Crimson Triangle

Disclaimer: All the FF7 goodies here belong to their respective owners! Don't sue a poor man like me!

Chapter One: Interests

The sky bathed in dull gray light of the dying sun; yet the building that stood in the middle of Nibelheim had an even duller color. On its better days, it was a mansion housing the executives on vacation. Now it had deteriorated to a decrepit condition; remnants of once glorious days of Shinra Inc.

One wouldn't find anything of interest inside the dull interior of the mansion; save the hidden door that leads down to the secret catacomb underneath. Describing the sensation as 'gloomy' is an understatement; it was so dark and depressing it would've been mistaken as a grave or even a vampire's lair. If it wasn't eerie enough, piles of animal bones were scattered about, greeting visitors with an unwelcome chagrin.

Interestingly, the catacomb led to an old, battered room that resembled a cross between a lab and a library. If it weren't for the test tubes and the books strewn across the floor, it would've had a more welcoming air. Nevertheless, the air was the least important matter to a tall figure standing in the hallway. The lack of light didn't seem to be a nuisance; rather, the figure felt as though it was his best friend that shut him away from the mundane and noisy world outside.

21st September, XXXX.

He seemed intent on scanning the book he held on his hand. His Mako-enhanced eyes were giving him clear vision of the scribbles he had been reading.

Dangerous properties of the Chaos Beast.

The unnaturally red glow of his eyes stared intently onto the words before reading along.

The fact that the Chaos Beast had surpassed our expectations in terms of power and durability had not diminished our concern for its controllability. Granted, the prerequisites of awakening Chaos exists in virtually every Guinea Pig that we have tested; however, its virtually indestructible nature and its retained intelligence from its host is offset only by one factor, emotion. Emotion is the only factor that either greatly increases or diminishes its potential as a weapon. Specifically speaking, it requires a single, or a combination of the following negative emotions: wrath, flaw, malice, hatred, or overwhelming desire of inflicting pain or death. However, those were proven to be a double-edged sword as apparently, the emotions were amplified within the mind of Chaos itself. In other words, the probability for it to listen to orders or reason is slim; let alone to think with logic. Supposedly, a control materia had been designed by the engineer of Chaos Project, Dr. Lucrecia Crescent; however—

His concerned eyes trailed off for a second upon the name. He shifted uncomfortably, making his blood red cape swing slightly in the cold air.

"Lucrecia…" the figure sighed sadly.

"Is this what you bestow me? A power and a curse at the same time?" he thought.

Slowly, he closed the book and returned it to its place. Without any hesitation, he strode quickly to the mansion's door. Upon opening the door, he did what most humans do after being shut in a confined space for so long; breathe deeply.

The tall shadow that stood belonged to Vincent Valentine. Dressed in his favorite trademark 'black tight overalls with fluttering blood-red cape', he was quite physically imposing to people who had never met him. His black hair that flowed around his head and his sunken red eyes gave him the appearance of a vampire.

Once an ex-Turk and ex-AVALANCHE member that saved the world, Vincent, being a loner, had resorted to live alone away from everybody. He was never comfortable with anyone he had bumped into before, even if his mannerisms showed the otherwise. True, there was Cloud who captured his attention due to his ability to lead people into action by mere words. Then there was the ever-soothing fighter Tifa, the boisterous gun-armed Barret, and the foul-mouthed pilot Cid. Not to forget the annoying Cait Sith, a mechanical doll controlled by a Shinra executive Reeve, and the wise talking lion Red XIII; better known as Nanaki.

The pale-grey sky had turned somewhat into a stained crimson color of sunset; the same beautiful setting that bore witness to the downfall of the ultimate threat to the Planet, Sephiroth.

"Has the wrath of the Planet had subsided now?" he thought absently. Two years ago, the WEAPONs were unleashed by the Planet. They were its self-defense in response to Sephiroth's actions, literally destroying many cities in the continent. Had the WEAPONs were not slain by both Shinra and AVALANCHE, they would've destroyed many more lives. In the final act, the Planet had used its own power to save itself from the Meteor; thereby saving everyone in the process.

