Muder Marks

by Rival Turk

Reno realizes his tattoos aren't as acceptable as they used to be.

4. Chapter 4

DAY SEVEN

It's difficult to explain the stages of growth a man goes through when he meets the right one. I was a screwed up person: Usually, if I wasn't laughing my butt off at something I was killing someone. So I never had really seen myself as a big romancer, or a crier, or a lover—well, maybe that; Or a "sweetie-pie" or whatever women like to call the good boys; I never saw myself letting women in for anything more than what I wanted from them. But as every tough guy knows, things change a lot when you meet her. You get that look, that sweet dip of the lower lip, the kind eyes that tear your world apart. And suddenly you've gone from MurderMac to Crybaby. The funny thing is that makes you feel even more like a man than before.

-----

Elena woke up groggily first, to a steady beat of her PHS. She rolled over groggily, fumbling for it in the filtered light of the chopper. She gave a grunt as her fingers slipped off and knocked it out of her reach. Beside her, Tseng started to stir. She almost didn't catch it in time. "This is Elena," she slurred, wiping her eyes. "Yes…We're still on the job. We're about to head out now…Is that wise?…." She glanced at Tseng as they filled her in. He had thrown her jacket over his head to keep out the light. "No. No problem, but, are you sure sir?"

The jacket came off. "What?"

"It's just that I think Reno would come around if--" She put her hand over the receiver. "You should talk to him."

Tseng narrowed his eyes and put out his hand.

"Tseng wants to hear." She handed him the phone. "You won't like it."

There was a gentle tap on the door. Avera wanted to ignore it. Last night had been hard: To hear from Rufus his obvious intentions, to speak to Reno, and then to fight Jenova's mind control all night long… it was so frustrating! Not to mention exhausting; She felt as if she hadn't rested at all. It was so much different from the day before, when she woke up refreshed and full of energy. Besides, she was comfortable here in the warm blankets, Reno snoring softly beside her.

She glanced over at him with a smile. He had a scar on the bridge of his nose and at the top of his forehead. His left eye was slightly swollen and a greenish color. His red hair was scattered over his neck. He looked totally relaxed for the first time since this mission. One hand was on his chest and the other was palm-up on her pillow. She intentionally brushed her cheek across his fingertips before she got up. She wearily rose herself and headed for the door.

She glanced down at him in surprise. "Denzel?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Can it wait?"

He shook his head.

"Oh, okay. Give me a minute to change, okay?"

He nodded, stepping back out of the doorway. She sighed. She'd much rather be in bed, snoring off yesterday's turmoil. She leaned against the door for a moment, watching Reno sigh and turn over. Power lies before you. She pinched the bridge of her nose and fought the words away. Domination at your fingertips! "Shut up!" She whispered, digging into the skin with her nails. Come to me, my last darling remnant. "I have nothing you want," she whispered back, fighting even harder.

The words fled and she got some relief. Making sure Reno was still asleep, she changed into the clothes Tifa had bought for her; dawning sunglasses and a tight twist in her hair, she stepped outside the room and walked almost directly into Cloud. He had apparently just returned with Yuffie and Tifa. "Sorry," she muttered.

He gazed at her for a moment. "Do you hear her, Avera?"

She glanced up suspiciously. "Her, who?"

He paused. "Either."

She stared hard at him, trying to determine what his motives were. Reno didn't trust him as far as he could throw him, and quite frankly, the feeling was mutual. He's your brother, another voice said. Someone you can trust. She smiled ironically. "Both, I'm afraid."

"You have to fight Jenova, Avera. You have to fight with everything you have."

"Cloud—why didn't I hear her before? If I'm a Sephiroth clone….?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't hear her, either, until I got to a crucial part of her plan. Just promise me you'll fight, do you understand?"

"I do, it's just…." A sob laid heavily in her chest. She was so confused. "It hurts so badly, Cloud. To think she may try to use me against my friends, against children, against Reno…"

He smiled at her sympathetically. "Believe me, I know. Take solace in the fact that you are a clone and have a resistance to that pain. Rufus doesn't."

Her eyes stopped welling up and she smiled in gratitude. "That is good news."

He slapped her shoulder. "Hang in there." He walked off towards Tifa's room.

She watched him for a moment in puzzlement. A few days ago, Cloud Strife was just a legend to her. She hadn't even seen him when he was chasing Yuffie in Wutai; she had to run an errand to Midgar. She used to only hear about him in whispers and shining eyes. Now he was always around—helping her, fighting with her, bullying her boyfriend—it seemed to real to be true. Not to mention the fact that he was sort-of her brother! How strange everything turned out to be!

What was she supposed to be doing, now? Oh yeah. Denzel. She followed a crisp breeze outside and found the nine-year-old on the patio, overlooking the grand sights of the Golden Saucer. "What's that?" He asked in wonder, pointing out to his left.

She smiled, leaning against the railing with him, as if they were old friends at the fencepost. "That's the chocobo track. People race them there for games and money."

"I don't see any chocobos."

"They're probably closed until this afternoon. Can't race them nonstop, can they?"

He looked up at her, young wise eyes full of intrigue. "Can we go there sometime?"

"Of course." The breeze felt good in her hair. She leaned into it, momentarily reveling in the absolute silence of her own mind. "Denzel, why do you have a black eye?" The boy seemed too smart and gentle to be a rough-houser.

He bowed his head ever so slightly. "Sometimes, I forget I'm in public," he said softly. "And I talk back."

She nodded. "Because you hear the Cetra in your mind?"

He glanced at her. "But, the reason I want to talk to you is Reno."

She raised an eyebrow. "What about him?"

"He loves you."

She giggled. He had said it so dead serious. It sounded strange coming from a voice that hadn't even changed yet. "Good to know."

"But he's having a hard time. He still wants to be a Turk, deep down inside. He read a report that shows that Hojo is the one behind all of this. He thinks the president isn't entirely at fault. He thinks he's going insane and he's hoping that he will get better soon. And he's afraid to tell you that. He's afraid you won't understand."

"Why would he be afraid to tell me?"

"Because the other half hates his life as a Turk in Shinra. He used to be glad he was one. Now he's not so sure. He hasn't been sure for a long time. He says the happiest day of his life was when Rufus Shinra decided to repair the damage he had done." He sighed. "It was a way to make up for mistakes. He believed he would be more worthy of you, or something like that, if you saw him trying to do better. He wants to prove to everyone that he's not a murderer. He said something about being marked as a murderer for years."

She looked off into the distance. Jenova pierced her own thoughts with her opinionated outburst: Fool! But she knew exactly what Reno was talking about. It was something they had discussed a year before, and she knew what he meant by his murder marks. She knew the guilt that stared back at him every time he looked into a mirror. "Poor Reno," she whispered.

"And there's more. The Cetra want to rebuild, repopulate. That's why Reno's Cetra genes are expanding. And that's why they've chosen me."

"Chosen?" She put a hand to her forehead. She was so tired.

"To be the first New Ancient."

Her lip twisted up in the corner. New Ancient. What a redundancy. "So I suppose you've told Cloud that, by now?"

He nodded. "I think he's glad to know for sure."

She paused. "Denzel…. what's going to happen to those without the Cetra gene?"

He shook his head calmly. "I don't know, yet."

Her eyes faded, looking through him for a moment. She knew what would happen, somewhere deep in her soul. She held her breath, finding the Ancient voice within her. "Are you any better than Jenova?" She asked. Silence followed. Of course, when she wanted them to answer, they wouldn't.

"Hi ya."

Avera turned to see Yuffie slinking through the doorway in a suspicious manner. "Yuffie? What's up?"

"Reno didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

She extended her hand that held a Turk PHS that had been sliced in half. "Could you tell him I'm sorry?"

Avera looked at her hand for a few moments in confusion, then sighed. "Yuffie…."

"Hey, I had a good reason!"

"You stole his phone?"

"But I needed it!"

"And then you cut it half?"

"It wasn't me!"

"I wouldn't blame him if he's angry."

"But, I really needed it!" Yuffie rounded on her, whispering in her ear. Little Denzel watched curiously as Avera's face changed from aggravation to confusion and then to amusement. She winked at him—a cue that it was funny. Finally, she pulled away. "Okay, okay."

