The Many Aspects of Materia ...in which AVALANCHE and friends find out exactly what sort of advantages Materia can have...and not just magic-wise. -series of oneshots based on the different kinds of Materia and a certain pairing-

Chapter Materia: Support: All

Chapter Pairing: Reffie; Yuffie/Reno

Chapter Setting: a few months after DoC

All

The beach was hot beneath Yuffie's bare feet, but she relished the feeling. She squished it beneath her toes, gushing out a breath of happiness. She liked the warmth. She liked the sun.

She trotted easily down the beach of Costa del Sol, clutching a yellow towel in one hand, the other lazily swinging by her side. She sucked in a breath of the sea air, and winced a little bit. Okay, she liked all of the sunny and gorgeous-ness of the beach…but she didn't like the water. She didn't want to get wet. She'd rather stay on land, if you please…even though the idea of splashing people was very intriguing.

"Yuffie! Wait for the rest of us!"

The ninja rolled her eyes. "You gotta be faster than that, Teef," she threw over her shoulder, but stopped anyways, sighing noisily and impatiently.

Two blurs rushed by, down by her legs, and Yuffie shook her head, though she was grinning. Denzel and Marlene, most likely. Two little tykes… They were pretty cute, though, and she could stand 'em.

Finally, Tifa caught up to Yuffie. She crossed her arms, giving the Princess a hard frown. "You know why you're here, of course…?"

"Right, right…to help look after the kids." Yuffie grumpily spread out her towel on the sand and flopped down on it, adjusting her green bathing suit (though since she wouldn't be swimming, she didn't know why she bothered to bring one).

"No, not just that…" Tifa knelt beside the girl, her frown turning worried. "You realize…you've been working really hard lately. If I didn't know better, I'd say too hard. You need to relax, Yuffie."

The Great Ninja snorted, but made no comment.

"I don't even know what's wrong with you," the brunette admitted. "Ever since Vincent returned from that mess with Deepground…you haven't been yourself."

"I've been FINE, Tifa!" Yuffie snapped, folding her arms like a pouting child. "Maybe I like work."

Tifa shook her head. "I don't think that's it. I don't think that's it at all."

Shut up, Boobs,

Yuffie growled sourly in her head, rather than speaking aloud. You just don't think at all, that's what your problem is.

Well…Tifa did have a point. Ever since Vincent had returned from Deepground, he'd hardly noticed Yuffie. Hardly gave her the time of day. Never glanced her direction anymore. No, he only had eyes for Shelke, the little, underage girl with a thing for older men, it seemed. God, what WAS she? Nine? Eleven? Well, okay, so maybe she wasn't that young, but she sure as hell looked like it. Didn't that make Vinnie a pedophile now, huh?

"Stupid effing vampire," Yuffie grumbled darkly, then clamped her mouth shut, having forgotten Tifa was there. The other girl sighed and stood up straight.

"Oh, Yuffie…you're a lost cause…"

"Heeeeey, Tifa!"

Yuffie's head snapped up at the same time Tifa's turned back to investigate who was speaking. Yuffie saw her eyes widen, and the ninja craned her neck, looking to see who'd spoken. Vivid red hair blossomed across her vision, with a very prominent smirk.

What's Reno doing here?

Yuffie blinked a couple of times to make sure she wasn't just going crazy. So, Turkey was all right sometimes, but c'mon, he was a Turk, and Turks just didn't flow with Yuffie and her buds. Tifa looked a tad puzzled, too, an eyebrow cocked in confusion.

"Reno…why-"

Oh Lord, Boobs was taking too long. "Beat it, Turkey!" Yuffie chirped, glad she had someone she could take her internal frustration out on.

Reno barely flickered his green eyes down at the White Rose of Wutai before staring back at Tifa. Apparently there was something on her chest. No wait, he was just a pervert like that. "Sorry babe, I'm on vacation. Ironic how we all end up in the same place?"

