Author's Note: Thanks for reviewing, here is your reward. ;)

Didn't mean to be a bitch, I was just sick of my efforts feeling wasted. Hopefully you understand, notice that I kept my word and posted after you reviewed!

I don't enjoy threatening my readers into reviewing but it was beginning to feel necessary as the 'Please R&R!' at the end of each chapter (except for the first couple chapters because I didn't quite understand the purpose of Author's Notes) was having no affect.

Btw-you're all probably going to hate me after you read this chapter, if you didn't hate me already.

Reno and Rude followed Gareth into an abandoned warehouse in sector seven that they had purposefully been avoiding in their search, it was so likely a hiding place that they had been almost afraid to look there. Gareth shoved open a broken door, EMR drawn and his face stony. Reno and Rude prepared themselves before entering, Reno drawing out his EMR, Rude cracking his knuckles and pulling his gun out of a holster inside his jacket. They shared a cautious glance and nod before following Gareth inside.

Matt, Nasira, Ellie, Jareth, Tseng, Brandon, and a small cluster of people Reno didn't know were gathered in a loose circle in the middle of the warehouse. Reno quickly took up position beside Gareth, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he prepared himself for the inevitable fight. Tseng was calmly trying to talk sense into his former employees and their comrades, "This is pointless! Must we kill each other? Can't you cooperate?"

Nasira laughed, "I told you if any of you came to get us I'd take you down. Ellie and Jareth came along for the ride and are just as willing to die to protect Matt as I am." Nasira placed her hands on Matt's shoulders as she spoke, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

Matt had never looked worse. The large man was coated in half-healed surgical incisions, small bits of metal poking out of his skin and a materia glow warm in his eyes. His right arm was missing and in its place was a poorly constructed prosthetic with a gun held loosely at the end, his thin metal fingers clutching it almost feebly. Reno was tempted to look away, unable to imagine the horrors Hojo had put his now enemy under, "Good to see you're alive Matt."

"If Tseng had had his way I wouldn't be." Matt growled, his voice gravely and rough.

"I never wanted this to happen to you Matt." Tseng shook his head in protest, "There wasn't anything I could do to stop them. Believe me I tri-"

"Don't give me that shit Tseng! You were against coming to my rescue! You would've let Hojo kill me or worse." Matt snarled, his prosthetic fingers twitching on the trigger of his gun.

Tseng's hand tensed on his own gun, "If you all return to Shinra no one will have to die tonight."

"Go back to that hell hole?" Nasira sneered, "I almost lost Matt once because of that place. Never again. Shinra wouldn't allow us to marry because we were coworkers." Nasira held up her hand, a small ring glinting on her finger in the dim light of the warehouse, "He's my husband now and till death do we part!"

"Congrats." Reno snorted, "You got married, but now you're gonna throw your lives away trying to take out your friends?"

"You aren't our friend." Jareth snarled, glaring at Reno and raising his gun, "You never were, you were a coworker and a shitty one at that."

Gareth moved to stand in front of Reno, trying to speak reason as the situation threatened to spiral out of control, "How about your new friends? Are you sure they're as willing to die as you are?"

"Avalanche is determined to rid the planet of you Shinra scum!" One of the gang members spat on the floor near Tseng's feet, "Either join us or forfeit your lives here!"

Tseng chuckled, "Our lives were forfeit before we ever walked in."

Matt tensed, "You can still join us Tseng. All of you can. You don't have to die like this."

"Yes we do." Tseng smiled patronizingly, "You remember the talk Veld gave each of us the day we signed the contract? 'You never leave Shinra, ever. If you do manage to escape then all records that you ever existed are erased to save the company the embarrassment and you're still hunted down. Those who manage to get away never truly get away.'" Tseng chuckled, "Even if you do manage to evade Shinra for a while, you'll never truly escape. You can't even leave Midgar now. As for your concern for our lives, I have no intention of dying tonight."

"So you won't join up with us?" Ellie asked nervously, her hand tensing on the long katana she held.

"I can't speak for them, but I'm not going to take sides against my employer." Tseng held his head high as he spoke and Ellie quailed under his gaze, obviously unsure of her decision now that the time for their 'showdown' had come. Tseng looked over at his remaining loyal Turks, "Any of you want to change sides?"

Brandon shook his head, holding a katana in one hand and a gun in the other, "I'll pass. Cissnei would hate me if I let them kill you."

