Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Children ❯ The Fall From Grace ( Chapter 19 )

Shattered Children: Chapter Thirteen

The Fall From Grace

 

The silence in the underground garage was as unnerving as always. Reno, who was used to noise and hustle and bustle, never quite got used to it. And it didn't help that his only accompaniment was a man who walked without ever making a sound, and a cursing pilot, too busy puffing away at a cigarette, despite the looks his lover was giving him. Reno really didn't want to get caught between a lover's spat.

 

It didn't help that the smell of nicotine was making Reno crave one of his own. And he'd given up that habit as well. For the sake of his daughter.

 

Sighing, Reno raked fingers through his wind-tangled hair and whipped out the keys to the motorcycle paddock. It was really just a large section of the garage sectioned off by a chainlink fence that reached all the way to the ceiling.

 

“What do ya think yer gonna do when ya actually catch them?” Highwind's question poured into the silence as he sucked one more draw from his cigarette and flicked it to the ground, grinding out the flared tip with his heel.

 

“I haven't thought that far ahead,” Vincent answered him carefully, his grey eyes unreadable. “We can't kill them.”

 

Reno snorted. “Bullshit. Saving their lives is not my priority.”

 

“That's just the Turk in ya talkin',” Cid retorted, rolling his shoulders and moving to help Reno drag open the huge fencing.

 

There was a violent-sounding screech as the gate was hauled aside and then left wide open. The three men slipped inside, Cid drawn to one of the cycles as Reno unerringly found his absolute favorite. One he'd lovingly helped refurbish himself and made his own. With a swing of one long leg, he seated himself on the massive cycle, flicking the switch to turn it on.

 

The loud rumble of the engine filled the silence of the underground garage, all too quickly joined by the sound of a second as Cid claimed his own as well. Grinning despite himself, Reno placed his hand on the handle and revved the engine.

 

Between the two, leaning on one of the stone columns and refusing to select a bike, Vincent crossed his arms. “All right, children. We have work to do,” he commented, rolling his eyes at their behavior.

 

Reno ignored the former Turk, instead eying Cid with a smirk on his lips. “You sure ya know how to use one of these old man?” he taunted.

 

Twisting his jaw, unlit cigarette dangling from his lips, Cid snorted. “We'll see, brat,” he retorted, kicking out the stand for the cycle in one smooth motion. “Try to keep up.”

 

His shouted words echoed around the underground garage as Cid whipped the handle and hit the gas, causing the back tires to screech loudly. The motorcycle went into a tight turn and abruptly shot through the open gate, heading quickly for the exit. Suitably impressed, Reno grinned and slammed down on the accelerator, effecting a similar move to chase after the captain.

 

Honestly, Reno wasn't really sure how Valentine planned on keeping up to them. He hardly thought about the former Turk as he shot out of the corral after Cid, the cycle's speed quickly taking him to the exit. He emerged into the pale light of the day, wind whipping across his face and bringing with it the heavy stench of ash and destruction. Unfortunately, it was an all-too-familiar odor.

 

The tall buildings of Junon loomed around them, only halfway damaged in this part of the city. The roads were clearer than most, making it easy to navigate. Ahead of him, Cid was heading for the main street. Reno gunned the engine to catch up to the pilot, all the while wondering where Valentine was. No cycle had followed him out of the garage.

 

“Where's Valentine?” he called out loudly as he drew up beside the Captain, Cid shifting down to allow him to catch up.

 

Cid smirked. “He'll be along inna minute. You'll see.”

 

Reno wasn't quite sure how the former Turk was going to accomplish that but if anyone knew his lover, Cid did. He decided to give the captain the benefit of the doubt. Shrugging, he shifted his attention to the streets ahead of him, abruptly abandoned after Reeve's warnings and the summon's attacks. Hopefully, many managed to flee to safety.

 

He had no sooner focused on the road, wondering where exactly the brothers had gone, when a streak of crimson suddenly shot past him. Reno gaped as he recognized the blur, and its crown of dark hair. Vincent leapt onto a nearby awning, which barely creaked under his weight, and leapt towards the sky, his body twisting mid-air. Before Reno's very eyes, wings snapped out of his shoulders and he transformed into a very familiar beast.

 

His mouth dropped open and Reno knew he was gaping. Beside him, Cid was laughing loudly, most likely at his expense.

 

“How the hell did he do that, yo?” Reno demanded, eyes glancing wildly between Cid and Vincent, who was rising higher into the air with powerful beats of his wings.

