Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or Kingdom Hearts. I think
everyone on the site is smart enough to not need one of these damn things,
but you never know.
Note: This is my first KH fic. From the behaviors I've seen on KH and what I've read from other stories is what I'm basing the characters around. I just started being a gamer and I have never played Final Fantasy, where almost all of the stories characters come from, if not all. I really hope you enjoy the story. If you're reading this, which you obviously are, please review. Yes, you!
*points at you*
If you don't, I'll be forced to chase after you with a fork or something painful.
*holds up an array of weapons threateningly*
Ha ha ha, nah, I like all of ya to much to hurt you.
...Also, we're going to open the clouds and pretend Traverse Town actually gets sunlight. Nighttime every day is just too depressing to me.
_____________________________________________________________
Yuffie opened the door of the hotel and stepped outside, the slight breeze blowing her short, black hair away from her face. She walked slowly to the edge of the top of Second District and looked down below at the fountain.
It was two months after the Heartless, and life still wasn't close to normal. People were slowly starting to fill up more of the dark, lifeless crevices of Traverse Town, but things between her friends still weren't the same.
Sure, they were still her old friends, but in a way, they changed. Aerith had changed, Cid had changed, Leon had changed, Sora had changed, and Cloud had changed. Heck, she had as well. She was no longer the immature brat some people had dubbed her as, now she was...just different.
She couldn't decide if she liked the change or not. Life would never be the same again, and she was finding it hard to accept that. It almost felt dream-like. She sat on the ledge and let her legs hang over the edge.
"Hey," said a familiar voice to her back. She jumped and nearly fell off the ledge. She turned around, eyes wide. Aerith had crept up on her, again.
"Aerith," she groaned in a friendly way. "You could have killed me."
Aerith looked concerned. "I'm sorry..."
Yuffie rolled her eyes.
"What were you thinking about?" Aerith sat next to her, her pink gown fluttering slightly. She glanced at Yuffie and looked at the fountain, where Yuffie had focused her eyes.
"Nothing," she answered.
"Come on, Yuffie. Something has been on your mind, hasn't it?"
"Sort of. I just...I can't believe things turned out the way they did."
Aerith nodded knowingly, and smiled reassuringly at Yuffie. "I know what you mean. But life happens, you have to accept what comes your way. You grow and change with every experience you have. It's a good thing, really...we're all different, now, but you're still you, as I'm still me, right?"
She sighed. "Yeah."
Aerith touched her shoulder softly and got up.
Yuffie turned and looked at her. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to go and dig up some of my old books, I think. Read a bit. You should too, it'll take you're mind of things."
"Mm hm."
Aerith left, leaving her lingering fragrance with her. Yuffie watched her leave, and turned around. She wasn't going to follow Aerith's advice, as she had led her to believe. She stared down at the ground below and jumped down, rather clumsily. She hadn't tried the stunt in awhile, having no use to need to jump to get away from the Heartless in a month or so.
She started to fall, flailing her arms, and landed on the ground on her side. She closed her eyes painfully as she heard a crack in her side and a strange, tingly, almost numbing non-existent feeling. She knew she broke something, but she couldn't feel the pain.
She opened her eyes half-way, her vision blurred and moving around. She was aware of a slippery, wet feeling on her head. She heard a loud metal sound, a clank, and footsteps running her way.
"Yuffie?" came an uncharacteristically worried voice. She didn't answer. Someone shook her shoulder roughly. She couldn't muster the strength to say a word. Everything was far away, so far away...
~~~
Leon leaned over Yuffie, who was sprawled on the concrete ground of Second District on her side, blood pouring from her head and injuries who-knows- where-else.
He shook his head, wondering what stupid stunt she had pulled. He wasn't surprised, but he was surprised by his tone of voice, that had meant to come out emotionless. To make up for it, instead of picking her up and taking her to the hotel where Aerith could fix her up and see how bad the damage was, he left her there on the ground in a small pool of blood around her head, uncalculating of the damage that had befallen her.
At a faster pace than a walk, her clomped up the stairs and went into the hotel and knocked on Aerith's and Cloud's room. Now that Cloud had arrived, Yuffie was forced to sleep in his room, seeing as all of the other rooms were taken by other customers.
Aerith opened the door, her eyes glued to a book, thinking no one other than Yuffie would be at her door. She looked up at Leon, and surprise registered on her face.
Leon screwed up his face, knowing what Aerith might do once he told her about Yuffie. "Yuffie did something, and now she's bleeding from her head-"
He couldn't finish his sentence, because Aerith had already dropped her book and pushed past him in a hurry, almost knocking him over. He rubbed his neck and followed her out of politeness.
