~Hi-hi! Hm, ever wonder what happened to those crazy kidnappers? No? Didn't think so. But Noisulli (Erica) was a bit irate that Vic wasn't in the last chapter, so….. This is another chapter just for the other guys. So if you don't really give a damn about them and just want Yuffie and Vinnie goodness, you may as well skip this here chapter. If you are actually interested in them, read on! Also, as a warning, this chapter here is one of the reasons it's an 'R' rated fic. It contains sexual situations not suitable for kids and could be considered dark. Maybe. You decide. Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own it. I do, however, claim all rights to Vic, Cyrus, Adriana, Aileen, Claude, and any other characters in this story not appearing in FFVII.~
Ninja
~*~11~*~
Adriana yawned and stretched leisurely atop the soft fabric of the towel that separated her delicate skin from the sand. She held one arm in front of her and wrinkled her nose a bit. {It's times like now when I realize just how pale I am.} She thought, glancing enviously from her arm to the deeply tanned women that also lounged across the beach. {I do wish that I could look like that. But at least I don't burn, so I guess that's an upside.}
Her eyes caught with those of two particularly foul looking bruisers and she tried not to notice their lewd gazes traveling the length of her body. {Eww, are they wearing Speedos?} She shook her head in disgust. {Those things barely cover anything! And I think those were a couple of sizes too small, anyway…..} She ignored them and continued to bask in the warmth of the sun.
Cyrus had decided to lay low in Costa del Sol. He'd said that a vacation would do the family good, and that the change was so drastic that V.V. and his friends would never even dream of looking for them here. Adriana had had no problems. After all, she loved the sound of the ocean waves and the laughter of children playing in the water and the feel of the warm sun on her body. Her only regret was that she couldn't share this experience with Aileen. After all, she'd just barely managed to find a way to bring Aileen with her, away from the dismal lab/prison/fortress and find a place to hide her that wasn't very far. Fortunately, she'd managed to befriend a large man in the nearest town who happened to have a daughter of his own. By posing as Aileen's mother who desperately needed a babysitter during her business tip, she had managed to get him to look after her. Besides, by that time Aileen had already made that Marlene girl her 'little sister' and the large man couldn't refuse.
She giggled softly. {Who knew that such an intimidating man would have such a big heart? I'm so glad that Cyrus decided to skip Corel. After all, Marlene is such a sweet child. A bit shy, maybe…..} A shadow fell over her, blocking the warm sunlight and she glared up in annoyance.
{Those two steroid-pushers from before…..} "Can I help you, gentlemen?" she asked, forcing herself to sound as pleasant as possible. She fought down the feeling of disgust that rolled over her as their eyes roved the contours of her body. After all, the skimpy bikini she was wearing didn't leave much to the imagination. {And I'm pretty sure they don't have much of one.}
The one with brown hair snickered and elbowed his blond partner. "Yeah, you can help us."
The blond nodded. "Yeah, wanna come have fun with us?" He flexed his oversized muscles in what he must have assumed was an enticing manner.
Adriana paused before answering. It was true that she could drain these two saps of their energy before they even got around to removing her bikini top, but….. She never had been interested in overly muscular or particularly dumb and boring people. And these two weight-lifting rejects were both of these in extremes. Besides, they were making her feel violently ill just by looking at her, so she didn't think she could bring herself to get close enough to drain them.
"Sorry boys," she drawled, glancing away from them, "I'm not in the mood for 'fun' right now."
They stared at her, and she could feel the anger dripping from their confused minds. {Obviously they aren't used to rejection. I'd better elaborate.} "Do you mind? You're blocking my light."
They grunted in fury, and the blond moved to strike at her in his rage. Before either one could move far, however, Adriana heard two rather solid sounding 'thuds'. Their eyes rolled back into their heads before they fell unconscious to the ground. She looked at her savior standing almost nonchalantly behind them, his white hair ruffled by the sea breeze.
"Why Vic! I didn't know you cared!" She teased. He coughed slightly and turned his head away from her, facing the sea.
"Not particularly," he replied evenly. "But I dislike their kind. Men like them shouldn't be allowed to roam public places like that." He slung one of them almost effortlessly over his shoulder, drawing stares from the other beach goers. After all, both men weighed easily two-something pounds, and Vic didn't look all that strong. He tossed the man unceremoniously in a ditch away from them, out of sight, and repeated the procedure with the other man.
Adriana grinned at him, taking in his attire. It was rare she saw him wear anything other than his battered version of a SOLDIER uniform. He looked good in swimming trunks, his body perfectly toned due to his intensive hours of dedicated training. {Not too muscular, not too lean….. A bit pale, maybe…..}
She must have been drooling, because Vic seemed to get fairly uncomfortable. He, of course, covered it up in his usual calm and cool way. Namely, he turned slightly red and an annoyed look crossed his face. "Put your eyes back in your head, Adri."
