A/N: Yesterday, I started drawing a picture of Yazoo. At first I was unhappy, cuz I thought he looked like a rather ugly woman. But then I fixed him and he doesn't look so ugly-womanish anymore. Now all I have to do is finish painting him. lol

Well, on a less random note: This story is officially three times longer than it originally was. Funny. I thought this story was so lame and uninteresting. Look at it now! I really enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully you will too. :D

Disclaimer: I've said it twenty times, I think you get the point.

Chapter Twenty-One

Cloud quickly sprung into action. Without a second thought, he charged at the first creature that came into sight. He lifted his sword high and cut it straight through, silencing the shrieks coming from its agape mouth. It disappeared into a puff of black particles and smoke, leaving no trace that it had actually been there. He took a step back from the area it had been standing, well aware that it wasn't over with yet.

He felt a rumbling beneath his feet, and heard the sound of their cries again. He leapt in the air, just as another emerged right beneath him. He flipped back and landed steadily on his feet, before jumping to meet it. He brought his sword down, slicing it straight through. It disappeared like the last.

"Behind you!" Reno yelled.

Cloud spun around, caught off guard by the Shadow Creeper that appeared directly behind him. He was forced to fall back to avoid its snapping jaws. He kicked at its face, knocking it far enough away to get back to his feet. Reno ran to meet him in battle, lifting his rod and slamming it down on the creeper's head. It crumbled to the ground, writhing as Reno continued to strike it. Within a matter of seconds, it was no more.

Vincent remained crouched on the ground, leaning over Kadaj as he held the boy by his arms. The remnant writhed in pain, still screaming, his cries filling the empty city. "Kadaj!" He tried reaching him, but the remnant couldn't even look his way. Vincent turned his attention to Cloud and Reno and the swarm of creatures surrounding them, torn between which action to take.

Black smoke appeared on the ground beside him. Within an instant Cerberus was raised, the bullets fired before the shadow creeper even fully emerged. It was gone the instant it appeared. Sighing heavily, he let go of Kadaj, leaving the boy alone in his pain. The best thing he could do right now was keep him safe.

A cloud of black dust now surrounded them on all sides, and multiple shadow creepers jumped out at him. He kicked at the one that was immediately before him, then ducked as another jumped at him, missing and flying over his head. He spun and shot at them, taking down three with his accurately aimed bullets. He charged at another two, striking one with his clawed hand, before shooting the other directly in the head.

He turned once more, facing another swarm. He glanced quickly at Kadaj, at his unchanged condition, before jumping into the air. He fired from his place in the sky, clearing away the circle of creatures. He quickly reloaded his rifle as he softly floated back to the ground. He turned his attention to Cloud and Reno and the bundle of creatures they were fighting off. They destroyed them one after another, but more kept coming, over-powering them.

Vincent made his way towards them, jumping into the confusing crowd of violence. He struck left and right, kicking and swiping and firing at the creepers. They vanished left and right, but the dead ones were quickly replaced, the swarm continuing to grow.

"They just keep coming!" Reno exclaimed.

Cloud leapt high in the air, slicing the creature that followed him. When he landed again, it was on the back of one of the shadow creepers. He drove his sword through its neck, causing it to vanish and drop him back to the ground. He spun around, his sword extended and cutting through four of them. One charged him from behind, its sharp claws digging into his back. He cried out in pain, the shock stunning him for a moment. But the creature was quickly dislodged from him, as Reno struck it with his weapon. Offering silent thanks, he struck down the creature that was now headed for Reno, the both of them switching positions and taking on a different mass.

Vincent was knocked on his back, a shadow creeper standing above him, its jaw snapping as it tried to grab his flesh. He kept it at bay with his metal arm, its teeth and jagged face have no affect on the plating. He managed to get his foot beneath the creature, pushing it further away. He glanced over at Kadaj one last time. The teen still laid on the ground, still screaming. But there were no shadow creepers around him. Their sights were solely set on the three of them.

His kicked the creature off him, shooting it as it tumbled away. He quickly rose back to his feet, firing in a circle at the surrounding creatures.

"We have to get out of here!" Cloud said, his breath coming laboriously, blood running down his back and soaking his clothes. Neither him nor Reno replied. They all knew what they would have said.

Wherever they went, the creatures would follow them. This was no mindless attack. They were after blood. For some reason, they wanted the three of them dead.

Cloud, Vincent, and Reno all stood back to back. They looked at the swarm around them, continuing to fight, even though they knew it was hopeless. For every one they killed, three more appeared. They filled the roads, surrounding them for yards on all sides. They struggled to get over one another, jaws and claws snapping hungrily, their beady eyes anticipating death.

Vincent glanced at Kadaj. He couldn't be drawing them here. He wouldn't...

The sound of thunder cracking interrupted the incoherent noise of battle. Yazoo appeared from nowhere, the black-clothed, silver-haired man flying through the air, jumping directly into the center of the battle. He landed with his hands flat on the ground, the light in his arm cutting through the darkness intensely. The sky rumbled, lightning flashed. It jumped down from the sky, striking the ground where the battle took place. Electricity traveled through each of the shadow creepers, leaving them writhing and shrieking in pain.

The three fighters stood in shock, unaffected by the lightning storm raging around them.

