Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Dreams ❯ Lupine Trails ( Chapter 30 )

Chapter 30: Lupine Trails

 

She was supposed to be looking through these stacks of old papers and books. Recently, the number of attacks from monsters in the caves had been increasing. The barriers that Bugenhagen had set up were growing weaker and needed to be strengthened and restored.

 

Thus, the purpose behind delving into the old sage's library for some information.

 

However, the ninja found it all very boring.

 

She sighed dramatically and snuck a glance over at her friend, Nanaki, who seemed very interested in what they were doing.

 

Yuffie resisted the urge to sigh a little louder and attempted to return her attention to the documents in front of her, trying to ignore the distracting swish of Nanaki's tail across the floor, miraculously not setting anything alit. Unfortunately, the ninja's mind instantly wandered. She tapped a bored finger on the table in front of her as her mind recalled the day before when they had laughed together… and kissed again.

 

She wasn't entirely sure how to define their relationship now that things had changed. She never expected to fall for her best friend, but she had in fact.

 

What wasn't there to like about him?

 

Nanaki was brave and strong, loyal to a fault with a good heart. Being ruggedly handsome was a plus as well, adding to his allure.

 

Yuffie was so used to seeing him in his human-like form that she tended to forget that he had another. She also had to remind herself that he was nearly three times her age. Just looking at him, however, quickly made her forget. Yuffie only knew that she wanted to follow her heart, though she worried about what to do with her own arranged engagement and subsequent marriage.

 

She did not want to marry the pompous, spoiled lord that her father had chosen for her, nor would she have chosen him to co-rule Wutai. He was arrogant, looking down upon any that he considered lesser, which was everyone save the highest of the nobility like Godo and herself. He was vile and rude to the common people and often yelled and belittled his servants, working them without stop on most days, too. Yet, he was such an excellent ass-kisser that he had Godo and a number of the elders and family heads believing him a saint incarnate. Lastly, he thought himself above the law, not bound by it like everyone else, and he did whatever he wanted without thought to the consequences.

 

The last could be said about Yuffie to an extent, for she was basically disregarding her father's orders that she should stay at home, being the dutiful daughter and future ruler. However, the little ninja understood that the rules still applied to her; she just ignored the completely unfair ones, most of which dealt with personal property.

 

Gah! It didn't help that he was a lousy fighter and had less than interesting hobbies. He was likely to bore her with his talk of political matters and the social circles in Wutai. Give her a battle any day; she would be happy.

 

Perhaps that was why she liked Nanaki so much. They had a lot in common. He could easily make her smile, and she knew she could depend on him. It was nice to know that she didn't have to watch her back around him, and he was a great kisser.

 

She felt her cheeks warm at just the thought and fought to look away from him so he couldn't see her blushing. Not that he was paying the ninja any attention as engrossed as he was in his research.

 

Yuffie idly wondered if he would ever change back, and what she would do if he did. He had spent the better part of six months as a demi-human, and it didn't appear that was likely to change anytime soon. Neither of them or Bugenhagen had ever found a reason behind the transformation, not that she wasn't happy with it. She liked his new form and hoped he kept it. If he ever changed back… there was no way they could be together the way she wanted to be. And then, he might want one of his own clan.

 

That sudden thought send a train wreck through her mind. For all intents and purposes, Nanaki thought every last member of his clan was gone.

 

What if they weren't? Would he choose them over her?

 

Her eyes widened with a realization.

 

Did he only like her because there were none others to chose from?

 

“This is it!” exclaimed the red-haired man suddenly, interrupting her thoughts. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her sudden awareness as she turned her attention to him.

 

“What is?” she asked, pretending all along that she had been staring through the papers. She made careful show to mark her `place' in her book and close the tome before giving him her full and complete attention.

 

He chuckled lightly before grabbing a paper and moving to her side, spreading it out in front of them. “I knew you were daydreaming, so you don't have to pretend,” he teased as he tried to soothe out the edges of the folded parchment.

 

She flushed but nudged him with her shoulder. “Hey! I was hard at work researching, you know!” she argued indignantly, though there was more a playful look in her eyes.

 

He shook his head. “Right; if you say so,” he murmured before gesturing towards the paper. “Look what I found.”

 

She leaned over the wrinkled and browned parchment, scrunching her forehead in confusion. “It's a stained piece of paper,” the little ninja commented flatly, not seeing any significance in the blurred writing and drawings.

