Thanks for the reviews. I never knew how much they actually meant before I started this story. Thank you all. OH! One more thing, this chapter is about the Gold Saucer incidents, but I am not going to have Yuffie or Red XIII get taken down to the prison. So things will be slightly different. Besides, Dyne's story makes me sad.
Disclaimer: You guessed it I own NOTHING.
Chapter 10: Fun in the sky.
A somber cloud lay heavy upon the adventurers. Not a word had been spoken for nearly the entire tram ride. Yuffie stared aimlessly out the tram window clouds obscuring all sight. 'Poor Barret.' Yuffie thought, 'To lose everything like that, especially after pushing so hard for it.'
Yuffie truly felt for him, her thoughts wandered back to Wutai, how it had been partially destroyed leaving only shades of honor amongst a tourist trap. Yuffie sighed as she continued to stare at the clouds. Slowly small twinkles of light began piercing the clouds.
Suddenly the tram burst from the cloud line. Everyone in the tram pressed against the windows at the sight before him or her. Towering into the sky, lights shining brightly, stood the majestic Gold Saucer. A single spire rose to dazzling height from the desert, threatening to pierce the heavens. Along its length sprouted branches brilliantly lit.
A track circled the structure, as the tram passed it chocobo racers sprinted by. Yuffie excitedly hopped from window to window trying to see everything. "Look at that! How cool! Wow!" Yuffie sped on. The tram slowed as it entered a dark tunnel, it emerged to a wave of rising balloons. The party exited the tram, music blaring at them, wild colors surrounding them, and a fat chocobo greeted them, "Welcome to the Gold Saucer!"
The group slowly approached the gates looking about in awe, chattering excitedly among themselves, "Its so amazing. Very interesting. Its beautiful."
"Lets go in." Cloud moved toward the ticket booth, "Six tickets please."
"That will be 18,000 gil sir!" The cashier replied in an annoyingly happy voice.
"That much! For just day passes!" Cloud was astonished.
"Yes sir. 3000 gil for a single day pass or 30,000 gil for a single lifetime pass." Again the cashiers voice way too happy.
"Just a minute." Cloud lead the group away. "We can't afford that." The party began arguing about selling what in order to get in.
Yuffie merrily skipped up to the ticket window, "Six lifetime passes please." She giggled.
"That's 180,000 gil ma'am. Are you sure?" The clerk unsure about the child before her.
"Absolutely." Yuffie gave the clerk Reno's money card, "Just put it all on the card." Yuffie laughed to herself, 'Sure glad I went into that bar!' Another wave of laughter at the thought of Reno's very pained face.
"Alright ma'am." The clerk took the card and disappeared into the back. Shortly she reemerged, "Your credit cleared, here are your six lifetime passes, and be sure to ask for anything you need during your stay."
"Thank you." Yuffie gave a toss of her head and returned to the group. "Hey guys, guess what I got!"
"Leave us alone, brat, we don need yer #$ opinion!" Barret lashed out.
"Barret!" Tifa scowled, "Enough. But Yuffie he's right, we need to figure out how to get inside."
"How about using lifetime passes!" Yuffie waved the passes in front of her, giving her most sly smile.
"How'd you get those?" Cloud asked baffled, "You didn't steal them did you?"
"Nope, I paid for em, fair and square!" Yuffie gave Cloud a shocked look, "Don't you trust me?"
"Well are you going to hand them over?" Cloud reached for the passes.
"Wait a minute!" Yuffie put them behind her back, "First you call me a brat, and then falsely accuse me of stealing. Why should I give you the passes?"
Cloud stared at her incredulously, "Fine. I'm sorry. Now can we have the passes?"
Yuffie pretended to give it a lot of thought, "Well I don't know. You were really rude to me, and Barret didn't apologize."
A quick elbow from Tifa made Barret give up, "I'm sorry. Now can we have the passes?"
Once again Yuffie pretended to be in deep thought, "Weelll, ok." She held out the tickets, but pulled them away again when Cloud reached for them. "But you owe me big, and I mean BIG."
