Playing With Fire
Chapter 6


Rude didn't say anything but just stared at Reno, who was too busy reading the reports.
"Exactly what do you want those for?" Rude finally asked.

"We need to know exactly who we're dealing with." Reno replied, not looking at Rude. "You didn't think I asked you to come here for a vacation, now did you?"

The bald man looked at his surroundings, and briefly admired the beauty of Wutai. He looked at Reno, dressed in blue denim pants, and a surprisingly ironed shirt. Reno looked up at him and grinned. "Laundry service."

Rude didn't comment, but waited for Reno to finish reading the report.

"I want you and Elena to check out the new Shinra building and all their employees. Keep a close eyes on Kitani and his people as well."

"Including the three having drinks at the cafe?"

Reno didn't bother to turn around. "Yep. That Kitani needs to hire better people."

"Is that all?"

"Pretty much. I've talked to Reeve already. Kitani Corp has been trying to get their business set up here, but they're not getting lucky. I just want to make sure cat-boy won't be, shall we say get in trouble?"

Rude nodded. "And Yuffie?"

"What about her?" Reno asked as he placed the report back inside the envelope. "I know you don't believe what you've heard."

"How does she fit into all this?"

"She doesn't. I'm getting paid to get Kitani off her back." Reno replied as he noticed Rude staring at him. "What?"

"Nothing." Rude replied as he continued to look at Reno.

"Don't give me that look, man."

"You've slept with her?"

Reno chuckled. "What has got to do with anything?"

"Have you slept with her?" Rude asked again and Reno shook his head as he took out a cigarette.

"Hell no. You know she's not my type. Besides, you know me better. I never mix business with pleasure."

A small smile formed on Rude's lips, knowing how untrue that statement was. "Where's Reeve now?"

"Midgar, but he'll be back soon for this festival." Reno replied, "We'd better head back to the villa. Elena's gonna be pissed."

Rude just nodded, and the two of them walked away, talking about mundane things. When they reached Reno's, they stiffened at the opened door. Elena would know better than this...

Reno took his nightstick out, and went inside the place. He looked around, nothing seems to be out of place, he motioned for Rude to follow, gun already drawn out. Reno stopped as he heard a strange noise from the other bedroom. He motioned for Rude to stay where he was as he approached the bedroom, reaching the closed door, he kicked it with all his strength, and a loud indescribable noise filled the air.

"Damn it you stupid mog! Shut the #@& up!" Reno shouted as he covered his ears.

Rude closed his eyes as he lowered his weapon. Cait Sith emerged from the room with a huge smile. "Hello!"

"What are you doing here?"

Cait Sith sniffed in annoyance. "Hello to you, too. Yuffie invited me for the festival."

"Reeve, come on. We don't need the two of you!" Reno muttered as Reeve's mechanical creation walked to the living room.

"Come on Reno, we get to be roomies!"

"Hell no!"

Caith grinned. "Hell yeah! Yuffie told me that you'd be bunking with me."

"She told you what? Where is that brat, anyway? Have you seen Elena?"

"That's not a good term to use on your fiancée!" Caith said teasingly as Reno glared at him. "I don't know where they are though."

Reno turned and gazed at the palace from his window. "Must be in there, "

"Is Elena safe?" Rude asked as he followed Reno's gaze. Reno nodded.

"The brat's not going to pull anything, and even if she did, Elena's perfectly capable of taking care of herself."

Cait Sith suddenly grinned. "Hey Reno, when's the wedding?"

Reno turned to give Cait Sith a predatory glare as he adjusted a setting on his nightstick. "How long ago where you fixed?"

The mechanical cat looked at Reno and winked. "Awwww, come on Reno! No need to keep it from me!"

Reno slowly advanced towards Cait Sith with an almost malicious grin when Rude's PHS rang.

"Elena?" There was a few second of silence as Rude listened. "Okay."

"What's that all about?"

Rude gave Reno a pat on the back. "Congratulations. You're going to be a father."

"What?"

"Seems that some of the guards that were in here jumped slightly to the conclusion that
their Lady Kisaragi is indeed pregnant. Yuffie just found out that almost the whole town knows."

"No shit?" Reno asked as his gazed turned to the palace with a grin. "Wonder how the mother to be is taking it?"

Rude followed his gaze. "And you?"

"Hey man, I'm out of here after next week. That was the deal. Two weeks."


Inside Lord Godo's office:

"Gawd! How many times do I have to say it? IT'S NOT TRUE!"

Elena, who didn't even know why she stayed, listened outside the door as Yuffie shouted at her father.

"I thought you were responsible!" Her father angrily shouted.

"Aren't you even listening to me?" Yuffie cried out. "I'm not pregnant!"

Godo turned away from his daughter as he raked his hands through his hair. "You were seen by the Royal Guards..."

"Throwing up!" Yuffie finished. "Just because I was throwing up doesn't mean I'm pregnant, how could you even think that?"

Godo glared at Yuffie. "You spent the night at his house..."

"Because it was too late to come home!" Yuffie replied, her voice getting hoarse from all the shouting.

"How am I supposed to know what you were doing?"

Yuffie's mouth dropped open. "I can't believe I'm hearing this!"

"You leave for almost a whole year... you come back here and then tell me you've been keeping this man a secret from me. What else have you been hiding?"

"I left for Wutai!" Yuffie shot back, tears of frustration dangerously close. "I didn't leave to go on a vacation, I left to get materia, and I did! I came back with everything I could get for Wutai."

