Taming the Fates Amidst Chaos

'Internal thought'

'CHAOS SPEAKING'

~ (Time and/or story focus shift)

Chapter 49

"We require your assistance, human."

Vincent blinked in confusion for a moment before realizing that the slave was waiting for acknowledgment, "In what?"

The creature’s brows frowned in thought, lip catching in a fang, “What is a slave without his collar? How can one be able to serve his Master to the fullest when he cannot be controlled to obey his Master’s bidding?” He paused, turning to look away while his fang worried at soft flesh. “We are...incapable of self control.”

The gunman gave him a look of disbelief. He could now remember when he was once a part of the winged slave but he was no longer able to think the same as him and so the statement confused him, "Incapable, Sin? I have fought for three years to bring some bit of control to my emotions and perhaps even the demons, yet you bind them to you without a thought."

Sin shook his head, “Bonded to the demons we may be, but without the collar we are nothing, a monster incapable of functioning as one. We will kill everything that crosses our path without our restraints. We may even kill Master.”

As Vincent watched, the slave began to flicker, his form appearing at random places within the dark space. He could feel the fear and anxiety rolling off the winged figure, "Calm yourself Sin. What do you mean 'without the collar'? What happened?"

Sin gave a soft sigh, turning to face the clueless man. Dark eyes scanned over the man in front of him, “When we were hit, Master called to the demon. We were pushed away and forced to watch. He...shattered our collar.“

Vincent frowned, “I thought Chaos had been drained completely. I'm surprised he still had enough energy to return at all.”

”He used the mark on Master’s chest, taking the strange gold energy it had stored. The energy has something to do with why the demon calls Master a Shinga-Chi. You will have to ask the dark one of it’s meaning, for we do not know completely what it is, only that it is a bond. The half-breed was most displeased. At first, we were amused to see the false Master being so antagonized by the demon but he made a mistake and now..."

When the slave fell silent, a trace amount of fear worked its way into the gunman, "Sin? What happened? I need to know."

Sin closed his eyes, allowing his head to fall forward with a pained expression, "We have failed Master. He was struck by the half-breed and now he will not wake. His mind is plagued by terrible dreams that we cannot protect him from and his body will not heal."

Fear and anger warred within the scarlet-eyed man, "And Sephiroth?"

A corner of the pale lips twitched upward and dark eyes rose, the worry and indecision replaced momentarily with cold satisfaction, "The demon is ensuring that the false Master pays ten-fold for every drop of blood spilled."

~

Cloud rushed from the cavern, his face pale and legs shaking as he leaned against the wall of the stone tunnel. He tried to force down the queasiness in his stomach but failed as he fell to his knees retching. When his stomach finally calmed, he lifted his gaze and felt another lurch as his eyes met amused gold, "Come, human."

As the demon turned down the tunnel to go further into the network of caverns, the swordsman rose slowly to his feet, unsure if he wanted to see anymore of the creature's handiwork. Seeming to sense his hesitation, Chaos paused and glanced back, "Silly mortal. Come, there is fresh water further in. I assume you do not wish to smell like the regurgitated contents of your stomach?"

The blond nodded weakly as he moved to follow, "Chaos? How long before Sephiroth..."

When it appeared the swordsman could not find the words for his question, the demon answered anyway, "I will not be killing him, manling." Blue eyes rose questioningly to glowing gold, "Death now would be a mercy for the half-breed and mercy is for humans. When the host returns, he can grant the bastard his death. After all, he made a promise that you would not have to again, did he not?"

Cloud gave a small nod, remembering the promise Vincent had made a week earlier. Part of him was glad that he would not have to do it once more, but he knew that it would pain the gunman to have to watch Lucrecia's son die again. He could only imagine what it would do to have Vincent be the one that killed him. "I'll do it, Chaos. This is something that Vincent shouldn't have to do, even if he did promise."

"It is not your place this time, human. The half-breed did things to the host that I will not even begin to describe and so it is the host's right to choose his end. You will choose to remain out of it or I will make sure that you do, understand?"

There was a moment of tense silence before the swordsman's gaze dropped and he nodded. Chaos grinned, "Good."

The blond soon found that his legs were still too unsure to hold him. A frustrated sigh came from the demon and Cloud found a clawed hand offered to him. As he accepted the offer, Chaos gave a wide grin, "Keep a tight hold, human, and be glad you have already emptied your stomach."

Apprehension lit the blue eyes but before the swordsman could protest, the dark shadows swallowed them whole.

~

Vincent eyed the barrier surrounding them. He needed to get to Yazoo, he needed to see if the boy was alright, if there was anything he could do, "Let me out of here Sin. Now."

The slave shook his head stubbornly, "Not until you help us. You know Master, you understand him. We have failed terribly and must submit for our punishment but we do not have the collar any longer to control us. What can we do?"

