Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7, but I do own Daigus, Rhiannon, Sanctus, Spirita, and any other random original characters that appear in this story.
A/N: Like I said to Kia-chan. Writer's block will never triumph! Haha! There won't be any updates for at least one or two weeks. I'm going on vacation from July 20th to July 27th, then I have work and musical stuff. I'll be at band camp from August 1st to August 7th or 8th, too. --() Evil never sleeps... () If I'm able to write at all during vacation, I might be able to update in-between.
In our last chapter, Rhiannon had several problems and ended up being abducted by the Turk, Reno, and some soldiers. Sephiroth arrived on Earth. Let's find out what else happens!
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Rhiannon could hear the sound of muttering voices as her consciousness came back and she rolled over, but fell off of whatever she was laying on. Her whole body was aching and the memories of what had happened the night before came rushing back. She quickly opened her eyes and was surprised to find that she didn't need to let them adjust to the light because it was so dim. The girl glanced around to see that she was in a small room with a cot, which she had fallen off of, against the wall, a desk on the other side of the room, and two doors. There was some light shining through a small part in the curtains covering it.
Curious, Rhiannon stood up, ignoring the pain in her leg, and tried the knob of one door. It opened to a bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower. After shutting it, she wandered over to the other door and tried the handle, but it was locked. With a growl, the girl pulled hard on the door, which wouldn't budge. Irritated by the object's resistance, Rhiannon punched the door and tried to kick it, yet the actions were as helpful as poking cement with a toothpick. What's going on... she thought in panic, Where am I?! Why won't this door open?! There was a grating noise as the top panel of the door slid away and a pair of blue eyes gazed in at the girl, who had leapt back, staring in astonishment at the door.
"Well, you're finally awake," said the familiar voice of Reno, "You really did a number on those soldiers last night. I doubt any of them will be in fighting shape any time soon."
"Where am I?" asked Rhiannon, fixing a steady gaze on the redhead, "Why have you brought me here?"
"The president wanted to meet the stowaway who managed to beat one of our best squads on the boat," answered Reno, chuckling, "You're at his little villa."
"President?" said Rhiannon, raising an eyebrow, "President of what?"
Reno gave her a strange look. "Of the Shin-Ra corporation."
"The what?" inquired the girl, her expression becoming one of confusion.
"You've never heard of Shin-Ra?" said the redhead, frowning at her, "How is it possible for anyone not to have heard of Shin-Ra. Unless they were living under a rock or something."
"Well... I came from a cave..." muttered Rhiannon, trying to figure out how someone would live under a rock without getting squashed, "Is that what you mean by living under a rock?"
The girl couldn't see it, but the Turk's jaw had dropped at this last comment, but the shocked look in his eyes gave it away. "That was a figure of speech... You really aren't from around here, are you?"
"I've only been awake for about a week or so..." muttered Rhiannon, sitting down on the bed and wincing as she felt the aches in her body.
Reno narrowed his eyes a bit, "Awake? What do you mean by awake?"
Rhiannon opened her mouth to reply, but remembered that Daigus didn't want her to mention anything about him or her mission and closed it quickly. She leaned back against the wall and looked at the floor, trying desperately to figure out how to answer the question without giving the truth away. Luckily, she was saved the trouble of answering when someone approached Reno and the two engaged in a conversation. The blue eyes flicked to the girl before the redhead nodded and walked out of sight. Two soldiers opened the door, walking over to the girl and grabbed her by the arms. They tied her wrists together behind her back and made her stand up before leading her down the hallway.
One of the soldiers knocked on a door and an irritated voice answered. "What is it?"
"Sir, we have the stowaway you wanted to see," replied the soldier.
"Ah, yes," said the voice, sounding more interested, "Bring him in."
The soldiers opened the door and pulled Rhiannon inside.
"Actually, sir," stated the second soldier, "The stowaway is female."
Rhiannon looked around for the person they were talking to and noticed a man with dirty blond hair that fell to the middle of his shoulder-blades, sitting on a chair next to the fire. His deep blue eyes were gazing at her with a faintly astonished look in them, but what surprised the girl was how casually the man was dressed. He wore khaki pants with a dark blue turtleneck shirt and black shoes, whereas Rhiannon was expecting to see another suit. When the man stood up and walked over to the girl, she noticed he was nearly a whole head taller than her. His gaze made her feel anxious and uneasy, but there was also an analytical expression in his eyes. A hand took hold of her chin, turning her head to the right and then to the left as if to study her further.
"Interesting," he murmured, letting go of her chin, "Come, girl, sit down."
The soldiers let go of Rhiannon, who nervously moved to the couch and sat down. "Who... Who are you?"
"I'm Caine Zalmon," replied the man, sitting down in the chair opposite of her, "The new president of Shin-Ra Company. Might I ask what your name is?"
"My name is Rhiannon," said the silver-haired girl, looking at the floor as she answered.
"And how old are you?" asked Caine, his gaze not leaving her face, "You look a bit young to be able to kill some of my best men."
"Twenty-three," replied Rhiannon, taking this time to look around at the room, "What about you?"
"Twenty-five," answered the man, raising an eyebrow, "You're awfully young to be a stowaway who kills a squad of my best men."
"Aren't you awfully young to be running a large company?" asked Rhiannon, shifting her gaze to Caine.
