Tifa and Marlene ate breakfast in the backyard. Yuffie didn't join them and the barmaid was surprised Marlene hadn't asked why. She assumed the ninja wanted to be alone and Tifa was doubtful Yuffie had gotten much sleep. Maybe she just needs to rest today. Tifa thought about what Marlene told her last night and sighed heavily.

She was trying to be patient with the ninja, but the martial artist wasn't sure how much longer she could wait. Tifa was certain that Yuffie had collapsed in the bar yesterday. There was no way she had simply fallen asleep after exercising on the floor. Since when did she train in the bar? Tifa had only played along to avoid worrying Marlene, but the fact was: Marlene was already worried and so was she. The little girl had clearly seen through the ninja's act; her confession last night proved it. Looking at Marlene's smiling face, Tifa made up her mind: she would confront Yuffie and find out the truth, one way or another.

At 12:30, the barmaid walked Marlene over to the small apartment complex, next to the community garden, for her playdate. Marlene was very excited to be seeing Aryll again and she practically skipped the whole way there. I guess two weeks away is a long time when you're eight. Aryll was a nice girl, with good parents, and Tifa was glad she had made a new friend. Her mother wasn't much older than Tifa and had invited the barmaid out for drinks a few times.

"Hello Marlene," Letta smiled kindly at her. "How's your arm feeling?"

"Hi! It's okay. Tifa's taking me to the doctor on Wednesday." She looked at her feet.

"Aryll's in her room," she said, stepping aside to let her pass.

Marlene hugged the barmaid and went inside quickly.

"Be good and do what Letta tells you," the barmaid instructed. "Oh and watch out for your arm!"

"I will!" She called back. "Bye Tifa."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she takes it easy. We've dealt with a sprain in the past so I know how it is."

"Thanks. I'm probably worrying too much, as per usual." The barmaid shook her head. "I'll pick her up at 5 pm."

"Sure," Letta paused, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She looked at the brunette. "You look like you could do with a drink, Tifa. Are you sure you don't want to come in for a glass?"

"Letta, I'd love to but…" The redhead looked at her questioningly. "I just have a lot of work to get on with at the bar and with Cloud gone…"

"Of course. Maybe another time?"

"Yeah. I'd like that, thanks." Tifa smiled.

"Anytime." A burning smell suddenly filled the air. "Ah! The chicken!" She glanced back at the barmaid. "I better go try salvage what's left of lunch. See you later," she said laughing.

When she returned to 7th Heaven, Yuffie wasn't in the bar and the martial artist didn't find her in the kitchen. Tifa made her way up the stairs and stood outside the ninja's room. She slowly raised her right hand and knocked gently. There was no answer. She knocked again. When the barmaid still received no response, she opened the door and peered inside. "Yuffie?" Tifa stepped into the room and looked around. The barmaid immediately spotted the bed was neatly made and the ninja's backpack was missing.

Walking over to the dresser, the barmaid felt a light breeze and noticed the open window. She went over to it and looked down at the street below. She didn't… Shaking her head, she closed the window and moved to the chair beside the bed. Tifa reached into her jeans pocket and took out her phone. A few seconds after touching the call button, she heard a familiar ringtone. Looking behind her, she saw the vibrating cell phone lying next to the turquoise pillow. Sighing, she ended the call and reached down to retrieve the phone. As she did so, something red caught her eye; it was a small book.

Tifa picked it up and scanned the cover. There was no image on the front or any title. It must be her notebook. Tifa hesitated. She didn't want to invade Yuffie's privacy, but if the ninja had written anything that could give her some clue as to what was wrong… The barmaid fingered the cover slowly.

A strong vibration at her side made the martial artist jump, dropping the notebook. Damn phone. She answered it quickly.

"What?"

"Tifa- Is something wrong?" He scratched his head. "Did I call at a bad time? I ca-"

"Cloud, it's fine. I just wasn't expecting a call."

The blonde laughed. "You don't sound fine."

"Did you need something?"

He noted the tone of her voice. "I just called to let you know I should be back tonight. It looks like Barret- I mean the job was pretty much finished when I got here."

