After the Storm
Chapter 8
They had attacked just before dawn. Yuffie had spent the night in the rubble of her house. She hadn't wanted to leave until the next day and it was the only place she felt comfortable. But Wutai was a haunted place for her now, and troubled memories refused to leave her in peace. And, to top it all off, the dream had returned, stronger and more anguished then ever. It had been a restless night for the young ninja.
Just as the stars were fading and the moon falling gently from the sky, Yuffie had been awakened by something that should not be. No sound came to her waiting ears, but she'd lain awake, every muscle in her body tense with waiting. Her senses told her that something was not right at all.
Crawling slowly up, Yuffie had cast off the ragged blanket she'd found and silently grasped her Conformer. Although she feared it would offer her little protection from the things that waited, she would not go down without a fight. She was, after all, her father's daughter.
She was almost instantly alert and awake, and Yuffie fled into the shadows. Someone or something was moving about in the darkness. The faintest of sounds whispered past her ear, and Yuffie pushed herself further out of sight. Well, two could play at that game. Besides, the sun would be up soon and there would be no hiding after that.
Moments later, the first rays of light touched Wutai and it became too late for surprise of behalf of the attackers. As the darkness became steadily less dark, Yuffie could now discern half a dozen dark figures trying to keep out of sight. It was hard to see them, but with a careful eye she followed their movements. The sun rose a little higher and Yuffie thought smugly to herself. There was no way anything could sneak up on Yuffie Kisaragi. . .
In an instant Yuffie was flung into the pale light. A black arm threw her at the ground hard. Bounding up in an instant, Yuffie tried to take stock. One of them had been circling around behind her the entire time. Crap. There were seven of them in total, and they advanced slowly on their prey. Yuffie had no illusions about their capabilities after the story she'd heard, not to mention their encounter in the woods, but she also knew herself.
Yuffie gave as good as she got.
The first one moved out of the shadows and into view. Or, at least, it should have. It almost seemed to wrap itself in the shadows; its form never seemed to be quite solid. Living shadows, that's what they were. For the first time since she'd awoken, Yuffie felt the chill of fear. Where the thing's face should have been was just a darkness, as if hidden by great black cloak. They seemed so familiar, too. . .
With a speed and accuracy Yuffie had not predicted, it lunged at her. Swearing, she only just managed to dive out of the way. She realized she was half expecting the others to swarm after her, but none came. Straightening up again, she stood in a circle of the creatures. They stared at her in faceless silence, and Yuffie felt cold all around her.
Perhaps they were content to attack one at a time. They would wear her down eventually, and if Ben's story was even a fraction of reality, there was little she could do to them. But that didn't mean she wouldn't try. Well, if surprise fails, unpredictability just may work. Yuffie wasn't going to wait for them to make the first move.
She remembered for the first time the Conformer in her hand and she looked at it. Smiling slightly, Yuffie clenched her hand before raising her weapon. In the instant she did so, there was a sound like the intake of breath, but Yuffie realized it a second too late. A furious hissing began and moving as one, the creatures fell on her in a furious wave. To someone from above, it would have looked like ring of darkness eclipsing a single point of light.
* * * *
Things were not going well. The sun had gone behind the clouds, and the creatures seemed to have become bolder. A furious war was being fought in the ruins of the once great city and Yuffie wasn't sure she was winning. To someone like her it was disconcerting, to say the least. And she was hurt. Not too badly, but one of them had grown claws in the scuffle and raked her ribs.
And she meant 'grown'. They had extended from the hand and glowed a bloody red before they'd gashed her side. How was she supposed to fight something that could change in an instant to take advantage of the situation? She'd tried close combat because she remembered the arrows. Obviously that hadn't worked.
She had tried fighting back, but her Conformer had seemed to pass right through them. That isn't to say she was going to give up on it; Yuffie didn't believe that anything happened by coincidence where her father was involved. If he'd went to the trouble to get it to her than he'd thought she'd need it. She bit back her doubts and squared her shoulders. It was time for another round.
