She laughed as she danced across the clearing, her long silver
hair twining about her and slipping through her fingers.  It was the
laughter born of relief, of the joy that comes from gaining one's
freedom after an eternity of confinement.  The shadows seemed to
dance with her and around her, joining in her ritual of celebration.
     "Despair!"
     Her dance slowed, but didn't cease, as she looked at her
companion.  "Oh, what is it now?"
     "We don't have time for that kind of foolishness.  There's work to
do."
     Despair's smile turned down into a petulant frown.  "Oh, but
Malice... it feels so good!  We've been trapped in that rock for
centuries!"  She twirled in place, running her hands over her body
briefly.  "And this world is so rich with power - I can feel myself
growing stronger by the minute.  You can't tell me you're not glad to
be out yourself.  Besides, you already said that there's no
trace of her - we can afford to take our time."
     Malice scowled.  "Need I remind you why we were sent here?"
     The dance stopped.  "No, Malice."
     "Then have you completed the initial preparations?"
     Despair smiled eagerly and glanced at the shadows.  "Of course. 
There are so many useful subjects here it was hard to choose, but..."
     She realized she was talking to herself - her companion had
already turned away and was staring at the sky.  "This still seems too
easy," Malice said quietly.  "She's the one that trapped us in that
rock, and we know she could have survived this long..."
     "Well, she was wounded during our battle," Despair pointed out. 
"Her injuries might have been fatal."
     "Perhaps..."
     With a mischievous smile, Despair slipped behind Malice and
wrapped her arms around her companion's waist.  "I know how I
could take your mind off her..." she murmured huskily.
     Malice chuckled.  "You have a one-track mind, don't you?" 
Well, why not?  Their minions would take some time to fully mature
- perhaps there was some time to kill, after all. 
     Despair giggled in anticipation as Malice turned around in her
grasp.  "That's it... it's been a long time, hasn't it, my lover?"  She
lowered her head and delivered a kiss between Malice's ample
breasts.  "My sister..."

     Yuffie hurled her Conformer at the 'power demon' form of
Gorky, who barely managed to swoop out of the way in time.  She
caught the weapon as it flew back to her... then a sharp beak
jabbing into her side let her know that she'd taken her eyes off Shake
for too long.  Gritting her teeth, she vaulted backwards, landing
awkwardly on her feet.  Taking a quick drink from an X-Potion, she
tried to regain her bearings.
     She'd made a big mistake in underestimating her opponents.  Oh,
sure, if she'd fought them one by one like last time, it wouldn't have
been any trouble at all.  But now she truly appreciated why the fights
had seemed so simple back then - it was because the Five Gods had
trained as a team, and could cover for each other's weaknesses.  
Already Gorky had managed to cast protective and regenerative
spells over his comrades, and Godo was seriously depleting her
potion supply with his damn spells.  Staniv and Shake were doing a
good job of softening her up for Godo's main attacks, while
Chekhov...
     Where the hell was Chekhov?
     She quickly leapt to the side, but not quickly enough - the
tentacled Magic master had insinuated herself behind Yuffie and
launched onto her back, sinking her fangs into the ninja's neck.  With
a grimace of pain, Yuffie grabbed Chekhov and threw her across the
room, where she slithered to a more secure position behind Godo.
     *Dammit,* Yuffie thought to herself, as she ducked under
Staniv's metal sphere, *I've gotta get rid of one or two of these
twerps before they GP-and-gil me to death!  But how-*
     Her thoughts were interrupted when a miniature black hole
opened up around her.  Falling to her knees, she gasped and tried to
resist, but it was as if a giant fist were clenched around her, trying
to
grind her to jelly.  Finally, as the effects of the Demi3 spell faded,
and she painfully got to her feet.  "All right," she growled softly,
drinking one of her last remaining potions, "I've had just about
enough of this."
     Fight smarter, not stronger.  It was one of Godo's oldest lessons
to her.  If you can out think your opponent, then it doesn't much
matter how powerful they are.  She'd scoffed at the advice before,
but maybe now was the time to put it into effect.
     And she was damn sure she could out think at least one of her
opponents...
     "Hey, Shake!" she called, throwing Conformer at Chekhov to
keep her off-balance.  "I've always wondered something."
