Tifa stood in the kitchen, looking out the window. Her conversation with Cloud, last night, still fresh in her mind. The barmaid felt uneasy about calling Reeve, to ask how Yuffie had been at work recently. She knew the ninja wouldn't be happy if she found out. Tifa had tried to get her to talk, but Yuffie seemed to determined to keep whatever was bothering her, a secret. She tried not to take it personally, but Tifa began to wonder if the ninja wouldn't confide in her, because she didn't trust her enough. She considered Yuffie her best friend, her sister.
There were few things she hadn't shared with her. What happened in Nibelheim, was the one thing even she couldn't bring herself to say out loud, let alone tell anyone. Why I am even thinking about this?
The kettle whistling caught her attention and she poured the water into the waiting mug. Stepping outside, she turned to look at Yuffie. The ninja was still fast asleep on the rocking chair. Tifa wondered why it was in the garden in the first place. Cloud.
The blonde seemed to have taken over the garage with his bike, Fenrir, leaving little room for anything else. She had tried numerous times to clean up his workshop but each time, Cloud had made it clear that he didn't appreciate her rearranging his things. Tifa reminded him that there was a reason why her car was parked in front of the garage, as opposed to being parked inside. They rarely argued, but for some reason, Cloud had been unwilling to let it go and neither had she. It was a silly argument, like all of theirs were. On this particular occasion, their disagreement had been interrupted, by Barret walking in with Marlene. Tifa smiled. She'll be coming home today.
"Yuffie," she said gently. "I brought you some tea."
The ninja slowly opened her eyes and looked at her. "Morning."
"Afternoon." Tifa smiled. "It's just after 12."
"What?"
"I guess you needed the sleep huh."
"Yeah, I guess." Yuffie scratched her head. "Thanks for the tea."
"So do you have any plans for today?" She watched as Yuffie sipped the tea.
"Uh, not really. You're not opening today are you?"
"No. Marlene's back later."
"Oh yeah, I forgot."
"Well, I'm going into town. I have to get some ingredients for dinner."
"I'll go," she offered.
"Yuffie? You just woke up."
"It's fine. There's something I need to do in town anyway…" The ninja stood up. "I'll just take a quick shower and head out."
"What about brea- I mean lunch?"
"I'll grab something when I'm out." She moved towards the door.
"Yuffie?"
The ninja stopped and looked back at the martial artist. "Yes?"
Why were you sleeping outside? "I'll write down a list of what I need."
Yuffie smiled. "Sure," she said, disappearing into the kitchen.
Tifa took her place on the chair and rocked herself slowly. She reached into her pocket and retrieved her phone. Dialing a familiar number, she took a deep breath. Yuffie, please don't hate me.
Cloud pulled up in front of the small inn and shut off the engine. Despite all the trouble with Deepground, only a year ago, Kalm hadn't much changed from being a small, peaceful village. Life seemed to have returned to normal and the people had put the past behind them. Cloud had driven by the new farms on his way into the village and he remembered Tifa asking him to visit one of the farm shops, to buy some raw milk. He stepped out of the car and stared at the inn. It was hard to believe that this same building, albeit a rebuilt version, had been the inn he had stayed at with Tifa, Barret and…Aerith.
He walked up to the entrance and pushed open the door. "Cloud!" He heard her voice, before he saw her face, beaming at him from the stairs. The blonde was surprised that Marlene hadn't come running up to him, like she usually did, but when he saw her coming down the stairs, with her arm in a sling, he saw why.
"So that's why you wanted me to drive," he said, looking at Barret. "What happened?"
"I told you: she just had an accident."
"Everyone seems to be having accidents these days." Cloud bent down and looked at Marlene.
"It's not broken but the doctor said it was close. She said that I shouldn't be going down to the mine-"
"She'll need her arm looked at sometime next week." Barret handed Cloud a handwritten note. "It was just a sprain but she's gotta take it easy, yeah?"
"I'm sure Tifa will see to that." Cloud saw the large man look away at the mention of the barmaid. "So you're staying here now?"
Barret turned to face him again. "It's only temporary."
Maybe it's not just Marlene. Barret was usually a lot more vocal than this. "Is something wrong?"
"No."
