Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Who's John ShinRa? ❯ The Candyman ( Chapter 32 )

A nice creepy chapter here in time for Halloween.

 

Note: I do not own the rights to FFVII.

 

Chapter 32: The Candyman

 

“So where to now, Tifa?”

 

“I'm not sure. I haven't heard anything about where Chaos might be except that he was last seen heading West. That could take us anywhere though.”

 

“Yeah, and nobody in Gongaga has heard anything about him. Hey Tifa? You don't think he went to Wutai do you?”

 

“It's possible Yuffie.”

 

The typically loud ninja gazed westward with a somber expression. “Wutai is strong. They should be able to keep Chaos away from the innocent.”

 

“Spoken like a true Princess of Wutai,” Rufus said with a proud smile.

 

“Yeah, well. If they don't then I'm going to go over there and beat some sense into my Dad and all the ninjas.” Yuffie said as she pumped her fist in the air.

 

“Well, if you think we don't need to go to Wutai, where should we go?” Rufus asked Tifa.

 

“Honestly, I don't know. Chaos could be anywhere right about now. He may even have headed East.”

 

Rufus sat pensively trying to find any clues as to where Chaos might be. He knew that the monster had a penchant for chocobo meat, but there were wild chocobos roaming the plains in every corner of the world. The only other thing that Rufus knew about Chaos was that his host was the former Turk, Vincent Valentine. It was a long stretch, but it might be the only clue to figuring out where Chaos might be lurking. “Tifa, how much of Vincent Valentine do you think is in Chaos?”

 

“I'd like to hope all of him, but that's impossible to tell right now.” Tifa bit her lip in nervousness.

 

“Well, do you think that it's possible Chaos would head towards somewhere special to Vincent? Is there anything in the West like that?”

 

“Well, the only towns that are in the West are Cosmo Canyon and Nibelheim.” Tifa paused as she thought about her old hometown. “We found Vincent in the ShinRa Mansion after he told us his story about Hojo and Lucretia. Lucretia! The Waterfall Cave! John, you're a genius! Yuffie, quick! We head North!”

 

Rufus looked startled at the retreating figures of the two women. “Glad I could help.”

 

* * *

 

Rufus had seen many parts of the world from Wutai to Midgar. In all of his life, he had never seen the spectacular glow of the evening sun reflected off of a cascading waterfall. The scene gave new meaning to the words, “natural beauty.” It was truly breathtaking.

 

“You look like you've never seen a waterfall in your life, Cityboy,” Yuffie smirked.

 

“I'm not that sheltered. I have seen a waterfall before . . . just not one like this.”

 

“It is amazing, isn't it?” Tifa said. “I think I was as much in awe as you were. In fact, Yuffie? Didn't you beg Cid for a camera so you could take a few pictures?”

 

“Yeah, the old fart said that he didn't have a stupid camera on the Highwind. You think with all the high-tech junk on that airship he would have one camera, but noooo! Stupid chain-smoking old fart.”

 

The group walked behind one of the waterfalls only to enter a hidden jewel. The wonderment of the outside of the waterfall was nothing compared to the shimmering crystals of the cave they entered. The trio didn't even know what type of crystals they were, only that they practically lit the room up with their sparkle. Small pools of water shimmered on the ground, reflecting the light in brilliant arrays of color. The cave was small and as the group ventured deeper, they could not find Lucretia.

 

“Do you think she's still here, Tifa?” Yuffie asked.

 

“I hope so. I don't know what we'll do if we can't find her.”

 

Rufus knew nothing about the woman and her relationship with Vincent, “Who was Lucretia and what was she to Vincent?”

 

“I was his lover,” a crackled voice spoke behind a large crystal. “Or at least, I used to be.”

 

The team turned to face the speaker and saw the distorted image of Lucretia behind the large crystal. Lucretia slowly stepped out from behind the crystal and Tifa noticed in shock that the young beautiful woman who she had first seen only months before was now an old woman with white streaks in her hair and a haggard face.

