DL Noleek

Child of the Serpent

Chapter 5: Over Rough Waters

Disclaimer: Do not own FF7.

"Hundreds of years ago, sailors claimed that

The sea is full of foul creatures lurking beneath

The surf waiting to swallow any soul unfortunate enough

To touch the water's glass. Fortunately, humans

Are far more rational in this age--nothing hides

Beneath the waters of the world except small

Fish that are worth no more concern than

Dinner."

-Scarlet Heiron
Weapons Chairman
Shinra

A think fog had settled over the water like a blanket of smoke, tendrils twining around Lir's legs in thick masses and sending shivers up her spine. The bundles of moisture were cold and causing her dark hair to stick to her face in clumps. It made the sand hard, which she was thankful for--dry sand tended to make walking difficult, even in a pair of sturdy boots.

Lir had led the way down to the docks, but Vincent had immediately taken over once they reached the pier. The moment they were in view of the boats, the ex-member of Avalanche had moved ahead of her and began inspecting boats with the trained eye of a born sailor. Lir could not tell if the man actually knew what he was doing or not, but she did not bother to open her mouth in protest either; it was not like she knew a whole lot more about sailing one of the small skiffs. She had never stepped foot on a boat; she never left the island.

Until know that is.

Ever since they had left the cave, Lir's mind had been going through a whirl of emotions, ranging in everything from apprehension, to excitement, to worry. On the one hand, she was about to set out on a journey of unknown length with a strange man who was hundreds of years old to chase down demons that had destroyed her home and killed her father. There existed no one on the Planet who would not be scared stiff at the thought. But on the other hand, she was finally able to leave Wutai and see the rest of the world--it would have been an appealing prospect under different circumstances.

"I'm surprised; you've taken great care of these boats. They're all in good condition." Lir nearly jumped at the sound of Vincent's voice as she turned to look at him hunched over the last ship on the dock. It took a few deep breaths for her to get her heart to beat at a regular pace again.

/Is it going to be like this the entire trip? He may as well be a speck on the wall for all the noise he makes./ Lir sighed and began moving toward him. /It's going to be a long journey. Couldn't Leviathan have sent me anyone more sociable?/

Vincent was rummaging through the hull of one of the boats, moving stuff around while mumbling under his breath about supplies. "It looks like everything is here," he said. "We should be able to make it across before morning." He glanced upward, his red eyes carefully studying the intermediate shots of light in the sky. "That's assuming the storm doesn't hit before we make it."

Vincent paused. "Are you sure you want to try to make this tonight?"

Lir winced as she too gazed out across the horizon. She wished that he would stop differing to her decision--it made her uneasy to be placed in such a position of power. It would be a rough voyage, but they couldn't wait for the storm to clear. Her brother would know she was gone by first light when she did not appear that morning. If she was caught, they would never get another chance at escape.

"No, we have to move now," she replied. "Morning is too late."

As if in understanding, Vincent nodded, but said nothing and instead climbed into the boat and began adjusting ropes and sails. Lir had hoped for some kind of instruction from him, but none came, so she simply climbed into the boat and settled herself into the seat opposite of Vincent.

Vincent lifted up the lid to a chest on his side and after some more rummaging, he pulled out two oars. Lir stared at the rods of wood quizzically. What would they need oars for if they had a sail? "If the storm becomes too rough, we may have to row," he said at Lir's puzzled look.

"Row?" Lir asked. Leviathan, she must have sounded like a simpleton, but skiffs were powered by wind, not manpower--weren't they?

"If the wind becomes too strong, it can tear the mast right off the boat. We'll have to take down the sail and row for shore before that happens." After Vincent had the oars out, he set them near his feet and pulled out a rope from the same chest and tossed it to her. "Tie this to the riggers on the starboard side; we'll need it to hoist the sails."

Lir stared at the rope in her hands in confusion--riggers, starboard? Was this supposed to make any sense to her?

After several seconds, Vincent seemed to notice her aggravation and snatched the rope from her hands in a single clean swipe. Without saying anything, he went to a hook on her right and knotted the rope to it so that it was secured tightly in place. With that done, the sail above her was pulled taunt and immediately caught the wind.

Lir huffed at the simple act. He could have just told her what he wanted done. The man had an attitude the size of the island.

Vincent moved back to the other side of the boat and picked up one of the oars in his metallic hand. A knife suddenly appeared in its organic counterpart, quickly enough that Lir stared in startled wonderment. She had not even seen him draw it. Where had that come from? With one quick slash, Vincent tore through the rope that connected them to the dock and then replaced the knife inside his cape.

