"How far would you go to save the ones you love?"

~(-)~

A light materialized in Cosmos's Sanctuary. Cosmos instinctively rose from her throne in hopes of getting a better angle at what was coming. Emerging from the light was Tidus, Cloud, Terra, and Vaan in Cloud's arms, heavily beaten and drained of energy. Using most of her magic to make it this far, Terra's form shifted back to normal. Cloud hurried to the throne and put him down as gently as he could in it.

Cosmos couldn't believe the brutality. "… What happened?" They all closed their eyes and bowed their heads, ashamed of themselves for being unable to do anything.

"Heal him, and we'll explain," Cloud answered.

Cosmos used her powers on Vaan as Cloud and Tidus recounted the events of what occurred in the Gate: How they fought Bartz and Squall, how Jenova controlled their minds, and how they lost another of their own to her spell.

She shook her head in disbelief. "I cannot believe it." Though, looking at the damage they sustained, it had to be true. "How?"

Cloud sighed. "I know a thing or two about Jenova's powers. She makes you see things… Things you want… Things you fear… Whatever's the best way to control you."

"I see…" she answered. Vaan began coughing as the healing magic did its work. He struggled to get up, but Cosmos gently pushed him back down. "Vaan, you need to rest. You are still heavily injured."

Vaan lazily looked around. He was still mostly out of it. Terra ran over to him and grabbed his gauntleted hand and rubbed it against her face. "You're alive…"

He coughed. "Yeah… Not for lack of trying, though," he wheezed, cracking a small smile. Even talking hurt like a bitch. His whole body screamed in pain, but it was all over… right? He was in Cosmos's Sanctuary, but where was Bartz? Where was Squall? … Where was Zidane?

Terra could sense the questions on his mind. "Vaan…" she said as the tears built up in her eyes, her voice cracking from the strain. "We lost."

"Wh-What?" Despite the many protests of Cosmos, Terra, and his own body, he sat up, though he immediately regretted the decision as he doubled back over in pain. Blood started to trickle out of his mouth. He was nowhere close to fully healed as Cosmos and Terra tried to lay him back down. He soon swatted their hands away. "Tell me what happened."

His look was so serious and commanding; Terra felt no choice but obligated to answer. "Jenova got Zidane as well. Squall and Bartz pushed us all into a corner. We had no choice but to retreat."

Vaan couldn't believe it. They failed. He failed. The most important battle they came across yet, and they choked at the most crucial time. He punched Cosmos's throne hard, and, as stupid as it was to do that with his broken and mangled body, he really didn't care. "Some brother I am…"

"Where are they?" he demanded to know.

Before anyone could answer, an explosion rocked the barrier and that surrounded atop which tower the Sanctuary rested. The inhabitants all braced themselves while the quaking subsided. Cosmos used her energies to form a globe of water to take a look at what was happening outside. On the small cliff that pointed toward the Isles of Harmony, there they were: Bartz, Squall, Zidane, and Jenova with an army of crystal behind them.

Cloud began to sweat. When he saw them, behind Bartz's right shoulder, and the others' left ones, one jet-black wing extended from their backs. "Oh god… They have wings…"

"I'm going to guess that's bad…" Tidus asked.

Cloud shook his head, not wanting to believe it. "… I'm not sure we can save them now. They're entering the final stages of Reunion."

"And…" Tidus gulped, not really sure he wanted to know the answer. "That means?"

"… Jenova's cells have fully integrated into their DNA." The tone of his voice grew cold. "… They belong to her now."

"Waaaaaaarriors…" Bartz called out through the globe in a taunting way, clanging together three empty potion bottles on his fingers. "Come out to plaaaaaaaaaay~"

Tidus cringed. "Normally, I'm all for Bartz referencing something for laughs, but this is just wrong."

Another explosion rocked the tower. From the globe, everyone could see the three of them commanding the Manikins to attack the tower with their many, though weak, attacks. The barrier couldn't take much more pressure.

Cloud punched the floor, cursing himself for making yet another tactical error. "Damnit, we're sitting ducks, here!"

Vaan tried to stand, clutching his side in pain. Terra tried to sit him back down. "Vaan, you need to rest-"

"There's no time to rest!" he yelled. He sighed, not meaning to sound so harsh. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "No, you're right. We have work to do." She took his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder doing her best to help support his weight. They conjured a teleport stone to take them outside.

