Disclaimer: Characters and places named in this fiction are (c) Square-Enix. Reilena Gainsborough is (c) Vinja Ryou. Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids.
He hated tedious meetings; this one though, was an important one, and President Shinra rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "How are the preparations going?"
On his left, Heidegger chuckled; his belly shook as he laughed. "Ha, ha, ha! Smoothly, very smoothly! I assigned the Turks to this." Shinra nodded, and turned to the youngest one at the meeting. Reeve ran a hand through his chin-length hair and then glanced up at the President.
"President!! Are we really going to do this? Simply destroy a group with only a few members…" President Shinra sighed, folding his hands before him as he glanced calmly at Reeve.
"What's the problem, Reeve? You want out?" Reeve shook his head.
"…No. But as head of the Urban Development Department, I have been involved with the building and running of Midgar. That's why…" Heidegger slammed a fist on the table.
"Reeve, you should flush these personal problems in the morning!" Reeve glared at the green-suited Heidegger.
"The Mayor's against this, anyway…" Heidegger rolled his eyes, running a hand over his black beard.
"Mayor? He just sits in this building all day, feeding his face! You still call that a mayor? Now, if you'll excuse me sir!" he finished, glancing at President Shinra. The President bowed his head, allowing Heidegger to leave the room. Reeve blew out an agitated sigh and began to follow Heidegger, but stopped. President Shinra chuckled, rising from his seat, and clapped a hand on Reeve's shoulder.
"You're tired," President Shinra began. "Why don't you take a couple of days off and go somewhere?" Reeve nodded, placed his sunglasses back on his nose, and left the room. Once the door slammed shut, President Shinra held his hands behind his back, laughing under his breath. "We'll destroy Sector 7 and report that AVALANCHE did it. Then we'll send in the rescue operation care of Shinra, Inc." A broad smile spread across his face, and President Shinra walked back to the head of the table, sitting down in his chair, and put his feet on the table, shaking his head with confidence. "Heh, heh, heh…this is perfect."
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Cloud stood up, wiping the garbage off of himself. The trap door that Corneo had thrown on them had deposited Tifa, Aerith, Reilena, and himself in the sewers of Sector 6. Shaking his head and trying not to breathe too deeply, Cloud turned to Tifa, who had already risen to her feet. "You alright?"
Tifa nodded, wiping her skirt off. "Man! This is terrible." Near Tifa, Aerith and Reilena were still getting up. Cloud offered his hand to Aerith, helping her up, and then helped Reilena to her feet.
"You two alright?" Reilena nodded silently, brushing garbage off of her slacks. Aerith glanced over at her sister, and then at Cloud, nodding once.
"Yeah. Well, the worst is over…" she began. Tifa shook her head, her shoulders slumped.
"Think what you will. You heard Corneo," Tifa sighed. She wiped at her eyes, damned if she'd show her tears, and sighed again. "It's too late…Marlene…Barret…the people of the slums…"
"Tifa, don't you say that!" Reilena shot back, trudging through the water to her friend. Tifa glanced up at Reilena, her eyes wet, and Reilena threw her arms around her friend, hugging her tightly. Aerith and Cloud walked over to the duo as well, and Aerith laid a gentle hand on Tifa's shoulder. The younger girl glanced up, and Aerith smiled calmly.
"Don't give up hope," she whispered. "Never give up hope. It's not easy to destroy the pillar, right?" Tifa sniffed once, a slow smile coming over her face as she nodded. Reilena grinned, stepping away from Tifa.
"Yeah, you're right! We still have time," Tifa cried. "Let's go!" She dashed past the trio, toward a ladder on the far side of the sewer; after a moment to regain their senses, Cloud, Reilena, and Aerith followed suit, and climbed up the ladder into the train wreckage of Sector 6. Cloud climbed up ahead of the Gainsboroughs, and helped both girls out of the manhole. Tifa replaced the cover, and the group reconvened in front of a destroyed train.
"So this is the Train Graveyard," Aerith breathed. Reilena nodded, and Cloud turned to them.
"Aerith, Reilena, I got you both mixed up in all of this…" he began. Both girls shook their heads.
"Don't tell us to go home," Aerith replied. "We've come this far already." Cloud nodded, and Tifa strode up to the trio, a hand underneath her chin.
"Everyone okay?" she asked; all three nodded, and she turned on her heel. "Let's see…if we can get past the trains that are lit up, we should be able to get out of here." Tifa peered over her shoulder at Reilena. "Rei, do you remember the way we took to get out of here?"
