It had been three days since Meteor.  The world had been saved again, thanks to the
efforts of AVALANCHE.  It had been raining constantly ever since, as the barrier of solid ice
above them melted.  The entire team, along with the rest of Rocket Town, had been staying in
the Shanghai Hotel, since it was the only building in town that wasn't severely damaged in the
quake.  AVALANCHE was also staying here, occupying most of the second floor.  Right now,
they were occupying the bar just outside of the lobby.
     Shera walked into the bar, and headed right for Cid.  "Captain, I have news."
     Reno and Rude both looked up.  The only time that Shera called Cid "Captain" was when
he didn't want to hear what she had to tell him.
     "What is it, Shera?" he asked, knowing what was probably in store.
     "They've searched the whole area around the Forgotten City.  I'm sorry, but there was no
sign of James, or his body, anywhere."
     Everyone in the bar, upon hearing this news, bowed their heads in sadness.  All except
Cid, that is.
     "Well tell 'em to keep lookin', dammit!  He's gotta be there somewhere!"
     Reno stood up.  "I'm going out.  Call me if you need me," he said, as he walked out of the
bar, grabbed a dark-blue raincoat, and trudged out into the downpour.
     Reno stood on the front porch of the hotel while the attendant brought Jim's Cuda around
for him.  He climbed into the driver's seat, and slammed the door.  He slowly drove away from
the hotel, and picked his way along what few undamaged streets there were, and parked the car
in an alley.  He shut down the motor, and sat there in the rain.  He listened to the rain pound
down on the roof and windows, and watched as each droplet splattered on the windshield, and
lingered for a fraction of a second, before the wipers cleaned the window of the water, and then
watched it all over again.  His mind was lost in thought.  He thought back to what Jim said in
Junon to him.  'It wasn't a total act,' he thought.  'Some of it was true, just a little bit.  I have been
fighting for all the wrong reasons.  But why did it take this to realize it?  Someone is dead. 
Someone who, for some reason, actually trusted me without reservation.  Dammit!'  He banged
his fist on the steering wheel, and honked the horn.  Then he leaned back in the seat, and tried to
meditate.
     Yuffie, on the other hand, was trying her best to carry on as usual.
     "Yuffie, don't you want to talk about it?" asked an annoyed Tifa.
     "Talk about what?  There's nothing to talk about, except why you haven't given me all
your materia yet, like you should have!" said a too-cheery Yuffie, whilst hanging from a light
fixture on the cieling.
     "Yuffie, get down from there before you hurt yourself," admonished Shera.
     "I know what I'm doing!  I'm a descendant of the greatest Shinobi!  I can do anything I
please!"
     "Yuffie, come on, you're acting like a brat again.  This isn't healthy for you to act like
this," said Vincent.
     "It's only unhealthy if I fall."  At that moment, a loud burst of thunder shook the whole
building, and made everyone in the room jump, including Yuffie.  Unfortunately, she let go of
the chandelier, and crashed to the floor.
     "Like you said," said Elena.  "Only unhealthy if you fall."
     "Shut up!  My hand slipped."
     "Now will you talk about this like a grown woman, or will you continue to act like a
child?" asked Shera.
     Yuffie, her reserve finally running dry, plopped down on the couch, and buried her face
in her hands, crying.  Tifa and Shera both walked over and sat down next to her, attempting to
console the young woman.
     "It's all right to cry, Yuffie.  You don't have to be strong for anyone," said Tifa.
     "Tifa?" asked Yuffie,"Was this what it felt like when Cloud--"
     Tifa nodded her head, the memories coming back to her.  "When Cloud disappeared, I
didn't know what to do.  I felt helpless, and alone.  Like I didn't have a friend in the universe."
     "Do you think he might be in the Lifestream?" she asked.
     "It's a very real possibility," said Vincent.  "That is what happened to Cloud.  And if he
was in the Lifestream, there is a good chance he may survive.  The only problem lies in where he
will turn up."
     "I know. . .but what if--what if he never comes back?"
     "Don't think like that, Yuffie.  It's only going to make you worry more," said Nanaki.

     Reno sat still in the car.  It had gotten cold.  Very cold.  He turned the heater back on to
try to warm up the car.  To Reno's disappointment, the extensive modifications Jim had made to
the car had not included a better heater.  It had been running at full blast for the past several
minutes, and all that blew from the vents was cold air.  Reno finally shut it off in frustration.
     He closed his eyes, and rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to stay awake.  He gave up on
trying to stay awake, and fell asleep.

