Thanks for your patience, everyone. I've had a lot going on, and unfortunately things won't be letting up on me for a while so the new schedule stands: updates only once every two weeks. However, in return for your patience and great reviews and support, I am not only giving you this 4,000 word chapter on time (I can't keep anything short, can I?), but I have a bonus prize at the bottom (be sure to read my A/N or you'll miss out!).
Fanart: dantemorose. deviantart. (c om)/art/Breaking-the-Limit -687845268
I know there is little mention of Cloud and Tifa in this chapter, but it needed to happen. More on them next time, lots more, okay? Alright, down to business:
Marlene sniffed back another sob. Her hand tightened its grip on Denzel's. Her white shoes had long since been covered with a dusty tan from the hard packed sand they walked on. Despite the late sun blinding her, she kept her eyes wide and watchful. Ever since landing in the place, Marlene had felt the preying eyes tracking their movements. They were waiting for the right moment to strike, to mug her and Denzel – easy targets – and leave them for dead.
Fear pinched the little girl's heart and she squeezed Denzel's hand tighter.
Denzel spared her a reassuring glance. "You okay, Marlene?"
She shook her head, tears surfacing despite her best efforts not to appear vulnerable. "I want Daddy. I want to go home."
Denzel squeezed her hand back briefly and smiled softly. "Don't worry. I'm working on it. I'll get us out of here." He looked up and whispered as though trying to convince himself, "We'll find a way out."
Marlene bit her lip the way she had seen Tifa do whenever things looked a little tougher than usual. Since their time "down pipe" they had only managed to discover two things for sure: they had slid right into Corel Prison ("Gaia's dumping ground for all the trash of the world: metal scrap and criminals alike."), and the place was virtually inescapable. Consumed with fear, Marlene cried, "I want Daddy…"
Denzel just pulled her along down the dusty, trodden path.
… … … …
Denzel wanted to hit something or to run away and hide. He had gotten himself and Marlene stuck inside a notorious prison with no way of getting out. That made him mad. He should have known better than to chance his life by jumping into oblivion. That was the angry part of him, but that feeling didn't overshadow just how shaken up by it all he was. The eyes following them made him jumpy, and the fact that he couldn't get anyone to tell him what to do or where to go made him wonder if there was any hope for them at all.
Of course, by now the adults had probably noticed their disappearance from the Ghost Hotel via the hole in the floor, but the more that Denzel thought about being rescued from above, the more he wondered if it would be safer to stay in prison then to face Barret's wrath. Nothing got Barret worked up like having Marlene in danger. Denzel hadrecklessly cleared the path for Marlene's endangerment by pushing back the bed, investigating, and sliding down the pipe. If Denzel went topside without Cloud or Tifa around to alleviate the sentence, Denzel would be dead.
Even so, he did not want to spend any more time in prison than necessary. Those eyes made him uneasy, and Denzel was sure that wobbling man had been trailing them since they had visited the gate opening out into the desert.
Nervously, Denzel made a quick decision and approached the same three men he had upon first arriving. They hadn't said much except that the best and easiest way out of the prison was north. All Denzel and Marlene had found was empty desert and a man warning them not to go any further without knowing the risks.
Stepping protectively in front of Marlene as he had seen Cloud do for Tifa when a particularly drunk patron tried to get in her face, Denzel spoke to the first in line.
"How do we get out of here?" Denzel asked.
"Go north," the first said. The others agreed in the same persistently flat tone: "Go north. Go north."
Denzel frowned. "We did. There's nothing but desert out there. Isn't there another way out?"
"No way," the first started the chant. "No way. No way." The other two echoed.
Now a bit desperate for some real help, Denzel let his voice get snappish. Might as well release some anxiety on those who wouldn't notice, right? "Can you tell me who might know how to get out of here, please?"
The first man pointed to the guy who had shadowed them since the boarder. "Ask him. He will help." The last two in line repeated the action and words. Denzel felt Marlene twisting in his grasp as she followed their pointing fingers. He turned slightly to look at the stalker.
The look in his eyes suggested that the desert heat had gone to his head over the years. The guy lookedone with the desert life. Scaly, arid, and tan. Tifa had always repeated to Denzel and Marlene not to judge people for their appearances – and, living in a bar, they saw quite the variety of crazies – but obviously Tifa had never met this guy. Denzel gripped Marlene's hand tighter.