Rude snorted in amusement and cocked his gun, raising it to shoulder height, "I'd rather fight all of them than you two."

Gareth chuckled, "I agree with that Rude." He held his EMR up and flicked on the power, an evil smile crossing his lips as it crackled into life.

Reno grinned, "My friends are over here, right Jareth? What's the point of changing sides yo?" His own EMR sparkled maliciously in the half-light of the warehouse.

"Seems we've reached an agreement then." Tseng chuckled, drawing out his gun and quickly emptying his clip with precise aim into the Avalanche members nearest himself.

Brandon leapt into action immediately, following Tseng's example and shooting at the gang members first to take out the distracting threat as he swung his sword up to meet Ellie's half-hearted attack. Rude dodged bullets and fired his own, aiming for Jareth as the brunette shot at him from behind a large crate. Gareth winked at Reno and launched himself forward, attacking Matt full force, his EMR zapping the metal prosthetic limb and knocking the gun from it's grasp. Reno ducked nimbly as Nasira threw a punch to his head, placing his EMR under her arm as it flew over his head. She brought her elbow down on his head as her arm jerked under the electric current. Reno dodged her leg as she tried to kick his knees out from under him and swung at her again with his EMR. She dodged the blow and threw her own, putting Reno on the defensive as she attacked him with her fists and feet. He danced around her, only throwing punches when he thought he could land them.

Rude fired quickly, emptying round after round into the crate Jareth was hiding behind, running only when the space he was shooting from was encroached by Ellie and Brandon's frenzied slashes and gunfire. He took careful aim as his former lover peered out from behind the crate, shooting when he saw the tip of a gun peak over the top. Jareth ducked immediately and tried to run for another crate but Rude's gunfire cut him off, trapping him behind the large wooden box. Rude ran between the individual battles his teammates were having, Reno and Nasira half-dancing, half fighting, Gareth and Matt brutally exchanging blows, Matt using his prosthetic arm like a large metal claw, Ellie and Brandon slicing the air with swords and bullets, Tseng and the members of Avalanche exchanging bullets, Avalanche members dropping like flies under Tseng's steady fire. Rude stopped when a small shower of bullets blocked his path. He threw himself to the ground and rolled behind a set of stairs, the solid wall of railing protecting him from harm as bullets flew at him. He crawled up the stairs as fast as he could, grinning as Jareth continued to fire at the spot he had initially thrown himself behind. He reached the upper floor of the building and shot the Avalanche members hiding there, none of them getting a chance to even register his presence. Rude ran towards a large hole in the second floor and peered down at the scene below him. Jareth was still unloading bullets into the staircase where he had taken cover and was directly below his new hiding place. He scowled and aimed at his former lover, pulling the trigger before he could think twice. The bullet hit Jareth in the side of the head, bits of blood and skull peppering the crate he had been hiding behind. Rude snorted as he watched Jareth's limp form slide to the ground, "Dumb coward."

Reno panted heavily as Nasira lunged for him again, her shirt still smoking from its prolonged contact with his EMR. His lungs screamed for air as he threw all his leftover strength into an attack, grinning with satisfaction as the electrical currents flowing through her body momentarily stopped her violent onslaught. He increased the voltage in his EMR, squinting as the light burned his retinas and her skin. She screamed and he removed his weapon, letting her fall to the floor in a heap. He turned to dodge a bullet that cut through the air towards him and Nasira kicked his legs out from under him with a sneer. He fell with a thud, his EMR flying from his hand and clattering to the ground a few feet away from him. Nasira straddled him and grabbed his shirt, punching him in the face violently as he tried to squirm out from under her. His vision began to blur as blood seeped into his eyes and he struggled harder, punching back as her fist collided with his face. Suddenly her attacks stopped as a stray bullet tore through her chest and she slumped forward, landing on him in a singed and bloody heap. He pushed her off and quickly got to his feet, lunging for his EMR. He spun around once it was in his hand, looking for a new competitor in their battle for their lives. He saw Rude sprinting down the stairs and nodded to him, running forward to make sure he was alright.

