Beginning Notes: Here I am, another update! Yay for me! Oh and… HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters. I am not making money off this fiction. I only own my own creations ;;
Chapter Warning: Language, Violence.
Legend
'Comment(s) in Italics & apostrophes' –Thoughts / inner musings
-Comment(s) in Italics & dashes- –Other mental voices
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Complicated Souls
Written by Isrea Ishiida
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Chapter Nine
Light and Dark, Opposing Forces
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"We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire. Neither the sudden shock of battle nor the long-drawn vigilance and exertion will wear us down. Give us the tools and we will finish the job."
-Sir Winston Churchill
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"Hojo!" Zack spat, loathing evident in his voice. He reached over and drew up the Buster Sword from the sheath on Cloud's back, brandishing it dangerously. "What rock did you crawl out from under?"
Beside him, Cloud could practically feel Reno tense at the sight of the crazed professor. He didn't blame him.
Hojo simply turned his attention to Zack for all of five seconds; long enough to say "Specimen Z. Interesting. And my son, I see." he added, looking down at Sephiroth with a gleam in his eyes that spoke of scheming. You could literally hear the wheels turning in his head before he shifted his beady eyes back to Cloud. The sinister little man's grin widened and he cackled gleefully, the same cackle Cloud had heard so many times before. "Specimen C." he stated, then turned his gaze to Reno. You could just see the way the scientist's eyes lit up when they fell upon the Turk – like a little boy on Christmas, he was.
This confused Cloud for a moment before he let the idea drop. There were more pressing things to worry about.
"And the boy, too. What a group you make." Hojo continued, pulling a hand free of a pocket and using his middle finger to push his glasses up to the bridge of his nose when they slipped a bit. He cackled insanely again.
"Shut up, bastard. What the fuck do you want?" Reno snapped, not one to be analyzed like a poodle at a dog show.
Hojo cackled again, an irritating, infuriating noise. "Specimens aren't supposed to talk back to their captor, Sinclair."
"No, they're supposed to scream, right?" Cloud asked sardonically before Reno could act, reaching down to pick up his Ultima weapon. Hojo merely chuckled at that.
"Why, of course."
Reno snarled, a barely contained fury seeping from his eyes. "Well guess fucking what, you crazed lunatic! We're not specimens for you to poke at, so I'll talk as much as I fucking want to!" His nightstick in one hand, Reno drew his handgun in the other and held the semi-automatic out at arm's length. Fixing his sight on Hojo, he fired half his clip at the sickly scientist and only stopped when he realized that his bullets weren't doing anything. They didn't even seem to reach the man. They simply stopped midair and floated there for a moment before dropping to the ground with a clatter. Taking a deep breath and calming himself, Reno snorted in contempt he didn't even try to hide. "Looks like you've learned some new tricks while you've been away." was all he said to the display.
"And you need to learn some manners, boy. Firing objects at people, really. It's no way to greet a man who knows your deepest secrets…" he grinned evilly. "Your mother was very cautious, wasn't she? So was your father… But I know now, and that's all that matters."
Realization sunk into Reno's brain and, for a moment, there was a bit of fear in his eyes. He recovered quickly, however, and shot a scornful glare at the scientist. "Bullshit." He growled out from between clenched teeth.
Hojo broke out into another cackle. Without taking their eyes off Hojo, Zack and Cloud exchanged looks.
The scientist smirked like a predator cornering its pray. "Oh but I do, dear boy. I know what you are and I know who you are. How I missed it for so many years surprises even me… But maybe that proves the quality of the specimen then, hmm? I look forward to dissecting you!"
Reno visibly paled but didn't flinch, holding his ground as best he could. If anything, Hojo knew how to screw with people's minds.
"Enough crap!" Zack suddenly piped up, stepping forward and, to Cloud's surprise, in front of Reno. The SOLDIER held his weapon ready, his booted foot digging into the concrete in preparation. "Stop fucking with people's minds and just die."
Zack lunged. He didn't get far; that seemed to be happening a lot lately.
Fire erupted in a wall before them, heat radiating off the surface of the thing like a furnace. Zack was forced to skid to a stop to keep from hitting it, coming to stop just inches from the inferno. He backed up, unsure of the fire, and it was a good thing that he did. The fire was so hot that, had he attempted to plunge through it, he'd of been near incinerated.
The firewall shot out suddenly, traveling along the ground and to the edges of the street with incredible speed. Zack was the first to realize what was going on and grabbed Sephiroth's body and lunged for the edge of the street as fast as he could. Reno and Cloud caught on at the same time and darted in opposite directions, attempting to escape. Hojo was trying to trap them in a fire ring.