"Somewhat…you're going to have to help me out a bit though," she replied, walking to the front of the group. Silent, she led them through the train in front of them, up a ladder to the top, and leapt across to another lit train. Tifa then took the lead, and brought them up to the entrance to Sector 7; she stopped though, when she noticed that two large train lines were blocking the way.
"Damn it!" she growled, kicking the side of one train. "How the hell are we going to get through this?" Aerith held a hand up, and Cloud walked around the wreckage in thought. Without a word, he leapt into one train, driving it forward slightly; the movement caused a domino effect of all the trains pushing forward, and he jumped out.
"It should be a train bridge; it's sturdy enough to hold us," he replied. The women nodded, and jumped up onto the train rooftops.
"Sector 7, here we come!" Tifa yelled, leading the way once again; she pointed towards the sky as they dashed into the Pillar Station. "Look, we made it! The pillar's standing!" She went to run into the slums when Cloud grabbed her arm, stopping her; she glared up at him, but a solemn look crossed his face.
"Wait!" He raised a finger to his lips, then the sky. "You hear something…above us?" Tifa arched an eyebrow, but tilted her head so that she could listen. Aerith and Reilena followed suit, a perplexed look overcoming Aerith.
"Is it…gunfire?" she said quietly. Tifa's eyes widened.
"Then what the hell are we still doing here?" she shouted. Just then, the troupe heard a male's scream, and glanced up to see a man careening toward them. Cloud gazed down at the man with concern, recognizing him.
"Wedge!!" he cried, kneeling beside him. "You alright?" Wedge shook his head, coughing, and Tifa gasped. Blood soaked through Wedge's shirt, his chest completely crimson. Aerith knelt on Wedge's opposite side and took his wrist in her hand; Reilena went to Tifa's side, watching over the trio worriedly.
"…Cloud…" Wedge began, a weak smile on his face. "You remembered…my name." He coughed harshly; blood spattered on his hand, and Tifa dropped to her knees beside the dying man.
"Where's Barret?" she asked hurriedly. Wedge turned to Tifa.
"Barret's up top," he replied. He turned his glance up to Reilena - the younger Gainsborough wore a look of sorrow - and smiled sadly. "Help him….an' Cloud…" Wedge whispered, turning back to the young mercenary. "Sorry I wasn't any help." Another cough ripped through him, and Cloud stood up, determined.
"I'm going up there!" he declared. "Aerith! You look after Wedge!" Aerith nodded firmly, and Tifa crouched beside Aerith.
"Aerith, please do me this one favour," she murmured.
"I'm listening."
"The little girl that works with Rei an' me…Marlene…." Aerith smiled up at Tifa.
"Don't worry. I'll put her somewhere safe." Tifa smiled sadly, and then stood up alongside Reilena; Aerith gestured for her sister to kneel, and she obeyed. "Rei…I'm going to bring Marlene to our house," she began. Reilena gasped, but Aerith shook her head. "Don't worry - the Turks have no reason to go there right now. You stay here and fight. Be careful," she whispered, patting her sister's cheek. Reilena nodded; before standing up, she reached into her satchel and handed Aerith a weapon. Aerith raised an eyebrow, and Reilena shook her head.
"It's a Striking Stick; it extends to about seven feet or so. Found it on a monster's corpse in the Train Graveyard." Aerith began to argue, but her sister shook her head. "Take it. If you're with Marlene, take it; we don't know just how low Tseng will go now." Reilena watched Aerith closely; finally she nodded, and Reilena stood up as Tifa ran up to her.
"I've managed to evacuate as much of Sector 7 as possible," she shouted. "Are you ready to go?" Reilena nodded, and Tifa gestured toward the pillar. "We have to follow Cloud - he's heading for Barret. We gotta hurry!" Without any argument, Reilena followed Tifa up the staircases of the pillar, and found Cloud kneeling beside Biggs; a piece of shrapnel was lodged in the man's abdomen, and he gripped it weakly.
"Cloud…so you still don't care…what happens…to the…Planet?" he asked in a near-silent voice. Cloud hung his head, unsure of how to reply.
"I…don't know, Biggs. I don't know what to think anymore," he replied. Biggs laughed.
"Forget I said anything…you go…help…Barret," he gasped. Cloud nodded, rising to his feet as Biggs coughed out his last breath, and saw Tifa and Reilena running up the steps. He waited for them to catch up, and then started up the final flights of stairs. Two flights away from the top, Jessie was sprawled across the stairs; both shoulders had gunshot wounds, and a small ribbon of blood trickled out from the corner of her mouth. Tifa covered her mouth in shock, kneeling beside the fallen woman, while Cloud and Reilena knelt beside her quietly. Jessie glanced over at Cloud and smiled.
