Author's Note: I had a dream kinda about this story last night. Really, I did. Okay, so it was more of a Yuffentine dream than a Squffie dream. But, still... So, anyways, now I have the urge to work on it. But, I also have the urge to work on the next chapter of HAT. :::sigh::: This always happens when I have more than one story active.
Note to OctoberBreeze: Actually, October, this IS the sequel thingy I was talking about, but it's not a real sequel since :::pulls out Webster's Dictionary:::.... hmm.... okay, so it IS a sequel according to the definition, but I'm calling it a semi-sequel because you don't need to have read Blind Instinct to know what's going on. Did I make any sense or did I just confuse myself? O.o
Chapter Two: Just Too Damned Good
Groaning, Yuffie rolled over onto her side and stared out the window of her room, watching as the fluffy snowflakes floated through the air and covered the Bastonian landscape in a field of white. She snuggled deeper into the pile of blankets upon the bed and carefully placed a hand across her stomach. What she had told Aerith a few days before was only slight nausea had grown to full-blown nausea and the slightest movement made her nearly vomit. It didn't help that she felt like she was freezing to death since the electricity had gone out again and the fire roaring in the fireplace didn't seem to be putting out much heat.
Another violent shiver coursed through her body, which caused her nausea to grow, and she wondered how long it could possibly take for Cid and Shera to get the power running again. Reaching a hand out from underneath her blankets, she grabbed one of the saltine crackers Squall had brought up for her earlier that morning. In the past few days, she had discovered that these were the only things that would help to settle her stomach. Well, that and the clear lemon-lime sodas Shera had recommended to her. In fact, that's where Squall was now... retrieving a soda for her since she felt too sick to get up and go downstairs herself.
A long, drawn out sigh escaped her lips as she thought about her current situation again. The thought of being pregnant still scared her to no end, but with Squall being more happy than she had ever seen him, it was hard not to get caught up in his excitement. But, still, there were times when she wished she wasn't pregnant... like right now, when all she could think about was the unrelenting nausea.
The sound of the bedroom door creaking open caused her to slowly turn her head to find Squall trying to walk soundlessly into the bedroom. It didn't work, though, as his heavy boots thumped loudly on the floor. He sat the glass he carried upon the night stand, the ice tinkling as he did so, and then sat himself down upon the edge of the bed, brushing the hair out of her face before leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Do you feel any better?" he whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair.
"As long as I don't move, I feel okay," she murmured, reaching out for the glass which he quickly handed to her. With one hand, he helped her sit up slightly so she could get a sip without spilling it all over herself. But the movement caused her nausea to act up again and she had to close her eyes and choke the rising bile back down before she could take a drink.
"That bad, huh?" Squall asked softly as he helped lower her back down to the mattress, pulling the covers back up to her chin when he saw her shiver.
Yuffie nodded mutely, her eyes still closed as she tried to will the nausea away, but to no avail. It stubbornly stayed with her. But, she knew that relief would come later in the day when it would disappear, only to return again the next morning. "It doesn't help that I'm freezing," she muttered, curling into a ball to help fight off the chills.
Noticing that the blankets weren't helping much, Squall took his boots off and then crawled under the covers with her, gently pulling her back up against him and wrapping an arm around the front of her shoulders. "Does that help?" he breathed into her ear before resting his cheek atop hers.
The wave of nausea that had come up when he moved her soon passed and she pushed herself back against him further. "Mm hmm," she murmured as the chills that had plagued her all morning disappeared in the presence of his warmth.
"I'm sorry you have to spend your birthday like this," the swordsman apologized as he curled his other arm gingerly around her waist, careful not to put much pressure on her stomach.
Indigo eyes flew open, surprise clearly present in them as she pulled her head out from beneath his cheek and turned slightly to stare at him. "Today's my birthday? I thought it wasn't until tomorrow..." she trailed off, her brows furrowed as she struggled to remember the date.
"No, today's the twentieth," he reminded her, sitting up slightly so he could put a hand on the back of her neck and pull her in for a kiss. "Happy birthday, Yuffie," he murmured as his lips met hers in what started as a sweet, gentle kiss but soon deepened into something more fiery and passionate.
Unfortunately, as Squall was kissing her, a wave of nausea came over her that she couldn't choke down and she had to jerk away from him to rush down the hall to the bathroom. Squall soon followed after, grimacing each time he heard her retch yet somehow managing to stay in there with her and get her a damp wash cloth.
Groaning, Yuffie stood up and placed her hands on either side of the sink, leaning down on it as she stared in the mirror. "I hate doing that," she muttered, grabbing her toothbrush and squirting a large glob of the mint-flavored toothpaste upon. While she vigorously scrubbed all traces of the bile out of her mouth, Squall stood behind her and rubbed his hand up and down her back.
"But you probably feel better now, don't you?" he asked, a small smile tugging at his lips as he looked over her shoulder to see the reflection of her face in the mirror.
