Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Prophetic Fulfillment ❯ Through the Looking Glass. ( Chapter 9 )

"I'm not the same fumbling rookie you remember..." ~Elena

And oh so sick I am.
And maybe I don't have a choice
And maybe that is all I have
And maybe this is a cry for help

I do not want this.

"I Do Not Want This."
Nine Inch Nails

"So something's going to happen?"

Nanaki growled under his breath, the fiery hairs on the back of his neck bristling up in annoyance. He hoped, desperately that he didn't look as frustrated as he felt, trying his hardest not to bare his fangs and say something biting and sarcastic. That was Reno's territory, an area Nanaki felt he should never venture into. He was far too mature for that...

It was always the same, and that's what got to him. The questions - each a different reiteration of what was previously asked, or stated. He could almost hear the words springing forth from Reeve's mouth long before they were uttered -

"When? What is it?"

It was difficult, trying to hide the feelings - the constant need to roar, scream, or laugh. Two questions in one.

"We do not know." Nanaki managed, knowing the response he was about to receive.

"What do you mean you don't know? Isn't this a kind of important thing?"

Elena. Sometimes things just didn't register too easily for the blonde. And, although Nanaki had to admit, at least internally, that her sheer force of determination, and her ambition, combined with her strange, downright naive nature was, in fact, almost endearing, she could be... well... annoying.

Annoyed was Nanaki's emotion of the moment. Annoyed. Annoyed. Annoyed.

But he had to hide it. That was his job within the group. Despite the age he actually was, mentally, he had to be the mature one. The one with his feet - all four of them, on the ground. He was the good one, the wise one, the patient one.

Holy... I'm really tiring of this...

"The scrolls aren't exactly specific... Rather they allude to the event which will happen... the evil..." He sat on his haunches, sheathing and unsheathing his claws in a vain attempt to control himself.

"Something..." Rude spoke up from his corner. Low, soft, almost silently.

Nanaki looked down at his claws. "Yes. Something."

It was definitely shaping up to be a productive day for Avalanche, the presidency of Neo-Midgar, and everyone else enlisted to help. They had arrived at the Wutaian palace, Yuffie greeting the group, or at least most of them, heartily, leading them into the meeting room where the briefing proceeded. All of Avalanche were present, save Barret and Vincent, a fact that seemed to phase Yuffie slightly. Despite the fact that she was, in fact, the Lady of Wutai, taking over the country when her father stepped down some few months prior, she still maintained a certain degree of youthfulness. Not that she couldn't be serious now that she was 21, she'd just been looking forward to teasing Vincent... Especially since Reno seemed less than apt to play into her fun.

Reno. He seemed faraway, slightly morose, eerily serious. Elena was the most outwardly perturbed by this fact. Rude most likely also noticed the emotional state his former partner was in, but Elena couldn't leave it at that, glancing his way, hoping for some quip or retort to come from his corner. He seemed tired, she could sense that something was wrong. When he did look up, he seemed to be glancing toward the mysterious girl in the other corner... The black haired girl who was likewise silent, staring down at the ground. Reno had yet to acknowledge the Turks' presence.

"So all you know is that something is coming?" Reeve was obviously the most level-headed of his group. He'd yet to wrap his head around the notion that not much was known about the prophecy.

"...Well... there is more." Nanaki stated, hesitation present in his voice.

Elena's head shot toward the red beast, her dilemma concerning Reno momentarily forgotten. "Well why didn't you say so?!"

Nanaki stood up, stretched his front legs and sat back down. "You did not give me a chance." He paused a moment, waiting for the woman to settle down. There is mentioning of the chosen one who will vanquish this evil..."

"Chosen one?" Reeve seemed confused.

"Yes... there have been several. Generally whenever something threatens the planet, a chosen one is called..."

"Aeris..." Cloud said softly from near Nanaki.

"Yes... It is my belief that Aeris was, in fact, one."

"Well, this shouldn't be too difficult. We'll just knock on everyone's door, 'Hey, are you the chosen one who will vanquish an oncoming evil?' Heh... maybe we can even print up some fliers." Rude glanced as Elena silently. Somehow she'd gotten really cynical...

Reno shifted in his seat. Nanaki couldn't keep his mouth shut about these things... He just hoped Red would redeem himself by not mentioning his beliefs...