"Cloud…I'm glad I could talk with you…one last time," she whispered. Cloud took her hand, patting it gently.
"Is that so?"
"Is that so? Hah…cool as usual…ex-SOLDIER," she gasped. "Always…I liked that…in you…" she shuddered once, and was still. Cloud laid Jessie's hand on her stomach and stood; Tifa and Reilena rose as well, fury in Tifa's eyes. She spun on her heel and ran up the final staircase, Cloud and Reilena on her heels. On the very top of the pillar, Barret stood alone, shooting wiildly at the Shinra helicopter. He glanced over at the trio as they ran up beside him, his teeth clenched.
"Tifa! Cloud! Rei! You came!" he hollered. "Be careful! They're attacking from the helicopter!" A quick glance upward told them that Barret spoke the truth, and Tifa turned to her friends, fists clenched.
"We have to equip ourselves before they can attack in full force," she told them. A nod from both Cloud and Reilena told her that they understood; Cloud tossed a Mythril Bangle to Tifa, who strapped it onto her arm, and then handed one to Reilena before placing his own on his arm. Reilena drew a pair of Mythril Daggers from her satchel, Tifa slid her Metal Knuckles onto her hands, and Cloud pulled out the Hardedge. Prepared, the trio strode up to Barret's side, and Tifa narrowed her eyes at the helicopter. "Here they come," she growled. The helicopter hovered above the pillar, a rope ladder falling down. Seconds later, Reno leapt down, a calm smile on his face as he glanced over the team.
"Reilena, it's been a while. How is your sister doing?" he asked calmly. Reilena clenched her teeth, gripping her daggers tightly; shaking his head, Reno pushed his ponytail off of his shoulder and gazed at Barret. "You do know you're too late," he continued, sauntering over to the computer module; he leaned against it casually, one hand hovering above a button. "Once I press this button…" before anyone could make a move, Reno dropped his hand, pressing the button. "That's it! Mission accomplished," he said, a victorious smirk on his face. Her face falling, Tifa ran over to the computer and read over the controls, smacking random buttons and switches.
"We have to disarm it!" she cried, glancing over at the remaining trio. "Cloud! Barret! Rei! Please!" Reno waved a finger in the air, clicking his tongue.
"Ah ah ah. I can't have you do that," he replied, holding his own staff over his shoulder. "No one gets in the way of the Turks…"
"That's what you think, y'bastard!" Barret hollered, letting loose with his Gaitling Gun. Reno shook his head with a chuckle, ignoring the gunshot wound on his arm.
"You're much too overconfident," he muttered, pointing his Electro-mag Rod at the burly AVALANCHE leader. Barret growled, rendered helpless by a strange gold pyramid encasing him. Cloud growled, sheathing his sword, and aimed his hands in Reno's direction; the red-headed Turk faltered, struck by Cloud's Fire magic, and gripped his arm. Reilena smirked, running in for her turn, and slashed at Reno with her daggers, cutting him in the side. Reno snarled, aiming his rod at Reilena; she stumbled, struck by Bolt, but regained her footing and stabbed at the Pyramid surrounding Barret, freeing him.
"Thanks, Rei," Barret said, readying his gun. "And jus' in time…take this, Turk!" He fired the Big Shot at Reno - his first level Limit Break attack - and Reno fell to a knee, panting heavily. He held a hand in the air, wagging his finger again, and grabbed the rope ladder that had dropped from above.
"It's time." He waved to the group as the helicopter took him up. Containing their anger, Cloud, Barret, and Reilena replaced their weapons and ran over to Tifa, who was still fussing with the computer controls. She flicked her hair from her eyes, slamming a fist down on the console.
"Dammit!" She held her hair off her forehead, gesturing with her free hand. "I don't know how to stop this. Try it!" Cloud, Reilena, and Barret looked among each other; finally Cloud stepped up and glanced over the controls, pressing buttons in a pattern. After a few moments though, he shook his head in defeat.
"…It's not a normal time bomb," he sighed, one hand on his hip. Reilena pushed forward and leaned on the console, reading over the buttons and switches.
"Here, I'll give it a try," she muttered. Cloud stood aside, and joined Barret and Tifa in watching her try to figure it out. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind struck them all, knocking them against the control panel. Regaining their footing, the troupe glanced up to see the Shinra helicopter at their level, with the leader of the Turks in the doorway. Tseng brushed his shoulder-length dark hair from his eyes, laughing.