"Witty little thing, aren't you," laughed Caine, an amused glint in his eyes, "I haven't met a genetically altered girl who had any brains left."
"Um... But I wasn't genetically altered..." stated Rhiannon, looking down at the floor, trying to understand what he meant.
"I don't know any other way you could have those ears and that tail," chuckled Caine, turning his back on her to return to his seat.
"I didn't even want to look like this," said the girl quietly, biting her lip, "It was kind of a magic accident..."
Caine stopped and moved around to look at her again. "What do you mean by 'magic accident'?"
"I was trying to do some transformation magic and something backfired," replied Rhiannon, one of her ears flicking back a bit as the fire crackled.
"Transformation?" repeated Caine, his brow furrowed in thought, "You know that sort lost magic?"
"Why do you call it 'lost magic'?" inquired Rhiannon, gazing up at him, "Aren't there a lot of people who can do magic?"
"Only with materia," answered Caine, sitting down and giving the girl an intense stare, "Can you do it without those gems?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't even know what materia is," commented Rhiannon in reply.
"So, you can do magic without relying on an outside power?" inquired Caine, raising an eyebrow.
"Well... I can't really do much magic," replied the girl, shrugging a bit, "I've only experimented a little bit and so far the only stuff that doesn't backfire are illusions."
"Illusions you say?" said the man, his tone sounding more interested, "May I see one?"
"Um... I would, but I'm a bit tied up right now," answered Rhiannon, sounding totally sincere, but her response made Caine laugh, "What did I say?"
"Never mind," chuckled Caine, motioning to one of the soldiers, "Untie her hands so she can do her illusion trick."
The soldier did so and Rhiannon stretched her arms a bit, rubbing her wrists. "What kind of illusion do you want to see?"
"Anything," replied Caine, "Pick anything you want."
"Um... Ok," muttered Rhiannon, closing her eyes and catching Caine's image in her mind.
The girl focused on the picture, visualizing every detail from the length of his hair to the folds in his clothing. She spread her fingers out in front of her and felt a warm energy flare to life around her hands. The image began materialize in front of her and it looked as though something were weaving it out of the air. Caine and the two soldiers stared in amazement as a identical copy of the president glanced around the room with a nonchalant look on his face. Rhiannon dropped her hands and opened her eyes to see her handiwork. Caine stood up and walked around his duplicate, prodding it in the shoulder, only to find that the image was solid.
"Fascinating," he murmured, still studying the copy, "It's so real, but it seems kind of lifeless."
"Illusions only have emotions if I add that particular element," stated Rhiannon, slumping against the back of the couch, exhausted, "I can only create images, not souls."
"You sound like an expert for someone who's just started experimenting," remarked Caine, sitting back down as the copy disappeared, "Perhaps we could use someone with your talent in our industry."
Rhiannon looked up at him and blinked. "What do you mean? I don't see how illusions can help business."
"You obviously have a great gift," replied Caine, a sly look in his eyes, "If we could help you work past those backfires you mentioned..." He paused for a second to smile. "Then perhaps you'd make a good soldier."
"But... I don't want to be involved in the military," said the girl, shaking her head, "Thank you for the offer, but I'm already working for someone."
Caine's smile immediately left his face. "I see." He looked at the two soldiers. "Could you take Miss Rhiannon back to her room." His eyes went back to the girl. "We can talk about it later. I have some business to attend to."
Before Rhiannon could say another word, the two soldiers pulled her up from the couch, tied her wrists together, and led her out of the room. Once she was gone, a blond-haired woman wearing a low cut dress walked over to Caine from a corner. She sat down and made an attempt at snuggling close to him, but the man pushed her away before standing up. The woman gave him a sour look, her dark red eyes flashed with anger and annoyance.
"I don't think you're going to get much use out of her," said the woman, crossing her arms, "Why don't we just get down to our own business."
"Shut up, Scarlet," snapped Caine, glaring at her, "You may've had relations with my cousin, Rufus, but keep your roaming hands away from me. I have over interests."
"Oh, yes," snorted Scarlet, looking haughty, "Your newly acquired miracle girl. She's too young for you."
"She is quite attractive, but I have a different use for her," smirked Caine, pouring some wine in a glass, "Also, we're only two years apart. You, however, are at least ten years older than me."
"I'm not that old!" snarled Scarlet, glaring at him, "I was younger than Rufus!"
"No you weren't," chuckled Caine, sitting down with his wine, "You lied about your age on your application. Is Heidegger still with the project?"
"Yes, sir," replied Scarlet, sounding sulky, "He's ordering the soldiers around like he used to."
"I'm fine with that," said Caine, sipping his wine, "Just as long as he doesn't alter any of the orders I gave him." He looked at Scarlet. "The girl declined the offer to join us, so I'd like you to persuade her to do so. I believe that's one of your strong points."
Scarlet smiled slyly at him. "I'd be delighted to talk to her." She stood up and left the room.
Caine's lips curled into a smirk as he gazed at the door. "It's only a matter of time."
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While Rhiannon became more acquainted with her room, Sephiroth had settled himself in the cave and was cleaning his sword. He froze as the rock around him began to tremble and shake. There were two loud crashes outside, causing the ground to quake violently, but the tremors passed quickly as familiar voices reached the man's ears. He stood up with his sword just as two people appeared at the cave entrance, looking agitated and aggrieved. Sephiroth stared in amazement as the human forms of Sanctus and Spirita strolled inside, both looking directly at him. For a second, the man thought he had done something wrong, but when Sanctus spoke, it was not in an angry voice, but a slightly panicked tone.
