After the Storm
Chapter 17
He was pinned to the ground, trapped. A pressure weighed heavily on his chest, and half the battle was to breathe. He couldn't see, darkness engulfed him and plaster dust clouded whatever little was left to see. Someone - or something - strong held him firmly against the floor, never easing off even enough to let him regain the blood flow to his arms. This last shock to his system had left Reno with a spinning head, the right side of his chest screaming in agony, and both his arms numb. When he tried to move his fingers and found he could not, Reno privately decided that it couldn't be a good sign. If only he could see who or what was holding him down, then maybe he'd be able to do something about it. As he coughed violently on the dust filled air, Reno wished desperately that this was so.
As if in answer to his thoughts, the black haze cleared leaving him temporarily disoriented. For a fleeting instant he felt as if the world had tilted sideways and he was freefalling. Although the sensation lasted only momentarily, it was disconcerting to say the very least. If for no other reason, Reno wanted his hands back so he could clutch his head and make sure it didn't fall off. For now, he settled for a groan.
"Ooowww.."
He heard snickering from somewhere just out of his field of vision, and in a near fatal mistake he tried to sit up. Whatever was holding him down pushed back violently, and Reno's head slammed back down. Not that the thing needed have bothered itself. The moment he'd tried to lift his shoulders his head had gone spinning and an overwhelming feeling of nausea had swept over him. No, blood loss was definitely not a good thing.
Then Hwen decided to step into view.
"So, Turk, it seems we meet at last."
Even in his current state, Reno realized that something was required of him. Feigning confusion, he gave the crazed Wutaian his most bewildered look.
"At last? Didn't I just see you fifteen minutes ago?" When Hwen growled, Reno hazarded a grin. "And I thought I'd been hitting walls hard."
Hwen was already almost ready to begin frothing at the mouth, and his eyes bulged ominously. Reno noted ever so slightly deliriously that after this was all over someone should take some serious therapy lessons. But to his surprise, the dark man managed to get a hold of himself, with a deep breath and a nervous hand gesture to slick back his long blue-black hair. He looked a little like Tseng, Reno realized dazedly, except for the complete lack of anything resembling sanity behind those eyes. Now Hwen was smiling, a hand slipping into one of his pockets. Those same dark eyes glinted with a sadistic excitement, and he seemed to always be twitching in some way or form. He returned Reno's raised eyebrow with his glazed grin.
"Now, now, Turk. I wouldn't worry too highly about it. Within the next three minutes you will probably be more concerned with the hole in your head then with the ones in your memory. Then we'll see who's making clever remarks."
Still smiling terribly, he withdrew a heavy, black gun from his pocket. It glinted dully, and it took Reno a moment to register the meaning of the motion. When he finally managed to make his brain connect with his eyes, he was painfully reminded that the rest of his body had a part to play too. A horrible feeling was gnawing at his stomach, and the instinctive fear must have shown in his face as well because Hwen laughed. Slowly, delightedly, he cocked the gun.
Frantically, as fast as he was able without blacking out, Reno turned his head from side to side in a last bid to find a way out of his desperate predicament. Nothing. Dark shadows held him down relentlessly, one on either side and neither showed the slightest inclination to let him go. After what he'd done to the one's back in Vampy's study, he couldn't really blame them either. Turning back to Hwen, once again everything that made Reno himself deserted him. Buffing the gun with his sleeve, Hwen cast Reno an absent glance as if to say 'oh, you're still here?'
"You see these two on your left and right? Don't even think about trying to get loose. They'll do whatever I tell them to, without hesitation or thought." Seeing the expression on Reno's face, his laughter became less convulsively maniacal. More calm, more cold, more scary. "Oh, come now. It'll all be over in a minute." And with that he leveled the barrel of the gun directly at Reno's forehead.
Reno's thoughts raced. Was this how it was really going to end? Ironically fitting for a Turk. But as much as Reno wanted to give into the exhaustion, he found himself simply and completely unable. As the adrenalin flooded his veins, freezing him, his thoughts became faster and faster until he couldn't keep up with them himself. What about Yuffie? Would she be okay? Did Elena and Rude ever open their flower shop? Maybe they opened a chain of stores? An evil Jenova clone was about to take over the Planet. He still didn't have his sunglasses. Someone was pointing a gun at his head. Man he needed his cigarettes. It couldn't end like this. Yuffie would come and save him. Something would happen. Something always happened. It couldn't end like this. The one on the wrong end of the gun always won. Rule of happy endings. Hah, not in his experience. It couldn't end like
* * * *
Yuffie had been walking down a hallway when she heard it. A single gunshot. Then silence. She froze, but the sound was far off, and for now she had no way of finding out what was going on. It didn't really concern her, anyway, right now. Her only job was finding Reno and she would let nothing stay her from that course.
But, man, was she going to let that stupid turkey have it when she found him. He had absolutely no right to be so annoyingly likeable! Inwardly Yuffie fumed. Once he was safe, she was going to make him regret that fact for the rest of his miserable life. With an annoyed sigh, the young ninja tugged distractedly at her hair and tried to think about which way Reno might have gone. Although now that the walls had been more or less leveled, it was easier to see but it was also a million times easier to get lost. To be perfectly honest with herself, Yuffie would have to admit that she truly had no idea where the ex-Turk might be. She was annoyed with herself, with her mal-functioning sense of direction and with the entire world in general.
A little while before, she had convinced Reno that she believed in him to make him realize that he could fight too. It hadn't been a lie, no, nothing like that. She really did believe in him, she knew and now so did he. Three years ago he had been one of the only people she could count on to always be around, even when it was when she least wanted him. Now he had suddenly reappeared into her life and she had found that his presence meant a whole lot more. She had always sort of pictured him as the one who would pull through no matter what, but the past week had taught her that even he could hurt sometimes. With a pang she remembered his face after they had watched that horrible tape just before she had walked straight into Hwen. The pain in Reno's eyes and face had been so obvious that it was all she could do but to wrap her arms around him and hold him tight. This was Yuffie's dilemma.
She shook her head disgustedly. Why was everything so hard? Biting her lip, she just hoped fervently that wherever he was, he was okay. Of course he was. He was Reno, and nothing bad could ever happen to Reno, right!? Then why could she remember in vivid technicolor the red blood staining his shirt and bright gashes across his stomach? No, she couldn't think that way. Of course he was okay. For now, until she found him, she just had to worry about herself.
