A/N: Hey again, it sure has been a while. School is just taking more time
away from my writing then I originally thought. To make up for my lack of
updates, I have tried to make this one a little longer than usual. So sit
back and try to enjoy this.
Apocalypse Rising.
Chapter 12: Vengeance ..................................
The world was a haze of darkness and smoke as Vincent sped through the night sky. He flew faster then he had ever flown as Chaos. The world sped by, until he reached his destination.
Wutai was in ruins. There was no other way to put it. The once mighty city was now half burnt to the ground. The other half was being razed by a hoard of blade men. Vincent snorted as he hovered over the remains of the burning wreckage of the ancient pagoda. If these were the best Hojo had to offer then there would be no problem.
Vincent flapped his wings and rose higher into the sky. He rose into the very clouds covering the full moon. Vincent Hovered around in the high altitude for a few moments, until he sensed something.
Vincent turned to his left and saw a creature that could only be described as sickening. It was birdlike at first appearance. It had two metal talons attached to thin steel legs. Each talon was coated in hardened blood. Looking at the creature's torso it appeared a crude mockery of a man. Thick steel plates covered its chest, and arms. Instead of hands it had huge claws. Its head looked like that of a metal buzzard, only from the back of its scalp were thick black dreadlocks, formed form power cords, dripping a mixture of oil and blood. It hovered under the power of metal wings coming from its back. Each wing was composed of thousand metal slivers making it look like it had feathers. In the wings were five materia slots. Each filled with a green orb. It was under this power that it could maintain flight.
Vincent stared at this creature, this harpy, for only moments before charging. Before the creature had time to respond, Vincent had its scull clutched in his metal claw. Without thinking the metal claw transformed, metal turned into demonic flesh, and nail. The points of the claw were now a little longer and had cut into the creatures scull like it was water. With great roar Vincent dove towards the ground. Vincent maintained the dive until he was only thirty feet above the ground, then with lightning speed, he chucked the beast to the earth, as he swooped back up into the night sky.
The harpy landed hard, and most of its parts shattered upon impact. While Vincent smiled over his triumph, a wall of fire hit him from behind. Turning with a growl, Vincent faced another of these flying abominations. It was about fifty feet away, busy casting another fire 3 spell. In the blink of an eye, Vincent was right in face. His chaos saber in hand. The beast let loose another spell, this time Vincent allowed his body to be covered in the Chaos' demonic hide. The spell singed his cloths slightly, but his body suffered no harm. Vincent landed a strong kick to the beats metal plated gut, and while it flew backwards to escape. Giving it no time to recover Vincent stabbed at it with his sword. The blade imbedded itself into one of the materia in its wing. Vincent pulled it out and as fast as he could flew away. In seconds the materia began to leak power, and then finally explode. A huge mass of metal shards, and green fire destroyed anything that was in its way.
The explosion stopped just short of Vincent. He let out a deep breath of relief. The relief didn't last long, for the explosion drew five more harpies. With a slight growl Vincent flew towards them. He fought quickly and soon they were reduced to nothing more than scrap metal. However, he was growing tired of this fight.
" Hojo!! You sniveling coward! Come out face me!!!" Vincent yelled, his voice no longer his own. It was a crude mixture of Vincent's and Chaos', now holding only the most remote traces of humanity.
....................................
The Da-chao Mountains, one of the most sacred places in Wutai, was now crawling with refugees. All the surviving soldiers had gathered the villagers. Many were wounded, covered in bandages, waiting for the few healers to help them. Most of the soldiers and generals were patrolling outside, but about five remained. They were sitting in a small circle. In the center of the circle, her shoulder covered in bandages was Yuffie. The young empress was tossing and turning in a fitful delirium. The potions had worked and the wound had healed, but she still hadn't woken up. As she lay there, a cold shriek echoed through the caverns. This sound seemed to have some effect on the young girl. She began to mutter something. Another shriek came this one louder, it sounding nothing remotely human.
For a moment the shrieks subsided, until a final earsplitting roar rocked the caverns. As the roar echoed Yuffie, in spastic lurch, rose. " Vincent!!" The child yelled as she finally awoke.
At once the generals guarding her turned to check on their young empress. " My lady, are you well?" A young general with dark brown hair, asked in a hoarse and worried tone.
Yuffie let out a slight groan. Her head felt like crap, and her right shoulder burnt slightly, but all things considered she was fine. " Yeah, I'm alright. Where are we?" She said slowly trying to get her bearings.
" My lady we are in the Da-chao Mountains. We have gathered as many people w could, the creatures have taken over the capital. There ground troops took a heavy hit in our battle, but they have a strange air force. Creature we have never seen, they massacred a good portion of our troops." The young general said slowly, allowing her time to absorb the information.
" Who are you, and what's your rank?"
" My name is Loki, I was a general under your father's command. Most of the generals were killed with the destruction of the pagoda. Only eight of us survived."
Yuffie let out a slight sigh. So many had this night, so much needless bloodshed. Taking a deep breath she looked at her people. All of them looked terrified, and uncertain. As they caught her gaze she saw their desperation, their need for strong leader.
" God Vinnie, I wish you here." Yuffie whispered to herself, and quickly regretted it as a wave of sorrow washed over her.
" Did you say something my lady?" Loki asked kindly.
" No, never mind. We need a plan, how long do you think we have before the enemy finds us here?"
" Not long my empress. By our estimations they should be here...."
The general was interrupted by the sounds of several footsteps, and the sound of blades being drawn.
" What the hell?" Loki said as he drew his katana.
" Put that down." A cold voice demanded from the entrance of the cave.
In the darkness the voices owner was almost invisible. However Yuffie could just make out the billowing of brown robe. The figure took a few steps into the light. As he moved Yuffie could see a huge mob of people behind him.
The man walked boldly into the caves center, and with a quick toss of his head the brown hood that had previously covered his face fell back. His face was that of a young man, about twenty years old. His eyes were a steely gray. His hair was black with a few dark purple streaks. He stood there for a moment looking Yuffie up and down, and then let out a snort of disapproval.
" So this is the young empress of Wutai? You have to be kidding me. You look like a helpless little child." He spat, his voice dripping with contempt.
Yuffie was taken aback by this stranger's comments, but kept her face cool and collected. " And who might you be? Wait don't tell me. You're some brat who decided to come play soldier." Yuffie said with a cold voice that would have made Vincent proud.