"You will?"

"Yes, I will." She walked for the door, giggling to himself. Denzel followed.

"Don't be obvious about it, ok?"

"Please; it's me." She opened the sliding doors and then let Denzel go through first. "He's going to laugh so hard he'll turn the color of his hair."

"OOOh….You MEANIE!"

Memory:I showed up in Wutai fairly late that evening but in a cheerful and delightfully drunk mood. I whistled as I stepped out of the chopper; examining the rose in my hand merrily. Cloud had stopped Meteor, destroyed Sephiroth, and I had just gotten word that Rufus and Tseng were both alive. Rude and Me had gone out to celebrate, and I figured instead of going home I'd pick up a few flowers and romance Avera to celebrate. Well, I spent most of my gil on booze, so I could only afford one flower. Oh, well. She would love it. It was coming from me, right?

I checked the bar first, but it was closed. I shrugged. There was a party going on in the tower as a reunion for Yuffie. Maybe she would be there. I sang and laughed at myself as I walked down the way. Yep, I was zonked. It didn't matter. I was in a good mood. As I passed by her house, I noticed the lights were on. I paused in mid-step, trying to see if there was anyone home. Just then, I heard something hit the inside of the wall. I froze; somewhere inside of me the anger hit hard and fresh. I knew what was going on. I dropped the rose and pulled my shock-rod, hearing their voices as I ran:

"Stop it!" Avera yelled. "Just—go to the party like everyone else! Why do you have to be this way? What do you want?"

"Strong words! You're so tough; fight back! I didn't send you to fancy classes to sit on your ass and cry!"

I ground my teeth together, trying the front door. It was locked. Figures. I heard the sound of a hand smacking skin. I let out a strangled sob, suddenly desperate. I just had to kill him! It was the strangest desire I had ever had. The strongest urge to taste blood ever. "Dad, I won't let you anymore!" She cried. "Reno told me to fight you, and I'm going to do it!"

"Good! Then maybe you'll be worth the money I've spent on you! Tell him thanks!"

I glanced through the window and saw him tackle her, to which she responded by a push and then a perfect round-off kick in the most impressive form I had ever seen. My eyebrows shot up on my forehead in surprise before I kicked the door in. There, to my utter horror, her father grabbed her by the hair and shoved her into the open door. In slow-motion, I saw her head smack the door I was standing in. She reeled back, blood gushing from her nose.

"Well, well," her father said, as she slumped to the floor. "If it ain't Mister Hero!"

I made a strangled roar as I ran at him angrily. I've never felt such horrible pain in all my life. I can't describe what I felt—you wouldn't understand unless you've been in such a situation. To this day, I don't remember what I did to him. I just remember my arm getting really tired from the constant rise and fall of my shock-rod. I think he had already passed out when I was on his back, my rod around his throat, pulling as hard as I could. I think I wanted to snap his head clean off.

"Reno, no!" Her voice sounded distant, but frighteningly clear.

I remember thinking, 'It's for your own good, Avera.' I pulled harder, ignoring her. Her dad choked, white ooze and dabs of blood coming from his mouth.

"Stop it!" She screamed, prying the rod the other direction. God, she was strong. I almost lost my grip altogether. "You're not a murderer!"

I laughed out loud. "Yeah, I am. I'm a professional. Let me work." I snatched the rod away, giving it a good wrench with my hands.

She fell back, sobbing. "Please, Reno, don't do this to me." It was so quiet, so pleading. I paused, relaxing my grip a little as I looked up at her. "I'll do anything—just don't!" I hesitated, looking down at the man I wanted to kill so badly I willing to let her hate me for it. "I love you. Don't hurt me like this."

Hurt her? I took in a gagging breath. Was I hurting her? Like this man had hurt her? I gave one last look at my chance of killing him and then let my rod go. He fell flat on his face, and she knocked me over with her embrace. She was sobbing. I could feel a mix of her blood and tears running down my shoulder. All I could do is hold her there, staring at the wall in bewilderment. I never felt so lost in my life.

Two weeks later, when he got back from the hospital(he had a broken back, contusion, and traumatized inflammation of the windpipe), I cornered him in his room when she wasn't around. "Next time," I spat, pressing my hand into his already horribly injured throat, watching him gag with fear in his eyes, "I will kill you, and it will be nice and very painfully slow."

He hasn't touched her since.

Hojo tapped a few calculations into his automated notebook before turning back to Rufus. "No residual effect—sickness of any kind?"

"No. I'm perfectly healthy." He smirked. "I'm better than healthy. I feel full of energy."

The scientist turned away from him; reading the notebook. "Well, enjoy it. At night, you'll be so exhausted you won't be able to stay awake if you tried. At least for the first night. After that you'll be a god among men."

Rufus shut his eyes calmly. "Think of the power I could produce." He smiled, lifting his head to the sky. "I can feel her. She's beginning to feel the burn."

Hojo shrugged. "Hardly a good thing unless we get her away from Reno." He walked up to him, injecting a needle into his skin.

"What's that for?"

"To regulate and enhance your pheromones and hormones. It may help."

Rufus didn't catch the wicked gleam in Hojo's eyes. He frowned angrily. "It's unthinkable that the perfect Jenova/Cetra hybrid could be tainted in that manner! That the Cetra cell should dominate in what would have been a perfect balance and union!"

He turned away from the president after noting with satisfaction that his eyes had turned a blood-red color. He had to compensate the lack of Jenova cells in Rufus by giving him a slightly higher dose. And the pheromone compound he had given him was only to make him go mad with jealousy. There was no way to recover Avera if he still had such an admiration for his former Second-in-Command. The original compound, however, was taking a different toll on the president than on Avera. While he found it fascinating, he certainly didn't change it. He only studied it. "Is that you speaking, sir, or is it Jenova's obsession with procreation? You sound almost jealous."

Rufus shook his head hard. "She belongs to me! She was made as a child by Shinra's funds, she carries the same genetic coding, and she's mine! Don't forget that the Cetra wish to rebuild, also. It doesn't all have to do with Jenova!"

He snickered at him. "You're fighting Jenova somewhere in there, aren't you? Even though she has the upper hand, you still think you can fight and do the right thing." He came close to the president, studying his face carefully. "Take my advice—don't fight her. It's much more glorious to be cooperative."

He ground his teeth together. "I am going to rebuild with my new strength! I will set this world right by any means necessary!"

"Keep talking," Hojo simply replied. "Maybe she'll understand your reasons an give in. Even without her precious Turk."

Reno talked in his sleep. Avera could hear him go on and on about not caring, not wanting to, and needing a day off. An obscenity came twice. He was apparently having a very in-depth conversation with whoever was intruding on his subconscious. She tried to wake him up once when he got really miffed, but he jerked away and rolled over, so she gave up.

After a while, she turned inside the corners of her own mind, searching out the Ancient and Jenova. She was puzzled when she though she found a glimpse of Jenova, and it suddenly vanished. Though she knew it was crazy, she was puzzled and began searching even harder for her. Worried—worried that perhaps Jenova would reach a part of her mind she couldn't control. Then a voice gently flowed into the space where Jenova had been: "It's done. She will bother you no longer."

She paused, turning about in her mind to find the Ancient voice. "What do you mean? Ifalna?"

The voice came again; "She has comfortable places, easier conquests. We have won control of your mind and blood."

Shivers went down Avera's spine. "Meaning what?"

"You are Cetra; growing continually in power and ability."

She couldn't contain her anger. "Why? What if I don't want to be a…a…Cetra; Ancient, whatever? What then?"

The voice remained calm and gentle. "You would rather be Jenova's child?"

"No! I just—how can I trust you? I just want to be me; not Cetra, not Ancient—just--" She spun to a presence that she suddenly felt behind her. "Reno?" She couldn't see him, but she could feel him there.

Ifalna let out a satisfied breath. "You two are the first. Continue our generation."

She caught a surprised image of Reno's face, and then she found herself jerked back to consciousness. She took in the room first, and then her eyes fell to Reno, who was now wide awake and staring at her calmly. "What just happened?" she asked.

"Er….I woke up."

"Before that."

"I was asleep."

She wasn't happy. "Reno!" She snapped.

