Author's note: Welcome! I figured I should start this off with a quick note. Usually, I leave these towards the end of the chapter, but given it's the first chapter I should do a little introductory. Those who read this story before today (today being 8/11/11) will notice that the first three chapters are different from what you remember. When I took a small *coughlongcough* hiatus from this, I was dissatisfied with it. I felt like I could do a lot better job than I had been. Thus, a rewrite was born. I like this version ten times, and I hope my old readers will at least be happy with it.

For those who are new, welcome! Dogs and Butterflies was initially inspired by a challenge issued by ita-chan-01 long ago for some good Angeal/original character stories, and by the Loveless story itself. I could see Sephiroth as the Hero, and Genesis as the Wanderer, which left Angeal as the Prisoner. Now, I'm aware that in-story that the Loveless poem/prophecy/whatever actually related to Zack more than our winged trio (if I remember right, that is) but I took the plot bunny and ran with it. But no, this is not going to be a lovey-dovey romance story at first. I tend to write my stories with a good amount of common sense. And common sense tells me most women would not fall immediately in love with a soldier that was invading her country, if at all. Especially if she's as protective, stubborn, and prideful of her county as our protagonist is.

And, I admit, I do love torturing characters, especially when it's romance stories. But don't worry, there is romance, there is fluff, there is humor (both dry, macabre, and normal) and possibly a happy ending. Depending on a) my mood when I finish this, b) the poll currently on my profile, and c) my reviewers demands. I do listen to my reviewers, and take any suggestions into consideration.

With that out of the way, all we have left is the disclaimer, (which disclaims the entire story, I'm not posting it on every single chapter) and then on to the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Final Fantasy Series, including Final Fantasy VII and all its spinoffs. I do claim all the original characters within this story, so if you don't recognize the characters from the games, they're mine. But, if for some strange reason you want to borrow them, feel free. I just ask that you give me a message so I can know. This includes parodies and flames if you wish. I love laughing at myself!

Dogs and Butterflies

Loveless: Act II (Poem)
There is no hate, only joy
For you are beloved by the goddess
Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds

Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul
Pride is lost
Wings stripped away, the end is nigh

Act II (Interpreted)
Though the prisoner escapes, he is gravely wounded
His life is saved, however
By a woman of the opposing nation

He begins a life of seclusion with her
Which seems to hold the promise of eternal bliss

But as happiness grows, so does guilt
Of not fulfilling the oath to his friends

Chapter One

Chou looked over the ruined rice field, filled with the bodies of SOLDIER and Wutai alike. The scene was sickening to her, and only fueled her hated for SOLDIER and their master, Shinra. She clenched her fist and held back her tears. She had to perform her duties as chief priestess and prepare her countrymen's bodies. The only reason why Wutai had won this battle, if their survival could be truly counted as a victory, was that a troop from Fort Tamblin had seen the SOLDIERs heading towards the village. They had warned the villagers in time to set up crude but effective traps before retreating to the surrounding mountains. Still, the battle had been a bloody massacre for both sides.

Leviathan help her, she was going to have a long night.

"Miss Chou! Miss Chou!" The woman looked up from the devastated field and towards the village behind her. She could easily recognize the trio running along the carved path. The tallest and eldest was Mami, an 11-year-old girl with her brown hair pulled back into quickly braided pig tails and both her light brown skin and plain blue dress covered in mud, who was closely followed by her twin brothers, Hiruki and Sora. They looked nearly alike, if Sora didn't happen to be a few inches smaller than his brother. They had short brown hair like their sister, their tunics and pants were absolutely smothered in mud, and they had lost their shoes, again.

"You three should not be out here! There may still be traps!" she snapped at them, the last thing she needed was to bury the three children as well!

"Nobuo told us too!" Mami countered, not bothered by the priestess' temper. The whole village was on edge with nerves frayed. "He said it was important~!"

"Very important! Very important!" the twins echoed their sister.

"He said to come asap!"

"Asap! Asap!"

Chou frowned as she wondered why Nobuo needed her. Usually he referred to the village's healer, Tara, better known as Baba, or his eldest son, Wu. "Alright, but keep close to me," she commanded before leading the children back to the small village.

