It was early morning when Yuffie and Michael made it to Costa del Sol. In exchange for the ride, Yuffie agreed that she and Michael would help unload cargo, despite Michael's protests that he could pay in cash. The captain agreed to it, saying he'd rather have the help than the money anyway.
      After a mere fifteen minutes of work Michael was panting hard, and looking like he was about to collapse. Yuffie smiled at that, she had doubts that the young musician had any experience at hard labor, but it was good for him.
      "How you holding up tiger?" she asked.
      Michael glared at her, panting. "This is not what I had in mind."
      Yuffie shrugged. "You're gonna need the exercise. Rockport is a long way to go on foot."
      Michael's jaw dropped. "What do you mean 'on foot'?" he asked.
      "Easy. I'm not getting into another boat with you after what happened last time."
      "But . . . but . . . but . . ." Michael stammered. "It'll take too long."
      Yuffie shook her head. "No, it won't. We'll get a Chocobo."
      Michael's eyebrow rose. "And how to you propose to accomplish this? On your money?"
      Yuffie grinned. "Nope, we'll talk to some of my friends."

      Yuffie pulled Michael by the arm through the doors of The Sun Coast. "Come on, you big baby."
      "Maybe I should go get some money, just in case," Michael said.
      "Forget about it. Tifa ain't gonna bill us here. She's one of my closest friends."
      Michael looked hesitant. "You really don't have to do this."
      Yuffie turned back and stared at Michael. "What's with you anyway? You act like you don't even believe I was with Avalanche."
      "Well . . . "
      Yuffie growled and yanked on Michael's arm. "Come on, I'll prove it to you, you big baby."
      "That's not necessary."
      Yuffie had succeeded in pulling the slender musician up the stairs, and over to the bar. She quickly pulled one of the barmaids over by the elbow. "Is Tifa around?" she asked.
      The barmaid shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," she said in a thick Costa del Sol accent.
      "Can you get her for me?"
      The barmaid looked over her shoulder toward the back kitchen. "What dis be regarding?"
      Yuffie winked. "Tell her it's her hop shipment."
      The barmaid shrugged again and went through the door to the kitchen. Yuffie turned and smiled at Michael, who was trying to edge his way back toward the door.
      Less than a minute later, the door flew open and Tifa Lockheart-Strife looked around. "Okay, what's the big deal?" she called out. "The shipment of hops isn't due for another two weeks." Her eyes came to rest on Yuffie and she let out a squeal. "Yuffie!"
      "Tifa!"
      Tifa stepped out from behind the bar and rushed into Yuffie's arms for a long friendly hug. "What are you doing here girl? You on business?"
      Yuffie shrugged. "Yeah, well . . . Wow, Tifa, you're getting big since I last saw you," she said. "Did you and Cloud . . . ?"
      Tifa smiled and nodded. "Yup. According to the doc, I'm only about four months along. But yeah, Cloud and I are going to be parents." She rubbed her belly.
      "Congratulations! Wow, this is exciting! I see you also cut your hair too."
      Tifa chuckled. "Well, yeah," she said with a toss of her head. Her hair used to come down to her waist, but Tifa now had it cut to just below her shoulders. "Trust me, it's a chore to have hair that long, especially in a hot place like this. At one time, I even had my hair as long as yours. Well, as long as yours used to be."
      Yuffie grinned and scratched her head. When Yuffie first met the other members of Avalanche, her hair had been cut into a tomboyish mop, but she had since grown it out, and had her hair pulled into a braid that reached her shoulder blades. "Well, change is good."
      "Well not all change is, but this suits you," Tifa said with a smile. "Now that, on the other hand, I'm not sure about." She pointed at Yuffie's midriff with a raised eyebrow.
      Yuffie grinned. "Oh, the navel ring? Cute, isn't it?" she said with a mischievous chuckle.
      "I bet your dad hasn't seen it yet."
      "Nope, but I'm sure it'll kill him," Yuffie said with a snort.