     Jim had no idea what had happened to him, or where he was. He guessed he was back in
the Lifestream, but he didn't know for sure.  'Where is Aeris?' he thought.  'Maybe she can help
me.'
     As before, his vision cleared up, and this time, he was in a room with grey walls, and
doorways on three of them.  Standing next to each of them was a younger version of Jim.  One
that didn't look much older than nine, another from when he was a teenager, and yet another
from just a couple of years ago.  He walked toward the nine-year-old.
     "An innocent youth, subject to terrible pain. . ." said the youth, and he walked inside the
doorway.  Jim followed him, to realize it was his past. 
     He was only nine, and he remembered it as though it happened yesterday.  As his younger
self stood outside the funeral home, men and women from all walks of life filed inside, all
wearing black.  The youth solemnly went inside.  The older James knew what the plaque on the
wall said by rote, but he read it, anyway.

Today
Room One
Sandra Robinson, 34

     His mother.  He remembered, just a few days before, they had gotten into a fight.  He was
very angry at her, and she was mad at him.  He didn't know if she had forgave him for what he
had said, and now he would never know.  He heard footsteps behind him.
     "Hey there, Jimmy.  How do you feel?" asked the burly man behind him.  He turned, and
it was his uncle, Ronnie.
     "Hi Uncle Ronnie.  OK, I guess," replied Jim.
     "Shame what happened to your mom.  She was a great old gal," he said, smiling in
reminiscence."
     "Yeah, I guess so."
     "Come on, li'l buddy.  Let's go inside, before you catch cold."
     The two of them walked inside the funeral parlor, and all conversation stopped, as
everyone turned to see who had come in.  Then conversations started back where they had left
off.
     But this time, James heard things that Jimmy never did.  He heard two of his aunts
quietly talking in one corner.
     "I heard she got into a fight with little Jimmy just a couple days before it happened," said
one.
     "Yeah, but you know her, she could never stay mad at him for longer than a few hours,"
said the other.
     "I know what you mean, Diane.  She loved him very much.  She never could stay mad at
anyone for long."
     James felt some relief from hearing this.  He still harbored some guilt from that one
stupid argument all those years ago.  Now that he knew she laid peacefully, without regrets, he
could be a little happier.  There was a blinding flash of light.  When the glare dropped down, he
was back in the main room.  He walked toward the second door.
     "A lovestruck kid, waiting for the right moment."
     The teenage Jim walked through the glass doors, and James followed.  Instantly, he was
back in his old high school, Cherokee Ravine.  He was standing behind his adolescent alter-ego,
who was picking at his mystery meat.
     "So what do you think it is, Jimbo?" asked a friend.
     "I dunno.  Probably last month's leftovers," responded Jim.  "And stop calling me Jimbo,
Wally."
     "I told you, call me--woah, look at that!" said Wally.
     "You want me to call you 'Woah, look at that'?  Kinda strange, but if you insist--"
     "No, moron, look at THAT," said Wally, as he physically pointed Jim's head in the
direction he was looking.  "Check out the new babe!  She's gotta be a 9, at least!"
     "Is that all you care about are looks?" asked Jim.
     "What else is there?" responded Wally.
     "She ain't gonna look like that for her whole life."
     "Yeah, well, she looks like that now, and that's all that counts!  Excuse me for a
moment."  Wally got up from the table to introduce himself to the new arrival.
     "Idiot.  When is he gonna learn that whole 'macho man' thing went outta style before he
was born?" Jim said to himself, as he watched Wally make some gesture, and get slapped in the
face.  Hard.  People around Wally started laughing, and even Jim forgave himself a snicker or
two.  Wally came back to the table, with a handprint on one cheek.
     "Looks like she's smart, too.  First day, and she's already figured out not to go near you."
     "Shut up, Jimbo."
     'Yeah,' thought young Jim, 'that's the girl I'm gonna marry.  I can tell, right now.'  "Hey,
Wally?"
     "Stop calling me that, dillwad!  Whaddaya want?" he asked, annoyed.
     "What's her name?"
     "Angela, why?"
     'It fits her perfectly,' he thought.  "That's a woman I can see myself growing old with, my
friend."
     "Yeah, right.  If the Ultimate Ladies' Man can't get a date, what makes you think you
have a chance?"
     "Last I checked, you weren't exactly God's gift to women."
     "I am, she just doesn't realize it yet."
     "Well, I guess you have a point.  I never did have much luck with girls.  And none of
them were half as good-looking as her.  She's probably a stuck-up, snotty little bitch.  But she
still turned you down, so I guess that means she has morals."
