[A/N: I know, I know, bad QwickSilver, bad! Riku just might have to give this author a spanking…
Riku: *runs away screaming*
*ahem* Yeah. Sorry, I've been so crappy about updating. I sat myself down and practically forced this chapter onto the screen. My muses are still on Spring Break in Cancun. As predicted, my mom got on my case about my grades, and she took away my lovely laptop and my online privileges *sobs* Till my mom gets home, here's a new chapter! And I'm also very very happy that you guys were all satisfied with the last chapter. I don't know, it just looked better in my notebook for some reason and didn't come out how I'd expected. As for how many chapters are left, let's just say the end is…coming. When or how, I'll tell you when I get there (if I ever get there at this rate…I seem to drag things out, don't I?) :P ]
DISCLAIMER: If I owned KH and FFVII/VIII/X, I doubt I'd be wasting my time giving you another disclaimer. I'd have secretaries to do that for me and Riku and all my favorite bishies locked in my closet for…personal tasks. Mwahaha.
Flashbacks/Dreams
Thoughts
"Speech"
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Life or Something Like it
Chapter 11: Education…or something like it
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Yuffie walked around the empty courtyard, fingers fiddling with the fringes of her scarf. The harsh, cool wind blew, causing Yuffie to hold down her skirt to keep it from flying up. Damned skirts, she thought absently as goose bumps rose upon her bare legs. She was supposed to be in study hall, but she grew tired of trying to study when there were couples two seats away trying to see how far they could stick their tongues down each other's throats. Really, and this is supposed to be a Catholic school? Yuffie continued through the courtyard, letting her thoughts drift back to the morning's events. What the hell was her making her act this way around Squall? Almost all of her friends were male; what made Squall so...so different?
Then again, she'd never been that close to a guy only wearing a towel with water droplets glistening on his skin and smelling like—
Her thoughts came to a crash as she stumbled over something and hit the ground hard. She blinked, trying to realize what had just happened before the pain finally registered. "Owww..." Yuffie groaned, rubbing her sore knees. "What the...?" she wondered as she got to her feet.
Akurei sat on the floor in lotus position, eyes closed. She either a) didn't care that Yuffie busted her knee caps tripping over her or b) didn't even notice that Yuffie had tripped over her. Yuffie believed it to be the latter. She stood up and began to apologize. "Um, sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you."
"You didn't, until now," Akurei answered, eyes still closed.
Yuffie put her hands in the pockets of her coat. "What're you doing anyway?"
Akurei cracked open one eye. "Meditating. So were you, judging by the way you seemed to have your head in the clouds and tripped over me."
"I guess so...long story." Yuffie smiled sheepishly. "So, up for detention today?"
"Are you trying to start a conversation with me?" Akurei asked bluntly.
Yuffie was slightly taken aback. "Um, yes? Is that a problem?"
Akurei regarded her with an unreadable expression. "It's just that...haven't you heard the rumors? I'm a demon, a worshipper of the devil."
Blink. "So?"
"You don't care what they think?"
"Not really..."
Akurei looked at Yuffie, seeming to be sizing her up. At last, Akurei shrugged. "Meditation helps relieve stress and clear the mind."
I guess I passed the test, Yuffie thought. "I really could use some of that right now," Yuffie murmured to herself.
"Have a seat."
"What?"
"You wanna meditate or not?"
Shrugging, Yuffie sat Indian style beside Akurei. It wasn't like she wanted to go back to study hall and watch couples round the bases faster than Sammy Sosa on steroids anyway. "Now what?"
"Don't think about anything. Empty your head of all your thoughts and worries. Just...exist."
"How the hell do you do that?"
"It might help if you imagined yourself to be a plant of some sort."
Yuffie gave up after five minutes of "existing." She wasn't known for being patient. "How does this help again?"
"It helps me," Akurei said quietly, glancing down at the ground. "Especially when people talk about you as if you don't exist. Which is why meditation helps me out. It's nice to feel as if I do exist, even if it is only for ten minutes while skipping class."