"Fine, we owe you big, oh great ninja." Cloud said sarcastically.
"Ok, here ya go." She tossed five of the tickets at them and dashed into the park. As she jumped into the event square she thought she heard more arguing, 'Relax guys. Its not like we're gonna miss anything by spending one night here, jeez!' Yuffie enjoyed the thrilling ride through the tube until she flew out into the event square. The event square consisted of a stage with rows of benches in front of it, empty now. "Well this is boring." Yuffie jumped into the round square portal. After another slide ride she flipped out into the line for the gondola. "This should actually be kind of fun." Yuffie waited until it was her turn, dancing in anticipation.
"Five GP please." The attendent waited for the money.
"I don't have any GP, but I do have lots of gil!" Yuffie was reached for the Turks money card.
"I am sorry ma'am, but we only take GP here at the Gold saucer. Gil is only used in the wonder square and the chocobo square." The clerk explained matter-a-factly, "Next!"
"That's not fair! I waited in line!" Yuffie whined.
"I'll cover her ride." A voice came from behind Yuffie, "How long is the ride?"
"It takes the gondola 20 minutes to finish its course." The clerk responded.
"Thanks!" Yuffie said entering the gondola, not even looking at her benefactor.
The owner of the voice tossed the GP to the clerk and joined Yuffie as the ride commenced.
"Thanks again." Yuffie said still mesmerized by the magnificent sights of the Gold Saucer.
"Long time no see." The voice said it louder, "How bout you thank me a bit more personally."
"What?" Yuffie turned and gasped. Across from her sat the most repugnant man ever, his spiked red hair as much of a mess as his once pressed blue suit. "Reno!"
"I'm surprised you recognized me." Reno chuckled, "After all you didn't stick around for the real fun." Reno leaned closer to Yuffie, his breath reeking of cheap booze.
"I would've thought you would take a hint." Yuffie snickered as she started tapping her foot; "The last time we met I beat you at your own game and managed to floor you with one hit."
"I was at a disadvantage that time." Reno laughed, "I didn't know how mush of an effect you had on me, but I'm ready now."
"Well you just be ready, I'll leave you to do your business." Yuffie said slightly uncertain.
"Where ya gonna go? This here's a gondola suspended hundreds of feet in the air." Reno cackled at his own plan, "Now why don't we pick up where we left off." Reno started to lean forward again, he grabbed Yuffie's arm, pulling her closer. Once again, he dropped to the floor grasping himself in pain.
"That's about where we left off wasn't it?" Yuffie grinned as Reno squirmed in pain. Reno dragged himself back up to the opposite seat, shuttering in pain. "Will you lay off now?" Yuffie threatened smugly.
Reno smiled drunkenly, ignoring the pain, "How about I lay you instead?"
Yuffie rolled her eyes, "You can barely see straight, what makes you think that you could even touch me?"
Reno gave her a chilling smile as he scanned her body, "And I say again where are ya gonna run?" Reno laughed again as he saw Yuffie look about uncomfortably. "Now lets try this one more time." Reno reached behind his back and pulled his nightstick; with one swift motion the stick extended and buzzed with power.
'Great now what do I do?' Yuffie moved as far from Reno as possible. 'No way to jump out, better just take a shock and take him out.' Yuffie prepared to rush him, setting herself against the coming pain. Steeling herself she leapt at Reno.
"What!" Reno cried in surprise falling to his back.
'I got him!' Yuffie thought. Then there was pain, blinding incapacitating pain. Even in his drunken state he was still a Turk. His surprise had not thrown him to the ground; he had countered her charge. He had fallen to avoid the force of attack and jabbed his electrifies staff into her stomach. '!#' Yuffie thought as the electricity made her muscles twitch and spasm; she slumped to the ground with labored breathing.
"Now look what you made me go and do." Reno snickered, "And we still have so much of the ride left." He shocked her one more time before pulling her into the seat next to him. Yuffie was still dazed from the electricity and she slumped against the wall. Reno put his hand on her knee and started to rub slowly.
