-Disclaimer- As if I hadn't made it clear before, I do not own Final Fantasy Seven, it's places, nor its characters.
Author's Note: Hey, I could write a column with all of these. My hard drive's giving me problems, so if I take awhile to update, it was hacked again. Not to worry; it rarely happens. Back on the topic of 'Angel.' I have a set number of chapters, excluding the alternate endings, and including this one. That number: 2, and this will put me to an eleven chapter. -Twirls a noise maker.- Hey, my last one was four, and I got bored with that. Anyway, again, feedback fuels not only me, but ---The Sickness---, my trusted FanFic team. They now work on my site, which will be up, and I give them bits of stories to do.
So, thank you Ultima and W A F F L E, along with the other readers, and here's the continuation to 'Angel.'
Part Eight: One Last Mission and More Agendas
Sephiroth made the best move of all of them and managed to get atop the machine before the shots went off toward the planes, and from there, he saw Cloud's leg clipped by a bullet and one just barely miss Cero.
He knew he was in trouble, though, when he heard the hissing and felt a platform rising beneath his feet.
Not good.
"And, to put the icing on the cake!" came the voice, one he could remember vaguely as the young boy in the bandana back underground. "This is for the little stunt you decided to pull on FOXX."
The platform continued up and then steam poured from three points on the armored car, sending off small guided missles at the two left standing on the planes.
The one aimed at Cloud missed and spun out of control afterward, smashing into one of the fighter jets and sending it into a ball of flame. That alone was enough to shove Cloud from the top of his plane, but he lived the fall.
The second hits its desired target of the fuselage on Cero's pedestal-type plane.
The third missle made a cartoon-like path. It knicked the propellor on the front of Vincent's plane and that carried it forward while the missle blew a large hole in the far wall.
Vincent jumped off, but it didn't turn out too well as the plane hit the wall and also went up in flames.
Sephiroth was left unharmed as he hopped down from the car, fires burning dangerously high not two hundred yards from the survivors.
Reno and Tifa were both knocked to the concrete after Cero's plane had exploded, and Reno attempted a rushed explanation. "He's a liar, Tiff."
The hatch on the car opened and Xion bounded out, silver handgun in his right fist and aimed for the back of Sephiroth's head. "Nice try, but y'can't kill 'em all, bastard," he hissed angrily.
Tifa, oddly, took notice of Xion's tattered clothes as she nodded at Reno, feeling a bit relieved -- but still not fully trusting him -- by that.
Cloud, attempting to go for his blade, was met with a cold barrel against the back of his head, and Sephiroth was furiated to see Vincent having sided with Reno and Tifa after all.
Yes, it seemed like he was there to help them after some thinking.
"Wow, I get to kill my hero," Xion announced with a chuckle defying his age, along with his skills. "Your first bad move was wiping out the Den. You couldn't have thought we didn't have other branches, ya moron!"
ViYlic walked from the flames and hurried to the two fallen people who were on his side, helping them both up.
"Smart kid," Cloud grumbled.
Sephiroth gave Cloud a look. "Is this the time to insult them, Puppet?"
Xion had moved forward and stood on his toes to keep perfect aim on Sephiroth.
"Smart, but slow," came a low growl from the silver-haired legend, spinning around and taking a mad swipe with the Masamune.
He turned out to be fooled as Xion quickly leapt over the blade, backhanding him with the side of the gun in the process.
The Masamune slid out of his grip and into a wall, where Reno was unheasitant to take it for himself. It made a better weapon than a mag-rod.
"Why'd ya have to say that, bitch?!" Xion tauntingly spit on one of his boots and then stepped on it as if to rub it in.
At gun-point, Sephiroth wasn't near as threatening as 'Chaos' had made him out to be, the youngest decided.
Sephiroth, fed up, grabbed the barrel of the long gun and kicked it at the handle, causing Xion to lose his grip and give it up to him.
"Ignorant bastard!" Xion whooped with a chuckle, dancing around lightly. "C'mon, shoot me!"
Tifa wanted so bad to yell, 'Xion, you're nuts!', but kept her peace.
Sephiroth was glad to comply, but as he tried, he found the gun completely empty. He growled and glared daggers at the former FOXX.
Xion looked at him with an odd sense of pleasure. "Who's a bit on the slow side now, eh?"
Vincent had to suppress a chuckle. This was amusing.
Reno felt much the same way as he held the Masamune, watching Xion dance around the older man and parry pistol-whips.
Sephiroth stopped and quickly brought a loaded gun from his pocket, turning to face where his shoulder had been and firing a shot.
Reno heard it a second or two too late, but he couldn't block out the scream emitted from beside him, nor the feeling that someone had dumped a large load of lead into his chest. In a way, this was true, but he'd never been shot so straight before. The next thing he noted was being on his back, not hearing anything but screams and grunts from the fight, which was barely feet away.
Why did he want so badly to sleep, he wondered.
He felt his eyelids obeying gravity, and being so drained, he couldn't help but oblige and fall into the unconsciousness.
ViYlic had his hands pressed to the shot wound as Tifa shook Reno's shoulders roughly, trying to wake him up.
