Final Fantasy 7: The Enemy Within

by ilMaestroAmadio

Gaia is threatened by a catastrophe and Yuffie Kissaragi joins the WRO again under the command of Reeve Tuesti, who pairs her up with a unique fellow. Things will turn out to be drammatically different than they seem as the duo races to save Gaia. And themselves! (first fanfiction ever;M for violence/steam; post FF:DC;) (REVIEWS APPRECIATED);

21. Edge (III)

EDGE (III)

1.

Cade expected his eyes to meet the pale and pristine environment of a hospital room, like it happened before, in Gongaga. He hoped this time he would have been spared by the vision of a broken-hearted Yuffie sitting next to him.

He quickly regained full consciousness and began to feel his arms and legs once again. His brain turned on and briefed him on the last developments and happenings. It was at first the raid on Junon Prison, then the welcomed discovery of his uncle Reeve sound and safe and, lastly, his ungracious fall on the floor of the airship about to ferry them back on Edge, for reason unknown.

According to his predictions, he should have been in a hospital in Edge, or maybe in the WRO Headquarters' infirmary, provided WRO forces had managed to reoccupy the building. There was only one way to know it.

He stood up, amazed at how lively he was after what appeared to be quite a long and deep slumber. Usually he got one of those nasty backaches or headaches when he used to stay in bed more than the doctors usually prescribed to the general populace but this time it appeared that if little did good, too much did better, as the elders said.

The only fact was that he wasn't in a hospital.

He wasn't anywhere on Gaia, now that he looked better outside the large window that stood over the bed where he had woken up. Outside there was literally nothing. Just a blinding glow of bright, pale light. He sheltered his eyes as he turned them to the interior of the room

"It's useless that you gaze outside" a soft, calm and merry voice called at him "there's literally nothing out there!"

He turned towards one of the corners of the room. The bedroom was hauntingly familiar. Then he realized.

This was… home.

And he knew the girl sitting on the chair at the corner. His eyes bulged

"Where am I?" he asked

The girl seemed offended

"Where am I?" she replied, puffing "Is that really what matters you the most? As if you didn't know it already…"

The auburn-haired girl, wearing boots, heavy-duty trousers and a denim jacket, was right. Cade had woken up in his old house in Icicle Inn. The one he had already visited in some kind of Mako poisoning-induced dream before landing in the Northern Crater. He wondered why he kept visiting this place in his dreams. And why he kept meeting her

"… nothing. Not a greeting, not a 'Hi, Jessie, it's been a while' and so on" the girl kept complaining "I wonder what she finds so interesting in you… I mean, you are surely interesting but sometime you are so clueless and play dumb for no reasons at all!"

All the emotions he was feeling, all at once and one the opposite of the other one, had the unexpected effect of relaxing him as he stared at Jessie, the girl sitting on the couch. She was the girl whom he had fallen in love a decade ago while accidentally stumbling upon her in Midgar. The girl who had rescued him from his self-neglect while he was bossed beyond human limits in the Shin-Ra infantry.

The girl who had given up her life trying to prevent the infamous pillar of Sector 7 to be demolished, crushing every inhabitant of the slums below. Her efforts were in vain, though. She and the rest of her party only managed to delay the demolition, enough to save only a handful of people

"Hi, Jessie" he finally said, with a smile "it's good to see you again!"

Jessie's tirade came to a halt

"About time!" she laughed, as she stood up and walked to the bed, sitting right next to him and landing a kiss on his cheek. Cade returned the kiss and wrapped his arm around her shoulder

"Look at you" she said "you did become really a tough guy. All busy saving the day and stuff. Oh God, I'm really proud of you!" caressing his face. Her touch was real and true, too much for all of this to be just a dream. It wasn't just the touch of her fingers on his skin, it was also about the warmth he felt through the contact with her body. It was a strange and inexplicable situation, but he let his heart guide his actions and stuck up even more to Jessie, who appreciated his returning the affection

"This is like…" he observed, caressing her back through the denim jacket

"… the same exact thing I wore the first time we met" she confirmed, resting her head upon her shoulder "I mean, without you toting your rifle around…"

"Not that I liked it…" he sighed

"I knew that, otherwise I wouldn't have accepted your date"

"Why on Gaia did you say 'yes' that time?" Cade wondered "That it's still a mystery to me…"

"Don't be so harsh with yourself. You were pretty good-looking back then" she explained "I mean, now you're even better, honestly. But you looked so nice as well and I was, you know, looking for some company too… " she smirked "Well, then why did you asked me out?"

"You were…" Cade felt a lump in his throat "You are the most beautiful human on Gaia, Jessie. I realized it only when it was too late…"

"It's not like that" Jessie shook her head "After our first date in the bazaar in the slums of Sector 7 and after getting to know you better I realized that you were a broken soul searching for a way to mend yourself. I thought I could help. And I gladly did it. Despite our… argument I left this world with a smile thinking that I had the chance to meet someone like you"

Cade nodded. Jessie's words were something he could barely be able to listen to. Tears began to show up, suspended on the brim of his eyes

"I'm glad you did it, too" he smiled

A smile grew on Jessie's face, light rays from the window revealing a tip of blushing racing to her face. Then the joyful light in her visage quickly faded away, trading places with a mask of sorrow. She bowed her head down

"It was my fault all along" he finally confessed "I was so selfish at the time that I didn't wanted you to lose you. You were too precious to me and I really did not wanted you to leave me for any kind of reason. But you did the right thing by facing the Shin-Ra and preventing the pillar to be brought down. History proved it. Sometime I really wished I was there too, at least we would have died together doing the right thing…"

All of a sudden, Jessie detached from the embrace and promptly slapped him. Cade leant backward as he uttered a faint shriek, massaging the hit cheek with his hand

"What was that for?" he asked

"Don't you ever dare to say something like that again!" Jessie bitterly hissed "Look at yourself! Look at the world around you! Look at everything you did while you were alive and while you were looking for your place in the world. Don't you think that every life you touched with your being is worth someone like me passing away?"

"I…" he uttered

"You lifted the spirit of someone like me, an orphan girl who partook in the activities of a clandestine guerrilla movement, a girl who was so sick of the world around her and who thought that the only way out was violence. Do you think it is really that easy?" she continued, in the same stern tone of voice "You don't think about how many people you saved, even by doing nothing at all. At least that's what you think…" she paused "The world needs people like you, Cade. Do you realize that? Can you imagine how good you did to the ones around you?" she added, this time in a more loving tone with his face between her hands

So, it was that. It had nothing to do with his memories of his old house in Icicle Inn. Maybe it had nothing to do with that girl, Jessie, too. It was just a matter of going past certain barriers he had always lived with, walls he had built around himself. Namely, the fact that he had always held all the losses he had endured in his life as an excuse for his selfish and reckless behaviour. And for all the obstacles he erected every ime someone tried to reach out to him

"You can do a lot for the ones you love, and for the ones who love you. You still can do. Do you understand that, Cade?" Jessie asked him

Cade paused and thought for a while. His eyes rested on Jessie for a while. Albeit her apparel was as random as ever, she did look good. Fond memories of the time spent with her came to the surface, but they were just that. Memories.

"It's reality that matters, now" he whispered, more to himself than anything. Jessie must have heard him though "I've been given a third chance and I'm here to take it"

"Exactly" she said, as her face regained that sweet expression she had always had when Cade secretly brought her to surface to watch the moon at night, climbing through passages normally secluded to civilians. What a risk they took those times, but it was well worth it

They were just memories.

"I love you" he told her.

But distractedly. Just like an actor trying to memorize a line on a script. Because eventually it was a memory too

"Me too" she nodded, kissing him briefly "And not only me. Don't worry about what you did in your past. Don't let bad things haunt you, just turn them into something that can give you strength through the hardship you face"

Cade shook his head

"I don't want you to be just a memory" he told her "It's not right, At all!" he added, while snorting to fight back the urge to cry

"I've been a monster" Cade was crying by now "an ungrateful, selfish, self-entitled monster"

"You are Cade Tuesti" Jessie shook him "you are a stubborn, proud, extraordinary and handsome guy. I would bet my earthly life on that, if I had one… And you don't have to let go of me. Not completely. You just have to bear in mind and… here" she said, placing a hand over his heart "that there are some people watching you even if you can't see them, and who care for you even if you can't feel their touch…"

Cade nodded. Tear ran down his face. He wondered if someone else had told something like that previously. Maybe someone really did, but he did not pay attention to it. It was something that really made him think about the way he had let events take control of his life.

A knocking sound on the door woke him up form his trance. He turned his head, rather alarmed

"Relax" Jessie said "It's just someone who wanted to see you. Shall we let her in?"

Her?

Without Cade uttering a single door, the heavy wooden door opposite the bed slowly swung open.

A scorching, invisible and intangible gust swept across the room. On the threshold, stood the most beautiful human being that had ever treaded on Gaia, and possibly the Lifestream. Actually, Jessie was good-looking too. But unfortunately, the twist of the events had taken her life when she was still too young for her beauty to be compared to the one of a more… mature woman. So for the first time in his life, Cade was forced to put the beauty of a girl before another one. A dreaded task for every man on earth, but it was the most logical thing to do.

Kayla moved across the room towards him. The blonde, tall girl was dressed in a long blue dress. Her eyes where bluer than ever. They looked like the sky in a clear day of either winter or summer. Her long hairs were braided in a tail that nearly reached halfway her bare back.

Cade was left speechless. He knew that dress.

"She's beautiful" Jessie too couldn't look away "Really, she is… an angel!"

But again it was a memory. That thought only made matters worst

"I can't…" he shook his head, as Kayla smile melted his hear and his will to carry on "I just can't…"

"Cade" Kayla exclaimed, as she reached for him and knelt down, holding his head between her hands. Cade was almost too shaken to dare to look her in her eyes

"Sorry if I show up like this but I really needed to see you" she said, as she was evidently resisting the urge to cry too

"Please make it stop!" Cade uttered, as he sobbed. Their arms reached for each other as they both shared a weep

"I'm sorry for doing this to you" Kayla's words dodged the tears "but I need to tell you I'm so proud of you…"

Kayla would be proud of you

"Just hold on a little bit more…" she continued "Do it for me!"

"I'll sure do!" Cade managed to reply. Behind them, Jessie was in tears as well. Her sobs made the both of them turn towards her

"I'm sorry" she replied, a laughter breaking her tears "but I did not expect Cade to show up with someone like you…"

"Well" Kayla said "you don't look bad yourself either"

"Oh, come on!" Jessie replied "You are too kind, that's it!"

Kayla erupted in a laughter, the same laughter that delighted him so much when they hanged out together.

But that was a memory. As bad and awful as it sounded.

