost town.

Yuffie realized right then and there, that Wutai shall never be the same. It will never have the same culture, or costume ways as it once had. Everyone who is Wutainease has been wiped out. All but one, Yuffie Kisasagi, the princess of Wutai who was suppose to take over as ruler of the town one day. With no town left, that day shall never come. Yuffie does not cry though, no, she must remain strong not only for herself, but for her friends and family who are no longer with her. Her tears can be shed later, once everything has been sorted out.

Yuffie lifts her head up, showing pride for the place she calls her home, despite how it may look now. Keeping her chin up she begins walking to her house, taking slow confident steps. No, she will not break down, she'll remain strong like a true Wutainease warrior. She is Yuffie Kisasagi, The Greatest Female Ninja on the planet, and nothing, nothing shall bend her will or tear her soul. She will remain strong and prideful for her lost people and for herself.

The group follow Yuffie as she heads towards her house. Everyone remains silent, not wanting to disturb the ninja in anyway. They follow her as she walks into her house. Inside, the house is a bit messed up since the roof caved in. Moving a part of the roof away from the stairs, Yuffie heads down to the bottom floor of her house to see its condition. The bottom to say the least is alright. It seems like nothing happened down there, everything is intact and in place as Yuffie remembers it.

Yuffie turns around to face the group, "We can stay here instead of setting up some tents." She offers.

Cloud steps forward nodding his head, "Thanks Yuffie, It would be better then sleeping on the ground."

Yuffie's face remains expressionless as she heads back up the stairs and out of her house. This time however, the group doesn't follow her, they remain where they are. Tifa frowns a bit, "Do you think she'll be alright?" She asks.

Red XIII sits down, "She seems to be fairing well. She's taking this better then I would have ever thought."

Vincent leans his back against the wall and crosses his arms. His gaze directs itself to their returned leader, "What is it, you hope to find here?" Vincent asks.

Cloud crosses his arms and lowers his head in thought, "I really didn't come here to find anything."

"Then why are we wasting our time here?" Sephiroth asks, his voice cold as ever.

Cloud lifts his gaze to Sephiroth's and glares at him, "I felt that Yuffie should see her home. I know what it's like to have my hometown taking away from me." Sephiroth just turns away and walks up the stairs. Cloud turns to the rest of the group, "I know this is something she needs and wants. She may not have believed Wutai turned out like this but she needed to finally know. For her own good."

"You're right." Tifa agrees, "I remember when Nibelheim was burned down, I had been driving myself crazy thinking about it back it Midgar. I kept having a bunch of 'what ifs' in my head. I wanted to see it so badly and although it was rebuilt exactly as it is, I know it will never be the same. The people who lived there will never be there. The memories of that night will always remind me that it's not the same. One of the reasons I didn't go back there after the Meteor incident."

Cloud nods in agreement while giving a small smile, "Yes, the memory of our hometown is all I need. I don't need to live in a cover up version of it."

Red XIII nods his head, "All though the words you speak may ring true. I am happy where I live. Cosmos Canyon shall forever be my home." Red XIII says, pride for his village clear in his voice.

Vincent's gaze remains fixed on the floor as he remains lost in thought, "I have come to call the mansion as my home." The group looks to Vincent surprised, he never really joins into a discussion unless he is asked a question or a comment is directed towards him. Vincent glances up to the group, "Even though all my pain and suffering has come from that place, It shall always be my home. I have many memories there, and I do not wish to leave them behind. I believe Yuffie may be the same way. After this is all over, she'll come back to her home and try to rebuild it to what it once was."

Rima remains silent through the discussion. A frown crosses her lips, 'I don't have a hometown as far as I know. And if I do then it most likely no longer exists.'

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Sephiroth crosses his arms as he leans his back against the side of Yuffie's house. A scowl is across his face as he glares out in the distance. What Cloud said stung him. He didn't feel guilty about the town he burned down was Cloud's hometown. No, that's not what bothers him. What Cloud and the others fail to realize is that Nibelheim is also Sephiroth's hometown. That's right, he was born in Nibelheim.

