Standard Disclaimers Apply.
Playing With Fire
Chapter 12
Warm calloused hands touched her cheek, and Yuffie moaned as she tightened her embrace. She was lost in a haze of warmth, and she could feel herself getting more and more lost at each sensation she was feeling.
"Reno... pick up, damn it..."
Reno pressed his lips harder against Yuffie, ignoring the distant and irritating voice until his radio emitted an ear piercing sound. They both jumped, and practically scrambled away from each other as they both tried to collect their thoughts. Yuffie was looking at him, eyes wide open and hair in a mess. Her lips were parted slightly and the only thing that stopped him from kissing her again was the loud voice from the radio.
"Pick up, you asshole!"
Yuffie just stared as Reno yanked the radio behind his pocket and practically snarled at the caller. "This better be good, Strife."
Cloud could hear the hostility clearly; the reception was quite good despite the light rain. "I was just calling to check up on you. How's Yuffie?"
Reno stood up and walked out of the cave, knowing that there would be a part of their conversations not meant for Yuffie to hear. He looked at the cave, making sure that Yuffie didn't follow him. "Keep your voice down unless you want Yuffie to hear everything."
"How is she? Damn it, Reno! I've been calling you... what the hell were you doing not answering your radio?"
Reno smirked. "Wow, Strife... I never knew you cared."
"It's Yuffie that I was worried about! How is she?"
"She's fine." Reno replied and tried to erase the feeling of having Yuffie so close to him. "What's going on?"
There was a moment of silence. "Godo checks out fine, the bastards are behind bars and the council's debating if they should have a trial, or just have them executed."
"A trial, What for? They're as guilty as hell!"
"I know that!" Cloud snapped. "But apparently, in politics, things are done differently. Listen, something's not adding up here... Everyone gave the same story that they felt Yuffie would just cause another downfall for Wutai and that she's going to abolish the council... it sounds too rehearsed. We both know that there are more people involve..."
Reno stayed silent, his gaze never leaving the entrance of the cave. "So you're saying that there's another motive?"
"Yes... even if they have a trial, it's going to take weeks... we've decided that it would probably best to bring Yuffie back..."
"Hold on a sec, we? I don't remember being asked."
"Be reasonable. It could take weeks, or even months for us to get to the bottom of this! They're hiding something, Reno. I doubt if they'll talk. We can't hide Yuffie forever..."
"I'll take her out of Wutai, then."
Cloud groaned. "And just where are you going to hide Yuffie? Listen, the other people behind this know that you're with her. All they have to do is to go to another bounty hunter... you and Yuffie would only be vulnerable..."
Reno's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying I can't protect Yuffie, punk?"
"I didn't say that!" Cloud snapped at Reno. "What I'm saying is that it's too dangerous for the two of you to be alone. Listen; if she's in Wutai, people are bound to be more protective of her. The others can't risk hurting her here, not anymore. Everyone's suspicious of one another... Besides, I heard about what Kitani did. You have no supplies..."
Reno gritted his teeth as he listened to Cloud. "I'm not taking her back unless everything's clear."
"Damn it, Reno! Aren't you listening to me? She's going to be much safer here than being out there!"
"No."
Cloud lost his temper. "Stupid bastard! Listen to me! Bring Yuffie back now, or heaven help me it's..."
Whatever Cloud was going to say was stopped as he heard a scuffle; there were voices in the background. Reno smirked as he heard Cid's ever present profanities, what surprised him was the voice that spoke clearly from the radio. "Cloud is correct. The risk of Yuffie getting hurt in Wutai has decreased."
Reno clenched his jaw. "Valentine."
"Think carefully. You know very well that bringing her back home is the safest option."
Reno hated to admit it, but the ex-Turk was correct. "Fine. We'll be taking a slightly different route. Don't bother calling, we'll just surprise you." He turned the radio off and walked back inside to find Yuffie looking at something on the wall. /Now what?/
She looked at him, not quite meeting his gaze. "What did he say?"
"You'll be safer there than out here." He replied, walking towards her, but stopped a few feet away. The last thing that he needed was to be near her, even if that was what he wanted. "Do you know the way back using those?"
Yuffie nodded, her fingers tracing a pattern on the wall. "Yes, there's a coded instruction, we can use them with no problems at all."
The two of them stood in silence, and Reno cursed himself. /I never should have taken this job./ He grabbed one of the torches and looked at the tunnels. "Which one?"