Cade was laughing too. Being in his own bedroom with two former girlfriends was the nightmare of every male individual. But this was far from being a nightmare. It was one of the most beautiful dreams he had ever had. Safe, sound and surrounded by the two girls who had showed so much love to him. He soon wished he could stay there forever.

He grew worried though as Kayla's endless laughter suddenly died away, as if something suddenly bothered her.

"Hey, is everything all right?" he asked her

Kayla slightly shook his head. She brought a hand to her mouth and she wiped away a speck of blood from the corner of her mouth. The speck was quickly replaced by a small river ob blood which soon reached her chin. Kayla breathed out, as something had sucked out all her air from the lungs.

Cade quickly rushed to her aid as she knelt down the floor, eyes wide open in shock. He looked up to Jessie

"It's all a memory now!" the girl shook her head, sad beyond everything else.

And then, everything he had pent up within himself up to that moment broke loose in an instant.

He woke up.

2.

Cade bawled out loud as he sprung from the bed. A sudden pain ran through his spine as he bent his back perhaps too abruptly. He must have pulled something inadvertently in the past few days.

He threw the blankets away as a hot cloak descended on him. He wiped away the swat on his forehead. He did not feel ill, so the heat was probably due to the warm temperature of the air in the room he had woke up in.

Where was he, by the way? His last memory was of himself falling down in the loading bay of an airship. Somebody had maybe taken him to a hospital then. But the sight around him didn't match the one of a hospital enclosure at all.

A large window over the bed was shedding the light of the late afternoon inside the room. He rose next to it and took a look outside. The familiar landscape of Edge unravelled before his eyes. Ok, he was in Edge, and the town looked like it was running normally. No battle sounds, no fires burning, nothing even suggesting a small-scale disturbance. If the WRO had regained control of its headquarters, it must have happened bloodlessly and with the support of the population.

Still, it didn't know where he was precisely. The room, filled with wooden furniture was not familiar at all. He noticed a framed picture on a bed-side table and rushed to take a look at that. There were four people in it, a young man with spiky blonde hairs flanked by a black-haired woman roughly as young as him. Two children stood at their feet, a boy and a girl. Although the guy seemed a bit distant and broody, the whole bunch looked like an undisturbed and unworried family. Although young, the black-haired girl emanated a motherly affection that could be told by the picture itself.

Cade could not feel a fit of emotion upon looking at that picture, especially after the dream he just had. He soon got caught by a panic attack then: what if something had happened to him and unknown circumstances had forced him to take shelter and break in into a house of perfect strangers, a family, on top of that. With children!

The chain of ever growing worries was suddenly broken when the door shut open. Cade was ready to both face a tough-looking blonde or to offer a valid excuse to his wife or girlfriend. It wasn't the case, as the face of the woman opening the door was a friendly and a familiar one

"You woke up at last" Yuffie exclaimed, without concealing her relief "Are you all right? I heard you screaming…"

Cade was baffled by a subtle change in Yuffie's figure. She had temporarily discarded her hair-band and now her hairs looked longer, as they dangled freely barely over her shoulder. That, and the long, white silky dress she wore made her look like a whole different persona.

"What happened to your hair?" Cade asked

"Oh, you noticed them?" Yuffie blushed, passing a hand through them "That's sweet of yours! That also means you are fine, then" she said, delighted

"My head!" Cade whined as he felt his head being suddenly shrunk by an invisible wrench

"You must have slept way past your allowed time" the ninja told him, walking up to the bed. She knelt next to him "How are you feeling? You must be tired…" she asked.

Cade stared at her, the light from the window still managing to illuminate her face despite the late afternoon. He wasn't used at all to Yuffie carrying her hairs loose, but he liked it eventually. He liked Yuffie, to be honest. He liked that tiny, feisty ninja with the biggest heart and soul on the whole world and as he silently gazed upon her smiling face, he couldn't think anything else but how happy he would have been once things would have finally settled down and finally have the opportunity to spend some time with her, with no hassles of worries from the world around him

"I'm fine indeed" he said, finally "The headache will fade away, eventually. I'm not sure what happened, though"

Yuffie smiled again. One more smile and Cade would have jumped in her crushing her body in the heartiest hug he could give. Was he high on some kind of medication still running through his veins?

"You passed out just after boarding the ship that brought us here" she explained "A medical staff brought you straight to the WRO Headquarters' infirmary once we landed, but thankfully it was just a nasty case of exhaustion…"

"Exhaustion?"

"That, and some kind of hangover from Mako poisoning" she added, with a severe look on her face. Cade felt he owed her an explanation. Yuffie's expression, arms crossed, suggested she expected an explanation

"I was diagnosed with a mild case of Mako poisoning after being too close to the chunk we found out in the Mythril Desert" Cade told her, kind of embarrassed "Apparently it's nothing serious, though. I think it even helped my wounds healing" he said, raising her arms. Yuffie took a look, hardly noticing the almost unnoticeable tracks were the surgical wounds stood. She took him by the hands as she raised and gently twisted his limbs to check them out throughout. She produced a nod of approval, and let them fall on the bed

"You luckily got away with that. Cade, next time you get some kind of freaky disease, I'd like you to tell me!" she sternly said

"I know… I meant to tell you that but…" Cade uttered, trying to come to a valid explanation for his silence. For the first time since he had met her Cade felt genuinely guilty for having kept something hidden to her "… I didn't realize it was important to you!" he finally said

"Well, now you know it is" Yuffie nodded. She grasped his hand once again, letting silence fill the room as they watched themselves in the eyes. Maybe it was something in the air but Cade felt uneasy as he tried to withstand the ninja's look, who on her side seemed to be amused by the situation. It was quite a feat actually to keep the focus while staring at this never seen before version of Yuffie. Not that she wasn't cute while dressed in her fighting apparel or in a soldier's outfit, but the long dress she wore pulled out the womanly side he had never had the chance to tale a look at

'I must be very tired if I'm thinking this…' he thought to himself

"Don't you want to know where you are?" Yuffie asked, breaking the standoff

"Where am I?" Cade said, obliviously "Oh, right! Where am I? Why are we in this place? And…" he looked back at the picture on the bedside table "do they know we are here?"

"Relax" Yuffie laughed "The doctors suggested to keep you in the hospital overnight to see how the situation would have evolved but I told them 'nah', and with the approval of Reeve we decided to keep you in a place where you would have forgot your duties as a reinstated WRO officer. At least for a while…"

"Reeve!" Cade whispered "How is he?" he asked, alarmingly

"Fine" Yuffie assured him "Just fine. Reeve is just, fine!"

"And what happened to the General Staff? What happened when WRO forces landed here in Edge?" Cade kept asking, almost as hectically

"It went like that: your uncle was celebrated like the messenger of the Maker on Gaia and the General staff, upon seeing the overwhelming support he had with him, raised the white flag almost instantly… bloodless as it could be" she concluded, swinging his arm as to catch something in the air.

Cade whistled before falling backwards on the mattress again

"That was close…" he said "but I'm glad everything and everyone's ok! Wait, you still have to tell me if those guys" he pointed at the picture "knows that we are squatting in their premises or not…"

"Chill" Yuffie reassured him again "We are not squatting at all Chances are that those 'guys' are close friends of mine who happened to be out of town while the whole affair was going on. When I had to look for a place to spend the night, I made a call and by careful and pondered negotiation, I managed to have the whole household almost as long as we needed. And for free!"

"Did you threatened them?" Cade launched her an inquisitory look

"Is it a way to say 'Great job Yuffie. Quit the ninja bullshit and get into real estate dealings'?"

"Sort of…"

A thud erupted as Yuffie slapped him on the chest. Cade bent as the hand impacted on his body, jolting on the bed

"That's exaggerated!" Yuffie protested

"That was unexpected…" he countered, coughing

"Look" Yuffie changed subject "the landlady runs a bar on the ground floor. I was getting something to eat ready. Are you hungry?"

"What time it is?"

"Nearly eight in the evening…"

"How long did I sleep?" he asked

"Something like…" Yuffie gestured as she did the maths "twenty-four hours straight?"

"Oh, boy…" Cade sighed

"Seemed like you needed all of them" Yuffie replied "But you better get up, or you're going to grow bed sores…"

"Whack" Cade sprung up from the bed, sniffing his armpits. He wasn't stinky as a skunk but he could do better "Did those friends of yours told you it is ok to use the bathroom?"

"Of course. Get your clothes changed while you're there. Reeve insisted in having them sent here for you"

"Good, then" Cade finally stood up

"Did you sleep alright?" Yuffie then asked. Cade stopped in the middle of the room

"I guess… did I do something wrong in my sleep? Like sleepwalking or chewing the blankets?" he asked with a chuckle

"No, no… not. Nothing at all" Yuffie shook her head "Now go and get a shower. Supper will be ready any minute"

"Ok, then" Cade resumed walking towards the bathroom but he stopped at the threshold once again. He turned towards her once again

"Yuffie…"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry if I made you worry" he apologized "You've been… you are very kind with me but honestly I feel like I'm giving nothing back to you…"

"Cade!" Yuffie exclaimed, taken by surprise by his words. It wasn't true. It wasn't true at all. Yuffie could have kept being kind forever without getting anything back and still be happy to be next to someone like him

"Cade, I'm doing this because… not because I'm expecting something in return but because I like being of help!"

Yuffie. Ninja warrior and Princess of Wutai. Mostly Princess. Mostly dearest human being on Gaia.

Cade lowered her head. Yuffie took his hands in hers

"Now go get a shower. I can't have dinner with someone like you. Not if you stink like a stale closet…"

Cade laughed "Ok, sounds like you are mad at me for neglecting my hygiene. I'll get myself clean!" he said, before winking and disappearing in the corridor, followed by Yuffie's smiling eyes.

As the sound of water running in the tub came to her ears, Yuffie sat on the bed and started caressing the mattress, right into the depression left by Cade's weight.

He did not sleep fine. Not entirely, at least. As she had woken up to get a glass of water from the tap at the counter down below, she was startled by a sound coming from Cade's room.

She had leant her ear against the door and could tell that Cade was indeed crying. She had quietly opened the door, allowing a narrow cranny to take a look inside the room. It was a desperate crying, like the one who is recalling a memory of someone lost, and that made him cling to the blankets so fast that she feared he would have ripped them apart.

It wasn't hard to tell who he was thinking, or perhaps dreaming about, the ninja mused. She managed to keep the body-shaking sobs at bay before standing up again and proceeding downstairs.

Yuffie had failed in her intention to keep Cade and his mind away from the worries of their job. While they were having dinner, he had poured down so much questions that Yuffie for a moment thought she was about to loose her appetite. After threatening him to take the food away from the table and a few more teasing by Cade, they were finally done eating.