 

Nanaki waved a hand of dismissal at her before pulling on the paper and pointing at it. “Look closer. It's a map… of the Gi Nattak Cave.”

 

Intrigued, she peered again, barely able to distinguish the thin lines and swirls that indicated that it was indeed a map. She could make out the entrance and recognized a few paths that she had taken with Nanaki and Cloud the only time they had entered the cave before.

 

“I don't remember this one,” Yuffie commented, pointing to one that jutted out from the bottom right of the drawing.

 

He grinned. “That is because it is hidden. We wouldn't have found it, even if we had looked.” Nanaki raised an eyebrow at her, eyes glinting mischievously. “I bet it is where the monsters are coming from. Want to check it out?”

 

Her eyes lit up. “You ask me that after boring me to death in here?” she questioned incredulously before leaping to her feet and grabbing her shuriken. “Let's go!”

 

He chuckled lightly, carefully folding up the document and sticking it in the small pack that he always kept slung over a shoulder. It was also where he stashed his extra materia, potions, ethers and occasional snack food. It was harder work to feed his new body than it was his old one.

 

Yuffie's enthusiasm was contagious, and he found himself looking forward to fighting again, even if it was easy beasts. Having to take over the leadership of Cosmo Canyon left him feeling edgy, stressed, and it was only Yuffie's constant presence that kept him grounded. Her unfailing energy and knack for understanding problems and finding quick, easy solutions helped him when he thought he would founder.

 

The demi-human knew she would make someone a great mate one day. He only wished that that someone could have been him, and so was his predicament. He had kissed the ninja, on more than one occasion, his heart telling him she was a woman that needed to be kissed. He wanted to pursue a relationship; he wanted to placate the feelings that had been rising in him. However, he also knew of chance and circumstance. Always, there was reality, and it invaded his thoughts and turned them grim.

 

He was human, truly, but only for a time. He never knew when he would transform back, if ever he did. Nor did he know anything of his clan, and from what he had discerned of Yuffie, there was someone back home waiting for her to `come to her senses' and get married.

 

What kind of future was there for the two of them?

 

No matter what he desired, circumstance was always rearing its ugly head.

 

“Nanaki?” Yuffie's quizzical voice cut through his thoughts, causing him to look at her startled. She had a confused look to her eyes as she cocked her head at him. “You were staring off into space…”

 

He flushed. “Sorry… got lost in thought. Ready to go?” he questioned, grabbing his claw off the table where he had stashed it earlier and equipping the weapon. The Dragon's Claw had been found in Bugenhagen's vault of artifacts from his tribe. He wondered how and why it had gotten there at the time but now just accepted their presence. It was one of the strongest weapons he had ever acquired.

 

Yuffie nodded in response, twirling her shuriken in the air before walking towards the door of the makeshift home they had taken up residence in. Luckily for them, Bugenhagen had kept most of his important papers and records in a room separate from his house. Only a fraction of his knowledge had burned in the attack rather than all of it.

 

Nanaki had settled for dragging most of the material to the room that was his beneath the inn, and Yuffie and he had settled there. For now, the arrangements were satisfactory. After all, most of the residents of Cosmo Canyon were sleeping in Tents or hiding away in the tunnels. It would be a long time before rebuilding would be enough to house everyone that had lost their homes.

 

The two quickly made their way up the many sets of stairs until they came to the room that housed the gigantic metal door to the Gi Nattak Cave. The cave was supposedly separate from the escape tunnels below, but with all the monster attacks and the recent discovery, Nanaki would have placed gil on the fact that they were all connected. However, it was much more convenient to enter through the metal door rather than get lost in the escape tunnels.

 

He turned the winch for the door, while Yuffie kept watch, ready to strike down any monster that might be waiting to emerge, not that it was likely. However, no such creature came to view, and she was able to relax. Without further delay, the two friends checked their equipment and materia before delving into the greenish-black depths of the Gi Nattak Cave.

 

Nanaki wrinkled his nose at the scent of mold and rot. The last time he had been there was to speak to his father six months prior. There weren't many occasions for Bugenhagen to open the doors to the cave, and they preferred to keep it that way. He was surprised, however, to find that no monsters approached him and the well-armed ninja. Perhaps they had all learned their lesson, or they had gone somewhere else. Either way, he was disappointed.

 

“This is boring,” muttered Yuffie after a moment as they peered into the gloom and made their way quickly through the sections that was easily recognized. Both of them were agile and light-footed, barely making a sound as they passed over the rocky terrain. “Where are the monsters?” she questioned, idly tossing a few throwing stars at some random boulders.

