A/N: You all must thank Vulpes Lapis for this chapter. Bribery in its best form. Chapters should hopefully be more frequent. Why, you ask? Well, I injured my knee playing soccer, which means I get to sit out most of the season. sighs and I was a starting center midfield this year too. Oh, and as for my grades, I somehow managed to pull through with a 4.0. Don't ask me how, considering I haven't even turned in half of my homework assignments. Someone up there must really like me. Disaster has been avoided once again! Then this will all happen again in January…midterms! squeaks You know what's really funny? I can write a fanfic, but I can't write a short story for English class.
Vulpes Lapis: you know, if I wasn't completely bored (crutches are not fun, especially when you have a two story house…) and unable to go downstairs and pig out or something, I probably wouldn't even be writing this. But then again…new fic=something to read online while I'm bored. Just like now.
"dialogue"
thoughts/emphasis
[Author's notes]
flashback/dreams
DISCLAIMER: Dammit, I don't own either Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy. Leave me alone before I attack you with my crutches!
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Life, or Something Like It
Chapter Six: Survival of the Fittest
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Yuffie vaguely wondered just why she had agreed to this. She could've flat out refused to agree to their madness. She could've been taken back to Riku and Sora. But no. She had to be polite and agree. Yuffie toyed with the tie around her neck. It was horribly uncomfortable. And she was supposed to wear this skirt when it was below thirty outside? Whoever designed these skirts must've been perverts, Yuffie thought with a sigh. A uniform. Yuffie Kisaragi, who was never even seen in a skirt, much less anything remotely…formal, was wearing a uniform and going to a Catholic school.
What was the reason she agreed to this again?
"It's either a Catholic school or an all-girl boarding school in England," Cloud had told her flatly.
Ah. Yuffie scowled at her reflection. White cotton button down shirt, navy blue tie, short, pleated skirt, white knee socks, black loafers…she could almost hear Sora's uncontrollable laughter and Riku's snide remarks. She sighed. She missed them dearly. Yuffie trudged over to her bed and flopped down on it. Yuffie sighed and tugged unnecessarily at her hair. It was still damp from her shower. What was wrong with her? She was finally leading a normal life, and all she could do was scowl. Well, I didn't know that a normal life meant life without Riku or Sora, Yuffie thought, sitting up. She glanced at the now framed picture of herself, Sora, and Riku. Sora could be thoughtful when he wanted to be, Yuffie decided. And this gift proved it. She couldn't help but smile back at the picture. She remembered how they came to be Siamese triplets…
"All you do is let go of the balloon when I say three," a little boy with silvery tresses and striking aqua eyes instructed. He appeared to be about six years old. "Then," he said emphatically, "we run."
The five year old brown haired boy beside him frowned. "Isn't that gonna make him mad?" he asked, glancing at his friend with wide ocean blue eyes, his bottom lip caught between his teeth in worry.
Riku huffed. "He ripped up your teddy bear didn't he? And," he continued, "he broke my car," he concluded, as if that fact settled everything. "Ansem deserves it. He didn't even say sorry."
"If you drop the balloon, you'll end up being sorry," another voice spoke up.
"Who're you?" Riku demanded, putting his hands on his hips, almost dropping his balloon of water.
"A girl," Sora acknowledged disdainfully, almost making the word "girl" sound like an insult.
"Name's Yuffie," the short girl answered before adding proudly, "the Greatest Female Ninja!"
Riku blinked. "You're no ninja. You're a little girl."
Yuffie swelled with anger. "Little?!"
"How old are you?" Sora asked. "Four?"
"Four?! I'm seven and a quarter!" Yuffie said indignantly, puffing out her chest.
Riku snickered. This girl was almost as short as a Chihuahua. "You? Seven?"
"Seven and a quarter," Yuffie repeated. "Stop laughing! It's not funny."
"You're still no ninja," Riku decided.
"Oh yeah? Watch this!" Yuffie got into a martial arts stance.
"What? I can stand on my tippy-toes and make funny noises too," Sora said, imitating Yuffie.
"Hiiii—YAH!" Yuffie exclaimed as she karate chopped Sora's arm. Sora howled and clutched his arm, rubbing the area where she had made contact.
And, unfortunately, he also let go of the water balloon.
SPLAT.
Riku, Yuffie and Sora exchanged bewildered glances. Riku glared at Sora, who sheepishly murmured, "Oops." Three, two…one.
"Goddammit!"
The three scampered off at top speed, stifling their laughter and failing miserably. "I'm Sora," the small brunet boy introduced as they flew up a set of stairs. "And he's Riku."
They collapsed moments later on a rug in the Rec Room—Wreck Room, they called it, since almost everything in the room was busted. "So, why were you gonna drop that water balloon in the first place?" Yuffie asked.
"He broke my car," Riku said angrily.
"My teddy, too," Sora added sadly.
