All But One

Arrival

Her jaw cracked slightly at the impact of the fist, causing her head to jerk to the side along with the rest of her body. The left side of her bruised face was searing in pain, but Tifa spat the blood to the side, and returned her piercing glare to the grinning man.

"You want to kill me, don't you?" Que'd asked, shaking off the slight pain from his hand. "You'd give anything to have me in your position, wouldn't you?"

Tifa remained silent, and ignored the line of blood that trickled from the corner of her lips. She'd been taking hits from him for almost half an hour now, and the lack of sleep and food only worsened the pains of her body.

"Tell me how much you hate me, Tifa Lockhart. Do you despise me? Do you want to murder me like you did Lillia?"

Que'd was enjoying every minute of this, torturing the shackled woman, while her emotionless fiancée watched blankly from behind. He had decided to wait until morning to move out to Cosmo Canyon, so until then, he'd have some fun with his little prisoner.

He swung hard into her stomach, causing her to gasp at the sudden pain and collapse down to her knees. Que'd quickly added another jab to the back of her neck and grinned as she fell facedown onto the hard floor.

He turned, gazing at the empty blue eyes of Cloud Strife. It was quite amusing, this whole ordeal, how he was forced to watch the woman he loved get beaten down in chains, but feel absolutely no anger or resentment towards her torturer.

"What do you think of all this?" Que'd asked him, his lips curving up at the corners.

Cloud stared back, blank-faced. "I'm not sure what you mean."

See? This was absolutely brilliant! What better way to torture a bunch of murderers than this? Que'd turned and grabbed the heavily injured Tifa by her hair, smirking as he leveled her face with his own.

"I know the anger you feel right now, Tifa Lockhart. I know the pain and the frustration of being brutally tortured, but being unable to do anything about it."

Tifa's eyelids were half-closed, her consciousness slowly fading.

"I felt the same way towards you," Que'd continued. "No, what I felt was even greater. No physical torment could even compare with what you did to me."

He shoved her face to the floor, slamming it hard and causing the rest of her body to wince slightly.

Cloud's finger twitched.

"How does that feel?!" Que'd pulled back at the knot of hair, revealing her bloodied forehead, and slammed it down again. This time, Tifa's hands balled up into fists at the pain.

"How does it feel?! How does it feel?!"

Que'd was like a little child, unleashing his rage on his helpless captive, thriving off of her pain. He shoved her backwards, and stomped the sole of his boots hard onto her chest. He kicked at her, again and again, releasing the fury and vengeance that had been welling up inside him for an eternity, wreaking havoc in a relentless rage.

Tifa curled up into a fetal position, wincing at the endless kicks and blows that shattered her body slowly but surely. It didn't matter to her if this was the end. She didn't mind dying like this, and maybe she even deserved it for what she did to this man. The pain she was feeling, however, wasn't from the physical torment. It was from Cloud.

By the time Que'd tripped over his own shoe and fell to the ground, he was panting heavily, his bandaged face drenched with sweat. Tifa was shuddering in pain, her once beautiful face now bloodied and swollen.

"Stop this."

Que'd glanced up, a bit startled at the abrupt voice of Cloud Strife.

"What did you say?"

"I said stop."

Tifa's shoulder twitched gently, her breathing was slow and frail, but she managed to move her eyes towards the blonde man in the corner.

"We need her alive. I can't allow any more of this," Cloud stated.

Que'd lowered his brows. "Do you care about this woman, Strife? Are you feeling?!"

The swordsman shook his head slowly. "What I feel doesn't matter. You're losing control, and you know we need her."

Que'd returned to his feet and walked over to the table in the center of the room, reaching out for the wooden scabbard and unsheathing the katana within. "How about I have you kill her right here and now, Strife? Since when did you tell me what to do?"

Cloud's gaze was still fixed on the fallen woman.

"Do it. You kill her. Forget the plan. Forget the Huge Materia. You kill her now and let's end it here." Que'd tossed him the katana, and Cloud caught it by the hilt.

"This isn't going to—"

"Do it, you bastard! Kill her!"

Cloud's eyes met the fading ruby ones of Tifa. Something was tugging at his heart, telling him there was something terribly wrong about this entire situation. It wasn't that he was actually feeling anything for this woman, it was just this strange uncomfortable irritation in his head, a kind of instinct or reflex. His mind registered that this woman—Tifa Lockhart—was not supposed to be in such pain. She was not supposed to be in such a bind.

