Murder on the Dancefloor

Disclaimer: Nope, that's right. I don't own FFVII or any of their characters. If I did... If I did...

You listen to my voice, and call me an angel,
This angel is flesh and blood,
Not a doll to be put on show.
You see - I'm not a mystery,
I'm just me.

The group had been dancing for a good hour and a half but although many people had joined, there was still no sign of any bad guys. Yuffie was certain that she would notice them the moment she set her eyes on one of them but she couldn't be sure. A part of her was even starting to think that they wouldn't come. That would be a shame though. She wanted to kick some butts today. She watched as Vincent and Reno chatted animatedly about something. She saw Vincent's eyes light up excitedly at whatever Reno was saying. Yuffie smiled at the both of them. It was good to see that Vincent was opening up a little more.

Tifa seemed to also be enjoying herself. She looked drunk as she dirty danced with a guy that had appeared without a partner. Reno caught Yuffie watching and gave a little sigh. "She doesn't look like she's married does she?"he asked. Yuffie grinned.

"Nope but that's because she's not. Even on a mission, Teefs won't stop having fun whether it's with a guy or..." Yuffie stopped as she tried to think of something to say.

"...or, a girl maybe?" Reno asked mischeviously. Yuffie rolled her eyes.

"Ha ha, funny Reno". Reno grinned dumbly back at her. "Where's Vincent?"

"Gone to the bathroom". Reno replied. They both watched as three girls made their way to join the party. Yuffie hadn't seen them before so she figured that they had just arrived. She forgot about them as she saw Tifa coming to join her, cheeks flushed from dancing.

"What happened to loverboy?" Reno asked her sourly as she reached them. Tifa blushed a little.

"He went somewhere" she told them with a shrug. Eventually, she realised Reno's unusally grumpy face. She pinched his cheeks gently in an effort to perk him up. "Oh Reno sweetie, I'm sorry I left you" she winked at him before carrying on. "I promise I'll make it up to you tonight".

Yuffie sighed at her dirty words. Yep, she was definitely drunk then."Tifa, don't you think it was a bad idea to get drunk?"

"I'm not drunk!" Tifa hiccupped. "Don't be su-such a-a spoil sport Yufs".

"No, you're not drunk!" Yuffie growled sarcastically. "You're only stuttering because you have soap in your mouth". God, sometimes she can be so ridiculous! Tifa huffed.

"Whatever Yufs, I-I c-can't be b-bothered to argue wi-with you anyways" she looked around the room. "Where the fuck are these punks?" Both Reno and Yuffie shrugged. Yuffie watched Tifa as she rubbed her sore head. She noticed that she looked paler than usual and her pupils were dilated.

"Teefs, tell the truth. How much have you had to drink?" Tifa avoided her eyes.

"T-Two" she managed to stutter out. "One when we first arrived which Reno bought me and one from the guy I was dancing with". Yuffie was getting slightly nervous. Tifa didn't look well at all. She tried to recap what the guy looked like.

"The guy you were with" she began. "He had glasses on right?" She had directed her question at Tifa who was now rocking back and forth on the spot, whimpering. Reno answered her instead.

"Yeah, he had glasses, tall and kinda heavily built with light blond hair" he told her. Yuffie bit her lip.

"Oh shit" she groaned. "I think he might have spiked her drink". Reno's eyes widened.

"What should I do with her?" he asked Yuffie. She didn't take long to answer.

"Bring her up to the bedroom immediately. But make her drink as much water as possible to sober her up a little. I'm afraid there's going to be no fighting for her tonight". Reno nodded and quickly picked Tifa up. Tifa was so out of it that she didn't even complain.

When they were gone, Yuffie looked around the room. She could see the three girls who had arrived late were watching her closely. Yuffie stared back at them, sure that she had seen them before. They looked away, obviously fazed by Yuffie's glare. Yuffie directed her gaze to the corner of the room where her, Tifa, Reno and Vincent had left their things. Vincent! Where was he? She hadn't seem him for ages.

"Oh god, Vinnie" Yuffie whispered to herself. "Don't tell me you're in trouble as well!"