By the time he got down to Yuffie and Aerith, Aerith had been there for a minute or so and was shaking her head, and looking extremely concerned. If possible, more concerned than usual.
He stood above them. Aerith was down on both knees, holding up Yuffie's bleeding head and murmuring, her eyes flashing with more emotions than he could read successfully.
"Pick her up and carry her to the hotel room. You are such an idiot!" she said, her voice strained.
He was taken aback by her demand and unusual lash of anger. He shrugged and picked her up like a rag doll and threw her over his shoulder, partly disgusted that Yuffie's face was so near his backside. He really couldn't stand her, he really couldn't, and he was only doing this for Aerith and for the remaining human nature he had left.
After the Heartless, everyone had grown considerably closer, all except for Yuffie and him. She rubbed off on him in the wrong way, being more cheerful, peppy, and excitable than he would ever be or want to be. Just the opposite of him.
They had a more tolerant relationship, to say in the least. They got into fights quite often, yelling to each other obscenities and insults. It was a much better way to let out frustrations with each other than in other ways. That was the one thing they agreed on.
Aerith glared daggers at him and told him to handle her more nicely. He sighed heavily and ignored her request, but walked a little more slowly so her head would stop bumping him.
Aerith opened the door of their hotel room and he practically threw her on the bed, and stood next to the two, wondering what to do next.
"What are you standing there for? Get out!" she yelled, looking partly sorry for her outburst after she had said it, but kept her finger pointing to the door. Grumbling, he swung the door open and walked outside.
~~~
Yuffie moaned and opened her eyes, her once-numb side aching with pain, and almost looked like a swollen, large banana in her side. She could feel bandages there, as well as something on her head.
She looked around the room. The windows were covered with the blinds, and nothing could be seen of the outside world.
Something stirred over in the corner of the room. Yuffie blinked a few times and tried to see, but her eyes remained unfocused.
She saw a flash of a pink something, and knew it was Aerith.
"Oh my gosh, thank God you're up!" Aerith dabbed at her head with a cool cloth. Tears were gathering and falling from Aerith's eyes, and sobs were shaking her chest. Yuffie wondered what was making her cry.
"What happened?" Yuffie tried to say, but it came out in a few words that Aerith couldn't understand. With her large green eyes, she cast worried glances at her.
Cloud walked into the room, and saw that Yuffie was awake. He looked extremely relieved. Aerith rushed over to him and took his arm to the other corner of the room, looking exhausted.
Yuffie strained her ears and heard bits and pieces of their conversations, both sounding relieved.
"-thought she wouldn't wake up-"
"-might have been in a coma for a long time-"
"-fatal damage-"
"-stupid idiot-"
"-oh Aerith, don't-"
"-hush, she'll hear us-"
"-don't be silly, she can't focus her eyes-"
"can't really talk-"
After a few minutes of rushed words, they came back to Yuffie. She tried to say something, and she opened her mouth. Her whole body was moving in slow, painful motion compared to theirs, and she could hardly function.
Yuffie felt like screaming. She could barely move from pain and numbness. Her body might not be working, but her insides were moving quickly, and it was driving her insane. She was in a human body cage.
Aerith rubbed her temples and Cloud touched her shoulders concerned. Even if Yuffie couldn't focus well, her ears were fine.
"You're over working yourself, let me take over and watch her," said Cloud, looking at her large, blue-purple bags under her eyes, and her hands that looked shaky from lack of sleep and food.
"No, no, this is my duty, let me sit back down in the chair, right over there..." she said, her voice hoarse, trying to push Cloud off of her arms weakly. It looked more like a pat than anything else.
Alarmed, Cloud gripped Aerith's arms, afraid she would fall over. Despite Yuffie's internal protests, her body fell asleep.
~~~
Leon angrily sat in the Accessory shop on one of the couches, trying to ignore a particularly annoying Moogle that kept bumping into his legs. Cid was behind the counter, chewing on a toothpick.
"Any news on Yuffie?" he asked around the toothpick.
"Nah, the only person Aerith lets in the room is Cloud, and that's hardly ever. She's been in there for three days without more than ten minutes of sleep, and Cloud forced her out of the room so he could take over. She's a nervous wreck."
"I'm not surprised," said Cid, fiddling with something. "Aerith takes on too much responsibility for her friends. I guess she's worried. Hell, no one thought Yuffie would wake up."
