After the Storm
Chapter 14
The hallways were still dark, but somehow this just didn't seem to bother Yuffie anymore. She knew that it went against all logic, but right now she was having fun. Stalking about in the darkness was one of the things she was good at, and in closed corridors she could be more silent that any cat ever was. Now that she had the Conformer to depend upon, Yuffie felt as if she could face down the entire world and win.
She risked a glance back at Reno. Well, maybe most of the world, anyway. She just hoped she never got on Reno's bad side for any prolonged amount of time; this was bad enough. Oh, she could see it in his face too, even in this light. The evil grin that had spread over his face when he'd first picked up the gun. The electromag-rod was close at hand too, and Yuffie could see the devilish excitement in his eyes. She supposed there were some parts of being a Turk that never went away.
Wait. That's what he'd said, wasn't it? Yuffie hadn't wanted to hear many of the things Reno had said, but now that things were in a lull they played through her brain like a broken record. So from the sound of it he had cared about her, too. Did he still, even after everything? Would he still want to see her when they'd gotten out of this damned place? Maybe he'd come with her. . . where? She had nowhere to go.
Really, right at this moment Yuffie wasn't sure whether she'd rather kiss Reno, or slap that damned grin off his face. Both options had their own appeal. Silently, Yuffie wished that Reno just had some Materia or something. You knew where you stood with Materia. You stole it, and then ran very, very quickly.
Anyway, wasn't she the one who had left him standing outside Wutai without a glance back? Who was to say he'd want to have anything to do with her after this? Yes, probably necessity was the only thing keeping him here with her at the moment. And there was no reason for her to care, either. She didn't need him! After all, he was the one who'd betrayed her! Then why did the idea bother her so much? Yuffie cursed under her breath. Gods! She was acting just like a lovesick teenager. Reno would hate that! And he'd make sarcastic comments, and. . .
She let her thoughts trail off into nothingness. As it stood there wasn't much of a future to be contemplating, let alone one with Reno. Better to worry about that first and the more serious stuff later. She nodded her head almost invisibly with resolution, and her eyes sparkled with adventure.
"Hey. . . Yuffie." The whisper made her jump.
"Geez, Reno! Think you could be any more surprising!?"
He gave her a lopsided grin before letting his face return to grim. Yuffie couldn't help but realize how much she loved seeing him smile. Why had she never noticed before?
"Babe, we need a plan of action. We already know that hitting random halls for the exit doesn't work. None of them would know which goddamn way was out if you drew a map on them in permanent marker."
"Do you have a better idea?"
"I think. . . I think all these halls lead more or less in. If we take any one eventually we'll probably end up back at the center. I say we give in and follow our noses. We'll no doubt find Cloney and Hwen somewhere over the rainbow."
"Cloney. . .!?"
All Reno could do was laugh helplessly and shrug his shoulders. He absently ran a hand through his shocking red hair.
"You got a better name for the freak? I think it suits him, personally." Seeing Yuffie's face he continued hurriedly. "It's not like we're gonna get anywhere without dealing with them. You think they'll just leave us in peace 'cause we find the door out? Besides, could you live with what Hwen did to Wutai hanging over you head?"
"I. . . don't. . ."
"Of course you don't, but it doesn't matter. Don't you want to find out why Wutai was destroyed? Not to mention the people, your father, who deserve vengeance."
"Vengeance? Somehow I'm not surprised to hear that from a Turk." Yuffie couldn't hide the bitterness in her voice.
"Ex-Turk, babe. Anyway, Turk Pride was what made us great. We looked out for one another and we never, NEVER, let a crime against our own go unpunished."
Yuffie felt a chill from the heat in Reno's words. She could tell without looking that he meant every one of them. 'Turk Pride', as he called it, was well known as one of the deadliest things on the Planet. The Turks had no enemies. This wasn't because they were popular, they were widely hated. It was simply because all their enemies had forgotten quite how powerful a force teamwork can be.
