Chapter 6: Cid, the 'Would Be' Astronaut

Two hours had passed by before the group finally saw their first sights of Rocket Town. They thought they would never reach the town, and were immensely relieved as they passed the small hill and saw the town standing in the middle of the fields, probably no more than a few miles away.

The journey had proved much more tiring than they had first thought. Two long, agonising hours had been spent in the blazing sunlight. No sooner had they stepped away from the mountains did the breeze shift its direction so that it no longer blew from the west. Nor was there any comforting shadow from the mountains, for as the sun moved further to the west it pushed away the shadows of the mountains, leaving them only with hot, tiring sunlight. Even Aeris had lost her thrill for the light and the warmth, her boots tied loosely around her neck so that her feet could cool down against the soft stalks of grass.

True to form, Cait had got his information completely wrong. The one-hour journey he had promised had quickly extended as they headed across the Kutai Plains, with no sign of any town anywhere. Cait blamed the mistake on the fact that he was calculating how long it would take them to travel by buggy – except that they had left the buggy outside of Nibelheim. And as Barret chased the cat and Mog across the fields, his anger fuelled by the heat, the cat shouted, "It's not my fault! I'm just a simple fortune teller!'

At which point Barret had replied in a fit of rage, "I ain't gonna need a fortune teller to predict YOUR future!" At the same time Naruto and Yuffie were rolling on the ground laughing. Tifa and Aeris were giggling, Nanaki and Cloud were snorting and Gaara was looking at them all with an amused expression. Only Vincent's face was unchanged.

Noticing this, Naruto decided to introduce him to Kyuubi.

'Hey Kyuubi, can you do the same thing that you did on Yuffie when explaining to her about us?'

"Sure,"

Naruto gripped his sword and pushed chakra into it. A puff of smoke later and Kyuubi was standing next to Naruto. Only Gaara and Vincent noticed. The others were too busy watching the spectacle. Vincent widened his eyes a bit in seeing Kyuubi as she walked towards him and laid a hand on his shoulder. Instantly the white semi-transparent sphere started to grow from where she touched. The sphere grew till it covered them both.

They stayed in there for a few minuets then the sphere receded leaving the two. Kyuubi walked back to Naruto's side and poofed back into the sword. But Vincent looked at Naruto with wonder and respect. He walked up to Naruto and said, "Your life has been worse than mine. Compared to you, my problems are trivial. I would like to accompany you back to your world and to help you build your village,"

"What!" said Naruto disbelievingly.

"Miss Kyuubi said it can happen when I asked her,"

'Is this true?'

"Yeah, it is. I thought you could use some help so I agreed. Don't worry; I'm not breaking any laws or anything. People come to me asking these questions and so I choose whether to say yes or no. Is it alright?"

'Absolutely! I'm fine with it.'

"Well?" asked Vincent.

"Sure thing," said Naruto with a big smile.

Vincent gave Naruto a small smile in return. Gaara walked up and said, "Welcome to the team,"

Looking over at Barret now huffing and wheezing Naruto called to everyone else, "As soon as Barret catches his breath we'll keep going."

Everyone agreed and soon they started moving again.

The Nibel Wolves that stalked the Kutai Plains hadn't made the journey any easier, either. The small pack of wolves had been following Naruto and the others ever since they exited the winding paths of Mt. Nibel, waiting for the right time to attack. They found that time about an hour later, when the group sat down in the middle of the field to fuel themselves with water and food they had picked up in Nibelheim.

They had attacked in a sudden, vicious onslaught, but everyone remained surprised at how easily they had been dealt with. It would most certainly stick in their minds as one of their most bizarre victories to date. In fact no one even noticed the wolves arriving, until Naruto had suddenly stood up, sword in hand, and held it out level in front of him.

As the bearer of the Choco/Mog materia, Naruto had expected the comic duo of Chocobo and Mog to emerge from the materia and simply chase off the beasts approaching them. Yet, as the materia flashed with a deep red passion and ejected a thin red line of light into the air that flew up and burst with a puff of white smoke, he realised that something else was happening.

The underside of the cloud rippled and then parted as something large and yellow dropped down from within. It was at this point that the others noticed what was going on and looked up, their eyes wide as they saw the yellow creature that was being dropped from the cloud.

