Bring Me to Life

 Disclaimer: Don't own it, but I wish I did.

Chapter One: Finding Out the Truth

 Knocking is decent enough. Yeah, that's what they all say. Then when you do so, they don't bother to answer. No one seemed to be paying attention to her lately anyways. With all of the worlds sealed and as right as rain, she was completely useless.

 'It's because I'm the youngest,' she thought peevishly. It was an insult, and it didn't take a fool to see that. She was a lot more skilled than most, but she didn't complain. Which was most unusual for her, for she was the one who was always loud and optimistic about everything.

 Cid had scolded her about that once, she remembered. Told her to stop being so self-centered and think about everyone else once in a while. She had pouted at him, and he had gone off, muttering a string of curses as he went. That was another thing. Everyone seemed to be scolding her, telling her to grow up. She was only sixteen, for crying out loud. It wasn't her fault she was stuck with a party of stiffs. They were all so serious. Cid, Aerith, Cloud, and Squall.

 Squall. Ha ha. Ok, once every blue moon he would lighten his attitude, if only for a few seconds. But then he would go serious again, putting that stupid mental wall around himself. It was so irritating she could scream. The only one who seemed to really understand her was Aerith. Apart from being the only other girl, she was an extremely good listener. She never rebuked Yuffie like the others did. Not that she did it with anyone else. Aerith was always so calm and gentle, it was hard not to be comfortable around her. Sometimes it made Yuffie feel slightly ashamed. Aerith always took the logical path, while Yuffie would go in, attacking and brandishing her shuriken, raring for a fight.

 Yuffie leaned against the wall, sliding to the floor. She made sure when she hit it she made a loud thumping noise in the process. She knew no one was going to notice though. It hurt, in a way. She liked getting attention. It was the only thing she could do, in the least. She had never admitted it to anyone, but she was always nervous around the four of them. All being past at least twenty-one, she was constantly worried about what they would think of her. She wanted to feel accepted, since she could never be in their age range. She was constantly worrying about failing, or making a mistake because they would call her kid, or a baby. Sure, they called her kid all the time because of her upbeat attitude, but that was different. They all knew just because she acted like one didn't mean she was one. But physically, it was a whole different story. She wanted to be mature physically. Not like body, but in strength and battle. To think just like them when she fought. As long as she had that, she was accepted.

 That was the reason she was always so nervous. Her connection with them was hanging by a mere thread. Cut it, and she was alone. She didn't want to hang with other kids her age. It was fun, at times, but she really enjoyed being with these particular four. After pondering if for a while, she changed her mind, only slightly. Being with the younger wasn't so bad.

 Like with Sora. When she met him, it was like looking at a younger her, except of the gender difference. He was sanguine, like her, and they also shared the same doubts and fears. Losing their friends. Not being connected with anyone. That was probably why she got along with him so well. But he was gone now, back to his own world, with his own friends. Yuffie wondered briefly what if would've been like if she had just followed them. She could be careless, be free. She wouldn't have to worry about them judging her, because they practically looked up to her. She can duel with them, using those cute, mock wooden swords. She could get married there, have children, and live a calm, peaceful life. But no. She was stuck here, constantly watching her back, staying with these people who didn't notice she was there.

 She didn't know what had changed her mood all of a sudden, just that this was the first in a long time that she felt genuinely left out and annoyed. It was a spur of the moment thing, but she was known for that. Besides, with all of the commotion of getting things in order again, she doubted anyone would be a flying damn about what she decided to do.

 She craned her head toward the door that had just opened, the door that she'd been guarding for a while. The suspense of what they'd been doing in there without her was eating away at her insides.

 The surprise on their faces was evident when they noticed the ninja sitting on her rump, just waiting for them. She was pretty sure she looked like a desperate puppy, waiting for its master to return home from work to feed it.

 "How's it goin'?" Cid spoke first. "What're you doing on the floor?" He paused only to take a drag of his disgusting cigarette; the very object that Yuffie was sure was going to kill him about thirty years too soon.

