Disclaimer: I still don't own a thing. I hardly own this plot. No, wait...my muse owns that.

A/N: Still trying! Thanks so much everyone!

Usually Reno was a vacuum; able to suck up just about anything placed in front of him. However, this morning he picked at a modest short stack of pancakes, while occasionally dipping his fork into the slowly congealing sunny-side egg sitting on a side-plate.

Rude looked at him between bites of bacon, toast, and sips of orange juice. His partner's unusually vacant expression troubled him.

"Would you stop spacing out while looking at me like that? People are gonna think we're having a lover's tiff or something."

"Huh? Oh. Sorry. It's just...I'm a lil nervous."

Rude let a small smile slip. He had never heard Reno ever say he was nervous before.

"What's done is done. No turning back now. Besides, we don't even know whether or not Reeve is even going to set you guys up on a date yet. Until then, just lay low and keep cool. It'll all work itself out one way or another."

"Yeah...I guess you're right."

Reeve Tuesti was also sitting at a breakfast table, awkwardly picking at his morning meal as well. On the one hand he thought that Reno was in no way, shape, or form, anywhere near worthy enough for the young princess that he had so cared for after all this time. All the same, he had proven that he was at least...infatuated...with Yuffie for who she was; and that he didn't expect her to change at all. His mind was at odds with itself, mulling over what the right thing to do would be. He couldn't imagine what Kisaragi-Taishou would do to him if he made the wrong decision. A Crown Prince of Nibelheim who treated his daughter a bit questionably? Or a brash, young gangster who made her feel alright in her own skin?

Remembering he had to call said King of Wutai in order to inform him of their extended stay, he slipped out of the dining room and into the foyer of the front entrance.

'Good morning! This is Himiko of the Kisaragi Palace speaking, how may I direct your call?"

"Himi! It's Reeve!"

"Oh!! Why hello Reeve! How have you and the princess been doing? We're all very excited to have you back!"

"Well, actually, we won't be back today. The prince has decided to extend our stay here. I was actually calling to tell Kisaragi-Taishou this. Is he in at the moment?"

"Yes he is. He's just finishing up breakfast right now. Shall I connect you to his line?"

"Could you? Thanks!"

"You're welcome. One moment please."

"Godo Kisaragi."

"Good morning Your Highness, this is Reeve Tuesti speaking."

"Ah! Reeve! Splendid! How goes everything?"

"It's been a bit of...shall we say...an adventure. But everything seems to be going relatively well!"

"Superb. Shall I be anticipating your return today?"

"The Crown Prince has actually requested that I speak to you and see if you would not be willing to let us stay here for a few more days. He said that there are still a few more things he would like to learn about his potential bride-to-be."

Reeve's speech almost skipped a beat as he fabricated a bit of exaggeration on the Crown Prince's reasoning. He waited with bated breath to see whether or not the king had noticed.

"Hnn. I like the sound of that. This must mean that they are getting along quite well. Of course I would be happy to allow you longer visitation with the Crown Prince. Until when does he expect you to stay until?"

"Wednesday evening."

"Excellent. Well, then. I expect a full report and a wedding proposal by then."

Kisaragi-Taishou laughed heartily and thus missed the strained chuckle that Reeve managed to eke out from the back of his throat. He really hoped that the king was just kidding.

"O-of course, Sir."

"Return to my daughter and give her my regards. Let the Crown Prince know that I am more than happy to oblige his request. Until Wednesday."

Kisaragi-Taishou was about to hang up when suddenly Reeve caught his attention.

"S-sir!"

"Yes?"

"I...uh...I have a small question to ask, if it won't be of any trouble to you."

"You may ask."

"I was just wondering, if, hypothetically, let's say, some overeager young sprite...maybe of decent standing...were to try and...shall we say...interfere with these plans. Because, you know, he was...he discovered Yuffie's stay here and was quite...taken with her. What would you suggest a humble advisor do about such a situation.-- JUST if it were to ever...HYPOTEHTICALLY occur...?"

"Are you trying to tell me something, Reeve?"

"No! No, of course not! I just want to be adequately prepared should such an even arise!"

"Reeve, I assure you that I strongly believe that no such occasion should arise. However, to humor you, if it does, I am counting on my daughter to marry someone of much better than 'decent' standing, as well as someone who is not just infatuated with her, but loves her at least half as much as I do. I may not say it enough; granted I don't say it at all, but my daughter is my most precious thing in life. I love her very, very much and I would rather give my life, or even my entire kingdom than see her suffer. That is why it is so important to me that she marries well. Someone of high enough standing to not have a reason to ever take advantage of her, as well as someone who will love her and express it in ways that I have so failed to do. I know you understand me; you have raised her like a surrogate father. Don't allow her to make any mistakes that you would not allow a daughter of your own to make. Understood?"

