*Warning*- The characters of Final Fantasy VII in no way belong to me (damn), and therefore I take no credit for the characters, which are all copyright to Square Soft Inc and everyone else who owns Final Fantasy VII! Can you tell I'm not good at writing these things? This story may contain spoilers and some violence, but besides that I don't think there should be too many problems! Please email me if you have any queries or comments… thanks! *^_~*
Chapter Three: United
Ouch, that hurt… Where am I?
Seems awfully dark, much too dark for daytime, maybe it is night? It is cold too. Maybe it is a winter night. Eyes… they are too heavy to open. Or maybe they are open? Hard to tell. Am I awake? Am I dead? And why can't I feel my fingers…
Perhaps I am dreaming, and now I will wake up. Come on, god d*** it! Wake up, you moron! I need to wake up, I can't stay here any longer. My mind feels all fuzzy. Almost as if it isn't even there anymore. And my fingers, I am trying so hard to bend them and yet I cannot feel them moving! What is that pain in my arm, I can feel that. A needle? But I am not at the hospital! That's the only place you get needles! I hate needles, why do I hate needles? I've never had one…
That humming in my ears, it's soothing. Beckoning me to fall into the eternal sleep of death, I want to fall. I want to die. I don't know where I am. It seems strangely familiar, but I've never been in a place like this! The pain; it seems never ending and I can barely control myself. This has to be a dream; no reality could hurt so much. That screaming, it's hurting my ears… am I screaming? Please… let it all end.
Who am I?
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Vincent woke with a start to find himself lying on a stone slab, a blanket wrapped around him. Where am I, he thought wildly, sitting up quickly. Then he remembered everything. He looked around him and saw Tifa sitting at the campfire, poking it glumly. Her normal optimism had faded slightly, but she looked up brightly when she saw him. He pulled himself off the stone wearily, the blanket dragging around his shoulders, and sat down next to Tifa rather awkwardly.
"I found you asleep on the beach," she said softly. "So I brought you back here. How come you were on the beach?" She noticed the averse expression on Vincent's face, and hastily added, "You don't have to tell me, I don't mind." Vincent stared into the dying flames quietly, his thoughts whirling. Tifa seemed to sense the friction and didn't say anything. The first signs of daylight were poking up from the horizon, and the sky they could see above them was lightening considerably. The new day had started.
"There are… some things about me… that I keep to myself," Vincent explained. "And it's not that I don't trust you; it's just that I don't… trust myself…" He trailed off, returning to his blank gaze into the burning flames that were slowly disappearing. Tifa was again perplexed with his personality, wondering what he meant. He seemed to talk in riddles- if only she could decipher them. But she said nothing, mostly because she had nothing to say. Vincent seemed happy to sit in silence, reminding Tifa strongly of another person she had been really close to. She suppressed her emotions, wishing their small group was reunited, or that she at least knew if everyone was okay.
How long were they to spend on this island, without any way of knowing if their other friends were okay? Tifa realised she would literally swim off the island before spending any more days on it, not knowing if Cloud was even alive. Something had to be done. Every muscle in her body froze as she heard the light footsteps, and she stiffened. She turned to tell Vincent, but he just nodded. Of course, you id**t, she told herself, Vincent's hearing is heaps better than yours. Vincent stood up, this deep red eyes scanning the area around them anxiously.
Tifa, too, stood, and tried to spot any sign of movement. Too late. Something swung from her right, and knocked her square on the shoulder. She stumbled, panting, and kicked her leg out at her attacker. She heard Vincent gasp, and heard some loud thumps as figures were thrown to the ground. Tifa herself kept fighting off the attacker, who was shorter than herself but very well trained in fighting. It was a challenge to keep up with the little enemy, and even more so to injure it. Finally, she decided to just knock it out by using an Ice Materia.
The figure fell to the ground, severely weakened, and dashed off before she could get a good look at it. Nearby, Vincent was fighting fiercely against three opponents, somehow managing to keep up to speed with the trained fighters. The sky was lightening faster now, and Tifa could almost see the faces of their assailants who were opposing them. She jumped in to help him, realising that she had just been standing there watching Vincent exchange blows, and backhanded one of the offenders. It fell down, but jumped up almost instantly and launched itself at Tifa. She was thrown to the ground, and struggled to fight the thing off.
For the first time, she got a close look at its face, and she was repelled at the grossness of it. The creature almost looked human, except that its skin was a sickly green and was covered with warts. It had deep red eyes, and a protruding brow that reminded her of the pictures of Professor Hojo that she had seen in newspapers. The creature wasn't that tall- only up to her shoulder when she was standing- but it had long, bony arms with large hands at the end, ruby-red claws clenched into fists as it struggled to land a blow. She kicked it off, disgusted, and jumped to her feet swiftly. Vincent had managed to scare off the other two, and the third now ran off after its fellow creatures.
"What was that about?" he asked, wiping some grime off his cape. Tifa stared after the creatures, her nose wrinkled.
"I don't know," she said with repulsion in her voice. "But I hope I never see those ugly things again!" She shuddered, remembering the slimy green face, and started to roll up the sleeping bag and blankets.