Vincent tried to speak but his mouth had been covered up firmly by something. His arms, legs and back were tied to a small wooden chair. He had no idea where he was but he did know that he was someone in the hotel still. The abundance of rich furniture kind of gave it away.

"Now, now, now. Vincent Valentine, that's your name I presume?" The smaller man asked him. Vincent scowled from behind his gag. One of his captors, who was wearing dark glasses a black suit and blond her sneered at him.

"It looks like we're getting rid of your little spy friends one by one". Vincent made a growling noise. If he could just get out of these ropes...

His captors seemed to find this highly amusing and they fell about laughing. Finally the same one who had spoken first, and who Vincent assumed was the boss of these assholes began to speak. "You guys are just so weak" he grinned. "And oh-so gullible. We drugged the girl; no one comes looking, we capture you; no one comes looking. Maybe they aren't really your friends after all then, huh?"

Vincent said nothing but he begun trying to get out of the ropes that bound him down to the chair. "Stop" the taller, heavily built one in glasses commanded. Vincent ignored him.

"I SAID STOP!" Glasses punched Vincent in the face. Hard. Vincent could feel himself going woozy over the punch. Shit that hurt! The boss frowned at the man who had just attacked him.

"Snake-Eyes. You don't hit anyone, even if it is the enemy, without my permission. Do you understand?" Snake-Eyes nodded humbly, shooting a dirty look at Vincent before he focused his attention on his boss.

"Boss, what are we to do with him?" he asked. "Maybe we could hold him ransom or something o-" he stopped as his boss gave him the evil eye.

"Listen, Snake, you only give ideas when I ask for your ideas. Until then, don't speak unless it's something sensible". Snake-Eyes looked down.

"Sorry boss" he sighed glumly.

Even though he was trapped and probably about to die soon. Vincent couldn't help laughing as he watched the situation in front of him. Snake-Eyes and his boss both turned around to see the chair almost vibrating with Vincent's hysteria. "Whaddya think you're laughing at?" he asked Vincent. Vincent continued laughing. Well, how was he supposed to speak when he was tied up? These people really had no common sense in them at all...

"He's annoying me. Knock him out Snake-Eyes. But ONLY knock him out; I may want to use him for later". Snake-Eyes nodded and made his way slowly over to Vincent.

"Now, now. You've been a bad boy and you need to be punished". Vincent just stared back at him trying to faze him with his glares. It didn't work. Snake came closer until Vincent could clearly see his stubble and his shiny, white teeth. Those are definitely not natural...

Vincent closed his eyes as the huge, beefy fist pulled away to hit him hard. "Now you be a good boy and open your eyes for me. Tell me where you want me to hit you first". Vincent was aware of some footsteps that were coming from outside. The two crooks were still unaware however. Snake begun teasing him again. "Do you want my fisty in your face?" he asked.

"NO HE DOESN'T!" Someone cried as the door burst open. Vincent could pratically scream with happiness. It was Cloud, Cid and Yuffie! The main crook watched as they all ran into the room. Snake growled.

"You fools!" The main crook shouted. "Snake-Eyes knock him out and help me!" Snake-Eyes snarled at Vincent before hitting him in the face. The chair knocked over with Vincent lying in it, lifeless.


Yuffie gasped as she saw the guy punch Vinnie hard in the face. "Vincent!" she gasped in horror. Snake-Eyes turned around, rubbing his fist from Vincent's blood. Yuffie's own blood was boiling as she recognised his face. It was the guy who was dancing with Tifa earlier! Yuffie stepped forward but Cid stopped her.

"Don't be foolish Yuffie, these guys look fucking dangerous. Watch your step". Yuffie ignored him, pushing his hand out the way. She made her way over to the smaller of the two men. She figured she'd leave the bigger one to the men. For now. The smaller man smiled as she approached.

"Well, well, well, little girl. What can I do for you? I'm afraid I don't have a bottle to feed you but y-Oof!" He yepled as Yuffie fly-kicked him in his crotch. While his boss was bent double groaning, Snake came up to her, cracking his knuckles dangerously.

