Prologue.
"A word to the dangerously unwise, mi enemigo. Lying all twisted up like that ain't no good for your back."
"Oh, my God! Riku!" Yuffie cried.
Stay... stay away.
The ninja ran to his side as fast as her legs could carry her.
"He's... Riku coughed up a bit of blood. -he's a monster."
"Don't talk."
"You have to g-"
"Shh..." she silenced him with a finger to his lips. "It's okay."
The ninja chanted a healing spell under her breath. He would still need medical treatment, but at least he could rest for now.
"You bastard... how could you do this to him!?"
"You'd be surprised how easy it is to hurt somebody if you're mad enough." The giant in red answered coolly.
"You didn't just 'hurt' him, you nearly killed him!"
"He should count himself lucky I didn't!" he snarled.
"Are you even hearing yourself!?"
"Oh, I'm hearin' myself just fine, babe. How 'bout you, huh? Seriously. What if he'd taken someone close to you?"
"I..."
"Look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn't want revenge."
Yuffie couldn't do it. She couldn't honestly say she wouldn't hate Riku if he'd taken someone she loved from from her.
"That's what we do, Yuffie-baby. We avenge the people no one else will. Actually, that's been buggin' me for a while now... Lea."
"Hey, 'Shin-baby.' I should have know you'd hear me coming. I guess those nifty super-senses got an upgrade, huh?"
Shin continued, ignoring the pyro's banter.
"All the killin' you did, all the killin' you tried to do to save your own sorry ass, and you make friends with the guy who killed yours? A tiger that's lost it's teeth... the worst kind of pussy." he spat.
"Is that what you think?" Lea asked in an uncharacteristically icy tone.
"I think if you gave a flyin' fuck about Roxas, you'd be the one kicking this little bitch's narrow a-
*POW*
A fire-powered punch knocked the giant off his feet.
How about that? I guess that training with Tifa's paying off!
Shin caught himself in mid air, and stood hovering above the ground.
"Oh, man... You just bit off more than you can chew, boy."
"What can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment." Lea shrugged.
"That makes two of us!" Yuffie appeared next to Lea in a puff of smoke.
"Make that three!" Tifa appeared in a flash of Light.
"You cats just have your Hearts' set on a cosmic-scale curb-stompin', don't ya? Fine by me! I'll beat you at your own game! COME ON!"
13 Days earlier...