Warrior, I Am

Chapter 2: Are Men Always Grouchy?

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own three-fourths of the amazing characters and places in this. If it sucks, then I probably own it.

A/N: After reading what everyone was saying, I have to put this before I begin. Maybe I sounded too DRASTIC when I said I was changing the story. Yes, I am changing it. I am going more in depth with the characters. Scenes are being taken away. But really, I am going to try to follow with what I originally planned. (The ambush of the camp, Sora's and Riku's falling apart, the finding out about Yuffie's secret, Jing's purpose eventually.) So don't worry. Events are being stretched out, so if the scene you really liked isn't happening just yet, don't worry. It might happen eventually, with just more filler and planning in it. Read!

Yuffie, being sixteen years old (and full of ungodly wisdom), had figured out long ago that she was terrible with maps. Given a destination further than five blocks away, the young ninja was sure to find a way to lose herself. That particular reason was exactly why she was so dubious about stepping onto the campgrounds. Sure, it was the only human establishment around for miles, but her rationale was telling her otherwise.

Her ass of a horse had thrown her off his back miles ago. Not that it really matter though, she thought, since the horse didn't have a clue where to go either. She had walked to rest of the way, thinking that if a bear came and found her horse and gobbled it up, that'd be fine and dandy with her.

She had been scouting out the campground for nearly an hour. Her uneasiness had gotten the better of her and she couldn't find it in herself to step onto the grounds. She'd also tried various methods to make her look 'in'. Sadly, her methods so far had included spitting (all which had dripped onto her shirt), walking like she had a log up her bum, and practicing catch phrases that she'd prefer not to repeat.

"I can't do this!" she cried, falling to the floor. She started to bang her head on the dusty ground in frustration. How the hell did guys do it? If she had been born a man, she probably would've committed suicide way back.

Aside from her personality, she'd tried some more physical changes. She started to fret about the little stuff, and even considered rolling up one of her shirts and shoving it into her pants, just in case someone was checking for 'equipment'. That failed too though, as her shirts seemed to produce something that seemed too big or too small. Not that she knew the right size or anything!

Biting her lip, Yuffie inched her way toward the entrance. A big behemoth stood here, barking orders and spitting. Yuffie dawdled far on the other side of the wall, hoping he wouldn't notice her slip in.

"Hey you!" The big snarling man grabbed her by the name of her collar and nearly lifted her off the ground. She felt like she was going to suffocate with a lack of air and of the musty stench of the man in front of her.

"Yees," she choked out. She put on her best Oh-I-Didn't-See-You-There Look, smiling past her reddened face.

"Name." He hissed, lightly dabbling her with spittle.

"Kia—agi."

"The hell did you say!" Yuffie felt as if she needed an umbrella to stop the spitstorm she was receiving. She made a gasping sound and wrapped her hand around his puffy wrist. He understood and dropped her straight on her tailbone, making her yowl.

"That hur—"

"NAME!"

"Kisaragi!" She yelled back. The man checked something off the list and threw a giant bundle into her face. She fell backwards. More things fell on top of her and she just laid there, too shell-shocked to move.

"Assembly will start in an hour near High Noon. Get your ass over there before then."

Yuffie muttered a quick "yessir" and slowly unburied herself. Her coccyx was throbbing and so was her head. She picked up her tent supplies and the blankets and waddled into the camp.

The ninja made a note to stay away from that man, and wandered around with the huge and heavy bundle in her arms. She had no idea where High Noon was, and she had no watch to tell her when the thirty minutes were over. And, just to add to her misery, she had no flying pig's idea how to set up an effective tent.

'Should I ask for help? Should I wander until somebody finds me?' The ninja was fighting a battle in her head. Asking for help showed weakness, but she didn't know what would happen for her if she didn't show up at this "High Noon" at the right time. She opted for the first one.

"Hey!" Her attempt to sound confident was lost when the man she called out turned on her. She had picked randomly, honestly, because she knew if she thought about it too much she would have chickened out. The man stalked toward her, easily towering over her by four, five inches. She looked up, trying to mask her cowardice.

"What." It most certainly wasn't a question. The man had dirty blonde hair and deep-set cerulean eyes mixed with green. The intensity of his gaze engulfed her like flames. She was inarticulate.