"It's probably not safe to stay here again tonight," Vincent mused, gathering together his things. He didn't have much to gather. He heard Tifa gasp, and turned around to see her holding one hand to her face in horror. Without speaking, she just pointed shakily at the stone slabs that had been their bed. Vincent followed her gaze, and saw the splashes of dry blood on the rock.
"It's okay," he said off-handedly. "I know about that time of month." Tifa flushed red, but shook her head firmly.
"No, that's not it," she said in an embarrassed voice. "And besides, it's on the slab you slept on, not mine." Vincent glanced back, and saw she was right. He quickly checked himself over for cuts or bruises, but there were none that he was aware of. Something was fishy. "Perhaps it was when we battled those creatures?" However, Tifa's voice sounded wavy and uncertain.
"No, it isn't," Vincent said quietly. "It has been there for more than a day." Tifa looked at Vincent with questioning eyes, but he just looked down and shook his head. "It's human blood, Tifa." She seemed to finally understand what he meant, and her face fell.
"Human… blood?" she whispered. "But… it can't be…" No one could have died, no one from Avalanche… She shook her own head in disbelief. "It could be anyone," she argued. Vincent nodded, but didn't say anything. Tifa swallowed, not willing to believe that any one of her friends could have been there. Especially Cloud…
They both sprang to alert when a noise filled the clearing. It sounded like several animals crashing through the forest at once. And the sound was getting closer with every second they stood there. Vincent tapped Tifa quickly.
"The tree," he said, pointing. She nodded, and they hurried to clamber up the rough bark. They crawled up to the nearest thick branch that extended over the stone slabs. Tifa quickly counted the stones, realising in alarm that there were three, in a triangular pattern. Why hadn't she noticed this before? She had a really bad feeling about those stones now… They watched and waited in silence as the crashing grew louder, and both gasped when two familiar shapes were thrown out of the bushes into the small clearing.
"Elena and Rufus," Tifa breathed. It was indeed them, and they didn't look too good. In fact, they both looked so badly beaten that they were almost unconscious. Tifa struggled with the emotions inside her, knowing that the Turk and the President of Shinra had done some horrible things, but also knowing that no one deserved that kind of treatment. She tensed, ready to jump down into battle, but Vincent held her back.
"Wait," he whispered. They watched as Rufus, defiant as ever, tried desperately to stand, but fell back to his knees weakly. Elena had collapsed in a heap against the rocks. Rufus again tried, and was struck down by a large baton. Tifa moved her gaze to see some of the creatures they had fought before gathering into the clearing. Another one, a much larger creature who was probably taller than she was, stepped gracefully into the area, holding a large trident. She felt Vincent stiffen beside her, and wondered what he had seen. His red eyes were concentrated on this new creature.
"Marinald," muttered Vincent under his breath. The creatures hurled their captives to their feet. Rufus had a large purple bruise forming on his cheek, and a thin stream of blood trickled down his neck. Elena was barely standing, her legs wobbling.
"We have to do something," Tifa urged quietly. Vincent just nodded, but his gaze never left the creatures. There was something he was missing… Elena and Rufus were pushed roughly towars the stones. Another one of the creatures stepped forward, unsheathing a long, shiny sword from a pouch. Elena's eyes widened in horror, and Rufus' narrowed.
"No way," he said stubbornly, yet weakly. "You are not killing the President of Shinra! Don't you know who I am! If Rude and Reno were here… boy, are you guys going to pay, with your fiery deaths!"
"SILENCE!" The voice boomed across the area, commanding yet deadly. Rufus fell silent, his eyes trained on the ground. Tifa recoiled in shock- she hadn't realised the creatures could speak english. "HE SHALL DIE FIRST FOR HIS IGNORANCE!" The creature pointed at Rufus, who was dragged to the stones and forced to lay upon them, on the very stone Tifa had slept so peacefully on last night. She shuddered involuntarily- what would have happened if those creatures had attacked during the night? Rufus was strong, but not strong enough to survive being decapitated. No one was. Elena whimpered softly, and sank to the ground in a stupor. Rufus seemed to have lost his spirit, and lay on the slab as if waiting for the clunk of metal to arrive.
Too late it was when Vincent sensed the prescence behind them. All he heard was a thunk, and then everything went black.
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Tifa groaned, rolling on the ground sluggishly. She had no idea where she was, but she did remember being knocked rather roughly on the head by some huge wood club. And now here she was, lying on the ground. She tried to get up, but discovered her hands were tied tightly behind her back. She winced as the ropes cut into her skin, and stopped struggling. Someone stirred beside her, and she prayed that it was Vincent. Using her martial arts training, she rolled onto her back then flipped herself up so she was standing. She realised her feet were also tied, making it slightly difficult to walk.
"Awake… you're," mumbled Vincent, propped up against a wall. He looked pretty bad, with some mud smeared on his cheek. Tifa briefly wondered if she looked the same, and hopped over to him.
"Are you okay?" she asked, bending down next to him. His eyes were unfocused, and he seemed to gaze at her almost deliriously.
"Lucrecia!" he cried, and threw his arms around Tifa, holding her close to him. She shifted uncomfortably, feeling awkward. He had just embraced her and called her Lucrecia. Who was that? She pulled away, her face pink.