"You'll have a hard time disarming that one," he called down. "It'll blow the second some stupid jerk touches it." Cloud and Barret glared at the Turk, while Tifa and Reilena clenched their fists at their sides. Tifa finally stepped forward, yelling to be heard.
"Please, stop it!" she cried. Tseng shook his head, still laughing.
"Ha, ha, ha…only a Shinra executive can set up or disarm the Emergency Plate Release System." Shaking in fury, Barret braced himself and opened fire.
"Shut yet hole!" he hollered, firing madly. Tseng shook his head, spreading his arms wide to show that he was still unharmed, and Barret stopped.
"I wouldn't try that again…you just might make me injure our special guest here," he said calmly, reaching behind himself. He threw Aerith forward, and she landed on her knees just beside Tseng. Reilena gasped, her eyes widened in fear.
"Aerith!! Oh my God…Aerith!" she screamed, glaring up at Tseng. He nodded once, a calm smile on his face.
"How nice of me that I let you see your sister one last time, isn't it? Too bad you weren't with her; it would've made things a hell of a lot easier on us," Tseng replied. "Alas, you should at least thank me; maybe she'll still be alright once I come for you." He brushed his hair back again, and Cloud stepped up alongside Reilena's left; on her right Tifa and Barret joined her.
"What are you going to do with Aerith!?" Cloud yelled. Tseng glanced down with a thoughtful look, a hand underneath his chin.
"Hmm? Oh, I haven't decided. Our orders were to find and catch the last two remaining Ancients," he said with a shrug. "It's taken us a long time, but we've finally captured one, and I can finally report this to the President. He's going to want the other one too, so don't worry Reilena," he continued with a wink. "You'll be reunited with your sister soon enough." Reilena growled, unsheathing one of her daggers; suddenly Aerith sat up and cupped her hands around her mouth.
"Tifa! Don't worry! She's alright!" she yelled. Before Tifa could reply, Tseng turned and slapped Aerith hard in the side of the head, knocking her back into the helicopter. Infuriated, Reilena dashed up to the edge of the pillar, brandishing her dagger angrily.
"Goddamn you Tseng!" she screamed. Tseng glanced down at her, his head tilted curiously.
"Hurry and get out, Rei! Don't worry about me!" Aerith hollered. Tseng rolled his eyes, backhanding Aerith again, and then looked out over the small group. "Ha ha ha…well, it should be starting right about now," he said; true to his word, a loud click was emitted from the computer, and he grinned. "Think you can escape in time?" Tseng saluted the group and stepped back, grabbing Aerith's hair, and yanked her back as the helicopter flew off. An exploision shook the pillar; the stand support was already being destroyed.
"How the hell are we supposed to get out of here?" Cloud yelled. Barret glanced about and saw a wire attached to a building outside of Sector 7. He glanced back at the group, gesturing with his hand.
"Yo! We can use this wire to get out!" he hollered. Looking back, he saw Reilena drop to a knee on the edge of the pillar. "Rei! C'mon, this place is going down!" Cloud and Tifa glanced back; silent, Tifa ran over to her friend, kneeling beside her.
"Tseng took her. He took her, simple as that," Reilena muttered. "And we'd outrun the Turks for so long…" Tifa shook her head, taking Reilena's hand.
"And we're going to get Aerith out of there, okay?" she replied. "Now let's go - we don't have much time." Silent, Reilena allowed Tifa to lead her to the wire pulley. Barret grabbed onto the pulley with his regular hand, followed by Tifa and Reilena. Cloud grabbed on last, and pushed them off of the plate, just as the platform they had been standing on shook with another explosion. The force of the blast shoved them faster down the wire, and they hit the ground rolling into the deserted playground. Coughing, Barret, Tifa, Cloud, and Reilena climbed to their feet, eyes wide as they saw the plate fall upon the slums of Sector 7. Debris then crashed down, concealing the former entrance to Sector 7.
From above the carnage, within his helicopter, President Shinra turned up Vivaldi's Four Seasons and smiled to himself.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Marlene! MARLENE!!! MAR-LE-NE!! Biggs! Wedge!! Jessie!!" Barret screamed, pounding on the rubble. Though his teeth were clenched in absolute fury, tears streamed down his face. Nonetheless, he continued his assault. "Dammit! Godammit!! DAMMIT ALL TO HELL!!!! What the hell's it all for!? ARGHHHH!!!"
Just behind him, Cloud, Tifa, and Reilena rose to their feet, brushing the dust and dirt from themselves. "Hey, Barret!" he called. Tifa took up the call as well.
"Barret!" Instead, Barret screamed again, ignoring his comrades. Cloud sighed to himself.
