Disclaimer: Does not own.

Brevity

Chapter 26: Warzone

"I can't believe you still get carsick," Azriel teased as Mara wobbled out of the rail car, looking a bit greener than she'd been when she stepped on.

"Shut up, Z," came her growled reply.

"So is that why you hate roller coasters, or is it because you're afraid of heights?" the angel taunted with a smirk.

"I am not afraid of heights, I'm afraid of falling from them. I love heights until I look down," Mara corrected wryly.

"So don't look down."

Mara took a deep breath and counted to ten so she wouldn't be tempted to punch an angel in the face. Even if he was a smart ass. At "three" she glanced over at Vincent, and by four she'd lost count while trying to smother a giggle. Yuffie— who'd caught up to them shortly before they'd found the monorail— enjoyed that ride even less than Mara had, and based on the expressions on hers and Vincent's faces, the two of them were exchanging looks in a silent yet mirror conversation. The ninja and the gunman both turned to stare inquisitively at Mara when she uttered a strangled squeak, a hand clamped over her mouth. The laughter escaped anyway, and it took a full ten minutes for Mara to calm down enough to quell it.

She straightened, grinning as she wiped a few mirthful tears away, her cheeks pink from oxygen deprivation. "Ah, man, it's been awhile since I've laughed that hard; my sides hurt now."

"Wow… I completely forgot you sound like an evil chipmunk when you laugh."

"Shut up, Z!"

Shelke sat huddled inside her barrier, surprisingly calm given the cracks appearing in it and the certain death waiting for her beyond. She had no idea that in addition to her own magical shield, she was surrounded by two additional means of protection. The first, had she looked, was glowing softly in her pocket, and the second was none other than the darkness she thought to be her own gruesome end. And perhaps it was better this way, as she wouldn't know what to make of being indebted to an angel, a psychopath, and a Tsviet who'd tried to kill her.

Luke watched in silence from his perch in reactor Zero, taking note of the guards stationed all around. It would be impossible to get anything done about Omega while they were here and still following Weiss-Hojo's orders. He crept back outside to find somewhere safe enough to call his brother and pass the word to Mara and Vincent; maybe one of them would have an idea what to do.

The feather that clung to his shoulder fluttered off and floated gently down to land in the pool of glowing green. It was quickly pulled beneath the surface, small wisps of darkness trailing off as it sank.

"So what's up?" Yuffie asked as Mara hung up her phone.

"Mako reactors 1 through 8 have been successfully shut down," Mara replied, pleased. "But there're too many soldiers still inside Omega's lair to shut reactor 0 down or try rescuing any possible survivors. We're gonna have to figure out a way to get around them." She scowled, running a hand through her hair as she fought back her rising frustration and anxiety. "And we still need a way to put Omega back to sleep… and get rid of Hojo… while not getting shot, stabbed, or set on fire."

"You don't ask for a lot, do ya?" Azriel said wryly, smirking as Mara glared at him. "Lucky for you, Omega is already being taken care of."

Mara gaped. "Say what?" She blinked, looking her guardian angel over suspiciously. "Z… what did you do…?" she asked cautiously. Her only answer was a self-satisfied grin. "Seriously, what are you talking about?"

"A true professional never reveals his secrets."

"Azriel! Stop being such a smart-ass and tell me what the hell is going on!" Mara snapped.

Azriel tsked at her. "Patience, young grasshopper. You'll see in time. Now, shouldn't you be worrying about Hojo?"

Mara growled, aggravated. "Fine. C'mon, Yuffie, let's go find some way to save the day. Z, stick with Vincent and see what you can do about the reactor's guards. I'll scream if I need you." Without waiting for a reply, she turned and stalked off.

"Attention DeepGround, this is your challenger speaking. It seems not all of you are fans of peace and love, and would rather burn a treaty than sign it. If that's the way you want to play, fine. I hereby issue a challenge to all who doubt how seriously I will hurt the next person to threaten the fragile peace we've established. If you so want this idiotic war to continue, then so it shall. From this moment forth, I am your only enemy, and anyone brave enough may face me. I will await you at the doors to Mako Reactor Zero. I can't wait to see the looks on your faces when you realize that your war has been lost to a "little girl"."

Yuffie looked over at her friend as she turned off the microphone and finished setting up the musical override of the DG PA system. "Are you sure you really want to do this alone?" she asked after a moment, concerned.

Mara shrugged, but didn't look up from her work. "Not at all, but whether I want to or not, I have to. I'm too far into this to run away now, and how am I supposed to ask another person to risk their lives for this if I don't do the same?" She finished setting up her playlist and stood. "This might be the only chance I have to fight for what I believe in, to prove that everything that's brought me this far hasn't been for nothing."

"Prove to whom?" Yuffie asked.

Mara laughed softly. "Myself. The people who don't think it's possible. The people who decided to try." She glanced around and sighed, walking to the door of the control room. "Well, whoever it's for, it's time to finish this. Let's go. After all, I can't be late to my own party!" She grinned back at Yuffie, who shook her head, a small smile on her face.

They'd only made it a few yards before Yuffie's phone rang. "Put Mara on," Vincent demanded as soon as it was answered, and the ninja passed her the phone with an apologetic look.

"Vincent, please don't freak out…"

"What the hell were you thinking?!" snapped the gunman, fighting to keep his composure. "Do you have any idea what you're up against?! And alone!?"

