A/N: All disclaimers to the previous chapter mean even more now. Thanks for reading.

Duet avec Chocobogoddess
Movement Two

Reno shoved his hands into his pockets, the cigarette burned in his mouth, sending smoke over his head like a small coal engine. Elena had found out about Trigger, he'd known that the new Turk would figure it all out sooner or later, but how soon was what bothered him. He should have lied and told her the little girl was his kid sister, but of course, a five year old girl wouldn't understand the need to lie. She'd piped right up and addressed him as "daddy" and no one could now tell Elena otherwise.

She'd also made the wonderful jump to Tifa. Was it that obvious that he never hit her? Reno had pretended it was part of his own morals; he never struck out at Aeris or the little Ninja. At least not much, gods, how did Elena do that? She was still probably thinking that Trigger was Tifa's daughter. He couldn't have killed Elena, it would have looked suspicious, but if she even thought of ratting to Rufus and telling the president that Reno was still siding with AVALANCHE…

…he'd kill her with his bare hands. Rufus already was half ready to send Reno and Trigger to Hojo for the trouble he'd caused. Trigger couldn't stay with Reno, this was getting dangerous, but who else would watch her that he could trust?

"Hmm...someone to trust, is it?" A low chuckle sounded from behind him. "Turks are a constant source of entertainment."

Then the wind changed, pushing his cigarette smoke in front of him. The sudden stench was enough to make Reno spit the cigarette out and hack. Reno whirled about, mag rod lighting the dirt a cold blue. His eyes settled on a wisp of white hair that blew from the corner of the building. He could feel his pulse quicken, the air shifted again and he lost the suffocating smell of Jenova, though now that he knew it was there he started backing up, not saying a word.

It was unsettling that Sephiroth had thought to stay downwind of him. Reno didn't like feeling hunted, and he couldn't help but see the situation as anything but. Not only was he the mouse, but the cat wanted to play with him.

Jenova's dry cackle joined Sephiroth's voice, hissing in amusement. A different situation this time, beloved, she spoke, and Sephiroth made a murmur of assent.

Then I shall leave you to play, she said the cloying sweetness of her presence almost making Reno gag.

He couldn't stop himself from asking it. There was no way around it, bad person or not, Reno didn't understand. "How can you let that thing use you like this! Can't you tell she's a liar!" Reno backed up further, breath hitching with every change of the wind. He didn't understand why Sephiroth found this so amusing, couldn't he harass any other person on the planet and get the same feeling of fear that Reno knew he radiated?

"It depends on what side of the war you're on, Turk." Sephiroth's voice came from directly behind Reno this time, horribly close. When Reno spun, he found himself perhaps a yard away from his enemy. Sephiroth stood calmly, leaning against a building with his arms crossed. A slight smirk told Reno that he particularly enjoyed what he was doing. "And your definition of 'used' needs to be investigated. She is helping me to achieve a goal that might otherwise be out of reach."

He pushed away from the wall and cocked his head to the side, quietly mocking. "I am also interested to know why Mother is so fascinated yet repulsed by you. The fascination I could understand--" here he grinned, making Reno shudder, "--but the repulsion? I couldn't say. I wonder if it has something to do with that little trick you pulled on me last time?"

"She isn't your mother and she reeks worse then death." Reno hissed. He'd give anything for a "Knights of the Round" summon right about then. Maybe four of five of them, yeah, that would have been nice. However, Reno was just Reno, with his mag rod and his little tick that Sephiroth seemed so keen on seeing again.

He knew the story of Jenova, he thought that it was a children's tale that every parent told. It was out of this world, of course it couldn't be real. Monsters that killed planets to destroy their enemy's reincarnation? The constant whispers of the Promised Land? Didn't they know humans couldn't go to the Promised Land? Reno knew he'd heard that said somewhere before. "She's lying to you." He said, trying to back up quickly without scrambling.

