A/N: Shopping time…and the time for Corneo's death will be nigh…don't worry, I'll get to the romance soon enough. Until then, I hope this is not considered filler by some people's standards. Do read and review would you kindly?
Wallace's Electronics…
Colonel Barrett Wallace was a military man that had seen his fair share of conflict. The proof of this was in his prosthetic arm which he had customized with a hidden .22 LR gun mounted in the wrist. After Shin-Ra's crackdown on all terrorist organizations was won, he eventually settled down, and married a single mother…he never thought he'd be as happy as when little Marlene came into his lonely life, which was why he was furious when the killer that murdered Carol practically got away with his crime scot-free. As he studied the shopping list that his fellow veteran had provided to him, he only whistled as he had calculated the sum amount of money owed. "Now that is a very expensive shopping list you got there…to be honest, it'd normally cost you more than half your salary on this job to pay for this, but seeing as you've done a lot for me during and after the war, I'll get you a 50% discount. You ordering your favorite gun, I can understand…but everything else seems to be overkill in my opinion."
"Look at it this way, Corneo's been arrogant all this time because he's practically untouchable. Threatening his jury at every court appearance, bribing judges, and fixing the trials in his favor in general…instead, think of it as payback with interest."
"Speaking of which, the 500 grand is the front payment right?"
"No…they're paying me in a lump-sum after the job is done; 500 if I kill Don Corneo, and 500 if I destroy the weapons shipment he stole. Either way, I win as this gives me a more flexible schedule because the Turks care more about making sure those weapons aren't in the wrong hands, and they can't reclaim them without looking foolish."
"How can you be certain that the Turks will uphold their end of the bargain?"
"They're very much aware that I'm more than capable of making their agents look incompetent should they work up the nerve to try and double-cross me."
Colonel Wallace simply let out a very booming laugh. "Yeah, that's right," he said, his laughter starting to die down, "now that you mention it, even during the war, the Turks knew not to fuck with you because even then you made them look all manner of stupid. Hell, I'm pretty sure even if they killed you, you'd have so many contingency plans that you'll continue to make them look stupid even from beyond the grave. In fact, I still remember you telling me about that time you played that prank on Brigadier Heidegger when he insulted Elena…that fat fuck's beard was pink for three weeks, and nobody knew it was you."
"Good times indeed."
"Well anyway, the ammo for your .45-cal and your tactical vest I can give you now, but your SMG, C4 demolitions packs with remote detonator, fragmentation grenades, incendiary grenades, and 5.56mm rifle are all going to have to wait a couple days. Really though, you'd think you were fighting a war with this much ordinance."
"In a sense, it is…it's just that my enemies now are crime bosses and terrorists."
"We've a lot of time before you get your stuff. You want to get a drink? My treat."
The second that Major Valentine heard of getting treated to a bar by Colonel Wallace, a migraine had started to develop in his head as memories had dredged up from the first time the good colonel treated him to a bar during war on terror in the Gongaga Campaign. It evoked memories of waking up with what would be the hangover from hell in the bed of a trashed up motel five miles away from camp with not one, but three naked women smiling and giggling at him with pleased and lustful looks in their faces. Needless to say, when the others found him in the motel after using a lot of machetes to hack their way to the building, many of them had jealous looks on their faces as opposed to his confused look. From then on, both him and Colonel Wallace were banned from any Shin-Ra Army drinking contests on that account, and because nobody was able to hold their alcohol as well as the two of them. "I'll come, under the condition that you don't challenge me to another drinking contest; the last time you did was a literal pain in my head."
Colonel Wallace simply chuckled. The predicament of the major at that time was very amusing to him…as that was the second and last time he challenged him to a drinking contest: on the last day of the war on terror, Barrett had challenged Valentine to another drinking match in celebration of their victory in the crackdown on terrorism using a dusty and unopened bottle of 1956 Maison du Robespierre Cognac…the match ended in a draw as usual, but what really disturbed the soldiers in the platoon was the fact that this time, Valentine was found almost ten miles away from camp in an apartment above a grocery store, with TEN naked women this time, the owner of the grocery store and several customers at the time included. At that point the soldiers were torn between envy that the normally reserved Major Valentine was capable of being such a lady-killer as to get ten women in bed with him, and bowing down to him as the apparent master of sex when inebriated. The only thing they did not envy however, was the brain-splitting hangover he had. Prior to his marriage, Wallace would have been jealous of Valentine; but now that he had Marlene in his life, he found himself wanting less in that area (although a part of him was still in need of companionship in that fashion). "Yeah…last thing we need right now is for you to start another scandal with the ladies. Meet me back here at 6…I'll take you there."
