Serah sat in the Strifes' kitchen and sort of listened as Cloud updated Tifa on his search about the perimeter. Sice sat beside her, fiddling with some gadget she'd brought along, and Marlene apparently hadn't left her room since Denzel disappeared the other day.
Serah didn't know how much she ate during that time.
Sound swam in Serah's ears and she curled in on herself. She felt the flow of time at her fingers, like something she could reach out and tug at, but she'd trained herself to see it as untouchable. She couldn't afford to meddle with a force capable of trapping a soul in a never-ending loop.
She thought of Denzel. Reached out with her mind, unstable as it felt, and took hold of that flow.
Movement around her slowed. Sice kept up her fiddling, but Cloud froze. Or… he slowed down dramatically. Tifa blinked and looked at Serah.
Serah released the spell and Cloud grimaced before bending over and placing a hand to his temple.
"You alright?" Tifa asked.
Cloud took a moment to respond. "… Just some vertigo."
"That's my bad." Serah pulled her knees closer.
"It's progress." Tifa leaned against the counter. "But can you use it for longer?"
"I'll try." Serah focused and pulled at the flow again. Cloud moved in and out of slow motion and Tifa cast him a worried glance.
"Why is he the only one affected?" asked Serah when she cut it short and Cloud doubled over the counter with a pointed groan.
Sice looked between them, expression bored. "You said you caught Tifa in a loop, didn't you? Connect the dots."
"But what about you?"
"I'm basically a god so those rules don't apply – not the way you're using it now, at least."
"If we could take a break with the practice," said Cloud with a grimace, "I need to think."
Sice looked at Serah with an I told you so face. Serah sent her a confused one back.
The phone rang and Tifa jumped to get it.
"We should check in with the department," Cloud said with folded arms and a downcast expression. "It can take time for these things to be processed and they might find something before we do."
"I can do that." Serah stood. "What information do I need?"
"Just name, birthdate, and all that." Cloud looked to Tifa, who argued with the voice on the other end. "Maybe identification."
Serah blinked and Tifa gripped her forehead. "What is-?"
"The hell you're not!" Tifa spun on her heel and about ripped the phone from the wall. "Do you have any idea how fried you are for not telling me?!"
Cloud cast her a concerned look and Sice whistled. "Finally getting interesting in here," she said. "Maybe I'll stick around after all."
Tifa slammed a button and held out the phone toward them. "Say hello, Reno."
"Hey, Cloud!" came a man's voice from the other end. "I swear I was just updating Tifa on the status of your kid, but you'd think I just killed a man!"
"… Reno."
"What kind of parent are you, allowing this kid to wander about like that with only a phone?"
Cloud furrowed his brow. "Only a phone?"
"He has a pole, too," Tifa said through tight lips. "But Reno doesn't think about that kind of thing, does he? He just picks kids up and doesn't tell people even though he's worrying his parents sick!"
"Hey, no need to get unprofessional here!" The other end sighed. "I'm just saying you guys might want to train your kids better. He didn't even know how to manage physical stress under pressure. How do you expect him to survive any kind of interrogation? Doing you a favor here, but you'd never know it going by the way you're acting."
"Coordinates," Tifa hissed. "Now."
"Yeah, babe, I hate to tell you, but it's not that simple. Hey, how about we give you a week?"
"How is it-?"
"Look, we're working with him, okay? He's kinda freaked out right now – honestly, I don't think he could even handling the coordination of arranging a mission – but we're working to fix that. Rufus thinks we can get him to talk out some of his issues by the end of the week, but it's gonna take some time."
Tifa took a measured breath and closed her eyes. "Coordinates. Now."
"You're hilarious, Tifa. Hey, Cloud, you'll be glad to hear we fixed his weapon, too. I guess you all are too poor or something to get him something proper, so we did that for you. You're welcome."
Cloud blinked. "Thanks, I guess."
Tifa shook her head. "I've had it up to here, Reno. Tell us where you're keeping him, and I won't smash all your fingers."
"Aw, Tifa, I didn't know you cared. But seriously, I don't know if he should…"
Serah looked at Sice while the argument continued, only to find Sice dozing off with her cheek rested against her propped palm. "I thought you were a god?"
Sice didn't open her eyes. "Almost."
"You still need to sleep?"
"No. But I like to anyway."
Serah frowned. "Sounds convenient."
"Not really."
