"Our lives run different ways
Through the rain I see you in the sun
Our star shines anyway
If you wish upon it we are one."
The Offspring - Genocide
Numb.
She couldn't feel her fingers, her legs or toes, her face, her arms; her whole body was totally numb. She wasn't sure how long she stood on that roof staring down at the streets below, the cold night blowing at her hair. It was quickly becoming…surreal. All of it.
The air she was breathing
The sounds of the town.
The stars up in the sky.
Was what just happened real? A demon. She had spoken to her first demon. Up till this moment they had only been a word, a myth in her subconscious. But she had actually SPOKEN to one. Yuffie felt sick. Sitting heavily on the building ledge, she took a shuddering breath, closing her eyes as she tried to suppress the nausea that was washing over her.
Leave or be killed.
That didn't just include her and the others…
That included Tifa too.
And as far as she knew, the fighter had no clue as to the danger she was in. Frankly, neither did the werewolves, who were sure that they were safe for the time being. It was up to Yuffie to tell them…ALL of them, of the axe hanging over their necks. It would be easy to tell the lycans, sure. But she also had to tell Tifa, and that meant confronting someone she hadn't spoken to in two years and revealing who she really was.
Yuffie didn't want to.
She was scared.
And the demon? She had found them all out, but apparently…she hadn't said a word. Why else would she have tried to warn them? Or maybe the demons did know, and she had come in prelude to an attack. All at her own risk. Would she be found out? Would her sacrifice be for nothing? Yuffie didn't want it to be. But then, her fears of facing Tifa were scheduling her plans on the twelfth of never, and Yuffie didn't even have time to waste.
--
Xia moved past the necromancers like a ghost, eyes unfocused and her arms limp at her sides. Tail dragging a little on the floor, her feet moved on their own, but she trusted them to carry her to her bed, where she planned to curl up and not move for a long time.
Snatches of Terrick's face flashed through her mind, fading in and out of view before disappearing completely.
Terrick, with his jet -black hair and electric blue eyes. His skin, pale as usual, his face wearing a warm smile, ever tolerant of Xia's impatience and her un-intending brashness. Why did he have to go? To give his life to a human he knew was the enemy?
Flopping lifelessly onto her mattress, Xia closed her eyes and tried to find reason in it all. But the more she thought about it, the more confused she became. There was no reason, as far as she was concerned. None of it made sense.
…But Terrick always had a reason for everything he did. He wouldn't do something as final as that without a good reason. Xia just wished she knew what it was.
Her thoughts were interrupted when a screech pierced her ears, causing them to go flat against her head. Raising her head, she scowled back at the necromancers in annoyance.
What were they doing now?
There was a group nearby, standing around a cauldron. Purple light washing their faces, they looked sinister, smirking as their concoction began to bubble and froth. There was another screech and a split second later, something gray and transparent emerged from the cauldron. Xia's tail fluffed up and she pushed her self onto her knees, eyes widening.
Huge and hulking with large, broad shoulders and practically no neck, this thing, whatever it was, looked like something out of a nightmare. It's toned, lithe body was muscular, and Xia was sure if it wanted to, it could wring her neck easily. Faintly she could make out something like an exoskeleton, it's long, dinosaur like tail swaying idly from side to side. As far as the cat girl was concerned the creature had no eyes, and at first glance its mouth looked rather small, too small for it to eat anything. But when it opened its mouth in full, as if by magic, the jaw lengthened and widened and freakishly long sharp teeth that seemed to come out of nowhere now glinted back at Xia with such a smug undertone that unconsciously she shrank back. Stretching its long arms, the creature let out a hiss…
"It's a specter."
Xia jumped and her head snapped around to see Kelson standing at the end of her mattress, his hands shoved into his pockets. He had a cold look about him, and she shifted uneasily. She had forgotten to check in with him when she got here.
Kelson wasn't looking at her. He was watching the necromancers tend to the specter with narrowed eyes.
"The necromancers took the wraiths and evolved it into that…Do you want to know how?"
Xia didn't say anything, but it didn't seem like Kelson was expecting an answer, because he continued anyway. "The wraiths were shadows made solid with base level black magic, and given life by the negative energy caused by humans and animals. When the wraiths failed their mission at the cabin, I gave the necromancers the last survivor's corpse, and told them to make it better. So they took higher levels of black magic and charged the corpse, then took angry souls of humans from the life stream and, with the charged corpse, put it in a brew with the blood of an innocent. The end result is a specter."
Xia blinked. Did he actually expect her to remember all that?
"Tired, Xia?" he asked, giving her a sidelong glance.
The girl nodded, sitting down on the mattress.
Kelson looked back at the specter. "Did you see anything today?"
Xia slowly shook her head.
Kelson's brows furrowed and he turned, "Get some rest Xia…"
She watched him as he walked away, and looking back at the specter…
…She shivered.
--
Yuffie slipped in through the open hotel window, landing on the ground soundlessly, crouching and giving the still silhouettes in the room a wary glance.
The others were asleep.
She could hear their deep rhythmic breathing and her muscles relaxed when she was sure no one would question her for her disappearance. She felt guilty and found the feeling ironic, like a teenager sneaking back after a long night of partying and feeling bad for what they may have put their parents through. Moving to a corner, she leaned against the wall, the tip of her tail flicking occasionally.
Silently, Yuffie watched as the others slept, their chests rising and falling steadily. Her eyes having adjusted to the light, she could make out each of the sleeping werewolves faces; from Julius, who was sleeping on the floor next to the door; Mikau who was lying on the floor next to the bed; Beatrix who was lying on one side of the bed, Meridian the other, and Taerk sleeping precariously at the end; and Ern, who was sleeping huddled on the floor only some four feet away from Yuffie.
…At least, she thought he was asleep.
The mousy man began to stir, and Yuffie's eyes honed in on him, her ears twisting in his direction.
Slowly he sat up and looked at her with sleep squinted eyes. "Yuffie?"
She made a small shushing sound and nodded her head once. "Yeah it's me." She whispered.
He rubbed the back of his neck, "W-Where'd ya g-go?" he stuttered back softly.
Yuffie shrugged dismissively. "I was just on the roof."
"Oh." Ern licked his lips and looked down at his new shoes, which he still hadn't taken off. "Y-Yuffie."
She raised an eyebrow at him. She was getting the feeling he was going to say something, like last time, but this time she didn't say anything and waited somewhat impatiently for him to say what he wanted to say. But when the man tried to speak, the words stopped short at the first letter, and he strained to get the rest out. He swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut as he kept stuttering.
"B-B-B-B-B-"
After a moment, he gave up, growling softly. Rubbing at his face, he shook his head. Yuffie was a bit relieved he stopped. She was afraid he was going to wake someone up with his stammering.