1 hour later…The Shadow Market, Sector 5 Branch…
The Shadow Market was a place that dealt with black market goods on a daily basis—not exactly a favorable place to be, but this was where Yuffie and her crew were sure to get the supplies they needed. There was almost nothing in the world you couldn't find here; military-grade guns and swords, illegal drugs and medicines, harvested organs, bootlegged media, stolen cars and jewelry, slaves…you name it, they sold it. "You have the shopping list in order?" asked Tifa, curiosity and concern getting the better of her. "Of course," replied Yuffie, "what kind of thief do you think I am if I'm shopping here? I know full well what goes on in the Shadow Market, and I'm a very good trader around here. And if they get any ideas, I've got you."
It was a good idea that Yuffie and Tifa left Aeris to continue hacking the property…even though she knew the person that owned this branch, that still didn't dismiss the fact that people tended to be kidnapped here and turned into slaves. In every branch, there was always some opportunistic and wannabe slaver wanting to make a quick gil from breaking and training slaves. As they finally reached their destination, they found themselves looking at a redhead with sunglasses and wearing no shirt underneath his indigo suit. That indigo suit was a uniform for the Turks. And judging from his disposition, she knew that it would be no surprise that she saw him with two half-naked women snuggling up to him at his sides. "Yuffie! How you been yo?"
"I've been better Reno. I see that the Turks let you get away with being a branch owner of this place."
"I managed to convince them that having me in this branch is a good thing in the long run…and so they let me. Although it was also under the condition that I don't work for them anymore yo…a real bummer, but all in all, business has been good so far—and the Turks will continue to give me good business as long as I maintain my policy of giving them discounts in my branch. But all that aside, I take it you're here to do some shopping?"
"Here's the list of things we need."'
The slip of paper was transferred from Tifa's hand to Reno's as he studied the list. By the time he finished, a look of shock had crossed his whitish skin while his eyes had widened. "Damn girl! I know you're a thief and all, but shouldn't this be overkill for you? I mean, what're you hitting yo? The Shin-Ra Materia Deposit?"
"No, the target I'm hitting is much smaller, but no less heavily fortified."
"You're hitting a goddamn house? Give me one good reason why I should not turn down this deal yo!"
"I don't have a good reason other than the fact that I'm doing this for personal reasons."
"How personal are we talking about?"
"The revenge kind of personal."
"Revenge on who?"
"The owner of 1667 Shadowmoore Place."
Reno's face had a look of realization upon it. Oh he knew who she was talking about…and as if to confirm his train of thought, he knew he had to say it. He didn't care that he said it in a dead voice. "That's Don Corneo's place yo."
"And what of it?"
"Girl, what the hell do you have against Don Corneo?"
"You tell me Reno…last I heard he never raped and killed your mother in front of you when you were a kid."
Upon hearing that, Reno knew that his question was answered. He may as well answer her as well…after all it would kill two birds with one stone. The two hookers saw that look on his face, and had the same grim look on their faces—oh they too remembered that day well. "Asshole came to me one day. Ordered a lot of high-grade military-specification weapons and armor…wouldn't tell me what for, and the payment was too good to be true. And on top of not paying his bill, the fucker went and raped one of my delivery girls before filling her guts with the lead I sold to him. Sent the entire body back to me in a trash bag with a note saying 'I like girls that fight back…makes things more challenging'…it was definitely not pretty, and she was definitely not returned to me in one piece."
Yuffie knew what he was talking about. Reno's behavior as a playboy and bravado hid the fact that he was actually the kind of person that actually cared. And before she could say anything, she was interrupted. "If you're looking for revenge against Don Corneo, then count me in yo…in fact, I'll get you what you need and maybe more. Hell, I'll even fuck every guy in the world if that's what it takes to get in. And I know what sort of stuff you steal…just make sure that when you throw that asshole in the slammer, see to it that he gets a kick in the balls from me yo."
"That can be arranged Reno. But as you may or may not have heard, we are on a tight schedule to steal from Corneo."
"You're talking about that assassin that's been killing all those high-profile crime bosses, right? Don't worry about it…you forget that I used to be a Turk; they wouldn't have let me in if I didn't have a quality they wanted. I'll pass information along to you if I hear anything…until then, consider your order placed and on the house."
4:00 PM…
The jog was enough to keep his adrenaline running. He had only half an hour before he would be meeting with Colonel Wallace, and in that time, Major Valentine needed to train up. Exercise would prepare him for the eventual attack he would stage. The Turks wanted it to look like an accident unlike the other assassinations he pulled…although they didn't specify what sort of accident. All the same, the fresh air would give him something to fuel his thoughts.
