Chapter Two
When Tifa re-entered the room, Cloud was straddling Reno on the bed and had his sword at the redhead's throat.
"Cloud!" she yelped, but Cloud didn't move. Reno glared up at him, seemingly unafraid.
"You take it back!" Cloud shouted, pressing down harder. Reno gasped, his hands coming up to try and push the blade away.
"You promised you wouldn't kill me, man-"
"This isn't fuckin' funny, Reno! Take it back!"
"Cloud, get off him!" Tifa snapped, setting aside the tray she'd brought in.
"No, let him!" Reno snapped bitterly. "Only living witness and all, even if I'm lying, I'm still the only one who knows, right?"
"You little bastard-"
A blast of wind magic suddenly knocked Cloud off Reno, and Tifa rushed to the bedside, taking a look at Reno's neck. A thin line of blood was there now, but not deep enough to be a worry.
"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Tifa asked, stepping around the bed to where Cloud lay on the floor. "He just woke up and you try to kill him?"
"He's a lying bastard," Cloud growled, pushing himself to his feet. Tifa stepped forward, putting herself between Cloud and Reno.
"I didn't lie," Reno said, his voice weak but insistent. "I told the truth for once, and look what happened."
"What are you two talking about?" Tifa asked, crossing her arms and looking between the two men.
"He says Aeris destroyed that building."
Tifa's eyes widened, and she looked at Reno. "That can't be true."
"It would explain the holy magic," a new voice said, and Tifa turned to see Vincent standing in the doorway.
"Don't tell me you actually believe him," Cloud said angrily. "Aeris wouldn't do that!"
"I am still here, you know," Reno muttered, rubbing his neck gently. Vincent stepped over to the bed, and Reno looked up at him warily.
"May I see the wound?" Vincent asked.
Reno scowled. "As long as you keep him away from me," he said, glaring at Cloud. Vincent pulled the sheet aside, examining Reno's shoulder.
"It's not healing well."
Reno snorted. "No shit."
"And you say Aeris did this?"
Reno glanced at Cloud, who stiffened.
"Swear on my life."
"That's not much of a guarantee," Cloud muttered, and Reno bristled, trying to push himself up.
"Was that a threat, Spiky? Cause wounded or not, I can kick your-"
"Enough," Vincent said, sitting down beside the bed. "Cloud, keep your mouth shut. Reno…tell us what happened. Every moment. Every word."
So Reno told them. Though he was groggy and weak, he described how the soldiers seemed to go crazy, how the Turks were targeted, even what Aeris said to him when she tried to kill him. Cloud's fury grew with each word, but with Vincent there, he didn't act on his anger. Tifa was leaning against the wall by the end, her hand covering her mouth. Vincent showed no surprise, no anger; he simply listened.
Reno was exhausted by the end of explaining what happened, that much was apparent. He passed out again only moments after finishing.
"The Life Stream has been infected," Vincent said, standing up.
"Or he could be lying," Cloud said.
"Who would dare slander Aeris's name in your presence, Cloud? I'm surprised he said it at all, even if it is true," Vincent said. "In any case, I believe him. Everything I suspected was confirmed in what he told us."
Tifa frowned. "You suspected this?"
Vincent paused, staring out the window. "The bloodshed we saw could only have been caused by an army. And yet, no one saw an army enter or leave. And all the dead were Shinra employees," he explained. "As soon as I felt the holy magic, I suspected that the Life Stream had been tampered with. Every soldier there weak enough to be controlled by its call was drawn into a massacre. Aeris used the Life Stream to tamper with their very souls."
"Aeris wouldn't do that," Cloud said stubbornly, and Vincent turned around.
"Cloud, if the Life Stream has been sabotaged, it is likely Aeris is being controlled against her will. You seem to be under the impression that the dead are untouchable."
Cloud didn't have an answer for that one.
"What can we do to find out for sure what's causing this?" Tifa asked.
"We wait," Vincent said. "If there was one attempt on Reno's life, and it was unsuccessful, there will be another."
"Could the Life Stream turn us against him?"
"I doubt it. It appears that the person behind this does not have that strength."
"Will they? Eventually?" Cloud asked.
