Violet Shadows (FFVII)

XXXIII) Under Attack

The loud thud of my heartbeat echoes through my eyes, followed quickly by a sharp pain in my chest. My arms scream in protest I reach up slowly, tracing a finger over my stomach and breathing a sigh of relief. The folder bends stiffly under my hand, a reassuring pressure to remind me that the key to my humanity may be right there. The next thing I do is take a deep breath, trying to remember what happened. Soldiers, sewers, invisible scientists... Rosso. #$%^.

"Vince?" I hiss, sitting up sharply. I grit my teeth, squeezing my eyes shut as agonizing pain shoots through my chest. My palm presses to my skin where it was shredded open by that freak of a woman and her weird #$% claws.

"Careful!" a girl's voice chirps. "You guys got really hurt!" I frown, blinking open my eyes to see none other than the Yuffie Kisaragi smiling at me, her face cloaked by a ragged white cloak. Vincent stirs on the bench beside her and the ninja yelps, leaning closer as he sits up. "Morning!"

"Where...?" His eyes turn to Yuffie and he frowns, eyeing the bizarre figure between us. "Who are you?" You really couldn't tell by the voice? Yuffie stands and I sigh. Here we go.

"Well, I'm glad you asked. I am the champion of the earth and of the sky. I am the conqueror of evil. The single white rose of Wutai!" Dramatically, Yuffie whips her cape off, positively beaming as the material flutters to the floor and she triumphantly places her hands on her hips. "Yuffie Kisaragi!" She twirls with clumsy flair. "Feast your eyes on—Whoa!" Tripping over herself, she stumbles backward and her head hits the metal wall of the truck compartment with a thwack. "Ow!" I huff, resisting the overwhelming urge to repeatedly smack my head against something hard. Vincent sighs and turns his eyes up to the ceiling.

"So, where are we?" he murmurs.

"C'mon!" Yuffie whines, pouting. "Aren't you guys the least bit concerned?"

"Well, Yuffie," Vincent replies, starting over with a monotone voice. "It's been a while. How's your head?" I fight the urge to grin at how bored he sounds.

"You...!" Yuffie groans, stomping a foot on the floor. "Could you at least pretend to be sympathetic?" Groaning, I knock the back of my head against the wall.

"No one cares, Yuffie. You got hit in the head. I got open heart surgery from a crazy woman. Vincent got his #$% kicked. Big whoop." Vincent shakes his head and starts to sit up, wincing when the pain finally hits him. Yuffie practically leaps at him.

"Hey! Take it easy! That was a big hole you had in your chest!"

"A hole in my chest?" Vincent repeats, frowning.

"You don't remember?" I ask. He shakes his head. "Rosso ripped some sort of materia out of us. It hurt a lot." I sigh. "That freak tried to cut my #$%^&*^ head off."

"I seriously thought you were both goners, but then the wounds healed themselves right back up!" Yuffie adds. "Violet's right though; she tried fighting back and it only got worse. Those Tsviets are something else." Vincent gives me a look and I scoff.

"Hey, she'd just stuck her hand in your chest and ripped something out. I thought you were dead."

"... Yuffie, what're you doing here?" Vincent finally asks, breaking the silence that overtakes us for a moment.

"Me? I'm just helping out Reeve and his gang. I was poking around Nibelheim and I found you guys looking all corpse-like in the Shinra Manor. So, I saved you! Imagine that: me, saving the two great Jenova War heroes Vincent Valentine and Violet Crescent!" Yuffie gives a little jump, grinning. "Do I get any thanks?"