"Aw….. You're no fun!" she pouted, sticking her tongue out at him. He rolled his crimson eyes back at her and shook his head slightly. He turned away from her, heading towards the water.
"Don't forget to PADDLE!" She called out, moving her hands in a doggie-paddling motion. Back when she had taught he and Claude how to swim, Vic had been slow to grasp the concept of paddling to stay above the water. Adriana remembered this, and no matter how good of a swimmer he had become, she never let him live it down. He turned back to glare at her, and she thought for a moment he might flick her off, but he just waved and continued on his way to the water. She sighed and leaned back again, her green locks flowing lazily over her pale arms and closed her golden eyes.
After all, it really was a beautiful day to spend at the beach.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He heard them, giggling madly in the hazy corner of the smoke-filled bar. He swirled his drink and pretended not to notice. After all, with no current need of test subjects, Cyrus had no real interest in the two dark skinned beauties in the corner. After all, when all was said and done, they really were no match for his beautiful Adriana. {Ana…..} His heart gave its usual wrench at the remembrance of what he'd done to his only love, but he pushed it aside. {After all, this way she's pretty forever, right? Of course…..}
"Hey, handsome….." a low, feminine voice purred into his ear. He felt a surge of annoyance that the girls had interrupted his train of thought, but he supposed it was for the best. He glanced up from his drink and smiled pleasantly at them.
"O-oh. Hello, ladies," he smiled absently at them. He hid his annoyance at having forgotten to choose his words carefully. He had a tendency to stutter at times, and whenever he forgot to concentrate he lapsed into it. The two women didn't seem to mind, however. They probably thought it was rather cute.
"You here all by yourself?" the other girl asked. Her voice was higher pitched than her friend's, and sounded more flirty than seducing. Her eyes were a light almond color that went well with her deeply tanned skin and dark black hair.
He nodded and sipped his drink, the sweetness of the tropical alcohol tingling his tongue. "Yes. I'm taking a break from work, I suppose you could say."
The first girl let out a throaty laugh, obviously sensing money. "Ooh, handsome and well provided for! Not bad, right Fi?" Her voice was deep and sensual, but Cyrus had never been very fond of girls her type. She was pretty as well; with deeply browned skin and eyes so dark they were nearly black. The blond highlights she'd added to her dark brown hair shone in stark contrast to the rest of her.
"Yeah….." she giggled faintly, obviously very taken with him. Cyrus found himself liking this giggly girl.
"Forgive my lack of manners, ladies," he said, staring deeply into giggly one's almond eyes, "but we haven't been properly introduced, yet. I am Ciro. May I have the pleasure of your names?"
The girl blushed madly beneath his gaze and appeared to be too embarrassed to speak. Her friend, however, had no problem purring their names into his ear. "Of course. I'm Mahalah. And my giggly friend here is Fiona. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ciro….."
Cyrus shivered slightly. Mahalah had a heavy accent and a tendency to roll her 'r's that set him in edge. {Heh, I just now remember that I'm really not all that good at talking to girls….. Oh well, I've been able to get through this sort of thing before…..} "T-the pleasure is mine, dear lady. Such lovely names you both have." {Accursed speech impediment!}
Fiona had stopped giggling and was eyeing his attire with interest. "Aren't you awfully warm in that outfit?" she asked. Her accent was not as heavy as that of her friend's, but she sounded much more innocent.
He glanced down. His white, button-up shirt was made of a light material, as were his black pants. Still, in the hot, humid weather of Costa del Sol, he supposed he did seem a bit over-dressed. He laughed nervously. "Oh. I'm alright. I'm afraid that I'm a bit conservative by nature, and I feel a little awkward in anything less." In fact, he felt odd even in this. It was rare that he wore anything other than his rather long and flowing lab coat and thick pants over his overly shiny black boots.
"Ooh, that's so cute, right Fi? Maybe I can help loosen you up some, hm…..?" Mahalah winked suggestively at him.
{This girl is really trying my patience….. Still, she'd make an interesting specimen…… Perhaps a lycanthrope…..} His charming smile redoubled and he made a point to look over his glasses into her eyes. "Perhaps you might….. A gorgeous lady such as yourself paying me such attention is so rare an occurrence that I just don't know how to respond."
"I know!" Fiona exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Let's go for a walk! I' really like to get to know you better, Ciro….."
Her smile was both flirty and shy, and Cyrus was reminded of Adriana once more. "You know, I would be honored to have the privilege of walking with you two elegant angels. Ah, so lucky a man I am to be blessed with meeting such exotic beauties!" He finished the remains of his drink and stood, bowing slightly to the two girls before linking their arms in his, causing one to blush and the other to giggle and wink again. And so, amidst the jealous stares of the rest of the male patrons, he made his exit, the two unfortunate girls by his side.
The air, while typically scorching, had a somewhat pleasant breeze that ruffled Cyrus's unkempt blond hair and made the trees sway to and fro. He turned his bright gray eyes to capture Fiona's glance. "So, where were you lovely ladies planning on taking me?"
