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.

Warning: Explicit Content

Chapter Nine: The Distance Between

Yuffie had gotten dressed as quickly as possible, there wasn't anything to pack anyway and she was desperate to get back and have a proper shower. She had figured they'd be walking back, since they didn't arrive with a vehicle, yet when they got outside, Reno had led them down a side alley and to a rather unassuming dark green car.

Seeing the curious look in her eyes, the red head produced some keys from his trouser pocket and swung them lazily around his finger, "These were sent over this morning."

The young brunette merely nodded, making her way round to the back of the car as usual. She was just about to open the door when the red head called over the car's roof.

"You know…" Something of a smirk seemed to sound in his voice, though was played down by a genuine awkwardness that surprised her, "You could always sit in the front…"

She hesitated for a moment, considering the options before her. Slowly, almost as if she was expecting something to happen, the young woman made her way back round to the front. As she got in, she missed the barely suppressed smile that threatened to make it's way onto the Turk's face. As they made their way out onto the street, Yuffie's brow began to furrow. She wasn't the best with directions, but she was sure they were heading even further away from the centre and further into the part of Edge she was unfamiliar with. Eventually, as they continued and she became even more positive that they were going the wrong way, the young brunette turned to her bodyguard.

"Reno…have you forgotten where we're going?"

He chuckled a bit at the tone in her voice and shook his head, "I just thought we should make a stop first."

"A stop? Where?" The first things that crossed her mind was food, but that didn't seem right. She looked down at her clothes; she most definitely wasn't in any fit state to eat in public.

The red head started rubbing the back of his neck, "Last night…"

Yuffie's whole being tensed, a pink blush forming on her cheeks, "I told you it was just-"

Reno cut her off, "No, I mean…I didn't…" He grew hesitant again, "I didn't use any protection."

The young brunette looked at him with an almost amusing confusion, "So?"

The Turk let out an almost stunned huff, "So…I'm pretty sure neither of us are exactly looking to have children just yet…" He made a gesture with his hand as if to finish the sentence he seemed too embarrassed to finish.

Yuffie's eyes widened a little at the realisation, "Oh." She turned her attention back to the road, "Don't worry about it."

Reno looked at her, the astonishment mixing with concern, "Girly-"

Sensing he didn't understand, she quickly tried to set the record straight, "I already take something for that kind of thing."

The young red head's brow furrowed, his eyes flickering from the road to the young woman, "But you said you haven't-"

"Yeah… but I'm from a certain…'lineage' remember." Seeing the confusion still plastered all over his face, she awkwardly continued her explanation, "I was put on…'preventative measures' since…well, since I was old enough to get pregnant. It's quite common for people in my position… Traditionally it was used in case we got taken prisoner and…well you know. They don't want any pesky 'unplanned' children ruining the bloodline." She let out a small, forced chuckle, though it was clear that there was nothing funny about what she'd said. Reno didn't respond, instead keeping his eyes fixed on the road ahead. She chanced a look at him from the corner of her eyes, but saw nothing at all in his expression; it was totally blank.

After a moment more, she forced another chuckle, "So you don't need to worry!"

He still didn't respond and they fell back into an uncomfortable silence. After a while, they seemed to correct their direction and started heading once again to the centre of Edge. The lack of conversation from the Turk was bothering the young woman intensely. She couldn't work out what she'd said, but she was sure something must have bothered him. She let her eyes drift back over to him, trying to find anything in his face that might hint at the issue he clearly had with her.

Feeling her eyes on him, the red head sighed, "I told you last night girly, it's rude to-"

"What's wrong with you?" She was not hiding her irritation, as she crossed her arms over her chest in a huff, eyes now piercing into him like sharp, angry little daggers.

He shrugged, "What? There's nothing wrong." His tone was unmistakably sullen and the young woman was having none of it.

She huffed again, "Not to get down on my own sex, but you sound like a woman." He flashed her a 'how dare you' look, but that just irritated her more as her voice rose, "Just spit it out already!"

Reno looked at her, a hint of regret hidden somewhere in his eyes, "Just…seems a bit messed up is all."

All irritation fell from Yuffie's face, as her brow arched quizzically, "What do you mean?"

"Well…" The red head paused, seeming to have difficulty in forming his thoughts into words, "…putting you on medication the second you might…it just seems pretty controlling." He took a chance glance at her, as if to check he wasn't exposing too much, "Guess I just never thought about it and now I have…" He shrugged, "Kinda pissed me off."