 

Nanaki shrugged casually. “Perhaps they have gone into hiding, or they may just be deeper in. I cannot say.”

 

She sighed dramatically and kicked her foot at the ground. “Where do you think that tunnel leads?” she questioned, changing the subject.

 

The demi-human frowned as he considered the question. “Grandfather never spoke of it, and we didn't come across it before, which leads me to think that there is either no significance to it… or great significance. Whichever it is, your guess is as good as mine.”

 

Grey eyes sparkled with sudden interest. “It could lead to some materia. Like some great storehouse or something with powerful summons and such!” Yuffie exclaimed excitedly.

 

The red-haired male chuckled at her. “Is materia all you think about?” he questioned teasingly.

 

“No,” she responded stubbornly, turning to walk backwards so she could see his face. “I think about other things as well…” Yuffie's eyes glinted almost mischievously as she licked her lips before grinning widely. She turned on her heels and skipped a head a few steps, inspecting a rather boring looking rock.

 

Nanaki was nearly floored by the teasing look he had caught in her eyes. Almost as if she was flirting with him. He was instantly grateful for the semi-darkness of the cave as he knew he was blushing fiercely. Trust the ninja to be so bold! He shook his head to clear away sudden thoughts that had /no/ place in his current situation and hurried to catch up to Yuffie.

 

They had already bypassed most of the familiar paths and were approaching the area where they had been forced to hit the switches the first time around. He remembered that when they had come the first time there was a button that Cloud had pushed, making a weird click but otherwise not doing anything. According to the map, if he twisted and pulled that one button - rather than push as their spiky-haired leader had done - it should open another tunnel.

 

However, the sound of clawed feet skittering across the ground distracted his internal musings as the fetid odor of unwashed monster flooded his senses. His body was instantly on alert as he scanned the area for Yuffie, finding that the ninja had suddenly disappeared. He panicked for a moment as his eyes darted around worriedly, wondering if she had gotten hurt, dragged away, or something even more terrifying. He couldn't find the brown-eyed woman anywhere.

 

There was a low throaty growl behind him, and he turned, coming face to face with a Gi Specter, its large soulless empty eyes staring at him intently. He bit back a cry of shock and went to attack when a body barreled into the creature from the side, rolling around with the monster and sending it crashing to the ground. He barely registered the flash of silver before the Specter's attacker broke free and jumped to her feet, hand raised in the air to catch the flying shuriken.

 

Yuffie easily caught the weapon, not wasting a moment before bringing it down and destroying the Gi Specter with a quick swipe of her weapon before it even had a chance to recover from the tackle. The monster didn't make a sound as it slowly dissolved to the floor, its body - that was already little more than a husk - returning to its completely dead state.

 

The ninja huffed, as if offended, before wiping the shuriken off with a rag and reattaching it where it belonged. It was then that she looked up to find Nanaki gaping at her in surprise.

 

She smiled and started laughing. “You were standing there all lost in thought and then I heard the monster's attack, so I took care of it. Don't worry.” Her eyes flashed teasingly.

 

The demi-human shook his head. “You were that bored?” he questioned before moving towards the small alcove that housed the switch from the map.

 

Yuffie raised a brow. “You were that distracted?” she countered easily, ignoring his question.

 

He pretended as if he hadn't heard her. Nanaki fought down the flush that was once again threatening to break out over his features and moved past her into the small alcove. It was very dark in there; even with his enhanced vision, he could barely make out his hands in front of his face. He groped around muttering curses as Yuffie laughed at him until his hands finally found the button. He couldn't help but wonder how the hell Cloud had found it the first time around.

 

Taking a deep breath, the demi-human grabbed the lever-like button, twisting and pulling on it in one smooth motion. It moved easily beneath his touch, making a strange grinding noise. He released the lever and backed out of the alcove, a small rumbling alerting him that something had indeed opened.

 

Yuffie looked around, mouth slightly agape as she tried to understand where the movement was coming from. A sudden shifting in the ground beneath her caused her yelp in surprise before leaping backwards, Nanaki immediately rushing to her side. As the ground trembled, the two friends looked in surprise as a stone slab in the floor moved, revealing a set of notched stone stairs that led downwards into a darkened tunnel.

 

The horrible grinding and rumbling ceased as Yuffie and Nanaki peered into the dark of the tunnel, curiosity filling them to the brim. It was completely void of light, impossible to see more than a few feet into the gloom. The barely discernable sound of water dripping echoed in the tunnel.