Moving out into the open where she could be seen, Yuffie raised the weapon into fighting position again. It always seemed to elicit an angry response from the creatures. She didn't know why, but it was always at least predictable. She had been trying to find a way to turn that knowledge to her advantage, but so far had come up empty handed.
A shriek came from nearby, and suddenly, there were two of them. Yuffie nodded, pleased to have gotten the expected response. They weren't afraid exactly; more like angry, but it was better than nothing. She set her sights on the one she wanted before moving in.
Suddenly she dashed forward, Conformer at the ready and slashed at the creature before it could move aside. They were fast, but she was faster. The creature couldn't get away, but the weapon passed right through it. A chill ran up Yuffie's arm as she went through the shadow, but she knew what to expect now. The first time had been quite a shock, though.
Still running, Yuffie used the momentum to carry her up the wall right behind the thing. Kicking off she back flipped back in front of the shadow monster and sent a powerful blow to where it's chest should have been. Again, no effect. But the monster was reacting now, and its arm swirled briefly before taking form. A sword like appendage replaced whatever had been there before, and for an instant Yuffie was reminded of Barret.
But only an instant because then she was moving again. Yuffie ducked under the swing the thing made and then took off to the right. She took off in the direction of the nearest stream and didn't bother to check it was following her. All her senses seemed to have become heightened and she could hear the rustle of the air as the creature plunged after her.
She felt something come too close and reacted as quickly as she knew how. Yuffie leapt on top of the crumbled wall she was running parallel too and then over. Unfortunately another creature pursued on the other side. Yuffie didn't hesitate and turned the landing into a spinning kick. The creature faltered and she jumped onto the wall again before starting to run again.
Her greatest wish at the moment was for a few good shurikens. There was little she couldn't do with a throwing weapon and although her blows didn't hurt the creatures they were often enough to make them at least slow down. Unfortunately with the Conformer, her distance could never be enough to make use of this.
The stream was up ahead and Yuffie flew off the wall and into the water, spraying it everywhere. She stopped to look back and to her surprise, the monsters were no longer in pursuit. They stood apprehensively a little ways away as if afraid to come any closer. It can't be the water, she thought, we've been through other streams already. Confused, Yuffie decided not to waste a moment of this precious delay. Taking a step forward, she promptly tripped and fell.
Something rolled away under her foot, and Yuffie scrambled up. The things still hadn't moved, and she frowned at the water below her. Something dull and round was sitting in the current, and Yuffie bent down to pick it up.
It was Fire. No, not fire as in flames and heat; fire as in Materia. Holding it up, Yuffie couldn't believe her luck. Seeing it glint dully in the light, the monsters backed off another few steps. Yes, thought Yuffie, I remember.
Holding out the Materia in her hand, Yuffie commanded imperiously.
"Fire 3! Burn!"
With a flash the Materia reacted and sent a wave of fire at the two monsters. It hit, bounced, hit a small dying bush and sizzled half- heartedly before going out. Yuffie blinked.
The creatures hissed and began to advance again. Yuffie shook her head before starting to run again, only two words left trailing behind.
"Oh crap. . .!"
As she ran, Yuffie realized she was still holding the Materia. She had no pockets and everything that was Yuffie cried out against simply throwing it away. You don't spend several years as a Materia Hunter without something being left behind. Thinking fast, Yuffie clutched her Conformer. She held it up and tried desperately to fit the Materia into a slot as her feet pounded against the ground. After the a valiant fight, it settled into the slot.
And then there was silence.
There is silence caused by the mind thinking that it hears no immediate noise when in fact there is a never ending stream of background sounds going on that are so everyday that the brain ceases to acknowledge them. Then there is silence that is caused by a total lack of sound. This was that kind of silence.
Yuffie could feel the world waiting and she slowed to a gradual halt. Nothing moved or breathed in this place and she got the freaky feeling that time had stopped. Then she saw them.
