Author's Note: Thanks go out to Heather Cat for yet another beta-read. That's it.
Salvation (10)
Tseng was lying in his bed, resting his eyes. Despite the treatment that he had received at the hospital, he still felt battered, bruised, and drained. He eyes were just beginning to close when suddenly the harsh sound of his telephone cut through his apartment. Swearing under his breath, Tseng sat up and glared at his PHS but then realized that it wasn't ringing. Someone was trying to reach his home phone.
Tseng lay back down in his bed. It obviously wasn't the Company calling him. Whoever it was could just wait a few hours.
Elena put the phone down. Maybe he wasn't home yet. God, she had sounded like such an idiot on the answering machine. Maybe she should call him back? No, that was just stupid. She could wait a few hours.
Tseng was dreaming. He knew this because there was no possible way for him to be where he was. The Gods were not so forgiving.
He was standing in a Wutaian ornamental garden. The edges of his vision were fuzzy but he could make out the faint outline of trees. It was a lush, green garden that was obviously well tended and well loved. The soft scent of cherry blossom trees lingered in the air. Tseng's heart shrank inside him. He was in Wutai and it was springtime.
When he looked down at himself, he saw that he was wearing the long traditional robes that he had once worn so proudly. They were light brown with beige scrollwork around the neck and sleeve lines.
His hand trailed up to the back of his hand and found that, yes, his hair was pilled up in a topknot. Great Gods.
Tseng finally noticed the peculiar weight at his hip and looked down. Sweet Leviathan, it was still there. With unsteady hands, Tseng pulled the empty lacquer sheath from its place at his hip. It was a simple black sheath but etched in painful detail along its length were three Wutaian runes and a beautifully done dragon in gold. To keep you safe, a ghost whispered in his mind. Tseng's fingers traced the familiar patterns and he mouthed the words to himself again. The sheath was empty of course; the katana that had once slept there was long gone.
In the manner of dreams, Tseng found his feet taking him forward to the small, artificial pond in front of him. Involuntarily, he found himself looking down into the clear, silver waters. The water's surface was covered with fallen petals from the nearby trees. Already, the blooms were starting to fade.
Beneath the water, huge white and orange gold fish swam by contentedly. A few grasping strands of seaweed swayed slowly at the base of the pool. Tseng squinted, watching the water. There was something under the surface.
A soft current rustled the aquatic greenery and a faint glimmer of silver became apparent.
"Gods," Tseng swore softly. There it was. Untarnished, untainted, unsullied and shining beneath the pool's surface, his katana lay. Tseng's legs gave out from under him and he collapsed to his knees.
This sword will be your heart, Tseng; a beating artery that gives life as easily as take it away. Show it the respect it deserves: never let it tarnish or treat it negligently and, by Leviathan, never leave it bloody. Remember, a katana has a soul of its own. Never use it with an aim unclear or unjust. Most of all, show it the respect it shows you. Once its purpose has been served, sheath it.
"I can't," Tseng whispered. He knew that the voice lived only in his memory, but still he tried to answer. "I can't."
Tseng felt a presence draw up behind him. He didn't need to look behind to know who it was.
"You aren't real," he said to his ghost, his voice cracking on the word. A slender hand rested on his shoulder. He didn't need to ask what she wanted of him; he knew.
"Oh Gods," Tseng whispered even though he knew They would not answer. Against his better sense, he raised a hand to touch the hand on his shoulder. It was so cold.
"Gods," he said again, despairing.
His fingers felt sticky with blood.
Tseng sat up in bed suddenly, his chest heaving. For a moment, he looked around the room wildly. Realization washed over him like a grey film. He raised a hand to wipe his sweat-slicked hair back but then paused. With a painful consideration, he looked at his hands, turning them over in front of him. A shiver ran trough him and he leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. His palms pushed against his eyes and a name died on his lips before it was ever born.
Elena sat on her bed with her legs drawn up to her chest. She was patting Tom with an absent hand. Sometimes, her eyes would stray to a small black book sitting on her beside table. Usually, they looked out the room's small window. It was getting late.
Reno was standing in a side alley. He could be invisible if he chose but tonight he felt like being seen. His eyes glowed faintly in the dim light.
What do you do when a nightmare won't leave you? What do you do when it sinks its claws into your skin and won't let go? How often can you walk down one beaten path and brave its horror over and over again, praying that it will be different but knowing that it will never change? When will your dreaming stop?
The knock at the door startled Elena out of her reverie. Her hand flew to her chest to try and steady her suddenly racing heart. Surely she wasn't this startled?
Elena got up and walked out of the room, grabbing the book along the way. She wasn't entirely aware of the action though.
When she reached her front door, she paused and drew a steadying breath. Elena opened it and immediately her eyes widened.
"Tseng!" she cried and backed away suddenly.
