DL Noleek

Child of the Serpent

Chapter 2: Demon Strike

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, but all the original characters are mine.

We can not watch as the world passes us
because we must live within the world of
our own making. If we do nothing about our
circumstances, then we are doomed to suffer
the consequences of idleness, even as society
and other outside forces constrain us.

Yuffie Kisaragi, Ruler of Wutai
and former member of Avalanche,
"A Biography: After Crisis"

The afternoon found Lir atop the watchtower at the top of the palace, eating a late lunch of rice and dried fish. The city of Wutai was spread out before her, a blanket of gray rooftops connected by several waterways that meandered their way between the residences and shops. Despite the heat of the afternoon sun, people were out and about. Hawkers selling fruit, baskets, fish, meat, rice, and other items filled the open-air market several streets from the tower. Shops along the road were opened for business and were just waiting for customers to come storming in, which they were--in hoards. It was the beginning of the week and thus there was no reason to be shocked at the shear volume of people out on the streets.

Despite the excitement on the ground, however, Lir remained downcast. Shinn had promised to be back by morning at the latest and it was now late afternoon the next day. Father had told her countless times not to worry, but that hadn't stopped her from climbing the tower to keep a look out for him. Shinn was a strong man and a leader amongst her people and therefore he should be able to take care of himself; it still didn't comfort her. Something in the back of her mind had been screaming at her to escape from the city last night and run to her brother's aid.

It shouldn't have been a big deal--Shinn had been gone as long, and longer, before and that's what she kept telling herself. By Holy, it had virtually become a mantra!

/But it doesn't help for me to tell myself that he's okay. / She thought uneasily. /I think that even Father was worried after the sun rose. It is unusual for a siege nearby to last so long, albeit not impossible. /

No matter what she thought, though, there was nothing she could do but sit in her tower and eat her lunch, keeping her eyes peeled for the approaching army beyond the wall. She wouldn't know where to find them even if she /did/ decide to go after them.

Finally, as the sun began to set, Lir spotted the returning regiment beyond the city's gates. She jumped from her perch, wincing slightly at the cramps that had formed in her legs from sitting for so long. Cramps were the least of her worries; she was determined to meet Shinn at the palace's entrance as well as any warriors that had been injured. Lir grabbed her medical bag from where it had been sitting and flung open the door beneath her, ducking beneath the slab of wood just as it closed above her with a loud bang.

She ran as fast as she could to the front entrance on the first floor, cursing the flowing robes that were inhibiting her. Damn, but it was an inconvenience to wear the heavy silk garments when she wasn't fighting. Lir passed several servants on her way down, noting that many of them were carrying bandages and basins of water from the kitchen, which was good; she was sure those supplies would be needed. War was indeed a bloody thing.

Lir strode into the entranceway with the air of a princess of Wutai--a demeanor she quickly lost upon the sight greeting her at the entrance. There were many warriors who looked like they were only inches from death, most of them suffering from poison and gashes caused by a Daracon's claw.

Lir ignored every soldier but one--the warrior suspended between two of his fellows with a gash that stretched from navel to throat. She felt bile rise in her mouth and she nearly gagged at the sight. How could he still be alive?

/Shinn…/

Unconsciously, Lir began calling for buckets of water and a pallet for the main guestroom. She motioned to the two soldiers carrying her brother, indicating that they should follow her. Servants were scurrying around her and she dragged one with a water bucket and rags along with her. Upon entering the guestroom, the two soldiers placed Shinn on a pallet littered with cushions, not caring that the blood from the gaping wound in the young man's belly would stain the satin.

Lir quickly ordered that a fire be lit, knowing that it would be done with utmost haste. She tried to study Shinn with the cool eyes of a practiced healer, but failed. It was one thing to look carelessly at a wounded stranger--it was quite another to stare into the pale face of her dying brother.