The creature was a Chocobo, but not the usual kind. This Chocobo was large, much larger than any Chocobo they had ever seen. It was also incredibly fat, its body like a large, bulbous ball of skin, feathers and fur. Even its face was fat: humorous eyes looking out from a podgy little face.

The wolves were still running at that point. They did not notice the giant shadow that had suddenly formed above them and was gradually growing bigger as they ran. It was only within the last few seconds before the Fat Chocobo hit the ground with an almighty thud that the wolves finally spotted it and swerved aside.

One wolf did not manage to run aside in time. The giant body of the Fat Chocobo landed directly on top of it, squashing the beast under its heavy bulk. Only its tail could be seen twitching at one side, the rest of its body pressed beneath the summon monster. The rest of its pack had fled in fear, leaving their companion behind to the fate of the Fat Chocobo.

The Fat Chocobo had then smiled happily with its tiny little beak, and then dispersed back into the air in a second puff of white smoke. It left behind the Nibel Wolf, lying flat against the grass in a groove made from the Chocobo's form. It was still alive, albeit unconscious, but it would certainly take a while to recover.

"Daaaaaaammmmnnn…" said Naruto who voiced everyone's thoughts.

With the Nibel Wolves removed the group quickly chose to move on, the sight of the Fat Chocobo still fixed in their minds as the most bizarre summon they had seen and would probably ever see. Not surprisingly the wolves did not bother them again, and they were free to enter Rocket Town.

The group was very surprised as they passed through the gates of Rocket Town and stood on its dusty path. Surprised because there was no sign of the Shinra or even a Mako Reactor anywhere within the whole town – from what they could see.

There were even people walking around – people who did not carry the usual expressions of sadness and misery that they had seen in so many previous towns like Gongaga and North Corel. The people of this town appeared to be normal, unaffected by the effects of the Shinra. Some people even managed to give the group a warm, welcoming glance as they entered the town.

The town itself was plain and simple enough. There was a bar and inn, a weapon and an item shop, all the usual homes and shops they expected to see in a small town. Although they did notice that the homes looked in quite good condition, unlike the older homes they had seen in many other towns, all shabby and rundown. Perhaps they hadn't, because Cloud felt certain that on the older world maps he had seen this town hadn't been placed on it.

It almost felt a little strange entering a town that apparently seemed unaffected by the Shinra. They had become so used to seeing miserable faces and hearing stories of loss and broken promises that they expected it, even in this town.

Cautiously and somewhat uneasily, Naruto and the others stepped forward into the town. At any moment they expected to turn a corner and see the ruins of another failed reactor, or a mass graveyard, or something that showed any signs of misery caused by the Shinra.

Cloud turned his head from left to right, very nearly desperate to spot something that related to the Shinra. He got his answer when he looked right ahead towards the strange structure that they had seen out in the Kutai Plains. "What's that…?" he exclaimed, pointing up the structure.

Everyone looked up, and was just as surprised as Cloud was. In the distance they had thought the structure to be nothing more than a tall building, but up close it was clear that this was not the case.

It was actually a rocket – a very old and worn rocket at that. It was made of strong, study bronze metal that had become so rusted with age that most of the colour was gone. Instead of standing upright like a normal rocket, this one was slowly tilting onto its side, held up only by the edges of the metal pillars that surrounded it. Yet even those were failing, gradually bending as the weight of the rocket pushed on them and pushed them aside.

"A rusty old rocket…" said Cloud as he gazed up at the rocket. "Wonder what they'd make something that huge for?" Naruto had never seen a rocket before so it was an interesting sight. Same for Gaara.

While he spoke the others walked past him and strolled into the town, taking the time to explore. Cloud followed, eventually, after spending another minute or so gazing up at the leaning rocket. There was some writing on the side of the rocket that he couldn't make out – worn off with age – but Cloud didn't feel it was really that important to know.

So, with nothing better to do than to wait, Cloud and Naruto began to explore the town together. They saw the others as they walked, gathering information about the town from the townspeople. They even saw Barret and Vincent inspecting the Weapons Shop near the entrance of town, although there was not much worth buying. There was some interesting stuff in the Item Shop, but that was all.

