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

I do own my own character – Jalyne and other originals.

Chapter 61 – The In-Between

Reno didn't know what to do and watched as his love lay across his lap, bleeding from the shoulder. He glanced at the others around him, unsure of what the next step would be.

"Reno?" Rude caught his partner's attention of who raised a brow at him. "Save her."

"Exactly how is that accomplished, yo?" Reno snidely commented. "It's like she just won't stop bleeding, even with all of the pressure we're applying. Her healing isn't compensating, yo."

The whispers flared outward circling around them. Jalyne stirred briefly, adjusting within his lap as Tseng and Elena resumed their positions and Rude knelt with Reno ignoring the floating apparitions around them.

The spiky red-head leaned in, placing his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. "What do I do, Beloved?"

Jalyne inhaled a deep breath, cracking her eyes to a slit, which glowed black. "I can't feel the Light. It's like it's not there." She whispered to no one.

"Jalyne?" he returned, not moving from her.

"Perhaps if I had more time with DarkienLyy."

DarkienLyy. Reno thought of the scene at the beach. There, Jalyne was trying to control darkness, not light. His thoughts turned to the holograph of her memories of the cave and his eyes narrowed. From what he saw, Sephiroth attacked her with dark energy. Perhaps it was enough to swarm her and smother her natural abilities to light and healing. But who was she talking to?

Dr. Wynan came through the door with a small medical team and portable instruments. Rufus had called her. She stopped in front of him to converse before a look of shock crossed her face.

"You did WHAT?" she exclaimed glancing at Reno and Jalyne. She moved to start her assessment with her team and stopped suddenly.

The whispers flared upward, and the one that encroached upon Jalyne flew from her and shaking it's form in pain, disappeared in a burst of Lifestream. Dr. Wynan exhaled a deep breath with a grunt and leveled her eyes to Reno with a nod.

Reno looked at the woman in his lap and shook his head in awe at looking at her. Jalyne gasped, opening her eyes wide and arched her back before settling once more quietly.

The red-headed Turk applied pressure to her wound, leaning into her once again. He thought of DarkienLyy and murmured quietly to her.

She opened her eyes to nothingness. It was black and dark all around her. It was…suffocating. Jalyne inhaled a breath and spun in the air trying to find any little spark of hope.

You are alone. A voice chuckled.

She recognized it. The voice that carried a conceitedness and haughtily air about it that she had encountered previously. She had just beaten him. Or so she thought.

You think so? Jalyne answered.

I know so…

What did you do to me? She questioned. You planted the darkness within.

I did no such thing.

Jalyne understood. She thought she was speaking to someone else. She closed her eyes. At least she could control the darkness she saw behind her eyelids. She sighed to herself, mind wandering quickly and analyzing the recent events.

Sephiroth forcibly pushed his aura into hers. But how did he know to do that and was that truly his will or another? Jalyne shook her head lightly, trying to figure this puzzle out. She felt a rush of air and knew he was near. A light touch trailed up her hip and arm coming to rest near her throat.

Jalyne subtly reached outward, trying to find hope. If she could reach darkness, she should be able to reach light. There was nothing and she bowed her head in thought.

You're afraid. The voice chuckled at her.

Perhaps. Jalyne stated stoically. Perhaps not.

Stop resisting me.

I will always resist you. She commented. Darkness has it's place. You go to great lengths to have me. Why?

Because it is necessary. Jalyne could hear him right behind her. It is not complete.

It will be. She answered.

Please do. He answered lightly in her ear. I will enjoy ripping it from you, too.

If you can find it.

Reno was fervently whispering to his Beloved, repeating what he heard from DarkienLyy. She had calmed and remained still. It was almost like she was there but not there. Every so often, she would flitter and he could see her light trying to break free.

Her Light.

Reno remembered what she did on the helipad and leaned in to whisper at her rapidly. "Call your staff, Beloved."

Dr. Wynan couldn't reach them, the whispers still flowing around the duo but more importantly there was the shimmer of a barrier around them. Rufus humphed lightly watching the scene and his expression was of direness.

Tseng and Elena stood outside of the circle with Rude and looked on, expression exasperated due to not being able to reach them. Each one held their own thoughts as to why this was happening and what was the circumstance of the event.

