3. Inner Demons

Disclaimer: I still don't own FF7.

Whisper, whisper - (I'm still here, hehe)

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The rain beat relentlessly upon the window as I idly watched the rivers of water trickle down the surface of the glass. It had only started a few minutes ago, but was picking up pace dramatically. This would make things a little more interesting for the journey ahead. A long, tiresome walk with little rest and a monsoon above our heads.

Just like old times.

A stifled sigh was all I could muster in response to the dreariness foreseen. The room was cast in shadow, the lights having been turned off for the two exhausted bodies decorating my furniture. Marsellis lay neatly upon the couch, hands clasped over his chest while Yuffie was sprawled out over the recliner, her limbs extended in every direction. It was a wonder she could be comfortable that way, but I had come to realize over the past years that she had an astounding ability to sleep under whatever conditions available, so long as she was tired enough. A rare, but useful gift that I envied her for.

Even more so now, for I could not catch a wink despite having desperately tried. Vincent's continuing absence was making me more anxious by the minute too. It wasn't uncommon for him to vanish for long periods of time without a word, but now was not the time to be pulling that stunt on me. Especially considering that he was being tracked by spies and who knows what else.

I stood up abruptly, raking a frustrated hand through my hair as I paced anxiously back and forth. Once again the mysterious and illusive gunslinger had put me into a panic. He was quite efficient when it came to pulling my strings actually. If only he knew just how much these little escapades tormented me.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. Wherever he was I would have to find him, or at list try, if I was ever to be put at ease. It was either that or lose my mind waiting, and I had done enough of that for the last hour and a half. Waiting was not at all my style besides. In fact, I down right detested it.

It didn't take much to make up my mind. I hastily scribbled out a note for Yuffie to find should she wake up (highly unlikely) and discover me absent. If I was lucky, I'd only be gone for 10 minutes or so. Vincent couldn't have gone too far. He better not have...

On my way out the door I grabbed a long water-resistant coat, and then entered the miserable outside. Rain thundered on the ground, in my ears, and against my head. I hugged my body fiercely against the bitter cold air as I stumbled through puddles and slipped on wet grass. It wasn't long before the wetness had soaked through my boots and into my socks; a very disturbing development.

Just where I thought I was going is beyond me. I was mostly wondering around in circles around town, peaking into the shadows in search of a familiar pair of glowing red eyes. More likely Vincent was cooped up in a tree somewhere, brooding to himself or planning out our journey. There were a lot of trees on the outskirts of Wutai. A lot of trees, a lot of darkness, and a lot of rain. In town there were at least some lamp lights around so that I wasn't completely blind, but not out where I would most likely find him.

I slumped back against the railing of a bridge and watched as water dripped from the overhanging edge of my hood, the drops occasionally catching my nose on their descent. Despite the jacket I'd managed to get wet underneath anyway and my hair was clinging to the sides of my face, every last strand soaked. I guessed to have spent at least 20 minutes trying to find him, and in that time I had managed to yield nothing but my own exhaustion.

"This is miserable." I grumbled and shifted my weight from one foot to the other.

There was no way of knowing where Vincent was. He could be anywhere, and obviously he didn't want to be found, considering I had covered all the territory that encompassed the town two times over. All the territory except for the woods that is, which I would doubtlessly get lost in dare I enter that dark abyss. Vincent had a rare gift of night vision. Unfortunately I was skipped when they were giving out rare gifts, and so I reluctantly admitted my defeat.

With a heavy sigh I pushed away from the guard rail and trudged back towards home. He'll come back, I told myself briskly. Vincent could take care of himself better than anyone else.

That should have been a comfort, but even as I tried convincing myself that there was no possible way the enemy had got their hands on him, something in the back of my mind issued a doubt. Curse my instincts anyway.

I shook my head at that, refusing to even consider that he was in danger. He was just behaving as Vincent always did. This wasn't the first time I'd attempted to track him down after he'd gone off on his own, and it wasn't the first time I'd failed either. Come to think of it, I hadn't succeeded yet.

