The kids were getting a bit tired of being moved around from one place to another when Tifa and Aerith arrived to take them home. However, because they were in such a good mood, Marlene was more relieved. They had won a big battle, and now Midgar was free. Denzel said he was never worried, and had known Cloud would win the whole time. On the way home, she heard the sounds of people celebrating throughout the city, and saw lots of happy people running by. Seeing this, Marlene began to feel happy too. No one was worried or scared anymore, and that made her feel more at ease herself.

It was about an hour before dinner when they arrived at home, but Tifa said they'd eat later, once it was time for Marlene's party. The kids were left to go upstairs and play for a little while. However, after only five minutes alone, Azure said he had to go out for a little while. He begged them both to cover for him. Neither Marlene nor Denzel understood why, but nevertheless they did as he wanted. He didn't go out through the downstairs either. He slid down the drain pipe outside their window instead.

It was four hours before he came back. It grew steadily darker and Tifa went up to check on them once in a while. Each time, they had to lie and say that Azure was in the bathroom or something along those lines. As time went on, the two kids began to grow worried. They feared that something had happened to their friend. The time for the party grew closer and closer, and still he didn't return. Finally, only a mere three minutes before Tifa checked on them again, Azure climbed through the window and into the room. Marlene was going to ask what he was doing, but she never got the chance. Tifa entered, and told the two boys to come help her for a moment. They left soon after, leaving Marlene alone for a short while.

After about fifteen minutes, Tifa came in and told Marlene to come down. When she did, she was amazed. The living room (which was now acting as the dining area with the bar damaged) was covered with multi-colored paper decorations. All sort of favors and trimmings were hanging from the ceiling and the walls. The dining table was covered with a colorful tablecloth, and everyone in the room was wearing a little cone hat that had been decorated as well. Not only that, but everyone was there. Not just Denzel, Azure, Tifa, and Cloud, but Aerith, Ragnar, and her dad. Everyone sang happy birthday as she came in, and a large birthday cake was already lit and waiting for her to blow it out. Marlene was overjoyed.

It was a fun few hours. Tifa put the cake away after Marlene blew it out, and served dinner first for everyone. After that, however, they brought the cake back out, and had it with ice cream. It was great. Marlene loved it when Tifa baked cakes. Her dad always bought ones, and they never tasted as good. After that, Marlene got her presents. She liked everything she received, but she especially liked Denzel and Azure's presents. Both of them had decorated their cards, and had slips of paper representing chores they would do for her. Denzel had included a paper crane in his in Marlene's favorite color. It was a very happy time.

The adults gradually started to sit down and talk with each other, while Marlene went off with Azure and Denzel to play with a new board game she had received. The whole time, she couldn't help but notice that Azure looked nervous and anxious. She didn't know why, but he seemed impatient for everything to end for the night. The adults, however, showed no sign of leaving. They were talking about the battle they had been in. As it grew late and the three children grew tired, they were sent to bed. The adults were still talking when they went up. Marlene had a lot of fun, but she had also had a lot of excitement, and she fell asleep fairly quickly.

It was much later in the night when she felt someone lightly push her. At first, it was only in her dreams, and she imagined it was happening. But then, reality began to flow back in, and she realized someone was pushing her, trying to get her up. She soon heard a voice with it.

"Marlene… Marlene, wake up." It whispered.

The girl winced once, but then opened her eyes. She felt sleepy and sluggish, but she managed to turn and look around her. The room was dark. The noise from downstairs had quit, and the light around the doorway had disappeared. That meant everyone else had gone to bed. She couldn't see much in the room, but the window allowed some light from outside in, and so she could turn to see who was waking her.

She soon recognized Azure, in his t-shirt and boxer shorts, standing over her.

"…Azure?" Marlene called out, whispering as well. She raised a hand to her eyes and rubbed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Azure answered. "But get up. I have to show you something, but it's out in the alley."

Marlene didn't understand what was wrong, but she trusted her friend. She was tired, but she managed to get up and out of bed. Azure took her arm and kept pulling her, trying to urge her on to get moving. Although she was still sleepy and a bit wobbly, she walked over to the closet and slipped on her shoes. They moved quietly while she did so. Denzel never woke up. Once she was ready, Azure went to their door and slowly opened it, so as to minimize the creaking. It still made quite a noise, but it didn't cause any problem. Soon it was open, and Azure began to lead her out and into the darkness.

The boy silently took Marlene downstairs. After that, he turned and led her through the bar-in-progress and to the kitchen. It was cold in here, what with the tile floors and metal cabinets. But Azure kept leading her, staying quiet so not to wake the adults that were downstairs. It took some maneuvering to get through the dark kitchen, but they managed to do so. They at last reached the back door. Once there, Azure reached to the side and turned on the switch for the outside light. When going out at night into an alley, Tifa had thought it was good to have a light available. It kept away strangers and criminals. Once it was on, Azure grabbed the handle, turned the lock, and opened the heavy door. The outside area was soon exposed, bathed in the pale yellow light of the exterior bulb. Azure walked right out, and Marlene followed him behind. He paused once here, to turn and push the door closed again.

