Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Ice Redux ❯ Journey Through the Deep ( Chapter 27 )

Chapter 27 : Journey through the Deep

 

Being underwater was an entirely different experience than anything Nanaki had ever done before. It wasn't unpleasant or frightening, just disorientating. He wasn't sure how Reeve managed to navigate within the dark deep, especially since the demi-human couldn't seem to tell up from down. And the many fish swimming around weren't helping either.

 

Yuffie, predictably, was stuck between having the time of her life and being consumed by motion sickness. He had spent a great portion of his time rubbing her back soothingly, to which she had managed to gurgle a thanks before abruptly returning to her pathetic moaning.

 

Reeve, Nanaki noticed, was being both strangely quiet and slightly distracted as he eased them through the bottom of the ocean, looking for that elusive `key to the music box'. Not that they knew what it did. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the former executive when they had been at Wutai.

 

A soft beep echoed through the submarine as something blipped on one of the screens. Nanaki pointed at it. “Uh, is that a good thing or a bad thing?” he questioned, slightly worried.

 

Amber eyes flickered to the screen and the executive shrugged. “Neither,” he replied. “Or more accurately, I can't say it yet. Whatever it is, isn't moving.” He paused before pressing a button on the control panel, causing the submarine to move in the direction that Nanaki assumed to be downwards. “We might as well check it out though.”

 

Nanaki gulped. “Isn't that a little... risky?” he ventured.

 

“Depends on what it is. We won't know until we poke around.”

 

While Reeve had a valid point, the demi-human wasn't all too keen on his plan. Nonetheless, he had no choice but to be dragged along as Reeve steered towards the unidentified blip on the screen. Golden eyes remained glued on the view window, half-curious and half-wary.

 

And when it came into sight, Nanaki gasped. “What? An airplane?”

 

Reeve frowned, punching a few more buttons as he eased towards the sunken wreckage. “Not just a plane but the Gelnika, ShinRa's second favorite transport. Last I heard, it had flown the Huge Materia to Rocket Town. Looks like one of the Weapon's got it.”

 

Behind them, in a shadowy alcove, Yuffie groaned. Nanaki cast her a sympathetic look before returning to the screen. “What did it usually transport?”

 

“Weapons, materia,” Reeve paused, making a very disgusted face. “Hojo's research.” His words hung heavy in the stillness of the cabin.

 

The other male mused on this as they began to circle around the fallen plane, looking faintly green beneath the press of the ocean. “Weapons,” he murmured.

 

“Yes. And usually the more high-class, newly developed ones.” He flicked a switch, illuminating much of the bottom of the ocean with a sudden bright light. “They could be useful.”

 

Suddenly, the idea of exploring it became very appealing. They had been cramped into the submarine for the better part of four hours and Nanaki wanted to stretch his legs. A smirk tugged at his lips.

 

“Can we board it?”

 

The ex-executive turned his head, inspecting something on his control panel. “Lucky us, we stole a loader. I'll spare you the details but in short, yes.” He shifted the wheel and headed towards the somewhat upwards facing door he had caught sight of earlier. “Let's go inside.”

 

Nanaki nodded in agreement while Yuffie merely moaned. It was translated as concord.

 

Three minutes later, they were hovering several feet above the door and Reeve was unbuckling himself from the driver's seat. He stretched, hearing the bones in his back pop and crack. He needed the break just as much; there was a distinct line of tension across the back of his shoulders.

 

Reeve gestured vaguely towards the hall just through the door behind them. “Just follow me,” he ordered. “I have to operate the loader manually,” he explained, already slipping past them into the hall, leaving his companions to trail along after him.

 

He led them into the lower regions of the submarine and directly to what appeared to be a door in the bottom. Reeve knelt, popping a panel out of place on the floor and revealing yet another set of gleaming buttons and switches that made Nanaki's head spin. Yet, he continued to watch as Reeve's nimble fingers danced over the control board.

 

He felt the submarine give a shudder around them and then the low whine of something mechanical shifting. There was a thunk, then a tremble, followed by a repeating clacking. Nanaki winced at the myriad noises. It didn't sound safe that was for certain.

