This chapter is basically verbal tennis between Reeve and Yuffie, but I enjoyed writing it all the same. Yuffie is the best person for poking Reeve's bubble.
I've got chapter 5 written… and all I'm saying is, it's called 'like old times'. And it's my favourites thing. Ever. So don't let me down with reviews, and I can show it to you!
Oh, and my profile picture is Tifa's bracelet (or rather, mine).
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4. Conflicts
God, she'd missed this, she thought, inhaling the fresh open air of the meadow; Just wandering from place to place without duties, or responsibilities… Hitching her pack up a little further, she walked on, a smile playing on her face. The boat had taken her to the next continent for a handful of gil, and she'd probably be well on her way to the her destination well before anyone noticed she was gone. Before anyone would try to stop her.
The monsters weren't as tough as she'd remembered- then again, the first time she had left Midgar with Cloud, Barrett and the others, she'd been inexperienced, nowhere near as strong as she was now. She also didn't have the power of Premium Hearts across her knuckles. Her boots were serving her well- no blisters with these, and she could shatter limbs effortlessly. Her first battle had left her hooked on the adrenaline rush, her limbs sweating, jarred by the impact of her enemies suffering her many, well-timed blows. She was born for this.
Her materia rattled in her pocket as she walked. Giving every piece to Yuffie hadn't been her intention, though she relinquished all of the weaker pieces she had accumulated. Equipped in case of emergency was her favourite, mastered piece, Contain.
She had acquired it personally from a particularly friendly white chocobo in her first visit to Mideel, and she hadn't looked back since. It was without a doubt one of the most valuable pieces she owned, and it didn't seem to work as well for the others, in the rare occasion that she loaned it. Maybe it was because that Chocobo had given it to her, not them. Also in her pocket was Shiva, a personal favourite- not necessarily the most powerful, but she felt a certain connection with the goddess-like female whose power dwelt within the ruby-coloured orb. Her Restore materia was a given, as well as her Cure, in case of any ill effects she might pick up from monsters, and the usual elemental stuff. As an afterthought, she had packed Life materia- one she dreaded having to use, but more than once it had brought back party members, breath hitching, their heart thudding back into life. She only hoped she wouldn't need it.
Aeris had told her that inside, she must know where Cloud would be, and it was true she had her suspicions; Though of course, where else would he be? It explained why he'd left his PHS behind, too; the idiot had lost it there upon his last visit, after a nasty scuffle with the silver-haired men: The Forgotten City. She had considered leaving her PHS behind as well, though she had thought better of it, and tossed it into the bottom of her pack, switched off. "You never know," she told herself.
Her plan was to hike it there in a little time as possible, find him, drag him out kicking and screaming if need be, then go home. At that thought, she sighed. Back to the bar, sharing a house, and sharing silence. That was no existence. She intended to tell him how she was feeling, about how trapped she felt. Her intention wasn't to increase his guilt, though she knew it only naturally would, but to make him see her side for once.
Judging from the mountain ranges she could make out in the distance, she reckoned she was about a two hours hike from Bone Village. She would stay there for the night, maybe check her PHS, and let whoever would no doubt be badgering her know she was safe, before heading into the forest in the morning.
Her journey was pleasant enough, the sun sinking in the sky warming the left side of her face as she head further north. Bone Village, as usual, was a hive of activity, and her arrival went unnoticed. She booked a standard room in the inn and also ordered that a meal be sent along in an hour or so, to give her time to bathe. The inn keep handed her a key, ironically wrought in the shape of a bone. Charming.
The room was clean, and about as basic as she remembered. Had it been this room she shared with Yuffie that time, on the way to follow Aeris? She couldn't remember now, though she imagined there wasn't really much distinction between one room and the next. Dumping her things at the foot of the bed, she entered the adjacent bathroom and set on the hot tap, thankful that the hot springs here meant there was no shortage of heated water.
Stripping down to her underwear in anticipation of her bath, she rummaged inside her pack for her sleeping clothes, and her toiletries. Then, as an afterthought, she reached in for her PHS.
