Each side prepares for battle. Reno throws his ElectroMag rod at the cloaked woman, concentrating an electric current at the rod's ends, and takes out his handgun to fire two rounds at Yuffie. Yuffie hurdles out of the way while the cloaked woman sheathes her swords and finds a center point that enables her to get a grip on the weapon. She redirects the rod at a similar throwing speed at one of the eight Makonoids. The Makonoid dodged the rod, but the one behind him took damage. Reno swore then ran to retrieve his rod.
"Rude, distract 'em!" Reno said, beckoning the other Makonoids to attack.
Rude punched the mountain floors and created such a deafening impact that sound waves built up from the ground and pushed the girls back. Yuffie noticed Rude's arm was glowing beneath his jacket and was able to conclude one thing: that bastard was using Materia! The cloaked woman leapt over some molded subflooring and attacked one of the Makonoids with a lethal spinning motion that made the whips of her swords wrap around her body, which caused the blades to slice and kill the blue creature. Reno returned to the battle and reacted in time to block Yuffie's attack with her Cross Shuriken.
"Fuck this!" Reno hissed, punching a Flash Bomb towards the girls.
The cloaked woman threw her blade to veer the bomb away from her and into another Makonoid's face. Darkness hindered the creatures vision and accuracy in attacks. As time passed, Yuffie and the cloaked woman seemed to be fighting Makonoids for hours until they were thrown outside of the cave by a massive implosion from a self-destructing Makonoid. Reno tossed a bomb in the air then took a step back to let Rude punch the explosive in the girls' way. The cloaked woman grabbed Yuffie's arm and ran with her. There was only one way to escape an explosion with that kind of bomb: jump off the mountain path. Reno set the detonator and the bomb burst into flames and rubble.
Makonoids ran through the smoke and tumbling debris to skid down the mountain slopes. On the slopes, they saw the girls sliding down them also. Yuffie turned to throw her Cross Shuriken before the cloaked woman removed two pistols from their holsters and fired sub-machine rounds at the Makonoids, which threw one off the slope and another further away from them. The cloaked woman saw the Makonoids move on their own accord then turned to see ruins protruding from the slopes. She conjured an idea and ran across to Yuffie before jumping from the slopes to swing on a chain that brought them to a rickety set of railroad tracks. Yuffie clung to her ally's shoulders as they were descending in mid-air. The cloaked woman adjusted Yuffie's body and weight to her right side and replaced one of her pistols in a holster to change the bolt and chamber to something fairly powerful. She fired one last bullet from her pistol that decimated the Makonoids and some part of the mountain.
The girls landed on the rickety safely as they watched the Makonoids tumble with mountain debris. Yuffie followed the woman after she replaced her pistols in the holsters hidden underneath her cloak and calmly walked across the bridge. There was a long silence as the two women went down the mountain pass. Yuffie was not a quiet person; she would've given anything to make some random loud noise in that moment. The woman stopped when she heard her radio come on, which ironically ensued a random loud noise to penetrate the silence. She reached into her cloak and revealed a small radio. Yuffie peeked over the woman's shoulder and saw video footage of Reno. He had a pair of headphones on his ears, and he was smirking a little too much this time.
"Hey, Shin-chan, you alive?" the familiar voice asked. "There's a helicopter coming to check up on you if you are. Come on, baby, I know you're there. If you don't answer, that clearly tells me you're alive since you never answer the radio when I call you. You never answer your phone when I call you either. Why did you ignore my calls anyway? Shin-chan! Answer me."
"Come, quickly," the woman said to Yuffie, earning a nod and hurried steps around the mountain.
They reached the bottom of the mountain in the same silence as before. The cloaked woman heard the shuttering of helicopter wings and grabbed Yuffie to run inside of another cave in the base of the mountain. They waited as the chopper passed then proceeded to hide in the cave. The cloaked woman beckoned Yuffie to follow with a nod then led the way. This time Yuffie was determined to break the ice with the cloaked woman.
"Hey!" she called, hearing her own echo. "Are you and Reno, uh, you know...involved? He kept calling you baby and Shin-chan." The woman meerly turned her head slightly to shake it a little. "Hm...the quiet type, huh? Well, you definitely don't seem like his girl. I mean, he's a smartass and you're...well, you're...a lot like my friend Vince. That's short for Vincent: Vincent Valentine. Ever heard of that name?" The woman turned again to shake her head then made a turn in the cave's tunnel. "Well he's really quiet around us. Only Cloud can talk to him. That's my other friend: Cloud Strife. You remind me of him when he was quiet too, but you're more like Vince than Cloud. They used to work for Shinra."