 

“What, forget what Kami gave 'im already?”

 

Reno tried to remember. “Errrm...” There was something about the god giving Vincent custody of the Apocalypse materia so that he could still use their powers. If he thought about it, he might recall something to that effect. Is that what that was?

 

“Don't worry,” Cid added with another uproarious laugh, reaching up and snapping his goggles down over his face to combat the whipping wind. “Vince'll find 'em for us.” He released the glasses and pointed a finger upwards, gesturing towards his lover. “See?”

 

Lifting his gaze, Reno caught sight of Vincent veering intently towards the right, as though he had spotted something. Without hesitation, Cid screeched around a corner and followed him. Shaking his head, Reno reached up and slid down his own sunglasses, his eyes already tearing from the force of his wind. And with a smile on his face, he accelerated, catching up to Cid and watching Vincent from above.

 

The man-turned-beast outpaced them, despite the motorcycles, and the two men were quick to follow his directions. It wasn't long before the route started to become very familiar to Reno. And, it seemed, to Cid as well.

 

“They're trying to leave Junon!” Cid realized, shouting over the wind.

 

“We'll catch them first,” Reno muttered, more to himself than to the captain.

 

There was a series of tunnels that connected Junon from the upper levels, dumping travelers outside and on a road to Fort Condor. They had been built to bypass the necessity of exiting through the lower levels, and Reeve had made every effort to complete them in the past year or so.

 

No sooner had the thought passed through his mind then did Reno hear the sound of gunshots and screeching tires, quickly followed by a light explosion. Above them, Vincent was banking downwards, nearly a crimson blur. And ahead of them, the road curved sharply. Reno shifted his weight to take the curve, and rounded the corner, instantly greeted with the sight of the three brothers and Sephiroth.

 

With an abrupt dive, Vincent dropped from his position, changing mid-flight and colliding harshly with one of the three brothers. Reno thought it might have been Yazoo. Pulled from his cycle, the two hit the ground harshly, the cycle skidding out of control and slamming into a parked car. Reno wasn't worried. It would take a lot more than that to hurt Valentine, and just as much to defeat one of the Sephiroth look-a-likes.

 

One down, two to go.

 

Reno pulled up beside Cid and caught his eye. In silent agreement, a plan was formed and Reno abruptly turned into a side alley, Cid whipping the handle to enter the one opposite him. If they could get around Loz from both sides, they could box him in, leaving Sephiroth to deal with Kadaj alone. It seemed a fair trade.

 

Weaving through the cluttered alleyways, occasionally plunging straight through garbage cans when necessary, Reno increased his speed bit by bit. It was reckless, but he didn't want to miss his chance. They needed to cut Loz off from his brother.

 

Light glimmered at the end of the tunnel and Reno grinned, pulling back on the throttle and shooting out into the street. He narrowly avoided a telephone pole, and was rewarded for his recklessness when the roar of other cycles greeted his ears. He cut out in front of Loz's bike, causing the other man to swerve to avoid him. But in that instant, Loz collided with Cid who had emerged from the alley across the street.

 

There was a resounding clang as the two cycles roughly swiped each other, and Loz growled, taking a swipe at Cid. The pilot was quick to duck, taking the butt of his spear and shoving it into the inner workings of the bike, revealed as a piece of metal plating went flying off and clanged nosily against the ground. The move locked the two together as they went into a tight spin, trading awkward blows.

 

Reno slammed on the brakes and forced the cycle to whip around, even as Kadaj sped past him, sparing his brothers a brief glance before continuing on. There wasn't a trace of humanity in that gaze, just resignation and sacrifice. And then Kadaj slipped past all of them, zooming straight into the tunnel.

 

A boom echoed in the streets as Cid and Loz hit a building, coming to an abrupt halt. Reno left tire treads in his wake as he rushed back towards them, Loz leaping away from Cid and kicking apart their bikes. Loz' own cycle was thrown by the force of the blow.

 

Reno screeched to a halt, leaping from his cycle and withdrawing his EMR, flicking it on with a twist of his wrist.

 

A smirk on his face, Loz was cracking his knuckles, seemingly unperturbed for the obvious attempt to separate him from his brothers and their plan. Even more eerie, was the constant shift in his eyes, flexing between a soft moss and a supernatural, poisonous green. Cat-like at times, intermingling with his human appearance. Just like Sephiroth when Jenova tried to sink her claws into him.

 

It sent a shiver up Reno's spine.

