'Pre-dawn'

[The skies are still lit with stars but Rocket Town's inhabitants are all gathered around the old ShinRa rocket launchpad, watching as the final touches to the Highwind are being done. It should be noted that their gathering is not due to any sense of curiousity; rather, the main reason why they're all turned out like this is because the sheer racket of the repairs is preventing everybody from getting any decent sleep.
[Tifa watches blearily from her seat just outside of Cid's house, with Cait Sith beside her.]

Cait : Big crowd tonight.

Tifa : (nods) And they don't look very happy, either. They probably can't wait for the Highwind to be ready.

Cait : (glances at her) Like you?

[Tifa chuckles. A voice wafts over from the direction of the airship.]

Cid's voice : Aargh. Not there, you %&#*#@+*-- !

Cait : It sounds like Cid is not having a very good day.

Tifa : Just wait. The day's just starting. (yawns) I can't stay up any longer. I'm going to see if I can get a bit more sleep.

[She gets up, stretches a bit, then heads into the house.]

Cait : Goodnight.

Tifa : (thinks) Whatever's left of it... (looks away; sighs) A few more hours, Yuffie. I hope you're all right, wherever you are.

=========================

'Coma'

[Yuffie mumbles unintelligibly in her sleep, twitching slightly. Like a shot, Sekar goes over to inspect her closely.]

Sekar : (softly) Yuffie?

[The young girl gives no response and resumes sleeping. After a moment or two, the other ninja sighs and slumps to the floor of the cabin.
[The door opens and Ioz steps in. He blinks in surprise at the sight of his comrade so dejectedly on the floor.]

Ioz : What's wrong? You fall down?

Sekar : (shakes his head) She moved and said something. I thought she was waking up.

Ioz : (frowns; looks closer at Yuffie) Are you sure? She doesn't look like she's getting up.

Sekar : Yeah. (chews his lower lip) I'm worried. It's been more than three days since she was knocked out, Ioz.

Ioz : I know that.

Sekar : Gray came in to check up on her. He's not happy at all with the way things have turned out.

Ioz : (scowls) What's he got to complain about? We're the ones who're going to get the rap, after all.

Sekar : (irritated) In case you've forgotten, Ioz, Gray's the one who recommended us for this mission. At our own assurances, I might add. If Godo sees that we screwed up, we won't be the only ones getting the heat. And Gray's not exactly the kind of guy I want to have pissed off at me.

[Ioz grouses, but says nothing to argue. He pulls out a heavy chair and sits, looking almost petulant. Sekar rises from the floor and sits on the edge of his own bunk.]

Sekar : He was speaking to Godo on the radio, earlier.

[Ioz stiffens.]

Ioz : ... and...?

Sekar : (glances at him) Don't worry. Gray told me that he hasn't said anything to the old man about Yuffie's condition. Yet. All Godo knows is that Yuffie's with us.

[Ioz relaxes, expelling a breath loudly.]

Ioz : (smiles slightly) Then we're in the clear for now...

Sekar : (nods) At least until we pull up into Utai with Yuffie still like this. (gestures at the girl)

Ioz : Never mind. We still have some time before we have to start worrying about that. (pauses) Well? How's the town doing?

Sekar : Salamander's getting worse, and they need the new materia soon. According to Gray, it's gotten so bad that even the mountain rocks are getting hotter on the outside. It's also getting harder and harder to keep the chamber open. At the rate things are going, we'll probably have a couple of weeks before we have to pull everyone out of Utai and get them out of harm's way.

[Ioz snorts and throws a look in the direction of Yuffie's gigantic shuriken. The new materia, still crystal clear, gleams slightly in the light of the cabin's lamps.]

Ioz : And what makes the oracle so sure that this stone's going to stop that damned fire-lizard?

Sekar : How should I know? (sighs) Wild goose chase or not, anything's better than sitting around and waiting.

Ioz : That stone'd better be worth the trouble it took to get it.

Sekar : Oh, yeah. I'm sure Yuffie's thinking the exact same thing.

Ioz : (mutters) If she's thinking anything at all.

=========================

'Bruised'

[Rocket Town.
[The sun has just cleared the horizon and is making its way across the morning sky. Cloud stands before the Highwind and cranes his head upwards, running his eyes all over the airship. Around him, the engineers and technicians are working non-stop to put the finishing touches on the craft.]

