By Word of Mouth,

By Ealinesse

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DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of the Final Fantasy series - characters, items, ideas, nothing. I do not claim to. The only characters I do own, are not even in the story yet, though I do claim right to them when they pop up.

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Chapter Four: Busted.

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Notes at start of story because of length - sorry ---

AUTHOR's NOTE: Yes, I know I said I'd have the next one up in a day or two, but Word isn't being entirely fair. I lost what I had in a power cut about a week ago, and was entirely gutted at that. And so, if this chapter seems rather out of sorts, or the characters a little out of character, then that could just be me getting bitchy for having to re-write what I already had.

As it is, I'm not sure of the quality, and overall I shortened this chapter just so I'd have something to post.

Don't be too pissed with me - it isn't entirely my fault.

As always, tell me how you think I'm doing. They're nearly back, and the plot will get going very, very soon - within the next chapter or two. Constructive criticism or any comments are much appreciated, as anyone who can take the time to read this is thanked greatly. I'm surprised that there are people actually reading this in the first place! Lol.

So... please please review! On anything - characters, plot, … the weather? ~_^

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REPLIES TO REVIEWS:

To Rikku Oh Ki: Reno x Yuffie? *Grins* just wait ^_^

To Zach: An Escort? Hmm, not sure about that one, but read the 6th paragraph in this chapter. Maybe that will explain some of it - but you will find out more as the story goes on; there are reasons, I assure you!

To Rose Flame: Reno controlled? Yes, I suppose he is, but I guess he's allowed to lose his temper every now and then, yeah? Fighting a Red Dragon on top of a 20metre-high cab which is swinging in the middle of nowhere isn't exactly my idea of fun. Who knows - maybe he just hadn't had a smoke? ~_^

To magnum opus: I'm writing, I'm writing...though my computer seems quite inclined to stop me from doing so!

To klepto-maniac0: Thank's for the comment on my action scenes - I always get muddled writing them and I find them quite hard to keep track of - especially when there's more than one person; which, gratefully, I haven't had to deal with yet!

To Lindz: Thank you so much for the constant reviews! And again, to someone else for commenting on the action scenes. I really struggle with them sometimes - especially when I'm not in the mood to write them. So cheers!

To: droppedout: The new skyway? - Well, it ain't going too good now, but I bet Reeve thought it was a good idea at the time. ~_^

Okay, that's enough....On with the story! ...

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Yuffie's eyes watered of their own accord as she glared at the sun. She bit back a smirk as she idly fingered the new materia she had gained in her jacket pocket. Well at least there had been some good come out of this. Now she didn't have to raise the materia in her pocket, as most of it was already close to being mastered. She had been no mere fool about which ones to select, even whilst under suspicion. Reno was so gullible, she decided. Especially for a Turk.

Yuffie sighed as her thoughts moved on of their own accord, glaring at the figure of the dragon where it had come to rest not ten metres away. She knew there was nothing she could do about it, but she was anxious to get to her father and find out just what was going on. Being delayed like this was only playing on her nerves, and having time to think without the facts only made her conclude undue assumptions. Biting her lip, Yuffie pushed back the worry, blinking away the unnecessary tears that pricked at the backs of her eyes. When that didn't work, she closed them. She was probably getting worried over nothing.

Lying back against the cool, dust-covered ground, she put her hands behind her head. She would be better to worry over more worthwhile things. Like when the hell they were actually going to get back to her home in the first place. For a moment she wished she hadn't cast such a strong sleep spell, but inevitably she knew that hope was futile. Had she not have taken action when she did they might not even be here now. She was sure that, had she left it just a little longer, some of the poor, dumb fools would have jumped out of the windows instead of seeking the solace of the cabin's confines.

The pale girl frowned, feeling her forehead wrinkle as her thin chestnut brows drew together. She wondered idly if Reno'd be going back with them. It was most likely, even though he didn't seem too pressed for time. Then again, when had Reno ever seemed rushed? He was always so careless. He'd probably go back with them just to piss her off. He was good like that. Fate always had liked to work against her.