      "Well, sorry Cloud isn't around. I think he's at the stables," Tifa said. "Did you want something to eat?"
      Yuffie glanced around, and saw that Michael had gravitated back to about a step away from Yuffie, now that he saw the two were talking like old friends. "Definitely! I could never turn down your food, Tifa. Oh, hey, this is Michael, my employer. I'm kinda being his bodyguard at the moment."
      Tifa reached out and shook his hand. "Hi Michael. How do? Why don't you guys get a table, and I'll bring some lunch out for you two and maybe some drinks? Yuffie, you'll be having the usual? What about you Michael? What's your poison?"
      Michael was stunned by Tifa's incredibly friendly manner, especially for someone that was now regarded famous, or in some cases, infamous, for her involvement in Avalanche. "Um, I'm not sure. Surprise me."
      Yuffie grinned. "Bring Michael something fruity and tropical. I think that's his taste, considering the way I saw him choke on that catapult back at Midgar."
      Tifa made a face. "Yuck, nasty drink that one. I'll get you something good."
      As Tifa went into the back, Yuffie pulled Michael off to a booth against the wall. It wasn't yet noon, so the tavern was only half full at the moment. As she glanced around, she tried to pick out any possible threats, and the only one she found that was of any interest was a pair occupying a table in the corner. Both were dressed head to foot in Bedouin-style robes except that they had deep hoods rather than veils, so that nothing of their faces could be seen. While they were quiet and seemingly withdrawn, mostly treating each other with extreme tenderness, she had noticed the taller of the two had taken an interest in her conversation with Tifa, and would occasionally turn toward her table.
      Tifa returned, and placed two glasses on the table, then pulled up a chair. Yuffie reached for the Lifestream, leaving Michael with a large bowl-like glass filled with something white and frothy.
      "What's this?" Michael asked, a little intimidated with the size of it.
      "Try it, it's good," Tifa said. "I mean, if you don't like it, don't worry. I'll take it, and I could pour you a beer if you'd rather."
      Michael looked wary and took a sip. He pulled back in minor surprise, looked at the glass again, and took another sip. "It's good."
      Yuffie grinned. "Tifa makes the best drinks in the world."
      Tifa rolled her eyes and waved off the compliment. "Now, now. I guess a lot of it has to do with my days in Midgar. Back then I had to distill my own booze, so the only way to get anyone to drink them was to make sure they were mixed right. It's so much easier now that I have the real stuff to work with. Although I do make my own beer and wine for the place."
      Michael smiled. "You did a really good job with this."
      "Why thank you, kind sir. Food will take a few more minutes though." Tifa turned to Yuffie. "I really do like your hair like this. If you undid the braid, I think we might even pass for sisters."
      Yuffie smiled and shook her head. "I dunno Tifa. I mean you are taller than me. And I certainly can't compare with two of your assets." She nodded toward Tifa's chest.
      "Trust me girl, these aren't all they're cracked up to be."
      Yuffie giggled. "Tifa, I hear they can get bigger when you're pregnant."
      Tifa chuckled and blushed. "Yuffie, you're so bad! Oh dear, I have no idea what I'm going to do if they get bigger. I hope Cloud won't mind."
      "Whatever. Of course Cloud will like them. He's a guy."
      Michael tried to hide his face at the topic of their conversation and Tifa turned to him. "So, Michael, have we embarrassed you enough?"
      "Um . . . yeah," he said softly.
      "Aw, it's just girls having fun. So, what do you do?"
      "I'm a musician."
      "Oh, you must be really good, in order to afford a bodyguard of Yuffie's caliber." Tifa flashed a playful smile.
      "I suppose."
      Tifa leaned in and whispered to Yuffie. "Say, Yuffie, can I ask you a favor please?"
      Yuffie shrugged. "Of course, Tifa."
      "Okay, you see the couple behind me in the robes?"
      Yuffie nodded without looking over. "Yup."
