Kamikaze Moogle

Disclaimer: I hate writing disclaimers. They consume my life and turn me into a disclaimer zombie. Gaaah...brains.

Chapter Four

"And just why precisely am I not allowed to walk around at night alone?" The annoyed snarls of a certain brunette teenager were heard all across the Shera, causing heads to turn and sighs to be put out.

"'Cause it ain't safe!" Cid was more than able to match the racket she caused.

"HOW EXACTLY IS IT NOT FUCKING SAFE? I'm fourteen, not five! We're on a goddamn airship, so WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN? What, am I going to be abducted by a wind spirit or something?"

"I'M THE GODDAMN CAPTAIN, YA BRAT, AND YA'LL DO AS I SAY, OR YA CAN GET THE FUCK OFF MY SHIP!" bellowed Cid, "Ya're worse than that spoiled klepto what calls 'erself a fighter!"

Thorn glared furiously at Cid. This was absolutely ridiculous! She had been walking around the deck, watching the moon, alone like everybody else was, and here she was being told not to by a man who was more foul-mouthed than she, (which, she had been told by some, would be a record if ever it happened.) Fuming, she opened her mouth once more, fully prepared to continue arguing her case, when she was cut off by a certain pilot.

"I don't wanna hear shit about it," said Cid, with a resolute shake of his head. "An' if you don't like it, ya can jump and tuh Hell with ya." Cid turned away from her, ignoring her firmly. It was more than just an indignant, irate feeling in Thorn now; it was real anger, pulsing and pounding in her veins. Before she understood what was happening, hateful venom was coursing through her, loathing and odium pouring out of her eyes, which had become poisoned and cruel once more.

"I'll do as I please, Highwind," she said, in a deadly voice steeped in viciousness. Before Cid had even turned to face her, cursing, she heard the trace of a movement behind her. And before she knew it, the press of cold claws on her forearm shocked her skin, and Thorn felt her arm twisted behind her back swiftly in the same movement as she was shoved into a wall, held fast. Thorn turned her head, glaring with the easy malevolence that came with her even stare.

"Holy fuck! Thorn, your eyes!" The words did not come from Vincent, but from a girl, a girl, who for a moment Thorn didn't even recognize. A girl taller than she, with curly dirty blonde hair and blue-gray eyes much softer than hers. Lily. Thorn's own eyes widened, hatred and malice draining from them to be replaced by shock and fear, as well as natural color. Her breathing was fast and unsteady. For a moment, Thorn looked like a child as her eyes flitted about wildly, settling fearfully on Vincent. Then she looked as she almost always did, but for a flicker of the feeling that had just dominated.

"Vincent, lemme go; that hurts," she said, knowing better than to struggle against the crimson-eyed man's vice grip—only pain waited down that road. Vincent held her there for another moment or two, watching her balefully, before releasing her roughly. He distanced himself from her quickly, eyeing her with something between disdain and disgust.

Thorn looked at the three other people in the room, her eyes resting the longest on Lily.

"Back to your rooms," Vincent said coldly, eyes on the pair of teenagers. "Now." Neither girl thought to argue.

---

Vincent watched as the two cleared the room in record time, eyes snapping back to Cid immediately afterward. Cid knew what Vincent was going to say, for he nodded and settled the steering mechanism on to float.

"I'll round up Chocobo-head an' the others," he said, passing the cloaked man.

"I will only be a moment," said Vincent, watching the foul-mouthed pilot leave. The moment he was alone, Vincent lowered his head to hang pointed at the floor, hands at his sides closing into fists. The ex-Turk stood there for a matter of seconds, allowing his fingers to uncurl slightly before clenching them back together once more. Crimson eyes closed, simmering in the tumult of thoughts that threatened to overwhelm his calm, analytical thinking.

After another few seconds, Vincent's eyes opened once more, his hands loosening to their usual state. Raising his head, his imperturbable air returned as easily as it had slipped away for the merest of moments.

---

Lily walked swiftly out of the room, eyes resolutely on her friend. She was disturbed by what she had seen; even contacts could not change the shape of your pupil, and switching back so quickly ruled out the idea anyway. Those eyes she had seen in her best friend in the whole world were those she had seen all too often in fan art and posters, and they should never have appeared in Thorn. How had Thorn become infected by "the Sephiroth gene," as it were?

