Chapter Two: The Living Dead

"No!" Elena cried, nearly collapsing until Rude reached out to steady her with strong arms. He gently pushed her back against the wall before rushing forward, leaving her staring in horror as her mind fought to digest the terrible scene before her.

Tseng was tucked so far into the corner that they would have missed him without the aid of the flashlight. He was slumped against the stone wall in a partially seated position, his long legs stretched out in front of him. His chin had dropped forward onto his chest and his eyes were closed, and he almost looked as if he'd simply fallen asleep. There was an enormous pool of blood expanding out from beneath his body, however, and his white shirt was badly torn to reveal a long, diagonal gash that ran from just below his left shoulder nearly to his waist. His left hand rested at the center of the wound, as if he'd tried in vain to stem the bleeding while his life force flowed between his fingers. His PHS sat beside him in the blood, and his gun was still in its holster as if he'd never had the chance to try to defend himself.

"Aww man," Reno said quietly, a slight tremble in his voice. When he turned his back away from the sight and hung his head, Elena saw tears in his blue eyes. They had already begun to fall from her own, sliding down her cheeks as she leaned against the wall for support. A cold sweat broke across her skin as she struggled to take each new breath. The room began to spin, and she dug her nails into the stone until several broke to the quick.

This couldn't be happening. Tseng couldn't be dead. He was far too important to the Turks… and to her. Who would continue her training with such experience and patience? Who would protect her from Reno's taunts when he got carried away? Who else would she ever find that affected her the way he did…? He was her rock, her idol, someone she looked up to and admired more than anyone else in her life. She raised a shaking hand to her forehead, her vision growing dim as she struggled not to faint.

"He's still alive!" she heard Rude's voice call out, his words echoing across the chamber as if from a great distance. They didn't register at first through her haze of grief, and she watched as if separated from her body as Reno spun around and raced to his partner's side.

"He's got a pulse, but it's really weak," Rude continued, kneeling in the blood and carefully looking him over as Reno shone the light upon his body. Elena stared at them as they examined Tseng, frozen in place and trembling from head to foot. He was alive…? Tseng was a strong man, but how could anyone survive with so much of their blood spilled upon the floor?

"He… he's not dead…?" she asked, her voice shaking as she slowly crept forward on unsteady legs.

"No, but he's close," Reno answered, his PHS in hand. "He's hurt really bad. Come hold the light so I can call for an emergency evac!"

Elena obeyed without thinking, still feeling disconnected from her body as her emotions raged, racing from horrified to relieved and back again. He was still alive, but she knew it might not be for much longer. They were still too late… She accepted the flashlight with a shaking hand, the beam dancing unevenly on the floor beside Tseng's body. She couldn't bear to look down at him, biting her lip as the tears continued to fall.

"Hold it steady, I need to see what I'm doing," Rude snapped, though his tone was more tense and focused than unkind. He was in the process of opening the first aid kit he'd brought along, though he already seemed to know its limited contents were woefully inadequate. Elena struggled to concentrate on directing the flashlight over the medical bag, watching as Rude removed a vial of liquid and a syringe.

In the background, Reno was speaking with someone back at Junon Harbor, demanding that a helicopter equipped for medical emergencies be sent to their location immediately. He repeatedly swore at whoever he was speaking to, gruffly informing them of just who it was that needed assistance and how gravely injured he was.

Rude carefully measured out a large amount of a clear liquid into the syringe, then expertly filled a second one with a different medication. When he had them ready, he reached up and nudged Elena's arm so that the flashlight was centered on Tseng's body. She barely noticed, her eyes immediately drawn to the site of his injury for the first time. If she hadn't already been in such a state of shock, she would have turned and fled. The long gash was extremely deep at the center, the skin on either side torn away and hanging loose along the edges. She could see through a thin layer of fat to the muscle beneath, which had also been neatly sliced through by something very sharp. There was so much blood pooled in the area that it was difficult to see much else, but she knew there were things exposed to the air that should not have been. When she saw the white of his rib cage as he took a slow, shallow breath, she finally managed to tear her eyes away. She knew she'd be having nightmares of that moment for the rest of her life.

