Title: Chinsagu No Hanaya
Summary: Some suffer the fates of death, others are forced to live without the comfort. She knows exactly what its like to suffer, to have all innocence ripped from the friendly embrace of childhood. But so does he.
Rating: R
Warnings: Rape, Character Death, Torture, Bondage
Characters/Pairings: Reno/Yuffie -Vincent/Yuffie – Cloud/Tifa – Cid/Shera –

Chapter 1: Forbidden Colors

"I can't believe this happened..."

"I don't think any of us were expecting it."

"We should have gone with her."

"...I know."

Crimson eyes rose up over the horizons of a scarlet-colored collar, a grave expression hidden beneath it. The gunman had been listening to the two talk for hours, leading themselves on that there was truly 'nothing' that they could have done. They were walking in circles to try and get out of their guilt, their footsteps burying them into blood-stained snow.

Clank. Vincent set down his brandy glass, dark red orbs staring down into its reflection of the overhead lights. In his opinion, there was always something you could do to prevent shit like this from happening. Gloved fingers tightened around the glass, those scarlet optics raising to linger on the stairwell behind the bar.

"You shouldn't blame yourself." Cloud's voice cut into Vincent's ear like the edge of his blade. The content of the sentence made red eyes narrow, jaw setting so teeth could grind together. What soap box had crawled its way beneath Cloud's feet?

Vincent spoke, "I don't blame myself." There was a guttural tone to his voice, each word bitten out by fierce, angry teeth. How much deeper could they dig themselves before the truth would fall upon their heads? It wouldn't be long before their tunnel of shameless back-patting collapsed in on them all.

Cloud, though, settled a hand onto the Gunman's shoulder for a moment, as if about to speak. His expression, calm and evasive, changed to one of understanding respect when Vincent tightened his shoulder-blade. He didn't need to hear Cloud's gross attempt at camaraderie. He didn't need his 'comfort'.

"I'm gonna hug Shera that much tighter," Cid's voice was quiet, lips squashed against the edge of a glass. It had to be his forth drink by now. His eyes, though, were beady and cold, cruel and lamenting. "What kinda monster would do that kinda shit to a kid?"

"I don't know. But I'm gonna find him." The spike-haired blond returned to his own seat, shifting from side to side as he was topped-off by a familiar barmaid. "I'm gonna find him and I'm gonna make him pay!" Gloved fingers tightened around a glass, blue eyes burning into the ash wood of the counter.

"You don't even know who it was," Tifa's voice chimed in, a light, comforting air to her composure. Deep down, everyone knew she was just as angry as the rest of them, but her attempt to lessen the mood was admirable. "She doesn't even know who it was."

Cloud's free hand slammed down onto the counter, startling Tifa,"We can't just do nothing!"

Vincent turned his head to the side, leather gloved fingers tapping rhythmically against the counter. What could they do? In a time like this, when all was supposed to be peaceful, the unthinkable suddenly happens and there's nothing to be done? They'd brought justice down upon the destroyer of worlds and yet they could do nothing to a simple, human man? The situation felt almost helpless.

Stretching his legs out below the lightly colored wood, his ears picked up on a sound that cut through the ongoing argument between Cloud and the Barmaid. A soft, almost out-of-key tune that it seemed only he noticed. It was funny, like another kind of language he'd not remembered hearing before. He could pick out what it reminded him of but he couldn't be sure.

"Hn." Was the gunman's only input as he stood, long legs carrying him beyond the bar stool he'd sat upon and into the curving stairwell. His palm felt around the warmed rock interior, noting a fireplace just beyond the wall. But that wasn't what interested him, nor was it the curious and fearful stares of those who'd seen him leave the main room.

"てぃんさぐぬ花..."

He tilted his head at the sound, eyes narrowed ever so slightly. It wasn't horrifyingly bad...in fact, it was almost kind of pleasant. He couldn't really make out the words, neither could he understand what they meant. But he knew they were beautiful.

"Tifa?"

Vincent's eyes shot open, head flinging itself back toward the main room. Had he been breathing too loud? Perhaps he'd allowed his stomach to groan or growl without realizing it? Either way, he was sure that the girl calling for Tifa was actually calling for him.

No one had seen her since the accident but Tifa, as she'd claimed that her injuries would only prove to upset the other members of the team. He'd heard that she had trouble seeing now, that her heart and mood had simply drowned in sorrow.

Slowly, he crept toward the door, gold-tipped boots creaking along the floorboards. Trying to keep his breathing at a low, steady rate was already hard enough with his anger, but now he couldn't stop his heart from pounding. Could he handle what he was about to see? Could he handle the heartbreak that would surely be written on the young girl's face?

