After taking the materia from Maria and using it, trying to heal the two up as best he could, Zack turned to Cloud with his own materia and healed the blonde's wrist, sincerely hoping that this did the trick, since if it didn't, there was no doubt that Sephiroth would have his balls lopped off for letting Cloud get hurt. Of course, he was even MORE wary of Sephiroth and his reactions now, since he couldn't tell if he was going to be violent or not.
"We gotta do somethin' about him, Cloud. Even if Dante gets pissed off, we CAN'T let him go after what he did. Just...LOOK at Rudy and Red! That's... that's the mark of someone who's done went around the twist...a few times..."
The sweat was rolling off Cloud's brow at the agony in his wrist, now that the heat of battle had worn off, and there was only the pain. But the work Zack was doing on it was helping tremendously, and finally he was able to speak again.
"I don't think he's going to survive, Vergil I mean. I wanted to finish it, it was pretty bad--I NEEDED to finish it, I sort of--gutted him--don't like to LEAVE anyone like that, you know? But we had to get out of there, and Dante looked like he was gonna come after us--I'm pretty sure he WAS, and we couldn't risk it. But I'm pretty sure Vergil is a goner. Dante probably finished him, really, I don't think he'd let him suffer. If not--"
He couldn't have SURVIVED that, could he??
Cloud had seen what had happened behind the bar, and Vergil had taken the Masamune like a fucking hero, he had been injured but he HAD survived. But this time, Cloud had opened him UP, purposely, TRYING to ensure death. Damn it, he had really WANTED to finish it, too. It gave him the shudders that he had left Vergil that way.
"If he IS alive, then he needs to be committed. He's not SANE, and Dante will see that-- and if not, we'll get the papers signed ANYWAYS. Just would be EASIER with next of kin."
Cringing, Dante had merely nodded at Vergil, making sure to wash the entrails off before he placed them back in, though he'd had to find a pair of clamps to hold the always-mending skin and muscles OPEN so that he could take his time, somewhat. "Goddamnit Vergil, what the FUCK am I supposed to DO with you now, huh? You're... Gods, I don't even know what the fuck to SAY! You're just... fuckitall, you're acting like some kind of fuckin' jealous GIRL!"
He was TIRED of this, just SICK and TIRED of it, and he had no idea what he could do to FIX things. "Vergil, I'm TIRED... just, lay OFF, would you? Back up OFF everyone, let things be how they WERE."
In so much pain he was nearly in TEARS, Vergil nevertheless snarled at Dante when he heard THAT.
"Don't you EVER call me a fucking girl, Dante, EVER. I don't care how much I hurt, or how bad off I am, I will castrate you if you ever do that again!"
Of course, Dante would in the future call him MANY things, some of them much more offensive than 'girl'. But for now, he just needed this to be finished.
"Please hurry, I'm going to pass out if you don't--" He actually DID pass out, and when he awakened, he was lying in their bed again. Smiling at Dante, who was looking down at him with worry as well as anger, Vergil sighed-- "Don't worry, everything will be alright, brother. I promise you, and I won't ask you anymore to join me on my dark journey. I understand now, that I must walk alone. And I will do so."
Jade eyes fluttered open again several hours later, and Reno gasped as he pushed himself into a sitting position, noting the pain in his back had faded to a dull ache, though he still had an almost crushing headache, a result of the lingering concussion that would take a bit longer to resolve itself. "Rude?" The question was quiet, and when he didn't see him there he pushed himself to his feet and staggered out into the living room, then into Rude's bedroom in a bit of a disoriented manner. Seeing that Rude seemed to be resting comfortably he sat down in the chair nearby, ignoring the protests from Zack and Cloud about how he shouldn't be out of bed. This man was his PARTNER, more than that his best friend, and that meant something.
He took Rude's hand gently, giving it a soft squeeze. "He'll be all right, right?" The tone was hopeful, and he looked up at Zack when he spoke, trying not to let the guilt get to him. "It's my fault, if I hadn't been so fucking all fired determined to protect Dante he never would have confronted Vergil in the first place, and this wouldn't have happened. I'm such a friggin' IDIOT. I should have just left it the fuck alone." He was on the verge of tears, but he refused to let them fall, not now.