Cid's voice : (yells) Where the ^$&# is that replacement?

[Cloud shakes his head. The sound of footsteps behind him prompts him to turn. He relaxes upon catching sight of a sleepy and grumpy Tifa walking up to him.]

Cloud : (smiles gently) I guess you couldn't sleep much through all this.

Tifa : (grumbles) I don't know how you can look so rested when I know you haven't slept as much I had.

Cloud : Soldier training does have its uses.

[His smiles falters when he sees her fingering a large bruise on her cheek. Noticing his stare, Tifa waves his concern away.]

Tifa : It's nothing to worry about. One of the stairs in Cid's house had a rotten floorboard. It cracked as I was stepping on it and I fell down.

Cloud : Are you sure you're all right?

Tifa : Cloud, I'm fine. It's just a bruise. I've gotten worse from martial arts practice.

Cloud : You're lucky you didn't crack your head open.

Tifa : (smiles sardonically) Yeah. I got all the good luck.

[She winces as the bruise throbs painfully. Cloud watches sympathetically, and she turns away a little to hide her discomfort.]

Cloud : Cid tells me that we'll be ready to leave by evening.

Tifa : So he managed to fix the navigational computer?

Cloud : They scavenged a lot of old circuit boards, raided a couple of shops and also took apart the air-conditioning units in the crew quarters to jury-rig the rest of the parts. (smiles) It's gonna be a very warm trip to Utai.

Tifa : It doesn't matter. Just as long as we get there.

Cloud : Well, I doubt that the kidnappers have had faster transport, so we'll probably be able to catch them en route.

Tifa : Even if we do get Yuffie before they reach Utai, we'll still need to go there.

Cloud : (curious) You're wondering about Godo's motives for sending the two ninja to retrieve the new materia?

Tifa : Wouldn't you be?

Cloud : (pauses, then nods) I've been wondering about that, myself. With ShinRa down, Godo would've had no real need for a new materia that badly.

Tifa : (muses) And just being plain greedy wouldn't be enough of a reason, even for Godo.

Cloud : Mm. Did Yuffie mention anything about Utai before you two parted company?

Tifa : Only that she was there for a short while.

Cloud : (disappointed) Oh. Anything else?

Tifa : Yeah, but mostly complaints about how Godo was trying to sucker her into something. (sighs) You think that has anything to do with this?

Cloud : (shrugs) Maybe, but we don't know enough to say for sure. (firmly) We'll get the answers out from him when we get there.

[Tifa nods absently.]

Cloud : A transparent and colourless materia... I wonder what it does. (sighs) If only we could ask Bugenhagen about this... Or Red. He should still be at the Canyon.

Tifa : (interjects quickly) After we're done in Utai, Cloud.

[He smiles wryly.]

Cloud : (jokingly) Spoilsport.

=========================

'Sunset'

[The door to the cabin opens and Gray steps in with his usual stoic expression. He goes straight to Yuffie's side.]

Gray : Still nothing.

Sekar : (hesitantly) Um, she was making some noise earlier today. I thought she might be waking up, but...

Gray : We've sighted land.

[The other two ninja tense.]

Ioz : How long more?

Gray : By tomorrow, at the latest. We'll meet with the landing party at the beach.

[Ioz and Sekar exchange glances.]

Sekar : (thinks) So, if Yuffie doesn't get up in another two or three days, Godo's gonna have our hides.

[Gray looks over at the new materia.]

Gray : According to your preliminary report, you couldn't activate this materia at all, correct?

[They shake their heads.]

Gray : And Yuffie herself seemed to have no idea how to activate it.

Ioz : No.

Gray : I see.

[He leaves the room. Ioz and Sekar are quiet for a time, filling the whole cabin with an atmosphere of gloom.]

Ioz : (nervously) It's probably not as bad as it looks for us. We fulfilled the missions objectives, right? Godo'll still have to let us graduate.

Sekar : (snorts) Yeah, he'll graduate us, first, and then he'll kill us.

Ioz : We can handle him...

Sekar : (incredulous) In that damned demon-headed form of his? No way. We won't last long.

