Chapter XIII
Why Me?
(1 Year Later) Year 10 After Midgar
It was just before dawn. The sun had just started to rise from the horizon, painting that part of the sky with colors that ranged from a light yellow to a dark orange. The rest of the sky was still dark and filled with many of the stars that had been shining that night. With every passing moment, the midnight blue of the sky became a little lighter as each of the stars faded away with the coming of the sun.
I stood at the mouth of the island canyon, looking at the stringy little man standing in front of me. His name was Sim, and he was rumored in the black market as being able to find anything anyone could ever need. All of the rumors said something along the lines of "If it exists, he can find it, obtain it, and get it to you fast… for a price."
I wore my hood a little further down than usual, making sure that he didn't see my face. I had trouble seeing anything at all, but that didn't matter at the moment.
"Are you SURE this is what you want?" he asked, looking down at the list I'd given him, "'Cuz this is really potent stuff. And some of this is really rare"
"I know that, Sim" I answered, getting annoyed that he was questioning me. "Can you get it for me or not?"
"Or course I can. That's not a problem," he answered.
"Good. When can I expect you back with it?"
"If I go at a good pace, I should have it all here by tomorrow."
"Can you get it here tonight?" I asked.
"Tonight? Well, that's a bit of a stretch, but--"
"I'll double your pay."
"You'll have it by sunset," he replied with a wide grin on his face, "What do you need it all for, anyway? Just curious."
"I think it would be best if you didn't ask me that. Just get me what I asked for."
"Yes ma'am. I'll have it for you by sunset."
"You'll know where to find me."
"Of course," He bowed and ran off out of my sight.
"Finally, everything is coming together," I thought as I looked away from the canyon to the town in the distance.
I started walking towards the town as my mind started wandering. Remembering everything that's happened in the last year. After leaving Mideel, I'd spent several months doing nothing but researching and planning for my next move.
Jamie had died in his old age just weeks before I came to this canyon-ridden island. It was a peaceful, painless death, while he was sleeping. The vet that examined him afterwards said that his heart stopped in his sleep, but also said that he didn't suffer as he died. He was at peace. Though this made me feel a little better about it, it didn't stop it from hurting. Jamie was one of my closest friends, and I knew I would never forget him.
"I wonder if Raven had a peaceful death," I thought to myself as I kept my steady pace towards the town.
After my experience in Mideel, I could never get the image of that stone out of my mind. The words on the stone were engraved into my every thought. With all the years I'd searched for him, I wound up finding a grave. I tried easing this thought by reminding myself that he was a Jenova Case, which severely lowered my chances of finding him alive anyway.
"I shouldn't have been so shocked," I thought to myself, "But still, I feel empty now. And now with Jamie gone, I am completely alone."
I finally arrived at my destination. I stopped at the entrance of the town. It was the town of Wutai, a town famed as being the home of some of the world's greatest martial arts masters. It was also rumored to be the home of some of the world's most notorious ninjas, thieves, and black market dealers. For the moment, I was done dealing with the black market and was on my way to the bar.
As I approached, I could hear the usual sounds of drunken merry men, laughing and drinking their cares away. I was going there to drink, but there was nothing for me to laugh about. I envied them for that.
"I never once was happy at a bar," I pointed out in thought as I reached the door, "Neither walking in, nor walking out, nor anywhere in between. So why do I bother?"
The moment I entered the building, everything went silent. The townspeople have become familiar with my mysterious cloak and hood, but they knew nothing about me. I was fine with that.
"Because drinking is the only thing that helps me forget," I answered myself.
They all feared me. I could smell it. The place stank of adrenaline just moments after I opened the door. This was something I'd gotten used to in the two weeks I'd been in Wutai. I ignored the stench and made my way to the counter. I found an empty stool and sat on it. I looked in the direction of the bartender, who only shifted his gaze at me as he cleaned off the glass mug in his hand. When he noticed I was looking at him, he quickly put the mug down and hurried over to me.
"Uh, yes. M-Might I be of service to you?" he stuttered, rubbing his hands together in his nervousness.
"Your strongest drink," I answered, pulling out a large pouch of money, one of several pouches I was carrying and part of a large sum I'd been saving all year, "Serve it in the largest mug you have, and lots of it. In fact, after you pour it for me, just leave the bottle next to the mug."
He gave a quick bow and then, without hesitation, grabbed a very large mug from behind the counter. He then pulled out a dark red bottle with a black label that was shaped in the silhouette of a dragon breathing fire. The neck and mouth of the bottle looked like the neck and head of a dragon holding the cork in its mouth.
