Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Sins of Two Fathers ❯ Chapter 12 ( Chapter 12 )

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

"The Sins of Two Fathers" and the general overall concept of "The Sins of Two Fathers" is completely copyright Orin Drake 1999-2003, as are the character Kyrie Leonhart and Rodger Kinneas. The characters Seifer Almasy, Squall Leonhart, Quistis Trepe, Ellone (Leonhart?), Laguna Loire, Irvine Kinneas, Selphie Timett, Rinoa "The Great Big Bitch" Heartily (biased? me?), Sephiroth and Cloud Strife 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. Kyrie and Rodger are mine, the rest are not.
Background: To be completely honest, I had no idea this was going to turn into a serious story. All I started writing was as a free-for-all squickfic yaoi fan fantasy, but it got so out of my control that the characters are actually... endearing. What have I done?! Ah well. Lesse, there's a real obvious homosexual relationship, but they don't really do anything in this chapter, so... oh, there's language. You know me, I like my nasty language, so look out.

WARNING!!! This chapter contains horrific acts of violence, rape, general torture, gore (though not too specific), and death. Not for the faint of heart, to put it lightly.

No working communications devices, and no living crew. To allow the ship to roam to where Sephiroth wanted it to go or not... Kyrie shuddered to think about either option, really. What if her parents were there, where they were being directed? But then, Sephiroth would want them to come after him. It seemed like a stupid decision either way, honestly. She didn't even react when Rodger walked up to her and waved a hand in front of her face. After a few more seconds of being stared at, however, the worry slid off of her mind like water off of feathers. She could not allow it to take hold of her consciousness. Worry was one thing, but an agonized helpless panic was completely another. She would not be that, she would not do that. "So..." she started, but could not finish.
"I think we're screwed either way." Cloud didn't need a vocalization of her feelings.
Kyrie took a deep breath and crossed her arms tightly against her chest, but it was very still. Very calm, very silent. "Any idea of what kind of chance we've got if we go there?"
"A bad one." Vincent commented quietly. Brutal honesty was necessary at this point in time.
"I'd agree with that." Cloud admitted despite himself.
Kyrie looked to Rodger for a moment, trying to judge what was going through his head. She bet he'd had no indication she'd be getting him into shit like this. Oh sure, all kinds of other, slightly less mind-blowing and life threatening shit, but not this...
Before she even had the chance to consider what she wanted to say to him, he put on one of his most suave grins. "I'm not leaving."
At least that made her smile. "Well, that's something."
"Really, Kyrie... whatever you decide to do." It was Cloud's honest answer, though he seemed a little surprised it had actually come out of his mouth.
"You've killed him before..." she pondered out loud. It was neither a question nor an answer, but it seemed important enough to state again.
"Vincent was there, too." The blonde assured.
Another deep breath was heard from her. She didn't want to put her friends' lives in danger. But then, they had come with her quite freely. Hell, Cloud was after Sephiroth when he just stumbled upon her. It still gave her a horrific feeling that she actually honored that "deal", though... what a godawful, gut wrenching thought, that. A blunt question, then. "Do you think we can pull it off?"
Well, now that was the question. But he didn't think they could pull it off last time; well, not at first. They were in that same stage of worry and regret right now, though. If there was hope back then... "You both have a little time to practice. It's definitely possible."
Kyrie sat back and looked at her fingertips. What, maybe three hours to learn Heal and Ultima? But it would have to do. They couldn't waste time and effort trying to contact other ports in person. Maybe this would serve as enough of a surprise to give them the upper hand, at least for a little while. "Let's do it, then."

