Back with the next chapter. Not much to say other than chapters might be this short since they seem to hold my attention the best. Course, since I don't have SAI anymore, I might be writing a lot more since I can't draw, so who knows when the next update will come. Anyways, enjoy. ~Xar
He kept running. The world felt like it was going to end, the ground crumbling under his feet, the very air coming to a halt, but if he stopped, he lost. It was a bet he had with the madman who started all of this.
Reno was not one to lose his bets, of course, which made him believe he actually had a chance.
In reality, he had absolutely no idea where he was going or where he was. The red-head was just following a hunch and what felt like a tug in the right direction. He couldn't even begin to describe exactly what was pulling him, he just knew he had to get there. Someone needed his help.
Maybe that someone was Cloud, and maybe it was all just a giant trap set up by Hojo but at this point, Reno really didn't have a choice, cut off as he was. He'd gladly chop off his ponytail for a chance to contact Tseng or Zack. But really, who would get a cell signal in the middle of the desert?
All the Shinra technology in the world wasn't going to stop him now, and neither were the mako-crazed monsters that popped up every time he went even close to the open mako pools. It was all a matter of time before-
"Ugh!" He tripped and fell hard onto the ground, feeling rocks dig into his skin as he rolled to a stop. Pain lanced through his chest and as he tried to get up, it just got worse. "What…"
He coughed. He coughed and hacked until his throat was raw and blood was pooling under his mouth, a disgusting reminder of how far he'd fallen. Thinking that was it, he slowly started to push himself up, only to be thrown down again by the waves of agony coursing through his body.
Reno's throat was already too raw from coughing to produce anything other than a raspy whisper, so he lay on the ground pitifully, breathing in, out, until maybe he'd finally die and the pain would leave him in peace.
Of course, that didn't happen. His muscles trembled, all taut in exertion and he couldn't even feel his own body anymore-it was like being dissolved in acid-nothing but the feeling of PAIN remained. Reno could almost dimly recall the red lion from Cosmo Canyon saying something about his body being affected by mako, but he didn't rightly care. That didn't matter to him anymore, that didn't matter at all-
Soft fur touched his face, and it was the first thing to break through the haze of the red-head's vision. Fur, silky and smooth, yet rough, as if it had weathered a thousand storms. It brushed against him and then a great weight settled next to his body. If he could imagine, it was almost as if the warmth this ball of fur brought eased the pain that wracked his entire body.
Slowly, it stopped grinding his bones into dust, seeping away until nothing but the gentle fur remained. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so at ease-maybe back when his brother was still alive. That's right, Lee. Reno wondered vaguely what he'd be doing now, as his hands curled around the big wolf's-
Wait a damn minute.
Reno opened his eyes.
A wolf?
He looked over and sure enough, a giant golden wolf had curled up beside him where he lay. Normally upon seeing this, he would've jumped up and yelled a few profanities, but right now he was lucky he could even make a choking noise.
The wolf opened its eyes and Reno found himself staring into a pair of large, beautiful blue circles. The hidden power in the wolf's gaze captured him and he couldn't help but gaze further, time drifting by them peacefully. They were so beautiful, and if he stared further, he could see different shades of blue, from the color of the sky to a deep navy, and the deep spark in them that told Reno this was more than just a mere animal.
Those eyes reminded him of someone, and a sense of nostalgia washed over him again. "Cloud, is that you?"
The wolf yawned and shook its fur, putting a paw up on the Turk's head. He quieted down, wondering what was happening. No words were spoken, and its eyes didn't even move, but Reno could feel it talking to him almost. He could feel it, somewhere really….deep.
It sounded strange, even to him, but he knew the answer to his question was yes. This wolf with shining fur and large blue eyes was almost certainly sent by his friend. "Are ya here to kick my ass into gear?"
The wolf pulled away its paw and instead nuzzled Reno's face, licking his cheek. He twitched slightly at the wet, slobbery feeling, but he didn't mind. Life was flowing back into his limbs and he could move. And that meant he could run. "Thanks there, big guy. Or should I call you little?"
The wolf gave him what could only be described as an affronted look, and Reno let out a weak laugh. "I'm guessing you're the one pulling me to save you? Don't worry, yo. I'm a Turk. You should know I never fail at my job. Besides, Zack would have my ass if anything ever happened to you."
The wolf just stared, never blinking, as slowly, Reno made it up onto his own two legs. Just like he had before every single day of his life, he wasn't going to quit now. Not while he could still move. "Right. You're that way. Time to get going."
It only took one blink and the wolf suddenly vanished, leaving Reno with the sudden feeling like it had all been a dream. Had he been hallucinating? Was this wolf even real, or was he talking to his own mind?