"If I'm ever in a bind, you come and save me, alright?"

His grip on the hilt tightened, but Cloud didn't move. He only stared down at the unblinking gaze of the woman. He saw a single tear rolling down her swollen cheek, but it didn't make him feel any different. It didn't make him pity her.

But it was that smile.

Why was she smiling at him?

"Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to experience that at least once."

"What the hell are you doing, Strife?! Kill her!"

Cloud ignored him. He wasn't taking any orders any more. His Blindsight materia had robbed him of all his emotions. He was nothing but a shell, a humanoid machine. He had nothing. He was empty. All of it was gone.

"Promise me."

All, but one.

"Come on, just promise me!"

Cloud lifted his sword, but his gaze was focused on the dark-haired man across the room.

"Alright, I promise."

"What the hell are you—"

"I promised her," Cloud muttered.

"Kill her, god damn it!" Que'd barked, but it was futile. Cloud Strife had finally realized his one remaining emotion—the one thought that had dominated his entire mentality when the materia had been inserted into his system.

Tifa was still smiling, and despite the nasty cuts and bruises that decorated her face, there was still a faint form of beauty within her.

It wasn't his love for her that Cloud felt. No, it wasn't that. In all honesty, he felt nothing for Tifa as a person. He couldn't.

"I swear to God, Strife, if you don't kill her…"

It wasn't love.

It was fear.

"I'll fucking kill you all!" Que'd roared.

It was his fear of breaking that promise he had once made to her. Emotionless shell or not, Cloud Strife did not have it in him to allow Tifa Lockhart to die.

Que'd leapt across the room, clutching Tifa by the throat. "Drop the fucking sword, Strife. Drop it, or I'll kill her."

Cloud lowered his brow, hesitating at the threat.

"You think I'm lying, Strife?! Drop the damn sword!"

He slowly knelt down to the floor, placing the long katana on the tiled surface, and returning to his feet. Que'd quickly reached out, snatching the sword by the hilt and glaring at the traitor venomously. The damned materia had failed. Cloud was now a threat to him and his plan, and the others were potentially just as untrustworthy.

"We're leaving, Strife. You lead out. Get Rufus, Cid and Rosianna and tell the others to stay behind. We're heading out to Cosmo," he paused, tightening his hold on Tifa. "One wrong move, and she loses her fucking head. You got that?"

Cloud nodded.

-xXx-

For most of the world, it was nothing but another Sunday morning with another cycle of the sun slowly stretching out over the horizon, while the moon and stars were dismissed to their slumber. But for the son of Seto, it was a memorial day, an anniversary for the death of his beloved grandfather Bugenhagen.

Nanaki lowered his head against the tombstone, his rough mane wavering gently against the soft wind. Today marked the fourth year since the old man had passed, and Nanaki wished in his heart that he could hear the cheerful "Ho ho hoo" laughter one more time.

After whispering his prayers and saying his farewells, he turned to return to the settlement below, his home and territory, Cosmo Canyon. Bugenhagen's passing had resulted in Nanaki's succession to the leadership of his tribe, though he had asked Elders Hargo and Bugah to lead in his stead.

His paws padded gently against the rubble as he leapt down the boulders, making his way towards the village gate, where the guardsman kept watch over night.

The first thing he noticed was the smell.

The second and third things, he noticed simultaneously. For one, there was a familiar aircraft parked idly in one of the valleys below, and for another, he could hear the distant yelling of a man's voice.

Nanaki quickened his pace, his thick muscles flexing and contracting fluidly as his limbs carried him down to the level of the village. Though he could only see out of one eye, he could make out the shape of a small crowd at the base of the stairs that led up to Bugenhagen's Tower. Some of the forms looked familiar.

Still, Nanaki knew something was not right.

He dashed forward, unleashing a powerful roar to call the attention of his unwelcome guests.

Que'd jerked around, startled. His eyes widened at the sight of the red creature, as he had not known that the character named Nanaki was no human being.

"What the hell is—"

"Who are you?" Nanaki snapped, his voice cold and threatening. He noticed that Cloud, Cid, and even Rufus Shinra were standing next to this strange man, but he sensed something was not right, as his former companions didn't stop to greet his arrival. "What happened to Tifa? Why is she—"

"Are you Nanaki?" Que'd asked, clutching the injured Tifa by her arm.