Xion's eyes flew wide. He stammered with words, maybe a comical apology, but right about now he really needed some help. Seeing the glint in Sephiroth's eyes, that alone suggested his former idol didn't feel up for sparing a fan.
"Hey."
Sephiroth made the wrong move at looking over at the call, giving Xion a chance to wrench the gun from his hand.
Tarah dashed at Sephiroth ahd leapt, landing on his back. She hated to do this, but it was their last chance, as far as she could tell.
Vincent's Death Penalty was pressed hard to the back of Cloud's head. "It doesn't look like Claratish will make it out in one piece," he mused.
"Traitor," Cloud hissed, his hand very close to his blade. He could most likely duck, draw, and cut, but he didn't want to take the chance this soon. Instead, he simply watched as his only lasting partner tried to throw the girl from his back as she tried to cut off his air supply.
The crackling of the fires was barely heard over the unbidden sobs wracking Tifa for ViYlic, and he went off into curses when the blood had stopped but Reno still looked out of it.
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Inside Reno's haze, he seemed to be floating through a world of emerald glass, passing him and amplifying his reflection at times. He was flying, as far as he could tell, in a world of complete peace and harmony.
"Reno."
He knew the voice anywhere as Tseng's, but this time he appeared completely human and unlit. The deceased Turk was standing just up ahead, and he pedalled himself for the man.
"Hey, where'm I at?" he queried, looking at Tseng with questioning eyes.
The older man was silent for a moment, his face a mask. He didn't want to tell Reno the truth. "Follow," was the curt reply.
The world swirled around for a moment before they stood in a mist of the same color green, though standing on solid ground for a change. With a break in the 'clouds,' Reno could see transparent figures floating around in a void of white.
"The Lifestream."
Those words were enough to freeze Reno's insides, and he gaped at Tseng as if he were speaking for the first time. "What?!!"
Tseng clasped his hands behind his back and gazed into the blinding color around them before a figure materialized in the middle of the platform they were on, which felt, when Reno thought about it, like it was floating through the same thing.
Reno could hear a faint hiss behind him, so he swung around and got another surprise. "The Ancient!"
"I have a name," Aeris corrected politely, her hair now let down and falling below her waist.
Tseng broke in, "The weapon Sephiroth was using was Jenovan, and the race was great in their weaponry. They made the most powerful guns, but their mistake was letting the secret of their technology get out and carried into the Lifestream. Why this matters, I am unsure, but with a gun like that, your friends don't stand a chance. Sephiroth brought that from here, just like himself, which means they must be returned, but not before he serves his purpose."
Reno could almost hear all of it whiz over his head, and it must've been felt somehow.
Aeris continued for him. "As odd as this sounds, when one leaves the Lifestream, once their mission is complete, they return. But, once a being from the Lifestream has five deaths on his or her hands, they become mortal and are not forced to return. What Sephiroth is looking to do is become mortal, and then complete his mission, so he can then live and continue his destruction."
"Why didn't you just keep him here if you knew what he was up to?" Reno demanded.
Tseng sighed. "No matter how bad the sin, we must comply with his wishes if his tie with the Planet is strong enough. If his mission were to summon Meteor again, we could not stop him."
Reno was extremely confused now. "What're you tellin' me this for?!"
"You must kill Sephiroth before he becomes immortal. 'Why?' you might ask. Because Tifa does not yet have ties with the Planet strong enough to return. You do, Reno. To put it simple, you can go back, but you must do it before Tifa is killed, or she will die and never be there with you again. If she dies before you come back, however, the Lifestream is not what everyone thinks it is," Aeris told him softly.
Both of the deceased now faced Reno. "Exactly what do you mean?" he queried, not wanting the answer, really.
"You will not be reunited if she dies," Tseng murmured.
Aeris almost sounded as if she were replying to a question when she said, "He means, few lucky beings are permitted to explore the Lifestream and speak with other dead. Only one returned from the Lifestream can kill one from the Lifestream. As of now, Sephiroth has one death, which is yours. There are five more people down there, and then Tifa. The Lifestream is asking you for help."
Reno was beginning to catch on. "But, if I go down and kill Sephiroth, I'll be back up here, and I won't be able to be with Tifa anyway," he softly assumed.
Tseng shook his head slowly. "Most of the time, those who return have their own missions. Currently, the Lifestream is asking for your help. This will not be your mission; you will not be returned, but once it is completed, you will be stripped of your new strength, and you will not be. . ."
"Alive," Reno choked.
Both of them nodded grimly. "If you do not accept, you will still be entitled to return with a mission, but if you do accept, you will have to go down, kill Sephiroth, and then you are kind of given a second life, but not living," Aeris finished.
This was all coming too fast for Reno to quite understand, but he got the point from Aeris' last words. "He said this was your last wish, Aeris," he half-asked.
Aeris shook her head. "A lie. As was what he told Tifa, and you know that, but she doesn't. Would it not be worth it to go back, just to say that?" she questioned.
'Why me?' Reno wanted to shout. He had to go down and kill Sephiroth. "I'm not strong enough for that," he thought aloud.
