Revised (sort of) 6/24/15

Monsters Among Us

Chapter 2

Strike at Midnight

Tifa, Cloud, Nanaki, and Vincent stood silently around the bed on which Yuffie lay, each trying to think of something to say.

Cloud, Nanaki and Tifa had been slumbering soundly when Vincent returned to the inn hauling the unconscious ninja over his shoulder. Tifa was woken first and quite abruptly as Vincent rushed into her room and immediately cast Fire in the hearth. Seeing her companion's distress, the groggy beauty had quickly disentangled from her covers and helped Vincent get the frozen ninja situated close to the blaze. Without a word, she'd then rushed to the boys' room to wake Cloud and Nanaki. Only after Yuffie was deemed sufficiently warm by both Tifa and Nanaki had the prone ninja been relocated to her bed.

Now, bleary-eyed and confused, the Nibel couple and large feline waited for someone to speak. Cloud elected himself for the task and asked the question on everyone's mind. "Vincent, what happened?"

The tall gunman was silent for a moment as he contemplated how to answer. Truthfully, he had no idea what had happened. It didn't make any sense. Why would Yuffie attack strangers? Why had she left the inn in the first place? He couldn't fathom an answer to either question. The look in Yuffie's eyes when he'd found her had been nothing less than feral. Had she snapped? Was she ill?

Gods, that was a scene he had feared would play out with himself, never Yuffie.

"I found her on the edge of town fighting with two of the locals," he finally replied, squaring his jaw behind the collar of his cloak as his eyes flicked to the still ninja.

Tifa clenched her fists in righteous fury. "They didn't hurt her, did they?"

"No," he quickly responded before the fist-fighter could get too worked up. "Quite the opposite. She nearly slaughtered them."

Tifa's fists unclenched and her expression turned confused. The look was mirrored by Cloud who turned on the tall gunman with a frown.

"Harming humans is unlike her," Nanaki chimed in.

"What on Gaia did they do?" the ex-Soldier asked incredulously.

"Absolutely nothing, as far as I could tell," Vincent answered. "They approached her out of concern, but when they tried to help her she lashed out at them."

"Something must have happened," Cloud defended. "Yuffie wouldn't attack someone without reason."

Vincent stared his friend down. "I sensed no hostility from either man, nor were they carrying any weapons or materia. I'm reluctant to say this, but Yuffie's actions tonight are entirely unexplainable."

Cloud'd eyes narrowed and his mouth set in a grim line. He and Tifa shared a worried look.

"You're sure she was going to hurt them?" Nanaki asked, looking up at the gunman. Vincent could practically see the wheels turning behind his good eye.

"She had her Conformer poised to kill and I sensed unrestrained murderous intent from her. There is little doubt in my mind that she would have ended their lives had I not intervened."

There a long moment of silence as the group digested Vincent's words. Off to the side, a log cracked in the hearth. Everyone's faces showed their worry. Rogue monsters were one thing. They could handle that. But a rogue teammate... Nobody wanted to think of it.

Tifa was the one to break the silence this time. "Vincent, you never explained why she's unconscious. Did you cast sleepel on her?"

"No. There was no time for magic. I had to knock her out."

The fist-fighter winced.

"It didn't take much," Vincent assured her. "She was already on the edge of unconsciousness, likely from a combination of the cold and overexertion."

As if of one mind, the group turned their eyes on Yuffie's slumbering form. Her chest rose and fell slowly and evenly but her complexion was still alarmingly pale.

"Whatever the case," Tifa spoke again, "she must have had a reason. Cloud's right; Yuffie would never maliciously assault someone without cause. Tomorrow we can—" A loud crash interrupted the group's conversation, followed by a violent shuddering beneath their feet.

The brunette yelped in surprise as a large crack appeared in the glass of the room's single window. "What in Gaia's name...?"

An inhuman shriek from outside spurred the team out into the hallway. "Red, stay here and look after Yuffie!" Cloud ordered as he raced down the stairs followed closely by Vincent and Tifa.

The entire inn was suddenly awake and frantic. People were rushing into the lobby in a confused swarm. The innkeeper and a few large men had set themselves against the front door where loud pounding could be heard. Some of the hired help quickly organized themselves and were herding people away from the windows and door and a heavily pregnant woman was trying desperately to calm her two-year-old son. It was a picture of pure chaos that Cloud, Tifa and Vincent descended into as they hurried into the large room.

