Cloud sat on the fence in his favorite hideaway, Chocobo farms, sighing. Chocobo farms had been deserted since the war. Yes, after the destruction of Shinra and Sephiroth, there had been war. With the destruction of Midgar, there had been no strong power in the world, no town that expressed dominance. Because of this, the two great powers left, Wutai and Junon, had begun a war.
The war lasted three years. Within that time, there were many terrible deaths. Cloud, as a mercenary who had gained fame from destroying Sephiroth, had fought on the side of Junon in an attempt to earn money for food. By his side, Tifa had also fought with him. Cid also was there, as commander in the air force. Sadly, Barret was fighting for the other side. He was killed in one of the battles, leaving his beloved daughter, Marlene, behind.
The war had ended when so much had been destroyed, it was impossible to fight. Nibelheim and the rebuilding town of Mideel had both been devoured by the fighting. A truce was made, and the rebuilding had been going on in most parts of the world.
Cloud had left his friend Tifa after the war in a confused state of mind, not wanting to be near anyone. He spent time by himself in the Chocobo farms area. But now he knew that he needed to leave. He thought he had found himself, but he still hadn’t. If he kept up like this, he would follow Sephiroth’s path.
"I’ve got be find her," he said to himself. "I have to get my life back. After two years of being alone, I’m ready to become whole."
The next morning, Cloud set out to Kalm town, where Tifa was living.
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"So it was you who started the war, you little slut!" called one man.
"You don’t even deserve to be living!" shouted another as he poked her with a stick.
"BITCH!" Came a cry from far away.
Yuffie endured hundreds of the torments, from day to day. It was all she could do to stay alive and keep her precious materia hidden.
Yuffie was living in Wutai, where all was in chaos. Ever since her father had been killed by all the young hotshots attempting to rule Wutai, she had gone into hiding. Feeling sure that the war was over, Yuffie came out after three years of living in extreme famine and incredible loneliness, expecting to be reaccepted by Wutai with open arms.
But she was wrong. Yuffie was blamed for the start of the war and put in a cage, where tourists could come and ridicule her. While Yuffie had been weakened by the war, she still had a killer instinct.
"You’re the fucking assholes, all of you!" She called to them.
In response, a man nearby slapped her in the face, while some people walked out in surprise. That only made Yuffie angrier.
No matter what, she would find a way out of that awful cage. As soon as one of her friends came to Wutai, she would be able to escape.
This time, Wutai would not get in her way.
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"But Luceria, are you sure about this?" Vincent asked. "We could learn to love each other again!" He had been sitting on a cliff with her, discussing matters. For 5 years, he had searched for her. Now, he had found his one and only true love.
"Yes Vincent, you know it will never work out. You and I are...different. Things have changed now."
"But...Luceria, I love you!" he said desperately.
"Vincent, I have nothing left to live for. You must go now, find your friends. They are all you have left." As she said those things, she walked over to the edge of the cliff.
"Luceria, don’t!" he yelled, but it was too late. Luceria had jumped. Vincent was devastated. He walked over to the side of the ledge. But just as he was about to jump, he remembered something. His friends. Of all the 8 other teammates, he had always felt the closest to Cid, although he didn’t know why.
"Without great reason, he set off to Rocket town.
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Marlene sat quietly in her room. Although she did not know the circumstances of her father’s death, she knew he would never come back. It saddened her deeply. Although it had been almost 4 years ago, the nine year old missed Barret, the one who had saved Sephiroth when she was a four year old, while always vowing to stay by her side.
Elmyra walked in to see Marlene. Elmyra had stayed with Marlene. They were the only family either of them have left. "What’s troubling you?" Elmyra asked her.
"I miss daddy," she told her wistfully.
Elmyra, of course, had known this for a while. Marlene would always be thinking of Barret when she was thinking in her room. She didn’t know what to do when this happened. But this time, she thought of a way to help her little one say a respectful goodbye. Silently, she said a little prayer to her other adopted child. "Look into the sky," she instructed Marlene.
Marlene looked. "Dad!" she exclaimed, seeing his face in the sky. "Oh, I’m so glad to see you!"
"Marlene, I can only stay for a minute, I would just like to tell you that I love you," Barret said.
"I love you too dad!" she cried.
"Goodbye dear, and never forget me......." Barret finished as he faded out of the sky.
"Thank you Elmyra," said Marlene gratefully.
"Oh, don’t thank me. Thank someone who had an impact on your life when you were very little, only a three or four year old."
Marlene thought back. "The flower girl? AERIS!!!!"
"Yes, it was Aeris who summoned Barret."
"Aeris, wherever you are, thank you for helping me! I will never ever forget you, and how you gave me the flower."
"I’m sure she heard you," Elmyra said smiling. She reached over to Marlene and gave her a hug.
Finally, the two were at peace.
