Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Retribution Nor Redemption ❯ Chapter 4

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

"Retribution Nor Redemption" and the general overall concept of "Retribution Nor Redemption" is completely copyright Orin Drake 2002-2003, as are the characters Kyrie Leonhart and Rodger Kinneas. The characters Seifer Almasy, Squall Leonhart, Quistis Trepe, Ellone (Leonhart?), Laguna Loire and Rinoa "The Great Big Bitch" Heartily (biased? me?) are copyright Squaresoft, as are the terms SeeD, gunblade, Trabia Garden, Griever, and probably a lot of other stuff I forgot to mention. Hell, if you played the game, you know. Enough said.
Background: Well. Here is the "anticipated" sequel to The Sins of Two Fathers. This won't be as much action as it will be psychological warfare, I think. Don't know what else to tell you. Beware bad language, sexuality and social outcasts having fun regardless of their status at the expense of others.

She remembered the nightmare even as she opened her eyes to the morning light. That was frustrating. Annoying, most of all. Not that she should have merely forgotten it, per se, but it was still so clear, like she'd just woken from it. Yes, annoying was certainly the word. Regardless, she closed her eyes again and slowly crept her whole body backward to rest against Rodger's. This was the truly fantastic thing about this whole arrangement--being able to wake up without an alarm and just lay there, next to him. What a weird thought, really. But she did enjoy it, and she'd never deny the fact she was glad for him.
He mumbled something as her body came to rest next to his, then turned until he was on his back. Securely in a safe place, Kyrie finally allowed herself to think back on that dream. The events, the feelings... Hyne, it had been awful. Not at first, no. At first it had been... pretty damn good, honestly. But then... she shuddered. Maybe now was not the time, when it was still so fresh in her mind. Later, when it had faded. She'd feel much better that way.
Her shudder triggered an unconscious switch in Rodger, and his arm slid lazily over her side. She giggled quietly to herself, being made fully aware that they had been sleeping in the same bed for quite some time. Living in sin, as Vincent had put it. Yeah, that was a pretty correct phrase.
His body turned again, just a little, allowing a flitter of light on his eyelid from the crack between the curtains. With another murmur, he turned fully and embraced her lazily, but consciously. "Mornin'."
"Good morning." She returned, just slightly perkier than usual. Hell, they didn't have to go to class. It was finally starting to sink in. They'd never have to go to class again. Whoa.
"Sleep better?" he inquired with a yawn.
"Out like a light after that." Maybe that was a little strange, too... but then, she had been tired. And she'd realized it was nothing more than a nightmare to begin with. Maybe she was just being a little to jittery about the whole thing. "What are today's plans?"
"Go back to Esthar and annoy everyone, of course." He carefully pulled the covers away in a joking manner, exposing his topless girlfriend. "Then we'll see if we get better job offers."
She made a show out of hiding her breasts with her hands. "Think these babies would help?"
"No." He answered deadpan.
"Pft." She responded. At ease here. Really and truly. It was a nice thing. Still a little weird, but... comfortable.

While Rodger was showering, she had made coffee and starting watching, of all fucking things, world news. Now that was just unreal. Very odd. But of course not uncalled for; being the granddaughter of a world power and having an interest in politics and world affairs, she was expected to keep up with the news. But sitting around in a robe with a cup of coffee, watching the news... it was cold shivers eerie. It was "shit I'm turning into my dad" eerie. It was... way too close to adulthood. Which explained why Rodger found her sifting through some of her old comic books to bring back out of the closet.
No matter. They still had strawberry shampoo in the shower. But just in case, Kyrie placed her rubber ducky on one of the shower trays. Never hurt to be too cautious. She showered and dried relatively quickly, but still managed to take her sweet time. Until there was something to hurry for, she was not going to rush. She was fully aware that she wouldn't be able to handle doing absolutely nothing for an extended period of time... but it was sure nice for a little while.
Her infamous hair styling technique: flip head down, shake hair out with fingers, snap head back up. It was easier than most. The fanciest thing she did with it was scrunching it all into a ponytail, so the term "easy to manage" came to mind. She looked at the mess atop her head in the bathroom mirror.
An ungodly shiver grasped her body. For a moment, just for a fraction of her reality, she had seen something else reflected back at her. It was just a flash of something, like a glint of silvery light sparkling off the surface of rippling water; but it was stationary in her mind. It was something... nerve wracking. It was something... green-eyed.