"Finally!" Tifa hung up the phone and moved toward the door. "Serah, you're watching Marlene and not letting her leave, got it?"
"Yup." Serah pursed her lips. "What did they say?"
No response came before the door slammed shut behind the two and Sice and Serah were left to themselves in the kitchen.
"I don't know about you-" Sice stood- "but I'm gonna find something to eat. Helps me focus."
"Oh, but I don't know that-"
Sice grabbed a loaf of bread and ripped off a chunk to bite into.
Serah sighed. "Who am I to stop you?"
"Hey." Sice waved the chunk in the air. "Are you gonna practice your magic or what? It'll make me look better when I get back if you know what you're doing."
Serah hesitated, then nodded and felt out for that flow of time.
Denzel stood before a bar that looked way different from what he was familiar with in Seventh Heaven. Its sign was bright pink and the door was sleek and black. He'd never seen any eating place with this kind of design, but he supposed some places had different themes and stuff than Seventh Heaven.
Tseng and the others told him to call if he had an issue, and Denzel fingered the phone in his pocket at the thought. It would be his best bet for a quick rescue, though of course he brought his pole just in case. The one that Rude changed to include some sort of tiny pipes along the ends and a button in the center.
His training from Reno remained fresh in his mind. Easiest thing to do if someone attacked him was to climb on them and get an arm around their throat. Once he could do that, he could take them out with ease.
Or so they told him.
Denzel forced down a deep breath and knocked on the door. No response came at first and he looked about him in hopes of finding someone he could talk to and ensure this was the right place. But the alley remained abandoned.
Forced another breath and knocked again.
No response.
Denzel pushed the door open and was met with booming music and a dark hallway that gave way to pink, fluorescent lights and a bunch of adults bouncing around and waving their heads.
He blinked. He'd never heard of a bar with people dancing in it.
"What do you want, kid?" asked a man leaning against the wall. "This is an adult establishment."
Denzel swallowed. "I-… I want to speak with 'the boss?'"
The guy barked a laugh. "What for, huh? Want him to sign your building blocks?"
Heat rose in his face and Denzel cleared his throat. "I bring a message from Reno of the Turks."
The guy quieted and studied Denzel for a moment. "Reno, huh? He must be pretty desperate to resort to such cheap messengers."
Denzel blinked, unsure what the guy meant. "He's not just lazy?"
Another laugh. "Yeah, kid. That also sounds about right. Come on – I'll take you to the boss."
Denzel followed the guy through crowds of people dressed in… not much. Especially the girls. He hadn't seen anyone wearing a swimsuit in a long time, but the style must have changed a lot, because those looked really different and-
"Kid!" barked a nasally man. Denzel turned to find a fat and almost-bald, man in a red coat. "A little young to be gawking at the ladies, aren't you?"
Denzel squeaked and rushed over.
"He says he carries a message from Reno," said the guy from before.
"He does?" The fat man jabbed a finger Denzel's way. "What is he, an offering? I can sell him for work, maybe, but he's getting kind of old for any other business. He doesn't have any identification or anything on him, does he? That'll make my life kind of a hassle, and I'll tell that red-haired twit what I think of hassles."
Denzel cleared his throat and lifted his chin. "He wanted to say-"
"Oh, hush, now." The fat man gestured for Denzel to come closer. "Let me look at you."
Despite the sickly feeling that settled in his stomach, Denzel took another step closer. The man narrowed his beady eyes and looked Denzel up and down, left to right. "Turn around, kid."
"What?" Denzel blinked and took an involuntary step back. Aerith appeared in a burst of mist and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"What do you think, El?" The man stroked his chin. "I suppose we could turn him into our gopher. Sell him for work."
"Or other things." The other guy approached Denzel and stuck a finger under his jaw, forcing him to look up into the guy's pointed and harsh features. "He's got a good face – might hold a couple more years of good money on him."
Denzel's hands felt clammy and gripped the phone in his pocket like it was the only anchor he had to safety. If he could just contact Tseng and the others…
Aerith tightened her grip on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Rude knew what he was doing."
Denzel swallowed. What did his phone have to do with this?
"We can deal with it later." The fat man leaned back and swept at the streak of yellow hair that was the only thing besides a tattoo to occupy his shiny head. "What's your name, kid?"
"Denzel." He wrenched away from the other guy and looked the fat man in the eye despite the tremor in his knees. "And Reno sends a message."
"He…" The fat man leaned forward. "… Sends a message, now? To compliment his scrawny gift?"