As she expected, turning on her PHS unleashed a barrage of beeps to announce a list of unread messages, unanswered calls, and a voicemail. Considering she had only left for Bone Village an hour or so after midday, it was a tad excessive. Mindful of the tap still running in the background, she began to trawl through the texts first- about ten from Yuffie all saying pretty much the same thing- where was she, she was going to kill her, bla-bla-bla… then one from the barmaid she'd left in charge for a few days, telling her that Yuffie had called by, and that everything was fine.
Smiling gently, she dialled her voicemail account, padding into the bathroom to keep an eye on the water.
"Voicemail? Are you serious Tifa?" Reeve's incredulous tone birthed a burst of spasmodic laughter from her lips. "What the hell are you doing? Trying to give my hypertension I think. I'll call again later. I just… I just want to know you are safe… end of messages."
Feeling suddenly guilty, she contemplated calling him there and then, but she resisted. She wondered just how far she could push him, and what he might say then, if she didn't bother to call him at all until she got back. That would have been too cruel for even her, so she settled with a text message.
I'm fine Reeve, please don't worry about me. Take care, love Tifa. Short and sweet, and most importantly, to the point. Satisfied, she switched her phone off immediately so he couldn't trace her or something, and tossed it onto the bed before going to get her much needed bath.
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He received her message around midnight, Midgar time, though when he tried to call her PHS immediately, the call was unsuccessful. Of, course, he sort of expected that, but still he was infuriated by it.
"Well, at least she's safe," Yuffie sighed, laid out spread eagle on Reeve's living room floor. They'd sort of set up vigil there, and Yuffie had thought to order pizza an hour ago, seeing as his noodles hadn't really satisfied him.
"I suppose so," He agreed, throwing himself down nearby, his back against the sofa. "I just don't understand why, if she knew where he was, she couldn't just tell me. I could have had her on a helicopter in minutes."
"Maybe she wanted to do it for herself," Yuffie suggested, rolling onto her front and resting her shin in her hands. "I think she was going stir crazy in that place."
"She said as much to you?"
"Nah, but I guessed. I get like that sometimes. After the life we led back in the good old days, I suppose running a business must be pretty boring."
"At least it's something stable, something safe," He argued, suddenly feeling as though he were defending his decisions to found to WRO.
"Well, what she had with Cloud was stable. Doesn't mean it was good, right?"
"I see." He lowered his head rubbing at his temples. "The more I hear about Cloud, the more I just want to- I don't know, slap him about a bit."
"Jealous, Reeve?" Yuffie grinned up at him impishly, and he forgot for a moment that Yuffie was nearing her twenty-second year, not her thirteenth.
"Why would I be jealous?"
"I dunno," She shrugged, swinging her ankles above her. "But remember- she let you know she was safe, and didn't even bother to reply to my messages!" The ninja pouted, sensing victory as a smile crept onto Reeve's face. "She's probably feeling bad about it herself. But I guess she had to know she still could get out there and… kick some ass."
"I just can't understand why she still hopes," Reeve sighed, letting his head fall back against the sofa cushions.
"I guess she never really considered before that there were other options. I've been doing my best to, ah, divert her eyes so to speak. Maybe it's not turning out how I had intended, but maybe it is working, after all."
"What do you mean?" He raised his head again to scrutinise the dark-haired girl, currently basking in her own self-satisfaction. "You've been trying to make her date other people?"
"Well, as I understand it, you told her the same thing, right?"
"I- uh…" He grasped for a retaliation.
"It's alright. I know what you really meant," Yuffie snorted. "You may as well have dangled a neon sign above your head saying 'Hey, I'm single too. Why don't we be un-single together?' Jesus, Reeve!"
"I was merely trying to help- she was almost in tears because Cloud forgot her birthday, for heaven's sake!" He protested, doing his best to quash his anger at how easily Yuffie was getting to him, aforementioned Shinobi virtually in tears herself on the carpet. "But I don't think she should spend her life waiting around on someone who doesn't see her. She deserves better than that."
Yuffie wiped at her cheeks, inhaling steadily to calm herself. "Aw, Reeve, I'm just messing with you! for all it's worth, I have been putting in a good word."