"All?" Tifa questioned, but the inquiry was barely out before a big, bald guy and a short blonde stepped out from behind the redhead. Rude and Elena. The ninja blinked - they were all wearing swimsuits, even Rude. They really were on vacation, so it appeared.

Turkey grinned broadly. "Just like the old times, right, Teef?"

Yuffie let out an audible groan and flopped back down on her towel. Why here, why now? Stupid Turks.

"I don't think Yuffie's too happy to see you," Tifa's voice said.

Ohmygawd, no duh, Boobs.

"Oh, believe me, babe, the feeling is mutual."

Yuffie raised her head to glare at the redheaded Turkey. Rude and Elena had already spread out their towels somewhere along the beach, and it didn't escape her notice that they were holding hands. Reno held up his hands in surrender, then - to her utter horror - laid his red towel down next to hers. She saw Tifa shake her head in amusement before trotting after where Denzel and Marlene had headed.

"Go away, Turkey."

"But I just got here…you don't own this place, you can't order me around, babe."

"I can try…"

He wiggled his eyebrows. "You can try whatever ya want."

Yuffie wrinkled her nose. What a perv. "Aren't you going to go get wet with Teef?"

"Believe me, I'd like to…" He gave out a heavy sigh. "I'll just have to settle for the next option. Hey kid. Wanna get wet with me?"

"…" Oh Lord, Yuffie was just not in the mood for this right now. Instead of giving her usual witty comeback, she let her hand fly, and SMACK.

Obviously, Reno was not expecting such a colorful comeback, and he flipped over on his back. The force caused something small, marble-sized, and shiny, to roll down the beach and into the foamy sea water…

Okay, so she did NOT want to know where that Materia had come from (it had been on Reno somewhere), but all the same…it was Materia. She sprung to her feet and raced down the beach, the soles of her feet sinking into the soft sand… She heard Reno scrambling to his own feet behind her, and race after her.

Damn, that Turkey was fast.

Right at the water's edge, she felt his long arms wrap around her waist from behind and lift her up. "Not so fast, sugar," he growled in her ear and tossed her aside on the sand before splashing into the water himself. Quickly, she bounced upright, brushing sand off of her, and followed him into the water.

"Turkey, you lost that Materia - fair's fair."

Reno folded his arms, turning around to face her. "Actually, YOU lost my Materia, cupcake, and that's the last All Materia I had."

Yuffie shrugged. "Buy another one?"

"If I had any Gil on me, I might. But this one was leveled up all the way, and congratulations, babe, you lost it."

"All the way?" The ninja's eyes brightened. "Sweet!" As much as she hated water, being only ankle deep in it wasn't any harm to her. She'd probably find that All Materia in no time.

Reno narrowed his eyes at her. She smirked back at him. "Face it, Turkey. I'm an expert Materia hunter, and you're just a Turk."

"Hmm…" He tapped his chin, then his eyes brightened. "How about we make a deal?"

Yuffie eyed him suspiciously. "I don't bargain for Materia…"

"How about this? If you find it first, you get to keep the Materia -"

"Which I was planning to do anyways."

" - plus I leave you alone for the rest of the day."

…okay, that sounded really good to her ears. The sweetest music. No Turkey bothering her for the rest of the day? That would be great. More than great. Absolutely fantastic. No sexual comments or perverted jokes, arguments, fist fights that were bound to follow. It sounded…

…like a set-up. "And what if YOU win, Turkey?" Yuffie asked, none too friendly.

"If I win…?" He slowly smirked. "You have to be my personal servant for the rest of the day, plus I keep my Materia."

"…WHAT!?"

He chuckled. "Take it or leave it, babe."

Yuffie didn't even think. "Leave it." She was not in the mood for this today…normally, she'd be up to that challenge, but…eh. Not today.

"Aw, but…" Reno's eyes went all puppy-dog. "Okay, how about just a kiss?"

"…" So, that was a little better, but not by much. At any rate, she flushed horribly when he said that. "I'd never swap spit with you, even if you were the last guy on the Planet."

