*Warning! * Sex, language, violence and nudity present.

Well, I got my dark chapter out of the way…. Back to the regularly scheduled program…. lol

I do not own FFVII characters – though I wish I did. lol

I do own my own character – Jalyne

Chapter 8 – The Consequences

Jalyne raced to the dock with her bag on her shoulder. Hopping up the platform, the guard immediately let her through. She slowed and paused as her phone dinged. Flipping it open, she looked at the messages. Opening Tseng's first, she read it quickly.

Are you okay?

No. Rufus did something to me. I am in pain.

…yes, I know. I am with him now. He told me.

Oh, Really? His version or reality? Do me a favor Tseng and keep him away from me for a while.

…I told him he made a grave mistake.

Oh, it can be grave, Tseng. I will kill him with my bare hands if I see him now.

She ended the conversation and looked at Reno's message. Suddenly, she was even more conflicted. Popping the conversation open, she read it slowly.

Where are you? We need to talk.

Jalyne walked to the edge of the railing as the ship eased out from the dock to start for Costa del Sol. She felt the wind on her face and the saltwater caressed her skin. It was different than on Trerran, so she looked out at the water and let the smooth blue waves calm her. She noticed a sailor walk up next to her and place her hands on the railing, enjoying the view also. Pain racked her body, and Jalyne gasped bending over.

"You are in pain." The sailor stated in a musical voice. Jalyne turned to look at her. The sailor's green eyes turned to look at her. Her long brown hair was stuffed under her cap. Jalyne placed her hands on the railing breathing hard.

"I am." Jalyne responded. The young lady paused looking curiously at Jalyne's hands. Reaching out, she touched the ring that Rufus had given Jalyne. Her green eyes widened noticeably, and she looked questionably at Jalyne.

"Why are you bound?" she asked. Jalyne's head snapped to look at her, anger rising.

"What do you mean?"

"What is your name?" she questioned instead.

"I am Jalyne."

"I am Aerith."

Jalyne's eyes took on confusion, and many emotions flowed to the surface that she had trouble hiding them. Aerith? I remember her. The Turks were after her at one point. "I remember you. What are you doing here?"

"Hiding, of course." She giggled. "We have to get to Costa del Sol."

Jalyne gave a brief smile. "I won't turn you in. Are the others here. The Soldier?"

"Yes. We're all here and I know." She paused. "You're in pain." Aerith reiterated.

"Yes," Jalyne hesitated, "Something is blocking my powers."

"It is the ring." Aerith stated. "It's a binding ring."

"I can't remove it."

"You didn't put it on?" the Ancient asked.

"No, I didn't." Jalyne's voice was laced with anger.

"It is different from a normal binding. Though you cannot take it off, perhaps another could, one that has certain attributes." Aerith continued. "You are from far away?"

"Very far away." Jalyne stated as another bout of pain racked her. It was almost like her abilities were trying to break through. "Aerith, what is going on? Why did you stop my exile?"

"Because you are needed, Jalyne." Aerith stated. "We must make it right. Sephiroth is trying to change fate."

"Make it right." Jalyne muttered. "How do I do that?"

"Never be afraid of who you are." And with that walked away to presume her cover.

Jalyne rushed to find her cabin, stumbling in fear because she was in pain and did not want anything to catastrophic to happen. She had to get the ring off. She stopped briefly to inquire about directions, then dashed off. Reaching her cabin, Jalyne slung her backpack on the bed and rushed into the bathroom. She was suddenly sick to her stomach. Everything that had happened caught up to her.

Jalyne hauled herself up to feet and walked to the dresser, staring into the mirror. Her eyes were dark green and swirling with unrelenting, pent up fury. She took her arm and swept it across the top, breaking, shattering and dispersing the dressers contents. In a fit, her fist connected with the mirror, shattering the glass and splaying shards everywhere. A blood curdling scream came from her mouth, followed by another, and another before she dropped to the ground in frustration.

She looked at the ring and thought about the afternoon with Rufus. He was wrong to bind her, not realizing the consequences that could happen to her, but in hindsight, she had suffered far worse. Jalyne was not apt to give forgiveness, but perhaps with time it can be done. Right now, she needed the pain to stop.

