Chapter Six
Maena Moonglow stood outside of the door to Cosmo Canyon's inn. Her heartbeat was racing at the speed of light. All she could think about was what was going on inside. Was Vincent being healed? Or had the damage done by the masked man been beyond repair?
"Maena..."
She looked up. Yuffie was staring at her. "What, Yuff?"
"Something weird is going on here."
"No! Really?" Maena rolled her eyes. "I'm so confused I can't even think—and you know me. I'm always thinking."
"Yeah, tell me about it." Yuffie gave Maena an almost shy grin. "We kinda make a good team, don't we? You're the brain and I'm the—the..." She shrugged. "I don't know what I am."
Maena gave her a crooked grin. "Sometimes you're the heart. And sometimes, you're the body."
Yuffie nodded, pleased with this idea. "Yeah. That's right!" She started jumping around in circles and batting at the air with her fists. "The bod! I love it! That's me! I'm a sexy mama, that's for sure!"
Cid and Shera approached them.
"Did the Turks go easily?" Maena asked quickly, her nerves still on edge. Yuffie was still doing her little dance behind Maena.
Cid nodded. "They don't like the brig much, but hey... at least we didn't dispose of them some other way." He eyed the door to the inn. "&%$. Sure is taking them a while."
Maena nodded nervously. "And this is all my fault," she said, her voice shaky. "Both times he got hurt—it was because of me."
Yuffie stopped her spinning and punching to peer at her friend closely. "It was his choice, you know," she said quietly, a moment of clarity and perception hitting her. "Vinny's different from other people. If he didn't like you at least a little bit, he wouldn't have done anything. He can be rather cold, ya know. Like ice." She peered even closer at Maena's face. "But not with you. I guess he thinks you're one hot tamale or something!"
"Hot tamale!?" Maena grinned.
"Yeah. You warm him up inside." Yuffie hugged herself dramatically.
Cid rolled his eyes at her theatrics.
Suddenly, the door burst open. Maena almost tripped in her rush to get to the door first.
There stood Nanaki.
"Nanaki!" Maena cried. "What--?"
Nanaki just looked at her with his deep eyes. Then he said slowly, "all of you, come with me."
They followed the red creature into the inn. He led them through the bar and up to the room with beds. He stopped at the door. "You can open it now," he called to the people inside.
A man in a white smock opened the door. There were splashes of blood on the front of his smock and on his gloved hands.
Maena gave a small gasp and felt her knees go weak. Immediately, Shera took one of her arms and Yuffie took the other. Maena swallowed, gathered up her courage, and went inside with her friends beside her.
Besides the man in the smock, there were two women and a man, dressed in white, obviously nurses or healers. And there, on one of the beds, lay Vincent. He was sleeping, his chest rising and falling evenly, its rhythm steady. He looked peaceful.
Maena sagged against Shera in relief.
Cid immediately stepped up to the man in the smock, obviously a doctor. "So... is he ready to travel?"
The doctor shook his head with a chuckle. "No. He's not ready. But he insists on it. The first thing he told me before we administered the pain- killing drug was that he wanted to leave as soon as the surgery was over."
"Sur—surgery?" Maena stammered.
The kindly doctor turned to her. "Yes. We had to remove the bullet, of course. And the shadow inside of him."
Yuffie shuddered. "Grossness," she muttered.
"The shadow? You had to... remove it?" Maena frowned.
The doctor nodded. "Yes. That took magic, not science. It was a combination of both that saved this young man. That and some strange strength deep within him." He looked at Maena, Yuffie, Shera, Nanaki, and Cid, frowning. "What is it that rests inside of him that gives him such strength?" he asked.
"Well, he was used in experimentation by Shinra a while back," Cid explained. "They put inside him the ability to change into a creature—a monster—when the need comes." He shrugged. "I don't know if there's any cure for it."
The doctor shook his head. "Nor do I. Perhaps I should study this and see if I can do anything about it."
Shera nodded. "Please do, doctor. It would help Vincent so much to be relieved of such a curse... and to become a normal man again..."
Always the mother, taking care of the rest of us, Maena thought. These last few days had shown her so much about her new companions.