Cloud frowned. He wondered if he didn't want Marlene to hear. "So about the job…"
"When you get back," he replied. Barret looked at his watch. "You should probably head home."
"Sure." Cloud wouldn't press the older man if he didn't want to talk. "Come on Marlene."
Marlene gave her father a one armed hug and smiled. "Bye daddy."
"See you soon baby girl. Be good for Cloud and Tifa." He turned to Cloud. "Drive safe. I'll see you later."
Cloud nodded and held out his hand. Marlene walked with him out the door. Cloud looked back in time to see Barret's retreating footsteps going up the stairs.
"Daddy's been really distracted this week," Marlene said, drawing his attention.
They made their way outside and walked to the car. As he helped Marlene into the station wagon, Cloud heard a high pitched laugh coming from behind him. Recognising the sound, he turned in the direction of its owner. The blonde was certain she was the woman from the warehouse in Junon. She was walking arm in arm, with a man who looked to be at least twice her age. When the man went in for a kiss, Cloud averted his eyes. Afterwards, the couple got into an expensive sports car and drove off.
"Cloud?"
"Sorry. Let's go home."
"Yeah."
Cloud just hoped that Tifa wouldn't be too angry when they arrived.
Yuffie stood at the entrance to the memorial gardens and looked around. Only two of the benches were taken and none of the occupants looked familiar. Am I too late? She looked at her watch and saw that it was almost 1 pm. Sighing, she walked further into the park. Spying a nearby bench, she sat down.
The memorial gardens had only recently been constructed, to honour all those who lost their lives after Meteor fell and the Deepground attacks. Flowers of every variety had been planted in circular patches across the park and plaques dedicated to the dead stood before them. In the centre, was a natural spring fountain surrounded by stone effigies of Shiva.
Yuffie watched as a young boy with brown hair stopped by the fountain. He reached into his pocket and held a penny up to the sky. He then threw it into the fountain.
"Denzel, come on. Your dad's waiting."
"I'm coming mom." Denzel glanced at the fountain and walked over to his mother.
The ninja stood quickly and made her way to the centre of the park. She watched the water cascading down like a waterfall and closed her eyes, fingering the small coin in her pocket. I wish I could just… Yuffie wasn't sure what she was doing or why. It's not like she believed in this, not anymore. All her prayers and wishes had never been answered before and she seriously doubted that today would be any different. Regardless, she held up the coin and tossed it into the fountain.
When she turned to face the bench, she saw that it was now occupied. Yuffie smiled and walked over. She took a seat next to the man.
"Made your wish?"
"Yeah, I guess; not that I'm expecting much." She crossed her legs.
"So you don't want it to come true?"
Abe watched her play with the sleeve of her blue jacket.
"It's a beautiful day," Abe said simply.
"Edge almost looks...pretty."
He laughed. "Almost."
"So…" Yuffie was unsure what to say.
"Hm?"
"You come here a lot?"
"Everyday," he said, looking at her. "It's a good place to think."
"What do you think about?" She corrected herself. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking…"
"I don't." He paused, removing his beige cap. "Life."
Yuffie looked at him. Now that she was seeing Abe in the daylight, she could tell that he was quite handsome. The ninja noticed his slightly crooked nose and wondered if it had previously been broken. His light brown eyes seemed to reflect the Sun, causing them to sparkle. When she saw him watching her, Yuffie quickly looked away.
"You think it helps," she gestured to the park. "…being out here?"
"I do." He smiled warmly at her.
The ninja still wasn't sure what it was about Abe that made her relax and feel comfortable. She barely knew him, yet she couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity she had when she was near him. They sat in silence and Yuffie felt the Sun stroke her face.
"Yuffie."
She turned to him. "Yes?"
"Let's go for a walk, around the park." Abe stood up.
"Okay," she said without hesistation.
Abe held out his arm and Yuffie took it. She looked at him and felt a smile tug at her cheeks.
"You have a beautiful smile, Yuffie. Don't hide it."
"..."
"That reminds me of a woman I used to know…"
"Back in your rascal days?"
Abe chuckled. "Before then."
"Tell me about it."
"Tifa?"
"In here."
Yuffie followed the direction of her voice and saw the barmaid arranging wine bottles in the cellar. The ninja stood in the doorway watching her. Tifa was reading each label carefully before setting them down, in what Yuffie assumed was their correct order.
