Chapter 44: Yoshi's Decision

(Same tags apply as in Chapter 1)

"Take a deep breath, Yuffie." Dr. Michaels told her patient as she placed her stethoscope on the small ninja's back. "Breathe normally now, good."

The doctor listened for a few moments before nodding her approval. She removed the bell of her stethoscope from the teens back, grabbing the rolls of cream-colored bandages. She began wrapping the teen back up after Yuffie lifted her arms carefully and placed them on the doctor's shoulders.

"Your lungs sound good. You've regained your color and your x-ray is clear with exception to the fractures and even those are healing rapidly with treatment. You should be back to normal activities within two or three days." The doctor said as she continued to bind the ninja.

"See Vinnie, I'm fine!" She chirped and watched as he lifted a dark eyebrow.

"Still, you should not have escaped your room…yet again."

"I was hungry! Hospital food is gross and I had to go find a vending machine or something." The ninja griped as the doctor finished with a smile at their banter.

Vincent tilted his head to the side, causing the ninja's eyes to narrow slightly. He was quite enjoying teasing the ninja. "Did you even try it, Yuffie?"

"Vince, I don't have to taste it to know it's nasty!" Yuffie said as the doctor helped her into the button up shirt she was wearing. "You should ask me out to lunch. You wouldn't allow a poor ninja to starve, would you?"

The sound of laugher from the doorway caused the pair to turn. Tifa stood with a small knowing smile that caused the ninja to blush. "Hey, Dr. Michaels, are they okay to be released?"

The blonde woman nodded. "I'm releasing them. They're both to take it easy for the next few days. Any problems or concerns, come back to see me or go to the nearest clinic or hospital for treatment." Her patients nodded in understanding and thanked her as she left the room.

"I just came by to let you both know about the meeting. Its in the boardroom. Reeve wants to discuss options for Yoshi. Cloud should be calling Barret now since he's with Elmyra." She said and walked over to the table as Vincent helped Yuffie down. "You wanna head over now?"

"Yeah, I'm wondering what's gonna happen for him. I know one thing; if they just toss him into some orphanage, I'll be ready to kick some ass." The ninja cracked her in emphasis as hey left the exam room.

.::-o-::.

At that moment, Barret sat across from the auburn haired woman and saw the look of disgust in her eyes as she gazed through the window over the harbor. He could tell that she was replaying some of the memories of her capture in her mind. It made him angry that she had to live with these memories, but he remained silent squeezing her hand in his own in support.

This pulled her back. It took her from the memories of a past that was all to fresh and brought her to the present. She was not locked in a cell. She was not surrounded by the murderers, rapists and drug addicts that roamed the secret base. She was safe here in Junon and in the presence of the man who meant so much to her.

"Barret…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry, I'm still not ready to talk about everything that went on but I would like to talk. It made it easier last time we did."

The dark skinned man gave her a slightly strained smile. "Ya know I'll listen." He watched as a small smile traced her lips and she nodded slightly, her hand gently caressing his own larger, calloused one.

"I was scared…but it wasn't for myself. I saw what happened to you before I lost consciousness and I didn't know if you'd survived. You were on the floor and not moving…then there was darkness.

"When I woke up, all I could do was pray that you were okay…that no one else had gotten hurt." Her eyes closed as she continued. "But what was foremost in my mind was that another person that I cared deeply about…that I loved, had gotten hurt or had possibly died…"

Barret felt his heart clench at hearing her confession of sorrow as well as her confession of love. He wanted to allow her to speak but found it hard not to say anything, so he did the one thing he knew would show his support for her.

The gun armed man reached over and pulled her across the gap between the two of them to hold her close to him. His organic hand came up and brushed lightly at the tears that had started to roll down her cheeks. A kiss was placed on the top of her head as he allowed the small woman to continue.

She told him how the teen captive saved her from Fraser and how he helped them draw the guard in and eventually knocked one of them out. He couldn't help the small smirk that traced at his lips. It was obvious that the green-eyed woman was taken with the boy.

