KINGDOM HEARTS: BEFORE CRISIS
Author's note: Sorry for the wait. Writer's block and I promised myself not to write again until after I had my new Computer set up which is what I am using now. Got it all set up on my Birthday and now I'm back to write again!
So here's the promised new chapter of Kingdom Hearts: Before Crisis! Do note that I, unfortunately, still suck at long fighting scenes.
I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy Type-0, Sailor Moon or Pokemon. I do own Arien, though.
Chapter 6: Holiday Hi-Turks!
8 Months and several Days later...
December 23rd [4:15 PM]-Year-1992.
Sector 8-Edge.
(~Innocent Times-KH: BBS~)
Streetlamps illuminated the city in shades of cool blue. There was a brisk chill in the air, cold enough that one could see their breath when they exhaled. It was the holiday season, getting close to Christmas Day and the end of year celebrations. There was a slight bounce in the steps of even the most hardened of Edge's denizens as they went about their daily business; the prospect of a week long holiday after a gruelling year helped to take the edge of even the most cynical of souls. It was almost here, because tomorrow is Christmas Eve.
Even at this hour, Alana could hear the laughter and carousing of the city's residents as they went floated from party to party. She could smell the food from some enterprising outdoor stalls still doing business at this hour. Even so, she'd never been one for the holidays. To her, it was just an excuse to go all rowdy and put up parties or go out binge drinking or little children playing around with their new toys they got as presents from their parents and relatives. Where she grew up, she didn't have much of that or didn't have any kind of interest. Like Rosalind, Alana was serious to boot, but that didn't mean she didn't like some time off.
She just didn't get what the big fuss was about around Christmas. Not that the Turks got that much of a break, per se. Though they were still allowed to get some time off in the quieter moments between jobs, and Militas Ultra had been quiet since the Midgar Zolom and the break in incidents several months ago. Yet despite Reno having captured a soldier of the enemy, the prisoner refused to say much other than plots to take down ShinRa Company while randomly repeating what they'd been told earlier for the past nearly three years, much to everyone's frustration.
Speaking of Reno, the said redhead with her and Rude seemed perfectly happy to spend his evenings patrolling Sector 8. This sector was the only one regularly patrolled by the Turks. Alana knew it was down to tradition; that the Shin-Ra Company's soldier units patrolled the other areas. Sure things were quiet and so far no Militas Ultra to ruin the holidays, but too much time off made Alana feel lazy, and she hated being lazy. She wanted to do something active.
Reno on the other hand, that lazy bum-in Alana's opinion-liked his time off, and when it came to Christmas, it was the perfect time of year. The red haired man was now whistling one of the Christmas Carols while his blue-green eyes scanned the area before he grinned, satisfied.
"Looks like we're done for today." Reno announced cheerfully to his co-workers, as he stuck his hands in his pockets, looking mightily satisfied. "Let's head back to report and call it a night."
Rude just grunted with a nod of agreement, while Alana, despite being mildly disappointed, just nodded silently. 'How can he be so calm when we have a potiental deadly Organization hiding in dark places and the Christmas Period being the worst time of year to fully relax?' The violet-haired young woman thought bitterly.
As though not being able to hide her annoyed expression, Reno looked at her curiously, because he asked, "Hey, 'Lan'. What's wrong? You look like you just found out Santa's givin' ya a stocking with a lump of coal."
Alana just rolled her eyes, twitching in irritation of the nick-name Reno oh-so-gracefully given her. She hated being called 'Lan'. Why can't he call her by her full name? Instead of raising a complaint, she responded, "First off, there's no such thing as Santa Claus. He's just a made up myth to spoil little kids. Secondly, are we really certain that things are calm tonight? Who's to say that Militas Ultra might not attack on Christmas Eve or when the shoppers are out buying gifts in the last minute Christmas Shopping?"
"Careful, rookie. If Santa hears ya say that you don't believe him, ya' won't get any presents." Reno teasingly warned with a laugh, before sobering up a bit and added, serious this time, "And if Militas Ultra were gonna attack, it'd be around day time I reckon. Last time that happened was 'round before even I was recuited, accordin' to Balto. And that was like, what, 24 years ago. Those guys may be strange and a bunch of morons, but I don't think they're ones to spoil the holiday seasons. If they were, we'd noticed something by now. Plus we've been scanning around the area for hours now."
(~End Innocent Times~)
"But who's to say they won't attack while we're sleeping?" Rude questioned firmly. His expression was always the same, but Alana had discovered that the taller Turk didn't need to give out any facical expressions. His voice alone was enough to give out points as far as she was concerned. But then like her other fellow Turks, Reno's the only one who can somehow understand him despite being the complete opposite.
"Then we get our butts into gear and stop 'em. Besides, we'd hear somethin' by now, right?" Reno shrugged. "Until then, things are cool and calm right now, so there's nothin' to worry about. C'mon, let's head back before we end up turnin' into Turkcicles."
Alana rolled her eyes again at Reno's decidedingly cheesy words about 'Turkcicles', but obeyed none the less and followed her two superiors back to HQ.
December 23rd [5:01 PM]-Year-1992.
Turks Headquarters-ShinRa Building-Edge.
(~The Mako City-CRISIS CORE FINAL FANTASY VII~)
Not long after debriefing with Veld, the Director of the Turks turned the Turks loose for the night. Reno all but happily sped out of the office to head for home, with Rude not that far behind. Each Turk had apartments set up within HQ or nearby around the building. Alana wasn't that far behind either, but she couldn't shake off the feeling of the urge to patrol the area longer. Not to mention that the flashy decorations in the Louge was driving her spare and she groaned at the music playing in the office, cursty of Arien and Freya.
"Have a good night, everybody! Oh, and make sure you don't forget the Secret Santa gifts!" Freya waved as she went to board the Elevator, along with Rosalind who politely bid everyone else a good night.
"Can't wait for Christmas! It's one of my favorite holidays of the year." Arien cheerfully squealed, following her other fellow Turks, as did Balto, Patrick and Jake.
"Suddenly I feel like I'm in a room full of kids getting all excited about Christmas." Rafe shook his head, before bidding St. Andrew and Alana a goodnight.
