Another chapter is here!

Quathis: Thank you! As for Kunsel cover situation...we will see.

Kazeshuriken: Thank you!

Enjoy!

"You're all just cowards!" was the first thing the group heard as they opened the doors of the pagoda. Crimson and the others had left their weapons behind to avoid appearing outright hostile. Not that they couldn't fight their way out with the materia they had with them, but it was never a good idea to meet with the village's leader unannounced and armed.

Peeking inside, they found Yuffie standing up and pointing at a man with a stern look upon his face. There were four others there as well, two on each side of him. The collective made note of their presence, as did the kunoichi.

"Who are you?" asked the man that Yuffie had been pointing at. He was a middle-aged man that was adorned in an elegant silken kimono that lacked sleeves, paving the way for the white long shirt beneath it and sandals on his feet. His long black hair was slicked back, with broad streaks of white running horizontally from his ears, and his thick eyebrows, moustache, and beard were all pointed.

Crimson inclined her head towards Yuffie. "We're her traveling companions." She took note of his facial features matching hers and his position among the gathered. "Should I presume you're her father, Godo Kisaragi?"

He drew himself upwards as he stood, straightening his back and crossing his arms. "So you're the ones who have been accompanying this reckless child?" His studious gaze roamed over the group, lingering on Cloud's eyes for a prolonged moment. Then firm steel lined his voice. "I'll have to ask you to leave the village. You won't find sanctuary here from Shinra."

Yuffie's brows drew in, forming an angry crease as she set her hands on her hips. "You can quit acting tough! These guys have dealt with far scarier things than a washed-up old coot that sleeps in his bed every day."

"Miss Yuffie, you must mind your tone," said the older man in green robes, slowly rising to his feet. "Your father is our leader and must be addressed as such."

The young girl in yellow sighed as Yuffie crossed her arms and huffed. "Save your breath, Gorky," she told the man. "They're wasted on an immature brat like her."

Yuffie wheeled around and glared daggers at her. "What'd you say!?"

"You're an immature brat," she repeated in the same tone as before. "You've been doing nothing but making demands and yelling since you've gotten here. And when you don't get your way, you throw a temper like a cheeky brat."

"I don't want to hear that from you, Shake!" Yuffie shot back. "You just sit around here cooped up in the tower while the rest of the village is degrading into a shell of what it used to be!"

"The condition of the village may not be ideal," said the woman of the collective of five, her dark hair done up in a ponytail and bangs. "But, all things considered, our homeland is still intact compared most of the other places that have been in altercations with Shinra. Even if it meant we had to lessen ourselves and our village, we are whole."

"If you know that something is wrong then you should do something about it instead of accepting it for what it is!" Yuffie argued, pointing towards her group. "At least they're doing something! They didn't lie down and die when Shinra came after them!"

"Silence!" Godo said, having heard enough. The others stopped and Yuffie turned back to face him. "Your ambition is noted. But it is meaningless without both the strength to back it and wisdom to guide it. You speak of change and our failings, but you have yet to understand the ramifications that follow in the wake of your actions. You have no right to talk until you do."

The kunoichi bristled at that. "Everything I've done is for the sake of strengthening Wutai!"

"How is bringing an army to our doorstep part of that process?" He inclined his head towards Crimson's group. "I listened to you at home, boasting of your actions and how proud you claim to be. Yet, all I hear is how you are so easily willing to throw away the peace that we have now for the sake of trying to attain former glory."

"Peace that makes us the joke of the rest of the world!" Yuffie pointed out. "You raised me to be a warrior, to fight for the glory and pride of our country. Then you lose the war and turn into someone that allows their homeland to be made into a mockery of what it was! You shame the Da-chao and Leviathan!"

"That's enough." To her surprise, it was Crimson that spoke. "This isn't going to do anything but make things worse."

"But—" Her words died as Crimson held her hand out to quiet her.

"You're angry," she said calmly. "Take a moment to cool down. Let me speak until then."

Yuffie stared at her long and hard. Then she huffed and spun on the soles of her feet to face away from them all, not even sparing them a look. "Do whatever you want."

Crimson stepped forward until she was within arm's reach of the five and clasped her hands together. "I understand where all of you are coming from. There was a war. People died on both sides, yours and those conscripted from around the world. You had to make concessions to bring it to an end as cleanly as you did, make yourself lesser in order to be seen as less of a threat. That was why you banned the use of materia, wasn't it?"

The question was met with silence from the five, but Crimson expected as much as she looked Godo straight into the eyes. "As the leader and council of your home, you had to make tough decisions that not everyone would appreciate or even understand. You did that knowing how others would perceive you—including your own daughter—but you had to put the benefit of the majority over everything else, even your own desires and beliefs. That's why I won't appeal to your honor or anything like that, but your sense of pragmatism."

Godo stroked his beard in thought for a moment. Then he gestured for her to continue.

