Tifa and Yang rushed and jumped from tree to tree, trying to find where the creature that too Nyu ran off to. On more than one occasion, the two nearly slipped from the wet branches, only to be caught by the other. Practically in sync as if it was a trained dance.

Even in the pouring rain, it was still a sight to behold. The two young women, practically dancing in the rain. Their goal was pretty clear, especially since their target had not gotten far, as the path of destroyed trees was a clear indicator.

"There!" Tifa pointed out, "That underwater cave looks like the thing's lair."

"This has to be a trap." Yang grumbled, "No way it would just hide in an underwater cave and be obvious like that. I'll go in first, use myself as bait and-"

"Not happening." Tifa said with a firm tone, "That's your self-sacrificing mindset talking. Besides, that thing would probably know that would be your tactic."

Yang looked ashamed. She wanted to be better about this. She sighed, "What's your idea?"

Tifa looked at the cave for a moment, and then her eyes brightened when she had a plan of attack.

Lucy was just able to come to when she found herself being restrained. Not only that, but her horns had taken some damage, meaning she couldn't use her vectors. "Ah hell. Is this seaweed? How is it so damn tight?"

She looked up and glared at the creature. Taking notice of the glowing moss around her, it had the head of a shark and the lower body of an octopus. By all accounts, it shouldn't be able to swim as swiftly as it did.

"What the hell are you looking at?" She quipped.

The creature snarled and narrowed its eyes as if it was a response.

"Gotta say, for some weird hybrid monster thing out of a B-Movie, you have some interesting decor here." She noted, "How the hell am I breathing anyways? Is it the same plants that basically turn water into oxygen and hydrogen like topside?"

The creature turned around and didn't do much except wait at the entrance. Waiting.

"Oh. So you're one of those kinds of predators. The one that ambushes people. Should've figured that out from how you did it to me." Lucy quipped, "Ugh, I swear, I'm going to deck Greyson if I ever see him again. I'm never this quippy."

The creature said nothing as they continued staring at the clear water that it had entered through.

"You've got a gender, right? I'd feel bad for calling you 'it' all the time, especially when my moms are about to kick your ass… Assuming you have one." She really didn't want to think about that last part.

The creature used a tentacle that was not doing much and pointed towards Lucy, and then to herself.

"Female, huh?" Lucy snarked, "Well, I gotta say that you're not the worst kind of creature to show up and kidnap me, unlike those bastard government workers. So glad that they're all rotting now."

The creature ignored her and attacked the water as if she had seen something, only making the water murky for her efforts. Though, the creature seemed to be pretty satisfied with her work.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. Not just at the creature's sudden nonchalance at what it had pulled off, but at the still rising bubbles that were emerging from the water. The bubbles kept risisng at a rapid pace until-

*FWOOSH!*

Tifa and Yang both jumped out of the water, with Yang's hair glowing its ever-ethereal glow and Tifa's arms harnessing Materia-enhanced power. Both of them in position of their signature combination attack:

"IMPACT…"

"… FASTBALL!"

Tifa punched as Yang jumped off her fist, with the combined power of Tifa's own natural strength and Yang's semblance, Yang struck at the creature with a powerful amount of force, crashing it into the wall of the cave.

"Nyu! Are you okay?" Yang asked frantically.

"It's Lucy at the moment, and yeah. Aside from a damaged horn, I'm alright." The Pink-Haired girl replied.

"Thank goodness you're alright." TIfa said as she ripped the seaweed off and let the Diclonius queen stretch her arms and hugged her tight, "Don't ever do something as dumb like that again!"

"Alright, mama." Lucy hugged back, "Can we go back to the cave? I'm cold, and I want to sit next to the fire some more-"

"We've got a problem!" Yang shouted, "That thing isn't dead!"

"What?" Tifa got up and readied a battle stance and got ready for a fight, only for Lucy to jump in-between the two.

"Wait! Maybe we can try to talk this out?"

"That thing kidnapped you and damaged your horn! Why should we-"

"Because you two taught me to try to be more compassionate!" Lucy cut off Yang, "Also, I'm pretty sure she is a girl."

The creature got up and struggled to get back on her feet, flinching when Lucy approached it, fearful of the girl's motherly protectors.

"Hey, hey. It'll be alright. We won't hurt you anymore." She affectionately pet the area where Yang had punched the creature, "Do you maybe want some food?"

The creature tentatively nodded, and Lucy pulled out a fried fish and fed it to the creature, who gave it a curious chewing before hungrily devouring it.

"Woah! Hey!" Lucy laughed as the creature nuzzled her affectionately. She turned to Tifa and Yang and with wide eyes, she had only four words for them, "Can I keep her?"

"Gotta say… Sharktopus, honestly can't believe you picked that name, is a pretty smooth ride." Yang commented.

"She also got us a lot of extra food. I think she likes your cooking." Tifa said as she gave Yang a hug, "We're going to have to give her a lot of extra food, but I think it would be worth it."

"Great. Now will you two please have sex already? I don't want to deal with angst or tooth-rotting fluff until I hear some gods damned smut from your sleeping bags!" Lucy deadpanned.

Tifa and Yang's faces went as pink as Lucy's hair, "Lucy!"

"You can't!"

"I mean…"

The two spiraled into a slew of incoherent words all the way back to their makeshift home, much to Lucy and Sharktopus' amusement.

Dude: Good grief! If this is how it is for us, then what about back in the regular universe?

Wade: Forget that! What about here, in Shatter? It's gotta be hell back there!