The fire sped along the ground and curved up the sides of the street. Even Zack, who had had a head start, barely had time to throw Sephiroth's unconscious body clear and through an already broken storefront window. Hoping that his friend had landed safely, Zack hadn't any more time to think on this, for the firewall had surrounded the three of them in ring of fire. They backed up and formed a tight circle, each careful to keep Hojo in their sights. Who knew what else this crazy bastard could do? After all he was apparently a Pyromancer now, had stopped bullets in mid air, and didn't seem like he was done yet.
"Step one, stay alive. Step two, kick his ass." Reno muttered to no one in particular. He was disheartened to find that the 'roadblock' that had previously cluttered the street was no longer in the street. Instead, Hojo was lifting his hands in the air and the debris that had been clumped together started floating into the air as well, each piece lifting like a well-placed Gravity spell.
The three shared a worried look when the debris entered the ring of fire and started spinning around them like a mini tornado. Even the fire started spinning, combining itself with the debris and transforming into a spinning vortex of death. They could see how hot the flames were just by looking. As soon as the objects entered the fire they melted and deformed into misshapen, unidentifiable clumps of molten goop. There was no chance of escape… They had to stand and fight.
"New tricks?" Zack asked Reno, watching the flaming objects with worry.
Reno simply nodded. "Yep."
"You going to be alright?"
"Yep."
"Sorry to interrupt." Cloud muttered, watching a specific spot in the fire. "But duck."
The Turk and the SOLDIER turned to Cloud and hit the floor as fast as they could. One of the goopy objects in the fire shot out at them suddenly, whizzing overhead and just barely missing them. They could feel the heat in the air, even more intense than the mako radiation, from where the thing had passed.
"Incoming!" the red head shouted, rolling sharply to his left to avoid another shot of the molten projectiles - Cloud and Zack barely rolled away in time. It splattered where the three of them had once been, sizzling and melting away the ground.
They jumped to their feet as a group and promptly hit the floor again simultaneously as another shot sprang from the fire, zooming over their heads. When they stood again they parted ways with only an exchanged glance and three respective nods. Each headed to a different part of the ring in an attempt to divert the attacks in different ways. They were hoping to give at least one person time to act. This failed, however, for instead of just one obstacle, the group was forced to contend with three. They jumped, ducked and dodged in their own different ways and finally, after five minutes of this, regrouped and sheathed their weapons – all but Zack, who chose to keep his.
By this time Hojo was having fun with this little game. He gave the three of them little time to act or to even think, hurling things at them one after another. At one point Cloud had nearly been crushed by a half molten frame of a truck, and Zack had missed being hit with what he suspected was a doorframe.
The three hit the ground again as a group. Cloud spoke fast, having to roll away again mid sentence to avoid another glob of goo. "Zack, your Contain materia, it-" Roll. Jump. Dodge. The three of them were in a different spot. "-Has a Tornado spell on it, right?"
They were forced to break apart again when a well-placed shot nearly caught Reno in the chest. The red head jumped back, startled at the unexpected attack, and had nearly fallen on his ass. With the mako radiation to deal with, his fall and the intense heat coming off the fire Reno felt like utter crap. Every time he moved he felt the potential loss of his lunch, and his body wasn't working to its full capacity. It was taking everything he had to simply stay alive!
"Yea, it does." Zack stated, diving to his right to avoid another molten fireball. He wasn't faring much better than Reno, they had to end this quick. "Why do you-" Another dive, tuck and roll. "-Want to know?" he finished as he sprang to his feet.
"Pass it here!"
Zack popped the little materia orb out of his bracer as he sprinted to the left, just barely getting out of the way of another attack. He ran right past Cloud, not bothering to stop, but simply tossed his friend the orb and continued going. From there it became like a game of hot potato for Cloud took off at a run a moment later, but was forced to drop to the ground to avoid another strike. He hit the ground harder than he'd intended and lost his grip on the small orb, which rolled away from him and landed at Reno's feet. The red head picked it up in the middle of a desperate sprint to avoid another of Hojo's molten attacks and tossed the thing to Zack, who was free of attack at the moment. The SOLDIER caught it and dived for the cement a moment later, deliberately throwing the Contain materia in Cloud's general direction while avoiding an attack he'd seen coming. It seemed Hojo was catching on…
Cloud picked the thing up and slipped it into his bracer, calling up the will for a spell. He spent longer than he probably should have building the spell but he didn't want to expend much energy or let Hojo in on his plan so he had to get it right on the first try. Luckily he was free of attack just long enough and "Tornado!" escaped his lips as the green orb flared to life, the magic forming as he'd planned.
A well-placed wind started to form inside the very wall of flame, connecting to itself and spinning rapidly against the current of the debris. The two forces fought each other for a long moment and Zack and Reno had time to relax while Cloud concentrated to keep the spell going. It was hard, the magic that sustained the wall of flame was incredibly strong and twice Cloud had thought he'd been beaten, only to call up some reserved well of energy to push into the spell. The end result was that the wind and the fire could no longer contend with each other and the spinning of the objects stopped, held in place by the opposing forces. They couldn't move, couldn't be hurtled at anyone, and the flames were weakening.