 

Slim hands grasped his free arm. He looked down to find Yuffie staring up at him, still vaguely pale. “What's he doing?” she whispered, her brow furrowing as her voice came out slightly stuttery.

 

“Honestly? I have no idea.”

 

Reeve chuckled at his words. “You don't want to get wet, do you?” he asked. “I'm creating a short connection to the door. I think the Gelnika is still airtight... to a certain extent.” He rose to his feet, only to crouch over the circular handle on the door. He grasped it tightly and began turning it with very audible squeaks.

 

“...a... certain extent?” Yuffie ventured, sounding distinctly nervous.

 

Reeve rolled his eyes. “We'll be fine,” he assured her. “I ran a preliminary scan. There's some oxygen.”

 

She snorted. “That makes me feel so much better.”

 

The door came open with a loud screech, popping up so quickly that Reeve stumbled backwards. Nevertheless, the three crowded around the new opening and peered down.

 

There was a short ladder that led directly to a door on the other end. A circular section of what appeared to be collapsible metal formed a tunnel, ten feet in diameter all the way down and a series of heavy-duty magnets connected them to the Gelnika. It looked relatively safe.

 

“No use in staring,” Reeve announced as he swung his legs down and began to climb. His feet echoed hollowly on the metal rail, his hands squeaking over the rungs.

 

Nanaki and Yuffie exchanged glances before quickly following. Yuffie's motion sickness had faded now that they weren't actually moving, while Nanaki brought up the rear.

 

Reeve was already turning the other door handle, the same circular latch as before, by the time they finished climbing. It screeched and complained as he tugged before finally giving way with a loud, hair-raising shriek that made all three of them wince. The metal door plopped open, falling inwards and finally giving them access to the interior of the Gelnika. They could see the brief luminescence of some type of light glowing brightly within, which was encouraging.

 

“You first,” Yuffie suggested, exchanging looks with Reeve. Her voice echoed eerily hollow within the Gelnika and she gulped loudly, not liking the odd feeling of trepidation that crept down her spine.

 

Amber eyes rolled before Reeve swung his body around, fingers groping for the vaguely visible ladder. He began to climb down with swift movements, shivering only slightly as a flush of cold, clammy air washed over his body. Seconds later, he was dropping down do the ground, landing ankle deep in a small puddle of water and standing within an emergency-light lit hallway, two doors barely visible within the metal. Near to the farthest door, a large, wooden and rotting box held an unknown object. He resolved to inspect it.

 

“Cold!” Yuffie complained as she came down after the former executive, dropping down into the water with a big splash. She immediately spied the relatively drier land just a few steps in front of them and clambered out of the small depression, Reeve right beside her. She shivered as she rubbed her hands over her arms.

 

“It's certainly not the tropics!” she added, shooting Reeve a look.

 

He frowned thoughtfully as he strode towards the rotting wooden box, inspecting the cover for any sort of clue as to what was inside. He caught ShinRa's symbol and something else... W.R.D. Weapons Research and Development. Interesting. He was digging into the box before he knew what he was doing as he heard Nanaki drop down into the hallway behind him, also complaining about the cold water. After all, in his demi-human form, he didn't wear shoes. Why, the former executive wasn't sure.

 

“Whatcha lookin' at?” Yuffie asked, striding up beside Reeve.

 

The amber-eyed man tilted his head to the side as he shoved aside straw and pieces of wood. “A new weapon if we're lucky,” he answered before he finally caught the gleam of silver.

 

Yuffie decided to help and together, the two of them shoved aside the covering until they revealed their find. “A sword,” Yuffie stated flatly before waving her hand and shaking her head. “As if Cloud doesn't have enough of those already.”

 

“It's pretty powerful,” Nanaki murmured, appearing at their side and nearly giving her a heart attack. His gaze raked over the blade. “It's even got six slots and it's stronger than the one he has now. We should pick it up on the way out.”

 

“I wonder what else is on this plane,” Yuffie muttered thoughtfully. She wandered away from their group, having lost interest rather quickly in the box once she learned she couldn't use it. “There are two doors. How about we look into them?”