      Tifa took a deep breath. "The rest of the crowd here is all regulars, except you two, so it's all good. But those two are really kinda worrying me. I mean, they seem okay, they're quiet and keep to themselves, but I'm a little apprehensive. And the guy seems vaguely familiar somehow, and you know that some of the people we've known aren't exactly the most friendly of people."
      Yuffie nodded, glancing at the pair when they had their attention diverted on each other. The shorter of the two had slender, elegant hands, and was by her best estimations, female, while the taller of the two, by her reckoning would have stood six feet, had a slender body, but strong, masculine hands, which seemed to belong to someone bigger than he was.
      "Anyway, nothing's probably going to come of it, but can you keep an eye on them for me?" Tifa asked.
      Yuffie nodded. "No prob."
      "I'll go check on your lunch, okay?" Tifa winked and made her way back to the kitchen.
      Yuffie continued to study the couple in the corner. Her observation of them was so intense that she didn't even notice the large man walk up behind her.
      "Yuffie!" he yelled.
      Yuffie, startled, turned around, instinctively reaching for her backpack, where the Conformer was.
      "No, no, no, hands off," Taizen said, pointing a Quicksilver at her. The pistol was almost comically small in his large hands, but she knew it would be absolutely lethal at this range.
      "You think you can steal my contract, do you?" Taizen said accusingly. "We'll see about that. Where's the money?"
      Yuffie shrugged. "In the bank where it belongs."
      "Don't act cute, bitch." Taizen turned to Michael. "And you! Open that case! I want what's inside."
      Michael stammered. "The-there's no money inside. It's just my sax-um-saxophone."
      "Bullshit! Open it, dammit!"
      Michael picked the case up, and cracked it open. Taizen looked inside. "Fuck! I know you have money, you little geek. Now where is it?"
      "I don't have any money on me."
      "The hell you don't. Now give it to me, or I'm capping your girlfriend's ass here."
      Yuffie noticed that while the rest of the bar had backed away, the couple in the corner hadn't moved at all. The man gently stroked the woman's hand and glanced at her. In response she softly nodded. Suddenly, he stood up, and started walking toward Taizen.
      "Leave her alone," the robed man said. His voice was low, deep and gravelly. Yuffie admitted that Tifa was right. His voice seemed vaguely familiar.
      "What's it to you?" Taizen demanded.
      "I'm telling you to leave her alone," he continued forward.
      "Get the fuck back, before I blow her head off!" Taizen demanded.
      The man kept walking forward until he was a little more than an arm's length away. "This is your last chance."
      "No, this is your last chance," Taizen said. "You back the hell away. And get your hand off of that wheel!" Taizen pushed the pistol hard in Yuffie's temple. "Hands on the table bitch!"
      Yuffie snarled, her fingers having brushed up on the Conformer, but she needed a couple more seconds if she wanted to use it or the materia on it. She hesitantly lay both of her hands on the table top.
      Taizen had moved so that he could keep an eye on both Yuffie and the man, at least having one in his peripheral vision if he kept his eye on the other. "Now, back off."
      It didn't take longer than the blink of an eye, but the tall man had a pistol in his hands, and pointed directly into Taizen's head. "Leave her alone."
      Yuffie gasped. The pistol in the enigmatic man's hands was blocked from her vision, except the grip, but if the size of the grip, and the distance his hand was from Taizen's head was any indication, it was huge.
      Taizen was sweating now. "Put it down, now!"
      The man shook his head. "You've lost control of this situation. Put your weapon away, and walk out of here. If you don't, you're undoubtably not going to get out of this one alive."
      "I'm not playing, man! Put it down, or I'll splatter her brains all over."
      The robed man didn't move. "No. Leave her alone, or else." He let the ultimatum trail off.
      "That's it! I'm counting to three. If you don't put it down, I'll blow her stinkin' head off!" Sweat was gushing off Taizen's head, having seen the threat didn't get the results he wanted. "One . . ." He was breathing heavily. "Two . . ."
