Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, scenery, or towns; Square Enix does.
37 – Round Trip
Inside the hut, Sephiroth sat in the foldout chair and diligently cleaned Reno's EMR. He'd paced for 10 minutes but that hadn't taken his mind off things. He needed something physical to focus on. His own sword was spotless so he went to work on the Turk's weapon. Even if he hadn't needed a distraction he would have cleaned it, with or without the Turk's permission. The thing was filthy, covered in burnt flesh and blood. Some of the blood was fresh, but most of it was old, dried to the point of flaking off. It made him wonder why the redhead didn't take better care of it. Surely assassins paid just as much attention to their weapons as warriors did.
The silver fought not to repeatedly glance at the folded out couch and the two unconscious forms laying there while he worked on the EMR. His goal was to focus on something aside from the situation. Even so, every so often he lost the battle and peeked. The brief glimpses confirmed that nothing had changed.
The two redheads lay side-by-side on the bed with Reno's right hand on top of Genesis's left. The Turk's goggles had been removed and replaced by a white 4-inch gauze wrap that went around the man's head. Seeing the bandage made Sephiroth's skin crawl and strengthened his resolve to concentrate on his task.
After he and Reno had eaten, the pair had set to work feeding Genesis. It was slow going but they'd managed to get most of the broth in without choking the STC. After they had finished the Turk had opened up about his thoughts on the auburn's condition.
The redhead explained that he thought the thing that had possessed the STC was the Lifestream, or at least some part of it. At first Sephiroth had been dubious. Why would the Lifestream possess Genesis? Why would the Lifestream possess anyone? The silver found it unfathomable, yet what other entity could occupy another living being? What could handle an immense amount of Mako, let alone direct it enough to target enemies while leaving others unharmed? For that matter, what could transport a living being from one continent to another in the blink of an eye? Teleportation was the stuff of science fiction novels and didn't exist in reality.
Sephiroth had thrown all of these questions at the Turk but of course Reno didn't have the answers any more than he did. Tossing aside the how's and why's, the silver had grudgingly accepted that the Lifestream was possibly involved somehow. As inexplicable as it seemed it was the only thing that even remotely made sense.
Once the silver was willing to entertain the possibility that the Lifestream was involved, Reno stated that he felt that at least Genesis was important to it and that was why it was trying to help. Once again Sephiroth had scoffed at the notion. He couldn't deny the auburn was important to him and Reno, but why would the Lifestream care about him? There were millions of people on the Planet, why would one be more important than another?
As before Reno didn't know, but he reminded Sephiroth that the being had called him Sanguine and had called Genesis Mercurial. That implied that either it had been watching them for a while or it could literally read someone inside and out on the spot, at least well enough to know their personalities. On top of that, the thing had lashed out at Fuhito and his Ravens while protecting Reno. Hell it had even healed the redhead. The final straw was the fact that it had told the Turk it had already helped Genesis. I have done all I can for the Mercurial one. The rest is up to you. Given the few facts they had, once again Sephiroth found himself reluctantly agreeing with Reno. Genesis did seem to be important to it. The evidence also supported Reno was important as well, though that wasn't as clear. What was clear was that the entity, nay, the Lifestream, was trying to help Reno help Genesis. The problem was it tended to speak in riddles that generally made the Turk feel stupid.
As the conversation wound down the redhead told Sephiroth of his dream and the fact that the Lifestream had told him he was running out of time and that he needed to act. That more than anything convinced the silver that the Lifestream was involved. While all of it could have come out of the Turk's subconscious, he didn't think so. That didn't explain why he suddenly hadn't been able to sense the redhead. On the other hand, if Reno had been close to the Lifestream… well it would probably be hard to pick up an individual signature next to such a powerful force. That also gave credence to the fact that Genesis may well have been possessed by the Lifestream because during that time he hadn't been able to sense anything on Mt. Corel aside from it. He hadn't sensed Fuhito's Raves and all it wasn't until after the thing had vanished that he'd been able to sense Reno next to the auburn. Nothing to indicate I can sense the Ravens in the first place. Hell if he could do that finding AVALANCHE would be easy. Debate the point later.
In the end and with a great deal of effort Reno had admitted that Genesis was dying and that it didn't appear he had much time left. Sephiroth was surprised at how calm the Turk had said those words, but at the next sentence he understood. The Turk clearly wasn't in his right mind.
"I need ya to bash me senseless yo," Reno had said, holding his EMR out to Sephiroth.
"Excuse me?" the silver blinked, stunned.
"I know what yer thinkin' and no I ain't crazy."
"Are you sure about that? Most insane people believe they are sane."
"Heh, I'm sure. Even if ya don't believe or agree with half of what I just said we agree that Gen's dying right?"
"Right."
"Alright, bare with me then. When people die they return to the Lifestream correct?"
"Correct."
"Good. Would you agree that nobody knows what's happening to people who are in a coma?"
"I suppose I would agree."
"Alright, so isn't it possible that those people who are in a coma and literally more dead than alive could be in some kind of limbo, hovering near but not in the Lifestream?"
"Reno…"
"No, no, no. Hear me about before you lecture me. Have ya ever heard of an ikiryō?"
"Vaguely."
"Tseng told me about 'em once. In the Wutain culture, an ikiryō is created when a person's soul is living outside of their body. Often the person whose soul has fled is gravely ill."