"Sorry to drop in on you, Sephiroth," he said, brushing off some of his clothing, "But we have an unexpected problem."
"What happened?" asked Sephiroth, sitting back down.
"It seems the girl has run into the president of Shin-Ra," replied Spirita, sighing, "She's caught his interest, too."
"Where is she?" inquired Sephiroth, raising an eyebrow, "It doesn't sound that bad."
"Actually," answered Sanctus, taking a seat on a nearby rock, "It is bad. She snuck on to a boat to Bone Village and ended up fighting a squad of soldiers." He paused for a moment, glancing at Spirita. "I'm not quite sure what happened after that, but she was ambushed by a Turk and some soldiers."
"In short, she's been imprisoned at the president's villa," stated Spirita, shaking her head, "And she won't be able to escape without someone's help." She gazed at the silver-haired man. "To be more precise; She needs your help."
"Why me?" asked Sephiroth, "Isn't Aeris closer?"
"I think you breaking in there will spook the soldiers more than Aeris," chuckled Sanctus, a sly glint in his eyes, "Most of the soldiers that are in Shin-Ra know who you are."
"I see what you're getting at," commented Sephiroth, smiling a little, "So, she's in Bone Village. How exactly do I get there from here?"
"We'll take you," replied Spirita, her voice sounding less distraught, "But we'll have to wait until dark. It probably wouldn't be wise to have you take action in broad daylight."
"And make sure to wear your old uniform," remarked Sanctus, looking excited about the attack, "We want to scare those soldiers out of their wits." The deity's expression was like a mischievous child getting ready to pull a prank on his rival.
"Dear, I've always wanted to ask you this," said Spirita, gazing at her husband with exasperation, "Why is it that the plans you're always the most passionate about involve sneaking around or surprise attacks? You're always the first person to suggest that type of attack."
"I'm a trickster at heart," declared Sanctus, putting a hand over his heart, "When I was young all those many years ago, I lived for pulling pranks on just about everyone."
"Oh, yes, that's how we met," sighed Spirita, putting a hand to her head, "You switched my shampoo with hair dye and I had neon green hair for over a week." She grinned at him. "Then I got you back by turning your hair bright pink for the same amount of time."
"That's one of the reasons why I fell in love with you," said Sanctus, laughing a bit, "You managed to pull the same prank on me."
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The three continued to talk the hours away, whereas Rhiannon was not having as much fun as they were. Her wrists were bound above her head and Scarlet was interrogating her, slapping the girl whenever she refused to speak or gave an answer the woman didn't like. The two injuries that the girl received earlier from bullets had reopened and were bleeding through the bandages. She stayed silent as the woman slapped her once more, using her nails to leave several cuts across the girl's cheek. Blood was already running down the side of her head from a gash on her left temple, which she acquired when one of the soldiers hit her in the head with the butt of his rifle.
"I told you," said Rhiannon, in a terrified voice, "I can't explain what my other job is."
"Why not?!" snapped Scarlet, brandishing her hand.
"It's supposed to be a secret," muttered the girl, looking at the floor and closing her eyes, ready for another slap, but it never came.
"I see the slaps aren't getting through to you," said the woman in a cold tone, "Maybe I should try something more painful." She looked over at one of the soldiers. "One of you, find me a whip."
"I don't think we have any around here," stated one of the soldiers.
"Then go and get one," snarled Scarlet, her eyes looking fierce and angry, she looked over at the window, "Ah, it's almost dark. Your defiance is strong, girl." She smirked at her silver-haired captive. "We've been at this for hours and you have yet to crack. Though, I don't think you'd be able to stand much of a whip."
There was a sudden uproar near the front of the building and a few soldiers ran past, screaming in fear. Irritated by the interruption, Scarlet grabbed one of them and dragged him into the room.
"What is the meaning of this?!" she demanded, letting go of the soldier.
"C... Crazy general S... Sephiroth c... Came back from the d.... Dead!" stammered the soldier, looking around as though expecting to see the man standing right next to him.
"What are you talking about?" asked Scarlet, staring at him.
"He's attacking the squads with two other people!" squeaked the soldier.
Scarlet grumbled something and walked over to Rhiannon. "We'll finish this later." She turned back to the soldier. "You! Untie the girl and take her up to the attic. It's secure there. Don't forget to tie her hands behind her back." She left the room and moved toward the front room.
The soldier jumped up quickly and followed the woman's orders. Rhiannon's wrists were tied back together behind her back and she was led toward the stairs. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of light and a black cape whipped out of sight at the end of the hall. The girl almost stopped out of curiosity, but the soldier shoved her through the door and directed her upstairs. He pushed her into a small room and as she stumbled in, the girl tripped over a box and went crashing to the floor. The frightened man ignored her and stood at the door to keep watch. Rhiannon scooted to a corner and sat there, feeling pain throb in various parts of her body. Two earsplitting roars outside were followed by loud stomps and the house shaking. The soldier shrieked and bolted from the room, leaving the girl behind.
"Wait!" she exclaimed, but the soldier had already disappeared, "I hope whatever is attacking doesn't plan on destroying the house..." Using the wall, Rhiannon slowly got to her feet, but she nearly fell over again from the pain in her leg.