"I..I…" she stuttered, falling over her words. He was so close to her and so angry. She wanted nothing more than to hide in a corner now, and forget she ever encountered him. She could practically feel the aggravation searing off him in waves. "Nothing. Nothing."

His face inched closer to hers, and she turned scarlet red. She could smell him now and it was absolutely embarrassing. "It better be." And with that he stalked away, leaving a light hint of cologne behind him. She was about ready to faint.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, if just for his benefit. Good heavens, she had to wait for her stomach to crawl up from her toes. She stored his face away in her mind, along with the grouchy man who gave her the tent and clothes, and began to wander again.

It didn't take long for her to bump into somebody else unsavory. Not that she realized it at the time.

"Lost?" A young boy around her age smiled at her, waving. He had the largest, puppy-dog blue eyes she'd ever seen. His brown hair was a big cataclysmic mess, and he had a tender smile that could melt rocks. Despite what she told herself about trusting no one, she found herself smiling at him.

"Yes. Very much so. I just uh…" She deepened her voice. "Needa find this, uh, High Noon."

The boy laughed. It was a musical, tinkling sound. Why would anyone want to send such a beautiful boy to war?

"Over there," the brunette pointed straight ahead, where a bunch of tents lay. "Be there in about…ten minutes." He seemed unsure, as if he didn't even know himself.

"Oh thanks," she muttered softly, smiling cordially. 'Ten minutes? Are we supposed to be there early?' "Umm…" she ventured. "Do you know how to set up a tent?"

The boy scratched his head awkwardly. "Not very well. You'd be better off asking someone else." His hand went to her arm and she jolted. She was already used to the men abusing her and the gentle touch shocked her.

"How'd you get stuck here anyways?" she found herself asking.

The angel smile again. "I gotta go. See you later."

Before Yuffie could call back for him, he was walking away. Her heart sunk a little. She was alone again. She began to follow the directions she was given.

It didn't take her very long to get completely lost. She had walked in the direction that he'd told her to, but all she saw was rows and rows of tents. Where there weren't tents, trees and mountains blocked her visage. Where the hell was everybody?

She glanced around some more, noticing a very high wooden pole standing clear above camp. Wow. That's pretty high. She looked away without giving it a second thought.

"Crap," she muttered, finally realizing that the boy must've lied to her. She seethed silently, dumping her belongings to the ground. "This is f-ing impossible…" She sat on the ground and put her head in her hands, trying to think. She couldn't think of any worse time that she'd ever felt so humiliated.

"What are you doing?"

Yuffie nearly jumped out of her skin. The voice came right behind her. It sounded soft, muted, but powerful enough to make her sweat. Oh shoot.

"I'm lost," Yuffie admitted, dropping all pretenses. "I really don't know where I am." She turned on the man. He was extraordinarily tall with long black hair like a mermaid's. His eyes were a scorching red. Her mind instantly fled to a vampire. She desperately hoped he hadn't come to gobble her up.

"I will help you set up your tent," he said smoothly, holding out a hand. Or rather, a claw. She knew the shock was evident on her face, and worked speedily to erase it. She placed her rolled-up tent in his golden appendage with silent reverence. He took it without a word and began working on it.

"What about High Noon?" She asked after a minute, curiosity taking over her nervousness. The man didn't even glance at her when she said it. He was halfway done with her new home.

"It's no good walking into the middle of a lecture," he said simply, hammering the last nail into place. She wondered where he got the hammer from in the first place.

"Oh," she said simply, not wanting to press that answer. She was still waiting for him to grow fangs.

He finished up faster than she expected, tucking the hammer somewhere into the enclaves of his thick parka that she just noticed he was wearing. Seeing his coat made her remember how chilly it was outside. She shivered compulsively.

"I'll take you to the commander now," he said curtly, walking away as if expecting her to follow. She seriously debated on not following him, picturing his reaction when he turned around and she was nowhere to be found. Yuffie quickly ditched the idea though, realizing that her dry humor wasn't going to be taken well in this camp. Besides, she didn't picture this serious man to be very fond of comical acts. She sped behind him, just as he expected.

"You will address him as Sir or Commander, nothing more, nothing less. You may accompany those with his last name if you wish." He glanced back in warning as he said the last sentence. "And you never, never call him by his first name."