There were a few moments of silence. "And this man, this Turk? He worked for Shinra!"

"Shinra's dead! They don't work for Shinra anymore, and even if they still did, Reeve will never attack Wutai!"

Godo paced around the room. "How do you know that? How can you be sure?"

"Reeve's nothing like Shinra..."

"Then why keep the name? You know what kind of pain that name inflicts upon people?"

Yuffie screamed in slight anger. "I can't believe we're still talking about this."

"Do you know about the stories that have been going on? Do you? Do you think it's easy for a father to hear that his daughter has been sleeping around?"

"And you listen? You know it's not true!" Yuffie cried out as she looked at her father who just stared at her.

"Do I?" He asked softly.

Yuffie reached breaking point as she trembled, desperately trying to hold the tears back. "I can't believe I'm hearing this from you! You're supposed to be my father!"

"And you're supposed to be my daughter! But you... you never listen to me. You do everything your own way, you don't think about the consequences of your actions, how can you rule Wutai if you don't think!" Godo cried out, his own voice mirroring his frustration. "How can you do any good for Wutai..."

"Look around you!" Yuffie screamed. "Open your eyes and look! I've given everything I can for Wutai..."

Godo shook his head. "And you think it's enough? How can you give everything for Wutai if you're being selfish?"

"Selfish?"

"THINK, YUFFIE!" Godo shouted. "The man you choose to marry will hold power over Wutai, you know that. How can that man serve Wutai?"

"That man has a name and it's Reno!" Yuffie yelled. "This is all about Alec isn't it?"

"He's the one who can bring Wutai back!"

"We can never bring the old Wutai back!" Yuffie snapped at her father. "Can't you see? We can't bring it back; all we can do is make it as well as we can. And how can a man who wants to reactivate those reactors be good for Wutai? Have you thought about that?
Have you?"

Another complete silence, as father and daughter kept their emotions in check. "I fought once to shut those reactors down, and I will do it again."

"Yuffie..."

"You know I will."

Godo sighed as he looked at his daughter. "Alec is the best choice for you."

"I don't love him."

"Love has nothing to do with it."

Yuffie blinked, comprehending his words. "What?"

"Being part of a Royal Family contains many responsibilities, commitments... you think, you rule with your head. Never with your heart."

"You... are you saying that you never loved my mother?" Yuffie asked, her voice rising in anger and disbelief. "You never loved my mother?"

"I didn't say that!" Godo snapped at Yuffie, offended. "I cared for your mother, deeply. Yes, I may not have been in love with her when we married, but I grew to love her. Give Alec a chance..."

Yuffie buried her face in her hands. "I don't want to hear that name again! I'm not marrying Alec! Godo, listen to me! There is nothing you can do or say that will change my mind!"

"And I will never allow you to marry that man!" Godo cried out in anger, and Yuffie almost flinched, unused to seeing her father completely angry. "You have your responsibility as the next ruler of Wutai..."

"Don't talk to me about responsibility! I know my duties to Wutai and it never said anywhere that I have to marry a man that you choose!" Yuffie yelled, matching her father's anger with her own. "You're a fine one to talk, you were responsible for Wutai then and look what..."

Yuffie never had a chance to finish as she felt her head snap from the slap. Outside, Elena almost jumped at the sound. She strained her ears as she tried to listen.

Godo looked at his hands in shock, back to his daughter, hand covering a cheek that would surely bruise, and the tears that she was holding back broke free as Yuffie ran away from him. He could only stare as his daughter practically broke the door open, and her blond companion looking in shock as Yuffie ran away.

"Yuffie, Yuffie... wait!" The blond called out, also disappearing from his sight. Godo looked back at his hand in shame as he slowly walked towards the door and closed it.

He replayed their argument in his head, and he cringed. He only wanted what was best for her. Perhaps, what hurt most was that he didn't know what was best for her, and that she probably doesn't need him. She was strong, and independent. He was ashamed to admit that Yuffie has done so much for Wutai on her own than he ever did at her age. He was always hiding behind rules and policy, under the guidance of the elders and the opinion of the people. Lord Godo sighed as he turned his attention to a portrait of a woman, dressed in the finest Wutain robes. He may be the ruler of Wutai, the elders and the rest of the council have pledged their loyalty to him, but it was Yuffie that was in the hearts of the people. He wasn't blind, he wasn't deaf. He wasn't ignorant to the fact that his daughter left Wutai to look for materia to rebuild the city when the elders have suggested otherwise. It was Yuffie that defied hundreds of years of customs to leave the safety of the palace walls to seek the materia that will help in rebuilding Wutai. It was his daughter that risked her life to be a part of a group that saved the planet. It was Yuffie that experienced sorrow and pain through battles and death.

He was a thinker, always thinking of his actions, the possible outcomes. Yuffie was the complete opposite, barely thinking and always acting out on her instincts. It was Yuffie who went to the people, helping them to rebuild their homes and their lives. She was a childish brat who never listened to advice and did everything she wanted, and at the same time, she was a young woman, already capable of gathering loyalty from her people. She was everything that he was not, and he was proud of her.

If only he could tell her that.

~TbC~

Okay... how was that? I'll try to update as often as possible, but I just found out last night that I got a job! Wai!! Just wanted to share my happiness with all of you, today... thanks for all your comments, and I'm trying to work in Vincent, he'll show up, soon! ^__^

There's also been a lot of suggestion to killAlec... hehehe, patience my friends!