"See me comin to town with my soul Straight down out of the world with my fingers Holding onto the devil I know All my troubles'll hang on your trigger Take your eyes and your mind from the road Shoot your mouth if you know where you're aiming Don't forget to pick up what you sow Talking trash to the garbage around you See me kickin the door with my boots Broke down out in a ditch of old rubbish Snakes and bones in the back of your room Handing out a confection of venom Heaven's drunk from the poison you use Charm the wolves with the eyes of a gambler Now I see it's a comfort to you Hammer my bones on the anvil of daylight I won't give up that ghost It's sick the way these tongues are twisted The good in us is all we know There's too much left to taste that's bitter" "E-Pro" by Beck In the cockpit. Yuffie blinked across at the woman before her, her expression dubious. She frowned. "Are you serious?" she asked Lenna, who put on a large pair of sunglasses next to her. "They like..." the girl reached up to her forehead and made a slicing motion with her finger. "Snikt!!" Lenna looked at her with one hand on her hip. "Not so much, snikt but..." She reached a hand up like Yuffie and made as if she were drilling a hole in her head and scooping something out. "Brrm. Slocht!" Yuffie squirmed on the spot. "Oh my gawd!! That's so-" she cut herself off abruptly as she froze and looked at Lenna with a mortified expression, "Uh, I mean...y'know," she cleared her throat and patted Lenna on the shoulder. "That sucks. A lot." Lenna smiled at her. She had on a moss green cotton-polyester jacket on over a white button up shirt and a pair of brown corduroy pants. Hidden beneath the jacket on her side was her holstered firearm. "I don't think I've had someone react quite that way." she said to the ninja. The teenager squinted at her suspiciously. "In what way?" The soldier didn't respond. She simply continued to smile her phantom smile. Yuffie, unnerved, sidled toward Tifa, who was busy trying to fit her hair into a fisherman's hat. "Tifa, did you know that-" "Yep." the woman said. She caught her tongue between her teeth as she pulled her hat over the loose bun. Yuffie rubbed her neck and looked down at the ground. "Oh." Baxter, at the stern, cleared his throat and held up his hand. Today he had on a gray zip jacket and a black cotton t-shirt with blue jeans. The ninja guessed that his firearm was concealed beneath his jacket as well. In his hand, the little black square he had before flashed a three-dimensional map into the air again, and everyone gathered near to look at it. "We're entering the city through the militia port. From there we'll blend in with the crowd-so it's important that Ms. Lockhart and Ms. Kisaragi disguise themselves well before we enter the general public. This entire operation is being kept secret, so the police are unaware of our presence...and on that respect, so are the media." Baxter pointed at Yuffie. "I have a wig for you. A long one to cover your hair." "A wig!?" Yuffie exclaimed. "That's bogus, I don't need one! Just give me a hat like Tifa and I'll be fine!" "We only have one hat, and we brought that specifically for her. This wig should be enough to throw off people's attention." Baxter reached into the bag at his feet and pulled out a red mop. He held it out to Yuffie, who shirked it. "Gawd, you're kidding! I'm a carrot top!? It won't even be convincing!" Tifa looked at her with feigned disappointment. "But I like red heads..." Henley clapped his hands together and held them up to his cheek as his eyes turned dreamy and distant. "You and me both, sister." he sighed. Today he wore a navy blue long sleeve shirt and a black silk vest and black khakis, his weapon also concealed beneath. Baxter snapped his fingers, his slim face contorting in annoyance. "Hey! Focus. When we get out there we can't mess around. You two," the pale-gazed man pointed at Yuffie and Tifa, "Should avoid talking with anyone unless it's absolutely necessary. You'll need to avoid any outward show of affection too. That sort of thing just attracts unwanted attention." He pointed at himself and the other soldiers. "Me, Henley, and Lenna will watch your sides. If we somehow get split up, make it to Junon Harbor and wait there. Either we'll meet up again or someone will come to get you." He looked at Yuffie pointedly. "Understand?" The ninja rolled her eyes. "I get it. Yes, fine. Junon Harbor. I will totally go there if any photographers manage to slide in between us." Baxter nodded and looked at his team. "You two, come here. I want to speak to you in private..." As the special operative and his companions stepped outside, Tifa turned to Yuffie and gripped her shoulder. "You feeling any better?"f "The lemon and water Lenna gave me is keeping me from tossing, so I'll be good till we get off this damn boat," Yuffie said as she curled her lip at the wig. She held it up to Tifa and shook it suspiciously. "You really like red heads?" Tifa shrugged, a smile on her face. She put on a pair of plastic sunglasses as she said cheekily, "Put the wig on and I'll tell you..." Yuffie smirked and pulled it over her head. The Severe Whisper pulled into the dock twenty minutes later, and there were calls from the dock workers as Lenna and Baxter tossed them their rope. The dock was like the one at Costa Del Sol, but busier. The loading ramp came down and Henley called to Tifa and Yuffie, who waited at the stern. "Okay ladies! The big moment! Do me proud!" Yuffie leaned forward and stuck her tongue out at the man, the auburn strands of her wig brushing her shoulders as she did so. Tifa shook her head and pushed up her plastic shades as they slid down the ridge of her nose for the umpteenth time. "My head itches," Yuffie hissed as she scratched at the top of her wig. Her and the fighter walked to the loading ramp, their bags in their hands. Baxter and Lenna waited for them patiently. "I can't wait to get this rag off my head." Tifa adjusted her hat. "Well at least your head is getting circulation. I'm starting to get a headache from how my head is stuffed into this thing with my hair!" Henley came after them, and the group came down the loading ramp. Baxter held up his finger. "Give me a moment to check into the commons here, then we'll go." He walked toward a building to the far side of the dock. Henley stretched. "Finally! Off of that tin can. Maybe things will get more interesting now that we're on land again." Tifa tugged at her ear absently. "I wonder what else the media has cooked up since we left the Western Continent...do you think they've bothered the others yet?" The twenty-three-year-old turned to look at her companion. Yuffie raised an eyebrow at her. "What? Are you kidding?" She crossed her arms and the muscles in her jaw twitched. "Those worthless slugs probably hit them up, first chance they got." Suddenly, a devious smile spread across her face. "But I bet my old man must've spat out his tea when he heard. Serves him right!" The ninja cried as she wiped harshly at her nose with her fist. "He always was a narrow-sighted, bugle-tooting, inconsiderate chump..." Lenna looked up at the top of the walls surrounding the dock. Beyond it, all manner of commotion could be heard. "We'll have to be careful going through," she said in her flat voice. "I've heard that Junon has become quite dangerous since Shinra left." Yuffie looked at the female soldier, then toward the city. A dark frown came over her face. "How bad has it got?" she asked slowly. The tone in her voice made Tifa look at her curiously. Lenna shrugged. "Bad. That's all I've heard. Reeve and his organization don't operate here. I think he's considered helping the city officials, but his men are spread thin. He's going out on a limb just by helping you two." Yuffie stared at her. She looked pale. Baxter returned and held up a pink slip. "We're squared away. Let's get moving." As the group followed him, Tifa leaned in and whispered, "What's the matter?" The ninja looked at her for a moment, then shook her head. "No, it's nothing. I bet we won't even have to worry about it." Tifa's face hardened. "Worry about what?" she asked flatly. Yuffie sighed and scratched at her wig again. "Look its just...I got into some trouble with some people here. But I doubt we'd see them." "What kind of people?" "Thugs. Just some thugs." They came to the gates and the heavy doors slid back-the hum of an engine sounding through the air made both women look up. Baxter was at the head, Lenna on Yuffie's side and Henley on Tifa's. As the city greeted them, silence fell over the entire group. Yuffie blinked at the sight before her. It had been years since she had last come to the city, and though it seemed the same, there was an almost tangent feeling of animosity that pressed against her. Her body became stiff as they entered the public street and began to make their careful sojourn to safety. The dark, wet pavement; the seedy stares of loiterers; the rowdy calls from sailors and city officials off-duty; the chaotic and illegible graffiti; the filthy stray cats; the jazz and cigarette smoke that crept and curled from open bars... Junon. Tifa felt anxiety curl itself in her gut, and she wanted it to be over. The city seemed detestable now-an irony that was not lost on her. The brunette wanted to ask Yuffie what kind of trouble she had gotten into in the past. She knew that the girl's adolescent shenanigans earned many grudges, and her arrogance and flippant attitude was enough to stir up ire in the calmest of situations. It was