 "Waiting for the time bomb I planted in the library to go off, dissipating everything in this planet, save for me, because I've created a hydro powered force field space suit that reflects the blow of the blast and leaves me all alone as the perfect, cynical, happy camper."

 "All righty then," Cid mused, not at all unfamiliar with Yuffie's superhero fantasies.

 "You said that you were going downtown to re-supply any provisions that we have a deficiency of," Squall murmured calmly, eying her with boredom, and slight disappointment.

 "Yeah? I'll do it later Squall. We don' need all that crap anyhoo!"

 "Leon," he muttered irritably, brushing his russet bangs out of his eyes. Yuffie got a glimpse of the peculiar scar across Squall's face, albeit; if only for a moment's breathe.

 "Whatever Squall," she countered, waving it off. She hated that stupid, damnable nickname that he was so intent on using. She had to admit, she'd always had some romantic fantasy about how she'd persuade him to change his name back to Squall, and she also admitted that a handful of them were X-rated.

 "So…" she drawled in an annoying fashion. "What were you guys doing without me?" She was near screaming the last part. If they left her out one more time so help them God…

 "We were conferring about the…current state of the world connections," Aerith said in her soft, dulcet tone.

 "What's there to discuss about?" Yuffie asked dumbly, her attention span for an actual answer zero to none.

 "The-"

 Cloud cut Aerith off, silencing her with a gentle glare that made Yuffie suspicious. When it came to hiding secrets, they had to be the worst there was.

 "Things have changed," Cloud said shortly, glancing around as if someone might be spying. Yuffie didn't know whether she was mocking him or it was her own paranoia, but she suddenly found herself darting looks around too.

 "Annnndddd it was so damn complicated that you conveniently left me out of it?"

 "We don't have the specifics yet and it would be extraneous to tell you something that could be a lie," Squall's hawk eyes unnerved, and fascinated her at the same time. But, considering her current state, she didn't seem to feel either. It was mostly clouded by annoyance and anger.

 "Well excuse me Mr. I'm-A-Friggin'-Walking-Dictionary, but it seems that you were perfectly inclined to tell them a lie." She motioned toward Cid, Aerith, and Cloud. She watched something flicker in the Gunblade wielder's eyes, and she knew she was lighting the match too close to the gas. "Unless," she paused, knowing she should just stop there. If she made Squall angry…

 "Unless it's not a lie, but the truth, and you just don't want me to know about it all."

 Squall narrowed his eyes, moving toward her with speed she didn't think she possessed. She felt his gloved hand on her wrist, pulling her up, and pushing her down at the same time.

 "I didn't invite you because I didn't think a brat of your caliber would be able to process the severity of what we're dealing with," he hissed with venom and sarcasm. Yuffie's eyes widened, feeling his grip on her wrist tighten like an iron hand. 

 "Leon," Aerith's voice was bordering between trepidation and beseeching. "Don't you think you're being a little harsh on her?"

 Yuffie wanted to say something to add to that comment, but all that came out was a pitiful squeak.

 Squall narrowed his eyes at the young ninja, and released his grip on her lithe wrist. She looked down at it, somewhat shocked to see how white it had become from lack of circulation. Had she really made him that angry because of a few irrelevant hen peckings?

 "What's got his undies all in a twist?" Yuffie whispered, rubbing her sore wrist. He had already stalked away, probably going off to scare the shit out of some hapless civilian.

 "He has a lot on his mind," Aerith said apologetically. "There's a lot of pressure on him right now, and I guess when you started to harass him with comments, he let out his anger on you."

 "Oh…" she realized what Aerith just said. "Harass? Me harass him? She waved her bruised wrist in front of the mild female's face. "This is harassment! Sexual harassment, if you look at it in a perverted sorta way!"

 "Shut yer trap," Cid whacked her on the head. "It can't hurt that bad."

