Taming the Fates Amidst Chaos

'Internal thought'

'CHAOS SPEAKING'

~ (Time and/or story focus shift)

Chapter 21

Glowing sapphire eyes glanced toward where he had seen Yazoo and Loz before they disappeared. Cloud wanted nothing more than to go after the two brothers and end this madness. He quickly realized, however, that this would be impossible, as the golden claws holding his blade let go and slashed toward him. Wincing at the stinging cuts on his chest, he leapt back and put as much distance between himself and Sin as possible. Raising First Tsurugi defensively, the swordsman was surprised when the attack was not followed up. The dark haired figure simply stood there, studying him with a blank expression.

Sin was immensely pleased with his Master's orders. It was rare that he was told to 'have fun' and the command meant the ultimate pleasure for the slave. It allowed him the freedom to toy with his opponent, fully draw out their emotions. Rage and fear tasted so delicious when gathered strongly in an opponent, making the fight so much more satisfying. This blond would be difficult to break but that would make the end result that much sweeter.

Slowly, the clawed hand raised once more and Cloud's eyes widened when he saw red running lightly over the golden fingers. The dark haired man brought the blood to his lips and cleaned all vestiges of the fluid from his metal hand, "We have been starved so long. Your blood is strong. Your strength will help us serve Master."

"Who says you'll get more than that taste?" Cloud rushed in, swinging First Tsurugi in a wide arc. Sin made an easy leap, landing atop the moving blade and bringing it down with his body's weight.

The blond growled low as the collared man simply stood on his sword, his blue eyes narrowing when the droning, multi-toned voice spoke once more, "You hold back in attacking us. Your weak humanity holds compassion for this body, for the being we represent in your mind. Pathetic. How will we have fun if you won't truly fight us?" The dark haired man tilted his head slightly as though studying a strange puzzle, "Perhaps we need to prove we are not the other."

The swordsman tensed as Sin slowly removed Death Penalty from its holster on his leg. His newest Master, the large man that currently wore the bracer, had told him to put the weapon back on, in case it was needed. He had done as ordered though he knew he would not be using in the way his Master believed. Master simply did not know that Sin was not allowed to use firearms as actual weapons, his first Master had made him a perfectly good monster with no need for such things. However, the slave was not above using it to get into his victim's minds, "This, human, is a coward's weapon. Our other used it so he would not have to get too close, not be tempted by their rich fear and pulsing veins."

Cloud watched with disbelief as the dark haired man carelessly tossed the gleaming gun aside. 'Vincent would never throw Death Penalty away. It was a final gift from Lucrecia.'

Sin closely watched the swordsman's face with the same blank expression, "You begin to understand us, good." The collared man step back and the blond quickly yanked his sword from the ground with a loud screech, "Now fight us. Let us feel your full power before we bleed it from your body."

"Never!" Cloud divided his blade in two and rushed his opponent again, this time using all of the speed in his Mako enhanced body. He couldn't be sure but he thought he saw a momentary smirk on appear on the dark framed face. The curiosity was quickly forgotten and lost in a shower of sparks as a golden claw diverted one blade and Sin fluidly dodged the other. The spiky haired swordsman followed up his attack, quickly whirling the divided sword back in on his opponent.

The dark black and crimson eyes slid shut as Sin remained still while the blades closed in on him. A small sound escaped the raven haired man, one the Cloud was almost sure was a sigh of contentment, when suddenly the lean form vanished. "What the?!!"

The blond stumbled a moment as he pulled back his attack and reconnected First Tsurugi, scanning the area for the collared figure. Sin appeared several feet away, landing lightly atop a column of stones. Blue eyes widened with the knowledge that the man had lept out of the way, moving with a speed that surely rivaled even Sephiroth. "We are pleased, human. You are finally willing to cut us down, despite our connection to the other. Perhaps you will actually earn the unique experience of death from our true form."

"Screw that! I'm not going anywhere until I get Vincent back!"

Something shifted in the dark gaze and there was a momentary hesitation in the collared man's actions. Cloud quickly took advantage, closing the distance and slamming his fist into the dark framed face. Sin fell with a harsh grunt, landing on his back on the uneven ground. The blond immediately stood over the prone slave, the sharp tip of his sword hovering over the man's heart, "Vincent's still in there, isn't he? He's fighting you."

