Originally Posted on AO3. Please check out my account there for most postings.

"Will the defendant, Yuffie Akagi, rise for the reading of the verdict."

Yuffie stood, despite knowing what was coming, her hands were still clammy and she rubbed them off on her pant leg. She was wearing a pantsuit, her training and handlers telling her it would make her seem more mature. Yuffie had believed it would have been better for her to dress younger, that way she could appear redeemable as if it had been a mistake of youth, not careful planning with someone ratting her out.

She looked down at her outfit. The red pants suit was high waisted, coming up to her navel and hugging her smaller hips perfectly. They flared out at her calves, the hem was wider, covering her high heeled shoes. These were sandals, her white painted toes sticking out, reminding her that this would be the last pedicure she would be getting for a very long time. Shifting her weight, Yuffie dusted her white crop top and brought her suit jacket tighter around her. The sleeves raising and displaying her jewelry. A single bangle and a diamond bracelet.

She looked at her lawyer, her father not present. It was after all the Midgar V. Akagi, although everyone had a suspicion it wasn't actually an Akagi but a Kisaragi they were dealing with. They couldn't prove it though. It would look absolutely horribly for the Emperor of Wutai to be interested in some woman's random crime. For all intents and purposes Yuffie had grown up in Gongaga with her now dead parents before traveling to Midgar in search of a modeling career.

The entire mission was to find what Heidegger was planning. He was in charge of the Midgar military, as well as, responsible for the Shinra Weapons Facility. She had found what she was looking for, unfortunately, her fallback, which was pretending to try to financially ruin him, was what ended up actually getting her caught up. She cursed. She may have gotten away with it if Karl wasn't so good at his job.

Yuffie had been able to download the files and hand them off, but Karl, just as they had planned, left almost too much evidence of her fall back money schemes. Someone had been dumb enough to believe that and had of course found overwhelming evidence. The young woman knew she had to get her father to look into that. She hadn't been able to warn her handler, Sonon, before she had been quickly arrested.

"We, the jury, find the defendant, Yuffie Akagi, guilty of grand larceny on all five counts."

The gavel slammed down as Yuffie sighed. Now she had to wait for sentencing. Behind her, Heidegger could be heard celebrating. It was unlikely she'd get fair sentencing but she turned to her lawyer who was shaking his head before leaning over and telling her they weren't done. He would file for a dismissal if not a mistrial. Yuffie wanted this over and down with. The sentencing shouldn't be long if they were correct, good behavior and some lost papers should get her out of her sooner. The mistrial would mean they start all over. Yuffie signaled to work for the dismissal.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"I have reviewed the details and the extent of the law. After careful review I have decided, the defendant, Yuffie Akagi will be sentenced to a possible maximum sentence of fifteen years, as allowed by the Midgar government." Yuffie's eyes closed as she counted backwards from ten. More celebration and it took everything Yuffie had not to turn and flip off Heidegger and his friends. The tall, muscular man was shushed by others in the courtroom, not the judge, Yuffie noted.

"At minimum she will serve no more than one half of one third of the mandatory sentence."

Yuffie leaned over, whispering, "That's two and a half years, minimum?" Her lawyer nodded, writing down some notes as the judge droned on. "Probation? Parole?"

"I'm on it, Ms. Akagi."

"We must hold all individuals accountable to the law, and despite your age, Ms. Akagi, I hope you realize the gravity of your choices. Stealing, no matter who it is from, has repercussions that extend far beyond the victim and the act itself. If we do not hold you accountable, it allows others to believe this is acceptable within our society. I hope that this sentencing allows you to reflect on your actions, and ultimately rehabilitates you to become a better person. Consider this a time for you to turn your life around and lead you to personal growth as well as a reevaluation of your choices. Thank you."

The gavel pounded again.

Oh, fuck you.

The guards came, handcuffed again, and taken away.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The next two and a half years went by quickly. Yuffie had immediately signed up for all the classes that were offered to her, knowing that she could get out on parole sooner if she followed the judges stupid rules. She didn't need to know the classes on financial literacy, job core, nor the character rehabilitation classes. However, Yuffie was smart and played her role well, after all, it was what she was trained for.

She fooled all the counselors and guards. The other female inmates weren't as easily convinced, but they had realized Yuffie had more going on than a cute face. The ones that had challenged Yuffie had always found themselves caught up with more problems than they wanted or needed, and they could never seem to prove Yuffie's involvement in anything.

