Disclaimer: The Final Fantasy VII compilation does not belong to me. I do not own the characters, story, places etc. They are all the property, copyright and trademark of Square-Enix. I place no ownership/claim on them by using them in this work of fan fiction.

Content Warning: Mature Content

Chapter Five: Quid Pro Quo

They had been driving for a while already and Yuffie was starting to feel her nerves creeping in again. She was still in a state of disbelief at what she was about to do. This was really happening and she had agreed to it without putting up nearly enough resistance and what made it worse was that Reno was seemingly judging her for it too. The young brunette really couldn't understand it. She had expected a heavy dose of teasing from the Turk, but instead he had displayed a mixture of annoyance and indifference to her since she'd told him where he was taking her. It was making her feel even more on edge; was she really doing something so bad? Why did he even care at all? It was bad enough that she about to spend an evening with a man she had once sworn eternal hatred for, she didn't need to question why she was now bothered by how a Turk, of all people, viewed her.

Yuffie cleared her throat in an attempt to break the tension laced silence they'd been sitting in, "So…how far is it?"

He kept his gaze fixated on the road ahead for a few seconds, before answering, his tone a little too low, but still audible, "Eager to get to your date?"

"It's not a date." Her tone was as blunt as her answer, as her eyes narrowed slightly. She really didn't get it. He looked as uptight as she felt, which for Reno was very unusual. He was meant to be the carefree King', but right now he was giving off more of an air of 'kicked puppy'.

The young woman let out a huff, "Reno, what is with you?"

"Nothing."

Again, he gave her as little as possible. It was endlessly frustrating. Leaning forward slightly in her seat, the young woman made a point to tug lightly at the sleeve of his jacket, "You're clearly pissed at me, but I don't understand why."

There was silence again for a moment, as his fingers tightened around the steering wheel, the pressure causing them to go a shade of white and if she could have seen his face, she would have noticed the way his jaw clenched. He seemed to be holding his breath along with the tension in his muscles, as as he breathed out, he seemed to relax again.

"I'm not pissed at you. I'm just tired. I get grouchy when I'm tired." A softness had come back into his voice, though his tone was not entirely convincing.

Yuffie lent back in her seat, her own fingers playing with the hem of her dress as she considered whether or not to drop the subject. Maybe he was just tired. She was probably over thinking things. After all, he had no reason to bothered. This was all just part of his job and he had been barely sleeping from what she could tell, apart from brief naps on her sofa.

"Oh…Okay." She let an uncertain smile play at the corner of her mouth as she spoke, before turning to gaze back out of the window, though her eyes still betrayed the conflict she felt.

The red head allowed his own gaze to drift back to the rear-view mirror for a few seconds, before returning it to the road and allowing the silence to descend around them once again.

As they pulled into the driveway, Yuffie couldn't hold back the awe she felt at what was before her. The shear size of the house, no, mansion, struck her as something that belonged only in film. How was something like this even possible to build? It was almost impressive that opulence like this was able to exist after the events of the past years. A bigger part of her though could only feel the pang of irritation that such wealth belonged to just one man. Once they had parked up, she didn't have to wait many moments before a young man, probably in his early thirties and dressed rather formally, came to open up the car door. She felt immediately uncomfortable, as she stepped out into the cold night air. The young man gave her a small bow, before gesturing towards a small set of steps that led towards what appeared to be the front door.

He gave her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "Please, this way Miss Kisaragi."

As she started to follow him, she felt Reno's presence behind her. Turning her head a little, she kept her voice quiet, "Erm, this is a bit…Formal isn't it?"

The red head shrugged, "Did you expect him to greet you himself?"

She let out a small sigh, "No, I suppose not."

They continued up the steps, before being led through the entrance. Once they were inside they were told to wait for a moment, as the young man walked off down another hallway. Yuffie's eyes travelled up to the ceiling, which seemed far too high above her. The place was well decorated, with paintings and ornate lighting scatted around the place, yet she felt nothing but emptiness as she stood there. She felt exposed. As if feeling her discomfort, the red head drew slightly closer to her.

He leant down, raising an eyebrow at her, "Do you think he's compensating for something?"

Yuffie rolled her eyes, but couldn't suppress her smile, she was grateful to have him there in that moment. Before she could say anything in response, the young man returned, this time gesturing towards another room further to the left.

