Title: Inevitable
Wordcount: 927
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Notes: Not much to say, it's all about the adjustment period because no one comes to Traverse without losing more than what they came with.
There has always been something missing, Yuffie could just never figure out what it was. It has something to do with her memories, though. That was easy enough to figure out, after all, she may not be the sharpest crayon in the box, but she was definitely not the dullest. Besides, the façade was less than paper-thin in the first place, making it that much easier to discover, for her at least. Then again, she was the youngest—her memories of the place that was supposed to be home were nowhere near as strong as what Aerith and Squall held within their hearts. She tried, though, because it was within her nature to try, and because that gossamer façade was more effective than what she was willing to admit.
It was easy to tear down, though. All she needed was the stimulus to remember, and when she first arrived (nineteen-going-on-sixteen) those stimuli had been everywhere. She had woken up as herself: Yuffie Kisaragi, the Great Ninja and the Single White Rose of Wutai. She had opened her eyes bleeding, and broken, and every inch the princess her country had needed even as Aerith tried to explain that the damage would not be permanent. "There will be no scars, Yuffie," the girl had promised and Yuffie—still delirious and floating in the warmth of Aeris' full cure—had smiled, reaching her hand out to trace Aeris' cheek.
"No scars in heaven, right, Lily?" She passed out before she could register the confusion in the older girl's eyes.
Brat. Hime. Princess. Kid. The titles swam in her mind as she spiraled, memories of her life passing through her mind's eye at blinding speeds. Zack, Aeris, Sephiroth, Wutai, mama, Godo, Tifa, Reeve, Vinnie, Cloud, Aerith, baby Kairi, Squall. Her thought process halted and tripped over itself, tumbling head-over-heels in confusion. Who is Aerith? Who is Kairi? Who is Squall? Where is Radiant Garden? Where is Wutai? And Gaia? And—
She was awake before anything else registered, hands on her head and hyperventilating as memories crowded her mind. Dimly she was aware of Aerith rushing to her side and holding her, and murmuring for her to—"Just let it go, little ninja, let it go and remember—" And she tried to follow what Aerith was saying, but she could not tell which memory to grasp, what was supposed to be important.
Yuffie sobbed because her head felt like it would split open from the force of the memories within it. Mako blue, crimson cape, and a surprisingly soft robotic doll. She clung to the reminders that surfaced, holding to them as tightly as she could before a despairing touch full of Aeris' magic stole consciousness away.
The next time she woke it was Squall staring at her from across the room.
"Who are you?" She asked, eyes wary, and hands itching for the shuriken she knew Aeris would have confiscated. The only thing that comforted her was the sight of her old 4-star just barely within reach where it rested against the nightstand. Two command materia and one support winked at her from the old slots. "Where's Aeris?"
"You don't remember?" She could hear the shock in his tone—she had spent too much time with her stupid boys (men) to be unable to translate the nuances in any monotone—and an unwelcome memory surfaced.
"You're the one who was obsessed with the Rinoa girl." The words slipped from her mouth before she could stop them, and for a moment there was something different in the man's poise. Something died in his gaze, and she felt incredibly guilty watching it die out. Then it disappeared, replaced by a pain which seemed cheapened by the intensity of his first reaction. "You have different memories, too."
"What do you mean?" He frowned as she studied him, her gaze dark and intent in a manner that she could not have learned. That frown triggered something within her and she felt a blush rising to her cheeks as a memory leapt, unbidden, to the forefront of her mind. She had fallen in love with him because of that frown—no! He was a stranger who meant nothing! He had to be, there could be no question. She had promised her over-protective family that the first man she fell in love with would be better than any of them; and how could anyone top Turkey, Baldy, Bro, or Pres? Much less Spikes, or Vamp, or Cat, or Smokes, or Guns? Even Red and Fuzz were better than the average guy, and one was a dog and the other was an AI in kitty form.
"It's easier to let go." Her old 4-star slammed into the doorframe beside his head. To his credit, he did not flinch.
"I'm not that weak." Squall had taken down her shuriken, walking forward to place it back where it had rested. He stood by her bedside and just looked at her, and the haunting defeat in his gaze hurt almost more than she could stomach. Then he leaned over and kissed her, gentle and sweet, and memories surged and took over. For a moment, she was the great ninja Yuffie, and the well-known prankster-child of Radiant Garden; for a moment, she was a girl melting into a kiss from her first love and experiencing a dream come true. Mako blue, crimson cape, robotic doll. Then her fist was in his gut, and he grunted as he flew back into a wall. There was panic in her eyes and a disquieting understanding in his.
"It's not so much about weakness as it is inevitability."