"Going to try to raise his blood pressure and hope it doesn't start the bleeding again. He's lucky it stopped when it did, because he can't afford to lose any more," Rude said as he carefully slipped Tseng's left arm out of his suit jacket and used the tear in his shirt to slide the garment away from his muscular upper arm. He quickly injected the first medication, then picked up the second as Reno ended his call and came to hover over his partner's shoulder. Elena was gripping the flashlight so hard that her hand soon went numb, trying to keep her eyes focused on the wall behind Tseng.

"And I don't care if I'm supposed to or not, I'm giving him some pain relief," Rude said as he performed the second injection, his voice choked with emotion. As he did so, Tseng's limp arm suddenly tensed, and when Elena dared look at him she saw that his expression had changed. Instead of the blankness of one lost deep in slumber, he was frowning, his features pinched with pain.

"I- I think he felt that," she whispered. Reno moved around behind her to kneel across from Rude, picking up Tseng's blood-soaked right hand and gripping it tightly.

"That's a good sign," Rude said, pausing to study their leader for a moment. "He's still in there fighting…"

"Hey, boss?" Reno asked hopefully, his tearful expression making him appear young and vulnerable. "Are you with us?"

There was no reaction, though Tseng's expression finally relaxed again. Rude shook his head and began digging through the first aid kit with frustration, realizing there was nothing more he could do. The bandages and stitching instruments he had available would do nothing for such a gaping wound, especially when there were obvious internal injuries. Rude held up Tseng's wrist and checked his pulse again as Elena maintained her position, feeling useless and alone. She desperately hoped she was having a nightmare and would soon awaken.

"His pulse is a bit better," Rude said to Reno across Tseng's still form, but when their eyes met Elena saw the unspoken words pass between them. Rude didn't expect Tseng to live, and neither did his partner.

"There's nothing else you can do?!" Elena demanded, her voice a high-pitched squeak that emphasized her youth. "We can't just let him… let him…!"

"If there was anything else I could do, don't you think I would already be doing it?!" Reno shouted, turning toward her with fire in his tearful blue eyes. "You're not the only one who cares about him, you know!"

"Reno," Rude gently scolded, shaking his head and sighing heavily. "That's not going to help anything. Please don't."

"You don't have to be so mean all the time!" Elena yelled back, ignoring Rude's plea as she glared down at Reno.

"I wouldn't have to be if you'd just grow up and act like a-" Reno paused in mid-sentence, quickly jerking his head back in Tseng's direction. Reno's eyes widened as he stared down at his boss' face, but Elena didn't notice anything different. Her arm had begun to burn and she could no longer feel her hand, but she continued to aim the flashlight at Tseng's body. No one had told her to stop, and it gave her something easier to worry about.

"What?" she asked, her heart beginning to race all over again as their argument was forgotten.

"I thought I felt him squeeze my hand," Reno said quietly. "It wasn't much, but- Yeah, see! He did it again!"

"Probably just a muscle spasm," Rude said flatly, as if he had already lost hope and wasn't about to let himself be fooled. "I really don't think he's going to…"

He trailed off in surprise as Tseng suddenly frowned again. A moment later, his mouth began to move ever so slightly, as if he was talking in his sleep. Reno leaned in closer, still gripping his hand and studying his face with renewed hope. "What's that, boss?" he asked, tilting his head. "Did you say something?"

There was a long pause, all three of them staring at him expectantly and holding their collective breath. Finally, Tseng mumbled something that was little more than gibberish to her ears. Elena shook her head sadly, unable to avoid letting a few more tears escape and slip down her cheeks.

"He's delirious," she said softly. It had been foolish to think he might actually be regaining consciousness in his condition.

"No, he's Wutaiin," Reno said with a snort. "And he's speaking it."

"Oh… right."

Elena blushed fiercely, feeling even stupider than Reno usually made her out to be. It made sense that Tseng would switch to Wutaiin when not fully aware. Though he spoke near flawless Universal and had a larger vocabulary than most, she'd known from his lingering accent that it was not his first language. He seemed to try very hard to minimize it, his pronunciation careful and concise, but there were some words he never quite managed. Being from a small town, she had never met anyone from his country before, wishing yet again that her life hadn't been so sheltered. Perhaps that was part of her early fascination with him... Along with his smooth, calm voice, Elena had immediately found his accent mesmerizing, and she could happily sit through even the most boring staff meetings just to listen to him talk. She would have given anything for him to wake up and speak to them, fearing his voice was something that would soon be relegated to her memory.

