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.
Chapter Eleven: All That Glitters
The light that filtered through the curtains was of a pale, dusty grey, the kind that would make even the most early riser want to curl back under their covers with a groan. Which is exactly what Yuffie was tempted to do, as she stirred in the cocoon of her duvet. As her eyes forced themselves fully open, she blinked up at the ceiling with a sense of disorientation. She felt like she should be feeling nervous about something, but couldn't for the life of her, remember what it was. Stretching her arms above her head with a soft breathy yawn, she swung the duvet off her small frame and shuffled to her feet and over to the bathroom.
The young brunette let the shower heat up as she brushed her teeth, looking at herself in the mirror in a sort of daze. What was it today? Was it another press conference? Or a photo shoot? If she was going to be paraded around she best make a little more effort with her appearance than normal. Spitting the last of her toothpaste into the sink with a sigh, she pulled off her t-shirt and pants, chucking them in a pile on the floor as she slid into the shower and under the mass of water and steam.
As the water cascaded over her and she worked a rather generous amount of shower gel over her skin she felt herself give a small grimace.
What…?
She let her gaze drift over to the little ache of pain she'd felt as she ran her hands over her hips. There seemed to be little finger shaped bruises colouring the skin there, encircling both sides of her hips in a perfect pattern of pink and purple. Her brow furrowed for a moment before shooting up, as her eyes widened in an a mix of horror and embarrassment.
That Gawd damn bastard!
Yuffie felt her face contort into a scowl as she assessed the 'damage' more thoroughly. Part of her was annoyed at now having even more marks to hide, but she couldn't fully hide the fact that she had enjoyed their little escapade. She sighed as her head hung backwards. She'd have to repay him sometime.
As she got out of the shower and begun to dry herself off, she made her way through to her bedroom, rifling through her bags as she searched for something press appropriate. Was it mean to be warm today? Would they be inside or outside? She couldn't remember. Figuring something feminine might go down well, she pulled out a soft, pale blue silk shirt and a pair of far too tight jeans. She dropped her towel around her feet as she pulled on some underwear and slipped into the jeans. As she pulled on the shirt and began buttoning it up, realisation hit her and she ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror, her fingers grazing lightly over the skin of her neck.
Thank Gawd…
The marks had faded enough that she could probably get away with using her hair to hide it and if not perhaps she could use the excuse that it was just a bruise from the incident the other day. She finished buttoning up and shirt and tucked it loosely into her jeans. As she stepped back to view herself, she found a satisfied smirk pulling at her lips; she didn't look half bad. Now she just needed to dry off her hair and put on a press-appropriate amount of makeup and she could get on with whatever the day held for her.
When she finally left her bedroom, she instinctively scanned the room for the red head, soon finding him lounging on the windowsill with a cigarette. Noticing her out of the corner of his eye, he quickly put it out and threw it out of the open window, before turning to meet her gaze. His eyes travelled down her form with a quirk of his brow.
"Hoping to impress?" His voice was deceivingly light considering the expression on his face.
"Huh?" She looked down at herself, copying his raised brow.
Reno stood and started slowly stalking towards her, his eyes trailing up her legs, before resting on the slight curve of her hips, "You might even get a reaction out of him with those jeans." His gaze flickered up to her eyes, to find her own wide and curious. As he came to a stop beside her, he let a small, almost unfriendly smirk form on his lips, "I'm sure he'll be pleased you dressed up for your date."
"Date?" She looked at him with a funny sort of blankness for a moment before her face turned a pleasing shade of rosey pink. "Oh Gawd. Oh Shit. I forgot. How did I forget!?"
Rufus had organised that damn surprise for today and it had completely slipped her mind. She groaned inwardly, now understanding the weird feeling she had when she awoke.
Always trust your gut Yuffie…
As she paced up and down the living room trying to decide how she was going to handle today, she missed the look of relief that glinted in the red head's eyes as he watched her. Eventually he seemed to realise the time and started to make his way towards the door, motioning with his head for her to follow.
"Come on, I'm supposed to be dropping you off at the Office soon. From there you'll be looked after by the Boss and his bodyguards."
Coming out of her panic, the young brunette quickly grabbed her bag and made to follow him. As they made their way out of the apartment block, she hesitantly tugged at his shirt sleeve, attempting to keep her voice as nonchalant as possible.
"Will I see you later?"
He turned his head, showing off one of his more trademark smirks, "If you're lucky."
