Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter FiveThe fifth floor was meant to be the hardest – the toughest of all the Pagoda Trials. The floors below were merely a preamble – a test to see if a person was worthy enough to take on the master of the pagoda. The four Sacred Gods on those floors were meant to test a warrior on every ability – power, speed, magic, and weapons. All of these were tested to their absolute limits.
Until the day that Yuffie Kisaragi climbed the pagoda, very few had made it to the very top. No one had made it to the fifth floor before – all of them defeated at some point by the Gods on the lower floors. Now, for the first time in Wutai's present history, Yuffie had made it to the topmost floor, and was locked in fierce combat with the Fifth Sacred God. Her own father.
Through the power of 'Omni-Change' Lord Godo had transformed himself into a large and powerful beast. Human-like in shape, he stood on two long legs and had two long arms – each of which held a weapon in their hands. One was a sword, the other a kind of magical staff. The monster was clad in a peculiar red, yellow and grey outfit. His head was a mask with four different faces – each one a different colour.
What Yuffie learned as the battle went on was that each of the faces of Godo had different abilities. The majority of them attacked her – most often with his Beast Sword that tried to strike her wherever she ran. At times he would switch faces and use magic instead – sometimes healing himself from the many slashes she had been able to get in with her shuriken. More often than not he would attack her – using his gravitational powers to try and force her into a corner where he could hit her.
The whole point of Godo's form was to incorporate all of the tests that the other Gods had built up on the previous floors. Yuffie could feel herself being pushed to the best of her limits – dodging and attacking at the same time while still trying to defend herself.
She tried to counter with magic at one point. She stopped long enough to use the Earth-based materia she had stored in her armour. The entire pagoda had shook at that point, like an earthquake had hit Wutai. It had had little effect, since her father simply jumped out of the way.
Cloud and the others watched in awe as the battle ensued before them. This was the fiercest battle they had seen so far in the entire pagoda. A battle between father and daughter – this was more than just a simple battle for glory. Rage burned in Yuffie's eyes as she fought – a rage she had not shown in the previous battles. She was tired, worn out and frustrated, but she was delving deeper for even more strength, giving her all to fight her father. It was an amazing sight to see, even for the Sacred Gods who stood and observed from the side.
Yuffie jumped away as Godo made another powerful slash with his sword, the yellow face he was using grinning manically, laughing through empty eyes. The sword continued to rise and Yuffie's shuriken, which was spinning through the air as she jumped back, was struck. The blade cut through the weary metal, slicing through the centre of the weapon with surprising ease.
Yuffie fell onto the floor, landing on her back and skidding across the panelled floor. The remains of her shuriken clattered on the floor beside her, sliding on the wood until they stopped beside her head. Yuffie looked around rapidly at the two remains of her weapon – two boomerang-shaped spikes on either side.
She looked up at her father, who was standing above her. The yellow face leered down at her, the sword held high. As Yuffie watched Godo raised the sword higher, preparing to bring it down on her. He was truly prepared to kill his daughter if she did not fight back, and Yuffie knew that.
As the sword came down, Yuffie grabbed hold of the two pieces of her broken shuriken and rolled back, pushing her body up so that she flipped out of the way of the sword. The Beast Sword came crashing down on the ground where she had lain, cutting deep into the wood. But Yuffie was now clear of the sword, standing a metre in front of it. She held the two halves of the shuriken in both hands.
Before Godo could lift his sword out of the floor Yuffie charged forwards. She leaped onto the blade and ran up it, balanced on the thin edge of the sword as she ran for her father's face.
Yuffie gave a heart-felt, furious cry as she struck. Her hands zipped madly in front of her, the blades of her weapon scratching into the mask of Godo. By the time the sword was clear and up in the air Yuffie had done a lot of damage – jumping around on her enlarged father's shoulders to reach all sides of his monstrous face. There were many slash marks on him now – deep cuts where the eyes should have been.
As the sword rose up, Yuffie took her chance and leapt off her father's left shoulder. She used the sword as a support as she landed and pushed herself off, flying up through the air to the other side of the room.
When she landed, she turned to face Godo. His mask head was turning steadily round, as though trying to see what damage she had caused to his other faces. Yuffie took this as her chance to defeat her father for good, and claim her place at the top of the pagoda.
"Die!" she shouted angrily, holding up one piece of her shuriken.
Her father looked around, but already too late. Yuffie was running forward, yelling a loud battle cry as she charged towards him. When she was near enough Yuffie jumped up into the air, crossing both her arms in front of her, throwing the two-shuriken parts in front of her.
Both the blades zipped through the air at top speed, heading towards the mask that covered her father's face. They struck with all of Yuffie's might, slicing through the material that made them. They came free and flew back through the air and into Yuffie's hands, just as she landed on the ground again. Yuffie held them up, panting heavily, and looked at Godo.
He stood frozen before her. His sword was still in his hand, the chain on his staff swinging gently as it slowed to a stop. The yellow head was fixed firmly on Yuffie, the empty eyes peering out at her from the darkness.