She had been aware of the shuffling footsteps since almost two hallways back, but they seemed to be getting closer now. Although she had deemed them non threatening as long as they were content to stay at a distance, now she was feeling a bit more edgy. Her conformer held tightly in her hand, Yuffie thought of all the places she'd rather be. Inside of a nice, hot shower was probably top of the list. Trying to imagine something so novel as running water, she turned her ear towards her pursuer(s). Yes, there was no doubt that they were approaching fast, whoever they were. She knew that there were a million and two people out to find her at the moment, Vampy himself included, but Yuffie's single-mindedness and sheer desire made her ignore the tiny little flashing light at the back of her head labeled caution.
It was Reno! He must have heard her own footsteps despite her prudence, and had been following her. And all the while she'd been looking for him. A flood of relief washed over Yuffie, and she felt like doing cartwheels. Torn between throwing her arms around him and ambushing him and then beating the heck out of him, Yuffie decided to compromise. Snickering evilly, she flattened herself against the wall where she could not be seen by the person coming around the corner. Oh, she was going to give Reno something to think about, all right. Then he'd think twice about making her worry so damn much ever again.
She listened carefully to the sound of the footfalls, and savored the moment before preparing herself to spring. They were very soft, but Yuffie already knew how quietly Reno moved, and besides, who else would have a reason to be sneaking around? She was fairly certain that Vampy would be much more direct when he finally found her, and so it was that she resolved that if at all possible she was not going to be found. It was easy for Reno to say that this needed to be ended, but Yuffie had looked the man in crimson in the eye, and the paralyzing fear still lingered in the back of her mind. If she could fight and win, that was perfect, but otherwise the safest place for her was somewhere very far away from here. Shaking her head slightly to clear it of distractions, she once again set her purpose to scaring the bejeezus out of Reno.
The faint sounds grew steadily louder, and she finally heard the person turn into the corridor where she stood hidden. Trying her hardest not to laugh and give herself away, Yuffie waited, holding her breath, until the footsteps were merely feet away and still approaching. Taking a last deep breath, Yuffie turned, and leapt.
* * * *
The sound of the shot rang out loudly in the corridor where Reno had lain helpless only seconds before. It shattered the silence throughout the empty corridors and dark rooms. If Yuffie had had any idea at all what it meant, then the events that followed might have turned out much differently.
The gun that had fired the shot still lay in the hand of the one who'd fired it, who seemed undeterred by what had just happened. Hwen smiled and let the gun drop against his shoulder. He nodded with some satisfaction at his handiwork, and surveyed the damage done. With a small nod, he twisted his lips into a grim sneer.
"Get up, Turk."
Reno's eyes opened warily, non-comprehendingly. His head still rang from the sound of the shot, but where there should have been blood there was none. Still in shock, Reno could grasp that he was alive and nothing more. It took him a long moment to realize that he could feel his left arm again. Unfortunately, as the knowledge hit him, so did the pain. An awful prickling sensation crawled up his arm as the blood began to flow again. He felt the pressure withdraw off his other side as well, and he gritted his teeth as a fresh wave of torment washed over him, dulling all other sensations. For a second he feared he might black out, but he fought back against the pit that threatened to swallow him. When he resurfaced, Reno lay still for a moment, breathing heavily. The only thing he could hear was Hwen laughing.
When Reno opened his eyes again, he found himself able to think once more, at least marginally. Whatever the case, he was conscious enough to finally understand what had happened, and ever so carefully, he began to sit up. It was a long process accompanied by many stops, and the entire time Hwen was watching him with that greasy smirk. Man, he had forgotten it was possible to hurt this much. Right now Reno's Turk days seemed so far away that for a fleeting instant he wondered if they had ever happened at all. No, he was Reno and he was a Turk. He would get up.
Finally in sitting position, Reno maneuvered himself so that his back was against the wall, and then with his right arm he pushed himself up inch by inch. Every moment was hell, but he did not give up. Although standing was near impossible, he managed to support himself with the wall so that he achieved the closest thing possible. Hunched over, clutching his left arm with his right, he glared at Hwen. This did not seem to have the desired effect. Hwen burst into more laughter as if the whole thing were a glorious joke. Both of them disregarded the second shadow creature that was standing a ways apart, still awaiting instructions. Each man's attention was riveted on his rival. For a time it seemed as though the strange staring contest would continue forever, but Reno was the first to give in.
"Why?"
His question was quiet, but his eyes smoldered with hatred.
"I was proving a point. I told you they'd do anything I told them. . . including dieing." He turned to the creature standing behind him. "You may leave now. I will take care of the rest." The creature nodded in acknowledgement, and then slunk away into the shadows from whence it had come. Reno's glare was becoming more suspicious by the moment.
"Answer me."
"But it's the truth, Turk. Don't you believe me?" His slitted eyes made him resemble a snake. "You see, it's no fun if I make it too easy now is it? I'm going to give you a chance, and then I'm going to kill you."
Reno shivered slightly. It seemed some people were never meant to get a break. Hwen was truly a sick bastard, and if given the chance Reno would happily shoot him with a big smile on his face. Unfortunately, it seemed that may not be the way it was going to turn out. Not taking his eyes from Hwen, Reno unobtrusively slipped a hand into his pocket. His last resort. He'd found it on the beach back at the cabin the same day as he'd found the pack of cigarettes, when Yuffie had refused to go beach combing with him. Figuring that there was little likelihood of actually having to use it, he'd stashed it away and then forgotten about it entirely. In the depths of his pocket, he wrapped his hand around the potion almost absently. He'd intended to use it only in a real emergency, but it kind of looked like it was going to be now or never.
With as nonchalant an air as he could manage, Reno pulled the potion out and calmly brought the tiny purple bottle to his lips. With a cold smile of his own, Reno unstoppered the bottle and drank it down. He noticed with pleasure the way Hwen's smile faded as the glass vial became empty. Although not daring to take his eyes off the deranged madman, Reno took great pleasure in the feeling of well being that settled over him. He liked to imagine that he could feel the medicine working its way through his bloodstream, healing as it went. No, a single potion wouldn't even come close to repairing the damage done to his system, but it would make him at least functional. That was the best he could hope for, and he prayed it would be enough.
He could feel the haze clearing now, could begin to think with clarity again. His side still ached like anything, but both his arms and his legs seemed to be more or less up to speed. Testing, he stood up away from the wall. To his thinly concealed amazement, his legs and back held him and with almost no effort. Grinning now, Reno dropped the empty potion back into his pocket before giving Hwen a jaunty grin and stretching his arms up above his head. It felt very, very good. Almost as good as seeing the glitter of fear and anger in the tall Wutaian's eyes.
