I am so sorry that this chapter is so late. Excuses as well as review response can be found at the end of the chapter.
Disclaimer: The characters and setting of FFVII belong to Squaresoft/SquareEnix. No profit is being made from this fanfiction.
With that out of the way, please enjoy the second chapter!
"Blah" - speaking
'Blah' - thinking
Demons of the Deep
Chapter 2: Fight
The skies rumbled as a howl echoed across the grassland. A figure was bent, nose to the ground as if tracking a scent. Then, the mysterious figure rose in a swift motion and gestured to the southeast. Three more figures sprang from the ground and silently followed, all of them focused on their target.
If someone had been watching, he or she might have mistakenly taken the shadowy figures for wild animals. They would have been partially correct, yet these "beasts" have acted in a surprising intelligent manner. At a closer look, they'd have seen that the figures were a hideous blend of man and beast. Two of the beasts looked like wolf hybrids, another seemed to be a bear, and the last was an exotic cheetah. All of the beasts carried an array of weapons, besides their sharp teeth and claws, and walked upright. All of them were at one time, human. Foolish humans who had thought they could consort with demons and remain unscathed. Now they were the pitiful servants of the ones they had sought to enslave.
= = = = = = = = =
"Let's get down to business now," said Reno after Cloud and Tifa had checked on Reeve's condition and seen that he was quickly recuperating.
As they settled around the table, Tifa spoke up. "Shouldn't we wait for Vincent? He's the only one in Midgar right now, but I have notified the others. I couldn't get in touch with Yuffie at all but everyone else I either was able to talk to or at least leave a message for them about the situation.
"I'm already here so we can continue," a dark voice issued from the shadows.
Elena jumped up in fright before noticing Vincent lounging against the wall. "Don't do that again, Valentine. It's creepy when you sneak up on people like that" she huffed.
"Elena, we are Turks. You should have noticed the instant Valentine entered the room," reprimanded Rude.
"Sorry..." Elena hung her head in embarrassment.
"Rude, you mentioned that there was a strange mark left at the site of the assassination attempt, correct?" Cloud asked, his mako-blue eyes focused on the task at hand.
"Yes, here are the photos of the scene. Elena took several pictures of the unusual sigil and has been searching our archives and other sources for any information but hasn't come with anything."
The members of AVALANCHE peered intently at the images shown. The mark mentioned was a large black circle, with jagged spikes jutting out to form a star-like image. Inscribed inside the circle was a mysterious rune that looked similar to the letter A.
A sense of recognition stirred inside Vincent as Chaos awoke inside the depths of his mind. A brief flash of recognition that disappeared as soon as the ebony-haired gunslinger managed to banish the demon from intruding on his conscious thoughts.
'You have free reign over my dreams - but my mind is my own,' he warned the unwelcome presence. Chaos only snickered before retreating. Vincent's attention turned from his internal struggle as the leader of AVALANCHE spoke.
"The best clue we have to the identity of the would-be assassin would be this symbol," Cloud announced to the members in the room.
Reno rolled his eyes at the obvious statement and opened his mouth to reply but was silenced by a fierce glare from Tifa.
"What do you suggest we do then?" Rude asked after a brief pause.
"Split up and search for any information on the symbol or any other clues," Tifa said, glancing at Cloud.
Cloud nodded in confirmation. "Tifa and I will travel to Cosmo Canyon. We can met up with Red XIII there and search the extensive library. Vincent, why don't you-" Cloud was abruptly cut off by Vincent's calm statement.
"I will go to Nibelheim. That is where most of Hojo's research is located. This matter is somehow related to his experiments... and the my demons." With that, Vincent swiftly made his way to the door and disappeared.
"Geez, I can never tell what that freakin' vampire is thinking..." Reno remarked in the wake of silence left by the gunslinger's abrupt exit.
= = = = = = = = =
Vincent carefully packed the meager belongings he deemed necessary to bring from his apartment before quickly making his way to a large brick building on the outskirts of Midgar. The building was the 'Strife Academy of Swordsmanship and Self-dense' as the sign above the oak doors proudly proclaimed.
The academy that Cloud had started was one of the premier training schools in Midgar. Vincent never thought that he'd become a teacher but he surprising enjoyed teaching. Of course the subjects he taught - Advanced Marksmanship and Battle Strategy, weren't subjects that were taught at most schools.
After picking up some more ammunition from his office, Vincent made his way to the Chocobo stable at the back of the school. Knowing that Cloud would take care of his absence from the academy, without a second thought, the gunslinger saddled his gleaming black Chocobo, Obsidian, and headed for Nibelheim.
= = = = = = = = =
Yuffie was relieved to notice that she was finally approaching Nibelheim. Contrary to popular belief, trudging through the rain for hours was not a pleasant experience and in no way, shape or form did it build moral character.
Yuffie's philosophical musing were cut short as she stumbled over a small stone embedded in the ground, falling flat on her rear. That fall, however, saved her life as two sharp daggers flew right past where she had previously been standing.
"What the-" Yuffie's shriek of surprise was abruptly cut off as she spun 180 degrees in the air before back-flipping to avoid decapitation by the whirling twin axes wielded by a huge black bear/human hybrid. The bear hybrid growled in frustration at Yuffie's successful evasion of his attack and was caught unaware of the sleek ninja stars flung at him by the infuriated shinobi.