But he supposed that since he was the Goddess-proclaimed herald to the human WEAPON of all things, wearing fancy armor and could sprout a wing out of his shoulder, he could let some things go.
Genesis couldn't speak for a few moments, but Aerith seemed to understand and just extended a hand. "I've been waiting all along."
He stepped forward almost dreamily, until a large Zack-shaped shadow blocked his path. The puppy was looking unusually serious, almost like a mini-Angeal with the Buster Sword at his back.
"Don't you dare try anything funny. I still don't trust you," Zack said, hand threateningly on his hilt.
"Is that a challenge, pup? Even in this state, I could put an end to your ways," Genesis sneered, reaching to gesture threateningly, only to have his knees collapse from underneath him. There was a blur, and suddenly he felt strong arms around him, only they weren't Angeal's.
"I feel sorry for you," He mumbled. "Sephiroth kept complaining to me about how his two friends had abandoned him, though he didn't really say it out loud."
Genesis' hand tightened on the boy's shoulder. "But everyone deserves a second chance. You didn't deserve what the world gave you."
Zack's voice faded away as another pair of arms embraced and lifted him, and this time he knew it was Angeal. The man was hurting, both inside and out, and yet how did he find the energy to hold him so gently? Genesis could barely keep his eyes open.
"It's okay, Zack. We'll all be okay," Aerith's clear voice rang out as she gestured to Angeal to bring them closer.
"Is this why you wanted to come here?" Zack asked.
"Hmmm, a little. But I could feel something calling me here so I had to figure out the answers for myself."
Zack seemed like he wanted to say more, but just left it at that.
Water splashed somewhere below him, and Genesis felt like he was floating almost, until the first drops touched his skin. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see blurry figures by the lakeside, but they didn't matter. No one did now but him and Angeal and the Ancient.
Angeal was murmuring something above him, but Genesis finally allowed his eyes to close as they treaded further into the water. The way Angeal was carrying him, he slowly sank instead of splashing, and it was a calming, wonderous feeling. The water lapped at his fingers and hair, and he drifted off in its soft embrace.
"Why are we here?" Angeal said somewhere above him. It felt like they were all floating.
"I…I can't really say myself. But the Planet says this is a holy place. Here we can cure both of you from your taint, I know it!" Aerith's voice sounded just a little bit defiant.
"I'll…take your word for it. As long as he can live again."
Gentle hands touched his face. "Genesis, do you hear me? I'm gonna start praying now. You need to do that too. Just let the Lifestream hear what your heart has to say."
Any other day he may have laughed at her words, but somehow he always held onto things like that. Praying a little before they went on a dangerous mission, opening his heart to the Lifestream and trying to hear its guidance. He was a fool for trying and believing, but he wanted someone to tell him what to do. What he needed to do to be the hero he always dreamed of.
And now, as the soft light enveloped him, the world faded away and he was left only with the sound of ripples and his own heartbeat. Pray? He'd long forgotten how to do that.
Did it sound like a letter? Or a wish? Maybe an order, or a request…
Hey, are any of you listening? I feel really weird doing this but, it's the only thing I have left.
Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess-
We seek it thus and take to the sky-
Ripples form on the water's surface-
The wandering soul knows no rest.
Child, you can sleep here.
Is that you? I didn't think that would work. Huh, I must be a bigger fool than I thought.
Can you not feel the water, can you not feel the heart of the Cetra and beloved who brought you here? My, humans are so demanding.
Maybe if you did not let the world fall to this state, we wouldn't be. I have lost faith in it, in living, and all of you. I put my faith in LOVELESS, and what did I get?
If you hate me so much, then why did you cling so closely to words that spoke of me?
I never rightly knew. I never knew why the words to LOVELESS struck me so, only that the first time I had read the weathered, red-covered book, it was like my heart could burn anew again. I lived and I could understand each word and I cried more than ever before. It spoke of the three brothers and the gift of the Goddess, and with that I knew that even one such as me could truly be saved.
He spoke of things similar to that too, little angel. Do you perhaps know my most precious child?
He is my SOLDIER.
He is my beloved.
And yet, he hates the fate I have given him.
I-
Something about her voice sounded awfully sad, tinged with regret and in a faltering moment, it sounded just like the Ancient's. Far off, he could hear her talking, almost singing to herself. It was like a light, shining of hope and forgiveness, attempting to connect the bridge between the world and the Goddess herself.
Is this what praying was? Or was he truly dying?
"I offer to thee my silent sacrifice, and yet it is not enough? Why do you always reject me?!" He no longer sounded aloof, but a child crying out to his abandoned parents.