" Wow, the great Yuffie Kisaragi called me a brat. Well if the stories are true, I'm not half as you are. And no, I would rather die then be a soldier under your command. No, I'm Shade, leader of the thieves' guild of Wutai."
" Thief! You dare corrupt this sacred place with your foul presence? What do to our guards?" Loki roared as he charged Shade.
" Loki stop!" Yuffie yelled but it was too late. Loki had swung his sword. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed in the cavern, and many women began to sob.
Loki's sword had connected with shuriken held tightly in Shade's right hand. With his left hand Shade was holding another of the small blades right in front of Loki's neck. The blade was just a quarter of an inch from impaling itself into his Adam's apple.
" Take a seat general. I don't have time to fight with the likes of you." Shade said as calmly as if he were talking about the weather. Like a flash of lightning he had tucked the blades into his belt, and kicked Loki back several feet.
Yuffie moved over to Loki and helped him regain his footing. Once he was stable, She stared Shade straight in the eyes. " So what the hell do you want?"
" He wants to offer an alliance." Came a woman's voice from outside. A woman in a gray robe slowly walked in without making a sound.
The woman had a tall slender figure, though she was still a few inches than Shade. Her face had a light complexion, but was not nearly as pale as Vincent had been. Her eyes were a light blue, and she had a kind face. Her hair was a light brown with a few blonde streaks. She walked to Shade and put her delicate hands on his shoulders.
" An alliance?" Yuffie asked in a skeptical tone.
" Yes, the monsters that have your capital are a threat to us as well, we now offer you our forces to destroy them. " The women said in a kind voice.
" An intriguing offer, but what's the catch?" Yuffie asked calmly.
" Our guild has been deemed enemies of the state, and for that we have been exiled from the capital, we are tired of being outcasts. If we help liberate the city, then we want to be allowed in."
" Done." Yuffie said.
" My lady you can't be serious, our troops will never fight with common thieves." Loki said, suppressing the not a little rage.
" Tell me general, will your men follow me?" Yuffie asked turning to face him.
" Yes of course madam."
" Then tell them they are already following a thief. Don't forget my history general. My position does not change my past. I am a thief and don't forget it. " Yuffie said sharply before facing the young woman and Shade.
" So how many warriors do you have miss?"
" My name is Eva, and we have 300 warriors under our command. "
" Don't think that you can order them either Empress, they will only follow our commands, so from this point on we are equals." Shade growled.
" Fine." Yuffie said, and to show her allegiance she bowed.
" Empress what are you doing, to bow to rubbish like them is to defy our conventions." Loki said pleadingly.
" Damn convention, if I must break every custom to save our nation so be it. Now look we have seven hours till sunrise. Eva, Shade, tell men to be ready in half an hour."
" Fine but be warned our scouts have told us of something stronger than we have ever faced, fighting in the sky. Even now it destroys anything it sees, and if it comes down to betraying you to save my own, there will be no hesitation." Shade said coldly before putting his arm around Eva's waist and walking out to his guild.
With a great sigh Yuffie walked over to her generals and soldiers. All of them looked angry. Yuffie knew that she would have to deal with them. She just hoped their loyalty to their country would be stronger than their hatreds.
" Men rest up. We leave for battle very soon, if any of you feel that you can't fight for a thief then leave now, I have no place for those weak of heart."
No one moved, she looked each general in the eyes, scaling them up. Then slowly, starting with Loki, they bowed.
" We will follow you into the pit, if it means we can save our nation form these monsters then we do what ever it takes." Loki said, with no doubt or hesitation.
Yuffie couldn't help but smile at his loyalty. " Good, now rest that's an order. I want you all ready for battle." Yuffie said, and with a final bow the generals dispersed and prepared for what could well be their last night on earth.
....................................
Pain, white-hot fire coursed through Tifa's veins. The poison had been in her system for almost an hour now. Her entire lower body was now numb with pain. The poison was now traveling up to her lungs, making each breath agony.
Her face was covered in sweat and tears. As she lay there, she started to hope for death's release. She wished she could stars, but a veil of smoke and clouds blocked them from her view.
When she had been a little girl her mother had once told her that each star was an angel, and that when a person died, an angel would come and take them to a land of peace and joy. Tifa had always ignored those stories, calling them nothing more than fairy tales for children. Now however she wished desperately for those tales to be true, that she would find peace after this hell.
As she lay a white flash of pain came over her. Closing her eyes and letting the pain wash over her she thought she could make out the sound of footsteps. Perhaps this was death coming for her at last, maybe her punishment was finally over.
When she opened her eyes she could see nothing but a green haze, she sure it was only her imagination. However, the haze began to take shape.
With her eyes fluttering open and closed Tifa couldn't make out what shape this strange mist was forming, it wasn't until she heard the voice till she knew it was even real.
" Hello Tifa. It is nice to see you again." A women's voice whispered to her.
The voice sent a wave of vitality into her. Giving her the strength to open her eyes and see the glowing form of Aeris kneeling before her.
" Aer.. Aeris?" Tifa coughed, tasting blood in her mouth.
" Shoosh now, lie still. The poison has infected most of your body. I must draw it out. Now lie and rest this may hurt a bit."
" Tifa didn't understand what was going on, she wasn't sure if this was real or not. Still she obeyed Aeris' request and didn't move as Aeris placed her hand on her burning forehead.
Suddenly, Tifa felt like a thousand needles had stabbed her body. The burning slowly began to leave her body, and she started to regain feeling in her legs, but as the burning left her the pricking sensation intensified.
Finally the pain stopped, and Tifa regained feeling all over her body. He vision slowly focused and Aeris was still there. Her face a mixture of concentration, and slight pain.
" Aeris, I. I can't believe it. I mean you're dead. " Tifa gasped as she tried to stand up, only to find her legs were too weak to hold her body.
" Easy Tifa, your body is very weak, it will need time to regain its former strength. As me dead, that hasn't changed. I have become much more than I once was however."
" How, I mean what are you?" Tifa asked trying desperately understand what was going on.
" I am now the voice of the planet. I protect it, and now there is no time for discussion, already Vincent is fighting in Wutai, I must get there. Can you walk?"
" I think so, but what do you mean, what's happening in Wutai?" Tifa asked as she slowly rose to her feet.
" You will see, now grab my arm." Aeris commanded, her voice no longer sweet, but dead serious.