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Red 13 was working peacefully in his house. Ever since his 'grandfather' Bugenhaden had died, he had felt a responsibility to become a great astrologer like him. Luckily for him, Cosmo Canyon, because of it’s great canyons protecting it, had managed to remain out of the war, the only town in the world able to do so, allowing him to continue his studies. Although he missed his friends, he simply did not have time to see them. The last time he’d visited any of them was a short trip down to Tifa’s bar the previous year.
The door creaked open. "May I talk to you, Nanaki?" Zansaleiuu asked him. The young woman had been appointed the new top elder after Bugenhaden’s death.
"Certainly," Red replied. "I was just lost in my thoughts."
"Well Nanaki, as you may know, the people would like to name you the guardian of the Cosmo Canyon tonight in a special ceremony."
"Yes, I heard that," he replied. "I would be more than honored to be a part of that tonight."
"That’s wonderful," Zansaleiuu said as she left the room. "Be sure to be there at 7 O’clock sharp."
After hearing that, Red couldn’t concentrate. Although he was normally a calm and reserved creature, he was just growing with very human excitement thinking about the upcoming ceremony. He went outside to take a walk.
Red galloped along the canyons, admiring the incredible sights. Why, there was the golden sun, the red canyon, another member of his species....wait. There wasn’t supposed to be any of his kind alive. He was the last one...wasn’t he?
The other beast saw him a few moments later, and took off. Red ran after it. After about 10 minutes of sprinting, Red finally cornered the other red beast, who apparently wasn’t in as good of shape as Red was. By studying more closely, Red realized that the creature was a female.
"Who are you?" the female asked.
"I am Nanaki, protector of Cosmo Canyon. However, I was told that I was the last of my kind. Is this not the case?"
"I suppose not," she said. "My name is Rashandra. And I thought the same was true of me, that I was the final beast of our species."
"Come with me," said Red. "You and I could together become the guardians of the Cosmo Canyon."
"I am sorry, but that will not be possible."
"Why?"
"Many years ago, my great grandfather brought great shame upon my family by refusing to protect the canyon. We have been banished, with the threat of death upon our return."
"What nonsense," Red replied. "That must have been at least 1000 years ago. Come with me, Nipandra. Together, we can save our species."
Reluctantly, Rashanda followed him, feeling that Nanaki’s judgment was correct. As they approached the city, Red saw a worried Zansaleiuu standing at the door.
"Oh, you came back just in time Nan-" she stopped suddenly. "My goodness, who have you found on your walk?"
"I am Rashanda," she replied quietly. "My family was banned from here many years ago, but now I am begging for permission to be let back into Cosmo Canyon to help Nanaki protect the city and allow our species to live on."
"Oh, Rashandra, your family is long forgiven," said Zansaleiuu. "We were just having a ceremony to make Nanaki guardian of Cosmo Canyon. Come stay with us, and help save your species."
So, the two beasts followed her to the great fire, where all the stories were told and the ceremonies held. On his way there, Red knew that everything would work out perfectly. Every year, he could tell the story of Sephiroth to the visitors. His friends, whom he wouldn’t forget as long as he lived, would be free to visit whenever they pleased. He would have children with Rashandra to keep their species living, and could protect Cosmo Canyon with her. It looked like his life would be long and prosperous.
After all, he still had 450 years left to live.
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"Well, here’s Wutai, our first stop," said Reno.
"Great, looks like we’ll get the hardest town out of the way first," replied Elena.
Reno, Elena, and Reeve were starting a long journey around the world. Their mission was to make sure all was at peace within the towns and clean up the mess the war had brought upon them. The Turks, along with Reeve, had fought on the opposite side of Cloud, for Wutai. Rude had died in battle, and the others had felt the war extremely patty and superficial. Now, they felt it was their Turk (and Shinra) duty to help the towns recover.
"So, how do you think Wutai will be faring?" asked Reeve. Before anyone could reply, the group noticed a sign on the gates of Wutai. The sign read: ‘COME SEE THE FREAK OF NATURE THAT CAUSED THE WAR!’
"Uh-oh," muttered Elena.
"I feel terrible for whoever it is," said Reeve.
"What are we waiting for," snarled Reno. "Let’s check it out!"
"We’re coming already!" yelled Elena. "God, you always were the impatient one."
After a short walk, the group had reached the building where the 'Freak of Nature' was being kept. Within it, they heard many loud swears and physical violence. After taking a deep breath, they walked in together.
"Oh my god, it’s- it’s Yuffie!" exclaimed Reeve. "Once of the people that saved the planet from Sephiroth, along with me of course."
"Shut up Reeve," said Reno, "You were a wimp. You were only able to send out the wimpy stuffed animal, Cait Sith."
"Well, that still is more help than you gave!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Boys, maybe you could shut your frickin mouths and get your asses over to Yuffie with me," Said Elena. "She may be a brat, but nobody deserves to live in a cage."