Then, Vincent sat up. It was a slow movement, graceful, as always. He blinked rapidly. "Cid? Nanaki?" His reddish eyes settled on Maena. "Maena..." He looked down at himself. He was not wearing a shirt. His thin torso was swathed in bloody bandages. He felt a bit embarassed. Now Maena knew how thin he really was. He grimaced. Well, nothing could be done now.
Maena looked at him—hard. Whoa, she thought. Sexy--slim and muscular at the same time. She blushed. Stop looking at the man's body, you fool, she shouted inwardly. Look at his eyes.
That did it. Now she was trapped. She could now look at nothing BUT his eyes.
"I—I'm sorry..." she heard herself stutter. Dang it. I'm an IDIOT!
Vincent frowned. "Sorry?"
Everyone was looking at her. She could have dropped dead. "For—for being the cause of... well, making you have to...I mean..." She cleared her throat and bit her lip. "I'm sorry that you got hurt trying to help me—twice."
Vincent shrugged nonchalantly, elegantly. "I wasn't going to stand by and let them hurt you. It wasn't your fault—it was Thorn's. Thorn's and--!" Vincent's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. "I—I don't remember!" He frowned and looked down, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "Who—who WAS it?"
"It was some dude in a mask," Yuffie spoke up. "Looked kinda Goth to me. Dressed all in black and all that."
"But—but I KNEW him!" Vincent exclaimed.
Cid had known Vincent for a year and he had never seen him this flustered before. "Calm down, Vince," he said evenly. "I'm sure it'll come to ya."
"Yes," Nanaki agreed. "You've been through a lot just recently. The trauma probably erased it from your memory. It will come back to you soon, I'm sure."
Vincent frowned. He was very irritated. He KNEW that somehow, the identity of the masked man was crucial. He winced suddenly at the pain in his abdomen, his hands going to his wound.
"Lie down, Mr. Valentine," the doctor ordered, swiftly at his side. "Rest. You've had some rough encounters recently. You need to rest before you leave."
Vincent lay down slowly. "Cid, where are we going?" he asked.
Cid put his hands on his hips. "Well... we haven't discussed it yet, but I figured we'd all want to do the same thing."
Yuffie nodded vigorously. "Go after Thorn and kick his—!" She was interrupted by the look on Maena's face. She tugged on her friend's arm. "Maena? You okay?"
Maena was staring at the floor, just staring, her eyes wide. At Yuffie's tug, she looked up and shook her head violently, as if shaking away dreams. "I saw them—Thorn and the masked man. They are on an airship. And they're flying over the sea." She shook her head slowly. "I know where they are. How did I DO that?"
"Wow," said Yuffie and Shera.
"Amazing," said Nanaki.
"&%$!" said Cid.
Beautiful, thought Vincent, but he didn't say anything.
The doctor and the three nurses just stared at Maena.
There was silence for a moment.
"Well," Cid spoke up, "let's get the &% outta here and go after Thorn and Vincent's old buddy."
Old buddy. It was so ominous. Vincent shuddered.
The doctor shook his head. "First, he rests," he insisted.
"Okay, then. After he gets up from his nap, we head out!" Cid decreed. He saluted Vincent. "See ya, Vince!" He left the room with Shera on his arm, who gave Vincent a kind smile as she exited.
Yuffie gave Vincent a pat on the head, then began punching at the air. "We'll get those freaks who hurt my buddy! We'll tear their--!" One of the nurses gave Yuffie a horrified look, so she shut up, waved at Vincent sweetly, and ran full tilt out of the room.
Maena gently knelt by Vincent's bed and took his hand. "I'm so sorry," she whispered again, not really sure what else to say. She started to stand, but Vincent pulled her back down. She was fighting a blush. She was so close to him... to his chest, his mouth, his eyes. It was scary, almost. She felt a strange tingle run up her body. She wanted to run---and kiss him—at the same time.
"Good night, Maena," Vincent said softly. He smiled at her. Really smiled. He liked her this close, though even closer would be better...
"Good... night..." Maena couldn't help but smile.
Vincent nodded at her and released her hand.
That was all.
It relieved Maena, but greatly disappointed her, too. She stood. Then she walked out of the room.
Vincent watched her go, feeling strangely as if he'd left something important undone, as if he had let the shells slip through his fingers with the sand.