strange how the girl had matured to the point of being clear headed enough to exploit a situation-or to brush off a potential danger. But Tifa had also come to know that when prodded and provoked in just the right way, all progress Yuffie had made was tossed to the winds. She wanted to understand this side of her, this aspect that seemed sheltered beneath a thick layer of nonchalance. Without the understanding, without the reasoning as to why the anger came, the sting Tifa felt whenever Yuffie's ill temper was directed her way would hurt tremendously. But she was afraid to ask. Afraid to hear of the bad things that lurked in Yuffie's shadows...And most of all, afraid to share the bad things that lurked in hers. Her self-doubt raked beneath the skin, and Tifa hugged herself in a vain attempt to block out the fears. Yuffie glanced at her through the fiery locks of her wig and briefly touched her shoulder. She wanted to do more. She wanted to hold Tifa and tell her it would be all right. But that wasn't allowed-it would defeat the purpose of their disguises. Disgruntled, she settled back into her respective space. Their quiet trek led them to familiar branches of streets, further from the glare and glitter of the ocean and deeper into the dystopian dark that blanketed the ex-military base. Yuffie's concerns were assuaged when she saw a group of five policemen march by in formation-their rifles out and their masked faces turned resolutely forward. "Lenna's full of it." Yuffie thought to herself with a faint smile. "Junon may have problems, but their police can handle themselves. At any rate, this sector looks well protected...the best part of it all is that I think we're close to the elevator that goes down to the Harbor. Yeah...we're totally solid!" The nineteen-year-old looked to Lenna, then to Tifa. She leaned over to whisper something to the fighter when she felt herself bump into something warm and hard. Startled, Yuffie reached a hand up to her head to make sure her wig was in place, and with searing eyes looked to see what she ran into. Baxter had stopped, and his hand hovered near his holstered gun beneath his jacket. Lenna and Henley had done the same. Tifa and Yuffie exchanged looks. Briefly the ninja looked around her. They were in a busy cross street, somewhere near the heart of Junon. "Is there any particular reason you won't get out of our way?" Baxter said in his low graveled tone. Yuffie tilted her head to peek around him, and her breath stopped short. A slim red-headed man with a round face stood almost nose to nose with Baxter as he let a thin smile spread across his sunburned face. He had on a brown leather coat and a blue silk shirt, with closely-fitted black jeans and a pair of mahogany boots. He tilted his head back and spread his arms wide as if prepared to envelope the soldier in a hug. "What, mate? Have you got a problem with the par-tic-ular choice of route I've chosen? Don't you know I never skirt out of the way for nobody?" he said in a lilting voice. Baxter clenched his jaw as he locked gazes with the man. He didn't blink. "Then we'll just go around you..." he said quietly. Without ever taking his eyes off him, the special operative stepped to the side and tried to walk past. His team mates followed suite, Tifa and Yuffie caught between the two other soldiers. The ninja caught sight of at least six other men with the red head, and her heart beat quickened when she saw the modified pistols holstered on their sides. For a moment, it seemed they would pass without trouble-then the red headed man stopped Baxter with a slim dry hand. "Oi, hold up a minute friend." he said. Baxter stopped and gazed at him warningly. "Take your hand off my chest." "Answer me a question, would you?" The stranger asked, ignoring him. He poked a long finger into the blond man's shoulder. "Can you see? I mean, are you blind?" From behind him, Yuffie and Tifa could see Baxter's muscles bunch beneath his jacket. "I can see fine." he growled. "These are only contacts." "Contacts, eh? What, like those contacts people get that makes their eyes reflective-like mirrors?" "Yes." The soldier said primly. The red headed man chuckled, and patted the top of Baxter's head. "Cos I was about to say, it seems like the blind leading the blind here! I mean, bloody hell, is this some sort of caravan?" His lips curled to reveal filed canines. He looked to Yuffie and pointed at her slowly. "You got a reddy with you? Eh? She a natural reddy? Y'know how these dames are, mate. They'll swear till Gilgamesh comes that they're o' natch-oo-ral a'fore they say otherwise." He looked at Yuffie, and the girl winced beneath his hot searing gaze. "Are you in the 'otherwise' category, sweetheart?" he drawled. Tifa tensed and her gaze darkened. "If you touch her...I'll make you regret it." she thought fiercely. "Oi, Otter, don't these two flowers seem familiar?" One of the lackeys wheezed. The man called Otter rubbed his chin and stepped back. His eyes widened. "Rotgut, why I think you're right! This girl does look familiar!" Baxter shook his head and pushed Yuffie behind him. For the first time since she had met him, the girl didn't make any objections. "We're only out for a walk. Let us through." the man said quietly. Behind him, Yuffie squeezed her eyes shut and tried to stop her body trembling. Tifa put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her. Otter laughed and tried to look around Baxter. "Yuffster! Yuffster is that you, love!? The little ninja that could! Oh, look at how much you've grown! Are those tits Isee through that poor disguise of yours, or are they part of the get up?" The red headed man cried jovially. Baxter shoved him away roughly. "Get out of here slug!" He barked. Abruptly, the sounds of guns loading pierced the air, and the soldier found himself facing down six gun barrels. On either side of him, Lenna and Henley had drawn their weapons as well. Before anyone could do anything, however, Yuffie shoved her way forward so that she stood between Baxter and Lenna. Tifa, frightened at her lover's sudden daring and feeling compelled to be involved, slid in next to Baxter, her hands gripping the ninja's arm. "Bastard!" Yuffie bit out, the deep shade of scarlet her face took unusual for her pearly complexion. "Just let us through, Otter, we don't want any trouble!" Baxter looked at her, his white eyes narrowed to slits as he bared his teeth. "You know this man?" he asked fiercely. The teenager glared at him briefly. "Of course I do, stupid!" She turned her eyes on Otter and his men, her fists clenched. "But that isn't the issue now, is it soldier boy?" Otter winked cheekily at the ninja. "Did we blow your cover? Are we inconveniencing you, princess?" He scowled in disdain as he pointed at Tifa. "You trying to make a run for it with your lady love, here? Funny shit you read in the papers, Yuffster... Gross stuff. It made me want to vomit. I mean hell, love, you can't be serious. You can't be." "You pig. You knew who we were the entire time. You were just toying with us, weren't you? Just what are trying to pull here, huh?" Yuffie's lip curled to a sneer. "Beat it, Otter...I mean it! We don't need to fight! What would your uncle say if he knew you were so far out of your territory?" "Territory?" The auburn haired man blinked at her, then let out a booming guffaw. His men laughed with him, and Yuffie's blood drained at their confidence. Otter jabbed a thumb at her as he turned to his companions and chuckled, "'Territory!' 'Territory,' she says!" His laughter died away and he gazed wildly at her, the bangs of his outgrown hair falling into his serpent like-eyes. "Look at the little ninja telling me what's what in my own city!! You think you know better, princess? You been gone three years and you think you know better than your ol' buddy Otter?" The man's emerald eyes flashed something sinister, and his lips parted to show his sharp teeth. He reached into his coat and pulled out a pistol. "Yuffster..." he pointed his gun at Yuffie's head. "You don't know what you've gotten yourself into..." Otter pulled the trigger. The sharp noise shot through her heart and stole the voice from her throat. Pain. Hot red pain that flowed down her neck and onto her clothes. The wig fell from atop her head as the crowd around them scattered in a panic. She knocked into Lenna's body, her face shocked. A body hit the dirty cement. A man in his late fifties with a gray mustache and a bald spot lay on his back. Blood did not pool around his head, but the breath stopped short of his lips and his limbs went lax. The bullet had ricocheted inside his skull, destroying his brain. Chaos blossomed like a bruise. Tifa's quick push against Yuffie saved the girl, but caused her to fall back against Baxter. The man caught her easily, and with weapon drawn, fired back at the criminals before them. He shoved the fighter behind him as Henley fired as well. The policemen they had passed by came rushing toward them, rifles in hand. Two of Otter's men fell to the ground, the man himself instead dashed forward, his bravado knowing no bounds. Baxter pulled Tifa with him roughly as he broke into the panicked stream of people around them. But Otter wasn't after them. Before Yuffie could seek the missing cartilage blasted from her right ear, an iron grip came to snatch her arm and drag her away. Dazedly, the ninja saw Tifa vanish among the frenzied current of strangers. She was going in the opposite direction. The civilians screamed and ran maniacally-like frightened insects startled from