I do not own FFVII characters – though I wish I did. lol
I do own my own character – Jalyne
Chapter 19 – The Return
They were gathered in the common cavern to say their farewell to SilDrokta. The silver dragon looked at each of them and formally bowed in goodbye. Jalyne chose her Turk attire for the return to Gaia, leaving the mask absent from her eyes.
"Thank you, SilDrokta." She told him, bowing her traditional bow. "For allowing us to stay."
"My pleasure." The silver dragon responded. "Please do me the honor of visiting when you can." His silver eyes glittered in the morning light. "And bring the Gaians."
Jalyne hugged him warmly, turned and threw open the Gate to Gaia. Reno and Rude each shook the dragon's hand and turned to enter it, seeing her apartment living room on the other side.
"Will you be alright, Jalynemidenovia e T'Karvriandria?" he questioned, concerned.
Jalyne glanced at the Turks who were stepping within the Gate. "I believe so, My Lord, with time…and help." She turned and walked to the portal, taking a deep breath.
Stepping through, Jalyne knew something was wrong and when she glanced back at SilDrokta, he was reaching for her with a scream as the Gate slammed closed. A heartbeat or two– the seconds that anything could happen between worlds – Jalyne felt – different, weaker and pain racked her entire body. Then the realization dawned on her – since the incident on Trerran she didn't physically feel pain or achiness…or anything of that nature. Or she simply just ignored it. She felt wetness, down her back and her sight, even with her abilities, was fading.
"Reno…" she weakly called, reaching out to him. "Help…me…"
Reno and Rude turned, hearing the weakened voice call out. They had made it back to Gaia with a sigh of relief, only to turn around and see Jalyne reaching for them with darkness all around her. Reno reached for her without a thought, though the Gate was suddenly shrinking, and pulled her with all of his strength. Jalyne stumbled and fell to her knees, weakened and losing consciousness. Reno cradled her and sat down, laying her across his lap.
"Rude!" Reno hollered behind him.
"Already on it." his partner called, raising his phone to his ear.
Reno looked at Jalyne, seeing her more ashen than usual. "Jalyne? What happened?" he asked quietly, looking at her closer.
"Heh." She chuckled. "I will have to commend the traitor next time I see him on Litrandan."
"Jalyne?" Reno pushed.
"The poison." She stated. "Delayed reaction." Jalyne paused in her thought. "First a paralytic…second is a binding of ability…I should have known. If he couldn't have me, you couldn't either." Jalyne closed her eyes again, her breathing slowing.
"No, No, NO!" Reno called to her. "Stay with me!"
Jalyne opened her eyes a little, trying to focus her energy to see him. "I promised I would bring you home."
"Jalyne?"
"The Gate." She said. "Gaia too far from Drogavor with the circumstances. Not strong enough…to compress time…distance."
Reno adjusted her within his lap and felt her clothes drenched. Looking beside them, he noticed the pool of liquid gathering.
"Shit!" Reno snapped open her blazer, eyeing the reddish staining beginning to thread throughout her blouse. "Rude?" he called to his partner. Rude was immediately there. "Hold her so I can get her blazer and shirt off."
Rude lifted Jalyne gingerly to allow Reno to work. When he removed her upper garments, Reno swore softly, looking at the damage that was inflicted upon her. Every cut, gash and incision bled as if they were just made. He looked around, trying to find the best fix for her until help arrived.
"How long?" Reno asked his partner.
"A few minutes." The normally silent partner stated. "Ten at the most. The Director and the President will be on route."
"We have to stop the bleeding." Reno said, grabbing Jalyne under the legs and lifting her up slowly, draping her arms around his neck. "No wonder she is so weak. That shit did a bang-up job. She is so weak that her healing isn't activating." Reno glanced around, eyes finally laying upon the pool. Rude followed his gaze.
"Pool?"
"Cold water will help stop the bleeding." The red-headed Turk replied. Rude rushed to open the patio doors, allowing his partner to step through, brows raising at the damage that was done to their fellow Turks. Reno made his way to the steps of the pool, taking a deep breath. It was late fall, and the water would be cold, much like when he dumped Jalyne prior to leaving Gaia, if not colder. "Here we go."
Reno stepped into the cold, freezing water, clenching his teeth, and continued onto the deeper end. The water washed some of the blood away from her skin and peering over her shoulder he could the blood fanning outward. Jalyne stirred briefly and he felt her tightened her grip around his neck.
"Reno…" she whimpered softly. "I'm tired."
"Stay with me, Beloved." He whispered to her. "We have help coming."
