After the Storm
Chapter 2
When Yuffie woke again, she felt much better. Still lying with her eyes closed, she smiled and imagined getting up and going down to breakfast where her father would be waiting.
With a snap she shot completely awake. The small cabin seemed filled with a soft golden glow, and Yuffie could hear someone moving about. All of a sudden the memory of. when had that been.? Came flooding back to her. Indeed, Reno was no longer beside her and the blanket lay spread softly over Yuffie as if someone had placed it there.
Getting up, Yuffie clutched the front of her bathrobe with one hand as she walked slowly towards the other room from where the sounds were coming. She was careful not to alert the Turk of her presence.
Coming up to the doorway, Yuffie walked in to find Reno only wearing a towel. His red hair hung down, and she had never seen it loose before. Stopping short with embarrassment, she just stood there as Reno turned around to see her.
"Hey."
The easy greeting came as a surprise and she wasn't quite sure what to answer.
". . .H, Hey."
Reno didn't bother to look embarrassed. He merely shrugged and gave Yuffie a crooked smile.
"I know this isn't the best, ah, of circumstances, but you took the only bathrobe so it'll have to do until our clothes dry." When Yuffie didn't answer he smiled his smile again. "I though about stealing it, of course, but I thought you might get a little touchy."
Yuffie was caught by the sudden urge to laugh and snarl at the same time. She settled for just looking offended.
"Look, Turk. . ." She was interrupted by Reno, however.
"Name's Reno, babe." She scowled before continuing.
"Fine. Reno. I'm not sure what's happening or where we are or how the hell I ended up here with you, but this needs to be fixed. Fast."
"There's some things we definitely have to figure out, yeah." He looked her up and down. "There's hot water piped up from a nearby spring. I think you could do with a shower too, babe. It'll make you feel better and think clearer."
Reaching over to a nearby shelf he brought down a towel and tossed it to Yuffie. He pointed the way and made to leave. Just as he reached the door, Yuffie's voice stopped him.
"The name's Yuffie, Turk. Don't call me babe."
Bowing as best he could, Reno smiled outrageously and winked before closing the door behind him.
* * * *
Coming out of the shower, Yuffie felt much more alive. The fuzz that had inhabited her head seemed to be gone, and she was full of questions. Drying her hair, Yuffie found a medium sized mirror in the bathroom hidden inside a cabinet door.
She was definitely pale, and a bit battered, but other then that she was no worse for the wear. Deciding to save a closer inspection for a later date, Yuffie put back on the bathrobe and went out to go find Reno.
When she came in, he was sitting on the small couch, still in the towel. He didn't seem to mind, so Yuffie pretended she didn't either. If he wanted to try something she'd show him that Yuffie Kisaragi took that from no one. Raising her chin, she went over. In passing, she noticed two sets of soggy clothing laid out in the sunlight.
"So. . . Reno. What exactly is going on?"
He looked up at her, his expression hard to read. It had started out lost in thought, but as she came over it quickly changed to smug. There was plenty of room on the couch for Yuffie, but she was definitely uncomfortable and it showed. Dramatically, he stretched out.
"It seems we were shipwrecked."
"Cut the crap, Turkey. I know you love being stuck in a cabin with a babe like me, but I need to know what's going on." He raised an eyebrow.
"You know it as well as I do. Although I find it hard to believe we were both on the same ship, that seems to have been the case."
"The. . . ship?" She paled a little, and despite her misgivings, she sat down next to Reno.
"Yeah. The cruiser from Wutai to Costa Del Sol and then Mideel. You remember?"
"I. . . I do. Yeah. I got evacuated onto the ship with the others." Horror suddenly hit her. "What happened to everyone else!? There was the storm and all the shouting. And then the darkness and the waves that kept on coming! I screamed for someone but there were all these bodies around me and the waves kept on coming. And then there was something trying to pull me down into the dark."
Yuffie suddenly realized she was crying. It had all come back at once. The storm and the panic as the ship had gone down. Shivering, she felt warm arms around her. "Yeah, babe. It's alright. . . it's over now. It's over."
For a few minutes, Yuffie just sat there and let herself be comforted, but slowly, she composed herself. Trying to pick up the pieces of her self-respect, Yuffie wiped her eyes in annoyance.
"What's the problem?"
"I shouldn't cry, I shouldn't. . ."
He let her go and sat back to give her some space.
"Believe me, babe. Something like that coming back all at once is enough to knock anyone off their feet."
She smiled at him gratefully for a moment before realizing who it was it had come from. Seeing his self-assured little grin, she felt like slapping herself, or, perhaps him. Of course he'd say something like that. Reno was practically famous for being able to talk his way into women's beds. She glared.
"Don't you ever touch me again, Turk!"
He looked taken aback.
"Hey, hold on a second. Weren't you supposed to be thanking me?"
"THANKING you!!??"
"I didn't remember before, but just after you went in the shower it sorta started filtering back in."
"And. . .?"
"And what?"
"Don't you fucking dare. . ." His laughter interrupted her.
