She wasn't at her usual place outside the bridge.  She wasn't
hiding in the bridge itself, and she wasn't even in the chocobo stable.
     Fortunately, for all its size there weren't many places to go on
the Highwind, and Tifa soon found her quarry on the deck, sitting
with her legs dangling over the edge.  The choker was clasped
around Yuffie's neck, despite her original unease about taking it.
     "Hi," she ventured.  "I didn't expect to find you out here."
     There was no response.
     Tifa tried again.  "I bet this whole thing is pretty overwhelming. 
Do you want to talk about it?"
     No response.
     "Well... do you mind if I sit down anyway?  I feel kind of silly
talking to your back."
     This time there was a response - a rather half-hearted shrug - and
Tifa carefully joined Yuffie at the edge of the deck.
     She glanced at the ninja, who was staring at the clouds below.
*Okay,* she thought to herself, *maybe it's time to change tactics.*
     Tifa fished in her pocket a moment, then brought out a small
package, wrapped in bright paper.  "I got you a birthday present,"
she said hopefully.
     No response.
     "It's Contain.  I know we can't know what your actual birthday
is, but this is better than nothing, isn't it?"
     "You think so, do you?"  Yuffie's gaze remained fixed
downward.  "Seventeen years ago today, my own mother decided to
abandon me.  That's no reason to celebrate."
     "You don't know that's what happened.  There are plenty of
good reasons why she might have done what she did..."
     The ninja shrugged.  "All I know is, I've never had a *real*
family because of it.  Godo's really an okay guy, no matter how
many times I rag on him... but he makes a lousy parent."
     Tifa was about to reply, when Yuffie abruptly stood and paced
across the deck.  "And now, because of some stupid prophecy I
never even heard of, I gotta run around and go through this whole
idiotic thing again!  I mean, I never even wanted to go up against
Sephiroth, but with Cloud around, at least it looked like we could
pull through.  Now they're tellin' me, 'Hi, Yuffie.  We need you to
fight these big evil suckers all by yourself.  No, we don't know who
they are or how you can fight them, but please take this little
accessory so we can identify your body after they rip your face off!'" 
She sat down heavily, her forehead in her hands.  "A girl shouldn't
have to save the world more than once before she's eighteen."
     Tifa looked down at the package in her hands.  Yuffie's speech
had been, well, selfish, but understandably so.  "Well... at least
you're not airsick."
     "I'm too pissed off to be sick," Yuffie grumbled.
     "Well, look.  We're on our way to collect everyone, right?  I
wouldn't count the rest of us out just yet.  We're not *total*
wimps."
     Yuffie brightened up a bit.  "Yeah, you're probably right.  Guess
I should just see what happens, huh?"  She looked at the present,
reached out for it... then pulled her hand back.  "If it's all the same
to you, though, I'd rather not take this just now."
     "You sure?"
     "Yeah... just save it for another time, okay?"  She suddenly
grinned.  "If I want it bad enough later, I'll just steal it back."
     Tifa rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help but smile.  She
moved to put the package away...
     A sudden jolt, accompanied by the shriek of torn metal, caused
the Highwind to tilt to starboard, very nearly spilling the two young
women off of the deck.  They quickly got to their feet.  "What the
hell was that?" Yuffie asked, then grabbed onto the railing as the
Highwind was again shaken.  "Are we under attack?"
     "That'd be my guess."  Tifa agreed, looking at the skies around
the airship.  "I don't see the attacker, though..."
     "There!"  Yuffie pointed at a shape soaring into view from the
underside of the Highwind. "It's... a griffin?  This far north?"
     Tifa shook her head as the shape grew closer.  "That's no
griffin."
     And indeed it was not.  Though the creature approaching the
deck sported many griffin-like features - broad eagle-like wings,
sharp foreclaws, and a peacock-like tail - it was humanoid in form. 
And, very obviously, female; only a few patches of feathers kept her
from violating normal codes of decency.
     The woman laughed as she landed on the deck, her wings folding
neatly behind her.  "Well, well, well.  Quite an impressive little toy
you have here.  I hope I didn't damage it too badly; it would be a
shame if you crashed before I had a chance to play with you."
     "Who are you?" Tifa demanded, clenching her glove-glad hands
into tight fists.
