An Angel's Bodyguard

She had hardly slept all night, the pain in her side and the tears that leaked from her eyes had seen to that. Now, she lay on the soft, cool, blue sheets, huddled in a foetal position beneath the matching blankets. The sound of running water from the bathroom beside the room reached her ears but it was only dully noted in her mind that was in there. It was only as she heard the water being turned off that she sat up, giving a small gasp at the protest that her body made at the movement. She slowly placed her feet into the slippers that sat by her bed and stood up, reaching for her pink dressing gown.

As her hands grabbed the material, she caught her reflection in the mirror. It sickened her. Her arms and legs were covered in bruises and she knew, the skin under the pink nightgown she wore was bruised too. Her green eyes, which had once sparkled with happiness and life, were now dull with tiredness and desperation. She heard the bathroom door click open and stepped back from the mirror, tying the rope of her dressing gown around her body as she gave a weak smile. His jade eyes locked with hers, staring her down until she looked at the floor submissively. She felt her body tense, her heartbeat rise as his stepped towards her and as his hand cupped her chin, she closed her eyes in fear.

"Look at me," he commanded dangerously.

She didn't need to be told twice and immediately opened her eyes to look into his face. His hand kept a hold of her chin as he leaned down and forcefully pressed his lips against hers, his tongue roughly pushing them apart. His hand moved from her chin onto her shoulders, pushing the dressing gown down, along with the straps of her nightdress. Once, there was a time when she fought back, pushed against his shoulders to shove him away. She didn't protest now. She knew better. She knew there was no point. He was stronger than her and she knew what happened whenever she disobeyed him. Now, she just lay back and let him do what he wished.

The raven-haired girl sighed as her fingers drummed against the counter of the restaurant. At hearing her, the blonde beside her looked up, blinking as if he had just noticed he was there.

"Well, it's about time you woke up!" she muttered, placing her hands on her hips. The blonde didn't answer as he looked back at the photo before him.

"Sorry Yuffie," he sighed softly, putting the photograph into his pocket. Her angry grey eyes softened slightly as she leaned back against the wooden surface and folded her arms.

"It's okay. I know you're missing her," she shrugged, her eyes darting to the door as the bells above jingled. She groaned as the red-haired man walked confidently up to her, placing his elbow on the counter and pressing his hand to his face.

"Hey sugar," he greeted with a small smirk.

"What do you want Reno?" she asked, her voice laced with annoyance. His green eyes twinkled mischievously as he looked at the board and gave a small pout.

"Aww, what I want is not up there," He whined, locking eyes with Yuffie.

"Get lost Reno!" the blonde boy warned suddenly, making Yuffie and the red-haired man glance at him.

"I'm only having a laugh Cloud. Calm down. Just because Tifa's done a runner doesn't mean other people can't have fun!"

The next moment, Yuffie gave a small scream as Cloud leapt over the counter and grabbed Reno by the collar of his shirt. Without thinking, she jumped over after him, grabbing his arms and pulling at them desperately.

"Cloud, leave it!" she hissed as Cloud's fist hovered in the air.

For a moment, he stayed in the same position, Yuffie tugging desperately. Then, he slowly lowered his hand away and shoved Reno away, the force sending him into a table and toppling it upside down. Yuffie took a deep breath of relief before she looked to Reno, tilting her head as warning for him to go. She waited for the sound of the bells to die down and the door to shut before she spoke.

"Maybe, you should go and see Aeris," she suggested. "You haven't seen her in ages. She'll cheer you up in no time."

Cloud didn't say anything at first and when she turned to look at him, she could see why. He had the photograph out again. One of him and Tifa as childhood friends, arms around each other and huge smiles for the camera. Yuffie sighed. Tifa was her older sister and for as long as she could remember, Cloud and Tifa had been in love and they had been dating for almost five years. Then, Tifa said she wanted to travel the world but Cloud wanted to stay in Midgar. Eventually, they agreed that Cloud would stay and Tifa would go but the fact that she would gone for so long, led them to the decision to break it off for the moment and to decide what to do after she returned. It had torn Cloud apart and evidently, it still was.

"Cloud?" the girl asked again, hoping to get a response this time. He snapped out of his dream state and glanced at her, giving a soft nod.

"Yeah, Aeris will know what to do,"

Once again, she found herself curled protectively under the blankets, her naked form shivering as she cried softly, the pillow beneath her becoming soaked with her tears. Her snivelling stopped as he heard him enter the room, his boots making heavy steps before he stopped at the end of the bed.

"Get some clothes on!" he demanded harshly. She raised herself up, her eyes looking anywhere but at him as she pushed her matted, brunette strands from her face.

"I'll be back at five," he stated, no emotion but dominance breaking through the words.

She winced as he slammed the door and his footsteps thudded down the stairs. Instantly, she stood up, ignoring the new bruises from where he had pinned her down harshly and made her way to the shower. If she couldn't escape him, at least she could escape the feeling of being dirty that always clung to her whenever he touched her.

A.N: This story has been on the cards for a while now but I decided to finally post it for 2 reasons

1. It's been way too long and people have asked me on msn about it

2. About 20 CloTis were updated in the last 2-3 days. That is NOT an exaggeration. I was not a happy person! But then I read a new Clerith that was posted and I was happy again :D

Disclaimer: Just now, I don't own anything except the plot but I've put Cloud, Sephi and Zack down for my Christmas list to Santa but if what my friend told me is true, and Santa's not real then I'll be a very sad little girl.