"This drink is called 'Blood of the Black Dragon'," The bartender explained. "It is sixty-five percent alcohol by volume, one hundred twenty proof. Only a rare few have had more than a few shots of this and lived to talk about it. Are you SURE this is what you want to drink? In a mug? Especially one this large?"
"Yes," I answered, "I'm certain of it. Though I was hoping for a larger percentage, this will serve my purpose."
"Wha!" The bartender yelped, seemingly surprised that I wanted a larger percentage. "Uh… Ok." He said as he reluctantly poured the drink, which was a clear dark red color, into the mug and laid both the mug and the bottle in front of me. "Here ya go… Enjoy."
"Thanks, I will," I said as I immediately grabbed the handle of the mug, lifted it up to my face, and took a nice long drink from it.
It had a berry flavor to it, at least right before the alcohol kicked in. It certainly was a strong drink. I immediately felt the familiar tingle through my body as the alcohol was quickly absorbed into my bloodstream. I then took another drink from the mug. This time the strength of the alcohol kicked me in the throat. The tingling grew a little more intense for a moment, but then dulled down. I didn't want it to dull down. So I took another drink.
With this drink, I placed the mug down on the table. It was then that I noticed that the people in the bar had continued making their noise, but now among the normal bar noises, there were whispers going on around me. And I could tell that they were also ABOUT me. One particular conversation caught my interest just a few stools down to my right. I took sips from my mug as I listened.
"Check out Mr. Black Hood over there?" One voice whispered.
"Yeah, he's real freaky," A deeper voice whispered.
"How do you know he's a he?"
"Who cares? He's creepy! Word around town is that he's making deals with the shadier folk in this town."
"I hear he's a hideous monster, and that's why he hides under the hood."
"Dude! What if he's listening?"
"We're all the way over here, stupid, and we're whispering. Nobody could hear us from that far."
"Nobody with normal human hearing," I thought. "Idiot."
"I heard that this mysterious hooded person is actually a woman," A rougher voice whispered in. "And rumor has it she's sexy."
"Who would know with that cloak on?" the deeper-voice whispered back, "And if this person is a sexy woman as rumored, why would she be hiding under a hood?"
"Beats me, but it would be nice if it was true."
"I dare you to go and find out."
"You DARE me?"
"That's right, I dare you. As a matter of fact, I triple-dog dare you. Walk up to Mr. Spooky Cloak and talk to 'im. Find out whether he's a man or a woman. And if you back out, you're buying my drinks."
"Dammit, Mac!" the rough guy whispered to the deep-voice, "You're just lookin' for an excuse to make me to pay for your drinks! Well, it ain't workin'. I accept your dare!"
"Alright, Brooter, go for it."
"Yeah, Brooter, go talk to 'im."
"Don't make me pound you, Teebo," Brooter said to the other guy.
"Just go already," said the one he called Mac.
I then heard some heavy steps come up behind me as I drank the last drops from the mug, placed it on the counter, and poured more from the bottle. My vision had already started to wobble as my equilibrium fell out of whack, and this was while I was still sitting down. I suddenly felt a large set of fingers poking me in the back.
"Hey! Hey you!" yelled the big man behind me as he continued poking.
I finished refilling my drink and then slowly turned around, not saying a word.
"I-uh… want to ask you something," He asked, suddenly softening his voice, "Um… Are you really a… woman under there?"
I just sat there, silent. It seemed stupid that he would ask such a stupid question. I responded by promptly turning back around in my seat and continuing with my drink.
"Hey!" He burst out, "I asked you somethin'! Now answer me!"
He then grabbed my right shoulder with his big strong hand.
"I said!" he started, "Answer me!"
He then yanked my shoulder backward, knocking me out of my seat, mug still in hand. I landed with my right side hitting the hard wood floor. My mug went flying away from me, spilling 'Blood of The Black Dragon' all over the place.
As I started my attempt at standing up, I heard gasps coming from all around me. When I finally wobbled up onto my feet, I noticed that my range of vision was wide open, meaning that my hood was no longer over my head.
"Holy shit!" Mac gasped from his seat on the counter.
"What the hell is that?" The one called Teebo asked.
"Well, I guess both rumors were true," Brooter spoke up behind me. "A monster AND a woman."
"Looks more like a pussycat than a monster," Mac said, getting up off his seat and walking up to me. "They were right about her being sexy, though."
He then ran his greasy hand through my hair, and then continuing downward as he spoke.
"Whaddaya say, Pussycat? Hmm? Wanna show daddy what's under the rest of that cloak?"
