The tawny path was beaten. A chance of rain could beat the barren land until it became nothing but sand and tumbleweeds, but that was a chance the grass would have enjoyed for a moment in time. No rain has fallen to quell the thirst of the remaining plants that were shriveling to the roots. Beamers lit the rocky road, surprising the rotting flora. A rough wind blew some weeds in disarray. A dust devil seemed to follow the source as it tunneled behind the speed demon.
Cloud was curious to know what Yuffie could possibly want in Midgar. It was nothing but ruins by now. She was so fatigued from fighting that she dozed off along the way. He could feel her snuggling into his back, her body getting comfortable. Cloud wanted to drive home, but he promised to wake the ninja should monsters attack again. Funny thing is nothing had happened since a few hours ago when monsters were everywhere. Yuffie was close to naming the person before Reno and ShinRa guards chased everyone away. He had the sudden urge to imagine himself as some yellow-pigmented roach who freaked when the chopper's light exposed him.
The whole ordeal was strange regardless of the imagery. He hadn't seen fighting of that caliber in a while; in fact, he hadn't fought anything like those monsters in years. He felt disappointed when he realized the battle was over and not by his hand. He remembered it quite clearly. He and Yuffie had defeated one monster together then she stopped and saw that person in the air. Yuffie elevated her higher and, before he knew it, they were running towards Vincent. Cid and Perez, the guy who stuttered Cloud's name, ceased fire from the gautling gun in the Hummer. Once everyone looked up, rapid fire was unleashed from above. It looked like falling stars claiming the lives of the creatures mercilessly one by one.
What sort of training produced those combat skills? Cloud thought.
No ShinRa guard knows how to use artillery like that. Cloud couldn't imagine any SOLDIERs learning skills of that range with a gun. Swordsmanship was another story, including his own experiences. He didn't see Yuffie's cloaked ally using any swords, but he saw numerous bullets rain as if it were tears of Yuffie's friend is, she must have been in another department in ShinRa.
A flash of red swam through a few undying trees along the road. Cloud decelerated to a nice stop as he approached the fallen hell: the ruined city of Midgar. The Mako reactor that faced him had rotting vines growing out of the chimney shafts. Nothing came from that one. The red flash turned into a pool then the pool dispersed. Vincent came from the red pool.
"That's a face I haven't seen in a while," Cloud remarked. "Why are you here?"
"The reason is sleeping," Vincent said after a brief silence. He hadn't expected a smirk coming from his friend, but Vincent took it as a sign. He's more amusing to his colleagues than before apparently.
"I wanted to go home," Cloud commented. "She wouldn't let me."
Vincent stepped to his left to see Yuffie then tilted his head. He straightened his posture after a considerable silence then took his time to respond.
"I take it she hasn't changed?" Vincent questioned. "Did she say why she wanted to come here?"
"Said to keep an eye out for glowing pipes," Cloud answered, turning his head to glance at Yuffie.
"A glowing pipe?" Vincent asked to clarify. Cloud nodded, hoping Vincent may have found something. "I saw one embedded in the rocks."
"Where did you see it?" Cloud asked, grateful for Vincent's observant eyes.
"Come," Vincent directed, running to the opposite direction.
He stood poignant, watching green light spew from a heated pipe. The colorful hexes spun round the pipe in waves. They babbled like the water in the brooks. The rocks holding the pipe formed an interesting mound to cover the metal tube. There were peculiar symbols engraved onto the stones. They were incomparable, ominous as they taunted the men with their chalk glare. Pebbles fluttered about the mound of stones, twirling in the opposite direction of the hexes spinning round the pipe.
"This is it," Vincent said. "I suspected the reactor malfunctioned and channeled hints of the Lifestream through its structure."
"Yuffie," Cloud called. She didn't answer him, but she stirred lightly. "Yuffie."
"Hm..." Yuffie groaned, snuggling into Cloud then opening her eyes.
Her vision was blurry, but she could see red glaring at her. She rubbed her eyes to clear her focus and saw she was still in the forest leading to Midgar. The red glare was Vincent's familiar cloak. She nodded at him and smiled gently. Then, the green light caught her attention. She gasped then hopped off the bike, nearly tripping over the bike pedal, and ran towards the pipe.
"Vincent, I love you!" Yuffie shouted, kneeling in front of the pipe. "You found the pipe! Oh, thank you, Vinny!" She ran towards the cloaked man and embraced him tightly, hopping simultaneously, which disturbed Vincent in many ways. "I would kiss you, but Cloud gets first dibs!"
