Oh. My. Gawd.
a fanfic by Chauncey Chu
Author's Notes: I know the first half of the first chapter wasn't that interesting and fulfilling but I hope the rest of it will. I know Vincent wouldn't really take off his shirt in that case, but just go with it for my sake, okay? :D Thanks. I need to take time to apologize for the swearing in this part. It's intended to put more impact to the plot. Er...I can't explain it well. Anyway, here's the second chapter. Please, read and review.
Chapter 2: It Can't Get Any Worse Than This
Around five o'clock in the afternoon, Cloud heaved his exhausted body unto the steps of the bar. He carefully placed a large box down and nearly crushed the end of his fingers by doing so. Taking a deep breath, he weakly pushed the door open until it was ajar.
"What the heck happened in here?"
Tables and chairs were knocked down all over the place. Shattered glass painted the wooden flooring with a glistening crystal hue, contrasting the dark liquid, most probably beer, spilled across the floor. Cloud quickly scanned the area. Fear was pulling him into a state of panic.
"Tifa."
The footsteps of his metal boots echoed in the eerie room. The pieces of glass crunched as he stepped on them.
"Tifa?"
Silence.
"Tifa..."
No response.
"Tifa!"
Cloud rushed to the stairs. On the third step, his foot slipped on a ragged cloth and made him fall back down. Nursing his knee, he angrily looked for the cause of his misfortune. He nabbed it from his shoe and gave it a few seconds of observation. The cloth had a deep crimson dye.
"Vincent."
He looked up once more and saw a familiar set of boots sprawled on the fifth step. They were brown and lower-than-knee in length. They looked somewhat familiar. Cloud's mouth slightly dropped open when he remembered who the boots belonged to.
"Yuffie too?"
Mako eyes blazing green with seriousness, Cloud spun on his heel and headed to the kitchen. His nervous legs took him there faster than he could imagine. He threw the door open. His eyes widened at what he saw. On the sink was a certain female's glove, drenched in blood. Pacing slowly, he observed the glove for a minute. Instead of calming himself, his mind starting spitting out conspiracy theories that only worsened his fear. A few steps to the right was Cid's cigarette box. Cloud was completely sure it belonged to Cid. It had no markings of ownership, but his instinct could tell.
"Oh my God. Don't tell me..."
Before Cloud let himself drown in worries and anxiety, he went back to Seventh Heaven's exit to finish an urgent matter. He opened the door frantically and immediately looked down, expecting to see a large box. His jaw dropped. The brand new air-conditioner was gone.
"Fuck."
Vincent groaned in pain. His hand grasped the white sheets as a sharp object pierced his abdomen. The twinge faltered soon enough. Three figures entered the room and approached him, their silhouettes turning into clear images as the distance between him and them decreased.
"You alright, Vinnie?" a voice inquired.
Vision blurry, he forced a nod as his eyes tried to focus on the person. The young lady took his hand in hers gave him a tight squeeze. He could feel her care and gratitude through her touch. Another female spoke. "I'm sorry for what happened. I should have taken responsibility." Vincent nodded again. He heard a simple grunt that contained so much more meaning than ordinary people would think it had. It came from a gruff man on the far left. Vincent winced as the door suddenly slammed open, the sound reverberating in his ear like thunder. "What happened to ya, foo'?" He almost smirked at the statement and use of language. He knew well who it was without even looking at the dark man with a gun as a hand.
"He'll be fine within a day or so. I've already given him a vaccine that should counteract the infection, if it would occur," the doctor told the four guests. Yuffie kept her eyes fixed on Vincent. He eventually regained full vision. He drearily shifted his head and looked back at her. He then glanced around and found himself binded by white. He was in a hospital. As his headache cleared, the events unfolded in his mind like a flashback.
Earlier that day, at Seventh Heaven...
"What's your problem?" a muscular man wearing a sleeveless top questioned, displaying unstained arrogance.
"What's your problem?" the man from the other table asked back.