As his hand got down to my hips, my temper stepped in as my hand reached up and grabbed Mac by the throat.
"GHK! GGGHHHKK!" He gagged as I lifted him up a couple of inches from the floor, still holding him by the throat. I could feel the alcoholic tingle surging through my arm as I held him up.
"If you touch me one more time," I growled, a little slurred, "I will make you wish you were dead, and I won't be giving you that pleasure."
I let go of the man's throat, letting him drop back down to the floor. He then took a moment to gasp and cough for air.
After a few moments, when he recovered, he looked up at me with narrowed eyes and a wide grin on his face.
"Oh yeah, there's no doubt you're a woman," he grinned with satisfaction. "And I like my women extra feisty."
"I should've known I'd find the village idiot in a bar," I grumbled. "I only want to be left alone with my drink."
"But hang on, now, Pussycat," Mac said, keeping his grin on as he started to approach me again. "Why would you want to sit with a boring ol' drink when you can have some fun with three lonely guys like us?"
He then lifted his hand up and placed it under my chin, wrapping his fingers around my jaw. He was drooling a bit, but then he quickly licked it away. Having his hand on my face felt dirty. I reacted by quickly punching him in the face, sending him flying back away from me. As he got up, I could see some blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and from his nose.
"'Cuz I can always be sure a boring ol' drink won't make perverted moves on me. I don't like perverts. One more move like that, and I'll make sure you're never able to have any children for as long as you live."
"You bitch!" Teebo yelled out after seeing his friend punched in the face, "You can't do that to Mac!"
"Hang on, Teebo," Mac interrupted, "This is getting interesting."
"Need a little help convincing her, Mac?" Brooter said, pounding his fist into his other hand as he stood behind me.
"Heh, maybe I do," Mac answered, "She's had some to drink already, so it shouldn't be too hard."
"You probably couldn't handle two sips of the stuff I drank," I retorted, bragging about my alcohol tolerance.
"Only a complete moron drinks a whole mug of 'Blood of The Black Dragon'," he said. "I'm surprised you're not dead."
"Oh, believe me," I spat, narrowing my eyes, "I'm really difficult to kill."
"We'll just see," Mac replied and then ran up to me, fist raised and ready to swing.
I stepped aside, making him miss his punch, lose his balance, and plow right into Brooter. I nearly lost my own balance due to the alcohol in my system, but I quickly found my footing again, turned around, and looked at Mac, who was being helped up by Brooter.
"You're not worth my time," I growled and walked back to my seat. "I'll get back to my drinking if you don't mind."
"Oh, but we do mind," Mac insisted, "In fact, Pussycat, you got me more determined than ever."
I turned around for a moment and looked back at Mac and Brooter.
"If you really want to die, you should just say so," I said, "It would put you out of both our miseries."
"You know what, you're right," Mac said with a sudden change of tone, "You just go ahead and go back to your drinks."
I turned back to my seat, and sat back down. I asked the bartender for another mug, and he quickly gave me one. I lifted the open bottle of 'Blood of The Black Dragon' and poured myself a mug. I looked back behind me and saw the three of them walking away, towards the seats they were originally in. I turned back and started drinking again.
This time, instead of just having the usual tingle coming back, my vision was starting to blur. Normally it would go into double vision before blurring. That's when I knew something was wrong.
"HA! She's so stupid!" I heard Mac whispering to his friends. "She may be able to outfight us, but we got ninja stealth on our side. Nice job, Teebo."
"Thanks, Mac," Teebo whispered back, "It was almost too easy."
"Now it doesn't matter what her alcohol tolerance is. In a few moments, the pussycat will be ours."
"They drugged the bottle," I thought as my vision continued to get worse.
The fact that I already had a good amount of alcohol in my system wasn't helping. I could tell it was a strong drug from the way it came up so quickly. After a moment, my head started hurting. I lifted my hand and placed it on my head to try and ease it. I got up off my stool and stumbled away from the counter.
"They think they can defeat me this easily," I thought as I kept walking across the bar towards the door.
After only a few steps, the door disappeared from my sight, as well as everything else. The noises around me in the bar quickly became nothing more than echoed muffles. I felt myself fall down to my knees, unable to move anymore. Through all this my mind stayed perfectly aware of what was going on. Though my body was weakening, I remained perfectly conscious.
"What the hell kind of drug is this!" I asked in thought.
Not too long later, I felt my body being lifted off the floor by a pair of large arms, which I could only assume was Brooter. He slung me over his shoulder and started walking, carrying me on his shoulder.
I couldn't see anything, and my hearing was lowered a great deal, so I could only go by what I could feel on my skin.