"You're telling me, man. Reno's the biggest kid of all for Ifrits sake! Ugh." St. Andrew groaned, but he was looking forward for some time off. Sighing, he stood up and made to leave himself, before pausing to gaze at Alana who was looking thoughtfully out of the window. "Yo, Alana. Time to head back. I bet you're lookin' forward for a much needed break."
"You go on ahead." Alana replied, not turning to face him. "I have something else to do."
Hearing this made the young man sigh in exasperation, "A bunch of kids and workaholics. Rosie, Tseng and Balto are bad enough." before shrugging it off and boarded the elavator.
Alana said nothing. Instead, she continued to gaze out of the window that overlooked parts of the city. Even from one of the higher floors, she could see tale signs of Christmas decorations that surrounded city of Edge. Hell, even the ancient Monument was practically covered in decorations which, in her opinon, went against what it actually meant. Meteors were for destruction, not for spreading cheer and presents and all that crap.
Sighing and knowing that she had orders to call it a night, Alana turned and headed towards to board the elevator herself.
The moment she stepped out of the ShinRa building to walk home as her apartment block wasn't that far off, Alana shook her head at the constant 'Merry Christmas' gestures and greetings and farewells. What was wrong with these people? Must be an Edge People thing.
"Mm?" Blinking, Alana caught the sight of someone at the corner of her eye and saw...well, she wasn't certain what she saw. Someone or something large and bulky was just vanishing around the corner and instantly her suspicious radar blared.
"Now who or what that might be?" She wondered aloud. Turk instincts kicking in, and despite being off the clock for the night, the female Turk decided to investigate. After all, there really was no true rest for the Turks. Making up her mind, she decided to follow. She made around the corner and carefully peered to make sure she wasn't being seen her heard.
There walked away the large bulky guy. Or she assumed it was a guy anyway. Alana could make out the unusual outfit of red and purple and everything about him was just...big and fat. Not strong muscles. Just...tubby. But another unusual thing was that he had...cat-ears on his head, and from the distance she wasn't certain if his skin was completely black or if it was fur, judging his fingerless gloves. Who the hell was he? Some guy in a costume for a party? Something wasn't right about him.
'I need more answers.' Alana thought to herself, before silently following the unusual individual.
(~End The Mako City~)
December 23rd [5:45 PM]-Year-1992.
Old Abandoned Warehouse-Sector 7-Edge.
Alana nearly lost track of her target quite a few times now, but his loud snickering always managed to have her catch up to him without getting caught herself, and how has found him peering through the doors of an old empty warehouse in Sector 7. Not the brightest move, she thought.
He seemed to be working alone, but what he is after? The more Alana waited, the more he just looked and stood there like great big lump and completely oblivious of her presence. This wasn't getting her anywhere. Who is this fat lard?
Mentally groaning, she decided to do things the hard way. Emerging from her corner, she carefully approached her target before stopping half way.
"And what are you doing?" Alana questioned aloud, folding her arms to her chest suspiciously.
(~Laughter and Merriment-KH 2.5 HD ReMIX~)
To her surprise, he didn't react to the fact that he was caught. Instead, the fat guy just snickered as he answered, "I sent some of my lackeys inside to see if the hero rumored all over the place is as strong and tough as they say. Word is, he's a real powerful soldier. Which would make him the perfect bodyguard for me. See, it don't matter how tough he is-once he's a Heartless, he'll do as I say!"
"A...Heartless?" Alana asked, skeptically and finding herself dumbfounded. What in the world was this guy on about? 'Heartless...didn't Rosalind and Reno mention something about those cloaked guys call Reno a 'Heartless side' of this Axel person?' She thought to herself.
"That's right. They're those things that come outta the darkness in folks' hearts. Why, with all those Heartless at her side, my dear friend Maleficent is gonna conquer everything! And since I got me a debt to pay, I'm goin' 'round to a bunch of different worlds and buildin' an army of Heartless, special for her." The figure explained, which made Alana dumbfounded even more.
(~End Laughter and Merriment~)
However, what he had said gave her concern but suspictions at the same time. An army of Heartless? Would that mean he's in the league with those mysterious guys in the black coats? If that was the case, then why wasn't he mentioning it? Who was this Maleficent? Was she the leader or is she and this tubby guy in a league of their own?
Then as though realizing he was wasting time in talking to the stranger behind him, the figure then scoffed in annoyance to shoo her away, "Oh, why am I talkin' to you anyway, pipsqueak? Go on, scram! I'm behind schedule as it is."
"I don't know what you're talking about, but you seem to be very delusional. You don't look like the kind of guy to gather anything more than a box of tissues." Alana snarkly remarked.
"Says who?" The figure asked, turning to face the Turk who was surprised that the guy wasn't even human. He was...a big humanoid cat who can speak the same language as people. His teeth thought were bucky rather than normal cat fangs, and his eyes were...kid's tv show like. Was this guy some kind of alien, or was this a costume?
Deciding to question that later, Alana sneered as she replied, "Says me, fatty. Who are you?"
Apparently the figure was shocked too, because he exclaimed, gesturing at her, "Wha-!? Y-y-y-you're a girl!?"
"Duh. You couldn't tell?" Alana rolled her eyes, "And you didn't answer my question."
"Why should I? Besides, girls don't wear men's business suits, unless you're goin' to a party." The figure scoffed.
"Funny, I thought it was you who was going to a party. Guess it's a good thing I followed you since you were suspicious to begin with, and let me tell you, I just finished off work for today. I'd hate to waste my evening tailing a loser like you." Alana scoffed in return. "So, who is this powerful soldier you're looking for?"
Pete slumped a bit before grinning, "Oh, you don't know, eh? Well, it's pretty boy Sephiroth. 'Course, he's probably a Heartless by now."
"Sephiroth, huh..." Alana mumured, before bursting into laughter.
"What are you laughing at!?" Pete demanded, grinning again as he began, "Why, Sephiroth is so strong that-"
"He's not here." Alana cut him off, still laughing.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, Sephiroth is a powerful soldier alright, and a lot of people's hero, but he, shall we say, isn't much of a people's person. He hardly even comes to Edge, especially around Christmas. In fact, no one's seen him come even on New Year's Eve!" Alana explained, smirking this time.
