Renegade Hearts
Chapter 6: Idiot

I'm a fool… and she's right. Riku told himself with an ironic sigh. I know she's right. Yuffie doesn't change that quickly.

Give her a while to get to know you, though… that treacherous part whispered again, this time even nastier than before.

He ignored the little, frankly creepy, black voice and smiled hesitantly at the ninja, now that the storm appeared to be over. "What did you want to eat?" he asked Yuffie, allowing the tiniest bit of contentedness and fondness creep into his voice.

Her cheeks tinged pink at his tone, and she pretended to think for a moment before replying. "Tacos. I want to eat tacos."

Riku couldn't help it. He laughed, as he'd been wanting to laugh for the past couple of hours at her comments. "Tacos, eh? Where can you buy them?"

She pursed her red lips primly, a mischievous glimmer in her dark eyes. "Firstly, where can you buy them – I don't recall there being anything in this agreement about me paying – and secondly, we have to go into the First District. The Hotel has some, but the woman-manager-person-thing holds back on the cheese, and I need cholesterol."

He chuckled again, earning an odd look from the petite girl who never put on any weight. "Tacos it is, then."

She smiled, turning away, face bathed in reddish light. "My saviour."

She didn't notice his eyes darken at that comment, nor hear the typically depressing thought that followed. I can't save anyone. But she did notice when he grabbed her hand for the first time, voluntarily, and pulled her startled form along behind him, cloaks flapping in the wind.

"Delish," the small girl muttered distractedly an hour later, wiping her lips daintily with a navy blue serviette before attacking her overloaded burrito again. "Just… yum."

A bemused silver-haired youth watched her tear into the food viciously. "Y'know…" he began.

"Mmm?"

"You got over my whole I-was-evil issue pretty quickly."

"And?" she raised one slim dark eyebrow at him, chewing on a particularly large mouthful of tomato and mince.

"Uh… that. You got over it quick."

"Riku, that was bad grammar," she chided him. "It would have been better to say 'fast' instead of 'quick' in that instance–"

He snorted.

"You have something to say?" The other eyebrow went up.

Riku shook his head vehemently.

"No… good. Anyway. As I was saying. Why shouldn't I get over it quickly? It's not like I really distrust you or anything. I told you earlier I was going to be your friend."

He crossed his arms, fighting down a sullen feeling. "My friend?"

"Well, I sure as hell ain't your enemy, Riku!" she tsked in exasperation.

"I know that!" the warrior snapped back.

"Ah, Earth to Riku! I don't think you did!"

Zoolander. Riku headdesked in frustration. "I loathe that part of the movie, Yuffie," he informed her in a muffled voice. Pshaw. Arguing... don't think it don't think it – damn mind. Arguing like a married couple. But just a friend...

Curious dark eyes met his gaze as he looked up through his silver fringe. "You're thinking..." she said softly. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He looked down again. How does she do it? Go from argumentative to playful, to deep-and-meaningful... it's too confusing. And how did she realise that I wasn't just pissed off, or something like that?

He glanced up again, and Yuffie smiled a little. "You can be predictable sometimes, Riku," she told him clearly, almost as though she had read his thoughts. He stared at her with his piercing aquamarine eyes, silver brows knitted in thought, until she looked away nervously and coughed slightly, breaking the silence that stretched between them.

It was cold as the two hurried back to Yuffie's small house, Yuffie grabbing her mail on the way up the step. Riku contrived to remark as the entered the house after a brief tussle between the ninja and her rusty lock that she needed a larger house, to which she replied sharply that it was 'just fine for her, and she'd thank him not to mention it again.'

He snickered quietly and decided the place was Yuffie-sized, after all, as he hung up his black cloak beside her shorter one on the cramped brass hooks inside the door. "You really should expand a couple of feet in each direction, at least," he informed her, wincing as his broad shoulders hit a couple of hat-hooks and a hanging photograph – a brunette pink-clad woman with a straw-haired man chewing on a toothpick, and even Cloud, with two small children – in his little attempt to manoeuvre around Yuffie in the tiny hall without bowling her over. "Or not you. Your house, I mean."

He received a non-committal grunt in response.

"Talkative, eh?"

She elbowed him in the ribs, suddenly in a grouchy mood as she went through the mail. He peered over her shoulder as she turned away, white envelopes in her hands.

"What is it?" He asked, suddenly concerned.

"It's nothing." She replied shortly, a sour undertone barely hidden in her words. "Just some bills." A small pale hand stuffed the paper into her pocket before he could read them properly.

He shook his head and led the way into her kitchenette, head bowed a little. That's all she ever does, hide her troubles and deal with them her own way- but I don't really know. I haven't exactly known her all my life.

"Want some tea?" Yuffie called over her shoulder, brushing past him and flicking the switch on the kettle, and leaving her hands rest on the metal as it heated slowly.

He shook his head, then realised that she was facing away from him, and said: "No thanks. Hot chocolate with a lot of sugar."