"And, what are you going to do?" Cloud asked. Terra and Vaan turned in his direction. "We don't stand a chance against them."

Vaan wheezed as many laughs as his aching body would allow. "Sheesh, Cloud. Pessimistic much?" He clutched his side again to try and make the pain subside. "I'm the leading man, and the leading man never dies."

"… Do you at least have a plan?"

"Yeah: Not die."

Tidus chuckled. "Sounds like a good plan to me."

Vaan turned back toward Cosmos. "How good are you at healing at a distance?"

"Fairly," she answered.

Vaan nodded. "Good, because we're going to need as much as you can give us."

"… What are you going to do about them?" Cloud asked.

Vaan shook his head, not wanting to say what he was about to say. "If we have no choice but to kill them to stop them, then we will." Everyone was taken aback by Vaan, of all people, to suggest doing such a thing. He sighed. "Look, I know my brothers. If they knew what they were doing, they would want to be stopped by any means necessary. I'm sure Squall's the same way. If the moment comes: Do. Not. Hesitate."

"… Y-You can't be serious?" Terra blurted out in shock. "They're your brothers!"

"I KNOW!" he shouted, feeling the pressure build up in his eyes. "… I know…" He rubbed his eyes, wiping away any forming tears. "But, there are things more important than family… Reks knew that. I know that." He took a moment to calm himself. "Okay, this is how we'll play it: Terra, you focus on Zidane. His aerial skills are good, so keep him grounded." Terra nodded in acknowledgement. "Tidus, you take care of Squall. His attacks are fast, but precise. Your agility should give you the slight edge."

Tidus nodded. "Got it."

"I'm guessing you want me to take care of Bartz?" Cloud asked.

Vaan nodded his head. "But, be careful: Bartz is a wild card. His Mime powers allow him to mimic all of our attacks. He hasn't even scratched the surface of what he can do. The good news is he doesn't know those attacks as well as the ones he usually uses, so a break in concentration will break those attacks. The bad news: Jenova's probably the one thinking for him, so that might not be so easy."

"So, try to focus on both Bartz and Jenova?" Cloud asked, guessing at what Vaan was thinking.

Vaan nodded. "Exactly."

"What about you?" Terra asked.

He cracked a smile. "I'm going Modern Warfare on this bitch. I can't face them head on, but I can provide a different kind of support." He released himself from Terra's support. "You guys're on the front lines. I'll be sniping from a distance. Oh! One more thing, when you get in, destroy the Warp Stone."

"Why?" they asked.

"I'll be warping around myself, and they'll probably figure that out. I don't think Jenova can use them, but the others can. At least this way, I can retreat if someone breaks away from the pack. Try to keep them off me the best you can."

"Aren't you worried about… you know…?" Tidus asked.

Vaan sighed. "This is a risk we have to take." He scanned their faces. "Hey, I don't like it any more than you guys do."

The four of them put their hands to the warp crystal, each connecting their minds to their desired Warp Crystal. Terra, Cloud, and Tidus connected to the one in Cornelia, the crystal closest to the tower and where the enemy had gathered. Vaan connected to Provaka, which was to the east of Cornelia. Having mentally secured their positions, they each flashed out of the Sanctuary. Cosmos began sending as much magic as she could spare, praying everyone would return safely.

~(-)~

Terra, Cloud, and Tidus flashed in at the ruined Castle Cornelia, right behind the crystal army that Jenova and the three of them gathered. Bartz, Squall, and Zidane turned when they saw a bright light appear from behind them.

Bartz hummed in surprise. "Hoooooh~ It seems the children could come out and play today." He pulled out his mimed Revolver and The Orge. "Good, because I was getting tired of waiting."

Zidane materialized his Mage Mashers. "Sucks that you're making us get in the hard way. Come on, we just want to see Cosmos! Why won't you let us in?" he whined.

Tidus rolled his eys. "I dunno, maybe it has something to do with the fact that you guys are COMPLETELY OUT OF YOUR MINDS!"

Bartz turned to Zidane. "I have no idea what he's talking about."

"Me neither," he agreed.

Squall summoned his Revolver and pointed its silver-blade at their three "enemies." "The only ones crazy here are you. We're doing what Mother wants because it's the right thing to do."

"Really, Squall," Cloud started while summoning his Buster Sword. "I expected so much better from you."

"Seriously! What happened to the 'infamously, stubborn lion'?" Tidus whined in agreement.