"He took my shurkiens," Yuffie offered helpfully, as if to comfort them.
"So we dropped the balloon," Sora finished.
Yuffie laughed. "You call that revenge?"
"Yeah, so?" Riku challenged.
"That's child's play," Yuffie said, sticking her nose up haughtily. "I guess I could give you a few tips…"
And from the plan they hatched, a friendship was born.
"Yuffie?" Aerith called, knocking on the door. "Are you ready? We're leaving in five!"
"Okay," Yuffie answered. She slipped on her headband and stood before the mirror one last time. She sighed, pulled on her jacket, and threw a scarf around her neck. For now, this was as good as it was gonna get.
High school. Two words she'd never wished to hear. She'd seen enough on television how much stress high school put on teenagers. Cliques, drugs, gangs…now that she thought about it, it was almost as if she had never left the orphanage. If this was how high school was, she shouldn't have any trouble at all fitting in.
Then why the hell did she feel as if she were about to faint?
"You're going to love this school," Aerith told her, stepping on the brakes to meet the school zone speed. "You'll learn a lot, meet new friends…"
Yuffie stared out the passenger's side window. "Uh huh. How am I getting home?"
"Squall's going to pick you up and drop you off at the hospital, where you can around until my shift is over. Then we'll go home for dinner."
"Fun." Yuffie was glad that she had a home, and Aerith was a great person to talk to. She had no doubt that Aerith was going to be a great mother. Hell, all Aerith could talk about were kids, but Cloud was too chicken to pop the freaking question after they had been together for practically their entire lives. She dropped the most obvious hints of wanting a commitment nearly everyday at dinner, but God. Yuffie had known men were idiots, but this was just ridiculous.
But this family business…it was going to take some time and patience. Room clean, homework complete, dinner together every night unless said otherwise, curfew at eleven P.M. (and nine on weekdays), Church on Sundays, chores, laundry…it was all new, and a bit intimidating.
"We're here," Aerith announced, pulling up to a sidewalk where dozens of high school students stood, milling about and conversing with friends.
Yuffie grabbed her backpack and gripped it so tightly her knuckles turned white. The butterflies in her stomach turned into a pair of boxing gloves, hammering away at her stomach. Her heart leapt up into her throat as she opened the passenger's side door. "See you later," she said, unable to keep the tremor out of her voice.
She hurried up to the building, looking at the small map she held in her hands. She studied it and began to walk inside when Aerith called after her, "Have a nice day!"
Yuffie froze in her tracks. She really hoped that wasn't a sign of more bad things to come. Several kids pointed and laughed loud, taunting chortles. Maybe if she walked away and pretended not to hear, they'd leave her alone…
"Hey!" a voice called out to her.
She walked faster. Her cheeks were aflame with embarrassment, and she had no idea where she was going. But she needed a moment to collect herself.
"Hey, wait up!" the voice persisted.
Yuffie finally stopped and turned around. "What the hell do you want?"
The girl before her seemed a little taken aback by the greeting. "Nice to see you too," Kairi answered. Her frown turned into a smile. "Oh my God! What are you doing here?"
Yuffie shrugged. "Learning?" She was relieved to see a familiar face. Now she knew how Kairi felt when she was lost downtown.
"Where's Sora?" she asked, trying to seem nonchalant, but failing horribly.
Yuffie shifted her backpack from one shoulder to the other. She hid a smile and made a mental note to somehow get Sora and Kairi together. "To tell you the truth, I don't know. Someone finally took me in, and here I am."
"That's great!"
"I guess…though these skirts don't generate much heat, do they?"
Kairi laughed. "You get used to it."
"Though I don't mind these skirts at all," a third voice spoke. "A very nice view, don't you think?"
"Deidros. Not now. Not ever," Kairi sighed, turning to the boy that spoke.
"Now who might you be?" he asked Yuffie. He had gray eyes that reminded her of the autumn sky, and dark curly hair that fell into his eyes. He stood about a head taller than she did, and had a flirtatious glint in his eye. All in all, he wasn't all that bad on they eyes…not that Yuffie was looking, of course.
"Not interested," Yuffie replied.
"Touché!" Deidros put a hand to his heart and grimaced in mock pain. "What is they name, dear maiden?"
"Yuffie Kisaragi."
"Deidros Jimenez, at your service. DJ for short," he introduced, bowing deeply. "So what grade are you in?"
"Eleventh."
"Ah, a high and mighty upperclassman. We mustn't be seen with an underclassman. It's a blow to our ego," Deidros said with a grin, taking Yuffie's arm as he began to lead her away.
"So now I'm an underclassman?" Kairi asked, keeping up with Deidros and Yuffie. "I thought you actually cared," she added sarcastically.
"And I thought this was a love-hate relationship."
"You're impossible."
