A/N: Welcome, welcome to Train Wreck chapter three! An important issue I want to make clear: I know I said this fic took place within the game. It does, but it has a few elements of AU and is a crossover as well. I also apologize for the super crappiness of this chapter. I wrote and rewrote this over and over for about two weeks, and I'm still not satisfied. But I, being lazy, am posting it anyway. Yay me. Hope it's somewhat satisfactory, though I doubt it. Grrr…I'm not very good with dialogue.

Heartsoblivion: thanks for your review! Yep, Squall's bad. But hopefully he sorta makes up for it here a little bit. He'll come around eventually.

Disclaimer: Yep it's mine. All mine. Every last bit. You thought Square and Disney owned it, but nope, I do. And if you believed that you really have problems. I honestly would be rolling around in a bathtub filled with dollar bills right now if I owned Kingdom Hearts. No bathtub, no money, no game. Darn.

I'm also currently looking for a beta for this story and any future works. If anybody is interested, please email me (the link is in the profile). And I would love you forever. Of course that's bribery. Heh. Yes, I blame the sleep deprivation.

This chapter is dedicated to Hawaiian Punch. (Ya know, the Fruit Jucy Red stuff?) Because without its high sugar content, this chapter would not have gotten out for quite a while.

-Chapter 3: Goodnight, Goodnight-

-x- -x- -x-

Left. Right. Left. Right. All Yuffie could feel was the white hot searing pain shooting out from her ankles. Her calves felt like they were on fire and fatigue marred her vision as she struggled to maintain her pace. How long she and Rikku had been running down the streets of the Second District, she didn't know. All she could focus on was trying to maintain her pace, trailing behind Rikku at rate that was just pathetic, and mentally cursing the blonde for picking out such atrocious shoes for her.

Sure, she'd conceded when Rikku demanded she wear (and enjoy wearing) large, uncomfortable looking boots, but at the time they seemed innocent enough. Long, snug, and with a slight heel on the bottom, that seemed as though it wouldn't cause great discomfort once she got used to it, Yuffie put them on without thinking twice. But as the pair left the store Rikku broke into a run, yelling something about getting fired if they were late, and it wasn't long before her new footwear betrayed her, causing the agonizing pain and discomfort Yuffie was now fighting with each step.

Looking ahead, all the girl could see was a flash of blonde and black as Rikku sprinted with ease far ahead of her. This girl had to be insane! That or she obviously ran quite often, for she didn't seem even remotely tired. Deciding that for the time being that she would assume it was the latter, Yuffie turned a corner, as Rikku had several moments before, and to her immense relief, found that the other girl had stopped running and was now facing a pair of enormous dark wooden doors.

Cool waves of relief flooded Yuffie's body and before she realized it, her legs buckled and she collapsed onto the cold stone floor, her mind becoming hazy as the cold evening winds nipped at her face and blew her short, black hair wildly about. The young girl's breathing became slower, less forced, and she vaguely wondered where Rikku was. Standing up on unsteady legs, Yuffie peered around in search of her new friend.

"Lookin' for me?" Came a voice from behind her. As Yuffie turned around, a task that proved to be more difficult than she'd anticipated, she saw none other than Rikku herself, hands on her hips, a slightly smug grin plastered on her face.

"Y-Y-Yes." Yuffie spluttered obviously taken aback.

"So how'd you enjoy the run?" the blonde giggled, flipping her hair and showing no apparent signs of anything more than an increased heart rate as the result of their little escapade.

"Unngh…" Yuffie held her head.

"That bad huh? I guess I should have told you that Lenne's shop is all the way across town. But look on the bright side, we got hear earlier than I thought we would, so you can meet the guys!" Yuffie sighed, maybe a bit too loudly, because Rikku seemed to hear it.

"Trust me, they're great! You just have to get to know them first. I promise." She grinned, opening the massive wooden doors and motioning for Yuffie to follow her inside.