"Whaddaya mean!?" The figure asked, shocked.
The female Turk gave him a smug grin, "What I mean is, tubby, that you're just wasting your time. Heh, as far as that goes, everyone would've known that Sephiroth was coming to town, never mind the ridiculous fantasy man named Santa Claus who doesn't even exist."
"D'oooh! Another dead end!" He grunted angrily, before declaring. "Fine! I'll just make ya' do since ya' can't even fight!" and then looked on both sides of him, calling out, "Heartless Squad, round up!"
(~Tension Rising-KH2~)
To Alana's shock and confusion, multiple strange black creatures emerged from the ground and began to surround her. Their black small bodies that made them look like humanoid ants with yellow eyes moved around strangely. These were the Heartless? She'd never seen unusual things like them before. Realizing she has no choice but to fight, Alana pulled out her knives, twirled them expertly and stood in a fighting stance. She cartwheeled out of the way to avoid the sharp claws of the Heartless before slashing one with her weapons in a deadly move.
The young woman then tossed three knives at three more Heartless who were quickly sent to oblivion and kicked away another that came too close to her liking. It crashed into it's cohorts before she finished them with a cast of a Lightning spell from her Matetia bangle. Sensing movement behind her, Alana leaped out of the way as another Heartless attempted to attack her as did others, but she jumped high into the air and tossed several more knives that destroyed the Heartless before she landed and went to retrieve her weapons scattered all over the place.
More then appeared which added to her frustration, but she punched one in the face and blocked another when it leaped at her head. Alana casted Firaga this time which burned the Heartless without burning the buildings though some of the Heartless managed to flatten themselves like pancakes and yet still move to try and get to her. But being a Turk, she was ready for it. Eventually after slowly becoming exhausted and needing to jug down elixirs and potions when some of them managed to catch her off guard, Alana finally defeated all of the Heartless, punching the last one behind her without even turning.
(~End Tension Rising~)
Turning to face the figure again, Alana smirked at his shocked and increasingly horrified expression. "What was that you said about I can't fight?" She mocked.
Somehow recovering from his shocked daze, the figure glared angrily at the Turk, warning her, "You just wait, pipsqueak! Nobody, and I do mean nobody, messes with the mighty Pete!"
"So that's your name? Well then, 'mighty' Pete, this means I'll just have to get you to come with me while I call in my boss to let him know we have a suspicious activity lurking in the area." Alana thought, ready to arrest this idiot who calls himself Pete, or 'Mighty Pete'.
"Not if I get on outta here! I'll be back tomorrow on Christmas Eve, and then at Midnight, I'll be givin' o'l Santa Claus a night to remember since he's gonna be a Heartless too, and not even YOU can do anythin' about that!" Pete declared, and before Alana could stop him, he vanished into a poof of sparkly dust.
"Hey, come back here!" Alana demanded, running towards the spot where Pete had disappeared from, but realized that she was too late and kicked herself angrily for not casting Sleep on the guy. Veld wasn't going to like this. Where did Pete go? And did he really think that Santa Claus was real? Or was he going to attack a party at midnight or something tomorrow?
Either way, this was bad. She'd hate to let Veld know now of all times, but he should still be at his office. Veld and Tseng usually stayed until six thirty every day-not counting the holidays. So she pulled out her PHS and dialed the Director's number. It rung twice.
"Alana? I thought you'd gone home for the night." Veld's voice spoke, apparently having noticed her name on his list of contacts and it was unusual for his Turks to call unless it was the case of emergancy.
"I was on my way home, Sir, but I noticed someone acting suspiciously so I followed him." Alana reported.
"Militas Ultra, or the men in the black coats?" The director questioned firmly.
"Neither, sir." Alana replied. "He says his name is Pete when I confronted him, he works for this 'Maleficent' and has sent his 'lackies' called the Heartless whom are unusual monsters that appeared out of nowhere under his command looking for Sephiroth. He seems dangerous, but obviously not smart enough to work for the two organizations, let alone keep quiet of his plans."
"Hmmm...Sephiroth is not in town as I know and I doubt he will appear anytime soon." Veld commented, but judging his tone he sounded troubled.
'That's I said to the fat guy.' Alana thought to herself, but said nothing.
"Has this Pete said anything else?" The Turk Leader quried.
Alana replied, "Yes, sir. He says that he's, of all things, going to attack 'Santa Claus' tomorrow at midnight. I'd gather he meant he will be attacking a party or something tomorrow evening. Like I said, he's not smart enough but he isn't someone to take lightly."
Veld grunted before he responded, "I agree. We should keep an eye out on him, and if he is a secret agent of Militas Ultra, or more than likely than not, those men in the black coats who keep bringing up their white monsters, we should bring him and question him. Head home for now, Alana and then brief me and the Turks of what you discovered. We can't have people panicking over Christmas."
"Yes, sir." Alana replied, before the two of them hung up and the young woman retraced her steps to head for home for the night, but her thoughts were still onto that of Pete and those 'Heartless'.
What in the world was going on these days?
December 23rd [6:23 PM]-Year-1992.
Turks Headquarters-ShinRa Building-Edge.
(~Broken Reality-KH:DDD~)
Veld could feel a migrain coming on as he rubbed his temples with a groan. This is just what they needed; a suspicious activity around the holidays. Pardon the sarcasm.
Militas Ultra were bad enough, and apart from what happened almost nine months ago, the people in the black coats were hard enough to catch as well. But now this new enemy named 'Pete' and his leader 'Maleficent'? Not to mention these 'Heartless'? The Director could feel a sense of deja vu from the time of the boy in the mask and his blue monster cohorts four years ago.
"More bad news, I take it?"
Veld looked up to see that Tseng had arrived with the last of the evening's reports and judging by his lieutenant's expression, the Wutaiian had caught wind of his mentor's current position.
"What was your first clue?" Veld uncharacteristically replied in heavy sarcasm. Sighing, he replied, "It seems we have a dimwitted terrorist plotting to attack Edge tomorrow night at Midnight. Accoding to Alana, she followed him when she noticed him acting suspiciously and he had inadvertely revealed his plans."
