The Sparrow Sings
Chapter Eight
"Stop that!"
"I can do this if I want too," Yuffie replied indignantly, jumping on the bed, her head coming dangerously close to the ceiling. "It won't be my problem if their bed breaks."
"Yes it will. I'm not paying for your damage."
"I'll just tell them that they should apologize to you 'cause their beds can't hold up your fatness."
"More like your fatness," he replied, trying to put his socks on while Yuffie's weight was making him bounce around the bed.
"I'm not fat!" she replied, giving one last jump before letting herself fall down onto the bed clumsily. "I think I'm pretty hot."
"I think you're a lot of things…" Squall replied, finally getting his final sock on now that the bed had stopped shaking.
Yuffie scowled, standing up and ducking her head under the bed as if she were looking for something. "I hope that doesn't mean what I think it means," she said, her voice muffled. "Ah-hah!"
She surfaced from under the bed, grasping her shoes and waving them triumphantly in the air. "I found them."
"I'll be waiting with the others in the lobby," Squall said as if he hadn't heard her, pulling on his coat (which he had finally pulled out from his suitcase).
Yuffie gave a little yelp and grabbed his arm, pulling him back as he started towards the door. "Wait, wait for me! I just have to put on my shoes and my coat and my hat and my gloves and I'll be ready."
He sighed, obviously exasperated, and leaned against the door, his arms crossed across his chest, watching her impatiently. She seemed to be taking her grand old time, pulling on her shoes while humming to herself as if she had never wanted to do anything more than put on those shoes. It took her even longer to put on her coat, as she continued to complain that the zipper just wouldn't zip up the right way.
"Can we just go?" he finally said as she was checking her hat for lint.
"But I'm not ready yet."
"You were ready five minutes ago."
"I was not, I just so happened to be putting on my gloves five minutes ago."
"Odd how putting on gloves for most people takes less than five seconds but you took five minutes. I guess you're just special like that."
Yuffie stomped her foot. "Shut up already! Just because I like to take my time on things and you have to rush through them as if there's an earthquake—!"
She stopped in mid-sentence, grinning broadly, as she had finally fixed her hat to her liking. "See, that's right, we can go now. That wasn't so bad, huh?"
He tactfully chose to not reply to this sentence.
"I'll race you," Yuffie chattered as they reached the fork between the elevator and the stairs. "I'll bet I can make it downstairs quicker than you if I take the elevator."
"Try it."
Without wasting another breath, Yuffie skipped over to the elevator and pressed the button. The elevator opened with a ding and she stepped inside, pressing the 'close' button with a slight wave to Squall before he disappeared from view.
Teetering on her heels and the tips of her toes, whistling and twiddling her thumbs patiently, she rocked back and forth, watching the floors light up as they went down, down, down to the lobby on the first floor.
Finally, the door opened with the final ding. She rushed outside wildly, looking around for Squall, seeing the stairs in view. Staring up at the banister, she noticed through the wooden slots that Squall was practically still at the top, walking like he was an old man with a bad back.
"What? You didn't even try to make it down here," she complained as he reached the bottom.
"I never said I was actually going to race you," he replied with a shrug, his eyes scanning the lobby and stopping when he noticed Cloud and the others waiting by the door, looking hot in their warm clothes and impatient.
"Geez, what were you two doing up there?" Cloud asked, nudging Squall.
"Not what you are thinking," he replied, glaring at Yuffie. She shrugged.
"I was getting ready!" she insisted, trying to look innocent.
"Well, the slopes opened a half hour ago, and I really wanted to get there early before it became crowded," Cloud said with a sigh, rubbing his face.
"We'll get there quick enough," she sighed, rolling her eyes, giving Cloud a little shove towards the doorway. The small group walked begrudgingly towards the slopes, slowed down by the mass of coat that was layered onto their bodies.
Yuffie walked slightly behind the group, slowed even more because she was still extremely fascinated with the snow. How did it stay so soft and fluffy and sparkly? She walked in a path that was not trodden down by others getting to the slopes, and instead, dragged her feet, making a fresh one.