Done with his little display, Reno nodded to his opponent before reaching into his back pocket. Ah, yes, it was still there. He withdrew a small black object that he knew all too well. Reno's hands knew every groove and rough spot on the gun's surface, and he knew that it fired bullets point two degrees to the left. He could reload it in four seconds, take it apart and put it back together in forty. Reno knew his gun inside out, and holding it in his hand he knew that even injured he could match Hwen blow per blow, bullet per bullet.
"What a nice parting gift! I know that normally dead men can't use guns, but you have to realize, I'm not exactly ordinary." He smiled sweetly. "For someone who wants to kill me so badly, you really aren't doing a very good job of it." He cocked his own gun, mimicking Hwen's previous actions. "Turk rule number four: Always disarm your victim."
Weapon in hand, he took an experimental step forward. His ribs sent shooting pains, but it seemed to be relatively confined and nothing else seemed to be majorly wrong. Yes, apparently even a cheap little potion could work wonders when you were desperate enough. Reno's grin became a lot more evil. There are few things in the world that the Turks had ever bothered themselves with, but vengeance was one of them. Oh, yes, there was almost nothing sweeter than revenge and Reno knew that now it was his turn to get even.
* * * *
From her position almost halfway across the building, Yuffie heard the bullets start to fly. She was slightly preoccupied however. She cursed herself again, making good use of every word Cid had added to her vocabulary. She was such a self-centered idiot! It wasn't enough to almost let an ambush sneak right up on her, no, never good enough for Yuffie Kisaragi! Instead she'd freaking jumped right into the middle of it! If she'd had one handy and time to spare, Yuffie probably would have hit her head against a wall. But sadly, now was not the time for recriminations. There was too much to do, and not enough time as it was.
The sound of gunfire in the distance was in a way reassuring, but also terribly worrying. She'd bet anything that it was Reno, but she also had a sick feeling that his opponent was none other than Hwen. While she knew Reno was one of the most competent people she had ever met, she also knew that he was injured and probably a lot more so than the last time she'd seen him. How long could he hold up under the barrage leveled at him by her once comrade in arms? She just prayed that he didn't underestimate the Wutaian. She'd seen Hwen training since she was a toddler, and growing up she'd often admired his skill. Well, no more. She just had to hope. She would get to Reno, help him when she could, but for now she had to take care of her own problems.
She surveyed the shadows arrayed before her, trying hard to count them in the dim light. There appeared to be six, or maybe seven, but it was almost impossible to tell. She faced them in the crumbling corridor, weapon at ready. To their great surprise, as well as her own, she had come diving out of nowhere at them, and had passed straight through one of them and hit the ground rolling. She'd come up and gone immediately into attack stance, all the while full of shock and horror. Stupid! They were watching her now, and though the corridor was too narrow for them to circle around they were searching for an opening. How convenient that their target had delivered herself directly to them! She swore again.
Taking her conformer, Yuffie swung it warningly in the direction of one of the creatures that had edged too close. It flowed out of the way, liquid darkness. Yuffie glared at them now, trying hard to suppress the fear she felt quickly mounting. She stared into the dark, eyeless sockets of one of them that had more or less human form, and for the first time Yuffie was well and truly afraid. For one, she knew she was alone. Reno wouldn't be coming to her rescue this time; he was locked in a fierce battle somewhere beyond her reach. She was alone. The words echoed around her head. There was no one, nowhere for her to go. Wutai was gone, her friends were gone, they'd abandoned her to this darkness. They didn't care; why would they come to help some whiny ninja brat who caused them nothing but trouble? No, they'd watch and laugh as she floundered around helplessly here in the shadows; pointing and laughing. And Reno. He wasn't here. He probably didn't care either! Why should he care!? She was all alone. She was trapped here, huddled in a little ball, a scared child all alone. She could feel the darkness creeping up on her and she wanted to cry out but there was no one who would here. She was all alone. Reno.
The name snapped her out of it. She tore her eyes away from the creature, feeling the coldness ebb away. That had been too close. That feeling of utter abandonment. If they could do that with only their eyes, then it did not bode well. Yuffie shivered. Was she really that insecure? Probably. She was a teenager who had seen more than her fair share, and though she had amazing friends she'd always sort of counted herself the odd one out. The youngest one, the pest, the brat, the thief who was just along for the ride. She was always afraid that people, her friends, would think of her like that. She just hid it very well under layers of stubbornness and playful immaturity. It was just the way she dealt, coped, survived. She needed to cling to that childishness, to put up a brave front for herself. She had always lived that way, surrounding herself with walls until the walls became a part of her.
She had always been selfish, true, but it had been because before Cloud and everyone there had never been anyone else to care about. Her father had always run Wutai, encouraging her independence and free spirit. It wasn't until after Meteor that she'd discovered what it was like to be really be a part of her city, and to be a true leader. Even then though, in a way she'd been apart, separate, afraid. Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Cid, Barret, Cait Sith, Red, even Vinny. They had shown her what it was to care about other people, to put someone or something before yourself. But still. it hadn't been enough. And overnight everything had changed. Wutai was gone, Cloud, Cid and co. were on their way here right now, very likely traveling towards death that she would deliver to them with her own hands. And Reno. Reno. Inwardly, Yuffie smiled. Oh, there was something, someone to fight for now alright.
Holding her conformer with one hand, Yuffie slid one foot forward and the other slightly back. She would need the momentum the rough floor could provide if she were going to be able to press the advantage of speed. All right; plan time. She needed to get to where Reno was, and then they needed to make a hasty exit. These shadow things were now between her and her redheaded Turk, and she was about to show them quite how dangerous a place that was to be. The gunfire would make it easier to find Reno, but she would have to get there, and preferably in good enough shape so that she would be able to help. Speed was definitely of the essence. Eyeing the creatures, Yuffie searched for an opening. She didn't have time to waste, so she was going to have to break through. Keeping the monsters off her back while on the move wasn't going to be the easiest thing she'd ever done, but there was not a lot of choice. It seemed like the Universe wanted action.
Tensing for only a fraction of a second, Yuffie leaned her weight into it and pushed off. She knew what she was doing was dangerous, but she had no doubts. She launched straight towards the small gap between two of the creatures. With only a slightly delayed reaction, one moved forward to cut her off and effectively block the way to freedom. Yuffie had counted on that. Without any kind of forewarning, Yuffie's next running step was slid off to one side. Using that same speed, she pushed out sending herself spinning through the air, Conformer flying at arms length, whipping at anything within reach. Lashing out with her right leg, Yuffie sent the intercepting creature straight back and into the floor before landing lightly on both feet. Within the instant, she was off like a spooked hare. Yuffie knew that in a straight match the Shadows were no match for her. The real challenge would be keeping up the pace while battling.