their somnambulism. She saw the fighter's eyes flash in fear, heard her own heartbeat pound in her ears like a terrified rabbit's. Yuffie's legs recovered from their shocked clumsiness and she leaned back against the one who pulled her as she dug her heels in. "No! Tifa! I can't leave her!" Yuffie screamed. Her eyes were turned in the direction she last saw her lover...but the next thing that greeted her eyes ceased her struggles and had her running more energetically with her would-be savior. Otter charged after them, his mouth set in an ugly snarl. The girl looked to see who led her on. Lenna did not look back at her. She led artfully and adroitly through the madness, her body tilted forward in determination. It was evasive escape. Fleeing. Retreating. Running away. Lenna didn't stop even when Otter shot at them again. The bullet flashed past and Yuffie let out a low cry as her eyes widened as far as they possibly could. Blood spray. Another body fell-this time a young woman with a bag of groceries. Lenna skirted her prone body without a moment's hesitation and instead dragged Yuffie into a narrow street. Here the ground was uneven and gravelly. An open apartment door left by a tenant provided an easy haven as the female operative lead the ninja into the unknown space. A hoarse shout cut the air as an old woman-unable to move quickly due to her wheelchair-shielded her face in morbid fear as Lenna and Yuffie zipped through her simple home to the tenant building's stairwell. They hurried up the stairs to the third floor where Lenna stopped before a door and with a grunt, kicked it in without trouble. A middle aged man in his underwear screamed and ran into another room as the soldier cut through his living room and opened his window. It went up high enough that she could half-stand on the window sill and look out if she wished. She took off her sunglasses and looked back at Yuffie. "We're going to jump to the roof of the next building." she said in a steady tone. Before the ninja could respond, a siren wailed throughout the building and echoed down the streets. The girl's eyes widened. "Oh crap, the cops initiated the-" "Which is why you need to jump quickly." Lenna cut in. Junon was previously a military base, and as such had a special security program for especially serious scenarios-the best example being when Emerald Weapon attacked the city. Buildings and streets had a lock down feature that-when implemented-prevented the exit and entrance of any unauthorized personnel. Doors and windows were sealed by a thick bullet proof barrier. Meanwhile, streets were further protected by large metal blockades to prevent the movement of enemies deeper into the city. This divided the areas into smaller-more manageable sectors. The siren was as a warning for civilians to get out of the streets and into their homes...also to step clear of the barriers paths. The security measure did not stop if something was in its way. Countless pets and children died in this gruesome fashion, and the people of Junon learned quickly that they needed to move when the security siren went off. Yuffie grit her teeth, and with a severe look toward her flat-toned companion she briefly looked out the window to see where she would land. The fall would be about ten feet, and the space between the two buildings had to be approximately six feet. With thin lips, Yuffie took a few steps back and breathed in deep. She dug the ball of her foot into the carpet as she pushed forward in a sprint and leaped out the window. The ninja saw the rooftop rush to greet her, and she bent her knees and rolled when she landed. She stumbled out of the way and looked back in time to see Lenna jump after her. She landed perfectly and stood without problem, her pistol drawn. The wail of the security sirens blared all around them. At the window, Yuffie saw Otter appear. He stuck his arm out the window, pistol in hand, but all at once there was a thunderous 'shlack' as the locks that held down the window barriers disengaged. Alarmed he pulled his hand back, and as the security barriers shot up to block the windows, the teenager caught one last look of intense hate before Otter's face disappeared behind the seven inch thick metal. Yuffie leaned against the wall and felt her ear, felt the blood trail and trickle along her jaw. The droplets fell like little rubies from her chin and stained her shirt. The bullet grazed her ear, and it stung incredibly. She knew the injury was minor, but a small chunk was taken out of her ear forever. The vanity in her mourned the missing flesh. The warrior in her-the greater part, or at least she liked to think it was-thanked Leviathan she was still alive. She thought of the man who took the bullet in her place, dead between the eyes. She squeezed her eyes and tried to block out the image of his corpse being trampled by the panicked crowd. Her breath came short. Her heart rammed against her rib cage unbearably. With a lip that trembled, Yuffie sank to the dirty ground, the brick wall she leaned against scraping against her back as she went down. "How did..." she reached a shaking hand to her ashen face and covered her mouth. Bile threatened to erupt. Lenna, her eyes focused toward the two streets at either end of the alley, holstered her gun. She pulled Yuffie to her feet with one hand, and the girl didn't offer any protest. She seemed like a marionette doll. "Who was the man that shot at us? Why didn't you tell us there would be a threat like this?" the soldier asked quietly. They re-entered the street at break-neck speed. Yuffie trailed behind her, her face blank and her eyes glassy. "Yuffie?" Lenna looked at the ninja. "I didn't think anything would happen." Yuffie said shakily. Her eyes focused again. "Junon may have been a military base, but it was also famous for having its share of crooks. It was so bad that pirates literally made it their place of operation." she shook her head and turned to look at the people around her. They didn't seem confused, but afraid and angry. They wandered in the middle of the streets and shouted at the windows, which were shut up by barriers. Their loved ones were inside. "The gangs that worked here had an agreement not to pull stunts in certain places, like near or at the docks. It was bad for business. Attracted attention. The place we were at was one of them, but..." Yuffie looked around. The shock began to wear off, and with her regain of composure her mind worked out diligently the problem set before her. "It's been years since I've been to Junon. It's changed so much. Shinra doesn't run things here anymore." Yuffie's eyes narrowed. "I'd hate to say it, but this city's gotten worse without them." "We need to get to the harbor. The others'll be there." Lenna said. Yuffie pulled her arm away from the soldier sharply. "No." The female operative stared. The teenager gestured around her. "Look at this Lenna! Look at these people! They're suffering because of a mistake I made in the past! ...Because of a mistake I made now! Baxter had suggested going somewhere different from Junon, but I...I wasn't thinking clearly. Now one idiot goes starting trouble and look where we are! This makes no sense! I can't just run!!" "And what about Tifa?" Lenna asked with her arms crossed. "You need to be there for her." "These guys didn't hesitate to shoot in a crowded and heavily guarded area. Didn't you see?" Yuffie's face grew grave. "The pirates control the city now. You think Otter's really going to stay trapped in that building until the cops find him? These stupid barriers won't keep him and his goons from moving around! But they'll keep us from moving around! Tifa's in danger unless I can stop them." "She's a grown woman. She knows how to fight. You don't need to be her knight, y'know." "I know she can fight, but she isn't as sharp as she used to be! Her stamina is especially shot, I'd imagine running away would've been enough to zap her energy." "So what are you thinking? You want to wage a war with a gang of criminals powerful enough to control an entire city?" "Don't be stupid, a ninja doesn't work that way. We attack the problem at its one weak source." "And what's that?" Yuffie sighed and looked down at her biker boots. With one last look around her, she turned and began to walk past Lenna toward the end of the street. The other woman followed. At the street sign, Yuffie looked up and nodded. "Lucky break." she said to herself. She pointed to her right, down the new street. "Her home should be down this way." "Whose home?" Lenna asked. "Otter's sister's." "...The sister of the man who shot at us? Is that really wise? What if she turns us over to her brother?" "She won't." "Why not?" "Because she's different." "...Your tone of voice alone gives me reason to find complaint with this." Yuffie licked her lips nervously. She ran a hand through her hair and stared at the people she passed as she continued walking. "Audrey is crazy." Yuffie hooked her thumbs into her back pockets. "She also happens to hate me. Like, a lot." Lenna raised an eyebrow, her blank expression forming one that could be construed as judgmental. "And she can help us how? If she hates you then-" "Look she's the only one who can talk Otter down, all right!?" "I'm in charge of keeping you from getting killed." Lenna grabbed Yuffie's arm and pulled her back roughly. Her soulless eyes bored into the ninja's, who glared at her angrily. "In my opinion, this will only lead to trouble." Yuffie wrenched away from Lenna. "Never touch me like that again, zombie." Lenna gazed