Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
My Eyes Can't Lie...
"...cloud...cloud...wake up cloud..." A soft voice was whispering in Cloud's ear. But who was it? Was it...Aeris? No. She was dead...it couldn't be. Then, someone held him up, as he tried to open his eyes.
"...Cloud please...open your eyes..." Whoever it was started to cry.
I'm trying to open my eyes. Please don't cry. I can't make girls cry. Please. Let me open my eyes.
"...where...what..." Cloud tried to say but barely whispered as he opened his eyes slowly and barely.
"Cloud!
You're awake!"
"...T-Tifa? Is that you?"
"Don't even act so dramatic, Cloud! This isn't some kind of soap opera!" Tifa said slapping his arm lightly, half scolding and half serious.
"...sorry...is everyone..."
"Yeah, they are all fine, except...except for...oh, Cloud!" Tifa fell on Cloud and held him close to her as tears fell silently leaving a trail of pink streaks down her face.
"What? Who?" Cloud said standing up suddenly taking Tifa with him, her feat dangling two inches from the ground.
"Yuffie! When I woke up, everyone was on the ground unconscious, and Yuffie was gone. I tried to look for her, but there was no trace of where she is or where she was taken to! I'm so worried! What if...what if she..." Tifa started to lose all control of her emotions and started sobbing uncontrollably. Cloud, seeing his one and only love, well, besides Aeris, feeling so much pain, felt a tear slip down his cheeks too. Was it the fact that Yuffie was gone and could be gone forever, or was it because Tifa looked like she did the day after the day when she fell off the roof watching the meteor a few years ago...?
~Flashback~
"The stars look so beautiful, don't they, Cloud?" Said a younger Tifa. She was wearing shorts and a blue spaghetti strap shirt. Her shoes lay forgotten on the ground where they fell.
"Yeah, beautiful. But the meteors will be much more of a sight. Don't you think?" Said an also younger Cloud. He wore a blue sweatshirt and matching pants. It was the only clothes he wore in those days. His shoes...well, they were on his feet still, despite the pleads from the young woman next to him.
"Well, yeah, but until they show up, the stars are the prettiest things in the sky."
"Yeah. I guess. So, are you sure you won't get in trouble for sneaking out?"
"Like I said a hundred times before. I will only get in trouble if I get caught. And I am not going to get caught." Tifa said. He stared into her garnet eyes. He couldn't look away. They twinkled when the moon shone on them at a certain angle and they seemed to smile at him telling him she was happy to be there with him.
"OK. I get the point! I won't ask anymore. It's like you don't want me to be concerned." Tifa stared back into Cloud's sapphire eyes. They were looked so calm, and inviting, yet somewhat...mysterious. It was as if they were begging her to come and explore his world.
"Ooooh! Look Mommie! A meetor!" A little girl exclaimed, pointing to the sky where a meteor flew quickly across.
"Wow...Cloud, they are more beautiful than I imagined!" Tifa whispered as more meteors soared through the sky. She stood up to look all around her, and Cloud got up too. Then, without warning, both held each other and closed their eyes, not wanting the moment to ever end. Wishing time would stop. Unfortunately, it did...for Cloud at least. Somehow, when they let go, Tifa stepped on a sharp piece of shingle on the roof and slipped. Cloud tried to grab her hand to stop her from falling off the roof all together, but missed it. Of all things, he missed his chance.
"AAAAHHHHHHH!" Tifa fell from the roof and landed on her back, her leg abnormally placed under her.
"T-T-Tifa? Are you alright? Tifa?" Cloud jumped from the roof and landed gracefully beside her, wanting to help her, but scared that he would make things worse. It seemed to get worse as he heard a gruff voice from inside Tifa's house. A voice that could belong only to...
"M-Mr. L-Lockheart, sir! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have been with her! I-I didn't mean it!" Cloud stammered as Tifa's father walked to his daughter with a shocked look that turned to confusion, then to anger.
"You did this to her, didn't you, boy?" He yelled. Cloud didn't say anything. One he wasn't used to being addressed to as "boy" and two, he was too scared of what was going to happen. Would he kill him? Would he forbid him to see Tifa ever again?
"I asked you a question. The least you could do after hurting her is answer me." He picked up his daughter and walked slowly into his house. Cloud just stood there, not knowing what to do. But after a minute or so, which seemed like hours to Cloud, he came back out, and closed his door. Then, he hit Cloud. Not just a light tap, or a slap, but he punched him square on the jaw. Cloud just stood there too stunned to speak. Too stunned to move. All he could do was listen to Tifa's father yell at him.