"Want some help?" The barmaid didn't react and Yuffie guessed she knew she was being watched.
"Sure." Tifa turned to look at her. "I'm putting them in year order. We have some Wutaianese drinks in…" She glanced at the crates stacked in the right corner.
"I'm on it." Yuffie moved quickly to the crates and opened the first one. She picked one of the sake bottles up and examined its label. Seeing the rack labelled 'Wutaianese Beverages', she placed the drink on the bottom shelf.
The two women worked in silence and slowly picked up a steady pace. Occasionally, the barmaid felt Yuffie watching her, but when she turned around, the ninja was busy reading another label. When she placed the last bottle on the rack, Tifa noticed she was alone in the room. Yuffie entered seconds later, holding two mugs of tea. She offered one to the barmaid and they each took a seat on the stools by the wall. Neither woman spoke for a while.
"I'm sorry."
"Yuffie?"
"Yesterday…" She trailed off.
"It's okay. I shouldn't have left like that. It was silly." Tifa looked at her.
"No. I was rude. I know you're only trying to…"
"Yuffie."
"…help me." The ninja looked at her feet.
"Let me. Please."
"I-I can't."
"Why not?" Tifa placed her tea on the floor and held Yuffie's hand. "Tell me."
"It's… I just want to forget, but I can't. It won't let me."
The barmaid looked at her, puzzled. Yuffie held her head. Tifa watched the tears fall and she held her tightly. "What are you trying to forget?" She whispered softly in her ear.
Yuffie pulled away suddenly and got up. Tifa feared she would run away again, but the ninja turned to face her.
"Part of me wishes it was just a dream." She took a deep breath. "But every night I see it. It's so real and I can't get away…"
Tifa watched as Yuffie closed her eyes. "When I hear it, I just freeze. Every time I try to run away, it stops me…" The ninja shuddered. "I feel so, weak. I'm supposed to be a ninja." She tried wiping her tears but it was no use, they seemed to be coming in rivulets now, blurring her vision. Yuffie felt her chest begin to tighten.
"Yuffie." She looked up, seeing Tifa at her side. She hadn't realised she was on the floor. The barmaid stroked her hair, tucking a few loose strands behind her ear.
"What happened the other night Tifa? Why did I wake up, on your lap?"
"I think… You had a nightmare," she paused. "It was Cloud who-"
"Cloud saw me?!" The ninja rose to her feet.
Tifa nodded. "He saw you…lying on the floor and…"
"…and?"
"Yuffie, it doesn't matter."
"It does! Tell me." She looked Tifa in the eyes. "Please. I have to know."
The barmaid sighed heavily. "He went to see if you were okay. When he tried to lift you, you started screaming, trying to get away. When I came in…you were pushed against the wall. At first you didn't seem to know it was me…"
"After Cloud went to bed, I stayed with you all night. Sometimes you'd wake up screaming again, fighting to get away and other times…"
"Tifa…?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. She looked at the older woman pleadingly.
"You cried out for your mother. You kept repeating 'I have to stay awake' over and over." She looked at the ninja's tear stained face. "Do you remember? What were you seeing?"
"I can't." Yuffie shook her head. "I don't want to!"
Tifa grabbed her hands. "What did you see?"
"Hi-"
The front door closing drew their attention. Yuffie shot out of the room before Tifa could stop her. Taking a deep breath, she stood and smoothed down her black jeans. The barmaid could hear excited chattering coming from the bar area. Marlene's home.
"Yo this is Barret. Leave a message."
"Barret Wallace, would you care to explain why you allowed your eight year old daughter to go down a mine shaft?! What the hell were you thinking! Of all the things you could've done with her and you chose this? 'Just take her to the doctor next week'? She could have broken her arm! I can't believe this. And then, to top it all off, you send Cloud to collect her… Did you think I wouldn't notice her arm in a sling? When I see you…" She ended the call, angrily throwing her phone on the bed.
Tifa could barely believe her eyes, when she saw Marlene standing next to Cloud, with her left arm bandaged, in a sling. She had tried to keep her temper in check, but when Marlene had gone out in the garden, she had exploded at Cloud. He didn't have many answers to her questions, which had infuriated her more. His relaxed attitude really irked Tifa. When the blonde excused himself to go to the garage, she had stormed to her room. Barret hadn't answered her calls which was unsurprising.