Cade had volunteered to clean up all by himself but Yuffie vigorously turned down his offer. She insisted in having him go straight to bed and get some more sleep, this time respecting his natural circadian cycle. So Cade gave attempting to at least clear the table and walked upstairs, after bidding Yuffie goodnight

"Don't complain that nobody helps you, then" he called as he was nearly at the top of the stairs

"Do you want me to tuck your blankets in?" Yuffie mocked him

"Only if you let me give you the good-night kiss"

Yuffie gulped. She would be actually keen to accept that proposal. She shook her head. Could it be that she was so… desperate?

"In your dreams, perhaps" she replied instead "Good night, lover-boy!"

"Good night, sweet princess" he told her, a giggle echoing as he flew to his bed

Yuffie got over with the chores in less than five minutes, since they had not messed with the kitchen that much. She was feeling pretty tired herself, so she resolved to have a shower and then hit the bed straightaway. Once the hot water from the bathtub hit her skin she felt ten times more sleepy and she ultimately felt so weary she did not even had the will to think of anything but crashing the mattress. It was bed time, full stop.

She donned her nightdress, some shorts and a clean shirt and walked towards her bedroom. She stopped as she felt the stingy feeling of a cold draft on her bare, moist legs as she walked in the corridor. Somebody must have had left a window open before falling asleep, and she guessed easily who.

She noticed the door to Cade's bedroom was not completely closed so she grabbed the doorknob and naturally threw a glance in the room through the slit. Maybe Cade was still half-awake. Maybe it was a chance to bid him goodnight a bit more properly.

As her eyes rested on the bed she froze, jaw-dropped.

Cade was not there. The linens stood all pleated and the blanket was thrown aside but he was nowhere to be seen in the room. She burst in, alarmed by his absence. The window was open, so she quickly rushed to it and leant out of the frame scoping the surroundings

'What the hell is wrong with him? Is he really a sleepwalker? Or is he just pulling a prank on me?' she thought

"Cade, if this is a joke, it's not funny at all!" she shouted "Come on, I'm tired and I want to go to sleep!"

No answers came, apart from a stray cat meowing

"Cade, whatever we are playing at you won. But please come back inside!"

The view was not the best from that angle, so she unwillingly decided to climb out of the window and reach the roof, from where she could enjoy a better view of the surrounding area.

She finally reached the rooftop, cursing Cade and the sharp edges of the drainpipes as she brushed away the dust she had collected while climbing up the gutter and landing finally on the shingles. She looked around and quickly spotted a figure against the night sky.

There Cade was. He was sitting on top of the roof of a building immediately next to the one they were staying in. The roof was a floor higher so Yuffie had to cut her hand around the gutter pipe once again hoping it would not collapse under her weight.

She finally came within range of his ears. Cad was sitting and staring at the horizon, where giant clouds were heralding the arrival of a storm. A lightning struck here and there as a breeze came blowing from the advancing storm. Yuffie suddenly felt exposed in her light dress while Cade seemed unfazed in his thoughtful expression, seemingly ignoring her arrival

"Cade" she whispered. The last thing she wanted was a quarrel with the neighbours "what the hell are you doing here? I thought I told you to go to bed…"

Cade did not reply. Instead he burrowed his face in his legs. This prompted Yuffie to close the distance between them and crouch next to him

"Cade! What are you doing here?" she asked again "Is everything all right?"

It must have been about the hundredth time she asked him that question, she guesstimated.

Cade raised his head. Contrary to her expectations, it was not reddish and washed with tears. It was a relief to her. She decided to sit next to him, partly to take shelter against the rather cold wind pushed on by the advancing storm in the distance

"Sorry, Yuffie" he finally told her with a smile "I found it hard to sleep…"

"And you had to climb all the way up to here to get some peace?" she replied "You could have turned the TV on, or get a book from the shelves…"

"I know, it's not the easiest place to reach, but the view is something…" he told her "and there's nothing better than the landscape of a metropolis to clear your mind"

Yuffie felt hard not to agree. Surely the bar was not the highest building in Edge but it was tall enough to give a slightly exciting view of the city's skyline. Despite the late hour, lights were still illuminating the underlying pattern of blocks and roads, with the major buildings standing out amongst the others

"Yep" she agreed "the methane gases rising from the waste processing plant in the distance, combined with the layer of carbon monoxide really creates a romantic atmosphere…"

They shared a laughter before falling silent again. Yuffie forgot for a moment she meant to go to sleep instead of catching cold air on a rooftop

"What are you thinking about?" Yuffie asked straightaway. She felt that was the right question to ask, the one which would have provided her the most satisfactory answer

"A lot of things…" Cade replied, leaning backward as to enjoy a sudden gust of wind sweeping the rooftop. Apparently he was resilient to freeze. Being born and raised in a place like Icicle Inn did help. On the contrary, Yuffie had to take shelter more deeply against his own body

"Something in particular?" she asked

"I guess…" Cade replied, after a beat

"Why don't you tell me?"

Cade pointed his arm and finger towards a big, black silhouette which broke the horizon. They were the ruins of Midgar, the metropolis founded by Shin-Ra corporation, developed around a Mako reactor and finally devastated by the Meteor descent and the Deepground conflict

"Midgar?" she tentatively guessed

"Over there" Cade explained "there's someone. Someone I… am very… Oh, fuck it all!" he swore, shaking his head. Yuffie grew a confused expression

"Do you remember when Reeve first told you what happened to my family and how I came to join the WRO?" he asked

"I surely do" Yuffie nodded

"I bet he purposefully omitted a piece of information from the story, right?"

"He did…" Yuffie thought. Actually, even Kayla had told her something about an episode of Cade's life which she did not wanted to give away. She had told her that it had to be Cade the one to tell her about it. Apparently, it was time

"He did not tell me how you joined the WRO…" she remembered "He also said, and also…" she was about to make the name of Kayla but she did not want to touch such a sensitive matter "Reeve told me I would have had to listen that part from you…"

"Aren't you curious?"

"I am, but do you really think I deserve to hear it?" she wondered "It's your life we're talking about…."

Cade looked at her with an expression like 'Do you even care about that?'

"Ok, then" Yuffie shrugged "Let's hear it…" she invited him, hiding her anticipation and eagerness

"Well, as you already know, after Shin-Ra basically killed my family and drove me out of Icicle Inn, Reeve felt guilty about what happened and offered me a place in the Shin-Ra infantry corps. Apparently I fit their requirements, and by a wide margin. To me it was like hopping from the pan to the grill but at least I had a place to stay and I was making a little money. Beside I did not want Reeve to feel even more responsible for something in which he had little or no part in it…"

Yuffie nodded. She leant against his body and rested her head on his shoulder

"Do you want to move back inside?" Cade asked "I know, this is kind of a weird place and the weather is cooling down…"

"No" Yuffie peacefully replied, shaking her head "I like it here… Please continue!" she begged

"Being in Shin-Ra was one the things I've done in my life that I hate the most, actually" he continued "it wasn't just about playing police & thieves, it was much more. It was all about corruption, extortion, grilling people who were just being suspected of having ties with groups carrying out subversive activities and so on… a beating here, barging into private houses there and taking parents away from their children and the opposite. I was acting like a drone, and the worst part of it is that I did not have any other choice… or at least I thought so"

Yuffie felt sorry for him. Reeve had mentioned her the hardship he had gone through while being a Shin-Ra infantryman. She burrowed into him even more as to offer him some kind of comfort

"One day we had to carry out a sting in a place that was believed to be a makeshift depot for a group of eco-terrorists called AVALANCHE, the same that had prompted Shin-Ra to descend on Icicle Inn the day they wiped out our homestead. I was scheduled to take part in that operation but guess what? The place turned out to be an orphanage…"

"An orphanage?" Yuffie exclaimed

"Indeed" Cade nodded "not a fully chartered one of course, but in the slums people had to make do. If somebody offered a roof for children and kids who would have otherwise lived out in the streets, there you have an orphanage. Our commander ordered us to search the spot anyhow. He thought the orphanage was a put on and AVALANCHE smuggled weapons and stuff inside it… it turned out to be a genuine orphanage when we kicked down the door, but we carried on nevertheless…"

"What a bunch of sorry bastards…" Yuffie shook her head "How could someone like you be part of that gang of crooked sons of…"

"I don't know" Cade shrugged "I guess must have been the circumstances. I wasn't a hundred percent myself at the time" he added, sliding an arm around Yuffie, who in turn did the same

"And then what happened?" she pressed

"I caught with my eye a girl sneaking through a backdoor with a crate in her hand. I gave chase to her and cornered her, only to find out that she was only taking away a box of milk bottles, something just as valuable as gold for a place dealing with small children… She was afraid we would have seized them or simply threw them away, and she was probably right!" he cleared his throat "She told me to do my 'fucking' job and either kill or arrest her. I let her go instead…"

Yuffie's eyes widened "Really? You let her go?"

"Right" he nodded "Maybe it was a spontaneous act of rebellion against Shin-Ra or maybe it was the girl herself. I confess that as soon as I looked her in the face I fell in love with her immediately…" he chuckled

Yuffie blushed "Well, how old were you?"

"Eighteen, if I remember correctly…"

"Well, then it was kind of ok to fall in love with a stranger you were giving chase. Especially if she's bold enough to run away in front of Shin-Ra soldiers to take something valuable away from their stinky hands. Very Cade-esque " she giggled, bringing him to smile "What did she say when you let her go?"

"Nothing, I just turned my back on her and walked away. She was probably surprised but I still kept thinking about her. She was quite a pretty lady" he continued "and believe it or, the next day I showed up at that very orphanage, looking for her and also to apologize with the folks running it. When I met her again she reacted pretty badly, she thought I was again up to no good, but somehow I managed to convince her that my intentions were good and I simply wanted to say sorry for what happened the day before…"

"Did she buy it?"

"She did. She probably considered me a weirdo but she appreciated the gesture. We spent the rest of the day mending what Shin-Ra had done to the place. Thank the Maker their supplies were untouched… Geez can you believe it? An orphanage!" he shook his head

"It wasn't your fault" she caressed his back "did you have any other options?"

"Of course" he replied "I could have gone AWOL, never to be seen again. No more soldier shit, no more busting people around and all of that… I had a choice, I simply wasn't brave enough to take it"

They stood in silence again, then Cade continued

"Anyway, things took quite an unexpected turn after that day…"

"Like what?"

