I noticed while I was looking up the Pagoda script from (thank you for that!) that I missed a section in Yuffie's chase – apparently there's a scene between her and her father in their house. I admit I've never got this scene – I always went to the Item Shop first. For now I'm not going to add that part until I've played the game up to that bit again and seen it for myself. It shall be a much later update. I'll let you know if and when I add it.
Also, I've noticed a drop in the number of reviews I'm getting for each chapter. Nowadays it's only about one review each time I update. I understand that this is a very long fic, but I would like to see just a few more. Don't worry, even if I get no reviews, as long as I can see the chapter is being read I will continue writing. I've written this much, I'm not going to stop now. Thanks to all those who at least take the time to read it – I know it is very long. But that is what a novel is all about.
Final Fantasy VII: The Story 2nd Instalment
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Sixteen
Yuffie stood silently in the middle of the living room, her eyes focused on her hands as she twiddled her fingers nervously, unable to meet the angry gazes of the others. They were standing around her, waiting impatiently for her to return their materia to them. Once they had all their materia back they could leave Wutai, and focus on searching for the elusive Temple of the Ancients.
It was quite a nice house – certainly not the kind of home they expected someone as carefree and wayward as Yuffie to live in. It was actually one of the largest houses in Wutai, close to the entrance of the village. As with all the houses in the village there were slide-open doors and cute little tables and cushions to sit on, and beds made on the floor behind paper walls. Wutai truly was a little world of its own.
The young ninja didn't know what to say at first. Each time she tried to lift her eyes; they were met by an angry glare of impatience and frustration. She knew that there was no way she could talk herself out of this mess. The longer she waited the more impatient those gazes became. So she took a deep breath and lifted her head.
"I know, the materia right?" she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I have it stored in a safe place. …Follow me."
Yuffie then turned and headed towards a side door to the north of the room. A set of stairs stood behind it, and Yuffie motioned to the group to follow her. The group hesitated at first. After all, Yuffie was a clever young girl, and no one really knew when she was being serious or plotting some other trick. But there were no other exits, so Yuffie really had nowhere else to go.
They followed her down the stairs and into a basement beneath the house. It looked like some sort of storage room – there were a lot of weapons hanging on the walls – from spears to axes, and even a few shuriken's lay scattered on the floor. The only thing that did seem out of place was a control panel at the far end of the room, with a screen that had the words 'Off' written on it in bold letters, and two levers on the panel in front of it.
Yuffie waved to the others to enter the basement. They all came in as she waved to them, and gathered in the middle of the weapon storeroom. Once they were all gathered they turned to Yuffie, expecting her to return their materia. Yuffie looked at them all hopefully for a moment or two, before she turned her gaze away and looked at the floor.
"…I've been hearing that ever since I was little," she said suddenly. Everyone stopped and turned to her. Yuffie's voice was trembling slightly as she spoke, as though she was nervous or even a little upset. "Before I was born, Wutai was a lot more crowded and important…" She paused for a moment and lifted her eyes so she could look into the gazes of the others. "You saw what it looks like now, right? …JUST a resort town… After we lost the war, we got peace, but with that, we lost something else. Now look at Wutai… That's why… if I had lots of materia I could…"
The ninja stopped suddenly, her voice choking as a heartfelt sob entered her throat. Realising this Yuffie quickly turned and averted her gaze from them, not wanting them to see the tears. Even though she was unable to finish her sentence, everyone knew what she had been trying to say. 'If I had lots of materia I could restore Wutai to its former glory.'
No one said anything for a second or two, absorbing the words of Yuffie's story. It was true that Wutai was simply a resort town now, despite how mysterious it was. There was no doubt that lots of materia would bring in enough money or power to bring Wutai back up into one of the top powers again. Even so, as much as some of the others were somewhat sympathetic to her story, they were not sympathetic enough to let her keep the stolen materia, no matter what the cause.
Seeing the nods of agreement from the others, Cloud walked over to the sobbing young ninja and stood beside her, although he refused to look at her. "Listen, Yuffie," he said, stern and uncaring. "I don't care about the history of Wutai or your feelings. You've got our materia and I want it back… now. If you give it back now, we'll drop the whole thing."
"I know. I know that…" Yuffie said, still trying hard to choke back her sobs.
Even so, a few salty tears rolled down her cheeks, and when she dared a quick glance at Cloud he saw that her eyes were red. She looked at him hopefully for a few seconds more, before she turned away and waved her arm over to the control panel at the end of the room.
