Disclaimer: Same as usual...

A/N: Sankoo everyone for all the encouragement!

Reno was in a sorry state.

His partner had tried numerous times to cheer his friend up, which if one could imagine, was no mean feat. Not only was it rare that Reno was ever so demure, but even rarer still that Rude broke character and tried to be more uptempo rather than taciturn. The redhead appreciated his partner's attempts, and knew how much of a stretch it was for Rude to behave in such a manner, but he just wasn't having it. Even at his side job of flair bartending at Rude's bar he was unable to take his mind off of what was so heavily weighing it down. No matter how sultry the siren that came on to him, he poured the drinks, but otherwise ignored them. It was getting bad for business having one of the main attractions in such a foul mood.

After work, while Rude was starting up his nightly duties of tidying up the place, and as Reno sat perched atop a barstool inattentively munching pretzels, the tall, baldheaded man decided to broach the delicate subject of his partner's attitude.

"Hey, Reno."

"...What."

"You know, you've been in a really bad mood lately. It's not good for business. You know that your bartending and personality are what bring a lot of customers in. What's gotten into you man?"

"You know damn well what my problem is. I know that for a fact. So why don't you just stop beatin' around the damn bush and just tell me whatever it is you want to say."

Rude was taken aback by the nature of the answer, and the bluntness of the address, but he hid it well by focusing on wiping down tables.

"Well, since we're in the mood of being blunt and all, I just thought we should take a little vacation. You're in a really bad rut, and we need to do something to get the old Reno back...because to tell you the truth; this version sucks."

"Yeah, bite me. What didja have in mind?"

"The Nibelheim Fair."

"What the Hell is that?"

"It's this big extravaganza that the royal family of Nibelheim throws every year to show off how well they're doing. At the very least it would be interesting to see. Might even find you someone else who catches your attention."

"...They say the best way to get over a girl is to get under a new one, eh? I usedta believe in that, but man, I don't know anymore."

"Just give it a shot. There's no harm in trying..."

"Whaddabout the bar?"

"We'll just close it for a couple days. It's not like we need the revenue right now."

"I suppose you're right. But what if this don't work?"

"Well, then I suppose my last resort is to try to beat some sense into you."

"...ha...hahahahaha. Whatever. Welp, let's get all packed and shit tonight and head on out tomorrow. Take the 'coptor?"

"Of course."

"Alright. Well, I'll meet you back at HQ, I'm gunna go out for a walk, or something."

"...Be safe, partner."

Reno made a vague hand gesture of acknowledgment to Rude as he exited the bar. The other man sighed and continued wiping tables hoping that this fair was just the thing he needed. He didn't know how much longer he could stand Reno in Scratchy, Wet Blanket mode.

As Reno stepped outside he lit up a cigarette and got on top of the Shinra motorcycle he had used to take Yuffie on that joyride. It was only a day or so ago, but it felt like it had been Goddamned forever. If it wasn't bad enough that he had gone through that first day fearing that her old man had found out and was sending out assassins to bring back his head on a platter that very day, he was too busy brooding over something he couldn't have - and not being able to have something is just a thing that Reno wasn't used to.

I'm a friggan Turk! I should be allowed to have anything I want! Hell, I don't even needta be a Turk for that. I even told my own parents to get off my case when...well...that's not really important. I didn't need nobody's permission to get my tattoos. I didn't need nobody's permission to become a Turk. I want, I get. But this is different. She isn't a thing...she's a living, breathing, person. I wonder if it's her choice that she don't want me, or is it just what her father'd say...I bet that old geezer'd eat his katana if he found out I came anywhere near his precious little girl. Man...sometimes life blows...

With an expert flick the cigarette butt went flying through the air and onto the pavement. Reno started the bike with a roar and rode off in the direction of the Turk's HQ where he and Rude were stationed at the moment, to get his stuff together for a trip to Nibelheim.

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Yuffie was exhausted. The opening ceremony was interesting, with pretty fireworks and good performances from some of the fair's highlight entertainers, even Vinnie's speech was well-written and eloquently executed, but she could hardly keep her eyes open by the end of the night. Reeve had practically half-carried the girl back to the buggy after the ceremony had come to a close. Vincent, of course, had PR affairs to deal with, and was unable to accompany them back. All the same, the young princess was much too tired to care.

When they reached the mansion, she flopped down on the bed and was asleep almost instantly. Reeve chuckled to himself and stayed up a bit longer to do some paperwork that he had brought with him. It was about an hour later, just as Reeve was about to get ready for bed, that there was a quiet knock on the door. He answered it, only to find the Crown Prince himself, standing before him.

"Yes, Sir? Is there something I can do for you?"

"I just wanted to say goodnight to the Princess, if she was still awake that is."

"I'm sorry, she fell asleep as soon as we got back. She was very tired. It's been quite an overwhelming experience for her!"

Vincent broke a small grin. He couldn't help but be glad that at least she was having fun here, despite the way he had been acting towards her.

"That's quite alright. I wasn't really expecting her to be awake still. I'll see you and the Princess at breakfast in the morning then. Goodnight Reeve."

