Parenthood
Epilogue - A Decade Later
By Crystal Snowflakes
The entire room was awash with the bright sunlight that filtered through the uncurtained glass panes. With a faint whine, Yuffie tried to turn away from the radiance of the sun, to no avail, and chose to bury her face into the pillow instead. She threw the blankets right back on top of herself but it was clear that she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep.
It was just too damn bright. Why hadn't new curtains been installed after the renovations to the villa?
Stretching out her legs, she let out a tired yawn—her body ached from spending hours in the ocean the day before. With her eyes still closed, she dug her feet under his legs, the warmth of his skin warming her toes—she couldn't stop her lips from curling up impishly when she felt him stir.
"D'you really make it a fuckin' habit to annoy me as much as you can?" Reno muttered, his familiar voice thick with sleep.
A small snicker of laughter escaped her before she nuzzled her face against his bare chest as she breathed him in, savouring the familiar scent of him. His head shifted to allow her more room as his arm lifted to wrap around her to draw her closer.
"Obviously," she responded cheekily before peering up at him to press her lips against the hollow of his neck, feeling his pulse beat against his skin. And before Reno fully woke up, she nipped at his neck, smiling smugly against him when she heard his surprised hiss of breath before he let out a groan. Her hand slipped under his boxer briefs before her nimble fingers curled around him. "Mornin', Turkey," she murmured against his jaw.
"Fuck," he cursed as one of his hands slid down her spine before cupping her bottom in his palm—his other hand tilted her face up towards him. Pressing his lips to hers firmly, he rolled forward, pushing her to her back as he settled between her legs—she let out a shaky breath. "Mornin', princess," he said huskily as his eyes studied her face, his lips drawn into a slight smirk. "You remember you talked me into not lockin' the door last night, yeah?"
"Nope!" Her hand threaded through his fiery red strands. "Why would I ever suggest such a thing?"
Just as he opened up his mouth and would no doubt provide a snarky response, the sound of footsteps on the wooden stairs could be heard rumbling just outside the room—two pairs, neither of them loud enough to be full-grown adults.
"Because of that," he said exasperatedly before pushing himself off of her and rolling on his side—she felt the bed shifting as he fixed his boxers.
Seconds later, the door burst open without warning and two children bounced inside, the younger one—their son—soared through the air and jumped into the bed, bouncing on it like it was a trampoline, his long dark hair flying wildly. "Get uppppppppp!"
"Go away, twerp," Reno mumbled as he hid under the blankets as best as he could with Axel yanking on it.
Resigned to the fact that she wouldn't be able to finish what she started with Reno, Yuffie swung her legs out of the bed before standing up, fixing her mussed up hair and wrinkled shirt.
"Morning, Aunt Yuffie and Uncle Reno!" Lily chirped with a bright smile. "Mom said that breakfast would be ready in twenty minutes!"
"G'morning, Lily," Yuffie responded as she glanced backwards. Axel had now been swallowed up by the blanket monster and she shook her head with a small grin as she heard their joyous screams and chuckles. "Let Teef know I'll be down in two."
Lily nodded with her hands behind her back as she rocked her feet and Yuffie had a sudden flashback of a much younger-looking Tifa doing the exact same action—it wasn't the first time Yuffie thought that Lily was the spitting image of her mother. With a small wave, she turned around and called backwards, "Let's go Axel!"
With lightning speed, Axel escaped Reno's grasp and jumped out of bed before zooming out of the room. Yuffie giggled before making sure the lock to the room was clicked before she riffled through the luggage to find a new pair of shorts and top to change into. Reno's footsteps were barely audible before his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her into his body—his breath ticked the back of her neck and she shivered.
"Renoooooooo!" she said with a breathy laugh before turning around to direct a mock-glare at him as she brushed her own bangs out of her face—the look in his eyes never failed to make her knees feel weak. "I told Lily to tell Teef that I'd be down in two!"
"She also said breakfast wasn't ready for another twenty." He cupped her rear before lifting her up and her legs wrapped around him naturally, her fingers weaving into his hair as he walked them back towards the bed. "I'll make it quick."
Her lips lifted up in a cocky grin. "Missed me that much, huh?"
"Don't flatter yourself, brat," he muttered dryly before lowering her onto the bed. "It's just been a long week." And before she could say anything more, he lowered his head, slanting his mouth over hers.