The secret was another inmate, Valexi. Yuffie felt bad for the girl, literally her whole purpose for coming to jail was to help and protect Yuffie if she needed it. Therefore, it was not surprising that anytime someone did challenge Yuffie, Valexi seemed to stir up trouble with that same inmate. Yuffie had never officially met the girl, but she recognized the girl for who she was and made sure to let her father know that Valexi did her job very well.

In no time at all, Yuffie found herself back in front of the parole board, requesting an early release.

Yuffie met her lawyer again, the plan outlined and explained to her. She put on her saddest face, memorized the lines she was given and used her best acting skills.

"The board has decided to allow Ms. Yuffie Akagi, parole for a term of three years. You will be required to check in weekly with your parole officer. If you break the terms of this agreement, you will be returned to the state of Midgar and return to serve the remainder of your sentence in Midgar's Women's Facility. Ms. Akagi, we wish you luck and hope we do not see you again."

She beamed. Suckers.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Yuffie opened the door to her parole officer's building. It was on the sketchy side of town and Yuffie still had to play the role of a helpless, poor, young girl on the street. Sonon had already reached out, prepared to get her out of Midgar, but Yuffie knew she was on Heidegger's radar. The girl was determined to bring him down at this point. Stealing the money and it disappearing was a nice way to hurt his reputation and his sponsors faith in him, but she wasn't done.

Wutai was aware of Heidegger's plans of selling illegal weapons to the growing city in the northern continent. It was full of extremists who had seen Wutai as oppressive to eastern ideals. While the news had been released two and half years ago that the city was working with another country, Yuffie hadn't been able to secure Heidegger's part in it, nor Rufus Shinra's role, their publicists blaming this on AVALANCHE instead. The documents she had stolen previously were only the details of the trade, it hadn't included names.

Sonon had told Yuffie to be careful, but trusted her to do the job regardless.

Yuffie stared at the names on the door. Reno Anderson. Rude Hauser. Tseng Ito. Elena Taylor. Vincent Valentine.

There it was. She knocked before opening the door, not bothering waiting for a response. She was met with crimson eyes, the man behind the desk not bothering to hide his distaste for her barging in. His black suit was finely pressed, not a piece of hair out of place. It was cut short, the front a fringe that fell into his eyes until he tossed it back easily. She mentally cursed. Of course she got the no nonsense officer. She debated asking for Reno or Rude, those names seemed like people who would be easily fooled.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I thought it'd be bigger," Yuffie smiled sheepishly, "I mean the office, of course."

He frowned at her, but stood nonetheless and offered the chair in front of him.

"Ms. Akagi."

"Thanks," she said, falling into the seat easily and slouched before she decided this man would appreciate her more refined acting. She sat up straight and reached her hand out, "Nice to meet ya, Mr. Valentine."

"Pleasure. Let's go over the terms of your release and the expectations I'll have of you."

Internally, Yuffie sighed. This was gonna take longer than she had hoped. She didn't need a job… but she needed a cover and so she smiled at him and took out a pen and paper from her bag. He seemed pleased as she wrote down what was being said. For the purpose of appearances, Yuffie asked clarifying questions at the right time and dumb questions as was expected.

She was expected to:

Began job hunting

Seventh Heaven (Bar)

Great Gospel (Church/Flower shop?)

Strife Delivery

Cid's (some kinda garage)

Seek counseling with Dr. Nanaki

Check in promptly at 8:00 p.m. daily.

Check in every Friday at 10:00 a.m.

Change IDs to reflect the current living situation.

Bring a copy of her rental agreement and key.

Become a model citizen and no illegal activities.

No contact with Heidegger or any of his staff.

At home by 10:00 p.m. depending on her employment hours.

Give her contact information, cell phone, address, and any known aliases.

Submit to searches of property, belongings and self when asked by any law enforcement officer.

Yuffie shook her hand out, smiling at him as she nodded and agreed to his conditions of her release, as if she had a choice.

"Ms. Akagi?"

"Mr. Valentine?"

"I do hope you plan on being successful. I have no problem reporting any illegal behaviors to the parole board. I do not like to waste my time on individuals who do not seek to better themselves nor become positive, contributing members of society."