"Nice thinking." And exhausted looking and winded Reno complimented as he came up to stand by Cloud, patting the blond on the shoulder gratefully. Behind them, Zack was just picking himself up off the ground.
From within the wall of fire Hojo appeared, stepping through the inferno as though he didn't even feel the heat. He brushed a hand through his hair in a very non-Hojoi'sh way; his eyes alight with a sharp malice. A chill ran down all three of their spines as they watched him, and all of them were thinking the same thing at that very moment. Not Hojo… He had been Hojo, but a change had come over the scientist. This wasn't Hojo anymore.
"So your more resourceful than I'd thought. No big deal, this is far from over…" Hojo said, still in Hojo's voice, but the tone was entirely different. There was no doubt in their minds that this new essence wasn't Hojo. It couldn't be.
Hojo, who was not really Hojo, held his hand out for the lot of them to see. Fire sparked around it, red crackling flame that flickered over his greenish tinted skin malevolently. Senses sharp, the three watched as he slowly bent down and slammed his fist into the ground, the thundering of the crack that resulted surprising them. There was more strength in that slam then there should have been…
The fire spilled off of the scientist's hand and fled into the ground, disappearing under the concrete. Then he stood up and stepped back, smirking. His hand was bare and surprisingly unharmed. When he looked back at them he was Hojo again, sick mind and all, that familiar gleam of sadistic pleasure in his eyes.
Reno frowned. He'd seen something like this before… What was it? He couldn't quite remember but he knew it was there, something important that he was missing. This frustrated him for his memory was usually flawless, perfect and photographic. He could have recalled every moment of every day of his life with perfect clarity, so why the fuzziness now? Oh yea, he'd hit his head. Stupid fall…
When nothing happened for several seconds Cloud and Zack exchanged a glance. They were unsure of what to expect and this drawn out pause wasn't doing anything more than letting them rest. Was Hojo letting them have a break?
Suddenly Reno's memory snapped into focus and the red head said "Oh Fuck!" before he looked down.
Cloud and Zack had barely enough time to turn and look at Reno before they found themselves being pushed by the Turk and thrown back a few feet from where they'd been standing. As they caught themselves the first thing they saw was the ground bursting open at the red head's feet and a column of fire erupting out of the concrete. The last they saw of Reno he was calling up a spell from a materia on his bracer before the Turk disappeared behind a wall of red flame, engulfed by the attack. Long moments passed in agonizing anticipation and, when finally the fire died, the two were relieved to find the Turk fine save the singes on his clothing. The last traces of an Mbarrier spell faded from around him.
"Damn, reminds me of heartburn." The red head said a moment later, a grin placing itself on his face. He dusted himself off dramatically and stepped down from the mound of upturned concrete slowly, carefully. "Here's a hint, watch where you step. This whole area's a fricken minefield. One wrong move and we'll be using you as charcoal." He informed.
"Don't think you'll have much of a choice." Hojo stated suddenly and they all once again turned to face their enemy. The stranger within Hojo's body chuckled manically. "You let your guard down."
Zack's scream of pain caused Cloud and Reno to realize what was going on. They turned to him and found that the dark haired man was falling forward, the material of his SOLDIER uniform burning away as a molten goo clung to his back and even now ate away at his skin, burning with intensity. The ring of fire had started up again, the wind spell beaten because Cloud had taken his mind off of maintaining it.
Reno dumped out the materia from his pockets, threw off his jacket in a hurry and tossed it to Cloud, who grabbed it out of the air and immediately caught his friend. He wiped away the burning substance with one swift motion of the jacket, leaving Zack's back exposed to the heat of the air before throwing the material from his hands. He barely had time to do that before he was forced to pull the SOLDIER to him and dive away to avoid another shot of the molten liquid, saving both their lives.
Reno was right there to meet them, a hand full of materia and muttering a cure spell. The magic shot from his bracer into Zack, curing the burning as best he could with a Cure2 spell while rolling to avoid getting hit himself. He ended up next to his sizzling Turk jacket, which had a huge hole in it now and was not going to make it. Casualties - one. Reno pouted.
Cloud and Zack had made it to their feet finally and Zack took a moment to orient himself. Still in a bit of pain but able to ignore it now, he would be able to handle himself again. Zack's focus came back to him nearly right away, not one to stay down for long. Sensing immediate danger he had almost no chance to react to the fiery molten ball of junk flying at them, sprinting away to avoid yet another shot. He really didn't know if he had it in him to handle another hit like that - not in his current condition.