Leon threw up his arms. "It wasn't that far of a fall! I don't know what she was thinking. Besides, we've been over this before," he grumbled.
Cid didn't answer him. He continued to fiddle with something behind the counter. The Moogle ran into his legs again. Exasperated, Leon picked up the Moogle by the neck and hurled it into the wall.
Alarmed, the Moogle squeaked and ran into the door, twirled around and ran out into First District. Leon watched it fall down the stairs and come to a rolling halt at the bottom.
"Hey, don't be killin' off the Moogles," Cid said, but didn't put any force into his words. Fed up, Leon headed out of the shop and out into the First District café, sitting down into one of the chairs.
Maybe Yuffie wouldn't have been in a coma for a week if you would have ran to get Aerith, whispered a guilty part of his mind. Maybe if you would have picked her up gently she would have been annoying you now with a non- important event.
"Shut up!" he yelled. People turned around in their chairs to look at him. Bella, the new owner of the café, glanced at him in a concerned way. Embarrassed and angry with himself, he got out of his chair quickly, knocking it over as he walked away from the café and toward the alley in Second District.
~~~
Yuffie opened her eyes and felt pain swelling to her attention. She gasped in surprise at its depth and her eyes widened. Cloud fell over himself to get to her, looking worried.
"What?" he almost yelled, glancing at her.
Yuffie choked on her words.
Cloud, who hadn't relaxed, squinted his eyes.
"I said," she croaked, "It hurts."
"I would get Aerith, but..." He trailed off. Yuffie now just noticed that Cloud looked much like Aerith had, with blue bags under his eyes.
He rubbed a hand over his face, then looked at the ceiling. He found a buzzer in the hotel room and asked the hotel manager to call in a Moogle to find Leon.
The manager obliged and moments later, an annoyed looking Leon entered the room.
"What Clou-" he stopped short when he saw Yuffie. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her arms hung limp at her sides. A bandage was wrapped around her head, and a large swell was coming from her side where she had landed. Aerith's Curaga must not have been able to do much. He knew she had been in a coma, but he always thought people in comas looked like they were sleeping...
Cloud sank into a chair and looked at Leon.
"You have to take over, at least for a day or two. This is killing Aerith and me. I haven't slept in...in...God damnit I can't even remember!"
Leon's face looked like a stone.
"Please?" Cloud asked in an almost begging tone.
"What do I have to do?"
"I know you won't like everything you have to do...but you have to give her a few pills, to keep her resting and asleep, pain relievers, stuff like that. Also tend her bandages, and wake her for food and water. And..."
"What?"
"A sponge bath every other day."
Leon's eyes widened, and he held up his hands, backing away.
"Look, I cannot stand Yuffie. How can you ask me to...to...?"
Cloud didn't say anything, just closed his eyes.
Knowing he was defeated, he threw in the towel.
"Whatever," he muttered.
Cloud got out of his seat and headed out the door, slapping himself to keep himself awake to get to his room.
Yuffie watched Leon through half-lidded eyes. He sat down in a chair near his and Yuffie's bed. She groaned inwardly, and felt very embarrassed. He would see her half naked, if not all the way!
She fell back into sleep, her body not allowing her more time to think.
~~~
Leon stood above Yuffie, holding a soft sponge and a pail of hot water. The sponge was wet and the water was dripping down his hands onto the floor. His face turned pink as he raised her shirt and wiped her soft, flat stomach.
A large, white bandage covered Yuffie's side. The bruise was large and was shaped like a banana, and protruded out of her side at least an inch. He looked away painfully and wiped around it, trying not to stare at her.
Reaching under her shirt, he wiped her chest and realized, to his horror, she wasn't wearing a bra. He hurried to finish, feeling embarrassed beyond breaking point.
He hurried up around her more private areas, blushing furiously at his interest and shamefully finished, pushing the bucket under the bed with his foot. He sunk into the chair. His face still felt heated from the job.
Seconds later, Aerith, looking refreshed after a few days of rest, came into the room. She looked at him cheerfully, and noticed his expression.
"Why is your face so red?" she asked curiously.
"Ugh...sponge bath."
She choked down a laugh and cleared her throat. She glanced at him, a hand over her mouth as she pulled out a container filled with more pills.
"I can't believe all of the stuff you have you give her," he said incredulously after composing his face.
"Head damage is pretty serious, Leon. And she fractured a rib."
He didn't answer, just stared at Yuffie. She was on her back, a hand draped over her stomach and one arm over her head. Her fleshy, warm lips were parted and her black hair fell into her eyes. He pulled his eyes away from her and stood up.