The woman turned around quickly once she heard that. This action startled Yuffie until she responded, "They worked for Shinra?"
"Well, hello to you too!" Yuffie greeted happily, putting her hands on her hips. "That certainly got your attention. What's your name?"
"Chailo," she said reluctantly. "Chailo Shinboru."
Yuffie smirked, confidently, then gave an arrogant scoff. She cleared her throat then introduced herself. "I am the champion of the earth and the sky. I am the conqueror of evil. The single white rose of Wutai...Yuffie Kisaragi!" she exclaimed, posing heriocally. "Many have dubbed me as a first class, grade A ninja; others refer to me as the princess of all thieves and thievery practices across the Planet. Lady, you are witnessing the best of the best on this planet! Lovely to meet your acquaintance, Chailo-san."
Chailo threw a rather sharp needle passed Yuffie's hair then lowered her hand. Yuffie let out a yelp until she was silenced by a low growl. She turned around and saw a reptilious fiend descend to the ground with the needle embedded in its forehead as it burst into light to return to the Lifestream.
"Pleasure is mine," Chailo said, bowing in respect. She turned to walk through another tunnel lit with passing fireflies.
Whoa... Yuffie thought, looking at Chailo's retreating form. That girl's got some arm.
"Geez, don't be so excited," Yuffie huffed, folding her arms.
She hummed in thought of something else to say to the silent woman before her. This Chailo was a great deal like Vincent: quiet, unamused, reluctant to speak. Vincent only slipped up on one thing: politeness. Chailo put policy on the map, it seemed. She and the cloaked cavalry could become siblings if they met. You'd never tell they were in the room unless you sat in Vincent's apartment. Yuffie shook off thoughts of perhaps bunking the two together then followed close behind Chailo.
"You know, I see a potential sparring partner in you," she quirked, holding her head. "Hey," Yuffie dragged, slowly unfolding her arms and snapping her fingers, "since Shinra is against you now, why not join the WRO? We could use a fighter like you! How's your résumé lookin' with weaponry?" Yuffie asked, earning a disturbing silence from the woman. "Uh, never mind. I'll write your repertoire. Hm... Shinboru Chailo, warrior of the shadows, agility of a cat, strategy of a renowned genius. Almost as good as me huh? Hey, are you any good at gathering info?"
"Depends on what sort of information you want and the methods of research I am permitted to use."
"Perfect! The load of people who work with me are crap! You and I can make a formidable force."
Chailo hummed in thought before making another turn into another tunnel. "Where is the WRO located?"
"The outskirts of Edge!" Yuffie replied, excited that Chailo is curious about the WRO. "I'll show you the way."
"Walking will take several days if it's back up the mountain," Chailo said, approaching a keypad. "There is also a possibility that Reno and Rude called for reinforcements, and the chance of confronting more Makonoids is great."
Yuffie watched as Chailo punched in a code on the keypad then said, "Well, if the helicopter is any clue to being reinforcements, I'd say you're right. As for the Makonoids, we can take 'em on no problem. We beat their asses before. Hell, you can change your gun clips and turn bullets into bombs!"
"We are both too ill-prepared for a battle right now," Chailo added, watching the door open. She walked inside then heard faint growling. "I hear more fiends - they're rather large. Try not to anger them. They are attracted to loud noises."
"But we'll just repeat the boring silence as we did on the mountain pass," Yuffie complains.
"Until we reach Edge, you need to be kept safe."
"And so do you!" Yuffie argued.
"Shinra is only after me," Chailo whispered, holding a finger to her lips.
"Hm..." Yuffie hummed, angered by Chailo's statement. "You know, anyone with you is a target too. So long as they know I helped you, they'll be after me as well. You can fight, don't get me wrong, but not on your own. Especially not now."
"Seeing as though Reno knows who you are, I have no doubts that he will tell whoever is after me what occurred earlier. However, Shinra knows more about me than you do, Miss Kisaragi. They won't come for you unless there is some proof that we are closer than allies and that you have more information on me than they do."
