Author's Note: I'm glad everyone has liked my story so far...at least, as far as I can tell from the reviews. I'm in shock, really. I have 88 reviews for five chapters. 0_0 I didn't expect near that many. And this is a very loooooong chapter. Maybe twice as long as the last. Oh, and a lot of the ideas in this chapter (and every other chapter in this story and 'These are the Days') came from the combined forces of both me and the VL....scary, isn't it? ^_^
Note to VQ: Hmm...I must have done something confusing in my author's note in the last chapter. I'm sorry, but I'm not VL....she just helps me with ideas. She doesn't write this. But, I'll send the review to her.
Note to Axa: I saw the A & E version of Pride and Prejudice, with Colin Firth. I loved it. And, like Yuffie, that book is my favorite book. Maybe that's why I made it Yuffie's favorite. hehe
Note to Anime-Master7: Plot? Hmm....I guess the plot could be just a series of events that happen to our beloved characters. Or, the chapters could all function as one-shots without a plot.
Note to Peachgirl1608: I'm not trying to tie the events into VL's stories, per se. But, VL does help me brainstorm for ideas. In fact, I have loads of notes from conversations with her that I keep stacked up so I can use them.
Note to ObsidianSorrows: The only reason I update faster than you is because I'm a college student who only goes to school 3 days a week, has no job, and live with my parents. Geez, when I write that, I feel so pathetic. ^_^
[Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy or any of the characters belonging to either of those. However, I do own Dottie and any other random character I decide to create. And, if Zephyr is in this chapter, she is the sole property of Vulpes Lapis.]
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Chapter Six: Purgatory
Standing in the living room of their new apartment, Yuffie dialed the telephone while rummaging through one of the many boxes that she and Squall had yet to unpack. As she heard the ringing, she nervously ran a hand through her short black hair and bit her lip as she waited for the person on the other line to pick up. Of all the phone calls she had to make, she dreaded this one most of all.
"Hello?" A surprisingly soft voice, considering who it belonged to, answered the phone.
"Mom, I just thought I'd call you up and see how you were," Yuffie said with fake cheerfulness, hoping that if she sounded happy, then her mother would stay happy and not yell.
"Oh, my one and only daughter has called me. It's been so long since you've called, that I was beginning to wonder if I should send flowers for the funeral." Yuffie winced at the sarcastic tone.
She took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing the conversation, if the one-sided griping and complaining could be called that. "Mom, I called to give you my new phone number. I moved to a new apartment."
"You're not living with that man anymore?" Mrs. Kisaragi asked hopefully, proceeding before Yuffie had a chance to correct her mistake. "Oh, Yuffie, I'm so happy! But," there was a pause, "you should've moved home."
Bracing herself, Yuffie decided her mother had to know the truth. "I worded that wrong, mother," she mumbled, the name 'mother' slipping out of Yuffie's mouth like it always did when she was becoming aggravated with her mother. There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end. "What I should have said, is Squall and I moved to OUR new apartment."
"Yuffie Hana Kisaragi! Where did I go wrong? I raised you to have morals and here you are, living with a man...unmarried!" Her mother's voice went back and forth from enraged to disappointed, the latter being the one that Yuffie always had trouble handling. It seemed as though she were always disappointing her parents, ever since she could remember. "Are you even listening to me, Yuffie?!"
She shook her head as she realized that she had zoned out while her mother was yelling at her. "Yes, mother, I hear you," she muttered.
"And I haven't even seen you since your Spring Break in March. And here it is nearly July..." She carried on and on about how Yuffie never came to see her while Yuffie just stood there holding the phone and rolling her eyes.
Squall walked into the apartment right then, carrying a box marked 'kitchen.' He was about to ask Yuffie who she was talking to when he saw her rolling her eyes and not paying attention to what was being said. "Mother?" he mouthed across to her when she looked at him.
She nodded. "Yes, mother. I'll come see you soon. I have time off from work for the Fourth of July. I'll come up then, okay?" Of course, she didn't tell her mother she had ulterior motives for coming up there; those motives being the fact that a lot of her stuff was still in storage at their house and she had the desire to bring it here, so she could be completely moved out of her parents' house and in with Squall. "Then it's settled. I'll come up there July second and stay until the sixth, okay? Goodbye, mother." She hung the phone up, relief washing over her for getting that over with.
"So, you're really going to visit them? I think I remember you telling me after Spring Break that you were never going back to that 'hellhole' again," he laughed as he set the box down on the kitchen counter.
"Yes, I'm going up there. Besides, I do have some of my stuff still up there that I need to get, now that we have more room for it," she gestured around the spacious apartment that was much bigger than the one they had just moved out of. "Do me a favor," she said as she walked over to where he stood in the kitchen.
"What?"
She dropped to her knees and grabbed his legs. "Don't make me go alone!! PLEEEEEZE come with meeeee!!" she begged, looking up at him with pleading eyes.
"Are you crazy?! They would kill me, Yuf!" he exclaimed, knowing full well that he wasn't stretching the truth too much.
"But, Squa-allie..." she whined.
He stared at her in disbelief. "Yuffie, they just think of me as the man that corrupted their daughter. I don't think they want me to go with you when you visit them."
Standing back up, she brushed the dust from the knees of her blue jeans. "Okay, okay...you have a point. I'll go by myself, but I wish you would reconsider." She looked at him with hope in her dark blue eyes.
"Nope," he told her, shaking his head. "Besides, someone has to stay here to take care of Dottie. You wouldn't want her left all alone, now would you?" He used her weak point to his advantage.
"Zephyr would have gladly taken care of her while we were gone," she grumbled as she began to lift the dishes out of the box on the counter and place them in the cabinet.
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"Somebody just shoot me now," Yuffie complained as she plopped down in the booth and lay her head in her arms on the table.
The pregnant Aerith signaled the waiter over. "Yuffie, at least place your order before you get melodramatic."
"Dr. Pepper and chicken fajitas," she mumbled indistinctly into her arms.
The waiter appeared confused. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but could you repeat that?" he asked quietly.
"She said 'Dr. Pepper and chicken fajitas,'" Kairi said, receiving astonished looks from Aerith, Zephyr, and the waiter. "What?"
"How did yo understand that garbled mess?" Zephyr wondered aloud while the waiter wrote the order down and left.
The red-head let out a soft laugh. "I was her roommate for a year, remember? This is what she sounded like every time the alarm woke her up." The explanation seemed to satisfy everyone.
Aerith stared at Yuffie's head which still lay in her arms. "Okay, Yuf. Are you gonna tell us what's wrong or not?"
The distraught young woman looked up. "I'm visiting my parents next weekend." Letting her head drop, she caused the whole table to shake when her forehead hit it.