     Walter smacked Jim upside the head.  'I'm gonna try anyway.  If she's got the brains to
turn down Tweedledee over here, I have to have at least a shot.'  Jim got up from his seat, and
walked over to the table. A flash of blinding white light once again overtook the room.  
     "She was your dream girl, wasn't she?" said the teenage Jim.
     "Yeah, she was."
     The main room came back into view.  Jim walked up to the final copy of himself, this
one only a few years his junior.  "A tragic nightmare, and a fate worse than death."
     They both walked through the door, and found themselves on the side of a major
highway.  Jim saw his Barracuda, smashed against a telephone pole.  Out of the corner of his
eye, he saw two paramedics wheeling a stretcher into an ambulance.  He knew who it was under
the sheet.  All too well.  Tears once again began welling up in his eyes as the scene unfolded.
     "Oh my God, Angela!  No, please, someone tell me she'll be all right!  We were supposed
to be married soon!  This cannot be happening.  Things were going so well for me, finally.  I just
got the Cuda fixed up, I got a great job, I was gonna be married, for God's sake, this can't happen
now!" ranted a near-delierious Jim, as he stared at the accident.  This time, though, he had the
opportunity to more closely examine the scene of the wreck.  He walked around to the right side
of the car, to the tire that had blown, and caused this whole mess.  There was no nail anywhere
to be found, as he was told there was.  The tire itself was defective.  The tread was, for the most
part, intact.  The sidewalls, however, were highly defective, as he could see all the defects along
the insides of the sidewall.  He heard the police talking behind him.
     "Poor girl probably never knew what was going on until it was too late," said the first
cop.
     "Looks like she just hit a nail or something," said the second cop.
     "Nah, these are them new-fangled self-sealing tires.  If she hit a nail, nothin' would have
happened."
     "Then how'd this happen?"
     "Beats me."
     "We'll just say she hit a nail.  This guy'll never know the difference anyway."
     "Yeah, you're probably right.  I think you should tell him, though.  He looks a little
unstable to me."
     "No way, you tell him."
     The scene once again flashed blinding white, but this time, they reappeared in the
autopsy ward at the hospital.
     "I think we can rule out carbon-monoxide poisoning as a cause of death," said the first
doctor.
     'What the hell are they talking about?  She died when her head hit the windshield, not
from CO poisoning,' James thought.
     "Look at the shape of these valves here in the heart.  They're malformed," said the second
doctor.
     "You think she had a heart seizure?"
     "I think it's a possibility.  When the tire blew, she may have panicked, and the stress may
have been enough to overtax her heart.  That is the most likely cause."
     "I agree with you.  I think we can use that as a cause."
     Jim and his alter-ego walked out of the autopsy room, and back into that first grey room.
     "That doesn't help much," said Jim.
     "Don't you see?  If this had not happened when it did, it would have happened anyway. 
Probably pretty soon after you two got hitched.  And this proves beyond a doubt that the accident
was not your fault.  If it's anyone's fault, it's Firestone.  They're the ones who made the defective
tire that caused this whole mess," said the young Jim.  "Now please, let this go.  You can't leave
until you pull your sorry ass together!"
          Jim looked at himself in contempt, but said nothing.  He was thinking over all he had
seen.  Already, he felt as though a weight had been lifted from him.  But still...
     'Forget it Jim.  When are you gonna realize that none of that was your fault?  Snap out of
it, ya jagoff!'
     Jim cleared his head of the arguing voices.  Then he made up his mind, and let go. 
Slowly, the room went white again, its brilliance even more blinding than before.

     Reno woke up with a start.  He glanced at his watch.  It was only three in the afternoon,
but the few streetlights not damaged in the quake were already on.  He started up the Cuda, and
slowly drove back to the hotel.  He jumped out, and ran into the hotel.  He spent five seconds
exposed to the elements, and he looked like he had fallen in the ocean.
     "Reno?  Where the hell have you been?  I was worried about you," said Elena.
     "Reno?  You look like a drowned rat," said Cait Sith.
     "Shut up, cat.  I was thinking."
     "About what, Reno?" asked Elena.
     "Stuff."
     "Like what?" she prodded.
     "Jim, mainly.  Other stuff, too."  He hurried up the stairs to his room and shut the door.
     "Hm," huffed Elena.  She walked back to the bar, where she found Rude sitting at the
bar, a shot of whiskey in his hand.
     "How many is that for you?" she asked.
     "That's his first one.  He's been starin' at it for an hour," said the bartender.