The two left the Item Shop without buying anything, and stood in the middle of the town. From where they were they could see pretty much all of the town – the rocket to their left, the town's entrance to their right, and a few houses behind and ahead of them. There was also a quaint little house just ahead of them, but it didn't strike as important then, either.

Suddenly getting the feeling that he was being watched, Cloud tensed up and looked to his left. He relaxed when he saw that it was an old man just sitting in a chair outside the weapon shop, gazing at him through old, grey eyes. They were not the eyes of someone who had been hurt tremendously over the years. Rather they were the eyes of a happy, content old man, gazing at the young man before him as though basking in some distant memory.

When he had finished looking at Cloud the old man turned away and turned away in his chair to look up at the rocket. Cloud was about to walk away when the old man suddenly said, completely out of the blue, "This used to be a Shinra base where they used to launch rockets."

Cloud stopped where he was and looked back at the old man, wondering what had made him speak so suddenly. The old man didn't turn, and continued to look up at the rocket as he spoke again. Assuming the old man was talking to him, Cloud didn't move from where he stood.

"You saw the leaning rocket, right? That's Shinra No. 26. It never got off the ground though. It just looms there. That's how the town got its name… 'Shinra No. 26'." The old man slowly turned his head and looked at Cloud again, his grey eyes glimmering hopefully. "Want to look at the rocket with me?"

Cloud stared uncaringly for a second, but then his face softened and he smiled. "Yeah, let's take a look," he said.

The old man's face creased into a warm smile before he turned and looked up at the old rocket ahead of him. His face just seemed to lighten up the longer he gazed at the old thing, admiring its structure and the way it was perfectly balanced on the metal pillars. Although it was worn and old and so close to falling over, Cloud got the feeling that the old man could see something about the rocket that he couldn't. Something mystical… perhaps magical… No… that was just silly.

Eventually the old man sighed and climbed out of his chair, turning around to face Cloud. The smile remained on his face even as he stood, looking at Cloud with a certain admiration.

"I get so impressed every time I look at it," the old man said cheerfully. "Sorry to get you into this. For me, it's a kinda hobby. But, out of appreciation, let me give you this." He reached out behind his chair and pulled out a sword. "I wish you'd take care of it and use it…"

Cloud didn't say anything as he accepted the sword, closing his hand around the handle and holding it out in front of him. Despite its age it was a beautiful sword, and was much thinner than his sword. Yet, somehow Cloud got the feeling he wouldn't use the sword much, although he didn't feel right to refuse the man's kind gesture.

It wasn't that Cloud didn't like the sword. It was a beautiful model, known as Yoshiyuki, and was in a sense more practical than his sword. Even so, Cloud didn't feel able to give up his Buster Sword. He had used it ever since Midgar, and it held such a strong attachment to him that he couldn't explain it. So he just smiled at the old man, and placed the sword behind his back, hooking it alongside his Buster Sword. The two swords together were heavier, but Cloud figured he could manage until he could find somewhere or someone to give the sword to. Someone who could use the sword, like the old man wanted.

Leaving the old man to continue gazing at the old rocket, Cloud and Naruto headed over to the inn back at the town's entrance. Naruto figured that they would all need to gather sometime soon and discuss what they should do next. If the Shinra were heading west then they should turn up sooner or later… he hoped. At least they now knew that the town did have a connection to Shinra, albeit a past connection.

Naruto pushed open the door to the inn and walked boldly inn with Cloud behind him. As Naruto entered he saw that the inn also doubled up as a bar as well as an inn, with the bar positioned to his right, while the innkeeper's desk was directly ahead. He wasn't interested in booking a room though, so instead he just turned and headed straight towards the bar.

As he walked up he saw that he hadn't been the only one with the idea of waiting in the bar. Aeris was there too, having a drink at one of the tables in the dim lighting. Nanaki was on the floor beside her, his tail swishing lightly between the legs of the table. Lastly there was Cait Sith, standing silently in the corner with his back to them. He was completely motionless, and Naruto figured maybe he had somehow turned himself off for a while to conserve his energy. Naruto did wonder what Cait ran on, if he was indeed mechanical…

As Naruto went to sit with Nanaki, Cloud looked at Aeris. She was sat quietly at the table, her finger lightly tapping the edge of the glass, like she was lost in thought. She looked it, too, her face in a very serious expression that Cloud rarely ever saw on her. Aeris was always so light-hearted and cheerful around the others, but maybe she also had a lot of things on her mind that she didn't share. Cloud decided that maybe she wanted to be on her own, so instead of going over to her he went over to the bar, where the barman was polishing a glass behind the counter.