"I'm sorry."
"Jalyne?" Reno could feel her heartbeat slowing and her breathing was shallow. He heard the chopper in the distance and knew it wouldn't be long before help arrived. He ran his fingers along her wing marks washing as much blood of as he could, gingerly. Looking at the water he saw the reflection of her wounds and walked deeper into the water until it was neck level.
Rude was on the deck guiding the medical chopper to hover, the force of the air from the blades pushing water against Reno. The door opened and Tseng, Elena and Rufus hopped out, surveying the scene. Reno glanced back, acknowledging their presence. The medical personnel hopped out and assembled their equipment towards the end of the pool with the steps. Reno adjusted course and headed that way, thankful to get out of the freezing water.
Rufus and Tseng waited for Reno to get nearer to them. Rufus's jaw clenched when he saw the wounds all over Jalyne.
"Sir." Reno said to both of them, stepping out of the cold water with Jalyne draped around him.
"What in Shiva's name…" Rufus rushed forward to take Jalyne from his Turk without hesitation. The president lifted her bridal style into his arms, soaking his attire. Jalyne cracked her eyes lightly, ignoring the gasp from Rufus seeing her scars and mark upon her face.
"Rufus," She whispered, acknowledging him and trying to focus her eyes. "I brought them home to you."
"You did." He smiled warmly at her, trying to comfort her. "Thank you." He whispered.
Elena was waiting with a blanket for Reno, while Rufus laid Jalyne down on the stretcher for the medical personnel to take over. A second chopper was circling the penthouse. Reno rushed to her side, but the medics refused him any closer. She looked ashen to him, almost dead and his heart hurt in a way he had never experienced. Elena draped the blanket over him with a squeeze to his shoulders and led him to the group, who was clearing the path for the chopper.
"What the hell happened?" Rufus asked when Reno reached the rest of them, while the medical chopper lifted off.
"Long story." Rude commented, looking at Reno, who was stripping off drenched layers. Elena lifted the blanket from him and held it out, shielding the others as he stripped.
"Shorten it." The president pushed, obviously upset at the current predicament with one of his Turks.
"Later." Reno commented, grabbing the blanket from Elena, and heading inside. "Hot shower then I'm going to the medical ward."
Rufus looked at Tseng who minutely shook his head. Elena searched inside for another blanket or towel for Rufus who was dripping from carrying Jalyne. She joined the group as they made their way inside to the warmth of the apartment, handing the president a towel. They heard the water start and each of them looked to Tseng.
"I'll stay with Reno and accompany him to the medical ward." He stated all business. "The rest of you can head over there now." The Director paused a moment. "Rude, shed light on anything you can on the way over. The medical team may need to know any information you can give."
Rude nodded in assent and made way to the patio door to flag down the second chopper. Rufus nodded at Tseng.
"We'll be waiting." And the blond headed out the door to the waiting chopper. The three of them climbed the ladder and settled into place. The chopper headed off towards the Shinra building, leaving Tseng to look on and wait for his second to finish.
Reno let the hot water soak into his skin, sighing at the warmth it brought. His thoughts went towards earlier in the week that he had pinned Jalyne in this same shower. How he wanted her touch, the look in her expressive eyes, the way she just seemed…perfect for him. Reno thought of all he had experienced in the strange worlds and realized he and Rude had done something utterly unique.
"Beloved." He whispered, heart aching.
Beloved.
She could hear him, in the nothingness that was within her mind. My Love. She responded, instinctively. Jalyne was moving, she could feel it, but couldn't describe how. Everything was gray and darkening. She couldn't wake up. She felt hands over her taking the necklace off and Jalyne felt severed from him, screaming within her walls. At last, she gave up, content with knowing they returned safely, and succumbed to darkness, with only a hint of green off in the recesses of her thought.
As they rode to the medical ward, Reno was so lost in his thoughts that he barely heard Tseng's question. He looked at Midgar's landscape as it whizzed by, concentrating on the words that Jalyne said, tumbling through his mind. Tseng was driving Reno's car that was left at the apartment.
"Reno?" Tseng asked again. Finally, Reno looked at him, understanding dawning on his features.
"Yes, Sir?"
"I asked…what happened?"
"A lot." Reno started to say.
"Okay. Let start with what the hell happened to Jalyne?" Tseng stated, slightly annoyed.
"What those bastards did to her, Tseng, makes our interrogation techniques look like child's play." Reno scoffed. "They drugged her, blinded her, tortured her, and then raped her. All. Night. Long." He said angrily.