"Reno, I know it looks bad, but we can't attack a whole army of super- shadow creatures by ourselves!"
"Says who? What the hell happened to the 'brave to the point of being brain-dead' ninja babe I followed here? Between us, you and I could take on the world."
"Turkey! Listen to yourself! You may have been wrong about the 'bad guys always win', but good guys aren't magically invincible either! More than anything I want to. . . Maybe we could take them all on together, but what happens when we drift apart!?"
"You're not saying. . ."
"Just. . . think for a moment. How well have we done so far? I think we're doing pretty damn good not to have killed each other!"
"We made it through together! We got to Wutai!"
"Which was in smoldering ruins! It won't work Reno."
"Then I'll hold it at gun point until it works. We're going."
All trace of pleading had disappeared from Reno's voice in an instant. Instead there was only dark determination. Reno could be many people, but several hundred of them were complete bastards. Not only this, but he knew how to play it to his full advantage.
Stalking off down a random hallway, Reno did not wait for Yuffie to make up her mind. He hated to do it, but as a Turk he had become quite good at manipulating people. However, Yuffie was never the most predictable person, and he hoped that if it ever worked, it would work now.
And so it was with great relief that Reno heard Yuffie's footsteps and she jogged to catch up with him. She was partly right though, even he couldn't ignore it. It was asking a lot - maybe too much - of them to fight together. Forget the numbers and the odds; emotionally he didn't think that either of them was prepared to deal. Damn scarlet pimpernel and his lackeys.
But maybe, just maybe. . . If he could end this before it got too far, Reno would give anything. The shadow demon things didn't matter very much in the end, the only ones who actually mattered now were Red and Hwen. If they could get close enough to snipe then Reno was confident he could make the best of his gunslinging abilities. If not, well, perhaps he'd be able to think of something better after they found out what this evil plan was.
Whatever the hell was going on, it needed a lot of explaining.
The random hallway twisted and turned with no apparent direction in mind. Reno just had to have faith in his guesswork, because without it he'd have to admit that they were totally lost. Nobody likes to be powerless, and even though he felt much more confident with weapons on hand, their prospects weren't looking good.
Reno shot Yuffie a quick glance over his shoulder. She looked preoccupied, as if she was preparing something in her head. He didn't doubt that she was busy writing a sufficiently cocky speech. Although he hadn't known her for nearly as long as he'd like, Reno recognized these things in Yuffie now. She was an absolute master of covering her fear with bravado. Quite a good actress, if he did say so himself.
Now the hall seemed to be straightening out. Although it still wound about and occasionally took sharp corners, it was suddenly pointing those corners in a single direction. Still, all Reno could do was cross his fingers and hope.
This was so crazy. The only thought that seemed to be able to make itself heard was how insane all this was. It seemed as though when life was turned upside down it didn't bother landing right side up. He would be damned if he let some maniacal clone in red ruin Yuffie's life and get away with it. Maybe Yuffie didn't understand it yet, but Turk Pride was something you earned, and there was no one who Reno would fight for more than Yuffie.
Part of Reno wanted to curse Yuffie for everything; for getting them into this, for being so stubborn, for not understanding, for being so damned likeable. On the other hand, he also wanted to hold her in his arms and make all the bad disappear. Not that she'd let him of course, Yuffie was much more likely to jump back up and do both their shares of the fighting.
It finally looked as if the hallway was coming to an end. How could he tell? There was some faint light up ahead and what looked like an open space. Their steps carried them quickly out of the shadows, and they both surveyed the area. Many hallways converged into this one small atrium, and it definitely seemed as if Reno had been right.
Another hallway, another brown wooden one, went straight in the opposite direction from the others. Light poured out of the hall, and it was possible to see that it was only a short passage with a large red door at the end. Both knew without speaking that they were at the end of their search for the center of the building.
Reno would have stopped to think, but to his surprise Yuffie did not hesitate. Instead, she pushed right past him and strode up the short brown passage. It was fairly obvious that she, at least, had no intention of waiting any longer.