The creatures emerge from the shadows all around her and wove about the destroyed streets into a single tight line of darkness. Yuffie faced them alone, but not afraid. Not ever afraid. Swallowing, Yuffie left her doubts behind and walked forward. The creatures did likewise, and the advanced towards one another, cold calculating.
Yuffie took the Conformer, and in one fluid motion, every single creature 'unsheathed' the swords that seemed to be a part of them. Neither stopped nor hesitated. Yuffie knew she only one advantage against this lot, and that was her unreal speed. If she was going to walk away, than she would have to be like lightning.
Turning the slow pace into a full out run in the turn of an instant, Yuffie let her Conformer fly. Her arm whipped around to deliver a felling blow to one and then ripped past two others. A sword stabbed at her, but Yuffie danced around and cut down at the offending appendage. She gave a last violent upward swing to the nearest one before leaping clear.
The creatures had stopped, and their line was breaking. The one whose arm she had cut watched in horror as his sword arm floated apart from its body and exploded into nothingness. Two of the others were howling in agony. The sound was not human, and Yuffie had to resist the urge to cover her ears. After a few more minutes of this chaos, the monsters seemed unable to take any more.
In total unison, they turned from Yuffie, broke and fled. She stared in surprise and wonder as the darkness in front of her cleared. And then they were gone. Mouth slightly agape, Yuffie stared at her Conformer. Maybe there was something about this Materia after all.
Suddenly, Yuffie grinned. It was only a little maniacal. To the East, huh? Well, she'd find out where they were coming from and put an end to it no matter what. It would probably be one of those huge palace type joints built by the over confidant evil villain. Maybe it'd even be invisible or something like that.
Yuffie had a great deal to pay back and someone to find. Her dreams called out to her and she dared not think of the Turk she'd left behind. Fear and uncertainty would be your undoing and now more than ever Yuffie couldn't afford to falter in her steps.
~*
Chapter 8
They had attacked just before dawn. Yuffie had spent the night in the rubble of her house. She hadn't wanted to leave until the next day and it was the only place she felt comfortable. But Wutai was a haunted place for her now, and troubled memories refused to leave her in peace. And, to top it all off, the dream had returned, stronger and more anguished then ever. It had been a restless night for the young ninja.
Just as the stars were fading and the moon falling gently from the sky, Yuffie had been awakened by something that should not be. No sound came to her waiting ears, but she'd lain awake, every muscle in her body tense with waiting. Her senses told her that something was not right at all.
Crawling slowly up, Yuffie had cast off the ragged blanket she'd found and silently grasped her Conformer. Although she feared it would offer her little protection from the things that waited, she would not go down without a fight. She was, after all, her father's daughter.
She was almost instantly alert and awake, and Yuffie fled into the shadows. Someone or something was moving about in the darkness. The faintest of sounds whispered past her ear, and Yuffie pushed herself further out of sight. Well, two could play at that game. Besides, the sun would be up soon and there would be no hiding after that.
Moments later, the first rays of light touched Wutai and it became too late for surprise of behalf of the attackers. As the darkness became steadily less dark, Yuffie could now discern half a dozen dark figures trying to keep out of sight. It was hard to see them, but with a careful eye she followed their movements. The sun rose a little higher and Yuffie thought smugly to herself. There was no way anything could sneak up on Yuffie Kisaragi. . .
In an instant Yuffie was flung into the pale light. A black arm threw her at the ground hard. Bounding up in an instant, Yuffie tried to take stock. One of them had been circling around behind her the entire time. Crap. There were seven of them in total, and they advanced slowly on their prey. Yuffie had no illusions about their capabilities after the story she'd heard, not to mention their encounter in the woods, but she also knew herself.
Yuffie gave as good as she got.