'Perhaps the better term is created.' Sephiroth thinks to himself disgustedly. Having to accept the fact that he part of that vile creature is something he can barely stomach at times. So there's the truth, when he burned down Nibelheim, not only did he burn down Cloud's hometown, he in fact, burned down his own in the process. Of coarse it was rebuilt to cover up what he did so long ago.

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'I guess It isn't surprising.' Yuffie thinks to herself with a frown. She looks up to what's left of the tower of the four mighty gods. This is where her final training to become a ninja happened. She had to fight all of them, one on one. Gorky, Shake, Chekov, Staniv, and finally her father, Godo. They were the ones that made her what she is today. That day, she officially became a ninja, AVALANCHE was there watching her battles, cheering her on. She defeated her father and was taught the All Creation technique, and was giving the summon Leviathan, one of her most precious items. Leviathan has been with her since then, never leaving her side. No one but her is allowed to summon the mystical water beast except her.

Yuffie pulls out the Leviathan materia out of one of the Conformer slots. She stars down into the red orb. Deep within the orb the creature sleeps, waiting for a day that it will be called upon once again. The red orb flashes briefly in Yuffie's hands, causing her a small smile. Out of all the summons, Leviathan, in Yuffie's eyes, is the best. Not Buhamut Zero, or The Knights Of Round. Leviathan is the symbol of Wutai, it's power and ancient wisdom held within the orb comes from Wutai. It's a part of Wutai that can never be taken away.

When Yuffie first called upon the beast in battle, she was amazed by its power. The giant sea serpent can blow enemies away with a massive tsunami. Leviathan truly is the water god. It controls all water, the rivers, lakes, oceans, it's said that Leviathan is the one who is responsible for choosing when and where it rains on the planet. Leviathan will forever be with Yuffie as long as she lives. She will always be under the serpent's divine protection.

Yuffie returns the summon back to its rightful place in her Conformer. Giving one last look at the tower she turns on her heel and walks away. There's something she's been wanting to do for sometime now. One thing she has truly missed is feeling the soothing breeze of the cliffs caress her cheeks, and listen to the calm song of the wind.

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"It's getting late." Red XIII points out, "Yuffie still hasn't returned."

"She's probably taking her time to see everything again." Tifa says.

Cloud frowns a bit before getting up off the floor, "It's getting dark. I'll go look for her. It's dangerous to be out at night nowadays." Cloud walks out of Yuffie house to go search for her.

Tifa turns her gaze towards Red XIII, giving him a knowing look. Red XIII gives a beastly grin. The two didn't have to voice their thoughts for they knew what each was thinking, that instant. If it was a year ago, Tifa admits she would feel hurt but things change as do people.

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Yuffie closes her eyes enjoying the feel of the breeze against her skin. On top of the cliffs Yuffie can see the entire town during the day, at night she can see the stars for miles on end with out the trees above her to get in the way. A small smile plays across her lips as Yuffie remembers the first time she climbed to this spot. It was with her mother, her mother brought her up here. It happened to be the same day her mother taught her a few important things. Yuffie frowns, one or two of the things Yuffie wishes she hadn't learned. One of them however, Yuffie cherishes as much as her Leviathan materia.

She has one thing from each of her parents that she'll keep forever. Leviathan was giving to her by her father. It has helped and protected her in many battles in the past, it's still protecting her today. Her mother has also given her something, not some materia or object to show her affection. Nothing of that sort, what her mother has given Yuffie is her soul. Not literally, but in a song, her mother taught it to her and told Yuffie that, even if she may be gone one day, she will always be with her. She put her soul into teaching Yuffie the song as her grandmother has done before her, so in a way, she'll always be with Yuffie, all she has to do is think of her.

Soon after that fateful day, Yuffie's mother died in the war against Shin-Ra. Her mother died in battle like a true warrior. Yuffie always hold pride for who her mother was. Her mother was a true warrior and no one can tell her otherwise. Yuffie's gaze goes to the skies above. Her hands fold behind her back as she hums the song her mother taught her, the song that soothes her heart whenever she's upset.

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'Well this is the only place that's left.' Cloud thinks to himself as he climbs the cliffs. He searched the entire town already and hadn't seen a trace of Yuffie. That left only two places, she's either already back at her house, or the cliffs. Cloud figured he'd check the cliffs before he returns back to Yuffie's house.