Tseng almost smiled. "Sephiroth was not strong enough to kill you, but he used a weapon from the Lifestream. Is there something that prohibits you from doing the same? I think not, therefore, we will provide you with a tool to use."
Reno looked up from staring at whatever they were floating on. "Eh?"
Aeris cleared it up for him in a way as Tseng disappeared into the void. "The Cetra were not exactly the strongest race, Reno, but they did know how to make their weapons, and they knew how to make them well. The Jenovans and the Cetra were enemies, I think you know, and the Cetra managed to squeeze their technilogy techniques from one of the captives from the Eight Thousand Year War."
"So, you're basically gonna give me an Ancient-made Jenovan gun?" Reno sounded more than skeptical.
Aeris sighed and shook her head. "Wait for Tseng."
Soon enough, the former Turk was back with a long stick, something looking like an ax head at the top, but with four jagged points. He held it out to Reno, the thing looking like a stick with a rock at the end. "Don't make stereotypes of staffs. Use it."
Reno took it hesitantly, balanacing it out in his hands befrore thinking it all over again and shaking his head. "I can't do this," he muttered.
"Get your ass down there and be with Tifa," came a hard demand from Tseng, taking Reno and Aeris by surprise. "Listen, Reno. The entire Lifestream's counting on you to bring Sephiroth back up here. From there, the Cetra will deal with him."
Reno was silent for a moment. He still had one question. "You said after she dies, Tifa doesn't have a strong enough connection with the Planet to have a last mission. I figure she should have more of one than me."
Tseng's lips curled into a smirk. "Remember when I said if you cleaned up your act, I'd put a good word in for you?"
Reno frowned. "Alright, alright. Get me back down there, already."
Aeris nodded and closed her eyes, bending her head and folding her hands in deep concentration.
After a moment, Reno felt the sensation of being drenched with ice water, then complete blackness.
Tseng easily caught Aeris as she collapsed, standing her back up. He kne whow much that had taken out of her. "Let's just hope he doesn't live up to his reputation of a complete moron," he whispered as Reno faded into the white around them.
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Not one of the six saw exactly how it happened, but what they did see was Reno's eyes snap open and a staff appear in place of the Masamune in his hand.
Tifa was the closest to it, and almost died from awe at the apparent revival. She knew no one's Life abilities from Materia worked after the Reactors were shut down, and she hadn't done a thing except sobbed next to him for a few minutes.
Sephiroth seemed more surprised than Tifa, but it turned to rage as quickly as a man could blink. He had a sense for the Lifestream. "Aeris," he hissed under his breath.
The deceased Turk raised to his feet with ease, feeling different. For one, he was dead. The next was that he'd felt an improvement in strength.
Tifa still looked on him with dinner-plate-sized eyes. She tried to say something, but it came out as a force of choked air. She'd never seen anything like this before.
Reno advanced on Sephiroth, and was surprised to see him looking ready to flee. "You. Me. Now. We finish this, Sephiroth. Leave them out of it," he commanded.
The red-haired young man didn't even know what he was doing as he vaulted over Sephiroth on the staff and set a foot into his spine, propelling him forward into Cloud, who'd managed to try to sneak up for an attack.
Cloud was surprised at how fast he moved, just before he slammed into Sephiroth and was sent sprawling.
"Whoa," came a mutter from ViYlic, who then snatched up Cloud and restrained him. The speed at which Reno moved was different, needless to say.
Sephiroth growled and wiped at his lip, having fell onto his face.
Blood.
The growl became louder as he threw himself to his feet, sending his leg out in a wide circle and landing a hard hit.
Pain was still there, Reno noted as the side of his face felt like a dog had bitten into it. He merely staggered, though, keeping on his feet and holding the staff defensively. "That the best you can toss?"
Sephiroth came at him full-force with a shoulder, which was enough to knock him to the ground for once. He then backed away a step and kicked his legs sideways, coming down into a crescent kick.
The other had been ready for it, though, and rolled to the side to feel the back of his suit grazed and hear the heavy boot on the concrete. He shifted the weight into his shoulders and kind of spun, knocking Sephiroth's feet out from under him with a leg.
Tifa was still trying to figure out the whole mess as Sephiroth went down. She hadn't bothered to wipe her eyes, and her cheeks were slightly stained where tears had flowed in small rivers before.
Cloud had gotten up and took a low swipe with his sword.
Reno's very mind had sped up, and he countered by barely ducking under the blade and then pushing off the ground. He swung the staff out and hti Cloud square in the face, but realized his mistake when his chest broke his fall and the wind was knocked out of his lungs.
Cloud didn't even make a sound as he went down; only took it like a SOLDIER would be expected to.
As it was down to Reno and Sephiroth, the other five just watched, knowing it was their problem as of now.
To Sephiroth, Tifa no longer mattered, but Reno was his main concern. The two stared each other down, Sephiroth starting into a pant while Reno looked no worse for the wear.
Xion had disappeared to jnside the car for safety -- an order from Tarah -- so he didn't see what happened next.
Another gun was produced from Sephiroth and two shots went off with impossible speed.