Vincent racked his brain as he studied the winged figure, looking for anything that would give light onto the situation. He knew that unless he helped, there was no chance of him leaving the barrier any time soon. The slave was in obvious pain without the collar, his mind not knowing of any other way to survive. To Sin, the only way to live was to be held and to hold captive. He simply didn’t know anything else. He was not human anymore to know how to be in control of himself. ‘Wait…to be human…’

Within that short moment, realization dawned on the gunner. Sin wasn’t human. He had forgotten what it was to be mortal and have a will of his own, to make choices and decisions outside of what another had ordered of him. Sin had to become human again.

“Sin, you can absorb me correct?" He waited for the slave to give a nod, showing that he was paying attention, "If you were to release the other three demons, would I not be able to absorb you as you did them?”

The creature seemed hesitant, shooting him a skeptical glance, “It should be possible, yes. However we do not see how it will help our master.”

Vincent gave a sigh, this was going to be difficult, “Listen Sin. By merging with me, not only would you be human again, but you’d also be close to your master still. By doing this, it will help you to cope with not having your collar. You would not need one if you had the free will of a mortal.”

Sin took to nibbling on his lower lip again, staring down at the claws on his hands. To be…mortal was never anything he had thought about. He was never given any reason to. He was the perfect weapon; his original master and trainer had told him. The power to kill without thought rested in his palms, a mere flick of his wrist and the enemy would lie in a crimson liquid pool of flesh and inner organs. Why would something such as him need to ever be human?

“Sin?”

Sin shook his head, hair falling into his face as his hand clenched, claws piercing flesh. He felt nothing as the sharp talons sliced into his hand, not even a slight ache. Never did pain bother him. Why was that? Was it because he had no sense of feeling? Or was it truly that he was a monster, bred to bring carnage upon those around him? Was that his only purpose?

Caring, blue-green eyes flashed in his memory, the echoes of three little words spoken in the dark privacy of one precious night. 'I trust you.' Monsters did not deserve Master's trust, but perhaps a human...

”If we…I …were to become one with you, would that still make us...me a monster? Would it erase the past?”

Vincent tilted his head, his eyes glowing with sadness, “The past cannot be forgotten. All you can do is move forward with the present and hope for a future."

Dark crimson eyes studied the gunman for several silent moments, weighing his words as well as the thoughts in his own mind. Would it be possible? Could he really try to be human after all he had done, after all he had been trained for?

Vincent knew the decision was going to be hard on the slave and he settled in to wait, hoping that Chaos was taking good care of things in the outside world.

~

"B...by the Lifest...stream! D...damn th...that was c...cold!" Cloud exclaimed as the shadows released them, shivering from head to toe. He glanced around the dark cavern they had emerged in, grateful for the sudden return of sound and the comfortingly solid stone beneath his feet. The absolute empty cold of the shadows made even the pitch black cave seem warm and inviting.

A low chuckle brought a glare from the swordsman, "Humans are such frail, amusing creatures. Come, manling, the spring is at the back of the cavern. I wish to return to the half-breed's lessons soon and I am sure you would rather not be left to wander these tunnels alone."

"If it means doing THAT again, I think I might try my luck with getting lost, thank you very much." Cloud muttered as he practically crawled to the small pool of cool water. After he cleared his burning throat, he did his best to clean himself in the darkness. When he finally felt ready, he rose onto slightly steadier legs, wincing at the sudden return of blood to his feet.

"If you're done, let's-" The demon froze, his hands raising to grasp spiked black hair as he swayed, a low moan escaping him.

Cloud called out to the winged creature but received no response as Chaos fell to one knee. The blond was unsure of what to do but he jumped as loud laughter suddenly rang out in the small cave, "C...Chaos?"

A grin spread wide over the silver face, "The three have been freed!" When Cloud gave him a confused look, Chaos explained, "This means the slave is gone!"
____________________________________________________________________________________

A/N: I am so sorry once again for how long it took for this chapter. Sin was being a bastard and didn't want to work with me on the conversation. Thankfully, though, Sapph seems to understand the litte furball even better than I do.

SapphireDoG's prize story of a Valenwind for being my 200th review is now up! It is called Of Snowstorms and Demons...there might be two chapters...maybe three....or who the hell knows when it comes to my muses. But anywho, I would love to see what you guys think, so check it out.

And Tainted Love as well for those of you that haven't seen that yet!

On to the Reviews:

SapphireDoG
*drops to my knees, laying my forehead on the floor as I bow down* Oh my lovely slave driver, how I adore you so.

*Stands back up, placing hands on hips while glaring* Ms. Frizz, you had me worried woman! Jeez. Almost gave me a heart attack. D: 4 were soooo freaking long D:

*Crosses arms* Be glad I love you though, or I'd be making your eyes bleed right now with my insane pestering of where you've been. At least you have an excuse this time.

-grins evily-.......-attacks, glomping and refusing to let go- I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you :D

Hehehehehehe Mr.Cocky and I are brilliant for getting you to add that :D -snicker- Tell him he can have his dessert now :D

Lol poor cloud XD He has horrible balance, no? -smiles innocently-
Frizz: Yes I am so glad that you love me, I would hate to lose my eyes. They are kind of necessary for me to write my story. And Mr. Cocky gave a big grin and "Thank you" for letting him have his dessert finally.