I could feel a swaying left to right and right to left with every step my carrier took. After a few steps, I felt the air change. There was a cool breeze, which led me to assume we were outside. It was then that I realized that my sense of smell was impaired as well, because if I was outside, I would've been able to smell the dirt outside, and I would've noticed the smell of alcohol going away.
The repetitive swaying went on for what seemed like forever. I could hear muffling around me. Then the muffling started to become clearer, until I was able to hear what my captors were saying.
"This was so easy," I heard Mac bragging.
"What're we gonna do with her, Mac?" Teebo asked.
"Something fun," he answered. "The first thing we'll do is take her to the dojo. Then we'll have some playtime."
"The dojo? Why there?" Teebo asked.
"Because there's a secret basement under it." Mac answered, "We can go in there and do what we want with her without being disturbed."
"Say, just how long is she gonna stay like this?" I heard Brooter ask, his voice coming from right next to me, confirming that he was the one carrying me.
"All day," Mac answered, "The drug impairs all the senses except for touch. She can feel everything that's going on, but that's about it. She probably won't start recovering from it for another seven hours, then she'll start getting her hearing back. Then the last thing she'll recover is her ability to move."
"So in other words, we'll know when she's fully recovered when she kicks our asses," Teebo pointed out.
"Yes, but until then, we'll have hours to have fun with her."
"But what if she recovers from it faster than that?" Brooter asked.
"Not possible. She had a whole mug of 'Blood of The Black Dragon', and then some. Alcohol only makes the affects last longer. Believe me, she won't be recovering anytime soon."
"Just keep thinking that, Genius," I thought.
After that, Brooter suddenly stopped walking. I heard a very loud gong ringing, followed by an opening door. Brooter started walking again. After a few steps, I felt our direction change. Now we were moving downward, as if he was stepping down stair steps.
"Alright, Brooter," Mac said, "Put 'er right there."
I then felt Brooter lift me off his shoulder and place me down ontop of something soft and cushion-like, setting me down so I was lying on my back.
Right then, my head started hurting, slowly growing from a slight twinge to a massive throbbing.
"Nggeh…" I moaned.
"Uh, Mac?" Brooter said.
"Relax, will ya?" Mac assured him, "The affects of the drug prevent her from moving. If she can't move her mouth, she can't speak. All she can do is moan and groan at us."
"My head…" I thought as the pain continued to get worse.
I wondered if it was because of the drug or the drink. Either way, my thoughts were slipping. I knew then that I was losing consciousness.
"No…" I thought, "Not now… Not yet… Not like this…"
"First order of business," Mac said in a deep tone, "That cloak."
After that, I thought I could hear laughter echoing in the background, but I couldn't tell over the pain throbbing in my head as I slipped out of consciousness.
Hikorai
I awoke to a throbbing headache. After a moment, I noticed that I could not see or move.
"What is this?" I wondered in thought.
I could hear three male humans laughing around me. Their laughter was malicious in nature, leading me to assume they were the ones behind all of this.
I could feel hands touching me. I felt one set of hands removing Moira's cloak. I then felt another set of hands moving all around my chest area, particularly the breasts. Then I felt these hands removing the buttons that held the blouse shut.
Right then, my vision began to clear. I could see three human males in the room with me. One was sitting ontop of me, a greasy-looking human with a wide grin on his face. One was small and thin, and the third large and muscular. All of them were pawing at me in various places. The one sitting on me seemed especially determined to remove the rest of the clothing I was wearing.
"Not so tough now, are ya, Pussycat?" said the human that was sitting on me.
"This is inexcusable," I thought. "How can anyone do something like this with no shame or guilt?"
My anger rose with every passing second. The human ontop of me managed to open the blouse, exposing my chest. When I was alive, I never wore clothing, being a beast-like feline esper. However, despite our genetic union, this was a human body. I knew very well that in human customs, exposing certain body parts was indecent, in some cases vulgar, especially when forced into exposure by another human. I growled as I tried to move.
"Dude! Mac, she's growling!" The small human said, I assumed to the one sitting on me, and promptly backed away. The large human didn't hesitate to follow the small one's example.
"No way, Teebo, that's not possible," the human ontop of me replied, "That would mean the drug's wearing off."
"I dunno, man," The large one said, "She ain't exactly human."
"I know that, Brooter," The one called Mac replied, and then looked down at me with a wide crooked grin on his face, "You two can back off if yer chicken."
"Yer funeral, Dude." The small one, Teebo, said as he turned around and ran away from us and up a set of stairs on the other side of the room.