 

Reeve nodded. “We'll take the one on the right first. Then this other one.” He sniffed slightly, wrinkling his nose at the smell that assaulted his senses. Despite having been sunken for only a short time, the Gelnika was already picking up that damp moldy smell. “And let's just hope that's not where they kept Hojo's specimens.”

 

The ninja made a face but that didn't stop her from being the first to cross the hallway to the door. “That man's whacked,” she commented unnecessarily before peering through the gloom onto the symbol on the front of the door. There was the typical ShinRa crest and she scowled at it before reading the script beneath it.

 

“Generator room,” she read aloud before shrugging. “Never know, might be something interesting in there.” She placed her hand on the door latch as the two males appeared at her side.

 

The door opened with a very audible creak and groan. The first thing they noticed was the chillier feel to the air, as well as the fact that it was significantly brighter within the generator room. Here, the lights were more numerous and more powerful, enabling them to see quite clearly within. It may have been a generator room at some point, but now was being used for storage. Several boxes were scattered about, some looking broken and useless, others still intact with unknown treasures inside.

 

Yuffie's brows rose to her hairline as she stepped inside, pushing past Reeve with only a slight jostle. “They weren't very neat,” she observed, already moving to one of the battered wooden boxes, its contents spilling out onto the floor. “Most of it is broken.” She stepped gingerly over shattered glass fragments, most likely remainders of potions and ethers.

 

“We might still find something,” Nanaki commented, stepping off to the right as he spied a box that had yet to be touched. He shoved the broken paneling from another container off of it before yanking off the cover. He pursed his lips into approval. “Cloud will be pleased.”

 

Reeve looked up from running his fingers over another closed box, this one closer to the large engine structure on the far side of the room yet also to the left of it. “What is it?” he asked.

 

Slightly clawed hands dipped inside, pushing away the straw. “Escort Guard,” he answered, reading aloud from the small inscription engraved in the base of the armlet. “Never heard of it but I can practically feel the power coming off of it.”

 

“Lemme have it, then,” Yuffie suggested from the opposite side of the room, poking around in the farthest corner of boxes piled high.

 

Nanaki shook his head. “No can do, Yufs. It's for men.”

 

She pouted. “That's not fair,” the ninja muttered under her breath, only to suddenly squeal in delight when she kicked at a box and something popped out, gleaming at her feet. “Conformer! I only ever heard rumors of this brand!” she exclaimed.

 

Reeve smiled at her exuberance, only half-listening to her chatter as he poked about in the boxes nearest to him, prying open the lid of a rather small one. It was only about the size of his palm. Bright yellow gleamed back at him. A materia. He absentmindedly shoved the small orb into his pocket, already moving into another equally promising box. He guessed that it contained some type of healing liquid, judging by the rattling sound it made.

 

“That's nice, Yuffie,” Nanaki commented on the other side of the room, admiring the weapon that she was so proudly showing him. “I think it's the strongest we've found or bought yet.”

 

Her brown eyes were sparkling with excitement, and he couldn't help but remark to himself just how very beautiful they were. “8-linked slots, Nanaki. You can't get much stronger than that!”

 

He nodded in agreement when suddenly, his senses prickled, every hair on the back of his neck rising. He got the unwelcome sensation that they were not alone and immediately swept his gaze over the rather small room, his nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air. His senses were not as attuned as they would be in his other form, but still significantly stronger than the average humans and he picked up the faint and nauseating odor of something strange. Moldy, almost.

 

“Nanaki, wha--”

 

He shushed her with a finger, his eyes momentarily darting to Reeve across the room as he focused his attention on his ears. Then he heard it, a strange plopping sound like that of some sort of glop dripping to the floor. I was startling different from the subtle plip of leaking water that had been an ever-present white noise in the background.

 

“I think we should leave,” he commented, already backing towards the door. “Now.”

 

Reeve looked up from where stood already reaching into another box. He frowned slightly. “What? Wh--”

 

His words were cut off as something whipped down from the piping and grating above him, wrapping around his stomach and jerking him upwards. His arm flailed out, smacking against the metal piping as he cried out in surprise. “What the hell?” he gasped as what he was positive was a tentacle tightened around him, cutting off his air.