"We started hanging out together"

Yuffie whistled "Wow"

"I did not expected either"

"Who was this girl?" Yuffie eagerly asked, prey to her own feisty sense of curiosity

"He name was Jessie" Cade told her "She was short more or less as short as you, had long and silky auburn hair and blue eyes. Oh, and she had a strange and twisted sense of humour. Very stubborn and determined but a bit wimpy at times. An enjoyable girl, overall…"

"Wait, wait, wait… You meant as tall as me, right?" Yuffie enquired

"Do yourself a favour…" Cade contemptuously told her, grinning

Yuffie shook her head "You can be so nasty at times… Go on!" she invited him

"Well once we set the beef aside, she turned out to be a wonderful girl, really. Sweet, compassionate and caring. A tomboy, sure, but with a heart of gold. Probably seeing so much hardship around her spurred her to help those in need. She would sacrifice every atom of her strength in order to get things even the slightest better… I began to cut myself a lot of free time, by bribing my supervisor so he would let me out whenever I wanted. We went out, took ice creams together, all the sort of stuff that two people in love with each other do. I even started helping out at the orphanage. Since she was an orphan too, we found common ground in the loss of our parents. She lost hers at nine in a work-related accident and was raised by complete strangers until she set out on her own.. I never heard her surname, but probably she never had any…"

"In short, I fell in love with her and had the most pleasant time of my life. Of course, she liked me too" he chuckled "I felt like a human being again and I started to think that maybe the world wasn't that bad if people like Jessie existed. There was something beyond my grim existence as a twisted Shin-Ra infantryman and beyond the walls of the shithole Midgar was. It was like having a broken limb mended, and starting to walk again and thinking you could ran a marathon"

Yuffie smiled. They were roughly the same words she had told him when she had found him crying on the bunk of the Shera. She could swore his eyes were gleaming upon that pleasant memory

"And then what happened?" Yuffie asked. Cade's face turned somber again

"When one of the Mako reactor in Midgar exploded, it was clear it was a deliberate attack. When CCTV image of the raid began circulating, I immediately recognized her from the picture" he said "My girlfriend was an eco-terrorist. Thank the Maker nobody in Shin-Ra knew of our relationship otherwise I could have been fucked up for good. I went to check her out but she had disappeared from the orphanage. Somehow I managed to track he on my own and finally arrange a sort of meeting…"

"When we met again, all hell broke loose. I told her she was crazy and she'd better leave town, since the whole Shin-Ra was looking for her and her accomplices. But she was adamant in her refusal to back down and rather face death, if that meant making the world a better place where the children she helped to take care of could grow up. She told that Shin-Ra was a monstrosity and had to be stopped at any cost, and I was the crazy bastard who wanted to leave things as they are because I was so dug in my own self-pity that I could not see beyond my nose. If I wanted to stop her, I should have either killed her or apprehend her right there on the spot. Of course I couldn't do it. But the argument worsened and worsened and we basically split up there…"

"Oh, no…" Yuffie whispered

"Some days later, our commanding officer tells us that we have to take part in an operation designed to protect the installation of demolition charge around the pillar of Sector 7, a scheduled urban renewal operation, they say. We arrive at the pillar but AVALANCHE had preceded us. A fierce shooting erupts. I manage to spot Jessie who despite being isolated and pinned down mows down one soldier after another. I threw caution away and hiding my face I try my best to incapacitate without killing anybody who threatens her"

Yuffie had frozen, upon hearing the dramatic turn of events in Cade's story. She had forgot about everything: her tiredness, the cold…

"When we made contact, she was surprised I came to her rescue. I told her I did that… because I basically still loved her and I wanted her to be safe and all. I tried to convince her… to run away with me. We would have started fresh somewhere in the world… somewhere where we could have put up a… some kind of family…" Cade said, battling the tears eager to drop from his eyes "But it was too late! Her dress was soaked with blood. She had already been seriously wounded but still was all the way into preventing the pillar from collapsing and killing thousands of innocent people. I tried and I tried to… convince her to give it a try and be carried away, be cured somewhere in some run down clandestine clinic and finally leave everything behind… but that everything meant really everything to her, the slums, the people who lived her and the countless people who only wanted to love their special ones and live freely in the name of that love… she would have died taking their place if that meant seeing their faces smiling…"

"Incredible!" Yuffie said in awe, looking at him

"She told me she loved me more than anything else in the world" he shook his head "She told me that three times in a row. But she also told me that every time she thought about it, she also thought about all those people who would be finally free to live, love and be with their loved ones without the threat of Shin-Ra upon their heads. She felt she was… she had the chance to do something for them, and she would have gone past her love for me for that… she said it was the way of the world…"

Yuffie let a tear run on her cheek, as she heard the tale of a young woman sacrificing herself for a higher value: love. It seemed like something out of a fairy tale, instead it was something happened just a couple of years before

Cade brushed his eyes, while Yuffie hugged him

"The pillar collapsed anyhow" he continued "But Jessie managed to tell me one last thing before she disappeared under the rubble. She told me that she would have never stopped loving me, wherever she might end up. And that one day I would have understand everything…"

"Did you?" Yuffie asked

"Not immediately, not" he replied "As soon as it was all over, I suffered from what I think it was a nervous breakdown. The world had first taken my parents away, then my girlfriend. The world, not even Shin-Ra, the whole world. It was me, Cade, against the world. I wandered for three days in the slums, stripped of anything that could identify myself as a Shin-Ra servant. I was blinded by rage, anger, hate and despair. I severed all my ties with Reeve too…"

Yuffie tightened her grasp around him

"Then, I took off and spent the following three years hiding away from anyone I knew, living clandestinely and living off theft, robbery and…" he made a gesture in the air, before letting his hand slap his knee

"That's why you said you had been in prison before…" Yuffie commented

"I did terrible things meddling with the lowest kind of people, and I was ok with that, because I thought that someone like me had the utmost right to do whatever he wanted. I was victimising myself in order to carry on with the things I did…"

"Don't tell me you killed people…"

"I did" he resolutely replied "I… did it"

"How many?"

"Two" he answered "The one was a drug dealer, the other one a smuggler who was trying to con me…"

"Well, not a great loss for the planet…" Yuffie tried to cheer him up, only to realize she had blatantly gone off the tracks

"I don't care!" he shouted "I killed people. I took life away from someone. Did I have the right to do such a thing? Did I? Does anybody have the right? And what if these two people would become three, then four and five and so on, in an endless rampage? And what if the drug dealer had a family back home who simply wished him to stop doing what he did because they loved him? Or did he have children who knew nothing about it and to them he was the world's best dad? I…"

He could not finish his sentence that he burst into tears, arms falling down and bending over his bent legs. Yuffie withheld her own tears, leaning over his back. After a while, he calmed down, his back jolting because of the sobbing

"If I look at myself today, I see someone who is respected and admired because he is someone who does the right thing for the right end. It 's all 'Good job Cade', 'Cade we need you because you're the man' or 'Cade you are a dick-head but you get your man so it's good to be with you'. But if I look at myself I only see someone who is still trying to make up for the terrible things he had done while thinking the world owed him a living" he shook his head "Now I'm here, obsessed with the ideal of saving the world, but I can't even look after the people next to me…"

"Cade!" Yuffie shouted "Don't you ever dare to say something like that again!" She held his face in his arms, forcing him to look her in her own eyes "You are one the greatest man on Gaia. Your capacity for reaching out and helping the ones is beyond my own comprehension. I insist you take back everything you said about yourself…"

"I'm a selfish piece of shit who put other people's life in danger just to feel at ease with myself… there's no need to tell me otherwise"

"Damn it Cade! You sure have a wooden skull" Yuffie bawled "It's not your fault if Jessie did what she did. It's not your fault if Brad shot me believing you couldn't do a thing to help me, while conjuring to take the reins of the WRO! And it's not your fault if… Kayla was brutally murdered by that piece of shit!" she finally cried

"Why you keep acting like this?" Yuffie continued, nearly crushing his face "Why are you so dumb and so violent with yourself? Why are you the first to hurt yourself? Everyone makes mistakes, and even if sounds wrong to you, yours were at least justifiable. At least you tried to atone! You are completely different from the people you… we have to fight!"

"Why?" he asked "What makes you thinks so?"

"Because people like Reeve, who work hard and risked their ass to keep this planet afloat trust you with their life, and you proved them right. Because people like Jessie, albeit aiming for a good greater than earth itself, still pledged to love you even in the afterlife, showing how much you meant to them. Because people like… Kayla" she burst in tears again. Remembering that name was still too much for her "…did the same, may they be damned" she added in a joking tone, still broken by the tears

"And because someone who nearly throws his life away to save me" she continued, leaning against his face, forehead to forehead, dangerously close "is either a moron or is a very special being. And you are special. To me, you are indeed!"

Then it happened. Their lips slowly and gently sealed against each other, isolating themselves from the surrounding world, two bodies and two souls which had finally found each other after a quest where they had stumbled upon joy, pain, life and death. The love flowing between them as they kissed each other and stood together in a gentle embrace was there to provide their body with the warmth they needed against the deteriorating weather and their weary and tormented souls with peace and comfort, after a seemingly endless series of battles which were not over yet.

They slowly separated, as Cade reopened his eyes. It was a brand new Yuffie the one who stood before him, a girl he realized he loved now. A girl who, with a simple trick yet unknown even to the most seasoned magician, had tuned all the sorrow and pain in his body into joy and will to live and fight.

"Yuffie, I…" he whispered. His heart was beating faster than ever. He did not expect this to happen. It was something indescribable.

Yuffie's reaction was equally unexpected and inexplicable

"I… I'm sorry" she uttered. She turned her head away, stood up and ran away, climbing down though the window, leaving Cade alone, still feeling the taste of Yuffie's lips on his own. He stood up and gave chase to her.

Cade was in the corridor, next to the door of Yuffie's room. He knocked, waiting for an answer

"What is it?" Yuffie's muffled voice came from behind

"May I enter?" he asked, excessively politely even for his won standards

"What is it this time Cade? I'm tired, and you should go to sleep too…"

Cade shook his head and decided it was a good time not to take her permission into account. He gently swung the door, standing on the threshold. Yuffie was wrapped under the blankets, head facing away from him

"What is it this time?" he repeated "We just…" he swallowed the words that followed, as he could not still believed that they had actually exchanged a kiss "…did what we did, and you ran away like this. I think you owe me an explanation"

"Do I?"

