Tseng bolted through a maze of trees,seeking a path out of the forest. From what he had seen,there was no way out. It was dark,he couldn't see the sky,but he did have the slightest feeling that he was being followed. Whoever it was,they were scaring him. He stopped,trying to catch his breath. ''Hey,Tseng. What's wrong? It looks like yer lost...'' Tseng bolted into a run again. That voice was eerily familiar.
And she danced through the wood
Like a gypsy girl should,
And she laughed in the face of the fire
Under the black velvet skies
With the moon in her eyes,
Head held high,tambourine held higher
There was a sudden flash of red,and Tseng was on the ground,his ankle bleeding steadily. ''What's going on? Where are you?''Tseng called. There was the sound of a childish giggle. ''Here,there,and everywhere,''it said. Another shiver from an uncomfortable feeling and then there was someone standing over him...with a bloodied knife in their hand. ''Let's play!''the voice spoke cheerfully. Just as Tseng looked up at the face of his attacker,everything turned crimson.
...
Tseng launched up into a sitting position from his bed in shock. That was the fifth time he'd had that dream since Reno disappeared,which had only been a little over a year ago. It was like something was warning him that Reno was coming back. Or could all be in his head,he didn't know. Sighing with exhaustion,Tseng pushed himself out of bed and began to dress in his uniform. ''I must be out of my mind,''he said quietly. A quick glimpse at his alarm clock told him he had an hour before work to himself. Tseng picked up his phone from his nightstand and searched for his list of numbers. But what he found was that the list...was non-existent. A giggle rang throughout the house,making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The giggle was the same. ''Let's play!''
Tseng shook at the memory. Damn if his house was haunted. Deciding that showing up an hour early would make a little more money,Tseng pulled on his boots and ran out of the house.
And she laughed at the fools
Who played by the rules
And she wondered just what would have been,
If she set them all free
Into her fantasy.
Free to dance through the woods again.
Tseng had arrived at work,shocking the daylights out of Scarlet,who sat at her desk staring in disbelief as the Wutain man marched into the elevator and headed to his office.
Her dangerous game
To know her name,
She was wild,she was free
She was calling to me,
Sister Gypsy we're one and the same
Tseng stepped into his office and shut the door. Taking in a breath,he looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary...except his desk. On his desk was an unusual necklace consisting of a simple ring of metal,nothing more. Tseng picked it up, staring at it suspiciously. Another giggle in the air. Great. Whatever was trying to terrorize him was following him an doing a very good job at it. Expressing concern,he reached for the intercom an pressed the button. ''Scarlet,was there anything out of the ordinary today before I arrived?'' ''No,nothing at all. Why?'' ''I'd tell you,but you'd tell me to go back to bed. That'll be all. Thank you.'' With that,Tseng released the button,set the necklace down with care and began to let his mind wonder as he looked out the window while sitting down. It was still dark out. There wasn't really much to look at,as the building had a forest of pine and evergreen trees in the back.
And she danced through the trees
For those who believed
She was one with the earth and the sky,
In a moment she's gone
But her memory lives on
Like a shooting star through the night.
Lost in a haze of exhaustion,Tseng gently set his head down on the chair and fell asleep...
''Let's play!'' That voice was back. Tseng looked up at his attacker. Long scarlet hair hung loosely,the hair tie that kept it presentable long gone. Pale skin was covered by a matching scarlet gown that left the shoulders bare. The face was hidden by bandages that extended down to the neck. The same bloody knife occupied the same hand.
Her dangerous game
To know her name,
She was wild,she was free
She was calling to me,
Sister Gypsy we're on and the same
Upon reaching the waist,the gown split,showing that the figure wore black leggings under it. The feet were bare. Still,despite some recognizable features,Tseng couldn't tell who it was. All he could tell was that his attacker was male. Not really feeling up to laying on the ground under what looked like the start of a serial killer,Tseng managed to get to his feet and start running. In the distance,he saw the Shinra building. Picking up the pace,he ran faster,that evil giggle coming in all directions. He suddenly tripped again and this time,he couldn't get up.