steadily at her. "You'd risk everything on the off-chance that this girl will help us? What about Tifa?" "Don't use her as leverage, damn you! I'm doing this for her." "How crazy is this girl, anyway?" Yuffie paused. "Is there some kinda scale I'm supposed to go by to get it through to you? One to ten? One being the lowest?" she spread her arms out wide and leaned forward a little to shout. "Try one million, trillion, gazillion okay!? She's NUTS!! She's insane! She played chicken with cars, put bleach in people's drinks, and bit people so hard they bled-and when she was ESPECIALLY out there, she put a noose around her neck and sat out in the rain till she got sick! She's crazy, Lenna!! CRAZY!! Kookoo, loopy, totally backwards! But you wanna know what?" Yuffie pointed in the direction they had come from. "She's different from those guys! She was the only one in her family who dreamed of being something other than a crook, all right? She dreamed of getting away from them all and living in a cottage by the sea. She dreamed of becoming a scientist to help make the environment better and to help the animals she loved! She's nuts because of the hard life she's lived, and the depression and the frustration and the fear she feels living in a world where sleeping with a gun underneath your pillow is advisable! If I can appeal to the good side in her, if I can just get her to forgive me and...and help then..." Yuffie trailed away. She narrowed her eyes and pointed at Lenna. "Hey, wait a second, I don't have to explain jack to you, lady! I do what I want all right?" "If we don't work together we'll get killed. I promise I'll help you if you'll only get things to make sense to me." Lenna said evenly. Yuffie sucked at her teeth for a moment. Then she threw up her hands, "All right, fine. The way I see it, you know nothing of the tunnels or the secret passageways that run through this city, right? Shinra didn't even use those tunnels five years ago. They were too confusing, too inefficient. They stopped making maps about the layout and didn't even mention them to new recruits stationed here. There is no way you can navigate them, even if you have heard of them." Lenna crossed her arms and nodded her head slowly, "Go on..." "But y'see, Audrey knows the tunnels like the back of her hand. She knows how to get in and out of the different sectors even when all of this security BS is going on. I know so. She took me through them once when Shinra shacked up because of some kinda riot." "And what about the fact that she hates you?" "She may hate me..." Yuffie said with a deep scowl. "But she isn't a murderer. She doesn't have it in her." "Someone who's capable of putting bleach into people's drinks is incapable of murder?" "Someone who's incapable of feeling is capable of gaging the moral mettle of others?" Yuffie returned hotly. Lenna blinked at her. "...I didn't know you had the word 'mettle' in your vocabulary..." Yuffie gave her a look of disbelief. "Gawd!! Do I have the word 'literary idiot' printed on my forehead??" She pointed a finger suspiciously at the woman. "Tifa told you that story about how I misunderstood the word 'paternal' huh?" The female soldier shook her head. "I just didn't peg you as a logophile." "A logo-what?" "Never mind...okay, before we lose more time, just tell me what the story is between you and these people so that I'm not left in the dark." "You mean you'll help me?" "Well how can't I? You used the word 'mettle' in your argument, after all." "...Okay, now that's just irritating. I can't tell if you're joking or not. ...Uh, you can joke around, right?" "I suppose so, yes." Yuffie rubbed at her face. "Look, when we meet Audrey can you refrain from speaking? She'll definitely blow us off if you open your mouth too much." "All right." Lenna crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one foot. "So. The story, then?" "Do you really think we have time? Can't you just understand that me and this girl used to be friends and in the end something bad happened to break us up?" The female soldier shook her head, her long locks swishing like a cat's idle tail as she did so. "Not even in the most dire of times do military forces overlook the importance of a good briefing. If you want me to really be your back up-give me all the details." "Meh, all right...you asked for it." Yuffie sat down on the sidewalk. Her ears picked up an old man crying and though it unnerved her, she turned her head to look. He seemed to blubber something about his dead dog. She looked away and tried to ignore the other restless citizens. "Okay, well...back when I was in Wutai," the ninja began, "I used to steal from tourists and soldiers who vacationed there. I did this for a while, and gathered up a bit of cash and materia from it-but it still wasn't enough for a rebellion-plus my dad knew what I was doing and always tried to stop me. I knew I had to get out of there and into the world if I was going to do any good. Then one day these pirates came..." Yuffie smiled sardonically. "Pirates. People may not believe it but there are bona fide pirates that still terrorize the seas. This ugly bunch I found had a load of materia on their ship along with these really wicked weapons. But silly me, I didn't know they were pirates at the time. Their ship seemed a pretty solid transport and a good mark all at once, so the night they left I sneaked on board, not knowing what I was signing myself up for. I sorta hoped my sea sickness wouldn't cause me any trouble, because it was bad even then, but I was wrong. I couldn't get to a bathroom or a sink or anything. I threw up on the floor of the cargo bay. The mess and the stench let the crew know there was a stowaway. It only took them five minutes to find me, sick and miserable, behind some crates in a corner." The ninja looked at the woman, half-expecting a question or statement of some sort. Lenna remained quiet, however, her flat stare punctuated only by the occasional blink. Yuffie raised an eyebrow and continued with the corners of her mouth down-turned a fraction, "It was super scary. They debated on what to do with me. I was at least smart enough then not to tell them who I was, because I knew it would lead in some sort of ransom BS and those never turned out good anyway-but even then I couldn't keep my mouth shut from blurting out every other stupid thing that popped into my head. After I rattled out every possible insult I knew both in the Common language and Wutainese, I finally shouted out, 'Let me join you!' ...And the bastards, they laugh. "...But as luck would have it, there were two other kids on board. Their names were Otter and Audrey. They were brother and sister and their uncle was the captain of the ship. When they saw me they argued to keep me alive so long as I played with them. I was only...what? Nine? Ten? Audrey was the same age as me, and Otter was a year younger. At first I was sorta snotty and stand-offish with them...but y'know, they saved my life and seemed genuinely interested in me. We played, and after a while I forgot that I was ever in danger. I stayed with them in Junon. It was with their family that I learned how criminals worked-how real operations were run. I was good at hiding and stealing, but my greater skills I learned with them. No one was a better thief than Audrey...except maybe me. She was super smart, y'know? Like really smart. She liked reading about brainy stuff and had a real soft spot for animals. She hated Shinra as much as I did, and we became fast friends. I think after a year with them, I went off on my own for the first time. Out, into the woods, where travelers were most vulnerable. But I'd always go back to Junon after a few weeks or a few months. When I turned sixteen, though... "See, every now and again Audrey's uncle Mack would come up with a big job. Since me, Otter, and Audrey were so good at what we did, he usually let us help. One day he comes to me and tells me he has an important role for me. He tells me that if I don't succeed the whole thing falls apart. I was stoked, of course-my ego got in the way and I didn't stop long enough to consider the position I would find myself in. "What he wanted me to do was to go into this bank on the Eastern side and hide inside of it until it closed. Then at night, after I disabled all the security cameras and sensors, I'd let everyone else in. Here's the problem: Mack never entirely warmed up to me. Maybe it was because I was from Wutai, or maybe he just didn't care for my attitude...either way the only reason he let me hang around was because I got him lots of cash. If he ever found out that I was the daughter of the ruler of Wutai, he'd have probably screwed me over for a quick gain. "This job I was doing...well, they needed a scapegoat. And I guess I was it. With something like this, they needed to throw something at authorities to stall them long enough to cover their tracks. The bank was the third biggest in the city, and while that may not sound like beans to you, it was plenty for an outfit like Mack's. Plus, the security was mad for it. I mean, come on-this was a SHINRA operated bank! I had to squeeze into an air duct for six hours in the women's bathroombefore I could stick my head out again, and when I did, I saw that the entire floor was rigged with lasers that-when interrupted-set off machine gun turrets set into the walls and also alerted Shinra troops nearby. "I managed to disable all of that junk and let everyone in. The last step in my part was to disable the lock on the safe, which was remotely