He smiled at her like a kid. "Your eyes are green."

"What!" She sat up from her chair, snatching a mirror off the nightstand. It was true. Her eyes were back to normal. They were a pale shade of emerald green, large and familiar. "They did--" She gasped. "They did, didn't they?"

Reno rolled to his shoulder and sat up slowly, never taking his eyes off of her. They glowed with some crazed hunger she didn't quite recognize before. "Did you hear what I heard?"

Their eyes met. She felt it then—what Rufus had been talking about. She felt flushed, feverish. Tingling started in her lips and fingertips, and then rushed through her body. Reno looked so perfect, so….She tried to tear her eyes away, but couldn't do it. He was just too wonderful to look at. The burn! The burn was starting! Implanted desire by the Cetra, perhaps? Was Reno feeling it, too? She didn't have to wait any time for the answer. Reno grabbed her face in both hands and brought it to his aggressively. His hands were warm on her already flushed face. She could feel Rufus screaming in her mind as they enjoyed feverish kissing. He was yelling to stop. In reality, she could care less what Rufus wanted. In fact she wanted to do anything in direct opposition to him. However, she realized that even though she and Reno were enjoying it, the burn was caused mostly by the Cetra, who had some plan for re-cultivating the species. So with ever fiber of her being, she told herself to stop. She could control herself. The problem was Reno. "Reno, stop…Reno….Reno, STOP!" She pulled back hard.

He wiped his chin, staring at her in a wild-eyed manner. "What's the problem?"

"The Cetra…." She gasped, forcing her eyes to the floor. "The Cetra are doing this to us!"

He grinned. "I always did like the Cetra." He dove for her again and managed to get in a few more kisses before she pulled away.

She stood away from him and literally ran to the door. "Hold on a second!" She opened the door. "Denzel, come here!"

"What!" He griped. "I can't in front of him!"

"Exactly!"

"But!"

Denzel walked in, confused. "What's the matter? You look sick." He had a soda in one hand and a cookie in the other.

She rolled her eyes. Thank God the Cetra didn't let him join in these little moments, too. "I'm not sick, but don't leave until I tell you to…." She paused, "and maybe not then."

Reno was not happy at all. "Come on, Avera," he practically whined. "You can't tell me this is all Cetra business. We've been dating three years. We kind of want to, huh?"

"Want to what?" Denzel asked.

He sighed miserably. He wanted to cry. "Kid, let everything we say float between your ears with no impact in the middle, okay?"

She sat in the corner of the room on the floor. She was afraid of what would happen if she sat anywhere close to him. "Stop screwing with us!" She screamed into her mind. "Just leave us alone!" She shook her head. "Reno, I'm worried about the Cetra's intentions."

"So they intend us to have babies. Great fun, if you think about it, and besides, we'll just be getting a jump on the future, huh?"

She raised an eyebrow, keeping temptation to listen to his reasoning down. A voice came in her mind. Sorry, Avera. You're right. You should be alone. She almost fell over when the desire left her. She was suddenly weak and trembling, and she could tell that Reno felt the same way. "First of all, great fun for you, maybe. I'm the one that would be puking and moody for months at a time. Secondly, you don't even like kids."

"That's not true!" He protested. "I love kids!"

"No, you don't!" Denzel replied.

"Sure I do, kid, bite me. And shut up, or I'll whack your snotty little nose off."

Avera doubled over, laughing hysterically. She just started and couldn't stop. That was the funniest exchange she had ever heard in her life. "So funny!" She called to him, laying on the floor. Her shoulders shook. The burn was gone, and that made her laugh even harder. It was just she and Reno now, no Cetra entanglements of any kind. Apparently they realized she wasn't going to cooperate for their sake.

Reno was laughing, but he was going harder than she was. It was like it was the funniest thing in the world. "You can go now, kid," he called to Denzel, wiping tears off his face.

He looked at Avera questioningly.

"It's fine, Denzel," she agreed. "Go ahead."

It wasn't two seconds before Denzel was gone when Reno locked him out. He then stood over Avera, who was still giggling to herself. "Avera? You remember back when you were working in the Gongaga lab, when I was first appointed a Turk? You know, before it blew?"

She stopped giggling and looked up at him. "Yes."

"We were practically kids back then, but…." He frowned, picking at the scar on his scalp. "I should have gone to see you after we talked the first time. I thought you were extremely hot, anyway…." He ignored her second round of the giggles, "and you were so smart. But I was a jerk. I was worried about my promotion; what other people would think of me."

"Reno…"

"Hear me out. That thing could have blown while you were in it, and I never would have seen you again. And I wouldn't have had the chance to get myself into awkward situations like we had. And maybe I'd still view myself as a marked murderer."

She sat up as he sat down. She scooted up to him, face close to his, holding both hands in his lap. "Why are you telling me this?"

He forced a smile for a brief instant, and then faded. "I was a murderer back then. I thought I was doing something great and wonderful. I figured I was used to it, so what would be the harm in doing it for a living? I was too stuck up to accept that I wasn't a hero. I viewed everyone as beneath me, as idiots who would give their eyeteeth to be like me. Thought women went weak at their knees at the mention of my name. I was…a criminal; and I didn't even want to see it." His gaze met hers for a second and then looked away. "And then I met you, and you pulled all that out and made me feel like I could be something better than a Turk. That never occurred to me before. And I almost never got the chance. Even then, I …still want to be a Turk. So I guess I understand why….why you don't want me."

She couldn't help it. Her eyes misted over in near-horror as she stared at him. "Is that what you think? That I stopped because of…?"

"Face it, Avera. It's who I am."

"That's not true!" She bit out angrily.

He went to stand up. "Maybe you'd be better off without me, huh? Without the great Turk Reno."

Quick as lightning, she got to her knees and grabbed his wrists, forcing him to hold his spot. "You will do no such thing! I'm not a child! Stop treating me like one! You think you know how I feel about you? If that's how you think I feel than you're right—you know absolutely nothing! Now shut up and listen. I've spent three years of my life getting to know you: Your work, your ideals, your sense of humor, everything. I know of some of the people you killed and I know you want to kill my dad so bad your insides are screaming." His eyes met hers lifelessly. His chest heaved as he fought for dignity enough to hold that gaze. She held her grip tight on his wrists, in case he might run. He didn't even feel like he could fight her strength even if he wanted to. "Everything else I need to know about you I learned through Rufus' mind last night and Denzel this morning. I don't know every little detail of your life, yet. But I do know I care about you, Reno. You've been there for me when no one else has. And if that's why you want to kill my drunk crazy father, then….I guess I can forgive that urge. I don't care about all that. I care about you! More…more than anything. You're not a murderer. You were just always afraid."

He was startled at that last statement. His eyes went wide as he looked at her. She had just nailed it. All of his life, he had been afraid. He never told anyone; he hardly knew it himself. But she just nailed it. Didn't that mean she knew him well enough to know what she was getting herself into?

She paused, swallowing hard as her face turned a light pink. "No what in the hell is all this self-pity about?"

He waited for a second, licking his lower lip in thought. Then he came back in all smiles; totally normal and totally Reno. He gave her the usual, drawn-out flippant tone when he replied to her. "Don' know. Maybe it's because I've gone seven days sober."

She relaxed, smiling in return. His eyes flickered and brightened as she sank onto his knee slowly. He extended a hand, resting it on her hip. The other one trailed up her side and onto her neck. "Or maybe you just need a woman to knock some sense into you." She was leaning in closer, and closer….and closer.

"Heh-heh. You offering?"

Their lips met. She took solace in the fact that this time, the Cetra had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Memory:She was one of the first ones to get sick with geostigma, but she hung on like a champ. She worked at the bar every day and hung out with me every night. She never complained or anything, and I don't think she ever passed out when I wasn't around. But there was this one time I thought she was going to fall in her tracks: We were watching the "Loveless" play again. I could tell she just wasn't up to par, so I offered to take her back to my place for the evening. I figured she'd be cool and comfortable there.

She was sipping on a wine cooler with her feet up when she landed it on me. We were talking about our pasts and stuff—mostly funny stories—when she asked me why I got my tattoos.

I shot her a sideways glance. "How did you get that scar?"

"I asked you first."