Thankfully, Nanaki seemed to be catching on. Either that or he figured that it should be up to Reno to explain the circumstances to his former coworkers? Friends? Things were getting out of hand... the confusion was... annoying. He stood up and headed for the door. "I will keep you all posted. Cosmanii scholars are working on translating, piecing together, and making sense of the scrolls, but it is tedious. The language is ancient and they have been damaged by fire." He made a motion to Cloud. He was through. Meeting adjourned.

Reno was the first to leave, as silently as he had been since his left the Highwind.

She couldn't believe him!

Elena looked around, desperately wondering where Reno had disappeared to. Everyone had evidently left for their rooms, or gone someplace within the Wutaian palace. Tifa and Reeve were left in the meeting room, Yuffie helping straightening up some of the chairs.

"So you'll be helping us?"

"Of course! Whatever this is, it is threatening Midgar as well."

As much as their political, planet loving talk was interesting, she had more important things to do, like lynching a certain redhead.

Heading toward the entertainment room, Elena spotted another redhead. Nanaki.

Alright... So...

Reno sat alone on his still made bed, staring to the cool, slightly frosted windows. It had been unseasonably cold in Wutai, the mountain air helping the weather little. It was unusual to experience snow in the region, but cool rains were normal, depending on the surrounding waters. There was a reason the island was so green.

He sighed, trying to piece together the remnants of his sanity. Thankfully Nanaki had left the room to him, wandered off to speak to Gen. Thus he was left to mull over the past few days. The past forty eight hours in particular.

"Okay... So I used Ultima... and I've never had the materia..." He paced, his posture slouched as it usually was. No one would see, or care. No reason to fake professionalism. He sighed. "So... what? Can I do this whenever?" He paused, growled, and glared up at the ceiling, waiting for a response. "Answer me! Say something! Are you really that useless?! No wonder you always need their hel..."

"Who are you talking to?"

Reno's gaze shot to the door, his green eyes wide in shock. "Huh?"

The door opened wider, to reveal blue and blonde. Elena stood on the other end, her face a mix of amusement and concern. Reno berated himself silently. He knew he should have shut the door when Red left. Alas...

She cautiously entered. Reno had always treated her like a sister, albeit like a weak, younger sister, but deep down, she'd always felt somewhat close to him. When Shinra fell, something inside Reno seemed to break. She could see it coming, especially after Tseng's death. He'd resorted to drinking heavier than usual, oftentimes alone. He'd become withdrawn. He looked even more bedraggled, but acted even more ruthless once his mentor was gone. The death of Shinra only worsened things. She knew he'd never exactly liked the company, knew that he did what he did for the gil. Maybe things had caught up with him? She'd never been sure. When Reeve came into power, things took a turn for the worse in their trio. He'd been offered head position in the intelligence agency... Reeve's Turks, but had turned it down without reason. Just said no. He'd shortly disappeared.

She hadn't seen him in over four years. He was... different.

"Red told me you'd be here." Elena tested the waters. "So... how are things?" She didn't know how to deal with him anymore.

"...sub-par." Reno looked out to the window.

Tension hung in the air in thick layers, blanketing the room like scratchy wool. Reno's whole demeanor told Elena that she should leave him be, allow him to deal with things on his own. Despite this, she pushed herself forward, vaulting herself into things, "So... What do you think's going on?"

Reno snorted softly, "You heard Red... Who knows?"

"You know that isn't what I'm talking about. Nice try though, I'll give you that." She moved forward, sitting down next to him, invading his privacy just short of digging through is bags. Reno continued to stare outside.

"...Something's different. You don't look the same."

Reno smirked and glanced her way, bringing his hand to touch the still sore darkened spot below his eye. "Yeah... women..."

"...That isn't what I meant." Elena offered a small smile and shook her head. "It's something else... You aren't the same at all..."

He swallowed in spite of himself, his gaze drifting back to the tan carpeting. Was it really that obvious? Elena had always been the slowest to catch on... her mouth moved faster than her brain. If it was that obvious to her, than how did things seem to Reeve? Rude? He could feel his left hand inadvertently beginning to tremble slightly. He clenched his fist and absentmindedly patted down his jacket. "I need a cigarette..."

Finally finding a stray one in his pocket, he lit it shakily and took a drag. Elena watched him thoughtfully. For as many vices and addictions which plagued her friend, it was almost comforting to see that this hadn't changed much. Sad, but comforting. She coughed, breaking the silence.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

He stared at the burning paper, the wisps of smoke floating to the ceiling. Why did things have to progress here? Truthfully, Reno didn't have a reason. Or at least he didn't have a good one.