Outside, Marlene looked around a bit. She became aware of something rather foul smelling. She frowned in disgust and held her nose. After looking around a moment, she traced it to her right. The dumpster in the back of the alley was there.

"Phew…that dumpster really stinks." She remarked. "I wonder what Tifa put in it."

Azure didn't pay any attention to this. Instead, he ran over to the dumpster area, not seeming to be affected in the least by the smell. Once he got there, he ran around behind it for a moment. Marlene waited, looking around a bit more to make sure there were no rats or thugs outside. After a few seconds, Azure emerged from behind it again. This time, he had something with him. As he pulled it out to Marlene, he looked up to her and smiled.

"Happy birthday, Marlene."

The girl looked down as he came into the light, and gasped in astonishment.

It was a bicycle…shiny, new, and in Marlene's favorite color. It still had the price information hanging from the handlebars. Marlene couldn't believe it. She had wanted this for her birthday, but she hadn't expected to get it, knowing that her dad, Cloud, and Tifa didn't have a lot of money. However, here it was now…perfect and brand new.

The girl gaped in surprise for a moment, but then ran forward to the bike itself. She put her hands on the bars and began to look over it, as if wanting to see if it was really there. But it was. And it had all the details she had loved when she saw the neighbors riding one. As she marveled, Azure held it up for her. He smiled back, enjoying that she liked it so much.

"You like it?"

"I love it!" Marlene exclaimed in reply, looking back up to the boy. "Azure, this is just what I wanted!"

"That's why I got it for you." Azure answered with a smile. "I wanted to get you the perfect present."

The girl was still overwhelmed. She looked down at the bike and felt it once again. After a bit longer, she looked up to Azure. "How did you afford it? Bikes cost a lot of money…"

The boy hesitated for a fraction of a second, but then smiled again. "…I've been saving money from picking up cans and bottles."

"But still…that was a lot of money." Marlene protested. "You had all that money, and you spent it all on giving me a bike for my birthday?"

"I don't want anything." Azure answered with a shrug. "I wanted to make you happy. I knew you'd be happy if I got this, so I didn't care about spending all that money on it."

Marlene was amazed. She knew that Azure tried to impress her every now and then in practice, but she never knew he liked her this much. The girl looked back down to her new present, and grinned again at it. "I can't wait to ride it tomorrow!" She exclaimed. "Wait until Cloud and Tifa see what you got me!"

On hearing that…Azure's smile faded. Marlene was so preoccupied with her bike that she didn't notice how abruptly his look had faltered. Nor did she notice how he looked uncomfortable for a few moments afterward, before he finally managed to speak in a more hesitant voice.

"Um…Marlene?"

"Yeah?"

"…Don't show this bike to Cloud, Tifa, Mr. Ragnar, or Ms. Aerith yet."

The girl's own happy look faltered, and she turned to look in puzzlement at Azure. "Huh? Why not?"

Azure paused again. He looked nervous for a few moments, staying silent all the while. But finally, he managed to spit something out. "…Well…it's just…I had all this money saved to buy you a present…and I know that Cloud and Tifa don't have a lot of money… It almost doesn't seem fair that I spent it all on this and not on something for the house."

Marlene smiled a bit at that. "Oh, don't worry about that Azure. Cloud and Tifa wouldn't think that. They don't want you to have to pay for the Seventh Heaven."

"Just the same…" Azure insisted. "Could you please only ride it when they're not around? Just for a little while?"

Marlene thought Azure was being unreasonable. Cloud and Tifa weren't going to be upset about that. However…Azure always was a bit uneasy about new things. Maybe he thought because he had spent more money on a present than Cloud or Tifa that he had done something bad. It was obviously making him uncomfortable. After a bit longer, Marlene finally gave a nod.

"Alright, Azure. I won't tell."

The boy immediately smiled at that.

"Good. I'll hide your bicycle behind the dumpster again. We'll get it out tomorrow and you can ride it."

Ugh…what a mess…

Tifa thought about that only briefly when she got up before dawn the next morning. She was feeling sore all over from what she had been through yesterday…and one of her knuckles ached and was swollen. She figured she might have overdone it punching that one sweeper. Still, she managed to go through her morning exercises and then go downstairs. There, she was reminded of what she had put off when she went to bed late last night. The living room was still a dirty mess, and the two men of the house had gone to sleep around it regardless. They were still sleeping at that point, when she came in and began to pick it up. She thought once or twice about forcing them awake to help out…

But in the end, she decided against it. Despite what she was doing, she felt happy.

It wasn't just because of the victory they had achieved. It wasn't just because that Marlene's birthday party had gone so well. It was what Cloud had said before they went into battle. At long last…they were engaged. Tifa had been waiting for years for him to finally say those words. Now it looked like it was finally going to happen. She'd feel even better if they set a date…but with the war going on, it looked like that was still a ways in the future. They were going to be a real family.