controlled from another room. Well it seemed simple enough-bust in, flip a switch, and voila! Instant gratification, right? Ha, I wish...the room had an automatic lock down that-if you were an authorized personnel-you could easily get out of...but Mack purposefully didn't give me the code to turn the damn thing off! I was locked in there. So him and his buddies got off scott-free while the Shinra goons came in to find me sitting on the carpet with a sore face and an even sorer pride. The soldiers were easy to escape after they got me out, but I was SO pissed!! I wanted revenge, and I saw my chance when I heard that Mack and his pirate gang were gonna pull another heist-one with a crap load of materia. I decided it better to go back to Mack like nothing had happened and offer my services again. "When he saw me, he was surprised and kinda annoyed. He didn't want me to work on the job. I guess he knew I'd screw him over...but Audrey. Poor Audrey." Yuffie paused and shook her head. She looked at the man who cried for his dog and bit her lip. Lenna knelt down next to her, her eyes lidded as she waited patiently for Yuffie to continue. The ninja spoke again, but with a subdued tone. "Audrey argued that if I didn't get to help, than she wouldn't help either-and Mack needed her. He was stubborn though. He held out for three days before he finally agreed to let me in on the last minute. I guess he figured doing that would make it harder for me to devise a plan against him. He was wrong. "The job was a lot easier than the last: swipe a shipment of materia incoming from Midgar and take it back to a safe house down shore. At first it went to plan-I was with the first team that raided the boat. Mack thought the sea sickness would do me in...also he didn't want me anywhere near the money in the heist's final stages. The loot was transferred from our ship at some dirt island where it was given to an even smaller boat and sent back to the main land. "Audrey had once told me how thievery was like magic. All you had to do was distract a person-and with the right tools-you could do anything. Well I did it. Till this day, it was the best stunt I ever pulled. 4 tons of materia, gone. Within minutes." Despite herself, Yuffie smirked. "Thanks to some well placed, well timed gravity, haste, and confusion spells I switched the crates at the dirt island. Then, back at Junon, after everyone had gone, I hid the stuff in Junon Harbor somewhere with the mind to come back for it when it was time to fight Shinra. I paid some guys to help me move it all-I didn't tell 'em what was in the crates and they knew better than to ask. "Mack was furious...and he blamed Audrey for what happened. When Mack gets angry like that-a price is paid. She had hoped to someday get out of the business and do her own thing-y'know go to school to become an environmentalist or a veterinarian or something...but because of what I did, that became an impossibility. He took the money she saved for school and essentially obligated her-under threats and guilt-to stay and continue working as a pirate and thief." Yuffie dug the heels of her palms into her eyes. "I didn't mean for her to get hurt, but she did. Before I left the area, she found where I was hiding out in the woods and stood over me while I was sleeping. She had a knife. I woke up just as Audrey placed the blade to my throat. I thank Leviathan I had the foresight to set up smoke traps before I went to bed. I set it off and she was startled back. I made my getaway and that was the last time I saw her. When I went out deeper into the Junon forests, I ran into Avalanche. After that, it was, y'know, history. With Cloud's group, I didn't fear going back to Junon. They were powerful-not even Mack would want to mess with them. Compared to those guys, him and the others were just thugs scrambling to make ends meet. Plus they didn't control the city then-they had other gangs to worry about. So when I came back to the city and entered other territories, I was always left alone. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend' sort of thing." "But now," Lenna finally spoke, and her azure eyes were glazed with contemplation. Slowly her face turned upward toward the burgeoning sky. "Now the situation is different. Avalanche isn't with you. They control the city." "Yeah." Yuffie said with a nod as she lifted her head and glanced around. She looked at Lenna out of the corner of her eye. "So that's the whole story-that's where I stand. And Tifa's in danger now that they know we're together. They'll try to hurt her to get to me. I can't let them do that." "You really should've said something when we came." The female soldier said this plaintively. The teenage girl ruffled her hair and let out a growl. "Look, I didn't know, okay!? I've been out of the crime world for years now-Mack's domination of Junon was beyond my network of info! But, we've got one possible solution... If I can make things right with Audrey, she might help us. See, I mean, I could try and just bribe Mack with what's left of the materia stash down in the harbor-but he'll most likely just take the loot and kill me and Tifa anyways. Criminals can't really be bought with money-a lot of what fuels them is their reputation and protecting it. Audrey's my only way past that." "Okay. I guess your reasoning is good enough." Lenna said with a nod. Yuffie smiled in relief. "Thanks...Now let's just hope she's home. I doubt she wouldn't be, though-someone has to run the gift shop during the day." "Gift shop?" Tifa's face tilted slowly back, the measurement of her awe growing with every gain in millimeter. Before her was the monstrous cold barricade that separated families and friends and hopes all together. She pressed a shaking hand to the stoic metal, and felt a chill run up her spine as she imagined all the hurt this abomination of human intellect had wrought in the name of 'safety'. She set herself opposite this stark mirror and saw her own situation reflected back at her. "This barrier," Tifa said quietly, her face ashen and strands of hair still damp from the sweat that had stained her skin in her panic. "When will it go down?" Baxter and Henley stood on either side of her, their hands on their hips and pondering expressions on their faces. "Perhaps in an hour or two," Baxter said gravelly, his inhuman gaze shadowed by the behemoth that stood before him. "The city officials also have the authority to override the lock down, but that happening now is unlikely." Tifa bowed her head and let her hand fall back to her side. "What are we going to do? At this rate, we can't look for Yuffie and Lenna, let alone get to Junon Harbor..." Henley thumped a hand on his chest and winked at her. "Never fear my dear! Henley the great is about to put his superb skills to use!" Tifa gave him a bemused stare. "Sorry?" she said with a frown. Baxter crossed his arms and turned to look at the people behind them. The atmosphere was tense and unhappy. They would have to watch their backs. "Henley is a master hacker." the special operative explained. "He can get to the Junon City Control Center and lower the barriers." "But won't that be dangerous?" Tifa asked with a glance at the brown-haired hacker. "Henley-despite his loud mouth-is very good at infiltration. Our only obstacles of course are these barriers to begin with..." Baxter sighed and looked at his male comrade. "We'll have to find a way to get you to the Center and fast." Henley pointed at his leader's pocket. "Check your virtual map...are there any hidden routes we can use?" he asked. Baxter pulled out the device, and with a furtive look at those near them, turned his body again so as to block the view of anyone else. A projection blossomed from the square-shaped pad he held in his hand. "The only route I see is through the official paths used by city police. They've got three entryways in this sector-but I'd imagine they're all guarded both by man and machine." Henley nodded, his normally upturned mouth set in a somber line. "So we have the means, but not the way. We'll be like sitting ducks here..." Baxter sighed and put the electronic device away. "Yes, given our recent encounter, my guess is that either those thugs were incredibly stupid...or knew exactly what they were doing. If the latter is the case, then these barriers serve no problem to them at all." The hardness about his face softened. "...But on that note, there might be other ways around these barriers. Ways that not even the police know of." Tifa rubbed her arm anxiously and looked between her two guardians. "What are we going to do?" she asked in a low voice. She thought of Yuffie, and how they were split by panic and bullets. Her eyes burned and she desperately hoped the ninja was all right. Baxter gestured to Henley. "Check around for any possible ways out of here. I'll look around too. Tifa, stay with me." The other soldier gave a short salute and went off down the street. Tifa turned to Baxter and placed a hand on her hip. "What about Yuffie? And Lenna? Are we going to try and find them?" she asked. "Don't worry about her. She is strong." The man began to walk in the opposite direction Henley went. They skirted a group of arguing men and women. All of them shouted at once so that the fighter couldn't make out what they were saying. She gazed at them with a sense of apprehension and shame. In the worst of moments...was this what most people were reduced to? Where was the underlying strength? The inherent goodness? Was panic and disaster all that was needed to break apart the