The door to my home opened with ease and a gust of warm air surged forward from inside, engulfing me. I shrugged off my jacket in relief. My clothes were damp and chilly, but I didn't have the energy to consider changing them. Instead I collapsed on a chair by the window in the living room to proceed waiting. I caught the time and relaxed a little, allowing my eyelids to droop.

Vincent had an hour to get back and retrieve us. Only when that hour was up would I call out the cavalry.

My body gave a harsh tremble and I sat up. Nearby, folded on the back of the couch where Marsellis slept, was a blanket that I confiscated for my own. I relished in the warmth as I tucked it around me as I sat back down on my chair. The cold search had exhausted me more than I expected it would, and I found myself succumbing to sleepiness for the first time. It wasn't long before I'd dozed off.

Wake up now, Tifa.

I awoke with a startled jerk. Something was wrong, but I wasn't conscious enough just yet to understand what. Words of warning echoed in my head. Where they'd come from I couldn't recall, or what they meant for that matter.

The room was very quiet and dark, just as it had been before I fell asleep. Yuffie had rolled over onto her side and Marsellis was as still as stone, having not moved an inch from his original position. He was breathing evenly, indicating that he had not died in his sleep.

Hair scattered in front of my eyes, obstructing my vision, and I promptly pushed it aside. I squinted in mild confusion as to where this strange feeling of dread was coming from. Only when I glanced up to check the time did I realize what had woken me so abruptly. The shock nearly put me off my seat and on the floor.

It was 2:00 a.m., an hour later than when we were supposed to have left.

Every muscle in my body tensed and I bolted upright from the chair. Panic seized hold of me, but all I could manage was to stand there and tremble in confusion. The initial shock had yet to wear off, but I could hear the truth reverberating in my head.

Vincent wasn't here. He should've been here, I thought desperately, but he wasn't. That meant that something or someone was keeping him. What could possibly have happened? And what was I supposed to do now? I was never good when thrust into the leadership role. I never know what to do.

I groaned inwardly and clasped my head in my trembling hands. "Yuffie!" I called out loudly. When there was no response I hastened to her side and gave her a rough shake. "Get up."

She stirred with a long drawn out groan, and one eye opened a crack. "What?" She mumbled, slapping sluggishly at my hands.

"We've got a problem." I stated severely.

"Gawd, what is it now?" She grumbled, apparently having not caught the urgency in my voice. "Did someone catch Vincent burying dead guys, or what?"

"Oh no, it's much worse than that." I concluded quickly. "He's gone."

"Huh?"

"It's 2:00 a.m Yuffie!" I shouted impatiently.

I jumped back to avoid a collision as she sprang up from the chair with sudden vigor. "Shit!" She exclaimed, wide eyed. "What do ya mean Vincent's gone?"

"I mean that he never came back!" I conveyed frantically. "We should've left an hour ago."

It took a moment for the news to settle in with her, but it did eventually. She nodded slowly, her lips parting. "Can I faint now?"

"Please don't." I pleaded.

There was a rustling over by the couch followed by, "How's a God supposed to get any sleep 'round here with all that racket?"

Yuffie and I spun around at Marsellis' outburst. "Vincent is gone." We spoke in unison.

His brows furrowed confusedly. "Say what?" Marsellis looked around the room inquisitively, one eye squinted more than the other. He flinched violently at the time on the clock and stood up abruptly. "Woah, were not supposed to still be here."

"Good job, Einstein!" Yuffie snapped at him. "Tell us something we don't know."

"It's raining." He commented with a frown.

"What?" She asked confusedly.

He gestured towards the window. "It's raining. I bet you didn't know that."

Yuffie groaned inwardly. "You are really, really, annoying. You're more annoying that Cait Sith!"

He rolled his eyes. "You're not too shabby yourself when it comes to being annoying." He answered. "What's happened anyway? I thought you guys were on top of things."