 

“I was afraid that he came with you. I don't want him to see me like . . . this.” Lucretia motioned to her face in disgust. “Does he . . . does he want to see me?”

 

Tifa gazed at the woman with pity as she spoke, “Lucretia, I'm afraid that Vincent may no longer be with us anymore.”

 

Lucretia's eyes widened in horror. “No, it can't be. After everything I did, he can't be . . .”

 

“Lucretia, we don't actually know for a fact if he's . . . dead. But we suspect.”

 

“What happened? Tell me everything!”

 

Tifa took a deep breath before speaking. “Vincent transformed into Chaos and hasn't changed back. It happened not too long after we defeated Jenova and . . . Sephiroth. Chaos has been terrorizing the countryside and we're trying to track him down.”

 

“Jenova,” Lucretia whispered as she closed her eyes.

 

The trio looked at her confused.

 

“Damn Hojo. He put it in him as he did my son and I lost them. Look at me! Look at me! Look at what that alien-bitch has done to me. I used to be beautiful. I used to be loved.” Lucretia sunk to her knees and wept.

 

Rufus turned to Tifa and spoke so only she could hear. “Are you making any sense out of what she's saying?”

 

“Vaguely. I think that whatever happened to Vincent has to deal with Jenova. Let me handle this.” Tifa gently whispered. “Lucretia, what do you mean about Jenova? Is Jenova tied to what happened to Vincent?”

 

“Yes, it's all her fault. She's the one to blame. Why? Why was I so blind? Why couldn't I get past the fact that he looked so much like his father. I killed them both.”

 

“So it has something to do with Jenova's cells,” Tifa mused. “What happened, it has something to do with Jenova's cells, doesn't it? Why? Why were those who were infected with her cells affected like this?”

 

“Because Jenova's a bitch! I should have found a way to stop her, but I let science get in the way of my instincts. That `thing' took away my son, my lover and now look at what I've become.”

 

Tifa bit her lip in frustration. She wasn't getting any answers from Lucretia. “Lucretia, I understand you're upset, but I need some answers. We're trying to see if we can save Vincent and stop Chaos. We can't do this without your help though.”

 

Lucretia's crying seemed to subside a bit. “You want me to help you save . . . Vincent?”

 

“Yes, if you can. We don't understand exactly what went on with Chaos and Vincent or the effects of the Jenova cells. But you do and maybe you can lend us your knowledge.”

 

“Use my knowledge. Yes, I can do that. I can help.” Lucretia wiped her eyes. “I can do this. What do you need me to do?”

 

“Find a way to find and stop Chaos,” Tifa said firmly.

 

The old woman nodded. “I can't do it here. I need my old equipment back in Nibelheim. The town's . . . still there, isn't it?”

 

Tifa smiled sadly. “Yes, Nibelheim is still there.”

 

Lucretia hesitantly walked towards the trio, avoiding any eye contact. She stepped forward and then immediately retreated back to the cave where she first emerged. The group looked shocked thinking that the woman had changed her mind. But then Lucretia emerged from the back of the cave wrapped in an old sheet covering every inch of her body except for her tired eyes. “I'm ready.”

 

Tifa said nothing as they guided her out of her personal sanctuary for the first time in nearly thirty years.

 

* * *

 

One by one the buds fell to the floor. A small pile of young flowers lay lifeless and forever frozen in time on the ground. They would never see the light of the sun or bloom for the eyes of admirers. He was relishing in this joy and making the blooms livelier without the infant buds. He saw the world through his own rose-tinted glasses and nothing to the contrary would make him say otherwise.

 

Sweet wisps of pinks and violets danced in the wind before him. The children had been warned about his candies and no longer came by to suck on the sugary delights. But flowers; flowers were innocent in their beauty and nature. Everyone loved flowers. He especially loved the ones that were not quite in full bloom. Why? Because he could sit there and snap the buds out of the bouquet like how he was doing now. It was sick perversion of his, but he never did care about what was acceptable.