     The rabid skeeskee that was Shake peered at her suspiciously,
circling her as he waited for an opening.
     "Everyone else seems to have decent fighting forms," Yuffie
continued, "so why is yours so pathetic?"
     "Skwee?!"
     She ignored his squawk of outrage as she dodged away from
Staniv's weapon.  "I mean, what kind of loser has a stupid *penguin*
for a fighting form?  Are you supposed to make people laugh
themselves into unconsciousness?"
     Shake was beside himself with rage now, but Yuffie was keeping
her eye on Godo. *Come on, Dad... don't let me down...* Aloud,
she said, "Why don't you turn into something more frightening,
like... oh, I don't know, maybe a chocobo, or a toad..."
     Then Godo began moving his arms in a pattern that was, by now,
quite familiar to Yuffie.  *There we go!  It's now or never...*
     "I've got it!" she announced.  "You should turn into a moogle! 
They're way scarier than some idiotic fat penguin, don'tcha think?"
     Shake, maddened beyond rational thought, charged toward her
and pecked at the ninja viciously.  Rather than dodge, however,
Yuffie allowed the attack to strike her, then grabbed onto Shake,
taking a firm grip on his wings.  "Hi there!" she said with a
triumphant grin.  "Wanna see what Trine looks like from the inside?"
     The skeeskee looked over his shoulder at Godo, then frantically
squirmed in Yuffie's grasp.  It was too late, however - Godo's attack
was already in motion, and twin pyramids of crackling electrical
energy surrounded the ninja and her hostage.  Yuffie winced as the
lightning coursed through her, but she concentrated on maintaining
her grip on Shake, and managed to hold on until the magic had
ended.
     She dropped Shake's charbroiled form to the ground and kicked
him aside; he landed in the corner, squawking weakly.  "Okay, that's
one down," she said with a smirk.  "Who's next?"  She looked
around at her opponents...
     ...and her gaze met that of Chekhov.
     She tried to look away, but already the fighting master had
invoked her Stare Down, and Yuffie felt the waves of energy freeze
her in place.  She struggled to break the paralysis, but by the time
the effect wore off, Staniv and Gorky had used the opportunity to
deal a series of powerful blows to her defenseless body.
     Yuffie jumped backwards, finishing off her last X-Potion in
midair. *There goes my margin of error...  I've only got one chance
left.* She looked around at the fighting masters, who were circling
around her, just waiting for a chance to attack. *But I can't get them
all at once!  Not with them spread out like that.  I need to get them
all in front of me...*
     She suddenly grinned.  Yeah.  That'd work.
     When orange waves of energy rippled out from Yuffie's body
and she began to run forward, Godo was surprised.  Greased
Lightning?  She must certainly be desperate to use such a weak
Limit Break against him...  But then she jumped, leaping onto one of
his lower arms and balancing there for a moment.  He swung a
sword at her, and she grabbed that arm, swung her way up to his
shoulder, then leapt again, the force of her jump sending her in a
high arc toward the rafters.  Purple light gathered before her,
growing in intensity as her pent-up anger and inner reserves of
power were carefully released.
     Yuffie smiled to herself - from this angle, she couldn't help but
get them all at once.  With a final surge of energy, she directed the
huge sphere of light downwards, sending it toward her opponents. 
"All Creation!"
     The violet beam of power slammed down on the fighting masters,
surrounding them with its destructive force.  So intense was the
attack that it blasted a hole in the floor of the dojo, carrying
Yuffie's
opponents along with it.  The next level proved equally fragile, and
another huge opening was created.  By the time the energy beam
reached the third floor of the dojo, it was depleted enough that it
only made a large crater in the ancient wood before dispersing.
     A hush fell over the dojo, punctuated only by the creak of
fractured wood and the occasional thud of falling mortar.  Cloud,
still on the top floor, had wisely driven his sword into the wall when
he realized that he would soon have nothing left to stand on; he was
currently holding onto Ragnarok for dear life, and Tifa was in turn
holding onto *him*.  Far below, the fighting masters were sprawled
out in the crater, having returned to their human form automatically
after their defeat.  Godo, half covered in debris, looked up at the
rafters, where Yuffie was grinning cheerfully at him.  "That's coming
out of your allowance," he told her.