Cade stepped forward carefully, ready to face any hostile reaction from Yuffie, since he was virtually invading her bedroom. Although she sounded as confused as he was

"Yuffie, if I did something wrong, please tell me. Don't make me do the same mistake again at least…"

Yuffie did not reply. Cade stood there, in the middle of the bedroom, patiently waiting for an answer

"You told me I'm special to you" he continued "Well you are to me. And the last thing that I want to do is making someone special to me feel upset because I did something wrong"

"Cade" she finally uttered "I can't… I just can't"

"You can't do what?" Cade asked, as he walked up to the bed and sat on it

"You were crying last night, Cade" Yuffie turned on the bed and looked at him "You were crying like a baby. It doesn't take a psychologist or a necromancer to tell why you were crying in your sleep… And I was dumb enough to bring it back tonight"

Cade immediately understood. His heart felt a surge of warmth upon Yuffie's display of selflessness towards him. He caressed her through the blankets

"Yuffie, you are so sweet" he said

"You keep thinking about her, about Kayla" she said "Just like on the Shera. You still have to come to terms with that… I don't want to take her place so suddenly. It so wrong and it makes me feel like I'm a second-hand choice"

Cade felt his heart being trespassed by a spear upon these words. He decided to face that matter

"And what I've done up there just seconds ago, it seems like…" Yuffie continued, but she found herself unable to speak further

"Yuffie, it is true" he interrupted her "I won't hide it from you. I still think about her, and I think I will, for a long time. Just like I did with Jessie. Losing someone you love is a hard hit and every time it's different and you never know how to deal with it…"

"You see? I was right…"

"But I have to move forward. We all have. It does sound selfish and all and it may make me look like a womanizer but all I want to do is to be happy"

"And if I found someone to be happy with, or who makes me happy only being on my side, whether it is during a battle or on a rooftop on a cold summer night sharing the most painful memories of my life, I want to take that chance" he added "The people we have lost are dear memories, and they look upon us. But the ones who, luckily, are still here…" he said, caressing her bare arm "are the ones that matters ultimately. It's a world full of uncertainty, and I would gladly be called a womanizer if that means that I'm finally happy with someone like you by my side"

Yuffie said nothing again

"Listen, get some sleep" he finally said "but don't feel sorry for what you did. I… appreciated it"

As he lifted himself, something reached for his hand, pulling him back down. He turned towards Yuffie

"Cade" she pleaded "I don't want to be alone… not tonight"

Cade smiled again. He was brimming with love. He had not felt like that for a long time. It was one of the most beautiful feeling ever

"All right…" he said, while Yuffie threw the blanket aside, inviting him to sleep next to him. Once he settled down, Yuffie threw her arms around him

They looked each other in the eyes

"Yuffie, you won't be my second choice ever" he said "I love you, and that is all that matters…"

"Thank you" she said "I love you too, Cade"

Cade felt like the luckiest man on Gaia as he kissed her again. Yuffie gladly returned the kiss

"Cade, why do you love me?" she asked

"What kind of question is that?" Cade replied, arching his eyebrows

"Just answer…"

"Well, it's kind of difficult" he tried "But I guess it's because you are the embodiment of what's good in this world: beauty, kindness, love…"

"You forgot intelligence! Thanks again!" she falsely protested, only kissing him again

"Jeez, you are never happy. And listen, why do you love me?" he asked in turn

"Do I really have to answer?"

"A-ha" Cade nodded, waiting for he answer

"First of all because you're handsome as fuck" she proclaimed, making him blush "You're the kind of guy I would show to all my girlfriend to make them die of envy, and the kind of guy I would show up home to give my father a hearth attack…"

They both laughed

"And because you are smart, funny and you always seem to know what to do to give me a smile when I need it the most…" she told him, caressing his face

"Cade" she continued "don't let your past decide who you are. But instead let it be the pillar for what you want to be!"

"That's nice" he complimented her "Where did you hear that?"

"In a fortune cookie" she smiled

"Oh, Lord. Where is romance, nowadays?"

"On a bed" she replied "where two young persons have finally discovered they loved each other"

"That surely wasn't from a fortune cookie, wasn't it?"

She smiled, the brightest smile she had ever grown on her face since he had met her. They crossed their arms and slowly slid into a sound sleep as the cool wind of the storm came through the window caressing their tangled bodies.

The world might be in turmoil, but as far as they were concerned, they had found their quantum of solace.

3.

A stray beam of light landed on the blanket next to her head. Yuffie slowly opened her eyes. As she realized the morning light was upon her, she woke up at once.

Her heart began racing fast as she was suddenly grasped by the urgency to get ready and head to the WRO Headquarters as soon as possible to meet up with Reeve and get briefed about the next, and hopefully, final mission.

She stood up and, as her sense sharpened up, she noticed an absence. He must have had got up from before she did. she pulled the sheets aside but allowed herself to lie down on the mattress once again as she recalled what happened. Visions flashed before her eyes so quickly but the sensations were as vivid as the night before.

The flashback spurred her to get ready and meet up with the man he had shared the night with so changed her attire, picking her robes from the chair were they were piled. She thought there was no time to have a shower so she headed straight downstairs, where a clinking sound of cutlery told her that Cade was probably already having breakfast.

Cade.

'I can't believe it happened. Damn it' she thought with a mixture of awe and disbelief, treading on the wooden steps of the staircase. As his name and face echoed in her mind, goose-bumps rose as she recalled thy exact, simple words she told him

I love you too, Cade

A smile naturally grew on her face as Cade finally appeared before her, sitting at the table in the kitchen, picking small bits from a piece of cake on a plate and fiddling with a newspaper. As he heard her footsteps, he turned towards her. His face lit up as he swallowed a morsel of cake

"Hey, there!" he greeted her "Look who got up, at last!"

"You could have woken me up as well…" she said, walking up to the table

"You were sleeping so peacefully…" he explained, as Yuffie stood next to him. She leant and gave him a kiss on the check. It was a small, little gesture, but it bore a complete different meaning now.

Cade grabbed her by the hips with his free arm, bringing her closer and caressing her flank

"Did you sleep well?" he asked

"Well, what do you think?" she countered

"You have slept next to me, gently touched by the cool wind of an oncoming summer rain" he told her, putting another piece of cake in his mouth "On a scale from one to ten I'd give the whole experience a seven… and I'm being humble!"

"Oh, you're being humble! That's astonishing…" she replied, reaching the cupboard and searching through drawers for something that would make her jumpstart her appetite

"Why don't you try this cake? I left some of it in the tray over there…" he invited

Yuffie took a look at a platter on the corner of the kitchen desk. A lonely slice stood there, with fresh marks on the cooking paper suggesting it once belonged to a much bigger chunk

"Hey, did you eat that whole cake all by yourself?" she marvelled

"Point A: breakfast is the cornerstone of the daily intake of food" he said "Point B: I'm hungry and I usually eat a lot in the morning"

"Point C: I might have wanted to try that cake too, and now I have to settle for the crumbles?" Yuffie protested

"Point D" Cade pointed at the fridge "The rest is in the fridge, otherwise it would have melted like snow in the sun. Point E: too much sugar makes you fat…" he said, making a gesture with his finger

"Oh, Lord…" Yuffie sighed, shuffling to the fridge and swinging the door open. The rest of the cake was actually on a dish in the refrigerator. A part of her (the stomach, namely) groaned in relief and in anticipation

"If you start putting it this way" she told him, taking the dish and leaving on the table next to Cade "I'm afraid I'll have to warn you that this relationship has started off with the wrong foot…"

Cade grabbed her by the hips again catching her by surprise and let her slump on his lap, with a faint chirp of surprise from her. Their eyes met, as they stared each other face to face. They exchanged a long and tender kiss

"Well" Yuffie said as they separated "I reckon it's everything all right now"

Cade smiled "I love you" he said

"I love you too" she replied, before reaching again for his lips, much to Cade's delight

"Yuffie?"

"Yes?" she said, adjusting her stance on his lap

"When this will be all over I'm going to quit the WRO" he bluntly told her

"Are you serious?" she said, surprised "Why?"

"I don't want to be on the front line of any undeclared war against anyone or anything" he explained "I'm tired and sick of chasing after bad guys and strange stuff threatening to blow the world away. I want to stop and do something completely different…"

"Like what?"

"Anything that could make me stay with you as long as possible"

"Oh, Cade" Yuffie nearly shed a tear. She hugged him fast, feeling glad that Cade was willing to commit himself to their newly established relationship. It was a bond they had built slowly and around unlikely and tragic circumstances but Yuffie felt so connected to him that anything else meant nothing. And apparently, he felt the same for her

"Maybe your father won't be so pleased with someone like me…" Cade guessed

"The hell with my father! I mean…" she replied, head sunk into his chest "I'll talk him to death if that will mean letting me stay with you. I'll grab him by the throat if that will be necessary…"

"The only thing is" he said, clearing his throat "I wouldn't know where to stay…"

"You'll stay with me! We'll share my place!" she cheerfully replied, without missing a beat, as excitement was getting a hold on her, visions of her future life alongside him tickling her mind

"That would be… amazing" he marvelled "There must be something I can do in return though. I don't want to be an idle guest in your house!" he told her

"Don't worry about a thing! There are a lot of things to do you'll actually repent of having asked…"

"Dusting off the shelves would be enough…" he laughed, prior to lowering his eyes again "Anything but this life! Anything but alone!"

"You'll have the life you want, Cade. I promise it!" she said, her left eye shed a tear "We'll have the life we want. Of course, I'll have my responsibilities to take on but…"

"Are you sure there are no… royal edicts barring you from engaging with a layperson like me?" he enquired

Yuffie shook her head "It's a meaningless detail…" she said "All I want to do is… be happy. And together!"

She kissed him again, with Cade raising his back from the chair returning the kiss. They separated but soon found out they couldn't get enough of just one kiss per time. So another one followed, and then another, their arms roaming over their bodies, trying to express as much affection, desire and love they could without resorting to words.

They separated, nearly breathless

"I love you, Yuffie"

Yuffie smiled, kissing him on the tip of the nose

"It's beautiful hearing you saying these words"

He beamed, then threw a glance over her shoulder "And you know what else is beautiful?" he told her

"What?" she asked, still smiling, her tears dried on her cheeks

"The cake" he replied "which is melting, by now…"

"Oh, shit!" Yuffie shouted, as she leapt from his legs landing on a chair next to him. Thankfully, the cake was still standing perfectly shaped despite the morning heat.

Yuffie and Cade proceeded the have breakfast together. When they were over, they stood up and Cade rushed to take his everyday clothes

"Reeve has sent a message" Yuffie told him as he reappeared "He wants us at the Headquarters right now"

"Well, let's not make him wait more than necessary" he said, picking up a rucksack with his belongings in it "Let's go"

"Let's go!" Yuffie echoed

"What about the house?" he asked "Shouldn't we at least mop the floors or…"

"When we'll get back" Yuffie reassured him.

"All right, then" he said, holding her hand and opening the door giving on the busy street with the other "When we'll get back!"

Other things were meant to happen by the time they would have come back. Cade wished that time could come soon

"I just hope that it'll come soon…" he voiced his thoughts

"Come soon what?" Yuffie asked

"The time when we'll be back!"

Yuffie did not say a word. She simply walked up to him throwing her arms around him.