"Wha - ?" Cloud started.
Yuffie giggled as she ran to Cloud and pecked him on his cheek twice. She ran towards the pipe again and observed the mound of stones. The symbols were similar to the ones in Mount Corel. Therefore, Chailo couldn't have gone too far! Yuffie hopped up a couple more times then ran along the path to Midgar without saying another word.
"Yuffie!" Cloud called. "Yuffie! Fuck!"
"That's new," Vincent remarked, walking toward the path. "I'll find her. You should call Tifa. I hear she's worried."
With that, Vincent left Cloud alone to observe the glowing pipe in the engraved mound. Cloud sighed then took out his cell phone. He didn't get any missed calls, so Tifa wasn't that worried about him. He took a deep breath, dialed a number and waited.
Please hold while the party is being reached, the receptionist said. A ring tone played as Cloud dismounted off Fenrir. A moment later, Tifa answered the phone. That you, Cloud?
"Yeah," he answered. "Are you okay?"
Yeah, I'm okay. Where are you?
Who the hell is that on the phone?
Dad, stop cussing!
From the cliffs towering above the fallen city, the barren road to Midgar was leading to a wasteland. No vegetation was visible in the city, but the trees that were able to grow along the path were rotting to their roots. A gray asparagus Toyota Hiace minibus rushed down the path, disturbing the monumental city and its silence. It also disturbed the life present near Midgar.
The van was being watched. An alien creature observed the vehicle drag plumes of dust behind its wheels as it stood amongst a pack of wolves. The creature had long ears that reached outward like tree branches and deep gray hair. Some of the locks were styled as neat dreads and tied at the tip with a cowskin band and a colored bead. It wore a large deep blue cloak with a peculiar sash draped over its shoulders. He heard yelling inside of the strange van. There were four Gaian people inside of the van; they were arguing over a phone. Its ears twitched upward lightly then settled back down. One of the wolves growled then whimpered as it met a strange wildcat with reddish fur. The creature turned to the red creature and waited for a response.
"The leader of my pack is with them," the wildcat said.
"I do not smell your granddaughter," a timber wolf said. "They be not your concern. What would she want in Midgar?"
"I'se here," the creature said. "She lookin' fa me."
The red wildcat looked below to see the van vanish from sight, but he spotted another disturbance and hummed in thought. The literate timber wolf grumbled then spoke.
"There are others."
"They are friends of Nanaki," the wildcat said. "That is my leader's name. I don't know if they are also trying to capture your granddaughter, but we should try to find her before they do."
"The plate in de ghetto. Her bike gwine ta be at the port in de chuch," the strange creature said.
"Chuch?" the timber wolf questioned, ears perked up. "You mean a church?"
"That's the Cetra's church in Sector 5!" the wildcat said, running away from the group.
"Follow him!" the literate timber wolf ordered to his pack. "Come, elder."
The creature climbed onto the timber wolf's back and let the canine run to their destination. The wildcat roared to alert the pack of wolves and made a swift turn between two cliffs. The pack of wolves followed the wildcat's shortcut, hoping no monsters would attack them.
There was an impenetrable fog rising above the ground. Chailo was cruising above the miasmic fog on her hover bike to settle in the church she found years ago. She let out a sigh of relief as she approached the safehaven of the ruined city. Her breath could have created ammonia as it lingered in Mako-leaked air. She veered her hover bike through an open window and landed near a broken pew. The motor hummed as it rested in a bed of gardenias and calla lilies. Chailo turned off the ignition and dismounted.
She stretched her arms out and up to release the tension that lingered in her muscles. There was not much for her to do except wait for the next portal to be opened. Then, she could go home - far away from the Western, Eastern and Northern Continents. She could only hope that Yuffie Kisaragi and Reno would not follow her there. They would disturb the peace of her family, but she knew in her heart that there was no peace left. President ShinRa was not a part of the conflict she faced every single day. She thought of sleeping for an hour's worth of time, but she could not. She had not slept for more than thirty minutes in seven years. What would an hour be worth now?
A small rumble echoed in the church. Chailo could hear the van from before draw closer, but she was certain that Doctor Palmer explained why Midgar was now uninhabitable. The Mako leaks infected the atmosphere so harshly that regular humans could not breathe it without complications. It was so strange to Chailo, but it could be that the van is Mako-resistant. She still wasn't sure of what Mako was anyway. It never affected her. However, being from another planet could make you immune, and she was familiar with active illnesses on other planets that were ineffective in poisoning her in any way or form.