 "Not really…" 'But that slap on the head did…'

 ~*~*~*~*~

 Yuffie was walking out of the front entrance to the castle when she ran smack-dab into the man that she was fuming about. She glared up into the indigo pupils, his proximity and smell like opium to her system.

 "You should watch where you're going."

 "Yeah, I could say the same to you!" Yuffie snapped. "What the hell were you doing, standing in the middle of the whole damn walkway!?"

 "Stop questioning me," he snapped back, the same anger from before still fueled in his eyes. "It's not very wise to make me irate."

 "Oh, so we're all macho now!" she glared at him. "It's not smart to make me angry either! Gawd…"

 Squall ignored her, staring pointedly into the other direction. The wind blew past them with a whistling sigh, but it did nothing to calm the two comrades on the balcony.

 "What's going on?" Yuffie finally asked, the suspense tearing her apart. "Just tell me, please? I swear I won't ask any questions!"

 "We are going to Traverse Town."

 "Because….?"

 "Just because."

 Yuffie frowned, furrowing her brow in confusion. It had to take a bunch of man-eating zombies and the apocalypse to get more than two sentences out of Squall's mouth.

 "OK Leon," she groaned. "And why are we going to Traverse Town? If you haven't noticed, there are those things called barriers."

 "This is why I didn't want to tell you," he said with vexation.

 Yuffie pouted, silently deriding him in her mind. He always had a way to cut off a conversation before she had a chance to say all of her piece.

 "Whelps," she started again, still not fully understanding the edgy silence that had ensued after he had told her that. It was as if he'd uttered some illicit secret and was just waiting for his death sentence. "Ya know what's happening in three days?"

 Squall's face remained stoic, not a muscle moving to acknowledge her question. She glowered at his somber profile, the thought of how he must look when he smiled only a fleeting feeling.

 It was no secret that it was her birthday in three days. She'd somewhat dreaded it happening, because last time she'd had a number seven in her age, she'd been attacked by Heartless, with her parents brutally killed. But she'd kept pretty optimistic about it, thinking of it as only a celebration for her being alive.

 Squall finally did answer, but it wasn't what she was expecting.

 "I'm…getting married, in three days."

~*~*~*~*~

 Aerith shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The air was full of premonition and anger. Cloud noticed this and gently placed his hand over hers. She let out an audible sigh. She wished she had told Yuffie. So many times had she been close to blurting out the truth but then Cloud, or Leon would pass by and give her a warning glare. She really didn't know why not telling Yuffie was such a big deal to them. It was cruel.

Aerith rubbed her temples, removing her hand from Cloud's. It was still hard for her to process that Squall was getting married, since she barely even knew it herself. She craned her head around, glancing once in awhile towards the back, then around at the ship.

 The Gummi Ship they were currently riding was a lot bigger than average. It had a column on each side of it, with the seats broken into two each. There were three rows, so the ship was able to hold twelve people in all. Cid sat at the controls, waving them away when they had asked to pilot it. Aerith and Cloud sat in the first row, directly across from Cid. Squall sat right behind the pilots seat, by himself. They had used the extra seats for their luggage. Finally, all the way in the back, sat Yuffie. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, as she stared venomously at the chair in front of her. She didn't seem to notice that two rows up sat Aerith, who was trying to read her expression. It was no use though; all Aerith could she was the side of Yuffie's body.

 Yuffie narrowed her eyes at the chair and swung her right leg at it, kicking it hard. She imagined it was all of them that were getting hit. Her kick had caused the whole ship to shake a little, but only caused Aerith to look back and Cloud to glance. Cid was too busy piloting and Squall just didn't give a damn. She couldn't think of how her luck could get any worse. She really wouldn't have cared if Squall had just plain out said that he'd not known it was her birthday, but when he said he was getting married, she almost fainted. She always liked surprises but-shit- not this.

 There was no doubt in her mind that she hated all of them for not telling her. It wasn't just because of Squall's wedding to some unknown bimbo either.