Tifa complied, and as she stood there, the plains around her began to fade away. In seconds she found herself in Wutai. Only this wasn't the nation she had once visited. This was some nightmare of fire and death.
....................................
Hojo stood over his latest kill. A mother and her tiny daughter, oh how he cherished the look of pure terror imprinted on their dead faces. It was like ambrosia to him. He kicked his black griffon and in compliance to its master rose several feet into the air.
What he saw was an explosion, green fire spreading across the sky of his city. He knew that the only source could be a ruptured materia. The stronger the materia the more powerful the explosion when ruptured. All the materia used in his harpies had mastered. But what kill his creations.
Intrigued he urged his beast in the direction of the explosion, the masamune out, he couldn't wait to have the pleasure of killing this new foe.
....................................
Vincent had lost himself to his rage. His face had unintentional become Chaos'. As had most of his body. He ripped harpies and blade men to shreds, all while looking for his real opponent. As beheaded another harpy he heard a strange sound. The sound of clapping was coming from directly behind him.
Vincent turned quick as a flash, his blade out ready for the next battle. There sitting on some sick creature, was Hojo in all his twisted glory. In his hand was the masamune. It made Vincent sick to see such a weapon in the hands of that filth.
" Well that was very impressive whatever you are. But enough games, these creatures took a lot of to make. So if you persist in annoying me, then I will have to finish you myself." Hojo said, the levity clear in his voice.
" What's this Hojo? Don't tell me you have forgotten the dead so quickly." Vincent growled as he regained some control and allowed his face to return to its original human form.
" What! Valentine!! How is this I killed you!!" Hojo shrieked all joy and levity gone from his voice, replaced only by all consuming hatred.
" I have ascended beyond death. I live now only for your death." Vincent growled as he swung his sword at Hojo's neck.
Hojo quickly blocked the strike with his blade. Sparks flew and in midair the two pushed against each other.
While Hojo was in a standstill, the griffon swiped at the demonic warrior, claws ripped flesh. Vincent let out a growl of pain, and backed off.
" Still relying on others to win your battles for you Hojo? When will you fight like a man?"
" I could say the same for you. Tell what are friends doing here?" Hojo asked as he pointed to growing figures at the eastern border of the city.
Vincent turned for a quarter of a second, that was Hojo needed. He spurred his beast into a charge and with two swipes cut Vincent's wings.
Vincent roared in agony, but with a mighty feat of strength grabbed the beasts gut with his claw. The beast though strong, could not take the combined weight, and began to plummet as well. Vincent could only look down as he, Hojo, and the beast plummeted from about a hundred feet, to the cold hard earth.
....................................
Shade, Eva, and Yuffie had led all their troops to the eastern border of the capital.
" Alright here we are. Take a moment to get ready. I have to talk to my soldiers." Yuffie said, as she walked over to Loki and the other generals.
Shade turned to Eva, concern plainly displayed on his features.
" Are sure this is right. We owe them no loyalty. We don't have to risk this." Loki whispered into Eva's ear.
Eva responded with a slight chuckle, and ran her fingers into his short hair. " Yes shade, I have to do this. You can go if you want, but I'm not leaving. This was once both our homes, I don't want to see it burn.
Shade sighed, he had known this would be her answer. " In battle I can't always protect you. You're my world Eva. If anything should happen to you then, then I would never be able to face another day." He said slowly his hand gently grazing her cheek.
" And who says I need your protection? Frankly I'm more worried about you." Eva said with a laugh, though it was very halfhearted.
Shade wasn't amused. " Please just stay with me in the fight. The young empress seems strong enough, just don't leave my side. You are everything to me." Shade said gently before kissing her passionately on the lips.
There moment didn't last long, before long Yuffie came back.
" Are you ready?" Yuffie asked slowly, almost regretting ruining their moment.
" Yeah, ready as we will ever be." Shade muttered, putting his hood over his face and drawing two long knives from his sheathes on his sides.
" Then let's go. " Yuffie said, and with a final look at the leader of the thieves she and her army charged into the once great city. A final battle for death, glory, and vengeance.
....................................
Wutai, a city once known for its beauty was in a horrible state. The roads were now stained red with blood, and houses were completely ransacked. Tifa could only stare in horror at the vicious sights before her. Men composed of metal and blades ruled the streets like vicious zombies.
" Stay with me Tifa, these beasts will not notice our presence, while I am here. Now we must find Vincent. If he hasn't lost himself yet that is.
" What do you mean, what has happened to Vincent?" Tifa asked as she tried to absorb all that was going on around her.
" It is not my place to tell you that. If Vincent yet lives, then he will be the one to explain." Aeris said coolly as she walked the streets of the damned, and just as she said no beast attacked them.
As they walked Aeris muttered some strange words, and in her hands appeared a wooden war staff. A glorious weapon to behold, its blade was a beautiful stone sharpened and more deadly than almost any weapon forged by man.
With weapon in hand Aeris cut down every beast that lay before them. Leaving a trail of oil and blood behind her. It was both sickening and glorious to behold. Tifa found herself almost in a trance as she followed this great figure.
" Ah here he is now. Always one for showy entrances." Aeris muttered to herself.
" Where, where is he?" Tifa asked.
" Look above you." Was Aeris' only reply.
.................................... Vincent couldn't heal his wings, and at the rate that they were plummeting the fall would surely kill them. With a final thought Vincent let go of beast and fell freely. As he fell he grabbed one of pipelines coming out of the wall of a destroyed building. The pipe bent under his weight, but still held.
Meanwhile, Hojo wasn't so lucky. The griffon crashed on a fire hydrant, killing the beast instantly. Hojo survived the crash, but his left leg was horribly mangled.
Seeing his golden opportunity Vincent grabbed his only materia. Pouring most of his strength into the orb Vincent summoned twelve lightning bolts. Each one hit the pool of water that Hojo was now standing in. The smell of burnt flesh filled Vincent's nostrils.
Vincent's victory didn't last long, as he heard the sound of sickly wet laughter.
" Ha, is that you've got in you Valentine? It will take more than that do kill one chosen by a greatness!!" Hojo laughed, and as he did so his hood fell off revealing his disgusting deformations now dripping slightly from the severe burns.
Vincent let out a growl, despite the great pain in his wings he would not back down. As he let go of the pipe he thought he saw two people standing below him, but he didn't have the time to worry that. All that mattered was the fight at hand.
....................................