Tseng was in conversation with Rufus when the others came into the meeting. Elena could see that he was upset at the young President. His jawline twitched with clenched teeth and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Where is she?" Rufus asked quietly, hoping the others would not hear.

"I do not know." Tseng replied.

"Then I suggest you find her. She is a Turk."

Tseng gritted his teeth some more glancing at his phone. "She is on the ship. I will get her later."

"How about now?" Rufus commanded.

Tseng's fist came down on his desk hard, rattling Rufus' bourbon glass. The President cocked a brow. "We are NOT you're enemy, Rufus. Goodness knows with what you did, if Jalyne will even stay once we get to land. I would be amazed if she would even be loyal to you after that stunt."

"What stunt?" Reno grated with narrowed eyes. Tseng tried to wave the question away, but Reno would not have it. Rude unconsciously stood and placed himself between Reno and the President. "WHAT STUNT?" Reno asked again raising his voice and taking a step towards the desk. Elena placed herself on his other side, ready to intervene if necessary.

"We are only a day behind Sephiroth." Rufus calmly continued as if nothing happened. "AND rumors state that Avalanche is on this ship as stowaways. You are to apprehend both if possible."

"WHAT STUNT, RUFUS?" Reno screamed.

"He bound her powers." Tseng stated shaking his head negatively. "And…"

"Remind me to tell you how good she really is." Rufus sneered haughtily looking at Reno. "in bed." He added snidely.

Reno made a jump for the President, only Rude and Elena got to him first and held him back by the arms. Tseng stepped to block Rufus.

"Reno!" Tseng called. "Try to stay calm."

"Why do you all defend her?" the President asked. "She is Turk, and I command the Turks."

"She is family, Rufus." Tseng spat turning to him. "We protect our own."

"She is alien."

"And?"

"She cannot be trusted."

"Do you have any idea what could happen by binding her?" Reno snapped interjecting on the argument. Rufus stopped arguing with Tseng and stared at him. "How did you do it?" Reno questioned.

"A simple ring." Rufus answered turning his back to them. "Made by Hojo, while he had her."

"And did you not learn a damn thing when Reno battled her?" Tseng scolded. He was slowly losing his cool and collected demeanor.

"That she is a weapon and can be con—"

The scream that echoed through the cabin raised the hairs on everyone's neck, followed by another, and yet one more. It resonated off the wood walls of the boat. Reno easily broke from Rude and Elena's grasp and headed for the door. Turning, he addressed Tseng.

"Keep the President here, Chief. Otherwise I'll kill him."

"I'll go Reno." Tseng glaring at Rufus to stay put. "I may be able to help."

"Not if she has any inkling of what was done to her." And Reno raced down the corridor taking the steps at the end two at a time.

When he found her, Jalyne was half lying on the floor, blood dripping from her injured hand, and she was heaving breaths. Her uniform was disheveled, and her hair was stringy from sweat. She held a large glass shard over her left hand. In her lap was an ornate box carved of the most beautiful wood from Nibelheim.

"Jalyne?" Reno gasped rushing and sliding across the floor to cradle her. She was gasping for air and she would not open her eyes.

"M-Make it stop, please." Jalyne begged. "Please. please, I can't breathe."

Reno tipped her head back to look at her. Beneath her eyelids, he could see her eyes darting and she scrunched her eyebrows together while gasping for air. He took her left hand in his right and looked at the ring Rufus bound her with, pulsing the same rhythm in yellow-orange beats as the binding continued to take hold and strengthened.

"C-Cannot take off…Only another." She struggled to say.

Reno intertwined his fingers around the ring, looking at it curiously. The design was simple, though he doubted Jalyne picked up on the Shrina symbols entwined on the band. He was furious Rufus would even think of something like this. Reno twisted it slightly, feeling it budge and hurriedly slid it off before the binding would take hold of him. A pulse of her power stretched outward. It was not menacing, angry or hostile, almost calm correcting and when it hit the ring, it vanished. Jalyne opened her eyes slowly, and looked at him, and then just past him.

"Flame-kissed, Fire-hungry, and majestic." She quietly said. "Just like a pheonaie." At his quizzical expression, Jalyne smiled softly, the emerald color returning to her eyes. "You're aura, Reno. It is deep red like a majestic flame." Her eyes flickered to the doorway, where Rufus and Tseng were standing, both trying to look calm. A slight flick of her wrist slammed the door and locked it.