She slapped his arm playfully, "Oh shut up."
The young blonde gave her a small smile as he joined her in the back of the car. Yuffie still found it funny that he insisted she got in first, but then he was highly alert to being watched and probably knew exactly how many members of the press were 'hiding' around the building, ready to snap as many photos as they could just to prove their worth.
"I hope you are well today Miss Kisaragi?" His voice was as pleasantly collected as always.
Yuffie smiled back, "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." Her fingers tapped against her knees as she felt the car begin to pull away, "Erm…how about you?"
He gave an almost missable nod, "Quite well, thank you."
Well that was the pleasantries out of the way.
As they rolled out of view of the new Shinra offices, she looked at him with a curious sort of anticipation, "So…are you going to tell me where we're going yet?"
"I think it'll much more interesting if you wait to see for yourself." His voice was edged with a sense of confidence, that only made her feel more curious. He really thought he had this in the bag, didn't he?
She gave a dramatic sigh, "Fine…" A moment passed as she gazed out of the window, attempting to figure out where they were going herself, but soon realising she really had no idea, "Is it far?"
Rufus watched her as she peered at her surroundings, "It's a fair way out of the city, it will take us a little while to get there."
Eventually she sat back in her seat with a small huff. Turning once again to the young man, her voice took on a shyness that seemed to effect her more and more recently, "So…erm…what do you want to talk about?"
He gave a small shrug, "Is there anything in particular you'd like to ask me?"
Yuffie chuckled a little as her voice warmed with a hint of sarcasm, "What's your favourite colour?" She hadn't really expected him to answer. It had been something of a joke question, the kind that always came up on first dates like 'What's your favourite music?' and 'What do you like to do in your free time?'.
The young man looked at her for a moment, letting his gaze travel down her form purposefully, before returning to her face, "Blue."
A pinkish blush tingled on her cheeks as she looked down and realised what colour she'd chosen to put on today. She chuckled again, though this time a little nervously, "What a coincidence."
His lips twitched in amusement, "Anything else?"
The young brunette was tempted to just let the rest of the journey carry on in silence, but part of her couldn't resist the urge to grill him a little. Her fingers began tapping against her knees again as she tried to rid her voice of the trepidation she felt, "How many previous women have you erm…'courted'. I don't mean for…pleasure, I mean for the purposes of potentially marrying them."
"None." He responded almost instantly, his face showing no reaction to how personal her question was.
She looked back at him as if she'd dozed off in the middle of his answer, "None?"
Rufus gave her another one of his small smiles, "Like yourself, I have been too busy to focus on such things. Unfortunately, for us both, time is not in our favour. For you, it is your age and your inauguration that compels you to find a partner. For me it is something that'll guarantee the survival of Shinra, not only in the present but long after I'm gone."
Her brow quirked up, "My age? Way to flatter me."
He gave a light chuckle, "I believe in being straight forward, Miss Kisaragi. It's no secret that it is traditional for Wutaian leaders to marry soon after being inaugurated. If you do not decide to choose me then I imagine they'll be other candidates forced upon you before too long."
Yuffie made a face. She had a good idea of the kind of men her father might have in mind and much to her annoyance, Rufus Shinra might be one of the least objectionable. Of course she wasn't about to tell him that. She looked around the car interior as if searching for inspiration, but she came up blank. As the silence began to descend once again, something came to mind and her brow furrowed.
"You know, I'm always the one asking you the questions. What about you? Don't you want to ask me something for a change?"
Rufus seemed to give her query some thought, before giving her a knowing look, "What's your favourite colour?"
If she hadn't been looking straight at him, she might have missed the amused gleam in his eyes, but it was definitely there.
"Are you…are you trying to be funny?" She didn't mean her voice to sound as baffled as she felt.
He smiled, almost to himself, "I thought it was quite amusing."
She huffed, feeling pleasingly in shock, "You're weird, you know that?"
His eyebrow rose, though there was still amusement playing in his eyes, "Coming from yourself, I'm not sure how to take that."
Yuffie couldn't help the scowl that crossed her face as she instinctively reached out to slap him on the arm, "Hey!"
When they finally arrived and entered the building, Yuffie could barely contain the wave of pure elation that crashed over her.
"Oh. My. GAWD!" Her eyes probably couldn't get any bigger as she stared in wonder at the sight before her. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but this definitely wasn't it.
Rufus was watching her with a rare show of unfiltered self-satisfaction, a smile evident upon his lips, "I thought this might be something you would enjoy."