"That one," Yuffie said confidently, pointing at the second tunnel. "There should be another instruction when we reach a corner."
Reno nodded and stopped himself before he reached for her hand. "Let's go."
Yuffie followed him, thankful for the distance between them. /What the hell happened back there? What am I supposed to say now? Nice kissing you, can we do it again?/
The young woman blushed, mortified at her thoughts. She tried not to look at him, but focused on the path before them. She never felt this way before, not with Vincent. She didn't even know what she was feeling. As they went deeper and deeper into the tunnel, Yuffie started taking deep breaths. Reno stopped and looked behind, only to see Yuffie practically in a verge of panic.
"Are you claustrophobic?"
Yuffie just stayed still, and nodded her head. Reno sighed as he looked at her. She was just full of contradictions and surprises. She can fight her way out of a mob, be clever enough to take materia from other people, charm her way into the hearts of many... and here she was... Lady Yuffie Kisaragi, shivering from fear of enclosed spaces.
"Everything's going to be fine, Yuffie." He said softly, and noticed that she wouldn't meet his gaze. He walked closer to her and raised her chin up, and stared into her gray eyes. "Everything's going to be fine."
Yuffie nodded, and Reno walked ahead, again putting the safe distance between them. He was confused. Thankfully, Yuffie didn't seem eager to talk about what happened. He didn't even know what happened. All he knew was that he had never been kissed that way before... hell, what they did wasn't even really kissing... His hands clenched the torch as they continued to walk. He'd been with women more experienced, more beautiful, more everything... but he knew that what he felt with those women didn't even come close to compare with happened between him and Yuffie. /It's the situation. Lonely girl, sober man who needed a drink.../
"Wait."
He turned around to see Yuffie feeling the drawings with her fingertips, and recalled how gentle her touch was when she touched his scars. /She was lonely and I needed a drink./
"We go right next, then left."
Reno nodded and they resumed their journey.
Yuffie watched Reno and opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. What was she supposed to say anyway? What would have happened if Cloud didn't call?
Yuffie sighed, and imagined what it would have felt like if it was Vincent that kissed her, but somehow, every time she forced her brain to picture Vincent, it was Reno that was popping out. His blue eyes, the scar... everything about him. Her fingers traced her lips, and she marveled at how soft and gentle his kiss was. /Snap out of it!/ She silently commanded herself. /Someone just tried to kill you, damn it! Think about that!/
But all Yuffie could think about was Reno.
*-*-
Cloud swore as he gripped his radio so hard, Tifa was afraid it would break. "Stupid bastard! He turned his radio off!"
"I'm sure they're fine," Tifa reasoned as she walked next to him.
He looked at Tifa and frowned. "Did you hear what he was saying? He was actually thinking of taking Yuffie out of Wutai! And where the hell is he supposed to hide her?
They're both too high profile to just hide! The press will have a field day, I think Shake was seriously considering banning the media in Wutai!"
"You can't blame him..."
"Something's still not right. I know we're missing something, but what? The rest of the employees have checked out fine... Where the hell did they get the idea that Yuffie was going to abolish the council?"
"Maybe they saw how independent she was..."
"You mean stubborn?"
Tifa scowled at Cloud. "No... I think it's because they were afraid of change, and that was what Yuffie was doing. Seeing Reno as her secret fiancé probably pushed them to think that she was going to do more harm than good."
The AVALANCHE leader punched his fists lightly against the balcony railing. "I hope we made the right choice."
"We did, Cloud. It's the best option left. Letting Reno and Yuffie to stay out there is too risky. Here, everyone would be watching out for Yuffie. She'll probably hate that, but you know it's true."
Cloud nodded. He just had to look at the angry mob demanding an outright execution for the people behind the assassination plot. He could hardly believe the stories he heard about Yuffie. He knew it wasn't fair, but he never thought about her besides being a bratty materia-hunter. Tifa was right. The threat is still out there, but with practically all of the people of Wutai as her protectors, she was safer here than anywhere else.
*-*-
Reno didn't know how long they've been walking, all he knew what that he was tired, and the silence was killing him. Then again, there really was nothing to talk about. It seemed as if they had an unspoken agreement not to talk about what happened back there, no matter how much they want to talk about it. He heard Yuffie stop, and he turned around to see her tracing the codes again.
