Disclaimer: Don't own anything. That would be Square's job to make the moolah off of FFVII…T.T
"Hey Reno?" Yuffie's voice cut through the Turk's half-asleep stupor like a knife, and he propped himself on an elbow to look at he shadowed face. The only light illuminating the room was the soft glow that the full moon cast on both Turk and ninja.
"Yeah, princess?"
"There's something I don't understand…" Her voice was quiet and subdued, almost sad to Reno's ears.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"Well…" she seemed to hesitate before speaking again. "I'm one of the best fighters Gaia's ever seen—not to brag or anything, but you know it's true—so how come I can't help out in trying to catch that sick creep? I get that I'm valuable to Wutai's future… but didn't I have a bigger chance of dying facing off against Sephiroth and Deepground than against one stupid man? Aren't Reeve and Tseng being just a little bit overprotective?" Reno sighed slightly. He knew she had a point, and had had a point every time she claimed she could take the killer.
"Yuffs…" He began but she cut him off.
"Iknow! Tseng would have your head if you let me out of your sight but…what if…what if we went, you and me, after the party or something. I could lift the files on these guys from ShinRa HQ and then you could come with me and help me! After all…" she smirked, "I never got to fight alongside you…just against you. It could be fun. Then, after we get rid of the creep, Tseng couldn't be mad at us because we would've been the ones to get rid of the killer."
"Yuffie…" There was a long pause as they looked at each other through blackness of the moonlit room. "You're right."
"I AM?!" Reno found her shock to be quite amusing as he smirked at her.
"Nope. Sorry princess…just fucking with ya. OUCH!" She punched his arm with all her might. "Alright, so you are right. After Tifa's party next week, we'll sneak over to Headquarters and you can steal whatever the hell you need. Then we'll go after this asshole. You and me have been cooped up away from the action for too long anyway."
"Well….that's not necessarily true…there has been some action going on…" Yuffie grinned at her Turk as he mock-glared at her.
"I thought it was my job to come up with the perverted lines, yo."
Yuffie shrugged, "You were bound to rub off at some point, ya know." Then, she simply leaned over and kissed him.
It had been another quiet day at the bar when Tifa heard the pounding at the front door. Striding out from the back room, Tifa's heart constricted in her chest before she ran to the door with a high pitch shriek of "Marlene!"
As soon as the glass door swung open, a bawling, terrified Marlene threw herself into Tifa's arms, crying out intelligibly. Tifa just wrapped her arms around the younger girl and held her close as tears of her own rolled down her cheeks and dripped into Marlene's dark hair. The two just stayed like that clutching each other, each one's tears of joy and fear and relief mingling with the others. It may have been five minutes later, or maybe it was an hour when footfalls were heard on the stairs and Cloud entered the main room as well. Aqua eyes took in the sight of disheveled Marlene and hysterical Tifa before realization actually began to dawn on the swordsman.
"Marlene…Marlene!" He strode towards her, not a complete sprint as Tifa's gait had been, but close enough. The barmaid pulled back so that he could encircle the younger brunette in his arms. At his touch however, Marlene leaped back like she had been scalded and stared up at him with wide, disturbed eyes.
"Don't! Don't touch me! PLEASE DON'T TOUCH ME! NO! NONONONONO!" Her howls continued as a shocked Tifa and Cloud stared on helplessly trying to calm her down without touching her.
In the end, Cloud left the bar entirely, Fenrir growling and spurting out dust from the wheels as it sped towards Junon and then further on to Corel; the blonde hero off to get Barret to come see his daughter for the first time in months. With the only male out of her presence, Marlene calmed down enough to slump into Tifa's arms and finally fall silent. Bringing the young girl into one of the bar's booths, Tifa brushed an errant strand of hair from her face. The one thing that stood out on the young girl were her scars, bright white and raised, encircling her wrists with their jagged forms.
"…What did he do to you?" was all she could whisper.
