I went back through a few earlier chapters to check plot points, and oh man, in hindsight, some of the chapters seem too rambling and verbose. Sorry everyone. I'm trying to streamline it a little more, but if I go back to writing like that, waggle a finger at me, won't you? In light of it all, behold! A short (by my annoying style, anyway) chapter.

Again, thanks to the reviewers (and everybody that still comes back to read this, regardless). Oh, and Aeris Gast, thanks for the sharp eye from the last chapter. I didn't mean to have the guy be trying to unload all his unused business cards on poor Tifa. And since the characters are all splitting up and getting some distance from the incident, hopefully they won't be all sounding so cookie-cutter mopey.

She was having that dream again. Strung upside down across the face of some Wutaian god she'd never heard of, sickly sweet dregs of all the Mai Tais she'd had rising steadily in the back of her throat. And that fat, disgusting, piggish man dancing around gleefully, hips thrusting, as he crowed about which one of them he'd pick for a bride.

Was always so, so happy when the dream ended with her being dropped to her death.

Despite the fact she was running on less than empty, given that the… excitement of the last few days had resulted in her having to skip a few of the shifts where it was supposed to be her chance to get some sleep, she didn't particularly mind being jostled awake at that particular moment.

"'S goin' on?" She asked blearily, back of her wrist swiping across her eyes, still sticky with sleep, smearing the liner she still hadn't scrubbed off her left eye. Sacked out sitting upright, Barret's kid nestled in against her ribs, head against the blazer bunched across her thighs.

Rude standing over her, something in the set of his jaw putting her immediately on the defensive. If he was going to chew her out about sleeping, when she hadn't had the opportunity in nearly two days, she didn't want to hear it. Good to see they'd made it back okay from the site. Tried to stay awake until they got back, but her eyelids had been like lead weights. Losing battle to keep them open.

"Where's Reno?"

"Last I know he was bumming around in Lockhart's room." Muffled a yawn into the cuff of her blouse "This about the Wutai thing?"

"Did he say he was going anywhere?"

"No." Didn't think she liked where these questions were going.

Slow measured exhale through his nose, and he abruptly turned on his heels, making his way back toward the hallway.

"What's going on now?"

He paused at the door, glancing back over his shoulder. Oh, she definitely wasn't going to like this.

"Reno's gone. Lockhart too."

"What?!" Shifting, moving to extract herself from the chair without waking Marlene. Rude waved her off, brusquely, shaking his head.

"Their things are gone, and Lockhart's window is open. The bushes under her window are all tramped on. Looks like they just… left." Pulled his shades off, pinching at the bridge of his nose in agitation. "Tseng's been calling him, but Reno keeps letting it go to voicemail."

"You don't think they-"

"Nah. Reno picked up on the fifth call, told Tseng to calm down and immediately hung up again. So we don't really know what to go on, until he actually decides to talk to us."

Tilted her head back too far, letting it thump dully against the headrest of the chair. Did it again for good measure.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"He was complaining a lot, but it's not like him to just desert."

"He probably has some retarded 'reason' he'll eventually grace us with." Hand to her face, aping Rude's gesture. "If it's obvious they took off on their own, are we going to do anything about it?"

"It's not up to me."

"Highwind and Wallace know?"

"Not yet."

"I don't want to be the one to break the news." Remembered when Cid had been all riled up, taking swings at Reno over just about anything. If he was out there with Tifa, she'd give it two days before he ended up with his face pounded into an unrecognizable hash. The girl had patience. Had to have it in spades what with putting up with Cloud's crazy ass for so long. But he could wear down anybody.

"We'll draw straws or… something."

"Think this means we'll be getting out of here soon?"

"One can hope."

And then he was gone, stalking off down the hall, probably to deal with their latest surprise. Elena sighed heavily, glancing over toward the television. Still on. Marlene had fallen asleep on her during the movie, and the remote wasn't within her reach to shut it off, so she'd just tuned it out.

Couple of dogs making lovey-dovey eyes at each other over a plate of pasta, an outrageously overdone Upper Midgar stereotype of a chef patting them on the heads before bustling off to leave them alone for their… date.

Dogs.

On a date. Jesus, how could she have ever liked this movie as a kid? And if it was only at this point, she hadn't even been asleep for an hour.

"Ah, fuck me." She sighed in exhaustion, glancing down quickly, as if afraid Marlene had heard her swear. Patted her dismissively on the head before propping her cheek against her hand, closing her eyes. "What I wouldn't give, kid…"

"You have to eat something." Glowering down at her from her bedside, arms folded across his broad chest. As if he could intimidate her into it.