Shinra was always hostile toward AVALANCHE during the course of their relationship. That is, until Rufus Shinra had made a pact of ceasefire with AVALANCHE during the WEAPON incident. Although he never spoke of it loudly, he had seemed to take a change for the better, even for a temporary moment. Now that Rufus was found unharmed, Shinra had discontinued its practice of tyranny and Mako exploitation. Its rebirth and its growth were nevertheless also caused by AVALANCHE's (particularly Barret's) direct involvement. Although there were some bitter sentiments and slight distrust against each other here and there, generally speaking, there were not going to be a major war between them.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

The only sounds that were heard within the perimeter were sounds of birds that were coming to their nests. That is, until Vincent's PHS rang loudly. With asmooth, fluid motion, he snatched his PHS without giving it a chance to ring another tune; he couldn't afford to have another ringtone and its original tune pierced his ears every time it rang.

"So much for a bloody means of communication." Vincent thought wryly before opening his PHS.

"Valentine Special Ops Service." He greeted the person.

"…"

"To whom am I speaking to, sir?" he lowered his tone to a respectful, yet cautious tone.

"…"

"I see. What is the matter, sir?"

"…"

"I understand. I will be there as soon as possible, sir."

Vincent shut his PHS with a start. Being polite is his way of speech; it had granted him success in many aspects, including his current business, which, by the name of it, speaks for itself.

"Hmmm…"

He started walking towards the rebuilt Rocket Town. He was sure to find a ride there to his destination.

"The land of past glory…interesting." he muttered under his breath. The chilly winds that came from Mt. Nibel swung his cloak forward, obscuring his stature and his face. A slight smile crept up on his face as he was walking away.

As he did, his mind drifted into the last member of AVALANCHE; the only one that attracted his attention more than the others did. Evidently the youngest member, Yuffie Kisaragi was the resident childish, mischievous young girl that tagged along. To say her presence was unwelcome may attract undue anger; mischievous and impulsive as she was, she was also a proud ninja that belonged to Wutai; a nation previously conquered by Shinra. Now that it had regained its independence, it was once again a prosperous country with surprisingly good terms with its former occupant.

Ever since the relationship between Shinra and Wutai had evolved into a mutualistic sense instead of the usual hostile one, Yuffie was practically dragged back to Wutai where she had to perform her duties as the princess; much to the horror of the princess herself.

flashback...

"I'll be back before you guys know it and you'd better keep an eye on your belongings!"

That was her last word before her small figure was carried to the Wutai flagship by her father's closest aide Staniv.

It was quite a comic sight when you consider a little girl, shouting obscenities to her escorts, trashing, and making quite a noise as she was dragged to the ship. The sight made most members of AVALANCHE either sweatdropped with a very confused look or shrugged away.

"That's clearly Cid's mark on her." Barret commented.

"Hey, what the fuck? I haven't done anything you stinkin' piece of shit !" Cid snarled while holding the cigarette in his mouth

"He speaks for himself." Vincent thought humorously.

flashback...

The thought of that had made him smile, something he had rarely done. Now he set foot to where the caller had ordered him; the land of gods, Wutai.

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Some days are just boring-as-hell. Probably hell could've been more interesting; what with Satan and God-knows-what-else is inside. But a certain redheaded figure who stopped to take a piss on the side of the Wutai Highway had no idea that his vacation will be more interesting than he had expected.

"Well, back to the show again, yo."

He lazily climbed to his blue convertible and pulled his seatbelt on. The cloudy day showed threatening signs of rain. It is only by some chance that it didn't rain at all. The highway seemed strangely deserted, considering its active status. Not that Reno minded anyway; this means that he could speed as fast as his heart's content. Of course, being Reno, that means really fast.

Riiiiing!

The person looked to his PHS with a smug, uninterested face before deciding to let the answering machine took over.

"Yo, you've reached the greatest ass-kicking Turk ever, Reno! Now you can wonder for a lifetime why I don't answer your call; 'coz I won't tell ya! Anyway, now you can also put the phone off or leave me a message; which I will hear when I feel like it! Oh, and leave it AFTER the beep, 'kay? Bye!"

The figure chuckled hearing his own recorded message. Somehow, it reminded him of his colleagues who worked for him; The Turks. Back on the heyday of Shinra, budgets were flowing for security and other deeds need done but need not known by the public. This is where The Turks came in. They were primarily there to scout candidates for SOLDIER, but also involved with other hush-hush things. Robbery, murder, assassination, and "practically anything that Shinra ordered to make them feel better; butt kisses and puns included." as Reno once explained to the rookie Elena; who replied with a horror-stricken face, much to Reno's delight. Now that the new Shinra had ceased 'those sort of activity' as Reeve, the vice-president said; there aren't much to be done by the Turks except as the President's personal bodyguard or project supervisor. As Reno's thought drifted to why Elena aren't making any progress about her relationship with Tseng, the Turks leader, a feminine voice called into his PHS.