"Um, about a hundred guys, I think… and Yuffie's watching my back… besides, this should clear the reactor for you guys. I'll be fine; you just take care of things on your end."

Vincent was silent for a moment. "Ifrit help me, if you get yourself killed…"

"You gonna drag me back from hell and kill me yourself?" Mara asked, grinning.

"I'll drag you back, but you'll only wish I'd killed you again once I'm through," Vincent growled.

Mara laughed. "Aw, Vincent… You shouldn't get yourself all worried; it's not good for you, and if you aren't careful you might give yourself an aneurism." There was a heavy sigh from the other end.

"Just… be careful…"

"You, too." She passed the phone back to Yuffie and took a deep breath. She could do this. She had to. There were people waiting for her, and people she had to protect. A smile slowly spread across her face; it was a good feeling. (Of course, that might've been the adrenaline…)

A sharp kind of focus settled over Mara as she stepped into the make-shift arena. The music began, and she quickly cast Barrier, Haste, and Regen as the first group of opponents stepped forward. "Last chance to surrender," she offered, not expecting acceptance.

"Never," spat who she guessed to be the ranking officer.

She shrugged and drew her sword. "Then let's do this already." She sprang forward, landing half a dozen strikes before the soldiers had even raised their weapons, several of which she'd sent flying. She dodged a kick and countered with Quake, then attacked in a flurry of moves while her enemies were off-balance and stumbling. The first group fell. She caught her breath as a small group of guard hounds appeared and looked at her before they began dragging the unconscious men off the field. She blinked, surprised, until the largest walked over and nuzzled her hand. She scratched the familiar, tiny ears, smiling, and whispered her thanks. The beast gave her palm a lick and then left again as the second squad approached cautiously. If they hadn't suspected what they were getting into already, most of them were beginning to get an idea, and it was too startling for them to like it.

"Witch!" One of the soldiers shouted, clearly unnerved by her canine assistants.

Mara only laughed. "I've been called worse," she replied lightly. "But I'm not a witch. I definitely weight more than a duck, and besides, I never got a Hogwarts letter."

"Silence! Your treason ends today!" barked another, aiming his gun.

Mara grinned wickedly, sliding her fan out. A flick of her wrist snapped open the fan, and with a twirl, she cast Blizzara, sending a shower of ice crystals slamming into the guns aimed at her head. She darted forward, bringing her sword up in a sweeping arc that shattered the barrels already weakened by the ice attack. Someone landed a solid kick to her shoulder blade, knocking her forward; a clumsy roll kept her from slamming her face into concrete, and she spun into a crouch. She partially closed the fan, holding it in front of her as she waited. Three soldiers stepped toward her, and she smirked as they fell into the perfect formation. The fan snapped open as it cut through the air, the bladed ribbing slicing the nearest soldiers as the materia nestled in its base began to glow. A second later, the entire squad was blown back by the Flare. They didn't get up.

Mara stood as the guard hounds returned and cleared the field, sipping an ether and re-casting Regen and Barrier. The next squad wasted no time with chatting; they ran up already firing. She grimaced and braced herself as the force of the bullets slammed into her. Even with the barrier taking most of the damage, she could tell there would be a few rather nasty bruises from this. 'Great, like I didn't have enough of those already…' Gritting her teeth and letting her irritation fuel her, she darted into the fray.

Nero showed up sometime during the fifth round, and while he hadn't been anticipating finding Mara in the midst of battle, he couldn't say he was surprised by it. While he knew from their brief conversations that she was hoping to avoid fighting, he had seen the spark in her eyes that said she would when it became necessary to protect those she cared for. He also knew that no matter how convincing she could be, there were many in DeepGround who would never understand the concept of peace, would never embrace anything beyond bloodshed. He had to admit, the fact that she would set aside her own ideals to prevent any other fighting stirred something inside him. If he didn't know better, he might even say it was respect. Something that had only ever existed for his brother before. So how had this girl just suddenly showed up out of nowhere and changed… everything…?

The Sable Tsviet was so lost in his own thoughts as he watched Mara fight that he didn't even notice Yuffie sidle up next to him. "I see not even Nero the Sable is immune to the dragoness," she observed casually. She smirked as the poor man jumped a little.

"Dragoness?" he questioned softly, glancing over at the slight ninja princess.

Yuffie grinned. "A name granted to her because she was born from a Bahamut materia," she explained, pleased that the name she'd given the other girl seemed to fit so well that even a Tsviet was impressed. "You know… if you believe in the old legends, then technically that makes her the daughter of the Dragon King."

Nero found himself smirking faintly at that. "Maybe that's how she can bring fairy tales to life…" he mused quietly.

Mara, completely unaware that she was being talked about, had to admit that she might have bitten off a tad more than she could chew. Even with Regen, Haste, and Barrier spells, she was starting to struggle. At the end of the day, no matter how determined she was, her inexperience in combat kept dragging her down, wearing her out before her foes and causing hesitations that—while only lasting a few seconds—she paid for in blood. Not that she noticed those much; the combination of low self-preservation instincts and a high pain tolerance kept her wounds from distracting her. Cuts and bruises she could handle. It was the exhaustion that would kill her.

A/N: Yeah, I bet you thought all those feathers were just weird, pointless details. Surprise, plot device! Also, the "old legends" Yuffie referenced is actually the first Final Fantasy. The two worlds still remain separate, though; it's only an allusion.