She sat down on her bed. Tifa had intended to take Marlene out over the weekend, but now with her sprained arm, she would have to rethink her plans. A gentle knock on the door made her look up.
"Tifa?"
"Come in sweetie."
Marlene walked in slowly and stood in front of her.
"Are you still mad at Daddy and Cloud?" The little girl gazed at Tifa.
"I'm not…" Seeing the look in her eyes, she hesitated. "A little."
"It's my fault. I begged Daddy to take me!"
"No, Marlene. It's your daddy's fault. He should not have let you go into the mine. He knew it was dangerous. I'm just glad you're not too badly hurt." She hugged Marlene and kissed her head.
"I missed you."
"I missed you more."
Marlene pulled away and looked at her. "Don't be mad at Cloud."
"Okay."
The barmaid stood up and Marlene held her hand. "Let's get something to eat."
"Yeah!"
They made their way to the kitchen and found Yuffie standing by the stove.
"Yuffie!" Marlene squealed excitedly.
"Marlene, you're back!" The ninja bent down and gave the smaller girl a gentle hug, ruffling her hair. "You've grown taller."
"I have?"
"Uh huh."
Marlene smiled. "Are you going to cook?"
"Yep."
"What? Oh no, Yuffie. You don't have to..."
"Tifa, I want to."
"You should rest."
"I have." The ninja looked at her. "Let me cook tonight."
Marlene watched the exchange between the two women and shook her head. "I'm hungry." They both looked at her.
"Sorry sweetie." She glanced at Yuffie. "Why don't we set the table in the bar?"
"I'll get the place mats!" She hurried off into the other room.
"Thanks."
"Yuffie…"
"Tifa. I just want to focus on something happy right now. I'm tired of crying." She returned to the stove.
"Sure."
Cloud walked into the bar and saw two and a half women seated at the main table, in the centre of the room. The youngest, looked up and beamed at him. He returned her smile. The barmaid briefly caught his eye and returned to staring at her plate. She's still mad. He took a vacant seat between Marlene and Yuffie. There was a large bowl in the middle of the table containing a mixture of foods. From what he could tell, it looked like a stir fry of some sort. Next to it was a big container of brown rice.
"Goya chanpuru," the ninja said. "It's a Wutaianese national dish."
"What's in it?"
"Goya, tofu, pork, mushrooms and egg."
"Goya?" Tifa looked over at the Wutaianese girl. "I don't think I've heard of the name."
"Bitter melon."
"Well, whatever it is, it sounds tasty." He glanced around the table. "So let's eat."
"Agreed," they all chorused.
Yuffie served everyone a portion of the chanpuru and advised them to take ample amounts of rice on their plates. "It can be very bitter, but if you eat enough pork, tofu and rice with it, it takes the edge off, a bit."
Marlene ate quickly and the adults watched her take generous spoonfuls into her mouth.
"It's very bitter." Cloud commented.
"It's called: bitter melon, Cloud." The blonde looked at her.
"Thanks Tifa. I almost forgot."
"Anytime."
Marlene and Yuffie exchanged looks and shook their heads. They finished the rest of the meal in near silence. After clearing up, Yuffie took Marlene upstairs hoping to give the two a chance to talk.
"So you're just going to leave?"
"You know I'm meeting Barret tonight."
"Right, Barret." She reached into her pocket and brought out a piece of paper. "Here, give this to him."
Cloud took the paper and looked at Tifa. "Are you still mad at me?"
"That depends."
"On?"
"Whether or not there's a reason for me to be mad at you."
"I didn't take her down the mine, Tifa."
"But you knew she had an accident!" She snapped.
"Barret didn't tell me when I spoke to him on Monda-"
"Monday?! So you arranged this with him then?"
Cloud was silent.
"I should have known something was up when I saw you took the car."
"This isn't even about Marlene." He spoke softly.
"What?"
"I said-"
"I heard you."
"Tifa. Are you gonna tell me what this is about? I know we have a habit of arguing in the garage, but somehow I don't think it's about my workshop this time."
