Final Fantasy VII

The Mystery

CHAPTER NINE

THE EPILOGUE

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Reno looked around, he was surrounded by light.

'Am I dead?' Reno asked himself. Suddenly a vision appeared before him. It was Elena, she looked just as beautifil as she did on that night Reno had taken her out.

'Hello Reno,' Elena smiled. Reno ran towards her, he was so close, he then gave Elena a deep embrace.

'I'm so sorry,' Reno apoligised. 'It was all my fault...' Elena shook her head.

'I will never blame you,' Elena said. 'Because I have no reason to blame..you tried to save me...'

'But I failed,' Reno sighed. Elena shook her head.

'Look around,' Elena smiled. 'This is just what I wanted, peace...' Suddenly another figure stood next to Elena, it was Chuck.

'We're all together,' Reno smiled. 'We're free...'

'No Reno,' Elena sighed. 'It isn't your time yet..When you go back...I want you to do whatever you need to do to be happy...'

'Go back?' Reno questioned her. Elena nodded and her and Chuck walked away. 'Where are you going? Elena!'

'Be happy Reno,' Elena said. 'We will wait for you..'

'Wait for me?' Reno asked. Elena smiled.

'I love you too,' Elena replied. 'Wake up Reno...'

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Reno suddenly shot up, he looked around him. He was on the floor of Hett's office. It was covered in glass and blood. Reno felt the back of his head, it was bleeding.

'I just made it...' a voice said. Reno looked to his left to see Rude looking down at him.

'What?' Reno asked.

'Rufus asked me to follow you,' Rude replied. 'I heared you and Hett...'

'You heared?' Reno cried. Rude slowly nodded.

'I listened...then I saw you trying to jump...I grabbed your leg, you wacked your head on the wall...I pulled you up...' Rude said slowly. Reno gave a deep sigh. 'You have to promise me you'll never try anything like that again...'

'No..' Reno nodded. 'It's not my time yet...' Rude took off his glasses and looked Reno eye to eye.

'I don't blame you Reno...and no one will,' Rude said. 'You tried to save Elena...I heared you...it was all Hett...but..what happened to his bodyguard?' Rude looked at Reno. Reno sighed and looked at the blood on his cane.

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Back in the past, Reno quietly sat at the bedside of his fellow Turk as she lay in critical condition. Elena had suffered a severe blow to the head. She was hooked up to a breathing apparatus to keep her stable. Reno looked deep into her face, this was the woman that he had treated like garbage the entire time he had known her. But deep inside, there was a strong line of respect between them. Elena had respected Reno as her commanding officer, and he had respected her commitment to the job. Sometimes it went deeper than that for Reno. He hung his head and felt his bruised eye. The noise of Elena's breathing machine suddenly became louder and louder. Reno looked at Elena, he grabbed her hand and kissed it. Reno slowly got to his feet, he did not look back as he left the room. Reno walked to the front door, two Shinra troops were on guard, they had been called in to guard the lodge. Reno went to leave when one of the troops approached him.

'Hey, where do you think you're going?' the troop asked sharply. Reno did not look at him.

'I need to be alone...' Reno muttered back. Reno went to leave, when the troop grabbed his arm.

'You're not going anywhere!' the troop yelled. Reno violently shoved the troop back.

'Take your hand off me boy,' Reno said sharply as he walked out of the lodge.

Reno walked straight into the forest which he had been beaten in the previous night. He got out his electro-cane and continued walking towards what little noise he heared. Reno suddenly saw a figure in front of him. It was Brutas. Brutas talked on his cell phone.