A massive, dimly lit room met Yuffie's eyes. The faint odor of cigarette smoke and stale alcohol lingered in the air, causing her nose to twitch as she fought to hold back a sneeze. On one wall was a long wooden counter lined with stools. Behind the counter, a colossal cabinet imbedded into the wall displayed hundreds of bottles in all varieties of sizes, colors, and shapes. Several odd tables decorated the bare space beyond the bar and what looked to be an old beaten up juke box sat alone in the farthest corner, almost as if it didn't think it belonged there Yuffie noticed that the place was utterly deserted; she and Rikku were the only ones there. An involuntary shiver made its way up her spine. Maybe this was a bad idea after all…….

Before the little ninja had much time to digest her new found insight, Rikku grabbed Yuffie by the wrist and pulled her behind the counter, past the cabinet and all the colorful bottles of liquor, over to an obscure door off to the side with the word "STORAGE" printed in peeling black letters on it. Before Yuffie had the chance to question Rikku's decision, the blonde girl gripped the handle and flung the door open.

Fluorescent lights hung on the ceiling, giving the aqua tile on the walls and ceiling an eerie glow. Cardboard boxes and wooden crates were stacked haphazardly around the room, and the same cigarette-smoke-meets-alcohol stench was present.

Yuffie blinked. Several people sat atop makeshift seats of stacked crates in the center of the room. One of them, a brunette woman who looked to be about two years older than Yuffie, laughed boisterously at something a silver haired man next to her had said. Two blonde men, who looked so much alike that Yuffie was positive they must have be related somehow, were talking animatedly, well arguing actually, if the looks on their faces were anything to go by. A silver haired woman with pale skin and crimson eyes was the only one in the room standing; her gaze darting from one conversation to the other, arms crossed and face unreadable.

"Guys! I got news!" Rikku shoved Yuffie, who had been standing a ways behind the blonde in front of her.

"This is Yuffie, our new coworker. Tidus, you owe me a favor, and Yuffie here, is friendly, great with people, and very hardworking. So there." Rikku stated triumphantly.

Yuffie immediately felt six pairs of eyes on her, seemingly burning holes into her flesh. This kind of attention was a completely foreign experience to her. The girl was always either regarded with scorn or pity, or disregarded all together. But these people didn't know her, and justly did not judge her like she was used to. Perhaps what was the reason Yuffie felt her face slowly heating up, the color rising from her chin to forehead as she played with her fingers nervously, waiting for somebody to say something so she didn't have to.

One of the blonde men walked toward her, the look on his face showing that he meant business. He stared at her intensely for a minute, and then spoke, breaking the awkward silence.

"So, Yuffie, right? Nice to meet you. My name is Tidus and I run this fine establishment," Here he shook her hand, "And before we hire you we must conduct a little interview. Hope you don't mind. Standard procedure." Yuffie felt a large lump start to form in her throat. This was not good.

"So, how old are you?"

"Sixteen," was the meek response that followed.

"Hmm…" he scratched his chin thoughtfully, "and do you have any waitress or bartending experience?"

"Well,….no." Everybody was silent as the exchange continued.

"I see. Do you have any job experience at all?"

"No, not really." Shit. She was sure she'd blown any chance of her getting the job by now, but for some reason Tidus continued.

"Ever been drunk before?" Ok, now what the hell kind of question was that?

"No?" It came out sounding more like a question than an answer. Yuffie inwardly grimaced at the pathetic tone that had somehow worked its way into her voice.

"And have you ever been around mass amounts of alcohol?"

"No, not really. Well, unless you count walking past all of the stuff you guys keep behind the counter 'being around mass amounts of alcohol', that is."

Wonderful. Not. Yuffie silently fumed feeling both embarrassed by her naïveté and by the fact that she actually thought she ever stood a chance of getting a job like this. Wallowing in self pity, she mentally cursed herself for even thinking something good could happen to somebody like her. Everytime she attempted something, all she was able to succeed at was failing miserably. What a waste of time. She should have never---

"Great you're hired! Welcome." A voice cut in, silencing her internal angst. She looked in the direction of the voice, only to find that she didn't have to look far, because it had apparently come from Tidus. She stared at him quizzically. She had no credentials, and no experience to speak of, so why bother with her?

