Ok, fine. He'd rejected my concern, but I didn't care about that. It was his loss. I was surprised when he moved, but what surprised me even more was the fact that he had the nerve to try and pick me up without my permission. He couldn't be serious…he had to be kidding, right?
"Oh, no-no-no…" I began, staring up at him. He nodded, confirming my fears. Well, I couldn't allow that! A Turk doesn't need rescuing! It would be far too embarrassing to have to be carried back into town! Valentine would have to forget that idea right now!
"No-no-no NO! Serious! Put me down! It's gonna look so bad for me if you've gotta carry me back into town! What if the other Turks are ther-…"
"You're honestly expecting them to be there?"
I was shocked…I just stared at him, and he stared at me, one eyebrow raised. I wanted to cry, but I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing me weak. I had to be stronger than that. I wanted to hit him so hard, but I wasn't in a state to even push him away, let alone hurt him. Not after the damage my body had taken…I'd just have to hit him later.
I couldn't bear to look at him. I felt so stupid…He'd made me feel like a fool, and I hated it…but it was only then after he had humiliated me with that cool, snappy sentence, that I realized something: I was all alone. What had I been thinking? The Turks weren't going to be there tonight, or tomorrow, just as they hadn't been here any previous nights. They weren't coming back. Hell, they could even be dead for all I knew…this thought upset me so much. I didn't want anything to have happened to them! Not to Reno…(as idiotic as our arguments were, he was kind of like a brother to me. I'd never appreciated him at all until the thought that I may never see him again hit me)… to Rude…(as silent as anything, he always knew the right thing to say or do to cheer me up when he was around. Like Reno, he was like a brother to me) to… Sir…no…Tseng…if anything had happened to him, I don't know what I'd do. That man meant more to me than he'd ever know…if anything had happened, then…what would I do? How would I carry on at all? Would I? I had to bite my bottom lip as hard as I could to stop tears from flowing down my cheeks…I recognized the bitter taste of blood in my mouth, but it was better than letting Valentine see me cry. I had to remain proud, and act in the way a professional Turk would act, even if I truly was the only one left now like those haunting thoughts were making me think. In times like these, it's too easy to think the worst.
Without a word, Valentine had begun on his way back to the inn, with me in his arms. I hated this. I hated being babied and treated like a child. I could take care of myself! But I was too weak to fight him…too upset and distracted to argue. He'd won this round, but I'd be sure not to let it happen again.
I gazed straight ahead as Valentine carried me. I was right. No Turks in sight. I sighed quietly, and shook my head, accidentally attracting Valentine's attention by doing so. He opened his mouth to speak, but I shot a glare in his direction. That shut him up…I didn't care if he was helping me or not: I was pissed off, injured, humiliated and upset. Not a good combination, so Valentine had better watch his tongue.
The rest of the way there was spent in total silence as we both ignored each other. Well, actually, I was doing most of the ignoring. He was casting the odd glance in my direction, but I pretended not to see. I didn't want to make eye contact, as I could feel a few sneaky tears welling up in my eyes. I hated myself for it. I hated being so weak.