"Well, it's kinda fuzzy. I must have been only half conscious when we hit the beach; you me and a couple of other guys. I remember all I wanted to do was fall over and sleep in the sand but I was soaked through and knew the dangers of that. The others were all still but there you were, shivering like anything. So I guess my brain turned off, and I lugged us both up to this cabin where we woke up."
Yuffie was silent for a moment, considering this.
"And what about my clothes?"
"You should know. Hypothermia's never more than a dunk in the ocean away." She leveled him a dangerous look. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry to say I don't actually remember that part." His smirk told her it didn't really matter.
Yuffie sighed and looked down. Although she tried not to let it show, she was definitely not taking this well. Outside, the sunshine told her that she had slept all the previous day and night.
"Now what?"
"That's a good question. I don't know about you, babe, but I sure as hell won't be able to go anywhere for at least a couple of days."
Yuffie groaned inwardly. She knew it was true, but she wanted to get out of here. Still, even after 24hours, she still felt like she'd been through the blender. Trying to make any trip would almost certainly kill her.
"So, you have any clue where we are?"
"I have a pretty good guess. This morning I went out for a look, and it looks like we're somewhere to the south of Wutai."
"How would you know that?"
"Believe me, babe. In my line of work you've got to be able to recognize any area at any time. I've only seen beaches like this - white sand - in the Wutai area."
Yuffie nodded. She'd grown up on those beaches and could understand that.
"Well, I guess it could have been a lot worse." Reno only nodded.
"All you have to do is look at the beach to know you're right. There's a few people who weren't nearly as lucky as us."
"Oh. . . no. . ."
"Sorry to say there are about eight of them out there. Five of 'em are Wutaians." Yuffie looked sick but not surprised. Not noticing, Reno continued. "We'll have to do something about them soon, but I think it'll have to wait till tomorrow. I'm still exhausted and you look dead on your feet babe."
Yuffie didn't answer. She felt drained and unsure; nothing like her usual cocky self. She wondered what they'd been through to leave the proud lady of Wutai feeling like this. Reno decided to interpret her silence as agreement.
"Just chill and relax for today babe. We've got at least a few days until we'll be able to make tracks, and we've got our work cut out for us tomorrow. For now, I'm gonna go sit outside in the sun."
As Reno got up to leave, Yuffie noticed for the first time that he looked as pale and drawn as she did. He just hid it a lot better. With a sigh of resignation, Yuffie realized things weren't all that bad after all.
". . .Reno?"
He stopped in the process of opening the door.
"Yeah?"
"It's not that I like being here with you, but. there are lots of worse guys to be stranded with."
Reno's smile returned, banishing his tired expression.
"Same to you babe, same to you."
~*
Chapter 2
When Yuffie woke again, she felt much better. Still lying with her eyes closed, she smiled and imagined getting up and going down to breakfast where her father would be waiting.
With a snap she shot completely awake. The small cabin seemed filled with a soft golden glow, and Yuffie could hear someone moving about. All of a sudden the memory of. when had that been.? Came flooding back to her. Indeed, Reno was no longer beside her and the blanket lay spread softly over Yuffie as if someone had placed it there.
Getting up, Yuffie clutched the front of her bathrobe with one hand as she walked slowly towards the other room from where the sounds were coming. She was careful not to alert the Turk of her presence.
Coming up to the doorway, Yuffie walked in to find Reno only wearing a towel. His red hair hung down, and she had never seen it loose before. Stopping short with embarrassment, she just stood there as Reno turned around to see her.
"Hey."
The easy greeting came as a surprise and she wasn't quite sure what to answer.
". . .H, Hey."
Reno didn't bother to look embarrassed. He merely shrugged and gave Yuffie a crooked smile.
"I know this isn't the best, ah, of circumstances, but you took the only bathrobe so it'll have to do until our clothes dry." When Yuffie didn't answer he smiled his smile again. "I though about stealing it, of course, but I thought you might get a little touchy."
Yuffie was caught by the sudden urge to laugh and snarl at the same time. She settled for just looking offended.
"Look, Turk. . ." She was interrupted by Reno, however.
"Name's Reno, babe." She scowled before continuing.
"Fine. Reno. I'm not sure what's happening or where we are or how the hell I ended up here with you, but this needs to be fixed. Fast."
"There's some things we definitely have to figure out, yeah." He looked her up and down. "There's hot water piped up from a nearby spring. I think you could do with a shower too, babe. It'll make you feel better and think clearer."
Reaching over to a nearby shelf he brought down a towel and tossed it to Yuffie. He pointed the way and made to leave. Just as he reached the door, Yuffie's voice stopped him.
"The name's Yuffie, Turk. Don't call me babe."
Bowing as best he could, Reno smiled outrageously and winked before closing the door behind him.
* * * *
Coming out of the shower, Yuffie felt much more alive. The fuzz that had inhabited her head seemed to be gone, and she was full of questions. Drying her hair, Yuffie found a medium sized mirror in the bathroom hidden inside a cabinet door.
She was definitely pale, and a bit battered, but other then that she was no worse for the wear. Deciding to save a closer inspection for a later date, Yuffie put back on the bathrobe and went out to go find Reno.