Then, as Yuffie watched, the mask started to fall apart. The deep cuts caused by the two blades caused the mask to split into the four large sections of an 'X'. The pieces fell away and tumbled onto the floor, steam already beginning to rise from them.
Lord Godo, or rather, the beast that he had become, now stood headless in the middle of the pagoda. The sword was slowly lowered to the ground, beginning to steam and disintegrate as Godo lowered it. The staff followed, disappearing like magic into the air. Then the rest of the monster's body began to disappear, the magic that transformed him now evaporated like the steam. Yuffie watched for just a few seconds more, before fatigue overcame her and she fell back onto the floor, safe in the knowledge that she had won.
By the time the monster's body had faded completely, Yuffie's fathered reappeared from the cloud of steam. Sweat poured profusely down his skin as he stepped forward towards his daughter, but before he could get any closer he too fell over, landing on his back.
The two lay there for a minute or two, breathing and panting heavily as they tried to get their breath back. Every ounce of fighting strength had been completely exhausted from both of them, leaving them breathless. Yuffie stared at the ceiling, tears of exhaustion rolling slowly from the corners of her eyes and trickling to her ears. Over the sound of her tired breaths she could hear her father, panting hard.
"O…old coot…" she said faintly, speaking through deep, heavy breaths. It made her a little dizzy to talk. "N……ot… bad…"
On the floor in front of her, Godo tried to lift his head and look at his daughter. He could only see her feet, and her right arm, still clinging to the broken piece of the shuriken that he himself had shattered. He put his head back on the floor. "You've… …also… …improved…" he breathed.
A small smile twitched in the corner of Yuffie's mouth. All the rage that had filled her during the fight had been completely spent up, and she felt a little foolish. In fact she felt very foolish, and embarrassed. Fighting her father had been a very awakening experience, for she had seen a power in her father she had never seen before. Yet, she had defeated him, even if he had given as well as he got. The smile on her face widened, and a small chuckle escaped her throat.
"Hah… ha, ha……"
"…Heh, heh……" Godo chuckled as well, thinking the same that Yuffie had. Yuffie raised her head and looked at her father, and saw that he was looking back at her with the same grin. They chuckled further, until finally their giggles erupted into laughter.
"Ha ha haaaaaa……!" Yuffie laughed heartily.
"Waha haaaaa……!" Godo laughed in response, competing with Yuffie's joyful laughter. There they continued to laugh, their anger finally transformed into joy.
By the time the laughter and the tears, which had fallen freely during their excessive fits of joyous laughter, had subsided, Yuffie stood firmly in the fifth floor. She looked firmly at her father, who was eyeing her up and down with strange pride. It had been a long time since he had seen his daughter since her departure all those months ago, and he wanted to see what kind of woman she had become. It was clear she had gained in strength, so he thought, maybe it was time she got her inheritance as the daughter of the village leader.
"It's time I gave this to you, Yuffie…" he said. He delved into the pocket of his kimono and pulled out a shinyred ball of materia, and held it out. "This is Leviathan Materia. Take it."
He chucked it through the air, and Yuffie caught it firmly in her hands. She looked down at it. It was quite cold in her hands, and inside she could see a swirling mass of bubbles. And there, faintly, she could see the faint figure of something swimming deep inside it. The body of Leviathan, the ancient sea serpent, and sacred to the people of Wutai. Yuffie grinned, and quickly pocketed it. This summon was hers.
"But, Lord Godo," Staniv protested, seeing Yuffie pocket the materia. "The Leviathan Materia should only be given to the person who conquers and takes over this Pagoda. That is our custom…"
Yuffie growled deep within her throat. Wutai had not changed a bit since she had left. She had hoped maybe they would have seen sense during her absence, but, it seemed, nothing had changed. "CUSTOM, CUSTOM, CUSTOM…" she said loudly, not caring to quieten her voice. "I'm so sick of hearing that! It's so stupid!"
"Silence, Miss Yuffie!" Gorky ordered her sternly, not prepared to have Yuffie criticise their customs any further.
Yuffie ignored Gorky, and spun around to face the rest of the Sacred Gods, whom were all standing in the corners of the room still. "Then what 'bout all the rest of you?" she demanded. She turned to look from Gorky to Shake, and then from Chekhov to Staniv. Although she respected their strength, seeing the way they still clung to ancient customs made her feel sick. "You have all that power… Are you satisfied being cooped up in this tower?"
"Yuffie…!" Lord Godo gasped, shocked by his daughter's blasphemous outburst.
Yuffie spun around again, and pointed at him. "You too, dad…!" she shouted. "Just because you lost the war! And turning Wutai into a place like this!"
Godo did not reply immediately. The joyful laughter had vanished from his daughter's face now, once again replaced by the anger that had caused her to leave Wutai. He also knew what she sought.
"…What do you want to say?" Chekhov asked Yuffie.