Luckily Cloud jumped away just in time to avoid the blast, but unfortunately stepped on one of the 'mines' Reno had been talking about. The blond started as the ground under him exploded, a column of fire roaring to life around him. He hastily called up an Mbarrier of his own but was too late in doing so, the flames licking at his clothing and catching on his skin. He grit his teeth against the searing pain as the fire ripped through his body and forced himself to call the barrier up as fast as he could, efficiently blocking out the rest of the attack before it had a chance to incinerate him. The barrier pushed back the fire but shook violently, giving way just as the last traces of the attack disappeared, shattering into magical pieces. When the column died he stumbled from the center of it and fell to his knees, narrowly avoiding the strike of another glob of melted steel because he did.
He had no time to relax for he found himself instinctively pushing himself up and to the right to dodge another attack, the liquid splashing across the concrete and sizzling ominously. His body screamed at him and his skin burned, the heat of the fire still lingering in his flesh. No chance for a cure spell, unfortunately. He just had to deal with it.
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Over on Reno's end the Turk was caught in a moral and mental debate. Having watched the object of his desire nearly come to an end in a column of fire, the Turk was promptly forced to admit, in the middle of a sprint from danger, that there was really no helping the choice he was faced with. None of them even had a chance to attack Hojo, simply running for their lives to stay alive. There was no break, no pause; no opening that would give them at least a moment to fire off a spell at the bastard… If he didn't do this now they'd all end up dead…
But, if he did… Reno didn't know if he could handle the consequences…
Maybe they wouldn't catch on?
So caught up in his own inner musings the Turk failed to notice the misshapen shot of molten liquid that came hurtling toward him at break neck speeds. He was lucky though, for he'd decided to move just then and when he got hit by the blast it only caught him in the leg, searing through cloth and skin and burning into his flesh. The red head let out a half choked scream as he fell onto his side, going to clutch at his leg only to stop himself from doing so. He grit his teeth and practically ripped off his shirt as fast as he could, using it to wipe the molten goo from his flesh before throwing the burning cloth from him. Casualties – two. He pouted again, if only to try and ignore the intense pain.
"RENO!"
He looked up sharply at Cloud's call, rolling away as another attack came at him and splattered where he used to be. Coming to his feet the Turk was forced to lean as much of his weight as he could on his good leg, but even that didn't help. The moment he put pressure on his injured leg it gave out and he would nearly collapse. 'Fucking leg. Fucking fall. Fucking Hojo. This isn't my day…'
He was suddenly tackled to the ground as another blast screamed overhead, barely missing him and his savior by a foot. It wasn't until the person sat up that he realized it had been Cloud who'd just saved his life. What got Reno was that the blond was straddling him, his knees on either side of the red head's hips and Cloud's heavy sword's pressing their bodies against each other. Had this been any other situation Reno would have found that extremely arousing. As it was, he had a hard time suppressing the mental pictures.
"Pay attention!"
The blond was fuming at him, about to get up and stand when Reno noted, over the blond's shoulder, another attack coming at the pair. He did the first thing anyone in his or her right mind would have done. He pressed Cloud to him and rolled.
After he'd heard the splash of liquid on concrete and the sizzle of heat, Reno was going to stop the movement, intent on getting up and leaving Cloud to his own devices. Instead, he found himself pushing the roll even farther, seeing as they'd rolled onto another 'fire mine.' The duo barely made it as, together, they rolled out of the way of another pillar of flame that burst through the ground. The heat from the blast nearly blistered Reno's exposed skin.
When they finally came to a stop Reno paused at the situation he'd thrown himself into, blinking. The red head was sitting between the other man's legs, lying on top of him, without a shirt on. There was a second in which the awkwardness registered in the Turk's mind before he snapped to attention and moved to get up-
Only to have Cloud hug him and roll, copying the motion that Reno had just used to avoid yet another attack. Something against Reno's chest jabbed Cloud, something round like a materia, but he didn't have time to think about that. When the dodge was complete, Cloud and Reno found themselves in the same position they'd just been in, the blond warrior straddling the red head. The two jumped apart as fast as they could, though not entirely for the same reasons.
In Cloud's mind nothing strange had happened at all. They'd just saved each other's lives and then jumped apart to break the cycle, hopefully gaining some kind of ground.
In Reno's mind, however, things were entirely different. He'd just been pressed up against Strife and had had the man straddling him. The thought sent heat to all the wrong places and he'd jumped away only to keep himself in the right state of mind to be fighting for his life. Reno shook his head to clear it of all the wrong kinds of thoughts. This was not the time. No, this was the time for action - his action, more specifically. 'But they'll… and Hojo…'
The image of a brown haired, green-eyed woman in pink appeared at the forefront of his mind. She smiled at him, holding a basket of flowers in her hands. Reno's eyes narrowed and he frowned darkly, the decision made.