"Goodnight, Sire."

Quietly closing the door, Reeve tucked his papers away and readied for sleep, crawling into the other bed in the room and falling asleep, shortly thereafter.

In the morning, Reeve was up again, bright and early, setting out Yuffie's attire for the day. Sometimes he wondered if it agitated the young Princess to have everything so set out for her, but decided that at least for the time being, it was better this way. He woke his charge up about an hour and a half before breakfast was to commence. She was groggy, and slightly grumpy, but after showering and dressing, she was in a much better mood. There was even time to spare for her and Reeve to talk a bit more than they had yesterday. Not only reflectively, but strategically as well. He versed her in the things she might want to say, and let her talk a bit about how she was feeling towards things so far. The response was mostly positive, if not for the few kinks that Vincent's standoffish attitude were producing so far.

He didn't want Yuffie to brood too much on that point, and so before they went down to breakfast, he told her a little something to boost her spirits.

"Vincent...he came by to see you last night after he got back from the festivities."

"Did he?!"

"Yes. He said he wanted to say goodnight if you were still awake, but you were sleeping, so he told me to give you his regards."

So...that was a little bit of an...exaggeration...no harm, no foul...

"Wow, that's so cool of him! I really think he's comin' around!"

"You bet. Okay, now remember, game face. Okay?"

"You got it!"

Arm in arm, the pair went down to breakfast.

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Rude and Reno had arrived in Nibelheim not too long after the royal breakfast commenced. It was roughly ten in the morning when their copter landed just on the outskirts of Nibelheim. With the Shinra logo boldly emblazoned on it, they held no fear that someone would try to steal it. Upon entering the town, they were impressed by how much of a big deal this dinky little fair turned out to be.

"'Ey Rude, you remember when Nibelheim usedta be just some crappy little town all buried in the mountains?"

"Yeah. Isn't it amazing how far they've come?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. I hear that infamous psychopath Seth Valentine was from here."

"...I'd be careful where you speak those words in this town, partner. That's the deceased brother of the current Crown Prince."

"Whoop dee friggan doo, yo. We're Turks. The only thing we gotta worry about is havin' some fun here."

Rude grinned slightly, Reno was beginning to sound like his old self again.

"So, where we stayin'?"

"I didn't want to be stuck in the center of all the events, so I booked us a room at an inn in Old Nibelheim, closer to the mountains and residential zone."

"Sounds good t'me. Let's head on over there and drop off our stuff. Then we can come back and take a look around...see what they got to offer us on our lil' vacation."

With that, they both hauled their bags over to the inn at Old Nibelheim Town Square.

After about twenty minutes of just walking to the inn, checking in and dropping off their stuff, both Reno and Rude were ready to go look for something to do. Reno was more than ready to hit the bar, despite it only being ten-thirty in the morning, but Rude managed to convince him to at least do a little more walking around and sightseeing before he started getting drunk. The redhead sulkily agreed, and allowed his tall friend to lead him around looking at this and that.

Many whispers followed them as they passed by the common folk, people easily recognizing the standard-issue suits they wore, as well as just the faces. There were few people who didn't know of the pair, as their reputation in the Turks propelled them to almost celebrity status. Reno sighed. Wasn't there enough to gawk at without them all staring at him and Rude?

Rude was surprised to see how many different people were there. There were rough, city kids from Midgar, all the way down to Kimono-clad Wutains, who served only to remind him of why he had taken them here. A short, gaudily-clad man whose name-tag read "Don Corneo" was sitting at a booth lined with beautiful women, offering tours of Nibelheim for a fee. Rude told Reno to wait nearby, making a weak excuse of wanting to check something out. Reno just nodded nonchalantly and headed over to a takoyaki stand run by an old Wutain lady and her husband. They bantered kindly with him, and sold him a cup of takoyaki drenched in the delicious mayo sauce that was characteristic. He ate it in a bored fashion, wondering what the Hell his partner was doing that was taking so damn long. After polishing off the cup of takoyaki, and a small glass of soju to boot, he finally saw Rude walking back with two good-looking girls following him.

Rude grinned a bit as he spoke to the one on his right and gave her a gentle push towards Reno. The bold brunette needed no goading as soon as she set sights on Reno. Walking up to him slowly and seductively, she extended a hand tipped in long, pink acrylic nails.

"Why hello, Reno-san. My name is Kiyoko, and I'll be your tour guide today..."

Her long brown hair was held back by a bejeweled clip, and she wore sparkling jewels around her throat, wrists, and on her fingers and earlobes. Her considerable bust swelled beneath a tightly laced corset-dress that mimicked the look of a cheongsam. The skirt was cut short, revealing a pair of wonderfully-shaped pale legs. She looked at him expectantly, almost with a touch of impatience.

Grabbing her hand and raising it to his lips, he grinned wolfishly first at Rude, who gave him a knowing nod from behind the girl, where he stood with his own escort, and next at the voluptuous vixen in front of him.

He didn't say a word, but saw the passion flare up in her eyes excitedly, as those baby blues conveyed a message words would have made vulgar.

They were going to have some fun today.