Chapter 20: Ninja
(Same tags apply as in Chapter 1)
Vincent landed on Yuffie's perch as her feet left the rock. He dove for her as the cries from below intensified and managed to wrap his good arm around her waist as his claw embedded itself into the rock ledge.
.::-o-::.
Yuffie felt herself jerk in mid air. She was no longer falling but the dizziness and nausea remained. She felt herself being pulled up by a single arm and heard what sounded like metal against rock. It could only be one person…
"I got her!" Vincent yelled down to the other as he pulled her onto the ledge and against the wall. He could no longer see the others from this position, but heard various 'Thank gods' and a 'that Son of a Bitch caught her in mid air' from a relieved Cid.
Vincent pulled her small form close and covered her with his body as the rocks continued to fall. For the first time in his life, he was glad to have the strength of the four demons that resided within his body.
"Yuffie, are you okay?"
She felt horrible her head was pounding, she was still extremely dizzy, and her breakfast was about to make its second appearance. She didn't want Vincent to worry about her…they had to get out of the crater. "I'll be fine. We gotta find some way outta here!"
Yuffie's earpiece crackled to life but the voice was shrouded in static. "..Cap…n ….. ….going down!"
A thunderous crashing sound was heard above as larger boulders began to rain down around them. Vincent looked up and saw a flash of metal as he pushed the ninja closer to the wall and covered her with his body.
"Holy fuckin' shit! Watch out!!" Cid hollered from below.
The Highwind came crashing down into the crater, stern first; narrowly missing the three groups huddled on the ledges.
Tifa stood and helped Cloud to his feet. "We gotta get inside the ship, everybody MOVE!" The fighter yelled.
Six forms scrambled across the metal hull of the ship heading for the deck. Vincent pulled the ninja to her feet and led her to the edge of the ledge.
"We have to jump, can you make it?" Vincent looked down at her.
Yuffie looked at the gap and smirked at him. "What kind of ninja would I be if I couldn't make that little jump?"
They leapt the small gap and landed on the ship. Yuffie squeezed her eyes, desperately trying to make the cavern stop spinning. Her eyes opened to see Vincent staring at her with concern.
"We only have to make it to that door." He said nodding his head in the direction of the door.
The quickly scrabbled across and entered the now hatch-like door, prepared for the drop. The duo landed on a wall near the bridge entrance, coincidently, the same one Yuffie and Nanaki talked about tearing down. They lowered themselves through the door and Yuffie landed quickly rolling to her feet and instantly regretting it. She sat heavily and leaned her head against the wall.
Cid's voice rang out on the bridge. "Hold on to somethin', this is gonna be fuckin' bumpy." He pulled a lever and the Highwind shot up and out of the crater.
.::-o-::.
Avalanche stood near the window at the front of the transformed Highwind watching as the meteor was vaporized by holy and the Lifestream. A collective sigh of relief was heard from the exhausted heroes.
Cait hopped around in front of the window. "So where to now?"
Tifa looked at Yuffie with concern. The teen was unusually quiet and her eyes were dull. She knew that the teen had to return to Wutai for her title. "We need stop by Wutai and then we'll go from there." She said in a firm tone that dared someone to argue with her.
Cloud and Cid nodded at the martial artist as a crewman set a course and started for Wutai.
Cloud turned to Cait. "Reeve, you're in charge now, what's going on at Midgar?"
Cait stopped bouncing as he processed the information being sent to him by the ex-Shinra Executive. "He says that he has rescue teams and SOLDIER are in route to begin evacuating the people who took refuge under the plates. The damage to the upper plate was severe, so he's at the aide station they set up in Kalm. There were approximately 235,000 people who were confirmed to still be on the upper plate as it was being torn apart by the meteor and an estimated 2.3 million had already evacuated the city or took refuge under the plate.
"From what we can tell, there won't be much that can be salvaged in Midgar. The amount of rubble on the upper plate is going to be massive and the hope for finding meteor survivors up there is slim because of the amount of time it will take to get to them. A lot of people are homeless and the sooner we get people away from the ruins and start building new cities and expanding the existing cities, the better."
"Thanks. I think we should go to the Canyon after when we leave Wutai. Reeve, we would all like to meet you. Can you make it to there?"
"He said he'll meet us there in three days."
Barret walked over to the Mog. "Reeve, do you think that you could bring Marlene and Aeris' mom to the Canyon? They're stayin' in Kalm too." He pleaded with the man.