"We're not having an argument. It's just a disagre-"
"Whatever you want to call it. I'm tired of being yelled it. Obviously this situation with Yuffie is bothering you." He paused and looked at her. "Did you speak to Reeve?"
"No."
He waited for her to continue. "Tifa?"
"His secretary said he was away. She wouldn't give me any details. She just said he would be back next Friday."
There was silence for a moment and all that could be heard was the ticking of the wall clock.
"I have to go…" He watched her stand there with a faraway expression on her face. "If you still...want to talk, I can call you when I'm out of town."
Tifa faced him. "No, Cloud. It's fine."
"I'm not sure how long this job will last, but I'll send you a message tomorrow."
"Yeah," she said quietly. "Cloud?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry about today. I… I took it out on you." She moved closer to him. "Be safe."
"I will. Bye Tifa."
"Bye Cloud."
Cloud pushed Fenrir outside and looked back at Tifa, smiling. She gave him a small wave. He got on the bike and started the engine. His phone rang and he answered quickly. "I'm on my way Barret." There was silence on the other end and before he could check the call screen, the line went dead. There was no breathing this time, only faint laughter. Replacing his phone, he gave a quick wave back to Tifa and sped off.
Tifa walked upstairs and found the girls in the living room. The coffee table had been moved next to the reclining chair and the cushions were spread out in front of the sofa. The smell of freshly popped corn hit her nostrils and she noticed the large bowl on the floor. Marlene smiled at her and Yuffie held up a selection of nail polish colours.
"Girls night in?"
"Yeah. I thought we could paint our nails, eat some popcorn and sing karaoke." The ninja laughed.
"Sounds like a plan."
Tifa joined them on the cushions. Yuffie told Marlene to go and choose the songs she wanted to sing, from the list next to the machine in the corner.
"So how was chocobo head?"
"Hm?" Seeing the look on her face, she frowned. "Okay, I guess. I kind of took it out on him…earlier."
"Yeah. I heard what I assumed was the voicemail you left Barret." Yuffie laughed. "You sounded pretty peed off," she looked over at Marlene. "Did gunarm really take her down a mine?"
Tifa nodded. "He did. She tripped and fell down some steps, landing on her arm."
"Poor girl. That must've really hurt. What was he doing, going mining? I thought he was supposed to be taking time off to relax with Marlene…."
"Yeah. I have no idea what he was thinking…" She turned to the ninja. "What kind of work does he do for the WRO?"
"Hm. Find 'renewable sources of energy'. Apart from oil, I haven't heard of any exciting new discoveries. Why do you ask?"
"I'm just curious. Do you see him around the office much?"
"Nope. He's…" Yuffie felt the martial artist's gaze. "…usually out in the field." Like I should be.
Tifa sensed her unease and changed the subject. "What colour?" She pointed to the polishes in a row on the floor.
Yuffie looked to be deep in thought for a moment, before she pointed to the small bottle on the end. "Gold."
"Fit for a queen." Tifa smirked.
"One day."
"So you do intend to rule the kingdom of Wutai some day?" She tried to keep a straight face.
"Unless Godo had a kid before me, I kinda have to. It's my duty, remember?"
"Well, in that case. Would her royal highness grant me the honour, of permitting me to adorn her fair fingernails with gold paint, as befitting her rank?"
"I would," she replied, holding out her right hand.
Marlene returned and found them both shaking with laughter. She joined in, enjoying the sight of the two of them looking so happy. After painting Yuffie's nails, Tifa had moved on to Marlene. She had chosen pink. Tifa picked red and Yuffie was joined by Marlene. The little girl proved to have quite a steady hand. With all their nails done, the girls decided it was time for karaoke.
The lyrics were displayed on the television and each girl took their turn singing their selected tune. Marlene had been quite nervous at first but she soon warmed up. Tifa chose an upbeat tempo song that displayed her soulful voice. Yuffie and Marlene had been impressed. The barmaid's face was red when she sat back down. Yuffie closed her eyes while she sang, knowing the words off by heart. When she finished, she turned; opening her eyes and looking behind her. Tifa gazed at her in awe.
"That was amazing, Yuffie. I couldn't understand the words but the emotion…it really touched me."
"It was really good!" Marlene agreed.
"Thank you." She quickly took her seat and stared at her hands. Neither of them had mentioned the tears glistening in the ninja's eyes, when she turned to face them.