Anonymous Sister of the Author
thank god! i thought something had happened to you!!! and thank you mr. cocky and sapphiredog!! CHEESE!!
ASOTA
Frizz: Nope! I'm still here...just spreading myself too far between stories I think.

Suki Rios
^^ i liked eet....even though i love Sephy a lot, being a holster for death penalty is just desserts. update soon! i wanna see what happens next~~~~!
Frizz: Glad you like it. I was worried that the Sephy lovers would lynch me for this one.

MR COCKY
*grins innocently distracting Frizzy as 7 robo ponies 5 robo kitties and one marshmallow colored snake surround asota and sapph making strange noises* "Meow honey"*wile secretly signaling army to attack all at once they pounce
marshmallow snake glomps asota first
Frizz: *groans* Oh no. Love you too dear....

AnimeFanGrrl-4-Life
Geh! Seph got what he deserved. I hope there's more. As always waiting for your next chapter doesn't disappoint. UPDATE SOON! FanGrrl wants more of Sephy torture! Painfully waiting for the next chapter :P

Fan-of-u-4-life
* * * * * * *
Frizz: Sephy torture has been put on pause for development between Sin and Vince...hope it will tide you over till the next chapter.

SapphireDoG
*eyes the marshmallow fiend warily as it glomps asota, keeping an eye on the army of soon to be scrap metal* hmmm I wonder if there's a microwave big enough to stuff that snake in...*readies paperclip and casts Protect on self, readying my watera and thundra spells while firaga for back up* -evil grin- Attack if you dare!!! MWAHAHAHA
Frizz: *slowly walks away* If you two kill each other, please just don't get blood on the carpet. It's a bitch to get out.

fyrbyrd
Ohhh nasty Sin. Loved the end bit, just what the bastard deserves. Can't to read more.
Frizz: Totally LOL Well, here's some more for ya.

viva_rose
Heh. evil glee, and a delicious vengeance thus far, i'm intrigued by Sin's mental movements. this will be most interesting :D
Frizz: Sin is fun yet really really difficult to write sometimes.

Kuragari
I gotta admit... Chaos has... what's the word to use here.. style? I dunno but I like it! curious to see what Sin's up to and don't worry, writer's block and internet failure suck and I'm always happy to wait as long as it takes for the next chapter... you still update faster than almost everyone I read on this site! ^^ good to see you again can't wait for the next chapter!
Frizz: Yes, he has alot of style. I am just glad you all have stuck around through this insanity. I was worried I might scare some people away.

Kiheki
@@....I hope Chaos tells Vincent to clean his gun REALLY well......

This story intrigues me, I do hope you update soon!
Frizz: Verrrrryyyy well. Definitely going to need to be sterilized and cleaned for a week.

AnimeFanGrrl-4-Life
AAARRRGGG!!! Post soon, please!!

Fan-of-u-4-life
* * * * * * *
Frizz: Sorry sorry! Here!

A/N: Ok, now apparently there is a war going on. I am just going to watch the fun, responding to each piece would just take away from the hilarity. You two have fun now!

MR COCKY
*watching sapphire with glee as the robo kitties start to attack the magical shield, robo ponies surround saphire and face away from her* "they have been modified to resist emp electric and water attacks, though the feline portion of my army will have a amusing reaction to water. then again your shield will only last so long" *Mr cocky tosses a large bottle of caster oil at sapphire's feet* "you might want to run now" *confused, the marshmallow snake just cuddles asota, covering her eyes


SapphireDoG
*stares at the attack with both an amused and bored looks, rolling the bottle of oil around will my foot* I never run from a battle -grins evilly- *Rolls bottle one last time before swiftly catching my boot under it and hurling the object at the army before casting fire spell on the simple oil. The bottle explodes, creating a small enough boom to knock the attackers away from the shield. While they are down, throws out a stronger fira attack, followed by thundera* -le sign- This will get us no where in the end Mr.Cocky. I could do this for hours. *Twirls paperclip around, reaching down to pull a silenced pistol from my boot, snapping in 6 rounds of explosive mercury tipped rounds* But attack some more if you must C:


MR COCKY
*MR COCKY giggles with glee as the robo ponies back up* "you did a good job of exploding an empty bottle" *the robo ponies reposition themselves as MR COCKY casts dispel* "ready, aim, fire!" *the robo ponies lift their tails and emit a now electrified barrage of caster oil onto sapphire as a now terrified marshmallow snake squeezes asota tighter* "well I am glad the lack of training for the snake is paying off. dont worry little girl, I can easily replace the ponies fur"


SapphireDoG
*Cusses profoundly as little zaps shoot through body" ******* ****! *flops down on my butt, feeling as if I just got hit with Reno's EMR and quickly recast's shell,protect, and reflect. Swallows down a potion before shaking the oil off.* Mehhh....cheap shot. -cracks neck and rolls shoulders- Thats it...-grips clip tightly, spinning pistol before cocking it- IT.IS.ON! Sorry frizzy, but your sweet old mr.cocky is getting a butt whoopin'! And I ain't holden back, even if I have to bite and claw! *Growls before leaping at army, weapons posed and spell at the ready*

To Be Continued....