Chapter 6: Death Penalty
Vincent was relatively uneasy ever since they had set foot near where the once proud Shinra building stood. He had a feeling that they were being followed. No, not a feeling, he *knew* they were being followed, and that didn't help one bit. The others seemed to sense it too, for Kakyuu had grown silent, and Kojin had tensed more than usual. Vincent's eyes darted to the shadows, were the people were trying to follow them unnoticed, though they weren't doing a very passable job. The noise they made was just like wearing a neon sign saying 'shoot me' to the well-trained senses of the Turks.
"Are you going to follow us all day or are you going to do what you've been sent here to do?" Kojin asked, respectably taking his role again as the leader of the group. A confrontation was inevitable now, Kakyuu's hand looped through his belt, where he kept his handy source of grenades, with Kojin reaching into his jacket's pocket, hand already on the cool surface of his gun, and Vincent just standing around, looking somewhat tense, hand straying to where his Death Penalty was kept. Chaos too, must have felt the feeling of battle stirring, and was undoubtedly smirking, waiting for a chance to break free of the binds that held him to his prison known to others as Vincent. Vincent, however, had no qualms this time in letting the beast run free. These men had taken Tifa, and *he* had done who knows what on her, though it definitely wouldn't be pretty. Vincent himself was ready to pay back the favor, taking a couple of men down before their boss joined them. The shadows were whispering, softly arguing among themselves, though they were far quieter, though Vincent could still hear them. He was a demon of the night, both a curse and a 'gift', and so he heard every cruel intention or ill deed mentioned in her depths. With a sudden charge, they leaped out, and in the blink of an eye, a grenade was sailing, followed by a tremendous boom that shook the very planet. Vincent strode forward, snatching the first guy who had crawled from the rubble, lifting his feet far from the ground. "Where is she?" Vincent hissed, eyes flaming, and the guy started shuddering, squirming to get rid of Vincent's blazing blood red eyes. "I'll repeat it again, where, is, *she*?" He snarled, accenting each word with a slightly viciously, and the man looked on the verge of tears, not that Kakyuu really blamed the poor man. His eyes settled on Vincent for a moment, and he gave a slight shudder. Vincent was usually the one in their little group that intimidated people, his glare was most disarming, not to mention frightening. "I-I-I don't know where she is!" The man squeaked out pitifully, and Kojin rolled his eyes. This guy was the leader? Vincent gave a threatening growl, and the man covered his face, shaking. "B-B-But he told me to give you a message! 'Nice try Valentine, though try where you first took breath' that's all he said to me I swear!" The man cried, and Vincent tossed him away disinterestedly, letting Kojin snatch him up and question the poor man further. The sun was just setting, and a ring of red surrounded it, as if an omen. Oh, and by all means it was. Now that he knew where to go, there would be no stopping him from taking back Tifa.
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Tifa sighed, an arm dangling between her legs as she stared out the barred window, catching a glimpse of the fading sun, eyes half closed as she remembered. Usually, Vincent would be right next to her, watching silently as the sun sent colors shooting across the magnificent sky, then pulling the tapestry of stars out that they both loved so much. She sighed again, leaning her head against on of the bars, feeling a breeze slid through, as if to comfort her.
"Vincent." She whispered softly, giving a soft sigh as she felt the familiar pang tug at her heart. He loved her, didn't he? That had been playing on her mind ever since Masson had left, and she didn't know why. Usually, she didn't question it, his actions had always proved his feelings, though she wanted to *hear* him say it. She wouldn't mind if it wasn't romantic, though knowing Vincent it probably would be, as long as he said it.
"He's coming." Tifa jolted up, to see Masson leaning against the heavy steel door, and she gaped, wondering how he could have done such a feat without her noticing. Noticing her expression, he smirked.
"When you have a foe like Valentine to deal with, you have to learn a couple of tricks." Masson said with a shrug, and Tifa glared at him.