Yuffie gave the silver-haired man a quizzical look and got two mugs from the pantry, and a bag of marshmallows, basin of sugar and some powdered hot chocolate from beneath the bench on which the steaming kettle rested.

"What did I do?" His tone was mildly injured.

"Nothing."

There was a barely concealed smirk in her voice – it wasn't just nothing, he decided, stripping the black cotton (and leather) overshirt off and tossing it onto the couch, then thinking better of his move as Yuffie glared at him, and retrieving the garment to nurse in his arms. He sneezed suddenly.

"Still sick? Hot chocolate cures all," the bouncy little ninja proclaimed grandly, balancing two frothy mugs in one hand and scribing a flourish in the air with the other. "Even sneezes – what're you allergic to? Too bad if it's leather..." she snickered.

He glared daggers which were more the size of veritable swords in this case, but simply waved an arm and deftly snatched a mug from her, nearly yelping as his fingers burnt on the hot china. "It's hot–"

"Boiling liquid generally is."

He sensibly ignored her. "And I don't know of anything that I'm allergic to." He sniffed the air curiously, and was rewarded with another sneeze. "You don't think it's just carrying on from my recent brush with death?"

Watching, Yuffie snorted, nearly spilling the hot chocolate. "Your 'recent brush with death' wasn't as serious as you put it. And yes, you should still be sick, a little, just like that leg of yours should still be hurting. Don't think I didn't notice you limping all the way, Riku." She narrowed her eyes at him over the hot mug. "Wha... what's up? Riku, you're trembling–"

She reached over, standing on tiptoe, and managed to lay her hand on Riku's forehead a split second before he knocked it away. When he spoke, his tone was harsh. "I don't need your help." He told her, turning away.

Yuffie's eyes darkened, as he had predicted but didn't care. "Why don't you? Is it because you think you can cure anything that happens to you? Oh, and since we're on the topic of 'why you should refuse honest help,' why not tell me why you were so frustrated that first time I dragged you back here? Eh? When you answer that, then you're absolutely free to tell me your opinion on the world, and why I shouldn't try and help you now!" She was glaring at him now, mechanically taking sips of hot chocolate.

Ouch... I seem to be good at making her angry. He winced. "Uh... I was frustrated because I didn't believe I needed help."

It was the wrong thing to say. The dark-haired girl placed her mug carefully on the bench beside her and wiped her hands slowly, then turned to face him fully. Storm clouds flitted across her face; lightning seemed to spark from her. "You didn't need help." She mimicked. "Bull shit. Unless you count a ripped leg and gashes on your back as being in tiptop condition, and you were sure that you could handle hordes of Shadows just fine and dandy." Her tone was mocking now, hollow and hoarse. "Otherwise, I'd have to say that you fucking needed my assistance. And that's your excuse for acting like a bastard? That you didn't believe you needed my help? I don't believe you." She was shaking her head now, dark hair wild around her face. Anger was present in every muscle of her slim body. "Fuck you, Riku – Riku – oh, I don't even care what the hell your last name is right now!"

But Riku was done caring about what she thought on the issue. "Are you really so naïve in that pretty little head of yours as to believe that I'm going to tell you everything?" He asked incredulously, wondering why she was getting so angry over this. "Did your precious Squall Leonhart do the same thing or something?"

She gasped, an indrawn hiss of air. "You're going too far, you jerk–"

"I don't care!" Riku slammed his fist against the wall, feeling pain lance through his fingers and wrist and ignoring it stoically, warm with anger. "God, I don't even know why I'm here. Compared to you, I have a purpose. But I guess that's why you're living in the 'City of Lost Souls', right? I wouldn't want to: it doesn't exactly have a homey ring to it," he laughed as nastily as he could contrive to.

Yuffie flushed crimson with fury. "You dare." She hissed, almost inaudible. "You dare say that after I took you in, looked after your injuries, and even fucking fed you!" Her voice steadily rose in volume; her thin chest heaved.

"Ooh, I hurt you," he said nastily in a fake concerned tone, taking a step towards her. "Would you like a kiss to make it all better?"

She blanched and for a moment she thought she was going to hit him, and felt sudden guilt. "Is that what you think will solve all the problems of the world?" She asked him, narrowed eyes flaming. "Do you really think so? Fine." She shoved him against the wall and tangled her fingers in his black shirt, then kissed him fiercely on the mouth, hurting his tender lips as she pressed against his teeth. A second later, she pulled back, before he could even comprehend what she had done. "And what did that do, huh?" She demanded. "Did that make everything better? I doubt it did. Now get out of my sight. We're done talking."

She stalked out of the kitchen, a small child at that moment having a tantrum, and he sagged.

The hot chocolate was forgotten.

Tally. SilverAuthoress. Rikku. AngelKairi.

Oh look! Phwee! I wrote this on my birthday! And it's the first time in this fic I used that signature I've become so accustomed to! Even though I've swapped yet again now… ahh, the dreaded headdesk. And the yuriku. Much fun, no?

For Annie-pooh. Duh.

----love from Tally.