Ioz : Sekar, it won't be like last time. We've learnt a few more tricks since we were sent out and --

[Any further discussion is cut off when Yuffie gives a sudden moan. As the two men freeze in surprise, her eyes flutter open, squinting to the light.
[Ioz blinks, then breaks out in a relieved grin.]

Ioz : Thank Da Chao! She's awake, and we're home free!

[Sekar goes over to Yuffie.]

Sekar : Yuffie? Can you hear me?

[Yuffie doesn't answer for a time, only moving her head to and fro in confusion. Her mouth moves but there are no words that issue from it. Sekar frowns slightly and turns to Ioz.]

Sekar : Hey, get some of that water over here.

[Ioz shrugs and does as he's asked. Taking the cup from his comrade, Sekar supports Yuffie's head and pours the water into her mouth a little at a time. After a few coughs, Yuffie manages to drain the contents.]

Sekar : Can you hear me?

[The girl nods sluggishly.]

Ioz : (peering over Sekar's shoulder; hesitantly) She looks okay...

Sekar : Don't get your hopes too high. People don't normally sleep for more than three days after being hit by a low level Sleepel and then wake up as if nothing's happened. (to Yuffie) Can you speak now?

[A little effort from her easily convinces him that she can't, yet. She still looks exhausted, though not quite ready to fall unconscious again.]

Ioz : At least she's awake. (gleefully) I'm going up to tell Gray.

Sekar : Get some food down here, okay? Nothing too heavy. And more water, too.

Ioz : (sarcastic) Would you like something for dessert, as well?

Sekar : Just go!

[Ioz rolls his eyes heavenward, but soon leaves. Turning his attention back to the silent girl beside him, Sekar tries not to let his own relief overwhelm his natural caution.
[For a brief moment, something seems to be playing havoc with his danger sense, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to prickle with expectation. A quick glance around the room reveals nothing dangerous, but he still can't shake the feeling.]

Sekar : (thinks) It's just like last time. Someone's watching, but...

[He sweeps his gaze around the room one more time, but the only thing of interest is the shuriken that has been laid on the table, with the clear materia embedded in its centre, and the rays of evening sunlight streaming in through the porthole that is causing the orb to glint like some winking eye.]

=========================

'Battered'

[Tifa crosses the catwalk that bridges the Highwind's cargo area from the bridge. Some fifteen feet below her, the engineers and technicians are busily keeping an eye on the recently reassembled engines of the airship. She pauses for a moment to look over the edge.]

Tifa : (thinks) Even up in the air, their work's never done.

[She strolls across casually but a sudden rocking of the airship jolts her out of her thoughts. Below, the technicians are running and shouting, evidently upset about something. As she turns to head on down there, she hears a loud bellow from the direction of the bridge. Within moments, Cid is striding down the catwalk, scowling.]

Cid : (yells) What the $&#^ is goin' on down there?!

[She steps aside to let him past, then follows him.
[Once in the engine room, she winces a bit at the sight of Cid berating the head technician. Around her, the engineers mill about, obviously trying very hard not to catch their captain's eye.]

Tech : I don't know how it happened, Captain! It just... gave out!

Cid : (growls) That's not a good enough explanation, Klaud! That converter was brand new. It won't just 'give out' by itself.

Tifa : (thinks) Not without help, is that what you're thinking, Cid?

Klaud : I'll get my men fixing it right away, sir.

Cid : Just fixin' it's not good enough. I wanna be sure that this thing's not gonna happen again to anything else on this airship. After you're done with the converter, I want every #&@*ing crucial system in this ship triple checked. If anything even looks like it's thinkin' of bustin' out, I want it put straight. Understand?

Klaud : Yessir.

[Cid mutters something else to Klaud which Tifa can't hear, then turns away. His eyebrows beetle in surprise at catching sight of Tifa standing nearby.]

Cid : What're you doin' here?

Tifa : I just came down to see what was happening.

Cid : (speculative) You weren't down here when the converter gave out, were you?

Tifa : (glares) Are you implying something, Highwind?

Cid : (defensive) Nothing! I just wondered if you might've seen what happened!

[Tifa holds her glare for a while before finally shaking her head, slumping her shoulders wearily.]

Tifa : Sorry, Cid.

Cid : No worries, kid. (pauses) I'm going back up to the bridge. You thinking of hangin' around here?