"We're currently pursuing Sephiroth, whom you should be aware of given his involvement in the Wutai War." She paused, giving them a moment to think on that before she went on. "Rumors of his death have been exaggerated and covered up by Shinra, but he's very much alive and active. Some time ago, he managed to cut through the majority of Shinra's main headquarters and their forces. If you don't believe me, ask Yuffie. She ran into him twice along our journey."

Godo sucked in a sharp breath and then turned to her. "Is this true?"

Yuffie looked over her shoulder and gave a slight nod. "Long silvery hair, big sword that looks like it came from here."

"We're heading after him because we have reason to believe he poses a legitimate threat to the Planet, but our plane can no longer cross deep water until it gets repaired. If I recall correctly, the number of captured military aircrafts that were reclaimed by Shinra after the war doesn't match the number that went missing. We can use parts from those to repair it."

"Let's presume that we do have such things," he said in a cautious tone. "You cannot expect us to simply help you, given the animosity Shinra holds towards you."

"You don't want to risk reprisal, but the longer we stay, the sooner they show up on your doorstep—one way or another. And, given your daughter's involvement to this point, they won't overlook it. At this point, the most prudent thing to do would be to give us what we need to leave. That way their attention will be somewhere else."

"Or we can simply force you from the village," Godo pointed out. "Unless you believe yourself to be above that?"

"To put it bluntly, if conflict breaks out no one wins," she said calmly. "We can't let ourselves be slowed down more than necessary. And, since we don't know exactly how to gauge your strength, we won't be able to hold back if you come at us. Chances are at least half of us would die in the exchange, if not more. Such a loss is unacceptable for both parties, but more so for you since you've demilitarized to the extent that you're also the sole policing body of your country."

"I fear you overestimate your strength," spoke Staniv, the last of the five. "We are the Five Mighty Gods for a reason. Many have challenged us, yet all have fallen."

"Then prove it," Yuffie said, turning back towards them and walking right up to her father. "I'll fight on their behalf. If I beat all of you, then you'll grow spines and help us get the plane back up and running."

"…Very well," Godo decided. "But, should you lose, not only will your companions depart from this country, but you will never leave the village again."

[-oOo-]

Standing on the outside of the pagoda, Yuffie looked down to the ground as the doors shut. That hadn't gone at all like she had planned, but it was something. And they had two hours to work out how she could beat all of the Five Mighty Gods… by herself.

Okay, not her best plan. If she failed… well, honestly, she could escape the village if she really wanted to and steal another boat. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that the group would be forced to leave after she brought them here on the promise that she could do something.

That… bothered her a lot more than she expected. She looked up to the others and cleared her throat. "I'm… sorry that it came to this. I thought I could convince him otherwise, but…."

"It's fine," Crimson said. Her tone was… gentler than Yuffie expected. "For now, we need to get you ready."

Yuffie nodded and gathered her thoughts. She still had supplies hidden around the village that she could use, like beneath the bell and in her father's house. Oh, and some materia that she had found when she was younger too. She didn't know how to use them before, but with Aerith around she could at least learn now. Speaking of which…

"Aerith, can I ask you for a favor?" She shuffled her feet as Aerith gave the younger girl her full attention. "I have this friend whose mother is sick and—"

Aerith gave a slight nod of the head. "We've met that young man called Yuri. He was the one who told us you were in trouble."

"He did?" She looked around but saw no sign of him. "Where'd he go?"

"He scurried off after leadin' us here," Cid said, in the process of lighting a cigarette. He probably went back to his mother then. "So, are you gonna be able to handle this, kid?"

Yuffie hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "I'll get it done."

Cid gave a non-committal shrug and then walked off towards the house with the others. That left Aerith with Yuffie. The last of the Cetra gave her a warm smile and gestured for her to lead the way.

Yuffie brought her to a small home not too far from where they were and knocked on the door. As soon as it opened Yuri came into view. It had been months since she had seen him, but he didn't look all that much different than before. He still had the same handsome face and ponytail.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "I wanted to see you sooner, but you were being dragged away by Lord Kisaragi."

"I'm fine." She flashed him a smile. "Can we come in to see if we can help your mother?"

He guided them to his mother in a dark and incense filled room. Aerith did what she could to ease her pain, but made it clear that she couldn't deal with the underlying illness that was the source. At best they could simply offer her some measure of peace. However, the woman was merely grateful for that much, brief as it may be.

Yuffie then gave Yuri an assortment of her stolen healing-based materia to use, to help her on his own before they went on their way. She wanted to spend more time with them, but didn't have the luxury. Not right now.

She and Aerith then retrieved the Magic Shuriken and Hairpin she kept hidden in her father's home. They had belonged to her mother once upon a time, and Yuffie considered them among her most treasured possessions. But she needed them right now, and it was better they were used for a good purpose instead of gathering dust.

