Chapter 25
Daitona's Attack
(Ambushed)
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or it's characters; all OC's are mine...umm, the name Mifune came from Noacat, and my thanks go to Celtic guardian for giving me a series of names that if I use I'll be sure to point them out.
A/N: Finally dragged myself out of bed at about 2 in the afternoon, all so I could write this chapter! Anyways, the name of this chapter…doesn't sound like…umm, too inviting. Glad I slept late because of two things: 1) I'll have a lot of time to get this chapter done no matter how late it gets, and 2) In a half dream state this morning this scene came to me and I thought it would be perfect to start this chapter!
Daitona's Attack (Ambushed):
Night turned into the burning day as Daitona worked out the details of an obviously, well set and thought through plan. The night hours were spent hiding all traces that they had set camp then getting SOLDIERs and cadets alike set into carefully sought out and made hiding places. They were separated into small groups and told that they could sleep during the day so long as one stayed up on guard.
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Night came without incident. Three commanders and a Wutain boy lay on their stomachs in wait. They were in front of all the small groups of men and happened to be on a sandy white beach of a great river.
The river was deep, and clear. The water flowed almost noiselessly, and almost looked of rippling silk. A deep blue and black silk that swirled with a thick white mist. The water ran fast but without rapids; the mist only seemed to be near the water because there was a clear view all the way across the river to another, much larger sandy beach.
The four next to the river dozed in their sleeping bags waiting for any signs of enemy soldiers. Otto was on watch and had taken a spot on the right. Tseng slept soundly to his left, and then Sephiroth and Daitona had the left side.
She and Sephiroth had slept a while and were now awake talking softly over the fine details of her plan. The night sky soon became streaked with an array of blues and purples, and then lightened to reds and oranges.
Otto was about to nod off when movement caught his eye from across the river. He propped his head up and looked to where the movement had come from. On the far beach, two figures dressed in black crept along the shore; it seemed as if they were looking for something.
Daitona and Sephiroth had fallen quiet and they too watched the two figures on the opposite beach. Everyone's head snapped around when there was a rustle of leaves from behind, then back forward from the sound of splashing water.
"They're gone," Otto hissed. The two figures across the river where nowhere in sight and the water didn't looked disturbed in the least.
"Get your swords ready!" Daitona ordered rolling onto her back; both her swords were in hand and ready to go. She inhaled the crisp air deeply and her face dropped. "What did you do Otto, go to sleep? They're all around us…"
As if to prove her point two Wutain soldiers jumped through the bush and tried to attack, but were met by Daitona's swords. She turned back around and gave a disgusted look, but not to Sephiroth or even Otto.
"Wake up you idiot!" she snarled and gave Tseng a good kick in the gut.
Tseng gasped as Daitona's steel-toed boot hit him in the belly. "Ouch…what was that for?" he whined.
"Get up! That is unless of course you want the enemy to catch you sleeping."
"My enemy? They're my own people for…" Tseng started to protest.
"Oh yeah that's right, I wonder how they treat traitors? That is what you are," she pointed out smartly.
"I could tell them you took me hostage…"
Sephiroth grunted. "We don't take hostages. The Wutain's know that as well as all the Shinra forces. Try again, but let me tell you, you try anything like that…I'll let Daitona kill you personally and if she's too busy…than I'll do it. Got that Wutain?"
Tseng gulped and nodded. Daitona shook her head and Otto looked a bit stunned by Sephiroth's threat.
Daitona held up a hand to silence everyone then brought the other to her mouth. She whistled a high-pitched birdcall. After a few seconds of silence it was responded to by another call, then several more.
Everything went silent again and Daitona looked to Sephiroth then to Otto.
"Do it," he ordered.
Daitona took in a deep breath then whistled impossibly loud and in a seemingly endless pattern. Sharp short whistles followed by a series of longer different pitched ones. The SOLDIER's in charge of the small groups brought the dawn to life as they responded in kin to her. With one last sharp blow everything fell to an eerie silence.
"They'll attack…lets get going," Otto said and quickly got their gear bundled up and threw it into the place they had chosen to hide their things.
By the time he was done several SOLDIERs had made there way to the area.
"Ready!" Otto announced breathlessly.
"Did any of you see the enemy on your way here?" Sephiroth asked the new arrivals; most of them nodded. "How many do you, roughly, think there were?
One of the 2nd class SOLDIERs stepped up, Sephiroth recognized him as Zimu. He had gray/white eyes that glowed with mako, and his hair was badly bleached from the sun making the ordinarily sandy blonde a blonde/gray color.
"Sir, I believe in the group I seen there were 50 to 75 Wutain soldiers. They have split into large groups and I know there are at the least five of these groups," Zimu reported.
"So, taken that these numbers are right…" Daitona trailed off. "That would mean, at the least, we're up against 250 to 375 enemy soldiers. That's not to bad, anyone else want to add to this estimate?"
"Commander Mifune always has over 1000 soldiers with him," Tseng grumbled. "That is, only when he's short on numbers. He has them march in groups of that size to keep from being found in a large mass."
"Hmmm…I lost three cadets in the last battle and Commander Zante took 175 of them so I am left with 105 cadets. All the ones left are fairly experienced fighters. What about you guys?" Daitona asked.