"Okay," she said evenly.

"Uh. Well I better get back…"

"Yeah." She heard him sigh. "Bye Cloud."

"Bye."

Tifa closed the phone and slid it into her back pocket. Deciding it was a bad idea to come into the ninja's room, she bent down and lifted the notebook. Glancing at it briefly, she stopped at a familiar phrase. "I have to stay awake". The barmaid saw it repeated across the page. Flipping through the diary, Tifa saw the same sentence written over and over.

When she reached the last page, she paused. The writing was badly smudged and as Tifa ran her index finger over the script, her breath hitched. They're tears. The writing was now largely illegible. She studied the page carefully and came across a sentence she was barely able to make out.

"I should have stayed home that night."

Light footsteps sounded on the stairs and Tifa shut the book quickly, replacing it on the bed. Glancing around the room once more, she left.

Yuffie looked up at the large wooden arch in front of her. What am I doing here? She turned to leave, when a small gust of wind blew across her face, causing the young woman to touch her cheek.

The ninja breathed heavily and pushed open the large doors. Slowly, she walked up the aisle. It was hard to believe that just a year ago, the building had been in ruins. The people of Edge had all pitched in to help rebuild the church. The stained glass windows had been replaced and each pane was ornately decorated with designs drawn by the children. The ninja looked over at the gigantic bird emerging from a mass of flames. Yuffie remembered helping Marlene with the image of a phoenix she had chosen.

Pink petunias hung from baskets attached to the four central pillars. As the young woman continued up the central walkway, the sound of her boots hitting the stone floor echoed around the room. The ninja suddenly felt small and insignificant as she glanced up at the high ceiling. The large crystal dome reflected the Sun's rays down onto the altar, and she watched as the colour spectrum appeared on its surface. Yuffie stopped before a familiar face and smiled weakly.

"I'm sorry I haven't come to see you in a while…" She wiped the tear threatening to fall, from her eye. "I just… I missed you."

Cloud stared at the entrance to the mine. The sunlight did little to illuminate the opening. The sound of throat clearing drew his attention and he moved his gaze over to the muscular man stood next to him.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on?" The blonde inquired. "Why did you call me out here? It's obvious you already had the job taken care of."

Barret looked away briefly. "It's about the mine."

"I guessed that."

"There's…somethin' strange goin' on."

"Strange? Like what?" Cloud scratched his head.

"I don't really get it. It don't make no sense."

"Barret what are you taking about?" The large man's cryptic speech was starting to wear his patience. "Is something wrong with the mine?"

"No. I mean, I don't think so…"

This is like pulling teeth. "Well if there's nothing wrong, why am I here?"

The large man sighed and took a few steps further inside the cave. "I had an idea to reopen some of them mines we got round here and Reeve sent a team of men to help. At first we didn't find nothing special, mainly junk ore, but then one of the men said he found a tunnel leading much deeper into the mine. I took the most experienced team down to check it out, see if it was safe." Barret paused.

"Everything seemed normal. We followed the path and then that's when we saw it."

"It?"

"Gold, Spike. Lots of it." Barret shook his head. "The room was full of it. Never seen that much gold before, probably never will again."

"Gold?"

"The men really thought we hit the jackpot."

"But you weren't so sure," Cloud offered.

"Uh uh. Don't get me wrong. I got a good look at the gold and it was real, no tungsten or nothin'. But I just didn't get it. Who would leave all that gold just lying there…?"

"They didn't."

"Huh?" Barret looked at the blonde.

"It was hidden."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Called Reeve to let him know and he thought the same. He said until we could find out who left it there and why, we should leave it. I told him I'd do some investigatin'. He told me he'd send his top intel agent to see if it was hot."

Barret was silent for a while and Cloud slowly understood. "Yuffie?"

"Yeah," he laughed.

"When was this?"

"Uh, 'bout couple months back now." Barret looked back at the blonde. "Why?"

"No reason."