"Da man is insane, eet is plain to see," Maria's thickly accented voice echoed from the door way as she stood there, watching the two that had been her employers for over a year. She cared for the two as she would her sons, and it was obvious in her affectionate stance.
"Not an idiot, Red. I had been debating on goin' and talkin' to the bastard myself, 'cause it's not RIGHT for him to fuck with Dante so badly. I mean, the man REEKED of booze when he came in earlier, and you KNOW how badly this has to be hurtin' him." Zack shook his head, eyes sliding shut as he thought hard. "Rudy should be okay though. He's healin' up fine, he just needed to get the fuck OUTTA there. Vergil nearly HAD you two when we walked in, even AFTER that--he was still tryin'. He's...he's outta CONTROL."
He HATED seeing anyone hurt like his three close friends were, Dante wasn't PHYSICALLY hurt, but it was quickly escalating to where he COULD be, if he wasn't careful. "We gotta DO somethin' about him, we really gotta. He's gonna end up killin' someone, most likely DANTE, if he keeps this shit up."
"I was wrong."
Rude had sat up slowly, and very painfully, and he waited until he had all their attention, because it fucking hurt to talk.
"I was REALLY wrong, Vergil is a lot worse off than I ever dreamed--and yeah--he needs to be committed, needs to be MADE to cooperate, there ain't no two ways about it--but--Cloud--what were you saying--you--you KILLED him?" If that was the case, Dante was going to be very, very bad off himself, probably a virtual basket case--perhaps even suicidal. Rude was well aware of the depth of the love he held for Vergil, and if the other twin had really died now--oh man. Gonna be BAD for all concerned.
"I don't know, I--got him pretty bad, Rude, I -- look, maybe I ought to go back over there, and FINISH it--it's not like me to leave somebody in that condition, it's gonna HAUNT me, it really WILL!"
"You go over there and DANTE will have to be killed too. He's not gonna let you get NEAR Vergil now. We gotta--just go through legal means, I guess--what do you two think, Red, Zack??
Reno turned to where Rude was sitting, eyes narrowing as he looked over. "That was STUPID, Rude. . .real stupid, and you bitched at ME about doin' it. At least I only talked ta Dante, didn't try ta confront th'big bad himself. And this was after ya told ME not ta do it." Reno was upset, but there was more behind it than that. There was genuine fear in the 16 year old's voice as he said it, fear of losing his partner. "I don't WANNA be angry with you, I don't wanna be UPSET with you, but Gods be DAMNED, I don't wanna see you DIE either. And you're supposed ta be the smart one that thinks shit THROUGH."
Reno knew Rude was likely to say something back, but he made a hand gesture that said for Rude to let him finish, because he had to. If he held it in it would drive him bonkers, and he knew it well. "I don't wanna see you hurt any more than you wanna see it happen ta me, an' I know I'm impulsive an' shit, but it's how I've always been. So yeah. .. can ya NOT do somethin' impulsive and stupid again please? It fucking HURTS when ya do."
FOUR WEEKS LATER...
Rude awakened to the sound of the phone ringing, and he groggily reached for it, unhappily getting hold of it and then dropping it to the floor in his fatigue. Damn it, this was a DAY off, and so why the call??
It was Cloud Strife, and his voice was low and careful--through the fog, he dimly GOT it: SOLDIER, meaning Cloud and Zack, were going to arrest Vergil today, and hopefully it was gonna go down easy--but if not, did he and Reno want to be there to try to make SURE Vergil--and no one else--did not get hurt?
"Mmmmmmmsure. We'll be there. Noonyeahyeahokay." Oh man. This was going to blow donkey dick, and he just KNEW it.
"What?" Dante sat up, half groggy from the booze and the lack of proper sleep, barely noticing that Vergil's side of the bed was long cold, since the man had already been up and about for hours. likely since just after Dante managed to fall asleep. "Cloud--are you sure? I mean, I know we mighta discussed it, but I didn't realize we'd decided to go on THROUGH with it--not that I'm complainin--" He froze, realizing what he was saying, his eyes flickering down to where Vergil was SUPPOSED to be--suddenly realizing that he WASN'T.
"Fuck...fuckfuckfuuuuuck. Cloud, He's gone. He's not in the bed--and I think I just heard his bike take off..."
He groaned, HATING this, just absolutely HATING it, since he'd been wanting to HELP Vergil, and was seeing now that really, he COULDN'T.