"Mr. Valentine, I'll be the best parolee you'll ever have. I swear it. You'll hang a photo of me here in your office and gush to all your future parolees how great I was." She raised her right hand, the largest, most sincere smile she could muster on her face. She opened her eyes and he was unfazed. She didn't drop the smile, but stood nonetheless as he rose to escort her out.

"Hn. Have a good day Ms. Akagi."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

July

Yuffie Akagi: No luck at the bar or the flower shop. Apparently you've already sent enough help there. I'm still hopeful! ? (1004)

Yuffie Akagi: Cid asked me to tell you, and this is a quote, "You tell that mother fucker that I dont need the help of some dumb bimbo who thinks she knows more than me but can't tell the difference between a screw driver and a wrench." I don't think he liked me very much. ? ? (1534)

Yuffie Akagi: Success! Mr. Strife said he'd reach out to you with my hiring papers. I start tomorrow. Thank you Mr. Valentine! ❣️(1705)

Vincent Valentine: Understood. (1706)

She shoved the cellphone back in her pocket before explaining to Strife that she could start at noon the following day. She had to check in with Vincent tomorrow, but she was willing to work any and all hours, so long as she had time to check in with Vincent at 8:00 p.m. Cloud waved her off, grabbing her papers and walking to the back. Yuffie sighed, the smile dropping from her face immediately as she turned and walked out.

She stepped outside, the hot summer air welcoming and somewhat reminiscent of home. She made her way down the street to a bar, being picked out earlier this week with her future contact, Miranda. She walked in and sat at the bar, the curly haired brunette smiling at her and welcoming her in. Yuffie smiled and sat, requesting a menu and a drink.

She ordered a shot of whiskey while she browsed the menu, Miranda dropping it off and moving away again. Once she was ready, she called her over.

"Hey! Can I get the bacon double cheeseburger and fries please! Leave the menu, I'll need dessert to celebrate!"

"You got it." Miranda walked off again. Yuffie settling in. She watched as the bar filled up around her, happy hour starting soon, which was fine, it would give her time to be able to talk to Miranda and relay information without any one specific person hearing them or making it seem as if Miranda and her were overly friendly.

By the end of the night Yuffie had been able to communicate to Sonon that she was housed on the north end of town, employed by Strife Delivery, had weekly appointments to see Nanaki, and needed a better way of communicating with him and Miranda. She made it a point to call Vincent and relay her current location and status while at the bar, Miranda taking note of the time or her check in's and the expected time she would be seeing Vincent tomorrow.

Yuffie tapped her foot impatiently at the register, the server taking FOREVER to hand over a cup of coffee and donut for Vincent. She was determined to make this man like her, the faster he thought she was on the road to rehabilitation, the less strict he was bound to be and the faster she could take down Heidegger.

She may or may not have snatched the bag of donuts out of the kid's hand on her rush to get out of there. Yuffie ran down the block, attempting to keep the coffee from spilling. She easily dodged some people, but yelled out her apologies as she cut some off and bumped into one or two others.

Skipping the first two steps she pulled open the door and slid past Rude's hulking self as she made her way to Vincent's office.

"Better hurry Akagi!" Rude laughed as she cursed, looking up at the clock to see 10:01 a.m. displayed. She reached for the handle, but it fell away and Yuffie crashed into none other than Vincent himself. The cup, now crushed between them, had Yuffie yelping and Vincent cursing. He grabbed her shoulders, putting distance between them as she dropped the bag and the cup, a small cry leaving her.

"Are you alright?" His jaw ticked, his hands coming to pull the material of his button up away from himself, the shirt stained with coffee. Yuffie leaned forward, trying for the same but of course her clothes were tighter.

"I'm so sorry!" Vincent pulled her in, closing the door behind her as she picked up the donut and continued apologizing to him. She looked down at her hand and saw it was turning red. She dropped the donut on his desk and Vincent was already unbuttoning his shirt, placing it against her blouse and chest to dry the coffee. Yuffie hissed and he apologized.

"Ms. Akagi, are you alright?" He was dabbing her chest, and Yuffie blushed slightly before pulling away, "I'm okay. Do you have a sink in here?" Vincent led her to the small bathroom behind the door, closing it behind her and giving her privacy.

