Yuffie woke to the eerie sound of nails on a chalkboard. She yelped. She glared daggers at the black boots in front of her. Something was off though. Yazoo usually wore a long robe. This dude had leather pants with many straps and buckles overlapping his muddy boots. Daring to look up a little farther Yuffie fearfully noted the long, gleaming, sword aimed carelessly at her petite face. The sword was named Souba and that should give the hint.

"Hey!" Yuffie wined. "That's really rude Kadaj." she snapped hands on her hips. She loathed him with her very own life. He was the very remnant that almost took the the life of his own brother; Cloud, twice.

"I know. That's the point, pixie." he replied clearly amused of her constant wining.

"Well, why don't you, and your wannabe brothers go torment someone else." Yuffie retorted equally as menacing. 'Wait, didn't Cloud kill him when he defeated Sephiroth for the millionth time?' Yuffie shrugged it off. It wasn't very important anyways. He obviously wasn't dead if he was standing right here.

"No, but you should watch your mouth, pixie." he snapped. He watched amusedly as Yuffie put on her famous little pouty face. She struggled to get up from her broken state. She hated when she was weak of helpless in a desperate situation. She loathed being a damsel in distress, it made her feel helpless in front of the enemy.

Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him. "Yeah, and what if I don't wanna, huh?" she questioned. Grinning she sat as she listened to him stomp and spit out a string of colorful curses. Next thing she knew he was stomping out his frustration up the poor little stairway. If Yuffie wasn't in this situation she would have laughed so hard that it might have been the death of her. But ... that wouldn't stop her now would it?

As soon as she could hear no more footsteps in the distance anymore she fell back, clutched her stomach, and doubled over laughing hysterically. But she failed to hear or notice that yet another remnant was quietly, and gracefully gliding down the staircase. Not that Yuffie was really observant or anything but Yazoo had been looming over her figure for the past five minuets. After her mad laughing fit she sat up slightly and peered her tiny, little eyelids open. She screeched like a little school girl when she noted Yazoo's ever so observant eyes leaned up over her body.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Yuffie fumed.

"Checking up on you. What else?" Yazoo replied. He had a small hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Hasn't a dick head like you ever noticed us ladies kinda need their privacy." she mouthed, referring to herself as 'us'. Yuffie couldn't help, but be smart with her comments. After all she did need something to do. What's a bored, sixteen year old ninja princess to do? Plus she was right. Girls really NEEDED their privacy. You can't have a tall, handsome looking, silver-haired man leaning over you all the time. It was just wrong. However she was rudely interrupted from her thoughts.

"No." he replied. His eyes cast downward taking interest in the cement floor beneath him. Why did he always feel this way around her? He had felt a tight knot in his stomach, and a lump in his throat. In the ten years the he and his brothers looked for mother, the ten years that he had way to many life and death experiences. But in all of these travels he had never encountered this feeling. He asked Loz since he was to cowardly to ask Kadaj. Loz said it was an emotion called 'Love'.

Love. How could he love a young, annoying, bratty, wannabe ninja like her? It seemed absolutely impossible. Maybe Loz was wrong, no, he HAD to have been wrong. Love to him was a forgin emotion. A forbidden emotion. Besides it could've been something else like maybe envy? Nope that was out of the question. He had experienced that a little too many times. Especially around his brothers and that gunman from AVALANCHE. Vincent, was it?. But... why would he have envy for her? She had nothing that he wanted. Well, except maybe innocence, but that covers it. There must be a logical explanation.

"No? What do you mean, No? Haven't you ever lived with a woman?" Yuffie questioned interrupting his thoughts. She knew she pushed the wrong button now. She watched his alert look of surprise as he shifted him weight uncomfortably between both of his legs. She could see right through the facade, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

"No." he repeated. It was a bit more stern this time, but still soft. He blinked a few times before regaining his composure and his facade. Yuffie noticed this, and frowned a bit..

"O-kay then." Yuffie spoke uninterested. "So...Uhm...What happened to Kadaj?" she asked breaking the awkward silence. Yazoo looked down and made the mistake of looking into her wide, glimmering, innocent looking eyes. He quickly swung his head to the side closing hes eyes, and answered.

"He's sparing his anger out on Loz. I'm not surprised. He has an extremely short temper." Yazoo explained. It was truly enjoyable to sit back and watch when Kadaj was angry. Like the brat, laughing uncontrollably when he stormed away. Even though Kadaj was younger than him, his brother could beat him sparing almost every time. Not that he liked swords that much anyways. He preferred guns. He preferred his prized treasure, Velvet Nightmare. He was distracted from his thoughts when he heard Yuffie giggle.

"Thanks, Captain Duh." she clearly retorted. Yazoo put on a deep chuckle to hide his deep frown. He had been a master of putting off the question that he meant to say in the first place. He looked her deep in the eye and spoke.

"Yuffie, ... do you know how special you are?" he asked skeptically. He didn't know how this would end. But he had to try since Kadaj obviously failed. She hadn't even shown that she heard or even registered his question. She jusst sat staring into the depths of space. He finally managed to see a sign of life from her after a long, awkward, silence. She laughed. She gave a small giggle before answering his question.

"Me? Special? Pfft, please. Nobody gives a crap 'bout me." Yuffie exclaimed carelessly. She didn't look back on her reply. It was her one, and final answer.

