Note: Rate has been modified from T/PG13 to M/R to properly match the content of this story. Please review it and continue only if you understand what it means for the future.
Updated Note (09/20/2010): ALSO! has messed up the formatting of a lot of the chapters for this story. If it looks weird as if something else should probably be there instead, chances are, it's the site's fault. It has messed with a lot of my chapters. If I could, I would go back and edit everything to how it should be, but I do not have the original files of my chapters anymore so you'll have to do with whatever is here. Sorry.
Quick Note: (for all chapters)
Italics – thought/ dream sequence/ flashback/ emphasis (duh)
Bold italics – Gaea/ JENOVA/ anything ethereal
The Complete Opposite
Chapter III
-x-
A scream.
Roaring.
WhatisgoingonIdonotunderstand!
Wheredidtheycomefrom-Ithoughtweweresafe!
WhereisAVALANCHE-?
Whyisthishappening-ohnolookout-!
Streaks of red.
IsitHimagain-wecannotgothroughthisagain!
Runforyourlives-takecover-Hehascomeagain!
Wearedoomed-thedemonhasrisenagain!
A mix of colors glowing coming from that place.
"Look out!"
Instinctively, the young ninja dove forward in a tight roll, narrowly dodging an attack from behind. Large claws that had meant to rip at her scraped against the ground as the paw slammed down. Whipping around, her braid smacking against her torso in the quick motion Yuffie threw out her Conformer in retaliation, aiming at the demon's chest as she placed some distance between them. She took advantage of her speed and pulled out one of her kunai (1) and tossed it the demon's head for good measure.
A roar of pain issued from the demon known as a Diablo as death claimed it. Keeping the quick pace she set for herself Yuffie turned on her heel and focused her attention on the remaining enemies. Over the line of monsters she spotted her comrades taking care of their own horde. A sharp glow of green pulsed from the bangle on the girl's arm as she started up a quick spell, focusing it on her enemies. Fire immediately came to life and engulfed the possessed creatures before her, some of it reaching to the fiends occupied by her comrades. The pulse died as she cut off the spell. Yuffie turned back and pulled her weapons from the deceased Diablo and spun them in her palms allowing blood to fly off the special steel.
'All right,' she thought as her eyes scanned the battlefield for other monsters. Kunai danced between her fingers before flying through the air and embedding in the head of a beast trying to creep up on her comrade. Red eyes shot a glance in her direction, along with a quick nod of gratitude before a series of shots rang in the air, nearly drowning out all the screaming and noises from the battles.
Something out of the corner of Yuffie's eye turned her attention toward it. She witnessed a mass of blistering Red ripping apart the flesh of small, possessed creatures, several of them resembling rabbits. The small massacre was close to her, signaling that the lion had just saved her while she wasn't paying attention.
The fiery lion growled and spat out the blood of his enemies before turning to Yuffie and nodding at her. "You must be careful, Yuffie," he spoke with perfect human speech. Animals such as him weren't supposed to talk but, of course, Red XIII was no ordinary creature. Beads sewn into his mane jingled together as he moved.
Yuffie nodded in compliance before concentrating on a new enemy as it charged at her. There was simply no end to this raid. The battle seemed to be never-ending and they were entering into their second hour of fighting. Where was their leader? Surely he had gotten the message by now that something was up on this part of Gaea.
Swinging her giant throwing star, the brunette pushed back her hair before meeting a Diablo halfway through its attack. Wings beat and sliced through the air, momentarily distracting her allowing the creature to strike her in the side. Crashing to the ground, jarred, Yuffie did not even see the second attack coming until it was nearly too late and blood suddenly sprayed on her as a bullet shot through the monster's skull, instantly killing it. Twice now she had been saved. Scooting away and daring a glance to the source of the bullet, Yuffie spotted Vincent shooting her a look before busying himself with another enemy that had hoped to surprise him.
He was an expert in the battlefield that was certain. Never did he allow less than an eight-foot barrier between him and his foes. One arm was outstretched with his rifle in hand while the other hung loosely at his side, caressing a pistol that only came up in emergencies. His body barely moved as he shifted to aim at the demons trying to circle him. Dark red eyes that weren't entirely natural scanned the area in calculation.
'There seems to be no end to this battle,' he thought as he shot his weapon: Death Penalty. 'I wonder why this is happening. These creatures normally don't act so brashly unless if they are truly afraid or something is making them do this, like JENOVA. But certainly we defeated her in the Crater, so it couldn't possibly be her. Is it possible for her to revive?'