Before he could think on anything else, he felt an impact for the second time today. He only prayed that it was not who he thought it was. Unfortunately, his prayers went unanswered…as he once again ran into the Wutainese girl that bumped into him earlier today. "Watch where you're…"
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were stalking me from how many times you were crashing into me today."
The Wutainese girl lost all coherent thought as she began to imitate a fish gulping for air while turning redder than a tomato. "Wait a minute…but you…I…but I…"
"And since this is the second time we've crashed into each other, I'll have to escort you to your place. Sound good?"
She couldn't find it in herself to refuse. "Oh all right…but try anything funny and I'll make sure that my friends kick your ass, am I clear?"
"Fair enough."
It was then that the two of them ran together. After the next few minutes, it would appear that the silence was too much for the younger runner. "So, you're training for the marathon as well I take it?"
"Yes. I thought doing marathons would be a good way to clear my head."
"What happened?"
"Oh nothing, I just quit my job a while ago. Now I'm trying to think of what to do next."
"I know what you mean. Whenever I'm confused, I feel that a bit of strenuous exercise does the trick of un-cluttering your mind…that and a good dinner."
"You're a member of the Nippon people aren't you?"
"Guilty as charged…although judging by the color of your eyes, I'd say you're Wutainese as well…Han I'm guessing?"
"I'm half-Han actually…my father on the other hand, was half-Nippon."
"No way! Can you speak either?"
"My mom spoke to me the Han dialect…so I'm very fluent at it. For the Nippon dialect, I have barely started to learn it in class."
"A lot of surprises to be honest…what did you do?"
"I used to work for the police."
"What precinct?"
"A bit heavy on questions aren't you?"
"The better I know somebody, the better off I'll be."
"So true, but as it stands, I'm not sure I'm ready to disclose that part of my past yet…too much pain if you get me."
"I hear that. Well, here's my stop. Where can I see you again?"
"I start my run through the park every morning. Perhaps you'll catch me there."
"Duly noted."
As he watched the Wutainese girl run off, Valentine couldn't help but review the details of this girl he had been running with. She had a very thin frame with a wiry strength underneath…no doubt that this girl had a history in acrobatics, and a bit of the martial artist's grace. She also had a bit of an innocence of youth within her eyes…despite the weight of pain that were hidden behind those coffee-colored pupils. She was hardy and yet beautiful, like the national flower of her people; the white rose…yes, this would be the best nickname he could find for this girl that had captivated his heart. Something not done since he first fell in love…something he swore not to do again, and yet it was happening again, and top it off it was with the daughter of Godo Kisaragi. Yes, maybe that drink with Barrett would be good for him now…
Sunshine Fields Motel…
Aeris knew her stuff…and now she was halfway done with the hacking. She need only a little more time to deal the finishing blow to the security of 1667 Shadowmoore Place. The news was blaring in the background as she was keying in the codes that would grant her control over the security system. She did make sure to do her stretches once in a while to ensure that she stayed healthy of course. Tifa on the other hand, was doing push-ups…no telling when she needs to help Yuffie out of a situation, although it would seem that she would be going in with her after all. "I'm back!"
"How was your run?" asked Tifa, sincerely concerned for her friend. "You won't believe who I bumped into!"
"You bumped into that guy again didn't you? I swear Yuffie, you're clumsy for someone who was once a captain of the high-school acrobatics team."
"Hey! Anyway, I think I may have found out something interesting about that guy."
"And that is?"
"He was carrying a gun."
Tifa's eyes widened. "Are you sure? If that's the case then that would mean…"
"I think I may have just found our assassin friend."
A/N: Oh dear, Yuffie knows that Vincent is the assassin; and Vincent has his suspicions about her identity…what's going to happen? I'm not sure how high up the tension scale is going to be at this point…but I'll see what I can write for the next chapter. Also, I have an intention on taking volunteer beta-readers for this story to help me with ideas and corrections…first one to volunteer gets the job.
Songs Used:
"Great Buddha Temple" by Noriyuki Asakura from "Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven"—Vincent Shopping
"Black Water" by Nobuo Uematsu from "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children"—Yuffie shopping and Reno joins her party
"Good Luck" by Basement Jaxx from "Appleseed"—Running together
"Resurrection" by Masashi Hamauzu from "Musashiden II: Blade Master"—Yuffie's revelation
Vocabulary/Culture Notes:
Han—a reference to a people in China…most Chinese people from the mainland are Han Chinese.
Nippon—another name for Japan
"Wo shuo Zhongwen, keshi wo ye shuo Riben yi dian."—Mandarin for "I speak Chinese, but I also speak a little Japanese."