Chapter 8 - Rescue in the Dark

Chapter 8


        I hurried after Yuffie to the cockpit, passing several loudly humming engines on the way. The humming increased as I hauled myself up the ladder and through the hatch, where Cid was readying the ship for takeoff. “Git yourselves strapped in, we’re gonna leave soon.”

        “Ummm...Cid? There’s only one other seat.” Yuffie pointed out.

        Cid cursed this oversight, while Yuffie and I proceeded to argue over who got the seat first. I claimed it on the basis that it was my first flight, agreeing that Yuffie could have it on the way back. I buckled the harness, and listened to the engines reach a roar, while Yuffie wedged herself between a couple of crates in the hold. Suddenly, I was slammed back into the seat as we rose off the ground. I grabbed the armrests and resisted the urge to yell in excitement. Soon, the ship leveled off and we were streaking through space.

        I immediately pasted my face to the window, gaping at the glittering vista of stars spread out before me. Occasionally, asteroids or colorful gummi formations floated by. Cid looked over and guffawed at my open-mouthed excitement. “First time on a gummi ship, eh kid?” I nodded, still staring out the window. “Huh, you gotta few things to learn if yer gonna pilot one. See, interspace ain’t no playground.”

        “P-pilot? Me?” I stammered in surprise. I had hated driver’s ed, how was I supposed to manage this?

        “Well...” Cid scratched his head. “Yuffie gets airsick on these kinda things. She won’t be much use in flying.”

        I could’ve slapped myself. How did I forget? “I’d better check on her...” I said, peeling myself away from the window.

        “See if you can get her in here. She should listen to this, too.” Cid added as I scrambled through the hatch.

        Yuffie was huddled between the crates, trying (unsuccessfully) to look like the flight wasn’t bothering her in the least. “You know, you don’t have to pretend around me. I can see right through it.” I reminded her. I was, in fact, starting to feel a little woozy myself as I came in contact with her mind.

        “Hmmph! Know-it-all,” she teased, but still allowed her shoulders to slump a little.

        “You okay?” I asked, cursing my concern (or “softness”, as miss battle-hardened Yuffie termed it)

       “If I was okay, would I be down here?” she responded.

        “That reminds me, Cid wants both of us in the cockpit. Think you can make it?” I asked.

        “Can I make it?” she repeated, pretending shock. “You happen to be talking to a certified ninja! Of course I can make it!” She strolled over to the ladder, making a big show of it, and then scrambled into the cockpit while I struggled to hold back laughter. It exploded as I poked my head through the hatch to see Yuffie imitating Cids driving, who was oblivious to the entire thing. Cid turned his head to look at us, and Yuffie instantly put on an innocent face, which of course only made me laugh harder. “I’m surrounded by @#$&ing crazy people,” Cid muttered, raising an eyebrow.

        Once I finally had a hold on myself, the piloting lessons began...and continued throughout the trip. By the time the ship had stopped, I was bored out of my mind- but I did know how to fly. Turning away from my “teacher”, I looked out the window and was stunned to see Hollow Bastion. ‘But...but you live in Wutai!’ I protested silently. ‘Just watch,” Yuffie instructed, as Cid orbited the world, apparently looking for something. Once we had gone around twice, he declared, “The @#$%ing gate must be closed. We’re gonna have to open it.”

       ‘Gate?’ I thought, confused, as Yuffie propelled me through the doorway to the airlock.

         “Step on the transport point,” she instructed, motioning towards the glowing green circle on the floor.

        “You mean that save point?” I asked.

        “When you’re on a ship, it takes you down to the surface of the world you’re orbiting. Watch Cid.”

        I obediently looked on as Cid stepped into the circle, and disappeared in a swirl of green light. “After you!” Yuffie said cheerfully, and I quickly moved into the light to avoid being shoved into it by my ever-eager friend.

        When the light faded, I found myself in the castle library, where Cid was waiting. Once Yuffie had appeared (and nearly knocked me over in the process), he told us to stay in the library while he went on ahead to open the gate.