Allowing her thoughts to wonder off, Yuffie kept her eyes closed against the bright orange dusk. She had really intended to close her eyes for but a second, and although it felt like she'd been resting for hours, a second was in fact all it really was.

Yuffie snapped open her eyes as she felt something drop onto her face from above. She bit back a sneeze as the light object tickled her nose, and then was gone. She looked up, oblivious as to what the object had been, thinking it to just be an insect of some kind. On first glance she saw nothing and so ignored it the bright spots of the sun causing small dots to dance in front of her eyes, not allowing her to see anything directly anyway.

A sudden snort made her jump, and she looked up again, blinking furiously against the orange and yellow specs that played hide-and-go-seek with anything she chose to focus her gaze on.

Reno took a drag on his cigarette, looking down at the small brunette as she turned away from him without even noticing his presence. "Well that's gratitude for ya." He smirked, then gestured to a piece of paper that littered the dusty ground. "I believe that is yours."

Yuffie looked down, gathering the note she recognised as Staniv's into her hand. Her initial fright gone, unanswered questions popped into her mind as she pocketed the crumpled paper without thought. Had he read it? She assumed so. So then, did he know why she was going back home? For some reason that bothered her greatly.

She turned to Reno, narrowing her eyes. "Soo...?"

Reno blew a rough 'O' in the air with a flume of smoke. He watched the mild surprise that manifested in her eyes as she saw that he had managed to seat himself next to her without so much as a sound. She said nothing, but lowered her head. Reno sated an itch at the base of his skull and looked away again, turning to the sunset as his smoke-ring embroidered the sun in a haze of dirty brown.

"So… What?"

"So, what did you think?"

"Of... what?" Reno let an arrogant puzzlement sink into his voice. What the hell was she talking about?

"The note."

Butting out the smoke before it reached the filter, Reno suppressed a laugh. So she was worried that he'd read it? Perhaps coming out here had been worth it after all. He smirked instead, unable to prevent the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I didn't read it, you know."

Silence, then, "You… what?" There was genuine surprise in Yuffie's words, and her voice rose a notch in shock. 'She had...but...he...I…'

"I said I didn't read it." He didn't turn, but was somewhat pleased at shocking her. The small grin grew larger when she looked away; not a large one - that would make her doubt him even more than she already did.

Yuffie snorted in disbelief, flipping the note out of her pocket as examining it closely for any signs of tampering for all that it was just a crumpled sheet of paper. It didn't look like he'd done anything to it, and she couldn't find any evidence of pranks. It was only a note. Could he be telling the truth?

'… You don't seriously believe him, do you?'

"Oh," she paused when he simply remained quiet, uncomfortable with this admission and unsure of how to continue. Again a small seed of doubt sowed itself within her mind. She frowned. "So you just gave it back to me, without reading it?"

"Sure did."

Her eyes narrowed even further, but she raised her eyebrows and shook her head slowly. "Without so much as opening it?"

He nodded.

"Reno, are you feeling okay?"

He didn't dignify that question with an answer. Instead, he did what he thought was best, especially given the interrogation she was giving him. Thinking quickly he raised his hand, eloquently lifting a finger and saluting her with exactly what he thought of her questions. An eyebrow and a smirk accompanied this.

"Point taken," Yuffie muttered. "But I just assumed that, you… well…"

"Never assume, brat."

"What?" she snapped her head to face him, eyes wide at the sudden change of tact.

"Tseng always said assumptions are what get you killed. No kidding. Look what happened to him."

Yuffie couldn't think of anything to say to that. How could she keep up with a word game such as this? That he ever admitted someone else as right, or even listened to anyone else, was, to her, a miracle in itself. Why was he telling her this? She had no intentions of debating the finer matters of Wutaian war philosophy with a Turk. She just had to concede to the fact that there were some things she just wasn't cut out for. This, happily, was one of them. Wisely, she stayed silent.

Until her curiosity got the better of her. "So, you didn't read it?"

There was a short laugh. "Jeez, Yuff!"

"Just checking," she added quickly. But all too soon her quick smile fell and she began to fiddle with the paper in her hands. She didn't do anything except read the note over and over.

