A.N. All right, cliffhanger is ovah! But, you know, I'll just drop you straight into another one, knowing me….which I don't, so who the hell knows what's gonna happen! Riku's not gonna show up in this one, I think….but I still don't know me well enough, so…might have to change that…
XDXDXDXD ♥
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Roxas separated from Riku, noticing without surprise that their pursuer had chosen to follow the silverhaired wolf. This was both a relief and a worry to the blonde, but he stuck to the plan, slipping silently into the clearing where they had fought before. Roxas shuddered, not liking being there again, especially under these circumstances.
He waited, not really expecting anyone to be there for a while. He had gotten there in under a minute, and didn't think that Riku could shake the chaser off that soon, whether it was the wolf or ex-SOLDIER. Either way, they'd be hard to get rid of.
Instead, he paced, waiting nervously, torn apart by anxiety. He wondered what was going on, listening hard for anything that sounded remotely like a howl or a yell. Instead, he heard the rustling of the trees as the wind blew past, and he looked up nervously. What was going on…?
He was about to go, to try and find them, when someone emerged from the trees on the other side of the clearing. He saw silver and perked up, thinking it was Riku.
The other wolf snarled, and he flinched. Looking closer, he immediately saw his mistake. This wolf was bigger, more muscular than Riku, his silver hair a darker tone. And his eyes. They were steely blue, seeming to look right into Roxas, drawing out every secret and fear that he held within him.
Roxas shivered, but pushed back his fear as best he could, snarling at the intruder, the reason for all this anger and misery. The silver wolf just stared at him impassively, until a foul smile crept onto his face, shining ivory fangs glinting dangerously in the moonlight.
Roxas immediately knew that there was no way he could take on this…thing. He leaned back, howling to the sky, until he felt fangs sink into his neck.
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Cloud flew through the forest, trying to reach the origin of the howl. He felt no regret for doing that to Riku. In his eyes, the silverhair was a cocky brat who thought he knew everything and pretended to be emo for attention. But he had the sneaking suspicion that he would probably regret it if he killed him.
Still, he doubted that the other one, Roxas or whatever, had actually seen the other silver wolf. More than likely, it was a false alarm to draw his attention. He quickened his pace still further.
However stubborn he was, Cloud knew instantaneously that he had been wrong as he saw the wolves ahead of him.
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Roxas whimpered as the silver wolf pulled away, tearing flesh from the blonde's neck. Blood leaked from the wound, puddling at Roxas' feet, sinking into the ground. Still, he kept at his attacker, snarling and darting in, trying to get in a hit of his own. But no matter what he did, the other silver wolf avoided it.
'Dammit!' Roxas thought as once again he missed by a hair. 'What is it with him?'
Another sound behind him caused him to turn slightly, wondering if it was Riku. Instead, something black flew by him, slamming into the silver wolf hard.
Cloud attacked viciously, aiming immediately for anything he could. The wolf skipped back, trying to avoid the metal sword, barely able to keep itself from getting cut in half, such was the fury and speed that the blonde put into his attack.
'Where did he come from?' Roxas thought vaguely, watching the fight. Blood still dripped from his neck and the other places that he had managed to get wounded, but he barely noticed them. 'Where's Riku, then? Isn't Cloud the one who followed him, if the other one was here?'
The wolf finally saw an opening, leaping at Cloud with his ivory teeth bared. The blonde whipped up the sword, and the silver canine bit down on it. They fought, shoving into the weapon as hard as they could, faces not even a foot apart. Their eyes met, and Cloud gasped as he looked into the cold blue orbs of his opponent.
"You…" he whispered, and the wolf responded by throwing all his weight against the sword. Cloud leaped away, the wolf following him, snapping and snarling.
"Sephiroth!" Cloud yelled, furious. "What are you doing here?"
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Sora and Tifa, hurrying as fast as they could, screeched to a halt. In front of them stood a silver wolf, blood dripping from its right leg. It snarled at them before turning and running away. They glanced worriedly at each other, and behind them, Yuffie gave a whoop.