Yuffie, Shade, Eva, and Loki fought in a great circle. Shade and Eva fought like they were extensions of each other's body. Yuffie and Loki didn't have that bond, but were both very strong in their own rights. Yuffie was fighting three of the blade men. Their soldiers were fighting well, but several were already falling.
Yuffie broke off her attack and went to heal one of the injured soldiers, and as she did one of the blade men came from behind her. Before it could strike a long silver blade severed its head. Yuffie looked up and saw Loki there already moving on to his next target.
As the battle progressed Yuffie and Shade found themselves fighting side by side. Shade pulled out one of his shurikens and flung it into the heart of one enemy. While Yuffie threw her conformer into the skull of another one. While she went to retrieve her weapon she kicked another monster square in the chest cracking its ribs.
" Not bad child." Shade scoffed as he broke the neck of another enemy.
Yuffie laughed a little, but her laughter was cut short by one of Hojo's flying monstrosities. Yuffie kicked at its knee joint, but it had little effect. Shade threw several blades at the creature some impaling its chest, but most just grazing off the sides.
Shade and Yuffie retreated a few feet, and formed a tight group again with Eva and Loki. The group was about to attack when another soldier jumped in and stabbed at the monster, his blade cracking the materia.
" Crap, get down everyone!" Yuffie yelled as she saw the materia beginning to implode.
Everyone hit the ground but a blade man grabbed Shade, he stabbed the beast but he didn't have time to get away from the explosion. Just before the explosion caught him, Eva jumped in front of her lover and pushed him backwards.
Eva managed to dodge the green fire and looked down at shade with a smile, but before she could say anything, the flecks of metal that formed the beasts wings, flew and stabbed and buried themselves into her body.
" Eva No!!" Shade cried, as she fell lifelessly in front of him. He pulled all the blades out and roller her on her back.
" Eva please, don't die please. " Shade pleaded, tears pouring silently down his face, though his pleas met only with deaf ears. Eva his love had already passed.
Sobbing quietly Shade put his hand on her face and closed her eyes. Then rising slowly quivering with anger Shade drew his knives. " You monsters! I will have you burn in hell fire!!" Shade yelled as he flung himself at the first monster he could see. Slashing it to ribbons before moving on.
Shade fought, and fought until he collapsed exhausted unable to even rise. Yuffie ran to his side along with Loki, defending the grieving warrior. Yuffie looked towards the night sky. Dawn would be coming in a matter of moments, yet it looked as if it would bring peace to her fallen land.
....................................
Vincent and Hojo battled, each strike growing in power and ferocity. Vincent growing weary swung at Hojo's injured leg, while the madman tried to block, Vincent broke his right arm and grabbed the masamune from him the jabbed both blades into his shoulders impaling Hojo to a wall.
" Does this seem familiar? Last time I was one wall, now say goodbye you beast.
Hojo despite his situation laughed. " Kill me if you want, you ignorant fool. If you do, you destroy the last remnants of your past. I hold all the answers. " Hojo cackled.
" Save them for someone who cares." Vincent growled prepared to kill him with his bare hands.
" Fine have it your way." Hojo laughed as a black vortex formed behind him. " This spell will destroy everything in city. Including all of your friends. If you kill me then this spell will not dissipate, their blood will be on your hands Valentine."
For a moment Vincent considered attacking anyway. Before he could land the final blow he stopped himself. He looked at this disfigured mass, how many lives had been destroyed at his hands?
" I have every right to kill you now, to erase our existence from the world. But I am not the one who should have this honor." Vincent muttered.
Vincent began to summon all his energy. Green mana flowed through his body and till a great swirling vortex formed. From this vortex several glowing spirits flowed out swarming Hojo, all looking angry.
" What? What is this?" Hojo screamed as the sprits attacked him.
" These are the spirits of all those you have killed, they have more of a right to destroy you then even I hold." Vincent growled.
From several feet behind Vincent, Aeris watched with great interest. " That's odd, he shouldn't be able to do that. Unless... could he be? Hmm Vincent this could very interesting." Aeris muttered as she turned to Tifa.
" This is where I leave you. The city will soon be saved, go to Vincent." Aeris said kindly before disappearing into green mist.
Tifa slowly walked to Vincent. He was still focused on maintaining his spell, and didn't notice her. Though Hojo did notice her.
All the spirits that he killed, were there that many? He couldn't remember most of them. One caught his eye. She had changed much, she did not glow like the others, but it was her he could almost be sure of it. " You, you would betray me too? Don't you get it? I saved you from him. I would rather have you dead then be with Valentine. You never knew what was. I saved you, you ungrateful whore." Hojo shouted as he pointed at Tifa.
The spirits each ripped their hands into his chest and pulled out a glowing shape. The shape was his very soul. Without his soul, the body couldn't maintain the spell and soon it dissipated.
Vincent allowed the spell to last a little longer, but he could feel his life ebbing away from the strain. As spirits went back into the vortex one caught his eye. She seemed very familiar. Her hair was a long dark tangled mess, she seemed very short as well. She looked him for one moment, and he could have sworn that she blew him a kiss. Then she was gone, and with a groan of pain Vincent allowed the spell to end.
With the spells end Vincent collapsed to all fours, gasping for air. As he stayed there he felt someone's arms fall over him. Turning his head slightly he saw Tifa. She kissed him on top of the head. Neither of them spoke, they just stood there enjoying their company.
...................................
Dawn washed over the tortured city, but its light was unnatural. Yuffie could see a green source coming not far from her position.
" Loki, can you watch him. I have go check out what that is." Yuffie asked in an exhausted voice.
" Yes of course my lady." Loki agreed as she ran away.
Yuffie ran as fast as she could. As she ran she saw her soldiers. The blade men were on the run, and soon the city would be reclaimed. She didn't stop running, but the light dimmed quickly. Trusting her instinct she ran into an ally. There, in the ally was a sight she never could have expected. On all fours was Vincent, and next to him Tifa.
" My god, Vincent!" Yuffie yelled, all the pain in her joints couldn't keep her away from him. She ran to her friends and hugged both of them. As dark a night as it had been. The dawn cast it all away as she was with her friends. As the cold light shined on the city, it did not bring defeat, it brought Victory.
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A/N: Well its done. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It took me a lot of work, as hard as that might be to believe. Now I hope I can update fairly soon, but school is taking its toll, and I find it harder to get any work done. Anyway I again hope that you enjoyed this, and that if you have anything you want to say about it please review it. Thank you very much for reading this and again please tell me what you think. I need to get better, and your comments mean a lot to me. Thanks again.
