Disclaimer: Not only would I own the game of Crisis Core, but also the soundtrack. Then I wouldn't have to be all weird and obsessive, and have the CC website on all day so I can listen endlessly to the theme tune…

A/N: Ohmygod, tiiiiiiired. What happened? I should've been done hours ago. Good news, though: for some ungodly reason, the plot's been extended by another, say, two chapters. It just developed in my head at some point today, and it's not even mentioned vaguely in this chapter. I don't know where it came from, must've been the muse fairies, but it fits beautifully, and really rounds out the whole storyline. So I figure, at the current rate of progress, we've got about four more night together, lovelies. After that, I find a new hobby…

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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

It was two days later that I killed Yunalesca.

Inspired by my attack on Sephiroth, I bludgeoned her to death with the top drawer of my dresser, with all my waning strength, fifteen hours after she poisoned me.

Sora had not been present, but when I turned up at our new apartment for the first time, dripping with blood and pale as a ghost, he figured out that things weren't right.

He yanked me inside, forgetting, I think, how to breathe. He looked like he was going to be sick. "What'd they do?" he demanded frantically. "Where does it hurt?" He sat me on the bed, pushed me down, ran his hands up and down my body in search of the wound, never realising I didn't have a scratch on me.

A little of my own blood did trickle from my nose, though.

I passed out for a while, the venom from my oatmeal still coursing through my veins and organs. I had stopped vomiting several hours ago, after even my bile supply had been exhausted, but the sweating, hazy feeling remained, the clutching pains that made me arch off the mattress. Sora lay beside me, quieter now. My face was too clean for all this to be a mere nose-bleed. He was wondering exactly where it all came from, and why I seemed so disturbed. I wrapped myself around him automatically, desperate for comfort. I was shaking, the after-effects of such brutal, primal violence.

It hadn't been a battle. And she hadn't been a Heartless. Yes, she was my tormentor; yes, she was a bitch. But now I had killed her. I won't say it was in cold blood – my rage was all-consuming. I knew that it had been her; it was the first time since Zack's arrival that she brought me breakfast.

My hatred for Zack had almost torn strips off me while I gripped the toilet bowl. He had destroyed every mask I had made for myself! Without even trying, he managed to break me down like not even Hojo had. If he hadn't come along – !

If he hadn't, I wouldn't have had to hope.

I wouldn't have thought that maybe it takes more than one person's light to reveal the end of the tunnel. I wouldn't have imagined that the abyss I had fallen into was a tunnel. I'd have just withered, gradually, and coped. Sora and I could have been tragic lovers forever.

But instead, Zack had made us both see that this wasn't right. This wasn't how human beings, no matter the world, were meant to be treated. He was trying to make a difference, for the brief amount of time that he was here, never imagining that his pulse of light would only make the darkness seem all the more blacker once he faded away.

He broke me with his kindness, with the faith I saw rekindled in Sora's eyes.

That's why I did what I did. Things… had to change. I wouldn't be a good little boy anymore. I wouldn't destroy myself for this place. Instead, I would destroy all that I could manage to touch, and find myself a battle plane. I didn't need a keyblade to still be a fighter. I would destroy them all, if I had to, until there was only Sora and I, lone heartbeats among the corpses.

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Sora waited until Riku was sleeping more peacefully, the violent trembling that wracked the platinum-haired teen's body subsiding into shivers. He sat up, blue eyes on the fingers of Riku's unharmed hand twitching and clutching at the sheets. His jaw ached as he unclenched his teeth to breathe deeply. Demyx had been following the grinding of his teeth with fascination for the past two weeks, placing imaginary bets on how long it would take for the enamel to be visibly grated away.

Demyx. Demyx would know what to do.

Sora slid carefully from the mattress, eyeing the many blood-stains patching Riku's white apparel warily. He got the feeling that maybe something very bad had happened. Riku hadn't said a word, had just whimpered from the pain and stared into space until falling at long last unconscious. There was a heaviness to his features that Sora – any Sora, in reality or dreams – had never seen before. His eyes were just about sinking into their sockets.

