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Final Fantasy VII: Awakening	By : Saan Category: Final Fantasy VII > General Views: 844 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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The group of loosely formed alliances and friends walked through the wooded area outside the prison ward. A large crowd was working its way along the worn brown path. It appeared that they were all heading back into town.

"That's something you don't see everyday?" Tifa said as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Wonder what happened." Yuffie pondered as she paused next to Rude.

Vincent froze and turned to Cid. "Should I even bother to tell you that I don't like this one bit?"

The old pilot ran a finger across his lower lip. "Vince, you worry too much."

The dead man refused to dismiss the gathering as chance. He idled his way over to two females, left Cid, and the others behind.

"�You really think he went back to the shop?"

"Forget that. Do you really think he's a soldier? He didn't seem to want to help anyone."

"Yeah, you're right, Niera. When you're right you're right. That girl seemed to be pretty bad off."

The ex-Turk could not help but overhear the conversation. "May I ask what girl?"

The two women from the renovated materia shop whirled around, frightened by the sudden additional voice of the dead man.

"Hey, we've seen you before!� Eylie smiled.

"Yes." said Niera. "You visited here with Miss Yuffie!�

"We operate the materia shop!�

"Yeah the last time you visited here we ONLY sold clothes and items."

Vincent nodded with disinterest. He could vaguely remember his last visit to Wutai. In actuality, he was trying to forget.

"It wasn't the fault of Godo's daughter. She just wanted to help the poor town flourish the right way�that's all." Eylie offered.

The man in the scarlet cloak refrained from insulting them. "I'm sorry. What girl were you talking about? The one that seemed to be 'bad off'."

The two looked at each other. "Well, since we owe you and your friends." Niera hesitated and looked into the ex-Turk�s red eyes. "Eylie and I think she got shot!� she clasped her hands to her heart. "The poor girl was being dragged away by that damn pig Reno and some lovely hunk of a man."

For a second Vincent could almost swear he saw large red hearts form in both women's eyes.

"He was tall and had long white hair that went down past his�" Eylie's excitement was beginning to overwhelm her as she recalled seeing the man known as Sephiroth for the first time in her life.

Vincent stormed off to rejoin the group. Why was no one else able to see that Reno and Sephiroth could not be trusted? He had witnessed first hand the myriad of faces set forth by the silver haired ex war hero on their journey to Midgar.

"�Hey! Where's he goin'?"

Niera shrugged her shoulders at him. "Forget about it. Let's just see if that guy's back." The girls raced back to their shop.

"Say, Vince, what'd you find out?" Highwind asked.

The little ninja folded her arms in impatience. "Yeah, what did those two cows have to offer?"

Tifa bopped the little one on the head. "Yuffie!�

The little girl grabbed her brow and howled.

Vincent found himself to be less than thrilled with the ongoing string of events. He eyed Rude precariously before voicing his findings. "Leira's been hurt."

Yuffie put her fingers to her lips and gasped.

Rude clenched his fists above his chest. He knew the Elite longer than anyone in the small group did. He knew that something bad must have happened to result in her being wounded.

"She was spotted unconscious in the company of Sephiroth and Reno." Vincent let his eyes shut as his chin lowered.

Everyone's eyes suddenly fell upon Rude. "What�what?! I thought Sephiroth was the bad guy here!"

Vincent raised his forefinger. He was not partial to most people. When it came to the Turks and Shinra in general, his hatred could not have been anymore intense. "As far as I'm�"

A loud beeping went off. Cid looked around stupidly as he fumbled at his right sleeve. "Hang on, hang on�hey, Vince, hold that thought."

Valentine dropped his finger as Cid began to curse.

A black text message had appeared in a tiny panel on Cid's wristwatch. Shera had picked up the silver and gold trinket as a birthday present for his thirty-third birthday, shortly after the fall of Meteor. In spite of the fact that he detested the woman, he could not let good intentions go unrecognized. Besides, it allowed him to monitor his real love. "MY BABY! SHE NEEDS ME!� The blonde haired pilot jiggled his head. "GODDAMN MOTHERFUCKIN'�"

Vincent and the others found themselves relieved that the remnants of Cid Highwind's tirade had become unintelligible.

The grizzled pilot wasted no time. "FIRE?! I'll show those bastards!� His tan work boots dug into the loose brown Wutai soil. The Highwind was in trouble and he aimed to be there.

Vincent found himself torn. The man that provided him with a job as well as room and board was in crisis as well as the woman that he found himself sullenly attracted.

"Don't worry Vin-man! We'll rescue the fair maiden!� Yuffie lifted the first two fingers of her right hand high into the air and balanced herself on her toes.