Jalyne lifted herself off him and sat on the edge of the bed, her head in her hands. Reno got up and locked the door. He did not want anyone to disturb them at this moment. She needed to rest. Reno sat next to her and put an arm around her, tugging Jalyne to put her head down. Her breathing was returning to normal.

"Will you be alright?" he asked quietly.

"In a bit, yes." She replied. "It felt like I was drowning."

They stayed like for a long time, letting her rest. Jalyne reached out slowly with her power. Reno was angry, she could feel it, but relieved at the same time.

"Reno?" she said quietly breaking the silence. "I am sorry."

Taken aback by her statement, he turned to face her.

"I failed." Jalyne said by way of explanation. "I should have known, but…"

It dawned on him that she was referring to sleeping with Rufus. "It's not your fault, yo. Can't help it he's a bastard."

"No fault, perhaps, just consequence." Jalyne stood and took his hand pulling him up. "I need to show you something. Please do not think ill of me."

Jalyne stretched out her hand palm up. The room shifted to a translucent scene. Reno's eyes widened as he recognized the young girl in the vision. Though the blue-black hair was odd to him, but he noticed all the features of the woman standing next to him.

"Our worlds are greatly different." Jalyne began. "Training involved all sorts of torture and humiliation. All geared towards making us strong. We start around 15 years of age. All Trerrans are born with elemental magic. But I-I am different."

The scenes rolled fluidly as Jalyne pulled from her memories. She showed him various training exercises and escape tactics, fighting styles and weapon training. Some of what she showed him made him queasy, to think the lady by his side went through this. But being a Turk and living on the street did the same lessons. He glanced at her face, noticing the sorrow that was in her eyes.

"It was not easy." She conceded. "But as the Emperor's daughter, I fought hard, believing I was doing the right thing and being groomed from the time I could walk. The seduction that was the hardest for me."

"Why?"

"Because…" she hesitated, "I feel too much emotion. It is or was considered weak."

"I supposed it depends on how you deal with it."

"I was almost 20 there." She breathed, shifting the scene again. "Trerrans believe in dominance, Reno, to the point of absurdity and fanaticism. Only the strong and ruthless will survive. Though we can be civilized, elegant and haughty, in truth, it is barbaric. They hold sex as one of the highest forms of dominance if executed precisely. You can gleam all sorts of information from an enemy when subterfuge is needed while endorphins run high and I had the added touch. But that is all it is to my people. Nothing more. Trerrans do not believe in love or the soul mates as the people before them did. I for some reason cannot lock emotions away." Jalyne paused a moment before continuing. "My power grew beyond the elementals. I struggled with hearing voices, being able to pick out conversations from far away, staying calm and emotionless. I tried to lock it all away and be 'normal' as Father wanted. Flight was easy to master, and one of my mechanisms for dealing with issues. I love it, gliding on the wind with no care at all, feeling the air, the clouds, everything. Even as I am lost and broken."

"Broken?" Reno questioned then, absorbing as much as he could.

"I –" Jalyne hesitated. "am incomplete." She shifted the scene again.

"Daughter?"

"Yes, Father?"

"How is training?" He turned to her from the window he was looking through. His long black hair flowing freely down his back. His armor was ornate and intricate and bore the emblem of a black dragon encircling a cloud of stars.

"Fine, I suppose." Jalyne replied indifferently.

"Steel your heart, Jalyne."

"I just don't see what the point is for certain…skills." She commented. "I'm one of the best fighters, Father."

"Not one of the best." He chuckled. "The Best. However, subterfuge is a skill that is extremely useful."

"I know that, Father." She said coming to stand with him. "But using sex to get information…"

"Ah… True Love and the Soul Forge does not exist, Jalyne. Only simple and carnal pleasures. And using those pleasures can unlock a man's or a woman's intentions and prevent wars." He stated walking and sitting on his throne. "Order and perfection must be upheld. How is Marksen treating you? I see the mark he left you."

Jalyne snorted at the question. "He is adequate. And you mean Dominance, Father." She instinctively rubbed her neck and came to stood on his left. The generals were on their way for a briefing. The Lehans had started taking more lands from the Trerrans. He laughed at her statement.