Quietly, fearfully, Sora left the apartment, easing the door shut. He only hoped he would be back in time for when Riku woke up.

His bare feet carried him quickly through the corridors, having long since memorised the path to Zexion and Demyx. It had been three days since Zack had secured them the apartment from ShinRa. Sora had been excited, stupidly enough. He couldn't believe he'd ever been so blind to it all. Of course Riku wouldn't want this. Zack wanted them to appear more settled in the labs – why should they want that? Why would anyone want to start thinking of this place as home? Riku's reaction had made it clear to him. That, and Sephiroth's appearance. The betrayal of it all burned at Sora like acid, made him rub his arms at the spiking tingles that shivered through his veins.

He reached the silver door and knocked. It was Zexion who answered, surprising Sora.

"Zexy! You're up!" Zexion's visible eye rolled quietly.

"He's infected you," he muttered, before stepping back to allow the brunet entrance. Sora stepped inside nervously, spotted Demyx, lounging on the bed with a bright expression.

"Hey, Sora, what's – " His expression fell in an instant. He scrambled off the bed, seized the teenager by his upper arms tightly. "You have blood on you!"

Zexion came close, frowning. He touched the stained sleeve of Sora's ShinRa shirt, rubbed the mark between his thumb and forefinger. "It's fresh, Sora. What's going on?"

"I – I don't know. It's Riku," he fretted, hands twisting together. "He came to our apartment covered with blood."

Zexion let go, slowly rolling the slickness between his fingers. "Has he been injured? Was it a test of some sort?"

Sora shook his head, a confused motion. "I don't know. He didn't say anything, but – he's sick, I know that much. He's in… a lot of pain. They must have been hurting him again. I just – I got worried. The blood's… not his."

Demyx jumped, eyes wide and blinking. "Well, uh – whose is it, Sora?"

"Perhaps you should take us to him," Zexion said, wiping his hand absently against his cotton pants. "I want to see Riku for myself. Between us, Dem and I have suffered all of the tests. We should be able to figure this out." He reached out, placed his clean hand on Sora's shoulder and squeezed. "You did the right thing, coming to get us. You know we'll help you and Riku any way that we can." Sora forced a small smile, nodded shakily.

"I'll just… lead the way, then."

The trio exited the apartment, setting off for Sora's. "How's he been?" Demyx asked softly. "Is he calmer now?"

"He's been… quiet," Sora murmured, eyes low. "He won't let me talk to Zack, and he won't tell me what I did wrong."

"He doesn't own you, Sora," said Zexion sharply. "If you want to talk to Zack, you can. He's a good man, he's doing what he can for us."

"I know, Zex. But Riku hates him. I – I don't want to turn against him."

Demyx snorted angrily. "You know, I like Riku a lot, but that's just stupid. What happens if he decides he doesn't like us anymore? Does that mean we can't see you, either?"

"It's not like that," Sora mumbled. "He needs me, that's all. I made him mad somehow, and the last I want is for him to hate me."

"Sora," said Zexion gently, as they reached the door of the apartment, "Riku doesn't know how to hate you. He loves you too much."

Sora twisted his head to the side, eyes hooded. "Yeah, okay."

He opened the door, letting them through. Riku was still asleep, sprawled across the double, his injured hand held close to his body. Zexion took charge, moving over to him, bare feet making soft shushing noises as he walked. For a while, he stood with his arms by his sides, head cocked at the same angle as Riku's, and studied the boy.

"He doesn't look well," he stated at last, making Demyx roll his eyes over by the wall.

"Well, I can even see that." He grew serious, chewing his lower lip anxiously. "What do you think they did to him?"

"Hm." Zexion leaned forward suddenly, ignoring Sora's warning squeak, and brushed one knuckle against Riku's right nostril. Pulling back, he examined the small amount of shining red with disquiet. "They haven't given him his second infusion yet."

"What?" Sora blanched. "Why not? He'll start breaking down again."