It appeared that she wasn't alive, however, Reno knew that not to be true. He could feel her chest rise and fall steadily and her heartbeat was weak but holding.

His hand holding her shoulder suddenly felt like nothing was there. He glanced to his side where her gift hung from his belt. It pulsed lightly. He felt it. Reaching for it, Reno extended it with his other hand, feeling the beat within.

Within, My Light shines to chase away the darkness. May it forever guide and remind you that I am always with you, even when apart.

His eyes widened as he read the inscription upon her gift once more. Even when apart. He studied her laying in his lap. It shimmered to her heartbeat and he wasn't sure what to do, so he leaned into her once more. "Call your staff, Jalyne. Call the Light."

Reach for it. Touch it. Grab it. Mold it to your will.

Jalyne could hear Baelo within her. How could this be? She then realized where she was pulled. How? She had yet to figure that part out. For all of the night surrounding her, she finally felt calm and unafraid.

Call your staff, Beloved.

She opened her eyes, only to see black. A flicker caught her attention and she concentrated upon it.

He called you from across the Heaven's.

Jalyne furrowed her brow in thought ignoring the light breeze and opposing presence that was around her. A smile graced her lips as the understanding came to her.

Haetri.

Oltrearea.

The in-between.

He purposefully pulled her at the exact moment of the shotgun's bullet entering, blanketing her soul and closing her off, suffocating her. This was the moment between life and the Lifestreams.

Jalyne focused, slowing her breathing and brought the image of Reno into her mind.

She suddenly moved, sliding her hand away from the wound, much to Reno's surprise though he held still. Jalyne opened her darkened eyes and moved to watch him as she trailed that hand down to the mag rod. This time, it would take both of them to get out of this situation.

"Jalyne?" Reno whispered surprised.

"I need…your help, Baelo." Jalyne haltingly answered him. Her hand rested over his and the pulse shone a little brighter. "You will be able to see in a moment." She paused taking a deep breath. "Do not be afraid of him."

Reno could see her eyes clearing. "What is happening, yo?"

"The impossible." She quietly answered. "Even I would not have thought of this possibility."

The rest of them came closer as the shimmer of the barrier faded, even with the whispers present. Tseng adjusted her head and Elena tried to grab her hand as Jalyne adjusted in Reno's lap, trying to sit up. Finally, Rude lifted her gingerly, trying not to tear her shoulder anymore. Rufus came to kneel in front of her, ignoring the whispers still floating around as they allowed everyone to her.

"Dearest?"

Jalyne started breathing heavy from the exertion but gazed at the President. Seeing two places at once was quite the experience, she was finding out. Was there any limit to his, or for that matter, her magic?

"You asked me to call my staff. I cannot do so without your help, Baelo." Jalyne took a deep breath and settled into a sitting position with Reno cradling her. She was tired from the blood loss, breathing heavy and looked haggard to all who spied her.

She brought his mag rod across her chest, resting her hand upon his while the President watched. Rufus noticed the changing colors within her eyes. She tensed, grappling at the piece of her that she gave to him. Her love. Her redemption.

Reno had no idea what to expect or why Jalyne thought he would be the one to help her. He could feel her power building. She was planning something. He started to feel strange, almost like a ghost.

"He will see you for what you are, Baelo." Jalyne whispered. "And he will not like it."

She swept both of their arms to the side and Jalyne did what DarkienLyy was trying to teach her. The air crackled and hummed as she extended her abilities.

She grabbed the Light.

Jalyne opened her eyes and raised her arms, staring ahead as she felt the his presence glide in front of her. With a great sweep she grabbed the blackness and pushed with everything she had. She pulled from one plane of existence to another, holding the light and molding the dark. A great burst of energy flowed around her as the darkness swirled to her will and curled around her right arm. Jalyne humphed lightly at the sight as little orbs of energy began to illuminate the area.

It reminded her of the image she saw with Genesis in the cave. The one in which she saw what she thought was her mother cast him into the Lifestream. Jalyne looked downward to spy the reddish purple orb of a planet beneath, encircled with rings of stone. Haetri. In all that she has learned, no one ever returned from the darkness's fortitude. She gazed at the trail of energy leading to the world and raised a brow at her adversary.

"Well played." Jalyne nodded to him curtly.

"Well played, indeed." He nodded back.