The first one moved out of the shadows and into view. Or, at least, it should have. It almost seemed to wrap itself in the shadows; its form never seemed to be quite solid. Living shadows, that's what they were. For the first time since she'd awoken, Yuffie felt the chill of fear. Where the thing's face should have been was just a darkness, as if hidden by great black cloak. They seemed so familiar, too. . .
With a speed and accuracy Yuffie had not predicted, it lunged at her. Swearing, she only just managed to dive out of the way. She realized she was half expecting the others to swarm after her, but none came. Straightening up again, she stood in a circle of the creatures. They stared at her in faceless silence, and Yuffie felt cold all around her.
Perhaps they were content to attack one at a time. They would wear her down eventually, and if Ben's story was even a fraction of reality, there was little she could do to them. But that didn't mean she wouldn't try. Well, if surprise fails, unpredictability just may work. Yuffie wasn't going to wait for them to make the first move.
She remembered for the first time the Conformer in her hand and she looked at it. Smiling slightly, Yuffie clenched her hand before raising her weapon. In the instant she did so, there was a sound like the intake of breath, but Yuffie realized it a second too late. A furious hissing began and moving as one, the creatures fell on her in a furious wave. To someone from above, it would have looked like ring of darkness eclipsing a single point of light.
* * * *
Things were not going well. The sun had gone behind the clouds, and the creatures seemed to have become bolder. A furious war was being fought in the ruins of the once great city and Yuffie wasn't sure she was winning. To someone like her it was disconcerting, to say the least. And she was hurt. Not too badly, but one of them had grown claws in the scuffle and raked her ribs.
And she meant 'grown'. They had extended from the hand and glowed a bloody red before they'd gashed her side. How was she supposed to fight something that could change in an instant to take advantage of the situation? She'd tried close combat because she remembered the arrows. Obviously that hadn't worked.
She had tried fighting back, but her Conformer had seemed to pass right through them. That isn't to say she was going to give up on it; Yuffie didn't believe that anything happened by coincidence where her father was involved. If he'd went to the trouble to get it to her than he'd thought she'd need it. She bit back her doubts and squared her shoulders. It was time for another round.
Moving out into the open where she could be seen, Yuffie raised the weapon into fighting position again. It always seemed to elicit an angry response from the creatures. She didn't know why, but it was always at least predictable. She had been trying to find a way to turn that knowledge to her advantage, but so far had come up empty handed.
A shriek came from nearby, and suddenly, there were two of them. Yuffie nodded, pleased to have gotten the expected response. They weren't afraid exactly; more like angry, but it was better than nothing. She set her sights on the one she wanted before moving in.
Suddenly she dashed forward, Conformer at the ready and slashed at the creature before it could move aside. They were fast, but she was faster. The creature couldn't get away, but the weapon passed right through it. A chill ran up Yuffie's arm as she went through the shadow, but she knew what to expect now. The first time had been quite a shock, though.
Still running, Yuffie used the momentum to carry her up the wall right behind the thing. Kicking off she back flipped back in front of the shadow monster and sent a powerful blow to where it's chest should have been. Again, no effect. But the monster was reacting now, and its arm swirled briefly before taking form. A sword like appendage replaced whatever had been there before, and for an instant Yuffie was reminded of Barret.
But only an instant because then she was moving again. Yuffie ducked under the swing the thing made and then took off to the right. She took off in the direction of the nearest stream and didn't bother to check it was following her. All her senses seemed to have become heightened and she could hear the rustle of the air as the creature plunged after her.
She felt something come too close and reacted as quickly as she knew how. Yuffie leapt on top of the crumbled wall she was running parallel too and then over. Unfortunately another creature pursued on the other side. Yuffie didn't hesitate and turned the landing into a spinning kick. The creature faltered and she jumped onto the wall again before starting to run again.
Her greatest wish at the moment was for a few good shurikens. There was little she couldn't do with a throwing weapon and although her blows didn't hurt the creatures they were often enough to make them at least slow down. Unfortunately with the Conformer, her distance could never be enough to make use of this.