"I'm s-sorry, Yuffie…" he sighed, looking downcast.
She frowned at him, "Why are you sorry?"
"I-" he stopped and glanced at her, "J-just am."
Frown deepening, Yuffie looked at him carefully. Slowly, her eyes softened. "…Well…then…I'm sorry too…"
"W-Why?"
"I dunno…just am…"
"Oh…"
"Yep…"
"Y-Yuffie?"
"Hmm?"
"G'night."
"Night Ern."
She watched as he lay back down onto the floor, curling into his secure little ball once more, all the while smiling idly to herself. Ern may have been older than her. But sometimes, when he wasn't being creepy, he could be so adorable.
Thoughts returning to her dilemma, the cat girl turned her head, eyes looking out the window in vain hope of somehow finding her answer in the night sky.
All night she looked.
When morning came, it did so quietly. Yuffie, still awake, bit her knuckle as she gazed out the window at the dawn painted buildings. The others woke soon after the sun rose over the horizon. Ears twisting in their direction, Yuffie glanced at them distractedly, her thoughts consumed with her worries.
Beatrix sat up from the bed, rubbing at her eyes. She glanced around drowsily before focusing on Yuffie looking out the window. Sighing inwardly, she said, as cheerfully as she could, "Good morning, Yuffie."
The cat girl mumbled a 'good morning' in response, not tearing her gaze from the window.
Biting her lip, Beatrix swung her legs over the side of the bed and began putting her boots on.
"What are we going to be doing today?" she asked, not looking up.
Meridian, who was putting on his own shoes, glanced briefly over his shoulder. "We're going to call that man in Kalm. We need to set up a meeting to buy more bombs since we used all of them to blow up the cabin-"
"How can we forget, all our things went up with it…" Taerk muttered.
"-Once all of that is settled, we can continue as planned."
Yuffie didn't say anything to this, only turned her head from the window to look at him. Her eyes were borderline hostile, but the lycan didn't take notice.
Yuffie, in many cases, thought Meridian was a very good pack leader, looking out for the well being of his pack and always listening to what the others had to say, no matter how mundane it was. But at the same time she thought he wasn't cut out for the job. He was still susceptible to succumbing to his emotions and desires like the others were, and a bit naïve when it came to the true danger they were all in.
…Or maybe he was well aware of the danger, but knew he had no need to fear it.
Yuffie looked back out the window, her eyes lighting up as an idea hit her.
She remembered Meridian telling her that the demons had no desire to be discovered by the humans. For them to attack in the face of so many people would be foolish. As long as they remained in the company of the ignorant, they were safe! ALL of them!
But then Yuffie remembered what the cat demon had said before and her hope faded as quickly as it came.
The demons had already proved to them that they weren't above using stealth to kill. The shadow wraiths blended almost perfectly within the dark surrounding that had been their cabin. If Yuffie hadn't hit them with her Greased Lightning, they wouldn't have stood a chance really. There were too many of them to keep track of and much too hard to see. Who were to say the demons wouldn't try another attack like that again? If done right, the public would never have to know. This, once again, brought up the question of whether or not the demons knew where Beatrix and the others were, or whether they knew where Tifa was. It all rested on that one cat demon, and Yuffie obviously couldn't ask her.
When she realized she was only walking herself into another round of circles again, Yuffie stopped her train of thought.
The others were finished getting ready, and the ninja gave them a half-hearted smile. "You guys going out for breakfast?"
Julius nodded, "Yep. You're coming right?"
Yuffie shook her head, "Nah…I'll catch up with you guys later."
Beatrix grinned, "That's okay, we'll be fine on our own. If you get hungry you can eat some of that food we brought from yesterday." She pointed to the white box tray lying next to the bed. With no small amount of zeal, the red head started for the door, "I get to pick the restaurant this time!"
All of them stared after her.
Julius, scratching the back of his head, muttered, "What's she up to now?"
Meridian sighed. Looking down at Yuffie, he said, "Please, Yuffie, eat something. You shouldn't starve yourself."
Julius gave her a cheeky smile; "See you in a bit, Yuffie!"
Taerk nodded at her curtly on his way out. Mikau gave her an unreadable look before following after him, Meridian in tow.
Standing unsurely, Ern raised a hand and opened his mouth, but when Yuffie gave him a curious look, he sighed and gave up. Waving dejectedly at her, he trudged out the door.
Yuffie blinked. "Well that was weird…" she muttered as she stood, wincing from her stiff muscles. Lying gingerly on the bed, the cat girl eyed the uneven plane that was the sheets, crumpled and wrinkled as they were. They made unique grooves and tentatively she smoothed them out. Then she frowned and sat up, staring at her hand, then her shoulder. Pulling off her coat and tossing it onto the floor, her eyes widened in surprise as she saw the spot where the wraith had bit her, was now practically healed. The skin still looked raw, like skin does once its just finished healing and the scab comes off. She rotated her shoulder, and though she could still detect a hint of pain and a mild stiffness, it was really barely noticeable.
Maybe being a half-demon meant she healed faster?Slowly she lied back down onto the bed and sighed, once again gazing across the uneven plain that was the sheets. She closed her eyes for a moment thinking to herself:
She wasn't going to go to sleep.
She was just resting her eyes.
But coherent thought left her as sleep wrapped itself around her conscious mind, dragging her down into its black, numbing waters…
--
It was amazing the different things one could see while staring up at the ceiling…like for instance the different yellow stains that formed over the years that management prayed you'd never take notice to. Or for instance the numerous little holes that looked like they at one point housed screws, though you had no idea why or what for. Or the spider scuttling hurriedly across, trying frantically to make it back to its web before its inevitably smashed with a shoe. Yes. The ceiling could be quite an interesting thing to look at. Especially if you stared long enough so that it rippled, and little faces came smiling at you from the grooves…
Tifa lie spread eagle on the bed, her hair fanning out beneath her as she stared unblinkingly upwards. She never lied down like this on her back. It was too free spirited a position for her, and made her feel awkward.
But now, by herself where no one would see, Tifa lay, breathing so deeply that one could say she was asleep. In actuality she was in a form of mental preparation, focusing on the ceiling above while trying to keep her body as relaxed as possible, almost putting her in a meditative state.
Fingers splayed out and palms facing upward, Tifa remembered Yuffie used to do this whenever they were out traveling across fields. Every time they stopped she tried to take a moment to gaze up at the sky, leaving imprints in the grass. It was the few times the others could rest from her constant chatter; Tifa had to resist laughing at the thought. The girl had talked so much! And she was so arrogant, it was all the team could do but grit their teeth.