 

Behind him, a cycle suddenly roared past, Sephiroth unerringly following after Kadaj. Reno received only a glimpse of him. He silently wished the former General good luck, because it looked like they would all need some.

 

“Let Vince handle that brat,” Cid informed him, back drawn tight with tension as they faced down Loz. “And Sephiroth can take the kid. We'll handle Tall and Stupid.”

 

Idly stretching out an arm to work out the kink in his shoulder, Reno inclined his head, silently powering up a particularly powerful materia. “Sounds good to me, yo.”

 

* * *

 

It was hard to distinguish anything above the scent of blood and ash. The entire area was caked in both, the harsh odor of death and fear. Nanaki's nose rebelled against shoving his nose deeper into the mire, but he had a job to do. He couldn't let his sensibilities get in the way. Besides, Yuffie was it sticking out without complaint. He could do it, too.

 

Still, finding Elena and Marlene's scent buried amongst all the other odors that lingered in this area was a rather difficult task. If he weren't so familiar with them, it would have been impossible.

 

“I think I have something,” Yuffie called out from where she was nosing around a few feet away. Her tail flicked worriedly behind her.

 

Nanaki leapt over a piece of ruined building and made his way to her side, picking carefully over the dangerous debris. He tried not to look too closely at the numerous corpses, crushed beneath rubble or looking as if they'd been mauled by some creature. It made his stomach clench. Despite his experience with battle, he never could get used to the death of the innocent. He couldn't imagine how Tseng, with his abilities, was handling it.

 

Yuffie was faring little better than he, though she hid it just as well. Even in her Iyatokan form, he could tell that she was bothered by what had happened. Her normally sparkling and energetic brown eyes were dimmed with sorrow, only heightened by the fact that two of her dear friends - no, family really - were missing.

 

“What did you find?” Nanaki asked, padding silently up beside her.

 

She lifted her head, her gaze tracing a path that only her nose could locate as Nanaki attempted to sniff it out for himself. “I think it's both of them. They headed that way.”

 

He followed her gaze, swallowing thickly in response. In that direction, the destruction was much, much worse. An office building was just a shell of its former opulence, half of it cracking off and sliding into the ground. The structure next to it had toppled over, and hung precariously, and in front of both, another building had crumbled. It was a mass of stone and steel and office detritus.

 

“Towards that?”

 

Brown eyes looked at him. “I think so.”

 

Nanaki took a deep breath and then bowed his head, his nose seeking out two familiar scents beneath all the other strong odors. He caught a whiff of Elena's usual fragrance, a mix of her perfume and the strong scent of thunderstorms, like fresh rain falling. And Marlene always smelled of candy and bubble bath, not flowery fragrances, but something sweet like fruit and chocolate.

 

Yuffie was right. They were near here. Biting back his concern, Nanaki pinned down the trail and started following it, Yuffie at his side.

 

“They are heading towards the buildings,” he murmured to himself, though Yuffie heard it as well. “Safety perhaps?”

 

“Maybe,” she agreed, but it was half-hearted. Worry darkened Yuffie's eyes further, until they reflected nothing but her concern. She loped ahead of him, double-checking the trail every now and then, but mostly staying on a direct path.

 

The scent grew stronger the closer they drew to the shadows of the ruined buildings. Behind a huge fall of debris, an alleyway loomed, completely darkened as its position blocked it from any sunlight. Wires and bits of twisted fire escapes dangled from above, but for the most part, it was empty other than the scattered trash cans and pieces of rubble.

 

Nanaki paused at the top of a piece of wall, formerly belonging to an office, he believed. He looked around, tail flickering anxiously behind him.

 

“Nanaki! Over here!”

 

To his right and below him, Yuffie had stopped just inside the mouth of the alleyway, where the last bits of debris strewn out faintly. As he watched, she shifted back into her human form, hand raised to her mouth. The ninja knelt slowly, shoulders sagging, and Nanaki just knew, in that moment. That it wasn't good.

 

He quickly leapt down, changing mid-leap so that he landed on two feet rather than his more lupine appearance. He winced momentarily, the landing jarring the Geostigma in his leg. Nanaki didn't need her to say anything. The scent was strongest here, only because he was so focused on it. And it was tainted now, heavy with the stench of blood. Flowers growing in the midst of a battlefield.

 

His heart dropped into his stomach, and when he looked down, he saw what had caught Yuffie's attention. An arm beneath the edge of the rubble, half-buried and reaching.

 

“Do you think...?”