Tseng repeated his words a moment later, and though his eyes remained closed his voice was a bit stronger. Rude frowned, closing his eyes in thought for a moment before offering his companions a puzzled shrug.

"I got 'sleep' and something about a light? Sorry, I only know a little."

"More than I do," Reno said. "I learned a few curses and the word for 'foolish' while he was training me, and that's about the extent other than what's on a take-out menu."

"How long for the chopper?" Rude asked, trying to keep busy packing up the contents of the first aid kit. Reno finally reached up with his free hand and relieved Elena of the flashlight, setting it on the ground beside them still aimed in Tseng's direction. She flexed her fingers as the pins and needles raced through her hand, glad for the physical pain to replace the ache in her soul.

"They said half an hour. I told them it better be twenty minutes or I'm going to shoot them all when we get back."

The three lapsed into silence, and Elena began to pace back and force behind her teammates. If she didn't do something, she feared she would go mad. She was helpless to do a thing for Tseng, and all she could think about was how terrified she was of losing him. What had started as a girlish crush had steadily grown deeper and more complicated over the past few months, and she realized with a nervous flutter in her chest that she wasn't sure she knew how to go on without him. She realized he would never feel the same way about her… he simply couldn't. He was older, so serious and detached from the things most people seemed obsessed with… and he was her boss. If he was interested in matters of the heart at all, it would never be with her, no matter how much he seemed to want to keep her with him for whatever his reasons. Though she spent many nights lying in bed wishing it could be different, all that mattered now was that he remain in her life at all.

After what felt like ages, she forced herself to stop pacing, not wanting to look like an overly emotional rookie yet again. Maybe if Reno and Rude knew how she felt for Tseng, they would understand… Then again, she doubted they would take her seriously, mocking her as a stupid young girl with an infatuation for someone she couldn't have. They had known Tseng far longer than she, and had the privilege of socializing with him outside of work on occasion. She knew they cared about him, too. The Turks were a family, a tight-knit group she longed to be a more accepted part of. When one of their own was in trouble, everyone suffered. Reno still looked tearful, something she would have thought him incapable of, and even the stoic Rude was visibly shaken as he tried to keep busy.

She found herself studying Tseng's face again, careful not to look at the horrific wound below. He was such an exotically handsome man, and the fact that he seemed oblivious to it only made him more attractive. She had seen countless women flirt with him, but he never even reacted. He was often the talk of the secretaries in the office, who felt as if they could share their gossip with Elena because while she was a Turk, she was also a woman… a fact that made her one of 'them' as well. Elena knew that Tseng was single and had never been married, yet according to various female office staff he'd also never been spotted after hours with a member of the opposite sex. Elena's face flamed crimson during such discussions, and she always beat a hasty retreat before someone asked the wrong question and began to suspect that she was much more than another casual admirer. If anyone learned how much she cared about him, she knew she was finished. She needed this job, lived for it… and the alternative of having to crawl back home in shame was too awful to contemplate.

As Reno and Rude remained on either side of Tseng, taking turns speaking quietly to him and offering whatever comfort they could, Elena felt very much alone. She'd been a third wheel while they awaited orders in Wutai, a spare tire Reno made clear was not wanted or needed. How she wished Tseng had not ordered her to remain behind, or at least explained why. He always made her feel like an important part of the team, and she loved being taken along with him on assignments. It didn't matter if it was because of her inexperience and continuing training. He treated her as he would a real partner, though he was quick to correct her mistakes and constantly teaching her as they worked. Elena found she almost didn't want her training period to end… Once it did, she'd likely never get to work with him again, and the thought was extremely difficult to accept. He'd move on to the next rookie in need of his attention, and she'd become just another Turk under his command. Now, none of that mattered unless a miracle occurred. She would gladly give up any future time with him if only he survived.

She was so lost in thought that she almost didn't notice when Tseng's eyelids began to flutter beneath his long, dark lashes. She gasped, briefly doubting what she'd seen until he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked, his eyelids so heavy that he visibly struggled to keep them open. Reno grinned and gripped his hand more tightly, and Rude's tense expression changed to amazement.