"I take that you believe there is more to this than meets the eye, sir?" Tseng quired.
"...He seems to be summoning monsters called the Heartless under his command, much like those people in the black coats and their white monsters...and the boy in the mask four years ago." Veld confirmed.
Tseng managed to school his shocked expression, yet he certainly felt that feeling. Another individual who can summon monsters? How can that be?
"...What in leviathan's name is happening to the world?" Tseng asked himself aloud.
"I wish I knew." Veld grumbled, despite being aware that his second in command was talking to himself. Knowing what needs to be done, he ordered, "Inform the team for briefing for extra security and have Reno, Rude and Alana stay alert by Midnight. I'll inform the President and have security raised to Code-Z."
"Yes, sir." Tseng nodded.
(~End Broken Reality~)
'None of the Turks are going to like this...Especially Reno, Freya, Arien and St. Andrew.' Veld thought to himself bitterly. But then again, he'd rather have people safe and alive instead of dead and not being able to enjoy the holidays.
December 24th [11:35 PM]-Year-1992.
Sector 8-Edge.
(~Find your Way-Dissidia 012~)
The next evening on Christmas Eve, security was up like nobody's business but at the same time, not to the point where everyone in town was monitored apart from looking for anyone related to Militas Ultra. So far, things were relatively quiet but the Turks were under orders to keep an eye out for the enemies, including a trouble maker named Pete. It was a bit less than half an hour before Midnight, and Reno was exhausted.
"Man, is this Pete guy seriously gonna attack at midnight? What if it was just a big joke on his part to get us on a wild goose chase?" Reno grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck until it gave of a satisfied crack.
"Coming from someone who 'claims' that Santa exists." Alana rolled her eyes.
"Oh, come on. That was just a joke yesterday." Reno turned to face her, pouting. "It's irritating that this guy just decided to ruin our time off. If it weren't for him, I'd be at a bar by now and sleep in tomorrow."
"The question is, how can he summon those things he calls the Heartless?" Rude quried with a deep frown, which was a first for Alana to see.
"Good question. Unless he's right those whackos in the black coats." Reno admitted, sudden uncertain himself. "Then again, too many weird things've been happenin' since Militas Ultra showed up two years ago. The headaches, the Turks getting dizzy spells, and the 'reborn' and 'legendary' stuff, I wish there was a clear with all of this."
Neither Rude or Alana could reply to that, but both of them knew that Reno was right. Too many weird things had been happening and they were nowhere closer to the answer of any of them.
"I mean, I'd be less clueless if my dad told me random stuff." Reno continued, shrugging a little sadly. "And he's dead."
The conversation came to a sudden halt when the three Turks then heard movements and, becoming quickly alert, the trio turned to the source of the noise. There skittering away unaware of them was a single Heartless which Alana recognized, heading around the corner between another route within Sector 8. Sharing a look, Reno jerked his head to the others in a gesture to follow, and Rude and Alan both nodded in agreement. They quickly but silently followed the Heartless and it wasn't long before they fully spotted it vanished from view.
"Whoa...what the hell is that?" Reno whispered, shocked.
"A Heartless." Alana answered, her brows narrowing. "I'm guessing that it's on a patrol of it's own. Maybe Pete is smarter than is looks."
"Or it's heading back to it's master." Rude commented.
Reno shrugged, "Well, I guess we're going in then."
The Turks silently followed the Heartless after Rude informed Tseng of their findings, and the Wutaiian Turk gave him, Reno and Alana permission to track it down and see if it will lead them to Pete. The trio tracked followed it through out Sector 8 which eventually they arrived at the same warehouse Alana had spotted Pete peering into yesterday and watched as the Heartless went inside though the opened door.
"Maybe Pete's in there, since he thought that Sephiroth was here." Alana thought.
"Now why would Sephiroth wanna be in a dump like this place?" Reno asked, skeptically. "That doesn't make any sense."
"He wasted his time on a false lead." Rude said.
"I did say that he's not smart enough to keep his mouth shut." Alana shook her head. "He didn't even know that I was a Turk either."
"Man, that guy sounds really slow." Reno chuckled with a smirk, before saying seriously, "But let's move in carefully, just in case. We don't wanna have our guy find out we've been tailing him, right?"
With that in mind, Reno, Rude and Alana carefully stepped into the warehouse, peering inside in it's large empty room. A metal staircase that hasn't been used in years, windows broken above them, the roof and ceiling having holes here and there, and shreded, pipes wrecked beyond repair...the entire place was a mess and destined to be demolished.
(~End Find your Way~)
But just as the Turks were scanning the area for any signs of the Heartless, Alana suddenl felt her head jolt painfully that caused her to grunt and shut her eyes to try and dull it, but it seemed to make it worse. She was aware of Reno and Rude calling out her name as the two men turned and gasped in shock and horror as their fellow Turk was suddenly not well and the dread of deja vu filled their hearts.
But Alana didn't see that. Instead, her hands flew up to her forehead, her steps clumsy and her vision becoming all blurry as a sudden image took over her mind.
(~Uncertain Visions*Memory II-The 3rd Birthday*~)
Alana began to see herself, the same as ever, on a mission with Reno through out the sewers she'd neve seen before but somehow looked very familiar. The two of them were fighting off huge beetle like creatures, most only as tall as their shins, and one, possibly being the mother of the littler, being as large as a Chocobo and that water element attacks are the only things to kill it.
The image then changed to that of herself confronting a number of men in brown suits, and a young woman who was attacked. Alana had fought against the men and, the woman then left in sorrow. The female Turk then saw herself standing in front of a white tree with Rude as Reno approached before the two men walked away and Alana gazed up at the white tree in wonder before being called up by Reno.
She soon quickly followed.
As soon as it started, the unusual vision ended and Alana quickly found that the headache was becoming dull and rid itself. It was also slow, however, as she found herself in the arms of Rude who was kneeling on one knee, cradling her. Reno stood on Alana's other side on one knee himself and more than a little concerned. Both of them did.
"You okay?" Rude asked, and to Alana's surprise, he sounded really worried.
"...I'm fine." The violet-haired young woman replied after half a moment.
"Please tell you didn't get what some of us got in the last few years too." Reno muttered worriedly, his eyes somewhat pleading for an answer that didn't confirm his fears.
