Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7, but I do own Rhiannon and Daigus.
A/N: It's so weird changing my symbols. x.x I have to get used to it. I've been playing a lot of Final Fantasy 7, so I have a lot of inspiration for this story. Well, time to return to Rhiannon's adventure. Sorry, short author's note.
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While Sephiroth was being returned to his body, the girl that they had talked about had managed to sneak on to a boat heading for the northern continent. Rhiannon sat in a small area in the middle of the stacked up crates, which hid her from view, and sighed wondering when the boat would get to its destination. She wasn't quite sure how she had managed to elude the other people, but she was glad to have a rest. I don't know why I'm so tired, thought Rhiannon, stretching a bit, I guess I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately.
The boat cruised along the blue sea with no problems and Rhiannon soon fell asleep because she had nothing else to do. She was finally getting some sleep only to be awakened many times by the clanking of boots against the metal of the stairs or the wooden floors. Scowling, the girl amused herself by listening in on the conversations of the crew whenever they were near the crates. Most of them complained about the higher officers, their pay, or members of the opposite gender. Is this what everyone talks about? thought the girl, confused.
Feeling quite stiff, Rhiannon stood up and started doing different stretches for her muscles. A sudden jolt, caused her to fall off balance, landing with a loud thud on the floor. She cursed silently as she retreated into the shadows incase anyone heard her fall. The girl realized that the boat wasn't moving and there were calls to start unloading things. Finally, she thought, grabbing her pack, About time we got here. Guess I should start to get out of here before they find me.
Rhiannon was about to sneak out of the boat by hiding behind crates when an alarm went off and lights flashed. Caught by surprise of these strange things, Rhiannon covered her ears to block out the sound and the lights blinded her eyes. She scrambled away from where she was, confused by the sounds and lights, but found a spot to recover. What the hell was that thing? she thought, rubbing her head, How did it make so much noise and light? Whatever it was, thank goodness it stopped. She sighed and tried to relax her nerves.
"Captain!" yelled one of the men dressed in a blue uniform that she had seen earlier, stalking around the boat, "I saw something!"
"Who would stowaway on a boat full of sailors and Soldiers?" asked a man dressed in a captain's outfit, "Especially with the president on board. Well, spread out and search every nook and cranny. Maybe someone did get on here for a free ride."
Rhiannon cursed under her breath as she saw people in blue uniforms walk to the lower area where she was and start searching. She moved in the shadows, trying to evade their sight, but when she heard a gun fire and a bullet hit the wall next to her arm, she froze. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw that all of the soldiers were pointing their guns directly at her. A man in a dark red uniform stepped forward with his gun out and his eyes narrowed at her. He must be the leader of this group of people, thought Rhiannon, noticing the difference in uniforms.
"Come out of the shadows, stowaway," snarled the man in the dark red uniform, "We can see you."
The girl was too frightened by the sight of the guns to even move, but she felt her whole body begin to shake as the soldiers all took a step toward her. She could hear her own heartbeat getting faster and louder as they came closer to where she was. Her eyes suddenly went wide as a strange feeling surged through her veins and the pupils of her eyes contracted to slits, the glow in them becoming more intense. Not thinking about the consequences, Rhiannon rushed forward, drawing out her daggers and proceeded to cut down the soldiers. She left a trail of either dead or injured soldiers and escaped via a handy hole she cut in the side of the boat.
Thank god the boat was wooden, she thought, leaning against the side of the boat. The strange surge of energy and emotions subsided, leaving Rhiannon with a drained feeling. She glanced down at the daggers and gasped when she saw them covered in blood. But... wait! When... When did I... She peeked inside and saw the bodies of the dead or injured. Oh my god... I... I did that... But... How?! Her musings were interrupted by a shout followed by the sound of guns being fired.
"Yah!" exclaimed the silver-haired girl, running away as the bullets hit the wood beside her. She nearly stumbled to the ground when one deeply grazed her leg and another nicked her arm.
"There's the stowaway!" yelled one of the soldiers, toppling out of the hole Rhiannon had cut in the side, "Shit! Captain! There's a giant hole in the side of this boat!"
"That stowaway must've done it," said the Captain, glaring after Rhiannon's retreating figure, "Get that girl alive, but watch out, I believe She's armed and dangerous. You saw how she cut down all those soldiers."
"Yes, sir!" said the soldiers, running off after Rhiannon, but she had already slid behind a pile of crates and was out of sight.
"How am I going to get out of this," muttered Rhiannon, watching the soldiers spread out and search the area, "They'd spot me easily, but if I could become something else. That might work long enough to get me out of here, but how..." She watched a bird fly away from the area. "If only I could turn into a bird... or something."
Rhiannon felt a strange spark of energy go through her when she said that, but it subsided quickly. She glanced down at her hands, which now held an illusion of a small bird and after a little more experimentation, she realized what she could do. Getting an idea, the girl darted out from behind the crates and into the forest, hearing shouts and running feet follow far behind. Interesting, she thought, I'm out running them easily... That's strange, seeing how I'm human like them, but I haven't been trained like they have...
The silver-haired girl stopped in a clearing and visualized a small one room cabin. The concentration on the illusion caused a warmth and surge of energy to spread to her fingertips. The cabin she visualized was woven into the area in front of her and she tapped on the door, it was solid wood. Rhiannon quickly opened the door to see a double bed in one corner, a stove, a table, and other things. She smiled and shut the door behind her as she heard the soldiers getting closer, making sure they saw her go in the cabin.
Using more of the illusion magic, Rhiannon visualized herself in a different appearance, with tanned skin, long black hair, and brown eyes. A silver material seemed to wrap around her and she saw her nude form in the mirror, exactly as she had visualized. All her markings had vanished and her height had changed. She grinned in a mischievous manner as the idea of the trick was molded even more in her mind. I think I'm going to like using this ability, she thought, examining her hands with interest.