ViYlic and Tarah fell, never to rise again.
Reno exoloded into a fit of rage, advancing on Sephiroth with many blows from the body of the staff. He did this until he had the taller man backed into the wall and unarmed for hopefully the last time.
The staff's hooked end was crudely designed by hand, that was apparent, but the hook fit Sephiroth's neck perfectly. Reno shoved it into the wall so he had him pinne there, then stood back as if to admire his work.
Sephiroth, seeing the rage burning in Reno's eyes, had it figured out that the fight was over, and the younger prevailed, having had enough power to indeed stop the mission. "It ends. . .here," he muttered, choking against the Cetra weapon.
Reno just stared at him for a moment before smiling disturbingly and putting a hard kick to the end of the staff.
Blood flowed, but not too well, and Sephiroth seemed to have died in pain. His head froze for a moment, then rolled off to the side, hitting the floor with the sound of someone throwing down a soaked rag.
The deceased stared at the torso of Sephiroth for a moment, as if to say 'Have a nice trip.' He could hear the crackling of the fires, which had disposed of all the planes now, as well as sobs coming once again from Tifa because of all the death.
He reached down, having seen something, and picked the fairly heavy object up. The staff had disappeared into nothing, and he felt as weak as before death, but as he looked at his hand, he found the switchblade he'd seen used on his sister.
Reno dropped it and spun around, making quick strides to Tifa. He forgot about it all for a moment as soon as she collapsed and buried her head in his chest, gripping his slightly-charred shirt, just relieved to feel his arms pull her close as a sign of comfort and understanding.
Vincent watched in silence, then bowed his head and closed his eyes. He'd been responsible for many of the deaths that had come to innocent people that day. It was all his fault, and he would speak with both of them later, confessing to Tifa, and then tellng Reno he had nothing to blame himself for.
"Chaos?"
Vincent's eyes snapped open at the call, only to fall on Xion, who had a curious look in his. "what of it?" came the harsh reply.
Xion frowned, not even seeming to care that most of FOXX had been wiped out. "Look, I've read all your books, and from what I heard, Sephiroth deserved all of it. Fuck 'im, cheer up, and live, man."
The crimson-clad man stared at Xion for a moment, then laid a hand on his shoulder and said, "Child, that's the most intelligent thing I've heard in a long while. Run outside and tell the guards to bring the Force, and then we can all do that."
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Indeed, Vincent kept his promise and told everything he had to them both. His secret agenda with Sephiroth; how he had planned to help in the killing of Tifa; how he'd deceived them all and had never planned to save anyone.
Reno seemed a bit mad at first, but Tifa had managed to calm him down, though she had her own feelings toward Vincent left unexpressed.
The dead one had his own confession, about what had happened after he'd been shot, but it didn't matter too much.
The three sat inside the living room of Reno's apartment, the light of the sun having left them with only deep violet smudges pressed into the sky. One lamp was lit and Vincent sat across from them in the armchair. Tifa was asleep, using Reno's chest as a pillow, on the couch.
Xion had gone somewhere with ViYlic, and the Force believed their story because of rumors floating around.
"I'm sorry," Vincent said for the umpteenth time that evening.
Reno sighed. "Vincent, I told you, we all forgive you now. Look at me, even. I lied to her the whole way, but both of us came through for her in the end."
"Not about that," he denied. "I mean, you are immortal, correct?"
"In a way," came Reno's reply.
Vincent nodded, rubbing his metallic hand against his real one. "I'm sorry you have to feel my pain of never being able to age; of having to outlive everyone who cares about you. I know what it feels like, and maybe it seems fun right now, but use these first few years well, Reno. I know what it feels like to waste them and just rot, never doing a thing for yourself whilst the opportunity was there. Tifa loves you a great deal, and you her. Use the feelings and years well, and you will never be like me, always looking back and saying what you would change if given another chance. That, Reno, is the worst feeling in the world, and what's worse is knowing you can't do a thing you'd like to have done."
Reno brooded Vincent's words for a moment, looking down at the face of Tifa. He knew how much of a point the man had, but he didn't want to have to tell Tifa he was never going to age; that he was going to be another Vincent Valentine. She would be crushed, as far as he knew.
Vincent could almost read his thoughts. "Now is better than ever to tell her, Reno. If you don't, she will be even more hurt when she finds out, maybe from someone else."
Reno nodded. "She means more than life to me," he admitted softly.
"You've lost life. Don't lose her," Vincent instructed. He then stood up and disappeared into the kitchen's darkness.
The younger man looked down at Tifa again, resting a hand on the back of her neck. Vincent's point was as clear as glass, and Reno knew he cared for Tifa more than he'd cared for anyone before her.
Author's Note: Alright, this was a bit long, but it was worth it. Yes, although it looks like the end, one more chapter. The next will be from Reno's POV, and a bit different. As for the easy deaths, I always hand the fight scenes over to W A F F L E, so don't blame me. He did all of the Reno against Sephiroth stuff. Until next time. . . (Yeah, I'll admit it, I did get a little wet-eyed when I went through Vincent's speech again.)