Cloud shakes his head tiredly, he never was much of a climber. The last time he climbed these cliffs he almost fell off on the way down. The Dao-Chuo cliffs have so many different paths to takes, they all lead to dead ends. It'll take some time to search all the paths, not to mention that it's harder to hike up these trails in the middle of the night.

Cloud stops and hangs his head as he sighs. At least in Wutai it's rarely cold out. Cloud blinks a bit in confusion as he hears something faintly, it sounds like someone signing. 'Maybe it's Yuffie' Cloud thinks to himself as he moves in the direction of the signing. He can't help but get lost in it. It has such a haunting melody to it, he's never heard something quite like it. Then again, Cloud doesn't listen to much music either so that's not saying much. Cloud glances up to the top of the cliffs. He can see the silhouette of someone's head. Cloud walks up to the silhouette, realizing that it is indeed Yuffie. As he gets higher up, he sees more of her.

Cloud grins a bit, 'Who knew she could sign?' Cloud figured that she'd be tone deaf. He's heard her sign before, the annoying bottles of beer on the wall song. Cloud chuckles at the memory, she had annoyed the hell out of everyone in the group with that song. He snaps a stick under his foot as he reaches the top.

Yuffie jumps about two feet in the air in surprise as she turns around and sees Cloud, "GAWD Cloud! You almost gave me a heart attack!" She shouts at the blonde swordsman. Cloud continues to give her a weird look. Yuffie tilts her head to the side, "Hello? Earth to Cloud?"

Cloud blinks out of his daze, "Sorry Yuffie." He scratches the back of his head, 'I could of sworn that the ground underneath her feet was glowing.' Cloud gives a short laugh, "Um.. we were getting a bit worried about you so I went out to look."

Yuffie slowly nods her head then turns back around to gaze up at the stars, "You know what?" She suddenly asks. Cloud remains silent as he walks up to stand at her side. "As much as I feel I'm going to, I can't seem to cry." Cloud turns his head to look at her. Yuffie takes a small breath, "I think it's because I have everything I need from Wutai right now. I learned all I could while living here, my ninja skill are unmatched, and I have my friends."

Yuffie looks towards Cloud and gives a smile, "But don't go thinking I'm going to forget about Wutai. When we finish kicking Vain's ass I'm going to come back here and rebuild Wutai. I'll make it even greater then it was! Nyuk! Nyuk! Nyuk!" Yuffie throws her head back and laughes the best she can.

Cloud sees through her act and frowns a bit. Taking a step closer to her he wraps his arms around her small frame. Yuffie buries her face in his chest as she wraps her arms around Cloud's midsection. She'll remain strong like a true Wutainease warrior. She is Yuffie Kisasagi, The Greatest Female Ninja on the planet, and nothing, nothing shall bend her will or tear her soul. She will remain strong and prideful for her lost people and for herself. She laughs in the face of danger, and defeats her enemies with the skills she learned while living in Wutai. She won't allow herself cry for her loss of her home, her friends, and her family. Tears run down her cheeks as she cries, one can only stay strong for so long.

When Cloud is sure Yuffie was finished crying out her sorrow he leans back to look down at her. He gives her a small reassuring smile, "You ok now?" Cloud asks.

Yuffie steps back a bit sniffling as she rubs her eyes. She nods her head a bit, not trusting her voice to work at the moment. "Ready to head back?" Cloud asks. Yuffie nods her head again, keeping her head hanging low. Cloud wraps an arm around her shoulders for comfort, "Come on, lets head back." Cloud says turning around towards the path. Cloud stops as his brows lower in question, "Who are you?" He asks curiously.

Yuffie slowly lifts her gaze up to see who Cloud is talking too. Her eyes widen in fear as she jumps back, "Oh GAWD! How the hell did you get here!?" She asks.

Cloud's eyes are moved from the silent man to Yuffie, "You know him?" He asks curiously.

Yuffie nods her head, "His name is Malice, he doesn't speak at all. He's been attacking us for a while now." She quickly explains.

Cloud's eyes narrow as he unsheathes the Ultimate Weapon, "Well then." He stands in front of Yuffie to protect her, "I guess I'll just have to get rid of him for you."