"I told her she couldn't see you tonight! We were going to travel to Mt. Nibel early morning! I bet you got her to disobey me, didn't you, boy?" Cloud still didn't say anything. A trickle of blood started its way down Cloud's chin. He didn't move. He didn't even think he was breathing. Then, a door was heard being slammed shut from behind Cloud.
"Cloud! What happened?" His mother ran to him and pulled him into her arms. But when she felt something wet drop on a tiny part of her shirt, she pulled away and looked at his face. Looking for the source of the drop. At first she thought it was tears, but then she saw a red mark on his face and the blood...oh, the blood. She had a thing for seeing her son bleed...no matter how small.
"What happened? Who did this to you, Cloud?" Mrs. Strife looked sad, and troubled.
"..."
"I did, Marie. (A/N: I don't know her name or Tifa's dad's name, so I am making them up.) He got Tifa to sneak out and because they did, she was injured. I think it would only be fair to have both kids injured than just my little girl. She shouldn't have even been hurt. She was the victim."
"You...hit my son? You hit Cloud? Paul!"
"He deserved it, and you know it." He said looking away.
"You...I trusted you...but..." She pulled her hand back and slapped him in the face hard. Not as hard as she could, but hard enough for him to not know what he had for dinner.
"I don't know how you ever thought you had the right to hit my son, but you don't. If you ever touch him again, I will do more than slap you, you *^%@ bastard." She said furiously. "Let's go, Cloud."
"..." Cloud still said nothing, but could hear a soft crying from the window above him. It was Tifa. That night, he stayed by his window. Hoping Tifa would go next to it, feeling happy and well, but no such thing happened. He heard noises. Not very comforting noises. Painful moans, and the rare quiet scream. It was all Tifa. He knew it. He couldn't sleep. He felt too guilty. So he just stayed there, staring into the darkness of her room. Hoping that things would be OK.
The next morning, Cloud went to the weapon store where he had a part-time job. He had bags under his red eyes, and was too sleepy to focus. It was known around town already that Tifa had broken her leg in 2 places and that she would be in a cast for about 3 months. No cure or potion could fix it. The Nibelheimians didn't know, however, how she got that break, or the incidents of Paul and Cloud, and Paul and Marie. It was probably better that way. It was said, though, that even though he didn't want to, Paul Lockheart had to go to Mt. Nibel without his daughter to accompany him, because there was a somewhat rich tourist who wanted to see Mt. Nibel, but needed a guide. He would pay him for his help, and he knew he needed the money to pay the bill for Tifa's health and care. He told Tifa to stay in her room, but when did she ever fully listen to her father? It was around noon when she visited Cloud in the shop. She was on crutches, and was trying not to fall.
"Tifa! You are supposed to be in bed!" Cloud said as he ran up to her.
"I know what daddy did to you last night. I heard it all. I'm so sorry, Cloud. He shouldn't have done that. It was so stupid! It wasn't even your fault." Tifa started crying. She dropped her crutches, and fell on her good leg.
"Tifa! Don't cry! It's OK. It's all right. And, it is my fault. I could have grabbed your hand to stop you from falling, but I missed. I'm the one who should be sorry." Cloud said. This made her cry more, though. Soon, she was having trouble breathing because she was sobbing so hard.
"Tifa, don't cry. I...I can't stand to see you like this. It makes me feel like...like I am being torn apart. No, worse than that. I feel all the pain in the universe. So, please stop." Cloud looked at the ground. Tifa's sobs slowed and stopped eventually. She laid her head on Cloud's shoulder and fell asleep. Cloud picked her up, and carried her to her room, and tucked her in bed. Her broken leg on a pillow. He took one last look at the angel that God sent to him, and left.
~End Flashback~
"Tifa...you look like when...that day when you broke your leg..." Cloud said as he hugged her back.
"..." Tifa just kept crying, and Cloud rubbed her back softly.
"I'm sorry to disturb your little moment, but Yuffie is still not here." Vincent said a little irritated.
"Listen. We will get Yuffie back, but we can't if we aren't prepared. And in case you haven't noticed, we aren't!" Cloud yelled at Vincent.
"Don't start with me Strife! If it were Tifa instead of Yuffie, you would have been out of here before I would say anything you just did!" Vincent yelled back angrier than before.
"Go then. If you want to get her yourself, go. I am going to wait until we are all ready. I don't want to get killed. I want to save Yuffie. I won't save her if I am not up to fighting or ready to fight the enemy." Cloud said. He wasn't that angry anymore. Vincent's words knocked some sense in to him, but he still wasn't going to go without being equipped.