"Yes." Zexion stared at the wall thoughtfully, adding that blood to the smear already on his pants. "I believe he's already started to."

Sora eyes widened. Demyx caught hold of him, slung an arm around his neck as he went weak. "But… what's that going to mean for him? Are they just…" He turned desperate blue eyes up to Demyx. "Is Hojo letting him die?"

"No, he can't do that," the blond soothed. "It's okay, Sora. This is just… another experiment, probably."

Sora's face lowered, eyebrows furrowing, a pressure building in his chest. "This is all – so sick."

Zexion nodded, blandly saying, "That it is. I often wonder what will become of us all, many more years under Hojo and his whore. If it wasn't for Zack's occasional interference in the proceedings, both Dem and I would likely be dead by now."

"Not me," Demyx said morosely. "I'd be suspended in Mako. Then when someone new came in, he could let me out, find out about them, and shut me back in." He tilted Sora's chin up to meet his eyes. "But everyone else would be dead, just like Zexy says. You can trust Zack, really, Sora."

"Speaking of which," Zexion muttered, "perhaps we should go see him. He might know what to do about Riku."

"No!" said Sora instantly. "You can't! I told you, Riku hates him. We can't ask him for help, you guys."

"You don't have a choice." Zack stood at the door, a strange expression on his face. He looked over at Riku, and closed his eyes. "Shit."

Sora moved fast, blocking Zack off before he could enter the room. "You often open doors without knocking?" he bristled.

"Kid…" Zack took a deep breath, eyes flashing open, fixing Sora with a worried look. "You have no idea."

"What are you after, Zack?" Zexion came up beside Sora, resting a hand on his back. "You're here for Sora?"

"No. I wish." Zack lowered his head, rubbed a gloved hand over his face, pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look…" He exhaled sharply, lifted his gaze, said firmly, "Sora, you need to get Riku out of here. There's a bunch of rooms not being used. Find one, hole up."

"Why?" Sora demanded. "Is Hojo coming?"

"Hojo. Seph. ShinRa. All of the above. We think Riku killed Hojo's assistant."

Sora blinked, straightened as Zexion's grip became hard, Demyx joining them in the doorway with wide eyes. Zack just looked tired, and regretful, his bright gaze averted.

"What the hell, Zack?" Zexion spoke coldly. "What on earth makes you say that?"

"Look at the kid," Zack said, gesturing weakly. "He's covered in her blood, man. She's in his room right now, growing cold. He got her with the same drawer he tried to get Seph with. The kid did it."

Sora started trembling, little, involuntary noises coming from between his lips. "Riku…" he whimpered, trying to look over his shoulder. Zexion held him firmly in place, his spare hand sweeping aside the hanging bangs of his hair to glare with both eyes at the other man. "What's your role in this? What do you intend to do?"

"Well, we're meant to be finding him," Zack explained, running both hands through his spikes. "And when we do, we're meant to knock him out and drag him off to the chair… but Zex, it's still got his piss on it. I'm not putting him in that fucking chair again. This whole thing, killing the assistant, it's way overdue." He met Sora's gaze urgently. "Sora, I don't want to see them break him any further, and they will. Hojo will destroy him in the name of science. ShinRa will let him."

Zexion smiled suddenly, a chilly, humourless expression. "He's pushed your hand, hasn't he?" Zack stared blankly, hands freezing on his head, spikes sticking out haphazardly from between his fingers. The slender, Mako-infused man nodded, as if confirming something in his mind. "You need time to regroup before they decide to lock him away."

"Regroup? What?" Sora was baffled, frightened. He gripped the older man's sleeve, tugged on it. "Zexy, what do you mean?"

"There's no time for this," Zack interjected resolutely. He reached out, grabbed Sora's arm, bent to be on level with the shorter boy and met his eyes intently. "Sora, you need to get Riku and hide. We split up to cover different sections, and it's a damned miracle I'm the only one who knows about this apartment so far, because otherwise you'd have had them both at your door in an instant." He straightened, gazed steadily at Zexion. "So maybe you're right. Find me some time, then. Keep the kid safe." He hesitated, then added, "Both of them. Who knows what Hojo would resort to, to lure Riku in."

