Yuffie was hopping along, babbling about something. Tifa was too deep in her own thoughts to even care. As long as she saw the ninja in front of her she was good. Why did I kiss her back? I’ve never thought of kissing Aeris that way but…it was nice. The fighter felt her cheeks get hot and she tried her best to will it away. I wonder what she’s thinking right now. I’m afraid to turn back and look.
Dang…how am I going to explain to her I was just joking around? This is so bad…I thought she was in love with Cloud. Never would’ve thought she swings for the other…actually…I take that back. Tif has always been somewhat of an enigma to me. This is my fault then. No! No it isn’t. I never would’ve guessed she liked me…but Yuffie knows something. Hmm…
The flower girl quickened her pace and caught up with the teenager. She flashed a quick smile and whispered, “hey, Yuffie? You remember earlier when you said you knew Tifa and I had something going on? What would make you say that?”
The ninja giggled loudly which forced a harsh “shh” out of Aeris. Semi-quietly she whispered, “why WOULDN’T I say you two had something going on? I mean the looks y’all give each other, the subtle flirting, you’re always together.”
“Looks? Flirting? Elaborate please!”
Yuffie sighed with a smile. “When she isn’t looking, you stare at her with such warmth and kindness. What you don’t see is she returns those looks when you glance away. It’s all very cute. Not to mention I’ve caught both of ya checking the other out a time or eight.”
“Wha-what,” Aeris managed to choke out.
“Don’t you deny it! These eyes don’t miss a thing.”
The woman started playing with her honey-hued hair and frowned. She couldn’t speak on Tifa’s behalf but she always figured she herself was just jealous of Tifa’s figure. Never did she think it could’ve been desire.
Further back, Tifa was listening intently. She was thankful Yuffie’s voice carried and that she had yet to master the ancient art of whispering. By the girl’s answer, she suspected Aeris had asked her why she said they had something together. The girl was saying something else:
“As for the flirting, you two are always playing jokes on each other, teasing each other, coping feels.”
“Now just a minute there,” Aeris shrieked but soon lowered her voice once again, “I’ve never tried to cop a feel.”
“Oh puh-lease Miss Gainsborough! That time you got her a new apron and kept insisting you help her tie it! The time y’all got caught in the rain and you spent ten minutes unhooking her suspender after it got ‘caught’ on her shirt,” Yuffie said with air quotes.
“It WAS stuck!”
“You’re only trying to convince yourself. I know what I saw and I saw that twinkle in your eye.”
Tifa held in a small chuckle. If she wasn’t in this conversation it would’ve been quite hysterical. Aeris looked over her shoulder and Tifa replaced her grin with sadness and stared at the dark street. When she looked back up, the flower girl faced forward with her head hanging.
“Oh, oh! Here is that guy’s house. Come on, let’s go in.”
Tifa piped up, “Yuffie, this isn’t home. You can’t just walk through the front door uninvited.”
“Sure you can. Watch.”
With that said, the ninja turned the handle and walked inside. Almost immediately, a puff of blue smoke filled the doorway. Coughing and hacking echoed through the house as the smoke dissipated. The young girl wiped at her eyes as her skin showed off a brilliant shade of cerulean. Tifa and Aeris began laughing as Yuffie sneezed out a cloud of blue smoke.
“Oh my my my. Look at what I’ve captured,” an elderly man commented as he lifted himself out of his chair.
“We’re sorry sir. We tried to tell her to not walk on in but, as you can see, she isn’t the best listener,” Aeris explained with a sweet smile.
“Oh no, it’s quite alright. The color should fade after a couple of showers.”
The women smiled and Aeris held out her hand, “Oh, um, I’m Aeris Gainsborough.”
He took her hand and then moved over to Tifa’s, “hi, I’m Tifa Lockhart. And this here is Yuffie Kisagari.”
The blue ninja crossed her arms and scoffed. The man simply smiled, “most happy to meet all of you. I am the Sorcerer Merlin.”
Yuffie waited a moment before whispering to her friends, “must be a uni-namer like Sephiroth.”
“Sephiroth? Tall fellow? Teal eyes? Silver hair? Bit of a mama’s boy?”
All three women’s eyes went wide. “H-he’s here? You’ve seen him?”
“Sure have. Well-spoken man. Gave him new…threads…as you kids call em.”
“He didn’t try and kill ya?!”
Merlin shook his head, “nope…didn’t raise a hand towards me. Even thanked me twice for the new clothes”
Tifa grimaced and rubbed her neck. That is so weird. Why would he be here? And why the sudden change from a heartless killer to one who thanks his would-be victims? It makes no sense.
As if reading her thoughts, Aeris voiced, “it makes no sense.”
The fighter glanced up to meet her eyes. She smiled quickly and looked back to Merlin. “Did he happen to say where he was going or something?”
Wrinkles formed in the corners of the man’s eyes. “Nope, never said anything like that. Although he did mention he wanted to find a cloud.”
“Cloud?!”
“Yes yes yes a cloud. Quite a peculiar man if I do say so myself.”
Aeris grinned, “no sir. Cloud is one of our friends. He and Sephiroth are actually enemies.”
The sorcerer nodded in understanding. “Well, I hope they don’t cause too much of a ruckus. We have it hard enough with all the Heartless roaming our streets.”
