Hello! Hope you guys that were on Spring Break had an amazing one :D

Kurosukai: Poor Laguna is a klutz XD Thanks for the editing.

DaughterOfSorceress-Lion: lol thankies. I do try. Occasionally.

Silverstargirl: It couldn't be helped. I get lazy ^-^

Thatotherguy: I didn't XD

Disclaimer: Of course not.

The sky was a black cloud, the thick smoke obscuring the rays of the sun. Dread gnawed at Irvine's gut as he put the ship down near the SeeD transport. Cloud was out of his seat and on his way out as soon as the ramp was lowered. Irvine followed close behind.

The place was nothing but chaos. SeeDs and Deling security personnel darted in and out amidst the vehicles that served as a makeshift base of operations. Wounded were lying on stretchers or sitting beside medical vehicles. The smoke was thick in the air, burning Irvine's nose and making his eyes water. Despite all of the screams and the roar of the fire engulfing half of the city, Irvine easily picked up the sound of Quistis' voice.

"B Team! I want you all on the south side of the section!" he heard Quistis shout to a squad swathed in fire-proof gear. He finally spotted her and shoved his way past the wave of SeeDs. Her eyes fell on him then shifted to Cloud. He saw her frown through her oxygen mask. "Where's Squall?!" she demanded over the noise.

"Long story!" he shouted back. "Any news on Rinoa?!"

Quistis only shook her head.

Irvine felt his heart drop.

Quistis made her way over to Irvine's side. She casted a quick glance at Cloud before looking back to the cowboy. "The fire's contained, but the Caraway mansion was one of the closest to what is believed to be the blast site," Quistis reported in a detached, official voice. "I sent in A Team to that area first, but they found nothing. We can't spare the personnel to keep searching the same spot."

Irvine nodded numbly, a dry cough forcing its way past his lips. He didn't want to think about what was running through Squall's mind at that moment. "We'll go have another look," he promised Quistis.

He saw it in her eyes, a burst of defiance, then, a calmer acceptance. "Alright. We'll be fine here. Just hurry up. There's some extra gear in that van," she pointed to a vehicle. "An ice draw point is over there," she gestured to another transport.

She must have seen another team arriving for instructions, for she turned around and began shouting orders.

"C'mon Clou-" he stopped short when he noticed Cloud was nowhere to be seen.

-Move faster! - Squall snarled at his host.

'I can only move so fast when there's blasted fire all over the place!' Cloud hissed back as he trudged through the debris and flame.

They had arrived in record time, Irvine not bothering to obey certain skyway regulations placed by Esthar security. The engine sounded horrible by the time they reached Deling, having been pushed to excessive speeds. Squall knew it wouldn't be an available means of transportation for a while, but that was far from his primary concern.

That had been the longest two hours Squall had ever sat through. And he had been able to do nothing. Rinoa was in danger and he could do nothing. He couldn't even pace to provide a channel for his swelling emotions.

And, to add to his ever mounting despair and frustration, Cloud had seemed to be completely composed, going over possible battle strategies in his mind as he had waited for the ship to land. It was enough to drive Squall mad.

And now this. He was moving like an old man. -I thought you were somehow physically stronger than me. This should be nothing.-

'There's fire, Squall,' Cloud snapped. 'Even Mako-enhanced lungs can't filter oxygen when it isn't there!'

-You're not even trying to move fast! Rinoa could be dying, and all you care about is finding your ridiculous rival!-

He sensed Cloud's increasing anger. That was good. Anger would cause him to speed up, if only to prove Squall wrong. 'I'll find your girlfriend! Just shut up for a bit!' Cloud's pace picked up marginally.

Progress, at least. But Squall wasn't satisfied. He had to find her.

(Cloud POV)

Cloud coughed, the smoke making him gag. He tried to stay low, but the flames eating at the surrounding homes and debris below burned his skin. He wasn't clothed for this. He could feel his rubber combat boots, or rather Squall's, melting on his feet.

And to make matters worse, Squall was being far from supportive. His constant insults and comments were only serving to distract him from his goals.

He knew he needed to find Rinoa, if for no other reason than to make Squall shut up. He also needed to find Sephiroth. He was still around. Cloud could sense his presence in the peripherals of his mind, a dark, ominous existence that put Cloud on edge.