"Squall..." he heard again. Same voice, closer... more real... and then his eyes shot open with a full-forced, open handed lash on the side of his face.
Squall's heart raced; not with the pain, not really with the surprise of a strike... It was that voice. That fucking voice. The voice of years ago, of nightmares and memories hidden so deeply in the shadows they were less memories than they seemed someone else's demented thoughts you were stuck with somehow. He just wanted to shout "No!" over and over until his throat was raw, until he had no more breath or voice left to shout any longer. Denial, denial was his friend--
But there was no mistaking the hungry gaze of the predator before him. Green cat eyes, wild with hatred and torture lust. His lips parted to speak the demon's name, but he could not allow himself. If he spoke it, it would be real. The words would become flesh. Certainly this was a horrific nightmare. Granted he didn't have them often, but when he did...
The other side of his face stung with the back of the monster's other hand. The voice, so sneering, so... ungodly, humiliating, painful... "Leonhart. I'm surprised you don't remember me."
But he knew full well. It shone in his eyes under the hatred; the satisfaction of the fear, the pain. Squall had seen that so many times in his youth. Even after so long, he was still reduced to forcing himself to stop the shaking. It was only then he realized his arms were held above his head with expertly woven metal chains, lifting his feet just an inch above the floor. This isn't happening, this can't be happening, Seifer wake me up!
The bastard with the greener than green eyes only grinned in victory. "You mustn't worry about your beloved." The word was spat out as a curse. "He's just beyond that wall, waiting his turn."
Absolutely agonizing shudders overcame Squall's body entirely. He was first. For what? He knew what. He didn't know how, but he knew what. It was becoming more clear by the second, more obvious the thicker his fear became. The panic was too hard to control, and his body would not obey him.
Sephiroth waited until the last possible moment, until he was absolutely certain the fear was clouding the former SeeD's expert mind. He grasped the younger man's throat tightly in his hand, feeling the pulse even through the leather and delighting in the pain he was causing. Just like old times. The very though made him chuckle darkly to himself.
It was like that very sound shattered the barrier of panic overwhelming Squall's mind. This time he kicked out, roughly and without focus, but it caused the bastard to think twice. The cocky grin remained plastered across his face, but he released and backed up. Squall continued to regain control, trying to use his body like a pendulum.
But, unfortunately for him, Sephiroth had planned on that part, too. On to the next step. He darted forward and stunned the brunette thoroughly with an even harder strike, one that was bordering on cracking his jaw. But he didn't want that. He wanted to hear the words of denial pour from the boy's lips.
The hit momentarily rendered Squall utterly useless. His mind was blank for a number of seconds from the sheer force, his body completely inert. The first thought fired quickly, however; less of a thought than a primal need to defend himself. He didn't remember from what at the time, but he knew his life was in danger. The animal need to survive was short-lived; it all came back with the other man's tainted touch.
"This is too much dignity for you, Leonhart." Sephiroth seethed. Squall fought his every action with the best of his strength but lacking words; he did not want Seifer to hear him. It was a subtle reason that Sephiroth so reveled in knowing. Something deep and hidden, torn out from within. From one of his best students, who had abandoned him. Hatefully, his slender fingers shredded at the front of his victim's pants, yanking them from his hips.
"No." Squall growled quietly, teeth clenched with rage and tension. He kicked, crossed his legs, tried to use his knees to connect with something, anything; he did everything he could do, everything in his power, to prevent the inevitable.
Regardless, Sephiroth assured him that it was indeed inescapable by another impressive show of pure strength. If he could not pull them off so easily, he would rip them to pieces. Either way, his goal was satisfied.
Squall was too angry to react to the cold of the room just yet. He continued to fight valiantly even as his briefs were torn from him with a satisfied laugh, and kicked wildly as his shirt was ripped to ribbons. Not this time, not ever again. He used his entire body to fight, using the wall to push himself against as he swung out and tried to injure his tormentor any way he could.
Sephiroth grinned widely, standing back and watching until he had the opportunity to rush forward and pin the struggling man against the wall with his body. Ah, the practice he had had with that move alone made him smile. He savagely grasped Squall's throat again, this time pressing his fingers deeply enough to constrict, to bruise and wound. "What a beautiful sight." He whispered. "You've grown up. But you still haven't surrendered." He brought his other hand along the side of the younger man's face, running it through his hair.
Squall desperately wanted to ask about the condition of his family. But he knew better. Or maybe he didn't want to know at all. It didn't matter, he couldn't breathe let alone talk. The crushing pain in his throat was enough to force a weakness over him.
Sephiroth chuckled. "Still silent, are we? Stoic, little hero?" Satisfied that the man underneath him was frail enough from oxygen loss, he released hold of him completely and backed away. Instead of mercy, he granted his prey a devious smile as he pulled his gloves off and placed them in an inside pocket in his long coat. "I want to feel this."
Squall barely heard him over his own gasping, the sound of his heartbeat and the blood rushing in his ears. But he knew there was danger ahead.
The silver haired man rested against his body again, running his bare hands lightly over his prisoner's hips. It was only a whisper, as soft and gentle as the other man could ever get. "Do you like to bite, like your daughter?"
Squall's stormy eyes widened. "Y-you didn't..."
His velvet laugh coursed through every vein of his victim's existence. "It's a nice little family affair, isn't it?"
The brunette's eyes were wet from frustration, but there were no tears in there. Just a vibrant rage. He kept his voice down, but it still found power enough to echo in the walls. "You have no connection to her..."
"She's coming for you, you know." Sephiroth interrupted casually. "For both of you."
Again there was a devastating pain through his chest. He growled, halfway defeated before he began, "You're a sick lunatic."
Sephiroth's laugh was even more quiet, and dangerously delicate. "You didn't used to think so..." he taunted, forcefully separating the globes of flesh that tensed desperately to protect the prize he sought from his torment. "But, you were young, then. Stupid. And tighter." He leaned forward, lips against the brunette's ear. "One more for old times sake, hmm? Maybe you'd like me to show you what I did to your daughter... but then, I'd have to rip you another hole."
Squall closed his eyes tightly. It was his only possible reaction. Neither he nor Seifer had ever told Kyrie about Sephiroth. Neither of them had so much as acknowledged his existence after the two finally got away from him entirely. Maybe they'd just hoped forgetting that period of time would erase it. And indeed it was erased for quite a while; until the guardian forces were released. Memories were slowly recovered. As were nightmares. But even then, they never talked about it. The thought, the very idea that he could have gotten his filthy hands on her...
But his thoughts were shattered instantly with white hot pain thrusting, expanding, jarring his spine and crushing all other things. Just pain, just rawness and brutal agony came through all senses as though they had all been wired incorrectly. Damage, nothing but damage, like a computer blinking nothing but a flashing prompt; there was simply nothing else there. He couldn't help the bitter groan that escaped. He didn't even know it had happened.
Sephiroth grinned eagerly, getting a better grasp on his victim's hips before driving into him again. Beautiful. His pain was absolutely beautiful; and familiar, like the smell of bread baking. He felt the quiver; the aching, seeking thought process as though it were rolling through Squall's body rather than his mind. His victim getting away was not an option, and he loved it. Glorious those fully desperate attempts at suppressing painful noises, at trying to wrench free of the torment which no doubt must be as familiar to prey as it was to predator.
"You left me, Squall." He panted, thrusting even harder, even faster thanks to the blood. "You and your whore abandoned me. After all I did for both of you. After all I offered you."
"M-maniac..." his prisoner--his victim-- responded painfully.
"You convinced him to leave, too." Sephiroth continued, closing his eyes with the impending eruption. "And you, and your daughter... will be your sacrifice..." He purred loudly with his release, grasping Squall's hips with devastating strength.
Squall couldn't hold back the shriek as he felt something inside of him shatter. What bone it had been, he wasn't sure of, and even the location he could not have pinpointed. Everything hurt so much that it didn't really matter anyway. Something was broken, a bone had splintered somewhere between his knees and his chest. That's all he wanted to know right then and there.