Apocalypse Rising.
Chapter 12: Vengeance ..................................
The world was a haze of darkness and smoke as Vincent sped through the night sky. He flew faster then he had ever flown as Chaos. The world sped by, until he reached his destination.
Wutai was in ruins. There was no other way to put it. The once mighty city was now half burnt to the ground. The other half was being razed by a hoard of blade men. Vincent snorted as he hovered over the remains of the burning wreckage of the ancient pagoda. If these were the best Hojo had to offer then there would be no problem.
Vincent flapped his wings and rose higher into the sky. He rose into the very clouds covering the full moon. Vincent Hovered around in the high altitude for a few moments, until he sensed something.
Vincent turned to his left and saw a creature that could only be described as sickening. It was birdlike at first appearance. It had two metal talons attached to thin steel legs. Each talon was coated in hardened blood. Looking at the creature's torso it appeared a crude mockery of a man. Thick steel plates covered its chest, and arms. Instead of hands it had huge claws. Its head looked like that of a metal buzzard, only from the back of its scalp were thick black dreadlocks, formed form power cords, dripping a mixture of oil and blood. It hovered under the power of metal wings coming from its back. Each wing was composed of thousand metal slivers making it look like it had feathers. In the wings were five materia slots. Each filled with a green orb. It was under this power that it could maintain flight.
Vincent stared at this creature, this harpy, for only moments before charging. Before the creature had time to respond, Vincent had its scull clutched in his metal claw. Without thinking the metal claw transformed, metal turned into demonic flesh, and nail. The points of the claw were now a little longer and had cut into the creatures scull like it was water. With great roar Vincent dove towards the ground. Vincent maintained the dive until he was only thirty feet above the ground, then with lightning speed, he chucked the beast to the earth, as he swooped back up into the night sky.
The harpy landed hard, and most of its parts shattered upon impact. While Vincent smiled over his triumph, a wall of fire hit him from behind. Turning with a growl, Vincent faced another of these flying abominations. It was about fifty feet away, busy casting another fire 3 spell. In the blink of an eye, Vincent was right in face. His chaos saber in hand. The beast let loose another spell, this time Vincent allowed his body to be covered in the Chaos' demonic hide. The spell singed his cloths slightly, but his body suffered no harm. Vincent landed a strong kick to the beats metal plated gut, and while it flew backwards to escape. Giving it no time to recover Vincent stabbed at it with his sword. The blade imbedded itself into one of the materia in its wing. Vincent pulled it out and as fast as he could flew away. In seconds the materia began to leak power, and then finally explode. A huge mass of metal shards, and green fire destroyed anything that was in its way.
The explosion stopped just short of Vincent. He let out a deep breath of relief. The relief didn't last long, for the explosion drew five more harpies. With a slight growl Vincent flew towards them. He fought quickly and soon they were reduced to nothing more than scrap metal. However, he was growing tired of this fight.
" Hojo!! You sniveling coward! Come out face me!!!" Vincent yelled, his voice no longer his own. It was a crude mixture of Vincent's and Chaos', now holding only the most remote traces of humanity.
....................................
The Da-chao Mountains, one of the most sacred places in Wutai, was now crawling with refugees. All the surviving soldiers had gathered the villagers. Many were wounded, covered in bandages, waiting for the few healers to help them. Most of the soldiers and generals were patrolling outside, but about five remained. They were sitting in a small circle. In the center of the circle, her shoulder covered in bandages was Yuffie. The young empress was tossing and turning in a fitful delirium. The potions had worked and the wound had healed, but she still hadn't woken up. As she lay there, a cold shriek echoed through the caverns. This sound seemed to have some effect on the young girl. She began to mutter something. Another shriek came this one louder, it sounding nothing remotely human.
For a moment the shrieks subsided, until a final earsplitting roar rocked the caverns. As the roar echoed Yuffie, in spastic lurch, rose. " Vincent!!" The child yelled as she finally awoke.
At once the generals guarding her turned to check on their young empress. " My lady, are you well?" A young general with dark brown hair, asked in a hoarse and worried tone.
Yuffie let out a slight groan. Her head felt like crap, and her right shoulder burnt slightly, but all things considered she was fine. " Yeah, I'm alright. Where are we?" She said slowly trying to get her bearings.
" My lady we are in the Da-chao Mountains. We have gathered as many people w could, the creatures have taken over the capital. There ground troops took a heavy hit in our battle, but they have a strange air force. Creature we have never seen, they massacred a good portion of our troops." The young general said slowly, allowing her time to absorb the information.
" Who are you, and what's your rank?"
" My name is Loki, I was a general under your father's command. Most of the generals were killed with the destruction of the pagoda. Only eight of us survived."
Yuffie let out a slight sigh. So many had this night, so much needless bloodshed. Taking a deep breath she looked at her people. All of them looked terrified, and uncertain. As they caught her gaze she saw their desperation, their need for strong leader.
" God Vinnie, I wish you here." Yuffie whispered to herself, and quickly regretted it as a wave of sorrow washed over her.
" Did you say something my lady?" Loki asked kindly.
" No, never mind. We need a plan, how long do you think we have before the enemy finds us here?"
" Not long my empress. By our estimations they should be here...."
The general was interrupted by the sounds of several footsteps, and the sound of blades being drawn.
" What the hell?" Loki said as he drew his katana.
" Put that down." A cold voice demanded from the entrance of the cave.
In the darkness the voices owner was almost invisible. However Yuffie could just make out the billowing of brown robe. The figure took a few steps into the light. As he moved Yuffie could see a huge mob of people behind him.
The man walked boldly into the caves center, and with a quick toss of his head the brown hood that had previously covered his face fell back. His face was that of a young man, about twenty years old. His eyes were a steely gray. His hair was black with a few dark purple streaks. He stood there for a moment looking Yuffie up and down, and then let out a snort of disapproval.
" So this is the young empress of Wutai? You have to be kidding me. You look like a helpless little child." He spat, his voice dripping with contempt.
Yuffie was taken aback by this stranger's comments, but kept her face cool and collected. " And who might you be? Wait don't tell me. You're some brat who decided to come play soldier." Yuffie said with a cold voice that would have made Vincent proud.
" Wow, the great Yuffie Kisaragi called me a brat. Well if the stories are true, I'm not half as you are. And no, I would rather die then be a soldier under your command. No, I'm Shade, leader of the thieves' guild of Wutai."
