Chapter 4:
Yipee! The fourth chapter! This is so cool! If you haven't guessed by now, this is the first thing I've ever posted on the net. So have mercy, I know it's a little late to be asking that, but still...anyways, some abstract thoughts,(That basically means I'm gonna babble on). Reno is probably not going to be a main character in this story, simply because I don't want to mess him up, he's my favorite Final Fantasy char. Also, that poem on the last chapter was definately not my best work, lol. It was typed last minute because the other poem I had was irrelevant to the chapter. Hopefully I will make better poetry in the future. So plz don't judge by that! In other news, I drew a Reno picture! Lol. I got carried away and drew beer bottles in his pant's cuffs. Ahh well...It suits him I guess. Thanx again for reading.
Venusvadore,(who loves spelling thanks with a x)
Yuffie was pulled back into the elevator and back into the same office as before. Though there seemed to be a lot more tension this time. Rayce was slumping in a corner while Hojo was pacing by the window. Elena was once again in her chair, wearing a black business outfit. A few secretaries were also wandering around, occasionally whispering to each other or to Rayce. The guard shut the door, and then quickly regripped Yuffies shoulders. The ninja made a face.
"So Yuffie, refusing to ask my questions?"
Yuffie stared at Elena. "Not refusing. You can't refuse when you don't know the answers." Rayce snorted when Elena turned red with anger. Apparently she was not used to things not going her way. She glared at him also.
"Well, then I will ask you. Answer these with thought...for your own sake," she said, flicking dirt off of her shoulder. Yuffie knew she wasn't going to answer one of them. Elena didn't have that gruesome electracuting machine, so she just really didn't have the motivation. "Where's my hat," Yuffie demanded.
"Of all the things you could be worrying about right now, it's a hat. Let me make this easier for you Elena," Rayce suddenly spoke up, and then he opened up the door to the office. "You're free to go, Miss Kisaragi." The reaction in the room was enormous. One of the secretaries spat out his coffee, while another dropped all of her papers. Hojo suddenly stopped his pacing, and then smiled dryly at Rayce. Elena opened her mouth to speak, but Rayce lifted his hand. "You're free to go," he repeated.
Yuffie rubbed her ears. Had she heard correctly? He did say it twice...She didn't fully believe him until the guard released his grip on her. 'It's a trick,' she told herself, 'One they were going to regret.' She ran out the door as fast as she could, expecting something, anything. But no one stopped her. She ran down the hall, stopping only at the elevator, and then raced out of the building. She stopped at the pay phone, her head pounding and her mouth dry. They hadn't stopped her...why? Yuffie thought that maybe they had caught someone who was willing to talk. But that didn't seem right. They still wouldn't have let her go even if they had. It was definately a confusing matter.
"Why did you do that!" Elena yelled. "I can't believe you let her! You stopped the guards! YOU IDIOT! You incompetent-"
"Now, now, Elena, it's all a part of my plan," Rayce said calmly. He brushed off his coat. A strange smile danced on his face. He knew he could control whatever Elena did. She trusted him, and that would be her downfall. "That girl is sure to go back and warn AVALANCHE of this. What else would they do but come here?" he asked, still thinking about how ignorant Elena was. "Oh yeah! And what if she doesn't?" Elena spat angrily, standing up so quickly that her chair spun. Rayce's smile grew wider. In a mocking voice, he informed her,"Oh don't worry, M'lady. I've made sure that she will."
Yuffie grabbed up the pay phone, her fingers shaking. She dialed Reno's number. When his voice came on the phone, she was very relieved. She had been worried this whole time. She had thought that maybe those people had come after him. She said hello, perhaps a bit too nervously. "Yuffie, where have you been?" Yuffie opened her mouth to tell him, but suddenly looked up and saw a dark figure looking down on her from the roof of the gas station. The figure was not trying to hide, instead it looked more like it was trying to show her it's prescence. She emmidietly clamped her mouth shut, holding the phone so tight that she soon feared she might break it.
"Yuffie, are you OK? Answer me!"