"Yuffie. . .!? Wait!"
But she did not stop, but instead pushed the red door as hard as she could. As if responding to her touch, the cool metal flew open with a dramatic clang. As Yuffie stepped inside, Reno hurried in behind her.
The room was enormous, although largely empty. The only things it contained were two or three tiny chairs, a small table and a large ornate brown chair that looked more like a throne. It was too late to stop Yuffie or point out the two figures hunched over the table. It seemed as if they were reading a map, their faces not visible from where Reno and Yuffie had entered. However, it wasn't exactly necessary. One man wore classic Wutaian garb, and the other a crimson doublet.
The man in red looked up casually, and smiled lazily at the two dumbfounded newcomers. His black eyes burned into Reno's a moment before sliding proprietarily over to Yuffie. Reno suddenly felt very hot. He was just about to snarl defiance when the man in red beat him to it.
"Good day. And how are my honored guests getting along?" Again, Reno was speechless.
"Guests. . .!?"
"Of course. What else did you think you were? Prisoners?" His cold laugh chilled to the bone. "No, no. Only the best for you two! Of course, my dear Turk, for you the arrangement is only temporary."
Hwen looked up, a strange glint in his eye. He stared almost hungrily at Reno, as if imagining all the tortures one could come up with in a whole ten seconds. Daunted but unafraid, Reno tried to recover his lost composure.
"So, Hwen, dude in red, how nice to see you again." His smile was every inch as brittle as the crimson man's was cold. "After we had to leave so unexpectedly, we thought we'd make a last stop in and say goodbye."
"Goodbye!? Oh no, Turk. You and I have far too much to do for you to be going just yet." Hwen's voice dripped malice. Reno was beginning to realize that no completely sane person could ever sound like that.
Yuffie seemed to have made up her mind on whatever it was had been contemplating, and a grin spread across her face. She turned to face the crimson man, her conformer held carefully - visibly - in front of her.
"Why, vampy darling! So good to see you again! I was positively crushed by your absence." Reno suddenly felt very nervous, but the crimson man just laughed.
"Vampy? So delightfully childish! You prove yet again how marvelous you will be to my project!"
"A project indeed? I must tell you, I am not much of a one for science, Vampy."
"I fear, my dear, that it will not make a lot of difference."
"Ah, but you see, I have just arrived with an acquaintance to convince you and your play buddies to keep your hands to yourselves."
"Yes, I see you have both recovered your weapons. Well done, well done." He even managed to look faintly amused. "No doubt you feel that they will be useful, but you'll learn in time. Do not fear."
"I wasn't planning on it."
"Excellent. Hmm. . ." He gazed at Reno and Hwen who were exchanging heated glares. "I fear that some sort of conflict is almost inevitable. Perhaps we should indulge these two hotheads, hmm, my dear?"
"Say what. . .?"
The man in red recently nicknamed 'Vampy' waved his arm before smiling amiably at Yuffie.
"But of course, we must even the odds, no?"
The red doors flew open and in trooped four creatures. They were shadow creatures, like the ones they had seen a few too many times before, but they were also somehow more substantial. She turned confusedly to the crimson man.
"Even the odds!? That's five against one and everyone knows Hwen is a renowned fighter himself!"
The man just laughed again. Shaking her head angrily, Yuffie gripped the conformer tightly and jogged towards Reno. There was no way she was letting him take this one alone; too much was at stake. The man in red smiled again, but this time it was more strained.
"Really, my dear. We mustn't have you getting injured. You really should sit this one out." Yuffie only shouted back, without losing a heartbeat.
"Like hell I am!"
The creatures were now advancing on Reno and Yuffie, their dark forms menacing. Hwen cackled madly at the rear, apparently losing more of his sanity by the second.
