Daggers and Flowers

Chapter 8- Nightmare

"Who- what?" Lyra shook herself loose and backed away, startled and confused. She didn't hear these strange men enter the Church, and the doors were very loud and one of them was warped. "Who the- who are you?"

The blond man wearing the fancy white suit held up a hand and the other two men backed off, standing behind him. They stared holes into her head, and she wasn't comfortable with being alone with them.

Where the hell was Yuffie?!

"It's okay, we aren't going to hurt you," the blond man said. "I thought that I would find you here."

All the blood in Lyra's veins dropped to her feet. She went still, wondering what this man was trying to do. The bald man sighed and whispered something to the blond man. He laughed, which startled Lyra, and he shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he finally managed to say. "That sounded awful."

Lyra eyed the doors behind him. How could she get through them without the other two men stopping her? They were much bigger than her, and she didn't want to ruin the flowers with her fire and ice.

That was silly of her to think, that flowers in a church were worth more than her life, but she felt that they were important. She could still hear the voices there in the buzzing, but it was muted by her fear.

"What do you want with me?" She almost cringed at how small her voice was.

The man smiled, handing her a glossy white business card. Lyra took it, reading the script inlaid on a diamond. "Just wanted to meet you. I've heard so much already."

President Rufus Shinra.

Realization dawned on her, remembering something that Tifa had told her about the Shinra Electric Power Company. She put two and two together and gathered that this man was dangerous just for his affiliation with the evil utility company. She glanced at him, the card still in her hands.

He didn't know that she knew who he was, though he continued to smile at her. His smile seemed plastic and fake the more she looked at it. She wasn't stupid, but she had to act it if she was to get out and find Yuffie.

"Oh. How nice," She tried handing back the card, but he refused to take it back.

"Keep it," he said. "You might need to get in contact someday."

Lyra didn't like how he said that.

"Of course. Well, I'm Lyra."

The man's plastic smile didn't waver, and he swept his hands to the men at his side. "It is very nice to meet you Lyra. These are my Turks, Reno and Rude."

The bald man nodded at her while the redhead smirked and gave her a cocky wave. Lyra frowned at the redhead. Something in his eyes was off and he seemed shocked despite the smirk and wave. Lyra blinked and his shock was gone.

"Right," she said. "What are Turks?"

"Bodyguards," Rufus said. The redhead snickered.

"And hitmen. Assassins. Badasses," the redhead mumbled. The bald man glared at him, adjusting his sunglasses.

"Reno," he warned. The redhead mumbled some more and smirked at her again.

"Sorry," he said. Lyra shook her head and took a deep breath, rubbing the headache from her temples. Of course, they were hitmen and assassins. And of course, they were the president of an evil utility's company bodyguards. Who else would be crazy enough to keep him from harm?

Lyra almost cried when the door to the Church swung open, Yuffie running inside. She skid to a stop in the aisle, staring at the men before Lyra. Her mouth opened and shut like a fish and her hand immediately went to her phone and a glowing orb.