An Unexpected Jump
A Final Fantasy Reno/Yuffie Fanfic
Author's Notes: Inspired by the line in On the Way to a Smile: Case Shinra, where Reno sees Yuffie and goes after her. Blends into the opening sequence of DoC.
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Diamond Weapon had just done a number on the largest building in Midgar. That is, to say, Shin-Ra headquarters was now a complete mess, as was much of the surrounding city. Citizens were screaming and running from the impending doom of Meteor and emergency teams had their hands full with trying to aid the wounded.
Members of AVALANCHE were helping. Tifa had told Cloud that those not off to fight Hojo were going to help with the clean up. That meant those with a bone to pick with the mad scientist took off for the steel tower while the rest divided amongst the sectors to help coordinate efforts.
Yuffie was at the main entrance of the Shin-Ra building. The radio was heavy in her hand, signifying the weight of responsibility to save the people trapped inside. There was an entire's night amount of work, but Yuffie knew the teams needed to get the people to safety, fast.
The waves of survivors ended and all was quiet, but then she saw a team run into the building lead by Reno. Oddly, the red-headed Turk looked truly concerned. When she saw their prize, she knew why. Rufus Shinra was a bad man to everyone but his Turks. And they, in return, held their leader at the highest esteem.
There wasn't much she could do. And she didn't particularly have any fondness for the son of her enemy, the former President, but she knew Rufus, even just a little. If she were to take over as Wutai's leader, she would take the devil she knew over the devil she didn't.
The heli that landed was piloted by a nice enough man. One quick chat with him ensured the safe transport of the next medical emergency. After that, Yuffie barely saw Rufus get put on it.
As she noted before, there was work to be done.
There were still plenty of floors that needed to be checked. She hung her comm device on her belt and readied her Conformer. She hadn't been able to use it much, it's growth rate was absolutely atrocious, but it was a thing of beauty.
Five-pointed, perfectly balanced, the weapon was sure to become a legend. But, for the moment, it was a weapon, a tool, for the field. The elevators were locked down, which suited Yuffie just fine. Though not as noticeable as on airships and boats, elevators also gave Yuffie motion sickness. She liked stairs just fine.
Halfway up from the first staircase, Yuffie whipped around, shuriken raised. At the foot of the stairs, there was a man.
"Whaddya want, Turkey?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as the ruffled man bounded up the stairs.
"Is that what passes for a greeting where you come from, princess?" Reno flipped a piece of flaming red hair back as he reached her. They were eye to eye, with a few steps between them. Shortness was a general trait of the Wutaians. And Yuffie had enough personality to fit into two six-foot people in her own petite 5 foot-2. Which is why Reno chose to stop where he did.
"It works for me. You just going to stand here and gobble? Or can I get back to work?" Yuffie didn't drop her guard. Sure the Turks hadn't instigated any attacks against AVALANCHE recently, but that didn't mean they wouldn't if they wanted to. And Reno was a particularly skilled fighter.
"Hey, I just wanted to say thanks. You held the heli for the Boss, didn't you?" Reno's blue eyes were so clear, it reminded her of the Leviathan scales in Da Chao. It was one of her most favorite colors.
"Who'd do that for President Sleezeball?" Yuffie backed up the stairs. She would rather get attacked from behind by looters than by Reno. She had seen him in action. It was beautiful kind of dangerous.
"You would," Reno climbed the stairs, keeping pace with the ninja. "You could get something good for taking the credit of saving the President's life."
"I'll take my chances. After all, Godo would probably have my head if he knew I helped keep him alive."
"True, saving your father's enemy is not really politically correct. But, hey, morals, right?" Reno stepped up to the landing and looked around at the rubble.
"What do you know about morals?" Yuffie scoffed as she went to survey the area for survivors.
"That other people have 'em," Reno joked. He followed Yuffie as she scoured the floor, then up the next set of stairs.
She was ignoring him.
"What are you doing?"
No one ignored him.
At least he knew she wasn't oblivious to his presence.
"I'm following you. You're a thief, princess. I can't just let you saunter around stealing highly confidential information, now can I?"
"You could help look for survivors at the same time, can't you? Or do ya need someone to order ya to do it?" Yuffie threw him an incredibly, unprincess-like, look of scathing sarcasm.
Reno refused to answer her taunt, choosing instead, to saunter around the room checking for survivors and dangers like it was his own idea.
"Just like a cat," Yuffie grumbled to herself. "Always doing things at their own pace."
"We're also noble creatures."
"Noble creatures don't drink till they puke at Turtle Paradise, Turkey!" Yuffie swung her Conformer in mild irritation. Storming off, she carefully checked everything.
Mostly, the building suffered minimal damage. It had been built like a castle. The worst that happened on the lower few dozen floors were files fell over, potted plants spilled and trinkets were broken. As they went up, the damage got worse. Furniture was tipped and broken, there was glass everywhere and there was evidence of peoples' injuries.
"You know, you've got great legs for all that you're a stick of a kid," Reno commented on the 62nd floor as Yuffie climbed over some rubble to get to the next area.
He lost a lock of hair for his comment.