"Anyway, in the meantime, I told the men to keep quiet about what we found until I heard back from Reeve. They were pretty disappointed. Guess they were hoping to get their share since there was so damn much of it. I gotta admit I was tempted…" He chuckled lightly. "I told them when it all checked out okay, they wouldn't be leavin' empty handed. So we blocked up the tunnel and left."

"Let me guess: they couldn't wait that long."

"I didn't suspect nothin' at first. Everythin' was goin' fine, until one night, I heard some of the men talkin' when I was on my way back to the inn. They were arguin' 'bout going down again after what they saw last time."

"What they saw?" Cloud furrowed his brow.

"Yeah…"

"Barret?"

"One of 'em wanted to put back the gold they took but the others didn't agree. He said he kept seein' stuff and he was goin' down there to return his share. They started shouting and I thought maybe a fight was gonna break out. So I came 'round the corner to confront them. At first they denied it but eventually the younger man talked. He tells me all about seein' people they shouldn't be seein'."

"People they shouldn't be seeing?"

"Ghosts." The large man laughed uncomfortably. Cloud gave him an odd look. "It's ridiculous, I know."

"So what happened?" Cloud pressed him.

"I told them to put back the gold and we'd say no more 'bout it." The large man paused. The blonde assumed there was more to the confrontation than he was letting on. "I thought that was the end of it."

"But it wasn't, right?"

"Right. The snitch told me that he heard other people say they seen strange things down the mine. I asked around the village and nobody said much 'cept this old man." Barret rubbed his gunarm absentmindedly. "He said the mine was haunted."

"Haunted?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, I thought it was bull too. The man seemed so sure though. He told me he saw his dead daughter once when he was working down in the mine. It scared him so much he quit." Barret paused for a long time and Cloud thought he had finished.

"Anyway, it weren't 'til one of my men went missin' that I started to think that somethin' was goin' on."

"Missing? Who was it?"

"The guy who talked first that night. After we had finished for the day, he didn't come back. We searched all night but found nothin'. We continued in the morning but by lunchtime we still couldn't find him and then another man went missin'… I called Reeve and told him 'bout it and what I heard. The only connection he saw was that they had all been part of the team I took…"

"Into the room full of gold," the blonde finished.

"Uh huh. He told me to stop the mining and send the rest of the guys back to HQ for debriefin'. He said Vincent and Yuffie were already on it since they found something."

"What?"

"Don't know. He didn't say. Guess it was on a need to know basis." Barret seemed unhappy with this.

"So what about that man you spoke to?"

"Couldn't find him either. No one seemed to know who he was."

"That's strange," Cloud commented.

"Yeah. It is." Barret returned to stand next to Cloud.

"Has there been any sign of the men that went missing?"

"Nothin'. Reeve thinks they made off with the gold. The guys he spoke to admitted that was the plan."

"But you're not so sure."

"What makes you say that?"

Cloud paused and turned to face the larger man. "Barret, what happened to Marlene?"

The man jumped slightly. "I told you. She had an accident. It was just a fa-"

"Why would you take her down a mine when you knew the risks and two people had recently been reported missing? It just doesn't make sense…" He sighed. "What are you not saying?"

"Nothin'. It was just an accident. I was careless. I messed up bad. Tifa's gonna have my ass next time I see her."

"Did you see something?" He spoke softly.

"I… What do you mean?"

"All the other guys who went in and saw the gold reported seeing strange things; ghosts, right?" Cloud saw the older man shudder slightly.

After a long silence, Barret spoke, barely above a whisper. "I didn't take her Spike. She said…" He shook his head. "It was late…my eyes musta played tricks on me or somethin'…"

"What do you me-"

"I'm hungry." The large man said suddenly. "Why don't we go get some food?" Barret started walking down the path leading back to the village. Cloud sighed and followed behind him.

Despite his earlier claim, Barret ate very little. He spent most of the time staring around the small restaurant, avoiding eye contact with Cloud. The blonde finished his meal quickly and though it wasn't the best roast he had ever tasted, it was very filling. An image of the barmaid flashed in his mind. Why did she sound so irritated on the phone earlier? Cloud wondered if she was still angry with him. Remembering her apology, the blonde pushed the thought aside.