"Don't think you're all high and mighty. Vincent will win, he always does." Tifa snapped, standing up, as if to accent her point. This Masson guy was really getting on her nerves. First he prances up here and insults Vincent in her face! Surely he knew her skills, and she wasn't a woman to mess with. Masson noticed that she was tensing, and that her aura was flaring up. Masson knew that she would be a worthy opponent, and nothing to take lightly, though he didn't feel like fighting her. It would be just like beating his love, and her deaths were still fresh in his mind. He gave a slight sigh, and looked up, his eyes searching hers. Valentine was lucky, to have found someone like her, but she was nothing more than a cheap replacement, nothing else! Masson's eyes narrowed. He shouldn't get so attached to her, even if he had no personal quarrels with her. He gave her a slight smirk, and straightened.
"You never fail to amuse me. Well then, c'mon." Masson stated, opening the door, while Tifa gave him a suspicious look. "Don't glare at me like that. I promise I won't kill you." Masson said, though Tifa didn't feel very reassured. Though, curiousity had seized her, and she followed him out, trying to ignore the looks she was receiving. Soon, Masson turned and opened a door, startling the people on the other end, who seemed to be some sort of scientists, lab coats, white tiles that shone with cleanliness, and most of all, vials, computers, tubes, papers, anything that would be found in a lab. The thing that was a dead give away however, where the tubes, huge ones where clothed figures floated, eyes closed as they bobbed in the mako solution peacefully. Tifa's eyes widened as she took in the form of Tseng, who was floating, and she whirled back to Masson, eyes narrowed.
"What is this? Hojo's work?" Tifa hissed with so much venom everyone in hearing range winced and cowered a little. Masson just raised an eyebrow, seeing how she could stand Valentine. She was a package in herself.
"Yes, Hojo's work, though you forget, I needed an army, one that could put up with Valentine." Masson turned back to the tubes, an almost bored expression on his face. "What better way to have Valentine weakened by old comrades, acquaintances," Masson turned back to Tifa, a slight smirk on his lips, "and maybe, his loves." Tifa glared at him, tensing up, fists bared.
"You think I'd actually do something like that? I won't allow this!" She snapped, rushing forward, materia glowing, and readying for a spell. The scientists backed up, just as one of Tifa's fists connected with the tube that held the still growing Tseng, splashing its contents to the floor, leaving the shell of a body useless. Raising her hand again, she felt the fire spell form, but Masson grabbed her wrists, eyes blazing.
"You put me behind schedule. I really don't care if you'll allow this or not, but your beloved Valentine will die. I will see to it." Masson snarled, and Tifa jerked from his grasp, readying a battle stance.
"I won't let you! You'll have to kill me first!" Tifa declared, and Masson glared at her, for a minute more, then he straightened, unable to look at the fire in her eyes any longer. She was too alike to his beloved for his comfort. The blazing passion in her eyes. he couldn't bare it, though he didn't show it.
"I have no quarrel against you, I won't spill blood just because you fell in love so foolishly. I suppose I'm partly to blame for bringing you here. Now I know how much I can trust you." To the scientists, "Get another clone in here, stat! Don't just stand there like fish out of water!" Masson snapped, and he turned back to Tifa. "The fun will begin soon." He stated, a smirk playing on his face as Tifa stood, eyes wide as she watched him break out into a gleam shone of his eyes.
~*Author's Notes*~ Okay, so it wasn't so long! *pouts* Sorry I took so long, but my computer crashed, and everything on it was deleted! Please forgive me! *bows* Ugh, no good. Well, anyway, thank you so much for everyone who reviewed! I'll try to live up to your expectations! Anyway, I was thinking, since everyone decided to review so much in the last chapter, I wanna give back. Okay, so maybe I just want another story to keep myself busy, but I'm out of ideas, and you guys seem full of them. Well, anyway, 35th reviewer gets a request, though in reasonable boundaries. Who knows? Maybe I'll hold another contest. Yea! Like whoever guesses who Masson's love is, I'll give you a request too. Even though I think it's pretty obvious, ne? Well, see you guys around! Please read and review, and thanks again for all of you who reviewed!