"You believe Genesis has become an ikiryō?"
"Yes and no. I believe his soul ain't in his body but he ain't out haunting or cursing people, which is usually what an ikiryō does. Least he ain't so far as we know."
Sephiroth scowled and rubbed his forehead with his left hand. He could practically feel the headache beginning there. After careful consideration he finally said, "I don't know. I suppose it's possible. There really isn't much evidence on either side of the argument."
"I'll give ya that. Least ya didn't call me a nutjob again yo," Reno chuckled, smiling faintly.
"The night is still very, very, young." The Turk grinned. "So let me see if I've pieced this together correctly. You're basically proposing that I literally beat you within an inch of your life so that your soul can seek out Genesis's soul, correct?"
Reno nodded. "That pretty much sums it up yo."
"No."
"Se-"
"No."
"Will you at least hea-"
"It doesn't matter what your argument or logic is. The answer is, and will remain to be, no."
"Okay," the Turk said, bobbing his head up and down. "Figured you might say that."
The silver's eyebrow rose as Reno placed his EMR inside his jacket, removed his goggles, and headed out the door, placing the goggles on a sideboard as he went. The SSC shook his head and stared at the floor. Even if the Turk's line of thought was correct there had to be a better way. 15 minutes later the redhead still hadn't returned so he headed out after him. "Reno?"
"Back here yo."
Curious, Sephiroth rounded the corner and headed toward the sound of the Turk's voice. He finally spotted the man on top of the manmade opening to the bathroom. As he watched the redhead headed toward the mountainside and climbed. He found a ledge and shifted until he was directly above a patch of rocks. "What are you doing!"
"You know damned good and well what I'm doing."
"You can't be serious!" The Turk scowled down at him. "I could move those rocks you know."
"Go ahead. I'm high enough that the fall is still gonna fuck me up anyway yo."
"Then I'll heal you after you jump."
"Yeah? Then you'll be the one in limbo with Gen."
"Reno this is madness!"
"Maybe, most likely, but I'm outta options. If I open a vein I'll probably bleed out before I get anything accomplished. Same if I impale myself on something. Can't use water 'cause I'll drown and obviously fire's out of the question. I could electrocute myself with my EMR, but I'd probably just kill myself or the charge wouldn't be high enough to do anything in the first place. That leaves bashing myself in the head, which don't work too well by the way, or jumping."
Sephiroth couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't decide if he was more disturbed by the fact that Reno had considered almost every option to bring himself to the brink of death or that he was willing to almost kill himself in the first place. The silver tried to understand things from Reno's point of view but failed. He'd often heard that love was a powerful emotion, but was it really so powerful that one would risk killing themselves to possibly aid another? Hell, at this point they didn't even know if the man's harebrained scheme would even accomplish anything. They didn't have proof that a soul existed, let alone that it could be detached from the body and stuck in limbo, assuming limbo itself even existed.
As he watched, the redhead approached the edge of the tiny ledge and rolled his head around on his neck. "Stop! I'll do it!" he yelled as the Turk bent his legs slightly, preparing to jump.
Reno straightened and peered at the silver. "No, you won't and I don't blame you. Yer just sayin' that to get me to come down yo."
"No, I'm not. Reno you could break your neck. That's not half dead, it's dead and there's no coming back from that."
"What's yer point?"
"If it's a choice between you doing something so incredibly stupid or striking you myself, I prefer the latter. I'll trust my own skills over fate any day."
The Turk tipped his head back and stared at the sky in thought. "You better not be lying to me," he finally called, leveling his head.
"I'm not," Sephiroth half yelled, half growled. Reno jerked his head up and down once, then began climbing down. Back on stable ground, the Turk approached him and once again held out his extended EMR. Resigned, the SSC took the weapon. "Can we at least go inside?"
"Fine by me." The pair headed back to the hut in silence. Once inside Reno turned toward the SSC. "How do you wanna do this?"
"Sit," Sephiroth said, gesturing toward the bed. "No sense in you getting hurt worse from falling," he added, gripping the EMR and testing its weight. The weapon felt strange in his hand; though he had to admit it was well constructed and well balanced.
"If you've changed yer mind I understand," Reno sighed after a few minutes of silence. "Just tell me and I'll head back up the mountain yo."
"It's not that."
"Then what is it?"
"How much time do you think you'll need?"
"Huh?"
"I doubt you'll just pop into… limbo and find Genesis"
"Heh, probably not yo."
Sephiroth nodded. "I will keep an eye on you and give you as much time as I can, however if you start to… fail then I will be forced to heal you. It's bad enough that Genesis might die. I don't want to lose you too."
"A-alright," replied the Turk. It wasn't the words that made him stutter, it was the fact that Sephiroth had basically just called him a friend, something he'd never really done before. "Just, eh, give me as much time as you can okay?"
The silver nodded and swung before he could think about it anymore. The EMR hit Reno with a sickening crack and immediately the man was rendered unconscious. The redhead twisted slightly to the right and fell back onto the bed. Sephiroth repositioned then hit him once more for good measure. Finding the Turks pulse and respiration to be even and unhindered he spun, exited the hut, and stood outside as darkness came and rain began to fall.