      The shot sounded like an explosion as Taizen's head disintegrated, and his body slumped to the floor. Yuffie, Michael, and the rest of the bar seemed to flinch at the report coming from the massive handgun. It was at that point that Yuffie saw what it looked like, and recognized the weapon.
      The kitchen door burst open, and Tifa came out, wearing her Premium Heart battle gloves. "That's it! What's going on in here?"
      The robed man whirled on Tifa and drew a bead on her. Tifa pulled up short, and the man then twirled the pistol by the trigger guard, and placed it on the table, taking a step away from it.
      Tifa snarled. "You've got a lot of nerve doing that in my place, buddy!"
      Yuffie shook her head. "Tifa, no! It's a friend."
      The robed man nodded slightly, and pulled back the hood. Yuffie and Tifa both recognized his sad features and dark hair, even though it was now considerably shorter and pulled back into a small ponytail rather than growing free with only a headband to keep it from his face. Tifa gasped a breath. "Vincent!"
      The tall man nodded. "Tifa, Yuffie. I'm glad to see you both are well."
      The door flew open, and a blonde man with spiky hair and a gigantic broadsword rushed in. Cloud Strife quickly assessed the situation. After a few seconds, he visibly relaxed, and went over to Tifa. "Are you okay?"
      Tifa nodded. "I'm fine. It's this guy that's the problem." She waved a hand to Taizen's body.
      "I see." He looked up. "Yuffie!" he exclaimed. He then looked over, and peered at Vincent. "Vincent? Where have you been?"
      Vincent Valentine shrugged. "Around."
      "But . . . you've been a disappearing act. No one's even heard of you since you and Nanaki parted, and word was that was about two years ago."
      Vincent sighed. "If only that was so. Reno's seen me. A few times."
      Cloud nodded, not sure what to say. He turned to the corpse on the floor. "So, who's this guy?"
      "His name is Taizen, he's a merc. Or he was," Yuffie said.
      "Ah. Competition?"
      Yuffie smirked. "He got mad when I put some drink umbrellas in his arm to save a potential client. When the client hired me, I guess he tracked us down to get some revenge and-or money."
      Vincent glanced at Cloud. "When he pulled a pistol on Yuffie, I saw fit to rescue her. I made it clear to this guy that unless he put his firearm away, and left the establishment, he was going to get killed. And I did so twice."
      Cloud nodded. "Is there anyone else we should know about after you? Either of you two?"
      Yuffie shrugged. "I doubt it. Taizen was the only one I humiliated, so I don't expect anyone else is going to get jealous about it. Everyone else I know was a professional. I ran into a hit team last night," she continued, glancing at Vincent. She'd have to remember to ask him if he remembered the two ex-Turks. "But given that they failed their last job, and it sounded like they were mercenaries rather than on retainer, I doubt that their employer is going to care much about their disappearance, if they even can pin it on me." Yuffie shrugged. "And then there's dad. But he doesn't expect to know that I'm here."
      Cloud nodded. "And your father isn't going to try to get you through violence, so I shouldn't worry about that. What about you Vincent?"
      Vincent shook his head. "Most people don't even know I'm alive. The only person looking for me is Reno, and he's not going to be unpleasant if he finds me. Although I'm asking you all to not let him know you saw me."
      Two members of the local constabulary rushed in and assessed the situation. They suddenly looked at Cloud. "Is everything under control?"
      Cloud nodded. "It was an act of defense. Just get rid of the body." He turned to his friends and smirked. "I got elected sheriff here."
      Tifa clapped her hands. "I have an idea. Why don't we go back to our place? I'll have Marie take care of the bar."

      Back at Tifa and Cloud's villa, the travelers sat down and tried to make themselves comfortable. Yuffie introduced everyone to Michael, and Vincent's companion removed her cloak, revealing a slender woman with long hair pulled into a ponytail and wearing eyeglasses.