The shadow creepers all vanished into the dust from which they came, leaving the ground desolate and empty. The lightning died away, the city growing dark once again. Yazoo rose gracefully to his feet, the glow from the materia lingering on his arm, before it died away completely. He stood facing the three of them, a smug smile on his face.

They stood in silence, breathing heavily. No one was exactly sure what to say, or where to start. Vincent looked away from Yazoo, suddenly realizing Kadaj wasn't screaming any longer. He looked to where he had left him, shocked to find the spot empty.

"Kadaj!" he yelled, running up to the space. He looked around in the darkness, finding no trace of him. Yazoo approached him, Cloud and Reno a step behind. Vincent turned to face Yazoo. "Where is he? Where did he go?"

Yazoo looked confused, as he stared off at nothing. "I don't know. He's...he's here."

"What?"

"Where did those creatures come from?" Cloud asked.

Yazoo looked to him, understanding what he was suggesting. "I didn't summon them. I couldn't even send them away, I tried."

"Then why did they leave when you came?" Reno asked.

The remnant paused for a moment, thinking. "They accomplished what they came to do."

"And what was that?" Cloud wondered, his tone hostile.

Yazoo simply gestured to the place Kadaj was supposed to be.

"Kadaj wouldn't have called those things," Vincent defended.

"Of course not. He wouldn't risk killing you," Yazoo replied, looking Vincent directly in the eye. "He cares for you a little too much, if you ask me."

"Was it Loz?" Cloud asked.

Yazoo shook his head definitively. "Loz isn't nearby."

"Then what is going on here?" Reno asked.

Vincent turned away from them all, calling Kadaj's name aloud. He began walking down the road, seeing if he could find any trace of him. Yazoo followed behind him, a few steps away. Vincent came to a stop, but the remnant kept walking, as if following a path or a call of some sort. He suddenly halted, turning to face Vincent, a look of fear on his face.

"What is it?"

"He's...he's gone."

"What?"

Yazoo spun around, gasping in surprise as his bother suddenly appeared before him. There was no time to speak, no time to act, no time to think. He was hardly aware of what was happening, before there was a suddenly pain in his abdomen.

"Kadaj!" Vincent yelled.

Yazoo stood in shock and horror, pain slowly making its way to his expression. He stared down into Kadaj's eyes, into the sinister stare looking back at him. A long blade was in his hand, driven through Yazoo, piercing his body.

Cloud, Reno, and Vincent all stood in shock.

Kadaj drew into Yazoo, place his mouth by his ear. "You were wrong," he whispered, chuckling softly, "You were the one who wasn't strong enough."

Vincent ran towards them, forcing Kadaj to step away from his brother. He pulled the long blade from Yazoo's body, letting him crash carelessly to the ground. Vincent lifted Cerberus, aiming it directly for the Kadaj's head.

A chilling smile came to his lips. He flicked his wrist, causing the blood to fly off the long blade, leaving it spotless and shining in the darkness. It rang softly, with a sound that was distinct to one man's sword. And it was clear that this man was not Kadaj.

A gust of the wind came with the sudden motion of a wing sprouting from the teen's back. It stretched far to the right, reaching up to the sky, before thrusting down suddenly. Kadaj flew into the air powerfully, soaring away from from them, heading further into the heart of Midgar.

"Kadaj!" Vincent called after him.

Cloud suddenly took off, running the direction Kadaj had gone, determined to follow after him. "Cloud, wait!" Vincent now called, but the other man paid no heed to him. Determined, he followed after Kadaj, disappearing into the darkness.

Vincent spun around and faced Reno. "Follow after him!" he ordered, as he replaced Cerberus, walking over Yazoo and kneeling by his side.

"What?" Reno asked, confused.

"Cloud is injured. He's going to pass out from blood loss sooner or later, I need you to take care of him. Go!"

Reno hesitated for only a second. He didn't have to be told twice though. He followed after Cloud, leaving Vincent and Yazoo behind.

Vincent turned his full attention to Yazoo, looking the remnant over as he lay bleeding on the ground. He was still conscious, trying to comprehend the shock and reality of the situation. He groaned, laying his hands over his wound, trying in vain to stop the bleeding. He was stabbed straight through, and continued to bleed from his back. Vincent sighed heavily, cursing himself inside for leaving behind his Restore materia in Healin.

He took the remnant's shirt and tore it open, beginning to tear it into strips to make him some kind of bandage. He had to at least try to stop the bleeding. "Hold still," he said softly, as he managed to pry his hands from the deep wound. Yazoo suddenly grabbed hold of his arm, his blood covered fingers digging into his leather sleeve.

"That...That wasn't Kadaj," he choked out weakly.

"I know."

"H...Hel-" He groaned loudly when Vincent applied pressure to his wound.

"Just hold on," he said softly.

Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes as Vincent secured the makeshift bandage. He watched him carefully, making sure he wasn't slipping away from him. "Help him," Yazoo said weakly, his hand slipping from his arm, falling limply to the ground. His eyes fell shut, the rest of his building tears streaming down his face.

"Damn it."

Vincent grabbed hold of Yazoo, lifting him from the ground, not caring about being gentle to his wounds. He had to get him some help, or all the care and gentle handling would do him no good at all. He cradled him in his arms, like he had done with Kadaj all that time ago. It seemed like a lifetime since then.

He quickly made his way towards Edge, to the only place he could think of taking him.

A/N: *tries to hold back crazy laughter over coming chapters*

Please review. :)