"Welcome back, sir," Reno said, trying to sound as if nothing was wrong.

Tseng groaned, his face contorting in agony. Rude reached into the first aid kit and prepared another dose of pain medication, and Elena prayed that his specialized training in first aid meant he actually knew what he was doing. Tseng winced as Rude injected him, his dark eyes shifting in the big man's direction as he fought to focus his vision.

"Thank you," he whispered, coherent enough to realize what was happening. He took a shaky breath a moment later, an alarming rattle in his chest audible even from where Elena stood a few feet away. There was blood in his lungs, she realized, though the injection seemed to have already eased some of his pain.

"Try and stay awake, all right?" Rude said with a nod, again checking his pulse. "There's a helicopter on the way. I'm sorry I can't do more for you here…" Elena saw him swallow hard and avert his eyes, overcome by a rare display of emotion.

"What the hell happened to you?" Reno asked with genuine concern, though he was also doing his job. Keeping their injured boss awake might determine whether he lived or lapsed into a permanent coma, but he was also still acting like a Turk. He needed to learn the information while they had the opportunity, in case Tseng lost consciousness again… or worse.

"A man… after the materia," he said, each quiet word a struggle. He was still in so much pain, and having increasing difficulty breathing. His words were slow and difficult to hear, his accent much heavier than usual. "Out of… nowhere… with a sword…"

"From Avalanche?" Reno asked, clutching his boss' hand between both of his. Both he and Rude were covered in Tseng's blood, but neither seemed to care.

"No…" He'd spoken the word in Wutaiin, but even Reno seemed to understand. "Unknown… by himself…"

Tseng began to shiver violently, and Reno quickly removed his suit jacket and draped it across his torso. It seemed to help a bit, and he closed his eyes with a quiet moan. Elena was afraid he had passed out again until he struggled to open them a moment later. His smooth complexion was incredibly pale, and his lips were beginning to take on an alarming shade of blue. Just how much blood was on the floor around him, Elena wondered, and how much more could he stand to lose before his body failed? Tseng suddenly looked from Reno to Rude and back again, his eyes darting wildly between them as an expression of worry crossed his face.

"Where is… Elena?"

Her heart skipped a beat as he spoke her name, but she found herself paralyzed and unable to find her voice. Even in his condition, he was thinking of her. She was sure it was only because she was his responsibility, and he had ordered her to remain with Reno and Rude but did not see her in the room. Even so, she was deeply moved.

"Right there, boss," Reno said, pointing toward her with an expression of what might have been mild annoyance. "I kept an eye on her just like you asked me to."

Elena would have glared at him and protested under normal circumstances. How dare he act as if he'd done anything but drink and goof off in Wutai until they'd received Tseng's message! He hadn't even been willing to try and stop Avalanche, and now he was acting as if he'd been a competent leader all along. He had managed to get them to the temple in record time, however, so she bit down on her anger and said nothing. Now was not the time.

"Elena…?"

Her heart leaped into her throat when he softly called her name. She had always loved the way he pronounced it, and to hear him ask for her now warmed her inside despite the chill in the ancient chamber. She swallowed nervously, taking a few steps forward until he was able to see her. She forced a smile she didn't feel, fresh tears already burning her eyes.

"Yes, sir?"

"Come… here…"

Reno got to his feet and moved a few feet away to rest against the wall, gesturing for Elena to take his place at Tseng's side. She stood unmoving for long moments, building up her nerve before managing to approach him and kneel down beside him. The tears began to fall as she met his tired eyes, and she was shocked speechless when he struggled to lift his arm toward her. She shyly reached out and took a hold of his hand, alarmed by how cold it was. The rush she normally would have felt at the contact was absent, and for a moment he seemed content and closed his eyes. Rude stood and walked over to Reno, as if he felt uncomfortable intruding upon the moment. Elena used her other hand to gently stroke the back of Tseng's, wondering why he had wanted her at his side.

"You're going to be all right," she told him softly, terrified that she was lying to him. "I'm not done my training yet, and who else would put up with me?"

