The Deal of Eternity"
Guys wait for me!" a young woman shrieks as she tries to catch up to the crowded buggy. She pants and tries to keep a hold of her khaki backpack as she runs. "Guys stop!" she yells. All of the sudden the buggy stops. Unfortunately, she is running so hard she can't stop in time and slams into the back of the buggy. She hears snickering in the buggy as she falls to the ground.
"Yo Yuffs, you alright?" Barret calls from the seat behind the passenger's. Barret tries to cover up his chuckles with one of his biceps.
Yuffie flexes her jaw and tries to catch her wind as she attempts to stand up. She heaves her self up using the buggy as support and sways up to the driver's side window. She taps the window.
The window rolls down and Cloud leans his head out the window. "Yeah Yuffie what is it?" he asks annoyed. Tifa sits next to him in the passenger side and doesn't look at Yuffie.
Yuffie plasters on a fake smile and punches his arm. "Hiya Cloud. You guys told me you were leaving for the camping trip at nine and my watch says it's seven thirty." Yuffie smacks her head, "Boy do you feel stupid giving me the wrong time. Huh, Cloud?"
"Yeah Yuffie, I feel stupid," Cloud agrees sarcastically, sighs wearily and looks out the windshield impatiently.
"You know I'm really mad at you," Yuffie tells everyone in the buggy. In the buggy is Cid Highwind, Red XIII, and Shera Loraine. "You know I don't think I want to even come with you guys now," she tells them.
"You know you are right to be angry Yuffie. I'm sure we can respect that..." Tifa quickly goes to agree.
Yuffie opens the back door and squeezes in suddenly. "Just kidding," she says brightly. She settles into the seat and starts to laugh, "You know I almost missed you guys this morning by this much." She pinches her two fingers together to emphasize her point. Yuffie immediately begins to get car sick. Cloud looks at Tifa apologizing for the new comer.
"Yeah Yuffie," Cloud sighs, "we know." With that said Cloud puts the buggy into gear and begins the long drive for the Nibelheim mountains.
"Is this the right place?" Yuffie asks as she surveys the mountain. Cold wind whips at her face and exposed arms and legs. "Can't we camp on the ground?"
"No this is where we promised to meet Reno, Rude, and Elena," Shera informs Yuffie kindly.
"Reno? As in Reno Mission?" Yuffie asks slowly.
"Yeah, you know him?" Barret asks.
"Well I've only been working at Parker Toys Inc. with him for the past year. Of course I know him," Yuffie says.
"Yeah anyone hear anything about the company's president, Reeve Parker?" Tifa asks.
"Word has it he's fucking Elena," Cid tells them.
Shera glares witheringly at Cid's profanity and changes the subject. "So Yuffie how exactly did you and Reno meet?"
"Well we haven't officially met yet," Yuffie admits.
"Ohhh, someone has a crush," Tifa teases.
"Isn't Reno seeing Scarlet Mason?" Shera asks. "The woman in marketing?"
"No that's been over for two weeks now," Yuffie says confidently.
"Sounds like a stalker case," Cloud mumbles.
"No I just listen and observe," Yuffie defends herself. "I know a lot about him."
"How? You haven't even met him?" Tifa demands. She places her hands on her hips and tries to ignore Cloud eyeing her. Now that Yuffie is here their plans just have to change.
"Well I know he likes dogs, hates cats, votes the Democrat ticket, eats only chocolate ice cream and looks like a god in blue," Yuffie says dreamily.
A blue Mercedes parks and out steps Rude Morris, Elena Bronte, and Reno Mission. They start pulling bags of clothes and equipment out of the trunk.
"Well here's your goddamn chance to meet," Cid says as he lights a new cigarette.
"What do you mean?" Yuffie asks, panic crossing her features.
"We mean go for it," Tifa says as she shoves Yuffie forward. Yuffie looks back tentatively. "Go on!"
"Yeah, this is could be your big opportunity," Barret patronizes her.
Yuffie fixes a smile on her face, "Well I see you're not going to let me enjoy myself until I say hi. So I'm going." Yuffie starts walking towards the blue Mercedes.
"Ten gil says she chickens out," Barret says.
"I bet ten she does," Cloud replies.
"No way. She won't do it," Tifa says.
"Good luck," Shera calls to Yuffie and glares at Barret and Tifa to keep them quiet.
Yuffie walks up to the Mercedes and knocks on the roof. Reno's head comes out of the car. "Hi," she says to him.
Reno puffs a drag on his cigarette before asking, "Do I know you?"
"Well I hope so. We've only been working for the same company for a year now. I'm Yuffie Kisaragi," she introduces herself.
"Oh hey," Reno mutters. He looks behind her. "You came with Cloud and them?" he asks.
Yuffie smiles at him. "Yeah, they almost left without me," she confides.
"That so?" Reno mumbles. Rude motions for Reno to come over to him.
Yuffie shrugs. "Yeah but I'm sure they didn't mean anything by it," she says. Yuffie turns to see her friends and sees Shera give her the thumbs up sign.
Yuffie smiles again and turns back to Reno. "Say would you like to do something later? I have a new stereo system..." Yuffie's voice dies away. Reno walked away while her back was turned.
Yuffie watches Reno go to Rude with the maps. She sighs. "Leviathan I would give anything to have that man in my life," she swears.
Just then a camp fire nearby spontaneously ignites. A pack of marshmallows flies through the air and bounces against Yuffie's head. She catches it and looks around for the perpetrator.
By a campfire, that she could've sworn wasn't lit before, stood a tall, pale man with long black hair and strange eyes. Yuffie can almost believe his eyes are red.
The strange man beckons her to come forward.
Yuffie looks around and behind her to see if there is any other woman he could be gesturing to. When she sees none she turns back and points at herself. The stranger nods.
She walks towards the campfire and holds out the marshmallows nervously. "Uh hi," she mumbles.
The stranger eyes her patiently.
"Um, are these yours?" Yuffie mumbles again, holding out the bag.
The man smirks and takes the bag. "Are you always so articulate?" he asks.
Yuffie just stares at him.
The man smiles to himself. 'This will be so easy.'
"So are you here with anyone?" he asks casually.
"Um I am here with some friends," she says shyly.
"What about your gentleman friend?" he asks.
"Oh him?" Yuffie asks incredulously. "Oh I'm not with him."
"But you would like to be," the man says as he opens the marshmallow bag.
"What? How'd you know...?" Yuffie dies off.
"Oh I just assume when a young lady says she would give anything to have a man in her life he must mean something to her," he answers.
"How did you hear that? I was all the way over there?" Yuffie demands.
The man smiles slyly and whispers, "I have excellent hearing, among an assortment of equally amazing talents." He looks at the fire and it goes out.
The fire pit is now cold as the frigid mountain air.
"Whoa!" Yuffie exclaims in amazement.
The man looks back at her. "Let's go some place where we can talk," he suggests.
At that moment an errant spark from the fire pit jumps and goes down Yuffie's tank top. "Um ok," she agrees as she tries to covertly remove the strangely cold piece of rock. 'It must have been hot to pop from the pit like that, but it's so cold. It feels like it was in a freezer instead of a fire.'