The girls then watched a movie. Marlene fell asleep soon afterwards and Tifa eventually carried her to bed.
Yuffie lay down on the cushions and looked up at the ceiling. She thought about her earlier talk with Tifa in the cellar. The ninja found it hard to believe what the barmaid had told her. That explains why Cloud was watching me like I was going to break or something. The ninja wiped a tear from her eye. She had come so close to telling the martial artist today. Would she even have believed me?
Yuffie still doubted herself. She often questioned her memory and she wondered if it had all been a dream; a nightmare she'd conjured up in her mind. A strong throbbing sensation reminded Yuffie of the scar running down her back. It was real. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. She just hoped the night would pass quickly.
Tifa ran the tap and rinsed the last breakfast bowl; placing it on the draining board. She looked up and saw Yuffie with Marlene in the garden. The days were much brighter now and the temperatures were steadily rising. She pressed the button on the radio and waited for the music to begin.
"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you breaking news." The anchorwoman paused; Tifa assumed for dramatic effect.
"Just after 6 am this morning, Midgar Standard Time, a large explosion was reported in the town of Nibelheim, located at the base of the Nibel mountain range. There have been no reported deaths as of yet, however that is expected to change as more details emerge. The World Regenesis Organization's head, Reeve Tuesti, was unavailable for comment. A WRO spokesman said they would be investigating the incident and he did not want to speculate on any possible causes.
Some have questioned whether this could have been a terroist atta-"
Tifa turned off the radio. She glanced at Yuffie as she walked in.
"Did you hear about the explo-"
"I saw it on the news earlier." Her tone was flat.
"I wonder who's responsible..."
"I'm going to take a shower." Yuffie left the room and went up the stairs.
Tifa stared after her. Is this about work? She sighed. Marlene was now sitting on the grass eating a banana. She had come so close to getting the ninja to open up to her. Tifa hoped she could get Yuffie to talk to her again, but with Marlene back and Cloud gone for the weekend, they would have little time alone together. Maybe after Marlene goes to bed…
She felt a tug on her shirt. "Tifa?"
"Yes Marlene."
The young girl held up a small flyer. It was advertising a fair that would be in town for the week. "Please?"
"Hm. I don't know… You should be resting your arm."
"Tifa please! I really want to go." Marlene gave her best puppy dog eyes.
"Alright, we'll go. But only for a couple of hours." She smiled.
"Yay! I can't wait!" She practically ran upstairs.
Tifa spotted Yuffie sitting in the bar area and walked over. "What are you reading?"
"I'm not sure." The barmaid gave her an odd look. "It's an old book from back home. It's written in the ancient language, which I can just about read, but it makes no sense," she finished shaking her head and closed the book.
"I'm taking Marlene to the fair," she said, showing her the flyer. "Want to come?"
"Nah, I'll pass thanks." She looked at Marlene as she entered the bar. "Don't wanna intrude on the mother daughter bonding." She got up, book in hand and ruffled Marlene's hair as she walked past. "You two have fun."
"We will, won't we Tifa?"
"You bet." She held out her hand to the young girl. "Let's get going then." They stepped outside and went to the car. As she pulled out of the driveway, Tifa hoped Yuffie would be fine today.
I guess it worked. She stared up at the bust of Shiva and smiled. Her blue orbs seemed to sparkle in response.
Yuffie walked over to the bench and sat down. She enjoyed her walk yesterday with Abe. Listening to him talk about his youth, had helped take her mind off her troubles. Yuffie felt comfortable with Abe; he made her feel safe. She had asked him what happened to his nose. He then told her the story of taking on four guys to "defend his girl". His nose had been broken in the process and his family couldn't afford reconstructive surgery, so he had been left with a crooked nose. Abe didn't look the type to get into fights and he had said as much.
"…but some things are worth fighting for. If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."
Yuffie saw a couple walking by the daffodils and sighed. She had never given much thought to having a boyfriend. The ninja remembered her father introducing her to a boy who, he told her, was from a distinguished family. The boy was nice, but definitely not her type; whatever her type was.
