Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is owned by Square-Enix. I have this story, s'bout it.

Liminality

Chapter 4: Acquired Truce

--

"With this plum blossom…"

'This is…'

"You will know that… I'll always be with you…"

'But… you're not here now…'

"And you know that… I always keep my promises…"

'Because… plum blossoms mean kept promises, right?'

"Because plum blossoms mean kept promises…"

'And you are…'

"And I am Umeko, the child of plum blossoms…"

'You always… kept your promises…'

"And you will live a life filled with happiness, with grace and elegance…"

'Because…'

"Because jasmines mean happiness… grace… and elegance…"

'And I am…'

"And you are Riko, the child of jasmines…"

'But… my name…'

"But even more so… you deserve happiness because…"

'I miss you…'

"You are… my Yuffie."

'Mama…'

--

'Ugh…'

Within a bright room against the back wall, a previously unconscious Yuffie Kisaragi slowly opened her eyes. 'What the hell…?'

Immediately, she was blinded by the sheer brightness of the room she apparently found herself in. Saving the harder thoughts for later, she focused her main complaint: the bright lights. "Gawd… that's bright."

Yuffie allowed some time for her eyes to adjust, and then began to survey the room. It was bleak, having nothing but two chairs and a table. She took note of the door right across from her on the opposite wall. It appeared to be the only method of entering or leaving this room. She took a step forward, but found her legs wouldn't comply. Yuffie then noticed the chains which cuffed her arms and legs to the wall.

Struggling against the chains with what little strength Yuffie could find within herself, she let out a frustrated yell, as she realized that she couldn't pull her way out. She probably couldn't get out even with her strength at its best. Frankly, she felt like shit. "What gives?"

'What the hell happened…?' Yuffie closed her eyes as she began to recall what could've led to her current position. 'Right… there were bodies… everywhere… and I…' Yuffie cursed her own lack of judgment, which caused her current, and frankly, quite sad, situation. An Avalanche member who saved the world not once, but twice, caught by some random out of the blue amateur kidnappers that probably wants to trade her for a hefty ransom… 'Sad…' Along with a loud cry of anger, she gave the wall behind her a good stomp.

Finding that her voice box was still, apparently, working at its best, she resorted to using said voice box, rather than her depleted strength. "HEY! Whoever can hear me BETTER let me GO! The Great Ninja Yuffie has the power to make your life a $#(&$ HELL if you don't!"

"Ah, Miss Kisaragi, feel free to do just that whenever you feel up to it." A muffled but gruff voice from behind the previously mentioned door answered her call. Within seconds, the metallic door swung open, and in stepped the most disgusting man Yuffie believed she would ever meet in her whole life. As far as she could tell, from her current position, despite his being built, and aside from normal or natural features such as rotten teeth and wrinkles, it seemed as if every vein that was a part of the man's body was threatening to break through his skin. To make matters worse, they glowed and, she guessed, probably reeked of mako. Apparently, Yuffie wasn't in the best of moods, and pleasantry towards strangers that kidnapped her was about the last thing on her mind.

Finally managing to tear her attention away from his physically appalling features, she paid some mind towards whatever words he was spouting. The gruff voice which belonged to him began to register. "I would suggest you don't attempt to bring about any form of 'Hell' to anyone or anything as of yet, Miss Kisaragi, seeing as how you've had enough tranquilizers injected into you to set Meteor to a halt."

'Woohoo! A bad guy with a sense of humor, just what I needed!' Yuffie had to admit, pardoning the humor, that the live human vein pathway exhibit was right, to an extent. Her body did indeed feel like shit, and she doubted that she would have enough strength to be shoving any Conformers up any certain places at this time. 'Ah… where the hell IS my Conformer?'

Looking around the bleak room, in case she had missed her belongings during her first quick scan, Yuffie could surely say that her equipment was definitely elsewhere. "Hey, vein exhibit, where the hell's my gear?"