"Hey, this is Shinra we're talking about. Anyone involved with his business gets some of whatever he's about to deal to you too. We're in this mess together, Chailo," Yuffie said, leaning forward. She looked like a child arguing with another - far creepier - child. "I'm not leaving you alone for one second."
"If that is the case, what will you do?"
"Protect you, of course."
"Protect me?" Chailo repeated, amusement in her voice.
"Yep. You are now under the custody of a member of the World Regenesis Organization (otherwise known as the WRO). Yuffie Kisaragi, reporting for duty ma'am!" Yuffie declared, saluting.
Chailo scoffed, earning a small 'eh' from Yuffie. Gradually, a small giggle came from the cloaked figure that resembled the laughter of a child. As Yuffie crept closer to Chailo, she heard her sweetened, soft laughs fill the dank air of the tunnel. A small cloaked fiend with a lantern also hears Chailo's laughing and waddles from behind his rock to approach her. It walks closer to the girls until it believes it is close enough to indulge in Chailo's voice. The fiend was Master Tonberry.
"I believe I have attracted attention," Chailo whispers, looking at the green fiend.
"Eh?" Yuffie chirped, spotting Tonberry. "You weren't kidding! Do you always attract fiends by laughing?" Chailo shook her head; Yuffie kneeled in front of Tonberry to get a closer inspection then noticed the lantern's light glowing uncannily. "Say, is he a guide?"
"It's possible," Chailo said, trying to suppress her giggling. "I must have woken him."
"And you said for me to be quiet!" Yuffie remarked, looking at Chailo. "You think, if we tell him what we're looking for, he'll show us the way?"
"Wouldn't hurt to ask," Chailo answered, clearing her throat. "Pardon us, we are looking for a bridge near the waterfalls. Can you take us there?"
"I didn't know there was a waterfall inside Mount Corel," Yuffie said, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Shinra hired unemployed miners to form an excavation team when I first began to work for the company," Chailo said. "The president authorized a construction project to improve the safety of traveling through Mount Corel. If there were openings inside of the mountains, people could find retreat for the night. I was asked to monitor the unit before the waterfall was found shortly after."
The green fiend, impressed by Chailo's awareness of Mount Corel, nodded and walked to the exit of the tunnel.
"He'll take us," Chailo said, following Tonberry. "We'd best keep his pace. Come."
"Hey, Shin-chan, we know you're in the mountains," a familiar voice said.
Yuffie sighed then said, "That guy again? Boy, he must really have a crush on you."
Chailo giggled, drawing the green fiend towards her. She thought Master Tonberry might have had a bigger crush on her than the redhead since he hasn't failed to come to her when she laughed. Was her voice really that attractive?
"We picked up your signal on the radar. You're headed to the waterfalls, aren't you? You've always been the romantic type. If you come quietly, I'll treat you nicely before Shinra takes care of you," Reno said, suggestively.
Tonberry took out his knife and stabbed Chailo's radio with such accuracy that it went directly in between the spaces of her fingers without hurting her. For added measure, he stomped on it. Chailo guessed he was saying "Perverted bastard" in Tonberry fiend language or something. Yuffie laughed at the little fiend before Chailo spoke.
"I needed that."
"I'd say he was annoyed," Yuffie commented, hearing rumbling in the tunnels. "Hey, what's that?"
"The waterfall," Chailo answered, following Tonberry.
The sun was beaming through the opening of the mountain. A mirror caught the sun's reflection and directed the sunbeam to another mirror, which reflected the sun's light to another mirror, and so on and so forth. The last mirror absorbed the light and directed the reflection to the waterfall, which gave opulence to the water, and displayed a magnificent reflection of the waves on the cavern's walls. A pale rainbow arched in front of the bottom of the falls and descended into a pool. There were vines surrounding a pool of fresh water underneath the bridge. Yuffie ran towards the pool and drunk vigorously. Chairo sat beside her and cupped her hands to bring the water to her lips. She drank calmly then slowly placed her hands down.
"Hey, this place is awesome!" Yuffie commented. "It's like someone used to live here."
"Shinra guards are on the move," Chailo said. "Now that we found the heart of the mountain, we can go to Edge." Yuffie chirped an 'eh.' "I have a hover bike that we can use to get to Edge faster."