"Shit." Kyrie commented under her breath. Well, Ultima had done a little something, anyway; it had melted one of the ship's deck panels. Not quite what she was going after, or aiming for. But it was... something.
"No, that was good." Cloud attempted reassurance. "Just, uh... inaccurate."
"Thank you." She responded with deeply meant sarcasm.
"Maybe it would help to bring your fingers together just as the energy passes through them." The blonde continued to be helpful. He couldn't allow her to lose faith in herself; she really was good. And learning astoundingly quickly. But he knew it was frustrating.
Rodger had his own problems, quickly slapping at a small smoking spot on his jeans. Even Vincent found it hard to maintain a straight face, but he was utterly successful.
At the attempt at trying to strike a nice balance between practicing and not draining them of energy, Cloud had gone into the galley and broken into the pantry. Various food wrappers, bottles of water, dried and canned things, and some bread littered the area around them. Kyrie had suggested that Materia made for the perfect weight loss plan. But obviously they would have no food in battle, so Cloud suggested the building of stamina as well. At which the two "students" giggled like third graders, of course.

Seifer sure as hell heard that through the thick walls. For several minutes, he'd been straining his ears to figure out whether or not people were talking, or if he was just imagining it. But that shriek made it obvious that he was not in a very friendly place. More so obvious than the shackles, even.
And then a moment later his stomach tightened and dropped. A scream. A gut wrenching, absolutely thoughtless scream. And another. And another. Broken words and shattering sobs; and screaming. And a helpless feeling that he knew exactly who those screams belonged to.

The demon kneeled in front of the other man, unchained but slumped uselessly against the wall, and whispered gruffly, "I always told you, Leonhart. If you ever looked at me like that again, I'd tear your eyes out. One tonight. One... for later."
Squall could not respond. He'd heard the words, but they came through one at a time with the pulsating pain through his face and head. Reality hadn't struck him. The fact he'd just had an eye taken from him didn't hit him. He just could not find the means or energy with which to react at all. Distantly, he felt blood trickle, but his own mortality didn't occur to his pain tinted world.
"And now if you will excuse me, Leonhart..." Sephiroth stood and adjusted his reborn erection with a satisfied smirk, "I need to take care of this."

Silence, then. A very eerie, somehow terrifying silence. Seifer couldn't even swallow. The possibilities were endless, but all of them were just... horrible.
And then the door to the far right of him opened. Regardless of how godawful his thoughts were, the screams had been, he did his best to stand tall. His shackles were not the sort that kept him hanging, but kept him rather close to the wall with short lengths. He made a conscious decision not to look as though he were straining against them. Just the opposite; that smirking cockiness he had constantly displayed as a teenager began to emerge as he watched the door.
But that was not to last. Fear flooded every feature of his face and every inch of his body. "Sephiroth?"
The silver haired bastard grinned. "You've grown into a man, Mr. Almasy. How nice."
"Fuck..." he murmured, fully grasping the situation. The sounds of the previous moment finally fell into place. "Fuck--no. What did you--?!"
"Hush, Almasy." Sephiroth hissed with a familiar ferocity. A purr with the promise of the powers of Hell. He didn't bother shutting the door behind him. There was no escape. The sounds of this would flow easily into Squall's open chamber.