"Sure, he has to talk with the elders at the Canyon about some alternative energy sources and scout out some cities on the central continent for expansion."
"Well, then that's settled. We'll see you there."
Cid walked over to the helm and checked the course for Wutai set by the backup pilot. "Since half the goddamn ship separated and we're only usin' the fuckin' pod, were able to travel faster. We should be at Wutai in about thirty minutes."
Yuffie gave a slight nod to Tifa and just the slight movement made her fight tears at the pain that shot through her head. 'I'm not gonna cry…I'm not weak…I'M NOT WEAK!' her mind screamed. She lifted a shaky hand and brushed her unruly short strands out of her face.
Tifa walked over to the ninja and wrapped her bruised arms around her pulling her into a hug. "Yuffie, don't you ever let me catch you taking a swan dive off a ledge again! I am so glad you are alright. I don't know what I would have done if I would have lost you." Tears fell from her eyes as she quickly left to prepare something for lunch in the mess.
Cloud and Cid went to assess the damage to the equipment and supplies that were tossed around the now cargo plane-like Highwind. Vincent looked over at the teen from his position on the wall and she did not look well. She was now sitting against the wall watching Cait harass Nanaki and though she was trying to hide it, he saw the pain that was etched on her face.
He quietly walked over and sat near the teen for a few minutes before speaking. "Yuffie, you do not look well. Are you sure you are all right?"
She sighed and looked over at the gunman with her eyes, careful not to move her head. The dizziness and pain was almost unbearable. "I'm fine Vince…" she lied, not wanting to concern the dark man. "I just have a little headache. It'll go away in a little while." She gave him a sunny smile before leaning her head back against the cool wall.
"I am concerned about you. That blow you took to the head was quite serious."
She put on a smirk and opened her eyes. "Since when did you become such a worry wart, Vinnie? Its probably just a little concussion…been there, done that." The nausea returned with a vengeance and it took all her power just to keep it at bay.
"Please don't hesitate to let me know if it gets any worse. Do not fall asleep." He said as he remained by her side intending on keeping her awake.
.::-o-::.
The modified ship made a bumpy landing outside of Wutai as the sun shone high in the late morning sky. This was the first morning that the people of the planet could look to the heavens and not see the enormous meteor marring the beautiful blue skies.
Yuffie opened here eyes and stifled a cry of pain at the bright light that tortured her eyes. She got to her feet trying to make the movement seem fluid to the claret orbs that she knew were watching her.
"Vince, will you come with me? This will only take a few minutes." Her voice was oddly monotone, but he made no mention of it.
"Of course."
.::-o-::.
'Something is not right, Vincent.' Chaos said with what sounded like concern as they made their way to the first floor of the pagoda.
'I know. She says she's all right, but she's not.' He said, half listening to the conversation between Yuffie and the guardians.
'Watch her.'
Yuffie stood with her head high. "I come to you seeking my official ninja title. I have defeated all five guardians of the pagoda and with the saviors of the planet, Avalanche, have triumphed over Jenova and Sephiroth in the name of Leviathan and the Nation of Wutai."
Godo Kisaragi stepped forward and stood in front of his daughter.
"Let it be know that on this seventh day of November, Yuffie Kisaragi has received the official title of ninja and will be know as such from this day forward." He bowed slightly to his daughter and she returned the gesture. His gaze softened slightly as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "You and your friends have defeated the greatest threat known to all whom live on this planet. I am proud of you daughter, and you have my respect." He said stiffly and left the pagoda clearly not use to showing familial support to her.
Ninja Yuffie Kisaragi closed her eyes momentarily and felt a warm tear roll down her cheek.
Chekhov stepped forward and smiled at the little ninja. "Yuffie, will you be staying her in Wutai now that your travels are over?"
She looked up at the thin woman and minutely shook her head. "I won't be staying. I only came to do this then I will be leaving and not returning until I am required to come back."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She grasped the older woman's hand in placed the paper in it. "This is where you can contact me in case of emergency only. Please do not give anyone this information, including Lord Godo."
Chekhov's eyes widened slightly at the last bit. "I will honor your wishes Yuffie. I am honored that you trust me with this."
Yuffie pulled her into a brief hug and smiled at her. The throbbing in the back of her head increased as she fought the urge to cry out. "Well, we better hit the road. I will see you all when I return." She turned and headed for the door with Vincent following when a voice called out to her.