Maena Moonglow stood outside of the door to Cosmo Canyon's inn. Her heartbeat was racing at the speed of light. All she could think about was what was going on inside. Was Vincent being healed? Or had the damage done by the masked man been beyond repair?
"Maena..."
She looked up. Yuffie was staring at her. "What, Yuff?"
"Something weird is going on here."
"No! Really?" Maena rolled her eyes. "I'm so confused I can't even think—and you know me. I'm always thinking."
"Yeah, tell me about it." Yuffie gave Maena an almost shy grin. "We kinda make a good team, don't we? You're the brain and I'm the—the..." She shrugged. "I don't know what I am."
Maena gave her a crooked grin. "Sometimes you're the heart. And sometimes, you're the body."
Yuffie nodded, pleased with this idea. "Yeah. That's right!" She started jumping around in circles and batting at the air with her fists. "The bod! I love it! That's me! I'm a sexy mama, that's for sure!"
Cid and Shera approached them.
"Did the Turks go easily?" Maena asked quickly, her nerves still on edge. Yuffie was still doing her little dance behind Maena.
Cid nodded. "They don't like the brig much, but hey... at least we didn't dispose of them some other way." He eyed the door to the inn. "&%$. Sure is taking them a while."
Maena nodded nervously. "And this is all my fault," she said, her voice shaky. "Both times he got hurt—it was because of me."
Yuffie stopped her spinning and punching to peer at her friend closely. "It was his choice, you know," she said quietly, a moment of clarity and perception hitting her. "Vinny's different from other people. If he didn't like you at least a little bit, he wouldn't have done anything. He can be rather cold, ya know. Like ice." She peered even closer at Maena's face. "But not with you. I guess he thinks you're one hot tamale or something!"
"Hot tamale!?" Maena grinned.
"Yeah. You warm him up inside." Yuffie hugged herself dramatically.
Cid rolled his eyes at her theatrics.
Suddenly, the door burst open. Maena almost tripped in her rush to get to the door first.
There stood Nanaki.
"Nanaki!" Maena cried. "What--?"
Nanaki just looked at her with his deep eyes. Then he said slowly, "all of you, come with me."
They followed the red creature into the inn. He led them through the bar and up to the room with beds. He stopped at the door. "You can open it now," he called to the people inside.
A man in a white smock opened the door. There were splashes of blood on the front of his smock and on his gloved hands.
Maena gave a small gasp and felt her knees go weak. Immediately, Shera took one of her arms and Yuffie took the other. Maena swallowed, gathered up her courage, and went inside with her friends beside her.
Besides the man in the smock, there were two women and a man, dressed in white, obviously nurses or healers. And there, on one of the beds, lay Vincent. He was sleeping, his chest rising and falling evenly, its rhythm steady. He looked peaceful.
Maena sagged against Shera in relief.
Cid immediately stepped up to the man in the smock, obviously a doctor. "So... is he ready to travel?"
The doctor shook his head with a chuckle. "No. He's not ready. But he insists on it. The first thing he told me before we administered the pain- killing drug was that he wanted to leave as soon as the surgery was over."
"Sur—surgery?" Maena stammered.
The kindly doctor turned to her. "Yes. We had to remove the bullet, of course. And the shadow inside of him."
Yuffie shuddered. "Grossness," she muttered.
"The shadow? You had to... remove it?" Maena frowned.
The doctor nodded. "Yes. That took magic, not science. It was a combination of both that saved this young man. That and some strange strength deep within him." He looked at Maena, Yuffie, Shera, Nanaki, and Cid, frowning. "What is it that rests inside of him that gives him such strength?" he asked.
"Well, he was used in experimentation by Shinra a while back," Cid explained. "They put inside him the ability to change into a creature—a monster—when the need comes." He shrugged. "I don't know if there's any cure for it."
The doctor shook his head. "Nor do I. Perhaps I should study this and see if I can do anything about it."
Shera nodded. "Please do, doctor. It would help Vincent so much to be relieved of such a curse... and to become a normal man again..."
Always the mother, taking care of the rest of us, Maena thought. These last few days had shown her so much about her new companions.