"Whatever then. I will go alone. I always do anyway. While you sit here drinking your cappuccino, Yuffie might be in the process of being tortured. And all you can do is sit there." Vincent said walking away slowly. His cape fluttering behind him. His hair in a loose ponytail. His claw dangling at his side. All everyone could do was stare.
"Cloud, we should go. He's right. Yuffie could be suffering right now and all we are doing is just sitting here." Tifa whispered into Cloud's ear. Her crying had ceased completely, but her face was still pink.
"Alright. Is everyone ready to save Yuffie?" Everyone simply nodded, too taken aback to say anything.
"Then let's hurry up and catch up to Vincent." Tifa said as she ran towards the red-cloaked figure ahead of her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Ah, my dear sweet Yuffie. How I've hunger to taste your sweet lips. How I long to hold you in my arms and for you to willingly hold me back. If you understand that we are perfect for each other, I won't have to use my Manipulate materia on you. We will just have to see when you waken, my dear love..." Reno said as he looked into the mirror making sure his hair was all in place and perfect. She wasn't wearing her usual khaki shorts and green top, but instead, she wore a white dress that came down just enough to not show her blue chocobo panties (A/N: That's a funny word, hehehe...), and tied around her neck as the straps. Her face was made up with make-up, and her nails were done in a white/silvery color as well.
I can feel some of that crap on my face, and different clothes. How long was I out for? Damn you Reno! He better not have changed my clothes, or seen me naked. Or, worse...
"Ah, Yuffie! You are awake! I am glad!" Reno said walking to her. She was trying to get her arms free of the ropes, but was showered with failure. "I hope we can get to know each other more. I have some food here if you are hungry." Reno said as he held up a piece of cheese on a cracker. There was a big plate of food with various fruits and vegetables on it as well as many cheeses.
"No way, Reno. I ain't eatin' the food you got! For all I know, it's probably poisoned!" Yuffie said, but Reno stuffed it in her mouth anyway.
"MMMMMM! MMHM MM MM MMMHHMH MMMMMHMHMHMHM!" Yuffie tried to talk but the cracker and cheese was just forcing her to cough.
"Now now. That will just make you choke. Chew and swallow. Then maybe later...hehehehe!" Reno started having thoughts of his own. Yuffie chewed up the cracker and spat at Reno.
"...you...sick little..." Reno grabbed a towel and wiped off the gross bits and pieces from all over his face. Then he walked up to Yuffie and slapped her.
"AAAAHH!" Yuffie screamed. She didn't like not seeing where she was, or what was happening, or feeling the pain on her face. But it didn't stop there. He slapped her again and again. She was screaming louder and louder, but he just kept striking her harder and harder. Then he stopped. Her face was red and there were areas that were bleeding. She didn't cry, but tears were falling down her cheeks, mixing with the blood.
"...I'm sorry, Yuffie, but...you gave me no choice."
"..."
"Please forgive me."
"..."
"Well, whether you do or not, I am feeling rather...naughty...at the moment...and...well, you are right here for my pleasures and displeasures." Reno said as he moved closer and placed his hand on her thigh. Yuffie shivered and goosebumps formed all over her body. She knew what was coming, and she didn't want it to happen.
Vinnie! Please come help me!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Vincent was walking with everyone, but wasn't talking. He was thinking of what Yuffie might be dealing with. Was she in danger? Well, sure she was, but deathly danger? Or was she safe for the time being? Then he felt a chill grow all over his body. And he heard someone call his name. She sounded in pain, in trouble. She sounded like...a Yuffie.
"Yuffie! I'm coming!" Vincent said as he ran. Everyone followed in confusion, but knew that with Vincent's sixth sense, he probably knew what he was doing.
"She's calling for me. Something bad is going to happen to her. We need to hurry! Where is she?" Vincent said to half to himself and half to the group.
"She would probably be at Reno's place, since he was the one that took her." Tifa suggested. "Since it is the most obvious place to look first that kidnappers don't go back to the most obvious place, he is probably there thinking we think it is the most obvious place and won't check it."
"...ummm...huh?" Everyone was confused.
"Never mind! Just go to Reno's house! That's where he is." Tifa replied.
About 2 minutes later, they ran through the door of Reno's house. Everyone went to opposite directions, Cloud in the master bedroom, Tifa in the regular bedroom, Cid in the guest room, Barrett in the kitchen, Nanaki in the attic, Cait Sith in the bathroom, and Vincent in the basement, since he was used to basements. When Vincent barged through the basement door and ran down the steps, he heard muffled screams.
"Yuffie!" Vincent called as he held up his Death Penalty.
"WHAT!? VALENTINE?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Reno asked angrily with lipstick smeared all over his face.
