Thirty-one minutes before the mayhem....

Yuffie, our main protagonist of this story, is getting ready for the festival. An annual gathering that happens every February in Wutai. Tourist from various regions come to take part in this glamorous night, filled with lights of many. Paper lanterns, small pyrotechnics and even the glow of the cosmos sets the mood. Of course it wouldn't be a festival without the merriment of music.

Violins riddling, taikos struck rhythmically, an assortment of brasses blaring are dulled by the walls of a room. Inside, sitting in front of a mirror, she's applying the finishing touches to make her ceremonial getup cohesive. Rouging her cheeks with dainty swirls, Yuffie sets the brush upon the vanity table. She takes one good look at her reflection, and admires the efforts she has wrought. Her kimono, palest of pinks, is embellished with a colorful imprint of Leviathan parting the seas from front to back. At the waist is a maroon sash tie matching her modern zōri sandals.

Normally, Yuffie prefers a more casual style to fit her tomboyish demeanor. But she'll make an exception for this occasion. Besides, she has matured a little since battling alongside her comrades against numerous terrors, and travelling the world as an WRO (World Regenesis Organization) operative. Those experiences opened up her eyes to everything around her. What she didn't appreciate back then; the notions of Wutainese tradition, have come to respect to it. All thanks to strengthening the bonds she has with her father Godo, and the pagoda masters over the years. 

With a satisfactory wink, she gathers additional trinkets to wear before sauntering out of the room. One in particular is a bracelet she faithfully dons. It's molded from the technologies held within the WRO laboratories. Trouble is always lurking. Yuffie knows this to be a certainty. Being prepared is the cogitation of the wise, to mitigate danger if it should appear. Unbeknownst to her, that [i]danger[/i] is soon to arrive.

Five minutes before the mayhem....

Yuffie has mingled with the locals and visitors for a fair amount of time. Even a few of her associates from WRO decided to partake in the festivities. They've witnessed two customary dances; one of prosperity and another that, eerily enough, depicts misfortune. No one, not even Yuffie, saw this as an omen. And why would they? Their very beings are brimming with fun and excitement. The worries of imminent peril isn't a factor at the moment.

Mayhem's solemn introduction is upon them....

What seems to be instantanous is a burgeoning blaze, casting off one of Wutai's great monuments. Specifically, the epicenter of the warrior spirit, and where Yuffie's birth as a kunoichi, amongst other things, began. The pagoda, in all irony, became the brightest light of the night. But unlike the festival, it doesn't bring joy and mirth to those in attendance. Screams and panic is what this disaster ushers to the masses. 

Surreal. Yuffie is totally baffled. She just gazes at the flames absentmindedly as if it can't be happening. Like a film, her most cherished moments plays in her mind. Times where she endured rigorous training, got into mischief as a youngster, and defeated the pagoda masters for the first time. Though Yuffie can no longer stand motionless after seeing something horrific.

One by one, bodies flew out of the window. Yuffie hurries over to the burning building to find who they are; but deep down, she already knew. Gorky, Chekhov, Shake and Staniv, the pagoda masters, were all dead. Beaten to the point that their likeness is marred beyond recognition. Only the clothing they wore made them identifiable. The one that wasn't accounted for is Godo, the man who faces the bringer of tragic nights.

Replete with grief, which swiftly melts into anger, Yuffie disregards her safety and heads into the pagoda. Despite being aflame, the stairwell remains structurally sound. To preserve what's left of it, Yuffie begins her acts of heroism with a spell. An algid magic known as Frost, blankets the stairwell with a thick layer of foam-like substance. Eventually making its way to the bottom to extinguish the fire. 

The bracelet Yuffie had put on earlier houses several materia. Some of which she's encountered on the job, going on explicit assignments. Such as the [i]Zero[/i] materia, imbuing the caster with frost runes. The rest are those prized to her after Sephiroth's downfall. The materia, once plentiful before the war against Shinra, was also used to restore monetary power and status to Wutai sometime ago. 

As she makes her ascension to the top floor, Yuffie continuously quiets the conflagration. She chills each level subsequently, up to the fourth floor with the Zero materia. At this juncture, though, passage to the highest floor proves to be more of a challenge. A segment of the staircase collapses due to the destruction laid upon it. Still, the pagoda remains intact, holding up for as long as it can.

Lightweight and nimble, Yuffie squats deeply and springs into the air with great height. A surprising feat due to how restrictive her kimono is for mobility. Because of this action, however, the kimono loosens its constraints. She lands into the upper room heavily, slowly making herself upright afterwards. Now looking forward, regaining a sense of her surroundings, Yuffie attest to the death of her father. His murderer, whose visage obscured by the length of black hair, stands before Godo's lifeless body.

Eyes welling with tears, Yuffie's world begins to crumble. The man she knew all her life is now gone; returning to the Lifestream. She's already angry about the pagoda master, the stress-stricken countrymen, but now...unadulterated rage floods her soul. With clenched fists, Yuffie prepares to exact her revenge by using the next materia: Armament.

Meanwhile, outside the pagoda, members of the WRO are rallying the civilians. They take them to a more secure location, far from the torching pagoda. Disbelief is seen on many countenances, wondering why--out of all nights--were they robbed of their happiness. But Wutai is resilient, and like countless instances before it, [i]she[/i] will bounce back. [i]Her[/i] premier ninja is on the scene, reestablishing the hope of [i]her[/i] people.