Reno got out his nightstick, charged and ready to go. He knew it was deadly in hand-to-hand combat, but previous experience told him that these things were unhurt by regular weapons. The only thing they had on their side was the fact that these seemed to be a lower class of shadow creatures then the previous ones. If only a weakness would become apparent.
Yuffie dove into the line of shadows, her conformer already flying. It again seemed to pass right through them. Reno was twirling his nightstick and doing his best to fend off the two that had attacked him. Hwen seemed to have yet to decide which figure to go for. Yuffie sliced upwards, concentrating hard on hitting the most creature possible. It was with considerable surprise that she heard it scream in pain.
Drawing back she tried to figure it out quickly before the onslaught began again. She didn't seem to have hit any particular spot, but the creature withdrew in pain before hissing angrily and making straight for her. That was when she felt the coldness envelope her.
The man in crimson stood up, his smile gone. He waved his hand twice and Yuffie felt herself wrapped in coldness. She felt as if she had been dunked up to her neck in frigid water, and she shivered uncontrollably as she felt herself lifted up. In a second, she was standing beside the man in red. He turned an evil smirk on her.
"I told you you weren't to get involved."
The coldness fell away and Yuffie stared at the scene before her. All four creatures now advance on Reno, hissing madly. Hwen also began to circle around the vastly outnumbered Turk. Not understanding what had happened, Reno looked around frantically for Yuffie. He was slowly being backed against a wall by the things he couldn't seem to hurt.
Yuffie dashed forward but had only taken four steps before she ran into something cold, invisible, and solid. She tried desperately to get over or around it, but she could go no further. Large brown eyes wide with horror, she pounded on the invisible barrier with all her strength. Thinking only of the doomed Turk, Yuffie screamed.
"Reno!"
~* Not from the Author: Hey everybody! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! The next one should be up soon! Anyone guessed who the 'man in red' is yet? If you look back, all the clues are there. ; ) Sorry not a lot happened in the first part of the chapter, but I needed to clarify some of Reno and Yuffie's relationship. Besides, it was a long hallway. Cheers.
Heather Cat
Chapter 14
The hallways were still dark, but somehow this just didn't seem to bother Yuffie anymore. She knew that it went against all logic, but right now she was having fun. Stalking about in the darkness was one of the things she was good at, and in closed corridors she could be more silent that any cat ever was. Now that she had the Conformer to depend upon, Yuffie felt as if she could face down the entire world and win.
She risked a glance back at Reno. Well, maybe most of the world, anyway. She just hoped she never got on Reno's bad side for any prolonged amount of time; this was bad enough. Oh, she could see it in his face too, even in this light. The evil grin that had spread over his face when he'd first picked up the gun. The electromag-rod was close at hand too, and Yuffie could see the devilish excitement in his eyes. She supposed there were some parts of being a Turk that never went away.
Wait. That's what he'd said, wasn't it? Yuffie hadn't wanted to hear many of the things Reno had said, but now that things were in a lull they played through her brain like a broken record. So from the sound of it he had cared about her, too. Did he still, even after everything? Would he still want to see her when they'd gotten out of this damned place? Maybe he'd come with her. . . where? She had nowhere to go.
Really, right at this moment Yuffie wasn't sure whether she'd rather kiss Reno, or slap that damned grin off his face. Both options had their own appeal. Silently, Yuffie wished that Reno just had some Materia or something. You knew where you stood with Materia. You stole it, and then ran very, very quickly.
Anyway, wasn't she the one who had left him standing outside Wutai without a glance back? Who was to say he'd want to have anything to do with her after this? Yes, probably necessity was the only thing keeping him here with her at the moment. And there was no reason for her to care, either. She didn't need him! After all, he was the one who'd betrayed her! Then why did the idea bother her so much? Yuffie cursed under her breath. Gods! She was acting just like a lovesick teenager. Reno would hate that! And he'd make sarcastic comments, and. . .
She let her thoughts trail off into nothingness. As it stood there wasn't much of a future to be contemplating, let alone one with Reno. Better to worry about that first and the more serious stuff later. She nodded her head almost invisibly with resolution, and her eyes sparkled with adventure.