Yuffie pulled the toothbrush out of her mouth, about to answer him, when the bathroom light flicked on above them. She muttered a quick prayer of thanks to whoever was listening and finished with her teeth. "Yes, I feel better for now, but it's going to come back. If not today, then tomorrow morning," she finally answered as she turned back around, yawning lightly as she did so.
"If I could, I'd be sick for you," Squall whispered, reaching down to grab her hand with his own and bring it to his lips, kissing the knuckle of each finger.
Rolling her eyes, the ninja leaned forward slightly and rested just her forehead against his chest, deeply breathing in his scent. "Yeah, you say that now," she mumbled into his shirts, lifting her arms to wrap around his chest. "But if you were sick, you'd probably be complaining constantly."
Squall gently grasped her waist, picking her up and setting her upon the bathroom counter so they were eye-level. "Just because I might have been a little hard to get along with when I had the virus a few weeks ago doesn't mean I'm always like that when I'm sick," he retorted, leaning his forehead against hers and staring into her eyes.
"Liar," the ninja mumbled sleepily, briefly closing her eyes. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before as she had been up late... just thinking... about everything. And then this morning, the nausea and cold had awakened her early. And then there was the fact that she was pregnant and that was making her tired. Overall, she was exhausted and she hadn't even done anything yet today.
Noticing that his ninja appeared to be falling asleep just sitting there, the swordsman scooped her up into his arms and carried her back down the hall to their room. He smiled when her arms automatically locked around his neck and she snuggled closer to him, her eyes still closed but a sleepy smile on her face. By the time they had reached the bedroom, Squall noticed that Yuffie's breathing had deepened and was even, signaling that she was already asleep. He slowly lowered her down onto the mattress, making sure the blankets covered her as the room had yet to warm up even with the electricity running again.
After leaning down to kiss her forehead, he turned to leave but stopped when he felt her hand grab his. "Stay with me?" Yuffie asked quietly, her eyes about halfway open and the lids slowly beginning to droop down once more.
"Of course," Squall murmured, sliding beneath the blankets and laying on his back.
Yuffie cuddled closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder and throwing one arm across his waist. "I don't deserve you," she muttered sleepily.
Bringing his arm up and around her back, he rested his hand upon her hip, squeezing it gently while his other hand moved to cover the one she had placed on his stomach. "You deserve so much better than me, Yuffie. So much better," he whispered, knowing she couldn't hear him as she was already asleep.
"Happy birthday to you," the rest of Hollow Bastion sang loudly and out of key as Yuffie sat at the dining room table, smiling at everyone and staring at the huge cake Aerith and Shera had made earlier in the day. Squall was standing right behind her chair, his hands resting on her shoulders and one of hers resting upon his.
Taking a deep breath, Yuffie managed to blow out all seventeen candles and started to slice the cake, cutting herself a hefty piece as she hadn't had much to eat that day. "You really didn't need to do this, guys," she told them, taking a bite of the chocolate cake and changing her mind when she tasted it. "But, then again, yeah... You really needed to do this."
Aerith laughed as she carried the multi-colored wrapped presents in from the other room and sat them on the table. "I'm glad you like it, Yuf. Shera and I had to go through countless recipes to find one we thought you'd like," she explained, passing a pink wrapped gift to the ninja.
"Like it? I love it!" Yuffie exclaimed, taking another bite of the cake to prove her point. She picked up the pink gift, knowing who it was from without looking at the tag since only Aerith would wrap something in pink. "From you, I presume?"
Smiling, Aerith nodded, gesturing towards the rather large box with her hands. "Just open it," she insisted, rolling her bright green eyes as she sat down next to Cloud and took a slice of cake for herself.
"Yuffie, before you do open it, let me warn you that Aerith insisted that we get it for you. I had no choice whatsoever in the matter," Cloud warned, stealing a bite from the flower girl's plate and ignoring her as she playfully tried to swat his fork away.
"Uh-oh," the ninja muttered, suddenly very aware of how many times her brunette friend would give her something completely useless for herself. She hesitantly opened the box and looked down to find it full of various bath oils and salts. Wondering when she would ever use those as she was never one to take long baths, Yuffie put on a bright smile for her friends. "Thank you so much, Aerith. I love them."
The pink-clad woman elbowed her blonde-haired love in the side, raising her eyebrows and glaring at him. "See? I told you she'd like it," Aerith told him, giving him the 'I told you so' look as she did so.
"Okay, okay... you win," Cloud muttered, rubbing his ribs where her elbow had connected. "Just don't hurt me anymore."
Aerith rolled her eyes and muttered a quick cure spell under her breath, directing it towards the blonde swordsman. "Better?"
"Much."
Cid pushed away from the wall, shaking his head sadly as he stared at the two couples sitting at the table. "Buncha wimps," he muttered as he picked up smaller box wrapped in blue paper and handed it to Yuffie. "This is from Shera and me."
Carefully unwrapping the paper, Yuffie was suddenly aware of Squall's breath on her ear as he kneeled behind her chair and placed his head on her shoulder. She turned her head suddenly and kissed his cheek, temporarily ignoring the gift in her hands. Just as she was about to whisper something to him, the Gummi pilot interrupted her.