"Most likely, with time."
Cloud awoke from his makeshift bed on the floor when he heard a thunk. He knew that sound; it was the trapdoor in the hallway, the one that led to the roof.
They've come for Reno.
He bolted upright, his sword already in his hand. That was when he realized that his bed was empty- Reno was gone. They'd already taken him.
Cursing himself for not hearing them come in, Cloud burst into the hallway and pulled open the trapdoor and ladder. He climbed up onto the roof, but what he found there wasn't what he expected.
A single figure stood on the edge of the roof- Reno. Cloud's breath caught; the edge of the roof wasn't built to support the weight of a person. One wrong move, one step further and it would give out. Reno's red hair fluttered in the gentle breeze as he stared downward. He didn't look aware of what was going on; his eyes were vacant, and his body relaxed.
"Reno!"
Reno blinked, looking over his shoulder. The edge crumbled a little bit beneath his feet at the shift of weight. His eyes were now desperate, pleading, fully aware.
"Cloud…help me."
He's being controlled, Cloud thought. He'd never ask me for help unless he absolutely had to. Usually not even then.
"Alright. Just don't move. I'll come to you," Cloud said, edging closer to Reno, trying to get within reach of him. Reno looked truly frightened for once- he knew that with one wrong move, he'd likely be dead. Those fancy acrobatics of his didn't work half as well when he didn't have the strength to land on his feet.
Almost there…
All of a sudden there was a flash of light, and Reno cried out in agony, grasping his shoulder and stumbling back. Cloud leapt forward, but his hand closed on empty air as the edge crumbled and Reno fell. Cloud didn't hesitate- he jumped off the roof after the Turk.
Two floors. Not enough time!
Cloud streamlined his fall, caught up to the Turk, and barely managed to grab onto him before his own feet hit the ground. He looked at Reno only to find him unconscious again.
I should've known. He's weakened, no match for the Life Stream. They didn't need to send assassins if they could make Reno do it himself.
"What happened?" Tifa asked, rushing outside in her pajamas. "I heard someone fall. Is he alright?"
"He tried to kill himself," Cloud said, standing up with Reno in his arms. "Didn't want to, though."
"The Life Stream."
"Yeah."
"I'll find Vincent. He needs to know about this," Tifa said, going back inside. Cloud followed, carrying Reno back up to his room. He laid the redhead back on the bed, pulled the sheet over him, and then pulled up a chair and sat down beside the bed.
Hasn't he been through enough? He silently asked the person behind all this. You've put him through hell, taken away his friends, now this…why do you feel threatened by a loud-mouthed Turk?
Cloud looked down at Reno, and then he sighed.
I wonder what it feels like to be the only one left.
When Reno woke up, there were four people gathered around his bed.
"D'I miss the memo about a party?" he asked, reaching up and rubbing his forehead. His head felt like it had been trampled by a fat Chocobo.
Tifa elbowed Cloud, and the blonde cleared his throat and shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Reno…I'm sorry I didn't believe you," he said, and Reno quirked an eyebrow.
"Why the change of heart? Aeris try to shove a sword through you?"
Cloud's fists tightened, but Vincent grabbed his shoulder, keeping him from losing his cool.
"There was an attempt on your life," Vincent explained.
"And I slept through it?"
"Naw, Cloud said you were sleepwalkin'!" Yuffie said, as if that were the coolest thing in the world.
"You were being controlled by the Life Stream. Just like Aeris," Tifa pointed out. "You fell from the roof."
"Then who…"
Cloud looked up. "I heard you leave. Despite the fact that you're a complete asshole, I decided to catch you."
"Aw, how sweet. Didn't realize you cared."
"…Though I'm beginning to regret that decision."
"That's enough," Vincent said. "We need to discuss the plan."
"I have the materia!" Yuffie said, pulling a brown bag off her belt. "Just like I said I would, Vinny! And you thought I couldn't do it."
"What's the materia for?" Reno asked, difficultly pushing himself up to a sitting position.
"I had Yuffie steal it from an ancient temple," Vincent said vaguely. "It's summon materia for a very strong holy creature."
"What do we need that for?"