Vincent was relatively uneasy ever since they had set foot near where the once proud Shinra building stood. He had a feeling that they were being followed. No, not a feeling, he *knew* they were being followed, and that didn't help one bit. The others seemed to sense it too, for Kakyuu had grown silent, and Kojin had tensed more than usual. Vincent's eyes darted to the shadows, were the people were trying to follow them unnoticed, though they weren't doing a very passable job. The noise they made was just like wearing a neon sign saying 'shoot me' to the well-trained senses of the Turks.
"Are you going to follow us all day or are you going to do what you've been sent here to do?" Kojin asked, respectably taking his role again as the leader of the group. A confrontation was inevitable now, Kakyuu's hand looped through his belt, where he kept his handy source of grenades, with Kojin reaching into his jacket's pocket, hand already on the cool surface of his gun, and Vincent just standing around, looking somewhat tense, hand straying to where his Death Penalty was kept. Chaos too, must have felt the feeling of battle stirring, and was undoubtedly smirking, waiting for a chance to break free of the binds that held him to his prison known to others as Vincent. Vincent, however, had no qualms this time in letting the beast run free. These men had taken Tifa, and *he* had done who knows what on her, though it definitely wouldn't be pretty. Vincent himself was ready to pay back the favor, taking a couple of men down before their boss joined them. The shadows were whispering, softly arguing among themselves, though they were far quieter, though Vincent could still hear them. He was a demon of the night, both a curse and a 'gift', and so he heard every cruel intention or ill deed mentioned in her depths. With a sudden charge, they leaped out, and in the blink of an eye, a grenade was sailing, followed by a tremendous boom that shook the very planet. Vincent strode forward, snatching the first guy who had crawled from the rubble, lifting his feet far from the ground. "Where is she?" Vincent hissed, eyes flaming, and the guy started shuddering, squirming to get rid of Vincent's blazing blood red eyes. "I'll repeat it again, where, is, *she*?" He snarled, accenting each word with a slightly viciously, and the man looked on the verge of tears, not that Kakyuu really blamed the poor man. His eyes settled on Vincent for a moment, and he gave a slight shudder. Vincent was usually the one in their little group that intimidated people, his glare was most disarming, not to mention frightening. "I-I-I don't know where she is!" The man squeaked out pitifully, and Kojin rolled his eyes. This guy was the leader? Vincent gave a threatening growl, and the man covered his face, shaking. "B-B-But he told me to give you a message! 'Nice try Valentine, though try where you first took breath' that's all he said to me I swear!" The man cried, and Vincent tossed him away disinterestedly, letting Kojin snatch him up and question the poor man further. The sun was just setting, and a ring of red surrounded it, as if an omen. Oh, and by all means it was. Now that he knew where to go, there would be no stopping him from taking back Tifa.
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Tifa sighed, an arm dangling between her legs as she stared out the barred window, catching a glimpse of the fading sun, eyes half closed as she remembered. Usually, Vincent would be right next to her, watching silently as the sun sent colors shooting across the magnificent sky, then pulling the tapestry of stars out that they both loved so much. She sighed again, leaning her head against on of the bars, feeling a breeze slid through, as if to comfort her.
"Vincent." She whispered softly, giving a soft sigh as she felt the familiar pang tug at her heart. He loved her, didn't he? That had been playing on her mind ever since Masson had left, and she didn't know why. Usually, she didn't question it, his actions had always proved his feelings, though she wanted to *hear* him say it. She wouldn't mind if it wasn't romantic, though knowing Vincent it probably would be, as long as he said it.
"He's coming." Tifa jolted up, to see Masson leaning against the heavy steel door, and she gaped, wondering how he could have done such a feat without her noticing. Noticing her expression, he smirked.
"When you have a foe like Valentine to deal with, you have to learn a couple of tricks." Masson said with a shrug, and Tifa glared at him.
