Chapter 9     

     The party had mostly regrouped in the subway tunnels.
     "Eveyone all right?" asked Cloud.
     "Yes, we're fine," said Tifa.  "Wait.  Where's Yuffie and Jim?"
     Yuffie and Jim were still about a mile back in the tunnel.  Yuffie was having trouble.
     "Are you hurt?" asked Jim.
     "No...I'm all right...," she said.  She was a little pale, and she was breathing hard,
covering her chest with her right hand.  She sat down on a ledge, and Jim sat beside her.
     "Why are you holding you chest?" he asked.
     "No...no reason.  Why?" she asked back.
     "Move your hand."
     "No."
     "You're hurt, aren't you?"
     "It's nothing."
     "Then move your hand."
     She moved her hand away.  As she did, crimson flowed freely down her sweatshirt from
the bullet wound in the left side of her chest.
     "I'll..be fine..." she said, weakly.  Jim frantically searched himself and Yuffie for a
potion, or a restore materia, anything to heal Yuffie before she lost any more blood.  He found
nothing.
     Yuffie knew that she had been fatally shot.  The slug had gone through her heart, yet
somehow, she was still alive.  She knew it would not be for long.  She could no longer support
her own weight.  Jim carefully laid her down on the ground near the subway tracks, cradling her
head in his lap.  She looked up at him, knowing her time on this world was nearly up.  Her
breathing had become very shallow, and every time her injured heart beat, it sent a shockwave of
pain through her chest.
     "Jim," she said, barely whispering.  "I...want to tell you something..."
     "What?  What is it?" he urged.
     "I...I..."she struggled to say the words, but could not.  She grimaced in pain, then closed
her eyes, and took what she knew was her final breath.  "Get her..." she whispered.  Her face was
peaceful, as her last breath left her body.
     Jim sat there for a moment, stunned.  Yuffie's head was still resting in his lap.  Thne he
remembered something.  He once again frantically searched himself, and Yuffie, one more time,
going through everything.  Then he found it.  A golden feather.  He tore the base off, and poured
the golden liquid inside on Yuffie's wound.
     Nothing happened.
     Jim bent down over her body, and closed his eyes.  Then he embraced her, as if that one
action might bring her back to life.  A single tear rolled down his cheek, and fell on Yuffie's lips.
     "I'm sorry, Yuffie," he said, fighting back the tears.  "I failed you...just like Angela." 
Then he felt something.  Something he was sure no one would ever feel again.  He laid her back
down, and put his fingers to Yuffie's neck.  He felt it again.  And again.  It was very weak,
almost nonexistant, but it was there.  At this revelation, he nearly cried again, this time with joy.
     She couldn't see.  Her body was wracking with pain.  I feel like shit, she thought.  Wait.  I
shouldn't feel like anything.  I'm dead.  She tried to clear her mind for a moment, and she felt a
vague thumping on her chest.  Is that my...  She tried to move her hand to her heart, when she
discovered she couldn't move.  Yuffie slowly opened her eyes, to see Jim kneeling over her.  She
looked up weakly.  She tried to speak, but couldn't.  She felt Jim's arms on her back, and legs,
and she felt a vague lifting feeling.  Then she closed her eyes again.
     Jim carried her the rest of the way to the rendezvous.  The rest of them were waiting.
     "Where have you two--oh my God, what happened?" Tifa worried, as she ran to meet
them.
     "Yuffie got shot by Scarlet on our way out of the building," said Jim.  "She nearly died on
our way back.  She's still very weak."  Her arms were wrapped loosely around his neck, and her
head was resting on his chest.
     "I'm going to take her back to the Highwind," stated Jim.
     "Good idea.  Cid, go with them to make sure nothing else happens," said Cloud.
     "All right," said Cid, as the three of them left for the edge of Sector 5.
     After about half an hour of walking, Cid was growing concerned.  "Hey, Jim."
     "Yes, Cid?"
     "Is she going to be all right?"
     "I don't know.  She's lost a lot of blood, and she's unconcious right now."
     "Do you need me to carry her for a while?  You gotta be tired by now."
     "I'm fine.  She's not that heavy.  I'd guess about fifty-two, fifty-four kilograms."
     "OK.  Whatever you say," he responded.  They walked the remainder of the way in
silence.
     When they arrived at the church, Jim told Cid to return to the search with the others,
which he did.  Jim continued walking toward the now-open gate.