These thoughts continued to run through Tifa's mind as she finished picking up the trash and tying it in a bag. She supposed this would mean that she would have to start planning things… Where they were going to have it… Who was going to do what… And then the future afterward. How soon would it be until they had their first baby? That thought filled Tifa with a ripple of joy. A baby… Although she had thought of Denzel as her own son, she knew that this would actually be something between her and Cloud…the bond that all parents make between one another… She already began to daydream about it as she took the trash out through the kitchen and to the back door.

However, on opening it…a rancid smell stabbed her in the nostrils, shocking her back to reality. Tifa's face twisted, and she looked out unpleasantly at the alley behind her. What was that horrid stench? It smelled like something dead… She actually pulled the top of her shirt up and over her mouth and nose in an attempt to keep the gagging smell from reaching her. As she closed the door behind her, she looked around for a moment to try and see where it was coming from. After a second, her eyes rested on the dumpster.

She groaned inwardly. They were supposed to take that away yesterday…but, due to the battle, that was hardly possible. For once, she wished they had been on time. It was horrible. As she walked toward it, the smell only became worse. Had a cat died in there? From the amount of the smell, it was like a whole litter of them had… She was nearly retching by the time she finally made it to the edge of the dumpster. Once there, she set the bag down by the side. Tempted as she was to just throw the bag in and get out of there, and knowing that she might regret this, she turned to the lid and pushed it open. She looked in, and tried to see what was the source of that stench…

She saw it clearly in view the moment she opened it.

Her face immediately went white. She dropped the lid down on the dumpster and shot back from it.

"Oh my god… CLOUD!"

The ex-mercenary stood leaning against the door frame into the kitchen. Tifa was nearby within, much calmer than she had been earlier. Tifa wasn't a timid woman, and normally things like this wouldn't upset her. Still, he had come down and held her when she came running into the house, stricken with panic and terror. Cloud had heard her scream, and at the sound of his name sprang away, leapt out of bed, and ran to the kitchen, where he met her. Ragnar followed close behind, and their racket soon began to wake the rest of the house. It wasn't until then that Tifa managed to say what she had seen in the dumpster.

The back door was open now. As Cloud stood cross-armed in the doorway, he watched as several police officers moved freely in and out. A crime scene photographer was taking pictures of everything, and a few detectives were writing down notes on their pads. An ambulance was waiting at the entrance to the alley, and the coroners were just finishing loading the corpse they had found onto a stretcher. They would be wheeling it away soon.

Cloud heard some footsteps coming up behind him. He turned and looked, and saw Ragnar approaching. He had changed into full uniform now, just as he did every morning. However, his face was more somber and concerned as he approached the ex-mercenary.

"Aerith took the kids to the Church Garden." He told him. "They didn't see anything of it."

Cloud gave a silent nod in response, accentuating his approval of this, but not much else.

"…I have to go, Cloud. But if you and Tifa need me to stick around…"

The ex-mercenary shook his head. "No. If you didn't see anything, then there's no reason for you to stay here. We've got plenty to get organized even with the New Shinra gone."

Ragnar gave a nod. "Right. We've got to coordinate with the Wutai Gold Navy now…and we've got to rearm the coast…plus there's the road to Junon that's blocked…yeah."

"Go on. I'll talk to you later."

Ragnar nodded once more at that, and then turned and began to make for the exit to the bar being rebuilt. He was soon passing through the doorway in the back. Cloud kept his eyes in front of him. The photographers were still snapping pictures of the site, and the police were still milling around. A white-sheet covered body was wheeled past the entrance. Tifa looked away when she saw it…still remembering what it looked like when she first found it. After that, however, one of the investigators moved into the doorway.

"Mr. Strife? Ms. Lockhart?"

The two looked to him at that. They slowly moved off from where they were standing, and began to walk up to him. Once they reached him they stopped, and the investigator let out a sigh as he returned his pad to his side.

"Good news." He informed them all somewhat lamely. "We don't find any evidence linking you to the crime, except for maybe the fact that Ms. Lockhart is a martial arts fighter, but that could be purely circumstancial, especially in light of everything else we found."

"Who was this guy?" Cloud asked.

"Wallet said a man named Sloan Porter." The investigator answered. "Quite a record. Three counts of assault, two counts of rape, eight counts of possession, five counts of selling to an undercover officer, and one robbery." He formed a sarcastic look after this. "Model citizen. The guy's been selling drugs in this part of Midgar since before it had mako cars."

"What…happened to him?" Tifa asked, still looking unsettled at what she saw.

The investigator exhaled at that, and gave a slight shrug. "Well…we're not exactly sure. Coroner says he broke every long bone in his body. Sternum has an indentation over the heart. Back of his skull was knocked in. There's a slight indentation in the bricks at the front of this alley. We've collected some hair, blood, and bone fragments from it. Looks like the dude was hit by a car and thrown into it, though I don't know how a body manages to fly through the air and hit the wall like that. And it doesn't explain how his arm was compound fractured in the opposite direction, or how his body managed to crawl over here and into a dumpster before dying."

"What do you think caused this?" Cloud asked.