 

The people avoided him with good reason. Unfortunately, they had to interact with him on some level since he had been the one to be appointed as Mayor: not by popular vote though mind you. The graying middle-age man sat watching the children playing on the streets in morbid fascination. This was his time, his peak hour. At least until the sweet little cherubs were called home by their overprotective mothers. They were far too prudish for his tastes. It might have had something to do with his reputation back in Midgar. It was only whispers of secrets that leaked out from time to time, secrets that he knew were true but never admitted. Dark secrets swept under the rug of ShinRa's morally corrupt government: just like this mock-up of Nibelheim.

 

He ignorantly ignored the reasons for their disgust. To see things as they were in reality would mean he would have to wake-up from his dreams. But these were dreams that he couldn't bear to live without. And because of that, he lived in his world of fantasies and make-believe, never to open his eyes to the truth. After all, he had tasted the essence of their butterfly dreams. It was so beautiful and so pure: completely unscathed and innocent. It was a rainbow colored spectrum of sweets and delights dancing in the darkness like fireflies. How could it be wrong when it was so delicious, when it was still so fresh? Things like this were meant to be treasured; sampled before they become too ripe, too old. Candy like this was the sweetest sin to devour.

 

In the edge of town, the mothers of the town were scurrying to get their children back into their homes, signaling a tidal wave of motherly alertness. He frowned as he watched the little darlings skirt away from his sight. It wasn't past noon yet for the mothers to call their young for lunch. Something or someone had come into town and disrupted the view. He clenched his fists around the bouquet of flowers in agitation, glaring at the town's entrance. What he saw surprised and pleased him: a tall lanky man, a cloaked woman, a young girl and her.

 

He saw her again. The princess of his dreams had returned. But now she was a queen. Far too ripened and soured for his honeyed tastes. He feared that his picturesque fantasies would shatter like broken glass. Tiny hands were now covered to hide long slender fingers. Pudgy cheeks were thinned out and matured. Baby soft hair turned coarser and a petite frame grew into that of a woman's. The princess was no more than a memory now. Still sweet and lovely, but a memory that he could never taste. The picture promised a young heart perfect for plucking, it promised the doe-eyed youth with the small handmade crown and scepter wrapped like candy in a pink sheet. She was supposed to be his next conquest; she was supposed to become his princess.

 

But all was not lost in the rose-colored recesses of his mind. For he remembered the violet-eyed young companion. She had youth and vigor. Her face was painted with the smoothness of innocence and naiveté that he wanted to smear. She was edging on the verge of age where it would be too late for him. He missed her once before when he first saw her those months back, but there were more people surrounding her like overprotective mothers. This time, there were only three. Three he could handle. It was time for him to find the sweetest candies in his home to see if the violet-eyed fairy loved treats.

 

* * *

 

The town was exactly the same. Houses, streets, the old well and even the type of flowers that were planted in the windowsills. Tifa could see no visible flaw in how Nibelheim was rebuilt. But nothing could duplicate the feel of the town she once knew. This Nibelheim wasn't hers. It was a cheap imitation set to confuse the average person. The eerie feeling she felt the first time she walked through the town gates after the massacre never subsided. It was like the ghosts of her hometown haunted the place, restless over the brutality of their deaths. She would have never returned if it weren't for their quest to hunt Chaos. Lucretia had finally agreed to help. And now here they were, heading towards the ShinRa Mansion where the scientist's research lay buried in the deep recesses of the basement.

 

Walking past some homes, Tifa felt a sudden chill crawl up her spine. She turned around only to see a few children running home and an elderly man sitting on his porch holding some flowers. The dreadful feeling subsided, but she couldn't help but think a ghost from her past was trying to haunt her.

 

“I'm sorry,” Rufus said suddenly.

 

Tifa looked at him, confused.

 

“This was your hometown, wasn't it? I heard the story from Yuffie, how Sephiroth killed everyone in Nibelheim and ShinRa rebuilt the place to cover-up the incident. I'm sorry.”

 

“That's alright. It wasn't your fault.”

 

Rufus winced thinking how wrong Tifa was. Certainly it wasn't his fault directly, but his father had ordered Sephiroth to go to Nibelheim and also ordered the cover-up. He was guilty by association and that in itself was enough.