"Just a few more moments and we should see it." Vincent announced from the top of the stairs, having rechecked the panels on the bridge.
A nervous flutter was Kyrie's first response. It wasn't so much unexpected as it was... bothersome. She didn't want to get nervous. She sure as hell didn't want to be, and certainly not appear, nervous. She made eye contact with Rodger, searching for a comforting gesture of any kind.
He looked back at her, taking a deep breath and letting it out through his teeth. He didn't know what to expect, at all. But he sure as hell knew that this would not be pleasant, and it wouldn't be easy. Maybe her parents were held by the freak that had done that to her back--which was still quite visible, by the way. It pissed him off to know anyone had gotten away with that. He knew by now that she fought back, but... that knowledge really didn't help.
"Home stretch." Cloud sighed. "It's just best not to think about it."
"Mmm." Kyrie agreed distantly. Easier said than done. But he knew what he was doing... more or less. This was going to be... interesting. There was a very good possibility that they were going to die and the planet was going to get destroyed by the man that thought he was god. Lovely. It was up to the four of them, it appeared. Not quite the heroic situation she pictured would ever be happening to her in her lifetime.
"It doesn't get easier." Vincent remarked to himself.
Kyrie swallowed. "I can't imagine it ever could."
Rodger saw his opportunity. He stepped closer and put his arm around her. This could be it. This could be the end. But he found, with very little surprise, that he didn't mind. He'd be with her. How weird. If they survived, he wondered if he would ever get used to that. If they didn't, well... it sure sucked that they never got to have sex.
Then she saw it. The highest tower with made up part of the drilling facility, just up ahead on the glittering water. Instead of feeling feeble and afraid as she was absolutely sure she would, she just felt... cold. Not a bad sort of cold, and not so much a distant cold. Just... "this is what I have to do" cold.

Pain. Just pain. Godless, thoughtless, wordless... A tone of pain. A surge. A sound. A color, maybe. He was losing blood. He'd be cold and half crazy soon. But even that thought was hard to grasp at consciously. Until he heard a shriek from behind the wall. His head weakly shot up, his remaining eye watering so much he could barely see anything. He just followed that harsh sound. That... almost familiar sound. His blood ran cold, even colder than the few moments of sheer terror before. Seifer. He was in there with Seifer.
"Seifer!" Squall cried hoarsely, finding only the strength to slide over to the wall, little by little. "Seifer!"
"Squall!" his voice ripped along with his fragile insides from the other side. "You have to protect her!" He paused to scream again, feeling life and pain flash in and out of his existence.
"Yes!" Sephiroth added in a lustful gasp. "Protect your sacrifice from me, Leonhart!"
Another agonized scream tore from Seifer's throat. He wasn't dying fast enough. Not even close to fast enough.
Sephiroth continued his torment, harder with each thrust. "You belong, in a pile, of your own, blood, and shit, Almasy."
"Fuck you, Sephiroth!" Squall spat helplessly, his voice breaking across the first word like he was a young teenager again. The pain both mental and physical now; overwhelming.
"You've had your turn, Leonhart!" Then, suddenly, there was a snap. A wet, awful snap. A gurgle that could only be Seifer's accompanied it, and the sound remained in the air for just a few seconds before it silenced completely. A large, dead thump hit the ground, and only Sephiroth's footsteps left the room.
It very well could have been his imagination. It could have been panic or the remainder of the shock and pain coming back to claim him again. But he swore he could smell the devastation in that blood. He'd smelled blood a million times, years ago. Hell, he'd been bathed in it from time to time; blood from all sorts of monsters and men alike. It was never like that, though. There was never that much... desperation.