"We're almost there, we should see some sort of stairs... it leads to Da-Chao."
Yuffie watched as Reno nod, and turned his back on her and continued walking. She supposed that this was better. She didn't know what she'd say anyway. If there was one thing she hated other than silence, it was an awkward conversation. Reno stopped and pointed the torch at the direction of the stairs. /I'm home..../
"Stay behind me, got it?"
She nodded and walked closer to him as they climbed up the stairs. Reno reached a big wooden door with a metal lock. He took his fire materia and melted it, and gave the door a hard kick. They squinted their eyes at the bright light, and Reno took Yuffie's hand. He ignored the warmth and the feeling that it was giving him and continued to walk up. They could hear noises... and Reno took his nightstick out as a precaution. When they walked out of a hidden passage, they both stopped and looked at the crowd who were screaming at each other.
"Kill them!" One man shouted, and he was greeted by applause.
"No! We still have to uphold the law. They must be put on trial and it should be decided if they should be executed or banished!" Another person shouted.
"What are they doing?" Yuffie whispered as they watched the crowd from their hiding spot.
"Deciding the fate of your enemies." Reno replied, debating if they should make their presence known, or call for back up. As the crowd started getting louder, everyone began to be more hostile against each other, and Yuffie closed her eyes, almost as if she was blocking the scene out of her mind. Before he can stop her, she walked away from the safety of the shadows and revealed herself. Reno followed her, and stood behind Yuffie as one by one, the crowd noticed her presence.
There was silence, and a roar of applause echoed in Reno's ears, as joyful shouts filled the piazza. Yuffie took his hands and gripped it tight before walking towards the crowd.
Everyone had tears of happiness in their eyes as they saw their Lady alive and well. He stayed close to Yuffie as people started bowing before her, shaking her hand... and Yuffie could only smile in return, touch at the reaction she was getting.
What surprised Reno was when the people started thanking him, and practically kissed his shoes when they bowed before him, offering their thanks for keeping their Lady safe.
The crowd seemed to part, and at other end, Yuffie's father stood, followed by AVALANCHE. He could make out Elena and Rude at the back, still on guard, looking at any suspicious movements. Time seemed to stop, as Yuffie released his hand and walked towards her father, who walked to meet her. And like in those heart-warming family oriented movies that he hated to watch, Yuffie cried as she embraced her father, who held on to Yuffie like there was no tomorrow.
*-*-
"For the last time, get out of my room!" Reno snapped at Cait Sith who had been nagging him since he came back. He wanted nothing more than to take a shower and rest, but that mechanical jerk was making it difficult for him.
Cait Sith pouted as he looked down on Reno, lying on his bed with his arms across his forehead. "Aww, come on Reno. Tell me about being Yuffie's hero!"
"I'm not Yuffie's anything." He muttered as he closed his eyes, his mind returning to the kiss. /Damn it! I don't even consider that a kiss! I know what a kiss is, and that wasn't one!/ But whatever it was, he wanted it again.
"Don't be so shy, Reno!"
Reno didn't reply but gave Cait Sith a dark glare, and Cait simply gave a cheeky grin before walking out. "Oh well, I'll just visit Yuffie then!"
"Leave her alone, you stupid mog! She needs to sleep." He yelled as Elena and Rude entered his room. "I swear Reeve was high on something when he created that!"
"Give him a piece of credit. He does come in handy sometimes." Elena replied as they heard the front door slam. "So, how are you?"
Reno closed his eyes. "Fine."
It's been almost an hour since father and daughter got reunited, and the last time he saw Yuffie, her father and the other guardians were dragging her back to the palace. He saw her looking for him through the crowd, but decided to stay out of her sight, for now. They both needed space, and time to clear their minds. /What the hell am I saying?/
"So, you're attending the dinner tomorrow night?" Rude asked and Reno looked at him. "Private dinner, along with AVALANCHE."
"You go, that's an order. Represent the Turks. I'm leaving tomorrow morning."
Elena's jaw drop. "If you're not going, we're not going! And where the hell are you planning to go?"
"You and Rude will go, and that's final. I need to get back to the office. I've been away too long. There are things that I need to do."
Elena was about to protest, but stopped when Rude placed an arm on her shoulder.
"What about Yuffie?"
Reno closed his eyes again. "I'll talk to her later."
He didn't hear Rude reply; all he heard was the sounds of footsteps walking away.
"What the hell have you done to me, Yuffie?"