"Chailo," a voice called out, little above a whisper.
Chailo turned around sharply and saw a cloaked figure reaching his hand out as he shuffled forward. A pack of wolves and a red wildcat were bowing to her in respect.
"Avus," Chailo whispered, voice shaking. "Avus!"
Chailo ran into the figure's arms and embraced sweetly. She pulled away from him and smiled happily. She was reunited with family once again...and friends.
"Elder," the timber wolf called, nuzzling against the taller man. "We have to hurry."
The other wolves began to growl viciously. Something was approaching them rather swiftly, and it wasn't the Gaian people in the van. It was something else entirely. The batter of wings filled the church. The red wildcat stepped forward to aid Chailo in battle, but she held out her hand and nodded to the altar in the church.
"Koneko, take Avus to the tunnel behind the statue. I will meet you in the Mythril Mines," Chailo ordered, earning a nod. "Avus," she called gently, "please go with them. Please."
"Centrum is with you always," he whispered, placing a hand on Chailo's shoulder.
The wings' battering grew louder as it drew nearer. Koneko, the red wildcat, hoisted the elder onto his back and ran towards the angelic statue. He pulled a hanging rope with his sharp teeth and activated a levitation device that lifted the angel's statue and revealed a low passageway. Stairs led down to the cavern's flooring and a small machine on the rugged walls lit the entrance. The elder dismounted from Koneko and pushed a lit button that replaced the statue to its former place.
"Chailo!" a familiar voice called. "Chailo, are you anyway near here?"
It was Yuffie Kisaragi's voice. Chailo held out her hand and nodded for the wolves to relax. The timber wolf sat down on his hind legs and whimpered to tell the others to do the same. A large winged creature came through a wall's opening, holding Yuffie by her hand. She waved at Chailo gleefully and released the creature's in an instant. She landed a bit clumsily, but she gained her balance quickly to run into Chailo's arms. Chailo returned her embrace reluctantly but willingly. Why does this girl trust her so much when they only met in battle?
"Chailo, you're okay!" Yuffie exclaimed, hopping and clapping. "I thought Reno might've gotten to you, so I tried looking here since it was close to Edge. Vinny and Cloud found the teleport pipe, and I ran over here as fast as a cheetah! Well, maybe not quite like a cheetah because you run like a cheetah, but just as fast anyway. Well, as fast as humanly possible until Vinny found me. Anyway, we found the pipe and I thought you might've came here because it's the only place I could think of that wasn't too poluted and had nice scenery. I know how you love scenery, so I asked Vinny to bring me here."
"You are referring to the creature there?" Chailo questioned, nodding to the winged creature. "What is it doing?"
Yuffie chirped an 'eh' then turned to see red swimming in the air. The wings dispersed into black haze and morphed into hair. Slowly, the winged creature was transforming back into its original form. Its black shoes turned to golden platelets on black boots. The claws became gloved hands, and the red changed to being a cape. Vincent returned to his human form.
"That's my normal Vinny's wonderful face!" Yuffie said, excitedly. "He helped me find you."
"I see," Chailo responded, bowing in respect. "Might I ask something of you, Miss Kisaragi?"
"It's just Yuffie," Yuffie said, huffing. This woman refuses to use informalities, even in battle! "Repeat after me, Yu-ffie. Yuffie. Now, you try it."
"It is against custom to name an unfamiliar person informally," Chailo said, untying her tunic's lace strings.
Vincent and Yuffie peeked at Chailo's loose breasts, noticing no signs of a brassiere being worn. Yuffie blushed as she continued to look at her ally's boobs, while Vincent turned to look at the angel's statue. The chipped marble distracted his wandering mind. Chailo was not quite done loosening up, however. She unbuckled the few studded belts adorned on her waist and unzipped a bit of her ruffle skort. She left the leather bow that fastened the skort tied sloppily. Yuffie was surprised at how comfortable Chailo was getting, considering the fact that a man was in her presence. Sure, she does the same thing with her clothes, but she doesn't loosen up the strings in front of people. That happens before she leaves the house.
"I hate customs. So, what part of the Planet are you from?" Yuffie asked, watching the seated wolves sniff about.
"The part no one inhabits."
"Uh-huh," Yuffie mumbled. "So where's that? An apartment?"
"Something like that," Chailo answered. "Now I have another question for you. Why do you trust me when I am a dangerous liability?"