Three deep breaths later, Lir deemed herself calm enough to begin and pulled her bag towards her. With strength brought on by years of training and rage, she ripped the silk cloth that covered Shinn's chest, not bothering with the intricate ties that bound the folds together. Rags soaked in blood greeted her after the garment's removal and she scowled; it was too much blood.

/Well, at least someone had the sense to staunch the blood flow…/

She didn't even want to try unwinding the makeshift bindings and quickly cut them away with a pair of scissors from her bag. Silently, Lir thanked Leviathan that Shinn was unconscious as the bandages were torn away. She could hear the sound of flesh tearing as the bindings were removed, dry blood clinging to the linen. The sight underneath the bandages wasn't any better and Lir froze in horror.

The gash was deep, deeper than she had originally anticipated and mottled with spots of blue, green, and purple. Already the wound was infected and the smell was enough to drive some of the crowd standing around her back. There was nothing she could do for the odor. Those that couldn't handle it were more than welcome to leave--she had other things to worry about.

A bucket of water and a clean rag had been left at her side. Wetting the rag with the water, Lir began to gently clean off the blood that coated Shinn's chest. She had to see the actual wound before she could decide what to do next. Unfortunately, the blood continued to flow, despite her efforts to wash it away and she was offered no better insight than what she had started with. At least it was clean.

/It's too deep, I'm going to have to try and close this wound, / she thought, but that would not be easy.

"I'll need someone to hold the edges together while I sew up the gash. Preferably someone with steady hands," Lir said softly and with more confidence than she actually felt. A figure immediately stepped forward from the group and Lir recognized him as one of the soldiers who had carried Shinn in earlier. Lir gave him her tacit assent and reached into her bag for a needle and thick medical thread. "Everyone else, keep a cool cloth on his head and keep the fire going."

To her amazement, she managed to keep her hands steady as she threaded the needle and began her work. Within moments, she felt a presence behind her. Someone lifted up her unbound hair and tied it into a loose ponytail at the back of her head.

Lir would never be able to tell how long she sat there, but it felt like an eternity. The fire blazing in the open pit in the middle of the room made the area hot and sticky; it made her fingers, which were already coated in blood, slippery and difficult to maneuver. She kept trying to tell herself that the man beneath her hands wasn't Shinn, using the thought to keep her head clear and her eyes dry. Somewhere in that interval, she felt herself begin to waver, her hands quivering. A hand came to rest on her shoulder and she paused just long enough to accept a cup of bitter tasting tea and some water. Still, as the hours dragged on, it became harder and harder to focus, all the images before her wavering. Food was brought to her in the form of a peach, which was held to her mouth by another set of hands as she worked.

/I should have gone. I could have helped and maybe if I had been there, none of this would have happened…No, stop it! Thoughts like those will not help you save him! / It was no use though. The tears came anyway, but she managed to keep the sobs at bay. Another hand, probably the same one that had provided the food and the drink, applied a cloth to her wet eyes.

/Damn demons, damn them all…Why did it have to be Shinn? / Lir hated to see him like this. She knew that it could have been worse, knew that she could have lost him on the field, but this couldn't be Shinn. It wasn't the strong, overconfident, somewhat cocky older brother--it was a torn man.

/I will put you back together again. The Planet will not have you yet, not while I breathe Shinn! /

Sheer will carried her the rest of the way through the procedure and she finally managed to tie off the final knot in the stitching hours later. The stitching finished, she gently rewashed his chest with clean water that had been brought in while she had been sewing him up. With the wound clean, Lir was able to sit back and look at her handiwork. The wound was still swollen and purple, but at least it was closed. There was only one other thing she could do for him; everything else would have to be left to a healing rest.

Lir reached beneath her outer robe to the belt beneath and pulled out one of her fans, sliding a green orb out of one of the slots. Her body had never felt more drained, but she wasn't about to stop now, not when she was so close. Closing her hands around the orb, she began to reach for the energy that she knew lay dormant within, binding the materia's energy with her own to release its magic.