"Finally!" she cheered, disappearing in a flash as she gave chase, with Sora and Tifa hot on her heels.
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'Sephiroth?' Roxas thought, confused. 'I thought Sora and Cloud already beat him. What's he doing here?'
He watched as the two whirled around in a blur of black and silver until reality kicked in, and he looked around. Riku still hadn't shown up.
"Roxas!" Cloud called, and the blonde wolf looked at him. "Go find Riku, he's knocked out! About five minutes' run!"
Roxas hesitated, not wanting to leave Cloud fighting Sephiroth alone, but it looked like he was holding his own. He barked, taking off through the forest.
And was brought to a shattering halt as a dark shape pounced on him from the trees, biting into him and slamming him into the ground.
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Yuffie threw her shuriken, hissing in disappointment as the wolf dodged to the side. It was a lithe, sinewy creature, fast, about the same size as Riku, only a bit thinner, more toned.
Sora growled, lifting Oathkeeper into the air. His hair lifted as bolts of lighting exploded around him, aiming at the wolf, who swerved, trying to avoid the searing energy being thrown at him.
He was unsuccessful, however, as a bolt singed his side. He snarled in anger and pain, veering off to the right hard, making a beeline for the forest.
He skidded to a halt as the ninja appeared in front of him in a puff of smoke. "Nuh-uh, wolfie!" she laughed, waving her shuriken at him condescendingly. "You can't go back just yet! We've gotta make you pay!"
The wolf growled, taking off to the right, and with a yip of glee, Yuffie chased him again, managing to score his side with the weapon as she threw it hard. Blood spattered the ground, but he seemed not to notice.
Sora concentrated, and a ball of ice exploded from the Keyblade. It zeroed in on the fleeing creature, slamming into its side hard. Its body was lifted and thrown hard, coming to a crashing landing a good five yards away. It staggered to its feet, continuing towards the forest unsteadily, half of its side bloody from the impact.
"No you don't!" Sora yelled, and they gave chase again. 'Dammit, this thing's persistent!' he thought as it started to lengthen the gap between them.
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Roxas backed away from the wolf that had tackled him, completely confused. He hadn't even left Cloud for a minute, and this Sephiroth had already…
'No…'he thought, taking a closer look. 'This isn't Sephiroth…it's someone else…'
Indeed, this wolf was different than the one attacking Cloud. It was far more muscular, big and bulky, but with a dangerous elegance.
And, as Roxas was about to find out, crazy speed beyond anything he thought was capable from a lupine.
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Cloud and Sephiroth circled, both seeking an opening, striking at each other every now and then to try and throw each other off guard. Sephiroth snarled, menacing Cloud with his ivory fangs. As much as Cloud wanted to attack without mercy, he knew that it would leave him open. And while that usually didn't bother him, receiving injuries on a daily basis (it was pretty much routine), the thought of becoming a werewolf didn't appeal to him. So he kept up his defenses, not letting Sephiroth through.
Still, it didn't keep him from getting himself scratched up by the wolf's claws, quickly lashed out at him when he wasn't expecting, and Sephiroth himself had several gashes in his fur from the shining sword. Still, they both continued at it, taking every opportunity to take a stab at each other with blade and fang.
Sephiroth, however, was slowly wheeling Cloud around, pushing him back to the very edge of the clearing. Unnoticed by the blonde in the heat of the battle, two eyes stared at him, their greenish-blue tinge set off by the constantly flickering pupil that wavered from rounded to slitted and back, keeping their gaze locked on Cloud hungrily.
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A.N. Uh, oooohhhhh….that's not a good thing. There's an intruder in this little skirmish….three of them, actually. And for all of you who guessed Sephiroth, congrats, you were partly right. But Sephy-kun's not the one that attacked Leon…you'll have to find out which of the others did that….BWAHAHAHAAHAA! YET ANOTHER CLIFF HANGER! Oh, I suck. I know.
But it's all because I love you, reviewers! Je t'aime, jei t'set mirique!
Love, Chris ♥