There was a loud crash behind her and Rhiannon turned to see a portion of the room torn away. She slowly moved over to the open section and saw that the missing portion went all the way down to ground level. The girl realized that there were some soldiers fighting a figure clothed in black below the area. The figure shoved several of the soldiers back and glanced up. A man with silver hair a few shades lighter than her own, was staring up at her with an equally surprised look on his face. Rhiannon found that she couldn't tear her eyes away from the man below.
Who is he? she thought in amazement. There was a clatter at the door and she felt herself get dragged away from the new opening.
Sephiroth had a feeling of exhilaration as he fought the soldiers off and he had to admit, they were better trained than most of the men he had once worked with. There was a roar as Sanctus got carried away and tore down a section of the house on all three levels. The man moved over to the open area, but as he forced some of the soldiers back, Sephiroth had a feeling that someone was watching him. He looked up and saw a girl with silver hair that was darker than his, but part of her hair was shocking white.
Who is she? He thought, pausing for a moment to stare at her, but saw her get dragged out of sight. Feeling like this was the person he had been looking for, the man began to battle the soldiers again.
Back upstairs, Rhiannon was trying to get out of the grip of whom ever had grabbed her, but hands turned her around and she looked up to see Caine. He took a knife from his belt and cut the ropes from the girl's wrists. She rubbed them gently and stretched her arms a bit. When she felt like her muscles were properly stretched, Rhiannon turned back to Caine with a look of confusion in her eyes. However, the man had a sincere, apologetic expression on his face.
"I told Scarlet to talk to you, not to torture you," he muttered, his eyes sweeping over each injury, "I'll have to punish her for that. I'm sorry."
"Sorry, sir," snickered a voice behind them, "I have other plans."
The two turned to see Scarlet standing there with a whip in one hand and three soldiers behind her.
"Scarlet," said Caine in an angry tone, "What are you talking about?"
"It seems you don't know how valuable this girl's information is," replied Scarlet in a sly tone, "Since you're going to interfere so much. I'm having you detained in a room until I finish interrogating her."
"You bitch," growled Caine, starting toward the woman, but two of the soldiers grabbed him by the arms and dragged him back.
Scarlet laughed in a way that made Rhiannon cringe. "Now then, you're next." She gazed at the girl with a smug look on her face, but Rhiannon backed away toward the edge of the open area. "Don't be a fool, girl. You move back any further and you'll fall off."
As she moved forward, the girl still backed away and soon she was on the very edge of the floor. She looked behind her and saw the man below fighting the soldiers. Rhiannon turned her head back to see the third soldier lunge at her, but he missed and knocked her off of the edge. She shrieked as she started falling and threw out her right hand, catching the broken end of a board and cringed as the wood dug into her hand. As Scarlet and the soldier walked toward the end, the wood splintered under the weight and her hand slipped from it. With a scream, the girl closed her eyes as she plummeted toward the ground, but she never felt herself hit.
Below, Sephiroth had chased away most of the soldiers, yet a few lingered to continue battle. A shriek above them caught all of their attention and heads turned up to see what was going on. The man saw the girl he had seen earlier, dangling from the edge of the broken floor. He move back a bit to see a horribly familiar woman and a soldier walking toward her. There was a sharp crack as the wood on the end splintered and the girl dropped from the level, screaming. The few soldiers left scrambled away as Sephiroth sprinted over to where the girl was falling and with a stroke of luck, caught her before she hit.
"Good save, Sephiroth!" boomed Sanctus after he had returned to human form.
Close up, the girl seemed different to Sephiroth. One of these factors was the fact that she had two wolf ears sticking out of her hair and the other was the wolf tail behind her. Rhiannon opened her eyes when she felt the falling sensation stop and saw that she was alive. The pair of scared blue-violet eyes moved up to meet a pair of started mako green eyes. The girl felt her heart skip a beat and a spark of familiarity run through her mind as she stared up at Sephiroth's face. The silence was broken by an angry outburst from the attic room where Rhiannon had fallen from.
"Get them, you idiots!" screeched Scarlet, pointing at Sephiroth and Rhiannon.
"Time to leave," said Spirita, walking in front of the two from out of no where, "Sanctus, dear, we have to go."
The white haired man walked over to the group and stood opposite his wife. "Shall we do a vanishing act?"
Spirita nodded and the two clasped their hands together around Sephiroth and Rhiannon. The woman spoke. "Abeo#!" This word caused a light to surround the group and all four of them disappeared, leaving several dumbstruck soldiers behind.
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# - Abeo means 'vanish' in latin
Yes, Scarlet's alive and still a hateful character. -.-() And yep, instead of giving Rufus a brother or bringing him back, I create his attractive cousin, Caine. XD His name is supposed to mean 'Shade or Shadow Hunter' You'll find out why I wanted it to mean that later.
Rhiannon's so cute when she doesn't understand something XD Especially when it comes to figures of speech. heheh. Sanctus was a delinquent when he was a young deity.
Anyway. The chapter is all done! Whoo! And it's 13 pages x.x gaaah.
SNEAK PEEK:
- What is Rhiannon supposed to get from the crater anyway?
- Sephiroth and Rhiannon have finally met and now they finally have their first fight. It's about... Nicknames?
- While Rhiannon snoozes, Sanctus and Spirita have a little chat with Sephiroth.