"Don't listen ta them," someone drawled from the shadows. "They'll only tell ya lies. It's the only thing they know how ta say."
Denzel peered in the direction the voice came from, but saw no one. Spooked, Denzel called out a hesitant thanks and tugged Marlene away from the area. Perhaps if they investigated the abandoned vehicles they might find someone lurking around who could help them.
The two children walked away stiffly, both struggling to bind their fear so it would not overcome them completely. Denzel, his hearing better than some kids' thanks to his on-and-off habit of eavesdropping on Cloud and Tifa, noticed the pace of footsteps behind them increasing slightly.
"Marlene, stay close to me," Denzel warned calmly. He couldn't show her just how terrified he felt.
When the man had gotten so close Denzel could smell his intent, Denzel stopped. Reaching with his free hand, Denzel pulled the first thing he touched from the junk heap beside them. A broken board from an old house.
"Stay back," Denzel ordered. It was a bootless command since the skanky character continued to advance, forcing Denzel and Marlene to back up a step to keep distance between them.
"Lost, are we, little 'un?" He spoke esuriently.
Denzel stuttered out a second warning, but a pull on his hand brought him to full panic.
"Denzel!" Marlene screamed as a second lurker grabbed her from behind. Those eyes that had been watching them were a very real threat indeed.
Denzel saved his breath and swung around with his board, aiming for Marlene's captor. The teen jerked back with Marlene wriggling in his thin arms. Denzel missed, swung around, and almost caught the stalker in the jaw. Almost.
As he advanced on Denzel, Denzel raised his board and swung it at the man. Surprisingly, he caught it. Denzel found himself weaponless as the man yanked the board away. Fleering at Denzel's effort, he raised the board and smacked it on Denzel's chest, knocking him to the ground. He coughed hard until the dusty air made his lungs feel as sore as the front of his rib cage. As he struggled to sit up, the man pressed kicked Denzel's side, wrenching a pained and surprised cry from him.
A second later, Marlene landed next to him, having bitten and scratched her way out of the young accomplice's hold. "Denzel, please get up!" But Denzel only moaned briefly, pushing himself off the ground with his hands. Marlene followed Denzel's earlier example and blindly reached into the pile of trash. The exhaust pipe she threw held off the advancing men for only a moment, but it was the time Denzel needed to orient himself enough to act.
He pried a metal rod loose from the wreckage of a rusting car. Standing, Denzel brandished it like a weapon.
"Don't come any closer," he tried to change his fear into fury. As the impossibly pallid teenager grabbed for Marlene again, Denzel found the task quite easy as he commanded with asperity: "Stay away from her!"
Something came over him then. A fierylight and a sense of calm fury. The pressing weight of bandits' eyes, the throb in his side, his anger for not being stronger, his fear, his worry, his shame – they all drew together inside him and suddenly, Denzel didn't feel any of it. One path of action lay before him, and without thought, he took it.
A visible shimmer vibrated in the air around him and Marlene. Denzel had seen it before when Cloud had used it on him one time they had been attacked by monsters on a delivery together. Barrier.
Then, with all his childlike strength, Denzel swung his rod into the side of Marlene's attacker, swinging it once more to catch the other side of his rib cage. With an under-practiced kick, Denzel managed to get the boy bent over enough that when Denzel's rod jerked upward, the solid metal connected with his jaw, flipping his head back and knocking him down. Out cold.
Not even thinking now, Denzel did the same to the sleazy stalker.
Denzel felt the eyes on him and Marlene vanish, slinking away to avoid what had, moments earlier, seemed like an easy target.
Tired in a way he had never been before, Denzel dropped the rod still clutched in his white fist. Marlene got up, unafraid of him despite his brash, violent actions. Of course she had Barret for a father and she had grown up in the Midgar slums. Denzel didn't realize he was shaking till Marlene slipped her hand into his.
Startled, he gazed down at her, still numb from the weightless feeling surrounding him seconds before. Looking at her, Denzel realized that they still had his barrier around them, protecting them.
Marlene waited, not saying anything, but the tears in her eyes ready to fall again. Denzel breathed deeply and forced a brief smile. "Let's go. We still need to find a way home." Marlene nodded, and hand in hand the two continued their search for freedom.
"Alright, ya little–" Cid cut himself off to make a grab for Yuffie.
Yuffie, currently browsing the contents of his newly stolen PHS, cackled lightly and chided, "Weren't you just saying that you hated this model? You should be thanking me for getting rid of it for you."