"He…he hurt me. He…raped me, Tifa! He just… I couldn't… he wouldn't stop… it all hurt so bad and I just… AND I HAD TO LIKE IT! If I…if I liked it…it didn't hurt as much and after a while…I just didn't feel it anymore and then…he started trusting me and then I…IT WAS AWFUL AND I COULDN'T STOP HIM AND HE TOLD ME IT WAS ALL MY FAULT WHAT HE WOULD DO TO AUNT YUFFIE… and I just…I ran as soon as I could and WHERE'S AUNT YUFFIE?!" By this point, Marlene was thrashing in Tifa's grasp, and Denzel was running into the room, and all Marlene could shriek about was the pain or where Yuffie was, and realization hit Tifa like a truck thatMarlene was back and Jacob's plan to hold her as a hostage for the promise of Yuffie had been thwarted for the meantime and Yuffie was still going to walk right into his trap and it was a trap thatshe had helped him set.
It took an hour for Marlene to calm down again and fall asleep in her old room, and only then could Tifa explain things to Denzel and really begin to think about what she had done. A call came in from Cloud; Barret was on his way and the rest of the group was assembling in Rocketown to make the trip to the bar. The entire group, minus Yuffie of course. That brought Tifa back to her pondering.
She could still have the party, and have the whole group take out Jacob…but what if he had a leverage that she didn't see? He probably had something over her other than Marlene…and he could always just capture the girl again if Yuffie wasn't delivered to him on a silver platter. But what if they didn't bring Marlene? What if they warned Yuffie? No dice on either option…Jacob would, no doubt, have backup plans.
Tifa's musings came to rest on one fact: She was a horrible friend. She should have done something when Jacob had first come to her bar…instead she let him place a gun to Denzel's head, inform her that he had Marlene in his greasy clutches and then she had agreed to handing over her best friend for his personal pleasure. The thoughts and self-abuse tumbled through Tifa's mind as her breathing grew erratic and she began to pace. Slamming her fist into a wall, the barmaid did something she had never done in all her years of bartending. She stormed behind the bar, grabbed the biggest jug of Absolut she could find and began gulping straight from the bottle.
"Drinking on the job? My, my, my…what an example, my dear." Already a little tipsy from slamming down so much in so diminutive a time, Tifa whirled to face, in her mind, the Devil himself.
"What the fuck do you want, asshole?" She flung the words at Jacob's smiling face as she reached for her Premium Heart. Not that she could actually use it in her falling condition, but that wasn't the point.
"I merely came to congratulate your girl…not many have ever outsmarted me, and she certainly did a good job of it. She has…truly earned her freedom. However, I would also like to tell you that—pardon me if this sounds a bit corny—I know where you live. If Princess Kisaragi is not delivered to me…well, I will remain a threat as long as you hold this residence…and probably even if you left it. Word of change spreads fast, as you must know already." He began walking towards Tifa, unperturbed as her glazed eyes glared daggers through his being. He met her at the bar and in a quick motion that she couldn't follow in her not-so-lucid state, Jacob had her slammed against the bar with his hand around her throat. "I canbreak you," He snarled into her face. "Never forget that." Releasing her, the killer simply nodded, turned, and left the bar. Tifa snorted at the irony as the happy little bell above the door rang at his departure. To her credit, she had not shown fear once throughout his act.
In a way Jacob's visit had made her decision easier, Tifa realized—easier, but none the less painful. The party would have to continue…and Yuffie's kidnapping would have to go forward without a hitch. Tifa began to hate herself a little.
"Okay, Barret…Marlene's a little…shaken. I know you're not happy with Tifa for what happened to her in the first place, but please…she's upset enough over Marlene's condition as it is." Cloud was holding Barret back from the bar's entrance with his icy stare, attempting to prep the larger man for what might greet him inside.
"Dammit, I know! I forgave Tif…I know it wasn' her fault…now let me see my baby girl!" Barret shoved Cloud out of the way and lumbered on into the bar. The blond sighed slightly before following with more caution than his friend had used.
Inside, Tifa had an arm draped around Marlene's shoulders and the both fixed their eyes warily on Barret. Marlene's eyes were veiled with a dark look, unsure of what she should be feeling.
"Marly…don't you want to say hi to your papa?" Tifa spoke softly to the girl who's eyes flickered a bit before going dark once more. Barret moved towards his daughter quickly, too quickly, and a horrifying scream tore from her throat when he finally reached her.