'It all went to plan sir,' Brutas said. 'And the best part is the idiot did it himself...' Brutas chuckled while Reno watched in anger. 'No...she shouldn't make it...and if she does, I'll be ready...' Brutas laughed. Reno suddenly sprinted forward. He dived at Brutas and took him to the floor. They rolled across the floor, Reno was on top. Reno angrilly punched Brutas again and again. Brutas kicked Reno off and swung for him. He hit Reno hard in the cheek, but Reno had too much hate to let that take him down. Reno kicked Brutas and dived on him again. They both rolled down and rocky hill. Reno wacked into a tree, he looked forward as he saw Brutas getting to his feet. Reno saw his electro-cane in front of him. Reno acted on impulse and violently wacked Brutas across the face with it. Reno suddenly let all his anger out, he continued hitting Brutas in the face with the metal cane again and again. Eventually Reno stopped, Brutas was dead. Reno looked at the blood on his cane and sighed. Reno suddenly heared a ring. Reno could see Brutas' phone lying next to his body. Reno picked up the ringing phone, it read 'Garad Hett'. Reno slowly answered the phone, Hett began talking immiediately.

'Brutas! What happened?' Hett screamed on the phone. Reno gave a deep sigh. 'Talk to me...Brutas!' Reno eventually spoke.

'He's dead...' Reno said quietly.

'Dead!' Hett cried. 'Who is this?'

'Guess,' Reno said quickly and then hung up the phone.

Reno walked out from the forest to the front of the Healing Lodge. A limo had pulled up, Reno looked to a soldier.

'Oh...the President has a visitor,' the soldier said. Suddenly Hett stepped out of the limo. Reno had to fight the urge to attack him. Hett looked at Reno and a little smirk came up on his face. Reno saw it, Hett then walked inside the Lodge. The soldier leaned towards Reno. 'The President doesn't want him knowing about Elena's attack, he thinks it'll show signs of weakness...' Reno wasn't paying attention to the soldier, he couldn't take his focus off Hett.

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In the present, Tseng looked in the President's office. Rufus was staring outside of the window. Tseng gave a deep sigh.

'Sir...' Tseng began. 'I'm afraid Garad Hett was killed about twenty minutes ago...' Tseng was waiting for a huge reaction, but he saw none. Rufus merely nodded.

'How?' Rufus asked. Tseng lowered his head.

'The reports claim Reno killed him...' Tseng muttered. Rufus spun his wheelchair around.

'And why would he do something like that?' Rufus asked. Tseng handed Rufus a report. Rufus slowly opened it up and read it.

'Reno discovered Hett had been misleading you,' Tseng said. 'Apparently it had gotten out of control...' Rufus nodded as he read the report revealing Hett's plans with all the reactors.

'And how is Reno now?' Rufus asked. Tseng shrugged.

'Rude said he hasn't seen him...' Tseng explained. 'When he entered the office, Reno was gone.' Rufus nodded.

'My weaknesses...are because of this...' Rufus began. 'The planet is punishing me for this...well I must stop this...I want you to make a call and cancel all the reactors...and blow what's left of them up...'

'Yes sir,' Tseng nodded and left the room. Rufus looked at himself, and then at the chair. He gave a deep sigh and then attempted to stand on his own two feet. It was a struggle but Rufus stood. He then looked out of the window. He slowly left his office and stepped outside. Rufus stood tall, Tseng suddenly sprinted out to see all of this. Rufus then through his cloak and hood away from his body as the wind blew them away. Rufus was strong again...he smiled and looked at the sky.

'Thankyou...'

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Back in the past, Reno sat alone in his room as he looked at the blood on his hands. Reno couldn't help but feel terrible for what he had done. Suddenly Hett opened Reno's door.

'I'm having dinner with the president tonight...I think he doesn't want me anywhere near the Medi Bay. Rufus may not want me to know,' Hett said. 'But I know...lets just say we're even now huh?' Reno's eyes opened wide at what Hett had just said.

'Even!' Reno said. 'No...we're not even...' Hett shrugged.

'Well...if you continue to feel that way,' Hett sighed. 'I suggest you keep a closer eye on the rest of your friends...' Hett warned him as he slowly left the room. Reno sighed deeply as he placed his hands against his head. Reno could feel the blood on his head...

Reno sat beside Elena's bedside in the Medi Bay. Elena hadn't been concious since the accident. Reno thought that if he talked this time, he may get through to her.