"Don't worry about steering the boat, I'll take care of it. Stay right where you are and out of the way, sleep if you want. I'll tell you when we arrive on the western continent." He pushed away from the dock with the oar, sending their tiny skiff out into the whitecaps. Lir immediately felt the boat role and she clenched the sides of the craft until the vessel was set. Until Vincent shifted the sail into the wind, she could have sworn they were going to capsize, but Vincent kept the boat steady and before she knew it, Wutai was disappearing amongst the mist.

So, she was completely useless was she? Lir considered that thought for a second and then sighed. It appeared so; she knew nothing about steering a boat and from the way Vincent was carrying on, it appeared that he did. Going one step further, she would most likely be useless for most of the trip--and she hated the feeling. In Wutai she was never a burden, but here she was good for nothing.

Lir winced--in Wutai. Already she was beginning to miss home. Suddenly, she felt like crying, she had not thought that she would have, but the tears were already beginning to prick her eyes. Well, she had longed to go out beyond Wutai's island, but not in this way. Lir had always secretly dreamed of a time when she would be able to explore the rest of the world, but it had never been in this manner. In her dreams, she was always with Shinn and Father. It was always daytime and the three of them were always laughing and smiling. In her dreams, she saw lakes and rivers that she had never set eyes on in the waking world, and met people she had never heard of before in her brief life. That world was full of unknown deserts and oceans, cities like Junon and Cosmo Canyon that she had only read about in books in the family's library.

In reality the skies were dark when she left. It was not on a grand ship that she left Wutai with her father and brother, but on a tiny skiff with a total stranger as her guide; a man who had been dead for over two hundred years. The demons were not gone and had taken her dream away; her father was dead now and Shinn had been mortally wounded. Instead of seeing the world in its glory, she was about to see in the clutches of a demon-infested hoard.

And she may powerless to stop them, but she would have to try anyway.

A cold wave of water washed over the edge of the boat and Lir found herself soaked within seconds. A clap of thunder pierced the air above them. Then the rain, which had been steady before, began to fall in sheets, the droplets falling sideways and freezing in mid-air to form tiny ice pellets that cut her cheek. Her gi had a hood in back and she immediately pulled her hair back and put the covering up. It didn't help much, but it was better than nothing.

Vincent pushed an oar to her and then took down the sail above her, allowing the rigging to cling against the empty mast. Lir didn't puzzle this time over the use of the equipment she had been handed. This time, she noticed the small notch to her right and imitating Vincent, she latched the oar into place.

The actual rowing was a different matter entirely. The oar was awkward in her hands and it took her a while to figure out the rhythm of the foreign motion, especially with the panic in her chest rising as quickly as the tide. At first her oar would miss the water completely and then it would go in too deep, making her effort a waste. Then, she realized that she was moving slower than Vincent and craning her neck around, she looked at his oar over the water. Despite the water's roughness, it was parallel over the water before it turned perpendicular for entry. It took some effort, but she figured out that by turning her right hand, she could get the oar to move in that pattern with some concentration--not a perfect stroke, but better.

Still, even with both of them rowing, the boat was fumbled through the water as if it were being tossed by clumsily by the hands of nymphs. "Vincent!" she yelled as loudly as she could over the squall. "This isn't working, what do we do?" After several more futile strokes of her oar with no answer, she turned around again, thinking that he had not heard her.

What she saw nearly made her drop her oar. Vincent had stopped rowing and was now doubled over in his seat, clutching his head as if he were in intense pain. His lips were moving despite clenched teeth, but Lir could not tell if he was trying to tell her something or if he was speaking to someone else, someone who did not exist. His red eyes were closed tightly and his face was contorted into a twisted shape. His oar lay in pieces at his side; his metal hand had shattered the wood into tiny splinters.

"Vincent!" she cried again, dropping her own oar to move over toward him. She was almost at his side when he suddenly stood up and let out a howl that had her skin crawling. His form loomed over her like imminent death and although she tried to scream, she could not get a sound past her prone lips. Lir was not immobile for long. Another howl sent her scrambling back towards the other side of the boat.

"Vincent, please! Please stop!" Lir knew that her voice was panicked--knew equally well that it shouldn't be--but she didn't care. Fear rose in her chest and she thought to reach for her fans, but another pitch of the boat sent her flying into the other end of the vessel. There was a sharp pain in the back of her head and a load cracking of wood sounded behind her as the world went dismally black for a second before her vision returned again. Vincent's form loomed over her, his crimson eyes gazing down at her as if he were to tear her apart. Suddenly, Lir found herself looking not at the face of a man, but at that of a monster--and she screamed.