"Would you like something to drink?" the barman asked without looking up at him.

Cloud nodded. The barman put down the glass he was polishing and began to mix up a drink from various bottles that were lined up along the bar. Cloud watched him as he worked. Eventually his thirst for knowledge about the town got the better of him as he asked the barman about the town. "Let me hear your story," he said.

When the barman was finished mixing the drink he placed the glass in front of Cloud. "Did you meet the Captain already?" he asked in exchange, continuing to polish his glasses. "He's really the town's representative, so you should really talk with him."

It wasn't the first time Cloud had heard the name 'Captain' mentioned. A number of people in the town had advised they talk to the Captain about the town. Cloud didn't know whether they were just being evasive, or if they were just genuinely advising them to talk to this 'Captain'. Either way he really did seem like an important figure amongst the townspeople.

"Better ask the Captain about this town," another man piped up from one of the tables. "He's the one in charge of it."

"Captain? Who's the 'Captain'?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, I want to know too," said Naruto.

The man took a long, hard swig of his drink and swallowed it in one gulp. With the glass now empty he put it on the table and turned to look up at Cloud. "The Captain was a pilot when Shinra was still interested in their Space Program," he explained briefly. "He was going to be the world's first astronaut, but there was an accident… Ever since then, he's been wasting his life away here dreaming about going into outer space."

Hearing what the man said made Cloud think. Perhaps this was the reason why Shinra were heading west. Was there something in Rocket Town that they wanted, or did the 'Captain' know something about Sephiroth? Either way it sounded like a safe bet that they find the Captain and find out before the Shinra got there. Even so, Cloud couldn't help but ask.

"Did you see a man in a Black Cape?" Cloud asked.

The man leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head. He thought seriously for a minute, before he eventually shook his head. "A man in a Black Cape?" he repeated. "Nope… don't know a thing about it."

Naruto nodded. It didn't surprise him that he wouldn't know. As Cloud finished his drink, Naruto got up and gently shook Aeris, telling her that they were going to talk with this Captain. She nodded, saying that she would tag along. Nanaki was already following Naruto so he went to Cait Sith. Getting Cait back online took a few more minutes before the cat finally realised someone was shaking his body and looked up, confused. When he was awake they headed back out into the town again, rounding up the others before gathering outside the house that the townspeople pointed out to them as the Captain's house.

It was quite a quaint little house, with a dark-tiled roof and four glass-paned windows that overlooked the town. There was no garden that they could see, but the small white fence that surrounded the house extended all the way to the very back of the house. When they looked they could see that it extended even further than that, and there was a glimpse of something pink and blue there.

Ignoring the back garden for the moment, Naruto and the others went up to the front door and knocked gently. They waited a moment for an answer, and when they got none, Naruto knocked a little bit harder. Naruto tried the door handle, and was surprised to find that the door was unlocked. After a confirmation nod from each of the others, he opened the door fully and walked inside.

The house was just as quaint inside as it was outside. It was nothing fancy – the living room/kitchen took up most of the house's interior, with three other doors leading to smaller rooms. There was a small circular table in the middle of the living room with four chairs around it, placed on a green rug that had lost most of its softness over the years.

"Doesn't look like anyone's here," said Tifa, as they looked around the living room.

She was right. Although the other doors were shut so they couldn't see, there was no sound of anyone else in the house, unless they were being extremely silent. There was one other door in the house, hidden at the very back down a small passageway. It probably led to the back garden. Naruto remembered the strange object he had seen from his glimpse outside the house and headed for the back door.

The door did indeed lead to the back garden of the house, and it was larger than they expected. The garden bordered onto a field that joined up with the rocket launch pad area. But it was what was in the garden that caught their attention.