"Hey. . . Yuffie." The whisper made her jump.
"Geez, Reno! Think you could be any more surprising!?"
He gave her a lopsided grin before letting his face return to grim. Yuffie couldn't help but realize how much she loved seeing him smile. Why had she never noticed before?
"Babe, we need a plan of action. We already know that hitting random halls for the exit doesn't work. None of them would know which goddamn way was out if you drew a map on them in permanent marker."
"Do you have a better idea?"
"I think. . . I think all these halls lead more or less in. If we take any one eventually we'll probably end up back at the center. I say we give in and follow our noses. We'll no doubt find Cloney and Hwen somewhere over the rainbow."
"Cloney. . .!?"
All Reno could do was laugh helplessly and shrug his shoulders. He absently ran a hand through his shocking red hair.
"You got a better name for the freak? I think it suits him, personally." Seeing Yuffie's face he continued hurriedly. "It's not like we're gonna get anywhere without dealing with them. You think they'll just leave us in peace 'cause we find the door out? Besides, could you live with what Hwen did to Wutai hanging over you head?"
"I. . . don't. . ."
"Of course you don't, but it doesn't matter. Don't you want to find out why Wutai was destroyed? Not to mention the people, your father, who deserve vengeance."
"Vengeance? Somehow I'm not surprised to hear that from a Turk." Yuffie couldn't hide the bitterness in her voice.
"Ex-Turk, babe. Anyway, Turk Pride was what made us great. We looked out for one another and we never, NEVER, let a crime against our own go unpunished."
Yuffie felt a chill from the heat in Reno's words. She could tell without looking that he meant every one of them. 'Turk Pride', as he called it, was well known as one of the deadliest things on the Planet. The Turks had no enemies. This wasn't because they were popular, they were widely hated. It was simply because all their enemies had forgotten quite how powerful a force teamwork can be.
"Reno, I know it looks bad, but we can't attack a whole army of super- shadow creatures by ourselves!"
"Says who? What the hell happened to the 'brave to the point of being brain-dead' ninja babe I followed here? Between us, you and I could take on the world."
"Turkey! Listen to yourself! You may have been wrong about the 'bad guys always win', but good guys aren't magically invincible either! More than anything I want to. . . Maybe we could take them all on together, but what happens when we drift apart!?"
"You're not saying. . ."
"Just. . . think for a moment. How well have we done so far? I think we're doing pretty damn good not to have killed each other!"
"We made it through together! We got to Wutai!"
"Which was in smoldering ruins! It won't work Reno."
"Then I'll hold it at gun point until it works. We're going."
All trace of pleading had disappeared from Reno's voice in an instant. Instead there was only dark determination. Reno could be many people, but several hundred of them were complete bastards. Not only this, but he knew how to play it to his full advantage.
Stalking off down a random hallway, Reno did not wait for Yuffie to make up her mind. He hated to do it, but as a Turk he had become quite good at manipulating people. However, Yuffie was never the most predictable person, and he hoped that if it ever worked, it would work now.
And so it was with great relief that Reno heard Yuffie's footsteps and she jogged to catch up with him. She was partly right though, even he couldn't ignore it. It was asking a lot - maybe too much - of them to fight together. Forget the numbers and the odds; emotionally he didn't think that either of them was prepared to deal. Damn scarlet pimpernel and his lackeys.
But maybe, just maybe. . . If he could end this before it got too far, Reno would give anything. The shadow demon things didn't matter very much in the end, the only ones who actually mattered now were Red and Hwen. If they could get close enough to snipe then Reno was confident he could make the best of his gunslinging abilities. If not, well, perhaps he'd be able to think of something better after they found out what this evil plan was.
Whatever the hell was going on, it needed a lot of explaining.