"You didn't even say goodbye... Or hello..." She dug her boot into the carpet. "I thought the worst, but hoped for the best... I..."

"I'm not Reno of the Turks anymore."

"...I know..."

"Then why?"

Elena sighed, a growl of a sigh and looked up. "I thought we were friends Reno. It was more than just about the job... I dunno." She fingered the hem of her blue jacket. The attire hadn't changed in five years. "We've missed you. Rude... he doesn't say anything, but I can tell. Things aren't the same."

"I'm... I'll never be that person again."

"I know! But..." Her voice trailed off as she looked back to the floor. What was the use of arguing? Nothing was being solved... Reno finished off the cigarette and dumped the remaining portion into a decorative Wutaian tea cup. Tension again. He wished he had some inkling of what to do, what to say.

"So... who's the girl?"

Reno blinked in surprise, stiffening slightly. "Genesis?"

"Black and silver hair. Sits up really straight. Quiet. Won't make eye contact with you..."

"Yeah... Gen." He tried to hide the anxiousness at his mentioning her name.

"Well?" Despite his attempts, Elena noticed. "Who is she?"

He shifted in his seat again, seemingly preoccupied with the over-softness of the cushions, the sinking feeling both on the bed as well as in his stomach. She had to find out eventually - that he wasn't what he thought he was, who he thought he was. Then again, it was difficult enough for him to come to terms with it. "I used to know her when I was a kid... Our families were friends." He bit his tongue, knowing that Elena was bound to be confused, over several things.

"She doesn't look like a Slum kid..."

"She isn't."

"But...?" Elena looked at him quizzically. "But if you were raised in Midgar..."

Reno stood up and walked to the window. "I used to live in Cosmo Canyon when I was younger... Then we moved... Junon maybe... I don't know..." He squinted outside, watching flocks of birds descending upon their nesting grounds. He paused a moment, hearing the distinct sound of Elena rising from the bed and walking toward him. She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and felt him flinch slightly against her touch. He'd never been too comfortable with physical contact, despite his familiarity with the opposite sex.

"There's more to this than you're letting on."

Reno laughed softly, the first genuine laugh she'd heard from him in years. "When did you get so observant, Rookie?"

She smiled and yanked his red ponytail playfully. "I'm not the same fumbling rookie you remember."

"Have you heard of a magic that can allow one to see the past or the future?"

Nanaki looked up at Genesis in puzzlement. She had been silent, stoic since they left the airship, and though he was curious as to what was bothering her, he decided against pursuing what had happened. She'd tell him, he figured, in her own time. For now, she seemed determined, as determined as she had been when he first met her to go over the archaeological finds. She paced the length of the entertainment room, as Nanaki sat, perched on a large futon. "There is a fabled ability to experience the past and future, but no such magic, so far as I've heard of." He swished his tail back and forth in thoughtfulness. "However, there is much which we do not know."

Gen sighed and plopped herself onto the chair next to him, slouching in an uncharacteristic manner. "I suppose you're right. This is driving me absolutely crazy." She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"Why do you ask?"

Gen was silent a moment, mulling over her next response carefully. She had to say something, but there were some things she wished not to admit... "Just... something I've been wondering... It's of no consequence to what is occurring..."

Nanaki stretched his forepaws and jumped off the cushions. "I understand that this most likely has to do with something deeply personal, however if this does relate to the problem at hand... You'll know where to find me. Something doesn't smell right... I'm going to go speak with Cloud and Tifa."

"Yes... I understand." Gen watched her friend exit the room, and stood up. Something didn't feel right...

Something felt off...

Reno clenched his fists, and looked around the room frantically, almost forgetting Elena's presence. She had been in the middle of asking something, her question lost in air drenched with an aura of innate evil. Something was in the room, something that didn't belong. If only he...

"Dammit, are you listening to me?!" Her voice cut through Reno's senses, jarring him, making his ears ring. He was trying to listen for something, something incredibly low pitched that Elena, obviously did not notice. He raised his hand to his ear, involuntarily, and growled to his friend, "You still talk too much..."

She was about to respond when she saw a look of restrained pain wash over Reno's features. "Are you okay?"