Fiona's reply was flustered, and she blushed profusely as she responded. "I….. W-well, we….."
"Oh, I thought we might swing by my place for a bit while we get you to 'relax'," Mahalah's smooth, seductive voice flowed from his right. He turned to smile somewhat shyly at her before grinning a bit.
"That sounds nice to me….. But do you mind if I stop by my hotel to get something? I won't take long….." He winked at her, and she seemed to falter a bit before slipping back into her usual flirty expression.
"Of course," She smiled. "Fi and I will wait right outside for you, cutie….."
They walked to the hotel where Cyrus took his momentary leave of them. He walked swiftly to his room, nodding absently at the clerk on duty as he entered. He scanned the room before his eyes landed on the object of his search, his briefcase. He stooped to retrieve it before the hushed voices of a conversation could be heard outside the open window above him. He stayed silent as he identified the to voices as those of his previous female companions.
"I don't wanna do this, Mal," the younger girl's voice protested, "I like him. I say we just leave."
"C'mon, Fi! We have this sucker in the palm of our hands! It'll be simple, quick, and the poor sap won't know what happened 'till he wakes up in the morning with his pockets lighter. Trust me, I know his type. In a few days, you won't even remember Zero."
"It's 'Ciro'!"
Cyrus chuckled darkly as he grabbed his case and moved away from the window. {So the snake shows her true form, hm? Yes….. I don't feel so bad about this anymore.} He stood and straightened his hair a bit before turning to rejoin his quarreling female companions.
"Oh, hi there, cutie!" Mahalah called, waving to him. Fiona simply gave him a sad smile.
"I'm sorry," she said, bowing apologetically, "but I'm afraid I can't join you. I-I must go visit my sister. I just remembered that I have to baby-sit soon. G-goodbye, Ciro."
{Ah, so she couldn't go through with it after all. She really is a good girl.} He bowed and kissed her hand, causing her to blush as she turned away. "Very well, fair Fiona. Your beauty will be sorely missed." He turned back to the remaining girl and smiled charmingly. "Shall we be off, then? At least I am still graced with one beauty!" He linked her arm in his as she led the way.
"Ooh, what's that?" She asked, eyeing the rather large and expensive case at his side.
He simply wagged his finger back and forth in a scolding gesture. "Now now, it a surprise. It's simply something to make this evening more enjoyable."
"Oh, I can't wait!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Her eyes sparkled as her gaze lingered on the case. {She's probably wondering how much she can get for it…..} They stooped when they came to a small house, and she winked at him as she unlocked the door. She held it open and gestured for him to enter.
The house was dimly lit, the only real light was that of the sun spilling in from the doorway. The windows were all draped in heavy, concealing drapes, blocking any more light than that from entering. Cyrus frowned, careful not to let the girl see. It was much too dark for what he had planned. Fortunately he had a lantern that would provide sufficient light. Mahalah closed the door firmly behind them and moved the sit on the plush that lined the nearby wall.
"Why don't you take off that hot shirt and come have a seat, cutie? I'll help you loosen up a bit….." She smiled seductively and patted the seat beside her.
Cyrus responded with a slightly shy smile of his own as he unbuttoned the white garment. His smile turned to one of amusement as he studied her reaction. Her eyes were wide, and she appeared to be blushing a bit. For such a bookish type, his body was athletically built, and his muscles nicely toned. It was clear that this girl had not been expecting such a fine example of the male species to be hidden beneath his rather conservative shirt. He stretched a bit, stifling a grin as she practically drooled, before sitting in the spot she had indicated.
Her hands immediately wrapped around his neck to pull him into a deep kiss. He blinked for a moment, caught off guard by her sudden movement, before he responded. {After all, I may as well let her have her fun first…..} Her smooth hands ran over his back, exploring, seemingly unused to this fine of a specimen. He replied by moving his own hands almost expertly through her hair and down to cup her face as their tongues danced. He moved one hand down to massage one of her breasts and chuckled as she moaned much too readily.
He spent a few minutes teasing her, his hands running over her body in places he knew most women were sensitive before he removed her skimpy dress and lavished his attention on her using both hands and mouth. Her moans, which had started out half false, soon turned to genuine, desperate pleas for more. When he had her reduced to begging for him to touch her most sensitive area, he stopped, reaching for his briefcase.
She let out a disappointed and frustrated protest at his lack of contact and he chuckled. "Hold on….. I'm just getting something to heighten the experience." He soothed her as he opened the case and took out a silken blindfold. He tied it around her eyes securely before spending a few more minutes running his hands over her body and forcing her moans to sound through the room once more. He finally moved one hand away from her to search through his case for the pre-filled needle he knew was in there. His hand made contact with the smooth glass as other hand trailed its way down Mahalah's stomach to her most sensitive area. He rubbed her through her panties, not really wanting to touch her there as she not his love. It was enough for her over-stimulated body, however, and as she experienced her wave of pleasure he inserted the needle into her arm, injecting the clear fluid into her bloodstream. She soon went still, the chemicals having done their work.
