Reno leaned back in his chair. What was going on? Was he losing his touch? He glanced at the camera monitoring Aeris's cell. She was still unconscious. Reno closed his eyes, only to fall out of his chair when the building violently began to shake.
"What the-" Reno looked around. He wasn't in his office anymore. The place around him was practically empty, except for Hojo standing in front of a huge monster, and Aeris lying a couple feet away. "Hojo! What's going on?"
Hojo laughed, glancing a moment at Aeris. " The monster I made using her blood. It's incredible! Evidently, it has the ability to change the existing reality into a different one. Isn't it wonderful?" Hojo laughed again, raising his arms to the monster.
"You're crazy!" Reno shouted above the monster's roar, which had begun to advance on them.
"Am I?" Hojo stayed where he was, grinning at his experiment, who had raised his claw above him.
The monster roared again, and struck Hojo with his claws. Reno watched as one claw generally cut Hojo's head open. Reno watched as Hojo fell to the ground, facedown. He knew immeadiatly that Hojo was dead.
Just as suddenly as the scene had begun, it disappeared, along with the monster. Hojo was lying face down in a pool of blood, in the middle of Reno's office. Aeris was still unconscious, on the floor. Reno gently shook her awake.
"Uhh..." Aeris shook her head. "What's going on?" Her emerald gaze went from Reno, to Hojo's body, and back to Reno. "Did you kill him?"
Reno shook his head. "I'm afraid he was killed by his own creation. Now get out of here before anyone realizes you're not in your cell."
"But-" Aeris looked around confused.
"Go! I'll pretend to be taking you somewhere, I'll take you down to the side entrance, but that's as far as I go."
"Why are you helping me? I don't understand..." Aeris trailed off.
Reno looked out the window in his office. "Because maybe I care for you to much to see you locked up and beaten like you have been."
Aeris blinked, and opened her mouth to speak, but decided to keep quiet. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
Reno turned around, to face her. "Come on, we should hurry."
"Right." Aeris bit her lip, following Reno into the elevator next to his office. "Thank you...."
Reno was looking out the glass side of the elevator, with his back turned to her. "You're welcome." He turned again to face her, and saw her holding something shining in her hand. "What is it?"
"A flower. A... an energy flower. It's for you." She handed the glass-like rose to him. "Keep it."
Cloud fought his way through the guards swarming around him. "Barret! Why the hell did you think it would be alright to bash the $%^$#*^ door in?!" He slashed a guard with his sword, fighting towards the door. "Keep fighting!"
Barret swore as a guard's shot barely missed him. "Awight. I'll hold them off. You and Tifa oughta go an' find Aeris." He shot randomly into the crowd of guards, yelling at them all.
"He's right! Come on, Cloud!" Tifa pulled at Cloud's arm.
"Okay, Let's go!" Cloud charged towards the door.
"Aeris...You don't have to-" Reno tryed giving her back the rose.
"No. Keep it." She pressed it into his hand and kissed him, silencing him.
The elevator door opened, only to reveal about 10 or so guards waiting for them.
"Oh boy..Stay in here, Aeris." Reno pulled out two desert eagles and began firing at the guards. One dove to the ground, and a few sought shelter behind a desk. Reno began shooting one at a time, until all of them were wounded fatally or dead.
Aeris looked at teh guards as Reno put his guns away. One raised himself up on his elbows and aimed at Reno's head. "Reno, look out!" Aeris saw he wouldn't be able to react in time, so she quickly ran and pushed him over. She felt the bullet hit her in the chest, but she smiled when she saw Reno wasn't hurt.
"Aeris!" Reno looked at her, surprised.
Aeris put her hand to the wound, thinking it wasn't to serious. "I'll be okay." She blinked, looking around as the room began to waver, and then she collapsed.
"NO!" Reno ran to catch her before she fell. "No..no..." He looked at her with tears in his eyes, as the blood flowed from beneath her hand. He took out his gun and shot the other man through the skull. "This can't happen." He whispered quietly as he dropped his gun. "I love you. Please..." He buried his face in her hair, weeping.
