All But One
Descendant of the Shinobi
In the Wutai tongue, the word shinobi refers to one who is skilled in the art of stealth. Likewise, the word ninja can be separated into two separate syllables to discover its underlying connotation; nin- meaning "in silence" or "to do quietly," and –ja meaning "thing" or "person." Hence, the term ninjutsu is defined as the "art of stealth" or the "skill of going unnoticed."
The members of the Investigative Division of the General Affairs Department of the ShinRa Electric Power Company, or simply the Turks, are also trained to specialize in covert operations, including espionage, kidnappings and assassinations. However, they are mere novices in the art of stealth when compared to the shinobi of Wutai.
Tseng knew this well.
Four hours had passed since they moved out of the Wall Market; they'd found nothing relevant to their investigation. Tseng proposed that it would be best to stick together, so they moved on to Sector Six as a group. The wreckage of Sector Six was quite a frightening sight for the seven-man team, as it had been completely laid to waste; not a single building or structure was found still standing. Steel pillars and frames from old edifices were scattered across the ground, and there were even cracked craters and bottomless pits that sunk deep into the soil from where the Lifestream once gushed in its clash against Meteor four years ago. Despite the painful sights of the forgotten vicinity, Tseng urged his teammates to rummage around the area and search for anything that might lead to their targets' hideout.
Tifa had found an empty gun near the remnants of the old general store. Vincent recognized it as a Walther P99, a semiautomatic pistol used mainly by ShinRa grunts for self-defense. They tossed it.
About half an hour later, Reno excavated a torn map, no, a blueprint to some kind of facility. Tseng eyed it suspiciously, as he couldn't familiarize himself with the building's layout. Whatever this building was, he'd never seen it before.
Rude and Yuffie found more materia, and Vincent reprimanded her when she tried to hide it from him.
The sky was darkening and nightfall was merely an hour away. Tseng knew he'd have to cease the search soon. But as these thoughts weakened his mind in frustration, he heard a loud shout from afar. He jerked his head to the west; it was Reno. He was waving his arms and jumping up and down, shouting at everyone to come.
Tseng and the others arrived to see something unexpected.
"What the hell is that?" Yuffie asked.
"Looks like a hatch," Vincent said.
A large metallic hatch, which measured about a meter in diameter, exposed out from underneath the ground, its steel surface burdened with rocks and stones and covered with deep scratches.
"What do you suppose it leads to?" Elena asked.
"The bastards who took the president!" Reno shouted.
Tifa knelt down, pulling off her black gloves and brushing her hand across the surface.
"During Meteorfall, I remember Reeve calling us and saying he would take as many people as he could to safety…" she looked up at them. "He said he'd take them to an underground hideout."
Tseng's eyes widened. "Is that so?"
Tifa nodded.
"So perhaps this is what he was talking about," he said.
Reno scowled, stomping his black shoes onto the metal hatch. "Who gives a damn what it is! I'll bet my next paycheck that this is where they're hiding! The sons of bitches who took the boss!"
Vincent stepped forward, glaring at him. "Let's hope you're wrong because if it is them, they probably just heard you slamming your foot against their door."
"Well are we gonna go in and check it out?" Elena asked.
Tseng shook his head. "We're not even sure if this is where they're hiding. One of us needs to go in there and look around, unnoticed. If they find out we're here, it'll probably mean we won't be seeing the president again…" he shifted his gaze to Tifa. "Or Cloud or Barret."
Vincent nodded. "I'll go."
"No," Tseng snapped. "Not you, Mr. Valentine."
Vincent stared back, a blank but cold expression hiding behind his collar. "You're volunteering, then?"
"No," Tseng answered.
"Then who? I trust you'll be wise enough to realize that your men aren't exactly fit for the job."
Reno and Elena grimaced.
"No. I have someone else in mind," Tseng said, his gaze slowly turning towards Yuffie.
"What?! Who?! ME?!" Yuffie shouted.
Even Vincent wasn't expecting this.
"The shinobi of Wutai are unmatched when it comes to stealth. Their movements are swifter than the wind, their presence unnoticed by even the keenest ears," Tseng said.
