Chapter XXVII: Rapid alterations . . .
The thing Reno had become, crawled up the walls. It sank its long claws into the brick wall. It raised its black head above the roof to behold the snowy white scene before it. It waited.
"COME HERE." It thought.
"But I already am." Said a voice from behind it.
"I AM NOT AMUSED BY YOUR GAMES."
"Who said they were to amuse YOU?" The voice asked mockingly.
The thing turned quickly and leapt at Mech-Head.
Mech-Head ducked the oncoming demon.
"Feisty one, aren't we?"
The thing neatly spread its wings and took to the air.
"WHY HAVE YOU SUMMONED ME?"
Mech-Head spread his own wings.
"Aren't you happy to have the shackles of humanity released?"
The beast turned in mid air and snarled.
"WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO GAIN?"
Mech-Head smiled his toothy smile.
"You."
The beast landed on the roof, walking on all fours and circling Mech-Head.
"ME? WHAT USE COULD I BE TO YOU?"
Mech-Head held up a claw to be shaken.
"We will kill all the wretched humans in this city, then we will continue killing on a greater scale."
The beast stood up, and clasped the metal claw.
"I ACCEPT. WHEN DO WE START?"
Mech-Head's cruel smile flashed briefly.
"Whenever your ready. What's your name."
The beast thought of this.
"I AM," It paused, suddenly going into deep thought. "MALICE. I AM MALICE."
Mech-Head flashed his remaining eye evilly.
"Shall we begin, Malice?"
The beast gave a wicked smile.
"YES."
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Cloud hopped off the Highwind's deck and onto The balcony outside Reeves office. Barret followed, but was having some trouble.
"Move yer fat ass." Cid said.
Barret whacked him.
"I'm not fat."
"You just have more muscles than a rhinoceros." Cloud remarked.
Barret looked dejectedly at Cloud.
"Move it ya marshmallow!" Cid yelled.
"Not you too?" Barret said despairingly.
"God dammit!" Cid kicked Barret hard on the rump, sending him flying over the railing.
"#ยค%*#!" Barret swore.
"'EY! THAT'S MY WORD!" Cid yelled, hopping over the rail and charging Barret.
Barret picked Cid up as he approached.
Cid flashed an innocent smile.
"Hi there!" He said, with innocence dripping through his voice.
Cloud patted Barrets shoulder.
"Put him down."
Barret growled slightly with contained anger.
"Now." Cloud ground.
Barret dropped Cid, who was not grateful at falling down on his back.
"Bastards." He swore.
Cloud ignored the sour pair and helped Red XIII off the Highwind.
Barret and Cid were down to blows, hitting at one another. Barret was winning.
"I'm gonna get ya!" He bellowed.
Cloud, Red XIII and Tifa walked away from the quarreling duo. Cid gained the upper hand again when he slammed his fist into Barret's stomach. The gasps of the big man could be scarcely heard above the yelling of Cid.
"Take that, 'n' that, 'n' some o' that too!"
Cloud closed the door to the Reeve's behind him in disgust.
They all looked in shock as they saw Vincent pacing around in circles. It was just so different.
"Vince?" Tifa said.
Vincent stopped pacing mid-step. He slowly turned his head.
"Y-es?" He asked, slightly embarrassed at letting Cloud and the others to sneak up on him.
"What are you doing?" Tifa asked.
Vincent looked down at his feet.
"Hmm, oh yes. I'm standing here with my foot up." He said simply, while putting his foot down.
Tifa almost laughed. She would have too if it had come from anyone other than Vincent Valentine.
"Why are, err, were you pacing?"
Vincent looked away.
"Nothing."
Cloud, Tifa and Red XIII all looked at each other with confusion. Vincent was keeping, secrets?
"What aren't you telling us?" Cloud asked suspiciously.
"Nothing that doesn't concern you." Vincent said, walking out of the room.
"Wait!" Cloud called.
Vincent stopped as he began pushing open the door.
"Yes?"
"When did you get here?" Cloud asked.
"A few hours ago. Anything else?"