Sephiroth matched his retreat with an advance, step for step. "And I disagree." His eyes flared, truly flared, growing brighter for a moment then fading. "She says we're alike, you know. You and I, on some level."

"There's nothing to disagree about. You are a human being, no amount of mako can change that and humans cannot enter the Promised Land." Reno responded, risking a glance behind him and turning up the route of houses to the square, maybe someone would be awake, maybe like the boogieman; Sephiroth would go away in a crowd. Still, even though he was afraid, Reno was trying to understand how Sephiroth could believe a word out of that taunt voiced monster's mouth.

Did Sephiroth know anything about his parents? It would be dangerous ground to tread on, but of course they were alike. They were cousins after all. Reno shuddered, he didn't like feeling so close to something tainted by that monster.

While Reno cast about for a plan, however, Sephiroth had moved closer. Reno could hear the creak of leather, could even smell it now. "I am not human. I am beyond human. I am the child of a god." His voice dropped lower. "I will be a god. What will you do then, Turk?" Sephiroth smiled again, that horrible wicked grin that said 'I am playing with you'. "Will you vainly seek shelter from me, or will you embrace me as your master?"

Reno laughed. Stupid as he knew it was, he laughed anyway. It was ridiculous, like those people standing on boxes in the inner allies of Midgar, talking about seeing gods. "Can't you see anything! You're as human as I am!"

"Am I?" The pale-haired man leaned forward. Reno tried to take a step back, but there was nowhere else to go. He began to raise his arm, tried to get the mag rod into position, but Sephiroth's hands were on his wrists, holding them immobile. "Let us see."

All Reno could see was Sephiroth's triumphant smirk, another flare of his poison-colored eyes, and then the other man's mouth was on his. It was not a gentle kiss, nor even meant to convey desire. Even in the days when Reno had been taken advantage of, even what he had done for ShinRa--there had never been anything like this. The only thing behind it was power, glee, dark delight that drank in his terror. And there was...gods, Sephiroth was telling the truth.

There was Jenova.

He saw things then: a falling star, blood, fire scorching the world. Sephiroth, standing amid flames, beckoning, black wings shimmering in the deadly heat. Jenova, frozen, slowly waiting for her reemergence into life, imbuing a human child with her own being so that he might ascend and avenge her. She pushed Sephiroth onward, deeper into Reno's mouth, hissing and watching as her chosen avatar fed on fear.

Sephiroth sure as hell wasn't human. He was something less, something more dangerous and powerful, but there was nothing left of him but Jenova.

Something inside of him screamed. It wasn't a sound, not like Jenova and her hissing. Reno moved his foot, quickly tripping Sephiroth and both of them fell together. Luckily for Reno, self defense was nothing more than momentum, when Reno hit the ground he moved his arms down and bucked, Sephiroth flipped off of him, into a collection of trash cans.

Reno rolled to a crouch and hacked, he felt as though he should spit out something black and twisted. Now he was shaking, he felt like he'd just kissed a void. "Weak and pathetic." He snarled, angry now, it coursed through his veins even though his stomach twisted. "You're pathetic, Jenova." There was no point in addressing Sephiroth, the man was gone, he was a puppet. "You don't know what you are doing. You can't get into the Promised Land, destroy every world you touch, you'll sit outside the gates forever." What the fuck was he talking about? Part of him thought he was loosing his mind as well.

Still, he was angry, god he'd never been so angry. That thing dared to touch him, after all the things he'd let touch him, NOW he was angry. "Fight all you want, you're a parasite."

"You will regret your existence," Sephiroth snarled, though now Reno could hear Jenova's voice under Sephiroth's deeper one, in perfect unison. "You will die with the others, your offspring will die. All of your line will be erased, Aeon!"

Reno's brows drew together. "Aeon?" Again he barked a laugh. "Bitch, trust me if I was a god this would go differently." Fear continued to restrict around his chest; if Jenova truly thought he was part of the race of gods she'd tried to overthrow he had no doubts she'd kill him.