     "That's a change," cracked Elena.
     "Please, Elena.  Leave me alone," said Rude, a tone of dejection in his voice.
          The sound of a cellular phone echoed through the silent bar.  Rude and Elena both took
out their phones.  "It's mine," said Elena.  "Hello?  This is she.  You what?  Where?  He's what? 
Oh my god...we'll be right there!" yelled Elena, as she hung up the phone.  "They found him! 
He's in Neomidgar, but he's in pretty bad shape.  He's in the hospital."
     "How will we go to him?  It's too far to walk, and we don't have the Highwind anymore."
     "There's always Jim's car."
     "Yeah, but we don't know how to drive it.  Why don't we call Reeve, and have him send
down a couple choppers?"
     "Maybe we should tell the others first," said Elena, running up the stairs.
     She burst into Yuffie's room.  "I have some great news, and some not-so-great news."
     "What's the not-so-great news?" asked Tifa.
     "Well, the great news is that they found Jim, and he's alive!" she beamed.
     A cheer went up from the entire room.  Yuffie began sobbing again, this time tears of
joy.  "Thank Da-Chao he's all right," she said, in between sobs.
     "Uhh, that's the not-so-great news.  He's not doing well.  They found him on the beach,
and he was pretty sick.  He's in a coma, at the hospital."
     The cheers and hollers quickly silenced.  "Reeve wants us to come down to see him."
     "How?" said Tifa.  "We can't all fit in his car."
     "And the Highwind is destroyed," said Shera.
     "We could rent a van or something," said Tifa.
     "Who would drive it?" said Rude.
     "I will," said Tifa.
     "You know how to drive?" asked Rude.
     "Of course.  I beat some of Shinra's finest when we were running away from you guys
when you captured us ten years ago."
     "She does have a point," said Elena.
     Shera left the room to tell the rest of the group the good news.  She walked into the room
to find Cloud and Cid sitting on opposite sides of the bed, just staring at each other.
     "Am I interrupting something?" she asked.
     Cloud turned to face Shera, and Cid laughed at him. "Ha!  You lose!  I told you I could
beat you!"
     "Not fair.  Shera came in."
     "No, no, don't try to cop out with that. Pay up. Come on, you owe me a hundred gil!"
     "What is going on here?" asked Shera.
     "We got bored waitin' around, so I told him I could beat him in a staring contest.  He said
no way, so I bet him a hundred gil he couldn't beat me.  Oh, and Shera?  I'll be able to get you
that nice new dress you wanted.  If Cloud here has the cahoneys to pay up."
     Shera couldn't help but laugh.  "So this is what you boys do when you're off saving the
world?" she asked, barely holding in the laughter.
     "Sort of," said Cloud.  "Is there something you needed?"
     "Yes.  They found Jim.  He's in a hospital in Neomidgar now.  Reeve wants us to come."
     "Are you serious?  Come on, let's go!  Wait a second.  How are we gonna get there? 
We'll never fit in the Cuda, and, well, the Highwind is in no condition to fly," said Cid.
     "Tifa is going to drive a van," said Shera.
     "Well, then, what are we still sitting around here for?  Let's go get him!" yelled Cid, as he ran
down the hall.  Cloud followed, and Shera went with him.
     Tifa had just gotten off the phone with the rental company when Cid came down.  "The
van will be here in a few minutes.  We can leave soon.  Get everyone ready."
     Within a few minutes, the van had pulled up to the front of the hotel, and they all
climbed in and drove off for Neomidgar.
     "I hope Jim's all right," said Yuffie, who had taken the front passenger seat.
     Tifa glanced over at her for a moment, then turned back to the road, saying nothing.  'Just
like ten years ago,' she thought.  'This ride will be never-ending for her.'
     Yuffie continued to stare out the window, watching the rain cover everything in sight. 
The sparkle gone from her brown eyes, the smile vanished from her tear-streaked face.
     Cid had chosen a seat in the rear of the van, and he was also looking out the window at
what passing scenery he could see.  As he looked out onto the ocean.  He thought back to a day,
some eight years ago.  He was the first man to fly solo in space, and he loved every minute of it. 
When he was up in the atmosphere, he could see the whole world, and it was absolutely
breathtaking.  'What a sight it must have been to see Meteor repelled by the Lifestream from
space,' he thought.
     "Cid?"
     "Yes, Shera?" responded Cid.
     "You know what this reminds me of?" she asked.
     "What's that?"
     "The day we got married.  Remember how it wouldn't stop pouring?  We had to bring the
whole wedding party indoors.  I remember the look on your face," she said.
