Chapter Six

The Dream

A/N: To be honest, I completely forgot about this tory, as sad as that is.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII does not belong to me, I personally own Alia, any other OC's and this fanfiction. I hold no Copyright over any direct quotes used from FFVII, FFVII: Remake, or FFVII Advent Children.

~ oOo ~

Darkness was all she could see, it was all she could feel; it surrounded her very existence until it made her feel completely numb, cold to the bone. Alia glanced around to find any source of light. On instinct, her feet began to move, not knowing where she was going as she still couldn't see. She ran as far as her body allowed her. Sweat trickled down her brow, her breath came in short gasps as her muscles began to cramp. Seconds, minutes, hours, even days could have passed and she would not have noticed. Time was allusive in this hell and Alia was on the verge to scream.

All she wanted was Reno.

"Reno!" she screamed into the everlasting darkness. But all she heard was the echo of her own voice. Stopping in the unknown spot of where she stood, Alia turned. She didn't know where to look or what to do.

"RENO!" She screamed, voice bouncing off the invisible walls that surrounded the darkness. Taking a deep breath, Alia wiped her forehead, unsure whether what she cleared was sweat or tears.

"…Alia."

Alia turned. She swore she heard something other than her ragged breathing. There was nothing around her; only the impenetrable darkness.

"A-Alia…help me."

She had heard it that time!

"Reno?! Where are you!"

She began to run again, the mumbling and groaning only grew louder. Whoever it was kept repeating her name until it vibrated within her ears. "I'm coming Reno, I know that's you! Where the hell are you?"

"Alia!"

The sound of her voice made her stop dead in her tracks. It was definitely Reno – she

new his voice anywhere. "Where are you?!"

"I'm r-right…here…"

Alia didn't know why, but something made her turn around and part of her wish she hadn't. She could see something form in the dark. The outline was all she could see, it was definitely taller than her and the more she concentrated, the more defined it became. A crisp white shirt, black trousers and jacket, along with flame red hair came into view. She sighed in relief until the figure collapsed to the ground, refusing to move. A gasp escaped her lips as she fell to her knees, hands forming around the face. The closer she looked and the more her eyes cleared through the darkness, the more fright she held.

"Oh my god…Reno! Reno, what happened to you?"

Glancing down at his body, his once white shirt was practically ripped to shreds while blood oozed out of several deep cuts and scrapes, smearing his flawless body. Looking further down, a tear leaked from the corner of her eye as she realized Reno had several stab wounds in his lower abdomen. Pulling off her shirt, she placed the cotton into his wounds to stop the bleeding.

But something deep within her told her it was too late.

"Alia…"

"No…" she replied, tears unwillingly flowed from her face. "This is not the end, I won't let it be the end!"

"Alia…" His hand pulled her face to look at his. Even in the darkness, Alia could see how pale and defeated he looked. "You have to let me go…If you let me go, that means you could live."

"Reno, what are you talking about?"

"I…need you to run away from this place, Alia, Please, I'm saving you, but you need to trust me."

"You're saving me by dying?! Why do you think that'll help me in any form?!"

"Alia…"

"No!" She squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't…I can't live without you Reno…"

"Yes you can. You are so unbelievably strong willed and independent…you can do anything without me."

"Don't say it."

"Alia…let me go. I don't…have much time."

"No, no, no, no!" Blood was now soaking through her shirt and staining her fingers. Her stomach began to grow queasy and she worried she might vomit all over her injured boyfriend. She skimmed her blood drenched fingers across his pale cheek, unable to believe how cold his skin was.

"Alia…please remember…that I will always love you…with all my heart…" His body grew limp. Alia was unable to accept the significance of what she was staring at.

"No…please, Reno, don't leave me. RENO!"

~ oOo ~

"PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!"

"Alia, Alia! Wake up – damn it, wake up!" Her shoulders were shaking and a cold drench plastered against her brow but finally she had the strength to open her eyes. A blurred vision was all she could see. Seconds passed before the blurred images gradually became clearer.

The moment she could truly see, there was barely nay light, the only source of light was from the lamp beside Reno. It cast an eerie glow across the room and a shiver was sent down her spine. She could see the window off along the far wall, the darkness outside still emanating from the night. It seemed the sun hadn't risen yet.

