Sephiroth stood and stared into the flames of the hearth, watching as they danced and frolicked among the glowing embers, only looking away every now and again at the blonde laying unconscious on the leather sofa next to him.
He did not question the truth of Cloud's words…from what he remembered of the boy, he was a dedicated and trustworthy cadet who served his superiors nobly. But yet, Sephiroth could not fathom the fact that Zack was dead, a victim of Shin-Ra's deception. Not that he was surprised of Shin-Ra's treachery.
Which added the next disturbing ingredient into the pot… "Strife blamed me for everything that happened to him and Zackary…he said I became a 'monster'."
Sephiroth turned his gaze back to Cloud, wanting more than anything for the blonde to wake up and lay to rest the unrelenting questions that were consuming his thoughts. But, before Sephiroth could think anymore, the sound of gun shots rang through the air. He grabbed for Masamune, only to discover it not on his person.
Cloud had taken the liberty of placing it, along with First Tsurugi, in the storage cabinet inside the room Sephiroth had been occupying.
"Damn." The silver-haired man spat, racing to the staircase.
"We're here on official Shin-Ra business, Valentine...our mission don't concern you, yo." Reno growled, his EMR in hand.
Vincent stood ready to fire Cerberus and hit his target this time around instead of wasting bullets on warnings shots. "I'm really getting tired of people telling me that 'it's none of my concern' or that 'it doesn't involve me'."
"Maybe you should take the hint." Rude countered, fists raised.
"Maybe you should stand down, Turk."
Reno's jaw dropped, while Rude rubbed his non-shaded eyes. "Holy shit!" They both yelled in unison.
Vincent whipped around, pointing his gun dead aim at Sephiroth. "Where's Cloud?" He demanded in a venomous tone.
"Vincent."
The ex-Turk sighed in relief, seeing Cloud emerge from behind the silver-haired man, almost reluctantly turning his aim back on Reno and Rude.
"Strife? What the fuck's goin' on?" The red-head questioned, thinking that maybe he slapped himself a little too hard.
Cloud stepped forward. "I should be asking you that, Reno…what's Rufus scheming this time?"
The two Turks shared a shocked glance, then turned their defiant stares back to Cloud and Sephiroth. "Well, he's not cooped up in some shack out in the middle of nowhere havin' séances or playing with voodoo dolls." Reno sarcastically spat.
"Rufus? What about the President?" Sephiroth questioned with a silver eyebrow raised.
Cloud halfheartedly turned to the ex-General. "Rufus is the President…you killed his father."
The blank expression returned to Sephiroth's face.
"Holy shit! He doesn't remember a damn thing does he? How did ya do it, Strife? Heh, who's the puppet now?" Reno mocked, chuckling under his breath.
Mako green eyes began to glow with fury, as Sephiroth darted forward with lighting speed, grabbing Reno by the throat, slamming him against the wall with such force that the red-head became imbedded into it. "I want answers, Turk…and I want revenge. You will take me to the President's son…and you will witness the downfall of Shin-Ra."
Rude tried to counter the attack on his partner, only to find three barrels staring him down in a not-so-friendly manner. "Don't even think about it." Vincent spoke, pulling back the trigger.
"Enough!"
All eyes turned to Cloud, everyone surprised by the sudden outburst made by the blonde. "Sephiroth, let him go…if you want answers I will give them to you."
The silver-haired man did want answers, and badly, knowing he would get more of an honest response from Cloud than he would from a Shin-Ra lackey. With great unwillingness, Sephiroth released his hold on Reno, the Turk's limp form falling to the floor.
"Vincent, lower your piece." Cloud spoke, sapphire blue locked on crimson.
The ex-Turk slowly lowered Cerberus, but not his guard, watching as Rude rushed to Reno's side, picking him up and throwing him over his shoulder. "Your days are numbered…I bet my life on it!" Rude growled, grabbing Reno's EMR and darting out the door.
Sephiroth turned to Cloud, closing the distance. "I hope you are well rested, Strife…because it's going to be a long night."
"I agree." Vincent added, holstering his weapon.
Sephiroth turned his attention to Vincent, staring him down curiously. "If you are the 'Vincent Valentine' that I remember hearing of, then I also have many questions for you as well."
Vincent crossed his arms over his chest. "You may not like what I have to say."
Sephiroth smirked, "I haven't heard a thing yet that hasn't shaken me to the core, I'm well prepared for the worst."
"The worst is what you will hear tonight." Vincent assured with bane in his tone, walking past the ex-General and the blonde, making his way back downstairs to the bar.
Cloud's gaze moved to the floor, mentally kicking himself for causing all of this turmoil. Now, every surviving member of Shin-Ra would be after them, hunting them down, all because of a wish he made…a wish that he thought would bring him happiness, but instead has brought him and everyone else involved nothing but grief.
The blonde broke out of his trance by the touch of leather on his cheek. "Cloud, don't blame yourself for what took place…I should have exerted more control over my emotions…I just never have cared for that red-headed weasel, or his blundering excuse for a partner." Sephiroth explained, moving his hand gently under Cloud's chin, raising it to meet sapphire blue with mako green.
Cloud's heart stopped, along with the rest of the world around him, or at least that's what it felt like. To be touched by the ex-General in such an intimate way was not only unexpected, it was also a dream come true for the blonde. He couldn't tear his eyes away, totally immersed in Sephiroth's mako green pools.
"Cloud, let's go."
The blonde felt his heart begin to beat once again, and his world resume its course, turning to see Sephiroth waiting for him in front of the basement door.
Meanwhile...
Rude somehow, buy the grace of Gaia, made it back to the helicopter with a still unconscious Reno thrown over his shoulder. He placed his comrade gently on a stretcher in the back of the chopper, strapping him in securely. "Hang on, man…we'll be back home before you know it."
Making haste, he hurried to the cockpit grabbing a headset, attempting to make communication with Tseng back at headquarters. "HQ…Rude to HQ…come in…"
The storm was causing a great amount of interference, raising concern for the Turk who knew his partner desperately needed medical attention.
"This is headquarters…come back…"
Rude sighed in relief. "Elena? We need back-up and plenty of it…we need a medical unit too."
"What the hell happened? Are you guys alright?" Elena questioned, panic in her voice.
"Reno's down…we're ten miles southeast of Icicle Village…tell Tseng that Sephiroth is alive and he's being accompanied by Cloud Strife and Vincent Valentine."
"Rude, have you been sneaking into Reno's stash again?" Elena asked, unsure if Rude was serious or stoned.
"Damn it, Elena! Just do it! I'm not fucking around!"
"Alright, alright…but it might be awhile before we can get there. We've been monitoring the storm and it doesn't look like it will be letting up anytime soon."
"Understood…I'll do what I can till you guys get here." Rude responded, throwing his headset into the passager seat in frustration.
Oh, man...The shiz has hit the fan!
Sorry to all the Reno fans out there for having Seph beat him up, but sometimes his mouth can get him in a lot of trouble...Just ask Rude! XD
FYI: My updates might not be as fast since it is less than a week till Christmas, and I'm one of those last minute kind of shoppers. Don't ask me why...Maybe because I enjoy chaos and pandemonium? Who knows?
(((Hugs))) to all for the reviews, faves and alerts!