Vincent felt a headache coming on. Why was he not surprised to hear Yuffie's voice first? Clouded with uncertainty, he could do no more than give in to her offer. "Cid, slow down. I'm sure it's nothing!� he shouted after the exasperated pilot.

"Anyone surprised that the old goat can read show your hands!� Yuffie beamed

Tifa Lockheart kept her annoyance with the girl in check. She tucked herself into the arms of her husband. "Do you think we should follow?"

Rude did not answer. Two of his former coworkers were involved with another situation. He was more interested in his teammates than some malfunctioning old airship. He removed himself from his young wife and stormed off towards town.

Yuffie felt sympathy for the buxom barmaid. She patted Tifa's shoulder. "I guess once a Turk always a Turk�"

The tall brunette beat her fists together. "I don't understand what would make her more important than me�I'm his wife!�

For the first time ever, the boyish youth could not come back with a cheerful quip. "I'm gonna go help him find Leira!� Yuffie gave a small hug to her friend and did her best to catch up with Rude. "If I know Reno as well as I think, I should find her first!�

"But they're with Sephiroth, too." Tifa gave a solemn shrug. She could not bring herself to confront Sephiroth again and the Highwind troubles seemed to have recruited the best people for the job. "I'm going home." Lonely, she too headed back into the business district of Wutai. She and Rude had bought a small house near the main gates to the resort town.

The former owner had been an elderly man and his granddaughter. After he had passed away, the teenage girl had decided to sell. The desire to move onto a new setting coupled with the feelings of the loss of a loved one had become too painful for her to face. The only option she ever entertained was to leave her past behind and look toward a brighter future for herself.

It was Rude that decided to buy Yuffie�s old house, less than one block away, and move Reno into Wutai�much to his wife�s chagrin.

On the other side of the woods Phiphat was overly excited. He skipped up to Godo's temple full of hope and accomplishment. There was good in everyone, even Turks, he reminded himself. He had not followed his teachings of mercy blindly.

After ascending the wooden steps, he pulled on one of the doors and almost forgot to remove his shoes. He galloped back to the porch and removed his sandals. He felt like a child again. His lost uncle and mischievous second cousin would get an honorable burial; nothing could go wrong.

The nightingale floor seemed to chirp of his victory with each carefree footfall. A low wailing sound halted his quickened canter. An aroma of incense wafted through the hallway. Dull flashes of candlelight were emanating from a room further down.

The closer he got the more he became aware of low voices accompanying the wails of�anguish? He quietly peeked around the doorway.

The room was red in color and decorated with several busts of Wutai�s most recognizable deities. What seemed like millions of glowing white candles hung from tiny golden holders. A long cherry wood table was placed in the center. On top of the shiny black grain surface was a young girl with black hair. Her pallid skin matched the sheets placed over her chest. If it had not been for her dark hair, he would have thought the chieftain�s daughter was laid out along the tabletop.

A young boy seated directly across from him wore a shiny blue robe. The Wutai symbol for speed was emblazoned in yellow on his back. The boy had short black hair with a multicolored sweatband wrapped around it. The young monk got the feeling that the boy was an athlete of some sort. Either that or he was conceited.

To the left and right of the child knelt a man in green and a woman in purple and silver. One side of the man's face was visible to him. The same was for the female. Both seemed to be in their mid to late thirties. Phiphat wondered if either of them had a symbol stitched into the robes that they wore. He found himself amused by the similarities in the grayish hair color between the two.

A much older and larger man sat at the girl's head. He wore tiny spectacles above his rounded pudgy nose and a dull gray robe. His full features were available for the youth's perusal. 'He must be someone important. The other three must be of the highest admiration as well.' Phiphat considered.

The four bowed their heads and sat in silence.

"You know, I don't see why that tramp gets more say than any of us here!" the boy in the blue robe's head inched from left to right. "This wench ain't even from around Wutai and she WAS Shinra ta boot!�

The woman with gray hair placed a gentle hand on his knee. "Now, Shake. You know Yuffie is the daughter of our lord. Despite her recklessness, she does mean well."

The man on the left nodded. "We as citizens and spiritual mediums need to show that we are capable of forgiveness. This girl was so young and look at the fate she was dealt. She died while protecting her companions."

"That's what Yuffie told Omni. For all we know, she could've been part of that Reno's harem! How do we know she didn't just trip and fall while shaving off her chest hair?!"