The investigator shook his head. "If I had to guess, I'd assume that Sloan pissed off one of his customers. Assailant was probably high on PCP. I've seen some people do some crazy stuff while they were high…although I've never heard of anyone being strong enough to do this. Guy could have been beaten to death…but he doesn't show any external trauma except for the head, the left forearm, and the sternum. Hopefully we'll get a better idea from the autopsy. Time of death appears to be sometime during the other night. Now…are you both sure you didn't see anything suspicious during that time?"

Cloud shook his head. "I wasn't even here. I'm in the PPA."

Tifa sighed and shook her head as well. "I was really distraught that night. I wasn't focusing on what was going on around me. But I didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. I sleep upstairs. That night, nobody was downstairs, so we might not have heard anything."

The investigator paused, but then gave a nod. "Well…thanks anyway. It probably won't take long to find this guy. If he did this to Sloan, he had to have busted up his own knuckles pretty bad. We'll check the hospitals…see if any large person checked in around that time."

Tifa bowed her head and put a hand to her temple. "…This scares me." She said after a moment. "I knew this neighborhood wasn't the safest in the world, but nowhere in Midgar is and I've lived here for years. I thought I would be able to handle anything that threatened me. But if a guy like this is running around…and with the kids here…"

"I wouldn't be too worried, Ms. Lockhart." The investigator reassured. "This was a probably a crime of passion, not premeditated. And this guy was more concerned with drugs then busting into houses." The man paused a moment after this, and then shrugged. "That, or money. Sloan had quite a bit on him when he was killed. One of his pockets was turned out."

The man straightened up a bit after this, and looked outside. After doing so, he turned back to the two. "Well, if you have nothing else, then I'm finished here. If you think of anything," Here, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. He handed it to Cloud, who readily accepted it. "Don't hesitate to call."

"We won't." Cloud answered. "And good luck finding this psycho."

Denzel sighed as he picked up a stone and threw it at the Baptismal Pool. It skimmed across the top of it three times before dropping inward. "I'm bored. Can't we go home yet?"

"Oh, come on, Denzel." Marlene called back as she swished her bare feet in the water. "We never get out here anymore."

"And you kids do need to get some fresh air." Aerith answered from farther behind them where she was seated on the ground. "Why don't you think of a game?"

Azure was growing a bit bored himself, and so he said nothing. It seemed kind of odd to him when he thought about it. He used to like going to the Church Garden. But today…something about it just seemed unpleasant. The sun seemed a bit too bright. The smell seemed a bit too odious. The grass scratched at him too much. Something about this place…annoyed him today. And he felt a bit eager to leave…

Of course, there was one big reason he wanted to go back. He wanted Marlene to ride her new bicycle. She could show it off to Denzel, and then he could say that he got it for her. Denzel would be so surprised…and then he'd see how much Marlene liked him, and why she liked him so much. He was eager for that to happen…

But he also wondered why they were out here in the first place. Tifa looked like she saw something in the rear of the alley…and they wouldn't let them go there that morning. He grew a bit nervous. Did they find…?

The four were gathered in the Church Garden at the moment. Aerith looked perfectly at home here, just as she had years ago. She sat on one of the broken columns and reached down to feel the flowers that surrounded her feet. The rays of the sun seemed to bathe her more strongly than anyone or anything else in the Church ruin. Denzel was pacing along the edge of the pool, occasionally walking underneath the gap in the waterfall between the water and the rock it came from, but mostly just yawning as he moved around. Marlene was gathering another bouquet, while bathing her feet in the water of the pool. Azure sat on the ground a bit farther away from them, with his knees pulled to his chest and his arms around them.

Denzel frowned and turned to his side. Sitting there were his and Azure's practice swords. He had brought them along, hoping that Cloud would come by and let them practice. However, he hadn't shown up, and so they were going to waste it appeared. However, as he looked at them, an idea suddenly seemed to occur to him. He turned around to his silver-haired friend.

"Hey, Azure?"

The boy was snapped out of his own worried thoughts, and turned his head to Denzel. "What?"

"What do you say we practice by ourselves for once?" He asked him. "Let's have a duel!"

"Boys…" They immediately heard from behind them. Both turned and looked to Aerith, who was staring back disapprovingly. "You know full well you're not supposed to be playing around with those. And Cloud hasn't taught you how to spar yet."

"Oh, come on." Denzel protested with an anxious look. "We won't hit each other or anything. Here, I got an idea."

With that, Denzel began to stand up from where he was. He walked a bit closer to the edge of the water, and then looked in. After a moment, he bent over and pulled out two large, flat stones. He walked back onto shore and out into the grass, and placed one on the ground. Then he walked away from it for a short while and put the other one down. In the end, there was a long stretch between the two stones. He then turned back to Azure.

"Here. We won't try to slash at each other or anything. We'll just hit each other's swords and try to push each other back. We'll start in the middle. Whoever crosses their stone first loses." He turned to Aerith after that. "We won't even touch each other. Is that ok?"

The Cetra inhaled deeply and let out a sigh. She still had a look of disapproval on her face, but in the end she caved in. "Well, alright. But don't say I didn't warn you if you end up hurting each other. And if you do it too much, I'll make you stop."

"Alright!" Denzel enthusiastically replied. He spun around to Azure soon afterward. "Come on, Azure! Let's spar!"