"Vincent is the organizer. He's the one on top of things." Yuffie responded in dismay "We just do what he tells us."

"Obviously there's been a change of plans." Marsellis responded. "Seeing how he doesn't appear to be here."

I clenched my fists and took a deep, calming breath. "Alright you two, let's just calm down, ok? Vincent is gone and it's up to us to find him. Which means we need to stop acting like headless chickens and make a plan."

"Headless chickens?" Marsellis snorted.

If frowned, groaning. "So it was a bad analogy, that's not the point." I snapped. "Now, we'll start by heading for the west coast. That's where Vincent had intended for us to go in the first place I think. We need to cross the ocean regardless if we want to help Cloud, and the West cost is where all the ship ports are. That means anyone who needs to get to the eastern continent will be going there as well."

"How does this help with the Vincent situation?" Yuffie cut in. "I thought we were gonna save his butt first. And how do we know he's even alive?"

The blood drained from my face at the very mentioning of that possibility. I discarded it without a second thought. "He is alive. It's a demon thing." I said firmly. It was true, killing Vincent was no easy endeavor. "And we're going to find him. Whoever is responsible for his disappearance is without a doubt connected to Marcus in some way. They will be heading the same direction we are to cross the ocean. Heading west is our best chance of running into Vincent, or at least a clue as to where he might be."

"Woah there, lass," Marsellis interrupted. "Arn't you forgetting something of particular importance?"

I looked at him blankly.

"The map, you fool, the map!" Marsellis exclaimed dismaly. "It's run off with Goldy locks, remember?"

"Oh." I echoed in sudden realization. In the midst of confusion that had followed the discovery of Vincent's absence, I'd completely forgotten about her. He was right. Without the map it would be hopeless trying to find our way through the desert. We wouldn't be much help to Cloud that way. "Well," I began, "I think we'll have just as much chance of running into her as we will Vincent. She needs to cross the ocean too if that map is going to be of any use to her."

Marsellis crossed his arms in contemplation. "How many ship ports are there?"

"Four." Yuffie imparted nonchalantly.

"Four." Marsellis repeated, mildly disturbed. "How will we know which one she'll be at? Or Marcus' men for that matter."

"Only two of them sail the route West of the Island, which is by far the quickest. The other two sail East because they have drop off points on the other continents." I explained.

"Well, that's fine and dandy, but we've still got two possibilities that have the potential to bite us in the ass should we choose the wrong one." Marsellis intimated.

I shook my head. " I don't think so."

Marsellis eyed me queerly, waiting. "Well, out with it."

"One of them is a renown port that caters to civilians. The other one happens to be a secluded, out of the way village that consists of older ships that only a desperate person, or someone operating illegally, would ever consider. Something tells me we'll be more likely to find Marcus' henchmen there. I have no idea where the map will be, but I think it's best that we stick with what we know." I explained.

Marsellis nodded slowly. "It's a decent enough plan."

"Wait a minute." Yuffie blurted out, fronting me with a hard, inquisitive glare. "Just who are you referring to? I thought dad dealt with those guys already."

"Not entirely. More than once Vincent and Cloud enlisted help from that village." I answered. "Godo doesn't have the man power to run down every pirate on the island. They're always around, especially in the remote areas. Vincent and Cloud seemed to trust a few of them though."

"But they're a buncha pirates!" Yuffie proteseted. "They'll probably make us walk the friggin plank."

I shot her a barbed glare and she quieted instantly. "Listen, we've got to do something. This is just a preliminary plan. We'll build off it as we go if we have to, but right now I think it's important that we stick to it and hope that it takes us somewhere. We can't afford to waste anymore time here, that's for sure."

"Right then. Let's move." Marsellis bolted down the hall and out the door so that no one would have the chance to protest.

Yuffie stared after him, her face pale and grim. "This is so not cool."

"It's the boat thing, isn't it?" I guessed and smiled in commiseration.