"Well, it can't be all that bad, Yuffie," Zephyr consoled, earning a glare from Yuffie for it. "I mean, Squall has never met your parents, has he? This will give them a chance to get to know one another."
Aerith's green eyes widened in surprise. "Squall hasn't met your parents yet?! And you're living with him?!" To her, the meeting of the parents was something almost sacred and happen as soon as possible.
"They have a point, Yuf," Kairi added. "He really does need to meet them."
"Et tu, Kairi?" Yuffie muttered before letting out a loud sigh and raising her head. "That's the problem. Squall won't go with me. I think he's scared of them."
"You'll have to make him go," Zephyr said in a dangerously quiet voice. "What have you tried so far?"
"Besides dropping to my knees and begging, nothing," Yuffie told them softly.
Aerith appeared shocked. "And that didn't work? If I did that to Cloud, I could have anything I wanted."
"That's because you wouldn't ask him to visit the parents from Hell," Yuffie retorted.
"Maybe if you threatened to not cook for him. That always works with Sora," Kairi piped up.
Yuffie laughed at the suggestion. "That's because you can actually cook, Kairi. If Squall and I had to live off of what I can cook, we would have died from food poisoning a long time ago."
"Actually, you're on the right track, Kairi. Just the wrong appetite," Zephyr said thoughtfully, a wicked grin coming across her face.
The modest Aerith began blushing. "Are you talking about what I think you're talking about?" she stammered.
Zephyr rolled her eyes. "Oh, come off it, Aerith. You are pregnant, after all. So, you can't be that innocent."
"Zephyr, just to make sure we're all on the same track, enlighten us," Yuffie demanded.
"Threaten to cut off his sex, sweetie. It works with all men."
"Cut off his sex? You mean it grows back?" Kairi asked with a dumbfounded look on her face.
"Yes, Kairi, he's a lizard," Zephyr answered, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
Yuffie thought quietly for a moment. "You know, that might just work." Just then, the waiter arrived, carrying their food. After her food was placed in front of her, Aerith's face turned green and she jumped out of the booth and ran for the bathroom, leaving the rest of them laughing.
A few minutes later, the green-eyes woman reappeared, her face pale and washed out. She pushed her plate away, grimacing at the smell. "Sorry...morning sickness," she explained apologetically.
"We assumed that," Yuffie said. "Feel better now?" Aerith nodded slightly as she lay her head down on the table and shut her eyes.
Kairi rubbed the pregnant woman's back soothingly. "When are you due, anyways?"
"February 5," she groaned as another wave of nausea swept over her.
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At a sport's bar across town, four men sat around a table, watching the game on the TV and munching on chips. "Why are we doing this again?" the youngest of the group, a nineteen year-old with spikey chocolate-colored hair, asked.
"Because, Sora, you know for a fact that the girl's are sitting around a table somewhere, talking about us," the silver-haired nineteen year old said as he hit Sora upside the head.
"Riku, that hurt!" Sora exclaimed, rubbing his head with one hand and trying to push his friend off of his seat with his other hand.
"Will you two calm down?" the long-haired brunette growled, icy blue eyes glaring at them.
The lone blonde of the group ran a hand through his spikey hair. "Sheesh, Squall. What's up your butt? You seem to be unusually preoccupied today."
"You're the one to talk, Cloud. Ever since you and Aerith got back from Annapolis, all you do is worry about her." Squall paused, grinning sardonically. "In fact, I'm surprised you let her out of your sight today."
Cloud pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and lay it on the table. "In case she needs me," he mumbled, grinning sheepishly and receiving loud guffaws from the others at the table.
"Cloud's right, though, Squall. You are acting like you have something on your mind," Sora spoke up.
Squall rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yuffie wants me to go with her to visit her parents next weekend," he muttered.
Raising his eyebrows, Riku stared at him with his aquamarine eyes. "Are you going?"
"No," he said curtly, his voice leaving no room for argument unless someone was completely clueless and somehow missed that tone.
"It can't be that bad, Squall. Kairi's parents loved me." Sora ended up being that clueless person.
Dark blue eyes bored holes into the youth's head. "You don't understand, Sora. Her parents hate me. And you can't really blame them. I am the one who drove their daughter to suicide." Squall closed his eyes at the memory and ran a thumb down the scar Yuffie had given him last November.
Cloud reached over and squeezed his shoulder. "Don't be so hard on yourself. That's in the past. You can't change it."
"I know, but it doesn't change the fact that her parents hate me."
"You'll have to meet them sooner or later," Riku told him. "Might as well be sooner and get it over with."
Sora mumbled something around a mouthful of chips. Noticing their confused looks, he repeated himself. "So, how'd Yuffie take it?"
"Pretty bad, especially after her begging didn't work," the twenty-seven year old admitted. "She really doesn't want to go, but she hasn't been to see them since Spring Break."
Cloud whistled. "They're that bad, huh?"
"Yeah."
"So, Yuffie's probably griping about this with the girls right now, huh?" Sora asked.
Before Squall could answer, Riku began laughing. "Care to share the joke?" Squall grumbled.
"You better hope Zephyr doesn't share her method of manipulation with Yuffie," Riku said cryptically.
"I don't like the sound of this," Cloud muttered.
"You have no idea," Riku muttered, raising his eyebrows.
Sora punched Riku on the shoulder. "Enough suspense. Tell us what she does already," the young brunette demanded.
"I pity you, Squall, because if Yuffie follows Zephyr's advice, she'll cut off your sex," Riku explained, enjoying the looks of fear on all their faces. "And Kairi and Aerith may take her advice, too." He began laughing, ignoring their groans and sighs of disgust.
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"I'm so glad you decided to come with me, Squall," Yuffie said as she watched the scenery flash by them in Squall's truck as they started on the eight hour drive.
Squall quirked an eyebrow and glanced at her profile. "You didn't give me much choice. It was either insane parents or no sex for a month. Not much of a choice, now is it?"
Smiling, Yuffie pushed the divider between their seats up before unbuckling her seatbelt and scooting across into the middle seat. "Don't worry, Squall. I'll protect you from them," she murmured as she fastened the lap belt around her and leaned against Squall, who had draped his right arm over her shoulder.
"How long are we staying again?" he asked as he sped up and began to pass a long line of slow-moving vehicles on the Interstate.
"Just until the sixth. We'll only actually be there for three days, though, because it'll be late by the time we get there tonight and we'll leave early on the sixth." She paused before continuing. "Believe me, I don't want to be there anymore than you do."
"Yeah, sure," he muttered playfully as he bent down and kissed the top of her head, savoring the flowery scent of her freshly shampooed hair.
Snuggling even closer against his side, she yawned. "Mind if I take a nap?" she asked through another yawn, looking up at him with tired eyes.