At first it was just Yuffie who laid back like this, staring up at the clouds and the birds…but then Aeris joined her, soon followed by Red XIII. Tifa had considered lying down with them once, but then she thought against it, and stayed with the others, who only shook their heads. Barret and Cid often muttered about 'daydreamers' and 'hippies'.
Tifa wasn't sure why she found it so hard to just let go and lie out in the grass, but she never could muster up the courage to just do it.
Even now (and Tifa found this ironic) she had to do it in doors, where no one could see her. Fingers twitching, the fighter blinked, coming out of her reverie. Sitting up slowly, she ran a hand through her hair and looked out the window.
It was late morning, and the afternoon was quickly descending on the town outside. The woman bit her lip and turned, staring down at her shoes. She supposed it was time to go.
Scooting off the bed, she grabbed a small pack that she had brought along in her suitcase, inside it were some of the basics: standard ID, IBS card, some gil, breath mints…
And also her journal.
She figured if she were going to start looking for Yuffie and Vincent, she'd need something to take notes with…
Swinging the small leather pack onto her shoulder, Tifa left the hotel, making sure to avoid Mr. Marten on her way out.
There was still caution tape blocking the entrance to the alley next, and trying to ignore it, the woman walked briskly, trying to feel optimistic and purposeful…
When she realized she actually had to try she slowed to a stop, an unsure look coming across her face.
Was this worth it? Tifa glanced once over her shoulder, before starting to walk again, this time at a slower pace. With each step she only became more and more nervous, and quickly her mind began to be crowded with second thoughts.
Looking up she tried to find her reason for doing this.
Above she saw a cloud in the sky. A single cloud. It looked…weak, being transparent around the edges and rather thin. Tifa felt sorry for it.
Then Tifa stopped again and made a face.
She was feeling sorry?
…For a cloud?
She looked down the street and saw the corner where she needed to make her first turn. She looked up again at the cloud and flashes of Yuffie, Aeris, and Red XIII all laying on their backs flew through her mind.
Face set, Tifa started walking again.
--
Xia sat on the bench in the park, watching with disinterest as the kids laughed and played. This was where she and the Tifa woman spent those few times together. She wasn't sure whether or not she would ever see the woman again. But she knew she couldn't risk trying to see her now, if she were even still here. It was much too risky. Xia had put her in enough danger already.
Stupid.
So stupid.
Xia felt the weight sitting on her heart and made no effort to move it. Made no effort to alleviate the pressure it was putting on her. Surely it would kill her.
Surely.
But she really didn't care at the moment.
The Tifa woman was leaving. Terrick was gone. And now Kelson was all that she had…considering she ever had him to depend on to begin with.
The specters scared her. Like the wraiths, they had no scent. After all, they were made of shadows mostly. But creating such horrible monsters as those…what exactly was Kelson planning? Maybe he was already on to her. On to the Tifa woman. As long as the fighter escaped all right, she was fine. She wasn't all so afraid of death really. No.
If it meant she could see her mama and papa again then she wasn't afraid of it at all.
The both of them had died in the ongoing war against the angels when she was very young. Their deaths were just another casualty. And she, just another victim. Terrick, who was the son of a famous general and often fought alongside his father, had come in contact with her parents often. When he heard about their death, he took her in when no one else would. He was a surrogate brother to her.
If the half-breed was all that was left of his spirit…then…
Then Xia wanted to make sure she lived too.
It was in their hands now, really. She had done all she could do. Come nightfall, she would learn whether she was to be punished or if she had somehow managed to dodge the knife.
So Xia waited.
--
The knocking on the door hammered it's way into Yuffie's head.
Rolling onto her back, she blinked groggily up at the ceiling, feeling like her eyelids had been glued shut.
There was another knock at the door, this time more insistent, and the cat girl pushed herself up into a sitting position, groaning as she did so. Rubbing furiously at her eyes she shouted, "I'm comin' already! …Yeesh…"
Getting to her feet, she swayed a little, holding out her arms to steady herself. Yawning, she trudged to the door as if she were knee deep in sludge. Throwing it open, she glared at the person groggily.
"Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'Let sleeping cats lie'?"
Wringing his hands, Ern flinched and muttered an apology.
Rubbing at her face, Yuffie stepped aside. "Just come in and tell me what you want Ern..." she sighed.
Licking his lips, Ern stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.
"So where are the others?" Yuffie asked, flopping onto the bed again.
Ern ran his hand through his hair, "They still went to get breakfast…I stayed behind."
"No kiddin'." Yuffie gave him a stern look. "Ern, I know you've been trying to tell me something since last night, so why don't ya just spit it out already?"
Ern shook his head. "I-it isn't that e-easy Yuffie!"
"Why not?"
"Because-!" he stopped short of his sentence and let out a shout of frustration before pacing back and forth on the floor.
Yuffie stared at him as if he had grown two heads. "Ern, what the heck is tha' matter?"
"B-Beatrix!" came the stammered reply.
"Beatrix…? What about her?"
"She…she…" he growled and ran his hand through his hair again.
Yuffie was beyond agitated now. "Ern!"
"S-She's a-always m-m-m-" his face turned red as he tried to get the word out. "M-m-meddling!"
"What?"
Ern grit his teeth. "Y-Yuffie, Beatrix t-t-t-t-"
Once again the word stopped short of the first letter, and Yuffie rolled her eyes. At this rate, Ern would never tell her what Beatrix did.
Sleep and exhaustion were still hanging on her eyelids, telling her to shut her eyes and catch up on the rest she needed. In all honesty Yuffie didn't care what Ern had to say. She just wanted him to hurry up and say it so she could go back to sleep.
Standing to her feet again, Yuffie gripped Ern's shoulders.
"Come on Ern! What did Beatrix do? Did she take something? Did she try to do something? Did she talk to someone?"
"Yes!" Ern nodded furiously, "S-she t-talked to-"
A sharp knock at the door stopped him mid-sentence. Yuffie let out a dejected sigh, and hands dropping from Ern's shoulders, she turned and opened the door but only managed to open it halfway, because without warning, Ern grabbed her arm, stopping her. "D-don't!"
Turning, Yuffie glared. "Ern, let go-"
That's when she turned around. That's when she understood.
Once again the cat girl was face to face with Tifa Lockheart. Looking back on it, Yuffie marveled at her seriously impaired ability to predict danger. One would think that seeing someone react as Ern and Beatrix had, one would know not to turn around.
Of course, the first time around, Yuffie really wasn't expecting to see anyone from Avalanche in Icicle Inn of all places. Second time around…well…
Sleep made her stupid.
But having Tifa stare at her the way she was, Yuffie was quickly coming out of her exhaustion.