Kairi and Aerith dropped back from the group and fell in step with her.
"So what did happen last night?" Kairi asked, smiling a little.
"What do you mean what happened? Nothing is going to happen between us. I told you. We're just friends," Yuffie replied in an exasperated tone.
"That's not what I see. You're always throwing little glances over to him, looking him up and down…" Aerith said, trailing off, a glint in her eye.
"You guys seriously need to get over yourselves."
"You know, I'm actually kind of surprised at you, Yuffie. In about two weeks the deal's off. You get the money," Aerith mused, shaking her head. "And you're not cracking."
Yuffie shrugged. "He's… he's actually a great guy. He's not as cool as he seems. He just puts up a front."
"Wow. You should write a book on it. 'The Secret Mind of Squall Leonhart,'" Kairi said with a giggle.
Yuffie couldn't help herself, and laughed along with her. But, she felt protective of Squall, now. He was hers. She hated to admit it, but she didn't want anyone else to know about him or get close to him. Was she being selfish, wanting him all to herself? It was just, she felt as though they had a special connection, especially after he told her about his parents. That meant something to her, and she knew he didn't go talking about it to just anyone.
"Hey guys, stop gossiping and get your asses over here. We're getting our skis and don't come crying to me if everyone's got theirs and you have to wait," Riku said, standing at a small building with a woman behind an open window.
The woman threw Riku a withering look. "How dare you talk to those poor, young ladies like that! That is the most inconsiderate thing I've ever hear anyone say in a long while! You can go back to the end of the line and wait your turn…again."
His jaw gaping, he turned around to look at the long, long line that had gathered at the building with the hold up. The people in line stared back, though their faces were either scolding or laughing.
Muttering a few curses and throwing a glare over his shoulder to the girls, he walked to the end of the line, his arms crossed defiantly.
Yuffie rolled her eyes and took Riku's place. The woman, in turn, smiled at her. "Just fill out this little card and hand it to the man in that building to your right. He'll find the right pair for you."
Yuffie nodded and took the card, filling it out at the window. Why did they need this information? Height, weight, shoe size…? What, was there an especially strong ski pair for fat people?
She smiled and walked over to the building, leaving Kairi and Aerith behind and running through the thick snow to catch up with Squall, Leon, and Sora. She got in line with them, her breath coming in pants. "I got my ticket!"
She followed them into the building, waiting a short time in line. They handed the man their cards and he motioned for them to follow him. From a back room, he pulled out four sets of skis and handed one of the pairs to her.
"Here you go, now, will you need some explanation or are you advanced?" he asked.
"Advanced," Yuffie said quickly. How hard could skiing on two long sticks be, anyway? It would be a snap. Squall gave her a look of surprise, but said nothing.
They left the building, carrying their skis and leaning over while outside, putting them on.
"I didn't know you skied before," Squall said once they were outside.
"Oh, I didn't. But it'll be so easy."
"Whatever you say. There are different levels of hills. The hardest is the black diamond," he said, pointing to the map of the slopes that was posted to the building, "and the green are the bunny slopes. Anything in the middle is medium difficulty."
"I can definitely do the black diamond," Yuffie replied, grinning, having finished setting up her skis. "Now, can you keep up with me?"
"I've been doing this since I was seven, Yuffie. I've been on the black diamond for years, now."
Yuffie was the one surprised now. "You never told me!"
"You never asked."
She rolled her eyes. "Still."
"Hey, are you two done talking? We're going to the blue circle slopes," Cloud said, waving at Kairi and Aerith, who had just gotten their skis. "Hey guys, you're doing the blue circle slopes, too, right?"
Aerith nodded, glancing at Kairi, who gave her a look of approval. "Yes."
"Great. You guys are doing the black diamond ones, right?" Cloud said, snickering at Yuffie, as if he knew something she didn't. She replied by sticking her tongue out.
"Yes," she said firmly, grabbing Squall's arm and pulling him towards the ski lifts. "So let's go."
