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

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

Chapter 69- The Perception

She watched the scene before her with sorrow. A young child being consistently pushed away by the one person that should have cared the most for him. A father figure to guide and learn from. This wasn't so for the young blond she was watching.

It was real, the feeling of the scene before her, but Jalyne knew she was sleeping. It was the subconscious that was speaking to her or perhaps the darker half of the president that she absorbed. It wanted to show her something and so she watched curiously. Life was hard, Jalyne knew that as she saw it on Trerran all the time. She was born into privilege, very similar to Rufus, but always saw the commons as worthy. It was within her, the compassion and empathy for her fellow persons and perhaps that is what changed within the president.

Jalyne viewed the elder berate the younger while looking at plans for construction. The president couldn't have been but five or six years old and as she listened to the conversation, frustration rose. It shifted lightly to another scene as she watched Rufus sequestered alone, reading. No wonder he was so hard-assed. Rufus only knew to close people off, take what he wanted, and never let the world know otherwise.

Jalyne looked on, calculating and observing the past events from the President. How he hated his father. They included his funding of Avalanche, his exposure and exile to Junon.

Her brows furrowed watching his interaction with Sephiroth. So Sephiroth wasn't always perceived as evil.

The vision shifted again to when Reno found her after Rufus' battle with Cloud. The narrowing of his eyes and the emotions she felt. She only had vague memories of that time as she was just 'waking' up. Jalyne stared at the scene before her in thought as it shifted to her training.

The white-haired empress concentrated on what the bond was conferring. He wanted her for the sole purpose of enjoyment and as a weapon. She knew that though from the beginning of the relationship due to the Junon scenario. Jalyne viewed the images reflecting upon how she felt in the different circumstances.

No matter how much she wanted to hate him she could not. Rufus had his defects and issues but underneath, he was a genius and master businessman. He also held his Turks close to him and Jalyne realized that they were the family he missed in his youth.

Rufus learned early on that love was a fool's tale…until recently. His interactions with Jalyne changed his perspective slightly. He admitted to her that he loved her only in a way that wasn't what she held with Reno. However, was that really the case?

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" Reno questioned walking into the office in the wee hours of the morning, holding a cup of joe lightly in his hand.

"I did." The blond President responded while still looking out of the window.

Reno waited patiently for his superior to continue while glancing at the stairwell that led to his quarters, reaching outward to Jalyne. He couldn't sense anything and it felt blocked. Narrowing his eyes at the president's back, Reno waited.

"Do you love her, Reno?" Rufus suddenly asked, turning to his Second-In-Command.

Ever the cold-hearted Turk, Reno didn't move, but assumed his normal relaxed stance, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. The red head studied the President, trying to ascertain his intent. They were silent for a few minutes before he finally answered his superior.

"I do, yo." He affirmed with a light nod of his head.

Rufus stared at his Turk before a tiny smirk crested his face. "I do also." The blond waited to see a reaction from Reno, only to be slightly disappointed as he didn't give one. "We need to decide who gets her."

Only then did the growl come lightly from Reno's chest. "With all do respect, yo." He started as turquoise fire flared in his eyes. "She is MINE." He grounded out through clenched teeth.

"Is she really?" the president shot back.

Reno stepped forward, trying desperately to not look aggressive. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Rufus knew Jalyne was his, knew they were together. His coffee sloshed as his fingers clenched around the cup. How dare he try to take her away from him.

"And that is what I wanted to see." Rufus calmly stated. "And the reason we will have this conversation."

"Sir?" Reno questioned visibly relaxing into his stance, surprise evident in his eyes.

"You are willing to fight for her." The president elaborated. "She will need that in her worlds." The blond waved for his Turk to sit. "And who better to fulfill that role than a trained enforcer."

Reno sat down, still unsure where this conversation was leading. Rufus turned to look out of the window once more. "She is precious, Reno." The president turned back to his Turk. "I cannot fathom why it is so, but it is. And she is my Dearest."

"Sir?" Reno inquired confused, but sat down in a chair in front of the desk. He was tired and not thinking clearly. The president moved to lean on his desk calmly.

"I wish to have her, Reno, even if it is only casually."

Reno waited a long time before answering. "Why?" he asked quelling the immediate reaction of rage.

"For my own reasons." Rufus answered quietly glancing downward briefly.

"Well you can't have her, yo." Reno stated standing abruptly.

"There is a bond there." The blond started again. "One that we share."

"I doubt that, yo." The red-headed Turk scoffed turning from the president. He didn't care if he disobeyed the president. Jalyne was his.

"Did she ever say what really happened the night of the party?" Rufus pressed, standing to his Turk.

Reno turned slowly to the President with eyes narrowed. "She said enough, yo."

"Did she tell you that she took my darkness?" the blonde continued on. "The pain I carry."

Only a hint of widening occurred in the Turk's eyes. "Not in so many words."

"Let me ask you this, then." Rufus said coming to stand in front of Reno poignantly. "How loyal to me are you?"

"You're questioning my loyalty, Sir?"