"Reno...I need you to tell my boss that I'm not gonna be coming to work. Get your stuff out of my apartment, but do it about a month from now," she hissed into the phone.
"What's going on?"
"Just do it please. Don't ask any more questions."
"But-"
"Gawd! Just don't! Please! Just do what I say for once. I don't know what's going on. I don't know when I'll be back. Don't come looking for me!" Yuffie slammed the phone down and looked up. The figure was out of sight, but most likely not gone for good. She took a sprint down the sidewalk, darting in and out of alleys just like on the day that she had first saw Rayce. She didn't know where she was going, It was rather just instincts taking her.
Yuffie knew she couldn't go home. She knew that she had to find Cloud. She had to find everyone, for that matter. They may be in danger. But where to start. She concluded that the figure she had saw on the roof was probably following her to find AVALANCHE. 'Whatever I do I gotta do secret,' she thought. She let a real smile crack on her face. At least something was going to come easy. Sneaking around was as simple for her as going to the post office. Yuffie tugged at her white T-shirt. It was cold, sometime around midday. Some gray clouds were rolling in, indicaters of a storm.
She knew that if she wasn't going home, it would be best to find shelter from the possible storm. She shivered. It'd been a long time since she had slept outside, and it had never appealed to her. When she spotted a small shop with a roofed patio up ahead, she was quite relieved. She darted under it, shivering because the rain had just started falling down.
Yuffie felt slightly embarassed, considering she was wet and was wearing a white T-shirt. She rapped her arms tightly around herself, and allowed herself to breath normally again. She wondered if anyone was still following her. She felt too tired to open her eyes. The ninja settled down on a bench that was sitting right next to the entrance of the store. Pulling her knees to her chest, she tried to stay as warm as she could. No one really noticed her, everyone was too busy trying to escape the torrent of rain.
It wasn't long before someone was nudging her awake. Yuffie slowly opened her eyes to find a rather elderly lady standing over her. Her hair was slightly gray, and her eyes were old and kind. When Yuffie finally sat up, the woman smiled. "Now dearest, it's a bit too cold and wet to be outside don't you think? My house is in this store, would you like to stay, at least until the rain has passed?"
Yuffie suddenly jumped up and looked around. The old woman took a few steps back, a worried expression on her face. When Yuffie didn't see anyone, she was relieved and felt it would be okay to accept the woman's kind offer. She nodded to the elderly lady, who emmediently took her arm and pulled her inside. Normally Yuffie would have been discusted and slightly offended of this, but she remembered she was getting a kind favor, and kept her mouth shut.
"In the bathroom there are some clothes that I usually save for people who get caught in the rain. I think you'll find something that will fit you. Just put your wet clothes on the floor, and I'll wash and dry them later."
Yuffie muttered a thank you, and then walked slowly in the bathroom. When inside, she locked the door and stared at the floor for a long time. It was almost surreal, how she had escaped that building. She worried about Reno, and knew that she would have to somehow contact him. In the bathroom there was a huge pile of clothes in the corner. Yuffie wasn't much for charity, but in the mirror she noticed how transparent her white shirt had become, and gave in by putting on some black capris with a red tank.
When doing this, she was rudely reminded of the wound on her head as the shirt brushed it. A seering pain made her sight fade to red for a moment, and she stumbled around, cluthing the doorhandle. When the sensation had passed, Yuffie was more than a bit worried. It hadn't seemed that urgent that she get the cut treated before now.
She washed her hands, and then ripped the botttom of her old shirt, wrapping it around her head. It was painful at first, but it kept her head from pounding. She then hurridly slipped her flip-flops back on. Yuffie wished she had packed some better shoes. It was going to be hard getting around a wet Midgar in the ones she was wearing.
Suddenly, a dark feeling of foreboding passed over the ninja. Everything seemed to grow quiet, save for the soft dripping of the sink, which she promptly turned off. Grasping the door handle, she turned it slowly and silently. Yuffie peeked around the doorframe, nothing seemed to be wrong, but the feeling was still there, and by now she knew not to ignore her feelings.