"No." Denzel steeled himself and Aerith's presence felt closer. "He wanted to tell you that you'll be trading as usual at the end of the quarter, against your recent request, and that he's displeased with your impatience."
"With my impatience?" The fat man stood and it took all that Denzel had not to scramble backward. "And he couldn't say that to my face?"
"He didn't need to." Denzel found himself surprised to hear the words leave his mouth. He didn't feel Aerith's hand on his shoulder, but he could swear she stood just behind him. "Even his errand boy doesn't require as much management as you do."
"Does he realize that he's failed?" The fat man leaned back again, but his hand worked viciously at his chin. "Does he have any idea what I've done to keep myself going after the fall of Midgar? That him and his friends have returned to dust and I'm the only one keeping them safe from the ravening wolves of the lower class?"
"I can't say, sir," said the other guy.
"Just as well." The fat man took a breath that rattled his nose and worked his jaw as if to chew on something. "He should realize that just because he pushed that button to drop Sector 7, he doesn't hold any more status than the rest of us!"
Aerith took to his side again and that strength left him. The tremor returned to his knees and the room swam in his eyes.
"At least I had the mind to protect my assets. The underground is mine, El, and no one's going to pretend it isn't."
Denzel remained frozen to the spot and the image of his original parents flashed through his mind. "Reno pushed the button?"
"Oh, yes!" The fat man leaned forward. "Shinra left it to their best men, the Turks, and among those only one person pressed the button. That redheaded bastard's got a reputation for a reason and half the underground wants to work for him for that reason. How would you not know that, working for him?"
"No, I-…" Denzel shook all over, but he didn't feel cold. "I didn't know."
"Either way, an example must be made." The fat man pointed at Denzel and looked back to his goon. "Should we send them a finger or a toe? I'm leaning toward a toe – might take a little longer for them to realize who it is."
"I have to go." Denzel turned, only for strong hands to take him by the shoulder and spin him back around.
"Why in such a hurry?" The fat man rose from his chair. By this point, a lot of the dancing had stopped and dozens of eyes looked their way. "No one leaves my place unsatisfied."
Denzel struggled against the hold and Aerith evaporated. They wrenched his pole away and left only the phone in his pocket.
Moments flashed before his eyes, of dealing with rats in Triple S or fighting off the occasional starved hound. Before he found Ruvie, he didn't have to fend off any big men or kill anyone or any of that. It was just food and starving and wondering when he could eat again and sometimes hiding from those looks and-
"Do you hear dialing?" The fat man looked at Denzel and something dangerous glinted in his eye. "Do you have a phone, boy?"
Denzel opened his mouth to reply. And tipped over.
The world spun on its axis.
Cloud and Tifa left hours ago. Marlene still didn't come down from her room. Serah still sat in the kitchen. Gabranth was still quiet.
"Sice?"
The other girl laid on the couch and responded with a slurred, "Yeah."
"What do my dreams mean?"
"Your memories?"
"No." Serah licked dry lips. "I mean, I've been having dreams that feel almost as real as my memories, but I don't recall them happening. And sometimes they get really bad. What are they?"
"Eh. Probably just artifacts caused by the timeline distortions. Why don't you just leave, huh? You know these guys probably have this covered."
Gabranth's wordless worry for Denzel echoed in her head. "I… I want to be sure, first."
"Look." Sice sat up to face her full-on. "You may be better at this than Lightning or Snow were when we found them, but you're still shaky and I doubt it would make much of a difference for you to stay. You're making everyone sick with your sloppy spells and who knows what might happen from that?"
Serah frowned. "I won't make any mistakes like that."
"Won't you? We're losing the light on another day and we haven't made any progress on our own. Only the married couple-"
"They're not married."
"-The couple's gone off, but what have we done, huh? Why are we even here? At least you're not the same mess your sister was."
Serah glared her way. "What are you saying?"
"Never mind. King, could you get a location on the Strife's kid, Denzel?"
"Who are you talking to?"
"Are you kidding me? Fine." Sice folded her arms. "Useless. We'll stay for a little longer."
Serah chewed on her lip. "You can communicate with you mind?"
"Only with certain people in Valhalla."
"That's inconvenient." Serah fell back against the chair and groaned. "I hate waiting like this. It feels like that's all I ever do."
"Don't you know it."
The phone rang. Serah stood to answer it, but Sice took her hand and said, "Are you supposed to be picking it up for someone else?"