"A good word?" He repeated, incredulous, his face burning at the thought of whatever it was Yuffie was telling Tifa.
"Don't worry- I've just been prodding her. You know, I think you'd be cute together."
"Cute…" He near-visibly shuddered at the thought that Tifa had to listen to this sort of drabble.
"No, no- I'm serious!" Yuffie had scrambled upright, shuffling toward him on her knees. "Coming from her best friend- no wait- her near enough sister, I think this means a lot- You would be good for Tifa. She deserves someone smart, level-headed and…" She struggled to find another word to describe Reeve, trying her best to avoid telling him he was attractive.
"…Slighter hotter than a Malboro?" He suggesting, eyebrow raised in amusement as Yuffie expression lit up.
"Exactly!"
"Well thanks but… I think you should let her decide for herself. If you are as pushy with her about it as you are being with me… she probably wouldn't even consider-"
"You mean you do like her, then?" Damn, she was like a fat kid in a sweet shop.
"Yuffie…"
"Aw, come on! I won't tell her I promise! Mission confidentiality!"
"No, Yuffie…"
"Pinkie swear?" She suggesting, brandishing said appendage in his face.
"I'm not doing a pinkie swear with you Yuffie."
Yuffie reached for a cushion with lightning speed, setting about beating him around the head. "Aw, you're are such a meanie! I swear to the gods you don't actually have a di-"
"Yuffie!"
"Ok, fine. I'll leave it." She tossed the cushion aside, crawling over to the armchair opposite him, throwing herself back against it with her arms crossed huffily across her chest. "But both of you are never going to get anywhere, the way you act. Both of you never say anything- Tifa most of all. She's too scared to rock the boat. One day, you're going to have to man up, Reeve. You can't want to be single for the rest of your life!"
"I guess I'm just not the type," Reeve shrugged indifferently, toying with a loose thread at his sleeve. Sure, Yuffie had a point. He wasn't likely to say anything to Tifa that could possibly ruin what stability they had, though what exactly could he say, anyway? Well, there had been a little drabble between friends last night, a few harmless, light-hearted comments. Surely none of them could have meant…
"You're not trying to tell me you're gay, are you?" She commented slyly.
"I'm definitely not gay, no."
"Just a robot, then?"
"Are we really going to do this all night?" He chuckled.
"If we must. But I actually have a better idea." She shuffled her feet a bit. "I may have broken security protocol just a teeny-weeny little bit, but I think I might know how to find out where Tifa went." He raised his head, narrowing his eyes at the devious ninja that sat across from him, suddenly abashed.
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"You did what?" Reeve exclaimed, flitting about his small makeshift office, trying to find where he'd put his PHS adaptor.
"I only installed a tracker. It was pretty easy actually…" She coughed, watching nervously as Reeve tore through several drawers in hope of finding what he was looking for. "She didn't notice I'd borrowed it for a little while- I put it right back."
"But why, pray tell, did you steal premium hearts?"
"I was… she wouldn't give me all her materia, after meteor… I couldn't bring myself to steal them, though in case I needed them, I installed a miniature tracking device in her glove. Wherever that would be, no matter where she tried to hide it, the materia would be also."
"You are one sneaky, backstabbing genius!" He exclaimed, emerging triumphant with the aforementioned PHS cable. "I could kiss you- except it's prohibited by company protocol." He laughed again, before rushing over to start up his computer in his office.
"You know you are scary when you're excited?" Yuffie commented, following him to the doorway of his office, leaning on the frame as she watched him. "And seriously- You are forbidding romance? Jesus, you are such a downer…"
Reeve seated himself at his desk, drumming his fingers as the computer went through it's starting series of loading screens. "Come on…" Once logged into the WRO net, he was able to access the GPS programme he'd helped design back in his ShinRa days. "Ok: Yuffie, what's the tracking code?"
"Um… Y74-622-GH6-TIF-AVA-21D." She recited, earning her a quizzical look from her employer. "What? I gotta know where my prizes are, without the chance that someone else could get there first!"
