Arcanus Semideus
-- Arcanus Semideus: secret of a demigod
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from this fic. All belongs to Square, thus you have no right to sue. :P Suckers.
Author's Note: In the midst of my writers block during Beyond Paradise, I have come up with another little Yuffie-based fic. Of course, I adore my Yuffentine, but I must make this one a Reno x Yuffie, for apparent reasons. They are just so much more fun to write about. xD Please, read and enjoy.
- Chapter One: One Year and Two Seconds Ago
Meteor was gone, Jenova was finally forgotten, and Sephiroth was dead. The heroes all went their separate ways and they all lived happily ever after, right? This idea of life was unsettling, not to mention incredibly boring. Not the type of life a certain hero wanted to live.
Yuffie glared at her black chocobo as it scratched at the trunk of the tree it was momentarily fascinated with. One year ago, the black chocobo had been appealing and Yuffie chose it because it "looked cool." Now, as she stared at the black bird, a golden chocobo would have been a far better choice.
She could have had a golden oversized-chicken too if Vincent hadn't snatched the last one and shouted "Mine!" at her. Well, maybe not quite like that... But that scenario certainly would have had more effect than just grabbing the reins of the gold chocobo and walking away.
So now she sat; losing at a staring competition between herself and the black bird she affectionately called 'barbeque.' At five in the morning. With no supplies. And one hell of a headache. Wonderful.
With a heavy sigh, she forfeited the match and closed her eyes, doing her damned well best to ignore the chiding voice of her insomniac-devil that refused to give her peace. She'd gone three nights without slumber and it was beginning to take its toll on her. Now that sleep was catching up to her, she found herself waking up in the strangest of places after dozing off on Kiddo's - the black chocobo's true name - back.
And this was no exception.
Yuffie listened closely as the chocobo cautiously made its way over to her. Kiddo stretched his neck out and pecked lightly at the little ninja's shoulder, wary of attacks from earlier sleep spells. The bird jolted back as Yuffie abruptly stood, angry eyes glaring at him as she pointed into a random direction.
"You never thought to maybe get the bags as they fell a million miles before I did?" Kiddo tilted his head in response. This only fueled Yuffie's frustration even more. "I should start roasting you right now..." she threatened as she advanced towards the chocobo.
Kiddo warked in displeasure as she grabbed the limp reins and used them to hoist herself up onto his back, her legs tucking beneath his wings to make the ride comfortable for them both. "C'mon, barbeque. We're close to Rocket Town, so maybe Cid'll help us out with some supplies. Y'know... since you didn't bother to keep them around and all."
She pressed her heels into the sides of the bird and they sprinted off towards the sleeping town far off in the distance. It would be a pleasant surprise when she would pound on the old man's door at what was closing in on five thirty in the morning.
Cheers to one-sided pleasantries.
- - x - -
"You know, normal people don't drink tea," Reno said dubiously, staring down at the small cup that was placed before him. "In fact, normal people tend to drink alcohol. Like beer." He felt the need to stress the world 'normal,' apparently.
Elena frowned down at him, putting the cleaning rag she was using for the counter down for the moment. "Normal people are also asleep at five in the morning."
"Yeah, but if they were awake, I'm sure they'd drink beer," Reno argued, picking the cup up by its thin handle and studying the Wutaian design of the water serpent painted on the side.
Rude chose to step into the lit kitchen at this time, sunglasses on to match with a well-pressed suit. Both Elena and Reno stared at him as if he had grown two heads and ten tentacles.
"...Normal people don't wear sunglasses inside, either." Reno finally said, grinning lopsidedly as he stood up and sauntered over to his friend and once-partner in what was now the ex-Turks. "Headin' off to work already?"
The bald man nodded stiffly, remaining silent even after Reno placed the cup of tea into his hands and began to amble off.
"Where do you think you're going?" Elena called out after him.
Reno waved a hand in the air as he headed for the door. "Out. I figure if I want a drink, I'll go out and get it myself." The door closed behind him before Elena could object and he was out of the apartment complex just as quickly.
Aquamarine hues glanced up at the sky, unable to ignore the beauty of the darkened blanket tinged with pink to announce the rising of the sun at least an hour in advance. "I'm such a poet," Reno said smugly to himself with a shake of his head. He shoved his hands into the depths of his pants pockets and started towards the Junon Bar.
An eyebrow rose as he entered the bar, attention focusing on the little crowd huddled around a corner table. He shrugged his curiosity off and sat at the counter, arms folding over the top as he called the barkeeper over.
"What'll it be, Mac?" The round man asked gruffly, hands busy drying out a recently washed glass in such a movie-cliché manner it was mind-boggling.
"Orange Smirnoff for now," he ordered.
The barkeeper nodded and set the glass down to get the drink. "Startin' off light, I take it?" he questioned, for conversations sake. Reno nodded as the barkeeper set a clean glass with ice and a bottle of Smirnoff in front of him. "Some good advice, and take it sonny 'cause I won't say it again, is to not get drunk off your ass in the morning. It's no good for your health."