"Would you give your life without a thought?"

Reno did not hesitate to answer. "Of course I would, yo."

"But what is the feeling behind that?" Rufus pressed, turning from his subordinate.

This time, the Turk did hesitate and did not respond right away. "It's a gut feeling, Sir." He stated respectfully.

Rufus turned back to him. "But can you see it? Is it tangible to you?"

Reno bunched his brows in concentration, hiding his reaction at so many questions. "No, yo."

"But you've seen the Forge."

Reno's head snapped up to meet the President's eyes. "With all do respect, Sir. What is behind this?"

Rufus sighed lightly and shook his head. "Jalyne kept saying it was her fault and that she couldn't stop it. Or she wouldn't – I don't know which. She carries a bond similar to your Forge. I saw it and within its energy is the swirl of my darkness that is slowly healing."

Reno didn't know how to react with this information. It was beyond him to a degree, but it made him stop and think. The Forge between them was blue and red, meshing to turn a purplish color. He knew, he could feel it – a distinct pulse or thump. But what was this bond?

"She is different – so different than this world has ever encountered." The blond broke into the Turks thoughts. "Did you ever stop to think that what we feel is seen by her in a tangible and viewable way?"

"She has mentioned auras before, yo."

"I know. She once told me that everyone has a distinct feel to her." Rufus studied Reno's eyes knowing that this request was beneath him to make. "Did we ever stop to consider that thought from her perspective? What is loyalty?"

Turquoise eyes widened at the statement and Reno shifted his thoughts to her way of thinking, summoning all of his experiences on Trerran, Litrandan and Drogavor. He was trying to figure out what it all meant.

"I would rather have her loyalty, Reno." The president paused. "I love her. She is my Dearest." Rufus looked at Reno calculating before continuing. "We are selfish, both of us. And yet so different. We always want what can't be had or what is held by someone else."

Reno remained silent, unsure on what the president wanted from him. He could understand what Rufus was saying, however, he wasn't willing to share. He knew Jalyne loved the president on a different scope and she would die for him also.

"I can't take her from you." The blond continued solemnly. "It would kill her and therefore I ask if you would allow me to spend some time with her."

"What do you mean, yo?" Reno ground out, tired and frustrated at his superior.

Rufus wanly smiled at his Turk. "You really have no idea the power you hold over her."

"I do not dictate what she does or don't do." Reno shrugged. "Not my style, yo. At least with women. I trust her, yo."

Rufus just about snorted at that response but instead lightly shook his head. "You hold more power than you think." He paused. "Did she ever say how the Forge is reacting with her?"

The red-head shook his spikes, staring intently at the President.

"Certain activities cause her pain." Rufus elaborated. "I gather that there are some things that it will not allow her to do. Not without permission."

"What are you getting at, Sir?"

"She resisted me." He paused. "I never thought she could as much as she enjoys the…pleasure."

This time Reno chuckled lightly. "I know she did, yo."

"You felt it through the Forge."

Again Reno nodded, standing to pitch his cup in the garbage. "What else happened, yo?"

"Jalyne is exhausted."

"I know that, yo." He waited as patiently as he could. "What did she do on Iecidrankta?"

"Helped Fraeztka resolve an issue." Rufus glanced towards his quarters. "She reached across the heavens, Reno. She…" the blond paused again. "That's power I've never seen. I watched her through the transmission. She was here and there."

"An illusion, yo?"

Again Rufus shook his head. "I really don't know." The President looked at Reno. "We have to heal her. What she took from me is hurting her."

"Would she give it back?"

Rufus's eyes took on a distant look before returning his gaze to Reno. "I don't think so."

"And you think you can heal her, yo?"

The President turned to the window to look at Midgar's night sky lit up green from the remaining reactors. "I could at least offer my perspective to help her heal. She struggles with the influence of my…darker qualities."

"And you want me to give you permission to be…intimate…with my Beloved in order to heal her, yo?" The Turk incredously questioned.

"Yes." Came the short answer.

"Not just no, but hell fuck NO, yo!"

Rufus sighed and turned back to the Turk with a slight smirk playing on his lips. "You know I always get what I want. If I ordered it of you?"

Reno puffed a breath in anger at his president. "You wouldn't. Look," he tried to calm down. "I told Jalyne that I really didn't care how familiar she is with you – just no sex." He crossed his arms in front of him. "Nope, don't wanna picture that or even think of it, yo."

"And what does she want?" Rufus threw back.

Reno narrowed his eyes slightly at him, raising one brow. If the president ordered it, he was screwed. He would have to accept it, loyalty and all that bullshit. Reno took a deep breath to calm himself, his mind racing at impossible speeds. Rufus was right though. What did Jalyne want?

To be loved.

Reno thought on the words she had said so long ago. He gave her his love and she knew it. Or at least he thought she did. A realization dawned on him. Jalyne was always intimate and expressive with those she loved. It was her way of healing and of healing others. It was her charm and allure. Whether she intentionally took Rufus's pain or not, was beside the point.

