Chapter 5:Getting Out of Dodge

Disclaimer: No ownage of Final Fantazy 7, nor have I made zuch claim. But Jade and Marzelliz are mine, zo don't ye go taken 'em. Ok, I'll stop the weird 'z' thing now, heh.

Yuffie's voice tore through the ensuing chaos, casting the spell. At first, as I stood back with anxiously clenching hands, it didn't seem to be having an effect. The gaseous green cloud grew to an enormous size and seemed to swallow the Hydra whole, obscuring all of its parts from sight. Then it just sat there, frozen in time.

Something was definitely wrong. My brow wrinkled in confusion as I exchanged a befuddled glance with the unusually quiet ninja. "What's going on?" I asked aloud, looking back again at the writhing shadow behind the smog. The spell acted as if it were being delayed.

"How the crap should I know!" Yuffie responded hotly, shaking her head. "This is fricken weird."

The serpent let out an agonizing shriek that dropped me to my knees and I clamped my hands over my ears in desperation When the sound finally ceased I clumsily got to my feet, glancing about to check on the others. Everyone was keyed in on the beast and cautiously stepping away.

"He seems a bit angry." Marsellis pointed out obviously. "Now might be a good time high tail it out of here."

It happened almost perfectly on cue with his ominous declaration. In a split second that Hydra had brought its long tail around in a massive arc that swept across everyone on the front line, which included myself. The blow landed across my abdomen with paralyzing pain, knocking the wind out of me, and launching me swiftly into the air with great force.

I soared backwards at high velocity, too stunned to react or make any preparation for safe landing, and waited for the inevitable crash into the ground. Only it never came. Powerful arms intercepted me from behind, locking me securely against a solid body, and my landing was well cushioned. The strangled groan of my savior fell against my right ear upon impact, as he was sandwiched between my body and the earth. We rolled out of control together, a tangled mess of limbs and enormous wings.

My eyes were clenched shut when we finally came to a halt. Evidently, I opened them to a blinding flash of light, which was followed in succession by a deafening crack. I rolled away and to the side in a pathetic attempt to defend myself against it, only to find myself in very close quarters with the demon. To be more specific, there was barely a breath's width between our faces.

"Oh my God." I gasped, too shocked to even begin to comprehend to the meaning of this unusual and entirely unexpected turn of events. I was too startled an mesmerized by his haunting stare to even notice what was going on around me right then. "Vincent..." My lips faltered..

Is it really you, or am I only dreaming? No, it's not you...it can't be.

For in instant I could almost see him behind the menacing smirk of his demon counterpart, but it was fleeting as Chaos suddenly winced in pain. My breath caught in my throat as he rolled over and was bracing himself above my body with hands spread on either side of my head. At first I was mildly alarmed by this startling development, as I didn't know what he was doing or why, but then I noticed his wings flexing behind him methodically and realization clicked in. They had been crushed during the landing and were looking a bit worse for wear. No doubt they needed some stretching.

However, it seemed to be taking him an awful long time to "stretch" his wings, and after a while it was apparent that he had no immediate plans of getting off. Oddly enough, the demon did not look pleased or entertained by this, but rather disturbed and confused. He lowered his head mere inches from mine, looking intently into my face as if to seek an answer that had stubbornly been avoiding him.

I blinked nervously beneath his intense scrutiny and at the smell of his breath, which oddly wasn't near as bad as I expected it to be. In fact, it was almost pleasant. The I began to fidget beneath him even more uncomfortably. "You can get off me now." I mumbled impatiently, as it was obvious that I'd be going nowhere without a little contribution on his part.

Chaos smirked dryly. "No,not yet." He retorted firmly.

I sighed and relaxed, despite the odd predicament we were in and how it undoubtedly appeared to any onlookers. The essence of this creature was strange and alien, and yet at the same time I felt a strange sort of comfort and familiarity in his presence, as I would in Vincent's. That unnerved me more than anything else. Could it be that I was developing a twisted sort of attraction for the demon side of my companion? Or maybe it was both...

"Please...just get off." I asked quietly and turned my head away. "I think we should make sure the others are ok."

"They are fine." He intoned darkly. The demon sighed and looked passed my head at the ground. I could feel hot air against against my cheek with his every exhalation, and the pressure of his body was pushing down against mine. It sent an unruly shiver up my spine that was so powerful that I know he must have felt it too.

He seemed to freeze in place, his gaze catching mine sharply again. "Do you know who I am?" He asked bluntly, his gravely voice fierce and demanding.

I bit my lip and feebly shook my head in response, trying desperately to restrain the hopeless reactions of my body. This is ridiculous, I thought, but it was in fact quite serious. Everything about the situation was serious, from the emotional turmoil to the painful reality of it.

He let out a harsh chuckle. "Of course not. You think I am only Chaos, the demonic side of Vincent, but Vincent all the same."

"Well, you are, aren't you?" I inquired uncertainly.

Chaos snorted, "Perhaps." He spoke dryly, "Perhaps."

"Oh my gawd!"

Yuffie's sudden outburst was followed closely by yet another, only this time from Marsellis and somewhere along the lines of, "Holy shit." He said it with such a ridiculously exaggerated idiom that I knew he must be doing it on purpose.