A/N: Like I said to Kia-chan. Writer's block will never triumph! Haha! There won't be any updates for at least one or two weeks. I'm going on vacation from July 20th to July 27th, then I have work and musical stuff. I'll be at band camp from August 1st to August 7th or 8th, too. --() Evil never sleeps... () If I'm able to write at all during vacation, I might be able to update in-between.
In our last chapter, Rhiannon had several problems and ended up being abducted by the Turk, Reno, and some soldiers. Sephiroth arrived on Earth. Let's find out what else happens!
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Rhiannon could hear the sound of muttering voices as her consciousness came back and she rolled over, but fell off of whatever she was laying on. Her whole body was aching and the memories of what had happened the night before came rushing back. She quickly opened her eyes and was surprised to find that she didn't need to let them adjust to the light because it was so dim. The girl glanced around to see that she was in a small room with a cot, which she had fallen off of, against the wall, a desk on the other side of the room, and two doors. There was some light shining through a small part in the curtains covering it.
Curious, Rhiannon stood up, ignoring the pain in her leg, and tried the knob of one door. It opened to a bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower. After shutting it, she wandered over to the other door and tried the handle, but it was locked. With a growl, the girl pulled hard on the door, which wouldn't budge. Irritated by the object's resistance, Rhiannon punched the door and tried to kick it, yet the actions were as helpful as poking cement with a toothpick. What's going on... she thought in panic, Where am I?! Why won't this door open?! There was a grating noise as the top panel of the door slid away and a pair of blue eyes gazed in at the girl, who had leapt back, staring in astonishment at the door.
"Well, you're finally awake," said the familiar voice of Reno, "You really did a number on those soldiers last night. I doubt any of them will be in fighting shape any time soon."
"Where am I?" asked Rhiannon, fixing a steady gaze on the redhead, "Why have you brought me here?"
"The president wanted to meet the stowaway who managed to beat one of our best squads on the boat," answered Reno, chuckling, "You're at his little villa."
"President?" said Rhiannon, raising an eyebrow, "President of what?"
Reno gave her a strange look. "Of the Shin-Ra corporation."
"The what?" inquired the girl, her expression becoming one of confusion.
"You've never heard of Shin-Ra?" said the redhead, frowning at her, "How is it possible for anyone not to have heard of Shin-Ra. Unless they were living under a rock or something."
"Well... I came from a cave..." muttered Rhiannon, trying to figure out how someone would live under a rock without getting squashed, "Is that what you mean by living under a rock?"
The girl couldn't see it, but the Turk's jaw had dropped at this last comment, but the shocked look in his eyes gave it away. "That was a figure of speech... You really aren't from around here, are you?"
"I've only been awake for about a week or so..." muttered Rhiannon, sitting down on the bed and wincing as she felt the aches in her body.
Reno narrowed his eyes a bit, "Awake? What do you mean by awake?"
Rhiannon opened her mouth to reply, but remembered that Daigus didn't want her to mention anything about him or her mission and closed it quickly. She leaned back against the wall and looked at the floor, trying desperately to figure out how to answer the question without giving the truth away. Luckily, she was saved the trouble of answering when someone approached Reno and the two engaged in a conversation. The blue eyes flicked to the girl before the redhead nodded and walked out of sight. Two soldiers opened the door, walking over to the girl and grabbed her by the arms. They tied her wrists together behind her back and made her stand up before leading her down the hallway.
One of the soldiers knocked on a door and an irritated voice answered. "What is it?"
"Sir, we have the stowaway you wanted to see," replied the soldier.
"Ah, yes," said the voice, sounding more interested, "Bring him in."
The soldiers opened the door and pulled Rhiannon inside.
"Actually, sir," stated the second soldier, "The stowaway is female."
Rhiannon looked around for the person they were talking to and noticed a man with dirty blond hair that fell to the middle of his shoulder-blades, sitting on a chair next to the fire. His deep blue eyes were gazing at her with a faintly astonished look in them, but what surprised the girl was how casually the man was dressed. He wore khaki pants with a dark blue turtleneck shirt and black shoes, whereas Rhiannon was expecting to see another suit. When the man stood up and walked over to the girl, she noticed he was nearly a whole head taller than her. His gaze made her feel anxious and uneasy, but there was also an analytical expression in his eyes. A hand took hold of her chin, turning her head to the right and then to the left as if to study her further.
"Interesting," he murmured, letting go of her chin, "Come, girl, sit down."
The soldiers let go of Rhiannon, who nervously moved to the couch and sat down. "Who... Who are you?"
"I'm Caine Zalmon," replied the man, sitting down in the chair opposite of her, "The new president of Shin-Ra Company. Might I ask what your name is?"
"My name is Rhiannon," said the silver-haired girl, looking at the floor as she answered.
"And how old are you?" asked Caine, his gaze not leaving her face, "You look a bit young to be able to kill some of my best men."
"Twenty-three," replied Rhiannon, taking this time to look around at the room, "What about you?"
"Twenty-five," answered the man, raising an eyebrow, "You're awfully young to be a stowaway who kills a squad of my best men."
"Aren't you awfully young to be running a large company?" asked Rhiannon, shifting her gaze to Caine.
"Witty little thing, aren't you," laughed Caine, an amused glint in his eyes, "I haven't met a genetically altered girl who had any brains left."
