Chapter One
It was almost like old times, you know? Seeing everyone back at Cosmo Canyon brought it all back, and it was almost like we'd gone back two years to when we were trying to save the Planet. Uhh...minus the masamune- wielding mass-murdering maniac and a giant rock hurtling towards the Planet, intending to squash us all, of course.
Uhh...I guess what I mean is that I was pleased to see everyone. Yeah, that works.
Anyways, I headed over to Cosmo Canyon after RedXIII sent a letter inviting me to some big reunion type thing. Of course, I wanted to catch up with everyone- living in a remote place doesn't exactly make it very easy to see everyone often- and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. That, and the fact that Dad had kicked me out of Wutai again after our latest argument and I had nowhere to stay, but that's a minor detail. Besides, it's not the first time it's happened. Or probably the last.
But I'm sidetracking here. I was so eager to get to Cosmo Canyon I even took a boat, and Leviathan knows how I hate those things. Ugh. Bad memories. But it was worth it. I found that by the time I arrived, everyone else who was going was there already. Turns out Cid went and collected everyone in his airship, but conveniently 'forgot' to come to Wutai. Bastard. You'd've thought he would've forgiven me for that time I 'accidentally' kicked his last packet of smokes over the side of the airship in order to make him stop the damn thing, but apparently not. OK, so maybe it wouldn't have been a better journey, but it would have at least been shorter than two days on that stupid ferry...gah.
Anyways, where was I, before I got sidetracked again by the 'let's kill Cid' thoughts? Oh yeah. Barrett had brought his kid, Marlene, with him from where they're now living in Kalm. I don't think Red minded much until she kept referring to him as 'kitty' and trying to stroke his nose, which was probably all very embarrassing for him seeing as he's now the new ruler of Cosmo Canyon...note to self: acquire blackmail photos. Reeve hadn't actually shown up because he was so busy working with the Midgar survivors of Meteor in building a new city for them to live in, but he sent Cait Sith instead. Damn freaky thing...maybe I'm wrong, but surely there's something a little whacked about a guy who feels the need to run around as a stuffed cat on a mechanical mog? Maybe he has a childhood trauma. Or maybe it's from working with Shinra for so long. I mean, look at Cloud. Spent most of our 'save the Planet' spree going nuts. Maybe there's something in it.
Cloud has been travelling around a bit, but for a few months he's been staying with Tifa up in Nibelheim, where she's opened up another bar after her last one got squashed along with the rest of Sector Seven. And guess who they managed to drag out of his coffin to come along? Yep, that's right- Vincent 'I'm-so-tortured-I-don't-deserve-to-live-please-drive-this- bullet-through-my-skull' Valentine. Hmm, that's the longest name I've managed to come up with so far for him. It used to be a kind of game for me, when I was trying to ignore my motion sickness on that stupid airship of Cid's. Unfortunately, it came to an abrupt end when Vincent looked likely to transform into one of his demons when he found out, and I thought it might be wise to stop there. Not that I'm scared or anything. Just being careful.
But what I didn't know then was that this was where all of this mess was going to start.
That afternoon, Tifa and I were sitting outside by the fire that they keep burning there, just generally catching up on the past two years. I'd only actually met up with her once or twice since we all parted ways after the aforementioned 'let's save the Planet' spree, so it was definitely good to finally talk to someone from the group who actually half understood me. Besides, Tifa was a bit like a big sister to me, seeing as we were the only two girls of the group, after...
Anyway, there we were, just chatting about random stuff, when suddenly this little kid runs by screaming. At first, I just thought he was playing around, but Tifa got up quickly and grabbed this kid by the shoulders, asking what was wrong. Then I noticed he looked absolutely terrified, and that he seemed about ready to burst into tears.
"There's a monster chasing me!" he screamed. Ouch. I never knew anyone could get that high pitched. I'm sure a few windows shattered, but I didn't get chance to check because Tifa had suddenly looked up to where the kid was pointing. She let go of him, and he ran off inside, still screaming at that impossibly high pitch. I looked round as well and got up quickly. Approaching us was some great big thing, looking a bit like a giant winged lion, roaring and seeming very angry about something- probably due to that little kid. It landed hard, beating its wings out and looking straight at us.
