II

Multiple Deceptions

"Yuffie!" Tifa mouthed through the window, with a great sense of shock and surprise.

Her comrade, with a shiny smile, had positioned herself outside the window. The slight girl had a large bottle in one slender hand, which almost seemed to tip her figure thin over, whilst her other hand gestured for Tifa to join her outside.

Hastily pulling open the window, Tifa found herself with mixed emotions - elation at again seeing her good friend, coupled with a profound dread at the thought of leaving her self-made prison; her comfort zone with it's quietness, it's solitude, it's books. But Yuffie snapped her out of her reverie.

"Coming out?" she questioned, with that trademark grin of hers. Tifa's mouth still hung open in shock; a choice of too many questions to direct at the smaller girl swimming in her head.

"You know Yuffie… most people use the door." She almost smiled. Almost. It seemed she was too out of practise. "Wutai not cutting it for you?"

"It sure as hell isn't! I need variation!" She set the bottle down on the ground before lithely making her way in through the open window, seeing as Tifa seemed once more rooted to the spot. "and you know that the door isn't a challenging enough entrance for me. More importantly," she added, "We are going to have some fun. And you know how Red gets about drinking and talking and things…" She paused for a well needed breath.

"Silly human customs, I'll never understand them." She said, in a low, mock-stern voice, frowning and waving her hands around in a fashion that she hoped came across like the serious feline.

That smile finally showed itself. It was almost painful, Tifa noted, but it was necessary. Yuffie hadn't outwardly changed to any great extent; eyes dark, bright and fierce, positioned on a pretty honey-coloured face, brought alive by her smile..

Yuffie pulled Tifa into a warm hug, which Tifa returned, numbness thawing slowly.

"Is your door locked?" she questioned

Tifa nodded twice in response.

"Good… lets go then!"

Some time, and some draughts later, they both lay, backs on a rock somewhere outside Cosmo canyon. Giggling hysterically.

"You wouldn't!"

"I would!"

"Yuffie!"

She passed the bottle back, reactions sloppy. She didn't know how she ended up here, or why she was still drinking… She'd never seen the reasoning behind it as an activity; she knew from her time at the Seventh Heaven, that it was an opiate for those who weren't strong enough to deal with themselves, or with their situation. She had only agreed to a sip, to keep the Yuffie girl happy. It seemed, however unlike her, that one had turned into two, and two to three, and so on. But she felt good, she felt light, free and rather lulled. Upon regaining the bottle, she peered drunkenly at it with a frown.

"Yuffie, are you sure that you've been drinking too? Just doesn't seem to be going down, that's all…" She shook her head from side to side in an inebriated fashion to emphasise each word.

"Don't be so silly… silly!" Was her response. "But," she continued "you have to admit he's pretty hot." She nudged Tifa in the ribs, and winked.

"Well…" 'Tifa', she thought to herself, 'just admit it!' "he is gorgeous… but that's really not the point. He has no interest in women… he's even less interested than Cloud." She laughed sardonically. "That would be funny… falling for the only other person most guaranteed not to have any feelings for me… whatsoever.." Yuffie's wink gave way to a frown as the tone turned serious.

"Don't be like that Tiff… you gotta be more outgoing… ya know… and, I'm pretty sure that something good's gonna happen, right about…" she was interrupted, softly

"Yuffie?"

"yeah?"

"I'm so sleepy… I don't know why… it just… sort of…"

"Tifa?"

"Tifa?"

She nudged her friend. "Tiff?" Harder. "Tiff!"

Out cold. Her face was so peaceful, and beautiful… 'Cloud, how dense are you?' She thought, trying to block out memories of his handsome face. 'Blonde idiot.' She snickered.

She pulled her PHS from her pocket, swiftly flipping it open.

"Reno?"

"Hey… is it sorted?"

"Yeah, I got her…" Yuffie gnawed at her lip. "She's totally conked… we are at the exact spot you told me about… the white rock shaped like a squirrel…"

He smiled. She was so easy to manipulate…

"Great work babe. I'll be… two minutes tops."

It was actually closer to three minutes later when a dark blue unmarked van arrived at Yuffie's location. Before the van could even pull to a halt, a dishevelled looking man left the passenger side and walked smoothly to Yuffie, pulling her into an embrace.

"Reno…"

She uttered his name like a wish. He granted her it, holding her possessively with one hand, the other brushing her hair from her neck to whisper quietly in her ear.

"…Hey… I hope you appreciate what I'm doing for you here… It's going to a lot of effort." He paused for effect. "But I don't mind, anything for you. However, Rude… he's really putting himself out… just make sure Strife doesn't kill us, ok?"

"It'll be fine… just how we planned it…" She gazed lovingly at him. "You feign the kidnap, I'll somehow inform Cloud, without the other Avalanche members knowing… and he can come to her rescue… Surely he'll fall for it…or for her. Something has to bring them together, or their whole lives will be wasted."

Looking down at her then, Reno felt almost guilty for taking advantage of her sickeningly good will. All be it distorted, confused good will, that should have been able to take other forms than arranged kidnap. But this was Yuffie.

"yep" he assured her "just like the plan. Wait at the gold saucer for my call. I'll tell you where to pickup the delivery for Strife." She nodded, and he continued. "Will you be okay?"

"yeah! Of course! Just don't screw this up…" she looked to Tifa, momentarily wondering if she had done the right thing at all.

"Be careful with her…" she added, for good measure, "or I'll kick your ass!"

"I promise, Babe." Reno cleared the few paces to the drugged brunette and lifted her easily over his shoulder. Depositing her in the van was easy, locking it from outside.

He stopped to kiss Yuffie before leaving. "Remember what I said. And you owe me one… or several…" he winked, and was off.

As the van drove away, leaving Yuffie as a speck in the distance, he wondered why it had been so easy.

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