Thankfully, cure materia was one of the easiest to deal with; it was a spell that the Ancients had used often and usually granted without a second thought. Lir could feel the magic wrapping around her body, the energy creating the same ethereal wind that her limit breaks created, only softer, more of a caress. The air, which had seemed hot only moments ago, was now cool and refreshing. Lir loved using cure materia; it was not only one of the few pieces of condensed mako that could be easily handled, but it also caused just as much relief to the user as it did to the one being healed.

Feeling that the power had reached its pinnacle, Lir brought her hands to rest lightly on her patient's chest. Shinn stirred slightly at the initial contact, but didn't awaken, relaxing into her hold. Lir felt the energy drain from her body into his, taking a little bit more than she meant to give--a small uncommon side effect that occasionally occurred when the user was too weak to use a mastered cure materia safely. Shinn's body was starving for the healing energy of the green orb and her body was too weak to resist its desires and thus Shinn drained some of her own energy as well.

The moment the last of the energy faded, Lir felt the world give a violent heave. She released the materia and heard it hit the ground beside her, her own body almost following it before a pair of arms on either side of her lifted her up. She glanced through hooded eyes at her charge and smiled; her brother was breathing easily now that the wound was able to heal itself. It was possible that he would even be awake by morning or perhaps, depending upon the time of night now, afternoon--how late was it anyway?

Lir tried to stand but failed miserably, the room swirling every time she tried to put weight on her legs. The man who had caught her earlier released one of her arms and brought his newly freed hand under her knees, lifting her up like she weighed no more than a grain of rice.

She dimly registered that her father was giving orders and pointing toward the stairs. Apparently, she was to be taken to bed because the soldier who held her began making his way toward the steps. She desperately wanted to stay with Shinn, to keep vigil over him until the night passed, but she hadn't the strength to protest. Sleep was calling and she was out long before the soldier even got to her room.

-Going with him wouldn't have helped you know. They will come either way.

Lir shot up out of the bed, jade eyes darting into every shadow of the room. She could have sworn that she had heard a voice just then, but her room was empty of intruders.

Just a dream, had to be--but it had sounded so real…

-Well, while you try to decide whether or not I'm a figment of your imagination, you might want to look out your window, you have a problem, or will soon enough at any rate.

It was a light voice, watery and tonal with the force of an angelic choir. If it hadn't been a possible threat, she might have taken the time to ask it to sing; it was beautiful. It had a way of wrapping around its listener and reeling it in, which was just what it was doing to Lir; it was becoming harder to categorize that voice as a result of an overstressed mind.

"Okay, who in the name of Leviathan are you?" Lir whispered harshly, her right hand sliding along the bed for the knife she kept under her pillow. "I don't like all this hiding, I've had a long night and don't want to deal with some prick who decided it would be fun to sneak into a princess' room in the middle of the night."

-Ouch, I'm hurt, but you need to see this.

A gust of wind threw open the shutters of her window and before she knew it, the sheets covering her body were flung away by invisible hands, leaving her in the same robes she had worn earlier that evening. The wind roaring through the open window was hot and Lir found herself having to shield her eyes from the scorching heat. Her hand left the hilt of her knife, the weapon completely forgotten. Instead, she vaulted out of bed and ran to the window, her eyes widening at the sight. Wutai was going up in flames.

-You should wake up now. Go to your father and brother.

Lir's eyes flew open and this time she got out of bed without a second thought--no slippery imaginary voice was needed to prompt her rising this time. She tried to keep the panic down by taking deep breaths to slow her racing heart. The glow from the ignited city wasn't there anymore and her window was now closed, but she could hear the sound of screaming voices and the resonating clank of metal on metal beneath her feet and in the hall outside. There was a crash outside her door. That settled Lir's mind; she began to remove her outer robes in favor of the tight fighting gear beneath. There was no time to find her shoes, so she settled for a pair of loose slippers; it wasn't much protection, but it was better than nothing.