"Vinnie! Help! He's forcing himself on me!" Yuffie cried.
"Yuffie!" His voice was soft and in pain. Her face was still red and puffy, and bleeding, but not that much as before. She looked a little violated as he saw that her dress was torn. Wait, a dress? Who put her in different clothes?
"You...how could you be so sick? She's only 17!"
"Yeah! I'm only 17!"
"Oh, but it's OK for you to flirt around with a 28 year old." Reno said sarcastically.
"Shaddap! This isn't your concern! If I wanna go out with a 28 year old, I will! You aren't my fa..."
"Oh, yes. I heard about Godo of Wutai. Good riddance I say." Reno said waving his hand around.
"How dare you! My father was a great man!"
"And that's why you hated him." Reno said back.
"I HATE YOU!"
"Whatever. That won't stop me from having you!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH RENO!" Vincent said as he lifted his Death Penalty up targeting in between Reno's eyes.
"You don't have the guts to shoot me." Reno said.
"Don't I?"
"If you were to miss, you would shoot your little girlfriend here."
"I never miss."
"But what makes you think I won't put her in the way?"
"Well, she is tied down..." Vincent pointed to the ropes looking kind of confused.
"...oh...hehehe...well, I could untie her like this!" Reno untied her and pulled her in front of him. "See! Now you can't shoot me!"
"Watch this!" Yuffie kicked Reno in the gut then again in the...uhh...sacred male area. Reno fell over and lay on the ground unconscious.
"Hehehehe! Never hold a ninja captive. You'll lose function on your needed body parts and you won't lose them painlessly!" Yuffie held up two fingers signalizing victory, and had a big smile on her face.
"Good job, Yuffie. Let's get back now." Vincent said relieved that she was safe.
"OK!" Yuffie leapt off the bed and then blushed. "...ummm...Vinnie...do you see my clothes anywhere?"
"You're...oh...yeah. Their over there." Vincent pointed to the corner where her clothes were.
"Well, could ya get 'em for me? I kind of don't want to wear this..." Yuffie said feeling the cloth on her body.
"Sure. I'll turn around if you want me to."
"Well, it doesn't matter. You could say you are turned around, but how will I know? You could be lying."
"Yuffie, I wouldn't lie about a thing like that. If you don't want me to look at you, then I will respect that and not look at you. And if I just can't prevent myself from looking, then I will tell you that I had taken a peek." Vincent explained in one breath.
"OK, Vinnie! Geez! If you want to look, go ahead! I don't mind! It is only my body! I'm telling you though. If you see things that you don't see everyday, you might go blind. And I am not the prettiest flower in the garden." Yuffie replied. Vincent handed her her clothes.
"I bet you are beautiful." Vincent replied putting his hand on her chin.
"Well, you'll just have to see for yourself, huh?" Yuffie said as they kissed.
"Why is it I am always the *@$) one who has to (&^# interrupt you when you need to go to a certain place? I hate my *^%$@ luck." Cid said as her left. "Cloud wants ya upstairs. We're leaving."
"How did you
know we were down here?"
"Well, first, since you are the boyfriend, chances are in this fic that you
would go to the room the girlfriend would be, in this case, Yuffie. Second, we
heard Reno and Yuffie and you. You aren't the
quietest people here, ya know." Cid explained.
"Whatever. Let's go Vinnie!" Yuffie had secretly changed into her normal clothes before Vincent and Cid paid any attention to her.
"Yuffie, you're in...never mind." Vincent sighed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So, what did Reno do to you?" Cloud asked.
"..."
"Cloud, why don't you just wait until she is ready to answer? This isn't really the right time to ask her questions about what she just had to go through." Tifa told Cloud.
"Actually, I should tell you now. If I don't, then I would have proved that I am not a true ninja. We fear nothing, and our emotions are not to stop anything." Yuffie said quietly.
"OK, just remember that you don't have to tell us if you don't want to and if you come to a point that you can't say out of embarrassment or anything, you don't have to continue." Tifa said soothingly. Yuffie nodded.
"Well..." Yuffie began.
~After Yuffie tells her story~
"I can't (*@% believe how...that's *(&$# nasty! You're so young!" Cid said.
"Yeah, but that didn't really matter to him." Yuffie didn't cry or stutter through the whole story, but she did have to pause and hold back her tears. But she succeeded in keeping them back.
"You must feel so...so violated!" Nanaki said still shocked.
"Yeah...but I guess it's done and I can't do anything to change it, huh?" Yuffie said trying to put on one of her best smiles.
"I guess..."
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Thank you for the reviews! They make me feel all happy! ^^
Ruri-sugar