Healing

Chapter 5

Rei felt restless when she had left Vincent's room. She walked around in the mansion, trying to occupy herself with something. After dumping the claw in the labs incinerator, she slumped down in her office chair to work. But her mind constantly wandered to the dark haired man.

//Why the hell am I letting this get to me? I know that he really didn't mean to yell at me.//

She knew very well that patients that woke up from a narcosis sometimes could be in a very bad mood.  I could be a little like a bad trip or a severe case of waking up on the wrong side of the bed.

//So why am I feeling so bad about it?//

She lost herself in her thoughts, suddenly snapping to attention in a store, buying cigarettes.

//What the fuck am I doing? I quit this two years ago. I'm... I'm just gonna throw these away. Yeah, I'm not gonna fall back to this nasty habit!//

But her body did nothing like her mind said. On her way back to the mansion, she stopped a passing woman, asking her for a light. She drew in the smoke, feeling it irritate her throat and lungs. She held it there for a few seconds before blowing a cloud to the sky. It felt good, but she was still disappointed at herself.

//I guess what they say is true. Once a smoker, always a smoker… Fuck…//

She paused with her hand on the doorknob.

//Hello? Hospital and cigarettes do not go well together.//

Instead of going in, she leaned back against the wall, her face tilted up to the summer sun. She had never really liked the summer.

//But it's different here.//

It was nothing like the scorching summer days she was used to. Nothing like the ones in Midgar where she had grown up. Days where the sun had burned from the sky, reflecting in all the metal and glass that made up the plates. Days when she felt she couldn't breathe because the pungent smell of mako was so heavy in the air.

But here the sun was pleasantly warm and the air was fresh. And it was just so quiet. No cars or sirens or gunshots. Just the wind. The birds.

For a few moments Rei's spirits lifted. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of sun's warmth on her face, the cigarette between her fingers forgotten.

********************************************************

//What in the world did I say to her?//

The next day Vincent laid in his bed, trying to recall what had happened after the surgery. He knew he had been awake, but his memory was blurry to say the least. He could remember that he had been angry, but he didn't know why. And he remembered Rei quickly making her way out from his room. What had happened?

{Oh, you probably just were your old, charming self. You really shouldn't be surprised that people run from you, you know…} The voice came without warning. He almost felt something slithering along his spine and in the back of his head.

//I know that you have been quiet for some time now Chaos, but shut up! I am not in the mood.//

{Are you ever?}

//Leave me alone demon.//

{I will... for now. You've got a visitor anyway.}

True enough there was a knock on the door. Before Vincent could answer, it opened and Rei stepped in.

"It's time to change the bandages."

She was unusually quiet and seemed to avoid to even looking at him.

"Um... did I… say anything yesterday?" he asked as she was carefully removing the bandages from his aching arm. She just answered with a nod.

"Was I angry?"

"Yeah, you were. But don't worry; it was brought on by the narcosis. You couldn't help it. I'm not mad at you."

Vincent still felt like he should apologize, but he didn't know for what.

"What did I say?"

"It really doesn't matter."

During the time of their brief dialogue, Rei had gotten the bandages of and Vincent could get a good look at his new arm for the first time. Even though she had warned him, he still felt chocked and somewhat repulsed by what he saw..

It was swollen and discolored in various shades of yellow, blue, purple and red. The sutures were everywhere. To Vincent, it looked like it was rooting, or at least were badly infected.

"Looks okay." The redhead muttered as she examined it.

"Okay? This is okay?"

"Yeah. I did warn you."

"Yes, but I did not expect this."

"The swelling will go down and the discoloration will fade. After a year or so the scars will be close to nonexistent. So just give it time." She quickly but gently wrapped it up in fresh bandages.

"I'll go and make dinner. You can come down in half an hour." She said as she walked out, leaving Vincent wondering what was wrong.

He was still pondering that question as he made his way down to the dining room. The smell of curry chicken soup greeted him. Rei was just setting the table.

"Do you want any help?" Vincent offered.

Without a word she handed him the bowls as she grabbed the glasses and spoons. She had a strange empty expression on her face that he was not used to seeing. During the months that they had lived together, she had almost always been high-spirited and energetic.

"Care to tell me what is wrong?" he asked as he set the bowls on the table and sat down.

She remained standing, leaning on the table. Her head was bowed down as she opened her mouth as if to say something, yet she remained quiet.

"If I have done anything to upset you I apologize."

"No, you haven't done anything Vincent. It's just… for some god damned reason you make me feel like a fuckin' schoolgirl again."

"How do you mean?" he asked confused.

"Thoughtless. Ignorant. Far to sensitive when it comes to criticisms, even if it's not really meant. It's damn annoying to feel like that at my age."

"Your age? Then what does that make me?" he asked, trying a small joke to lighten the mood.

"If you don't count those thirty years in stasis, which you really shouldn't, a young man."

Vincent felt like this was starting to become a very strange day. First he had that little chat with Chaos who had left him alone for over six months, and now his housemate was acting weird.

The housemate in question raised her head to look at him.

"How old do you think I am? Twenty-five? Thirty?" She sneered. "I'll be forty this winter."

She sat down and poured some soup into her bowl.

"I never did tell you that I remember you from before, did I?"

"…No."

"Around thirty-five years ago, when Hojo was working on the Jenova project, do you remember that he had a quest for a while?"

"His brother came to see him."

"Do you remember the four year old child he left there for a month, much to Hojo's disliking."

"His daughter. That was you I take it?"

"Yeah. You know... you were something of an idol for me back then. And to see you again, after all these years… You've changed so much, yet stayed the same…"

"What are you getting at?"

"Vincent, I just…" she paused as if she were trying to calm herself. "What I mean is... I…"

She didn't get any further before the door slamming open to reveal a young ninja girl interrupted her.

"Yuffie?" Vincent said surprised.

"Hiya Vinnie! How ya doin'?" the shinobi stalked over and gave him a hug before he even had a chance to rise from the table.

"And you must be Rei. Tifa an' Chochobo-boy praised ya so much I had to come over m'self to see if they were right." She continued almost without even taking a breath.

Vincent looked over at Rei.

"Can we continue this later?"

"…Yeah. Want do join us for dinner Yuffie?"

"Hell yeah! Where's the bowls?"

A/N

Well, this turned out kinda… weird. You'll have to pardon me for that. I wrote most of this between 5 and 7 am. I really can't sleep anymore.

And now we have Yuffie in here too. I've never been very good at writing her, so we'll see how this goes.

Yay! My betareader is alive again! *Gives GothicDJ a hug*

*Hands a box of cookies to Rue* Since you seemed to be so fond of 'em. But do remember to share now. ^_^

A big thanks to all my reviewers. I would have quit a long time ago if it weren't for you.