     Where am I? thought Yuffie.  I must be moving.  She opened her eyes, slowly, and stirred
slightly.
     "Be still.  We're almost back," said Jim, as Yuffie fell unconcious again.  He walked
through the open gate, and quickly closed the remaining distance to the Highwind.  Jim opened
the hatch, and climbed inside, making his way carefully to sickbay.  When he got there, he laid
her down on a bed, and left the room for a moment.  He stood outside the door for several
minutes, just thanking God that she was still alive.  His reverie was short-lived, as he heard
shouts and gunfire from outside.  He ran to a window to see Cloud, Tifa, Vincent, Cid, Nanaki,
Cait Sith, Reno, Rude, and Elena all running for the Highwind, being chased by several of
Shinra's old security devices, which had been recharged when the Mako reactors went back
online.  Jim opened the hatch, and dashed to the cockpit.  He pulled two red levers, and the
Highwind's main engines began warming up.  As soon as the last person was in, Jim pulled
another lever, and the massive ship lifted off in a cloud of dust, just as the machines had come to
it, shooting the whole time.  Cid reached out, and slammed the switch to close the hatch, then
ran to the cockpit.  He then took the controls from Jim, and piloted the ship back to Wutai.
     "That was close.  Thanks for starting her up for us, Jim," said Cid.  "Took off like a pro,
too."
     "Thanks.  I'm just glad I pulled the right lever," responded Jim.
     When they arrived back in Wutai, Jim left the ship, with Yuffie in his arms once again.
     "You sure you're going to stay behind?" called Cloud.
     "I have to take care of Yuffie.  And I need to train, and work on the Cuda," he called
back.
     "All right.  How long will you need?" asked Cid.
     "About three months."
     "Then we'll see you in three months," said Tifa, as the Highwind lifted off once again. 
Jim finished walking into the house, and carried Yuffie to her bedroom.
     Yuffie stirred again, several hours later.  Uhh...where am I? she thought.  She found she
could now move her limbs, although not much.  She took the opportunity to put her hand over
where the thumping was coming from.  It is my heart...so I am still alive.  But what's this cold
thing on my chest?  The memories flooded back to her.  Every action, every word spoken just
before she died.  She opened her eyes fully.  She soon found the cold thing on her chest was a
metal strip, which in fact went all the way around her chest, and behind her back.  A small
yellow orb was lodged in it.  Yuffie recognized it as one of her mastered Sense materia.  Then
she took a closer look at herself.  She was wearing a simple white nightgown, not the green
sweatshirt and shorts she was before.  Those, as she soon saw, were stacked neatly on a dresser,
along with all her armor.  She blushed a little, realizing there was only one way that could have
happened.
     Just then, Jim walked into the room, still wearing his battle gear.  He looked down at her.
     "You're awake, now.  That's good," he said.  He put his bare hand out in front of him, and
closed his eyes.  The materia on the band on Yuffie's chest glowed, in time with her heartbeat. 
Then it stopped, and Jim opened his eyes.  "You are still very weak.  You'll need a lot of rest," he
said.
     She looked at him again, and got the strength to speak.  "How did you activate that
withoug touching it?" she asked.
     "That materia went off?  Hmm.  It must be my empathic abilities."
     They sat in silence for a few minutes.  Then Yuffie spoke.
     "It was scary."
     "What?" he said.
     "Dying."
     "I would imagine so."
     "I remember...closing my eyes...and then I couldn't breathe.  I could feel my heart beat a
few more times, then it stopped.  I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, but I couldn't do anything. 
Even though my eyes were closed, I could see everything that happened.  I saw you use the
Phoenix down, and I saw you hold me and cry when it didn't work.  Then I heard the voice of
Da-Chao tell me to return, and that it wasn't my time.  Next thing I remember, you were carrying
me, and we were passing by the church."
     "That's quite a story."
     "Do you believe me?"
     "Every word."
     "Da-Chao told me something else, too."
     "What?"
     "He told me to stay with you, and that you had a very strong spirit."
     "Interesting."
     "Why aren't you with the others?"
     "I decided to stay behind and take care of you."
     "Thanks."
     "You had better get some rest.  You'll need all you can get."
     "OK.  Good night, Jim."
     "Good night." 
     Yuffie closed her eyes again, settling into a blissful slumber.

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