He sat up and ran his hand through his hair again before locating his discarded glasses and placing them on his nose once more. He removed the empty needle from her arm and placed it carefully back in its place before standing and leaving in search of a platform suitable for his needs. He wandered until he finally came across a decently high table. He set his case down and went to retrieve the girl he'd left unconscious on the couch. She was light, and easy to move to his new place of work.
He searched for a light, but the one that was supposed to illuminate the room was apparently burnt out, so he would have to make due with his lamp. {Ah, how I miss my lab in the snowy haven of the north! I shudder to think of what that crude V.V. and his group must be doing to it…..} He washed his hands absently before pulling in a pair of operating gloves as he stared down at his beautiful and unexpected project.
"What should we do with you…..?" He asked he softly as he looked through his stored chemicals and samplings of creatures. "I was planning on a lycanthrope….. But you proved that your nature was so much more venomous. So I think, for a serpent such as yourself….. A Lamia is perhaps the most fitting." He selected a vial of bluish-green liquid and a fresh needle before filling it. "I've only ever tried to create one Lamia before, you know. Unfortunately, my attempt was unsuccessful. But, I'm almost certain, to a 98.3 percentage, that I've found and corrected the error." He smiled, the same charming smile that he'd used before, even though Mahalah could neither see nor hear him. "I hope, for your sake, that I'm correct."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Adriana yawned again before deciding that she'd spent enough time baking. She stood and stretched, making sure that the male populace got a hefty eyeful of her perfect body before walking towards the water. She tested it with her toe first, to gauge how cool it was before running in. The water was cool on her hot skin, and she sighed happily before allowing herself to float. She stared at her pale arm and sighed. {No matter how long I spend out here, I'll never get any darker….. So much for those dreams of exotic dark tans for me!} She continued to pout until she suddenly felt two strong arms wrap around her waist and yank down. She let out a shriek before she managed to hold her breath.
She was about to give up her struggle for air when she was lifted up again. She gasped in the blessed oxygen and turned to face her assailant. Her golden eyes met with amused ruby and she found herself unable to do much more than gape. His strong hands were still wrapped securely around her slender arms and she had a good view of his almost godlike chest. His white hair was plastered securely to his face and his lips were curled into a mischievous half-smirk. He leaned close to her ear, and his wondrous voice drowned out her cohesive thoughts.
"Don't…..forget…..to…..paddle….." He whispered. Suddenly, she found herself pushed back down into the water before she could register what he'd even said. She resurfaced and glared angrily at him.
"VIC! You, you….. YOU JERK!" She yelled, splashing him angrily. He laughed and retaliated with a distracting splash of his own before disappearing under the water.
She tried to follow him with her eyes, but he moved much too fast for her. Before she even knew what was happening, she felt his hands wrap around her ankles and felt herself being lifted into the air before she was tossed back into the water. She gasped and glared at him again before starting an all out splash war.
In fact, she was so caught up with trying to subdue Vic with her vicious splashes that she didn't notice the figure behind her until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She shrieked again and turned to face the new assailant, finding herself lost in the all consuming gray eyes of Cyrus.
"Why Cyrus, dear! I'm surprised to see you out here! And swimming! I- oh my….." Her eyes trailed over his sculpted chest and she felt for sure that if there was a heaven, this was as close as she'd get. Swimming with two of the absolutely most gorgeous men she'd ever seen was paradise to her! {Just missing one…..} She sighed wistfully, long brown hair and mako eyes flitting briefly through her mind. "My, darling, you should go swimming more often!" She teased, reaching up to tweak his nose.
He sighed, his smile reflecting nothing but love and adoration for her as he stared into her eyes. "Perhaps….. It is a prime opportunity to spend time with the two of you, since you both love the ocean so much."
She smiled, but it was somewhat diminished by the reflection she saw in his eyes. It was her, yes, but the old her. Cyrus still saw her as she had been, before her nightmare. {Still living in the past with a girl who's as good as gone and deluding himself into thinking we're a 'happy family'….. Don't think about it, Adri. Just go along with it. Maybe, for today, you can be…..} She forced her golden eyes to meet the blue eyes of the girl reflected in his gaze and smiled once more.
"So, what've you been up to, sweetie?" She asked, moving a wet blond lock of his hair from his face to behind his ear.
"Oh, nothing much." He shrugged casually and captured her lips with his before quickly pulling back and smiling at her shocked expression. "Now, how about we all pick up where you two left off, hm?
Adriana had a bad feeling that Cyrus wasn't being truthful about his actions away from them, but she wasn't about to press the issue. And, once the laughter of the three grew loud, she forgot the feeling altogether. In that moment, all was right in the world.