 

As they walked into the ShinRa Mansion, Rufus gawked at how run-down the place had become. It had been years since he last set foot in the place, but at least then the roof was still intact. “What a dump.”

 

“If you think this room's bad, wait until you see the kitchen,” said Yuffie.

 

Lucretia looked over the dilapidated rooms sadly as she walked up the stairs to the bedroom with the secret door. Her petite frame creaked along with the age-worn house. The dusty blanket around her made her look like a ghost, haunting the old mansion. She drifted down the halls like she had in ages past. But instead of her light whimsical steps, she walked with a heavy heart soaked in guilt. Each corner of the mansion creaked and groaned in an accusatory manner as if the walls remembered the experiments she took part in long ago. Science had been Lucretia's sin and now she was returning to the heart of the beast.

 

The group finally made it to a room deep in the underground laboratory. Dust caked the machines and instruments as if the room had been abandoned for decades. A large tube filled with a cloudy liquid stood out from everything else in the lab. Judging from the size of the container, an animal or a human could have been put into the liquid vat and since ShinRa was involved, chances were that the past occupant was a human.

 

“This place gives me the creeps. What did they do here?”

 

“This is where Chaos was born Ms. Kisaragi.” Lucretia said as walked slowly around the large tube inspecting it. The look in the old woman's eye changed as she examined the lab. It was as if the scientist in her had taken over and stamped out the demure woman from the waterfall cavern. “It looks like everything is in working order, but it will take some time before I can figure out how to stop Chaos and maybe save Vincent.”

 

“How long do you expect?” Tifa asked.

 

Lucretia turned on a computer and hit a few keys, watching the screen as data flew past. “Hopefully no more than a week. It looks like all my notes are still here. I am a little rusty though, but if all goes well, then just a week.”

 

“Take all the time that you need, as long as you can all the right answers.”

 

Lucretia nodded her head in understanding. Picking up an old lab coat, she threw the white sheet off to the side and donned the coat like a second skin. The woman wasted no time and dove into the work as if it was the last thing she had.

 

* * *

 

The group had settled into Tifa's old home. Much to their enjoyment, Tifa and Yuffie stood back and watched John “convince” the previous occupant to give up his charade and turn the house over to its rightful owner. Where John had picked-up his communication skills, the girls could never fathom.

 

“Hey John, next time I go shopping in the Wutai shopping district, mind coming with me to talk me into some cheaper clothes?” Yuffie grinned.

 

“Do you even need to haggle for clothes? I thought you stole everything you wore. Heck, don't you even get clothes for free since you're their princess?” Rufus teased as he ruffled her hair.

 

The light banter earned him a swift punch in the arm. “Baka yaro,” Yuffie muttered in Wutainese.

 

“Yuffie, be nice,” Tifa chided.

 

“Yes Mom. Hey Mom, can I go out? I don't want to hang around the house all day, Mom.”

 

“Do what you like,” Tifa threw her hands up in exasperation.

 

Yuffie quickly shouted her thanks as she ran out the door in a dust cloud of excitement. The young ninja certainly wasted no time in finding something interesting to do.

 

The martial artist shook her head and turned to her male companion, “I swear, sometimes I think of her as my little sister and other times I just want to wring her neck.”

 

“Just tease her back like I do.”

 

“I can't do that. Someone has to be the mature one in this group.”

 

“Touché,” Rufus smirked.

 

The pair shared a laugh. They had been traveling nonstop for far too long and the break in Nibelheim was a welcome reprieve. Tifa knew that these breaks were a refreshment. She didn't know if she would ever stop chasing things around the world for the sake of mankind. But finally finding some time to rest in her old home felt oddly nice considering her past. At least she could say it belonged to her again. And it was all thanks to the man before her.

 

“Thank you, John.”

 

“You're welcome?” Rufus looked at Tifa puzzled.

 

“Thank you for helping me get my old home back.”

“It was yours to begin with. I just had to convince the guy living here to see things the same way.”