"I hope you know what you're up against, Yuffie. People I know that have gone on these have gotten seriously hurt."
"I'll be fine," she replied mechanically, throwing a glance over her shoulder, watching the oncoming, empty ski lift with uneasiness. "I think finding a way to jump onto this thing will be harder."
She needn't have worried. The ski lift rammed into her upper thighs, pushing her right back into the seat, making her nearly fall over onto Squall, who had easily jumped on. She screamed loudly, throwing her arms over his neck. How had they gotten so high? They had barely been on for three seconds!
"SQUALL! OH MY GOD! WE'RE GOING TO DIE! THERE IS NO DAMN RESTRAINT! WE'RE GOING TO FALL OFF!" she screeched, intense dizziness passing over her. She moaned, half crying, the ground looking very high up from her point of view. "SOMEONE! HELP!"
"Yuffie!" Squall yelled over her, grabbing her shoulders firmly. "Settle down. You're shaking the lift. Do you really want to fall off, because in a minute we both will."
"Please, please, please, get me off, get me OFF. I said GET ME OFF GOD DAMNIT!"
Squall looked around him uneasily. "Yuffie, people are staring. We're almost there. Just settle down, okay?"
She sobbed, grabbing his hand and squeezing it as hard as we could. "I…can't…help it…" she rasped, her free hand trying to cover her mouth.
"Look, here we are. We're at the top of the hill," Squall said, pulling her and jumping off the lift, supporting her weight almost entirely. She collapsed onto the ground, clutching her chest and rolling around in the snow.
"I thought I was going to die!" she gasped, standing up, her face flushed and her pants coated with snow.
"Don't do that ever again," he growled. "I wouldn't have taken you on the lift if I knew you would throw a fit."
She bit her lip. "…Sorry."
"Well, are you ready?"
She looked down, another dizzy wave passing over her. She grabbed his arm again, as if she would fall over. "This… this isn't the hill? This is… this is a mountain," she choked, staring at the rocky, snow covered area, which was covered with numerous bumps that she assumed were for getting air.
"This is it. This is the biggest mountain here," he said, the corners of his lips twitching. "Sure you don't want those bunny slopes?"
Immediately, she sobered up. "Of course I'm sure!"
Squall slid behind her, grabbing her arms, standing maybe too close for comfort. His warmth was radiating off onto her.
"I… I don't need you to hold me up," she said faintly, leaning back into him.
"I don't trust you on this path," he said simply, keeping a firm grip on her. "I'll just hold you up until we're started off, then let you go.
"Sounds good." She positioned herself just before the steep inclination, giving Squall a shaky smile. "O-On three okay? One… two…"
She stared down, watching a few of the others go down, expertly weaving their way around trees and large rocks. Oh God, she was really going to die.
"… three," she whispered.
She pushed off at the same time Squall did, fear pulsing through each and every one of her veins. Even with him holding her up, she lost her balance and went toppling down the slope, screaming and covering her face with her arms. The air and snow stung her eyes, blinding her to a point where she almost couldn't make out Squall's arms around her.
"Now?" Squall called.
"NOW!" Yuffie repeated wildly.
He misinterpreted her disbelieving 'now!' for a 'now!' and let her go. She fell backwards, falling over and toppling down the hill in somersault motions, a long scream making its way to her throat.
"Shit," she heard behind her, her eyes squeezed tightly, praying she didn't hit that large rock she had seen earlier. She opened them slightly, then screamed again, seeing she had swerved off the path and was about to hit a ditch, head on.
She fell over the crevice and straight into the ditch, hitting her head on an unidentifiable object. Darkness faded over her, her eyelids fluttering until they eventually closed all the way.
When she opened them again, Squall was leaning over her, his features blurry, but she could still recognize the fear hidden deep within the depths of his eyes.
She blinked tears out of her eyes until her vision cleared, though she could feel the familiar trickle of water go down the side of her cheek. "Ow. I think I'm ready for the bunny slopes now."