"You'd hate 'em too if they made you hurl your guts out." She answered moodily. "Why boats anyway? I hate boats."

"And plains too." I added. At the door I stopped. To my dismay the rain was still coming down relentlessly and so I retrieved my rain jacket before heading out. "That kind of makes it difficult when you have to cross the ocean."

"Yeah." She sighed. "Too bad the Highwind is under experimentation. Cid's gonna blow it up one of these days on accident. Although with all the crap he's added to it, I'd probably die if I ever went on it again."

I laughed and stepped out into the rain. A shiver went up my spine. This is not going to be pleasant. Yuffie walked beside me, looking somewhat tired and worn. The effects of sleep had not gone and she had a tendency of staggering.

"Yo, we ain't got all day here. Let's see some enthusiasm!" Marsellis called from up ahead. He was springing up and down impatiently, waving us on. It amazed me that he could have this much energy with so little rest, and in the middle of a rainstorm no less. I had a dark premonition of going at an outrageously fast pace under Marsellis' lead.

"What's got him acting so giddy?" Yuffie demanded. "I'm running on fumes over here while he does the mystic happy dance."

Later, on the trail -

Through the thick quagmires of mud and over the slippery hills of wet grass, we trudged with heavy hearts. Cold, shivering, and miserable we all were, but we continued on resiliently. Even Marsellis, who'd been so energetic at the start, had lost most of his charm. He'd been quite silent for the last hour or so.

The going got tough in places as the mud was so deep that we could barely move and risked falling in with every step. It was relentless too and never wanted to let go, which caused disasters on more than one occasion.

Eventually we'd find our way out of the mud hole and get to higher ground, but treachery awaited us there too.One was never sure if the ground would remain in contact or suddenly collapse beneath them. This was how it was in Wutai when the rainy season came around; boobytrapped.

The rain did wash off the dirt and muck that accumulated on our clothing when struggling through the filthy portions of the road. It chilled me to the bone too, but the vigorous walking at least kept the feeling in my limbs for the time being.

Luckily for us we'd not had any beast encounters. Not only were we not in shape for a fight, but we couldn't see either. Day light was still a good hour away and the west coast even further.

Other problems pestered us too. Trying to keep track of direction in this darkness was impossible. Yuffie and I felt like the remnants of road kill, and Marsellis was pressing forward at an alarmingly fast pace. We may have well been heading East for all I knew. Wherever we were going, we'd probably die from exhaustion before ever reaching our destination. Either that or hypothermia, which was an ever present thought in my mind, as these were the kinds of conditions in which it occurred most often; Rainy and cold.

An hour or so passed and we slowed to a near crawl. We traveled in a tight bunch now, Marsellis slightly in the lead, me in the middle, and Yuffie to my right. She'd been too tired to even speak, which was extremely unusual.

Marsellis came to a sudden halt and froze. I stopped too and Yuffie followed suit. He was listening for something, but as far as I could hear there was nothing but the rain. Or so it was at first. Eventually I heard what I guessed had caught Marsellis' attention, though I wish I knew just how he heard it that long before I did.

It was a slow, methodic flapping noise, like leathery wings; big leathery wings. The sound made you think of a bat, grant a very large bat, but a bat. Whatever it was, it seemed to be heading in our direction and increasingly fast. We were at a disadvantage as the rain tended to mislead us as to what direction the creature was coming from and I couldn't see beyond ten feet in front of us. There was too much fog and too little light.

"Where is it?" Yuffie asked in a hushed voice beside me.

Something glided just over our heads, stirring the hairs on our heads, and aimed for Marsellis. There was a loud thump as two bodies collided, followed by a massive string of curses that emitted from Marsellis' mouth, and then a silencing 'slop'.

Apparently we'd happened upon another mud hole. The creature rolled a ways off and was thrashing around in a thicket of brush.

"Did you see it, Tif?" Yuffie tugged at my sleeve.