" Thief! You dare corrupt this sacred place with your foul presence? What do to our guards?" Loki roared as he charged Shade.
" Loki stop!" Yuffie yelled but it was too late. Loki had swung his sword. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed in the cavern, and many women began to sob.
Loki's sword had connected with shuriken held tightly in Shade's right hand. With his left hand Shade was holding another of the small blades right in front of Loki's neck. The blade was just a quarter of an inch from impaling itself into his Adam's apple.
" Take a seat general. I don't have time to fight with the likes of you." Shade said as calmly as if he were talking about the weather. Like a flash of lightning he had tucked the blades into his belt, and kicked Loki back several feet.
Yuffie moved over to Loki and helped him regain his footing. Once he was stable, She stared Shade straight in the eyes. " So what the hell do you want?"
" He wants to offer an alliance." Came a woman's voice from outside. A woman in a gray robe slowly walked in without making a sound.
The woman had a tall slender figure, though she was still a few inches than Shade. Her face had a light complexion, but was not nearly as pale as Vincent had been. Her eyes were a light blue, and she had a kind face. Her hair was a light brown with a few blonde streaks. She walked to Shade and put her delicate hands on his shoulders.
" An alliance?" Yuffie asked in a skeptical tone.
" Yes, the monsters that have your capital are a threat to us as well, we now offer you our forces to destroy them. " The women said in a kind voice.
" An intriguing offer, but what's the catch?" Yuffie asked calmly.
" Our guild has been deemed enemies of the state, and for that we have been exiled from the capital, we are tired of being outcasts. If we help liberate the city, then we want to be allowed in."
" Done." Yuffie said.
" My lady you can't be serious, our troops will never fight with common thieves." Loki said, suppressing the not a little rage.
" Tell me general, will your men follow me?" Yuffie asked turning to face him.
" Yes of course madam."
" Then tell them they are already following a thief. Don't forget my history general. My position does not change my past. I am a thief and don't forget it. " Yuffie said sharply before facing the young woman and Shade.
" So how many warriors do you have miss?"
" My name is Eva, and we have 300 warriors under our command. "
" Don't think that you can order them either Empress, they will only follow our commands, so from this point on we are equals." Shade growled.
" Fine." Yuffie said, and to show her allegiance she bowed.
" Empress what are you doing, to bow to rubbish like them is to defy our conventions." Loki said pleadingly.
" Damn convention, if I must break every custom to save our nation so be it. Now look we have seven hours till sunrise. Eva, Shade, tell men to be ready in half an hour."
" Fine but be warned our scouts have told us of something stronger than we have ever faced, fighting in the sky. Even now it destroys anything it sees, and if it comes down to betraying you to save my own, there will be no hesitation." Shade said coldly before putting his arm around Eva's waist and walking out to his guild.
With a great sigh Yuffie walked over to her generals and soldiers. All of them looked angry. Yuffie knew that she would have to deal with them. She just hoped their loyalty to their country would be stronger than their hatreds.
" Men rest up. We leave for battle very soon, if any of you feel that you can't fight for a thief then leave now, I have no place for those weak of heart."
No one moved, she looked each general in the eyes, scaling them up. Then slowly, starting with Loki, they bowed.
" We will follow you into the pit, if it means we can save our nation form these monsters then we do what ever it takes." Loki said, with no doubt or hesitation.
Yuffie couldn't help but smile at his loyalty. " Good, now rest that's an order. I want you all ready for battle." Yuffie said, and with a final bow the generals dispersed and prepared for what could well be their last night on earth.
....................................
Pain, white-hot fire coursed through Tifa's veins. The poison had been in her system for almost an hour now. Her entire lower body was now numb with pain. The poison was now traveling up to her lungs, making each breath agony.
Her face was covered in sweat and tears. As she lay there, she started to hope for death's release. She wished she could stars, but a veil of smoke and clouds blocked them from her view.
When she had been a little girl her mother had once told her that each star was an angel, and that when a person died, an angel would come and take them to a land of peace and joy. Tifa had always ignored those stories, calling them nothing more than fairy tales for children. Now however she wished desperately for those tales to be true, that she would find peace after this hell.
As she lay a white flash of pain came over her. Closing her eyes and letting the pain wash over her she thought she could make out the sound of footsteps. Perhaps this was death coming for her at last, maybe her punishment was finally over.
When she opened her eyes she could see nothing but a green haze, she sure it was only her imagination. However, the haze began to take shape.
With her eyes fluttering open and closed Tifa couldn't make out what shape this strange mist was forming, it wasn't until she heard the voice till she knew it was even real.
" Hello Tifa. It is nice to see you again." A women's voice whispered to her.
The voice sent a wave of vitality into her. Giving her the strength to open her eyes and see the glowing form of Aeris kneeling before her.
" Aer.. Aeris?" Tifa coughed, tasting blood in her mouth.
" Shoosh now, lie still. The poison has infected most of your body. I must draw it out. Now lie and rest this may hurt a bit."
" Tifa didn't understand what was going on, she wasn't sure if this was real or not. Still she obeyed Aeris' request and didn't move as Aeris placed her hand on her burning forehead.
Suddenly, Tifa felt like a thousand needles had stabbed her body. The burning slowly began to leave her body, and she started to regain feeling in her legs, but as the burning left her the pricking sensation intensified.
Finally the pain stopped, and Tifa regained feeling all over her body. He vision slowly focused and Aeris was still there. Her face a mixture of concentration, and slight pain.
" Aeris, I. I can't believe it. I mean you're dead. " Tifa gasped as she tried to stand up, only to find her legs were too weak to hold her body.
" Easy Tifa, your body is very weak, it will need time to regain its former strength. As me dead, that hasn't changed. I have become much more than I once was however."
" How, I mean what are you?" Tifa asked trying desperately understand what was going on.
" I am now the voice of the planet. I protect it, and now there is no time for discussion, already Vincent is fighting in Wutai, I must get there. Can you walk?"
" I think so, but what do you mean, what's happening in Wutai?" Tifa asked as she slowly rose to her feet.
" You will see, now grab my arm." Aeris commanded, her voice no longer sweet, but dead serious.
Tifa complied, and as she stood there, the plains around her began to fade away. In seconds she found herself in Wutai. Only this wasn't the nation she had once visited. This was some nightmare of fire and death.
