Chapter 7: Encounter

"All right, let's rest here for now, guys," Yuffie said, shrugging off her knapsack and falling to her knees as she began to root through it. Nanaki seated himself nearby, and Vincent leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.

"Why'd we stop, Yuffie?" the lion offered first, resting his head on his paws.

Yuffie made a small noise and then pulled out her Conformer with a smile. This caused both of her companions to snap to attention, Vincent putting his hand his holster while Nanaki sat up quickly. "Oh, relax guys!" she said, waving her hand apologetically. "I just wanted to switch weapons," she explained, sorting through her materia as efficiently as ever.

Nanaki narrowed his one eye at the girl suspiciously. "Why, Yuffie? I for one would like to know what you're expecting that's going to require that," he said, giving a nod at the deadly circular blade she was handling.

Yuffie fidgeted nervously, taking longer than necessary to refold the Oritsuru. "Nanaki," she finally said, glancing up at her friend nervously. "We're almost there. We could come across them any minute now," she said softly.

The large cat's muscles bunched under his fur, and his tail froze completely, its flaming tip flaring up slightly. He blew out heavily through his nose, and then lowered his head with a sniff. "I'm ready for them," came his low growl. Then he looked back up at the girl. "But why the Conformer?"

Yuffie smiled slightly as she donned the pack and then strapped the blade to her arm. "'Cause no one messes with my friends," she told him. Then she scrabbled with her toe at the dirt before her. "I didn't know what they did, Red. I dunno, maybe I was too eager about it last time, I'm not sure…" She swallowed as she regarded the cat. "Well, better safe than sorry, right?" she finished nervously, her eyes growing moist.

Nanaki rose and approached her, pressing his nose against the palm of the girl's hand comfortingly. "No matter what happens here, Yuffie, I will always be thankful for what you've done." He purred slightly and allowed her to scratch behind his ears, taking comfort in the presence of his friends even as the seeds of nervousness planted themselves in his stomach.

A growl rumbled across the room, and the two broke apart into battle stances instantly, Vincent silently joining them from behind. The source was revealed as a flame flickered into view before the three, causing Nanaki to take one hesitant step backwards.

"I see the son of Seto is just as weak as his father," a voice snarled contemptuously from the shadows. Nanaki's fangs bared as the large cat stepped into view, the shaggy maroon mane and shock of red fur an intimately familiar sight. "Taking pleasure in the company of these disgusting humans," it growled, yellow eyes focused completely on Nanaki.

The huge lion gave the trio a toothy grin, its glare malicious as it circled them. "I am Borah, son of Nattak. Welcome to the domain of the Gi tribe," he snarled, his sharp fangs bared in a grin that didn't reach his cold, glinting eyes.

Nanaki bristled under the larger creature's provocation. His anger flared, and he stepped forward in challenge. "I am Nanaki, son of the great warrior Seto. Perhaps your memory fails you, but it is not my tribe that was driven from Cosmo Canyon!" he snarled back.

This caused the other cat's lop-sided grin to drop immediately as an ugly grimace came over his face. "Such insolence! I should slay you where you stand, traitor!" came Borah's reply.

"HEY! Excuse me! No one's going to be doing any slaying here today!" Yuffie cut in desperately. This only earned her another growl and a glare from Borah, but it brought Nanaki back to his senses, calming the pounding blood in his ears. He dropped his growl and lowered his head slightly, acknowledging the other lion's dominance in the territory.

"I was told your tribe wanted to meet me. Here I am." Nanaki could accept Borah's authority, but he didn't have to like it, and he made that clear from the disapproving growl under his reply.

Borah snorted, his eyes flashing and his claws extended. "I was curious," he said mildly, "to see if Seto's whelp would answer our challenge. At least you show more courage than your father, to come here and face certain death."

Nanaki's fangs bared once more. "Don't speak of my father!" he roared. His attack was halted by Yuffie, who stepped forward first. Her shuriken was in hand and her face was set in a deep scowl.

"How dare you!" she screeched, letting the weapon fly. Her aim was purposefully skewed, and Borah froze as the deadly circle whistled through the air, sending sparks flying as it struck the ground before his feet. It whirled around the room, bouncing off the walls and passing close to his head each time. When Yuffie did finally catch the Conformer, small tufts of the lion's mane decorated the ground by his paws.