Ern was muttering to himself again, and Yuffie turned to snap at him, when he shoved something in her face. Blinking, she stared at it, before realizing what it was.
A hat.
And then she knew why Tifa was REALLY staring at her.
Grabbing the hat, she jammed it on her head, wincing a little as the cloth flattened her ears. Tifa's mouth was hanging open and, slowly raising a finger, she asked quietly, "Are those…they…I mean…those are fake right?"
Yuffie opened her mouth and shook her head, "I…uh…n-no?" her cheeks were flaring, her throat was seizing up, her tongue was tying itself in knots…Yuffie screamed at herself to keep calm, but she couldn't. All she could think was, "Tifa saw. She saw my ears and now she's freaking out, just like I am now."
Tifa blinked rapidly, still staring at the top of Yuffie's head. "That…Sh-Shiva…that…" she shook her head, "Those ARE real!"
Yuffie opened the door further as she took a step forward. She held up her hands, "Tifa-"
Tifa took a step back, her face ashen as she looked down. The cat girl quickly realized her mistake and twisted around, grabbing her tail. Silently she cursed herself and looked back at Tifa, reaching out a hand. "Please just-!"
"Who are you!?" the woman squeaked, pressing herself into the wall.
The words echoed in her head and Yuffie stopped cold, her eyes widening a little. "W-what?" she breathed.
Tifa was gripping the strap on her pack with a white-knuckle grip, her body shaking. "Who are you!"
Yuffie placed a hand on her chest and opened and closed her mouth. The words wouldn't come out. She couldn't say a word.
For some reason her voice wasn't working.
Tifa grit her teeth and her face hardened as a new emotion flooded into her eyes. It was the look she had worn when facing monsters, and now…Yuffie was the recipient. The cat girl took a step back and tried to speak again but the words wouldn't come. The look Tifa was giving her was scaring her voice away.
The woman advanced on her, "Tell me who you are!"
Yuffie stumbled and she fell back onto her rear, wincing as she fell hard onto her tail stem. Tifa stood in the doorway, glaring down at her. She looked torn between anxiety and anger. "Tell me who you are! Are you playing some kind of sick joke on me!?"
Yuffie squeezed her eyes shut. She could almost imagine the dagger being held to her throat, the three girls from her dream surrounding her now, demanding of her something she couldn't give, their bodies made of nothing but shadows…
"I-" Yuffie swallowed hard, her heart hammering. "I-" The animal side of her was clawing. Scratching.
It wanted out.
Wanted control.
Turning onto her side, Yuffie groaned, clutching her stomach. "No!" her voice returned to her, weak. She squeezed her eyes tightly and shouted as loud as she could, "NO!"
Scrambling to her feet, Yuffie ran out the door, shoving roughly past Tifa on her way out. Charging recklessly down the hall, she tried to keep the change from coming, tried to keep the human in her stable. Her skin was tingling. Her muscles were burning. She ran as hard as she could…
…As hard and as fast as she could.
Tifa gasped as the girl shoved past her. Regaining her footing, she ran out after her, but stopped as she looked up and down the hallway. The girl had disappeared.
Breathing heavily, Tifa stared in disbelief. How was that possible? The girl had just gone out the door…no one could run that fast.
Still shaking, the woman leaned against the doorframe, closing her eyes. Had she been having one big hallucination?
"I really must be going crazy…"
But she heard a scuffling from inside the room, and frowning, she peeked back inside.
Ern was huddled in the far corner of the room, giving her the most frightened look one could give. Gaze narrowing, she approached him slowly. She pointed behind her. "Did you just see that?"
The man stared, following where she was pointing. Licking his lips, he nodded jerkily. Tifa crossed her arms and taking a deep breath, she crouched down, trying to gather her wits. Her knees felt a little weak and her head felt light. Nonetheless, she wanted answers.
"If you really did see all that…then that means I'm really not crazy. So tell me…just what happened? And just…what's going on?"
Ern licked his lips again. A million thoughts fired through his mind at this moment, most of them being "I'm going to get killed." But regardless, the man began to speak, proving a boost in his courage as of late.
"…Uh…w-well…" he leaned forward, as did Tifa and Ern began tell her everything.
--
The sky was turning rosy, the night was fast approaching, and sitting in some random alley far in the outskirts of town, Yuffie rocked back and forth, humming a rhyme she had heard as a child over and over to herself. The hat she had put on back at the hotel room had at some point fallen off. Currently, she was barefoot, only in her skirt and tank, which left her shivering absently.
When she had run, she had gone blindly, taking the back streets and hopping across roofs at random, not really caring where she was headed, as long as it was away from Tifa, and Ern, and the hotel room. She wanted control again. There, she had no control…none…
It confused and baffled her how horrible the short encounter had gone. Tifa's strong reaction to Yuffie's new tail and ears turned her into a stuttering mass that couldn't control the reigns of the runaway stage coach the situation had become. Why did it happen? One minute she was talking to Ern and-
Yuffie's eyes narrowed as she remembered what the small man had been trying to tell her. Quickly, she filled in the blanks.
Beatrix had talked Tifa into coming to the hotel room. No wonder she was okay with Yuffie staying today. The werewolf had had it all planned out, and Ern had been trying to warn of her plans.
She felt angry.
Angry at Ern for not telling her in time.
Angry at herself for not handling the situation as she should have.
And of course, angry with Beatrix for setting her and Tifa up.
Yuffie didn't like this form of betrayal or sneakiness. SHE was the one who was supposed to be pulling these stunts, not the people she herself trusted! Beatrix had even TOLD Yuffie she wouldn't force her into anything. That made the girl a liar too. Guaranteed, the scheming redhead was going to be getting a piece of THIS cat girl's mind soon, and maybe a little butt kicking as well to knock a little sense back into her…
In a sudden burst of rage, Yuffie hit the trashcan next to her, a surge of electricity exploding from her fist and blasting it straight out of the alley. The force of the punch should have hurt her hand, but it didn't. Eyes lighting up, she eyed the next trashcan, a grin forming on her face.
Standing, she attacked the trashcan nearby, kicking it and sending it flying out the other end of the alley. She watched with savage satisfaction as the trashcan crashed to the asphalt. She delighted in the sound of bottles and things breaking, and soon she was tearing everything apart, from simple things like newspapers, to abandoned furniture and crates, nothing was safe from her wrath.
Moving out of the alley, she emerged onto one of the streets, and eyed everything with a wicked grin.
No one was in sight. Here, in the industrial part of town, everyone had gone home.
Most of the buildings were old factories and warehouses. Several streetlights were dabbled sparingly here and there, but they barely offered much light in the face of the night. Even the moon, with it's light rendered down to a dull glow from the passing clouds up north, offered little salvation for those down below.