"...I'm sorry." For some reason, those two words felt inadequate. It didn't seem to be enough to describe just how sorry Yuffie felt for Akurei.
"It's no one's fault but my own...I haven't bothered to correct them."
"But you shouldn't be judged like that."
"Then again, I don't really mind."
Yuffie could sense that what Akurei said and felt were two very different things. "Right...I better get back to study hall before I'm missed by the librarian." She brushed off her skirt as she stood. "Before I go...I feel sort of stupid for asking, what's your real name? I mean, no one in their right mind would name their kid 'evil' purposely."
"Raine...but those who know me call me Rae. And to everyone else, I'm Akurei."
"I'm Yuffie. See you in detention...Rae."
Yuffie waved and stuck her hands in the pockets of her jacket to keep them warm. Well, I've done my good deed for the year. Befriending the high school outcast, she thought with a wry smile. She began to walk back to study hall when she had a vague feeling of being watched. Her sixth sense triggered an alarm in her head and she stopped in her tracks. It's probably a teacher, she thought to herself and began to walk again. A gloved hand clamped itself firmly over her mouth and an arm snaked itself about her waist. Unless teachers cover your mouth and pull you into the bushes, she thought fearfully, struggling as her captor dragged her away. Yuffie bit down hard on the hand and stomped on the person's toes. When another hand gripped her right arm, she thrust her other arm back and elbowed his gut.
A loud, "Owwwww!" could be heard and a dull thud as someone sunk to their knees.
Yuffie finally pulled herself free, ready to bolt or defend herself if need be. She faced her captor.
Or, captors.
Yuffie let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when she saw her so-called captors. Poor Sora knelt on the ground, gasping for breath while Riku was nursing the hand she'd bitten. "I hope you got your rabies shots," Riku grumbled, wincing at the pain in his hand.
"Riku! Sora!" She pulled them both into an air-restricting group hug. "Oh my God! How are you guys?" She released them and then added, "How did you get here?"
Sora was still winded from the hug and Yuffie's elbow to his gut. "That…dude…you're staying …with...Scott—"
"Squall," Yuffie corrected automatically without thinking.
"—told us...where you…went to school."
"And of course I'm the brains behind the operation, so it was my idea for us to 'shadow' you today," Riku continued.
"So what were you going to do if I wasn't wandering around outside?" Yuffie asked.
"Well, I really hadn't thought about it...lucky for us you were though, huh?"
Yuffie's face broke into a smile. It'd been a long time since she'd last smiled. Truly smiled. "Come on. I have C Lunch today, but since I'm already skipping study hall, we can go to B Lunch and you guys can meet some friends of mine."
"You've already replaced us?" Riku asked.
"Don't be stupid," Yuffie admonished. "You guys are one of a kind. Who else would attack me at school?" Though she didn't show it, Yuffie was immensely relieved that it was just Riku and Sora. For a moment she'd thought it was a jail-broken Ansem waiting for his revenge. As they walked, Yuffie glanced over her shoulder at Sora. "And I think there's someone you might be interested in, Sora," she told him slyly.
Sora stopped in his tracks. "Whaaaaaa?"
"Oh come on, don't tell me you've never thought about girls before."
"Well..." Sora trailed off. He thought it best to stop while he was ahead. "Wait…you aren't gonna try and set me up with anyone, are you?" he asked, running to catch up with his friends. It didn't take a genius to see that Yuffie obviously knew something he didn't.
"Maybe…" Yuffie led her friends into the lunch room. "Welcome to the cafeteria. Stay away from anything that's gray and lumpy; chances are it's still alive," she told them as they weaved their way through the cafeteria.
Riku could feel the stares of the other students upon him. Maybe he shouldn't have worn this shirt today. He looked down at the letters printed on the front of his shirt. "I don't have an attitude problem; you just have a perception problem." Riku nudged Yuffie. "Maybe we should get some kind of uniform."
"Oh yeah…" Yuffie eyed his shirt and sighed. "Did you really have to wear that shirt today?"