That had been an hour ago. Since then Sephiroth had dressed the Turk's wound and repositioned him in what he hoped was a more comfortable position. While it probably didn't mean much to Reno, for some reason it made him feel better. Remembering the redhead's tale of speaking with Genesis on the helicopter he'd placed the unconscious men's hands atop each other, thinking the skin-to-skin contact might help. After that, he'd begun his current task: cleaning the EMR.
While the silver had only done as Reno had asked and possibly saved him from death itself by doing so, there was still a healthy amount of guilt welling up inside him. He'd been fighting live opponents since he was seven, though he hadn't fought humans until the Wutai war when he was 12. From that age on, he'd maimed and killed hundreds, if not thousands, without so much as batting an eye. After all he was a trained warrior, that's what he was supposed to do. So why now was he wracked with guilt to the point of being sickened by what he had done? I consider him a friend. As much as anything that had happened the realization startled him.
In the past few days Sephiroth had often thought and said Reno was his friend, yet until now he wasn't sure his feelings were more than mere words. In other words, he hadn't known if he truly believed it. Now his guilt served as proof and he knew, without a doubt, that he considered the Turk to be a friend. While the silver didn't think himself incapable of having friends, what surprised him was how close he'd grown to the Turk, and even Genesis, in such a short period of time.
Until two weeks ago both Genesis and Reno had been nothing more than names to him. He'd spoken to the STC perhaps twice, although he would hardly call the encounters a conversation. To the best of his knowledge he'd never spoken with the Turk at all. Then one day he'd felt an imbalance within a SOLDIER. At first he'd done nothing more than watch it, meaning he paid attention to it through his Mako sensing abilities. The imbalance was subtle and he figured it would correct itself over time so he wasn't concerned. After all that kind of thing happened quite a bit. In this case he'd been dead wrong.
Sephiroth had been ordered to test a new vehicle for the Science Department and was roaming the plains of the Eastern Continent when he felt the inequality begin to grow. To him it was like being able to feel oil slowly separate from water. Except he wasn't feeling oil and water, he was feeling a person and that alarmed him greatly. He remembered an experiment of Hojo's in which the scientist had attempted to remove the Mako from an individual. The experiment had failed and the person had literally been torn apart. The feeling he now picked up and what he felt from the experiment were eerily similar, yet this person was moving and from what he could tell rather quickly.
In the end, the silver's curiosity had gotten the better of him. He'd parked the vehicle, dubbed 'Buggy' for reasons he didn't understand, and headed toward the imbalanced SOLDIER. Eventually he'd found the man outside of a cave and knew him by sight: he was SOLDIER Second Class Genesis Rhapsodos. Sephiroth didn't act immediately, as Rhapsodos wasn't alone, rather he was with a redheaded Turk and none other than Vice President Rufus Shinra.
Like anyone working at Shinra and most of the Planet he had heard of the Turk Desertion and wondered why the SOLDIER was associating with one and why the VP was with them. Since Rhapsodos didn't appear to be in any imminent danger nor did the VP, he decided to hang back and try to find out what was going on. While he watched the auburn SOLDIER and Rufus Shinra seemed to get into an argument, though from his position he couldn't hear what was said, super hearing be damned. Almost immediately following the incident the trio set out and a few hours later ran into another group, this one consisting of four Turks and yet another SOLDIER, this one was SOLDIER Second Class Angeal Hewley. The groups converged to share intel and Sephiroth finally got a glimmer of what was going on.
As he pondered what to do with the intel the auburn became highly distressed and fled the gathering. After a few minutes debate Sephiroth called Hewley, notified him of the buggy's whereabouts, then went after Rhapsodos. When he found Rhapsodos the man was curled up into a ball in a fitful sleep. Eventually he woke him and the pair moved to his hut.
Sephiroth had quickly learned the redheaded Turk's name was Reno and that Rhapsodos was apparently fond of him. Though he couldn't quite discern their relationship at first, eventually he discovered they were boyfriends. When the Turk reached out to him for help he had agreed, surprising himself. Later that same day they'd met in a back alley in Sector 5 and were officially introduced.
Over the next few days, the silver encountered the two redheads' frequently and while he didn't go out of his way to seek their company, he found he enjoyed their presence. Eventually he'd invited the duo to his apartment for dinner and was amazed at how much he enjoyed having them there. Looking back, that had been the true beginning of their friendship; he'd just been to blind to see it then.
Now, in the very hut that his relationship with Genesis had begun, he waited, tormented by emotions he barely understood, to see if he would lose one or both of the two people on Gaia he claimed as friends. From his position he could clearly hear the respiration of both men. Genesis's caused him worry, as it was shallow, ragged, and seemed to periodically stall, though never for more than a few seconds. Every time he heard the auburn wheeze he fought not to grimace.
Reno's breathing was even, steady, and deep, as though he was merely asleep. While that comforted him, he still worried that he'd made a mistake and hit the redhead too hard. Just because he wasn't dead didn't mean he hadn't caused the man permanent damage with his blows. After all even a mastered Cure Materia could only heal so much. In the end, he understood hitting the Turk had pained him more than he'd expected and more than he cared to admit. Simply put, he realized it was much, much, more difficult to harm someone one cared for than it was to harm a nameless foe. Sure the act might be the same, but nameless foes didn't incite internal turmoil, at least they didn't for him.