She'd pushed herself away from the sink violently, almost stumbling backward. Her heart was absolutely racing with the ghost of that image still on her unblinking eyes, and she had to remind herself to take a breath. She remained standing there, back to the bathroom door, just staring at that mirror that only reflected her. For a moment there, just a moment...
She closed her eyes, taking a few more slow breaths. Talk about nightmare jitters. Apparently the dream had affected her quite a bit more than she'd thought. Damn. Just... damn. That'd been scary as hell. She took a long moment to fully compose herself before she stared into the mirror again, even daring to take a few steps toward it. Nothing but her. Just her in the mirror. She resigned herself to cut out the psychological thriller movies for a couple of months.
"Are you alright?" Rodger had asked almost instantly when she'd walked out of the bathroom.
She stopped and regarded him seriously, almost a little freaked that he could read her so well; or maybe that he had been watching for this moment. "Yeah." She paused with that word, and the seconds seemed to pause with her. "I'm alright. The dream just kind of... hit me in there, I think. I'll tell you later. Tonight. When it's a little less... real."
There was a shiver that crawled down his back after those words. But he hadn't seen any indication that she was trying to hide anything from him. So, he let it all go for now, giving her a quick kiss and getting ready to go. Tonight, she'd said. She was certainly as good as her word, so he tried not to worry.

They did well; they were quick in getting to the station, getting a bite to eat there before getting on the Jet. Hell, they made it into Esthar at noon. A thrilling accomplishment by any standards. Well, for them.
Ellone was there to greet them at the door, being on her way to some political something or other outside of the palace. Of course, she stopped to give them both hugs and effectively warning them that Jilly was on her lunch break and to avoid certain hallways if they didn't want to run into the woman. You knew that if Ellone didn't get along with someone, they were simply a horrendous human being. While she never admitted to actually hating anyone, it was quite clear with what never needed to be said.
Getting off the lift before Laguna's office, they were met with a most... interesting sight. It was Ward, back from his vacation at Fisherman's Horizon. Only, it was Ward in shorts and the brightest, most heinously colored short sleeved shirt known to mankind. The sunglasses weren't such a surprise, considering the ensemble. But the straw hat... As he saw them, he spread his arms out. Translation: "Ta-da!"
Kyrie put a hand over her mouth. If it were actually possible for something to be too funny to laugh at, perhaps this was it. No, there was no perhaps about it. She absolutely could not speak. She wished she had a camera. She hoped she could get the picture of his bare legs out of her mind, and quickly.
"Lookin' good, Ward." How Rodger had found it in himself to speak without laughing was beyond the knowledge of any god. He could feel it coming, boiling inside of him, threatening to overflow into soundless painful gasps and streaming tears.
The man nodded. Translation: "Thank you." He turned, showing off his new duds and tan at another angle, then waved. Translation: "See you two later."
They waved back and watched him walk away. When he was well into the labyrinth of hallways, the laughter finally exploded. Rodger was first, completely incapable of holding it back any longer. It spread like wildfire, however. Kyrie started out in a squeaking giggle and ended in a breathless, almost painful coughing.
It was at the very ending edge of their laughter that Laguna casually strolled past. He had nothing else to do today but arrange furniture, so he'd been taking many jaunts around all morning to avoid the work, frankly. "I take it you've seen Ward?" he inquired knowingly.
Kyrie tried very hard to restrain herself from another painful bout of amused insanity. "Was he... you know... on anything?"
Her grandfather grinned at her. "I've been trying to figure that out."
Rodger was still in the process of gasping, leaning against the wall to keep himself upright. He had this amazingly disturbing vision of Quistis actually having decided upon going with Ward. She'd ultimately decided to finish all of her paperwork first so she could get a head start, then get a weekend at the spa Elle had been to. But the mere picture of classy, "tasteful bathing suit" Quistis coming back with Ward dressed like that... It was just too much.
"Should we go relax somewhere?" Laguna found himself quite unable to stop a couple of short chuckles. Rodger's laughter was spreading again.
"Let's go bother Vincent." Kyrie suggested a little too enthusiastically.
