Renegade Hearts
Chapter 8: Now I Only Waste Time Dreaming Of You
"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 he 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…
The 'day after' was a quiet one. Apart from one occasionally deliberately testing the other's patience – Riku standing between the fireplace and where a silently fuming Yuffie sat as though she wasn't there, for example, or Yuffie 'absently' aiming her shuriken just above Riku's head during a vicious little training session in which they kept out of each other's way for the most part – it was, by and large, each steadfastly ignoring the other.
…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…
But sitting there in the kitchen, awake enough after one exchange of pleasantries with his oh-so-gracious hostess, he watched her unobtrusively, over the mug of steaming hot chocolate that she'd dumped in front of him – she'd never let anyone touch her supplies, at least the ones needed to make hot chocolate. Except that one time, when Cloud had visited, and she had viciously forced him to make some. And he didn't even feel like provoking her. Strange - after a battle with anyone, he always felt that the worst had been brought out in him for the next week or so.
Eyes curiously dull but with fire in her voice, she announced almost defiantly that she was going back to her room for some quality time with her books. She came to life only when she emptied the bottle of milk, upending it then hurling it into the bin with an oath.
It sparked an idea in Riku's clever mind.
This idea was why, seventeen minutes later and fifteen degrees colder, he was standing before a store that read
"Traverse General Store
-For All Your Needs!"
And he was nervous.
Riku had never shopped before. Not on the Islands, even with Kairi nagging him, day in, day out, to take her shopping – he'd always managed to foist that task off on a more-than-willing Sora.
Who'd have thought that simple grocery shopping could be so daunting for the bane of all evil-Heartless-type-things?
She'd better appreciate this… he scowled, took a deep breath and plunged in.
Well. Maybe, a little easier than he expected.
The shelves were all neatly arrayed, at least, and he easily sidestepped the stack of cans (corn, with, he noticed with a quizzical raised eyebrow, one lone tin of beetroot) piled up in a decorative way.
What killed him the most, figuratively speaking, of course, was all the people.
How could anyone want to congregate in a place like this? He asked himself silently, cringing inwardly as he ducked the gaze of several teenage girls and followed a woman with a pram for a couple of metres, then peering around, first at the list in his hand of all the half-or-more-empty containers he'd discovered in the pantry and fridge when Yuffie had wandered off to sulk in her room. Sulk wasn't really the way he'd put it, especially with her within thinking range, but he was still kind of irritated with her, too...
"Can I help you?"
"Aarrgh!"
Large green eyes peered up at him, slightly baffled. "Uh... sorry, I didn't mean to scare you-"
"Who says I'm scared?" Riku snarled, attempting to regain his composure without much success, and brushing down his long black coat. Her bright eyes followed his hand in a compulsive sort of way, and he stopped hurriedly, feeling unnerved by this strange girl. "You just..."
"Scared you." She announced brightly, as though it was the most normal and abirritating thing in the world. She started bouncing, drawing attention without even meaning to (that was how it seemed, anyway) to her chest, where the white name tag that impersonally named her as "SELPHIE" jiggled up and down with her, ah, other attributes. "How do you do? I'm Selphie! I work in the candy section!" She gestured proudly to the shelves around her nearly overflowing with chocolate and other sugar-laden products.
"Uh... this isn't really the best place for you to be, is it?"
He was a little taken aback at the speed with which she nodded her head, much like a bobble dog. "Of course it is! I love it here!" Her brown hair bobbed bobbily. "Selphie loves candy!"
Oh god... "Well, Selphie," he said carefully, edging away so as not to startle her, "I have to be going. To, uh, the meat section."
Her crestfallen face almost made him laugh, but he held it back. "But I like talking to strangers!" She wailed plaintively, hands behind her back. "And I can't leave this section!"
And believe me, that's the best way for it to be…
He ran, black leather flapping around him, and was relieved when nothing more hyperactive came his way. Milk... milk first, he thought firmly, trying to forget the harrowing incident as soon as possible. Yuffie'd be laughing her ass off right now if she were here.