The landing of the ship didn't go particularly well. But there was no dock left (it had crumbled and fallen completely apart due to the salt water and lack of any sort of maintenance) , and they sure as hell weren't swimming. Vincent maintained enough control of the "new-fangled" board to ram the ship into the edge of the island so they could get out the same door they came in.
"Great driving, Slick." Kyrie joked, picking herself from off of the floor.
"And that's why I never left you in charge of anything..." Cloud added.
The pale man appeared to take the comment in stride, dusting himself off and walking away to the elevator. No words, no comments, no invitation.
That guy could be a comedian. Kyrie kept to herself.
With the aid of her card once more, the four of them rode the elevator down. As the panel opened, they began to look for signs of trouble. It was really hard to tell at this point, however; the seven towers for drilling, and the main building between them, were flecked in red and green from rust and long growing vines.
"This place never keeps anything going." Kyrie commented. Once it had been a famous deep sea research center, then fell into disrepair. Then it was a deep earth research and mining facility, once again let go and forgotten. Now it was quite possibly the home a psycho of which she had unfinished business with. Well, she was determined that would be even shorter lived than the other uses.
It was a bit of a jump to land still, as the door was quite high up on the ship. But Vincent had tried to adjust for that, so the leap was barely anything. They stayed there on the sand and stared at the nightmarish structure for quite some time, trying to decide exactly what to do. They'd had the fortune of landing right at one of the three main entrances, so there was always that option. Who would think that they'd use one of those?
Kyrie cringed a little, a tiny mental screech having halted her thoughts. It was a burst of light, a sudden pain behind her right eye. Very weird. She'd never experienced anything like that before. But worse, that pain was followed by a clear and exceptional dread. A knowing dread. She rubbed her right temple and tried to ignore it, but there was no dismissing that feeling. Something... had happened in there.
Rodger had looked over more or less when the pain had come to her. He didn't know why he felt something may have happened inside the building, but... "They're in there, aren't they?"
"I think so." Was all she could say.
Cloud nodded slowly. The dread had spread from her like a great wave of energy, like her Materia were already feeling her emotion. If her parents were in there, with Sephiroth... the result would not be good. "Alright. Let's go."
"Is it wise to storm the front?" Vincent asked even as they'd begun walking.
Cloud delicately removed the Buster Sword from his back and regarded the answer. "Well... frankly, he might be busy. Enough not to notice at first."
Ugh. Kyrie felt her stomach tighten. But she reminded herself thoroughly that now was not the time, to let that cold encase her. She needed to be strong. They were a team of four, not three and her. Pushing back the emotion until she could almost sense it being absorbed by the Materia somehow, she didn't say a word. She didn't think she could. And so, in silence, they merely walked in through the closest main entrance.
The three "security doors" were so damaged that they swung open with ease. And without the need for a card. From the look of things, someone had sure as hell come in the same way they were heading, with a vengeance. Panels were torn open and wires hung limply, all security systems deactivated. Great for them. But they had no way to trace anyone or anything. Not that it mattered, since her personal computer was a piece of worthless shit anyway.
Past the unmanned front desk, they walked out into the first tower's observation platform. Nothing seemed out of place there, or even in motion at all. A clearly visible layer of dust covered most everything, making it a touch difficult to breathe.
"Alright." Cloud announced, trying to take control of the situation. "Now... what should we do?"
It was odd to hear Mr. Soldier ask that question. It inspired pure silence from everyone, actually. But the edges of Kyrie's nerves were too frayed to wait for things to work themselves out. "I've got to find them." It was not a desperate tone, but it was an important one.
Vincent forcibly stopped himself from making any suggestions. It may not be smart to split up at this point in time, but... he wasn't sure what it was. Something about her very mood suggested that she'd be able to handle herself. A momentary glance at Cloud only mirrored his thoughts, so he nodded curtly. "Alright. You and Rodger should try to find them."
She was a little surprised at that. She was certain they'd have both disagreed right away. But, no complaints. "And you will..?"
"We will..." Cloud answered with a slight uncertainty, "We'll try to find out what Sephiroth is doing here in the first place."
"And if we run into him?" Rodger couldn't allow himself to remain quiet about that one tiny little detail.
"Run." The blonde suggested dead seriously. "And find us in one of the towers." He paused for a moment as though tasting the air around him. "But I... don't think you'll have to worry about that. He's not as concerned with you two as he is with us."
Kyrie bit her tongue gently. She didn't want to use them for bait--but one look at either of them and they were completely at ease with the situation. Well, as much as they could be. Another word now and things might get weird. So, she looked at Rodger, and together they drew their weapons and went back into the main hallway to get to the central building.
"This isn't good." Vincent stated quietly.
"Yeah, I know." Cloud agreed with a sigh. "I have a... feeling that they won't take long, though."

"Map!" Kyrie skidded to a halt mid-corridor. There was an unlit glass panel to their side somewhat like a mall directory, mapping out the main building only.
Rodger tripped and nearly fell after her, catching her shoulder for support. Somehow that came off as a little more subtle than he thought it would, and she merely spun him around so that she could rest one arm around his waist as they looked.
"Alright, we're here." Kyrie pointed, getting her bearings. "And there's a brig right below us."
Rodger noticed the dread tone in her voice immediately. Not that she should have been excited to have found out where her parents might well be dead, but... well, he couldn't blame her. He just put his arm around her and gave her a quick but well meant squeeze, and off they went to find the nearest set of stairs.

The third tower Vincent and Cloud had checked, and still no activity. Not a sound. Not even a rodent living among the rusted machinery. Worst of all, not a sign of Sephiroth. Maybe they'd made the wrong decision about where to go with the ship. Maybe he had planned some area at random that just happened to coincide with this abandoned place. While that didn't seem to fit him, there was a very good chance he'd changed his behavior after this long. Maybe he was--
"So you found me after all, you useless fuck." Echoed off the walls.
Cloud stopped cold. Vincent cringed at the memories that voice brought back to him. It was unmistakable. After all this time, all these years, they recognized it instantly, the sour bile of the tone biting straight through their flesh.
The voice continued, coming from everywhere at once. "I shouldn't have trusted that girl."
Cloud swallowed. "Little late for should-a's."