"How dare you hurt Mr. Jenkins!" he snarled at her. He grabbed Yuffie by her neck an held her in the air. Yuffie struggled to breathe as his large hands squeezed her windpipe. She tried to kick him like she'd done to his boss but she missed and only ended up having the hand on her neck tighten. Finally, when she thought she was going to faint from lack of oxygen, the grip on her neck released and she dropped to the floor. Yuffie watched as Snake-Eyes slithered to the floor, knocked out cold. As he landed, Vincent, who was standing behind him, came into view. He was still holding half a chair, which she noticed he had used to knock out Snake. He smiled at her, wincing as his swollen and bleeding lips stung.

"Oh Vincent!" Yuffie cried as she ran into his arms. He held her tight, stroking her hair. Yuffie looked up and gently touched around his purple-swollen eyes. He grimaced in pain. "Vincent, what have they done to you?" Vincent shrugged, stroking Yuffie's back affectinately.

"D-Don't worry 'bout me" he stuttered, voice unclear because of his sore mouth. Yuffie sighed and held him even closer.

"Um, excuse me, sorry to interrupt but we have a VILLAIN here who is just recovering from a swift kick to the balls. Would you help Yufs? Cloud asked her in what he thought was a patient voice. Yuffie giggled a bit, wiping the tears that had formed away.

"I'm coming Cloudy" she told him, making her way over to where they were standing after giving Vincent one last smile. Jenkins was standing, a little bent over still. He growled when he saw Yuffie.

"You! You did this to me! You'll pay for this!!" Yuffie pretended to stifle a yawn, just to get him angry. It worked wonders. Jenkins launched himself at her. Yuffie ducked. Growing even madder he made his way back over to her".

"Come to settle things have we, numb-nuts?" Yuffie mocked. Jenkins screamed and ran at her.

"Yuffie!" Cid shouted. "He's got a knife!"


"Reno" Tifa moaned weakly. "I'm going to be sick again". Reno held her long black hair away from her face as she puked for the fourth time since he had managed to sober her up. She might not have been drunk still, but she sure was feeling the affects of being drugged. When Tifa had finished, Reno wiped her mouth gently with cool cloth and helped her back into the pillows. Tifa smiled limply. "Thank you for this Reno, I really appreciate it. You've been great". Reno smiled, stroking her hair. Tifa closed her eyes, her chest heaving slightly.

Reno's mind wandered to Yuffie and Vincent. What had happened to them? He didn't think the enemy had arrived otherwise he would have sure heard something. Unless, the walls were soundproof? "Tifa?" he began.

"Hmm?"

"Do you know if these walls are soundproof?" Tifa opened her eyes at that.

"Soundproof? Reno, I'm heaving my guts up every ten minutes. I'm definitely not about to have sex with you now". Reno laughed.

"No, silly, of course I don't want to have sex with you now. But... I was wondering about Yuffie and the rest of them". Tifa took a while to answer.

"Oh, I dunno. Walk outside and check or something. Actually, leave me, I'll be fine. I want you to help our friends more than you should stay with me. Don't worry about me". Reno thought about what she had just said.

"Are you sure, Teefs?" Tifa attempted a smile.

"Of course I am Ree-Ree. Go". Reno gave her a light kiss on the forehead and stood up, making his way to the door. He stopped before he reached it. He couldn't leave her. What if she choked on her own vomit and dies or something? He just couldn't do it. Reno came back and sat in his same spot. Tifa was surprised to see him.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, concern filling her tired, but still beautiful eyes.

"I'm not going. I can't leave you on your own". Tifa looked like she was going to argue but instead she just smiled. Reaching for Reno's hand, she held it in her own.


It seemed like slow motion as Yuffie saw Jenkins coming towards her with a knife. She was surprisingly rooted to the spot. He came closer until he was almost there, knife held out in front on him, ready to attack. There was a scream and Yuffie saw Jenkins thud to the floor. Cloud picked himself up from the slide tackle he had just performed and kicked the knife into the far corner of the room. He looked at Yuffie with a frown. "Next time, don't stay on the spot! He had a knife Yufs, you could have been killed!" Yuffie sighed at the lecture she was getting. She knew she was wrong.