 

Then there was an orange blur, almost too quick to tell before something flashed in the dim light and hands wrapped around him, jerking him free from the creature's hold. Nanaki's claw slashed through the tentacle, forcing it to let go and the two males dropped back down the floor where Yuffie quickly ran up to meet them.

 

Reeve sucked in huge gulping breaths of air, but they were given no reprieve as his attacker chose to show its ugly face, plopping down from where it had been hiding into the open space of the floor. Nausea gripped their bellies at the sight of the glistening pinkish flesh, and the gaping, saliva-slick mouth. Beady eyes glared at them as what appeared to be several tentacles dangled from its lower body.

 

“What the hell is that?” Nanaki breathed, eyes wide with shock.

 

Reeve's hand automatically dropped to his side as he flicked a dagger into his hand. “I don't think I want to know,” he commented as Yuffie bounced beside him, practically filled with glee at getting to try out her new weapon.

 

The beast stared at them and a faint twitch was their only warning before an array of tentacles came bursting towards them. The three split in opposite directions, sending their first attack back. Nanaki cast Sense, always his first move in any battle as Reeve sent a wave of Ice at the creature. Yuffie darted forward, quick as a flash and swiped her Conformer at the beast, but it evaded her and emitted a strange gurgling sound.

 

“It doesn't have any weaknesses!” Nanaki exclaimed as the glow of the Sense cast faded from his body. “I can't find a single one!”

 

Amber eyes widened. “What?” Reeve shouted, only to dodge when a trio of tentacles came shooting his direction. He panted, already wiping sweat from his brow as he had to be in constant motion.

 

Nanaki's claw flashed through the air, choosing to slice and dice rather than dodge and he slashed one of the tentacles. Green blood splashed out, falling to the metal floor beneath him with an acidic hiss before it immediately began to corrode the metal. The demi-human recoiled, having nearly dripped the acidic blood on his foot.

 

“Watch out for the blood!” he called out, grimacing with distaste as a foul odor wafted up from the melted metal.

The creature keened in pain as it retracted its tentacles, content on finding an easier target.

 

A dagger whipped through the air, lodging itself neatly in one of the monster's two largest eyes only to be rapidly followed by the steady ching of Yuffie's throwing chakrams, embedding themselves in the thing's flesh. It snarled and hissed with its strange gurgles and instantly retaliated, the ninja the last opponent that caused it pain.

 

The beast slapped her across the room in the same moment she was attempting to dodge another tentacle and the young Wutaiian went flying, crashing against an opposite wall and landing limply on a stack of broken boxes. She groaned as she weakly tried to rise when one end of the tentacle wrapped around her ankle, prepared to grip and toss her again.

 

Nanaki darted out of nowhere, slashing through the appendage so quickly it had no time to bleed on him before he rushed the monster.

 

“Yuffie!” Reeve cried, scrambling to his feet and trying to rush to the ninja's side. Red blood was spattering to the metal floor and he could tell from her ginger movements that something had been injured.

 

A flash and a squelch later, a huge gash was torn in the monster's side, spilling even more of the ichor onto the floor as Nanaki attacked. The demi-human grunted when a tentacle slammed into him, nearly succeeding in knocking him off balance and he sliced at it, causing acidic blood to drip on his thigh. But he gritted his teeth against the pain and gripped the tentacle with his unweaponed hand and squeezed.

 

The monster keened in pain as Reeve finally reached Yuffie's side, kneeling to help the ninja. Nanaki noticed this from the corner of his eye, only to have them widen in shock. Taking advantage of the situation, having one opponent entangled, the monster decided to concentrate on its other enemies.

 

“Reeve!” Nanaki called out, trying to alert the executive as he struggled with the tentacles wrapped around him.

 

The former executive's head whipped around as he rose to his feet, only to stare in horror at the two largest tentacles only moments from colliding from him. One was dripping acidic blood already, and both had huge gaping maws on them, foaming at the mouth. But it was too late.

 

No time to run or dodge, he could only crouch over Yuffie and throw up his hands. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain.

 

Only it never came. He heard the crackle of something fleshy against a shield, a monster's cry of pain, and the subtle surge of power in the air. Reeve opened his eyes, finding that a shield he hadn't cast surrounded him was repelling the splash of acid and sending the tentacle flying back at its monster.