 

“I don't want to,” Nanaki interrupted haggardly, crouching to get a better grip on the huge slab of concrete that concealed the rest of the forms beneath. “But there's only way to be sure.”

 

He didn't ask Yuffie to help, and she didn't offer. She simply stood back, chewing worriedly on her lip, and watched as his muscles flexed. He heaved the piece of stone to the side with great effort, and a cloud of dust accompanied the motion. It blinded him momentarily, but he didn't need to look down.

 

Yuffie's startled gasp from behind him was all the answer he needed. Nanaki turned away and grabbed her, pulling her into his arms even as she started to shake. Yuffie buried her face in his chest.

 

“Aki.”

 

He shushed her, burying his own face in the familiarity of her hair and tried to make his own hurt go away. It was all they ever did, fight for the sake of the world. And yet, it stole such important things from them. Over and over again. First Cloud, and now Elena and Marlene. Just a child!

 

Nanaki held her for several minutes, letting her tears dampen his shirt and her hands clutch onto his sides. It helped ease his own pain to do so. Because if it had been Yuffie, he wouldn't know how he would have handled it. It would have killed him.

 

The sound of a phone buzzing seemed all too loud in the sorrowful silence, and Nanaki had a sinking feeling he knew just who was calling him. Releasing one arm, he dug into his pocket and pulled out the phone, swallowing thickly. His throat felt tight, and his eyes hot; it was a struggle to remain some sort of calm.

 

Later... later he could mourn. Later he would allow Yuffie to hold him while he grieved. But there were still things to do.

 

To be expected, it was Reeve. But Nanaki didn't want to waste time with pleasantries. He answered the call. “Yes, Reeve. I found them.” Nanaki's fingers clenched around the phone and he heard the plastic give a warning crack, not liking the pressure at all.

 

Strange, he shared its sentiment.

 

* * *

 

He was getting closer; Sephiroth could feel it. Like a crawling sensation prickling over his skin, making the hair on the back of his neck raise. The nearer he drew to Kadaj's position, the more he felt enclosed in her presence. Submerging in tepid water, with his entire body caked in clinging oil. And soon he would drown in it.

 

Her voice whispered on the edge of his thoughts, not yet actual words, but just impressions. Calling to him, dragging him closer. Urging him onwards. It made his fingers clench around Odin's handle, his booted feet press all the harder against the accelerator. Sephiroth's jaw clenched so hard that it ached.

 

He didn't know exactly what he was going to do. Perhaps this was his final battle, the last time he would enjoy this thing they called life. Perhaps he should have taken the time to say goodbye.

 

Sephiroth could feel it, as well, creeping further and further across his skin. His arm was growing numb, fingers tingling. He wondered if he would even be able to continue gripping the handle before long. And he couldn't turn his head without a stab of pain shooting up his back. The agony was distracting. Lucky for him, Hojo had trained him to bear all manner of torture.

 

He could do this. Even if it cost him his life. He would do this.

 

Ahead of him, he caught sight of the bright and natural light of the sun. The literal light at the end of the tunnel. The sound of Odin's engine was a loud roar around him, echoing in his ears. And he tensed, unsure what to be prepared for on the other side. It was the perfect spot for an ambush. But whether or not Kadaj would do such a thing, he wasn't sure.

 

Jenova was still calling to Sephiroth after all. She wanted him badly, and he didn't know how far she would take it to get him.

 

Sunlight drew closer, and Sephiroth pulled back on the throttle. With a rumble of his motor, he shot forward and out of the tunnel. Momentarily blinded by the brightness, as his tires tore over the graveled road, he barely noticed the obstruction ahead of him. Kadaj was standing there, in the middle of the fucking road, staring at nothing.

 

Sephiroth jerked on the handle to avoid the brat and his motorcycle, preferring to not die in a fiery explosion. To be expected, however, the massive cycle didn't take the abrupt turn happily. It skidded and started twisting, wiping out on the loose rocks that comprised the recently created road.

 

Odin skidded out of his grasp, and Sephiroth went flying another direction, landing harshly on the ground. His head struck something, a piece of broken wood he thought, and he landed roughly on his Geostigma-covered arm. A stab of pain shot through his entire body, but he contained it with barely a whimper. Seconds later, the sound of metal scraping and a sharp thud informed him that his bike had stopped moving as well.

 

Yet, Sephiroth's eyes weren't for himself or his motorcycle. They were unerringly focused on the same thing that had caught Kadaj's attention, causing him to dismount in the middle of the road and stare as though he'd lost his mind. His eyes were unfocused, the container he had stolen from Reeve dangling from one hand, almost as though it were trash.