*-*-
Lady Yuffie Kisaragi sneezed as Ayami covered her with her blanket. Yuffie frowned as the old woman checked her temperature and shook her head. "What?"
"Just making sure you're not coming down with a fever." Ayami looked at Yuffie and smiled gently. "I'm glad you're safe."
Yuffie took the old woman's hand and gave a reassuring smile. "You know what a tough tomboy I am, you said so yourself!"
Ayami laughed as she patted Yuffie's hand. "You rest now so you can join your friends later. They're all resting, none of us slept... we were all worried about you and that handsome young fiancé of yours!"
Yuffie hid her face beneath the blanket to cover her blush as she remembered their kiss.
She heard Ayami chuckle before she walked out of the door. She stayed beneath the blankets, her mind trying to remember what happened. A small smile formed on Yuffie's lips. /My first kiss.../
She bit her lip, and suddenly frowned. So what happens now? What does that kiss do?
/Damn it... it's not like there's anything between us... or anything,/
From enemy to hired fiancé, to what? Yuffie groaned as she curled up underneath the blankets. /I have other things to think about. I can't think of something like this... not when I have bigger responsibilities to Wutai.../
"I don't even know his real name." Yuffie muttered as she closed her eyes.
"Miguel Reno the second, at your service."
Yuffie's eyes widened as she sat up, and looked at Reno leaning against the wall. "What...."
He shrugged as he walked closer, and sat on the edge of her bed. "I couldn't sleep. I thought I should warn you that Cait's planning to come over."
"Oh... thanks,"
They both avoided looking at each other, and Reno reached for the teddy bear beside Yuffie. "You sleep next to this?"
Yuffie nodded, and looked at Reno. For once, she wasn't keen on saying who it was from, when weeks ago, she made sure that everyone knew that Vincent won it for her. She didn't exactly tell Shake that she forced Vincent by threatening to steal his materia. He didn't need to know that.
"I'm leaving tomorrow morning."
Yuffie looked at him. "Aren't you staying for dinner?"
"Can't. Turk business to attend to." Reno replied. "Besides, I've heard that security around here has increased. That and I think Alec's out of the picture now..."
Yuffie didn't know what to say as she continued to look at Reno, who stood up. "I just wanted to tell you that. Give you time to get my fee together..."
"Of course," She replied, and looked down quickly. "I'll give it to you tomorrow. Is six good enough?"
"Yeah, that's fine... I need to get out of here as soon as possible."
/What am I supposed to expect? A declaration of love?/ Yuffie forced a smile as she looked at him. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."
Reno just winked as he climbed out of her bedroom window. He carefully scaled the walls down and tried not to look back at Yuffie's window as he made his way back into the villa. There was no reason for him to stay, if anything else, what happened back in the cave was a very good reason for him to leave. This was real life, and he knew that Yuffie realized as well that there was no way anything can happen between them. He had no time for a fling, or any relationship. Which was what he liked about one night stands. No commitments, no feelings, just a night of pleasure, and it's back to work the next day.
The sooner he leaves, the better. Then he didn't have to see Yuffie everyday. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
*-*-
Yuffie wiped a stray tear away. /Why the hell am I crying?/
She curled up underneath her blanket again and clutched Vinnie the bear. This was no time for romantic fantasies of any sort. She had Wutai to think about. She'll be doing official visits and everything. /But I want something to happen.../
Yuffie shut her eyes tight. /I like him.../ She opened her eyes and stared at the bear.
"What do you think, Vinnie?" She whispered. Reno was just different; there were so many sides to him that she never thought existed. The way he played with the kids...
She didn't know him that well when she hired him, she still didn't know a lot about him, all she knew was that she wanted to know him.
"What do I do now?"
The bear just stared at Yuffie and she closed her eyes again, and drifted into her dreams.
*tBc*
First, I would like to scream and shout. Senegal won against France! YES!
France is a pretty good team; it's just that I can't get over the fact that they beat Brazil in the finals years ago. Hehehe, I'm still recovering from that.
Next, I would like to thank everyone again for your kind comments. I am currently taking suggestions on how we can kill and torment Alec... Oh, and all throughout the match, I just kept thinking how good the FF7 male characters would look in soccer jerseys. I had this idea that popped in my head when I recalled a Nike soccer commercial years ago. The best soccer players against the devils. Imagine AVALANCHE against Sepiroth...