Yuffie grabs the back of Cloud's shirt to stop him from moving forward, "Cloud you don't know what you're getting into. This guy isn't normal! I sliced his arm off and he simply put it right back on. He can't be killed!"

Cloud isn't listening though, his gaze remains locked on the man in front of him. The man hasn't giving an sign of hostility, he's just standing there, arms at his side. "Yuffie... does he have a weapon?" He asks so he knows what to be prepared for.

"I don't know.. All he's down is fight with his bare hands. He has these things he throws that shocks his opponents. He's unbelievably fast. Cloud we should just run." Yuffie suggests.

Cloud smirks and looks over his shoulder to Yuffie, "You said he's unbelievably fast remember? So in other words he'd just catch us." Cloud has already made a mistake in a fight. Never, under any circumstances whatsoever do you take your eyes off your opponent. When Cloud turns his head back Malice is already standing only a foot in front of him. Cloud jumps draws his head back in surprise before a fist crashes into his face.

"Cloud!" Yuffie runs over and kneels down to the fallen swordsman.

Cloud brushes his cheek with the back of his wrist before standing up in a defensive position, "Yuffie stay out of this. He's mine" Cloud announces.

Yuffie's eyes widen in fear, "No Cloud! You can't fight him alone!" She says.

A small grin plays across Cloud's lips, "He seems like the perfect person to test my new abilities. If I get into too much trouble with this guy then you can jump in." Yuffie bites her bottom lip nervously and nods her head. Cloud's eyes narrow as he glares at his opponent, "You here that? Your fight is with me, not her."

Malice doesn't reply, he just waits for Cloud to begin. Cloud charges at Malice, his Ultimate Weapon held tightly in his hands. Malice doesn't move from his spot as Cloud swings his massive sword at him. In the last instant, Malice pulls something from his side and blocks the attack. Cloud jumps back as Malice swings the object at him. Cloud's eyes travel to the object in Malice's hands. 'A nightstick?' Cloud thinks in disbelief, 'Who fights with a nightstick?' Cloud thinks amusingly. The only other person he's fought that uses a nightstick as a weapon is Reno of the Turks, but Reno's is modified so he can electrocute his opponents.

Seeing that Malice's weapon is hardly a threat to him, Cloud charges again and starts to slash at Malice with the Ultimate Weapon. Malice blocks each of the attacks with the seemingly harmless nightstick. Cloud brings his sword straight down towards Malice's head. Malice brings the nightstick up and blocks the attack, with his free hand he swing a punch at Cloud's face again. Cloud is thrown back by the force of the punch and lands on the ground.

"Are you alright?" Yuffie asks immediately.

Cloud stands back up, spitting the blood out of his mouth from the tooth that broke. Cloud lets out a deep breath, calming himself down, "I guess I'll see if what Sephiroth said is true." He replies.

"What do you mean?" Yuffie asks confused.

A smirk plays across Cloud's lips, "This!" Cloud says before his body begins to tremble. Orange bolts of electricity dances across his body. Malice stands back and observes his opponent. A loud ripping sound is heard as blood splatters from Cloud's back. "Holy shit that hurt!" Cloud yells.

Yuffie's eyes widen in shock, she takes a few steps back only to trip and fall. Her mouth opens and closes as she tries to speak. Yuffie finds herself speechless as she stares at Cloud. Cloud turns to look at Yuffie and gives her an amused smile, "You like it?" He asks as he flaps the black wing that's sprouted from his right shoulder blade a few times.

MWAHAHAHAHA! And that's it everyone! What do you think? Surprised? You like? If you ever played Kingdom Hearts you know where I got that idea from heh heh heh. I think Cloud looks cool like a one-winged angel. I couldn't help myself from giving it to him. In the next chapter the battle continues on. Will Cloud kick the seemingly invincible Malice's ass? The battle shall go on and what's this? Malice says something for the first time?

Malice- That's not true. I said plenty of things.

(Hit's Malice over the head with a bat) I meant in the story dumbass! Well everyone, the next chapter will take some time because I'm working this weekend. Anyways, Review y'all! TTNC!