"Um... But I wasn't genetically altered..." stated Rhiannon, looking down at the floor, trying to understand what he meant.
"I don't know any other way you could have those ears and that tail," chuckled Caine, turning his back on her to return to his seat.
"I didn't even want to look like this," said the girl quietly, biting her lip, "It was kind of a magic accident..."
Caine stopped and moved around to look at her again. "What do you mean by 'magic accident'?"
"I was trying to do some transformation magic and something backfired," replied Rhiannon, one of her ears flicking back a bit as the fire crackled.
"Transformation?" repeated Caine, his brow furrowed in thought, "You know that sort lost magic?"
"Why do you call it 'lost magic'?" inquired Rhiannon, gazing up at him, "Aren't there a lot of people who can do magic?"
"Only with materia," answered Caine, sitting down and giving the girl an intense stare, "Can you do it without those gems?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't even know what materia is," commented Rhiannon in reply.
"So, you can do magic without relying on an outside power?" inquired Caine, raising an eyebrow.
"Well... I can't really do much magic," replied the girl, shrugging a bit, "I've only experimented a little bit and so far the only stuff that doesn't backfire are illusions."
"Illusions you say?" said the man, his tone sounding more interested, "May I see one?"
"Um... I would, but I'm a bit tied up right now," answered Rhiannon, sounding totally sincere, but her response made Caine laugh, "What did I say?"
"Never mind," chuckled Caine, motioning to one of the soldiers, "Untie her hands so she can do her illusion trick."
The soldier did so and Rhiannon stretched her arms a bit, rubbing her wrists. "What kind of illusion do you want to see?"
"Anything," replied Caine, "Pick anything you want."
"Um... Ok," muttered Rhiannon, closing her eyes and catching Caine's image in her mind.
The girl focused on the picture, visualizing every detail from the length of his hair to the folds in his clothing. She spread her fingers out in front of her and felt a warm energy flare to life around her hands. The image began materialize in front of her and it looked as though something were weaving it out of the air. Caine and the two soldiers stared in amazement as a identical copy of the president glanced around the room with a nonchalant look on his face. Rhiannon dropped her hands and opened her eyes to see her handiwork. Caine stood up and walked around his duplicate, prodding it in the shoulder, only to find that the image was solid.
"Fascinating," he murmured, still studying the copy, "It's so real, but it seems kind of lifeless."
"Illusions only have emotions if I add that particular element," stated Rhiannon, slumping against the back of the couch, exhausted, "I can only create images, not souls."
"You sound like an expert for someone who's just started experimenting," remarked Caine, sitting back down as the copy disappeared, "Perhaps we could use someone with your talent in our industry."
Rhiannon looked up at him and blinked. "What do you mean? I don't see how illusions can help business."
"You obviously have a great gift," replied Caine, a sly look in his eyes, "If we could help you work past those backfires you mentioned..." He paused for a second to smile. "Then perhaps you'd make a good soldier."
"But... I don't want to be involved in the military," said the girl, shaking her head, "Thank you for the offer, but I'm already working for someone."
Caine's smile immediately left his face. "I see." He looked at the two soldiers. "Could you take Miss Rhiannon back to her room." His eyes went back to the girl. "We can talk about it later. I have some business to attend to."
Before Rhiannon could say another word, the two soldiers pulled her up from the couch, tied her wrists together, and led her out of the room. Once she was gone, a blond-haired woman wearing a low cut dress walked over to Caine from a corner. She sat down and made an attempt at snuggling close to him, but the man pushed her away before standing up. The woman gave him a sour look, her dark red eyes flashed with anger and annoyance.
"I don't think you're going to get much use out of her," said the woman, crossing her arms, "Why don't we just get down to our own business."
"Shut up, Scarlet," snapped Caine, glaring at her, "You may've had relations with my cousin, Rufus, but keep your roaming hands away from me. I have over interests."
"Oh, yes," snorted Scarlet, looking haughty, "Your newly acquired miracle girl. She's too young for you."
"She is quite attractive, but I have a different use for her," smirked Caine, pouring some wine in a glass, "Also, we're only two years apart. You, however, are at least ten years older than me."
"I'm not that old!" snarled Scarlet, glaring at him, "I was younger than Rufus!"
"No you weren't," chuckled Caine, sitting down with his wine, "You lied about your age on your application. Is Heidegger still with the project?"
"Yes, sir," replied Scarlet, sounding sulky, "He's ordering the soldiers around like he used to."
"I'm fine with that," said Caine, sipping his wine, "Just as long as he doesn't alter any of the orders I gave him." He looked at Scarlet. "The girl declined the offer to join us, so I'd like you to persuade her to do so. I believe that's one of your strong points."
Scarlet smiled slyly at him. "I'd be delighted to talk to her." She stood up and left the room.
Caine's lips curled into a smirk as he gazed at the door. "It's only a matter of time."
# # # # # # # # # # #
While Rhiannon became more acquainted with her room, Sephiroth had settled himself in the cave and was cleaning his sword. He froze as the rock around him began to tremble and shake. There were two loud crashes outside, causing the ground to quake violently, but the tremors passed quickly as familiar voices reached the man's ears. He stood up with his sword just as two people appeared at the cave entrance, looking agitated and aggrieved. Sephiroth stared in amazement as the human forms of Sanctus and Spirita strolled inside, both looking directly at him. For a second, the man thought he had done something wrong, but when Sanctus spoke, it was not in an angry voice, but a slightly panicked tone.
