Author's Note: Well, it was a bit longer of a wait, and you have the University of Guelph to that for that *fist shake*. Anyway, here's the next chapter, which I hope you all enjoy as much as you have the last two.


I had some time before the kids were scheduled to get home from school, and so I was obliged to spend the rest of the afternoon doing what every man of my position should be doing on a Thursday afternoon: Slamming my head into the stall door in the men's bathroom, with the trash can strategically arranged under the door-handle to keep any prospective urinaters from disturbing me.

I suppose I should explain, before you begin to question the state of my mental stability. It began shortly after I had finished apologizing to the UPS delivery man for Yuffie's absurd behaviour, while I was on my way to a council meeting to discuss the municipality's decision to build a new highway between Edge and Junon.

On any other day I would have left my PHS in my office for a meeting such as this: there was bound to be several hours of discussion and planning, and any phone calls I received would simply have to go through my secretary first. However, considering the situation and the fact that several members of AVALANCHE were in an airship headed to Nibleheim to find the one and only man in the world whose appearance could make or break the rest of WRO history (at least that's how it felt), I figured that that was one interruption the councilmen would just have to live with.

So, with PHS on hand and three or four files tucked under my arm, I made my way toward the meeting room, where the fate of infrastructure awaited my mercy. I was not expecting to be driven off course, however, by a foreboding thought that maybe I should make sure Yuffie didn't need anything (or feel the need to get into trouble) while I wasn't in my office for her to annoy. I glanced at my watch as I entered the elevator, my finger finding the fourth floor button. I had a few minutes before I was officially late, and with my position being what it was, no one dared accuse me of such. Yet, as much as I knew I could probably do nothing to prevent mass genocide at the hands of Yuffie; I felt it was important to check, as a concerned third party, and as her friend.

I figured I would check for her in the training room, because that was where she was scheduled to be that afternoon. This of course did not suggest she would inevitably be there; rather that it was more of a starting point. I swiped my ID card in through the reader and proceeded quietly through the hall toward the men's locker room, nodding to a pair of WRO officers as I moved toward the door. "Hello boys."

"Mr. Tuesti," they replied, nodding back. I kept walking, but faltered when one hesitantly stopped me. "Sir, there's a bit of a problem in there," he said, just as I raised my ID to enter.

I swallowed. "What kind of problem?" I couldn't hide the frustration in my voice, because I had half a mind of who was causing it.

"Well, Kisaragi's in there, and..."

"Yuffie..." I growled under my breath. "Nevermind, gentlemen, I'll drag her out by her ear."

"But sir..." I was gone. I knew he probably had something important to tell me, but I was too busy trying to figure out why a female ninja had banished the male officers from their locker room.

I pushed through the door and burst into the room, eyebrows drawn and fists clenched, ready for battle. I stopped when I got in, however, for she was not readily in my sights. In fact, there was no one readily in my sights.

Oh this was rich. Planet save me, if I was late for that council meeting because Yuffie thought it would be fun to have the training room to herself, I was going to fire her ass so fast she wouldn't know what was coming. Then she could go back to her little tiny Island-state and be the freaking Princess she was acting like here. Well I was about to inform her that the WRO doesn't trip over themselves at her command every time she got the inclination...

I was striding down the rows of lockers as my thoughts raced, and found her, finally, sitting on a bench in front of an open locker.

"Kisaragi..." I had it in mind to inform her of the harassment policies she was breaking by being in the men's room, until my eyes and brain formed a connection and I truly understood what I saw.

Next to her on the bench was a pistol, not a standard WRO commissioned model. In her hands was a white towel, which she had half clutched to her chest, her face buried in it. Across from her, the open locker contained three unmastered materia and a schedule. It was Vincent's training schedule. They were Vincent's materia. It was Vincent's pistol. It was Vincent's towel.

"Gaia, Yuffie..." My eyes were wide as I observed her, and she rearranged the towel to hide more of her face.

"Leave me alone, Reeve."

I wanted to. I really wanted to turn around and high-tail it out of those locker rooms and have the maintenance staff put a 'out of service' sign on the door and let her have her space and his towel and her memories for as long as she needed.