"The President is waiting for you in the dining room, if you would follow me." The pair had only taken a few steps when the young man held up a hand towards the red head, "The President has requested you stay here, Sir."

Reno simply looked at the young man for a moment, before giving a small nod. As Yuffie made to continue on her way, she felt the red head grab her hand. He pulled her just close enough so he could whisper in her ear, without being overheard.

"If you need me, just call 'kay?" The young brunette looked at him strangely, before giving him her own small nod. As she started to turn away, he made to whisper something else, though this time his voice seemed even lower, "Oh and if he does a poor job, I'm still available for lessons."

"Miss Kisaragi." The President nodded towards her as she entered the room. She noticed he was wearing a darker suit than normal and he was lacking a tie; though his shirt was buttoned all the way to the top. She couldn't help but think Reno could take a note from his book; that red head always insisted on flashing half his chest. The young blonde averted his eyes from her for a moment to give a sharp nod towards the young man, who matched his gesture, before swiftly leaving the room and the two of them alone.

Yuffie gave a small smile towards her host, but couldn't hide the awkwardness she felt, "Your house…is very big."

The young blonde turned and took some glasses from a cabinet behind him, "Yes, unfortunately it is necessary."

He took a bottle that had already been opened from the side and started to pour the contents as he continued, "Being the President of a company like Shinra, well, I'm often required to hold meetings in the guise of social gatherings. Having an impressive home is not only useful but an important display of power."

Suddenly Reno's words from earlier sprang to the brunette's mind and she couldn't help but feel he hadn't been far of the mark. So it really was all for the purpose of one-upping the competition, so to speak. One of her brows rose, unable to hide the distaste from her voice, "It's a bit too fancy for my liking."

Unperturbed by her obvious disapproval, the young President smiled, "You're quite correct Miss Kisaragi. I mostly use it for the purpose of entertaining. I have a separate apartment for my own personal use."

The President handed her one of the glasses and she took it as if she was on auto pilot, "So…you don't live here all the time?"

He shook his head, "No, much like yourself, I find it a little gaudy."

The young woman's brow rose, "Really? I thought you were the King of showing off?"

She worried for a moment that maybe her comment was rude, but he merely chuckled, "It's comes with the occupation."

Yuffie relaxed slightly, though she was clearly still tense as she gripped the glass he'd given her too firmly. Aware of the uncertainty that had hold of his guest, the President put on one of his warmer tones, "You don't need to stand on ceremony, Miss Kisaragi." She gave him a small smile, before finally looking down at her glass, finally taking notice of what he'd handed her moments ago. As if hearing her unasked question, he held his own glass out towards her. "It's Champagne. I thought we could have a toast to the success of the press conference today."

The young brunette blinked in surprise, "Oh…sure."

She held out her glass to clink against his own as he spoke, his voice feeling impossibly smooth and disarming, "To you, Miss Kisaragi and your impressive speech."

"Thanks" Yuffie smiled in appreciation, before taking a small sip of the Champagne. It was sweet and light against her tongue. She wasn't used to drinking and when she had, it had always struck her as being an unpleasant experience but now she found herself wondering if it was a matter of expense spent, as this stuff tasted far to good.

The young blonde was watching her as she looked at her glass, "Do you usually drink, Miss Kisaragi?"

Yuffie smiled awkwardly, "Not really." She took another sip, as if to confirm her opinion, "It's nice though."

Her host gave a small smile, "Good." He motioned towards the table that sat in the centre of the room, "Shall we sit down, the food should be along shortly." He moved over to one of the chairs and pulled it out, gesturing for her to sit. As she came to sit down, he took note of how stiff her posture was. Sitting down in his own chair opposite her own, the young blonde lent back into his seat, making a point to make eye contact with his guest, "You seem a little nervous, Miss Kisaragi. I've told you, you don't need to put on an act, this isn't a test."

"It's not that, it's just…" Her fingers played with the stem of her glass, "This whole thing is a little weird." She quickly took another sip of her drink before beginning to chew her bottom lip.

"Yes, this is a rather unexpected situation for us both." Her host allowed a few moments of silence to fall, before leaning forward in his chair, "Though I hope you do not find this evening completely…unpleasant."

