Broken Promises

Soft fringes batted in battle with the bright sunlight that invaded the guest room of the small Rocket Town house. After losing said battle, sleepy eyes hesitantly opened to meet the old popcorn ceiling. ‘Wait… what happened?’ Confusion settled over the young girl as she surveyed the surroundings. The last thing she recalled was dinner with Cid and falling asleep on his old love seat. Now she found herself within the warmth and comfort of a bed. A smile quickly graced lackluster lips as Yuffie realized that Cid must have taken the care to carry her in from the couch and tuck her in. ‘I guess I better thank him later.’ She mused.

Yuffie forced herself from the warmth of the bed, though quite reluctantly. She felt a shiver travel through her body, gooseflesh rising over delicate limbs as she was met by chilly air beyond the sheets and blankets. Cotton shuffled along against the carpet as she wandered into the guest bathroom. She nearly burst into laughter upon catching sight of the black smudges beneath her eyes, and she recalled the reason she never really troubled herself with makeup. Fingers reached the chrome that controlled the sink and she turned the knob, awaiting the water that poured from the nozzle.

Once she’d cleaned the makeup off, she rinsed her face one last time before turning off the sink and wiping dry with a towel. Completion of this task sent her back out into the room and she looked around for her backpack, which she seemingly had forgotten to bring in during the distraction of Cid’s arrival. She cursed herself for being so forgetful and went about pulling her boots on either foot. Finally she was set to leave the room, and one glance at the clock on the nightstand had her muttering that it was about time.

Down the halls and out into the kitchen she went, her vision settling upon the left over breakfast plate Cid must have prepared. It wasn’t much; some scrambled eggs with a little toast and country potatoes, but it still shocked her. ‘He can cook? Who would have guessed?’ A quick set of giggles escaped before she came to the conclusion that Cid must be elsewhere.

“Old man?” She called out, to see if he might answer. She was disappointed when nothing came about, but she shrugged off the idea of a missing Cid when she realized there was only one place he’d be aside from his couch. ‘Must be out with his ship…’ She knew he would be. From the sounds that came about when he arrived, she was sure he had a lot of work to do.

She swiped a piece of toast from the plate, nibbling on it whilst she opened the front door. The backpack was thankfully still in place and she grabbed it from the door steps and returned to her room. The item was tossed back onto the bed and the piece of toast was finished, she wasn’t all that hungry since she’d stuffed herself the previous night. Just as she had begun to turn from the open door, she heard the side door swing open with a loud barrage of curse words.

The pilot emerged from the yard, slamming the door behind him. Slate studied the grease covered man as he turned back toward the hall, and she couldn’t help but giggle at the expression he wore. He stopped mid hall upon noticing her, her fingers wrapped around the door frame and her hip leaning lightly against the wall.

“You finally decided to get up, eh?” He teased.

“Hey! I was up really early yesterday…” She retorted, sending a quick glare toward him.

“And you needed your beauty rest, right?” He was still teasing, knowing full well she’d get annoyed with the commentary.

“Apparently, you didn’t get enough.” Quick wit shot back, insinuating he needed a little more rest if he was to appear decent in the least. He chuckled at her comment and dismissed it all the same. He wasn’t very worried about appearances at the moment, there were much larger issues to be dealt with.

“Shit… oh well.” He muttered, snaking his way through the hallway and out into the kitchen. He had grabbed the pitcher from the refrigerator and was in the midst of pouring himself a glass of water when she emerged from the halls.

“What’s the matter, too early for booze?” Her tone was semi-serious, but her eyes were teasing.

“Shut up.” Was all he could muster before he finished pouring and gulped down most of the glass, apparently dehydrated from the morning’s work.

“So… what’s wrong with your ship?” She inquired, on a more serious note. Cid set the pitcher back into the refrigerator and finished the rest of the water, setting the glass in the sink.

“Fuck if I know. It started that shit yesterday on the way here and all I can find is a few broken parts. I’ll replace those and see if that helps, hopefully it does.” He answered, watching as she stole the last piece of toast from the plate and took a bite.

“Oh.” She said with a mouthful of bread. She finished chewing and quickly swallowed. “So, you’re going into town again?” Another bite of toast followed her question.

“I guess. You wanna come?” He watched as half the toast disappeared, but upon his inquiry Yuffie shook her head as if to say yes. She turned from him at that point and disappeared into the halls again. “Hurry the hell up then.” He finished up, hoping she wasn’t in need of an hour to prepare herself to leave.

Yuffie returned momentarily with no visible changes, causing Cid to wonder what she’d done. The slice of toast had been devoured fully by this time, and Yuffie slipped across the living room to the front door. The knob was turned by encircled fingers, and the door was pushed ajar when she noticed the lack of Cid. Grey eyes trailed over to the kitchen where the pilot stood, “You comin’ old man?”