Needless to say, it grabbed our attention, and Chaos and I both abruptly broke eye contact to glance at the scene playing out nearby and outside of our own confusing little world.

At first, it didn't seem all that spectacular, although the fact that the Hydra was no where to be seen did qualify as something to be excited about. However, the tone in which the outcries had been delivered had reflected a distinct sensation of horror rather than ecstatic relief. It was then that the source of their shock staggered directly into my line of sight and my jaw went speechlessly slack.

"Vhat in the hell...have you done to me?" It was Jade's voice, but with such an abnormal accent that I barely recognized it, and she was having an obvious difficulty speaking at all. She grasped at her throat. "My voize...zomething iz vrong..." Her gaze fell and she sighed gloomily. "Oh dear."

Not that I could blame her, considering the drastic transformation she had taken on in the last minute or so between the spell being cast and now. She still had that beautiful long braid of hair, but there was also a noticeably large fin growing along side it down the center of her back. It was the first of many others jutting out from her forearms and calves, thighs, and another along the center of her head, which was now slightly elongated and wider than previously so as to appear more frog-like.

Her eyes were larger and the pupils flattened. The cloak she had been wearing was nowhere to be seen, probably torn to shreds during the change, much like her boots , which were absolutely trashed though a few scraps still clung to her ankles. She had long webbed toes and fingers that were rounded at the tips, and she was having trouble staying up right. Several sharp and dangerous looking horns had sprang up around her hair line, as well as some behind her shoulders and along her back, like some sort of demon creature. Lastly, and the most predominant of the changes was her skin, which was now a blend of light and dark green hues.

My eyes abruptly averted to Yuffie who was standing rigidly beside a gaping Marsellis. "I-I-I...I didn't mean it!" She wailed and in a frenzied panic jumped behind Marsellis. "I mean really, it was an accident. And I'm sure there's a way out of it." Her eyes shifted uneasily towards me, "Right Tifa?"

I felt a blush rising in my cheeks as all the attention was abruptly directed at me, and I still happened to be pinned beneath the enormous form of Chaos. To my surprise, and relief, he stood up at that very moment, probably to avoid any further embarrassment, and offered me his hand. I grabbed it without hesitation, ignoring the shock that the contact tingling shot through my arm, and awkwardly stepped away from him.

With a nervous clearing of my throat I attempted to address the problem at hand, "Well, we could try a Maiden's Kiss for starters." I suggested. "If that doesn't work, then we'll have to try something else, but I'm sure there must be a way to reverse it."

I hope...

"Yeah." Yuffie reiterated weakly. "Right..." She trailed off.

Jade let out a disgruntled sigh. Her anger was gradually subsiding and she averted her attention to something on the ground, which she picked up after a moment. She held it out in her alien like hands, studying it with obvious disappointment. "Damn." She muttered and tossed it aside.

The broken pieces of her pan flute landed a few feet away off my right.

"Well," Marsellis began hesitantly, and I suddenly I had a very bad feeling in my gut that he was about to say something entirely inappropriate. "On the bright side, your name sort of fits now."

Jade wriggled her fingers, as if she were itching to wrap them around his throat, but thought better of it. "I'm not even...going to graze that...vith an anzwer." She muttered and looked back at me. "You are zure... there'z a way to fixz thiz...?"

I felt my shoulders slump as the weight of her hope was suddenly on them and I didn't have the strength to carry it. "I don't know honestly. If you'd become a frog this would be easy to solve, but this case is obviously quite unusual." I explained feebly.

"Hey," Marsellis interrupted. "If anything, the Gods can do it."

"Oh...vonderful." Jade tossed her hands into the air in exasperation, "Ve're putting my fate...in their handz. I feel zo much...better now!" She snapped sarcastically, though it was a struggle for her to get it out. With an agonizing groan she slumped into the mud with her head cradled in her webbed hands.

Marsellis frowned deeply at her abrupt rebuttal and strut over to her purposefully. He squatted down in front of her and forced her hands away from her eyes. "Come on, cool your jets, will you?" He urged sternly. "I'm dead serious. You're not going to be stuck like this forever, alright?"

Jade nodded vaguely . "...ok." She mumbled. "I'm zorry ... about that. It'z juzt ... I keep on having thiz vizion of mizz piggy ... zhot in the back by cupid..."

Marsellis chuckled loudly and gave her a firm pat on the shoulder. "Hey. I wouldn't worry about it, chicka. I mean, I'm sure he'll at least make it a Mr. Piggy anyway." He grinned deviously.

That was the last straw. Jade launched herself from the ground with power that most humans could not manage, courtesy of her froggy enhancements, and pinned the flailing Marsellis to the ground. She grinned ecstatically as he squirmed about beneath her.

"Hey!" He squeaked as she throttled him gently, and quite ineffectively, with her webbed fingers. "I was just kidding!" His eyes strayed pleadingly towards us.

I crossed my arms, scowling. "This is no one's mess but yours, you know."

Yuffie was giggling madly not far away, and Chaos was beginning to look impatient. At long last, the demon could take it no longer and reluctantly separated the two. Marsellis limped away, massaging his neck and firing dirty looks over his shoulder as Jade rolled her eyes and let the assault bounce harmlessly off her shield of disinterest.