Lir reached for the edge of the edge of the boat, but found only empty air as it pitched once again. The same role caused Vincent to stagger back as if drunk and gave Lir the chance to try to move away. And it might have worked too--had the vessel not swayed a second time.

The second pitch jolted Lir off her feet and she once again tried to reach for solid wood, but came up with nothing as she hit the water at full force. Pain rushed through her body as liquid briefly flooded her lungs, her flailing arms barely keeping her head above water. Despite her struggles, Lir could feel her body freezing as the cold bled through her thick gi like a sponge soaking up water, slowing her limbs until she wore herself out and sank beneath the surface of the raging sea.

Vincent had noticed Lir turning her head around as soon as she locked the oar into place and he slowed down slightly so that she could catch the movements he was making. It took several tries but she caught on quickly. Vincent had always had a firm dislike for those who had lived a sheltered life; ever since his days as a Shinra lab rat, he had found such people disgusting.

This girl could not possibly be any different. It was clear that the Planet had chosen her as its savior this time, but as to why, he could not begin to fathom. He stared at her back as she struggled with the oar, her small muscles flexing underneath her gi, fair skin showing a tint of red from exertion. The delicate skin on her hands would be marred in all new places tomorrow morning after their row.

Although he had noticed the fan strapped to Lir's waist, he had yet to see her actually use it as a weapon. It was clear that they were made of metal, but it may as well have been nothing more than a lady's paper adornment from where he was sitting. Vincent held no guesses as to her fighting ability or her magical aptitude, though judging by the assortment of low-level materia he had caught sight of on the bangle of her mithrel guard, the latter was not much.

The rocking of the boat threw him from his thoughts and his eyes jerked for the thousandth time to the dark sky above, brief flicks of lighting turning the sky a light green like light reflecting of an emerald. Damn, making it to shore was doubtful. If the storm got any worse they would have to stop and try to ride it out--not a joyful prospect.

A jolt of pain from his head caused Vincent to wince and in the recesses of his mind, he heard the low growl of a feral beast. His hands automatically took a firmer grip on the oar handle and he ground his teeth together in an effort to block out the demon within him that was beginning to awaken.

His efforts were no avail. Chaos emerged with a burst of pain and Vincent was forced to release his hands and grab his head in an attempt to keep the demon from taking over completely. If Chaos were to dominate him now…

Chaos calm down. Please, you can not be released yet! He told the demon mentally, hoping to clam the creature's rage. As unlikely as mere talk was to work, it was the only thing he could do--chancy, but not without merit.

The monster's response was immediate and deafening. Where am I? Let me out!

Holy but it was painful. Vincent's body shuddered as he dropped down to the deck of the boat, clutching his head and covering his ears in a vain attempt to block out the sound of the voice. The roar reverberated within his head, but he could not shut it out. There was no force on earth that could silence Chaos in his anger. He may as well stop a hurricane.

Suddenly, he noticed that Lir had turned around and she had a panicked look on her face. Her lips were moving and Vincent guessed that she was screaming his name, but her words could not reach him over the deafening roar of the voice inside his head.

I do what the voices inside my head tell me to… Vincent thought ironically, almost laughingly. Holy of all the times for that small drop of humor to kick in. He'd blame Cid for it later.

His vision reeled as he shifted perspectives, his normally sharp eyesight now picking up heat as well as light. Smell and hearing were also kicked up a notch and Vincent was now able to detect Lir's fear; she smelled of sweat and her heart was beating erratically. He had a strong urge to tear that beating organ from her chest, to reach beneath that pale flesh and drag his claws through her to her heart chamber until…

Vincent released an anguished scream, a howl that echoed over the ocean. Inwardly, he tried to override the demon, attempted to get control over his vocal chords to tell Lir to run, but he couldn't--and Lir had no where to run.

The boat gave another jolt and Vincent felt himself lifted into the air and thrown back into the bow of the boat. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Lir's small body as it was hurled overboard. He would have liked nothing more than to jump in after her; after all, she was his charge and his way to redemption, but he could not keep Chaos in check long enough to do that.

With Lir's inadvertent plunge into the sea, Vincent pulled back and allowed Chaos his release. He never knew what he looked like when he transformed, couldn't have said which body part morphed first. To him, it was all one big shock. It was like his skin turned inside out. Bones did not break during his transformation, they shattered. And once the transformation was complete, Vincent Valentine was nothing more than a shadow behind the mind of a monster.

Chaos stretched his leathery wings to their full extension and not caring about the girl who had just sunk beneath the waves, he climbed into the sky, heading above the clouds and towards the western continent.