And speak of the devil... The man in question had heard their initial burst of laughter all the way from his office and had just taken the turn into the hallway they were recovering in. He had a very good instinct of when to arrive at just the right time to thwart all bothering efforts. As he met her eyes with a devious plot-ruining grin, that's when he saw it--whatever "it" was. He looked at her knowingly, even when she had turned away to listen to whatever it was Laguna was saying to her. There was something amiss about her manner. Maybe he could see a lack of sleep in her eyes. Or maybe that was a twinkle of... unease? Distaste? Perhaps even... a little nightmare anxiety? He of all people ought to know. He made a distinct mental note to talk to her about it as soon as possible. Something was not right, and it was wrong enough to have shaken her. Hell, it was wrong enough to have shaken him when he'd seen it in her eyes. Maybe Rodger was right to have been so on edge of late.
"Have you seen Ward since he's gotten back?" Laguna pulled Vincent out of his thoughts for the time being.
He regarded the president with a mockingly disgusted shake of the head. "As head of security, I should not allow him in here like that. There must be... some danger in it. Something about that has to be illegal."
Rodger, who'd just gotten over the freaking giggles, started in again. His girlfriend elbowed him before joining in, picturing Ward in a solitary cell in the basement, in that outfit.
Vincent took advantage of the break in conversation. "Can I have a moment with you, Kyrie?" he asked politely.
That was almost frightening somehow. She hadn't any idea why, but there was a sense of knowing under his tone. Normally at words like that, coming from Vincent, she'd probably be grinning like a moron. But this was... definitely serious. "Sure." She turned to Rodger and announced, "I'll be back."
He nodded and waved with a smile, but felt something in his chest tighten as he watched them round the corner together. He had no reason to feel either suspicious (no, not like that) or concerned, but... he did. And it was getting clearer and clearer in his mind even as he tried to pay attention to Laguna's old war stories about Ward.

It wasn't like Vincent was just leading her out into the other hallway. No, he was actually leading her all the way to his office. The edges of her "internal alarm system" were beginning to buzz a little at this. She'd never felt so... closely studied by the man before. The whole thing was actually almost beginning to make her feel a little uncomfortable. It was when she walked into his office and he shut and locked the door that worry began to edge on a still panic. This was a serious situation. And she wasn't really sure she wanted to be a part of it.
Vincent sat leisurely at his desk, trying to conduct an air of normalcy about this whole inquisition. "You're just not quite yourself today." He started simply.
She had no intention of hiding anything from him, and never would have. He knew nightmares like she wouldn't believe, she was sure. But her first thought was still, Hmm, how to play this... "A really awful nightmare last night. And I think I'm getting sick, besides." She added, if only to appease herself. There was an unwelcome voice in the back of her mind that suggested she was not getting sick, but going insane. She told that voice to shut up and fuck off, respectively.
He raised an eyebrow, watching her face carefully. He knew she was not the "type" to have such nightmares; it simply wasn't in her personality. "Tell me about it, then."
A delicate, almost shy smile came over her lips. "I, uh... well, alright. But can I skip the beginning?"
"Skip nothing." He answered seriously. "No detail."
Discussing this with Vincent of all people was really going to make or break their relationship, she was certain. "Ooookay." She cleared her throat. "Well, I was having sex--"
"What kind of sex?" he interrupted wickedly.
She paused for a moment, struck by the question. But that didn't throw her off. "Alright, I was being fucked. Happy?"
"Very." He let his expression soften a little, amused by her answer. "By..?"
She smirked. The answer to the question disturbed her as much as it had excited her at the time. "Well... by Sephiroth."
His breath hissed out quietly as he closed his eyes. Leaning back in his chair a little, he commented, "That is a nightmare."
She coughed suggestively. "Well, not at the moment it wasn't." She paused, hoping he'd offer her a little more insight into his comment.
"Go ahead." Was all he said.
Why she still felt a little embarrassed discussing this with him was a bit of a mystery. Any normal person would have felt a bit uncomfortable, sure. But she was a little more... "not normal". She continued, anyway. "It, uh, lasted. Quite a while. And then he actually came... and that's when the nightmare started." She didn't realize she had goose bumps on her arms as she continued, a shiver threatening to interrupt her at any moment. "I felt like, uh, orgasm was coming on, but... it didn't happen. It was something else. Something..." she searched for the word, unconsciously wrapping her arms around her waist, "Transitional."
His poker face remained as he took all of the information in. Every last detail recorded and analyzed. The word struck him as interesting, to say the least. "Transitional?"