....................................
Hojo stood over his latest kill. A mother and her tiny daughter, oh how he cherished the look of pure terror imprinted on their dead faces. It was like ambrosia to him. He kicked his black griffon and in compliance to its master rose several feet into the air.
What he saw was an explosion, green fire spreading across the sky of his city. He knew that the only source could be a ruptured materia. The stronger the materia the more powerful the explosion when ruptured. All the materia used in his harpies had mastered. But what kill his creations.
Intrigued he urged his beast in the direction of the explosion, the masamune out, he couldn't wait to have the pleasure of killing this new foe.
....................................
Vincent had lost himself to his rage. His face had unintentional become Chaos'. As had most of his body. He ripped harpies and blade men to shreds, all while looking for his real opponent. As beheaded another harpy he heard a strange sound. The sound of clapping was coming from directly behind him.
Vincent turned quick as a flash, his blade out ready for the next battle. There sitting on some sick creature, was Hojo in all his twisted glory. In his hand was the masamune. It made Vincent sick to see such a weapon in the hands of that filth.
" Well that was very impressive whatever you are. But enough games, these creatures took a lot of to make. So if you persist in annoying me, then I will have to finish you myself." Hojo said, the levity clear in his voice.
" What's this Hojo? Don't tell me you have forgotten the dead so quickly." Vincent growled as he regained some control and allowed his face to return to its original human form.
" What! Valentine!! How is this I killed you!!" Hojo shrieked all joy and levity gone from his voice, replaced only by all consuming hatred.
" I have ascended beyond death. I live now only for your death." Vincent growled as he swung his sword at Hojo's neck.
Hojo quickly blocked the strike with his blade. Sparks flew and in midair the two pushed against each other.
While Hojo was in a standstill, the griffon swiped at the demonic warrior, claws ripped flesh. Vincent let out a growl of pain, and backed off.
" Still relying on others to win your battles for you Hojo? When will you fight like a man?"
" I could say the same for you. Tell what are friends doing here?" Hojo asked as he pointed to growing figures at the eastern border of the city.
Vincent turned for a quarter of a second, that was Hojo needed. He spurred his beast into a charge and with two swipes cut Vincent's wings.
Vincent roared in agony, but with a mighty feat of strength grabbed the beasts gut with his claw. The beast though strong, could not take the combined weight, and began to plummet as well. Vincent could only look down as he, Hojo, and the beast plummeted from about a hundred feet, to the cold hard earth.
....................................
Shade, Eva, and Yuffie had led all their troops to the eastern border of the capital.
" Alright here we are. Take a moment to get ready. I have to talk to my soldiers." Yuffie said, as she walked over to Loki and the other generals.
Shade turned to Eva, concern plainly displayed on his features.
" Are sure this is right. We owe them no loyalty. We don't have to risk this." Loki whispered into Eva's ear.
Eva responded with a slight chuckle, and ran her fingers into his short hair. " Yes shade, I have to do this. You can go if you want, but I'm not leaving. This was once both our homes, I don't want to see it burn.
Shade sighed, he had known this would be her answer. " In battle I can't always protect you. You're my world Eva. If anything should happen to you then, then I would never be able to face another day." He said slowly his hand gently grazing her cheek.
" And who says I need your protection? Frankly I'm more worried about you." Eva said with a laugh, though it was very halfhearted.
Shade wasn't amused. " Please just stay with me in the fight. The young empress seems strong enough, just don't leave my side. You are everything to me." Shade said gently before kissing her passionately on the lips.
There moment didn't last long, before long Yuffie came back.
" Are you ready?" Yuffie asked slowly, almost regretting ruining their moment.
" Yeah, ready as we will ever be." Shade muttered, putting his hood over his face and drawing two long knives from his sheathes on his sides.
" Then let's go. " Yuffie said, and with a final look at the leader of the thieves she and her army charged into the once great city. A final battle for death, glory, and vengeance.
....................................
Wutai, a city once known for its beauty was in a horrible state. The roads were now stained red with blood, and houses were completely ransacked. Tifa could only stare in horror at the vicious sights before her. Men composed of metal and blades ruled the streets like vicious zombies.
" Stay with me Tifa, these beasts will not notice our presence, while I am here. Now we must find Vincent. If he hasn't lost himself yet that is.
" What do you mean, what has happened to Vincent?" Tifa asked as she tried to absorb all that was going on around her.
" It is not my place to tell you that. If Vincent yet lives, then he will be the one to explain." Aeris said coolly as she walked the streets of the damned, and just as she said no beast attacked them.
As they walked Aeris muttered some strange words, and in her hands appeared a wooden war staff. A glorious weapon to behold, its blade was a beautiful stone sharpened and more deadly than almost any weapon forged by man.
With weapon in hand Aeris cut down every beast that lay before them. Leaving a trail of oil and blood behind her. It was both sickening and glorious to behold. Tifa found herself almost in a trance as she followed this great figure.
" Ah here he is now. Always one for showy entrances." Aeris muttered to herself.
" Where, where is he?" Tifa asked.
" Look above you." Was Aeris' only reply.
.................................... Vincent couldn't heal his wings, and at the rate that they were plummeting the fall would surely kill them. With a final thought Vincent let go of beast and fell freely. As he fell he grabbed one of pipelines coming out of the wall of a destroyed building. The pipe bent under his weight, but still held.
Meanwhile, Hojo wasn't so lucky. The griffon crashed on a fire hydrant, killing the beast instantly. Hojo survived the crash, but his left leg was horribly mangled.
Seeing his golden opportunity Vincent grabbed his only materia. Pouring most of his strength into the orb Vincent summoned twelve lightning bolts. Each one hit the pool of water that Hojo was now standing in. The smell of burnt flesh filled Vincent's nostrils.
Vincent's victory didn't last long, as he heard the sound of sickly wet laughter.
" Ha, is that you've got in you Valentine? It will take more than that do kill one chosen by a greatness!!" Hojo laughed, and as he did so his hood fell off revealing his disgusting deformations now dripping slightly from the severe burns.
Vincent let out a growl, despite the great pain in his wings he would not back down. As he let go of the pipe he thought he saw two people standing below him, but he didn't have the time to worry that. All that mattered was the fight at hand.
....................................
Yuffie, Shade, Eva, and Loki fought in a great circle. Shade and Eva fought like they were extensions of each other's body. Yuffie and Loki didn't have that bond, but were both very strong in their own rights. Yuffie was fighting three of the blade men. Their soldiers were fighting well, but several were already falling.
