A/N: So My story was added to someone's favorites… but no review? I see how it is. I'll post another chapter, but if I don't get any reviews after this, I'm not posting anymore of my story… If I don't, get reviews, I'll never know what you think or if I'm writing terribly or not. Also, I'm still looking for a beta. Bah, here goes.
Chapter Two, Ranisa.
Between Vincent and Cloud it didn't take long to cut away the material around the woman's stomach and look at what they were dealing with. Surprisingly, it was a shallower wound than they had first thought… this of course led both Cloud and Vincent to believe that the Mako in her blood stream plus the Curaga spell were working wonderfully to knit her back up. Normally, a wound like this was fatal, but somehow the behemoths massive horn missed vital organs. Cloud could see that the woman's body was pushing the fibers from the shirt out of the wound so he didn't bother pulling them out; instead, he wrapped the wound with gauze. Once done, they left the room, leaving her to wake up on her own.
They had barely made it into the living room when both of their cell phones went off. Red met blue in an ironic look before they pulled the offending pieces of technology from their respective pockets. Almost in sync, both their voices said one thing. "Reno?"
Reno: Yo! Everyone needs ta meet up at Seventh Heaven, Fri. by 9pm. No Questions!
Blinking Vincent looked up and saw the scowl crossing Clouds face... Apparently he got the same text. Sliding his phone back into a pocket, Vincent headed for the door. "There was a weapon lying on the ground behind the behemoth, I assume is the Girl's." Then he was gone, the door closing quietly behind him. Cloud glanced up and then back down to his phone. Friday was three days away. Shaking his head with a small sigh, cloud moved to sit on the couch to wait for Vincent.
XxXxX
Golden eyes cracked open slightly before widening as the blue haired girl sat up swiftly, realizing she had no idea where she was. Then she doubled over with a soft cry of pain, her hand flying to her stomach. Instead of her hand coming in contact with the ruined remains of her shirt and a bloody hole, they touched the soft fabric of gauze. Looking down, she realized someone had cut away the bottom half of her shirt and bandaged her… Confused, she looked around. The last thing she remembered was the hazy sound of gunshots and a man dressed in black and red with glowing crimson eyes. Was this that man's home? Her eyes narrowed. Why had this man saved her and what did he want from her, where the first two thoughts to cross her mind.
At that moment, the door to the bedroom flew open and a man stood there. Immediately she pushed up from the bed she was seated on and slid her feet to the floor, one arm across her stomach, the other falling partway to her side, hand clenched into a fist, as though ready to defend herself. Her vision blurred when her feet hit the ground but she shook her head and her eyes focused. The blonde haired man simply straightened up and crossed his arms over his chest. "You really should be lying down…" His voice was soft and she almost missed the amused tone in his otherwise stoic voice. She paused, assessing the man in the doorway and tilted her head to one side. On one hand, she could sense a very, very dangerous feeling coming from this man. Whether it was from the glowing blue eyes, to the powerful muscles in the bare arms across his chest, she didn't know. Then there was the very stance he took, as though he never quite relaxed. On the other hand, she sensed almost no threat from him by subtle tones in his voice and the look deep in his eyes, boiling under the surface, of past horror and tragedy and something else, darker. She took a gamble and sat on the edge of the bed, uncurling her hand and letting her features relax from the stony look she had acquired the moment the door opened.
"Where… Who are you and where am I?" Her voice lilted and had it not for the pain and disuse roughing her voice; it would have been almost melodic. Cloud blinked, thinking for a moment before answering. "Cloud. You're in a friend's home in the middle of the forest south of Edge." She noted the hesitant release of information and the caution touching the edges of his voice. She had no idea where that was, but she recognized Cloud as his name. She nodded, "Ranisa." Was her response and then she gave a small smile. There was a brief silence though it was not to uncomfortable before the front door opened and Ranisa tensed. But Cloud seemed unconcerned as he glanced down the hall. "Vincent, she's awake." He hadn't raised his voice, but he knew he didn't need to. Cloud then stepped further into the room and just off to the side of the door as Vincent appeared in the doorway. Ranisa's tension faded again as she recognized the man who'd killed the monster. She looked at him with a small smile and repeated her name, "Ranisa." He stared at her uncomprehending for a fraction of a moment before he nodded. She already knew his name, instead, as usual; he went straight for the point.