Cloud shifted nervously.
"Umm, can you tell ME what happened?" Cloud asked.
Vincent remained silent. He walked out the door, shutting it silently after him.
Right after he left, a very bruised Cid and Barret limped into the office.
"I won!" They both said, and began fighting again.
Cloud sighed.
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Yuffie sat in her bed, sipping tea that Vincent had brought her.
"How are you?" He asked, the concern standing out on his face.
"Fine. I'll be back with you guys in a few hours or so. I'm bruised and dizzy, but nothing some sleep will heal."
Vincent smiled in relief. Yuffie's eyes went wide.
"Vincent! Your, smiling?" She gasped.
Vincent looked rather guiltily back at her.
"Why yes, so I am." He said instantly frowning.
Yuffie smiled at him.
"You have a nice smile. You should use it more often."
Vincent smiled again.
"Thanks. I'll," He paused. What was he doing? "Try to do that."
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"WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM? HE DOES NOT LIKE OTHER PEOPLE!" One of the shadow said.
Chaos merely sniffed.
"NO ONE CAN COMPLETELY DISLIKE THE WHOLE OF HIS SPECIES. EVENTUALLY THEY WILL FIND ONE THEY LIKE."
The shadows shifted restlessly.
"BUT HE HAS NO EMOTION! HE IS A HUSK OF THE MAN HE WAS."
Chaos sniffed again.
"I LIKE TO THINK OF THE MASTER LIKE AN EMPTY GLASS INSTEAD OF A HUSK." He said.
"IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?" The shadows asked.
"YES. A GLASS CAN BE FILLED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AS LONG AS ITS CONTENTS ARE DRUNK. A HUSK HAS NOTHING AND RECEIVES NOTHING." Chaos said
"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?"
"IT MEANS THAT THE MASTER CAN LIKE ANYONE AS LONG AS THEY ARE NICE TO HIM LONG ENOUGH. OR, IN METAPHOR, THEY KEEP POURING WATER INTO HIM."
"AND?"
Chaos snorted ill temperedly.
"FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELF!" He snarled.
The thing Reno had become, crawled up the walls. It sank its long claws into the brick wall. It raised its black head above the roof to behold the snowy white scene before it. It waited.
"COME HERE." It thought.
"But I already am." Said a voice from behind it.
"I AM NOT AMUSED BY YOUR GAMES."
"Who said they were to amuse YOU?" The voice asked mockingly.
The thing turned quickly and leapt at Mech-Head.
Mech-Head ducked the oncoming demon.
"Feisty one, aren't we?"
The thing neatly spread its wings and took to the air.
"WHY HAVE YOU SUMMONED ME?"
Mech-Head spread his own wings.
"Aren't you happy to have the shackles of humanity released?"
The beast turned in mid air and snarled.
"WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO GAIN?"
Mech-Head smiled his toothy smile.
"You."
The beast landed on the roof, walking on all fours and circling Mech-Head.
"ME? WHAT USE COULD I BE TO YOU?"
Mech-Head held up a claw to be shaken.
"We will kill all the wretched humans in this city, then we will continue killing on a greater scale."
The beast stood up, and clasped the metal claw.
"I ACCEPT. WHEN DO WE START?"
Mech-Head's cruel smile flashed briefly.
"Whenever your ready. What's your name."
The beast thought of this.
"I AM," It paused, suddenly going into deep thought. "MALICE. I AM MALICE."
Mech-Head flashed his remaining eye evilly.
"Shall we begin, Malice?"
The beast gave a wicked smile.
"YES."
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Cloud hopped off the Highwind's deck and onto The balcony outside Reeves office. Barret followed, but was having some trouble.
"Move yer fat ass." Cid said.
Barret whacked him.
"I'm not fat."
"You just have more muscles than a rhinoceros." Cloud remarked.
Barret looked dejectedly at Cloud.
"Move it ya marshmallow!" Cid yelled.
"Not you too?" Barret said despairingly.
"God dammit!" Cid kicked Barret hard on the rump, sending him flying over the railing.