Tifa : No. I'll just get in the way.

Cid : (grins) Good. At least you've saved me the trouble of saying that to your face. You look terrible, by the way.

Tifa : (mutters) Thanks for saying so.

Cid : Go get some rest or something, willya? Cloud and Barret are already takin' a break in both the officers' quarters, but you can use the Captain's quarters, if you want.

Tifa : You sure?

Cid : Yeah. Don't worry. I don't use that room much, anyway. (pauses) Just remember to lock the door, okay? I might forget that you're in there.

[Tifa gives a wan smile as Cid heads up the stairs and into the bridge. Taking one last look around, she prepares to ascend the stairs.
[Another shudder breaks through the vessel, prompting her to freeze in her tracks. There is a renewed frenzy of shouting amidst the engineers now, and she slowly backs up, trying to make herself as little of an obstruction to them as possible. Cid peers down from the catwalk.]

Cid : (shouts) What is it now?!

[Before anyone can answer, a loud groan runs throughout the engine room and sends Cid running towards them once more. Tifa takes this as her cue to get out of the way. Just as she is about to climb the first step again, however, one more shudder runs through the engines, only to stop shortly. A soft creak from above gives her a moment's warning. Without another thought, she leaps aside, just in time to avoid a torrent of boiling water that shoots out of a cracked pipe. The steaming liquid sizzles upon hitting the very spot she had been standing on a mere heartbeat ago.]

Cid : (runs up to her; breathless) You okay?

[She nods, gulping. Cid turns to shout some more at his engineers, leaving her to properly calm herself down. The hissing stream pouring out of the burst pipe slows to a trickle as the engineers cut off the flow of water. Finally, it halts totally.
[Seeing that Cid is still busy with the others, she takes a careful step towards the rapidly draining puddle, noting the palpable heat and the very visible scorch marks on the alloyed floor. Realising just how close she came to becoming a human version of a boiled lobster, she swallows thickly, shifting her feet. A rolling clang draws her gaze to her booted feet, where she catches sight of a piece of the pipe. She kneels down to retrieve it, careful to make sure that it isn't too hot to touch, first.]

Tifa : (thinks) Why's everything going so haywire all of a sudden? Sabotage? Who'd want to do that? (examines the pipe closely) It doesn't look like it's been tampered with.

[Cid comes up to her.]

Cid : What's that? Pass it here.

[As Tifa drops the piece into the pilot's hand, her gaze is drawn to the new materia she had attached to her glove. It looks different now; a slightly darker hue of green than usual. Even as she looks at it, she catches a brief glint coming from the materia itself. Her frown deepens, but nothing happens.
[Cid busily examines the piece of broken piping for several minutes before finally handing it over to Klaud, standing nearby.]

Cid : Looks like they gave us some defective parts here. (chews his lower lip) Klaud, have some of our boys go though every inch of them -- and the conduits, too -- while you're checking up on the systems. (growls) When I get my hands of that #&@^ supplier...

Tifa : (tears her eyes away from the materia) Someone sold you some bum parts?

Cid : Looks that way. (sighs) Then again, maybe that frog rain and you guys throwing magic all over the place sorta had something to do with it, too. (sees her beginning to object; quickly) Not that I'm putting the blame on anyone here, right?

Tifa : (grunts) Good move, Highwind.

Cid : Okay, looks like I'll have to stick around for a long while. You'd really better be gone before I have to throw you outta here.

Tifa : Subtle as always...

Cid : (absently) Yeah, well, you know me... (to engineers; yells) Get some of that *$@#ing coolant over there!

[As they scurry to work, Tifa climbs cautiously up the stairs. She hears a cry and then a loud thud behind her. Before she can turn around to see what's happened, though, something descends forcibly onto her head with a loud clang, knocking her to the ground.
[She comes to a few minutes later with a ringing sound in her ears, feeling very much like she'd just been used as a punching bag. There's something flowing slowly down her head. Blinking rapidly to clear it from her eyes, she glances up in confusion to see Cid's face looking down at her. He's wearing an expression that is at once mortified and amazed.]

Cid : Man, you're really callin' in all your bad luck today, ain't ya? (shakes his head) You all right?

Tifa : (dazed) Whug?

