A/N: Thank you ATK1734 and Lumina for your reviews! I'm halfway through the next chapter, so I'll try to update sooner this time! Here's chapter 32! :)


CHAPTER XXXII.

Waking


Yazoo

It was still early in the evening, but the roads were already packed with students. I parked the Porsche in the closest parking lot to the university big brother attended. The sky was still bright, and I adjusted my sunglasses, speaking into the receiver at the gate.

The security guard made a short call, before promptly letting me in. He passed a visitor pass to me and guided me to the office. The redhead whose name I couldn't recall was in the front, and he jumped at the sight of me. Springing to his feet with urgency, he quickly walked over.

"Can I help you?" His tone was unwelcoming.

"No." I replied casually, turning away from him and opening the door to Tseng's office. I took a seat, observing Tseng's calm expression slip into an anxious one.

"Oi oi oi! Don't think you can just barge into our office, yo!" The redhead stormed in, pointing his gun at me.

"Reno, it's alright," Tseng gestured for him to lower the gun and I yawned in the surprisingly comfy seat. "Yazoo… What can I do for you?" Tseng was standing, and it didn't seem like he was going to sit anytime soon.

"Tell me what you found on the site. My people tell me you cleared out everything."

"Excuse me?" The one called Reno interjected, and I took off my sunglasses, narrowing my eyes at a hesitating Tseng.

"Come on now, don't waste my time. Do I have to call the president?"

"No need," Tseng replied quickly. A short blonde girl entered, standing behind Tseng protectively. Her hand was on her gun, ready.

"He can take us all out before you can flip the safety switch," Tseng told the surprised girl, and I folded my arms, leaning back.

"True, but I hope it doesn't get to that."

Tseng asked the blonde to get us some coffee. She glared at me once, before walking away with hurried steps. He turned to me when she was gone, and Reno closed the door quietly.

"There were some bullets left behind, but no people, cars or guns. My team shot two men, and thought they were dead, but the bodies disappeared while we were distracted with recovering Zack Fair and Lightning Farron. I hate to disappoint you, there's nothing that I can share with you today." Tseng's voice betrayed the lie. People were so easy to read.

"I don't think so," I stretched my neck sideways, locking eyes with the man in front of me. "You're telling me your people found absolutely nothing?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," he replied coolly, trying to keep eye contact.

"I need to see it. Anything. Photos, reports. Whatever you have."

"You know I can't do that." I could hear Reno's footsteps approach me, but Tseng held up his hand to stop him. The movements ceased, and I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I dialed for Rufus, holding it against my ear.

"Rufus, you know who it is. Tseng is making things a little difficult for me."

"I'll call him," was all he said. A few minutes later, the phone on Tseng's desk rang and he sighed angrily, answering it. He said nothing, but listened for a while. Slamming the receiver down when the call was over, he stood up and walked over to a cabinet. He took out an envelope, and slid it over to me on the desk. I caught it with two fingers, lifting it up and tearing the top open. Inside were photos from the scene, and I scanned them as meticulously as possible for any clues.

"What's this?" I asked, pointing at the car in one of the photos.

"It's a car," Reno said sarcastically and I shook my head, ignoring him. Tseng walked over to me, bending down to observe the photo.

"I don't see anything."

Ah… mako eyes. Of course people with regular vision couldn't see things in this detail. I sighed, picking up the photo with two fingers and giving it to Tseng. "Enhance this photo. There is a reflection in the window."

"Reno." He didn't need to say anything else as the redhead rushed out the door.

"How many bullets did you recover at the scene?" I asked as Tseng straightened up.

"About a dozen."

"Are they all the same?" I asked again. Tseng nodded in response.

"Give me one."

He hesitated, before moving behind his desk and pulling out a bullet from his drawer. He flung it towards me, and I caught it easily.

"Call me when you find anything in the photo. I'll keep looking," I stood up, remembering that Tseng had a long history with the girl called 'Aerith'. "Can you think of anyone who would do this?"

"As of now… no leads."

"From what Cid told me, they were dragging away the girl 'Aerith'," I told him, and the sudden tensing in his facial muscles indicated he was holding back something.