"If I may," she asked courteously. "I don't believe I wish to play anymore."

"You do realize, you don't really have a choice, yes?"

"I don't?" Jalyne stated facetiously. She studied him as he came closer. "I believe I do."

Jalyne waited, knowing he would reach for her and he did, pulling her closer to him. She chuckled lightly before disengaging his embrace and floated behind him. He stayed patient and waited. Jalyne leaned into him from behind.

"Order and perfection." She whispered sultrily to him. "Through dominance and submission." She hesitated. "You tainted my father, didn't you? That was the real reason he exiled me, wasn't it? Why, Lord of Night, are you after me so? Why are you so intent upon a Forge once again?" She lifted her hand to caress his horns, sliding his strands of hair away from his face. Jalyne trailed a light touch down his arm before hovering away from him and studying the deep red eyes of a god. "Do you miss my mother that much?"

He chuckled at the mention of Yelovria. "She was astonishing, Jalyne. Like no other. Just as you are."

"Like no other?" Jalyne surmised. "The problem, Azarian, is that you cannot quell the light."

"Look around you, Empress." Azarian stated, indicating their surrounding. "This is my domain. I will break you to my will."

"Try it, Lord of Night." Jalyne confidently stated. "I think you would be surprised."

Azarian outstretched his arms, pulling nebulous clouds around the empress who didn't budge. The clouds held nothing, no reflective light and there was no translucency with them. They swirled around her encroaching upon her space. The god heard her chuckle and raised a brow.

Streams of light burst through the dark clouds revealing the Empress of the Heaven's bathed in white illumination. Jalyne wore just the hint of a smile as she saw Azarian's eyes widened just a fraction.

"The Light will always shine." She stated.

"And I will always snuff it out!" the god grated lashing outward to her and commanding the black energy from the world below.

Jalyne allowed the flow to circle around her, eyes alight with her blue aura and she remained calm, analyzing the god before her. It irked him, the way she was collected and Jalyne realized that was what Rufus had done to her a couple of months ago.

"You will find that it is hard to do." Jalyne scoffed as the energy tightened around her, suffocating her.

"You are alone." Azarian spat at her.

"So you think, Lord of Night." She whispered back.

Jalyne opened her eyes to group surrounding her, the pain in her shoulder intensifying as she twisted to look at Reno. Their hands were still joined, clasping his mag rod. She marveled at seeing two events at once and now it was time to combine the time. Azarian was breaking the rules.

"Ready, Baelo?"

"Whenever you are, yo." He whispered back. "Though I have no idea what you want me to do."

Jalyne barely laughed as she turned her gaze to the others. "I want you to burn with the fire that is within." She answered and hesitated in addressing the others. "Please step back." She asked quietly. "I need to open a Gate."

Jalyne took a deep breath with her hand tightening upon the mag rod. She lifted them into the air, swirling her aura and Reno's together. He could feel her combining them and drawing from his strength. Reno's mind was racing, recalling a flurry of events within his life and his anger, frustration and rage flowed to the forefront of everything.

"Good, Baelo." Jalyne commented. "Use the gift. Allow it to emerge. You have to release it and now is the Time."

Jalyne opened the Gate letting Reno and the Turks see what was happening. His turquoise eyes surveyed the dark clouds flowing around the heavens. Glancing downward he saw the abhorrent world in the distance with its energy trailing upward. He idly wondered if that was its Lifestream.

Yes, Baelo. Jalyne broke into his thoughts. The damned souls that cannot escape and are trapped within.

What are you going to do?

Shock the Lord of Night. She answered. For I am not alone, am I?

Never, yo. I will always be here with you.

"Enough Lord of Night!" Jalyne screamed outward, throwing her arms to the side. The air crackled and dissipated, leaving the two of them to stare at each other. "It is time to stop this. You will not have me – you will never break me."

"We will see." The god stated calmly but narrowing his eyes dangerously. "What make you think that you will win?"

"Because I am not ALONE!" she answered, calling the Staff of Ages to her left hand as it grasped Reno's weapon. As the light flowed outward, Reno came into view, bathed in flames as red as his hair.

Reno stared hard at the god of darkness, finally assessing the bane of Jalyne's existence. The horns reflected Jalyne's light and he studied the archaic dress the deity adorned. He studied the emblem upon Azarian's forehead, recognizing it as the same one the Jurvien had on Trerran.