Rodger blasted through the door with one clean shot of his rifle. "Shit."
Kyrie took a moment to inspect the iron door that was now laying almost off its hinges. "That Fire is good stuff."
"Hell yeah." He agreed, looking from side to side. No sign of a psycho. Or a human being at all. It seemed very much abandoned. But there was something too peculiar about this area. If it had been sealed off for so long, then why wasn't the air stale?
The further they walked down the hall of dust covered, sealed doors, the more Kyrie's heart raced. In her mind's eye, she could see it around the next bend; two unlocked doors. One was open, one was halfway shut. She needed to get to the open door. It was crazy to think that there was a chance, completely insane to...
"What?" Rodger whispered, noticing Kyrie had stopped in her tracks with wide eyes.
Two doors were open down that corridor. Just as she'd been imagining. One open, one half closed. Could the Materia be unlocking some second generation sorceress powers or something? Now was not the time to think about that. "I'll take the open door. You take the other."
He swallowed. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah." She whispered. "There's no... no danger here. Not now."
The breath caught in his throat for a moment, but he believed her. He trusted her. Besides, what else did he have to do? Hang out and wait for her? He nodded and walked by the open door without looking inside. He couldn't. He didn't want to, and he didn't think it wise.
Kyrie herself took a stilling moment to close her eyes and allow herself a little extra oxygen; not hyperventilating, as that would cause nothing but disaster, but taking deep and slow breaths. One hand on her gunblade in case, she strode forward.
The smell was unbearable. It was nothing in particular--a mix of nothings in particular. Just a smell of unholy hell and desperation. And then a very slight movement in the corner.
Oh, Hyne, it was Squall. He looked... he looked further than dead. What had once been a stormy blue eye was now crusted over with reddish-brown gore. She almost couldn't look; not for the gore itself, but because it was her dad. It was Squall Leonhart laying there, breathing in ragged gasps, covered in cold, crusting blood.
"Shit... Dad?" she whispered quietly, kneeling in front of him. "Dad?" she tried again, louder.
His remaining eye rested on her, taking a moment to register the vision through the pain. His lips were so dry, so... cold looking. His whole face looked drained of more than blood. "Ky..."
Alright, one down. Not in top form, but there none the less. "Where's Seifer?"
"He's dead, Ky." He whispered, his remaining eye miles away.
She didn't respond. At all. Seifer was dead. That was... pretty damn painful, actually. She just cradled Squall's nearly lifeless body in her arms and stared into space. Sephiroth had done it. She knew that. Just as she knew that every wound inflicted was Sephiroth's slow, deliberate doing. Who else would it have been?
"Get out, Kyrie." He ordered quietly.
"Then you're coming." She responded calmly.
Too calmly. He knew that calm. "Now. Get out."
"He'll just come after me." It was true. She knew it. He hadn't made a deal with her for no reason. He hadn't kept her "safe" after he'd kidnapped her in the first place for no reason. And since he knew who her parents were, who knew what else the psycho had in mind for her...
Dammit. Damn his daughter. Regardless of how distant a father he had been, she'd stay by his side no matter what. Should the world fall down... which, he supposed, it was. And this time there was nothing he could do. Too weak to push her away and too tired to argue, he moaned quietly. Everything hurt. Everything. Every single damned muscle throbbed. But a single thought suddenly invaded his consciousness that burned far worse. "Did he... did he touch you?"
She knew what he meant. The words he'd used made her cringe, only having an indication of what had occurred before she'd gotten there... "No." She assured lightly. "No, Dad."
He knew as well as Vincent did; Sephiroth marked his prey. If he hadn't gotten to her yet, he would. But in that sliver of a moment where he had full consciousness, before the pain covered him again like a warm blanket to lull him away, he saw her eyes. Cold though they were, he of all people could see underneath the ice. She was determined. Murder in mind, but the skill and patience to pull it off. She could do it. He believed in her. He couldn't tell her, couldn't voice it, but he put a shaking hand on her shoulder and nodded tiredly.
She knew no want, no need, for comfort for him stronger than at that moment. But she understood Heal would have no bearing on his condition. She'd need Cloud's Restore materia. And that meant trying to get him out of here. They could do it, she and Rodger. So she waited. She knew that it wouldn't take long. Seifer was dead. There was nothing left to hold on to.