"Human..." he hissed, his eyes narrowing as his muscles coiled to spring.

"You just shut up!" Yuffie yelled back at him. "Take it back, apologize to Nanaki! I know you don't mean it!" she said angrily. "You told me you wanted to see him. You told me your tribe was weakened, that you had no leader anymore! Why are you doing this?"

Nanaki glanced up at Yuffie, but the girl was vivid. There was no trace of deception in her words, and he turned to Borah, indignation rising as he addressed the other. "You are not the Speaker of the tribe!" he shot out accusingly. Borah's wuffle and lack of reply was answer enough, and Nanaki's tail flicked irritably. "Take me to your people before you bite off more than you can swallow, cub." The words were purposefully inflammatory to the older lion, who bristled and growled.

"Our reckoning will come, make no mistake of that, Nanaki." His eyes narrowed to slits and he turned, stalking off. He gave no indication of an invitation, but Nanaki trailed after the other lion, turning only slightly to tilt his head at his human companions.

The two humans stayed back, walking a respectable distance behind their feline friend. It was obvious that he wanted to be left alone. Yuffie leaned over, whispering quietly to the gunman. "There were more of them… and they weren't angry, I swear!"

Vincent bowed his head down and replied to her in a low voice. "They might have been trying to deceive you to lure Nanaki into a trap," he said quietly. "Be on your guard."

Yuffie gave him a nervous nod and let her fingers stray across her weapon. Doubt crossed her features, and she leaned in once more. "I don't think so, Vince. I mean, if they hated Nanaki that much, why not just go back to Cosmo and attack him there? Why move all the way out here?"

Borah turned, his yellow eyes blazing at the small entourage behind him as his ears twitched. "I can hear you, you filthy humans!" he growled. "Do you think we live in this pit of hell by choice?" He turned and continued to pad forward, his tail flaring brightly in the darkness. "The planet belongs to your race now. Your pathetic struggle against the cleansing power of meteor helped ensure that," he spat angrily. "There was no place for us left free of your peoples' taint other than here."

Vincent was the one who spoke up next, feeling a pang in his chest as he remembered the final battle. "You would have sided with Sephiroth?" he asked quietly. "You would have chosen to destroy the planet completely, rather than save what little we have left?" Even I could not stand by the madness that was once my own flesh and blood. "Are you truly so malicious?"

Borah sniffed, a smirk crossing his feline features as he turned his head and regarded the tall gunman. "You aren't like the others. You reek of death and chemicals, human." His tail swayed slightly as he turned forward once more. "You of all people should understand the depths of the depravity of your own race." He gave a loud snort. "You 'heroes' think you have saved the planet? You have only prolonged her suffering. Humans are greedy, they think of nothing but themselves in their quest to rape the planet of her bounty."

"You speak of greed as though our kind are above it," Nanaki cut in coldly. "Was it not the Gi who claimed the fertile valley of the canyon for their own? To drive out those who had settled there before our kind came?" He saw Borah's tail lash angrily in the darkness, and frowned as the creature gave no inclination of acknowledgement. "I know the history of our tribes, Borah. You can't twist the facts to suit your own interpretation," he growled.

"We would have won if Seto had not split the tribe!" the other growled angrily. "How he could side with those disgusting humans…"

"Those disgusting humans are my friends, and you will address them with the respect they are due in my presence!" Nanaki said, coming to a halt as his good eye glowed fiercely. "Or has your tribe forgotten courtesy as well as honour?"

Borah turned, and the two glared at each other tensely for several moments. Finally, the older lion growled lowly and resumed his journey. "It would be unfitting to tear the flesh from your bones before the others had the opportunity to observe your corruption," he answered stonily. The rest of the journey was blanketed by strained silence.

… … …

The entrance to the large cavern that the remains of the Gi tribe were calling their new home was very similar to the cave of Materia Falls they had passed some weeks earlier. Mako and crystal gave off their eerie light in the depths of the earth, coating everything with the strange greenish glow. As they entered, lions scattered all about the cavern gathered around them, their yellow eyes wide and curious as they surrounded the small party.