"Sorry to drop in on you, Sephiroth," he said, brushing off some of his clothing, "But we have an unexpected problem."
"What happened?" asked Sephiroth, sitting back down.
"It seems the girl has run into the president of Shin-Ra," replied Spirita, sighing, "She's caught his interest, too."
"Where is she?" inquired Sephiroth, raising an eyebrow, "It doesn't sound that bad."
"Actually," answered Sanctus, taking a seat on a nearby rock, "It is bad. She snuck on to a boat to Bone Village and ended up fighting a squad of soldiers." He paused for a moment, glancing at Spirita. "I'm not quite sure what happened after that, but she was ambushed by a Turk and some soldiers."
"In short, she's been imprisoned at the president's villa," stated Spirita, shaking her head, "And she won't be able to escape without someone's help." She gazed at the silver-haired man. "To be more precise; She needs your help."
"Why me?" asked Sephiroth, "Isn't Aeris closer?"
"I think you breaking in there will spook the soldiers more than Aeris," chuckled Sanctus, a sly glint in his eyes, "Most of the soldiers that are in Shin-Ra know who you are."
"I see what you're getting at," commented Sephiroth, smiling a little, "So, she's in Bone Village. How exactly do I get there from here?"
"We'll take you," replied Spirita, her voice sounding less distraught, "But we'll have to wait until dark. It probably wouldn't be wise to have you take action in broad daylight."
"And make sure to wear your old uniform," remarked Sanctus, looking excited about the attack, "We want to scare those soldiers out of their wits." The deity's expression was like a mischievous child getting ready to pull a prank on his rival.
"Dear, I've always wanted to ask you this," said Spirita, gazing at her husband with exasperation, "Why is it that the plans you're always the most passionate about involve sneaking around or surprise attacks? You're always the first person to suggest that type of attack."
"I'm a trickster at heart," declared Sanctus, putting a hand over his heart, "When I was young all those many years ago, I lived for pulling pranks on just about everyone."
"Oh, yes, that's how we met," sighed Spirita, putting a hand to her head, "You switched my shampoo with hair dye and I had neon green hair for over a week." She grinned at him. "Then I got you back by turning your hair bright pink for the same amount of time."
"That's one of the reasons why I fell in love with you," said Sanctus, laughing a bit, "You managed to pull the same prank on me."
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
The three continued to talk the hours away, whereas Rhiannon was not having as much fun as they were. Her wrists were bound above her head and Scarlet was interrogating her, slapping the girl whenever she refused to speak or gave an answer the woman didn't like. The two injuries that the girl received earlier from bullets had reopened and were bleeding through the bandages. She stayed silent as the woman slapped her once more, using her nails to leave several cuts across the girl's cheek. Blood was already running down the side of her head from a gash on her left temple, which she acquired when one of the soldiers hit her in the head with the butt of his rifle.
"I told you," said Rhiannon, in a terrified voice, "I can't explain what my other job is."
"Why not?!" snapped Scarlet, brandishing her hand.
"It's supposed to be a secret," muttered the girl, looking at the floor and closing her eyes, ready for another slap, but it never came.
"I see the slaps aren't getting through to you," said the woman in a cold tone, "Maybe I should try something more painful." She looked over at one of the soldiers. "One of you, find me a whip."
"I don't think we have any around here," stated one of the soldiers.
"Then go and get one," snarled Scarlet, her eyes looking fierce and angry, she looked over at the window, "Ah, it's almost dark. Your defiance is strong, girl." She smirked at her silver-haired captive. "We've been at this for hours and you have yet to crack. Though, I don't think you'd be able to stand much of a whip."
There was a sudden uproar near the front of the building and a few soldiers ran past, screaming in fear. Irritated by the interruption, Scarlet grabbed one of them and dragged him into the room.
"What is the meaning of this?!" she demanded, letting go of the soldier.
"C... Crazy general S... Sephiroth c... Came back from the d.... Dead!" stammered the soldier, looking around as though expecting to see the man standing right next to him.
"What are you talking about?" asked Scarlet, staring at him.
"He's attacking the squads with two other people!" squeaked the soldier.
Scarlet grumbled something and walked over to Rhiannon. "We'll finish this later." She turned back to the soldier. "You! Untie the girl and take her up to the attic. It's secure there. Don't forget to tie her hands behind her back." She left the room and moved toward the front room.
The soldier jumped up quickly and followed the woman's orders. Rhiannon's wrists were tied back together behind her back and she was led toward the stairs. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of light and a black cape whipped out of sight at the end of the hall. The girl almost stopped out of curiosity, but the soldier shoved her through the door and directed her upstairs. He pushed her into a small room and as she stumbled in, the girl tripped over a box and went crashing to the floor. The frightened man ignored her and stood at the door to keep watch. Rhiannon scooted to a corner and sat there, feeling pain throb in various parts of her body. Two earsplitting roars outside were followed by loud stomps and the house shaking. The soldier shrieked and bolted from the room, leaving the girl behind.
"Wait!" she exclaimed, but the soldier had already disappeared, "I hope whatever is attacking doesn't plan on destroying the house..." Using the wall, Rhiannon slowly got to her feet, but she nearly fell over again from the pain in her leg.