 

There, in the middle of the road, stood Cloud. Or at least, what Sephiroth thought was Cloud because surely this was an apparition. His head, suddenly aching, must have conjured that blond-haired, blue-eyed apparition. Except, Kadaj seemed to see him, too, and his body was shaking with restrained emotion.

 

“Nii-san?” Kadaj questioned, and his voice cracked with uncertainty.

 

Sephiroth blinked, attempting to haul himself to his feet. His body ached, and wanted to resist all movement. His head ached, and he prodded at the quickly forming knot gently. He was seeing stars, so maybe, the Cloud he was seeing wasn't real either.

 

The phantom which resembled Cloud smiled, making his blue eyes brighten. He was dressed just like Cloud as well, and there were few who could pull off that blond, spiked hairstyle. Sephiroth wondered if he'd hit his head too hard. And then, Cloud lifted a hand, reaching for Kadaj.

 

The kid took a sudden step backwards, away from the offered hand. The container of Jenova smacked against his chest as he held it close, body trembling visibly.

 

“It can't be,” Kadaj decided for himself, sounding very much like a scared child in that moment. “You're not real. You're not.”

Sephiroth could only stare, unable to do much of anything as he watched the spectacle. The Cloud specter was looking at Kadaj, sympathy in his gaze, and then he reached forward again, all without moving a step. It was only in that moment that Sephiroth realized he was holding something in his palm, a small white orb that glistened pale green and white.

 

Cloud's eyes held Kadaj's for several moments, the boy refusing to budge, and then his palm tipped over to the side very slowly. The orb, which really resembled a materia to Sephiroth though he'd never seen one of that color, rocked in the apparition's palm, only to fall to the ground. It landed with a faint chime as it hit a stone, proving its reality. The sound seemed to ring throughout the air.

 

Before Sephiroth's eyes, the materia-shaped sphere sank into the earth, a sudden outpouring of water suddenly appearing beneath it. The liquid shimmered and rippled, growing wider and wider until it was a small pool. There was a tingle, like the working of magic, and the water suddenly shot into the air, higher than Kadaj stood tall. It hung suspended, a moving fountain of glimmering liquid, only to explode upwards and outwards, causing a fall of water like pure rain.

 

It splattered the entire area, and yet, the rain kept falling, though the original source had long since vanished. The pool of water itself was drying up, and the blue sky continued to drip softly, a cool rain. Sephiroth winced slightly as it dropped down on his head, and held up a gloved hand, catching a few droplets in his palm. The rain appeared to shimmer in his hold, standing like a pure gem against the black of the leather.

 

“No! What is this?” Kadaj's startled and frightened shout forced his gaze back to the boy, who was jerking away from the falling rain as though it were acidic.

 

His green eyes were wide, terror lurking in their depths. And he screamed, something incoherent and frightened, glaring accusingly at the Cloud apparition before suddenly darting towards his bike. Kadaj leapt onto the cycle, revving with a loud rumble of the engine, and speeding down the road. The container holding Jenova was clutched tightly to his chest, as though he feared losing his grip on it.

 

Sephiroth knew that he should probably chase after him, but for the moment, he couldn't seem to make himself move. His eyes were for the specter of Cloud, whose gaze had now turned to him. There was a distance between them, but Sephiroth didn't really feel it. Almost as if Cloud really was standing right there next to him, a strange expression on his face. His eyes unreadable.

 

And then one corner of his lip curled into a smile. He said something, but no sound emerged, just his mouth moving. His image appeared to ripple, like some sort of mirage, losing its solidity.

 

Rain drizzled onto Sephiroth's face, sliding down the length of his hair and dripping down his back. He could feel it soaking into his clothes, even through the bandages that tightly wound his upper body. It left a tingling sensation in its wake, and yet, Sephiroth hardly noticed.

 

“Cloud...?”

 

The figure shifted, inclining its head faintly, as if answering affirmatively. Sephiroth lifted a hand, he wasn't sure why. Perhaps he thought to reach for Cloud, to answer the hand that Kadaj had been too foolish to take. And when he did, he caught sight of his own wrist, not even realizing that he had lifted his Geostigma-infected hand.

 

To his surprise, the Geostigma was beginning to fade, lifting from his skin as though it were a fine mist of black and pale green. It curled away from his body and vanished into thin air, leaving behind his own skin, smooth and pale. The crippling sensation that had gathered in his fingers was vanishing before his very eyes.