        “Sure you don’t need any help?” Yuffie asked. “This place is probably swarming with heartless.”

        “Exactly,” Cid replied, “Which is why you should STAY HERE.” With that, he shouldered his spear and marched through the door, leaving a disgruntled Yuffie behind.

        “Hey, it’s not so bad. We can do a little research while we’re here. Maybe we’ll find more of Ansem’s report.” I started toward the nearest bookshelf, practically drooling at the sight of so many books in one place.

        Yuffie shook her head. “Aerith and Belle already looked. They gave what they found to Sora.”


        “Well, maybe they missed something,” I said, not to be deterred, and began to search through the volumes. I had just picked out a particularly interesting-looking one (“States of the Heart: Their Origins and how to Control Them”) when I heard a voice in my head. “Cut it out, Yuffie, I’m trying to concentrate here,” I said, annoyed at being interrupted in my reading.

        “That wasn’t me...” came the nervous reply. I set down the book, closed my eyes, and we both “listened” carefully, trying to catch the voice again.

        ‘Help me...Is anyone out there?...Can you hear me?...It’s so dark....’ The voice was faint, but I could tell it was close.

        “We’ve gotta find him! I think he’s somewhere in the castle,” I told Yuffie, who looked at me incredulously.

        “Are you sure it’s a guy? Cuz’ I can’t-”

       In a rare moment of role reversal, I interrupted her. ‘Where are you?’

       ‘We’re gonna rescue you!’ Yuffie added.

        We both were hit by a rush of relief, and then he said, ‘I’m on the other side...It’s so dark here... please hurry!’ Suddenly, I felt a sense of urgency, almost like something was pulling at me. “Do you feel that?” I asked Yuffie. She nodded. “Lets follow it!”

        We left the library, and headed for the floating platform leading to the floor below. Suddenly, I heard a whooshing noise I knew all to well.

        “RUN!!” Yuffie screeched, and flung herself over the railing to land cat-like on the floor.

        “Wait!” I yelled, trying to escape from the clutches of the several shadows that swarmed around me.

        “OhmygoshsorryTHUNDER!” she blurted, and immediately the heartless were zapped. I quickly jumped onto the platform, which was halfway to the ground, and then to the floor. Yuffie then grabbed my hand and proceeded to drag me along at a dead run towards the lift stop.

        The next chaotic half hour went by in a blur. I quickly found out just how fast an adrenaline pumped, terrified teenage girl could run. And still, the pulling led us onward and upward until we finally reached the grand hall, stopping at the save point to heal along the way. Cid was bent over one of the control panels at that ringed the platform. He looked up as we dashed up the stairs to it. “What the @#$%?! I told you to stay in the library!” But now we were going too fast to stop, and the pulling was stronger than ever. We knew exactly where the mysterious voice was coming from. Taking the steps two at a time, we plunged into the dark portal.

        Instead of the swirling panorama of colors I expected, there was darkness- and a strangely familiar looking set of doors. Slumped against the doors was- Riku! We came to a screeching halt in front of him, and suddenly the black, spongy floor began to bulge under our feet. “Hurry!” Riku gasped. “The heartless...they’re coming!” He staggered forward, almost too weak to stand, as the bulges grew glowing, yellow eyes. Yuffie wasted no time in pulling one of his arms around her shoulders. I quickly took the other arm, and all three of us stumbled toward the light where Yuffie and I had originally entered. The bulges began to take on the more recognizable shapes of darksides, causing my heart rate to rocket. Just a little farther...! If we could only make it a little farther! And then we were through, skidding across the marble floor to come to a stop in front of Cid. Behind us, the portal flared with energy, then disappeared in a flash of darkness. Yuffie disengaged herself to grab her sides and catch her breath, leaving me to support Riku.. This turned out to be a bad idea. He went fully unconscious, and his dead weight caused us both to go crashing unceremoniously onto the floor.
        

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