"Barret, he really is a good kid…he just doesn't have any family." She said and watched as he nodded, his coffee colored eyes turning to her own.

"'Myra, if ya wanna offer him a place to stay, I don't mind if he stays with us in Corel."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Before he realized it, Barret was nearly knocked backwards by Elmyra as she hugged him tight, placing a shy but sweet kiss on his lips. A blush hinted at her cheeks as he sat her on his knee. "Thank you, Barret."

"No problem 'Myra. Its our home now and if ya want him there, we'll have him. I ain't got no problems with the kid and I'm sure Marlene'll love 'im."

The pair was interrupted by the sound of Barret's phone as it rang shrilly in his pocket. Elmyra watched as he nodded and gave a few 'yeahs' to the person on the other line before hanging up. "They need us in the boardroom.

"Okay." She said and stood, allowing Barret to guide her from the room by the hand.

.::-o-::.

Members of avalanche gathered around the table in the boardroom in Junon for the second time in a week. This time, Elmyra was in attendance and back with Barret, where she belonged…But Cid was not present.

Reeve entered with his assistant behind him and took his seat at the head of the table. "Thanks for coming. Sorry I was late but I was checking up on Cid.

"How is he?" Elmyra asked. "When I went to see him, he was still unconscious."

"The doctor has kept him sedated overnight while the toxins are being filtered from his bloodstream. They should be waking him very soon now but he'll be confined to the hospital for at least another three days. He'll be okay." Reeve replied as the others let out a sigh of relief.

"What about Onika?" Yuffie asked, crossing her legs Indian-style as she sat in the large office chair.

"Well, we've already formed a tribunal to determine a sentence for all those involved." The dark haired man shuffled through some of the papers he had in his folder. "Onika has regained consciousness, but his condition is serious. He's been restrained for everyone's safety because of his knowledge of medical equipment and devices."

Elmyra closed her eyes as a shudder ran through her body, but she simply nodded. "That was very wise, Reeve. I never want that man in a position where he can hurt people with the knowledge he possesses ever again."

"I can guarantee that he will never get the chance, Elmyra." Reeve said firmly and watched as she nodded once in understanding. The trust was clear in her green eyes.

"Now, the reason that we're here right now is to discuss Yoshi. What Onika has done to him has changed him. He will need to learn how to live with these changes. While I know that there are still a few people who still have Jenova cells within them, but mainly they are former Shinra employees. They knew what they were getting into when they joined…they knew what to expect. Yoshi is young and was taken against his will. He was injected with an experimental Jenova that was unstable at best. From what I heard, he was also shocked for not following directions.

"To put it bluntly, we need to figure out what to do with him." Reeve leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs, making himself comfortable.

'He said he was taken." Elmyra started. "It must have been frightening. I heard how he was captured and he was clearly angry that he couldn't do anything about what happened."

Tifa nodded and sighed. "I don't blame him for being angry. He's only thirteen and there was no way that he could defend himself against older, larger men and he was probably subdued quickly."

"Well, he could learn to defend himself." Cloud suggested.

"Yeah!" Yuffie nodded eagerly and smirked. "Who better to learn from than the worlds greatest ninja! Taijutsu will allow him to gain confidence in himself."

"I'd like to help too. This would fall in line with what we talked about in Nibelheim. He'd benefit from both our fighting styles."

Reeve smiled a bit at their eagerness to help. "Sounds like a wonderful idea and of course no one will object to it. How long do you think you'll need to train him with the basics for now? We'll figure a training schedule for him later."

Tifa and Yuffie exchanged a glance before Tifa spoke up. "Probably about a month. He could practice on his own for a while. Maybe we could arrange for him to come to Nibelheim on a regular basis to train more."

The dark haired man nodded in approval as his assistant took notes on the discussion. Reeve knew it would be fairly easy to arrange transportation for the teen to get to and from the mountain town where he would be trained. Once again, the new president was up and on the move within the boardroom.

Tifa and Yuffie briefly discussed Zangan fighting as well as the ancient Wutain taijutsu, but his mind was on the conversation that would be coming soon. As their discussion wound down, a voice that he hadn't expected to hear, broke him from his musings.