 

The two friends exchanged glances. “After you,” suggested the demi-human with a grand gesture and half-bow.

 

“Hmph,” muttered Yuffie, not the least bit afraid. In fact, she was insanely curious, wondering if perhaps there really was some great materia at the end of the tunnel. However, she wasn't going to say that to Nanaki, he might not let her go first.

 

“I've seen worse,” the little ninja exclaimed before stepping onto the stairs and making her way down, Nanaki, quickly following.

 

She was surprised to find that the stone steps were quite sturdy, not all cracked and crumbling. The tunnel wasn't exactly large, and Yuffie could stand up straight but the much taller demi-human was forced to stoop slightly. It was wide enough that they could walk next to each other and still easily touch the walls, but it also stank of mold and mildew. The floor beneath them was smooth, as if it had been swept, and it appeared the passage had been carved with magic or something for the walls were unmarred as well.

 

The ninja peered into the impenetrable dark, frowning as she rifled in her pockets for something to use as a light. She finally found a flashlight in one of her myriad pouches, quickly clicking on the small device. A beam of light issued forth, giving them barely enough illumination to make sure they weren't going to fall into a chasm or anything similar. Nanaki's fiery tail helped as well.

 

“How did the monsters get from this tunnel, into the escape passages?” Yuffie questioned aloud, her voice echoing around them as the beam of light bounced along the walls.

 

Nanaki shrugged, his keen sight attempting to discern something of purpose. “If I remember correctly, the tunnel connects to others.”

 

The ninja came to a stop, hovering in indecision. For the first time, they had come across a split path. One led to the right, another - looking very much the same - led to the left.

 

“Which way, I wonder?” she questioned aloud, flashlight bobbing between the two very similar choices.

 

Nanaki mused quietly as he looked between the two. He surreptitiously sniffed the air, noting that both had the same musty, mold-ridden odor. However, he had once heard that when in a maze, follow the right wall. At the time, he figured it was as sound advice as he had.

 

“We'll go to the right,” he said finally, taking a step in that direction.

 

Yuffie ran the beam once more over the floor as she nodded in agreement. She moved to follow him when suddenly her eyes caught something on the ground. She paused, frowning intently, her face furrowed in confusion.

 

“Wait,” she called out before moving towards the left tunnel and stooping in the middle of the passageway. “What are these?”

 

Nanaki turned, eyes scanning the ground where she knelt. “Those look like… paw prints,” he mused, instantly moving to her side. He raced a hand over the marks in the dirt floor, surprised by how familiar they looked. Most of the impression was in the toes of the foot, obviously made by a creature that placed its weight on part of the limb rather than the entire thing. There were small markings, as if claws were also part of the limb, and they were spaced evenly, in a way reminiscent of a dog or wolf.

 

“I know these!” he exclaimed in surprise, automatically casting about for more. “They are my own prints… or, should I say, those of my clan!” His eyes immediately caught more, leading in the direction of the left tunnel. He knew, his plan had automatically changed, the right passage no longer holding his interest.

 

“Your clan?” Yuffie queried in surprise. “But I thought… you said…” she was near stammering in her surprise, believing that they were dead, but not really wanting to say such a thing aloud and straight to him.

 

Nanaki stood up, looking eagerly down the hallway. “I had thought so… but what if they escaped? What if they used these tunnels to get somewhere safe and hidden? I might not be the last!”

 

The ninja floundered. “We shouldn't just stand here then,” she suggested. “Why don't we follow them and see?”

 

The excitement on Nanaki's face was easily discerned, his mounting happiness nearly palpable. He nodded his head in agreement, standing up even as he traced the paw prints with his eyes, following them deeper into the left tunnel.

 

As Yuffie followed her best friend down the darkened passageway, he having procured the flashlight from her, she couldn't help but worry. It was like her fears were being realized. She wondered if Nanaki found his clan would he cease to desire her company. She didn't want to lose her best friend; Nanaki was one of the few people who understood her, who actually liked being around her. She didn't want to lose that.

 

Nanaki, meanwhile, was finding himself growing more and more excited. He had spent most of his life growing up around humans with the thought that his father was a coward and that he was the last of his kind. It was only until recently that he discovered that his father was truly the most brave of them all, protecting Cosmo Canyon and his son with his dying breath. Nanaki only wished that he hadn't wasted his time believing such wrong things.