"No, but I felt it." I replied and squinted into the darkness for any sign of our attacker. There was only the faint outline of Marsellis wrestling around in the mud like a helpless animal stuck in a tar pit. If the situation had not been so seriousness, I might have burst out laughing "Marsellis?"

A muted "Urgh" was the only response I obtained. Up ahead there was more noise as the creature fought back to its feet. There was a deep throated growl from the darkness, and then silence.

"Bloody hell." Marsellis' voice was muffled by rain and the mass amounts of mud he was three quarters of the way submerged in.

I steadily made my way towards him with Yuffie creeping closely behind me, keeping a steady eye out for the beast incase it returned. "You ok?" I asked.

He scrambled to his feet covered from head to toe in a thick layer of grime. Marsellis glanced over himself in disgust. "More or less." He answered drearily, wiping some gunk off his face with a look of abhorrence. "What a mess."

"Incoming!" Yuffie shouted a warning.

The three of us literally threw ourselves to the ground side by side as a rush wind passed between us and the swift flying creature. I sucked in a sharp breath and pushed myself up from the icy mud after the beast had passed over. It was so very cold.

"I'm getting right tired of this." Marsellis declared testily, and stood up beside me. He offered Yuffie a hand up as she was still climbing up out of it.

"We could use some light." I suggested grimly. "We won't have a chance without it." The creature had been within only inches of us when it had passed and I'd been able to see nothing. It could be the worlds largest bat for all I knew - it certainly sounded like it.

"Did you get a look at it, Yuffie?" Marsellis inquired. "You sounded out the warning, you must've seen something."

"Hell no!" There was a short pause. "Well, besides two very big, glowing, red eyes."

My ears twitched at a familiar sound. Though still quite distant it was closing fast with each wing beat. "He's coming around again."

"Just a minute." Marsellis said. From the little I could see he appeared to be digging around in his item pouches. "There you are." He exclaimed triumphantly and tossed a round, glowing ball into the air. It looked like a star that had been drawn from the sky, and as it hovered above us light grew from it, illuminating the surrounding area.

"That's so cool." Yuffie said enviously. "How'd you do that?"

"No time for that now." Marsellis cut in and unsheathed his sword. "Big batty here is coming around for another pass."

This time when we turned to face the oncoming beast we were able to get a clear look at it. It slowed its flight as it came within the light and hesitated there only a moment before circling back towards the edge of the darkness to land. There he remained still and quiet, a shadow with red eyes.

Those eyes I would recognize anywhere, and I could barely move I was so paralyzed by the shock. What is he doing?

"It can't be." I gasped, hands clenching at my sides. "Yuffie, did you see it? Did you - did you see what I saw?"

She stepped up beside me a solemn, pained expression on her face. "Yeah." She replied quietly. "I saw Vinny."

"You saw Chaos." I corrected her crisply.

Marsellis twisted around confusedly. "What's all this about?"

"That was...that was Vincent, in his transformation." I said shakily. "He does it whenever he reaches his limit break, but..."

"But?"

"He's not supposed to go all freaky on us like this." Yuffie finished. "He should've turned back by now."

Chaos lurched forward form his perch and into the light, startling us. He stood several yards away regarding us carefully. His thick torso rose and fell with every breath he took, and there was a terrible frenzied gleam in his eyes.

Marsellis was twitching and fiddling with the handle of his sword under the demon's scrutiny. "Vincent or not, this one's in for a fight." He advised. "We'll need to hurt him if we want to get his attention."

My lip caught between my teeth and I bit down painfully. "Right." I agreed reluctantly with a shallow nod and gave my fingers a firm stretch before getting into battle stance.

"Oh gawd." Yuffie groaned. "I don't know about you , but I'm more worried about him hurting us."

Marsellis laughed heartily. "No problem there. I'll have him down in a heart beat."

"Well, somebody's head just inflated like a hot air balloon." She remarked doubtfully, glaring at him in irritation. "You haven't seen Chaos in action."