"Strife." He said suddenly, hitting the ground in a duck to avoid another shot before scrambling to his feet awkwardly. "I need your help!" loath as he was to admit it.
Cloud blinked as he jumped back to avoid another strike, throwing out his arms to balance him. "What?"
Reno cautiously made his way over to Cloud, meeting Zack about half way. So they were re-grouping, huh? Good. As the two came up to the blond the three of them ducked in unison, narrowly avoiding yet another zooming blast that went flying over their heads. "I need to get to Hojo. I think I know how to stop this lunatic, but I can't do it alone. My-" they all sprang to their feet and jumped back again, dodging another blast, before putting their backs to each other and forming a tight circle. "-Leg's fucked, I won't be able to get to him in one piece."
"What do you have in mind?" The blond asked, eyes shifting back and forth in look out for an attack, prepared to warn them should anything come his way.
"Jump!" Zack suddenly commanded. They all did so, leaping into the air as a blast was flung along the ground in attempt to take out their legs. Unfortunately for Hojo, they kept their legs in tact thanks to Zack's warning.
"Just trust me!" Reno said, looking around swiftly. "Just make sure I get to him in one piece. That's all I need!"
Free of attack for a split moment, Zack and Cloud exchanged a nod and Zack turned to Reno. "Ready when you are."
"Go!" The red head commanded.
The three of them took off at a run toward Hojo, who was standing lazily at the edge of the fire barrier, leisurely enjoying his little game. He didn't look worried when the party started at him, figuring they wouldn't get too far. So they were working together now, big deal. They hadn't shown nearly enough teamwork to be able to defeat his trap yet, so he wasn't concerned.
Had he seen the determined glint in their eyes, maybe he would have thought better of that.
Pushing himself beyond the pain, Reno called up all the energy he could from the depths of his body, adrenaline pumping through his veins. The thought that this might be their last chance spurred him onward, made him endure the throbbing, burning ache in his leg and pushed him forward. But there was something else there too, a thought that made him continue when before he would have retreated. 'I will not be a coward any more!'
Every few feet he stepped on a fire mine, though he was moving much to fast for the attack to do more than ignite behind him, a stream of fire in his wake; or he'd stop just before one as it lit, jumping back when he noted the mine about to go off and narrowly keeping himself whole. Cloud and Zack matched his stride easily, the three of them ducking, dodging and avoiding every obstacle Hojo threw at them. Together they warned each other of approaching danger, saved each other as needed and continued forward. It was hard, but it wasn't impossible. Such was the case when, like Reno had predicted, his leg couldn't take the strain any more.
Skidding to a stop before he ran smack into the middle of a shot of molten goo that was coming straight at him, Reno shifted to try and dodge around it, leaning his weight to the wrong side in his haste. A muffled "Oof" escaped him as his leg gave out, causing the red head to loose all sense of balance and fall. Zack was right there to pick him back up again, however, just tackling him out of way with his shoulder and sending the two of them out of harms way.
They landed on a fire mine, unfortunately. Neither had a chance to respond fast enough to the threat, not able to call up a barrier or get out of the way in time, but it didn't matter, Cloud had them covered. The blond invoked a spell and the familiar Mbarrier formed around the pair's bodies, a dome of light that sprang from under their feet and connected over their heads. They could see the fire as it roared around them, pushed off course by the protective magic, and like before the dome broke under the stress just as the fire attack finished, just barely able to stand up to the heat. As soon as the light died they started off again, Cloud joining them but hanging back to keep his distance.
Reno stumbled at first but pushed the pain away, keeping his gait steady. They only had one shot at this after all. If he failed he'd have no energy left to try again, and they'd all probably be fucked. Internally he mused on the fact that the three of them worked together so well. They could read each other's moves without words and knew what they were doing and why. Each motion coincided with someone else's move, like chess pieces they crossed the board, protecting each other. Maybe they'd make it out of here alive after all? Who knew?
A problem arose to complicate things when Hojo realized they were getting closer and that their level of teamwork had suddenly skyrocketed.
Hojo's face contorted into a twisted look of anger as the three started closing the gap between them, making it past the halfway mark and continuing. He realized they had something planned in that moment and narrowed his eyes. Obviously the plan revolved around the red head with the way they protected him, Hojo mused, so… 'If you take out the center, the rest cannot hold the balance…' He lifted his hand high into the air.
For a moment the ring of fire stopped moving, the spinning slowing and ending until the fire became a simple barrier, the debris floating in place. Zack and Cloud exchanged another concerned glance as they pressed onward, cautious about this new change.