 

Blinking in confusion, Reeve took advantage of the situation and tossed out a fire on the retreating creature, noting with pleasure that it had some effect. Lightning crackled through the air as Nanaki jerked a Swift Bolt from his air and tossed it at their attacker, the fire and electricity both creating a hefty distraction.

 

“What was that?” Nanaki called out, trying to make it over to their side as the flash of green magic, a Cure, filled the air.

 

Yuffie rose to her feet, coughing slightly.

 

“I don't know!” Reeve shouted back, shaking his head.

 

“Look out!”

 

Ninja and former executive darted in opposite directions at the yell, reacting on instinct. Two tentacles crashed by them, slamming into the wall and cracking through several broken boxes as Reeve twisted to the side, whipping out a second dagger and pinning it neatly in the monster's other eye. With any luck, the smaller orbs would be for show and the thing would be blinded now.

 

Yuffie rolled on her shoulder, nimbly dodging yet another attack, before leaping to her feet and darting forward, Conformer at the ready. She could literally feel the power in the weapon as Nanaki distracted it with a Fire Fang, sending another burst of flame across its pinkish hide. She slipped in under the creature's defenses and slashed a huge gash across the flattened, puckered front of it before quickly darting away before one of the smaller tentacles with the suckers could get a grip on her.

 

A short distance away, Reeve scrambled to his feet and hurriedly tossed out another bit of fire at the monster. He was hesitant to use anything stronger, for fear of causing damage to the Gelnika and possibly drowning them all. It was a pity since an Ultima would probably take the entire thing out in a few seconds.

 

Nanaki was an orange and red blur as he moved around in a flash, slicing and nimbly avoiding acidic splashes despite the injury of his leg. One uninjured tentacle slipped by him, however and attacked Yuffie, slapping her across the shoulder and causing her to spurt several unladylike curses as her body began to glow the very visible crimson of a limit break.

 

“Bloodfest!” she growled, clutching her Conformer tightly as she darted forward.

 

The demi-human recognized this attack and quickly moved out of the way, flashing to Reeve's side and the two males watched the small female pummel the monster to bits. She used a series of ten consecutive and deadly attacks, leaving the monster a shuddering, sliced up mess on the floor of the Gelnika.

 

Brown eyes flashed with battle fury as her Conformer glinted in the dim emergency lighting, sending green ichor splashing through the air. The monster gurgled one last time before it collapsed, turning into a dusty, black ash that coated the metal floor.

 

Yuffie emitted a ragged cheer as the scarlet glow of her limit break faded, breathing somewhat haggardly.

 

“Great job Yufs,” Nanaki called out from the opposite side of the room where Reeve was already heading towards him with a megalixir he had confiscated from one of the boxes. Only two of the entire case had survived the fight.

 

The ninja beamed at the praise.

 

The subtle and soothing prickle of the elixir splashed onto the demi-human's acid burnt leg and he returned his attention to the ex-executive. “None of us have Barrier. Where did that shield come from?”

 

Reeve shook his head, appearing just as perplexed. “I honestly don't know but I'm glad for it.” He shuddered visibly as he drank down half of the other megalixir before passing the rest to Yuffie. “I wouldn't have survived otherwise.”

 

“What was that creature?” Yuffie asked, taking the small glass bottle and gulping down the rest of the sparkling purple liquid. It cooled as it went down, sending a comforting tingle through her body. Already she could feel her bruises healing.

 

Nanaki frowned. “Unknown, that was all Sense could reveal.” He rose to his feet, stretching out his recently healed leg. “It was probably one of Hojo's experiments,” he added as he made a disgusted face, looking above them. He tilted his head to the side before making a leap that neither human could accomplish and grasping onto the pipes above them.

 

He neatly swung his body up, his voice echoing behind him as golden eyes scanned the open space. “I think it was the last one though.”

 

Yuffie's hand went to her heart. “Thank Dao'Chao,” she breathed. Despite having kicked its ass in the end, the creature was more trouble than it was worth.

 

The demi-human dropped neatly to the ground before her, shaking his head. “Don't get too happy just yet. There's no more in this room but I don't know about the rest of the plane.”

