A pain in the neck

Author's note: Once again the characters are not mine! Except for any I make up! So there! I would also like the thank all those who reviewed my first chapter. I'm sorry this one is so short, but exams, wedding plans, and just plain bullshit messes up my concentration. Besides I have the attention span of a……….SHINY!

'I refuse to have a repeat of last time.' echoed through his head. He ran a hand through his blood red hair. 'A repeat of last time.' he thought and snorted. That would be when Avalanche got away in the sewers. They had pressed for a fight. It wasn't a part of his job. He would have gladly backed down, but what can a guy do against a group of highly armed, moralistic terrorists. Cold seeped through his jacket from the wall he leaned against. Scarlet always kept her place bordering to warm. Reno hated it. He always felt the cold a little to sharply. The past year had been hard though. Turks have a lot of enemies from their line of business. It was luck that found them a job guarding Scarlet's mansion. The ex-executive had a hard time herself coping with the loss of her flawless complexion in her last fight with Avalanche. The machine's explosion had left scars all over her face. They had only recently began to fade into puckered white lines, that criss-crossed her nose, mouth and forehead. 'Ironic how the thing she was most proud off was ruined.' he thought to himself.

The white hallway was empty, except for him. All the doors were shut and locked with huge padlocks. Guarding the door to the left was boring. An occasional sob broke the silence, but nothing else. Yuffie had given up on yelling, screaming, and cursing. 'She's probably not able to.' he thought, remembering that it had been two days since she had come into their grasp. They hadn't fed her or given her anything to drink In that time period. The young man grimaced as the memory of breaking her legs washed over him. Sometimes the business was really unpleasant. Boredom crept all around him. The ninja wasn't going anywhere with her legs broken. Tired of being alone, Reno decided to get some more information. He unlocked the door and quickly bolted inside. Once in the nearly empty cell, he closed the door behind him and locked it again.

A small room greeted his eyes. No windows; no bed; nothing that could possibly be used as a weapon. In the corner, a small form huddled underneath a blanket trying to stay warm. It shivered and sobbed alternately. A small face peered out at him. It's features dirty and tear stained, but obviously wutain and female.

"It was a shame to break those legs of yours, Kid." Reno said as he leaned against the door and lit up a cigarette. "They were really nice to look at. You should have spilled."

A look of disgust and hatred shot out at him from under the blanket. Her tears had stopped flowing while he watched. It was better to see her hate him, then to hear her cry. He waited for her to reply, but it didn't come.

"You really shouldn't cry so much." he goaded her again. "It's not very attractive."

Yuffie gritted her teeth and tried to reply, but only a sound that resembled a bark come out of her instead. Reno's smirk appeared on his face, and his blue eyes mocked her.

"So you're turning into a dog now, are you? That's good. You know, that's my favorite position." Yuffie seemed to shrink back into her corner even more. "Don't you worry, Kid. You're still a little to young for my tastes."

He watched her gray eyes flash with anger. The kid couldn't talk unless she got some water to wet her throat. Turning to the door, he began to talk again. " You can get your legs healed as good as new if you use Cure 3 before the week is out." Lifting his face to look at her he got out his key. It was as if she hadn't heard him. Her faced was covered by the blanket again. "But I doubt that will happen." he snorted and unlocked the door. As he opened the door, a shoe connected with his back, barely missing his back. He ducked past the door and quickly shut and relocked it. A smile graced his face the entire time.

'We got to take her shoes now,' he thought as he went to get some water.

A large, dark haired man bowed his body to the large deity in front of him. Emerald robes swam around his humble figure. In front of him, the large golden statue majestically loomed over the room. The effigy was extensively worked. Millions of golden scales gleamed in the sunlight, completely covering the serpentine god's body. White ivory teeth filled Leviathan's snarling mouth and rubies flashed in the sea god's eyes. It was as if someone had taken the aquatic god and encased in gold and gems.

The entity's soulless eyes stared above the man bowing to his. The man's low voice mumbled his praise to the god and voiced his concerns.

"Oh great Leviathan, I am nothing more than your humble servant. My ancestors have served you faithfully over the centuries as the rulers of Wutai, yet I am concerned for my daughter. I beg you to guide her in the ways of a wise and just ruler. She is thick-headed and selfish. Her goals are not fitting for the future ruler of your chosen people. I ask you great one, to take her under your guidance and make her the powerful ruler I know she can be."

The man lifted himself from the floor and walked to the door. As he left the temple, he pulled a PHS from his sleeves and dialed the number of a the spiky haired leader of Avalanche.

The phone rang three times before a voice came over the phone.

"Hello."

"This is Godo Kisagari. Have I reached the Strife residence?"

"Yeah. This is Cloud." replied the young male's disembodied voice.

"Has Yuffie contacted you recently? She was supposed to be back in Wutai for her coronation yesterday."

"Haven't seen her for two months now." concern tinged the warriors voice.

"Can you see if you can find her. She's being declared Heir to Wutai on Friday and it's already Tuesday." growled the shogun.

"I'll see what I can do." promised Cloud. "Where was she last seen?" he asked.

"Junon area." Godo said. " I hate when she does this. Such an irresponsible girl."