"I seem to recall," the demon began drearily, "Having a ship to catch."

Jade's brow darted upwards a fraction, "Ve do?"

Chaos leveled her with a narrow, threatening stare. "You said you had that covered."

"Well yez... back vhen I vaz actually human...and remotely recognizable." She paused, before adding dourly, "and underzdandable for that matter. Call me crazy...but I doubt...they do buzinezz...vith frog people."

"Good point." Yuffie agreed. "So what do we do now?"

The demon growled under his breath and spun away from the us. "We take one." He retorted, and stalked off into the woods.

I stared after his retreating form, sighing inwardly. "That sure rings a bell, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." Yuffie replied glumly. "Junon Harbor revisited...again."

"Well, it's not like we've got much of a choice." I reminded her.

"Then let's go." Marsellis piped in energetically. He was having way to much fun given the present circumstances. "You too, Kermit." He jerked his head at Jade, whom candidly flashed him the bird, and it was a funky looking one at that.

Yuffie made a moaning noise in the back of her throat. "Here we go." She kicked a stick in her furry. "You know, I haven't even got to gloat over my victory earlier. I was really lookin' forward to rubbin' it that dirty demon's face too."

I smiled faintly, briefly wondering what ever became of the Hydra turned frog, before breaking into jog after Chaos. He had already managed to disappear.

The demon was still nowhere in sight as I entered the thicket where I'd last seen him, and that boded no good for us. "Chaos!" I called anxiously as the others crashed through the underbrush behind me. Not even a sound emanated from up ahead, though it would've been hard to hear with all the racket going on behind me.

Where did he go?

"That stinkin', no good, maggot infestation of a traitor deserted us." Yuffie cursed angrily.

My heart skipped into my throat as Chaos dropped swiftly to the ground not 3 feet in front of me right then. I exhaled in relief, one hand still held at my chest from the initial shock. "Where were you!" I demanded, though it was more of an effort to hide my fear.

Chaos disregarded the question without even a glance in my direction. "The port town is a mile North West of here. Now move it." With that he walked off once again, but at a slower pace this time so that us stragglers could keep up.

I followed a few yards back from the demon with Yuffie beside me, and Marsellis and Jade were behind us several feet. Curiously enough they seemed to be getting along rather well from what I could tell, at least for now anyway. Jade was having issues with walking and Marsellis was being quite the gentleman, helping her out along the way...I think.

This can't last long.

It didn't either. He had to open his mouth again. "So, I'm curious. Do you have any unique 'froggy' abilities now?" He asked giddily. "Have a sudden hankering for flies?"

A sharp "splat" resonated from behind us, and I glanced back apprehensively. Marsellis was rubbing his eye painfully and shrinking away from Jade, who was smacking her lips awkwardly, her eyes momentarily crossed in a ridiculous manner.

"Ow. Not me. Flies, woman, flies!" He grumbled irritably while keeping a wary eye on her person. It wasn't too long before he was back to his normal self again. "What kind of range do you suppose you have with that thing anyway?"

"I don't really know." She answered thoughtfully. "Vould you like to find out?"

His eyes widened as he flung up his hands in a display of hastened retreat. "Oh no. No, no, no. You can keep that slimy little thing to yourself. I've experienced enough tongue slapping for one day."

Jade rolled her eyes. "You are the one vho azked."

"I didn't say to hit me with it." Marsellis protested grumpily.

"Vell, that'z not my problem, iz it." She replied evenly. It seemed that she was getting a little better at speaking the more that she did it, though her 's' was still a 'z', and her 'w' a 'v'. "Maybe you zhould have zpezified beforehand."

A muffled grunting noise emanated from behind me, which I gathered must have been Marsellis' deflated response, if it could be considered one at all. Indeed, they were getting along unusually well. As in, they weren't bickering or pulling pranks on each other.

I felt the inconspicuous nudge of a pointy elbow in my side a moment later and glanced sideways at Yuffie's suggestively wiggling eyebrows. She leaned in closely to me, keeping one eye on the two walking behind us, blissfully unaware of the espionage going on beneath their noses. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" She whispered behind the back of her hand.

I nodded uncertainly. Did I? For some reason, the fact that I recalled broaching this subject, or a similar one, earlier this morning seemed to imply that, no, I didn't know what she was thinking because why would she be bringing it up again?

Yuffie groaned inwardly. "You know, the maiden kisses the frog and he turns into a prince." She described, pursing her lips for a sorely exaggerated emphasis. "It's where the cure for 'frog' got it's name."

I frowned. "I know that, Yuffie. But what exactly are you getting at?"

She leaned into me again, her eyes darting about suspiciously. "I was just thinkin' that if the Maiden's Kiss doesn't work, which it probably won't because that would be the nice thing to do, we could try the old fashioned way." Her mouth curved in a crooked, evil grin.

My gaze darted towards Marsellis surreptitiously, and back at Yuffie again. "No." I stated bluntly, shaking my head. "No way we'll fly that one past them."

"Are you kidding!" Yuffie exclaimed a little too loud. She lowered her voice into an urgent whisper, "They're all over each other! And once the item doesn't work, she'll be gettin' real desperate."