     "You won't be alive long enough to repeat it, but you may call
me... Griffin Claw."
     "Yeah, big whoop."  Yuffie circled around a bit, keeping an eye
on the menacing hybrid.  "What do you want with us?"
     The creature smirked evilly at Yuffie.  "Nothing with a scrawny
little thing like you.  I seek the Warrior of Light, and I'm not about
to let you two stand in my way."
     While Yuffie fumed over the 'scrawny' remark, Tifa announced,
"You're wasting your time - we've never heard of any Warrior of
Light."
     "Oh?  But I can sense great power somewhere close by.  And I
went to such trouble to find you... you wouldn't want me to leave
empty-handed, would you?"
     "Trouble?"
     Griffin Claw raised an arm, showing that her talons were streaked
with fresh blood.  "The humans in that quaint little down were quite
stubborn, but after I played with a few of them, they were more than
willing to tell me of the warriors that had just left."  She licked the
red fluid from one talon.  "In gratitude, I only killed three more of
them."
     Tifa's eyes were wide.  "No..."
     "Damn you..."  Yuffie's horror was quickly being replaced with a
white-hot fury.  "There was no reason to do that!"
     The monster laughed.  "Oh, but there was!  Their screams made
such a lovely sound, and the blood shone so brightly..."
     Before Tifa could react, Yuffie had rushed forward with a shout
of rage, an orange aura streaming about her.  "You'll pay for that,
you bitch!  Doom of the..."
     With a lightning-fast move, Griffin Claw reached out and grabbed
Yuffie, lifting her painfully by the head.  She smiled cruelly at the
young ninja as she writhed in her grasp.  "How pathetic."  Noticing
movement out of the corner of her eye, the monster swung Yuffie
over the railing, dangling her over the very long drop.  "I'd stay back
if I were you," she advised Tifa, who had been edging toward her. 
"Otherwise my hand might... just... slip.  Hmm?"
     Yuffie clutched at her wrist.  "I'm... gonna kill you... for
attacking Wutai!"
     The hybrid tightened her grip, making Yuffie cry out in pain. 
"Such spirit.  But you won't have to worry about your village much
longer, or anything else for that matter."  Her gaze returned to Tifa. 
"Now, tell me where the Warrior of Light is, or this one dies!"
     "I told you, we don't..."
     "Out of the way, Tifa," a familiar voice said behind her.  "This
one's mine."
     She turned.  "Cloud!"
     And he was there, standing in the doorway onto the deck, Ultima
Weapon in his hand.  The huge sword gleamed in the sun, and the
materia in its hilt seemed to glow with an internal light.
     Griffin Claw laughed.  "Foolish human!  You are not the one I
seek."
     "Maybe not," he admitted, "But I'm here.  If you want a fight,
take it up with me.  Leave the girl out of it."
     Yuffie struggled in the monster's grip, but a sudden squeeze cut
short her escape attempt.  Griffin Claw turned back to Cloud, a
smirk on her face.  "If you're the best this world has to offer, then it
seems there *is* no Warrior of Light here."  She laughed.  "Oh,
Malice and Despair *will* be pleased."
     "I'm not going to warn you again," Cloud announced.  "Give
Yuffie back, now!"
     "If you insist."
     Tifa, doubting the monster's sincerity, had moved into a position
to catch Yuffie if she was dropped.  She was therefore unable to
prevent it when Griffin Claw pulled Yuffie back over the Highwind's
deck, then *threw* her over Cloud's head, sending the ninja over
the railing and plummeting toward the ground far, far below.
     The ex-SOLDIER ran to the railing just as the screams grew too
faint to hear.  "Yuffie!"
     Another loud, sadistic laugh sounded out.  "Oh, I am *so* glad
that I was chosen for this.  But don't worry - I won't kill you too
quickly.  I intend to have my fun before the game is over."
     "I didn't stop Sephiroth just so an inhuman monster like you
could take his place," Cloud snarled.  He moved in, ready to take his
revenge... when Griffin Claw held up a cautionary finger.
     "Now, now.  Why fight, when we can play?"  Her eyes flashed
with an unholy red light.  "Panther minions," she commanded,
"come forth!"
