As Jim and Yuffie entered the remains of te Sector 5 slums, they wandered past an old church
that had fallen into severe disrepair.  The two of them cautiously walked inside.  Jim looked at
his new surroundings to find a large hole in the roof, and directly below it, a bed of flowers.  The
flowers were not only surviving, but flourishing, right there in the slums.  He walked closer to
them, then stopped suddenly.
     "Hold it," he said, extending his arm to stop Yuffie's advance.  He looked carefully at the
flower bed.
     "What is it?" responded Yuffie, drawing her Conformer.
     "Never mind.  I thought--no, I swear I just saw someone leaning over the flower bed,
tending to those blossoms."
     "That's ridiculous," she said.  "No one has lived here for years.  Unless..."  Her voice
trailed off, her mind bringing back the memory of a day she had hoped, with all her heart, that
she had forgotten.
     She watched it happen, all over again.  Cloud, standing on teh altar, in front of a young
girl, with long, brown hair, and deep emerald eyes...Aeris...  Then he came down.  She still
remembered teh sickening noise Sephiroth's blade made when it passed through her faril body. 
A sound that chilled her to the bone.  Even now, just thinking about it made her blood turn to ice
water.  A shiver ran up her spine.
     Jim's voice awoke her from her brief reverie.  "Hey!  Yuffie!  You all right?  Hey!"
     Yuffie blinked, and shook her head, in an effort to clear her thoughts.  She was breathing
hard, and in a cold sweat.  Her heart was beating painfully against her ribs.  "Yeah, I'm...I'm
OK..." she said, her voice, and body, shaking.
     "No, you're not.  Come on, sit down and explain to me.  What's got you so shaken?"  He
walked to one of the few pews still upright, and motioned for her to sit down, which she did. 
Then Yuffie explained the events in te Aincient City, down to the last detail.  This was the only
way for her to do it, as it was the only way she could remmeber it.  She told him all about Aeris,
and how Cloud still continued to blame himself for her death, even after ten years.
     During this explanation, Yuffie's emotions had overcome her, and by the ond her whold
body was racking with barely-contained sobs.
     "Just let it out, Yuffie," said Jim.
     She started sobbing loudly, then began to wail, and she held Jim in an embrace.  "I was
just a kid!  Just a child...I shouldn't have had to see that...no one should have..."
     Jim was futilely trying to console her.  "Shhh...It's all right, Yuffie.  It won't happen
again, as long as we're around.  Right?"
     "Yeah...I guess."
     "Hey, it's OK.  I know how you feel.  I've lost loved ones before, too."
     "I know, your fiancee.  What was she like?"
     "She was perfect, in my opinion.  She was intelligent, beautiful, and very kind.  She and I
loved each other a great deal.  In fact, she had a lot of your personality."
     "You mean, she was a snotty little theif?"
     "No.  I mean she had your innocence, and a bit of your naivety.  She always had a smile
on her face.  About two years ago, we got engaged.  Then it happened..."
     "What?" asked Yuffie.
     Jim was starting to lose control.  "She took the Cuda out for some shopping.  Shw was
only going for a few things...On her way back, she blew a tire and went off the road.  She hit a
telephone pole, and flew out the window.  Cops said she was dead before she hit the ground...I
blamed the whole thing on myself.  It was my fault.  I was supposed to keep the car maintained,
and I didn't.  If I hadn't let her take the car--"  He broke off into tears.
     Now Yuffie was comforting him.  "Look, it wasn't your fault.  You had no idea that was
going to happen, and you had nothing to do with it."
     "It was my car, and I was the one responsible for it.  I didn't keep it up right, and it cost
me the life of the only person that ever really loved me...the only person I ever really loved..."
     Yuffie looked into his eyes with compassion.  "You will find someone else to love. I'm
sure of it."
     Jim looked back at her.  "I could never love anyone as I loved her."
     She leaned forward.  "You could try..."
     Just as their lips were about to touch, an explosion rocked the ground.  It had come from
the old Shinra building.  The two of them immediately snapped into action.
     "The others!  We were supposed to meet!" yelled Jim.
     "We'd better get moving, before they miss us," said Yuffie.
     They dashed out of the church, and raced toward the center of the city, with Yuffie
leading the way.
     When they got there, they met up with the others who were waiting for them.