"Yes, Jalyne, Dominance. Steel your heart and learn to lock your emotions away. There is no place for them here. Please understand that not all people are like this, only the ones in power. But it is the ones in power that keep the order."

Jalyne considered those words. She had never been out in the commons as the Emperor kept her shielded in her childhood. Now at 20, she joined the political fronts and games.

A Courtier ascended the steps of the throne room in a hurry. "My Emperor." He said and bowed. "The Lehans have mobilized on the northern planes. We believe they will attack soon."

"Hm. Thank you, Detierre." He looked at his daughter then, his violet eyes narrowing. "Jalyne?"

She waited until Detierre left before sighing and answering the Emperor. "I suppose you want me to handle it?"

"Yes." He thought for a moment. "Blonde, Jalyne."

With a sigh again, Jalyne stepped in front of her father. With a flick of her wrist, the energy flowed through her, materializing and molding her with new clothes, weapons and hair. She turned, showing her father. "Good enough, father?" she asked.

With a chuckle, he stood and touched her cheek. "You are the only one that can do that, my daughter." He sighed. "Trayvor should be the one leading them. Seduce him and find out what his plans are."

"And what of Jurvien?"

"He should be there but be careful. We have not ascertained how powerful he is."

"One of my first missions." Jalyne sighed. "Sparing you the full details of treason, espionage and political tyranny, I am simply a weapon. One my father used to its full advantage. And that is all I am to most or all that know. Even Rufus saw that, instantly. Power begets power." She shifted the scene again to one of her freer times. "By the time I turned 24, I couldn't control my power fully. It begged to be used, to flow, to exist. Anything I thought of, I could do. Anything." She cupped her hands open palmed, collapsed them and closed her eyes in concentration. Jalyne opened them and held her hands out, revealing a vibrant colorful butterfly. Reno's look was one of shock and admiration at the same time. She let it fly.

"What of your mother?" Reno asked suddenly looking down at her. "Why wasn't she there?"

"Father said she was trapped by the Lehans and exiled from the world shortly after I was born. She was caught in her subterfuge and tortured to near death. I never knew her. But as he exiled me, I realized it was him that exiled her. For the same power I hold." Jalyne looked at him then, the aquamarine eyes swirling with many emotions. "It's the family business." She answered his unspoken question. "I became rebellious when I obliterated whole legions of Lehans, at my father's request, though it took him a while to figure out that it was not a machine or an explosive device that did it. The deaths I incurred that day left me numb, guilty and sorrowful, and I no longer felt the dominant traits that my people believed so hard in. Emotions that Trerrans routinely lock away and hide, I feel to great effect. Order and perfection, yet no one realizes it is through fear and dominance that it is achieved."

Jalyne shifted the scene one more time to the one Reno had first seen. He unconsciously reached for her hand, and she told hold of it.

On the bed lounged Jalyne. She had black hair instead of white, but he recognized those emerald eyes. The man on the phone chuckled and closed it down, leering at Jalyne.

"What is it?" she questioned.

"The Emperor is dead." the man stated coming closer to her. He reached behind his back to take out a knife slowly. The woman struggled to maintain her composure. "The Lehans overran the palace and in the struggle, the Emperor fell to a blade. So, the report goes." He smirked.

"Impossible." The woman said. "He wouldn't fall that easily."

"Ahhh. But only if his wife were there to help."

"She is dead, I hear."

"Exiled, dear, not dead." He jeered. "Just as you will be." The man lunged for her, only missing her by inches. The lady tumbled off the bed and crouched low.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I would suggest you not come any further." She said deadly.

"My dear, I invite you to go see for yourself."

"Harran was in league with my Father. He had persuaded him of decimating the Lehans and held much contempt for me." Jalyne explained.

"Why?"

"Why?" Jalyne chuckled lightly at the memory. "Because I denied him the greatest gift of all." Reno looked at her quizzically. "I refused his courtship, in front of all the people; noble and common. He only wanted me so he could have the throne. Father thought it was a grand idea, but truthfully, he made my skin crawl. He started all of the stories of my power, getting into Father's head that I was not Trerran."

The lady with black hair was crying over a body. Dozens of corpses littered the room and a battle took place. She had stood, trembling while other soldiers filed in to fight, weapons raised. She turned to face them, fire in her eyes and lifted off the ground effortlessly.