 

“Let's move on then. This place gives me the creeps now,” Yuffie responded, making a disgusted face.

 

“I couldn't agree more,” Reeve commented, rising to his feet and stretching. The remainder of the boxes had been destroyed during the battle so there wasn't much left in terms of salvaging. There was no reason for them to remain.

 

“We can check out the other door now,” the ex-executive continued as he moved to exit the generator room, the other two on his heels.

 

They stepped into the hallway, just as eerily silent as before, but this time they were decidedly more wary. The encounter with the Unknown had left them somewhat shaky.

 

“Let's just hope there aren't any more strange monsters on the other side,” Reeve muttered as he opened the other door and peeked within. Several barrels full of questionable substances blocked his sight however. At least, he didn't feel the presence of any enemies. He nodded his head towards Nanaki and Yuffie before pushing the door the rest of the way and stepping inside.

 

Only to come to a complete and direct halt as he stared at the other end of the room. His entire body froze and his breath caught in his throat, every drop of blood draining from his face. That moment he had feared, what he hadn't wanted to face, stood right in front of him. Because on the other side of the room, facing another door, were Reno and Rude.

 

How ironic.

 

They turned at his stifled gasp of surprise and even from across the room, Reno's eyes immediately found Reeve's, widening only slightly to register his own shock. It felt as if the world narrowed to just the two of them, and at this point, Reeve still didn't have an answer to his question.

 

He didn't want to fight Reno, he really didn't want to. He knew he couldn't bring himself to harm the Turk. But that would put him on the run again because he knew that AVALANCHE wouldn't abide his presence if he sided with the enemy. He was left with very little options and a small part of him started to shake. Life was certainly cruel.

 

Until a small hand settled on his arm, squeezing comfortingly. “We don't have to fight them,” Yuffie murmured, looking up at him with large, sympathetic brown eyes.

 

He blinked, taking in a short, hitched breath of confusion as he somehow managed to tear his gaze away from Reno to look at her. “What?”

 

Nanaki stepped up to his other side, having smoothly avoided colliding with him earlier. “We know already, Reeve,” he answered quietly. “We know.”

 

“You don't have to prove anything by fighting them,” Yuffie added, shooting him one of her big smiles. Her fingers squeezed his arm again before she patted his shoulder.

 

The demi-human nodded. “Yes. If anyone has anything to say, we've already decided we'll cover for you.”

 

On the other side of the room, neither Turk had made any moves yet, merely observing the conversation between the three of them. Rude and Reno did, however, exchange glances, something sparkling behind aquamarine eyes.

 

“H--how?” Reeve stuttered, still completely perplexed at how what amounted to children had discovered his secret.

 

Yuffie smiled smugly. “Since we were in Junon,” she responded before waving her hand dismissively. “Besides, no one's any good at being secretive on this ship and I'll bet I know where you disappeared to in Wutai.” She giggled then, pausing only long enough to wink before continuing. “And you should see the stuff Cloud puts in his hair and well, you're not alone. You know--”

 

“Yuffie,” Nanaki growled warningly. “That's not our secret to tell,” he said, shooting her a warning stare.

 

She waved him off but refrained from revealing the secret. “Point is, you don't have to fight them,” she finished.

 

Reeve was dumbfounded, but that didn't stop him from raising his gaze to meet his lover's across the room. Nanaki and Yuffie couldn't know that Rude was aware of their relationship but still, they were willing to express their support. He felt an embarrassing amount of gratefulness bubbling up inside of him and had to resist the urge to throw his arms around them.

 

Just then, the walkie-talkie dangling from Reno's belt crackled to life, filling the not-tense silence with its annoying static. The Turk reached down and grabbed the device, pressing a button and speaking into it in low tones that they couldn't hear. Rude turned towards his partner, but didn't speak.

 

Even so, the walkie's response was plainly audible. “AVALANCHE and our stolen submarine have been spotted in the area. If possible, locate and destroy.”

 

Reno rolled his eyes. “Affirmative,” he muttered into the device before clicking it off and handing it over to his partner. “Good thing we haven't found them yet, hmm?” he questioned with a note of amusement to his tone.