"...So this is what you meant with the headaches and dizzy spells." Alana realized, which also answered Reno's fears. "I...saw something."
"Like what?" Rude quiered, helping the female Turk upright.
"The three of us...in another City similar to Edge. It was winter like now, and...Reno and I were battling the Kimara Bugs, and then I fought a different enemy in brown suits...and a woman was working for them..." Alana explained, gazing up at Rude and added, "She had feelings for you, but she decided it was best she would never see you again to keep you safe, and then the three of us were standing in front of this white tree."
Rude was a little shocked to hear that. Why would he be dating someone on the side of an enemy organization? More than that, this woman whom he apparently had interest in broke up with him to keep him safe? That she'd been found out she was a traitor?
Reno groaned in dismay when he heard this, "Ah hell. I was afraid you'd say that, 'Lan'. Worse part is, I can picture it actually happenin' and that feels too real for some reason, like..."
"Like a memory." Rude finished, coming to the same conclusion.
"Yeah, that. But...It doesn't make any damn sense at all...!" Reno shook his head, running his fingers through his unkempt hair while minding his goggles that continued to rest on his forehead.
A memory...it was strange yet very familiar. But Alana didn't understand it either. How could that be a memory if that never even happened before? Reno was right; it didn't make any sense at all. At the same time, however, she couldn't pass it off as a hallucination or a fever dream.
In the end, however, it didn't matter. They were on an assignment and the longer they wasted their time on being clueless about these visions, the longer they're allowing Pete to attack.
"I'm sorry. I'll try not to let this happen again." Alana finally spoke, lowering her head in guilt. The two men gazed at her in shock, before sharing a concerned glance and then back to the younger Turk.
"Nah, not your fault. Besides, how the hell were you supposed to know this would happen? It caught you off-guard." Reno ensured her. "Sure as caught me and Rude off-guard several months ago."
"Right." Alana nodded.
"You gonna be okay, right?" The redhead asked, as he and the other Turk helped the young woman stand.
The violet-haired Turk nodded, "I'm alright now. Don't worry."
"'Kay. So, we still gotta figure out where that Pete guy is and those Heartless." Reno declared, hoping to get things back on track. "C'mon, let's go."
(~End Uncertain Visions*Memory II*~)
The other two Turks nodded and followed the redhead, only for the three of them to hear screaming from the other side of the warehouse outside. Sharing a glance, the trio quickly hurried to see what was going on. They reached the doors, they found that it was stuck.
"Oh, come on! You gotta be freakin' kidding me!" Reno cursed loudly after several failed attempts to open the door. "Fine, we're just gonna hav'ta break it down."
Reno didn't waste time and kicked the door open with his might. It flew open as locked doors were no match for a Turk, despite that Reno was built for speed, not power while Rude was the opposite. The redhead lead his fellow Turks to the source of the scream which wasn't that far as in another alley they found themselves in, a very, very short guy, no taller than a kid, was running away from three Heartless that were chasing him.
No sooner the little guy was cornered, the Turks quickly rushed to save him as the Heartless leaped to attack him. Reno electrocuted one with his EMR after he whacked it hard that sent it flying backwards and vanishing into oblivion, while Rude punched another squarely in the face that caused it to disappear instantly, and Alana tossed one of her knives at the third. The three Turks were surprised that, upon defeating the Heartless, heart-shaped objects floated into the air before disappearing which was what Alana saw the other day, but never thought about it until now.
The trio shared another glance before turning to the little guy they saved.
(~Innocent Times-KH:BBS~)
"Hey, you alright?" Reno asked, before he and his friends got a better look at the figure. He was dressed like an elf; like a real elf. Hell as far as the redhead could make out, if he hadn't been the grown up that he was, he would've taken this guy as the real deal in being one of Santa's real elves. The ears sure made it look convincing and he was holding a pink box with yellow ribbons on it.
The dressed-up elf gulped, quivering in fear at the Turks who now felt awkward. Was this guy really that paranoid?
"Uh..." Reno muttered, before shrugging. "C'mon, man. You can relax. We don't bite."
Alana rolled her eyes at Reno's sad attempt to make the one they saved relaxed. So she approached the 'elf' and bend on her knees, saying surprisingly gently, "Don't be scared. We're not going to hurt you."
The smaller man nervously looked up, and, as though realizing he was safe, sighed in relief. "You saved me? Oh, thank you so much! Those things just attacked me and my friends and Santa while we were delivering presents and then we got separated!"
Reno and Rude shared another glance, before they and Alana realized it must be fore a charity thing or part of an unheard of event for kids tonight. That must be what Pete was talking about.
"Um, hey. If you're lookin' for your buddies, we can patch in and help ya', if you want." Reno offered as casually as possible, quickly adding as he remembered, "And while on the subject, you seen a big guy in purple and red?"
"You want to help me?" The 'elf' asked, and then sighed in relief, "Oh, thank you, thank you! Everyone's scattered in a few places and Santa and his sleigh and reindeers are someone in Edge too. Though I did notice someone who isn't supposed to be here noticing us. He's a big fellow, like you said. In purple and red, and definitely not on the Nice list."
"...'Kay. So um...where are the last places the other guys gotten to?" Reno asked.
"I think parts of Sector 5 and 6, and in the Centre of town."
"Right. So um, you stay here and stay out of sight of those things. We'll be right back." Reno told him. The 'elf' nodded and the redhead then gestured the other two to follow him.
As they did, Alana had to shake her head in disbelief. Did Christmas really make everybody nuts into believing that Santa was real? Even very short guys were convinced to the point that dressing them makes them think they are the real elves. (~End Innocent Times~)
December 24th [11:55 PM]-Year-1992.
Sector 4-Edge.
Alana, Reno and Rude had searched around town to find the other missing 'elves' while taking out the Heartless as they went but they were short on one left and the man in red himself. Or more realistically, some guy dressed up in a Santa costume.
Now the trio were searching through another empty area to find the last two missing people.
"Uh, hello?" Reno called out, peering at the corner. Yet he rechieved no answer.
