Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square-Enix and Disney, you get the drill...
A/N: This story is pretty fun to write, but I'm not sure how much longer it's going to be. I was getting really bored with the scenery, so all that is going to change, too. Thank you chibified kitsunes, for this story's first review! It's good to know that someone is reading this and enjoying it! I actually updated much sooner because of your review.
Warnings this chapter: fluff, annoying meddling friends, and yup, more bloody violence.
Chapter 5
Yuffie bounced around her apartment happily, throwing things onto her bed. Random bits of clothing or equipment, snacks, magazines, video games. Whatever she thought she would need. She stopped to inspect the damage done to her already messy apartment and sighed. She really couldn't believe that he was going to take her on a vacation! And better than that, he had kissed her! Yuffie Kisaragi is dateless no more! She pumped her fists in the air.
"What are you doing?" Tifa asked from the doorway, suppressing a laugh. It looked like the ninja had gotten in a fight with her apartment and won.
"Packing!" Yuffie screeched, leaping at the martial artist and giving her a big hug.
"Packing? For what?" Tifa asked, confused.
"Riku said he would take me on a vacation! He said we could go whenever I wanted, so I asked him if we could leave in the morning, and he agreed!" She bounced in a circle.
"Since when have you two been such good friends?" Cloud appeared behind Tifa in the doorway and scowled at the idea.
"Since he kissed me while we were taking a walk." She stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm not a little kid anymore, Cloud! I can date whoever I want!"
Cloud mumbled something darkly but Tifa elbowed him in the ribs. "Would you prefer Leon? At least she's happy, look at her!" She whispered threateningly in his ear.
"Well anyway, I think you should go talk to Leon." Tifa said, stepping further into the room to see what Yuffie was packing.
"Why? What does he want? To yell at me for going insane?" Yuffie spat. She stomped on a shirt and pretended it was his face.
Tifa almost laughed, almost. "Actually, he's been really upset about this. He's felt really guilty about that mission to the Maw, and I think you should go talk to him." She stated, crossing her arms. "And you're not insane." She added.
"I'll think about it." Yuffie muttered, pulling a huge duffel bag out from under her bed. Tifa watched her warily and sat down on the bed. She noticed Cloud still glaring at them from the doorway and motioned for him to leave. He closed the door rather violently behind him.
"Are you sure it's such a good idea to take a vacation right now? I mean, what if something happens and you need help?" She blurted it out, but decided it needed to be said.
Yuffie stopped what she was doing and stared down at the floor. "I'll be fine, Riku will be there." She said quietly. To be honest, she had thought a lot about her 'condition', and had decided that she's going to have nightmares in her own room, or somewhere else, so she might as well try to enjoy herself. Tifa sighed.
"If it's what you want. Here, I picked them up for you." She handed Yuffie a new bottle of pills with a prescription. "Just be careful, try not to get yourself worked up." She hugged Yuffie before turning to leave. She gave the ninja one last worried glance before shoving Cloud out of her way and disappearing through the door.
xxxxxxx
All she heard was the soft clicking of her boots on the hard, stone floor. She couldn't see anything, but she knew she was in a cave. She felt along the wall as she moved forward. There had to be an exit somewhere, and she was determined to find it. This really didn't seem like the kind of place she would want to be lost in. The rock surface under her hand was rough and jagged, dipping in and out of her reach and making her stumble to find it again. Several times during her search she thought she heard talking, or footsteps, or even breathing right behind her, but her calls were unanswered and the moment she turned the sounds stopped.
She kept going, slipping as the ground began to slope downward. She felt a ragged breath on the back of her neck and spun around, fear gripping her. She could see anything, but assumed whatever it was had vanished. She stood there for a moment, listening to the soft, distant echoes around the cave. The sounds faded briefly, and she turned to continue.
Stepping forward bravely, the ground had disappeared and Yuffie found herself tumbling down a rough cave slope. She cried out in pain and she scraped her bare arms and legs on the harsh stone. Stars exploded in her line of sight as her head collided with the floor.
Yuffie laid there for several minutes, panting and clenching her teeth in pain. She felt warm blood running down the side of her leg and knew she must have scraped it pretty badly. She sat up, squinting around the cavern in the hopes that there was an exit nearby.
There was a dim light up ahead of her, and she scrambled to her feet and rushed forward. She felt her way around a corner and crept forward quietly. She didn't see or hear anything, so she moved forward and noticed a small torch nailed to the wall. She stared at in curiosity.
'Lost?'
She jumped backwards and yelped in surprise. A small girl was standing not too far in front of her, wearing a huge coat and scarf, which obscured most of her face. The first thing Yuffie noticed about her was her eyes, they were missing. There was blood coursing from the black holes, and Yuffie's voice caught in her throat as she tried to respond. Before she could really think of what to say, the girl pointed.
'You want to end up like one of them..?' The voice was angry, threatening her. Yuffie turned to look where the girl was pointing and screamed in horror.