strongest relationships? Tifa's eyes turned to the ground. Then her eyes flickered up to stare at the muscled back of Baxter, who dutifully searched for any possible hint of a secret passage. She understood what he was doing. He was canceling out places due to reasoning. "This place can't be where its set-patrols go past here all the time, it'd be like popping up into a hornet's nest; this spot isn't it either, an energy conduit is fixed into the wall-wires run all along beneath this road, and the road itself is always damp-it's a hazard; this spot isn't it because the drug addicts infest this area, and while they may not look it, they can be a great risk for blabbing out your secret." The woman tried to do the same but found her mind was much too preoccupied. After a moment, Tifa gave up and looked at Baxter with a searching gaze. "...You don't like her that much, do you? Yuffie I mean." she said, voice slightly raised so as to be heard over the commotion around them. The soldier didn't turn his head. "We really shouldn't waste energy talking about the unimportant." he said flatly. Tifa scowled. "I think its important. I think it matters. We're stuck here until we can get out anyway...just what is it that makes your patience so short with her?" The man paused and looked at her over his shoulder. "I don't know. We can ask her the same thing when we next see her." "Junon's Treasure Chest: Gifts and Things" was a cramped and small store, sandwiched between a deli and a bakery. The front door was always open-even during times like these, as the shop had been opened after Shinra built in the security system. The sign, with its simple font, flickered during the night. Inside, cracked dry wall and a moist odorous scent of mold signaled red flags to those who entered. Only the dimwitted bothered with the store, and the locals knew better than to go near it-but there were always simpletons na‹ve enough to, at the very least, peep inside. The narrow aisles and packed shelves had a devious purpose. An unmindful visitor often found their elbows the cause of shattered novelty figurines such as Cait Sith toys, "Welcome to Junon" snow globes, ceramic choking monkeys, and bootleg remakes of Dio's popular Fat Mog animated coin bank. Unforgiving and malicious, flabbergasted customers were charged ten gil per shattered piece-the more broken, the worse the bill. This issue of business conduct was brought forth with the trade commission at Junon City Hall-unfortunately, with the leave of Shinra, new laws were passed giving more freedom to independent business owners...this included the right to decide compensation for broken merchandise, so long as a sign was posted stating the terms. And there was a sign... Posted at the far back of the store- Behind the store clerk, whose surly gaze cut through the unhealthy swirl of pestilence and ill intent as fools stepped further into what could only be described as a diabolical trap of trade and commerce. On the counter before her sat an untouched bowl of salad and a white plastic spork. Beneath the counter, taped to the underside, was a seven-inch, stainless steel hunting knife (75 off at Hank's Hollowed Hunting Hall!) An animated cat clock ticked dutifully on the adjacent wall. Under it was a pinned piece of paper that had a bar graph and a multitude of chaotic scribblings beneath it-notes and calculations. A slim door was present at the side of it which opened to a staircase that led to the second floor. This space, behind the counter, was simple and clear unlike the rest of the store. From there, she kept watch of this small domain. Audrey Elizabeth Camaron was the queen of a pitiful and decrepit kingdom. At that moment, her emerald eyes-typically given to distempered atrophy-brightened to something more as two women stepped through the open doorway. Morning light lit them from behind. At her counter, she sat up a little straighter on her stool and furrowed her fiery brows. Her slim, able body was a soft bronze by the grace of the sun. Her red hair was a vibrant shade, but dull in shine and plagued by split ends. Her hands were wide, but not long, and strangely thin. There were scars across the palms in the form of 'X' marks, and the knuckles were a deep ruddy shade with dry callouses where the bone was more profoundly seen through the skin. Beneath her bathrobe she wore jean short shorts like Yuffie's, and for a top she had on a baby blue tank top that said in bold print letters, "SCREW BLUE." Her bare, dirty feet were hidden beneath the counter and fiddled with her slippers, which matched her robe perfectly (bought as a set-on sale at Filly's Fashions-one gil only!) Audrey pulled her fuzzy purple star-printed bathrobe closer to her body as her gaze rested on the face of the one who first entered the store. Her lips became thin and her eyelids lowered to a more disdainful position. "Flies. Flies have come into this poor little woman's honest business!" She snarled. Yuffie said nothing in response as she carefully entered the store, arms tucked in and her gait slow and careful. Lenna followed her lead. The ninja had warned her of how the store earned money prior to entering. The female soldier gazed past her companion at the red head at the back of the store. She scowled softly as she took in her appearance. Yuffie crossed her arms as she stopped before Audrey's counter. She tried to appear as calm as possible, but her heart beat hard against her ribs and the feeling reverberated through her lungs-making steady breathing a discomfort. She hated being so nervous about a person, but the girl before her was not ordinary. Their history had not been ordinary. And true to form, the situation they were now in was not ordinary. "Hello, Audrey..." Yuffie said as casually as possible. She brushed a stray strand of hair from her eyes and hooked her thumbs into the belt loops of her pants. "Hullo, oh backstabbing wench of the Western Seas." Audrey returned with a sarcastic salute. "Did you happen to see my brother Otter at'all? The barriers going up made me believe something wonderful happened, but alas...here you are before me." She pointed with a grin at the ninja's injured ear. "I see he didn't entirely miss..." Yuffie's eyes became dangerous slits as she slammed her hand on the counter and leaned forward. "You knew about it!?" she shouted. "You guys planned this the whole time??" "Duh." Audrey said in a mocking, dopey voice. She crossed her eyes and stuck her finger in her ear and made as if she were sharpening a pencil. "It was a simple matter of connecting point A to point B. You and your new flame were in a bind-you needed a place to run to-Junon would be one of the top choices." "But you couldn't have known I would come here." "No, but it was worth setting up for, just the same. Y'know us pirates...sometimes we just need something a little more positive to focus our minds on to keep from sinking into the inky fog of mental malady." Yuffie's body shook and she clenched her fists. Anger burned her veins and incited her muscles to take action. She imagined punching in Audrey's face, along with nuking all her family. Honestly...how could anyone plan something so uncertain? Was their spite and resentment so much that it went that far beyond monetary grudge? No...she had always known that Audrey's anger had been above that. The only way she had cared about money was in hoping she could begin schooling for a more honest trade-but Yuffie had destroyed that. In her anger and avarice she had cast someone innocent into a pit of perpetual greed. This thought eased Yuffie's flare of moral rage into a remorseful state of feeling. She sighed heavily. "Audrey, please..." The girl begged, "Please don't tell me you had any part in that. I don't care about me...okay well, I do...but I care about Tifa more. You didn't actually help in their plans, did you?" Audrey gave her a look and let an irritated noise escape the back of her throat. "Idiot. Would I tell you that? Huh? And even if I said 'no', could you believe me?" she snapped. "Maybe I'm hoping your anger will make you honest. 'A heated tongue speaks without thought or consideration.'" "A Wutanese proverb? Oh my! Listen to the sweet lil' princess, all bloody mature and sagacious. What sort of visage is that to don on, dear? Doesn't suit you. Where's the crass you used to throw about so much? What's this somber lump thats plopped itself before me?" "I want to beg your forgiveness..." Yuffie said, looking away. Lenna crossed her arms behind the girl and raised an eyebrow. Audrey's face went slack. Then without warning she let out an incredulous laugh. "By Ifrit's ear! Did I hear the word 'beg' and 'forgive' just come out of your mouth? In the same sentence? No really, did I??" She let go of her bathrobe so that it fell open again and leaned her elbows onto the counter as she batted her long eyelashes with a dreamy expression. "Oh pinch me, someone..." The teenage ninja grit her teeth and crossed her arms high on her chest. "I'm being honest! I've felt terrible about what I've done! I never took into account how it would affect you! If I'd have known what would happen, I would've done something different-!" "And therein lies your mistake!" Audrey barked, her humor suddenly gone. She picked up her plastic spork and scraped it across the counter surface so that it squeaked loudly against the polish. "It wasn't just how you stabbed me in the back and left me here to take the blame for everything you did-it was the fact that you did that to us to begin with!! That money was for my