Her voice was barely more than a breath as she continued to gaze longingly at the little glowing spheres, only vaguely aware of his presence beside her, "This is the best thing ever."
She had no idea Shinra had access to this much Materia. In fact she thought a lot of what had been in Midgar had been lost since the Meteor crisis, but it would have seemed they had been hard at work gathering what they could and had amassed what Yuffie could only describe as a 'mighty hoard'. The part of her that used to relish in the skill of thievery was impressed by their ability to have found so much, but the other part of her was more than a little jealous at the thought that Shinra had this much in their possession. There was also a part of her that was more than a little excited at the fact that the whole lot was within her grasp, though she was trying her best to ignore such thoughts, as pocketing some would most likely cause something of a political incident.
The young brunette was brought out of her haze by the soft, deep tone of the President's voice, "Shall we take a tour around the facility?"
She nodded her head with such fervour that the young blonde couldn't help the way his brow rose.
As they walked around 'Shinra's Materia Research and Preservation Facility', as she had been informed it was named, the young brunette found herself constantly hopping about every inch of every room as she committed the location of all the best Materia to memory. You know, just incase it came in handy one day. The employees working there would shoot her the odd suspicious look but soon became impassive when they noticed the President following behind her, as he attempted to keep up.
With her nose pressed against the glass case that held what looked like a rather special Materia, Yuffie called back to her companion, "Did my father tell you to bring me here?"
She found he was a lot closer than she thought, when his voice sounded beside her, "Actually no. It might surprise you to hear that your past reputation was well known in Shinra, though seeing it in person is quite the experience."
She turned her face to check his own wasn't too horrified by her excitement, soon blushing when she found he was nothing of the sort. Giving a tentative little chuckle, she showed him the most Yuffie-like smile she was capable of, "What can I say? It's my nature."
He smiled back, "It suits you."
Yuffie gave a little huff, sounding more derisive than she had meant to, "Hardly lady-like though is it?"
"You know, you don't have to be a completely different person in order to lead effectively."
Her brow rose with a hint of a smirk, "It would help though."
They made to continue through the building and as time passed, Yuffie became aware of the easiness that she was starting to fall into with the young man beside her. He was a little too formal and he certainly didn't seem to have the inclination to tease her like Reno did, but there were moments of warmth that would almost make her stop in her tracks and look at him as if he had let some secret part of him slip, even if only for a moment. She couldn't help but wonder at just how exhausted he must feel. Her own experience over the past few days had been more than stressful enough for her and he had been doing it since he was born. She wondered if she would be like him now, if things had been different. It made her feel lucky yet bitter at the same time.
When they entered a room that housed some of her favourite types of Materia, she could barely contain herself. Some may have compared her to a rouge bouncy ball, as she all but flew around the room, excitedly asking the employees there a barrage of questions, whilst not giving them the time to answer before moving on to the next. In her overly energetic state, she failed to come to a stop soon enough as she rounded a corner and rather haphazardly bumped into the President's back, who instinctively used his hand to balance himself against the edge of one of the displays.
She rubbed her head, "Oh Gawd, sorry I was just-"
As she brought her head round to look at his face, she found her eyes drawn down to his hand, where a thin trail of blood stained the skin of his finger.
He was looking down at is with a strange sort of expression, "Hm. It seems the metal here is a bit rough." The young man began to shake his hand around, as if reluctant to touch it himself.
Yuffie's eyes widened in horror, "Woah, don't shake it around like that! You'll ruin your suit!"
Without even considering what she was doing, the young brunette grabbed hold of his hand, separating the injured finger and popping it into her mouth in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Sensing the way his body tensed before her, she let her eyes trail up to meet his own. The expression she found there almost stopped her heart mid beat. His eyes were fixated so intensely on her mouth that it almost felt dangerous.
She could feel herself grow red-hot at the strange tension that had suddenly been created between them. She withdrew his finger from her mouth with a flustered smile.
"Oh, sorry…That was weird of me…" The young brunette let out an awkward little chuckle to herself, "Erm, you wait there! I'll- I'll go find a plaster or something."
She all but ran from him as she grabbed a nearby employee and tasked them with showing her where the first aid kits were. When she returned, she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye, instead concentrating all her efforts on rummaging around the box for a plaster, before rather clumsily fiddling with the backing.