Cid groused, "Would you tell me where you hid my clothes?" Snappishly, he added, "And give that to me." He reached for the PHS once more.
Yuffie might have teased him more for fun or even dropped the big joke and told him where she had hidden his wardrobe, but at that moment Nanaki barreled into the room. Yuffie stopped instantly upon hearing Nanaki's panting breath.
"What's got you all huffin' and puffin'?" Cid took the opportunity of the distraction to try snatching his possession back. Yuffie pulled her hand away and smirked.
Nanaki shook his mane at the urgency. "The children are missing. It seems as though they fell down a hole leading to Corel Prison."
Now Nanaki had their full attention.
"Corel Prison?" Yuffie echoed, horrified. They had all spent some time there, and the creeps that lurked down in the desert were enough to make a Zolom slink away.
"We had better find them–"
Nanaki stopped them, "That is not yet necessary. For now Barret is discussing matters with Dio."
"Barret?" Yuffie scoffed.
"Discuss?" Cid snorted.
Nanaki looked understandably distressed. "I'm afraid Vincent may not be enough to hold him back should he completely lose his temper."
"Alright, we're a'comin'," Cid stepped forward, finally grabbing his PHS from Yuffie's pick-pocket fingers.
Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him as he passed her but followed dutifully when Nanaki too left.
… … … …
Barret stood in front of Dio as a black mass of strident anger. From the minute he saw the hole, Barret had muttered little curses like, "Marlene, I thought I taught you better than that," and, "Just wait till you get home…" However, as soon as Dio's workers produced the old blueprints for the Gold Saucer, Barret had changed his mind on who to blame.
"Corel PRISON?! You call your guy Coates down there and tell him to find Marlene now!" He roared. "If any harm comes to her, I guarantee my gun arm'll be the last thing you'll ever see!"
Ignoring Barret's frantic gun waving, but still staying out of the way, Vincent frowned in Turk-level contemplation. "Why even have a direct line to the prison in the hotel?" Vincent mused accusingly.
Dio didn't back down, "It's convenient to place people in that room who look like they may be trouble later. That way we don't have to go so far to get them to the prison if they cross the line." Barret's gun came dangerously close to firing, but Dio smoothly covered up with, "But in your case the hotel was booked. The receptionist simply had nowhere else to put you."
Yuffie piped up loudly from the middle of the small group. "That hole is tiny! Even I wouldn't fit down it!" She imitated the circumference of the hole with her fingers then encircled her waist with her hands for emphasis.
Dio began to look a bit uncomfortable. "Yes, well, that was our back up room in case we already had the main room full."
"Main room?" Cid echoed.
"Oh," Nanaki understood. "I see…"
"Those aren't hotel rooms." Vincent's eyes narrowed. "They're interrogation rooms." Suddenly the "spooky" decorations of the hotel's interior held a lot more meaning as did the flaking blood dried on some of the weapons. So the world's greatest fun center was not as innocent as it seemed. Instead it was a front for ShinRa's oldest, and still functioning, Department of Criminal Investigations.
Yuffie stammered, "B-But what about the size of that hole we found?" Her face pinched as she realized with horror, "You interrogated children?" Were some of the world's most violent criminals so young? Or was this merely further evidence of how evil ShinRa had become before it fell?
Dio showed little compunction even with a group of former terrorists finding more and more motivation to do away with him quickly and aggressively. "Well, you see, ShinRa was rather–"
"Shut it!" Cid snapped.
Dio jumped and muttered a finishing, "…in those days."
Barret didn't seem to hear any of this. He was still wholly focused on getting Marlene and Denzel back. "Did you hear what I told ya?" he bellowed. The fact that he hadn't already blown Dio's head off was a testament to how much control Barret had gained over the years, but if somebody didn't do something now, there would be blood.
"I can't promise you anything, but I'll call down and ask for the men to keep an eye out for your children."
Barret leaned in close. Nothing got anyone on Barret's bad side like something endangering Marlene. As if he hadn't proved that already by continuing the journey into the Northern Crater several years back, even though that might have ended in his death. His face in Dio's, Barret breathed hard in unrestrained anger. "No, you will tell them men of yours to look now and not to stop until my Marlene is found. Are we clear?"
A light sweat on Dio's forehead betrayed his nervousness. "I-" He cleared his throat. "I'll get right on it."
Denzel struggled to suppress a shudder. He didn't want to worry Marlene. Over the past hour she had asked him twice if he was truly feeling alright.