"I don't know what he told you, but that didn't happen."

I slipped my sunglasses on, studying the bullet in my hand. It was identical to the one Cid had given me. "I am trying to get to the bottom of this as much as you. And I would like to think we can help each other. You know about our family's resources. If there's a suspect, I want you to tell me. Someone who would be specifically interested in the girl."

Tseng studied me, deliberating quietly. A few minutes passed, but neither of us moved. "Our family has had some connections to the military in Aerith's home country. They are the only party I can think of."

"Hmmm…" I closed my palm, pocketing the bullet. "And the bullets?"

"They don't match. They're foreign bullets, and not from Aerith's… our home country."

"You've been very helpful." I didn't bother with any more small talk and strolled out of the office. Our family had no interest in Aerith… So if the party that attacked her was different, and not the suspects that Tseng shared with me then…

Who were they? And what did they want?

I dialed for Cloud, and he answered after a few rings. "Hey…" It was awkward, probably because of how little we usually spoke.

"Hey."

"I want you to get into the company accounts, see if Sephiroth moved a large sum of money around lately."

"Why don't you do it?" He sounded tired, but I couldn't blame him with all the shit that had been going on.

"I don't have access," I reminded him, and he stayed silent for a few seconds.

"I'll call you if I find something."

The line went dead, and I pocketed my phone quickly. Getting back into the Porsche, I began driving back towards the city. It made no sense… none of it did. But hopefully meeting the gun dealer would make things clearer.

I had dinner in my room, too annoyed to see either of my brothers. The silence… It helped me think. I realized I didn't have much of an appetite, and I closed my eyes, trying to put the pieces together instead. Based on the hospital report that Cid got for me, Lightning had been grazed by bullets in several places… but someone only interested in Aerith would have shot to kill anyone else.

Was this person also interested in Lightning? But why mako?

I sighed in frustration, staring at my phone for the hundredth time. No calls from Cloud… While he was investigating, I needed to do what I could.

"Cid, come with me," I ordered as he parked the limousine outside Pulse. I always preferred to meet the gun dealer here, where our guards occupied every inch of the building. I asked everyone to leave, but two armed guards stayed by the gun dealer. I didn't protest. They were no threat to me.

Our gun dealer, or 'Rocket', as he was called, was a short, muscular man. He had dark skin and dark brown hair with matching eyes. There was nothing memorable about his face - as if he was created at random. So he blended - blended dangerously well with the common folks. "Master Yazoo. What an honor. I believe your custom Nighthawks are serving you well. I have brought some of the finest pieces, if you would like to see."

"Sure." Nothing bad could come out of a weapons upgrade. Rocket's guards brought forth two briefcases, setting them in front of me and flipping them open. There was a soft knock on the door, and Cid opened it to let Big in. He served us drinks, and I took a sip of the Bourbon, slowly examining them.

"Is that a 1911?" I pointed to one of the guns.

Rocket took it out, handing it over to me. "Yes, Master Yazoo. We just acquired this one. Only one of its kind. Rare beauty, is it not? I can customize it for you. It's a bit on the high end…"

"Money's not a problem. I want a black chrome finish, and get rid of those stars. Change the grip to black, and engrave a silver wolf on it. Cid will make the transfer right now."

"Thank you! I will have it ready with ammunition within a few days. Shall I deliver it to your mansion?"

"No, leave it with Cid, here at Pulse."

Rocket looked at me with a curious expression, but I took off my sunglasses and narrowed my eyes at him. He retreated immediately and his guards removed the briefcases. "Now onto the main agenda."

"Master Yazoo?" The guards quickly grabbed onto their guns, with Cid and Big following suit.

"Relax." Rocket gulped loudly and I could see his right leg was shaking furiously. "I need to ask you something."

"What can I do?" He asked me. I reached for the bullet in my pocket, and spread it on my handkerchief before passing it to Rocket. "Where do you think this came from?"

Rocket took out a magnifying glass, reading the strange inscriptions on the bullet. "Well… I have never seen a beauty like this one before. It was fired from a pistol but… I don't have any bullets that match this exact design."

