After the Storm
Chapter 10
The man with the black hair and crimson clothing strolled slowly forward towards the fallen Turk. His light smile betrayed his amusement at seeing the man before him. He studied Reno for a moment. He was on his hands and his knees, his eyes never leaving the floor. Yuffie cried inside as the man shot a glance to the shadow guard. With an obedient nod, the guard turned gave Reno a sharp kick that sent him sprawling. The one they called their Master's hollow black eyes glittered.
"So, Mr. Hero, how does it feel now?" His voice was drawling, not unlike Reno's own. "You had nothing to gain, so why did you follow the girl here?"
Yuffie felt her heart sink even further. Reno had come here after her and been caught. She felt responsible, but she had made it clear that she had chosen the other path. It had hurt like it would never stop, but Yuffie had gone on anyway. She couldn't look back now, but what could she do when the roads met again? The man below bent down and picked Reno up by the dirty jacket.
"And she'd have come to rescue you, you know. Just as you would have done for her. Wait until she finds out the truth. Then we'll see whether she comes running back to you, hmm? Shall we?"
His eyes locked with Reno's for a moment before dropping him onto the floor again.
"An associate of mine would very much like to have a few words in private with you after we're finished, you know. We can bet you even know who. But we'll let the girl see you first so that there won't be enough pity in her to even raise a finger when they carry you off." He laughed. "We doubt she'll be able to recognize her gallant hero afterwards."
With a dismissive gesture, he moved away towards a table that was directly below Yuffie's hiding place. He took a glass pitcher off the table and a small glass before pouring himself a small glass of water. He raised it up and took a small sip, still smirking. He raised his glass towards Reno as if in toast and then sharply turned and rapped on the grate.
With a shriek, Yuffie realized too late that the grate was giving way. It popped out of its frame and clattered along with Yuffie to the floor. The man was laughing again, but Yuffie didn't register this. She quickly scrambled up and to her feet. Her first reaction was to get back away from this man, but a glance at Reno told her that he wouldn't be able to get away, even if she could. Torn between conflicting desires, Yuffie stood torn.
For the first time since he'd appeared, Reno started to fight back. He had been thrown against the far wall, and he struggled to gain his feet. Leaning heavily against the wall, he clenched his fist and glared furiously at the man in red.
"Leave her out of this."
His voice was low but it reached every ear in the room. The man gave Reno an amused glance before promptly ignoring him.
" My dear Turk, she is 'this'. If you were looking for a fair fight or a foe that actually cared, you've come to the wrong place. Do you know how many people we have ground into the dust to get this far? There is no way we are going to give up simply because a little punk said so." He turned to Yuffie.
"My dear, you were absolutely right to leave him. Even after all these years as a soulless bastard he still believes deep down that people are innately good." He sighed dramatically. "Pity for him we're not actually a person."
Yuffie's gaze was now even more deadly than Reno's.
"Where is he?"
The man's smile grew even wider and more terrible.
"We know you don't mean this worthless Turk, either, do you? No, the one you speak of is not here." He hissed a snakelike laugh when Yuffie blanched. "Oh, did you think he was? Silly me, of course you did. We're the one who sent you those dreams to bring you to us."
"Y-You. . . what!?"
"He is immaterial, do you see? We are the one that called you, Yuffie, and you came."
"Then, he is. . .?"
"Dead, drowned or possibly washed up on a beach somewhere like you were. It doesn't matter, he doesn't even remember you. And here, we got you to give up your precious Turk for an illusion!" The hiss resumed louder and more mocking than before.
"It. . . can't be!" Tears were running down Yuffie's face, and she slowly sank to the floor. Reno watched helplessly as the brave girl tried to fight the words she knew were true.
Finally, with an intake of breath, Yuffie spoke quietly.
"I will defeat you." The man's laughter filled the room.
"Defeat. . . me!? Ahahahahah! The storm that took your ship was of no natural cause, young ninja. We are the one who stirred up the sea and reached up to claim your people. We are the one who led my soldiers past the defenses you thought unbreachable and then wiped out those you cared most about in a single night."
The young ninja's eyes smoldered with hatred, but she was losing the feel of it. Her anger began to slip away, out of her grasp as if it were water. The tears began to fall again, and Yuffie could feel the dark certainty of hoplessness taking hold.
Reno tried desperately to rally against the barrage the man in red was raining down on Yuffie.
"That's impossible! No one could know such things! What you claim cannot possibly be true because all of that power was destroyed with Sephiroth and Jenova!"