[Cid nods to a red-faced tech standing behind him. The man shuffles on his feet, looking very self-conscious and embarrassed.]

Cid : (to Tifa) You escaped being boiled alive only to get beaned over the head with a bucket of used coolant. (snickers) Guess this just ain't your day, kid.

Tifa : (blinks) Ngg.

[Cid gestures to the tech and the two of them help her stand. Swaying slightly on her feet, she brings a hand up to her head, easily locating an already forming lump where the bucket had hit her. She shuts her eyes tightly, telling herself that it's only a headache that's making her feel like her head's about to explode.]

Tifa : (pained) Aargh.

Cid : Easy there, Tifa. I think I'd better have you leaving here while you're still alive, or Cloud and Barret'll have my head on a platter. (to the technician) Hill, you take her over to the infirmary and have the medic take a look at her.

[He turns back to her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. Tifa winces at the sudden pain, her vision swimming, belatedly realising that she'd hit the floor somewhat awkwardly on that part of her body when she had landed earlier.]

Cid : Clean yourself up and rest. (pauses) Maybe you'd better consider stayin' in bed for the rest of the day. Seein' how #*@&ed up your luck seems to be lately, it's probably safer that way for all of us.

Tifa : (snarls) *#^%$@**...

=========================

'Open Eyes'

[The lights in the room are dimmed. Outside, there are faint rumblings of thunder accompanied by infrequent gusts of wind. The rocking motions of the ship have been gradually increasing, perhaps signalling the arrival of choppier seas ahead.
[Sekar sits beside the bed, a concerned look almost permanently embedded into his face. He's carefully examining Yuffie. Since her sudden return to consciousness that evening, she had eaten nothing and drank little. After she babbled something about voices and looking glasses, she'd slumped back down into the bed. He didn't think that she'd fallen asleep again, though her breathing had slowed and she displayed no movements at all aside from the occasional twitch.]

Sekar : (thinks) It was bad enough when she was sleeping like the dead, but this...

[The biggest reason for Sekar's discomfort is perfectly clear. Yuffie's eyes are still open; unblinking. They'd been that way for hours now.]

Sekar : (thinks) This is beyond weird. She's been... awake for almost half the night and she hasn't even complained once.

[The door opens and Ioz strolls in, an eager look in his eyes.]

Ioz : Land ho! We're hitting the --

Sekar : (hisses) Shh!

Ioz : (frowns) What're you so worried about? She's awake already.

Sekar : Just look at her. (gestures to Yuffie) Ever seen anyone sleep like that?

Ioz : (peers at her) She can't be sleeping. Her eyes are open, man.

Sekar : I know that. They've been open since last night, but she hasn't budged an inch at all.

Ioz : (long pause) All night?

[Sekar nods. Ioz takes a step forward, bending over to take a closer look. He waves a hand in front of Yuffie's eyes.]

Ioz : Nothing.

Sekar : I tried talking to her. Y'know, to see if she could hear me or something.

Ioz : And?

Sekar : No responses. She'll move a little if I nudge her, but other than that... (trails off) She hasn't even thrown up at all since she was up.

Ioz : Now that is worrying. (pauses) It's a relief, but still creepy. For Yuffie, that is.

Sekar : (sighs) I don't suppose that you've got any good news to tell.

Ioz : Nothing much. We're a couple of hours away from landing, that's all.

Sekar : (mutters) Great. What did Gray say?

Ioz : Not a thing. He just nodded when I told him that the girl'd woken up. (sits down; sees Sekar's expression) Hey, take it easy. You're beginning to get on my nerves with all that moping.

Sekar : I can't help it. I keep thinking of what'll happen to us when Godo finds out about all this.

Ioz : (grumbles) You're getting to be a bore, you know that? Quit worrying.

Sekar : Maybe you're right.

Ioz : Of course I am.

Yuffie : Am I... awake?

[The two men freeze for several seconds, as if unable to believe the sound of her voice. Then, as one, they turn to see the girl gingerly -- but unsuccessfully -- trying to sit up in the bed.]

Sekar : Yuffie! (rushes over) How're you feeling?

[Yuffie doesn't respond immediately. Instead, she focuses on trying to move. Seeing her struggling, Sekar puts a hand out to help her but she snarls and bats it away.]