 

“I... what is this?” Sephiroth murmured, more to himself than anyone else.

 

He drew his hand back to himself, and moved his fingers around, surprised at their dexterity. He turned his hand over and over, stared at his palm, watched the infection dissipate. Sephiroth grabbed at the bandages with his other hand, pulling them away from his arm, the Geostigma there healing as well.

 

The pain was leaving him. Even without a mirror, Sephiroth could feel it. The rain was healing the affliction. There was no other explanation for it. And somehow, Cloud had brought this about.

 

Cloud...

 

Sephiroth lifted his gaze to where the blond had been standing, but there was no one there now. Just the faint impression of a former puddle. Cloud was nowhere in sight, not even when Sephiroth whirled around, scanning the landscape. The area was silent, save for the soft sound of the rain falling against the ground.

 

Was it real, or just an illusion? Had Cloud really been there in some form? The materia, that had been real, and so was this rain. As was the healing. Perhaps Cloud had been real as well? The former General simply didn't know.

 

Sephiroth tilted his head back, looking at the bright blue sky and blinking when the rain struck him in the forehead. Soft and cool, tingling gently. It felt strangely cleansing. For the first time, in recent months, Jenova's voice had all but vanished from his mind. He couldn't even sense the pull of her desires.

 

Could this mean he was forgiven? Had the Planet granted him mercy at last? Or was it only a momentary respite?

 

Perhaps it did. Either way, that definitely meant he couldn't back down now. Kadaj still had Jenova, and the will to use her. Sephiroth had to stop him.

 

Resolve gathered, Sephiroth squared his shoulders and dropped his head, in search of Odin. The engine was still rumbling faintly as it lay like a beached sea mammal on its side, unharmed for the wipe out. He righted the motorcycle, ignored the way his clothes were clinging to him wetly, and climbed aboard.

 

The road had only one destination. Unless Kadaj planned to divert somewhere along the way, he was heading for Fort Condor. And Sephiroth had the feeling that Kadaj didn't really have a plan, just an instinct, an impression of Jenova's desire and his duty.

 

As he roared onto the graveling road, spitting stone and exhaust in his wake, the rain gradually eased. The sky dripped a few more inches, and then it eased, giving everything a fresh, revived sense. Washing the world away.

 

* * *

 

The silence in the alleyway was stifling. No one wanted to speak, all feeling the weight of sorrow and guilt crashing down on them.

 

Tseng especially, couldn't handle it right now. He really couldn't. His hands were clenched so tightly into fists, he worried he would break his own fingers. Emotions pressed heavily on his mind, and they combated with his own, making the pain he felt that much more real. He wanted to cry, the feeling was certainly there, but Tseng shoved it down into the deepest pits of his composure.

 

His fault. The words rang over and over in his head. If he hadn't let her go, if he had only found her more quickly. It was his damned fault.

 

He couldn't even lift his eyes to look at the others. Couldn't bear to. Otherwise he'd just see them again.

 

Zack with his bloodied knuckles, hands flat against the wall of one of the buildings and staring angrily at the ground. He'd punched the building in his anger, and now he was surrounded in his silent grief, shoulders shaking but seeking no comfort.

 

Archer, off by himself and staring into the darkness of the other end of the alley. His shoulders drawn tight with so many conflicting emotions, Tseng couldn't make sense of them. Guilt and grief and regret and despair. Darker emotions that he wasn't used to sensing from the normally optimistic male.

 

Yuffie, silently weeping as she sat disconsolately on a piece of debris, staring out at the oddly blue sky beyond the shadows cast by the buildings. Nanaki crouched beside her, sharing the vista. His hands were dirty and bloody, so he kept them draped between his knees. It had been he to pull Elena and Marlene from the rubble, laying them out carefully for the sake of the others.

 

Reeve, sitting up against the wall on the other building, holding a sobbing Denzel in his arms. Tseng had been unable to handle the boy's pain and wished that they'd taken him somewhere else, so he wouldn't have to see this. It didn't help that the weight of Reeve's guilt only added to Tseng's own, threatening to bury the Wutaiian beneath the bulk of it. Until it felt as if he could barely stand.

 

And there he was, sitting beside the bodies of his precious subordinate and the little girl who had adored him so deeply. Face dry, though his throat had closed and his eyes burned tightly. He held Marlene's limp hand in his own, and wished that he could turn back time just a little. Enough so that a Life would work. Or a Phoenix Down. Or that he could have held onto her tightly so that she couldn't have slipped from his grasp.