"I am. Who are you, and what are you doing with—"

"Where's the Huge Materia?"

Nanaki bared his teeth. "Cloud! Cid! What's going on here?!"

Cloud lowered his brows. "Take us to the materia, Red."

"But—"

"If you don't, I'll kill her," Que'd hissed, strengthening his hold on the nearly unconscious Tifa.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. The Huge Materia has been gone for—"

"You think I'm kidding, don't you?"

Que'd held the blade level with her throat, pushing it against her skin and causing the flesh to open slightly. Nanaki glared through his one good eye. "Listen you—"

"Good God, I'm really getting sick of all this shit. Just take me to the god damn materia, and I'll let her go."

He didn't know what their intentions were, and he surely didn't know what was wrong with Cloud and the others, but Nanaki was at a loss here. Tifa appeared like she was going to die at any moment, and this stranger was threatening him with her life. The Huge Materia was something he hadn't thought about in quite a while, since their purpose was no longer necessary.

"They're in the tomb," he muttered. "I'll take you there if—"

"Cloud, you know where that is?" Que'd interrupted.

Cloud nodded.

"Good. You, me and Tifa will go together." He turned his gaze to the others. "Rosianna, make sure the aircraft is ready once I get back. Cid and Rufus, you two take care of this little…creature…we'll be back momentarily."

Nanaki watched helplessly as the trio ascended up the stone stairs.

He caught a glimpse of the spear behind Cid just in time, and leapt out of the way to miss the attack.

"Cid! What are you doing?! What's the matter—"

"Hmph!" Rufus pulled out a pair of guns from his jacket, aiming their barrels at his red target and firing relentlessly. Nanaki took a bullet to one of his hind legs, but was able to leap out of the way before receiving any further damage.

He saw the woman named Rosianna fleeing towards the village gate, but Rufus' gunshots were still firing at the boulder in front of him. By now, he had figured out that something was obstructing the thoughts of his friends, so his only chance was to somehow flee from the area.

"Nanaki! What's—"

Two gunshots sent the unfortunate villager to the ground, his body now limp and motionless. Nanaki darted out from behind the boulder, speeding past the bullets that shot towards him and dove hard into Rufus' chest, knocking the man down. He managed to swipe away one of the guns, but his injured hind leg still burned madly from the wound. He threw his weight to the left, dodging Cid's spearhead, and circled him once before leaping over another wooden crate.

Nanaki noticed that Cid's movements were uncoordinated. He couldn't help but grin at the effects of the withdrawal.

Four more gunshots blasted away at the wood, shattering it into a burst of splinters, and Nanaki was forced to move to another cover. He swung his blazing tail at the gunman, but missed, only to take two more bullets to his front leg.

This wasn't good—Nanaki was crippled.

He watched as the former ShinRa president stepped forward, raising the barrel of his gun at his head.

Bang! Bang!

Nanaki cracked his good eye open, to see that Rufus had been distracted. Oblivious to the source of that last gunfire, he dragged himself behind a large keg, and licked at his wounds.

"Hold on, Red! We're coming!"

That voice.

It sounded like Yuffie Kisaragi.

-xXx-

Seto's Tomb was as dark as it had been the last time he'd been here. Cloud placed his hand on the stone wall, brushing his palm over its cold, rough surface. He glanced over at the panting Tifa, her arms still securely shackled behind her back.

"We need to heal her wounds," he said. "She won't last long."

Que'd rolled his eyes. "And why the hell would I care about that?!"

"You have Restore materia. Give it to me."

"No. Why don't you shut the hell up and lead the way?"

Cloud glared. "Haven't you forgotten something, Venge?"

"What?"

"You came all the way in here to react your Blindsight materia."

Que'd raised his brow. "And?"

"Where's your Blindsight materia?"

Cloud grinned. The fool had left his supply with Rosianna.

"I have one in my arm. I'll give it to you if you let me treat her wounds."

Que'd scowled. "You must be out of your fucking mind! I'm not giving you anything!"

"Then how do you plan on reviving your lover?"

"I'll just go back up there and get one from—"

Cloud thrust his hand forward, clutching his throat in a firm grasp. "Give me the materia."

Que'd released his hold on Tifa and struggled to free himself from the chokehold. "Let…go—"

The grip tightened, causing his face to turn a purplish color.

"Al-Alright…I-I'll gi-give it…"

Cloud shoved him away, and Que'd began to gasp for air, clutching his burning throat and coughing violently.