Suddenly the building shook violently and fire engulfed the middle of the room as a deafening bang sliced through the air. Reno screamed and threw his hands over his face, pushing Rude to the side as he did. Rude grabbed his jacket and dragged them both to the ground behind the stairwell wall as fire rushed over their heads. Once the initial blast was over Reno staggered to his feet, pulling Rude up with him. They started to run for the exit of the building when another earsplitting bang shook the building. Reno threw himself to the floor and Rude landed on top of him with a pained cry. Rude rolled to his side with a pained grunt and Reno sat up, looking at his friend with concern. Rude clutched his leg and hissed with pain, hands around a long metal bar that had gouged through the flesh and bone of his calf. Reno paled and pulled Rude upright, careful not to jar the long metal projectile that had split Rude's leg and supported his weight as he dragged his injured friend to the exit. He could see bodies writhing in the flames and his heart raced with fear as he watched, hoping that Gareth, Tseng, and Brandon would stagger out of the flames. He pulled Rude out of the building panting and afraid, eyes wide with shock as he surveyed the damage around them. The fight had started in the building, but whatever had caused the blasts inside it had sent fiery chunks of wall and ceiling through the surrounding buildings, punching large holes in some and leveling others. Reno dragged Rude across the street, leaning him against one of the less dilapidated buildings. He turned and scanned the warehouse for any sign of Gareth or Tseng, his pulse getting faster by the second when he didn't see any signs of life among the dancing flames. His heart stopped as he saw a lopsided figure stagger out of the building. He ran forward, heedless to his own injuries as he hoped against all hope that shadowy form belonged to Gareth.

As he drew closer to the building the bright and cheerful flames illuminated his injured lover being dragged down the street by Tseng, both looking worse for wear. Reno grabbed Gareth and helped Tseng pull him down the street, his concern turning into outright fear as he noticed the blossoming blood spreading across Gareth's chest. "Set him down set him down!" Reno commanded as they reached the spot where Rude lay, hands clamped around his leg and his face screwed up in pain. Tseng complied and laid Gareth down on the ground gently. "Gareth?" Reno asked tentatively, hoisting Gareth's torso into his arms and pulling his body into his lap.

"Red?" Gareth coughed, blood pouring out the side of his mouth, "I took a bad hit red. Bullets hurt like hell." He weakly placed his hand over his chest where blood was steadily flowing out of a large hole there.

"You'll be okay I promise! We'll get you to the hospital and everything will be alright!" Reno placed his hand on top of Gareth's as hot ash floated over them like black snow.

"I don't think it's gonna work that way red." Gareth shook his head, blood still leaking from his lips. "Loosing to much blood. A hospital isn't going to help me now, only a miracle can."

"You can't die on me Gareth!" Reno shook his head in disbelief, holding Gareth closer. The body that had warmed his bed the night before beginning to grow cold in his arms, despite the fires heat surrounding them.

"I think I have to die red." Gareth reached a blood soaked hand up to stroke Reno's cheek, "You'll be okay, I promise."

"Not without you!" Reno felt tears cut burning paths down his cheeks as he watched the life begin to ebb from Gareth's eyes. "You have to stay! You can't die!"

Gareth pulled Reno towards him, bloody lips meeting burnt ones in a passionate and desperate kiss. Reno closed his eyes and kissed Gareth for all he was worth, trying to force every last ounce of passion and love into the embrace, willing Gareth's soul to stay longer. He felt Gareth's lips begin to fade beneath his own and pulled away, "Please don't go."

Gareth smiled as his form began to fade, "I'm not leaving forever red, you'll see me again." Gareth gave a shuddering smile and looked over his shoulder at Rude, "You better take care of him baldy, or I'll haunt your ass."

Reno gave a strangled sob, "Please Gareth! I love you! You've gotta stay!"

Gareth began to dematerialize in his arms, his eyes clouding over with pain and tears, his voice shaking, "I love you Reno."

Reno kissed Gareth's fading lips one last time before his lover burst in a shower of green sparks that floated gently towards the sky, leaving Reno behind crouched on the ground, his arms holding only air and his pain-filled heart-broken cries loud enough to drown out the monstrous roar of the fiery building crashing to a burning heap behind him.

Author's Note: *dodges bullets as angry readers try to shoot her for killing off most all of the characters*

At least all the OC's are gone! Come on! Don't get mad, get glad! I knew they were all gonna die when I created them okay? It's best not to get attached to any OC's I write!

There's a bright side to every tragedy....okay, maybe not this one.

I cried while writing this chapter and I truly hate myself for getting Reno so upset and hurt, but it had to be done.

You'll see why it had to be done later.

R&R.