"Vincent!" Tifa's whispering voice scolded him just as he was about to turn the corner, her polished fingernails curling into the material of his cloak to yank him back into the stairwell. "Vincent, what are you doing? She doesn't want anyone to see her."

"She..." Vincent's eyes popped; he wasn't used to be scolded like this, much less by someone like Tifa. Pointing an accusing finger behind himself, his brows furrowed only slightly. "She was calling for you."

"So what's with all the secrecy?" Reno leaned against the pick-up truck, eyebrows raising toward his hairline. "You guys are usually guarded n' all that jazz, but you're acting reaaal fishy."

Cloud watched as the red-head tapped his EM-rod against the tire, the sound of metal hitting rubber irritating his senses. It wasn't like he could simply trust Reno with information on what had happened. It had barely been three days since the incident and he didn't want ShinRa running after them like a bleeding boar. He was being trusted with the information and he wasn't about to just hand it over so easily.

Then again, it hadn't been easy for any of them since the incident. Most had walked around with their heads bowed. Some, like Barret, had gone home to be with their families. He'd taken Marlene far from their vacation spot, fearing for her safety as well. Even Reeve seemed to be on edge now, always pacing with his hands wringing together. Most days Cloud kept to himself, taking a liking to reading in silence or holding his best friend to his side.

"You gonna tell me, or what? I ain't seen you guys this down since Aeris." Cloud's eyes darted up at Reno's comment. He extended a hand, his body shooting forward as it clasped around the Turk's throat, pushing him into the side of the truck's bed. "Alright- Alright-!"

"Don't you ever say that name," The blond warned, his knuckles turning white from how hard he'd begun to squeeze that neck. "Its partially your fault that she's dead. How do I know ShinRa isn't to blame for this too?" It wouldn't surprise him if he found evidence of it being a Turk. Especially this one. Still, upon seeing Reno's lashes flutter, he released him and earned a satisfactory coughing fit from him.

"Gee-Geeze!" Reno exclaimed, eyes widening as oxygen flew into his lungs. "I see...I see that hard feelings ain't gone."

"Did you come here to help or what?" Cloud's voice was rigid, as if a single pin could cause him to snap. "We don't need more hurt."

Reno, however, as if sensing the sensitivity of the situation, propped himself up on the gate of his truck, shifting from side to side to get comfortable. The little bumps in the gate always tried to go up his ass and he just didn't swing that way.

"Kinda hard to say if you don't tell me what's goin' on." He offered, taking on a less teasing tone. "Even after everything, we came through for you. Ain't nobody gonna tell us we don't owe you guys something fierce."

Cloud's mind considered these words as he paced, boots squishing down on the autumn leaves below his feet. Tifa would kill him if she found out he was even there, talking with the Turks about such a recent and sensitive happening. But he knew that they needed help. This wasn't just something that was going to go away. This wasn't just going to magically disappear.

"Someone attacked one of our members."

Reno's eyebrows raised, his fingernails beginning to tap against the gate's metal. How on earth was this his problem, exactly? He'd seen people attack AVALANCHE since the beginning of this all, he being one of the assailants. Rolling his eyes, he let out a sigh, lips curling into a smile. "I don't really see..."

"He raped Yuffie."

Reno's jaw slackened, a sort of dead space filling his pupils. Those words spoken by the blond rang in his ears like a bell, the chiming echoes only terrifying him longer. Yuffie? The cute little ninja girl that'd gotten trapped with Elena? Yeah, he knew her...perhaps a little too well, for Tseng's tastes. Not that anyone knew about that.

"Say what?" The Turk's voice was breathy, eyes turning cold like stone. His throat was dry, his Adam's-apple bobbing up and down repeatedly as he stammered for words.

"We don't know who it was. Neither does she." Cloud's fingers ground together a spec of dust that had manifested upon his glove, jaw setting as he spoke. He'd practically read Reno's mind- read everyone's mind. There wasn't a soul who knew that didn't want to go after this creep.

"Cloud, you've got to tell someone about this. Icicle ain't big. We can search- we can question. Hell, we could even torture if-"

"Have you learned nothing?" Cloud rounded on him, face flushing a deep crimson. "ShinRa has no place in the justice system, or have you forgotten Corel Prison?"

"Then at least let me see her."

"No."

There was a suffocating silence between the two of them, eyes locked in a heated stare. Reno supposed it was only right of Cloud to be suspicious now, especially with what the poor girl had gone through. A man like him was probably the last thing she wanted to see.

Thank you for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated and advice on where to take this story is always accepted.

-Lovitas