Yet, now it seemed he was also wrong in other ways. If there was a chance that some had escaped, that some of his clan still lived, then he wasn't as alone as he originally thought. Nanaki believed he had a family in Cloud and the others. They were his friends, but there was always a part of him that wished he wasn't the last of his clan… possibly his kind.

 

He carefully followed the paw prints, an easy feat considering the tunnel was only going in one direction. It was also the sight of the prints that encouraged him. Like he was one step closer his people.

 

It was an endearing thought.

 

After a few minutes of walking, they came across yet another juncture. Nanaki swung the flashlight over the floor, finding that the prints led off to the right. Yuffie had been unusually silent, which concerned him. He turned to ask her what was wrong, the words poised on his lips, when suddenly a large weight struck him from behind, driving him to the ground.

 

The flashlight fell down, the glass of it shattering as it skittered across the dirt and plunging them into darkness. Only the light provided by his tail was available. Something spiny and foul had landed on his back, and he could hear fangs snapping at his head as he twisted and turned beneath the creature. Yuffie's startled shout echoed along the tunnel, but Nanaki couldn't make out her words due to his predicament.

 

The demi-human snarled angrily as he bucked up against the creature that was attacking him, shoving an elbow backwards and striking something. The monster snorted but didn't move. Without any other options and feeling pinned, Nanaki attempted to cast. He threw a Bolt 3 behind him, hoping it would work.

 

Bright light flashed in the air around them, illuminating the small passageway. The demi-human briefly caught a glimpse of Yuffie trying to fit off two Gi Specters as the lightning bolt struck the creature on his back. It reeled and growled but moved just enough to allow him to lash out with an arm and crawl out from beneath it.

 

He peered into the dark, eyes trying to adjust from the quick changes in light. He barely heard the quick rush of air from an attack before he ducked and rolled in the general direction of his attacker, slashing with his claw as he moved to his feet. He felt the strong metal bite into something as it howled in pain, blood splashing over his hands.

 

There was a bright flare of light as Yuffie cast a Fire. It struck the Gi Specter she was fighting and promptly set it alit. The burning creature was enough to light the entire tunnel, thereby making the battle easier. Nanaki quickly centered his attention on his opponent. He wasn't sure how to describe the creature, having never seen it before.

 

It vaguely resembled a cross between the griffin-like creature and the Mad Bomber's that roamed the plains outside of Cosmo Canyon. He had managed to cut a slice into one of the monster's beefy arms, but that was all. The beaked head cawed at him angrily before a clawed tentacle sprang out at him. He nimbly dodged, calling a Fire2 spell to one hand as he slashed viciously with his claw. The creature easily went down with his two-handed assault.

 

As he delivered the final blow, Yuffie's surprised yell made him half turn. Before he could complete the move however, something grabbed onto the necklace around his neck, nearly choking him in the process. His hands automatically went to his throat, to relieve the strangling. However, the ancient chain couldn't handle the stress of being pulled in more than one direction. It snapped at the clasp, falling from his neck to land in the dirt at Nanaki's feet.

 

All of the sudden, the demi-human could feel his entire body begin to tingle. A golden glow began to fill the room before it seemed as if his limbs were being pulled in all directions, and his bones began to crack and bend, as if newly forming. It was immensely painful, and he bit down his lip as his back bowed over. He collapsed to the ground. His body began to writhe as he gasped, and for a moment, he blacked out completely.

 

Yuffie gaped in surprise as the demi-human suddenly fell to the ground, his body shaking and enveloping in a golden light. An attack from the monster that she had tried to warn Nanaki from earlier distracted her. She quickly finished it off with a swipe her shuriken, swiping its head from its shoulders.

 

The Gi Specter was still burning in the tunnel behind her, although the blaze was slowly going out. She used the last of the light from that and Nanaki's fading glow to hurry to his side. She reached out a hand to help him and nearly gasped in surprise. He had reverted back to his lupine form.

 

Slowly golden eyes opened to look at her as her hand settled on his head, ruffling through his fur. “What happened?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

 

His eyes narrowed as he struggled to sit up, only to have them widen when he realized it was not as simple as putting out a hand. He only had paws now. He looked to Yuffie in surprise as he shakily rose to four limbs. His tail swished behind him, and he could smell and hear more accurately than before. In fact, now he could catch the lingering scent that accompanied the familiar paw prints.

 

Nanaki locked eyes with Yuffie. “I'm back in my natural form, aren't I?” He questioned, stating the obvious but wanting to hear it from her anyways, to be sure he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating.

