The Great Ninja Yuffie - Chapter 3: Yuri's Famous Pancakes

Yuffie had absolutely no idea where she was when she woke up. The blankets covering her felt very thick and warm, and there were windows in the room she had slept in. It took little time for her to notice that she was back in Wutai, but in someone else's home!

Through her phone she was surprised to see that it was 1:51 AM. There was a lamp on the table; when the light came on, Yuffie was even more shocked to see other things beside it: some snacks, a new toothbrush and toothpaste, and a note written in blue ink.

10:34 pm

Yuffie.

You have been sleeping since 5 pm. It is 10:30 now and I'm going to bed. If you are reading this, feel free to stay here till tomorrow morning. Here are some snacks in case you get hungry and a toothbrush... There is dinner in the fridge and an extra bedroom.

Goodnight!

Yuri

"That's so sweet..." Yuffie giggled, feeling an invisible tear slide down her cheek. Although she was slightly hungry, she wasn't in the mood of eating someone else's food.

Yuffie spent the next hour daydreaming about her future. What will she do in her time in Wutai, and how long does she plan to stay for? Perhaps she could get a part-time job or continue her search for materia. The biggest thought she had in mind was how her life would change once she joins the WRO.

With the new toothbrush, she went to the washroom where she could hear the light snoring that came from Yuri's room. After a quick brush, she decided it was best to catch some more shut-eye.

"Good morning, Yuffie..."

"...Uh," Yuffie awoke to the smell of fresh pancakes. Noticing she had drooled all over the sofa's cushion top, she quickly grabbed the pillow to hide it. When she shifted her head to the side, she saw Yuri sitting on the other couch. She groaned more when she felt some strange, warm load on her tummy.

"Uh... huh?!" Something did feel strange... there was a cat sleeping on her! Noticing that, she squealed and jumped in surprise before falling off the sofa. Disturbed by the noise, the grey tabby cat hopped off and scampered out of sight.

"Hahahaha!" Yuri laughed as Yuffie wriggled around the carpet. "That's my cat," he introduced. "She likes to sleep on people."

"..."

"Get up, Yuffie! Breakfast." Yuri smiled, patting on Yuffie's hair before making his way to the kitchen.

"Breakfast..." Yuffie mumbled to herself as she trudged to the bathroom.

After giving herself a quick wash, she took a seat on the rectangular kitchen table. There were six seats, one on each end with plates of food, but she chose one of the empty seats.

"Pancakes," Yuri said, shoving the plate of pancakes to her. He poured a glass of orange juice for her and sat down for his breakfast.

"Sorry you didn't sleep so well," he apologized, seeing Yuffie was slouched over, her hands covering her eyes. "15 hours is quite a lot."

"No..." she finally spoke. "I slept really well. Thank you. Thank you for what you did last night."

"You're welcome," Yuri talked with his mouth half-full. His eyes lit up with wonder when he saw Yuffie take her first bite of the pancakes. "How is it?"

After gulping down the forkful, she said, "Really good." Before taking a second bite, she was interrupted by a meow. "Hey."

"Cat! She wants food," Yuri stood up, pointing to his cat as he walked to the kitchen. When he returned, he grinned mischievously and started laughing. "She scared you, huh?"

"No, I just got really surprised." Yuffie lied. She had always loved cats, but it was obvious that she got scared. "Never knew you owned one. What's her name? Or his-"

"Cat," Yuri quickly answered. "It's a her."

Yuffie shook her head, confused by his response. "...What?"

"Her name is Cat," he repeated. " I picked her up two weeks ago."

"...Her name's Cat?" Yuffie said quietly to herself before bursting into giggles. "HAHAHA! Hey, that's a creative name for a 'cat'!... HAHAHA!"

"It's an uncommon name! And a good one," Yuri chuckled along but was overwhelmed by Yuffie's laugh attack. "Gawd, stop the giggling," he pleaded jokingly as he abandoned his seat.

"My cheeks hurt..."

Returning with another plate of pancakes, he asked, "I have some left over. Would you like more?"

"I'm good." Yuffie answered as she finished the first of three pancakes on her plate."Yuri... these really taste amazing."

"Thanks. I'm glad you like it."

Suddenly, the ringtone 'Descendant of Shinobi' started to play. The sound came from the sofa, so it forced Yuffie to vacate her seat and answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Yuffie, it's me." It was a woman's voice she didn't recognize.

"...Who?"

"Chekhov. Welcome back to Wutai - No! Why are you running away again? Wherever you are... Godo would like to chat with you tonight."

"Umm... okay?"

"We'll be in the Pagoda at 7. See you then."

The call immediately ended before Yuffie could speak again. Well damn it, she thought. "The Wutai Gods want me tonight," she told Yuri, who was in the kitchen washing dishes. "You have any plans today?"

"Nope, I have the day off. How about you?"

"Well... I have about nine hours of free time... oh!" Yuffie's eyes suddenly sparkled with excitement, and with enthusiasm, she asked him, "Wanna climb the mountain?"

Yuri turned the water tap off and smiled,"Just like the good ol' days, hm?"

"Eh, I don't remember."

Yuffie quickly brushed her teeth after finishing the best plate of pancakes she ever had. She then barged into Yuri's bedroom where she saw him lying in bed, staring at a computer screen.

"Weather forecast says it might rain..." he told her.

"Hah! That's nothing," Yuffie barked as she jumped onto the bed. Then she bragged, "I've climbed Gaea's Cliff without a problem."

"Oh, so if it rains, you'll be there to protect me, is that what you're saying?"

"No, I'm saying if it rains, you just gotta man up."

"I'm not weak!" Yuri shot back, eyes squinting. He couldn't think of anything else to say next but, "...You're the weak one."

"Ha!" Yuffie faked a laugh, then scoffed, "You're just a skinny dude."

"And you're what, three feet? I can squish you."

"Says the guy who got Geostigma. You're not much taller than me either."

Yuri thought for a moment of another insult to say. He settled with a harmless question instead, "Didn't Cloud have Geostigma?"

"Yeah..." Yuffie turned her head away from him for a split-second, before exclaiming, "Let's go already! We don't have much time." She pulled on Yuri's arm, making him roll around the bed as he lost his balance.

"Already!?"

"First, we gotta drop by at my house. Don't forget your weapons."

After wasting about 20 more precious minutes getting prepared, Yuffie and Yuri stood well at the front, putting on their shoes. For weapons, Yuri had only his fists and a medium-sized shuriken, and no materia. The Da-chao mountains were home to many species of monsters, though they never possessed any real threat. Let's go!