By Moony
Disclaimer: I do not own any parts of Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters, and am writing this story for entertainment purposes only.
Chapter III
Red opened his eyes a crack, trying to save himself from the blind spots he knew he'd gain if he rose too soon. He'd heard a knock at the door, a loud rapping of knuckles against wood, and he found himself, again, wondering why he was in a bed, before everything came rushing back to him. He sat up, burying his face in his hands and blinking back tears. It hadn't been a dream at all. Hot liquid threatened to swell over onto his cheeks and he shook his head, panting as he tried to regain himself. He was so immersed in his own self-pity that the person had to knock another three times before he called for them to come in, his voice muffled.
It was Yuffie who entered, carrying a tray and a package in her arms. Her face was flushed as she struggled to balance everything, nearly dropping the load. Red watched her in stunned silence for a moment before realizing that it would be prudent to help the girl, and he started to rise to his feet, but she shook her head quickly.
"No!" She shouted, while dancing under the armful of things she carried. She finally rested the tray on the counter and put the package on the wooden chair next to it as her face grew even redder.
"You're not wearing anything under that." She gestured to the blanket, and he felt his own face grow warm at the revelation. He'd forgotten that humans had this strange sense of modesty, but he didn't spare much thought towards it as the even-stranger sensation of blushing was more fascinating. Yuffie shook her head, exasperated.
"Don't be embarrassed, it was only a mistake," she said.
"But what did I have on when you were pulling me out of the reactor?" His question was merely posed out of curiosity, but again he noticed the scarlet flare up on her face.
"Nevermind!" She squeaked, hastily grabbing the package and ripping the brown paper to reveal a pile of folded, black cloth.
"This is for you," she said, handing him the contents of the parcel. She then pointed towards the tray.
"That's some food. There's a bathroom down the hall, and I'll be waiting downstairs when you're ready to get a move on. Cloud and Cid have gone ahead to Midgar. They're gonna ask Reeve what to do about you." She shrugged as if it was just another boring trip to convince a town that they didn't need their Mako reactor, then walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Red was so overwhelmed by all that she'd said that he couldn't afford to be angry at her nonchalant attitude towards his suffering.
He rose from the bed, and immediately found himself back where he started when he lost his balance and fell backwards.
"How can they stand to be so far from the ground with so little support?"He muttered, bitterly, in a tone of voice that sounded a bit like a growl. He grinned despite himself and tested his vocal chords. It was a bit pathetic and raspy, but the human growl as made pretty much the same way as his usual one, and he decided to use it as much as possible. After a few more tries - or a few more excuses to growl - Red finally managed to walk towards the tray, studying the things he'd been offered.
"Ugh. Human food," he growled. There wasn't a single bone or piece of raw meat, but his stomach ached. He ignored the spoon, clumsily picking up the bowl and using his hands to shovel the meat and vegetable stew into his mouth with a bit of difficulty. It was a strange way to chew, but he got it down and it left him feeling satisfied when he'd finished the whole bowl. The meat was a bit overcooked, but not too bad. He heard his stomach rumble, and he knew he wanted more, so he walked towards the door, hoping to snag another bowl from the kitchens. He stopped when he approached the solid wood that stood between him and the hallway, eyeing the golden knob. He reached his hand towards it, grasped it, and turned it strangely, his wrist twisting painfully. He winced, but pulled the door open, noticing a chambermaid cleaning the hallway beyond.
"Excuse me, but could you--"
He wasn't able to finish his sentence as the women turned a brilliant shade of red, emitting a meek shriek before she took off down the hall. Red stared after her in shock as Yuffie came running up the stairs, a distressed look on her face.
"Red!" She shouted, shielding her eyes, "The clothes!"
Red paled, realizing what he'd forgotten, and turned back into his room, slamming the door. He attempted to run back to his bed, but his feet were still getting used to the walking and he tripped, falling face-first into a bundle of blankets. He bit the covers in his teeth, screaming in frustration, and pounded his fist against the bed.
There was a knock at the door, but Red ignored it, sliding back down onto the floor.
". . . Red? Y'all right?" Yuffie's voice was muffled by the door, but he could make out the slightly worried tone.
"Go away," he said, feeling tears stream down his face.
"Red?"
"I said go away!" He leapt up, screaming at the top of his lungs, before falling back down again. "I'm not all right, Yuffie, I'm human! It's your fault!" He leaned against the side of the bed, panting, as he waited for her response. He wanted her to get angry. He wanted her to yell at him so that he could say he hated her and never wanted to see her again. But she didn't. He waited, silently, for any sign of her fury, but after a moment, her footsteps faded, going down the hall. His face twisted into some other disgustingly human expression, and he shrieked again, burying his face in the blankets and sobbing.