"It was the only black shirt he had that wasn't already in the hamper," Sora told Yuffie, earning a glare from Riku.
"You know, if you wore something blue, it'd bring out your eyes," Yuffie said, waving as she saw her friends.
"Who made you my fashion consultant?" Riku grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"It's true. You have beautiful eyes," she commented lightly.
Riku was slightly confused at the comment. He wasn't so much confused at the comment as he was confused with his reaction. He felt his cheeks redden. She could've used better word choice, he decided. "Pretty" or "nice" would have sufficed. Why did she say "beautiful"?
Why the hell was he even thinking about it so much? He should just stop thinking…especially about Yuffie.
"Yuffie!
Riku watched as a tall, dark curly haired boy stood up and greeted Yuffie. He pulled her into a hug that lifted her off her feet. "Dammit, Deidros put me down!" Yuffie said, squirming in his grasp. When he set her back on her feet, Yuffie punched Deidros' arm and greeted, "Dumbass."
"You rang?"
"Hey Yuffie. I thought you had C Lunch today," said Kairi as Yuffie sat at the table.
"Skipping study hall." Yuffie took a few French fries from Kairi's tray and sat down. Riku took a seat in between Sora and Yuffie. Yuffie gestured to the two newcomers. "By the way, I'd like you guys to meet my friends. Riku, Sora, that loser is Deidros—"
"Hey, remember when you point at someone, you're pointing three more fingers back at yourself," Deidros quipped.
"—and this is Kairi."
"Kairi?"
"Sora?" the two asked in unison.
"It's a small world," Deidros said with a grin, slinging an arm around Yuffie.
"And it's getting smaller," Riku muttered under his breath.
"Still. Not. Interested," Yuffie ground out, pushing Deidros' arm off her shoulders. "But could you do me a favor?"
"Anything for thy fair maiden."
Yuffie fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Could you find these guys a couple of uniforms? I don't think Riku's shirt qualifies as following the uniform code."
Deidros looked at Riku's shirt. "Hm. I have the same one at home."
"Great, now I have to burn this one."
Yuffie glanced at Riku. Just moments before he was happy to see her, now he was bitter and rude. "You okay?"
"Fine," Riku bit off the word rather frigidly.
"Right…two uniforms coming up. I'm sure I can pull a few strings here and there," Deidros said as he pushed back his chair and hurried off. He wasn't as unobservant as everyone made him out to be. Even he could feel the tension between Mr. Moody and Yuffie that was thickening rapidly.
Sora and Kairi were engaged in idle chit chat about hobbies and interests, unaware of anything but each other. Yuffie smiled and nudged Riku. "Looks like our little Sora isn't so little anymore. They grow up so fast."
Riku shrugged. "I guess."
"What is with you? Just two seconds ago you were so happy…it's been a long time since I've seen you smile like you did before."
"Yeah, well, it's not everyday your best friend goes and replaces you with some pervert looking to score and Sora's ideal girlfriend."
"You mean Deidros?" Yuffie asked with an incredulous laugh. "You're kidding me. That's just how he is. It bugged me a bit when I first met him too, but you get used to it. He's just a flirt, that's all."
"A bit of an asshole too."
Yuffie chuckled at that. "You have no idea."
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"Not too shabby, if I do say so myself," Deidros commented.
"Well, don't," Riku grumbled, shooting him a glare.
"You guys clean up very well," Yuffie complimented. "Though you could use a little help with the ties." She turned to Deidros. "Where did you get these? You didn't beat up on some poor freshmen and sophomores to snag these, did you?"
Deidros shifted his backpack from one shoulder to the other. "Of course not…do you think so little of me?" After receiving a pointed glare from Yuffie, Deidros continued. "Well, more like threatened them."
Yuffie rolled her eyes and watched Sora fidgeted with his tie. "Why don't they make them like one of the ones that clip?" Sora complained, giving up.
Kairi smiled and helped Sora tie it. "It's not that hard."
A blush spread across his cheeks and he raised a hand to rub the back of his head sheepishly. "Um, thanks."