Playing With Fire
Chapter 12
Warm calloused hands touched her cheek, and Yuffie moaned as she tightened her embrace. She was lost in a haze of warmth, and she could feel herself getting more and more lost at each sensation she was feeling.
"Reno... pick up, damn it..."
Reno pressed his lips harder against Yuffie, ignoring the distant and irritating voice until his radio emitted an ear piercing sound. They both jumped, and practically scrambled away from each other as they both tried to collect their thoughts. Yuffie was looking at him, eyes wide open and hair in a mess. Her lips were parted slightly and the only thing that stopped him from kissing her again was the loud voice from the radio.
"Pick up, you asshole!"
Yuffie just stared as Reno yanked the radio behind his pocket and practically snarled at the caller. "This better be good, Strife."
Cloud could hear the hostility clearly; the reception was quite good despite the light rain. "I was just calling to check up on you. How's Yuffie?"
Reno stood up and walked out of the cave, knowing that there would be a part of their conversations not meant for Yuffie to hear. He looked at the cave, making sure that Yuffie didn't follow him. "Keep your voice down unless you want Yuffie to hear everything."
"How is she? Damn it, Reno! I've been calling you... what the hell were you doing not answering your radio?"
Reno smirked. "Wow, Strife... I never knew you cared."
"It's Yuffie that I was worried about! How is she?"
"She's fine." Reno replied and tried to erase the feeling of having Yuffie so close to him. "What's going on?"
There was a moment of silence. "Godo checks out fine, the bastards are behind bars and the council's debating if they should have a trial, or just have them executed."
"A trial, What for? They're as guilty as hell!"
"I know that!" Cloud snapped. "But apparently, in politics, things are done differently. Listen, something's not adding up here... Everyone gave the same story that they felt Yuffie would just cause another downfall for Wutai and that she's going to abolish the council... it sounds too rehearsed. We both know that there are more people involve..."
Reno stayed silent, his gaze never leaving the entrance of the cave. "So you're saying that there's another motive?"
"Yes... even if they have a trial, it's going to take weeks... we've decided that it would probably best to bring Yuffie back..."
"Hold on a sec, we? I don't remember being asked."
"Be reasonable. It could take weeks, or even months for us to get to the bottom of this! They're hiding something, Reno. I doubt if they'll talk. We can't hide Yuffie forever..."
"I'll take her out of Wutai, then."
Cloud groaned. "And just where are you going to hide Yuffie? Listen, the other people behind this know that you're with her. All they have to do is to go to another bounty hunter... you and Yuffie would only be vulnerable..."
Reno's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying I can't protect Yuffie, punk?"
"I didn't say that!" Cloud snapped at Reno. "What I'm saying is that it's too dangerous for the two of you to be alone. Listen; if she's in Wutai, people are bound to be more protective of her. The others can't risk hurting her here, not anymore. Everyone's suspicious of one another... Besides, I heard about what Kitani did. You have no supplies..."
Reno gritted his teeth as he listened to Cloud. "I'm not taking her back unless everything's clear."
"Damn it, Reno! Aren't you listening to me? She's going to be much safer here than being out there!"
"No."
Cloud lost his temper. "Stupid bastard! Listen to me! Bring Yuffie back now, or heaven help me it's..."
Whatever Cloud was going to say was stopped as he heard a scuffle; there were voices in the background. Reno smirked as he heard Cid's ever present profanities, what surprised him was the voice that spoke clearly from the radio. "Cloud is correct. The risk of Yuffie getting hurt in Wutai has decreased."
Reno clenched his jaw. "Valentine."
"Think carefully. You know very well that bringing her back home is the safest option."
Reno hated to admit it, but the ex-Turk was correct. "Fine. We'll be taking a slightly different route. Don't bother calling, we'll just surprise you." He turned the radio off and walked back inside to find Yuffie looking at something on the wall. /Now what?/
She looked at him, not quite meeting his gaze. "What did he say?"
"You'll be safer there than out here." He replied, walking towards her, but stopped a few feet away. The last thing that he needed was to be near her, even if that was what he wanted. "Do you know the way back using those?"
Yuffie nodded, her fingers tracing a pattern on the wall. "Yes, there's a coded instruction, we can use them with no problems at all."
The two of them stood in silence, and Reno cursed himself. /I never should have taken this job./ He grabbed one of the torches and looked at the tunnels. "Which one?"