A weak smile played upon his lips, and he opened his eyes again and gazed up into hers. "I… need to tell you something…" The words were barely audible, but the effect on her was powerful and instant. A jolt of emotion ran through her as her eyes locked with his. She couldn't look away, her heart pounding in her chest as he weakly gripped her hand.

"What is it?" she whispered, her voice trembling. She felt as if he was looking into her soul, frightened that he could see exactly how she felt about him but unable to turn away. It was the same unguarded intensity she'd seen in those dark eyes that sometimes gave her hope that maybe…

"I can't… die without telling you. I…"

"NO! You aren't going to die!" she exclaimed, his words tearing through her rising hope and slamming her back to reality. "You can tell me when you're better!" She yanked her hand out of his and jumped to her feet, choking back a gut wrenching sob and hastily retreating across the room.

"Yeah, great!" Reno snarled at her, hurrying back to Tseng's side as he began to mumble to himself in Wutaiin again, his eyes already closed. "Go ahead and upset him, Elena. Real smart!"

She barely heard him as she covered her face with both hands, weeping miserably and shivering from the cold that had spread throughout her body. The thought of what he might have wanted to say was completely drowned out by the fear that he already knew was going to die. That he realized how dire his situation was made it so much more real to her… He was always so strong and steady, and nothing ever seemed to upset him. Now he could barely speak, and fully expected these moments to be his last. As guilty as she felt for running away when he needed her most, and as much as she longed to know what he wanted to say, she simply couldn't bare to hear what might be his last words.

As she continued to cry, her emotions so strong that she was forced to double over and vomit, there was a sudden tremor in the ground beneath her feet. A distant rumble reached her ears, and she felt the wall she leaned against begin to tremble. Reno and Rude felt it too, already looking around in alarm when she turned to face them. Tseng's eyes were still closed, though when a second, much stronger tremor rocked the chamber they fluttered open for just a moment.

"What…?" he asked, confusion written across his face.

"I don't know!" Reno said, bracing himself as the entire room suddenly began to shake. This time, the tremors didn't stop, growing more powerful by the second. Chunks of dirt and stone began to fall from the ceiling, and both he and Rude attempted to shield Tseng from the debris with their bodies. "Feels like an earthquake!"

The rumbling sound grew louder, reminding Elena of the rush of waves breaking toward shore in a storm. She was thrown into the wall behind her, a sharp bolt of pain running down her arm as her shoulder took the brunt of the impact. Reno was knocked onto his rear and struggling to regain his footing, while Rude had thrown his massive body atop Tseng's to protect him.

"We need to get out of here!" Elena shouted, as larger pieces of the ceiling began to crash to the ground. When she looked across the room, she saw that deep cracks had begun to form in the support beams of the ancient structure. "This place is going to collapse!"

"Fuck!" Reno exclaimed, climbing to his feet and looking around with wild eyes. "I think you're right!"

"Moving him might kill him, but we don't have a choice!" Rude shouted over the deafening roar, struggling into a squatting position and carefully slipping his arms beneath Tseng's head and legs. "I've got him… Go!"

Elena hesitated for a moment, afraid Rude would not be able to make it out while carrying Tseng. Rude was a very large, solid man, but Tseng was tall and well-built, dead weight in his condition. She watched as Rude struggled to his feet with their boss in his arms, a large chunk of ceiling just narrowly missing Reno as they began to cross the room.

"Run!" Reno shouted at her, and Elena finally turned and raced for the door. She could only pray that the others were right behind her as she pulled it open and stumbled outside into the light.

((Author's Notes: I'm enjoying writing this entirely too much… It was actually even fun to go back and research the overlapping chapters of Irony of Fate after so long. I had to be sure to describe things the same way, get the timing right between Avalanche arriving, finding Tseng, and descending into the Temple and the Turks showing up (still clueless our rebels were ever there ;), checking to see where Tseng was in the room, etc. Avalanche is in the basement as the temple starts coming down, having just made Jenova retreat, and they have Cloud and Seph out cold, hehe. Details, details. I'm enjoying going 'back in time' as it were and tying in all these things. It's a chance to work with my original AU plotline again, and also with things I already wrote that happen in the future. Entirely too much fun, and I also have a strong emotional attachment to this story. Anyway… Thanks! There will be another update before long. ~ JenesisX ))