Nanaki immediately noticed the strange glow emitting from the eyes of his brethren; like Yuffie, they too were slowly being affected by the high concentration of mako their bodies were absorbing from their surroundings. As he looked at some of the older ones, a dreaded realization struck him, causing him to curse having been unable to see it before. He felt grief rising in his breast as he regarded the creatures that were so once like his own proud people, their skin and muscles gaunt against their bony forms and their eyes glowing luminously in the darkness.

The mako exposure in the crater… it really is a poison. It was suddenly easy to see, looking upon its results in the older members of the Gi. The proportions of their bodies had begun to distend, limbs growing longer as their torsos shriveled away. The manes on more than a few of the males were thinning, and the fur on all but the young was clumping, sometimes falling off to reveal the pale flesh below. A few of the poor creatures bore more resemblance to the monsters of the crater than himself. His eye suddenly turned towards his two human companions, pale and silent in the pulsing green light.

Vincent always had a strange appearance from the first time Cloud's group had met him. Of course, Hojo's experimentation on the man occurred almost 30 years prior to their first meeting, and his blood-red eyes and unusually tall frame could have been as equally the result of human genetics as it was from Hojo's tests. But Yuffie had been a normal, sixteen-year-old girl at the start of her journey to the crater. Time had matured her features slightly, but her body remained uncannily youthful despite her increasing age. She was thin to a fault, and deceptively frail-looking. Yuffie herself had often joked that puberty passed her over while lamenting on the lack of feminine curves to her figure. Only her height had increased over the years, and as she stood there, her eyes glowing brightly against her overly pale skin, suddenly he could clearly see how the mako had stunted her aging and misshapen her body. It took a great amount of his self control not to roar at his two human companions to turn around and leave for the crater's surface in that very moment. But the remaining members of the Gi pressed around him, and Nanaki growled under his breath, trying to bury the sense of anxiety he suddenly felt under a mask of control. He forced his attention back on his people, feeling Borah's rueful gaze upon him.

"Look upon my people, Nanaki, son of Seto. Look what your tribe has done to the once proud clan of the Gi!" he snarled, settling himself among his kinsmen.

"The son of Seto is here!" the murmur went up through the crowd. More than a few fangs were bared at the small group in open hostility, while others regarded them with awe and perhaps even joy.

One of the older lionesses pushed forward, her fur ragged and grey and several of her teeth missing. She stood before Nanaki and lowered her head to the ground in a sign of deference. "Have you come to save us, son of Seto? Have you come finally to lead us from this dark place and into the Promised Land?" her voice quavered.

"Old hag!" Borah's voice rose in anger. "This traitor is no savior of ours! We should feast on his bones!" Several yowls of agreement rose behind him.

"You must forgive young Borah," the lioness said wearily, raising her rheumy eyes to meet Nanaki's own. "His father led our tribe to our ill-fated destruction in the battle for Cosmo Canyon," she quavered. "Accept this humble elder's apology for the misplaced pride of our youth." More angry snarls followed her statement, but the discontent was spread equally among those who remained respectfully silent. It was clear that the tribe was painfully divided.

Still, the elder cat's words touched Nanaki's heart, and he lowered his forehead to her deferentially. "Grandma," he said to her carefully. "Please tell me your name."

The elderly lioness looked up, her cloudy eyes still retaining a touch of gold, even in the sickly green light. "I am Bashiya, mate of Nattak, mother to Borah." She bumped her head against Nanaki's own in acceptance of his gesture, and he stared at the old cat in surprise.

"Elder Bashiya," Nanaki echoed respectfully, his good eye regarding her curiously. "Are you the Speaker for the tribe?"

The old female sat back slowly, pain etching her face as she eased herself into a sitting position. "That I am, young Nanaki. Tell your friends to be seated, we will provide for their comfort." Her voice rose slightly, an edge of steel biting beneath the frail quaver as she addressed him as well as the rest of the tribe. "No harm shall come to the humans while they are here." A loud snort was heard from Borah, drawing his mother's attention instantly. "You question my judgement?" she snarled at him. The other cat regarded her sullenly before turning and stalking away. The tension passed, and Nanaki nodded at Vincent and Yuffie, who allowed themselves to be led away.

Turning to Nanaki, she sighed wearily and nodded her head at the rocks by her side. "Seat yourself as well, young cub," she rumbled at him. Feeling oddly self-conscious, Nanaki padded to her side and did as he was told. "Great warrior Nanaki, you follow your father's path more closely than you know," she told him as the other lions around them dispersed through the cavern. "He too allied himself with the humans, and worked to protect and save them. Your mother and he stood against the tribe, and prevailed," she said quietly. "Just as you stood alone against the falling star, and prevailed. Your line is strong."