Reno, after realising Yuffie wasn't going to say any more, pulled out his nightstick, pouring over the scratches that had been marred into it from its fall. After opening the end and seeing the fried wires and circuits he dumped the broken weapon to the ground beside him, deciding he'd try and fix it later. When he could be bothered.

Bored, Reno watched the ninja out of the corner of his eye, leaning back on his hands, his long legs stretched out in front of him. She was reading that note he had given her, and from a metre away and the angle she held it at, he couldn't quite read it. Obviously, though, it was no laughing matter. Her face was serious, an uncommon frown causing her wide eyes to squint, her usually amused lips curved downward in a mild expression of displeasure.

Now this, he noticed, was a change. She was asking him if he was feeling all right, and here she was sitting… well…still for more than five minutes at a time. Why wasn't she bouncing off the walls, or throwing inane comments around at her own free will? He almost shook his head, wondering why he was even bothering to think it over; why he was even annoyed by the comment at all.

But he found, instead, that the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"You're one to talk, you know."

Yuffie looked up in startlement, her expression wary. "What d'you mean?"

"Well, are you feeling okay? Haven't taken your happy pills today? No sugar? Candy?"

Yuffie winced. "Am I not allowed to act the way I want?"

To this Reno only shrugged.

"And besides," Yuffie added defensively, she thought a little too slowly. "You can't exactly give me that bullshit, Turkey. You don't read this when the opportunity is presented," she waved the note in the air, "and you offer to save a group of people who you don't even know. Who are you and what have you done with the real Reno?"

The redheaded man frowned. Three years was enough to change anyone? And so? Reeve would certainly not appreciate him killing a group of tourists simply because he'd wanted to get to Wutai on time. "Whatever," he replied, not willing to accept that she had gotten one up on him. He stood, waving his hand in the air dismissively.

Yuffie watched as he began to leave, a small smirk creeping across her face at the victory. The note was pushed to the back of her mind as she shook her head at the Turk's lack of response. "See what I mean? You're getting soft Turk."

Reno just shook his head, making like he hadn't heard her.

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"Piss off!"

"Why?"

"Because this seat is mine!"

Yuffie blinked at the words before resuming her tirade. The peace that had been held between her and Reno had ended shortly after the sun had set and the evening chill had set in. The bonfire they had managed to conjure up outside, although warm, did little to dispel the cold of the night inside the relative protectiveness of the cabin. And though the three people who were still awake had managed to work together long enough to theif off with some blankets to cover not only themselves, but the passengers as well, that was where the truce ended.

And besides, Yuffie conceded. It was only fair to share.

"The seat is not yours Reno, you had it all afternoon. You can-"

"And I'm keeping it, thank you very much!"

"You are not!" She didn't care that she sounded like a two-year old. Damn it, she was cold, she was tired - worried among other things - and she was not going to lose a petty scrap to a heartless Turk. She shoved Reno with renewed vigour, but he held on fast to the cushioning under the handrails.

"Give it up Yuff, because I'm sure as hell not!" was the muffled reply as he pulled the blanket he had stolen over his head.

"Reno, you stubborn ass!"

No answer.

"Turk, you… you-" A sigh over the other side of the room cut her off, and she turned to the sleeping blonde that was nestled in on the seat by her brother. The fading firelight illuminated the outline of the passengers, and though she fitted in easily, Dania was obviously the only one moving. With a stab of guilt Yuffie realised their childish bickering was keeping her awake. She watched the woman resettle and sigh again, before turning back to Reno. In the pending darkness she could just make out the outline of his back, as well as the harsh red of his hair in the dulling light that peeked out from under the woolen rug. He had turned away from her the second she had him.

With a huff, the ninja prodded him in the shoulder...and received no reply. Not that he'd care to answer her anyway. He didn't even budge.

"Jerk," she mumbled, moving to another seat. She didn't want to keep Dania awake any more than was necessary. They were all tired.

"Brat," came the suppressed and quite unexpected reply.

She didn't respond; she had more important things to worry about anyway: like finding a seat to sleep in that wasn't broken. She scowled as she looked around, finding that wasn't as easy as she'd thought - there wasn't one.