/What is going on down there? The voice earlier said to find Shinn and Father. / Suddenly, another thought occurred to her that nearly caused her to panic, despite the effort she made in trying to keep a cool head. /Shinn is hurt. Even if he were awake now, he still couldn't defend himself! /

Lir grabbed her fans from their stand, secured her hair, and flung open the door to her room. A horrendous roar greeted her in the hallway and she barely had time to raise her weapons before a dark figure slammed itself into her. Using her left fan, she blocked an errant strike and used her right to cut through a black blur in the corner of her vision.

The creature jerked back and Lir got a good look at a scaly hide with wings and the head of a raptor. Red eyes glared at her in fury and its fangs were barred. /A Daracon… In the palace. Not good. / She didn't want to wait for the demon to attack her; it could easily finish her if she gave it the chance. The last attack had taken off a large chunk of its wing and it was having trouble staying aloft, especially in such narrow corridors. Using that to her advantage, Lir let loose her left fan, sending it spinning toward the creature's head, herself following right after with her other weapon open for strike. The fan that was thrown hit true, imbedding itself the attacker's skull right between the eyes. Though it may not have been necessary, Lir followed up as planned with a close range strike to the throat, effectively killing the creature if by some off chance it was still alive after her first strike.

Lir removed her fan from the Daracon's head after it fell to the ground and she swallowed thickly. Blood from the dead demon was staining the floor a brilliant crimson--it coated her as well. The sticky liquid that had spilled forth from the artery she had severed was all over the upper part of her body, covering her from shoulders to hair. There was a bad taste in her mouth and for several moments all she could do was stare at the creature whose lifeblood was wetting the hallway outside her room. It had all happened so fast, there hadn't been time to register what she was doing…

A cry resonated through the palace walls from one of the lower levels and Lir shook herself out of her stupor. /I shouldn't be standing her like this. It was just a demon. Something like that doesn't deserve to live anyway and besides, Shinn and Father need my help. /

It would be hard, and not to mention time consuming, to attempt to make it down the steps to the first floor; there would be too many battles and there was no telling what was happening to her father and brother on the first floor. There was more than one way to move about within the palace walls, however, and Lir was willing to bet that the intruders hadn't found the secret passages yet.

Stepping over the dead Daracon and back into her room, Lir made her way over to the far wall adjacent the window. She took a quick peak at the city beneath her and experienced a small sense of relief at seeing it still in one piece. At least the city wasn't ablaze as it had been in her dream--yet. She couldn't quite pinpoint why, but something about that dream scared the living daylights out of her; there was a truth in it that she could not rationalize, no matter how hard she tried.

Yet another thing to worry about at a later time.

Lir bent over to reach between the cracks in the floorboards, using one of her nails to pry up a thin piece of wire that had been hidden between the two slabs of wood. She then took the wire and moved to the corner between the window and the wall, inserting the wire into the small crack that she knew was there. It took her longer than she had hoped to open the passageway; she spent far too much time forcing the wire in and out over the crack, looking for the button that would release the door.

/It's got to be here. It's been a long time, but by Leviathan I should still be able to open it! /

Finally, she heard the soft click that signaled the catch's release. The door slid out a few inches so that she could grab it and pull it the rest of the way. Making sure that there was nothing around to follow her, she ducked into the passageway and closed the entrance.

The passage was as dark as she remembered; hardly any light crept around the corners and it was silent as a crypt inside. Lir stood for a moment and waited for her eyes to adjust slightly to the darkness. She couldn't afford to be bumping into walls--any noise could alert one of the demons to her presence within the wall.

The nearest light source, a lamp lit by softly glowing materia, was only a few steps in front of her and she crept forward to removed it from its holder. There were a couple passages that were without any light at all, so she would need to carry a light source with her.