The village of Yezo was tucked in the western mountains of Wutai, it wasn't big with about 15 different families living there for many generations. Neither was it frequented by outsides since it was a hard and long trek from the main road. Before the attack, the small homes had been in a very protective circle, with a protective wall to defend them. Now the wall was all but destroyed, mostly from their surprise explosives, and the homes were in ruins. With winter only a few months away, they were surly headed for a hard time.

Thankfully, Nobuo's house still stood in the middle of the village, though part of his south wall had a gaping hole in it. However, what surprised Chou was the fact the entire village seemed to be gathered outside the home, and Wu seemed to be the only thing from preventing them from storming the house. Nevertheless, the crowd parted, allowing Chou and the children to pass through the crowd unheeded.

Wu gave Chou a dark look, his large arms crossed in front of his muscular chest. He was easily the strongest man in the village, and the most intimidating with his black eyes, bald head, and an irezumi tattoo covering most of his upper body. "I was told that Nobuo needed to see me," Chou said.

Wu snarled a little but stepped aside to allow her past, but prevented the trio of children from following her. "But Wu…" The children complained, but Chou was more interested in the small group standing around a partially hidden body. Baba was knelt next to the man. No one knew exactly how old she was, but she looked ancient with deep wrinkles in her face, her skin hanging slightly on her slight frame. However, she was anything but frail. Many wondered if it was a trait of her people, since she was born and raised not in Wutai, but the Northern Continent before meeting her late husband and moving into their village. Next to her sat her assistant-slash-apprentice, Yuki. Yuki was a kindly soft-spoken young woman, but today she wasn't as elegant as she usually looked. Her black hair was in a messy bun, her top stained with both dirt and blood, and her pants had been ripped off at the knee, probably used as makeshift bandages.

Standing near the wall, Nobuo was looking at the body with disdain. Their leader was somewhere in his fifties, and looked well for his age. Most of his brown hair was shaved except a long braid that fell to his waist. His clothes were not soiled, but didn't look as well kept as usual.

"Chou!" her name was shouted as the youngest person in the room saw her. Her sister Suzu instantly rushed across the room to drag her closer to where she had been standing next to Baba and Yuki. "Tell them we can't kill him! It's against the Teachings!"

For a moment, Chou was confused about what her younger sister was talking about until she took a closer look at the injured person. The man laying on the floor was not one of their warriors in critical condition, but a SOLDIER. Hatred flared passionately as soon as she saw the man's uniform, tattered as it may have been. "Sir," she asked as she looked up at Nobuo, knowing the elderly leader hated SOLDIER just as much as she did, if not more. "With all respect, what is it doing here?"

That angered her sister. "Chou!" Suzu scolded, "He's an injured SOLDIER! As Priestess's of Leviathan, we cannot let the villagers kill him!"

"SOLDIER deserves to die!" Chou argued back. "They've killed hundreds of our people with little loss! They want to destroy everything we have just to make money!"

"But the teachings…" Suzu began, but was quickly silence by Nobuo himself.

"Ifrit has not done the horrors Shinra has inflicted on our people," Nobuo's strong voice quieted the entire room. "We need to show Shinra that even though we are but a small village we will not bend to their will."

"But we can't compromise our own integrity!" Suzu argued back, "Then we'd be no better than they are!"

Nobuo sighed as he turned his attention to Chou. "You are the Chief Priestess of Leviathan's temple. It is up to you what happens."

Chou bit her lip, looking from him to the SOLDIER. He didn't look like he was even still alive! His skin was pale, he was covered in mud and blood, and barely breathing. "Baba," she said quietly, "Would he even survive?"

Suzu lit up while Nobuo's frown intensified. Baba, however gave her a grim smile. "It's a toss up to tell. If anything, SOLDIERs are resilient. His bleeding as stopped, for now, but he's at a high risk for infection, and many of his wounds need to be sutured."

Not for the first time, Chou sincerely wished that she didn't have the responsibilities that fell on her. She strongly agreed with Nobuo; SOLDIER deserved to die after what they have done to them as a country. Who knows how many lives this one SOLDIER took? However, she had taken an oath to uphold all of Leviathan's teachings. And Suzu was right, if a man survived battle, it was wrong to kill him when he was unable to defend himself.