"Nope. I've been talking all about myself all night long. It's your turn to dazzle me, Bright Eyes."

She smiled wanly. She wasn't feeling well at all. She shifted to where she was rested more comfortably between my arm and side. "Tell you what," she bargained, "I'll tell you where I got my scar if you'll tell me where you got your tattoos."

"Deal. You go first."

"RENO!"

"What?" It wasn't that I didn't want to tell her. I was actually quite fond of my murder marks, at times. But I had been trying for three years to figure out how she got that scar—although I already had a pretty good guess. Her going first ensured that I got to hear the story.

She sighed. "Fine. I was sixteen, working in the lab—I think that was a few days before I met you. My dad woke me up in the middle of the night by slamming my door open and grabbing me. I was scared, so I just automatically reached up and gave him an upper-cut." She laughed ironically. "You think he would have been mad, but he wasn't. He just told me, 'I knew you had it in you; Show me what else you got'. When I refused, he pulled his knife."

I sucked in my breath quickly. Why did I ask to hear this? Why did I torture myself this way? Maybe it was a way of murdering…myself.

"It didn't hurt all that bad. In fact, at first, I felt wet in my eyes and thought he had spit on me." She shrugged in closer to me, as if she were diving away from the memory. I put my arm around her absent-mindedly as I contemplated her predicament. "He left, and I had to clean up everything. Didn't want to leave the carpet a mess, so I cleaned it up with my left hand and kept my t-shirt on my head. It got so soaked!"

"That's enough, Avera."

She paused, glancing at me hesitantly. She seemed bitter that I had even asked. But I had asked, and that's why she finished. "I walked over to Yuffie's because she had heal materia. That's when she found out."

I didn't even realize I was doing it then, but I ran my finger along that mark; the inch-long scar that ran along the top of her eyebrow. "Avera, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't come to see you before the explosion. We might have been friends sooner, and--"

She pulled my hand away, so quick that it almost hurt inside of me. I felt like she hated me for dragging that memory up. But I knew Avera and I knew she couldn't hate anyone—not even her bastard of a father. "Don't say that Reno" she whispered. "Everything happens for a reason. You were there when I needed you most, right?"

I felt hot inside—so uncomfortable dry and tired. Sure, I was there. But not when she needed me; not really. If I had known back then, my murder marks would have been noble. I could have made a difference before she got hurt any more. "So," she replied, brightening. "How did you get your tattoos?" Her cool fingers touched the dark flesh under my left eye.

I blinked, confused. "What?" Before now, I was planning on giving her a big story about how I valiantly won them. Now I just felt sick, and didn't really want to waste time. "I was a pride fighter when I was fifteen. It's the only way I could make the money to live back then. I used to fight in the Sector seven slums all the time. A guy named Zedek liked my style and hired me to be his champ. I signed a contract, because it was three times the gil I would have been making elsewhere. The contract said, in part, that "the Little Red Demon" had to be more noticeable. I needed a call signal of some kind, he thought. One day a fighter hit me in the face with a steel pipe. I won the championship that night, but I accidentally killed him." She caught her breath under my arm and put her hand on my knee comfortingly. "No, it was a good thing. He was trying to kill me. Would have succeeded, too, if I hadn't gotten so mad about it. Later that night, I was looking in the mirror where he hit me with that steel pipe, right across the top of my cheekbones. I figured that would be my call sign—it won me the championship, after all. I went and got the tattoos that very night." I sighed hard. "And even now, they are more noticeable than my hair."

She opened her mouth slightly, but she didn't know what to say. So I just continued, lost in some little trance of my own. "Shinra found me two days later. He cancelled my debt to Zedek and hired me. Just two days earlier and I wouldn't have gotten them."

She smiled forcibly. "You had a hard time earning them, didn't you?"

I frowned. I had killed before that night, but always to survive. The champ had made me so angry I wanted to kill him—kill him in cold blood right in front of his wife and twelve-year old son. And so I did. That's when I got my murder marks. And I had been murdering off and on since then, just for a different broker. "I hate them," I choked out, suddenly. I don't know why I said that. Every day I had looked in the mirror, and every day was just a dull-eyed stare at what they were, not what they represented. I never hated them before. Maybe I suddenly realized, in her presence, that they truly marked me as undeserving of the kindest woman alive. Maybe they really did mark me as a murderer.

She sat up and turned to me. I took in her eyes; warm, beautiful and now misting over. "Well, I love them," she blurted, touching them with both hands. I felt her wonderfully smooth fingers trace them for a moment. "They're what brought you to me, right?" And then, pale and tired as she was, she leaned in and kissed me full on the mouth.

For a moment, I felt exuberance pass through me. I felt the warm wetness of her lips on mine and it made me feel alive and happy and quite frankly, burning hot. I felt like the happiest man on earth. And she was right—These horrible marks on my flesh proved I had lived a life hard enough to need saving myself. I closed my eyes and kissed back hard, so happy to have her there with me; my little hero. And then she shuddered and sank away. That was the first and only time she ever passed out from the sickness.

But for a terrible sinking moment, I thought my murder marks had killed her, too.

Reno sighed when she pulled back from her repeated kissing for a moment with a smile. "Murder marks, my eye," he thought to himself as he eagerly went after her again. "They're the only things that told me I needed her."

9:34p.m.

Nighttime filled every corner of the room in inky blackness. With the curtains drawn, the lights of the amusement park didn't even interfere. It was plushly comfortable in the fancy bed, and just a bit cool. Reno woke up and smiled to himself pleasantly, hearing the thrum of the overhead ceiling in his ears. For once in his life, he felt content. Sure, he had happy times in his life, but never anything like this. Actually, he had mostly hard times:

Abandoned by his mother when he was three. She just up and left he and his father for some wealthy jerk from M.R.O. management. His dad shot himself when he was ten—right in front of his son that was begging him not to do it. Guess the drugs had worn off and he couldn't take it anymore. Reno hated that boy that begged. Odd jobs; illegal of course, because he was under age. It made him tough enough to live on the streets, half-starving, always afraid. Pride fighting at fifteen. It was the newest thing and people would pay you five hundred gil just for a knockout. He won almost every fight and was known as the "Little Red Demon." That's when Shinra, Sr. noticed him and put him in the army. Hard times and a few battles later, he was promoted to the Turks. At nineteen, he had to guard the president at the Gongaga reactor, and that's when he first saw her.

He remembered most of the time he stood there, bored, his hands in his pockets. Scarlet—he always hated her—was going down the list of new employees for the president. "Flick…"

"Flick?" The president interrupted. "What's his real name?"

She laughed. "We don't know. We call him flick because he lost his left arm in the last reactor. It just flicked right off. He's very dedicated to be working here, too."

"Charming. Next?"

"Nalies, she's in our billing; Doing a great job, if I may say so, sir. And you asked about Avera earlier?"

Reno popped his neck, smiling at a cute brunette across from him. She smiled politely and looked away—clearly not interested in younger men. "Yes," the president had said. "We're very interested in seeing how she's getting along."

"She's right over there." She pointed across the room. There she was—wearing those cute new-issue diagnostic glasses that tucked the bridge of her nose. Her hair (it was longer then) was pulled up and secured with a red ink pen. Her lower lip hung just a bit as she wrote a few calculations , and then turned to her microscope. She had a bruise on her throat and one on her forearm. Her lab coat hung seamlessly around her shoulders. The corner of her eyes raised to the president and she gave a cheerful smile. Reno suddenly wasn't bored, anymore. His hands came out of his pockets as he straightened up quickly. She was only sixteen, and was the head of Scientific Diagnostics. "She's perfect, sir. We couldn't be more pleased."

Perfect. For days, Reno couldn't stop thinking about her. When he was recalled on a safety inspection, he looked everywhere for her, and did eventually get to speak very briefly to her. At any time after that, he could have just gone see her. He had clearance to get in and out of any department of that reactor. But he refused. What would his new co-workers think? Finally, he just gave up and shrugged it off. He thought of her for weeks after it blew, wondering what happened to the brilliantly smart, young, cute woman there. He thought it was a crying shame, and once, he even had a nightmare about it. But the memories eventually faded when he figured there was no chance of anyone working there surviving, anyway. Little did he know she had called in that day—probably because her father had beaten her nearly to death.