If anyone told her a decade ago that she would be sitting on the beaches of Costa del Sol watching Rude and Reno entertain children—their respective children—she would have most likely laughed in their faces and then thrown her weapon at them. Except it was exactly what was happening. Yuffie almost had to pinch herself at the sight of the two Turks in swim trunks—Tifa had done miraculous work turning the stoic man into a family man. Marlene was at the edge of the ocean, seemingly hunting for little crabs with Lily as Rude stood still, keeping a steady eye not only on the girls, but also on Denzel who had swum out into the ocean.
Yuffie couldn't help herself from smiling at the sight of Axel attempting to splash water on Reno's face as Reno approached him to pick him up and dunk him under the water.
"Gawd," she murmured fondly as she took a sip of the cocktail before placing it back on the side table and sinking into her lounge chair. "I can't remember the last time I've gone on a vacation." Her eyes fluttered closed as she gave a quiet yawn.
"How's the arrangement?"
Tilting her head sideways, she glanced over at Tifa who was studying her curiously. Her face twisted into a scowl as she thought about her response. "You mean the shitty-ass compromise I made Godo? The one where I leave my husband and son in Edge for a week each month?" Letting out a huff, she blew her bangs to the side. "It's going just great," she muttered sarcastically.
Tifa looked at her sympathetically, shooting a small reassuring smile her way. "Certainly makes the heart grow fonder, hmm?"
Yuffie sat up sharply, looking at her friend questioningly. "Has Reno said anything?"
Reno was Reno and complained non-stop about how he didn't get to have sex the week she was gone, or how he was the one to deal with all the laundry while she was away—he tended to complain about everything under the sun to her. But if he had mentioned it to Tifa, then it must have bothered him more than he let on. The thought of it sent her chest clenching in guilt—why was every life decision that she had to make so much more difficult because of who she was?
"Of course not," Tifa said as she let out a small scoff, tossing her hair back with a shake of her head. "But Rude can tell that he's on edge whenever you're away."
Yuffie's scowl widened as she threw herself back onto the chair with a groan of frustration. "Have I told you how much I don't want the job?" she asked snappily.
"It's too bad it's not a job," Tifa retorted gently in a quieter tone, her voice barely audible over the sounds of the crashing waves.
Letting out a loud sigh, Yuffie's gaze returned back to Axel and Reno whose hair were both soaked and dripping wet—she couldn't stop the small smile from forming on her lips.
"Goddamn guilt and shitty duties," she snorted out wryly.
They stared out into the ocean as they studied their little family for a few minutes in a comfortable silence before Tifa spoke up again. "Rude tells me you guys are still looking into adopting?"
Yuffie hummed in agreement. "Well, I've done my duty by bearing a child of the Kisaragi bloodline, right? Though to be fair, Godo only accepts the half-bred child because he knows it's as good as it's gonna get." She couldn't stop the bitterness from seeping into her words.
It had been a constant conflict of interest between her and her father and she had done her hardest to keep the problem from spilling into her family's life—she just wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to keep it from Axel. The only reason Godo hadn't given her more of a hard time was because he knew that if he made her choose, she would choose her family over the throne each and every time.
"Yuffie…"
Shaking her head woefully, Yuffie brushed her darker thoughts away with a smile. "Anyway, we're still thinking 'bout it, but it's just shitty timing and well, I'm away so often…" she trailed off as she watched Axel run towards her, announcing to the entire world that he had to go to the bathroom.
With a laugh, she excused herself before grabbing onto Axel's hand and dragging him back to the villa, making sure to snag the half-empty cup of cocktail back with her.
As Axel went to the washroom, Yuffie downed the rest of her drink before starting to mix herself another one. When he was done, Yuffie walked him out of the villa and watched as Axel ran across the beach to rejoin Reno before going back into the kitchen bar to finish up her drink.
Just as she was about to step out outside again, her cell phone rang from the dining table—she noted with interest that it was her private phone and not her publicly-known work number that was ringing. Curious, because most of the people who would be calling her were with her and those who weren't usually called Tifa first, she walked back over to the dining area before glancing at the screen—unknown number.
"Better not be some spam calls," she muttered irately to herself before picking it up and placing it to her ear. "Yuffie Kisaragi speaking. Who's calling?"
A sharp intake of breath. "The Lady Yuffie Kisaragi?"
Yuffie couldn't stop the annoyed frown from crossing her face nor could she prevent her eyebrows from drawing together. "How'd you get this number?" she asked in a clipped tone.
"Sorry!" The voice on the other end squeaked. "Y-your number was listed on a will and I—" A short pause. "Sorry, let me start from the beginning. I'm Arnie Freeman and I'm the executor for Yumi Fujiwara's will."
Her mind tried to remember a Yumi Fijiwara but came up blank. "Who?"