"Hey!" Tifa wiped at her own eyes, steeling herself from letting her sobs be heard in her voice.
"Barret, stop…please stop, Barret," she murmured. Instead of listening, Barret aimed his Gaitling Gun arm at the destruction and fired. Cloud, Tifa, and Reilena remained silent, watching Barret unleash his fury. After a few minutes, Barret finally fell to his knees, pounding the ground with both arms.
"God damn…Marlene…" he sobbed, not caring if anyone saw. Tifa, Cloud, and Reilena looked among each other in silence, and Reilena walked up to the sobbing man quietly. She knelt beside him, laying a hand on his shoulder, and spoke in a low voice.
"Barret?" No response. "Marlene is…I think Marlene is safe," she said. Slowly, Barret glanced up at her, wiping at his eyes with his normal hand.
"….Huh?" Reilena nodded as Tifa and Cloud came up behind her.
"Right before they took Aerith, she said 'Don't worry, she's all right,'" Tifa continued. "She was probably talking about Marlene."
"R, really?" he asked. Reilena nodded calmly; Tifa hung her head.
"But…"
"Biggs…Wedge…Jessie…" Barret murmured.
"All three of them were in the pillar," Cloud said in a low voice. Barret snorted, still wiping his eyes as he rose to his feet. Reilena stood up as well, and stayed beside Tifa while Barret glared at Cloud.
"Think I don't know that?" he retorted; a moment later, he swung a hand in the air. "But…we, all of us fought together. I don't wanna think of them as dead!"
"…and the other people in Sector 7," Tifa whispered; she leaned her head on Reilena's shoulder, crying silently. Barret growled again, clenching his fist, and Cloud merely stood off to the side, watching the trio silently.
"This is all fucked up!" Barret shouted. "They destroyed an entire village, just to get to us! They killed so many people…"
"…are you saying it's our fault?" Tifa whispered; Barret turned back just as she straightened up, wiping at her eyes. "Because AVALANCHE was here? Innocent people lost their lives because of us?" Reilena laid an arm around her friend's shoulder, comforting her even as she felt her own eyes well up, and Barret shook his head violently.
"No, Tifa! That ain't it! Hell no!! It ain't us! It's the damn Shinra!" he bellowed. "It's never been nobody but the Shinra! They're evil and destroyin' our planet just to…build their power, and line their own damn pockets with gold! If we don't get rid of them, they're gonna kill this planet!" He walked up to the two women and spoke in a low, determined voice. "Our fight ain't never gonna be over until we get rid of them." He paused, glanced between Reilena and Tifa; Tifa shook her head after a moment.
"…I don't know."
"What don't you know?" Barret asked in shock. "You don't believe me?"
"It's not that," Tifa continued, running a hand through her hair. "I'm not sure about…me. My feelings." Barret shrugged, glancing at Reilena.
"What about you?" Reilena sighed.
"Aerith and I have been mixed up with Shinra and the Turks ever since I could remember…they've pursued us all our lives; now that they have Aerith, they'll be coming after me," she whispered. "I'm with you, Barret. We have to stop them. I have to get my sister back." Barret nodded and whirled to face Cloud.
"An' what about you?" he snapped. "What's your opinion on this?" Silent, Cloud shrugged, turned on his heel, and walked off. Eyes widened, Barret turned to the girls. "Where's he think he's goin'?" Reilena suddenly shot up, and she ran after Cloud, walking beside him. Perplexed, Barret threw his arms up in the air. "Now what?" Tifa's head shot up, and she held a hand in the air.
"Oh! Aerith!" she answered, gesturing for him to follow her; Barret obliged, walking alongside Tifa as they followed Cloud and Reilena.
"Oh yeah, that girl. What's up with her anyway?" Barret asked. Tifa sighed, brushing her hair from her eyes.
"To be honest…I don't really know. She's Reilena's older sister, and that's about all I do know about her," she said. "But, she's the one I left Marlene with." Barret's brow furrowed, and he slammed his palm onto his gun arm.
"Damn! Marlene!!" He turned to Tifa with a solemn glance. "Tifa, there's no turnin' back now," he said with a surprising calm. Tifa nodded.
"I know. That's why I'm following Cloud and Rei. We have to do something about the Shinra." With that said, she ran to catch up with the couple ahead of them. Barret followed close behind, and came up in front of Cloud and Reilena, who had been silent.
"Cloud! Take me to Marlene!" Cloud remained silent; Reilena gazed up at Barret.
"Then follow us. We're going back to my house," she replied solemnly. Barret bowed his head, and walked alongside her; Tifa walked along Cloud's side, and glanced at him curiously.