Reno could let go of his emotions here. It burned within him, the regret of Sector Seven, the events leading up to becoming a Turk, and most of all the pain and suffering he knew he caused Jalyne. He reached out to her, encircling her waist and resting his chin on her left shoulder, still grasping both the staff and the mag rod in their left hands.

"So this is the Lord of Night, yo?" Reno whispered to Jalyne.

"Yes, Myak Lovkta."

"Doesn't look too horrible, yo."

Azarian sneered, raising a hand to strike. Throwing it outward, the batalleas emerged and charged, wings flared in flight. They were grotesque in appearance with long pointed ears and fangs, snarling and screeching as they encircled the duo within the heavens. Each carried a weapon, one that Reno thought was gruesome, with hooked blades and spikes around the hilts. Their wings were skeletal with very little membrane and looked like something out of a nightmare.

"I stand corrected, yo." He commented to Jalyne of which she chuckled lightly.

"He likes to play upon fear, Baelo." She responded. "Hold fast and let the fire burn."

"You're planning something, Beloved?"

"I always plan something, Myak Lovkta. A game cannot be played without all of the pieces being on the board. Gaia now enters the fields of play." She paused reaching up and cupping his cheek. She quietly snapped her fingers near his ear, hiding the motion within his spikes and Reno watched her eyes flash.

The batalleas struck – and bounced off of the hexagonal light shield she had cast. Jalyne turned to the god and smirked, challenging him with her expression. He coasted to rest in front of them glaring dangerously at the duo as his minions shrieked, dying upon crashing into the shield.

"I said I don't wish to play anymore, Lord of Night." Jalyne whispered. "You interfered and broke the rules. When there is no hope, my Light will shine the brightest to quell the Night."

Azarian stared at her and finally flickered his eyes to Reno, not hiding the surprise at what he saw. Jalyne pulled her right arm outward and hesitated.

"You will bow and submit to the Night." The god deadly whispered.

"Meet the Eternal Flame, Azarian." She continued deviously. "And watch the flames burn!"

Reno held steady and tightened his grip around the smaller woman. He glared at the god and smirked at him in the only way he could as Jalyne flicked her wrist at her side as the Staff of Ages flared red at their left from the Fire Rune. The flames engulfed the duo pushing Azarian back with strength.

As he righted himself, Azarian glared at them. How could this be? The Forge was not complete, nor was the Crown of Heavens. He narrowed his eyes at them, watching the flames outreach and flare from the Gaian. It reminded him of Faterian. The god settled in front of them once more.

"You have given me a lot to think of, Empress." he whispered with a glance at Reno. "But you will not win."

"Perhaps not, Lord of Night." Jalyne answered calmly. "You emissary on Gaia is nullified. Do not break the rules again or you and I will truly meet in battle." Jalyne swung her arm and moved the Gate in between them, snapping it shut.

Her light faded as she coasted her and Reno to the floor. The magic flowed around them and as it shifted around, Jalyne changed to her usual form with white hair and her mark appeared over her left eye.

The others had witnessed everything and stood, shocked and wide eyed at the duo settling to the ground. Reno felt her falter, instantly scooping her up in his arms and stood, facing his friends. Rufus quickly stepped to her, pulling her jacket and shirt apart, exposing her wound.

Jalyne moaned softly, closing her eyes, and adjusted within Reno's grip. Rufus inhaled a breath looking at what he did to her and trailing his fingertips lightly over it. Tseng and Elena both reached for her, intent on continuing healing efforts until they saw the wound. Rude moved to stand next to his partners, taking Jalyne's free hand in his. She opened her eyes and sought Reno's, watching his expression change to bewilderment.

"What?" she quietly whispered as Rufus was inspecting her shoulder.

"Your eyes, yo."

"You're completely healed." Rufus stated. Jalyne gazed at him and smiled wanly until he inaudibly gasped.

"What?" she questioned irritably looking back at Reno.

"Are you okay to stand, yo?" Reno asked.

"Yes." She responded reaching up to him.

Reno walked over to the window and placed her warily on her feet. Jalyne leaned closer to inspect her reflection as the last of her abilities faded away. She turned to the rest of them with a slightly amused expression.

"Well," she commented. "Isn't that just…illuminating?"