The blonde watched as an elderly man turned on the large flat screen television, attached to the far wall. Several heads turned in its direction when news of the explosion in Nibelheim came on. According to the latest reports, at least twenty people had died in the blast and more than fifty had been injured. A spokeswoman for the WRO appeared on screen, trying to quell the rumours of a possible terrorist attack, whilst failing to provide any evidence on the contrary. From what Cloud could gather, the explosion occurred during the Spring festival just after sunset.

Cloud remembered celebrating the Spring Equinox with his mother as a child and praying for the spirit of his father. He barely remembered him, yet he always strove to be as brave and strong as his mother told him his father had been. Cloud tried not to think of his mother often. The memories of her smiling face were now marred with his feelings of remorse and regret. He hadn't been strong enough to protect her, to save her. Cloud hoped his mother had perished in the fires and not been subjected to the horrific experiments Professor Hojo inflicted upon his victims. Mom. He looked up and saw Barret watching him closely.

"Somethin' wrong Spike?"

"No." He looked towards the television. "So what do you think of this explosion?"

"Hm. Somethin' definitely ain't right." The large man folded his arms.

"Yeah."

"I got a call from Vincent yesterday."

"What was it about?"

Barret looked around the room briefly before returning his attention to Cloud. "Reeve sent him to investigate and he said he found somethin'…strange. He didn't give me no details, but that's Vincent. I'm still surprised he actually called my phone! First you start answerin' yo phone and then he starts calling. What's next, Yuffie givin' up materia huntin'?" The muscular man banged his hand on the table roaring with laughter, drawing a few curious looks from the other tables.

Cloud didn't respond. He watched Barret's amusement die down.

"Speakin' of Yuffie, she say somethin' about any of this?"

"Not that I know of."

"Well ain't that her job? I mean she's Vincent partner. Didn't she go with him to Nibelheim?"

"Yuffie's back at the bar with Tifa," he said slowly. "Tifa told me that Yuffie said she had been reassigned-"

"What?!" Barret exclaimed.

"…to head up a Wutaianese division."

"I never heard nothin' 'bout that. Didn't think Reeve would want to get in Godo's way. It's no secret he don't approve of his daughter working for the WRO…" The muscular man stroked his chin, glancing over at a nearby table. He watched the family share a joke. "To be honest, if she were my kid, I wouldn't either. I mean she's too youn-"

"But not too young to save you from a public execution?" The blonde offered.

"Uh. Well…I mean…no…" Barret looked at his plate. "I guess she's grown now," he conceded.

"How is she at work?" Cloud asked quickly.

The question caught him off guard and he looked up suddenly. "Eh? What do you mean?"

"I mean," Cloud began, trying to choose his words carefully. "What's it like working with her at the WRO?"

"No idea."

Cloud quirked his eyebrow.

"We don't exactly work together Spike. I'm out in the field." He rubbed his head. "If you're so curious why don't you just ask Vincent; he's been workin' with her for a year ain't he?"

"Yeah. He has."

Their conversation dwindled and the two men made their way back to the inn. Cloud considered pressing the large man further, about the events in the mine, however, he doubted it would achieve much; Barret wasn't in the mood for a heart to heart. The blonde thought about the large man's words. Though Tifa had said they weren't on the friendliest of terms, he thought it wouldn't hurt to at least ask the gunman about Yuffie's reassignment. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but Cloud had a feeling there was a lot more to the story than the young ninja had shared with the martial artist.

Tifa stood outside 7th Heaven and sighed. The windows were filthy. It didn't matter how hard or for how long she scrubbed them clean, it seemed, that within a matter of days, the glass would be just as dirty; almost as if she hadn't washed them at all. Cloud never seemed to notice, of course. He thought she was just being overly conscious. OCD he meant, but the barmaid knew he'd never say it: to her face. Tifa thought about their brief conversation at lunch time. The martial artist knew she'd been very short with him and she hadn't meant to be. Cloud just caught her at the wrong time.