Three years and a few women later, Cloud and his friends beat the crap out of him in Midgar. He pushed the button that brought down the plate—killing fifty-two people. He tried to go to Wutai to drink off the guilt. He was almost asleep and half-drunk when he heard her call him. He didn't want to answer; he was angry to be interrupted. It was his day off and he wanted to drink himself dead. He talked with her then, when his feet fell off the table as he stupidly gaped at her. She was nineteen, definitely not dead, and even more gorgeous than before.

The rest was history. The trip to Costa Del Sol when he noticed her black eye (to match that ravishing bikini); the late nights on the foothills of Mount Nibel—she would talk to him quietly, leaning her head on his shoulder; The trips to the Cosmo Candle while he flirted with her by the fire-light; Months of pain over watching every new bruise, bump, and welt; Yuffie filling him in; Him nearly killing her father; Her weeping voice, "You're not a murderer!"

For the first time in his life, tonight he really did feel that way. He no longer wore murder marks; they were only marks from her kissing him under his eyes so often. Everything was good. Avera loved him more than ever, they had evaded Shinra, her father hadn't touched her in two years, they were safe and happy and comfortable, not to forget the pleasant events of the night, and…. Damn, this bed was nice! He took in a deep, contented breath, reaching over for her side. He got slightly confused when she wasn't there. He figured she'd probably slid over to the edge….it was a huge bed, after all….and so he turned over to find her with a cocky half-grin on. He came face-to-face with the muzzle of a gun.

"Holy sh--!" He jumped up only slightly, up to his elbows.

Tseng smiled calmly at him. "Hello, Reno. I'd ask what you've been up to, but I can already see that."

He could see now that Tseng was holding the gun, and Elena stood back a bit, gun in hand, but refusing to use it. Avera was nowhere to be found. "Wha'd the hell you do to her, you…!"

"Shut up!"

"Where's Rude?"

He hesitated before he spoke. "Can't stand up to a dozen soldiers and two Turks, I don't care who you are."

"Where's Cloud?"

"You just don't get the concept of shutting up, do you?" He asked, rudely blunt. "Don't know. Probably took the band out for a game of bumper cars. He left two hours ago; He'll probably sense his sister's plight in just a bit, so I would prefer you to move it pretty quickly."

Reno was seething in anger.

"Get up. Get dressed."

"Don' think so," he retorted, patting the mattress with his hand. "I'm comfortable right here." Maybe he could buy some time before Cloud got here.

"She's right outside, Reno," Elena added, ignoring Tseng's threatening glare. Apparently she wasn't so convinced that they were doing the right thing. That surprised Reno, because after how badly he treated her, he thought she would be the one wanting to do the shooting. Maybe he had read her wrong.

"Right here in front of Elena?" Reno asked Tseng.

"Either get your pants on in front of her or get shot in the teeth."

"Right." In a few moments, he was dressed and waiting. Tseng shoved the muzzle in his back, walking him forward. The light from the kitchen blinded him for a moment. The first thing he saw was Rude, hands tied, in a chair in the corner. Rude flashed him an apologetic look as his eyes traveled to Avera, out cold on the linoleum. Reno dove for her, but Tseng grabbed him back. "What did you do to her!" He yelled. She was in a white robe (compliments of the inn), which hung open slightly at the leg. Her hair scattered about on the floor. There was no indication of breathing.

"We shot her,"

Reno rounded on him, ignoring the gun. Tseng landed a punch in the gut and slashed upwards with his gun, catching him in the nose. He tumbled back, hitting his head on Rude's chair leg. "Let me finish, hothead," Tseng continued. "We shot her with a tranquilizer. We can't let Hojo's precious specimen bite the dust. We're under strict orders."

Reno grunted, rolling to his shoulder to look at her. His eyes went remorseful. Ever since the night he attacked her father, he had pledged himself as her savior. He was going to protect her with everything he had, up to death. It was all because she had saved him from his murderous past. But he couldn't even care for her correctly. He had failed. "Get up." He did as he was told. Tseng nodded at the two Soldiers who were standing next to a nurse in the corner. "Get her on the airship. Get her changed and give her to Hojo."

They nodded.

"Don't do this, boss," Reno pleaded. "Just—listen to me for a minute--" He spoke quickly. His girl was being thrown over the shoulder of the largest Soldier; quite roughly, in fact.

Tseng kept his gun level. "You lost all privileges of communication when you went AWOL against the president."

His blue eyes went wide as the two Soldiers and nurse shoved past him for the door. He secretly wished Cloud was outside and would stop them. No such luck. "I have a perfectly good reason, Tseng. And…and you don't have to believe me! Believe Rude! He'll tell you, won't you Rude?"

Tseng glanced at Rude. "Insubordination is insubordination."

"You….damned idiot!" Reno yelled. "It's not just about her! Look—Elena!" He looked past Tseng to the blonde-headed girl behind him. "Please. I can sense you sometimes. You're turning Cetra, aren't you?"

Elena caught Tseng's eye uneasily. She paused for a few moments, going blanche-white with fear. Then she nodded miserably. "It's true."

The boss was at a loss for words.

"Tell him, Elena. Please! El…." Reno bowed his head in defeat as the female looked away from him, clamming up completely. She was absolutely refusing to compromise her knowledge of the events. Reno should have known better. She always did follow every little step Tseng took.

Tseng turned to Reno. "Okay," he finally said. "My orders are to kill you and send your girlfriend to Hojo….to get compromised by our leader." Reno's eyes glanced up at him, then dropped quickly. It startled Tseng to realize there were tears brimming up in them. Reno never cried—Reno wasn't that sort of guy. Period. Apparently the idea of his girlfriend being dominated by the president for the rest of her life was too much for him to bear. He paused, licking his lower lip. If it were Elena… "So you've got exactly sixty seconds to change my mind."

Reno's eyes flashed up again, hope and surprise gleaming in them. What was left of the mist in his eyes vanished to the corners. A smile twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Better start talking."

DAY EIGHT

I had viewed myself as her protector for a long time. And when I wasn't being my usual sarcastic self, I was usually fiercely angry about something that happened with her. One time I remember I got upset because a delivery to the bar didn't have the olives she requested. She laughed at me, but I didn't care. Any mistreatment was wrong, wrong, wrong. And I lost my temper easily, anyway, much less if she was involved. But I had no idea I could feel as angry as I did that day.

------

Rufus Shinra grinned with delight at the sight of her: his crown queen, his royal beauty. The Turks had been trained well. "Put her there," he ordered the soldier carrying her. He complied, setting her on the president's own couch. Her head lolled to the side lifelessly. Rufus touched her face, taking in a breath. "She's so very beautiful." The sun was barely coming up, showering tinges of light into the room. They were in Healin, in the lowest room of the building. They had changed her into the same white jumpsuit that she had worn when Reno had rescued her the first time. Wires ran up and down the sleeves; a manner of control in case she got out of hand.

Right about the time he was running his fingers down her throat in admiration, Reno and the other Turks walked in. "Get your sleezy hands off her!" Reno yelled, advancing. Tseng and Rude grabbed his arms and jerked him back. He struggled for a few minutes as Hojo entered, running a program on his notepad.

"Amazing," Rufus continued, ignoring him. His fingers slid down her shoulder, her left arm, her hip… "She is indeed the perfect specimen."

Reno's feet peddled the floor, trying to get his hands on the president's throat. Rude and Tseng fought to hold him back, casting each other worried glances. The agreement they had made was to hear the whole plan Hojo had concocted before trying to rescue her. However, they hadn't expected that she would be in such danger so soon, or that Reno's temper would be so uncontrollable. "Are you listening to me? She's not yours!"

His eyes snapped to Reno, and everyone froze at the blood-red color of the irises. "Not mine!" He shouted angrily. "She's Jenova's child! She's Hojo's experiment! She's my genetic counterpart! She is anything but YOURS!" He stood, laughing through his anger. The Turks stared at him in fascination. They were aware that their president was truly going insane. "Jenova says she's mine. Destiny smiles on our children. You'll not interfere; you FOOL!" He spat the last word, only inches from Reno's face.

He growled at him in reply.