"You may want to start at the beginning, Reno."
Reno sighed but started the account of their travels. "The Gate was diverted to a world named Litrandan. There, we met the Queen of Light, Solaria. Luckily, she is a friend of Jalyne's. Evidently sat on Trerran's Council before Jalyne was exiled. Rude knows a little more. He spent the night with her."
"Rude did what?" Tseng questioned astounded.
Reno glanced at his superior with a smirk. "Rude spent the night with Solaria."
"And did what?"
At that Reno chuckled lightly at the Director's seemingly naivete. "You would have to ask him, Sir. But from what Jalyne said later, there is the possibly the element of personal enjoyment." He commented laughingly.
"And what else?" the Director changed the subject, suppressing his lips from turning upwards.
"From there, we Gated to Trerran and stealthily headed to the city proper, using light shields given to us by Solaria. Once inside the fortress, Jalyne realized we were betrayed, and an ambush was waiting by a sorcerer named Jurvien. I would surmise he was much like our Sephiroth, intent on destruction and rule."
"Was?"
Reno's eyes darkened considerably, and he clenched his jaw in anger. "Yes. Was. After speaking with her father, we Gated to the plains, east of the city, trying to outrun the ambush. Tseng?"
"Hm?" Tseng glanced over to his second.
"There's something you need to know." He started and waited.
"Which is?"
"Jalyne is Jenova's daughter."
Reno watched as the cool façade dropped from Tseng's face and he turned with an astonished look to him. "She's what?"
"The daughter of Jenova." Reno repeated. "Only Solaria surmised that Aerith changed something within her when she healed her in Nibelheim. Something about taking the darkness away. I only know that she is NOT Jenova."
"Continue." Tseng urged as he turned onto the highway to take them to the Shinra building, placing the façade back in place.
"We went across the plains, only to be ambushed." Reno grated. "In exchanged for our safety, she willingly gave herself to the sorcerer for one night." He looked out the window, catching his reflection in the window.
"And you could do nothing?"
"Against the rules, Tseng. Though stranger, we had to play by the rules of the opposing team. Should we have done anything…she would have died by that's bastard's hand." Reno paused. "That entire night I couldn't take it."
"I imagine." Tseng commented, pulling into the parking lot. "You are fond of her."
"It's more than that." Reno admitted. "Tseng, she never uttered a word, a scream, or a moan."
Tseng put the car in park and turned to look at his second. "Not even once?"
"No." Reno said. "I heard them, but never once did I hear her after she said farewell. She was silent, like when we first found her."
"That's…amazing." Tseng conceded, eyes furrowed in thought.
"I gather that she's never made a sound, no matter training or otherwise and she's shown me some of what she's gone through. The sorcerer was trying to break her. That's a strength I don't think the best of us could muster." Reno stated in admiration.
"What was he after?" Tseng asked switching the car off. Reno opened the door but stayed seated and turned to look at his boss. After consideration, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the box. Opening it, he handed the box to Tseng, who gazed into the glowing box.
"A feather?" Tseng questioned.
"Not just any feather, Tseng. Her feather. It's the one that floated to me after her battle with Sephiroth." He took the box back and looked at it, seeing the fading glow. "She sent it to me as a gift." Reno tucked it back into his breast pocket, remembering her words at that time. "It means something in their culture. That's what he was after, to make her submit. Evidently, because I had the feather, it interfered with his plans of ruling."
"Why did she give it you?" Tseng pushed, opening his door also. The breeze in the parking garage blew through the car and Reno took a deep breath to continue on the travels.
"For safe keeping possibly, though, I believe there's an underlying reason. The sorcerer violated the rules and Jalyne condemned him to a soul without physical form to roam for eternity." He stated solemnly. Tseng showed surprise at the statement and Reno nodded. "I don't think she was happy about it, either."
"That's…harsh."
"It fit the crime, though." Reno commented, darkly. "Jurvien wasn't allowed to touch us, and he broke his word. That placed his life in her hands for judgement." Tseng didn't comment so Reno continued. "We gated to a world called Drogavor where we met a Guardian dragon named SilDrokta."
"A what?" Tseng exclaimed.
"A dragon." Reno smirked. "Yep, a real dragon. Turns out Sil is Bahamut's father."
Tseng had no choice but to stay silent, thinking hard on everything Reno was telling him.
"We spent the evening and night there, but Sil showed her something and she didn't like it one bit. I think there's a choice she will have to make, and she doesn't want to." Reno surmised.
"What do you think it is?"
"I don't know, really." Reno stated. "I looked into that mirror at the very end. All I saw was flames in the mirror."