"Nah, go ahead. I just stay on the Interstate, right?"
"Mm hmm, until you get to Highway 155, but that'll be awhile and I should be awake by then," she answered as she closed her eyes and sighed before falling asleep.
Squall drove in silence for the next few hours, turning the volume on the radio up to where he could just barely hear it, not wanting to awaken his beloved from her nap. Looking down at the gas gauge, he saw that they were down to a quarter of a tank. In the distance, he saw a gas station at the next exit. He turned off at that exit, pulling into the gas station and cutting the engine.
Struggling to wake up, Yuffie yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Where are we?" she mumbled.
"Winona. I'm just stopping for some gas." Squall gently pushed her up to where she could lean on the other seat, whispering, "Go back to sleep, baby."
Yuffie stretched and shook her head. "I'm gonna got get some food," she announced as she climbed across the driver's seat and out the door. "You want anything?"
"Yeah." Before she had a chance to ask what he wanted, he told her, "Anything will do. Just don't get me a Dr. Pepper...you know how much I hate them."
"Okay." Standing on tiptoe, she placed her hands on his shoulders, pulling him down slightly so she could give him a quick kiss. Her hands slipped their way around his waist and into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. Taking out a twenty, she handed it back to him and said, "I'll be back in a minute."
"I want the change back," he called as she walked into the convenience store.
After fifteen minutes, Squall began to wonder if he should send a search party into the store after her, when he saw her coming out the door, her arms full of junk food. He sat in the driver's seat, trying not the laugh as he watched her struggle with the door. "You could've helped, you know," she mumbled when she finally climbed in.
"It was more fun watching you," he said, his voice full of mirth. He outstretched his arm towards her, palm up.
"What?" she asked confusedly.
"My change, Yuffie."
Sighing, she fumbled around in her pockets before pulling out a few coins. "There."
He looked at the money in his hand and then looked at her. "That's all? Fifty-three cents? But you took a twenty," he stated in disbelief.
She shrugged. "I was hungry." Reaching into the bag at her feet, she pulled out two drinks, a Dr. Pepper and a Pepsi. "Take your pick," she said as she held them out to Squall.
Rolling his eyes, he grabbed the Pepsi, taking a drink before starting his truck and heading back to the Interstate. "What all did you buy, anyways?" he asked as he glanced over at the bags at her feet.
"Um...chips...cupcakes...candy bars...."
"Maybe it would be easier if you told me what you didn't buy," he interrupted as she rustled among the bags. He leaned over and reached into a random bag, pulling out a Snickers bar. "Yuffie, your eating habits could put a hummingbird in a diabetic coma."
She took the candy bar away from him, opening it before handing it back to him. "But you love me anyway," she said as she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Did you buy anything even remotely healthy?"
Reaching into the bag again, she triumphantly pulled out a bag of Chex mix. "Does this count?" she asked as she opened the bag and began to eat it.
"Close enough, I guess," Squall muttered as he took a bite of the candy bar and continued driving down the road, listening to Yuffie crunching on her Chex mix.
Suddenly, she reached out and turned the radio up to where she could actually hear it. "Why was it turned down so low, Squall?"
"So it wouldn't wake you up," he admitted.
Yuffie felt like melting right then and there at his consideration. "You didn't have to do that. The radio doesn't wake me up."
Squall gave her a perplexed look. "But you sleep like a bird at home."
"I know, but when I was little, my mother used to keep the radio on all night in my room to help me sleep." She flipped through the stations, stopping when she heard a song she liked. "I love this song!" she exclaimed, starting to sing along with the lyrics.
"What? 'Bailamos'?"
"Yes. You have no idea how unbelievably sexy I find Spanish," she confessed, immediately starting to sing once again.
As he raised his eyebrows, a thoughtful look came over Squall's face. "I'll have to keep that in mind," he murmured under his breath, sure that she didn't hear him over the music.
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"Turn right," Yuffie commanded as they drove down the typical street in a typical suburban neighborhood with all the cookie cutter houses, the night sky a sharp contrast to the white houses.
Doing as she told him, Squall turned the truck onto the cul-de-sac. "Okay....which house, Yuf?" he asked as he drove slowly past the houses with the perfectly manicured front yards.
"All the way, the house at the end." Yuffie began cracking her knuckles, a nervous habit she had picked up somewhere.
Squall shuddered and grabbed her hands in her lap. "Hey, hey....stop that! You know I hate it when you do that. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard."
Laughing apprehensively, she curled her fingers around his hand that was still in her lap. "Sorry. I just get so nervous when I come up here." She smiled apologetically at him. "And now, it's even worse because they're going to meet you."
"Well, they weren't upset when you told them I was coming, were they?" He turned to glance at her when she didn't answer, noticing that she was biting her lip and looking even more fidgety if possible. "You did tell them, didn't you?" he questioned sternly.
She let out another short nervous laugh. "I was going to, but...but...my mother wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise. So...um...you're going to be a surprise to them," she faltered under his penetrating gaze.
Squall pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in exasperation. "So, in other words, my coming is going to be a complete shock to them and, for all we know, they may not even let me stay here. Is that what you're saying?"
"It won't be that bad, Squall. If they won't let you stay, we can always get a hotel room." A wicked twinkle came in her eye. "It might be better that way, anyways."
Finally pulling into the driveway, Squall killed the engine and put his head in his hands. "Okay, Yuf. It's your show, now," he said quietly as he saw two figures coming out of the front door.
Yuffie plastered on a fake smile and burst out of the passenger door. "Mom, Dad...I'm so happy to be here!" she exclaimed with mock sincerity that seemed to be lost on her parents as she fiercely hugged them both in the hope that she could distract them from Squall, who was emerging from the driver's side.
"Yuffie, who came with you?" her mother asked suspiciously, turning her head toward Squall.
"Uh...mom, dad....this is Squall Leonheart....my boyfriend." Yuffie latched onto his arm and dragged him over to them, where he held his arm out to shake hands.
Yuffie's mother raised her eyebrows and looked at his outstretched hand. "Well, Mr. Leonheart, Yuffie didn't tell us you were coming and I don't have a room ready for you, so you'll have to stay elsewhere."
Mr. Kisaragi looked at his wife with a confused expression. "Honey, there is always the spare--" He was cut off by the withering look his wife gave him.
"The spare bedroom is in shambles, dear. I don't think we would want him staying in there, now do we?"
Squall kept glancing back and forth between the married couple, watching their exchange. Yuffie decided to take matters into her own hands. "Well, mother, Squall and I are going to stay at a hotel since you don't have room for him here." She gave him an impish grin that was not lost on her mother.
"Come to think of it, I cleaned the spare room just last week. It should work out fine," Mrs. Kisaragi said through clenched teeth. "Mr. Leonheart, you are welcome to stay here." No one could miss the fact that her politeness was forced.