The ageless man did not want to start thinking about the likelihood of having to fight JENOVA once more. It was certainly impossible for the dead to revive but with the way the demons were acting in this area, so close to the Crater, it was hard to think otherwise. What could possibly have started this random massacre in such a remote and scarcely populated village?
Three more shots pierced through the air, their aim true to initiate immediate death. In a way, Vincent felt sympathy for the creatures they were killing. If they were possessed, their actions not their own and it would be a mercy to end this battle quickly, to be able to put as many as possible out of their misery. He knew what it was like to not understand why your body did not move according to your will, how it felt when someone else was moving you like a puppet. It was horrible feeling so in a way Vincent hoped that they could quickly find the source of this problem and end the madness.
Blue fire flashed over the remaining creatures around him, drawing his attention to the blond pilot who had cast the spell. A gruff response to his unspoken surprise and gratitude came from the man as he extinguished the spell and returned his attention to his own enemies.
"Better pay attention to whatever the hell you're doing, Vincent!" called the blond man as the head of his spear hit its mark.
Vincent simply shook his head before quickly killing another demon that dared to attack him while his back was turned. He moved back a bit, putting some distance between him and the new army of monsters that formed before him. He focused on his battle and tried to keep his thoughts away from any distractions his mind may lead him to.
It wasn't long until one popped up as he glanced around at his companions and spotted the young ninja girl struggling against two demons simultaneously. Automatically, he reached for his pistol at his side and aimed over the line of monsters before him at one of the Diablo's pushing Yuffie back. It was difficult to concentrate on that battle while his own was continuing just a few feet away from him. For a moment he wanted to call forth Chaos but didn't flirt with that idea for too long, quickly dismissing it. He didn't like resorting to using his alter ego often because it used up a lot of his energy and sometimes the results weren't what he wanted. Sometimes there would be more damage than good whenever Chaos took reign. He had yet to master the demon's techniques and abilities.
His eyes closed for a brief moment to lock onto the target far away. A small blast came from his pistol. Vincent didn't waste time seeing if the hit was made; the horde of demons was slowly growing and soon he would have to fully concentrate on his own without the privilege of aiding his comrades. Hopefully, someone would come to assist Yuffie before the girl took critical damage.
The girl jumped back and flung another kunai at the head of the Diablo, narrowly missing the eye, it sailed past its head and sliced through one of the wings. Cursing, she pushed forward and sliced with her Conformer allowing the star to cut through the air and meet its mark where the kunai missed. It was starting to get increasingly difficult to keep up her pace. She wasn't as strong as the rest of her comrades of AVALANCHE, she was by far the second weakest, so she relied on her agility to keep up with the rest of them. She was able to make multiple quick strikes in the same spot with amazing precision that only one person could match. But, of course, he wasn't here right now, so that didn't help any. She was getting tired as she continuously pushed herself to dodge and attack in different patterns, trying to keep the same speed each time. She was starting to mess up, skipping over steps as her timing and attack became off beat, resulting in her taking more damage than she should have.
Panting as another enemy finally went down, Yuffie looked around her and found her quantity of enemies was far less than that of her comrades. Why? She was getting all the hard guys in small numbers while everyone else was dealing with small fry. ...okay, so maybe that wasn't entirely true, she reprimanded herself, but it was still hard. Resorting to another spell even as it drained her of her energy, Yuffie let loose a wave of water, forcing her magic to spread out and wipe away the enemies surrounding her comrades.
"Yuffie!" someone called out to her.
Finishing her spell, Yuffie saw her lion companion running toward her as her spell also drove away his opponents. She slumped to the ground as she awaited his arrival, her brain buzzing with the after-effects of the spell. She really shouldn't have used that summon spell while she was so tired. Now she was vulnerable to anything; and because she was tired to begin with she also knew that she didn't get rid of all the monsters in the vicinity.
"Yeah?" she puffed out.
The lion slowed down until he stopped right next to her, the materia on his bangles shining in preparation for casting. "You really shouldn't do that when you're tired. You're going to hurt yourself more than help. ...But at least you got rid of most of them." A single eye looked around them in a quick scan. "But I don't think it was enough. More just seem to be coming. Yuffie, you're no good on the field right now. You need to get to safety for a while. Go back to the village and stay with the survivors. You should be safe in the Forest for the time being."