"So I'm off duty?"
"Yep! And to top it all off, we can stop giving Yuffie sleeping pills! She'll still be weak and will have to stay in bed, but it's better than this," she said, pointing to the bed-ridden Yuffie.
"Yeah," he mumbled and pushed open the door of the hotel, leaving Aerith mystified. It wasn't a surprise for Leon to be so withdrawn, but he was even acting stranger than usual.
~~~
After nearly two weeks of sleep, Yuffie awoke to the blinds opened. Sunlight poured in, and for the first time she noticed the cards, balloons, and flowers strewn all over the room from her supporting friends. All had names signed to them. Aerith dominated most of the gifts, but as much as she searched, she couldn't find one with Leon on it.
Yuffie rested her head more comfortably and couldn't help but feel disappointed.
What? Disappointed? You should be pleased!
She sat silently, listening to the birds chirping outside. She liked to think they were welcoming her to the world again. Since the room was allowed sunlight, she wondered if she would be allowed to stay up like a normal person.
Aerith entered the room, carrying a bouquet of flowers from Cid. She set the flowers down and noticed Yuffie. She bounded over to her, looking amazingly excited and happy.
"Oh, Yuffie!" she said, her voice filled with emotion. She clasped her hands in hers. "I am so happy you're okay and up!"
Once again, tears brimmed over Aerith's eyes. She wiped at them, unashamed.
"You-you'll never guess what we thought-well, never mind. That's for later."
Yuffie looked at her confused. "What? What happened? Have I been asleep for two days? Wow!"
Aerith looked at her sadly. "No, Yuffie. For two weeks."
Yuffie tried to sit up, but doubled over in pain. "Two weeks?!" she exclaimed, resting herself.
Aerith nodded her head. Letting go of her hands, she gushed, "We're all so glad to have you back! We needed you to keep our spirits up."
Yuffie groaned. "So how long do I have to stay in this bed?"
"Until you're well rested."
"I think I am!"
"Well, you might not be able to walk. Your muscles are softened from not walking for two weeks. At least you're side is healed."
"I am getting up and going to walk."
"No, you will not. You'll stay in bed and rest."
Yuffie stuffed her head into the pillows and felt like crying.
"Oh Yuffie, I feel your pain, but you have to wait. At the least you have to stay in bed for a week."
Yuffie didn't answer.
"I'll come back to give you your lunch."
Aerith left the room, humming to herself. Yuffie watched her leave. She threw a pillow at the door and huffed.
~~~
Leon sat at the café, sipping a cup of coffee. He couldn't get Yuffie out of his mind. It was annoying him nearly more than she annoyed him. Despite himself, he felt her presence was missed among his friends and shared the same feelings as they did. He never really noticed how much Yuffie hyped everyone up into a better mood. The downfall of Yuffie affected them all more than he expected.
He finished his cup and returned the mug to Bella, who took it from him and set it in the sink. Ignoring her sexually suggestive look, he walked away, shaking his spiky brown hair out of his eyes.
He learned from Cloud that Yuffie had woken up and that she had lost track of time. Obviously, since she had been sleeping and when she was awake for a few minutes she didn't have time or the energy to ask.
He entered the doors to Second District and strode over to a bench near the fountain, around the place where Yuffie fell. He felt so mixed up he didn't know what to do with himself. He wanted to fight invisible enemies in the Waterway, he wanted to throw himself off a building, and he wanted to see Yuffie.
Angry at himself, he punched the other side of the bench and split his knuckles, but successfully bashed through the wood. People turned and stared at him, some of them recognizing him from two months ago, but none he knew personally. He tended to stay away from people, but he was stuck with Aerith, Yuffie, and Cloud as well as Sora and his friends.
He sighed and rubbed his face with his good hand and sprinted to the Accessory shop, wondering where he was getting all of then nervous energy from. He pulled down the stairs that led to the Item Workshop and headed up.
Once Yuffie was hurt, Aerith shooed him into exile and made him sleep up in the workshop. The Moogles never stopped moving around, and the stupid one kept getting stuck under his cot. He was still afraid of Leon ever since he threw him and tried to stay away in vain.
He settled on the cot, his arms tucked under his head. He stared at the ceiling and unintentionally saw Yuffie on the ceiling. He closed his eyes but the image was printed on the inside of his eyelids.
He opened his eyes again and tried to think of something else, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Yuffie. Once he successfully thought about something that had nothing to do with her, he found a way to pull her into it.
He crossed his arms over his chest and pushed a thought out of his mind.
I do NOT like Yuffie.