"Stop your whining and hand it over!" An unfamiliar voice to Reno and Rude and definitely familiar to Alana suddenly grunted, causing the three Turks to turn around and realize that the voice was coming from where they came from.
"No! I won't give it to you! It belongs to one of the children for Christmas and Santa needs to deliver it!" Another unfamiliar voice replied.
Alana rolled her eyes. How typical.
She and her superiors hurried over to outside of the alley, and the sight that just ran past them was ridiculous in her opinion.
"Oh no, you don't! Nuh-uh!" Pete growled as he chased the last remaining 'elf', completely oblivious to the three Turks watching him chase the poor little guy who was holding a large box far too big for him to carry but he did anyway, the two passing the trio into the center of town. "Get back here, you!"
"Whoa! You when you said that guy wasn't even human, you weren't kiddin', 'Lan'." Reno remarked in shock as his eyes widened in disbelief. Even Rude's mouth dropped in shock at the sight of seeing Pete for the first time.
"Can we just forget the shock value and stop that fat lard, please?" Alana sighed, getting very annoyed with Reno's childish attitude.
"Took the words right out of my mouth." Reno sheepishly replied, adding as he knew business came first. "Let's go!"
The Turks hurried to catch up to Pete and stop him before he made his attack at Midnight.
December 25th [12:00 AM]-Year-1992.
Monument Center-Edge.
Pete was chasing the last 'elf' while a sleigh layed a bit crippled, eight reindeers looking around nervously, and a man in a Santa Costume, though he looked rather not from this world, stood nervously as the other 'elves' who had returned were working on fixing it before they noticed what was happening.
"Thank you." Pete sneered, plucking the present from the 'elf' who realized the Present was gone and quickly caught up to him.
"Give it back!" He yelled, snatching it back from the bully and ran away. Pete looked and then realized to his shock and anger that the present he stole was gone and stomped loudly while running fast to reclaim it.
By this time, Alana, Reno and Rude finally arrived and saw the performance of Pete and the 'elf' chasing each other.
"Dumb Elf!" Pete accused.
"Go away!" The 'elf' protested, only for the larger guy to finally catch up to him.
"Gotcha!" Pete grinned, snatching the present and held it up over his head.
"No fair!" The elf protested, trying to jump up to get it back, but couldn't because Pete's larger hand was holding him firmly on the ground on his head.
The large cat laughed cheatingly, "Heh heh heh! I win!"
Alana decided she finally had enough of this big fat cheating loser. So, being a Turk, she rushed up and somersaulted over Pete's head, snatched the Present from his hand and held it firmly in her arms while landing gently in a crouch, taking several steps back to avoid in getting caught. Pete in the meantime felt his ears perk and realized that his hand suddenly felt lighter and...empty. He looked up and saw to his shock that the large Present was gone and was dumbfounded.
"Looking for something?" Alana's voice sneered behind him, and when Pete turned to look, the female Turk was holding the large and somewhat heavy present in her arms as she glared at him.
"Yeah, nice one, 'Lan'!" Reno cheered with a proud and impressed grin, and Rude smirked in amusement at Pete's expression.
"You again!? Did'ja have to ruin everything, pipsqueak?" Pete growled as he recognised the young woman from Sector 7 warehouse that defeated the Heartless.
Alana gave the present to the very relieved 'Elf' who had escaped Pete's grasp before taking off to the very relieved Santa and the other 'elves' while Pete himself growled, preparing to attack.
"So you're this 'mighty' Pete we've heard about." Reno's voice stopped him as the redhead and the other Turk now approached and soon enough, Pete realized he was surrounded by the trio. Reno continued, "Now, I don't know if you're out of your mind or just plain stupid, but it's a big mistake to invade our town, ruin people's holiday and mess with the Turks."
"And sending in those things you call the Heartless and attempt to attack Sephiroth who isn't here to begin with." Rude added firmly.
"Not to mention lurking into places you shouldn't be. Those are on the criminal records, man. So we're gonna take care of you personally, and I'm givin' ya' two choices; you either come with us quietly and we can talk this through where you can spend your Christmas in a prison cell, or you don't surrender quietly and we do this the hard way. Which is it?" Reno concluded.
"I'd take the easier option if I were you, Pete. You're no match against the Turks." Alana told the humanoid cat darkly.
Pete groaned and pouted childishly, "Three against one and ruinin' my plans just ain't fair!" before mumbling worriedly to himeslf, "Maybe I should hit the road."
"What? You're just going to run away after sending your lackies to do all the work? You're more stupid than I thought." Alana scoffed, standing in a fighting stance as did both Reno and Rude, none of them giving Pete a chance to make a run for it.
(~Rowdy Rumble-KH2.5 HD ReMix~)
Realizing that the Turks were not allowing him room, Pete growled before he decided to fight them himself, "You pipsqueaks are gonna regret in underestimating me!"
He then made to punch Alana, but she leaped and dodged out of the way while Reno jumped high and kicked Pete in the face which knocked him away before the enemy was punched in the stomach by Rude. Alana tossed her knives at the villain who shrieked and ducked just in time to avoid in becoming a swiss cat cheese. Yet Pete wasn't going to give up that easily. The large fat enemy surprisingly jumped and made to squash the Turks who narrowly avoided it but were hit by the tremor that came with it upon the impact of Pete smashing his fists to the ground.
Using a Curaga spell from the Cure Materia, Alana cartwheeled out of the way when Pete attempted to throttle her which allowed Rude to grab him by the arm and with a grunt heaved him over himself and thrust him onto the ground in a large thud. Reno then zapped him with his EMR, but to his and the others' shock, Pete flipped over to quickly put up his shield and laughed manically at the failed attempt. Pete then used this to his advantage and rolled around to squash the Turks who had to repeatedly dodge this attempt before an idea came into mind. The Turks gave each other nods before Alana kicked hard at Pete's shield form while Reno and Rude combined their attacks to successfully break it.
Rude's fist in punching into the ground while channeling his Limit Attack, and Reno thrusting his EMR in the air with a slash movement as he channeled his own Limit Attack cracked the shield and knocked Pete over, but still the fat opponent refused to surrender easily to three of them. He then casted a Lightning Spell which followed the Turks who had to quickly dodge it while Alana then tossed her knives at the fat villain who was pinched on the butt and arms which caused him to scream out in pain and lose his control over the spell.