He winced and squinted his eyes, trying to get used to the slowly rumbling frequency along with a wail of terror from the planet. He looked up to the full length mirror in front of them, watching his reflection lose focus, the reality once plainly visible fuzzing out and swirling, creating inky blackness. He placed an arm in front of Elena, pushing himself between the woman and the growing vortex within the reflective glass. Elena was silent. Reno tried to stifle back a tremble as the planet's terror intensified... This was like nothing he had ever seen.

A figure appeared, beautiful with long dark blue hair and glowing reddish golden eyes. She smiled coldly as she stepped out from the glass, her high black boots echoing within the room, the sound making Reno swallow in fear. She was real... this couldn't be happening.

She continued walking and laughed as she cupped Reno's face in her hand. "I'm as real as the come." He stared into her eyes, entranced, warning bells going off in the back of his head... How can she hear my thoughts? What? What?!

"It's a gift." She stroked the side of his face, the velvet of her gloves coming into contact with the smoothness of scar tissue. He gritted his teeth, anger setting in. This felt wrong... He could practically smell the evil within her. Her hand traced the contours of his face, down the curve of his neck and resting on his chest as she deftly unbuttoned the material, lingering over his rapidly beating heart.

"You're more beautiful than I would have imagined... And your will is strong... But your powers are..." She began stroking the flesh of his chest, smirking as she felt him catch a shudder before it would be too outwardly noticeable, "Underdeveloped..." Her other arm wound around his still form, massaging his shoulders, caressing his back, and bringing his body closer to her. She stared him, eye to eye, reading the combined hatred and fear within. She could see the emerald fire vaguely glow, the power within him rising, but not phasing her in the least. She pressed her open mouth against his own, embracing him in an unrequited kiss. She lingered a moment, then pulled away slowly, biting down on his lower lip, relishing the iron taste of blood. "A pity... I will have to end you... cut out your heart..." The woman licked the blood off his lips, "End your blood-line." She massaged his chest, and pulled away, "You could have been my own."

Reno blinked drowsily, stumbling back a step. It felt like a dream, he wished it had been. Somehow he had broken free form the hold, a rush of adrenaline pounding within his veins as he realized it had, most likely, been the intervention of the Planet. The woman raised her hand, a ball of energy growing as she aimed for himself and Elena. She intended to destroy him, but he had other plans.

"Annihilation!" She sent the magic crashing forward, as he took a sidestep, guarding Elena. He raised his arms and uttered the prayerful request, "Wall."

A softly glowing field surrounded the pair, dimly glowing blue. The power smashed into the wall, the force sending Elena and Reno skidding to their knees. He panted softly, willing the shield to stay secure. The woman growled and shot an angry gaze toward him.

"Maybe I've underestimated you... But you will be destroyed..." She backed up slowly until she disappeared within the vortex of the mirror.

Reno watched the glass, warily, waiting until it returned to normal, until he saw his bedraggled appearance once more, his eyes glowing a bright emerald color behind the bluish color of his Wall spell. He released the spell and fell back, weariness taking hold over his muscles and bones. He turned to the mirror again, his eyes no longer glowing.

"Reno?"

He propped himself up against the bed frame and looked at Elena as she pulled herself up, facing him. She appeared unhurt, but terrified and confused.

"Oh... Ifrit... that's it... isn't it? It's her..."

He reached his hand to her own, squeezing it reassuringly. He nodded, his voice catching in his throat, "I... think so..."

She stared to the floor, everything flashing through her head. The woman... What was she? And why did she want to kill Reno? And... how were they still alive? She turned to him, noting the look of sheer exhaustion upon his pale face... He didn't hold a weapon... or materia... She couldn't see any armor... He saw her checking him over, sensing what she was looking for. His green eyes met her own and he nodded. There was no way he could have known that spell... No way he could have cast it. It shouldn't have been possible, but it had happened.

"You aren't the same... Are you?"

He squeezed her hand softly, his eyes downcast. Everything made sense. His silence, the aura about him, his reaction concerning everything and anything concerning the scroll and the prophecy. She could feel it. She knew.

"The chosen one... it's you."

Author's Ramble : This will be the last chapter I write before I redo the previous ones. I'm actually quite proud of it... I think I've accomplished what I wanted to in all my other chapters, stylewise. But I'll leave that up to you, wonderful readers, to decide.

Christmas break means many things. Egg nog. Another Christmas fic. And hopefully quality in this one. I'd hate for this to end up another unfinished piece of hell. I have plans for this one right down to the ending.

So, with reconstruction now officially in process, reviews are very helpful. Very. So feel free to say something... ^_^;