Satisfied, he closed his eyes once more and fell asleep.
Note: This is my first KH fic. From the behaviors I've seen on KH and what I've read from other stories is what I'm basing the characters around. I just started being a gamer and I have never played Final Fantasy, where almost all of the stories characters come from, if not all. I really hope you enjoy the story. If you're reading this, which you obviously are, please review. Yes, you!
*points at you*
If you don't, I'll be forced to chase after you with a fork or something painful.
*holds up an array of weapons threateningly*
Ha ha ha, nah, I like all of ya to much to hurt you.
...Also, we're going to open the clouds and pretend Traverse Town actually gets sunlight. Nighttime every day is just too depressing to me.
_____________________________________________________________
Yuffie opened the door of the hotel and stepped outside, the slight breeze blowing her short, black hair away from her face. She walked slowly to the edge of the top of Second District and looked down below at the fountain.
It was two months after the Heartless, and life still wasn't close to normal. People were slowly starting to fill up more of the dark, lifeless crevices of Traverse Town, but things between her friends still weren't the same.
Sure, they were still her old friends, but in a way, they changed. Aerith had changed, Cid had changed, Leon had changed, Sora had changed, and Cloud had changed. Heck, she had as well. She was no longer the immature brat some people had dubbed her as, now she was...just different.
She couldn't decide if she liked the change or not. Life would never be the same again, and she was finding it hard to accept that. It almost felt dream-like. She sat on the ledge and let her legs hang over the edge.
"Hey," said a familiar voice to her back. She jumped and nearly fell off the ledge. She turned around, eyes wide. Aerith had crept up on her, again.
"Aerith," she groaned in a friendly way. "You could have killed me."
Aerith looked concerned. "I'm sorry..."
Yuffie rolled her eyes.
"What were you thinking about?" Aerith sat next to her, her pink gown fluttering slightly. She glanced at Yuffie and looked at the fountain, where Yuffie had focused her eyes.
"Nothing," she answered.
"Come on, Yuffie. Something has been on your mind, hasn't it?"
"Sort of. I just...I can't believe things turned out the way they did."
Aerith nodded knowingly, and smiled reassuringly at Yuffie. "I know what you mean. But life happens, you have to accept what comes your way. You grow and change with every experience you have. It's a good thing, really...we're all different, now, but you're still you, as I'm still me, right?"
She sighed. "Yeah."
Aerith touched her shoulder softly and got up.
Yuffie turned and looked at her. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to go and dig up some of my old books, I think. Read a bit. You should too, it'll take you're mind of things."
"Mm hm."
Aerith left, leaving her lingering fragrance with her. Yuffie watched her leave, and turned around. She wasn't going to follow Aerith's advice, as she had led her to believe. She stared down at the ground below and jumped down, rather clumsily. She hadn't tried the stunt in awhile, having no use to need to jump to get away from the Heartless in a month or so.
She started to fall, flailing her arms, and landed on the ground on her side. She closed her eyes painfully as she heard a crack in her side and a strange, tingly, almost numbing non-existent feeling. She knew she broke something, but she couldn't feel the pain.
She opened her eyes half-way, her vision blurred and moving around. She was aware of a slippery, wet feeling on her head. She heard a loud metal sound, a clank, and footsteps running her way.
"Yuffie?" came an uncharacteristically worried voice. She didn't answer. Someone shook her shoulder roughly. She couldn't muster the strength to say a word. Everything was far away, so far away...
~~~
Leon leaned over Yuffie, who was sprawled on the concrete ground of Second District on her side, blood pouring from her head and injuries who-knows- where-else.
He shook his head, wondering what stupid stunt she had pulled. He wasn't surprised, but he was surprised by his tone of voice, that had meant to come out emotionless. To make up for it, instead of picking her up and taking her to the hotel where Aerith could fix her up and see how bad the damage was, he left her there on the ground in a small pool of blood around her head, uncalculating of the damage that had befallen her.
At a faster pace than a walk, her clomped up the stairs and went into the hotel and knocked on Aerith's and Cloud's room. Now that Cloud had arrived, Yuffie was forced to sleep in his room, seeing as all of the other rooms were taken by other customers.
Aerith opened the door, her eyes glued to a book, thinking no one other than Yuffie would be at her door. She looked up at Leon, and surprise registered on her face.
Leon screwed up his face, knowing what Aerith might do once he told her about Yuffie. "Yuffie did something, and now she's bleeding from her head-"
He couldn't finish his sentence, because Aerith had already dropped her book and pushed past him in a hurry, almost knocking him over. He rubbed his neck and followed her out of politeness.