"I'll slit your throats just to make your tongue stop spitting lies," Squall hissed.

Tidus felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. "… Oh, there it is…"

Terra dipped into her pool of magic and called upon her Ultima spell, encasing the Warp Stone in the purple-and-white energies, then clasping her hands together, forcing the spell to explode and shatter the Stone. No one was going anywhere; she was making sure of that. "I hope you know what you're doing, Vaan."

~(-)~

Vann materialized in the ruins of a small town by an empty Gate with a small islet of water. He waded through the shallow canal to get to the beach on the other side of some mountains. He pulled out one his lesser-used weapons, a small, basic wooden bow and arrows, and aimed at the rainbow-assortment of crystal-men that gathered by Cosmos' tower. He saw that the others have already begun to engage the enemy from the barrage of light and the dull clatter of metal-on-metal-on-crystal.

"Shame I don't got a sniper rifle," he lamented. "But, this is gonna have to do. … Hope Fran taught me enough." He ran through the mental check-list of how to use a bow. "Okay… stock arrow… check… Pull back… check… Aim… check… compensate for wind and distance… Aaaaaand… FIRE!" he released the string, and the arrow was sent flying through the air toward the crystal army.

The shot pierced the horned, crystalline head of a False Hero, a manikin of the nameless Warrior, causing it to shatter as its "life" was snuffed out before it knew what had hit it.

"BOOM, HEADSHOT!" Tidus shouted happily as he just back-flipped, dodging a powerful, revolving kick from Squall.

Soon, more arrows were soaring through the air, turning the crystal army into Swiss cheese in a matter of moments with a high-degree of accuracy. Bartz, Squall, and Zidane took cover behind Jenova as she erected a barrier to protect the four of them from the surprise assault.

Jenova spat in frustration. "It seems as though your 'brother' is still alive."

Bartz bowed his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Mother. I should have finished him when I had the chance."

"Yes, you should have," she scolded. "He is not your brother anymore, my child. That was the illusion that Cosmos casted over your eyes."

Bartz unfurled his wing. "I'll make it up to you! I'll go kill him now!"

She smiled. "Make your Mother proud!" With that, Bartz began to take off.

"I DON'T THINK SO!" Cloud shouted as his sword burned with a blue-ish energy. It pulled him forward toward Bartz. Bartz turned to see Cloud charging straight for him, catching him in the side, and then sending them both toward the earth. Bartz let out a small scream of agony as the energy tore his flesh as he crashed into the ground. Getting up from the dust cloud formed when they hit the ground, Cloud could see the fury in Bartz's eyes.

"How dare you…" he spat. "You have some nerve… First, you ignore Mother… Now, you prevent me from doing what Mother wants…" In his anger, three stars materialized over his head as his cape changed from silver to red. However, his hair also changed from its usual brown to silver-white and his eyes changed from caramel-brown to mint-green… Exactly the same as Sephiroth. "You're dead!"

"Damnit, it's getting worse!" Cloud mentally swore. It seemed that Bartz wasn't the only one who's emotions have reached a fevered-pitch, as both Squall and Zidane's appearances have changed. They, too, triggered their "EX Mode," but, like Bartz, their powered-up forms were different, corrupted, versions of their normal modes: they had the same silver-white hair and the same mint-green cat eyes as their "brother." Squall's normally-blue Leonheart was now black and gray as well, with the silver Griver turning black to reflect Squall's blackened wing. The three of them leapt high into the air, preparing to strike hard with a vengeance.

"Ooooooh, this is bad," Tidus remarked.

Terra quickly cast a Flood spell in front of them for defense, causing the three of them to back off. Another arrow flew through the air, catching Bartz wing. He shrieked as the arrow embedded itself in his feathers. He pulled it out with a swear, then pulled out his own mimicked version of Firion's red bow, and stocked an energy arrow, firing it off toward Vaan's position.

Vaan saw the glowing arrow incoming. "OH SHIT-!" He dove out of the way as the arrow exploded in the mountain side. Vaan clutched his side at the pain started to come back. "Damnit…" he wheezed as he coughed up a bit of blood. With his current position compromised, he waded back through the water toward the Teleport Stone.

Vaan teleported to the Western Keep which was to the west of the battle. He, again, pulled out his bow and took aim. The three of them were keeping Jenova covered with their bodies. He could shoot them, but, if he missed, he would have to move again or dodge another incoming attack from Bartz or Zidane. His body, while holding together for now, was still in pretty bad shape. He just needed that one shot… That one, clear shot on Jenova.