She nodded, grasping for the right words. "I... changed. It was like... we'd merged. It hurt, but... it didn't hurt. It was like... when I was impaled. Pain so intense it was something different." She stopped, shaking her head. She just couldn't find the words. And then one solitary name came to mind that finally gave way to a violent shudder in her. The word was so cruel she could scarcely voice it, but she felt Vincent's eyes boring into her, yanking it out of her. "Jenova."
He remained very quiet for what must have been a number of minutes. He watched her without staring, but without looking away. She was cold, unsure, and confused. It was interesting to see, of course, but more than that; it was important. Sephiroth. Jenova. Things were coming back. Again. "Do you have that communication transponder with you?" he asked at last, in a flat voice.
She reached into her pocket and presented the device to him in her palm. It was clear he was going to see what Cloud thought. But it was interesting to note that he wanted to do so himself.
Vincent lightly cupped her hand in his metal one, placing his flesh and blood hand on top of the communication device. Even through his metal limb, he could feel the heat coming off of her. "Do you mind if I take this for a while?"
"No." She answered honestly. His claw felt like ice against her skin, and the fact that he had more or less pinned her there was making her feel less and less at ease. There was no reason to feel trapped, and she knew that. But an undeniable part of her felt it anyway.
"Did you tell Rodger yet?" he sounded nearly disinterested.
"No." She responded again.
"Maybe you both ought to stay here for a few days. I'm sure Laguna wouldn't mind."
There were too many ways to interpret that to just let it go. "That bad, huh?"
He slowly took in a deep breath, thinking it over. "I don't know. But I'm... concerned."
There was fear in her eyes, but it was cold; frozen over. His tone and this whole conversation... she swallowed, taking a moment to make sure she was calm and composed. What else was there to say? "Okay."

Kyrie found Rodger in the secluded coffee nook that stood more or less halfway between Vincent's office and Laguna's. Of course, he didn't really drink coffee. Couldn't stand the taste of the stuff. He felt that was simply a good place to wait for her. And, considering the time of day, they'd have relative privacy. Laguna had gone off to handle a number of things Kiros was freaking about, so they had practically no worry of being interrupted. It was a good place to have waited--and he certainly felt he needed to wait for her. He didn't ask what had happened, but prodded her with a glance just the same.
She was the picture of calm as she walked up to him, turned and stood beside him. There was nothing else she could have been, really. She knew very well he could see through it, and there was no need to try and soften the blow. "Vincent is worried. I told him about the nightmare... and he wants us to stay here for a while. And find out what Cloud thinks."
Any other person would not have heard the delicate shiver of her voice as the last words were spoken. But no one else had ever heard her talk so much, maybe. Hardly anyone else knew how to read that ice, that hard coldness that worked like a dam to hold back the things she refused to show. "Did you find out anything yet?"
"Jenova." She whispered without looking at him. "I... that's all I know. At least, I think so."
"Tell me about the dream." He more suggested than ordered, moving a little closer. He would have to work very hard to retain himself through this, he already knew. As she took a deep breath to begin, he casually wrapped an arm around her and listened.

Vincent had taken the long way around the building and to Laguna's office, instinctually leaving the couple alone. Sure there was a chance he could run into that maddening Jilly woman, but it was one he would take at this moment. He'd made his communication with Cloud as quick as possible, and he'd agreed. Steps needed to be taken, right now, just in case.
Venturing into the door without an announcement, he was polite but blunt, as he felt he absolutely had to be. Wasted time could result in consequences he'd rather not consider. "Excuse me, sir, this is pretty important. And private. Can we talk?"
The president paled a little. "Of course. Do you mind, Kiros?"
What a question. "Not at all. Talk to you later." He nodded to Laguna, then to Vincent, and walked out of the room.
Laguna had a startled puppy look about him as he stood in greeting. "Sit. Tell me all about it."
He didn't exactly feel like sitting for the illusion of a friendly exchange, but certainly had the feeling Laguna ought to be sitting down for this news. He waited for the president to be seated before he began. "It's out of concern for Kyrie."
A heavy weight struck President Loire's stomach as he heard that. "Y-yes?"
The former Turk knew this wasn't going to be easy. He wasn't used to communicating with anyone in the first place, but this was far more difficult. "I think something is going wrong, frankly. She's had nightmares recently that could mean something... very bad."