By the time he got down to Yuffie and Aerith, Aerith had been there for a minute or so and was shaking her head, and looking extremely concerned. If possible, more concerned than usual.
He stood above them. Aerith was down on both knees, holding up Yuffie's bleeding head and murmuring, her eyes flashing with more emotions than he could read successfully.
"Pick her up and carry her to the hotel room. You are such an idiot!" she said, her voice strained.
He was taken aback by her demand and unusual lash of anger. He shrugged and picked her up like a rag doll and threw her over his shoulder, partly disgusted that Yuffie's face was so near his backside. He really couldn't stand her, he really couldn't, and he was only doing this for Aerith and for the remaining human nature he had left.
After the Heartless, everyone had grown considerably closer, all except for Yuffie and him. She rubbed off on him in the wrong way, being more cheerful, peppy, and excitable than he would ever be or want to be. Just the opposite of him.
They had a more tolerant relationship, to say in the least. They got into fights quite often, yelling to each other obscenities and insults. It was a much better way to let out frustrations with each other than in other ways. That was the one thing they agreed on.
Aerith glared daggers at him and told him to handle her more nicely. He sighed heavily and ignored her request, but walked a little more slowly so her head would stop bumping him.
Aerith opened the door of their hotel room and he practically threw her on the bed, and stood next to the two, wondering what to do next.
"What are you standing there for? Get out!" she yelled, looking partly sorry for her outburst after she had said it, but kept her finger pointing to the door. Grumbling, he swung the door open and walked outside.
~~~
Yuffie moaned and opened her eyes, her once-numb side aching with pain, and almost looked like a swollen, large banana in her side. She could feel bandages there, as well as something on her head.
She looked around the room. The windows were covered with the blinds, and nothing could be seen of the outside world.
Something stirred over in the corner of the room. Yuffie blinked a few times and tried to see, but her eyes remained unfocused.
She saw a flash of a pink something, and knew it was Aerith.
"Oh my gosh, thank God you're up!" Aerith dabbed at her head with a cool cloth. Tears were gathering and falling from Aerith's eyes, and sobs were shaking her chest. Yuffie wondered what was making her cry.
"What happened?" Yuffie tried to say, but it came out in a few words that Aerith couldn't understand. With her large green eyes, she cast worried glances at her.
Cloud walked into the room, and saw that Yuffie was awake. He looked extremely relieved. Aerith rushed over to him and took his arm to the other corner of the room, looking exhausted.
Yuffie strained her ears and heard bits and pieces of their conversations, both sounding relieved.
"-thought she wouldn't wake up-"
"-might have been in a coma for a long time-"
"-fatal damage-"
"-stupid idiot-"
"-oh Aerith, don't-"
"-hush, she'll hear us-"
"-don't be silly, she can't focus her eyes-"
"can't really talk-"
After a few minutes of rushed words, they came back to Yuffie. She tried to say something, and she opened her mouth. Her whole body was moving in slow, painful motion compared to theirs, and she could hardly function.
Yuffie felt like screaming. She could barely move from pain and numbness. Her body might not be working, but her insides were moving quickly, and it was driving her insane. She was in a human body cage.
Aerith rubbed her temples and Cloud touched her shoulders concerned. Even if Yuffie couldn't focus well, her ears were fine.
"You're over working yourself, let me take over and watch her," said Cloud, looking at her large, blue-purple bags under her eyes, and her hands that looked shaky from lack of sleep and food.
"No, no, this is my duty, let me sit back down in the chair, right over there..." she said, her voice hoarse, trying to push Cloud off of her arms weakly. It looked more like a pat than anything else.
Alarmed, Cloud gripped Aerith's arms, afraid she would fall over. Despite Yuffie's internal protests, her body fell asleep.
~~~
Leon angrily sat in the Accessory shop on one of the couches, trying to ignore a particularly annoying Moogle that kept bumping into his legs. Cid was behind the counter, chewing on a toothpick.
"Any news on Yuffie?" he asked around the toothpick.
"Nah, the only person Aerith lets in the room is Cloud, and that's hardly ever. She's been in there for three days without more than ten minutes of sleep, and Cloud forced her out of the room so he could take over. She's a nervous wreck."
"I'm not surprised," said Cid, fiddling with something. "Aerith takes on too much responsibility for her friends. I guess she's worried. Hell, no one thought Yuffie would wake up."
Leon threw up his arms. "It wasn't that far of a fall! I don't know what she was thinking. Besides, we've been over this before," he grumbled.