"Alia, can you hear me?"

Blinking a few more times, the red-head came into view, his face etched with concern. The moment their eyes locked was when she lost her self-control. She could see everything once more. His blood drenched shirt, the stab wounds, her bloodied hands, his lasts words before he had died in her arms. It was enough to send a wave of nausea up through her throat and she had to breathe in deeply to keep her stomach in tack.

She tried blinking again to clear her head, but as she looked again at Reno who reached out his hand to stroke her cheek. A cry escaped her lips as she leaped forward, arms entangling around Reno's neck, choking him as she stiffened her grasp relentlessly. Reno stumbled back slightly from her force, still holding the woman in his arms. Her cries grew louder, her crying harder, and her pain threatened to break his soul.

He rubbed up and down her back to try and calm her down. Her shoulders slightly slumped downwards as her body began to relax, but the crying wouldn't cease nor would her grip around his neck. Minutes passed and the two stayed in their positions, neither one backing down. In his chest, Reno's heart broke. He couldn't stand to see Alia in such a state and he had to wonder what the hell she had been dreaming about. He couldn't imagine what had made her scream in such a manner.

Eventually, Alia's cries turned to sobs, her tears began to stop from soaking his nightshirt. Reno held her in his arms, carefully laying her back down, her whimpers still echoing throughout the otherwise silent room. When on her side, Reno reached to turn the light off but Alia snatched his hand away before he could even touch it. "Please," she said hoarsely, her voice barely a whisper. "Don't turn off the light."

He was taken back at her words; Alia was never one to be afraid of the dark. "Why not peaches?"

"I don't want it to be dark – please, please don't let the darkness come back." She threw her face into her hands and the tears flowed once again. Not as heavily this time but Reno knew that something must have scared the living hell out of her, he had never seen her so frightened before.

"Shhh," he whispered, running his fingers through her hair to try and calm her down. "I'll leave it on just for you."

"Please, the dark…it'll only hurt you, Reno…" Water flowed slowly from her eyes as sleep began to take its course once again throughout her body.

"How will it hurt me?" Grabbing the covers, he pulled them over her slender body, wanting her to fall back into sleep and hoping that whatever is was she had been dreaming about would not disturb her slumber again.

"It'll take you away from me…"

~ oOo ~

Cold and warm was the first sensations Reno experienced as he awakened from his deepened slumber. After that, he had a hell of a hard time just trying to close his eyes. Since being awoken from her screams, he wanted to keep an eye on Alia; after what seemed like several hours, he was finally able to doze into a dreamless slumber.

Blinking his eyes opened, Reno rolled onto his side to toss an arm over Alia – or, the empty bed space as she was not there. Sitting up, Reno looked across the room but could not find her. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and opened his mouth to call for her when the bathroom door opened. Alia walked into the bedroom, pinning her hair up into a messy bun as she did so. Watching her, he smirked as she noticed she was dressed to go for another run; her short spandex shorts and black sports bra to match.

Well hello, Reno thought.

"Good morning, Reno," Alia's smooth voice entered his ears. As she searched through a drawer to find a pair of socks as Reno stared on at her form.

"Well good morning peaches." Finding what she was looking for, Alia walked towards Reno's side and pecked a kiss onto his lips; Reno could taste the mint on her breath. "So, I see you're going for a run."

"Yeah…" she replied, sitting on the edge of the bed to place both her socks and shoes on. "I just…after last night, I need to go let off some steam."

"So you remember what happened?"

She nodded and Reno stood from the bed to stretch his back muscles, a few pops echoed from his spine and he sighed in relief. He understood her reasoning, but with everything going on about the strange group that was for some reason tracking her down, he didn't like the idea of her being out on her own. Yet, he couldn't stop her. He wanted to protect her but Reno didn't want it to become obvious that something was going on.

Especially the entire operation was secretive and he had to keep his lips shut when around Alia.

"Listen, you do what you gotta do, ok? But," he kneeled in front of her as she put on her second shoe. "Do you wanna talk about what happened angel?"