Nanaki shook his head vigorously. "No, not alone, elder. My companions helped me, just like the humans of the canyon helped my father and mother. My strength is only as great as my friends," he told her.

The old cat regarded him wearily, her tail flicking against the rock in a slow, rhythmic pattern. Finally she let out a hoarse bark, something similar to a dry chuckle. "Truth," she relented. "One that has taken my tribe many years of hardship to learn. One that some still have not realized," she mumbled, before descending into a fit of coughs.

"Elder Bashiya!" Nanaki said worriedly, his ears swiveling forward with concern. After some moments, the coughs subsided, but the older cat looked weary and aged as she laid her head against the rocks.

"I am old, son of Seto, and I am dying," she told him when she had recovered her breath. "There is none to take leadership of the tribe, none but Borah, and he is filled with anger and hatred." She turned her eyes to Nanaki, a plea within them. "You must save them, son of Seto. I fear if you do not lead them from this place, Borah will only finish what his father started so long ago." She let out a heavy sigh. "My people are dying. You have defeated Meteor. You know the world of man. You must lead them from this cursed place and give them hope."

Nanaki shivered as he heard the older lioness's words descend. "I—" he began, and closed his mouth. I don't want to do this. I don't want to lead your people. You murdered my family! Where is my justice? Where is my peace? The anger he felt sapped away as suddenly as it came, as he regarded the weary lioness and the tattered remains of her pride. The creatures in the crater held no resemblance to the stories of the proud warrior Gi that Bugenhagen had relayed. These beings were bent, defeated, only a shadow of their former selves. The yoke of responsibility seemed heavier than ever. He shook his head. "What if your people won't have me?" he said quietly. "Borah is your son. It should be him."

Bashiya growled, but it was empty, without energy or malice. "Under Borah's leadership, we will waste away here, hiding from the world of man in these caverns. He will drive my people to hate, to fight, until we forget the taste of air and the feel of sunlight upon our fur. The youngest of our tribe have never known the gaze of the stars in the heavens above. They know only of the cold of rock and the light of mako." She let another sigh escape, her tail swishing disconsolately against the rock. "I was once as Borah was, filled with hate for the humans and a desire to avenge my mate. I was willing to lead my people to this world and forsake the one above. It was wrong, and now even my son pays the price for my decision." She trained her eyes on Nanaki. "I have seen it in your gaze. You know of what will happen if we remain here. We will become no better than the beasts whose flesh we hunt to feed upon. You must save us, son of Seto. You must!" Her last words were a fierce plea, and her eyes glowed brightly in the darkness, the fire in her spirit rekindling once more briefly as she focused the intensity of her desperation on Nanaki.

Father… I'm sorry, Nanaki thought, his head drooping sadly. Gathering his courage, he looked up and returned Bashiya's gaze. "I'll do as you ask," he told her.

… … …

Yuffie rubbed her hands against her arms nervously as they waited for Nanaki to return. She scooted closer to Vincent almost unconsciously, the stares from the many lions surrounding them unnerving her. The majority of the feline crowd keeping their eyes on the two humans were the younger members of the pride. One of them, a tiny cub that Yuffie swore was the size of one of Godo's old slippers, crept forward bravely, puffing its chest out.

"Rrrwwoor!" it said to her self-importantly, baring its cute fangs. Yuffie stared, and looked incredulously at Vincent for support. He shrugged back at her, as expressionless as ever.

"Rrwowwwwwor!" the creature wailed again, looking upset.

The ninja fidgeted nervously. "Umm… that's a great roar," she said to the cub helpfully. Its ears perked up instantly and it crept forward towards her feet.

"Really?" it said, its golden eyes dancing in the mako light. "'Cause I've been practicing it for a while now. Borah says humans are evil!" The cub shuffled his paws nervously. "You don't look so scary to me," he told Yuffie, glaring up at her with all the courage he could muster.

