Energy
28
Immediately Yuffie sprang to her feet, mind alert. A stealthy stranger this must be, she concluded, since she'd heard no sound of his approach. Or maybe she was simply too distracted. The dark and dusty cloak he wore touched the ground at his feet, and just behind his hood Yuffie could make out a flash of white hair, straight and thin. The man stood so utterly still he seemed to be a statue, but this made Yuffie all the more tense. In her experience the stillest adversaries were always the fastest, and could strike faster than any viper.
"Who are you?" Yuffie demanded, slinking along the wall's short edge. The man made no motion, save for his head which turned slowly to follow her movements. "Introductions are not needed," the man said in a dark voice. "All that matters now is that you give me what I came for. And try not to feign innocence, for this is not the first time we have met. You ran from me last time, and will not do so again."
Yuffie's eyes narrowed. Surprise shook her insides, but she dared not let it show. "We've met, have we?" she responded. "Well, beats me. I never forget a face. . .but then again, you never show your face, do you?"
"Insolent child," the man replied, voice deep with superiority. "Need I refresh your memory? On the day I saw you last, your face was stiff with dread. The waves before you, crashing against the base of the cliff on which you found yourself cornered, roared with the anticipation of your fall. It surprised me, I must say, when you hurled yourself over that jagged edge and into the clashing waters without haste. Rather than hand the artifact over to me, you risked your life by jumping. Quite foolish of you, girl, but also brave. I didn't think you'd survive, and yet here you are, standing. When last we met your skin seemed much paler, your posture less bold. What have you been up to, I wonder, in these past long months that have sparked such a change?"
"Bastard!" Yuffie then hissed, unsheathing her weapon with great speed. But the man didn't flinch at all. Instead he continued, smiling under his dark hood.
"Let me ask you, child, how was it living on that tiny island? How was it thriving under the sun instead of under the cloud of shadows? Was it different than your hometown? In a land where Sephiroth deemed himself lord of the world and called for the beauty of its destruction, did you ever once find yourself smiling there as you did beside him?"
Yuffie's gut wrenched with sickness. Her memory flashed, taking her back to the night before she'd met Riku. This was the man who'd forced her off the cliffs, almost killing her. The artifact of which he spoke was no longer in her possession, but from the sound of things he didn't seem to know that.
But were she to reveal its location, all she'd worked for up to this point would be put at risk again.
Like hell.
Yuffie gave her Oritsuru a single, threatening spin in hand, spreading her feet apart. A grin stretched across her face as she challenged the enemy with her eyes, sparkling with the anticipation of battle. "So you're him, huh?" she noted with a teenager's defiance. "Yeah, I remember you. Not that you showed your face then either, but I remember the annoying bass in your voice when you talked. Do you always try to sound so important, or do you just like the sound of your own voice?"
The man shook his head slowly in response, clearly displeased. "I was hoping I would not have to unleash my powers on a child," he said, reaching into his cloak. "But you leave me little choice. It was unfortunate that you had to involve yourself in this matter--so much bigger than you could ever be aware of. You made things very difficult for me, and now I will make you pay for it. I grow tired of having my plans delayed."
"Don't worry," Yuffie assured him with an excited grin, "there will be nothing left to delay once I get rid of you."
A bluff, surely, since Yuffie had never killed anyone. But the more damage she inflicted on him the better. Were things to take a turn for the worst, she would take all her memories to the grave with her if she had to. Her woes, her joys, and her heart. All of them belonged to her, and this man would have none of it!
Yuffie waited for the man to unsheathe the sword from his cloak before making a move.
It was very long, glimmering the colors of blue and red. The shape was both flat and pointed, resembling the wing of a dragon or a bat. Its handle was dark like coal, shining as bright as glass. There was a dark beauty about it, but there was also something about it that rang of madness. No doubt a weapon forged from darkness, Yuffie concluded. Leon and the gang had come across several on their quest to rejuvenate the worlds, and all had been wielded by exceptionally powerful foes.
Under other circumstances, Yuffie would have gladly rushed in to battle with this person, but a blundering awareness inside her made it very apparent that if this man was as strong as those previously encountered, than there was no way she'd make it out of this battle alive.
At the very least she found comfort in the fact that Sora had already gone. He was now on his way to worlds far far away from this one. And Riku. . .