"Y-yes…" she pulled a few strands of loose hair behind her ear. "But I'd like to go out first and think about what happened. I'm still kinda scared at what I saw."

"I know peaches," he leaned forwards and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Where are you running to?"

"Probably to Zack's sword again, I know it might be pretty far but it's a good run. I won't be around any civilians so I can run as fast as I want."

Reno smirked. He especially didn't want her going that far but didn't say anything on the matter. Alia could do whatever she damn well pleased; no one could stop her. But he sighed and stood, walking towards his nightstand, he opened the bottom drawer. Pulling out a few items he walked back towards Alia who had already stood and followed. "Here, it'll make me feel better if you took this with you."

Reno handed her a small metal rod, about six inches in length with an attached belt. Alia smiled and immediately knew what it was. "My EMR! Did you get it fixed?"

"Of course I did. Fixed all the wiring so the electricity works again and I added a special feature to it. Here, I'll show you," Alia handed it to Reno and took a few steps back. With the EMR in hand, Reno flicked his wrist downwards and the metal rod went from its tiny form and expanded in the familiar three-foot weapon that resembled his. Swinging the weapon around, Reno pushed a tiny button on the side and it retracted back to its smaller form in less than a second. "See? The button's easier than my EMR to get it back to its smaller size."

He handed it back and Alia looked over the tiny device that would turn into a menacing weapon her lover taught her how to use over the last few years. What caught her most was the engraving print along the side. She had never seen it before and knew that Reno had it prepared when he fixed it: Forever yours, peaches.

"Oh Reno…" Alia said slowly, her fingers running over the engraving as tears welled in her eyes.

She looked up to find his eyes staring at her. Reno was mesmerized by her beauty, the way she was basked in the early morning sunlight pouring in from the windows. The way she looked up the engraving he had put onto her EMR made his heart skipped a beat. He knew she would be surprised with the gesture; he just didn't know how much. "Reno…I absolutely love it." She stood on her tiptoes, kissed his lips then wrapped her arms around his neck and tightly hugged him. His arms encircled hers as the two of them stayed in that position.

Alia eventually pulled back and examined the casing; with hard leather that would withstand attacks from monsters, or people, depending on the situation. Wrapping it around her waist, she buckled the strap until it was tight around her waist, slightly dangling off to one side. Once in a comfortable position, she placed the tiny EMR into the pouch against her back and was thrilled at what Reno had done to her newly acquired weapon. She twirled, testing to see whether it would move as she did but was impressed that it didn't.

"You approve babe?"

"Hell yeah I do, this thing is awesome! But," she glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "I'm gonna get going. You know me, I like to get started early rather than later." She headed towards the door then took a peek back at Reno who was still clad in his boxers and nightshirt. "Wanna join?"

Reno laughed. "Me? As in go running, with you?" She nodded. "You're real funny babe. There's no way in hell you could ever get me to go running for fun, yo." They both walked through the door and made their way downstairs.

"Alright, but if you're ever in a pinch and need to run away, don't blame me when you realize your fat ass can't run as fast as me."

Reno snaked his arm around her waist and pushed her up against the front door, her minty breath mixing with his morning one. "What did you just call me?" He said dangerously whispered.

"You heard me."

He chuckled – he loved it when she threatened him back. Reno had never before met a woman who challenged him back and not just give in to what he wanted. "Oh, you'll definitely pay for that one, Alia."

"For what? Calling you a fat ass?"

"Oh that's it." He silenced her with his mouth, his hands reaching for her wrists and holding them against the wall above her head. Alia struggled beneath his grasp. Their lips molded into one and Alia had to bite her tongue to keep from gasping out of excitement. There it was again – she was completely aroused at what Reno was doing to her but she just couldn't simply give in to the feelings. Reno could sense her inner confusion and let go, Alia's lips red and slightly swollen at his passionate kiss.

She was confused and blinked several times. "W-why did you pull away?"

"What, did you want to continue, peaches?" Reno leaned in closer until their noses were barely touching.

"What? I-I well…"

He kissed her forehead. "Let it go babe. I won't do anything until you want to, remember that." Opening the door, he held it open and watched as an even more confused Alia stepped outside of the apartment. "Look, just go for a run, stay safe and I'll see you what…in an hour or so?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"You ok babe?"