"You can't stay here, Yuffie," my logical side said.

"Yes I can."

I sighed and looked at the ceiling, hoping maybe to find an answer written there. I saw poor fluorescent lighting and a strange residue, but nothing much else. I absentmindedly scratched my beard. "Take his things with you."

"I can't. I'm not supposed to be able to get into his locker."

I cocked an eyebrow as she pulled the towel away from her face and set it in her lap, staring at it dismally.

"He made me promise I wouldn't try to pick it." She made a slight face. "He never told me he kept materia in there."

I chuckled softly and extended a hand to her, hoping the lightened mood would provide an end to the standoff. She shook her head, however, raising her head and looking at her friend's locker. "Tifa's not answering her phone," she said finally, after a moment of silence.

I looked away. "Well I'm sure she knows what it is you want to ask, and when she has an answer that you want to hear, she'll give you a call."

She glared at me for all she was worth. "You're such a man, Reeve. Can't you tell I'm worried? Besides, that's not why I was calling."

I ventured toward the bench and sat beside her. "It's not?"

"I really fucked up, Reeve."

My eyebrows drew together, as I had no idea what she was talking about. "What do you mean?" I questioned.

She opened her mouth but hesitated, eyes never leaving the gunman's locker filled with various personal belongings. "I just—I just did, okay? And now they're headed to her cave and they can't do that, they just can't."

"Why not? You said yourself that was the most likely place to find Vincent, and who better than you knows him?"

"That's just it, Reeve!" She cried, turning to me with helpless eyes. "I know him better than anyone. I know his secrets, his past, his regrets, his anger; his fears." Her voice was trembling and I could see her eyes glass over with tears. She swallowed, reigning in her thoughts and looking away once again. "That's why they cannot go there, Reeve. Please, you have to do something. I've messed up so bad."

"That's silly, Yuffie. They need to find him!" I needed them to find him, because I needed him. I needed to know there would be a future for the program. I needed to know I would see Yuffie smile again. I needed to know that ShinRa, my ShinRa, the force I had helped obtain evil was not going to be the death of every one of my friends. "He needs to come home."

"Just..."

"Hey, let's get you some lunch so you can calm down."

She shook her head again, and as flustered as I was getting, I had no intention of giving up. "There's no sense getting so worked up over this, Yuffie. He may need medical attention; it's dangerous to leave him out there."

She gulped, and my nerves were rattled by the way she teetered on the edge of tears. "I- I don't know... I don't know what to... I..."

I hadn't seen her so vulnerable in my entire time of knowing her. She looked at me and her icy grey eyes were swimming with tears, and I could feel my hope dying with hers. It was frightening, really, how much my hope hinged on the light that was currently smothered in her eyes. Before I knew it I had pulled her into my arms and I hugged her like a child might hug a doll: close and comforting, but gentle and kind. She didn't resist, but it took several seconds before I felt her ease against me, and her ease calmed me as well.

...Hence my position in the bathroom, with a headache quickly forming; a rhythmic 'thumping' sounding out into the corridor. Now, I realize there's a bit of a jump in events there, but really this is not the case. I stayed in the men's locker room, hugging Yuffie for nearly three hours. Three hours I was supposed to be in a council meeting deciding the fate of the highway between Edge and Junon: A piece of infrastructure that could boost the economy in both cities. The only reason I left was because of that damn PHS in my pocket.

"Uhm... Reeve?"

It was the first word I had heard from her in nearly two hours. "Yes?"

"There's something vibrating in your pocket, and I hope to God it's your phone."

I laughed shortly. "It's your lucky day," I replied, pulling away from her and shifting to answer it. She, however, saw the number before I could and snatched it out of my hand.

"Hiya, Pemille."

It was my secretary... what on earth did she want?

"Ohhh noooees, Reevey's in trooouuubbblleeeee."

"SHIT." I snatched the phone from the ninja and snapped it shut, my wide eyes staring at it. "What time is it?" I asked breathlessly.

"Dunno. You're the one with the phone."