Zexion nodded curtly at this, disappeared back into the room, murmuring, "Help me with him, Dem." The blond followed, and together they paused at the bed, darting each other communicative glances. Zack returned his attention to Sora, frowning with concern.

"Take care, okay? I'm trying. Just… keep away. Keep him hidden." He leaned forward, gripping Sora before the boy could instinctively jerk back, his breath warm on the brunet's ear as he whispered, "Don't give up; this isn't the end." He released his hold, backed off a few steps, nodded once, grimly, and set off at a jog down the corridor.

In the apartment, Zexion and Demyx had Riku sitting up, dazed from being woken, a line of white tracing his lips. "Wh-Sora?"

"I'm here," Sora said gently, anxiously. "Riku, we're going to find somewhere quiet to rest for a while, okay? Somewhere we can't be found."

Riku blinked sharply, holding his eyes squeezed shut for a moment. "So? What?"

"It's okay, Riku," Demyx said reassuringly. "Just come for a walk, okay?"

They had him halfway to the door before he realised he was standing, shaking them off and taking an abrupt step back. "Wait," he said commandingly. His teal eyes shot from one male to the next, coming to rest with confusion upon Sora. "What's going on? Where am I going?"

Zexion touched his shoulder carefully, so as not to startle him. "Zack told us about Yunalesca. We're finding somewhere for you to hide until he figures something out."

If Riku had been pale before, now he was utterly drained of colour, the dull sheen of ocean-green the only break in the white. "I…" He looked at Sora dizzily. "She poisoned me, So. It's why I'm sick. I got… angry." Then he shook himself, silver brows meeting irately over his nose. "Wait, Zack? Zack's figuring something out?"

"Riku – "

"I don't need it," he hissed, sliding back a step, wrenching himself out of range. "Anything that man provides, I don't need."

"But Zexy thinks he has a plan to break us out!" Demyx cried, before smothering himself with his broad hands and knocking his head into the wall.

Zexion hissed, "Shit, Dem," and smacked him over the side of the head. Riku was in between them a second later, snatching a handful of Demyx's shirt, shaking him once, hard, and breathlessly demanding, "What did you say?"

"Get your hands off him," Zexion snapped, breaking them apart. "Damn it, there's no time for this, Zack left ages ago, and we're supposed to be finding a room somewhere in his section to stash you two. Now, let's think for a brief moment, shall we?" His burning gaze dared anyone to argue, sending even Riku into a disgruntled silence. "Thank you," he said, more sedately. "I think we should find a room in B-section. That's most likely where Zack started out, since it's near his temporary office and extends this way. Sephiroth and Hojo will be investigating deeper into the complex and closer to Riku's old room. We want to avoid them at all costs."

"Especially Sephiroth," Riku said sharply. "You guys – you don't know what he's capable of. He's the most dangerous."

"I beg to differ. It's Hojo we need to watch for," corrected Zexion mildly. "He will most likely be in a rage over this, and you haven't seen that man when he's angry, Riku. He carries a gun at all times to ensure his personal safety. I can't imagine a man of Sephiroth's proportions fearing the likes of us – as a result, he is likely unarmed. Now let's move. I have a place in mind."

The four of them piled out into the corridor, each set of eyes and ears straining for signs of life outside of their own panting circle. "This way," Zexion said quietly, after deliberately engaging the apartment's lock, giving the door a final exploratory tug. He led them down the right hand hallway and into the maze. Both he and Demyx were at ease with their surroundings, while Riku and Sora couldn't help but be bewildered by the dazzling series of twists and turns the group took. They passed between buildings, through one of the green, sunlit tunnels, and Sora stopped dead in his tracks. Demyx, bringing up the rear, hesitated at Sora's expression. "Sora?"

The brunet was gazing around in quiet awe, a glaze of moisture in his eyes. Zexion and Riku up ahead paused and turned, frowning at the hold-up.

"So?" Riku called.