You denied me first. Becoming beholden of her? How could you. And calling yourself a monster with cursed wings…
You are cruel beyond words, fair goddess, sometimes.
That may be true, but it is my world and She endeavors to destroy it. Humans are the ants that are poisoning me and killing Me. Why should I hold their prayers close? Why should I choose to-
Because I love you anyways.
His hands shifted and he felt like he was embracing a powerful, burning light. A face flashed in his mind, of beautiful golden hair and fair light skin. A crown of light and metal on her head, but her normally impassive expression was darkened with loss and abandonment.
Can you not hear the pleas of your subjects? Can you not feel the pure heart of your Ancient? Did you not say that your precious child was the one who brought me this far? I'm sorry and all I seek is your forgiveness. I am truly a monster but-
"Everyone deserves a second chance."
"You once were LOVELESS, but now it is your turn to become beloved."
Minerva smiled.
Genesis felt his heart fill with light that expanded beyond his chest, opening up to the whole world.
Unbeknownst to him, the soft water of the lake began to glow gently, filling the air with a soft light, similar to the aura the trees gave off. Angeal, Claudia, and Tifa held their breath, the SOLDIER holding his eyes tight against the growing brightness.
It felt like it was scorching his very soul and he could almost hear Genesis' voice speaking to him from far away. He squinted as it grew more piercing, burning through his skull, and the very water around them lit up with an unearthly glow.
Aerith no longer appeared human, apparently, but it didn't matter. Bit by bit, Angeal could feel the darkness peeled off of him, like feathers falling from his wings until nothing else remained. Was this a blessing? He kept his grip on his friend, the only thing linking him to this world-if nothing else, he would be with Genesis till the end.
And even though it gradually began, the transformation stopped, leaving Angeal breathless. Slowly his eyes creaked open, and even if a soft light remained, the water was back to normal. Was everything okay?
A pool of black feathers surrounded the three, floating as idly as leaves did. Had they all come from…"Genesis?"
Angeal wasted no time in searching out his friend. The way the light hit the water, it almost looked as if he had a halo and the veteran SOLDIER was struck by his face. He looked so…young. So peaceful, as if he had slept this way for years. No longer were the lines of war and hatred drawn on his face. Could it be?
Genesis' eyes slowly opened, a piercing blue as always. "An…geal?"
A small hand, not his own, covered his friend's forehead and Angeal jumped, nearly having forgotten Aerith was there. He looked at her and she seemed no different, except for the tears pouring out of her eyes. "It's okay now, it's really okay, thank you."
"I'm here. Everyone is," He said, letting out a smile.
Genesis' mouth moved, but he spoke so softly Angeal couldn't hear the words. "What was that?"
"….for we are beloved of the Goddess…."
And for him, it all clicked. What Aerith was doing, why he could no longer feel the tiredness that weighed down his bones. They had been healed.
Genesis' eyes closed, and for the first time in a very long time, he was able to sleep.
"So you're telling me it's useless to go in there right now?"
Yuffie didn't like this cupboard. It was way too small, way too high up, and way too stuffy, but she needed to do what ninjas did best. And right now it was spying on the Deepground thugs that had been following her. She clutched the Ramuh summon close to her chest as she strained her ears for more tidbits.
"It's the Forbidden City for a reason, moron. No Lunar Harp, no go." Short Angry man said. Lady was talking to him right now and she seemed incredulous about the whole deal.
"We're here to do a job, not complain about useless shit! Look, this is more important that the rest of it, okay? We're trying to track down renegade terrorists of all things! Dangerous ones too, though now that I think about it, I should just let them kill you," She sneered.
"Jenova's out infecting the world, Shinra is manipulated from the shadows by their wish for the Promised Land, and Sephiroth's gone crazy, right?" Deep-voice man drawled. Yuffie hid a gasp. What was this about poisoning the world? And the Demon of Wutai going crazy? These weren't things she knew about!
"Yeah, so what about it?"
"Why are these guys so important?" Deep-voice man asked.
"BeCAUSE, they're the only ones who would be able to stop Sephiroth and Hojo doesn't want that, now does he? Deepground was activated so there wouldn't be any resistance and activate Omega if all else failed," Angry man yelled back.
Omega? What was that? And she KNEW that that creepy old man had to be behind all of this, from what her bodyguard said.
"Yeah. So send some grunts after them, that'll work. We may be mako-enhanced but I don't want a death wish," Lady said.
"So confident in our abilities, I see. All we need is to strike when they are down. And those two renegade SOLDIERs are looking pretty beat about now. It's perfect."