"Only a strong holy force can combat the powers of the Life Stream. Maybe disrupt the control the enemy has over it," Cloud said.
"How are we going to summon a creature in the Life Stream?"
Vincent paused. "There are two stages to this plan. The first…draw Aeris out of the Life Stream and summon the creature to attack her. It seems Aeris is the base of this plot, the grip being used on the Life Stream. Disrupt her spirit, and it may well put an end to all of this."
Reno nodded, trying to wrap his mind around all this. "And the second stage?"
"If all goes well, we won't have to use the second stage," Tifa said quietly. No one else seemed eager to explain 'plan B'.
"Okay, I'm injured, not stupid. Stop avoiding it and tell me."
"The second plan is to kill a member of our team so they can summon the creature directly into the Life Stream," Vincent said, never one to sugarcoat things. "With any luck, a holy creature would destroy any unholy influence in the Life Stream."
"And if that doesn't work?"
"Then we regroup and come up with something else," Cloud said quietly.
If only Rude were here, Reno thought, his chest tightening. He'd follow my lead and toss a few bombs in that damn stream. Flashy bombs.
"So…how're we gonna get Aeris out of the Life Stream again?" Yuffie asked, swinging the bag of materia around. At once, Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent all turned to look at Reno. Reno's eyes widened.
"Me? What am I supposed to do?"
"You won't have to do much of anything. She wants you dead as it is," Cloud pointed out.
"You're throwin' me out as bait?"
"Basically…yeah."
"I will be close enough to step in at any moment," Vincent said. "Cloud will be summoning the creature, and Tifa, Yuffie, and Barrett will be standing by in case the plan fails."
"And what if the summon goes after one of us instead?"
"Run."
"Oh, well, that's so comforting."
"Would you stop being so damn antagonistic?" Tifa asked angrily. "Reno, we're trying to help."
"Well, if you really wanted to help, you're a little late."
Complete silence. Moments later, Yuffie shoved the materia into Vincent's hands and stormed out. Vincent followed soon after.
"Real classy, Reno," Cloud snapped, following suit and leaving the room. Reno dropped his gaze to the bed, avoiding Tifa's hurt glare, and then he heard her footsteps leaving and the door slamming shut.
I don't need their help anyway. I don't need anyone's help.
There really was no quiet way to start Cloud's motorcycle, as Reno found out.
The machine roared to life and he peeled out of the alleyway, checking over his shoulder to see if Cloud of Tifa had heard him leave. The house was dark.
All the better. I'm not up for a chase, he thought, heading for downtown. He was glad Tseng had allowed him to use the company motorcycles on occasion; without that experience, riding this monster would be suicide. He just had to keep reminding himself not to push random buttons just to see what they did.
He pulled up in front of a quite nice apartment building, one he'd only been in a few times before. Nevertheless, he knew where to go. He shivered in the cool night air as he stepped off the motorcycle and headed up the stairs.
The doorman let him pass without a fuss; he'd learned the hard way that questioning a Turk for any reason was not a good idea. Reno took the elevator up instead of the stairs, not eager to wear himself out so soon.
4th floor. Apartment C, he thought to himself as the elevator doors opened. He went to the right and down the hallway, his shoulder already aching.
He slowed down as he neared the door. He didn't want to do this, but he had to know for sure. He couldn't just blindly believe everything he'd been told, right?
He knocked lightly. "Rude, you there?"
Silence.
He knocked again, louder this time. "Rude, c'mon, partner. Answer the door."
Nothing.
Reno reached up, pulling a hair pin out from where it was hidden in his hair. Kneeling down, he straightened out the pin, then picked the lock with practiced ease and opened the door.
It was dark inside. He fumbled around for the light switch, and wasn't surprised when the light revealed a pristine, perfectly clean apartment.
"Rude?" he called out, letting the door fall shut behind him. He half expected his partner to storm out of the bedroom, scolding Reno fro not calling first and for breaking in; it wouldn't be the first time, after all. Hey, shit happens, you get drunk, and your partner's nearby apartment seems like the safest place to sleep it off.
But the place was silent as a morgue, the bed made, nothing out of place. A thin layer of dust had formed on all the shelves.