Shadows darted around corners as Lir moved along the corridor, struggling to remember the correct path through the winding halls. She could feel the floor sloping beneath her feat as she descended and she kept one hand on the wall beside her; the light was too dim to put full trust in her eyes.

A loud crash sounded through the wall on her left from the other side and Lir stopped dead. There was a roar followed by a high-pitched scream that was abruptly cut off--a female, one of the servants. There wasn't time to worry about the girl, but the scream still sent shivers up her spine all the same. As one of the leaders in this house, it was her responsibility to protect those who served her. Under the circumstances, she shouldn't have felt guilt but…

/I'm supposed to be their guardian--service in exchange for protection, that's how it supposed to work. Leviathan, but I feel like such a coward. While our warriors are out there fighting in the halls, I'm hiding no more than a few meters from them. I'm sorry, / she said silently. /I wish I could help, but if the Kisaragi fall…/

She didn't want to finish that thought. If the Kisaragi fell, Wutai fell as well. In a land bound to the rule of a single lord, sudden independence in a time of great strife was not an option. The fiefdom relied too heavily on her family to continue on their own successfully against a hoard of demon invaders, and if she didn't get down to her father and Shinn, the people would have to try.

Suddenly aware of how thin the walls were, Lir crept through the passageway as if she were walking on egg shells--as quietly as she could, shifting her weight easily from one foot to the next. Years of training were finally being used to their full potential. Not a single board groaned beneath her passing.

As far as direction went, the decision was easy until the last turn. Usually, the path required her to either go left or right, the consequences nothing worse than encountering a dead end or finding oneself turned around and going in the opposite direction; two mistakes that could be quickly remedied. The last turn, however, was a four way split, and the consequences could be quite grievous for choosing incorrectly. Lir had had nightmares after exploring this section of the passage as a child. Three out of the four turns were safe enough: one would lead directly to the shrine, one to the front door, and the third was another dead end. The fourth lead any intruder to a painful death after landing in a bed of spikes implanted in the floor. Her father, after realizing that his two children had been traipsing through the passageways behind the walls, had shown her the trap so that she would stay clear of it. He had taken a light inside the dim hall and disengaged the trap door. What had met her gaze had terrified her. Hundreds of sharp spikes rose from the hole in the ground, their tips stained red from the blood of a few unfortunate intruders. Bones and old pieces of cloth had scattered the dirt beneath and the whole area smelt of decay.

And the worst part was, Lir could not recall which direction led to the trap and in the dim light, she wasn't entirely sure that she would spot it before it was too late.

/So, a guess it shall be. Leviathan may I choose correctly. / Lir attempted to put the layout of the ground floor in her mind. If she could just pinpoint where she was, she could take an educated guess as to which direction to take. That, however, was easier said than done. All the winding that had led her through the halls made it nearly impossible to figure out exactly where she was in the building.

The calculations got her no where and after a moment's deliberation, she decided that left was as good as any other direction.

Still keeping her steps silent, she crossed the hall and took another sharp turn, sighing in relief when she saw a pale light flooding in from a crack at the end. Lir pushed the wall open and stepped onto the thick mats of the shrine. The shrine, to her surprise, didn't seem to have been touched by the demons; nothing had been moved and everything was in one piece.

Lir's jade eyes caught a faint red glow coming from the direction of the god statue. The Leviathan materia, a crimson orb that was sacred to the Wutai people, was shining brilliantly upon a pedestal. Using that in battle would summon the god itself.

"And that would explain why the room is untouched," Lir remarked aloud, although there was no one to hear her. It was only a rumor, but many people who had fought the demons had reported that the vile creatures feared the summons, even the dark Hades. It was not solid fact, but the undefiled shrine was enough proof for Lir. "Thank you Leviathan. At least this shrine will remain when this is over. Please, give my people strength."

Lir bowed before the god statue before turning around and heading toward the guestroom where her brother lay. It may have just been her imagination going wild, but she could have sworn that the materia's luminance increased for a moment, as if in acknowledgment.