Cloud shoved his way through the madness to the door that was still being clumsily barricaded from the inside. "What's happening?" he demanded, quickly analyzing the situation.

The innkeeper grunted from his position against the heavy wood. "Fiends are attacking the town! Best get yourself away!"

Cloud turned to his companions and nodded, then faced the innkeeper again. "Let us through, we'll take care of it."

The innkeeper eyed them incredulously from where the side of his face was pressed to the door. "You're brave, boy, but this is no time to be getting foolish ideas!"

Cloud unstrapped the First Tsurugi and drew it in front of him demonstratively. "Believe me. We can handle this."

The older man's eyes widened at the sight of the massive sword. "Whatever you say, kid." He threw a look over his shoulder to his companions who still struggled against the door. "Let 'em pass!"

The two other men looked at each other in disbelief before moving away from the strained wood. Cloud and the others pushed their way through the doorway and were met by a group of angry looking valron. The valron hissed and shrieked, backing away from the threat of Cloud's massive sword.

"Twin brains in Rocket Town and now valron here in Nibelheim. The situation just worsened, didn't it," Tifa said with a sigh.

"Let's quickly take care of these ones and perform a sweep of the town," Vincent suggested, raising Cerberus.

"Way ahead of you, Vince!" Tifa rushed to meet the hoard of monsters, fists and feet flying.

In a matter of minutes the threat at the inn was successfully neutralized and the group hurriedly split up to secure the other parts of town.

oO0Oo

Vincent's mind was only half focused on his task as he deftly put a bullet through the head of a valron that had been hiding in the shadows atop the water tower in the middle of the town. He was worried about Nanaki and Yuffie back at the inn. Nanaki could handle any monsters that broke through, but that would require leaving Yuffie. The young ninja was currently in no condition to defend herself, even if she were awake to do so, and if it came down to a choice between protecting Yuffie or the other people at the inn Nanaki would be forced to choose the latter.

Making a spur of the moment decision, Vincent turned around and hurried back to the inn, leaving Cloud and Tifa to finish purging the town.

It turned out his concern was justified. The inn was a mess. More valron had broken through and it was all Nanaki could do to keep them away from the terrified mass of people huddled at the back of the lobby. "Vincent!" the large feline called, capturing the dark man's attention as he entered. "Yuffie!"

The gunman was up the stairs before Nanaki could say another word.

Three valron surrounded Yuffie's bed. They hissed and spit as Vincent burst into the room, triple barreled gun raised and ready, however the gunman was forced to stay his hand as he took in the situation. The valron in the room had situated themselves in such a way that should he fire he ran a higher than acceptable risk of hitting Yuffie as well. Smart beasts... he thought with narrowed eyes as he considered his options. He was firmly at an impasse.

Possibly the last thing the calculating gunslinger was anticipating at that moment was for one of the valron to open its reptilian maw and speak in a low hiss.

"Don't come...any clossser...demon," it ordered, its lipless mouth twisting in a way that proved it was not built for human speech.

Vincent promptly trained his gun on the creature's forehead. "You speak?"

"Foolissh pup," it hissed, yellow eyes narrowing. "Don't think...sso lowly of usss."

The other two tried made a grab for Yuffie but they were halted by a menacing step forward by the tall gunman. "Don't touch her," Vincent warned, staring unblinkingly down at them over the barrels of his gun. "Her life is not yours to take."

The first valron's facial muscles shifted into an expression Vincent could only interpret as irritation. "Her life? You...are bold in...your ignorance. It isss not...her life we want."

Vincent's hand did not falter. "Then what?"

"We only...wish for the return of...our beautiful princesss." The creature's eyes flashed in challenge.

"Of what use could she possibly be to your kind?" the gunslinger continued his interrogation.

"Far more than to yoursss."

Vincent raised his claw. "I've heard enough. Take your brothers and sisters and return to the forest. I can't promise your continued health should you refuse."

The valron only looked amused. "Just what do you think you can do, pup? We have the princesss already in our clawsss."

Pounding feet could be heard down the hall.

Vincent cocked his head toward the door meaningfully. "My companions are here. Your lives are forfeit."

