Completion Chapter 6
Movement Three: Coming Together
By Drakonlily
Reno sat with his head against the wall. Cloud was sleeping about a foot away from him, having a nightmare. I feel you there man. Reno felt a wave of pity for the hero. He knew what it felt like to be thrown into something that you never asked for and then expected to work miracles. Reno shivered as his eyes scanned the cell. Claustrophobia moved about him like an anaconda, choking him. The red head took a deep breath and then it dawned on him, This is Hojo's second lab's holding cell. FUCK. The mad doctor had one large cell crafted in a stone room in one of the old service corridors to his hidden lab. Reno remembered the twisting stairwells, but he also remembered the way out. Just a matter of getting by Amazon and Pale Face.
Cloud whimpered and tossed more, the nightmare was getting worse. Reno couldn't just let him lay there like that, he shook Cloud gently, "Hey man wake up."
"Ahh!" Cloud sat blot up with a start. He blinked and looked owlishly around the room.
"You were having a nightmare, I thought that I should wake you." Reno said flatly.
Cloud flopped next to Reno with a heavy sigh, "thank you." He stared at Reno for a moment. "Why?" was all he asked.
"Why what?" Reno didn't look at Cloud, he continued to examine the door across the room.
"Why did you become a Turk?"
"Oh." Reno looked at the ground, he had never been asked that. He didn't know how to respond. Especially to a guy he wasn't all that fond of.
"Money?" Cloud asked as Reno continued to stare at the floor.
"Fuck you." Reno spat, "you think that I wanted to whore myself out to them? You think that I asked for this? Is that it? That I was such a low life already that I just took the next step?"
"Your the one who admits you're a whore. I didn't even have to accuse this time. Your a damn coward too for always running away from us and not finishing-" Reno threw a punch to Cloud's jaw stopping the blond from speaking. Cloud threw himself over onto the red head. Now that they were in close and on the floor, Cloud had a distinct advantage with weight and strength. He got in four hard punches to Reno's face before the Turk got his foot under the blond's hips and kicked. Cloud was flipped off Reno, his back slammed against the wall.
Reno rolled to his feet and wiped the blood off his mouth. "What would you do Strife? I have a child to think about! I told them they could just have killed me, but that wasn't an option. They threatened my daughter! I was in this fucking lab when Rufus gave me the choice. In the glass tube, with the blood on the floor. Hojo was crazy! Anything was better then that, I would think that you would understand."
"So sell yourself out like that?" Cloud growled from the floor.
"If I have to fuck and kill to keep Trigger from having to then I will." Reno slid down the wall back to the ground. "Damn hypocrite. What would you choose if you had to live those five years again?"
The blond man glared at Reno, he didn't need to be reminded of Hojo, he saw the psycho everytime he tried to sleep without medication. Cloud had no idea what having a child would be like. Barret had been near tears under the outburst when Marlene was kidnapped. He could hear the desperation in Reno's voice as the red head spoke about his daughter. I would have agreed to save myself, without a child to think about. Cloud shook his head to rid the thought, but it was too late. What right did he have to judge? Reno was only protecting his daughter.
He took in Reno's words slowly, if I had the choice? Holy, he is right." Cloud took a deep breath, "I'm sorry Reno, I would have done the same thing."
Reno nodded, "you didn't know."
So maybe he isn't so bad, both men thought.
***
The group sat in silence, not even Cid spoke. Yuffie poked Rude in the side as something caught her eye near the truck. Rude got up to check on Reno's daughter. Suzanna screamed making Rude break out into a run, he ran to the truck as the girl scrambled out of it. When Rude turned around the front of the vehicle, he came face to face with a woman. "It's her!" the child yelled as she ducked behind Vincent. The woman moved her hand to one of the katana's on her hip. The others were frozen in shock. This woman stood as tall as the 6'6" Rude, her eyes burned an amused but piercing green. Rude backed up a step and slid into a fighting stance. She smiled, "you think that I am going to waste my time playing with you? Give me the child."
"Over my dead body." Rude growled in a voice that usually made his opponents wet themselves.
She smirked, "Okay then," as she spoke she removed her katana belt and threw both it and her cape on the hood of the car. "If you insist." Her powerful form moved into a fighting stance, but she only held it for a moment. The tall woman moved forward throwing fast jabs at Rude, who blocked quickly and skillfully.