"What? You…….heard me right?" Tidus looked at her strangely; she hadn't seemed to have heard him, or at least not heard him correctly, for all she did was look ahead dazedly.

"Wait. What? You mean you're actually hiring me," she spoke slowly, as if allowing him time to correct her before she spoke once more, "even though I'm underage, inexperienced, and have no idea how to conduct myself in the presence of alcohol, correct?"

"Yep. We're all underage, so you're not any different." Tidus began, but before he could continue, the brunette woman hopped of her seat and joined the conversing group stating cheerfully, "and as far as experience goes, you really don't need any. Just be nice to the customers and make them whatever they want as long as they pay. Not much thinking involved really." She ended with a good natured shrug as one of the blonde man's arms slinked around her waist.

"And this," Tidus gestured with his free hand to the woman standing beside him, "is my girlfriend Yuna." He explained as she glared at him, her eyes shining and lips a thin line of distain. Noticing this, Tidus corrected himself.

"I mean, this is Yuna, my incredibly sexy, perfect, intelligent, beautiful, incredible, best girlfriend ever." He plastered a fake smile on his face and looked over at Yuna for approval.

"How sweet." She muttered sarcastically, trying to hide a grin and failing. Tidus then proceeded to whisper something sounding a bit like "you know how much I love you" against her cheek before kissing it.

"Yes, lovers, that's wonderful. Now moving on." Rikku cut in. She sure sounded pissed, Yuffie noticed. Her features reminded the girl of somebody who was trying to suppress the urge to vomit and for a moment, the girl could have sworn she'd seen Rikku looking at Tidus wistfully.

Another blonde man had now walked over to the group and Rikku proceeded to introduce him.

"This is Shuyin. Looks like Tidus, I know, but they're cousins so I guess it's a given. You'll be able to tell the difference between them. Eventually. Hopefully it doesn't take you as long as it took me." She rolled her eyes.

Shuyin greeted Yuffie politely. As the pair made light conversation, Rikku cut in.

"Hey Shuyin," She called in a sickeningly sweet voice, "you have a date with Lenne on Friday at seven. Why? Because I said so, and she's expecting it. I know you, like, totally love her so you can't say no." The huge smile plastered on the girl's face was almost pathetic. Like she was begging. But luckily Shuyin was not the type of person to deny a bit of company on a lonely night off.

"Fine, why not. Gets me out of the house, I guess. But you know there's nothing wrong with, oh I don't know, asking before you accept dates on my behalf." His tone was rather nonchalant, as if he was used to things like that happening to him. Either way, it didn't sound like the voice of unrequited love to Yuffie.

"Yeah, whatever. You love her." Rikku muttered dismissively, turning to speak to the silver haired woman, whom Yuffie noticed had walked soundlessly to the conversing group.

"You really shouldn't screw with him," she deadpanned, arms crossed, "he acts like he doesn't care, but he does. He's pretty easy to read once you get to know him."

"Oh Yuffie, this is Paine." The blonde gestured to the mysterious girl, "she's been here the longest out of all of us." The only response Yuffie got was a curt nod from Paine.

"And I guess that just leaves Baralai, Paine's boyfriend. Who is….." Rikku trailed off. Scanning the room, Yuffie noticed that the other man, whom she assumed to be Baralai, was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't until they heard an odd shuffling noise and then the 'clink' of glass on glass that the group noticed where he was.

His upper half was completely consumed by the enormous, dusty, wooden crate he was leaning in. Large bottles of clear liquid littered the floor around his visible bottom half and the rustling of bottles rang out in the air, along with a few muffled grunts and curses.

Paine walked over to the crate and gently kicked it, causing a very frazzled looking man to emerge.