Yuffie didn't know where he was, but at least he wasn't here. It pained her to be relieved by his absence, but this is how things should be.
But now wasn't the time to worry. It was the time to fight.
Yuffie turned the balls of her feet on a slant and thrust her crossblade forward. Both their weapons then met with a loud metal clang, and upward thrust her Oritsuru. The attacker took a graceful leap forward, aiming for a vertical slash across her stomach, but Yuffie dodged, leaping for her crossblade.
In the air she grasped it, flipping forward into the wall, hanging by a windows edge with her feet planted solidly against the vertical structure. Knees bent, Yuffie sprang towards the man, ready to saw through his neck, but he caught her by the stomach, flipping her clear over the wall.
Yuffie went far, sliding into the wide space of the third district. Her Oritsuru slid past her when she landed, clanging against a hard brick wall. When the man was suddenly in front of her, weapon raised and neck muscles tense, Yuffie flipped backwards, palms flat against the ground. With quick reflexes she struck with her right foot, but the man warded it off with his sword. The impact flung his arm back, and as a response he kicked her hard in the stomach.
Yuffie flew backwards with a grunt of pain, but she used the extra thrust to maneuver onto her back where she slid clockwise, snatching her cross blade from against the wall. In the following instance their blades met, clashing against one another with excited screams. Yuffie remembered her fights with Riku, and though his movements weren't nearly as smooth or precise as this man's, the extra practice had no doubt matured her speed and style.
But the difference in their skill was obvious. Yuffie had been in many fights, but it was clear that this man had been in ten times more. In battle, experience was everything, and with a gap so large Yuffie was almost certain of her defeat. But even knowing this she kept her muscles taught, burning with energy.
With each vicious jab the man made with his sword, Yuffie met it head on with her cross blade, giving it a sharp spin to ward off the attack. The teeth of her Oritsuru whistled every time it turned, bringing music to this metallic dance of warriors. Where the man only used his weapon, however, Yuffie used her hands and feet as well.
Whenever a spot lay unguarded on her body, a swift jab of the leg would spring into action, as did and arm or a fist. It hurt to make hand to hand contact with any weapon, but the stinging sensations soon rolled into one, making it slightly easier to ignore.
Yuffie's crossblade shone with the light of stars, drinking in the dotted spectacles from above the everlasting night of Traverse Town. Her heart was racing with both adrenaline and fear, but the intoxication of battle affected her every bit as powerfully as it did her Oritsuru.
Yuffie leaped a long distance back, pulling out a fist full of throwing stars. All at once she let them fly, and together they sailed toward the target. But the enemy, in one quick sweep of his sword, sent each one flying back at her.
Like a saw, Yuffie spun her crossblade with an amazing speed, knocking each star back in random, sharply angled directions.
In the half second it took to do this, her opponent flashed in front of her, weapon blazing. He aimed for Yuffie's head with horizontal slash, but she ducked forward. As a consequence she was met with the front of his knee to her stomach, rendering her temporarily breathless. Taking advantage, the man then jabbed his sword forward, aiming to penetrate her heart.
But Yuffie was fast, so the sword instead somehow found its way entangling itself in her scarf. Without trying to attempt to free his weapon, her opponent lifted her entire weight by the scarf, throwing her into the air with a single thrust of his arm.
Yuffie's neck burst with pain as the scarf tightened, but when it loosened she suddenly found herself high in the air, defenseless. She wasted no time throwing her crossblade downwards upon the encroaching enemy, but predictably he sent it off at an angle with a flick of his sword, turned on its side.
He jumped in the air then, both hands grasping the handle. Yuffie didn't bother closing her eyes--she was too surprised--but the weightlessness of falling to her doom seemed to impact her even before the blow.
However, in a quick flash, a dark figure zoomed before her eyes, slamming into her opponent like a chain ball. Off they went in another direction as Yuffie fell upon the ground, rolling. Body aching, she positioned herself to her knees. When she jumped up, she caught herself in a stumble, her vision following suit.
The land span before her for a brief moment, making her slightly nauseous. As everything cleared, she found herself facing the back of someone.
"Leon. . ." she whispered hoarsely.
In front of her he stood, legs still with both hands gripping the handle of his gunblade. The tip of it shone red with heat, and out sprang a fireball in the direction of Yuffie's attacker. He dodged it smoothly, stepping to side with grace.