"You took him from me! Why?" she directed her question to the nobleman that walked through the throne room doors.

"We maintain order and perfection! We destroy those that do not belong!"

"But he was the Emperor, the epitome of perfection!" she screamed. As she hovered there, she slowly changed, her hair turning white and her attire changing to the deep midnight blue. Over her left eye, a peculiar marking appeared. Her power escalated and bordered on uncontrollable.

"Ah…but YOU are not!" he raised the weapon and fired. She blocked it with ease but lost what little control of her power she had. She broke the glass ceiling and flew into the air above the city.

The daylight was masked in dark clouds as they swirled, and power was radiating off the lady. In a single move, she directed her power downward, destroying the palace. The city was below, the shockwaves and fires radiating outward, decimating all that there is. When it was done, she fell from the sky.

"Midnight's Kiss. One of my strongest abilities and one I cannot control. You should remember it."

"Oh, I do." He chuckled. "Thought I was a goner, yo."

"And yet you still had the thought of bedding me." Jalyne jabbed jokingly. "Rufus had pushed too far in making me face you. I had just woken up in this strange place, and I could not control it. I still cannot, in fact. It builds like water crashing into a damn."

The scene shifted again, with Jalyne in chains in front of the ship she crashed in. She struggled against the bonds.

"YOU CANNOT DO THIS!" she screamed. The man stepped forward and grabbed her chin, making her look at him.

"Ah…but I can, and I will, by your father's decree."

"My father is dead. You killed him. Or did you forget that." She spat.

"You are hereby exiled to roam the heavens for all eternity for destroying Terran and wreaking havoc upon our lands." The woman froze.

"F-Father?"

"Yes, Jalyne. It is I." The Emperor stated as he removed his helmet and looked at her with pity. "I'm sorry Jalyne, this has to be done. You are outside of order and perfection. Darkness reigns in you now. Your power is the curse. Just like your mother."

It all came crashing down on Jalyne in that moment. The mother she had never known, was exiled for the same reason. Jalyne was set up in investigating the Lehans…all to provoke her power, to see it with his own eyes.

"Order and perfection." Jalyne muttered. "and what good is it?" she paused a moment. "Do you not love your daughter?"

He sighed and paused reflectively. "I love you more than you know. But you are an aberration, an anomaly. You don't belong here." And with that he turned, motioning to the soldiers to start the process. It took four of them to subdue her and strap her into her ships chair. They injected her with a serum of which she ceased struggle immediately and closed her eyes.

Suddenly a second image interposed her memory. Jalyne looked around, noticing the building she currently called home. It shifted to Sector Seven plate, and the battle that took place as the then-President ordered execution. She caught the flaming red hair of Reno battling with the ex-SOLDIER and his companions. Her eyes widened as the chopper crashed and Rude joined him. How both were defeated and barely escaped. The aftermath of destruction of Sector Seven, the clean-up, the thousands of lives lost. She unconsciously reached her hand out at the image, trying to stop the events.

Jalyne squeezed his hand and thought he would break the connection for she could feel the guilt, anger, and raw emotion flowing from him. Instead he kept it up and she was suddenly at a loss for words. Jalyne remembered her climb to the helipad, and here she saw his point of view. Cloud's battled with the new President and the blast that hit her at the top of the stairwell, thought Reno did not know that then.

His memories were quicker now, showing various hardships of his childhood, like being abandoned and living in the slums. They showed his Turk training and a lot of the dismal, gut wrenching missions and interrogations he had suffered through. Reno glanced down at the woman beside him and saw the wide-eyed shocked mixed fear in her eyes. He let go of her hand with force and the images faded.

Jalyne felt the embarrassment, anger, frustration and depression roll off him. She also felt him break. She turned to him and took a step towards him; he stepped back with his head down, red strands covering his eyes. Jalyne reached up and cupped his cheek running a thumb over his tattoo. When he opened his eyes, there was turmoil behind them. Like storm clouds rolling over the sea, a thunder was in them. She wanted to take the pain away and realized then that they were similar – broken and searching, trying to find their place. Jalyne kissed him, slowly and passionately, mainly to impart to him that she was there but nervous he would reject her because of what had happened earlier in the day. As she trailed along his jawline, she sensed his arousal and the low moan that escaped him provoked her further. She pulled back lightly when she reached his ear, she whispered.