Yuffie gulped. This did not sound like a guy she wanted to mess with. Definitely a take-no-shit sort of guy. By then, her dry humor was buried six feet under ground. "Yes." She stared up at him. "Sir," she added, as if it was necessary. He didn't reply to that. She started to realize that maybe calling everyone "Sir" was the safe thing to do. She stored that away in her mind too.

Men were filing out of somewhere, she finally seemed to notice. Apparently she had missed this "High Noon" thing. As more men came piling out, she realized that "missed" was a severe understatement. She knew she should just keep her mouth shut, but she couldn't stop the next question from coming.

"When was I supposed to be at High Noon?" She couldn't tell if the vampire was amused or annoyed by this. She honestly hoped it was the former.

"An hour ago."

Ack. Very bad indeed. Her stomach felt oddly unsettled. The brunette wasn't the only one that lied to her. The man who gave her the tent lied too. She suddenly felt very vulnerable, stuck in a dog-eat-dog world, where she was the cat.

She was in such a daze that she didn't notice that good ol' vampy had led her to a tent much larger than the other ones. She could've mistaken it for a house altogether if it wasn't for the ropes and nails keeping it down. The man motioned for her to go inside. She obeyed him again, wondering when her mind was going to reclaim itself and let her act like a sensible human.

The man leaned in before he closed the flap behind her. "His name is Leonhart." She nodded numbly, and he disappeared.

As soon as she walked inside she felt like she was intruding. It was dim inside except for one lamp that sat on a sturdy black table, made of some kind of wood that she couldn't identify. There were two tables, actually, one cluttered with papers and maps and the other containing a man seated behind it, writing quietly with a pen. He didn't look up when she entered.

"Hello?" she ventured to say, but she was quickly shut up by the commander's quick reply.

"You do not speak until I address you."

Oh fuzz. This man was definitely take-no-shit. This wasn't going to be easy for her. She was known for mouthing off when she wasn't supposed to. She might as well just swallow her tongue whole right then and there.

Also, was she supposed to reply to that? She was getting a little confused. She remembered how vampire told her to always address him as "Sir", but then this guy just told her not to speak. So did she say "Yes, sir" or just stand there like an idiot (which was what she was doing now)?

"Why were you not at High Noon."

Not a question; a demand. What was it with men and just friggin asking nicely?

"I was lost, sir." She was trying to shoot for honesty. He couldn't condemn her for telling the truth, could he?

"If you're lost you ask for directions. Did the men all walking toward the same area have no significance to you?"

Apparently he could. She bit her lip. What did this guy have, a cactus shoved up his ass? She was seriously considering getting a map somehow…anything to avoid another run-in with the PMS-Avenger.

"I did, sir, but I was sent in the wrong direction. Twice," she added, venting a little. Angel face her ass. That boy was going to get his ass whooped. The commander looked up then. His eyes bore into her, and she had to wait for a few seconds for her heart to restart.

Blue eyes, just like so many other men she'd met. His were so common, yet so different at the same time. A deep navy, they held all the joy and excitement of a blank wall. Really, that's what his whole face looked like. His mouth was set in a straight, indifferent line, and his eyes looked bored and dull. Yuffie was fairly certain that if the world suddenly cracked open and monsters started crawling out of the deep crevasses of hell, this man would not even arch an eyebrow.

"You missed the opening remarks," Commander Leonhart continued, acting as if he hadn't completely noticed her gaping at him. A stay of dark brown hair fell across his face, and Yuffie had a nasty urge to swap it away. Why'd he have long hair anyways? It fell past his ears. Wasn't long hair supposed to signify being playful? Free? Easy? Judging from how strict he was, Yuffie half-expected him to be bald.

Yuffie also noticed how the commander said opening "remarks", not opening "ceremony". She should've predicted that. Ceremonies hinted at having fun. Unfortunately, "fun" was not a word that existed in Leonhart's vocabulary.

"You wake up at 0500 every morning," the commander began. Yuffie's mind scrambled to calculate that. Running on military time was not one of her hobbies. "You have twenty minutes to get ready and get down to High Noon." Whoa. Twenty minutes? That was going to call for some super-speedy-boob-binding on her part. "You will be trained for blah blah blah blah…"

Yuffie found herself spacing out as she stared at the Commander's face. She was tempted to label him attractive, but he had such a stick up his ass that it was nearly impossible for her to do it. She jumped when Leonhart cleared his throat. What…had he just said?