/My imagination maybe, but we'll need all the help we can get. /

Lir emerged cautiously from the room, just peeking out from behind the door before settling fully into the hallway. Pieces of furniture and cushions were lying everywhere alongside a few dead bodies--human and Daracon alike. Screen doors lay ajar and some of the walls were decorated with newly added claw marks in place of the tapestries that once adorned them.

The first floor appeared deserted, for most of the demons had moved to the upper floors, but there was noise coming from one of the rooms--she didn't have to guess which one.

The sounds of a fierce fight spurred Lir forward, the young woman no longer caring if she made enough noise to alert the entire household of her presence. Battle cries were ringing off the walls and they were coming from a throat that she knew all too well. It was a voice that was capable of soothing words, and raucous laughter, even though its depths were harsh now. That, voice, so familiar, could even sing when it was so inclined; it was when she liked it most, though it rarely occurred. It was a deep baritone that had developed its strength in song by gifting her with lullabies as a child in the absence of the female soprano that should have accompanied it.

Lir threw the door open just in time to see a sword thrust through her father's chest, the proud warrior not uttering so much as a cry as he was cut down. Blood seeped from the open wound in torrents, the still beating heart within pumping blood through the wound. His silken robes were covered in the sticky liquid and not just from the chest wound, but many abrasions; Lord Naragai hadn't even had time to put on his armor before the invasion. Lir didn't have to get a closer look to realize that her father was dead; even her skill couldn't heal a sword thrust to the heart.

The demon wasted no time and was already turning to Shinn. Her brother, despite his earlier weakness, was struggling to get up as he reached for his sword, which was leaning against the wall behind him. There was no way he would make it; his face was contorted in pain and his body was glistening with a thick coat of sweat from the exertion. Shinn was awake, but he was not free of pain and well enough to fight.

Tears blurred her vision, but Lir could not miss the hulking mass that was the Daracon demon. She unfurled her metal fans and lunged at the creature, a war cry that she didn't even know existed within her ripping from her own throat. Every muscle was pushed to its maximum. The distance between herself and Shinn may as well have been a gulf, but rational thought no longer existed for her. Only bloodlust, revenge, and a fierce protection for what family she had left remained--rage too was a driving force.

The demon must have been surprised at the sudden onslaught because his block was feeble. Lir immediately tore through the soft defense and struck his left eye with her sharp blades, causing a bloody rent through the red orb. The demon howled in pain and before Lir could make a second attack she found herself slammed bodily to the floor, the Daracon's claws at her throat--they were drawing blood.

"Ah, the Kisaragi female. I was wondering when you would decide to turn up, though I admit, I was somewhat shocked that you showed up bearing arms." The demon's voice was deep, a low guttural rumble that sounded from within his chest; his breath stank of decay and rotten flesh. It was enough to make Lir want to gag.

The Daracon had wrenched the fan out of her right hand and was currently studying it with a keen eye while holding it in his free hand. "Such an interesting weapon too--very delicate, yet lethal enough to tear a hole in my hide." He drew his finger across the blade. Blood welled up where he had touched the metal and his red eyes narrowed. "Sharp indeed. I think I shall keep this piece."

"Just what is a little human girl doing with such a--lethal--weapon?" Although the claw clasped around her neck was as firm as any piece of chain, his voice was soft, calm, and perfectly even, almost bored.

Lir's voice was frozen. There was no way she was going to get out of this. She was going to follow her father in death and her brother would come after her in turn. Her weapons had been disposed of and her air was becoming shorter as the demon's hand slowly tightened around her neck. Death was coming and…

"Lord Tibora!" The hand on her throat suddenly left and the demon on top of her whirled around just as a smaller Daracon came charging into the room, a diminutive heaving creature that looked like a guppy compared to the one above her.

"What is it you grub? I'm a little busy here!" Tibora replied, gesturing to where Lir lay on the floor.