I really laid into him the other night. It hadn't been about Marlene; they both knew that, but it wasn't just about Yuffie either. Yuffie…

The ninja had been in the living room and walked downstairs when she heard the footsteps. What if she had gone to her room? Tifa knew she wouldn't have been able to talk herself out of that. Yuffie would have caught the barmaid reading her diary. The martial artist still felt bad about invading her privacy. She hoped to talk with her, but after receiving no reply to any calls or texts, it was clear to Tifa that Yuffie was avoiding her.

She wished Cloud had arrived later on Friday. She was going to tell me. "I have to stay awake." What does that mean? Tifa remembered Marlene telling her she heard Yuffie saying the exact same phrase. The martial artist wondered if this was related to her nightmares. Tifa wasn't sure what to make of what Yuffie told her in the cellar. It almost sounded like she was recounting a memory… "I should have stayed home that night." What happened? Tifa knew if she asked it would give her away, and Yuffie would be hurt, but if she didn't get to the bottom of this…

"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "Miss Lockhart?"

Tifa turned around to face the voice, sponge in hand. "Yes?" She studied his features. "Have we met before?"

"Informally, yes." He removed his plaid cap. "I've come to the bar a couple times. My name is Abe."

"Oh yes, I remember you," she paused, dropping the sponge in the bucket. "You're a friend of Yuffie's?"

"Well…yes, I would like to think so." He saw the quizzical look on the barmaid's face. "We only met recently, but we have talked a few times. I met her in the park on Friday, in fact."

"Friday?" So that's where she went. "I'm sorry, Abe, she's not home at the moment but I ca-"

"No. It's alright." He looked at the sky briefly before returning his gaze to her face. "It's you I came to see."

"Me? Why?" Tifa folded her arms.

"It's about Yuffie."

The barmaid looked at his face and frowned. Abe was slightly taller than her and his greying hair was neatly combed. It looked like his nose had been broken previously and his clear blue eyes reflected the light, causing them to look as if they were shimmering. His thin lips were pursed and he seemed to be studying her. When she realised, Tifa was brought back to attention and she took a shallow breath.

"Miss Lockhart?"

"Tifa. Call me Tifa."

"Short for Tiffany?"

"No, not really." She looked at him. "It was meant to be."

"It's nice," he smiled.

"Thank you." She reached down to pick up the bucket. "Abe, would you like to come inside for a drink?"

"Yes, thank you."

The ninja stared up at the Sun and closed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths and imagined herself bathed in warmth. Yuffie felt herself being lifted slowly; her body weightless, as she was gradually engulfed in the light. Her fingers began to tingle and she flexed them instinctively. The sensation travelled up her hands and into her arms, eventually spreading across her entire body. Yuffie opened her eyes and gasped. She was floating above the clouds, staring directly at the Sun. She moved to shield her eyes but felt a light touch on her left cheek.

The ninja placed a hand on her face and let the heat seep into her fingers. She looked at the Sun then, and felt the brilliance hit her suddenly. Her feet lowered slowly onto the cloud and she began walking forward. Yuffie had always wondered what it felt like to walk on the clouds. Would it feel cold or wet? Would she fall through them? Were clouds firm or bouncy? She was surprised then, to learn that it was neither wet nor cold; firm nor bouncy and she didn't fall through. The cloud felt like nothing. Yuffie stared down at her feet as she walked. Though she saw each step her feet took on the cloud, the ninja couldn't feel any sensation beneath them. When did I take my shoes off?

She came to a halt and marvelled at the sight. Yuffie was standing right in front of the massive sphere. She saw the various tints of yellow, red and orange swirling in a mass before her. The ninja was mesmerised as she watched the colours blend together and then separate into distinct hues once again. The more she watched, the faster the display seemed to get, until it stopped, suddenly. Yuffie held her breath. Almost as abruptly as it had stopped, the gases began to swirl again; this time larger than before. As she stood transfixed, she began to notice a pattern to the movements. They're rotating at different angles.