There were nearly tears in the man's eyes. "Oh." He managed with a bit of difficulty, trying to control himself. The memories that always rested at the back of his mind suddenly catapulted to the forefront. His wife, his son, his son-in-law... not his granddaughter too...
Vincent took a curt breath and continued. "I think it would be a good idea if you located Cloud Strife's satellite and brought him back to the planet for a little while. But it must be an absolutely private issue."
Laguna nodded slowly. "Alright." He agreed, his voice rough. This would take some doing, money-wise. But Kiros would think of something. "Is there... anything else you can tell me?"
The red-eyed man began wishing he was still in a state of emotional suspension. It was hard to look the president in the eyes at this point. "Not until I'm sure, I don't believe. But I would like to request she and Rodger be kept here, under surveillance. It may well be nothing."
Laguna swallowed back everything threatening to pour out onto any unsuspecting victim. "Yes, that's fine. I'll arrange everything and let you know."
"Thank you, sir." Vincent ended the conversation quickly by standing up. "I'll return the favor." He walked out before anything else could be asked.
As the door closed, Laguna made certain to lock it from his desk panel. "Kyrie..." he croaked in a sobbing whisper. Wasn't it supposed to be over now? For good? Not another one. Not again.

Vincent was rather surprised to see Kyrie just sitting in his office chair, waiting. He assumed she'd have been... well, just about anywhere else. And with Rodger, at that. Her normally inseparable companion was nowhere to be found, and she looked like she'd been quite comfortable for a number of minutes at least.
She met his questioning glance and responded, "He took the Jet to get some stuff from the house."
He nodded slowly, closing the door behind. No need to drag this situation out. "Cloud Strife is coming down for the time being."
While she was really and truly elated about that... "Great, but... why?"
"We are both very concerned about you." He sat down across from her. So that's what the other chairs felt like. Not hardly as comfortable as his, but it may be in bad taste at the moment to ask Kyrie to move. "The Jenova cells... I think they might be mutating."
She swallowed, forcing the fear to subside for the time being. This didn't sound good, not in the least. She found that she really had nothing to say in response; unusual for her.
Vincent continued, seeing that startled look cross her eyes before the ancient cold began to freeze them over. "Sometimes there's seemingly no trigger at all, and they can still mutate while they're inside. It's been a very long time, but I can only assume it's as true now as it was when I was infected."
She unconsciously rubbed her forearms, a chill running through her entire body. "What... what else do you know?"
"Not much." He admitted. "It may have to do with Mako exposure, as well. I wasn't exposed to that much, unlike Cloud and Sephiroth. But I did have a lot of Jenova cells. The lack of a steady stream of Mako might have a correlation to the mutations."
She closed her eyes for a moment, letting this information fall over her. "Aren't the Materia pure forms of Mako?"
"Yes, but they don't get strong enough to border on Mako poisoning. I happen to know there's a correlation between that and a lack of the mutation, as well." If only he'd known back then, he may have paid more attention to Hojo's research.
She hated this. She absolutely fucking hated this feeling encompassing her. Rodger was not beside her for this, weird in itself. He'd be back in no time, she knew, but... it just wasn't right. And all this shit happening, and no one knew what it was... It was giving her a distasteful, almost helpless feeling that sank into the depths of her stomach. She was momentarily convinced she'd never be able to eat again.
"It's important to remember that I really don't know for certain what's going on." He tried to be reassuring without resorting to false hope. That could be much worse. "So don't worry just yet."
She swallowed and took another deep, silent breath. What the hell was she supposed to say? Or do? Or react with? "I knew it was too good to be true."
To her surprise, Vincent grinned. "Now that's the attitude to have." As he took a breath to make a fatal quip, something in his pocket chimed. For four years he'd had this damned phone, given to him by Laguna for important security matters. And yet this would be the first time it was ever used. That was mostly because the president had no problems with walking up to him and telling him things rather than calling, but the fact remained that it took him a while to realize what the hell the noise was. As it finally struck him, he pulled the phone out of his pocket and fumbled with the buttons until something beeped. "Hello?"
"Vincent." Laguna greeted curtly, his throat sounding raw. "He'll be touching down in two hours. It's at highest priority. I'll need you to take care of the logs, Kiros will take care of the rest." In a completely uncharacteristic move, he hung up instantly upon that last word.