The cave up ahead had vines hanging from the walls and ceilings, concealing the tunnel behind it. The torch shone on the tunnel entrance, lighting up the horrific scene ahead. Mangled and broken body parts dangled from the vines and littered the floor. Blood ran from the tunnel entrance to pool at the ninja's feet. It was obvious that the owners of these body parts had fought wildly to keep them, and had definitely failed. Yuffie's eyes widened in terror as she realized what she was seeing. Heads lay scattered among the assortment of horror, blank eyes staring at her. She wanted to scream, but her voice wasn't responding. She clawed at her throat but to no avail.
Something behind the curtain of death moved, a deep, resonating growl echoing around the cavern.
Yuffie didn't stay to see what would emerge, she turned and fell, throwing herself to her feet again and dashing back into the cavern. She ran headlong down the cavern path, slamming herself around corners and feeling her way along the cave desperately. She was in darkness again and couldn't see where she was going. Adrenaline pumped through her body as panic rose up in her, making her run recklessly through the cave. She turned to try and see if anything was following her and slammed into a sharp wall.
A light flashed in her eyes and she held a hand to her head in pain. She felt blood matting her hair and tried to stand. A breathy groan behind her made her stop and shiver in fear. She turned to look, but couldn't see a thing. Yuffie knew it was there, though, staring straight at her. She could feel its breath on her face and the foul stench of death filled her senses.
Yuffie's wild scream echoed through the cave as the creature tore into her.
xxxxxxx
Yuffie jolted out of bed, tangling herself in her blankets as she fell to the floor with a strangled cry. She laid there panting and staring at the ceiling. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she was soaked with sweat, she held a hand to her forehead and tried to relax. The tears continued to flow, however.
"This is ridiculous.. What's happening to me?" She whimpered softly to the darkness around her. She sat up and glanced at the clock, 1:40 a.m. She looked around her room and shuddered in fear.
'Great, now I'll be up all night.' She thought sadly, curling her knees up to her chest. She put her head against her knees and cried.
After a few minutes trying to calm down, she threw her clothes on and walked out the door. The last place she wanted to be was in her cave-like apartment, she'd sleep outside if she had to. She walked along the silent streets of Hollow Bastian, staring up at the starry sky. The chill wind whistled through her hair and she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. The only sound she could hear was the chirp of crickets and the thudding of her footsteps on the street. She sighed sadly and leaned on a nearby wall. 'I wish Riku was here…'
She thought for a minute, then looked around her. Where was his apartment anyway? She couldn't have been too far away. She kept walking for several blocks then took a right. She came to a long building and gazed up at it. There was a line of doors and she walked down until she found number 117. She stood there contemplating her actions for a moment, then bravely reached forward and tried the doorknob.
'Brave boy..' she thought, it was unlocked.
She eased the door open and peered inside, praying that it was the right place. She had been here once before, but she was terrible about directions. Leaning inside she noticed a familiar pair of shoes set next to the entrance carpet and sighed in relief. She slipped inside quietly and closed the door. She took her boots off and set them gently beside his shoes.
She padded softly through the house, amazed at how clean it was. Riku must have been a neat freak. And she noticed he had a pretty comfortable living condition, he could afford all this by himself? She couldn't believe that the item shop was paying that well.
It wasn't hard to find his room, and she was thankful that he actually slept with the door open. Sneaking inside, she crept up to his bed and looked down at him happily. She didn't know what it was about him, but he made her feel so safe. She silently lifted up the covers and slipped into bed next to him. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but for some reason she didn't feel awkward about it. He shifted slightly but didn't wake up, so she smiled to herself and snuggled up to him. He mumbled something and threw his arm over her in his sleep.
xxxxxxx
Bright sunlight filtered into the room through the blinds, giving it a warm glow as Riku opened his eyes. He noticed immediately that he wasn't alone, and stared down at the girl sleeping soundly beside him. Wait, soundly? He leaned closer and listened to her breathing. It was even and calm, she wasn't sweating in fear, and she even seemed to have a blissful expression on her face. When did she get here anyway? He watched her curiously, and laid down again. He wrapped his arm around her protectively. She rolled over and buried her face in his chest, making him smile. She brought her arms up to her chest and dug her fingernails into his bare skin. He ran his fingers through her soft hair and she sighed happily.
The sudden attention woke her up, and Yuffie opened her eyes slowly and looked up at him. She blushed darkly as he gave her a questioning look.
"I was lonely…" She whispered. He nodded, "It's okay." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and she smiled again.
"Can we go now? Please?" She asked softly, her grey eyes pleading with him. He gazed down at her sadly, she must have had another nightmare. He was glad she had come to him instead of hiding in her room and suffering.
"Yeah, just let me get cleaned up and we can go." He hugged her before climbing out of bed.
"Want some breakfast?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at her as he stretched. She nodded enthusiastically. He started to leave the room when she spoke up again.
"Can I use your shower?" She groaned, tugging on her hair. He laughed and pointed down the hall.