~*~End Chapter~*~
~Wow, that was certainly something, ne? To be honest, I wasn't expecting things with Cyrus to go that far, but….. Oh well. What'd you think? Anyways, the next chapter will get back to Yuffie and Vinnie, I SWEAR! Man, Cyrus is one sick bastard, ne? Side note: A Lamia, if you don't know, is a mythical creature that has the torso of a female and the body of either a snake or a lion. Lamias with snake bodies are called noble lamias, and are the type normally featured in Final Fantasy games.~
~Kai
Ninja
~*~11~*~
Adriana yawned and stretched leisurely atop the soft fabric of the towel that separated her delicate skin from the sand. She held one arm in front of her and wrinkled her nose a bit. {It's times like now when I realize just how pale I am.} She thought, glancing enviously from her arm to the deeply tanned women that also lounged across the beach. {I do wish that I could look like that. But at least I don't burn, so I guess that's an upside.}
Her eyes caught with those of two particularly foul looking bruisers and she tried not to notice their lewd gazes traveling the length of her body. {Eww, are they wearing Speedos?} She shook her head in disgust. {Those things barely cover anything! And I think those were a couple of sizes too small, anyway…..} She ignored them and continued to bask in the warmth of the sun.
Cyrus had decided to lay low in Costa del Sol. He'd said that a vacation would do the family good, and that the change was so drastic that V.V. and his friends would never even dream of looking for them here. Adriana had had no problems. After all, she loved the sound of the ocean waves and the laughter of children playing in the water and the feel of the warm sun on her body. Her only regret was that she couldn't share this experience with Aileen. After all, she'd just barely managed to find a way to bring Aileen with her, away from the dismal lab/prison/fortress and find a place to hide her that wasn't very far. Fortunately, she'd managed to befriend a large man in the nearest town who happened to have a daughter of his own. By posing as Aileen's mother who desperately needed a babysitter during her business tip, she had managed to get him to look after her. Besides, by that time Aileen had already made that Marlene girl her 'little sister' and the large man couldn't refuse.
She giggled softly. {Who knew that such an intimidating man would have such a big heart? I'm so glad that Cyrus decided to skip Corel. After all, Marlene is such a sweet child. A bit shy, maybe…..} A shadow fell over her, blocking the warm sunlight and she glared up in annoyance.
{Those two steroid-pushers from before…..} "Can I help you, gentlemen?" she asked, forcing herself to sound as pleasant as possible. She fought down the feeling of disgust that rolled over her as their eyes roved the contours of her body. After all, the skimpy bikini she was wearing didn't leave much to the imagination. {And I'm pretty sure they don't have much of one.}
The one with brown hair snickered and elbowed his blond partner. "Yeah, you can help us."
The blond nodded. "Yeah, wanna come have fun with us?" He flexed his oversized muscles in what he must have assumed was an enticing manner.
Adriana paused before answering. It was true that she could drain these two saps of their energy before they even got around to removing her bikini top, but….. She never had been interested in overly muscular or particularly dumb and boring people. And these two weight-lifting rejects were both of these in extremes. Besides, they were making her feel violently ill just by looking at her, so she didn't think she could bring herself to get close enough to drain them.
"Sorry boys," she drawled, glancing away from them, "I'm not in the mood for 'fun' right now."
They stared at her, and she could feel the anger dripping from their confused minds. {Obviously they aren't used to rejection. I'd better elaborate.} "Do you mind? You're blocking my light."
They grunted in fury, and the blond moved to strike at her in his rage. Before either one could move far, however, Adriana heard two rather solid sounding 'thuds'. Their eyes rolled back into their heads before they fell unconscious to the ground. She looked at her savior standing almost nonchalantly behind them, his white hair ruffled by the sea breeze.
"Why Vic! I didn't know you cared!" She teased. He coughed slightly and turned his head away from her, facing the sea.
"Not particularly," he replied evenly. "But I dislike their kind. Men like them shouldn't be allowed to roam public places like that." He slung one of them almost effortlessly over his shoulder, drawing stares from the other beach goers. After all, both men weighed easily two-something pounds, and Vic didn't look all that strong. He tossed the man unceremoniously in a ditch away from them, out of sight, and repeated the procedure with the other man.
Adriana grinned at him, taking in his attire. It was rare she saw him wear anything other than his battered version of a SOLDIER uniform. He looked good in swimming trunks, his body perfectly toned due to his intensive hours of dedicated training. {Not too muscular, not too lean….. A bit pale, maybe…..}
She must have been drooling, because Vic seemed to get fairly uncomfortable. He, of course, covered it up in his usual calm and cool way. Namely, he turned slightly red and an annoyed look crossed his face. "Put your eyes back in your head, Adri."
"Aw….. You're no fun!" she pouted, sticking her tongue out at him. He rolled his crimson eyes back at her and shook his head slightly. He turned away from her, heading towards the water.
"Don't forget to PADDLE!" She called out, moving her hands in a doggie-paddling motion. Back when she had taught he and Claude how to swim, Vic had been slow to grasp the concept of paddling to stay above the water. Adriana remembered this, and no matter how good of a swimmer he had become, she never let him live it down. He turned back to glare at her, and she thought for a moment he might flick her off, but he just waved and continued on his way to the water. She sighed and leaned back again, her green locks flowing lazily over her pale arms and closed her golden eyes.
