Lean On Me (FF7)

9

~Cloud's POV~

I run to the Highwind, Yuffie in my arms and all the others starting to catch up. No offense to her, but this kid weighs more than she looks. Cid jumps in front of me, tugging the door to the aircraft open, and I bolt inside. My heart is pounding. This is like Aeris all over again, only this time I have a chance to save her. And I don't want to lose another part of me. Everyone here is a part of me, so I can't afford to lose any of them. Vincent's long strides match up with mine.

"Is she going to be okay?" he asks.

"I hope so," I say, laying her on her back on the floor of the cockpit. "Barret!" I call. He pushes past Cait Sith and crouches by me.

"What's up?"

"I need Regen now," I command, feeling her neck for a pulse. Nothing. I panic. "Forget that, life two."

How did she practically die from a stab to the lower abdomen? She has bled a lot, but it wouldn't kill her this soon. Unless Sephiroth poisoned his sword with some sort of control mechanism... I glance over at Barret. Sephiroth could be controlling her life right now, her heartbeat, blood flow, everything. There's no guarantee that she'll even wake up. I shudder.

"It's no use," Barret shakes his head. His MP must be down... "Someone needs to restart her heart."

"I will. It kinda is my fault she was in the open alone," Vince swiftly kneels down and performs... CPR I think. I'm not very good with these things. After three or so minutes, we begin to lose hope. I guess I was right about her not waking up. Just as I stand to walk away so I don't end up crying or something, she coughs and takes a deep breath. I spin around and watch her brown eyes slide open, looking up at Vincent, who still hovers over her. We watch as she silently sits up, her wound already healed from Barret's go at reviving her. Then she looks at Vince, who by the way, is an inch or two from her face. Awkward!

"I swear, if you ever put your mouth on mine again," she jokes weakly.

Vincent bursts out laughing, and she pulls him into a hug, which he reluctantly returns. Then I stumble over to her and she practically leaps at me, wrapping her thin arms around my neck and hanging there. That's what she gets for being 5'2. Vincent looks down at us, an eyebrow raised. This is what I get for being 5'7. Yuffie drops down, cupping my face and turning it all over, looking for wounds, I guess.

"Did hurt you back there?" she asks, worriedly. I wasn't worried about me back there, I wanted to say, but someone might take that wrong, so I shake my head.

"Nope, but that dirt is hard packed stuff."

"Right?!" she smiles and releases me, this time tackling Barret and begging him for his materia. I laugh and shake my head. Tifa crosses her arms and looks at me as if slightly angry.

"What?" I ask her.

"You happy now that your girlfriend is alive?"

"Girlfriend?" I frown.

"Oh cmon Cloud, with what you said back there, everyone knows you like her. And a joke about dirt doesn't take away and suspicion."

"What are you talking about?" I furrow my brows.

"'I wasn't worried about me back there'? Really? If that isn't a romantic statement, I don't know what is."

"Okay, two things. One: I didn't mean it like that. If it was you or one if he guys, I probably would've said the same thing. Two: Why do you think Yuffie of all people?"

"I don't know, maybe because she likes you?" Tifa growls.

"This is stupid," I shake my head.

"I know it is," she continues to glare at me.