As she continued to struggle with it, she heard Rufus's voice sound above her, oddly quiet and darkly soft, "Miss Kisaragi."
Yuffie didn't dare to look up at him as she tried her best to keep her voice light and airy, "Hold on, I've almost got it. There!" She gave a relieved smile as she managed to free the plaster and wrap it around his finger with a little more speed than care. She took a step back, finally daring to flicker her gaze up to his.
That look from before had gone from his eyes and they were back to their usual icy calm. One of his small smiles formed on his lips as he took a look at his finger, "Thank you."
"No problem, it was my fault!" She rubbed the back of her neck with a chuckle, before beginning to back away, "I'll just go return this!" Motioning to the first aid box, she turned, her face twisting in embarrassment as she hurried away.
Much to her relief, the remainder of the tour proceeded without any awkwardness, though as it came to it's end, Yuffie practically felt herself deflate. She could definitely have stayed there for a worryingly long amount of time if left to her own devices and she couldn't help but glance behind with a longing sigh. Before they had quite reached the exit though, she found herself met with the sight of a small group of photographers.
She shifted her gaze over to Rufus, her brow rising.
His eyes soften apologetically, "I hope you don't mind."
A small but sassy smile pulled at the corner of her lips as she spoke under her breath, "Figures you wouldn't miss an opportunity for some press coverage."
He gave an almost unnoticeable shrug, "What can I say? It's my nature." She again caught that hint of a tease playing in his voice, forcing a huff of amusement to sound in her throat.
They were soon ushered towards a wall with a rather imposing painting, not that she could tell what it was, but it was big enough to probably kill a man if it fell on him. As she put on one of her best 'photo' smiles, which she'd been learning to perfect over the last week, she had to stop her brow from furrowing at the almost indistinguishable sensation gliding down her, as the young man brushed his finger down her spine before resting his hand in the small dip of her back.
Yuffie inwardly scowled at herself for the pleasant tingle she felt in her stomach. She really wished she hadn't worn this shirt, it made everything feel way nicer than it should.
It was just beginning to get dark as they returned back to Edge, and Yuffie was more than a little surprised, but definitely pleased when they appeared to be dropping her straight off at the apartments, rather than at the Offices. She was even more surprised when Rufus got out and walked her to her door, though perhaps this was just another show for the press again.
As they stopped in front of her door, the young man gave a soft smile, "Well I hope today offered you some enjoyment, Miss Kisaragi."
She put her hands of her hips with a slow relenting nod, "I have to admit…You did pretty good Rufus. I'm impressed." A smirk pulled at the corner of her lips, "Though, you've dug a bit of a hole for yourself now."
His brow rose questioningly.
"Well, think about it… What are you gunna do now? You might have shown your best cards too soon."
A disarming confidence twinkled in his eyes, as his lowered to a hush, "Oh, I'm not worried about that, Miss Kisaragi."
She quickly turned back to the door as she felt a blush threaten to form on her face, choosing instead to rummage around in her bag as a form of distraction. As her hands grasped around her key, she chanced a half glance up at him, trying to keep her voice only mildly curious, "Is, erm…Is Reno here already?"
He shook his head, his face unemotional as he watched her, "No, but he shouldn't be long." He motioned to one of the two bodyguards that had followed them up, "One of my men will keep watch outside until he returns."
She nodded, "Okay."
"I will take my leave now." He took hold of her hand in his and brought it to his face, gently brushing his lips against the back of her hand. "Until next time, Miss Kisaragi."
His gaze locked with hers for the briefest of moments, before he turned to leave. As he walked away, she allowed her gaze to linger on his back for a second longer. Spending time with him really was a strange experience, but she couldn't deny the part of her that burned with an overwhelming curiosity to see what he kept hidden beneath that oh so cool mask of his. She smirked as she felt a familiar determination stir in her gut. He certainly wasn't going to make it easy for her, but then again, she did always love a challenge.
Shaking her head with a sigh, the young brunette finally unlocked the door. As she shut it behind herself with a heavy click, her eyes strained against the darkness of the apartment. She didn't know quite why, but a creeping uneasiness curled in her stomach and she reached out to find the light switch, hoping it really wouldn't be long before the Turk came back.
Author's Note: So a lot of Yuffie/Rufus here! Their relationship will be a much slower burn. The next chapter will be back on the Yuffie/Reno side of things. As for the shirt, I hope I'm not the only one that finds when you wear something silky, it's SUCH a nice feeling, especially when someone brushes it.