"Please, call me Squall, Mrs. Kisaragi." He held his hand out to shake hands again, once again neither shook it, but turned away and headed back for the house. "A propósito, estoy pervertiendo a su hija, [By the way, I'm corrupting your daughter]," he muttered under his breath.
With eyes wide with shock and a blush coming across her cheeks as she translated what he said in her mind, Yuffie turned around and hit his shoulder. Her mother turned around. "Did he say something?" she asked her daughter.
Yuffie shook her head vigorously. "No, mother. Nothing at all." Turning back to Squall, who had started to unload their suitcases, she glared at him. "You didn't tell me you spoke Spanish," she accused in a quiet voice.
"You learn something new everyday, Yuf," he said laughingly. "Like....how did you put it? You find Spanish 'unbelievably sexy,' wasn't it?"
Rolling her eyes, Yuffie rubbed her temples. "How do you know that they don't speak Spanish, Squall?"
"Lucky guess." He set both of their suitcases on the ground and shut the third door on the truck. "Besides, it's revenge for not telling me that they didn't know I was coming." Leaning over, he kissed her cheek. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her mother glaring at them from the front window. "Are they like this with all the boyfriends you bring home?"
She smiled. "Nope. You're the first one that I've had that they didn't pick, remember?" Glancing at her mother's silhouette in the window, she pulled Squall back down for a much more passionate kiss than just a peck on the cheek. As they broke away, she looked at the window to see her mother was no longer standing there. Grabbing the handle of her suitcase, she headed up the walkway to the front door. "Are you coming?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.
"Yeah. I'm coming." He followed her up to the front door, taking a deep breath to prepare himself for the lion's den he was about to step into. Once inside, Squall noticed the living room appeared to be immaculate, wondering how a person who grew up here could be as messy as Yuffie.
Mrs. Kisaragi turned to her daughter. "Yuffie, show Mr. Leonheart where he'll be sleeping." Seeing the mischievous look on her Yuffie's face, she elaborated. "In the spare room, Yuffie." Wrinkling her nose in disappointment, Yuffie mumbled under her breath a few choice curses she had learned from Squall. "What was that?" her mother questioned, her eyebrows raised.
Yuffie put on the biggest fake smile she could muster under the circumstances. "Nothing, mother. Nothing at all." Beginning to ascend the stairs, she looked back down at Squall. "Come, Mr. Leonheart. Let me take you to your room," she said, trying her best to sound like a proper British butler before she burst out laughing.
Squall spared a glance to watch her continue up the stairs before turning and looking at Mrs. Kisaragi. "Thank you, ma'am, for letting me stay here. If I had known Yuffie hadn't told you I was coming, I would have stayed at the apartment," he said, an apologetic tone in his voice as he hoped to make amends.
"You're welcome to stay in the spare room, Mr. Leonheart. Whomever my daughter brings home, I can only hope to accommodate them," she told him curtly before turning on her heel and leaving the room.
Flipping through the channels on the TV with the remote, Mr. Kisaragi sat in the large black recliner. "Mr. Leonheart, how old are you exactly?"
"Twenty-seven."
"You do realize that my daughter is only nineteen, don't you?"
Not liking where this was going, Squall rubbed his eyes before nodding. "Yes, sir. I know that." Yuffie, I could use some help down here, he silently begged. He waited in silence for the older man to say something. Realizing that the conversation was over, he picked up his suitcase and went upstairs in search of Yuffie.
As he was walking slowly down the hall and not seeing Yuffie anywhere, an arm shot out of the closed door he had just past and grabbed him, dragging him into the bedroom. "Took you long enough to get up here!" Yuffie exclaimed as she shut the door behind him.
"I was talking to your parents." Squall decided not to tell her what they were talking about, remembering the saying 'ignorance is bliss.' He looked around the room, noticing all the origami cranes, doves, and butterflies hanging from the ceiling by ribbons. Raising his eyebrows, he looked down at Yuffie, who was perched on the edge of a full-size bed. "You really like origami, huh?"
Shrugging, she threw herself back on the bed. "It was a hobby of mine in high school. It kept me occupied since my parents wouldn't let me do anything." She patted the dark green comforter covering the bed, beckoning him over. "Sit down," she commanded gently.
He complied, pushing her to the side gently. "Sure your mom won't kill me for being in her with you...unsupervised?" he teased as he ran his fingers through her hair.
"If I stand in front of you, I don't think she'll go through me to get you. I am her only child, after all," she quipped, sitting up. Squall yawned. "Tired?" she asked concernedly.
"A little bit. I didn't take a nap on the trip, like someone else I know."
Yuffie stood up, grabbing both of his hands and pulling. "Well, come on. I'll take you to bed."
Squall allowed himself to be pulled up. "Are you sure I can't stay in here? With you?" he asked hopefully.
"Believe me, Squall, it's for your own protection that I'm putting you in the spare room." She released his hands and walked out the door and into the hallway, leaving Squall with no choice but to follow her.
Picking up the suitcase he had set down in her room, he stepped across the hall and into the spare room, where Yuffie was already turning down the bed covers for him. He set his suitcase down inside the door. "Um, Yuffie, where's the bathroom?"
"Last door on your right," she said as Squall unzipped his suitcase and pulled out his toothbrush and toothpaste, then went into the bathroom. While he was gone, Yuffie picked his shirts up out of the suitcase and hung them up in the closet, brushes the wrinkles out with her hands. Deciding that since they were only staying for a couple of days, the rest of his clothes could stay in the suitcase, she zipped it back up and placed it at the foot of the bed.
Squall stood in the doorway as she finished, silently watching her as she whisked around the room, preparing it for him. "Having fun?" he called from his position.
She looked up, a slight blush coming across her face. "Just want to make sure you'll be comfortable," she said as she closed the distance between them and pulled his head down. "Mm...you smell minty-fresh. Bet you taste minty-fresh, too," she murmured as their lips met. Squall's hands made their way to her waist, lifting her up slightly and pulling her closer as her hands tangled themselves in his russet mane.
"What is THIS?" a harsh voice called. Yuffie groaned as Squall let her drop back to the floor.
Rolling her eyes, Yuffie turned around and saw her mother standing at the top of the stairs. "It's called a kiss, mom. We're still young. There's affection in our relationship," she replied sarcastically, causing her mother to let out a disgusted huff and go back downstairs. Yuffie smiled and looked back up at Squall, who had a dazed look on his face. "Hey, are you okay?" she whispered.
"Yeah, but I think I'm missing a tonsil." He moved his tongue around his mouth like he was searching for something.
Yuffie grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment." Reaching up, she put a hand behind his neck, pulling his head down to give him a quick kiss. "Goodnight, Squall."
