Title: Risk It

Wordcount: 1247

Pairing: Riku/Yuffie

Rating: T

Notes: More about the dialogue than anything.

Risk It

"I'm gonna lose my heart."

Cid looked up at her - no, he shoved himself out from underneath the gummi ship. Oh, shit, what an awkward sentence. What a ridiculously stupid suggestion. He stared up at her to her place seated on top of the gummi-ship-in-progress, and she didn't look down at him.

"What?" he said.

She repeated the statement - "I'm gonna lose my heart." - and looked away, giving a determined grin. Oh, no. Cid knew the girl well. He had known her for ninety-fucking-percent of her life. And when he saw that grin - the flash of teeth, the eyes, the shoulders tensed like that - he knew she was setting herself on a path and would only be dragged from it kicking and screaming.

"Yuffie," he said roughly, "you try that purposely, and I will personally kick the sense into that stubborn head of yours, y'hear?"

She looked down at him. Cid's eyes met hers for a moment, and he put down his spanner and climbed to his feet, marching over her and leaning over the hood to scrutinize her face. She smiled - innocently, this time - and he just raised an eyebrow.

"What's going through your head?" he said, after a moment, when he couldn't put his finger on it.

She just grinned and turned in her seat, spinning around the side of the hood. However, as the moved to jump down and leave, Cid reached across and grabbed her arm, dragging her across the hood.

"Kid, you answer the damn question."

She looked at him with a suddenly steeled glare, and said firmly, "I think Riku's lonely."

"Why would he be lonely?" Cid asked, "He's got us, doesn't he? Hell, if I were him, I'd be glad to have some sort of regular life for once in a while... with people, I suppose. What's he got to be lonely about?"

"'Cause we're different," she replied, and pulled herself from his grip, leaping off the ship. She moved to go, but Cid vaulted himself over the front corner of the hood, reaching her in time to snatch at her arm again - he caught her scarf, as she moved, and she halted to a pause.

"Because he's Heartless?" he suggested.

Yuffie whirled to look at him, eyebrows furrowed, and she snapped, grabbing the end of her scarf, "Don't say that, it's mean. He's not a Heartless, he's a Nobody. There's a difference - he told me!"

"Nobodies are a form of Heartless... I thought we had figured that shit out?" Cid said, patience ebbing quickly. She glowered back at him, and he let go of the scarf. She adjusted it carefully, hiding a few predictable marks. Ah, kids. Couldn't control themselves.

"You're too buried in your machines to pay attention, old man," she taunted, but said, "you're right, but he's not a Heartless. Heartless are mean and animal-y and they destroy. Riku only hurts things that try to hurt him."

Well, he hardly considered thirty five old. Jeez.

"There's a lot of shit that hurts him, kiddo."

"I'm gonna lose my heart," Yuffie repeated stubbornly, "and then he won't have to be alone."

"It's dangerous, Yuffie. You know that."

"Of course! But if you're strong enough, you'll become a Nobody instead of a Heartless..."

"And just how the hell can you tell if you're strong enough, huh?"

"It's a risk I'll take."

Risk was dangerous. And he knew she would do it, too. She was just like that - someone could tell her how many times she had an opportunity to die in any given situation, and she would do it anyway. She would think of every single consequence and ignore them all. That was just Yuffie.

"You'd risk your life for Riku?"

"Why wouldn't I!"

"What about Leon, Aerith and I? Or any of your other friends? Hell, even the damn moogles - what if you failed?" - he let that sink in for a moment, before continuing, before Yuffie prepared to retort - "How many people'd be upset, let alone Riku?"

"I know that! But I won't fail!"

"How d'you know that, kiddo?"

"Because I won't. I'm invincible."

That cocky smirk, the hands on her hips, the eyes narrowed and the bangs falling into her eyes. She tilted her head to the side. Damn, he figured, she and Riku combined would make some pretty fucking weird kids.

"No one's invincible."

"I am."

"Nah."

"Cid, I don't ever wanna be separated from him. I love Riku," she said, then trailed off and corrected herself quickly, "I like him a lot. I just wanna be with him. Why don't you get that!"

"Because his being a Heart– well, Nobody is different. It's just a hurdle, kid, not a damn wall. Why aren't you asking him this, instead of me?"

He was glad she had asked him, really. He had no clue what was going on in that kid's head, and if Riku decided to tell her yes... well, Yuffie was clever, but when someone she agreed with told her what to do, she did it. And it would lead to disaster.

"He'd tell me not to - he'd say no!"

"It's a risk if you do, it's a risk if you don't. Bluntly, kid - you let yourself lose to a Heartless, and don't become a Nobody, you're fucked. No other chances."

"But Cid––"

"You say you want to be there for him," he cut her off, "but are y' willing to get on the same train he's on?"

"What's that supposed to mean? That I'm not going with him?"

"Just somethin' a buddy of mine used to say. He always made these dumb train references... but they had meanin'. But even so, are you willing to get on the same train as him? Suffer the same fate, get off with him?"

Yuffie grinned wickedly - "Get off with him?" - but Cid rolled his eyes and gave her an amused but frustrated look, and she said seriously, "Riku and I are together. We're gonna be together forever - unless something stops us. And if my heart's getting in the way, I'd give it up."

"But why would it be getting in your way? You guys are close - Leon never stops complaining about how you two give Public Displays of Affection a new meaning. Aerith's always gushing about how frickin' cute you are together. You guys make me sick with your constant giggling and cuddling and lovey-dovey bullshit. Why would anything be wrong?"

"Because people treat him different."

"What people?"

"Leon doesn't trust him. People 'round town don't trust him."

"Did he tell you that, or do you think that?"

"I, uh... well, he didn't tell me! But I know it!"

"Talk to him, kid," he said firmly, "but I'll warn you again - you try? I am never gonna fucking let go of that, and neither will Squall or Aerith. You're like a niece to me, and like a little sister to them. We're family. You fuck yourself over, I can't say we won't be angry. You mean too much to too many people to just let yourself die so you can be with him - especially when nothin' known is standin' between you in the first place."

"I know, I know."

He couldn't really tell her how little she knew.