Katori: Chapter three, wow, and this one is going to be fun, we're going to finally get some action happening here. So last chapter was all about getting the plot MOVING! Now it's going to start running, hopefully my loyal fans will come and read this one…

Sin//Is thoroughly insulted// did you realize that one of your reviewers called me a GUY?! Since when do I came off as a GUY?!

Katori: Really now? You seem like a pretty moody guy, don't you think?

Sin: EXACTLY I MEAN-………HEY!

Katori: Either way, yes Sin is a girl, and I am happy some old fans came back…

Sin: Y'know, maybe it was best you came out with the Plus side of Insomnia first, you seem to have quite a bit of fans now…

Katori:….. and you actually AGREE with that? Here I was thinking you'd be all upset about this one…

Sin: Hey, we have some interesting things happening here, I'd like to see how you're going to pull this one off….

Katori:…… aren't you going to tell everyone how I don't own FFVII or the song?

Sin: Geesh, you'd think they'd know that by now…

Katori:…….. true…..

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In the winding hours,

I let your heart down again,

(What did I do to make a scene so gory?)

(I'm no better than the ones before me)

Old habits die hard

I always end up hating the end

(What did I do to make a scene so gory?)

(I'm no better than the ones before me)

By the Way, Hinder

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Emotion:

Confident

She concluded that the morning came way too soon, light poured into the room, perhaps not enough to announce 9 o'clock, but enough to wake her. She checked her watch and cringed slightly; it was nearing seven; which meant Tifa was getting up soon.

It wasn't as early as she would have wanted to wake up, but either way she was still tired as hell and knew she wouldn't be getting much sleep for the next little while. She pulled the crisp white covers back and threw her legs over the side of the bed, the floor was cold to the touch but she shrugged it off. Yuffie sluggishly pulled her socks on, then her boots and picked up her things before walking into the bathroom to quickly shower then change.

As soon as the water hit her she was wide awake; already scrubbing at her body and hurriedly washing her hair as her mind worked over her next destination. She knew that even though they could have heard her having a shower, they still wouldn't know exactly when she'd left. She pondered which was the place the group would least suspect, or be able to follow her.

'Hmn…Say, why not venture back to the City of the Ancients?' She hadn't really had time to pay her respects to Aeris while she was there and it was obvious that the organization didn't want anything to do with it. She had made it a fair distance in the Airship until they were assaulted from the ground. Where the group of scientists had come across such powerful guns was beyond Yuffie and she didn't want to find out either.

Besides, not many people even really acknowledged the fact that the ruins were there; what proof would the group even have that she was there? It was obvious that they didn't even think to look there for it, which would have been the first guess for many.

Either way, the trek there would be a pain; no doubt about that…

Yuffie cringed as she mentally mapped out the route to get there, it would have been much faster if she had the help of a Chocobo, but that would be another thing they could track her with. Unless, of course, she 'borrowed' one of Tifa's or Clouds… Her first instinctive was to march downstairs and ask Tifa for hers, but then it would cause unnecessary questions.

'Looks like I get to put my Ninja skills to the test, well… Roki always did like me and Tifa the best.' She mused to herself as she put on her traveling grab and then snuck out of the bathroom and back into her room.

It didn't take long for her to gather up her things, scribble a quick note for Tifa or Cloud to find and then high tail it out the window and onto the catwalk SOMEONE finally fixed.

The trip to and from the Chocobo stables was uneventful, either Tifa had assumed her long gone, or she had really been as silent as she'd hoped. She entered into Roki's stall and the golden chocobo 'kweh'ed happily at the sight of her, she ruffled his feathers a little affectionately. She brought him out into the sunlight and then the two of them rode off to what Yuffie was sure the direction the City of the Ancients was.

"Damnit!" A hand slammed down onto the desk, papers and files scattered everywhere within the rage of the moment. The man hardly noticed, his gaze was fixed upon the tank before him, he stood up and stomped around the side of his desk to face it. "This is supposed to be flawless!" He exclaimed in an outraged fashion, digging in the pockets of his lab coat for a particular item.

As soon as he retrieved the vile of seemingly black liquid it was then that he quieted down and began tirelessly pacing back and fourth in front of the tank of liquid.

