Chapter 2: A Bloody Reunion

Yuffie sat quietly in the passenger seat of Reno's car and stared out at the dust-blown remains of the broken little town. Reno glanced over at her occasionally, waiting for some kind of sign that she was ready to go.

Why does this place seem familiar even though I've never been here before?

She sighed deeply before hesitantly pushing the door open and kicking her feet out onto the sandy ground. She closed the door and took a few steps forward before she became overwhelmed by another felling of déjà vu.

Reno appeared at her side shortly after and broke her daze.

"Well…you ready kiddo?" he said with a reassuring smile.

"It's so….so quiet," she said in a tone nearing a whisper.

"Yeah," Reno said, scratching the side of his head, "Rufus told me someone was supposed to be meeting us here."

They both scanned the horizon for any signs of life other than their own, but there didn't even seem to be any animals around, much less humans. A strong wind blew past them sending an eerie chill up Yuffie's back. Out of reflex, she grabbed Reno's warm hand in hers and squeezed it tightly.

"What's this?" Reno joked, "Is the brave ninja a little scared?"

Yuffie glared over at Reno.

"Don't be a jerk," she snorted, "Let's just go find the fiends, take care of 'em, and get out of this creepy place."

Reno nodded in agreement and the two of them headed for the nearest house. Just as they had begun to head up the terrace, the door of the house flew open and the figure of a small boy came hurtling toward them. He collapsed several feet in front of them and Yuffie immediately released Reno's hand to hurry to his aid.

She knelt beside him and put a hand on the boy's back to roll him over. As she turned him she noticed he was covered in bloody cuts and bruises. She laid his head in her lap gently and checked his pulse. It was faint, but still existent.

"Reno! He's alive!" she yelled frantically, "Hurry! Get the first aid kit out of the car!"

She examined his wounds carefully, and came to the conclusion that they were too deep to have been caused by a mere fiend attack. She brushed his hair aside lovingly and noticed two deep puncture wounds in the side of his neck, just above his collarbone.

"What type of fiend did you get attacked by?" she wondered aloud.

As she turned to see how Reno was doing with the first aid kit, she felt a small fist grasp the front of her shirt. Short, painful wheezes were audible coming from the boy in her lap. She turned back and, to her amazement, he was coherent. He was stricken with an expression of pure terror, and constantly glanced back at the door of the house. He tightened his grasp on Yuffie's shirt as if pulling her closer to him, and his lips began to move as if trying to form words. She leaned closer to try and hear what it was he was struggling to say. He gave one last attempt to speak and, with a loud, hacking cough that covered the side of Yuffie's face in blood, he cleared his throat long enough to utter his plea.

"K-kill me!"

"What?!?" Yuffie gasped in horror.

"P-please k-kill me!"

Suddenly he was overcome by a coughing fit that left him seizing in her arms. Every muscle in his body became tense and rigid before he shuddered and ceased any further movement. His hand relinquished her blouse as his arm collapsed limp at his side. Yuffie felt hot, wet tears roll down her cheeks.

Dammit! I can't even save a helpless little boy!!

Reno finally returned with the first aid kit, but realized that it was too late. He lay a reassuring a hand on Yuffie's shoulder, but she pushed it off. She placed the boy's delicate body on the ground and stood with a cheerless sigh. When the reality of the situation became clearer to her, though, her blood began to boil and that sadness turned to deep anger.

"Whatever thing did this to him, a small, innocent child, I'm going to hunt it down and end its pathetic life!"

Before Reno could protest, she was barreling towards the house, not even bothering to check if he was following her. No sooner had she passed through the door, but she was overcome by the stench of decay. The smell was stifling and Yuffie caught her breath to keep from being sick.

Gotta be close…

She turned a corner and headed towards a staircase which looked as though it headed into the cellar.

Guess I'll start at the bottom of this wreck and work my way up.

She descended the creaky stairs with care, so as not to fall through a weak place in the wood, and stepped into the dusty, murky basement. Standing in the pitch, she was immediately aware that she was not alone. She could hear the sound of slow, rasping breath issuing from somewhere in the cellar.

"W-who's there?" she called, hoping that the reply wasn't, in effect, an attack.

"Yuffie?" came a deeply familiar voice.

She knew she recognized it, but couldn't place it.

"Yuffie? Is it really you?" Vincent stepped out of the shadows.

"Vincent?!?" she said as a smile spread across her face, "What are you doing-"

But she stopped short in her sentence because she noticed that he was covered in blood. She was about to ask him if he was ok and question his blood spattered appearance, but then she began to recollect the boy and the bitemarks. She shook her head in disbelief and took a few steps backwards.

"Vincent, y-you didn't," she stumbled.

"No, Yuffie! I didn't honestly!" he cried, his eyes flashing fiercely, "I don't know what's going on!"

Yuffie became very uncomfortable even though she was face to face with her long-time friend and ally. She backed up towards the staircase slowly, hoping to secure an exit.

"Yuffie, wait, I-" but he broke off abruptly.

His eyes turned scarlet and he grasped his head in agonizing pain.

"No! Stop! I won't!" he cried, "Yuffie! Run!"

He shot her a desperate glance before he let out a painful moan and his glistening fangs descended.

Yuffie shrieked and turned to run, but it was too late. She felt a strong arm enfold her and tow her backwards. Petrified tears streamed down her face.

"Vincent, please!" she begged.

"Sorry, love," came a markedly different voice, "But Vincent's not here right now."

Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her neck as the two long, white fangs pierced her flesh. She slowly felt her life ebbing away and being replaced by an escalating cold. Before long, weakness took her and she passed out.