Chapter 6

Yuffie sat near a small depression in the open stone floor of the ruin, the hairs on the back of her neck bristling up. The night was a dark one, with few stars visible, and those that were seen threw strange shadows all over the broken fortress. A repeated howling was heard beyond the walls, it's cry melancholy and worried. Yuffie felt no doubt of who it belonged to. Using a nearby wood supply of the monk's she started a small fire in hopes of pushing back both the darkness and her fear. She failed on both counts, however.

There was no sound from within the keep for some time. The ninja worried whether the priest had been able to heal such a dreadful wound on the mysterious beauty. Though she barely knew her, she prayed for the strange lady, who was obviously special to her friend Cloud. An aura of pain and loss hung over both these people, and for the first time in her life Yuffie felt injustice. Up to this time her nimble fingers had been untethered by conscience, thievery and subterfuge second nature to her. But the things she saw with these two made her realize there was such a thing as evil in the world. Even her time in the dungeons of Aquila paled against the sadness she saw here.

Suddenly an agonizing cry of pain flew out of the locked keep. Yuffie knew it must be the wounded woman. At the same time a fierce howl of indescribable sadness rang out across the fields surrounding the ruin. Yuffie, fear filling her heart, put her head in her hands and prayed to her Lord Leviathan, for the first time in hopes of a blessing for someone other than herself. She received no answer, causing a misting of tears to form around her soulful brown eyes.

After what seemed an eternity the old priest came out of the keep, his face pale and haggard, though she sensed relief in his eyes. "She will recover with rest..." he assured her tiredly in his booming tone.

Another howl rang out across the night. Yuffie stood and rubbed her eyes nervously, before finally turning to the priest, her face intent. "That's him, isn't it! Somehow it's him!"

Imperius grabbed his wineskin and poured out two flagons for himself and the girl. "Drink and forget..." he whispered, his eyes not meeting hers as he handed one to her.

"You were drunk when we arrived!" she accused, holding the flagon without drinking. "And you remembered!"

Imperius turned to regard the young kunoichi with an appraising eye. "What do they call you, girl?"

Yuffie held her head up proudly. "I am Yuffie the Mouse, a ninja princess and master thief!"

Imperius smiled, admiring her spirit. "Ah, I see!" he chuckled. His smile faded as he looked back to the keep. "Well, Princess Yuffie, her name is Aerith Gainsborough. Her father was a scholar, mainly interested in history and religion. Her mother was the last survivor of a forgotten tribe of the north. He died tragically, attacked by brigands while conducting research. The mother followed soon after, a victim of a strange illness ten years ago. Aerith then came to live in Aquila with her father's sister, a flower-seller by trade." Imperius' friendly smile returned to his bulbous features. "I shall never forget the first time I saw her... it was like..."

"Looking at an angel." Yuffie finished, smiling shyly.

Imperius nodded. "Ah, yes, even a pretty girl like you can see it. Well, I suppose we were all charmed by her in different ways, those with heart enough to see beyond her meager upbringing. Even the Bishop himself seemed to fall under her spell."

"The Bishop loved her?" Yuffie asked surprised.

Imperius regarded her with rage in his black eyes. "As close as that evil man could ever come to such a noble emotion." He growled as he threw a log on the fire, sending up sparks. "In rejection of his vows to the Cetran God, he became obsessed with her. He tried all the arts and allurements available to a powerful man to try and possess her. But Aerith saw his cruel nature and avoided him as best she could. She refused his gifts, turned down his impure advances." Imperius smiled again. "Her heart was already lost, you see. To the lowly squire of an untitled knight."

Yuffie's eyebrows shut up in revelation. "Cloud Strife!"

Imperius nodded, his eyes staring at the fire. "At first the Bishop did not suspect their bond. But each passing day saw it grow stronger and deeper. Until..." he stopped, a dreadful pain coming over his wizened face. His shoulders slumped as his eyes fell further down to the ground.

Yuffie, wishing him to continue, grabbed the wineskin and filled his cup. "Until..?" she encouraged him.