Cid didn't answer him. He continued to fiddle with something behind the counter. The Moogle ran into his legs again. Exasperated, Leon picked up the Moogle by the neck and hurled it into the wall.
Alarmed, the Moogle squeaked and ran into the door, twirled around and ran out into First District. Leon watched it fall down the stairs and come to a rolling halt at the bottom.
"Hey, don't be killin' off the Moogles," Cid said, but didn't put any force into his words. Fed up, Leon headed out of the shop and out into the First District café, sitting down into one of the chairs.
Maybe Yuffie wouldn't have been in a coma for a week if you would have ran to get Aerith, whispered a guilty part of his mind. Maybe if you would have picked her up gently she would have been annoying you now with a non- important event.
"Shut up!" he yelled. People turned around in their chairs to look at him. Bella, the new owner of the café, glanced at him in a concerned way. Embarrassed and angry with himself, he got out of his chair quickly, knocking it over as he walked away from the café and toward the alley in Second District.
~~~
Yuffie opened her eyes and felt pain swelling to her attention. She gasped in surprise at its depth and her eyes widened. Cloud fell over himself to get to her, looking worried.
"What?" he almost yelled, glancing at her.
Yuffie choked on her words.
Cloud, who hadn't relaxed, squinted his eyes.
"I said," she croaked, "It hurts."
"I would get Aerith, but..." He trailed off. Yuffie now just noticed that Cloud looked much like Aerith had, with blue bags under his eyes.
He rubbed a hand over his face, then looked at the ceiling. He found a buzzer in the hotel room and asked the hotel manager to call in a Moogle to find Leon.
The manager obliged and moments later, an annoyed looking Leon entered the room.
"What Clou-" he stopped short when he saw Yuffie. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her arms hung limp at her sides. A bandage was wrapped around her head, and a large swell was coming from her side where she had landed. Aerith's Curaga must not have been able to do much. He knew she had been in a coma, but he always thought people in comas looked like they were sleeping...
Cloud sank into a chair and looked at Leon.
"You have to take over, at least for a day or two. This is killing Aerith and me. I haven't slept in...in...God damnit I can't even remember!"
Leon's face looked like a stone.
"Please?" Cloud asked in an almost begging tone.
"What do I have to do?"
"I know you won't like everything you have to do...but you have to give her a few pills, to keep her resting and asleep, pain relievers, stuff like that. Also tend her bandages, and wake her for food and water. And..."
"What?"
"A sponge bath every other day."
Leon's eyes widened, and he held up his hands, backing away.
"Look, I cannot stand Yuffie. How can you ask me to...to...?"
Cloud didn't say anything, just closed his eyes.
Knowing he was defeated, he threw in the towel.
"Whatever," he muttered.
Cloud got out of his seat and headed out the door, slapping himself to keep himself awake to get to his room.
Yuffie watched Leon through half-lidded eyes. He sat down in a chair near his and Yuffie's bed. She groaned inwardly, and felt very embarrassed. He would see her half naked, if not all the way!
She fell back into sleep, her body not allowing her more time to think.
~~~
Leon stood above Yuffie, holding a soft sponge and a pail of hot water. The sponge was wet and the water was dripping down his hands onto the floor. His face turned pink as he raised her shirt and wiped her soft, flat stomach.
A large, white bandage covered Yuffie's side. The bruise was large and was shaped like a banana, and protruded out of her side at least an inch. He looked away painfully and wiped around it, trying not to stare at her.
Reaching under her shirt, he wiped her chest and realized, to his horror, she wasn't wearing a bra. He hurried to finish, feeling embarrassed beyond breaking point.
He hurried up around her more private areas, blushing furiously at his interest and shamefully finished, pushing the bucket under the bed with his foot. He sunk into the chair. His face still felt heated from the job.
Seconds later, Aerith, looking refreshed after a few days of rest, came into the room. She looked at him cheerfully, and noticed his expression.
"Why is your face so red?" she asked curiously.
"Ugh...sponge bath."
She choked down a laugh and cleared her throat. She glanced at him, a hand over her mouth as she pulled out a container filled with more pills.
"I can't believe all of the stuff you have you give her," he said incredulously after composing his face.
"Head damage is pretty serious, Leon. And she fractured a rib."
He didn't answer, just stared at Yuffie. She was on her back, a hand draped over her stomach and one arm over her head. Her fleshy, warm lips were parted and her black hair fell into her eyes. He pulled his eyes away from her and stood up.
"So I'm off duty?"