"I take it you would want us to care for him?" she asked as she looked from Baba to Nobuo.

He nodded his head, resigned. "The villagers will be busy trying to salvage what we can of our crops, and rebuilding their homes…"

"And I have several wounded men to care for," Baba continued. "This man will need intensive care."

Chou nodded her head, "Very well."

As soon as she spoke those words, Suzu squealed as she wrapped her arms around her tightly. "Thank you Chou! Thank you thank you thank you!"

"If he tries to attack us, I will defend us whether he is injured or not," she stated coldly. The young woman looked over to Nobuo, who had a grim expression. "I apologize…"

The old man shook his head. "Do not apologize for upholding the teachings. Your father would be proud. I will stand behind your decision and assure that the people will respect it as well."

"So, we're not killing him?" Wu snarled as he made his presence known. Mami, Hiruki, and Sora darted in, gaping at the SOLDIER as Baba and Yuki stood up, ready to defend their patient from the hot headed man and the angry and curious villagers peeking in. "He's a SOLDIER!"

"We are well aware of this," Nobuo answered his eldest son. "But we will not be like them. We will follow Leviathan's teachings, and He will look upon us favorably."

"He will stab us in the back," one of the others shouted. "Slaughter us for our good will!"

"Trust that one good thing will lead to another," Baba said softly, though with enough volume it silenced everyone. As village healer, and one of the trusted elders, her words were as important as Nobuo's. "Now, who will help us carry him to the Temple?"

Unsurprisingly, most of the villagers found a reason to leave quickly, until Wu and his younger brother, Daichi remained. Daichi looked a lot like his brother, with plenty of muscles and a tall stature, except he had short black hair, lacked the full body tattoo, and was an exact opposite attitude wise.

"We'll help!" Mami piped up, reminding everyone that they had snuck in.

Yuki smiled at the three, "Why don't you carry our supplies?"

The village's temple was one of the few things untouched by the battle, which was solely due to the fact it was high in one of the mountains surrounding the village. A well-worn path wound its way through the thick forest, small wooden footbridges crossing the multiple small streams that trickled down, leading them to Leviathan's Temple.

Unlike the buildings below, the temple was not made of wood and stone, but carved into the mountain itself. The only thing man made about the building was the intricate carvings of Leviathan in the bare stone, bordering the heavy wooden doors, also carved carefully with the deity along with the other Summons.

"In here," Suzu said as she led Daichi and Wu through the winding caves inside the temple to her room. On the way up, she and Chou agreed that she could stay in Chou's room while the SOLDIER slept in hers. Chou's room was larger, and it made her older sister feel better about letting the enemy live in their temple. As a priestess of Leviathan, there wasn't much in Suzu's room, decorative fans that their father brought from the Wutai capital before his death, and beautiful lengths of fabric that she had lined the boring grey walls with.

Wu snarled a bit as he and his brother set the SOLDIER down on the teen's bedroll. As soon as the man was down, he stormed out of her room, and a moment later, Suzu could hear the temple door slam shut as he left the building.

"He certainly has a temper, that one," Baba commented lightly as she set down their supplies while her assistant carefully removed the SOLDIER's top with a pair of bandage scissors. Half way up the mountain, the children had predictably tired out, and had headed back home leaving Baba to carry the basket of medical supplies.

"I agree with him," Chou said quietly as she paused at the doorway to pull back the sheer blue curtains that acted as a door. "This is very dangerous."

Daichi offered the woman one of his lazy smiles, making a show to flex his muscles. "You want me to stay here?"

Suzu and Yuki giggled while the other two women just rolled their eyes, either too old to be interested by the young man's display, or plain annoyed by it. "No, we can take care of ourselves," Chou said sternly, her hands unconsciously moving to the dagger at her waist. It was usually just for ceremonies, but its blade was still sharp as any other.

Daichi didn't seemed upset by Chou's austerity, but leaned towards Suzu and said in a faux whisper, "You want me to stay here and protect him?"

"Why don't you head back to the village?" Baba answered as Suzu broke into a fit of giggles. She could easily tell by the look on the elder sister's face she was becoming quickly annoyed by Daichi's antics. "A lot needs to be done before nightfall."