     The air around Cloud and Tifa seemed to flicker, and suddenly
they were surrounded, as humanoid figures, all black except for pale
blue skin around their mouths and glowing yellow eyes, appeared
around them. They closed in on the two heroes, grinning
menacingly...

     Yuffie ran out of breath halfway through the cloud, which was a
shame.  She *really* wanted to keep screaming.
     *OhgodohgodohodIdon'twannadieIdon'twannaIdon'tWANNA!*
     "Then don't."
     Abruptly time seemed to slow down, though not as such - Yuffie
sensed that, while she was still falling to her death, it was just
taking
a lot longer than she'd expect.
     As the panic slowly faded, she looked around at her misty grey
surroundings.  "Who's there?" she demanded, but silence was her
only reply. *Great.  I thought Cloud was the only one who was
supposed to hear voices in their head...*
     And then she heard it.
     Footsteps.
     In a *cloud*?!
     The indistinct figure walking - yes, walking - toward her through
the fog seemed to be taking its time, but before long it came into full
view, tendrils of vapor clutching at it briefly before dissipating.
     It was a woman.  Specifically, an attractive woman with long
blonde hair, amber eyes, and (to Yuffie's mind) excessively pink
clothing.  She came to a stop a short distance away from the ninja,
standing on nothing, and then smiled.
     "Hello, Yuffie."

     The panther minions were unstoppable. They were easy enough to
knock over, but the problem was that they wouldn't *stay* down. 
Even area-effect spells served as only a temporary measure - when
the spell's effects had faded, the fallen minions just got back up and
resumed their attack.
     And then, unexpectedly, there was an alley between Cloud and
the laughing form of Griffin Claw.  Though cut and wounded in a
dozen places, Cloud was quick to take advantage of the opportunity. 
Rushing forward, he channeled his anger into his greatest Limit
Break.
     The Ultima Weapon slashed into Griffin Claw, staggering the
monstrous hybrid with the force of its repeated blows.  As the
creature retreated across the deck step by step, Cloud leapt into the
air, gathered energy gleaming from the blade of his sword... then
delivered a hugely destructed overhead smash, which knocked
Griffin Claw back to land in a crumpled heap against the railing.
     For a moment silence reigned, the only sound coming from the
wind whistling past the Highwind.  The panther minions ceased their
assault, and all eyes were on the fallen form of their leader.
     Who began to move.
     "Not bad, little human," she admitted, pulling herself to her feet
as the gashes in her skin closed themselves.  "That could have left a
mark."  As Cloud and Tifa watched in shock, Griffin Claw stood tall,
her wings spreading out behind her.  "But now, I think, you've
gotten enough of a warm-up."  She grinned, her eyes blazing in
anticipation.
     "Playtime's over."

     Yuffie could only stare at the woman standing impossibly before
her.  "Are... are you ... an angel?"
     The woman smiled again.  "Some have called me that," she
admitted, "but my name is Honey."
     "Uh-huh."  The ninja peered closer, or at least as closely as she
could while sprawled out in midair.  "Hey... I've seen you before. 
You're the girl I saw when..."  Her hand rose of its own volition and
touched the choker at her neck as she slowly realized that Honey
seemed to be wearing an identical copy of it.  "...when I got this."
     Honey nodded.
     "Then... you must be the One who is Many."  Yuffie breathed a
sigh of relief.  "Man, am I glad I found you.  I knew there had to be
some kind of mistake.  It's not that I don't *wanna* save the world
again, it's just that I have other..."
     She trailed off as Honey shook her head.  "No, Yuffie... I'm
afraid *you* are to be the One who is Many.  You have to take your
rightful place as this world's Warrior of Light, and fight the -"
     "Yeah, yeah, fight the great evil," Yuffie finished sourly.  "Look,
what's so special about this 'great evil' that Cloud and the others
can't fight 'em instead?  I mean, we killed Sephiroth, and he was
almost a god."
     Honey leaned forward to touch Yuffie's temples.  "Let me show
you..."
     ...And suddenly Yuffie saw it, a dark and twisted land.  It was
not unlike Midgar, with its tall buildings and many people, but even
in the vision Yuffie could sense an aura of hopelessness hanging
over the city.
     "This is my home," Honey explained, her voice deepening in
anger and determination.  "A place where my enemy very nearly
won.  Her power comes from the darkness in the human soul, and in
many ways that makes her far more powerful than any mad half-god. 