"Yep! And to top it all off, we can stop giving Yuffie sleeping pills! She'll still be weak and will have to stay in bed, but it's better than this," she said, pointing to the bed-ridden Yuffie.
"Yeah," he mumbled and pushed open the door of the hotel, leaving Aerith mystified. It wasn't a surprise for Leon to be so withdrawn, but he was even acting stranger than usual.
~~~
After nearly two weeks of sleep, Yuffie awoke to the blinds opened. Sunlight poured in, and for the first time she noticed the cards, balloons, and flowers strewn all over the room from her supporting friends. All had names signed to them. Aerith dominated most of the gifts, but as much as she searched, she couldn't find one with Leon on it.
Yuffie rested her head more comfortably and couldn't help but feel disappointed.
What? Disappointed? You should be pleased!
She sat silently, listening to the birds chirping outside. She liked to think they were welcoming her to the world again. Since the room was allowed sunlight, she wondered if she would be allowed to stay up like a normal person.
Aerith entered the room, carrying a bouquet of flowers from Cid. She set the flowers down and noticed Yuffie. She bounded over to her, looking amazingly excited and happy.
"Oh, Yuffie!" she said, her voice filled with emotion. She clasped her hands in hers. "I am so happy you're okay and up!"
Once again, tears brimmed over Aerith's eyes. She wiped at them, unashamed.
"You-you'll never guess what we thought-well, never mind. That's for later."
Yuffie looked at her confused. "What? What happened? Have I been asleep for two days? Wow!"
Aerith looked at her sadly. "No, Yuffie. For two weeks."
Yuffie tried to sit up, but doubled over in pain. "Two weeks?!" she exclaimed, resting herself.
Aerith nodded her head. Letting go of her hands, she gushed, "We're all so glad to have you back! We needed you to keep our spirits up."
Yuffie groaned. "So how long do I have to stay in this bed?"
"Until you're well rested."
"I think I am!"
"Well, you might not be able to walk. Your muscles are softened from not walking for two weeks. At least you're side is healed."
"I am getting up and going to walk."
"No, you will not. You'll stay in bed and rest."
Yuffie stuffed her head into the pillows and felt like crying.
"Oh Yuffie, I feel your pain, but you have to wait. At the least you have to stay in bed for a week."
Yuffie didn't answer.
"I'll come back to give you your lunch."
Aerith left the room, humming to herself. Yuffie watched her leave. She threw a pillow at the door and huffed.
~~~
Leon sat at the café, sipping a cup of coffee. He couldn't get Yuffie out of his mind. It was annoying him nearly more than she annoyed him. Despite himself, he felt her presence was missed among his friends and shared the same feelings as they did. He never really noticed how much Yuffie hyped everyone up into a better mood. The downfall of Yuffie affected them all more than he expected.
He finished his cup and returned the mug to Bella, who took it from him and set it in the sink. Ignoring her sexually suggestive look, he walked away, shaking his spiky brown hair out of his eyes.
He learned from Cloud that Yuffie had woken up and that she had lost track of time. Obviously, since she had been sleeping and when she was awake for a few minutes she didn't have time or the energy to ask.
He entered the doors to Second District and strode over to a bench near the fountain, around the place where Yuffie fell. He felt so mixed up he didn't know what to do with himself. He wanted to fight invisible enemies in the Waterway, he wanted to throw himself off a building, and he wanted to see Yuffie.
Angry at himself, he punched the other side of the bench and split his knuckles, but successfully bashed through the wood. People turned and stared at him, some of them recognizing him from two months ago, but none he knew personally. He tended to stay away from people, but he was stuck with Aerith, Yuffie, and Cloud as well as Sora and his friends.
He sighed and rubbed his face with his good hand and sprinted to the Accessory shop, wondering where he was getting all of then nervous energy from. He pulled down the stairs that led to the Item Workshop and headed up.
Once Yuffie was hurt, Aerith shooed him into exile and made him sleep up in the workshop. The Moogles never stopped moving around, and the stupid one kept getting stuck under his cot. He was still afraid of Leon ever since he threw him and tried to stay away in vain.
He settled on the cot, his arms tucked under his head. He stared at the ceiling and unintentionally saw Yuffie on the ceiling. He closed his eyes but the image was printed on the inside of his eyelids.
He opened his eyes again and tried to think of something else, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Yuffie. Once he successfully thought about something that had nothing to do with her, he found a way to pull her into it.
He crossed his arms over his chest and pushed a thought out of his mind.
I do NOT like Yuffie.
Satisfied, he closed his eyes once more and fell asleep.