"Vincent, I'm not Lucrecia," she said firmly. She wondered why Vincent's arms hadn't been tied like hers were. He seemed different all of a sudden, as if something had happened while she'd been asleep. "Come on, pull yourself together and untie me!" Vincent seemed to not hear her, staring at the wall opposite as his mind worked. Suddenly, his red eyes darkened, making him look more human than ever before. He looked several years younger, even with his collar pulled up and his hair disarray. And the expression on his face was so different… she couldn't describe it.
"Come on, Rachel, I'll take your daddy to the Shinra hospital, you just go with Marinald here okay?" Vincent said gently to someone Tifa couldn't see. She could hear something in his voice, however… evil? Vincent stood up, glancing down at the ground. Obviously he was seeing something there that Tifa couldn't understand. He withdrew his gun, a smile twitching his lips. With what looked like pure satisfaction, he let cocked the trigger and let it go, shooting a bullet into the ground. Tifa screamed and jumped back, into the wall behind her. She struggled to untie the ropes that held her wrists together, making slight progress but not quick enough for her liking. Vincent continued to stare down at the invisible person only he could see, then he turned to face Tifa, a look of ice cold malice in his crimson eyes.
"Charity," he said cold-heartedly. Tifa whimpered, wishing he would stop getting her name wrong. She pulled on the ropes, hoping they would untie. Her stomach turned when she caught sight of the gun still clutched in his hand. He approached her, til he was standing barely twenty centimetres from her face. "So sorry about dear old Than over there." His tone made it clear that he was not at all sorry. Tifa backed away, and found she was flat against the wall. "Let me make it up to you." Tifa grimaced.
"Sorry about this, Vince," she muttered, as she launched a flying punch to his chin. He was sent flying against the wall, and collapsed in a heap unconscious. The ropes fell to the floor, and she undid the ones on her ankles as well. Not that good of a tying job, she thought to herself. There was not time to think about Vincent's behaviour, only time to escape the apparent cell she and Vincent were in. It had a dirty cement floor, which was cracked where Vincent shot it, and one small window. It was quite dark in the sky, which meant she had been out cold for awhile. Hopefully it wasn't the next day.
"Not bad," said a low voice. Tifa spun around and saw Rufus, lying against the wall in the shadowed part of the cell. She was surprised that she hadn't noticed him sooner. He wasn't tied up either, but she noticed some ropes lying on the ground next to him. He looked as bad, if not worse, as when they had seen him with Elena, and she narrowed her eyes though she felt pity.
"Who are you to say that?" she hissed. Rufus snorted.
"The same kind of person as you who would just watch two people about to get killed," he replied smoothly. Tifa shook her head.
"You would do the same if it were us, and besides, we were actually going to help you," she said.
"Yeah right," Rufus scoffed, holding his side. "It doesn't matter now, though, because we're all going to die anyway." Tifa winced, trying to think of how to escape. Thick bamboo bars crisscrossed on the window, preventing breaking the window open and escaping that way. The door was to her left, and seemed to be made of bulky steel.
"Where are we?" she wondered aloud. Rufus shrugged, standing up. He was obviously still very weak and tired, but determined not to let it show.
"We should probably get out of here," he suggested. "What about old vampire boy over here?" He gestured to Vincent, who was still on the ground. I didn't realise I hit him that hard, Tifa mused in her head.
"First we have to think of a way out," she said, looking around her. The walls were made of concrete, and so was the ceiling, so that prevented escape. The door was probably also guarded by creatures, so that was out of the question. The only other choice was the window. An idea struck her. She turned to Rufus.
"Do you have a Fire Materia?" she asked. He nodded. She suddenly noticed the absence of Elena. He held out the Materia to her, and she equipped it. Then she used the most powerful fire spell she could on the bamboo, which easily melted away, leaving a large gaping hole for the prisoners to climb through. Tifa turned back to Vincent.
"Can you help me pick him up?" she asked. Rufus rolled his eyes, but grabbed Vincent by one arm. Tifa took the other, and they hauled him through the window first. Then Rufus pulled himself up, leaving Tifa in the cell. She jumped up a bit and dug her fingernails into the soft soil outside, pulling herself through the window. She was surprised when Rufus reached his hand out, and helped her up. But any thoughts of him being nice were dropped when he snatched his hand away and put it in his pocket as soon as she was standing.
"Look, you guys can scat now," he scowled. "I have to find Elena." Tifa bit her lip.
"I'll help you," she said, "but first you have to help me get Vincent to a safe place." Rufus shrugged.
"I don't need your help," he said coolly.
"But I need yours," Tifa answered. After a moment's silence, he yanked Vincent up by the arm again and helped Tifa drag the ex-Turk to a nearby patch of bushes. Tifa had no idea where they were, but followed Rufus. The area they were in was a clearing, perhaps near the lake because she could see some tall reeds over a hill. There were four buildings in all, one distinctively larger than the others and coloured a dull brown. The rest were grey.
"Where would Elena be?" Tifa asked.