Crap.
It ran towards us, taking a swipe out with one of its enormous paws. We dodged, and it leapt back slightly, snarling in annoyance. Tifa got there first, pummling it with punches and kicks. I reached for my shuriken, then groaned as I remembered that I'd left it up in my room at the inn, along with most of my materia. Well, Cosmo Canyon isn't exactly the place you would expect to have a sudden monster attack, is it? All I had were two materia slotted into the metal bangle around my wrist, and they were only there because I was trying to master them.
"Fire2!" I yelled. Flames leapt around the beast, but quickly disappeared. Not much damage at all. "Um...Ice2!" A bit more success, but not a lot. The damn thing was pretty resistant to my magic.
Suddenly, it leapt into the air, hitting Tifa hard as it did so and knocking her back. It stayed up in the air, meaning that she could do nothing to attack- she didn't have any materia with her.
"Ice2!" I called. "Ice2!" I wasn't going to be able to keep this up much longer at all, especially not while it was doing practically no damage. It tried to swoop down on me, but I ducked and ran further back. "Ice2!"
Suddenly, someone came running up to my side, saying, "What's going on, Yuffie?"
I turned sharply. "Vincent?" I think he guessed I was pretty shocked to see him actually in a place with other people. "What're you..."
"I heard the commotion and came to see what was happening." he explained, pulling out that gun of his, Death Penalty. He must be the only guy I know who keeps himself armed practically 24/7.
"Well, if you'd like to help kill this thing, feel free." I said, turning my attention back to the monster, which looked ready to attack again. "Ice2!"
There was a series of cracks as Vincent aimed and fired repeatedly. However, the thing was fast, and only half of the bullets hit, or even clipped. With an angry roar, the thing shot down again, heading straight towards us. I ducked again and avoided it, but Vincent wasn't quick enough, getting knocked to the ground, his gun flying out of his grasp. The monster went back up into the air, knowing that it was safer there.
I started towards Vincent, but stopped when I saw him look up at it. I'd seen that look in his eyes before, and I knew what it meant. That monster was going to pay.
I took a few steps back just as he stood, skin becoming rapidly darker and thicker. Huge leathery wings burst out of his back, and fangs grew as horns sprouted. Eventually, he straightened- a tall, muscular demon with a real passion for violence.
Chaos.
Chaos launched himself straight at the monster, fangs bared and claws outstretched. There was a mass of ripping and tearing, and blood and pieces of flesh spalttered the ground.
Eww...I looked away for the sake of my stomach.
There was a thud as what was left of the monster fell to the ground, leaving Chaos hovering in mid-air, staring down at us. Expecting him to land and transform back like normal, I turned to Tifa, who had flopped back onto the ground in exhaustion. She laughed and said, "Well, I'm not in as good shape as I was two years ago, that's for sure!"
It happened so quick that I didn't even realise what was going to happen until it did.
Chaos darted down at what seemed like light speed, knocking Tifa right over as he swooped into a perfect arc. She gave a surprised yell and tried to sit up- I took a step forward, but halted in shock as the demon shot back down again, holding her still, fangs aimed at her throat.
She was struggling, but it was useless- she was half sitting up, and Chaos was bent over her, claws pinning her arms to her sides and stopping her from doing even the slightest damage. The only thing she could do was scream.
The door to the inn burst open and the people who had been inside poured out, including Cloud, Barret, Cid and Cait Sith, the last of whom was the only one a hundred per cent sober (although I have a feeling that if it was possible for stuffed toys to drink, then Cait would've been the most wasted of the lot). But what could anyone do when faced unarmed with a raging demon who had just hacked a monster to pieces all on its own? Not a lot, that's for sure.
Suddenly, I came up with a bright idea. If I could distract Chaos long enough, Tifa could get to safety, and he'd probably have the time to calm down and transform back into the Vincent we all know and angst with.
Looking around quickly, I picked up the closest thing to hand- a round, largish pebble- and lobbed it straight at Chaos's skull. It cracked off the thick black skin, but he shook his head slightly. Aha! It was working!
Hurriedly, I grabbed a handful of small stones and chucked them at him. He grunted as they rained down on his wings and back, and his fangs stopped an inch from tearing Tifa's throat out.