"This is so perfect," she muttered, grabbing a pile of clothes she had made and she pretended that she was dressing.
The door flew off its hinges as a soldier kicked it down, they came in and pointed their guns at Rhiannon, who they couldn't recognize. The girl screamed, putting on a fake, but convincing accent that masked her real voice. The soldiers froze when they saw a different woman standing there covering herself with a dress she was about to put on. Rhiannon quickly visualized a tall, well-built man with slightly tanned skin, long dark hair, and bright blue eyes. A man of that description suddenly stepped out from behind the house and walked over to the soldiers. Luckily, he was dressed rather than being nude, and his garb made him even more intimidating.
"What are you men doing to my wife?" growled the man, standing about a head taller than most of the men, "We've lived here for years with no problems from soldiers and suddenly they are barging into my cabin and trying to attack my wife."
"S... Sorry, s... sir!" stuttered the soldier in front, "We though we saw a girl..."
"My wife is the only woman who would be at this cabin," said the man, glowering at the soldiers.
"John," said Rhiannon, making her voice sound terrified, "I think they had other intentions! They were eyeing me in the most frightening way."
"Get out of my cabin and go back to where you came from!" roared John at the soldiers, causing them to take off in the direction of the boat.
As soon as the soldiers were out of sight and far away from the area, all of Rhiannon's illusions dissolved away into nothing. The girl dropped the dress, which dissolved too and stretched, smiling to herself with satisfaction as the outer image shattered from her person to leave her original appearance. She decided to test out her idea of changing into an animal. What form shall I try? she thought, casting her mind around for an idea. A howl in the distance helped her choose. I'll try turning into a wolf. She closed her eyes and focused on the image of a wolf, expanding the image into her turning into a wolf.
Rather than the energy going to her hands, Rhiannon felt a tingling, yet warm sensation surround her entire body. The girl realized that this was a transformation and not just an illusion, which she found interesting. Her form started to shift into that of a silver wolf, but something happened that she didn't expect. Her arms suddenly felt like they were on fire as a strange jolt of energy shot through her body, causing her concentration to break. Barely conscious from the white hot pain coursing through her body, the girl could feel herself falling to the ground and blacked out as her body hit the cold, hard earth.
Meanwhile, in a cave several miles away, Sephiroth awoke when he sensed the surge of energy caused by Rhiannon's attempt. The man knew he was back because he felt the cold stone beneath him and upon opening his eyes, saw a rocky ceiling above him. The sound of water trickling through a crack somewhere in the cave reached his ears, mingling with other various sounds. He sat up to survey the area around him, remembering all the events that had transpired within the region and feeling regret creeping into his heart again. The thought of his missing sword surfaced in his thoughts, but as he looked around, he sighed with relief when he saw it standing in a corner nearby. Next to it sat a pack with a rolled up piece of paper tied to it with a white ribbon.
What was so unusual about the paper was that it was parchment, which no one used anymore. He untied the note and unrolled it to read the words written in calligraphy:
Dear Sephiroth,
Hope you got there safe and that you remember that you must not leave the area. The girl is heading to the ancient city, but something's happened to her and she looks more different than ever. Luckily, she blends in since many people started experimenting with genetics and got themselves strange body parts. The pack is specially designed to carry many things, but not show off the bulk or let gravity take it down. The material looks like leather, but it has had Phoenix feathers spun into it. Since Phoenixes can carry immensely heavy loads, this won't weigh you down. There's food, extra clothing, and all the supplies you need until the girl gets to the crater. I wish you much luck with the mission.
Sincerely,
Spirita. Gold Dragon of the Gates.
Assistant to Clementia, the goddess of mercy and clemency.
Sephiroth stared at the letter and put it away, but pulled out the clothing to inspect it. Nothing to his likeness was in there because it was basically pants and tunics like he had worn while in the other realm, but he realized that he was wearing his old uniform. It had been cleaned and restored to its original state. He discovered another set of his old clothes, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't be wearing his old uniform that much once he was out in the open. Obviously, Spirita had thought the same thing, but to Sephiroth, she had bad taste in clothes.
Sephiroth stood up to stretch out the kinks in his muscles and he pulled the masamune out of its sheath, examining it closely and found that any damage to the blade had been repaired. Feeling that he may be rusty with his techniques, the silver-haired man took off his coat and leather straps to start practicing them again. I wonder how long I'll have to wait, he thought, thrusting his sword at an invisible opponent, Once I'm done here, I'll scout around the area and see how far I'm allowed to go.
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While Sephiroth was getting accustomed to his surroundings, a few hours passed and Rhiannon woke up to the birds singing above her. When she opened her eyes to see the sun sinking beyond the horizon and felt a strange chill pass through her body. Alarmed by the fact that she was still in the clearing, the girl stood up quickly, feeling like she had been hit by a truck, but something didn't feel right. She placed her hands on her head, running her fingers through her hair. They bumped into two furry things, which confused her.
Rhiannon dropped her hands and conjured up the image of a mirror to see what was in her hair. With a shriek that sent birds into the air, she stared open mouthed at the mirror, which showed that two silver wolf ears were sitting atop her head. The girl turned slightly to look at the silver wolf tail that was now attached to her backside. She didn't act shocked by the fact that she was completely nude, but the cold air made her seek out her clothes. The garments were lying on the ground not too far away and she quickly pulled them on, but she had to rip a hole in her pants to let her tail out.
"What the hell happened to me?!" she exclaimed, staring at herself in the mirror. She thought back to the attempted transformation and remembered that something broke her concentration. "I guess my broken concentration messed up the spell." With a sigh she sought out her cloak, which provided little extra warmth, but it was enough.