Reno really didn't have enough conscious thought to notice. He needed to focus his remaining energies into what he was about to do so he'd shut down everything, turning his attention inward rather than outward, and begun to focus. The only thing he kept himself doing was running forward, barely aware of when he needed to save himself. This was going to be the hard part on Cloud and Zack; he hoped they were up for it.
Just as they reached attacking distance of Hojo every single object within the fire barrier shot out of the flame at once, hurtled at them with the speed of a bullet. The dozens of objects formed a death circle that quickly tightened into a noose, leaving the three little to no option aside of dodging. It was like a wall, black and inky and on fire as it closed in on them. Reno had enough sense to stick close to Cloud and Zack while he gathered his strength but he knew that if he was to complete the process, he couldn't help. That made him shudder for, if they failed… the red head didn't want to think about it.
There was little time to think on their options and even less to execute them, but Cloud and Zack exchanged yet another look. Both were thinking the same thing, and Zack made a slight swishing motion with his hand in question. Cloud grinned. They knew how to handle a death ring like this.
"Tornado!"
"Ice3!"
Both spells lit up at the exact same time, Cloud's high-powered wind spell and Zack's ice fusing together within a split second as the two called up the magic. What resulted was that an ice storm formed around the three of them, the eye of the tornado calm but the outside absolutely full of chaos. Within the wind spiraled sub-zero temperatures the likes of which a Tundra couldn't compete with, frost forming that one could see and feel, the cold actually dropping the temperature of the area dozens of degrees. Their breath came out in white puffs of smoke and Reno, who wasn't properly clothed, actually felt a chill.
But the best part was that the 'molten attacks' froze the moment they hit the wall of frost and wind, crystallizing instantly into shining black and white, frosted over clumps. The debris caught in the wind and began to spiral out of control - well, out of Hojo's control, at least. The things circled around the trio before Cloud turned to Hojo, gave a sadistic little grin, and started firing off frozen debris at the scientist. It was easy to do so for it only needed a slight change in the wind pattern and a little extra energy.
Hojo raised his hand and narrowed his eyes, the debris stopping in mid air at his silent command. Held back by an unknown force they came together, one after another the icy shots stopped, forming a wall before him and Hojo used the ones he had as a barrier. Cloud did not relent, sending waves of the debris crashing into the floating barrier Hojo had made, each attack exploding into millions of shining splinters. When he was finished nothing was left but thousands upon thousands of little shards that littered the ground at Hojo's feet, the debris completely destroyed and the wall gone.
That was the least of Hojo's worries, however.
Out of nowhere Reno appeared, charging the mad scientist with his arms held out at his sides, palms open. In his hands sparked an eerie blue-white light that pulsed and around his neck shone a materia, bound by a silver chain. It was the strangest thing he'd ever seen, the peculiar little orb, and it glowed with the force of a brilliant star, illuminating itself within a pale nimbus of light. Even Cloud and Zack were surprised by this turn of events, though only one of them recognized the glow and neither could see the materia. Cloud's eyes widened considerably.
The next thing Hojo knew the Turk was coming down at him from a jump, planting his knees on the scientist's chest and slamming his hands onto the man's face, pushing the man over. The only thing he could see of Reno as he landed on his back, past the Turk's fingers and the white light, were his eyes, glowing a bright green that shone the same as the Lifestream. They were glaring at him, hate-filled and loathing, and they struck fear into something deep within Hojo's mind, like a far away thought, a distant essence that knew what was to come.
Energy streamed from the red head's fingertips, radiant white and blue light that seared and burned into the professor's flesh, scarring the tissue and burning away muscle. A bubbling, pain-laced scream clawed its way from the scientist's throat and escaped into the air as the energy flooded his body and traveled through the man's very veins like white fire. Light began to form under his skin, small and large dots that painted the green tinted layers and moved like stars, attempting to escape through his very pores. The feeling was of such intensity that, had Hojo not already been insane, the feelings would have driven his human mind mad.
"Eat this you son of a bitch!" the red head growled, forcing every ounce of his energy into his attack. This made the white light flare even brighter and the flame that ran through Hojo's body heighten in intensity. Another scream escaped the scientist's mouth and Reno grinned, almost sadistically delighted in the pain the crazed madman was going through.
The tides turned all to suddenly. Before Reno could understand what was going on Hojo's hands came up and caught his wrists, gripping them with such strength that it threw the red head off guard. The scientist's fingers dug into his flesh and drew blood with his nails, the red liquid spilling over the edges of his arms. Reno winced but held fast to his victim.
Then, from the fingertips of his opponent, darkness and shadow spewed forth much like the energy Reno was still pumping into Hojo's body. It crawled up the red head's arms like the long legs of a spider, leaving a numb and cold feeling in their wake. It attempted to douse the light that shone from his hands and for long moments Reno struggled against the invading darkness, putting as much fight into it as possible. But in the end the shadows consumed him and the two were surrounded in a pitch-black world that made the red head's blood run cold. He could hear his name being called, from Zack or Cloud he couldn't tell, but that was the last he knew of them.