Almost as soon as she made this observation, the gasses merged once more and then slowly parted. They formed three solid rings around the sphere. Yuffie was unable to see the globe clearly, despite the rings now being apart from it. She tried to take a step forward, but felt a great burst of energy block her path. What is this? She continued to watch as the rings began to pick up speed and circle the globe. The globe then began violently spinning and the rings were enveloped in bright flames that appeared on the surface. Soon, the whole globe was alight and Yuffie felt the blazing heat brush her face.

Stepping back, she felt a familiar sensation. Closing her eyes, Yuffie wished she was back at the church, but when she opened her eyes, all she saw was darkness. The ninja opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. She looked around wildly, hoping to make out a way to leave this void. A small flicker caught her attention and she turned to look at it. The light was just faintly twinkling in the distance. Slowly, the white light began to grow brighter. Her heart beat loudly and she felt the beads of sweat pool on her forehead.

Gingerly, she raised her right hand. Closing her eyes again, she reached out and instead of feeling the heat, she felt wetness on her hand. Shocked, she opened her eyes. Everything was quiet. Yuffie took a small step forward and felt herself falling. After struggling for a few seconds, she realised where she was. Instantly, the loud sound of water cascading down, onto the slabs below, reached her ears. She looked up at the waterfall and watched the continuous rush hit the smooth rocks and flow down into the large pool of water below. She shuddered and glanced down.

Confusion clouded her features and she looked to her right and saw a pile of clothes, thrown together in a heap. Slowly, Yuffie got out of the pool and sat down on a slate. She looked upwards and saw the Sun shining brightly. Shaking her head, she stood and went over to her clothes. The ninja dressed quickly and then followed the winding path back to the car. She reached into her shorts pocket and held up her hand. Yuffie looked at the pink flower in her right palm and smiled.

"Thank you," she whispered.

She reached Edge just after three and pulled into the driveway of 7th Heaven. As she stepped out of the car, Yuffie saw a man she recognised leaving the bar. The ninja watched him walk down the street and turn in the direction of the park. The ninja considered following him, but thought better of it and closed the door. Yuffie entered the bar and found Tifa clearing away two glasses on her way to the kitchen. The barmaid looked up and smiled.

"Yuffie."

Ignoring her, the ninja made her way to the stairs.

"Wait!" Tifa rushed to her side. "Where are you going?"

"My room." Yuffie took a step forward.

"Where have you been?"

"Out."

"Yuf, you didn't come down for breakfast. I was wonder-"

"I wasn't hungry."

"Okay," she said, setting the glasses down on the counter. "I…was hoping we could talk."

"About what?" Yuffie turned to look at her.

"What happened yesterday in the bar...before we came back."

"Nothing happened."

"You collapsed didn't you?"

The ninja turned away from her.

"Please Yuffie. Tell me what's going on." Tifa paused, hesitating. Taking a deep breath, she spoke. "Why do you have to 'stay awake'?"

Yuffie spun round so quickly, the barmaid took an involuntary step backwards. Her face paled and she closed her eyes, willing the tears not to fall. She felt Tifa motion towards her and she shook her head.

"No."

"Yuffie? Why? Tell me: what does it mean?"

"I said no!" She screamed, turning on her heels and running up the stairs. Yuffie could hear Tifa calling after her, but she didn't stop until she reached her room and shut the door behind her.

She could feel her heart beating heavily inside her chest and her body shaking slightly. "No!" She violently shook her head, trying to banish the sinking feeling sweeping across her body. Yuffie took a step forward and she felt her legs trembling. The ninja made it over to the bed and eased herself onto it. Deep, slow, breaths Yuffie. Come on. You can do this. Slowly, she closed her eyes.

The ninja could almost feel the water as she visualised herself floating in the centre of the large pool. Yuffie allowed her body to drift along with the small current. The gentle waves soothed her nerves and she felt the tension begin to slip away. She heard the crashing sound of the waterfall and she opened her eyes. I did it. The ninja smiled as she moved into a front crawl and swam over to the ledge. The ninja climbed onto the smooth rock and walked carefully along the path leading to the small cavern behind the waterfall. She glanced behind her and watched as the water gushed down into the pool below.

