Author's Notes: Well! Thanks to Wrath-Oathkeeper for the review! YAY! Chocolate for you! And to let you know this will end up being a Yuffientine! (Hopefully! That's the plan at the moment anyways…) Now on to the story!

Disclaimer: I don't know Final Fantasy VII or anything related to it. Emiko and Sammy are mine though…

—Chapter 2—

-1 week later-

"…that's great! Uh-huh…yeah…oh yeah. The problem was fixed about a day later. What? Is that Matthias? I can hear him. Oh hey! Tell Cloud he's still a jerk for me. Please? Okay sure. Yeah, of course I'll be there! All right. See you in a week Tifa! Bye!" Yuffie hung up her PHS and placed it on top of her dresser.

She opened one of the drawers and rummaged through it. Finally she pulled out a pair of short khaki shorts and a light blue tank top. She ran a brush through her shoulder length hair after dressing. She slipped on a pair of socks and her tennis shoes. Squinting her stormy gray eyes, she pulled the string and the blinds on the window in her bedroom opened to let in the bright morning sun. Another day was here.

For a moment she stood there, looking at all the improvements that had been done in the past week to the places she could see from her room. She saw a girl leaving a house a street over and raced from her room. She ran to the front door and was outside in a flash. She caught up with the girl at the end of the street.

"Sammy!"

The girl spun around, light red hair flying out of it's holder to fall into her blue eyes. "Hey Yuffie!" she greeted as her friend caught up. "What's the plan for today?"

Yuffie shrugged. "I guess help finish any loose projects. You have any ideas?"

"Nah." Sammy put her hair back in the holder and straightened her short blue jean skirt. "Hey, I'm gonna go see if Xen's home. Wanna come?"

"Eww!" Yuffie made a face. "That's okay. Your boyfriend's been gone for a week. I'll see him later." She nodded.

"You sure?" Sammy asked with a worried look on her face.

"Yeah. Go ahead. Maybe the three of us can meet for dinner or something." Yuffie shrugged. "I'll find something to do."

"Okay then. Later!" Sammy ran off down another street.

Yuffie shook her head. How Sammy could be so obsessed with a boy, she'd never understand. Yuffie herself had more fun without a boyfriend to tie her down.

Putting her hands behind her head, she strolled down the streets of Wutai, eyes roving from side to side. Boy how she loved her city. She wasn't sure that she was up to it, but she knew that one day, she would be the Lady of Wutai. It was a scary thought! Really, she still had a bunch of things that she wanted to do before she was tied down to one place.

She sighed and continued down the road until it turned into the path that would lead her up to the cliff's peak. She loved climbing to the peak of the Da-Chao Mountains. Her favorite spot was to stand on the fingers of the highest hand. It only took her less than an hour of an easy pace to get to that spot. She crossed her arms loosely under her chest and leaned against the rock finger. A gentle breeze brought the scent of the sea and forests around her beautiful home land. Her stormy gray eyes softened and a look of contentment settled on her face.

This was peace.

Red XIII sat perfectly still, watching the Cosmo Flame dance. His tail switched back and forth with it. Emiko padded up to him and sat beside him, rubbing her head against his shoulder.

"What troubles you?" she asked, concern showing in her molten gold eyes. They glowed in the firelight.

Red sighed. "I fear one of my friends is heading for trouble. I don't know. It's just a feeling."

She stretched out and laid down, resting her head on her front paws. "Trust your instincts. That's the only reason we survived in the Midgar Ruins." She glanced at where the rest of the pack was playing a game with her cubs. "Or correction. That's why we eight survived."

"How many were there?" he asked, lying down beside her.

She paused, thinking. Then she sighed. "Twenty."

Red rubbed his face against hers. "But soon our kind will flourish again. We've already started." He shook his head. "Here I was the one worrying but it looks like I have to cheer you up instead."

"Oh Nanaki!" she shook her head. "You worry too much!"

"As the Guardian of Cosmo Canyon I have to." He stated simply. "Besides, I need to worry about Vincent. No one has seen or heard from him in six months. I think this feeling has something to do with that."

"Vincent…he's the dark one isn't he?" Emiko asked and he nodded. "He…seemed troubled when you introduced me to him. Was he always like that?"

"He was. But all I know is that he had some connection to Sephiroth that not even Cloud knew. He never said anything really, unless it was needed." Red looked lost in thought. "No one really got to know him. But Yuffie seemed to like pestering him the most."

Emiko laughed. "Yuffie likes to pester everyone!"

"This is true." Red nodded. Squeals came from the cubs. "Come on." He sighed. "We'd best go play with them."

"They're fine." She didn't look like she was going to move. "Besides, the rest of the pack can take care of them."

"It'd be fun though." He pointed out.

"True!" she was up and running.

Red shot up and after her, laughing as he did so. Soon the whole pack of lion-like creatures was playing a game of tag. Their laughter echoed around the quiet town.

Well, here's the second chapter. Any thoughts? Yes, short. I'm hoping that the chapters will get longer as I go but…writer's block stinks…I really had no idea of how to end this chapter until this morning…hopefully chapter three will be up soon! But…if I don't get some reviews it'll take longer…Thanks for reading! Juzu