Serah blinked. "Don't you?"
Sice frowned and released her. "Not on my world."
The phone rang again and Serah picked it up. "Strife's residence."
On the other end came a cacophony of noise. Heavy breathing, distant shouting, and the static of something rustling against the speaker.
"Hello?" she repeated. Then looked at the number on the phone screen. "Denzel? Hey, Denzel!"
More shouting and noise.
Serah pulled the phone away and noticed a second number underneath the caller's. The last message the phone received. "Hey, Sice, do you know how to track coordinates?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
Serah took a snapshot of the number and pressed the phone to her ear again. "Denzel?"
Still no response. Heart pounding, Serah set the phone down. Took a breath. And froze time.
Sice jumped to her feet. "There you go!"
Serah dashed up the stairs. "Marlene! Marlene, let's go!" She found the girl's room and forced the door open. "We know how to find Denzel!"
Marlene remained frozen in time, lying on her bed and staring into the distance beyond the bedroom's window.
Serah took her by the arm and Marlene gasped, color rushing to her face before she glanced up at Serah. "Miss Farron?"
"We need to get to the Turks." Serah picked her up. "We have Denzel's coordinates."
"Since when?"
"Since now!" Serah bounded down the stairs and Sice followed her out the door. "But none of us know how to follow coordinates!"
"I can!" Marlene scrambled out of Serah's hold and tried to keep up with them. "Cloud taught me!" Eventually Sice picked her up again.
Time ebbed here and there and Serah felt a cold sweat collect on her forehead. Her control over time slipped and it showed in the slow motion of passing pedestrians and those looking out the windows of their homes. Animals in the streets gradually shifted to look at them.
"Don't push yourself too hard," Sice told her. "It'll make you sick."
"I don't care about that." Serah retook her hold.
"Why are we the only ones moving?" asked Marlene. She watched those around them with a furrowed brow.
"Because I have super powers." Serah's grip slipped again and slow motion resumed. She struggled to retake it. For one long second, people moved as normal before she slowed it again.
Her stomach churned, and her heart skipped a beat. She struggled to breathe and every step burned her feet.
And froze time again.
"You're not perfect!" Sice reminded her. "Stop killing yourself so I can take you back alive!"
"You won't have to worry about that!" Serah fumbled with her grip again and forced time to slow.
When they reached the coordinates - the location of the Turks, half of them ran from the front door and half leaped from windows. Tifa and Cloud were nowhere to be seen.
Serah released time and just about barreled into the blond guy up front. "Wait, are you the Turks?"
They didn't slow down for her, but a lady with a lovely ponytail called after, "Depends on who's asking!"
Sice handed Marlene off to a tall and bald guy who raised no questions at the exchange.
"We're asking as friends of the Strifes!" Serah struggled to keep up with them – the last guy, this one with a striking figure and the reddest hair – grabbed a motorbike and it roared to life. "You know where Tifa and Cloud are?"
"They were just ahead of us!" replied the blond guy at the front before hopping onto Red's bike. "We'll catch up shortly!"
All Tifa had to do was take Cloud's hand and that allowed them both to keep running. Time sputtered in and out of slow motion and she could swear she saw a rabbit woman and some leather-clad man somewhere down the road.
Everything stopped again just before Tifa found the seedy club that Reno described.
She kicked down the front door and found a mostly-emptied club, with some stragglers still frozen in the act of rushing out a back door. A handful of burly men stood about the room and looked to be in the middle of a polite discussion, save for one of them that looked to the opposite wall with a pained expression.
The opposite side, where another man held Denzel against the bloodied wall.
Cloud moved faster than her – just as time resumed, he barreled into the man holding Denzel.
Tifa made for Don Corneo, who leapt to his feet at the sight of them. "What in the-?"
She screamed and planted a foot in his face, only for his henchmen to take her from behind.
The Don stumbled back, gripping his face, while she battled off a half-dozen men. "Wait – I think I know these guys!" he yelled.
Tifa flung one goon into another and sent them both careening through the room.
"How could I forget?" The Don strutted about his stage. "The trio from one of my last days in Midgar! Good times, good times. You know I was smart enough to back out then, right? The sector falling was just the right sign to-"
Tifa threw down the last man and redirected herself at the fat, yellow-haired, pig.
"Now, now, I know you're hungry for more of the Don-"
Tifa drove her fist into his face and heard the satisfying crunch of his nose. Took the man by the collar of his suit and tossed him across the room.