But Yuffie paid no mind.
Grin widening she moved forth, her hands red from all the punching and ripping and bashing she had done.
Without realizing it, she was doing just what the demon side wanted of her.
Destroy. Tear. Bash. Break.
Yuffie advanced on a company truck parked a few yards away. Eyes glowing, she stretched out a hand.
A blast of electrical energy shot from her palm, and with the force of a canon ball, it hit the truck in its side, nearly flipping it over. Hissing, Yuffie jumped and landed perfectly on the truck's roof, making a dent. Taking both her fists she raised them over her head and brought them down, smashing them through the windshield. The glass cracked and shattered, some of the shards cutting her hands.
But she didn't care. It felt good. It really did.
With all her fun in tearing the truck apart, Yuffie didn't take notice to the movement in the shadows or the occasionally low hisses from the alleys. She was too busy with the marvelous little destruction she was causing to take notice to the hulking shadows advancing on her.
The last of day died out as night choked the remaining life out of it. The shadows were longer. The shadows were darker.
Yuffie advanced onto the next car, breathing harshly. Still more to tear apart. She had to destroy it, because it made her feel good.
But before she could so much as raise a fist, something hit her hard in the back, sending her flying a couple of feet before she hit the ground, palms slamming painfully into the ground. She wheezed, the wind knocked from her lungs and the pain stabbing into her back leaving her on the ground, her cheek pressed to the cold asphalt. After a moment, she tried to push herself up, her body shaking with the effort.
A large hand grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and, like a rag doll, lifted her up and tossed her flying backwards, where again she hit the ground hard. Yuffie's head had snapped back upon impact, and her eyes went a little out of focus as pain blossomed in her head.
The savage, destructive feeling quickly dissipated, and was replaced with confusion, fear, and anger.
Wincing, she tried to sit up, only to have a large hand grab the front of her shirt. Easily, she was lifted from the ground, but before the assailant could do anything, Yuffie grabbed the arm holding her.
"Let go of me, freak." She hissed raspily. Eyes flashing with energy, the cat girl sent a charge of electricity into the creature, and screeching, the thing let her go.
She was dropped stumbling on her feet. Baring her teeth, Yuffie got a good look at her attacker while the light it was emitting still lasted.
Her eyes widened a fraction.
Like the wraiths that had attacked their cabin, this thing was transparent, and blended in with the shadows of the street. But instead of being some small, manta ray with sharp teeth, this creature looked like some alien dinosaur with the body of a professional martial arts fighter.
The light began to fade and the creature turned its head toward her. Screeching, it revealed the long razor sharp teeth and the more then accommodating mouth, that before, looked barely big enough for a penny.
The light was almost completely gone now. Snapping out of her shock, Yuffie quickly tensed her hand and the raw energy literally spouted from her palm, pooling above it into a ball, like the one she had made at the cabin. Relaxing her hand, the ball fell into it, and Yuffie pulled it back like a pitcher at a baseball game.
"Eat this!" she shouted before launching the ball at the monster. The ball hit the thing in the chest, and it was blasted back several yards before crashing and skidding to a halt a good distance away.
"Score!" Smirking Yuffie punched the air. "No one messes with Yuffie Kisaragi!"
In response a chorus of hisses made her stop dead, and eyes darting nervously around her, Yuffie slowly fell back into her fighting stance. "Oh boy…" she breathed, turning slowly on the spot.
Fists held up, she tried to recall something from her ninjitsu classes that could help her, but in dismay she could think of nothing. "I can't believe it…I sit through all those stupid classes with Gorky and now none of it can help me." She swiveled around as she heard something move rather close behind her, and punched blindly at the air.
Hearing another sound, Yuffie turned and swung her arm, hitting nothing. "Fat lotta' good these cat eyes do me now…" she muttered, punching randomly again. Eyes automatically locking onto one of the streetlights, which encompassed a moderate circle of concrete with it's yellow glow, Yuffie considered making a dash for the light. Certainly there she would be safe…but what would she do? Stay there till morning? It wasn't like she could fight from there; the creatures wouldn't go near the light. But then, she remembered just what she was, and had to resist slapping herself.
Raising a hand she made another energy ball and lobbed it into the air. It landed with a 'zap' on the asphalt. But with the small light it made, Yuffie spotted the creatures retreating, and smirking triumphantly, she charged after them, punching where she guessed they would be.
After a few misses, she connected with one, and then, before it could get away, she grabbed what seemed to be its tail and sent waves of electricity into it. The creature screamed, and still holding on to it, Yuffie blasted it with another energy ball. The thing fell to the ground in a fit, shaking and twitching. The light from its body spread out a good couple of feet all around, and Yuffie could see some of the other creatures recoiling from the light.
She leapt at them, slashing with her claws. Coming at them, she managed to slash one on the chest and, dropping down, she quickly swept the legs out from under it with a quick swipe of her leg. The thing hit the ground hard, and Yuffie raised a hand, ready to shove an energy ball into its face when one of the creatures tackled her from the side.
They hit the ground, and Yuffie looked up in time to see the creature on top of her hiss and open its mouth...
"Y-Yuffie!"
Both she and the creature turned to see the owner of the voice, Ern, standing in the middle of street, looking scared out of his mind. Yuffie shook her head, "Ern, no!"
The light from the corpse behind them finally died out, and Yuffie quickly placed her hands on the creature's chest on top of her. "Get off!" she screamed, before blasting the monster off of her. As it flew, the light rained down on the ground below, and Yuffie could see even more creatures hiding in the shadows. "Crap…" she muttered as she stood shakily to her feet.
A scream from Ern made her head snap around, and she saw the small man being lifted into the air before thrown into a building.
Cupping her hands, she raised them before her like a gun and screamed, "Ern!"
Electrical currents ran down her arms, stopping in her hands, where a huge ball of raw energy quickly pooled. Squeezing her eyes shut, she released it with a shout, and the ball rocketed forth, hitting a shadow creature in its side and blasting it away. Ern let out a shriek as the thing flew away from him, and as the light from the thing's body shined, he stared around in genuine fear at the creatures revealed to him. "Artemis…" he breathed, shaking.
"Hey!" Yuffie shouted, "Take that corpse and drag it until you're completely underneath one of the streetlights! The creatures won't touch you as long as the corpse is still glowing!"
Whimpering, the mad did what he was told.
Meanwhile, Yuffie resumed her fight with the other creatures and was steadily growing more desperate.
Just how many were there?
Blasting her third monster, she sat back, exhausted. "Ern!" she called, glancing over at him.
The man said nothing, only stared ahead vacantly.