I chucked another stone, yelling, "Hey, Vinnie, over here!"
Chaos turned his head quickly and fixed me with his blood red glare his grip on Tifa's arms loosening as he eased back from her. I was halfway through congratulating myself on another successful rescue by the Great Yuffie Kisaragi, when I suddenly noticed he was starting to head towards me.
Uh-oh.
See, this is where all my plans fall flat. Right in the middle, when I've long since stopped bothering to think of what the consequences might be.
I took a hasty step back. No use. Actually, it made it worse. It prompted Chaos to launch himself straight at me to knock me flat onto the ground, him on top of me.
Hmm, what to do? my mind mused. Scream? Give in? Fight?
I blurted out, "Well, that was sudden. You could've at least asked me out first!"
Oh, nice one, Yuffie, that same voice added, as I mentally slapped myself. Here you are, facing your untimely and very likely brutal death, and all you can do is make crappy innuendo jokes!
Chaos was growling at me, seeming about ready to rip me to pieces. Demons! Always with the ripping and the killing...
I could hear people yelling in the background, and I think they were attempting to distract Chaos again, apparently without a whole lot of luck. I couldn't see them or whatever they were doing- I could barely move, crushed under a thing about twice my size. All I could see were those weird red eyes...
I frowned at them as they regarded me. I never really noticed before, but they were Vincent's eyes. I mean, of course they were Vincent's eyes, seeing as this was him in a different form, but it struck me how identical they were. I guess I thought they'd be completely different when he transformed, but they weren't. except that they weren't doing the whole 'I'm so tortured, blah blah blah' thing, and were currently more like a billboard advertising 'KILL KILL KILL'.
Then I had another idea. Those eyes were so similar...one last chance before he kills me...
I made sure I looked him right in the eye, that they were completely focused on mine, searching desperately for some shred of reassurance that Vincent was in there somewhere, and that maybe he could hear me.
"Vincent?" I asked hesitantly. For a second, I'm sure Chaos froze.
But only for a second. Suddenly, he roared furiously and darted his teeth to my neck. I screamed...I was going to die...
It was almost like old times, you know? Seeing everyone back at Cosmo Canyon brought it all back, and it was almost like we'd gone back two years to when we were trying to save the Planet. Uhh...minus the masamune- wielding mass-murdering maniac and a giant rock hurtling towards the Planet, intending to squash us all, of course.
Uhh...I guess what I mean is that I was pleased to see everyone. Yeah, that works.
Anyways, I headed over to Cosmo Canyon after RedXIII sent a letter inviting me to some big reunion type thing. Of course, I wanted to catch up with everyone- living in a remote place doesn't exactly make it very easy to see everyone often- and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. That, and the fact that Dad had kicked me out of Wutai again after our latest argument and I had nowhere to stay, but that's a minor detail. Besides, it's not the first time it's happened. Or probably the last.
But I'm sidetracking here. I was so eager to get to Cosmo Canyon I even took a boat, and Leviathan knows how I hate those things. Ugh. Bad memories. But it was worth it. I found that by the time I arrived, everyone else who was going was there already. Turns out Cid went and collected everyone in his airship, but conveniently 'forgot' to come to Wutai. Bastard. You'd've thought he would've forgiven me for that time I 'accidentally' kicked his last packet of smokes over the side of the airship in order to make him stop the damn thing, but apparently not. OK, so maybe it wouldn't have been a better journey, but it would have at least been shorter than two days on that stupid ferry...gah.
Anyways, where was I, before I got sidetracked again by the 'let's kill Cid' thoughts? Oh yeah. Barrett had brought his kid, Marlene, with him from where they're now living in Kalm. I don't think Red minded much until she kept referring to him as 'kitty' and trying to stroke his nose, which was probably all very embarrassing for him seeing as he's now the new ruler of Cosmo Canyon...note to self: acquire blackmail photos. Reeve hadn't actually shown up because he was so busy working with the Midgar survivors of Meteor in building a new city for them to live in, but he sent Cait Sith instead. Damn freaky thing...maybe I'm wrong, but surely there's something a little whacked about a guy who feels the need to run around as a stuffed cat on a mechanical mog? Maybe he has a childhood trauma. Or maybe it's from working with Shinra for so long. I mean, look at Cloud. Spent most of our 'save the Planet' spree going nuts. Maybe there's something in it.