"Vincent!" Cloud, Tifa, and Nanaki appeared in the doorway.

The three valron hissed angrily before leaping in quick succession out though the already shattered window. The team rushed to the window and peered out through the cracked frame but the fiends had already disappeared into the darkness.

Nanaki was the first to look away. "How's Yuffie?" he demanded urgently.

"She's fine. They didn't touch her," Vincent answered coolly, holstering his gun.

"Thank Gaia," Tifa sighed.

"How is the situation in town?" the gunslinger inquired, walking back to the bed.

"Taken care of," Cloud responded, moving away from the broken window. "The valron have been driven out."

"We're lucky you got to Yuffie in time," Tifa voiced, giving Vincent a grateful look.

Vincent frowned to himself as he thought about the odd and entirely unexpected conversation he'd just had. "They weren't here to kill her," he informed his comrades, crossing his arms beneath his cloak and leaning back against the wall.

"They weren't?" Tifa looked confused. "How do you know?"

Vincent looked at each person in turn, then settled his gaze on the still slumbering Yuffie. "They told me they planned to take her with them. That she would be of better use to them than to us."

The group looked at him disbelievingly. "They spoke?" Cloud questioned, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Yes."

"You're sure?" the blonde soldier pressed.

"Positive, Cloud."

Nanaki shook his head thoughtfully. "Fiends capable of language. I never suspected such a thing was within the realm of possibility. This is quite an interesting development."

Cloud ran his fingers through his unruly golden locks. "It sure is. More interesting than I was prepared for."

Vincent watched the unconscious ninja breathe evenly on the bed and his fingers tightened over his elbows. For reasons he couldn't fathom, the valron had sought out Yuffie in particular. They wanted her. But why? He hadn't the faintest idea what monsters would require from a Wutain heiress. Last he checked, fiends cared nothing for politics. More perplexing was the creature's use of the possessive—our—as if they held some sort of claim over the girl. Far be it from Yuffie to associate with fiends in any circumstance other than putting a shuriken through them swiftly and with great accuracy.

The wheels turned in Vincent's head as he puzzled through the issue, putting the pieces together in his head. Sudden and unexplainable attacks on human settlements; fiends capable of speech; a specific target... An idea began to form in the gunslinger's mind, and the more he thought about it the more likely it was beginning to seem.

"Cloud," he spoke, regaining the group's attention. "How much merit would you give the possibility that the fiends are acting under orders?"

Cloud's eyebrows rose and Nanaki's ears perked up. The ex-Soldier brought a contemplative hand to his chin. "I hadn't considered it, but it's a compelling explanation," he answered, his bright blue eyes meeting Vincent's seriously.

"I agree," Nanaki voiced his opinion and Tifa nodded.

Cloud's eyes flashed to each member of the group and he nodded. "We'll need to run the idea by Reeve. See what he has to say."

Vincent nodded in agreement. "He'll want to start an investigation as soon as possible."

"In the meantime," Cloud continued, "I suggest we all get some rest. We can discuss this further tomorrow." Sharing a look with Tifa, he added, "I'll talk to the innkeeper about getting a new room for you an Yuffie."

oO0Oo

The group decided to leave Nibelheim early the following morning, as it was unanimously agreed that the sooner they reached Rocket Town, the better. Even though they'd found a lead in Nibelheim, Cloud felt the group was too undermanned to tackle it as they were. They hadn't intended to stop in the town for more than a night and they weren't well enough equipped for a goose chase through the mountains. Moreover, they were urgently needed in Rocket Town and they couldn't afford to waste time.

The night's attack had sent everyone into high alert, meaning that sleep came slowly and the party, sans Yuffie, felt less than rested when the sun rose the next morning. Tifa was still in their shared room packing up her and Yuffie's things when the ninja finally awoke.

"Morning, Boobs," the younger girl greeted with a yawn, startling the fist-fighter.

"Oh, Yuffie!" Tifa turned to the girl who now sat upright in her bed. "Thank goodness you're awake."

Yuffie looked confused. "What, did I sleep in too long?" She looked out the window, noting the sun's position and scratched her head. "It can't be past six. Oh! I had a really weird dream last night. Wanna hear?" Not waiting for an answer, she continued, "I was wandering around in the snow when some gross monsters attacked me, so I pulled out my weapon to lay some serious smack down on their ugly asses when this really pretty guy comes from out of nowhere and—"

"Yuffie," Tifa interrupted, "I'm not so sure that was a dream," she informed her younger friend, giving the ninja a meaningful look. "Don't you remember? You left the inn last night and Vincent discovered you attacking two men on the edge of town."