"If I knew, I'd have gotten her out by now," Rufus stated, hunching against the wall in a spy like manner. Tifa copied him, and they worked their way to the centre of the four buildings. It didn't take long to locate Elena, as she was screeching obscenities at her captives. They saw that she was tied to a pole in the very centre, with many creatures sitting crosslegged around her. Tifa noticed something around their necks, and with a shock, realised that they were collars. A nagging feeling at the back of her head warned her at the top of its lungs to run away.
She saw the leader of them, who Vincent had called Marinald. Who was Marinald? He was carrying his trident again, a smug look on his scaly face. That was assuming he was a he. She couldn't tell. Marinald was standing next to the pole, as if awaiting something. He, too, had a collar around his neck, which meant he couldn't be the one controlling all the others. There was someone else...
A noise echoed through the area, getting louder and louder. It sounded almost like a... helicopter? Tifa waited in anticipation, crouching down. It was indeed a helicopter, and it hovered above the buildings. Rufus gasped when he saw the Shinra logo on the tail, and realised it was possibly someone to rescue him. A ladder was thrown down, and a figure scuttled down it in a crab-like fashion. It jumped to the ground, and stood up.
"Hojo..." spat Rufus. "I should have known." Hojo had a remote control device in his bony hand, and he pushed a small red button. At once, all the creatures bowed before him. A smile crossed his face, and he pushed back his greasy hair.
"Hello everyone," he said calmly. Marinald stepped forward. Was he trembling? Hojo looked at him disdainly. "Have you finished the project? Is Jaknos ready to be shipped back to Shinra headquarters?" Marinald shook his head slightly. Hojo instantly pushed the green button, and Marinald fell to his knees, holding his head in pain. His cry of anguish rang out through the clearing. Finally, Hojo stopped.
"I asked for it to be completed," he said. "We are expecting to start experimentation on it by mid-June, so we can analyse and compare its data to other specimens. I want it completed by next week, so we can start early." He glowered down at Marinald. "It better be, or you will regret being nothing more than a failed experiment," he added in a menacing tone. Hojo noticed Elena, and his brow furrowed.
"Isn't that a Turk?" he inquired. Marinald shrugged.
"She is one of the ones we found yesterday," he said lowly. Hojo's eyes lit up.
"The Turks were supposed to be following that Cloud boy and his companions Perhaps all is not lost after all! Alright, continue with your work and have Jaknos prepared by next Wednesday." With that, Hojo climbed back up the ladder and the helicopter flew off. Beside her, Rufus seethed.
"That dirty b***ard!" he snarled. "He didn't care that a Turk, a member of his own company, was about to be the bl***y dessert for these creatures!" Tifa could understand how he felt, wondering what kind of person Hojo really was. Rufus decided to take action there and then, and Tifa followed him into battle. He cast Bolt2 on all the creatures, and they were shocked long enough for the two to rush up to the stage, where Elena was tied. She was overjoyed to see them, and gladly let them untie her. Marinald rushed at Tifa, who tripped him and sent him spiralling to the ground. He got to his feet quickly.
"It's too late!" he hissed in triumph. A rumbling shook the area, sending a chill up Tifa's spine. The creatures scattered, leaving the three alone on the stage. Rufus was struggling with the last ropes, and hurriedly untied them. Tifa squinted into the evening darkness, as the last of the sun disappeared. The rumbling grew louder, and before they knew it, a gigantic creature had pushed its way through the forest towards them. It was an ugly creature, with bags of skin hanging off its gangly face, and many legs protruding from its body. It almost resembled an ant, but had bright red eyes that reminded Tifa of Vincent's ruby gaze.
"We can't outrun it," murmured Rufus. "We're going to have to fight it." He laid Elena gently down on the stage, and withdrew his baton. Tifa clenched her fists, as the beast approached.
"Ice3!" yelled Rufus, sending a blizzard to the creature. It was struck heavily, but didn't seem too damaged. Tifa used a Bio spell on it, and it had no effect whatsoever. The creature lunged towards them, and they both jumped then attacked it while it was down. Tifa had never hit so hard in her life, and prayed that the creature would die. Rufus, too, swung at it, until the creature roared in fury and let loose a brilliant array of lightning and ice. Tifa was thrown against the pole, while Rufus landed hard on the ground. Time to finish this, he thought viciously.
"Odin!" he cried. The black-clad warrior on the six-legged horse came through the sky, holding his sword in position. Odin charged towards the beast, and swiped it in half. The creature was killed instantly, and Odin rode off in victory. Rufus weakly looked up, and took Tifa's hand as she offered it. They got Elena and headed back to where Vincent lay. Tifa was pleased that they had been able to help each other, and was shocked that Rufus actually thought of anyone besides himself. He obviously had a fondness for his employees if he would go to that length to save one of them. She wondered what tomorrow would bring, if they would become allies. It seemed a far way off, but, as they held Elena up, it seemed almost possible.
That night, however, the two pairs slept on either side of their campsite. Perhaps it would be a little longer before they completely trusted one another.
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Author's Note:- WOOHOO! I finally got it finished *cheers joyously* Sorry about the wait, I couldn't figure out where the plot was going. But now I think I have, so I'm very happy! Thank you so much to the people who have reviewed my story so far, because without them I probably wouldn't be completing it. Reviews are what keep me inspired, so please be one great person and review for me! In the next chapter, we might find some of the other characters, so that will be good... and what has happened to Cloud? *gulp* Stay tuned!