Imperius peered at the flagon sadly, but did not take a drink. "Aerith had a tutor, a friend of her aunt's. He was a weak and foolish priest. She confided to him of her love for young Strife, and that they had spent much time together. She had planned on giving him a gift of which she was especially proud. Her tutor, during a drunken confession to His Grace, revealed the secret." The old monk looked to the sky, his voice growing impassioned and tearful. "The old fool had no idea what he had done! Or the terrible revenge the Bishop would take. His Grace seemed to go mad, losing both his sanctity and his reason! He sent armed men to kidnap Aerith, killing her aunt and his own Captain of the Guard in the process, a friend of the lovers. Cloud managed to rescue her, but the Bishop would never relent. He swore if he could not have her, no man shall!" Imperius threw another log on the fire, the flaring blaze matching the fire in his words. "And so, Cloud and Aerith fled from Aquila. But the Bishop sent his new Captain of the Guard, the villainous Baigan after them, a man who already nursed a vile hatred towards young Strife. Though he tracked them with the tenacity of a tonberry, it seemed the lovers would escape to Midgar, where they could seek refuge with the Bishop's enemies there. But His Grace would never allow that. Seeking the help of a black-hearted apostate named Hojo, he called upon the powers of darkness for the means to damn the two lovers. In his fury and hatred he made an unholy bargain... with the Calamity!" The wolf howled again, as if in response to the old man's words. "The dark power of Jenova unleashed a horrible curse, one you have seen at work. By day, Aerith is the beautiful bird you brought to me. And by night... as you have already guessed, the howl of the wolf we hear is the cry of Cloud Strife." The monk wiped a tear from his eye, his voice growing hoarse with feeling. "Poor, bestial creatures who have no memory of their half-human lives. They can never be with one another as they once were, except for a mere second at sunrise and sunset when they can almost touch... but not quite."

Yuffie's tears flowed freely now as she listened to the tale. "Always together. But eternally apart."

Imperius nodded, his face grave. "Indeed. As long as there is night and day. And for as long as they both shall live." Once again the wolf howled painfully at his words. Imperius turned and regarded the young ninja with a sad expression. "You have stumbled unto a tragic tale, Yuffie the Mouse. And now, you are lost in it, like the rest of us." The old monk stood and walked off to be alone with his thoughts, throwing another log onto the fire. Yuffie just sat there, absorbing the tale. For the first time, the world seemed a cold and frightening place to her.

-

Aerith awoke in the still-dark early hours of the morning, the pain in her shoulder now dulled to a throbbing ache. The herbs Imperius had given her left her groggy, but she felt more rested than she had in quite some time. Looking up she saw the young Wutaian girl watching over her. She made to rise up in her pallet.

The girl stopped her gently. "Try to rest miss. Imperius thinks you may open your wound if you move too much."

Aerith regarded her companion, a friendly smile on lovely visage. "We've seen so much of each other lately! But I don't even know your name."

Yuffie smirked as she raised her chin. "I am Yuffie the Mouse, the greatest ninja who ever lived!"

Aerith giggled slightly at Yuffie's charming conceit. "Well, my name is Aerith Gainsborough, a flower seller... at least I used to be." Her smile faded a bit. "You're Cloud's friend, aren't you?"

Yuffie grinned wryly. "In a manner of speaking I guess. No offense, but your boyfriend's a royal pain in the ass!"

Aerith laughed lightly and nodded. "Oh, believe me, I know!" Her look turned pensive, however. "Did he say anything... did he leave any message for..?" her words trailed off, as her demeanor turned sad.

Yuffie stared worriedly at her for a moment, but brightened as she spoke. "Just about his bird. He made me swear to protect that hawk of his with my life! He said it was his only reason for living, a strange thing to say about a bird, but hey, Spike's a strange man. He said if anything happened to it, he would not have the will to go on!"

Aerith looked at her, a small smile forming on her face. Yuffie continued. "Then he said, that one day he and the hawk would live in eternal happiness with one another, and that the sun would... never set on their joy."

Aerith raised her eyebrow, knowing it was a lie, but still happy at the thought. "Cloud said that, huh?"

Yuffie bowed her head solemnly. "I swear it on my life." She and Aerith shared a friendly smile, before Yuffie left the keep so her new friend could rest. She found Imperius looking out at the brightening horizon in the courtyard of the ruin.

"Does she know?" the ninja asked curiously. Imperius looked at her in confusion. "That you were the one who betrayed them?" she continued, having guessed the old monk's secret.

"The Cetran God has at last willed there be an end to it!" he cried passionately. "For in my dreams he has given me the knowledge of a way to break the curse!"

"Just cut to the chase old man!" Yuffie tapped her foot impatiently at the priest's enigmatic jabbering.

"Three days from now, in Aquila, there will a moment of neither day nor night. If at that instance Cloud and Aerith confront the Bishop as man and woman, the curse will be broken forever!"