Placing her hands under the cold water felt nice and Yuffie sighed as she leaned over the sink. She looked around and found a towel. Once her hand felt better, she moved to try to get some of the coffee stains off her shirt but knew it was pretty pointless on the light pink blouse. She sighed, choosing instead to dab some of the colder water on her torso, the heat from her skin lifting as the towel became warmer.

Vincent knocked and opened the door, Yuffie's hand still under her blouse and the towel awkwardly arranged below.

"I have a first aid kit here. Are you hurt?" He was in a plain white t-shirt, the coffee having stained that as well but he seemed unbothered, Yuffie assumed the majority of the liquid had ended up on her and she smiled crookedly at him.

"I could probably use some for my hand, thanks."

Once he had her bandaged and the medicine applied, they resumed their meeting, Yuffie glad he didn't feel the need to scold her or yell at her for the tardiness.

"Everything looks good, Ms. Akagi. In the future, please do not be tardy due to waking up late and skipping breakfast at home. Failure to plan is a plan to fail." He stacked the papers in front of him and stapled them together, Yuffie having signed her part. He stood to place them in her file.

"The coffee was for you, actually. But I understand… and I'm sorry. You can have the donut." She walked out of the office, defeated.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

August

It had been a month since she had begun working at Strife Delivery Services. It was easy, yet boring. Yuffie had been hoping to intercept something that would give her a leg up on Heidegger, but Strife had been careful to make sure she followed the orders of her parole. Either that or the dude really did run a small business, but Yuffie had seen him keep certain details to himself. She could wait. On the other hand, Sonon had made her aware another Wutai operative was moving in to help her. No details on this person, as usually was the case, but she was becoming frustrated.

Yuffie was on the late shift tonight. There had been a change in her expectations and Vincent had been very open about his dislike of them. They were not his idea, the order having been given from higher above him and Yuffie wondered if someone was on to her. She truly believed this was not his idea, but she couldn't prove that either. It was 8:03 p.m. and Yuffie was becoming worried.

Vincent was the one who was supposed to video call her, that being the change. Her leg shook with anxiety, would this count against her if there was a record of a late check in? She watched her screen, Cloud walking past her on his way in to grab another delivery before walking out again.

"I'd call him," he advised. She had turned to look at him, but he had already closed the door with a 'good luck.'

He was right. Better that there was an attempt on her part than no record of anything. She inhaled and pressed 'Video Call.' It rang once before she was notified there was no answer. She frowned. She hit it again, with the same result. Yuffie's phone vibrated with an incoming text message.

Vincent Valentine: I apologize. Your check in is noted, there is no need for concern. Please advise when you return home later tonight. (2005)

Yuffie Akagi: Everything okay? You never miss check in? (2005)

She waited, but there was no answer.

The following morning she walked into Vincent's building but was stopped when the door to his office was locked. She read the message, requesting that all of Vincent's parolee's check in with Elena Taylor. Yuffie frowned before walking back towards the front, she paused, hearing Vincent's name coming from Reno's office.

"Apparently Crescent dumped Valentine." Yuffie frowned. Vincent had been in a relationship? She looked at the door in surprise, figuring the guy was married to his work and therefore didn't have time for a relationship with someone else. Yuffie moved, lest her shadow give her away. She had two minutes to spare, in any case.

"Ya, dude! Heard it from Kyoko herself! Crescent doesn't wanna get married." A pause, as if he was on the phone, "No, no… Luckily Valentine didn't ask and get turned down, but Kyoko said Crescent was sure he'd be asking soon… it was basically the break up to spare herself the proposal and Vincent the embarrassment." Yuffie felt bad. She stepped away from the door and headed over to Elena's office, deciding she didn't want to hear anymore. The Crescent lady sounded like a bitch.

Elena was clearly new at this. She went through Every. Single. Question. Yuffie answered them easily then was glad she had gotten Vincent, a veteran, and not Elena the newbie for her parole officer. With a rushed goodbye, Yuffie left and returned to work.

The next week was spent in much the same way, Yuffie was surprised when Elena called her and not Vincent but she didn't let the surprise show too much, casually inquiring if Vincent was on vacation. Elena stuttered through an excuse, saying she wasn't at liberty to discuss his personal matter and Yuffie almost rolled her eyes at the woman, but maintained her composure. She checked in with Elena again the following Friday before reporting to work for the rest of the day.