"So you're going to help Aerith?" she asked. Cloud nodded.
"Yeah…but before that, there's something I want to know," he muttered. Both Reilena and Tifa gazed at him.
"What's that?" Tifa asked. Cloud took a deep breath.
"…It's about the Ancients," he said. Reilena's eyes widened, and she began to say something, but Cloud couldn't hear her; there was another voice speaking to him. One inside his mind…In my veins courses the blood of the Ancients…I am one of the rightful heirs to this planet! Sephiroth…? Suddenly, Cloud fell to his knees, clutching his head in his hands; Barret stopped, realizing the rest of the group had stopped, and turned just in time to see Reilena kneel before Cloud, her hands on his shoulders. Tifa was on his side, her arm around him. Worried, Reilena ducked her head, trying to look into Cloud's eyes.
"Cloud…Cloud talk to me…are you okay?" she asked.
"Are you all right?" Tifa echoed, rubbing his back. Barret strode up to the trio, kneeling as well.
"Cloud, c'mon…pull it together man!" he said. Finally, Cloud stood up, shaking his head.
"I'm okay. Let's keep going," he mumbled. Silence; finally Barret started walking again, followed by Reilena who led the way, with Cloud and Tifa taking up the rear.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
A creak; Elmyra wiped at her eyes quickly as she walked out of the kitchen. The front door opened, and Elmyra felt her eyes well up again when she saw Reilena walk in. She glanced up at Elmyra and immediately walked over to her mother; Elmyra opened her arms and held Reilena close as she cried quietly. Glancing over her daughter's shoulder, Elmyra spied the rest of the group walking in, and smiled weakly to Cloud.
"Cloud…is it?" she said in a calm voice. Barret and Tifa glanced up, and Cloud nodded. Elmyra gestured toward Reilena. "It's about Aerith, isn't it?" Again, Cloud nodded; Tifa and Barret dropped their eyes to the ground.
"The Shinra have her now," he muttered. "I'm sorry." Elmyra closed her eyes, still holding Reilena close.
"I know. They took her from here." Shocked, Reilena pulled back from Elmyra, wiping at her eyes.
"They…were here?" she asked in a low voice. "And you let them take her. How could you?" Reilena backed toward Cloud, Tifa, and Barret. Elmyra bowed her head.
"Reilena, it's what Aerith wanted…you have to understand me," she pleaded. "They were asking, demanding to know where you were as well, but Aerith refused to tell them." Reilena sank into a chair, holding her hair out of her eyes; Tifa and Cloud followed suit, sitting down on either side of her, leaving Barret and Elmyra standing. Cloud glanced over at the distressed Reilena, and back at Elmyra.
"Why is Shinra after your daughters?" he asked. Elmyra gazed down at him, but Reilena spoke first.
"Aerith and I are Ancients. The sole survivors of an otherwise extinct race," she said, running a hand through her sanguine hair. Barret stared at Reilena in confusion.
"What did you say?" he asked, walking over to the table. Elmyra sighed.
"Aerith and Reilena are the last of the Ancients."
"But aren't you their mother?" Barret asked, clearly perplexed. Closing her eyes, Elmyra wiped her hands on her apron, and then cleared her throat.
"Not their real mother," she said. Reilena nodded.
"Adopted." She gestured toward a chair, and Elmyra sat down. "Might as well tell them, Mom." Elmyra took a deep breath, folding her hands on the table, and glanced at the group; Cloud and Tifa sat on either side of Reilena, while Barret stood behind them, arms folded.
"It must have been about fifteen years ago…during the way," Elmyra began. "My husband was sent to the front; some far away place called Watari." Silent, Elmyra polished her eyeglasses and set them on her forehead instead of wearing them properly. "One day, I went to the station because I had received a letter stating that he was coming home on leave. My husband never came back, and I wondered, 'did something happen to him?' But I went to the station every day."
"Then one day, she saw Aerith and me," Reilena interjected. Elmyra nodded, smiling for a moment, then grew serious again.
"You used to see this thing a lot during the way; refugees coming to Midgar to hide. One day, I went to the station, and there was a woman lying on the steps of the station. She had just come from the front, and had two little girls with her. That poor woman died on those steps; her last words were… 'Please take my daughters somewhere safe.'"
Elmyra paused, wiping a tear from her eye. "My husband never came back, I had no child, and I was very lonely. So I decided to take them home with me." She glanced up at Reilena with a smile. "Aerith and I became close very quickly, and Reilena was a bit more work, but we all got along. Boy, did those girls love to talk!" she continued with a laugh. "They would talk to me about everything! They told me that they'd escaped from some research laboratory somewhere, and that their mother had already returned to the planet, so she wasn't lonely…and many other things." She glanced up and saw Barret's brow furrow in question.