Chapter Three: United
Ouch, that hurt… Where am I?
Seems awfully dark, much too dark for daytime, maybe it is night? It is cold too. Maybe it is a winter night. Eyes… they are too heavy to open. Or maybe they are open? Hard to tell. Am I awake? Am I dead? And why can't I feel my fingers…
Perhaps I am dreaming, and now I will wake up. Come on, god d*** it! Wake up, you moron! I need to wake up, I can't stay here any longer. My mind feels all fuzzy. Almost as if it isn't even there anymore. And my fingers, I am trying so hard to bend them and yet I cannot feel them moving! What is that pain in my arm, I can feel that. A needle? But I am not at the hospital! That's the only place you get needles! I hate needles, why do I hate needles? I've never had one…
That humming in my ears, it's soothing. Beckoning me to fall into the eternal sleep of death, I want to fall. I want to die. I don't know where I am. It seems strangely familiar, but I've never been in a place like this! The pain; it seems never ending and I can barely control myself. This has to be a dream; no reality could hurt so much. That screaming, it's hurting my ears… am I screaming? Please… let it all end.
Who am I?
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Vincent woke with a start to find himself lying on a stone slab, a blanket wrapped around him. Where am I, he thought wildly, sitting up quickly. Then he remembered everything. He looked around him and saw Tifa sitting at the campfire, poking it glumly. Her normal optimism had faded slightly, but she looked up brightly when she saw him. He pulled himself off the stone wearily, the blanket dragging around his shoulders, and sat down next to Tifa rather awkwardly.
"I found you asleep on the beach," she said softly. "So I brought you back here. How come you were on the beach?" She noticed the averse expression on Vincent's face, and hastily added, "You don't have to tell me, I don't mind." Vincent stared into the dying flames quietly, his thoughts whirling. Tifa seemed to sense the friction and didn't say anything. The first signs of daylight were poking up from the horizon, and the sky they could see above them was lightening considerably. The new day had started.
"There are… some things about me… that I keep to myself," Vincent explained. "And it's not that I don't trust you; it's just that I don't… trust myself…" He trailed off, returning to his blank gaze into the burning flames that were slowly disappearing. Tifa was again perplexed with his personality, wondering what he meant. He seemed to talk in riddles- if only she could decipher them. But she said nothing, mostly because she had nothing to say. Vincent seemed happy to sit in silence, reminding Tifa strongly of another person she had been really close to. She suppressed her emotions, wishing their small group was reunited, or that she at least knew if everyone was okay.
How long were they to spend on this island, without any way of knowing if their other friends were okay? Tifa realised she would literally swim off the island before spending any more days on it, not knowing if Cloud was even alive. Something had to be done. Every muscle in her body froze as she heard the light footsteps, and she stiffened. She turned to tell Vincent, but he just nodded. Of course, you id**t, she told herself, Vincent's hearing is heaps better than yours. Vincent stood up, this deep red eyes scanning the area around them anxiously.
Tifa, too, stood, and tried to spot any sign of movement. Too late. Something swung from her right, and knocked her square on the shoulder. She stumbled, panting, and kicked her leg out at her attacker. She heard Vincent gasp, and heard some loud thumps as figures were thrown to the ground. Tifa herself kept fighting off the attacker, who was shorter than herself but very well trained in fighting. It was a challenge to keep up with the little enemy, and even more so to injure it. Finally, she decided to just knock it out by using an Ice Materia.
The figure fell to the ground, severely weakened, and dashed off before she could get a good look at it. Nearby, Vincent was fighting fiercely against three opponents, somehow managing to keep up to speed with the trained fighters. The sky was lightening faster now, and Tifa could almost see the faces of their assailants who were opposing them. She jumped in to help him, realising that she had just been standing there watching Vincent exchange blows, and backhanded one of the offenders. It fell down, but jumped up almost instantly and launched itself at Tifa. She was thrown to the ground, and struggled to fight the thing off.
For the first time, she got a close look at its face, and she was repelled at the grossness of it. The creature almost looked human, except that its skin was a sickly green and was covered with warts. It had deep red eyes, and a protruding brow that reminded her of the pictures of Professor Hojo that she had seen in newspapers. The creature wasn't that tall- only up to her shoulder when she was standing- but it had long, bony arms with large hands at the end, ruby-red claws clenched into fists as it struggled to land a blow. She kicked it off, disgusted, and jumped to her feet swiftly. Vincent had managed to scare off the other two, and the third now ran off after its fellow creatures.
"What was that about?" he asked, wiping some grime off his cape. Tifa stared after the creatures, her nose wrinkled.
"I don't know," she said with repulsion in her voice. "But I hope I never see those ugly things again!" She shuddered, remembering the slimy green face, and started to roll up the sleeping bag and blankets.
"It's probably not safe to stay here again tonight," Vincent mused, gathering together his things. He didn't have much to gather. He heard Tifa gasp, and turned around to see her holding one hand to her face in horror. Without speaking, she just pointed shakily at the stone slabs that had been their bed. Vincent followed her gaze, and saw the splashes of dry blood on the rock.