I knew this wasn't going to be easy. It was pointless to be frustrated so early on in the chase. "You have connections with foreign dealers, right?" Rocket nodded, our eyes meeting. "Good, I need to find where this came from. A person, city, country, any information works."

"Understood, Master. The payment…" He began anxiously, unsure of how to continue.

"Full payment on delivery. You can name the price. I don't care about tedious details." I waved dismissively at him, standing up and buttoning my long coat. "Nice doing business as always."

Rocket hopped on his feet, bowing low until I exited the room. Cid followed me quietly until we were back in the limousine. "Master… you should rest." He turned on the ignition, and I met his gaze in the rear view mirror he was adjusting.

"I can't. We need to figure this out. When is Sephiroth flying back?"

"In a few weeks, Master."

I had a bad feeling about this. And it wasn't because of Sephiroth. I hated when there were variables so utterly out of my control that I couldn't influence them. I remembered the drugging, and folded my arms. "Cid, how's the interrogation going?"

"We have been interrogating every caterer present, but there has been no progress. Master Cloud asked about it yesterday, what should I say?"

Cloud… No, I didn't want to involve big brother. He was working on this in his own way, and he didn't need to understand mine. "I'll talk to him. And send over the CCTV footage to my room. I am going to have a look."

"And tomorrow's hospital visit?"

"I'll take the Porsche. Just focus on the caterers."

Standing under the shower, I closed my eyes, letting the hot water cover me completely. I could feel each muscle in my body relax, but my mind was still restless. Usually getting information meant throwing money in someone's face. But why were there so many dead ends in this case… With the amount of work Sephiroth had to do for the new branch opening abroad… How did he manage such a well planned attack? It didn't make sense. Cid would know if Sephiroth moved.

I dried my hair with a towel, wrapping one around my waist as I sank onto the leather armchair. So far I had been considering the possibility that there were two separate parties, and one of them was Sephiroth.

But what if Sephiroth wasn't involved at all?

I changed into sweatpants, falling back on my bed tiredly as I watched the whole wedding. There was nothing suspicious until the moment Cid talked to Cloud, and Lightning ran towards the entrance in a frenzy. I kept replaying Lightning's dance… big brother held her, kissed her. And it hurt. But why?

"Don't act like some big villain. You're just a 19 year old going through a lot, too."

As her words replayed in my head… I felt more and more helpless. I never thought much of our rivalry, and moved only when someone else - Kadaj, or Mother - asked me to. Had I been living my whole life this way? I couldn't recall the last time I had taken initiative like this. Because perhaps… nothing else had mattered before she came along. Did big brother feel the same way? It was hard to get into Cloud's headspace - he was the most withdrawn of us all. But for someone to have reached him… it could only be someone as wonderful as the pink haired girl. I knew I had no right or claim to her… or to anyone else. But she was the one who said I wasn't irrelevant. And I wanted to honor the only person who had ever made me feel like I mattered.

It was still early in the morning when I got to the hospital. I went to the front desk, having arrived earlier than the visiting hours. The nurse blushed as our eyes met, fumbling with the visitor pass in her hands. "Um… you're here to see Miss Farron right? It's a bit early but… here."

"Thanks." I walked over to the familiar room and pushed away some of Lightning's sheets, taking a seat on her bed. Holding her hand, I couldn't help but caress it. I lost to big brother… without even having the chance to fight. The way they moved together flashed in my head again, and I swallowed heavy air. This was for the best. If I could be by her side and support her, that was enough for me.

My other hand reached out to cup her cheek. It was warm, but she was unmoving.

Before I could be tempted to touch her any more, I withdrew my hands, pulling a chair and taking a seat next to the bed. There was no way I was going to do something against her will, and it's not like she could give consent in her current condition. I took out a book and began reading to her. Some hours passed like that, and the door slid open. Big brother was surprised to find me already here, but he didn't make a big deal out of it. We just nodded at each other, and I fell silent.

Cloud sat on the other side of her bed, brushing a few rogue strands of hair from her face. He bent down and kissed her cheek. "Good morning, Farron…"

My eyes left the book, and were glued to the distraught expression on his face. It felt like big brother's connection to her ran a lot deeper than mine. "I looked through the accounts." He startled me by suddenly snapping his head towards me.