"Yumi Fujiwara. From Gongaga."
Just as she was about to ask who again, the sudden realization that it was someone from Gongaga hit her, nearly causing her to stagger—she let out a shocked breath as her heart dropped.
She was suddenly acutely aware that he was still talking, despite her mind fogging up. "Please, sorry," she murmured as she clutched her hand to her chest. "Can you repeat what you said again?"
Arnie cleared his throat before coughing, and clearing his throat nervously again. "As I've said, I'm executing Yumi Fujiwara's will and it's been stated here that they would like their grandchild, Abigail Ikeda, to go to you."
Her heart stopped and her mouth dried.
Yuffie was never one to be attuned with her feelings, but she suddenly found herself emotionally overwhelmed—her eyes watered as she swallowed thickly, her breath shuddering. "W-what?"
"I realize this may come as a shock to you, and of course, you can decline—"
Her mind flashed back to the look on Reno's face as he held Sayuri for the last time, whispering in her ear before brushing his lips against the top of her head—she remembered the way she snored lightly in her sleep lying between Reno and her, the way she snuggled up to her as she held her.
Sayuri was the reason she and Reno were together, and one of the reasons why she and Reno had wanted so much to adopt another child.
"Let me talk to my husband. Do I call you back on this number?"
He gave a small relieved sigh and Yuffie could hear the smile in his voice. "O-of course! It's not a rush. Should you decide to accept, all of Yumi's assets will go to Abigail when she turns of age, but you will be the trustee until then. In the meantime, Abigail will be living with us—"
"What happens if we decline?" Yuffie cut in, although she knew deep down that this was what her and Reno had been waiting for all along.
As the call ended, all she could think of was the way Sayuri giggled and gurgled at the sight of Reno. Forgetting about her cocktail, she ran out the villa as quickly as she could, her heart overflowing with joy and happiness—she realized halfway to Reno that she had forgotten her sandals and she was running barefooted.
Reno looked at her in alarm as she ran into him and he caught her in his arms. Only then did she register that her body was trembling and she knew that if he hadn't been holding her up, her legs would have buckled.
"Somethin' happen?" he asked, his gruff voice gentle in her ear.
Shaking her head, she looked up at him with the brightest smile she could muster before grabbing his face and kissing him hard. An uncontrollable laugh bubbled out of her as she heard Axel make gagging sounds nearby. "Hey Turkey," she said with a giggle. "Ya think we can make a quick detour after this trip?"
He looked at her as if she had gone crazy, which probably wasn't far off from her usual self. "Your old man fire you?" he asked with a crooked smirk.
"I wish…" she trailed off, but she couldn't stop the wide smile from spreading across her face. "Remember how we've been talking about adopting another child?"
"Yeah?" His eyes glowed with affection and she didn't think she'd ever get used to seeing that look on his face.
Yuffie brushed her lips against his again and again and again.
"D'you think we're ready?" she asked, a hint of uncertainty in her tone. The timing was awful and they were nowhere near ready for another child at that very moment—but she realized the second she had uttered those words that there would never be the perfect time.
"Why?"
"Because there's a little girl named Abigail from Gongaga who's waiting for a home." She couldn't stop her voice from shaking, nor could she stop her eyes from misting over.
His eyes widened imperceptibly before he moved towards her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders—she marveled at the familiar way their bodies fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The smell of his aftershave and the scent of his skin brought her immeasurable comfort and she laid her head against his shoulder.
"We'll be way over our goddamn head," he murmured softly in her ear as his breath tickled her neck. "But it'll be worth every fuckin' moment."
Her lips curled up contentedly and she finally felt like she was filling the hole in her chest that had been there for a decade. "Turkey," she mumbled as her lips brushed against his bare skin, "you're such a big softie deep, deep, deeeeeeeeeeeep down."
"I'm gonna fuckin' kill you," he said wryly.
She waved off his threat flippantly. "Nah, you won't. You love me too much and you know it."
"Urk! Grossness! Why are my parents always so embarrassing?!"
Author's Notes: Honestly, chapter 9 would have been a good end to the story, so this chapter is just a super self-indulgent chapter (who am I kidding—the entire fic was self-indulgent :D) Also, I just had to tie Sayuri back to the family for good. But yes, I had to sprinkle some realism in here because honestly, I can't see Godo being okay with Yuffie getting married to Reno, but hey! This was a joy to write so I hope everyone enjoyed the ride! Thanks for sticking around and I'm really sad to see this finished, but onto other plot bunnies! 3
As usual, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!
Completed: November 26, 2020