"What would I know of the mind of a criminal…" He muttered to himself, tapping away at the keys. He was so close to finding her location- then he could dispatch a team, or even perhaps go himself, and then… He paused in his typing, the cursor blinking politely as it awaited his next command.
"Uh, Reeve? What're you doing? Shouldn't you be trying to find Tifa?" She stepped a little closer, studying Reeve's suddenly conflicted expression.
"I don't know if we should do this… Following her, I mean. It's creepy. And-"
"You're worrying what she might think about you, aren't you?" She cut in.
"Well… yes. But not in the way you might think." He sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair, staring at the screen blankly. "I know she is safe, and that at least, is enough information to put my mind at rest. There isn't much need to go following her, is there? She obviously didn't want us to know she had left. Besides, she might need time to… to say whatever it is she wants to say to Cloud. I wouldn't want to get in the way."
"But what if she tells him she loves him or something equally stupid? What if they end up getting together?" Yuffie stamped her foot on the floor, her expression desperate and partially horrified.
He half-turned around in his chair, rubbing his temples. "And what if they do? Shouldn't you be happy for your best friend that she finally got what she deserved?"
Yuffie's temper flared. "Don't give me that shit Reeve, you know full well that she deserves a man ten times better than Cloud. Someone you clearly can't step up to be," and with that she spun on her heel, and stormed out of his top-floor apartment, leaving him reeling, still staring blankly at the screen.
Yes, he was doing the right thing, but even so, he had been left feeling rather hollow after Yuffie's scathing remark. Her previous words were still running around inside his mind, until he was fairly certain he was going to develop a rather nasty headache any time soon. He shouldn't have let Yuffie talk to him like that, but he'd always had a soft spot for the ill-tempered young Ninja. He'd come to see her as a cousin, albeit a very irritating one, and he didn't like arguing with her; but the kid was so damn persistent at times, it was hard to just let it wash over him.
Perhaps she was right, though, at least when she had said he couldn't want to be single all of his life. He was pretty much a hypocrite for even suggesting to Tifa that she go and meet new people, in hope of letting go of Cloud. He had never felt anything real with a woman before, and tied up with saving the world and starting his own global organisation, finding something had taken a backseat. What could he offer her anyway, whoever she could be; only 20% of his time? His probable lack of experience? He chuckled somewhat bitterly as he set his fingers upon the keyboard once more, hesitating only for a few moments before typing in his commands.
Current Location co-ordinates downloading… … …
He punched in the longitude and latitude values that his scan had produced, waiting for the system to process them.
Target Location: Bone village, The Dustbowl Inn.
Well, she was safe, fed, and probably sleeping, he thought, looking upon the grainy satellite image on-screen of the rooftop of the inn. Knowing that, he should sleep easier himself.
He shut down the system, before going about the apartment systematically turning off all the lights. In the darkness, the lights of Edge were marvellously bright outside his window. He crossed over to it, sighing heavily as he tried to empty his mind of turbulent thoughts. There weren't many vehicles around, nor probably anywhere in Gaia anymore- there just weren't enough resources to stably support them, though only the rich or essential businesses were able to run them- as a result of this, the nights were always silent here. The streetlamps were powered by small generators underneath the city, running on geothermal energy- a technique he had invested a lot of the WRO budget into perfecting. It wasn't as efficient as Mako, but at least it wasn't slowly killing the planet.
He felt like he should be proud; he wouldn't say it out loud, but he felt like Edge was his. Not in the sense that he owned it and wished to dominate it, but he had made it what it was- a quiet and safe town where people could start rebuilding their lives, shattered by Meteor. He wished that the same could be said for every town in Gaia. Looking over it now, though, he felt no pride at all.
He'd heard someone say (probably Yuffie now he came to think of it), that behind every great man was an equally great woman. If he were to look behind him now, all he would see was dark empty space. There was no woman, and certainly no family. His mother had died just over a year ago now, from Geostigma. His hands curled into fists at the memory. He'd not really had the chance to make amends with her, though he had managed to see her at least, before her death. That was when he had met Denzel.