"Hey, it's me Elena. You didn't file your report about your vacation again this time. Well, knowing you, you'll probably already dead drunk in some unknown bar like last time. I don't mind about you not submitting your report, but even President Rufus himself wants to have it. So, he gave you a 56-hours time limit starting this midnight. Well, wherever you are, have fun! And—"

The voice lowered to a whisper before continuing. The voice sounded rather secretive and desperate; Reno knew what was coming and, immediately, a smirk plastered itself on his smug face.

"—how do you spell 'courteous' again? I need your help. I'm taking Tseng-san for dinner tomorrow night and I'm sooooo nervous practicing my lines of conversation. 'hope you hear this message fast because if you don't file your report or my date is failed, you are having some serious problems, Reno; professional AND personal-wise. Bye!"

The redheaded Turk grinned lazily before he muttered, "If I tell you guys about my vacation plans, it's not gonna be a vacation anymore, yo." Having that said, he started his car and sped along the highway to Wutai.

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"There he is, shall we intercept him?"

"You may, but don't kill him yet. Show him that Shinra aren't welcomed here."

"Yes, sir."

And, the two black-clad bikers that had been waiting at the exit sped wildly at the passing blue car.

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The radio in the car was dead, so Reno didn't get any source of amusement. But he didn't mind; his thoughts were somewhere else. His thoughts flew at the thought of visiting Wutai again. But what made him truly grin is the sure welcome he anticipated; the hyperactive ninja princess Yuffie Kisaragi herself.

Both of them had been seeing each other whenever Reno went to Wutai on vacation. The reason he had never filed his vacation report is that he didn't want his vacation to be ruined by some telephone calls from Shinra nagging him about duty. That's his principle; vacation time is for vacation, not for duty.

Just when Reno was deeply absorbed within his thoughts, the two bikes that he noticed earlier suddenly went closer behind him. Without warning, they suddenly drew circles around his path. Reno had no idea what they were doing until one of them opened fire to his car.

"What the f—!"

Reno frantically tried to maneuver his car around while reaching for his own gun. The car swerved wildly across all four lanes of the highway trying to avoid the assailants to no avail; the bikes simply continued to circle around him as if in a deadly dance. He had just straightened up when one of the bikes pulled beside him.

"Well, what do we have here?" the biker sneered.

Reno ducked just in time to avoid a swipe of what seemed to be a baton of some sort to his head. As if that wasn't enough, another biker opened fire near him. Like his friend, he pulled to Reno's right side.

"You've come across our turf, kid."

Reno had to slam his brakes to avoid the bullets that went spraying to his windshield, leaving cracks on his windshield. He had just noticed that the handgun the biker had was a Shinra model, but he forgot which one.

The chase had changed into a deadly, fast-paced game of cat-and-mouse with the two bikes closely circling Reno's car. One of them shot endless bullets through Reno's car while the other simply waited for an opening. But Reno wouldn't wait for him to be shot; he is Reno of the Turks and he is not going down without a fight. He quickly returned fire to the gun-armed biker while struggling to maintain balance. The measure worked and the biker ducked to avoid the bullets, and in the process, slowed down a little, allowing Reno to leave him in the dust.

But what about the other one?

Reno had just noticed that he was going faster than he thought he was when the other biker pulled close to him. Desperately, Reno tried to shoot him when the biker swung his baton, knocking Reno's gun away. With a malicious grin, the biker pointed forward.

What Reno saw before him made him felt time had stopped for a second.

Somehow, the other biker had managed to get in front of him. He pointed his gun hand using a braking trick that spun the bike to its left side leaving a black trail and an acrid smell of burnt rubber.

All the biker needed to do was to pull the trigger of the gun.

Reno didn't feel his right arm anymore; instead, crimson colored liquid flowed from his arm as the bullet shattered the windshield and lodged itself deep within Reno's arm. Desperately, Reno tried to ram the assailant ahead. But the bike swerved smoothly to the side, avoiding the attack. Reno had just prepared to charge his Electro Rod when the two assailants suddenly doubled back and sped off. Unable to contain the pain any longer, he stopped at the side of the road, clutching his bleeding arm.

"Who the hell?"

Okay, first chappie done, hurrah! R&R Plz.