This one is a bit long, and it starts the serious part of the story... credits are the same as the other chapters... this has a thwarted rape scene in it, if you are easily startled by that, then don't read between the lines. It's not that bad, but I like to be cautious anyway. Enjoy!
The door to the waiting room opened, and a doctor in a white coat emerged, his scrubs already discarded, but the cap was still in place and the mask was hanging from his ear. The group turned to look at him, hope shinning in their eyes. The young man looked tired, but his face didn't hold a grave expression, which was a good thing. "I'm Doctor Lincemen, I assume you are at least part of Avalanche?"
Vincent stood and walked up to him, "We are, how is Yuffie?"
"Well, she made it through the surgery, however it's still touch and go. If we were under better circumstances, I'd give her a blood transfusion and that would greatly help… however…" The man trailed of, sighing a bit, "With the terrorism and the huge amount of people that were hurt… well our blood supplies weren't very good to begin with. We have no O negative, or A negative, the two types she could have. If we could find a donator…" The doctor's gaze went over the young woman's friends, and they all shook their head. "I'm AB," Cloud said softly, and Tifa sighed… "B over here."
Nanaki made a sound that said it was rather obvious with him and Cid scratched his head. "I think I'm B too…" The doctor looked to Vincent, since he was the only one that hadn't said anything. "I am the proper type, but I am mako infused."
"She may not survive, and the amount of mako in the blood will be negligible. Are you willing?"
The gunman frowned, worried that somehow his tainted blood would condemn Yuffie to a fait worse then death, but he remembered his promise. He'd been a fool to make such a light promise, considering it had happened less then two days after their talk.
Yuffie was dying, and Vincent alone could save her. This was the whole reason he'd asked her that question during that silly game of hers… Can I add her death to the long list of sins, when I actually can prevent it? "Does she need it immediately? Perhaps Barret or Reeve has the proper type?"
Cloud walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "We know you're worried about Chaos… but it's just a small amount of blood, and the doctor already said that there was nothing to worry about."
The crimson gunslinger frowned, "He does not know the nature of my physiology."
Lincemen cleared his throat, "we will treat her for mako poisoning immediately after… that should kill what little amount of contamination there will be… if you want to save your friend…"
Vincent cut him for with a sharp glare, "she means more to me then you could ever imagine; that is why I hesitate to taint her with my blood." He took a breath and unclasped his cloak, quickly changing shirts so they could easily get to his arm. "What do you need me to do?"
18 hours earlier…
Vincent sat down on the bed, he was tired and rather sore, the high jinks two hours earlier had taken a toll on his nerves. He'd managed to shower, though the maid at the Inn had taken his clothes to be laundered, leaving him with nothing but the black robe the hospitality service had left. The gunman's messy hair was still wet and in knots, but he was too distracted by everything that had happened to care about petty things like that.
There was a knock on the door and he looked over, wondering who it was, but he got up and went to answer it. His muscles protested the movement, but he forced himself onward. The knock came again and he quickly pulled the portal open, spying Yuffie on the other side. She grinned at him, clad in the same robe he was, though the garment was quite large on the diminutive ninja, the material was sliding off her ivory shoulder. Vincent found his eyes drifting to the curve where her shoulder met her neck, and he felt that unmistakable pull to hold her, and kiss that beautiful skin.
Yuffie made a clicking sound with her tongue, "Can I come in, or are you going to stare at me all day?" The gunslinger blinked and moved, allowing her admittance. The ninja sauntered in and shut the door behind her, then turned and looked at Vincent, smiling prettily. "So… you're without clothes too huh?" He nodded and watched her walk over to his bed and plop down. "You're bed is much more comfortable then mine is," The forward girl lay down and bent one of her legs, letting the fabric fall away. He glanced down at her thigh, it was the one that she'd injured the day before, and it still looked like it hurt. The gunman went over to his pack and got the first aid stuff out of it, and went over to the bed. "That cut could get infected." He slipped down to the bed and sat so he could bandage her up, though his eyes couldn't help this time but to travel up to her hip, which was barely hidden by the thick terry cloth. The supplies came out of their box, one by one, as the rather frustrated man focused on the task at hand, rather then what Yuffie would look like under him, without the robe. Vincent diligently went to his task, putting new bandages and gauze over the cut, trying not to let his fingers linger too long on the delicate, soft skin of her inner leg. When he was finished, he tried to put attention to cleaning up the mess when he felt silky fingertips run along his jaw line, clear to his chin in an almost beckoning way. He got up to put the medical supplies away, knowing if he didn't distance himself, he wouldn't be able to resist her.