Sephiroth sighed and returned his attention to the EMR in his hands. During his musing he'd finished cleaning the weapon and now the dull metal gleamed. He took a moment to inspect it, noting the scratches and small dents here and there. If weapons could talk, what would this one say? While he was pleased with his handiwork, he was now somewhat distressed in that he'd have to find something else to focus on. That was a daunting prospect because leaving the hut was entirely out of the question and there was only so much to do within the small space.
With a sigh, the silver stood, laid the now collapsed EMR on the desk, and headed into the kitchen. He poked around in the cabinets and found some cleaning supplies. How menial, he thought, but better than doing nothing.
Deciding it was best to stay occupied and that the place could use a good scrub, Sephiroth removed the items and sat them on the kitchen table. After reading a few of the labels, he chose a cleaner, picked up a cloth, and set to work on the kitchen cabinets and furniture. He wasn't sure how much time passed but the task kept him occupied and when he was finished the kitchen looked like new. Pleased, he grabbed another cleaner, poured some in a bucket, added water, and set it work on the floor.
Reno was terribly confused as he battled an almost overwhelming desire to vomit. He didn't know where he was or what was going on, but he did know he hated vomiting. Heh, don't know anyone who likes it.
Gaining control of his rolling stomach the redhead opened his eyes and blinked. Then blinked some more. He rubbed the orbs viciously, thinking he'd gone blind because he saw nothing. Literally nothing. When he opened them again he could just make out a faint green streak in the distance. Squinting, a chill rushed through him as he realized what he was looking at and everything came crashing back to him like a physical blow. The pain and panic was worse than when Sephiroth had bashed him in the head.
Reno slid into Turk mode and suppressed his emotions while he continued to stare at the strand of Lifestream that appeared to be quite a ways away. So this is limbo huh? he thought, somewhat disappointed. He hadn't exactly expected a party, but something besides endless darkness would have been nice. With a start he realized he'd been here before, several times in fact. The most recent time had been in his dream but there had been other times. At least three times he recalled standing face to… Lifestream? The thing had literally been inches from him and he'd been pretty sure he was about to die, yet every time, just as he'd accepted his fate, he'd been pulled away from it. While he couldn't remember exactly when those incidents had been, he had a feeling one had been when he was 14 and the other two had been after his rescue from Fuhito. With a start he wondered if perhaps his own experiences were what made him think that Genesis might be floating in limbo in the first place. It was possible, yet he hadn't remembered the encounters until now. Subconsciouses are sneaky though… and freaky.
The Turk's thoughts coalesced as he thought about the STC. He had no idea if the auburn was here somewhere but he felt almost certain he was. So… how do I find him? Looking around Reno had no clue. There weren't exactly any landmarks to go by and the only thing he could see was pieces of the Lifestream scattered here and there. Not exactly helpful, he scowled, though it was directed mostly toward himself. Leave it to him to come up with some half-assed plan. Tseng would be so disappointed, he thought, realizing he hadn't given an ounce of thought about what to do if he actually managed to get here.
Reno closed his eyes and concentrated. He pictured Genesis's face, his scent, his voice, anything he could think of that reminded him of the man. Perhaps if he focused hard enough he would pick something up. Hell, Sephiroth could sense people with Mako so maybe if he tried really hard he could sense Genesis. They were even linked together somehow, so perhaps that would help.
The redhead didn't know how much time passed but it seemed like a long time. Eventually he gave up, and though he hadn't expected much, he was somewhat disheartened. He should have asked Sephiroth about his abilities. Perhaps the silver could have helped him somehow, trained him or something. Too late now, he thought, wondering how else he might find the SOLDIER.
Just when he figured he was going to have to wander around aimlessly or hope the Lifestream took pity on him and aided him, a thought occurred to him. At first he rejected the idea, yet the more he thought about it the more he thought it might work. What do I have to lose, he thought. He had to at least try.
Reno took a deep breath then yelled, "Genesis Rhapsodos!" as loud as he could. "Where the hell are you, you weak, pathetic excuse for a SOLDIER? Get the fuck out here and face me you coward!"
Genesis was cold, so very cold. What seemed like an eternity ago he'd curled himself into a ball to stay warm. At first it had worked but not anymore. Now his teeth chattered and he could barely feel his hands or feet. His legs and arms were slowly losing sensation as well.
In addition to the cold was a crushing tiredness. The auburn had given up on keeping his eyes open long ago but he couldn't sleep, not even when he tried. In all his life he'd never imagined how agonizing it could be to want to sleep so desperately yet not be able to. It was absolute misery.
Worse than the cold and the nearly devastating exhaustion, Genesis was losing himself and he knew it. It had started innocently enough with his thoughts becoming muddled. At the time, he hadn't given it much thought because it was easy to go stir crazy here. Then he realized he was forgetting things little by little; names, places, events. It was as though his memories were being removed one by one, leaving nothing but a void behind. It was horrendous and terrifying and there wasn't a damned thing he could do about it.
As Genesis floated, slowly succumbing to and accepting his fate, or at least whatever came next, something drew his attention. Lost in his private hell the auburn did his best to block out the annoying buzzing. He just wanted to sleep damnit! Was that really so much to ask for? Apparently.