Shivering, Rhiannon pulled up the hood and clutched the cloth tightly around her. After getting rid of the mirror, the girl grabbed her pack and headed towards the nearest village. She entered the village to see that a few of the buildings were built out of the bones of a massive creature, but what really caught her eye were the soldiers stationed around one particular house. She walked to the inn and rented a room for the night. The innkeeper took a look at her clothes and shook his head.
"You're going to need winter clothing if you're going to travel around this area," he commented, "There's a store across the way that sells them."
"Thank you for the information," said Rhiannon, smiling at him, "Um... What would winter clothing be?"
The man gave her a strange look. "Pants, long sleeved shirts, coats, and boots. There are other items, but that's the basic outfit. That's quite a strange question, miss."
"Um... Yeah," muttered Rhiannon, moving to the stairs, "Thanks again." She quickly retreated up the stairway to her room and once the door was closed, she pulled off her cloak. "I guess winter is what the cold regions are called."
The girl deposited her belongings in a chair and took out a pouch of money that Daigus had given her. She counted the money and realized that it was much more than she thought it was. Smiling, Rhiannon put the key to her room in the pouch and tied the pouch to the sash around her waist. She departed the room after wrapping her cloak tightly around herself and left the inn, wandering in the direction of the clothing shop, which she only found because there was a sign out front. She entered the shop and gazed around at all the different clothes in wonder.
"Ah, hello, young traveler," said a brown-haired woman at the cash register, "Do you need any help?"
"Um... I need winter clothing," replied Rhiannon, feeling very unsure about what to do.
"Well, take off your cloak and I'll see what I can do," stated the woman.
Rhiannon did so and hung it on a peg as the woman walked around her, inspecting every bit of her appearance with a pair of soft, brown eyes. The girl spoke up. "Um... I don't suppose you have clothes made for someone like me... Do you?"
"Oh, hun, we have all sorts of clothing," replied the woman, looking at Rhiannon's newly acquired tail, "You're lucky. We just got our shipment of clothing made for people with tails. Come with me." She took hold of Rhiannon's shoulder, but the girl yelped when this happened. "Oh, you poor thing." The woman examined the gash on her shoulder. "You must've gotten in a fight with a monster." The woman brought the girl to the back of the shop and closed a curtain. "I need you to remove your shirt and pants, so I can treat your injuries."
Rhiannon hesitated, but after a few moments, did so and put on a tank top and some shorts that the woman handed her.
"Please, take a seat on the chair," stated the woman, gesturing to the moth-eaten armchair in the corner.
The girl sat down as the woman bustled around, looking for something. "Um... I hope I'm not bothering you..."
"Oh, dear, you're not," sighed the woman, glancing at her, "I double as a nurse all the time." She gave Rhiannon a warm smile. "You seem to be new here. I know the feeling." She found the first aid kit and walked over to the girl, kneeling down to examine her wounds. "I moved here from Midgar a couple of years ago when it was destroyed. I had been away in a safe place when it happened, but when I returned, most of my belongings had been destroyed."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said Rhiannon, wincing as the woman cleaned her arm injury with a strange liquid.
"I like this area more than Midgar," remarked the woman, wrapping a bandage around the injury, "I feel less lonely when I'm here." She started working on Rhiannon's leg injury. "You are one lucky girl. Whatever hit you here didn't cut deep enough to require stitches, but it may take a while to heal." She cleaned the wound and bandaged it. "Oh, my! We weren't properly introduced, were we?" She chuckled. "My name is Elmyra Gainsborough." She held out her hand. "What's your name?"
"I'm Rhiannon," replied the girl, smiling faintly, but she stared at the woman's hand in confusion, but the woman took the initiative and took hold of the girl's hand, shaking it slightly.
"No last name?" inquired Elmyra, standing up to put away the box.
"None that I know of," answered Rhiannon quietly, looking at the floor.
"Well, that's becoming quite common for some reason," shrugged Elmyra, turning around, "I think I'll go ahead and close the shop to help you out."
"Oh... You don't have to do that," said Rhiannon, glancing at her, "I don't want to cause any trouble."
"My dear, it's almost closing time anyway, it's ok," assured Elmyra, smiling gently at her, "Follow me." She disappeared through the curtains and Rhiannon stood up to peek through. Elmyra flipped over a sign, locked the door, and pulled down some curtains to cover the windows. "Don't worry, no one can seen in here now."
The girl walked out and gazed around at the clothing, unsure as to where she should start. "Um... What should I look at first... I've... I've never bought my own clothes before..."
"That's ok," commented Elmyra, chuckling, "It's been a long time since I've helped someone after closing time."
During the hours that Elmyra helped her try on item after item, Rhiannon felt herself growing fonder of the kind woman. The only thing she found strange is that every time she looked at her helper, a very faint spark of familiarity ran through her mind. She managed to find a few outfits that she felt comfortable in and quickly learned a non-painful way to get her tail through the specially made hole in each pair of pants. When she had finished her searching, Rhiannon purchased the clothes she liked and started to leave, wearing one of the outfits she had bought.
"Hang on a minute," said Elmyra, picking up some scissors, "Let me cut off the tags from that outfit you're wearing." She snipped off the tags and put the tool away.
"Thank you," said Rhiannon, sighing, "Thanks for everything."
"It was no trouble, dear," remarked Elmyra, smiling at her, "You should get going. It's late and I'm sure you're exhausted from your travels." She paused for a moment. "How old are you, dear?"
"Twenty-three," answered Rhiannon, remembering the age that Daigus told her to use.
"A year younger than my daughter would've been," sighed Elmyra, "You remind me of her when she was a child."
"Would've been?" said the girl, watching the woman with curiosity, "What do you mean?"
