A/N: This is the sequel to my other story, 'Past, Present and Future'.
"I guess I just didn't want to stay there." Yuffie swung her legs backwards and forwards under the stool in Tifa's bar.
Tifa stood on the other side of counter and wiped up the crumbs Marlene had made earlier on that day. "Too many memories?" She asked, opening the small bin to her right with a foot.
"Yeah." Yuffie pushed her finger around the rim of her glass and looked into the deep, scarlet mixture. Her mind flashed back to Godo's funeral, she took another breath before starting again. "It's just not a happy place any more, I'm sure someone else can take over." She remembered how angry everyone in Wutai had been after their four highest standing leaders were murdered by AVALANCHE. When Yuffie returned to the town she heard jeers from the villagers and some people even spat at her. Deciding that maybe it wasn't a good idea to return to rule her father's country, she left in the night and hoped her people wouldn't hate her even more.
"Well you can stay as long as you like." Tifa smiled warmly at the young ninja and walked around her to open the door for business. She looked up at the clouds forming above Edge and sighed. "Another stormy night." She murmured. "I hope Cloud's okay..."
Yuffie swirled around on her stool and propped her elbows up on the counter now behind her. "Oh yeah, how are things with you and chocobo head?" She raised her eyebrows up and down.
Tifa gave her a sarcastic look before walking back out of the cold doorway. "They're fine, thank you. I was just worried about him because of this morning. He was all jumpy and he ran out saying he had to do something but he wouldn't tell me what." Marlene ran through the door behind the bar and into Tifa's waiting arms, asking for a cookie. Tifa laughed at her immaturity but pulled open a cupboard next them all the same.
"So he still hasn't told you how he feels?" Yuffie asked, grinning. She was greeted by a wet dishcloth in her face. Yuffie jumped back in shock and pulled the grimy towel off her. "Ew! Did Nanaki clean his feet on this?!" She pinched her nose and pulled it away from her dramatically, putting Marlene in fits of giggles.
Tifa's head was still inside the cupboard but her voice was stern. "If you were the ninja you claim to be, you would've sensed it." She said, bringing a hand out of the cupboard and placing a packet of cookies in Marlene's hands.
"Thank you Tifa!" She sang, running back out the door. Her voice trailed off as the door shut. "Denzel I got them, I got them!"
Tifa pulled her head back out of the cupboard and shut it, rising back onto her feet. "What about you and Vincent then?"
Yuffie blushed violently and threw the cloth back at Tifa. "What about us?" She asked innocently.
"What did he say?" Tifa asked, filling a glass of beer for the old man who had just walked in. "You know, after Mideel." She pushed the pint towards him and paced back over to Yuffie.
Yuffie slumped against the table and buried her face in her arms. "Nothing!" She didn't want to remember that night again. "When I woke up in the morning he had already left! There was only a note saying that Cid would pick me up and I haven't seen him since!" Her heart sank slowly to her stomach, thinking of the weeks that had gone by while she stayed here at the bar. She had been too nervous to return to Wutai straight away and too scared to go after Vincent.
"Cloud's seen him." Yuffie's head shot up at the sound of Tifa's words. "He came by a few days after you left for Wutai- Oh and Cid says he's sorry you had to find your own way there, he knows it took a while."
"I don't care about the old man!" Yuffie shouted. Tifa smiled nervously at the man a few seats from them, apologising with her eyes. "What did Vincent say?!" She demanded.
"Well... Not much. He was just the same as usual, sticking to the shadows, always being polite. Though he did have quite few chats with Cloud, every time I went near them they both clammed up. I didn't really ask about it..." She trailed off, secretly wishing she knew as well.
The door to the bar was brutally kicked open and the full force of the weather blew into the warm room. Two men pushed their way into the bar, covering their faces with dark navy jackets over their heads.
"Aw crap." Yuffie muttered, turning back towards Tifa and shielding her face.
"Hey guys!" Reno called, throwing the jacket away from his face and onto Rude, taking the stool to the left of Yuffie.
Rude scowled at Reno but hung their wet jackets on a hook near by. He took the seat between Reno and the old man, grunting in acquaintance to Tifa as the elderly man stared up at him in horror. Rude looked back at him and the old man averted his eyes quickly, taking his drink to one of the wooden tables behind them.
"So, how've you been squirt? Didn't think you were a red wine kinda girl?" He pointed to her drink. "Is the vampire rubbing off on you?"
Yuffie didn't meet his eyes, instead staring blankly at the wall in front of her as Tifa got the two Turks their drinks. "It's cranberry juice, Einstein."
"Ah. Still not legal then?" Reno said, giving her a pitying look.
Yuffie still looked ahead, but brought one hand up and flicked Reno between the eyes.
"Ow!" He complained, rubbing his forehead and turning away from the angry ninja. "Sweet lovely Tifa! You won't hit me will you?" He asked innocently. Rude cracked up beside him, trying hide it.
She laughed at him and shook her head, pushing his drink towards him. "If you behave." She teased.
Reno stuck his tongue out at Yuffie and returned his attention towards Tifa. "Where's Strife?" He asked.
Tifa looked through one of the windows and into the failing light. "Out." She stated.
He took a sip of his drink and smiled at her. "So how have you been, Tifa?"
Tifa looked at him suspiciously, it was strange to see him acting so polite. "I've been good thank you Reno, yourself?"