His hands relaxed. Tifa had no idea it was Reeve who had sent Denzel to her- he had perhaps rather selfishly relied on her good nature, on her instincts and her motherly tendencies, and sure enough, Denzel was soon somewhere safe, getting the care he deserved. Tifa had thought nothing of it of course, and Cloud hadn't said a word, just like he promised Reeve.
After Geostigma, Denzel hadn't wanted to leave Marlene's side, and he had accompanied her to Corel with Barrett. After all, it was probably best that children were around other children. The young boy seemed to hold a certain ex-SOLDIER in high regard, Reeve remembered. Probably not the best figure to idolise growing up. He didn't deny Cloud was strong, and a hero, but still… Children needed to be children, not quiet, introspective loners.
Heaving a sigh, he turned away from the view he wasn't really seeing to retire to bed, shedding his clothing dispassionately and lying rather stiffly between the cold, crisp sheets. He couldn't help but replay his argument with Yuffie over in his head. Did he always come across as cold? Maybe he should try to lighten up a little; he recalled how at Tifa's party, both Cid and Barrett had remarked he was coming slowly out of his shell. Maybe he should try and get involved more, socialise…
But work often called for his attention, more than any woman, friends or hobby. He couldn't justify not devoting himself entirely to his cause; that wouldn't help him achieve what he had set out to do… but could he really do it in his life time? Probably not, he told himself, turning the pillow over in hopes that it would help him slip into a comfort-induced sleep. He needed people he could trust to follow in his footsteps, to continue his dream, like an apprentice, or even perhaps, if he had a son…
The spasmodic, bitter laugh came rather unexpectedly. Him, have children? He doubted he ever would. Perhaps he should start training an apprentice soon, should something happen within the next few years. He laughed again, wondering what Yuffie would say if she knew just how much on the side of morbid his thoughts had turned.
"You know, it's creepy laughing on your own in the dark."
"Yuffie!" He bolted upright, staring into the darkness blindly. "I thought you left!"
"Na, I was just wondering if you'd do anything stupid while you thought I was gone. You disappoint me, Reeve." He squinted in the burst of light from his bedside lamp.
"You are one weird young woman, and I should by rights fire you…. creeping around in my house." He was thankful he'd not completely undressed before getting into bed, though he tucked the sheets a little tighter around his waist as he sat up.
"You know you'd never do that," Yuffie was stood in the doorframe, slender arms crossed resolutely, her green eyes dancing with mischief. "If only the ladies knew what they were missing!" She nodded at him, and he felt slightly abashed, covering his body defensively. So what if he worked out nearly every night? It's not like he had anything else to do- he could read several employee profiles whiles doing press ups, and it's not as if he had any other way to let off steam… "Listen- do you mind if I crash here tonight? I'll even make you breakfast in the morning."
"Um, sure… whatever." He shrugged. "There's blankets in the closet over there."
She trudged over to said closet, and began to route away inside. He flinched, hoping she wouldn't knock an of the shirts off of their hangers- he wouldn't want to have to press them again… "Jesus Reeve, do you actually own anything else besides your WRO uniforms?" She exclaimed, emerging triumphant with blankets and pillow in her arms, her hair tousled from the rummaging.
"Uh, not really. I guess I never really get the chance to wear anything else…" He trailed off, knowing full well how pathetic he sounded.
"You know, we're friends, and I go shopping with friends." She slid the closet door shut behind her, though she didn't budge from her spot by the end of his bed. "I'd go with you if you needed help picking stuff out…"
"Are you trying to apologise?" He asked, aghast, grinning at the sudden bashfulness Yuffie displayed.
"I didn't mean that you weren't good enough for Tifa. I was just mad at you for being so damn complacent."
"I understand. I get mad at myself sometimes." He smiled warmly, an indicator that all was forgiven. "And I have breakfast at 7.30. I am expecting pancakes, too."
"Aw man!" Yuffie groaned, trudging out of his room towards the sofa, pulling the door shut behind her. "Goodnight Reeve." She shouted back.
"See you tomorrow, Yuffie," He called in response, before shutting off his bedroom light once more.