Reno studied the blond man in front of him. Jalyne needed to mend. Perhaps only Rufus could help her deal with his pain. He stared hard at Rufus before finally nodding.

"Try not to fuck her, yo." Reno said turning to leave.

Surprised at his Turk, Rufus asked. "You accept so quickly?"

Reno knew that tone of voice but still proceeded towards the office door. "You would order it anyway, yo."

Faterian.

She opened her eyes to the great expanse of her mind. It was travelling rapidly, showing her different scenarios and events within not just Rufus's life, but Reno's. Jalyne felt the presence of the pheonaie and turned around, only to stare into the flaming eyes.

She called him, overwhelmed with the frustration and exhausted over the last day's events. He could sense her confusion and apprehension. As he resumed his human form, Faterian looked outward towards the visions that her mind was playing.

"You called?" the burgundy-haired deity asked lightly.

Jalyne looked up at him impishly at the lighthearted joke. "I'm surprised you came." She jabbed back jovially.

"And why wouldn't I?" Faterian mused turning his flaming eyes to her with a smirk.

"You cannot see my destiny." She shrugged.

"True."

"Why is that?"

"I'm surprised you haven't thought of the reason by now." Jalyne quirked a brow and waited patiently, only for him to sigh. "You are outside of time."

Again, Jalyne raised a brow. "I know that." She commented turning towards the vision that her mind was replaying. "Why is my mind showing me all of this?"

This particular one was about Rufus and how his father treated him throughout his childhood. It wasn't a wonder on why he was isolated and alone, learning strictly the fundamentals business as it was drilled into his head. He had lost his mother early in life, from what Jalyne saw, and it affected him more than he would have admitted.

"To offer you a different perspective." Came the answer.

"Where is this coming from?" the empress questioned sincerely. "There are scenes and vision from both of them."

Faterian turned and crookedly smiled at her, placing a hand over her heart. "It comes from here."

Jalyne's eyes widened in slight understanding. "Is it possible to carry two Forges?"

"I suppose anything is possible, Jalyne." Faterian mused. "However, you are not carrying two Forges. The one with Rufus is a bond."

"How so?"

"Think hard on Frae and Sol, your two closest friends." He instructed. "What do you feel?"

Jalyne closed her eyes, concentrating on what Faterian was instructing to her. "Strength. Friendship. Caring. Love. Loyalty."

"Raise your palms, Jalyne." She did as instructed, raising her arms upward and in front of her, palms up. "Now open your eyes."

The gasp was audible as she opened her eyes and witnessed what was above her hands. Faterian moved to be in front of her. Above her left hand was the icy blue orb swirling in crystalline snowflakes and in her right was the yellowish, orange and red orb of Litrandan. Jalyne looked at Faterian in question and he smiled again.

"What others hide and dismiss, you can see." He began slowly. "Love. Loyalty. Pleasure. Hope. Happiness. Anger. Frustration. Everything you can see – should you know how to look."

Jalyne absorbed the energies, recalling DarkienLyy and the Twins. The green surrounded her hands as did the fuchsia and swirled rapidly. Her friends. For most of her life she believed that she was alone, forever to be the figurehead of the Empire. Never did she think that these bonds were forming. Jalyne looked at Faterian calling Rufus's bond to the forefront of her mind.

"What do I do?" she whispered. "I did it unintendedly. I took his pain."

"And with it his loyalty." Faterian paused. "The president loves you, Jalyne, but not like Reno loves you. There's a big difference."

The scene played of what occurred that night as the two of them looked on. She watched as the realization of what Rufus was about to do crossed his features. Sliding off his coat, his expression softened. Jalyne remembered that he didn't push the issue past that, irregardless of what was going through her emotions.

"You are loyal to him, Jalyne." The pheonaie commented. "Though he would like to be with you physically, that is something the three of you will have to work out. There's nothing wrong with it, just that you will have to be careful emotionally."

"How did I ever manage to get into this situation?" she wryly stated looking at a scene with Reno.

"You are an empath, Jalyne." The deity calmly stated. "And Rufus was correct – you love everything, on all levels. Built within you is the innate instinct of protection, caring, pleasure, loyalty and friendship."

"Why is my mind showing me these images?" she suddenly questioned.

"It is the bond and the Forge." He answered coming to stand next to her once again.

"Why?"

"To offer you the perspective."

"The perspective of what?" she asked confused.

"You cannot take the steps to heal unless you understand the reasonings behind the pain." Faterian paused. "Unfortunately you take great pleasure with intimacy aspect of healing and that is what will need to be worked upon. There are many different ways to heal, Jalyne."

She looked at him confused before nodding, feeling her body begin to wake. Faterian reached up, taking her head within his hands, and placed a kiss on her forehead. Her eyes narrowed before she asked the last question.

"Why did T'Karre want the coronation so soon?"

"Because it is time to heal the Heavens." He answered, taking the flaming pheonaie form and leaving. She watched him depart and sighed staring at the dreams in front of her, before the god of Fate's words rang back at her.

But to do that, you must learn to heal yourself, Empress.