 

“You know, this is probably the first time since they've rebuilt this place that I've felt comfortable. It's as if I could close my eyes and remember the times when it was only me and Papa. I'm not even sad anymore as I think about him.”

 

“Maybe reclaiming your house has brought you some peace?”

 

“Perhaps. You know, they did an excellent job replicating the place. They got the right color on the walls, the furniture and even my room. The old piano up there plays exactly the same like the one I had.”

 

“I didn't know you played,” Rufus said in surprise.

 

“Yep. I've played for as long as I can remember. Though I haven't practiced in years.”

 

“I'm sure you're an expert pianist. May I hear you play?”

 

“Why not?”

 

Tifa's room still held a girlish charm to it. The oak piano looked aged as if it were a family heirloom past down from generation to generation. Tifa sat down at the piano fingering the keys, testing the pitch. Pulling out a sheet of music, Tifa studied it carefully. It was the last piece she had memorized before Sephiroth came to Nibelheim. She hit the notes perfectly, but the rhythm and harmony were off. The years of going without practice showed, but her lone audience member didn't mind. He found the music soothing despite the flaws.

 

“You know, I used to play for all the villagers when I was younger. My Papa would tell me that whenever I played with my window open, people would stop to listen. I wonder if they would still listen to me now,” Tifa laughed.

 

“I think they still would. Even though you're a little rusty, I can tell you put a lot of love into your piece.”

 

“A little? My god this piece sounds awful. I remember when I used to be able to play this in my sleep. Well so much for being the Princess of Nibelheim.”

 

“You used to be a princess?” Rufus said amused.

Tifa paused in her playing mortified. “Oh god, I can't believe I let that slip. It's not like I was a real princess or anything. It was just a name that all the other kids and the villagers called me. You probably think I was a prissy little girl now.”

“No, not at all. I think the title suits you.”

“I'm hardly princess material. But when you're a 5 year-old, the attention is addicting.”

“I bet you made a beautiful princess.”

Tifa blushed. “Everyone said I was adorable. At one time, my friends even made a crown and scepter for me to wear. I put on one of my bed sheets as a robe and paraded around like royalty. My father took a picture of me. He told me it was his favorite picture of me from when I was little.”

“So should I start calling you `Your Highness?' from now on?” Rufus joked.

Tifa replied with a cute pout, “No.”

“Ah, come now Your Highness. Pouting ruins your regal look.” The comment earned Rufus a playful punch to the arm.

“God, between you and Yuffie, I don't know who's worse.”

“Yuffie, naturally.”

“And how do you know I don't think you're more annoying?”

“Because no one is more annoying than Yuffie.”

Tifa opened her mouth then closed it quickly. “I guess I can't argue with that.”

They both shared a laugh. Tifa smiled fondly, tucking a stray hair behind her ear before turning back to the piano. She closed her eyes and began playing a simple melody she remembered by heart. It was her favorite piece, even if it was an easy one to play.

The song struck a chord with Rufus. It sounded familiar, like a song that he hadn't heard since he was ten. His eyes lit up as soon as he remembered where he first heard it. He stared at Tifa and smiled. So she was the angel dressed in white whom he met long ago. Looking out the window, Rufus recognized the exact spot he had stood as a ten year-old boy looking up into her room. He remembered talking to her and forgetting to ask her name. Now listening to the nostalgic melody, he finally learned who the muse was. Rufus couldn't believe the strange hand fate had dealt him. He had finally found his first friend and coincidentally enough, his first crush.

 

With a soft smile, Rufus walked up to the piano and sat down next to Tifa. Tifa paused to look at him curiously.

 

“Have you ever played a duet before?” Rufus asked as he played a few notes of a song.

 

Tifa nodded with a smile. “I didn't know that you played.”

 

“I guess this gives us something in common,” Rufus smirked. “Do you know this song?”

 

Tifa listened to the piece and joined him in after a few chords. “Know it? I love this song!”