Rodger cringed at the sight of Seifer's body. There was no way a Phoenix Tail would do any good, as if he'd thought to bring one with him anyway. The body was too cold, and the blood loss was too great. Even if he could have, he didn't think he would. That would require extensive healing that not even medicine and Materia could accomplish quickly enough to take away the pain. The fact remained, though, that it was too late. He shook his head and walked into the door Kyrie had disappeared into.
His stomach rolled. He saw her trying to lift Squall with one arm slung over her shoulder. It was less Squall that it was a bloody shell of him, really. The sight was... sickening. Somehow he found the strength to keep his stomach in check and walk over to help, however.
Kyrie gladly accepted it, very gently letting Rodger take over. "I have to go see. For myself."
"Ky, really... you shouldn't..." he tried to convince her in a voice too soft for Squall to hear.
"I have to." She whispered back. "I just... I have to, Rodger. I'll be right back."
He didn't like it, but he understood, he supposed. He nodded halfheartedly and shouldered Squall, helping him out into the hallway.
She didn't bother taking a moment to still herself before she stepped into the other room. Distantly she knew it wouldn't have helped. Nothing could have helped that moment. Seeing the body, a startling nausea overcame her. The gore itself was nothing. Yes, there was blood. Yes, his neck was at a disturbingly unnatural angle. But... she shivered, another wave of nausea almost knocking her off her feet, as she imagined what he may have gone through before he finally died.
It may well have been worse for her than finding Squall. That, too, made her stomach quiver to think about now that she was alone. But at least her dad knew she'd come for him. Seifer... she closed her eyes, holding back an outburst. He may have died hopeless. Alone. She... did not value that thought.
Opening her eyes again, she took a steadying breath. She couldn't let the emotion overtake her now. She'd learned her lesson; now she must ease into the storm. When she came out of it again, then she could mourn. Now it was time to focus all her attention, emotion, strength. She needed to get those remaining out to safety. And fucking kill that asshole. She could not forget that part.
Crouching before the corpse, she gingerly reached her hands around to the back of its neck, carefully trying to avoid making contact with the flesh as she unlatched his collar. As she drew her hands back, she hesitated. Maybe it was sick fascination. Maybe it was to stroke her anger. She simply had to touch him, just once more. Cold, stiff skin met her fingertips for an almost unbearable instant. She could not allow the emotions to flood her, not now. Feeling as cold as the body itself, she stood up and placed the collar around her right thigh, stopping only to stare at it blankly. Detach! she reminded herself. Just for now. Now they needed to break into the locker room and get some clothes for Squall, first.