But he ended up rising his shield again to catch them off guard, but the Turks were ready this time and while Reno and Alana both leaped high into the air, Rude caught the shield and Pete before punching it hard, followed by the otehr two Turks kicking it hard which forced Pete to roll backwards out of control and crashed into a building which shattered his shield yet again. Dazed at first, Pete quickly recovered and then with a snap of his fingers, six Heartless appeared in front of him which made the Turks gasp in shock and horror that he could summon the Heartless. None the less, the Turks had to jump out of the way before the monsters could swipe at them.
But the Heartless were no much for the three of them as Rude punched one each twice, Reno zapped and whacked another two, and Alana slashed and sliced at the two Heartless of her own while Pete was about to make a quick getaway. But the female Turk grunted before she tossed her knives at him again where it pinned him by the arms and legs which made him cry out in pain again. When he attempted to use his shield again, Pete had no chance as Reno quickly dashed towards him and whacked him right in the face which sent him flying to the side and then hit by Rude who punched him in the stomach which sent the villain flying and crashing onto the ground hard.
Alana then channeled with the Materia and casted Firaga onto Pete as the latter got up, before finding himself being set alight and ran around screaming in the fact that he was being set unfairly on fire before the female Turk casted Blizzard to freeze him on ice as an ice shard appeared over his head and fell right on top of him, and while some broken shards melted and put the fire out, it face Pete a bit of a brain freeze. But shook it off before the Turks could finish him off and jumped before bringing his fists to crush them but they moved out of the way to avoid the attack and this time Reno casted a Barrier spell to protect himself and his fellow Turks from the impact, much to Pete's anger.
Realizing that this needs to be finished right here, right now, the Turks nodded in unison and attacked all at once just as Pete was summoned another Lightning Spell. Alana and Reno both jumped and kicked Pete in the face and chest while Rude punched him squarely in the stomach which sent Pete flying once more and crash onto the ground. The impact caused one of the giant Christmas buble ornaments to fall from street lamp and as Pete was standing up, it hit him on the head with a clang before landing on the ground and it was enough for make Pete dazed.
(~End Rowdy Rumble~)
So dazed that he was seeing stars comically circle around his head. Pete soon lost his balance and fell onto his butt, defeated and humiliated for having been defeated by three Turks who stood there with caution just in case he dared to attack again.
"That's just not fair..." Pete moaned dizzily.
"Looks like you underestimated us. Now, you're comin' with us and then we can call it a day." Reno informed him.
"Nobody likes a sore loser, Pete." Alana added.
Pete, hearing this, quickly shook himself out of his daze and stood up glaring at the group before scoffing, "Hmph! D'is place is a dump anyways. You three nitwits can keep this here town, but someday, your world-no wait, all the worlds, are gonna belong to Maleficent! Might take years but youse better enjoy it now while you still can, 'cause ya' never know when the Darkness will take over."
"Huh? What the hell are you on about?" Reno asked, confused and concerned. Did that mean that Pete was some kind of alien or something? What he did mean by 'all the worlds belonging to Maleficent'? And darkness taking over? What's that about?
"You're completely bizzare and even more stupid. I bet you can't even tie your own shoes." Alana scoffed.
"That is none of your beewax! Sayonaree to the one, two, three of ya! I'm outta here." Pete said for the final time before disappearing in a cloud of dust despite the Turks' protests.
"Damnit! He got away." Reno grunted angrily. Veld wasn't going to like the fact that the target managed to escape.
Alana felt frustrated herself, angry with herself for the complete failure of the mission. Who knew what Pete might come up with next.
"I wouldn't worry about him coming back again." A man's voice caught their attention. When the Turks turned to look, they saw that 'Santa' was approaching them with some of his elves. "Rest assured he has been very naughty and won't be rechieving gifts."
Reno snorted a laugh and teased, "I wouldn't recommend him to put up my Christmas Tree, that's for sure."
"You joke now," Alana rolled her eyes in exasperation, "But Veld is going to be furious with us and make us work for the rest of Christmas for not being able to catch the would-be-terrorist."
"Geez, you're such a bah-humbug, 'Lan'. You know that, right?" Reno grumbled, while Rude shook his head at the two's bickering.
"In case you forgot, I didn't grow up with Christmas the way most of you did. You'll have to excuse me for not being in the mood and the fact that Pete got away just makes it worse." Alana grunted, becoming increasingly impatient.
(~Comfort*Warmth-Tekken: Blood Vengeance*~)
Reno sighed dramatically, "Come on, 'Lan'. Christmas isn't just about presents. It's about sharing the holiday with friends and family, and in case you forgot, that's what the Turks are; we're not just co-workers for ShinRa Company or agents. We're family."
When Alana didn't answer, the redhead continued, "Sure our job is dangerous and we have to be serious about it, that doesn't meant we're not allowed to show off our emotions or have fun once in a while. Hell, even Veld and Tseng know that, and believe it or not, even the President. My point is, not only we do our jobs to protect other people and keep the bad guys from causin' disasters or just minor trouble, we look out for each other too."
"I just..." Alana began, not sure what to say. Reno was unusually wise with his words and for some reason...it gave her comfort. She had been serious for so long even when she was young, she hardly had the time to be able to bring up in the ways of enjoying herself which was why she prefered to do her job to avoid in being looked down by anyone and didn't believe that anyone else had lucked out while she had a stiff childhood. She grew up being serious and taken it to heart.
Sighing, the violet-haired woman admitted, "I don't want to disappoint Veld or the President."
"Hey, none of us do." Reno pointed out. "That doesn't mean ya' have to be serious 24/7. Come on, live a little. If you don't, you're missing out on what it really means to be alive."
"...I suppose." Alana muttered.
"That's seriously not you, Reno. Normally you let Freya and Arien say things like that." Rude teased Reno.
"Hey!" Reno pouted childishly, but grinned none the less and laughed along with his partner, and, to their surprise, Alana chuckled at the bickering.
"And what're you laughing at?" Reno teasingly asked.
"You boys are such children sometimes." Alana remarked with a smirk.