"That's not what I'm concerned about." I pointed out. "It's the part where we convince Marsellis to cooperate that I'm having trouble grasping."

Yuffie grunted. "Ah, give 'em time. Soon enough cupid's little 'arrows of love'-" She made an obsene gesture with her hips at that moment, "will have him groveling at her feet, heh."

I bit my lip absentmindedly as I was instantly reminded of the scene that had transpired back in the clearing between myself and the demon up ahead. My eyes slowly drifted to the back of his head where two enormous, spiraling horns grew.

What am I doing? I wish Vincent were here instead.

"Yo, you ok?" Yuffie inquired in the slang speech she'd acquired from hanging around in Barret's company. Her hand was waving rhythmically in front of me and I hadn't noticed it until just now.

I stumbled unexpectedly while groping about for an answer, and only just caught myself from a nasty fall. "Y-yeah." I stammered foolishly. Not. My head was swimming and my heart rate seemed to have jumped an octave in that small instant where Chaos entered my thoughts. That was definitely not ok.

Naturally, Yuffie wasn't all that convinced either, judging by the expression of wry amusement. "S-u-u-re." She drew out for effect. Her gaze shifted towards Chaos idly. "I don't remember him bein' so talkative. Do you?"

"No." I answered, secretly grateful for the change of subject, and curiously studied her question. "Come to think of it, he never talked before at all. Whenever Chaos was around he was in berserk mode before, and as soon as it was over he left."

Yuffie shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah. I guess now that he's stuck as Chaos, Vincent's the one hiding, huh? So, Chaos kind of has to do some talking. He'll go all nutty on us when he hits his limit break again probably."

"You're probably right." I agreed solemnly. My head lifted at the distinct aroma of salt and the ocean, and I smiled brightly. "We must be getting close." I announced excitedly and chased after Chaos.

When the woods came to an end, we found ourselves on a narrow cliff side path that winded downwards and out of sight around a bend. There was an inlet there that vanished out of sight behind the same shoulder of rock, and far below, gliding along the surface of the calm waters, was a ship. It was the first time in my life that I'd ever seen the real billowing sails and wooden mast. It was far bigger than my imagination had always perceived them.

That's what we're sailing on? Yuffie's ashen face seemed to reflect much the same horror that was going through my mind at that very moment.

Nearby Chaos was crouched at the edge of the cliffs staring out towards the skyline with a distant look in his cold, red eyes. The sun had barely reached above the horizon, rendering the air still cool, and it caught only the tips of his wings as he perched. Then, without even a word or slightest hint of warning, the demon launched himself off the stone and into the air. His wings unfurled gracefully and he began a slow, gliding decent towards the water. He pulled up short at the last moment and took a sharp right towards the inlet.

"Where's he think he's goin'?" Marsellis asked curiously.

I shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea."

"Does anybody?" Yuffie snorted. "I don't think Vincent even knows."

"Maybe he'z zcouting,...for a zhip to zteal." Jade suggested. She winced, "Ooo, I hate thiz aczent."

"Don't worry about it." Yuffie assured her. "We'll have you jazzed and ready to kick ass in no time."

I glanced furtively in Yuffie's direction, questioning her certainty, which she simply ignored. Well, I'm glad someone's confident, because I'm certainly not!

"You said a Maiden's Kiss might work." Marsellis mentioned. "Why not use one of those?"

"Yeah." I drawled quietly. "It does cure frog. Vincent had all the items however, and he's...not exactly here right now."

"Eh, let's just get going. He'll find us whenever he's done getting his kicks. There's probably an item shop in town anyway." Yuffie decided and commenced to scramble down the precarious path as if she had been a wire walker all her life.

If it hadn't been for my experience in the Nibelheim mountains, I probably would've been a tad frightened at this point. The trail seemed more like one that a goat would make, and they were crazy, which wasn't saying much for me, considering that I was making the same trek.

"I...don't think I can do thiz." Jade said from back on top of the cliff.

I turned carefully and looked over my shoulder at her. Marsellis was incessantly urging her to follow him, and Jade was strenuously refusing.

"Come on. I won't let you fall." He insisted.

Jade shook her head diligently. "No. I'll make uz...both fall." She declared. Curiously, she crept towards the edge to peer over it. "Howv far do you think it iz?"

Marsellis' brow screwed together as he scrutinized the distance. He looked back at her somewhat suspiciously then. "Why do you need to know?"

"Juzt tell me...howv far it iz to the vater.." She repeated impatiently.

"I don't know. Maybe 50 ft." He looked back at me. "That sound about right?"

I nodded.

He was just in the midst of turning back around when she jumped.

I inhaled sharply and cried out, despite knowing that it was way too late to stop her, "Jade!"

She was well beyond Marsellis' reach by the time he reacted, and with an elegant dive, she vanished into the water below.

"What's goin' on?" Yuffie appeared beside me suddenly, staring around in bewilderment. "Where's froggy?"

Marsellis pointed towards the water rather calmly for someone who had just watched a fellow companion leap into the ocean off a 50 foot cliff.

"Holy crap, she jumped!" Yuffie exclaimed.

My breath caught in my throat as a pair of webbed hands, though hard to make out at this distance, surfaced. They were followed shortly by her spiny head. "Go!" She shouted from below. "I vill meet you there."