The surprising behavior gave Vincent pause before he hung up and placed the phone back in his pocket. He'd hoped very much that he handled the situation with the president as well as he could. It was simply that time could not afford to be wasted... his thoughts were casually smacked aside with Kyrie's piercing stare. "Two hours. I have to go make sure things are secure."
She nodded slowly, understanding. Even with high priority, only two hours? It must be very high priority. That did just the opposite of setting her at ease. But, taken at face value, Cloud was going to visit. That was fantastic. She could call him names in person. She finally realized she was being watched closely, some sort of general consensus of the situation being either expected or asked for. "Landing area in two hours then?"
He nodded once, then went straight for the door. Damn emotions. They were difficult things to control after a while. And he certainly didn't want to see this ordeal getting any worse.

Kyrie found places to stroll for those two hours. After all, the estate was like a maze, and with several floors on top of that. Sure she'd been a little worried about running into that psychotic non-freak that looked after the transportation office, but at this point in time, she had nothing to lose by being rude. Hell, if anything was an excellent excuse, it was insanity.
What a thought. She couldn't hold it back as she wandered. The dream, the mirror, the shiver that simply wouldn't leave her... Yes, Vincent and Cloud were right to be concerned. She was a little "concerned" herself. She was trying desperately not to think about it as she attempted to lose herself on the third floor, getting some odd looks from people who usually never ran into her.
She found, through trial and error, that she could actually get around and to where she wanted to go if she just took the time to remember where she'd been. It sounded quite obvious on the outside, but she'd never really needed to realize it before. Hell, she found her way to the cafeteria in no time--even though she couldn't have possibly eaten. It was rare her nerves actually got to her, rarer still that she got nervous at all. These were pretty fucking exceptional circumstances, though.
A quick glance at the clock got her on her way; and, praise Hyne, reunited her with Rodger. He'd just come off the lift as she was walking by, a bag in each hand and a little out of breath. She didn't wait for him to ask before informing him, "Cloud's due to touch down about now."
"Already?" he asked, stepping to follow her. Hell, the bags weren't that heavy. He could lug them around until he found someone to pawn them off on.
"Yeah." She confirmed under her breath. She hadn't meant it to come out that way, but... that nervousness kind of closed in after a while.
Rodger took a moment to drop the luggage, offering her the silent, warm comfort of a hug. It wasn't much, he knew. Hell, it probably seemed cheap and a shoddy effort at best, but... it was heartfelt. He wanted her to know he was there for her, through anything. Dammit, they'd get through this, whatever it was.
She returned it, understanding without the need for any words. It far from calmed her, but... it did help. They shared the slightest brush of a kiss and were off again, down the hall and to the "hidden" landing area. It was another of those just in case sort of places that everyone knew about but no one thought about, and hopefully no one would remember. If this was quick and everything was done right and to code, so to speak, no one would know any better. That's where Kiros and Vincent came in, disguising records and telling people who asked that it was just a meteorite. Perhaps not the most glamorous parts of their jobs, but important all the same.
I.D.s shown and confirmed, they were ushered below ground level via secret lift and into the dock to wait. What became immediately clear as the door locked behind them was the fact that top secret things needed just a little more funding. The little room contained absolutely nothing but a grid of monitors and two keyboards. Not that it really needed anything else, but... a chair might be nice.
Luckily, they didn't have to wait long enough to need chairs. Perfectly on schedule, the tracking system began to blip. Two specialists worked on the keyboards to bring everything in smoothly while three guards stationed themselves; one at the dock door and two at the outside door. All they had been told was that there was a box inside the seal that was to be guarded and was never to be opened or the entire universe would turn to dust. Laguna could have a very good imagination when he needed to.
Kyrie and Rodger watched the monitors, finally seeing a speck in the blue sky. As it got bigger, so did a tail of gleaming fire behind it until just the shape of the seal and the ship that was sent out to get it could be seen. As it entered the lower atmosphere, the ship's thrusters ignited and turned so that the speed lessened and lessened until it touched down softly, right outside.
Mechanical arms went to work on the bolts that held the seal shut. The seal itself was still so hot that even through the three feet of metal walls and a twenty yard hallway that separated the docking chamber, the temperature began to rise. Good thing the funds for the place had included air conditioning.