Yuffie could've sworn she saw a vein pulsing. Regardless, said vein exhibit opened his mouth to reply. "It doesn't matter, now does it, Miss Kisaragi?" Yuffie could've sworn that there were glowing mako veins within his mouth, as well.

She scoffed; an expression she used commonly against the miniscule things in life which annoyed the living crap out of her. "The hell it doesn't. I need my Conformer to trace the lines all over you."

His face contorted into something Yuffie could barely classify as a smirk. "As I've said, Miss Kisaragi, if you feel up to it, you are most welcome to find and use your weapon however you wish to." He paused to flip a few locks of black hair falling in front of his eyes. "But I've planned a few events for you, and I would appreciate it if you didn't put my hard work to waste."

Yuffie silently wondered if there was a training course of villains. "What great plans do you have planned for me then? I'll have you know, the great Yuffie Kisaragi has extremely high standards."

The man sighed and rubbed his forehead. You could safely say that Yuffie wasn't exactly the easiest hostage to deal with. "I can assure you that these events will not be enjoyable. I will do my best to make it so."

Yuffie, acting like how Yuffie's act, was completely unaffected by what he said, and had blatantly ignored it. "Are you intentionally avoiding your veins or does it just… happen?"

His fists clenched, but he quickly loosened them. There was no doubt that he had an even uglier side of him. "But, that mouth of yours will definitely be a nuisance during the process, Miss Kisaragi."

Yuffie flashed a grin towards the stranger. "I'm glad I could be of service, jackass."

With another sigh, the man walked up to Yuffie, staring intently at her, as if attempting to challenge her. Yuffie was unaffected by his gaze, but felt herself unconsciously pushing her body closer against the wall, as if every part of her body seemed to want to get further away from him as possible. As nerve-wracking as his distance was, Yuffie used their current position to her advantage, and spat in his face. The stranger jumped back in both surprise and avoidance towards any more attacks. With the anger and irritation apparent on his face, Yuffie broke out in laughter. Not exactly the smartest thing to do in such a situation where she was the captive.

"Hahahah… it's a nice expression on ya!" Yuffie was sure that if she could move her hands, she would be pointing at him. Within moments, her laughter was stopped short as her capturer wrapped his hand around her neck.

"Miss Kisaragi… you don't seem to realize the situation you're in…" He tightened the grip he held upon her neck. Yuffie found it hard to breath, and her voice was having trouble projecting normally. Of course, it'll take a lot more than this to stop the mouth of Yuffie Kisaragi.

Despite her position, she flashed a grin at him. "That spit… is starting to… look real good… on you." With a little bit of force on her voice box, she managed to speak in a clear tone. The hand which gripped her neck released and her capturer took a few steps back.

An awkward chuckle erupted from his throat. "How could I have forgotten…" Shaking his head, he spoke in a reprimanding tone. "The bravery in which all Kisaragi's are known for… No wonder why you are not affected by your situation."

Yuffie snorted at this. 'Man, he OBVIOUSLY doesn't know Godo.' She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, thanks for the compliment and all, but not all Kisaragi's are like this."

The man suddenly broke out in loud laughter. "So, you don't know yet, huh?" He paused, followed by another loud laugh. "I guess we got to Godo a little too fast!"

With another laugh, he headed out the room. Yuffie shouted after him. "Hey! If you're not gonna explain what you mean, then at least LET ME GO!" But, she received no reply, and with a short wave, he was out the door.

"The next time I return, Miss Kisaragi, I'll make you regret things you've never thought of regretting before."

--

Around the surrounding fields of Wutai, a helicopter circled around the area a few times before making a graceful landing on the grassy fields. Slowly, the propeller of the helicopter began to stop. Once stopped, and the surrounding area had stilled, its occupants began to filter out. First was Tseng, followed by Rude, Elena, Reno, and finally, Rufus Shinra. Each of them straightened out their suits, or in Reno's case, ruffled his suit, and headed for the gates of Wutai.