"Come on, guys… Give me something…" he prayed to his companions as his bow was prime and ready for the shot he so desperately wanted to make.

Tidus chucked a Blitzball at Squall's face only for Squall to slice it in half with his oversized, orange-energy-infused sword. "HEY! That was my favorite ball, you jerk! It was signed and everything!"

"Tidus, this is serious," Cloud scolded.

"Sorry," Tidus responded, a trickle of sweat running down the side of his cheek. "I joke when I'm nervous…"

Terra was blown back after blocking a combined laser-blast from Zidane and Jenova. She got up panting. "I'm running low on energy. I don't think I have much left in me."

Cloud pulled out his Firaga Materia and shot off three fireballs at their adversaries, but it did little more than to annoy them as Bartz just swatted away the fireballs like they were flies. "Dig deep. We can't afford to lose this!"

"Psh… Your mission isn't righteous like ours is, Cloud," Bartz started. "This world is a farce. Mother is just cleansing it for the good of the universe." He extended his hand, giving Cloud the most gentle smile that could only appear on Bartz's face. If it weren't for the fact that Cloud knew he was completely insane at the moment, he would have taken that hand. "Join us, Cloud. Mother will forgive you! Mother still has the ability to love you!"

"Sorry." Cloud swatted away Bartz's hand with his sword. "But, NOT INTERESTED!"

Bartz spat, caressing the sharp blow to his wrist. "Fine, then die like the rest of the flith!"

Cloud swung his sword in front of him, intending to slice Bartz in two. However, instead of carving flesh, Cloud just swiped at air as Bartz disappeared in a flash of black feathers. Bartz then rematerialized behind Cloud. Cloud could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He knew where he was, but he wasn't fast enough to do anything about it. Bartz summoned the blue octahedron ring around himself. One by one, they disappeared as Cloud felt a thousand fists pound into his back with each disappearing shape. When the final one disappeared, Cloud was sent flying into the barrier that surrounded Cosmos's Sanctuary. Cloud was sure he felt something break upon impact. Immense pain radiated throughout his body. He soon blacked out just to protect himself from any more pain.

"CLOUD!" Terra and Tidus shouted.

"NO!" Vaan shouted from his position. "Damnit… DAMNIT!" He fired. He didn't want to do what he was trying to do now, but he had no choice. The arrow soared through the air and got Bartz in the side. Bartz shouted a shrill cry in pain as his once-pristine sky-blue shirt started to stain an ugly brown from his blood. He looked out toward the direction the arrow came from and snarled.

"VAAAAAN!" he screamed. "YOU'RE DEAD!"

Sweat began to pour down his face. His knees began to shake. His breath became ragged. He tried to stock another arrow, but his shaking hands were making it impossible to use the bow properly. He slapped his own face, just hoping the pain will snap him out of the fear. "Calm down, Vaan. Now's not the time to turn yellow." He took a deep breath and steadied himself. His hands were now cooperating again as he readied another shot. "I'm sorry for this." He fired another round.

However, this time, they were ready for it. Zidane deflected the shot with a quick split of his Ogre back into the individual Mage Mashers which blasted a powerful energy. Squall was busy keeping Terra and Tidus busy as Jenova tended to Bartz's wound.

"Hey, Bro, you alright?" Zidane asked as they finally got the arrow out of Bartz's abdomen.

"I'll be better once I take care of the streetrat," Bartz spat.

Jenova caressed Bartz's face gingerly. "You've done well, my child. Let Mother handle him while you deal with these pests."

Zidane and Bartz nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes, Mother." The two of them flew up into the sky. Zidane and Bartz went back to back. Zidane cloaked them in a pinkish energy as Bartz pulled out a yellow sword with blue decorations, the Onion Sword, and charged, spinning. Terra cast a barrier around Tidus and herself. Tidus grasped Terra's wrist, giving her as much energy as he could just to help keep the barrier erect. Sure, his knowledge of magic was limited, at best, but he was made of pyreflies. He figured he should have something to give. The duo collided into the barrier, but Terra and Tidus held firm. Dust began to build up from the collision of the two, great energies. The two finished their attack, but the barrier did not waver. However, once the dust settled, Terra and Tidus noticing something was wrong.