The pink and blue object they had seen from the front was a small plane. It was not a very fancy-looking plane, and most of the paint was worn and a little bit dirty with age, but it was still in good condition. The blue bit they had seen was its nose, and it had more blue bits patterned across it. It had a blunted nose rather than the usual smooth point, with the propellers on the wings. There was also a very familiar logo painted on the side. In spite of its age it looked very airworthy – just perfect for travelling some distances.

"There's a Shinra logo on it," said Cloud. He walked up close to the plane and wiped away some of the dried dirt on the side of the plane, revealing the plane's name. "Tiny Bronco… This is cool."

"I wonder if we can borrow it," said Tifa.

Naruto nodded thoughtfully. If they could borrow the plane then they could make excellent time on their journey – far better time than they had made with the buggy. With that plane, the two-hour journey they had taken just to get to Rocket Town would have taken them no more than twenty minutes. Possibly less or more, depending on how fast the plane could fly.

"The Shinra always keep the most useful things to themselves. Let's steal it!" snapped Barret fiercely. The fiery glare was back in his eyes, fired up at the thought of stealing from the Shinra and making them squirm. Yuffie just looked a little nervous at the idea. Naruto wondered why.

"Um… may I help you?"

The group all tensed up and stood rigid in front of the plane as the soft and slightly trembling female voice spoke out to them. When the shock subsided the group slowly turned around and saw a woman standing behind them, peering out at them through a pair of old glasses.

She looked to be in her late twenties or perhaps early thirties, and was wearing a long, white lab coat. At first they thought she was a scientist, until they saw specks of oil on her face and hands – an engineer, maybe? Her brown hair was slightly scruffy, tied back in a rough ponytail to keep it away from her face, although a few strands managed to break free and hung over her face. She seemed friendly enough.

"No…" Naruto replied, being the first to break from the shock-induced tautness. "We're just looking at it."

The woman stared at him for a minute, before her mouth upturned into a smile. "…If you would like to use it, please ask the Captain," she told him. Her voice had a very anxious, wavering tone to it, like she was nervous about speaking. "The Captain should be in the Rocket. I'm Shera. And what are your names?"

"The names Uzumaki Naruto," said Naruto, giving a nod. He looked round at the others, who had now all broken from their own nervous stances.

"I'm Cloud,"

"Tifa. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Barret, of AVALANCHE."

"I'm Aeris."

"Nanaki,"

"I'm Yuffie!"

"Fortune telling machine Cait Sith here."

"Vincent. My occupation is… forget it."

"Gaara,"

Shera looked round at the group of ten and nodded. She smiled again, but there was a slightly disappointed look in her brown eyes, as though she was expecting them to be someone else. "Hmm…" she mumbled wistfully, her voice muffled as she folded her arms and put one hand thoughtfully over her mouth. "So you're not with the Shinra. I thought the approval for the reopening of the Space Program came."

"Ohhh," said Naruto. So the Shinra were coming to Rocket Town, after all. What for?

Shera nodded again, the loose strands of her hair flying across her eyes. "President Rufus is scheduled to come here," she explained to them as she wiped the strands aside. "The Captain's been so restless this morning."

The woman then turned away and headed back inside the house, leaving Naruto and the others standing outside in front of the plane. When she was gone and the door was shut, Naruto turned to face the others.

"Well this is getting interesting," he said, grinning slyly.

The rocket seemed to be far taller up close than it did outside of the town. Naruto and the others never realised it until they were stood directly beneath it, overwhelmed by its size. It must certainly have been a fine rocket when it had been built, and a lot of effort had clearly been put in to keep the rocket in good condition. A lot of the rust had been scraped off, and the metal had been frequently polished. It was especially shinier that day, as though someone had scrubbed the metal for hours to make it look as good as possible.

There was no sign of the Captain as they approached the rocket. They only people they saw around the rocket were workers making final adjustments to the launch bay. Now there wasn't a single stray leaf or branch to be found around the rocket. Whatever was happening that day, the people were certainly making an effort to make the rocket and the town look presentable.

Remembering Shera's words, Naruto and the others walked around to the side of the rocket, looking up for a way in. Halfway up one of the pillars they saw a metal platform leading straight to the rocket, where an open doorway could just be seen through the metal. And, from inside the doorway, they could hear the sounds of someone shouting angrily inside.