"But-!"
"We'll be fine," the lion cut her off. "We should be able to handle ourselves for a little while longer until our friends arrive."
"It's been two hours!" cried the girl, coming out in a big puff of breath. "Are you sure?"
The lion dipped his head in as best of a nod as he could manage. "Yes. Now you know I don't mean to be harsh but you must get out of here while you still have the energy. You are of no use if you cannot move and we certainly cannot have you to die, Yuffie."
Childishly the girl snorted in defiance and gave a protest, though a weak one. Still, she got to her feet and gave a nod to her allies before stumbling back away from the battleground, making her way to where the surviving villagers had taken refuge. She knew she was going to die if she stayed any longer. She had made a foolish mistake of fighting the way she did but at least she had cleared out some of their opponents so she wasn't entirely useless. Feeling a grim expression pass over her features, the Kisaragi girl ran to the depths of the Forest, spotting the survivors of the attack. She came to a stop before them and was immediately bombarded with questions on the progress of their fight. Had they won? Where the monsters gone? Why was this happening? What would they do afterwards? What about the deceased?
Too many questions flooded her. Yuffie simply pushed them all back with a shout and collapsed to the floor. She couldn't take this anymore. Heaving, she tried to collect herself and dared a glance at the crowd about her. There were many injured, very few unharmed from the raid. It was a sad sight to see so little a number of people left from the village. There would be a long time before things kicked off again and reverted to normal, and that was only if there was anything to return to..
Sighing, she settled down for a moment, gaining the mobility in her legs again before getting up off the ground, circling the crowd in a quick check. The more she saw the more confident she was of the tragedy. But why? Why did this happen? It was a trite question but one that should but didn't hold an answer. There were so many reasons why this occurred, but none of them were valid. After all, as the first thing that came to her mind was JENOVA. And it couldn't possibly have come back to life to start an uproar like this.
'Oh man, where's our fearless leader when we need him? This is stupid. What is going on? Vinny, Red, Cid? I hope you have more answers than me right now 'cause I'm really lost.'
The young ninja frowned and leaned against a tree, pressing her forehead against it in frustration. She wished she could be out there helping the guys but as Red had just pointed out, she was too exhausted to even conjure a spell. The best she could probably do is a weak healing spell for the injured, and really it wouldn't be enough so there wasn't a point in trying in the first place until she got her strength back.
'Jeez, where are those healing potions and ethers when I need them? I bet they would come in handy right now with how sick I feel...'
Distracted with her nausea, Yuffie barely caught sight of an anomaly out of the corner of her vision. She saw a pulse of color similar to that of the Lifestream radiating off a single figure. Confused and not entirely registering what she was seeing, the girl skirted the tree and let her gaze follow the person as they dazedly walking away from her toward the battlefield beyond.
'Who is-?'
Her eyes widened in sudden recognition. Letting loose a scream, Yuffie ran like hell was on her heels toward the battlefield, her fatigue forgotten, and the safety of the villagers who were staring after her in confusion and shock, ignored. The only thing on her mind was telling her friends of this new reality.
Red with the clearest and finest ears of AVALANCHE easily picked up their female companion's scream before either Vincent or Cid did. Before he allowed himself to get distracted Red pushed back the monsters about him with a single Flare spell. Quickly he rushed to where Yuffie was emerging from the sea of trees, barking a question of concern.
"Vincent! Red! Cid! Help!"
With surprising speed Vincent came to the girl's side, question in his eyes. Cid soon followed, wiping off blood on his spear as he stopped by the girl. The three older male figures circled the girl and threw her similar looks of bewilderment and inquiry.
"What's going on, Yuffie?"
"Yeah, ya little brat. What are you doing coming back? I thought you left to be with the villagers like Red told ya."
Yuffie emphatically waved her arms around in a desperate method to get their attention and shut them up. "Guys, please! It's really important!"
"Well, what is it, Yuffie?" queried the lion with a cock of his head. "You'd better make it quick, the monsters won't be courteous enough to hold back on us right now."
Daring a glance around them, Yuffie swallowed her spit before rushing, "Guys, it's Him! He's back!"
Red shot the girl a look of doubt, immediately understanding whom she was speaking of. "Surely not?"