Two by two the bolts were released and collected, working from bottom to top. The "greeting party" watched the monitors closely, the last two bolts having been removed. Slowly, the mechanical arms twisted and reset themselves into what looked to be two large keys. One pressed itself into the slot on one side, and the other did the same on the opposite side. Together, they twisted. The front of the pod opened from the top and fell slowly downward, a fine mist of compressed air shielding whatever was hidden within for just long enough to have made everyone hold their breath.
As the mist dissipated, what could only be Cloud Strife waved his hands in all directions so he could see what was ahead of him. Upon noticing a camera pointed right at him... he waved and smiled like he was going to be broadcast all around the world.
While this made his friends smile, everyone else in the room was struck dumb. They'd been told to look after a box. Not this... very strange impossibility of science in a number of ways, not least of which was the hair.
"It's alright." Kyrie informed them. "He's safe with us."
Well, she got some stares after that. But, she was Laguna's granddaughter. They hoped she knew what she was doing. The sealed doors on either side of the docking hallway began to turn and creak open, completely clearing the mist from the monitors. Out hopped, quite literally, Cloud Strife. It'd been a while since he'd actually walked, so his feet were just a little liable to do things he didn't want them to. No matter, he'd made it back, safe and sound and gazing upon friends he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to see again. While the others looked on in stunned horror, the three companions pretended like they were the only ones there.
Kyrie had no idea just how glad she'd be to see Cloud. Maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder or some other over-used tripe.
"Lost some weight?" he joked almost viciously.
She gave him a half serious glare. "Well, no goddamn hug for that."
He looked brutally wounded for a fraction of a second before coming right back, arms open. "Aw, come on." Human contact would take come getting used to again. Especially with this bunch of freaks. Granted it was a group of freaks with which he belonged, but still...
"I'm willing to bet your muscles are slightly atrophied, so you better not come any closer." She warned in good humor.
Good point. "Fine, fine." He winked at her, then turned to greet her better half with a big smile. "Rodger. Been surviving this one?" he casually darted his thumb in Kyrie's general direction.
Rodger leaned in and whispered loudly, "Yes. But not well."
The blonde grinned and clasped his whole arm to shake it. "Well, glad to hear it."
The door to the estate opened, the slightly late palace head of security walking through. Cloud felt as if perhaps his jaw had just disengaged from the rest of his skull and fallen to the ground. He was... shocked. He'd never seen Vincent in anything but his "vampire gear", as it'd come to be known in his own mind. "Holy fu--... Vincent. You look... different."
The man grinned widely, which further amazed his former companion. "Not... that different."
Cloud did not say, Now you and Kyrie look exactly like father and daughter. He settled upon, rather, "What have you got to eat around here?"

It seemed for a time that the cafeteria didn't hold enough food. Plate after plate of everything and anything was completely decimated, and early orders for food supplies were suddenly being sent out. The suppliers must have been under the impression that some sort of feast was underway at the presidential palace.
Kyrie, Rodger and Vincent simply sat together at the other side of the table, watching in disbelief. Anatomy and science proved nothing of this. Proved just the opposite, really. If consulted, physicists would faint at the sight.
After almost an hour of this truly frightening behavior, Cloud leaned back in ecstasy. After a long, deep, contented sigh, he stated, "Now it hurts."
"It ought to." Vincent commented, crossing his arms. "You'll probably be expected to work the bill off."
For just a moment, there was a look of sheer terror on the blonde's face. He wasn't used to the pale man joking with him. Come to think of it, he wasn't quite as pale as he used to be. Weird, just weird. "Just put it on my tab. I'm sure I owe lots of other people, too."
"Luckily most of them are dead." Kyrie stated flatly.
Cloud chuckled at that, making a halfhearted attempt at sitting up straight, then collapsing back into the chair to support his body. "I'm still not used to gravity." He gazed at the ceiling for a moment, collecting his thoughts. There was a drunkenness that came with a really good meal--or several of them. "So... what's the plan, Valentine?"
Vincent took a breath before beginning. "Well... there isn't much of one just yet. These two are staying in the estate. You'll have a room on one side of theirs, I'll take the one on the other." He lowered his gaze. "Then we wait."
Even the sweet buzz of a full stomach wasn't enough to dull that ache. Wait. Wait for what? Did anyone know? Nothing was confirmed as of yet, but... still. He knew enough to be concerned. And he was sure he'd get filled in with the details soon enough.