"Woah! Chillax kid! I didn't mean any disrespect," holding his hands out, he tried to stave off her next attack. Ultimately, he had to put out Electro-Mag Rod to stop from getting his shoulder split in two. She was fast. Lightning fast.
"I don't take tactless, demeaning comments from people like you," Yuffie snapped and withdrew her weapon. "It's disgusting and low. If you don't intend on giving respect when you comment on someone—don't."
"Yes, Ma'am," Reno saluted. His arm ached from the impact of their weapons. When she turned away, he rolled his shoulder to test it, and wondered if her arm was as sore as his.
They spent the next floor in silence.
On the 64th floor, Reno spoke up.
"That's Shin-Ra property."
"And I'll skewer you on it so Cid can have a flag of Turkey on it," Yuffie calmly stated as she hefted the lance on her shoulder. If anything, it would be useful to lever something up, if they needed to.
The next floor up, Yuffie let out a low chuckle.
"Nyuk nyuk nyuk. Oh, I'm gonna hold this one over Cait's head. He's gonna be begging me," Yuffie was bent halfway into a locker.
"You—"
Yuffie swung the lance around, keeping the massive pole stable. That alone was badass for fighters of any kind. But the way she had her hip jutted out, MP Shout in one arm, lance and shuriken in the other, with a pissed off look on her face, Yuffie was downright hot in Reno's mind.
"What could possibly be going through your mind right now that says I'm gonna listen to you?" Yuffie was pursing her lips and that made Reno want to jump her right then. He shifted unconsciously, but was met with the cold, hard tip of the polearm pressing lightly above his belt.
"I don't think ya wanna know. Catch my drift?" Reno cocked an eyebrow and gave her an inappropriately salacious look.
Horrified, Yuffie took a step back and hit the lockers, sending a jarring sound throughout the room.
"That's illegal. Even in Midgar. Especially here," Yuffie rambled. What had been a haughty domesticated cat attitude 60-some-odd floors down, had become a predatorily feline grace as Reno flicked the lance aside to move closer to Yuffie.
"You're stealing. That's also illegal. Maybe we'll be put in the same jail cell. What with all the panic, jails must be full of looters," Reno blocked her Conformer easily with his own weapon; the lance made it difficult to move. "We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other. They might even let us borrow some handcuffs, if you're ballsy enough to try."
Yuffie snorted. There was yet to be a set of handcuffs manufactured that she couldn't get out of, but when she opened her mouth to retort, she realized that it was the was the wrong thing to comment on.
"I'm not sure if I'm the one who needs to worry about being 'ballsy' enough, Turkey."
"Hey, I am well endowed. All the ladies say it. Figures a kid like yourself wouldn't know about things like this," Reno gestured to his body with his free hand.
Yuffie laughed at him and lowered her gigantic weapon. With a triumphant grin, Reno lowered his as well, thinking they had surpassed their need for weapons. Maybe he could get her to partake in another kind of sparing: verbal, tongue, maybe even for dominance if she wanted to find out just how ballsy he really was.
Next thing he knew, he was covering his ears as Yuffie screamed into the microphone. Right into his face.
"Loser!"
She kicked up, successfully hitting him twice, first in the crotch, second in the face as he collapsed.
"Treasure's mine, bad boy," Yuffie crowed as she took off for the stairs. She still had to go up.
Limping, Reno took after her, cursing loudmouthed, devilish thieves along the way. He caught up to her at the demolished top floors. The top two levels were exactly that: leveled. Open night air bit at them, tugging on Yuffie's headband and Reno's clothes.
"Where are you gonna run to now, shortie?" Reno called out from the stairs; the only exit.
Yuffie wasn't listening to the Turk.
"Vincent, I already scanned it. There's no way anyone's still up there! Hey! Woah!" She pulled the mobile from her ear, looking worriedly first there, then to the tower across the plaza. Then she was yelling and Reno was upset that it wasn't directed at him. "Vincent! I have a really bad feeling about this!"
"What's going on?" Reno stepped up beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder, relishing the softness and warmth of her bare skin.
"Cloud, Red and Vinnie went to deal with Hojo. But Spike already called to say it was over, but Vincent's heading back. I have to go," Yuffie started slinging items around, strapping them to her body.
"We're sixty-six stories up. How the hell do you intend on getting to Valentine?" Reno didn't want to let her go. She was by far the most interesting aspect of this whole ordeal and she was just content at kicking him in the groin and running off for another man. It was a first in Reno-land and he didn't like it. Not one bit.
"Like I do with most things. Later, Turkey!" With a running start, the young Wutaian princess, the infamous materia thief, the Great Ninja Yuffie, dove off the edge of the destroyed building to save her Valentine.
Now Reno knew; women would jump off skyscrapers to get away from him.
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The End.
Author's Notes: Aw… Poor Reno. Kinda. I'm not a Reno/Yuffie shipper, so whatev's. But the idea was bugging me as to why he would go after her. Though, really, who wouldn't love the spunky ninja? Vinnie does, Rufus does, why not Reno? Too bad sucker. Anyway, had to write it, so I did. Enjoy? Hate? Leave a note!