Yuffie : If you even... think about sending me to sleep again... (swallows; draws a deep breath) ... I'll shove that damned materia down your throats and kick your #&@*ing asses to the moon and back.

Ioz : (unimpressed) Sounds like she's back to normal.

Yuffie : (looks around) Where am I?

Sekar : Almost at Utai.

[He slowly stands up, noting the distasteful look on her face as she realises just what kind of craft she's in. To both his and Ioz's surprise, though, she doesn't appear to be feeling any nausea.]

Sekar : (puzzled) Yuffie?

Yuffie : (mumbles) I'm hungry.

[Ioz gestures to the plate of food he'd brought down hours ago, still untouched.]

Ioz : Help yourself.

Yuffie : And thirsty.

Ioz : (smirks) There's plenty of water outside. Drink as much as you want.

Yuffie : (turns to him; sweetly) And I'm still going to skin you alive.

[Ioz mimes a yawn.]

Ioz : Where have I heard that before...?

Sekar : (brings the plate to her) Need any help?

[Yuffie looks at him strangely before snapping her reply. Even before Sekar can shrug and put the plate down, her hands dart forward with impressive speed for one who had just roused herself from semi-consciousness, snagging bread and fruit. Having once before borne full witness to Yuffie's table manners, the two ninja decide to take their leave.
[Yuffie doesn't make the effort to acknowledge their exit, though she notes with some irritation that they still have the presence of mind to lock the door behind them.
[Outside the room...]

Sekar : Wow, that was weird. She was almost...

Ioz : ... tolerable?

[Sekar pauses, then grimaces.]

Sekar : Nice to know you're back to your normal, unworrying self, Ioz.

Ioz : (shrugs lightly) Aw, what're you still so scared of? She's awake, we have the materia and we'll be home in a while. Why waste energy worrying some more?

Sekar : (walking) I just... I just don't like the way things have been going, Ioz. Something's happening to her.

[They walk on down the narrow corridor and up the stairs leading to the decks. Sekar is moving at a quick pace, forcing Ioz to hurry after him.]

Ioz : (exasperated) What are you talking about?

Sekar : A three -- no, four day coma; catatonia; voices in her head and hallucinations... No way one Sleepel could cause all those.

Ioz : (confused) Voices? Hallucinations? Heh, if you ask me, it just sounds like our little ninja girl's going over the deep end.

[Sekar stops walking so suddenly, Ioz almost barrels into his back. As his comrade scowls in minor annoyance, Sekar looks piercingly at him. For a moment, the look in his eyes causes Ioz to feel slightly uncomfortable. Before he can ask, though, Sekar lowers his head and breaks his gaze.]

Sekar : (softly) Maybe, maybe not.

Ioz : If not, then what other explanation is there?

Sekar : (cautiously) I think... (shakes his head) Nothing.

Ioz : What?

Sekar : Maybe it's the new materia. (sees Ioz's expression; quickly) Just a stray thought, okay?

Ioz : (snorts) Come on, man. Get a grip. No materia we know of causes a person to keel over in a dead faint for four days over one little sleep spell like that.

Sekar : (sighs) That's the problem. 'No materia we know of.' You're forgetting that the stone in her shuriken happens to be something new and that it doesn't seem to behave like any other materia.

Ioz : So, if it is because of the new materia, then what's it for? What good is a stone that makes its user sleep a lot longer than a usual low-level Sleepel would?

Sekar : (winces) Put like that, I guess it does sound kinda crazy. But what other explanations can there be?

Ioz : Hmm. (snickers) It's an allergic reaction to Sleepels.

Sekar : (frowns) Okay, what other plausible explanations can there be?

Ioz : I don't know! Maybe the spell got miscast or something. Or, I might've channeled a little more energy into the spell than I should have.

Sekar : (doubtful) You've never been that careless with materia magic before.

Ioz : So? Who's to say that I wasn't careless then? Let it rest, okay? It's over and done with for now.

[Sekar nods glumly, unable to say anything else. For a while, they look out into the horizon. He takes scant comfort in the ever-growing swell of land that approaches. Ioz glances at him occasionally, as if trying to gauge his mood, but neither one of them says a word.
[For a time, anyway.
[Eventually, Ioz clears his throat and, turning away from the view, leans back against the rails of the ship. Curious, Sekar waits expectantly.]