"Aeon," Sephiroth repeated, wonderingly. "So that's why Mother hates you." He snorted, eyes heavy-lidded and measuring. "Whatever Aeon blood you have is too far diluted to be any use. Come here." He crooked a finger in a gesture of summoning, and Reno's feet moved sluggishly to obey. He had to struggle against the command, to keep his legs in place. The wind rose, swirling leaves and catching the hem of Sephiroth's coat. "Come...HERE, Turk."

His head clouded, vision suddenly got a bit blurry. Reno started to move forward, sluggishly. Though, as he neared Sephiroth's outstretched hand, something else fought the spell from the general. Terror hit him, snapping the clouds away and yet, there he was, less then a foot and a half away from the total insanity that wanted him dead. Jenova permeated everything, making it hard to breath. It was the last thing he could think of doing, and he only pulled it off because he was quick with his materia. The fire spell hit Sephiroth directly in the bare spot on his chest, the master level materia was enough to propel Sephiroth backwards. Before the man had a chance to gain his feet, Reno aimed another pyramid around him. It wouldn't hold, but it had to be enough to give him a head start.

Then he ran. He'd never run faster in his life, and he had no idea of where to go. Back to the Turks was out, Trigger was there, and if Jenova knew… Reno stopped thinking and barreled down the alley, hoping Sephiroth hadn't gotten much faster since his last sprint record a ShinRa. Because there were only .3 seconds putting Reno ahead of the general then, and it was a gamble Reno couldn't afford to lose.

He heard Sephiroth's roared, "CASSEZ!" and then the heavy falls of the General's feet pounded behind him. Why, oh why did he end up in these situations? Why did he have to be the one that Jenova hated, and the one that Sephiroth wanted? Was he just unlucky? What about him made them think he was some kind of a god, anyway?

The wind picked up more, as though Sephiroth was calling it to him like a storm. That storm was getting closer and closer by the moment, and Reno was willing to bet that Sephiroth knew his way around the city at least as well as he did.

Sephiroth was getting closer; he could hear the steel toed boots as they clanged after him. He could almost feel the other man's breath on his neck. Reno did all he could to run faster. Then he saw Sephiroth's arm over his shoulder.

Reno pivot turned, cutting down a bridge at nearly a ninety degree angle. He could hear another curse, and Jenova screeching as Sephiroth had to slide to a halt before making the same turn. Ahead of Reno the Temple of Leviathan could be seen, why he was going there, he couldn't have told anyone. Maybe if they really thought Aeons were real, then the old temple would help him.

The blade hissed behind him, he could feel the air get cut by its razor edge. Reno forgot about the Masamune, he'd forgotten that its length more then made up for that .3 second lead. All he needed were a few more feet; just a few and he'd reach the doors, to whatever good it would do. But the blade hissed again, and the tip caught the heel of his boot. Reno fell, rolling onto his back at the foot of the stairs and staring up at the panting Sephiroth.

The flat of the blade caressed Reno's neck, tilted his head back when it tapped him under the chin. Sephiroth knelt over him, flipping the sword, hair and coat falling around them both, and suddenly the sword's paper-thin edge lay against Reno's adam's apple. "Playing hard-to-get?" the general breathed, knee grinding into Reno's wrist. He was pinned; any movement, even swallowing wrong, would slice open his throat.

Death was something Reno wasn't afraid of. He was always ready for it, with every job, with every time he loaded a clip in his gun. Something about the situation grated him, a thug on the streets? Fine. An insane mass murder he'd been sent to take care of? Also fine. But not this, not this monster. His eyes bored up into Sephiroth's- no, it wasn't that at all, Jenova's eyes. He spoke, slowly, even that made the blade cut into his skin. "What do you want from me? Do it already."