Vincent shook his head. "No, she's right." Immediately, his eyes shifted to the side, his gun leveling on the figure that started to appear at the edge.
Cid coughed as he nearly choked on his cigarette in his own moment's realization. "Shit! No way!" Just as quickly as Vincent had done, he lifted his spear and positioned it into an offensive stance.
"This shouldn't be possible," said Red calmly, despite the raised pins embedded in his mane. A low growl issued from his throat in warning and threat.
Chaos roared within Vincent, signaling its own warnings not only toward the glowing person far from them but to the creatures that seemed oblivious of this new arrival as they continued to approach the four. "I do not think we will be able to battle him and these demons at the same time."
"Shit!" was Cid's agreement to that.
Yuffie gave a high whine even as she readied herself, daring to look around them. "Oh man... What are we going to do?"
Numbers of bewitched creatures cautiously crept forward, hoping to snatch a quick hit while the four AVALANCHE members' backs were turned and their minds occupied. Yuffie squeaked as she dared to fully turn her attention to the crowd behind them, quickly starting up the beginnings of an Ultima spell if necessary. It would certainly drain her of the last of her energy but if it depleted the number of opponents, then maybe they could stand longer in what would certainly be a deadly battle.
"What the fuck is this bastard doing here?" growled Cid vehemently. (2) His hands itched to run his spear through that man's body but knew better than to charge forward right then and there.
"Could it be that all this is because of him?" Red thought aloud.
Vincent grunted in affirmation, "Most likely."
"Goddamnit!" Came another curse from Cid again.
"Guys...! The monsters!"
Red looked behind to their other problem and clicked his tongue. They were in a tight spot: fight a seemingly endless number of monsters, or the single number of one demigod? Once choice wasn't exactly any better than the other.
"This isn't good."
"No shit Bugenhagen!" shouted Cid, the tension getting to him. (3)
Yuffie sucked in a breath and readied her spell. If anything, she would probably have to release it soon. Glancing behind her at the slowly approaching man that gave off the scent and light of the Lifestream, she missed the swiftly approaching Diablo that swiped at her head, knocking her to the ground before charging at the other AVALANCHE members. Just like that, the battle commenced, the choice of who their opponent would be was decided in that moment.
"Yuffie!"
"Cid, get her!"
"Firaga!"
Cid cursed and scooped up the tiny frame, holding her as he pushed back the monsters that were trying to kill her while she was down. "Damnit, kid, why did ya have to go and faint now?" he hissed under his breath as he expertly swung his spear around with one hand, beating back the smaller demons that charged him.
"Is she okay, Cid?" called Vincent from the side, not too far from him.
"Yeah, she's just out cold. It's damn difficult to fight with her like a limp noodle on me."
Vincent's eyes narrowed in comprehension. This would be difficult indeed. He didn't want to think about the bigger problem behind them, yet he found himself doing just that.
"Cid! Vincent!" yelled Red, the farthest from the group. "Behind you!"
The two men turned simultaneously to see who was just feet away from them. Forgetting about the beasts charging at them, they turned their attention on the man who unsteadily walked toward them. Mesmerized by the unnatural beauty of this man and the aura that he carried with him, the AVALANCHE members froze in fright at the very thought of him existing before them. It didn't even occur to them that they were just seconds away from what could have been certain death if the monsters behind them hadn't been put into a stupor as well by the presence of this lone man.
Hisses of terror and warning issued from each of the different demons, several calls of threat passing between them to the man that continued to approach. The AVALANCHE members shook off their paralysis and proceeded to back away from the man, cautious of his power and what he might do at any moment. Tension was hanging high above their heads as the glowing figure broke the sea of demons, the possessed creatures crying out in unexpected agony as the aura pulsing from the man brushed over their bodies.
Kill him.
Words rang silently. Each beast's ears spilt in pain as something called them forward to attack the man, while their instincts pushed them back and away from him.
Kill him... kill him...
Each word was insistent and loud, silent to all except those possessed by madness. With each word the man, who was the center of attention, took an unsteady step forward. Vincent heard Chaos screaming inside him, wanting his own chance to rip apart the man but he held back despite his deep desire. Frustration from the demon inside him poured over into Vincent who was having trouble balancing out his emotions as he too wished to kill the man. He hissed as he fought for control and backed away from the man who was already many feet from him. He hoped he wouldn't lose himself in the madness of all the other creatures here.