I stood there for a moment, staring blankly at the swirling waters below as she vanished again, and wondered how on earth I'd gotten dragged into this peculiar mess we were in now. The strangest happenings had been going on ever since we left Wutai, and it felt almost like I were in a completely different Universe from the one I knew. Or maybe our world had been invaded by another. There had to be some way of explaining the weird phenomenon occurring recently.

"So like, what are we waiting for!" Yuffie called in a valley girl tone that made my ears hurt. "Come on! They're gonna beat us to it if we don't get our butts in gear."

"Right." I nodded absentmindedly and stumbled after her with Marsellis close on my heels.

It was narrow walking in a few places along the way, and more than once I found myself reaching out to grasp shrubbery as I scaled a steep cliff. If there wasn't any, I grabbed Marsellis instead, who was non too happy about it usually, but amazingly we all survived the ordeal. The roughest parts were behind us now that we'd gotten around the bend and could see most of the bay below.

The harbor was small, but bustling with activity for its relative size. It fit snugly between to towering sheer rock walls that jutted out into the ocean, creating the small bay where the ships could dock comfortably. Lush vegetation and towering trees grew up amidst a mixture of elegant Wutain architecture and old eastern log dwellings. Up ahead the path began a sharp descent from the rocks into a canopied trail of soft soil that headed off in the direction of the village.

Yuffie had already bounded off, half running and half sliding down the hill that disappeared into the thicket below. I took it at a more leisure pace and settled into an easy jog at the bottom, so as to catch up with the spry young Wutai princess. The path eventually led us into a wide and well-used alley that emptied into the main courtyard, which was rather full of people, most of which didn't look like very amiable fellows.

"You know," Marsellis began, "I'm thinking we should lay low." He suggested and ducked behind a large crate without another word.

I glanced at Yuffie apprehensively, who was pressed against the wall and peaking precariously around the corner ahead of us. She dodged away quickly and joined me behind another crate opposite of Marsellis.

"What's it look like?" I asked.

She didn't look very pleased. "Bunch of dirty, smelly pirates." She spat irritably. "I mean real, swashbuckling pirates."

I gaped at her skeptically as the corners of my mouth twitched into an amused grin. "Swashbuckling?"

"Oh shut up." Yuffie retorted and chanced a look over the crate. She squatted back down after a moment and sat on the ground hopelessly. "They look real mean too."

Marsellis peered around the corner of his crate and made a face. He looked at us abruptly, scowling. "This place has been over-run with Marcus scum." He concluded morosely. "We'd have had a rough time getting through here even if Jade hadn't gone all amphibian on us."

"Great. What are we supposed to do now?" Yuffie whined. "We still don't have that stupid item or a friggen boat."

"Well," I cleared my throat, "They don't know who we are, so let's go out there and act like were traveling tourists just passing through."

"Oh yeah, like that's gonna fly." Yuffie scoffed. "Traveler tourists that are armed to the gills with weaponry."

"Exactly." I clarified firmly. "Another words, don't mess with us."

Marsellis seemed to contemplate the idea, his head lulling from side to side as he weighed our options. "You know, she might have an idea." He admitted. "I say we go for it."

Yuffie grunted. "Nobody asked you." However, seeing as we were already preparing for departure, Yuffie reluctantly resigned herself to her fate. "Remind me to stock up on tranquilizers if by some miracle we actually make it to an item shop before being chopped into tiny pieces."

"Oh lighten up." I grumbled. "It's not like we haven't been in these kinds of situations before. Come on." I tacked on my best smile and strode smoothly towards the courtyard with the other two in tow.

"Yeah, but we had Spike and his gigantic sword back then." Yuffie murmured irately in my left ear.

The three of us were now walking side by side down the center of the street, catching many a suspicious look from oncoming strangers. It wasn't long before we were the center of attention. People sneered and leered, never nodding in passing, and most of them had a look about them that just shouted "up to no good". These weren't like the pirates I remembered, although I admit I hadn't actually known any. Cloud had talked a lot about them, and he had only good things to say about the ones he met.

So, where were they? Apparently, they'd all gone on vacation or something, because there wasn't a single friendly face in this crowd. At least they seemed apt to keep a distance from us for the time being, which I gathered, judging by our growing popularity and the quiet murmuring going on around us, would not last long.

"Here we go." Marsellis said and gestured quickly to a small log structure off to the right of the street with an Item sign hanging from the eve. It was located beneath a gigantic weeping willow, and there wasn't a living soul near it, not even an ugly pirate. That in itself was a good omen.

Yuffie and I followed after him as he branched off the main road. I lingered behind on the porch for a moment to check for any sign of a trailer, but there appeared to be none. Everyone was ignoring us for the most part, or at least pretending to, now that our entrance had been made. When I was certain the coast was clear, I ducked into the dimly lit shop after the others.

The small dark room we found ourselves in was empty. I detected voices murmuring quietly in a back room somewhere though. One of them had such a distinct and awkward slang to it that it could only be one person.

"Jade?" Marsellis called out. He had heard it too, apparently.

Two faces abruptly appeared from down the hall and behind the counter, the one undeniably belonging to the frog like female. She grinned, baring a set of sharp, razor teeth for the first time since her transformation, and I felt a shiver run up my spine.

