A knock on the door woke Reno and Yuffie up late the next morning. "Do you know what time it is?" he complained as he flung the door open.
Cora stood there in surprise as she stared at his naked body. "The…the Lady Aerith requests your presence in the nursery." she squeaked before hurrying down the hallway.
Reno shrugged and turned back towards the bed. He was sure that new servant was the real Cora's bratty sister she had mentioned a few times, but he needed more intel to decide on a proper course of action. "I'll go see what she wants and then go see Zack. Do you want to go see if there's any breakfast left?" he asked his wife before getting dressed.
"I would like some food, then may I join you in the nursery?" Yuffie requested.
"Sure thing." Reno kissed her on the forehead and then left.
Yuffie was getting dressed when there was another knock on the door. "Just a moment!" she called out, waiting until she was fully dressed before answering the door. "Shalua! What is it?"
"Her Majesty requests your presence immediately." Shalua informed her.
"Of course." Yuffie obediently followed her to the throne room, wondering what urgent matter the Empress could possibly want her for.
"What'd ya want?" Reno asked Aerith by way of greeting as he entered the nursery. "Oh, and could you get me a triple grande espresso?" he turned his attention to Cora.
"What…what is that?" she asked hesitantly.
"We just have regular coffee here." Aerith explained, having remembered Zack telling her once about Reno's preferred morning drinks. "Will that do?"
"Fine." Reno sulked as Aerith dismissed Cora with the order for three coffees, knowing he'd drink them all. "Where'd you find her?" he asked Aerith when they were alone.
"She was a prisoner that Tifa reformed to help us." Aerith explained. "Score another one for the good guys, right?"
"And her name's Cora?" Reno wasn't going to burst Aerith's bubble, but he also wasn't going to encourage her either. He damn well knew what Tifa must have done to her, but he wondered how she ended up a prisoner to put her in Tifa's clutches in the first place.
"She didn't remember what her name was, so the planet told me to name her Cora." Aerith told him, knowing she didn't have to hide her heritage from him of all people.
"That's interesting." Reno drawled, then got back to the original business. "So what'd ya want from me?"
When Cora arrived back with the coffee, Reno was taking Aerith's measurements. He would have refused anyone else, but he relished the shock it would give Tifa to see her precious 'innocent' handmaiden looking like a sex doll come to life. Plus Zack could probably use some spicing up in his sex life, and he was willing to help his old buddy out.
"How may I serve you, Your Majesty?" Yuffie asked, automatically going down on all fours in front of Tifa's throne by force of habit.
"Sooo….you do remember your purpose is to serve me?" Tifa remarked acidly as she got out of her throne and stood over Yuffie.
"Your Majesty?" Yuffie was confused.
"Do you remember how I deal with disloyalty?" Tifa asked her.
"Your Majesty…" Shalua stepped forward almost protectively towards Yuffie.
"I must keep my promises after all. Shalua, it's time you rejoined your sister." Tifa told her.
"You found her?!" Shalua asked excitedly, hope suffusing her. "She's alive?"
"No, she's not." Tifa calmly stated as she shoved one of her boot knives into Shalua's chest. "Now tell me, Princess, do you wish to make me happy?"
"Ye…yes, Yo…Your Majesty." Yuffie was stuttering with fear as she watched Shalua die.
"Good girl. You've been missed here, and I think you should give a proper greeting to one of your old friends." Tifa told her, gesturing behind Yuffie. "You're already in the right position to give me some entertainment."
Yuffie turned her head and started trembling when she saw Barret unfastening his belt. "But…Reno said…" As soon as Yuffie mentioned her husband's name, Tifa backhanded her as hard as she could.
"Who do you serve?" Tifa demanded an answer, grabbing Yuffie's hair and pulling her head up so they were looking eye to eye.
"Yo…you, Your Majesty." Yuffie managed to get out.
"That's right." Tifa said sweetly. "And you and that husband of yours have both been behaving rather badly. You want to be a good wife to him, don't you?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Yuffie didn't know if she was more confused or scared.
"Then you should take both of your punishments on yourself." Tifa explained. "Say you want to be punished."
"Your Majesty?" Yuffie wanted to beg for a reprieve as she felt Barret's hands on her. Reno had made her promise that they wouldn't have any other partners, and she didn't want anyone else. "Please don't…" she stopped when Tifa struck her again.
"Say it!" Tifa snapped at her.
"I…I want to…be…punished." Yuffie managed to get out.
"Then we'll give you what you want, won't me?" Tifa nodded at Barret. "Keep saying it!" she ordered Yuffie.
As she felt Barret pinch her cheeks before pushing them apart, Yuffie obeyed and kept saying she wanted to be punished, while silently praying to the Wutaian gods that Reno would forgive her. Tifa smiled as she watched the tears stream down Yuffie's face as Barret eagerly thrust into her. No one insulted Aerith without paying the price, Reno should have known that, Tifa told herself.
Zack was walking to the nursery to check on his wife when he noticed a funny shadow just outside the throne room. Warily approaching it, he breathed a sigh of relief when he recognized it. "Hey Yuffie, what are you doing out here like that? You and Reno aren't playing some X-rated version of hide and seek are you?" His good mood instantly changed when she just curled herself into more of a ball and started crying again. "Hey, what's wrong?" Zack knelt down next to her and gently put his hand on her shoulder, and then he noticed the bruises on her face and thighs. "It was her, wasn't it?" he said more to himself, then they both heard footsteps and saw Reno coming down the hallway.
Yuffie shrieked and ran away, not wanting to face her husband after she had failed him by allowing another man to touch her. She was nothing but a sex toy after all…
"Let her go for now." Zack held Reno back when he started to follow Yuffie. "She'll come back to you when she's ready."
"What are you talking about?" Reno asked, worried about what was going on with his wife. She was fine in the morning when he left her on her own…his eyes narrowed.
"Tifa." was all Zack would say, confirming Reno's suspicions, and the former SOLDIER recoiled from the expression that appeared on the former Turk's face. He had seen a lot over the years, but he didn't know that anyone could look like ugly death come to play.
Remembering his purpose in trying to seek out Zack, Reno turned to him. "What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked in a voice devoid of emotion.