"That… sniff… switch…" she mumbled quietly, her voice muffled through her hand and her tears. "The lever on the left…… materia's… sniff, hic… in there."
Cloud nodded gratefully, and gave the ninja a small, comforting pat on the shoulder. Then he turned and walked across the room, towards the control panel.
It was a very simple mechanism. There were no buttons, just the two levers sticking up out of the metal. Cloud assumed that when he pulled the left lever down, some secret hatch would open up and reveal their materia.
Cloud reached out and closed his fingers around the lever. He hesitated at first and even wondered if maybe he should pull the right lever instead. Then he remembered the look on Yuffie's face and the sincerity of her tears… maybe she truly was sorry for stealing the materia. This thought gave him the assurance that she was telling the truth, so he gripped the lever and pulled it down with a gentle click.
That was then followed by the sound of a much larger click, followed by a very loud grating noise that came from the ceiling. Cloud was about to look up when Aeris suddenly screamed loudly, her gaze already on the ceiling. Cloud spun around and looked up just in time to see a large grey cage suddenly drop down from the ceiling, and slam itself onto the ground around where the others all stood. Red XIII pulled his tail away just in time as the heavy metal bars struck the ground, and he turned around to face Yuffie with a fierce glare in his eyes.
"Wh, what are you doing?" he snarled angrily.
"Ha ha ha------!"
Yuffie jumped up and spun around to face the others trapped inside the cage. The tears in her eyes had completely vanished, replaced by a happy grin that only became wider as she saw the angry and surprised gazes of the others. Even though the metal bars kept them all trapped inside, she made sure she stayed clear of Red XIII's vengeful claws.
"Never trust anyone that easily!" she advised the group, the grin remaining wide, enforced by the sheer thrill of knowing that she had once again fooled them. "The Materia's mine! Tough!"
Without even so much as a wave, she quickly turned and ran out of the room, heading upstairs towards the door. When she was halfway up the stairs she stopped, a second grin spreading on her face. She sniggered to herself, and then turned and ran back down, standing in the doorway.
"You want your materia? Then go find it yourself!" she snapped. "Yeah that's right. And when you're lookin' for the materia, remember you gotta steel it. Heh heh… Steel… Steel! Get it? C ya!" This time she did wave, and then she turned and ran off the stairs again. The sound of her laugh echoed down the hallway, and the upstairs door slammed shut.
Quickly Cloud turned back to the control levers in front of him, trying to decide which one would lift the cage and release the others. He had pulled the left lever to release the cage… maybe moving it back into place would lift it back up again? He didn't waste any time mulling it over, for every second they wasted allowed Yuffie to run further and further away from them.
He pushed the left lever back up, and a loud creaking sound signalled that the cage was being lifted up again. He turned to see that it was so, and the cage was gradually lifted from the ground and back up the ceiling. It was an amazing piece of machinery, but they had no time to wonder how they did not notice it when they came in. They had to catch up with Yuffie.
"Let's go!" Cloud said.
The others, now free of the cage that had trapped them, nodded. Cloud then led the way as he tore out of the room and darted up the stairs, his mind focused on catching the pesky ninja who had tricked them once again. The door to the house was wide open as they burst into the living room, a clear sign that Yuffie had once again fled into the safety of the village.
Cloud tore out of the house and stopped, looking around for any signs of Yuffie nearby. The others came out just seconds later and stopped also, their eyes wandering around the northern part of Wutai, trying to spot the girl. They could no longer rely on the wind giving her scent away, for it had turned back to its original direction, carrying her scent away from them.
It did not take them long to spot her. As their eyes fell on the northern bridge leading back towards the Turtle Paradise they saw her standing on the bridge, pausing for breath. The moment they spotter her, she spotted them, and quickly took off again across the bridge. Determined not to let the girl out of their sight, Cloud and the others quickly followed her.
Yuffie panted hard as she ran, putting all of her strength into her running as she tried to pull away from the advancing group. She pushed past one of the villagers as she passed the bridge, kicking up dust as she turned to dart across the western bridge. For a split second she became torn as to whether she should run left or right, for the path split into two. Going right would take her into the mountains, and going left would take her further into the village.
That decision was quickly made for her, as she heard the sound of loud growling and snapping jaws close behind her. Making a quick decision Yuffie swerved to her left, just in time, for as she turned a blur of red zipped quickly past her. She didn't stop or wait to see if Red XIII was still following her, and continued to run alongside the stream's edge towards the southern part of the village.