One by one they made their way up the side of the rocket, using the ladder on the pillar. Only Nanaki and Cait Sith stayed behind, deciding they wouldn't waste their energy climbing up unnecessary ladders just yet. They waited at the bottom, resting on the ground, while the others headed into the rocket.

The sound of the angry shouting became louder as they climbed up. They couldn't make out much of what was being said, other than that it was absolutely filled with frustration and anger, and certainly needed to cut out a swear word or two. Along with the shouting there came the furious clank of metal crashing onto metal, an extra sign to the air of sheer frustration that was radiating from inside the rocket.

Stopping just outside of the door, Naruto and the rest of the group were almost afraid to step inside the rocket. Whoever this 'Captain' was, judging by the sound of his voice, he certainly didn't sound like he was in the best of moods. They waited nervously for a minute or two, and when the clanking sounds subsided, they plucked up the courage to peer round the doorway.

There was a man standing just a few meters away from them, his back to them as he faced the wall, a wrench in his hand as he worked on tightening the pipes that ran along the floor.

Although they couldn't see his face with his back turned, he was dressed in a thick blue jacket with the sleeves rolled right up to his elbows, and brown leather gloves on his hands that were slightly old and worn over the years. He had a head of short blond hair that was pushed back by a set of air goggles strapped around his head. There was a cigarette packet lodged underneath the strap by his left ear, a single cigarette sticking up out of the packet waiting to be drawn.

Looking around at the inside of the rocket, there didn't seem to be much to look at. There was a door leading to the cockpit and another door leading to the deeper depths of the rocket, but that was pretty much it.

There was one thing of notice in the corridor, though. There was a long and fearsome spear lying on the floor by the man's feet. It was incredibly long and made of strong, polished wood, with an incredibly sharp metal point at the top, perfectly shaped for quick stabs and slashes. It seemed quite an unusual weapon to have lying around, since it was precarious in unsteady hands. In skilled hands, on the other hand, it could be an incredibly dangerous weapon.

The man didn't notice them at first as Naruto and the others stepped through the doorway – he was far too busy cursing and mumbling loudly to himself to notice anything. It was only when Barret stepped off the platform and onto the metal floor of the rocket with his huge, heavy boots stamping against the metal that he heard them. He looked up, surprised, and turned around to face them.

His face was coarse and somewhat unshaven, and he had a single cigarette perched in his mouth. He looked to be in his early thirties, and his blue eyes glared at the group with a fierce gaze that seemed about to snap at any given second. He didn't look too impressed to see them either, for not even a flicker of a warm, welcoming smile appeared on his face, unlike the rest of Rocket Town.

"What're you guys doin' here?" the man snapped, so fiercely and on edge that it took the others completely by surprise and made them all jump back.

"Yeash, don't blow a gasket! We just wanted to know where we could find the Captain," said Naruto who wasn't surprised at all.

The man took the cigarette he had been smoking out of his mouth, threw it on the floor and stamped it out with his boot. "Captain?" he asked. "I'm the Captain! The name's Cid. Everyone calls me 'Captain' though." He pulled out the spare cigarette from the packet lodged underneath his goggles, lit it, and stuck it in his mouth. "What d'ya want?"

Naruto was about to ask about the Tiny Bronco, but he stopped before the words left his lips. He remembered the way Cid had been shouting before they entered. He thought it would be best to try and lighten his mood somehow… perhaps ask about something that may just cheer him up slightly until they were ready to ask about borrowing the Tiny Bronco.

"Tell me about this rocket," he said finally, guessing that the rocket was a good topic to start with.

He guessed right. Cid's frustrated frown was lifted instantly, changing into a smile of happiness and surprise. He almost looked like a different person and it took them all by surprise to see such an instant change.

"Wow! Not bad for a kid," the elder man said. "Alright then, I'll explain it to you." He put his wrench down on the ground beside his spear and faced the group. "You know Shinra developed a lot of technological gadgets during the meaningless war, right? Now it's a Mako company, but in the old days it was a Weapons manufacturer. Well, they came up with a Rocket Engine."