"I'm not hungry." Came out petulant and childish, clumsily rolling over on her side, turning away from him. Hollow grating as her casts rubbed together. Her legs itched beneath the plaster, and she just wanted to be left alone. Refused to talk to any of the Palace staff after being brought back home. Kept to herself. Had been only a few hours since they arrived back, but she'd refused all attempts to feed her. The sight of a third plate of food, coming back completely untouched, had apparently been enough for her father.

"Yuffie-"

"Get out of my room." Long beat as she waited expectantly for him to obey. When he didn't move, she pounded her fist on the bedside table, sending the tea set one of the servants had left there rattling. "Now!"

"Yuffie." Repeated sternly, unswayed by her show of temper. "This won't help your condition. I understand you're upset-"

Sharp, shrill bark of laughter, like that was the most offensive thing she'd ever heard. Sat up, finally looking him in the eye, lip curling back.

"Upset? You put the only people I care about into jeopardy. You didn't care that I was with them before, because they had good materia. My stash is in my bag, so get out."

He sighed, rumble from deep within his chest, and sat on the edge of her bed, hand hovering over her shoulder, like he knew she would jerk away the second he touched her.

"Listen to me. Those people, despite what you think, they are not good. What I heard of them on the news, the trouble they brought to our country… They are dangerous. I could empathize with their desire to rid the world of the Shinra, but two of them were to be executed. For bringing that Meteor upon us. Such dark power to wield. And you were on television, helping them to escape."

She thought her disguise had been foolproof. Who would have recognized her under the hat and shades? Of course, Shinra didn't know her like her old man did.

"That's a lie!"

"They replayed it on a recent news broadcast about those… about AVALANCHE. Don't think me so old and daft I would fail to recognize you."

She sat up, pushing his hand aside, and leaned forward, sneering.

"You're taking Shinra's side, huh? They didn't summon anything. It was Sephir…" Swallowed back, even the idea of his name a bad taste on her tongue "This guy, Shinra experiment that got out of hand, okay? He summoned the Meteor. We were trying to stop him. Rufus had to throw the blame on somebody, and since Tifa and Barret were sticking in his craw, he tried to take it out on them. I was helping my friends."

"I know you aren't as worldly as you'd like to think. But to buy into such egregious lies? Call them your friends?"

"I was there for everything! I know what happened! I know what happened and you don't so just shut up!" Hands fisting in the sheets, thinking of every pseudo-zen thing Nanaki had ever said to hold herself back from taking a swing at him. "We kept coming up on top, and that was the only way they figured they could get us to stop being a nuisance. You were talking with Reeve about helping with the relief effort. He was one of us too. What the Hell changed? You've got power again, isn't that what you wanted?"

"It wasn't so long ago that was what you wanted as well." He replied distantly, bony, knotted fingers combing absently through his beard. "We were contacted here, and the things they said your friends were involved in… they said they would have you killed." Didn't like his stress on the word 'friends'. While she was trying emphasize that that's what they were, he ground it out like it was sacrilegious to use the term.

She blinked expectantly, leaning in closer to him.

"And you just raced over, bringing reporters with you to try and act like I had nothing to do with them? You figured it would be best to throw them under the wheels?"

He paused, looking down at her, stony faced, but his eyes were troubled.

"I did no such thing. The Press was already there when we arrived. And their questions, it appeared they were told the same thing as I."

"What?" Faltering, rage seeping away to confusion. "You didn't contact the reporters?" But it had to have been her father, all of them blustering in after his entourage, snapping pictures, pressing with demanding questions.

"No. They seemed to be waiting. For us. They followed us in. I only wanted to take you away from there. Wash our hands of such madness."

"Wait." Hand up to stall him, other rubbing at her brow, along the scar from where a piece of debris had ripped the skin when Mideel had started collapsing into the Lifestream. "Who contacted you?" Stomach dropping. If she had anything in it, she probably would have been sick.

"I do not know. Aino spoke with them, brought the information to me."

No. Oh no.

Bolt of anger socked her directly in the gut, boiling up boiling over. No other outlet, she snapped her arm out, swiping at the tea set, flinging it through the air, the fine china pieces shattering; shards tinkling like wind chimes as they hit the carpet. Godo stared after them, face unreadable. Looked as if he wanted to reprimand her. They were antique, something from her Great-Grandfather's coronation.