"Yeah, just don't come crying to us if she tears you to shreds," Brooter, the large one said as he quickly followed Teebo.
"Fine," Mac said after they had gone, "Wusses. At least this way, I have you all to myself, eh Pussy? Better get to the good part before the drug wears off completely."
By then I was able to muster enough energy to swing my hands up and shove the human off of me, sending him flying backward to land on his back.
Though I was fairly weak, I was finally able to sit up. I then struggled to get up on my feet. Though wobbling, I managed to do so.
"Damnit," Mac grumbled and then turned around to run, "Screw this."
"MAC!" screamed one of the humans from up the stairs.
"Shit!" Mac yelled.
"What the hell are you idiots doing in here?" Yelled a woman's voice from the top of the stairs. "I thought Daddy said you were never to come here again!"
"O-oh, it's y-y-you! H-Hey!" Teebo stuttered.
"W-Wassap?" Brooter continued.
"Step aside!" Mac said as he stepped up the stairs.
I only had enough strength to stand there and watch.
"Whatcha doing in there, Mac? Hmm?" The woman asked in a singsong tone.
"None of your business," Mac replied, singing the same tune.
"Just get outtta here before I'm forced to kick all your asses."
"And then what, steal our materia? You already took all the materia we had. Not to mention all our money."
"How can you accuse me of such a thing! If you can't keep track of your own stuff, that's not my problem. Now leave, before my father finds out you've been sneaking down here again!"
The three then continued up the stairs and out of my sight.
"Bitch," I hear Mac say as he left.
"Yes, you are," The woman spat back.
After a moment, my strength failed me, and I fell to my knees. I looked up and saw the human woman coming down the stairs. She was small and thin, much smaller than I was at the moment. She had very short, black hair and dark brown eyes. She wore a pair of white shorts and a short sleeveless green shirt with a turtleneck collar. She also had some sort of armor covering her left side and left arm.
She walked up to me, and then bent down as if to get a better look at me.
"And what are YOU supposed to be?" She asked, eyebrow raised.
"I…" I said, with much effort, "I…"
"Well, that doesn't matter right now. What're you doing in here?"
"I…"
"Hang on, let me guess," she interrupted and began walking around me, disappearing to my left as she walked behind me. "Mac slipped you that famous drug of his and brought you down here to have some fun."
I then saw her head pop up in front of me to my right.
"Am I right?" She asked.
I was not there when Moira was drugged, but I knew that was what happened. After leaving a place called Mideel, Moira had begun drinking alcoholic beverages on a regular basis. I assumed that her drinking was how she had gotten herself drugged by such disgusting and terrible people. Though I was certain that what this human said was what happened, I did not wish to attempt an answer.
"Still can't talk, huh?" She said and started walking back to the stairs. "Well, don't worry, the drug should wear off soon, and then you can get out of here. Just be sure to shut the door on your way out, ok? Buh-bye."
She then went up the stairs and out of my sight. I stayed there for a moment, remaining on my knees until I was finally strong enough to push myself onto my feet. As I stood up, I began to feel dizzy. I stepped forward, but I found it difficult to keep myself balanced.
"What is this?" I said, immediately noticing a difficulty in enunciation.
"Is this another affect of the drug?" I thought.
I continued stepping forward, failing in my attempt at staying in a straight line. I stopped walking when I collided sidelong into one of the pillars.
"No, this is something else entirely," I thought as I sat down, leaning back on the pillar I collided with. "Perhaps I should rest before attempting to climb the stairs."
I then shut my eyes, hoping to stop the spinning sensation. Though the spinning continued, I was somehow able to ignore it and slip into sleep.
Moira
"This place again," I droned to nobody in particular.
I looked up and saw Hikorai walking up to me on all fours. The look on her face was not a happy one.
"I take it you met the asses that drugged me?" I asked as she came up.
"How could I not? The three of them were ontop of me. At the very least, the one called Mac was."
"But nothing happened. You were able to stop them. That stupid drug of theirs wasn't as strong as they thought it was."
"Actually, I did nothing. I was unable to do anything. The only reason nothing happened was because a young human woman with short dark hair had walked in and made them leave. By then I was barely able to stand. After she left, I attempted to walk out myself, but found myself stumbling from side to side. And I was almost certain that it was not because of the drug."
"Hmm. Interesting. Even after the drug ran its course, I'm still drunk."
"Just how much did you drink?"
"Enough to get careless."
"Apparently," she replied, narrowing her eyes, "You were irresponsible."
"Yeah, I know. I screwed up. But now it's over, so now there's nothing to worry about."
