Second Chance

Kagura Kyo Shinra

Warning: This story has shounen-ai. So if you don't like homosexual males, you shouldn't read it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I take no responsibility for these characters or Final Fantasy or anything except this story.

Part Thirteen: Rufus Found!

Tseng and the rest of the Turks waited quietly in the dark alleyway for Marie. At a little after four, she appeared, and without looking around, entered the store.

"When she comes out, I'm going to follow. I want you guys to hang back a little ways, but don't lose sight of me."

"Just be careful," Elena warned. "I just hope that woman didn't give away anything. If Marie realizes something's wrong, she could be dangerous."

By the time the group had finished discussing their concern for Tseng's safety, Marie exited the store. She didn't seem as though anything had tipped her off to their whereabouts, but the group wasn't going to take any chances. When she was far enough away, Tseng began to trail her, and the rest of the Turks followed closely behind Tseng. Outside of a large, empty warehouse, she pulled out a key-chain, unlocked the door and went in.

"She went in there?" Rude asked when the rest of the Turks had reached Tseng.

"Yeah," Tseng said and headed for the door.

He tried to turn the doorknob, but it was locked.

"Reno, can you pick it?" Tseng asked.

Reno grinned and immediately began fiddling with the doorknob and a lock pick. After only a few seconds, they heard a quiet click. Reno turned back and gave a wink.

"Ladies first," he said, opening the door and smiling at Tseng.

Tseng pulled out his gun and slowly entered the warehouse, Reno, Rude and Elena following right behind. They crept up four flights of stairs before they heard any voices.

"With this last piece, our experiment is completed," Marie said. "So hurry up. Get back in there and finish it."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Once it's completed, you'll be the first to witness it's power. Unfortunately, you'll be dead soon after."

"It doesn't matter what you do to me! I already got what I wanted! Tseng is safe!"

"Rufus!" Tseng gasped.

He raced to the door where he heard the voices and kicked it open.

"Tseng!" Marie shouted. "What are you doing here?"

"Surprised?" Reno asked. "Guess you're not as great as you thought. You were pretty easy to find."

"Rufus!" Tseng exclaimed as he laid eyes on Rufus.

He was sitting in a chair, his feet and wrists tied as well as his waist, but he looked unharmed.

"Are you okay?" Tseng asked and began to head toward him.

"Stop right there," Marie ordered, outraged.

She walked in between Rufus and Tseng, unarmed, but still more dangerous looking than she'd ever looked. Tseng raised his gun at her.

"You're going to shoot me?" she laughed. "Seems likely. It is ridiculously easy to. Just your style."

"What does that mean?" Tseng asked, holding the gun tighter.

"Figure it out," she smirked.

"Don't listen to her, Tseng," Elena said.

"She's trying to mess with you."

"Four armed against one unarmed. Definitely you're style."

"Shut up!" Tseng screamed.

"Shoot me, Tseng. Be a coward and shoot . . . . Or be a man and fight me."

"She's just stalling," Rude said.

Tseng waited for a moment and then slowly lowered his gun.

"Don't, Tseng!" Rufus said. "You know how strong she is. Just go!"

Tseng dropped his gun and turned back to Reno, Rude and Elena.

"Stay out of this," he said.

They looked as if they wanted to argue but no one spoke. Rufus, however, continued to demand that Tseng just escape.

"I knew you weren't a coward," she smiled.

In an instant, she leaped at him, successfully kicking him in the head. He flew backwards and landed on the floor, sliding a few feet. He immediately stood back up and raced at her. He jumped at her, but she stepped aside just in time.

"I thought I trained you better than that," she mocked. "Such slow moves . . . Please don't tell people you learned from me."

Tseng jumped again and succeeded in striking her in the face with his foot. She landed on the other side of the room with a bleeding wound across her cheek. She rose and glared at him, wiping some blood off her face.

"Better," she said. "But is it good enough?"

Reno, Rude and Elena made a movement to join Tseng, but he seemed to sense it.

"Stay there! I can handle it!"

"Maybe you should accept their help!"

They sped at each other, both prepared for an attack. She swung with her fist, but he ducked and counterattacked with a successful punt to the stomach. In anger, she swung at him sloppily and missed again. Tseng took advantage by elbowing her in the back. She landed on the floor, breathing normally.

"That was fun," she said.

"Marie!" someone shouted from the back room. "Marie!"

A grin spread across her face. She grabbed Tseng's discarded gun and leapt to her feet, aiming at Tseng.

"Stay there," she said. "I won't be gone long."

She ran into the back room and locked the door. Tseng immediately raced to Rufus and tried to free him, but the knots were too tight and his fingers were shaking too much.

"I told you to forget about me! Just get out of here!" Rufus shouted. "It's done. Her experiment is done."

Tseng didn't listen to what Rufus was saying, he was too busy trying to save him. Finally, his mind cleared a little, and he realized that his knife could cut the rope. He pulled it out, but after cutting only Rufus' legs free, there was an explosion and the door flew across the room, nearly taking Reno, Rude and Elena with it.

"That's no fun!" Marie chuckled. "Leave him there!"

Tseng turned around to face her and froze.

Her beautiful face was obscured by a metal helmet that covered her head, half her face and one of her eyes with a sensor. On her right shoulder and part of the right side of her back, she wore a large machine. Protecting her right arm was a shield of steel, connecting to the machine with wires.