I cleared my throat. "And?"

"A large sum of money was moved last night, under your name."

Oh, that. I forgot to tell him about it. "I bought a new gun." Let's leave out the part where it's for him, for now.

"For that much?" It was the first brotherly thing he had ever said to me, and I couldn't stop myself from chuckling.

"It's a beauty," I replied simply, watching Cloud's surprised reaction return to his usual indifference.

"Well… other than that, there's nothing. Sephiroth hasn't touched the accounts." That didn't make any sense. All the dirty work was carried through the company's accounts, usually under the guise of something else.

"I have been thinking lately…What if it isn't Sephiroth?"

"He's good at hiding in the shadows," Cloud reminded me, but I shook my head.

"It's just a theory right now. But the foreign bullets? And the fact that they didn't fatally wound Lightning."

"She's a very experienced fighter," Cloud posited, and I thought about it silently.

"Indeed…" I agreed with him, nodding. "Understood. I will look into it a little more."

"Any leads with the caterers?" He followed up.

"None yet."

"Did you figure out how she was drugged?"

"Nope," I closed the book shut, staring at him. "But I know I'm close. Soon," I promised, and Cloud exhaled slowly, nodding tiredly.

"Right, well… thanks."

His gratitude made me happy, even if I wasn't doing this for him. "Right…" I repeated, clearing my throat again. "No problem." Just then, Lightning's finger quivered slightly and I caught it before big brother. "Brother… She's moving."

Cloud's eyes widened, and he quickly slammed the bell next to her bed. A nurse came running in within minutes, breaking into a smile as she observed Lightning's eyebrows furrow. "She's… she's moving! I am calling for the doctor!"

The room suddenly got crowded with the head doctor, and a small party comprising assistants and nurses. Cloud and I both backed away from the girl, standing in one corner of the room. Lightning's closed eyes twitched, before slowly fluttering open. They had a slight glow to them, but retained their beautiful, aqua color. She blinked erratically, and the head doctor breathed a sigh of relief.

"Cloud..." Her eyes scanned the room, disoriented by the unfamiliar faces. Big brother was no longer next to me, and was by her side in a swift second. She lifted her hand slowly, gripping his extended one.

"Can you say your name and age?" The doctor asked. Lightning winced, gripping Cloud's hand tighter. "C- Lightning Farron, 21. No wait, 22."

"Please follow the light with your eyes." The pink haired girl did as she was directed, and the head doctor smiled happily at her. "Welcome back, Miss Farron. We'll help you rehabilitate. Let's schedule a check up first thing to see how your body's doing. Don't move too suddenly - your muscles haven't moved in a while, so they're a little out of practice."

"How long have I been out, doctor?" She asked in a low voice.

"A little less than two weeks," the doctor told her, and she took this shocking news well. When it was just the three of us, Cloud stepped aside graciously to let me speak to her first.

"Yazoo?" Hearing my name like that from her again… I was wavering. Wavering because I had allowed someone to make me feel this way, and I was allowing her to do it over and over again, instead of shutting her out. I walked over to her, taking her hand on the other side.

"Thought I lost my partner in crime," I teased, and it was so nice to see her smirk at me, like she was finally herself.

"I'd prefer not to be that," she shrugged lightly, squeezing my hand. "Hey, thanks for coming by a lot. Now I'm wondering how that story ends."

I paused, blinking to process her words. "The book I've been reading to you?"

"Yeah," she replied. "It was like being in a dream, but sometimes I could make out sounds. Heard your voice all the time. So… thanks."

I glanced at Cloud, and his soulful blue eyes were on the verge of tears. I realized I should cut my reunion short. "I'll come back." I was allowed this much… wasn't I?

Just a little promise for tomorrow.

"See ya." She waved lightly with the hand I had let go of, and when I turned to slide the door close I saw brother take a seat next to her bed and reach out to stroke her cheek. I sighed, shutting the door close, leaning my forehead against it. At least Lightning was awake… but my work wasn't done, not until I had some answers.


A/N: It's a short update this time, but I am going to develop it in a bit more detail in the next chapter. At least Lightning is finally awake!

Until next time. ^^