"Are you sure?" he asked again not satisfied with her self absorbed answer.

"Yep!" she answered cheerfully looking away from him. Instead she took interest in the white, brick walls beside her. Yazoo let out a deep huff of frustration and put up two fingers to massage his temple. (Think of the Squall impression!) But he was extremely persistent, and wouldn't take his spare chance to leave her alone.

"I wouldn't be to sure of that, pixie." he reminded her. She wouldn't be of any use if she didn't have any friends. If she was only a loner that was wandering in the woods then she would've been excellent target practice. Not that she wasn't anyways. He just didn't get the joy of killing her. She was a brilliant bargaining tool against big, brother's group. He had stunned her, and dragged her back here. She was actually, surprisingly, light. As light as a feather. He'd also observed her leg was broken, so she wouldn't be going anywhere soon. Besides Kadaj wouldn't allow a healer anyways.

"Gawd! Will you quit calling me that?" she protested. Her irritable voice could be heard from a million miles away. Even if he was standing right in front of her.

"Would you prefer princess instead?" Yazoo taunted. He watched Yuffie's anger boil up until she almost looked like she wanted to just blow up and spill her guts all over his perfect features. Shin-ra knew the girl extremely well considering she was the daughter of the famous, Godo Kisaragi, the warrior king of Wutai. Everyone knew that her and her father did not have the healthiest of relationships. She was carefree, reckless, and disobedient. He was the father of a great nation being slowly torn apart by Shin-ra's ruthless guns. As you could tell they were nothing alike. What made it even more interesting was the fact that they were royalty. Yuffie naturally put shame to her family.

"No!" she protested. "I want to be called the Great Ninja Yuffie!" she boasted, fists on her hips, puffing out her chest to show her mightiness. Yazoo rolled his eyes and turned on his heel to the doorway.

"Goodbye, Great Ninja Yuffie." he spoke dramatically. Yazoo took his first step towards the exit, away from the bouncy, overconfident, teen. But he should have known that he wouldn't get to far...

"Leaving so soon, old man?" Yuffie coed from behind him. Yazoo sagged his shoulders and groaned inwardly. He souly hated the nickname she had chosen for him. Unless being in your mid twenty's counted as old then he didn't count himself in that category.

"Yes, Are you scared?" he dared. He always heard her moans, and wimpers at night. It was all because Kadaj wanted to change rooms, but he hadn't complained until the night they caught her. It had only been one night, and he couldn't stand it any longer. So as you see, Yazoo knew Yuffie was scared. She would just never admit it.

"No, of coarse not!" she snapped. Yazoo only stared with one eyebrow raised. He gave a small, but noticeable smirk.

"Then you wouldn't mind if I left, correct?" he asked. Yuffie bit her lip to hide a smart comment. She had plans.

"Nope!'' she replied. He smirked. 'That seems to be her final decision.' he thought. He spun towards the exit again. This time hoping to not be interrupted. He took his first couple of steps, and was surprisingly not interrupted. 'She seems awfully quiet.' he thought curiously. There were not enough times when you could find Yuffie without her mouth running. He looked over his shoulder, and found out why. He found her curled in a ball sleeping, on the ground. Although her leg was in a very awkward position. This made her look more like a crumpled heap of paper. Yazoo only shrugged it off, and climbed up the winding, staircase, upstairs. On the pathway towards his room, Yazoo accidentally bumped into Loz. He was the second to last person that person that he wanted to see in this current situation. He glanced up to Loz's concerned eyes.

"How did it go, brother?" he asked. Yazoo lowered his head, and shoved right on past his brother saying.

"It went fine." Those were the only words Loz was left with before he disappeared down the hallway. He plopped down on his soft, fluffy, mattress. Surprisingly enough he heard Yuffie's grunts, and groans from the basement below. He groaned himself, and buried his face into the pillow. After thirty minuets of moans and irrability, Yazoo found it all stopped. All gone. Nothing, but pure, everlasting, silence. Yazoo nestled into the comfort of his sheets, and fell asleep fairly comfortable.


"YAZOO!" Yazoo jumped awake from his formally peaceful slumber. When he jumped his head formally greeted Kadaj's hard frustrated one.

He got up rubbed his aching forehead before answering the demanding question. "What's Wrong?"

"You! You wanna know whats wrong? She's gone! That's what." Kadaj fumed at him. "And it's all your fault." he accused. Yazoo rubbed his sleepy eyes for a second before yawning and continuing.

"She has a broken leg, she can't get very far." he replied uninterested.

"Go find her then. Like you said she couldn't have gotten to far." Kadaj commanded. He left the room then kicking a hole in the wall in frustration on his way out. Wonderful all in its own, a own memory in his room made specially by his youngest brother. Yazoo looked towards the ceiling for resentment. When he found none he rolled his eyes to the back of his head, and collapsed onto the comfortable mattress beneath him. Though he could lay here for eternity if he wanted he had a increasingly demanding mission that needed his attention more, and more every minute.

Getting out of bed, Yazoo changed into his normal everyday clothes. He grabbed Velvet Nightmare out of his top dresser drawer and headed out of the house to search for his young, runaway, ninja.


Ohh Yuffie got away! Wonder if Yazoo will find her? Review for next chapter to see a most unexpected surprise. Peace and God Bless.