"Oh good." Jade said, relieved, and hobbled out into the main room. She was followed by an elderly lady in thick skirts and a white blouse that I assumed must be the shop keeper.

"What's happenen'?" Yuffie droned idly as she perused the shelves that held the tranquilizers.

"Your companion here is going to need something stronger than a Maiden's Kiss I'm afraid." Said the shopkeeper gravely. "This is such an extremely odd case. I've never heard of such a thing happening let alone seen it, but lately it seems like everything's a bit out of wack."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She shook her head lightly. "Enormous sea creatures, white bulls whisking away maidens, talking goat men, nymphs - everything you can imagine finding in a mythology book, and it's all of a sudden right here on our doorstep. The rumors I've been hearing are out of this world. I just don't get it. And then there's these ingrates." She huffed furiously and gestured towards the outside. "I'd watch yourselves. Anyone whose not among them disappears rather quickly around here. The smart ones split town while their necks were sill intact."

"When did they get here?" I pressed.

"A week ago. They had some powerful allies with them then, though I haven't seen them much lately - blacked robed things. I won't call them human because I know they weren't, even if they looked marginally like it." She explained ominously. "It's gotten rough around here. Usually there are some nice people around, but this...this is just an infestation of evil and corruption."

Jade was peering cautiously through one of the windows at the moment, and her face slowly contorted into an anxious scowl. She wandered back over towards us, casting a wary glance over her shoulder as she did. "I think...ve vill be needing...the back door." She announced gravely.

"Huh? Why?" Yuffie blurted out, her eyes noticeably shifty, as if she had been up to something that was not quite morally correct. "What's goin' on out there?"

As Yuffie tried to take a look Jade clumsily barred her path, shaking both hands in front of her. "Really. I mean it... I, uh, zort of made a zene...on my vay here." She admitted sheepishly. "A big zene."

"As in?" Marsellis pried hesitantly.

"I'm zorry... but ve're not on very...good termz...vith the people here anymore." Jade said regretfully. "Or I'm not anyvay. Let'z go. Now vould be good." She insisted urgently, waving us forward with her abnormally long fingers.

The old shopkeeper bustled up to the front door and stole a glance outside. She swiftly turned around, smiling brightly at us as she positioned herself squarely in front of the door. "I believe she is right. Now would be a very good time to go. Quick!" She said, shooing us all behind the counter and into the narrow hall. "She knows the way. Get out of here."

Jade immediately took the lead. It wasn't very far to the back door, but due to the large amounts of obstruction in the room behind the shop, getting there was quite the task. It was like running a maze, but one that was not specifically designed with a destination in mind.

"Here." Jade announced and sprang over an old antique table, making it look far too easy than I knew it would be for me. In fact, I didn't even try any fancy hurtling moves. I just climbed over it.

The door which she had been referring to was slightly ajar and a sliver of light was cast on the dusty floor boards. Jade quietly slipped one large eye in the crack to look out. Her head jerked back sharply and she looked back at me. "Ve have zome company." She informed me. "I'll try and get them out of the vay...zo maybe they don't bother you."

Amazingly, her sword was still with her. She unceremoniously ripped it from the scabbard and charged outside shouting threats that sounded utterly silly in her exotic style of speech. "Vhat are you looking at...you pompouz vindbag!"

I hesitated just inside, listening to the ongoing conversation that had unexpectedly begun outside. If she needed help, we'd be right within reach.

Someone laughed, which was followed by a sickening slopping sound, and then a painful cry. "Augh!" One man shouted. "Get yer filthy tongue away from me you - you frog-bitch!"

"I'm very zenzitive, azz hole." She retorted curtly. "And getz that zilly zvord...out of my faze. Hey, ouch! Vhat's your problem anyvay! Thiz iz dizcrimination against, uh, frog people...you know."

"Just kill her already." Someone said angrily. "I'm gettin' tired of lookin' at her ugly face."

"You're not zo hot yourzelf, zit faze." Jade managed.

There was another cry, this one far more fatal than the previous, and it was a masculine voice. Shouts erupted from the fallen victim's comrades, and metal suddenly clashed against metal viciously. Grunting and shuffling resounded from just beyond the door as they skirmished in what hardly sounded like an elegant battle.

"You think we should help her maybe?" Marsellis suggested edgily.

A blade thudded against the wall just inches to the right of the door, startling me backwards. The metallic ring of a sword as it swept through the air rang out clear and foreboding, and then there was the sound of the blow as it tore through flesh and bone. There was only a vague gurgling noise, as it had struck the man's throat and cut his vocals down before he could scream.

Another attacker erupted in a fierce battle shriek and then there were rapidly charging footsteps. Their swords met, clanging loudly and causing my ears to ring for a second.

Then I heard her gasp in pain as a struggle ensued.

"Zhit." She breathed painfully. "Pleaze...help."

I chose that time to thrust open the door, which incidently slammed directly into her adversary and knocked him to the ground. His sword fell from his clutches and I pounced before he had a chance to reclaim it. He lay on the ground shortly after words, bleeding from a severe broken nose and out cold. I stood, dusting off my hands for theatrical effect, and turned to the others.