She stepped out into the hallway, softly closing the door behind her. The floor creaked. She hadn't noticed it before, but in this silence it seemed to echo out like a siren. Her heart thumped faster as she entered the kitchen. She gasped at what her eyes met on the floor.
The old woman was sprawled out, her hands outreached on the floor. Her face was covered in the crimson liquid that her body was resting in. Several wounds pocked her back. A knife apparantly. Her eyes lay open and empty, and her mouth was also open, only it was in a way that showed her shock and terror. Yuffie clutched the kitchen cabinet. She knew this was her fault. She knew this was a warning that those men were still after her, and they weren't going to leave any time soon.
She felt like her soft little quiet world had now vanished. The world that she had lived for a year, had gone down the drain with this woman she didn't even know, an innocent bystander, being killed. She glared at nothing in particular. It was like being in the past again, having to fight fiend after fiend, monster after monster. Only these people weren't monsters, they were demons. They could kill silently, swiftly, and do it without remorse to people they didn't even know. It was at that moment Yuffie knew, she had to warn the others, and she had to make sure those men didn't follow her.
Yuffie shivered as the wind and rain battered her poor bare arms. She couldn't get the image of that old woman out of her head. She truely didn't know where she was going, she just wanted to get away from that house so she could breathe again. Indeed, Yuffie's breath had seemed to be caught in her chest since she stumbled upon that scene. She had left almost immediatly, leaving no trace that she had ever even been there. It was better that way. Midgar's police still weren't really up on there feet, but they could figure a few obvious things out.
Everytime Yuffie passed someone in the street, she dodged into some dark corner or in any uninhapibited place. She felt that every person she walked past was in danger of being gunned down or stabbed. It was a horrid thought, one that couldn't escape her mind even though she knew it was insane to think that they would kill anyone in public. For the longest time she wandered aimlessly around, until night fell at it's darkest and the streets were silent save for her own footfalls and the occasional sound of someone taking the trash out.
When Yuffie made it to the train station, she knew none of them would be running at this hour. Still, it was nice to get out of the rain that had softly started drizzling again. She sat down on another bench beneath a small outrcropping roof. Pulling her knees to her chest, she felt utterly exhausted but couldn't bring herself to sleep. She wanted desperatly to go back to her apartment, to crawl into her bed and just try and forget about everything. It was a selfish wish, she knew, but it was there all the same.
When the noises of the early train woke her, she jumped up with a start. The sun blinded her for a moment, and she had to rub her eyes desperatly to get rid of the glare. Some people were looking at her like she was a madwoman, but Yuffie ignored them and walked straight over to the ticket booth. When the pass was bought, she hopped on the train and grabbed one of the bars. She didn't feel like sitting down, she was too stiff from her wonderful "new" bed. The train was headed for Sector 7. It was there that Yuffie would start her search. She hoped someone would still be in Midgar, someone who knew the wearabouts of her lost friends.
Friends. That word almost sounded foriegn. She hadn't intended to become friends with those people, but she had nevertheless. It was hard not to become attached to "Always joking Cloud," and,"Constantly cursing Cid." She had even grown curious of Vincent and Red, despite her instincts to stay out of things.
Her thoughts were inturrupted quite sudenly when her stomach growled. It wasn't a quiet one either, it was one of those noises that make you feel like everyone turns around and looks at you. Yuffie smiled sheepishly and bent slightly to try and make the noises pass more silently. She felt the hunger hit now. One thing Yuffie couldn't go without was food. She rubbed her foot on the ground, trying not to think about it. Of course, it didn't work. The train pulled to a stop.
Sector 7 had changed drastically. It was one of the places in Midgar that had got a full makeover. Stores lined the streets, along with office buildings and apartments. A few homeless people still wandered however, hopeful for a few gil to help them last a bit longer. Yuffie jogged down the sidewalk until she came to a small bar. She slipped inside and walked up to the counter. The bartender didn't notice her at first, but soon turned around. She gave him her order, this bar sold breakfast in the mornings, and then he sauntered off, occasionally looking over his shoulder at her.
