A/N: Wee! I'm finally back in the Pitiful groove! *dances dorkily* I feel like there was something I was supposed to say...hmmm...maybe not.

Ah well, enjoy the strangeness of this chapter. ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII or any of it's characters.

Chapter Seventeen

Yuffie sat sideways on the half-broken pew, her back rested against the armrest, her legs propped up before her. She laid her shuriken against her lap, and in the warm silence of the abandoned church, she polished her weapon.

Every-so-often, she would glance across the length of the building, just to make sure the remnant was still there. He was sleeping-at least he looked like he was sleeping. More likely he was pretending to do so, and whenever she let her guard down, he would slip away again, go back to Tifa. She wouldn't let that happen again. She'd stay awake till Vincent came back, if she had to.

Vincent. She hadn't heard from him in two days, not since she had called him last. It was the night she had caught Loz and Tifa kissing him. Strangely enough, he had actually answered that time. He wanted to know if Loz was still alright, and wanted to let them know they were still looking. He didn't elaborate about how his search was going, but he was usually vague anyway. Yuffie...she had a lot she needed to tell him. More correctly, she had a lot she needed to tell Cloud. But she couldn't bring herself to call him.

She had tried calling Shelke yesterday. Despite how different the both of them were, they had struck up a friendship in the few years they had known each other. The serene girl was always willing to talk to Yuffie, to let her rant to her heart's content. She would know what to do in this situation. She could tell her if she needed to tell Cloud or not.

But of course, Shelke wasn't answering her phone. So it was all up to Yuffie.

She hadn't even brought herself to talk to Tifa yet. How on earth was she supposed to go about this?

The sudden movement from the end of the church caught her attention, pulling her from her thoughts. Loz was awake, sitting upright. She stared at him suspiciously, but said nothing. For the longest time, he just sat there, till he turned to face her.

He stood and slowly made his way over to her spot, his gaze down cast, his steps heavy in the quiet night. He stopped before her, but still didn't meet her gaze. Yuffie watched him closely, noticing that something about his expression was off.

"What?" she asked.

He lifted his emerald eyes, showing his fear and unease. "Something's wrong," he said.

Yazoo's eyes snapped open. Even in the darkness, the sudden, small movement caught Shelke's attention. She looked at him, but he didn't move. His eyes were wide with realization and fear. He sat up slowly, his gaze downcast.

"What is it?" she asked.

He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when the door to their room slid open. A dim streak of light poured inside, haloing Hail as she stood in the doorway, a bag slung over her shoulder and a bottle of water in her hand. She stepped inside and the door closed behind her, the room dark again.

She stared at the two of them for a moment, before going to Yazoo and sitting in front of him. "Time to eat," she announced simply, "And don't refuse the food this time. That's just plain stupid."

"What? Are we worth more if we're fed?" he asked.

"Not exactly," she said with a soft smile, pulling the cap from the water bottle, "But it won't do anyone any good if you die of dehydration. Least of all you." She held the water bottle out to him, but he turned his head away.

"I'm not letting you feed me," he said definitively.

"Doesn't seem like you have much of a choice. I'm not untying you."

"Then I'll die of dehydration."

She let out frustrated sigh, turning her mako eyes toward Shelke. "Is he always like this?"

"I wouldn't know," she replied, "I haven't known him that long."

Yazoo glared at Shelke, wondering why she was even answering her. He was caught off guard when the nozzle of the water bottle was suddenly shoved in his mouth, and Hail forced him to drink. He coughed and sputtered as most of the water just fell out of his mouth. Only a miniscule amount actually got down his throat. The rest felt like it went down his lungs.

She withdrew with her brows raised, her look rather aggravating. "I'm not gonna have you die in here. So you're going to drink, whether you want to or not."

"Why do you care?" he asked while scowling, the water still dripping from his chin.

"Who says I do?" she asked, pulling herself to her feet again. She walked from Yazoo to Shelke, wiping the water bottle off with her sleeve, before offering it to Shelke. The girl took the drink, although she glared at her the entire time. After she had had enough, the woman turned back to Yazoo. She held the water out to him again, and after glaring at her long and hard, he took the drink she offered him.

He drank what was left in it, and she pulled the bottle away, carelessly tossing it to the floor. She sat before him once again, taking the bag and rummaging through it. She pulled out a loaf of bread and tore it into a couple smaller pieces. Yazoo glanced over at Shelke, the girl's gaze asking.

If he was going to try and play on her unhappiness, now was as good a time as any. She only wondered how good the remnant would be at it.

"What are you doing this?" he simply asked.

"What? Feeding you? 'Cause I won't let Jaika near you again," Hail answered, holding some bread up for him.

"No," Shelke answered for him, "He means all of this. Why are you working for Ivan?"

"I am not working for Ivan," she said, forcing a piece of bread in Yazoo's mouth. He chewed it slowly.

"Then why do you put up with him?" Shelke continued.

The blue-haired woman turned to her, smiling some-what.

"Is it for money? We can get you money."

She chuckled suddenly. "Are you trying to bribe me?"

Shelke only shrugged. "Our friends have money. They'd happily pay you for our return. Besides, Yazoo's father is eager to have him back."

Father. Yazoo smiled at the word.

"Really?" she asked, stuffing another bigger piece in Yazoo's mouth. "How sweet."

"Not really," he answered around the wad of bread, "He's scared of me."

She laughed again. "Really?"

"Yes," he said after swallowing.

"That's why I'm here," Shelke said, "I'm supposed to keep an eye on him."

All of this seemed to amuse the woman greatly. She moved from Yazoo and went to Shelke, now offering her some of the bread. She took it a little more eagerly than Yazoo did.

"So you two aren't even friends?"

"Not really," Yazoo answered, resting his head back against the wall.

"Huh..." Hail said with thought, "And here I thought you were lovers."

It was Yazoo's turn to chuckle. He looked over at the two women, meeting Shelke's gaze. "Oh no. She's in love with my father."

Shelke's stare turned deadly. He only smiled as he returned her look. Even though she was completely angry-so much that her eyes looked like they were about to turn orange-she hadn't bothered denying what he said. His smile took on a cocky edge.

"That's creepy," Hail commented.

Shelke didn't bother replying. She just took the last of the food Hail offered her. Their warden rose after that, dusting off her hands before grabbing the bag from the floor. She headed for the door and knocked against it twice, so the person on the outside could let her out.

"Wait," Yazoo said before she left.

She stopped and looked back at him, her eyes questioning.

"You never answered my question. Why are you doing this?"

Hail shrugged, lifting her arms out to her sides. "Because I honestly have nothing else to do, and no place else to go." With that, she left.

Yazoo and Shelke were alone once again, the silence accompanying the darkness. He turned to his silent companion, staring at her flatly. "Oh yes, that was a very desperate and powerful reason."

A/N: I have so much fun with Yazoo and Shelke. Maybe it's cuz they don't seem to like each other, but I know they really do. XD

And don't worry, peeps. Kadaj is gonna be in the next chapter.

So please review. :)