"Just thinking…I'll see you when I get back." She gave him a swift kiss in his cheek before leaving down the hall towards the elevator and leaving Reno's sight.

Reno shut the door and looked around the apartment, wondering what he should do in his spare time. Should he shower, clean or do whatever the fuck he wanted? Knowing Alia, she'll be gone longer than an hour soooooo….if I'm not lazy, I could do all three, Reno thought as he rubbed the back of his neck. Walking back up the stairs, he opted to first take a shower so he knew for sure that he would at least be clean by the time Alia came back. After that, he didn't know what the fuck he would do.

~ oOo ~

Out in the open air, Alia once again felt the breeze graze her face as she pounded her way through Edge and then made her way out of the city. She wasn't relaxed as she had been yesterday; there was more than enough on her mind to keep her from enjoying one of her favorite pastimes. But today, she just needed to get out of the apartment – not necessarily to get away from Reno, but the feelings she had experienced within the last twenty-four hours.

Alia thought she would still be bothered about what transpired between her and Reno about their sexless relationship but, especially with what happened right before she left, she knew Reno truly wouldn't do anything until she was ready. And god was she hoping it wasn't far off where she would just give in to her desires. Deep down, Alia knew she was ready to join herself with Reno, but there was that one thought that was holding her back. And she was getting sick of it; although Reno would never admit it, she knew he wanted to make love to her. And the more she thought about that, the more selfish it made her feel.

Speeding past the outskirts of the city, Alia made her way towards Zack's sword, this time, contemplating on the dream she had. Too grotesque, in my opinion, she thought. What the fuck was it supposed to mean though? Yeah, I'm fucking scared about losing Reno…scare more than anything else. But why would I dream…about something murdering him? Seriously, what the fucks up with that?

Running the familiar path up the hill leading to her old friend's sword, Alia slowed her pace until she gradually came to a stop. Beads of sweat drench her face until she had to wipe her forehead with the back of her hand. Tears or sweat she couldn't tell the difference, she wiped it all away. Walking towards the edge of the cliff, Alia looked across the vast distance that stood between her and where Reno awaited.

"Gaia, I just can't lose that man. If anything were to befall unto him, I have no fucking clue what I would do." Kicking a nearby stone off the cliff, she listened to the echoes it made as it tumbled downwards, bouncing off the cliff as it fell. And that's when she heard it.

Crunch.

"What the hell was that?" she whispered. Turning around, Alia scanned her surroundings, not sure what would make a sudden sound. Besides the wind, it was always deadly quiet when she was here. Peering over the edge, she tried to see if there had been something at the bottom the rock had hit and made the noise. But there was just nothing. Could it have been a monster?

Or a person?

"Whoever is out there you better show yourself!" There was nothing but silence, and then…

"Oh my, the fair lady does have a bite!" Whipping around, a small gasp escaped Alia's mouth as she noticed a man standing directly behind Zack's sword. Black slacks, tight black shirt, short black hair with deep brown eyes. This man's outer layer screamed a "nonchalant" attitude but Alia could tell that there was something off about this person – this man held a darker side than what people could visually see. There was about a ten-foot gap between the two but the man decided it wasn't good enough and took a few steps forward, followed by Alia taking a few steps back, realizing that she was ridiculously close to the edge.

Didn't matter, she could always jump down when needed, but at that moment, she was still slightly scared of the current situation. She blinked as the man still drew closer to her.

"Come now, Alia. I heard you always had perfect manners. Why haven't you said hello?"

She swallowed; her knew her name. How did he know her name? "Who the hell are you?"

"Now that wasn't polite, my dear. My name? It doesn't matter – but what is important is that I would like to spar with you. Care to join me?" He held out his hand and waited patiently for Alia to grasp it. The man's voice was low and smooth; there was an eerie calmness about this man that raged war within Alia, telling her to get as far away from this man. But her legs wouldn't move, there was a stupid part of her that wanted to know why this man wanted to fight her. She didn't even know who the guy was!

"Why?" was all she ended up asking.