He will soon enough, I thought grimly.

Chaos rose to the air once more and then, with a screeching battle cry, dove at us. A lump of fear swelled in my throat. I forced it back down just in time to dive aside from the demon's razor sharp talons. As I fell to the muddy ground I could hear the metallic swish of Marsellis' sword and then a terrible crash as a large mass hit the earth in a furious heap.

"Watch out!" Marsellis shouted.

I stumbled to my feet and found myself face to face with the demon. My fast reflexes saved me from what could have been a very ugly encounter, and I successfully knocked Chaos back. I pursued him vigorously, landing blow after blow. Then a Conformer flew over my head, nearly giving me a heart attack, and imbedded itself into the upper portion of Chaos' right wing, where it remained lodged.

"Hey!" Yuffie shouted angily. "That's not supposed to happen."

Chaos let out a tremendous roar of anger and pain that trembled the very ground beneath our feet. It began to quake so violently that I couldn't keep my balance and fell as a result. The others were having trouble too I deduced from the mass amounts of cursing and groaning that I heard from behind me.

With one last shudder, the quaking stopped. From out of nowhere Chaos loomed over me, his hand grasping tightly at my throat and holding me at arm's lenght. He gripped hard, but not quite enough to deprive me of breath, just enough to terrify.

Then I saw something within his blazing eyes that caught my attention. He was studying me with acute interest. Recognition seemed to manifest itself within him and his grip loosened suddenly.

"Say your prayers bat boy!"

I just caught the silver gleam of a sword in time to watch in sink into Chaos' side. A painful groan emitted from the demon's throat and he staggered back in surprise, releasing me as Marsellis wrenched the blade back out. Chaos collapsed at my feet then and hunched forward with one arm bearing his weight while the other grasped at the wound in his side, which was gushing blood at an alarming rate.

Yuffie darted up behind him and retrieved her Conformer. "Jerk." She muttered and bounded beyond his range of attack.

It was obvious that the fight was over though. The demon had suffered too devastating a blow.

I stood up and lunged at Marsellis, grabbing him tightly by the collar of his robe. "Damn you!" I cried. "You said we'd only hurt him."

Marsellis scowled and drew his head back to put more distance between our gazes. "He is only hurt!" He protested. "Besides, you seemed to be in a tight position at the time. What else was I supposed to do?"

"He was backing off!" I shouted angrily.

"Well I'm sorry if things appeared differently from where I was standing." He grumbled sarcastically. "And here I thought I was being helpful."

I let him go with a frustrated groan. "I'm sorry." I apologized. "We better heal him though before it does get serious."

"No." It was barely more the a ragged whisper. "Get awy from me."

I whirled around and stared at Chaos in amazement. "What?" I blurted out incredulously.

He growled through gritted teeth as he glanced at his blood drenched hand. "I said, get away from me!"

My lips quivered as I recognized what must assuredly be Vincent speaking, and I approached him stiffly. "Don't you even dare, Vincent Valentine." I warned him.

"You are in danger." He conveyed darkly. "Chaos will not hesitate to kill."

I sank to my knees in front of him and looked into his eyes solemnly. "I don't think he will." I argued softy. "You have more control over him than you realize. So don't you dare give that as an excuse."

Yuffie walked up beside me and crossed her arms. "No kidding." She agreed. "What kind of crap is this, ditching us because you're Chaos. You've always been Chaos."

"This is different." He answered angrily. "I cannot change back, and there is no guarantee I can keep the hold I have on Chaos now. Something has happened."

"Well then, do explain." Marsellis cut in.

Another ragged breath, constrained and weak, escaped his lips. Blood dribbled down his chin. "I followed someone. Unfortunately, it was into an ambush that I went." He began tiredly. "Somehow, most like incidentally, my attackers cast a spell that altered my body and now prevents me from transforming back."

"You're stuck like that?" Yuffie piped up incredulously.