Ioz : Still... I guess we'd better not be throwing any more magics her way. (quickly) At least, not until she's back to her normal self.

[Sekar keeps silent but hides his smile, knowing that that's the closest Ioz would ever get to conceding gracefully to a point of argument.]

=========================

'Jinx'

[Tifa opens her eyes, chasing away her dreams of divebombing buckets and flying frogs, feeling more than a little relief at seeing the dull metal alloy ceiling of the sickbay above her. The absence of noise around the young woman reassures her further.
[She slowly raises herself up in the cot, groaning softly at the complaints her movements had elicited from her aching body. She puts a hand to her recently treated head. Although her head still throbs slightly, the medic had decided to use more traditional forms of first aid to treat it. While Tifa could understand that her injury was too minor to cure with a magic spell, she still wished that the medic had cast a Cure on her, if only to relieve her headache.]

Tifa : (thinks) At least I feel a little better after that nap. (takes stock of her injuries; sighs) What a week this has been.

[Recalling her dream, her mouth twists into something resembling distaste.]

Tifa : (thinks) I'm never going anywhere without a Transformation materia handy. Holy only knows how long it'll be before I stop trying to catch flies with my tongue out of reflex...

[Her attention is drawn back to her newly acquired materia. It rests in the materia groove of her glove, which she had left on a table beside her cot. Reaching out, she brings the glove closer. The materia is as inconspicuously green as before.]

Tifa : (thinks) All that bad luck... Couldn't be because of this materia, can it? (aloud; wistfully) I wish Red was here.

[After a few minutes of careful consideration, she makes her decision. Putting a hand on the materia, she moves to detach it. The stone refuses to budge.]

Tifa : (thinks) Just like Yuffie's materia...

[She tries again. From between her fingers, she catches sight of a faint gleam from the materia, followed by a fresh orchestra of creaks and groans coming from the ship. She freezes immediately, recent experiences causing her to look upwards, just in case; but there is nothing. Realising that the noises were most probably caused by strong winds hitting the airship, she relaxes and turns to the stone.]

Tifa : (thinks) It activated! Could it be an air elementally-based materia? It should have been the cause of that strong gust of wind. (mutters) Now if only I knew how I did it.

[She reaches for the materia once more. This time, the flash coming from the stone is brighter. Feeling a sudden cloying sense of dread, she waits. But not for long.
[Shouts and cries of 'Attack!' come from outside the sickbay, muffled by the heavy door.]

Tifa : (resignedly) So much for that idea... (to materia) If you're not bad luck, I don't know what is.

[Grabbing her other glove, she flings herself out of the cot, tripping only slightly while on her way out of the room. Outside, she hears sounds of a battle coming from above -- the upper decks. Ignoring a wave of dizziness, she rushes up the stairs, at the same time frantically pulling her gloves on.
[As she nears the door leading out, however, she pauses, listening. Gunfire and a stream of curses mark the presence of Barret upon the decks. A retorting remark to one of Barret's comments confirms that Cloud is there as well. Taking the final step out into the open, she sees her two comrades-in-arms facing off against a griffin. From the tattered and bloodied condition of the beast, it's obvious that both men have things well in hand.]

Tifa : (panting; thinks) Guess I didn't need to get here so quickly after all.

[With a grand shout, Barret fires off a fresh volley of shots. They miss their mark, but the griffin has evidently had enough, and leaps off the deck to take to the skies. Cloud lowers his gigantic sword, a hint of a smile on his face. As he turns around, he catches sight of Tifa beside the door.]

Cloud : (comes over) How're you feeling?

Tifa : (shrugs) I've been better. Looks like I ran all the way here for nothing.

Cloud : (grins suddenly) Yeah, Barret and I had things under control right from the start.

Barret : Hey, girl! You missed it! Man, whatta fight!

[Tifa looks at his gleeful expression, then at Cloud's, suddenly reminded of her conversation with Cait Sith on the balloon ship as they were approaching Rocket Town several days ago. She wonders just what else the cat had 'divined' from his readings.]

Barret : (elated) That sure beat fightin' those damned frogs!

Cloud : (notices Tifa's look) What's wrong?

[Tifa blinks and quickly laughs, shaking her head.]