He laughed. "'Why' she asks. You see, my darling Alia, I just want to test your strength. I know all about your infamous abilities. Your ability to use mastered materia without any effort," he took a step forward. "Your ability to use dual blades as your main weapon," and another. "You rarely require the aid of any potions," another. "And, most importantly, you're the twin sister of Cloud. You have mako injections in your body; I'd love to test that out," and finally, he took one more until he was only a few feet away. Her heart quickened as her eyes widened. "Ah, I see I've scared you. Now you must be wondering how I know all that information. Well my dear, when you're a former member of AVALANCHE and one of the people who saved the planet, you become quite famous."

"I'll ask you again," Alia gritted her teeth together, this person suddenly pissing her off. "What the hell do you want with me?"

"I was told you were smarter than this. Alia, I want to fight you."

"Leave me the hell alone. I don't know who you are or why the fuck you want to fight me but please leave."

"Ah, language my dear. Not good for someone who's destined to save the planet."

"Now who's the "not-so-smart" one? I saved the planet a few years ago with my friends. I don't know what you're talking about." Reaching behind her back, her fingers graced the leather casing of her EMR and she mentally thanked Gaia that Reno had told her to take it with her this morning. Sliding it from its case, she flicked her wrist just as Reno had showed her and expanded the weapon to its full length.

The creepy man grinned and reached down to pull two daggers from sheaths connected to his hip, the tips of each blade were curved. His grin widened as they each held weapons within their hands. "Alia, if you're so bent on not fighting me, why is it you have a weapon in your hand?"

"I had a feeling you would attack me and I was told to be prepared today."

"Don't fret my lovely, I plan to attack you as long as I need in order to learn everything about your skills."

Alia's grip tightened on her EMR. "Seriously, why do you want to fight me so badly? What good will come out of it?"

"Good? Knowing that my master will be pleased with the way you fight?"

She lowered her weapon slightly; confusion and shock riddled her face. "M-master?"

The creepy man took his chance. As Alia lowered her guard, the man leaped towards her and slid his daggers in front of her, meaning to shred the skin on the front of her body. But Alia saw right through his attack and threw the EMR in front of her, cutting off his attacks. She thrust the weapon until the man flew backwards several hundred feet. Immediately bouncing off the ground as soon as he touched it, the man pounded towards Alia who crouched, waiting to take down this unknown visitor, though he was definitely unwelcome in her book. As he flew straight towards her face, she was ready to aim her attack when the man immediately vanished from her sight as he drew closer. She blinked but held her guard; looking around, she saw nothing.

"You forgot to look behind you!" But as she turned, Alia was met with a stinging kick into her side that sent her flying across the edge of the cliff to the other side. She skidded against the dirt ground, her skin burning as she tried to stand. But the man beat her to her side and kicked her again, sending her across the cliff to the original side she was on.

"Agh!" Alia yelled as she landed on her back. She could feel her ribs ache, a fracture was a good possibility based on the man's strength and force of his kicks. Gripping the EMR tightly in her hand, she stood as quick as her nimble body would allow her. She closed her eyes when the man disappeared, using her strengthened hearing as an advantage to finding the fucker who was messing with her. Across the distance, she could hear soft crunches against the ground, followed by a voice that sent an unwelcome chill down her spine.

"You know, my dear, this saddens me. I was told that you were an amazing warrior who could defend herself against a hundred men. But this…this is disappointing. Who the hell am I fighting? Most definitely not the woman I was told about."

Alright that fucking does it. Eyes still closed, she wanted to taunt him, lure him to her so he could see the side he was disappointed in not seeing. "If you want to see what damage I can cause, then get your fucking ass out here and I'll show you what you're missing."

The crunching grew louder and Alia could tell that it was coming from behind her. She took a deep breath and counted down from five. Once she was done, she whisked around and thrust her EMR in front of her body, barely able to block off the man's dagger attack. Just as she had yesterday in her race with Reno, she could feel the extended power of the mako injections flowing through her body. And apparently, the man could see it as well.

"Ah, so this is the power I was told of."