"Nothing to worry about? Did it ever occur to you that you could very well have been raped if not for that woman stepping in?"
"The thought had crossed my mind, yes."
"And yet you are not the least bit concerned?"
"Not really. Why worry about something that didn't happen?"
"Why are you behaving like this? This is not like you at all."
"Look, I just want today to be over with, okay? I'm waiting for something important to be delivered to me, and I really want to kill some time."
"This item that is being delivered... Why is it so important?"
"I'll tell you after I get it. For now, don't worry."
"If you are going to continue this reckless behavior of yours, of course I will continue to worry."
"Fine. I'll be more careful. After I sober up, I'll head to my place and sit tight for the rest of the day."
"See to it that you do," she said as she turned around and walked away.
"That I will," I replied.
I opened my eyes and found myself in a large shrine-like room with a set of stairs going upwards and lots of support pillars.
"Still in the dojo basement," I thought. "Wonder if I'm sober yet."
I pushed myself onto my feet and then felt really dizzy. My head was still hurting, but the pain was a different kind, and my stomach felt like it turned into a rock.
"Hmm, hung over," I thought. "This won't make the rest of the day any easier."
I looked down and noticed that my cloak was missing and my blouse was opened.
"Bastards," I thought as I buttoned my blouse back up.
I stepped forward, clutching at my stomach with one arm, and keeping my balance with the other. I staggered over to where my cloak was laid. I then picked it up, put it back on, and slipped the hood over my head.
"Not that this'll do me much good anymore," I said to myself in thought, "Half the town knows what I look like now."
I turned back around, stumbled my way to the stairs, and then climbed them.
The stairs led to a set of double-doors, the right side of which was open. I went through it and shut it as I left. I looked up and found that the door I just shut was identical to the wall of the building, which turned out to actually be a gazebo with a large gong standing in the middle of it.
It was late in the afternoon. The sun was pretty low in the sky, but not yet low enough to set. It made the sky a soft yellow color and the clouds a pinkish orange.
"The day will be over soon," I thought, "I should go back to my place and wait for Sim."
I stumbled away from the gazebo and followed the path away from the dojo and back into Wutai. The dojo was built behind and off to the side of the town. It could've been very easily hidden if the main building wasn't several hundred feet tall. The only thing taller than the dojo's tower was the mountain to the north, which had a winding path, several tunnel, and some gigantic figures carved into it.
I slowly walked back into town, still clutching my belly. I ignored any and all people that passed me.
I continued walking until I reached a very small abandoned building somewhere in the middle of town. The building was really just one room with an attic. Nobody was using it for anything, so this was where I stayed during my time in Wutai. I often wondered why it was kept around since it seemed to serve no purpose.
I pushed the door open and entered the dark building. As I shut it behind me I was greeted with a small animal rubbing against my cloak.
"Meow," it said.
I looked down at the gray tiger-striped cat as it rubbed some more. After a few seconds, a few more cats came up and greeted me.
"Meow meow," they all said.
"Hey guys," I greeted back and continued walking past them.
The small building was filled with cats of all sizes and colors. Being around them made me feel welcome. None of them minded me being there. They minded their business, and I minded mine. A few of them liked to walk up and greet me as I walk in, so I'd pet them and then continue with my business.
I walked over to the back of the room. In the ceiling at the back was a door that went to the attic. The only way in was to climb the crates that were stacked beneath it, which I did. I climbed to the top and peeked through the doorway in the ceiling. I then lifted myself up through this doorway and stood up into a room barely big enough for me to walk through.
At the edge of the room, over to the front side of the building, there was a large empty trunk. It looked like it may have had something important inside of it, but I didn't wonder too much about it. For some time it just sat shut, serving as my table to put my things while I rested. At the moment, all I had on it were some shot glasses and a pitcher that I'd purchased from Sim, testing his reliability in getting me what I wanted.
This room was where I stayed during my time in Wutai. In the attic of a hut filled with cats. Every once in a while, one of the cats would come upstairs to the attic to keep me company. Well, more like to beg for a petting, or wondering if I had any food for them. Either way, the cats made me feel welcome, which was why I chose to stay there.
As I approached the box-table, I reached into my cloak and onto my belt for my pouches of money. After some patting around my waist, I noticed that I wasn't finding them.
"What?" I uttered as I stopped walking and looked down into my cloak to try and see them, but they weren't anywhere to be found. "No!"
I patted around the rest of my waist to see if they had moved, but found nothing.
"What the hell!" I blurted in my panic. "No, I've come too close! I've got to find it! I have to!"