 

The other three on the far end of the hall watched this exchange with interested eyes. Rude clapped his partner on the shoulder and turned away from him, heading towards an opening that they hadn't seen, hidden behind another barrel.

 

“I'll go on ahead, Reno,” he intoned, already crouching to grab a hold of the ladder that disappeared down into the darkened depths. “Don't be too long.”

 

When Reno nodded, Nanaki and Yuffie took the hint. “We'll be waiting on the sub, okay?” Yuffie chirped before wiggling one of their recently acquired items in her hand. “These are kind of heavy.”

 

Nanaki smiled. “I'll grab the Heaven's Cloud. We can come back later, after we've stocked back on some stronger materia.” He turned on his heels and left the hallway, Yuffie on his heels.

 

The door slid shut with a quiet thunk, leaving the two lovers alone on opposite sides of the room. Reeve closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief as he raked a hand through his hair, his posture still ramrod straight.

 

“I can't fight you,” he admitted quietly. “I realize that now. If we must stand on opposite sides of the battlefield, I cannot hurt you.”

 

Before he could open his eyes, he felt the arms sliding around him, and a forehead settle on his shoulder despite the fact that Reno was taller than him by several inches. Reeve bit his lip, lifting his arms and wrapping them around his lover as well.

 

“It's really not fair,” the former executive sighed. “But at least we had Wutai.”

 

Reno chuckled against his shoulder, and despite the thickness of his suit jacket, Reeve swore he could feel the warm puffs of his lover's breath against his skin. “You think those brats will keep their word?” he asked.

 

The older man nodded, hands unconsciously tightening around Reno. “Where do we go from here?” he whispered. “Opposite directions? Back to our different paths? Do you honestly think ShinRa's in the right?”

 

“No. But other than you, it's all I have. It was once all we had other than each other.” He smiled briefly then. “If I don't keep my job, how are we going to eat in the future?”

 

Reeve bit his lip. “If there is a future,” he murmured quietly.

 

A hand was on his chin before he knew it and his eyes snapped open, only to have his entire view replaced by vivid aquamarine eyes, with the same intent stare that he had fallen in love years ago reflecting within them. “Don't say that,” Reno hissed, his voice filled with a determined trill that literally sent chills down the former executive's spine. “I'm not doing this for nothing, yo. There will be a future.”

 

He pressed forward and kissed Reeve when the last echoes of his proclamation faded and for a few blissful minutes, there was nothing more important than the two of them in that moment. Their lips pressed together, working one against the other in a slow, lazy rhythm.

 

Reeve broke away from the kiss with much reluctance. “Be careful, ne? I've seen too many of my friends die already and I can't lose you,” he murmured, his breath puffing against his lover's lips.

 

Fingers tickled at the hairs on the base of his neck. “Tseng's not dead, yo.”

 

“What?”

 

Reno nodded. “He's got a nasty wound through the gut and some other minor stuff but he's alive. So don't worry about me. It takes a lot more than a crazy once-dead guy to kill us, yo.”

 

The former executive managed a smile, despite the pain cracking through his heart. “You make a valid point.” He sighed, slowly disentangling himself from Reno's hold. “You'd better go... before ShinRa realizes that something is up.”

 

The Turk's hand fell to his pocket even as he raked free fingers through his bright locks. “You better survive, Reeve. `Cause when it's all said and done, I've got something to say to you.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Not now.” Reno shook his head as he swallowed thickly, a bit of indecision peeking through his usually strong mask. “Just... I love you.” He shifted another step backwards, knowing that if he didn't, he would never leave. Only a few feet separated them, but already it felt like miles.

 

Reeve turned away, hands clenching into fists at his sides. If he didn't look, it would be that much easier. If he didn't have to watch his lover walk away from him...

 

“I love you, too,” he responded, blinking away sudden and very unmanly tears.

 

There was silence for a moment until Reno suddenly pressed against his back, hand snaking around to the front and pushing something into his clenched fist. “Don't go into that other room. All of Hojo's freaks have escaped and they are deadly.”

