Yuffie sat on the ground, staring at the beautiful city of Wutai from her vantage point in the Dao-chao Mountains, not caring that evening is coming, and that she should seek solace in the warmth of her room back home soon, as she is distracted by the horizon where she could see the ocean and beyond it…
The giant red rock called Meteor hanging over the darkening azure skies. In a way, she took small comfort that the particular skylight is concentrated in Midgar for some reason. She couldn't bear if that thing is hanging over her country like that, almost like a giant baleful eye, waiting for an opportunity to strike and destroy the world as she knows it.
Cloud gave orders that everyone should return home and find in their hearts what they were truly fighting for. Yuffie thought that she already decided what her actions will be ever since she was ten yeas old┘ but knowing that very soon, they may all die, and her dreams will never come true, makes her more reluctant to consider that perhaps she got the whole thing wrong.
Sure all she ever wanted is to protect Wutai, to save it from its cultural degradation at the hands of ShinRa┘ but she never dreamed to set off into a crater and fight a crazy SOLDIER with a god complex, as it is a huge jump of her boundaries already. As soon as Cloud allowed everyone to leave the Highwind that day, she already made up her mind.
Her place is here in Wutai, to stay with her people in the end, and see it through with her father by her side.
Well, that was what she's been thinking of a few hours ago in which afterwards she found herself shuffling towards the damn boat with her equipment in gear, cursing under her breath that she's going to regret doing this.
But she knew she's just kidding herself. She already said what she wanted to say to her old man way before this, and it seems a waste of time to put it up again, and she didn't want to stay in her place for awhile. Her neighbors are acting up and some of the disbelievers who told her their gods and guardians doesn't exist are now praying fervently in the once abandoned temples. Yuffie is torn between laughing at their face and pitying Leviathan to put up with them.
As soon as the boat started to leave the shore, Yuffie sat on the floor covering herself with her traveling cloak, preparing herself to an evening of misery. She's nervous, afraid and seasick, a terrible combination.
Yet here she is, going back to AVALANCHE, and into a suicide mission to boot. She sighed, knowing she's not looking forward to it.
But she also knew that this isn't about Wutai anymore. It grew beyond that, after all those months of traveling with these unlikely strangers, fighting against ShinRa and facing the Planet's own cruelties. She didn't know if she got wiser or stronger during the experience, and even now, with everyone's existence now in jeopardy, she only made one realization.
No matter what happens, all she wanted now more than anything, is to see their journey through its end, though she'll never admit it out loud.
She is still grumbling at her uncomfortable spot before she drifted off to sleep.