He nodded, watching her suspiciously. “What’d you do?” He asked, finally unable to hide his curiosity.

“Nothing.” Yuffie replied.

“Nothing?” Cid questioned her further.

“Do I need to spell it out?” She quipped.

Cid shook his head when a thought dawned on him. “Why the hell do you call me old man? It ain’t like I’m that old.”

Yuffie was surprised by his questioning. He of all people should understand the interest of calling someone by a pet name. She hadn’t an answer to such a question, either. He really was not that old. Early thirties hardly makes one elderly, but then an equally interesting matter entertained her.

“I dunno, why do you call me brat? I’m not that young anymore.” She turned the investigation on him.

“Whatever.” He grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the counter and shoved it into his pocket, following her path to the door.

“Whatever.” Yuffie mimicked, before escaping out into the front yard.

Cid shrugged off the odd conversation and followed Yuffie outside. Calloused fingers sought out the cigarette tucked behind his ear, bringing the thin stick of tobacco to hang from his lips as he pulled the lighter from his pocket. He stopped momentarily a ways behind the young girl, shielding his face with one hand as the other manipulated the lighter. He managed to light the cigarette even in the breeze and took a long drag before tucking away the lighter and continuing toward Yuffie.

Smoke bellowed away from his mouth as he caught up to her. He glanced over at her with a quizzical expression, “Why the hell are you walkin’ so fast?”

“Why do you smoke so much?” She brought grey to meet with cobalt, staring him in the eye.

“Do you have to answer every question with another fuckin’ question?” He took an exaggerated drag from the cigarette as she watched in horror. Chapped lips parted after allowing the tar to sink into his lungs, and he was sure to blow a great deal of the smoke right into her face. Yuffie’s slender arms raised and flailed furiously at the air in front of her face, managing to walk a straight line while she cleared the smoke from her personal space. Rather dramatic coughs escaped the girl as she pushed her eyes closed tightly.

“Drama queen.” He insisted.

Upon recognition of his insult, she decided to do a bit of teasing. She stopped dead in her tracks and waited until Cid turned around, seeking to make eye contact. He looked as though he were about to ask why she ceased the journey, when she exchanged her previous expression for one that rivaled the most talented seductresses. She made a point of exaggerating the slow dance of pearled white against her plush bottom lip, and before he could say anything, she allowed a husky tone to slip.

“You know what it means when you blow smoke into a girl’s face, don’t you?” She twisted a short strand of silk around her index finger, batting flirtatious lashes. Cid finally noticed what he was too oblivious to see when she returned from her room, mascara and lip gloss had been expertly applied and a sweet aroma pierced him when the breeze came up. Did she plan to seduce him?

Cid looked a little too baffled to even answer her, distracted by the sudden appearance of Yuffie’s vixen alter. All that came from him was a muttering that sounded like ‘no.’ Yuffie brought herself shoulder to shoulder with the pilot with a few agonizing steps, paying close attention to swaying her hips. Though he towered above her quite a few inches, she raised herself to speak into his ear,

“It means you want to fuck them.” She whispered. Cid almost found himself wanting to do so right then and there, but he fought back the animalistic urge as he knew it wouldn’t be the best idea given his situation. Before he could manage any sort of counter, the revenge came. “EW YOU OLD PERVERT!” Was exclaimed loudly into his ear and she darted out away from him.

Cid snapped to at the shouting and rubbed his hand against his ear in protest to the ringing that ensued. He spun quickly upon his heals and caught sight of Yuffie crippled over in a fit of giggles. His mind was attempting to process her little game of revenge, and nothing he found seemed to rival what she had just done. He had long ago dropped the cigarette to the ground, so he simply stomped it out and quickly lit another one, muttering inaudible curses and the occasional spout of her name.

Yuffie pulled herself together and through the last few giggles, questioned the pilot. “Speechless, huh?”

“Fuck off.” He grumbled, striding past her and down the street toward his destination. Yuffie figured she might have crossed some sort of boundary and her expression changed from that of humor to a little bit of a pout. ‘Oops… I really pissed him off.’ She gathered. She bounced toward him, matching his stride as she came to his side. The two walked silently for a few moments, but Cid thought better of getting accustomed to that.

“Why are you so grumpy, old man?” Yuffie’s voice came up beside him and he scoffed at her question.

“I just wanna get those parts.” He tried for a calm tone, but failed.

“Right. You’re such a grump!” Yuffie exclaimed. “Is it because of Shera?” Yuffie gasped inwardly, scolding herself for so freely letting that out. She didn’t want to press him about the matter, and she especially didn’t want him to realize she’d read the note.

“Shera? What the fuck, Yuffie?” His expression was growing fouler by the second as he kept his gaze on anything but her, the cigarette torturously inhaled.

