(Author's Note: Well! It's about time that I updated this story don't you think? Anyways…these past three chapters have been written by Rueh…now that they have been posted I will start writing the next chapters…There might be an update tomorrow since I have a 3 day weekend from school…today and tomorrow being the last days…just to let you know! Enjoy chapter 13!)
Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Rueh belongs to Rueh. Dete and Cassandra are mine.
Chapter 13
Looking on, heavy black armor that shone like gold covered over Rueh's chest and back, while heavy metal sabatons with the poleyn built right onto them covered around her lower legs and feet then all the way up to her knees. Loose fitting cuisses locked onto the bottom of the fauld (chest armor) then ran down her thighs to end just under the poleyns. Gauntlets formed over both her hands and wrist then ran right up to where the bend was for the elbows. The pauldrons on each shoulder here just as big as the ones Sephiroth wore only hers had long spiked gardbraces all over. Her left arm was completely armored with a lower cannon above the gauntlets, the couter over the elbow then the upper cannon between the couter and pauldron.
The armor was unreal and looked to weigh a ton yet Rueh was able to move with ease and very little restrictions from her armor. The black gold shone brilliantly and was trimmed elegantly with normal gold around all the edges and the beautiful carved art and symbols made into several of the plates.
She no longer had to worry about her lost hair tie as a black and gold, velvet bandanna was loosely wrapped around her head to hold her hair back.
Dete slowly shook her head and held on tighter to Sephiroth. She knew this creature was no longer Rueh but then again…it was part of her. Her anger had blinded her beyond control and the magnificent creature inside of her bared its ugly head to the world beyond Rueh. She was completely transformed and not in the least bit of control.
Many things flowed through Rueh's poor, tired mind. Her inner instincts were begging for release. A lazy look came to her face as instinct gained an upper hand but deep down her nature was truly not evil at all.
"Rueh?" Cassandra called meekly. She wasn't sure this being was her daughter anymore.
The creature's eyes narrowed, but not in a threatening manor…was that amusement?
"Cassandra…" her voice was not her own and was very cold to the ears. A light smile touched Rueh's lips. "Mother," she stated with more warmth than any of the members of AVALANCHE thought possible.
"Rueh…is that really you?" Cassandra stammered and stood up.
Rueh's black wings folded down to her sides as she looked on at this person her inner self recognized as the woman that had given birth to her.
Cassandra started forward wanting to see if this brilliant creature really could be her daughter.
"Cassandra, NO!" Sephiroth stated in alarm as she walked past him. He tried to move to get up but the deep cut across his chest was too much.
Rueh looked down at him with fire in her eyes then her gaze softened. "Sephiroth…" she stated absent-mindedly. The inner self told her… "Father."
Cassandra stopped as Rued took one steady step forward, then another. Her gait was like no other, gracefully silent and elegant as if she had been taught how to walk in such a way. She passed Cassandra without a second glance; her eyes were fixed on Sephiroth.
She knelt down next to his side opposite of Dete. She eyed Dete for a few silent seconds until a name finally formed in her child like state of mind. "Dete…" she stated gently with a nod. "My sister…my twin sister." She spared Dete a few extra seconds before looking back down at the silver-haired man.
She tucked her right hand between her side and left arm. The armored gauntlet slipped off easily then she handed to Dete. With her small hand now uncovered from the protective armor she softly touched the claw marks across Sephiroth's cheek.
Sephiroth flinched at her touch. She had been so cold just minutes ago and now…she was so warm. Rueh frowned at him…there was sadness in her eyes. She lined up her clawed hands with the marks on his face without touching him much in the same way a young child would do.
"I did this to you," she whispered.
Sephiroth didn't know what to think, what was going on in Rueh's head. She was acting like she didn't know anything and that what she was saying came from a foggy memory.
Rueh placed the palm of her hand over his cheek. Heat radiated from her hand onto his skin and it was surprisingly…soothing. What little pain he felt there faded then vanished completely. Dete was unsurprised that when Rueh's hand was removed Sephiroth's cheek was completely healed with no signs that he'd ever been hurt in the first place.
"Rueh?" she asked unsurely.
She looked up at the soft aquamarine-eyed girl; her own eyes a brilliant gold surrounded by her natural dark aquamarine.
"Are you…are you really Rueh?"