"That one," Yuffie said confidently, pointing at the second tunnel. "There should be another instruction when we reach a corner."
Reno nodded and stopped himself before he reached for her hand. "Let's go."
Yuffie followed him, thankful for the distance between them. /What the hell happened back there? What am I supposed to say now? Nice kissing you, can we do it again?/
The young woman blushed, mortified at her thoughts. She tried not to look at him, but focused on the path before them. She never felt this way before, not with Vincent. She didn't even know what she was feeling. As they went deeper and deeper into the tunnel, Yuffie started taking deep breaths. Reno stopped and looked behind, only to see Yuffie practically in a verge of panic.
"Are you claustrophobic?"
Yuffie just stayed still, and nodded her head. Reno sighed as he looked at her. She was just full of contradictions and surprises. She can fight her way out of a mob, be clever enough to take materia from other people, charm her way into the hearts of many... and here she was... Lady Yuffie Kisaragi, shivering from fear of enclosed spaces.
"Everything's going to be fine, Yuffie." He said softly, and noticed that she wouldn't meet his gaze. He walked closer to her and raised her chin up, and stared into her gray eyes. "Everything's going to be fine."
Yuffie nodded, and Reno walked ahead, again putting the safe distance between them. He was confused. Thankfully, Yuffie didn't seem eager to talk about what happened. He didn't even know what happened. All he knew was that he had never been kissed that way before... hell, what they did wasn't even really kissing... His hands clenched the torch as they continued to walk. He'd been with women more experienced, more beautiful, more everything... but he knew that what he felt with those women didn't even come close to compare with happened between him and Yuffie. /It's the situation. Lonely girl, sober man who needed a drink.../
"Wait."
He turned around to see Yuffie feeling the drawings with her fingertips, and recalled how gentle her touch was when she touched his scars. /She was lonely and I needed a drink./
"We go right next, then left."
Reno nodded and they resumed their journey.
Yuffie watched Reno and opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. What was she supposed to say anyway? What would have happened if Cloud didn't call?
Yuffie sighed, and imagined what it would have felt like if it was Vincent that kissed her, but somehow, every time she forced her brain to picture Vincent, it was Reno that was popping out. His blue eyes, the scar... everything about him. Her fingers traced her lips, and she marveled at how soft and gentle his kiss was. /Snap out of it!/ She silently commanded herself. /Someone just tried to kill you, damn it! Think about that!/
But all Yuffie could think about was Reno.
*-*-
Cloud swore as he gripped his radio so hard, Tifa was afraid it would break. "Stupid bastard! He turned his radio off!"
"I'm sure they're fine," Tifa reasoned as she walked next to him.
He looked at Tifa and frowned. "Did you hear what he was saying? He was actually thinking of taking Yuffie out of Wutai! And where the hell is he supposed to hide her?
They're both too high profile to just hide! The press will have a field day, I think Shake was seriously considering banning the media in Wutai!"
"You can't blame him..."
"Something's still not right. I know we're missing something, but what? The rest of the employees have checked out fine... Where the hell did they get the idea that Yuffie was going to abolish the council?"
"Maybe they saw how independent she was..."
"You mean stubborn?"
Tifa scowled at Cloud. "No... I think it's because they were afraid of change, and that was what Yuffie was doing. Seeing Reno as her secret fiancé probably pushed them to think that she was going to do more harm than good."
The AVALANCHE leader punched his fists lightly against the balcony railing. "I hope we made the right choice."
"We did, Cloud. It's the best option left. Letting Reno and Yuffie to stay out there is too risky. Here, everyone would be watching out for Yuffie. She'll probably hate that, but you know it's true."
Cloud nodded. He just had to look at the angry mob demanding an outright execution for the people behind the assassination plot. He could hardly believe the stories he heard about Yuffie. He knew it wasn't fair, but he never thought about her besides being a bratty materia-hunter. Tifa was right. The threat is still out there, but with practically all of the people of Wutai as her protectors, she was safer here than anywhere else.
*-*-
Reno didn't know how long they've been walking, all he knew what that he was tired, and the silence was killing him. Then again, there really was nothing to talk about. It seemed as if they had an unspoken agreement not to talk about what happened back there, no matter how much they want to talk about it. He heard Yuffie stop, and he turned around to see her tracing the codes again.
"We're almost there, we should see some sort of stairs... it leads to Da-Chao."