"It's okay," he said off-handedly. "I know about that time of month." Tifa flushed red, but shook her head firmly.
"No, that's not it," she said in an embarrassed voice. "And besides, it's on the slab you slept on, not mine." Vincent glanced back, and saw she was right. He quickly checked himself over for cuts or bruises, but there were none that he was aware of. Something was fishy. "Perhaps it was when we battled those creatures?" However, Tifa's voice sounded wavy and uncertain.
"No, it isn't," Vincent said quietly. "It has been there for more than a day." Tifa looked at Vincent with questioning eyes, but he just looked down and shook his head. "It's human blood, Tifa." She seemed to finally understand what he meant, and her face fell.
"Human… blood?" she whispered. "But… it can't be…" No one could have died, no one from Avalanche… She shook her own head in disbelief. "It could be anyone," she argued. Vincent nodded, but didn't say anything. Tifa swallowed, not willing to believe that any one of her friends could have been there. Especially Cloud…
They both sprang to alert when a noise filled the clearing. It sounded like several animals crashing through the forest at once. And the sound was getting closer with every second they stood there. Vincent tapped Tifa quickly.
"The tree," he said, pointing. She nodded, and they hurried to clamber up the rough bark. They crawled up to the nearest thick branch that extended over the stone slabs. Tifa quickly counted the stones, realising in alarm that there were three, in a triangular pattern. Why hadn't she noticed this before? She had a really bad feeling about those stones now… They watched and waited in silence as the crashing grew louder, and both gasped when two familiar shapes were thrown out of the bushes into the small clearing.
"Elena and Rufus," Tifa breathed. It was indeed them, and they didn't look too good. In fact, they both looked so badly beaten that they were almost unconscious. Tifa struggled with the emotions inside her, knowing that the Turk and the President of Shinra had done some horrible things, but also knowing that no one deserved that kind of treatment. She tensed, ready to jump down into battle, but Vincent held her back.
"Wait," he whispered. They watched as Rufus, defiant as ever, tried desperately to stand, but fell back to his knees weakly. Elena had collapsed in a heap against the rocks. Rufus again tried, and was struck down by a large baton. Tifa moved her gaze to see some of the creatures they had fought before gathering into the clearing. Another one, a much larger creature who was probably taller than she was, stepped gracefully into the area, holding a large trident. She felt Vincent stiffen beside her, and wondered what he had seen. His red eyes were concentrated on this new creature.
"Marinald," muttered Vincent under his breath. The creatures hurled their captives to their feet. Rufus had a large purple bruise forming on his cheek, and a thin stream of blood trickled down his neck. Elena was barely standing, her legs wobbling.
"We have to do something," Tifa urged quietly. Vincent just nodded, but his gaze never left the creatures. There was something he was missing… Elena and Rufus were pushed roughly towars the stones. Another one of the creatures stepped forward, unsheathing a long, shiny sword from a pouch. Elena's eyes widened in horror, and Rufus' narrowed.
"No way," he said stubbornly, yet weakly. "You are not killing the President of Shinra! Don't you know who I am! If Rude and Reno were here… boy, are you guys going to pay, with your fiery deaths!"
"SILENCE!" The voice boomed across the area, commanding yet deadly. Rufus fell silent, his eyes trained on the ground. Tifa recoiled in shock- she hadn't realised the creatures could speak english. "HE SHALL DIE FIRST FOR HIS IGNORANCE!" The creature pointed at Rufus, who was dragged to the stones and forced to lay upon them, on the very stone Tifa had slept so peacefully on last night. She shuddered involuntarily- what would have happened if those creatures had attacked during the night? Rufus was strong, but not strong enough to survive being decapitated. No one was. Elena whimpered softly, and sank to the ground in a stupor. Rufus seemed to have lost his spirit, and lay on the slab as if waiting for the clunk of metal to arrive.
Too late it was when Vincent sensed the prescence behind them. All he heard was a thunk, and then everything went black.
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Tifa groaned, rolling on the ground sluggishly. She had no idea where she was, but she did remember being knocked rather roughly on the head by some huge wood club. And now here she was, lying on the ground. She tried to get up, but discovered her hands were tied tightly behind her back. She winced as the ropes cut into her skin, and stopped struggling. Someone stirred beside her, and she prayed that it was Vincent. Using her martial arts training, she rolled onto her back then flipped herself up so she was standing. She realised her feet were also tied, making it slightly difficult to walk.
"Awake… you're," mumbled Vincent, propped up against a wall. He looked pretty bad, with some mud smeared on his cheek. Tifa briefly wondered if she looked the same, and hopped over to him.
"Are you okay?" she asked, bending down next to him. His eyes were unfocused, and he seemed to gaze at her almost deliriously.
"Lucrecia!" he cried, and threw his arms around Tifa, holding her close to him. She shifted uncomfortably, feeling awkward. He had just embraced her and called her Lucrecia. Who was that? She pulled away, her face pink.