"Neither day nor night?" Yuffie asked incredulously. "Just what in the name of Lord Leviathan does that mean?"

"I'm not sure exactly..." admitted the monk, his eyes downcast. "But for the first time in two years there is a chance! It must be fate that brought Cloud and dear Aerith back to me! For now I shall be able to..!" He broke off as the sound of approaching chocobos and riders appeared just outside the walls. The two moved over to the battlements, seeing three red-clad riders approaching.

"The Bishop's men!" cried Imperius in alarm. "See to Aerith! Keep her hidden!" Yuffie nodded and ran off as the monk stood above his wooden gate.

"Open the door in the name of Aquila!" cried the leader of the riders, a snub-nosed man with a pale, unhealthy-looking face, as they stopped their mounts before the gates of the old ruin..

"Be off with you!" bellowed Imperius, indignantly. "This is a holy monastery, not a tavern!"

"I said open up in the name of His Holiness, the Bishop!"

"I've met the Bishop, you blasphemous lout!" Cried the old priest, glaring down at the knights. "And you look nothing like him!"

"Old drunkard..!" hissed the lead knight. He gestured to the others who carried a small battering device. "Break down this door!"

Imperius set to work, wobbling over to a small lever near the entrance. It didn't take long for the old, rotted gate to be broken in, and the three knights swarmed into the ruin, their faces grim and determined. As one strode over a small bridge, Imperius surreptitiously threw the lever, releasing the chains which held the bridge and causing the knight to plummet to the rocky ground below. "Forgive me!" the old man growled. "I am a monk, not a carpenter!"

He then moved up near the larger bridge spanning the groundwater under the courtyard. Another knight was approaching, and this time Imperius put a friendly smile on his chubby face. "Sorry to have troubled you, milord. There is some refreshment for you, straight ahead through the main doors. Just remember..." Ignoring the priest the knight stepped on the rotten portion on the bridge, breaking through and falling to the stagnant water below where he disappeared without a trace. "Stay on the left side!" Imperius called down the hole to him, a satisfied smile on his wizened features. As he stood though, the pale-faced leader hit him hard across the forehead with the pommel of his sword, knocking the old priest out. He looked down where his comrade had fallen below. "Imbeciles!" he grunted, and moved forward on his own.

Yuffie returned to the keep where Aerith lay resting. "Up and at 'em, Miss Aerith! Time to get up!" She warned softly as she gently shook the flower girl awake.

"Um, call me Aerith..." the pretty lady mumbled sleepily. "Where are we going?"

"We've got some company!" whispered Yuffie. "And though you're much more sociable than your grim-faced boyfriend, I think you don't want to receive these particular gentlemen."

"The Bishop's men?" Aerith whispered in fear.

Yuffie nodded in assent. "Let's go! And quietly!" The two girls made it out of the keep, but were quickly spotted by the approaching knight.

"Damn!" muttered Yuffie. She spotted the entrance to a small watchtower. "This way, milady!" She pulled Aerith into the tower where they quickly climbed to the top, the warrior on their trail. Yuffie lowered the hatch they entered the roof of the tower from, but the knight reached it as well and threw Yuffie back in an attempt to open it. With a cry, the kunoichi jumped on the hatch knocking it back down and used the rusty latch to lock it. The knight pocked his sword through a slit in the hatch, causing Yuffie to scream in fear and fall backwards against Aerith who went over the edge of the tower. She grabbed a small indentation to keep herself from falling, but her grip was tenuous. Yuffie rushed over to try and pull her up.

"Yuffie! Help me!" cried Aerith fearfully.

"I've got you!" grunted the young ninja, who was struggling to heave Aerith back up. "I won't drop you!" But despite her words her strength began to fail and her grip to come loose.

"Yuffie!" Aerith's hand slipped out of the ninja's and she began to fall to the rocks below.

"No! Aerith!" screamed Yuffie in horror. Before her eyes, a small slit of sunshine illuminated the scene below her as the sun finally began to rise. Yuffie watched as Aerith screamed and fell, and suddenly it was as if time moved painfully slowly. Aerith's screams continued, but they grew shriller and softer. Her form seemed to shimmer, and where there had once been flesh, now feathers appears. With a fierce cry, the lady disappeared and the hawk flew up into the sky, safe from a rocky death on it's soaring wings.

Yuffie stared in disbelief for a moment, before she heard a banging coming from behind her. The knight was breaking through the trapdoor. Yuffie jumped over the buttress of the tower and climbed on a small weathered gargoyle in an attempt to hide from the man. However, it proved a short-lived respite as the man broke the rusted hatch and climbed to the roof. It didn't take him long to locate Yuffie.