"Give it to me."

With a cold glare, Que'd stepped forward, tossing the green sphere to the floor next to Tifa, and placing his hand on Cloud's arm.

"If I let you two go, you will allow Lillia and I to take the airship," he whispered.

Cloud nodded.

Que'd stared at him for a while, but his grip tightened, and finally said, "This may feel a bit…unpleasant…"

He dug his fingernails into Cloud's skin, releasing the crimson red materia from beneath his flesh, and causing Cloud to groan loudly.

"Back then I only got scraped knees—" "You fell from the roof—" "Cloud, please join us—" "I'm just kidding! I wouldn't leave you hanging like that—" "You may visit your family—" "I'm the Great Materia Hunter Yuffie—" "What?! You're only a failure—" "This mansion is the beginning of your nightmare—" "Shera! Make them some damn tea—" "Where's Mother—" "C'mon, Cloud! Together we could rebuild ShinRa—" "Don't worry, Tifa. It'll be alright—" "Oh, legendary hero, Alfred—" "I hear there are orphans living with you—" "Cloud? What do you think of me—" "We're friends…right—" "Let me have this moment…for just a little longer—" "I guess we won't be allies—" "I'm doing it for Marlene—" "Which is it going to be? A memory, or us—" "What is it that you cherish most—" "There ain't no gettin' off this train—" "Tifa Lockhart. Will you marry me—" "I will…never become a memory—"

Cloud dropped to his knees, his mind ripping apart at the internal explosion of thoughts and memories, the outburst of his emotions and mentality rushing back into his head in an excruciatingly painful shriek. Faces flashed into his mind, screams, cries and laughter ringing in his mental chamber as he relived the memories of his past. He fell to his knees, clutching his hair and pulling madly as he relived every kill, every wound and death, every fight and battle. He leaned over onto his back, shuddering as the death of Aeris replayed in his mind, the sharp blade of the Masamune impaling through her back. His hands and knees began to tremble violently. Tifa's torture triggered back into his memory, her cries of pain echoing through his cranium as she endured through every punch, kick and blow.

When Cloud opened his eyes, he found himself shivering in the dark void of Seto's tomb, his hair drenched in sweat and his hands fisted against his chest.

"Cloud. Cloud, it's okay. It's alright."

It was Tifa. Her left eye was swollen, and her face was still crisscrossed with cuts and wounds, but Cloud could only see the beautiful visage of the woman he loved, and he embraced her fully, squeezing her warm body against his own.

"I'm so sorry…" he whispered. "Tifa, I'm so sorry…"

"It's alright, Cloud. It's over now. You're back."

Hesitantly, Cloud released his hold on her, and immediately reached out for the green ball that rested on the pile of rubble.

"Do you…remember everything?" Tifa asked, wiping away at her tears.

Cloud nodded, feeling the fresh addition of the materia as it entered his system.

"Que'd's using the Blindsight materia to revive his lover," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder and allowing the healing process to initiate.

Tifa felt her cuts smoothen out as the wounds and broken skin wove back to their original state. Her swollen eye slowly diminished, revealing the natural wine color, and the disconnected joints and fractured bones healed up at an impossibly rapid pace, restoring her with a new strength.

She smiled. "Thanks."

Cloud was still speechless. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her renewed form against his chest and sighing into her hair.

"I'm so sorry."

"Oh, come on, now! What happened to the—"

Tifa's voice was broken by an unpleasant grunt that came out from one of the chambers. Cloud lowered his brow, helping Tifa back up to her feet as he scanned the darkness of the tomb. They stood frozen, peering at the passageways that led further into the forsaken place, clutching each other's hand and waiting for someone to come out from one of the exits.

"Was that Que'd?" Tifa asked, her voice alert and tense.

Cloud nodded. "It sounded like him."

They could only hear their own heavy breathing as they waited in the darkness, waiting for Que'd to come out with the woman of his past.

"Hahaha…they've come again, mother…"

But maybe Cloud already knew what was going to step out from the dark void where Que'd had entered.

"What I want, Cloud, is to sail the darkness of this cosmos with this planet as my vessel."

Maybe he knew that it wouldn't be Que'd who came out.

"…just as my mother did long ago."

Maybe he had known all along.

"I will…"

Nevertheless, Cloud held his breath as the silver-haired man stepped out from the darkness, wielding the katana that had once belonged to Zangan.

"…never become a memory."