Chapter 6

Reno held his breath for a moment believing Vampy had spotted him, but the next second he breathed in relief when he turned away. "Good, they're all in there," he whispered, and Rude and Elena, who had joined them outside, nodded silently.

"Do you think this Vincent thing will screw everything up?" Elena asked, cocking her head to the side. Reno shook his head.

"Not sure, but we can't fuck this up or we'll lose everything" He turned to her. "Said he'd pay us any thing we wanted, but," he looked to Rude, who lowered his head so he could see his eyes over his shades. They flashed him a look of disapproval. "let's just be careful, OK?" he finished, and Elena nodded, unaware of the glance they exchanged.

"Right," she said. "Now how do you intend we get her?"

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"So, what brings you all to Kalm?" Tifa asked excited, as she turned to fill Yuffie's glass with hesitation.

"God dammit, Tifa!" cried Yuffie. "I'm old enough to drink!" She swiped the bottle from her and filled her glass heatedly, thrusting the beer back at Tifa.

Tifa put her hands on her hips and, hopefully, an irritated expression on her face. "And exactly how old are you now, Yuffie?" she asked, as Vincent reached forward to take the bottle.

Yuffie raised her glass, her face glowing. "Eighteen! Cheers!" she downed the drink in one gulp, and Cid and Barret roared with laughter, lifting their own mugs and drinking simultaneously. Tifa shook her head and said, "That's still underage, Yuffie! We're not in Wutai anymore!"

"Thank god!" she cried, causing the others to laugh as she eagerly reached forward to retrieve more from Vincent. He gazed at Tifa uncertainly, waiting for her response.. She sighed and smiled, and the group cheered as she took the alcohol from Vincent and poured them all drink.

"So, without any more interruptions, what are you all doing here?" She turned to Cloud, and met his eyes though she knew she shouldn't. She could feel the familiar sting in her eyes but before the tears could start, she felt Vincent grasp her hand, and she smiled inwardly. I'm glad Vincent's here, she thought.

Cloud's eyes turned away and he shifted uncomfortably. "Actually, Tifa…" He turned toward the others, who wore similar expressions on their face. All except Yuffie, who eager kept drinking, and said, "We came because we got an invitation from you to come down here."

Tifa turned her head to Vincent in confusion, and he shook his head. "Not my doing." Tifa looked back at Cloud.

"We didn't send an invitation."

"Then who…?"

Cloud was interrupted as the glass shattered, and they all threw themselves behind the bar or on the ground. Elena stood in front of the bar, a gun in her hand as she fired round after round, breaking bottles and destroying the bar. Jean ducked quickly into the kitchen, and they could hear the clutter of pots and pans as he tried moving low to safety.

"What the fuck!" cried Cid, and he stood up with his spear, cigarette falling from his mouth. "You blondie bitch, you just wasted gallons of good beer. You asshole!" He charged Elena with remarkable speed, but was caught off-guard as Rude flew from atop, swinging from above and kicking Cid in the chest.

He flew back and landed in a heap on a table, collapsing under the force of Cid's moving body. "Cid!" shouted Cloud, and he stood up, extending his arm. Suddenly the room filled with small, glowing spheres, and Rude and Elena stood back to back, looking around uncertainly.

"Damnit, I hate this one!" shrieked Elena, as Flare activated and showered them in a massive field of flame.

"Cloud, be careful!" warned Tifa, standing up. "You'll burn the bar!"

Cloud turned to her for a moment, his Mako eyes reflecting the blaze and she gasped in reminiscence as he turned away. It had been the first time she had truly taken in the color of his eye since their argument. But…Vincent…! Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt an arm wrap around her waist.

At first she thought it Vincent, and tried to gently push him off, but when it forcefully tugged her backwards, she turned about wildly to find her face inches from Reno, a sly grin on his face.

She screamed and attempted to attack, but she suddenly became drowsy, and he held up a green materia. Damn Sleep…she thought before she collapsed in his arms.

Vincent had looked up when his acute hearing had heard the screamed over the sound of the bar collapsing and the crackling of the fire. He immediately withdrew his gun, pointing it at Reno, but when he lifted his electric nightstick menacingly close to her head, he lowered his weapon. I can't risk hurting her, he thought.

Then let me at him.

You wouldn't do any better, Chaos. None of you would. He'd have killed her before you reached him. Don't forget, he's a Turk, too, and regardless of his false clumsiness he has the instincts passed on with our training. Chaos and his alternative demons growled in defeat, and he sheathed his gun.

Reno smiled and suddenly jumped back, taking the unconscious Tifa with him. Vincent gave him one second, then leapt up and followed them, his cloak flying behind him. They'll have taken her through the back door, and use the alleyways and roof as a way to maintain secrecy if they don't use a car. I doubt they would, they know I'm faster than that. Vincent's old mannerism came back, his eyes flashing into their dullness as he practically flew through the door. Sure enough, he could hear Reno's footfalls heading toward the alleyways, not the streets.

He took off, making sure to keep his distance, as not to jeopardize Tifa's safety. What did they want with her? he asked himself silently. He was met with silence, but he pondered answers in his head. He suddenly realized the footsteps had stopped, leaving Vincent in utter silence. Damn! He knows I'm following him. I guess I have to…

Vincent stood still, straightening himself. His put one arm on his shoulder and gracefully removed his cloak with one swing of his frail-looking arm. He suddenly clenched his fists and crouched slightly as he felt his body tear open. He dropped to one knee, his gauntlet crushing the ground beneath it as he watched the metal claw turn into a purple forearm, ending in black, razor sharp ends. He felt his incisors grown into fangs painfully, and he felt as if two swords were stabbing through his head as his vision slowly blurred and changed.

He was no longer human, if he ever was. His vision was animal-like, as was his instincts, but his control over Galian mingled the power of the beast with the intelligence of a trained killer; a deadly and devastating combination.

He raised his nose to the air, taking in a light breath. He instantly caught Tifa's faint perfume and her heavy aroma, but could not detect Reno's.

The bastard knew I would come out, he covered his scent quickly, Galian realized. He snarled slightly, and took in a deeper breath. But he can't hide hers. He leapt into the air, bounding against a stone wall in the alleyway. He dug his claws in deep and was suspended sideways, his red mane swaying slightly. He shot from the wall with amazing speed toward another alleyway. Galian heard the sounds of rapid and frantic feet pounding against the ground as Reno ran, and he sneered in satisfaction. Here I come, pretty boy.

A/N: Ok, Sorry it took a bit but I got Chapter 4 - 6 done with a plot forming, so that shouldn't be too bad. I really tried to keep the Turks in character, which wasn't too hard for Reno but the other two were a bit off I guess. Please R&R, next chapter coming soon, Reno vs. Valentine!