She could hear the sounds of pursuit already ringing in her ears. They moved strangely, and she found it difficult to place exactly where they were and what they were doing. Looking backwards would mean to lose precious seconds, however, so Yuffie concentrated on just putting as much distance between her and them as possible. She silently thanked whatever gods may be listening for giving her the foresight to keep up her training. It was only thanks to the crazy amount of stamina she'd built up over the years that she'd made it this far. She was tired; it was true. The days leading up to this one hadn't exactly been conducive to sleep, and even she was starting to run low on energy. Fighting takes a lot out of you, and the constant battle of wits as well as weapons had kept her on her toes for about as long as she could stand. If she lost the war to exhaustion than it would all the over.
A strange skittering sound forced her to divide her attention, cutting into the concentration that she clung to so precariously. She had very little time to wonder, however, before the answer presented itself with great force. The noise drew closer, sounding more and more like claws skittering across the hard floor. With little to no warning, the figure making the sound threw itself bodily at Yuffie from the back right in an attempt to dissuade her from her intended flight. She let out a brief yelp as she went tumbling forward and straight into a wall.
Finding herself lying on her back, scrunched against the remnants of a wall, Yuffie rolled over and hastily climbed to her feet. What had that been, that it could run so fast? Fear stirred within her when she considered her chances without the advantage of speed. Not good at all. It was then that a large dark shape padded forward, out of the thick, chalky air. She recognized it all too well, now that she saw it up close for the first time. How had she forgotten? It was still the same dark shadowy substance as the other monsters, but its hulking shape was now on all fours, with a long, pointed muzzle jutting out from the barely distinguishable face. Dark eyeless sockets watched her, and it opened its mouth to let out the terrible ultrasonic shriek that Yuffie would never forget until the day she died. Trying to ignore the ringing in her ears, Yuffie fought a losing battle to stay on her feet. Finding herself slowly sliding down regardless, she hit the floor on her knees but refused to cover her ears.
As the wail slowly died away, Yuffie, trembling, allowed herself to look around once more. The other five Shadows had drawn closely in, apparently signaled by the god-awful sound.
How could she have forgotten their flight in the forest from these very same creatures? Back in Wutai, Ben had even warned her that they could shape shift at will. She should have been using the knowledge to keep one step ahead, not letting it catch her with her guard down. This was bad news, and unless Yuffie came up with something very quickly it might even spell the beginning of some very serious trouble. Climbing back up, Yuffie studied the dark things surrounding her.
They all seemed very intent on her every movement, and Yuffie tried to force her brain into overdrive. The Shadows were fairly smart, and now they had at least one that could and would transform into wolf form. She needed to throw them off badly, but how to do it? She wished that she still had one of her flash bombs left right about now, but just about anything would do. Distance was what she needed, that and a major distraction. Well, what did she have that could keep their attention occupied long enough? She had the Conformer, but there was no way in hell she was going to throw that away. She had the Fire materia, but that was also something that she would only lose on pain of death. Yuffie knew all too well how violently the Shadows reacted to materia, but without it she wouldn't be able to fight them. Okay then. That could be Plan B, a last desperate resort.
For the time being, there had to be something else. They seemed to follow every gesture she made, so perhaps a big enough movement from behind would do the trick? That, at least, she could manage. Looking down, Yuffie hastily considered her options. So little time before they moved in for the attack. It would have to be the wrist guard. She flinched slightly at the thought of throwing it away, since it could carry up to eight materia at a time, but right now this wasn't exactly a top priority. With a slight moan as her inner materia hunter kicked in, Yuffie undid the tight metal brace before judging distances. Taking a deep breath, Yuffie drew back her arm, and threw as hard as she could back the way they'd come. Not even the tiniest reaction. Every single one of the creatures' eyes remained on her, even when a distant thud told her it had hit the ground. Great. Now she'd thrown away her favorite armor for nothing.
It was going to come down to the wire then. Well, she thought, materia, you've been a good friend. Maybe if she could run fast enough she could get away, and then she wouldn't need the materia. Then she and Reno could escape, and they could get more materia for when they decided to come back. Lots and lots of materia. It was all she could hope for as she carefully disengaged the materia from its slot on her conformer. She could feel the attention of every single one of the monsters on the small round green orb in the palm of her hand. With a slightly ironic smile, Yuffie threw it.
This time she did get a reaction, and instantly. Their strange hissing arose, and as one the Shadows turned to pursue what they perceived as the biggest threat to them. The wolf one bounded ahead, but the others followed closely behind leaving Yuffie to make good her escape. Shortly she knew they'd come after her again, but hopefully their hatred of materia would keep them back for just long enough. She began to sprint in the opposite direction, telling her tired legs that it was just a little further now, just a little more. Whether or not this was the truth didn't matter, as long as she went on believing it. Running as hard as she could, Yuffie tried to listen for the Shadows to know when they finally caught on to what she'd done. Unfortunately, sound was not the first thing that told her they were on her tail once again.
The arrow whizzed past, just half an inch from her left cheek. Her eyes widened as she felt the displaced air brush against her face, saw the arrow continue on ahead of her to embed itself into the ruins somewhere. Fear seemed to be a constant state of being for Yuffie lately, but seeing the arrow fly past nearly stopped her heart once and for all. She remembered all too well what Ben had told her about those and their effect on anyone and everyone they struck. With some difficulty, she forced her breathing to continue before tearing away up the passage at an even higher speed. She could not afford to take even the slightest hit from one of those. And now, with no materia to defend herself with from the Shadows, Yuffie had no choice but to run as far and fast as her legs would take her before she collapsed. There was nothing for it now.
She would take the fight to Reno.
~*Author's Note: Before anything else, I just want to say that this chapter is dedicated especially to Tijuana Pirate for teaching me the art of poke and run, and to One Cute Sweetie Pie because she's the most awesome person in the world and also because it's her birthday. * waves * Happy Birthday! This is also for Kiwi Kawaii because she hasn't killed me yet, for Voodoo Firefly for being simply amazing, for DarkAngel666, A Flower Merchant, Kimmie3, and everybody else. And, just for the record, I'm so totally ashamed that this took like six months to write. But I'm back, and I'm packing mega chapters! I'd originally intended to make this chapter way longer, but I decided to split into two. Next time, the battle between Reno and Hwen. ^_^ *~
Chapter 17
He was pinned to the ground, trapped. A pressure weighed heavily on his chest, and half the battle was to breathe. He couldn't see, darkness engulfed him and plaster dust clouded whatever little was left to see. Someone - or something - strong held him firmly against the floor, never easing off even enough to let him regain the blood flow to his arms. This last shock to his system had left Reno with a spinning head, the right side of his chest screaming in agony, and both his arms numb. When he tried to move his fingers and found he could not, Reno privately decided that it couldn't be a good sign. If only he could see who or what was holding him down, then maybe he'd be able to do something about it. As he coughed violently on the dust filled air, Reno wished desperately that this was so.