Yuffie wanted to gag. The sappiness was just so overwhelming. The two were pining for each other from afar when they were this close to each other. It was ridiculous and sickening to watch. "Sora, do you want to shadow Kairi? I don't think it'd be fair to leave Kairi alone, especially after you two seem to be having so much fun talking."
"Sure!" he replied a bit too eagerly. "Uh, I mean, if it's okay with Kairi."
Kairi's face took on a red hue. "If you want to…"
"'Course I do."
She smiled. "Well, come on. I have European Arts next, and I can't be late," Kairi said, pulling Sora along by his wrist. "See you guys later!"
Deidros stared after them, then shifted his gaze down at Yuffie. "Why'd you do that for? Now they'll find the nearest closet and fuck like bunnies."
"Better the closet than the cafeteria where people are eating," Yuffie answered.
"I like the way you think, Kisaragi."
"I know an insult when I hear one." She turned to Riku. "Let's go. The bell's about to ring and I'm gonna be late for chemistry."
"Oh, by the way, class is in the home-ec room today," Deidros informed.
"Why?"
"Well, after you melted down the lab, I'd find it hard to work in such an environment."
Riku raised an eyebrow at the remark.
Yuffie sighed. "Long story."
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"Nice of you to show up," Tifa said dryly as Deidros, Yuffie, and another boy walked into the home-ec room. She vaguely wondered what the excuse could be this time.
"Sorry Miss Lockheart," Deidros apologized.
"I forgot that the class had been moved," Yuffie said with a shrug.
"And who is this?" Tifa asked, motioning towards the stranger.
"This is Riku. He's shadowing me today."
"Also known as Mr. Moody," Deidros added.
"Welcome to Juniors' Chemistry, Riku," Tifa greeted. "Do you know anything about chemistry at all?"
"Well, not really…"
"Then you'll fit in nicely." She cleared her throat and raised her voice. "Pair up with your partners! Outline chapter twelve and hand it in at the end of class. Be prepared for a pop quiz sometime this week."
Deidros went over to his partner, and Riku followed Yuffie to the back of the room where a mousy girl with glossy blonde hair and brandy colored eyes sat silently, reading a heavy text. She looked up and nodded briefly at Yuffie. "Hey Rae. This is Riku. Riku, Rae. Rae, Riku."
"Nice to meet you."
"Likewise," the girl replied, closing the heavy book and putting it away.
Yuffie took out her books and a pen. "I'll take the even lessons, and you take the odd."
Rae nodded mutely and got to work.
Riku leaned towards Yuffie and whispered, "Is she always this talkative?"
"She's quite the chatterbox." Yuffie looked at her book, the words blurring together when she stared at them too long. "Here," she said suddenly, shoving the book and notebook towards Riku. "You outline this crap."
To Yuffie's surprise, Riku silently picked up the pen and began to write. "You really didn't have to," Yuffie said uncertainly. "I was just frustrated, that's all."
"I got it. Take a nap or something," Riku said. "I'm bored as hell anyway. I need something to do before I go brain dead."
"Thanks." She still felt tired from waking up so early. She rested her head in hand and propped her elbow on the table. It was no use trying to go back to sleep. Whenever Yuffie closed her eyes, her thoughts somehow found their way back to "The Incident". At some point during class, she fell into a light doze…
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Yuffie found herself in what seemed to be a castle. A large, towering, gothic castle, she noted as she tilted her head back to view the top.
"Toto? I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," she muttered to herself. Here the hell was she? Cautiously, Yuffie made her way down a small path away from the castle. In the distance, a small town dwelt. Maybe she'd find someone in town to tell her where she was. Shifting the weight of her backpack from one shoulder to the other, Yuffie made her way closer, a strong sense of déjà vu overcoming her. What is this place? And a better question, why is it so familiar? The small town was bustling with activity. Children ran around, squealing if they were deemed "it". To her surprise, there wasn't a single car on the narrow or one adult was chatting away on a cell phone. Obviously this place was primitive, compared to New York.