Cloud, who fought off a half-dozen men himself, easily caught Corneo and slammed him into the ground.
Denzel scrambled back at the action, eyes wide with shock.
Cloud tossed Corneo back to Tifa and she threw him at the ceiling.
Serah and Sice followed behind Shinra, who directed with a flick of his finger for the rest of the Turks to surround the building. Rude dropped off Marlene before making for the back. Elena shimmied up to the roof like she'd been doing this all her life and Tseng followed after her. Reno disappeared around a side, like Rude.
"They're distracted inside," Shinra whispered to Serah as a blood-curdling scream tore their way. "We need that."
"I don't like this," said Marlene with a scowl.
Serah glanced her way, but watching the Turks move about the structure like insects was… mesmerizing. "Don't like what?"
"Being so close to this man." Marlene jabbed a finger Shinra's way. "He's bad."
"Oh." Serah looked between them. Shinra didn't seem to notice they'd said anything, given his watching his men work. "Um…"
"Dang." Sice whistled. "She's got us there."
"I'm sure he's changed." Serah glanced at Sice for help, but the other girl just shook her head.
"Are you kidding?" Marlene took a step back. "No one can change from that! He killed my friends!"
"She's right, Serah." Shinra still didn't look their way. "No one can change from that."
Serah opened her mouth to protest, but there was something to the tone of his voice that had her draw up short. "What's your purpose here?" she asked instead.
"To help Cloud." Shinra didn't look her way. "We owe him, after all."
"Not just Cloud!" Marlene stomped a foot. "You owe the whole world! Don't you know that?"
"Consider this my first step."
"Hey." Sice gestured. "Serah, you coming? It's not like there's a whole lot for us to do here."
"No." Shinra took a breath and finally turned to face her. "You can leave the rest of this to us, I think. Go rest – it's getting late."
"It's not…" Serah looked up. The sky was only just turning purple. "… That late." She hesitated. Blood splattered the windows inside. Both Cloud and Tifa were still visible and fighting, though she wondered, "What about Denzel?"
Sice glanced inside. "He's fine."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Cloud and Tifa would be acting very differently if he wasn't."
Another splatter against the walls and a couple of bodies launched across the room. Serah pursed her lips. If she left now, she could see Snow again…
"Trust it to us." Shinra gestured to Marlene. "But you should take this one with you."
Marlene huffed and folded her arms. "I'm not going anywhere until Cloud and Tifa leave."
Serah looked between them. "I can't leave her."
Sice let out a loud groan and took Serah by the arm. "You're not responsible for this place! Let's go!"
Snow's voice, normally so loud and confident, echoed in quiet, nervous tones, "… my one, my only…"
She felt bad that Gabranth must have left without her noticing. He would probably protest her trusting Sice and leaving. But… "I have a duty to fulfill, don't I?"
Sice tossed her head. "That goes without saying."
"It's time to go." Shinra jabbed a finger toward the setting sun. "Best skip the bloodiest part of this."
"Right." Serah looked Sice in the eyes. "I'll go, then. Can we just stop by my house so I can deal with Snowflake?"
"Fine!" Sice threw up her hands and sauntered off. "Geez, took long enough. But keep an eye out – this gate's been glitched out by those idiot world hoppers and there's a crap ton of monsters swarming the place."
"Wait-" Serah had to run to keep up- "how does a gate glitch out?"
Marlene couldn't take her eyes off the white-coated man. Shinra twitched and stumbled about like the patrons of Seventh Heaven that Tifa kicked out sometimes. A bright, misty light broke through parts of his skin and sent crystal-like particles into the air. Blood dripped from his face and fingers.
He screamed, and Marlene startled and backpedaled. Almost hit the unconscious, green-coated man.
"Hey!" Aerith appeared in a burst of green light. "Not on our world, you degenerate!"
She summoned water that gushed forth from nothing and blasted Shinra with it.
Marlene gasped. "Sis?"
"Only sort of." Aerith didn't look her way. Instead, she closed in on Shinra and held him still with some invisible force. "This world is protected by the Lifestream Eternity and you have no right to set foot on its soil!"
Shinra fell to his knees. Then toppled over.
Aerith remained still for a moment.
Marlene took another step back. And hit someone else. She risked a glance to find the green-coated man standing behind. He didn't look at her – instead he focused on Aerith.
"Sis!" Marlene stepped away from the man.