The silver-haired boy hesitated a moment in response to this. Again, this was something new, and as a result he was uncomfortable. And where unease was a factor, Denzel invariably did better. He was doing good in other exercises, but only because he had done them for a while. Cloud hadn't taught them how to actually fight yet…and he didn't want them to do it to each other either. This made him tense. He thought of saying no, and of saying he wanted to do what Cloud said…

But then, his eyes caught Marlene nearby turning and looking to them.

When he saw that…he swallowed back his anxiety and stood up. "Alright."

Denzel grinned in reply, and immediately went for his sword. Azure began to go and get his. Marlene pulled her feet out of the water and turned fully to them. He look was somewhat disapproving.

"Don't you two ever get tired of this?" She asked them.

"No." Denzel replied with a smile as he took his up. Azure did as well, and both boys walked to the space in between the two stones that Azure had set up. After that, both of them began to move opposite one another, and move their feet into the position that Cloud had showed them for being ready. Once they had both adjusted, they lifted their blades and touched them to one another.

"Now be careful!" Aerith called out. "Tifa will have a fit if I let you two get hurt while I was watching!"

However, Denzel and Azure were already ignoring her. They were focused on each other. As they held their two blades at the ready, both grinned as their eyes met.

"Record is going to be 35-37 after this." Denzel boasted.

"Maybe I'll go easy on you." Azure retorted. "I don't want you to get too far behind me, after all."

Denzel kept grinning, but turned to Marlene after a moment. "Come on, Marlene! Start us off!"

The girl rolled her eyes and shook her head. But then, she crossed her arms and leaned back slightly, caving in to their game.

"One…two…three…go!"

Azure soon found himself surprised as Denzel pushed off from his blade. He expected him to bring it back, but instead he shoved it forward. Azure's own blade went flying at him, and he soon became the first to move from his spot. He was pushed backward a step before he managed to recover and steady himself. Holding his sword up, and looking a bit anxious, the silver-haired boy looked back to Denzel. He was already behind…

His friend immediately pressed his advantage. He advanced a step just like Cloud showed them, and brought his sword over his head to bring it down on Azure. The boy realized he would have to jump back again if he didn't guard. He managed to quickly bring up his own sword and intercept, and the wood clacked as he did. Yet Denzel was ready for that. He quickly brought his blade off and swept it at Azure's feet in a downward arc. Again, Azure was forced to move. This time, he hopped backward to quickly avoid the wooden blade. Still pressing his advantage, Denzel raised his weapon again and clashed with Azure, unleashing a series of blows to push him back.

Azure soon realized he had made a big mistake. He hadn't lived with Cloud nearly as long as Denzel. Even though Cloud hadn't taught them techniques yet, Denzel had been watching him for years. He necessarily had to know more than him. He was at a disadvantage from the start…as he became more aware of as he struggled to stand his ground.

Marlene was earnestly watching this. She had never seen the boys actually go at it with their practice swords before, and it fascinated her. Aerith, on the other hand, immediately realized that there were too many narrow scrapes involved in this. She began to straighten up and call out to them.

"Boys…I think you're being too rough…"

Azure didn't listen. Finally, after taking three more steps backward, he managed to clash his blade with Denzel's. The two locked. Now…the advantage was his. He was stronger, and he used his superior strength to wrench Denzel's sword to one side and leave him wide open. He quickly brought his blade back again, and swung it forward at Denzel's top, ready for him to jump back…

However, Denzel had other ideas. Rather than retreat, he simply ducked under it, letting it sail harmlessly overhead. Azure was surprised by this move, but not enough to be completely stopped. He quickly swiped his wooden sword down at Denzel's legs. Unfortunately, Denzel simply jumped up and over it. Azure was surprised again. He realized he needed a vertical cut. But by the time he brought his weapon forward to give one, Denzel had recovered. He stood his ground and stopped it with his own wooden sword.

"Ha! Nice try!" He taunted.

Azure grimaced…perhaps a bit too meanly…and then began to try and press his own offense. Unfortunately, he was no good. He didn't have Azure's repitoire of moves. All he could do was slash like a little kid at him, feeling his blade blocked with every stroke. Denzel actually knew the correct technique for it, which was something Azure never learned. He tried putting more power into his strokes, but Azure was able to sidestep or deflect each one. The silver-haired boy grew more frustrated as he kept trying to strike, but with no result. He tried to find some way, any way, to get through. He had to get back…

Finally, there was a point where both boys brought their wooden blades together as one. Both collided together with a resounding knock of wood, and both weapons flew away at the same time, taking their arms with them. However…Azure was stronger, and recovered more quickly. And when he did, Denzel was wide open. He moved to attack…but at this point was too frustrated to use his sword. Instead, he hunkered down, leveled his shoulder, and charged forward right into Denzel. Moments later, he collided with the boy, and began to force him back into his area.

Aerith saw this, and immediately tried to intervene.

"Alright, boys. You're getting too violent…"

Yet neither heard her. Denzel spilled back for a while, and would have kept being forced back by Azure's charge if he hadn't moved his hands down, put them on his shoulders, and then pushed Azure back off from him. "Hey!" He yelled with some annoyance. "That was a cheap move!"