Yuffie watched as Reno nod, and turned his back on her and continued walking. She supposed that this was better. She didn't know what she'd say anyway. If there was one thing she hated other than silence, it was an awkward conversation. Reno stopped and pointed the torch at the direction of the stairs. /I'm home..../
"Stay behind me, got it?"
She nodded and walked closer to him as they climbed up the stairs. Reno reached a big wooden door with a metal lock. He took his fire materia and melted it, and gave the door a hard kick. They squinted their eyes at the bright light, and Reno took Yuffie's hand. He ignored the warmth and the feeling that it was giving him and continued to walk up. They could hear noises... and Reno took his nightstick out as a precaution. When they walked out of a hidden passage, they both stopped and looked at the crowd who were screaming at each other.
"Kill them!" One man shouted, and he was greeted by applause.
"No! We still have to uphold the law. They must be put on trial and it should be decided if they should be executed or banished!" Another person shouted.
"What are they doing?" Yuffie whispered as they watched the crowd from their hiding spot.
"Deciding the fate of your enemies." Reno replied, debating if they should make their presence known, or call for back up. As the crowd started getting louder, everyone began to be more hostile against each other, and Yuffie closed her eyes, almost as if she was blocking the scene out of her mind. Before he can stop her, she walked away from the safety of the shadows and revealed herself. Reno followed her, and stood behind Yuffie as one by one, the crowd noticed her presence.
There was silence, and a roar of applause echoed in Reno's ears, as joyful shouts filled the piazza. Yuffie took his hands and gripped it tight before walking towards the crowd.
Everyone had tears of happiness in their eyes as they saw their Lady alive and well. He stayed close to Yuffie as people started bowing before her, shaking her hand... and Yuffie could only smile in return, touch at the reaction she was getting.
What surprised Reno was when the people started thanking him, and practically kissed his shoes when they bowed before him, offering their thanks for keeping their Lady safe.
The crowd seemed to part, and at other end, Yuffie's father stood, followed by AVALANCHE. He could make out Elena and Rude at the back, still on guard, looking at any suspicious movements. Time seemed to stop, as Yuffie released his hand and walked towards her father, who walked to meet her. And like in those heart-warming family oriented movies that he hated to watch, Yuffie cried as she embraced her father, who held on to Yuffie like there was no tomorrow.
*-*-
"For the last time, get out of my room!" Reno snapped at Cait Sith who had been nagging him since he came back. He wanted nothing more than to take a shower and rest, but that mechanical jerk was making it difficult for him.
Cait Sith pouted as he looked down on Reno, lying on his bed with his arms across his forehead. "Aww, come on Reno. Tell me about being Yuffie's hero!"
"I'm not Yuffie's anything." He muttered as he closed his eyes, his mind returning to the kiss. /Damn it! I don't even consider that a kiss! I know what a kiss is, and that wasn't one!/ But whatever it was, he wanted it again.
"Don't be so shy, Reno!"
Reno didn't reply but gave Cait Sith a dark glare, and Cait simply gave a cheeky grin before walking out. "Oh well, I'll just visit Yuffie then!"
"Leave her alone, you stupid mog! She needs to sleep." He yelled as Elena and Rude entered his room. "I swear Reeve was high on something when he created that!"
"Give him a piece of credit. He does come in handy sometimes." Elena replied as they heard the front door slam. "So, how are you?"
Reno closed his eyes. "Fine."
It's been almost an hour since father and daughter got reunited, and the last time he saw Yuffie, her father and the other guardians were dragging her back to the palace. He saw her looking for him through the crowd, but decided to stay out of her sight, for now. They both needed space, and time to clear their minds. /What the hell am I saying?/
"So, you're attending the dinner tomorrow night?" Rude asked and Reno looked at him. "Private dinner, along with AVALANCHE."
"You go, that's an order. Represent the Turks. I'm leaving tomorrow morning."
Elena's jaw drop. "If you're not going, we're not going! And where the hell are you planning to go?"
"You and Rude will go, and that's final. I need to get back to the office. I've been away too long. There are things that I need to do."
Elena was about to protest, but stopped when Rude placed an arm on her shoulder.
"What about Yuffie?"
Reno closed his eyes again. "I'll talk to her later."
He didn't hear Rude reply; all he heard was the sounds of footsteps walking away.
"What the hell have you done to me, Yuffie?"