The random hallway twisted and turned with no apparent direction in mind. Reno just had to have faith in his guesswork, because without it he'd have to admit that they were totally lost. Nobody likes to be powerless, and even though he felt much more confident with weapons on hand, their prospects weren't looking good.
Reno shot Yuffie a quick glance over his shoulder. She looked preoccupied, as if she was preparing something in her head. He didn't doubt that she was busy writing a sufficiently cocky speech. Although he hadn't known her for nearly as long as he'd like, Reno recognized these things in Yuffie now. She was an absolute master of covering her fear with bravado. Quite a good actress, if he did say so himself.
Now the hall seemed to be straightening out. Although it still wound about and occasionally took sharp corners, it was suddenly pointing those corners in a single direction. Still, all Reno could do was cross his fingers and hope.
This was so crazy. The only thought that seemed to be able to make itself heard was how insane all this was. It seemed as though when life was turned upside down it didn't bother landing right side up. He would be damned if he let some maniacal clone in red ruin Yuffie's life and get away with it. Maybe Yuffie didn't understand it yet, but Turk Pride was something you earned, and there was no one who Reno would fight for more than Yuffie.
Part of Reno wanted to curse Yuffie for everything; for getting them into this, for being so stubborn, for not understanding, for being so damned likeable. On the other hand, he also wanted to hold her in his arms and make all the bad disappear. Not that she'd let him of course, Yuffie was much more likely to jump back up and do both their shares of the fighting.
It finally looked as if the hallway was coming to an end. How could he tell? There was some faint light up ahead and what looked like an open space. Their steps carried them quickly out of the shadows, and they both surveyed the area. Many hallways converged into this one small atrium, and it definitely seemed as if Reno had been right.
Another hallway, another brown wooden one, went straight in the opposite direction from the others. Light poured out of the hall, and it was possible to see that it was only a short passage with a large red door at the end. Both knew without speaking that they were at the end of their search for the center of the building.
Reno would have stopped to think, but to his surprise Yuffie did not hesitate. Instead, she pushed right past him and strode up the short brown passage. It was fairly obvious that she, at least, had no intention of waiting any longer.
"Yuffie. . .!? Wait!"
But she did not stop, but instead pushed the red door as hard as she could. As if responding to her touch, the cool metal flew open with a dramatic clang. As Yuffie stepped inside, Reno hurried in behind her.
The room was enormous, although largely empty. The only things it contained were two or three tiny chairs, a small table and a large ornate brown chair that looked more like a throne. It was too late to stop Yuffie or point out the two figures hunched over the table. It seemed as if they were reading a map, their faces not visible from where Reno and Yuffie had entered. However, it wasn't exactly necessary. One man wore classic Wutaian garb, and the other a crimson doublet.
The man in red looked up casually, and smiled lazily at the two dumbfounded newcomers. His black eyes burned into Reno's a moment before sliding proprietarily over to Yuffie. Reno suddenly felt very hot. He was just about to snarl defiance when the man in red beat him to it.
"Good day. And how are my honored guests getting along?" Again, Reno was speechless.
"Guests. . .!?"
"Of course. What else did you think you were? Prisoners?" His cold laugh chilled to the bone. "No, no. Only the best for you two! Of course, my dear Turk, for you the arrangement is only temporary."
Hwen looked up, a strange glint in his eye. He stared almost hungrily at Reno, as if imagining all the tortures one could come up with in a whole ten seconds. Daunted but unafraid, Reno tried to recover his lost composure.
"So, Hwen, dude in red, how nice to see you again." His smile was every inch as brittle as the crimson man's was cold. "After we had to leave so unexpectedly, we thought we'd make a last stop in and say goodbye."
"Goodbye!? Oh no, Turk. You and I have far too much to do for you to be going just yet." Hwen's voice dripped malice. Reno was beginning to realize that no completely sane person could ever sound like that.
Yuffie seemed to have made up her mind on whatever it was had been contemplating, and a grin spread across her face. She turned to face the crimson man, her conformer held carefully - visibly - in front of her.