"Hey!" Yuffie yelled, looking upset. "Humans aren't evil!" The cub dashed back suddenly, her outburst causing his courage to flee almost as fast as his tiny paws. Yuffie suddenly felt like a huge, horrible ogre. "Wait, come back!" she called contritely. "Uh… that was a really scary roar you had. I was scared. Weren't you scared, Vince?" she said, shooting him a demanding glance.

Vincent sighed and shifted slightly. "Petrified."

"See! You even managed to scare Vincent, and he's, like, made of stone! So why don't you come back and show it to us again?" Yuffie said to the small kit encouragingly, who peered at her with wide eyes.

"Rrrwwoor!" the cub yelled, running forward once more, this time followed by a few of his braver, if still tiny, companions. "I'm Kikacha!" the cub mewled tremulously, looking up at Yuffie.

She flashed the tiny thing a huge grin, suddenly overcome by its cuteness. "Kikacha! What an adorable name! I'm Yuffie, and I already told you Vince's name here!" she said, thumbing over her shoulder at her silent companion.

"Hello Yuffie and Vince!" the cub mimicked, making Vincent wince slightly. The nickname was bad enough coming from Yuffie, now it seemed catching. Kikacha turned back towards his companions, the tiny flame on his tail spurting proudly as he held it straight up in the air like a flag. "The humans told me their names!" he called to his friends. "They're scared of me!" He turned around and looked at Yuffie, his brows lowering over his glowing yellow eyes suspiciously. "You are scared of me, right, human?"

The ninja stuck her lower lip out petulantly, and Vincent refrained from commenting that she looked strikingly similar to the little kit before her. "Listen, Kikacha. I promise to be afraid of you if you stop calling me 'human' and use our names instead."

The cub seemed to consider this, and then nodded in agreement. "Okay, Yuffie. Rrwwoor!" he told her.

She screeched dramatically and latched on to Vincent's arm for effect. "Scary!" she cried, widening her eyes comically as Vincent glanced down at his arm. "Yuffie…" he began, but looked up again when her grip tightened fractionally. Then he let out a groan.

Behind Kikacha a large group of cubs had crawled out, each baring their teeth cautiously at the two humans. "I'll protect you from Yuffie and Vince!" Kikacha growled at them, swishing his tail eagerly. And then the cubs swarmed forward, yowling and yelping and nipping at his shoes and pawing at the ends of his cloak.

"I've never seen a human before!"
"Is that his mane?"
"No, stupid, it's Cloh-thing! Bashiya told me humans use it 'cause they don't have fur!"
"But it's long and red like Borah's mane!"
"It's Cloh-thing! I bet you could bite it off and it wouldn't hurt him."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"

He felt a weight latch onto his cloak, and then there was the sound of a large rip. Yuffie stifled a giggle as the cubs exploded into a new argument around the piece of red fabric they had liberated from the already-tattered cloth. "Hey mister, did that hurt?" Kikacha yowled at him.

"More than you could imagine," he replied tonelessly, glaring down at the kits surrounding him. They immediately parted like a wave, but not before dragging their "prize," the ill-fated strip of cloak, along with them for further study. The sound of Yuffie's laughter bubbling out made him turn and raise an irritated eyebrow at her. "I'm glad at least one of us is taking pleasure in my discomfort," he grumbled to her.

"Oh come on, Vince, even you had to admit they were cute!" she giggled, resting her head against his shoulder.

"They were not cute."

She leaned away from him and released his arm, a mild scowl coming across her face. "Vincent Valentine, I know you're not made out of ice. Now come on, you can't seriously tell me you didn't think they were adorable!"

Vincent eyed the perky ninja warily. Finally, he gave in, knowing that she wouldn't be satisfied until he had provided her with some sort of answer. "I do not always find the same things that you do to be appealing," he told her quietly.

"Grouch. What do you find appealing anyway?" she huffed, crossing her arms.

Vincent leaned back, considering her question seriously. "Peace. Solitude. Silence. Things which calm me. Children of any race do not."

Yuffie's face fell with each description, and she looked at her shoes and kicked at the ground before her dejectedly. "Oh… I see," she finally said quietly. Vincent raised an eyebrow and spared her a glance, wondering at her sudden change in mood. She noticed and gave him a wane smile. "I was just thinkin', you know, you were probably right. We'd never work out together. Was a crazy idea anyway," she said, turning her gaze back to the top of her sneakers. "Sometimes you just gotta ignore me, I get lots of crazy ideas all the time down here. Probably all the mako," she said, trying to sound cheerful as usual.