"There is the matter of the Jenova enhancement." The gunman's voice entered the conversation for the first time. "He will need to learn about what it brings."

"I agree." Cloud nodded from his position at Tifa's side. "Vincent and I are the only two who have a significant amount of Jenova cells in us. He could learn how to control it and use what has been done to him to his benefit. The strength that this would give would be a big plus to him, though it will take some time to get use to. His body will react around people with Jenova cells."

The ninja reached over and gave the raven-haired man's sleeve a tug, drawing his attention. "So Vinnie, are you and Cloud sayin' you'll help 'im out?" Gray eyes moved over to vibrant blue.

The raven haired man nodded once as the blond vocalized his agreement.

"Since that has been settled, there is one more matter that we need to discuss. I had my assistant look into Yoshi's family history with the group that has been working on finding relatives for the children who lost their parents in Midgar. We've confirmed that his father, in fact, was his last living relative that he had, so he has no family to live with.

"I've been thinking about this and only have been able to come up with two options and as always, I'm open to others. He needs supervision for a few more years yet. We all know that I have a division working on housing children who have lost their families in Midgar. Normally, Yoshi would be added with the rest of the orphans, but with the Jenova infusion…Well that's not something we could just not disclose to any potential or foster parents, but eventually he would be housed. There's just no telling on how long it would take."

The group was silent as they waited for him to continue. "I've thought about this and I'm willing to take him in as well."

Barret gave Elmyra's hand a squeeze and watched as she turned to him with a nod. "'Myra and I've been talkin'. We're willin' to let him stay with us. 'Myra says he's a good kid and I trust her opinion on this kind of thing.

The president circled the table and nodded, taking a few moments to gather his thought. "The trails of those that we have in custody will be starting within the next week and if at all possible, I would like you all to be here for them. Tifa, Yuffie; would it be possible to start working with him here?"

"Yes, I don't see why not. Yuffie?"

"Sounds good to me, but Yoshi should have a say in this too." The ninja agreed as Elmyra joined in.

"We are letting him decide on this, correct?"

"Of course." Reeve gestured to his assistant who promptly stood and left the conference room. It took a few moments but soon the woman returned with the violet-eyed teen at her side. "Make yourself comfortable, Yoshi."

The teen answered with a soft 'okay' before catching the smile that Elmyra sent his way. He moved to the seat beside her, his glowing eyes moving to the ninja as he gave her a nod and a shy smile before turning his attention to Reeve.

"We've asked you to come here so we could give you some options. You're still young and need supervision. Circumstances like yours are a little rare so we wanted to see what you thought."

"I thought I was too young?" He asked, furrowing his brow a bit in confusion.

"To live alone, yes. To have say in your future, no."

"I do know one thing that I want in the future…" The teen said, the resolution clear in his eyes. "I do want to learn how to fight. I want to be able to defend myself."

Cloud nodded and after a quick glace at Vincent, made his way to his feet. Both the gunman and the swordsman approached him from either side and didn't fail to notice how the teen tensed or the sound of the soft gasp that escaped his lips.

"You felt something, didn't you?" Cloud asked and watched as the younger male nodded.

"It felt like what happened when that guy, Zade, would come close but more…powerful."

"That's how your body will react around Jenova cells or someone who possesses them within their bodies." The gunman responded as he moved away, lessening the odd feeling. "It does take time to adjust to having the cells within your body, but they can help in defending you as well. You need to know the limits of your strength and endurance as well as how to react to your body's…new awareness and senses."

As Vincent and Cloud returned to their seat, Reeve took over once more. "Vincent and Cloud will help you adjust to the Jenova. Yuffie and Tifa, well, they are two of the best fighters you could learn from when it comes to hand to hand combat." He gestured to the women before turning back to the teen.

"We have three choices for you and we're open to hear any ideas you may have."

"Okay…"

"Your first option would be to stay here in Junon. Your first month of training will occur here and then you will travel to Nibelheim for further lessons at later dates. You would be welcome to stay with me and attend school between training. All the options include your training.