Reno managed to nod instead of roll his eyes before pouring some of the liquid into his glass. "You know what that group over there is about?"
Barkeeper shrugged as he went back to cleaning the glasses. "Not a clue. Oh, but I did hear a little somethin', if you're interested." Reno's silence was a hint to continue. "The ones dressed in the robes are askin' for a little help in finding a certain someone. They're willin' to hire, y'know?"
This piqued Reno's interest. "Hire? Who're they looking for?"
One glass was set down and another was picked up. "Couldn't say, but if you really want this find-and-retrieve job, you ought to catch 'em before they're gone." Barkeeper gave a nod in the exits direction and Reno swiveled in his stool to watch the last of the three robed men leaving the bar.
Reno turned back around and took a sip of the Smirnoff he'd been neglecting. "Do you know how much they're paying?"
Barkeeper shrugged and looked back down to his glass. "A pretty big number, I'd say. The girl must be pretty important if they're hiring someone to find her, though."
"Girl?" Reno poured the remaining of the Smirnoff into the glass and took another sip. "Thought you said you didn't know who they were looking for."
"I don't." The round man quickly glanced up at Reno then back down to the glass as he picked up another one. "Just know that I heard things like 'she' and 'her' a lot. Common sense, yeah?"
"Yeah..." Reno paid the amount of gil needed for the drink and stood up, smirking over the counter to the barkeeper. "Thanks for the talk. I think I'll go catch me a quick job now."
- - x - -
"Cid!" Yuffie pounded loudly on the door of the old man's house. "Cid, open up! It's your most loved friend of all! You know; the super beautiful one!" Silence, not counting the shouts of annoyance from the neighbors. Yuffie turned to look at Kiddo. "Maybe he's really not home..?"
Kiddo cooed over her head and pecked at the door with his beak. Both human and bird jumped in surprise when the locks clicked and the door swung open to reveal a very angry, very tired, and very disheveled man.
"G'morning!" Yuffie smiled and waved cheerfully to him.
"I thought I left you back in Wutai a year ago..." the pilot grumbled. "Why didn't you stay there?"
"I got bored."
"Go home."
"Aw, but Cid-!"
"Go home, Yuffie." The door slammed shut in her face and the locks clicked back into place. Cid sucked in a deep breath before pulling a cigarette from the pack in his pajama-pocket, only to have it smacked out of his hand soon after.
"You know that's bad for you..." Shera said disapprovingly. She fixed the round glasses on the bridge of her nose and glanced pointedly at the door. "Who was that?" The woman had gained more confidence after Cid had proposed to her and he wasn't sure if it was going to get on his nerves or not.
"The kid... She's on the run and doesn't even know it. Godo's guys came by a couple days ago..." Cid let out a sigh and started for the kitchen. "They're lookin' for her. Say that Godo wants her back home for 'family matters' from what I heard. Fuckin' brat is more trouble than she's worth and I doubt she wants to go back home."
Shera tilted her head to the side in question, using her middle finger to push up the glasses as she made her way to the stove and started up a pot of tea. "Didn't you tell her to go home?"
Cid seemed to pause in thought. Fingers tapped lightly against an unshaven chin and he soon shrugged it off. "She won't go. It'll give her more reason to avoid the damned place. No point keeping her in one spot, either. She's like a fuckin' piece of soap. Brat..." he grumbled, accepting the teacup Shera placed in his hands. "Besides, it's safer if she doesn't stay in any town for too long."
"Well, someone's going to have to take care of her eventually. Especially if these men of her father are trying to find her." Shera poured another cup of tea for herself and sat at the dining table, elbows resting against the tabletop to hold the teacup close. "I wonder what the 'family matters' are..." She took a sip and let the subject of Yuffie go.
Meanwhile, Yuffie huddled close to the back of Kiddo, hiding herself as well as she could from the morning chill. "Stupid Cid," she mumbled as she closed her eyes momentarily. Kiddo warked loudly, forcing out all peace of mind for the Wutaian ninja. "You two would make the perfect team," she bit past a shiver, doing her best to bury herself into the black feathers of her companion.
Kiddo passed through the Nibel Mountains quickly and the pair was out of Nibelheim just as soon as they had entered. After a long moment of silence, Yuffie decided that talking to a chocobo was no less insane than talking to Vincent Valentine.
"So... where are we headed?" The chocobo warbled in response and Yuffie smiled. At least I get more of a response than I would with Vinnie. "Well, you lead the way. Just as long as it's far away from Wutai. No point of going back there, huh?" The Wutaian girl chuckled to herself and curled back into the warm feathers of the chocobo, loosening her grip on the reins to allow Kiddo to go where he pleased, wherever that may be.