"Vince," the vixen whispered, her voice like a siren, melting even his iron will. It was Yuffie, the woman he found he loved more then anything. She was real to him, not some long, tragic fairytale stained in the blood of innocence… no she was a companion, and a confidant. Yuffie was his ninja, the one he could not live without, and she was calling him to bed. The nymph of a girl was holding her hand out, but the look on her face struck him. The gunslinger expected her to be annoyed, or impatient, but she wasn't. What he saw on her face was complete and total acceptance and understanding. He started back toward the bed and took her hand gently, and she guided him to the bed. He laid down next to her, placing his claw on her hip when she turned over to face him. "How long has it been, since you were with a woman?"
"Thirty five years…" He whispered softly, the look on his face was calm, but inside he was so nervous he could hardly stand it. He could look death in the face and not flinch, he could battle and kill and not have one butterfly take flight in his gut, but one tiny ninja with big gray eyes and creamy skin could send his insides into an utter turmoil.
"The last person you were with? She was it… wasn't she?" It was obvious Yuffie was afraid to say her name, not wanting to upset him, but he just rubbed her softly with his thumb and nodded, "Lucrecia… soon after that, she… left me."
The tone that was barely perceptible in his voice broke her heart, they'd given themselves to each other… then she'd done that to him? It was unforgivable, and the ninja wanted to make sure he knew, it would not happen again. "I know I don't have her beauty, and I'm sure she was graceful and sweet… probably the complete opposite of me… but that's a good thing you know."
Vincent blinked, not expecting something like that to come out of her mouth, feeling a bit awkward that they were discussing such a delicate subject so close to making love themselves. Yuffie flashed him a captivating grin and leaned in to kiss him softly. "Of course silly, if I'm her complete opposite, that means I won't leave you… you can be sure now, see?" The sides of his mouth turned up slightly, her logic was completely flawed, but at that moment, he just didn't care. That silly statement allied his fears more then any other could… once they gave themselves to each other, she wasn't going to up and break his heart.
The gunslinger gently rolled her on her back, moving between her legs and brushed his lips against hers. "You won't leave me…"
"I won't," she whispered back to him, the feeling of his lips brushing against hers, coupled with his mint-y fresh breath, was nearly more then she could stand. She wanted to reach up and touch those lips, but she refrained. There would be plenty of time to touch them later.
"I'm never going to let another man touch you again…" He captured her lips in a hungry kiss before she could answer, but for Yuffie, that was fine… she didn't intend on that ever happening again either. Her arms snaked around his neck and pulled him closer, meeting his passion with fire of her own. Vincent was about to slip his hand under her robe when the floor shuddered. He broke the kiss and frowned a bit, "What was that?"
"I dunno, but who cares…" There was another shudder then a huge explosion rocked the entire place. Plaster flicked off the ceiling and drifted into the air, and the would-be lovers were apart in a moment, grabbing shoes and pulling robes closed. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. They could hear screams in the hall outside the room, Vincent grabbed Shattered and started out the door, then turned to Yuffie, "Go get your shuriken, I'll keep watch." She nodded and ran across the hall, the lights were flickering on and off and there were people running all over the place. A maid ran by, carrying their clothes, but he knew they didn't have time to change, so he grabbed the parcel and tossed it into his room, then questioned the girl on the situation.
"A bomb sir," the blond said in a shaky voice, "Wonder Square is gone… they blew the support beams and it fell, taking out most of Speed Square in the process!" Vincent blinked and let the girl go, just as Yuffie came out, bearing her Valentine. The gunman turned his gaze on his beloved, "Someone blew up Wonder Square."
Her stormy eyes got as big as saucers at that news, "What? No… Barret was taking Marlene and Elmyra there!" He nodded swiftly and grabbed her hand, running out of the inn. All the people staying there were outside, most of them panicked and trying to get out, but the tubes weren't working. A hotel worker, by the looks of him he was the manager, stood outside the tombstones and held his hands up. "Everyone please, calm down. One of the generators is down as well, one they get it up, we can leave in an orderly fashion." They caught sight of the red haired man that tried to kill them before, and they both knew the danger everyone was in. More then likely he was still hunting them, he'd probably staged this whole catastrophe to fish them out, and now he was going to try and kill the couple, and more then likely, take a bunch of people with them. The saviors had to get away…
Vincent looked back at Yuffie, he had an idea, it wasn't a smart one, but it was all they had. "Get on my back," he said softly, and the ninja nodded, jumping on so he could catch her, piggy back style. He ran for the open chutes and jumped in the one heading for Chocobo Square. The normal air that buffeted the fall was gone, but after they plummeted for a few yards, the gunman could see the bottom coming up. His claw whipped out, grabbing a handful of metal as he went, which tore free under the wait, but the resistance slowed them, then with a teeth rattling jar, they stopped 2 feet from the end. Yuffie heard Vincent's shoulder pop, and his hand let go, sending them into a heap at the bottom of the tube. Yuffie got herself disentangled from Vincent, and they could hear more screams and yells, cries for help and sobbing, all coming from the place they were trying to get to. She helped her battered lover sit up, his arm was obviously dislocated, but he got to his feet and had his gun in his hand, the claw hanging uselessly at his side. "We have to keep moving," he said, his voice just as calm and cool as it had been before the jump, but Yuffie nodded. "Right, we have to find Barret."