Rude attacked, but the woman grabbed the big Turk's fist. Rude wasn't as stunned by the move as she had anticipated, he threw a left hook; putting all of his 295 pounds into it. The punch hit her directly in the side of her face, forcing her to let go of his hand. She fell to a crouching position. Then the woman shot up, grabbing Rude by the neck and lifting him off the ground with one arm. "Well now, that was impressive, for a human." Rude's hands were on hers, trying to break her hold. "But you are still a human, I could end your pathetic life right now." she shook him to emphasize her point. Rude began gasping for air as she spoke. "But that just wouldn't be sporting of me." She threw Rude a good seven feet backwards, he laid coughing at Yuffie's feet.
"Rude!" Yuffie dropped to the big man's side. She touched his neck gently. Then the ninja glared at the super human female, "You bitch!" She snapped jumping to her feet.
"Touching, you should be thankful I left your boyfriend alive little one." the woman huffed. "I have little time, give me the child and leave."
Vincent was not in the mood to deal with this, not after all that he had just been forced to remember. He moved in front of Rude and Yuffie. "Where is Reno?" Vincent's voice was as icy as the woman's as he spoke.
"The halfling is safe, the hero is keeping him company. As long as they don't kill each other they will be fine." She laughed again and turned to Tifa. "It seems that there are some strong feelings there wouldn't you say sparrow?" Tifa's eyes narrowed, making the woman smile.
"What do you mean halfling?" Yuffie asked as she helped the bald man to his feet, boyfriend? Rude?
"You fools honestly think that he is human? Now for the last time, the girl."
"You won't be taking Trigger with you." Vincent said
The woman's face remained impassive, "Must sting badly to have your whole life ripped from you and tossed back into your face in shambles. A bit late for being paternal don't you think Valentine?"
Vincent allowed his temper loose, when he spoke again Chaos' voice could be heard just under his own. "I warn you only once more."
Shock spread over the woman's beautiful, yet cruel face. "Chaos?" She backed up to the hood of the truck again.
Vincent Valentine was almost gone when Chaos spoke again, "it has been ages Yrene. Human form does you justice."
She seemed insulted by the comment, "Serving a human master? Or are you reduced to residing in corpses?" Yrene taunted
"Mock me again daughter of Odin! See what shall happen!" Chaos's wings broke free from Vincent's back with a sickening popping of bone and muscle.
Without another word Yrene snapped her fingers and vanished in a flash of light. Vincent hit his knees, the wings withdrew, leaving his tee-shirt in tatters, the blue black flesh faded away to his true pale shade. The ex-Turk coughed out blood and sunk further to the ground, his demon pushed back into his subconscious.
Rovina and Nanaki had Trigger huddled in between them. "That was a centra summon demon!" she exclaimed.
"What?" Cid asked walking over to Vincent cautiously with Barret. They helped him back up to his feet. "What do you mean damnit?!"
"I don't know where to start. Lets get rest, Tifa can explain over breakfast then I shall tell you what I can while we are working."
***
The pale eyed man swirled the coffee in his cup. He didn't exactly like the beverage, but he was bored. Yrene stormed into their "apartment". It was a lab room, but they had converted it to suit their needs. Seeing an opportunity to alleviate his boredom, he took a verbal jab at her. "Yrene, you seem to have lost the oracle again."
"Not in the mood Apollyon. The majesty seems to have neglected a few very choice details in our little mission." She sat across from him, "brother you are not actually drinking that human slop are you?"
"Hardly," He tipped the cup again and let the liquid hit the floor. "You know that we will get the oracle sooner or later. Her father will just bring her to us. Human form has left you very unagreeable."
"Brother will you listen to me!? There is much more to this then we were told."
"Like what? The humans frighten you, sister?"
"Chaos." She said intently.
The cup fell to the floor. "Did he recognize you?" She nodded. "What was he doing with humans? He detests the wretched things."
"He is residing in the halfling's father. Apparently Sillian's attachment to him meant enough for Chaos." A wicked smile crossed her face. "I have been thinking about him, the halfling. He has no idea how much power he is sitting on."
"I know where this is going Yrene, keep your hormones in check."
"Imagine, if I have a child from him, it will be only a fourth human and it will be unbound by our laws and restraints. Our power without having to be summoned, without the damn orbs that bind us to that lunatic."
Apollyon smiled with his sister, "a child that could hold the orbs. We could be free to do as we please." Another thought crossed his mind, "The hero has been connected to Jenova. We could bond Havoc to him, that would take care of Chaos." He picked the cup up. "I didn't have faith in that old centra hack writing anyway. I would much rather allow our race back to the world. Humans could be phased out in a few hundred centuries. Demons and aeons will have their rightful places."