Azure felt himself pushed away, but he didn't come back when it happened. Denzel had pushed him roughly too, and it incited him a bit more. But he stood his ground, raised his blade, and grinned. "All's fair in love and war."

Denzel frowned, but then formed a more dangerous expression. "Oh yeah? Then watch this!"

To Azure's surprise, Denzel took another step back. However, it wasn't out of any retreat. He learned a moment later that it was to get enough room to squat and focus his energy. He stared dangerously at Azure for a moment, cracking a smile again, but then suddenly lunged forward. As he did, he shifted his sword to one hand and swung it up in a deadly vertical arc. Azure was shocked, not expecting anything like that. The arc came right for him, and he was helpless to do anything except step back or let the wild blow hit him. As it was, it connected with his sword and smacked it aside…and he felt the very tip of Denzel's sword scratch his chin. It was slight…but it chaffed and burned.

"I'll teach you to fight dirty!" Denzel cried, and immediately came forward and started slashing again. This time, his moves were mostly just wild and errant. However, they happened while he kept advancing, and all of them were aimed at Azure's fingers on his sword, touching his blade almost to the hilt of Azure's sword. The boy was stunned. He had to move his fingers to keep them from getting hit, but some of them still got a pinch as Denzel swung. It hurt, and forced the boy to move back. He soon kept doing so just to keep Denzel from getting too close, so he could keep doing this. Within moments, he was being pushed back to the stone.

"Boys…negotiation is over. Stop it." Aerith said in the most commanding voice she could muster, for all the good it did her.

"Denzel, you're going to hurt him!" Marlene protested.

But Denzel wouldn't let up. After being pushed back, he was determined to win. He kept advancing on and on, pushing Azure back farther and farther. The boy couldn't even react long enough to do something in response. He kept going until the fateful moment came. He felt one of his rear heels strike the rock behind him. At that, Denzel finally backed off.

Azure looked down and behind him. To his fear, he saw that he was right on the edge of his zone. He was moments from losing. By now, Marlene's interest had diminished into anxiety, and Aerith was getting up to physically break the two boys up. But neither of them noticed. All they saw were each other. And now, Denzel grinned as he backed up again. He was clearly preparing to do the move he had done before. Azure had no defense against that. It would shove him back and out. His face began to turn to panic as he looked into Denzel's confident one.

"Now I've got you! Get ready to lose again, Azure!"

Azure swallowed. He still held his sword in front of him, for all the good that it would do. He trembled slightly. How could he pull this off? How could he counter? Maybe he should surrender…save himself the embarrassment of being forced back…

…And how will that earn her admiration?

Azure's face was still frozen in a state of panic…but abruptly it shifted.

That voice…it was back.

The silver-haired boy straightened a bit, standing back up again. As he looked again at the world…he saw it was exactly like last time. In front of him, frozen at the moment of being about to charge, was Denzel. He turned to the side, and saw that Marlene was seated there, frozen in an anxious look at both of them. And on his other side, Aerith had halted in midstep, and was now motionless. The pool was rippling from a breeze, but not moving. The water from the waterfall had stopped in mid-air. All sound had died. All sound, that was…except for the voice that seemed to come from everywhere around him.

"It's you again…" Azure remarked, turning his head to the sky and looking around, as if he would see the strange woman this time.

Look at you… You're helpless. Backed up into a corner. You can't do a thing to fight back.

Azure paused when he heard this. He turned his gaze back down, and looked in front of him. Though the world was frozen, that was true. He was trapped. He was going to lose this fight as soon as time resumed.

Look at his face, Azure. The voice went on…growing dark and cold. A sharp edge began to form on it. Look at his smile. He's enjoying this… He's enjoying making a fool out of you… He's enjoying humiliating you. You've won more fights…so now he wants to get you back. He wants to make you look puny and weak compared to him… You see…he knows you're better than him. He knows you're stronger…faster…more agile… He knows he's inept compared to you. So he wants to discredit you…make you small in the eyes of those watching. Make everyone think you're weak and incompetent…

Azure stared on at Denzel as he heard this. He saw his face…how twisted it was…how confident that smile was…how glad that it was about to earn a victory. He looked so eager to close the gap between them…increase his wins… That was the only care he saw on his face.

Victory… It shouldn't have been his. Denzel played dirty. Sure, Azure had done it once, but only once. Denzel kept trying to hit his fingers, making him go back. He wouldn't stop or cut it out like he did. And he knew moves already. He knew that Azure didn't know any moves. Denzel would look like he was a natural at this…while he would look like an untrained fool. It would make him look better, although Azure knew that he could do every exercise better than him. This fight was unfair. If it was fair…he'd have won for sure… He had picked this game on purpose, knowing he could win it. He'd even the score. He'd…

"…I know Denzel wants to even the score…but he doesn't want to do that other stuff…"

Oh no? The voice asked in response. Why not?

"…He's my friend."