"Hey! Snap out of it! I need help here!"
"C-can't…" he said, shaking his head, "C-c-c-can't m-m-move…"
"What!?" she screamed, giving him an angry look, "Why you little turd! I oughtta-" she was cut short when the creature behind her screeched, opening it's mouth wide and lifting a clawed hand, ready to strike. Twisting around, she paled, the way the blue light hit the monster from below making it ghastly and horrific. So she was surprised when a flash of black and red crashed into it from the side, knocking it away in time before it could cut the cat girl down. She stared, dumbfounded for a second before realizing whom the person was.
Her face hardened. "Beatrix."
"And me."
Yuffie turned and saw Julius enter the shrinking circle of light. He glanced around casually, his hands shoved into his pockets. "Well, Yuffie, I can't say I dig this place…" He spotted Ern, shaking beneath the streetlight and waved at him with a smile. "Oi! Mate! What'cha doin' over there all by your lonesome for?"
"S-stuff it!" Ern yelled back, knees hugged tightly to his chest.
Julius chuckled. "Just hang tight, Ern. We'll take care of this." He looked back down at Yuffie and his smile faded a little.
The cat girl was staring down the street, where there stood Tifa underneath a street light. Her face was expressionless, which Yuffie found frustrating, because she couldn't tell what the woman was thinking at the moment.
Julius followed her line of vision and scratched his head, "Er, yeah…about that…" he jammed his thumb toward Tifa. "What say we just head over there for a bit and straighten all of this out? Anyways, our nightlight seems to be running out of juice here…"
He was right. The light from the shadow monster was barely enough to keep the other creatures away. Yuffie stood jerkily to her feet, wiping her palms on her skirt. Julius waved at Beatrix, "Are you just about done ripping that thing apart? Or can we go?"
The redhead stood, staring at her hands. "These things don't have any blood…it's like their made out of smoke or something…"
Julius rolled his eyes. Turning he called to Ern, "Oi, Ern! Just sit still for a minute, we'll be right back!"
"What!?"
The man ignored his friend's panicked squeak and began walking toward Tifa. Yuffie, after giving Beatrix a rather menacing look, followed after him. Beatrix trailed behind, sulking.
Tifa didn't move as they came near, and when they entered the circle of light she only shifted slightly, choosing to stare at the ground.
Julius placed his hands on his hips. "Now, for some explanations." He pointed behind him at Ern, who was two streetlights away. "Him and Ms. Lockheart here left a note at the hotel room saying they were going to go looking for you." He crossed his arms, "It also explained how Beatrix tricked Tifa and you to meet, which caused this whole thing to begin with."
Yuffie snorted, "You bet it did…" the girl muttered, glaring daggers at the red head across from her, who flinched.
Julius cleared his throat. "Well, after going around half the town looking for you, they decided to split up, and Ern ended up wandering haplessly here. After Meridian read the note Ern left, he sent Beatrix and me out to find all of you, only because we're the best trackers of the group. We ran into Tifa by accident a little before, and here we are."
"Well now, doesn't that just explain everything." Yuffie said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she said this. Eyes snapping onto Beatrix, she hissed, "What I'd like to know is what the hell SHE was thinking!"
Beatrix's face turned as red as her hair and she held her hands up, "I was just trying to help!"
"You only made things worse!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Everything you air headed mutt!"
"Now, now Yuffie…come on, really. Let's keep civil." Julius said soothingly, "We've all been through a lot recently-"
"A lot?" Everyone turned as Tifa spoke, her voice shaky and somewhat bitter. "A lot doesn't even scratch the surface of some of the stuff that's happened to me this week. First Cloud comes home one night ranting about some apocalyptic ordeal while wearing a t-shirt several sizes too small with glitter on it, flanked by two girls who looked like hookers but who HE said were angels-"
Yuffie frowned, "Huh?"
"-Then I leave him and get stuck here with this cat that acts like a human being-"
"Wait what cat? And you left Cloud!?"
"-And now I'm standing here under a streetlight with a girl who lied to me, a guy who keeps hitting on me, and some cat girl who claims to be Yuffie while a bunch of alien monster things swim around like sharks in the dark, waiting to rip off all our heads!"
"'Claims'? 'Some cat girl who claims to be Yuffie'??"
Tifa crossed her arms. "Well what else am I supposed to say? I have no idea who you really are! I mean you sound like Yuffie and you sort of look like Yuffie, but that isn't enough! To be honest I don't know what to think about anything anymore!"
Yuffie's eye twitched and she grit her teeth in an effort not to scream, "Then what the hell are you doing here?"
"I…" Tifa faltered. "I…I really don't know. I guess…I guess I want proof. Show me proof!"
At this Yuffie lost it.
First she couldn't speak. She was so angry with disbelief; she couldn't get a word out. She felt like hitting something, like before. But this time she managed to refrain. After a moment she managed to squeak out the word "Proof." as if it were the name of the one cheating on her with her boyfriend. She said the word again and this time it came out stronger, in the form of a growl. "Proof." Yuffie rubbed at her face roughly and screamed.
"I don't freaking believe this!" she screamed again and beat her fists against her head, "This. Wasn't. Supposed. To. HAPPEN!!" Yuffie stomped her foot once. Twice. Three times. Again and again she stomped her foot, meanwhile cursing and ranting at lightning speed, her words only just missing collision with one another.
"I wasn't ever supposed to see any of you until I was ready! This whole thing is a mistake! Hell, technically, I shouldn't even be alive! I get caught up in a freaking blizzard with this freaking cat that was, in actuality, A FREAKIN' DEMON, and for my trouble I get turned into this half breed freak chick who has to dress like some wannabe goth so that people don't get freaked out by my appearance! Even THEN I have to cover my FREAKIN' EARS AND TAIL, because they're too much of a FREAKING give away! I'm stuck with this band of bozo's who are all, for whatever reason, I still don't know, waging their own mini war against these damned demon MONSTERS that are bigger and more powerful than any FREAKING thing we ever faced as Avalanche!"
She stopped for a moment only to catch her breath, then with renewed vigor started up again. Beatrix, Julius, and Tifa all stared at her in growing awe as she continued to rant, her face turning, if possible, darker than Beatrix's hair.