"What the hell?" Cloud ran into the room. "What did you do to her!?" His eyes were hard and cold, looking at Reno.
"What the hell happened?!" Cloud rushed into the room, eyes wild at the scene.
" I-I didn't do it." Reno picked up Aeris, watching as her still- warm blood dripped over his trembling fingers and onto the whit marble floor. "One of the guards...shot her.." He shook his head, and walked out past Cloud and Tifa carrying Aeris.
"Oh..." Tifa stood speechless as Reno walked past her. "Wh-what?"
Reno carried her onto the pavement outside the building, past Barret, and lay Aeris down. Cloud, Tifa, and Barret ran over, startled to see the man in tears.
"Maybe we can..heal her. I mean, she's not....dead....is she?" Tifa glanced hopelessly at Cloud.
"I don't believe him..." Cloud muttered to Barret, who nodded in agreement.
"Reno...is she still....?" Tifa walked over to him, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah...but not for... not for very long." Reon motioned to the pool off blood forming around Aeris.
"Well, we can heal her then." Tifa smiled and pulled out her healing materia. "Cloud! Barret! She's still alive. Get out your healing materia and help me."
Barret nodded and pulled it out of his weapon, and Cloud did the same.
"Ready? On three. One...Two...Three!" Tifa csat her highest cure spell on Aeris, as did Cloud and Barret.
The wound slowly sealed closed, and the bleeding stopped, but Aeris didn't move. "It's not working!" Tifa cried to them. "Try harder!"
Reno pulled out his mastered cure materia and joined them. "Come on...Aeris...wake up. Wake up!" His materia glowed brightly, sending an additional healing beam into her, and after a few tense minutes, she slowly opened her eyes.
"Reno...You're okay..." Aeris whispered, lifting her head.
"Shhhh...You're okay now. We all healed you." He motioned to Cloud and the others. "Rest now...you're still weak."
"I'll be...fine...really..." Aeris let her head lower to the ground and she closed her eyes. Reno picked up her sleeping form.
"We have to get out of Midgar, before Shinra sends more men after us. I know a way out, I have a key." Reno stood up, motioning to the others to follow. "Hurry!"
"What the-" Reno looked around. He wasn't in his office anymore. The place around him was practically empty, except for Hojo standing in front of a huge monster, and Aeris lying a couple feet away. "Hojo! What's going on?"
Hojo laughed, glancing a moment at Aeris. " The monster I made using her blood. It's incredible! Evidently, it has the ability to change the existing reality into a different one. Isn't it wonderful?" Hojo laughed again, raising his arms to the monster.
"You're crazy!" Reno shouted above the monster's roar, which had begun to advance on them.
"Am I?" Hojo stayed where he was, grinning at his experiment, who had raised his claw above him.
The monster roared again, and struck Hojo with his claws. Reno watched as one claw generally cut Hojo's head open. Reno watched as Hojo fell to the ground, facedown. He knew immeadiatly that Hojo was dead.
Just as suddenly as the scene had begun, it disappeared, along with the monster. Hojo was lying face down in a pool of blood, in the middle of Reno's office. Aeris was still unconscious, on the floor. Reno gently shook her awake.
"Uhh..." Aeris shook her head. "What's going on?" Her emerald gaze went from Reno, to Hojo's body, and back to Reno. "Did you kill him?"
Reno shook his head. "I'm afraid he was killed by his own creation. Now get out of here before anyone realizes you're not in your cell."
"But-" Aeris looked around confused.
"Go! I'll pretend to be taking you somewhere, I'll take you down to the side entrance, but that's as far as I go."
"Why are you helping me? I don't understand..." Aeris trailed off.
Reno looked out the window in his office. "Because maybe I care for you to much to see you locked up and beaten like you have been."
Aeris blinked, and opened her mouth to speak, but decided to keep quiet. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
Reno turned around, to face her. "Come on, we should hurry."
"Right." Aeris bit her lip, following Reno into the elevator next to his office. "Thank you...."
Reno was looking out the glass side of the elevator, with his back turned to her. "You're welcome." He turned again to face her, and saw her holding something shining in her hand. "What is it?"