"You say it is impossible? Well think again. Yes, you correct that the only ones who could do such horrors were Jenova and her dark angel, but not all of her power died with her."
"That's crazy! All of the clones and the soldiers injected with Jenova cells were either destroyed at the reunion or killed by AVALANCHE!"
"Yes, all those who went to the reunion were killed in the process, and Hojo was taken care of by Cloud Strife." His eyes flared at the name. "But what if there were several experiments of the mad professor that were kept in containment and under surveillance during the reunion? Those that could not taste freedom until many years later?"
"No. . ."
"Oh yes. They said that we were dead, but you can never believe the Shinra. We were dragged away and given new life! But the Jenova cells did not remain dormant as they had in the past, but instead took on a life of their own. And so, we were born anew as an entity of great power!
"The man we were before fought against us, but he could not win against the powers of Jenova. We triumphed, and he was pushed aside to where he can have no power."
"That's too terrible. . ."
"He does not fight anymore, you see. No need to pity those who have not the strength to fight. He gave up and lies waiting for the day he will die, no longer with any will of his own. But we will not let him, no. Not even after I pass to another body will I let him go. He is mine forever."
"You're a monster!!!"
"You're one to talk." The cold laugh told Reno he'd passed over the line. The man turned back to Yuffie his evil smile never faltering.
"You want to know the worst, little ninja? Not only did we use you like the puppet you are, but the one who stands defeated against that wall as well."
Yuffie shook her head, but she could not stop the tears. Reno sank slowly back to the floor, his face suddenly emotionless, beyond despair.
"You cannot hide from the truth. A few weeks ago, we hired this Turk to kill an associate of yours, young ninja. He failed because of the evacuation, but he did not give up, no. He used you to get information, and would have used you to get to the man who was his target."
"No. . ." Only a whisper escaped Reno's lips.
"He would have betrayed you, young ninja, and stood counting his money while Wutai burned to the ground. He would have walked away while you screamed."
With a final grin, the man turned his back to Yuffie and waved to the guards. The shadow creatures descended instantly on the two, and they were hauled up and forced towards the door. Yuffie didn't resist, as she was pushed broken and sobbing towards the darkness.
~* ** I know it's a short chapter but I'm a little short on time 'cause of school starting and all! Thanks for all the great reviews everyone! Now I gotta go write the next one. . . ; )**
Chapter 10
The man with the black hair and crimson clothing strolled slowly forward towards the fallen Turk. His light smile betrayed his amusement at seeing the man before him. He studied Reno for a moment. He was on his hands and his knees, his eyes never leaving the floor. Yuffie cried inside as the man shot a glance to the shadow guard. With an obedient nod, the guard turned gave Reno a sharp kick that sent him sprawling. The one they called their Master's hollow black eyes glittered.
"So, Mr. Hero, how does it feel now?" His voice was drawling, not unlike Reno's own. "You had nothing to gain, so why did you follow the girl here?"
Yuffie felt her heart sink even further. Reno had come here after her and been caught. She felt responsible, but she had made it clear that she had chosen the other path. It had hurt like it would never stop, but Yuffie had gone on anyway. She couldn't look back now, but what could she do when the roads met again? The man below bent down and picked Reno up by the dirty jacket.
"And she'd have come to rescue you, you know. Just as you would have done for her. Wait until she finds out the truth. Then we'll see whether she comes running back to you, hmm? Shall we?"
His eyes locked with Reno's for a moment before dropping him onto the floor again.
"An associate of mine would very much like to have a few words in private with you after we're finished, you know. We can bet you even know who. But we'll let the girl see you first so that there won't be enough pity in her to even raise a finger when they carry you off." He laughed. "We doubt she'll be able to recognize her gallant hero afterwards."
With a dismissive gesture, he moved away towards a table that was directly below Yuffie's hiding place. He took a glass pitcher off the table and a small glass before pouring himself a small glass of water. He raised it up and took a small sip, still smirking. He raised his glass towards Reno as if in toast and then sharply turned and rapped on the grate.
With a shriek, Yuffie realized too late that the grate was giving way. It popped out of its frame and clattered along with Yuffie to the floor. The man was laughing again, but Yuffie didn't register this. She quickly scrambled up and to her feet. Her first reaction was to get back away from this man, but a glance at Reno told her that he wouldn't be able to get away, even if she could. Torn between conflicting desires, Yuffie stood torn.
For the first time since he'd appeared, Reno started to fight back. He had been thrown against the far wall, and he struggled to gain his feet. Leaning heavily against the wall, he clenched his fist and glared furiously at the man in red.
"Leave her out of this."