It was true. He was gone. Dead.
Reno spotted a file on the kitchen table, one that had both his and Rude's ID numbers on it. He slowly sat down, pulling the file across the table to him; it couldn't hurt to look. It wasn't as if anything could be done with the file now.
He opened it up and pulled out the cover letter, and his eyes widened. It was a request to the transportation department, asking that he and Rude be assigned motorcycles, the new models that had just finished company testing.
Reno had been gushing about those motorcycles for weeks after seeing them on the test track.
Rude had been about to surprise him by getting them two of the first employee issued models.
Reno's throat was dry, and his hands began to shake. This was all real. Too real. Rude was gone.
He stood up, stumbling back from the table into the kitchen counter, his fists clenched and his eyes squeezed shut. He couldn't take this.
"Damnit, Rude! Why the hell did you have to die!" he screamed, his voice hoarse. "I told you to fuckin' get him out, not get killed! Why?"
All these reminders of his partner, alive and happy…he had to get out. He fled the apartment, got back on Cloud's motorcycle and took off again, not even certain of where he was going. He fought back tears, his throat burning, his eyes stinging, and his hands keeping a death grip on the handlebars.
Rude. Tseng. Elena. Rufus. All gone. I'm the only one left. It's not fair!
Minutes later, he found himself back at the once-grand Shinra headquarters. The land here seemed to personify the indecision of the people at what was to be done with it now- none of the wreckage had been cleared, just the bodies.
He skidded the motorcycle to a stop just at the edge of it. For a moment he just stared, trying to believe that it was only a hallucination. A dream. A nightmare.
It didn't go away. He didn't wake up.
He got off the motorcycle and walked into the charred rubble. There was, quite literally, nothing left. Only burned ashes and a foul scent lingering in the air.
He headed straight for the training center, his whole body aching and tired from the effort. He wouldn't give up, though, not till he'd seen it with his own eyes.
Over the collapsed wall, a bit past that…here.
Magic had carved a gulley in the wreckage, that much was evident. It had been a damn strong burst of magic, too. Nobody would have survived that.
It was right on the path Rude and Rufus would've taken to escape the battle.
"I figured you'd come back here."
Reno spun around to find that Cloud was standing behind him. He shrugged, and then winced.
"Had to see it for myself, you know?"
"I know."
Reno sat down on a desk turned on its side, trying to imagine what it must have been like. Wondering if Rude had called for his help. He probably never had the chance.
"Rude wouldn't want you to-"
"How the hell would you know what he wanted?" Reno interrupted.
"…I don't."
Reno was surprised that Cloud didn't fire an angry reply right back at him, like he usually would. The pair fell into silence, and after a minute, Cloud walked over to Reno and sat down beside him.
"You forgot this," he said, holding out Reno's weapon. "You shouldn't wander around without it right now."
Reno eyed it suspiciously before taking it from Cloud. "What do you care?"
"I owe you."
"What?"
Cloud sighed. "I never properly repaid you for your help on the highway. With Yazoo and Loz."
"I was just doing my job."
"Still. Thank you."
Silence, once again. Not an uncomfortable silence, though. And eventually, Cloud stood back up and brushed the dust off his shirt.
"You coming?" he asked Reno.
"Who said I was coming back at all?"
Cloud paused, thinking for a moment. Then, he turned back to face Reno. "I'd like to make you a deal, Turk. Offer a compromise."
Reno raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."
"We need your help, and I know you want revenge against who did this. We work together, without fighting, just until this is over. We both get what we need."
Reno looked at the spot where Rufus and Rude had been. He did want revenge. And yes, he did need Cloud's help, whether he liked to admit it or not.
"No fighting? Until it's over?"
"None."
Reno hesitated, and then smirked. "I think I can manage that…if you can."
"That sounded like challenge."
"You bet your ass it was, Spiky."
"…Don't call me that."
"Okay, sweetheart."
Cloud rolled his eyes and stuck out his hand. "Is it a deal?"
Reno wondered what new curse words Rude would invent if he saw this; a deal between Cloud and a Turk that wasn't forced or blackmailed into being. He shook Cloud's hand.
"Deal."