*-*-
Lady Yuffie Kisaragi sneezed as Ayami covered her with her blanket. Yuffie frowned as the old woman checked her temperature and shook her head. "What?"
"Just making sure you're not coming down with a fever." Ayami looked at Yuffie and smiled gently. "I'm glad you're safe."
Yuffie took the old woman's hand and gave a reassuring smile. "You know what a tough tomboy I am, you said so yourself!"
Ayami laughed as she patted Yuffie's hand. "You rest now so you can join your friends later. They're all resting, none of us slept... we were all worried about you and that handsome young fiancé of yours!"
Yuffie hid her face beneath the blanket to cover her blush as she remembered their kiss.
She heard Ayami chuckle before she walked out of the door. She stayed beneath the blankets, her mind trying to remember what happened. A small smile formed on Yuffie's lips. /My first kiss.../
She bit her lip, and suddenly frowned. So what happens now? What does that kiss do?
/Damn it... it's not like there's anything between us... or anything,/
From enemy to hired fiancé, to what? Yuffie groaned as she curled up underneath the blankets. /I have other things to think about. I can't think of something like this... not when I have bigger responsibilities to Wutai.../
"I don't even know his real name." Yuffie muttered as she closed her eyes.
"Miguel Reno the second, at your service."
Yuffie's eyes widened as she sat up, and looked at Reno leaning against the wall. "What...."
He shrugged as he walked closer, and sat on the edge of her bed. "I couldn't sleep. I thought I should warn you that Cait's planning to come over."
"Oh... thanks,"
They both avoided looking at each other, and Reno reached for the teddy bear beside Yuffie. "You sleep next to this?"
Yuffie nodded, and looked at Reno. For once, she wasn't keen on saying who it was from, when weeks ago, she made sure that everyone knew that Vincent won it for her. She didn't exactly tell Shake that she forced Vincent by threatening to steal his materia. He didn't need to know that.
"I'm leaving tomorrow morning."
Yuffie looked at him. "Aren't you staying for dinner?"
"Can't. Turk business to attend to." Reno replied. "Besides, I've heard that security around here has increased. That and I think Alec's out of the picture now..."
Yuffie didn't know what to say as she continued to look at Reno, who stood up. "I just wanted to tell you that. Give you time to get my fee together..."
"Of course," She replied, and looked down quickly. "I'll give it to you tomorrow. Is six good enough?"
"Yeah, that's fine... I need to get out of here as soon as possible."
/What am I supposed to expect? A declaration of love?/ Yuffie forced a smile as she looked at him. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."
Reno just winked as he climbed out of her bedroom window. He carefully scaled the walls down and tried not to look back at Yuffie's window as he made his way back into the villa. There was no reason for him to stay, if anything else, what happened back in the cave was a very good reason for him to leave. This was real life, and he knew that Yuffie realized as well that there was no way anything can happen between them. He had no time for a fling, or any relationship. Which was what he liked about one night stands. No commitments, no feelings, just a night of pleasure, and it's back to work the next day.
The sooner he leaves, the better. Then he didn't have to see Yuffie everyday. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
*-*-
Yuffie wiped a stray tear away. /Why the hell am I crying?/
She curled up underneath her blanket again and clutched Vinnie the bear. This was no time for romantic fantasies of any sort. She had Wutai to think about. She'll be doing official visits and everything. /But I want something to happen.../
Yuffie shut her eyes tight. /I like him.../ She opened her eyes and stared at the bear.
"What do you think, Vinnie?" She whispered. Reno was just different; there were so many sides to him that she never thought existed. The way he played with the kids...
She didn't know him that well when she hired him, she still didn't know a lot about him, all she knew was that she wanted to know him.
"What do I do now?"
The bear just stared at Yuffie and she closed her eyes again, and drifted into her dreams.
*tBc*
First, I would like to scream and shout. Senegal won against France! YES!
France is a pretty good team; it's just that I can't get over the fact that they beat Brazil in the finals years ago. Hehehe, I'm still recovering from that.
Next, I would like to thank everyone again for your kind comments. I am currently taking suggestions on how we can kill and torment Alec... Oh, and all throughout the match, I just kept thinking how good the FF7 male characters would look in soccer jerseys. I had this idea that popped in my head when I recalled a Nike soccer commercial years ago. The best soccer players against the devils. Imagine AVALANCHE against Sepiroth...