"Yuffie. I'm closing down early tonight, so you can go home. Have a good night." Yuffie stared at Cloud in surprise but nodded nonetheless, moving to take off her Strife Delivery Service work shirt before grabbing her bag and running out the door ahead of him. She needed to check in with Miranda, anyway. She had to know where the other operative was in all their dealings.

"Hey!" Yuffie shouted, acting surprised at seeing Miranda working. "Can I get a shot of tequila?" Miranda looked down the bar before answering Yuffie, the parolee following her stare before cursing. There would be no exchange of information tonight, considering the entire parole office was currently in the bar. Yuffie

waved her off, asking for two and Miranda smiled apologetically before grabbing her drinks. There wouldn't be too much exchange of information, as Yuffie understood her and the brunette needed to remain strangers. She would take what she could get then head out, it was still early but she didn't want to ruin checking in later at ten.

"Yuffie?" The ninja had just begun to raise the shot glass to her lips when she was stopped by Tifa's voice. Shit. Tifa was Cloud's girlfriend. The two were friends with Vincent. She looked behind the girl and saw Aerith there too. She took the shot and smiled at the bartender.

"How have you been? Cloud says you're a lot of help," the busty brunette smiled at her. Yuffie rolled her eyes, doubting Cloud said anything about her to Tifa. She shrugged and hugged the woman, Tifa hugging her tight.

"Are you staying long," the bartender asked her, her arms still on Yuffie's shoulders. The ninja replied negatively, pointing out she had one more drink then she was gonna head out and go home. Tifa nodded, telling Yuffie she would order one and they could take a shot together, the younger one nodding, calling Miranda over for another shot.

She took her shot with Tifa, before stating she really needed to head out. Tifa didn't stop her, understanding the looming group of parole officers probably had her nervous. She sneaked past Cloud and Aerith, Zack having distracted them enough with an animated story. Reno and Rude were thankfully talking up to other girls at the bar and Elena was in a conversation with Tseng. She pushed open the door and saw Vincent on the phone.

He wasn't saying anything, the phone to his ear as he stared ahead in annoyance.

"I don't have time to talk about this, Lucrecia."

Yuffie frowned, Lucrecia? Was that his ex-girlfriend? She let the door close behind her, debating on crossing the street since she had to ultimately walk in his direction, however the bus stop was on this side of the street and therefore it was pointless for her to cross just to have to cross back.

"There is no more to discuss, you ended it."

Yuffie moved quickly, trying to quietly pass him as she began to hear the woman on the other line become louder and louder.

"Goodbye." He turned and Yuffie couldn't dodge his elbow, her nose catching most of the blow as he spun around to enter the bar again. Her hands came up, her eyes instantly watering as she moaned in pain. His phone in his hand and Yuffie couldn't help but peek down at it. But the screen had already turned off. He immediately began apologizing and Yuffie didn't think he realized it was her. She doubled over, afraid she was bleeding and Vincent leaned down with her.

"Ms. Akagi?" He sounded surprised and Yuffie mumbled out a yes, trying to get her eyes under control. He pulled her hands away, Yuffie relieved to see no blood and from the sound of his exhale, he was too.

"I am so sorry." He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and Yuffie took it, dabbing her nose again, just to be sure, and her eyes, wiping her tears away. He moved her to lean against the railing outside the bar, tilting her head back so he could examine her nose.

"I'm fine. It's not like I've never been hit in the face before." Vincent wasn't amused, his crimson eyes moving across her face before his hands came up to her nose. She whimpered when they made contact, his hands cold and her nose tender. "I apologize."

"Nah don't be. I was the one sneaking around you." He grimaced, shoving the phone back into his pocket and Yuffie avoiding mentioning the call.

"Would you like me to get you a cab home?" That was sweet, and Yuffie was tired. She smirked at him.

"You feel that bad, huh?" She dabbed her eyes again, Vincent's hands now off of her as he tried to look inside, hoping no one else had seen him physically assault her.

"Your nose may be changing colors…" He shifted his weight and Yuffie refrained from smiling at him, her nose aching with the twitch of her muscles.

"Ya, okay." Vincent ordered her the cab and the two waited outside, Yuffie saying nothing. Vincent pulled out his phone a few more times, the vibrating not going unnoticed by both of them, but each time he swiped away the text message or ignored the call.

"You can always just block the number…" Yuffie said, pointedly ignoring looking at him or the phone. Vincent exhaled deeply and affirmed he was aware.