After all, it really was a beautiful day to spend at the beach.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He heard them, giggling madly in the hazy corner of the smoke-filled bar. He swirled his drink and pretended not to notice. After all, with no current need of test subjects, Cyrus had no real interest in the two dark skinned beauties in the corner. After all, when all was said and done, they really were no match for his beautiful Adriana. {Ana…..} His heart gave its usual wrench at the remembrance of what he'd done to his only love, but he pushed it aside. {After all, this way she's pretty forever, right? Of course…..}
"Hey, handsome….." a low, feminine voice purred into his ear. He felt a surge of annoyance that the girls had interrupted his train of thought, but he supposed it was for the best. He glanced up from his drink and smiled pleasantly at them.
"O-oh. Hello, ladies," he smiled absently at them. He hid his annoyance at having forgotten to choose his words carefully. He had a tendency to stutter at times, and whenever he forgot to concentrate he lapsed into it. The two women didn't seem to mind, however. They probably thought it was rather cute.
"You here all by yourself?" the other girl asked. Her voice was higher pitched than her friend's, and sounded more flirty than seducing. Her eyes were a light almond color that went well with her deeply tanned skin and dark black hair.
He nodded and sipped his drink, the sweetness of the tropical alcohol tingling his tongue. "Yes. I'm taking a break from work, I suppose you could say."
The first girl let out a throaty laugh, obviously sensing money. "Ooh, handsome and well provided for! Not bad, right Fi?" Her voice was deep and sensual, but Cyrus had never been very fond of girls her type. She was pretty as well; with deeply browned skin and eyes so dark they were nearly black. The blond highlights she'd added to her dark brown hair shone in stark contrast to the rest of her.
"Yeah….." she giggled faintly, obviously very taken with him. Cyrus found himself liking this giggly girl.
"Forgive my lack of manners, ladies," he said, staring deeply into giggly one's almond eyes, "but we haven't been properly introduced, yet. I am Ciro. May I have the pleasure of your names?"
The girl blushed madly beneath his gaze and appeared to be too embarrassed to speak. Her friend, however, had no problem purring their names into his ear. "Of course. I'm Mahalah. And my giggly friend here is Fiona. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ciro….."
Cyrus shivered slightly. Mahalah had a heavy accent and a tendency to roll her 'r's that set him in edge. {Heh, I just now remember that I'm really not all that good at talking to girls….. Oh well, I've been able to get through this sort of thing before…..} "T-the pleasure is mine, dear lady. Such lovely names you both have." {Accursed speech impediment!}
Fiona had stopped giggling and was eyeing his attire with interest. "Aren't you awfully warm in that outfit?" she asked. Her accent was not as heavy as that of her friend's, but she sounded much more innocent.
He glanced down. His white, button-up shirt was made of a light material, as were his black pants. Still, in the hot, humid weather of Costa del Sol, he supposed he did seem a bit over-dressed. He laughed nervously. "Oh. I'm alright. I'm afraid that I'm a bit conservative by nature, and I feel a little awkward in anything less." In fact, he felt odd even in this. It was rare that he wore anything other than his rather long and flowing lab coat and thick pants over his overly shiny black boots.
"Ooh, that's so cute, right Fi? Maybe I can help loosen you up some, hm…..?" Mahalah winked suggestively at him.
{This girl is really trying my patience….. Still, she'd make an interesting specimen…… Perhaps a lycanthrope…..} His charming smile redoubled and he made a point to look over his glasses into her eyes. "Perhaps you might….. A gorgeous lady such as yourself paying me such attention is so rare an occurrence that I just don't know how to respond."
"I know!" Fiona exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Let's go for a walk! I' really like to get to know you better, Ciro….."
Her smile was both flirty and shy, and Cyrus was reminded of Adriana once more. "You know, I would be honored to have the privilege of walking with you two elegant angels. Ah, so lucky a man I am to be blessed with meeting such exotic beauties!" He finished the remains of his drink and stood, bowing slightly to the two girls before linking their arms in his, causing one to blush and the other to giggle and wink again. And so, amidst the jealous stares of the rest of the male patrons, he made his exit, the two unfortunate girls by his side.
The air, while typically scorching, had a somewhat pleasant breeze that ruffled Cyrus's unkempt blond hair and made the trees sway to and fro. He turned his bright gray eyes to capture Fiona's glance. "So, where were you lovely ladies planning on taking me?"
Fiona's reply was flustered, and she blushed profusely as she responded. "I….. W-well, we….."
"Oh, I thought we might swing by my place for a bit while we get you to 'relax'," Mahalah's smooth, seductive voice flowed from his right. He turned to smile somewhat shyly at her before grinning a bit.