"Are you okay? Damnit, I told you you weren't ready!" he said, sounding angry, pulling off his coat, and then his T-shirt.
"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, sitting up, her head throbbing.
"Using this to tie around your head," he replied grimly, tearing off a piece of his T-shirt with his teeth, his bare chest starting to grow red in the cold.
"My head? And Squall, you are still recovering from being sick, should you really…" she trailed off when she put a hand to her head, feeling a warm, sticky substance that ran all the way down her cheek. So it hadn't been tears.
She studied her hand, which was now covered with crimson blood. She glanced around her confused, then spotted a snow covered, jagged rock sticking out of the white powder. "Oh…"
"I told you," he repeated, putting his coat back on, minus the T-shirt, and tying a strip of it onto her head. She took it off.
"I don't want that thing on my head. I'll leave proud and bloody, thanks," she said, trying to stand up but she realized she still had her skis on as she fell over.
"Hold on," he muttered, standing up, holding his shirt balled up in his fist. He pulled off her skis, and she noticed his were off and set down next to him.
"Why are we taking them off?" she asked, puzzled.
"One," he said, extending his hand to pull her up, which she took gratefully, "I don't think we'll be skiing for a little while. And two, we need to climb out of this ditch."
She blushed, thoroughly embarrassed that she had thought she could ski. Who was she kidding?
"How did you get down here?"
"I took off my skis and jumped down," he replied, picking up both pairs of skis and carefully setting one foot into the snow. As soon as he had, he realized the snow was too powdery and the ditch too steep to make it up there.
"I think we're stuck here," he said dully, sinking back onto the ground. Until someone finds us, that is."
"Oh no. Squall, we're going to freeze to death!" she gasped, wrapping her arms around herself and hugging herself close. "I'll never get to say sorry to Riku! I'll never be able to make fun of Sora! I won't get to tell my mom that I lied to her about throwing my stuffed animals out!"
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "We won't freeze to death."
She crawled over to him and sat. "I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have said that I was a good skier when I wasn't. Otherwise, we wouldn't be stuck here."
"Whatever," he replied. She groaned.
"I hate it when you say that," she said, leaning her back against the side of the ditch.
He didn't reply, only closed his eyes and brought his knee up to his chest and draped one arm casually across it. She muffled her giggles at how odd he looked. It was as if he had fallen asleep in his position.
With a long, drawn out (and unneeded) sigh, she laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes as well.
"Yuffie… Yuffie… Squall…hey!" yelled a distant voice. Blearily, she raised her eyes and looked up, trying to make out the figures above her in the darkness of the night. What had happened? Was it dark already? How long had they been there together?
"You're going to be okay!" the man called, lowering himself down with a rope, the other three men holding it steadily. "You first, Yuffie."
She yawned, not really taking in the situation thoroughly. "How do you know my name…?"
He chuckled. "Maybe because you're the only girl reported missing when some witnesses informed us of seeing a half crazed girl go flying into a ditch. Then they mentioned another missing man. Now grab on to me."
Yuffie took hold of the man, looking down at Squall, who was only just waking up. He looked at her without registering where they were, the haze of sleep still bleary in his eyes. She felt herself being pulled up, up… higher, until she was on the ground. Maybe not hard ground, not firm ground, but soft snowy ground, better than being stuck in a ditch.
Not soon after, the man had Squall out of the ditch, who was looking absolutely chilled without his shirt. She touched her head, feeling the cloth sticky with her blood. She shuddered, but not from the cold.
"I'm sorry, Squall," she said sincerely, putting her hand in his. He squeezed it lightly back, and she smiled.
I'm like so sorry! I know I haven't updated in forever. And sorry to cut the chapter short. I actually meant to make it much, much longer, but I got a new computer in my room (yay!) and this chapter was sitting unfinished on this computer. So I decided to finish it up so I could work on the other one in my room. Again, I am so sorry… I've kind of been on hiatus. Hopefully, I won't be for long.
Please review, even if it is to yell at me!