"You! Where is the woman!" he yelled raising his sword.

"She flew away." Yuffie whispered in fear.

"Where is she!" The knight cried again, becoming even more agitated.

"I told you, she flew away!" yelled Yuffie, holding her head in her heads as she prepared for the worst.

"Liar! I'll show you!" The man raised his sword, but suddenly a jagged flash struck him square in the chest. He cried out painfully before falling before Yuffie's eyes to the sharp rocks below.

Yuffie looked dumbly for a moment at the dead man below, before seeing something dark in the corner of her eye. On a small ledge below, she noticed Cloud Strife holding up his materia gauntlet, obviously having saved her once again. "Spike!" she cried happily, waving to him. Cloud gave her a small salute in response.

Yuffie looked heavenward beaming. "I guess Godo was right for a change, Lord Leviathan. It actually can pay to tell the truth!"

-

Cloud Strife raised his gauntleted fist, allowing the hawk to perch in her usual place. He led his chocobo to a small outcropping where Imperius lay, recovering from his slight wound. The black-clad warrior looked up at the old priest, an unreadable expression on his face.

"I thought you might be dead, old man." Cloud's voice held no regret at the thought. "At one time I planned on killing you myself. But now..." he raised his arm which held the healed hawk. "I'm very grateful for this."

Imperius lifted his bulk up and staggered towards Cloud. "No, it is I who am grateful, to finally have a chance to redeem myself. For our Cetran God has revealed to me a way to break the curse!"

Cloud's eyes narrowed dangerously as he peered at the monk. "You have betrayed her once already. Do it again, and you will not live to see another day."

Imperius ignored the threat. "All you have to do..." he began, his voice full of hope. "Is confront the Bishop together as man and woman."

Cloud scoffed. "Impossible."

"As long as there is night and day, true, it is impossible." The priest continued, his eyes alight. "But three days from now in Aquila during the annual Sacred Blessing there will be a day without a night and a night without a day."

A disgusted look appeared on Cloud's handsome face. "Go back inside old man!" he ordered with contempt. "Go back to your drink!"

"You think I'm drunk!" cried Imperius, his tone becoming desperate. "The Cetran God has shown me! He has forgiven me!"

Cloud stared down at the old priest, a mixture of pity and disdain decorating his features. "He hasn't forgiven you. He's driven you insane." Imperius reeled back as if struck, and Cloud led Sleipnir to the gate of the ruin.

Yuffie came out of her hiding place where she had witnessed the whole thing. "Spike, wait a minute!" she called. She reassuringly patted Imperius' arm gently as she passed him. "Come on, Spike, wait up!"

Cloud reined in his chocobo as the thief caught up to him.

Yuffie grinned, happy to see him. "How's your shoulder?" she asked, concerned.

Cloud did not answer, but peered down at the hawk perching on his arm. "I'm indebted to you." he declared, his eyes unable to meet the ninja's.

Yuffie waved that off. "Aaah, what's a few savings of lives between friends?" she demurred.

Cloud looked gratefully at the young thief. "You're free to go."

"I know."

"You may do as you like."

"I always do!" chirped Yuffie happily. "Anyways, I was wondering, you still heading towards Aquila?"

"Yes."

"Well..." Yuffie brought a finger to her lip as if deep thought. "It just so happens, I was thinking of giving the place a second chance after all!"

A smile twitched at the corners of Cloud's mouth. "Is that a fact?" he said, his voice steady. Yuffie nodded. The warrior's face took on a mock harshness. "Well, then hurry up and get your things. We're leaving." Yuffie grinned and nodded once again before running off. Cloud's face broke into a grateful smile when she could no longer see, obviously pleased to have a friend.

"Imperius!" Yuffie whispered to him as she passed. "I'm leaving with Spike to go to Aquila! Follow us! I'll try and work on him!"

-

Author's Note: Sorry if there's disappointment about the role of Imperius not transitioning to a FF character, but I always liked Leo McKern and thought his performance in the movie was fantastic. I think he would have had great (platonic!) chemistry with a Yuffie-type character just like he did with Matthew Broderick, so I decided to keep him as is. McKern died a few years back, so I guess it's my little tribute to him. As for all you Vincent fans (there's a lot of you these days!), most of the major roles have been taken, but you never know who might pop up before this is all over! Thanks again to all readers and reviewers, this has been fun so far!