No matter how hard he tried, the STC couldn't shut the droning out nor did it seem like it was going to stop anytime soon. Irritated, Genesis stirred and tried to unfold himself but didn't get far. The most he was able to do was lift his head and glance around with tired, bleary eyes. He blinked several times but was unable to get them to focus.
"Godsdamnit you piece of shit, I know you're here somewhere!"
Someone's yelling, the auburn thought, but he was unable to make out the words. He didn't know whether his brain was simply refusing to process the words or whether he'd forgotten human speech, but it was alarming. Not processing, he thought, battling down a bout of dismay. If he'd forgotten human speech he wouldn't even know what it was. At least that's what he was telling himself anyway. You're thinking, which means you know the words. True… maybe.
"Genesis! Don't make this any harder than it has to be! Stop hiding and face me!"
That's… me, the STC thought, understanding his name but nothing else that was said. With a great amount of willpower, Genesis managed to partially uncurl himself. His teeth chattered harder and he screamed at his mind to get itself into gear. The voice sounded far away, but still, someone was yelling at him. He didn't know if that was a good or bad thing but his curiosity was peaked.
"Man, you really are a coward aren't you? Damn, what the hell did I ever see in you?"
The auburn's face scrunched up in confusion. I'm a coward? he thought. What did I do? Or not do? Aggravated, Genesis tried to place the voice because it was obvious whoever it was knew him. Although the voice was familiar and on the tip of his tongue he couldn't put a name to it.
"Fine! Go ahead and die but you won't get away from me that easily! Turks are a persistent lot! I'll follow you into the fucking Lifestream if I have to!"
Turk, why does th- "Reno?" the auburn croaked, voice barely above a whisper. It took all of his remaining willpower but finally Genesis was able to put a face to the voice. His head jerked up, causing his neck to crack several times as memories rushed back to him. Reno was here! Wait, that's not good, he thought, remembering the void he was in. He shouldn't be here! Why was he here? Better yet, why was he so pissed off at him?
"You stupid son of a bitch you're going to kill us both! That make ya happy?"
Reno's voice cracked and Genesis's bones popped and creaked as he uncurled himself the rest of the way. It hurt like hell but he ignored it. The Turk sounded desperate, afraid, and sad, so terribly sad. "Reno?" The STC scowled at his weak voice. Godsdamnit yell! "Reno!"
"Gen?"
"Reno?" Genesis returned as tears slid down his face. He didn't care if the man was pissed at him, he was here damnit! Reno was here!
"Where are you Gen?"
"How the hell s-should I k-know?" the auburn huffed. His voice cracked and he stuttered from the cold but it was clearer and louder than before. "You s-see any fucking s-street signs?" He bristled as the Turk laughed.
"Heh, that's my Gen. Eh, let me know if you can see this."
"Se-" what, the auburn finished in his head as something sprang to life in the distance. "W-what the hell is t-that?" he muttered. "I s-see something anyway. If t-that's you, y-you're pretty far off."
"It's a start anyway. Which way?"
"Gee, let me p-pull out my compass and c-check."
"Smartass. Let me know if it gets bigger or smaller, okay?"
Genesis scowled and focused on the gold thing. It snuffed out, then reappeared a short time later. He stared at it for what seemed like forever, then realized it was a pyramid. "It's bigger!" he called, finally remembering to yell. In his confusion and excitement, he'd almost forgotten about being cold until his body began shaking almost violently. He wanted to tell the redhead to hurry but was suddenly finding it hard to think straight once more as well. Not good.
Reno moved through the darkness toward where he thought the auburn's voice had come from. It was slow going, as moving was difficult. It felt like he had a bungee cord strapped on him somewhere. The closer he got to Genesis the worse the sensation was. It was unnerving as hell and he fought the urge to turn around and go back the way he'd come. Don't think about it, just move.
"Gen?"
"Hmm?"
"You remember when we talked before, how you pushed your feelings at me? I need ya to try and do that again, okay?"
"O-okay."
Almost immediately Reno felt the auburn's presence and he angled slightly. "That's good Gen. Keep doing that okay?"
"I'll t-try."
He doesn't sound good, the Turk thought, moving toward the auburn as fast as he could. After awhile the auburn's presence began to waver. It would become weak, and then strengthen over and over again. Finally it weakened to the point that it almost vanished. As Reno opened his mouth to yell he spotted something up ahead. Ignoring the sensation that the invisible bungee cord was trying to pull him backward the redhead doggedly plowed forward and soon was within 15 feet of Genesis. If the auburn had sounded bad, he looked dreadful. His skin was pasty white, his eyes were sunken, and there were large black crescents underneath them.
"R-reno?"
"I'm here Gen," the redhead replied, closing the distance and wrapping his arms around the auburn. Almost immediately he felt like he slid backward but it was hard to tell in the blackness. "You're freezing!"
"T-tired," the STC chattered, feeling as though he'd used up whatever energy he'd had left. Now more than ever he wanted to do nothing but sleep. But Reno's here! "Y-you shouldn't b-be here."
"Too bad."
"W-why are y-you here?"
Reno's only answer was a faint smile and Genesis couldn't help but smiled in return. He leaned into the Turk, resting his head on the man's chest. Goddess he was warm! The auburn closed his eyes and savored the heat. As soon as his shaking had lessened and he could think straight again he said, "You need to go."
"Woulda thought you'd be happy to see me yo."
"I'm serious!"