"Father would not agree, neither would lord Leviathan or king Bahamut. They are overprotective of the human pests."
"But are they here sister?" Apollyon began to laugh.
She laughed with him. "No, they are not now are they."
***
Yuffie was with Rude in the room they were using in the Highwind. They had to double up with the rooms. Barret and Cid were none too pleased with Yuffie's choice of a room mate for the night. She didn't care, Rude's neck was bruised from that strangle hold the woman had on him. Yuffie didn't want to leave him alone. She sat on the bed with Rude sitting in between her legs on the floor. His soft gray shirt was next to her. Yuffie was enjoying the view immensely, but only her blush gave that away. She was putting medicine on the sides of his neck where the woman's nails broke the skin.
"I can't believe she picked you up like that. I am worried, Rude."
"Me too." The big man replied. He shivered as the cloth she was using tickled under his arm.
"What?" Yuffie asked. Rude didn't talk so she tickled just behind his arm, Rude flinched up. "You're ticklish!"
"No," Rude lied, she continued to tickle him until he burst out laughing. "Stop that!"
"Not till you say 'Yuffie is the greatest and sexiest ninja in the world.'" She laughed. Rude spun around, grabbing Yuffie's hands as he did so. He pinned her arms behind her back, holding her wrists in one hand. Their faces were just and inch apart.
Rude felt a chill up his spine, she wasn't backing away from him. He moved closer to her, "you don't know what you are getting yourself into, Yuffie." he muttered softly. His low rumbling voice made Yuffie's heart flutter and color rise up her cheeks.
She slid her foot up the back of his leg. "How about you show me?" She asked as she closed the distance between them. They kissed slowly. Rude let her arms go so his hands could go to her body. Yuffie leaned back and he followed her onto the bed. She let out a slight moan as his mouth moved down to her collar bone. Rude positioned himself to lay next to her.
"You sure about this?" He asked, sliding his hand under her shirt. Yuffie put her hand on his chest and pushed Rude over onto his back. She laid on his chest and kissed him, "yes".
***
Rude woke up slowly. He felt warm breath on his back. Yuffie muttered in her sleep behind him, pulling herself closer and nuzzling her head in between his shoulder blades. The feeling of being held was new to the big Turk. When is the last time anyone held me? He couldn't recall, but he knew he liked the feeling he had at this moment. A sharp pain made him remember where he was. He sat up, rubbing his bruised neck.
"Is it morning already?" Yuffie asked, still groggy from sleep. "We are going to the Shinra building today then?"
"Yeah and Tifa is going to come clean about all of us." Rude winced as he turned his head to find his pants.
"You think that she will admit how close she was to Reno and Trigger?" Yuffie handed the big man his pants.
Rude didn't speak, if she doesn't I will beat him senseless if he takes her back.
***
Cloud and Reno were sitting side by side. Both looking at the door and trying to keep their minds off of where they were. "Why did you leave Nibelhiem?" Reno asked.
"Hated it there." Cloud sighed, "my Mom moved there when she was 17 and pregnant with me. I never knew my dad, if I ever do meet him I am knocking him the fuck out. It was a very conservative town, we weren't welcome. I got sick of it so I left."
There was a silence, "and joined SOLDIER?"
"No, a biker gang actually." Reno did a double take at the hero, his angelic image now totally ruined. "Yeah." Cloud laughed at Reno's expression. "I was the best drag racer in our little group. I used to race for the tittles ya know. Well I got around to racing these SOLDIERs and Sepiroth was there. He wasn't too pleased when he saw us loading all of his bikes up. He figured I should make up the money I cost him. I figured to run like a squirrel, but he caught me."
"The guy was a prick." Reno muttered. "Even the real one was."
"Amen." Cloud sighed. "Tifa left me you know."
"Did she?" Reno tried to sound uninterested.
"She loves you, she always has. I love Aeris." He looked up at the moss covered ceiling. "She was on her way to Junion when I got jumped by the zombie nation."
Reno didn't want to smile at that. Tifa had hurt him, he could forgive her for that. She had hurt his daughter, that wasn't so easy to forgive. "Lets concentrate on getting out of here."
"Done trying to kill each other?" An icy voice came though the corridor.
"Fuck you." Reno snapped.
"You keep propositioning me like that I may just take you up on it." She laughed at the face both men made in their cell. "My brother, Apollyon and I are to take you to the majesty. Get up." Neither one moved. "Fighting is useless, you both know it. Now get up and lets go, if you think about running we will break your legs." Reno and Cloud looked at each other and stood. "Much better. Be good boys and this won't be too bad."