After a second of panic, I heard some loud familiar male laughter coming from outside.
"Them!" I turned, recognizing the three voices that were laughing outside.
I ran over to the front side wall, walked past the trunk, and looked down a hole in the wall to the town below.
"Geez, what a bitch!" The one called Mac said as he walked.
"No kidding," Brooter replied. "Kickin' us out of the dojo like that. Who does that Yuffie kid think she is?"
"Dude, she's Master Godo's DAUGHTER," Teebo answered, "She's got every authority to kick us out."
"I don't care who she is," Mac said, "The next time we see her, she's getting her ass whooped."
Irritated, I ran back to the doorway, jumped down, leapt over all the cats to the front door, opened it, and ran across the path to the three stooges.
"What the--!" Mac managed to say before I grabbed his throat and lifted him up a few inches.
"Mac!" Teebo and Brooter both yelled as they almost jumped in to help Mac. I then turned to them and growled.
"One wrong move," I growled at them, tightening my grip on his throat, "And I will give Mac here a few more air holes."
They immediately backed away a few inches, hands up. I then turned my attention back to Mac.
"Where is it!" I growled.
"Where's what, Pussycat?" Mac replied, desperately gasping for air.
"My money, you idiot! Where's my money!"
"How the... hell should I know?"
"Psh! Yeah," Brooter spoke up, "We were too busy with other stuff on you to think about your money."
"Yeah, we were interested in other things," Teebo continued.
"If anything..." Mac gasped, "Yuffie took your money."
"Yuffie?" I replied, having absolutely no idea who they were talking about. "Who the hell is Yuffie?"
"The girl that kicked us out of the dojo right when we were getting to the good part. Or at least I was. These other two were too chicken and started running off when you started coming to."
"And why should I believe that YOU didn't take it?"
"We got our own ways of makin' money, Puss. We don't need yours. Yuffie's a compulsive thief. She mostly steals materia from those who have it so she can sell it to the people of Wutai."
"Yeah, you don't FIND materia around these parts," Brooter added.
"She makes a killing selling stolen materia," Teebo then added.
"And when she can't… find anyone with materia…" Mac continued, "She goes and finds… easy targets to steal… money from. With her ninja skills… she could easily have… snatched your money… in your drunken daze."
I slowly lowered Mac down, carefully eyeing him, still not sure whether or not to believe him. When he was finally back on the ground, he backed away and coughed a bit as he gasped for air.
"How can I be sure you're telling me the truth?" I asked.
"You can't, really," Mac gasped. "I'm curious, though. Why aren't you ripping me apart for what I did to you earlier today?"
"Because right now I don't give a damn about what you put me through today. I just need my money back by tonight. Where can I find this Yuffie person?"
"Hell, I don't know. Let's go, boys. I need a drink."
I watched as they walked away and out of sight. After that, my only thoughts were centered on how I was going to find Yuffie, and now that I was more calm and able to think clearly, I realized that those three couldn't have taken my money. I knew the smell of the leather my pouches were made of, and I didn't smell it on any of them.
"Well, they mentioned that she's the daughter of the head of the Dojo," I thought. "So my best bet would be to look there first."
I looked up at the sun to see how much time I had left. It was lower down than before, and the sky had already started to change colors.
"I have to find her fast if I'm gonna meet Sim in time."
"HEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" Screamed a high voice from inside the bar.
"What was that?" I wondered in thought as I stopped after only walking two feet. "Well, whatever it is, it's not my business."
"Getting ready to whoop your ass, you stupid bitch!" I heard Mac answer.
"What the hell for! All I did was kick you out of the dojo for the millionth time this month! Why don't you get it through your stupid head that you aren't allowed in there!"
"Hmm," I thought. "Maybe I should start at the bar instead."
I turned around and went over to the bar. As I walked in the door, I saw a young woman lying down on top of the counter. Teebo was holding down her arms and Brooter was legs. Mac stood in front of the counter holding her by the neck of her shirt and holding a fist in the air, ready to strike. There were also a few people in the bar, but many were on their feet and stepping back away from the scene. As I walked closer to the counter, I could smell my leather pouches.
"Excellent," I thought. "My work was done for me."
As I got even closer, Mac turned and saw me coming.
"Pussycat!" He greeted and gave me a crooked smile, still holding his fist in the air.
"I take it that's Yuffie," I said.
"That's right," Mac replied, "And we're gonna beat the shit out of her for all the shit she's been giving us."
"Hey!" Yuffie spoke up at me, "Dontcha remember me! I'm the one that got these bastards off of you!"
"Yes, and you figured you'd take my money while I was still waking up."