As if in answer to his thoughts, the black haze cleared leaving him temporarily disoriented. For a fleeting instant he felt as if the world had tilted sideways and he was freefalling. Although the sensation lasted only momentarily, it was disconcerting to say the very least. If for no other reason, Reno wanted his hands back so he could clutch his head and make sure it didn't fall off. For now, he settled for a groan.
"Ooowww.."
He heard snickering from somewhere just out of his field of vision, and in a near fatal mistake he tried to sit up. Whatever was holding him down pushed back violently, and Reno's head slammed back down. Not that the thing needed have bothered itself. The moment he'd tried to lift his shoulders his head had gone spinning and an overwhelming feeling of nausea had swept over him. No, blood loss was definitely not a good thing.
Then Hwen decided to step into view.
"So, Turk, it seems we meet at last."
Even in his current state, Reno realized that something was required of him. Feigning confusion, he gave the crazed Wutaian his most bewildered look.
"At last? Didn't I just see you fifteen minutes ago?" When Hwen growled, Reno hazarded a grin. "And I thought I'd been hitting walls hard."
Hwen was already almost ready to begin frothing at the mouth, and his eyes bulged ominously. Reno noted ever so slightly deliriously that after this was all over someone should take some serious therapy lessons. But to his surprise, the dark man managed to get a hold of himself, with a deep breath and a nervous hand gesture to slick back his long blue-black hair. He looked a little like Tseng, Reno realized dazedly, except for the complete lack of anything resembling sanity behind those eyes. Now Hwen was smiling, a hand slipping into one of his pockets. Those same dark eyes glinted with a sadistic excitement, and he seemed to always be twitching in some way or form. He returned Reno's raised eyebrow with his glazed grin.
"Now, now, Turk. I wouldn't worry too highly about it. Within the next three minutes you will probably be more concerned with the hole in your head then with the ones in your memory. Then we'll see who's making clever remarks."
Still smiling terribly, he withdrew a heavy, black gun from his pocket. It glinted dully, and it took Reno a moment to register the meaning of the motion. When he finally managed to make his brain connect with his eyes, he was painfully reminded that the rest of his body had a part to play too. A horrible feeling was gnawing at his stomach, and the instinctive fear must have shown in his face as well because Hwen laughed. Slowly, delightedly, he cocked the gun.
Frantically, as fast as he was able without blacking out, Reno turned his head from side to side in a last bid to find a way out of his desperate predicament. Nothing. Dark shadows held him down relentlessly, one on either side and neither showed the slightest inclination to let him go. After what he'd done to the one's back in Vampy's study, he couldn't really blame them either. Turning back to Hwen, once again everything that made Reno himself deserted him. Buffing the gun with his sleeve, Hwen cast Reno an absent glance as if to say 'oh, you're still here?'
"You see these two on your left and right? Don't even think about trying to get loose. They'll do whatever I tell them to, without hesitation or thought." Seeing the expression on Reno's face, his laughter became less convulsively maniacal. More calm, more cold, more scary. "Oh, come now. It'll all be over in a minute." And with that he leveled the barrel of the gun directly at Reno's forehead.
Reno's thoughts raced. Was this how it was really going to end? Ironically fitting for a Turk. But as much as Reno wanted to give into the exhaustion, he found himself simply and completely unable. As the adrenalin flooded his veins, freezing him, his thoughts became faster and faster until he couldn't keep up with them himself. What about Yuffie? Would she be okay? Did Elena and Rude ever open their flower shop? Maybe they opened a chain of stores? An evil Jenova clone was about to take over the Planet. He still didn't have his sunglasses. Someone was pointing a gun at his head. Man he needed his cigarettes. It couldn't end like this. Yuffie would come and save him. Something would happen. Something always happened. It couldn't end like this. The one on the wrong end of the gun always won. Rule of happy endings. Hah, not in his experience. It couldn't end like
* * * *
Yuffie had been walking down a hallway when she heard it. A single gunshot. Then silence. She froze, but the sound was far off, and for now she had no way of finding out what was going on. It didn't really concern her, anyway, right now. Her only job was finding Reno and she would let nothing stay her from that course.
But, man, was she going to let that stupid turkey have it when she found him. He had absolutely no right to be so annoyingly likeable! Inwardly Yuffie fumed. Once he was safe, she was going to make him regret that fact for the rest of his miserable life. With an annoyed sigh, the young ninja tugged distractedly at her hair and tried to think about which way Reno might have gone. Although now that the walls had been more or less leveled, it was easier to see but it was also a million times easier to get lost. To be perfectly honest with herself, Yuffie would have to admit that she truly had no idea where the ex-Turk might be. She was annoyed with herself, with her mal-functioning sense of direction and with the entire world in general.
A little while before, she had convinced Reno that she believed in him to make him realize that he could fight too. It hadn't been a lie, no, nothing like that. She really did believe in him, she knew and now so did he. Three years ago he had been one of the only people she could count on to always be around, even when it was when she least wanted him. Now he had suddenly reappeared into her life and she had found that his presence meant a whole lot more. She had always sort of pictured him as the one who would pull through no matter what, but the past week had taught her that even he could hurt sometimes. With a pang she remembered his face after they had watched that horrible tape just before she had walked straight into Hwen. The pain in Reno's eyes and face had been so obvious that it was all she could do but to wrap her arms around him and hold him tight. This was Yuffie's dilemma.
She shook her head disgustedly. Why was everything so hard? Biting her lip, she just hoped fervently that wherever he was, he was okay. Of course he was. He was Reno, and nothing bad could ever happen to Reno, right!? Then why could she remember in vivid technicolor the red blood staining his shirt and bright gashes across his stomach? No, she couldn't think that way. Of course he was okay. For now, until she found him, she just had to worry about herself.