"You never listen, do you?" Leon scolded in such a way that Yuffie knew he was talking to her. He was focused on the enemy, back facing her, but the following silence indicated his patience for a response.
"It was so not my fault this time," Yuffie defended, shaking her head slightly to dull the tilting of her vision. "I just have really bad luck."
Leon snorted. "Yeah, bad luck that comes only second to Cloud's."
Yuffie ignored him, searching for her weapon. It was lodged into a brick wall when she spotted it, teeth jetting outwards.
"Time to get serious, kid," Leon warned her. "I don't think this guys messing around." There was a smirk in his voice as he spoke, making Yuffie shake her head with a grunt.
"Boys," she grumbled.
Out stretched her hand, calling for her Oritsuru. It vibrated in the wall for a split second, then in a blinding purple light it vanished. In the same second it appeared in her hand, blazing brightly with an indigo light. Energy poured from it, leaking into Yuffie's veins. Never did her weapon ever look more beautiful than it did in these moments.
She looked up. Leon's blade shone as well, doubling in length. From his jacket, Leon pulled out a small green vial of what Yuffie presumed to be elixir. "Take it," he commanded.
"But--" Yuffie protested.
"Take it."
She didn't argue. Yuffie downed the soothing liquid, feeling the wonderfully rejuvenating cooling of her system. Quickly her energy was coming back to her.
"And you are?" Leon inquired calmly toward the man. Off at a distance he stood, back erect with his sword positioned at his side.
"Ansem," came his short reply.
Before Yuffie and Leon even had time to be shocked, he was already in motion. Leon met his blade with a spark of bright light, sending shots of electricity shooting in all directions. Together the two men clashed swords, each more powerful than the last. Leon's gunblade sang with life against the roar of its adversary, drinking in the rapture of battle.
That can't be Ansem! Yuffie's mind screamed in the meanwhile. It just can't be!
The man whose journal entries they'd been hanging on for years, the one who'd given birth to heartless in his own wretched lab, and the man who'd almost tried to kill her just months before. Never had she imagined that they would all be the same person.
Being Ansem, his death made for a costly sacrifice. His information was incredibly valuable, but with things as they were now, Yuffie couldn't imagine how things would turn out.
Leon was then thrust back by a sudden burst of magic from Ansem's outstretched hand, sliding next to Yuffie on the soles of his feet. Leon was not hurt, as the blast had hit the side of Leon's gunblade, but indeed he did look surprised. It was the first time Ansem had shown signs of any magical talent, and at this point Yuffie realized how he'd only been playing with her up until this point.
"Stupid bastard," Yuffie hissed under her breath. "Guys with superiority complexes are the absolute worst."
"Focus," Leon instructed, coming to a stand beside her. "We have to be more careful now."
Yuffie nodded without a word, and in one harmonious motion they jumped forward. Both their weapons met his, meeting in a spectacular burst of fireworks. The dark night was alight with their energy, putting even the brightest street lamp to absolute shame.
Leon and Yuffie always worked well together. They fought like cats and dogs sometimes, but when in battle they were like two sides of a coin. As one moved, so did the other. Even slashing side by side they never managed to get in each other's way, and with their added strength there was no enemy they couldn't defeat.
Ansem switched battle tactics rather abruptly when met with their conjoined efforts. A dark shadow of energy emerged from around him, swelling to enormous distances. The light of Yuffie and Leon's weapons were the only thing keeping them from being engulfed by the shadow, and together they huddled in close.
"What the hell is this?" Yuffie remarked.
"Heartless!" Leon exclaimed.
Many of them, from every shape and kind appeared from the dark mist, twitching and creeping forward.
Leon gave a rough and exasperated "Hmph!" at their appearance. "Sonofa--"
"bitch," Yuffie finished harshly.
Ansem laughed from a distance, spreading both arms toward the sky. He waved his weapon forward, calling forth more and more.
"Now die," Ansem's voice droned.
In a horizontal sweep of his sword, all heartless charged forth.
Chaos was everywhere. Yuffie's crossblade sawed through crowds of heartless, slicing off heads and rending stomachs. With every creature it touched, an explosion of dark shadows emerged, sending a heartless back into obscurity.