"What!" Yuffie replied, "Not you too! I swear I didn't do it!"
"Listen, this isn't gonna get you anywhere," I said, "And I'm in a hurry. So how about I get these idiots off you and then you give me my money back."
"What!" Mac yelled.
"Pht!" She spat, "I can get these guys off by myself."
She then started struggling, to which Mac replied by beginning his beating on her, Teebo and Brooter still holding her down.
"Ah! Ow! Ow! Fine! Fine! It's a deal! Get 'em off!"
"Ok," I replied as I grabbed Mac from behind and tossed him aside and into a nearby empty table.
As I reached to grab Teebo, Mac grabbed my right shoulder and yanked me around to face him.
"I thought we were on the same boat here, Pussycat!"
"I've had just about enough of you," I said as I punched him in the face and knocked him unconscious.
I turned around to where Teebo and Brooter were still holding Yuffie down, staring at me in horror.
"Leave," I told them.
"Yes, ma'am," They answered as they let Yuffie go and bolted out of the bar as fast as they could. And as they left, I could still smell the leather of my money pouches, confirming that Yuffie was the one who had it.
Almost immediately, I walked up and grabbed Yuffie by the collar of her shirt.
"Hey!" She yelled.
"You will give me my money now," I growled, "Or I will do the same to you as I did to Mac. I know you have it, I can smell the pouches on you, so don't try anything."
"Fine," she grumbled, reaching into her armor sleeve and pulling out a pouch of money.
I took the pouch with my free hand. Suspicious of a trick, I set the bag on the counter so I could open it one-handed and take out one of the coins in the bag to make sure that there was actually money in it.
"Now the rest of it," I said, still holding her.
Giving e a dirty look, she pulled out the rest of my money pouches and handed them to me. I set all of them on the counter and inspected each of them the same way as the first. When I finished confirming their authenticity, I grabbed all the pouches and released Yuffie.
"Thank you," I said as I turned around and walked out of the bar.
"Bitch," I heard her say under her breath.
"So are you," I replied as I walked out the door.
I looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was nearly setting.
"Just in time," I thought and headed out of town and towards the canyon where I agreed to meet with Sim.
As I approached, I could see Sim waiting for me with a large paper bag in his hands.
"You got it all?" I asked.
"Of course," he replied. "You got my pay?"
I then held up the pouches of money that I'd just retrieved from Yuffie. Seeing them, he handed me the bag as I handed him the pouches. We each inspected our given items, confirming that I'd paid him and that he got me everything I asked for.
"Nice doing business with you," Sim bowed and went away.
I then turned back to the town and headed to the small shack I stayed in. I went into the attic and placed the bag on my makeshift table.
"Now will you tell me what was so important for you to have gone through so much trouble?" I heard Hikorai in my head.
"I'll do better than that," I answered, "I'll show you."
I sat down in front of the box, opened the bag and pulled out its contents, placing them on my table. They were bottles filled with various liquids. I didn't bother reading the labels. I knew what they were. I grabbed the pitcher that sat at the corner and set it in front of me. I began pouring the liquids into the pitcher, mixing them together.
"Wait..." Hikorai said. "These are poisons."
"Yes, they are," I replied and kept mixing.
"Powerful poisons," she added.
"Yup."
"What do you plan to do with these poisons?"
"What do you think?"
She stayed silent for a moment as I finished my concoction. I then looked over at my shot glasses and grabbed the largest one.
"What are you doing?" Hikorai asked, concern very noticeable in her voice.
I chose not to answer as I poured some of the mixture into my glass.
"No!" She continued, "You would not!"
"I would," I answered, "And I will."
"But you will surely die!"
"Exactly," I replied and lifted my full glass.
"This will not solve anything!"
"What is there to solve?" I asked calmly, "Raven is dead. Jamie is dead. My entire family is dead. Everything I ever lived for is gone, and I have to hide everywhere I go because I'm a freak. There's nothing left for me. Besides, if I die you might get back to resting in peace."
"It is not that simple, Moira! My situation is irrelevant at the moment! Please, think about what you are doing!"
"I've thought about this ever since Jamie died," I said, bringing the glass closer to my lips, "Believe me, I know what I'm doing."
"Moira! NO!"
I chugged the contents of the glass before she even finished. The liquid was spicy as hell, which told me it was a very potent poison. Immediately, I felt my body failing. It only took a few seconds before I collapse to the floor.
"What have you done..." Hikorai whispered as my vision went out.
"Finally," I thought, unable to speak, "It's all over."
After a few more seconds, there was nothing left but darkness.