Hojo laughed in the corner. "We'll have to put her through a cleansing process to rid her of Reno's DNA. Other that that, she's perfect. I see no further obstacles."

Elena and Tseng looked at each other. "What?"

Hojo smiled at Reno. "That's right. In just a few weeks you would have been confirmed a proud father-to-be. Unfortunately, I can't let that happen." Reno's knees wobbled and almost fell out from under him. He felt faint. Well, that was quick. He made little grunting noises, not knowing exactly what to say. Elena was gasping for air. Tseng and Rude's grip lessened on his arms. Rude's mouth hung open about six inches.

"That must have been why she went down so fast with the dart," Tseng wondered.

Elena glared at him. "Tseng, a woman doesn't feel the effects THAT fast!"

"Not normally, no," Hojo said, off-handedly. "But in this case, yes. Jenova cells would normally fortify her to fight the effects. But her Cetra genetics built a barrier to protect the clustering cells. They want to ensure that the offspring is protected. All her reserve power drained her of the ability to fight."

"Yeah, she dropped like a sack of potatoes," Tseng said in wonder. Reno stared over his shoulder at him in disbelief. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize to the traitor," Rufus bit out. "She was never his to care for in the first place."

Reno strangled out a bark and lunged for him again. Tseng and Rude stumbled a bit, holding him at bay.

Hojo giggled insanely in the corner. "Oh, but he's right, Reno. She was my plan from the very beginning. Your meeting her was just an unfortunate accident. Seventeen years ago, a five-year-old orphan stumbled across me. I was still working on a rebound Sephiroth experiment. She seemed the perfect specimen. Within two weeks, her memory was wiped and she was constructed by the same process that constructed Cloud. I had to ensure that she stayed alive to see the results through completion, so I convinced the president to hire a Shinra mercenary to take care of her. He was to raise her tough, to test the limits of her physical endurance. A little more, and she may have been a ruthless fighter. But you interfered! You nearly killed that mercenary. Shinra compensated him for his trouble, paid him to stay there so it wouldn't look suspicious, but he refused to do any more testing. Her warrior spirit was already compromised within her—by YOU! You, her knight in shining armor. With you there, why should she fight for herself? But, that's irrelevant. Fortunately, we at least got a chance to monitor the build up of her Jenova abilities. We knew it was safe then to proceed with the Cetra experiment."

"You monster!" Reno spat. "You frickin' monster!"

Avera moaned, moving a bit. She was waking up. Rufus turned to her in concern. "Is she damaged?"

Hojo ran a remote-controlled ultrasound over the length of her body with little discernable concern. Then he smiled, wickedly glaring at Reno. "She took a tumble; possibly tearing through the cell structure. If she lives through it, we might be fortunate enough to not have to run an expensive cleansing process, after all."

That was it. Reno went blind with rage. He roared and broke free, lunging at Hojo. He managed to make it past a startled Rufus Shinra very easily. He pulled three good punches before Hojo pulled a gun. Reno stared angrily, feeling the cool iron on his cheek. What was up with people shoving a gun up his face, lately? Tseng suddenly had him by the shoulders. "Get off'a me! He shouted, pushing him away.

He tilted and then came back, grounding him whether he liked it or not.

"You're wrong, Reno," the president said, a little sadly. "We're not monsters. At least I'm not. This whole thing was Hojo's plan from the beginning. He is a scientist by nature and wanted to see his curiosity fulfilled." He shook his head. "But he got the support of my father because he knew such power should not go to waste. He got my support for the same reason. The whole reason I'm doing this is for the planet!"

Reno snarled at him. "You're a butt-eyed liar, yo!"

"Am I? I told you a year ago all I wanted was to rebuild our world. I meant it. With this power—this unfathomable power—Avera and I could create sons who have the thinking ability and physical might to gather entire legions of soldiers. At their command, we could rebuild the world dozens of times over. Plus, as far as we can speculate, the gene would be in a perfect balance; half-Jenova, half-Cetra."

Avera turned her head to the other side, moving a bit. She let out a gasp suddenly and put her hand to her stomach. "Reno…." She called weakly. Rufus nodded at Tseng, who let him go.

Reno gave him a warning glare before sinking to his knees beside her. He put a hand to her hair, smoothing it out of her face. "I don't care how much money and time you invested in her," He said quietly. "And I don't care how much you think the world needs her. You don't have the right."

Hojo was busily scanning. "Amazing. The build up of the power is still protecting the zygote."

"So why is she in pain?" Tseng asked.

"Well, it's not exactly natural. She would naturally have some pain at the site. It's like blowing you up with air or fluid before you have a major operation. So far as I can tell, it's not anything life-threatening, yet."

"Sir," Elena implored, "What if the genes aren't perfectly balanced? What if the Jenova cells would dominate?"

He laughed heartily. "Then I guess the stronger race won."

Everyone shot him a look of disbelief as Hojo tapped his lip. "The power is extremely difficult to penetrate. I could remove it, but it will inevitably cause the specimen intense and devastating pain."

"Will she die?" Rufus asked.

"If she does, I can revive her."

"Can she continue to bear offspring?"

He thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. Possibly."

"Should we take that chance?"

"It's better than letting her have the one she's got. We'll do it." He nodded and motioned to the two soldiers. "Take her to my helicopter. We'll bring her to the lab for processing."

Reno's head jerked up from her and he leapt to his feet. Tseng dove forward, trying to hold him down again. "This wasn't the plan!" He screamed, hoarsely.

"Reno?" Avera called in confusion as she woke up completely. The soldier picked her up, and she began kicking. "What's going on? RENO!"

He twisted hard right, falling to his knees and slinging Tseng off. He got about three steps in before Rude jumped, grabbing him around the legs. He fell flat to his face, but kept on kicking. Rude held on defiantly. "I'll kill you!" Reno screamed hysterically at the scientist, who was walking out the door. "I'll kill you! I'll haunt you from the god-damned grave, you lousy piece of Jenova slime! I'll beat your frickin' brains out!"

He just laughed, paying no attention. Reno's face turned blood red as he left, and began throwing what looked like a child's temper tantrum, just screaming his head off. "Now?" Rude called helplessly to Tseng. He was being horribly battered.

Tseng nodded. "Now!"

They let him go. He scrambled to his feet and started for the door, but Rufus had already figured out their little plan. Calmly, he pulled his own revolver and shot Reno in the right shoulder. Reno spun with the force of the bullet, giving the room an astonished look as he fell to his back. Elena shrieked. "Go!" Tseng cried. Rude and Elena split, diving out separate doors, leaving only Reno, Rufus, and Tseng behind.

Cloud put a foot in the dirt to steady his motorcycle, pulling out his binoculars. A few hours ago, while the kids were on the game machines and he was buying Tifa a soda, he had felt panic run through his veins and then die as swiftly as it had started. It was undeniable that Avera was in trouble. Denzel had run up to him, saying about as much, and they immediately had taken off for the inn. But when they got there, they were already gone. As they stood there determining what to do next, they had gotten a phone call. "Well, Tseng wasn't lying when he called us. Not about this, anyway."

"They're there?" Yuffie called from beside him. "Can I see?"

He smirked at her. "You're not gonna see Rude through the building, Yuffie."

She crossed her arms sullenly. "How do you know? There may be a window or a door or crack or something." She looked away from them in harrowed frustration.

He glanced at Tifa. "We have to work up a plan, here," he began. Then they heard Reno screaming wildly in the distance. He turned to look through the binoculars again. "They're splitting up." He grimaced. This wasn't what he had planned on. "Hojo's leaving. Rufus must still be inside. Tifa, you and Yuffie go after Hojo. Vincent, you're with me." Right about that time they heard a gunshot. He gunned the engine and they parted.

The president picked a piece of lint from his jacket before backing out of the door. He smirked at them for a moment. It was clear that Hojo had driven the president into insanity. He was acting nothing like himself. "So sorry. You were good Turks. But now I have to kill you." He raised his gun to fire, but a shadow fell over him, accompanied by the low rumble of an approaching vehicle. He turned just in time to see Cloud's motorcycle screech to a side-ways halt. His buster sword was held high and he was about to use it. He turned aggressively, shooting as quickly as possible. Cloud veered right and smiled as the bullets pinged off of his sword.