"And then you returned?"
"Yes." He replied. "But something went wrong as she started through the Gate. It has something to do with the drug that bastard forced upon her. It seems to be nullifying her abilities, especially healing."
They both exited the car and started towards the elevator to meet the others at the medical wing.
"That is quite an…experience, Reno." Tseng stated dryly.
"Yeah, well, it definitely was." He chuckled, remembering his reaction to the planet looming in the night sky. "You should see Litrandan, Tseng, especially at night. It is nothing like you have or will ever see here."
They made their way to the medical wing, Tseng texting Rufus on where they were at. Tseng picked up the pace which alerted Reno to something amiss. When they reached the others, Elena had evidence of crying and Reno immediately went to the door of Jalyne's room, only to have Rude stand in his way. The president was watching Reno intently.
"I want to see her." Reno grated to his partner.
"Not yet."
"Bull shit." He extended an arm to move Rude.
"Reno –," Rufus started, "The doctor –,"
Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he entered the room. The vibrant, unique woman he came to know, lay in hospital bed, wrapped in bandages. It was the ventilator she was attached to, that took him off guard. The sound grated on his nerves as he walked to her bedside. Reno pulled a chair and sat down next to her, gazing at her sleeping, peaceful form, though a tube down her throat offset the image. He scanned her bandages, noting the blood tinge creeping through and her eyes were bandaged tightly. She was not healing.
Reno trailed his eyes to her neck and suddenly stood, scanning the room for her belongings. They had removed his necklace and he didn't take kindly to it. He searched for a moment, finally finding them under her bed in a bag and removed the necklace, gazing at the emerald in his palm. Reno closed his eyes and concentrated, letting emotions flow through his body and into the gem. He would always refer to the gem as his, though initially was just a gift to make her feel at home and part of a family. Now, he realized, it meant so much more to him. Jalyne always wore it, was saddened when she lost it and he found it at the bottom of the ocean. Reno slid the necklace around her neck and clasped it lightly to not disturb the medical equipment.
An increase in beeping caught is attention. Reno looked at the monitors and found the source. At the bottom of the screen was the picture of the heart. The beeping and electrical wave grew a bit faster. Reno settled in the chair again and took Jalyne's hand into his, brushing his lips across the top.
"I need you, Beloved." He whispered. "I know its selfish of me and you've given so much, but…" he laid his against the hands. "I need you here with me." He uttered again.
The door opened quietly and the other walked in, the doctor the last to enter. Reno sat up and back in his chair, waiting for them to speak. No one said a word, so he turned his attention to the physician.
"Do not remove her necklace." Reno stated. "It stays on her."
The doctor first looked like she was going to object, closed her mouth and nodded in agreement. "I have a couple of questions for you if you don't mind. The others have filled me in…but…"
"It's wild, I know." He finished.
"Is there anything you can add as to why she won't heal. We have to change the bandages more frequently than usual. At this rate, she won't make it through the night."
Reno knitted his brows and looked at Tseng and Rufus. "Did you mention the poison?"
"Poison?" She questioned raising her eyebrow. "An antidote would do the trick, then."
"I'm not so sure." Reno advised. "This poison isn't of this world. It's still within her and I'm not sure anything of Gaia will work."
"It's worth a shot, Reno." Rufus stated.
"Didn't say it wasn't, Sir." He replied. "Just want everyone to know the possibilities."
"Try it." Rufus commanded of the doctor and turned to leave. "I will return later."
"Yes, Sir." Tseng acknowledged. He turned to Reno. "We'll leave you to be with her. One of us will relieve you, later."
Rude waited until everyone left before pulling up a chair on the other side of the bed.
"Partner?"
"…" Rude waited, looking at the woman next to them. "She's…"
"Different." Reno finished the sentence. "I know."
"Special." Rude nodded and fell silent.
They passed the time, each in their own thoughts. Hours passed with Rude leaving only once to acquire food. The nurses and doctor came in every so often to check on her or change her bandages. Initially, they provided an antidote and remedy, but there wasn't any indication of it working. Night began to fall and Rude placed a hand on his partner's shoulder, indicating comfort and that he was leaving. Reno nodded in appreciation and watched him walk out the room.
"Please, Beloved." Reno pleaded. "Wake and come back to me." He still held her hand within his, and laid his head down upon them, the only sounds in the room was the whoosh of the ventilator and the beep of her weakened heartbeat monitor.
As Reno closed his eyes, the lone tear ran down his cheek, landing on her blanket beneath them.