Cracked Visage
Mistaken Signs
Well that landing wasn't very nice. I groan and look around. "Everyone ok?" I see everyone moving and grumbling their pains. "Good." I look up in time to see Zack and Cloud falling right where I was standing. I side-stepped Zack and caught Cloud. I would have caught Zack but one he'd be angry I didn't catch Cloud and two he is too big. Cloud groaned in my arms. "Thanks Sears." I nod and set him down on his feet. I was lucky that damn sword of his didn't take my arm off. Zack stands up quickly, trying to assess Cloud's personal damage. He was pleased to find no harm. Zack nodded thanks to me and I nodded back. Red growled slightly and flicked his tail in the air. "There is blood down here too. I can smell it. So either our murderer is here too or Barret is." I didn't like the thought of it being Barret. After all he is the leader of AVALANCHE. We all start our search for Barret or a way out. The talking cat thing said this was Corel Prison which is surrounded by a desert and quicksand… Damn. So guy told us to search out the "boss" so we started looking through buildings. This is so damn stupid. We should be going after Sephiroth… I am so gonna chew Barret out for this when we find him. We all enter a building and are immediately met with gunshots. Everyone gets on the defensive, but the body of a crook falls out from behind a couch and Barret reveals himself. I growl and grab him by the front of his shirt.
"What the hell Barret? You killing people now? What was up with all the bodies!?" Barret looks stunned for a moment. "Tha' wasn't me! I swear! There is another man with a gun grafted to his arm! It was four years ago. I worked and lived in North Corel. ShinRa offered us money for permission to build a reactor. I supported the idea and everyone in the town did too. But my best friend Dyne didn't. He had a problem with i'. I told him it was gonna be fine. I was wrong. The reactor malfunctioned and ShinRa blamed North Corel. Me an' Dyne were comin' back from a trip and we saw the town burning. ShinRa chased us and Dyne slipped over a cliff. I grabbed him with my left hand and he held on with his righ'. The grunts shot our hands off. I thought Dyne was dead. But the doctor told me another man had a similar surgery only on hi' right hand. I was hopeful. Well when the town was burned I got there and everyone was dead. My wife Myrna and Dyne's wife Eleanor were both gon'. All I could do was save his lil' baby girl, Marlene. I became her papa. But it looks like Dyne is still alive. I need to find him and tell him I'm sorry for ruining the town. This is my job and I don' want no help." Cloud shook his head. "No Barret we are with you till the end. We'll help you find Dyne, but we will leave the fight, if there is one, for you."
Barret huffed but realized this was the best that he was gonna get. We all grouped up and left the building. Yuffie, the little brat was complaining again about the heat. What the fuck? It's a desert what does she expect? Icicle Inn? We move towards the desert and see a cliff. It looks like we found our guy. Hopefully Barret will take care of this fast.
x-x-x
"Dyne… I'm so sorry man. It's me Barret." Dyne turns to me. "Barret? It's been a long time since I've seen your ugly face. You have a lot of nerve showing your face here. After you destroyed my life. You were supposed to be my best friend!" Dyne shoots at me and the bullet grazes my cheek. "I know man. I'm sorry. But Marlene is alive! And she looks so much like ya Dyne! You should come see her. She's a beautiful little girl. We can both be her papas!" Dyne growled. "I can hear her voice… Eleanor's… She's begging me not to hate your filthy guts!" Oh Dyne… My best friend… If we hadn't gone on that trip to "reconnect" this wouldn't have happened. We should have let that flame die when we got married and just stayed friends. Dyne starts fighting me with full force and I haffta shoot back. We fight for five to ten minutes, but we ain't worried about time. Dyne gives up… That ain't like him. "I just want to destroy everything Barret. You, Marelene, Gaia… Look after her for me and give her this pendant from her mother. Good bye." I stretch my arm forward. "DYNE!" I watch him throw himself from the cliff. I sink to my knees.
x-x-x
I feel bad for Barret. I try to channel some spiritual energy over him to calm him down, but I am still weak from my meeting with Sephiroth… I unconsciously touch my lips again… He kissed me… I sure do know how to pick men… I hope I can help him fix himself without everyone figuring it out. It wouldn't be good for Cloud and Zack to know. Barret pulls himself from the ground slowly and picks up the pendant Dyne tossed him. Poor thing. We start to trek back to the main prison. Barret leads us to a building. Inside is a man who says he can sign us up for a chocobo race for our freedom.
x-x-x
"Alright who is gonna be your jockey?" Why is everyone looking at me...? They couldn't possibly... "No." Everyone raises an eyebrow. "I hate them. I don't like chocobos... I won't do it." Zack walks up and claps a hand on my back. "Cloudy you're the only one small enough." I shake my head quickly. "I nominate Yuffie." Yuffie snorts. "Like no way. I am not touching that nasty, nasty bird. I'm a princess so I don't have to!" Yuffie sticks her tongue out at me. "I can't... Chocobos don't like me!" Zack smiles at me and I start to shake. "No worries Cloudy! Chocobos adore you! You'll do fine!" The man signs us up for a race and I am taken up the elevator. The woman assigned to be my manager is very nice. Ester her name is. She leads me to the Jockey Lounge and tells me to wait till she gets a chocobo ready. I see a glint out of the corner of my eye. A summons materia? I pick it up and put it in my pocket for later. "Cloud! I have your chocobo ready!" Oh Shiva please save me. She tells me the rules and directions of Chocobo racing and then the bell rings. "Good luck!" I nod at her and walk out to the race course. I mount the chocobo and the thing warks contentedly at me. I unconsciously growl and lean forward. "Ready... Set... WARK!"