"…The sun…"

The other three drew sharp breaths, while Sora wiped his eyes with a slow, wistful smile. "I'm sorry," he rasped. "I just…" Riku came back, circled the boy's face with one thin hand, long fingers brushing the bangs from his eyes.

"I know, So," he said quietly. "I'm sorry it's been so long."

Sora shook his head, lips never losing their curve, even as they trembled. "It's nice to feel warm."

Riku nodded seriously. "I know, baby." He lifted his head to Zexion. "Zex – you think there's a chance to this? You think Zack's trying to get us out?"

"I'd rather not speak of it here. This hallway is exposed," came the neutral response. Riku hesitated, nodded, turned back to Sora and took his hand. "Let's go."

The room Zexion had in mind was a dusty storage space, obviously disused. "Old janitorial equipment," Zexion explained in a murmur, as they filed in, the door clicking shut behind them. The room was cluttered with objects and old newspapers, like an basement full of junk. It was dark in the room, and cool, the only illumination seeping in from under the door, casting small, harsh shadows. "Take a seat, somewhere not immediately evident from the door," the bland man advised, taking hold of Demyx and tugging him to a teetering pile of papers at least a meter high, several stacks thick.

"Hey, Riku! Riku!" Demyx sounded excited all of a sudden, his voice startlingly loud in the hush. "Remember when we first met? This is where I got the – "

"Quiet, Dem!" Zexion reprimanded sharply, effectively cutting the blond off mid-word.

"Sorry," came the sheepish whisper several ringing seconds later. The other three let out sighs of relief. Still gripping hands, Sora and Riku pushed through the stagnant chaos into the corner of the room, where, if the door were to be flung open without warning, a collection of old and broken vacuum cleaners and mop buckets would hopefully obscure them from view. It took some minutes to get settled. Once everyone was in place, silence reigned, all ears listening hard for disturbances from out in the corridor.

"Do you…" Sora cleared his throat as his voice died. Whispering, he repeated, "Do you think we'll be safe here?"

Zexion's low, comfortingly sensible voice drifted across the room. "We have a better chance here than we did in the apartment. And Dem and I are safest hidden away, too. Like Zack said, there's no telling what Hojo would stoop to, to get hold of Riku."

There was a long pause. Demyx asked softly, "So, Riku, did you really snuff her?"

Riku stiffened next to Sora, who only held him tighter. When he didn't answer after a few beats, Zexion sighed. "It's okay, Riku. We understand. It'd just be nice to know exactly why we're hiding in an abandoned storage room."

Riku let out a slow breath, his shaking fingers running slowly over the knuckles of the hand that gripped him close. "I – I just…" His head dipped low, only to be gently kissed. He nodded, though the other two couldn't see him, and Sora's arms enveloped him. "I killed her," he said softly. "She put something into my breakfast, and it made me so sick. I got… angry. I felt so – weak. I snapped. I killed her. I – "

"Now all you need is to rinse and repeat with Hojo," Zexion commented dryly, "and maybe two decades of pain and torment can find vindication."

"If it hadn't been for Zack," Riku muttered, "I wouldn't have touched her."

"What's all this about getting us out of here?" Sora asked, frowning over in the general direction of the others, while he stroked Riku's matted hair. The question was met with silence.

"Oh, come on," Riku snapped, with as much irritation as he could fit into such low audibility. "You got me here nice and easy with whatever it was Demyx blurted, now how about you try backing it up? Is Zack worth anything, or was I right all along, and he's just a breath of hot air?"

"Hey," Demyx whined quietly, "Zack's helped us heaps over the years – "

"So I am right." Riku's voice was icy, hard. "He's had years to break you guys out of here, why should he start trying now? He's useless," he hissed.

"For someone who's useless," Zexion said, "he's certainly going out of his way to help you, Riku." There was a pause. "I don't know why he waited until now, but yes, we believe Zack has plans on getting us out of here. All of us."

"But won't that mean death for you guys? You need the Mako," Sora pointed out.