He kissed her again. "Buena noche, [Goodnight] Yuf," he said, grinning at the look she gave him.
"Squall, you have to stop that. You have no idea how much Spanish turns me on."
"All the more reason for me to do it." Chuckling, he closed the door before she could hit him.
Deciding she would grab something to eat before taking herself to bed, Yuffie made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, where her mother was sitting on a stool at the counter, drinking a cup of tea. "Yuffie, how old is Mr. Leonheart?" Mrs. Kisaragi demanded.
"Squall is twenty-seven, mother," she called over her shoulder as she rummaged around in the refrigerator.
"Where did you meet him?"
Yuffie turned around and threw her head back. "At school, mother. I've told you all this before."
Her mother narrowed her eyes. "What is a twenty-seven year old doing in college? Shouldn't he have a job by now?"
"He was in the marines for eight years before he was discharged. Now, he's majoring in Pre-law." She pulled a cup of yogurt out of the refrigerator and a spoon from the drawer and sat down across from her mother.
"And just why was he discharged, Yuffie?"
Swallowing her mouthful of yogurt, Yuffie struggled to keep her temper in check. "He was diagnosed as bi-polar after his fiancé died."
"Bi-polar?! Fiancé?!"
"Yes, mother. His fiancé died in a car crash a couple of years ago." She took another bite of yogurt. "Is there anything else, mother? Do you want to know his complete history?" she asked sarcastically.
"Yuffie Hana, he's a madman!" her mother hissed as she stood up and stalked out of the room.
Yuffie rolled her eyes once again, muttering "whatever" under her breath as she finished the cup of yogurt. Going back upstairs, she stopped by her room for her toothbrush before heading to the bathroom to prepare for bed. Once finished, she stepped back into the hallway to find her mother with a roll of packing tape, taping Squall's door shut. "Mother, what are you doing?"
"Making sure he doesn't molest you in your sleep!" she answered, glaring at his door.
Staring at her for a moment in disbelief, Yuffie's eyes widened. "Are you out of your sadomasochistic MIND?"
"My WHAT?"
"See, if you'd gone past the tenth grade, you'd know what word meant!"
Her mother glowered at her for a moment before finishing with the tape on Squall's door and returning her stare to Yuffie. "Are you going to bed?" she demanded.
"Yes, mother." She walked into her room, hearing the taping being unrolled and stuck to seal her door as soon as it was shut. "Crazy old woman," she muttered as she changed clothes and climbed into bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yawning and stretching, Squall made his way downstairs the next morning, receiving a deadly glare from Mrs. Kisaragi. Confused, he continued into the dining room where he found Yuffie, alone and eating a bowl of cereal. He sat down next to her, leaning over and whispering, "Why was there tape on my door?"
"It was one of my mother's sick ideas. She was trying to protect me from you while I slept," she muttered as she finished her cereal, standing up and taking her bowl to the kitchen. "You want some, Squall?" she called.
"Yeah." After she returned with his breakfast, he continued. "So, that's why she was glaring at me this morning? Because I had broken the tape seal?"
Yuffie nodded. "Yep. She gave me the glare, too."
"But I got up to use the bathroom. What does she want me to do, pee out the window?"
"She would rather that than risk midnight visits."
"If I knew I would have gotten in this much trouble, I'd have at least stopped in to pay my respects."
Yuffie gazed at him while he ate, noticing the rings under his eyes. "You didn't sleep well, last night, did you?" she finally inquired.
Squall shook his head. "I got maybe three hours of sleep. I kept having nightmares. Plus," he gave her a grin, "I was lonely. I even missed the cat."
Yuffie started rubbing his back, soothingly. "Poor baby," she murmured. "Care to tell me what the nightmares were about?"
Chuckling, he turned to look at her. "Just don't let your parents hear, okay?" Seeing her nod and smile, he began. "I dreamt I was in a torture chamber and your parents had me lined up against the wall, ready to emasculate me." Covering her mouth, Yuffie tried to stifle the laughter. "Hey, it's not funny," Squall complained, then realized that it actually was. "Okay, but not that funny."
"Don't worry, Squall. The Homeowner's Association confiscated the torture chamber years ago." Before she could say anything else, her parents came downstairs, her mother glaring at the two of them. "Good morning, mother. Beautiful day, isn't it?"
Ignoring her daughters sarcastic tone, Mrs. Kisaragi picked her purse up off the counter. "Yuffie, your father and I are going to the store. Will you be okay here without us?" She stared purposively at Squall.
Her husband grabbed her arm. "Honey, I think Yuffie will be fine without us." As he pulled her towards the front door, Mrs. Kisaragi gave her daughter a parting glance, shutting the door firmly behind them.
By now, Squall had finished his cereal and was taking the bowl into the kitchen, placing it into the sink and running it full of water. Two arms wrapped around him and a warm body pressed itself into his back. "Squall, we have the house to ourselves," Yuffie mumbled into his back.
Turning around, he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Yuffie, you can't possibly be thinking of doing that in your parents' house." He saw the evil twinkle in her eye.
"Oh, why not, Squall? They're going to be gone for awhile. It's not like we'll get caught or anything," she said pleadingly. "I know you wanna." Reaching up, she pulled his head down. "Besides, that's half the thrill," she breathed into his ear before releasing him and walking towards the stairs.
Squall stood there for a few minutes, holding his resolve, as he watched her disappear from his view when she reached the upper hallway. "Aw, hell. I give up," he muttered as he quickly ran up the stairs and followed her. He found her standing just inside her bedroom, counting down on her fingers. "What are you doing?" he whispered as he leaned over her to place a few kisses down her neck.
"I knew you would get up here before I even reached five." She grabbed the hem of his shirt and started tugging while Squall started working on the buttons on her blouse, both of them making their way for the bed. Yuffie was soon pushed into soft mattress while Squall's mouth made its way to her collarbone, biting and sucking gently. The sudden sound of a whirring motor beneath her room caused Yuffie to groan. "Shit!" she exclaimed, which was followed by a string of curses he had never heard come out of her mouth, as she struggled to sit up.
"Yuffie, where did you learn that?" he demanded, rolling over to let her get up.
"From you." She fumbled with the buttons on her shirt while Squall sat on the edge of the bed, watching her confusedly. "They're back," she explained as she threw his shirt over to him which he immediately pulled over his head.
Hearing the front door slam, Yuffie ran downstairs, feeling a little flustered as she saw her mother eyeing her suspiciously. "Yuffie, why is your face red?" she asked, her suspicions growing as she saw Squall emerge at the head of the stairs as well.
"Uh...coughing fit," she said lamely, knowing her mother wouldn't buy the excuse, but also wouldn't come right out and contradict her either. "What are you doing back, mother? I thought you and dad went shopping?"