Though she had thought it impossible, Kyrie's stomach tightened even more with those words. Rodger's fingers delicately passed over her hand, but it was little comfort to the whole idea. Stay here and be watched. That wasn't... fun. Not that any of this was supposed to be fun, but Cloud's arrival was supposed to be a happier thing. Or so she'd thought, at least.
"Let's get you two moved in, then." Vincent instinctually cut off the thought process. "I'll bet the president arranged some nice ones for us."
Speaking of Laguna, where was he? She knew that when he'd gotten bad news, he usually locked himself in his office for a while to get a clear head and think it over. But he hadn't come to greet Cloud. And there was no word from him at all since he'd called Vincent three hours earlier. As if she didn't have enough to worry about, she knew, but that didn't change things. Not that she herself felt very reassured, but she hoped she could cheer her grandfather up a little bit. Or see him soon, at least.

"Nice" rooms nothing. They got three in a row in the presidential guest suite. As Rodger stepped inside the one in the middle, the bags crashed to the ground. It was like every unreal advertisement for the most expensive hotels he'd seen throughout his life, all rolled into one and made ten times better. The main room had three leather couches and a huge picture window that looked out over the old part of the city, opening onto a huge balcony. There was a bedroom fit for a god to one side, and a bathroom that may as well have been advertised as including a swimming pool. It was nice without being gaudy.
"I've got to hand it to the decorator." Kyrie commented after the long silence.
"Mine better be this nice." Cloud stated. A moment later, he darted out the door to check for himself.
"Nice honeymoon suite, isn't it?" Vincent grinned suggestively.
Rodger stared at him blankly for a moment. "You're not helping as much as you think you are."
That comment caused Kyrie to laugh, quite hard. Damn but it felt good to. The glory of having friends...
"I'll try not to take that personally." Vincent joked. "I'll leave you two for the moment. I'm hoping to have gotten something bigger, myself." He turned and walked out before anyone had the chance to throw that comment back at him.
Kyrie darted into the bedroom and took a running leap at the bed. Hell, it's what one did in a hotel. Not that this was a hotel. This was by far better. So, taking that into account, she hoped the quality of the beds was that much better as well. The initial body slam bounce had gone quite well, so she quickly unzipped her boots and continued her bedspring inspection.
"Ah, that maturity." Rodger quipped. The temptation was too great, however. After a few more bounces, he leapt and pounced her before she could bounce again.
"Now is not the time." She grinned, wriggling from underneath him and sitting at his side. "It is nice, isn't it?"
"Very." He took her moment of looking around to compose his thoughts into one easy question. "How's everything?"
She took a deep breath, then turned to face him. "A little dizzy." She joked at first. "Alright I guess. So far so good and all that."
Something... something in her manner had changed. It felt almost as if maybe she'd dropped her shoulders, but she clearly hadn't; it felt like how that action looked, as if that made any sense. He regarded this subtle change with a worried curiosity until she'd grasped his hand.
"Kyrie..." he whispered, knowing better. He saw her eyes change. Just for the fraction of a second, just enough to start to give him that terror chill. Green eyes crossed just for a moment in the place of her crimson ones. He moved--but whatever had encompassed her was faster. He couldn't stifle the cry as he felt the bones in his wrist grinding together, her sickening sweet touch turning deadly violent...

She "woke up", suddenly and instantly, having her arms held painfully behind her back, being restrained in the exceptionally strong arms of a former Turk. The sudden onset of complete nothingness and then pain was almost too much a shock to handle. "Uncle!" she squeaked in submission, feeling one shoulder on the verge of ripping from the socket.
Vincent immediately released his death grip, but kept his metal hand clamped securely around her wrist--just in case. He was certain she'd "come to", so to speak, but there was no telling exactly what was actually going on.
When the pain softened to a dull ache, what had just happened flashed across her mind--she'd very nearly shattered Rodger's wrist. It was like living someone else's memory. In fact, that's exactly what it was. She closed her eyes for lack of any better way to escape the moment. Had she let that happen? She hadn't been in control. She hadn't been... there... This thing, this consciousness inside of her had used her body...
"Are you alright, Ky?" Vincent's voice was soft behind her.
"Fuck no." She admitted flatly. "You should have snapped my arm like a twig."
Whether that had been a suggestion or a passing thought, he didn't care to ask. He'd been partially right about this situation, he discovered. But that didn't ease a damn thing.