"DON'T TOUCH ME! GET YOUR HANDS OFF, IT HURTS, IT HURTS, IT HURTS SO FUCKING MUCH!"
Trying to calm her, Barret held on, "Marlene…Marlene! It's daddy, it's me honey! Marlene don't do this, it's me, your papa!"
Shaking under Barret's grip, thrashing this way and that, Marlene finally bit into his hand, and as he jerked back everyone could see that she had drawn blood. Freed from his large hands, the girl threw one last, terrified glance his way before tearing up the stairs. Barret visibly winced at the sound of a door slamming and then his shoulders began to shake.
Streaming with hot tears, Barret's eyes met Tifa's matching ones with a determination burning within them. "I will kill him for what he's done to her." Tifa only nodded with equal determination rising in her stance. Cloud paced into the room and placed his hand on Barret's gun-arm.
"We'll kill him for what he did to Marlene."
Although…they were both wrong. Neither of them would be the end of Jacob Draken.
"Tifa, this is ridiculous. We can't just let Yuffie walk into a trap like this. She's one of our comrades." Vincent's quiet voice floated over the head of the adults sitting around one of Tifa's large mahogany tables.
The rest of AVALANCHE, minus their subject of conversation, had arrived shortly after Barret and Marlene's episode, and the were now discussing a plan of action for what to do about the infamous serial killer.
"Vincent, I don't know what else to do! Even if he does get his hands on her, she can take care of herself…Marlene can't. If he doesn't get her…he'll just come back for Marly…or Denzel…or he'll kill us all. I don't know what I'm supposed to do!"
"&&, I'll be the first to admit that it sucks, Valentine…but he's got us on a tight rope. The brat'll be fine against a sleaze like him…especially if she's had to deal with Reno for all this time. At least…I hope she'll be alright."
"I'm not so sure…he is extremely dangerous. Is it certain that we can't find another way to deal with this?" Nanaki sounded thoughtful as he pondered a solution.
"What could we do? He'll have a gun at the party, most likely pointed in Yuffie's direction, and if any of us make a move he won't hesitate to fire…I don't know what I'm supposed to do!" Tifa was on the verge of hysterics.
"I'm sure that Tifa's already tried thinking of other options…the truth is, we're trapped." Cloud's face was troubled as he stared at the faces around him.
"So, you're all going to invite her over for a party celebrating your engagement, knowing full-well that somewhere at said party, there is a serial killer intent on murdering her. And then, to top it all off, you're going to let him capture her?" Vincent was seething under his carefully crafted, blank mask. Everyone's faces turned guilty at his words.
"Don' see you doing much to warn her…" Barret mumbled.
"Her phone has been disconnected, and Tseng wouldn't give me Reno's number." Silence claimed the room as guilty turned to shock as everyone's head whipped around to gawk at the crimson clad gunslinger.
"You got the &(& hots for the brat or something, Valentine?" Cid finally asked around his cigarette.
"Yuffie is merely my friend. I thought she was your friend as well, but it seems I was wrong. I knew should have said something to Reno when I saw him last…if you'll excuse me, I need to clear my head." Vincent rose from the table and strode out the door as the others watched in awe, guilt taking over their features again.
"Still…there's nothing we can do." Barret finally broke the tense silence. "I won't have him hurting my baby again." No one asked the question that resonated in the room.
So it was better that he hurt Yuffie, then?
"So…how sexy do I look?" Yuffie spun swiftly in the scarlet number Reno had gotten for her, and then fell as her heels gave out under the motion. From his position leaning against the opposite wall, Reno laughed outright at her actions.
"Very sexy, princess. I love the whole clumsy, crumpled-on-the-floor look. It works for you. Hey, aren't you supposed to know how to walk in those if you're royalty? Comes with the whole ladylike act?"
"Shut your pie-hole, Turkey. I'd like to see you walk in these things." Yuffie had hauled herself off the floor and bent over to adjust her shoe straps. Reno didn't even bother to hide his ogling of her ass. "Eyes off the rear, Reno." Yuffie didn't even need to look to know exactly where he was staring.