Yuffie tapped her finger on the bartop, and glanced around the table. She hoped to see someone she knew, anyone, but this was a whole different place, far way from her sector. The bartender came back with her food, and sat it down in front of her. She began to eat it greedily. He stared at her. Yuffie looked up at him, wondering what his problem was. When he stayed there, she asked him what his problem was. He shook his head.
"Is your name Yuffie Kisaragi?" he asked.
Yuffie looked around the room again. "Yes," she said uncertainly.
"Someone was in here earlier looking for you. Told me to look out for you. He seemed kinda worried. Are you alright, miss?"
Yuffie figured it was probably Reno, and then relaxed. She decided to ask anyways, just to be sure. "Who was looking for me?"
"Reno, he's an old friend of mine. I'm sure you know him if he was looking for you," the bartender said, pulling out a cloth and wiping the table. Yuffie nodded. "What should I tell him if he comes back?"
This was hard. Yuffie wanted Reno to know she was okay, but she didn't want him to get mixed up in all of this. "Just tell him I...Just tell him you never saw me. Please, it's really important that you lie," Yuffie pleaded. The bartender set his elbows down and leaned in close to her. "I'll hold out for you," he said kindly,"I hope whatever's wrong will get better for you Miss Kisaragi."
As soon as those words had slipped from the bartenders mouth, Yuffie froze in fear, and looked up at him. The bartender had a strange smile as he began to clean the tables again. Yuffie jumped out of her seat and ran out the door. She knew that man was Rayce. As she sprinted down the street, she began to think about how many times she had ran in the last few days. It made her angry, before this she would have never backed out of a fight. "Next time I'll be ready," Yuffie muttered aloud, turning down the street. Right up ahead was the notorious Midgar "Weapons Store."
She walked inside, the small bell ringing on the door. At the counter was a man in his forties. He was tracing his beard with his fingetips. Yuffie walked up to him. "Well hello there miss, what can I do for you?" Yuffie pointed at a a long bladed weapon hanging on the wall behind him. The man smiled, pulling it down for her. "You like ninja stuff eh?" He sat it on the counter for her. Yuffie picked it up and balanced it on her shoulder. The quality was poor, it didn't even sit right, but she really needed a weapon. "That's awful big for you," the shopkeeper said, mistaking her dissapointed look for strain. "Maybe these will be better?" He handed her two knives, each about a foot long.
Yuffie put the other weapon down and took the knives in her hands. They were of much better quality, she could tell even though she had never fooled around with knives much. "Note the materia slots. You just don't see that anymore," he said, pointind at them.
"I'm not a collector," she said,"I'm a fighter. I'm here to buy something for real." The old man looked at her, and then began to laugh.
"A little girl like you, hahahaha! Oh my, well, as long as you're willing to buy, I'm willing to sell. and even though I don't believe you about the fighting stuff, you do seem to know your weapons. Take these knives then," he scoffed, handing her knives identical to the last pair. Yuffie put the others down, and picked up the real ones. There were a few obvious differences. The blade was much sharper on these, and the knives themselves were heavier. They weren't built for beauty, they didn't have fake materia slots like the others. Yuffie flipped them up, and twirled them on her fingers a bit.
"I think I'll take them," she said, digging in her pocket for gil. The man clapped his hands and began to type stuff in the cash register. "Oh, and add that backpack over there, will you?" Yuffie comanded, gesturing to a small knapsack. The Shopkeeper nodded, and took the knives, wrapping them in paper. He reached over and got the pack off the shelf.
"I assume you want these in here," he said, stuffing the knives in the pack.
"Yes."
"Well, here you go then little ninja." He handed the bag to her. Yuffie wondered if she should beat his face in for that comment, but instead she silently took the bag and slipped it over her back.
As she walked out of the store and down the street, she truly realized how big Midgar really was. That even made her realize how big the world was, and how it was going to be almost impossible to find the members of AVALANCHE. But the image of the old lady sprawled upon the floor flashed in her mind again, and she carried on, ignoring the water that was seeping into her tabi socks. This time she wasn't going to run. This time she had a weapon on her side. And as she walked down the street, and saw another shop up ahead, she felt she had found a lead to where one of the members of AVALANCHE was now.