Reno suddenly burst out laughing. "HAHAHAHA! YUFFIE?! SILENT?! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Tseng gave him a fierce glare, and the red-headed Turk eventually calmed down.
"Even the worst of Wutai are better than the best of the Turks. Yuffie's the only one that can do this without getting caught."
Yuffie couldn't help but enjoy the praise, but then again, was this guy out of his mind?! She had never been on a covert operation before, and even she knew that her mouth lacked the ability to remain silent for more than five minutes. On top of that, there was no way in hell she was going in that hatch alone!
Tifa walked up to her, gently patting her on the back and smiling. "Tseng's right. You're the only one who can do this, Yuffie."
"But—"
"I believe in you."
Yuffie paused.
When was the last time someone ever said that to her? When was the last time everyone depended on her to accomplish something? When was the last time a Turk put her over Vincent?
Hmm…maybe I can do this, she thought. After all, I am the Great Materia Hunter Yuffie Kisaragi, the best ninja of Wutai! She remembered how just a few hours ago, she'd been so eager to be the one who found Cloud. She wanted to prove to them that she was a hero, too. And plus, if she did this, she'd leave Reno feeling like the useless loser he is, while she was in there all alone, pretty much saving the world all over again.
"Okay, stand back!" she yelled. "Leave this to the Great Yuffie Kisa—"
"Yuffie," Vincent cut. "I pray that you remember what the definition of the word "stealth" means. My biggest fear of you going in there is that mouth of yours."
Reno and Elena giggled in the back, but Yuffie merely stuck her chin up. I'll show these punks!
Everyone huddled together around the blueprint Reno had uncovered earlier. Tseng studied it carefully. It seemed like a science facility of some kind, probably another one of Hojo's dark labs. Considering the funding ShinRa used to provide on Hojo's research, Tseng wouldn't be surprised if there were hatches like this one scattered all over Midgar. The hatch was the main entrance. It leads down to an underground compartment, which consists of three floors. The first level appeared like a lobby area. There were two halls that led into the lobby, one from each side. Stairs on the opposite end led down to the next two levels. Tseng saw that the second floor was merely a cafeteria. It was the third level that caught his eye—a science facility, separated into six different rooms. This would be a problem. Yuffie would have to check each room individually in order to locate Cloud, Barret and Rufus.
Tseng and Vincent guided her through the blueprint, advising her on the best accessible routes through the facility.
"If there are air vents, it would be best to use those. The stairs would be problematic in case someone's heading up or going down."
"Damn ShinRa, can't even install a frikkin' elevator," Yuffie joked.
"If someone does happen to see you, don't hesitate to deal with them before they sound an alarm or something," Vincent said.
"It's obvious that if they really have Cloud and the others in here, it'd be level three. It's gonna be tricky trying to check each individual room without getting caught, but I guess that's why we're sending you down there," Tseng said, a slight smile on his face.
-xXx-
Yuffie dropped down to the floor, the impact of her feet against the ground making no sound at all. There was a long corridor from where she stood, and there was a faint light that shone from the room it led to. Yuffie edged her way down the hall, approaching the light slowly and cautiously, and being careful not to scrape her giant shuriken against the wall. When she reached the end of the corridor, she poked her head out from the corner to take a quick look at the lobby area. A large couch was located near the center of the room, a TV resting on a platform in the far corner. The walls were a plain white, the floor tiled and clean. There was a plant resting near the couch, two vending machines placed at the far wall. Yuffie sighed. No people.
Nevertheless, she'd have to be cautious.
Yuffie took a deep breath, and pushed against the floor with all her might, springing from the ground and flying across the room in a swift motion. She landed at the opposite side and continued down the next hallway. This one was bright with fluorescent lights; a major problem for someone who's trying to get through unseen.
Yuffie felt her heart stop when she heard footsteps ascending up the stairs. She jerked her head up to see an air vent, and quickly thrust herself up. The footsteps had reached her floor, and began to approach from the end of the hall. Yuffie strained her ears to listen to the voices.
"-what I heard, man! He's already in Rocket Town, I think."
"What the hell? Why don't we just kill the bastard?!"
"I think they wanna test out that new materia on him or something."