Yuffie curled up in an awkward position mid-way down in the row of seats, far enough away from Reno to not have to worry about any tricks he might pull. Huddling her limbs closer together, she made a half-hearted attempt at trying to get warm, with only the light from the fire filtering languidly inside. It didn't matter anymore, though. She could no longer care less where she slept - whether she was cold - only as long as she did so. Reno was just being typically annoying, and when he was in that state - or any - she wanted nothing to do with him. His pensive mood was gone and so was hers. Big deal.

Yuffie settled down and closed her eyes, making herself as comfortable as possible in the limited space she had to work with. Seconds later, she was asleep.

But if Reno thought he'd won then he had another thing coming.

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Reno wasn't sure what had woken him. In actual fact he didn't care. All that mattered was getting back to sleep.

Reno wriggled futily in the small space, the wall cramping his legs and coming up painfully short of his body length. The seat he rested in was overrated, he realised, as he flipped one way and then the next, struggling to fit his taller frame into the small space. It had been fine for a while, but now it was nowhere near comfortable to any stretch of his imagination, and right now he would have given the damned place to the brat.

As he rolled over yet again, Reno bit back a groan as his leg began to throb. It was on the verge of cramping, he could tell, and although he really wished it wouldn't, it carried out on the threat seconds later. Reno bit his lip as the muscles tensed and spasmed for a painfully long moment, which went on for far too long. He winced and let his breath out slowly as the strain receded. With an ache like that there was no way he'd get back to sleep; not now; not later on; not with every muscle yearning for him to move somewhere more comfortable.

'Or warm,' he thought, as an unbidden shiver wracked his body.

Damn it, she could have the bloody seat.

Reno stood and stretched quietly, meaning to walk out the kinks in his back and legs, ignoring how tired he felt despite it all. He continued to blame it on the hangover, and that was all. He turned to look outside, seeing that the fire was still going, though the wood was running a little low. So he hadn't been asleep for that long, although from a glance he could tell everyone else was still asleep in their places. Even the brat.

The Turk cocked his head in mild amusement. Yuffie looked even more uncomfortable than he did. Mangled into an array of long limbs, the young ninja was bent backward at an almost impossible angle. Her head dangled over the top edge of the broken seat, her left arm trapped under her shoulder, pillowing the sharp joint against the harshness of the disparaged seat. The chair itself, quite obviously broken, was tipped backward at a precarious angle.

Reno flinched at the gripe he was going to get in the morning from the ninja; that had to be unpleasant. He shook his head and began to drag his jacket with him out to the fire, but didn't get far as a sudden noise stopped him. At first the redheaded man thought he was hearing things; just the whisper of the night wind through the few surrounding trees, or the creak of the swing-bridges in the distance. But a second disquiet excluded that thought. He turned toward the noise, and winced as he watched as the seat began to rock slightly, teetering on the edge of defying gravity, and not.

"Brat?" Reno queried. He could only watch as she began to shift uncomfortably in the chair, and as it began to shudder and groan in reply to the awkward movements. It looked to be on its last legs as it was, and Yuffie looked to be about to drop awkwardly off its rear end. And by the way she was squirming, that wasn't going to take long. You didn't have to be a genius to see what was about to happen.

"Yuff, I-"

Reno was cut off as his suspicions proved to be correct. The chair gave a last groan, and Reno darted forward, catching the ninja before she fell to the ground and could blame him for yet another poor circumstance. As he gathered her slumbering figure into his arms she made not so much as a further movement. There were no snores, and no half-hearted complaints, just the sound of her breath coming softly through her parted lips as she continued to dream on.

Reno frowned as he dumped the figure on the back couch where he'd been not moments before, trying desperately not to wake her should she catch him out.

"Unbelievable," he muttered as he headed out to the fire, muttering under his breath. "She's right. I am getting soft!"

He didn't see Yuffie grin in the darkness as he sat down by the fire, his discarded jacket long forgotten. Nor did he see her turn around and prop herself up by her elbow with a small smirk.

"Thanks Reno," the ninja chuckled quietly as she grabbed the forgotten blazer from the floor in one clean sweep. She always got the last laugh.

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TBC...