'I've been doing a lot of thinking,' Reno began. 'And I'm definately leaving the Turks, I'm not happy here. When you get out of here, we'll both give in our resignations. We'll go travelling, I just bought a new bike. We'll see ice mountains, grassy mountains...' Reno smiled. 'Any mountains are better than none I guess...we'll do it Elena, together...' Reno suddenly noticed Elena's eyes open slowly. She looked at Reno, and Reno could see a little smile on her face.

'Reno...' Elena managed to say. Reno smiled back.

'Elena...your okay,' Reno began to chuckle. 'I knew you would be...' Suddenly Reno noticed Elena's eyes roll back. The machines began beeping rapidly. Reno looked at all the machines.

'Help!' Reno screamed. 'I need help!' Reno held onto Elena as she began to slip away. Doctors ran in, as Reno began to panic.

'Sir, you'll need to leave...' a doctor said. Reno was slowly helped out of the room.

The minutes passed like hours for Reno as he watched on as all the doctors rushed to Elena's aide. Finally a doctor stepped out. Reno got to his feet as he could feel his heart pounding hard. The doctor lowered his head.

'I'm sorry...we lost her,' the doctor explained. Reno shook his head as he heared the words. He couldn't believe they were true, they couldn't be. Reno fell to his knees, he couldn't even scream, the wind had been knocked out of him. Reno slowly lay his head on the floor and silently wept.

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In the present, Rude pulled up his car just outside of the graveyard. He had flowers in his hand, he looked across to see Reno's bike was already there. Rude entered the graveyard to see Reno placing flowers on Elena's grave. Reno looked different, he no longer wore his blue Turk suit, he was wearing a red shirt and blue jeans. Rude could see he had a backpack. Reno could hear Rude's footsteps without looking.

'Thanks,' Reno smiled. Rude looked on confused.

'For what?' Rude asked. Reno looked at Rude's confused face.

'For saving me,' Reno replied. 'I actually thought I was dead back then.' Rude nodded.

'So did I,' Rude said.

'I saw her,' Reno quietly said. Rude looked at Elena's grave as he placed his own flowers down.

'And what did she say?' Rude eventually asked. Reno looked deep at Elena's grave.

'She told me to do whatever I needed to do to be happy,' Reno explained. 'She was so selfless, always thinking about everyone else..'

'I miss her,' Rude confessed. 'I know I haven't said much about it, but she was a good friend.'

'She was,' Reno nodded. 'And I'm going to take her advice..' Reno got to his feet and placed his backpack on his back.

'You're still welcome back with the Turks,' Rude said. 'I told them you were gone when I arrived just incase they were angry...but they weren't. Your a hero, you stopped the reactors.'

'Without the mako guns?' Reno asked.

'Rufus is working on a non mako gun that should be just as powerful...' Rude explained.

'How are they doing?' Reno asked.

'Tseng got promoted to Hett's posistion,' Rude began. 'I got promoted to his...I'm leader, I got a whole new squad,' Rude said nervously.

'They got a good leader,' Reno assured him. 'What about Rufus?' Reno asked. 'Is he okay now?'

'Yes,' Rude smiled. 'He's 100 healthy and back to his old self...' Reno breathed a sigh of relief. 'You sure you don't want to come back?' Rude asked.

'It's time to move on,' Reno explained.

'Because we could really use some help catching Rayda,' Rude said. 'We hear he's planning something big...'

'You'll be ready,' Reno smiled. 'Unless you want out too?' Rude slowly shook his head.

'This is my life,' Rude sighed. Reno nodded.

'I'll see you again,' Reno said nervously. 'I promise...' Rude and Reno both shook hands, both knowing they may not see each other again.

'Goodbye Reno,' Rude nodded. Reno then looked down at Elena's grave.

'I'll see you in another life,' Reno smiled. Reno then strolled past Rude. Rude looked on as Reno jumped onto his bike and rode away. Reno was heading for the mountains to fufill his dream. In minutes Reno was out of sight... Rude never saw him again...

THE END.

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AUTHORS NOTE: I just want to thank all of you who reviewed my story. It was very helpful in helping me finish this story. I hope you all enjoyed my story as my as I enjoyed reading the reviews. Thank you all. I'll see you on the next project.