Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII.
Twenty One
-Aftermath-
"It's over…"
Yuffie's soft voice echoed harshly in his ears, and he glanced up from resting his head in his hands. She was staring at the ceiling with a distant smile. He watched her cautiously for a moment before her gaze shifted over to him and a look of joyful relief washed over her face.
"Can you believe it? It's actually over…" Her voice was soft and musical, and he found himself wanting nothing more than to laugh and smile and pull her close to him and just be happy she was alive.
But that gut-wrenching laughter started up in his head, and he turned away from her in shame at the sudden reminder of why he could never be happy. He allowed himself only to nod in response to her before resting his head in his hands once again and trying to forget the memories threatening to boil over in his skull.
And then she was pressed up against his back, her strong, thin arms wound around his chest and she rested her chin on his shoulder. He felt a shiver of fear and apprehension run down his spine, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't bring himself to push her away.
It wasn't until he felt the blood soak through her bandages and seep into his clothing that he made any move to protest their position.