"Hey, since it's almost eight, do I still gotta check in with Elena tonight?" She wondered if she was permanently Elena's parolee or if Vincent was coming back anytime soon… How long did it take for someone to recover from being broken up with? How long had he been with this chick? After a week he was still willing to talk to her and answer her calls, but it seemed she was the one trying to repair the relationship, not Vincent. Good for him, let her figure out what she was missing, Yuffie was all about knowing your worth.

"No. I'll let Elena know you checked in with me." Vincent's phone rang again and Yuffie grabbed it, answering the phone.

"Hello?" Vincent reached out to grab the phone from her and she pulled away, her hand on his chest while she spoke.

"Hello? Vincent?" Ugh this Lucrecia lady sounded conceited and self absorbed. She wondered what the real story was if Vincent was the one ignoring her and not vice versa.

"No, this is… I'm sorry, who are you?" She was going to give a fake name, but decided against it. Better she remain nameless, the idea of some random woman with Vincent would hurt more rather than giving his pretend friend a name.

"Excuse me," there was the haughtiness again, Yuffie almost released an ew, before Lucrecia continued, "May I please speak to Vincent?" She stressed the last syllable and Yuffie rolled her eyes, Vincent pushing passed her hand to grab the phone from her.

"No, you cannot," She said just as snarkily before she hung up and willingly gave the phone to him. He frowned at her.

"Ms. Akagi…" He seemed a little upset but somewhat amused.

"Oh look, the cab's here." She backed up and opened the car door, smirking at him as she got in, the cab driver speeding off as she gave her address.

Yuffie Akagi: Hiya boss! Just checking in. Don't mark me tardy! (2000)

Vincent Valentine: Understood. (2000)

She sent another to Elena, technically Vincent hadn't been working today and Yuffie didn't need the semantics of this ruining her chances of staying out of jail, merely stating she was checking in and would accept a video call if she needed it. As she laid down that night she texted Vincent again, stating she was, in fact, still home. Several hours later, she got another text message, from an unknown number.

UNKNOWN: You gave me no choice. 30 missed calls and 27 text messages. I had to block her. (0123)

Yuffie Akagi: She deserves it, I'm sure. Keep strong, King. (0124)

UNKNOWN: King? (0124)

Yuffie Akagi: It's slang, all young folks use it, you should get with the times. (0125)

UNKNOWN: Exactly how old do you think I am?(0126)

Yuffie laughed out loud. She wondered how much he had to drink if he was texting her, willingly, and discussing slang and his age.

Yuffie Akagi: Clearly you're 45. (0128)

UNKNOWN: You're being ridiculous. You can't honestly believe I'm 45… (0128)

Yuffie Akagi: Good night grandpa. ? (0130)

She spent the next day on the couch, cleaning her small apartment and watching random movies and television. It was a day well spent by her standards, especially when Cloud had texted her that they would be closed again due to celebrating his birthday. She wished him happy birthday and told herself she'd get him a cupcake tomorrow.

She napped later in the day for a short amount of time before she decided to go on a walk before dinner. She stepped out into her hallway, a tall dark skinned girl stepping out at the same time, her hair mostly straight, but she allowed several curled pieces to frame her face, the front part of her hair forming two braided pigtails.

"Nice day, isn't it?" Yuffie smiled at her, nodding before moving to check her mailbox. The girl moved to do the same, her mailbox located a few columns down, but three rows higher than Yuffie's. Yuffie pulled all of her mail out, the cards only junk mail.

The girl pulled out the mail, the letters and cards falling from her hand onto the ground. She gasped, reaching down to grab them, but Yuffie was already moving to help her. The girls stood, storing out the mail, the taller girl thanking her before walking out the door and making a left. Yuffie threw away her junk mail, keeping only the one blank envelope the other girl had dropped before walking out the door and making it a left.

Parthenogenesis

8:15 p.m.

Second Prime Salad.

Tta ohr hnm e htnspega t wtteh iliot t n ea sw Srttay .hIe t oaspi hg t reynivoe., oo s'wte u awoe wgt oe r

Yuffie sighed, leave it up to Sonon to give her a coded message. At least he gave her the cipher this time and dumbed it down enough for her to understand. Taking out a pen, she walked as she deciphered, which was no easy feat but Yuffie couldn't be bothered to stop somewhere and have someone read it over her shoulder.