“I mean, is it because you miss her?” She quickly chimed in the question to seem less pointed.

“Forget about it, kid. It’s fuckin’ done with.” Cid waved his hand dismissively and was continuing on his path happily before he realized the words that left his mouth seconds ago.

“What do you mean, Cid?” Yuffie stopped a moment, peering at Cid in hopes that he might confess the truth of the matter to her. She rarely called him by his name, but she was trying to be mature about the matter.

“I mean the conversation, it’s done with.” He quickly covered the true meaning of his statement and stopped outside a door, flicking down the cigarette before grabbing the door handle. The door swung and he quickly went in, leaving Yuffie outside on the sidewalk.

“Shit… old man, you’re going to drown in this crap.” She mumbled, feeling sorry for him while she stood alone. Finally she worked up the nerve to slip through the door before it fully closed. Slate tinged eyes roamed the walls of hardware accessories and various automotive and airship items. She was in awe at the amount of things they had fit into the small shop.

“Hey, Captain.” The store clerk greeted Cid respectfully. The citizens of the town had a certain admiration for the pilot and tended to address him with respect and the like. Cid nodded and proceeded to explain to the young man which parts he’d need. Yuffie listened in as the discussed the fact that he only had a couple in stock, but two particular parts were out of stock and on back order. She heard Cid curse and agree to buy the parts in stock, the exchange only lasting a couple of minutes.

Cid grabbed the bag of small parts and met Yuffie by the door. He shook his head and slipped past the doors, out into the town. She quickly followed him out and watched as he tied a knot with the handles of the plastic bag.

“We need to go to some other stores.” Cid stated.

“That’s fine. I kind of assumed we would.”

The walk to the next store was short and passed silently, as Yuffie found herself at a loss for words. It was likely one of the few occasions that had actually happened to her, and it made her uncomfortable. At some point along the way, Cid had polished off yet another cigarette, which undoubtedly annoyed Yuffie. She chose not to mention her annoyance, not wanting to push him further than she had. With the delay on the parts, he was likely to lash out. The understanding hit her hard, realizing that it was a big step for her to put his feelings before hers. She rewarded herself in her mind, feeling slightly more mature at the moment.

They reached the store and Cid glanced down at Yuffie who was apparently lost in thought. “What the hell are you thinkin’ about?” He asked.

“Nothing.” She answered, plainly.

“You keep sayin’ that shit.” Cid grumbled, “I’ll only be a minute.” With that, he entered the store. Yuffie remained outside the doors, considering her options.

‘Why am I so worried about him? This is so strange. I guess that’s what friends do. In a way, I hope someone would do the same for me. How am I ever going to get the story out of him, though? He’s so guarded… I don’t even know where to begin.’

Her thoughts were interrupted moments later when Cid emerged from the store with one box. He was steaming at the ears and Yuffie could see it plainly. Slender fingers gingerly covered her mouth as her breath hitched in her throat, she flinched as he let out the longest string of curse words she’d ever heard. Apparently the townspeople were used to this, none of them seemed to care as they continued down the sidewalk past them.

“What’s wrong?” Yuffie inquired, breaking his rant.

“They had one of the fuckin’ parts, but the other is out of stock and she doesn’t think it’ll be back in stock for a while. I need a fuckin’ minute.” Cid muttered, finding his way to a bench with his things. He sat and lit another cigarette, in attempt to cool down. He was livid when it came to this sort of thing, he hated his airship sitting in the yard, broken and useless. It was similar to how one would feel about their loved one in a hospital, he assumed.

Yuffie watched as he puffed smoke into the atmosphere. The wheels of her mind began to turn and a smirk played upon pale lips. Without a word, she snuck into the store. She saw the sales lady huddled over the front counter with her hand pressed against her forehead. The woman seemed a bit upset over not being able to provide her ‘Captain’ with his desired part.

“Miss?” Yuffie called out, and the woman jumped, startled by the sudden voice. Yuffie had managed to enter unnoticed by the woman and for this she commended herself silently.

“Can I help you?” The woman asked.

“Yes, you can. I need you to write down the information about that part.” Yuffie made her request and the woman went about rummaging for a piece of paper. Once the paper was laid upon the counter, she grabbed a pen and quickly jotted down the references and the part number from the catalog. The lady behind the counter held the piece of paper out to Yuffie, who hurriedly stuffed it into her pocket.

“Thanks!” She chimed, before quickly making her silent exit. She was back in place just in time. Cid stomped out the cigarette on the ground and gathered the parts he collected. He rose from the bench and glanced at Yuffie, none the wiser about her escapade. Yuffie grinned as she realized his ignorance. “Ready?” She questioned.

“Yeah, let’s go.” He nodded, turning toward the direction of his house.

---

It was getting on into the late afternoon when they finally made it back to his residence. Their walk consisted of little conversation, but they had managed to get back on better ground. Yuffie had disappeared into her room, leaving Cid in the living room.