-=Haze=-
.Exo. - 2003
Author's Note: Hey, I could write a column with all of these. My hard drive's giving me problems, so if I take awhile to update, it was hacked again. Not to worry; it rarely happens. Back on the topic of 'Angel.' I have a set number of chapters, excluding the alternate endings, and including this one. That number: 2, and this will put me to an eleven chapter. -Twirls a noise maker.- Hey, my last one was four, and I got bored with that. Anyway, again, feedback fuels not only me, but ---The Sickness---, my trusted FanFic team. They now work on my site, which will be up, and I give them bits of stories to do.
So, thank you Ultima and W A F F L E, along with the other readers, and here's the continuation to 'Angel.'
Part Eight: One Last Mission and More Agendas
Sephiroth made the best move of all of them and managed to get atop the machine before the shots went off toward the planes, and from there, he saw Cloud's leg clipped by a bullet and one just barely miss Cero.
He knew he was in trouble, though, when he heard the hissing and felt a platform rising beneath his feet.
Not good.
"And, to put the icing on the cake!" came the voice, one he could remember vaguely as the young boy in the bandana back underground. "This is for the little stunt you decided to pull on FOXX."
The platform continued up and then steam poured from three points on the armored car, sending off small guided missles at the two left standing on the planes.
The one aimed at Cloud missed and spun out of control afterward, smashing into one of the fighter jets and sending it into a ball of flame. That alone was enough to shove Cloud from the top of his plane, but he lived the fall.
The second hits its desired target of the fuselage on Cero's pedestal-type plane.
The third missle made a cartoon-like path. It knicked the propellor on the front of Vincent's plane and that carried it forward while the missle blew a large hole in the far wall.
Vincent jumped off, but it didn't turn out too well as the plane hit the wall and also went up in flames.
Sephiroth was left unharmed as he hopped down from the car, fires burning dangerously high not two hundred yards from the survivors.
Reno and Tifa were both knocked to the concrete after Cero's plane had exploded, and Reno attempted a rushed explanation. "He's a liar, Tiff."
The hatch on the car opened and Xion bounded out, silver handgun in his right fist and aimed for the back of Sephiroth's head. "Nice try, but y'can't kill 'em all, bastard," he hissed angrily.
Tifa, oddly, took notice of Xion's tattered clothes as she nodded at Reno, feeling a bit relieved -- but still not fully trusting him -- by that.
Cloud, attempting to go for his blade, was met with a cold barrel against the back of his head, and Sephiroth was furiated to see Vincent having sided with Reno and Tifa after all.
Yes, it seemed like he was there to help them after some thinking.
"Wow, I get to kill my hero," Xion announced with a chuckle defying his age, along with his skills. "Your first bad move was wiping out the Den. You couldn't have thought we didn't have other branches, ya moron!"
ViYlic walked from the flames and hurried to the two fallen people who were on his side, helping them both up.
"Smart kid," Cloud grumbled.
Sephiroth gave Cloud a look. "Is this the time to insult them, Puppet?"
Xion had moved forward and stood on his toes to keep perfect aim on Sephiroth.
"Smart, but slow," came a low growl from the silver-haired legend, spinning around and taking a mad swipe with the Masamune.
He turned out to be fooled as Xion quickly leapt over the blade, backhanding him with the side of the gun in the process.
The Masamune slid out of his grip and into a wall, where Reno was unheasitant to take it for himself. It made a better weapon than a mag-rod.
"Why'd ya have to say that, bitch?!" Xion tauntingly spit on one of his boots and then stepped on it as if to rub it in.
At gun-point, Sephiroth wasn't near as threatening as 'Chaos' had made him out to be, the youngest decided.
Sephiroth, fed up, grabbed the barrel of the long gun and kicked it at the handle, causing Xion to lose his grip and give it up to him.
"Ignorant bastard!" Xion whooped with a chuckle, dancing around lightly. "C'mon, shoot me!"
Tifa wanted so bad to yell, 'Xion, you're nuts!', but kept her peace.
Sephiroth was glad to comply, but as he tried, he found the gun completely empty. He growled and glared daggers at the former FOXX.
Xion looked at him with an odd sense of pleasure. "Who's a bit on the slow side now, eh?"
Vincent had to suppress a chuckle. This was amusing.
Reno felt much the same way as he held the Masamune, watching Xion dance around the older man and parry pistol-whips.
Sephiroth stopped and quickly brought a loaded gun from his pocket, turning to face where his shoulder had been and firing a shot.
Reno heard it a second or two too late, but he couldn't block out the scream emitted from beside him, nor the feeling that someone had dumped a large load of lead into his chest. In a way, this was true, but he'd never been shot so straight before. The next thing he noted was being on his back, not hearing anything but screams and grunts from the fight, which was barely feet away.
Why did he want so badly to sleep, he wondered.
He felt his eyelids obeying gravity, and being so drained, he couldn't help but oblige and fall into the unconsciousness.
ViYlic had his hands pressed to the shot wound as Tifa shook Reno's shoulders roughly, trying to wake him up.