     "Yeah," said Cloud.  "You looked like a drowned rat."
     The group had a good chuckle at that memory, then fell silent.  The only noises to be heard
were the rain falling hard upon the van's roof, and the soft drone of vehicle's motor, as it rolled
down the choppy road
     The ride passed slowly, the seven hour trip seemingly taking days.  When they finally got
inside the Neomidgar city limits, the whole group was tired and fatigued from the trip.  They
pulled into the parking lot of Neomidgar Memorial Hospital, and emptied out of the van in a
hurry, running into the lobby.  Reeve was waiting for them there.
     "I wish we could be meeting under a brighter situation," said the short man.  "I'm sure
you want to see your friend.  This way." He led the group upstairs, to the intensive care unit. 
There lay James, connected to a large array of life-support devices and monitors, watching his
every breath, checking and re-checking everything, to make sure nothing falls out of the delicate
balance that keeps him alive.
     Tifa gasped, and Yuffie nearly burst into tears.  Shera just looked away, while everyone
else but Cid bowed their heads.
     "I'm afraid he is comatose.  Medical technology has advanced a great deal in the past ten
years, but unfortunately, the area of Mako poisoning is still a difficult one. We have purged most
of the Mako energy from him, but there is still quite a lot left.  The amount that Hojo infused in
his cells will never be removed."
     "Is he gonna be OK?" asked Yuffie, tears welling up in her eyes.
     "Yeah, he's gonna be fine, kid," he said, not very convincngly.
     "You'd better go.  He will need rest.  There is nothing you can do for him now.  All you
can do is wait."
     "There has to be something?  Can't you just give him a pill or something and he'll be all
better?" Yuffie pleaded.
     "Yuffie, I'm an executive, not a doctor.  And no, there is no magic pill.  Not even a
Fullcure materia could help him now."
     "Oh...Can I have a few minutes?" she asked.
     An orderly walked up to them.  "Visiting hours are over.  You all have to leave," he said,
blocking the hallway.  The group turned, and started to walk out of the building. 
     "You can stay in the Neo-Arms Hotel tonight.  I own it, so there shouldn't be any
trouble," said Reeve.  "It's the least I can do for you all."
     "Thank you," said Tifa.  Cloud nodded in agreement, and the group left the hospital,
piled in the rental van, and drove through the downpour to the hotel.  They all went up to their
assigned rooms, and quickly fell asleep.

     It was still raining hard that night, when a small, black-clad figure stealthily crept into
the room where Tifa was sleeping.  It paused by the wall, making sure that all occupants of the
room were fast asleep.  Yuffie took off the mask she was wearing, and tucked it under her belt,
as she looked around the corner.  Tifa stirred in her sleep, and Yuffie quickly ducked back
behind the wall, her heart pounding.  Once she was positive it was still safe to continue, she once
again began to tip-toe across the dark room, heading for the nightstand.  As her gloved hand
reached out to pluck the keys to the van, she spotted Vincent on the chair by the window.  At
first, he appeared to be asleep.  In fact, he was wide-awake, his crimson eyes meeting hers.  She
cursed herself for not being more observant.  Vincent did not get up, instead choosing to watch
what Yuffie did with an eagle eye.  She knelt on the floor, frozen in place, like a deer caught in
the headlights of an oncoming truck.  Then she regained her composure, silently snatched the
keys, and slowly crept back out of the room, softly closing the door behind her.  Once the door
was closed, she abandoned most attempts for silence, and bolted down the hallway, her waraji
sandals masking her footfalls from most ears.  As she turned a corner to head for the elevators,
she literally ran right into Vincent, who was blocking most of the narrow hallway.  Yuffie was
knocked on her backside from the impact, while Vincent simply stepped backward.
     "Where are you going?" he asked.
     "None of your stupid business.  Now get outta my way!"
     "Why should I?" he asked.
     "Cuz I'll kick your ass if you don't.  Now let me through," she whined.
     "Very well.  If he wakes up, have the decency to call us," said Vincent, as he walked back
to the room.  Yuffie made her way down to the lobby, which was vacant, and ran outside in the
pouring rain to the van.  She started it up and tore out of the parking lot, heading for the hospital.
     She parked the van about half a block from the hospital entrance, choosing to walk the
remaining distance.  She walked carefully into an alley next to the hospital, remembering where
in the hospital Jim's room was.  She pulled a grappling gun from her belt, and fired a piton
almost straight up, landing it with perfect aim on the roof.  She pulled on it hard, to make sure it
was secure, then cliipped the gun to her belt, and slowly ascended the side of the building.  The
surface was slippery, and she nearly lost her grip twice on her way to the fourth floor.