'I have got to do something. But what?" Yuffie continued fought against the invading blackness, 'He is drunk enough not to feel pain, but still very aware. And he's moving up my thigh, GROSS!' Yuffie almost shirked away, but remained still. His touch felt like a poison infecting her, she had to stop him. 'Materia is the only way. But I'll need to not damage the gondola or we'll both fall.' Yuffie mentally ran through her materia. 'Fire, Ice, and Restore are in my shuriken, out of reach. Revive and the Seal from Aerith are in my armgaurd... That's it Seal!' Yuffie knew that if Reno caught wind of her gathering energy he would stop her so she needed a distraction.
Almost as if on cue fireworks lit up the sky; announcing that the sun had set. "Seal!" Yuffie called under the cover of the fireworks. Reno's hand that had begun to go up her shorts ceased moving. "Ha! That'll show you who to pick on!" Yuffie slapped his hand away and pushed the paralyzed Turk to the floor. 'Stupid #$#!' Yuffie growled as she kicked his side a few times for good measure before returning to the last 10 minutes of sights.
When the ride came to an end she quickly left the gondola simply saying, "That's what perverts get!" to the astonished clerk. 'That guy makes me so made!' Yuffie growled, 'Why won't he just leave me alone!' Yuffie stomped into the doorway to the event square; after she arrived she immediately went to the wonder square so Reno wouldn't know where she was. 'Guess I'll just play for awhile to cool down.' Yuffie entered the arcade. After several hours she reemerged, completely happy again, especially with her new bag of GP!
'I wonder where the others are?' Yuffie suddenly felt very lonely. 'They might be in the hotel. I'll go there next.' Upon her arrival into the ghost square, she was slightly afraid because of the dark atmosphere of the place. She ignored her fear and ran into the hotel. When she entered the lobby she saw Red XIII at the counter, arguing with a ghoul about being allowed into the hotel. "Hey Red!" Yuffie called.
"Yuffie, please tell this man that I am a sentient creature and deserve a room." Red XIII stared venomously at the ghoul.
"Oh Red," Yuffie laughed and turned to the clerk, "Can I have a room with two single beds?"
"Yes ma'am right away. Here's your key, that'll be five GP." The clerk held out a bony hand, the key dangling from one of his flesh stripped bones.
"Thanks." Yuffie turned to go up the stairs, "Coming Red?"
"Yuffie, not to be rude, but it would be improper of me to stay in the same room as a young lady." Red XIII said with grace.
"Oh come on." Yuffie rolled her eyes, "We're not even the same species, and besides when the others get here you can go with the guys." She finished with an innocent grin.
Red XIII thought for a moment before agreeing, "But only until the others get here." Yuffie and Red XIII went into the room. Yuffie set her pack and shuriken down across the bed. Then she began to remove her armor.
"Should I leave?" Red XIII sounded slightly embarrassed.
"I'm just taking of my armor. Although if you want I could take off more?" Yuffie teased seductively.
"Yuffie that isn't funny." Red XIII said unable to hide his embarrassment.
"I'm just kidding." Yuffie finished removing her armguard and leg brace, then flopped down onto a bed. "Where are the others anyway?"
"After you gave us the tickets Barret's mood turned even more sour. Even Aerith's gentleness was turned away." Red XIII curled up in the opposite corner, "Everyone wanted to have a little fun, but Barret objected vigorously. But Tifa and Aerith convinced Cloud to stop here. Barret grew angry and disappeared down a chute. Tifa, Cloud, and Aerith all went to the wonder square. I tried to go to the battle square, but it was closed for repairs." Red XIII stretched lazily, "So I decided to go watch the chocobo races. They were quite interesting, especially the way people reacted to losing or winning their bets, then I came here and you showed up."
"Whoa! Whoa! Back up a second." Yuffie looked at Red XIII intensely, "You mean they had bets on the chocobo races?"