Cloud and the others continued to run, beginning to lose distance again thanks to her sudden swerve back into the village. They had to skim past Red XIII, who had been forced to make a sudden stop in order to avoid crashing into the wall of the Item Shop. As long as they kept Yuffie in their sights, they could follow her until they were able to catch her.
Yuffie then broke into the southern part of Wutai – a wide open area containing a single large house and the tall pagoda that loomed like a watchtower over the village. Opposite the house there was a structure that looked like a shelter, with a single small bell dangling inside of it. Yuffie grinned and made another swerve, heading for the structure.
The others entered the southern district too late. Yuffie was already one step ahead of them, leaping up the stairs towards the structure and the dangling bell. She didn't even pause as she jumped up and pulled hard on the string of the bell, making it ring loudly and clearly throughout the district. She then turned back and leapt over the wall, to where a small wooden door was just opening, leading into shadow. As she leapt over the wall she turned and zipped straight through the door, closing it firmly behind her.
Cloud got there just as the door slammed shut. He pushed hard against it, but it was already locked firmly from the other side. Furiously he slammed his fist against the strong wooden frame. All he got in response to his punch was a manic, happy laugh, coming from the ninja from the other side. That laugh continued even as it faded away, meaning Yuffie was running off and making her escape. They had lost her.
"Damn it!" Cloud shouted angrily. He stepped back and gave the door a hefty kick, but it was a hopeless attempt. The door was too strong and refused to budge, and he could no longer hear Yuffie's laugh.
"Have we lost her?" asked Aeris.
Cloud stopped kicking the door frame and stepped back, running a hand furiously through his blond hair, wanting to pull it out of sheer frustration. He took a breath, and looked up. "No," he said, shaking his head. "We have to find a way to follow her. She managed to open this door, so we should be able to, as well." He crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "How…?"
They all paused for a moment or two and thought it over. Somehow Yuffie had opened this door, but what had she done? There were no switches nearby, and they had looked around the inside of the structure for any kind of hidden buttons or levers that she could have pulled when they didn't see… They ran the whole scene over in their minds. She had ran, she rang the bell, she jumped to the door…
Everyone realised it at the same time, and eight sets of eyes all turned towards the bell, which had stopped ringing and was now motionless on the ceiling. Yuffie had jumped up and rang the bell before the door had opened. It was the only way. The bell had to be the hidden switch operated to open the door.
"The bell…" said Tifa, voicing everyone's thoughts.
Vincent nodded in agreement. "It is the only possible assumption," he said calmly.
"Then let's try it!" said Cid.
He pushed past Vincent and Cait and marched up the stairs towards the structure, and stopped beneath the bronze-plated bell. Up close he could see the mechanism – the number of small levers and cables that wound their way through the frame of the structure, most likely heading towards the door. Cid pulled out his cigarette and put it behind his ear, before reaching up and ringing the bell.
It rang loud and clear, just like before, echoing throughout the southern district. Cloud turned to the door as the bell rang, hearing a soft click sound from just behind the door. He gently pushed on the frame, and sighed with relief as it opened easily at his touch. He signalled to the others before pushing the door open fully, and they stepped through into the darkness.
It was dark at first since there were no lights, so they had to feel their way down a small set of stairs towards the bottom. There were see lights at the end of the stairs – coming from a half open door. As they approached they could hear the sounds of a scuffle, and a voice that could only be Yuffie's coming from the other side.
"Let go! I SAID let GO!"
Cloud reached behind him and put his hand around the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it in an instant if there was trouble on the other side. He presumed it would be Reno and the rest of the Turks, taking their chance to capture Yuffie and lure the others into a trap. If this wasn't another of Yuffie's traps, that is. He cautiously opened the door, and they all looked inside.
Sure enough Yuffie was in that room, although she was not looking at Cloud or standing on the floor. She was instead up in the air, held up by the strong arms of a man in a black uniform. She was struggling fiercely, waving her arms and kicking her legs fiercely as she tried to break away. The man had a secure grip on her and she was unable to do anything. Down by the man's feet were her shuriken's, thrown aside so that they were useless to her.
"Hey!" Yuffie protested loudly. She tried to turn her head to look down at the man who was holding her, but all she could see was the top of his head. "Who do you think I….. OW!" She gasped as the man tightened his grip on the back of her neck. "What're you doin'…? Jerk!"