Leon made swift work of groups with his gunblade, taking long and powerful swings. Whole barrages of fireballs sprang from the tip of his sword, bursting into walls and heartless at the same time. The third district was quickly becoming a mess in their wake.
All the while Ansem stood and watched, face barely maintaining a grin. It infuriated Leon and Yuffie, but there was little they could do with so many heartless surrounding them.
"They're not stopping!" Yuffie screamed over the roar of heartless.
"I know!" Leon screamed back. "Just keep killing them until--"
A resonating boom then cut between them, shaking the ground. Even Ansem looked up in surprise.
A thin figure stood above them, arms spread forward with blue electricity surging forth. The person then retrieved his hands, flipping back his long sleeves.
"Merlin," Yuffie exclaimed breathlessly. A relieved smile tugged at the corner of her mouth at the sight of him.
"Looks like you could use an old man's help?" he suggested rather lightly.
"Are you guys injured?" A bell-like voice suddenly rang from behind him. Aerith then emerged, worry plain on her face. Both her eyes closed in prayer, her hands folding over one another. A bright green light shone from her body, and with it a stream of energy engulfed Leon and Yuffie, healing them both.
"I love our friends!" Yuffie shouted at Leon.
"Ditto," he responded with satisfaction.
Ansem bared his teeth at the sight of the newcomers. He called more heartless forth, twice as aggravated and aggressive as the other ones. "Look out!" Leon called to them, but Merlin was quick.
A burst of fire blossomed from his fingertips, engulfing the sky with it. The heartless disappeared quickly, though still some sprang forth in instant replacement.
Leon and Yuffie hacked away from below them, speed and health rectified by Aerith's extraordinary healing powers. From beside Merlin she supported them, warding off heartless with her staff whenever they came too close.
Things continued in this fashion for a blurry six minutes until Ansem's patience completely evaporated.
"Enough of this," he seethed from under his hood.
And everything shook. The walls, the stairs, and even the shops vibrated with vigor. The entirety of the area was submerging in utter darkness. Heartless rolled their heads back, shrieking into the air. Everything became so submerged that not even the light from the stars were visible.
Abruptly the light from Yuffie and Leon's weapons went out, like flames on a candlestick, making them invisible to one another. The friends all called out for one another, but were rendered mute by the ferocious roars of heartless.
Hold on everyone! Aerith's voice whispered in their minds.
The first sign of light came from a small green stream sprouting from the cracked pavement on the ground. Leon saw it clearly amongst the calamity, holding off heartless with his gunblade.
The small sprout of green light unwound like a grape vine, curling along the surface. Suddenly a whole body of it shot forth like a geyser, purging the darkness like a knife. The stars abruptly became visible, while surrounding the area was a mass of green energy.
In that instant every single heartless vanished, obliterated.
When the green light subsided, the chaos had lifted, rendering clear the damage done to the third district. The ground was almost completely up-heaved, the walls crumbling and the shops falling apart. Broken glass lay scattered everywhere, splintered wood and street lamps laying among the rubble.
"Aerith!" Merlin cried in alarm. She was on the ground next to him, unconscious. Her body was sprawled on its side. The old wizard pulled her head into his arms, checking her pulse. Still alive, but barely.
What an incredible mass of energy she'd used! An amazing girl, Merlin always knew, but never had he expected this. What he wouldn't give to have had her as a student in his youth.
"Yuffie?" Leon's voice suddenly drifted from below him.
He limped among the rubble, every part of him torn and blood soaked. Darkness had blinded him, throwing him at the mercy of his enemies, and from it he had not emerged unscathed.
"Leon, Aerith!" Merlin called to him, though he too spun his head about in search of Yuffie.
Leon looked up at the old man to see Aerith in his arms. Worry struck him at her motionless form, but not more so than the utter disappearance of Yuffie.
And Ansem.
Fury overtook him. Leon's body shook with rage, and he raised his gunblade in the air with both hands.
"NO!!" he cried in anger, slamming his sword upon the ground in a burst of flames. The outburst of energy crippled him, sending him crumbling to the ground. Merlin shouted something to him, but his words were lost on deaf ears.
"No. . ." he whispered.
//********************************//A/N//**********************************//
To anyone still reading this, BRAVO. I LOVE YOU.