     By the time she got there, she was exhausted, and thouroughly soaked.  She wasn't sure if
her heart was pounding from the exertion it took for the climb, or from the excitement of
returning to the ways of her ancestors.  'Dad would be proud of me, if he could see me now,' she
thought, briefly letting her mind wander off to thoughts of her deceased father.  'I can reminisce
all I want when I'm done.  Right now, I've gotta get into this hospital.'  She looked around the
bottom of the fourth story window, feeling for the small ridge in the sill the window washers
used to open the windows, so they could get inside.  She found it, and slowly swung the window
outward.  She cut the screen with her knife, and climbed inside.
     The whole room was pitch-dark, save for the lights on the monitoring equipment, the
only sounds being the soft beeping of an EKG, and Yuffie's own rapid breathing.  She tip-toed
over to the bedside, and sat on a chair.  She looked at him, and thought about how a few months
ago, she was the one in bed, with him watching over her.  Until then, she had always taken care
of herself.  That was just how she was raised.  She had never really had anyone to care for her. 
Her mother had died giving birth to her, and her father, though a good man, wasn't very good at
being a caring parent.  Still, she loved them both, even though she never really knew either of
them.
     "You put your life on the line for all of us.  We could never repay you for what you have
done.  All the lives in the world mean nothing if you don't pull through this.  You've got to come
back to us, Jim.  We need you...I need you..." she whispered, still taking care not to be heard. 
She lightly grasped his hand, as a tear fell from her eye.  "Please, wake up...Da-Chao, help my
friend.  He's in trouble..please help him."  She stood up.  She was soaked from head to toe, and a
puddle of water had begun to collect at her feet.  Her teeth were chattering, and she was
shivering all over.  She grabbed a blanket from another bed in the room and wrapped it around
her small frame.  She leaned over, and kissed Jim lightly on the cheek.  Then she tossed the
blanket loosely on the bed, and sat back in the chair.  She took a closer look around the room,
and found Jim's clothes piled on a chair across the room. She took the clothes, peeled her skin-
tight black suit off, and replaced it with Jim's T-shirt and jeans.  'God, I never realized how much
bigger he is than me,' she thought, as she put on Jim's blue jeans.  The tips of Yuffie's toes barely
made it out the bottom, and she had to cinch the belt tightly around her waist to keep them from
falling down, but they were dry.  She rolled up the pant legs, and tucked in the shirt.  'I still look
like a sack of potatoes, but at least I'm dry.'  She hung her clothes up on the closet door, and sat
back down in the chair.  "I remember when you took care of me when I got hurt," she said to
Jim.  "Now it's my turn to take care of you."
     Outside, the rain began to slacken as Yuffie stood guard by Jim, staying up the entire
night.  Morning came, and Yuffie was still standing straight up, wide awake, in silent vigil.  An
orderly walked into the room, and saw Yuffie standing straight as an arrow, right next to the bed,
her eyes closed in prayer.  The orderly saw Yuffie's Conformer, propped up against the bed,
easily within her grasp.  He walked out and silently shut the door.  A few moments later, Tifa
and Vincent walked in.
     "Yuffie?" asked Tifa.
     Yuffie did not answer.
     "Yuffie, please say something," said Tifa.
     "She is in deep meditation.  Not much is capable of bringing her out of it," said Vincent.
     "I wonder how long she's been like that," said Tifa.
     "Probably for a few hours, at least.  She left the hotel at about one in the morning, and
came here.  She's probably been standing there all night," said Vincent.
     "There's no way she could have gotten in here that early.  No one saw her come in at any
time during the night, least of all someone dressed like her," said an orderly.
     Vincent walked over to the window, and saw the large slit in the bug screen.  "She came
in through the window," he said, looking outside.  Yuffie's rope was still hanging from the side
of the building.
     "Well, it doesn't matter how she got in, she isn't supposed to be here.  She's going to have
to leave," said the orderly, reaching over to grab Yuffie's arm.  Yuffie's eyes instantly snapped
open, and she grabbed his arm, and threw him across the room. The orderly landed on his back,
hard.  When Tifa and Vincent looked back at Yuffie, she was standing straight up as before, eyes
closed, just as they had found her.
     Yuffie slowly opened her eyes, and looked at Tifa and Vincent.  "Why are you here?" she
asked.
     "We came to check on Jim.  Has anything changed?" asked Tifa.