family, you imbecile. It was for Otter to get braces, and for my cousins to get new clothes, and for my uncle to get his medicine for his heart, and..." the girl trailed away. The spork stopped its noisy trail along the counter. Yuffie felt her throat become tight. "It was for you to go to school, huh...?" she finished quietly. "That...that was supposed to be the last bit of money to send you off to school..." Audrey glared at her. "Well I guess things worked out fine...I got schooling in other things. That idealistic nonsense doesn't mean anything...You know what its like. We do what we must to get on, blah, blah, blah..." The red head said the last bit with a roll of her eyes and her hand puppeting a person talking. The ninja shook her head frantically. "No!" she half-shouted. "No, it wasn't nonsense! You were going to help the Planet and the people and things on it! That isn't meaningless at all!!" "No. Perhaps not. But you want to know what was really meaningless? Us ever being friends. The thought about all those years spent plagued by your presence turns my pretty skin a pale green." Audrey sneered. "And you wanna know what else that was useless? Your ploy to 'save Wutai'. What RUBBISH. Stealing materia and money and things...you were just another flamin' hoodlum. But here, look'it you. Miss Kisaragi got lucky, by the blessing of Leviathan no doubt, and landed in with a band of heroes to save the world with. You got cocky with them, but now you aren't so tough, are you? Not with your lady love caught in the sights of my brother's gun. Pity he missed getting his mark the first time..." Yuffie's face went blank. "You don't mean that. Never in the years that I've known you did you ever wish someone dead, Audrey." "Shows what you know. Did you know hate can do a lot to a person's soul? Problem is, I can't seem to find mine..." Yuffie placed a hand to her forehead. She breathed in deep and resisted the urges that rose in her. The urge to leave. The urge to yell. Terrible demons of thought and consciousness tore at her resolve. "Audrey," she began in a low voice. She raised her head and held out her hand. "I don't know how many more times I can say it. I'm sorry. I'll do whatever it is you want to make up for what I did...and I know this will seem crazy...butI've got a favor to ask." Audrey gave her a deadpan stare. "...You're joking, right?" she said dryly. The teenager's face flushed a deep red as she said through tight lips, "I need your help." The red head didn't say anything for a whole minute. She sat rigid on her stool, her amber eyes wide as they bore a hole into Yuffie's face. Then she spat onto the counter crudely. "You've lost it, princess..." Audrey said as she wiped her mouth with a rough wipe of her arm. Yuffie's eyes took a sharp edge and she pointed an irate finger into Audrey's face. "You irritating low-life!! I'm trying to apologize to you from the deepest place of my heart, and I'm asking you in the name of Alexander to help me out!" The girl leaned forward so that she came a little over the counter and spread her arms wide. "Isn't this what you want!? Me, vulnerable and in your debt?? C'mon, Audrey, I can help you out as much as-!" Audrey jerked back from her, alarmed. "Keep your sapphic gesticulations to yourself, you gormless twat!! I've got a spork and I know how to use it. Hear me?" Yuffie stared at her as she fell back on her heels. "What is your damage!?" she exclaimed. "Well what's yours??" Audrey returned nastily. "Did you really expect this little crook to go skipping off ever so eagerly to aid you out of your predicament? Did a chocobo take a shit in your nutshell? What're you doing here, anyway? Do you want me to kill you? If that's the case, then I'll happily oblige!" Lenna quietly placed a hand on her gun, ready to draw it. Neither girl before her took notice. Yuffie's face turned red. "Look I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, damn it! I'm trying to make peace!" "Peace?" the young pirate scoffed at the word, her eyebrows rising with her incredulity. "Peace she tells me! PEACE!!" Audrey turned around on her stool and leaned backward onto the counter so that her warm locks draped the surface. Some strands slicked into the spit, and Yuffie covered her face in exasperation. The red head stretched her arms up to the ceiling as she shouted, "Oh thanks be to the gods for this great and glorious event!! Yuffie Kisaragi has traversed the globe to make peace!" Audrey twisted around like a rabid mongoose, her hair wild and her gaze equally bestial. "And meanwhile all I want from her is her body in pieces!" "FINE!" Yuffie screamed. She pulled her shirt off in a quick and angry sweep, leaving only her bra, and Audrey almost fell off her chair in alarm. "Wha-what!?" she sputtered as she averted her eyes and turned pink. When she regained herself she spoke in a high pitched voice, "For Ifrit's sake, what do you think you're doing you ingratiating prat!? Have you lost your mind!?" Lenna raised an eyebrow at Yuffie. "Do you really think you should-" Yuffie struck a fist over the center of her chest and shouted angrily at Audrey, "Go on! Get that hunting knife! The one you still keep under that stupid counter! Take a piece! Take two! Take three! Take all of me! Just help us keep Otter from killing Tifa!! Please!!" Yuffie knelt on the floor. "I'm sorry I betrayed you all those years ago! But I was just a kid, I didn't know what I was doing! It took a madman, an evil alien, and an apocalyptic meteor in the sky to get my head out of my ass, okay!? I was a colossal bitch! I've still got problems dealing with people and I've still got skeletons I've gotta kick outta my closet, but I'm asking you out of the deepest and most sincere way a human being could ever possibly manage-help me!" Yuffie bowed and pressed her head to the floor in her native culture's show of respect. Audrey leaned and stared down at her in blatant shock. Lenna rubbed her chin. "You're good at on-the-spot speeches, Yuffie." she said with clear admiration. The red head seemed to suddenly take notice of the soldier, for she snapped her eyes on her and jeered. "Who're you?" The special operative crossed her arms. "I'm her back up." Audrey raised an eyebrow. "I feel sorry for you." Lenna shrugged but didn't say anything in response. The female pirate returned her gaze to Yuffie, who still didn't rise. With grit teeth, she threw her salad bowl at the girl's back. "Get up! Get up! I don't want lesbian residue on my lovely floors!" Yuffie straightened. There was a small circle of dirt on her forehead as she gazed resolutely into Audrey's eyes. "I know you didn't help them make those terrible plans. I know you didn't. It's because you aren't given to that sort of thing. Maybe in a way, you're better than I am because of that. If it were me, I'd be right next to Otter with a gun in hand." In truth, Yuffie was lying. She didn't know whether or not Audrey had helped them or not. Her hopes rested in smoking the other girl out in shock. She knew she was behaving in a startling manner-not many had ever seen Yuffie Kisaragi bow willingly to anyone, let alone say someone was better than she was. But it was by doing this that she hoped to see where Audrey really stood-and to see if this ploy was all just pointless. Audrey picked up a stray lettuce piece and popped it into her mouth. "Someone has to mind the store." She said quietly. She didn't look at Yuffie anymore, but stared off to the side. Yuffie scooted closer to the counter and gazed up, her hopes lifting with the pirate's evasiveness. Audrey never looked away from a person's gaze unless the other person cornered her with a truth and she had no strong lies to stonewall them with. Even when conning others, though it was a bad habit, she couldn't help but do this. "You can leave the store anytime you want." Yuffie said quickly. "I remember. You always closed the store to do other stuff-less important stuff. C'mon Audrey, admit it-you're different from them. A little messed up in the head, sure, but who can blame you considering what you've been through? Didn't I just say I've got my own set of problems?" The ninja stood to her feet and pointed at herself excitedly. "I can help you. I can give you money for school...hell if there's even anything you'd like me to do, then I'll do it! So will you help me? Please?" Audrey tongued her cheek. She looked at Yuffie out the corner of her eye. "You'll do anything?" she asked slowly. Yuffie gave a grim nod, aware that the task may be unsavory. The red head puckered her lips in thought and looked up at the ceiling. She shrugged and took up another stray bit of lettuce from the counter. "Okay. I'll help you. But you give me a hundred thousand gil, AND do me a favor..." The teenager scratched her head. "Two things?" Audrey raised an eyebrow. "Forgiveness is one thing. A favor is another. I can't say you're a friend anymore, so no help is free." Yuffie blinked, then nodded with a dejected expression. "Okay...okay Audrey, that works. Sure." "One last thing." Audrey said with a raised finger. The girl gazed at her, confused. "Huh? What is it?" The pirate's lip curled. She took the lettuce she had and dipped it into the slosh of spit on the counter. She quickly flicked it at the ninja's chest, who dodged it with a startled yell. "Put your flaming shirt back on you lecherous lesbo! If I'm going to help you, you're going to behave just as I see fit-straight and narrow like an arrow!!" Audrey shouted. She gestured at Lenna with a sneer. "And what's with this one? Is