"I'm afraid she was killed two years ago," answered Elmyra, a sorrowful expression on her face.
"Ah," whispered Rhiannon, looking down, "I'm... I'm so sorry."
"Oh, don't apologize," said Elmyra, smiling kindly at her, "How long are you going to be in town?"
"I'm not sure," replied Rhiannon, scratching her head, "It depends on how long my money holds up."
"Well, why don't you come stay with me?" asked Elmyra, "I'd enjoy having the company and I enjoyed our conversation while I helped you with clothing."
"Oh... I... I couldn't possibly impose on you, Mrs. Gainsborough," stammered the silver-haired girl in reply, casting a shy gaze at the floor.
The woman laughed. "Nonsense, dear, I insist. Now, go gather your things and head on over here. I have an extra room in the back."
Rhiannon smiled at her and did a quick, respectful bow, "Thank you so much, Mrs. Gainsborough. I'll help you out in the shop and run errands for you to pay you back." Before Elmyra could say another word, the wolfish girl scurried out of the shop and moved back to the inn.
"Sweet, child," murmured Elmyra, sighing a little, "Such spirit and kindness... So like my dear Aeris."
Rhiannon walked towards the inn, reflecting on everything Elmyra had told her when she ran into someone and fell backwards on to the cold earth. With a pang of fear, she looked up to see a soldier standing there, his eyes narrowed at her and a paper in his hand. The girl grabbed her things and got to her feet quickly before the man could get a hold of her arm. She moved out of the way as he lunged at her and sprinted to the inn only slowing down at the door to walk inside. Once she was at her room, Rhiannon quickly shoved all her things into her pack and got ready to leave. She turned around and went for the door when it burst open, allowing a group of soldiers to barge in.
"Freeze!" yelled a commander, pointing his gun at her, "Stay right where you are." He looked at a soldier next to him. "This is the stowaway?"
"Yes, sir," replied the soldier, glaring at Rhiannon, "That's her."
Rhiannon growled at him as she took a step forward, but the clicks of guns made her freeze in place. Once again, she felt the same surge of emotions and energy rush through her veins, causing her pupils to contract to slits as the glow got brighter. In a flash, she had drawn her daggers and proceeded in taking out all of the soldiers; All of whom were so surprised by the girl's sudden aggression that they didn't react in time. She managed to restrain herself from killing this time, but managed to knock all of them out. Once the last one fell, the girl leapt over the bodies and landed in the hallway, a bit of a wolfish grin on her face. Her grin was wiped off her face when she felt something get pressed to her back and a painful sensation engulfed her body.
The silver-haired girl screamed from the pain and collapsed once it had stopped, feeling her consciousness slip. The last thing she saw was a man standing over her, his crimson red hair falling over his shoulder in a messy ponytail and his deep blue eyes gazing down at her. Rhiannon noticed a scar on each of his cheeks near his eye and saw a pair of sunglasses set atop his head. Resting on his other shoulder, the tip sparking, was an odd, metal stick with a rubber handle. Her eyes slowly moved down, taking in the image of a blue suit with a white shirt. She muttered something and tried to get up, but a foot connected with her stomach, sending her into the nearest wall.
"Idiot!" yelled the redhead, striking the commander across the head with the rubber end of the stick, "The president wants her delivered unharmed!"
"You just zapped her with your nightstick!" exclaimed the commander, glaring at the man.
"It was to stun her," snorted the redhead, rolling his eyes and getting out a phone, "Hey, Rude, Elena. Found the girl." There was some muffled talking on the other end. "Yeah, she's out. I'll bring her back now."
Rhiannon was clutching her stomach as pain coursed through her body, but managed to look at the man through half opened eyes and voice a question. "Who... Who are you?"
The man gave her a strange look and shrugged. "You must be new or something if you can't recognize me." He gave her a sly smirk and rested his nightstick on his shoulder again. "I'm Reno of the Turks and you're my ticket to a nice pay off."
"I'm overjoyed for you," spat Rhiannon in a sarcastic tone, fixing him with a bleary, yet angry glare, "What do the uniformed monkeys want?"
"Uniformed monkeys?!" exclaimed the commander in outrage, "We are members of SOLDIER and I'm a high ranking officer!" Before Reno could stop him, the commander stomped over and grabbed the girl by her shirt.
"Hehehe... I made the uniformed monkey mad," chuckled Rhiannon, smiling a bit, but she was obviously not thinking clearly.
"Shut up!" snarled the commander, slamming Rhiannon up against the wall hard that it seemed to knock her out, "Stupid mutant bitch."
"The president's going to have you demoted for that," stated Reno coldly, glaring at the commander.
"Hehe..." muttered Rhiannon loudly, as she grinned again, "Uniformed... Monkey."
With a yell of rage, the commander tossed the girl into the opposite wall and the impact against it succeeded in finally knocking Rhiannon out completely.
Reno chuckled at the commander's rage. "I think she has a point to her insult." He smirked at the man before walking over to pick up Rhiannon. He hoisted the girl over his shoulder and disappeared down the stairs laughing at the commander.
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Wow, this is turning out different from what I had before o.o I wasn't going to bring in the Turks this early. I figured that once Shin-Ra was revived, the Turks would go back to get a good job or something.
Yep, that's the same Elmyra who adopted Aeris I decided to make the woman in the clothing shop have a more significant role in this chapter.
An amusing illusion Rhiannon did, no? And yes, I do have a thing about turning characters into part animal. XD
Hope you enjoyed this chapter and sorry about the cliffhanger.
SNEAK PEEK!:
- Rhiannon meets the new president of Shin-Ra along with some of their other employees.
- Two panicked, draconic deities drop in on Sephiroth to inform him a slight problem with the agenda.
- What happens when soldiers meet their insane general who's supposed to be dead? Hehe.