"I'm not leaving without you," the Turk snapped. The STC glared at him and he fought not to grin, or worse, chuckle. Gods he'd missed those looks of his. "Look, I understand the gravity of the situation okay?"
Genesis sighed, then pressed his face into the man's chest again. The truth of the matter was that Reno probably knew more about what was going on than he did. Hell, he wasn't even really sure where they were. "I'm glad you're here, even if you shouldn't be."
Reno placed his chin on top of the auburn's head and gave him a squeeze. Getting here hadn't been easy, or sane, but he was glad to be here as well. Until that moment he hadn't realized just how much he'd missed the auburn or how much he truly cared about him. As far as he was concerned, the Lifestream could reach out and take them both. He didn't care so long as they were together. When did I get so sappy?
As the auburn made a contented sound and snuggled against him Reno couldn't help but notice that either they'd drifted closer to the Lifestream or it had drifted closer to them. He watched it, almost mesmerized by its slow, twisting motion. Wonder if it heard my thought…
After watching it for a moment the Turk realized that the Lifestream was moving, yet it never seemed to get any closer, which probably meant they were moving too. It's pacing us? Weird. That can't be good. Or was it? Just 'cause I said the thing could take us didn't mean I meant it. Still… "You trust me right?"
Genesis moved his head so he could see the redhead. It wasn't so much the words that alarmed him, it was the faint wavering in the man's voice. "Of course."
Reno nodded, closed his eyes, and tilted his head backward. While he couldn't swear to it, he was fairly certain he only had one shot at this. If his plan failed, the auburn would be lost to him forever. Or I'll be lost to him.
After a moment, Reno leaned forward and pressed his lips against the STC's. When he pulled back he smiled faintly at Genesis's suspicious expression. Steeling himself, he placed both hands on the auburn's right arm and spun, half tossing, half shoving him away from him. Gods please, please, let this work, he thought, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to see whatever look the auburn's face held.
Sephiroth wasn't sure how long he'd been scrubbing the floor, but it had been quite awhile. He'd only managed to cover about half of it though. While the hut wasn't large, the floor was wall-to-wall wood and the only thing he had to clean it with was a scrub brush. Better than a toothbrush.
As a child he'd enjoyed the task, but for the life of him he couldn't remember why. His knees hurt from being pressed to the hard surface for so long and his back ached dully from being hunched over. Worse, he'd had to use five hair bands to tame his hair and he was filthy. He figured he could have cleaned the floors much faster had he just soaped himself and used his body as the sponge. He certainly didn't think he would have gotten any dirtier than he was now.
With a sigh the silver sat back on his hunches and looked at the ceiling. Complaining was pointless because he was the one who had decided to start the task. Besides, it had done the trick and taken his mind off of things. That in mind he returned to his chore, vowing to stop his mental whining.
Sephiroth placed the scrub brush in the bucket that held soapy water and shook it back and forth. He lifted it, let some of the water drain from it, and then tossed it on the floor. As it hit with a wet plop there was a gasp behind him and he bolted from the floor, crossing the space to the bed in a heartbeat.
The SSC stood by the side of the bed closest to the door and pressed a hand to Reno's cheek. The skin was pasty and cool and the man was twitching and having difficulty breathing. Sephiroth pulled back an eyelid and scowled as the pupil size didn't change. He moved to the next eye and found the same thing. Not good.
Feeling something akin to betrayal, Sephiroth removed the mastered Cure Materia from his pocket and aimed it at the redhead. He didn't know whether Reno had managed to accomplish whatever he'd set out to do but the man had run out of time. If he didn't heal the redhead now he was going to die. Even if it was selfish as hell the silver wanted at least one of his friends alive.
The Materia sprang to life and the SSC watched as the Cure3 spell bathed the Turk in a green haze. Almost immediately Reno's breathing returned to normal and he fell still. 30 seconds later the spell ended on its own and Sephiroth placed the Materia on the bedside table, just in case. Consumed by fear and concern the silver bent down and gently prodded the Turk. "Reno?"
"Sephiroth?"
Shock and amazement froze the SSC in place. His eyes traveled to the other side of the bed and locked onto electric, neon green, eyes. "Genesis?" The auburn blinked at him as he tried to prop himself up on his elbows.
"Wha'… where…"
Stunned, Sephiroth fought to keep his jaw from unhinging as he stared at Genesis. The auburn sounded drunk and his voice was weak and scratchy, as were his limbs apparently, but he was clearly awake. The man started to flail about and the silver rushed to the other side of the bed. "Calm down Genesis. You're safe."
"Where am I?"
"You're at the hut. Do you remember it?" The auburn nodded, trying once again to sit up. "Please lay still. I need to chec-"
"Trashcan…"
Both Sephiroth and Genesis's heads whipped around. Understanding the comment, the silver darted to kitchen and returned just in time to stick the trashcan underneath Reno's face before he vomited. The Turk had turned onto his left side to hang his head off the bed and Sephiroth had to place a hand on his shoulder to keep him from hitting the floor. When he was sure the man wouldn't tumble, he removed it, not really wishing to feel the man retching.
"Yuck," Genesis giggled.
"Shuddup," the Turk returned. The voice echoing inside the trashcan was filled with humor, not anger.