"And you're doing what, now?" She bluntly inquired.

"Vodka." He replied simply, as if it were the most common thing in the world. "And I am looking for the right bottle." After a few more grunts and a minute or two of searching the bottom of the crate and he emerged seeming very pleased with himself.

He held one of the largest bottles of the peculiar clear liquid by the neck of the bottle in one hand and several small glasses in the other.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he began in a melodramatic voice, but it quickly turning into a humorous one as he finished with an enthusiastic "lets drink!"

Yuna, having kept quiet for quite a while now, (most likely due to the distraction of Tidus, if Yuffie had to guess) spoke once again.

"Baralai, we aren't even open yet. You know how you get after you have too much to drink. I don't think any of us want what happened the other day to happen again." Her eyes shone with concern as Baralai remained unfazed.

"It's just one drink, not gonna kill anyone. And what happened the other day was no big deal." He answered distractedly, twisting off the metal cap.

Damn curiosity. It always got in the way, and Yuffie couldn't help herself in asking "What happened the other day?" and cringing inwardly as the words left her mouth. Why was she so nosey?

He, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind. Speaking cheerfully, Baralai said, "Well, I was off work that night , I was bored, and I had some vodka at home, so I drank some of it. Well, a lot of it, actually Got piss drunk and went into the first district. Then some dumbass started saying things and I kicked his ass. Got arrested for it. They said it was public intoxication and disturbing the peace, but he started it. Whatever," He scoffed bitterly, "then they took me down the police station and---"

"And guess who got to come down to the first district and bail him out at three AM?" Everybody turned in shock, not expecting to hear a different voice. Yuffie noticed a man stood in the doorway, his blonde hair spiked and an eye patch covering his right eye.

"Gippal did. Gippal had to leave Rikku, whom he was on a date with at the time, and go and drag a totally fucked up Baralai back to his apartment so he and his girlfriend could nurse the poor drunk's hangover so he could go to work the next night. What a good person." He finished with an admiring sigh. Rikku rolled her eyes and went to hug him.

"I thought you were off tonight." She whined.

"I was, but I decided to come in anyway. You know you guys always need me." He concluded with a haughty grin. Noticing Yuffie for the first time he commented,

"Hey, fresh meat!" with a mischievous grin.

"This Gippal, is Yuffie, our newest coworker. Yuffie this is Gippal, my idiot of a boyfriend." She said squeezing him around the waist. They exchanged casual greetings as Yuffie felt a small glass, filled with what looked like water, being thrust into her hand.

"Newbie drinks first." Baralai grinned, "You said you've never gotten wasted before, so I figured we get you started before work, that way you get a good buzz now."

She looked doubtfully at the liquid inside. It definitely wasn't water that much was certain. Everybody was looking at her expectedly. 'Time to grow up, remember?'

Her inner voice teased her. She glanced up from the glass to the ensemble around her.

"It's not bad, trust me," Gippal said, offering a reassuring smile, "Just gulp it all at once. The taste isn't much, but the effects are awesome."

The ninja nodded at the man and lifted the glass up to her lips, parting them to allow the liquid to flow inside.

Her first instinct was to gag. This stuff was horrible! She sipped it trying to ignore the dull burning sensation in her throat. Slamming the glass down on the crate, she felt a ringing sensation in her ears, and a slight dizziness overcame her. That sensation was almost simultaneously replaced with a feeling of contentment.

"How do you feel, Yuffie?" Yuna asked cautiously.

"Huh?" Now where had Yuna come from? Smiling Yuffie answered, "Good. Yeah, I feel really, really good." And she did. For some strange reason, all of her self doubt, insecurity, and any hostility had disintegrated, leaving her with a feeling of intense euphoria. Everything was going to be fine. And why didn't she think of this sooner? This was great!

"Great. So are you ready for your first day of work?" Tidus inquired.

"Uh huh." She nodded vigorously, feeling herself grow more and more optimistic by the second.