"Returned to the planet?"
"Mom didn't know what we were talking about," Reilena explained. "She asked if it was a star in the sky that we'd meant to say."
"But no, you said it was this planet," Elmyra continued. "Aerith and Reilena were mysterious children in several ways. I remember one instance in which they told me not to cry, that someone dear to me had died, that their spirit was coming to see me but they'd already returned to the planet. Now at first I didn't believe the girls…but wouldn't you know it, several days later I received a notice telling me that my husband was dead, killed in battle…and that's how it was. Mind you, a lot has happened, but we were all happy. Until one day…"
"Tseng came for a visit when Aerith and I were still young teenagers," Reilena said, running a hand thorugh her hair again. "He told Mom to return us, said they'd been searching for us for a long time. Aerith and I refused to go with him, of course, and Tseng told us, 'Girls, you are very special children. You are both of special blood.'"
"And of course I heard it. That my daughters were Ancients," Elmyra added. Reilena bowed her head.
"He tried convincing Mom to force us to go with him. Explained to her how 'the Ancients will lead us to a world of happiness, that Aerith and Reilena will be able to bring happiness to the slums,' and that was why Shinra wanted our cooperation. We denied it over and over, and that was when Tseng came right out ans asked us, 'Surely you girls hear voices sometimes when you're all alone?"
"The girls denied it again and ran to their rooms, and I sent Tseng on his way," Elmyra said. "But I knew. I knew of their mysterious powers…you girls try so hard to hide it though, so I acted as if I never noticed." Elmyra glanced over at Reilena - she'd dropped her eyes to the table, and Tifa slung an arm around her shoulders - and closed her eyes with a sigh. Cloud sat back in his chair, raking his hands through his spiky mane as he chanced a glance over at Reilena.
"It's amazing how you and Aerith have avoided the Shinra all these years," he murmured. Reilena nodded; Elmyra bowed her head.
"The Shinra need them both, so I would guess that they wouldn't harm Aerith." Tifa finally sighed, glanced up at Elmyra while still comforting Reilena.
"But why now…" she began. Elmyra gave a slight shrug.
"She brought a little girl here with her. On the way here, Tseng found them; Aerith probably couldn't get away fast enough, and decided to go to the Shinra in exchange for the girl's safety."
"That must be Marlene," Cloud began; Barret's head shot up, his gaze apologetic.
"Marlene?! Aerith was caught because of Marlene?" he asked weakly. Not waiting for an answer, Barret strode over to Elmyra and took one of her hands in his. "I'm sorry. Marlene is my daughter." He then glanced over to Reilena, the same look on his face. "I'm…really…sorry."
"You're her father?" Elmyra asked; when Barret nodded, Elmyra rose to her feet, hands on her hips. "How in the world could you leave a child alone?!" Barret took a deep breath, massaging his forehead with his normal hand.
"Please don't start with that," he began, circling the table slowly. "I think about it all the time. What would happen if…" he paused with a slight shrug. "But you gotta understand somethin' - I don't got an answer. I wanna be with Marlene…but I gotta keep fightin'! But, I'm worried about Marlene. I really just wanna be with her…always." Barret walked back to Elmyra and stopped, scratching the back of his head. "See? I'm goin' in circles now." He watched Elmyra closely, and she nodded after glancing over at Reilena.
"I think I understand what you're saying," she conceded, standing up and nodding toward the stairs. "She's upstairs in Aerith's room sleeping - it's the room second from the left. Why don't you go and see her."
"Thank you." Immediately, Barret started up the stairs, leaving Cloud, Tifa, Reilena, and Elmyra in the main room. Silent, the remaining members of the group glanced among each other, listening to Barret's heavy footsteps as he dashed up the stairs. After a moment, Cloud stood up, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
"I'm going to check on Barret," he said, almost apologetic. Elmya nodded, and Tifa waved him on, still comforting Reilena. Turning on his heel, Cloud made his way upstairs and walked to the one room with an open door. Inside, Barret knelt on the ground, holding Marlene tightly. Cloud wasn't about to get involved in what looked to be a family affair, and leaned against the doorframe.
"I'm so glad…I'm so glad you're alright," Barret murmured. Marlene sniffled, pulling back a bit, and wiped her father's cheek.