A/N: It's so weird changing my symbols. x.x I have to get used to it. I've been playing a lot of Final Fantasy 7, so I have a lot of inspiration for this story. Well, time to return to Rhiannon's adventure. Sorry, short author's note.
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While Sephiroth was being returned to his body, the girl that they had talked about had managed to sneak on to a boat heading for the northern continent. Rhiannon sat in a small area in the middle of the stacked up crates, which hid her from view, and sighed wondering when the boat would get to its destination. She wasn't quite sure how she had managed to elude the other people, but she was glad to have a rest. I don't know why I'm so tired, thought Rhiannon, stretching a bit, I guess I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately.
The boat cruised along the blue sea with no problems and Rhiannon soon fell asleep because she had nothing else to do. She was finally getting some sleep only to be awakened many times by the clanking of boots against the metal of the stairs or the wooden floors. Scowling, the girl amused herself by listening in on the conversations of the crew whenever they were near the crates. Most of them complained about the higher officers, their pay, or members of the opposite gender. Is this what everyone talks about? thought the girl, confused.
Feeling quite stiff, Rhiannon stood up and started doing different stretches for her muscles. A sudden jolt, caused her to fall off balance, landing with a loud thud on the floor. She cursed silently as she retreated into the shadows incase anyone heard her fall. The girl realized that the boat wasn't moving and there were calls to start unloading things. Finally, she thought, grabbing her pack, About time we got here. Guess I should start to get out of here before they find me.
Rhiannon was about to sneak out of the boat by hiding behind crates when an alarm went off and lights flashed. Caught by surprise of these strange things, Rhiannon covered her ears to block out the sound and the lights blinded her eyes. She scrambled away from where she was, confused by the sounds and lights, but found a spot to recover. What the hell was that thing? she thought, rubbing her head, How did it make so much noise and light? Whatever it was, thank goodness it stopped. She sighed and tried to relax her nerves.
"Captain!" yelled one of the men dressed in a blue uniform that she had seen earlier, stalking around the boat, "I saw something!"
"Who would stowaway on a boat full of sailors and Soldiers?" asked a man dressed in a captain's outfit, "Especially with the president on board. Well, spread out and search every nook and cranny. Maybe someone did get on here for a free ride."
Rhiannon cursed under her breath as she saw people in blue uniforms walk to the lower area where she was and start searching. She moved in the shadows, trying to evade their sight, but when she heard a gun fire and a bullet hit the wall next to her arm, she froze. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw that all of the soldiers were pointing their guns directly at her. A man in a dark red uniform stepped forward with his gun out and his eyes narrowed at her. He must be the leader of this group of people, thought Rhiannon, noticing the difference in uniforms.
"Come out of the shadows, stowaway," snarled the man in the dark red uniform, "We can see you."
The girl was too frightened by the sight of the guns to even move, but she felt her whole body begin to shake as the soldiers all took a step toward her. She could hear her own heartbeat getting faster and louder as they came closer to where she was. Her eyes suddenly went wide as a strange feeling surged through her veins and the pupils of her eyes contracted to slits, the glow in them becoming more intense. Not thinking about the consequences, Rhiannon rushed forward, drawing out her daggers and proceeded to cut down the soldiers. She left a trail of either dead or injured soldiers and escaped via a handy hole she cut in the side of the boat.
Thank god the boat was wooden, she thought, leaning against the side of the boat. The strange surge of energy and emotions subsided, leaving Rhiannon with a drained feeling. She glanced down at the daggers and gasped when she saw them covered in blood. But... wait! When... When did I... She peeked inside and saw the bodies of the dead or injured. Oh my god... I... I did that... But... How?! Her musings were interrupted by a shout followed by the sound of guns being fired.
"Yah!" exclaimed the silver-haired girl, running away as the bullets hit the wood beside her. She nearly stumbled to the ground when one deeply grazed her leg and another nicked her arm.
"There's the stowaway!" yelled one of the soldiers, toppling out of the hole Rhiannon had cut in the side, "Shit! Captain! There's a giant hole in the side of this boat!"
"That stowaway must've done it," said the Captain, glaring after Rhiannon's retreating figure, "Get that girl alive, but watch out, I believe She's armed and dangerous. You saw how she cut down all those soldiers."
"Yes, sir!" said the soldiers, running off after Rhiannon, but she had already slid behind a pile of crates and was out of sight.
"How am I going to get out of this," muttered Rhiannon, watching the soldiers spread out and search the area, "They'd spot me easily, but if I could become something else. That might work long enough to get me out of here, but how..." She watched a bird fly away from the area. "If only I could turn into a bird... or something."
Rhiannon felt a strange spark of energy go through her when she said that, but it subsided quickly. She glanced down at her hands, which now held an illusion of a small bird and after a little more experimentation, she realized what she could do. Getting an idea, the girl darted out from behind the crates and into the forest, hearing shouts and running feet follow far behind. Interesting, she thought, I'm out running them easily... That's strange, seeing how I'm human like them, but I haven't been trained like they have...
The silver-haired girl stopped in a clearing and visualized a small one room cabin. The concentration on the illusion caused a warmth and surge of energy to spread to her fingertips. The cabin she visualized was woven into the area in front of her and she tapped on the door, it was solid wood. Rhiannon quickly opened the door to see a double bed in one corner, a stove, a table, and other things. She smiled and shut the door behind her as she heard the soldiers getting closer, making sure they saw her go in the cabin.
Using more of the illusion magic, Rhiannon visualized herself in a different appearance, with tanned skin, long black hair, and brown eyes. A silver material seemed to wrap around her and she saw her nude form in the mirror, exactly as she had visualized. All her markings had vanished and her height had changed. She grinned in a mischievous manner as the idea of the trick was molded even more in her mind. I think I'm going to like using this ability, she thought, examining her hands with interest.