She had been aware of the shuffling footsteps since almost two hallways back, but they seemed to be getting closer now. Although she had deemed them non threatening as long as they were content to stay at a distance, now she was feeling a bit more edgy. Her conformer held tightly in her hand, Yuffie thought of all the places she'd rather be. Inside of a nice, hot shower was probably top of the list. Trying to imagine something so novel as running water, she turned her ear towards her pursuer(s). Yes, there was no doubt that they were approaching fast, whoever they were. She knew that there were a million and two people out to find her at the moment, Vampy himself included, but Yuffie's single-mindedness and sheer desire made her ignore the tiny little flashing light at the back of her head labeled caution.
It was Reno! He must have heard her own footsteps despite her prudence, and had been following her. And all the while she'd been looking for him. A flood of relief washed over Yuffie, and she felt like doing cartwheels. Torn between throwing her arms around him and ambushing him and then beating the heck out of him, Yuffie decided to compromise. Snickering evilly, she flattened herself against the wall where she could not be seen by the person coming around the corner. Oh, she was going to give Reno something to think about, all right. Then he'd think twice about making her worry so damn much ever again.
She listened carefully to the sound of the footfalls, and savored the moment before preparing herself to spring. They were very soft, but Yuffie already knew how quietly Reno moved, and besides, who else would have a reason to be sneaking around? She was fairly certain that Vampy would be much more direct when he finally found her, and so it was that she resolved that if at all possible she was not going to be found. It was easy for Reno to say that this needed to be ended, but Yuffie had looked the man in crimson in the eye, and the paralyzing fear still lingered in the back of her mind. If she could fight and win, that was perfect, but otherwise the safest place for her was somewhere very far away from here. Shaking her head slightly to clear it of distractions, she once again set her purpose to scaring the bejeezus out of Reno.
The faint sounds grew steadily louder, and she finally heard the person turn into the corridor where she stood hidden. Trying her hardest not to laugh and give herself away, Yuffie waited, holding her breath, until the footsteps were merely feet away and still approaching. Taking a last deep breath, Yuffie turned, and leapt.
* * * *
The sound of the shot rang out loudly in the corridor where Reno had lain helpless only seconds before. It shattered the silence throughout the empty corridors and dark rooms. If Yuffie had had any idea at all what it meant, then the events that followed might have turned out much differently.
The gun that had fired the shot still lay in the hand of the one who'd fired it, who seemed undeterred by what had just happened. Hwen smiled and let the gun drop against his shoulder. He nodded with some satisfaction at his handiwork, and surveyed the damage done. With a small nod, he twisted his lips into a grim sneer.
"Get up, Turk."
Reno's eyes opened warily, non-comprehendingly. His head still rang from the sound of the shot, but where there should have been blood there was none. Still in shock, Reno could grasp that he was alive and nothing more. It took him a long moment to realize that he could feel his left arm again. Unfortunately, as the knowledge hit him, so did the pain. An awful prickling sensation crawled up his arm as the blood began to flow again. He felt the pressure withdraw off his other side as well, and he gritted his teeth as a fresh wave of torment washed over him, dulling all other sensations. For a second he feared he might black out, but he fought back against the pit that threatened to swallow him. When he resurfaced, Reno lay still for a moment, breathing heavily. The only thing he could hear was Hwen laughing.
When Reno opened his eyes again, he found himself able to think once more, at least marginally. Whatever the case, he was conscious enough to finally understand what had happened, and ever so carefully, he began to sit up. It was a long process accompanied by many stops, and the entire time Hwen was watching him with that greasy smirk. Man, he had forgotten it was possible to hurt this much. Right now Reno's Turk days seemed so far away that for a fleeting instant he wondered if they had ever happened at all. No, he was Reno and he was a Turk. He would get up.
Finally in sitting position, Reno maneuvered himself so that his back was against the wall, and then with his right arm he pushed himself up inch by inch. Every moment was hell, but he did not give up. Although standing was near impossible, he managed to support himself with the wall so that he achieved the closest thing possible. Hunched over, clutching his left arm with his right, he glared at Hwen. This did not seem to have the desired effect. Hwen burst into more laughter as if the whole thing were a glorious joke. Both of them disregarded the second shadow creature that was standing a ways apart, still awaiting instructions. Each man's attention was riveted on his rival. For a time it seemed as though the strange staring contest would continue forever, but Reno was the first to give in.
"Why?"
His question was quiet, but his eyes smoldered with hatred.
"I was proving a point. I told you they'd do anything I told them. . . including dieing." He turned to the creature standing behind him. "You may leave now. I will take care of the rest." The creature nodded in acknowledgement, and then slunk away into the shadows from whence it had come. Reno's glare was becoming more suspicious by the moment.
"Answer me."
"But it's the truth, Turk. Don't you believe me?" His slitted eyes made him resemble a snake. "You see, it's no fun if I make it too easy now is it? I'm going to give you a chance, and then I'm going to kill you."
Reno shivered slightly. It seemed some people were never meant to get a break. Hwen was truly a sick bastard, and if given the chance Reno would happily shoot him with a big smile on his face. Unfortunately, it seemed that may not be the way it was going to turn out. Not taking his eyes from Hwen, Reno unobtrusively slipped a hand into his pocket. His last resort. He'd found it on the beach back at the cabin the same day as he'd found the pack of cigarettes, when Yuffie had refused to go beach combing with him. Figuring that there was little likelihood of actually having to use it, he'd stashed it away and then forgotten about it entirely. In the depths of his pocket, he wrapped his hand around the potion almost absently. He'd intended to use it only in a real emergency, but it kind of looked like it was going to be now or never.
With as nonchalant an air as he could manage, Reno pulled the potion out and calmly brought the tiny purple bottle to his lips. With a cold smile of his own, Reno unstoppered the bottle and drank it down. He noticed with pleasure the way Hwen's smile faded as the glass vial became empty. Although not daring to take his eyes off the deranged madman, Reno took great pleasure in the feeling of well being that settled over him. He liked to imagine that he could feel the medicine working its way through his bloodstream, healing as it went. No, a single potion wouldn't even come close to repairing the damage done to his system, but it would make him at least functional. That was the best he could hope for, and he prayed it would be enough.
He could feel the haze clearing now, could begin to think with clarity again. His side still ached like anything, but both his arms and his legs seemed to be more or less up to speed. Testing, he stood up away from the wall. To his thinly concealed amazement, his legs and back held him and with almost no effort. Grinning now, Reno dropped the empty potion back into his pocket before giving Hwen a jaunty grin and stretching his arms up above his head. It felt very, very good. Almost as good as seeing the glitter of fear and anger in the tall Wutaian's eyes.