"Uh, I'd rather walk. I'm allergic to vehiular transportation."
"Are you?" Chailo questioned, amused by this. "What a useless bodyguard you turned out to be. A ninja of your caliber should be invincible if you are the greatest of all time. I suppose you cannot take elevators either."
"I'm allergic to vehicles, not heights!" Yuffie argued, stomping. "Fine, let's go get your bike."
"Come with me," Chailo said, chuckling.
They ran up the stone steps and across the bridge. Tonberry watched as they entered another tunnel then turned when he heard gunshots echo through the mountain. The large fiends roared at the disturbance. Tonberry walked to the opening of the tunnel he entered and placed his lantern down. He spoke a small chant, and his ethereal powers dimmed the light of the waterfall cavern. His lantern opened and spirits emerged from the flames.
"Pity," Chailo said, piercing the silence in the mountain cave.
Yuffie entered an open space to see a dormant hover bike resting in the sand. Chailo walked over to it and punched a few buttons before the hover bike roared to life. She twisted something attached to her right temple then pulled the hood of her cloak back. A black helmet rested on her head. This angered Yuffie to a degree because the hood and helmet continued to mask her new ally's face, which means Chailo is still reluctant to trust her.
"I haven't used my poor bike in half a year. Since your allergies are my biggest concern, we'll get to Edge my alternate way," Chailo said over the humming of the bike.
"Which is?" Yuffie questioned, looking at the blue helmet being handed to her. She took it and began to mumble something.
"Teleport," Chailo answered, holding out her hand. "It won't irritate your stomach. The faster, the better. Right?"
Yuffie gulped then turned her head. Hesitantly, she held out her hand and grabbed Chailo's before being led onto the bike. Chailo drove the bike in a slow pace around the cave's space then pushed a green button that activated the platform in the center of the ground. The platform activated a pole protruding from the wall, which made electric currents create a vortex around the pole, and waited for its usage. Chailo drove over the platform, which caused time to delay, before being thrusted into the pole's vortex.
Cloud was driving his bike on the road through Edge to deliver a package to Cid. Today was not his day but he'll live. He just wished it wasn't with a moody pilot who was fixing up Shera - both the misses and the airship. It really didn't seem all that important; the package was some complex airship part that some voodoo was involved in creating that no one friggin understands. Abruptly, a hover bike sped past Cloud's head and drove in front of him. His bike, Fenrir, was close to colliding with another car from the shock of some random phenomenon! He watched the sides of the bike become wheels and noticed the rider behind the driver turn to him. The rider lifted her visor on the blue helmet then waved in surprise.
"Yuffie?" Cloud shouted.
"Hey, Cloud, how's it goin'?" Yuffie shouted.
Cloud's mouth opened slightly before he closed it once more. He straightened Fenrir then accelerated way passed the speed limit to reach Yuffie and her driver. He was able to approach the bike from behind and spoke over the wind passing them.
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm going to headquarters," she answered, clinging to Chailo's back for life. "I'm sorta in a predicament right now. We'll meet up when you finished work. See ya!"
With that, the bike sped off and left Cloud flabbergasted. He was itching to follow them because he hadn't seen Yuffie in a while for one, and he was curious to know who the driver was. Luckily, the bike slowed to stop because of the traffic light. Cloud pulled up on the side and started talking to Yuffie again.
"Hey, seen Vince lately?"
"Nope! I'm hoping we get to see him sometime so I can introduce everyone to my new friend. I wanna introduce you, too, but Shinra guards are after us and we have to hurry."
"Why are they after you?" Cloud asked, lifting his goggles.
"It's a longer story than I'm going to tell, I'm sure. When I get to headquarters, I'll stop by the bar and let you guys meet her," Yuffie said. The light changed to green. Yuffie felt the bike move and quickly hung on to Chailo's waist then said, "See ya, Cloud!"
"Wait, Yuffie!" Cloud called.
Chailo revved up her engine then sped off. If it wasn't possible before, Cloud was really itching to follow them now. Who was Yuffie riding with? He drove to his original destination, unable to trace Yuffie's bike, until a thought came to him. Yuffie said she was hoping to see Vincent: why not give him a call? While he was at it, he may as well call Tifa and give her a heads up. Anytime Shinra is involved in something, measures ought to be taken and not lightly.