He nodded wearily, "Yes."

She quietly absorbed the information and then shrugged indifferently. "So?"

I scrambled back to avoid Chaos as he lurched to his feet with a faint wince. Strain was evident in his face. "Don't be a fool." He snarled. "In this form I can do inconceivable amounts of damage to you all. There is no telling what Chaos might do if he gains back control. I can't allow that."

Marsellis frowned. "Wait a minute. Do you realize the extent of the glorious ass kicking we dealt you just a minute ago? I mean-"

"Shut up, Marsellis." I ground evenly. My hands rested firmly on my hips and I gave Vincent a dubious look. "You're running from your fear, Vincent. It isn't like you.." I stated boldly and bit down on my lip nervously. "You'll have to settle with him sooner or later."

Way to go. Now you'll really piss him off...

A fire burned in his eyes that was so vibrant I could almost feel it on my skin as he glared back at me. "You know nothing." He muttered, and shook his head softly.

"Well it isn't for lack of trying!" I retorted and felt a warm liquid cascade down my left cheek. My hand lifted in faint surprise at the tear and I looked away, brushing it off quickly. I had not realized until now that I was on the verge of crying. It startled me.

This is really frightening.

I took a deep, trembling breath, and closed my eyes to force the swelling of emotion away. "You can't do this, Vincent." I whispered and stared off into the darkness. "We need you."

Yuffie walked up to me cautiously and fired a barbed glare over my shoulder at him. "Tifa's right." She said. "Besides, Chaos never hurt us in the past when you changed. Maybe...maybe this was just a side-effect of what happened."

Chaos continued to stare coldly at us. "And you Marsellis?" He inquired stoically. "What is your say in this? Surely you realize what is at stake?"

There was a faint rustling noise and I twisted my head around at him attentively.Marsellis' eyes gleamed brighter than usual and there was an odd sort of power emitting from him that seemed to demand strict attention. "Sure I know the dangers, but if you'd stop moping around, then maybe you could do something about it instead of running away from yourself. She's right and you know it, so don't go biting her head off for saying it straight."

The two exchanged silent words in a meaningful glance at one another. To my amazement Vincent seemed to calm down a bit. "Very well." He said in a deep, vibrating tone that was like silk to the ears. "I will accompany you then, but be aware that Chaos' consciousness may surface at any time. I man not always be...me."

"Now that is more like it." Marsellis beamed happily, his severe expression fading into thin air. "Well then, shall we continue west?"

"If you thought that West was the direction you were heading in, then you are sadly mistaken." Vincent announced and swaggered passed without another look in his direction..

Marsellis stood stupidly, his lips moving without spoken word as his face flushed red. His eyes widened momentarily and he straightened up, chasing afterVincent with a single finger shaking beside his ear. "That was not my fault." He attested and snuck a furtive glance my way as he halted. "After all, it was Tifa who took charge upon your absence."

My jaw dropped in astonishment. "Why you-"

"I would've expected your skills in direction to be better.." Vincent advised coldly before I could finish, and stalked off. "We have no time to waste. Let's go."

"I'm out of practice." Marsellis answered meagerly and frowned with a classic eye brow raise that made him look down right quirky. He wondered back towards where Yuffie and I had begun to follow diligently.

Yuffie stomped his toe as he settled into a slow gait beside her. "Jerk."

"Ow." He cringed and almost fell as he hopped on one leg through the mud.

I shook my head. "You sure are messed up."

He smiled sarcastically. "Why thank you." His attention averted back to Yuffie. "Now what in bloody hell was that for!"

"You stabbed Vinny." She answered curtly.

He rolled his eyes. "He needed a good stabbing." He reasoned. "Besides, he'll be fine."

Amazingly, the body of Chaos did apear fine. The wound must've immediatley begun healing.

I studied the shadowy silhouette of the demon worriedly as he walked alone ahead of us. The magic light Marsellis had produced had faded, but as the rain had finally stopped I found myself able to see better even in the dark. Day light would come soon anyway.