They separated and exited the house, proceeded by foot towards the WRO Headquarters through the streets crawling with townspeople. Apparently, Reeve was about to start a briefing in half an hour. Despite the roads crowded with folks pouring through the streets for their daily chores and tasks, now that they were now more confident and relaxed after the WRO had taken control of Edge, a single thought roamed inside Yuffie's head.

'Just one more mission' she kept repeating to herself, as she dearly held Cade's hand in her 'Just one more and it will be over!'

4.

Getting close to the perimeter of the WRO Headquarters turned out to be unnerving. The building had become the site of a large gathering of citizens and newscasters alike who wished to learn something more about the crisis that had just subsided and the unexpected but cheered and welcomed return of Director Reeve Tuesti. Media crews where there to rely those news to the ones who had, wisely according to Cade, opted to mind their own personal business and follow the news on the TV or radio.

Yuffie and Cade dodged the sea of people clustered around the main entrance and whose presence had affected the circulation in the roads nearby the building too. A platoon of soldiers, some of them perched on their vehicles, was carefully guarding the spot.

As they firmly walked towards the line of grey uniforms, a soldier stood alarmed and raised his arm upon noticing them as they emerged from the crowd

"Back off, Sir" the soldier shouted "This area is off-limits for civilians!"

Around him, his colleagues raised their riot shields and readied their rifle. An aahing rose from the crowd as the sound of rifle being loaded echoed in the opening, startling the people witnessing the scene. Citizens were showing more curiosity than apprehension, though, like what was unfurling before their eyes was a reward for their endurance

"Listen Kid!" Cade stood up to the soldier "Don't make me utter those famous words… Makes me look snob"

"Which words?" Yuffie asked, slightly worried by the guard's reaction

"'You don't know who am I!'" Cade told the both them

"Sir, stand back!" the soldier ordered him, backed by two of his colleagues "Or I'll proceed to arrest you, regardless of your identity!"

"Jeez" Cade shook his head "I'm afraid we're going to be late…"

"Why don't you just explain who you are?" Yuffie proposed

"Because I…"

"Sir, a call from the HQ" a guard interrupted Cade hopping to the commander of the platoon, holding a radio in his hand "they say it's urgent!"

The soldier took the radio device without taking his eyes off them. After a few exchange of words, his expression shifted from resoluteness to misunderstanding, and finally to compliance

"Let them through!" he ordered, finally

The soldiers grew a curious expression, but eventually followed the order. People behind them where just as baffled

"Thank you for your work, soldier!" Cade smiled at the guard as he walked past. Yuffie briefly smiled too.

As they approached the entrance to the building, Cade felt something vibrating in his pockets. It was his PHS

"Oh, look at this" he marvelled "I even forgot it was in my trousers!"

"That's because I put it in there"

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, looking at the caller's ID. It was none other than Evan Kallstrom

"Because you did not ask" Yuffie replied

"I'll be sure to ask for anything then…" Cade smiled, as he pressed the green key on the phone

"Hello?" he began the conversation

"Cade, you woke up at last. Sorry for making you waiting at the entrance but security is still tight…"

"Nice to hear you, Evan" Cade replied "I had a minor issue at the entrance, I must admit it. Must have been the way I dress"

"As long as you are not naked, I'm good…"

"Where are you all?"

"Briefing room, last floor, exact last location of last time…"

Yuffie could hear Evan's voice, despite the fain amplification of the telephone speaker. Her heart shrank. Last time they had been there, someone else was there with them. She shook that thought away

"I guess there will be a lot to discuss, right?"

"Not that much, but time is tight. Are you and Yuffie on your way?"

"We sure are" he replied, as they progressed through checkpoints and rows and rows of guards letting them pass as their identity became clearly evident

"Good, I'm waiting you here. See you upstairs! And by the way…" Evan recommended "Avoid Cid, if you can!"

"Oh, don't tell me he's still pissed of because of the Shera!" Cade sighed

"Far from it" Evan told him "He's happy he can mess with you now that you are back again…"

"Jeez, it's hard to be back among the living ones" Cade shook his head

"I'm joking actually" Evan replied "He's quite pissed off but he's prone to condone you. For the sake of the mission…"

"That's very kind of him" Cade said "See you in a minute, then!"

The conversation closed. Cade put his PHS away as they were escorted inside an elevator leading them to the last floor.

The briefing room was not as crowded it would usually be. Apparently the mission the WRO was about to carry out was something for the eyes and ears of a small circle of carefully selected people, who were loitering around waiting for the speaker to ascend to the podium in front of them. Or maybe it was so complicated that elsewhere ten more briefings where being held, each covering a different aspect of the assignment

Cade guessed that there were probably no more than thirty people altogether

"Private event, huh?" Yuffie commented

"So it seems" Cade replied

As they looked around they instantly recognized many familiar faces: Evan, Cid, Intelligence Specialist Ruding, Sarah and most of her SISF team, with whom they had worked alongside. In addition to them, a small cluster of grey-suited men stood by themselves in the corner of a room, having a private discussion with Reeve Tuesti, who was reviewing his notes about the briefing along with Colonel Zansteid, his aide-de-camp. His uncle seemed ok, but Cade resolved to have a talk with him after briefing ended

A mischievous smile appeared on Cid's face upon recognizing them, while walking towards them along Evan

"Cade" he said, closing the distance between "sleeping makes you look better…"

"You must have spent the night sleepless, then" he countered while shaking his hand. Yuffie frowned

"And asshole as fuck" Evan shook his head "Sorry Yuffie for the profanities but I've actually spent the night sleepless. How are you?"

"I'm fine!" she replied "Don't worry about Cade. He can be an ungrateful prick sometimes…"

"That's not what you said last night…" he coyly told her, only to receive her elbow between his ribs. He panted upon the firm impact of her arm on his body

"Hey, easy you too!" Evan warned them "We need you in one piece for the last mission…"

"How are you doing, kids?" Cid asked them

"Better than the Shera, for sure…" Cade joked

"Don't make moves you might regret, kid" Cid menacingly warned him "This is a warning…!"

"Is it really going to be the last one, then?" Yuffie asked, hope lighting up her eyes

"We all wish that! It's still a complicated matter we are dealing with" Evan told her "But don't worry! Briefing will start soon and you will learn everything. Let's take a seat, by the way. I'm having sore legs"

Cid puffed "These youngsters today…"

"Quit it, Cid" Cade told him "If you open your mouth too much, tobacco stench will permeate the surroundings!"

Yuffie chuckled while the technician grumped upon slumping on the chair. As Cade sat down, someone else sat next to him. It was Sarah

"Hey you two! How come you don't greet us anymore?" How is it going?" the SISF leader jokingly told them

"Sorry, Sarah!" Yuffie replied, leaping over Cade to reach for her "Nice to see you!"

"Lieutenant…" Cade quickly bowed his head while mimicking a salute

"When we were told that Cade had suffered a seizure on the ship we were all so worried. But from what I can see it's all past now…"

"Exactly. I just blacked out for a while" Cade nodded "Exhaustion, they said. Are you guys with us in this last mission?"

"Of course they will be!" Yuffie answered in her place "These guys really rock. It would be a shame to leave you home when we need you the most!"

"Thanks for your trust" Sarah laughed "Of course we are with you!"

"How are those two…?" Cade asked, suddenly taking extra precautions not to be heard from Yuffie

"They are fine" Sarah shrugged "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing…" Cade shook his head "I was only afraid some lovers' quarrelling would make the last crucial operation go off the tracks!"

"Perkins and Biggs would never put themselves before their job" Sarah assured him "Why do you ask, again? Is there something I am supposed to know? Or that you are trying to tell me?"

Cade quickly ran for cover, hoping to defuse the situation

"No, no, absolutely" he shook his hands "I don't even know why I've asked you such a question…"

Sarah produced an inquisitory expression

"Is there something strange going on?" she asked "You are really making me want to enquire further!"

"Nothing, Lieutenant" Cade abruptly replied, as Reeve was getting ready to take the microphone "Absolutely nothing!"

Sarah made a smug face as her attention turned to the podium. The lights in the hall dimmed as Reeve was walking up to the stand to commence his speech

"Ah, good morning everyone" Reeve started, tapping on the microphone "we will begin the briefing shortly, also because time is again not on our side. But has it ever been, actually?"

A laughter came from the audience. Cade, who had always held in contempt his uncle's sense of humour, laughed too. At least it was a sign that Reeve was still lively and ready to take the reins of the organization even in a delicate situation like that. And after the intense pressure he had to endure

"Jokes aside" he continued, clearing his throat "it's been a difficult situation we have just gone through, both as the World Regenesis Organization and as… humans basically. We have been deceived by a carefully planned and cunning plan where malevolent people had resorted to an unexpected and massive use of resources we frankly did not expect at all. We let our guard down and we've been… screwed basically!"

Next to him, Zansteid frowned at the sudden shift in Reeve's register

"We've been so close to destruction but we avoided our fate, which looked like to be ultimately decided. Yet we are still here. That's because most of us looked past the rigid dictates of hierarchy and discipline and never forgot why we are here: to serve the world and the people. When the ideals that led to the founding of this organization were being obscured by the will of the ones who had tried to take my… our place, most of us stood true to what we swore to protect when we joined. And did not turn their backs to the truth"

He made a pause, while everyone stood looking at him, waiting for his next words

"And I will always be grateful to you for that" he bowed his head, as slowly but steadily an applause took the place of his words. Reeve scoped the attendance as he nervously smiled, gathering the acclamation Yuffie and Cade thought he righteously deserved

"Your uncle is a great man" Yuffie said, while hands were still clapping around them

"He is, indeed" Cade nodded. Reeve was the man that had virtually rescued him while he wandered stranded through the world. He had given him a place where he could have finally had the chance to be truly the man he was, and not some mean, evil-possessed puppet being straddled around by the circumstances.