"There was so much excitement about the thought of going into outer space. Our dreams got bigger and bigger. They put a major budget into it and made prototype after prototype! Finally, they completed Shinra No. 26. They chose the best pilot in Shinra – no, in the world – me. I mean, come on. And we finally get to the day of the launch. Everything was goin' well…"

All of a sudden Cid spun around and kicked the wall, making everyone jump. It carried such force that it made the corridor shake a little, and the sound of the kick echoed throughout the other empty corridors of the rocket. The happy smile had disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, replaced once again by the deep, raging fury that was permanently on his face.

"But, because of that dumb-ass Shera, the launch got messed up. That's why they became so anal!" He stared angrily at the wall as he shouted, until he realised just how much anger he was showing. He quickly recovered himself and turned back to them. "And so, Shinra nixed their outer space exploration plans. After they told me how the future was Space Exploration and get my damn hopes up… DAMN THEM!"

"Then, it was all over once they found out Mako energy was profitable. They didn't even so much as look at space exploration. Money, moola, dinero! My dream was just a financial number for them! Look at this rusted Rocket! I was supposed to be the first man in space with this. Everyday, it tilts a little bit more. At this rate, I don't know which will come first, this thing falling down or me gettin' outta here. My last hope is to talk to the President…"

"Is Rufus coming?" Naruto asked.

Cid responded by taking a large puff out of his cigarette. He blew out deeply, sending a cloud of grey smoke into the air, before putting the stick behind his right ear out of the way. "Yeah!" he replied, his mood starting to lift once again. "It must be news about restarting the Space Program. A young President, that's what we needed. He still has dreams, too!"

Naruto and the rest of the group said nothing. Unfortunately they knew better. Whatever it was that Rufus was coming to Rocket Town for, it certainly had nothing to do with restarting the Space Program. And judging by the amount of effort that had been put into making the rocket look more presentable, Cid was going to be in for one heck of a disappointment. Naruto sighed heavily, and decided to ask the dreaded question.

"Can we borrow the 'Tiny Bronco'?"

The moment Cid heard the words 'borrow' and 'Tiny Bronco', his head snapped around and glared at Naruto with such a fierce intensity that Naruto felt himself shrink back inside. Clearly he had struck a nerve.

"You out of your fucking mind?" Cid shouted. "That's my most cherished possession. I can't let you take it."

And to prove that that was the last he was going to say on the matter Cid turned around, picked up his wrench from the floor and began to work again. He completely ignored the people behind him, and when Naruto tried to talk to him again he just banged the wrench on the pipes, drowning out his voice.

"Well I could easily threaten him with the help of Gaara but he seems like a good man and no-one likes to have the thing that's most precious to them get taken," said Naruto. The rest agreed and walked out of the rocket. The looks on their faces explained all to Nanaki and Cait as they all stepped off the ladder, and they slowly headed back into town and Cid's house.

The house was completely empty as they went back inside, and they couldn't see Shera anywhere. However they could hear sounds out back, so they presumed that Shera was in the backyard with the Tiny Bronco. No doubt she was making the backyard look respectable in case Rufus did come.

The group all stood silently in the living room, thinking. For the first time in their journey they had reached a dead end and didn't know where to head next. Even if they did borrow the Tiny Bronco, where would they go with it? Further west, to the next small continent? Or up north, to the icy regions of the Northern Continent? Either way they still didn't know which way Sephiroth or Shinra were heading, so their best bet was probably to stick around until Rufus arrived and, hopefully, get a lead on their next destination.

"Excuse me… Naruto?" came Shera's voice.

Everyone looked up as Shera stepped in from the outside. As they suspected she had been clearing the backyard, for her long, white coat was lightly scraped in dirt and dead leaves that she had been shifting out of the way. More proof came from the brush and bag she held on her hands, the bag filled with leaves. Her hair was also a little more ruffled up than before, and her glasses were slightly crooked on her face. "Did the Captain say anything?" she asked as she set the bag down on the ground, adjusting her glasses so they were back in place.

"Nope…" Naruto said with a smirk on his face. Even though the Tiny Bronco had been banned from them they always had chocobos.

Shera didn't seem very surprised to hear that. "Oh…?" she said, trying her best to sound a little surprised. But she didn't do a very good job of it.