"And yet, you'd kiss a fifty-year-old vampire…"

Yuffie stared at him for a long moment. How did he even know…? Slowly, that stare turned into a poisonous look, then an all-out glare. "Leave Vincent outta this."

"C'mon. If you can kiss a pedo, you can kiss a turkey. Whaddaya say, babe?"

She clenched her hands into fists. "Fine," she snapped. "Prepare to be ignored for the rest of the day." And off she went, sloshing through the icky seawater, feeling less than zero and utterly crappy. Her eyes stayed on the ground, sifting through the water and the sand below, trying to catch a glint of light, and trying very hard not to think about that old pedophile vampire that kept popping in her head every ten seconds…

Oh, it was no use. She let out a bitter sigh and kicked at the water.

Suddenly, out of her peripheral vision, there was a glimmer of light that looked too artificial for water. Her eyes widened fractionally. She'd accidentally kicked up the Materia! How lucky for her! She watched it plop back down into the water, bent down to grasp it, felt her fingers brush its smooth surface, and -

Something came at her from behind and knocked her under the water, and the Materia spun out of her grasp. She snapped her eyes shut, which were starting to sting, and accidentally gulped down a gallon of salt water. She coughed, starting to choke under the water, and feeling a sudden, crushing fear… Oh God, I'm drowning, let me out, let me out…!

A strong, tight grip wrapped around her forearm and tugged her up out of the water. She gasped for air and started to gag, coughing up that horrible salt water. Her throat was burning, her eyes were stinging, she was all wet and she felt like hell. The hand remained on her arm, the grip still tight.

"Klutz," a warm voice chided her, and slowly Yuffie's eyes started to focus. She sniffled, wiping her nose with her free hand, and turned her gaze on the person holding onto her arm.

It was the Turkey.

Fury was too gentle of a term. "You BASTARD! You nearly DROWNED ME!"

Reno shrugged. "And then I saved you. Your point?"

"You…- heartless little- …!" She couldn't think of an insult good enough for him, and at any rate, was in a frenzy, trying to twist her arm out of his grip. "LEGGO!"

He looked bored. "Relax, sugar, you might accidentally hurt yourself." She stopped and just glared at him. "Besides, I'm not letting you go till you hold your end of the deal."

…oh, no. "My end of the deal?" she asked, heart pounding, trying to play dumb.

He smirked and held up the light blue Materia that reflected the sunlight. "Pucker up, babe."

"How about you let me go and I won't sock you in the face?" Her free hand clenched into a fist.

Reno sighed and started tugging her along the water, back up the beach, to the very back of it, behind all the people sunbathing and burning and splashing around in the water. "Look. It's just a kiss. It's not like we're going to get all hot, sticky, and sweaty with it." His eyes ran down her figure. "Though, you might have the sticky part down already, cupcake."

"You might want this, but you can't have it."

"Yeah, Vampy-boy probably got there before me, right, Princess?" Reno's eyes looked a little too innocent there…

She flushed and turned her head away. So, actually, she and Vincent had never done…that. Or anything, really. She'd kissed him…one time. And after that…

His eyes softened a little bit at the pained look on her face, but it was ruined by his smirk. "Y'know, I could give ya a lot of things Vincent could never give you…"

"Yeah, and it's probably just so you can get to Tifa," Yuffie remarked bluntly. "Shove off, Turkey."

"I mean it, Princess."

They stared at each other for a long moment, and then, before she even had time to protest, he'd lowered his face and pressed his lips softly to hers.

For a moment, Yuffie's surprise left her lost in the kiss, and she was definitely stunned that it was…sweet. Not hot, like she'd been expecting, but a little…soft.

Before she gave herself the option of giving in to it, however, she kneed him where the sun don't shine. He broke off and groaned, doubling over, and Yuffie bounced back a few steps. "Catch ya later, Turkey!" she said, putting on a cheerful front, before almost dancing back to her towel.

She'd never admit it, but that kiss was probably better than Vincent's.