"I forgot the shopping list." Mrs. Kisaragi walked into the kitchen and picked up a slip of paper laying on the counter. "Mr. Leonheart, I hope you slept well last night," she said curtly, glaring at him.
Confused by what caused the glare this time, Squall replied, "Yes, ma'am. Slept fine."
The older woman pursed her lips in disapproval before walking back out the door and to her car in the garage where her husband was waiting for her. Yuffie turned to Squall, then busted out laughing and pointing. "Squall, you-, your fly is o-, open," she managed to gasp out between the giggles.
"Thanks for telling me sooner," he muttered as he zipped it up. Yuffie walked to the couch, plopping herself down and grabbing the remote. "Anything decent on?" he asked as he sat down beside her while she flipped through the channels.
"Nope, how about a movie?" She jumped up from the couch and went to the video cabinet, rummaging around until she found what she was looking for. "Ah-HAH! I haven't seen this movie in forever!" she cried as she put the tape into the VCR.
"Dare I ask what it is?" Squall wondered aloud as she came back to the couch, settling down beside him and snuggling up to his side.
Yuffie pushed the 'play' button on the remote. "Just wait and see. It's a surprise." She fast-forwarded through the previews, finally reaching the movie.
Squall groaned. "Mulan? We're watching Mulan?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yeah. I like Mushu. He's so cool!"
"He's ANNOYING! He's like a gecko with ADHD."
"I know, that's why he's so cool," Yuffie explained as she watched Mulan struggle with the match-maker. She suddenly snorted.
Squall looked down at her. "What?"
"I just realized that the match-maker reminds me of my mother." She bit her lip to keep from laughing too loud while Squall rubbed the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. Becoming engrossed in the movie, with only the occasional quips, Yuffie didn't even realize her parents had come home until she felt eyes boring their way into the back of her head. She turned around to find her mother glaring at her. "Mom, chill! It's not like we DID anything!" she cried, blushing.
The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. "You might not live with us, anymore, Yuffie. But you are still my daughter." The tone in her mother's voice chilled the air. "And while you are under my roof, you will obey my rules. Is that clear?"
"Crystal," Yuffie sneered, standing up and pulling Squall up with her. "But I don't remember there being a rule against watching a movie. Now, if you'll excuse us, I'm going to show Squall around town." She slipped on the pair of sandals sitting by the door.
Squall's eyes darted back and forth between the two women, not really knowing what to say. Shrugging and smiling apologetically to Mrs. Kisaragi, he walked out the front door with Yuffie.
"I don't like him," Mrs. Kisaragi said to her husband.
"That's no secret. But, do you have a valid reason for disliking him so?" he inquired curiously.
She glared at him. "Yes. He's twenty-seven and living with our daughter. Plus, did you see that scar? He probably got it in some gang fight."
Mr. Kisaragi sighed. "Dear, you can't control what Yuffie does anymore. She's neither living with us nor dependent on us for anything any longer. You have to accept the fact that she's grown up," he calmly explained.
"I still don't like him," she muttered under her breath.
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After walking around town and stopping into a few shops, Squall and Yuffie reluctantly returned to her parents' house as it neared dusk. Preparing to step into the house, she whispered, "do we really have to go back in there? Can't we just run away?"
"And where, pray tell, do you suggest we run away to?" Squall asked pragmatically as they continued up the walkway, coming closer and closer to the door.
"Let's go to the Bahamas and stay locked in our hotel room until the board of health makes us come out. C'mon, please?" Grabbing his hand, she begged shamelessly with her eyes.
Sighing, Squall rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand. "Sounds like a good plan, Yuf. But there's one problem."
"What?"
"My keys are in there," he said, pointing to the house. "So, we'll still have to go in." He pulled her towards the door while she threw her head back in disgust. "It's just a two more days, Yuffie. I think we can handle two more days, can't we?"
She groaned. "That's two more days of hell," she muttered as they opened the front door and stepped inside to find her parents sitting in the living room. Her father, as usual, was watching a rerun of some sit-com on Nick-at-Nite while her mother sat on the sofa, working on a cross-stitch.
Mrs. Kisaragi turned to look at them as they came in. "So, you're finally back. You two were gone so long I was afraid you two had gotten lost."
Surprised that her mother wasn't yelling, Yuffie stared at her, dumbfounded. Squall noticed this and decided to take matters into his own hands. "No ma'am, we didn't get lost. Yuffie was just showing me everything the town had to offer," he said politely, hoping to make amends.
Her mother raised her eyebrows. "Is that so, Mr. Leonheart? Well, I'm sure a man like yourself didn't find much interesting in a town like this. I mean, after all, unlike the big cities where you probably come from, this town still has morals."
Realizing he walked right into that one, Squall tried to take up for himself. "Actually, Mrs. Kisaragi, I was raised in a town much smaller than this."
"But, surely, that was so long ago that your hometown has grown into something much larger and more immoral than our town," Mrs. Kisaragi replied smiling, having forgone the blatantly rude method she had used earlier.
Sighing, Yuffie decided to interrupt the conversation. "Mom, why didn't you tell me they tore down 'The Hop?' I was hoping to take Squall there for lunch." Growing up, she had loved going to the retro diner.
Her dad actually put the TV on mute and joined the conversation. "Yuffie, they took it down last month because it was falling apart. Besides, kids today didn't want to eat there. They all prefer fast food." Having said this, he immediately turned the volume back up and went back to the show he was watching.
Looking at the clock, Yuffie saw that it was already after eight o'clock and neither she nor Squall had eaten dinner. "Mom, are there any leftovers in the fridge?" she questioned hopefully.
"Hmm...well, I think there's some fried rice leftover from the other night, but it should still be good," she finally admitted.
Yuffie grabbed Squall's hand, dragging him into the kitchen where she immediately pulled the container of fried rice out of the refrigerator and poured it into two bowls before placing it into the microwave to warm up. "The one good thing I can say about my mom is she knows how to cook," she confessed as she carried the soy sauce, napkins, and silverware to the table.
Squall reached into the cabinet, seizing two glasses which he promptly filled with ice. "Hm...you would think you would've taken after her," he teased as she took the bowls out of the microwave and carried them to the table as well.
"Well, if I had, I would be left wondering if you only kept me around for my cooking, then wouldn't I? At least this way, I know you really love me." She smiled at him as he brought the two glasses of tea over to the table.
"Yuffie, I would love you no matter what, and you know it," he whispered as he leaned over and kissed her before sitting down to eat his dinner.
The rest of their night was spent watching TV with her parents, making sure to keep a little space between them as to not upset her mother, who was watching them like a hawk watches it prey.