"This is so perfect," she muttered, grabbing a pile of clothes she had made and she pretended that she was dressing.
The door flew off its hinges as a soldier kicked it down, they came in and pointed their guns at Rhiannon, who they couldn't recognize. The girl screamed, putting on a fake, but convincing accent that masked her real voice. The soldiers froze when they saw a different woman standing there covering herself with a dress she was about to put on. Rhiannon quickly visualized a tall, well-built man with slightly tanned skin, long dark hair, and bright blue eyes. A man of that description suddenly stepped out from behind the house and walked over to the soldiers. Luckily, he was dressed rather than being nude, and his garb made him even more intimidating.
"What are you men doing to my wife?" growled the man, standing about a head taller than most of the men, "We've lived here for years with no problems from soldiers and suddenly they are barging into my cabin and trying to attack my wife."
"S... Sorry, s... sir!" stuttered the soldier in front, "We though we saw a girl..."
"My wife is the only woman who would be at this cabin," said the man, glowering at the soldiers.
"John," said Rhiannon, making her voice sound terrified, "I think they had other intentions! They were eyeing me in the most frightening way."
"Get out of my cabin and go back to where you came from!" roared John at the soldiers, causing them to take off in the direction of the boat.
As soon as the soldiers were out of sight and far away from the area, all of Rhiannon's illusions dissolved away into nothing. The girl dropped the dress, which dissolved too and stretched, smiling to herself with satisfaction as the outer image shattered from her person to leave her original appearance. She decided to test out her idea of changing into an animal. What form shall I try? she thought, casting her mind around for an idea. A howl in the distance helped her choose. I'll try turning into a wolf. She closed her eyes and focused on the image of a wolf, expanding the image into her turning into a wolf.
Rather than the energy going to her hands, Rhiannon felt a tingling, yet warm sensation surround her entire body. The girl realized that this was a transformation and not just an illusion, which she found interesting. Her form started to shift into that of a silver wolf, but something happened that she didn't expect. Her arms suddenly felt like they were on fire as a strange jolt of energy shot through her body, causing her concentration to break. Barely conscious from the white hot pain coursing through her body, the girl could feel herself falling to the ground and blacked out as her body hit the cold, hard earth.
Meanwhile, in a cave several miles away, Sephiroth awoke when he sensed the surge of energy caused by Rhiannon's attempt. The man knew he was back because he felt the cold stone beneath him and upon opening his eyes, saw a rocky ceiling above him. The sound of water trickling through a crack somewhere in the cave reached his ears, mingling with other various sounds. He sat up to survey the area around him, remembering all the events that had transpired within the region and feeling regret creeping into his heart again. The thought of his missing sword surfaced in his thoughts, but as he looked around, he sighed with relief when he saw it standing in a corner nearby. Next to it sat a pack with a rolled up piece of paper tied to it with a white ribbon.
What was so unusual about the paper was that it was parchment, which no one used anymore. He untied the note and unrolled it to read the words written in calligraphy:
Dear Sephiroth,
Hope you got there safe and that you remember that you must not leave the area. The girl is heading to the ancient city, but something's happened to her and she looks more different than ever. Luckily, she blends in since many people started experimenting with genetics and got themselves strange body parts. The pack is specially designed to carry many things, but not show off the bulk or let gravity take it down. The material looks like leather, but it has had Phoenix feathers spun into it. Since Phoenixes can carry immensely heavy loads, this won't weigh you down. There's food, extra clothing, and all the supplies you need until the girl gets to the crater. I wish you much luck with the mission.
Sincerely,
Spirita. Gold Dragon of the Gates.
Assistant to Clementia, the goddess of mercy and clemency.
Sephiroth stared at the letter and put it away, but pulled out the clothing to inspect it. Nothing to his likeness was in there because it was basically pants and tunics like he had worn while in the other realm, but he realized that he was wearing his old uniform. It had been cleaned and restored to its original state. He discovered another set of his old clothes, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't be wearing his old uniform that much once he was out in the open. Obviously, Spirita had thought the same thing, but to Sephiroth, she had bad taste in clothes.
Sephiroth stood up to stretch out the kinks in his muscles and he pulled the masamune out of its sheath, examining it closely and found that any damage to the blade had been repaired. Feeling that he may be rusty with his techniques, the silver-haired man took off his coat and leather straps to start practicing them again. I wonder how long I'll have to wait, he thought, thrusting his sword at an invisible opponent, Once I'm done here, I'll scout around the area and see how far I'm allowed to go.
# # # # # # # # # # # # #
While Sephiroth was getting accustomed to his surroundings, a few hours passed and Rhiannon woke up to the birds singing above her. When she opened her eyes to see the sun sinking beyond the horizon and felt a strange chill pass through her body. Alarmed by the fact that she was still in the clearing, the girl stood up quickly, feeling like she had been hit by a truck, but something didn't feel right. She placed her hands on her head, running her fingers through her hair. They bumped into two furry things, which confused her.
Rhiannon dropped her hands and conjured up the image of a mirror to see what was in her hair. With a shriek that sent birds into the air, she stared open mouthed at the mirror, which showed that two silver wolf ears were sitting atop her head. The girl turned slightly to look at the silver wolf tail that was now attached to her backside. She didn't act shocked by the fact that she was completely nude, but the cold air made her seek out her clothes. The garments were lying on the ground not too far away and she quickly pulled them on, but she had to rip a hole in her pants to let her tail out.
"What the hell happened to me?!" she exclaimed, staring at herself in the mirror. She thought back to the attempted transformation and remembered that something broke her concentration. "I guess my broken concentration messed up the spell." With a sigh she sought out her cloak, which provided little extra warmth, but it was enough.