"No, no, no, the lifestream is so unstable we cannot even condense it into a materia, we're going to need that god forsaken white materia…" He slammed his other hand against the tank of swirling black and green liquid. "How can we have come this far only to be set back? Those notes were useless, even Dr. Crescent's were of no value, if only we could hack into the Shinra company database and salvage his…" He trailed off and then began to continue his pacing and rant with a renewed vigor, "Yes, that doctor, his findings would be just what we needed. One of the original doctors to ever study the lifestream and it's effects with materia, we would only need one glance to find a way."

"It's a shame his only available records were those he wrote regarding the demon Chaos, even if he strayed off his normal path to help Crescent the original findings would be priceless…" He glanced down at the notes they had managed to retrieve at the ShinRa mansion and smirked slightly. "However… the infusions of Mako into the body we've studied are amazing, Dr. Hojo… You were useful for SOMETHING…"

He walked around his desk once more and then reached into a drawer, he pulled out a worn but still useable red disk and inserted it into the computer.

Information popped up before his eyes, he was lucky that he had made the encounter with Miss Rosso before she was killed by a Vincent Valentine.

Hiros Takyuka had been one of the original scientists that worked with Deepground to uncover a way to create a pure lifestream that Omega could absorb. He had always been intrigued by the effects that the lifestream had on the planet and on humans. He had researched grandly into the scientists before him that also shared the fixation. But he could have cared less for his actual job, he had been more interested in getting all the files he could on the lifestream and materia.

A few other scientists shared in his obsession as well, one being a Dr. Keith Granger. Together they had insisted that Rosso the Crimson infiltrate the new ShinRa base and find them the files on the one Doctor that had been interested in exactly what they wanted to know.

How to recreate the most powerful materia that could not only put the world and lifestream at their mercy, but this materia could heal or influence any illness, even revert the effects of death…

They would be able to draw a person back out of the lifestream. They had the materials, but they needed the procedure. That was something a Dr. Grismoire Valentine had looked into, perhaps not for the same purposes, but either way, his research was vital to their plans.

After Deepground's plans were foiled, the small group of scientists relocated in the now deserted Edge, the place was in ruins after the attack on the city and they had taken base in one of the old universities. They boarded up the entrances and made sure that if anyone entered they would be killed, the place they were staying in was on the far side of the surrounding area and no one had been near it since. The building had been old anyways, and they were looking for a reason to build a new one, thankfully not a soul had been there to salvage the remaining goods.

If they did come… there might be some unfortunate… accidents…

He grinned as he looked over at another container, but it was not what was inside the green sustaining liquid… but who…

"Man," Yuffie said aloud, talking more to herself then to the bird, "This place is so… surreal looking…" She jumped off the Chocobo and tied it's reins to a random tree just outside the forest. "Just peachy, nothing seems out of place here!"

As she made the way through the almost never-ending labyrinth Yuffie began to wonder… no… she began to doubt herself again. Sometimes, these bad feelings caught up with her, she wanted to act and be courageous but when she finally had time to sit down and think about her actions, the gloominess she felt surprised her.

Yuffie Kisaragi, no matter the age or talent, was still just one solitary person, or Ninja. Sure, she could take care of herself… but could she really save the lifestream like Cloud and Vincent before her? Yuffie had always taken a backseat to her friends, she hadn't really done anything remotely noteworthy, she'd always be just one of those on the side. She was no one's hero, not even those of Wutai could think of her as such because of her cowardly decision.

Maybe the reason why she needed to do this was also that she needed to prove to herself that she could handle it on her own. She had always been so outspokenly confident in herself and those around her she knew she could trust. She didn't want to drag anyone back into this, but what if she did and she ended up not being able to do what she set out for?

Yuffie had been taught from an early age that you had to depend on yourself, sometimes you could lean on others, but that could, in turn, be a bad mistake. It was nice to have friends, but Yuffie wasn't too sure if they all felt the same way. Sure Cid swore at her and called her a brat, but did he really care that much about her in order to risk his own life? Would she ever know someone like that, hell, could she ever have anyone truly love her enough to want to be with her?

Perhaps she was jus being a pessimist for a few moments, but she highly doubted she could find anyone like that for her.