Reno wasn't entirely sure what happened next and probably never would be, but it happened quickly and it happened hard; pain exploding in his chest like someone had impaled him through the middle. It made him gasp and gag for air, though no scream was imminent. His hold on the energy he had slipped and fell away and he lost almost all of it before he was strong enough to grasp it again, the magic sliding through his fingers.
Outside this dark world Zack and Cloud looked on in worry. Neither of them understood what was happening; all they knew was that suddenly Reno and Hojo had been covered by inky black nothingness and their bodies had just become near shapeless forms of darkness – shadows of them. They could see every motion made by the two, every time Reno winced and even when he buckled forward in what they could only assume to be a silent gasp.
Zack immediately went to the two's sides and attempted to grab at Reno, only to sharply recall his hands when the darkness sparked at him like an electrified fence. Cloud joined him but there was nothing either could do.
"Take him when they get out of this, whatever happens." Cloud said suddenly, stepping back a bit and readying his sword.
Zack did the same, drawing his Buster Sword, a look of concern on his features. "Right. Whether or not Reno won, we have a chance. Hojo won't be expecting it… I hope…"
The darkness receded all at once, startling the two warriors into preparing themselves. Reno and Hojo were in sight for about half a second before the red head was blown off of the scientist in an explosion of darkness that sent the young man flinging through the air like a rag doll, unconscious. Cloud went to work immediately, slamming his huge Ultima weapon down and into the abdomen of the scientist, bringing forth yet another scream from the man. It sliced the scaly, and now that they could see him up close he really was covered in what one could consider snake scales, lunatic in two, about an inch of flesh on his left side the only thing keeping him in one piece. The Ultima weapon cut cleanly through his bones and ripped through the man's spine with ease, the crunch audible. Blood flowed freely out of the open wound and escaped the man's mouth, flooding his throat and cutting off another scream that turned into a bubbling groan.
Without warning Cloud was blown back by an explosion of darkness. He was sent skidding back several feet before he slammed his sword into the ground and used it as an anchor, stopping himself mid-flight.
Zack used this time to launch his own sword down, attempting to sever Hojo's head from his shoulders and end this. The Buster Sword smashed against an invisible wall and Zack found himself flying through the air as he, too, was launched back. Nimbly landing on his feet after doing a backwards, airborne flip the SOLDIER turned back just in time to see Hojo crawling swiftly away from them, fleeing in the opposite direction on his hands and knees. How he did so was beyond both men but he did it, finally getting to his feet and standing up a ways down the road.
What shocked both men was that he could stand, and that his spine was somehow in tact when he did so. The muscle and tissue was still sliced cleanly through the middle and one could see through him when they looked at it, blood soaking through the white fabric that clung desperately together. Even so, the spine was whole and kept him upright. What confused them even more was that, with all the muscles cut, Hojo couldn't possibly be moving his lower half. It was impossible but somehow he just was. Hojo was defying the laws of… everything!
He turned to them, sneered, and then he was gone. His presence faded from their senses all at once and had Cloud been anyone else he would have questioned the fact that Hojo might still be lurking. Cloud knew better than that. Hojo was gone and he wouldn't be back for a while. How he'd left or even how he was still alive was beyond him, but the fact that he was gone was enough for now.
Turning he moved back to see if Reno was all right. He found Zack already at the red head's side but Cloud joined him anyway. Anything he might have owed the Turk had already been paid back in kind, but still, without him they probably wouldn't have survived this strange encounter, averse as he was to admit it. Might as well see if the guy was okay, right?
Reno was on his back and half in Zack's arms, his face turned to the side. His features were calm, not drawn in pain or anger or arrogance, and for a moment Cloud was struck with a thought. He'd never actually seen the man calm – at least, not a calm that wasn't forced. He looked so different like that it was scary. Three times now the Turk had surprised him, through deed or expression, and Cloud was hit with a sudden realization. He really didn't know anything about Reno. He'd always assumed that he understood the other man, but in truth, he understood absolutely nothing at all. And, when one comes to a realization like that, they start to wonder. Unfortunately, that thought brought him back to what had just happened. No, he really didn't know anything about Reno. He made it a mental note to find out, however.
"Is he alright?" Cloud asked as he plopped down beside the SOLDIER.
"Red's a tough kid, he'll be fine." Zack stated simply, nodding to himself. "From… whatever happened there seems to be no external or internal injuries. He's just unconscious – probably over-exerted himself."