"Daddy, don't cry," she replied in a small voice. She touched Barret's chin and raised an eyebrow, rubbing her hand along it. "Your whiskers hurt!" Marlene announced; Barret ruffled her hair, chuckling, and glanced back toward the door, having spied Cloud standing there.
"Cloud, you gonna go help Aerith, right?" he asked, just as Marlene turned, grinning up at Cloud. Cloud nodded, and Barret rose to his feet, still looking down at Marlene. "She's done so much for me…" he nodded to himself and looked back up at Cloud in determination. "If it's the Shinra you're dealin' with, I can't just sit here! I'm comin' too!" With that, Barret started toward the door, and Cloud turned to head down the stairs; just before either of them could leave, Marlene ran out and tugged on Cloud's pant leg. Eyebrow raised, he glanced down at the little girl, and Barret knelt beside her.
"Marlene, Daddy and Cloud have to leave," he began. Marlene nodded in understanding, but pointed up at Cloud.
"I just wanna tell Cloud something!" she said. "It's really quick…I pwomise." Laughing under his breath, Barret patted her shoulder and nodded; Marlene turned to Cloud, a wide smile on her face and hands behind her back.
"Guess what, guess what! Aerith was asking me lots of questions," Marlene started excitedly. "Like what kind of person Cloud is!" She waved for Cloud to lean closer; obliging, Cloud dropped to a knee and Marlene whispered, "I bet she likes you, Cloud!" Cloud shot her a surprised look, and she nodded. "But don't worry…I won't tell Tifa," she finished. Cloud nodded, rising to his feet, and walked downstairs, Barret just behind him.
Tifa and Reilena stood at the foot of the stairs, waiting patiently; just as the men stepped off the final stair, however, Reilena shot past. Surprised, Barret and Cloud turned back to Tifa, who merely arched an eyebrow.
"She's going to grab something important from her room," she said, answering their silent question. "You are going after Aerith, right?" she asked. Both Barret and Cloud nodded, and Tifa gestured for them to move; Reilena came back downstairs and stood beside Tifa, nodding once to her friend. "Good, 'cause we're gong with you."
"We're going to Shinra Headquarters," Cloud stated. "You gotta be prepared for the worst…"
"Which I already know," Tifa replied. "Right now, I have to push myself to the limit. If I stay here, I'll go insane. Besides, I promised Rei I'd help in rescuing Aerith." Barret and Cloud looked at the younger Gainsborough - she seemed more concerned with something in her hands - just as Elmyra came out of her kitchen. Barret glanced over, his eyes widening, and edged past his comrades.
"Ms. Elmyra!" he called; Elmyra paused, waiting for Barret to walk up to her. He gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, but can you take care of Marlene a bit longer?" Elmyra smiled kindly.
"The girls and I thought that you would ask me that," she replied. "Marlene is a dear, and I will be quite lonely without my girls here; yes, I don't mind taking care of her."
"Thank you," Barret said, smiling gratefully, and turned back to the group; they had already reconvened at the front door, and were waiting for Barret. Just before they could leave, however, Barret paused, turning back to Elmyra. "This place is dangerous to stay in now…you'd be better off goin' somewhere else." Elmyra bowed her head in agreement.
"Then make me a promise," she replied, looking straight into the AVALANCHE leader's dark eyes. "Promise me that you'll come back for her. Don't get yourself killed." She turned her gaze to Cloud, Tifa, and Reilena. "That goes for the rest of you, especially Reilena. Don't go get yourself killed." Cloud and Tifa nodded silently; Reilena walked over to her mother and hugged her tightly, pulling back after a moment with a determined smile.
"Don't cry, Mom. Aerith is safe; she and I will be okay," she whispered. Elmyra brushed her tears away with a small laugh.
"You sound just the same as the last time you told me not to cry." Elmyra kissed her daughter's cheek, then set her hands on Reilena's shoulders. "Go get your sister." Reilena smiled as she stepped back, and turned to Cloud, Barret, and Tifa with a nod. The group waved to Elmyra one last time and walked outside; Tifa pulled the door shut with a sigh, and turned to her comrades.
"Well, how do we get to the Shinra building?" she asked. Barret rubbed his chin in thought.
"There ain't no train that goes up there anymore…" he trailed off, glancing at Cloud. The blonde man shrugged helplessly, turning to Reilena. She began to shrug as well, but then stopped, pointing toward the slums.
"Wall Market! Let's head there!" she said, jogging off. The two men shot a strange look at her retreating form, and then turned to Tifa, who snapped her fingers.
"Good idea; we might be able to find something there," she agreed, and started off after Reilena. Barret and Cloud stared at each other, still confused, but turned and followed them through Sector 6.