Disclaimer:
I own this story...the characters I do not. I'm just borrowing them...
Author's Note:
Okay, I know this chapter is really short and you're probably gonna wanna shoot me for leaving yet again another cliff hanger but I wanted to save all the good stuff for next chapter, okie day? I will try to have the next chapter up before I leave for vacation but if it's not up Monday night or Tuesday morning...that means I wasn't able to finish it and will work on it during vacation when I have some down time so I can get it up when I get back.
So hope you enjoy this chapter!
The next morning when I woke up, Reno was nowhere to be found. I took my time getting out of bed and dressed in some shorts and a nice shirt. The weather in Wutai was surprisingly warm for the spring. I checked on Logan quickly before going downstairs.
"Morning, Red." I smiled when I saw him sitting at the dining room table reading the morning paper.
He looked up at me and smiled as best as an animal can. "Good morning, Tifa. How did you sleep?"
"Good," I said, sitting down across from him.
"So," the red beast continued. "You and Reno got frisky again last night."
My eyes widened and a red blush crept up my face. "I didn't think we made that much noise. I swear we were being quiet."
"You might have been but I could hear you just fine. Remember, Tifa, my hearing is superior to yours."
My cheeks became an even deeper red. This was the second time the fiery feline had heard Reno and I making love; I couldn't help but be embarrassed.
"Well," I said, getting up, quickly changing the subject. "Is there anything interesting to eat around here?"
Nanaki shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Go ahead and look around in the kitchen. I'm sure Yuffie wouldn't mind."
I found a box of dried cereal and decided to have that. I could go out later and get a bigger lunch with Logan and Reno. I filled a bowl to the brim with cereal and milk then joined Red at the table. "Oh, where did Reno go?" I asked, placing a large spoonful of the sugary cereal into my mouth.
"Him and Cid left together an hour or so before you got up. They didn't tell me where they were going."
I nodded. "So, they wouldn't mind if I took Logan over to the house Cloud and Aeris were in to get his stuff?"
He shook his head and pushed the paper away with his paw. "If they return before you I'll tell them where you went. Yuffie should still be over there."
I finished the last of the cereal then washed the bowl out and placed it in the sink. I had just finished climbing the stairs when I heard Logan call me. I walked through the door as he was getting ready to shout 'mommy' again. His face brightened when he saw me and immediately he stretched his arms out towards me so I would pick him up.
I wrapped him in my arms protectively and planted a kiss on the top of his head. "Morning, sweetheart. Ready to go get chocobo and blankie?"
"Uh-huh," he said, nodding.
Red gave me directions to the house and I left, briskly walking across town until said house could be seen in the distance. The door was slightly ajar as I approached it so I just pushed it open and looked around inside. A confused look fell over my face when I saw Yuffie looking around the living room with a lost look on her face.
"What is it, Yuffie?"
"Holy Hell!" Yuffie shouted, clutching her chest. "Sheesh, Tifa, don't sneak up on me like that! You're just as bad as Vincent!"
I rolled my eyes as I approached her. "Sorry about that, Yuff. Anyways, what's wrong?"
"I forgot where I put the other mini mic. I swear it was under the couch."
"Maybe you didn't look hard enough," I said, giving the young shinobi a bright smile before walking down the hall and into the room Logan had been occupying.
I set my small son on the floor then walked over to the crib sitting against the back wall. I smiled as I spied his chocobo and blanket sitting in one corner, just waiting to be picked up. I grabbed the stuffed chocobo and soft cotton blanket, handing them over to my smiling toddler. He clutched them to his chest and giggled before he kissed his chocobo on the top of its head. He smiled up at me then toddled off into the living room, more than likely to bug Yuffie.
I hung back and examined all the drawers to see if there was anything there I could salvage. All the clothes Reno saw Cloud and Aeris buy him were still in very good condition so I grabbed anything and everything that I could before walking out of the room. Yuffie had picked Logan up and was still looking around the room for the mic she lost.
"Still can't find it, Yuff?" I asked, stopping beside her, my arms full of clothes.
She nodded. "Yeah, but I guess it's okay. I can always buy more." She looked over at me and, upon seeing my arms full, offered to carry Logan.
"Thanks," I replied, relieved for the help.
Back at the house, Yuffie helped me fold and place all the clothes in my suitcase while Red sat downstairs with Logan, actively trying to play with him. The thought of Reno's return once again popped into my head and I turned to Yuffie.
"Hey, Yuff, do you know where Cid and Reno went this morning?" I asked, folding a shirt and pair of shorts then stuffing them into my bag.
She shook her head. "I was up when they left but they refused to tell me anything." If indeed she did know something she did a very good job at hiding it.
Once Yuffie and I were finished with our meager task we had nothing to do but sit around her house until Reno and Cid got back. I got on the floor with Logan and played some games with him and read him a few of his story books before he fell asleep on the couch. Yuffie was sitting on the floor, messing with a few of her Chinese stars and Red was asleep on the floor a few feet away.
Yuffie spotted the sleeping feline and looked back at me with an evil grin, rotating a star in her nimble fingers. My eyes got wide as I realized what she was about to do. I went to step forward and tell her no but she had already turned around and chucked the star at Red.
He yelped and jumped up as the star hit him in one of his flanks. Yuffie had thrown so it would surprise him more than hurt him. Red shot a glare at Yuffie, his nostrils flaring. "What was that for?" He asked, his fiery tail swishing back and forth swiftly.
Yuffie giggled. "Just for laughs."
Red rolled his lone eye. "I'm delighted that my only purpose is to cause you humans entertainment," he said, his voice wry.
I laughed as I walked toward the red beast and kneeled down next to him. I grabbed his shoulders. "Oh, come on, Red! We only pick on you cause we think you're just so cute!" I ruffled his mane.
"Wonderful, now I'm 'cute'. Check that off of the list '100 Things I Want to Accomplish Before I Die'."
I rolled my eyes and left Red alone to sulk. Yuffie and I walked into her back yard and sat on the small bench next to the koi pond. I reached down and put my index finger below the surface. The fish, thinking my finger was some type of food, drifted up and nibbled at it. Upon realizing my finger was nothing edible they swam off to another corner of the pond.
I sighed, resting my hands in my lap. "Yuffie, are you sure you don't know where Cid and Reno went?"
"I'm serious as a heart attack, Teef. They didn't even tell me when they'd be back. They just told me and Red they were 'going out'."
"Gosh, I wonder where they went." I brought my gaze back down to stare at the orange and white speckled koi in the pond and missed the grin that slithered onto Yuffie's face.
I sighed again and rose from the bench. "Well, I'm a little tired. I might go in and take a short nap. If Reno gets back tell him I'm up in our room, okay?"
"Sure, Teef," she said, remaining on the bench.
As soon as I had disappeared from sight, Yuffie pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket and opened it, quickly dialing a number.
"Reno? Yeah, it's Yuffie." She paused. "She went to take a nap." She paused once more and her eyes nervously darted all around the yard making sure no one was eavesdropping. "Okay, I'll grab Nanaki and meet you there in a few."
She slapped her phone shut and a smirk stretched across her pale face as she walked back into her home.