Cloud snorted and folded his arms over his chest. "Speaking of which, what the fuck was all that back there?" he muttered. "The glowing and the light? What the heck is up with this guy? First he waltzes into a mako-induced sector without dying and then he goes and pulls some amazing attack and passes out? And why the heck was Hojo so interested in him? If you ask me, it sounds like he's some damned…"
The leader of AVALANCHE frowned as something caught his eye. Leaning over a bit, Cloud noted the little silver chain around the red head's neck. Whatever was hanging on the end of it had slid around the back of the chain and was now hidden by the Turk's shoulder. Curious, Cloud reached over and pulled the ornament around to the front of the chain. He nearly dropped the thing when he realized what it was.
The audible hiss of Cloud sucking in air made Zack look up. In the blond's hand rested a White materia, its pleasantly glowing surface a mix of blue and white that spiraled and collided together like a smoke, twisting until the colors became one and parted again somewhere else. It continued to glow merrily for a moment longer before the glow died and the crystal walls became a solid, pale white.
"… Ancient." Cloud finished, awe in his tone as the whole experience clicked together. "The resistance to mako poisoning, the light, the materia, Hojo… It all fits together. Reno's an ancient!" the blond uttered, stunned at the sudden revelation. Then something else clicked and he turned to Zack, the awe leaving his face. "And you knew, didn't you? You knew that Reno was an ancient, and that's why you didn't try to stop him or wonder why he could come into the sector. You already knew."
"Listen, Cloud." Zack began. Setting Reno back down and taking the chained white materia from his friend's hand, he set it down were it belonged – with Reno. "I couldn't say anything because I promised Reno I wouldn't, and now you have to swear not to say anything, too." When the blond looked ready to argue, Zack fell into the no-nonsense tone that clearly said he wasn't kidding when he spoke. "Cloud, Reno's secret will stay a secret, do you understand me? He's spent his whole life guarding it, and I'm not about to let you ruin everything he's worked so hard to keep."
It was true that Cloud understood the severity of being an ancient, and the risks, but to keep it from his friends – his comrades? Did Reeve know? But then again… it was Reno's affair, not his to meddle in.
"Cloud… please." Zack prompted after a moment and the blond turned to look at him. Their eyes locked, green on blue, and they silently searched each other's gazes for a long moment. Cloud made up his mind then.
"I won't say anything to anybody, I promise. But I'm not going to act as though I don't know, so when he wakes up I want some answers." He conceded.
This seemed to appease Zack for he breathed a sigh of relief and handed Cloud his Buster Sword. "Good. Now, I'm going to get Seph and then we can get the hell out of here." The SOLDIER said, smiling to himself and then to Cloud when he stood. "We should have enough strength to get out of here now, what with the extra adrenaline still running through us. I wouldn't be surprised if we have enough last ditch energy in us to run the whole way back to the gates." Turning, he began to pick his way into the store that he'd thrown Sephiroth's body into, pushing aside a large girder to get into the doorway.
Standing, Cloud sheathed both swords and chuckled when his friend re-appeared with the uninjured Sephiroth over one shoulder. "If Hojo did anything, he ensured our survival." The blond said, feeling a bit better than he had previously. Now that he knew what was going on with Reno and after venting all of his anger and frustration on Hojo, he could think a bit more clearly. He still had questions, however. Reno had done something no ordinary ancient was capable of doing – even the Cetra couldn't harness energy like that. There was something more to this picture than met the eye. Cloud wanted to know what.
"No kidding." Zack mused as he walked over. "Came to kill us and ended up saving us." When he looked down at Reno he frowned. Zack held out his arm and cast a Cure3 spell on the Turk, successfully getting rid of most of the damage handed to the red head before picking him up. Shifting his weight he shouldered Reno and started off at a brisk jog, Cloud not far behind him. Luckily the path was clear now and from here on out the travel would be easy. At least, as easy as a mako-induced sector and a pair of tired warriors carrying three times their normal weight could handle, anyway. The only thing that loomed before them was the encampment and the pending disaster awaiting them.
Vacantly, Zack hoped that Captain Gartain was still as reasonable a man as he remembered.
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To Be Continued—
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Author's Notes:
1. I have to wonder, did anyone see that coming? Reno being an ancient, I mean. I tried to hint at it, but I also wanted to keep it a secret until it happened, you know? I kind of like this chapter despite it being pretty fast paced. Maybe that's a good thing though? Hmm, what do you all think? Did I rush things too much? Oh well.
2. I know the White materia is supposed to be green, but I honestly think that it WAS actually white before they summoned holy. In the game it depicted it as green, but I wonder if it was only because putting a white spot in Aeris's hair would make the sprite look weirder than it already was? You know, WHITE materia and all… Bah, oh well. I'm keeping it white anyway. :P
3. As always, criticism and reviews are welcome, though I don't think I get as much criticism as I would like. Keep sending those reviews though, good or bad, because I'm going to keep writing 'till you all tell me to stop. Might not even then:P