"I'm so sorry Cloud, thank you so much!" she hugged him tightly. Cloud's face softened.

"But it's not over yet" Cid sighed. "They're gonna be more. These two punks aren't even dead yet!" Vincent stepped forward from the shadows. Everyone jumped. They had forgotten he was there.

"I d-deal with 'ese two" he struggled to tell everyone. Yuffie looked worried.

"Are you sure, Vinnie? I don't want you getting hurt any further!"

"I'll be fine" he told her with a tiny smile. Yuffie felt so sad about what had happened to him so far. She couldn't leave him by himself.

"I'm staying with him, you two go and defeat the rest of them. Hopefully Reno will come and help us". Cid shook his head.

"No. I'll stay with Vincent, you go and help Cloud" he told them. Yuffie agreed and her and Cloud set off for the party again, ready to kick some butts.


Yuffie and Cloud made to the fifth-floor balcony, which overlooked the party hall. They looked around quickly for anything that appeared unusual. People were either dancing and talking amongst themselves, totally oblivious of what was happening upstairs, or drinking at the posh bar. Yuffie looked at Cloud, a frown on her young face. "How I we supposed to tell, Cloud? These people are the same ones from before!" Cloud hushed her quickly. Something had caught his eye.

"Look" he whispered. Yuffie did as she was told. It took all her will-power not to gasp in surprise. The three girls that had arrived earlier on were all standing in the corner together in a huddle. From her position, Yuffie could see one of them taking something out of their bag. Yuffie couldn't tell what it was because she was so far away but the evil expressions on each of their faces confirmed the worst.

"C-Cloud" Yuffie whispered. "What are we supposed to do now?" Cloud continued to look grimly at the three dangerous girls while he answered Yuffie's question.

"First, we wait a bit to see what they are going to do. And if what they are planning to do is of any danger to anyone, we come down and help, okay?" Yuffie nodded. It was a good enough plan. They both got down out of sight and watched.


Vincent had Jenkins in a headlock while Cid was trying to act like he wasn't having trouble with Snake-Eyes. Vincent glanced over to Cid for the umpteenth time. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked. Cid's face was grim but he still nodded.

"W-What's wrong?" Jenkins spluttered. "Having second thoughts about killing us?" Vincent's grip on him tightened considerably.

"Not at all" he said, snapping Jenkins' neck effortlessly and leaving him lying dead on the ground to go and help Cid.


Reno watched and Tifa slept, finally. It had taken her a while to settle down but now her eyes were closed and she looked so pale and delicate just lying there; nothing like martial artist-cum-delivery girl, Tifa Lockhart. Reno looked at their two hands still entwined on the bed. If he had tried to move too far, Tifa's grip would tighten onto his. It made Reno wonder if she was really sleeping. Reaching over but still holding her hand, he whispered something in her pretty, little ear. Reno watched her face. If she had been awake, she did a good job of pretending she wasn't.


Yuffie and Cloud had been watching the three girls for around ten minutes now. They were still in a huddle and they still looked shifty. "Is anyone going to do something?" Yuffie asked impatiently. She hated waiting around when she could be in action. Cloud gave a small smile.

"Be patient Yuffie. Our time will soon come". As if on cue, the tallest of the three girls made her way out of the huddle and made her way over to the bar. She struck up a conversation with the barman but every once in a while, Yuffie and Cloud saw her glance back at the other two girls.

"Well, they're definitely up to something" Yuffie voiced aloud. "If those shifty looks are anything to go by". Suddenly, Cloud gave a gasp. Yuffie turned to see what had caught his attention. "Oh my gosh!"

After a last look from the girl at the bar, one of the two remaining girls made her way to a corner in the opposite side of the room. From there, she had thrown something small and black into the dancefloor. The thing hissed wildly and soon, the whole room was covered in thick smoke.

"It's a smoke grenade!" Cloud shouted. Him and Yuffie made their way down the five flights of stairs and towards the currently smoky room. Everyone was screaming and trying to find their way out, but smoke was making everything appear hazy.

"Shit, it's thick!" Yuffie said to Cloud but she was talking to Cloud had already plunged into the smoke. "Cloud, wait up!" Yuffie called, jumping into the foggy room herself.