 

And then the warmth was gone, all too brief for his liking. Reno scurried down the ladder to wherever Rude was waiting and Reeve was left staring at a small red materia in his hand. His vision blurred and he couldn't seem to make out the identifier symbols of the summon. It felt as if a heavy weight had settled on his chest and inwardly he cursed Rufus ShinRa, loathing the man and his family with every piece of his being for the pain he currently suffered.

 

“Reeve?”

 

His head snapped up at the hesitant and worried tone, finding that Yuffie was standing in the doorway. Her face was drawn tight with concern and he couldn't help but wonder how much she had witnessed, if any at all.

 

“Are you all right?”

 

It took great effort but he managed a nod. “Yes... I'm fine,” he rasped, slipping the still unidentified materia into his pocket. A smile, thin at best, worked its way onto his face. Because someone had to be strong and he simply couldn't be allowed to break.

 

Yuffie didn't look like she believed him, eying him with a skeptical stare. Nevertheless, she showed great maturity and didn't badger him. “Nanaki says our fuel's getting low.”

 

The former executive nodded, already moving to follow her. “Let's go then. We don't want to be trapped here.”

 

Reeve felt her eyes on him as they headed to the submarine, but he knew she couldn't offer him any comfort. No one could. He was well-schooled in hiding his pain, nevertheless.

 

So by the time he was seated back in the driver's seat, he was back to his normal cheery self. No one would have known, at a glance, that anything was wrong or that he had just said his hardest goodbye. Not unless they cared enough to look close.

 

And he finally learned the name of that materia. It was Hades. He decided he would give it to Vincent.

 

- - - - - -

 

“A cave behind a waterfall?” Vincent murmured quizzically as he stood at the mouth of the cave, glancing into the gaping darkness.

 

“We've already got the key,” Cloud urged impatiently. “Do we really need to go inside?” After the fiasco involving Yuffie and Wutai, they were all more than ready to see what the ancient key really did. He looked to the gunman who appeared entranced. Vincent didn't respond to his question.

 

After searching what seemed to be the entire ocean floor once Reeve and the others returned with the submarine, the three men had finally stumbled upon two tunnels, one that led to the key. In trying to find their way out, they had taken a wrong turn and ended up in a deep lagoon surrounded by steep mountains on both sides and a waterfall.

 

“Vince?” Cid furrowed his brow in confusion. He looked to his lover and saw pain behind the gunman's crimson eyes. That kind of emotion was usually masked…

 

Still, the ex-Turk did not respond. He ignored his two friends as he took a step forward and began to enter the cave as if drawn by something beyond his will.

 

“Calling…” the gunman murmured though his voice couldn't be heard over the roaring falls.

 

Cid and Cloud exchanged slightly concerned glances and hurried to follow their teammate into the cool darkness of the unknown cave. He was acting even more stranger than usual.

 

They could hear the steady clomp of Vincent's boots echoing hollowly on the stone floor, though they could no longer see him. The pilot found it disturbing to look over and see his leader's eyes glowing in the dark, eyes nearly slitted. He was instantly glad that he hadn't gotten out of the military before they decided to try their little mako experiments.

 

The two men stumbled along in the darkness, only Cloud really able to see anything. Cid wondered what had gotten into the gunman, and why he had seemed to so eager to explore the cave. He was far ahead of them as well, seemingly driven by something neither blond could see or feel.

 

Minutes later, the pilot saw the beginnings of a glow, purplish-green in color. They were nearing a cavern of some sort that didn't encourage him any more. A feeling of uneasiness settled in his belly and refused to disperse.

 

Encouraged by the light, the two men pushed forward until they found themselves staring open-mouthed in shock at the sight before them. There was some type of mineral providing the ethereal glow that pervaded the cavern. It was mostly empty although both the walls and the floors seemed smooth and polished. Whether or not the cave was natural was up for discussion.

 

The ex-Turk had paused just a few steps past the doorway and was immobile as he stared at something in the room ahead of them. Cid and Cloud peered around their companion to find the occupant of the cavern.

 

It was a woman, dressed in a white lab coat with long brown hair and shining brown eyes. She was serenely beautiful though the anguish and melancholy evident in her face seemed to steal some of it away. The Captain had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he looked at her.

 

It wasn't until he heard Vincent's tortured whisper that he knew his fears were true.

 

“Lucrecia…”

 

- - - -