 Christ, they were actually going to Traverse Town. She didn't know if this was all part of the "Don't Tell Yuffie About Squall's Wedding" plan or not. She had no idea how they had found out that they could actually go to Traverse Town. Or maybe they didn't know, and they'd traveled all this way just to come smashing into an invisible all.

 What about Sora? Wouldn't he be up and about by now, running around and trying to fix everything?

 She groaned with resentment. She curled up into a tighter ball, and slowly succumbed to sleepiness.

 She was angry at herself for not understanding, but even angrier at them for not helping her to.

~*~*~*~

 The ship made a fairly smooth landing. They all got up, save for Yuffie who was still in deep sleep, and started to unload their bags and luggage. Aerith wasn't surprised that Yuffie didn't move. She slowly walked to the back of the ship, to try and coax Yuffie off. When she got there she realized that Yuffie was sleeping. Gently, she shook her. Either she was really sleeping or she refused to wake because the ninja didn't move. Aerith shook her harder, calling her name. Yuffie grunted, irritated, and swatted at the hand. She turned over, her back facing Aerith. The pink-clad girl let out a heavy sigh.

 "Yuffie," she called out. The youthful and slumbering girl ignored her. "Yuffie," she repeated. "We're here. At Traverse Town. Please get up….you can sleep in the hotel."

 Yuffie just sat there, as unmoving as ever. Her legs had uncurled so that only the top portion of her body was turned opposite of Aerith. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her torso, her face buried between the wall and the chair. The ancient stood there for a few minutes, debating what to do.

 "Cloud," she finally said. The blond turned in her direction questioningly. "Carry Yuffie."

 It was a simple request, but it still made Cloud stare. It had also gotten the attention of Squall, who was watching the angel closely, as if daring him to refuse. Cloud just nodded though, wanting to please Aerith. Besides, Cloud had known Yuffie in his world too, and she was like a little sister to him. He walked over to where the girls were and examined the young ninja. Aerith moved out of the way as Cloud tried to pick up the girl. It was somewhat hard, because she was sitting in the chair next to the window, meaning that he had to reach over the first chair to reach her. He ended up kneeling on the first chair, due to Yuffie's position. He forced the armrests between the seats up and placed one arm under her legs and the other arm under her neck, and lifted her up. She was a lightweight, so it wasn't difficult. He stumbled out into the isle, banging his foot on the base of the chair. This is what he got for going along with them.

 They got to the hotel with barely any problem. The people moved out of their way, half because of the way Yuffie was being carried, (obviously they thought she was injured), and half because Cloud and Squall looked intimidating. They bought three rooms, one for Cloud and Aerith, one for Squall, and one for Cid. They had debated on whether or not to get a four room for Yuffie, since she usually roomed with Squall, but surprisingly Cid agreed she could sleep with him. (A/N: Not like that,don't get any ideas.) She suspected that he felt sorry for her.

 They threw their baggage into their respective rooms before going out to the cafe to get some food. Cloud agreed to stay behind until Yuffie woke up. He had realized he hadn't spent much time with her as he should have.

 He watched her sleeping form, thinking of other things. He had been preoccupied being with Aerith so much that he had forgotten to catch up on old times. She had spent time with them a lot, always managing to keep her spirits up. He had been the one to protect her when she couldn't. He may love Aerith, but he cared enough for Yuffie that he could get extremely pissed if someone hurt her. Lately, he had been starting to feel that more than usual. He never told anyone this though, for they might think he was developing feelings for her. He had always felt something for her, but not like that.

 He knew about her feelings for Squall. It bothered him. Like how a father is bothered when he sees his daughter getting flirted with. Squall didn't flirt with her, but at times it seemed as if he did. It made Cloud angry to no end, because he knew that Squall was just leading her on. Making her think that he had feelings for her, then pushing her away. She was only a kid, and he didn't have a right to use her like that. Besides, weren't they like, nine years apart? Yuffie deserved someone better than that. Someone more like her, more in her age limit.