She had offers at work, but they were never anything serious. Yuffie had thought that perhaps her tomboyish style was sending out the wrong message. She once overheard a couple of office grunts questioning her sexuality and Yuffie had been shocked. The next day, she'd click clacked her way into the office and smirked as half the men in the room gaped at her. Yuffie was certain she'd caught Vincent staring at her during the senior officers' meeting.
Vincent. The ninja had been excited to be working with Vincent at first. He was a man of few words, Yuffie knew, but he didn't patronise her like the others did. Working with the gunman was less fun than she imagined, but she still enjoyed their missions together. Things had changed after their last operation in Costa del Sol.
Yuffie knew they were on a mission and she had worked just as hard, if not harder, to ensure they gathered the right intelligence. All she had done was accept an invitation to a beach party, after their work was done. She didn't often let her hair down and she was glad for the chance to have some fun. The ninja hadn't expected Vincent to spy on her and then report back to Reeve, accusing her of 'compromising the mission' and 'behaving inappropriately'. Behaving inappropriately? Since when was kissing a guy, on the cheek, behaving inappropriately?
He had humiliated Yuffie, in front of their whole office, by practically excusing the ninja of throwing herself at the man. Yuffie had slapped him, hard. Ever since that day, she only spoke to him about work, if it was absolutely necessary.
"Where is he?" She looked at her watch. "It's almost 2 pm…" I guess he's not coming. Yuffie stood and made her way to the gate. She scanned the park once more before leaving.
She crossed the street and briefly stood, watching the people enjoying their Saturday. She continued down the street and turned right into a small passage. As Yuffie reached the end, she heard footsteps behind her. She moved to let them pass by. When she turned to look back, she didn't see anyone. Shaking her head, she continued walking. The passage lead out to a large square surrounded by small apartments. A series of apple and pear trees had been planted recently. The residents had started a community garden in the centre, that Yuffie remembered buying honey from last Fall.
When she neared the road, she heard the footsteps again. She stopped and looked ahead. There were only three more streets to go until she reached the bar. The ninja heard the footsteps pause behind her. Yuffie crossed the road quickly. She tried to keep her breathing steady, but she could feel the panic begin to seep in. Someone was following her, she was sure of it. Yuffie increased her pace. There was no else around. What I would give to just run into Johnny again. The ninja came to the next turning and she distinctly heard the footsteps speed up. It took all of her willpower not to scream. Only a couple more streets to go and I'll be home.
Yuffie quickened her pace again and made it to the end of the street, when she ran straight into someone. The ninja screamed.
"Yuffie?" He saw the panic in her face. "Is everything alright?"
"A-Abe?" She could barely breathe and her head was starting to spin. "Wha..."
He reached his arm out to touch her and she jumped back. "Sta-stay away!"
"Yuffie?" He stepped towards her.
"Get away from me!"
"Yuffie. Calm down. It's me: Abe. We've met before. We went for a walk together in the park, yesterday, remember?"
The ninja continued backing away from him, shaking her head. She clutched her chest; she had to get home.
"Yuffie," he tried again. "Were you waiting for me? I'm sorry, I was held up. I was just on my way to the bar, hoping to see you."
The ninja took a cautious step forward and then she heard the footsteps again.
Yuffie took off as fast as her legs could carry her and didn't look back. She felt her heart beating in her chest and she knew she didn't have long. Fumbling for her keys, she swiftly unlocked the door and rushed inside, bolting it closed behind her. She then sank to the floor in sobs. The ninja clutched her chest again and tried to regain control of her erratic breathing. Shakily, she got to her feet. Water. Before she made it to the kitchen, she was hit with an intense wave and Yuffie felt the wind knocked out of her. She gasped for breath, holding her chest tightly.
As her eyelids closed, Yuffie saw the white light glowing in the distance.
Tifa helped Marlene out of the car and looked up at the night sky. What had started out as a quick visit to the fair, had turned into an all day outing. Her arms sagged slightly under the weight of the numerous shopping bags. After finally managing to drag Marlene away from the fair, they stopped by the mall and spent more than three hours shopping. They had both been tired and hungry, so they ate dinner at the new sushi restaurant. Yuffie's probably wondering where we went to. I should have called her…
Tifa was glad to spend the day with Marlene. She really missed having her around and though it had only been two weeks, it felt like she hadn't seen the little girl in months.