The two men abruptly rose from their seats and walked to each other, fighting the first round of the brawl with their eyes. They stood face to face and glared at one another. The muscular lad withdrew and stepped back. However, the other man took it as an advantage and threw the first punch. Chaos ensued. The fighting grew larger as more people joined in, messing up the whole bar. Tifa was in too much panic to respond. Cid was nowhere to be found, possibly included in the fight. Having no other choice, Yuffie lunged into the ruckus and tried to stop the havoc. She did the first thing that came to her mind, which was extremely rash and irrational. Yuffie stepped up to the man who threw the first punch and kicked him up between his legs and punched the other one. The low-blow sent the man wriggling in pain on the floor. But, the punch was useless against the hulking other.
"What was that for, chick?!" the tall man questioned angrily.
"If you want to fight, take it outside dumbass!" Yuffie answered.
"Who do you think you are to talk like that, huh?"
The man weakly pushed Yuffie. The 'weak' push forced her stumbling a few feet away. Craving challenges, Yuffie clenched her fist and dashed forward to attack. A split-second before impact, she noticed that the man had unveiled a knife from his back pocket. It was too late. She closed her eyes in fear of pain. The crowd grew silent as time idly passed. Not feeling any pain, Yuffie snapped open her eyes. A raven-haired man stood in front of her. A red substance dripped down on the floor between his feet. Blood. Vincent took the stab for her.
The man with the knife took a quick step backwards and dropped the knife. Afraid, he ran out of the bar and dragged the whole mass of customers with him. Tifa ran to Vincent's side while Yuffie moved to his front to look at him. He first fell on his knees, then on the floor. The wound was pretty deep, and the stabbing motion was long and jagged – combining into a deadly attack. Cid came down from the stairs and had an idea of what happened. As fast as they could, they brought Vincent to the hospital.
"Vincent?"
Vincent blinked. Yuffie's voice had helped him out of his trance. He raised his eyebrows, giving her all his attention. He also became aware that everyone else had left the room.
"Is there anything I can get you? Water? Food?" Her eyes were naked with concern. Her eyebrows were slanted, forming a steep arch. Though laden with sorrow, she looked pretty. Vincent mentally reprimanded himself and dismissed the thought. He concluded that the vaccine had made him not only feel funny, but also think funny.
Vincent shook his head. "Thank you."
"Are you sure? Don't you want-"
"No." He was already content with her concern for him. It, Vincent had forced to think, was another effect of the vaccine.
Yuffie nodded, uncertain if she should accept his answer. She sat down on the side of his bed and just looked at him. She sighed and shook her head afterwards. "You're stupid, you know that?"
"...?"
"You shouldn't have stolen my spotlight. I could've kicked those suckers butts all the way to Wutai." She pouted cutely and folded her arms across her chest.
Vincent smirked. "Of course."
She shifted back to a worry state from her cheerful one. "Rest well, 'kay Vinnie?" She patted his head lightly and pranced out of the room. The room suddenly felt like an empty void without her. With only the rhythmic ticking of the clock to stop him from being consumed by the sheer tranquility of the white cube he was locked in, Vincent's eyes closed as he was slowly dragged into suspended consciousness.
Tifa, Yuffie, Cid and Barrett walked out of the hospital. They lingered for a bit, looking at the white building with their hands over their eyes to protect them. They all exchanged anxious looks until everyone's eyes fell on Cid. Tifa and Yuffie promptly looked away, disgusted.
"Where's your shirt, Cid?" Tifa inquired.
Cid looked at his chest and shrugged. "Left it at the bar. Got a problem with that?"
"No, unless you don't mind walking into a hospital shirtless," Yuffie said. She smirked, knowing that Cid's answer was most certainly no. The pilot grunted.
"Are you sure we should leave?" asked Yuffie, turning to Tifa.
"Yes, it's better if we would. Let's just visit him tomorrow," Tifa replied. The four were about to walk back home when doctors, nurses, patients and other staff came rushing out of the hospital's doors. They scrammed away in random directions as if their life depended on it. Confused, the four members of Avalanche watched the people run. Worried, Tifa made an advance back to the hospital. Before she could come within a meter's radius of it, the building's windows shattered and fire burst out when a deafening explosion ripped the noiseless street. Everyone's eyes widened, only one thing in mind. Vincent was still inside.
Yuffie rubbed her eyes and stared. "Oh. My. Gawd."