Friend? How could he be your friend, Azure? Look at you. You're everything he isn't. You're more intelligent. You're physically greater. You're even more attractive. You were the one who killed the monsters. All he did was get himself captured. You healed immediately, and he had to wear his dressings for a week.

"…He took me in. He fed me."

Because he was scared, Azure. The voice went on with a more dangerous voice. Because he could see your power from day one. Why else do you think that all fear you so much? They know of your power…your ability…your potential. They can see it written all over you. They see this…and they become jealous. They become afraid. That was why they tried to kill you. But Denzel knew he couldn't, so he brought you in. He tried to tame you, make you his friend, knowing that he'd have nothing to fear from you if you thought he was on your side.

But before he came, he had more of the house to himself. He would have had the whole house one day, when Marlene left. He had all the attention of Tifa and Cloud. And he had Marlene…all to himself…

Azure stiffened at this. He turned his head, and looked over to the girl again. Now, he focused on her, and studied her features…

She sees you for who you are, Azure. She sees how great you can be. And she sees that Denzel is nothing compared to you. Denzel knows this. That's why it is so important for him to beat you. He has to show that you're small…weak…incompetent compared to him. It's the only way he can feel better about himself…the only way he can offer anything to Marlene.

The silver-haired boy froze, staring at Marlene for a few moments. The words continued to sink in within him. Until he had met Denzel…everyone had chased him off or tried to hurt him. He never knew why before now. But now, he knew that he was indeed stronger and faster than most kids his age. And he knew no one else had this silver hair. What if the voice was right? What if he had only been hated because people could see his potential? Denzel took him in…but what if it was only to get him on his side? After all, everyone else had chased him off. What would have made Denzel different? Why would he have wanted to bring him in? Because he was nicer than everyone else? Or…something more logical…

Azure slowly turned his head to Denzel. His fearful look had vanished again, and now he stared at him…at his smiling face…his mocking, triumphant face…

He betrayed you, Azure. The voice continued…almost become a thin hiss in his ear. He pretended to be your friend…and now he's trying to take Marlene away from you. He wants you to feel uncertain and weak. He wants to make you below him… He's no friend. He's your worst enemy…

Azure felt his hand tighten at this. His jaw began to clench. He didn't fully believe what the voice said yet. However…it made some sense to him. At the least, it raised a new possibility within him. Why else had Denzel made friends with him so quickly? Brought him in without knowing anything about him? And why else did he suggest this game…a game he knew he could win…and advertise it right in front of Marlene? What was going around in his mind? Was he truly plotting this…thinking of things against him? Was he truly that shallow?

Azure's knuckles cracked as he began to raise his sword. Despite not accepting this rendition of events completely…the mere chance that it was true began to raise his anger.

"…Denzel might be my friend…" Azure finally stated…his own voice growing dark and cold. "But no matter what…he's not winning this fight."

Reality immediately resumed.

Denzel, still grinning, began to lunge forward again, ready to unleash his move and sink a victory…

When a clack of wood rang out. Abruptly, his body stopped, as if it had tried to hit a metal object, and his charge was halted. He went back down on his feet, and was rendered motionless. Denzel's grin evaporated, being replaced with confusion. He looked down…and saw, to his amazement, that Azure had stopped him.

If Azure had given him the time to unleash the move, then it would have been unstoppable. But he didn't. Instead…he had advanced immediately on Denzel. His wooden blade was twisted around in his arms so that it was aiming downward, and it intercepted Denzel's own sword before he had a chance to bring it up in the arc. It was simple…but effective. Now, he saw Azure standing his ground and holding him firm, despite the strain on his arms.

Denzel, surprised at Azure's counter, looked up to his face. At that…he nearly slipped in strength and stepped back.

Denzel was face to face with a dark-looking grimace that was far more horrible than he thought Azure was capable of. A shadow seemed to be going over his eyes…and his mouth was twisted into a cruel smile. As he raised his head and stared in his gaze…his retinas seemed to radiate green light…and his pupils almost seemed to be serpentine… The sound around Denzel appeared to die. He felt cold radiating off of his friend, and washing over him like night itself had become concrete.

"…You won't be humiliating me again today…my 'friend'."

With an effort that seemed to defy human strength, Azure twisted his blade around and threw it upward, not only jerking Denzel's blade out of the way but forcing him backward. Denzel cried out in pain from the sheer force he felt on his wrist. It was nearly sprained.

Azure, a dark smile on his face now, moved forward quickly, advancing on Denzel as he staggered back. Only he didn't swipe at him. He thrusted the end of his sword at him…with enough strength to easily put the tip through flesh. Denzel was shocked, but still managed to dart his body just barely out of the way. He did it several times before the point went too close…tearing his shirt.

"Stop it! Stop it now!" Aerith ordered.

"Azure, what're you…!" Denzel choked as he struggled to avoid the suddenly murderous assault.

"Go on, Denzel…" A grim, almost malevolent voice calmly retorted. "See if fighting dirty will save you from me."