"That sounds nice to me….. But do you mind if I stop by my hotel to get something? I won't take long….." He winked at her, and she seemed to falter a bit before slipping back into her usual flirty expression.
"Of course," She smiled. "Fi and I will wait right outside for you, cutie….."
They walked to the hotel where Cyrus took his momentary leave of them. He walked swiftly to his room, nodding absently at the clerk on duty as he entered. He scanned the room before his eyes landed on the object of his search, his briefcase. He stooped to retrieve it before the hushed voices of a conversation could be heard outside the open window above him. He stayed silent as he identified the to voices as those of his previous female companions.
"I don't wanna do this, Mal," the younger girl's voice protested, "I like him. I say we just leave."
"C'mon, Fi! We have this sucker in the palm of our hands! It'll be simple, quick, and the poor sap won't know what happened 'till he wakes up in the morning with his pockets lighter. Trust me, I know his type. In a few days, you won't even remember Zero."
"It's 'Ciro'!"
Cyrus chuckled darkly as he grabbed his case and moved away from the window. {So the snake shows her true form, hm? Yes….. I don't feel so bad about this anymore.} He stood and straightened his hair a bit before turning to rejoin his quarreling female companions.
"Oh, hi there, cutie!" Mahalah called, waving to him. Fiona simply gave him a sad smile.
"I'm sorry," she said, bowing apologetically, "but I'm afraid I can't join you. I-I must go visit my sister. I just remembered that I have to baby-sit soon. G-goodbye, Ciro."
{Ah, so she couldn't go through with it after all. She really is a good girl.} He bowed and kissed her hand, causing her to blush as she turned away. "Very well, fair Fiona. Your beauty will be sorely missed." He turned back to the remaining girl and smiled charmingly. "Shall we be off, then? At least I am still graced with one beauty!" He linked her arm in his as she led the way.
"Ooh, what's that?" She asked, eyeing the rather large and expensive case at his side.
He simply wagged his finger back and forth in a scolding gesture. "Now now, it a surprise. It's simply something to make this evening more enjoyable."
"Oh, I can't wait!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Her eyes sparkled as her gaze lingered on the case. {She's probably wondering how much she can get for it…..} They stooped when they came to a small house, and she winked at him as she unlocked the door. She held it open and gestured for him to enter.
The house was dimly lit, the only real light was that of the sun spilling in from the doorway. The windows were all draped in heavy, concealing drapes, blocking any more light than that from entering. Cyrus frowned, careful not to let the girl see. It was much too dark for what he had planned. Fortunately he had a lantern that would provide sufficient light. Mahalah closed the door firmly behind them and moved the sit on the plush that lined the nearby wall.
"Why don't you take off that hot shirt and come have a seat, cutie? I'll help you loosen up a bit….." She smiled seductively and patted the seat beside her.
Cyrus responded with a slightly shy smile of his own as he unbuttoned the white garment. His smile turned to one of amusement as he studied her reaction. Her eyes were wide, and she appeared to be blushing a bit. For such a bookish type, his body was athletically built, and his muscles nicely toned. It was clear that this girl had not been expecting such a fine example of the male species to be hidden beneath his rather conservative shirt. He stretched a bit, stifling a grin as she practically drooled, before sitting in the spot she had indicated.
Her hands immediately wrapped around his neck to pull him into a deep kiss. He blinked for a moment, caught off guard by her sudden movement, before he responded. {After all, I may as well let her have her fun first…..} Her smooth hands ran over his back, exploring, seemingly unused to this fine of a specimen. He replied by moving his own hands almost expertly through her hair and down to cup her face as their tongues danced. He moved one hand down to massage one of her breasts and chuckled as she moaned much too readily.
He spent a few minutes teasing her, his hands running over her body in places he knew most women were sensitive before he removed her skimpy dress and lavished his attention on her using both hands and mouth. Her moans, which had started out half false, soon turned to genuine, desperate pleas for more. When he had her reduced to begging for him to touch her most sensitive area, he stopped, reaching for his briefcase.
She let out a disappointed and frustrated protest at his lack of contact and he chuckled. "Hold on….. I'm just getting something to heighten the experience." He soothed her as he opened the case and took out a silken blindfold. He tied it around her eyes securely before spending a few more minutes running his hands over her body and forcing her moans to sound through the room once more. He finally moved one hand away from her to search through his case for the pre-filled needle he knew was in there. His hand made contact with the smooth glass as other hand trailed its way down Mahalah's stomach to her most sensitive area. He rubbed her through her panties, not really wanting to touch her there as she not his love. It was enough for her over-stimulated body, however, and as she experienced her wave of pleasure he inserted the needle into her arm, injecting the clear fluid into her bloodstream. She soon went still, the chemicals having done their work.
He sat up and ran his hand through his hair again before locating his discarded glasses and placing them on his nose once more. He removed the empty needle from her arm and placed it carefully back in its place before standing and leaving in search of a platform suitable for his needs. He wandered until he finally came across a decently high table. He set his case down and went to retrieve the girl he'd left unconscious on the couch. She was light, and easy to move to his new place of work.