At that second the front door swung open, banging loudly against the wall of the house and making Yuffie jump out of her skin. Cid then stormed in from outside, his spear in his hand and strolled into the living room. He looked at Naruto and then at the rest of the group one by one, grunted loudly, and then turned and glared furiously at poor Shera.

"Shit Shera! What are you, blind?" he shouted, pointing at Naruto and the rest of the group. "We got guests! GET SOME TEA! Jezzus!"

As the Captain shouted, Shera flinched and shrank back, hiding half of her face in the collar of her coat. She quickly recovered and pulled herself out again, but her voice trembled nervously when she spoke. "I… I'm sorry," she apologised quickly. She then hurried over towards the kitchen part of the living room and pulled out some mugs, turning on the kettle to make a pot of tea. The others watched as she worked as quickly as she could, but her hands were shaking so much that they expected her to drop a cup at any moment.

"Really, don't mind us," Cloud put in, eyeing the way Shera was precariously trying to pour milk into half of the cups. He didn't want Shera to get into trouble because of them being there.

Cid was at the wall then, hanging his spear up on the wall as though on display. When Cloud spoke he could have sworn he saw Cid twitch, for he suddenly turned around and looked fiercely at Cloud. "Shut up!" he ordered sternly. "Sit your ass down and drink your goddamn TEA! Arggggggh! DAMN, I'm pissed! Shera! I'll be in the backyard tunin' up Tiny Bronco! An' make sure to serve them some tea! All right?"

With that remark said and done, Cid walked briskly past Barret and Vincent and went straight out of the back door, slamming it shut behind him without a care. Like the front door it shut with a slam that echoed throughout the house, making Shera jump again and almost dropping the bottle of milk.

"…Damn, man. Wassup with that guy's attitude?" commented Barret.

"Kinda reminds me of someone," said Naruto slyly while looking at Barret. Fortunately Barret didn't notice but Tifa did and she was thankfully successful in keeping her giggles to herself. She was probably laughing up a storm inside though.

Cloud walked over to Shera. "Sorry," he said. "It's our fault."

Shera put down the bottle of milk on the side of the worktop and turned around. She took off her glasses and wiped them on her coat, removing a speck of dirt from the frame. She looked much better without her glasses, they thought. "No, no," she said to them. "He's always like this."

"Is it like this all the time?" asked Aeris, looking a little concerned. "You keep quiet even when he's like that to you?" She looked horrified as Shera nodded, wondering how on earth Shera could cope with a guy like that everyday.

"I think it's a bit too harsh," said Nanaki.

"…It's amazing that you can live with it," said Vincent.

They all tried to picture what it must be like for poor Shera. To live everyday with a man who did nothing but yell at her, order her around and most likely criticise every thing she did. They remembered vaguely in the rocket the way Cid had referred to her – 'that dumb-ass Shera'. How could she possibly live like that? How could she just stand there and take that abuse and not say anything? They found themselves feeling a new sort of respect for Shera, for being able to live through it.

"That happened for most of my life," said Naruto sadly. Everyone looked at him, even Gaara. Feeling everyone's eyes on him he decided to continue.

"Back home there was a girl that I liked," everyone noticed that his speech was in past tense. "Back then I thought she was the most beautiful girl ever. But she was always flirting with my rival and the first person to acknowledge me as a rival. Every time I asked her out, or shout her some food with others, or even complement her, she would berate me and yell at me. Often it would end with me being punched in the face by her. She always thought of me as a dirty smear. Always trying to make her unhappy. But every time I would get up, smile at the world, and go about my business."

Everyone was horrified. No-one deserved that. They were all thinking how anyone could go through with that. And to bounce back so easily, it was damn near impossible for them. Nanaki walked up to Naruto and rested his head on the blonde's knee. Naruto smiled and patted Nanaki's head.

Finished with rubbing her glasses clean Shera put them back on, moving her hair out of the way so she could hook the thin frames over her ears. "No…" she said in answer to Nanaki and Vincent's comments. "It's because of my stupid mistake. I was the one who destroyed his dream…"

One by one everyone looked at Shera.

"What happened?" asked Naruto.