The man with glasses rubbed his chinstrap styled beard. Shake's words were always at their extreme when Yuffie's name was involved. The man known as Gorki had served as Godo's confidant for countless years. He knew of Yuffie's lax behavior just like anyone else. Unlike his youngest counterpart, he knew that patience and understanding were the true way of life. "You need to learn to trust people more. Don't�"

"Yeah, yeah�I know�don't judge a book by its cover�" Shake spewed out.

The woman beside him shielded her face from the juvenile. "Every year he gets worse and worse!�

"Chekohov?" Gorki observed the woman's sarcastic tone and cleaned off his glasses. "Would you like to share anything?"

The man on the other side of Shake stepped up. "It seems odd that Yuffie was suddenly able to overcome her selfish ways. The last thing I would have expected to hear from that girl was a ritual burning�"

"Staniv, people change!� shot Chekohov as she slapped the boy separating them.

Phiphat found himself taking the woman's words to heart. He had indeed learned this same lesson in a short span of hours.

Two heavy hands found themselves placed atop his shoulders. "Oh, so it's you."

The three at the table halted their discussion and glared into the hallway. "Is he a friend of yours, lord Godo?" Chekohov asked patiently.

"I wouldn't say 'friend'." The Wutai head put in. "This boy here," he pushed Phiphat for all to see, "is the one that I've been warning you to look out for."

"The one with the Shinra family?" Staniv looked the boy over.

"You've got some nerve hauling you ugly face in here!� Shake turned his body around and leered at the young monk.

Godo let go of the boy and knelt beside Gorki. "You can stay if you'd like but no word of your family."

Phiphat grudgingly agreed to the invitation and pressed himself into a corner.

"I believe you all know how we will proceed with this ceremony. I'll make this quick. Yuffie wants the body burned and not buried. That friend of hers knows our corpse so that's fine by me."

"Whatever Yuffie wants she gets." Shake spat.

Godo's eyes went wide with mortification.

"That's about the size of it." Staniv smiled.

Phiphat could bear it no longer. "This girl is Shinra! Yuffie's friend is Shinra! How is it you bend the rules for that girl, when I'm in the same boat?!"

"SILENCE!� Godo slammed a fist into the table just missing the leg of the girl's corpse.

"NO!� Phiphat jumped to his feet and stormed over to the table. He tugged at the skirting of his robe with both hands in an attempt to keep himself from hitting anyone. "I'll ignore that you say you only need one person to beatify this child. ONWARD IT'S DONE! NEXT TOPIC�" he pulled his turban off his head and held it to his stomach. "�Lord Godo, I found two people to beatify my uncle and cousin. I only ask that you hear their words and decide for yourself. Your daughter's friend also knows my relatives�"

Chekohov twiddled her thumbs. "People do change�" she stated with a muffled cough. �Most people share the same concerns about honoring the dead."

"Yuffie said." Shake prodded.

Staniv regarded the purple clad monk with a quiet admiration. "The rules were that two people speak for him. If he got them, I don't see why we can't make it a double undertaking."

"Bring them here and I'll make a judgment. You've tried my patience enough today. Get out of my sight." Yuffie's father scoffed.

After replacing his cloth turban Phiphat ambled out of the emperor's home. The leader of Wutai had finally given in. In spite of feeling shaken beyond his usual comfort level, the boy regained his feelings of victory. He need only find the Shinra woman and man, in order to set the spirits of his disgraced family free.

"I've had it!� Sephiroth snapped. A fingertip snaked around the front of the Elite and found its way inches from Reno's nose. "I didn't want to do this but this is the third time you've tripped!�

"Relax, old man, she's still upright isn't she?! �Sides, she stopped that weird hopping."

Sephiroth's head moved from side to side violently. "I can't take being here with you anymore!�

The redheaded Turk kept his tongue in check. He wanted to give Sephiroth the time to continue his rant. The former general did not follow up with words. His eyes squeezed shut in concentration.

Reno felt a cool wind circle them accompanied by a white cloud of dust. The world around him flickered like a television monitor. It shifted from forest to darkness and than to forest and what looked to be the inside of someone's house. "What are you�" He swallowed and suddenly found himself standing in what looked link a living room. "�Doing?"

Sephiroth felt a trickle of sweat race down from his hairline. It had been months since he had used a similar teleportation spell to abduct Cloud from Rocket Town. He was at a loss to recall the last time he had transported two people.

"That's a neat trick!� Although the spell had left him feeling queasy, Reno had to give Sephiroth credit. "We're home! This is my home!�

Sephiroth chomped on his lip. "How the hell did that happen?!" He wanted to scream. The last place he had wanted to be was at the Turk's bordello.
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Final Fantasy VII: Awakening