     Yuffie bowed her head to the floor, and did not speak.
     "I'm sorry.  Vincent told us what happened.  All you needed to do was say something, and
we would've helped you out."
     "You don't know what I'm going through right now, do you?  Both my parents are dead, I
don't have anyone to care about, or to care about me anymore.  I finally found someone to care
about, and now I'm going to lose him, too!  It isn't fair!" yelled Yuffie.
     "We aren't going to lose him, Yuffie.  He's going to be all right," said Tifa.
     "You don't know that for sure.  No one knows if he's going to live or not.  Don't pull any
punches with me, Tifa.  I'm not a kid anymore."
     "No, you're not a kid any more.  So stop acting like one," said Vincent.  "You are a
descendant of the great Shinobi, and a public official.  Show some dignity."
     "I never should have agreed to go on that damn trip," muttered Yuffie.
     "Don't give me that crap, Yuffie.  Nobody ever twisted your arm to go.  You came with
us on your own free will, and you would've been dragged into it sooner or later anyway.  So shut
up and kwitcherbitchin!" barked a livid Tifa.
     An awkward silence fell over the small room.  For several minutes, no one spoke.
     "I'm sorry, Yuffie.  I didn't mean to yell like that.  I suppose we're all under a lot of stress
right now," said Tifa, finally.
     "It's me that should be apologizing, Tifa.  I didn't realize you guys were so upset," said
Yuffie.
     "Look, we're your friends.  We're here to support you," said Tifa.
     "I know. . .it's just, well, I feel so helpless.  There's nothing in the world I can do for him,
except pray to Da-Chao for help."
     "Then maybe you should," stated Vincent.
     "That's what I was doing before you came in," answered Yuffie.  "Da-Chao has helped
me before.  He will help me again."
     "What do you mean, he helped you before?" asked Tifa.
     "Remember when I got shot back in Midgar?  I died.  I had one of those near-death
experiences, and in it, Da-Chao told me to go back to this world and help you guys.  They also
told me to stay with Jim, and that he would protect me."
     Tifa and Vincent looked at her with a puzzled expression.
     "You don't believe me, do you?" she asked.  "I don't blame you.  If I hadn't lived through
it myself, I wouldn't have believed it, either."
     Another silence fell.  "Come on, Yuffie.  Go get some rest.  We'll let you know if
anything happens, OK?" asked Tifa.
     "No.  I want to stay here," she retorted.  "I'm not leaving this room."
     "Very well," said Vincent.  "We are going to get some breakfast.  Do you want anything?"
asked Vincent.
     "No."
     Tifa and Vincent both walked out of the room, followed by a glaring orderly.
Yuffie turned toward Jim's unconcious form.  She bent over him once again, and ran her fingers
through his matted, tangled hair.  "I'll take care of you," she said.  She closed her eyes once
again, and a tear fell from her eye, landing on Jim's cheek.  She turned away, and cried.
     Yuffie heard a noise from behind her.  She whirled around to see where the noise came
from, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.  Streaks lined her face where she had been
crying, her eyes were bloodshot, and she was badly in need of a night's rest, so she didn't quite
believe what she saw next.
     Jim's eyes began to flutter, and open.  He turned his head, to look around, and saw
Yuffie, an expression of shock on her face, standing next to him.  'She looks like hell,' he
thought.  'Poor kid must've been worried sick.  God, I thought I'd never see her again.'
     Yuffie's surprised expression quickly turned to one of unimaginable joy as she leapt so
high into the air as to bump her head off the cieling.  She ran out of the room, ranting like a
lunatic.
     "He's awake!  He's awake!  Thank Da-Chao, he's awake!!!" yelled Yuffie, as she ran
down the halls, almost literally bouncing off the walls with excitement.  She made a beeline for
the cafeteria.  "TIFA!  VINCENT!  HE'S AWAKE!" she shouted, not even bothering to look for
them.  They heard her and came running after her, as she bolted for Jim's room.
     When they got there, he was lying in the bed, awake and aware, but only just.
     "Oh my God!" yelled Tifa.  "He's OK!"
     Jim opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't.  His throat was drier than Death Valley, and
just about as hot.  He barely managed to croak out the word, "water".  Yuffie snatched a pitcher
of ice water from the table, poured some into a cup, and held the cup to his mouth, as he couldn't
move anything on his body.  He carefully sipped the cool, refreshing liquid from the cup,
enjoying the soothing feeling of the water trickling down his throat.  He once again tried to
speak, the Mako infused in his body healing some of the damage.  "Thank you," he managed to
croak.