Cloud stared for a moment, watching as Yuffie struggled even harder to break free of the man's expert grip. The man obviously wasn't a member of the Turks – they wore blue uniforms, not black. Cloud thought that maybe the man was a friend, until he caught glimpse of an unfortunately familiar figure standing behind him.
"You……!" Cloud narrowed his eyes and drew his sword, preparing for battle.
Standing behind the suited man was a figure Cloud had hoped never to see again, and was sickened to recognise him. That bulbous body, covered up by the long red robe like something out of a royal fantasy. That bald head with its shiny crown… That sickening imagination that he was attractive, and irresistible to women…
"……ho…………………ho……………" the man burbled from the back of the room. He looked up and gazed at Cloud, before a smile appeared on his face and he moved his tilted crown back to the top of his head. "Hohi, hohi! Hohihi!"
"Corneo?" Cloud exclaimed angrily. Tifa and Aeris both groaned in unison, both of them as dismayed as Cloud that they had encountered Don Corneo again. The others looked around, confused.
They had first met the repulsive Don Corneo back in Midgar. He had been the top man in charge of Sector 6, the Wall Market district of the slums. When they had met him he had been living in luxury, managing the red-light district and the Honeybee Inn, looking for a bridge. Thanks to him, Cloud had been forced to dress up as a woman in order to rescue Tifa, and following that, Sector 7 had been destroyed. All because he had blabbed about the whereabouts of AVALANCHE. He truly was a sick, self-obsessed individual. They had left him in Sector 6, but never thought for even a second that he would turn up in Wutai.
"Hohi!" Corneo said cheerfully, giving them a little bow. He stood upright again. "I've finally got a new chicky! Two for one, in fact! Hohi, hohi!"
Cloud stared. "Two?" he asked. All he could see was Yuffie, still being held up by the man in the black suit. Then he looked towards the stairs at the far end of the room, and saw what Corneo meant by 'two'.
Up on the stairs was another man in a black suit. In his arms was another woman, being held up above his head just like Yuffie was. Everyone gasped as they recognised this woman, too. The blonde hair and that blue suit were just unforgettable. Elena of the Turks.
"H……hey! Let go of me!" Elena shouted fiercely, her arms pinned to her sides by the second man's equally strong arms. "You're gonna regret this!" The second man didn't seem to be listening to her, and just let Elena continue her pointless struggle. Corneo didn't seem to realise that she was a Turk, and anyway, by herself, Elena could not do much to stop him.
It was in fact very clear that Corneo did not know that she was a Turk, for he was grinning happily with absolute excitement. "Hohi, hohi! Hohihi!" he snorted, almost jumping from the sheer thrill of having caught two ladies at one go. He then gave a little wave and darted up the stairs towards another door, his two men following him close behind.
Corneo glanced back as he ran through the door, waving farewell as he burst through the door. He came out on the other side, on the ground floor of Wutai's local inn. As he ran through he turned his head back to the front, and rapidly skidded to a stop as he saw what was standing in front of him.
In the middle of the room were a fairly large number of blue-uniformed Shinra soldiers, each one suited up and ready for battle. They seemed surprised when the back wall of the room opened up and Corneo came dashing through, but once that momentary surprise was over they each quickly drew their guns and other weapons. Then they all aimed for Corneo.
"There he is! It's Corneo! Don't let him get away!" one of the officers barked.
Corneo looked around the room hurriedly, trying to find a way out of the mess he had gotten into. He heard the angry cries coming from behind him, and suddenly smiled, coming up with an idea. All of this took about two seconds, as he turned back to the soldiers.
"Ataaaack!" the soldier barked again, his gun raised to the air.
The two sides collided in an instant, and the soldiers and the opposing group both tumbled forward into a big heap on the floor. When Cloud opened his eyes he found himself staring into the dark mask of a Shinra soldier's helmet. He could see his own reflection clearly, as well as the faint, blacked out eyes of the Shinra soldier who was shielded behind it. He saw those eyes stare blankly for a second, before they narrowed into an expression of fury.
Emerald: Sorry for the wait for this chapter. Even though it's one of my favourite sections I just couldn't get into the writing of it. But I'm back at Uni now, so that does mean updates may slow down. I'm currently in three days a week, so Tuesday morning are my best time for updating, since I'm at Uni and don't have a lesson until 1 o clock. Go me! I'm just glad that we're finally getting closer to the end of Disc 01! We've not far to go!