"You are assigned a partner for the duration of this camp," Leonhart said, folding his hands in front of him. "You are to monitor each other's progress. Above that, your partner will become your closest companion. If ever caught in a struggle, it is your job to protect your partner, and vice versa. You are, in no circumstance, to leave your partner completely open for attack. So…" At this Leonhart smirked, something that threw Yuffie off completely. "Consider yourself binded."

Oh yeah. Binded. 'I've always dreamed of being attached at the hip…oh boy….'

"Your partner is waiting outside."

"Thank you, sir."

Yuffie bowed, feeling awkward as she did it. She glanced up one more time, but he wasn't looking at her. She felt a funny lurch at that. She turned away quickly, ignoring the way her heart was thudding a little too fast.

"One more thing."

Yuffie whirled around to face him again. "Yes sir?"

He surveyed her body evanescently before murmuring, "Get something thicker to wear." She nodded and fled the tent.

When she walked out her eyes did a double take.

Oh no.

It occurred to her then, as she stared into his penetrating green/blue eyes, that she had to have the absolute worst luck ever. Standing outside the tent with his arms crossed over his chest was the man from before. Not just any man though, because there were plenty of those. This was THE man. The blond from before that she had made a mistake of yelling at. Yes. Luck had definitely run off without her.

He was giving her a glare so stony that she felt her intestines do a flip. This guy had a ten-mile radius of unhappiness and she could see it in his eyes. Why was he so angry with her?

"Hi," Yuffie managed, awkwardly holding out her hand. She was sure she would be left standing there, but instead the blond clapped his hand into hers, squeezing hard enough to crush bone. She squeaked. "Hi," she managed again, but it sounded strained.

"Don't get in my way," was all he replied.

Oh, this was going to be a very loving relationship. She could already feel the fondness.

He walked toward the tent area and she followed behind. He seemed to know where he was going, so she kept silent for the duration of their trip. She clearly remembered his words. 'Don't get in my way.' She wasn't planning on going against his wishes.

They arrived to their tents without any trouble, and she saw that he had set up his right next to hers. She had a small wistful smile at that, because somehow that told her that things were going to work out. She looked up at him…and then down. He was sitting in front of his tent, staring at her as if he could will her to do the same. She did do it, although she briefly entertained the thought of disobeying him, just as she had with the vampire. The result, again, was probably not going to be pretty.

They sat quietly for a while, listening to the wind and raucous laughter in the distance. It was still in the afternoon so it wasn't too chilly, but Yuffie was sure it would be freezing soon.

"What's your name?"

Yuffie looked up. The blonde's eyes had softened some, but his eyebrows were still pulled down in an annoyed look. She tried to dismiss his expression and concentrate on his eyes. Oh, for his eyes were some of the loveliest she'd ever seen….

"Yu-"

Eyes widened; they were Yuffie's. She bit her lip, putting her head down. She had almost slipped. Yuffie was a commonly used name that was also widely known to be female. She had actually met a few other Yuffies in her lifetime, and none of them were men. Walking around with a slight build and a female name was sure to arouse more than suspicion. Yes, she said arouse.

She wracked her brain for names. She had already said "Yu", so she had to follow up on that. Yuffie's heritage was filled with different forms of Asians, so she had plenty to choose from. Before she could say anything though, the man responded.

"Yu? Is that your name?"

Yuffie froze for a second, but then relaxed? Why not? It was such an obvious likening to her own, and yet she enjoyed hearing it. Yu. It felt so right. It was practically the same as "Yuf", so she'd have no trouble responding to it.

"Yes," she said confidently. "I'm Yu Kisaragi. And your name is…?"

The blonde seemed to be mulling over something. "Cloud Strife," he finally answered, shaking his head as if to dissuade himself from something. He fell silent after that.

"Why'd you join the military?"

Cloud frowned. "That doesn't matter."

"It matters to me," Yuffie prodded, starting to feeling annoyed with Cloud's awful behavior. She had spent, what, ten minutes with the guy? He was already grating on her nerves. She could see that Cloud seemed to have similar thoughts.

"Well I guess it's good for me then, because I don't care what matters to you."