Feeling like a nursemaid looking after two unruly children, Sephiroth pinched the bridge of his nose with the fingers of his left hand while a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Are you finished?" he asked after a few moments had passed without the redhead heaving.
"Think so."
"I'll set it on the floor just in case," the SSC said.
"Good idea."
Sephiroth sat the trashcan down and his eyes journeyed from Reno to Genesis. Neither looked well and he was concerned. At the moment the Turk looked the worst. Sweat now covered his face, though his skin was still cool to the touch and he was as white as a lab coat. The STC was pale, generally looked haggard, and was probably as weak as a newborn. The most disturbing thing was his eyes, which were still electric green and certainly the brightest Sephiroth had ever seen.
Reno gingerly lay on his back and closed his eyes. His vomiting spell had caused his head to pound so hard that every time it throbbed he saw sparks. He couldn't decide if he was hot or cold and wondered if he had a fever.
"Reno?"
"Yo?" The redhead cracked his eyes open as he felt the bed shift. They flew open at the neon orbs inches from his face. Holy shit, he thought. His next thought was, he's awake! He seemed to remember telling the man to shut up but with his head in a trashcan, he hadn't really registered who he was speaking to.
"Thank you."
"What for?"
"I'm not sure," the auburn replied, face going blank.
Maybe he doesn't remember. "How do you feel?"
"Terrible, but grateful. What about you? You look like a drunk just back from an all night bender."
"I'm fine yo."
"I think you should both rest," Sephiroth piped up, derailing the conversation.
"Mind if I use the restroom first?" inquired Genesis.
"I'll help you," the silver replied, moving toward the auburn.
"No! I mean, no offense, but no. I'll get there on my own, even if I have to crawl." Genesis swung his legs over the bed and tentatively stood. He wobbled, almost fell several times, but managed to keep his feet under him. It took him a few minutes but he made the door on his own willpower.
"If you're not back in 20 minutes I'm coming after you," Sephiroth called as the auburn opened the door.
"Yes, Sir," Genesis giggled, giving a mock salute before disappearing.
"Has he always been so stubborn?" asked the silver, turning his gaze on Reno.
"Pretty much yo."
"A good thing I suppose," Sephiroth sighed. "It's probably the only reason he's still alive." There was a long pause before he added, "Do you remember what happened?" The redhead nodded. "Are you going to tell me?"
"Not much to tell."
"You pulled him back from the brink of death," the SSC scowled. "I'd say that's something to tell."
It was Reno's turn to sigh. "Basically I threw him away from me, trapped him in a Pyramid, and ran into the Lifestream."
"You what?"
"Calm down yo."
"That was reckless Reno!"
"Heh, now ya know why I didn't want to say anything."
"You must place little value on your life to take this so lightly."
"How the fuck else was I supposed to get your attention?" Reno snapped, jerking himself into a sitting position. The silver took a step back and scowled, but still managed to look confused. "I'm sorry."
"Do not apologize, I shouldn't have said that."
The redhead took a breath and blew it out before speaking. "Don't worry about it."
"Just to be clear, are you telling me you somehow tricked the Lifestream?"
"Not exactly," Reno replied, rubbing his aching head. "This is gonna sound weird but I think something anchors the spirit to the body. When I first got there and started to move around it felt like there was something holding me back. I couldn't see it but it was there."
"I don't think that is strange. If there wasn't something connecting the two halves they would constantly separate."
"I guess," Reno sighed. "Anyway, when I got to Gen the tether thing started to pull me back to where I'd entered but there was no resistance. I wondered if that meant Gen didn't have a tether and maybe that was why he couldn't get back on his own." Sephiroth nodded once and he continued. "I started wondering how I was gonna get him back if there wasn't anything connecting him to here. I didn't think about it too long 'cause then I noticed the Lifestream. It looked like it was following us."
"Following you?"
"That's what I thought at first anyway but it finally dawned on me that it wasn't following us, it was coming for Gen. I damn near panicked. I mean, if it had come to take him then I was out of time right? I tried to think of some way to keep him away from it and I thought about the Pyramid."
"Your spell?"
"Yeah," Reno nodded. "I figured the Lifestream could get through it but maybe if I could trap him in it, then maybe he'd get pulled back here with me."
"Makes sense. The Pyramid does act as a trap."
"Exactly yo! Course I had no fucking idea how to get back here. Then I remembered you saying that if I started to die you'd heal me. I figured if I got close enough to the Lifestream then I'd probably start to die. It was crazy as hell but I was out of time and options so I tossed him aside, trapped him in a Pyramid, and ran into the light as they say."
A grin spread across Sephiroth's face. "I guess now we know why you obtained the Pyramid spell."
"Guess so," Reno chuckled. "Wonder if I'll lose the ability now. I mean, if that's why I gained it then it served its purpose."
"I would think it would be difficult to take away once it has been given."
"I kinda hope so. Things kinda grown on me." There was a stretch of silence before he asked, "How long's he been gone yo?"
"He still has a few minutes."
"You think it's okay if we rest?"
It took Sephiroth a minute to understand the hesitation and fear in the Turk's voice. "I highly doubt the Lifestream will steal either one of you while you sleep. It did try to help you, remember?"
"True, but I also just saw it try to eat my boyfriend."
The silver chuckled. "It was just doing what it does. If it makes you feel any better I'll stay awake and keep an eye on things. I can't exactly stop the Lifestream but if anything happens I can wake you."