As she stood precariously on her heels and turned to face him, Yuffie instead came face-to-face with Reno's muscular chest as his arms encircled her and his lips crushed against hers. Her own response was immediate—she could never resist the Turk when he kissed her like that. Things might have ended up between the sheets if Yuffie hadn't had a moment of clarity between the fog of desire that had come over her. Reluctantly breaking away from Reno, she took a moment to catch her breath before meeting his eyes again.
"Reno…we will never get to the party on time, like this." At the heat in his eyes she grinned through her blush. "However, you have full permission to tear this dress off as soon as the party's over."
"Yuffie…" Reno's voice was low and rough. "I will most definitely be taking you up on that offer." Their lips met again and Yuffie almost considered missing the party. Almost.
Somehow they made it down the stairs and out the front door, to the car and then they were speeding down the long, winding drive through the trees. The occupants of the car were both comfortably silent, the only illumination coming from the different dials on the car's dashboard. Yuffie didn't mask the fact that she was staring at Reno through the dim light, his sharp features glowing faintly in what little light there was.
She had to admit it, she was one lucky woman. The redheaded Turk looked drop-dead sexy in a black suit that was actually unwrinkled for once. But not only was he unbelievably gorgeous, he was also hilarious, caring, genuine…Yuffie was in love, and he was perfection. Maybe not perfection for someone like Tifa, and definitely not the kind of guy Aeris would have ever gone for…but he was perfect for someone like herself.
Tifa needed a guy like Cloud, someone who needed her to heal them—help them, and Aeris needed someone carefree but still the good-guy, like Zack. Yuffie needed danger. She needed risk. She needed sarcasm and taunting and fiery arguments and unbridled passion. She didn't need someone like Vincent, someone who would balance her (although that might've been nice too), Yuffie needed someone who would enhance her, push her to her limit in every single way. Yuffie wanted,needed, Reno. Yuffie loved Reno. Yuffie had Reno. She was one lucky bitch.
Reno was contemplating his luck as well. While some men wouldn't consider having the loudmouth, rebellious princess to be a stroke of good fortune, Reno knew what they were missing out on. Yuffie had a sincerity to her that just made you want to be a better person. Reno didn't want to defile what he had with her by cheating with some random girl. He wouldn't do that to Yuffie, because she deserved so much more than that…deserved so much more than him. But just because she deserved it, didn't mean he was going to let her go so she could find it. She was the sweetest, hottest, goofiest, sneakiest, loveliest, most genuine ninja he had ever met. Person he had ever met. He had let her steal the one thing that no one had ever stolen from him before. His heart. And for some reason…he didn't feel the need to try and get it back. She could have it, for as long as he had hers. He hoped it was forever.
Reno took one hand off the steering wheel to lace it with Yuffie's as she beamed up at him, and for just a moment, the serenity in the car couldn't have been shattered by anything.
The party's venue loomed in the distance as they continued to silently thank the Gods for each other. The Gods, however, were about to test the strength of their relationship.
"Yuffie! I can't believe you're actually here! You look amazing!!!" Tifa was nearly screeching as Yuffie and Reno entered the hotel's ballroom.
Tifa had decided to host the party somewhere other than the Seventh Heaven, simply because she needed more space than the bar offered. Not only were all of AVALANCHE and the Turks, plus Rufus, invited, but plenty of her friends from Edge. Owning a bar had a positive impact on her social life, Tifa realized as she gazed at the people whirling on the gilded dance floor or chatting by the buffet and drinks tables. A small band was situated in the corner playing different types of music at random.
Yuffie thought the whole affair was a little gaudy, but she always thought that of events hosted by Tifa. Looking around, she spotted the faces of all her friends, smiling and waving before approaching her. As AVALANCHE assembled around her however, she realized one face was absent.
"Tif? Where's Vince?" Reno stiffened a little at her curiosity and she elbowed him before taking his hand. "I simply wanted to thank him for helping you with my birthday present, you paranoid moron." She stated as she turned to face the Turk beside her.
"Well…if I remember correctly, you told me you had a thing for him once." Reno muttered in her ear. Yuffie rolled her eyes before meeting Reno's. As they looked at each other, the friends surrounding them melted away until they were in their own little world, as usual. The kiss was rather chaste, but held everything they wanted the other to know. Reno's side said that he didn't want to lose her. Yuffie's said that he never could, even if he wanted to. Only when throats being cleared were heard, did they break apart.