She was right, so I checked it. "SHIT," I exclaimed again.

"What's wrong?"

"Shit, shit, shit."

"Geeze, Reeve, potty mouth."

I awkwardly realized how close we still were and I glanced away to the floor. "Uh, I've got to go." I awkwardly stood and straightened my jacket, leaving her there in the men's locker room, with every intention of having someone put up that out of service sign just so I could just get out. I had nowhere to go except back to my office, and I couldn't risk it. I couldn't risk being caught at my thoughts; caught trying to figure out why the hell it hurt to see her cry like that.

Locked and barricaded bathrooms are just the place to hide when you're trying to forget that you had clung to a woman—girl—half your age as if your life depended on it, while real life and responsibility passed you by.


Tifa's instruction had been to simply make sure the kids got home from school alright—Denzel was old enough now to take care of himself and Marlene on his own. I was to tell them that there were things in the fridge to make sandwiches for a snack while they waited for Tifa and Cloud to come home for dinner.

However, my weakness to Denzel's persuading words and Marlene's puppy dog eyes was as vulnerable as ever. What was meant to be a fifteen minute visit turned into a four hour video-gaming, junk-food, horror film bonanza; where the three of us were hunkered-down on the sofa, cans of soda and game controllers clutched in our hands.

"After this game, I say we watch Death in Gongaga," Denzel said, narrowing his eyes as his virtual car ran mine off the road.

"You little jerk," I muttered, trying to steer back. "Does Tifa usually let you guys watch scary movies?" I was concentrating on not losing too badly to a twelve year old; and so missed the short glances that the adopted brother and sister exchanged behind my back.

"All the time," Marlene replied casually. "In fact, on Thursday nights they let us stay up really late, so we can watch lots of movies."

"Don't you guys have school tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but that's okay, we always get up on time," Denzel assured me.

It seemed reasonable, even if a little fishy. I supposed it didn't matter, Tifa and Cloud would be home soon to take the reins, and the same if not worse would have occurred if I hadn't been there to hang out with them. Although the Wutainese food currently in-transit to the house probably wouldn't have been paid for… with real currency, anyway.

We were half an hour into the movie when the bar phone rang, and Denzel hopped over the back of the couch to retrieve it. "Hello?"

I pressed pause, much to Marlene's dismay, and leaned backward to listen in.

"Oh, hi Tifa. Yeah, everything is fine here. Reeve stayed to hang out with us." His eyes widened slightly. "No, no that's alright, don't call her back. She can come over too!"

I arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's alright. Still haven't found him yet, eh?" There was a short pause in their conversation where I was sure neither of them spoke. "Don't worry, Tifa," I heard him say, and I couldn't help but be very proud of the comforting tone of his voice. He was going to grow up to be a good man. I felt the sofa shift beside me, and suddenly Marlene was running into the kitchen, demanding that he let her speak to her guardian.

"Tifa?" She smiled when the barkeep responded affectionately. "Yes everything is ok. I closed up the bar early. It was a slow night anyway. When are you coming home? Aww, man…"

I shot Denzel a questioning look as he came to rejoin me.

"Tifa said Cid wants to keep looking around Nibleheim," he explained. "They're going to stay the night."

"Did she mention the Cave?"

He made a face. "What cave?"

My eyes darted to Marlene in the kitchen, but before I could ask her if I might speak to Tifa, she had already hung up. "Yayyy, aunt Yuffie's the best at video games."

"Aunt Yuffie?" I repeated.

"Tifa called her to come watch us when she realized she wasn't going to make it home tonight."

"Ah," I said, my eyes returning back to the television screen as a queasy feeling settled in my stomach. I wondered if it was due to the Wutainese food, or the Wutainese Princess. "Lovely."


Author's Note: Now, hopefully we can all sort of see a bit of a direction beginning to develop. What I need now is to know whether or not it's working. This is where yall come in and do what you do best, and what you've been doing so brilliantly thus far. I know Yuffie seems a bit off, but I've come to an understanding tbhat my gut writes her 'off' because she is. She very very very much is. We'll see more about why in the future.

Til' next time: Lynn