"Towels are in the cupboard."
xxxxxxx
Yuffie shook her wet hair happily, sending drops of water all over the sparkling clean bathroom. She finished getting dressed and brushed her hair, whistling as she bounced out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. She plopped herself down at the table and looked at Riku expectantly.
He gave her a warm smile and set a plate of food in front of her. "I'll be back in a couple minutes, I'm still not ready to go." She thanked him and dug into her breakfast. They must have been the best eggs and bacon she had ever eaten. Of course, she had been missing quite a few meals recently, she was probably starving to death.
By the time Riku had finished getting ready for the day and had returned to the kitchen, Yuffie had taken it upon herself to clean up after breakfast. He stared at her in surprise as she scrubbed at the countertop ruthlessly.
"I thought you were anti-clean." he said suspiciously. She gave him a dirty look.
"Go finish packing if you're just going to pick on me for helping!" She whined playfully, hitting the wall next to his head with a sponge. He dodged out of the room yelling something about a deadly ninja sponge and she ran after him.
She barreled into his room and he leapt to the side as she almost collided with his chest. The force of her leap sent her tumbling over the bed and she landed in a heap against the wall.
Riku laughed, "Yuffie, you're such a kid!" He turned to start pulling perfectly folded clothing out of his dresser and shoving it in a duffel bag.
Yuffie pouted. "You can't call me a kid, I'm older than you!" She stuck out her tongue and he hit her in the face with a sock.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked quickly, trying to divert her attention away from punishing him.
She paused, "Kind of. I wasn't really sure what to take and then Tifa was giving me crap about leaving in my time of need or something."
Riku turned and looked at her sadly. "Personally, I think there's something weird about all of this, and I have a feeling that this trip will help me figure out what. I'm not ignoring that you need help, I'm trying to find a way to help you that actually works. Honestly, I think them giving you pills is a load of shit." He said seriously.
His words made Yuffie want to cry and scream, it hurt to know that he knew she was going crazy. But then again, it felt really good to know that he knew she was going crazy and wanted to be with her anyway. She wasn't sure how she should feel about it.
She crawled up on the bed and watched him finish packing. As soon as he was done he moved over to her and took her hand. He leaned down and kissed her, and she knew that no matter what, he was going to be there at her side. He lead her out of the room and down the hall. They slipped their shows back on without a word and he opened the door for her. He dropped his bag on the doorstep and took his keys out of his pocket, locking the door behind him. He turned to look at her again, taking her hand and picking his duffel bag up. They walked down the road towards Yuffie's apartment.
xxxxxxx
"Hey! Cid! We're here, is the ship ready?" Riku called to the gummi builder as they entered the hangar, still holding hands.
Yuffie gazed up at the ceiling high above them, it had been a long time since she had been in here. It smelled weird, like oil and cigarette, probably not the best or safest combination, but that was Cid for you. She looked up ahead and her heart fell. Leon.
He was standing there talking to Cid, Tifa, and Aerith, and was still as a statue when they saw the two approaching. She noticed with interest that Leon's face darkened when he looked down at their linked hands.
"Yuffie! Why didn't you come talk to us last night?" He said sharply "I was worried…"Riku squeezed her hand protectively.
"Why? You never cared before, besides, you would have just told me I couldn't go!" She said sharper than she had intended. Leon was taken aback.
"Yuffie, this is serious! You have a problem that needs attention, you can't just go off on some adventure! You could get hurt or worse!" he said somberly.
"If something happens Riku might not be able to take care of you. We're just worried Yuffie, it's like you think this is just a joke!" Tifa interjected, stepping forward with her hands clasped almost pleadingly.
"This is something I want to do, problem or not! I've accepted the risks, and I know what I'm doing! Besides, if something does happen, none of you know what to do about it any better that Riku does! All you'd do is shove some pills down my throat and give it a couple days! We're going, and that's that!" Yuffie moved forward toward the gummi ship Cid had prepared for them. The pilot himself stood in front of it, looking down at the two and chewing on the harassed end of a cigarette.
"Cid! You can't seriously be thinking about letting them take the gummi ship and leave!" Tifa cried helplessly.
The cigarette drifted over to the other corner of his mouth. "Fuck it. I say let the kids go if they wanna go. I always thought Yuffie was a little crazy, but this whole thing has made her a bit more responsible as far as I see it. 'sides, I always liked Riku." He tossed the boy the keys to the gummi and moved aside for them.
Yuffie waved to her friends and dashed on board. She tossed her bag into an empty seat. Riku followed right behind her and sat down in the pilot's chair. They waved from the cockpit as the ship fired up and they prepared to leave. Aerith waved and smiled warmly, Tifa waved halfheartedly, and Leon gave them all a dark glare before stomping out of the hangar.
"You ready for this?" Riku asked, flashing Yuffie a grin. She shouted enthusiastically and jumped into a seat. Tifa watched with worry as the gummi ship ascended up over the town and disappeared in the clear morning sky.
End of Chapter 5