They stepped into the bar and she set her bags down. She reached for the light and blinked as her eyes adjusted to the brightness. Tifa watched as Marlene rifled through her bag of new toys, she bought her at the mall earlier, and smiled. She picked up the food bags and walked towards the kitchen. She wasn't able to contain the scream quick enough and she dropped her bags. Marlene came rushing over and stopped by her side.
"Yuffie!" She cried.
"Marlene, will you go and wait by your toy bag?" When she saw her open her mouth in protest, she added: "Please. Yuffie's okay. Just wait for me."
Marlene reluctantly walked back to the table by the door and sat down.
Tifa crouched down next to Yuffie and touched her neck. She let out a shaky breath when she felt the strong pulse. The barmaid stroked her cheek and spoke softly. "Yuffie. Wake up sweetie."
At first there was no reaction and Tifa grasped her right hand firmly. "Yuffie, it's Tifa. Please open your eyes." She nearly jumped when she felt a tight squeeze on her hand. Slowly the ninja opened her eyes and met her gaze.
Yuffie looked around. "What…happened?"
"I could ask you the same question." She blinked away a tear. "Oh Yuffie, you scared me… I thou-"
"Yuffie! You're awake!"
"Marlene? I thought I told you to-"
"It's okay," Yuffie said, sitting up.
"Why are you on the floor?"
"Oh…" She looked briefly at Tifa. "I fell asleep."
"On the floor?" Marlene quirked an eyebrow.
"Uh huh. I was doing one of my stretches, where I had to lie on the floor, and I was so tired afterwards that I must have fallen asleep."
Marlene looked at Tifa. "You did look tired this morning…" The barmaid supplied.
"I was," she admitted.
Marlene laughed. "Yuffie, you're funny."
"I try," she said winking. She felt Tifa's stare. "Well, I should probably get to my actual bed." Yuffie made to get up.
"What about dinner?"
"I already ate." The barmaid's look told her she didn't believe her, but Tifa said nothing. The ninja stretched and looked over at the table in the far corner. "Looks like you too hit the mall."
"We did."
"The fair was a lot of fun. I won a moogle toy."
"That's great Marlene." Yuffie feigned a yawn. "You can show me all your new toys tomorrow. I'll see you in the morning." She bent down and gave her a hug. "Good night."
"Good night Yuffie."
Tifa watched as she made her way to the stairs and turned to Marlene.
"Let's unpack those bags," she said, holding up her right hand.
"Yeah!" Marlene gave her a small high five.
Marlene chatted happily to her, while they put the shopping away in the kitchen. She struggled to concentrate on what the girl was saying, as her thoughts were elsewhere. Marlene had insisted on staying in her room that night, so she knew there was little chance of her speaking to Yuffie in private. On her way to bed, she stopped by her room. Tifa knew she wasn't sleeping. She was certain Yuffie had been out cold for hours. She knocked gently on the door.
"Yuffie…" What am I supposed to say? "I've arranged a playdate for Marlene tomorrow afternoon. I thought maybe…maybe we could talk?" She heard shuffling and guessed the ninja had moved to stand by the door. "See you in the morning."
She stood for a moment watching the door, hoping Yuffie would open it. The martial artist then turned and walked to her bedroom. Marlene was snuggled under the covers holding her moogle.
"It's late. You should be sleeping."
"I was waiting for you."
Tifa shook her head and joined her. She stroked her hair. Marlene nestled into her arms and yawned loudly.
"Sleep."
Marlene closed her eyes and Tifa listened to the rhythmic beating of her heart. She felt tiredness sweep across her and she closed her eyes.
"Is Yuffie feeling better?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Marlene didn't answer straightaway. Tifa sat up and looked at her, confusion clouding her features.
"Before I went to stay with Daddy," she began. "I came upstairs and I heard Yuffie. It sounded like she was crying."
Tifa stroked her hair and waited for her to continue.
"When I went closer to her room, I heard her speaking. I didn't understand what she was saying."
"It's okay Marlene."
"Then she started screaming and I ran back downstairs," she finished quietly.
Tifa hugged her. "Thank you for telling me."
"Is she going to be okay?"
Tifa looked at her and spoke. "Yes. Yuffie is going to be fine, Marlene. I promise."
As they settled back under the duvet, Tifa hoped she'd be able to keep that promise.