Shivering, Rhiannon pulled up the hood and clutched the cloth tightly around her. After getting rid of the mirror, the girl grabbed her pack and headed towards the nearest village. She entered the village to see that a few of the buildings were built out of the bones of a massive creature, but what really caught her eye were the soldiers stationed around one particular house. She walked to the inn and rented a room for the night. The innkeeper took a look at her clothes and shook his head.
"You're going to need winter clothing if you're going to travel around this area," he commented, "There's a store across the way that sells them."
"Thank you for the information," said Rhiannon, smiling at him, "Um... What would winter clothing be?"
The man gave her a strange look. "Pants, long sleeved shirts, coats, and boots. There are other items, but that's the basic outfit. That's quite a strange question, miss."
"Um... Yeah," muttered Rhiannon, moving to the stairs, "Thanks again." She quickly retreated up the stairway to her room and once the door was closed, she pulled off her cloak. "I guess winter is what the cold regions are called."
The girl deposited her belongings in a chair and took out a pouch of money that Daigus had given her. She counted the money and realized that it was much more than she thought it was. Smiling, Rhiannon put the key to her room in the pouch and tied the pouch to the sash around her waist. She departed the room after wrapping her cloak tightly around herself and left the inn, wandering in the direction of the clothing shop, which she only found because there was a sign out front. She entered the shop and gazed around at all the different clothes in wonder.
"Ah, hello, young traveler," said a brown-haired woman at the cash register, "Do you need any help?"
"Um... I need winter clothing," replied Rhiannon, feeling very unsure about what to do.
"Well, take off your cloak and I'll see what I can do," stated the woman.
Rhiannon did so and hung it on a peg as the woman walked around her, inspecting every bit of her appearance with a pair of soft, brown eyes. The girl spoke up. "Um... I don't suppose you have clothes made for someone like me... Do you?"
"Oh, hun, we have all sorts of clothing," replied the woman, looking at Rhiannon's newly acquired tail, "You're lucky. We just got our shipment of clothing made for people with tails. Come with me." She took hold of Rhiannon's shoulder, but the girl yelped when this happened. "Oh, you poor thing." The woman examined the gash on her shoulder. "You must've gotten in a fight with a monster." The woman brought the girl to the back of the shop and closed a curtain. "I need you to remove your shirt and pants, so I can treat your injuries."
Rhiannon hesitated, but after a few moments, did so and put on a tank top and some shorts that the woman handed her.
"Please, take a seat on the chair," stated the woman, gesturing to the moth-eaten armchair in the corner.
The girl sat down as the woman bustled around, looking for something. "Um... I hope I'm not bothering you..."
"Oh, dear, you're not," sighed the woman, glancing at her, "I double as a nurse all the time." She gave Rhiannon a warm smile. "You seem to be new here. I know the feeling." She found the first aid kit and walked over to the girl, kneeling down to examine her wounds. "I moved here from Midgar a couple of years ago when it was destroyed. I had been away in a safe place when it happened, but when I returned, most of my belongings had been destroyed."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said Rhiannon, wincing as the woman cleaned her arm injury with a strange liquid.
"I like this area more than Midgar," remarked the woman, wrapping a bandage around the injury, "I feel less lonely when I'm here." She started working on Rhiannon's leg injury. "You are one lucky girl. Whatever hit you here didn't cut deep enough to require stitches, but it may take a while to heal." She cleaned the wound and bandaged it. "Oh, my! We weren't properly introduced, were we?" She chuckled. "My name is Elmyra Gainsborough." She held out her hand. "What's your name?"
"I'm Rhiannon," replied the girl, smiling faintly, but she stared at the woman's hand in confusion, but the woman took the initiative and took hold of the girl's hand, shaking it slightly.
"No last name?" inquired Elmyra, standing up to put away the box.
"None that I know of," answered Rhiannon quietly, looking at the floor.
"Well, that's becoming quite common for some reason," shrugged Elmyra, turning around, "I think I'll go ahead and close the shop to help you out."
"Oh... You don't have to do that," said Rhiannon, glancing at her, "I don't want to cause any trouble."
"My dear, it's almost closing time anyway, it's ok," assured Elmyra, smiling gently at her, "Follow me." She disappeared through the curtains and Rhiannon stood up to peek through. Elmyra flipped over a sign, locked the door, and pulled down some curtains to cover the windows. "Don't worry, no one can seen in here now."
The girl walked out and gazed around at the clothing, unsure as to where she should start. "Um... What should I look at first... I've... I've never bought my own clothes before..."
"That's ok," commented Elmyra, chuckling, "It's been a long time since I've helped someone after closing time."
During the hours that Elmyra helped her try on item after item, Rhiannon felt herself growing fonder of the kind woman. The only thing she found strange is that every time she looked at her helper, a very faint spark of familiarity ran through her mind. She managed to find a few outfits that she felt comfortable in and quickly learned a non-painful way to get her tail through the specially made hole in each pair of pants. When she had finished her searching, Rhiannon purchased the clothes she liked and started to leave, wearing one of the outfits she had bought.
"Hang on a minute," said Elmyra, picking up some scissors, "Let me cut off the tags from that outfit you're wearing." She snipped off the tags and put the tool away.
"Thank you," said Rhiannon, sighing, "Thanks for everything."
"It was no trouble, dear," remarked Elmyra, smiling at her, "You should get going. It's late and I'm sure you're exhausted from your travels." She paused for a moment. "How old are you, dear?"
"Twenty-three," answered Rhiannon, remembering the age that Daigus told her to use.
"A year younger than my daughter would've been," sighed Elmyra, "You remind me of her when she was a child."
"Would've been?" said the girl, watching the woman with curiosity, "What do you mean?"