"You made a big miscalculation, boss," Reno said from behind him.

Rufus smirked again, brushing the hair out of his face. "What? I forgot about Cloud?"

Reno smiled pleasantly. "Nope. You shot me in the wrong damn arm!" With that, his left hand shot out, raking the electro-rod across his face. Rufus stumbled back, touching his nose as he ducked a sweep of Reno's right foot. He spun, back-tracking from Reno's attack, and was greeted by Tseng's weapon. "I'm sorry, sir," Tseng said quickly, before striking as well. By this time, Reno had charged again, out for blood. His left knuckle, wrapped around the rod, hit Rufus square in the jaw; then he got another from his right foot. He swayed and fell, just in time to see Vincent Valentine drop down from the sky.

But it was too late. Jenova had claimed him for her own.

Avera twisted and turned, fighting with everything she had. When she saw her opening, she took it. Hojo came along the side of the soldier. Aiming right, she kicked him square in the face. He jolted and fell back, his glasses flying from his crooked nose. The soldier was startled, and didn't realize Avera was rolling off of his shoulder before it was too late. She hit the dirt and took off running for the building she had just come from. She had heard gunfire and was frightened for Reno's safety. She turned just for a moment to see if they were following her. However, she hit something hard. She fell to her back in the dirt, and was surprised to see Rude standing over her. "My apologies," he offered, extending a hand.

"Look out!" Elena cried, shoving them out of the way. All three of them hit the dirt again as gunfire rang overhead. The soldiers were shooting at them.

They could hear Hojo yelling at them, "No, no! Just the Turks! Not my experiment! I need her!"

Avera glanced over her shoulder at Elena and Rude as the soldiers re-loaded, ready for battle. "Shall we?" She smiled at them mischievously.

"You first," Rude replied, examining a scratch on his sunglasses.

She giggled. Then standing, she began walking to Hojo. She knew they wouldn't shoot her. She was far too valuable. She was satisfied to see Hojo's nose was bleeding from his contact with her lab shoes. "Alright, Hojo."

"Is the specimen planning on fighting?" He smirked at her. "You're nothing without your guard dog."

She grinned darkly at him, clenching her fists. "My name," she said very slowly and deliberately, "Is Avera. Remember it!" And then she flew towards him with all the fury she had ever felt packed into her five foot seven body.

As she rushed him, Tifa and Yuffie arrived on their motorcycles. Yuffie let hers fly from under her as she back-flipped to land next to Rude. "Hi ya, big boy!" She winked and pulled her weapon. Tifa was more civilized, circling Elena once before parking and casually stepping off. "You're not going to let her do this alone, are you?" She asked.

Elena motioned with her arm. "Be my guest."

Hojo laughed just before Avera reached him, exploding into a mass of color and light.

"Great," Cloud muttered, watching Rufus fly overhead for a safe distance. "This is going to be loads of fun."

"I will have fun, thanks!" Reno called, running to catch up with the president.

Cloud gave Tseng an irritated, questioning look. "It's Reno," Tseng shrugged. "I can't help that he makes stupid decisions. It's a bad habit of his."

"Reno!" Cloud shouted irritably. "Get back here!" He knew that the ex-Turk couldn't possibly take on Rufus after Jenova took hold. And though Rufus looked fairly natural, he was literally flying through the air—not a comforting signal at all.

However, he was ignored as Reno scaled the hilltop closest to them in record time and jumped. Their mouths fell open as he actually managed to make contact, tackling him to the ground. Cloud and Vincent exchanged surprised glances and then rushed over to help.

The president was not to be outdone. With a chilling laugh, he threw his arms out to the side. It sent Reno and his shock-rod flying in two different directions. He hit with a hard thud, feeling himself lose consciousness for a moment. He shook his head, refusing to give up. The president advanced on him slowly. Behind him, Cloud and the others were running to catch up.

"Reno," The president said, his eyes clearing to their natural green for a second. "She's trying to kill you. Do what needs to be…" And then they flashed back to red. Reno, startled, stared for a moment, until he realized his fist was barreling down for his head. He rolled and kicked, sending the president to a roll down the rest of the hill.

Yuffie's mouth fell open. "What was that?" She asked, staring at Hojo's reincarnation. It was two monsters in one—half of him was blue and rather powerful looking: muscles everywhere; His face was grotesquely twisted—it looked like tree roots were wrapping themselves around and merging into his flesh. The other side was no prettier on the beauty scale, but it was thinner, and glowing an iridescent greenish/yellow. "No way!"

"Jenova," Rude said from beside her.

"That's what we get for letting Cloud try to kill him," Yuffie muttered. "Can't even get that right."

They heard Avera let out a yell as she jumped from the huge monster's groping hands. They knew it was time to get to work when she was bowled over by the one. Elena went first, working in unison with Rude. She gave a quick rush and jumped, slashing into the muscular portion of his face with a strict uppercut. Rude followed her in, aiming with a power-drive downward into his abdomen.

Yuffie pulled her newly-modified shuriken at the ready, but Tifa grabbed her shoulder. "We're all hand to hand fighters, except you," Tifa said. "We'll depend on you to get at his head. And I trust you have enough materia to handle the other side?"

She flashed a toothy smile. "You got it!" With a crazy, typical, loud Samurai yell, she threw her weapon and charged her materia. Tifa gauged her distance and went for his feet. Meanwhile, she was vaguely aware that Avera was pulling moves she had only seen on Cloud and Sephiroth.

Reno shouted over his shoulder to Cloud as he watched the president roll down the hill. "Go help Avera, hero!"

Cloud stopped, clenching his teeth at the bad situation. He didn't know if the three ex-Turks could handle this. Then again, Rufus was logically the weaker of the two Jenova vessels. "But I…."

"This is a Turk problem!" Reno shouted. "If you let my girl die you'll be next!"

He didn't doubt it. Reno was proving a remarkably able fighter. He might not win the fight between them, but he would certainly hurt him pretty bad before he went down. And he knew what Reno wanted more than anyone else did. Once, he had to fight his darkest enemy. And though there were his closest friends about to help, he wasn't satisfied until he landed the final blow. Rufus may not have been Reno's darkest enemy, but there was something inside of Reno that needed to handle the situation himself. He had been a loyal Turk once. Avera had changed that. Perhaps Reno just needed to figure that out for himself. So Cloud nodded, and spun on his heel to go help the others with Hojo.

The redhead knew it would take Vincent and Tseng a while to scale the hill, so he followed the president down on the other side. Rufus lay there in a broken heap, gazing up at him. It was a chilling sight to see his green eyes streaked with red. His abdomen was bleeding nearly-black blood. Reno followed the streak on the ground with his eyes, finding his undoing. A large pointed rock had a spill of the president's blood smeared on the top.

"Sir?"

Rufus' mouth split into an ironic grin. "You still call me sir?"

"I wasn't talking to her, was I?"

His eyes flashed totally to red, and then faded back to the red and green streaks. "She is very powerful. I was unwise to…." He gasped a shuddering breath, closing his broken left hand over his stomach. "….misjudge her power."

"We'll just take you back and get Hojo to reverse this. And you can put me back on the payroll." Reno flashed him a typical smart grin.

Rufus shook his head, his eyes glazing over to the full green. "No, I don't think I can. Jenova's….power is irrefutable. I don't have….the luxury….of being strong….like the specim…." He paused, closing his eyes. "….like Avera."

"Come on, boss. I know you think I hated you, but I really hated that thing inside you."

"It's my fault….I wanted power. I got it….in the worst way possible." Rufus' pupils dilated freakishly, and the edges began to tint red again. "Now end it….quickly….before she….ends it for you…."

"Boss, I…" The red was seeping deeper and deeper towards the black center.

"No mercy….Reno….you were always….the best….Should have….made you….Turk One….huh?" He laughed, and then the whole eye was engulfed in red light. Reno fell back wards as Rufus floated to his feet, shoving him back with a gush of aero from Jenova's ultimate power.