"Then hold still. I've been trying to do it to you for the past fifteen minutes." Sephiroth's tone was light, teasing, but some kind of strain had formed beneath it. Jenova? Reno didn't know, but it was disturbing enough to be toyed with like this. "Come, one less Turk in the world wouldn't be such a bad thing," the General went on, "and your fear tastes so very good."

There was someone watching this. Reno pressed his back further against the steps as Sephiroth stiffened. "Seems the boy is far braver then you are." The voice of the newcomer was aged, weathered in a way that told of countless years. Reno couldn't see the man, but he knew that he stood above them both, behind Reno, on the stairs to the temple. Was he some priest?

"I'd run if I were you old man." Reno yelled, hissing to himself when the blade cut deeper.

"With more morals as well, obviously…" The voice continued, almost amused. "Let the child up, or are you below any sort of challenge?"

Sephiroth snarled, Jenova with him. "How dare you interrupt me--"

The moment Sephiroth's blade was far enough away, Reno slid to the side, scraping his head and arms on the stone steps. He rolled backwards to his feet, one hand over his throat and his eyes looking up at the man he was certain would share his death tonight. Then, he immediately wondered if everyone was totally insane this evening.

The wind bellowed again, whipping his hair from narrow, aged shoulders. He leaned on a cane that rivaled the very temple for its age, the wood gnarled in places. While his hair was silver, it had a glint of blue to it that the general's had yet to attain. His appeared white with age, not with shock or birthright. His beard was long, braided in places and nearly scraped the step below the one he was seated on. His long hair, also randomly braided and free was unkempt, ended near his elbows. The simple habit he wore added to the feeling of age and worn, a dusty brown color that made him seem even paler in the moonlight. The only real color about him was blue, his eyes nearly glowed with the color, like a leviathan scale, they were distinct.

He seemed to almost ignore the Great General Sephiroth for a moment and turned to look down at Reno. There was a familiar fondness in the old man's bright eyes. "Are you going to be alright, little one?"

Reno blinked owlishly up at him and nodded, feeling his blood seep from the cut on his neck.

The man's old head then turned to Sephiroth. His long pointed nose made the flaring of his nostrils more obvious. "Such cowardess…"

"He is mine," Jenova hissed with Sephiroth's voice. "MINE!" His arm moved the sword in agitation, slicing through the air.

"This coming from a creature that cannot even use her own body." Again his eyes looked down at Reno. "How long has she been harassing you?"

Reno's eyes flickered from the man to Sephiroth. Clearly he was totally confused as to why he was still alive and why he and the man were not bleeding to death on the steps of the temple. "Long enough." Reno responded, standing. "This is the only time she's really tried to kill me…"

"Attacking a creature with no knowledge and such youth… how can you explain yourself?" The man asked, disgust laced his voice, making its already aged tones tremble as if in a storm.

"I need not explain myself to an old man," Sephiroth sneered, though his next words were an echo with Jenova's hiss: "I need not explain myself to an Aeon." Kill him, she continued without speech, kill them both, beloved.

"You have much to explain to your puppet Jenova. Are you ready to give up the battle already? I am in no mood for a fight, though I am getting quite angry." The man leaned on his cane, showing no show of strength at all.

Reno reached out and put a hand on the man's shoulder. "Listen Gramps… I really think we should both run back and bolt those door-" His hand felt warm, unusually so in the cool night air. Reno drew it back, blinking up at the man. Something suddenly made Reno feel much more at ease.

KILL THEM, Jenova screeched, and Sephiroth obeyed. Masamune swung in a wide arc, one that would take it right through the old man's neck.

That was, if the man's cane had not suddenly appeared raised. The snapped motion was too fast to register, in an instant, the cane was gripped further down on the handle, the ancient hand held firm as the Masamune literally bounced from the wooden top of the cane as though it was made of stone.