As Cade discreetly contemplated the surroundings, he had an eerie feeling that probably finally his life was taking a turn for the better. This time for real. He turn to look at Yuffie, who was deeply focused on cheering Reeve, and he had a vision of his life being like a giant jigsaw where at last all the pieces where at their place. The picture wasn't still a hundred percent clear but it was something that couldn't look so bad

'Come on Cade!' he thought to himself 'Just one more to go. Just one more!' he repeated, as his hand moved automatically at the beat of the clapping around him

The clapping waned, and he was brought back to reality as soon as Reeve spoke again

"Thank you, really" he said "I really do thank you. I usually prepare my speeches in advance, as you all know, but this time I had to improvise a bit… I hope the speech wasn't too much corny. Even my orders at restaurants are clumsy, at times. You wouldn't say that, but…"

The public replied with a laughter

"Anyway, I hope I managed to convey my message in the best and clearest possible way. As I've told you before, our schedule is tight, as always, so I'll leave the stage to our dear colonel Zansteid for the briefing, proper. A round of applause for him too…" Reeve winked at the audience, before retreating from the podium, as a nervous laughter ran through the people who were surprised by Reeve's never-seen-before playful demeanour

"Is it me or Reeve looks jollier than usual?" Yuffie asked

"It's not you" Cade replied, as a slightly embarrassed Zansteid walked up to the microphone "At least that means he's ok"

Yuffie rested her hand on his right arm, partly as a response to his genuine show of concern

"Thanks Director Tuesti" Zansteid began as the microphone whistled, before being adjusted "I would like to personally commend each and everyone of you for the outstanding operation carried out at the Junon Correctional facility. Our Director is here alive and in good shape with us thanks to your efforts. We are currently carrying out an extensive enquiry within the ranks of the WRO to find out any signs or traces of hostile elements. But let's concentrate on dealing the bad guys the final blow once and for all…"

Zansteid turned towards the giant screen at his shoulders and a map of Gaia showed up

"As most of you have already been told the Singularity was a giant hoax perpetuated by elements of the Scientific Division on the MPM payroll. Provided the MPM existed for real. There is no such thing as the Singularity, ladies and gentlemen, and there's nothing out there in outer space threatening to blow the planet away. And, if you let me add my personal thoughts on that, it's a miracle that this information has not been leaked to the population. The panic wave could have brought about a wave of rioting and hysteria difficult to envision…"

Somebody raised a hand. It was Ruding, seated a few rows behind them

"What about the malfunctions in the telecommunication satellite?" the IT specialist asked

"Apparently, they had been purposefully knocked out remotely. The whole action had gone unnoticed… but we all perfectly know why, I think"

The audience stood silent. Zansteid resumed his briefing

"What it has been kept hidden all this time, on the other hand, was something else. Recently there has a spike in seismic activity all over the world. Incidents in Corel and Mideel have been particularly catastrophic, and the current political situation hampered any swift response we could organize. The rescue machine is working as for now, though, and relief has been brought to the affected populace"

"The seismic activity can be explained by the counterfeited data you have recovered in Kalm. The Mako in the exosphere has somehow acted as a diapason, disrupting the flow under the surface. We are expecting intense seismic activity pretty much all over the world and if Brad Clawbourne's plan will hatch as he has planned, the situation will go from serious to apocalyptic"

A quadrant on the map lit up, pointing at a chain of islands connecting the Woodlands area and the Gongaga area

"This chain of island is of volcanic origin" Zansteid explained "and it's also the point were the Junon-Corel fault stems. The fault itself is accumulating a whole load of energy as we speak, and seismic activity in the depth of the ocean has been recorded. One of our survey vessel, the Dragonette, disappeared while sailing over the fault a few days ago. The crew resurfaced in what has been deemed a highjack in open-sea"

A picture of the submarine appeared on the screen, next to a picture where the Dragonette was instead moored

"While carrying out the rescue of Director Tuesti, the Dragonette has been spotted in Junon Harbour. Apparently, Brad Clawbourne and his associates have seized the submarine and used it to ferry a large quantity of Mako from our doomed expedition to the Northern Crater to these island, precisely in an old Shin-Ra naval facility. We assume that Brad Clawbourne wants to detonate a powerful Mako bomb in order to tilt the fault in a point where the amount of energy is so high that the blast will trigger an artificial sea-quake"

The audience began whispering. Cade raged at the idea that Brad Clawbourne, unable to settle things with the ones that had caused him so much pain and grief, had turned his wrath against the world itself

"The sea-quake will run throughout the entire fault, and we are talking of a system that runs for thousands of kilometres in the middle of the ocean. The result will be a massive tsunami that will cause damages and losses as deep as ten kilometres into the coastline. And then of course all the other faults will be affected. The terrestrial crust could be literally shattered apart…"

Yuffie watched the screen too, with a mixture of shock and resoluteness to put an end to that insane scheme

"This is insane!" Cade muttered "Brad wants to make the world implode!"

"We have to stop it!" Yuffie calmly shook her head

"We do have!" Sarah and Evan echoed. Cid, on his side, stood unfazed.

"We've already drafted a plan to assault the facility and disable the bomb. We believe that the Dragonette will be used to deliver the ordinance to the location where its explosion will cause the greatest amount of damage, so the submarine takes top priority. The Special Intervention Service Force will lead the assault on the facility. Are there any questions?"

Nobody raised a hand

"Perfect" Zansteid nodded "You are all dismissed. The STIF crew will report in my office to plan and be briefed on the details of the plan! Good luck everyone!"

Everyone stood up, as Reeve Tuesti did not seem likely to add a closure speech. Therefore, Cade raced to meet him for the first time after his rescue from the Junon Penitentiary

"Where are you going?" Yuffie noticed his motion

"I'm having a word or two with my uncle. What an ungrateful nephew would I be if I did not even care about how is he?" Cade explained "Want to come along?"

Yuffie took a couple of seconds to think about his proposal

"Maybe later" she finally said

"Our briefing starts in fifteen minutes" Sarah told them, taking a peek at her watch "you'd better hurry!"

"Do we have to attend the briefing with you?" Cade asked

"Of course you have" Sarah replied "I mean, after all we've gone through you are honorary members of the SISF now!"

"Do we really are?" Cade replied "That's cool!"

"What about you, Yuffie?" Sarah asked the ninja

"It's cool indeed" she answered "but to me your bunch needs a change of name. Special Intervention Service Force is so… un-poetic"

"Well" Sarah shrugged "what do you suggest for a change?"

"Why don't you try with Special Tactics and Rescue?"

"STR?" Cade wondered "Bah, it sounds worst than before…"

"I was thinking to something more like .R…" Yuffie précised

"STAR?" Sarah pondered "Well, yeah. It's nice and all… but I doubt the others will like it. It sound a bit… silly"

"Maybe it fits for some kind of zombie-themed movie…" Cid mumbled, while getting up and walking away

"See you later then" Cade said, finally getting up and walking away as well "I'll catch up with you later in the briefing room!"

"Cade is acting quite strangely" Sarah told Yuffie, making sure Cade's ears were beyond hearing range

"To me is acting as usual…" Yuffie shrugged

"Are you sure that you and him are not…" Sarah suddenly asked

"Who? Me and him!" Yuffie quickly replied, blushing "No, we are not. Absolutely not"

Sarah stared at her, as if she was waiting for Yuffie to crack under the pressure of her gaze. She did not eventually

"Ok, then!" she finally said "Sorry for asking. Not that there would be anything wrong, though…"

"Uncle Reeve!" Cade waived his hand as Reeve detached from the group of WRO officers he had just finished discussing with. He turned and smiled as he laid his eyes upon his nephew.

Cade jumped on stage and walked up to him. They both hugged each other as the came within reach of each other

"Ouch!" Reeve protested "Easy with your old one, Cade! I'm alright but I'm feeling every year…"

"Oh, stop whining like an old fart!" Cade moaned "To me you look as quick as ever"

"You probably got from my side of the family, I mean your dad…" Reeve corrected himself "Anyway, the doctors who visited me after my arrival here agree with you. I'm pretty much in one piece, as you can see. Nothing to worry about, they said…"

Cade smiled. Although in his cell back in Junon Reeve had appeared unscathed, Cade was secretly concerned there might have been complications of some sorts which could have gone unnoticed. Not to mention what could have affected his mind

"I'm glad you're ok!" Cade told him

"I'm glad you are too" Reeve replied "Walking into the Junon penitentiary must have been hard. Am I right?"

"It was quite hard" Cade admitted "but I had some good backup"

"Backup?" Reeve allowed himself a laughter "Cade, you are still the same. You would shrunk yourself to the size of an ant and take on a whole anthill if that means saving someone you care about…"

Cade smiled, blushing upon the compliment

"Hey, don't take it!" Reeve patted him on the back "I am immensely grateful for what you have done. Thanks to you I'm here alive and able to do my part to put an end to all this…"

"I told you, it was a share effort" Cade précised again

"Well, if you insist, I'll look at it that way" he laughed again "And you? How are you doing?" he asked then, a shadow of concern cast on his face

"I'm fine, I suppose" Cade answered

"You're fine…"

"Well, I am" Cade shrugged "I just want this whole ordeal to end"

"What about the Mako poisoning? And the burnout you had just before take off?" Reeve sternly enquired

"I took a look at my medical record" Cade lied, fingers invisibly crossed. He appreciated Reeve's concern, but sometimes his uncle acted over-protectively towards him "Apparently it's slowly but inevitably winding down as we speak. I'll commence a treatment soon to get rid of the last remnants of Mako inside me…"

"Did you get some rest at least? I don't want to see you collapsing on the ground again like a ragdoll. That was not nice to see…"

"I understand" Cade nodded, feeling reprimanded. Righteously reprimanded, on second thoughts "I did sleep. Yuffie can testify that"

"Well, if so" Reeve replied with a smile "that's something less to worry about"

They stood in silence for a while. Below them the hall turned empty

"I heard about Kayla" Reeve muttered "I'm sorry!" he landed his hand over his nephew shoulder

Cade nodded, a veil of tears covering his eyes

"It's all right" he said "Things that happen"

"Things that happen" Reeve repeated, in an incredulous manner "Cade, I'm not sure how effective it is to downplay certain things…"

"Well, it's not that I have to tread on the past for much long!"

"That is true, as well" Reeve nodded "but the best thing we can do when something bad happens to us is to take a lesson and make it worthwhile. Isn't it what you kept repeating to me every time I blame myself for… you know what"

"Yeah, I know" Cade replied, rubbing away a speck of tear from his eye "I'm just a bit battered by everything that has happened. Yuffie says I still have to come to terms with that… and probably she's right"

"You're going to get past this as well. I'm a hundred percent sure!" Reeve told him, hugging him again "Just hold on for a little while, all right? Do it for me! And then I promise everything will be all right, ok?"

"I'll do" Cade snorted "I have to…"

"Why do you say that?" Reeve grew a confused expression as he stared in his eyes

"Nothing at all" Cade shook his head "It's just… ah, it's complicated!"

"Look, I might not be as young as you are but last time I checked there was nothing complicated about a boy and a girl who find out they like each other!"

Cade's eyes bulged

"How… how do you know?" he asked, aghast

"Oh, then I guessed!" Reeve smiled "Me and Yuffie had a talk or two while you were… recovering your strength and wandering in dreamland"

Cade's face turned red as he lowered his eyes

"Well, I hate to repeat that but these are truly things that happen" he said.

Reeve chuckled "I agree with you this time. Not that you had been unlucky this time"

"I know" Cade nodded "that's why I made sure I did not make the same mistake I did last time…"

"Oh, so you told her it is…" Reeve marvelled

"I did" Cade smiled

"Well done, Cade" Reeve shook both his hands, as his eyes beamed with happiness "I'm so happy for you. Play your cards right and this will help you to get back on your feet. If there's someone who deserves to be happy on the face of Gaia, that one is you. After all you endured, at least. And Yuffie is such a fine girl…"

"She is, indeed" Cade nodded

They both exchanged a prolonged stare. Then Reeve broke the silence

"Try to stay alive, Cade" he said "I know its sounds doomful, but please do!"