Reeve pondered the unusual honesty in the old man's voice, and despite his king's inability to see him, nodded his head solemnly, and spoke aloud his assent.

"Of course. I'm sorry to even have asked such a ridiculous question, Your Majesty."

"No question is ridiculous in regards to my daughter."

With that, Kisaragi-Taishou hung up the phone before Reeve could detect the crack in his voice.

Yes. All this time he had cared very much that Yuffie find someone who would love her for who she was, as well as be able to take care of her and the kingdom that came with her. All this time she had thought that he had just wanted to make sure that she had a strong male to make all her decisions the way her father had made her mother's. But in all honesty, he just wanted to make sure that there was someone to be there for his precious little girl in a manner that he never did for his wife. He wanted someone that could love her, and show it.

Reeve knew what he had to do.

Yuffie came upstairs after her post-breakfast walk with Vincent. She had bantered randomly and skipped around from topic to topic, totally missing Vincent's surreptitious eye-rolling in her mild distraction. He did look at her quite sternly at times, and refused to laugh at her inappropriate jokes, but every now and then she would catch a small smirk curled on his lips, and the slightest sparkle in his reddish eyes.

"So after breakfast we just walked around and did nothin' really, but we talked a lot and he really needs to let loose. The guy can hardly smile at a compliment. He won't even laugh at my jokes."

Reeve looked at her and knew what he was about to do was risky. But he was willing to take that risk.

"That sounds interesting, Princess. What about your little outing last night?"

"Oh!! Can you believe the moment you convinced me to go there was some bald-headed dude who asked me to come with him coz he had somethin' to show me and alluvasudden he takes me to this bar and RUDE of all people is there and he..."

For some reason her speech faltered and she broke into a grin.

"And he?"

"He...sang a song for me and asked if I would be with him."

Reeve couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the utter flamboyance with which Reno had decided to try and woo the Princess, but it's not like he was expecting anything less from the brash, young Turk.

"What did you say to him?"

"Well, he was actually tryin' to say somethin' to me when someone called and told him that Vinnie was out looo------Hey!! That was you, wasn't it?!"

"Now why would I do such a thing? If you must know, I had been doing paperwork all night last night and never even realized that the Crown Prince had left until Miss Janice came and told me that he had left a message to alert me that he was no longer in the mansion and if I needed anything, to please let her know."

"Yeah...a likely story."

"You still haven't said whether or not you accepted his offer to 'Be with him.'"

"He asked if I'd see him again, and of course I told him yes, but...I don't know. Things just might be working themselves out with Vinnie, you know?"

"Let me be the Devil's Advocate here, Princess. Think about how Vincent has treated you for the past couple of days. Think about how you've been forced to act around him. You've been rather...diminutive in his presence, and for a while he was rather cruel, or at least that's what someone on the outside looking in might say. Now think about how Reno has treated you. He may not have been the most charming guy, but he's really beginning to prove that he's a good guy with sincere intentions deep down, now hasn't he?"

"Who's Reno?"

"Reno?"

"You said something about someone named Reno. Who the heck is that?"

"I said Reno? You must have heard me wrong. i said Rude."

"No. I heard you perfectly. You said Reno. And don't lie to me. When you lie your eye twitches. Which is what it's doing right now. So tell me. Who. Is. Reno?"

Reeve couldn't believe he had slipped up like that. It was an amateur mistake and he had only done it because he was so overcome with trying to get his point across that he didn't think hard enough about what he had said.

Recovering long enough to pull out his PHS and dial a number before looking at Yuffie gravely he said:

"Why don't you ask him?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was a lovely little cafe on the outskirts of the newer Nibelheimian developmental area. Reeve had managed to make an excuse on the pretense of meeting up with an old friend of the family to get Vincent to let her get away for a few hours. Reeve had decided to hang back for a bit; he would decide whether or not it would be prudent for him to leave AFTER Reno got here. He had filled Reno in on the fact that his little cover was blown, and was scared witless at the thought of what could happen from here.

Reeve and Yuffie both sat at a more secluded table, each with a drink in front of them as they saw two men in navy blue suits enter the cafe. One was bald and wore dark sunglasses. The other had bright red-orange hair, piercing blue eyes, and goggle-like sunglasses perched on his head.

Rude stood a bit behind his friend as Reno gave a deep bow to the still-seated Yuffie.

"Princess Yuffie Kisaragi of Wutai, I'd liketa introduce my partner and I. This is Rude Sparks, first in command of the Turk Empire. I am Reno Kobayashi-Kim; second in command of the Turk Empire and...and I am in love with you."