"This is my trump card, Tseng. We haven't come up with a name for it yet, but that doesn't really matter."

"What is it?" Tseng demanded.

"Think of it as something like a mako reactor, except it powers me. With this, I can pull the mako energy right out of the planet and use it like materia."

"It can't be!" Reno yelled.

"Just watch," she laughed.

Marie raised her hand and aimed it at Rufus. Power began to grow in her hand and she fired it at Rufus. In an instant, Tseng jumped to Rufus, knocking his chair out of the way in time.

"Don't!" she yelled and turned to face Tseng.

Tseng felt some relief. Although her powers had increased drastically, the heavy machine clearly decreased her speed, and Tseng needed any advantage he could get.

"Let's start!" Reno shouted.

The three of them began to rush into battle, but Tseng stopped them once again.

"Stay back," he ordered, setting Rufus' chair back up. "This is my fight. She's mine."

"Don't be stupid," Elena shouted.

"He's not," Rude said.

"What are you talking about, Rude?" Reno asked. "Tseng, we're going to help!"

Reno began to race at him, but Rude grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

"Leave him. He needs to defeat her alone."

"But . . ." Reno paused. "Alright, if you say so. I trust you."

"Tseng, be careful," Elena said. "We're right here, if you need us."

"I won't," he said, turning back to Marie. "I can't."

Marie smirked and prepared for another blast, but Tseng dropped out of the way in time. He swung to kick her, but she blocked it with her right arm, and he had to withdraw, as a stinging pain coursed though his foot.

"See," she said. "It makes a good armor. Give up, Tseng."

Marie pounced on him and began pounding him with her steel protected arm. His vision began to fail him, and he fell to the floor, unable to fight back. She was too strong. The mako energy was even giving her physical attacks a boost.

"Tseng!" Rufus shouted.

Rufus . . .

"Stop it, Marie!" Rufus shouted. "Just kill me! That's what you want!"

Marie stopped striking Tseng and turned on Rufus. Tseng struggled to move, but it felt as if every bone in him was broken. He managed to raise his head, and for a moment everything came into focus. The look on Rufus' face was scared but accepting as if nothing would please him more than to save Tseng by sacrificing himself.

Marie slowly approached Rufus.

He turned to Rude and smiled. "Take Tseng out of here," he said.

Marie continued to move toward him. Rufus turned back to face her, but stopped for a moment, catching Tseng's eye and smiling.

"Ready to die, Rufus?" Marie asked.

"I am," he whispered.

Marie prepared an assault and stopped moving closer.

"I'm sorry for everything, Tseng¾for hurting you. I made a mistake. My whole life has been one big mistake, but I can make it up to you now. Go back to Midgar and forget about me and ShinRa. Find someone who will treat you the way you deserve."

Tseng closed his eyes tightly. Rufus had already given himself for Tseng, and now he had to do it again, because Tseng was too weak. He couldn't allow a second sacrifice. He couldn't let Rufus think those words he spoke that time were true. His life wasn't a mistake, and only he could treat Tseng the way he deserved, but Rufus was going to be gone. Rufus wasn't going to be there to smile at Tseng anymore or argue with anymore. All because Tseng was too weak to protect him. What point was there in living, If Tseng couldn't share his life with Rufus?

"Rufus!" Tseng screamed.

He sprung to his feet and advanced on Marie. She was taken so off guard that she didn't move, and he kicked her in her unprotected eye. She skidded backwards a few feet, and when she looked up at him, her eye was bleeding heavily and shut.

"That was my good eye!" she screamed.

"Not anymore," Tseng replied. "But if you'd like, I could make the other match!"

He flew at her again and struck her wounded eye again. She fell backward and hit the wall. Tseng continued to strike her again and again until she finally shoved him away. She struck him in the stomach with her foot, and he stumbled to the ground.

"Give up, Tseng," Marie said, standing over him. "You were never strong enough. You've always been weak, and then you wondered why I never wanted you. You can't even protect Rufus. You can't protect anyone."

Tseng lay on the floor for a few moments, thinking about Marie's words. Perhaps everything she said was right. All his foolish respect for her abilities and all his stupid dreams to be as good as her, be better than her, meant nothing. He couldn't defeat her. Rufus was going to die . . .

"No," Tseng said and rose to his feet. "You can't win."

He ran at her again, but she knocked him down once more. Again, he got up and ran at her, and again he was knocked down.

"Give up!" she shouted.

"Never!" Tseng screamed.

He raced at her again and struck her bare arm, breaking it. She countered by blasting him with a mako attack.

"We're done," she said. "Stay down."

"I can't," he whispered.

"What?"

"I can't give up," he said. "You don't understand."

"You weren't strong enough to get me, and you're not strong enough to save him."

"You just don't get it," Tseng said. "I was never in love with you!" he screamed.

He plunged at her and bashed her in the bare side of her head with his right foot. Her head twisted to the side with a loud crack, and she sailed across the room, landing before Rufus in a limp pile. Tseng stepped up to her and lightly kicked her. Her body was still.

"Marie . . ." he whispered. "I'm sorry things ended like this."

"Marie?" one of her henchmen asked as he popped his head in the room.

He took one look at the sight and darted back in, screaming at the other thugs to get run away.

"Rufus," Tseng breathed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Are you?"

"Yeah. Let's get out of here," Tseng smiled.

"First, let's get my money back."

"Oh yeah, that's probably a good idea," Tseng laughed.

TBC . . .