Jade was clutching a wound in her stomach, but didn't seem to be too concerned by it. By that I mean she was staggering around on her feet and hadn't passed out yet. "Zorry. I'm not really that good...vith a sword. Come on." She said immediately, though it was clear that the injury was sapping a good portion of her energy. "Chaoz haz the boat. Follow me."

"But you're-"

She smiled weakly. "No time now." She replied. "I think...I'll be ok."

"Hey, hey, hey, we've got massive company headed this way!" Marsellis hollered from up ahead, behind the next building. Yuffie was there with him offering cover fire with her giant shuriken. The echo of gun fire filled the air from the street, and a new sense of urgency sank into the forefront of my mind.

"Yeah. Hurry up. We don't have all day, ya know." Yuffie barked impatiently.

Jade bounded in front of me with a sort of hopping motion, and continued passed the others determinedly, keeping one hand pressed firmly against her bleeding wound. I followed her closely, though it was surprisingly more difficult keeping up than I expected to be. She could move at an amazingly fast pace for someone whose feet were not meant to walk on solid ground effectively.

Yuffie and Marsellis had fallen in right behind. We ran in a single filed line, darting behind buildings, into shadows, and through over growth when it was there, while avoiding the searching eyes of our pursuers. I had barely even caught a glimpse of them yet, but I knew they were there. The adrenaline pumping through my body was not present for nothing. Someone was looking for us and I could feel their power emanating from all around me, it was so strong.

More shots chased after us and as Jade rounded another building. She stopped short, barely avoiding a bullet as it splintered against the corner of the log structure. She pressed her back against the house, her breathing raged and fierce. She looked over at me sternly.

"The boat..." She strained, "you muzt follow around the outzkirtz of the village. Then, right before the dockz, there vill be a fountain of three mermaidsz and zeveral pathz that lead avay from it to different boatz."

Another bullet struck to wood just inches off her right shoulder. There were voices barking orders around the corner, and approaching footsteps.

Yuffie darted just far enough around beyond the cover of the wall to launch her weapon in an effort to keep them at bay. She caught it on its return then and shrank bank into the shadows of our hiding, a relay of shots following closely at her heels.

Jade was a great deal more moist than she had been before, as her human pores had begun to sweat profusely, and I was becoming increasingly worried. If she didn't deal with it soon she'd be in trouble.

"Just let me cure you, Jade." I said. "Then you can-"

"No." She cut in curtly. "It von't vork. Juzt lizten. There iz a path partly hidden by treez on the right of the last vizible dock - look clozely for it. Follow that, and you vill eventually reach a private wharf. I vill give you vhat time I can to reach it, but there vill be some oppozition regardlezz."

"Wait a damn minute." Marsellis interrupted sharply and leveled her with a stern gaze. "You are not gonna go off and commit sepuku for some 'greater cause' bull shit. Martyrdom is way overrated anyway."

Jade seemed a bit at a loss for words at that. She pursed her lips in frustration, "But, I'm not going to commit zepuku!" She claimed angrily. "At leazt, I don't plan to anyvay. Anything could happen I guezz but...oh damn it. I'm not good vith thiz. Vould you pleaze truzt me, ok? I know a few trickz."

"Like what?" I glared at her expectantly.

"I'll tell you vhat I can, but later." She pleaded. "Ve have no more time!"

Jade was absolutely right too. A second later they were practically on top of us. Our only option was to take to the trees, which fortunately for us were nearby.

I ran blindly through the under brush, half expecting to feel the piercing shock of a bullet as the rounds echoed behind us, but none ever came, although they did occasionally hit nearby trees. Sometimes I glanced back when I had the time, just to make sure that Yuffie and Marsellis were still with me. They were, but Jade was gone, as I expected she would be.

We hadn't gone very far when a loud crack resounded from where we had come, like a shockwave had erupted. The cries of pain and alarm were distant, but audible. Whatever she had done, if it had indeed been her, was a fairly devastating and unexpected blow. There was no time to contemplate it further, as I had a job to do.

When we finally made it to the fountain, we were not alone. Their numbers were fewer here, but there were still some pirates alert and prepared for battle. Not so many that the three of us couldn't take them on, but enough that they posed a serious threat if someone slipped up badly.

"No use waiting around now." I said grimly and charged to face them head on.

Yuffie was on my right and Marsellis on the left. The fight broke out quickly and ferociously, but we cleaved our way through the first wave of opposition on the first run about. Another line waited on the far side of the fountain between us and the secret path Jade had spoken of. We hit them too.

My opponent was lightningquick and carried a rapier. He wielded it with precision and grace, unlike what I'd expect from a pirate, and I was taken off guard. At the first drawn blood, which was my own along the left shoulder, survival instinct set in and my determination hardened.

I stepped to the side of his sword on his next thrust, waiting, timing it just at the right moment where I could lunge in before he had a chance to follow up. My hands snatched his sword arm up swiftly, bringing it up and then twisting on his wrist so violently that he shrieked and dropped the weapon. I drove my knee into his stomach and brought my arms down together across the back of his neck. The blow was solid and the vertebras snapped, rendering him limp and lifeless.