"There's a second lab, though," Demyx chimed. "Zack told us about it. It's where Aerith was taking Lucrecia, when they ran away. It's in a place called, um…"

"Icicle. There's an abandoned lab there," Zexion supplied. "We think, if the power can be restored, that – "

"Ssh!"

Dead silence, aside from the thunder of heartbeats. So quiet it was deafening.

Footsteps.

Breaths were collectively held, hands tightening.

Just keep walking!

The door was opened. Light filled the room.

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This was all my fault.

Sora and I huddled low, clutching one another, as a draught swept through. We hadn't had a chance to see who filled the doorway, and could only hope it wasn't Hojo. Hearing that he held a gun at all times made me feel faint. I knew that Sora was the one in the most danger if Hojo appeared.

Hojo – he knew, by now, how to hurt me.

One boot clopped slowly, followed by its mate, as the figure entered the room. Sora's exhalations warmed the inside of my ear, soft and silent. I could feel the tautness of his tense body under my hands. A sick, icy shudder traced its way through my muscles, renewing the fine sheen of sweat across my upper lip and forehead. I didn't regret what I'd done, the blood on my hands. I only wished that the others hadn't been dragged into it, too.

I lifted my head slowly, eye finding a light-filled gap among the mess.

Sephiroth.

There he stood in all his leather-bound glory, long hair drifting around his body with each cautious step. He looked wary. Perhaps, like I suddenly could, he felt the foreboding in the air, tasted it. He reached out slowly, hand finding the light switch, and flicked it on. The overhead halogen light sputtered and hummed to life. I hoped to God Demyx wouldn't do anything stupid.

Sephiroth ventured further in. Crushing silence. Sora and I sat frozen in place. I suddenly felt so exposed. Sharp jade eyes swept the room. I heard the creak of his boot as he shifted his weight. Another shooting pain wracked me, bringing a low exhalation from my lips. Sora's fingers tightened.

"I know you're here," the silver-haired man said at last, calmly. He reached back with one heel and kicked the door shut. No one spoke, no one breathed. "You think you're being quiet…" He took two lazy, relaxed steps into the middle of the room, a curious expression on his face. "But I can hear you…"

Here he was. The reason for my presence in this hellish place. Right in front of me. I had already killed one of my tormenters today. What was keeping me from finishing this?

I glanced around quickly, gaze coming to rest on a nearby, dust-covered bottle of bleach. Savage anticipation shivered through me, revenge and hatred boiling into a desire to cause the kind of pain I had endured for too long – because of him. It was too easy, the thought of burning that cold face into nothingness.

I moved as swiftly and smoothly as possible, snatching up the half-filled bottle, feeling the slosh of its innards, ignoring the blinding agony in my left arm as I used the bandaged fingers to unscrew the cap. I was up, Sephiroth was already moving, but my attack of choice was unexpected. I heaved the bottle at his head, watched the clear fluid ribbon out towards his flesh – he was too fast, moving before his mind could possibly even understand what I had done, knocking the white bottle with his forearm and sending it spinning across the room in a spray. Demyx got hit by the scattered drops, jumped up with a yelp and started brushing himself off, the acrid smell an alert to the danger. Sephiroth dodged the wave that had been flying toward him, the splatter as it hit the ground harmlessly wetting his boots and heavy pants. Snarling, several stinging spots on my face and bare arms, I dove for the taller man. With the exact same motion he used for the bleach, he hit me aside, sending me sprawling painfully onto my back into a clatter of brooms. Sora was on his feet, running forward with a roar, and was snatched up, both arms instantly twisted behind his back. He let out a cry of pain, I yelled a desperate, "No!" and we found ourselves a stalemate.

Sephiroth held my boyfriend, who struggled and grunted, casting hateful looks over his shoulder at the smooth, placid face of our once-teacher. Zexion was with Demyx. He had found a bottle of distilled water and was squirting it liberally over the blond's chest, angry blotches already appearing across the flesh. Sephiroth tightened his grip until Sora's defiance subsided into sharp stillness.

