Merrily we sailed along
Though the waves were plenty strong
Down the twisting river Rhine
Following a song...

A solid white boat with the phrase ''Property of Shinra'' gently moved through the Rhine on a misty night. It was chilly outside,and Reno was stuck on the deck,leaning over the side as he puked his guts out. He hated it when Rufus decided to travel by boat. The rest of the Turks were more than happy to go,even Tseng. But Reno,no. No,no,and NO. Rude had to drag Reno out of the building and onto the helicopter to get to the port.

He lurched when he felt a hand suddenly come to rest gently on his back. ''You okay,Red?'' Reno chuckled weakly.

''Ch. I told ya I didn't wanna go...and wadda ya do? Drag my ass onto a stinkin' boat out in the middle o' nowhere,and now I'm pukin' my guts out,and you've got the fuckin' nerve to ask me if I'm okay? And on top of all it,the water is acting like Hurricane Katrina is ten fuckin' feet away! I'm just fuckin' spiffy,thank-you!''Reno blurted and then proceeded to puke a little more.

Legend's faded storyline
Tried to warn us all
Oh, they called her "Loreley"
Careful or you'll fall...

Rude sighed. Still,it was funny to watch the man vomit. Reno had an iron stomach when it came to stuff like vinegar,but when you put him on the water,his stomach reacted like he had an ulcer. ''You know they say these waters are cursed?''a woman's voice piped up. ''Please,Elena. I'm not superstitious. But just for the hell of it,what makes you say that?''Rude asked. ''This is around the area where the Lorelei is found.'' ''The what?''Reno chocked as he leaned on the railing and looked back at the blond.

''The Lorelei.'' ''What in the Sam Hell is a Lorelei?'' ''It's a huge rock that's caused a lot of boat accidents,''Rude filled in. ''Whoopee,''Reno said sarcastically,''a big fuckin' rock. A big fuckin' rock with issues. Just what I need. Hey,how 'bout we turn this creaking tub around and go home now,huh?''

''Anyway,the few survivors from the many accidents claim that a figure standing on the rock called them to it and put them in a trance that kept them from paying attention to where they were going,''Elena explained. ''Yay! A big fuckin' rock and now a weird ghost or some shit to go with it! God,I'm just lovin' it out here! Now all we need is the Lochness Monster and the ghosts of Christmas past,present,future,and we're all set! Goodbye,mind! Nice knowin' ya!''Reno joked again.

''Who was the last person to get killed''Rude asked. ''Didn't you hear? Vincent Valentine drowned around here. He got thrown in the water and his head hit the side of the boat. It knocked him out long enough to kill him,''Elena replied. Reno rolled his eyes.

Oh, the stories we were told
Quite a vision to behold
Mysteries of the seas in her eyes of gold...
Laying on the silver stone, such a lonely sight
Barnacles become a throne, my poor Loreley...

With that,the redhead turned around and looked back at the water. Rude sighed heavily with a bad feeling boiling in his blood,and Elena disappeared into the boat. Rude stole one more glance at his partner before he joined Elena. The redhead just stared off into the distance,not that he could see far,anyway. It was only about a half hour later when he saw a large white sign that read ''Lorelei'' on it. Of course,by then he had forgotten what it was. But he did remember the part about the figure standing on the rock and tried to imagine what it might have looked like. But the whole time he was thinking,he was staring up at the rock.

He pictured a ravenette with gold eyes and a strange playful and luring smile. He couldn't tell if he was truly in his own thoughts,seeing things,or if he was actually being hypnotized by a figure that was currently laying on a silver perch staring down at him. The relatively gorgeous figure smiled seductively,and Reno could feel himself being pulled into a world of haze.

It was enough of a haze that he remained unaware of a storm that was now brewing and pushing the boat through the water uncontrollably.

While staring up at the entity,the rest of the Shinra Turks were scrambling about the deck,securing the helicopter and other rather expensive and hardly replaceable equipment. ''RENO,GET OVER HERE!''Rude yelled. The redhead din't here him. Instead he just stared up at the rock. Just as the storm grew worse,the boat struck the side of the Lorelei and threw Reno overboard.

And the winds would cry, and many men would die
And all the waves would bow down to the Loreley...
And the winds would cry, and many men would die
And all the waves would bow down to the Loreley...

''RENO!'' The boat shifted in the water,and when it stopped momentarily,Rude jumped into the water. He saw Reno trying to swim up to the boat,but he also saw that he was struggling to breath. Rude swam after him. Just as Reno reached it,the boat shifted again,and struck his skull,knocking him out,and drowning him instantly. Rude grabbed the redhead's wrist and pulled him closer before he managed to climb out of the water and back onto the boat.

You would not believe your eyes, how a voice could hypnotize
Promises are only lies from Loreley
In a shade of mossy green, seashell in her hand
She was born the river queen, ne'er to grace the land...

Rude pulled his friend onto the deck and started to relax somewhat when laughter filled the air. It sounded almost like a child,and the Class A Turks looked around to find the source. Rude looked up at the large stone that had claimed Reno and glared at the figure. Elena and Tseng's eyes followed Rude's and then they saw something that completely freaked them out.

The figure drifted down,still in Vincent Valentine's form,wrapped in silver cloth that glowed gently,and soon stood on the deck,less than a yard away from the Turks. Said ghost approached them and lifted Reno's soaking wet body up from the cold deck. For a moment or so,the ghost stared at Reno's skull,which had been covered with blood since the moment the boat struck it,and simply smiled. When it looked back at them,they watched as black hair flowing in the wind changed into a gentle scarlet red,and eyes remained gold,but to little red marks made themselves at home on both of the cheek bones.

The new figure drifted away from the boat,still holding its body. When it gently floated above the water,it giggled childishly and just simply let go of the body,which fell into the water and instantly began to sink.

And the winds would cry, and many men would die
And all the waves would bow down to the Loreley...
And the winds would cry, and many men would die
And all the waves would bow down to the Loreley...

It smiled a little more evilly,and whispered a single word that was strictly for Tseng and Rude. ''Cartouche...''

Oh, the song of Loreley
Charms the moon right from the sky...
She will get inside your mind, lovely Loreley...
When she cries "Be with me until the end of time"
You know you will ever be with your Loreley...

With that Reno's ghost disappeared up to the sliver perch on the rock and relaxed in the moonlight. That was all Rude needed before he went for the steering wheel to the ship and turned it around,with no intention of ever coming back in mind. From the perch,Reno watched with mirth filled eyes as the boat was set to maximum speed and it cleared the range of the Lorelei in minutes. He smiled again and looked up at the moon.

And the winds would cry, and many men would die
And all the waves would bow down to the Loreley...'
And the winds would cry, and many men would die
And all the waves would bow down to the Loreley...
And the winds would cry, and many men would die
And all the waves would bow down to the Loreley...


Tell me what you thought! ;)