By Moony
Disclaimer: Screw it!
Chapter VI
Red stumbled down the stairs, slowly and hesitantly placing his feet before him, both arms gripping the railing tightly. His dark knuckles were a sickening shade of white and his bones hurt, but he refused to loosen his grip unless he was shifting to a lower part of the bar. His tunic – which he'd been unable to put on – hung from his mouth, clenched between his teeth as he struggled to get down to the lobby. He cast a glance to the base of the stairwell and suppressed a groan.
Two down, twelve more to go.
He clasped his eyes shut, trying to force his own determination, he heard a pathetic whimper rise up from his own throat. He tentatively split his lids again, and noticed Yuffie at the base of the stairs. Her brown eyes blinked up at him as she cocked an eyebrow, obviously torn between amusement, pity, and guilt at the sight of Red looking like a lost puppy standing awkwardly in the stairwell. Her bag was slung casually over one shoulder, and she held a small item in her right hand, though Red couldn't identify it from where he stood. Red carefully removed a hand from the banister and reached up to take the tunic from his mouth. He licked his lips, trying to get rid of the cottony taste.
"Yuffie. . ." he started, wanting to apologize. He knew she was responsible, but it wasn't the same thing as being to blame. She'd expected a brief transformation into an amphibian, and he knew she couldn't resist the mischief. He'd always liked her carefree nature, so he had no right to get angry for the reason he was friends with her in the first place. He opened his mouth to continue but remained speechless as he saw her run forward, leaving her bag behind her and thumping up the stairs. Numerous outcomes whizzed through his mind, and he braced himself for impact, believing she was going to punch him. The look in her eyes told him otherwise and he steadied himself instead for a hug, the horrified thought of falling occurring to him. He'd been on the receiving end of Yuffie's hugs only a few times, when she'd thrown her arms around his neck and giggled excitedly about her latest materialistic find. He'd been caught off his guard then, even when he'd had four steady paws to balance out the weight, and now he felt his heart thud in anticipation of the fall. He waited, watching Yuffie climb towards him, and caught his breath. Rather than going in for the kill, she stopped, abruptly, three steps away from him, her arms tight to her sides. His body relaxed a bit as he struggled to hide his disappointment. He'd been foolish to assume that Yuffie wasn't still angry with him for the way he'd snapped at her.
Red cast his eyes to the side, feeling ashamed of how he'd acted earlier, and again his thoughts turned to apologizing. He struggled to think of the right words when he felt her hand tentatively poke his arm, a warm point on his flesh. His head jerked upwards to see a wide grin resting on her face. He blinked, utterly confused as to what her emotional motivations were. She was as unpredictable as chaos, and it was starting to make him uncomfortable. He had no idea what would be the appropriate thing to do or say! Was she angry with him or not?
She tore him from his frustrated thoughts when she raised her hand, facing her open palm towards him. She held a silver, feather-lined hairpin, blue stones blinking up at him between the slashes of metal.
"It. . . fell out. . . when I. . ." she said, breaking off, "so I went back."
He stared, tentatively removing a hand from the banister to collect the hair clip in his grasp. He took a step downward, his arm outstretched, and his foot down to the stair below.
And missed.
It all happened so quickly, he barely had time to think of what to do. It took a moment before his usual cat-like reflexes kicked in, allowing him to react somewhat. He quickly put his foot down to even out his balance, but the momentum carried him onward. He watched helplessly as Yuffie nimbly stepped aside, then quickly reach out to grab his shoulders as he continued past her. Unfortunately, her grasp wasn't strong enough to support his weight, and her nails scratched marks across his shoulder blade as he continued to fall down the stairway. The ground rushed up to meet him and he felt the edge of the stairs shove against his chest, knocking the air out of him and forcing a grunt up from his throat. The pain shot through his body, his eyes closing reflexively as bright stars splashed across his lids. He felt a pair of hands force him onto his back and he gasped for breath, groaning periodically.
"Are you all right!" Yuffie's voice asked, and he took a few more deep gulps of air before he managed a nod.
"I hate this body," he grumbled. He carefully placed his hands against the stairs, turning his head and opening one eye a slit, noticing that only two more stairs separated him from the first floor of the inn. He growled under his breath, slowly rising to his feet and gathering his strength and balance using the banister. Yuffie held his arm supportively and silently handed him his hairpin. He accepted it, staring at it for a few moments before silently slipping it into his trouser pocket. He allowed Yuffie to help him down the remaining stairs, then turned to look at her, his eyes widening in shock.
He could see the top of her head. For someone who'd viewed the world from the knees up, this was a startling revelation. A slow grin spread across his face and Yuffie blinked, clueless.
"I don't get it, what's so funny?" She asked.
"I'm taller than you."
Her frown deepened and she looked him in the eyes for a moment, then stepped away. Her expression changed into a wry smirk, and she retrieved her bag, hanging it on her shoulder once more.
"Big talk for someone who just fell down the stairs. Need help getting dressed, Reddy?" She laughed, walking away and leaving Red standing alone with his tunic. He watched her head towards the counter and pay the concierge, and Red felt another growl rising up from his chest.
"I hate this body!" He roared.