Yuffie jumped as she heard a loud bass go off from her pocket and then the lyrics to the song she had programmed in for a certain someone. Now she cringed at the childishness of the song, it really was unfair for her to have this ring tone for someone whom she barely knew…

'I'm on the outside and I'm looking in, I can see through you, see your true colors. 'Cause inside you're ugly, you're ugly like-'

Yuffie flipped open the phone and brought it up to her ear, before she could open her mouth the voice on the other end tonelessly cut her off.

"Yuffie Kisaragi, I have been told to contact you and relieve a message…" That was Shelke for you, she always got straight to the point, and she talked very clipped when she addressed Yuffie. The Wutainese Ninja couldn't find out why, but the two of them never really established a relationship. It was like they simply could stand each other.

"Morning Shelke, how are you today?" Yuffie's tone was hopelessly fake and, if anything, sounded sarcastic.

Shelke ignored her question, "Miss. Tifa Lockheart has been trying to get a hold of you for quite some time, she says for you to phone her….." Shelke trailed off, her voice becoming a little more uncertain, "Are you doing something dangerous?"

Yuffie couldn't very well spill everything to Shelke, who would automatically tell Vincent, considering how much she trusted him. She wondered if Shelke was actually starting to care about her, if so, she decided to be a little more sincere to the girl.

"No, not particularly, I'll contact Tifa, thanks for the message… Bye Shelke," She waited to hear the response and after a few moments when she was sure Shelke had probably hung up she took the phone away from her ear.

"Good luck," Yuffie stared down at the phone, in a few seconds, it had gone dead, she blinked and went into her settings, still aimlessly walking on through the dark and rotted tunnels. Shelke was getting a better ringtone….

She closed the cell, put it in her pocket and then continued to the centre of the City, she gazed around the walls, taking in the odd symbols and characters carved there. She could phone Tifa later, as for right now, she needed to concentrate on not getting lost.

The trek to the holy waters and alter was an uneventful one, aside from some random monsters that had managed to sneak into the ruins, the place was rather dull. Something that was a very good sign to Yuffie, it meant that no one had upset the place since she had last been there.

She sat down at the waters edge, bending one leg to hug to her chest as the other lay flat against the ground. She looked to the alter where the Cetra once stood and couldn't help but remember the happy face she had graced Cloud with before she took her last breath. 'You came for me…' it was said, even without words.

Yuffie…

The Ninja's head snapped up and she looked around for the source of her discomfort. Why did she suddenly feel as if a set of eyes were fixed on her, and yet she couldn't see anyone?

Open your Heart…

She could hear something faint, she slowly pulled out her conformer and listened intently for any signs of another. She strained her ears and the silence was almost frightening, nothing moved, everything was as if time had stopped. It seemed like forever, but finally Yuffie's guard drooped a little, she couldn't hear anything else. Perhaps she merely was hallucinating, it was unlikely that she wouldn't hear someone walking into the room.

She shifted slightly her heart lifted as she heard the faint rustle of her clothing, but she could still feel those eyes on her back. She slowly turned her head, but saw nothing, she dispelled a pent up breath and felt like growling in annoyance. She was clearly going to go insane before she could save the world, but what was with that whisper… what did it say? It had been so small, it almost sounded like a breathless hiss…

I'm right here…

This time, Yuffie heard it clearly, it echoed across her mind so crisply that she was startled. She jumped to her feet, conformer in one hand and her eyes searched the silence around her. She definitely heard that one.

Yuffie, it's me…

The tenseness in her muscles drained away to leave a wobbly feeling, she dropped her Conformer and cringed as it's metal hit the ground with a loud thump. She knew that voice, who could forget the sweetest voice, the one that reminded her so much of her mothers kind tone?

"Aeris…" Yuffie's knees collapsed beneath her, but before she sunk to the ground a white light enveloped her and she had actually slumped into a field of beautiful white lilies.

Finally… I was beginning to think your heart was unreachable…

"Aeris, where are you?" Yuffie looked around for the source of the voice but all she could see was an endless field of white skies and flowers. "Am I supposed to be able to see you? Aeris?!" She began to panic.

A light laughter filled her ears and a warmth touched her cheek. Yuffie's eyes widened when a pair of two stunning green eyes appeared before her, slowly followed by the soft flesh of the unearthly beauty. Finally, Aeris was before her in a long trailing white gown that was strapless and covered in an amazing stitched lilly design on the skirts and lace delicately placed on the top layer.