"Don't think you're all high and mighty. Vincent will win, he always does." Tifa snapped, standing up, as if to accent her point. This Masson guy was really getting on her nerves. First he prances up here and insults Vincent in her face! Surely he knew her skills, and she wasn't a woman to mess with. Masson noticed that she was tensing, and that her aura was flaring up. Masson knew that she would be a worthy opponent, and nothing to take lightly, though he didn't feel like fighting her. It would be just like beating his love, and her deaths were still fresh in his mind. He gave a slight sigh, and looked up, his eyes searching hers. Valentine was lucky, to have found someone like her, but she was nothing more than a cheap replacement, nothing else! Masson's eyes narrowed. He shouldn't get so attached to her, even if he had no personal quarrels with her. He gave her a slight smirk, and straightened.
"You never fail to amuse me. Well then, c'mon." Masson stated, opening the door, while Tifa gave him a suspicious look. "Don't glare at me like that. I promise I won't kill you." Masson said, though Tifa didn't feel very reassured. Though, curiousity had seized her, and she followed him out, trying to ignore the looks she was receiving. Soon, Masson turned and opened a door, startling the people on the other end, who seemed to be some sort of scientists, lab coats, white tiles that shone with cleanliness, and most of all, vials, computers, tubes, papers, anything that would be found in a lab. The thing that was a dead give away however, where the tubes, huge ones where clothed figures floated, eyes closed as they bobbed in the mako solution peacefully. Tifa's eyes widened as she took in the form of Tseng, who was floating, and she whirled back to Masson, eyes narrowed.
"What is this? Hojo's work?" Tifa hissed with so much venom everyone in hearing range winced and cowered a little. Masson just raised an eyebrow, seeing how she could stand Valentine. She was a package in herself.
"Yes, Hojo's work, though you forget, I needed an army, one that could put up with Valentine." Masson turned back to the tubes, an almost bored expression on his face. "What better way to have Valentine weakened by old comrades, acquaintances," Masson turned back to Tifa, a slight smirk on his lips, "and maybe, his loves." Tifa glared at him, tensing up, fists bared.
"You think I'd actually do something like that? I won't allow this!" She snapped, rushing forward, materia glowing, and readying for a spell. The scientists backed up, just as one of Tifa's fists connected with the tube that held the still growing Tseng, splashing its contents to the floor, leaving the shell of a body useless. Raising her hand again, she felt the fire spell form, but Masson grabbed her wrists, eyes blazing.
"You put me behind schedule. I really don't care if you'll allow this or not, but your beloved Valentine will die. I will see to it." Masson snarled, and Tifa jerked from his grasp, readying a battle stance.
"I won't let you! You'll have to kill me first!" Tifa declared, and Masson glared at her, for a minute more, then he straightened, unable to look at the fire in her eyes any longer. She was too alike to his beloved for his comfort. The blazing passion in her eyes. he couldn't bare it, though he didn't show it.
"I have no quarrel against you, I won't spill blood just because you fell in love so foolishly. I suppose I'm partly to blame for bringing you here. Now I know how much I can trust you." To the scientists, "Get another clone in here, stat! Don't just stand there like fish out of water!" Masson snapped, and he turned back to Tifa. "The fun will begin soon." He stated, a smirk playing on his face as Tifa stood, eyes wide as she watched him break out into a gleam shone of his eyes.
~*Author's Notes*~ Okay, so it wasn't so long! *pouts* Sorry I took so long, but my computer crashed, and everything on it was deleted! Please forgive me! *bows* Ugh, no good. Well, anyway, thank you so much for everyone who reviewed! I'll try to live up to your expectations! Anyway, I was thinking, since everyone decided to review so much in the last chapter, I wanna give back. Okay, so maybe I just want another story to keep myself busy, but I'm out of ideas, and you guys seem full of them. Well, anyway, 35th reviewer gets a request, though in reasonable boundaries. Who knows? Maybe I'll hold another contest. Yea! Like whoever guesses who Masson's love is, I'll give you a request too. Even though I think it's pretty obvious, ne? Well, see you guys around! Please read and review, and thanks again for all of you who reviewed!