"Good. Because it's time to go." With that the group made their way out of the storage closet and took their places behind the counter. Yuffie could still feel that peculiar sensation, although it was weaker and found herself wanting more of whatever it was that had made her feel so great. She wanted that intense feeling of satisfaction, the warmth that flooded her mind after that first drink, even the slight pain and discomfort from the actual taste itself. Anything for more. Had she been in her right mind, Yuffie would have stopped at one, but any logical reasoning she had was quickly disposed of as she was promised more. More vodka, more alcohol, more ways to dull the pain.

-x- -x- -x-

Leon lifted his head up from the pillow and scanned the darkened room. No Yuffie on the bed. No Yuffie on the floor. He sighed and ran a hand through his sleep tossed hair and stumbled out of bed.

She wasn't in the living room, and Aerith and Cloud would never allow her to sleep in their room. He wondered vaguely if she would even want to sleep there in the first place. God knows what they did in there. With a brief shudder he realized it was nighttime. And not only nighttime, very late nighttime. And there was no reasonable way Yuffie would be out at two A.M. at night. She was smarter than that. Right?

An involuntary wave of panic coursed through his body. Sure she was annoying, rude, immature, and melodramatic, the list went on and on, but she knew better than to be out this late. His words must have really hurt her.

"Well of course they did, dumbass." His conscience spoke.

"Do you blame her for running off like that? Hurt and shocked, and on top of it, without an apology? No. He didn't. It was the logical thing to do. And he didn't stop her. His pride wouldn't allow him to commit such an indiscretion, which was ironic, because he'd lost his pride as soon as he'd lost his temper. Cloud and Aerith has heard him that he was positive of. It would actually surprise him if the whole hotel hadn't heard his outburst. Why did he always have to be the one to make mistakes? Sure deep down he knew he was whining, but he really didn't care. He had the right to bitch to himself.

Mentally cursing the entire day, he sat down on the living room couch, taking out the newest newspaper and began to read, all the while subconsciously waiting, hoping, that Yuffie would walk through the door safe and at least not as upset as when she'd left. He sighed. He sincerely hoped that she was somewhere safe and comfortable. The girl deserved that much.

"She deserves an apology." Damn conscience. But Leon was not about to argue; he knew it was true.

-x- -x- -x-

"Oopsie!" came the aloof cry as the girl crashed to the ground for the third time in about ten minutes.

"Shit, Yuffie get up!" Rikku tugged on the girl's left arm, coaxing her up so they could resume their walk back to Yuffie's hotel room.

"Baralai!" Rikku snarled as Yuffie fell once more on her behind, giggling as she struggled once more to stand.

"You just had to give her vodka!" she screeched, "We could have started her out easy with wine or beer or something like that, but noooooooo! Baralai wants to do shots. She was so disoriented she almost passed out in the bathroom!" Rikku was livid.

Baralai had given Yuffie another shot of vodka, not to mention a few of tequila and who knows what else. Anytime Rikku had looked at Yuffie, she had some sort of glass or bottle in her hand, and anytime she wanted a refill Baralai was more than happy to comply. He hadn't even considered the fact that she'd never gotten drunk before. The girl hadn't even tasted alcohol, and he goes and gives her vodka! Outrageous.

"Hey! She wanted it. And who was I do deny her? Man, she got trashed too," here the pair had to hoist the poor ninja up once more, " I've never seen a first timer drink so much. Did you see when she did that shot of tequila? I can't even do that without getting nervous! She is gonna have one nasty hangover tomorrow." Rikku sighed, and chose to tactfully ignore him as much as possible.

"How much farther?" Rikku groaned. This was insane, Yuffie had been so trashed that she couldn't even stand properly, so Rikku and Baralai volunteered (more like were forced into) to try to get her home relatively unscathed.

Yuffie fell once more as her chaperones unintentionally loosened their grip on her wrists. She laid on her back and started to laugh uncontrollably. What was so funny, she had no idea. She just had to laugh.

"Yuffie, come on, get up." Baralai hissed annoyedly.