I climbed to my feet noisily, setting several things falling over, breathing hard. I watched with helpless anger as Sora hung from his merciless grip.

"Okay," I strangled out. "Fine! You've caught me; now let Sora go." Sephiroth shook his head, sending silver hair rippling in the harsh light. "No?!" I cried. "You don't need him, Sephiroth, just let him go!"

"I can't just yet," he replied evenly, his hard green gaze locked on mine. "I have no guarantee that you'll co-operate, and you've already shown you're more than willing to kill to free yourself. Did you really think you'd get far?"

"I wasn't trying to escape," I snapped, fury bubbling up, held at bay only by my fear, equally as strong, for Sora. Sephiroth arched a delicate brow.

"No? Then why kill her?"

I didn't respond. I couldn't articulate my reasons, not so long after the fact. All I knew was that at the time, it had been the only option. The blinding rage, the venom demon that was born by these experiences and lived within me, had demanded blood. I lowered my head, and shook. "Do I need to handcuff myself to convince you?" I muttered, low and frantic. "I'll fucking do it, just let Sora go."

Sephiroth was eyeing me narrowly, lips pursed a little. Then, in a snap decision, he released Sora, who stumbled forward a few steps, then whipped his hands around and started massaging the bruised wrists, all the while backing hurriedly out of range. I seethed upon seeing the marks, turned to him with the rage preparing to let loose. He extended an arm sharply, and shook his finger a few inches from my face. "Uh-uh, Utada, a deal's a deal." He smirked at my disbelief. "Now, I don't happen to have any handcuffs on me at the moment… must have left them in my other pants… So." He straightened, becoming serious, and shrugged. "I suppose you'll just have to go free."

An entire minute passed, in which perfect silence reigned. Nobody moved. Sephiroth just stood there, a still expression on his regal features, waiting for my reaction.

My eyes narrowed. "Bullshit," I whispered. "You're not letting me go that easy." My voice rose. "You're the whole reason I'm in this mess!"

He nodded once, retorted, "I'm also the whole reason you're still alive. Ever think about that?"

I grappled with words, blinking incredulously, cradling my injured arm close to my stomach. "But – you hate me! You – you've been an asshole to me since day one! And you – you told ShinRa where I was!"

Sephiroth sighed impatiently. "Do I need to start repeating myself, Utada?" He glared at my continuing scepticism. "I'm also the one who told Cloud when you were sick. I'm the one that picked up on the fact that you were dying. I'm the reason that Leon's still alive, and the reason that I'm here in the first place is to get you and Sora out. Believe me yet?" he added with a sarcastic edge.

"No!" I yelled, panicked, heart beating a mile a minute. "I don't!"

"I'm the reason Zack is here," he challenged. "We've spent the last week in this shit-hole planning on getting you out, and now you've messed all that up by killing Yunalesca."

My brain caught up, as a second later I blurted, "Leon's alive?"

"Yes, Leon is alive," Sephiroth said coldly. "No thanks to that idiot Reno, who wouldn't know first aid if it beat him with bricks in a pillowcase. I expected better from a Turk." He grew determined. "I saved Leon's life; now I'm here for yours."

"But the newspapers!" Sora cried from his edge of the room. "You're lying, we saw the headlines."

"Why should the story be any more true than the accusations behind it?" the man returned sharply. "The Turks had Twilight Town secured, it was simple to seal off Leon's room and print the false allegation. Anyone who protested found themselves on the receiving end of ShinRa's hospitality, and anyone with half a brain in their skull knows to keep their mouth shut." He glowered with frustration, entire body thrumming with it, the stench of cleaner powerful in the air. "I've had enough with your arguments, both of you. Zack and I are working together to free you – isn't that enough? If we can get you away from here, then ShinRa won't be – "

"Oho ho."