Avera stumbled back, but righted herself with a smile. She was at the top of her game, and she knew it. She didn't know what was causing her to feel so much power, unless it was the Cetra themselves. In any case, she must have had some of Jenova's genetic abilities still on the fringes of whatever was fueling her. She had never moved so quickly or smoothly as she did now. And it only got better when Cloud joined the battle. The rest stood back as Cloud and Avera worked side-by-side. Cloud was a much better fighter, though. He probably would have made better progress if he were by himself. Still, he knew this battle was more hers than his, so he was happy just to assist.

At one point, he had knocked Avera back so hard her ears rang. As he advanced, she sought desperately for a weapon she could use besides her fist. Just as she thought all hope was lost, Reno's lost shock-rod fell from the sky right in front of her. She gave it a brief giggle and grabbed it, swinging with both hands.

Together, the experiments worked to destroy their creator. And when they were sure they did, he unleashed his most lethal attack yet just for revenge of his imminent death. He self-destructed into an explosion of white cosmic energy that looked remarkably like a pulsar. Cloud had somehow anticipated this, and managed to avoid it, for the most part, by hurling himself into the air. But from his position, he noticed to his utter horror that the other five were caught in it. He caught a brief glimpse of Rude diving for Yuffie, and Tifa ducking for cover with Elena. Avera, though, was his only target, and he hit his mark. She had been the victim of his revenge. Apparently he cared nothing for his experiment any more. If he was going to die, he was going to take her with him as punishment. And she did indeed receive nauseating, horrible punishment. She flew for about fifty feet before hitting the side of the rocks lining the waterfall face-first. For a split second, she seemed to be flat against the rock, hanging by her stomach and palms at a strange ninety-degree angle. But gravity caught up with her, and her body dropped for the river below her; trailing drops of blood from her forehead. The splash seemed to be the most horrible thing Cloud had witnessed.

Reno backed off as he stared up at the president in a mix between regret and awe. His clothes whipped in the wind, stinging his eyes and his skin. "Don't make me," Reno told him, though he already knew he was unreachable. Vincent caught up about that time. Before telling him anything, Reno lunged for him and grabbed his gun from his belt. Aiming with his usual deadly accuracy, he shot right for the president's forehead.

A few moments later, it was all over. Rufus gave him a startled look even through death, and plunged down the waterfall to the river below. Reno dropped the gun in distaste, choking on something in his mouth. My last murder, Avera. I promise. His left fingers rose to the tattoo under his eye with a numb feeling. Strange. As much as he wanted to regard the incident as the fault of the mark that made him the demon, he didn't feel that way at all. He had simply done what was needed; he fulfilled the president's last request. He was nothing but a good Turk. A good Turk with a tattoo.

As he was getting himself together to join the battle with Hojo that was going slightly beneath him, the earth trembled and his eyes took in the white light that exploded by the waterfall. He shielded his eyes and came to in a panic. It took a few moments for his pupils to go back to normal. When they did, his first sight was Rufus' body floating blissfully by the new one in the water. Reno's lip trembled and he skid forward, half-rolling, half-running to it.

He slid to a clumsy halt, getting on his hands and knees beside her. "Avera? Baby, you okay?" He rolled her over, noting the wet smear of bright red blood on her hairline. There was an agonizing silence before she moved her shoulders slightly….and laughed. He wilted in relief, falling to his back and letting his head drop on her ribs. "Aw, Jeez. You had me scared sober."

"I'm good at that," she coughed up water, smiling through throbbing teeth.

"Too good." They lay there for a moment. Reno's ponytail floated in the water alongside her. Blood from his shoulder and from her forehead colored the water just around them a faint orange. If the others didn't know better, they would have thought they were both dead.

Meanwhile, Rude helped Yuffie up with could best be described as a smile, although it was hard to tell on Rude. "You're not hurt, are you?"

She giggled nervously. "Nope. You saved me, big boy. But you can carry me, if you want to."

Tifa got to her feet and ran to Cloud, throwing both arms around him. "Oh, Cloud!" She breathed, burying her nose into his shirt. He held her close, hands smoothing her slick black hair.

"Ah," Reno called merrily. "Love is in the air!" His eyebrows knitted together as he frowned in afterthought. "But I'm still pissed off."

"Why?" Avera croaked, still choking on water.

His head went up and down with her semi-labored breathing. "Lost my god-damned shock rod! That thing was nice! It fit into my hand perfectly!" He held up a palm over his head as if showing her. Water dripped onto the bridge of her nose from his fingers. "And the paint on the power button was rubbing off from loving wear and t--" He paused, squinting into the sky at what Avera was holding over his head. "Is that?"

"Yep."

He reached for it fondly, and then gave it a few expert tosses for old times sake. It made a whistling sound as it cut through the air. He chuckled. "Ooh, what a woman. You found my stick!" He rolled over, looking straight down. His eyes held a devilish gleam that she recognized all too well. His eyelashes were slick with water. His bangs stuck to his face and goggles. She giggled as he leaned down to kiss her.

Rude's eyebrows shot up on his head. "This is disgusting."

Yuffie eyed him, elbowing him in the ribs. "Aw, come on. It's not that bad." When he looked at her, she winked, leaning into his arm. Rude cleared his throat and looked away, turning slightly pink.

Tseng smiled at Elena. "You alright? No broken bones? No bruises? No missing reports to file?" He put a finger through a hole in her jacket, just at the top of her collar. She flinched, smiling at him, and nestled herself under his arm. For a moment he froze, engrained subtlety running through him. And then, he realized the president was dead and the Shinra soldiers wouldn't care, anyway. He put the arm snuggly around her, watching everyone else.

Vincent chuckled under his breath a few minutes later. "They haven't let up, yet," he said. He pointed to Reno and Avera, who were still kissing in the water. He was getting quite into it, in fact, though Avera was too sore to move much. "Ah, to be young."

"I know how he feels," Cloud replied quietly, a smile tugging at the side of his mouth. Tifa shot him a surprised look.

They finally stopped a few moments later. Reno looked at her sideways, cocking his head. "I think I'm going to re-name this place in our honor, babe." He cut her a flirtatious grin until he realized she wasn't smiling back. Her eyebrows were knitted and she was looking past him, into the sky. Wet strands of hair scattered on her pale skin. "Are you really okay?"

Her eyes cleared and she looked at him. "Sure. Why?"

"No pain anywhere?"

"When did you get so serious?" She asked, sitting up. He caught her wince a bit despite her attempt to hide it. The water made her hair look darker. Now it looked just about the same color as her brother's. "I'm fine!" Her words came out strained.

He stood with her uneasily. "You took a hard hit, that's all." He didn't realize it, but his left hand was resting protectively over her middle, his thumb and forefinger making a "v" just below her navel.

"Reno," she tugged his wet ponytail playfully. "I'm absolutely…ow…" Her smile dropped off her face like gravity and she doubled over. Reno caught her with his left arm. She forced a smile again. "Oh, come on. Wipe that look off your face. It's just a little light bruising. It's nothing compared to what my dad…." Reno shot her a pained look. "Never mind."

He turned to Rude. "Hey, buddy. Hojo got that scanner thingy on him?"

Yuffie looked like she was about to choke on her own breath. "No, actually, I do." She looked at them uneasily. "You know….hee, hee….I thought it looked….

uh….pretty valuable. You could buy a lot of materia with that….you know?" No one said anything, so she handed it to Reno quickly. "Uh….here."

Rude's lip twitched. "Impressive."

Yuffie blushed.

During this exchange, Avera had been resting her head on Reno's chest, sweating a bit, pale, but complaining the whole time that she was not to be fussed over. He pressed a few buttons on the scanner, ran it over her quickly, and squinted. "I hope I know how to read this, but…" he held it up to the sun and then back down, as if that would really help. "Ah, forget it. Let's bring her to the Shinra clinic." He smiled at her. "I'd carry you, but I got shot in the arm. Sorry."

"You mean you can't carry me with just a little scratch? I guess I'll just have to find another man and…" She mumbled something into him and sank a bit. Reno held her up with his left arm helplessly until Cloud got there. He picked her up gently. For once, she didn't protest, simply curling her hand around the back of his neck.

"Maybe we should take the airship," Cloud suggested.

Reno's face went green in worry. He thought he knew what those bars meant on the scanner. He was either going to lose his kid or his girl. Or both. He pressed a palm to his wet, bloody shoulder. "Yeah. Hurry, ok, Cloud?"