"I feel the same. Now I have the feeling my life is taking a turn for the better. It would be such a waste…"

"Listen, I know what's going on through your head right now. And don't accuse me of acting like I know everything" Reeve said "But let me just tell you one thing: being a hero is useless if you can't see the results of your action. Do you get what I mean?"

Cade silently agreed with him. Words that he had heard before in an otherworldly dimension sounded more convincing now that their were flowing from his uncle's mouth

"I do!"

"Then I trust I don't have you to tell anything more" he patted his shoulder again "Now, go. Briefing is about to start any second now!"

Cade nodded. He turned on himself but froze after just one step

"Uncle Reeve!" he called him, as he was about to walk away in the opposite direction. Reeve raised his head

"Thank you! For everything!" Cade simply said

"For what?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Cade protested "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. If it wasn't for you, I would have killed myself holed up in some shady place making a wreck of my life…"

"Cade…" Reeve shook his head "That's the way things had to turn out. If I look at you know, I realise that's the man you were supposed to become. I simply realized I had the tools to… give you the hand you needed to make you recover yourself from all the bad stuff that happened to you"

"Still, I owe you a lot" Cade told him "If I'll ever die with a smile on my face, I'll owe you every inch of that"

Cade could swear Reeve was on the point of breaking in tears. He did not, but still he took him some time to pick up the right words to keep up with the conversation

"Listen Cade, you have a briefing waiting for you" he invited him "I'll see you tomorrow just before the mission. Now, go and don't feast too much tonight!"

"I'll look after myself" Cade promised him

"Please do" Reeve whispered, as Cade finally ran towards the area where he was expected.

The additional briefing the SISF was ordered to attend consisted in a series of blueprints and tactics to storm the facility. Apparently, Brad and his posse had taken possession of a disused submarine base located in a small island of what was called the Kazafun Islands, an archipelago in the southern seas.

Cade had taken the seat Yuffie had kept for him next to her, under the watchful eye of Lieutenant Farron, who looked like she was just playing dumb over her knowledge of the relationship between them. Cade was not bothered at all by that kind of vigilance, he just cared about carrying out the mission, like he had always do. And come back in one piece

"… the base is well secluded because of its location in a bay. There are several landing points suitable for the insertion of small parties here, here and there. Intel estimates a total of no more than seventy-five to a hundred hostile elements…"

Zansteid was illustrating details about the mission displayed on the screen. Cade could swore he was well bored of all that talking. As usual, he was eager to put action before words

"… your mission will be to open up a path for the main contingent, that will seize the facility once you will secure the harbour area. It's imperative that the submarine does not leave before you can board it. We have drawn a contingency plan…"

This time it was different though. He discreetly turned his eyes towards Yuffie who, on the other hand, was paying attention just as much as a pupil on his first day of school

"… like scoring a direct hit on the facility with a cruise missile or sink the submarine with a squadron of warship that will be stationing off the island and ready to intervene. But at that point it could be already too late…"

Yuffie. Cade shook his head. His mind wandered at the first time they met and at how he nearly got her killed in the chase back in Wutai. He could swear she would have killed him, and her hatred for him afterwards was only a way to process her eagerness to dig her claws into him. But then something happened

"… we will strike at the first hour of the morning. We will exploit the last hours of darkness. You will be constantly monitored by a flying command post on the airship Shera, which has just rolled out from the repair workshop and its airworthy again…"

Cid made a grin at Cade's direction. He caught the mechanic's lopsided smile and replied with a worried look on his face, yet his mind picked up the train of thoughts almost instantly.

Yuffie. What had happened. A lot of terrible things, surely. But every cloud has a silver lining, and from all the pain, sorrow and fear that fate had packed against them, an affection had thrived. And the affection soon became love.

To Cade it was undoubtedly love.

He welcomed that thought with a smile

"Captain Tuesti" Zansteid thundered "do you want to add something, perhaps something funny, judging from your smile?"

"Absolutely!" Cade replied almost instantly. Being caught head in the clouds in the midst of something important was a happening he was accustomed to "But honestly, there is nothing funny about it, Sir. We either succeed or we all fail, as humanity this time"

Everyone fell silent. Nobody expected Cade to sound so serious. Not even Yuffie

"Well, then" Zansteid calmly replied "let's resume. In an event of a sudden emergency such as…"

After a lengthy discussion over tactics, equipment and protocols, the briefing was adjourned, with all the participants being ordered to return to their assigned quarters and not to leave the WRO Headquarters under any circumstances

"Why don't they just drop a huge bomb over that damned island?" the grumpy voice of sergeant Perkins echoed in the room as the SISF servicemembers got up from their seats and headed off to their bunks

"Because the Mako device could be set off too" Corporal Biggs lectured him, her voice sounding annoyed "and that's what we are sent there to prevent. Didn't you pay attention to what Zansteid told us?"

"I did. I simply can't understand why everything has to be so complicated…"

Cade could not agree more with the hunky sergeant. As he found himself in the space outside the briefing rooms, he felt something pulling him by the sleeve. It was Yuffie

"Hey!" she called at him "Are you sleepwalking by daytime now?"

Cade smiled, his eyes gazing her face. He could hardly believe she was his girlfriend now

"Hello?" Yuffie tried to shake him off from his apparent state of catatonia

"Sorry" Cade shook his head "I was thinking about stuff"

"Such as?"

"Such as how beautiful you are"

Yuffie tried to hide her smile, as he tried to slap him on his chest. Cade gladly received her blow

"Why? Aren't you beautiful?" Cade teased her

"Quit it, you pander!" Yuffie smiled again. It was the smile of people like Yuffie that made life worth living "How is Reeve, by the way?" she asked

"He looks and sounds just fine" he told her "That's all I could get him to tell me, at last"

"That's enough, to me. What time it is, by the way?"

Cade glanced at his wristwatch "It's late afternoon already…" he marvelled"

Listen, we have some spare time before departure" she said "What are you going to do?"

"I don't really know…" he replied

"I see" she said "Why don't you take me to my room, then"

"I guess that's a way to kill time" he told her.

They reached the level where Yuffie's room was located. Cade did not even lose time looking for his own. The corridors were empty

"It's kind of lonely here…" he commented

"You're right" she said "Maybe everyone is already taking a nap or minding his or her own business"

"Probably" Cade, distractedly told her. As he got close to Yuffie's bunk, he was starting to feel an eerie sensation upon his skin. A feeling that was making his bowels churn and his legs shaky.

He had never felt like that. Not in a long time, at last.

Yuffie came to a halt. She had reached her destination

"Well, I think that's my place for the night" she said "Hey, are you all right!?

Cade did not reply. He did, actually, but he did not use words this time. He kissed her, leaving her helpless. After the initial shock, Yuffie threw her arms around him and returned the kiss

"Cade" she whispered, as they separated, arms still around each other "What's bothering you?"

"I'm afraid" he said "For the first time in my life I'm feeling the most subtle yet powerful fear ever…"

"What is it?" she asked "Look, let's get inside first. I wanna rest my legs on something soft…"

"Such as…"

"Such as a mattress… you idiot!" Yuffie scolded him, only to smile at him right afterwards.

She opened the door and pulled him inside too. As the door closed behind them, she sat on the bed and patted on the sheets next to her to invite him to take a seat beside her

"Cade" she started, as the bed cracked under their weight "please tell me: what are you afraid of?" she asked, holding his hands in her own

"I'm afraid of what is going to happen tomorrow" he bluntly told her

"Why? It is not different from all the missions from which you came back in one piece…"

"No it isn't!" he interrupted her, startling her a bit "It is not. Not this time…"

"Why?"

Cade breathed in. He looked like someone who was staring at some undisclosed point thousand and thousand of miles off in the distance, while the walls of the room were just a couple of metres before him

"For the first time in my life I feel like I have someone beside me who can really make a difference in my life. The kind of difference I waited for a long time"

Yuffie opened her mouth upon realizing what was bothering her boyfriend.

Her boyfriend.

Coming to think of it, she had never really had a boyfriend. Actually, while she was just barely into her teens, she used to hang out with a couple of boys, definitely not the ones her father deemed suitable for a girl of royal lineage. But nothing really came from those kind of experiences. They amounted to a relationship the same way a tornado could be counted as a breeze.

His boyfriend. Coming to think about that, it still sounded so awkwardly strange. Cade. Of all the people, that is the male human beings on Gaia, it had to be the one who had nearly made her lost her face before her father, albeit rescuing her from an attempted murder.

The one who despite having lost his family first, his beloved soul mate first and his beloved soul mate again, was still on the prowl ready to fire the first shot. Of course, his determination was dwindling a bit, but it was just how humans were made.

And she still felt happy beside him, despite the world being at war with itself.

It was no surprise that she instantly understood the distress in Cade's soul. So, she did the only thing she could do, hoping that it would yield even the tiniest amount of result.

Yuffie leant over his body, arms around his waist. It felt like it worked because Cade did the same to her

"Cade" Yuffie said "I completely understand you. Losing you right now…" she gulped "… would be terrible for me too"

"I love you, Yuffie" Cade said, looking at her "I love you more than anything else in this world. I don't care about anything else as long as I feel this love for you and I know you are here in front of me"

"Me too, Cade" Yuffie replied, tears battling to get past her eyes "I love you"

They kissed each other. Yuffie guessed that the loss of Kayla had left a scar that, despite healing, was still affecting the way Cade behaved towards loving and be loved

"I won't lose you, Cade" she promised "As long as you look after me, I'll protect you in return. This is our life now, and we'll take care of it together!"

Cade nodded. He kissed her again, but when they separated, Yuffie pulled out an unexpected move, pushing him down on the bed. She crawled upon him and kissed him again and again, as their bodies became tangled up in an endless embrace.

Yuffie pulled his shirt off and, caught by a sudden surge of desire, started kissing his ripped chest. She was acting driven by a force she had never knew in her whole life. She stood up over him and took her own shirt off.

Cade pulled her back on the bed and placed himself on top of her, never letting more than a second pass between a kiss and the next one

"Cade" Yuffie panted

"Yes?"

"Just be… gentle with me. Would you?"

"I'll be" he replied, as he slowly and passionately kissed her again "Take your time, Yuffie. There's enough of it in our hands…"

"I love you, Cade" Yuffie managed to say, on the brink of crying tears of love and joy

"I love you, Yuffie" he said, as they fell back on the bed, side by side, hands caressing their naked bodies.