"The Hope of the Suffering"

Kiru exit's a building, as he discovers night has fallen in The Sanctuary. Kiru rides his old bike through the now deserted streets where no one but the who can't sleep, for the shadows of the past haunt them. Kiru starts to remember the Hospital…

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Tifa- "Here, Kiru. Put him on the bed over here"

Kiru hurries over to the bed and lays Cloud on top of the bed.

Yuffie- "Why the hell did he have to do that?"

Axel- "Doesn't matter"

Axel hurries over to bed where cloud is and he rolls it over nest to some of the equipment and machines. Then turns around back to Kiru and Yuffie

Axel- "Ok, you guys are gonna have to leave."

He rushes them out the door and closes it. The two of them are left standing in front of the door and nurses pass by staring at the two. Yuffie snaps out of her wondering and turns to Kiru who still ponders on the condition of Cloud. He finally snaps out of it and notices Yuffie looking at him puzzled.

Yuffie- "So what was that ass hole of Sora talking about you wanting your revenge?"

Kiru- "Nothing, just forget about it."

Yuffie- "Oh I see. You really did like her, eh?…"

Kiru starts to walk away and exit's the hospital

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Kiru snaps out of the flash back as he almost crashes into a wall. He stops the bike in time and turns off the old motorcycle as the words of Sora Run through his mind repeatedly.

"…I know that the real reason you agreed to go with the others back to the ruins…You wanted your revenge…"

A ring tone is heard and Kiru takes out a cell phone and answers it in a dazed manner.

Kiru- "Yeah?"

Tifa- "Oh hi Kiru, I just wanted to inform you that cloud is ok for now. He's gonna stay here for the night so I think all of the military decision is up to you and Vincent, who by the way is looking for you."

Kiru- "…Alright. Where's Vincent at?"

Tifa- "He's back in the Crystal Fissure"

Kiru hangs up and starts the Bike once again. He looks down to the ground and sees a small dog, twitching as he walks toward his foot. Kiru stares at him until he finally picks it up and begins to pet it. He examines his foot that still twitches in mid air and soon notices that his leg is broken. Then a little girl comes out of a corner and cries out to the small dog.

???- "Oh there you are! I've been looking for you all over the place!

She runs up to Kiru and the small dog and grabs him from Kiru's hands. Kiru can just stare at the small girl and her dog and is about to drive away until he hears a familiar voice.

Asura- "So you don't like good company anymore, Kiru? Is that why I don't see you anymore with your pet?"

Kiru- "Heh. So they left you in charge of the Orphans this time?"

Asura- "Hey, I asked you a question first!"

Kiru- "Well I don't know her at all, and I don't have time for being a babysitter without pay"

Asura- "Its not that bad, actually think you could do it with out a sweat, if you wouldn't be a lazy ass, like always."

Kiru- "Yeah well, like I said, I like to get paid"

Asura- "Yeah, what ever you say. Lazy ass."

Kiru turns around and sits on top of the bike.

Kiru- "Now why you gotta go and say stuff like that?"

Asura- "Well if your not, then you wont mind walking me and Marlene back to the orphanage."

Kiru- "So she's the girl that Barret adopted?"

Asura- "Yeah. She really seems happy, even if Barret gone…well, are you going to walk us or not?"

Kiru- "Well, I was gonna have a serious talk with Vincent, but I guess he could wait. I'll go on the bike and you guys can walk along."

Asura- "You lazy ass, I said walk, not see us walk. Now you get your ass of that bike and walk us home!"

She pulls Kiru's arm and drags him along. Marlene stares at the two and begins laughing at sight of Kiru being "controlled" by Asura. She walks next to the pair and still keeps laughing at Kiru.

Marlene- "He's funny."

Asura drags Kiru closer to he and they start walking as Marlene keeps petting the small dog.

Asura- "So you loved her?"

Kiru- "Huh? Who are you talking about"

Asura- "You know who, That girl that used to always be with you. You two were always together."

Kiru- "Yeah, well I wasn't the only one that always had a chick by my side"

Asura becomes quite as she remember her days being by Nos's side. As they continue to walk, Kiru notices a tear running down Asura's cheek and she quickly wipes it off.

Kiru- "Oh. I didn't know you weren't over it"

She hugs Kiru tightly and begins crying quietly, sobbing her sadness of her dead love.

Asura- "Why did it have to be him?"

