It has been a couple of days since Zack stitched me up, the wound is feeling much better, contrary to the teasing. The image of Vincent on my phone has caused countless amounts of teasing sessions and childish "Vincent and Yuffie sitting in a tree". To my great embarrassment Zack told Cloud about the photo, and he has joined in on the teasing marathon. The only thing I'm grateful for is that Vincent has been hiking for the last few days and hasn't been here to witness all this ridiculous torture. I don't think I could face the man if he had of been here and I'm sure both Zack and Cloud would be dead if he heard any of it.
I'm out at the moment, on a bus travelling to who knows where. I needed some breathing space, away from Zack and Cloud's teasing, and Tifa's sickening motherly tone trying to find out what the teasing was all about. I'm sure the boys will tell her soon and all hell will break loose.
"He's so much older than you."
"Much more life experience."
"Does he even like you back?"
I can hear it now, the questioning, the monotonous judging tone from Sid and his condescending theories on my life. Oh if only he knew the truth about my life. He'd have his theories rearranged and possibly a little respect would be given to my twenty three year old life.
The bus jerked to a stop. "Sorry guys, having some engine troubles, we'll be back on the road soon okay?" The old bus driver spoke in a wispy stutter. It was almost like he had suffered emphysema at one point in his life and he had drugged himself up on strepsils trying to release the husky tone. I stared out the window and looked up at the Shinra building. My oh my it looks ugly, I can't believe how many people work there, live there and thrive there. Oh well at least I'm not involved, I just wait tables at Tifa's bar earning measly money as well as minimal tips. Oh well it got me on this bus did it not?
I looked at my phone, a message, from Vincent.
"My, my that's odd." I whispered, mainly to myself.
It read "Finished hiking, on my way home. See you soon friend."
That damn 'f' word. It broke my heart every time he used it. It was like a shot to the heart with a bullet he aimed and fired at me. I hoped this little travel could get my mind off him, maybe meet a really handsome young man, marry him and take him home to my father and collect all that I left behind when I ran away. If only my father didn't try to marry me off to some old creep.
I messaged back.
"Nice to hear from you stranger. Fulfilling my wanderlust might catch you when I get back. Love Yuf x" hopefully that wasn't too obvious. I'd always been aware of what I said and how it was said. A trick I learnt living at home. If you wanted something there was always a better and nicer way of saying it.
Although, my efforts were put to wasted when "K." was the only answer I received.
A sudden shock rattled through the bus, alerting me to the hooded figure standing at the entrance of the bus. I slid to the floor hiding behind the chair in front of me, digging crazily through my back pack for the shuriken that I always carried with me.
"HANDS UP!" He shrieked an overly familiar voice rattled me. I know him. However I didn't get time to reflect on his voice as a harsh hand grasped my hair and yanked me from the floor. I heard a young mother scream at the sight. I just winced, this would be another bruise to add to my collection.
"Let me go." I demanded shakily. "Let me go, or else..."
"Or else what little lady? You'll hit me with one of these?" He'd snatched a shuriken from my hand and speared the corner into my abdomen. Almost in the same place that Zack had gotten me a few days earlier.
"You bastard." I winced.
"No, but if you don't fulfil your duty, yours will be dead." His grin made me sick to my stomach, he twisted the blade as he carried me out of the bus and dropped me on the hard gravel road.
"Drive old man." He demanded the emphysema man, gun pointed to his head, trigger ready. The bus driver gave me the most apologetic look as he shut the door and drove away. Leaving me to die on the old road. The gravel dug itself harshly into my face and any other exposed skin it could find.
"Bastard. Damn, good for nothing bastard." I sobbed into my sleeve. The white long sleeve shirt now covered in gravel and blood, my wound stung like a thousand tiny needles piercing my reddening skin.
I rolled onto my back brushing gravel from my face and pulling my shirt higher around my waist inspecting the new battle wound. "Damn he cut me deep." The shuriken was still wedged in my flesh, millimetres from my previous wound. "Bastard."
I felt my body pressing deeper into the gravel my hands resting behind my head to relieve the pressure on my skull. Trucks whirled past my lifeless body. They probably thought I was some poor road kill animal. I guess in a sense I was. I laid pathetically on the gravel gutter waiting, for what? I wasn't sure, maybe death.
At one point a bike whirled passed me. A familiar scent wafted out of the exhaust. "Cloud?" It screeched to a stop causing what appeared to be tire marks on the road. It reversed and parked by me.
"Shit, are you okay?" He hadn't recognised me yet, thankfully. "Here I'll call an ambulance." I shook my head. The darkness of the night and the gravel still digging craters into my face was working in my favour, he still didn't know me.
"No, hospitals." He knew me now, my voice was definitely recognisable, and my demand was a signature saying, I'm sure he's heard me say at least a thousand times. Damn it.
"Yuffie?" Gasping he lifted me from the ground and moved me to his bike, leaning my back against it so I could sit upright. "Shit, who did this to you?" He took off his jumper and shirt. Wrapping the shirt around my bleeding abdomen like a set of bandages, he managed to wrap it around me almost twice before tying it in a knot.
"Your shirt will be ruined." I hissed. The pain was much sharper than Zack's accidental injury.
"Don't change the topic Yuf." He tightened the shirt hoping it would stop the bleeding, since he knew there was no way I would go to a hospital.
"Who did this to you?"
"Was on a bus, man jumped on, and cut me." He knew I was lying, but it was more than he'd usually get from me so he let it slide, just this once.
"I'm not going to remove that here" he pointed to the four edged blade "it could get infected and I don't have anything to sterilise it, okay?" I nodded in response. "Good. Now take a deep breath." I followed his instruction as he hastily lifted me onto the bike. "You okay Yuf?" Again I nodded, pain etched into my features making me look ten years my senior.
I would have thought the scene was almost erotic. Apart from the blade digging further into my wound, and the rushed panic he was experiencing. But it seemed erotic. A shirtless man, a sexy shirtless man, had me pressed into his chest as he rode me home. My knight in... No armour. My face flushed red. Why am I thinking about my best friend's man like this? I shook the thought from my mind and rested my head in the centre of the handle bars. This by far, is the most uncomfortable position I've ever laid in. Head down, tummy up, bum resting firmly in the crotch of a man, a man I see as a brother.
"Yuf, don't fall asleep on me okay, just a little further to go and we'll be there okay? Just be grateful that you hadn't managed to get that bus all that far away."
This was a worthless request however, I had already fallen asleep.