Yuffie's hands balled into fists. "I thought we're supposed to get acquainted with each other."

"We are acquainted. I'm Cloud, you're Yu. End of story."

"Oh come on!" Yuffie said, exasperated. "What's up with you? This isn't going to work out if you act like an ass the whole time."

"I recognize you from somewhere."

Yuffie blanched. "Excuse me?" What was up with him? He had a natural talent from deviating from the main topic at hand, apparently.

"Or at least…someone who looks like you." He was muttering now. He shook his head again. "Do you have a sister?"

"No." Yuffie thought for a moment. "Yes."

"Which is it?"

"Yes, I do have a sister. Twin sister actually. We're really close. She's the brainy one. I'm more of the punch-n-go, ya know?" She laughed nervously, knowing full well that she was spewing endless upon endless miles of lies. She decided that lies were going to become very familiar to her over the next few months.

She looked up at the oddly handsome man before her.

Cloud was staring at her again. His glower was so bad that she almost spilled her guts to him and admitted she was making it all up. Really, it was that bad. She averted her gaze from his eyes and looked elsewhere…like his lips. She noticed that, ludicrously, his lip jutted out a little when he glared. It was…cute, surprisingly. She kept that to herself though, knowing that he probably wouldn't want to know that he pouted. When you tell a man he's pouting…well, talk about a big ego blow.

"I have a sister," she repeated firmly, just to confirm it in his mind. He seemed to be vacillating between the truth and her lie. Her hands had become sweaty by then, and her heart was palpitating wildly. She really, really did not want to get caught on the first day. Caught in the first hour, practically.

The young ninja risked a look around camp. Men were walking off to places, and she realized that it would be wise to tour the camp and get a feel for it. Oh, and figure out where the hell High Noon was.

"You know I was thinking…." Cloud began, glancing over at her. Yuffie's mind instantly strayed away from her thoughts. She focused solely on his words.

"Thinking what?"

"There's so many people…." He trailed off as if he expected her to pick up the pieces. She didn't.

"Yeah, there is. What's your point?"

"I'm sure the commander wouldn't notice if we just….traded partners."

Yuffie felt as if she'd been punched. She tried to hide up her hurt. He wanted to trade? He wanted to get rid of her? Why did that bother her so much? She was the one that was afraid of him, after all. But was she really that repulsive?

"If that's what you want…" she trailed off, refusing to look at him. For a few minutes Cloud didn't say anything to console her. Then-

"Hey, I was just-I was trying to-I don't want-" Cloud growled and rubbed his eyes.

Yuffie, never known for being one with much brains, didn't seem to get the hint. "What?" she asked dubiously, knowing she was treading on dangerous ground by acting dumb. Well…she wasn't really acting.

Cloud let out an irritated groan and stood up hastily. "Fuck…I just didn't want you to feel bad about being stuck with me, ok?" He folded his arms over his chest as if daring her to challenge his words.

Yuffie couldn't control herself. "Oh! That's so sweet!" She jumped up. Cloud's eyes became saucers when she wrapped her arms around him, a knee-jerk reaction for her whenever someone showed great courtesy to her.

"Ack!" Cloud's yell sounded like a choking baboon. "Get off!" He snarled, defensive and awkward. He cast his eyes around, noticing the stares he was getting. "Kisaragi! Unhand me goddammit! This isn't some gay farm!"

Her hands fell to her sides as if she'd been shocked. "Sorry," she whispered, over and over again. "Don't know what came over me…"

Cloud looked like he was going to unleash some inner fury. His shoulders tightened for a moment and he leaned over her, but then he let off. He sighed, shaking his head.

" S'all right," he said quietly, trying his best to sound gentle. "Just don't do it again."

"I promise," Yuffie nodded. There was NO WAY she'd ever make that mistake ever again.

A/N: Different, right? The reason I made Cloud so malevolent was because I needed there to be clearly defined personalities between Cloud and Squall. With the old version, I felt like I was writing the same person with different names. Neither of them had their own idiosyncrasies that made them, them. And besides, I felt like Cloud had that "angry" aura at the beginning of the Final Fantasy 7 game. Don't worry though; Cloud won't be so grouchy all the time.

Next chapter: Yuffie learns some little things about Cloud and Squall. But it's the little things that count right?