Bunched her fingers in the fabric of the sheets. Had to. If she didn't, she'd probably try to hit him. Leveled her gaze on him, swallowing thickly.

"And you didn't stop to think it was some kinda set-up? If it… if that's true, you walked right into it. And if anything happens to them, it's going to be on your head."

Her father looked chagrined, whether at the thought of having been duped, or the bold accusation leveled against him she couldn't be sure. Knowing him, it was probably the former. He abruptly stood, turning away from her, heading toward the door. But he turned back, apparently needing to have the last word against her.

"I will have Aino look into who contacted us. I may have been hasty in my judgment, however… I only wanted to protect you. You must understand that." Paused, then, almost as an afterthought, like some belated, half-hearted effort to make peace with her "And I will continue to aid in Mr. Tuesti's reconstruction effort."

"And what about my friends? Are you going to help them too?"

But Godo simply walked out of her chambers, leaving her alone in the dimly lit room. She wanted to go after him. Wanted to demand he answer her question. Maybe that's why he'd left so quickly; a retreat rather than a surrender. Figured she couldn't follow him. Forget that, she'd crawl after him if she had to. Let him drag her along like a ball and chain, clinging to the hem of his robes. Crawl all the way back to Kalm if she had to.

"As soon as these goddamn casts are off, I'm leaving, and I'm never coming back!" She shrieked impotently after him, before flopping back on the mattress, cheeks puffing as she exhaled.

Didn't like what she'd heard, what turn the conversation had taken. Something wasn't right. Somebody contacting him, contacting the media just… stank. He probably didn't think anything of it, but…

She was startled out of her thoughts when one of the servants entered, bowing silently to her before kneeling on the carpet, picking up the fragments of the lacquer ware, settling them into the tray she had flung across the room. Having scooped up the pieces and the snowy dune of sugar dashed across the rug, she spent longer than necessary mopping up the spilled tea, acutely aware of Yuffie's burning gaze on her back. When she finally finished, she set her rag on top of the shards and made her way over to her bedside, setting the tray down and perching in the space Godo had recently vacated.

"Princess, may I bring you anything?"

Up close, she could see it was Satso. She'd worked in the palace for longer than Yuffie had been alive. Had been her wet-nurse, which, she had always thought was kind of gross to consider, but still. Doted on her, in a way that could have been considered almost motherly, if it weren't for the master-servant skew of their relationship, or the fact it was her job to watch over her.

"No thanks." Hand on her forehead, brushing at her bangs affectionately.

"He wants to see that you're taken care of. Certainly you can forgive him for that." She tried after a moment, hesitantly, since she knew it wasn't her place to speak such things. Frowned lightly, fingers stilling.

"He's never gonna admit he's wrong."

"Perhaps not." Back of her hand pressed to Yuffie's forehead, her cheeks. "You feel warm. You'll make yourself sick, worrying over this." Inelegant snort from the Princess, distasteful. What did they expect?

"You know where my dad put my things? I want something out of my bag."

"It is in his chambers."

Great. Probably couldn't pull one over on him on her best days. No way she'd be able to get around like this.

"Do you think you could try to get my PHS for me?" It was probably a risky thing to ask. Godo didn't want her to contact them. If she did get her PHS back, and he found out, well…

"That is…?" She trailed off questioningly, the term foreign to her.

"My phone." Didn't even know why they had called it that, what the abbreviation was for. "It's in the left-side pocket." Even though she was just a servant, she still had some training. Had to be able to protect herself, protect the Princess if anything happened while she was in her care. Would probably be able to snag the phone no problem.

Satso just nodded once, agreeably, smoothing out the front of her uniform as she stood. Couldn't think of even one time the woman had said no to her.

"Certainly. I will see to it."

"Look, if you can't do it, that's okay. Don't get in any trouble just 'cause of me."

Another affectionate pat to her forehead, and, had it been anyone else, she would have complained about being treated like some kind of dog.

"I need to change his linens and bring him his laundry tomorrow. I will search for it then." Then, almost as an afterthought, leveling a reprimanding finger at her "However, only if you eat something. If I find out you still haven't eaten anything by tomorrow, then the arrangement is off."

"Okay, fine whatever." Didn't miss the triumphant air of the smile Satso favored her with as she picked up the tray and bustled out of the room. Didn't doubt that she'd be calling them in Kalm as soon as the morning rounds were finished. Had to pass on what she'd heard to Reeve, even if it was nothing. Had to apologize for all the trouble.

Had to figure out what she was going to eat.