The target will be at this location, at this time on September 12. He is meeting with Shinra to negotiate weapons and trades with Icicle City. Operatives unavailable. It's up to you or we wait longer.

Fuck. The time was really shitty. She'd have to be going to the Busy Bee while checking in with Vincent… She took out a lighter, burning the paper before heading back home, the entire ordeal taking less than an hour.

Upon reaching her apartment building, the same girl followed behind her, the two exchanging pleasantries.

"Any fun plans?"

"Hoping to catch up with some old friends at the end of summer."

"Sounds great!"

She smiled, walking back into her apartment and Yuffie closed the door behind her. Sonon was an asshole. She threw herself on the couch, staring at the ceiling fan spin around and around. Did she even have clothes for something like the Busy Bee? She sat up and looked toward her closet. She didn't think so. Yuffie stood and walked toward her closet, shoving random tops out of the way. With her job and the lack of any actual missions, there was nothing. Yuffie groaned out. She missed the days she was a model for hire… at least then she had outfits for days.

Swiping her phone open she found an outfit online and ordered the first acceptable outfit for something like the Busy Bee. Satisfied she moved to make dinner, settling on frozen pizza. She popped it into the oven as she prepared a movie.

Several minutes later, her phone rang, a video call from Vincent. She was mid bite as she swiped to accept the call, Vincent's work ceiling appearing on her screen.

"Herlo?" She frowned at his lack of appearing on screen… and the fact that he was still at work. Didn't this dude take a break? Plus it was Cloud's birthday, shouldn't he be out with his friends?

"Ms. Akagi?" Vincent sounded like he was moving around the phone, not near it at his desk. Yuffie stared at her screen, pizza sauce on her face that she quickly moved to swipe away.

"Yeah?" He appeared, over his phone, moving it to bring himself more into the frame.

"Just calling to check in." Yuffie nodded, moving her phone to sweep across her apartment, showing him she was home and not doing anything illegal.

"I'm checked in."

"Good. Good…" he trailed off and Yuffie suspected he had something more to say.

"Uh… you headed home soon?" He huffed out a laugh before he moved, exiting the office and moving through the hallway. She could hear Reno and Rude in the hallway, telling him they would see him there, they just had to check in with a few of their parolees. Vincent ignored her question, moving through the hallway and Yuffie waited, continuing to eat her pizza.

His camera turned off and Yuffie stared at his name on her screen, humming before she called out to him again.

"Ms. Akagi, I'd like to apologize for texting you late last night from my personal number. It was unprofessional. It won't happen again."

Yuffie refused to make eye contact with the camera, knowing he could see her reaction and she picked another slice off her pizza, the cheese stretching out. If he wanted to ignore it, then she could do the same.

"Texting me? Huh, I thought I was talking to someone's grandpa." She smirked and she could hear the relief in Vincent's voice when he responded.

"I'll be sure to keep grandpa from contacting you again.."

"Nah it's fine, I like older men," Yuffie's face flushed as she realized what she said, moving to turn off the camera before he could call her out on it, but she missed, the phone flipping off the table and she cursed.

"Oh my god! I'm hanging up!" She pressed the red button, the call ending as she felt her heart beating in her chest wildly. Her hands came to her face, the grease from the pizza on her cheek as she waited for the warmth to drain from her face.

Yuffie could admit that Vincent was handsome, but this was her parole officer and literally nothing but trouble could come from that, even if it was a one off thing… nothing could ever come from it. And from the way it sounded, Vincent was an all in kinda guy… so there was no chance of anything happening ever.

She slapped her face, standing and pacing around her room. Why was she going down this road? Crap. She needed more friends… It was difficult being a Wutai operative… but the last three years were getting to her. She stopped walking and breathed. It was fine. The sooner she dealt with Heidegger, the sooner she could get back to Wutai and move on from all this.

Yuffie moved to write a letter to Sonon. They needed to move faster.

Several hours later Yuffie confirmed with Vincent she was still home, not bothering to apologize or bring up her earlier slip. He affirmed her text and Yuffie released the breath she had been holding, glad he wasn't weird about it.

She laid in bed later that night, tossing and turning, trying to determine how to speed up this process of bringing Heidegger and Shinra down… was it too late to just go home?

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