"Yuffie, it's been so long, four years since I've been able to speak with you.. now you're around the same age as I."

"Aeris I-"

Aeris shook her head and the braid cascaded down her back, her smile grew brighter as Yuffie's expression turned to one of confusion.

"Yuffie I know… but please, the lifestream can only handle touching the earth so many times, I need to tell you so much, and yet I know not where to start." The Cetra gracefully stood and began to walk over to the flowers on the Ninja's left.

Her long gown trailed behind her, and it was then that Yuffie saw the two transparent wings sprouting from her back, she felt an overwhelming urge to cry. The tears stunk her eyes and she closed them so that the wetness would stay behind her eyelids. There was a shifting in material and then she felt a light warmness encircle her, she didn't need to open her eyes to know that Aeris was hugging her. "You're wrong…" her eyes snapped open and she regarded Aeris openly perplexed. "You're going to need their strength Yuffie, all of it. You're going to need Cloud's, Tifa's, Nanaki's, Barret's, Cid's, Shelke's…" she grinned as conflicting emotions flashed in her friend's eyes. "You'll even need Vincent's… you can rely on them, just like they relied on you… Yuffie… regardless of what you've done in the past, or even recently, you're going to need every ounce of the strength they can lend you for the upcoming trials…" Aeris trailed off as if feeling she had spoken too much and opted to switch gears. "The man you are facing has many followers, some of which you would never guess, I'm afraid I cannot help you in this battle, but Tifa can… Yuffie!" Aeris was fading and now her voice was slightly panicked, "…Tifa! Tell her and the others….Cloud….miss them… you can do this….have faith in you…. Trust Vincent… he…you…"

Yuffie believe in yourself!

Miss. Kisaragi… tell Vincent I'm still watching over him…

"Aeris?!"

"THERE! I SEE HER! SURROUND HER IMMEDIATELY!" Yuffie cursed and stood up, she pulled out a couple materia and was ready to start casting. She ran for the exit, jumping up high over the heads of the few men that had come in to capture her and the materia.

Her legs pumped quickly as she ran around the bends in the path and came to the light she could faintly see at the end of the tunnel. She reached into her pocket and grabbed her cell phone, quickly dialing Tifa's number… Only a bit more until she was safe and could meet up with the bartender somewhere…

When Yuffie nearly stumbled out of the tunnel and into the light a horrid sight met her. Roki lay on the ground, the Chocobo was covered in it's own blood and wasn't breathing or moving. It's blood stained the ground around it and Yuffie could see that she had no chance in Hell of getting out of there without one hell of a battle.

She was surrounded by at least thirty or so men, each in that ridiculous uniform, holding guns and other unpleasant looking weapons. She took an unconscious step backwards, the phone was still ringing, but no one picked up, she scowled at Tifa's horrible timing and clicked the phone shut. She had just placed the phone back into her pocket when she heard the foot steps behind her stop.

She tried desperately to look for an escape route, but the best that she could see was to her right where there were only a few men. She knew that if she so much as shifted her leg that they would open fire.

'Damnit… I should never have stayed here so long, they had to have traced me somehow… Wait! What about Shelke's call?' "What do you want?" She demanded readying her shuriken for an attack and then her escape to her side.

"Well Miss. Kisaragi, we meet again… Do you remember me?" Asked one of the men, stepping forwards and bowed cockily in her direction. Yuffie swore that if he didn't have guns aimed at her head she would have sliced his right off….

"Who could forget the ugly uniforms and your pretty face?" She sneered, her eyes shifting to her side once more, happy to see the few men there were already looking off and not really paying attention.

The was trapped, a rat in a cage experiment, and she only had once chance to get the key…

§§§§§§§§§§§§

I'm in the middle of a break down,

watching you scream,

In the middle of a break down,

screaming at me,

§§§§§§§§§§§§

Katsu: Short chapter I know, Buty I was kicking myself in the ass for not updating. So I kind of cut one in half, sorry if it's disappointing. IT'S NOT OVER! I WILL FINISH THIS!
Sin: rolls eyes Then finish Insomnia first…
Katsu: Patience… I WILL do that too….

Sin: Review. Or else Katsu won't update!

to know people are going to read this, I really like it so far and I hope everyone does too.