Alia thrust her weapon forward and once again sent the man backwards. She pushed her body as hard as it would go and raced towards where the man was leading, beating him before he could even land. Following what he had done to her, Alia kicked him directly in the side, pushing him into the air. She followed suit and ignited the electrical function of her beloved weapon and jammed it into his backside as she raced after him. The man yelled off into the distance, the electricity doing its work as his arms began to fall limp. Pushing off of his body, Alia flipped backs and landed on her feet as she watched the man fall from the sky.

She crouched for a few minutes as he slowly worked to his feet. His eyes locked with hers as he stood to his full height; but Alia wasn't intimidated. She scowled in his direction; he picked a fight and she was ready to give it to him.

"You bitch!" He spat. Leaping towards her, the man threw one of his daggers in Alia's direction and she easily deflected it with the EMR, but as she dropped the weapon, the second dagger flew in the same direction, right towards her face. She dropped backwards, bending her back to avoid the weapon, her hands landing on the ground as she curved her body in an upside down "U" shape. Pushing off with her hands, she flipped backwards, barely standing on her feet when the man thrust at her with the first dagger she had avoided. Weapon in hand, the man rushed towards Alia whose guard had fallen, and thrust the blade into her shoulder, sending it all the way from the front of her body straight through the back.

Screaming to the heavens at the unexpected attack, Alia thrust her foot upwards, landing straight into the man's groin. He equally howled in pain and fell to his knees, hands immediately covering his injured genitals. Stumbling backwards, Alia reached to grab the blade still stuck in her shoulder. Delicately pulling it out, she hissed as her muscles released the metal invader. Blood spattered on the ground as she released the blade and ran down the length of her arm. Now that the blade was removed, Alia looked down at the man's weapon and noticed it glistened with another substance beside her blood. Bringing the blade to her nose, she sniffed. Oh fuck. The blade, it's…

Poison.

Jumping backwards and attempting to create more space between her and the man who was still suffering from groin damage, Alia could immediately feel the effects of the poison with her system. Her stomach started to feel nauseated, beads of sweat dampened her forehead and she could feel her body begin to weaken. Dropping to one knee, she glanced at her shoulder; blood continued to pour from the wound even though it wasn't that big. With her sight beginning to perish as well, she knew she had to get help.

Alia knew she had to call Reno – and fast.

Reaching for her phone she kept on her, she immediately pushed Reno's speed dial number and held it to her ear, the ringing causing her head to ache as the poison spread throughout her entire body. Keeping a secure eye on the man who was now trying to stand, all she heard was the ringing in her ear. But after the fifth ring, it finally stopped.

"Hey babe what's up? You done with your run already?"

"No…" she said weakly, the ailment kicking in faster than she had ever experienced before. "Reno, please…"

Reno could instantly tell something was off with her tone. "Alia, what's wrong?"

"Hey!" The man was finally on his feet and he stumbled towards her, his walking gradually grew back to normal the more he adjusted to his pain. "Who the fuck do you think you're calling?! This battle is between you and me!"

"No stay away from me!" She stumbled backwards, but her muscles were weak and she was barely able to stand, let alone get away from this stranger.

"Alia!" She could hear Reno in her ear, but she was more afraid of the man who quickly made his way towards her, one dagger in hand and then the second as he grabbed it off the ground. The man gave her a creepy smile as he looked at the blood on the dagger.

"I understand the poison's taking affect. See? That's what you get when you don't properly fight me."

"Alia!"

Knowing she had limited options, Alia only did what she could; back flipped and landed on a lower ledge beneath the cliff. She continued to jump and hide until she concealed herself in the shadows knowing that the man couldn't find her unless he knew the terrain as well as she did. Her breathing was labored, the pain within her chest unbearable. Holding the phone to her ear, she said, "Reno…help me."

"Alia Strife, what the hell is going on?"

"I'm being…attacked…"

"By who?!"

"I-I don't know, he wouldn't…tell me. Reno please…come save me…I'm hurt…"

"Hurt how babe?!"

Falling to her knees Alia let out a grunt of pain and discomfort. Her free hand moved towards her shoulder, blood oozing between her fingers. Her breathing was labored, her vision fuzzy and her pain now becoming dreadful. "Shoulder…stabbed…" She could barely even form words, all her focus was on ensuring that she wouldn't pass out and that the man wouldn't be given the chance to find her. "Blade covered…poison…"

"Poison?! Alia, where are you?"