"-And I'd give more than ANYTHING to get rid of these FREAKIN' GODDAMNED EARS I FREAKIN HATE THEM SO MUCH!! I know Cid and Barret would have a freaking field day if they ever found out that I was turned into a half-breed because they'd say 'you deserved it'. I KNOW they would! And Cloud, that spiky-headed jerk, would probably call me reckless and irresponsible and Reeve, that greasy haired asshole, would crack one of his stupid jokes, and Red XIII, with all his brains, would start looking at me as if I were the freaking science experiment! For the past few nights I haven't been able to sleep because I've been worrying so damn much about EVERYTHING. I kept thinking about how I avoided you guys before because I was afraid of what you all would say about the fight me and my pops had, again, and every time I start to cry because now I really do have a reason to avoid you all, and not just you, but the entire world because I was stupid and I screwed up again. And now we're here the both of us, and we aren't supposed to, god DAMN IT, we aren't supposed to! And you're asking me, while we're standing under this flimsy, stupid little streetlight whether I have PROOF of who I am!? What proof can I give!? All my junk got lost out in that BLIZZARD Tifa! What? Do you want me to say something 'Yuffie-like'? What? Do you want me to act like a ditzy sixteen year old again? Do you want me to hop up and down and punch the air and scream 'BOOYAKA!' like I used to after each fight? Do you want me to steal all your stuff? Pester the heck out of you? What do you want from me!?"
Yuffie stopped again, breathing heavily. She felt hot tears trickling down her face, and she wiped at them angrily. "Gah!" she stomped her foot again. "S'not fair!" she shouted.
Tifa, who had watched with a trembling lip as Yuffie went on and on, finally took a loud shuddering breath, trying her best to keep from dissolving into a blubbering mass of tears.
"…Yuffie…" she rushed forward and, catching Yuffie off guard, hugged her hard. "Oh my god Yuffie what happened to you!"
Yuffie blinked rapidly, going rigid as Tifa hugged her. After a moment she recovered and tried awkwardly to comfort the woman, who by now had lost all resolve. "Hey…Tiffy, don't cry!" when this didn't work, she began to panic. "I mean it! Don't! Y-You're gonna make me cry!" But the woman still didn't stop, and Yuffie's eyes began to water. Gritting her teeth, she shook Tifa gently, hissing, "You always were so darn emotional…" and, her own resolve breaking, Yuffie hugged the woman tightly, tears spilling down her own cheeks.
Standing a little away from them, Julius smiled warmly. "Aww…how sweet."
Beatrix smiled happily. "Maybe now I won't get killed!"
Yuffie, who heard her, glared over Tifa's shoulder. "Don't count on it."
Pulling away, Tifa wiped at her eyes. Looking up, she rubbed Yuffie's ears. "This is so surreal…"
Yuffie winced pulling away, "Hey, I don't go feeling up on your ears!"
Tifa blushed. "I-I'm sorry. Its just…wow."
"Well you can stare at her ears later." Julius looked serious now, and he nodded toward the sea of night around them. "We're gonna have to take care of our little friends here before we can go anywhere."
"But we don't know how many there are." Beatrix said incredulously.
Yuffie sniffed, wiping her eyes dry. "I can take care of that."
Tifa looked at her confused, and Yuffie smirked. "Don't wig out on me, m'kay?"
Mutely, the woman nodded, still not following. Yuffie stepped toward the edge of the light encompassing them all, and raising her hands she focused as hard as she could. Her tail lashing behind her, her body tensed and her entire body began to glow. Tifa gasped as she felt the energy rolling off of her friend wash over her in thick waves, the hairs on her skin standing on end and moving with the currents. Shaking the cat girl narrowed her eyes and took a few clunky steps forward. The energy was built up inside her now. The streetlights were flickering and she could hear the nervous hisses of the creatures surrounding her. Julius eyes widened and with a shout, he pushed both Beatrix and Tifa to the ground. Squeezing her eyes shut, Yuffie pushed the energy away from her with a scream.
Like water in the air, the light flooded the air, painting the building blue and shattering the streetlights nearby with their intensity. All of the creatures that had before been hidden were now completely exposed, just as was the case back at the cabin. Many of them caught the full force of the waves, while the others were simply dazed. Shaking, Yuffie twisted her neck around and shouted, "Guys! Get the others!!"
Julius and Beatrix scrambled to their feet, snapping their jaws shut after the effects of the spectacle they had just seen wore off. Tifa took a moment to snap out of her amazement and awe before hurrying after them to join the fray.
There weren't many and when they were certain all of them were dead, Yuffie dropped her arms, panting. "Whew…" she breathed, face glistening with sweat.
Tifa stood shaking, the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Glancing at Yuffie, she huffed, "Are…you okay?"
Yuffie nodded mutely, trying to catch her breath. She doubled over, leaning on her knees. "Man…"
Beatrix waved at Ern, "Hey! They're gone now." But the man only shook his head, muttering frantically under his breath.
Julius stretched, "Let's get going. It isn't wise to stay here."
Beatrix turned and started walking, "Yeah, Meridian and the others must be worrying about us!"
Yuffie snorted, "You just wanna start walking so that you can keep ahead of me."
"When you want to wring my neck until my head comes off, yeah, I see nothing wrong with that."
Yuffie hissed. "Come 'ere!" As if she hadn't just blasted away a bunch of monsters, the cat girl was running after Beatrix, who began sprinting for one of the streetlights. Glancing over her shoulder once with wide fearful eyes, the redhead jumped up the poles with amazing force. Latching onto the pole of the streetlight, she shimmied the rest of the way to the top. Yuffie slowed to a stop beneath her, glaring. "Don 't think I can't jump up after you!" she shouted.
Beatrix growled. "Try it and you get a mouth full of boot!"
Julius shook his head with a chuckle. "Never thought I'd see the day a wolf gets chased up into hiding by a cat." Then the wind changed, and he stopped and sniffed the air. His eyes narrowed. "That scent…" He was jolted out of his thoughts, however, when a screech pierced his ears, immediately putting him on guard.
But it was Tifa who turned to find the dark silhouette of a monster, which had somehow managed to survive their attack, open its mouth wide. Eyes widening, she stared in fear as it reared its head, ready to kill her…
--
Xia trudged along the rooftops slowly, feeling lethargic and unmotivated.
Come what may.
She didn't care.
Tail dragging behind her, she sighed and thought about Tifa, who was, hopefully, off the continent and out of danger for the time being. But as she hopped up onto the ledge, ready to jump to next building, she heard voices.
Tail rising she crept to the ledge corner where she could see the street better. Glancing down, she found to her absolute horror…
The Tifa woman.
And with the Beatrix girl and the other red headed lycan.
Moving straight towards the very warehouse Kelson and the necromancers were!
Fur puffing, she thought about the half-breed and cursed the girl over and over in her head for taking her warnings so lightly.
For a second she thought about jumping down and telling the lycans to turn around, right back the way they came. But that wouldn't work, she knew. They wouldn't trust her, and would most likely try to hurt her.
Stupid, stupid creatures.