Vincent felt something in his chest tighten as he observed the girl's behaviour, as if he had somehow insulted her. He suddenly felt a need to correct his statement. "I was speaking of the cubs, Yuffie."

She sniffed and shot him an overly bright glance. "Geez, Vince, it's okay, you don't have to try and make me feel better. I'm… I'm a little messed up in the head sometimes, okay? 'Specially when it comes to other people. It's kinda hard for me to get close, and I don't take rejection too well." She laughed loudly, running her hand over rough ends of her short hair nervously. "I guess you figured that out, huh?"

Vincent stared down at her, the words sounding too familiar. What would happen if he stripped away the youthful cheer from Yuffie's words? A mirror, she was telling him. A mirror to his own dark and lonely soul. His claw snaked out and gently grasped her chin, turning her face towards him, forcing her eyes to meet his own.

Yuffie's blush at the cool touch of his fingers died down as she met his eyes. What she saw there wasn't rejection, or, as some part of her had secretly hoped, a wild and reckless admission of passion. No, what she saw made the tears she had been holding back pool in the bottom of her eyes and come spilling out, one after the other, smiles and cheers forgotten as they regarded one another. What she saw was understanding.

Vincent held her chin a moment longer, and then silently pulled Yuffie into his arms. She gripped him tightly as if he might disappear if she let go, and words escaped her for once. "Don't leave me," she managed to choke out messily, her voice muffled against the fabric of his shirt. "I don't care if you can't stand me, just don't leave! I don't wanna be alone anymore!"

He sighed and ran his claw through her hair gently, his hand tracing comforting circles on the small of her back. "I won't leave you, Yuffie," he whispered quietly, resting his chin on her head. "It'll be okay." And for once, he didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable with the nearness of her presence. Vincent Valentine, comforting another human being. I always knew hell was near Icicle Town.

Some time after her sobs had quieted, Yuffie disengaged herself from Vincent's arms, the hints of a blush beginning on her face as modesty, or at least the Kisaragi version of it, found its way back into her sensibilities. "S-sorry, Vince," she hiccuped, her eyes bright and grateful as she smiled weakly at him. She swiped at them with the back of her hands and looked around the cavern. "How do you think Nanaki's doing?" she asked, worry causing the corners of her mouth to turn down. It bothered Vincent to see the normally cheerful ninja robbed of her usual exuberance, even if it was only a shield.

"Please smile." Vincent mentally kicked himself as the words escaped his lips and Yuffie's eyes grew wide. "What?!" she yelled, and he reached almost frantically for an explanation. "I am sure Nanaki is going through a very difficult situation. We… would not want to add to his worries with our own right now." Yuffie was still eyeing him skeptically, a suspicious glint blooming in her eyes.

"By not smiling," she finished for him. Vincent nodded mutely, finding the moment opportune to readjust his cloak from where the cubs had yanked it down from his face. Yuffie smirked at him, a hint of mischief dancing in her eyes. "Sure, Vince. I'll smile, you pull that cloak back up, and everything'll be fine," she joked, causing him to blanch. This made her laugh, and she reached for his human hand and squeezed it lightly. "Better get those emotions back under control or Nanaki really will know something's up," she scolded him gently, her eyes softening.

The sound of soft footfalls made them draw away from each other quickly, but much to Yuffie's disappointment, it was not Nanaki who pulled around the corner. Borah's scowling visage greeted them, and in his mouth he held a bloody chunk of meat. He spat the dripping mass out at their feet, and gave them an evil grin. "Enjoy the hospitality of the Gi, humans. Your meal." His tale swished maliciously as he stalked away.

Vincent looked down at the unidentifiable lump of flesh in disgust, kicking it away with the toe of his boot. "Don't look at it, Yuffie," he told her, still feeling protective of the fragile girl.

"Eww, raw dragon," she moaned, glaring at the spotted lump of flesh annoyedly. "You'd think they could at least cook it first or something! But that reminds me, I'm starved," she said, reaching into her pack and pulling out some dried jerky. Vincent stared at her as she bit into it voraciously, little bits of jerky dribbling down her chin. She caught his incredulous look and balked, swallowing. "Uh, sorry Vince! You want some too?"