"I hope I'm not interrupting, but perhaps these may lift everyone's spirits, and for such good things you have done." 'Santa' spoke up, which had the three Turks turn to face him and to their surprise, he gave each of them a present each. "But you have to wait until morning to rechieve the rest."
One present for Reno was wrapped in red crimson paper with a golden ribbon wrapped around it. Rude's was dark grey with blue ribbon, and finally Alana's was violet like her hair with a blue-green ribbon. Each gift also had their own tags and when the Turks read them, their eyes widened in disbelief...because their presents each had their own names written on them.
"Wait a sec...How'd you know my name?" Reno asked the guy in the red coat, not remembering in mentioning his name to the older man at all.
"I know everyone's names, and even though I know that some of you don't believe in me, seeing how you saved my life as well as the elves and Christmas, I thought I'd be generous to all of you." 'Santa' replied with a smile as he climbed into the renewed sleigh and as the 'elves' climbed in as well, they waved a goodbye to the trio.
When Santa made the reindeers go, much to the Turks' astonishment the sleigh began to fly along with the eight reindeer as the sounds of the jingle bells rang and fly around the monument and the stunned Turks before taking off into the sky just as it began to snow again. The trio's mouths dropped open in utter amazment.
"Holy shiva...!" Reno mumured in awe and disbelief. "...That...Santa...the real deal?"
"...No way." Rude mumured, speechless.
"...He is real." Alana mumured in awe. So Santa was real after all, and all this time she thought he was just made up to inspire children. Now she and two of her co-workers knew otherwise; Santa Claus is real, and on top of that, they had saved him, his elves and had saved Christmas from Pete.
"Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!" Santa cheered and waved before he, the elves, the reinder and the sleigh disappeared into the night sky to continue delivering presents to not only the rest of this world, but also other worlds in the Realm of Light.
The three Turks stood in silence at such amazing phenomenon that they briefly wondered if this was a dream. Though while Reno and Rude shared wide-eyed and opened mouthed expressions, Alana just continued to gaze at the sky where had vanished from. She never felt so...light within her heart before. Somehow seeing the real Santa made her giddy...and somewhat excited.
(~End Comfort*Warmth*~)
Finally, she smiled as she thought to herself in her mind, 'I guess there are such things as Christmas Miracles.'
December 25th [5:30 AM]-Year-1992.
Taylor Household-Edge.
(~Uncertain Visions*Memory II-The 3rd Birthday*~)
It had been a long night, but eventually things had calmed down in Edge after Reno, Rude and Alana reported back that, despite Pete having escaped, the danger was over for now. Once Veld got the fill story, while disappointed, he let it slide under condition that it wouldn't happen again and praised them for stopping the dumb villain from causing damage. So after that all of the Turks were dismissed for the reminder of the week.
Rosalind, having signed and turned in her holiday application, was now at home with her family, or at least her mother. Her father was on a Christmas business trip as usual, and her younger sister, Elena, was still at the Academy the last she checked. Rosalind couldn't help but feel disappointed as she had wanted all of her family to be there for Christmas, yet her mother informed her that it couldn't be helped, which was what the female Turk had expected in the end.
Although Elena was on a break, she holed herself up in her room or in the library for the holiday exams. Rosalind couldn't shake the feeling that her sister was avoiding her. Maybe it was because Elena was trying to upstage her? Maybe that was it, because, growing up, Rosalind had always been better while her sister had been in her shadow. That, deep down, made the young woman feel a small pang of guilt in her chest.
Maybe she should make it up to her.
Yet right now that wasn't on Rosalind's thoughts. Fast asleep in her old childhood bedroom that was kept clean even after she moved out, Rosalind twitched, tossed and turned, moaning as a haunting dream filled her mind.
Rosalind was facing off against a man in light coloured fatigues, short brown hair and glasses. He was holding some kind of glowing pieces of a materia. He was smiling evilly, as on the ground was a very weak Elfe. He seemed to have been weakened from battle.
"This Materia… I must take it to Zirconiaide. This is that most important of duties bestowed upon me by the Planet." He was saying, attempting to grab it...
Next thing Rosalind knew, she was in an unusual dimensional like area and before her was a silhouette giant monster that is tree-insect like as it gave out a massive roar...
Jolting herself upright awake, Rosalind gasped sharply and panted too quickly and looked around her surroundings, slightly disorientated as she wondered at first where she was. Blinking as her mind began to clear, she realized she was safe in her room, in her childhood home in Edge. Placing a hand to her rapid-beating heart, she willed herself to calm down as the unsurpressed fear still held a slight grasp on her like a giant monster capturing her.
'It's okay...it was just a dream...a nightmare.' The blond-haired Turk ensured herself.
Yet, something within her Heart was telling her that it was not a dream, and strangely enough, half of her agreed because that nightmare looked...strongly familiar. Like as though...she had done it before at some point in her life.
But that couldn't be, could it? Since two years ago, Rosalind occasionally had odd painful flashes of images that she'd never seen before yet were familiar, but this time it was different. This one took a form in her sleep.
What could it mean?
(~End Uncertain Visions*Memory II*~)
While the holiday break did not involve Militas Ultra attacking, the Turks did fight another new enemy which leaves them more concerned of the legends and myths of other worlds beyond the one they lived in.
But Pete and Maleficent were soon forgotten from their minds, and the Heartless did not show up again after the former's departure and escape. What concerned the Turks was that one by one, they continue to see images that they do not yet realize were memories of their previous lives.
Rosalind in paticular had a vision of a mysterious enemy and a monster that she alone faced.
Through out the next two years of occasionally encountering Militas Ultra, the Turks's struggles against the Organization would only become more dangerous and diffcult as the Realm of Light is being slowly drawn into more dangers of Darkness.
Those dangers would also involve the other heroes in both this world and in other worlds.
A/N: I know it's three days after Christmas, but I'd been stuck and busy and I have finally managed to update this again. The next chapter will once again go into a time-skip two years later. But that will have to wait until next year as this is very likely the final update of all of my stories I'll be posting for 2018 which will end in three days from now.
So as we bid farewell to 2018(which has gone far too quickly), we would soon approach 2019 as another new year would begin. See you in the next chapter everyone, and in case I don't update another story soon...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!