Cloud has been travelling around a bit, but for a few months he's been staying with Tifa up in Nibelheim, where she's opened up another bar after her last one got squashed along with the rest of Sector Seven. And guess who they managed to drag out of his coffin to come along? Yep, that's right- Vincent 'I'm-so-tortured-I-don't-deserve-to-live-please-drive-this- bullet-through-my-skull' Valentine. Hmm, that's the longest name I've managed to come up with so far for him. It used to be a kind of game for me, when I was trying to ignore my motion sickness on that stupid airship of Cid's. Unfortunately, it came to an abrupt end when Vincent looked likely to transform into one of his demons when he found out, and I thought it might be wise to stop there. Not that I'm scared or anything. Just being careful.
But what I didn't know then was that this was where all of this mess was going to start.
That afternoon, Tifa and I were sitting outside by the fire that they keep burning there, just generally catching up on the past two years. I'd only actually met up with her once or twice since we all parted ways after the aforementioned 'let's save the Planet' spree, so it was definitely good to finally talk to someone from the group who actually half understood me. Besides, Tifa was a bit like a big sister to me, seeing as we were the only two girls of the group, after...
Anyway, there we were, just chatting about random stuff, when suddenly this little kid runs by screaming. At first, I just thought he was playing around, but Tifa got up quickly and grabbed this kid by the shoulders, asking what was wrong. Then I noticed he looked absolutely terrified, and that he seemed about ready to burst into tears.
"There's a monster chasing me!" he screamed. Ouch. I never knew anyone could get that high pitched. I'm sure a few windows shattered, but I didn't get chance to check because Tifa had suddenly looked up to where the kid was pointing. She let go of him, and he ran off inside, still screaming at that impossibly high pitch. I looked round as well and got up quickly. Approaching us was some great big thing, looking a bit like a giant winged lion, roaring and seeming very angry about something- probably due to that little kid. It landed hard, beating its wings out and looking straight at us.
Crap.
It ran towards us, taking a swipe out with one of its enormous paws. We dodged, and it leapt back slightly, snarling in annoyance. Tifa got there first, pummling it with punches and kicks. I reached for my shuriken, then groaned as I remembered that I'd left it up in my room at the inn, along with most of my materia. Well, Cosmo Canyon isn't exactly the place you would expect to have a sudden monster attack, is it? All I had were two materia slotted into the metal bangle around my wrist, and they were only there because I was trying to master them.
"Fire2!" I yelled. Flames leapt around the beast, but quickly disappeared. Not much damage at all. "Um...Ice2!" A bit more success, but not a lot. The damn thing was pretty resistant to my magic.
Suddenly, it leapt into the air, hitting Tifa hard as it did so and knocking her back. It stayed up in the air, meaning that she could do nothing to attack- she didn't have any materia with her.
"Ice2!" I called. "Ice2!" I wasn't going to be able to keep this up much longer at all, especially not while it was doing practically no damage. It tried to swoop down on me, but I ducked and ran further back. "Ice2!"
Suddenly, someone came running up to my side, saying, "What's going on, Yuffie?"
I turned sharply. "Vincent?" I think he guessed I was pretty shocked to see him actually in a place with other people. "What're you..."
"I heard the commotion and came to see what was happening." he explained, pulling out that gun of his, Death Penalty. He must be the only guy I know who keeps himself armed practically 24/7.
"Well, if you'd like to help kill this thing, feel free." I said, turning my attention back to the monster, which looked ready to attack again. "Ice2!"
There was a series of cracks as Vincent aimed and fired repeatedly. However, the thing was fast, and only half of the bullets hit, or even clipped. With an angry roar, the thing shot down again, heading straight towards us. I ducked again and avoided it, but Vincent wasn't quick enough, getting knocked to the ground, his gun flying out of his grasp. The monster went back up into the air, knowing that it was safer there.
I started towards Vincent, but stopped when I saw him look up at it. I'd seen that look in his eyes before, and I knew what it meant. That monster was going to pay.