He searched for a light, but the one that was supposed to illuminate the room was apparently burnt out, so he would have to make due with his lamp. {Ah, how I miss my lab in the snowy haven of the north! I shudder to think of what that crude V.V. and his group must be doing to it…..} He washed his hands absently before pulling in a pair of operating gloves as he stared down at his beautiful and unexpected project.
"What should we do with you…..?" He asked he softly as he looked through his stored chemicals and samplings of creatures. "I was planning on a lycanthrope….. But you proved that your nature was so much more venomous. So I think, for a serpent such as yourself….. A Lamia is perhaps the most fitting." He selected a vial of bluish-green liquid and a fresh needle before filling it. "I've only ever tried to create one Lamia before, you know. Unfortunately, my attempt was unsuccessful. But, I'm almost certain, to a 98.3 percentage, that I've found and corrected the error." He smiled, the same charming smile that he'd used before, even though Mahalah could neither see nor hear him. "I hope, for your sake, that I'm correct."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Adriana yawned again before deciding that she'd spent enough time baking. She stood and stretched, making sure that the male populace got a hefty eyeful of her perfect body before walking towards the water. She tested it with her toe first, to gauge how cool it was before running in. The water was cool on her hot skin, and she sighed happily before allowing herself to float. She stared at her pale arm and sighed. {No matter how long I spend out here, I'll never get any darker….. So much for those dreams of exotic dark tans for me!} She continued to pout until she suddenly felt two strong arms wrap around her waist and yank down. She let out a shriek before she managed to hold her breath.
She was about to give up her struggle for air when she was lifted up again. She gasped in the blessed oxygen and turned to face her assailant. Her golden eyes met with amused ruby and she found herself unable to do much more than gape. His strong hands were still wrapped securely around her slender arms and she had a good view of his almost godlike chest. His white hair was plastered securely to his face and his lips were curled into a mischievous half-smirk. He leaned close to her ear, and his wondrous voice drowned out her cohesive thoughts.
"Don't…..forget…..to…..paddle….." He whispered. Suddenly, she found herself pushed back down into the water before she could register what he'd even said. She resurfaced and glared angrily at him.
"VIC! You, you….. YOU JERK!" She yelled, splashing him angrily. He laughed and retaliated with a distracting splash of his own before disappearing under the water.
She tried to follow him with her eyes, but he moved much too fast for her. Before she even knew what was happening, she felt his hands wrap around her ankles and felt herself being lifted into the air before she was tossed back into the water. She gasped and glared at him again before starting an all out splash war.
In fact, she was so caught up with trying to subdue Vic with her vicious splashes that she didn't notice the figure behind her until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She shrieked again and turned to face the new assailant, finding herself lost in the all consuming gray eyes of Cyrus.
"Why Cyrus, dear! I'm surprised to see you out here! And swimming! I- oh my….." Her eyes trailed over his sculpted chest and she felt for sure that if there was a heaven, this was as close as she'd get. Swimming with two of the absolutely most gorgeous men she'd ever seen was paradise to her! {Just missing one…..} She sighed wistfully, long brown hair and mako eyes flitting briefly through her mind. "My, darling, you should go swimming more often!" She teased, reaching up to tweak his nose.
He sighed, his smile reflecting nothing but love and adoration for her as he stared into her eyes. "Perhaps….. It is a prime opportunity to spend time with the two of you, since you both love the ocean so much."
She smiled, but it was somewhat diminished by the reflection she saw in his eyes. It was her, yes, but the old her. Cyrus still saw her as she had been, before her nightmare. {Still living in the past with a girl who's as good as gone and deluding himself into thinking we're a 'happy family'….. Don't think about it, Adri. Just go along with it. Maybe, for today, you can be…..} She forced her golden eyes to meet the blue eyes of the girl reflected in his gaze and smiled once more.
"So, what've you been up to, sweetie?" She asked, moving a wet blond lock of his hair from his face to behind his ear.
"Oh, nothing much." He shrugged casually and captured her lips with his before quickly pulling back and smiling at her shocked expression. "Now, how about we all pick up where you two left off, hm?
Adriana had a bad feeling that Cyrus wasn't being truthful about his actions away from them, but she wasn't about to press the issue. And, once the laughter of the three grew loud, she forgot the feeling altogether. In that moment, all was right in the world.
~*~End Chapter~*~
~Wow, that was certainly something, ne? To be honest, I wasn't expecting things with Cyrus to go that far, but….. Oh well. What'd you think? Anyways, the next chapter will get back to Yuffie and Vinnie, I SWEAR! Man, Cyrus is one sick bastard, ne? Side note: A Lamia, if you don't know, is a mythical creature that has the torso of a female and the body of either a snake or a lion. Lamias with snake bodies are called noble lamias, and are the type normally featured in Final Fantasy games.~
~Kai