 

That she hadn't been so willful. That it wasn't his damn fault. There was nothing he could do to get forgiveness for this. Hell, Tseng couldn't forgive himself. Why was it everything was collapsing around him? What more was the planet going to take from him?

 

His home. His family. His sanity. His closest friend. Marlene. Sephiroth.

 

Tseng abruptly froze, silver eyes widening fractionally. Sephiroth. Still by himself, fighting those clones. And her, Jenova, who wanted to take him back. It was their fault - her fault - that all this had happened. She had caused the summon to attack. She and her selfish desire to take his planet for her own.

 

She wanted to take the last thing Tseng had from him. And he couldn't let her do that. Because Denzel needed him. And Zack needed him. But most of all, Tseng needed him. And he wasn't going to let that bitch win.

 

Forcing himself to take a long breath, Tseng lifted Marlene's hand to his lips and kissed it gently. “I'm sorry,” he whispered softly, not wanting it to travel to anyone's ears but his own. And then he let her go carefully, rising to his feet with what was probably an abrupt motion.

 

He threw blast doors down within his mind, shuttering himself off from all the emotions that were crowding his thoughts. Tseng couldn't afford them right now. He had something he needed to do, before it was too late for him to do anything at all.

 

His gaze focused on the end of the alleyway, where he could just make out the sounds of the helicopters rotors quietly turning. It was in its lowest powered mode, just waiting for them to climb back aboard. And Tseng planned on taking advantage of that.

 

“Tseng?”

 

His motions had not gone unnoticed, and he felt Reeve's eyes on him. “What are you doing?”

 

He didn't spare the President a glance, trying to force his hands to unfurl as he headed for the exit of the alley. “I'm going after Sephiroth.”

 

There was the sound of scrambling as Reeve rushed to get to his feet, Denzel still clinging tightly to him. “By yourself?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“No!” The denial was accompanied by the sound of a fist slamming into a wall for the second time that day, some of the stone crumpling beneath the force of the former SOLDIER's blow. “I'm coming with you.”

 

Tseng paused, glancing over his shoulder and meeting Zack's gaze evenly. While his eyes were red-rimmed, his expression was filled with determination. One hand was already clenched tightly around the hilt of his sword, heedless to the blood his knuckles dripped to the pavement.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because Sephiroth needs me. And you shouldn't do this alone.”

 

“It's not for revenge?”

 

Tseng didn't know why he was asking, since he felt that same dark desire growing inside of him. To spill their blood, to make that bitch pay for causing pain to those he cared about. For stealing Elena and Marlene from him, and threatening to take Sephiroth. He wanted blood.

 

Crystalline eyes flickered, and Zack just looked at him. He didn't answer verbally, but his expression said enough. Maybe it was revenge; maybe he just wanted to save his very best friend. Perhaps he just wanted to do something rather than stand by the sidelines and wait. Either way, Tseng wasn't going to stop him.

 

Without a word, he turned back towards the helicopter, feeling time ticking away around him. Who knew how long it would be before Sephiroth collided with those brothers, or when the others joined him?

 

The sound of footsteps assured him that Zack was joining him, and they stepped past Nanaki and Yuffie, who didn't offer a word of argument. Nor did they offer to go. Perhaps they understood that it was something Tseng and Zack had to do on their own.

 

“Wait!” Someone else scrambled up the debris behind them, voice almost desperate. “I'm going with you.”

 

It was Zack who stopped this time, his blue eyes almost dead with grief. “I don't think--”

 

“I don't care,” Archer interrupted, seeming crazed for his desperation. “I'm not as strong as you two. I know that. But I'm going anyways.”

 

Zack's gaze sought out the President, trying to get the older man to agree with him. “Reeve, tell him. It's not his fight.”

 

“And neither is it yours, really,” Archer shot back shortly, and scrubbed his palm over his face, only succeeding in smearing the blood and dirt that had streaked his skin. “I have to do this, Reeve. Please. Just let me do this.”

 

Tseng only listened, growing impatient as he waited for them to make up their minds. His palms were itching and his heart was heavy. In the back of his mind, he could still see them lying there, so still and quiet. He had to do something.

 

Behind him, Reeve sighed, and Tseng knew that sound. It was his defeated sigh, one that proved he wasn't going to argue. “I won't stop you.”

 

“He's going to get himself killed,” Zack argued out of frustration. It wasn't so much that he didn't want Archer coming along, but that he worried the man would, in the end, find himself at death's door.