Once there, they were stopped by two guards. Coincidentally, the ones that were previously on the receiving end of a certain Wutainese princess's anger. Tseng stepped forward and cleared his throat before speaking. "Excuse me, we're here to see Yuffie Kisaragi. I believe she is the princess of Wutai. We have urgent business with her, so please allow us through."

The left guard answered. "I recognize those suits. You're Turks, part of Shin-Ra. You think we'll just let you through?"

Reno stepped forward, challenging the guard, daring him to do something. "Yo, you've let us through before. Plus, we're the princess's friends, let us see the girl."

This time, the guard on the right answered, just in case the other guard was affected by Reno. "Right, like as if the Lady would ever become friends with Shin-Ra scum!" His voice dripped with venom.

Despite their obvious disadvantage in battle, the two held firm ground against the Turks. Thus, the Turks were put in an awkward situation. On one hand, they HAD to discuss the situation personally with Yuffie, so as to avoid causing a disturbance. At the same time, they couldn't force their way through, as doing so would also create a disturbance. The two sides shared a pregnant silence. Rufus Shinra stepped out from behind the Turks and broke it. The two guards immediately tensed in surprise. Simultaneously, the two called out.

"Rufus Shinra!"

Not one for respect, Rufus completely disregarded their outburst. With a flip of his blond bangs, he walked right past them and into Wutai. "Shin-Ra is already non-existent. What you see in front of you is just a group of people wishing to return their debts."

Clearly not understanding, the two guards stepped in front of Rufus with their weapons held towards him. "You cannot enter Wutai!"

The Turks immediately rushed forward, protecting the president being top priority, but Rufus stuck out a hand to stop them. "Is there something wrong?" Rufus calmly addressed them despite his situation. Having had plenty of experience along with natural talent, staying calm was just about as easy for him as breathing, apparently.

"Lady Kisaragi isn't within Wutai. Please leave."

"Right, the princess just happens to not be in Wutai when we're here for her. Is that how it goes?" The sarcasm rang true in Reno's words. Reno's electro-rod, on the other hand, pointed dangerously at the guard's face.

Irregardless, with bravery worth crediting, the two did not waver. "Lady Kisaragi is running some errands for Lord Godo. Leave us in peace."

Reno was getting ticked. "Look man-…"

"Is there a problem here?"

Heads turned towards the direction of the interruption. Recognizing the intruder, one of the guards ran forward and bowed. "Staniv, sir! Rufus Shinra and his Turks are here!"

The guard which held his position in front of the ex-Shin-Ra employees stood baffled as Staniv stepped towards them and surprisingly, led them within Wutai. "Please, follow me." The Turks were silently led towards the pagoda.

--

Somewhere within a cave on top of a waterfall, the ringing of a cell phone could be heard.

"Yes?"

A slight pause and some muffled speaking.

"I'll be on my way soon. Expect me in two weeks."

Another pause and then a click.

"… It's that time already…" With a sigh, Vincent Valentine stood up and headed to the entrance of the cave designated as Lucrecia's. With a satisfied grunt after double-checking that he had all of his belongings, which merely consisted of the clothes on him, his cloak, and his gun, he left towards the direction of Edge.

--

Up on the fourth floor of the pagoda, Staniv, the Turks, and Rufus gathered in a small semi-circle. Staniv looked at each of them carefully, attempting to read the masked expressions on their faces. He cleared his throat.

"So… you are here for Yuffie?"

Tseng decided to answer him. "We only wish to speak with her."

"In regards to…?"

The Turks turned and looked at each other, and then each nodded their heads in a silent agreement. Tseng took a step forward, and all heads turned to him. "We discovered… corpses near Healin. They were children, and I believe they were Wutainese." Staniv visibly tensed. Tseng took note of this and continued. "There was also a message."

"The children…" Staniv spoke in a quiet murmur. The Turks almost couldn't hear him. Shaking his head clear, he beckoned Tseng to continue. "What did the message say?"