"Yes." Red XIII replied plainly, "Didn't you know?"
"Well no." It was Yuffie's turn to be slightly embarrassed, "That's where I'm going tomorrow. So if ya need me I'll be there." After Yuffie's last comment, silence descended on the room. Yuffie couldn't stand it anymore she had to have sounds other that the stormy night of ghosts. "Well your talkative!" She gave Red XIII an icy stare.
"Sometimes silence allows more words than exist." Red said detached, "Now, since you're so energetic you can have first watch for the others." With that, Red XIII tucked himself up into a ball and started to breath deeply apparently sound asleep.
"What! Not on your life." Yuffie fumed, "I know you're awake. Now talk to me!" Red XIII simply did nothing, but bat an ear. "Fine! I'll entertain myself!" Yuffie turned on the TV while muttering curses about Red, everything from his lost eye to the flickering tail. 'I don't want to wait for them!' Yuffie whined to herself, 'Add Red to my list of paybacks.' Yuffie watched the TV, a boring horror show (go figure), wasn't what she wanted.
She flipped through the channels, dismayed that they were ALL horror shows. "This is not my day!" Yuffie threw the remote at the TV, it bounced off and landed on the ground; looking dejected at not fulfilling its purpose. "Well if you could've found something good for me to watch!" Yuffie blamed the remote for its own problems. As if in mocking response the remote buzzed, changing the TV channel for the last time as its circuits fused. The new station actually interested the young girl.
"Well, maybe you weren't so bad." She murmured, still leaving the remote on the floor, riveted to the new show. Someone on it looked very familiar. The figure stood tall, broad shoulders that were swept by dark hair. Yuffie stared at the man on the set, 'Where have I seen him?' Yuffie racked her brain for the answer; but before her tired mind could find a match, the TV followed its remote to silicon heaven. "Not now!" Yuffie nearly cried, "And I was so close!" Yuffie slumped and stared into the wall, desperately trying to remember. But her mind refused to answer and her eyelids began to droop. "They can find their own room." Yuffie yawned and slid under the covers for a welcomed rest, the young man forgotten. (A/N: Just trying get through writers block, any idea is better than no idea, right?)
Early (5:30 to be exact) the next morning.
"Yuffie please awaken."
"But I don't wanna take rope classes." Yuffie replied drearily. "Hito always cuts my ropes."
"Yuffie. Please. Awaken." The voice extremely firm now, "I need to talk with you."
Yuffie fought her way back into the confines of her waking mind, pushing away thoughts of childhood. "Wha?" highly annoyed at being awakened from her dream of being awakened from dreaming. "What do ya want?" she jumped at the glowing yellow eye of an equally annoyed Red XIII. "Don't do that!" She fell out of the bed.
"Have the others returned?" Red XIII suddenly pressed her.
"How should I know?" Yuffie began to curl back up into her blankets.
"They never returned. And you fell asleep." Red XIII accused.
Yuffie's eyes flew open, "SO what? We're in the Gold Saucer!" Yuffie lifted her arms as if to point out the room. "What could possibly happen?"
"I don't know." Red XIII looked away, his eye seemed to stare someplace else, "but I have a bad feeling."
"Must be your conscious beating you up about waking up such a beautiful girl." Yuffie joked. "They're fine. So I'm gonna go back to bed." Yuffie gathered her blankets around her, 'This reminds me of my blankets at home. Why do we Wutainse sleep on the floor anyways?' Yuffie was so lost in though that she didn't notice Red XIII leave the room. Yuffie napped for a few more hours before finally getting up. 'Wonder where Red went?'