"Sorry my lord, but Shigura says that Wutai troops from the city and beyond the wall are converging on the palace. If we want to get out, he suggests we get out now."

That seemed to sober Tibora somewhat, but not enough to keep him from throwing her fans down in frustration. If Lir wasn't mistaken, the tiny muscles in his back were beginning to twitch. He took one last glance at his prey and then folded his wings over his shoulders, the leathery material draping around him like a cape. "A human girl and an injured prince," he huffed. "Why bother?"

Only when Tibora and his underling left did Lir lay back, tears of relief and sorrow streaming down her cheeks. Those soft tears turned into muffled cries and eventually, as she looked at the remains of her father, an unstoppable flood of wrenching sobs. Those sobs wracked her body in a flood of grief she had not felt the likes of in some time; probably not since her mother died.

Lir's mother had died when she was three of an illness that had swept the nation. Now, sixteen years later, she could remember very little about her mother, although there were a few things forever burned in her memory. Her mother's soft voice, for example, and her strong embrace--the smell of lavender that coated hair as dark as her own. A pair of soft green eyes as they stared down at her like a set of distant stars. It had been a long time since Lir had tried to summon up her mother's image and right now she would have given anything for her to be here.

A pair of strong arms wound themselves around her and Lir felt her self pressed to a broad, muscular chest. Shinn had managed to move away from the wall and gather her into a strong embrace, ignoring the fact that she was covered in blood and sweat. Not caring about how uncharacteristic it was for her, Lir sobbed into his chest, wetting the bandages that still encased his upper torso. She felt Shinn's hand run through her hair, stroking the black locks while he was trying to mutter soothing words, although those too sounded a little choked; his condition wasn't much better than hers.

Lir was barely conscious of a pair of guards entering the room and only noticed them when one of them was right on top of them. Shinn began giving orders, immediately taking charge despite the events of the evening. Lir knew that she should be doing something as well, but couldn't bring herself to stop crying. It didn't seem to bother Shinn. He let her cry on his shoulder until she had no more tears left.

The funeral was held that morning, to the backdrop of a rising sun. It was an unelaborate ceremony, not really fit for the Lord of Wutai, but everyone who was able to crowded into the area in front of the shrine to bid him and others who had fallen farewell. There was no time for all the proper ceremony to be conducted; a time of mourning would have to wait until Wutai could be put back together again. The Daracon had caused a great deal of damage to the city, both inside and outside of the palace walls. What was destroyed had to be rebuilt and be made stronger than it was before.

There was a great deal of talk that day and Shinn, despite his condition, was surrounded by advisors and a few high-ranking warriors. He spent all day trying to piece together their father's country. Lir should have been beside him in there; the people expected it. Her absence was attributed to everything from emotional distraught, to injury inflicted by the Daracon that killed her father, Tibora.

Lir's absence was do to no such thing.

Her day was spent in preparation and by the end of the afternoon, her fans had been honed to a surgical edge, her armor was snapped into place, and a pair of knives, which she almost never wore, were now strapped to her upper arms beneath her sleeves. Demons would never get inside the walls of Wutai again, that she would make sure of. Two hundred years ago, her ancestor, Yuffie Kisaragi, had left Wutai in order to save it.

Maybe it was a family trait.

Author's Comments: I used this chapter to see if I could develop Lir's character more as well as to introduce the catalyst that forces her to leave Wutai. My vision of Lir is of a sheltered, but not entirely helpless woman. She was trained to fight, but has never been permitted to do so; she has never left the city for that matter. Lir, however, wants to help her people because after all, she is their princess, so she serves as one of the city's healers. Unlike her ancestor, Yuffie, she honors the traditions of her country, even if she does not agree with them all the time. She has a strange mixture of honor and respect, mixed with a spirit in need of breaking out. I think I am going to like working with Lir as a character. She should evolve very nicely.

To those who are wondering, Vincent will appear in the next chapter.