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On the morning of the Fourth of July, Squall wandered downstairs to find Yuffie sitting in the den at a little card table she had set up and working on a jigsaw puzzle. Sneaking up on her and not seeing her parents anywhere around, he kissed the back of her neck, eliciting a quiet squeal from her. "What are you doing?" he asked against her neck.
"A puzzle." She turned around in her seat, facing him so she could kiss him as she pulled his head closer. "Wanna help?" she whispered as they broke the kiss.
"And if I say no?" Yuffie couldn't miss the playful tone in his voice.
"Then I won't give you your surprise tonight."
He raised his eyebrows as he pulled up a chair and sat down across from her. "What kind of surprise?"
Giving him her best impish grin, she replied. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise. You'll just have to wait and see." They spent the next few hours hunched over the fifteen hundred piece puzzle, taking a break only when Squall's stomach demanded to be fed. Astonishingly, Yuffie's mother did not spy on them while they were working on it as she had one of her rare migraines and was lying in her room, a cold compress on her forehead. Her father, on the other hand, passed through the room occasionally, giving them discerning glances as he did so.
Finally putting the last piece of the puzzle in place, Squall stood up, his back popping from being bent over the table. He winced at the noise, muttering, "I hate when that happens."
"It's 'cause you're getting old, ya know," Yuffie said jokingly, dodging as he made a grab for her. "See, you're too old to catch me." Running around the room and laughing, she managed to keep dodging him as he lunged for her.
"Old, huh? I'm gonna show you old," he growled playfully when he finally caught her, knocking them both onto the old sofa her parents kept in the room. Having her at his mercy, Squall started tickling her sides, the most ticklish area on her body.
Shrieking with laughter as she struggled to push him off of her, she tried to catch her breath. "S-, stop," she managed to gasp out.
"Not until you take back what you said about me being old." He kept tickling her relentlessly and refused to let her up.
"O-, okay." He stopped tickling her momentarily so she could speak. "You're not so old, after all."
He leaned down, kissing the top of her nose. "Good," he murmured, lowering his mouth to hers when he heard a cough behind them. Jumping up, he turned to find Yuffie's father standing in the doorway, watching them.
Yuffie sat up, blushing. "Oh...uh, hi dad," she stammered.
"I was just checking to see what all the commotion was about," he said softly. "But, you might want to keep it down. You know how the noise bothers your mother when she has a headache," he reminded her before turning around and leaving them.
Eyes wide with shock, Yuffie gave Squall an amazed look. "Wow...I think my dad actually likes you."
"You really think so?" he asked hopefully.
She gave him an incredulous look. "Well, he didn't throw you out just now. That has to be a good sign."
Squall pondered this for a moment before answering. "Well, one down and one to go," he finally said.
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Her headache not subsiding until late that afternoon, Mrs. Kisaragi submitted to Yuffie's request of ordering takeout for dinner, since no one else in the household was able to cook anything that could be considered edible. Mrs. Kisaragi was still so groggy from her headache, that Yuffie managed to convince her to order pizza, a food that was hardly ever eaten there.
The ringing of the doorbell, signaling the arrival of dinner, sent Mrs. Kisaragi into the kitchen, clutching her head while Yuffie paid the delivery man. "Dinner's served," she announced as she carried the two boxes to the dining room table.
"Yuffie, do you have to be so loud?" her mother called painfully from the kitchen.
"Sorry, mother," Yuffie replied disdainfully.
Squall walked up to her. "Shouldn't you be a little more considerate?" he whispered in her ear.
"Nah, she always gets a headache when things aren't going her way. She's been like this my whole life. I'm just used to it, I guess," she explained quietly before sitting down at the table.
Raising his eyebrows at her confession, he sat across from her while her parents sat at each end. They ate in silence, giving Mrs. Kisaragi the peace and quiet she needed. Grabbing another slice of pizza, Squall suddenly felt a bare foot running its way up his leg. He looked across the table to Yuffie, who smiling devilishly at him. She continued this throughout the meal, finally mouthing, "hurry up and eat" to him when her parents weren't looking.
Seeing that Squall had finally finished eating, Yuffie stood up. "Mom, dad...Squall and I are going to go watch the fireworks," she announced, noticing the confused look on Squall's face.
"Our people invented the fireworks," Mr. Kisaragi piped up from the end of the table, receiving strange looks from everyone.
His wife sighed. "Yuffie, you can see the fireworks just fine from here," she muttered as she massaged her temples.
"Yes, mother. But you know as well as I do that you can see them better at the lake." Yuffie pushed down the urge to scream while Squall just sat there, watching them.
"Yuffie, I want you to stay here," her mother said, a note of command coming into her voice.
Rolling her eyes, a habit of hers that always occurred more often here than it did anywhere else, Yuffie motioned for Squall to follow her as she walked away from the table. "Mother, don't wait up for us," she said as they reached the front door.
Once outside, Yuffie took a deep breath while Squall rubbed her shoulders. "She's just worried about you," he whispered as he guided her to the truck and opened the door for her.
"I know...but it gets so annoying. She just can't accept the fact that I've grown up." She watched Squall as he walked around the truck to climb into the driver's side door. "Anyways," she started, desperate to change the subject, "surprise!"
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye while he backed the truck up. "This is the surprise? Watching fireworks at the lake?"
"I didn't say what type of fireworks we would be watching. Think, Squall. We're going to be out at the lake....alone....no parents....nobody knows about the place we're going." Giving him another sly smile, she continued. "We'll be seeing fireworks, but not the kind that go off in the sky, if you get my drift."
"Which way to the lake, again?"
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Having returned to the Kisaragi household near midnight after spending hours at the lake on the blanket they had found in the backseat of Squall's truck, glad that marines, even ex-marines, are prepared for anything, Yuffie and Squall both went to their separate bedrooms to sleep, lingering in her doorway to say goodnight. The next morning found Yuffie arising from bed around ten o'clock, worried about Squall since he might be alone with her parents. Quickly throwing some clothes on, she rushed downstairs only to find that Squall was still in his room and her parents were sitting at the table reading the paper.
Her mother looked up, her eyes narrowing when she saw Yuffie's neck. "Yuffie, what is that on your neck?"
Yuffie's hand flew to her neck where Squall had left a hickey the night before. "Mosquito bite, mother. You know how bad they are at the lake." Realizing how adept she was becoming at lying to her parents, she sat down and rifled through the paper until she found the comics.
Her father stared at her over the paper in his hand, his eyes the only part of his face visible, leaving Yuffie wondering what his expression was. "Yuffie, are you happy?" he asked quietly.
Blinking her eyes in shock, she turned to look at him. "Yes....why?" Mr. Kisaragi just nodded, going back to reading the newspaper. Yuffie stood up, shrugging her shoulders and walking upstairs. "I'm gonna go wake up Squall," she told them as she left.