He was looking at her with something she couldn't quite place. Feeling uneasy under his gaze, she quickly diverted her attention back to her Champagne once again, pretty much downing the whole glass in a matter of seconds. As she did so, a trickle of Champagne escaped from the corner of the young woman's lips. She went to wipe it away with her thumb. In her embarrassment, she failed to notice the way his eyes had followed the motion, nor how they darkened at it. She offered him the best smile she could muster in the moment, "This stuff really is nice."

The dinner had continued on with a lot of small talk. She had tried to relax, but everything from the food, to the cutlery was just far too fancy. Although she came from an important family in her own right, she'd never experienced anything quite like this and it didn't help that her dinner partner was so hard to read. He gave nothing away in the way he spoke and everything he did say seemed to have been chosen to give away as little as possible; she was beginning to question whether anyone knew his real personality at all. She'd heard so many differing stories from people over the years and now that she was here, in his house, having dinner with him, she still felt no closer to figuring out which ones were the correct evaluations. He seemed to be all formalities and effortless charm, but it was all too emotionless. Yuffie couldn't help herself, she was more curious about him than she originally thought she would be. The young woman chose to blame the alcohol in her system for such thoughts; she had lost count of the amount of Champagne she had drank.

They had just finished the last of a rather citrusy dessert, when the young blonde rose from his own seat, and walked over to her own, making to pull it out for her, "Why don't we take a stroll down to the ballroom."

Yuffie jumped up, sudden excitement overtaking her, "You have your own ballroom?!" Her hand flew to her head, as a sudden dizziness overtook her.

"Are you alright, Miss Kisaragi?" The President had taken hold of her arm as so to steady her.

She gave a smile, her cheeks turning a light pink, "Yeah, sorry…head rush."

Her host gave her a knowing smirk, "Take my arm until you feel more steady on your feet."

Yuffie didn't move for a moment as she considered his offer, though she decided it was not the worse idea as she looped her arm through his and rested her hand on his forearm. As they started walking down one of the many hallways that branched off from the room they had dined in, the President turned to his companion, "So, do you have any experience with dancing Miss Kisaragi?"

Yuffie laughed softly, "Not really no…I kinda avoided all attempts my father made at teaching me."

The young blonde's brow rose in mild interest, "Your father intended to teach you himself?"

"Well no, not exactly…" She hesitated for a moment, already regretting what she was about to reveal, "He got me a tutor…to teach me all things lady like. Anyway, I might have played a few tricks on him."

The President smirked, knowingly, "Ah, I see."

"He quit not long after and apparently he'd told all the other reputable tutors in Wutai to avoid me as a student." The young brunette giggled, 'So my father kind of gave up trying."

Her host laughed, "I would ask exactly what you did to earn such a reputation…But maybe such things are best left to the imagination."

Yuffie nodded, "Probably a good call."

When they reached the room the President had designated as his 'Ballroom', the young brunette had to stop herself from giving in to the urge to do count how many chart-wheels she could do from one end to the other. The President noted her awe with some amusement as he made his way to the centre of the room. Once he reached a point he found acceptable, her host turned to face her, "Shall we begin?"

The young woman could only nod as she was startled out of her daze, but she didn't move from her spot by the door. The President sighed, though it held no real frustration, "You'll need to come a little closer, Miss Kisaragi."

Yuffie smiled, "Oh, right." She practically semi-skipped her way over to her new dance partner, only coming to a halt to avoid knocking into him. Her light-headedness had indeed passed but she still felt a little giddy.

"We'll start with the Waltz. It's the easiest to learn, and the most likely to come up at these events." He gestured towards her with his hands, "May I?"

Unsure of what he intended, but refusing to show any embarrassment at her own lack of knowledge, the young brunette merely nodded. Her host slowly reached out and placed his right hand around her back, pulling her close enough that she could feel the warm from his chest against her own.

"How you put your left hand around my shoulder." Yuffie swallowed, as she drew her hand up and around his shoulder. She was a fair bit shorter than him even with the small heels she'd chosen to wear, so the position forced her even closer as she struggled to keep in place. The young blonde took her right hand in his left and seemed to view it with some interest, "You have very small hands."

The young brunette blinked, "Is that…bad?"

The President smiled at her and she noticed a warmth there, "Not at all." He looked at her for a moment before continuing, "Now, the first step I'm going to show you is the box step."