"Eheheh…I guess I forgot to mention that he's my boyfriend, huh?" Yuffie grinned sheepishly, as Reno just stared at her with an unfathomable look in his eyes.
"Reeve totally owes me two thousand gil." Tseng was smug as he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at the pair. "How long has this been going on?" Reno and Yuffie looked at each other curiously, trying to remember. It felt like they had always been together, to be honest.
"Does it matter? I need to find Vince so I can thank him!"
"What did I do that warrants your thanks?" A monotonous voice caused Yuffie to whirl towards its source.
"VINCE!" The young ninja threw herself at the gunslinger, squeezing him around his middle as he chuckled and hugged her gently in response. Reno met Vincent's gaze and his aqua eyes narrowed infinitesimally. Vincent released Yuffie and he took a step back from the pouting girl with a pointed looked towards the redheaded Turk.
"It was my pleasure Yuffie, although I didn't do much other than supply Reno with the pictures. It was all his idea."
"Yeah, but still! I didn't get a chance to thank you…or Shera for that matter…it's thanks to her I'm not naked tonight. Besides! I haven't seen any of you in forever! How have you all been?" Yuffie didn't miss the awkward silence that fell over the group of people, nor the furious look that Vincent shot at Tifa. She looked back at her bodyguard boyfriend with unasked questions that he shrugged at. He had no idea what was going on either.
Tifa finally broke the tension, with an equally tense request. "Reno…could I see you for a moment, please? We need to have a private talk."
"Tifa, I'm Yuffie's bodyguard…I made a promise I wouldn't leave her." His voice was firm, but Tifa's bubbling laugh made his resolve waver slightly.
"Like I'd let anything happen to my best friend at my own party! Come on, Reno… it's safe here. I just want to talk with you for five minutes."
Reno glanced back at Yuffie as he allowed Tifa to lead him away, seeing Vincent shift towards Yuffie rather protectively. The ninja's eyes were pleading him to stay, but she knew he would go. "Just five minutes…" He muttered, seeing the unspoken fear well up in her eyes. He didn't want to do this to her. Something was definitely off, but Tifa was being rather persistent and he didn't want to meet a Premium Heart just because he was being difficult.
Just because he was doing his job.
Yuffie swallowed at the feeling of unease that settled over her; a feeling that came with Reno's absence. That and the fact that Vincent was shadowing her wherever she went, crimson eyes alert and watching her every move. She finally whirled to ask him what his deal was, but then several things happened at once.
Reno shouted her name from across the room and began a wild sprint towards her as a hand covered her mouth from behind. She inhaled, choked on something sickly sweet, and her lids began to close. But she didn't miss how every single member of AVALANCHE just stood there and watched it all happen. She saw Vincent's human hand tighten in a fist and his eyes flash and he almost took a step forward, but then he stopped and froze in place. As her eyes continued to glaze over and close, she saw the butt of a gun come down on Reno's head as he reached for her. She heard the crack and saw blood begin to flow. Her mind was definitely drifting by that point, but she would always remember the last thing she saw before the darkness took her. Tifa, across the room, mouthing two simple words: "I'm sorry."
I'm sorry I betrayed you. I'm sorry I sent you to your death. I'm sorry.
Then Yuffie faded to black.
(AN: So first off…I'm ALIVE! Secondly, I actually do like Tifa… really I do. But in order for this story to work…she kinda had to be a coward, I guess. Now, down to business. First of all, SUPER DUPER Special Thanks go out to MidnightXRequiem for being my awesome BETA and sitting up with me at ungodly hours. Thanks also go out to the rest of my other fanTABulous reviewers: otaku dreamer (luv ya chica), Vampyric Ninja, Diamond Moonlight, Feloss, midnight 1987, Serenitychan13, Fan, and Kim! Love you all! gives chocolate molten lava chocolate cake thingy of dooooooom Sorry this took so long….hope it was worth the wait! R&R Pleease, cuz I'm a bit of a review whore! And all of you who have this on alert and aren't reviewing….I know who you are and I'm watching you….XD)