     "Yeah, yeah."  She jumped down, landing easily next to him, and
helped him to stand.  "You satisfied now?  Could you *finally* tell
me what the hell's going on?"
     "Very well.  You really have improved since last time."
     She smirked.  "Of course."
     "Then listen closely, as I tell you of the prophecy that has
guided Wutai over four centuries..."

     The Pagoda was older even than Wutai itself, though in ancient
times its guardians did not have such mystic powers.  The 'five
gods' were, in those days, simply highly skilled warriors, each
master of his own particular fighting style.  As hopefuls came to the
Pagoda, seeking to become students under one of the revered
masters, some brought their families with them.  These people
needed a place to live, of course, and over time Wutai was built up
from a collection of poorly-built huts to a thriving community.
     And then, on one moonless night, a great light appeared in the
sky, and delivered a Prophecy to the Five Gods.
     It spoke of a great evil that would threaten to sweep across the
world and enslave its people.  Even the mightiest of warriors would
be able to do little against this unstoppable force.  Only the One who
is Many could save humanity from its dark fate.
     The Five Gods, who were of noble hearts, pledged their lives to
seek out the One who is Many, and the Three that would accompany
her.  In return, the light bestowed upon them the power of Change,
and charged them with the defense of Wutai - when the time of the
prophecy drew nigh, it said, the One and the Three would come out
of Wutai and fulfill their destiny.

     "Jeez, do ya think you could cram a few more cliches into that
story, old man?" Yuffie sneered.
     Godo ignored her.  "Since that time, the Five Gods have
continued to watch over Wutai, passing the secrets of Change to
their successors."
     "Quite an impressive legend," Cloud noted from his seat on a pile
of rubble.
     "Oh, it's no legend, young man," Chekhov told him.  "Part of the
prophecy told of how the evil would come to the Planet: four lights
in the sky, scions of the Planet's Doom, would become one and give
birth to two.  Earlier today, we say four Meteor fragments join
together, as if someone was... moving, *guiding* them, and we
knew that the time of the prophecy had come."
     "Yeah, yeah, so what's all this got to do with me?"  Yuffie
suddenly blinked, then looked at Godo.  "Oh, I get it.  You wanna
retire, and pass your powers on to me, don't you?  Well, sorry, but
I'm not ready to settle down quite yet.  There's still lots of
materia..."
     "No, no, no," Godo interrupted, a bit too hastily.  "No, it's not
that."
     Yuffie looked nonplused.  "Then, what?"
     Godo hesitated a moment, then nodded to Chekhov, who
produced a small wooden box.  "The original Five Gods asked the
light how they would recognize the One who is Many," she said, 
"and were given a vision of something that she would have when she
was found."  She opened the box, revealing what appeared to be a
red silk choker with a heart-shaped medallion attached.  "According
to the ancient scriptures, what they saw looked just like this."
     Yuffie leaned forward, peering at the choker.  "So, you've found
this person already?"
     There was a pause, and she looked up at her father.  He took a
deep breath.  "Yuffie... seventeen years ago... that is, seventeen
years ago *today*..."  He saw her expression begin to cloud up, and
he hurried on.  "We were in the middle of the war with the Shinra. 
We were low on resources, morale was non-existent... well, we were
on the verge of losing despite our efforts.  And then, one night - a
moonless night, as I recall - there was a light above us.  I came out
of the Pagoda to investigate... and that's when I found you."
     Cloud and Tifa looked at Yuffie in surprise - the ninja just looked
angry.  "We had an agreement not to talk about that, old man."
     He held up his hand.  "Hear me out.  You were lying out on the
stones, just crying your head off.  We never did find out how you
got there or where you came from.  The only clues we had were the
cloth you were wrapped in..."  He took the box from Chekhov, and
extended it toward her.  "...and this."
     There was silence for a long moment, then Yuffie reached out
with a shaky hand and took the box.  "You mean..."
     Godo nodded.  "You might call it your birthright."
     She didn't seem able to look away from the choker.  "This... this
is a joke, right?  This is just some stupid birthday prank you're
pulling..."