After that, they grabbed the two materia that she had around the village but didn't know what they were. According to Aerith, one absorbed the opponent's vitality while the other robbed their mental strength. They would probably be invaluable if she used them right.

Yuffie arrived back at home afterwards to find that the only one there was Crimson. She was sitting at the table and looking down at a map, talking on her phone softly. When she noticed them, she quickly said goodbye and hung up. "Did you handle your other business?"

Aerith nodded. "Where'd the others go?"

"Supply run." Crimson took a sip of whatever was in the cup she had and set it back down. "One way or another, we need to be ready to leave. Besides, Shera needed a new set of glasses after what happened to her old ones and I need to talk to Yuffie."

"Then I think I'll lie down for a little while." Aerith bid them farewell and went to lie down on the bed, leaving the two alone. Crimson pointed at the spot across from her. The message carried and Yuffie took a seat.

"Okay, let's hear it," she said, perching her elbow on the table and propping her head up.

"Like it or not, your father had you pegged when he called you too ambitious but lacking in wisdom," Crimson told her plainly while she put away the map. "My guess is that he doesn't intend for you to make it past the second floor at best."

"Gee, you think?" Yuffie murmured, pouting petulantly in the process. It wasn't enough that she was already having quiet doubts. "Is that why you told them to go get supplies ahead of time? You don't think I can make it through all of them?"

"You made the right call," Crimson said softly. "They'll all underestimate you, so if we plan this right you can plow through them."

Yuffie blinked, only for Crimson to continue to look at her kindly. "…okay, you're starting to weird me out. Who are you and what have you done with the real one?"

Crimson sighed. "I guess from your perspective it seems like that…" She rubbed the bridge between her eyes. "Seeing you there made me realize just how similar we are—trained for the sake of our homes since childhood, same weapons, and same skill-sets."

"I… guess." Yuffie's shoulders rose and fell. "What about it?"

"You saw something wrong with your home and set out to find a way to correct as best you could as soon as possible, even at the cost of your own life," Crimson continued, pulling out her Rekka and looking at it ruefully. "Yet, if it were me, I would have rationalized it for the greater good and accepted it—like I did with Shinra. I would have locked away my own reservations as best I could until it got to the point where I couldn't anymore, after the damage was too extensive to ignore. I do that with anything troublesome by second nature now. So when I realized how similar we were, but you made what felt like the choices I wished I could but didn't… I couldn't help but admire you a little."

"Umm… thanks." She rubbed the back of her head somewhat nervously at the praise. "Though, there's nothing to admire about it. I do the first thing on my mind, but it backfires a lot. Even though I bought back a bunch of materia, my father wouldn't even consider using them—all that trouble for nothing. The old coot might have had a point when it came to that whole wisdom thing…."

"That's why we travel as a group," Crimson said. "We balance each other out. What you lack, we can make up. All we need to do is work together and come up with a strategy you can use to come out on top. Then maybe your father will listen."

Yuffie felt her lips pull up into a small smile at that. "Right… well, to start, the Five Mighty Gods are warriors that excel in different virtues—Power, Speed, Magic, War and Omni. Next to the village's leader, they have the highest authority in Wutai."

"I knew that much from intelligence gathered during the war," Crimson said. "What I want to know is how they fight. Back then, it was generally believed that they were just skilled in combat befitting the title, but not more of a threat than armed soldiers."

"That's wrong," Yuffie told her. "It's not just a meaningless title, and they don't just specialize in a single aspect in combat. They master it to the extent that they can embody them… ugh, how do I explain this to someone not from here…mmm…."

She tapped her forehead in thought for a moment before it hit her. "You remember how we said Vincent can turn into monsters?" Crimson nodded. "Well, they can turn into a single monster form that best reflects that virtue. It's a defining factor in what makes someone capable of being considered one of the Five."

"Ah." A simple reaction, but fitting given that she traveled around with someone who can talk to the Planet, a talking lion with a flaming tail, and Vincent. "And your father is the strongest?"

Yuffie gave a slight nod to that. "The fact that my father is both the village's leader and the Omni makes him stand out, since it's only happened a few times in our history. I always looked up to him when I was growing up because of it. In fact, I was training to be next Speed Mighty God until the war got near the end. That's when my father changed and I learned about materia, so I went in a different direction and Shake got my place."

"But you've seen what they can all do?" Crimson asked. "How they fight?"

"Yeah." That much she had seen when others challenged the pagoda. "The first up is Gorky, the old man in green. He represents Power and can turn into this winged-demon thing. I've seen him in action a few times, and he always opens with—"

Crimson held up a hand to stop her. "Wait, let me write this down."

Yuffie waited until Crimson had a pen and paper, and then went over everything she knew. The two managed to put together a plan of action in the timeframe that they had with that information. Hopefully it would be enough to bring the Five Mighty Gods to their knees….