 

The two laughed as they played, talking about many more things that they shared. Though one of them wanted to share an even bigger secret. A secret that may eventually push her away from him. The closer he got to her, the harder it was to pretend. After all, it was no secret that Rufus ShinRa was one of the most hated men on the planet. The only thing nobody knew was how Tifa Lockheart was going to react once she learned he was the man she was beginning to trust with her life.

 

* * *

 

Yuffie Kisaragi was on the prowl. The young teenager jumped from one roof to another with a skill only a trained ninja possessed. Her legs reached out for the black-shingled roof of the next house and with a soft thud, she landed gracefully. Walking over to the edge of the house, she held onto the roof and flipped over landing on the balcony below her. Turning to face a sliding glass door, Yuffie knocked on the glass with a huge smile.

 

Inside the house, two children quickly opened the sliding glass door and jumped on Yuffie with excitement. “Yuffie! You came back!”

 

“Hiro! Ami! Did ya miss me?” Yuffie asked as she picked the two children up in a hug.

 

“Of course we did. It was boring without you,” the blond-haired boy said.

 

“Me and Hiro drew a picture of you, wanna see?” a girl with a mop of golden curls asked.

 

“I'd love to. But first, do you two remember what I promised ya before I left?”

 

The two children's matching blue eyes lit up with excitement. “Mount Nibel! Mount Nibel! You're gonna take us to Mount Nibel!”

 

Yuffie put her hands on her hips triumphantly. “Yep, that's right! So you kids ready to go?”

 

“Yeah!” Hiro jumped up to grab his shoes.

 

“But Hiro, don't we need to tell Mommy?”

 

Yuffie squatted down to Ami's level and said with a wink, “What your Mommy doesn't know won't hurt her.”

 

Ami nodded her head tentatively, gazing up at Yuffie with her innocent blue eyes.

 

It didn't take long for the two children to get ready to go on a little journey. Within minutes, the two children were hanging into Yuffie as she jumped across the rooftops of their neighbors houses. Yuffie had taken it upon herself to become the two children's fun older sister. The kids were in awe when they first met Yuffie walking on their roof. Since then, they had always asked Yuffie to take them to Mount Nibel since their parents wouldn't allow them to go by themselves.

 

Yuffie held the children's hands as they walked up the rocky path towards the dangerous mountain. “So guys, what do you want to see or do?”

 

Hiro shouted with exuberance. “We want to see our Grandma!”

 

“Grandma? What's she doing up there?”

 

“Mommy told us that all the angels walk up the mountain to get to heaven. Grandma became an angel last year so we wanted to see if we could find her up on Mount Nibel,” Ami answered.

 

Yuffie remained quiet as she listened to the children. The ninja didn't know what to do. She knew that taking them up to Mount Nibel wouldn't reunite them with their grandmother, but they were already at the base of the mountain. She briefly thought about telling them the truth, but thought better about it. “Well, we better get hiking to see if we can find your Grandma!” Yuffie surmised that letting them explore the mountain and showing them the different sites would satisfy their curiosities enough so they won't become disappointed when they didn't find their grandmother.

 

The trio took a break on the narrow path just before a steep incline. The two children were animatedly talking about the things they would say to their grandmother when they finally found her. Yuffie looked at them guiltily as she kept her senses alert for any wild animals or monsters. What the ninja wasn't prepared for was seeing another person walking up the mountain path toward the group.

 

Yuffie turned to face the newcomer noticing that the person was an older man who had a gentle smile on his face. When Hiro and Ami noticed the man, they immediately tensed and quieted down. The man walked closer to the group holding his hands behind his back with an unassuming look.

 

“Why hello there children. What are you three doing up here up on the mountain?”

 

“Nothing much old man. Just making good on my promise to bring these kids up to Mount Nibel,” Yuffie answered. She turned to the two children noticing how quiet they were.

 

“So what are your names?” the man asked.

 

“Oh, my name's Yuffie,” she said turning to the two children. She expected them to answer boisterously like they usually did, but they still remained quiet and apprehensive. “Go ahead guys, tell the nice man your names.”