Xion's eyes flew wide. He stammered with words, maybe a comical apology, but right about now he really needed some help. Seeing the glint in Sephiroth's eyes, that alone suggested his former idol didn't feel up for sparing a fan.
"Hey."
Sephiroth made the wrong move at looking over at the call, giving Xion a chance to wrench the gun from his hand.
Tarah dashed at Sephiroth ahd leapt, landing on his back. She hated to do this, but it was their last chance, as far as she could tell.
Vincent's Death Penalty was pressed hard to the back of Cloud's head. "It doesn't look like Claratish will make it out in one piece," he mused.
"Traitor," Cloud hissed, his hand very close to his blade. He could most likely duck, draw, and cut, but he didn't want to take the chance this soon. Instead, he simply watched as his only lasting partner tried to throw the girl from his back as she tried to cut off his air supply.
The crackling of the fires was barely heard over the unbidden sobs wracking Tifa for ViYlic, and he went off into curses when the blood had stopped but Reno still looked out of it.
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Inside Reno's haze, he seemed to be floating through a world of emerald glass, passing him and amplifying his reflection at times. He was flying, as far as he could tell, in a world of complete peace and harmony.
"Reno."
He knew the voice anywhere as Tseng's, but this time he appeared completely human and unlit. The deceased Turk was standing just up ahead, and he pedalled himself for the man.
"Hey, where'm I at?" he queried, looking at Tseng with questioning eyes.
The older man was silent for a moment, his face a mask. He didn't want to tell Reno the truth. "Follow," was the curt reply.
The world swirled around for a moment before they stood in a mist of the same color green, though standing on solid ground for a change. With a break in the 'clouds,' Reno could see transparent figures floating around in a void of white.
"The Lifestream."
Those words were enough to freeze Reno's insides, and he gaped at Tseng as if he were speaking for the first time. "What?!!"
Tseng clasped his hands behind his back and gazed into the blinding color around them before a figure materialized in the middle of the platform they were on, which felt, when Reno thought about it, like it was floating through the same thing.
Reno could hear a faint hiss behind him, so he swung around and got another surprise. "The Ancient!"
"I have a name," Aeris corrected politely, her hair now let down and falling below her waist.
Tseng broke in, "The weapon Sephiroth was using was Jenovan, and the race was great in their weaponry. They made the most powerful guns, but their mistake was letting the secret of their technology get out and carried into the Lifestream. Why this matters, I am unsure, but with a gun like that, your friends don't stand a chance. Sephiroth brought that from here, just like himself, which means they must be returned, but not before he serves his purpose."
Reno could almost hear all of it whiz over his head, and it must've been felt somehow.
Aeris continued for him. "As odd as this sounds, when one leaves the Lifestream, once their mission is complete, they return. But, once a being from the Lifestream has five deaths on his or her hands, they become mortal and are not forced to return. What Sephiroth is looking to do is become mortal, and then complete his mission, so he can then live and continue his destruction."
"Why didn't you just keep him here if you knew what he was up to?" Reno demanded.
Tseng sighed. "No matter how bad the sin, we must comply with his wishes if his tie with the Planet is strong enough. If his mission were to summon Meteor again, we could not stop him."
Reno was extremely confused now. "What're you tellin' me this for?!"
"You must kill Sephiroth before he becomes immortal. 'Why?' you might ask. Because Tifa does not yet have ties with the Planet strong enough to return. You do, Reno. To put it simple, you can go back, but you must do it before Tifa is killed, or she will die and never be there with you again. If she dies before you come back, however, the Lifestream is not what everyone thinks it is," Aeris told him softly.
Both of the deceased now faced Reno. "Exactly what do you mean?" he queried, not wanting the answer, really.
"You will not be reunited if she dies," Tseng murmured.
Aeris almost sounded as if she were replying to a question when she said, "He means, few lucky beings are permitted to explore the Lifestream and speak with other dead. Only one returned from the Lifestream can kill one from the Lifestream. As of now, Sephiroth has one death, which is yours. There are five more people down there, and then Tifa. The Lifestream is asking you for help."
Reno was beginning to catch on. "But, if I go down and kill Sephiroth, I'll be back up here, and I won't be able to be with Tifa anyway," he softly assumed.
Tseng shook his head slowly. "Most of the time, those who return have their own missions. Currently, the Lifestream is asking for your help. This will not be your mission; you will not be returned, but once it is completed, you will be stripped of your new strength, and you will not be. . ."
"Alive," Reno choked.
Both of them nodded grimly. "If you do not accept, you will still be entitled to return with a mission, but if you do accept, you will have to go down, kill Sephiroth, and then you are kind of given a second life, but not living," Aeris finished.
This was all coming too fast for Reno to quite understand, but he got the point from Aeris' last words. "He said this was your last wish, Aeris," he half-asked.
Aeris shook her head. "A lie. As was what he told Tifa, and you know that, but she doesn't. Would it not be worth it to go back, just to say that?" she questioned.
'Why me?' Reno wanted to shout. He had to go down and kill Sephiroth. "I'm not strong enough for that," he thought aloud.