It's strange, Lir thought. One can never hear one's heartbeat until it stops.

The cold that had permeated her body only moments before had faded and there was no more pain. She could not say that she was warm and comfortable, just impartial. She almost laughed; she felt giddy. To think, only moments before she had been cold! Before, Lir thought she could see the dim light from the surface, darkness had quickly set in, blinding her to her surroundings. She was light, weightless as she floated through a black haze. What a great feeling!

The only thing she was conscious of was the insistent burning on her chest where she had placed one of her fans beneath her gi. She began to focus on that searing heat by her left breast and suddenly, there was another feeling; there were two arms encircling her waist, pulling her into a firm chest. She was held there for a moment, locked into place by that strong presence. Only one thought drifted into her mind, a strange mental state that should have shocked her and didn't--safe.

Lir felt the presence behind her shift. One hand remained around her--the other drifted up into her hair and near her brow, stroking her in long, soothing motions. Had she breath, she would have sighed. It felt so good! The hand caressing her was soft and strong, long fingers threading through her hair as carefully as if the strands were silk. Then those fingers drifted lower to her cheek and left ear, gently rubbing, soothing.

Warm breath caressed her brow and a feather-light kiss was pressed to her temple, a presence as soft as a butterfly's wing beat. Those same lips neared her ear, and that breath began to whisper gentle, soothing sounds.

Then the voice spoke. "I'm sorry Lir, we can't let you go so easily. This earth still yearns for your presence and strength." Lir shuddered at the voice--it was a rich, young, tenor, and somehow familiar, like a sound from a loved but forgotten childhood dream. She suddenly wished that she could hear that voice sing because somehow, she knew that it could--and it would be glorious!

"You have a long way to go," said the voice. "But do not worry, for I shall guard you while I yet exist in this plane." His fingers stopped and he pulled her in closely one more time. "I wish we had more time--perhaps at a later date. For now, your body desperately needs air."

He released her entirely then, "I shall call Umi to take you to the surface now."

Lir slowly opened her eyes and received the shock of her life. There was a reptilian face not four inches from her nose with very sharp looking teeth. The creature could have been a light blue snake had it not been for the pair of purple fins where arms might have been and a pair of equally violet translucent wings sticking out of its back, spreading through the water like rays of dark sunshine. Despite its intimidating size, the creature was gentle; it nudged her chest lightly, which was still burning faintly, and Lir wound her arms around its nose like a child just risen from sleep clinging to its mother's neck.

It was a leviathan--the dragon of the sea. Lir could do nothing but stare at the beast as her vision began to fade once again. Behind her, she heard a snapping sound and in that same instant, the dragon spun beneath her and caught her up. As the world faded once again to nothingness, she felt her body begin to rise.

The dragon was returning her to the land of the living.

Vincent had awoken in human form against a rock on the beach. As usual, there were no signs to show that he had ever transformed. The only remembrance of his other form were a few stiff muscles and a crick in his neck from spending last several hours or so sleeping against a rock. The sand had not proved to be the best bed he'd ever had and he had spent the evening cold, wet, and shivering. Tiny white grains clung to every inch of him, coating his clothing, hair, and face, and stuffing the inside of his boots.

The gunman groaned as he sat up all the way. When Hojo had first merged his entity with Chaos, he had transformed wildly, never remembering what he had done as the monster. The metamorphosis had gotten better over time as he and Chaos fell into an odd form of coexistence, but the transformation last night had regressed back to one of those early times.

Vincent briefly closed his eyes and began to check for Chaos' presence. The demon was still there, of course, but Vincent relaxed slightly when he found the creature's mental patterns dormant; whatever had happened the night before had forced him to expel enough energy to put him to sleep for the time being.

Peachy.

A black dot on the shoreline just at the water's edge caught his eye. Only then did he remember Lir. With a calm grace, he made his way over to the water and knelt down beside the fallen girl. Her body, like his, was covered in sand and soaking wet. Her black hair, which had been unbound before her fall into the sea, hung in clumps around her body, the saltwater causing it to dry in thick ropes. She must have been cold, because her body was shaking violently and her breath was coming in short gasps through cracked lips.

With about as much care as he would give to a throw pillow, he gathered her up in his arms and began moving her away from the reaching tide. A fire and a little bit of rest would find her ready to continue in no time.

Author's Note: First of all, big thanks to the following for reviewing:

shamandra

blackmagic

Cattibrie393

Chels

Emri

I was actually going to put this story on hold for awhile and work on something else, but since people seem to be interested, I guess I'll continue. Thanks, I hope you enjoy.

Keep reviewing and I'll keep writing!