"Aren't you tired?"
"Not really. I require less sleep than most and honestly the dirty half of the floor is driving me crazy. I hate half finished jobs."
"You scrubbed the floor while I was in limbo?"
"Had to occupy my mind with something," Sephiroth shrugged. "Regardless, both of you, especially Genesis, need rest."
"What about my head? Ya think I have a concussion or somethin'?"
"I healed you with a Cure3 Spell so it's highly unlikely."
The redhead rubbed his hands across his face and sighed. "He's not in the clear yet, is he?"
Sephiroth waggled his hand before replying. "I don't think he's in any immediate danger."
"I hear a 'but' coming."
"You managed to bring him out of limbo and I don't think the Lifestream will try to, as you put it, 'eat him' again, but you've seen his eyes. His system is absolutely flooded with Mako and that in of itself is dangerous."
"How dangerous?"
The silver took a deep breath and blew it out before replying. "Extremely."
"That's not exactly what I wanted to hear yo."
"The truth can be harsh."
"Yeah, yeah. So what do we do? How do we help him?"
"I know you won't like this but right now all we can do is watch and wait."
"You're right, I don't like that."
"Reno, by all rights he should be dead. I have no idea why he's not, which means I don't know what has been and continues to allow him to survive. It could be external, environmental factors. It could be something to do with his physiology. It could even be his bond with you. Hell, at this point I wouldn't be surprised to find it's some kind of divine intervention."
"In other words you're afraid to do anything because you might end up making matters worse."
"Correct. I don't know what glue is keeping him together and I don't want to risk weakening it."
"I see yer point. Still don't like it though," Reno sighed. "What happens if he gets worse?"
"I have little doubt that he will get worse." The Turk opened his mouth and gave him a scathing look but he silenced him with his hand. "Hear me out. Right now he's on a Mako high and sooner or later he'll crash, probably sooner rather than later."
"Crash?"
Sephiroth nodded. "He'll most likely get severe flulike symptoms and there isn't much we can do about it aside from keep him hydrated. If his condition worsens to the point that action must be taken, we move to Plan B."
"What's Plan B?"
"Replace most of the blood in his system."
Reno's eyes widened in shock. "You've gotta be fucking kiddin'."
"Unfortunately I'm not. It is the only known method to remove a large quantity of Mako from someone's system." The redhead cursed and he once again held up a hand for silence. "You also need to understand that even such a drastic measure isn't a surefire guarantee and that even with fresh blood he could still die. It all depends on how much Mako his organs have absorbed."
"Son of a bitch. Isn't anything easy yo?" Reno groaned.
"Not with SOLDIERs."
"You people suck," the Turk chuckled. "Here's to hoping we don't have to use Plan B. You really think he can filter or whatever that much Mako out of his system all on his own?"
"I honestly have no idea but I hope so."
"Ifrit's Fire. Guess that 'the rest is up to you' bit didn't simply mean getting him out of freaking limbo, it meant keeping him alive afterword."
"That would be my guess as well."
After a pause Reno said, "Thanks Seph, for everything. I know you didn't want to do what you did but seriously, thanks. Right now I'd be totally fucking lost and Gen would be totally fucking screwed without you."
"That's what friends are for, right?"
"Not just friends yo, damn good fucking friends." Sephiroth smiled slightly as the door suddenly crashed open.
"I'm back," Genesis said, leaning against the doorframe.
"I was just about to come looking for you," scowled the SSC.
"I'm surprised you didn't," the auburn smirked. "I wouldn't even have yelled at you. Screw my pride, can you help me get to the bed?"
"Shoulda let him help ya in the first place yo," the redhead chuckled as Sephiroth appeared at Genesis's elbow.
"If I had the energy I'd smack you. What the hell happened to me anyway?"
"Yo-," Reno stopped as Sephiroth shot him a look. "We'll talk about it later okay?"
"No, it's not okay but I don't suppose I have a choice and I'm too exhausted to fight about it," replied Genesis, climbing under the covers.
"Heh, thank Ifrit for small favors," Reno quipped. "Ouch!"
"Sorry, guess I don't know my own strength," grinned the auburn. "Will this highly anticipated story also explain what happened to you?"
"Eh?"
"It's useless to play stupid, the bandage wrapped around your head is a dead giveaway."
"Ah, oh," Reno said, hand subconsciously traveling to said bandage. "Yeah, I'll explain that too."
"You'd better," scowled the auburn.
"Am I going to have to separate you two?" Sephiroth said, peering down at the two redheads. They blinked at him in surprise then wore almost identical smirks, making him sigh. "Get some rest, both of you."
"Yes, Sir," Reno and Genesis grumbled in unison.
The silver grinned and returned to his task of scrubbing the floor. The bed wiggled as one or both men sought their sweet spot. He wasn't looking forward to the talk that was sure to come but right now he was happy. Reno had pulled off the impossible and he had his friends back. He rewet the scrub brush and got to work as the redheads fell asleep one right after the other. Rest well.
Side note: The idea of a soul being tethered to a body isn't directly part of the ikiryō Japanese belief/myth/legend. It's not a new concept and has been used in countless books, movies, and television shows, however in this case it basically popped up because of "Bleach". Of course in "Bleach" it's a chain and is visible, but the concept is similar.