Vincent gasped as Snake-Eyes launched Cid across the room and towards the floor-length glass window. He landed just to the right of it and Vincent sighed, relieved. If it had been any further to the left, Cid would be seeing the loveliness of this place from fifteen-floors in the air. Without a parachute. While Cid was recovering on the floor, Vincent grabbed Snake-Eyes from behind and tried to tackle him to the ground. No chance. Vincent found himself following suit of Cid and ended on top of him.

"Shit, Vin, you're fuckin' heavy!" Cid groaned, pushing Vincent off of him. Vincent gave him an apologetic look.

"Sorry". Cid huffed but Vincent could tell he was forgiven.

"And what are we going to do about this bastard?" Cid asked, pointing to Snake-Eyes who was making his way over to them. Vincent got to his feet, pulling Cid up with him.

"Keep him distracted" Vincent whispered quickly. "I'm going to see where they put my gun. I know it's in this room somewhere". Cid nodded reluctantly.

"Fine. I'll be his punchbag until you find your precious Revolver" Vincent gave him a smile as Cid ran towards Snake-Eyes, managing to head-butt him in the stomach. Vincent took this as his cue and made his way rapidly to the other side of the room, in search of his Cerberus.


Yuffie wandered around blindly. She had already lost Cloud but she hoped he was safe. Yuffie could barely hear anything apart from the screams of the petrified guests. She was sure she heard some evil laughter though. Yuffie coughed as the further she got, the thicker the smoke became. Suddenly, someone tackled her from behind and she found herself on the ground. Quickly scrambling up, she found herself face-to-chest with the woman who had thrown the grenade. Yuffie was furious. "You stupid bitch! What are you doing throwing smoke grenades around in a packed room?" The woman took a while to answer and when she did, Yuffie noticed that her voice was deep and gruff, very much like that of a monster.

"Ah! So you noticed it was me, then? Well we can't have that now can we? You look like the type to snitch little girl". Yuffie gave a growl before fly-kicking her in the face. The woman hit the ground, dazed. Yuffie was about to hit her again when she was grabbed by someone else. Yuffie kicked out and felt the satisfying connection between her foot and the person's stomach. They gave a groan and released her. Yuffie turned to see who she had hit. It was the smallest of the three women.

"You frikkin' asshole!" Yuffie shouted into her ear, grinning. With another kick, the woman flew across the room. There was a loud cracking sound and Yuffie realised that she must of hit a wall. While Yuffie was admiring her footwork, she felt a kick to her back that sent her flying. She landed a few meters away, panting with both pain and surprise. The Ninja Warrior lay there, looking up at the ceiling and the gigantic fancy chandelier in dismay. Where was Cloud when she needed him? Suddenly, she heard a whisper in her ear.

"You shouldn't have hurt my brother".

Yuffie managed to turn to face the person. It was the tallest woman, the one who had been talking to the barman before they came downstairs. Yuffie was surprised, the woman was leaning so close to her that Yuffie could smell her cool breath, see her narrowed, heavily made up eyes, see her stubble? Yuffie looked again and sure enough, blond stubble was sprouting on "her" lower chin.

"Y-You're a man!" Yuffie sqeaked. He laughed.

"Well done, young one" he said in a sarcastic tone, not caring how deep his voice sounded now. "But there will be no time for worrying because your time is up". Yuffie gasped as he took a gun from a holster on his thick, muscled leg. He aimed it at the ceiling and shot. Yuffie was confused.

"W-What was the point of that?" she asked. He gave a little chuckle before answering her.

"You'll see. Or feel even!" And with that, he walked away, still laughing at his "joke". Yuffie rolled her eyes. She could barely move without an excruciating pain on her lower back. It hadn't helped that after she had been kicked, she had landed on her back. Yuffie looked up as she heard a weird sound, like metal bits clinking together loudly. It was coming from the ceiling. Yuffie looked up and saw the heavy chandelier falling fast towards her. If she stayed there, she would be crushed. Using all the body power she could muster at the moment, Yuffie hurled herself away. She watched as the chandelier landed with a huge bang which dented the wooden floor terribly. Yuffie tried to slow her rapid breathing down. That could have been her.