"Why, vampy darling! So good to see you again! I was positively crushed by your absence." Reno suddenly felt very nervous, but the crimson man just laughed.
"Vampy? So delightfully childish! You prove yet again how marvelous you will be to my project!"
"A project indeed? I must tell you, I am not much of a one for science, Vampy."
"I fear, my dear, that it will not make a lot of difference."
"Ah, but you see, I have just arrived with an acquaintance to convince you and your play buddies to keep your hands to yourselves."
"Yes, I see you have both recovered your weapons. Well done, well done." He even managed to look faintly amused. "No doubt you feel that they will be useful, but you'll learn in time. Do not fear."
"I wasn't planning on it."
"Excellent. Hmm. . ." He gazed at Reno and Hwen who were exchanging heated glares. "I fear that some sort of conflict is almost inevitable. Perhaps we should indulge these two hotheads, hmm, my dear?"
"Say what. . .?"
The man in red recently nicknamed 'Vampy' waved his arm before smiling amiably at Yuffie.
"But of course, we must even the odds, no?"
The red doors flew open and in trooped four creatures. They were shadow creatures, like the ones they had seen a few too many times before, but they were also somehow more substantial. She turned confusedly to the crimson man.
"Even the odds!? That's five against one and everyone knows Hwen is a renowned fighter himself!"
The man just laughed again. Shaking her head angrily, Yuffie gripped the conformer tightly and jogged towards Reno. There was no way she was letting him take this one alone; too much was at stake. The man in red smiled again, but this time it was more strained.
"Really, my dear. We mustn't have you getting injured. You really should sit this one out." Yuffie only shouted back, without losing a heartbeat.
"Like hell I am!"
The creatures were now advancing on Reno and Yuffie, their dark forms menacing. Hwen cackled madly at the rear, apparently losing more of his sanity by the second.
Reno got out his nightstick, charged and ready to go. He knew it was deadly in hand-to-hand combat, but previous experience told him that these things were unhurt by regular weapons. The only thing they had on their side was the fact that these seemed to be a lower class of shadow creatures then the previous ones. If only a weakness would become apparent.
Yuffie dove into the line of shadows, her conformer already flying. It again seemed to pass right through them. Reno was twirling his nightstick and doing his best to fend off the two that had attacked him. Hwen seemed to have yet to decide which figure to go for. Yuffie sliced upwards, concentrating hard on hitting the most creature possible. It was with considerable surprise that she heard it scream in pain.
Drawing back she tried to figure it out quickly before the onslaught began again. She didn't seem to have hit any particular spot, but the creature withdrew in pain before hissing angrily and making straight for her. That was when she felt the coldness envelope her.
The man in crimson stood up, his smile gone. He waved his hand twice and Yuffie felt herself wrapped in coldness. She felt as if she had been dunked up to her neck in frigid water, and she shivered uncontrollably as she felt herself lifted up. In a second, she was standing beside the man in red. He turned an evil smirk on her.
"I told you you weren't to get involved."
The coldness fell away and Yuffie stared at the scene before her. All four creatures now advance on Reno, hissing madly. Hwen also began to circle around the vastly outnumbered Turk. Not understanding what had happened, Reno looked around frantically for Yuffie. He was slowly being backed against a wall by the things he couldn't seem to hurt.
Yuffie dashed forward but had only taken four steps before she ran into something cold, invisible, and solid. She tried desperately to get over or around it, but she could go no further. Large brown eyes wide with horror, she pounded on the invisible barrier with all her strength. Thinking only of the doomed Turk, Yuffie screamed.
"Reno!"
~* Not from the Author: Hey everybody! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! The next one should be up soon! Anyone guessed who the 'man in red' is yet? If you look back, all the clues are there. ; ) Sorry not a lot happened in the first part of the chapter, but I needed to clarify some of Reno and Yuffie's relationship. Besides, it was a long hallway. Cheers.
Heather Cat