She found him tangled in the sheets of his bed and clutching his pillow. Covering her mouth to stifle the laugh she felt bubbling up, she crept over to him and sat on the edge of the bed. She leaned over him, whispering in his ear. "Squall...Squall....Squallie."
Opening one blue eye, he stared at her. "You know I don't like the name 'Squallie,'" he mumbled sleepily.
"I know...but at least it woke you up."
He rubbed his eyes in an attempt to wake up. "What time is it, anyway?"
"Nearly eleven."
"That late, huh?" he asked, wincing.
"Yeah." She sat there, gazing into his blue eyes. "Squall, let's leave today. I can't stand another day here. I'm literally going insane."
Sitting up, he smiled at her. "Are you sure? 'Cause you know I'd do anything you want me to. Even stay here if you asked me to."
She nodded. "Yes, I'm sure." Reaching down, she pulled him up. "C'mon...get dressed so we can hurry up and leave."
"Alright, already. I'm getting up."
Once she was sure he was up, she went back downstairs to break the news to her parents, who were still sitting at the table. "Mom, dad...Squall and I decided that we're going to leave today," she told them softly, hoping her mother would take it quietly.
"But, Yuffie, you only jus--" her mother started, but was cut off by her husband.
"If that's what you want, Yuffie," he said.
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Preparing to leave, Squall and Yuffie carried box after box of the stuff she had salvaged from her room, which included the origami birds that she had taken down only that morning and carefully packed. It had taken her three hours to pack her things since she insisted on wrapping everything remotely breakable in newspaper, so it ended up being closer to two o'clock in the afternoon before they even started to load the truck.
Yuffie's father came outside to watch them, a contemplative look on his face. As Squall passed by him on his way back for another box, Mr. Kisaragi stopped him. "Mr. Leonheart, may I please have a word with you? Alone?"
Although nervous, Squall nodded, following the older man into the house and into the den, where the was shut. "What is it, Mr. Kisaragi?" he asked confusedly.
"Mr. Leonheart, you make my daughter happy. That is something that I have not seen since she was a young child," he began. Squall opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped. "I've watched the two of you these past few days, trying to discover what you wanted with her."
"Sir, with all due respect, I'm not using your daughter. I--" He was cut off once again.
"I know that, now. Mr. Leonheart. Like I said, I've watched you the past few days and not only did I see how happy you make her, but I saw how happy she makes you. You love her, don't you, Mr. Leonheart?"
Squall smiled, pleased with Mr. Kisaragi's assessment. "Yes, sir. I love her very much."
"Good. Now, go help her load the truck."
Squall stuck his hand out, hoping Mr. Kisaragi would shake it this time. "Thank you, sir." The older man looked at his hand for a moment, then grasped it. Releasing his hand, Squall turned and left the den to help Yuffie, who was struggling down the stairs with a large box. He gently took it from her arms and carried it out to the truck for her.
"Where were you?" she asked following him.
"Talking with your father." He pushed the box into the backseat of the truck, slamming the door as it was the last one.
"With my father?" Her eyebrows raised as she said this. Squall nodded.
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After being on the road for nearly five hours, Yuffie looked over at Squall suddenly. "Hey, you never told me. Where did you learn Spanish?"
"I was stationed in Spain for awhile." A smile came across his face, as he spared a glance from the road to look at her. "Por qué?" [Why?]
Groaning, she looked back out the window. "Don't even start, Squall. You don't know how much that turns me on."
"Eso es el razón que lo estoy haciendo." [That is the reason I'm doing it] He gave her one of her own evil grins.
Yuffie reached into the backseat, rummaging through a box and pulling out a CD player and headphones, which she placed on her head, sticking her tongue out at him. "There, now I can't hear you." She watched the scenery pass by as she listened to the music until she felt the headphones being pulled from her head. "Hey! No fair," she complained.
"Todos son justo en el amor y guerra [All's fair in love and war]," he said in a sing-song voice as he put the headphones on the other side of him, out of her reach.
Whimpering, she lay her head against the window. "You're so mean."
"Yo sé." [I know] He continued driving down the Interstate, speaking in Spanish the whole time to her to her frustration.
"If you don't stop that soon, you'll either have to stop at a hotel or risk me attacking you while you drive," she murmured as the Spanish drove her over the edge.
"Hay solomente dos horas hasta que llegamos al apartamento [There's only two hours until we arrive at the apartment]." Looking over at her while he said this, he saw her start beating her head against the window.
"I wish I had never told you how sexy I find Spanish. You're just going to keep this up until we get home, aren't you?" She rubbed her forehead as she finally stopped hitting the window with it.
"Sí, porque es muy divertido y te quiero [Yes, because it's a lot of fun and I love you]."
Yuffie groaned again. "You're killing me, Squall. You do realize that, don't you?" Since he didn't answer, she decided to ask him something else. "By the way, how do you roll your 'r's? I can't do it."
Shrugging, he answered her. "I don't know. Flexible tongue, I guess."
She raised her eyebrows, thinking for a moment. "Well, that explains a lot," she said wonderingly. "I'm glad you went back to English, by the way...I don't know how much longer I could have held out."
"Realamente? [Really?]" He chuckled at her groan. "Just kidding, Yuf. I'll wait until we get back home before I start up again."
"Good, because I really didn't want to finish this by myself." Squall nearly drove the truck off the road when he realized what she meant by that.
Shaking his head, he looked at her with wide eyes. "Geez, Yuffie. Spanish turns you on that much?"
"Like I said before, you have no idea." She rubbed her eyes tiredly.
Two hours later, Squall was pulling the truck into the apartment parking lot. As soon as he killed the engine, he turned to Yuffie, who was already unbuckling and opening the door. He leaned over, his mouth near her ear where he breathed "te quiero [I love you]."
"Don't start unless you plan to finish this time," she murmured as she pulled away and climbed out of the truck and started for their apartment. Squall quickly climbed out, almost running as he followed her. Catching her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and brought his mouth down to the back of her neck. She spun around in his arms as he pushed her up against the wall near their door, crushing his mouth against hers while fumbling with the doorknob.
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Author's Note: Okay...I am officially Brain Dead as of right now. This chapter has sucked my brain dry. And I honestly think that this chapter is crap. But, right now, I'm just gonna post it and hope for the best. Um...don't expect an update on this story for a long while. "Shattered Dreams" keeps picking at my brain. So, this story is getting put on the back burner. And, honestly, I have not proof-read this chapter because I'm too tired right now. So, I'm just gonna post it, and if there's anything seriously wrong with it, just tell me and I'll repost, kay?
Note to VL: Oh, you owe me soooo big right now. You have no idea how much my head hurts. By the way, 11,000 words and 27 pages. Yeah...I'm completely braindead.