Aerith snapped her head to see them. "Oh, no you don't! These innocents aren't yours to control!"
She whipped around and blasted the strange man.
The image of a white-robed man joined Aerith. "I knew it was the world-leaders."
"Shinra's no leader!" Aerith threw the strange man aside and trapped him with more watery-magic. "The company lost their hold years ago!"
"Not quite." The man wisped away and Shinra sucked in a deep breath.
Marlene glanced behind her, where Serah walked off. Why did she have to go now, of all times?
Cloud took on another three mooks. How many of these guys did Corneo employ?
Denzel did remarkably well on his own – he kept to self-defense but managed to take out at least a couple of people with that backpack technique he kept using and used a surprising amount of white magic for his age.
Cloud wondered if that was something he'd have to thank the Turks for.
Tifa twisted about in a violent dance that led to the decapitation of one guy. He hoped Denzel didn't see that.
One lady came at him with all the grace and speed of a trained assassin. Cloud didn't doubt her to be Corneo's hidden trump card.
He took a hit to the stomach and stumbled back. The lady whirled, and he whipped up his sword to block. She slammed into it with all the force of a projectile.
Cloud spun and used the momentum with the flat of his blade to send her crashing into the other side of the room.
Tifa joined in and tackled the woman before she had a chance to recover from Cloud's hit.
"Cloud!"
He looked to find Denzel stumbling his way. Cure alight in those small hands and another guy on his tail.
Cloud beat back one of his offenders, but it wasn't fast enough. There was no way he could deal with these before-
A burst of green light filled the room and had most of the occupants rubbing at their eyes. It faded and revealed the faint, dark silhouette that Cloud knew.
"Heya!" Zack struck a finger out.
One of the mooks recovered faster than the rest and leaped at Cloud again. Cloud beat him back with the blunt of his blade. "I thought you died?"
"Yeah, I kinda did." Zack looked around them while Cloud took out the third and Denzel struggled with his own. "Geez, bit of a mess you've got here, isn't it?"
Tifa retorted, "A little help would be appreciated!" before launching one guy into the far wall.
"Yeah, about that." Zack cocked his head to one side and Cloud moved to get that man off Denzel. "Girlfriend's just outside, doing what we came here to do. In the meantime, my hands are, you know, tied. Lots of dumb rules when you join the afterlife, apparently."
Cloud threw the last man off of him in time for Tifa to join in and kick their knees out.
"But good job!" Zack stuck one hand on his waist and the other in a thumbs-up. "I see you've got yourself well-handled here! I'd love to stay and cheer you on, but it looks like Aerith's got Bhunivelze running for the hills. They'll want me over there."
And just like that, he vanished again. Cloud couldn't help a pang of regret that he couldn't catch up with his old friend, though it was soon interrupted by a shout from Reno, "Yeah! You don't mess with the Turks!"
Tifa rolled her eyes and had Denzel join her. The kid was a little worse for wear, but they would get him back home and safe.
Cloud didn't miss the new pole he had.
"We own the place, now!"
Cloud also didn't miss Elena and Rude stalking past him with hands full of briefcases and bags. "Tifa, we should go."
She hesitated in the middle of her fussing over Denzel's ruined clothes and bleeding wounds. "What?"
A deafening bang sounded, followed by one of the walls exploding outward. Tifa shielded Denzel with herself and Cloud moved toward the Don's unconscious body.
Tifa made for the exit and only sent Cloud a questioning look before she got Denzel and herself out.
Cloud had one last thing to take care of.
Don Corneo laid motionless on the ground, but Cloud made out the rise and fall of his chest. "It's not my decision," Cloud said, more to himself, "who lives and who dies."
Then he stuck his blade through the Don's heart and stained that white suit red. Corneo's chest stilled and he one last, rattling breath. Cloud then followed Reno outside.
"What's the point of blowing it all up?" Cloud asked on the way out. "To hide the evidence?"
"No, to send a message!" Reno kept running toward the street. "Ya don't mess with the Turks, and you especially don't try to kidnap their kids!"
"You sent Denzel in there yourself."
"So?"
They stopped when they found the rest of the group, with Tifa, Denzel, and a shaking Marlene. For a moment Cloud wondered to himself if it was cold out here and he didn't notice, but then he noticed Tseng holding up Shinra's unconscious body.
What happened here? he meant to ask, but then Denzel came barreling into Reno with a pitched cry.