...tangled her fingers in his black shirt, then kissed him fiercely on the mouth, hurting his tender lips as she pressed against his teeth...
And again with the damn thoughts about Yuffie! Get out of my head! He scowled, yanking a bottle of milk from the cold shelf before him angrily an nearly breaking it, then glancing around guiltily to make sure no one witnessed what his dark-haired caretaker would probably have described as 'bottle abuse'... Not again, dammit!
Narrowing aquamarine eyes at the reflection before him in the glass, he brushed his fringe out of the way irritably. It fell back across his face. "Guh. I am hated by the world." He muttered, attempting to brush it away again, and trying to ignore the thought that even hair was a welcome distraction from Yuffie...
Something bumped into his side, and he glanced up, fully prepared and ready to mouth profanities at the offending elbow.
It was Cloud; he hurriedly bit the words back, knowing it wouldn't be good to get further on the wrong side of the blond swordsman than he already unwittingly had. "Uh… Hi?" He ventured.
"Hi." The man looked emotionlessly down on him, and somehow it made the silver-haired youth feel better. He'd dealt with too much emotion lately; it was good to get away from it, distance himself like he needed to. If he just imitated the man now, act impersonal and as though he wasn't really there, wasn't feeling anything...
Cloud nodded once, a considering look on his face, and Riku started, then narrowed his eyes suspiciously. It was as though the man had read his thoughts... "Are you shopping too?" He asked, more to stop thinking those thoughts that frustrated him so.
Another single jerk of the head. This guy was like a broken bobble dog. "Why are you here?" The blond asked him directly.
Riku laughed, more to cover his unease. "Well, Yuffie's pissed at me again–"
"Like always, you mean..."
"Whatever. But yeah. She's angry again. So I thought, getting out of her way and the house would be a good idea. Then I thought, 'Hey, Yuffie'd be happy if I brought back groceries that I paid for with my own munny!' and… well. Here I am." He shifted uncomfortably.
One fine blond eyebrow twitched. Just – twitched. "That... that's what you think?"
What's wrong with it? "Yeah. 'Cause a not-happy Yuffie is a not-nice Yuffie. And a scary one, too."
"...You are so naïve."
Aquamarine eyes blinked. That had been an unexpected response. "Why?"
"Because," the blue-eyed warrior began, "Yuffie's not like that. You can't make her happy with things like that. She'll think you're trying to buy her."
"You're kidding." He said incredulously. "So it was a bad idea?"
Cloud had the faintest of smirks in place, muscled arms crossed. "Yeah. But she'll act happy..."
If she acts happy, then I'm happy. It's better than her yelling at me, or confusing me with her 'I-HATE-YOU-SO-DEAL' logic... "Uh... Cloud?" He inquired tentatively.
The blond eyebrow raised again. Riku was getting used to that.
"If she acts happy, she won't be so interested in breaking bones or the like, will she?" He asked honestly.
Cloud directed a startled glance at him, then started laughing softly.
"You're laughing at me?" Emotion from the emotionless... this town is so screwed up. "What'd I do this time?"
Cloud stopped suddenly, shook his head. "Don't worry. I think..." He fell silent.
"No, you can't stop when you're about to tell me something," the youth voiced in frustration. "You think what?"
"I think... Yuffie will be surprised." He turned and stalked off, red cape fluttering dramatically down the frozen goods isle.
He made it out of the store. Just. A girl had suddenly sidled up to him at the checkout, cooing sweet names and generally confusing him a lot. When he'd asked her what she was doing, she'd just clung to his arm and giggled mindlessly up at him. The woman at the checkout scowled at her empty-headed blonde co-worker and shooed her away, muttering something about "crazy fangirls" and "pretty boys" under her breath as she packed the rest of his purchases away.
He'd managed to stumble out of the store, arms laden with groceries. Only three bags, but he wasn't used to such work... not work like shopping. Why did Kairi want me to go shopping with her? he asked himself. It's... it's hell. Hell in a store. Yippee.