Tseng almost smiled. "Sephiroth was not strong enough to kill you, but he used a weapon from the Lifestream. Is there something that prohibits you from doing the same? I think not, therefore, we will provide you with a tool to use."
Reno looked up from staring at whatever they were floating on. "Eh?"
Aeris cleared it up for him in a way as Tseng disappeared into the void. "The Cetra were not exactly the strongest race, Reno, but they did know how to make their weapons, and they knew how to make them well. The Jenovans and the Cetra were enemies, I think you know, and the Cetra managed to squeeze their technilogy techniques from one of the captives from the Eight Thousand Year War."
"So, you're basically gonna give me an Ancient-made Jenovan gun?" Reno sounded more than skeptical.
Aeris sighed and shook her head. "Wait for Tseng."
Soon enough, the former Turk was back with a long stick, something looking like an ax head at the top, but with four jagged points. He held it out to Reno, the thing looking like a stick with a rock at the end. "Don't make stereotypes of staffs. Use it."
Reno took it hesitantly, balanacing it out in his hands befrore thinking it all over again and shaking his head. "I can't do this," he muttered.
"Get your ass down there and be with Tifa," came a hard demand from Tseng, taking Reno and Aeris by surprise. "Listen, Reno. The entire Lifestream's counting on you to bring Sephiroth back up here. From there, the Cetra will deal with him."
Reno was silent for a moment. He still had one question. "You said after she dies, Tifa doesn't have a strong enough connection with the Planet to have a last mission. I figure she should have more of one than me."
Tseng's lips curled into a smirk. "Remember when I said if you cleaned up your act, I'd put a good word in for you?"
Reno frowned. "Alright, alright. Get me back down there, already."
Aeris nodded and closed her eyes, bending her head and folding her hands in deep concentration.
After a moment, Reno felt the sensation of being drenched with ice water, then complete blackness.
Tseng easily caught Aeris as she collapsed, standing her back up. He kne whow much that had taken out of her. "Let's just hope he doesn't live up to his reputation of a complete moron," he whispered as Reno faded into the white around them.
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Not one of the six saw exactly how it happened, but what they did see was Reno's eyes snap open and a staff appear in place of the Masamune in his hand.
Tifa was the closest to it, and almost died from awe at the apparent revival. She knew no one's Life abilities from Materia worked after the Reactors were shut down, and she hadn't done a thing except sobbed next to him for a few minutes.
Sephiroth seemed more surprised than Tifa, but it turned to rage as quickly as a man could blink. He had a sense for the Lifestream. "Aeris," he hissed under his breath.
The deceased Turk raised to his feet with ease, feeling different. For one, he was dead. The next was that he'd felt an improvement in strength.
Tifa still looked on him with dinner-plate-sized eyes. She tried to say something, but it came out as a force of choked air. She'd never seen anything like this before.
Reno advanced on Sephiroth, and was surprised to see him looking ready to flee. "You. Me. Now. We finish this, Sephiroth. Leave them out of it," he commanded.
The red-haired young man didn't even know what he was doing as he vaulted over Sephiroth on the staff and set a foot into his spine, propelling him forward into Cloud, who'd managed to try to sneak up for an attack.
Cloud was surprised at how fast he moved, just before he slammed into Sephiroth and was sent sprawling.
"Whoa," came a mutter from ViYlic, who then snatched up Cloud and restrained him. The speed at which Reno moved was different, needless to say.
Sephiroth growled and wiped at his lip, having fell onto his face.
Blood.
The growl became louder as he threw himself to his feet, sending his leg out in a wide circle and landing a hard hit.
Pain was still there, Reno noted as the side of his face felt like a dog had bitten into it. He merely staggered, though, keeping on his feet and holding the staff defensively. "That the best you can toss?"
Sephiroth came at him full-force with a shoulder, which was enough to knock him to the ground for once. He then backed away a step and kicked his legs sideways, coming down into a crescent kick.
The other had been ready for it, though, and rolled to the side to feel the back of his suit grazed and hear the heavy boot on the concrete. He shifted the weight into his shoulders and kind of spun, knocking Sephiroth's feet out from under him with a leg.
Tifa was still trying to figure out the whole mess as Sephiroth went down. She hadn't bothered to wipe her eyes, and her cheeks were slightly stained where tears had flowed in small rivers before.
Cloud had gotten up and took a low swipe with his sword.
Reno's very mind had sped up, and he countered by barely ducking under the blade and then pushing off the ground. He swung the staff out and hti Cloud square in the face, but realized his mistake when his chest broke his fall and the wind was knocked out of his lungs.
Cloud didn't even make a sound as he went down; only took it like a SOLDIER would be expected to.
As it was down to Reno and Sephiroth, the other five just watched, knowing it was their problem as of now.
To Sephiroth, Tifa no longer mattered, but Reno was his main concern. The two stared each other down, Sephiroth starting into a pant while Reno looked no worse for the wear.
Xion had disappeared to jnside the car for safety -- an order from Tarah -- so he didn't see what happened next.
Another gun was produced from Sephiroth and two shots went off with impossible speed.
ViYlic and Tarah fell, never to rise again.