"Why were you in the forest fighting a behemoth, Ranisa?" Vincent's own voice was deep and somehow managed to be both rough and smooth at the same time. Strange. It was her turn, then, to stare at him for a moment, her brain turning. While trying to remember in order to answer him and assessing this Vincent person at the same time, she came to several conclusions. First, when she had seen him in her haze of pain, she missed the golden clawed gauntlet and the golden tips to his boots. Second, she felt more danger emanating off of this man than the blonde and the same lack of threat. Lastly, she had no recollection of anything before waking up half way through a fight with a behemoth. She hadn't even known what it was. She frowned.
"I honestly don't know. I sort of ... woke up fighting it and I can't recall anything before that." Her voice was soft then, her tone letting the barest hints of confusion show through to match the confused cast to her golden eyes. The pain in her stomach was fading slowly and she knew somehow that her body was knitting itself back together… Unfortunately that rapid healing was making her head ache and her stomach growl. "Even so, I have you to thank for my life I suppose." Her gaze refocused and she looked up. Vincent looked mildly uncomfortable with her gratitude but Cloud spoke up next. "You don't remember anything?" His eyes had narrowed, though both men could tell she wasn't lying, she didn't know that and she frowned in response. She lifted on hand to her head and her facial muscles gave a faint twitch, as though something was causing her pain and she was refusing to show it. "I… There are fragments of memories… Bright lights, white coats… Pain…," her voice trailed off and she shook her head as if trying to dispel those thoughts. She then looked up at Cloud, apologetic. "I'm sorry… there's nothing more concrete than that…" Both men had exchanged worried glances before her head rose. Bright lights, white coats and pain? That usually meant a lab and usually with that, experiments… Something both men knew much about. Vincent looked at her for a long, silent moment before he caught the sound of something familiar. "Can you walk?" She nodded and he turned heading out of the bedroom. "Come then." She rose to her feet and unsteadily followed him, pausing when Cloud made no move to go first… She didn't like the idea of someone behind her, but what could she do? She walked tensely passed him and he followed. She followed the gunman through the hall, living room and into another hall, presumably the front hall. There she froze before stumbling over to a large, gleaming blade in the corner by the front door, leaning next to an even larger blade that was Cloud's. "My sword!" Her gloved hand stopped before she touched it, ghosting over the handle and partway down the blade in almost reverence. While she knew she would feel more reassured with its weight on her back, her harness was missing. That and it would be rude to be armed, even though, she knew at least the gunman was but, it was his home… She turned from the sword, catching both men looking at her. She couldn't begin to decipher their thoughts from those stoic faces but she shrugged and fell in step behind Vincent as he moved down the hall and into the kitchen. He gestured to the table and she sat. Cloud followed suit, sitting across from her. Vincent sent a questioning gaze to Cloud and the blonde shook his head. Vincent moved around the kitchen with efficiency and soon enough there was a sandwich sitting in front of her… She could smell cheese and some kind of sliced meat and her stomach rumbled loudly. She blinked and then grinned sheepishly at both men before eating the sandwich. She smelled nothing out of place with it, not even wondering how she could smell so well… it never occurred to her that this was odd. Part way through the meal, she caught the sound of metal on glass and then there was a glass of water in front of her. She thanked Vincent quietly and he simply gave a small nod in return before leaning back against the counter, arms crossed. So very similar these two are she thought as she finished both things she had been given.
Silence followed for a moment and it was in this silence that Ranisa knew both men had questions and both men held some sort of understanding for something even she was not really aware of and did not want to prod her. However, she could tell, they were still going to. She gave a resigned sigh and leaned back in the chair; hands folded in her lap, and turned her golden gaze to Vincent, then to Cloud.
"I know you have questions… I don't know if I can answer them but I will certainly try… For all your kindness, you deserve at least that much."
A/N: Again, please review. No reviews, no posting. And I'd really like to finish this story… lol. I'll beg if I must but I'd really rather not…. *gives puppy dog eyes, realizes it doesn't work and drags Zack out of the closet to give puppy dog eyes for her.*