The sharp missiles hit their target but barely caused any damage, serving only to anger the black monster, who increased the ferocity of his attacks. Yuffie was in for more trouble as more daggers whizzed through the air. Though she easily dodged most of them, one dagger nicked the side of her cheek, leaving a shallow cut.
The sharp sting of pain helped the girl focus on the battle - which would take all her skill to win, the normally optimistic ninja admitted to herself as two more shadows materialized in front of her before solidifying into wolf/human hybrids. The silver wolf hybrid was equipped with a polished broadsword while the dark brown wolf carried a wicked-looking spear.
'A Knights of the Round summon materia would really come in handy right now' Yuffie thought angrily as she threw her Conformer at the approaching wolf hybrids, leaving a deep slash across the left arm of the sword-wielder. The silver wolf howled a savage challenge before lunging at the ninja and attempting to knock her unconscious with the flat of the blade. The brown wolf hybrid and the black bear surrounded Yuffie to prevent her escape.
'It seems that they are trying to capture me rather than kill me. I wonder why......Henshin! Well, I'm not going to be dragged back to Wutai this easily. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve.'
" Bahumat ZERO " Yuffie called out, tilting her Conformer to reveal the shiny red summon materia and activating it. The materia glowed a dark crimson as the six-winged black metal dragon appeared, swooping down upon her opponents. The summoned dragon let out a huge roar as a huge, glowing ball of light blasted towards the enemies. The brown wolf and black bear hybrids were knocked back by the blast and left temporarily stunned. Meanwhile Yuffie jumped back to avoid being knocked unconscious by the silver wolf hybrid before throwing her Conformer at the monster, successfully knocking the sword out of the creature's grasp.
'That teaches them to mess with Yuffie Kisaragi, ninja extraordinaire!' she thought triumphantly before continuing the battle.
She swiftly managed to defeat the silver wolf hybrid without incurring too many injuries. Surprisingly, the remains of the hybrid disappearing as soon as she'd dealt a fatal blow. However, just after she'd managed to dispatch the brown wolf hybrid with a Comet2 and a few swings of her Conformer, another foe appeared.
The monster was another strange human and beast hybrid, albeit a bit more exotic. The tawny yellow pelt and feline grace of the creature showed the jaguar half of the hybrid but the ease that the creature had in handling the sharp daggers grasped in its hands revealed its human origins.
"Hmph...So you're the coward that's been hiding in the shadows tossing daggers while I've been busy with your little friends? Well, you'll find that Yuffie Kisaragi is more than a match for you as well as that bastard Henshin. Bring it on!" Yuffie glared challengingly at the jaguar hybrid.
"Foolish mortal. You think that fool Henshin is our master. We may serve him for now but our true master is much more powerful. No one, especially not a puny human princess like you, can foil the plans of ... " The jaguar's boasting was cut short by Yuffie's scream of pure rage.
'No one calls me a puny princess and gets away with it!' she thought angrily.
"Fire3" Yuffie called out.
The enraged shinobi had activated another shimmering green orb inserted in her Conformer. A huge pillar of fire erupted at the same location in which the hybrid was standing. The jaguar managed to escape from the middle of the flaming pillar, but still was slightly burned. In retaliation, numerous daggers were sent flying towards the ninja. None of the sharp missiles hit any vital spots but Yuffie still received several minor injuries.
'I'd better finish this fast. I'm tiring quickly and can't afford to lose much more blood.' Yuffie threw her Conformer at the jaguar hybrid, hoping to catch it off-guard. She then summoned another Comet2 before the hybrid could react, dealing a massive amount of damage to the jaguar.
Intent upon defeating the jaguar hybrid, Yuffie almost didn't notice the black bear hybrid behind her. Only her quick reflexes allowed her to evade the blunt axe aimed for the back of her head. However, as the shinobi twisted away from the bear hybrid, she slipped on a patch of wet grass. Yuffie fell, hitting her head hard against the ground.
Disoriented by the fall, Yuffie couldn't dodge as the bear hybrid slammed a clawed fist at her head. The impact caused the ninja to slump limply on the ground. The last thing she heard before she slipped into the welcomed darkness was the sound of two sharp gunshots.
To Be Continued
Like I said, I'm very sorry that this chapter is so late. The battle sequence took me ages! Plus I was distracted by the discovery of the wonderful manga/anime Rurouni Kenshin as well as Saiyuki (latest obsession!). Thanks so much for all the kind reviews.
Skin infections: I'm glad you like the plot so far. However, there's lots of plot twist ahead. Hope you keep reading!
Hotaru170: Thank you for all your kind words. I'm glad you like Yuffie and Vincent, since they're going to be the main characters. Yuffie is my favorite female character and I love Vincent, but I must admit that Sephiroth is my favorite character in FF7.
Demon Angel Tsukai: Glad that you like the beginning. My brother thought I had too many 'big words' but I tried to be descriptive. Hope it worked! About the story being Vincent/Yuffie, I have to tell you to wait until the next chapter but who do you think rescued Yuffie? First reviewer to get it right wins a cookie!
I hope everyone liked this chapter. Please review, any feedback is greatly appreciated. I'll try to post the as-yet-unwritten chapter 3 by the end of September but I can't promise anything since school is starting soon and I'm taking three AP classes. Thanks for reading!
Silvermuse89