"Hey brat!"
She sighed and turned. "What do YOU want Shake?"
"Even though I still say I can kick your butt and you just got lucky when you faced me…" Yuffie scoffed at this. "Ya did good, brat."
She was a little shocked to hear that coming from Shake. "Thanks. Oh and if you want a rematch once I return, I'll take ya up on it ya little punk."
They left the pagoda and returned to the Highwind.
o-o-Author's Notes-o-o
I really meant to post this chapter last night, but I fell asleep…my bad. Anyway, there still is some drama yet to come so get ready!!
Hey!! I got a Sephy plush from Angel and I used the fairy godmother's wand and changed him into a real Sephy! Now I have three!!
Ezri: Okay, so I just go back from my CPR class with a shit load of hot paramedics and I feel the need to practice my skill that I just had to review… Sephiroth! Give the Masamune to Sephy 2 so he can protect me and you get that cute ass over here and let me practice mouth to mouth on you -wags eyebrows.-
-Sephiroth walks over and nuzzles Ezri who giggles like a schoolgirl-
Ezri: Sephy you can do the AN's…I will think of a better name for Sephy 2 later… -Drags Sephiroth away-
Sephy: -Grins at the readers- You all have made Ezri really really happy this last week and we've been reaping the rewards! There were 12 reviews of this chapter alone and she picked up some new reviewers.
Thank you to her new reviewers:
TheHomicidalManiac777
Kidbuxx256
Sexynun
Swtlil-azn
-Sephy 2 readies the Masamune- Just know that we will protect our beloved author from reviewers even though she likes getting threats for not continuing or leaving you at cliffhangers. Ezri says that some addictions are not a bad thing and she hopes she keeps you addicted to this story.
And she'd never forget:
TheEvilOne69: Ezri can't help but to leave you wondering what's gonna happen next…just wait till the next chapter -Seph smirks at TheEvilOne-
Empress-Eerian-Sadow: She wants to know if she can have a moogle key chain when you're done with your writers block. She recalled Reno and he'll be heading your way to provide you with some 'inspiration.'
Charles Xavier: Ezri says thanks for the Kingdom Hearts stuff and hopes she didn't have you waiting too long to find out about Yuffs.
Torahiko: She sending Yuffie-chan over to sit with you while you read the next few chapters…but she wont say why. Maybe you can play final fantasy or kingdom hearts together!
Angel280: Ez already spoke with you about her birthday gift and she says she can't wait! Also she is really looking forward to your Yuffentine, but for now, she's off to read your work on that is, after she cleans up a bit…she had lost her notebook with an important future chapter for this story and tore her room apart looking for it…she found it though.
Lone Gunmen: She recalled Rude for you, he's now equipped with a flame-thrower to burn your writers block down. She also sent her chainsaw with it.
Sephiroth2021: Tifa made it back under her own power. If you want her to come visit again, let her know. She said she doesn't like making us Sephiroths out to be bad all the time…We were just pawns…
Sephy: Anyway, Ez is glad that you all enjoyed the battle scene, she loved writing those ones. She also has a request. She need someone who speaks Japanese to translate a few lines for this story. She can only read a little Greek but can't transpose it to English. It probably totals about 16 lines and she would send them to you through email. Please contact her at her email address if you're interested.
Oh yeah, she doesn't own final fantasy…Square-Enix does…
-Ezri drags Sephiroth out of the room and plops him on the ground.-
Ez: hee hee! That was fun! Thanks Sephy for takin' over for me…you're next!
Well people, things have been interesting this last week. I've found my self, on more than one occasion, writing two stories at once. I'll right a paragraph for this, then switch over to My light and write one paragraph for that…Its been crazy but fun all the same…the only thing that has sucked is this hot ass weather and lightning storms we've been having up her in Portland.
I gotta get goin' -sigh- gotta finish cleaning…my cousins are comin up from Cali today and for some reason, they like to congregate in my room.
Adios my friends…til the next Chappy!!
Ezri-Candy
PS…Has anyone else noticed that when you leave reviews and you type a word with a repeating letter, for example… Grrrrr or Nooooooo!!! changes it to Gr and No…If I wanted to do that, I woulda done that myself!!
Anyway,
I'll stop rambling and get to work. BYE!!
Edited 1/14/07
7/26/07
Edited because of change in formatting. Also re-numbering chapters. Minor content edits.