"What about the other two? That big guy and Shinra…"
"They're keepin' the big one here, but I heard Shinra's with the other one."
"What're they doin' in Rocket Town, anyways?"
"Think they're tryin' to get that big airship his friend has."
"But we already have a plane!"
"It's complicated, man. Anyways, I just need to go out and get some fresh air."
"Say, when do you think the bastard's friends are gonna show up?"
"They're prolly still lookin' for this place. Oh, did you hear about the…"
Yuffie couldn't make out any more of the conversation. Damn, she thought. This was a problem. She somehow had to get those two from going up, or else the others would get caught. The only way she could think of was to stop 'em for good.
She slid down the air vent and landed gracefully on the floor. The idiots hadn't even noticed. She flung herself into the air, taking out two small kunai from her belt and throwing them at the unknowing fools. With a soft grunt, they collapsed onto the floor. Yuffie grinned. She'd nailed them right in the fatal points, killing them instantly.
After hiding the bodies in the dark corridor, she made her way back to the other hall, and decided to risk taking the stairs; she was not going to squeeze her way down some godforsaken air vents!
She grabbed the railing and leapt down to the next level, skipping the entire flight of stairs. There was the smell of freshly cooked food coming from the next room. God, this sucks! I'm starving!
Yuffie slowly sidled down the wall. A chorus of voices spoke out from the cafeteria, their tones joyful and lively. It sounded like they were having a celebration. Yuffie frowned. Her passage through this level was going to be complicated. Why did they put the stairs on opposite ends?!
She peeked out from the wall, and cursed under her breath when she counted more than twenty men seated on the tables of the dining hall. Yuffie looked around the area, searching for someway to sneak pass unnoticed. Dammit. Maybe I should've taken the air vent.
Yuffie was tempted to just go out and kill all of them, but she figured that it would kind of defeat the purpose of her sneaking in here in the first place. Okay, let's see, here. How does one make her way through a crowded dining area unnoticed? I wouldn't be able to just edge my way against the wall since the lights are so bright, and…wait. That's it!
Over the course of centuries, the shinobi of Wutai learned to develop a firm bond with nature and the Lifestream. When the greatest of these warriors reach their peak in skill and knowledge, they are able to borrow the power of the Lifestream and use it to their will. In Wutai, it is an art known as All-Creation. Though Yuffie's mastery in this skill was far from complete, it would suffice for now.
Yuffie knelt down against the wall and shut her eyes. Her memory of this art was a little rusty since it'd been so long since she last used it, but all she needed was a little spark. Yuffie breathed deep, clearing her mind and commencing the meditation. She focused on the flow of the Lifestream, feeling its course as it surged through the planet. Lifestream…lend me the power of all things created…
Though it was incredibly weak and almost insulting, she felt an ounce of force enter her body, and focused it on the cafeteria lights. After a chorus of shattering, the entire floor went pitch black. Haha! Make way for the Great Ninja Yuffie!
"What the hell just happened?!"
"Who shut off the lights?!"
"Damn! I was just starting to relax, too!"
Yuffie smiled as she jolted pass the confused men, turning at the corner and heading through the exit that led to the next stairway. She managed to grab a loaf of bread from one of the plates, too, and was now munching happily as she made her way down the stairs.
Her mouth full and chewing, Yuffie cautiously entered the lowest level of the facility. All that was left for her to do was locate Barret. She had heard from the now-dead men on the first floor that Rufus and Cloud weren't here. But why were they in Rocket Town? And what's up with this "new materia" they were talking about?
Yuffie sidled against the wall, her giant shuriken now grasped in her left hand. The floor was empty, but she figured that people would be rushing down here soon since she completely obliterated the lights in their dining hall. There were six doors in this hall, three on the left, three on the right. Yuffie decided door number one would be her first target.
She turned the knob, and gasped when she looked in.
Barret was seated in a wooden chair, facing down. His left arm was glowing with different colors, and Yuffie knew it was from materia. But it was Barret's smile that sent shivers up her spine. He was wearing the most sinister smile she'd ever seen, and he slowly began to raise his gun-arm up towards her, but Yuffie was frozen stiff.