The young brunette continued to stare at him for a moment longer, before falling back in her seat. When she spoke, her voice was back to a reasonable volume, though a little irritation had made it's way back in, but this time he sensed it was not directed at him, "You don't need to be pissed off on my account Reno. It's hardly the worse thing to happen to me."

He kept his gaze on her for a second, before returning it to the road. He wasn't sure what she meant, but it was clear he'd brought up something she'd rather forget.

When they got back, Yuffie made to go straight to her room and through to the bathroom. She turned the shower on and tested the water under her palm, finding it a little too cold for her liking. As she left it to heat up and came back into her room to grab her towel, a yelp of surprise escaped from her throat when she found find the red head stood in her doorway.

I thought I closed that…

Her brow arched as she observed him with some suspicion, "What do you want Turk?"

He looked down at himself, with a put upon pitifulness, "I need a shower too."

Yuffie shrugged, "Well you can wait your turn."

Reno took a couple of steps forward, a more playful smirk teasing at his lips, "Can't we just share?"

The young brunette clutched her towel to her chest defensively, "No!"

"Girly, you don't have to be so shy. I've seen everything already…" He took a few steps closer, letting his eyes trail up her form, "…remember."

Yuffie stamped her foot, "That still doesn't mean it's okay!" Suddenly realising just how close he had gotten, Yuffie took a few steps backwards, her bum colliding with the edge of the bathroom door frame.

The red head chose to stay put this time, though the smirk on his face was still present, "It could be…relaxing."

"I don't need relaxing!" The young brunette had all but spat out her response, finding herself inwardly cringing at the sound of her own voice.

Reno held back his chuckle, allowing a hint of warmth into his voice, "You sure about that?" When she remained silent, he went to place a hand on his shoulder with a dramatic sigh. "Anyway, I might need help, given my shoulder and all."

The look that formed on the young woman's face was almost amusing, as she seemed to blanch and blush all at once. "That's not fair!"

The red head took a few steps forward, stepping just past her into the bathroom, before turning and practically sighing into her ear, "Girly…when have I ever fought fair?"

The Turk had taken no time at all to strip, his clothes and bandage lying in a heap on the bathroom floor, as he went to get under the water. The brunette was much more hesitant, eyeing him carefully from the doorway, as if he was a dangerous beast. He stuck his head round the shower door, water beading to his face and chest as steam began to fill the room.

"Girly, you best get in before all the hot water is gone."

Her eyes widened. She really didn't want a cold shower. Still feeling the need to show some protest to these new arrangements, she carefully peeled off her clothes, but kept the towel wrapped firmly around her body.

As she made her way into the shower, the red head's brow rose, "Really?"

Yuffie held her towel closer as she tried to avoid looking directly at the very naked Turk, "Can't you close your eyes or something?"

There was a moments pause before he responded, "Fine." She had missed the cunning smirk that played on his lips as she kept her eye averted to the floor. He slowly closed his eyes and put up his hands in a mock sort of surrender, "All closed."

The young brunette hesitantly looked up to find he indeed had his eyes closed. A small sigh of disbelieving relief left her, as she carefully took her towel off, putting it on the rail besides the shower.

"Right, erm can I get under the shower please?"

Without opening his eyes the Turk stepped to the side, making just enough room for the young woman to squeeze through. As she passed, her hip brushed against him and she found herself regretting losing her towel. Trying to push it to the back of her mind, she grabbed the shower gel and lathered some on to a shower puff, before turning to face the red head. She found his eyes still shut tight, though she could somehow tell there was amusement in them. Her eyes fell to his shoulder. Although she had thought she'd done a good job of cleaning it the night before, there was still a decent amount of dried blood and dirt discolouring his skin, from the top of his shoulder to the middle of his chest.

She looked up at his face, trying to find any mischief that might be hiding there, "Right, I'm going to erm… wash your shoulder now so don't move!"

Sensing no movement from the Turk, she hesitantly lifted the puff to his chest and began softly making circles against the skin there, being extra careful so as not to reopen any cuts. As she continued up his chest, she found herself having to go up onto her tip toes. The alternative would be to go closer but that was out of the question for many reasons. As the motion became almost pleasantly rhythmic, she found her mind wandering to the previous evening. It had been so out of character for her, so, well, freeing. Maybe it was because she felt herself being forced down this path, a path towards a life not truly her own, whether she wanted it or not. She'd always been rebellious, especially for someone in her position and maybe she'd been given too much freedom in her youth, as now she was not prepared to throw it all away so easily. She wanted something her own, something dangerous, something unpredictable, something forbidden. If nothing else, she wanted something that was by her own free will, if only for a while.

Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed the suds collecting on the shower floor and as she shifted on her toes, she found her balance suddenly slip out from underneath her. She'd closed her eyes instinctively, expecting to hit the floor with a wet thud, but much to her complete horror, she fell forwards, colliding with the imposingly firm torso of the red head. For the briefest moments all she could feel was the agonisingly enticing warmth of his skin and the comforting strength of his hands that now lay around her waist. The moment didn't last though, as she was brought round to her senses through sheer embarrassment. Her eyes immediately went up to find his, expecting to see a bounty of amusement there, but felt herself in disbelief when she found they were still shut closed.

His brow rose a little, his voice sounding oddly strained, "Careful girly."

She quickly made to move away from him, pushing against his chest as she wiggled out of his grasp. Reno threw his hands up, clearly sensing the look on her face without actually having to see it.

"You fell into me remember." She expected his voice to sound playful, but it still sounded tight, as if he was struggling to speak at all. Her gaze instinctively flickered over his form, soon coming to the reason for his sudden lose of composure.

Yuffie didn't know quite why, but she felt oddly mesmerised by the sight before her. Perhaps it was because she'd caused it. Once again, this was a situation under her control and it felt immensely gratifying. She looked back up to his face and took a moment to really appreciate the expression there. Without a word, she stepped forward, bringing the puff back up to his chest and making to appear as if she was still intending to continue as before. As she made her little circles however, instead of working her way up, she slowly started to move down, her hands trailing the side of his hips as she got on her knees. She felt her embarrassment increase as she thought about what she was about to do and whether, perhaps, she was about to make a fool of herself. Deciding she'd already made up her mind, she shook the thoughts from her head, as her hands trailed even lower, before they guided his erection into her mouth.

"Fuck!" The red head all but jerked at the sudden and unexpected sensation. His hand found it's way into her hair, as he struggled to keep his eyes closed. "Girly…what are you-"

His voice escaped him as she took him further into her mouth. Her tongue traced up his length with a teasingly soft pressure. Where had she learnt to do this?

The young brunette could have chuckled at his reaction, if it wasn't for the fact her mouth was a little full. It was not an unpleasant sensation as she'd thought it would be. In fact she found it almost pleasurable, as she ran his length up and down her throat, enjoying the way his legs shook and his hand tightened in her hair. It gave her a feeling of immense satisfaction, knowing that she could make him feel so vulnerable. It was exciting. As she continued the purposefully slow strokes of her tongue, she felt his body tense beneath her hands.

"Yuffie, stop a second." He barely choked out the words, as his breath became unsteady.

She ignored him, choosing instead to draw him in to the back of her throat, causing another jerk from the red head. A strangled sort of groan sounded in his throat as he relaxed the grip on her hair.

"Can I open my eyes now? Please?"

The almost pleading quality in his voice made her heart still in her chest and without thinking she stopped and nodded.

As if sensing her agreement, Reno's eyes opened slowly, meeting with hers with an intensity that was almost suffocating. His gaze darkened the longer he stared at her and for a moment she thought he was angry, for all the ferocity she could feel radiating from him, but when he spoke she felt a flush of pure arousal.

"I want you, now."

Yuffie had been so overwhelmed by the emotion in his voice that she barely registered him pulling her to her feet, nor the feeling on the wet tiles against her back, or the feeling of his lips against her jaw. A gasp finally sounded in her throat when his tongue trailed down to her throat and he begun to bite down, hard enough to break the skin. Part of her wanted to bat him away, but the other part of her was transfixed by how good it felt. She took a ragged breath as his hand grazed her hip, gently tracing over her thigh, before burying his fingers between her legs. She buckled against him, not realising just how turned on she had been before, as the sensation of his fingers felt almost too much already.

Painfully aware of just how unstable his own sense of self-restraint was becoming, he was both relieved and surprised by just how ready she was, as his fingertips only had to brush against her to feel the wetness underneath them. Pulling away from her for a moment, the red head placed a passionate kiss on her now reddened lips, before turning her back to him and lifting one of her legs, pulling her up on her tip toes.

"Brace yourself against the wall." His voice was soft, but his breaths unsteady.