Rueh close her eyes as a slight frown marred her features. "In a sense I am. I am the Rueh you knew seven years ago before my mind was shattered and my soul made angry. My true self cannot live in this world as she is now…too much pain, sorrow, regret, anger, hatred. She does not feel anymore. She didn't build her power the way Hojo had instructed to do because she wanted you to kill her…to release her from all the pain that had become her life. Hojo became angry and with the usage of the cells he injects in my body he forced on the power in a brutal manor. He is yelling at me right now to destroy you all, but for the time he has no control over my actions so long as my inner self is at peace."
"What do you mean by 'at peace'?"
"She could no longer take anymore of Hojo's pain…it really did hurt her to claw you like that," Rueh explained looking at Sephiroth then placing her hand over his chest wounds. "Her emotions snapped and she begged the creature…the one you see before you, me…she begged me for help as Hojo made her energy rage out of control. As you can see…" Rueh withdrew her had from Sephiroth's now fully healed chest. "Rueh's true nature really very calm and lied back. I can't help the way I act because I am as much her as she is me. We are one in the same except…I have not listened to Hojo's…" A look a pain flashed across her face. "I have not listened to his lies."
"What just happened?" Sephiroth asked narrowing his eyes.
"Hojo's trying to hurt Rueh again; you must understand. He hurts her he hurts me. I-AM-RUEH."
"Rueh…" Cassandra knelt down next to Sephiroth. "What do you mean…there can't be two of you…"
Rueh sighed and stood up. Dete was interested in looking at the gauntlet Rueh had handed to her. The entire inside was softly padded and lined with black velvet. She tried it on then heard Rueh laugh softly.
"So, does it fit?" Rueh asked in amusement.
Dete quickly took it off and gave it back to her slightly embarrassed by her childishness. Rueh relocked the piece in place over her hands then stood up with Sephiroth, Cassandra, and Dete.
"Ok...let me explain…this may be…Oh! That's it. We are the same. The part of me you encountered was my pain, anger and hate. I am what is left when those are put to peace and out of my personality…"
"Can you stay this way?" Cloud called over from his group.
Rueh stared at him blankly for the longest time. "Obviously one of my other personalities is more acquainted with him…who is he?"
Sephiroth nearly laughed at her simple statement. "No one of any importance."
"Sephiroth!" Cassandra scolded. "Rueh, that's Cloud, Cloud Strife…remember?"
Rueh shook her head 'no.'
"That's Rueh for ya," Dete grinned. "So, what about his question? It's probably the most intelligent thing he's asked his entire life."
Rueh shook her head. "I would be wrong to completely cut off that part of me. I could not live as other's do because of the emotions I'd loose. Plus, there is no true way to kill one's emotions, they're always there, and cutting off those particular abused ones would only cause a great deal of sorrow…emotions always win over all in the end. Abuse like she got was not what Rueh needed at ten years old."
"Can you tell us what happened?" Cassandra asked softly. Now she knew Rueh really had been abused for the past seven years and hearing her explain things in such tranquility…it was hurting her inside.
Rueh sighed. "I can, but it would take me seven years. You know how I was when I was younger. Energetic, quick wit, strong, and so on. Hojo kept me locked away from the outside world in a cell that sometimes was too small to stand up or even lay down in. Constantly being pocked and probed at…the beatings for defiance of just simple little things. Not being fed for days on end and your only alive because you know that either ways he wouldn't care…then there was the emotional pain. He lied through his teeth to me for seven years. That's why it took so long before he finally used me. He told me you guys left me to him; you took Dete and mom and ran never giving me a second thought. It hurt…hearing it over and over again you can't help but to start to believe it was really true."
'Rueh! You kill them right this instant! Obey me!!' Hojo screamed in Rueh's head.
'No, you listen to me…I'm coming for ya and believe me…there is a part of me that is very angry with you and is just begging to pay you back for all the pain you have put me through.' The other emotion's stirred within her. She had to concentrate to keep them down and herself in this very difficult peace of mind. She couldn't tell them how much she was really struggling to keep from the instinct to obey Hojo's orders and to kill them. She would not let herself slip back into the shattered remains of her own mind…if that were to happen…all would be lost and everyone she ever knew would die by her merciless hands…
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(A/N: Rueh, author of this chapter. Well, my style of writing is certainly NOT Juzu's. This, I think, is the longest chapter out of any of her stories…I don't know, you'd have to ask her. This chapter ended up almost as long as my longest chapter…that's good for me. While on Microsoft Word these three chapters have nearly 4000 words. Hope Juzu likes it even though there really was no fighting.)