 

Hiro and Ami shook their heads and Hiro whispered into Yuffie's ear, “Our Mommy and Daddy told us never to talk to him.”

 

Before Yuffie could ask Hiro what he meant, the man interrupted her.

 

“What adorable little children. So shy. I know what will get them to talk,” the old man said as he fished for something in his pocket. “How about some candy little children?”

 

Yuffie half expected Hiro and Ami to jump at the candy the nice man was offering, but the kids remained rooted to the ground looking anywhere except at the friendly newcomer. “What, you guys don't want any candy?”

 

“Mommy told us never to take any candy from strangers,” Ami said softly.

 

Yuffie, ever the schemer, thought of the perfect way to let the kids have candy without having them break their mother's rule. “How about if I get the candy for you? Do you want that?”

 

The two children looked at each other confused. “I guess that would be okay.”

 

“Great! Then it's settled.” Yuffie cheered.

 

The ninja didn't notice the huge grin the older man had on his face as he listened to the conversation. Yuffie told the kids to stay put as she walked up to the man to take the candy he was offering. The teenager eyed the beautifully wrapped pieces picking them up one by one as she put them in her hand.

 

“Did you make these yourself?” Yuffie asked.

 

“Why yes I did young lady. These are special pieces of candy made with lots of love.”

 

“Cool,” Yuffie said and unwrapped a piece before popping one in her mouth without a second thought.

 

She didn't notice the older man's smile widen with an unnatural glee. As the candy melted in Yuffie's mouth, she began to notice the strange taste mixed in with the sweetness of the delight. Her senses tingled. There was something wrong with the candy. Candy wasn't supposed to cause the feelings in your fingers to dull or to make you dizzy and nauseous. It wasn't supposed to do that unless the candy had spoiled or was drugged. Yuffie's eyes widened as she looked at the man and saw the predatory gleam in his eyes. The kids were right, she shouldn't have taken any candy from this strange man.

 

The only thing running through Yuffie's hazy mind was to get far, far away from this man and as fast as possible. In a panic, Yuffie grabbed Hiro and Ami's hands yelling at both of them in a raspy voice, “Run!”

 

And run they did. Up, up, up the rocky terrain of Mount Nibel they ran, breathing hard with fear and weariness. But they couldn't tire because walking at a steady pace the man was following them. He was biding his time forcing them up the mountain path and blocking their way whenever Yuffie tried to steer them towards town. Had Yuffie not been drugged or were she not with two helpless children in her care, she may have been able to get out of the situation without a problem. But that wasn't the case and the first thing on her mind was to keep the kids safe. Her welfare was secondary to theirs.

 

As the children were running away from the man, the man followed in an amused manner. “Did you not like the candy?”

 

Yuffie would have shot back a witty remark, but the drugs were drying out her throat. Her skin was starting to feel cold and clammy. At times her vision would blur, but she knew that she could not succumb to the drugs affects. Biting her lip in frustration, she pushed forward keeping a strong grip on Hiro and Ami's hands.

 

“You children don't seem to like my candy. Perhaps you all like stories instead? All good little children love stories.” The man said in a sickly sweet voice. “Once upon a time, there was a little girl whose grandmother was sick. So she decided to take some food to her grandmother's house.”

 

Ami nearly stumbled along the rocky path but was saved by Yuffie who pulled her up to keep her from falling. Hiro ran ahead pulling Yuffie's hand who looked back at Ami's tired face.

 

“While on her way, a hungry wolf spotted the young girl and asked her where she was going. The girl told the wolf about her grandmother and how she was delivering some food for her. The wolf, told the little girl that she should bring her grandmother a bouquet of flowers and showed her a beautiful field of flowers.”

 

Pausing for a brief moment, Yuffie scooped Ami up in her right arm while maintaining her grip on Hiro in her other hand. They continued their run with Ami staring wide-eyed in fright at the man following behind them.

 

“As the girl picked flowers for her grandmother, the wolf raced to the grandmother's house. There, the wolf ate the little girl's grandmother and wore her clothing before getting into the grandmother's bed just waiting for the little girl to arrive.”