Vincent finally spotted it, still in it's holster. He looked over his shoulder to see Cid and Snake-Eyes still wrestling. Snake and Vincent's eyes met at the same moment. Figuring out what Vincent was trying to do, Snake dropped Cid and made his way over. Vincent's hands trembled as he tried to put the bullets in. Snake-Eyes was almost there now. Vincent fumbled faster, annoyed that nerves were making him like this.

Click!

Vincent sighed gratefully as the bullets snapped into place. He quickly aimed the gun at Snake who made a sudden dive and caught Vincent in the legs. Vincent landed on the floor, his gun a few meters away from him. Snake-Eyes made his way towards the fallen weapon. But Cid got there first.

"Are you sure you want to play with my boy?" Snake snarled at Cid. Cid rolled his eyes.

"I'm not scared of you, you fucking lump!" he laughed, trying to get a feel for the revolver in his hands. He maneuvered away from the huge man and began walking forward, gun poised at the ready. Snake-Eyes moved backwards as Cid came towards him. .

"You don't seem to be handling the gun very well. I figure you're more used to the plastic variety aren't you?" Snake-Eyes sneered. Cid growled in reply. He didn't want to let on how inexperienced he was using a gun but Snake seemed to have figured it out anyway. He quickly looked back at Vincent.

"Shoot!" he shouted. Snake-Eyes was coming closer, obviously certain that Cid was too cowardly to shoot. Cid positioned the gun again. Snake-Eyes came nearer. "Shoot Cid!" He heard Vincent call again. Cid decided to listen this time. He closed his eyes and shot three times. There was a loud smash and Cid felt cold air brushing over his bare arms. He dared open his eyes. Snake-Eyes was gone and the window had smashed.

"Did I shoot the window?" he asked Vincent curiously. A smile spread over Vincent's handsome features.

"No. You shot him three times and he broke the glass as he fell out" he informed him. Cid grinned proudly.

"Not bad for a first-timer, eh?"


The smoke had cleared a bit and Cloud could see more clearly. He had already defeated the sister who had thrown the smoke grenade. It was hard to attack someone you could barely see but he had managed it. Now he had to find the other two sisters. Waving his hands in an attempt to clear the smoke a bit, Cloud's blood froze in horror. Yuffie was being held by the tallest of the three women and there was a gun to her head. Cloud's throat dried as he struggled to make his way over to where Yuffie was. When she saw him, she widened her eyes. Don't move!They seemed to say. Cloud knew she was right but he couldn't help it. He moved a little closer.

"Beware, the boy's trying to get ya, J.J!" someone called. Cloud could see that it was the remaining sister. "J.J" turned around sharply and caught sight of Cloud standing there.

"Stay back unless you wanna be killed too little boy" he warned. Cloud tightened his hold on his Buster Sword. Seeing the movement, J.J frowned. "I warned you, boy!"

Yuffie gasped as she heard a loud gunshot. She fell back, landing on something that didn't feel like the wooden flooring. Am I dead? she thought. Then she heard another gunshot. You could still hear things when you're dead? Yuffie opened her previously shut eyes. She was still in the smoky room but everything was quiet now. The smoke had almost gone. Yuffie felt herself being lifted to her feet.

"Are you okay, Yufs?" someone whispered in her ringing ears. Yuffie turned around. Cloud! She gave him a big hug.

"W-What happened?" she asked him. Cloud shrugged.

"I don't know. But someone shot the other two remaining bandits before they could shoot you". Yuffie leaned against Cloud. Her back was starting to hurt again. "Are you okay Yufs?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, but my back hurts. I can't really stand up properly". Cloud supported her weight, and she looked around the now empty room. "I wish I could thank the person who saved my life" Yuffie told him.

"Well you can. I'm right here". Cloud and Yuffie watched as a figure made it's way over to them. They both gasped as they saw who had rescued them.

"Boss!?!"


So what do you think? This chap took me ages by the way but not to worry, it's all for your benefit. Just read and review for me please??
Next chap's coming up as soon as I can. Wait up, alright??