"Cliff…hiding…Zack's sword…"

"Alia hold on as long as you can I'm leaving now!"

"Please…hurry…"

"There you are, you little sneak!"

Alia gasped and looked at the man who would not leave her alone. She trekked backwards until her back hit the cliff. Mustering all the strength she had in her body she said, "What do you WANT with me? Leave me alone!"

"No, not until I've had my way with you. I must follow my master's orders."

"No, stop! Please, just leave me alone!" She screamed as the man neared her, too weak to move until her body fell limp. The phone slipped through her fingers and it fell to the ground with a clunk, Reno's voice still audible to her growing unconscious state of mind.

"Alia!"

~ oOo ~

Reno screamed Alia's name over and over as he frantically thrust his hand into his hair. After a few minutes, the line went dead, Reno unsure of what the hell was going on. Closing his phone, his raced upstairs and thrust his feet into his work combat boots. Once done, he made his way into the closet and unlocked the safe the two of them used that stored their materia; Reno grabbed Alia's Master Cure then made his way to the hallway cabinet where he grabbed numerous Hi-Potions and Antidotes, and any other medicinal liquids he thought Alia might need. Throwing the items into a duffle bag and placing the materia within his arm, Reno raced out of the apartment and down to Shiva.

Starting its engine and racing through the city, Reno could barely contain the rage within himself to the point where his vision was becoming blurry, obvious from the way he almost hit several people before he made his way through the blusterous city.

God fucking damnit! How could I let this happen?! Alia doesn't know whose attacking her but I do…I know for a fact that this person is working for whoever is after her. Reno growled in frustration. Oh Alia, please be safe. I'm coming to get you!

Reno pushed the gas even farther, the once humming engine burst to life as it roared with power, pushing the red head to the edge of the city where he was met with the vast wilderness that surrounded the city he now called home. Eyes focused on the road, Reno guided his way towards Zack's sword and as he edged his way closer towards the memorial cliff where the once SOLDIER perished. As he drew closer, he looked above to the cliff and could see the faint outlines of two individuals; focusing his eyes, Reno noticed it was a male furiously kicking a female – Alia – who was thrust across the way, skidding and landing on her side.

She didn't stand.

Pushing the bike to its limit, Reno gunned the machine up the hill. Rounding the corner, he pulled his own EMR from behind him and pushed the button, igniting his favorite aspect – the electricity. Finally atop the cliff, he only saw horror before his eyes as the man sustained in kicking Alia throughout her body; her legs, her waist, and especially he shoulder. Staring only at the man, Reno steered Shiva in his direction and aimed at his body. He drove the bike closer and as he drove closer, the man finally turned to see Reno – but it was too late.

Reno stabbed his EMR directly into the man's lower stomach, and, combined with the force of his speed and the force of his thrust, he pushed the man completely off the cliff. Coming to a complete stop as he turned the bike around, Reno looked to see if the man somehow jumped to the other side, saving his ass from the deadly fall, for those who couldn't survive it. Not finding the man within his sight, he jumped off the bike and ran towards Alia, who still lay on the ground, unmoving.

Dropping to his knees he immediately snatched a bottle of Antidote from the bag. Pulling Alia forward until she rested on his left arm, he placed the bottle between her lips and slowly trickled the liquid down her throat, pleading that he wasn't too late.

He starred into her eyelids, hoping to see some form of life from her, but after a few minutes, he saw nothing. Thrusting his hand back into the bag, his hand found another bottle of Antidote, but as he was about to pop the cap off, a ragged cough escaped Alia's lips as she hacked more and more. His hand cradling her cheek, his eyes found her dim ones looking up at him. A tear made its way to the corner of his eye but he forbade it to fall – and so it didn't.

"Alia…angel, are you ok? Do you need another Antidote?"

She shook her head and whispered, "No…I'm just…really tired."