 

The children came to a fork in the road and for a split second they paused trying to figure out which way to go. Quickly, Yuffie pulled them all towards the right where the path was more level.

 

“After the little girl finished picking the flowers, she went to her grandmother's house. When she got there, she saw her grandmother lying in bed. `Look grandma, I brought you some food and flowers,' the little girl said.”

 

Hiro slipped on a few rocks but quickly picked himself up and kept a steady pace alongside Yuffie.

 

“The wolf, disguised as the girl's grandmother said to the girl, `Thank you child. Now come closer and give your grandma a kiss.'”

 

Yuffie's vision swam as the path looked like a spiraling blur of earthen-brown. Biting her tongue, Yuffie cleared her mind and staved off the dizziness momentarily. Though it was long enough to steer around the multitudes of rocks along the rocky path.

 

“The little girl came closer to the wolf and said, `My grandma, what big hands you have.' `Why, the better to hold you, my dear,' the wolf replied.”

 

A sharp turn to the left and the rocky path widened only to come to a sudden stop. Yuffie had to pull Hiro back with her left hand to prevent him from running over the edge of the cliff.

 

“As the little girl came closer, she noticed her grandmother's eyes. `My grandma, what big eyes you have.' `Why, the better to see you with, my dear.'”

 

Yuffie swore under her breath as she turned towards the ominous voice drawing closer to where they stood. There were only two places they could possibly go, the first was back down the path where the man was slowly closing in on them or forward where a steep cliff that leading to certain death awaited them. Yuffie frantically looked through her pouch of supplies to see if there was anything that could help them.

 

“ `My grandma, what big ears you have.' `Why, the better to hear you, my dear.'” The man's eyes widened as he gazed up on the frightened faces of the trio.

 

Yuffie pulled both children behind her keeping them shielded from the madman who was slowly approaching.

 

“Then the little girl's eyes landed on her grandmother's mouth and she said, `My grandma, what big teeth you have.' The wolf leaned forward to grab the little girl as he spoke, `Why, the better to eat you with, my dear!'” And with those words, the man broke out into a wide grin before lunging towards the children.

 

* * *

A gentle breeze ruffled the petals of three wildflowers growing in the rugged terrain. They were hardly ruffled from the disturbance a few feet away as a man lay dying. The flowers couldn't hear the painful gasps as the man reached out for a picture that had fallen out of his pocket. If the flowers could see, they would have noticed that caught in their branches was a photograph of a young girl with brown hair and red eyes dressed like a fairytale princess. But the flowers could not see nor did they care about the broken and bleeding man.

 

The man saw the picture as his last salvation. With feeble hands he reached: helpless to fend himself away from death's grasp. He could see himself walking through fields of flowers with all the lost children of Midgar. He could hear their laughter as they ran their hands through soft silken petals and stared ahead with innocent eyes. With his last breath he tried to retain his sick illusions. And like a bubble, all those dreams exploded in the throes of death plummeting to the darkest depths of hell, where even the devil feared men like him.

 

A swift gust of wind blew the picture far away from the grip of the dead man. The flowers were relieved of the obstruction in their branches though the disturbance had bothered them. But they would bounce-back from the disturbance as these flowers were strong. They grew steadfast and would continue to grow for centuries despite the harshest of winters or the cruelest of summers. Not even mankind could stomp out their will to survive. Because they thrived to grow, waiting for their time to bloom.

 

A/N: Would you all believe me if I said that I had been working on this chapter since Feb.? I blame my pregnancy for not updating mainly because when I did have free time, I ended up reading my pregnancy book over and over again. Now my time is limited because I have my cute infant daughter to take care of and that takes priority over everything else. I'm not going to even try to guess when I'll have the next chapter up as it all depends on how much free time I have after working, taking care of my daughter, living a real life, etc. I will say that the plot is completely AU from the game after seeing Advent Children and playing Dirge of Cerberus. I'm going to start winding down the story and begin resolving all those loose plot threads. Hopefully I won't miss any because there are a lot.