she a rug muncher like you? Tell her to stop being so bloody creepy!" Yuffie gave Lenna a dry look after slipping on her shirt again. "That, Audrey, is impossible..." she deadpanned. "Baxter, this is hopeless. There's too many places to look and we haven't got the time." "We've got to find a way. The longer we stay here, the more dangerous it is." "Sir, take a look at this, I bought a flashlight and a transistor radio from this peddler down the street-and there was a man out on his porch doing wood burning craft. The tool is a bit crude, but the wood burner will work all right for fusing wires. If you give me ten minutes I can whip up a decent scrambler to burn the security panels those guards use and we can get inside their private passages." "Great Henley. Do that. Looks like me and Tifa are going to have to secure disguises then." "Secure disguises? You don't mean..." "Let's go, I thought I saw a pair of policemen head down this alley here. Henley, find a quiet place to work. Me and Tifa should be able to handle this alone." "Yes sir." Baxter went off without pause, and Tifa followed him uncertainly. Henley walked to the end of the street where he sat on a stoop and set to begin his work. With a nervous glance behind her, the woman cleared her throat. "Is this really wise? And why would a pair of policemen come down this alley anyway?" She walked carefully on the alley's uneven pavement. Puddles of cloudy water collected in the potholes, and the brick walls, separated only by a few feet, seemed to leer obscene messages at her in the form of fluorescent graffiti. The soldier looked at her. "Would you rather knock them out in full view of civilians?" The woman shook her head. "Ah, no, I just mean-" "It could be that they received a call about some of the thugs we ran into and they're taking a shorter route to the place of conflict." "If that's the case then maybe we shouldn't follow them. We don't want to see those men again, do we? If the police catch them, won't that bring them closer to ending the lock down?" "Or maybe we should take the risk of nothing getting resolved-of their call being about something else, less important? I'm not willing to sit here idly when there's something we can do. These tactics might seem extreme to you, but without the usual assistance we'd get in other missions, we must utilize every opportunity made apparent to us...now please stay quiet, I think we're getting closer." Tifa's lips went thin and she sighed inwardly. Baxter held up his fist as a signal for her to stop and she did so. They ducked behind a large green dumpster and, carefully, both peeped out to see the two police men conversing in hurried whispers to one another on the other side. Tifa frowned. What were they doing? Shlack. The sound of a bullet loading into a chamber made Tifa's heart go cold. Baxter's muscles tensed and he grit his teeth. Overhead, in a fire escape, the wheezing lackey named 'Rotgut' pointed a gleaming semi-automatic pistol into Tifa's face. "'Lo there, pretty flower." He giggled quietly. The dumpster rumbled. Another thug popped open the lid from inside and let out the breath he had been holding. "Ifrit!" He coughed. "That flamin' dumpster was going to be the death of me, mate!" He waved his 9mm pistol through the air as he chased the stench away. Rotgut, with his squinted eyes and flat, pug face, glared at him. "You moron, didn't I tell you the dumpster was no place to hide!?" As he said this the two policemen walked towards them, pistols out. They pointed them at Tifa and Baxter. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, Rotgut." one of them said. Tifa stared up at them in disbelief. The man who spoke smiled at her. He had a fanged, rictus grin. Serpent's eyes flashed beneath the leather bill of a policeman's cap as Otter tilted his head to the side and chuckled deep in his throat. "Miss me, love?" he asked cheekily. "Put your hands up where I can see them!!" They all turned to see Henley, round face strained and covered in sweat as he pointed his gun at Otter. The man in question gave him a lazy grin. "Son, put that away. You're wasting your time," he said. Rotgut pointed his gun at the other soldier. "You heard the man!" he snapped. Baxter's muscles coiled. With a swift upward grab, he seized the wrist of the thug in the dumpster and slammed his arm against the metal. The criminal's hand spasmed and lost grip of the gun. Otter lifted his firearm higher to shoot the blond, a needless motion as his gun had already been trained on the soldier to begin with. His devil-may-cry attitude had been rumpled by the surprise attack, and the pale-gazed operative capitalized on his brief inaction to reach forward and grab his gun arm. With a deft twist of his hand that forced him to release his weapon and a swift kick to the ringleader's exposed flank, Otter fell to the ground on his side. He rolled to his back and gasped as his stolen cap lay crumpled near his head, soaking in a puddle. Baxter returned his attention to his still captive enemy in the dumpster and took his head by the hair. With a grunt he slammed it on the container's edge. The nameless brute fell out of sight. The special operative managed all this within eight seconds. The other thug in the police suit pointed his gun at Baxter with the start of the commotion. Taking advantage of his distraction, Tifa grabbed his gun arm and lifted it so that his side was left open. She punched him square in the ribs with all the force she could muster. Unpleasantly, she thought she felt something snap, but wasn't sure-and for good measure, she decided to flip the man to the ground and twist his pistol from his hand in the same fashion as Baxter did before her. A shot rang out. Henley gazed wide eyed as Rotgut, who had pointed his gun down at the two below him, turned to look at him again in surprise. His bullet barely grazed the criminal's hair. A rotted grin revealed itself as the wheezing man pointed his gun back at the soldier. "Poor shot, boy..." he laughed. Baxter went to reach for his gun, but it was too late. Tifa turned to Henley and screamed in a shrill voice, "Look out!" Another shot. The sharp sound seemed unusually louder, as if fired by their ears. It echoed along the cold, damp bricks and roared in their chests and limbs as if the force of the noise itself was enough to wind them. Baxter's head snapped to Henley, and for a moment his cold, blank face took a look of great dread. "Henley!" he roared, his graveled voice peaking to the highest it could go. Henley stared back at him, his lips pressed tight as he breathed hard through the nostrils. His arms hung at his sides, limp. He blinked sweat from his eyes as he looked at his superior and grinned weakly. "Sorry, sir. I can't handle things too well unless its got a circuit board..." when he spoke, his normally lyrical and energetic voice seemed deflated and weak. Tifa gazed up at Rotgut and reached a hand up to her mouth. Blood dripped through the iron-weave of the fire-escape as the thug's lumpy face pressed against it with lifeless eyes turned downward. Next to her, Baxter held his firearm at the ready and looked around, muscles taut and brow furrowed. Dust fell from above. Slowly, all three companions looked up. Draped in a crimson cloak that lifted with the caprice of the sea wind, their savior holstered his pistol. He stood atop the building opposite of Rotgut's, the tips of his metal plated boots barely peeking over the edge of the precipice. He stared down at Tifa through the locks of his dark mane and his eyes burned like Ifrit's flame. A golden claw revealed itself as it reached up to lower the leather collar that masked the lower part of his face. Tifa swallowed hard. Vincent Valentine crouched down and tilted his head a fraction to the side. "'O' this was a wicked way, to which we had been led. Though happiness was what we sought-to the lions we were fed.'" the dark gunman recited this in a low voice-a voice affected by a ruthless despondency and a malicious underlying tone of bestial fury. He clenched his claw, the metal glinting in the morning light. For a moment, the fighter thought she saw her old teammate smirk. "It would seem true love is in need of help...isn't it, Tifa?" he asked slowly. A/N: The adventure aspect of this story would've come in sooner or later, and while you guys may have seen this particular scenario a mile away, I'd just like to say this...pooh-pooh! Ha, but really, this might be the hardest part of the story to write as there'll be more details to cover...and I haven't got this outlined at all. I've got an idea of where I want it to go, but a lot of this is just spontaneous thinking. Here's the big question I was hoping to hear in the reviews, though: What were your first impressions of Otter and Audrey? The next chapters will have a lot more of them obviously, as well as our spooky pal Vincent. Fluff takes a vacation for a moment in favor of letting in some more action, angst, and a bit of quirky humor. Please don't kill me...I swear you guys will be drowning in the romance soon. I don't claim to know anything about technology or hacking, and I figure I can fib my way through anything Henley does if it sounds technical enough...so if you actually know this stuff and are wondering what the hell I'm talking about, its because I'm a boob and too lazy to bother with the real thing. On that note, I'm also saying now that I'm fibbing my way through law enforcement procedure and general gun stuff. So, nyah.
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