Only one who is dedicated to and draws her power from the Light
can hope to defeat her."  The vision faded, and Honey looked at
Yuffie seriously.  "You are that person, Yuffie.  If you don't fight,
then this world is doomed."
     Yuffie looked down, decided that doing so was too
disconcerting, and looked up again.  "Um... I dunno if you've
noticed, but I'm... not exactly a paragon of virtue."
     Honey smiled gently.  "But your goodness shines through when it
has to, doesn't it, Yuffie?  You wouldn't have followed the other
down into the Crater if it didn't."
     "What?  Well..."  She crossed her arms defensively.  "I... just...
wanted to make sure they didn't lose all that materia.  Some of it
was rightfully mine, ya know."
     "Of course," Honey said with a giggle.
     The ninja sighed.  "Look, even if I did become this Warrior of
Light - and I'm not sayin' I'm gonna - what am I supposed to do? 
Is there a training manual or something?  Does this necklace thingie
come with a warrantee?"
     "If you have the will to become to One who is Many, the rest will
come naturally.  It's a part of you, Yuffie... and it always has been."
     She considered her options.  She wasn't, as she would be the first
to admit, a hero... at least, not if she could help it.  But what were
the alternatives?  The Planet was already struggling back from the
chaos caused by Sephiroth - it would probably be easy prey for this
new menace.
     A cold wind seemed to take hold of her heart.  The monster that
threw her overboard had known where Wutai was.  Since her
hometown had been mostly unaffected by Meteor, it would most
likely be a juicy prize for the enemy.  And she couldn't, *wouldn't*
allow that to happen.
     "All right," she decided grimly.  "I'm in."
     Honey's smile widened.  "Yuffie..."
     "That is," she added, as seventeen years of selfish impulses made
themselves known, "I'll try it out for a while.  See if I like it. 
Besides, I'll probably end up as a ninja-flavored pancake if I
don't..."
     "You've made the right decision," Honey assured her.  The
blonde woman then leaned forward again, this time placing a gentle
kiss on Yuffie's forehead...

     "Over here!"
     Staniv rushed to Gorky's side just as the horribly wounded
villager gave a final rasping breath.  With a determined scowl, the
weapon master brandished his katana, and a green materia in its hilt
flashed with power.  A moment later, a cherub descended from the
sky and hovered over the body, bathing it in magic.  "Come on,
come on," Staniv muttered...
     And then the dead man coughed, then groaned weakly, his
clothing soaked in blood.  Gorky sighed in relief.  "Well done, my
friend.  I think this is the last one."  He put a potion to the man's
lips, and watched critically as his wounds closed of their own
volition.
     Staniv shook his head.  "Five dead.  The Two have been here less
than a day, and they've already claimed five of us."
     "We can only hope that they don't claim any more.  As Godo
says, we need to have faith in -"
     Gorky stopped as a soft white light began to suffuse his body. 
He held up his hand and watched the light stream away from it. 
"What's this?"  He glanced up, and saw that Staniv was suffering
from the same condition.  "What's going on?"
     "Another attack?"  Staniv gripped his katana.  "I swear I'll -"
     "Be at ease, my friends," Godo said from behind him, the light
rising from his own body as well.  "Might I remind you of the third
verse of the Second Stanza?"
     Gorky blinked in surprise.  "Really?  Then..."
     Godo nodded as the last traces of the white aura separated from
him and gathered in a roiling cloud over his head.  "She's made the
decision.  Whatever happens, it's all up to her now."
     "'And the Five shall pass on the Change, for it truly belongs to
the One who is Many,'" Staniv quoted.  He watched as the wisps of
light swirled in the sky, then sped off toward the east.  A moment
later two other auras joined them from another part of Wutai.  "I
can't say I won't miss it.  It'll take some getting used to, fighting
without our powers of Change."
     "Look at it as an opportunity for growth, my friend," Gorky said
philosophically.  "As the Five Sacred Gods, we should be able to
hold our own, with or without that particular advantage."
     Godo simply stared at the disappearing specks of light. *Take
care, Yuffie.  We may not be related by blood, but I love you as any
father would his daughter.  Don't let me down.*


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