"It matters not. The other will be absorbed back into us once more and there will be nothing remaining of the weakling you knew. You should be more concerned with your own fight, human. You should have tried to kill us when you had the chance. Even if it would have been futile," Sin gave a chilling grin that never reached his cold eyes as he surged forward, impaling himself on the wide blade. Cloud released First Tsurugi momentarily in shock and the collared man quickly regained his feet, "We cannot die. Master would not allow it."

The spiky haired blond felt something wrap tightly around his waist, throwing him from the bleeding man as easily as if he were a rag doll. He quickly flipped around to land on his feet, skidding a few paces before halting. He whipped his gaze back to Sin and felt his heart stop.

A furry, purple appendage slid over the protruding blade and wrenched it out of the scarred form. Cloud felt a wave of fear and recognition. 'That is Galian Beast's tail. Is he shifting?' Blue eyes closely studied the man. The large gash in Sin's chest had already closed, leaving an angry red scar. The only sign that the man had been wounded was the blood covered edge of First Tsurugi. Aside from the furred tail though, there was no other indication of the transformation. 'Does he actually have control of the demons?' The question was forgotten as the tail whipped around, hurling the wide blade back at its owner.

Dropping to the ground, Cloud felt a breeze as the blade whirled over his head, missing him by mere inches. The loud screech of metal and stone caused him to look back, finding First Tsurugi lodged hilt-deep in a building a hundred feet away. "Shit..."

A low growl brought his attention back to Sin, who was bent low to the ground. The spiky haired blond could only watch in horror as the body of his friend changed even further. The pale skin on the man's back stretched and burst with a wet tearing sound, revealing red, tattered wings. The lean human arm lengthened further, the flesh gaining a silvery-white tint and long red claws replaced his fingernails. Legs and feet also extended and bulged, tearing the black leather pants into shreds, taking on a lion-like shape with black claws and purple fur fading into pale skin at mid thigh.

The creature pulled himself up to his full height as the transformation ended. Cloud found himself afraid to look at the pale face, not wanting to believe that this...thing, this monster had truly taken over his friend. "You should feel honored, human. Not many have seen our true form. Except for our Master, they all died soon after of course, just as you shall."

The swordsman felt a surge of anger and raised heated blue eyes. A momentary shock broke through his rage as he noticed two distinct changes. First, the thick, raven hair had become even wilder with spikes and uneven edges, purple and red streaks highlighting the dark locks. Secondly, the dead crimson eyes had been altered, the black edges expanding to cover all traces of white. This left two glowing, red halos swimming in a sea of pure darkness. Cloud fought down the fear building inside him, instead clinging to his anger over the injustice and tortures that Vincent had been put through to end up like this. "If your precious Masters couldn't kill me, what makes you think you can?"

"Two reasons. One, we are far stronger than all of our Masters put together. And two," A flash of a grin appeared on the pale face, revealing that the normally elongated canines had been extended further and all the teeth in between held a sharp point, "We are very hungry." The large form surged forward, quickly closing the distance to the blond swordsman.

Cloud instinctively raised his left arm to cover his face and throat as the heavy body crashed into him. He fell back with a cry as both metal and real claws sunk into his wrist and elbow. Something wet and sharp clamped onto his inner forearm but he ignored the searing pain, instead using Sin's momentum to flip the collared man off of him. The pain in his arm increased, accompanied by a sickening tearing sensation.

The blond quickly gained his feet, swaying as he fought the dizziness that appeared. Daring to glance down, his eyes widened in horror as he realized that a bite-sized chunk of his arm had been torn off, blood now flowed freely over his hand. Turning a shaky gaze back to the winged figure, Cloud's stomach churned as the creature swallowed the piece of flesh, red fluid staining the pale lips. Sin then took in a deep breath through his nose, "The scent of terror is so sweet when mixed with the taste of a living victim. You satisfy our hunger greatly."

Blue eyes flickered to the side, judging the distance between himself and First Tsurugi. He stiffened when the multi-toned voice he had quickly grown to hate and fear spoke just behind him, "No, human. Your weapon will not be needed. Our fun is over. It is time we end this."

Cloud turned, raising his fist, desperately hoping to buy enough time to get to his sword. His actions were suddenly halted when the large tail wrapped around him once more, this time pinning his arms to his sides. He felt himself lifted from the ground and was brought face to face with Sin. He fought against the tight grip, kicking and squirming to get free.