"Jenova… WHERE'S JENOVA?" they shouted.

Squall huffed, his lips twitching ever-so-slightly into a smirk. Bartz and Zidane dusted themselves off with a laugh.

"Mother went to eliminate the weakest link," Bartz answered. Tidus and Terra saw the gray-skinned woman in the distance with one raven-black wing making her way toward Vaan. Bartz formed the shape of a gun with his hand and pulled the imaginary trigger. "Good-bye." Terra, grabbing Tidus and dipping into his energy, cast Float on the two of them and gave chase.

Zidane watched as they flew off. "Should we go after them?" he asked his "brothers."

Squall shook his head. "No, we can now take care of the barrier without interference."

Bartz pointed at the unconscious body of Cloud. "What about him?" Bartz flashed a grin so twisted, even Kefka would have been jealous. "Can I kill him?"

"Go crazy," Squall answered.

Bartz rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Don't mind if I do!"

"NO!" the three of them heard it echo from the tower. The tower flashed a bright white light, blinding the three of them. They had to cover their eyes to protect them from the blinding flash. When the light subsided and they could see again, they noticed that Cloud had disappeared.

Bartz spat. "That bitch, robbing me of my fun."

Squall snorted. "Can't be helped."

Zidane hummed in annoyance. "Guess we gotta do things the hard way."

The three went back to assaulting the barrier as Cosmos did her best to heal Cloud and keep the barrier from falling. Cloud had quite a few broken bones, many of which were ribs, and his back wasn't in the best of shapes. Probably the only thing that saved him from being a fly on a trucker's windshield was the mako flowing through his blood. "Please… Please…" she prayed. "We need help… Any help we can get."

~(-)~

"SHIT!" Vaan cursed as he saw Jenova coming straight for him. He lobbed off as many arrows as he could, but she continuously dodged them like they were moving in slow-motion. He saw Terra and Tidus coming to his aid, but they weren't moving fast enough to catch her. Terra fired off spell after spell, but it did little-to-nothing to slow her down. Tidus didn't really have anything to offer other than magic since his ball was destroyed and a Haste spell. Still, even with their increased speed, it didn't seem to help any as she still pulled away from them. Their fatigue was fast catching up with them.

Vaan switched weapons to his crossbow now that she was closer as it fired off several bolts in quick, almost surreal succession. Jenova countered by firing off a red laser, deflecting and burning the arrows as she got closer to Vaan. He had no choice now: He had to run. He had to escape. He put his crossbow away and headed for the Teleport Stone.

"Now, now, Vaan…" Jenova scolded as she fired of another set of four lasers toward the stone. Vaan managed to narrowly avoid the lasers, but his only means of escape was gone. "Is that any way to say hello to Mother?"

"You… are not… MY MOTHER!" he screamed, pulling out his greatsword and jumping, intending to cleave her in two. She simply disappeared in a burst of feathers and reappeared behind him.

"Hmph… You may not see it yet, but you will…" she whispered in his ear as she put a finger to his back, blasting a laser through his torso. Whatever words Vaan had left for her were choked by the excruciating pain of flesh burning away from coming into contact with the beam.

"VAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" Terra cried in terror.

He heard it, even with his own blood ringing in his ears… He felt everything: Blood pouring from the new hole in his stomach… Blood oozing from his mouth… His head light from lack of blood… Lungs collapsing from lack of air… His own body going limp… His eyes becoming heavy… His body becoming cold… Someone cradling him, caressing him… Telling him it was alright…

Telling him everything was alright because Mother was here.

~(-)~

Terra began to see red as she saw Vaan go limp and plummet from the sky. She began squeezing Tidus's wrist hard, and he writhed in pain.

"Terra, Terra!" he pleaded. "Terra, my wrist! You're hurting my wrist!" She wasn't paying attention. Tidus soon felt more of his energy leave his own body. Too much. "Terra? Terra? Come on, this isn't funny! I'm made of this stuff, remember? I need it too!"

She could feel her arms get hot as the energies built up in her arms for her greatest attack. When the spell was fully charged, she swiped the air. "DIE!" she roared, her voice sounding as bestial as she was becoming. In response, several hundred blades of pure magic flew toward Jenova. She simply smiled as she let the blades carve her flesh, almost seeming to welcome the magic tearing her limb-from-limb. She, too, fell out of the sky, bleeding unnaturally-green blood. Tidus was doing his best to keep his lunch in his stomach.