     "Where were you?" asked Rude.
     "We got held up.  What was that explosion?" asked Jim.
     "That's what we're going to find out.  Let's move!" said Cloud.  They all started to walk
off, when Reno stopped them.  
     "Hang on, guys.  I know a short-cut.  This way," he said.  They all followed Reno into a
series of access tunnels, until they came to a large room.  "This is the Shinra building's
basement.  We can get into the main building from that service elevator over there.  Only
problem is, it only goes as far as the lobby."
     "Reno, you idiot!" barked Elena.  "The elevator won't work!  We don't have any
electricity!"
     Reno's face changed color to match his hair.  Rude then walked to a corner, and pulled a
lever.  Behind him, two large furnaces erupted into life, and a few minutes later, a pair of
generators began turning.  "Emergency generators.  Coal powered, in case the Mako plants ever
got shut down," he explained.
     "Thank you, Rude, for saving my ass from an unfriendly encounter with Elena," replied
Reno.  Rude just nodded, as they all stumbled into the elevator.  As soon as the doors had shut,
the only overhead light went out.  Since the elevator was only designed to carry about 3 people
at the very most, cramming ten into the same space proved a difficult task.  The group was a
tangled mess of arms and legs.
     "Hey!  Elena!  Get your heel outta my ribs!"
     "Rude, watch where you're sticking that elbow."
     "You know, Yuffie, any other time, I'd be thrilled to have you breathing in my ear, but
right now--"
     "Will someone tell Vince, here, to stop trying to use me as a %^&*% ladder?!"
     "I was only trying to get a little more comfortable."
     "If one more person pokes me with anything, I'm gonna stick this nightstick where it was
never meant to--oof!  That's it!"
     Bzzzt!
     "Yeow!  What was that for?  I didn't do anything!"
     "You're the only one in here wearing a size 11."
     "11?  That's not a foot, it's a paw!"
     "Shut up, Cid."
     "I didn't say that, you lousy ^*&#!"
     "Uhh, Red?  Could you not wave your tail in front of my--ah...ah...AH-CHOO!"
     "Eww, Yuffie sneezed on me!"
     "Oof!  Stop whining, Cloud."
     "I didn't say that."
     "Elena, I'm not gonna tell you again.  Move your heel!"
     "Damn Shinra."
     "Hey, I resent that."
     "No, you resemble that."
     "Shut up, Jim."
     "I didn't say that.  Oh, thanks, Elena.  Now instead of my ribs, it's my stomach--oof!"
     "That'll teach you."
     "Are we even moving?"
     "I don't think so.  Did you push the up button?"
     "I thought you did, Rude."
     "D'oh!"
     "Will someone please push the button?"
     "Can I, can I, can I, pleease?"
     "If you can reach it, go for it."
     "OW!"
     "Oops."
     "That was NOT the button."
     "Hey, Tifa!  Hands off the merchandise!"
     "Oops.  Sorry, Jim.  I thought you were Cloud."
     "Should I take that as a compliment?"
     "Grrr..."
     "I guess so."
     "Are we there yet?"
     "No."
     "Are we there yet?"
     "No."
     "I'm hungry!"
     Smack!
     "Hey, what was that for?"
     "I'm not saying a damn word."
     "It's about time you shut up."
     "Lemme outta here, or I'll scream!"
     At that moment, the elevator doors slid open, and the ten of them burst out the door,
gasping for breath.
     "Thank you," said Yuffie.
     "Hey, look at that!" said Tifa, as she ran to a window.
     They all wandered over to the window that Tifa was staring out of.  Outside, the
streetlights began to wink on right outside, and then farther away.  Soon, the whole city was
lighting up again, except some parts that had been cut off from the main power grid after
Meteor.
     "Wait a minute.  Those two little generators couldn't do this.  They're not connected to
the main grid, and they aren't nearly strong enough," said Rude.
     "Then where's the power coming from?" asked Cloud.
     Tifa looked at him, with a worried look on her face.  They all dashed back into the main
lobby, to an observation window on the second level of the lobby.  They all stared out, blankly.
     "Oh..."
     "...my..."
     "...God."
     Mako Reactor Number Eight was fully operational, and running at what appeared to be
full power.

     Let me know what you think!  Email me at jrebholz@usa.net