Author's note: I do not own Yuffie, Godo, Vincent, Chocobos, Wutai, Avalanche, Turtle's paradise, or any other square-related characters/ideas I might have forgotten. The storyline, however, is pretty much mine, so backoff. Happy reading, and please review.

Secret Service

Chapter 2: An Omiai.

Dawn. Yuffie knew it was dawn because there was light- painful, annoying light- on her face. Frowning, she stretched and yawned, feeling the muscles in her arms, legs, and torso tighten and relax. It was Tuesday, she was fairly certain, and that meant another Omiai and some free time in the afternoon. But what time was it?

Not really wanting to, she forced her eyes open to look at her clock. Eight-o-seven. Why was it, that she could never sleep in, regardless of how little sleep she had, or how messed up she'd gotten. It was an annoying trait at times, but quite useful at others.

With a heavy sigh, the ninja stood up and walked over to her closet, grabbing a nice fluffy towel, and shed her underwear, grabbing the clothes she'd put on later. Then it was bath time. As Yuffie padded down the hall with bare feet in the general direction of the bathroom, a total of three people stopped her and asked her if she needed anything. That was one thing she really hated. Out of all the people in her freaking house, all they ever asked her was "Can I get you anything, Princess?" and, "Do you need help getting ready for your omiai today?" It had to have been years since anyone asked her if her breakfast was good or how her night had gone. And no one here, other than her father on occasion, had called her anything other than Princess.

It had been a different in AVALANCHE. Her teammates had treated her as an equal, or even a lesser. They'd never stared at her like she was about to burst into flames and rain death on them all. Even if she'd never quite been one of them, since she never seemed to be "one" of anyone, they still cared about her honestly and she had cared about them. And Tifa still called her; even a year after the ordeal of saving the planet had ended. Yuffie often felt like AVALANCHE was really her friend. And Vincent had been there...

Smiling as she sank into the bathtub, towel thrown over a metal bar, the ninja conjured his perfect face in her mind. Once or twice when they'd spoken during their journeys, she'd felt a connection to him, like he saw past her childish front to the real Yuffie, and she'd almost felt he'd liked what he had seen. But of course, no one ever really knew her. She didn't trust anyone enough. Still, there had been something lonely and detached she had sensed in Vincent, and on occasion, she identified with it. Too bad he was hard to get closer to- he was one person she'd really like to know.

After letting the hot, fragrant water soak into her skin for a bit, she began to wash herself with her favorite vanilla soap, lost almost immediately in one of her endless perverted fantasies.

xoxoxo

Vincent had gotten up before dawn, returning to the servant's quarters to shower and change. It was a good thing he didn't mind the intense heat of the Wutain summer because he concealed his face, as well as almost every other part of his body. It was better that no one knew his identity, and that he was inconspicuous, because Yuffie wasn't supposed to know he was around.

When he'd been hired, on his first visit to Wutai as a part of AVALANCHE, Godo hadn't been at all worried about Vincent being incognito- he didn't care if Yuffie knew he was watching her. And no one else did either- until Yuffie moved back to Wutai permanently. It was thought, by some, that having a good-looking older man follow Yuffie around might be a bad sign for potential husbands.

Somehow, the usually perceptive ninja had failed to notice Vincent following her around, so everyone was happy.

Splashing water on his face with his normal hand, Vincent looked at himself in the cracked bathroom mirror. Why had it been this way? If he'd been born twenty years later, he might have had a chance with her, and he probably wouldn't have been cursed with demons and other things even less pleasant. Damn Hojo for that. But there was nothing to be done about his troubles now, so at least he could try to make her happy, even if it wasn't with him.

"Of course she wouldn't choose you," a cruel voice echoed in the recesses of his mind like a sickness. "You're a monster who deserves to be lonely forever."

And most days, Vincent believed that to be the unchangeable truth.

xoxoxo

After she was dressed in a green kimono with little white flowers and had her hair neatly combed, Yuffie stepped out into the hall, mentally preparing herself for her "Date." She wondered what kind of man she would meet- hopefully it wouldn't be one of the worse dates. The ninja didn't think she could keep from beating him up if he was a jerk.

A nameless, faceless maid affixed some little white flowers in her dark, shoulder-length hair, and handed her the "Fancy" gloves. The gloves had a specific purpose, while the flowers did not- they served to hide her burn scars and all the unsightly cuts on her hands. Yuffie's hands were not the hands of a delicate little flower so much as they were the rough hands of one who worked hard and played hard, too.

Someone nudged her gently in the direction of her father's sitting room, and on the walk she took the opportunity to remind herself, again and again, that it was all for the good of Wutai, all for the good of her homeland. And then she was in front of her father's door, one hand spread flat on the sliding panel. Taking a deep breath, she tensed, ready to open the door. Inside, she heard voices: Her father's boastful, deep voice and another, quieter voice. She couldn't hear what the stranger was saying, but his voice sounded cold and detached. Not a good sign.

xoxoxo

Godo was excited. This new suitor, "Io Takahashi," would be a great match for Yuffie. He was a good-looking young man, and had a firm personality, fully capable of making Yuffie behave. And most of all, he was filthy stinking rich, just what northern Wutai needed right now. The only thing left was to make him accept Yuffie, and the deal would be sealed. "She should be here any moment now." He said, smiling. "Would you like me to have some more tea sent in for later?"

Io smiled and shook his head. "We'll be fine, I'm sure, as long as your daughter is respectful and obedient. Even if she's not, a good man has ways of training his woman to act the way he wants her to."

xoxoxo

Letting out her breath and slapping on her friendliest smile, Yuffie slid open the door.