"God, Tseng, you look..." Tseng walked in past her. Horrible, Elena finished mentally. Closing the door behind her, Elena eyed him askance. His jacket was askew, his hair looked ruffled, and there was large dark circle under his eyes. Maybe he hasn't recovered yet, Elena thought to herself.
"Tseng are you..." Tseng turned to face her front on and Elena's words died unspoken. There was something in his eyes that... disturbed her.
"...Tseng?"
"What do you want Elena?" Elena's eyes widened at the tone. It sounded so flat and dead.
"I..." Elena's eyes scanned Tseng's form. "Tseng, what's-"
"What do you want Elena?" Tseng asked again, his tone suddenly dangerously cold. Elena took a step back involuntarily.
"I..." Elena suddenly remembered the book in her hands. She was holding it so tightly that her knuckles hurt. Her eyes darted up to his face that seemed so unreachable and then flew back to the floor.
"I wanted to give you this back."
Not looking up, Elena presented the book to him.
The room was suddenly a very quiet place.
Elena looked up slowly from beneath a few blonde hairs that had strayed in front of her face. Tseng's face was almost painfully neutral.
"How did you get this?" he asked, his voice eerily quiet.
"I, I took it."
"You took it?" A shiver ran down Elena's spine. He words were cool and clipped but she could feel something frightening slithering beneath them. She nodded in small, abrupt motions.
"I just... I just wanted to give it back." Elena stepped forward to try and press the book into Tseng's hands but he drew back violently. Something akin to a snarl passed across his face.
"No!" he said with a shocking vehemence. His lips twisted looking at it. "I don't want that. It's a dead thing. A collection of false platitudes mouthed to rotten gods." Elena tried to reach out to him but Tseng only drew back further.
"Don't touch me!" He looked at her wildly. "Keep it Elena, I don't care. It's nothing to me."
He shoved past Elena, trying to make it back to the door.
"Tseng!" Elena called and he stopped, his back turned to her. Elena swallowed harshly. Tseng was practically seething.
"Tseng... who was she?"
For a moment, Elena could have sworn that time itself had stopped flowing. Her breath caught in her throat.
"...What?" The frightening something was crawling its way closer in Tseng's voice.
"The, the woman. Who gave you the book. Tseng, who was she?"
Tseng turned slowly to face Elena. Elena felt the colour drain from her cheeks. She wanted to back away from him but couldn't. He walked forward towards her.
"Who was she?" Too late, Elena realized that she had made some kind of a horrible mistake. Tseng stopped a hand's length away from Elena. She was starting to feel dizzy.
"Who was she?" he repeated, his voice dripping poison. "Who was she?"
Suddenly, his hand snatched forward and grabbed Elena's face. He pressed his fingers into the hollows beneath her cheekbones painfully.
"Who. Was. She?"
Elena cried out as he pressed harder in his fury.
Suddenly, he released her and pushed her backwards. She flew back and stumbled to the ground. Tseng walked forward and stood above her.
And then Elena was six years old again and her father was towering over her. He stunk with what had driven him to this. He had a metal rod in his hand and she had been a bad little girl, oh yes she had.
Unable to do anything else, Elena drew her hands over her head and shut her eyes. She felt Tseng crouch down in front of her. He parted her hands and lifted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes. In her mind, it wasn't his eyes she was seeing though.
"You seem to have misinterpreted our relationship, Elena." Tseng's voice was chiselled stone sharp enough to bleed on. "It was a foolish thing to have done. Don't make the mistake again."
Tseng got up from his crouch and walked away from Elena. He left the book where it had fallen and closed the door behind him.
When his footfalls had finally stopped echoing outside the hallway, Elena drew in the breath she had been holding. When she did, a great shudder went through her and suddenly she was crying. She was sobbing uncontrollably. She drew her legs up to her chest and cried and cried, knowing that she would never stop.
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Responses: Yet again, I have to apologize for taking so long to post that you guys probably won't even remember what you wrote in your reviews. Still, creature of habit, right?
Heather Cat: Heh, so much confidence in one response! {bows} Thank you. {grins} I'm glad you love the 'Reno on the highway' scene. But aren't we all suckers for him? Heh heh.
Fantasy4: I agree: poor Elena! Sorry 'bout the long post though, Fantasy4. Why is it that every time you ask me to post quickly, I take a month? Sorry! Hopefully 11 will come quicker.
Jess Angel: Nice to have you back Jess Angel! So, now that you're reading again, does that mean that we'll all get to enjoy more wonderful Jess Angel stories? Hmm, I'll be looking forward to that!
I'm glad that you enjoyed the action chapter. As for the materia stunt: sure, use as you will! But, if you do, please put me in somewhere in an author's note like you said. I'm actually really flattered that you like the idea enough to use it though! Thanks a lot!
I'm glad that you enjoyed chapter 9 too. Hee hee, I loved Reno in this too! I must admit though that when I started writing this story, Reno was not supposed to have a big role in it at all! I wonder why he keeps on popping up all the time?