Terra used up too much magic as she passed out and the Float spell broke, causing the two of them to crash into the ocean. Fortunately for them, though, Tidus was a very good swimmer. He pulled the two of them to shore. He patted Terra's back, trying to get her to wake up. She coughed out the small bit of water that made it into her lungs.

"Wh-Where's Vaan?" she asked, panting. Tidus, also panting, drained of a lot of his own energy, pointed toward the area the destroyed Teleport Stone once stood. She checked his vitals. He had a pulse, but it was weak and getting weaker. "We have to hurry."

Tidus whistled at what he found left of Jenova. "Whoa, you sure did a number on her. Remind me to stay on your good side."

The two shared a quick chuckle, hoping that it was, now, finally over. In the distance, they saw the three of them collapse, wings dissolving in a flash of black feathers. They shared a collective sigh of relief. They opened their mental channels to their goddess.

"Cosmos, it's finished. We won," Terra thought, relief washing over everyone.

"Very well. Job well done, my Warriors."

Terra and Tidus felt themselves being pulled back toward the Sanctuary as Cosmos's radiant light absorbed them in its glow.

~(-)~

Back inside the Sanctuary, Terra laid Vaan down as gently as she could to avoid opening up any more of his old wounds and to prevent his current one from getting worse. Tidus wasn't nearly as gentle with Jenova, though. He wasn't about to show her any sort of kindness, not after the hell she just put them through.

Cloud clutched his side in pain. Sweat dripped from his brow. He was in excruciating pain, but at least he was alive. He thanked his lucky stars for that. Seeing the unconscious Bartz, Squall, Zidane, and Jenova caused Cloud to snort in surprise. "So, his plan worked? Good job, Vaan."

Between Jenova and Vaan, Cosmos determined that Vaan's recovery was more pressing than Jenova's return to Sleep. She bathed Vaan in her holy light, and the magic went to work repairing his once-again broken and mangled body. The hole in his gut closed, stitching itself back together using the magic as a needle and thread. Vaan grunted, the magicks doing their work. Terra smiled when she heard that. It meant Vaan was going to be okay.

Vaan's eyes shot open. Cosmos could only widen her eyes in shock before a gauntleted hand grabbed her throat, attempting to choke the life out of his goddess.

Terra gasped in disbelief. "Vaan, what are you-" Her question was interrupted when one jet-black wing burst from his back over his right shoulder… the sickening sound of fabric tearing as the wing burst through his shirt made Terra want to vomit. Tidus was two steps ahead of her.

His eyes donned the same cat-like pupils like the others. "Mother said I need to kill Cosmos… And I can be free! Free to travel the world, just like I've always wanted!" His mouth twisted into a sickening, toothy grin. "I'll have my own crew… And the universe shall know that I am the greatest sky pirate to ever live!" Cosmos gasped for air as Vaan's clawed gauntlet dug into her neck.

Terra's body went numb. She was in too much shock to retaliate. Jenova let herself fall. She fooled them… She fooled them all. And, they gave her what she wanted… She gave them Cosmos's life… And, she took Vaan.

"Come on, Vaan, I expected so much better from you."

Out of nowhere, a crackle of electricity fired through the air toward Vaan and Cosmos, causing Vaan to release his grip. "Who dares?" he hissed to the air.

In response to Vaan's inquiry, a person fazed into existence. He had the same sandy-blond hair and tanned skin as Vaan, although he was all around better kept and tidier. He wore a leather chestplate with an armored collar, leather gloves, armored shoulders and gauntlets, a leather skirt with the half on his right side armored over black shorts, leathered sandals that ran up his legs all the way to his thighs, and metal shin guards. To top it all off, in the center of his chestplace, the young man wore the same, blue pendant that Vaan always wore, the pendant of hid deceased brother. Finally, sticking out of his own back, were the strangest wings Terra ever saw. They were small, but they looked more like a picket fence than wings.

"I'm going to get in so much trouble for this… But I could no longer sit back and watch," he said, juggling what looked to be pins in his hand.

Vaan's eyes widened in disbelief. Even brainwashed, he couldn't forget who that was. "… Reks?"

Reks smiled. "I'm flattered. You remember me."

~(-)~

You wanted Reks, you got Reks. You didn't expect to get him like that, though, did you?

Next time: The cavalry has arrived! Break your brothers free from Mother!