Yuffie let her mind drift off as she looked around. A petite girl with hazel eyes and a waterfall of glossy blonde hair sat on a bench, poring over some text on elements. Yuffie noticed that everyone seemed to keep their distance from the girl, but the girl didn't seem the least bit bothered. In fact, she seemed to enjoy her isolated peace. "Hey, who's that?" Yuffie asked, nudging Kairi in the ribs.
Kairi looked in the direction Yuffie was pointing. "Oh. I don't know her real name. Everyone calls her Akurei."
Yuffie frowned. "They call her Akurei? That translates to evil in Japanese."
"They say she worships the devil," Deidros added.
"At a Catholic school?" Yuffie asked skeptically.
Kairi shrugged. "You never know."
"So why doesn't anyone ask?"
"I'm sure that'll be a lovely conversation. 'Hi there. Me and my friends were wondering, do you praise Satan?'" Deidros said, rolling his eyes.
Yuffie narrowed her eyes at him and said, "It beats just sitting here talking about something we don't know."
The first bell sounded, and the students began to file into the halls. "That's the homeroom bell," Deidros said unnecessarily. He held out an arm to Yuffie. "Shall I escort the young maiden to the principal's office?"
"Still not interested," Yuffie said before walking off, leaving Deidros to jog after her.
Tifa Lockheart had always enjoyed chemistry as a high school student. It reminded her of her bartending job. Mixing vodka with the right amount of vinegar [A/N: Question: do you mix vodka with vinegar? ^_^; considering I'm still under the drinking age…I wouldn't know…well, it tastes like vinegar, doesn't it? Not that I've tasted it, of course :P], setting the Bunsen burner on while spooning and stirring the chemicals…when she'd accepted the job of becoming a substitute chemistry teacher, she hadn't realized just how immature juniors could be. Or just how little control they held over their hormones.
She sighed when she'd realized that no one was listening to her directions. At least when she was bartending, she was put out front to keep the male customers coming back for more…beer, that is. But being a teacher at a Catholic school was a different story. Her job was teach and keep her students' attention…on chemistry. Unfortunately, the boys in her class were focused on other things. Dammit, she wasn't a centerpiece on the Thanksgiving table!
The door swung open and Deidros swaggered in, followed by a girl. He grinned doggishly when he saw the teacher. "Good morning, Miss Lockheart," he greeted, bowing slightly.
Tifa sighed again. "What's your excuse this time?" She'd had the displeasure of subbing for the chemistry teacher more times than she would've like to. But, it was something to do…
"I am," the girl spoke. "Deidros showed me around," she continued, handing a slip of paper to Tifa.
"Yuffie Kisaragi…" Tifa frowned as she pronounced the name. It seemed so easy to say, natural on her tongue. "Have I known you before?"
Yuffie looked strangely at her teacher. "I don't think so…" Really, and people thought she was a loony?
"You look vaguely familiar."
Shrug. "I'm not from around here."
Tifa scrutinized the girl once more before clapping her hands. She shrugged off the strange feeling to think about it later. "Class, settle down! We have a new student joining us today from…?"
"Brooklyn," Yuffie answered.
"This is Yuffie Kisaragi."
Yuffie gave a small smile and shifted uncomfortably. "Hi." She looked around at the twenty or so students who sat before her. They seemed friendly enough. Sure, there were a few snotty cheerleaders about, but nothing she couldn't handle. She felt a pair of eyes boring into her and looked up to see the girl referred to as Akurei sitting in the back of the classroom. And for once she wasn't hunched over some text book, Yuffie noted.
"Yuffie, today you can partner up with…Rae."
Yuffie moved towards an Asian girl in the middle row.
"No, no. Rae. In the back. The blonde."
Realization and dread painfully set in her stomach. Akurei. She was lab partners with a Goth. Yuffie tried so hard not to appear disappointed, but failed miserably. Great. As if her social status as the new kid wasn't low enough, now she was paired up with the devil. It seemed that fate had chosen yet another chew toy by the name of Yuffie Kisaragi.
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TBC
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A/N: Bleh. Not my best chapter. But damn. I must be doing something right to be getting all these reviews! I hadn't realized that I had so many reviews! wipes away a tear Thank you all so much! I SWEAR I'll respond to all the reviews sometime…really, I will. I honestly can't focus now. My knee is freaking killing me…and of course, I should be at practice now. sighs again Next chapter we'll have Yuffie snooping around the hospital and finding yet another person she once knew…more Squall somewhere in there, and probably a bit of S/K. As for the OC Riku's supposed to be paired up with, I was gonna actually steal Vulpes Lapis' OC, but someone else beat me to it, so here I am making my own. Oh, speaking of characters, any FF characters you'd like to see? Reminder, I've only played FF7 and FF10 (which I finally got around to beating last night, considering I had nothing else to do), so if you give me another character from any other game, it'd be nice if you told me a bit about their personality and appearance (hair color, eye color, height, etc). Right…time for a bit of math
Reader + new chapter = REVIEW!
Aren't I smart?