     "No, Yuffie."  His voice was firm.  "This is why we've been
training you and testing you your whole life.  This is why we held
firm against the Shinra, though it would have been so much easier to
surrender.  This is the final goal of four hundred years of
preparation.  You, Yuffie, are the One who is Many, as set forth in
the prophecy."
     Very slowly, Yuffie reached into the box.  Her fingers touched
the choker, and she had...
     ...a vision of an attractive blonde woman, dressed in unfamiliar
clothing...
     ...which was gone in a heartbeat.  She shook her head as if to
clear it, then noticed that Tifa as looking at her expectantly.  "Huh?"
     "I said, you never told us about being... found."
     "What?  Oh... yeah.  It's... not something I like to talk about." 
A
bit of her normal self came back to her, and she grinned.  "I don't
think there's anyone desperate enough to shack up with this old
geezer."
     Godo scowled at her as she carefully picked up the choker. 
"Don't make me regret doing this, girl."
     She regarded the medallion.  "Look... this is just a bit too much
to take in.  I mean, if I'm this 'One who is Many', what am I
supposed to do?"
     "We don't know," Gorky said simply.
     Yuffie stared at him.  "Say what?"
     "If the light told our predecessors what the One is capable of,"
Chekhov explained, "they did not bother to write it down.  All we
know is that she - that is to say, *you* - are the only one that can
face the great evil that even now is building on the Planet."
     "Oh, come on.  You don't have *any* idea?"
     Godo shook his head.  "None at all."

     "What's wrong, Malice?"
     The red-clothed woman frowned in concentration.  "I sensed
something.  It didn't last long, but for a moment there was great
power in this world."
     Her sister stretched languorously.  "Oh, this world is rich with
power.  If it's there, we'll just take it for ourselves."
     "But it is a power that can be used against us, as well."
     "By who?  These humans are like the ones back home -
meddlesome, but hardly more than an annoyance.  And if *she* isn't
around, then there's nothing that can stand in our way."
     "That is true."  Her gaze turned to the skies.  "But, still..."
     Her sister moved behind her again.  "If it makes you feel better,"
Despair purred in her ear, "we can send someone to investigate,
maybe kill a few humans.  It should be good for a laugh, anyway."
    Malice chuckled.  "Yes, that does sound amusing."  She glanced
at a figure lingering in the shadows.  "Go to the southwest and see
what you can find.  If anyone resists you, kill them."  She smiled a
wicked smile.  "Painfully."
     "I obey."  The figure vanished, and there was a rustling in the
trees above them.
     "See?  That wasn't so hard, was it?"
     "Perhaps I am worrying over nothing," Malice admitted.
     "And just think of it.  Even if she did survive, we're much more
powerful now than we ever were.  She doesn't have a prayer."


     "I still have my doubts about all this, Godo."
     The fighting master chuckled.  "Why am I not surprised, Shake?"
     "I mean, if she's the One who is Many, don't you think she
would've grown up to be... I don't know, nicer, maybe?"
     It was some time later now, and the Five Gods were again
engaged in a clean-up activity, this time removing the rubble from
the Pagoda.
     "He has a point, Godo," Gorky observed.  "I would have
expected the One to be more like that Aeris girl.  She seemed sweet
and caring and generous... not to put too fine a point on it, but she
was everything that Yuffie is not."
     Godo looked at his friends with an amused smile.  "Have a little
faith, you two.  The prophecy hasn't led us wrong yet, and I'm sure
that there's a reason for Yuffie's... lack of virtue."
     "I hope you're right," Staniv grumbled.  "It'd be a shame if we
gave the medallion to the wrong person..."
     There was suddenly the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and one
of the villagers burst into view, panting for breath.  He only offered
the ruined Pagoda a brief glance before turning to its master. 
"Godo, come quickly!"
     He straightened up.  "What is it?  What's the matter?"
     "We've been attacked!  Some monster, like we've never seen
before, landed downtown and started asking questions.  Then it
started killing people..."
     The fighting masters gasped, and Godo's face became set in an
expression of grim resolve.  "So it's begun already.  May Da-Chao
look after my daughter, for her burden is a heavy one."  He turned
to the others.  "Quickly, bring the Phoenix Down and Revive
materia!  We may still be able to save some of them!"



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