"Oh not so great..."
"Why is that?" Tifa asked, taking away Yuffie's now empty glass.
"I've just been so lonely you know." He sighed dramatically.
Yuffie turned round slowly. "What was that?"
"I wasn't talking to you." Reno replied. "I just want to meet someone, you know. " He stared up at Tifa. "Someone who will love me for me." His voice cracked a little at the end, Rude let out a muffled laugh at his co worker's idiotic ramblings.
"Are hitting on her?!" Yuffie choked out, staring at the red head.
Reno gasped. "Of course not!" He leaned a bit closer towards Tifa. "But I wouldn't say no."
Lighting crashed violently outside and roaring thunder ripped through the bar. A cold blade was places onto Reno's neck. "Reno." Cloud's voice rang through the room.
Reno jumped against the bar, knocking over his drink and turning round to see Cloud's sword still following his throat. "Whoa Strife, didn't see ya there." He tried to pull his head away from the impending blade. It stayed, trained to his throat.
Cloud looked him up and down before glancing back at Tifa. "You okay?" He asked, worry was thick in his voice.
"I-I'm fine!" She stammered, completely perplexed by the whole thing.
"Was he bothering you?" He asked again.
"No, Cloud I'm fine." Her cheeks flushing at the attention she was getting.
Cloud looked back at Reno, who was still nervously edging away from the blade. He slowly lowered the sword and replaced it on his back, walking round the counter and staring at Reno murderously.
"Well this has been fun and all..." Yuffie shouted loudly, trying to break to tension. "But I'm going to bed. See you and chocobo head in the morning." She told to Tifa, kicking the door behind the bar open.
"Call me next time your free babe!"
"Bite me Reno." She shouted. The door shut with a bang and silence engrossed her. She huffed slightly and stomped up the wooden stairs.
"Yuffie! Yuffie!" Marlene's sweet voice wafted from the room she shared with Denzel. Yuffie's face broke out into a smile and she skipped happily through the door, glad to be out of the company of adults.
"Hey Marlene! How are ya?" She asked, plonking herself down on Marlene's pink bedspread.
"You said you weren't coming back for a while." Marlene wailed, recalling what Yuffie had told her a week before.
"Yeah, that's what I thought too." She picked up a small rag doll to her left and fiddled with it's hair.
"What happened?" Denzel asked, he was sitting opposite them on his own bed, reading a small book.
Yuffie hesitated, biting her lip. "Nothing, don't worry about." She said shaking her head. "I just decided to stay with you guys a bit longer!" She hugged Marlene tightly and watched her complain.
Denzel laughed lightly and turned his head back to the book in front of him.
Yuffie sighed and pulled herself off the bed. "Well I'm going to bed you guys, night." She waved and headed towards the hall.
"But it's only seven, I'm not even going to bed yet." Marlene complained, stopping Yuffie in the door frame.
"It's been a long day." She said, yawning.
Marlene giggled and nodded her head, as if giving her permission to leave.
Yuffie closed the door behind her and walked down the warmly lit hall, pausing slightly at the sound of voices downstairs.
"Wha'd'ya mean we gotta leave Strife?! We only just got here!"
Yuffie grinned at Reno's annoyance and pushed open her own door silently. Flicking the light on, she kicked the door shut and collapsed on a white bed. She groaned and sat back up, remembering to pull off her grimy shoes and shove the small bag she had left up there earlier off the bed. The quiet was calming and Yuffie soon found herself falling into a deep sleep on top of the bedsheets. Boy, travelling sure does make you tired.
--
She awoke suddenly as another scream burst through the walls of her room. Yuffie sat up quickly and looked at the digital clock on the table next to her. It had only been about half an hour.
Another scream shook the walls. Yuffie grabbed her Conformer out of the bag on the floor and crept out of the guest room. The light was still on out there and Cloud and Tifa's bedroom door was wide open, something wasn't right.
Marlene opened her door warily peeked out at the small ninja. "Yuffie? What's going on?" She whispered.
"Nothing, it's okay. Just go back to bed." She felt bad for lying a second time to the girl and tried to smile.
Marlene gave her a suspicious look, glancing at her weapon, but closed the door again nonetheless.
Yuffie turned her attention back to the staircase, creeping down it stealthily. When she listened closely, muffled voices fought through the wooden door below and she held her breath.
Finally, she reached the door. The sound of voices had stopped now and she was getting worried. Slowly, she stretched out for the door knob.
She only touched the golden brass temporarily before the door flung open by itself and a weight was thrust upon her.
"Yuffie!" Tifa cried, wrapping her arms tightly around Yuffie's neck. "He did it! He did it!" She screamed.
Yuffie still stood in shock and looked through Tifa's hair to see a very amused Cloud leaning against a chair. She saw him looking at the raised Conformer in her hand hid it quickly behind her, blushing. "He did what?" She asked.
Tifa drew herself away and pushed her left hand into Yuffie's range of vision. A ring was slipped onto one of her fingers, a small diamond in the centre of it.
Yuffie stared down at the ring, then at Tifa, then at Cloud, and then back at the ring. She gasped before starting to scream herself, jumping up and down on the spot. Tifa soon joined her.
Cloud closed his eyes behind them and pulled his hand up to his temples. "I will never understand women."