"One more tower." Cloud reminded himself out loud. Things weren't looking good. After the initial tease Sephiroth had offered them, the voice had gone completely quiet. He didn't even so much as bother to try and kill them. That was what the nervousness was really eating at.
Vincent hadn't needed his friend's well meant reminder. It was busy digging into the back of his mind already. Maybe their fears were not warranted. But even then, there would be more fear. Anything having to do with Sephiroth truly earned a response of fear.
"Cloud!" they heard from around the corner. Turning to look, at least one of their fears was completely realized. The blonde almost didn't recognize Squall with the gore, being pulled steadily along by his daughter and Rodger. It was a rather unbelievable sight to see the "great hero of the world"... well, like this.
By then, Squall was just completely out of it. The loss of blood mixed with the horrors he'd been through and could only imagine had taken advantage of him. His eyes were half open but sightless, and he flopped like a rag doll.
Vincent moved to help Kyrie with her share of the weight as she inquired, "Is there anything you can do?"
Cloud swallowed before answering. The band on her thigh. It was Seifer's, he remembered. It took a single second of eye contact to get the gist of the situation, so he dropped it. "I can only do so much..." He admitted quietly. "I can help, but... I can't really heal him..."
She nodded, almost invisibly. Anything, something, was better than nothing at all. An attempt, that's all it would take.
"Okay." Cloud agreed. "Just, uh... leave him, on the floor. I'll see what I can do."
Between the three of them, they set him on the ground rather gently, letting him lay there since he couldn't exactly sit upright. What a godawful sight it was. Most especially for Kyrie. She'd never seen him anything close to this. She certainly never cared to.
It was nearly hopeless, the blonde realized. He could help, certainly, but... not much. The materia wasn't strong enough, and he couldn't let all of his energy get expended on this. But any help he could offer, he would give. Delicately placing his hand in the center of Squall's chest, he let the materia do its job.
No response at first. Kyrie, Rodger and Vincent just stared, waiting, watching intently. And then there was a little glow, more yellow than green. It moved over Squall's flesh like a shadow, covering the wounds in a bright green. Kyrie remembered what it had been like for her hand; but she saw no such thing for her dad. Restore hadn't the power of energy to seal anything all the way, but it did its work to stop the bleeding. The rest would simply have to be up to Squall. Try as he might, Cloud just could not get any more energy to flow, so he released his hold.
"Wait..." Kyrie suggested gently. It was like seeing the open doors before she really saw them, and knowing there was impending danger inside. She just... felt like there was something she could do. What, she sure as hell didn't know. It was like a tiny picture in her mind that wouldn't focus, so she stepped forward and did as it instructed; holding her right palm upward, she crossed it with her downward left one and closed her eyes.
Everyone's jaw dropped. There was a surging, tingling ball of energy rolling between her hands. It was tiny and dull at first, but soon grew larger, the glow got stronger, the colors beginning to surge and flow in circles. As the ball stopped growing but continued to strengthen in color, there was a sound like pure electricity was roaming from it.
Raw energy. Cloud recognized it. He'd only seen this done once before; and not to heal a man. But hell, what was the point of not taking this chance? What's the worst that would happen to them? Besides death and severe burns, anyway. He closed his eyes again, trying to mentally form his Restore materia into almost a cup shape; a receiver. Placing one hand over Squall's chest, he thrust the other quickly between Kyrie's palms.
ZING; it was a thought, a sound, a feeling, and a reality. There wasn't even pain--at this point. Just something akin to a popping sound, and Cloud suddenly found himself face down beside Squall.
"Oh my disastrous bitch Hyne, that fucking hurt." Kyrie panted.
Cloud's fingers began to tingle as all of his limbs came back to life. He sat up by himself and gazed at the president of Esthar's son for a moment to see their handiwork. Well, it hadn't healed him completely, that was for certain. But the more "minor" wounds were healed over. No doubt whatever bone had shattered was also halfway to knitting. Some of the internal damage was probably still there, but that extra zap had been enough. He wasn't sure how his Materia were going to come out of this, but he doubted they could be any worse off than they were before.
"Are you... alright?" Rodger could think of few other ways to word that question.
Kyrie shook out her arms for a moment before responding. There were just the slightest bit tingly. As was every other part of her body. "I... hope so." She looked down at Squall, his single eye fluttering softly. "I've never done... anything like that before." She licked her dry lips and waited for any sign of anything from him. "And I'm not sure I can do it again."
"Well, it was... damn good for a first time." Cloud commented, checking for a pulse. It was racing, but there was a relatively steady one there.
"Ky..." Squall whispered even before his eyes focussed. He'd heard her before, he just hadn't been able to respond.
She took a sharp breath and kneeled, running her fingers over the back of his hand. "Dad?"
He took several deep breaths before opening his eye again, taking a look around him. Well, he recognized Rodger, alright, but--was that Cloud? From Esthar? Was he delusional? But now was not the time for these questions. His last memory was--oh. Seifer. His eyes focused on the band around her thigh and he had to fight back tears. His voice was more harsh than his daughter had ever imagined it could be. "Sephiroth."
"That's why we're here." Cloud responded, helping him to sit up.
Squall only nodded. Like Rodger, he had a good indication of things, but... really knowing all the details would just slow them down. They'd have time later. He wiped some of the gore off of his cheek with the back of his hand, but didn't want anything to do with the empty socket. The thought, frankly, grossed him out. But more, it was just... disturbing. He didn't want to touch it, or think about it. One eye. That would make fighting a lot harder. But if Fujin could do it...
Vincent wordlessly offered the band of fabric that had been his headband. It wasn't much, but it was a beginning.
Funny thing, that. So Kyrie thought anyway. Vincent was quite the gentleman to her family.
Cloud tried to fill him in. "We think he has something to do with drilling into the earth. But none of these drills have been used in years. This one is the last room we have to check, so... well, this might answer our questions. You should stay here and--"
"I'm coming." Squall stopped him, tying the red band securely.
"Dad..." Kyrie began softly. She would not see him hurt. This was bad enough. This was beyond merely bad.
"Kyrie." That's all it took. One word and a look. She hadn't realized just how much she'd really inherited from him. Battle ready coldness. And that stern, shushing look.
She swallowed. "Okay, but stay back from the fighting, huh?" It was a dumb suggestion, but one he'd be forced to follow. He didn't have his gunblade with him. "Can you walk, do you think?"
He tested his legs a little. "I can try."
Cloud and Vincent got him to stand, Rodger and Kyrie walked alongside until he got his bearings. Without another word, they walked down the short corridor into the seventh and final drilling station. Once again, there was no movement, no motion at all. But there was the unmistakable scent of oil and warm metal. The gears here were not dusty, but shimmering. Their hearts fell.
"Damn." Rodger breathed for all of them.
As if the word itself was a magical phrase, the platform they were standing on shook. With a fast mechanical click, they were headed to the floor level.
No words. Just a relatively terrified silence. There was no Sephiroth in sight, but like an ocean breeze, they could all sense him here, very close. Every fear realized. Every ounce of strength undoubtedly about to be tested.
"Oh how this sucks." Kyrie whispered as the platform came to a halt, melding perfectly with the metal floor.
Another mechanical click sounded, this one more grinding. The lights dimmed for a few seconds, and then a heavy, shrieking moan came from the gears that drove the drill. In the center of the huge room in which they stood was that giant drill's blade in the center of a wide pit, digging deep into the earth.
Another, almost inaudible click (due to the drill going full speed), sounded across the vast space. They looked up to see Sephiroth, fully dressed and looking ever so dapper, riding the other lift to ground level. He smirked without comment as he eyed the group, savoring every moment. They all had different reasons, but their reactions were much the same.