Well what could she do? …Nothing. Xia watched with despair as the Tifa woman and the lycans walked on to their doom. And she could do absolutely nothing…
Except watch.
So she followed them, making sure to keep down wind and a good distance away, so that the lycans couldn't smell her.
She was there, when they came onto the street where the pack of shadow specters had been lurking. She was there when Yuffie had exploded into her six-minute rants and Tifa had broken down crying. She was there when the half-breed used her powers in such a way that not even Xia knew possible. And she was there when the shadow specter, nearly dead and more than angry, stood shakily to it's feet ready to have it's revenge on the half-breed for the pain she caused. But when it found she wasn't near, it went for the next best thing…
…Tifa.
And it was this split second that Xia decided that there were bigger things at stake here then her own well-being. Come the moment she went back to the warehouse, Kelson would probably kill her. He knew. He had to. There was no way he couldn't know. And if he didn't know, he would soon find out. So what difference did it make if she died?
What difference did it make?
These were her thoughts as she leaped through the air, the wind sailing past her. These were her thoughts as she hissed, purposely drawing the monsters attention. And these were her thoughts as the monster knocked her away like a tennis ball, leaving her dazed and hurting on the ground.
Tifa gazed down at her in shock, recognizing the white tipped ears even in the dark. "…S-Spider?"
The specter, smoke curling from its open mouth, gnashed its teeth, its body twisting as it slithered toward Xia, who was only starting to get to her feet.
The thing stretched a claw toward her, "Traitor you issss…" it snapped it's teeth angrily. "Traitor you diess…"
Xia looked at it with half closed eyes. Hunching her shoulders, her paws grew in size, the fur retracting to reveal tiny hands. She grit her teeth as the fur disappeared, her legs lengthening and growing as her spine twisted. In a matter of seconds she was crouching hunched on the ground, naked, her body done with its change. Looking up at the shadow specter, she smiled a lazy, empty smile.
Silently she stood, brandishing her right hand. The claws lengthened becoming something like thin daggers coming out of their sheaths.
The specter screeched and moved as if it were going to chomp her head off, but to both Xia and the monster's surprise, Yuffie appeared in between them, cupping her hands and looking more than angry. An orb of energy appearing in her hands, she sneered.
"Say 'nighty night' big boy."
With a blast the specter was blown back, dead. Xia stared at the back of Yuffie's head in disbelief, not sure how to make of this sudden display. The girl in question turned to her, looking more serious than any of those present had ever seen her. A silence followed soon after that. Tifa, who still hadn't moved, still couldn't speak for the life of her. Not but a few minutes ago she had nearly been killed. Then, come soaring out of the sky like some heaven sent, Spider appeared to save her life.
Only to have the shock of her life revealed to her when Spider transformed into a girl, with cat ears just like Yuffie.
So she was really demon.
She didn't know what to make of it. She was still swooning from discovering Yuffie had been transformed into some kind of half-breed. The result of all this new information caused something of a short circuit in her, rendering her to a voiceless zombie, who could only stare ahead in perpetual shock.
Beatrix, who had leapt from the pole upon the entrance via Xia, was looking to and from the two cat girls, who were having an intense staring competition.
After a moment, it was Xia who finally looked away.
Satisfied with her relent, Yuffie decided to ask the first thing that popped into her mind the night before, when they first met.
"Who are you?"
Xia didn't answer. She didn't want to.
Yuffie turned around completely, her eyes softening just a little. "You knew him, didn't you? The one who did this to me?"
At this the young demon glanced up at her, her tail swaying side to side. Finally she whispered. "Like a brother."
Julius cleared his throat. "Um…hey, we've all had a rough night, I say we go back to the others and tell them about all of this mess."
"We should leave tonight." Yuffie said, looking at him. She looked at Tifa, "And you have to come with us," she looked down at Xia, "So do you."
At this the cat girl snorted, "Why? Get killed either way."
Beatrix frowned, "I don't know…I mean she's a demon. It was different when we took you in, Yuffie."
Julius motioned to Beatrix, and the red head made a face before shrugging her trench coat off. The man took it, and walking towards Xia, he offered it to her. Reluctantly she took it, her nose wrinkling. Giving Beatrix a look, he said, "She's just a kid-"
Xia gave him a scandalized look. "Am not!"
"-And if we leave her here, she'll get skinned. I know you aren't cold hearted enough to allow that, Beatrix."
Beatrix blushed and grumbled, "Well I didn't mean it that way…"
Yuffie rubbed her chin as she looked down at Xia. "What was it Tifa called you? …Spider? Well until you tell us your name that's what we'll call you from now on. And I will drag you kicking and screaming to the docks if I have to. You are SO not staying here."
With that she grabbed Xia, who gave a startled yowl as she was swung onto Yuffie's shoulder. She grimaced as the older girl's shoulder pushed into her gut, and she tried vainly to wriggle free. "Put me down!" she squealed.
Yuffie shook her head, "Nope. Too dangerous for you here. 'Sides. I want some more answers, and you have them." Holding the cat girl's legs with one arm, she waved to the others with her other arm. "C'mon. Before more of those damn monster things show up."
Tifa stood slowly to her feet and followed along with Beatrix and Julius as Yuffie led the way back to town, Xia slung unceremoniously over her shoulder. Ern, still sitting in the streetlight, moaned and after a few minutes sprinted after them in a panic, his foot falls echoing off the buildings. Julius shook his head at him. "Yer' okay Ern…"
Meanwhile, whilst barely holding back her laughter, Beatrix flipped the hood over Xia's ears and only just missed having her fingers bitten off by the irate demon. The hood covered the cat girl's eyes, and she tried fruitlessly to push the hood back up, her hands too busy trying to keep the other half of her body up so that Yuffie's shoulder didn't press into her stomach so much.
Silently she wondered just what it was she had managed to get herself into.
----
reposted the chapter
A/N: …Wow, I finished this quicker than I thought I would! Three chapters on one day, I never would have thought…well. Anyways. It was quickly becoming clear I had to end this fast. I mean. Twenty-eight pages. That's just ridiculous.
But really. After reading over this almost as many times as chapter thirteen, I think it's time to just post it. I apologize for any mistakes that may still be left behind however. At this length, a chapter can be hard to check over. I want to get the story moving as much as you people do, believe me. While working on the last three chapters I came up with so many ideas, I'm telling you this fan fiction is really gonna start taking shape. At least I hope it will. Some of this stuff is still improvised and thrown in at the last minute. But then again, that always makes for interesting stories, that is, if it's done right.
I'm kind of amazed how much the idea of Yuffie being a neko has evolved. It's insane really. You should have seen what I REALLY started with…
Okay, well thanks much for reading, please leave a review!