- - x - -
The door burst open and in came Reno, looking about as smug as a dog that had won its first and final race. Elena turned off the water and left the dirty dishes to rot in the sink as she approached him, wet hands leaving darker spots on the hips of her pants. "And where have you been? You were out for nearly an hour... and you aren't drunk enough for that to be the reason."
Reno grinned and held his hands up, palms forward, in defense. "Relax, 'Laney. I got myself a hiring job."
Elena crossed her arms over her chest, obviously not believing a word that came out of his mouth; and with good reason. Reno just didn't seem the type to get a job. Not a normal one at least. "Something nearby, I hope?"
Reno shook his head and gave a shrug as he walked past her towards what he had claimed as his room. "It'll have me going all over. It's a lost-and-found job. Some men from under a higher power hired me to find a girl they think is precious. Like a governor's daughter or something."
"And that's all you know about it?" Elena asked as she followed him up until his door where she then leaned against the doorframe.
"Yep." A duffel bag was tossed onto the messy bed and random articles of clothing were being thrown in. "Supposedly they'll tell me more when I meet them again at the docks."
"...So you're going to go on a wild goose chase to find some little girl that could very well have been kidnapped by the deceased President ShinRa to get paid... How much?" Elena didn't bother to hide her skepticism.
"I think I remember the number being somewhere around 25,000 gil, 'Laney. So... anymore complaints?" he asked as he closed the duffel bag, a smirk written all over his face.
Elena stared hard at him for a few seconds before giving a final "hmph!" and stalking back to the dishes.
"That's what I thought." Reno chuckled and hefted the bag over his shoulder. "My search is starting on the Western Continent, so I'm taking the ship to Costa del Sol. If you need me, call someone else." With that said Reno was out the door and headed towards the Harbor to start on his newfound job.
Elena let out a sigh and dried her hands off. "And I stay with these two for what reason? Honestly, I don't know..."
Further off, at the docks, three men in black and red robes stood in a semi-circle, hazy hues watching the approaching figure. Reno took a long drag from his cigarette before dropping it to the ground and snuffing it out with a boot. "Waiting long?" The men shook their heads simultaneously and stared down at the burnt out stick. The silence became uncomfortable and Reno shifted the duffel bag to his other hand. "So, who am I looking for?"
All three pairs of eyes turned back up to watch the ex-Turk. The middle man spoke first. "Yuffie Kisaragi."
"You know her." The man on the right.
"You fought her." The man on the left.
One eyebrow rose in question as Reno looked down at the three men. They were a good foot shorter than him and it was beginning to hurt his neck. "Yeah... Legs, know her, fought her." Long, quiet pause. "Is that it?"
The middle man shoved a phone into Reno's free hand. "Find her."
"Call us." The man on the right.
"We'll come get her." The man on the left.
Another silence followed. Reno slowly nodded while sliding the phone into his pant-pocket. "...Right. Anything else?"
"No." The middle man.
"Get on the boat." The man on the right.
"Or you'll miss it." The man on the left.
All three men shoved Reno towards the boat then shuffled off into the distance, leaving Reno to shrug and board the ship. "Creepy sons of bitches..."
- - x - -
Three hours later and Yuffie was ready to eat Kiddo alive. Losing their supplies meant losing their food, and in this, it meant Yuffie would starve until they got to the next town. "Hey, bird-brain, where the hell are you going? You've been crossing mountains forever!" Her stomach snarled at her and she groaned inwardly, doubling over to rest her head against the chocobo's neck.
Kiddo warked and sped up, as if feeling sympathy for his rider – even if she was a threat to his very life. Despite the random battles that came along, the two entered Costa del Sol within the next ten minutes, give or take a little.
With the gil accumulated from the monsters she fought, Yuffie bought herself a decent meal and devoured it like a rampaging tornado, leaving the little bits of greens to give to Kiddo later on. Once finished with the stack of plates, she sauntered out of the restaurant and found herself staring as thought-of bird-brain was being towed away by a stranger with scrawny legs clad in blue.
Every once in a while, she spotted a red mop of hair from behind the wobbling bird as it seemed to struggle with the idea of going along or fighting back for its freedom. The familiarity struck her and she took a threatening step forward, innocent tourists jumping away from her and swearing they felt the ground shake.
But Yuffie's mind wasn't on the welfare of the people in the vicinity of her frustration. All focus was on the red-head-sorry-excuse-for-a-breathing-monkey-faced-bastard walking away with her chocobo.
"Hey! Get back here with my bird, jackass!"
Author's Note: I apologize, but I have to laugh at my own attempts at humor. xD Personally, I think this chapter was funny, but that's just me. My sense of humor is a strange one and no one else seems to find it funny. x.x; But that's alright. Please let me know what you think of this chapter in reviews. I'm actually going to take some time into making the chapters of this story good, unlike what I've been doing in the past (randomly writing out chapters as quickly as I can so as not to make my readers wait). So, once again, please review. They fuel my ego and get me to write as well as I can. :3 Thank you.