Cid laid a hand on the man's shoulder, giving it a squeeze as he shot him a look of reassurance. "Hey, don't blank out on us, Vincent. I'll be damned if I have to chase ya down too."
Vincent nodded and fought more keenly against the cries and pushes of Chaos.
Kill him... strike...
Howls and whines that could only come from the sea of monsters melded together in the air, drowning out any other noise. They couldn't stand it. They were continually being pushed back and away from the others and the village that now lay safe behind them. It wasn't long until they were clear of both the village and the forest, out past into the open field where nothing but the ocean lay beyond.
Strike... attack...
The creatures longed to disperse and run for their lives as far away from this mysterious man as possible but the desperate voice inside them pressed at them, immobilizing them. They were not given the ability to retreat.
Attack... attack... ATTACK HIM NOW!
It was too much. The voice inside each of them shrieked a command none of them could refuse. Without intelligent formation or thought at all the horde of beasts rushed forward in waves, tackling and pouring over the man like a giant steel wall of death.
KILL HIM!
They needed no further instruction. Fangs, claws, barrels of primitive weaponry bombarded the unsteady figure, each creature piling atop each other in a giant mass in order to take a chance against this man.
It was all for naught, however. What would've seemed like a sure victory at a glance turned out to be a different kind of disaster instead. The murder that would have been did not come true as a blast of power and ethereal light poured over the monsters. The AVALANCHE members who were watching the scene unfold from afar could only gape at this turn of events. For a moment they had been certain that the man had fallen under the attack of the monsters but now they were instead certain that this battle would end in a stream of death all caused by that lone man.
Eyes flashed the mixed colors of crystalline blue and the greens of the Lifestream as unbalanced movements marked the man's continuing state of mental inequity. Slowly, he reached behind him for a sword that no one had realized was there before, unsheathing it and bringing it forward with great ease. One-handed he swung it back and forth in front of him as if it were a stick, treating its large size as if it was nothing.
There was only a moment to breathe before the man suddenly stepped forward with tremendous speed and brought down his enemies with precision and skill like no other. The AVALANCHE members standing by almost doubted their leader's strength against this man's.
There was a pulse of air around the blade; a thin razor of pressure and a line of demons fell to the assault.
It was a dance of death, literally. This man moved with such fluidity that one would have thought he was performing a ritual dance instead of slaying a countless number of demons. An aura beat off of this man and flowed about him like a cape. The massive sword he carried was more like a baton of magic and miracles as the number of monsters decreased quickly. Never once did this man trip over the bodies littering the ground around him; and never once did he break his stride. Only when barely a handful of his opponents were left did he finally slow down, coming to a stop before them as if contemplating how to slay them now: one by one or all at once?
The small bundle of demons growled and hissed at him. They dared not move. All their attention was focused on him, nothing else. They did not even notice or expect their sudden death when a spell washed over them and instantly rid them of life. The man sheathed his sword at this, looking about in what could've been mistaken as a lazily gesture in order to pinpoint the source of the magic for he knew he did not cast it.
What he did not expect was whom he would set his eyes upon.
Blue eyes suddenly became in every way focused to stare at hauntingly familiar green eyes. Only one word left his lips, yet a million coursed through his head, along with many more emotions – most of them he couldn't name or place. His heart felt like it had been stabbed, and just as it did his body reacted as if he really was. Never wondering how he got there or why he was there or perhaps even when his senses had come to play again, his body dropped like a rock at the feet of this green-eyed man. Green was the last thing on his mind.
"Sephiroth..."
-x-
AN: Thanks for sitting through another chapter guys. I've been trying to pull out something for a fanfic contest at my school and so it threw me off a bit and will for this next month (February) but not to worry, I'm still doing this. Thanks again for sticking with me and please look forward to another chapter.
(1) If Yuffie's supposed to be a ninja then she might as well act like one, right? Kunai are supposed to be throwing daggers.
(2) My beta didn't like how I used that curse word in my story, and I wouldn't be surprised if even the site edits it out. However, symbols don't work too well in bleeping out cussing, so... Sorry, but this is also why I modified the rating of the story. Thou hast been warned previously already, so don't be surprised if this stuff pops up some more...
(3) This is probably the cheesiest thing you or I will ever find in this chapter - let alone story - courtesy of my beta: Jade Tatsu. She stuck this in here and I couldn't get myself to pull it out. Hehe.