Lily felt Thorn's hand slip into hers, and she allowed it to stay there, though she responded only minimally. She was not afraid of her friend, as perhaps she should have been, but something in that back of her mind plagued her, as though besides the obvious problem there was something she had overlooked. Lily was the kind of person who just got things. She might forget something or not realize it, but then it would all just click, and she would understand everything in a second.

They traversed the space between the control deck and their rooms fairly quickly (the way there included an open deck, stairs, and a small awning where their neighboring doors stood. The wood under Lily's feet gave a solid, comforting feel, even if it was only wood.

There was no question about the two separating—it went without question that the two crossed into Lily's room, Lily's expression changing to disbelief. Thorn just asked her question.

"Okay, so Lil. What about my eyes? What was up with that?" Lily had to take a deep breath in order not to explode by this point.

"I get why they're so rawr with you," she said. "It's 'cause whenever you get rawr, your eyes go all Sephy-like. I'm serious. If you like, don't remember, this is probably why. You get Sephy eyes when you're pissed."

"What the crap? No way," said Thorn, but Lily knew that Thorn was not so unperceptive to think that she would lie about something like this. Her face sobered very quickly, and she said, "Well, what do we do, then?"

"I think you should try not getting mad too much," Lily said dryly, knowing how insubstantial a solution this sounded. "How the hell should I know? Everyone else feels ready to chop, blow off, or in some other way remove your head—"

"Gee, thanks…"

"—but they're not gonna, 'cause they need to know what's up with you. But I just can't figure out how it happened. I mean, neither'a us're from around here, y'know? It doesn't make any sense."

"Oh, and this is the only thing that doesn't make sense?" said Thorn.

"You know what I mean," Lily said, pacing her room. The two sank into constrained silence. Lily remained pacing, trying to think more clearly as Thorn leaned against the wall, watching her. This went on for almost a minute before Thorn said, "I feel like I'm in a shitty fic. Ya know, the dumb ones where they try'n' insert the Oh-See into some kinda funky situation which leads to everyone falling in love with them. Oh, don't tell me, I'm Sephiroth's daughter, aren't I?"

"Is that all this is to you?" said Lily, almost incredulous. "It's not just fandom anymore, Thorn. We're really here, and something is really wrong. Something's happening, and it's not good."

They were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door, followed by another distant knock, which must have been on Thorn's door. Lily's head snapped to the side to look at the closed door, then to Thorn, whose eyebrows had drawn together in a slight frown that indicated to Lily that her friend was curious.

Lily strode forward, followed by Thorn, and opened the door. The sight that greeted her was a man, about half a foot taller than she. He stood aside for Lily and Thorn to exit the room, which they did. Lily watched Vincent rather apprehensively, wondering what he was about to tell them. If he was surprised that she and Thorn were in the same room, his face didn't show it.

"It has been decided," he began, "that the two of you will accompany Cloud and Tifa to Seventh Heaven, as will I."

"Isn't anyone else coming too?" said Lily, without thinking. Vincent appeared not to read too much into this and merely replied with a curt 'no.'

"Then why're you?" asked Lily. Doesn't it kind of defeat the purpose? she went on, within the confines of her own mind. I mean, it seems obvious he's coming to keep an eye on Thorn, and sure, Vinny's more than enough to take care of her if things get outta hand (as is Cloud) but this seems like a pretty big problem. Shouldn't everyone stick around?

"Because they've all got lives, a'course," said Thorn, cutting into Lily's thoughts.

"In essence, yes," said Vincent, crimson eyes flitting to Thorn. Lily resisted the urge to smack her palm to her forehead. No DUH they all have lives… lives that could end if this turns out bad…

"VINNY! What're ya talkin' 'bout?" It was Yuffie's voice. Lily watched as Vincent turned to look at the ninja who was behind him, accompanied by Tifa. "The rest of us wanna hang with y'all too!"

"Sorry, Vincent," Tifa said, looking a bit guilty for having to correct the seemingly-ageless man. "After you came to tell these two, we all decided that it'd be nice to have everyone around; you know, spend some time together." Lily had the distinct impression that if Vincent had been, well, a lot less Vincent-ish, he would have rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"I stand corrected," he said dryly, looking at the two teenagers once more. "Apparently, all of AVALANCHE will be depositing itself at Seventh Heaven." Lily had to smile at the look on his face. It seemed that the prospect of sharing a building with the likes of them was either revolting or frightening—or both.

"Cool," said Thorn—Lily could only guess that her friend was trying not to think about the reason why this was all happening—"Party at Cloud and Teef's!"