"Vincent, I'm not Lucrecia," she said firmly. She wondered why Vincent's arms hadn't been tied like hers were. He seemed different all of a sudden, as if something had happened while she'd been asleep. "Come on, pull yourself together and untie me!" Vincent seemed to not hear her, staring at the wall opposite as his mind worked. Suddenly, his red eyes darkened, making him look more human than ever before. He looked several years younger, even with his collar pulled up and his hair disarray. And the expression on his face was so different… she couldn't describe it.
"Come on, Rachel, I'll take your daddy to the Shinra hospital, you just go with Marinald here okay?" Vincent said gently to someone Tifa couldn't see. She could hear something in his voice, however… evil? Vincent stood up, glancing down at the ground. Obviously he was seeing something there that Tifa couldn't understand. He withdrew his gun, a smile twitching his lips. With what looked like pure satisfaction, he let cocked the trigger and let it go, shooting a bullet into the ground. Tifa screamed and jumped back, into the wall behind her. She struggled to untie the ropes that held her wrists together, making slight progress but not quick enough for her liking. Vincent continued to stare down at the invisible person only he could see, then he turned to face Tifa, a look of ice cold malice in his crimson eyes.
"Charity," he said cold-heartedly. Tifa whimpered, wishing he would stop getting her name wrong. She pulled on the ropes, hoping they would untie. Her stomach turned when she caught sight of the gun still clutched in his hand. He approached her, til he was standing barely twenty centimetres from her face. "So sorry about dear old Than over there." His tone made it clear that he was not at all sorry. Tifa backed away, and found she was flat against the wall. "Let me make it up to you." Tifa grimaced.
"Sorry about this, Vince," she muttered, as she launched a flying punch to his chin. He was sent flying against the wall, and collapsed in a heap unconscious. The ropes fell to the floor, and she undid the ones on her ankles as well. Not that good of a tying job, she thought to herself. There was not time to think about Vincent's behaviour, only time to escape the apparent cell she and Vincent were in. It had a dirty cement floor, which was cracked where Vincent shot it, and one small window. It was quite dark in the sky, which meant she had been out cold for awhile. Hopefully it wasn't the next day.
"Not bad," said a low voice. Tifa spun around and saw Rufus, lying against the wall in the shadowed part of the cell. She was surprised that she hadn't noticed him sooner. He wasn't tied up either, but she noticed some ropes lying on the ground next to him. He looked as bad, if not worse, as when they had seen him with Elena, and she narrowed her eyes though she felt pity.
"Who are you to say that?" she hissed. Rufus snorted.
"The same kind of person as you who would just watch two people about to get killed," he replied smoothly. Tifa shook her head.
"You would do the same if it were us, and besides, we were actually going to help you," she said.
"Yeah right," Rufus scoffed, holding his side. "It doesn't matter now, though, because we're all going to die anyway." Tifa winced, trying to think of how to escape. Thick bamboo bars crisscrossed on the window, preventing breaking the window open and escaping that way. The door was to her left, and seemed to be made of bulky steel.
"Where are we?" she wondered aloud. Rufus shrugged, standing up. He was obviously still very weak and tired, but determined not to let it show.
"We should probably get out of here," he suggested. "What about old vampire boy over here?" He gestured to Vincent, who was still on the ground. I didn't realise I hit him that hard, Tifa mused in her head.
"First we have to think of a way out," she said, looking around her. The walls were made of concrete, and so was the ceiling, so that prevented escape. The door was probably also guarded by creatures, so that was out of the question. The only other choice was the window. An idea struck her. She turned to Rufus.
"Do you have a Fire Materia?" she asked. He nodded. She suddenly noticed the absence of Elena. He held out the Materia to her, and she equipped it. Then she used the most powerful fire spell she could on the bamboo, which easily melted away, leaving a large gaping hole for the prisoners to climb through. Tifa turned back to Vincent.
"Can you help me pick him up?" she asked. Rufus rolled his eyes, but grabbed Vincent by one arm. Tifa took the other, and they hauled him through the window first. Then Rufus pulled himself up, leaving Tifa in the cell. She jumped up a bit and dug her fingernails into the soft soil outside, pulling herself through the window. She was surprised when Rufus reached his hand out, and helped her up. But any thoughts of him being nice were dropped when he snatched his hand away and put it in his pocket as soon as she was standing.
"Look, you guys can scat now," he scowled. "I have to find Elena." Tifa bit her lip.
"I'll help you," she said, "but first you have to help me get Vincent to a safe place." Rufus shrugged.
"I don't need your help," he said coolly.
"But I need yours," Tifa answered. After a moment's silence, he yanked Vincent up by the arm again and helped Tifa drag the ex-Turk to a nearby patch of bushes. Tifa had no idea where they were, but followed Rufus. The area they were in was a clearing, perhaps near the lake because she could see some tall reeds over a hill. There were four buildings in all, one distinctively larger than the others and coloured a dull brown. The rest were grey.
"Where would Elena be?" Tifa asked.
"If I knew, I'd have gotten her out by now," Rufus stated, hunching against the wall in a spy like manner. Tifa copied him, and they worked their way to the centre of the four buildings. It didn't take long to locate Elena, as she was screeching obscenities at her captives. They saw that she was tied to a pole in the very centre, with many creatures sitting crosslegged around her. Tifa noticed something around their necks, and with a shock, realised that they were collars. A nagging feeling at the back of her head warned her at the top of its lungs to run away.