The panicked boy was still stumbling back. He raised his sword to try and block himself at one point. Azure snapped his own blade across it, smacking it away like it was so much garbage. A large splinter went off as a result, and the weapon was ripped from Denzel's hand. The boy cried out again, this time seizing his wrist in pain. But though he was unarmed, Azure kept coming. He began to grin, waving his sword in front of him, each with enough power to hurt or slash. He kept forcing Denzel further and further back, getting more violent and vicious with each strike.

"Azure! Stop! You're going to hurt him!" Marlene yelled from the sides.

Azure would not stop. He kept coming until he reached the stone. His victory was all but determined. He didn't care that Denzel's face began to grow afraid of him. He didn't care that the boy was starting to cringe and was helpless without a blade. He relished it. He wanted him to feel fear…to know who the greater of the two was…to never show him up in front of Marlene again.

Finally, Denzel's leg caught the stone with one of his heels. He was so distracted and intent on getting back that he stumbled. He suddenly stopped backing up, and began to fall. But Azure was still coming. He was still bringing his sword back around for another slash, and it was too late to stop it…

A moment later, the wooden sword impacted on the side of Denzel's skull…with a force so great that it shattered.

Mere instants after it happened, while the fragments were still falling away, Aerith shot in between the two of them. Desperate to get them apart, she actually threw out her arms and pushed them both away. However…Azure had suddenly gone still at the very moment of impact. At that time, the darkness fled from his face. His eyes grew light and normal again. His grin vanished into a slack hung jaw. He was so astonished…that Aerith's small push was enough to send him falling backward and landing on his arms and rear. However, the push wasn't necessary for Denzel. He immediately collapsed to the ground himself.

Moments later, the sound of agonized screaming filled Azure's ear as Denzel writhed on the ground. He curled almost into a fetal position and grasped for his head. Azure already saw blood fountaining out from it. On seeing that…he went white. He had done that to him. He couldn't believe it. Denzel was gushing out blood now. It was beginning to cover his fingers. What Azure didn't realize was exactly how strong that hit had been. It impacted on Denzel's frontal bone. If it had hit the temporal region…he might have killed him. But this was enough for him.

"Den…Denzel…" He began to say. However, he didn't know what to say. The words were catching in his throat. He was choking up. "I…I…didn't…"

Denzel couldn't hear him. He was crying out in too much pain. Tears were pouring down his cheeks, and he continued to kick around and writhe. Aerith was on him. She was struggling to get him to stop kicking and calm down so that she could use a healing spell on him. But it was hard. Although she was trying to talk soothingly to him and relax him, he was still in too much pain. Aerith was struggling to pin him down now long enough for her to be able to do something.

Azure's mouth began to close again, as he continued to stare at what he had done. He hadn't meant that… He only wanted to win. He wanted to show he was the best. If Denzel had any thoughts about betraying him, he wanted to show him that he was tough enough to fight back. But…he hadn't meant to do this to him…

…Had he?

Marlene had come up by now. Her own eyes were filling with tears as she stared at Denzel, seeing the horrible injury he had. She held her hands to her mouth and gazed at him in fear. She watched helplessly as Aerith continued to try and pin him down long enough to heal him. As she struggled, blood began to get on her clothing as well, and she started to get frustrated.

"Marlene…get Azure out of here until he's cooled off!" Aerith called behind her over the screaming. "I'm going to try and heal this injury as best I can! Get your shoes while you're doing that! We're going home right after I'm done with Denzel!"

Marlene sniffled once, but then managed to exhale and give a nod. She turned to Azure, and began to lower toward him. She took his arm, and tried to get him to stand. Azure stared at Denzel in fear a while longer…but then felt a greater fear. Would Marlene be mad at him for this? Would she think he had done it on purpose? That he had willingly wanted to go and hurt Denzel? Fearing the worst, he turned and looked up to her, his own eyes shining and beginning to tear at the thought of her doubting him.

However, the girl showed nothing. No hate or shock was in her eyes. To her, this was just what Azure thought it was…an accident. Despite the tragedy of the situation…he couldn't help but feel some relief inside. She believed him. She trusted him. That made him feel better immediately. Still, however, he couldn't believe what he had done…and his eyes were still filled with shock and sadness from that. Marlene had to help pull him to his feet. As she sniffled and began to turn him away from Aerith and Denzel, back toward her shoes by the shore, she said something in a quiet voice to him.

"…I know you didn't do that on purpose, Azure. You'd never hurt Denzel. But this is why I hate it whenever you guys compete. I knew you'd hurt each other one day…"

"…I'm sorry." Was all that Azure could reply quietly as Marlene led him away to the shore. Once she was there, she released him for a moment to go for her shoes. Azure was left standing there alone. He wrung his hands together and looked to the ground. How could he have gotten so angry? He had no proof that what the voice said was real…and even if he did, and even if he believed Denzel had done that to him, he shouldn't have done that. There was no excuse for hurting people in that way. Denzel had been his best friend for months… He was the one who took him in… Azure was right to look so low and miserable now. He should have been terrified and furious at himself for what he had done to him…that he could have gotten angry enough to do that…

And yet…somewhere deep inside his mind…Azure couldn't shake the fact that he felt one other feeling besides sadness and fear at the injury he had done.

Pleasure.

To be continued...