They'd been at it for about an hour and she was starting to feel her confidence building. The box step had been easy, even if it had felt a little silly at first, but when they began to add in turns she couldn't help but feel that, despite her best efforts, she was starting to have fun. The President was clearly well practiced in dancing and much to her surprise, he was really rather patient. The times she had messed up or lost the pattern in the footwork, he had managed to stop her from getting frustrated with such ease. It was a baffling notion; she was dancing with Rufus Shinra and she was actually enjoying herself. She couldn't help but feel like someone was playing a very elaborate trick on her.

As they completed the third successful circuit of the ballroom without any slip ups, she looked up at her partner with a smile, her voice sounding a little breathy, "You know you're pretty good at this teaching thing." He merely nodded back to her.

They were about a quarter of a way around the room again when he spoke, a slightly hesitancy in his voice, "Tell me, Miss Kisaragi…" He completed a turn before continuing, "Are you opposed to the act of courting?"

Yuffie almost lost her footing as his question took her by surprise, the confusion clear in her voice, "Erm no, I suppose not… it's like I said before, I just haven't had time for that sort of thing."

"Perhaps you should start to make time." She looked at him questioningly, clearly not following the intent in his statement.

He only allowed a few moments to pass before speaking again, "I'd like you to consider me as a candidate."

This time she did lose her footing as she came to an immediate halt, letting go of his hand and backing up a few paces, "Exx..eexx..ccusse me?"

He took a breathe, "I said I'd like you to-"

"I know what you said, it's just…" She was looking at him as if he had grown horns, "Are you out of your mind?"

"I'm completely serious Miss Kisaragi." His tone was steady, betraying no emotion at her reaction.

"Well you're delusional then!" She waved her hands and looked around as if signalling for non-existent spectators to back her up, "We barely know each other, never mind the fact, that you're…well YOU and not only that, but I'm pretty sure my father would be completely-"

He put up a hand as if to silence her tirade, "I have already spoken to your father about this matter."

The utter shock that descended on her face was almost comical, "What?"

"We discussed it at length when we arranged this visit of yours." He kept his face as impassive as possible, sensing how dangerously close his guest was towing the line between pure confusion and utter rage.

Confusion seemed to win out as she viewed him with suspicion, "He never mentioned anything to me."

"Your father feared you would not come at all if you knew this was on the table, so to speak."

Her hands drew up to her hips, anger beginning to mix with her disbelief, "He hates you. Why on Gaia would he even consider this?"

The President nodded, "He indeed found my proposal…unpalatable at first, but he came to see the opportunity this would be for Wutai. This would be a partnership between us that would offer you equal power within the Shinra Company."

Yuffie considered him for a moment, before slowly folding her arms across her chest, "And what exactly would you get out of this arrangement?"

"A diplomatic marriage is always useful. These assignments you're taking part in are doing a part in improving our standing in the publics eyes, but a true partnership between us and Wutai would show the world we are no longer interested in conflict and that we can put forward a united front."

She huffed, shaking her head, "I don't want Wutai to be used as Shinra's cover story."

"That would not be the case. You have every right to feel as you do, but whether you believe it or not, Shinra has changed." He took a careful step towards her, making sure to keep eye contact with the young woman before him, "I am hopeful that you will come to see it to be true over the course of your time here." The young man smiled again, a warmth overtaking his usually impassive tone, "I only ask that you give me a chance to persuade you."

Yuffie looked over his face for any signs of deception but found none. Either he was a very good actor, which was very possible, or he was indeed being sincere, which was equally as implausible. She found herself unable to speak, so instead nodded.

The President gave a small smile again, "I'm glad. Now, it is getting late, Miss Kisaragi. You should go and get some rest. We shall speak more on this tomorrow."

As Yuffie passed across the threshold, she turned back to face the young man, making to bow her head slightly. "Thank you for the dinner…and the lesson."

The President reached out towards her, taking her right hand in his, before bringing it up to his lips and placing a featherlight kiss on her knuckle, "It was my pleasure, Miss Kisaragi."

She held his gaze for a while, as if transfixed, only snapping out of her daze when she felt Reno shift behind her. She quickly withdrew her hand, before letting out an awkward laugh. "Well… erm…Goodnight."

Yuffie went to return to the car as swiftly as possible without breaking into a run. As she left, the President made a point to hold eye contact with the red headed Turk for a moment, before nodding sharply, "Reno."

