Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ What's Left of Me ❯ The Aftermath ( Chapter 4 )

A/N: Sorry for the wait! I was at the beach. Important- ALWAYS were sunscreen! Even if you think Mom is dumb because she keeps nagging you about it. She is right. Anyway, on to the story. Sorry for any OOCness again. Oh, yeah, thanx for the review!! I was so excited!!(It was my first ever, but don't tell anyone).

 

Disclaimer: don't own it, blah, blah…..

 

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The dim light of a candle refracted off the murky surface of the whiskey bottle. Tifa glanced at it and sighed. She continued to rub Vincent's shoulder, wondering he was asleep. After two hours, she was left with a tiny amount of whiskey, a drunk, and most likely passed out Vincent, no electricity, and a heavy heart. At least now she had a better understanding of the man before her.

 

He had told her his entire story. From as fat back as he could remember to the previous day. He had told her of Hojo and his research, and how he came to have his claw, and even about Lucrecia. He claimed that she was the source of his depression, but Tifa didn't quite see it that way.

 

As far as she could tell, he was a knight trying to live in an age that had long forgotten chivalry. He was a broken man, trying to gather decades of a broken heart and soul back together. She knew he was dying inside, going crazy trying to escape himself. And she wanted to help him; to give him hope again. She wanted to put him back together. She wanted him to be whole again.

 

She stroked his hair softly as she sat next to him. She sighed, wanting to help her friend. “Don't worry, Vincent,” she whispered. “I'll save you.” She stayed next to him throughout the night, only leaving his side to bring him a blanket. She knew she wasn't going to open the bar in the morning, since she had not even tried to sleep. She knew it would have been useless. She was too worried about Vincent.

 

She was lost deep in thought when he finally began to wake. She glanced at the clock, realizing that Marlene would be awake soon. She was surprised it was still dark outside, but then the rain began to pound the roof again. She sighed. The weather echoed her mood. She looked at Vincent when he softly pounded his fist on the counter and groaned.

 

He lifted his head off the counter, his raven locks covering his eyes. He looked around, confused at first, but then his eyes came to rest on Tifa. He slowly put his hand to his forehead. “Tifa?” he said, his voice husky.

 

“Yes, Vincent,” she said softly. “I'm here.”

 

“What happened last night?”” he asked slowly. “I remember asking for the whiskey, and the rest is hazy.”

 

“You told me what was on your mind,” she said softly. “That's all.”

 

He let his head fall back to the counter with a groan. “Damn,” he said softly.

 

“You want to lie down for a while?” Tifa asked, knowing he had a killer headache.

 

“Sure,” he said, getting to his feet. He held his head as he staggered a bit. He felt Tifa pull his arm around her shoulders, allowing him to lean on her. He felt silly at first, but he soon began to realize that having her beside him was strangely comforting. He blinked against the light as Tifa led him into the spare room.

 

“Ah, the electricity's back,” she said softly.

 

“Was it off?” Vincent asked, feeling his speech slightly slurred. His tongue felt like a sponge in his mouth. A thick, dry one at that.

 

“Yeah,” Tifa said, keeping her voice soft. She led him to the bed, helping him sit. “I'll bring you some aspirin and some water.”

 

He would have nodded, but he was afraid he would fall over as his vision blurred slightly. He felt a bit dizzy, and he leaned back on the bed. So this is what a hang over feels like, he thought miserably. He listened to the soft pat-pat of Tifa's bare feet as she came back.

 

“Here you are, Vince,” she said, giving him two aspirins.

 

He took them gratefully, sitting up. He put then in his mouth then took the glass Tifa handed him. He took a little sip at first, but then realized how thirsty he really was. He began to take bigger sips, only slowing once the glass was empty. He handed the glass back to Tifa. As he leaned back, his eyes connected with hers.

 

“Get some rest,” she said quietly. She brushed his hair from his face as he closed his eyes. Her hands were soft and cool, and it made his headache lessen some. “I'll be back later to check on you.”

 

With that her hand was gone, leaving him wishing she hadn't left as he drifted asleep.