Shadow Dance
By: Liquid Ice
Author's Notes: Okay, I updated, big yahoo. -_- You guys who liked this story could all thank Gackt Camui. Lol, because I love this writer's stories so much, I had to give something in return. That and I was flattered that someone liked my story, despite the fact that it incredibly suck. Well, all my fics suck come to think of it. Man, I've truly degrading myself into nothingness. Bugger.
Presenting Chapter Four…
Oh yeah, warning, quite a lot of swearing.
Chapter Four
There was the sustenance of reality that made everything incredibly exhilarating.
In the heat of battle, blood flows more quickly through your heart.
The heart pumps erratically.
The nervous system assessed the skills and natural instincts stored in the brain and applied it to the very tips of your fingers, every inch of the muscles, enhance the propriety of your senses to the limit it knows of.
In the heat of the battle, a second of a lifetime can mean the end;
Because there is no room for mistakes.
For mistakes, was what caused her to be what she is now.
For an entity that holds no control over her mortality, she lost control of her will.
Immortality lost her freedom.
She is not Kino Makoto anymore.
No more.
Just Jupiter…
Only Jupiter.
*~*~*~*~*~
"Fire!" He croaked as he dodged another wave of silver lightning. Droplets of crimson streamed down his cheek when the lightning managed to scratch a fairly lengthy wound. But it was nothing, a cut was a cut and at this point, the irrelevance was of the norm. In a battle, everything was irrelevant. Only yourself and your opponent matters.
Cloud frowned slightly when he observed his attack absorbed into mere nothingness.
As he promised, he would rescue the mysterious friend of Ami, Usagi Tsukino, but his promised was delayed by the introduction of this enemy whose clothing was a familiarity but he can't seemed to put a place on it.
_____
The hallways never seemed to end, one after the other was an endless seam of corridors and doors and Cloud was beginning to think that he was never going to rescue her. Ahead of him was Aeris, who lead the unusual group- flower girl, an ex-Soldier, Avalanche leader, avalanche member and a strange species who preferred to be called RedXIII.
Suddenly a strange sensation rushed over him and he suddenly froze in his steps.
Barret stopped midway as he noticed the ex-soldier frowning precariously and not moving an inch.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He barked. Tifa looked at Cloud with concern.
"What's wrong Cloud?" she asked, a foreboding feeling creeping up her senses.
The group watched Cloud as he looked around, half annoyed half apprehensive with the supposed leader's actions.
"Something is…"
Suddenly he looked up and met curious Aeris's emerald eyes.
An extremely bright light blinded his eyes…
In the midst of the white light, a green figure approached.
A beautiful smiling girl, with rose earrings and brown hair tied into a ponytail, wisps of hair framing her face.
Cloud frowned.
The girl was walking slowly as if chains were dragging her down…
He blinked, and was face to face with a grotesque figure. Her face scarred disproportionately. Her left ear was ripped barely hanging; her right ear wore a bloodied rose earring…
____
"Jupiter Thunder Clap!"
He dodged the attack, gasping heavily as he prepared to summon his limit. For a fraction of a second, the enemy frowned in irritation before replacing it again with that bland look. It lifted its right hand again, electricity crackling in delight as it cloaked around the figure, pulsating in expansion and reverberating a sort of energy wave.
Cloud could feel the enormous mount of energy as his golden hair flapped around him.
It smirked.
"Jupiter Thunder Dragon!"
The lightning dragon roared with dispassion as it soared straight at him. He weakly stood up and braced for the impact. The screams of his group dying within the screams of the dragon.
He wondered idly if there was even a chance he could survive, much less get burnt to crisp.
"SHIELD!"
That was the last thing he heard before darkness blinded him.
0-0-0-0-0—
She blushed gracefully and he managed to blink. The spectators snickered in delight as they watched the unusual drama unfold before their very eyes.
"Ummm…hi?" she said.
Have we met?
0-0-0-0-0—
It suddenly felt very cold and he realized before he could open his eyes that he was drenched with unbearably cold water.
"Wake up you bloody bastard!" A voice barked.
"Barret what do you think you're doing? Let him rest!" Another voice said.
A sweet voice, it was familiar to him…
"He's been out of it for three freakin' damn days! There is no way in hell he's gonna get another beauty sleep! He's here to work and work he'll do!"
He frowned in annoyance, Barret right?
"That fu*@#%$ bastard, lucky ass, wake up you piece of shit!"
Cloud groggily opened his eyes, his vision, at first blurry and clouded, a shape forming within his perception.
"Oh my gosh, Cloud!" In a distant somewhere, a muffled sound, a slapping sound, an enraged noise.
"Cloud, Cloud are you okay?"
It was Aeris.
"Aeris? W-what happen? Where am I?" He groaned his back stiff with pain and his muscles aching.
"We're at Kalm town in an Inn, currently regrouping so to speak, we've been waiting for you to wake up. Barret splashed you with cold water," she giggled slightly and glanced a furtive look at Barret who glared at her in turn.
He tried to sit up only to feel a spark of pain stream down his back.
"Urgh, my back still hurts."
Aeris nodded, "you took quite a hit from Jupiter's dragon attack, even though Usagi's shield prevented you from burning into crisp, it seeped through and attacked your spinal cord."
It took a while to register what Aeris had said before he was forced to voice out his thoughts.
"Jupiter? Usa-gi?" He asked confusion etched on his features.
Aeris grinned enthusiastically, "Yes, I've been waiting for you to get up. I wanted to introduced you to the person who saved you – well, actually, us. Saved us. Usagi."
It was then that he finally laid his eyes on a shadowed figure submerged by the bright rays of light shining through the window. She sat there by the window, one leg perched on the window seat, the other dangling, her hands playing with a small dagger staring outside, ignoring everyone in the room. Cloud grunted, not feeling obliged to stand up and approached the mystery girl. Yet…he can't seem to get his eyes off her.
Blond hair, almost like sunflower petals but lined with golden streaks; he knew that much but whatever else her features show, he couldn't tell because of the blinding light.
"Your welcome."
Cloud started at the voice, crystal clear, he knew it came from the Usagi.
The golden-haired girl twisted her head and found himself overwhelmed with her blue eyes.
I know you…
*~*~*~*~*~
I'm done! Yes! *dances* I know its short but I've accomplished what I wanted to do in this chapter so I'm happy. I also know the scenes are short but there's a purpose as to why I've done it. I also know that I really haven't done much in answering questions. Lol, the only thing I managed to do is create further conflict and suspense.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry but this is how the story is supposed to go. Puzzles are placed in every chapter and in the end it will all fit together.
Reviews are very much appreciated. Really really appreciated. Tell me something I could improve upon, anything, I promise I'll work on it.