"A flower. A... an energy flower. It's for you." She handed the glass-like rose to him. "Keep it."
Cloud fought his way through the guards swarming around him. "Barret! Why the hell did you think it would be alright to bash the $%^$#*^ door in?!" He slashed a guard with his sword, fighting towards the door. "Keep fighting!"
Barret swore as a guard's shot barely missed him. "Awight. I'll hold them off. You and Tifa oughta go an' find Aeris." He shot randomly into the crowd of guards, yelling at them all.
"He's right! Come on, Cloud!" Tifa pulled at Cloud's arm.
"Okay, Let's go!" Cloud charged towards the door.
"Aeris...You don't have to-" Reno tryed giving her back the rose.
"No. Keep it." She pressed it into his hand and kissed him, silencing him.
The elevator door opened, only to reveal about 10 or so guards waiting for them.
"Oh boy..Stay in here, Aeris." Reno pulled out two desert eagles and began firing at the guards. One dove to the ground, and a few sought shelter behind a desk. Reno began shooting one at a time, until all of them were wounded fatally or dead.
Aeris looked at teh guards as Reno put his guns away. One raised himself up on his elbows and aimed at Reno's head. "Reno, look out!" Aeris saw he wouldn't be able to react in time, so she quickly ran and pushed him over. She felt the bullet hit her in the chest, but she smiled when she saw Reno wasn't hurt.
"Aeris!" Reno looked at her, surprised.
Aeris put her hand to the wound, thinking it wasn't to serious. "I'll be okay." She blinked, looking around as the room began to waver, and then she collapsed.
"NO!" Reno ran to catch her before she fell. "No..no..." He looked at her with tears in his eyes, as the blood flowed from beneath her hand. He took out his gun and shot the other man through the skull. "This can't happen." He whispered quietly as he dropped his gun. "I love you. Please..." He buried his face in her hair, weeping.
"What the hell?" Cloud ran into the room. "What did you do to her!?" His eyes were hard and cold, looking at Reno.
"What the hell happened?!" Cloud rushed into the room, eyes wild at the scene.
" I-I didn't do it." Reno picked up Aeris, watching as her still- warm blood dripped over his trembling fingers and onto the whit marble floor. "One of the guards...shot her.." He shook his head, and walked out past Cloud and Tifa carrying Aeris.
"Oh..." Tifa stood speechless as Reno walked past her. "Wh-what?"
Reno carried her onto the pavement outside the building, past Barret, and lay Aeris down. Cloud, Tifa, and Barret ran over, startled to see the man in tears.
"Maybe we can..heal her. I mean, she's not....dead....is she?" Tifa glanced hopelessly at Cloud.
"I don't believe him..." Cloud muttered to Barret, who nodded in agreement.
"Reno...is she still....?" Tifa walked over to him, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah...but not for... not for very long." Reon motioned to the pool off blood forming around Aeris.
"Well, we can heal her then." Tifa smiled and pulled out her healing materia. "Cloud! Barret! She's still alive. Get out your healing materia and help me."
Barret nodded and pulled it out of his weapon, and Cloud did the same.
"Ready? On three. One...Two...Three!" Tifa csat her highest cure spell on Aeris, as did Cloud and Barret.
The wound slowly sealed closed, and the bleeding stopped, but Aeris didn't move. "It's not working!" Tifa cried to them. "Try harder!"
Reno pulled out his mastered cure materia and joined them. "Come on...Aeris...wake up. Wake up!" His materia glowed brightly, sending an additional healing beam into her, and after a few tense minutes, she slowly opened her eyes.
"Reno...You're okay..." Aeris whispered, lifting her head.
"Shhhh...You're okay now. We all healed you." He motioned to Cloud and the others. "Rest now...you're still weak."
"I'll be...fine...really..." Aeris let her head lower to the ground and she closed her eyes. Reno picked up her sleeping form.
"We have to get out of Midgar, before Shinra sends more men after us. I know a way out, I have a key." Reno stood up, motioning to the others to follow. "Hurry!"