Then, Vincent sat up. It was a slow movement, graceful, as always. He blinked rapidly. "Cid? Nanaki?" His reddish eyes settled on Maena. "Maena..." He looked down at himself. He was not wearing a shirt. His thin torso was swathed in bloody bandages. He felt a bit embarassed. Now Maena knew how thin he really was. He grimaced. Well, nothing could be done now.
Maena looked at him—hard. Whoa, she thought. Sexy--slim and muscular at the same time. She blushed. Stop looking at the man's body, you fool, she shouted inwardly. Look at his eyes.
That did it. Now she was trapped. She could now look at nothing BUT his eyes.
"I—I'm sorry..." she heard herself stutter. Dang it. I'm an IDIOT!
Vincent frowned. "Sorry?"
Everyone was looking at her. She could have dropped dead. "For—for being the cause of... well, making you have to...I mean..." She cleared her throat and bit her lip. "I'm sorry that you got hurt trying to help me—twice."
Vincent shrugged nonchalantly, elegantly. "I wasn't going to stand by and let them hurt you. It wasn't your fault—it was Thorn's. Thorn's and--!" Vincent's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. "I—I don't remember!" He frowned and looked down, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "Who—who WAS it?"
"It was some dude in a mask," Yuffie spoke up. "Looked kinda Goth to me. Dressed all in black and all that."
"But—but I KNEW him!" Vincent exclaimed.
Cid had known Vincent for a year and he had never seen him this flustered before. "Calm down, Vince," he said evenly. "I'm sure it'll come to ya."
"Yes," Nanaki agreed. "You've been through a lot just recently. The trauma probably erased it from your memory. It will come back to you soon, I'm sure."
Vincent frowned. He was very irritated. He KNEW that somehow, the identity of the masked man was crucial. He winced suddenly at the pain in his abdomen, his hands going to his wound.
"Lie down, Mr. Valentine," the doctor ordered, swiftly at his side. "Rest. You've had some rough encounters recently. You need to rest before you leave."
Vincent lay down slowly. "Cid, where are we going?" he asked.
Cid put his hands on his hips. "Well... we haven't discussed it yet, but I figured we'd all want to do the same thing."
Yuffie nodded vigorously. "Go after Thorn and kick his—!" She was interrupted by the look on Maena's face. She tugged on her friend's arm. "Maena? You okay?"
Maena was staring at the floor, just staring, her eyes wide. At Yuffie's tug, she looked up and shook her head violently, as if shaking away dreams. "I saw them—Thorn and the masked man. They are on an airship. And they're flying over the sea." She shook her head slowly. "I know where they are. How did I DO that?"
"Wow," said Yuffie and Shera.
"Amazing," said Nanaki.
"&%$!" said Cid.
Beautiful, thought Vincent, but he didn't say anything.
The doctor and the three nurses just stared at Maena.
There was silence for a moment.
"Well," Cid spoke up, "let's get the &% outta here and go after Thorn and Vincent's old buddy."
Old buddy. It was so ominous. Vincent shuddered.
The doctor shook his head. "First, he rests," he insisted.
"Okay, then. After he gets up from his nap, we head out!" Cid decreed. He saluted Vincent. "See ya, Vince!" He left the room with Shera on his arm, who gave Vincent a kind smile as she exited.
Yuffie gave Vincent a pat on the head, then began punching at the air. "We'll get those freaks who hurt my buddy! We'll tear their--!" One of the nurses gave Yuffie a horrified look, so she shut up, waved at Vincent sweetly, and ran full tilt out of the room.
Maena gently knelt by Vincent's bed and took his hand. "I'm so sorry," she whispered again, not really sure what else to say. She started to stand, but Vincent pulled her back down. She was fighting a blush. She was so close to him... to his chest, his mouth, his eyes. It was scary, almost. She felt a strange tingle run up her body. She wanted to run---and kiss him—at the same time.
"Good night, Maena," Vincent said softly. He smiled at her. Really smiled. He liked her this close, though even closer would be better...
"Good... night..." Maena couldn't help but smile.
Vincent nodded at her and released her hand.
That was all.
It relieved Maena, but greatly disappointed her, too. She stood. Then she walked out of the room.
Vincent watched her go, feeling strangely as if he'd left something important undone, as if he had let the shells slip through his fingers with the sand.