Yuffie growled inwardly. How DARE they threaten her bodyguard! AND Miss Claudia and Tifa and Zack and Aerith were with the group and she didn't want them to get hurt either. Not on her watch.
This was about more than just Wutai now. It was about her friends and the world, because without the world there would be less people and less materia and it would be sad.
"Oh, got radioed in. Seri got the dumb Harp we needed. Time to get the done and go report back to the main legion," Lady droned.
Okay, Yuffie had a new goal now, and she knew they would take her seriously after this. First, she had to get out of this cupboard…
"WARNING. INTRUDER ALERT. WARNING: INTRUDER ALERT. UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS DETECTED."
Well, shit.
Eating wasn't important in this body. Sleeping wasn't, and stopping certainly wasn't either. In fact, Reno could feel something nasty happening in his future, but that didn't really matter. His job needed to be done.
The pain was there, and occasional, but nothing as bad as before. There was just the clack of his shoes against the rocks and the breath of the wind as it passed by. Occasional bouts would be spent flying, but that taxed his energy like no other, so he mostly stuck to the land.
He could tell he was heading north, into the mountains, but the exact location didn't matter. The little tug in his soul did and with every mile that passed, he knew he was getting closer.
Reno's eye didn't even bother him much anymore. It still weirded him out that he couldn't see out of the left side of his face, but honestly, he'd had worse and survived. He adapted like always and came on top.
He didn't know how long it took, but eventually, after long hours of crawling around like a goat on the side of a mountain, he found a strange building nestled in a valley between two huge rock figures.
"Finally…" he breathed out, a sneer reaching his lips. The spear on his back practically vibrated with excitement, and he knew he'd finally get to have fun. Reno took one step forward before a gloved hand shot out, stopping him.
"Wait a moment." A deep voice told him, and Reno turned, only to see Vincent Valentine standing there in all of his glory. He jumped, letting out a strangled noise before gathering his wits together.
"What? What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Same as you. I sensed him."
Reno gave him a pissed off look. Did this guy hear anything that went on after he took off from Cosmo Canyon? Despite the man being a Turk, he somehow doubted it, but if Vincent wasn't going to question him, that was fine by him.
He kneeled down, trying to peer closer with his enhanced vision. The ceiling was probably the best place to enter, if he was looking for the most surprise…
"You say you sensed him, but how the hell did you do that?" Reno asked, his curiousity piqued.
"Do you not recall what was said about Chaos? About how I knew what Cloud was?"
Had…something like that happened? His memory had been getting fuzzy patches recently. And strangely enough, if he concentrated hard enough, he could feel another presence inside Vincent as well. Something dark and primal…pulsing as the Lifestream did.
Right. All that shit about WEAPONS and heralds. Whatever.
"Let's cut the chatter and rescue Cloud."
"…."
Reno looked up at him, asking a silent question, but Vincent merely closed his glowing eyes.
"I won't fall to my sins a second time."
"Yeah, me neither. Let's go."
The twin angels of death took off to rain terror on the building below.
His golden fence is what kept his mind intact, even with the Calamity and the maddening needles that ate at it all this time. Inside that, Cloud found out he could float, almost. The world didn't look like anything he knew, but it was almost as if he could leave his body and seek out hearts that he knew.
He felt his mother cry and Tifa. He knew the pain Genesis was going through and all Angeal did to keep him from knowing he felt the same way. He knew how Vincent tirelessly searched for all the ways to absolve his sins, and how Reeve sat at his desk, furiously deciding what next to do. What next to tell.
He knew her taint, and could feel it spreading, as her voice grew louder in his head. He couldn't-he didn't want to let her keep going, but he had no choice. His voice and his body were paralyzed.
He even knew of Sephiroth, cradled up north with the Black materia, but he didn't know what he was doing. What he was think. All Cloud knew was that he had failed. Somehow, his soul had cried out in this torment, trying to reach anyone who could hear.
And as it returned, it brought back a heart full of torture and misery. Reno.
He tried his best to lift his fingers and brush them against his beloved friend's mind, to offer what little comfort he could. "You said you'd find me, right? Please don't tell me you've given up."
Cloud had run out of tears to cry and he couldn't take much more. Thoughts of Zack were barely keeping him from hanging on in this state and no matter how many prophecies of Golden WEAPONS and Kings existed, they would mean nothing if he was shattered into pieces.
But somehow his feelings went through. Maybe slowly, like a trickle, but he could feel it upon the edge of his boundaries. His cries had awoken the Crimson Devil and Chaos, and they were coming for him.
His icy-blue eyes snapped open.