"Just open the damn present, already," he hollered gruffly as he leaned against the wall once more, Shera standing next to him, who immediately slapped the back of his head. "Goddammit woman, what was that for?"
"I've told you, Cid, you need to watch your mouth," she answered as she once again hit him upside the head.
Sighing, Yuffie turned her attention back to the flat box in her hands, carefully taking the lid off of it. She let out a soft gasp when she saw what was inside it. Reaching in, she very gingerly pulled out one of the many gold-edged ninja stars within, holding it up and watching the light play off the surface. "It's beautiful," she whispered, finding herself at a loss for words. "Where in the world did you find them?"
"Shera and I made them," Cid muttered kind of shy-like, not used to his creations being awed over. Of course, most of the other things he had made had not been so decorative. That's where Shera's part came in.
"Thank you so much, guys," Yuffie murmured quietly, carefully placing the star back down with its brethren in the box. Putting the box down on the table with Aerith's gift, she turned back to Squall. "And what about you?" she asked playfully, not really caring if he gave her anything or not. Really, in her mind, he had already given her so much more than she had ever dreamed of having by just being there with her, by just loving her.
"Later, Yuffie. I'll give it to you later," he whispered, planting a kiss on her cheek before rising and taking a seat next to her at the table.
Snorting, Cid crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the two of them. "You already let her have it," he said suggestively, ducking as he saw Shera's hand coming towards his head once more. "Woman..."
Yuffie and Squall simply ignored him, going back to eating their cake. The next hour was spent in conversation as the six of them remembered past parties held within the Bastion walls... before the Heartless had eclipsed this world. As the sky darkened outside, Squall finally drew Yuffie away from the others and towards the doors leading to the small flower garden outside.
"Let's go outside for a little bit," Squall whispered, taking both her hands in his and pulling her towards the door.
Smiling, Yuffie nodded, but refused to walk any further. "Just let me get my coat first. It's kinda cold outside, you know," she told him, beginning to pull away to go upstairs and grab the heavy coat she kept in her room.
Squall shook his head, refusing to let her go. "I have a better idea," he murmured, releasing one hand to reach into the closet behind. He pulled out a long leather coat and held it out to her. "Happy birthday, Yuffie."
The ninja carefully took it in her hands, holding it up so she could examine it. On the back, there was a lion head, much like Squall's own griever. But, unlike his, the lion head was backed against a ninja star. Slipping it on, she quickly tied the belt around her waist and pulled Squall into a hug, her face in the crook of his neck. "I love it, Squall," she murmured against his skin. "And I love you."
Lowering his head, he gave her a quick chaste kiss on the cheek, whispering an 'I love you' back into her ear. He reluctantly let her go, holding her at arms length to get a better look at her in the jacket. He grimaced when saw the belt. "Sorry about it being belted. I made it before we knew you were pregnant," he began apologetically as he lowered his hands to her waist.
Yuffie shook her head, smiling as she did so. "No, I love it, Squall. Really, I do. And I don't even have to fake it like I did when Aerith gave me all those bath things." She rolled her eyes at the memory of all those bath oils still sitting in the dining room. "Gah... I don't know what I'm going to do with them," she muttered in exasperation.
"I think we can find a few uses for them, Yuf," the swordsmen told her, winking as he did so. He caught her hand as she lifted it to hit his chest, using it to pull her closer so she was pressed up against him so he could kiss her, starting at her mouth and working down her neck.
"I... I thought we were going outside," Yuffie gasped, trying not to make too many noises as he continued his assault on her throat.
Lifting his head from her throat, he smiled and nodded. "We are... just taking a little break before we do," he smirked, draping his arm over her shoulders as he led her once more to the door. He paused before opening it. "Are you sure you're warm enough?" he asked concernedly.
"Yes, Squall. I'll be fine," she reassured, leaning against his shoulder as they walked outside. She shivered a little when the cold night air washed over her, but with Squall's arm around her and his comforting warmth beside her, her shivers soon subsided.
"If you get too cold, tell me, Yuf. I don't want you to get sick right now," he insisted as they sat down upon the stone bench in the garden. He twisted around, bringing his legs up onto the bench and brought her in front of him, between his legs with her back against his chest while his arms wrapped around her front.
Sighing, Yuffie rested her hands on his legs, slowly running them up and down. "I love you so much, Squall," she whispered, feeling his grip tighten around her. Right now, in his arms, she felt like everything was perfect. Even being pregnant didn't seem like such a bad thing like it had earlier. After all, she'd be having his child, which made it seem right somehow, even if she was only seventeen. And he was being so sweet to her, making sure that she had everything she needed and doing anything she asked. It just seem so perfect. But, deep down, somewhere deep in her pessimistic side, she knew it was too good to last.
Author's Note: Finally... I've been working on that chapter all day and I think it's pretty much all fluff. But, I do so love the fluff. Anyways, give me a review, why doncha?