-Focus.-

Cloud bit back a harsh reply. He had to put things into perspective. He was sure he'd act the same if that were Aeris in there-

Focus. He couldn't let his mind wonder to something like that.

He coughed again, then retched, throwing bile onto the hot sidewalk as his body fought to rid itself of the toxins it was taking in.

He continued on as soon as he stopped heaving, wiping his mouth with a soot-covered hand.

-Almost there,- Squall promised, a mental nudge sending him down a side street. A pair of charred bodies lay in the street, obviously dead. Cloud could only guess that they had leapt out of the third story windows to escape the flames. He hoped for Squall's sake that neither of them was Rinoa.

-They aren't,- Squall insisted, though Cloud wasn't sure if it was based on anything more solid than denial.

Cloud approached the Caraway mansion, holding a hand before him to try to protect his face from the heat. He casted a quick glance at the corpses, but Squall didn't recognize them. Cloud continued on up to the house, seeing nothing in the windows but an inferno of flame. There was no way he could get inside.

-We can't leave! Keep looking. She's smart. She would have gotten out.- Cloud knew a pep talk when he heard one. Squall wasn't sure himself.

He had to be thorough, at any rate. He knew the odds were slim. If she hadn't turned up before now, she probably wasn't going to. But he had to look.

He trudged around the house, noting the way the third story had caved into the second on one corner, and another side of the house missing a section of wall.

There was no way.

'Squall,' Cloud began slowly. 'I don't think she's-'

-NO! Keep looking!-

Cloud recoiled at the wall of emotion that hit him. He felt he was drowning in the other man's desperation, pain, and anguish.

He had to find her.

He redoubled his efforts, even going to such lengths as to lift burning rubble with his bare hands to glimpse beneath it. She was here somewhere. He wouldn't believe she was dead until he saw the body.

Wait, what was this? These weren't his thoughts…

'Squall, we can't find her in this. We'll have to come back-'

-It will be too late then! We have to find her NOW!- he was practically screaming, but Cloud was ready for the wave of foreign emotion. He kept his mind.

Cloud didn't reply. He just turned around and began walking.

- CLOUD! TURN AROUND! SHE'S HERE! WE HAVE TO FIND HER! CLOUD!!!-

'She can't be alive, Squall,' Cloud interrupted softly. 'And we won't be much longer if we stay.'

-Turn around!- Squall cried.

'I'm sorry, Squall.'

-Cloud…- he pleaded, his pain palpable. His resolve was wavering, giving way to grief. -We have…we have to…Rinoa…Rinoa…-

Squall screamed.

Cloud did his best not to shy away. Squall's misery transferred into his own thoughts, allowing him to experience the vivid emotions. He was suffocating underneath the weight of it all, like his heart was being ripped out and shredded.

"Cloud."

He was torn from the other man's suffering by the sweet, urgent voice. "Aeris?" He looked around him reflexively.

His eyes fell on a blur of color amidst the black smoke. On closer inspection, it appeared to be a blue sleeve, stained by soot and half eaten by fire. A delicate, blackened hand rested within.

Cloud hurried to the pile of rubble, tearing through it with as much caution as he could allow. Squall was silent, watching with trepidation. The hot materials burned his already charred hands, but he fought past the pain. This had to be her. Rinoa was under all of this.

"Rinoa?" Cloud called softly, pulling a particularly large piece of cement off of her.

He was rewarded with a quiet moan.

He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He threw away another portion of the house. "I'm coming. Just hang in there."

-Be careful,- Squall cautioned.

He finally unearthed her head. Her skin was marred by scratches and burns. Blood covered the half of her face that he could see. Her eyes were screwed shut.

Cloud threw the last of it off of her then, very gently, pulled her into his arms. He felt a rib give way in his hand and she gasped. Her left arm was bent at an awkward angle and her skin was a bloodied mess.

But she was alive.

"You're safe now, Rinoa," Cloud said as he took off back the way he had come. He didn't think she heard him over the fire's roar, but his voice was almost gone.

He would come back for Sephiroth. Right now, he had to take Rinoa to the medics.

Poor Rinoa *sniff* Squall was soooo hard to write for in this chapter! I'm not used to writing him with so much emotion.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the chappy. Please leave a review and have a great week!

God Bless!

-RainFlame