One week later...

Reno stared down at the two motionless bodies of Cornelius and Konor. If it wasn't for the constant beeping of the heart monitors, he would have thought they were dead. He and Rude had found the two rookies in the abandoned Deepground chamber; inside a Mako reactor. There had also been a Mako tube within the reactor, but it had been empty. Reno had to wonder what it was that Konor had been trying to tell him. What had he been talking about when he said something had Cornelius?

Reno rubbed his eyes. He had spent many sleepless nights trying to figure out that puzzle. When Tseng had retired and named him Director, Reno had questioned why his boss had wished him good luck. Now, he understood why. Being Director wasn't as glamourous a job as he first thought.

"You still in here?" Rude asked, coming into the room.

Reno looked up at his partner; sighing heavily. "Konor was tryin' to tell me somethin', Rude," he said. He looked back down at the men. "What did they find down there?"

"Hell if I know," Rude replied. "We just found them and an empty Mako tube."

"They're not harmed in any physical way," Reno mused. "Whatever happened...it's like they're...in some kind of coma."

Rude hummed in thought. Reno glanced up at him.

"What?" he asked. "You have somethin' to say, Rude. What is it?"

Rude took a deep breath before speaking. "The doctors say they might never wake up," he answered sorrowfully.

Reno looked like he had just been dealt a sucker punch to the stomach. "Never?" he whispered, hoping he had heard wrong.

"I'm sorry, Reno," Rude apologized. "But...there's nothing anyone can do. It might be more merciful to..." He trailed off.

"To what? Pull the plug?" Reno guessed. "They'll die."

"They might already be dead," Rude told him.

Reno shook his head in defiance. "They're not dead. They can't be."

"Reno," Rude began.

Reno turned his back to his friend, fingers grasping his hair. "I...I sent them down there," he said. "I...Oh, goddess..." He buried his face in his hands. "Please, goddess...please don't let me have been the one to send them to their deaths."

Rude walked over and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault," he stated. "You couldn't have predicted what was down there. No one could. This wasn't your fault."

"Isn't it?" Reno asked, turning to face his second-in-command. "I'm the Director, Rude. If something happens to the men...it falls on me." He looked down at his men. "They were rookies," he whispered. "It was their first mission." Reno hung his head, closing his eyes. "What have I done?"


Reno walked into the house to hear Yazoo talking on the phone. He kicked off his shoes and hung up his jacket. He went into the living room to find Yazoo sitting on the couch with the phone to his ear. The TV was muted, but five pictures of different children flashed on the screen.

"I know, it's weird," Yazoo was saying. "What do you think could be causing it?" He looked over his shoulder to see Reno standing in the doorway. "I'll let you go; Reno's home. I'll talk to you later."

"What's up?" Reno asked as Yazoo ended the call.

"Kids across Midgar are falling into unexplained comas," Yazoo explained.

Reno's heart skipped a beat; his mind immediately going to Cornelius and Konor. Yazoo looked back at the TV screen.

"Doctors don't know what's causing it," he continued. "Kids are going to bed completely fine and then their parents are finding them comatose the next morning."

"How are Launa and Renzoo?" Reno asked.

"They're fine. They're in the kitchen doing their homework," Yazoo answered. He turned back to look at his husband. "You okay?" he asked.

Reno nodded. "I'm fine," he replied.

Yazoo began shaking his head. "No, something's bothering you. Your voice is strained." He got up from the couch and went over to stand in front of Reno. "You were at the hospital again, weren't you?"

Reno looked down at the floor, his eyes haunted. "I sent those men to their deaths," he whispered in a tortured voice. "I might as well have dug their graves."

Yazoo pulled Reno into a hug. Reno buried his face in Yazoo's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault," Yazoo told him, his voice gentle and soft. "You couldn't have predicted what would happen."

Reno chuckled humorlessly. "Rude said the same thing," he muttered, his words muffled by the fabric of Yazoo's shirt.

"Great minds think alike," Yazoo joked.

Reno actually laughed. Yazoo patted his back. The red-head pulled away and gave his husband a kiss on the lips.

"Ew," came the synchronized voices of Launa and Renzoo.

"Get a room, guys," Launa said.

Reno looked over his shoulder and grinned. "We did. You just happened to walk in," he told her.

Launa stuck her tongue out at her father. Reno chuckled.

"Did you get your summer homework done?" Yazoo asked, a grin spreading across his face.

"Yes, Mama," the twins replied in harmony. "Can we go over to Rain's, now?"

"If she's finished her homework," Yazoo told them.

Launa whipped out her cell phone and sent off a message. A second later, the phone beeped with an answer. Launa grinned.

"She's done. Can we go over?" she asked.

"Be back in time for supper," Yazoo said.

The twins nodded before bolting out the door. Reno looked back at Yazoo, a mysterious gleam in his blue eyes. He wrapped his arms around Yazoo's waist and pulled him close.

"Now that we have the house to ourselves," Reno said. "How's about we have an..." He gave Yazoo a passionate kiss on the lips. "Adventure of our own?"

Yazoo grinned slyly and leaned in closer, snaking his arms around Reno's neck. Running his fingers through his husband's hair, Yazoo returned the kiss.

"Where shall we go this time?" he asked, his voice low and seductive.

"I've got a few ideas," Reno replied as he pulled his mate towards their bedroom.