Reno exoloded into a fit of rage, advancing on Sephiroth with many blows from the body of the staff. He did this until he had the taller man backed into the wall and unarmed for hopefully the last time.
The staff's hooked end was crudely designed by hand, that was apparent, but the hook fit Sephiroth's neck perfectly. Reno shoved it into the wall so he had him pinne there, then stood back as if to admire his work.
Sephiroth, seeing the rage burning in Reno's eyes, had it figured out that the fight was over, and the younger prevailed, having had enough power to indeed stop the mission. "It ends. . .here," he muttered, choking against the Cetra weapon.
Reno just stared at him for a moment before smiling disturbingly and putting a hard kick to the end of the staff.
Blood flowed, but not too well, and Sephiroth seemed to have died in pain. His head froze for a moment, then rolled off to the side, hitting the floor with the sound of someone throwing down a soaked rag.
The deceased stared at the torso of Sephiroth for a moment, as if to say 'Have a nice trip.' He could hear the crackling of the fires, which had disposed of all the planes now, as well as sobs coming once again from Tifa because of all the death.
He reached down, having seen something, and picked the fairly heavy object up. The staff had disappeared into nothing, and he felt as weak as before death, but as he looked at his hand, he found the switchblade he'd seen used on his sister.
Reno dropped it and spun around, making quick strides to Tifa. He forgot about it all for a moment as soon as she collapsed and buried her head in his chest, gripping his slightly-charred shirt, just relieved to feel his arms pull her close as a sign of comfort and understanding.
Vincent watched in silence, then bowed his head and closed his eyes. He'd been responsible for many of the deaths that had come to innocent people that day. It was all his fault, and he would speak with both of them later, confessing to Tifa, and then tellng Reno he had nothing to blame himself for.
"Chaos?"
Vincent's eyes snapped open at the call, only to fall on Xion, who had a curious look in his. "what of it?" came the harsh reply.
Xion frowned, not even seeming to care that most of FOXX had been wiped out. "Look, I've read all your books, and from what I heard, Sephiroth deserved all of it. Fuck 'im, cheer up, and live, man."
The crimson-clad man stared at Xion for a moment, then laid a hand on his shoulder and said, "Child, that's the most intelligent thing I've heard in a long while. Run outside and tell the guards to bring the Force, and then we can all do that."
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Indeed, Vincent kept his promise and told everything he had to them both. His secret agenda with Sephiroth; how he had planned to help in the killing of Tifa; how he'd deceived them all and had never planned to save anyone.
Reno seemed a bit mad at first, but Tifa had managed to calm him down, though she had her own feelings toward Vincent left unexpressed.
The dead one had his own confession, about what had happened after he'd been shot, but it didn't matter too much.
The three sat inside the living room of Reno's apartment, the light of the sun having left them with only deep violet smudges pressed into the sky. One lamp was lit and Vincent sat across from them in the armchair. Tifa was asleep, using Reno's chest as a pillow, on the couch.
Xion had gone somewhere with ViYlic, and the Force believed their story because of rumors floating around.
"I'm sorry," Vincent said for the umpteenth time that evening.
Reno sighed. "Vincent, I told you, we all forgive you now. Look at me, even. I lied to her the whole way, but both of us came through for her in the end."
"Not about that," he denied. "I mean, you are immortal, correct?"
"In a way," came Reno's reply.
Vincent nodded, rubbing his metallic hand against his real one. "I'm sorry you have to feel my pain of never being able to age; of having to outlive everyone who cares about you. I know what it feels like, and maybe it seems fun right now, but use these first few years well, Reno. I know what it feels like to waste them and just rot, never doing a thing for yourself whilst the opportunity was there. Tifa loves you a great deal, and you her. Use the feelings and years well, and you will never be like me, always looking back and saying what you would change if given another chance. That, Reno, is the worst feeling in the world, and what's worse is knowing you can't do a thing you'd like to have done."
Reno brooded Vincent's words for a moment, looking down at the face of Tifa. He knew how much of a point the man had, but he didn't want to have to tell Tifa he was never going to age; that he was going to be another Vincent Valentine. She would be crushed, as far as he knew.
Vincent could almost read his thoughts. "Now is better than ever to tell her, Reno. If you don't, she will be even more hurt when she finds out, maybe from someone else."
Reno nodded. "She means more than life to me," he admitted softly.
"You've lost life. Don't lose her," Vincent instructed. He then stood up and disappeared into the kitchen's darkness.
The younger man looked down at Tifa again, resting a hand on the back of her neck. Vincent's point was as clear as glass, and Reno knew he cared for Tifa more than he'd cared for anyone before her.
Author's Note: Alright, this was a bit long, but it was worth it. Yes, although it looks like the end, one more chapter. The next will be from Reno's POV, and a bit different. As for the easy deaths, I always hand the fight scenes over to W A F F L E, so don't blame me. He did all of the Reno against Sephiroth stuff. Until next time. . . (Yeah, I'll admit it, I did get a little wet-eyed when I went through Vincent's speech again.)
-=Haze=-
.Exo. - 2003