Vincent winced a bit and looked at her, "We have to admit that they might..."
Yuffie cut him off, "Don't even say it, come on, we're going to find them, and they are going to be alright… you'll see." She jumped out of the tube and looked around. It seemed all hell was braking loose everywhere, everyone was running around, there were people injured, some people lying broken because they were going through the chutes when they explosion happened. The duo ran up the stairs, as others were running out, a large group caught Yuffie in them and she was unable to get herself disentangled, an Vincent didn't seem to notice, probably thinking she was right with him.
The mob of frightened people turned a corner, and she knew she was in real trouble when a pair of large hands grabbed her and pulled her back into an employee access chute. She kicked, bit, tried to stab him with her shuriken, but he was strong… we're talking Cloud strong… and he knocked her weapon away. The assailant pressed her against the wall and put a knife to her tender throat. "Make one squeak, and I'll slit your throat. We're going to take you and the rest of Avalanche out, you bloody turn coats, first you fought Shinra, and then you work with them? We're going to attack every town with an interest in you, and it will all be your fault…" The guy holding her was older, probably Cid's age, with a nasty burn scar on the side of his face. His eyes though… they were glowing with mako! It looked like this guy had gone through the same thing Cloud had, been made into a Soldier, First Class. He might have been attractive at one point, but the horrific scar marred him so badly, he was nearly unrecognizable. The terrorist looked over her with a hungry look, and he gave her a twisted smile. "Hm, I never thought you'd be this cute in person… and wearing hardly anything… one wonders how more men don't force you into things…"
His free hand moved under her robe to roughtly grabs her breast while he pressed the knife to her skin, causing a cut and a gasp of pain. The guy was obviously trained, just by the angle of the weapon, she could tell that she couldn't do anything and not slit her own throat. The ninja squeezed her eyes shut, chanting a prayer to Leviathan over and over in her head. Oh Gawd, please let Vinny find me… oh please, oh please, oh please…
The nasty man had her robe completely undone now, and was going for her nether regions when she heard a click.
"Yuffie, close your eyes and turn your head." The ninja's heart leapt in her chest at they sound of Vincent's voice, and before the aroused man could even register what was going on, the girl had complied and the gunman pulled his trigger. Once, twice… three times the gun fired, Yuffie felt herself get splashed with something hot and sticky, but she didn't open her eyes nor turn her head. The gun fired again… three more times in fact before she got the courage to see what was happening. Vincent stood there, his robed chest heaving in strain from the pain in his arm, his red eyes glowing an eerie yellow, Shattered pointed to the mutilated corpse a few yards away from her. Damn… that guy was pressed against me; the force of the shot sent him way over there? Vincent shot the body again, and the ninja moved, placing a hand on her lover's chest, "I'm alright…"
The gunman was trembling, obviously trying to fight the Galien Beast from appearing, his teeth were clenched, the muscle in his jaw extended angrily. In that moment, Vincent Valentine was probably the scariest guy she'd ever seen. She wasn't afraid though, No… never of him… and she reached up to caress his tense face. "He touched you… he would have…" His pained words stuck in his throat, unable to even finish the sentence.
"He's dead Love… he's dead… I'm ok…" The man's heart felt to her like it was about to beat out of his muscular chest, but he lowered the gun and turned his face to her. He grimaced at seeing her covered in blood, though luckily, most of it was not her own, but her slim, curvy body was uncovered, and he quickly put his gun down to help her cover herself, but instead he found her pressed against him, sobbing on his uninjured shoulder. "I was so scared… how did you find me?"
"I just knew that you were in trouble… I turned around and you weren't next to me, then I could just tell were you were… then it all stopped." Yuffie looked down at their weapons and remembered the effect her new materia had. "I think it was Eros Vincent… but come on, let's go find Barret."
Yuffie made sure she was decent again, then both got their weapons and they headed down the employee hatch this time… the stairs were dark, but they needed to get to Barret.