I took a few steps back just as he stood, skin becoming rapidly darker and thicker. Huge leathery wings burst out of his back, and fangs grew as horns sprouted. Eventually, he straightened- a tall, muscular demon with a real passion for violence.
Chaos.
Chaos launched himself straight at the monster, fangs bared and claws outstretched. There was a mass of ripping and tearing, and blood and pieces of flesh spalttered the ground.
Eww...I looked away for the sake of my stomach.
There was a thud as what was left of the monster fell to the ground, leaving Chaos hovering in mid-air, staring down at us. Expecting him to land and transform back like normal, I turned to Tifa, who had flopped back onto the ground in exhaustion. She laughed and said, "Well, I'm not in as good shape as I was two years ago, that's for sure!"
It happened so quick that I didn't even realise what was going to happen until it did.
Chaos darted down at what seemed like light speed, knocking Tifa right over as he swooped into a perfect arc. She gave a surprised yell and tried to sit up- I took a step forward, but halted in shock as the demon shot back down again, holding her still, fangs aimed at her throat.
She was struggling, but it was useless- she was half sitting up, and Chaos was bent over her, claws pinning her arms to her sides and stopping her from doing even the slightest damage. The only thing she could do was scream.
The door to the inn burst open and the people who had been inside poured out, including Cloud, Barret, Cid and Cait Sith, the last of whom was the only one a hundred per cent sober (although I have a feeling that if it was possible for stuffed toys to drink, then Cait would've been the most wasted of the lot). But what could anyone do when faced unarmed with a raging demon who had just hacked a monster to pieces all on its own? Not a lot, that's for sure.
Suddenly, I came up with a bright idea. If I could distract Chaos long enough, Tifa could get to safety, and he'd probably have the time to calm down and transform back into the Vincent we all know and angst with.
Looking around quickly, I picked up the closest thing to hand- a round, largish pebble- and lobbed it straight at Chaos's skull. It cracked off the thick black skin, but he shook his head slightly. Aha! It was working!
Hurriedly, I grabbed a handful of small stones and chucked them at him. He grunted as they rained down on his wings and back, and his fangs stopped an inch from tearing Tifa's throat out.
I chucked another stone, yelling, "Hey, Vinnie, over here!"
Chaos turned his head quickly and fixed me with his blood red glare his grip on Tifa's arms loosening as he eased back from her. I was halfway through congratulating myself on another successful rescue by the Great Yuffie Kisaragi, when I suddenly noticed he was starting to head towards me.
Uh-oh.
See, this is where all my plans fall flat. Right in the middle, when I've long since stopped bothering to think of what the consequences might be.
I took a hasty step back. No use. Actually, it made it worse. It prompted Chaos to launch himself straight at me to knock me flat onto the ground, him on top of me.
Hmm, what to do? my mind mused. Scream? Give in? Fight?
I blurted out, "Well, that was sudden. You could've at least asked me out first!"
Oh, nice one, Yuffie, that same voice added, as I mentally slapped myself. Here you are, facing your untimely and very likely brutal death, and all you can do is make crappy innuendo jokes!
Chaos was growling at me, seeming about ready to rip me to pieces. Demons! Always with the ripping and the killing...
I could hear people yelling in the background, and I think they were attempting to distract Chaos again, apparently without a whole lot of luck. I couldn't see them or whatever they were doing- I could barely move, crushed under a thing about twice my size. All I could see were those weird red eyes...
I frowned at them as they regarded me. I never really noticed before, but they were Vincent's eyes. I mean, of course they were Vincent's eyes, seeing as this was him in a different form, but it struck me how identical they were. I guess I thought they'd be completely different when he transformed, but they weren't. except that they weren't doing the whole 'I'm so tortured, blah blah blah' thing, and were currently more like a billboard advertising 'KILL KILL KILL'.
Then I had another idea. Those eyes were so similar...one last chance before he kills me...
I made sure I looked him right in the eye, that they were completely focused on mine, searching desperately for some shred of reassurance that Vincent was in there somewhere, and that maybe he could hear me.
"Vincent?" I asked hesitantly. For a second, I'm sure Chaos froze.
But only for a second. Suddenly, he roared furiously and darted his teeth to my neck. I screamed...I was going to die...