"You turned Wutai into a cheesy resort town peddling to tourists…" Yuffie said. She clenched her fists tightly, gripping hard onto the sides of her broken shuriken. "How dare you? Da-Chao and Leviathan are ashamed!"
Godo stared at his daughter, looking at her eyes. They were so filled with anger, he could not describe it. "…" he mumbled silently, thinking hard. He closed his eyes and looked down at the ground. He had often thought that Yuffie did not care for Da-Chao or Leviathan, but it was clear that they meant a lot to her. So much in fact, that she hated anything that disgraced them.
At the back of the room, Shake, Master of Speed, folded his arms and closed his eyes. "She IS a kid," he said simply. He was still annoyed at being defeated by someone like Yuffie, his convictions of her being a child confirmed by her actions.
"Wh, what did you say…?" Yuffie snapped. She hadn't forgotten her battle with him, either, and the way he had been so sarcastic. He longed to knock off his human head as well as his penguin head, even if her weapon was broken.
"Yuffie!" Godo's powerful voice boomed suddenly. Yuffie was silenced instantly, and slowly turned to face her father. His face was firm, and she expected him to shout at her for her insubordination. But, to her surprise, he sighed heavily and looked down at the ground. "Forgive me…" he said solemnly. "It's all my fault…"
The Four Sacred Gods all jumped back in surprise. They were horrified to hear Lord Godo, their leader, come out with a statement like that. To even suggest that it was his fault that Wutai was as it was impossible to think of. "What are you saying, Lord Godo!" Staniv asked, voicing everyone's question.
Godo nodded. "Losing the war… turning Wutai into this. It was all my fault…"
"Lord Godo!" protested Chekhov.
"Silence!" Godo commanded. Chekhov shut her mouth and hung her head, stepping back into line along with Staniv. Godo stepped forward, to Yuffie. "Yuffie… I am the same now as I was before when I wanted the war. But, after I lost the war, I began to think… Is strength, only for defeating the enemy? …Or just something to show off to others…? Might begets might. That's the same way as the Shinra…"
"……" Yuffie muttered.
"I knew you were looking for Materia for the good of Wutai," Godo continued. "But, the reason I hide my strength now, is also for the good of Wutai… And now, I realise both are necessary… Strength without determination means nothing. And determination with strength is equally useless…!"
"Lord Godo…" said Staniv sadly, hearing his master's words. Never before had Lord Godo sounded so solemn and so regretful over the way Wutai had become.
Godo looked over Yuffie's shoulder, to where Cloud and the rest of the team were all standing and watching. "You there," he said, waving his hand at Cloud. "Please take Yuffie with you! I perceive that you all have both determination and strength!"
Cloud looked around at the others, looking for their approval. After all, Yuffie had tricked them once before. Could they put their faith in her again? As he looked around, the others thought carefully, before slowly nodding their heads. Apart from this one lapse that tempted her to steal their materia from them, Yuffie had proven herself to be a valuable ally.
"Well, just tell yourself you're on a big ship, and leave the rest to ol' Cid!" Cid said, hoisting his spear up onto his shoulder. That remark got a rather sickened look from Yuffie, who despised ships of any kind.
Getting the approval from everyone, Cloud nodded his head. "All right, I don't mind," he said finally.
"Go, Yuffie!" Godo said to his daughter. "For the sake of strengthening Wutai!"
"Dad…" Yuffie said, feeling a little sorry for her father. All this time she had tormented him and blamed him for Wutai's failings… Now she knew that he cared for Wutai as much as she did.
"I'll take care of the Five Sacred Gods until you return!" her father assured her. "Go! And come back alive!"
Yuffie stared at her father a few moments more. A smile then spread on her face, and she stood up straight. "…… Of course!" she said happily. She would go, for her father, and return with the strength to restore Wutai to its former glory!
With everything sorted, everyone began to exit the top level of the pagoda, following the outer route around the room and through the door. The Four Sacred Gods, plus Cloud and the others, all left the room, leaving Yuffie and Godo alone in the room. When Staniv left the room Yuffie bowed to her father, and headed for the door.
"Yuffie, wait a minute," Godo said suddenly. Yuffie stopped and turned back. Godo looked around carefully at the room, making sure that everyone had gone, before he stood close to Yuffie's ear. "The Materia they all have…" he whispered. "After their battle is over, you think they'll still want it?"
Yuffie jumped back. "Dad…!" she gasped, astonished.
A wide grin spread on Godo's face. He stood up and pointed at the door. "Go!" he commanded her. "Survive till the end! And return! With the Materia!"
Yuffie laughed happily. "Heh, heh… you bet!" she said.
When Yuffie finally came strolling out of the door, Cloud turned to her.
"So, now what?" he asked her.
Yuffie looked up at him, a wide, beaming grin on her face. "Now? We go all the way back down again!" she said.
"WHAT?" everyone shouted.
Emerald: Heh, sorry for the little addition at the end there. That was just something my friend ShadowYami and I thought of. We thought it was funny.