She cried out as something rammed into her from behind and sent her flying through the air for a minute before finally hitting the ground. Yuffie groaned and saw that a little girl was the one that brought her tumbling down. Well, the term, "hard-headed" is an understatement. More like "head of steel," she thought idly, shaking her head gently to clear away the stars. Yuffie turned to the little girl and asked, "Are you okay?"
But the little girl took off, without a single word spoken or as if she hadn't just fallen to the ground.
"Stop! Thief!" A man in his thirties with pale blonde hair and a cigarette stuck between his lips shouted, running towards Yuffie.
"Me?" Yuffie uttered bewilderedly. "I didn't take anything! I don't even live here!"
"Not you, kid," the man growled, hunching over and resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. "That punk that just took you down. And you're her latest victim."
"What?"
"Your bag's gone," he seemed to take great pleasure in saying.
Smart ass, she thought. Then, a split second later, "What?!"
Yuffie looked about her frantically, but her bag was nowhere to be found. Indeed, the mysterious little girl had run off with both her bag and whatever she stole from this man. Scrambling to her feet, Yuffie sprinted off in the direction the girl had run. She really didn't know where she was going, but she allowed her feet to carry her. The girl came into view, standing at a cross walk. She seemed unsure of which way to run next. Yuffie cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Hey, gimme back my book bag!"
The young girl turned to face her for the first time, and Yuffie's jaw fell open. The girl looked exactly like her at that age! What the hell's going on?! Yuffie kept running, hoping to stop the girl before she bolted again. A boy about thirty feet away from her seemed to be chasing after the girl. As he neared, Yuffie was shocked to see that the boy was Squall at a younger age.
"Yuffie!" young-Squall called out. "Get back here with my Munny, you little thief!"
The girl made a break for it, and before Yuffie could stop, she found herself about to run headlong into young-Squall.
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Thud.
God, did her forehead hurt…where was she again?
"Yuffie?" a voice called out tentatively.
Yuffie blinked as it all came rushing back to her. She'd been dreaming, and smacked foreheads with a younger version of Squall. Ouch…was it really just a dream? If so, why does my head hurt so much? "Yeah?" came Yuffie's muffled answer.
"Are you okay?" Riku asked.
"You tell me."
"You were sleeping, and your head slipped off your hand and hit the desk."
Ah. That would explain the headache. "I'm fine, I guess. Just a little tired."
"A little tired?"
"Fine, really tired."
The bell rang a bit too loudly for Yuffie's liking. She gathered her things, still a bit drowsy from her nap. "Hand in your outlines before you leave, please," Tifa announced, erasing the chalkboard.
The assignment! Yuffie slapped her forehead and immediately wished she hadn't. She was still sore from head banging with the desk. "Chill," Riku interrupted before she could say anything. "Me and Rae finished it while you were…what do you call that? Sleeping?"
Yuffie snatched the paper from his hands and glared at him. "Ha, ha, very funny." She practically slammed the papers on the teacher's desk and stormed out, Riku following her with a smirk on his face. Deidros chuckled, slinging his bag over his shoulders. "Smooth move Yuffie," he complimented as he caught up with Riku and Yuffie. "The trail of drool running down your arm and making a puddle on the desk was a very nice touch."
"Shut up," Yuffie replied scornfully.
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TBC
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A/N: It didn't seem right to end it here, but it was getting quite lengthy (3,500 without the Author's Notes). I suppose this is just a really REALLY long filler chapter for now. Oh, and as I finish this chapter, my muses finally come back from spring break in Cancun. Well, now that they're here, expect more development in the next chappie. And I promise to have it up by…Thursday? I know I haven't been keeping to schedule lately (I'm always late for class, so that doesn't help my scheduling problems), but if I don't have something up by then (and only by then), I need you all to come storming me.
Yes, pitchforks and all, otherwise I may never get my lazy arse to write.
If you're a rabid reader like I am, I know you can't pass up a chance to form an angry mob : )
Would you mind helping me out and please point out any grammar and/or spelling mistakes when you find them? One day I'll go back and re-edit this mess.
3 QwickSilver