The stream was up ahead and Yuffie flew off the wall and into the water, spraying it everywhere. She stopped to look back and to her surprise, the monsters were no longer in pursuit. They stood apprehensively a little ways away as if afraid to come any closer. It can't be the water, she thought, we've been through other streams already. Confused, Yuffie decided not to waste a moment of this precious delay. Taking a step forward, she promptly tripped and fell.
Something rolled away under her foot, and Yuffie scrambled up. The things still hadn't moved, and she frowned at the water below her. Something dull and round was sitting in the current, and Yuffie bent down to pick it up.
It was Fire. No, not fire as in flames and heat; fire as in Materia. Holding it up, Yuffie couldn't believe her luck. Seeing it glint dully in the light, the monsters backed off another few steps. Yes, thought Yuffie, I remember.
Holding out the Materia in her hand, Yuffie commanded imperiously.
"Fire 3! Burn!"
With a flash the Materia reacted and sent a wave of fire at the two monsters. It hit, bounced, hit a small dying bush and sizzled half- heartedly before going out. Yuffie blinked.
The creatures hissed and began to advance again. Yuffie shook her head before starting to run again, only two words left trailing behind.
"Oh crap. . .!"
As she ran, Yuffie realized she was still holding the Materia. She had no pockets and everything that was Yuffie cried out against simply throwing it away. You don't spend several years as a Materia Hunter without something being left behind. Thinking fast, Yuffie clutched her Conformer. She held it up and tried desperately to fit the Materia into a slot as her feet pounded against the ground. After the a valiant fight, it settled into the slot.
And then there was silence.
There is silence caused by the mind thinking that it hears no immediate noise when in fact there is a never ending stream of background sounds going on that are so everyday that the brain ceases to acknowledge them. Then there is silence that is caused by a total lack of sound. This was that kind of silence.
Yuffie could feel the world waiting and she slowed to a gradual halt. Nothing moved or breathed in this place and she got the freaky feeling that time had stopped. Then she saw them.
The creatures emerge from the shadows all around her and wove about the destroyed streets into a single tight line of darkness. Yuffie faced them alone, but not afraid. Not ever afraid. Swallowing, Yuffie left her doubts behind and walked forward. The creatures did likewise, and the advanced towards one another, cold calculating.
Yuffie took the Conformer, and in one fluid motion, every single creature 'unsheathed' the swords that seemed to be a part of them. Neither stopped nor hesitated. Yuffie knew she only one advantage against this lot, and that was her unreal speed. If she was going to walk away, than she would have to be like lightning.
Turning the slow pace into a full out run in the turn of an instant, Yuffie let her Conformer fly. Her arm whipped around to deliver a felling blow to one and then ripped past two others. A sword stabbed at her, but Yuffie danced around and cut down at the offending appendage. She gave a last violent upward swing to the nearest one before leaping clear.
The creatures had stopped, and their line was breaking. The one whose arm she had cut watched in horror as his sword arm floated apart from its body and exploded into nothingness. Two of the others were howling in agony. The sound was not human, and Yuffie had to resist the urge to cover her ears. After a few more minutes of this chaos, the monsters seemed unable to take any more.
In total unison, they turned from Yuffie, broke and fled. She stared in surprise and wonder as the darkness in front of her cleared. And then they were gone. Mouth slightly agape, Yuffie stared at her Conformer. Maybe there was something about this Materia after all.
Suddenly, Yuffie grinned. It was only a little maniacal. To the East, huh? Well, she'd find out where they were coming from and put an end to it no matter what. It would probably be one of those huge palace type joints built by the over confidant evil villain. Maybe it'd even be invisible or something like that.
Yuffie had a great deal to pay back and someone to find. Her dreams called out to her and she dared not think of the Turk she'd left behind. Fear and uncertainty would be your undoing and now more than ever Yuffie couldn't afford to falter in her steps.
~*