A/N-Edited, Enjoy
Chapter 25 Bone Village meets Yazoo
Alexia charged the enemy, ready to use her gunblades as a sword. Tifa smirked and popped a water material into her wristband.
"Water two!" she shouted and directed the powerful magic attack at the charging woman.
"She absorbed it…good." Tifa thought as she flipped over both the gunblades when they were swung at her.
Alexia hissed with anger and followed suit after Tifa.
"You're getting stronger." Tifa whispered as Alexia blocked one of her flying kicks to the head.
She grunted as one of Tifa's fists met with her chest.
Alathia rushed at Tifa and made a slash in order to protect her companion. Tifa blocked and hurriedly back flipped away. Her feet slammed into the ground causing dust and dirt to fly in every direction. At the end of her retreat she slammed down one last time, legs bending from the pressure.
Sure enough, Alathia created a special attack. The fierce blonde twirled furiously as she held her swords out to either side of her body. Alathia's hair and trench coat flew about as they met with strong wind resistance.
The rubber band around the blades was stretched to its limit and pressed itself against her neck.
"Looks like we'll be removing those rubber bands soon." Tifa laughed as she used Alathia's shoulder as a spring.
Just before landing on the ground, a bullet pierced her thigh and she yelped in surprise.
"Never let your guard down." Alexia hissed.
"Neither should you." Cid snapped, just before jamming his spear deep into the back of her shoulder, spattering blood on his face.
Alexia seemed unfazed by the surprise attack, and merely peered over the shoulder at him. Cid watched as the android-like girl sighed heavily and cocked her guns. Stretching the band to its full length, the young woman slid the guns to her sides and twirled in a similar fashion to Alathia's. Bullets flew by everywhere as Avalanche desperately retreated to avoid them.
Alathia smiled evilly at her best friend and thanked her.
"I owe you." Alexia responded while popping in a restore materia.
"Restore All!" she shouted just before collapsing to the ground in pain.
Alathia joined her.
Geostigma had become a major problem in these training sessions. Their flesh burned as magic traveled through it, trying its best to heal... it never fully worked.
As the girls regained composure and regrouped, Avalanche had time to advance once more.
"Those were beautiful attacks. Did you learn those from the Brothers?" Red XIII growled, ever so politely, as he leapt at the blonde warrior.
"Kadaj and Yazoo taught us." She responded in a shallow voice as she slashed away at her enemy.
Her heart was racing and throbbed as it pounded against her chest. Alathia's lungs begged for oxygen as Geostigma began to get the better of her.
Red XIII darted every which way; avoiding any and all blows she was tossing his way. Finally, after one last special attack, Red XIII pounced and pinned the exhausted girl to the hard ground.
"Training is finished young cub. You are defeated." He purred as his big face loomed over hers.
She sighed and looked off in the distance at her best bud.
Alexia was now running away in fright as both Barret and Vincent chased her through the empty field. She always played a game of tag when she was tired…
"GET-AWAY-OH-MY-GOSH-YOU'RE-SO-FREAKY!" Alexia screamed, all her words slurring together into one as she tossed a rock at Vincent.
"Good…use your environment to your advantage." Vincent smirked, clawing at Alexia's back.
"GET AWAY!" she squealed, kicking him in the head and turning to run again.
Alexia squeaked, as she slammed right into the belly of Barret. She was exhausted, and he could feel her entire body pulsating with its over-worked heart. Alexia's lungs gasped for her, choking the young girl on the air it brought in. She coughed and clung to his shirt for support.
"Training's over. Now get yo' geek ass in the house!" Barret snapped, shoving Alexia in the direction of Seventh Heaven.
Alexia kept coughing, but obeyed. Vincent glided up to the two and joined in their walk…until he got another rock to the head.
"GET AWAY! YOUR SO SCARY!" Alexia squealed, and dashed ahead, towards Cid and Tifa.
Alathia caught up a moment later and laughed at her best friend.
"You're so odd! Why are you afraid of Vinny?" she laughed.
"That's not my name little girl!" he interrupted.
They ignored him.
"He's a vampire! He'll bite me and I'll be forced to live in the shadows and have nightmares for the rest of my life!"
"Am not! Will not!"
Again…ignored.
"Hey dipshit, didn't Sephiroth tell you not to make holes in us!" Alexia snapped, slapping Cid on the back of his head.
"Yeah, so? You think I'd actually take orders from someone?" he snapped back, threatening her with his spear again.
"You will when I show him what you did! You know we can't fully restore ourselves." She smiled evilly, taking out the restore materia and handing it to Tifa, its owner.
Red XIII trotted alongside the exhausted women.
"I smell food…hot soup, hot meat, fresh bread…cider…Yuffie's got lunch all ready for us." He purred, licking his lips.
Sure enough they entered the house to find Yuffie and Loz setting the table.
"Awww, cute apron Loz!" Alathia cooed when he turned to face them all.
"Man, we gotta chill sometime…before you turn into a woman." Barret sighed, walking past the embarrassed man.