"I'm gonna lay you back down ok? I brought your Master Cure, I'm going to fix your wound. This might sting so grab my hand if you need too." Placing her back onto the ground, Reno held his right hand directly over where the blade cut through skin and muscle. The bleeding had eventually stopped, but a thick, red trail traveled from her shoulder down her arm and chest. His skin hovered over her injured wound, igniting the materia within his body, a heated sensation escaped Reno's hand as his arm began to glow. Alia's eyes shut tightly and her hand found his; she hissed and tightened her grip. "I know babe, I know. But it's working, only a few more minutes." And Reno was speaking the truth. The more the materia glowed in his arm, the faster it healed her would. Reno could visually see the skin mingle itself and connect back together, the hole that was once there eventually disappeared; nothing remained except for the blood and a faint scar that told the story of her stabbing.

The moment Reno released the magic of the materia, Alia exhaled a strenuous sigh. She leaned forwards, held together by the strength of her lover's arm where she gently touched the wound that was on her shoulder, feeling the scar that would remain forever; along with the rest of her battle scars. Grabbing one of the numerous Hi-Potions from the bag, he topped off the cap and handed it to her. She took it without asking and downed the potion, coloring almost immediately flooding back into her pale cheeks; her strength returned as well though Alia could tell that she was going to be sore for the rest of the day. Looking up at Reno, she gave him a reassuring smile to indicate she was completely healed compared to a few minutes prior.

Leaning down to kiss her forehead, Reno asked, "How're you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks to you." She diverted her eyes to look across their surroundings, unable to spot the strange man. As she tightened her grip on his arm she asked, "Where is he?"

"I flung him off the cliff with my EMR. Other than that, I dunno, angel."

"Reno," she leaned into his embrace, never wanting him to let her go. "If he comes back, will you protect me?"

"Oh babe…" he simply held her in his arms. Reno could feel Alia's body slightly shake from her sudden onslaught of fear. He replied, "You don't even have to ask." The two stayed in that position for as long as they could before Reno deemed that she should stand to stretch her legs and see if she could walk around. Holding her hand the entire time, Reno aided her in standing; she stumbled a few times but eventually made it to her. Alia felt light-headed and slightly sick, but better than she had during the attack. With his help, she walked back to her bike where she caught sight of a flash; another dagger suddenly zoomed its way directly towards her. Acting on instinct, Reno gently pushed Alia behind him and knocked the blade aside with his EMR.

The man crawled his way over the edge of the cliff and stood to his feet. A stream of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth and his breath was ragged. He held his hand out in front of him and the dagger, which now lay on the ground next to Reno, flew back towards its master when he caught it in his hand. "Well, isn't this an interesting find. The greatest female warrior I was told of was nothing but a shitty-ass lie."

Alia cowered behind Reno, the man's words somehow digging deep into her heart and she couldn't stand to hear what he had to say; she clung tightly to the back of his shirt, not wanting to be in the spotlight anymore. Speaking in her defense, Reno yelled, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

The man laughed to the heavens. "I was sent here to assess the power of this female for I was told she could defend herself against any enemy. But from what I have seen, you, Reno of the Turks, have more power than this piece of shit does."

Reno could feel Alia grasping his shirt tighter and the vibration from her throat as she began humming to herself. Oh Alia…baby you're scared. Focusing his attention solely on the stranger, Reno held his EMR at eye level with the man; his eyebrows narrowed as his voice turned dark and wicked. "Don't you fucking DARE speaking about Alia in that manner. I don't know who the fuck you are or who the fuck told you what you heard – but leave her alone. Got it?"

"So, it has come to my attention that this bitch is nothing without you, eh, Reno?"

"No, you've got it all wrong, you fucker. This woman is stronger than me and you combined."

This made the man laugh hysterically. "Oh really now? Because from what I can tell, she was nothing but weak. But, no matter, I shall report this back to my master and he'll decide what he wants to do next."

"Wait! Who the fuck is this 'master'? And what does he want with Alia?!"

The man took a few steps back until he was standing on the very edge. "All in good time Reno. That girl will save the planet – but she needs more anger, and we can definitely feed her that emotion. Until next time! Oh, and please tell Alia that she better be ready for next time!" The man jumped behind him and Reno expected him to fall to his death. That is, until the man's body disintegrated as his image fell from the sky and he disappeared from sight.