Kiru- "Uhh."

Asura- "Why he had to die?"

She hugs the startled Kiru tighter.

Kiru- "Well he didn't have a choice. He stayed and fought them cause he knew that he had to do it, that all of them had to stay and defend the city. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be here right now. He and the others, along with Blue made it possible for us to flee out of the city before it was left in ruins."

Asura slowly stops crying.

Asura- "Thanks, Kiru. You've always been a good friend"

Kiru- "That's alright, just promise me you wont hug me ever again."

Kiru starts to feel a pain in his chest then grabs Asura's fist and moves it away from his chest.

Asura- "What's wrong with my hugs"

Kiru- "ugh…Nothing…ugh"

Kiru starts walking the pain away and soon they arrive in front of the orphanage and as soon as Asura and Marlene walk into the building, he gets a phone call. Kiru ignores the phone call and walks back to his bike.

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Kiru arrives at the crystal fissure and finds Vincent standing in before a crystal containing a woman inside and some large technical, metal tubes sticking out of the crystal. Kiru walks up to the side of Vincent, who still stares at the woman inside the crystal.

Vincent- "So, you still haven't let her go?"

Kiru- "No, I haven't. It's hard to do it when you know you could've done something about it."

Vincent keeps staring at her and then looks at Kiru for a moment then focuses his sight on her again.

Kiru- "How do you do it, Vincent? How can you let go of something that you loved and lived for? Something that you know you can't let go as long as the cause of their cease of existence is still out there, creating more havoc and fear into others that you can't help."

Vincent- "I wish I knew that myself."

Kiru starts to focus his vision on the Crystal and the metal tubes that stick out of it. He remembers how the tubes are using the energy of the crystal. (actually of Lucrecia)

Kiru- "I guess you can complain about the metal things now, since Sora was able to get inside here."

Vincent- "No, they're doing their job. The heartless haven't gotten inside, but somehow Sora was able to get inside."

Kiru- "Maybe his darkness has grown stronger since the last time we encountered him"

Kiru places his hand over his chest, he can feel how the darkness inside him is waiting to consume him.

Vincent- "And your darkness?"

Kiru- "Don't know. It seems like its getting stronger, but after every time It tries to consume me, it gets lighter, as if some of it disappears after each one. Maybe that's why I haven't had any lately?"

Vincent- "Be aware of it, Kiru. The darkness has its own mind and it's always a dangerous matter."

Kiru ponders the words from Vincent as he looks around the crystal Fissure and to The Woman.

Kiru- "So this is why your always here?"

Vincent- "Like you, I need a place where I can be alone and think about her."

Kiru- "Lucrecia."

As Kiru stares at Lucrecia, still pondering on Vincent's words, he remembers what happened in "7th Heaven" and turns back his attention on Vincent.

Kiru- "Vincent, what exactly did Sora tell you back in the bar?"

Vincent- "Nothing that should interest you."

He turns around and starts walking away from the Crystal Fissure. Kiru goes after him and stops him,

Kiru- "Vincent!. I know it was something important for you not to respond him."

Vincent looks up to the stars and the moon as they glow with bright light of hope and protection.

Vincent- "beware of him Vincent, we are not the only darkness that will destroy this city"

Kiru is stunned of what he has heard and steps back from Vincent.

Kiru- "I…I'm…"

Vincent- "No, I'm sure he wasn't referring to you."

Kiru- "But…"

Vincent- "Kiru, I have never told anyone this…but I want you to hear this before you do something stupid. When I'm out here, I have seen a strange figure cross the light of the moon and the stars…not only that I can feel when it fly across the night. I have terrible feeling in my heart every time I see it pass. It's an old Darkness that has come back again. One that you successfully defeated once."

Kiru- "It can't be…He's back? But we defeated him, he's dead!"

Vincent- "We never really killed him. That's why the storm has not disappeared from the Ruins. It seems that me never kill him, not with out her help. Aerith was really the only one that could've stopped him."

Kiru- "So what do we do now?"

Kiru's phone begins to ring again. He grabs it and answers to a despaired Tifa.

Kiru- "Hel---Wait Tifa what's wrong? Wait what? No, it can't be. But, he was looking fine when I---Alright I'm on my way."

Vincent- "What's wrong Kiru?"

Kiru hangs up and puts his phone away. He looks at Vincent and sighs

Kiru- "…Cloud…he….he's gone."