"I'm afraid she was killed two years ago," answered Elmyra, a sorrowful expression on her face.
"Ah," whispered Rhiannon, looking down, "I'm... I'm so sorry."
"Oh, don't apologize," said Elmyra, smiling kindly at her, "How long are you going to be in town?"
"I'm not sure," replied Rhiannon, scratching her head, "It depends on how long my money holds up."
"Well, why don't you come stay with me?" asked Elmyra, "I'd enjoy having the company and I enjoyed our conversation while I helped you with clothing."
"Oh... I... I couldn't possibly impose on you, Mrs. Gainsborough," stammered the silver-haired girl in reply, casting a shy gaze at the floor.
The woman laughed. "Nonsense, dear, I insist. Now, go gather your things and head on over here. I have an extra room in the back."
Rhiannon smiled at her and did a quick, respectful bow, "Thank you so much, Mrs. Gainsborough. I'll help you out in the shop and run errands for you to pay you back." Before Elmyra could say another word, the wolfish girl scurried out of the shop and moved back to the inn.
"Sweet, child," murmured Elmyra, sighing a little, "Such spirit and kindness... So like my dear Aeris."
Rhiannon walked towards the inn, reflecting on everything Elmyra had told her when she ran into someone and fell backwards on to the cold earth. With a pang of fear, she looked up to see a soldier standing there, his eyes narrowed at her and a paper in his hand. The girl grabbed her things and got to her feet quickly before the man could get a hold of her arm. She moved out of the way as he lunged at her and sprinted to the inn only slowing down at the door to walk inside. Once she was at her room, Rhiannon quickly shoved all her things into her pack and got ready to leave. She turned around and went for the door when it burst open, allowing a group of soldiers to barge in.
"Freeze!" yelled a commander, pointing his gun at her, "Stay right where you are." He looked at a soldier next to him. "This is the stowaway?"
"Yes, sir," replied the soldier, glaring at Rhiannon, "That's her."
Rhiannon growled at him as she took a step forward, but the clicks of guns made her freeze in place. Once again, she felt the same surge of emotions and energy rush through her veins, causing her pupils to contract to slits as the glow got brighter. In a flash, she had drawn her daggers and proceeded in taking out all of the soldiers; All of whom were so surprised by the girl's sudden aggression that they didn't react in time. She managed to restrain herself from killing this time, but managed to knock all of them out. Once the last one fell, the girl leapt over the bodies and landed in the hallway, a bit of a wolfish grin on her face. Her grin was wiped off her face when she felt something get pressed to her back and a painful sensation engulfed her body.
The silver-haired girl screamed from the pain and collapsed once it had stopped, feeling her consciousness slip. The last thing she saw was a man standing over her, his crimson red hair falling over his shoulder in a messy ponytail and his deep blue eyes gazing down at her. Rhiannon noticed a scar on each of his cheeks near his eye and saw a pair of sunglasses set atop his head. Resting on his other shoulder, the tip sparking, was an odd, metal stick with a rubber handle. Her eyes slowly moved down, taking in the image of a blue suit with a white shirt. She muttered something and tried to get up, but a foot connected with her stomach, sending her into the nearest wall.
"Idiot!" yelled the redhead, striking the commander across the head with the rubber end of the stick, "The president wants her delivered unharmed!"
"You just zapped her with your nightstick!" exclaimed the commander, glaring at the man.
"It was to stun her," snorted the redhead, rolling his eyes and getting out a phone, "Hey, Rude, Elena. Found the girl." There was some muffled talking on the other end. "Yeah, she's out. I'll bring her back now."
Rhiannon was clutching her stomach as pain coursed through her body, but managed to look at the man through half opened eyes and voice a question. "Who... Who are you?"
The man gave her a strange look and shrugged. "You must be new or something if you can't recognize me." He gave her a sly smirk and rested his nightstick on his shoulder again. "I'm Reno of the Turks and you're my ticket to a nice pay off."
"I'm overjoyed for you," spat Rhiannon in a sarcastic tone, fixing him with a bleary, yet angry glare, "What do the uniformed monkeys want?"
"Uniformed monkeys?!" exclaimed the commander in outrage, "We are members of SOLDIER and I'm a high ranking officer!" Before Reno could stop him, the commander stomped over and grabbed the girl by her shirt.
"Hehehe... I made the uniformed monkey mad," chuckled Rhiannon, smiling a bit, but she was obviously not thinking clearly.
"Shut up!" snarled the commander, slamming Rhiannon up against the wall hard that it seemed to knock her out, "Stupid mutant bitch."
"The president's going to have you demoted for that," stated Reno coldly, glaring at the commander.
"Hehe..." muttered Rhiannon loudly, as she grinned again, "Uniformed... Monkey."
With a yell of rage, the commander tossed the girl into the opposite wall and the impact against it succeeded in finally knocking Rhiannon out completely.
Reno chuckled at the commander's rage. "I think she has a point to her insult." He smirked at the man before walking over to pick up Rhiannon. He hoisted the girl over his shoulder and disappeared down the stairs laughing at the commander.
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
Wow, this is turning out different from what I had before o.o I wasn't going to bring in the Turks this early. I figured that once Shin-Ra was revived, the Turks would go back to get a good job or something.
Yep, that's the same Elmyra who adopted Aeris I decided to make the woman in the clothing shop have a more significant role in this chapter.
An amusing illusion Rhiannon did, no? And yes, I do have a thing about turning characters into part animal. XD
Hope you enjoyed this chapter and sorry about the cliffhanger.
SNEAK PEEK!:
- Rhiannon meets the new president of Shin-Ra along with some of their other employees.
- Two panicked, draconic deities drop in on Sephiroth to inform him a slight problem with the agenda.
- What happens when soldiers meet their insane general who's supposed to be dead? Hehe.