 

She nodded, idly running a hand over his fur, as if assuring herself that it was real. It was kind of like getting slapped in the face with reality, seeing him changed back like that. Yuffie was unable to keep her gaze on his, not wanting him to see the emotions in her eyes so she looked off to the side, idly catching the small glint of metal from the light fire.

 

Nanaki sighed. “I thought so. I wish I could understand what brought it on.” He moved towards the tunnel, ignoring the rapidly dissolving corpses around him, barely registering that one had already collapsed to dust. He didn't really understand the laws of death for monsters.

 

“It lasted for six months this past time,” he idly mused aloud, paying no attention to Yuffie as she wandered over to the glinting object, picking it up off the ground with nimble fingers.

 

It was Nanaki's chain, the one he had found in the Temple of the Ancients with the flamel on it. She fingered the gold metal, finding that the clasp had broken. Stealing a glance over at her friend, who was staring mournfully between the two paths, she slipped the necklace into her pocket, knowing he could not wear it broken as it was.

 

“I'm sorry,” she said softly.

 

He attempted a shrug, used to such actions after being in his human form for so long. It came off as more of a roll of his muscles, however.

 

“It was something I should have been more prepared for,” he commented quietly. “Let's just continue as we were.”

 

She nodded in response and moved to his side, laying her hand on his shoulder and using it as a guide. They ignored the left passage, following the paw prints to the right. They eventually came upon some sort of entrance to the outside had almost passed beyond the lip when both of them smacked into an invisible wall in the same moment. Shaking his head to clear the slight dizziness, Nanaki attempted a frown as Yuffie rubbed her nose as her brow furrowed.

 

“What the hell?” she questioned, holding out a testing hand. It struck something that she could not see with her hands. It wasn't painful or shocking, just… there.

 

Nanaki moved forward and held out a paw, it landing against something solid and just stayed there, seemingly floating in thin air.

 

“It is a barrier,” he stated, speaking what was painfully obvious. He looked past the invisible obstruction. “And it was evidently put up to protect the escape route of my clan.”

 

Yuffie furrowed her brow in confusion as she felt along the wall, looking perhaps for something like a handle or a way to go around it. “Who put it there?” she questioned, finding nothing.

 

“I can't honestly say.” The lion wolf sighed. He sat on his haunches and stared mournfully down the dark tunnel that led to the path his clan had taken.

 

The ninja exhaled slowly, giving up in her search as she leaned back on the heels of her feet. “What a depressing day,” she commented idly.

 

Nanaki nodded his head in agreement before turning to look up at her, golden eyes unable to hide the pain. “Shall we return to Cosmo Canyon then?”

 

“What about the monsters in the tunnels?”

 

“We know they are coming from the left path at least, but I am not up for further exploration today,” Nanaki answered, rising to his feet and turning to head back the way they came. “We can come back tomorrow and place a barrier or something to block them in.”

 

The ninja shrugged as she fell into step behind him, no longer feeling as if she wanted to investigate either. As they walked, they fell into an uncomfortable silence. Both of their minds were presently occupied with their own concerns.

 

Yuffie pondered as they traversed the tunnels, her hands occasionally sliding into the pocket where she still held the broken chain. Nanaki hadn't asked about it, and she figured she would until later to return it to him. She planned on fixing it first, as a kind of cheer-up gift. He seemed somewhat depressed; whether it was because of his recent transformation or being unable to trace his clan, she could not be sure.

 

Either way, they were reasons she could not really empathize with. She had her own worries. Such as… what to do with her feelings? They were all twisting and turning within her now, not sure what they were supposed to do. Those romantic emotions that had been building for him were now flopping around her stomach, trying to decide if they were proper to have or not.

 

The insecurities that she had been chewing her lip over earlier were now pounding at her head even louder. As a demi-human, it was easy for her to forget that he wasn't entirely human. It was easy for her heart to overlook that as well. However, now, with reality slapping her in the face, she knew she couldn't hide the truth from herself any longer. It was a disheartening thought to be sure.

 

Yuffie stole a glance at the lion wolf who padded along at her side. She wondered if he was facing the same concerns as she. He certainly seemed to be in deep thought, and those golden eyes, the ones that had started giving her butterflies in her stomach, looked haunted… probably just like the way hers looked at the same moment.

 

She forced herself to tear her eyes away from him and concentrate on the passage ahead, just in case more monsters appeared.

 

It seemed the both of them had a lot of thinking to do… along with the realization of truth.

 

* * *

 

Finally! Angst for our favorite couple!!