"Take what you need." Jalyne was referring to the raw turmoil she knew he was feeling and the help she could give. He trembled lightly in her embrace when she added. "I can take all that you give."

He snapped and with speed Jalyne only ever really saw once when they were forced to fight, he slammed her into back wall. Her gasp gave him the opening he wanted and fully took advantage, kissing her forcefully. His hands tore the button from her already disheveled uniform as he stripped her of it. He shimmied out of his jacket and shirt quickly and growled when Jalyne reached to intwine her hands in his hair. Grabbing her wrists, he pinned her hands to the low beam in the room and yanked her shirt over her head. Jalyne moved to bring them down when his chest rumbled again and his right arm shot up and he encircled her wrists, while kissing her deeply. Reno slide her pants down and off, dropping them to the floor and relieved himself of the rest of his clothing. Grabbing her underneath her lower thighs and knees, he lifted her off the ground and slid her further up the wall. Jalyne hooked her hands around the beam to steady them while he placed his palms against the wall. Reno's erection teased her while he kissed her and broke apart only to let her take a breath.

Reno ravaged her. He wanted her. He needed her. Jalyne calmed him and when he realized he was mistaken in her reaction to his memories, it fueled him. He could feel her emotionally, the waves rolling of her. They were connected in a way he never thought possible and for once, did not resist its flow. He began to understand her more; her fire, her passion and the light within that he saw. He was teasing her on purpose, slowly flexing his hips and feeling her squirm. Reno nipped along her jawline, hearing her pant. He inhaled her scent, the mix of sea salt and fresh air and growled. Nipping at her ear, Reno trailed down to right behind it and bit down, feeling her tremble in anticipation. He also knew she was hesitating slightly, so he bit down harder and suckled her jugular, feeling her rapid pulse as her head slid back against the wall, wanting more.

"Reno," Jalyne begged, "Please…"

His head snapped up and he nudged her to look at him. Jalyne's emerald eyes swam with the same passion as his, unabashed and with great need. "Say it again."

"RE—" Jalyne gasped as he kissed and entered her in one motion, the feeling of pleasure flooding her and trembled throughout her entire body. Every thrust he gave hit her with forceful passion, a passion in all her time, have never felt, never connected. Reno broke the kiss and stared at her for a moment at the fire that swirled, judging her wants. Reno picked up the pace, thrusting harder into her and felt her muscles contracting as her orgasm was building. Her moans were getting louder and she bit her lip, closing her eyes in ecstasy. He kissed her neck, driving her crazy and whispered huskily.

"Let go."

Jalyne snapped her eyes opened and screamed his name, orgasm flowing through her body. Reno slid out and dropped her to the ground. He turned her around and pinned her wrists again to wall, nudging her legs apart. Jalyne whimpered slightly from the loss of his touch and warmth. He entered her again with force, snaking his right arm underneath hers and up to her neck, arching her back.

Jalyne felt her power spike as he pounded her mercilessly, the passion fully flowing throughout her and she screamed Reno's name not once, or twice but five times. She felt his breath on her as he panted and moaned burying his face to her neck and hair. His stamina was wondrous to her though she was tiring out. He slowed down, teasing her and twirled her hair across her breasts and abdomen, tickling her. Picking up the pace once again and knowing she was close he leaned in whispered.

"You're mine." The growl came out. He slowed and thrust once, keeping her on edge. She trembled beneath him. He pulled out a second time and thrust back in. "Say it." He huskily commanded.

"I. Am. Yours." Always.

"Then let go."

Jalyne looked up at her hands and her eyes widened at what she saw. Her hands gave off the light blue glow and beneath them, his flamed in red, not understanding her color shift or why she could see his so plainly. On the third slow thrust, she screamed his name leaning her head back into him and released the barrier around her heart as he did the same. Panting heavily, she glanced again at her hands. Where there was blue and red, now swirled purple, their auras combined. She bowed her head and recited a lore.

"Ili brikta a bruanlia flarea, e aschi pheonaie aseindaie, e soeliu a cleni. Lovariae iame." She added and whispered. "Like a flame that burns bright, the phoenix rises from the ashes, cleansing the souls." My Love.