He frowned as he looked back at the elder, but nodded his head. "Right. If you excuse me ladies…" He bowed towards the healers than to the sisters before showing himself out.

"Really Chou," Suzu huffed, crossing her arms. "He was just kidding! You know, trying to lighten the mood? After everything that's happened, I think that's what everyone needs!"

Chou frowned, but instead of arguing with her sister she asked, "Would you perform the burial rights for those who have fallen?"

Instantly, Suzu's anger disappeared. "You'd let me do that?" She asked with a grin on her face. Unlike Chou, who grudgingly had accepted the title of priestess, Suzu loved her destined career, and had always wished she was allowed to do more duties that were reserved for the head priestess.

"You know the ritual," she stated, waving her had, "go prepare." Suzu squealed as she quickly hugged her sister before running out the door towards where the herbs and incense were stored.

"That was nice of you," Yuki mentioned as she took the metal needle from Baba and handed her a square of white cloth and a length of binding. While the others had been arguing, Baba and Yuki had cleaned and sutured the larger wounds.

"Some would argue that it's against the rules," Chou said quietly. None at the village would, but those from the outside would. Chou remembered clearly the lecture she had received from a traveling priest when he found out how many sacred duties she let the younger priestess perform.

"I believe it is doesn't matter who does it," Baba said quietly. "As long as they know and believe what they are doing." She finished binding the bandage before smiling. "There, our job is done. I would clean out the rest but…"

"The others need you," Chou acknowledged. "You have provided enough attention to… him. I will handle it."

It took Baba a moment to get up from the cushion placed at the SOLDIER's bedroll, and winced as she stretched lightly. "I believe I might be too old for this," she said lightly, and smiled when both Yuki and Chou frowned. "Relax girls, you're not getting rid of me yet. But I won't be able to make up here every day, Chou. I will send Yuki in my place."

The younger healer smiled, though there was a tinge of fear to it. "If that is what you wish…"

"I can handle it," Chou assured both of them. "There's no need for either of you to shirk your duties to the village because of this." Yuki gave her a relieved smile, while Baba's was smaller with a small glint in her eyes that made the priestess felt uncomfortable. Whenever the Elder had that look in her eyes, there was no stopping what she was planning.

"I will send the children up with medicines once we've overcome the worse," Baba placed an old hand on the young woman's shoulder. "And don't hesitate to ask for help for anything."

Chou nodded her head, "Yes, Baba." Both of them knew Chou was generally too bullheaded and prideful to ask for help; that was why Suzu had grown to be so pushy, because her older sister wouldn't accept help in any other way. Still, Baba tried to be the loving grandmother figure, and Chou tried to be the respectful young woman.

The priestess saw the pair to the temple doors, bowing slightly and said her goodbyes before closing the doors. For a moment, she rested her forehead against the cool wooden door, her hands gripping the carved body of Leviathan. What had she done? Allowing a SOLDIER to recuperate in the holy temple? She was putting not only herself and Suzu at risk, but the entire village! The SOLDIER would surely kill them as soon as it was strong enough, and go on to kill her countrymen.

One hand dropped to her dagger on her waist, her fingers dancing on the jewels encrusted hilt. She could end this right here, right now. She felt detached as she stood up and made her way to her little sister's room. She paused after moving the blue curtains hiding the SOLDIER, and slowly drew her blade. It looked so weak, so pale as it laid on Suzu's bed roll, the tattered shirt removed revealing a strongly defined set of muscles covered in wounds, blood, and mud. It's black hair contrasted with its pale skin, and she wondered numbly if the skin was always that pale, or if it was the result of blood loss.

There was a large gash on its chest midline of his chest, right where the heart should be. It would be so easy to plunge her dagger in. It would be the perfect solution, she could save numerable lives, and defend that she was just ending the SOLDIER's suffering.

She knelt down on a cushion next to the bedroll. One stab. That would be all it took. She had killed monster before that had trailed to close to the village before. What difference was there between the monsters and SOLDIERs? They may look human, but they weren't. Any humanity they had been washed away by whatever magic or science that made them different, gave them their inhuman strength.

She raised her dagger and placed a hand on the SOLDIER's chest, ready to strike.

A/n: So yes, far from a happy beginning. Any questions? Comments? Criticisms? Leave a review and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks for reading!