When she came in, he was sitting on the small couch, still in the towel. He didn't seem to mind, so Yuffie pretended she didn't either. If he wanted to try something she'd show him that Yuffie Kisaragi took that from no one. Raising her chin, she went over. In passing, she noticed two sets of soggy clothing laid out in the sunlight.
"So. . . Reno. What exactly is going on?"
He looked up at her, his expression hard to read. It had started out lost in thought, but as she came over it quickly changed to smug. There was plenty of room on the couch for Yuffie, but she was definitely uncomfortable and it showed. Dramatically, he stretched out.
"It seems we were shipwrecked."
"Cut the crap, Turkey. I know you love being stuck in a cabin with a babe like me, but I need to know what's going on." He raised an eyebrow.
"You know it as well as I do. Although I find it hard to believe we were both on the same ship, that seems to have been the case."
"The. . . ship?" She paled a little, and despite her misgivings, she sat down next to Reno.
"Yeah. The cruiser from Wutai to Costa Del Sol and then Mideel. You remember?"
"I. . . I do. Yeah. I got evacuated onto the ship with the others." Horror suddenly hit her. "What happened to everyone else!? There was the storm and all the shouting. And then the darkness and the waves that kept on coming! I screamed for someone but there were all these bodies around me and the waves kept on coming. And then there was something trying to pull me down into the dark."
Yuffie suddenly realized she was crying. It had all come back at once. The storm and the panic as the ship had gone down. Shivering, she felt warm arms around her. "Yeah, babe. It's alright. . . it's over now. It's over."
For a few minutes, Yuffie just sat there and let herself be comforted, but slowly, she composed herself. Trying to pick up the pieces of her self-respect, Yuffie wiped her eyes in annoyance.
"What's the problem?"
"I shouldn't cry, I shouldn't. . ."
He let her go and sat back to give her some space.
"Believe me, babe. Something like that coming back all at once is enough to knock anyone off their feet."
She smiled at him gratefully for a moment before realizing who it was it had come from. Seeing his self-assured little grin, she felt like slapping herself, or, perhaps him. Of course he'd say something like that. Reno was practically famous for being able to talk his way into women's beds. She glared.
"Don't you ever touch me again, Turk!"
He looked taken aback.
"Hey, hold on a second. Weren't you supposed to be thanking me?"
"THANKING you!!??"
"I didn't remember before, but just after you went in the shower it sorta started filtering back in."
"And. . .?"
"And what?"
"Don't you fucking dare. . ." His laughter interrupted her.
"Well, it's kinda fuzzy. I must have been only half conscious when we hit the beach; you me and a couple of other guys. I remember all I wanted to do was fall over and sleep in the sand but I was soaked through and knew the dangers of that. The others were all still but there you were, shivering like anything. So I guess my brain turned off, and I lugged us both up to this cabin where we woke up."
Yuffie was silent for a moment, considering this.
"And what about my clothes?"
"You should know. Hypothermia's never more than a dunk in the ocean away." She leveled him a dangerous look. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry to say I don't actually remember that part." His smirk told her it didn't really matter.
Yuffie sighed and looked down. Although she tried not to let it show, she was definitely not taking this well. Outside, the sunshine told her that she had slept all the previous day and night.
"Now what?"
"That's a good question. I don't know about you, babe, but I sure as hell won't be able to go anywhere for at least a couple of days."
Yuffie groaned inwardly. She knew it was true, but she wanted to get out of here. Still, even after 24hours, she still felt like she'd been through the blender. Trying to make any trip would almost certainly kill her.
"So, you have any clue where we are?"
"I have a pretty good guess. This morning I went out for a look, and it looks like we're somewhere to the south of Wutai."
"How would you know that?"
"Believe me, babe. In my line of work you've got to be able to recognize any area at any time. I've only seen beaches like this - white sand - in the Wutai area."
Yuffie nodded. She'd grown up on those beaches and could understand that.
"Well, I guess it could have been a lot worse." Reno only nodded.
"All you have to do is look at the beach to know you're right. There's a few people who weren't nearly as lucky as us."
"Oh. . . no. . ."
"Sorry to say there are about eight of them out there. Five of 'em are Wutaians." Yuffie looked sick but not surprised. Not noticing, Reno continued. "We'll have to do something about them soon, but I think it'll have to wait till tomorrow. I'm still exhausted and you look dead on your feet babe."
Yuffie didn't answer. She felt drained and unsure; nothing like her usual cocky self. She wondered what they'd been through to leave the proud lady of Wutai feeling like this. Reno decided to interpret her silence as agreement.
"Just chill and relax for today babe. We've got at least a few days until we'll be able to make tracks, and we've got our work cut out for us tomorrow. For now, I'm gonna go sit outside in the sun."
As Reno got up to leave, Yuffie noticed for the first time that he looked as pale and drawn as she did. He just hid it a lot better. With a sigh of resignation, Yuffie realized things weren't all that bad after all.
". . .Reno?"
He stopped in the process of opening the door.
"Yeah?"
"It's not that I like being here with you, but. there are lots of worse guys to be stranded with."
Reno's smile returned, banishing his tired expression.
"Same to you babe, same to you."
~*