Yuffie broke off her attack and went to heal one of the injured soldiers, and as she did one of the blade men came from behind her. Before it could strike a long silver blade severed its head. Yuffie looked up and saw Loki there already moving on to his next target.
As the battle progressed Yuffie and Shade found themselves fighting side by side. Shade pulled out one of his shurikens and flung it into the heart of one enemy. While Yuffie threw her conformer into the skull of another one. While she went to retrieve her weapon she kicked another monster square in the chest cracking its ribs.
" Not bad child." Shade scoffed as he broke the neck of another enemy.
Yuffie laughed a little, but her laughter was cut short by one of Hojo's flying monstrosities. Yuffie kicked at its knee joint, but it had little effect. Shade threw several blades at the creature some impaling its chest, but most just grazing off the sides.
Shade and Yuffie retreated a few feet, and formed a tight group again with Eva and Loki. The group was about to attack when another soldier jumped in and stabbed at the monster, his blade cracking the materia.
" Crap, get down everyone!" Yuffie yelled as she saw the materia beginning to implode.
Everyone hit the ground but a blade man grabbed Shade, he stabbed the beast but he didn't have time to get away from the explosion. Just before the explosion caught him, Eva jumped in front of her lover and pushed him backwards.
Eva managed to dodge the green fire and looked down at shade with a smile, but before she could say anything, the flecks of metal that formed the beasts wings, flew and stabbed and buried themselves into her body.
" Eva No!!" Shade cried, as she fell lifelessly in front of him. He pulled all the blades out and roller her on her back.
" Eva please, don't die please. " Shade pleaded, tears pouring silently down his face, though his pleas met only with deaf ears. Eva his love had already passed.
Sobbing quietly Shade put his hand on her face and closed her eyes. Then rising slowly quivering with anger Shade drew his knives. " You monsters! I will have you burn in hell fire!!" Shade yelled as he flung himself at the first monster he could see. Slashing it to ribbons before moving on.
Shade fought, and fought until he collapsed exhausted unable to even rise. Yuffie ran to his side along with Loki, defending the grieving warrior. Yuffie looked towards the night sky. Dawn would be coming in a matter of moments, yet it looked as if it would bring peace to her fallen land.
....................................
Vincent and Hojo battled, each strike growing in power and ferocity. Vincent growing weary swung at Hojo's injured leg, while the madman tried to block, Vincent broke his right arm and grabbed the masamune from him the jabbed both blades into his shoulders impaling Hojo to a wall.
" Does this seem familiar? Last time I was one wall, now say goodbye you beast.
Hojo despite his situation laughed. " Kill me if you want, you ignorant fool. If you do, you destroy the last remnants of your past. I hold all the answers. " Hojo cackled.
" Save them for someone who cares." Vincent growled prepared to kill him with his bare hands.
" Fine have it your way." Hojo laughed as a black vortex formed behind him. " This spell will destroy everything in city. Including all of your friends. If you kill me then this spell will not dissipate, their blood will be on your hands Valentine."
For a moment Vincent considered attacking anyway. Before he could land the final blow he stopped himself. He looked at this disfigured mass, how many lives had been destroyed at his hands?
" I have every right to kill you now, to erase our existence from the world. But I am not the one who should have this honor." Vincent muttered.
Vincent began to summon all his energy. Green mana flowed through his body and till a great swirling vortex formed. From this vortex several glowing spirits flowed out swarming Hojo, all looking angry.
" What? What is this?" Hojo screamed as the sprits attacked him.
" These are the spirits of all those you have killed, they have more of a right to destroy you then even I hold." Vincent growled.
From several feet behind Vincent, Aeris watched with great interest. " That's odd, he shouldn't be able to do that. Unless... could he be? Hmm Vincent this could very interesting." Aeris muttered as she turned to Tifa.
" This is where I leave you. The city will soon be saved, go to Vincent." Aeris said kindly before disappearing into green mist.
Tifa slowly walked to Vincent. He was still focused on maintaining his spell, and didn't notice her. Though Hojo did notice her.
All the spirits that he killed, were there that many? He couldn't remember most of them. One caught his eye. She had changed much, she did not glow like the others, but it was her he could almost be sure of it. " You, you would betray me too? Don't you get it? I saved you from him. I would rather have you dead then be with Valentine. You never knew what was. I saved you, you ungrateful whore." Hojo shouted as he pointed at Tifa.
The spirits each ripped their hands into his chest and pulled out a glowing shape. The shape was his very soul. Without his soul, the body couldn't maintain the spell and soon it dissipated.
Vincent allowed the spell to last a little longer, but he could feel his life ebbing away from the strain. As spirits went back into the vortex one caught his eye. She seemed very familiar. Her hair was a long dark tangled mess, she seemed very short as well. She looked him for one moment, and he could have sworn that she blew him a kiss. Then she was gone, and with a groan of pain Vincent allowed the spell to end.
With the spells end Vincent collapsed to all fours, gasping for air. As he stayed there he felt someone's arms fall over him. Turning his head slightly he saw Tifa. She kissed him on top of the head. Neither of them spoke, they just stood there enjoying their company.
...................................
Dawn washed over the tortured city, but its light was unnatural. Yuffie could see a green source coming not far from her position.
" Loki, can you watch him. I have go check out what that is." Yuffie asked in an exhausted voice.
" Yes of course my lady." Loki agreed as she ran away.
Yuffie ran as fast as she could. As she ran she saw her soldiers. The blade men were on the run, and soon the city would be reclaimed. She didn't stop running, but the light dimmed quickly. Trusting her instinct she ran into an ally. There, in the ally was a sight she never could have expected. On all fours was Vincent, and next to him Tifa.
" My god, Vincent!" Yuffie yelled, all the pain in her joints couldn't keep her away from him. She ran to her friends and hugged both of them. As dark a night as it had been. The dawn cast it all away as she was with her friends. As the cold light shined on the city, it did not bring defeat, it brought Victory.
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A/N: Well its done. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It took me a lot of work, as hard as that might be to believe. Now I hope I can update fairly soon, but school is taking its toll, and I find it harder to get any work done. Anyway I again hope that you enjoyed this, and that if you have anything you want to say about it please review it. Thank you very much for reading this and again please tell me what you think. I need to get better, and your comments mean a lot to me. Thanks again.