Sephiroth turned to stone, while everyone else became ice, that sick, amused voice muffled by the door. The handle turned, the door swung open, and there again was Hojo, forever entering uninvited. And there, in his hand, even more unwelcome than his own slippery presence, was the aforementioned, ever-present handgun, black barrel peering hollowly into the room. Sephiroth spun quickly, a mask falling sharply into place – or was it falling off, revealing the true self? A sneer was in place of his previous earnest annoyance. "Hojo, good of you to finally turn up," he spat, with obvious dislike. "You'll find it easier than I to hold the boy in place, seeing as you saw it unnecessary to equip me with a weapon."

Hojo's expression was sly, a smile twitching at one corner of his mouth, the sort I saw flicker in and out of existence as he shattered my hand during the threshold test. It was enough to send me doubling over, retching emptily, distracting them both momentarily.

"Indeed, Sephiroth," Hojo said after a moment, his eyes fixed upon me, "you've certainly done well. All the children hiding in the broom closet, how naughty of them." His voice lilted, the gun remaining steady, Sephiroth still well within its sights. His eyes shifted to the silver-haired man. "Now, what was that interesting story I heard you telling the children, Sephiroth? Truly an adventurous tale."

"It's called a ruse, Hojo," Sephiroth said dryly. "It's what those who are outnumbered use to gain the advantage in a situation."

Hojo snorted, eyeing the assembly derisively. "You fear these subjects, Sephiroth? I am surprised at you."

"It's you that holds the gun, Doctor," Sephiroth pointed out mildly, causing the black-eyed man's grip to tighten on the trigger.

"Quite right," Hojo agreed thoughtfully. He shot Sephiroth, the noise deafening, sending us all screaming to the ground at the shock of it. Still standing, only just, Sephiroth lunged forward, to be shot a second time. He fell, hands into the shining puddle of chemical on the floor. I darted past him, a tin bucket in hand, and slammed Hojo in the face with it. The blow stunned him back a step, finger pulling the trigger an automatic third time. I felt a fire erupt along my right side, hit him again, taking it in both hands and smashing it forward. Blood appeared, shining and beautiful, and I hit him again. He never released the gun, but he stopped shooting, and I pressed my advantage, crushing his face with brutal ferocity, my left hand no longer feeling, no longer in pain, no limitation on me because I was fuelled by raw fury.

When Zack appeared, and finished the job for me by cracking Hojo across the skull with the same sort of metal rod that the red-headed Turk wielded, I wanted to turn on him, wanted to continue with him, for daring to take away my kill. Sensing my intent, Zack quickly knocked the bucket out of my hands, kicking it out of reach. He jammed the rod across my chest and drove me back into the wall, breathing hard.

"Riku!" he said sharply, digging the metal into me for emphasis. "Calm down!"

"Ffffuck you!" I roared back, control slipping away like water between my fingers.

"Seph!" Zack called, grunting as I struggled. Then, more impatiently, "Seph, damn it, I need a hand here!"

Sephiroth…

I slowed a little, sense returning enough to gasp, bewildered, "He got shot."

Zack froze against me for a second, then was gone, leaving a sensation of pressure in his wake. I rounded the doorway, breathing hard, to find him lifting the large man's limp frame from the bleach. "A little help?" he snapped. Demyx leapt forward, pale, and Sora, too, went to assist. Between the three of them, they managed to carry him from the room. I shifted to let them pass, watching mutely. Zack led the way down the corridor.

"W-wait!" I called with sudden realisation. "What about Hojo?"

"He's not going anywhere," Zack snarled over his shoulder, before disappearing around the corner. I looked dazedly down at the unconscious man. Whose blood was that on the floor? His, or Sephiroth's? I turned to Zexion, who had come to stand quietly beside me, gazing down with a deliberately calm expression at the monster that paraded as a man.

"You did good," he said at last, not removing his eyes from the still form. "I almost envy you." There was a pause, before he added, "You got them both."

"…What do you think happens now?" I asked hoarsely, staring blankly at the growing puddle of redness coming from the scientist's head area.

Zexion shrugged. "I suppose that depends on your old teacher, and Zack. Perhaps this is the day we all gain our freedom. Or maybe, ShinRa will come and write us off as a dangerous mistake."

Such a violent day.