His voice was low but it reached every ear in the room. The man gave Reno an amused glance before promptly ignoring him.
" My dear Turk, she is 'this'. If you were looking for a fair fight or a foe that actually cared, you've come to the wrong place. Do you know how many people we have ground into the dust to get this far? There is no way we are going to give up simply because a little punk said so." He turned to Yuffie.
"My dear, you were absolutely right to leave him. Even after all these years as a soulless bastard he still believes deep down that people are innately good." He sighed dramatically. "Pity for him we're not actually a person."
Yuffie's gaze was now even more deadly than Reno's.
"Where is he?"
The man's smile grew even wider and more terrible.
"We know you don't mean this worthless Turk, either, do you? No, the one you speak of is not here." He hissed a snakelike laugh when Yuffie blanched. "Oh, did you think he was? Silly me, of course you did. We're the one who sent you those dreams to bring you to us."
"Y-You. . . what!?"
"He is immaterial, do you see? We are the one that called you, Yuffie, and you came."
"Then, he is. . .?"
"Dead, drowned or possibly washed up on a beach somewhere like you were. It doesn't matter, he doesn't even remember you. And here, we got you to give up your precious Turk for an illusion!" The hiss resumed louder and more mocking than before.
"It. . . can't be!" Tears were running down Yuffie's face, and she slowly sank to the floor. Reno watched helplessly as the brave girl tried to fight the words she knew were true.
Finally, with an intake of breath, Yuffie spoke quietly.
"I will defeat you." The man's laughter filled the room.
"Defeat. . . me!? Ahahahahah! The storm that took your ship was of no natural cause, young ninja. We are the one who stirred up the sea and reached up to claim your people. We are the one who led my soldiers past the defenses you thought unbreachable and then wiped out those you cared most about in a single night."
The young ninja's eyes smoldered with hatred, but she was losing the feel of it. Her anger began to slip away, out of her grasp as if it were water. The tears began to fall again, and Yuffie could feel the dark certainty of hoplessness taking hold.
Reno tried desperately to rally against the barrage the man in red was raining down on Yuffie.
"That's impossible! No one could know such things! What you claim cannot possibly be true because all of that power was destroyed with Sephiroth and Jenova!"
"You say it is impossible? Well think again. Yes, you correct that the only ones who could do such horrors were Jenova and her dark angel, but not all of her power died with her."
"That's crazy! All of the clones and the soldiers injected with Jenova cells were either destroyed at the reunion or killed by AVALANCHE!"
"Yes, all those who went to the reunion were killed in the process, and Hojo was taken care of by Cloud Strife." His eyes flared at the name. "But what if there were several experiments of the mad professor that were kept in containment and under surveillance during the reunion? Those that could not taste freedom until many years later?"
"No. . ."
"Oh yes. They said that we were dead, but you can never believe the Shinra. We were dragged away and given new life! But the Jenova cells did not remain dormant as they had in the past, but instead took on a life of their own. And so, we were born anew as an entity of great power!
"The man we were before fought against us, but he could not win against the powers of Jenova. We triumphed, and he was pushed aside to where he can have no power."
"That's too terrible. . ."
"He does not fight anymore, you see. No need to pity those who have not the strength to fight. He gave up and lies waiting for the day he will die, no longer with any will of his own. But we will not let him, no. Not even after I pass to another body will I let him go. He is mine forever."
"You're a monster!!!"
"You're one to talk." The cold laugh told Reno he'd passed over the line. The man turned back to Yuffie his evil smile never faltering.
"You want to know the worst, little ninja? Not only did we use you like the puppet you are, but the one who stands defeated against that wall as well."
Yuffie shook her head, but she could not stop the tears. Reno sank slowly back to the floor, his face suddenly emotionless, beyond despair.
"You cannot hide from the truth. A few weeks ago, we hired this Turk to kill an associate of yours, young ninja. He failed because of the evacuation, but he did not give up, no. He used you to get information, and would have used you to get to the man who was his target."
"No. . ." Only a whisper escaped Reno's lips.
"He would have betrayed you, young ninja, and stood counting his money while Wutai burned to the ground. He would have walked away while you screamed."
With a final grin, the man turned his back to Yuffie and waved to the guards. The shadow creatures descended instantly on the two, and they were hauled up and forced towards the door. Yuffie didn't resist, as she was pushed broken and sobbing towards the darkness.
~* ** I know it's a short chapter but I'm a little short on time 'cause of school starting and all! Thanks for all the great reviews everyone! Now I gotta go write the next one. . . ; )**