     Yuffie was on the verge of tears.  "Thank Da-Chao you're all right.  I was worried so
much that you'd been killed, and when I found out you were found here, we all came down to see
you.  The whole gang is here in the city.  Even Cid came."
     Jim found it easier by the second to talk.  "Who else can fly the Highwind?" he asked.
     "The Highwind was destroyed.  It crashed when a shockwave from the Meteor impact hit
the ship.  Cid has been taking it pretty hard," said Vincent, in his usual, matter-of-fact tone.
     "Makes sense.  That ship was his baby," said Jim, weakly.  "Now I need to get some
sleep.  I'll be looking forward to seeing all of you here when I wake up later."
     "All right.  We'll let you rest.  Come on, Yuffie.  Let's go," said Tifa, lightly tugging
Yuffie.  She protested for a moment, kissing Jim lightly on the forehead before finally walking
out of the room.

     Later that evening, Jim had regained a good measure of his strength, and was sitting up in
the bed, picking at his dinner, while most of AVALANCHE sat in the room, all talking at once,
and causing a huge ruckus.
     "Hey, I told you he'd be ok.  When are you guys gonna listen to me?" said Reno, his usual
smart-aleck tone to his voice.
     "Kid's tougher than he looks," quipped Cid, as he lit up a cigarette.  Shera grabbed it and
snuffed it out.  "You can't smoke in here.  And I thought you were quitting," she reminded him.
     Cid merely grumbled as Shera pulled the pack of Lucky Strikes from his pocket, tossing
them in the trash.  "Aww, come on, those things cost me almost 15 gil!"
     "You overpaid, old man," said Reno.
     Most of the room went up in laughter, except Vincent and Rude, who stood in the corner,
saying nothing.
     "Doc says I can leave in a few days.  I guess they're not done torturing me yet with this
food.  What is this, porkchop-on-a-stick?" he asked, holding up the cold item, which under
normal circumstances, would have been used as floor tile, but since this was a hospital, it passed
for food.  He tapped the chop on the plate, and the plate cracked.
     "Tifa, PLEASE sneak me in something to eat!  I'm gonna starve in here!" he pleaded.
     "Sure thing, kid.  I'll try to get it past the guards," she said, smiling.
     "Hey, mister," said a small voice from the side of the bed.
     "Hey there kid.  What's on your mind?" he asked little Aeris.
     "A lady told me to tell you something."
     "Oh yeah?  Who?"
     "Don't know.  Looked like Tifa."
     Jim leaned over and held his hand up to silence the crowd, and everyone shut up.  "What
did she say, Aeris?"
     "She said to tell you she said thank you."
     "Hey Jim.  Who's she talkin' about?" asked Cid.
     "It was Angela.  She's thanking me for letting go.  Thanks for delivering the message,
Aeris."
     "You're welcome," she beamed.
     Yuffie walked into the room, dressed in a formal business suit.  "I just wanted to say
goodbye before I go back to my duties in Wutai."  She looked around at everyone.  Soon, they
would be gone, and so would she, back in her office and surrounded by mountains of paperwork
instead of fields of wild grass, or thick, lush green forests.  She let out a small sigh, then walked
to the bed.  "Could you all excuse me for a moment?" she asked.  Everyone filed out of the
room.  Yuffie closed the door quietly.
     "I have to leave soon.  I'm needed back home.  I have duties that must be performed. 
Things need to be set right again."
     "You're hiding something, Yuffie.  What are you trying to tell me?" asked Jim.
     "Well, I want you to come with me.  Come home to stay with me, in Wutai.  It is your
home now."
     "Thank you.  I will come."
     "Only one more thing," she said.  She pulled out a small box from her pocket.  "This was
my father's.  It has been passed from generation to generation, to all the boys in my family. 
Since my father didn't have any boy children, he gave it to me, with instructions to give it to
someone who I care about very deeply.  I want you to have it....and with it, my hand in
marraige."
     Jim was shocked.  He had feelings for her, but he wasn't sure if they were that strong.  He
thought about it carefully.  She was pretty, yes, but there was much more than that.  In the three
months that they had been living together, they had gotten to know each other very well.  He
thought she was, deep down, a kind, gentle woman.  Underneath her rough, winner-take-all
attitude was a heart of gold.  And he had found it.  And now, he wasn't about to let it go.
     He mustered every ounce of strength he had, looked deeply into her eyes, and said, "I
accept."


                            The End
Email:  jrebholz@usa.net
           rebholz1@sgi.net