 Cloud briefly considered this. He wasn't any matchmaker, and he wasn't planning to be. It wasn't his place to meddle in her business. If she didn't want anyone, then that was her choice. A soft groan was heard from beneath the sheets. Cloud got up and padded quietly over to the bed, placing his metal fingers on her arm. Her eyes opened slowly and she turned to stare at him, leaving him feeling awkward. She didn't have that childish spark in her eye like she always did. Her eyes looked faded, worn out. She shifted her gaze abruptly, casting her eyes upon his metal hand. She seemed to stare at it for an eternity, arguing silently what to do. Part of her wanted to scream and push him away, demanding why he didn't tell her about anything. Another part of her just wanted to throw herself into his arms, crying and sobbing, telling him everything. But she did neither. She just continued to fake examine his metallic hand.

 He knelt down slowly, until he was eye level with her. He knew what was wrong, so he wasn't going to ask.

 Yuffie's body was shaking. She knew he was looking at her, and she knew she wouldn't be able to hold back when it came to returning his gaze. She tilted her head up slightly, unable to hold back those small tears that slipped down her cheeks like silk. Something passed through his eyes before he opened his arms. His eyes told her it was ok to let things go. She cringed, more tears cascading down her face. Finally, she threw herself into his arms, crying like crazy. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her like a troubled child.

 "I-It's not fair," she gasped out. Cloud let out a soft sigh as she continued to sob and shake, gripping his tightly.

 "Nothing's fair," he responded.

 "He hates me," she bawled. "And I hate him too….or at least-dammit- I wish that was true…" she cried, banging her head continuously against his stable shoulder.

 "Listen," he responded. He paused, thinking of what to say. "Forget about him," he said abruptly, knowing he was probably the worst advice-giver in the world. She had stopped crying, as if thinking about his horrible recommendation as much as he was, which was not at all. "I'll…take you out for a day, OK?" he quickly said to cover up his stupid suggestion.

 At first Yuffie couldn't respond. She was sure if she opened her mouth, she would start bawling all over again. She had to give it to him, he knew how to make a person feel better. She always knew he was sweet, being so quiet and all. It sounded somewhat ridiculous, like a guy trying to win back his girlfriend. Reflecting on it, she realized that the whole situation was ridiculous. So ridiculous that it had pushed Cloud to actually offer spending a whole day with her, something that was highly unordinary for him. The only person he did that too was Aerith, but that was different because they were in love.

 She suddenly burst into laughter. His voice and his words replayed in her mind, making the whole thing sound cornier every time it repeated. His blood red cape covered his mouth completely, but Yuffie had a feeling that he was smiling.

"Why not?" she smiled, although it was still slightly forced. "We can talk about that time you called me your love bunny when I was a kid."

 "Excuse me? That was an accident, I've told you that a million times! You know I didn't mean you when I said it!"

 "But you did say it," she pointed out.

 "This is what I get for trying to be a gentleman," he muttered, putting his head in his hands. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "So, you wanna get going then?"

 "Right now?" she asked incredulously. "But-"

 "Stop whining," he commanded her, standing up. "We're going now, whether you want to or not."

 "Yessir!" she yelled, climbing out of the bed and almost tripping on the sheets. "I'm coming my love bunny!" she screamed loudly into the hallway as she locked the door.

 "SHUTTUP!"

 Yuffie went skipping after him, somewhat taking a sickly delight in the anomalous way that Squall stared at them as they passed. At least she got a look out of him, and it was better than nothing.

 Squall shook his head, ebon mane brushing against his back, he went quietly back into his room, trying to force the picture of the insane Yuffie and Cloud trouncing down the hallway, and concentrated more on his wedding.

 It was gonna be hell.

A/N: Did'ja like it? Woot, this is my first story. Actually, this is the revised chapter, because the original one was a bunch of !$@&! Anyhoo….next chapter things start to get ugly.