There was a loud crash behind her and Rhiannon turned to see a portion of the room torn away. She slowly moved over to the open section and saw that the missing portion went all the way down to ground level. The girl realized that there were some soldiers fighting a figure clothed in black below the area. The figure shoved several of the soldiers back and glanced up. A man with silver hair a few shades lighter than her own, was staring up at her with an equally surprised look on his face. Rhiannon found that she couldn't tear her eyes away from the man below.
Who is he? she thought in amazement. There was a clatter at the door and she felt herself get dragged away from the new opening.
Sephiroth had a feeling of exhilaration as he fought the soldiers off and he had to admit, they were better trained than most of the men he had once worked with. There was a roar as Sanctus got carried away and tore down a section of the house on all three levels. The man moved over to the open area, but as he forced some of the soldiers back, Sephiroth had a feeling that someone was watching him. He looked up and saw a girl with silver hair that was darker than his, but part of her hair was shocking white.
Who is she? He thought, pausing for a moment to stare at her, but saw her get dragged out of sight. Feeling like this was the person he had been looking for, the man began to battle the soldiers again.
Back upstairs, Rhiannon was trying to get out of the grip of whom ever had grabbed her, but hands turned her around and she looked up to see Caine. He took a knife from his belt and cut the ropes from the girl's wrists. She rubbed them gently and stretched her arms a bit. When she felt like her muscles were properly stretched, Rhiannon turned back to Caine with a look of confusion in her eyes. However, the man had a sincere, apologetic expression on his face.
"I told Scarlet to talk to you, not to torture you," he muttered, his eyes sweeping over each injury, "I'll have to punish her for that. I'm sorry."
"Sorry, sir," snickered a voice behind them, "I have other plans."
The two turned to see Scarlet standing there with a whip in one hand and three soldiers behind her.
"Scarlet," said Caine in an angry tone, "What are you talking about?"
"It seems you don't know how valuable this girl's information is," replied Scarlet in a sly tone, "Since you're going to interfere so much. I'm having you detained in a room until I finish interrogating her."
"You bitch," growled Caine, starting toward the woman, but two of the soldiers grabbed him by the arms and dragged him back.
Scarlet laughed in a way that made Rhiannon cringe. "Now then, you're next." She gazed at the girl with a smug look on her face, but Rhiannon backed away toward the edge of the open area. "Don't be a fool, girl. You move back any further and you'll fall off."
As she moved forward, the girl still backed away and soon she was on the very edge of the floor. She looked behind her and saw the man below fighting the soldiers. Rhiannon turned her head back to see the third soldier lunge at her, but he missed and knocked her off of the edge. She shrieked as she started falling and threw out her right hand, catching the broken end of a board and cringed as the wood dug into her hand. As Scarlet and the soldier walked toward the end, the wood splintered under the weight and her hand slipped from it. With a scream, the girl closed her eyes as she plummeted toward the ground, but she never felt herself hit.
Below, Sephiroth had chased away most of the soldiers, yet a few lingered to continue battle. A shriek above them caught all of their attention and heads turned up to see what was going on. The man saw the girl he had seen earlier, dangling from the edge of the broken floor. He move back a bit to see a horribly familiar woman and a soldier walking toward her. There was a sharp crack as the wood on the end splintered and the girl dropped from the level, screaming. The few soldiers left scrambled away as Sephiroth sprinted over to where the girl was falling and with a stroke of luck, caught her before she hit.
"Good save, Sephiroth!" boomed Sanctus after he had returned to human form.
Close up, the girl seemed different to Sephiroth. One of these factors was the fact that she had two wolf ears sticking out of her hair and the other was the wolf tail behind her. Rhiannon opened her eyes when she felt the falling sensation stop and saw that she was alive. The pair of scared blue-violet eyes moved up to meet a pair of started mako green eyes. The girl felt her heart skip a beat and a spark of familiarity run through her mind as she stared up at Sephiroth's face. The silence was broken by an angry outburst from the attic room where Rhiannon had fallen from.
"Get them, you idiots!" screeched Scarlet, pointing at Sephiroth and Rhiannon.
"Time to leave," said Spirita, walking in front of the two from out of no where, "Sanctus, dear, we have to go."
The white haired man walked over to the group and stood opposite his wife. "Shall we do a vanishing act?"
Spirita nodded and the two clasped their hands together around Sephiroth and Rhiannon. The woman spoke. "Abeo#!" This word caused a light to surround the group and all four of them disappeared, leaving several dumbstruck soldiers behind.
# # # # # # # # # # # # # #
# - Abeo means 'vanish' in latin
Yes, Scarlet's alive and still a hateful character. -.-() And yep, instead of giving Rufus a brother or bringing him back, I create his attractive cousin, Caine. XD His name is supposed to mean 'Shade or Shadow Hunter' You'll find out why I wanted it to mean that later.
Rhiannon's so cute when she doesn't understand something XD Especially when it comes to figures of speech. heheh. Sanctus was a delinquent when he was a young deity.
Anyway. The chapter is all done! Whoo! And it's 13 pages x.x gaaah.
SNEAK PEEK:
- What is Rhiannon supposed to get from the crater anyway?
- Sephiroth and Rhiannon have finally met and now they finally have their first fight. It's about... Nicknames?
- While Rhiannon snoozes, Sanctus and Spirita have a little chat with Sephiroth.