"He'll be fine." Marsellis repeated firmly, breaking my train of thought.

I nodded dubiously and stole a furtive glance his way. He was smiling gaily and humming a tune to himself. "What exactly passed between you two back there?" I asked.

Marsellis frowned. "That's strictly confidential I'm afraid."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yuffie demanded.

"It's beyond your thinking capacity." He replied and dashed away as Yuffie lunged after him.

I laughed as they both were slipping and flailing about wildly in a most amusing display. Yuffie attempted to stop and as result fell with a reosnating splat into the mud.

Marsellis snickered. Unfortunately he'd missed her hand as it grasped a hefty clump of mud and was unprepared when she abruptly flung it towards him. It exploded in his face, the force of the blow knocked him off balance. He slipped to his doom, sputtering and cursing the whole way down.

While they were busy trading blows and laughing at each other's folly I crept up behind Vincent, or Chaos as he was now. My presence was announced long before I got near him though by the slopping noise my each step made. He pretended not to notice.

I bit my lip hard and tasted blood in my mouth. "Ouch." I winced and hastily wiped it away.

"That is a most irritating habit of yours." His voice was without fervor or malice.

My heart sank into my shoes and I considered turning back to rejoin the others whose company was far more appealing. He must still be angry with me. "I'm sorry." I said softly and turned to join the others.

"Wait." Vincent commanded and halted. "Don't go."

I hesitated uncertainly. It was strange speaking to him when he was so...impressive. "I don't want to be nuisance. I just...I just wanted to see how you were."

He turned back towards me, his eyes glowing eerily in the dark, and signaled for me to come forward. I complied timidly and carefully avoided his gaze as we started walking again. It was uncomfortable talking to Vincent as Chaos. His body and appearance were so drastically different that it was hard to thinking of him as still being Vincent.

"I must convey to you the gravety of the situation at hand." He stated calmly. "The men I was confronted by and who are responsible for this are far more dangerous than what Cloud and I faced before."

"What do you mean?" I glanced up at him intently.

"They have power that I'm unfamiliar with." He explained, a shadow falling over his eyes. "It is a kind of magic that I've never seen before, and it requires no materia to wield it."

"That's odd." I remarked thoughtfully. "I've never heard of anything like that before, except for in stories."

"Yes." He concluded. "And there is more about them that intrigues me. They have skin the color of steel, and their eyes glow white, almost lifelessly. No human being has characteristics like that. We may be dealing with a much more powerful foe than we initially thought."

A long silence followed as we each were caught up in the midst of our own thoughts. My mind was already a blur of anxiety before, and now I had a new enemy to brood about. What have we gotten ourselves into?

"What do you suppose this means?" I asked. "Are we up against another Sephiroth?"

"It's not out of the question."

Vincent halted sharply without warning. He grew very still as he strained to hear. His head snapped up alertly. "Someone is here."

Somewhere ahead of us a tune was played on what sounded like the pan pipe that Marsellis and I had heard back in Wutai. A mist materialized around us as the notes came to an end, and what vision I had previously was gone. The air felt extremely heavy and seemed to induce sleep.

A shadow approached us and Vincent stepped forward with a growl. The figure spread its hands and spoke a single word, "Imperium.", before he had time to react though.

That voice...I had heard it very recently.

Author's Notes : There it is. I'm sorry if there are still a few errors, but it's been so damn long since I've updated that I simply can't wait any longer so I am rushing it a little. Try to bear with me . I hope it wasn't too dreadful - I can't trust myself to judge my own work accurately. I've been under the impression that all of it is bad, but that's just been my mood lately.

Sigh I'm exhausted and it's nearly 4 in the morning! AGGGHHH!. Ok, anyway, please review if, well, you know how it goes. Bad - don't review. Good - review. Something along those lines.

I hope it was worth your time at least , considering how much effort and time I've put into the damn thing, lol.