The rushing sound of the water filled her ears suddenly and she continued walking into the cave. The ledge narrowed as she followed it upwards. She occasionally saw stalactites drip into the water below and the sound echoed across the cavern. Glancing down, Yuffie saw that she was now quite high up; the water was barely visible and the waterfall had long since faded from view. She stopped as the path ended and she saw there was no way forward.

Though she was quite far inside, the cave was still well lit and the ninja wondered where the light was coming from. She scanned the cavern and saw no obvious source of illumination. Sighing, Yuffie sat down on the ledge and swung her legs absentmindedly. She rested her head against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. Well this is boring. She looked back towards the entrance. I guess I should head back. Yuffie stood up and started walking in the direction of the waterfall. She walked for a while before she realised that the ledge was much narrower than she remembered.

The ninja found it increasingly difficult to walk comfortably and eventually she had to shuffle herself forward. When the ledge ended, Yuffie shook her head. Did I take a wrong turn? She turned around, intending to go back, but was shocked when she saw there was nowhere for her to go.

"What the hel-" Yuffie felt the ground give way and then she was falling. Closing her eyes, she braced herself for impact. Hugging her body tightly, she felt herself plummeting; faster and faster. The ninja wondered how high the ledge was above the water and how much farther she had to go, before she reached the bottom. Suddenly a loud buzzing rang in her ears and Yuffie opened her eyes in shock.

As soon as she did, she stopped. The young woman gasped when she saw where the light was coming from. Yuffie immediately closed her eyes, wishing she had never stepped inside the cavern.

"Cloud."

"Vincent."

The gunman paused. "Are you out on a job?"

"No," he glanced at the inn. "I'm in Kalm."

"I take it you met Barret and he filled you in."

"Yeah…" He sighed.

"When are you returning to Edge?"

"Tonight."

"I'll be back tomorrow morning."

"I heard you went to Nibelheim to investigate the explosion," he stated. "Was it deliberate?"

The gunman let out a deep breath. "It's better if we discuss this tomorrow."

"Okay." Cloud sensed the gunman's unease. "Come to the bar when you get back to town."

There was silence on the line for a minute before the gunman spoke again. "Sure. I'll see you then."

"Vincent." He remembered what Tifa told him. "Does Yuffie know anything about this?"

"Yuffie?"

"Barret said Reeve had her look into the mine situation, weren't you working with her on it?"

"I was," Vincent stated simply.

Cloud sighed. I guess they really did have a fight. "So what's this about the new division Reeve is setting up?"

"New division?"

"Wutaianese operations."

"I'm sorry. I know nothing about that," his tone was final and the gunman's silence confirmed this.

"I'll see you tomorrow Vincent."

"Until then. Take care Cloud."

The blonde closed the phone and replaced it in his pocket. Something is definitely up with those two. He would ask Tifa if Yuffie said anything to her. Cloud wondered why he hadn't heard about the situation in Kalm sooner. Yuffie didn't usually talk about work and when she did, it was to Tifa. Technically speaking, he and Tifa weren't official members of the World Regenesis Organization, though they had assisted in their operations before.

Barret had been morose all afternoon. Cloud had tried again to get the man to tell him what really happened in the mine with Marlene, but the muscular man had outright refused, saying he already knew the story. This struck the blonde as odd, because Barret really hadn't told him much at all. When he reminded the man, of what he said about not taking his daughter into the mine, Barret's eyes widened and he feigned nescience. Cloud knew the large man cared deeply for his daughter and though he saw her infrequently, he would do anything to keep her safe. Taking her down a mine just didn't make sense.

Cloud wasn't sure what to make of what Barret said to him. Finding a massive stash of gold in a long disused mine was unusual. It was entirely possible, that the gold had been hidden there before Shinra seized control of the village. He wasn't surprised the men had been tempted; from what Barret told him, the gold was of the highest quality. Their apparent disappearances did seem strange on the surface. Cloud thought Reeve was probably right: the men had run off with their weight in gold. Barret had said that when he went back down to check, following their absence, some of the gold was still missing.