Something had happened to him, and while it no longer scared him to think about, Denzel was unusually tired. The protective shield surrounding them had faded away some time ago, and in favor of escaping unwanted attention and the sun's direct heat, he and Marlene found shelter on one side of a half-rotted, gutted, and nearly collapsed house.
Marlene sat in Denzel's lap with his body curled protectively around hers. His arms wrapped around her, and she played with his fingers in front of her. Occasionally she sniffed, and too often he shuddered. Denzel felt utterly helpless. He had messed up, and he couldn't find a way to fix things. Thinking of home, he wondered if this was how Cloud felt all the time. Helpless to help himself and unable to meet the needs of others because of it.
But Cloud was changing. Denzel had seen it in his eyes as he and Tifa left a few days ago. A resolution to at least try. Try to let go. Try to start over. Try to let others lean on him. Try to help them.
But Denzel had tried to save himself and Marlene and they were still stuck there regardless of his efforts.
Ever the positive thinker, Denzel thrust the despairing thoughts away and lightly thought, at least my side doesn't hurt anymore.
They stayed in the shade of the broken house until their muscles cramped and begged to stretch. Denzel must have been more tired than he realized because he didn't hear the footsteps until they stopped behind him.
"A bit young to be down here, aren't we?" a hand clamped on Denzel's shoulder. Instinctively Denzel squeezed Marlene's hand tight enough she squeaked. Denzel turned to face the speaker, a defiant and defensive look leaping onto his face to ward off the danger.
A man in a true green suit, the top open to reveal a large gold pendant and a fair amount of suntanned chest, grinned at his effort. "Tough luck, kid. I got a call from up top about two missing kids. You've got some very worried, very angry adults ready to pulverize Dio if you stay down here any longer." He offered a hand up even though Denzel was already standing and helping Marlene to her feet.
"How'd you know it was us?" Denzel questioned suspiciously, not eager to be lured into a trap.
The man shook his head, "You kids're too pale. Anyone who belongs here looks it. Besides, we haven't had kids drop down in at least three years." He turned to lead the way. "By the way, I'm Mr. Coates."
Cloud tried to settle on the blanket between him and the hardwood floor. It had only been two nights and he could already feel the cramps and aches that came with working hard and then sleeping on a surface that was as comfy as a rock. He hadn't complained at all. It wasn't in his nature. Besides, it would only make Tifa feel worse, and little could be done about it anyway.
He had found a semi-comfortable position on his side when his PHS unexpectedly vibrated. With a sigh he rolled onto his back so he could dig the phone out of his pants pocket. Temptation to let the call go to voicemail had him checking the number first to determine whether the call was an emergency or not.
Barret, flashed on the screen.
That made him pause. Barret never called him, not often anyway. More to the point, Barret knew they had a six hour time difference between them. Why bother Cloud now when he just wanted some sleep?
Against old habits, Cloud forced himself to flick open the PHS and press it to his ear. He didn't bother with an opening greeting; however, the voice on the other end surprised him.
"Cloud?" A young boy asked hesitantly. "You there?"
"Denzel?" Cloud sat up.
Denzel spoke slowly, ashamed, and with a slight tremble to his voice. "I did something bad. Barret said you're my guardian so you have to know what happened and that–" he paused, and Cloud could almost see Barret standing over Denzel's shoulder and Denzel glancing back nervously, "–you get to choose my punishment."
Apparently he had said all that Barret had dictated because he stopped suddenly and burst out: "I'm sorry, Cloud. I really am! I didn't know what was down there. I just wanted to explore. I didn't know Marlene was following me. I didn't mean for those men to get hurt either. I was just so scared! Barret said I have to talk to you, but I don't want to because I got us in danger, and now we're in trouble, and I just know you're going to hate me–"
Cloud had to repeat himself three times before Denzel heard him. "Denzel, stop. Slow down. Breathe."
Audibly, Denzel deeply inhaled, although shakily.
"Okay," Cloud said, feeling very overwhelmed at the sudden thrust of parental responsibility in his direction. "Now start from the beginning. Tell me what happened."
Denzel breathed deep once more before starting, "Marlene and I were in the hotel room playing Hide-and-Go-Seek while the adults were off having time to themselves. Marlene found this hole in the floor under Barret's bed and I convinced her that we should take a closer look." He stopped again to steady himself. "I'm sorry, Cloud. I don't know what I was thinking. I just was so bored, and I wanted to go on an adventure like you and Tifa and everyone."