She barely had a moment to place her hands on the wall in front of them, before she felt him thrust into her. A moan left her throat, it's sound far to raw and unbidden, as the wave of pleasure ripped through her like electricity. His chest was warm against her back, and she could feel his mouth fall to her neck, as he continued to move in and out of her, alternating between slow languid strokes, to uncontrolled rough thrusts. She wanted to look back at him, to see his face, to see if he was in the same ecstasy she was.

The young brunette didn't have a chance to look though, as she felt him bite down on her neck once again and this time it was timed with one of his harder thrusts. She all but felt herself tighten around him, the mix of the pain, the pleasure and the overwhelming feeling of being wanted so badly, filling her with a heat she had never experienced before. She could feel his breath against her ear now, his lips hot and his voice raw enough to cause her skin to tingle.

"You…you are a dangerous thing girly."

Before she could say a word in response, he quickened his pace and begun thrusting into her with the same roughness as before, but this time he had decisively more control over them. Her head lolled forward as the intensity became all too much for her and it was all she could do to hold on. Just as she thought she felt the strength in her body begin to crumble, the red head tensed behind her, a growl sounding in his throat, as he buried himself as deep as he could inside her.

As he made to pull out, Yuffie thought she would fall to the floor in a heap, but instead she felt two arms wrap themselves around her waist, holding her steady against his chest. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, the water bouncing off their skin becoming colder and colder. Suddenly she felt the red head pull away and in an instant she felt an immense loneliness come over her. She clutched her hands over her chest and went to turn the water off. Had he really just left? Was she just that easy? A pang of regret rumbled in her chest.

Gawd, what must he think of me? I'm such an idiot!

Just as all her self-doubt began to rise up inside her, she felt herself being wrapped in a warm, dry towel, followed by being rather unceremoniously lifted up and into the arms of a familiar red head. She felt a blush warm her cheeks as she struggled to look up into his face, as he carried her through to her bedroom and placed her down on top of her duvet. She looked at him questioningly, as he sat down beside her, his hand reaching out to trail along her cheek with a gentleness that threw her for a loop.

He let out a reluctant sigh, "I think we need to talk."

"What about?" Yuffie stared up at the ceiling, feinting obliviousness.

Reno's fingers fell down to grasp her chin, slowly turning her face back to him, "About this."

"Wh-what do you mean?" A redness was flaring over her cheeks with the awkwardness threatening to overtake her, which seemed somewhat laughable given what they had just done.

"Well, whilst I enjoy the unpredictability of these little 'encounters' of ours…" The red head let his hand fall to her arm, where his fingers lightly stroked her down her skin, "it would be good to know where we stand."

He watched as the young brunette started to chew on her bottom lip, her gaze flickering from his eyes to the space around him. He waited until her eyes locked with his again, before he spoke softly, "Is it gunna happen again?"

She hesitated before giving an uneasy shrug, "I don't- I don't know." Her gaze returned to the ceiling once again as her face became troubled, "It shouldn't"

There was a moment's silence before she felt the mattress creak and saw the red head appear above her, his hair falling forward over his shoulder and gently brushing against her arm.

His eyes were dark again, making her belly feel like it was held in a vice like grip, "Why not?"

Her gaze once again tried to escape him by darting from his face to the ceiling behind him, "Because…Rufus, what if- what if I end up-"

The red head brought his face closer, his breath warm enough to feel against her skin, all at once capturing her attention, "You're not married yet…" He brought his lips down to hover over hers, a daringly quality to his tone, "You could think of it as…'stress relief'."

Yuffie hesitated, a strange sort of remorse resonating in her voice, "…Wouldn't I just be using you?"

He shrugged almost too causally, his voice coming out in a whisper, "I can live with that."

Before she could say another word against it, he closed the short distance between them, silencing any descent with a kiss that felt deeper than any before. When he released her lips, he let his eyes lazily drift over the towel that covered her body, the intent clear in the devious smirk that played upon his face.

The young brunette's eyes widened, "Wh- what? Again?"

Reno's smirk only grew, as his lips descended, beginning to trail slow, hot kisses down her neck. She felt her eyes flutter closed as she instinctively arched into him. She felt just as confused and uncertain as before, but she had at least decided on one thing. Reno was kind of a show off.

Author's Note: Yeah, this whole thing was meant to only take up half a chapter but I got carried away and well… oops! The fic was originally planned to be 20ish chapters long but is currently now around the 30+ chapters range. The next section will involve more Rufus and the building of their 'relationship'. I really wanted to develop her and Reno first as otherwise I don't think, if she'd developed feelings for Rufus first she would cross the line with Reno.