Sephiroth looked surprised, but only for a moment. Then Jenova took control completely, and Reno could almost see the seething of her shapeless form in the way Sephiroth's hair billowed, the myriad expressions that crossed his face. "I will erase you all," he--no, SHE said, leather coat snapping like a flag; "I am only weak now. When I regain my power--then you will fear me, and I will take great pleasure in watching you burn."

"Is it all about revenge now Jenova? Knowing that you cannot reach the Promised Land? Does it anger you? That you cannot and yet-" again he smiled at Reno, like a grandfather. "This little one not only can have it, but will most assuredly turn his back on what you lust after."

"I WILL have the Promised Land!" Sephiroth shouted, slashing again. "That one--that little piece of dreck, the leftovers of a weak and corrupt race mixed with your pompous blood--he and all like him are insults to those of pure descent. I will not watch you coddle him while I am denied!"

"We grow tired of this, it was enough for a while, to watch you destroy things, knowing that the eternity you wished for was out of your reach, we were content. But there is discord among us now, and you are far too insignificant to allow this continual pestering. Alexander was far too lenient with you, Jenova." The old man stepped forward, still leaning on the cane. "Leave my island, never return."

He laughed, once again amused. "As for coddling, of course I will. It is unseemly not to treat children with a bit of leeway. You, however are nearly as old as this world. I will not make the same exceptions."

The wind died as silence fell. For a full minute, the two glared at each other, weighing the situation. Then, amazingly, Seph-no, Jenova--nodded tautly.

Reno had expected anything but that reaction, but there it was in front of him. "Enjoy your power now, Leviathan," Jenova spat, sheathing the sword. "When the time comes, I, too, will not make exceptions." The roiling green eyes flicked over Reno. "Not a single one."

The black coat and silver hair fanned out as Sephiroth whirled and stalked away, disappearing too quickly to be within the shadows of the city, as though something had simply turned off his shape like a light.

The old man sighed, popping his back. He smiled again. "Come, Reno, help me down these stairs? My legs are very stiff and I was going to the bar for a drink."

Reno extended his arm to the –man?- and helped him walk down the many steps of the temple. They made their way to the inn, and with it the bar, Reno was thankful that the old man couldn't walk very fast. Something about the fellow made Reno want to talk to him more, if only mild conversation. "You, ah, drink?"

"On occasion I like to indulge, we all do, this world is so full of life, don't you agree?" He stopped then, turning his head up, the long nose pointing to the stars. "Nothing stays the same, always such hope."

He smiled, Reno couldn't help himself. "Yeah, I think you may be onto something, Gramps."

"Beautiful, as only a precious moment can be. Creatures as old as Jenova are jealous that you can have a moment like that, one you cherish until your memory is gone. It's a true pity." He laughed, yet again at Reno's confused face. "I apologize, Reno. I'm rambling like an old man."

Reno opened the bar door, allowing the old fellow to slide in first. "I don't mind, really, you ah, gonna be okay to walk back to your temple?"

The fondness in the man's eyes was almost enough to make Reno feel guilty for not knowing him. "So much like your mother. Go on, back up to the people you care about. One day, we shall talk more, till then, I like to be alone with my drink."

Reno nodded and started up the stairway, more confused then he should be for how comfortable he really felt. When he pushed open the door to his room, he was a bit surprised to see his daughter wide awake. She rushed off the bed, clutching her toy dragon by the neck. She hugged him, when he crouched to pick her up, she buried her face in his neck. "I had a bad dream." She tried not to sniffle, she really was good about not crying, unless one of them held her, then for some reason Trigger always broke down.

"Hey, kiddo, it's alright. Nothing is out there that can't be taken care of alright? How about this, I'll read you a story and I promise I'll be there when you wake up." He sat down then on the bed, watching as his daughter scooped up a book and brought it up to him. Reno let himself get comfortable, leaning back against the headboard, one arm around Trigger's shoulders and his other hand holding a book.

The old man was right, life wasn't supposed to be stagnant. It was all about those moments.