Yuffie shrugged the thought off and entered the restroom. Yuffie stared at the girl in the mirror, hair messed up very much like Cloud's, clothes wrinkled and covered with dirt of the road and various monsters blood. "You look like a wreak." Yuffie sighed as she removed her clothes and entered the shower. The warm droplets rained down in her face and on her shoulders. Yuffie always took great pleasure in showering, agreeing with those who said it was an oasis. Just showering made her mood even brighter than normal. Yuffie turned and let the water soak in her short hair and down her back. 'Wonder if I could grow my hair like Tifa and Aerith?' she mused, 'maybe I would look more girlie then.' Yuffie had always been uncomfortable with the way she looked. Stringy limbs, small hips, barely any bust line, and her hair always got tangly when she let it grow long. Even her face was boyish; Yuffie felt a pang of jealousy toward Aerith and Tifa. 'They don't even have to try to attract a guys attention. They're like honey to flies, the guys flock to them.' Yuffie let herself fume as she cleaned herself off. 'At least I'm the one and only Great ninja Yuffie.' She thought sarcastically, 'like that has helped grab anyone's attention.' Yuffie finished her shower and dressed in a new outfit. Her sweater was a light blue and her shorts a dark brown, but when she picked up her headband, she paused. "Mom." A small cry escaped her lips.
This headband was the only thing she had left of her mothers. It had been part of her mother's favorite kimono, Yuffie had managed to tear the green lining off when Godo had thrown all of her mothers possessions out. He had chased her all over the building yelling for her to stop and let him finish what he started, but Yuffie had hid her last memory before he could find her. Yuffie still felt resentment toward her father for destroying the rest of her mother's things. "That stupid old coot. Why did he do it?" Yuffie fought back her tears and rage. "No matter what, I'll never let my mother go." She put the headband in place and left the room, not bothering with her armor.
Yuffie nearly ran through the ghost square, her unrealistic fear threatening to claw its way out. She opened the grave to the Chocobo Square, took a deep breath to summon her courage and jumped in. She emerged into a room blazing with light and people. Activity was everywhere, people scrambling to see the races, others to the prized exchange, and (the place Yuffie wanted) to the betting tables.
Yuffie scrambled over to the counter. "Where do I place my bets?" she said excitedly.
The clerk gave her an odd look, "Children aren't allowed to place bets."
"But I'm 16!" Yuffie was furious at the thought of losing her newest entertainment, "I'm old enough to get married, but I can't bet on a chocobo race!" Yuffie was a bright shade of red and jumping up and down.
Her outburst hadn't fazed the clerk, safe behind his bulletproof glass, "Now we know that you really are a child. Only children throw temper tantrums." His voice was smug.
"Now you did it!" Yuffie screamed, reaching behind her back for her weapon only to find it wasn't there, "If you weren't behind that glass…" Yuffie pulled back and punched the glass, it cracked around her had and left a dent of shattered glass behind as she stormed off.
"Touchy." The clerk laughed although he was worried about how such a small girl had managed to damage the glass. He picked up a phone, "Maintenance."
"Stupid, no good, idiotic…" Yuffie trailed off as she leaned against the wall of opposite the large race screen. "Only children throw temper tantrums, my foot." She mocked the guards, "Barret throws them all the time." Yuffie continued her cursing eyes downcast until a presence came up beside her.
"No luck then."
Yuffie started out of her torrent of brooding, "Huh?" She looked around, no one, and then she looked down. "Oh hi Red."
"Whats wrong?" Red XIII asked calmly.
"Stupid people won't let me bet." She mumbled.
"Join the crowd." Red XIII laughed. "They won't let me do almost anything in this entire place, except play a stupid role in a play."
"That doesn't make me feel any better," Yuffie pouted, "so I guess I have no luck."
"No teammates either." Red XIII returned to his normal calmness. Yuffie looked at him with surprise and questions. "I haven't even caught a trace of anyone's scent, other than yours of course, in this entire place."
"You mean," Yuffie's heart sank, "they left without us?"
"No." Red XIII said firmly, "they are our friends, the wouldn't just abandon us. I just don't know where they are. My PHS isn't working either."
Yuffie stared at him in horror then stared blankly at the racing screen. "So they even left you." This wasn't a good day.
"Again Yuffie I must say no," Red XIII was really angry, "They must be in trouble or we would have heard from them." Red XIII's voice was solid in conviction. Yuffie was about to continue to argue, when she saw a peculiar name appear on the jockey register.