We finished of the remaining two and sprinted down the path that supposedly led to the private dock. My fingers were crossed. It wasn't long before we met our destination, and there, atop the mast of large and beautiful ship, was Chaos with his wings spread open wide.

"What are you waiting for?" He called impatiently. "Fall behind and you will be left behind."

No one doubted his sincerity either. We high tailed it for the ship, knowing full well that there were many on our trail. At least Chaos had been generous enough to clear out those pirates who had been waiting around here for us. There were at least a dozen dead and strewn along the beach before the dock.

As we were thudding across the wooden bridge to the ship, Yuffie made a startling inquiry. "What about Jade?"

I stopped, staring back they way we had come anxiously. She was not there though. "I...I don't know." I answered. "She'll have to take care of herself. That's what she wanted."

And then it happened. Jade came flying out of the trees, not intentionally, and crashed to the ground in a crumpled heat heap. Smoke furled from the remnants of her tattered clothing as she rolled over painfully. The cause soon appeared, swirling black robes touching the ground as he walked, and his hood pulled up over his head to conceal all beneath. Steel gray hands were visible from within the folds of his garment's baggy sleeves, and from them a strange power emanated. He fired balls of flame in rapid succession at her as she lay there vulnerable to the onslaught.

At that moment I was certain that this would be the end of her. I stared helplessly, my breath lodged in the base of my throat as I reached out to her, though she was well beyond our reach.

Then it happened. Her voice rang out loud and clear, but I could not understand the command which left her lips. She held her palms out in front of her, as if to shield herself, and as the fire hit, they melted into a pale blue sphere. It was invisible for the most part, as it was only seen when the attack made contact with it.

"Bloody fool!" Marsellis fumed. "What the hell is she doing, facing one of them!"

The black mage reared back for another spell as Jade was swaggering slowly to her feet. She crouched then, gearing up to spring, and as the robed caster summoned his killing blow, Jade flung herself at him with all of her remaining strength.

They collided as the spell was taking effect, and the resulting explosion was deafening. Both mage and amphibian girl were thrown a considerably distance in opposite directions. Jade had, in the event of being forced away by the raw power of his magic, managed to propel herself towards the water and succeeded in landing, unconscious, beside the ship.

"Damn." Marsellis cursed and shoved passed me in his panicked haste. "I'll get her. One of you better throw me a rope." He leapt over the side of the ship an instant later, and then there was a muffled splash afterwards.

"Gawd, I hate boats!" Yuffie groaned and went stirring around in her pockets. She pulled out, not one, but three tranquilizers. "But this is just insane. I'll be throwin' up everywhere."

"Did you pay for those?" I asked, knowing full well that she hadn't.

Yuffie shifted her weight uneasily from one leg to the other, her eyes darting every which way. "W-what are you insinuating?" She stammered guiltily.

I shook my head weakly. "Nevermind. We better help Marsellis, or they'll both drown."

"Doesn't it take a crew to man one of these things?" Yuffie asked as she followed me.

I halted sharply. "Oh no."

Chaos' bellowing laughter sounded out from above then and he glided down to the deck beside us. "Not to worry, little kits." He seethed. "You've taken me for quite the fool if you think I'd forget." He clicked his fingers three times then, and from out of the woodwork came all manners of men, and woman alike, looking rather terrified. "Time to leave, rodents. Get to work!"

There was not even the slightest hesitation as all of them shot off in different directions to follow orders, leaving Yuffie and I quite puzzled.

"How...?" I trailed off, glancing around dumbly.

He grinned coolly. "Demon, Tifa. That word instills the deepest fear in any man, let alone the actual presence of one." He explained. "Now, I don't suppose you want Marsellis and the ridiculous frog demon to die, though I could care less either way."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, remembering again, and grabbed the nearest coil of rope I could find. "We're coming Marsellis!"

"Well it's about bloody time!" He shouted, sputtering water. "Do you have any idea how heavy -choke- an unconscious person is -cough- in water! Not to mention her-" short silence, "fucking horns have nearly gored me twice!"

Yuffie smirked. "He sure whines a lot."

I smiled back at her as I tossed the rope down to him. "But he's really not all that bad."

"Nah." She answered.

Author's Notes: Wow, it is finally here. Gosh, I should really put more effort into this story. There are so many goodies to work with when delving into Greek mythology. I had a massive break through for Jade's character recently, and that's what really propelled me to get this finished(not to mention some late reviews that I got - glad to know there are people still reading this). Hopefully she's not too over the top, or Mary Sue like. I thought I'd beat her up really good just to ensure that she wasn't, and not to mention she's a froggy person now, heh.

However, I'm still concerned that the original characters will turn people off. I don't want them too, and they're certainly aren't meant to be stealing the spotlight from all the loveable Final Fantasy 7 characters either. I just thought, to test myself, I'd try and make some original characters appealing. So, hopefully for all those people who have recently reviewed (and the oldies too, if you're still there), this is satisfactory.

Oh, and if you'd like to see my sketch of Jade the Frog, check my profile. There should be a link to it, if I managed to get it to work that is, heh.

Always a pleasure, and I'll probably do a bit more editing on this later on. If there are a few rough spots, I apologize, but I just really want to get this thing out at last. I'm so happy now, hehe. Take care (and don't forget that 'review' button now),

Faerlyte