Yuffie's expression changed to one of confusion. She held up her hand and waved it at the older woman. "Whoa, Teef, you said Vince found me last night? Attacking a couple of dudes?"

"I wasn't there, but from what Vincent said, it sounded like you were delirious."

For the briefest moment, Tifa thought she saw a look of dread cross Yuffie's face, but it was quickly masked by amusement. "Wow, crazy night, huh?"

"Yuffie," the older woman said sternly. "Don't just brush this off like some drunken episode. Why did you leave last night?"

Yuffie shrugged. "I don't know. I don't remember going out at all."

Tifa regarded her friend warily. Was she telling the truth? She could rarely tell when it came to Yuffie. But the younger girl had no reason to lie about this, so the older woman decided to take her words at face value. "There's more," she continued. "After Vincent brought you back, the town was attacked by a large number of valron."

"There was an attack?" Yuffie repeated, sounding more interested. "Last night?"

The fist-fighter nodded. "That's right. And during the chaos, some of them broke into the inn and tried to kidnap you. Vincent said they spoke to him. He said they told him you'd be useful to them."

Yuffie cocked her head to the side, a look of bafflement appearing on her face. "Really? They talked?" The young ninja crossed her arms and legs and appeared to contemplate this. After a moment she looked up at Tifa again and said, "And you said they wanted me?"

"That's what Vincent told us," Tifa confirmed. "Can you think of any reason why fiends would want to abduct you?"

Yuffie hummed thoughtfully. "My hot body?"

Tifa smacked her hand down on the mattress and gave the ninja a stern look. "This is serious, Yuffie."

Yuffie held up her hands placatingly. "I don't know, Teef. I'm pretty certain I don't have anything a bunch of monsters would be interested in." Giving the other girl a wink, she added, "Unless I stole it from them."

Tifa sighed and rubbed the spot between her eyebrows. "You really have no idea? None at all?"

Yuffie shook her head. "Are you kidding? I just woke up. This is all news to me."

Tifa sighed again. There went their lead. "Then, do you perhaps know if there's anyone who stands to gain from kidnapping you? Vincent suggested last night that the fiends might be acting under someone else's orders."

"From kidnapping me?" Yuffie repeated skeptically, giving her a look. "I'm the daughter of Godo, not some bigshot moneybags. Wutai is about as powerful and influential as Kalm." She paused briefly and then added, "Probably less, actually. Kalm's got a pretty good cotton gig going."

Tifa frowned. This was a glaring departure from how Yuffie normally spoke of her homeland. Usually the ninja could be found singing Wutai's praises, practically waxing poetic about the immense progress her country had made in the past few years. Why was she suddenly back to discrediting it?

"But," the ninja continued, "I suppose I could've done something that made someone unhappy. Risk of the trade, unfortunately. There's no telling who your average poor schmuck on the road might turn out to really be."

Tifa made a face. "I really hope this whole fiasco isn't the result of you pickpocketing the wrong guy."

Yuffie just shrugged. "In any case, I'll let you know if anything in particular comes to mind." Using her hands, the ninja deftly propelled herself off the bed. "But first I'm gonna grab some breakfast. Can't think on an empty stomach. You coming?"

Tifa shook her head. "I have to finish up here and then I'll come down."

"Suit yourself." The shorter girl gave her a salute and vanished into the hallway.

Tifa didn't see her cheerful smile turn into a grimace.

oO0Oo

And that's chapter two! Hurray for progress.

So, it's pretty durn clear that not all is rainbows in Yuffieland. I wish I could talk about that more, but then what would be the point of the story?

I'm trying to keep everyone in character to the best of my ability but it's been several years since I played the game last. I'm in the middle of replaying it right now, but I'm only as far as Cosmo Canyon. Crisis Core and DoC are slightly more fresh in my mind, but meh, I prefer the characterization in the original game.

Please leave a review and tell me what you thought. It's hard to get feedback when you're writing for an old, lonely fandom such as this.

Till next time! Ciao!