"It said…" Staniv turned to Rufus, who had answered him instead. "…Maiden of jasmine… just as these children, Wutai will be in shambles. We will destroy Wutai's past and present, as we have done its future." Rufus's voice was cold, his stature was straight and unmoving. Staniv, on the other hand, felt his knees buckling, and stumbled backwards.

Staniv caught himself before he fell. "Oh… Leviathan…"

Elena waited for Staniv to gather himself. "We've done some research and have some information we would like to share with Miss Kisaragi. Please allow us to see her."

Staniv shook his head, slightly not over the impact of the news, and, in disagreement. "You… cannot see her."

Reno had just about enough of their situation. "Oi! What the hell!"

Staniv quickly interjected before Reno's head literally set on fire. "Don't misunderstand." He allowed Reno to back down before continuing. "It's not that you may not see her, but you really cannot. She is not in Wutai."

Reno scratched his head and looked at Rude, who shrugged. Rufus disregarded the slight roadblock, and shrugged as if it was the most obvious answer. "Then let us see your Lord."

"…" Wordlessly, Staniv left the pagoda and led them to Godo's house.

Outside of Godo's room, Staniv stood to the side to allow them passage. The Turks took a look inside. Within a few seconds, they stepped to the side, silent, and allowed Rufus to take a look. Rufus stepped back and turned to Staniv. "Where is Miss Kisaragi?" The topic of Godo was immediately dropped, having now understood the situation.

Staniv, again, shook his head in refusal. "I cannot say."

Rufus sighed in slight annoyance. Honestly, he disliked how idiotic this man thought he and his Turks were. "How long has she been gone to search or the children?"

Staniv blinked a few times in surprise. With a smirk, he could only shake his head and answer. "As expected from Shin-Ra. If you were all that idiotic, we would have won the war." With a slight pause to sigh, he continued. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. Honestly, I was about to contact Avalanche for help if she didn't come back in a few days time, anyway." Another sigh. "Miss Yuffie has been gone for two weeks already. I suspect that she has been captured by the enemy. The message you delivered only serves to prove it."

Rufus raised an eyebrow at this. "What makes you assume she's been captured?"

"Within that message, there were rather important things to take note of. It mentioned Wutai's past, present, and future. From the message and the children you saw, you could probably tell that Wutai's future is its children." Staniv paused to take a look for their reactions. "What do you think its past and present are?"

Rude merely shrugged. Reno stayed silent. Figuring the two probably weren't good with this type of thing, Elena took a guess. "Godo is the past… and Yuffie is the present?"

Tseng shook his head. "No… if they meant Godo, then they wouldn't have only mentioned the destruction of Wutai's future." Elena nodded shyly, a blush spreading across her face in embarrassment.

"Y-Yes, you're right sir. I didn't think things through before answering."

With a sigh, Tseng shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Elena. You don't have to berate yourself for it."

She bowed her head. "S-Sir…"

Rufus cut in before the topic went too offhand. Honestly, Rufus wondered how the Turks often got the job done. "Reno. Tell him the answer."

Reno blinked, and pointed at himself. An obvious 'why me?' question played at mind. Rufus seemed to pick it up.

With a shrug, he answered his thoughts. "You're always giving out questions to guess. I just assumed you were good at guessing, too. Besides," he looked at Rude, "that one doesn't say much anyway."

Reno shrugged. The answer was satisfactory, so Reno gave a satisfactory guess. "The princess is the past and the present is the current Wutai itself, people included."

Staniv's expression definitely said shocked and surprised. Feeling as if the Turks would never cease to amaze him, he replied an awaiting Reno. "Y-You're right."

Elena could feel her jaw drop. Reno grinned. Staniv shook his head in disbelief. "How did you know?"

Reno shrugged. "Don't know, man. The princess's always talking about making Wutai like how it used to be or whatever. Thought it might've been her. And, y'know, Wutai's kinda obvious." Reno was apparently smarter than he led on to be.