The blonde concluded that they probably made up the story, about seeing strange things inside the mine, to cover their tracks while they planned their escape. But what about the man Barret spoke to? According to him, the man was still unaccounted for. He could simply have been their accomplice, Cloud had reasoned to the large man, but Barret seemed unconvinced, though he didn't argue.

Then there was the explosion in Nibelheim. He wondered what Tifa thought about it. They rarely talked about their hometown and the barmaid usually looked uncomfortable when he brought up the subject. He understood how she felt. Thinking about all they lost that night, still haunted him when he allowed the memories to surface.

Cloud placed his glasses over his eyes as he watched the sunset. He glanced at the inn and briefly caught sight of a face in the window. He lifted his hand to wave but as he did so, the face quickly moved from view. Goodbye Barret.

Dinner had been much the same as breakfast: the barmaid had eaten alone with Marlene. Tifa hadn't bothered to call Yuffie down to eat; she knew she wouldn't come. After their confrontation in the bar earlier, the ninja had remained in her room and she was left feeling very guilty. I shouldn't have pushed her. Tifa considered sending her a text apologising for what happened, but she doubted Yuffie would respond, much less come down and talk to her.

The barmaid couldn't get the image of the tear stained diary entry out of her mind. The thought of Yuffie alone and in so much pain hurt her. The night she held the ninja while she sobbed in her arms, Tifa remembered seeing the sheer terror in her face. The martial artist wished there was a way to reach the ninja, but it seemed all she had succeeded in doing was pushing her further away.

Marlene asked about Yuffie and Tifa had stumbled for an explanation that she was sure the little girl hadn't bought. She knew Marlene loved spending time with Yuffie and was disappointed that the ninja had barely spoken to her since Friday. Tifa thought about opening the bar tomorrow; she had planned to take the week off, to spend with Marlene, and Cloud had agreed to work less days. The barmaid thought it would be good for Marlene and Yuffie to spend some time together and honestly, she needed the distraction. The martial artist stared at the sleeping form of the little girl on the bed and smiled.

"Sweet dreams."

She quietly closed the door and walked down the small corridor. A faint light drew her attention and she noticed Yuffie's bedroom door was ajar. Tifa approached slowly, intending to wish her a good night, but stopped when she reached the threshold.

The ninja was standing naked, in front of the mirror, crying. Tifa was about to avert her eyes, when she glimpsed something that made her take a step closer. She caught the gasp in her right hand and shook her head in disbelief, closing her eyes. When she looked back at the ninja, her gaze was met with a pair of eyes, looking back at her from the mirror. They stood for a second watching each other, before Yuffie turned away. Reanimating, Tifa stepped away from the door and quickly made her way down the hall. She quickly shut the door behind her and held a hand to her chest.

Tifa wanted to pretend she had imagined what she just saw. She wanted it to be a mistake; her eyes playing tricks on her or something. She was tired after all. No. The look in Yuffie's eyes told her it was real. Tifa had really seen the large scar running down her back. The barmaid sank to the floor and rested her head against the door, tears in her eyes.

"Oh Yuffie, what happened to you?"

Cloud stepped into the pitch black bar and walked to the kitchen. After grabbing a beer from the refrigerator, he went over to the corner table as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He stopped suddenly and looked up.

"Tifa?"

She didn't answer immediately and Cloud was sure he could make out the movement of the martial artist wiping her eyes. "You're back late." He could tell she was crying.

Cloud moved towards her and sat, placing the bottle on the table. "Yuffie?"

"I'm fine, rea…" He reached for her in the darkness and she went into his arms.

"Tifa, talk to me."

"Cloud," she cried into his chest. "I-I don't know what's going on…"

He could see the the wine bottle on the table and guessed she had been drowning her sorrows for a few hours. She hiccupped a few times in between sobs. Cloud held her tightly and gently rubbed her back.

"It's gonna be okay."

Cloud continued massaging her back and after a few minutes, her small whimpers were replaced with soft breathing. He kissed her crown and sighed. What happened?