"Well, I thought you were kinda suspicious before we teamed up, you know. I guess after that kickass action, I feel safer around you. I'm not really close to anyone and you're an illegal immigrant, so I guess it makes it easier to tolerate you," Yuffie says, walking away from Chailo playfully. "Vincent's not close to anyone either. Ain't that right, dark and handsome?"
Vincent turned to Yuffie after her use of adjectives then to the Chailo. There was something about her that he couldn't find in himself to trust as easily as Yuffie had. Sure, Chailo may have been a great fighter, but she is as she said: a dangerous liability. Why would she have such a high bounty on her head from ShinRa, who has been gone for years? She was very important to the company for some reason. He was going to find out what.
Vincent's cell phone rang after a brief silence. He took it out, checked the caller ID, and answered, "Reeve?"
"Eh?" Yuffie questioned, leaning into the phone.
"Vincent, is Yuffie with you?"
"Yes."
"We picked up your signal in Midgar from one of the choppers. ShinRa guards are coming towards you, and it looks like monsters are coming for you too."
"Chailo, we have to go!" Yuffie warned.
Chailo threw a golden needle (similar to the one she used to save Yuffie in Mount Corel's caves) at Vincent's phone and punctured the device with deadly accuracy. The phone flipped several times before bouncing off a broken pew frame and landing on the ground in pieces. The only reason she and the others had to leave is because someone led them there. This Vincent, or Vinny, was a prime suspect. However, it was already too late. The signal is pinpointed at the Cetra Church in Sector 5. Chailo couldn't take Yuffie or Vincent through the passageway because the elder and Koneko were still crossing through it, and the passageway led to a sacred place. Her best action was to fight back.
Vincent looked angrily at Chailo. It took him thirty plus years to get a phone and hell just to get three upgrades and two charger replacements, and this bitch had the sheer gall to shove a pin in the battery! He narrowed his gaze at the woman and stalked towards her, aiming to kill. Yuffie turned after hearing a click and saw Vincent revealing his gun. He was targeting Chailo.
"Vincent, no! What the hell has gotten into you?" Yuffie questioned, protecting Chailo. "How much Mako went up your ass in fifteen seconds?"
"She broke...my phone...!" Vincent growled, aiming Cerberus at Chailo's forehead.
"Her phone was broken too!" Yuffie counter-argued. "ShinRa guards traced her signal before with the cell phone. Maybe they bugged your phone or something."
"We didn't talk to ShinRa guards before, and I don't lend my phone to anyone," Vincent hissed, keeping a firm lock on Chailo's head.
"My lady," a guttural voice called.
Chailo turned to the timber wolf and nodded. The other wolves could hear more than one presence approaching. They waited for Chailo to call out an order.
"Because your friend did not realize his location can be traced by satellite, Mokuki will send an escort to bring you to the outskirts of the city," Chailo informed.
"Where are you going?" Yuffie asked, turning to Chailo. "We're gonna separate after I came all this way to find you?"
"I am humbled to know someone is willing to trust me before having met me. I promise to repay you for all that you've done, but given the circumstances I don't know when I will be able to keep my promise. I wish I could be a friend, but we can't be together until this battle has seized," Chailo answered, gently. "Will you wait for me, Kisaragi?"
"But, but, Chailo," Yuffie said, remorsefully. "Could you at least tell me where you live? Or at least where you came from?"
"For my sake, no, I cannot."
Beams poured light in the church. Chailo ordered Mokuki to lead Yuffie and Vincent away to the outskirts of Midgar. Yuffie called out to Chailo to say a tearful goodbye, but Chailo had already boarded her hover bike and started the engine. Vincent tried to convince Yuffie to go with him, but a green light silenced him. A peculiar glyph illuminated the floor of the church with its eery glow and beckoned the flowers' petals to circulate in midair. The ring of petals began to glow as the sound of babbling brooks flowed through the church. Green hexes opened as though they were blooming and created a large portal. Chailo shot through the open portal, and Mokuki quickly followed.
"Yuffie! Vincent!" a familiar voice called.
Yuffie stomped her foot angrily and boldly ran into the portal before it closed. The wolves protected her from Vincent as they growled viciously at him. Before he knew it, Yuffie was gone as were any remnants of the glyphs and the wolves. They all disappeared into oblivion together. The church went back to being what it was years ago. Vincent turned his head slightly as a hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Vincent, what was that?"
"A weird phenomenon," was all Vincent could say.