"I lost one, so I have 49 1st and 2nd class SOLDIERS," Otto reported.
Sephiroth crossed his arms. "I lost 8, so I'm left with 104."
"So that makes…258…" Daitona frowned. "There are three of us so that's 261. I like HIS estimate on numbers better," she said pointing at Zimu.
"Hey!" Tsang spat indignantly, "what about me?! I can fight too you know?!"
"What, and give you the chance to turn your back on us too? Right, you're not someone to be trusted. You turned your back on your own country, what assures us you won't do the same to us?" Daitona challenges.
"I'm here aren't I?!"
"Enough!" Otto yelled. "You quit yelling at her, it's not your place. This isn't the time nor place for this, the enemy is at hand and out troop is ready and waiting."
"Zimu, Santee, and Jorem come with me…you too Daitona," Sephiroth said and started into the surrounding woods.
"You go with them," Otto ordered and started on his way with a group of seven SOLDIERs.
Tseng shuttered then quickly started out after the two departing officers.
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"You all ready for this?" Sephiroth asked. In front of the six were a group of at least 60 Wutain soldiers.
The soldiers hadn't seen the Shinra SOLDIERs but knew they were around, thus were on edge. Little did they know they were surrounded and were about to be picked off one by one.
Daitona whistled a native birdcall, but this particular one held a deadly massage to those who knew better. As soon as the call left her mouth and died away many gunshots went off at once then an assortment of ice spells followed by fire, and then lightening. The Wutain's numbers were greatly reduced by the time the skirmish turned to swords. The group fell easily and none were left alive.
The Shinra SOLDIERs and cadets all came together afterwards.
"That was too easy," Sephiroth growled.
"Tell me about…" Daitona narrowed her eyes. "Where's that Wutain brat at?"
"Umm, here!" Tseng hurriedly came out of hiding and made his way over to the two commanders. "This…this is a decoy group…the…the real soldiers always come afterwards…"
A sharp yell came from a distance and it was quickly cut off, then gunfire erupted. Daitona rubbed her fore head trying to come up with a plan B, she hadn't expected there to be a false troop and that threw everything to hell.
"Sephiroth think of something!" she finally blurted, the cries in the distant were becoming more and more and closer.
Sephiroth didn't have time to think of anything, as a group of true Wutain soldiers erupted from the dense brush and attacked. The attack came to quickly for the more inexperienced and they fell quickly to their deaths.
Tseng found himself of a fierce battle…weaponless. He turned frantically to the fighting female office. "Give me a sword!"
"Screw you!" Daitona snarled at him and nearly chopped of a soldier's head.
"Oh come on!" Tseng cried desperately. "I don't have anything to defend myself with…they'll KILL me!"
"Good for them, it saves me the trouble!" Daitona sliced through several more soldiers and she was beginning to be pushed back and as defending more than she'd like to. Finally she relented to Tseng's plea and glance over her shoulder to him. "You better not make me regret this!" she snarled at him then threw him the sword held by her left hand.
Tseng sighed in relief, scooped the sword up, and put it in immediate use. He fought at Daitona's side and helped her push the Wutain soldiers back. As they fought an eerie sensation came over Daitona that caused the tiny hairs on the back of her neck to pick.
In a matter of seconds she realized what was happening and almost laughed at the fear on the Wutain's faces. Her eyes were fiery orbs in their sockets and currents of energy were encircling her from limb to limb.
'I warned him about using that materia…it's so close I can almost taste what power is mine…ouch!' Her teeth had grown to fangs again and she had unconsciously bit her tongue.
Tseng shuttered. 'Damn…I didn't know that the mako the SOLDIER's were showered with could cause such changes. She looks like a very pissed off demon.'
Daitona growled deep in her throat and stretched out one clawed hand. Running up and down her arms were several swirling stripes. Her fingernails had grown in length and had grown narrow into sharp claws. Within the hand she held out, a ball of fiery energy formed and began to swirl to life.
"Sh-she's….the devil!" one of the Wutain soldiers stammered in shear horror.
"Devil now is it? I believe I am Divinian and that is what you see a shadow of. Be thankful for Sephiroth having my true power, but thanks to him from summoning Dragon's Mercy, the power has returned to me somewhat. But what is happening to me in none of your concern, is it?" Daitona asked in a voice that was not her own. "No, it's not. Let me tell you why…because in the course of the next minute, each and every one of you is going to die. Any last words?"
The soldiers that had heard her began to back away. "Wrong answer," Daitona snarled and ran forward a few steps then flung her glowing hand out in front of her. "May death be brought to you all on a swift hand and the next life be more kind to you all! Divine fires burns forever within my hand…fiery wings!"
The aqua green in her eyes burned brighter then turned to a deep bloody crimson. The energy in her hand flowed out and formed a massive burning arc. The energy casted flame shadows over her and in the moments before the Wutain soldiers died…they could have sworn they seen elegant wings protruding from her shoulders that were as fiery as the arc was…then nothing. Their field of vision was taken over by red, then the pure blackness of oblivion.
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-End Chapter 25-
A/N: Hehehe, more of Daitona's natural power, now imagine what the summon did when Sephiroth called it. The next chapter will tell ya, so it'll be set a few minutes before Daitona annihilated the Wutain soldiers she was…fighting? Not really.