I awoke to the aroma of home-made soup. I loved Tifa's cooking, but the thought of eating made me want to be sick. I felt my stomach and felt several little stitch marks, Zack's stitches in a bottle hadn't been used this time, real stitches were holding my flesh from ripping apart. Again this made my stomach churn. What was this horrifying pain in my stomach? Aahhggh it felt like the shuriken was still lodged in there and was leaking into my core. I opened my eyes to survey myself, looking under the blankets I noticed I was still wearing my crop top, I had never moved to bras they're just so damn uncomfortable, and my bonds undies from last night. Who had undressed me? I hope it wasn't Cloud or Zack. Please oh please have been Tifa or Aeris?

"Aeris undressed you, Tifa stitched you up." Came the friendly voice of my best friend. When had he gotten here? He'd only messaged me last night on his way home.

"Vinnie." I somewhat squealed. "I missed you." I attempted to jump out of bed and throw my arms around him, but I was stopped by a ripping pain.
"Agghh" I cried. "Come here." A half-hearted smile found its way to my face. Thankfully he did as I asked bringing the covers up around my form and enveloping me in a friendly hug.

"I thought you were going to die idiot." He smiled one of his rare smiles, the ones that let you know there is a person under that cloak and facade of no emotions. "You need to be more careful, what would I do without you? You're my best friend." This was amazing for Vincent he said more than five words in a sentence. Things were changing around here.

"Just your best friend aii? So I guess I can stop being your councillor, training buddy, hiking buddy, wing man...wing woma..."

"Shut up Yuffie," he hadn't let me out of the hug yet, and as much as I loved it, it was beginning to hurt.

"Vinnie?"

"Hmm?"

"Ouch." He let go in an instant hoping that he hadn't hurt me too much.

"Are you okay?" I nodded, apart from the two holes in my side, I was, I was great, my best friend, and sort of crush had come home. For me.

I sat up and looked at the food. Only allowing the blanket to fall a centimetre or two before I reefed it back into place above my shoulders.

"Are you hungry Vinnie?" I really didn't want the food to go to waste simply because I didn't have the stomach for it. But Vincent didn't see it that way. He saw it the way I expected him to see it.

"Why aren't you eating Yuf? Please don't tell me you're starving yourself again?" Worry etched his features as I shook my head.

"No, I just don't think I could keep it down to be honest." I clutched the blanket closer to my body. "Can you help me? I umm." He looked at me suspiciously, obviously trying to guess the words that were going to fall from my lips, but whatever he guessed was wrong I could tell by the shock and embarrassment chiselled into his face. " Assist me in the bathroom?" It wasn't supposed to be erotic or sexual in any case, but I didn't want to fall asleep in the bath and drown, which seemed quite possible at the moment. Eventually he nodded. Leaving to go to the bathroom down the hall, I heard him turn the taps on and make his way back to my room.

"How would you like to do this Princess?" He hadn't called me that in a while, and I figured it was because he was unsure of his place in this event, he needed reassurance that he was simply helping me complete a task, I think.

"Umm I'll wrap myself up then can you help me hobble over there?" I grinned at him, my little girl grin, the one that says please I'll be your best friend forever.

"Sure." He turned around waited a minute or two then helped me up and over the threshold. Normally the bathroom was only a few seconds down the hall, but today it took almost ten minutes. Thank heavens Tifa had heard the taps running and turned them off before the bath over filled, she also helped Vince carry me to the bath.

I didn't end up taking off my undergarments, I figured if something went wrong and I needed saving I would like to keep some dignity. Vincent sat at the open bathroom door silently, waiting until he heard me land gracefully into the bath. An ungraceful moan left my body as the heat engulfed me, the water was divine after being left on the side of the road in the dirt, then sleeping still covered in the said dirt. He turned and looked directly at me as the moan escaped me. "Are you okay?" He asked, a slight blush rose to his cheeks as he realised it wasn't produced because of pain. He did his best to hide his embarrassment behind his cloak's collar, he was of the belief men shouldn't display their emotions, especially if they weren't related to bravery or attack.

"Better than okay. This feels like heaven." Another moan escaped me.' He is going to think your some crazy flirting machine Yuffie.' I growled to myself 'Control yourself woman.'

"So what happened Yuf?" His voice lingered on my name, he seemed to be savouring each and every piece like he'd never be allowed to say it again. I'd obviously scared him.

"I was attacked?" My response came as a question, I thought it was quite obvious what had happened.

"Really?" He commented sarcastically.

"Hmm." I confirmed

"By whom?"

"Hijacker."

"Do you know who they were?"

"Hmm."

"YUFFIE." he snapped, "Who was it?" His tone shocked me making me jump and bash my wound against the side of the bath.

"Vinnie... I... I feel..." I began to cough back sobs.

"Who was it Yuf I know you know who it is." He sighed "Why won't you tell me?"

"Urrrggglll." I gurgled.

"Yuf... Shit... TIFA..., shit shit shit... TIFA HELP."

Blood oozed from my mouth, the thick red liquid ran down my chest and into the bath water. I panicked, not that you could tell as my bloody body fell limp into the water.