"Or maybe they went off to start a new career. Look!" She smiled and pointed at an uncomfortable Cloud straddling a chocobo. "Cloud is in the races."
"What?" Red XIII followed her gesture, "Hmph, you're right. Why is he racing?"
"I don't know but its gonna be fun to watch!" Yuffie shoved her way closer to the screen.
"Who's the new guy?" a man asked.
"Don't know." Another answer, "although he's probably going to get his butt whooped."
"That's for sure!" The other laughed, "No way a newbie is gonna beat the veterans."
Yuffie heard their comments, but kept her temper as an idea popped into her head. "Care to back up those claims?" She asked in her smoothest voice.
The two men looked at each other. "Sure. How about 100 gil?"
"That's pitiful." Yuffie snickered, "You talk like your big, but have nothing to back it up."
"Fine, but we raise the stakes!" One man answered, "Your little newbie versus the rest of the roster."
Yuffie was a little unnerved, but showed none of it. "Fine by me, but I get to decide your risk." She acted as if she was deep in thought, "How about when my guy wins you two give me all your materia." She laughed at their nervous faces. "Well how about it? The race is about to start."
The two men argued quickly between each other and then one spoke up. "Fine you get all our materia, we get a private dance from you."
"Sickos." Yuffie said before she could stop it from escaping her mouth.
"Oh so now who's smaller than their talk." The two men snickered.
Yuffie glared at the two men with hate, "Fine. Now lets watch the race." She returned to watching the screen as the race began. 'I'm gonna kill Cloud if he doesn't win.' Her heart raced alongside the man who had unknowingly become the target of so much tribulation. The race steadily progressed, the faster runners soon losing the rest. Cloud remained up front just behind two others, who now seemed more intent on preventing him from winning than winning them selves.
Every time Cloud tried to get move forward the pair moved in front of him. "They're cheating!" Yuffie yelled.
"No, they're just racing." One of the men snickered, "Hope you can dance well." He put his hand on her hip.
Yuffie slapped his hand away, "The race isn't over yet." Yuffie turned her attention back so Cloud. 'Come on Cloud, don't let me down.' The finish line was quickly approaching Cloud was still behind. The two leaders began to fight each other for the top spot, forgetting their previous alliance. Cloud kicked his chocobo and darted in-between the riders, barely snagging the victory. "YAAYY!" Yuffie danced about happily, "I win, IIIII WWIIINNN, IwinIwinIwinIwin!" Yuffie laughed in the two mens faces. "Now hand over your materia." The two men gave each other sad looks before relinquishing their materia.
"There that's all we got. Now leave us alone." The taller man sneered.
"What pitiful men, so sad they lost their pitiful materia stash too." Yuffie laughed at the men as she disappeared into the crowd. 'More materia, more materia, more materia!' she sang to herself, inspecting her newest toys. 'Fire? And three Alls? That's IT! Those guys really were pitiful.' Yuffie's singing stopped. 'Those two wanted to get me, for these lousy materias!' her joy turned anger. Her face went red again, her hands clenched fists by her side, she was truly furious.
"Yuffie?" a surprised voice came.
"WHAT!" Yuffie was ready to do physical damage to something.
"Are you ok?" Red XIII asked slightly afraid. "You're red."
"I'm fine!" Yuffie said through clenched teeth. "Where's Cloud?" She wanted to take Red XIII's attention away from her.
"He's probably in the jockey box." Red XIII motioning with his head.
Yuffie's anger suddenly melted away at Red XIII innocent statement. "Jockey. Box?" Yuffie broke down into cascades of silver laughter. She let all her emotions: her anger, her jealousy, her fear, she let them all flow into her laughter. She felt emotionally drained and replenished at the same time.
Darkness, somewhere in darkness.
"What?" A man stirred, "Putrid demons." He lay still, brushing off the cascade of silver laughter. "Can demons feel those emotions?" The man pondered.