Staniv, yet again, shook his head. You'd wonder if his head was screwed on too loosely. Regardless, his voice took on a serious tone as he relayed to them more specifically why. "You are absolutely right. Wutai has been trying to make its way to its past self. Miss Yuffie is the living embodiment of how Wutai had been in the past. Without Miss Yuffie, Wutai will not have a model to shape itself after. Without Wutai itself, there will be no model to shape. Without the children, Wutai cannot last through the time it will take to shape itself."

Staniv took a break from speaking, giving the Turks and Rufus some time to process the information. Rufus moved his bangs back. "I see. This is why you feel that Miss Kisaragi has been taken in captivity."

Staniv nodded in confirmation. "Yes, sometimes, the easiest way to completely destroy something is to remove its past and its future. Without those, the present means nothing."

Rufus's sharp eyes stared into Staniv's. 'There is something he's not telling us…' Rufus felt it necessary to know everything. "And the rest?"

Staniv was speechless. With a look of desperation on his face, he could only plead for their understanding. "There are things which I absolutely cannot say without confirmation from Lord Godo or Miss Yuffie. Please understand."

The Turks and Rufus said nothing, but had, at least, understood his position. The six of them stood there silently, unmoving. Staniv looked uncomfortable, feeling as if he was to betray Wutai by interacting with these people. 'I'm sorry, Miss Yuffie…' Staniv kneeled on the ground and bowed so that his head touched the wooden floors. His hands were flat against the ground, supporting his posture. The Turks were shocked, never having thought that a Wutaian would ever bow their head towards anyone with even slightly anything to do with Shin-Ra. Rufus's brows furrowed. He wasn't sure what to do in a situation like this. He motioned for Rude to get the man up.

Before Rude could, however, Staniv looked up directly at Rufus, his eyes baring a request. "Rufus Shinra! Please, along with your Turks, assist Wutai! Please, help us find and recover our past! Help us find our Yuffie!"

Rufus didn't reply. Instead, he once again motioned for Rude to pick the man up. This time, Staniv allowed the dark man to help him up. Having received no answer, Staniv stared intently at Rufus, as if his whole life depended on the answer. It no doubt did, having already bowed his head towards Wutai's most hated group of people, he was bound to be exiled or sent off the cliffs of Da Chao.

Rufus let out a sigh. "If we weren't planning on assisting Wutai, we wouldn't have come."

Staniv looked overjoyed. He bowed his head to show his gratitude, much to Rufus's displeasure. With a grin, Reno stepped up to Staniv, and set a hand on his shoulder. "Hey man, give us a week. The Turks will bring back your princess for ya, for sure."

--

Wow, hey everyone! I realize that the update didn't really come as fast as the others, but hey, I'm in Taiwan now! I finally got to a computer, and started to type, type, type away at what I've written before I could reach one. Sorry of the lack of content in this chapter and the last. At first, I just felt I didn't want things to happen too fast, but now it feels like I'm dragging the story on. Hm… well, I hope it gets better, but it's kind of hard to get into the mood for story-writing in the environment that I'm in now. Well, please don't lose faith in this story; I'm still trying my best!

On another note: The keyboard I'm using has a bad 'F' key, so if you see any missing F's anywhere where there should be F's, please let me know! I've triple-checked it, but I still might've missed a few words here and there. Please and thank you!

To the reviewers:

chibified kitsunes: Thanks for the review! About your idea… hm… it's a nice thought. I suppose it'd work, but there'd be a lot of changes I'd have to make to make it fit. Well, we'll see how it goes! That'd definitely be an interesting thing to add into the story, though. Hm… what made you choose Tseng for it?

saharasfury: Keep in mind that some chapters will still be angsty to some extent, though! ' Hope it won't bother ya too much! Thanks for the review!

Paine Sawyer: That's such a flattering comment, thank you very much! But there are DEFINITELY lots of other fanfics out there that are sooo much better! I'm very glad that you found it suspenseful! Thanks for the review!

Maddy02: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you love this story! I love anything Yuffie-centric, too!

Thanks to everyone for reading!