His attacker was standing over him again. That's strange. Tseng didn't remember any footsteps other than his own. ''Let's play a game of riddles!'' ''Like hell!''Tseng screamed. ''Hair like late sunset,eyes like blue sky. Skin like white snow,playful and spry. Who am I?''
...
''Tseng,wake up!'' The Wutain man jerked awake to see Elena with her hand on his shoulder. ''Elena! What are you doing here?'' The young blonde eyed him for a moment before answering. ''Working,of course. Rufus is pissed. He tried to get your attention on the intercom while you were asleep. Is something wrong? You've got circles under your eyes,''she replied. Tseng shook nervously and gently brushed her hand off. ''I-I'm fine. What did Rufus need?'' ''He wanted you scout the forest. There's been a lot of complaints from little children to the security guards of some strange giggling and it's creeping the hell out of everyone. Including Rufus.''
Tseng launched up from the chair,as if afraid of something. ''Tseng?'' Elena was worried. ''Nothing. Tell him I'm on the job.'' With that,Tseng disappeared through the office door and headed outside. He looked up at the trees,wondering if obeying the Vice-President was worth it. A heavy sigh escaped him, and he stepped into the maze of trees with annoyance. ''Alright,you little stalker,come out and play.''
I can see her in you
Kindred spirits are few,
When you find one you hold on for good,
And if you lose your way
If your path goes astray,
She will lead you right back to the wood.
''Yay! A playmate!'' Tseng stopped. ''Yeah,you got your playmate. Now come out of wherever your hiding!'' Nothing but silence surrounded Tseng,which didn't worry him at all. Smiling slyly,Tseng took another turn speaking. ''How about a game of riddles? You seem to like playing games,''he stated. ''I get first pick!'' Tseng shuddered. That voice was getting a little to cheerful for his liking. ''If I guess right,you show yourself and take those bandages off. Otherwise,I'll take them off myself.'' There was another giggle,this time longer. Damn it,he hated that giggle. ''Let's play!'' Tseng took a defensive stance as his stalker stepped into the clearing. A single glance at the long spiky red hair was all Tseng needed to tell who was behind the bandages. ''Hair like late sunset,eyes like blue sky. Skin like white snow,playful and spry. Who am I?''
Tseng smiled. ''Reno Sinclair of the Turks.'' The figure stood still for a moment,then reached a hand up to the bandages around his face. ''Congratulations,dot head. You win.'' Tseng shuddered again. The sight of Reno's face was unpleasant. It was was covered with freshly dried blood,probably from a security guard. One eye still had a blue iris,the other had turned red. How was beyond Tseng at that point. ''What's your riddle?'' Tseng smiled and drew his sidearm. ''Who's about to be dead and bleeding all over the place?'' ''...Let's find out,''Reno replied. In a flash,Reno was gone and running in multiple directions,slicing open section's of Tseng's skin with his rust covered knife.
Her dangerous game
To know her name,
She was wild,she was free
She was calling to me,
Sister Gypsy we're on and the same.
Tseng suddenly released a blood curdling cry as the redhead's knife was jammed into his side. Reno was standing behind him,his face buried in Tseng's neck. ''I think we both know the answer to that riddle.'' Reno rammed the knife harder into the other man's side,and turned it so the blade was facing outward. With a final shove,Reno ripped Tseng's back and stomach open and withdrew the knife. Tseng collapsed to the ground,his vision having gone blurry the moment the knife entered him. ''Revenge has a sweet flavor.'' Reno lifted the knife to his mouth and began to lick the blood away from the blade. Tseng looked up at the sky,wondering if Rufus was going to catch Reno and kill him soon. All he did know at that moment was that as his vision faded to black,Reno had come back for him and won The Game of Riddles. His prize was the blood that was now running in his system. Tseng was now a part of Reno.
She was wild,she was free
She was calling to me,
Sister Gypsy we're one and the same...
I know it's a little gruesome,but this was all I could think of. Tell me what you thought,and try to be nice. I don't mind if you yell at me for killing Tseng,Hell my mom yells at me all the time for doing something stupid,but I'm knew to the hole typing-stories-and-posting-them thing.