Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 3: Pursuit

FIFTY-TWO

"Sounds like she meant to recruit you," Cloud mused, gazing at the letter I was holding. "Just like Hiroshi suggested."

I read over it again. "Yeah. Not sure I'd have joined yet, but I'd have kept her secret for her either way. Shinra hadn't pushed me enough yet to go that far. And losing her husband in the Reactor 3 massacre had to have thrown a wrench into the whole thing, too."

He frowned slightly. "Hold on... Hiroshi didn't get my description right. My hair's not black, and it's not long, either. I—"

"Cloud?" I looked worriedly at him as he winced in pain.

"It's nothing," he said, shaking it off.

Yuffie gazed uneasily at him. "It's not like Hiro to get things wrong like that, though. He's really observant. If he—"

I instantly silenced her with a glare. "Not now, Yuffie."

"Huh?" she scratched her head. "I don't get it."

"Save it for later," I told her. And then I quickly changed the subject before Cloud could think on it too much. "I'm gonna head back to the guest house in a minute and call Kunsel and Marissa, but can we go get that picture of Hiroshi from your place first?"

Yuffie nodded. "Sure, Jessie. It's just around the corner."

Her house was smaller than the main building of the estate but still big enough to give her plenty of space and let her feel like she was truly on her own instead of on her family's lands. And like her dad's home, it was built in the traditional style, with sliding screens and plain wooden floors, walls framed with thick red beams, and furniture that was both modest but well-made. Cushioned mats, fine dressers and tables, and a large bed in the other room with soft blankets and a mountain of fluffy green pillows. A set of stairs led downward out of sight.

And I could hear meowing coming from there. When Yuffie led us down into a finished basement, I couldn't help laughing as no less than half a dozen cats swarmed around us in a surge of whiskers and fur, all of them definitely hungry and clamoring to be fed. Yuffie knelt in front of them and cooed lovingly as they surrounded her.

"Hey, there, Mommy's here," she soothed, petting the cats. "I know, I know. I'll get you something to eat, don't worry."

I grinned. "Wow! You have even more cats than Wedge!"

Yuffie picked one up and chuckled. "Adorable, aren't they? Must be why he and I hit it off so well when we met. If he wasn't with Lena, he'd be in my sights for sure! But I'm happy for him."

"Maybe he and Lena can bring their cats to meet yours sometime," I suggested. "Or you can bring yours to meet theirs."

"Not a bad idea!" she chuckled.

After Yuffie had fed her cats, we went back upstairs, and she took a photo from her desk drawer and handed it to me. It showed Shake as a tiny but feisty thirteen year-old, her smile full of mischief as she looked at a young and very handsome Wutaian man who looked to be twenty or so. Her older brother, Hiroshi. His hair and eyes were dark, a lot like his sister's and Yuffie's, and he was tall and slim.

"You're right, Yuffie," I grinned. "He is cute. But not as much as my sexy SOLDIER boy here. To me, anyway."

"Ha! Told ya!" she giggled.

I nodded, then I remembered something. "When you first told me about him the night we met, you said he'd probably changed the way he looked. Dyed his hair, wore contacts to change his eye color, that kinda thing, so no one would know he was from here."

"Right," Yuffie said.

"He won't really look the same then as he does here, but that won't stop Kunsel," I assured her. "I think we can narrow down the search to the Nibelheim squad since we know Hiro was on it. And if Kunsel can get into the records, he might be able to find him."