As they all worked their way to the cage, more cries of "bitch" and "asshole" were being heard. Finally, they made their way up to Yuffie. She was certainly different looking. Although she was now 21, she was as shrimpy as ever, probably from malnutrition. Her clothes and body were streaked with dirt and other shit they didn’t want to identify, and you could see streaks of past tears on her face. A minute later, Yuffie turned around and saw them.
"Oh my god, you’re, um, Elena, Reno, and- uh-"
"Reeve," Reeve finished. "Otherwise known as Cait Sith."
"Oh gawd, that *$@^#$ stuffed toy," she said. "Get out of here! I don’t want my old Turk enemies and an old ally to beat me up and swear at me. I can take the torments of strangers, but not of people I know!"
It was then that Reeve noticed the glint in her eye. It was something she had always had. It showed courage and determination. He turned to Elena and Reno. "We can save her," he told them simply.
"Relax Yuffie," said Elena, "We’re not here to hurt you. In fact, we didn’t even know you were here. But we’d like to save you from this awful cage."
"In spite of protests from me," said Reno.
"SHUT UP!" Shouted Elena and Reeve. "Yuffie, we’ll come back tonight and figure a way to get you out of this awful cage."
"Thank you," said Yuffie, "But could I ask you a few things first?" "I guess so," said Reno.
"Could you tell me where Rude is, and why is Reeve her instead of Cait Sith?"
"Rude- Rude died in the war," said Elena sadly. "The awful, awful war."
"And I got tired of using Cait Sith," said Reeve. "I decided that I needed to step into the action myself."
"OK then, I think I’d better go," said Yuffie. "Or else I’ll get in trouble from avoiding all the fucking taunts from all these people."
"All right, we’ll see you in several hours," said Elena.
"Are you sure we should rescue her?" asked Reno as they walked out of the room.
"Don’t even say shit!" screamed Elena. "You know we should! It’s our Turk duty."
The three of them walked to the center of town silently, to wait until it was time to go back and save Yuffie.
Later that night, at approximately 1 am, Reeve woke Elena and Reno up. "Wake up, time to go on our mission!" he called.
"Ugh, I’m sore," said Reno, "I knew we should’ve rented a hotel room."
"Keep your petty remarks to yourself, or you’re gonna get us all caught," said Elena.
Eventually, after a fairly long walk from Da-Choa, where they had made themselves 'guests' for the night, they made it the door. Reeve tried it. "Shit, it’s locked," he said, clearly frustrated.
"Of course it is," said Reno. "What did you expect? You don’t fight a lot do you?"
"Only with Cait Sith," Reeve muttered, embarrassed.
"Leave it to a Turk to do this dirty job!" Exclaimed Elena. With that, she pounded the door open with a strong kick with her legs. Inside, the area was pitch dark. It took five minutes of wandering around until Reeve felt the cage. Inside it, Yuffie was sleeping like a baby.
"How are you going to get the cage open?" Reeve asked. "There appears to be no lock we can pick."
"Why, I believe I already figured that out myself," said Reno. He pulled out his lightning rod and used an electrocuting shock that managed to create an opening that would be just big enough for a small person to squeeze through. He then put the rod on a lighter shock and touched Yuffie with it.
Yuffie awoke with a start. "That hurt," she grumped.
"Yuffie, we have to hurry," whispered Reeve. "Here, let me help you." Yuffie squeezed out of the hole with the help of Reeve's arms pulling her.
"We have to get going," said Yuffie. "They check on me at 3 am, and it’s almost 2!"
So, the three of them ran to the mountains. Yuffie, who was very weak, had to be carried part of the time. But, eventually, they made it past the mountains, to where their boat was parked.
"Yes! We made it!" said Elena.
"Well, just one question," said Yuffie. "What am I going to do now? I can’t go back to Wutai, and I don’t want to live alone on the mountains the rest of my life!"
"Oops, I guess nobody really thought about that," said Reno.
"I have an idea," said Reeve. "Why doesn’t she come with us? She could be a very good example to any towns that need help."
"You guys are traveling all over the world?" asked Yuffie.
"We’re actually going from town to town, trying to help towns recover from the war," Said Elena. "Right now, Wutai needs time to recover. We will come back to it. We will take our boat, which is right over there, to another town. And you will see all of your friends."
"I would like that," said Yuffie. "I- I miss my friends. I was hoping someone would come rescue me."
"I wouldn’t," muttered Reno.
Then, Yuffie did something completely unexpected. She ran over to Reno and gave him a great big hug. "Thank you for saving me," She said, kissing him. "I think this is the start of a great new relationship." Then, she took off for the boat.
Reno, Elena, and Reeve smiled. It looked like everything would be all right. Yuffie would be a new companion, and it appeared she had a thing for Reno. Things really had changed. Just then, Reno casually put his hand in his pocket.
"Hey!" He shouted. "What happened to all my gil! Do you mean to tell me that Yuffie just tricked- oh, that Bitch! YUFFIE!" he yelled as he ran into the boat after her, leaving Elena and Reeve laughing hysterically at her deception.
Then again, maybe everything had stayed the same.
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Go to Part Two