Tifa questioned, “heartless?”
“Oh you haven’t been here very long have you? Well…heartless are basically horrid, icky monsters that, quite frankly, try to kill you. Compared to Leon, they aren’t very strong. However, I believe there are stronger types of Heartless in different areas. “
The girls all nodded their heads in understanding. Yuffie was wiping at her once khaki shorts and sighed loudly. “You said you gave Sephy some new clothes. How about hooking me up with some too? After all, it was you who destroyed these.”
“Perhaps you should look where you’re going young lady. You can’t just walk into any unknown area. Quite dangerous,” the old man replied.
The ninja mouthed a blah blah blah and put her hands on her hips. “You gonna help or what?”
“Yuffie, watch your manners,” Aeris gently scolded. “I’m sorry, she’s just a teenager.”
“Adamant isn’t she,” Merlin laughed, “but sure, I’m game. Let me see here…novus induviae exorior!!!”
After a quick flash and the puff of smoke cleared, Yuffie stepped forward. She wore a robe similar to the one Merlin wore, only purple and with floral designs. “YOU GAVE ME A FREAKIN MUUMUU?! I AM TOO HOT OF A BABE TO BE SEEN IN THIS!! CHANGE BACK CHANGE BACK!!”
Tifa and Aeris were both giggling hysterically at the ninja’s wardrobe malfunction. Merlin sighed and wove his wand once more while chanting a spell. A bright light and smoke clouds soon followed. Yuffie quickly ran out and checked her clothes. She wore khaki shorts with a blue belt, thigh high socks with orange sneakers, a green tankini, and orange gloves with mesh sleeves, ending at her biceps. Around her neck she wore a yellow scarf and her forehead sported a metal headband with two green tassels. The younger girl squealed with excitement, “now this is what I am talkin about. Thanks old man, you did good! That first thing was disasterriffic….”
The older girls glanced at each other and shrugged. The sorcerer shuffled up to them and asked if they, too, wanted new clothes. Aeris glimpsed at her dress and noticed the fraying edges and stains. She blushed and politely responded with a shy, “ yes, please.”
The elderly man pushed up his sleeves and waved his wand. Pink smoke dissipated around Aeris and she stepped forward. She wore a pink dress, similar to her previous one, a lavender belt tied around her waist, and brown boots. Her clunky bracelets were gone and now replaced with thin ones around her left wrist. Encircling her neck was a black leather thread tied in a bow and the once pink ribbon her hair wore was now red. She bowed and thanked Merlin with a sweet smile.
The fighter looked down at her shirt, which wasn’t so white anymore, and her tore up mini skirt. She nicely asked if she could also have new clothes. Turning his attention on Tifa, he took a moment and sized her up. After a minute of staring only at her breasts, Tifa took offense and crossed her arms and tapped her foot. He quickly cleared his throat with a muttered “sorry” and shook his head. A spell, a flash, and a smoke puff later, Tifa stepped forward. Her once risqué appearance was now chic and comparatively modest. Her skirt was traded in for black shorts with black ribbons tied around each thigh. The front of the skirt held two pockets and the back of it ended a couple inches off the floor. She wore a zipped up leather tank top over a white tank top and black leather gloves. Her sneakers were black with white edges and a black ribbon was tied around each. She pushed her hair back behind her ear and looked up. Catching Aeris’ eyes, she silently asked for approval. The older girl walked over and ran her hand through the chocolate locks. “Your hair…”
Quickly panicking, she reached behind her and couldn’t feel her fishtail. “It’s beautiful,” Aeris finished with a smile.
The look of horror on Tifa’s face quickly faded into one of relief. She exhaled loudly and turned toward Merlin. “Thank you so much, sir. For everything.”
“It’s all in a days work ladies. It was my pleasure.”
Yuffie came boucing up, playing with her new scarf. “Wow Boobs, you’re lookin good. That shirt really keeps the puppies in. Must be some strong material.”
Tifa’s face turned a deep crimson and she glared harshly at the teenager. Indifferent to the death stare, Yuffie smiled and held up a peace sign. Giggling softly, Aeris made her way over to Merlin and shook his hand. “Sir you’ve been so kind to us. Is there any way we can repay you?”
The man thought for a moment and took off his hat. “I would actually like to talk to you all about the place you are originally from. I know it’s been a long day for you so perhaps we can chat tomorrow. Would that be okay?”
The older girls nodded and Yuffie groaned loudly, “but talking is so boooring!”
“Don’t mind her. We would gladly do anything to repay your kindness. Is there a place where we can stay for the evening,” Tifa asked.
“As a matter of fact, if you go to Second District there is a hotel you all can stay at. If you continue past that to First District, there is also a little restaurant near the town entrance. It’s right near Geppetto’s house. It would be a good idea for you to get something to eat and keep your strength up. Don’t forget, there are some Heartless hanging around.”
“Whatever old man, the Heartless are nothing for the great ninja Yuffie!”
The flower girl smiled charmingly towards Merlin and shook her head. The three girls then proceeded towards the big door. “I will be here all day, come anytime you’d like to. Oh, and at the hotel, just tell them that Merlin sent you. You’ll be able to stay for free.”
With understanding nods, the girls were out the door and on their way to Second District’s hotel.