Done with his little display, Reno nodded to his opponent before reaching into his back pocket. Ah, yes, it was still there. He withdrew a small black object that he knew all too well. Reno's hands knew every groove and rough spot on the gun's surface, and he knew that it fired bullets point two degrees to the left. He could reload it in four seconds, take it apart and put it back together in forty. Reno knew his gun inside out, and holding it in his hand he knew that even injured he could match Hwen blow per blow, bullet per bullet.
"What a nice parting gift! I know that normally dead men can't use guns, but you have to realize, I'm not exactly ordinary." He smiled sweetly. "For someone who wants to kill me so badly, you really aren't doing a very good job of it." He cocked his own gun, mimicking Hwen's previous actions. "Turk rule number four: Always disarm your victim."
Weapon in hand, he took an experimental step forward. His ribs sent shooting pains, but it seemed to be relatively confined and nothing else seemed to be majorly wrong. Yes, apparently even a cheap little potion could work wonders when you were desperate enough. Reno's grin became a lot more evil. There are few things in the world that the Turks had ever bothered themselves with, but vengeance was one of them. Oh, yes, there was almost nothing sweeter than revenge and Reno knew that now it was his turn to get even.
* * * *
From her position almost halfway across the building, Yuffie heard the bullets start to fly. She was slightly preoccupied however. She cursed herself again, making good use of every word Cid had added to her vocabulary. She was such a self-centered idiot! It wasn't enough to almost let an ambush sneak right up on her, no, never good enough for Yuffie Kisaragi! Instead she'd freaking jumped right into the middle of it! If she'd had one handy and time to spare, Yuffie probably would have hit her head against a wall. But sadly, now was not the time for recriminations. There was too much to do, and not enough time as it was.
The sound of gunfire in the distance was in a way reassuring, but also terribly worrying. She'd bet anything that it was Reno, but she also had a sick feeling that his opponent was none other than Hwen. While she knew Reno was one of the most competent people she had ever met, she also knew that he was injured and probably a lot more so than the last time she'd seen him. How long could he hold up under the barrage leveled at him by her once comrade in arms? She just prayed that he didn't underestimate the Wutaian. She'd seen Hwen training since she was a toddler, and growing up she'd often admired his skill. Well, no more. She just had to hope. She would get to Reno, help him when she could, but for now she had to take care of her own problems.
She surveyed the shadows arrayed before her, trying hard to count them in the dim light. There appeared to be six, or maybe seven, but it was almost impossible to tell. She faced them in the crumbling corridor, weapon at ready. To their great surprise, as well as her own, she had come diving out of nowhere at them, and had passed straight through one of them and hit the ground rolling. She'd come up and gone immediately into attack stance, all the while full of shock and horror. Stupid! They were watching her now, and though the corridor was too narrow for them to circle around they were searching for an opening. How convenient that their target had delivered herself directly to them! She swore again.
Taking her conformer, Yuffie swung it warningly in the direction of one of the creatures that had edged too close. It flowed out of the way, liquid darkness. Yuffie glared at them now, trying hard to suppress the fear she felt quickly mounting. She stared into the dark, eyeless sockets of one of them that had more or less human form, and for the first time Yuffie was well and truly afraid. For one, she knew she was alone. Reno wouldn't be coming to her rescue this time; he was locked in a fierce battle somewhere beyond her reach. She was alone. The words echoed around her head. There was no one, nowhere for her to go. Wutai was gone, her friends were gone, they'd abandoned her to this darkness. They didn't care; why would they come to help some whiny ninja brat who caused them nothing but trouble? No, they'd watch and laugh as she floundered around helplessly here in the shadows; pointing and laughing. And Reno. He wasn't here. He probably didn't care either! Why should he care!? She was all alone. She was trapped here, huddled in a little ball, a scared child all alone. She could feel the darkness creeping up on her and she wanted to cry out but there was no one who would here. She was all alone. Reno.
The name snapped her out of it. She tore her eyes away from the creature, feeling the coldness ebb away. That had been too close. That feeling of utter abandonment. If they could do that with only their eyes, then it did not bode well. Yuffie shivered. Was she really that insecure? Probably. She was a teenager who had seen more than her fair share, and though she had amazing friends she'd always sort of counted herself the odd one out. The youngest one, the pest, the brat, the thief who was just along for the ride. She was always afraid that people, her friends, would think of her like that. She just hid it very well under layers of stubbornness and playful immaturity. It was just the way she dealt, coped, survived. She needed to cling to that childishness, to put up a brave front for herself. She had always lived that way, surrounding herself with walls until the walls became a part of her.
She had always been selfish, true, but it had been because before Cloud and everyone there had never been anyone else to care about. Her father had always run Wutai, encouraging her independence and free spirit. It wasn't until after Meteor that she'd discovered what it was like to be really be a part of her city, and to be a true leader. Even then though, in a way she'd been apart, separate, afraid. Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Cid, Barret, Cait Sith, Red, even Vinny. They had shown her what it was to care about other people, to put someone or something before yourself. But still. it hadn't been enough. And overnight everything had changed. Wutai was gone, Cloud, Cid and co. were on their way here right now, very likely traveling towards death that she would deliver to them with her own hands. And Reno. Reno. Inwardly, Yuffie smiled. Oh, there was something, someone to fight for now alright.
Holding her conformer with one hand, Yuffie slid one foot forward and the other slightly back. She would need the momentum the rough floor could provide if she were going to be able to press the advantage of speed. All right; plan time. She needed to get to where Reno was, and then they needed to make a hasty exit. These shadow things were now between her and her redheaded Turk, and she was about to show them quite how dangerous a place that was to be. The gunfire would make it easier to find Reno, but she would have to get there, and preferably in good enough shape so that she would be able to help. Speed was definitely of the essence. Eyeing the creatures, Yuffie searched for an opening. She didn't have time to waste, so she was going to have to break through. Keeping the monsters off her back while on the move wasn't going to be the easiest thing she'd ever done, but there was not a lot of choice. It seemed like the Universe wanted action.
Tensing for only a fraction of a second, Yuffie leaned her weight into it and pushed off. She knew what she was doing was dangerous, but she had no doubts. She launched straight towards the small gap between two of the creatures. With only a slightly delayed reaction, one moved forward to cut her off and effectively block the way to freedom. Yuffie had counted on that. Without any kind of forewarning, Yuffie's next running step was slid off to one side. Using that same speed, she pushed out sending herself spinning through the air, Conformer flying at arms length, whipping at anything within reach. Lashing out with her right leg, Yuffie sent the intercepting creature straight back and into the floor before landing lightly on both feet. Within the instant, she was off like a spooked hare. Yuffie knew that in a straight match the Shadows were no match for her. The real challenge would be keeping up the pace while battling.