The blond stilled when a golden claw grasped his head, wrenching it painfully to the side. 'Oh Gaia! Tell me this isn't happening! He's actually going to eat me!' An ominous warmth came to his right shoulder, close to where it joined with his neck. As teeth began to painfully sink into his flesh once more, Cloud found himself crying, calling out to the only person that could stop Sin now, "Vincent! Please! Don't let him do this!"

____________________________________________________________________________________


A/N: Am I evil or what? *cringes* Don't kill me please!

SapphireDog
Gah! Loz you @%#^%@% @%@^%@$. Yazoo you little shit bag! The battle begins (insert evil laugh).

Haha I have to draw it out first XD But don't worry! I will give you a link when I do XD Crazy fan girl cat fight and maybe a Sin and Cloud from this chapter cause I'd love to try and draw Cloud's expression. "OMG IM ABOUT TO SHIT MYSELF!" Hehe. Can't wait for the next. This was a blissfilled few minutes for me to come home from a fucked up family wedding and read this thrilling chapter :D Vinny
Frizz: *insert awesome battle music* Yes I will soooo want to see both of those pics! And I am glad to provide a little entertainment in your day hun.

Ainaloth
But but but..who is Yazoo's master then?!? He also wants a evil-seme-master!! T_T ...well...I could give it a try...*evil cackle*...if he likes girls that is...*sharping her nails*..or what do I care?? Ya~z~oo, wher~e a~re yooo~u? *griiin*

Yazoo: EEEEEKKK!!! *runs away*
Frizz: I have a few tricks up my sleeve with Yazoo in this story. I don't think anyone will be able to see it coming...at least not in this part of the tale. *Glances worridly at the sharp nails* Ummmm...please make sure you leave him in one piece...I kinda need him for the rest of my story.

Anonymous Sister of the Author
oh poor vincent... sin has taken over... i thought yazoo felt enough for him to free him, but, i guess, sadly, i was wrong...
ASOTA
Frizz: We will just have to wait and see huh?

Anonymous Sister of the Author
BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PATHETIC MORTAL SAPPHIREDOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WILL NOT BE DEFIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WILL SHOW NO MERCY!!!!!!!!!!! I WILL FLAY YOU WITH YOUR OWN PAPERCLIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU WILL RUE THE DAY YOU DECIDED TO TAKE ON THE GREAT ASOTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I DO NOT FORGIVE! I DO NOT FORGET! I WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE A LIVING HELL!!!!!! do not mess with me, pathetic swine!!! you will fight and DIE!!!!!! BACK OUT NOW, CRETIN!!!!

*cough* excuse me.... there was some sort of frog stuck in my throat... forgive anything i said in the last few minutes!!!!

ASOTA
Frizz: OMG you had me and my roommates laughing our butts off ASOTA Thank you so much for being such a fun crazy fangirl

Kuragari
so much evilness to the vincent. lol intriguing as all hell though!!!
Frizz: Yes I am so mean. But Vincent is just so fun to torture. I will make it up to him later

haowue
I’m curious about what the true form of Sin… I hope Cloud wouldn’t get hurt so badly, because Vincent won’t forgive himself for hurting his friends. The plot is more interesting and exciting, can’t wait for next chapter. XD good job XD
Frizz: I hope you don't mind the cliffhanger hun! I couldn't resist.

taishorin
If this is your first fanfiction, well please let me know when you publish your first novel, because you are simply AMAZING! You have a great talent for creating a seamless continuity of the story, so the reader follows along easily, even though the universe it is set in is difficult to say the least, with unusual scenery, odd ball characters that each have a brilliant set of characteristics that need close attention to make the scene stay on track. I applaud your insight into each character, and even though the subjects you have chosen to pursue are at times very dark and deep, you portray the emotions of characters with sensitivity and also make the reader feel the horror or what ever emotion that the character feels.

I look forward to the next chapters of this story I can not imagine the depth of the emotions that Vincent will have to acheive to receive redemption and salvation of his very tortured soul. I wonder if Sephiroth will have anything to do with this journey for Vincent. If there is a way to notify me of your update for this story, please let me know via e-mail.

signed
one of your humbled fans

Taishorin
Frizz: *sits in stunned silence for several moments* Um....Wow. Thanks so much for all the wonderful compliments. I hope to see what you think about the rest of this. I have a couple stories that are not fanfiction but they are nowhere near as good or involved as this one. For some reason Final Fantasy just inspired me so much. As far as emailing you, I don't have a way of getting your addy! Sorry!