"Agreed." both Cid and Vincent chimed in, shaking their heads in shame.
"Hey, at least I can dress in an apron and still get women. You three haven't gotten any in years." Loz sneered back.
The three grumbled under their breath and wandered into the washroom to clean up.
"Hey girlies! Grab some grub before you go off to work…Keep your strength up." Yuffie smiled, piling meat, soup, and bread on her and Loz's plates/bowls.
"You do know Sephiroth, Kadaj, Yazoo, and I are training you tomorrow right?" Loz asked just before scarfing up some food.
"Yeah…:changes subject: Yazoo and Kadaj were so happy about being able to come see us at work, they nearly tore our heads off. 'Oh my gosh, I get to see you in something other than your battle outfit or sweatpants!' Ya know, just for that, I should wear those pants…they're comfy, I don't know why he doesn't like me wearing them!" Alexia complained, still removing her trench coat (but leaving the combat gloves on to better hide the ugly Geostigma).
"Aw, we should totally do the show in our skibbies! That'd be fun!" Alathia squealed happily.
"Maybe they'd care about that. Hehe, there's thousands of people chillin' out in the audience. Lots of them are other guys."
"Aw! He'd actually feel slightly threatened by something!" Alathia mumbled as she went into thought.
The three men and cat came back in and sat far away from Yuffie and Loz, obviously still angry about his comment.
-After Lunch-
"Alright we're gonna go." Alathia said as she grabbed her duffle bag.
Alexia agreed and the two rushed down the road to some motorbikes (which they got the same way Advent Children's silver-haired-men got theirs…they just had them, no explanations .). The bikes' back tires spat out gravel as they sped off towards 'work'.
Trees and cold stony building whirred past them as they rushed down the deserted streets of Midgar (MIDGET!), towards Kalm Town.
"Slow down!" Alexia shouted over the roar of the engines.
"What!" Alathia laughed as she sped up even faster.
"Slow down!" Alexia screamed again.
"Why!"
"Fuckin' Cloud's right up there! Look!"
"Shit!" Alathia whispered, as she slammed down hard on her breaks.
The bike jerked about dangerously as she tried desperately to slow it down. Alexia stayed beside her just in case the bike tipped. Finally, the tires agreed to stop about six yards from where the angry blonde was standing.
"We meet again!" Linz smiled happily, trying her best not to seem like the enemy.
Alexia just glared at the man, fingers already on the gunblades. He stared coldly back, not responding to Alathia's greeting.
"Who are you…I see you have a friend." Cloud hissed, taking the blade from its sheathe.
"Oh yeah! This is Alexia. I'm Alathia. Nice to erm, meet you?" she tried again, eyeing his face for any sign of softening.
"I don't care what your names are. I DO care that you saved Kadaj a few months ago…that was the most dangerous mistake you'll make." Cloud sighed, spreading his legs into fighting stance.
Alexia withdrew her gunblades and glared at him warningly.
"I'm not letting you chop up my boyfriend or his brothers" Alathia growled, letting it be known that he'd struck a nerve.
"That child loves nothing but his mother. :chuckles: You're nothing but a toy…. a puppet for them all to play with. You and your friend are just marionettes." Cloud smirked, knowing he'd pushed their last buttons.
"Take that back…" Alexia glowered, pointing one of the magnificent gunblades right at his chest.
Cloud said nothing; just smiled.
":sighs heavily: There's no other way we can get you to change your mind?" Alathia asked; clinging to the last bit of respect she had for him.
Cloud merely shook his head stubbornly.
"Fine :pulls out blades:, Let's dance."
Cloud rushed at the women fiercely slashing at their stomachs.
The girls dodged the attacks and made the battle seem effortless, like they were dancing.
Cloud's mind and body may have appeared strong, but Geostigma had slowly eaten away at it, making him slow. The women noticed and put away their weapons at any moment they had.
"Quit defending and start fighting." Cloud hissed as Alathia flipped gracefully over his slashing swords.
"Cloud…you're weak. I don't want to fight you." She responded with sincere sympathy.
"Typical puppet." He hissed as she flipped off towards the motorbikes.
"Take it back!" Alexia growled, kicking him in the side.
Cloud knows how to work anger…he used it to blind his opponents. At the most opportune moment, in the middle of her kick, Cloud slashed at her throat.
Alexia yelped and bent backwards to avoid certain death. Warm blood trickled down her arm as a gash just below her shoulder was made by the blade. She retreated to the bikes and ignored the worried look from Alathia.
"We don't have time for this…Alexia and I have been delayed long enough. We'll meet again very soon." Alathia hissed, discreetly popping an earth materia into her wristband.
"Did I say this was over?" Cloud smirked playfully, raising a blonde eyebrow.
"Again…don't make me go all Quake 3 on yo' ass." She hissed back, mounting her bike and smiling at Alexia
"Watch this." She whispered to her bloody friend.
The two started their motorbikes and Cloud advanced.
…
…
Alathia again went all quake 3 on his ass and they sped off towards 'work', now a tad later than normal.