Cloud broke in, "Denzel, we didn't do those things for fun. We travelled the world trying to stop Sephiroth and Meteor because it needed to be done."
"I know," Denzel said ashamedly. "But it just sounded like so much fun. I jumped down the hole and when Marlene was calling down to make sure I was okay, she fell in too. We…we landed in Corel Prison."
"Huh?" The words sent memories of blood spinning through Cloud's head. Their first experience at the Gold Saucer hadn't been a pretty one.
"Marlene and I, we tried to find a way out, but…it's a prison. We were stuck down there, and no one would help us. And then this guy…" Denzel shuddered. "He followed us for a while before he and some other guy," Denzel made a choking sound, "attacked us."
"Are you alright?" Cloud asked immediately. For one, Denzel still seemed shaken up, and for another, Corel Prison held Gaia's worst criminals (the ones Cloud hadn't already sent to the Lifestream, that is) and if someone had attacked Denzel–
"I'm okay. We're both okay. I just…Cloud," he spoke oddly, "something happened to me."
"What do you mean?" As he asked, Cloud heard the shift of blankets behind him.
"I dunno. My body just sorta started glowing like there was this light around me. I wasn't afraid anymore; I just felt angry. And then it was like one of your barriers went up around Marlene and me, and I started attacking them. I wasn't even thinking about what I was doing. It just sort of…happened." He waited for Cloud to respond, but when Cloud stayed silent, Denzel prompted, "When the light went away and I stopped, they were both on the ground. I…Cloud, what happened to me?"
Denzel sounded truly terrified, but from experience, Cloud knew exactly what Denzel had experienced. "You know when I sometimes get really tense and frustrated and I need to fight in order to feel better?"
"Uh-huh."
"That's because I'm riding what we call a Limit Break. When you get pushed to your limits of being scared or angry or hurt, you can harness all those feelings into some sort of special attack that helps you fight off whatever is causing those feelings."
"So it's…normal?" he asked tentatively. "I've only ever seen things like that with you or Tifa. Well, maybe Barret too."
Cloud frowned, trying to reach back to his academy days when he had lessons addressing these questions. "Everyone has the potential, but not everyone reaches their limit, and not nearly so often as we do."
"Oh."
"Is there anything else?" Cloud sensed the tiredness in the child's voice. Perhaps he should have added that limit breaks normally harnessed a lot of energy and left most people staggeringly tired afterward. The sound of blankets shifting again caught Cloud's attention, and he turned to see Tifa sitting by him with her blanket about her shoulders.
Denzel drew his attention back with a soft, "Yeah… are you mad?"
Momentarily confused, he asked, "About what?"
"About me going to prison and dragging Marlene with me."
Cloud thought about it, but no anger surfaced, only worry. Honestly, he answered, "No, but we'll talk about this more when you get home, okay?"
"Okay…" After a second, Denzel asked, "Is it night in Edge?"
"Mm."
"Then, good night, Cloud," a smile slipped into his words.
"Night." Cloud started to close the phone, but Denzel's voice stopped him.
"And Cloud?"
"Hm?"
"Thanks for not being mad at me." Denzel hung up then.
Slowly Cloud closed his PHS and slipped it into his pocket before facing Tifa.
"I like the way you explained things to him," Tifa smiled and hugged her blanket closer. "Was that Denzel?"
Cloud nodded.
"What was going on?"
Automatically, Cloud started to answer, "Later," but instantly he remembered that they had agreed to practice open communication with each other. So Cloud briefly recounted Denzel's story.
Tifa yawned before giving Cloud a knowing look. "He looks up to you. Careful what you do, Cloud Strife," teasingly she smiled, "You have a shadow."
Bonus prize: Can you guess what three FFVII characters helped inspire Denzel's limit break? A roughly 2,000 word FFVII one-shot to the first person who guesses correctly. You may choose the genre of the one-shot (although, be warned, I am bad at humor and horrible with romance, and then you wonder what this story is all about. Yeah, I know. Hypocrite.). You may also choose two characters you wish to be featured in the story. However, if you choose romance and two male or two female characters, know that I do not write slash so the romance would not be between the two chosen characters. For further information, check my profile for Personal rules. Just type your guess, the genre you want, and the characters you want, in your review. May the fastest, correct reviewer get the one-shot!
-Dante