"Second would be to be placed in an orphanage that would place you with a family when one was found."

The young man looked around the table. It was obvious to even him that the women didn't like that idea one bit, however, they remained quiet while the dark haired man continued.

"Your third choice would be to go to Corel. Barret and Elmyra have offered to provide you a place within their home. Barret has a daughter named Marlene so you wouldn't be the only minor in the home. Even though most of Corel is being rebuilt, they do have schools and a pretty united community." Reeve emphasized and it wasn't lost on anyone at the table.

Even though Corel was the main route to Gold saucer, any outsiders that may linger in the area would be easily noticed by those that lived in the small town. Though Fort Condor was a small village, it was also a major trading hub. Though no one's fault, Yoshi's lack of supervision while he lived there mad him an easy target for people like the late Zade Fraser or Terrell Onika.

"The choice is yours. If you have other thoughts or need time to think, let us know.

The teen looked down to his folded hands, giving them a nervous squeeze as he thought. This was a big decision but he knew right away that he didn't want to go to an orphanage. It was for that reason that he went and found work. Yoshi looked up to the president for a moment and bit his lips. "Sir-"

"Please, call me Reeve."

The young man nodded, a faint redness in his cheeks as he continued. "Thank you for your help and your offer, but you are busy enough as it is. I don't want to be an added burden to you." Reeve nodded as the teen turned to Elmyra and Barret. Before he could speak, Barret's deep Voice was heard.

"Hey 'Myra? Dontcha think that Marlene would like havin' a big brother?"

The green-eyed woman smiled and gave the gun-armed man's human hand a gentle squeeze. "Of course she would! We all know how she is with her 'extended family' as it is."

"You'd take me in?" Violet met brown with a bit of surprise.

"Didn't think I'd be that easy, did ya?" Barret said and watched as Yoshi shook his head. "Well, you protected my 'Myra and helped the brat-"

"Hey Marsha! I ain't a brat!"

The dark man ignored her rant and continued. "I can't thank ya enough. You need ta know though, that we'll expect ya to go to school and do what yer expected to do around the house. I don't think I'll have to tell ya to stay out of trouble. You'll have your own room, three square meals a day-"

"And somewhere to call home." Elmyra reached over and patted the boys back encouragingly. "You'll still go to Nibelheim for a while, but Yoshi dear, you're welcome in our home."

Violet eyes closed as he bit his lip. "Mr. Barret…Miss Elmyra. Thank you so much. I don't even know what else to say…to any of you."

"That's all you have to say, Yoshi. We're just sorry that you had to go through what you did with Onika." Tifa was happy with Barret's words as well as with the teen's decision.

"While I wouldn't want to go through that again, it made me realize what my father meant when he would say 'some things happen for a reason.'"

.::-o-::.

The group discussed matters concerning the trial of those involved all the way at the bottom (those like Dean Jeter) to the very top. Yoshi was determined to testify to exactly what was done to him. Though he knew that there was no chance that Onika would go free, he wanted what he experienced to be known.

As their meeting drew to a close, the gun armed man helped Elmyra to her feet. "I think we're gonna go get some air. Yoshi, you wanna come?"

"Yeah…" He pushed himself to his feet, adjusting the loose fitting sweats he had been given before following the pair.

"We'll go see if the old man is awake." Barret pulled the door open and allowed the two to exit. "Maybe we can get him the send the ship to Corel so we can get Marlene."

With that, Reeve called their meeting to an end. Everyone was more than satisfied with the meeting's outcome.

-o-o-Author's notes-o-o-

Its 3 am…I'm extremely exhausted. I wrote this chapter over a month ago but it was extremely dialogue heavy. I've rewritten this many many times and believe me when I say that a lot of dialogue than what is in this chapter.

The next chapter will have them in Nibelheim once more. Its already typed out but I wanna do a quick edit of something in the chapter.

I just want to say thank you to all of those who have reviewed.

Love ya all!

Ezzy

5/25/07

10/05/07

Edited because of change in formatting. Also re-numbering chapters. Minor content edits.