      Vincent helped her with the cloak. "Everyone, this is Lucretia," he said.
      Yuffie, Tifa, and Cloud all looked at each other with more than a little confusion. Cloud was the first to speak, clearing his voice. "We thought you had . . . um . . . passed on."
      Lucretia nodded shyly. "I had. But when Jenova had died, and the whole thing with the Lifestream and Meteor, my body was somehow resurrected. Both Jenova and the Cetra had powers we couldn't possibly understand or have foreseen."
      Yuffie brightened. "Do you think that an Ancient could come back to life, if it wanted?"
      Lucretia shook her head. "I honestly have no idea. A scientific study of the Cetra and their relationship with the Lifestream has never been done. I suppose that with my resurrection, it might be possible that a member of the Cetra might be able to do the same thing, if so inclined."
      "It's just that Elmyra. Aeris' mom, had a death dream about her. In the dream, Aeris said she was 'coming home.' I kinda wondered what she might have meant by that."
      Vincent frowned. "I have no idea. Given that Cloud had that one dream in which Aeris said she was going to stop Sephiroth, and said that she was going to a place beyond the Sleeping Forest, we know she had the ability to alter people's dreams, and we can assume that the dream her mother had was no coincidence. I think the question we should be asking is what did she mean by home? Did she refer to her mother's house, or the Lifestream?"
      Yuffie shrugged. "I dunno."
      Vincent nodded. "Well, it's possible she may have the ability to return to life. So then it might be assumed it could be either. Are you sure about the wording though? Did she say she was coming home' or going home? They would mean very different things."
      "I have no idea," Yuffie said. "It wasn't my dream. But Elmyra told me she was certain Aeris said coming home."
      "Well, from stories I've heard, dead spirits don't always use correct grammar, but from the words used, it sounds like Aeris is attempting to return from the dead."
      "Okay," Yuffie said with a nod. "I have another question, not related though. On our way in, Michael and I had a run-in with a hit team who claimed to be ex-Turks. I was wondering if you might know them."
      Vincent nodded. "Maybe."
      "The names they used were Natalia Imperiale and Simon Poe. I doubt those were their real names, but maybe you know someone that used those identities or ones similar."
      Vincent responded with a shrug. "Nope. Describe them."
      "The guy was really big, and had blonde hair and a mustache. The woman was small and looked almost like a child, and had curly brown hair."
      Vincent smiled. "I think I know them. At least the woman. Back then we had only recruited them, where they were thieves, no more than children, but the girl looked exceptionally young, and the boy was nearly as tall as a man. Sounds like Andrezj Kalat and Holly Dillon. Vicious pair back then. Can't imagine that they got any less so as they got older if they were working for Shinra. You say they're a hit team now?"
      "They were. They're dead now."
      "The world's probably a better place for it now."
      Cloud clucked his tongue. "Vincent, what about you? You say Reno's after you."
      Vincent nodded. "He's trying to recruit me. Being that I'm a former member of the Turks, Reno thinks I'll make a good merc. I worked a couple jobs with him and Rude before, while we were in the Turks."
      "And you're not interested?"
      Vincent shook his head. "I've decided to quietly wait out the rest of my life with the woman I love. We've been traveling incognito for over a year now. I'm not interested in going back to the life I used to lead."
      "Where are you headed, Vincent?" Yuffie asked.
      Vincent had unrolled his bedroll, into which he had hidden the Death Penalty, a large, and very powerful rifle. He placed his Outsider, the heavy pistol he used to kill Taizen, next to it, and started to clean the weapons. "I'm thinking Junon."
      "A little crowded to be getting away from everyone, don't you think?"
      Vincent shook his head. "No, we'll get lost in the crowd. A large population is easy to get lost in because no one cares what you're doing. It would be much harder to get lost somewhere remote, because everyone would know you."
      Yuffie nodded, considering Vincent's argument. It made sense. She hadn't given it much thought before, but in Midgar, she found that if she kept to herself, no one would say anything. In a smaller place like Wutai, anyone that shut themselves away was considered insane or dangerous or both. No one noticed in a big city if you hid away. Everyone noticed in a smaller community.