Tifa : N-nothing. Just a little dizzy, that's all.

Cloud : I'll take you back down.

Tifa : No, it's okay. I need some fresh air.

Cloud : (hesitates; nods) All right. (to Barret) Stop patting yourself on the back.

Barret : (snorts) You're just sore I had to bail you out just now.

Cloud : Whatever. Get back to the bridge.

Barret : Yeah, yeah. (mutters) Ungrateful little...

[As the large man descends, Cloud waits a moment before turning to Tifa.]

Cloud : We had a bit of trouble with the engines again while you were asleep. Cid got everything going pretty quick, though. But he's still worried.

Tifa : (nods) All these accidents can't be coincidental, can they?

Cloud : Mm. He's sealed the engine rooms off to non-essential personnel, but he still wants us to keep an eye out for anything else suspicious.

Tifa : (uncomfortable) Suspicious. Right.

Cloud : (looks closely at her) He also said that you're free to use the Captain's quarters to rest in if you need to.

[She nods again.]

Cloud : (concerned) Well, I'll be down in the bridge. (pauses) I'll see you there soon, right?

Tifa : I won't be long.

[He leaves. She looks hard at her new materia.]

Tifa : (thinks) Can't be a coincidence... can it? A jinxed materia.

[Slowly at first, then quickly, her hand lifts to grasp the materia tightly. She takes a deep breath, then tries to wrest the stone from its groove one last time.]

Tifa : (straining) Come on. Get out!

[A breeze picks up, tousling a few strands of hair about her face. She ignores it. In the blink of an eye, the breeze turns into something more forceful, lifting her off her feet and almost tossing her overboard. With a cry, she lets go of the materia, and grabs frantically at the rails surrounding the deck. It takes several moments for the gale to pass, but she still retains her death-like grip on the metal rails.
[She screws her eyes shut tightly, fighting the wave of anger and frustrations within her.]

Tifa : (softly) Oh, Holy. What've I brought down on myself this time?

=========================

'Normality'

Ioz : (happily) Now there's a beautiful sight, ain't it?

Sekar : (amused) It's just the beach, Ioz.

Ioz : It's home turf, Sekar! Our mission's in the final stage. (grins) We'll be out of Godo's thumb by the end of the week.

Sekar : If Salamander doesn't do us in before then, you mean?

[Ioz gives a theatrical sigh and places a hand on the other man's shoulder.]

Ioz : You're really raining on my parade, you know that? Lucky for you, nothing can possibly bring me down from this good mood I'm in.

Sekar : I'm glad one of us feels that way.

Ioz : (breathes in deeply; sighs) There's no place like home.

[Gray emerges from below with Yuffie. Her colour has returned and she's obviously strong enough to walk on her own, though her steps are somewhat unsteady. Gray leads Yuffie over to them.]

Gray : Yuffie's still under your care. You'll bear the responsibility of her well-being until she's safely placed in Master Godo's custody.

[Yuffie pulls a face. Gray doesn't catch it as he walks off. When he's safely away, Ioz looks at Yuffie distastefully. It's an expression that's returned with equal fervour.]

Ioz : Well... I'm still in a good mood, anyway, in spite of having to watch after her again.

Sekar : (sees Yuffie's face; mutters) And how much longer is that going to last, I wonder.

[Yuffie groans and takes a step towards the edge of the ship. She's retching before she can even lean over the side. Sekar doesn't need to take a look at Ioz to know that his comrade's jubilant mood has completely deflated.]

=========================

'Dread'

Barret : Thought you'd still be up here.

[Tifa turns her head slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye, before looking out again.]

Barret : Cid says that the winds are slowing us down a bit, but we'll still be in Utai by tomorrow.(moves closer) Worryin' again?

Tifa : (small smile) I can't pull the wool over your eyes, can I?

Barret : Heh, guess I know you a bit better than you think. (pauses) Yuffie?

Tifa : (nods) Yeah. (thinks) And something else, too...

[She glances down at the materia in her glove. It's back to its normal green; deceptively quiet.]

Barret : We'll be there soon.

[He notices her disturbed expression and frowns slightly. She doesn't even seem to be paying attention to him; only looking out into the direction of Utai with hooded eyes.]

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Starting point | Part 6 | Part 8