"#ยค%*#!" Barret swore.
"'EY! THAT'S MY WORD!" Cid yelled, hopping over the rail and charging Barret.
Barret picked Cid up as he approached.
Cid flashed an innocent smile.
"Hi there!" He said, with innocence dripping through his voice.
Cloud patted Barrets shoulder.
"Put him down."
Barret growled slightly with contained anger.
"Now." Cloud ground.
Barret dropped Cid, who was not grateful at falling down on his back.
"Bastards." He swore.
Cloud ignored the sour pair and helped Red XIII off the Highwind.
Barret and Cid were down to blows, hitting at one another. Barret was winning.
"I'm gonna get ya!" He bellowed.
Cloud, Red XIII and Tifa walked away from the quarreling duo. Cid gained the upper hand again when he slammed his fist into Barret's stomach. The gasps of the big man could be scarcely heard above the yelling of Cid.
"Take that, 'n' that, 'n' some o' that too!"
Cloud closed the door to the Reeve's behind him in disgust.
They all looked in shock as they saw Vincent pacing around in circles. It was just so different.
"Vince?" Tifa said.
Vincent stopped pacing mid-step. He slowly turned his head.
"Y-es?" He asked, slightly embarrassed at letting Cloud and the others to sneak up on him.
"What are you doing?" Tifa asked.
Vincent looked down at his feet.
"Hmm, oh yes. I'm standing here with my foot up." He said simply, while putting his foot down.
Tifa almost laughed. She would have too if it had come from anyone other than Vincent Valentine.
"Why are, err, were you pacing?"
Vincent looked away.
"Nothing."
Cloud, Tifa and Red XIII all looked at each other with confusion. Vincent was keeping, secrets?
"What aren't you telling us?" Cloud asked suspiciously.
"Nothing that doesn't concern you." Vincent said, walking out of the room.
"Wait!" Cloud called.
Vincent stopped as he began pushing open the door.
"Yes?"
"When did you get here?" Cloud asked.
"A few hours ago. Anything else?"
Cloud shifted nervously.
"Umm, can you tell ME what happened?" Cloud asked.
Vincent remained silent. He walked out the door, shutting it silently after him.
Right after he left, a very bruised Cid and Barret limped into the office.
"I won!" They both said, and began fighting again.
Cloud sighed.
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Yuffie sat in her bed, sipping tea that Vincent had brought her.
"How are you?" He asked, the concern standing out on his face.
"Fine. I'll be back with you guys in a few hours or so. I'm bruised and dizzy, but nothing some sleep will heal."
Vincent smiled in relief. Yuffie's eyes went wide.
"Vincent! Your, smiling?" She gasped.
Vincent looked rather guiltily back at her.
"Why yes, so I am." He said instantly frowning.
Yuffie smiled at him.
"You have a nice smile. You should use it more often."
Vincent smiled again.
"Thanks. I'll," He paused. What was he doing? "Try to do that."
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM? HE DOES NOT LIKE OTHER PEOPLE!" One of the shadow said.
Chaos merely sniffed.
"NO ONE CAN COMPLETELY DISLIKE THE WHOLE OF HIS SPECIES. EVENTUALLY THEY WILL FIND ONE THEY LIKE."
The shadows shifted restlessly.
"BUT HE HAS NO EMOTION! HE IS A HUSK OF THE MAN HE WAS."
Chaos sniffed again.
"I LIKE TO THINK OF THE MASTER LIKE AN EMPTY GLASS INSTEAD OF A HUSK." He said.
"IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?" The shadows asked.
"YES. A GLASS CAN BE FILLED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AS LONG AS ITS CONTENTS ARE DRUNK. A HUSK HAS NOTHING AND RECEIVES NOTHING." Chaos said
"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?"
"IT MEANS THAT THE MASTER CAN LIKE ANYONE AS LONG AS THEY ARE NICE TO HIM LONG ENOUGH. OR, IN METAPHOR, THEY KEEP POURING WATER INTO HIM."
"AND?"
Chaos snorted ill temperedly.
"FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELF!" He snarled.