Such were Riku's thoughts as he travelled the slush-covered streets back to the small residence of Yuffie Kisaragi; he was so busy thinking them that he hardly noticed the tiny grey wisp of smoke at his feet until it nearly tripped him and spilt a packet of frozen peas - he didn't even like peas and was suddenly caught wondering why he'd bothered buying them - but managed to check himself just in time.
A kitten... he reached down and patted it on the head, managing with difficulty to balance the bags of groceries. "Where're you from?" He inquired lightly, grinning at the way it wormed under his slender fingers. It gave a tiny hiccupping meow in reply, closing its pale blue eyes. "Wait here."
He left her - yes, it was officially female, he'd decided - on the doorstep, feeling almost guilty as he dumped the groceries hurriedly and tapped an impatient foot while the microwave heated a little saucer of milk. The second it was warm, he rushed back outside into the freezing wind and offered his new friend a drink. She lapped it up gratefully while he provided a wind barrier for her small frame. When the saucer was half-empty, he picked the round cat up. She blinked at him, licking a comical milk moustache and burping silently on her back in his arms. He had to laugh.
Riku looked around at the sound of a concealed cough, sitting on the step; Yuffie looked at him and the kitten emotionlessly, arms crossed. "Are you going to keep it?" She asked tonelessly; things were still rough between them. He nodded affirmation. "You'll have to take care of it yourself, then," she said shortly. "I don't care much for strays." With that she headed inside.
"...Ouch. Not nice, Yuffie." He murmured, turning his attention back to the kitten with a wince.
He felt her presence several times hovering behind him that afternoon, but took care not to let any reaction show. If she wanted to tiptoe around, he wasn't about to ruin her fun when she was so angry with him. Of course, when eventually he felt her shadow resting on his shoulder as he groomed the kitten gently with his fingers, it was almost too much not to turn and say something. He managed, though, and after a moment Yuffie padded inside and came back out with a soft leather pouch and some small tools. She sat a few feet away, legs curled up beneath her, and brought out a shuriken and began sharpening it, turning it this way and that, and eventually, when each weapon was restored to its original dangerous state, polishing each one separately. She was absorbed in her work, sitting right beside Riku who was taking every opportunity to bask in the limited 'sunlight' and pet his new-found friend. It was the most peaceful and comfortable he'd felt with her since the day before, and he was glad for it.
"I got a letter," the ninja spoke suddenly, just as Riku was about to shift to another patch of warm light. "From Aerith."
"Aerith...?" the aquamarine-eyed youth queried after a moment, figuring he had the right to. I think I know this person... a fleeting image of pink flashed through his head, and he shook it, silver strands flying every which way.
"Mmm. A friend. From Hollow Bastion."
Ahh, that's where...
"I believe, you were evil last time you met?" She said matter-of-factly.
"I never actually met her," he snapped back; she merely sat back complacently, refusing to take the bait. "I just remember something... she wears a helluva lot of pink, right? And she's a healer, mostly... I have spoken to Sora, you know..."
"That's right. Well. She's coming to visit. In two days." The tiny girl smirked, although she probably wouldn't have described it as one, and crossed her arms, waiting for a response.
He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of one. "Is that so." He murmured, more to fill in the silence than for any particular wish to speak. "Well, at least we have enough groceries."
That was the first and only mention that day of his little shopping trip. He tried not to feel insulted and unwanted as she gave him a mere, incredulous glance from under hooded eyes, and rose to step back inside. She's still... angry, right? I can't make it all better. Why won't she even try to forgive me? I really don't get this...
"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 he 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…
I feel so guilty... he thought, hands dangling uselessly in his lap as he stared forlornly at the ground. The kitten pawed at him.
Looking at the author notes for this, I suspect that I should always be ending with a 'goddammit Cloud!' or something. Ahh, well. This is the last chapter to be edited. Funfun! Perhaps, now we can see if I can take this writingness of mine and turn it into inspiration for chapter 9.
From Tally, to Ann (and Candace and whoever else wants it. Sorry, Candy-chan, but Ann is the main one still-- simply because I originally wrote this for her.)
---------phweeeee from the tally!sock.