"Huh? Hehe. Hello, Baralai. Would you like to go for a roll in the hay? " she inquired, still on her back. " It's fun! Roll, roll, roll in the hay, roll roll, roll in the hay" She sang blithely, at this point rolling around on the cobblestone road, sniggering at her little song.

"And see? She's totally lost it!" Rikku cried out in frustration, pulling Yuffie up once more.

"And again, not my fault." Her male companion groaned as Yuffie fell on him, effectively knocking him down.

"Whatever. I think this is the place." She nodded at hotel building.

"You sure?" He studied the complex closely.

"Yeah. I think so." She looked at Yuffie, who was leaning all of her weight on Baralai again, rubbing her red eyes with her hand. She may have been a few feet away but in the evening air Rikku could smell the alcohol on her breath, her clothes, her skin, everywhere. Baralai was right. She was going to have one badass hangover as soon as she woke up the next day. Provided she even woke up the next day. Who knew how long she would be out?

"Yuffie, where's your room at?" Rikku asked allowing patience to slip into her voice, making it sound as if she was addressing a two year old.

"Oer heeeerr….." Yuffie slurred, walking down a hallway and pointing to a door.. Rikku hoped the girl at least remembered her address, but she was rolling around on the concrete not half an hour earlier, so the blonde honestly had no idea what was going on in her friend's mind, if anything at all.

"Well, we'll um….just wait over here, until you get in." Baralai said, hastily pulling Rikku around the corner and into a shadow, obscuring them from view. Yuffie only stared blankly for a second before knocking on the door, and speaking with the person holding it open. She then stumbled drunkenly inside, aided by a mysterious arm, and the pair, deciding she was safe, turned away and headed back to the bar.

-x- -x- -x-

"Hey Squallie, Squallie!" Yuffie chirruped, "guess what? I'm drunk!" She snickered and stumbled around the living room. God damnit! Why couldn't she see anymore? What? Shit…..

Leon just stared. He could tell as soon as she walked, or more like fell, through the door. He'd smelt it on her, seen her bloodshot, half-lidded eyes, her hair tousled and balance uneven. A new wave of guilt and shame flooded his mind. This was his fault. All of it. He could tell she'd had an obscene amount of alcohol, in a very short time. Tomorrow was going to be hell a million times over for her. And maybe even the next few days as well. He knew he'd upset her, but to drive her to such lengths as to go and get that wasted? He now officially felt like the worst person in Traverse Town.

Again.

Why did she have that effect on him? How was she able to infuriate him so much, but to make him more than willing to ask for forgiveness not a minute later?

She confused him. She frustrated him. More than anybody he had ever known. Leon was so used to being around people who were easy to read. Open books for his knowing eyes. And for the longest time, he thought Yuffie was one of them. But this proved it. She was changing too quickly for him to keep up.

Breaking from his thoughts, Leon realized that the laughter had stopped. Crumpled up on the couch, motionless, was Yuffie. She was breathing alright, the steady rise and fall of her chest proved that, but he wasn't about to let her sleep it off on the couch.

Perhaps he was driven by guilt, perhaps empathy, or maybe something else. But whatever it was, it was with him when he gently scooped the sleeping teenager into his arms and carried her down the hall into their bedroom. It was there when he placed her gingerly down on the large, soft, bed and covered her up with a thin sheet, but it was most prevalent when he bent down to her ear, gingerly brushed her dark hair off her cheek, and whispered a soft "I'm really sorry Yuffie," into her ear. The only indication she'd heard anything whatsoever was a small groan as she shifted on the bed.

But, right now, that was enough for him.

-x- -x- -x-

A/N: And that concludes chapter three. Yes major suckage there. Ah well. Congrats to you if you noticed the reference to Young Frankenstein. Love that movie. It was pretty obvious, in case you missed it. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because it was a pain to write. The next chapter shouldn't take as long as this one. Hopefully.

Until next time,

Bright Eyes.