She saw the leader of them, who Vincent had called Marinald. Who was Marinald? He was carrying his trident again, a smug look on his scaly face. That was assuming he was a he. She couldn't tell. Marinald was standing next to the pole, as if awaiting something. He, too, had a collar around his neck, which meant he couldn't be the one controlling all the others. There was someone else...
A noise echoed through the area, getting louder and louder. It sounded almost like a... helicopter? Tifa waited in anticipation, crouching down. It was indeed a helicopter, and it hovered above the buildings. Rufus gasped when he saw the Shinra logo on the tail, and realised it was possibly someone to rescue him. A ladder was thrown down, and a figure scuttled down it in a crab-like fashion. It jumped to the ground, and stood up.
"Hojo..." spat Rufus. "I should have known." Hojo had a remote control device in his bony hand, and he pushed a small red button. At once, all the creatures bowed before him. A smile crossed his face, and he pushed back his greasy hair.
"Hello everyone," he said calmly. Marinald stepped forward. Was he trembling? Hojo looked at him disdainly. "Have you finished the project? Is Jaknos ready to be shipped back to Shinra headquarters?" Marinald shook his head slightly. Hojo instantly pushed the green button, and Marinald fell to his knees, holding his head in pain. His cry of anguish rang out through the clearing. Finally, Hojo stopped.
"I asked for it to be completed," he said. "We are expecting to start experimentation on it by mid-June, so we can analyse and compare its data to other specimens. I want it completed by next week, so we can start early." He glowered down at Marinald. "It better be, or you will regret being nothing more than a failed experiment," he added in a menacing tone. Hojo noticed Elena, and his brow furrowed.
"Isn't that a Turk?" he inquired. Marinald shrugged.
"She is one of the ones we found yesterday," he said lowly. Hojo's eyes lit up.
"The Turks were supposed to be following that Cloud boy and his companions Perhaps all is not lost after all! Alright, continue with your work and have Jaknos prepared by next Wednesday." With that, Hojo climbed back up the ladder and the helicopter flew off. Beside her, Rufus seethed.
"That dirty b***ard!" he snarled. "He didn't care that a Turk, a member of his own company, was about to be the bl***y dessert for these creatures!" Tifa could understand how he felt, wondering what kind of person Hojo really was. Rufus decided to take action there and then, and Tifa followed him into battle. He cast Bolt2 on all the creatures, and they were shocked long enough for the two to rush up to the stage, where Elena was tied. She was overjoyed to see them, and gladly let them untie her. Marinald rushed at Tifa, who tripped him and sent him spiralling to the ground. He got to his feet quickly.
"It's too late!" he hissed in triumph. A rumbling shook the area, sending a chill up Tifa's spine. The creatures scattered, leaving the three alone on the stage. Rufus was struggling with the last ropes, and hurriedly untied them. Tifa squinted into the evening darkness, as the last of the sun disappeared. The rumbling grew louder, and before they knew it, a gigantic creature had pushed its way through the forest towards them. It was an ugly creature, with bags of skin hanging off its gangly face, and many legs protruding from its body. It almost resembled an ant, but had bright red eyes that reminded Tifa of Vincent's ruby gaze.
"We can't outrun it," murmured Rufus. "We're going to have to fight it." He laid Elena gently down on the stage, and withdrew his baton. Tifa clenched her fists, as the beast approached.
"Ice3!" yelled Rufus, sending a blizzard to the creature. It was struck heavily, but didn't seem too damaged. Tifa used a Bio spell on it, and it had no effect whatsoever. The creature lunged towards them, and they both jumped then attacked it while it was down. Tifa had never hit so hard in her life, and prayed that the creature would die. Rufus, too, swung at it, until the creature roared in fury and let loose a brilliant array of lightning and ice. Tifa was thrown against the pole, while Rufus landed hard on the ground. Time to finish this, he thought viciously.
"Odin!" he cried. The black-clad warrior on the six-legged horse came through the sky, holding his sword in position. Odin charged towards the beast, and swiped it in half. The creature was killed instantly, and Odin rode off in victory. Rufus weakly looked up, and took Tifa's hand as she offered it. They got Elena and headed back to where Vincent lay. Tifa was pleased that they had been able to help each other, and was shocked that Rufus actually thought of anyone besides himself. He obviously had a fondness for his employees if he would go to that length to save one of them. She wondered what tomorrow would bring, if they would become allies. It seemed a far way off, but, as they held Elena up, it seemed almost possible.
That night, however, the two pairs slept on either side of their campsite. Perhaps it would be a little longer before they completely trusted one another.
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Author's Note:- WOOHOO! I finally got it finished *cheers joyously* Sorry about the wait, I couldn't figure out where the plot was going. But now I think I have, so I'm very happy! Thank you so much to the people who have reviewed my story so far, because without them I probably wouldn't be completing it. Reviews are what keep me inspired, so please be one great person and review for me! In the next chapter, we might find some of the other characters, so that will be good... and what has happened to Cloud? *gulp* Stay tuned!