The red head had been silent for the journey home, but the moment they came through the apartment door, it seemed he could no longer hold back the urge to speak.

"Didn't realise you were such an easy date." He was trying his best to sound like he was merely teasing her, but the irritation that bubbled below the surface was not lost on the brunette.

"Nothing happened Turkey." She wasn't about to tell him what happened during her dance lesson; she could only imagine how much he was tease her. Plus it wasn't any of his business, so why should she be defending herself at all?

"Try and tell that to your face." He brushed past her as he went to sit on the sofa, "You should have seen that pretty shade of pink you were turning."

She tensed up, both irritated at his attitude and embarrassed at the idea that she had blushed at all, "Nothing. Happened. Reno."

"Sure thing little Miss…" He fell down on the sofa, leaning back and placing his hands behind his head, a smirk that felt darker than normal forming on his lips "…but you sure seem to be getting your knickers in a twist."

Yuffie scowled, "I'm not getting anything in a twist Turk."

The young man's smirk stayed in place as he gave her a knowingly look, "Did he not finish you off? Is that the problem?"

Her brow furrowed, as her voice rose, "What on Gaia are you talking about?"

"Just go a relieve yourself." He gave a low chuckle that felt almost unsettling, "I've heard shower-heads are good for that."

She took a few seconds to realise what he was implying, before her her mouth open, "What! I would never-"

He laughed again, "Maybe that's the problem." His lent forward a little, his voice lowering to almost a whisper, "No wonder you're so tense girly."

If she could see herself she would have been horrified at the intensity of red that flared upon her cheeks, "Urgh! Just leave me alone you...you... Pervert!"

She'd been laying under her covers for about an hour, but sleep would not take her. Instead the ceiling had been forced into some kind of staring contest with her that neither would win. A sigh escaped his lips. Reno was way off base, but perhaps he had some sort of point. She really was tense, she had been for months now and it was taking it's toll. Relaxing had once come naturally to her, in fact some people would have said she was too good at it, but she had found her usual methods less and less effective.

Her brow furrowed slightly. Maybe it was the residual Champagne coursing through her system, or the strange headiness she was feeling, but the red head's suggestion came back in to her mind. Without much thought she drew her hand up and under her t-shirt. She'd tried this before and had always gotten frustrated, but maybe this time would be different. She hesitantly beginning to caress her right breast, her eyes fluttering closed as she tried to concentrate on the feel of her hand on her skin. Without realising it the image of Reno's smirk flickered into her mind. Was it because he was just outside the room, or perhaps because he was part of why she was frustrated. He was always teasing her and riling her up. He was so full of himself. Why did she let him get to her so easily? She blamed that smirk. That damn smirk.

The image wouldn't leave her mind as she started to trace down her side with her other hand. She wondered for a moment how it would feel if it was him touching her instead. She swallowed as she felt heat began to stir in her core. The hand that had been touching her side began trailing down to her panties, her thumb hooking around the lacey fabric before pulling them down her legs and leaving them somewhere deep under the covers. Her hand slowly drew back up to the juncture between her thighs, as her fingers began to lightly stroke at the sensitive bud that was beginning to feel far too hot under her touch. The brunettes back arched up as she pushed harder against herself. She wasn't sure why, but she felt more aroused than she had ever managed to get herself before, as her thoughts about the red head became more and more intense. Yuffie had been so lost in the sensation that she hadn't noticed the soft knock on her door, nor the form that entered, until the red head was standing at the foot of her bed.

The moment the young woman registered that she was no longer alone, she jerked her hands away from where they had previously been fixated, as she let out a little squeak at the realisation of what was happening. He had seen her. Without a moments pause, she threw the duvet over her head, not being able to bear the look on his face. Did he think this was something amusing? Or was he thoroughly disgusted with her for doing this when he was in the next room? She didn't want to know. All she did know was that she needed to shield herself and hide the look of horror and embarrassment that was currently stuck on her own face.

After what felt like an eternity in silence, the young brunette heard the door close. She let out a long held breath; what a relief. He'd just left without saying anything, no teasing, no laughing, no comment at all.

Thank Gawd…

She had just started to relax her grip on the duvet when she heard a slight creek of a floor board and a moment later she felt the duvet start to be slowly pulled away from her.

Author's Note: Hope you're all enjoying it. Just a warning there will be Explicit Content in the next chapter.