 

“Then so be it,” Archer declared, climbing up the last bits of debris and standing at the top with the two former ShinRa employees. “But if I don't try, I'll never forgive myself. And I already have one regret on my shoulder that I'll never lose the weight of. I can't have another. I have to save him.”

 

If he hadn't already accidentally garnered the truth, Tseng would have wondered whom Archer met. But he'd realized the connection between the engineer and Kadaj, and he knew what Archer was trying to do. Strangely, it was very similar to Tseng's own goals. And he wondered if Archer would be able to stop Zack from his revenge.

 

“If you think you can,” Tseng muttered, glancing once at the determined engineer.

 

For the first time in a while, amethyst eyes burned with life. “I will.”

 

Zack leapt to the ground on the other side of the rubble, heading straight for the helicopter still lazily rotating its blades. “Let's go.”

 

Exchanging glances with Archer, Tseng thumbed the hilt of Yoshiyuki and followed the former SOLDIER down. They didn't have any time to waste.

 

Nanaki watched them leave, forced to shield his eyes from the dust and wind that the helicopter produced. Their exit was a reminder that, technically, they were still in the midst of battle. Jenova was still out there. Did they honestly have time to grieve?

 

There was a faint clatter as some rocks broke loose when Yuffie rose to her feet, her hand squeezing Nanaki's arm gently. She was still distraught, her eyes swollen from her tears, but her sense of strength still gathered around her.

 

And then Nanaki felt it. A drip of something cool onto his head. He blinked, looking up at the bright blue sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight. Another drop hit him straight in the forehead, cool, but faintly pleasant. He reached up, rubbing his fingers over the wetness.

 

“Rain...?” he murmured, looking down at the moist digits.

 

As if called by his comment, a soft rain indeed began to fall, dripping down on he and Yuffie rather gently. Yet, there still wasn't a cloud in sight. It was as if it fell from nowhere, blanketing the rubble in wetness. Nanaki held out a hand, watching the rain drops splash into his palm. Cool, but not uncomfortable, and it made his skin tingle.

 

Beside him, Yuffie suddenly gasped and grabbed onto his other arm, holding it out in front of him. “Nanaki. Look!”

 

Golden eyes dropped to his arm, where bandages had been wrapped for the past month or so. Yuffie's deft fingers were already unrolling the thick, white fabric. And to his amazement, where the Geostigma had been, just a small outbreak compared to most, it was beginning to fade. His skin tingled more here, and wherever the rain touched, it seemed to evaporate into thin air. The constant ache he had been suffering vanished along with it.

 

His eyes widened in absolute shock. “What's going on?”

 

“Reeve!” Yuffie called out excitedly. “Bring Denzel out here! Quick!”

 

Nanaki watched the Geostigma disappear, even as the rain dampened his hair and his clothes, soaking him gently. His palm turned over and over, cupping the crystal clear water in his hand.

 

Just to be sure it wasn't a fluke, he looked down, finding that the small outbreak on his thigh was disappearing as well. It hadn't spread enough to be bandaged, though it had been annoying at times. Before his eyes, it was dissipating, leaving faint tingles in his wake. Like the sensation of swallowing an Elixir, the healing buzz throughout his entire body.

 

“What... what is this?” Reeve's surprised exclamation caught their attention and Nanaki turned to see him watching Denzel in surprise, the bruise leaving the young boy's forehead.

 

“I don't know,” Nanaki replied honestly, idly flexing and unflexing his fingers, just to feel his muscles move without pain again. “What does it mean?”

 

And no one had an answer.

 

Above them, the soft rain continued to fall, blanketing everything around them in a thin layer of cool moisture. Dripping from the sky, still an endless blue.

 

* * *

 

a/n: I'm cheating a little here. It's incredibly difficult to compose a proper motorcycle/fight/chase scene on paper. You just can't capture the same as you can with animation. So I didn't even try.

 

This is also the last time I will update on mediaminer. I'm sorry, but with all the other sites I'm a part of, it's become very time-consuming to update them all and mediaminer is the least popular, so it has been cut. It is my hope to eventually cut myself down to just one site.

 

I will leave what stores I have on here up, but won't be updating. I can be found at fanfiction.net and adultfanfiction.net under the same penname, dracoqueen22, or you can also find me at my homesite: http://crya2evans.tripod.com

 

Thanks to the few readers I had, and I'm sorry that my time has shrunk like this. I hope that you will find me at other sites. Thanks!