      "What about you, Yuffie?" Cloud asked. "Where are you headed?"
      Yuffie jerked her head toward Michael. "I'm escorting Michael to Wutai."
      Cloud smirked. "Does your dad know?"
      Yuffie shook her head. "No. And I'd like to keep it that way if possible."
      "Good luck. I'm guessing he's not going to be thrilled either way. He will find out you were there, you know?"
      "Oh yeah, there's no stopping that," Yuffie agreed. "I just hope he doesn't find out until after I leave."
      "What's wrong with your father anyway, Yuffie?" Michael asked. It was the first time he said anything since they got to the villa.
      "He's rather overbearing," Yuffie said. "Seems to have the idea that someday I'll become a traditional Wutai woman, whether I like it or not."
      "I have a feeling he shouldn't hold his breath," Michael said. The comment brought laughs from everyone in the room.
      Yuffie turned to Cloud. "I need to ask a fave, old buddy, old pal."
      Cloud groaned. "What's that?"
      "I need to borrow a chocobo from the stables. One that will get me to Rockport. I'm sure Cid will return it for me."
      "I still say we should go by boat," Michael said.
      "And I told you I'm not getting in another boat after what happened last night," Yuffie replied. She turned and smiled to the others. "That hit team I was asking about blew it up."
      "I suppose I could let you borrow one of the river chocobos I have. When are you leaving?" Cloud asked.
      "Not until tomorrow morning, probably."
      "There's more than enough room here if you want to stay," Tifa said. "You too Vincent, Lucrecia."
      Vincent nodded. "I think we will stay the night."
      Michael smiled. "I'd hate to impose. You don't even know me."
      Tifa shook her head. "If Yuffie's willing to vouch for you, it's no imposition."
      "Please allow me to make it up to you somehow."
      "You don't have to."
      "But I want to."
      Tifa bit her lip. "That case you have. It's for a horn, right? You did say you were a musician."
      Michael nodded. "It's my saxophone."
      "Well . . . if you feel you must pay for our hospitality, would you mind playing at The Sun Coast tonight?"
      "You have a deal," Michael replied with a smile.

      The Sun Coast rarely ever had live entertainment, that wasn't the big selling point of Tifa's place. She preferred to attract the clientele through high quality food and drinks, and it made her one of the most popular places in Costa del Sol.
      However, she did occasionally get a live act in the place, and had a small stage set in the corner, and a microphone jack for when live entertainment did come through, something that happened more by chance than actually booking an act. That night, however, Tifa had everything set up, and came back by the table where her friends were seated.
      "Everything's set up Michael," Tifa said with a smile. "Whenever you're ready, just let me know."
      Michael picked up his case. "I'm ready now if you want."
      "Great! Oh, one thing. Do you have a stage name, or would you like me to say your full name when I introduce you?"
      "My name will be fine."
      Tifa blinked. "Okay, I'm not reasonably well informed. Your last name would be . . . ?"
      "Silverbrook."
      Tifa raised an eyebrow. "Really? Okay, well then . . ." She got up and got onto the stage, taking the microphone. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight we have a special treat for you. I'd like you all to give a big hand for a talented young musician, Michael Silverbrook."
      The crowd, packed fairly tight in the bar, began to applaud, somewhat louder than Yuffie would have expected. She wondered if they were just overly enthusiastic, or Michael really was famous.
      Softly, the notes from Michael's saxophone drifted into her ears. She closed her eyes, savoring the magic that his music was creating, romantic and soothing. She looked over and saw Cloud holding Tifa, her head on his shoulders. Vincent and Lucretia were likewise sharing affections, and around the bar, other couples were holding one another, caught in the magic of Michael's music.
      Yuffie suddenly felt very alone and jealous. She had no one. And the one she wanted most was the man playing on stage.