She could hear the sounds of pursuit already ringing in her ears. They moved strangely, and she found it difficult to place exactly where they were and what they were doing. Looking backwards would mean to lose precious seconds, however, so Yuffie concentrated on just putting as much distance between her and them as possible. She silently thanked whatever gods may be listening for giving her the foresight to keep up her training. It was only thanks to the crazy amount of stamina she'd built up over the years that she'd made it this far. She was tired; it was true. The days leading up to this one hadn't exactly been conducive to sleep, and even she was starting to run low on energy. Fighting takes a lot out of you, and the constant battle of wits as well as weapons had kept her on her toes for about as long as she could stand. If she lost the war to exhaustion than it would all the over.
A strange skittering sound forced her to divide her attention, cutting into the concentration that she clung to so precariously. She had very little time to wonder, however, before the answer presented itself with great force. The noise drew closer, sounding more and more like claws skittering across the hard floor. With little to no warning, the figure making the sound threw itself bodily at Yuffie from the back right in an attempt to dissuade her from her intended flight. She let out a brief yelp as she went tumbling forward and straight into a wall.
Finding herself lying on her back, scrunched against the remnants of a wall, Yuffie rolled over and hastily climbed to her feet. What had that been, that it could run so fast? Fear stirred within her when she considered her chances without the advantage of speed. Not good at all. It was then that a large dark shape padded forward, out of the thick, chalky air. She recognized it all too well, now that she saw it up close for the first time. How had she forgotten? It was still the same dark shadowy substance as the other monsters, but its hulking shape was now on all fours, with a long, pointed muzzle jutting out from the barely distinguishable face. Dark eyeless sockets watched her, and it opened its mouth to let out the terrible ultrasonic shriek that Yuffie would never forget until the day she died. Trying to ignore the ringing in her ears, Yuffie fought a losing battle to stay on her feet. Finding herself slowly sliding down regardless, she hit the floor on her knees but refused to cover her ears.
As the wail slowly died away, Yuffie, trembling, allowed herself to look around once more. The other five Shadows had drawn closely in, apparently signaled by the god-awful sound.
How could she have forgotten their flight in the forest from these very same creatures? Back in Wutai, Ben had even warned her that they could shape shift at will. She should have been using the knowledge to keep one step ahead, not letting it catch her with her guard down. This was bad news, and unless Yuffie came up with something very quickly it might even spell the beginning of some very serious trouble. Climbing back up, Yuffie studied the dark things surrounding her.
They all seemed very intent on her every movement, and Yuffie tried to force her brain into overdrive. The Shadows were fairly smart, and now they had at least one that could and would transform into wolf form. She needed to throw them off badly, but how to do it? She wished that she still had one of her flash bombs left right about now, but just about anything would do. Distance was what she needed, that and a major distraction. Well, what did she have that could keep their attention occupied long enough? She had the Conformer, but there was no way in hell she was going to throw that away. She had the Fire materia, but that was also something that she would only lose on pain of death. Yuffie knew all too well how violently the Shadows reacted to materia, but without it she wouldn't be able to fight them. Okay then. That could be Plan B, a last desperate resort.
For the time being, there had to be something else. They seemed to follow every gesture she made, so perhaps a big enough movement from behind would do the trick? That, at least, she could manage. Looking down, Yuffie hastily considered her options. So little time before they moved in for the attack. It would have to be the wrist guard. She flinched slightly at the thought of throwing it away, since it could carry up to eight materia at a time, but right now this wasn't exactly a top priority. With a slight moan as her inner materia hunter kicked in, Yuffie undid the tight metal brace before judging distances. Taking a deep breath, Yuffie drew back her arm, and threw as hard as she could back the way they'd come. Not even the tiniest reaction. Every single one of the creatures' eyes remained on her, even when a distant thud told her it had hit the ground. Great. Now she'd thrown away her favorite armor for nothing.
It was going to come down to the wire then. Well, she thought, materia, you've been a good friend. Maybe if she could run fast enough she could get away, and then she wouldn't need the materia. Then she and Reno could escape, and they could get more materia for when they decided to come back. Lots and lots of materia. It was all she could hope for as she carefully disengaged the materia from its slot on her conformer. She could feel the attention of every single one of the monsters on the small round green orb in the palm of her hand. With a slightly ironic smile, Yuffie threw it.
This time she did get a reaction, and instantly. Their strange hissing arose, and as one the Shadows turned to pursue what they perceived as the biggest threat to them. The wolf one bounded ahead, but the others followed closely behind leaving Yuffie to make good her escape. Shortly she knew they'd come after her again, but hopefully their hatred of materia would keep them back for just long enough. She began to sprint in the opposite direction, telling her tired legs that it was just a little further now, just a little more. Whether or not this was the truth didn't matter, as long as she went on believing it. Running as hard as she could, Yuffie tried to listen for the Shadows to know when they finally caught on to what she'd done. Unfortunately, sound was not the first thing that told her they were on her tail once again.
The arrow whizzed past, just half an inch from her left cheek. Her eyes widened as she felt the displaced air brush against her face, saw the arrow continue on ahead of her to embed itself into the ruins somewhere. Fear seemed to be a constant state of being for Yuffie lately, but seeing the arrow fly past nearly stopped her heart once and for all. She remembered all too well what Ben had told her about those and their effect on anyone and everyone they struck. With some difficulty, she forced her breathing to continue before tearing away up the passage at an even higher speed. She could not afford to take even the slightest hit from one of those. And now, with no materia to defend herself with from the Shadows, Yuffie had no choice but to run as far and fast as her legs would take her before she collapsed. There was nothing for it now.
She would take the fight to Reno.
~*Author's Note: Before anything else, I just want to say that this chapter is dedicated especially to Tijuana Pirate for teaching me the art of poke and run, and to One Cute Sweetie Pie because she's the most awesome person in the world and also because it's her birthday. * waves * Happy Birthday! This is also for Kiwi Kawaii because she hasn't killed me yet, for Voodoo Firefly for being simply amazing, for DarkAngel666, A Flower Merchant, Kimmie3, and everybody else. And, just for the record, I'm so totally ashamed that this took like six months to write. But I'm back, and I'm packing mega chapters! I'd originally intended to make this chapter way longer, but I decided to split into two. Next time, the battle between Reno and Hwen. ^_^ *~