She carefully closed the door to the guestroom, and found the bag she’d left on the bed. She rummaged through the contents before coming to her cell phone, which she opened and searched through contacts. The bar highlighted a name that brought a smile to her face and she pressed send, bringing the object to her ear and listening to the rings.

“Hello?” The familiar voice came.

“Hey it’s me.” She answered, speaking quietly.

“Hi, Yuff. What’s up?”

“I need a big favor. There’s an airship part I need to get a hold of, and I know you’re into all of that. Is there a way I can get you to send it to a friend of mine?”

“Sure… I’ve gotten around to selling all that stuff, you know. What’s the part?”

“I have the number. It’s 820193-XAV in this year’s catalog.”

“Oh… that’s a rare one. It’ll cost ya.”

“Whatever, just bill my dad. I’m sure he’ll never notice. Over-night it, too.”

A laugh came from the other end and he agreed to do so. He wrote down the address to Cid’s house in Rocket Town as she gave it to him, and she thanked him before ending their conversation. Satisfied with her results, she straightened herself out and headed back into the living room. Upon her entrance, Cid looked as though he would question her, but she escaped the interrogation.

“Hungry?” She asked.

“Yeah, you?” He replied.

“Yep.” She answered. Without another word, she made her way to the kitchen, searching out various items as though the kitchen belonged to her. Curious blue eyes sought after her, watching while she gathered the items.

“You can cook?” He questioned her.

“Sometimes.” She answered, feeling self-conscious about attempting a meal. She knew Cid liked pasta from their experiences, and from the abundance of the ingredients that could be found throughout the kitchen. She found a pan and filled it half full with water, setting it on the stove to boil.

Various ingredient mixing and cooking ensued, stirring this and cutting that. She sure wasn’t Tifa, but she managed a decent meal once or twice. Half an hour later, the result sat in a plastic bowl, steaming. A mixture of pasta and marinara sauce with bits of chicken and fresh vegetables. Next to the pan, sat another bowl filled with shards of lettuce that were covered in the only type of dressing she could find in the fridge, little croutons resting here and there.

“Okay… I hope it’s decent.” She announced. By the way Cid seemed to be drooling at the scent, she assumed he was happy with her choice in meals. He had joined her in the kitchen, serving himself a plate as she followed suit. They found themselves at the table just as they did the night before, though this time less playful.

“So, what are you gonna do about that part?” Yuffie asked, breaking the silence. A coy smile graced her lips as she tried to hide her excitement over tracking it down.

“The guy at the first store has one coming in, in a couple weeks. He said he’d call, so I’m shit out of luck ‘til then.” He griped, before taking a few more bites of his pasta.

“Oh. Hopefully it’ll be soon, then.” She mentioned casually, still keeping up the mystery.

“Yuff?”

“Yeah?” She perked up at his tone, hoping perhaps he’d carry the conversation where she’d been dying to go since she read the letter.

“This is really good.” He forked the dinner as if to show he was referring to it, and she hid her disappointment with a smile.

“Thanks, old man.” She smirked in revenge when the nickname left her lips, knowing he’d get to feeling how he did about the name.

“Fuckin’ brat.” He countered.

The evening carried on as the night before, though this time Yuffie actually slipped off to bed before passing out on the couch. As she disrobed, her mind calculated the events of the day. Cid didn’t seem any closer to divulging the information she so desperately wanted, even with all of her nice little gestures.

Silk pajama pants slipped over slender limbs and the white threading came to be tied at the waist. A white tank clung against girlish curves as Yuffie readied herself for bed and eventually slipped in between the sheets. She continued thinking of Cid and what to do with his situation, but she knew that the right push he would need would come in the arrival of the part she got him. This thought comforted her until she fell asleep, listening to the noise of the television still on in the living room.

Cid switched off the television some time after Yuffie left, and finally headed off to his room. He discarded his clothing and climbed in with protested squeaks from the springs of the mattress. He huffed and pulled the covers up over his himself, rolling onto his side. He was plagued by thoughts of Shera for a few moments in his empty bed, before his mind drifted the game Yuffie had played earlier. It was true that she looked tempting when she put on that seductive demeanor, but Cid found himself denying such thoughts. He found it strange that she had distracted him from his hidden heartache for a time being. It was a short period, but well needed.

‘Maybe I should just tell her the fuckin’ truth. Who knows what she’ll think of it.’ He entertained the idea for a moment, shrugging it off when he thought better of it. He had too much pride to start opening his heart and dumping his problems on his friends. He sighed and went about the thoughts and ideas long into the night. Once again, sleep did not come until sometime in the early morning.

------------------------------------------------------

Notes: So, what do you all think? I would love some feedback. I will do my best to have chapter three up soon.