x-x-x
"That's... uhh nice Ryuu. But don't ya think it's kinda cruel to be interest only cause she looks like me? I'm flattered, yo, but I don't want ya dwelling on somethin' that will probably never happen." Ryuu shrugs. "I know, but I don't think I can get over ya. And she is just so perfect. She is so much like ya and yet different. Rio... She even has a name that sounds like yers! Should I really not be happy that such an amazin' woman has fallen into my lap?! Oh and by the way... I kinda asked her ta stop by so you can meet'er..." I sighs softly and there is a knock at the door. "Thanks fer the warnin'." I stand and answer the door. "Hi... Is Ryuu here?" I feel my jaw drop. She really is a replica of me! "Heya Rio! Come on in!" She giggles and walks inside. "I suppose you would be Reno. I can see why you confused us now Ryuu. Oh... Are you? President ShinRa?" Rufus nodded. "Call me Rufus. Until you are recruited into the Turks. Then I'll be sir." The woman nodded slowly. "Ya are my clone..." Rio smiled at me. "I have to admit we share many features... the hair, height, skin tone, eyes... Perhaps we are related?" I shake my head. "Nah my Ma was a slums whore from Midgar." Rio blushed slightly. "Oh well then that settles that. I am a Costa del Solian. Born and raised." Ryuu is staring at the woman in lust, I feel a spark of jealous that Rufus obviously noticed. "Reno is my 2nd in command. He is right behind Tseng. The Turks used to be quite an expansive branch, but due to terrorist movements they have been fiercely." Rio nodded at Rufus. "I understand." Rufus walked over to me and wrapped an arm around my waist. I blushed slightly with Rio and Ryuu frowned. "I would hope you can manage a relationship and work. As you see it seems all of my Turks are interested in someone. Tseng and Elena. Reno and myself. And now Ryuu and you." Rio blushed deeper. "We're just going on a date. It isn't definite yet..." I laugh a little. "Ryuu is my protégé. I've taught him well with the ladies. If ya can stand up against the kid's charm for an entire date then I'll start wearin' rainbow outfits and declaring that I'm gettin' a sex change. In other words it won' happen, yo."
Rio huffed. "Ladies? I thought his arm around you was enough to say you don't swing that way." I smirk slightly and lean in towards her sexily. "I swing both ways, love. Ain't no gender safe from me. But yeah, I'm datin' Rufus right now. Such is why Ryuu ain't over here in my arms, yo. The kid is straight as the weapon he uses, but I'm just an exception ta the rule, yo. So ya better be good ta him or I'll warn ya, I don' have a problem hurtin' pretty lil'girlies like yerself, yo." Ryuu put his head in his hands and groaned. Rufus raised an eyebrow. And the little fire cat in front of me narrowed her eyes. "Is that so? Well listen here asshole. I am a lot stronger than I look. You can't scare me with idle threats. You're so damn skinny I'd be honestly surprised if you could snap a toothpick. So shut the fuck up or will I have to do it for you? And stop using that stupid word 'yo'!" I feel my eyes flash blue. Rufus tightens his grip. "I would advise you not to speak to Reno like that. You see he isn't exactly as weak as he appears either. In fact, he is the strongest Turk I have. Not to mention, for fair warning, he is not quite mentally stable. To be blunt, if you piss him off he will kill you. And it seems from the change in his eye color you pissed him off." Reno sneered. "Ya think? Let me go Ruf. I wanna teach 'er a fuckin' lesson on how ta speak ta me. And how she just did sure as hell isn't the way! If she wants ta see strong I'll give 'er strong! Maybe I don' want 'er 'round my Ryuu. I don' want 'er 'round ya either! Lemme go!" I start struggling hard against Rufus' restraint. I feel my eyes going completely blue and widening to reveal Ifrit's flame. Ryuu looks horrified and Rio looks a little frightened. Rufus pushes me onto the sofa and straddles me. "Calm down Reno. We need another Turk." I go suddenly limp and Rufus relaxes his hold. I smirk and flip him. "Ya need ta learn all my tricks, love. Or you'll always end up under me." I laugh and stand up while flicking out my EMR. "So, pretty... are ya gonna apologize? Fer makin' me mad?" Rio frowned and eyed my weapon. "Calm down Reno. Come'on ya don' need ta be killin' her." How cute.. "It's cute that ya want ta save yer pretty lil'girl here Ryuu... It's even cuter that between me or her ya make no moves ta protect'er."
