::The Last Avatar::

Gamer Edition

BOOK TWO
TITAN

2.3

Farewells

Rue stared up at the ceiling, trying to avoid looking at Angeal who was across the small room packing his crap up. He was leaving the Canyon within the hour. She didn't like that. Him leaving. Having Angeal around, even if he was slightly grumpy with her, was like a security blanket and assurance that everything was still okay and she had time to fix everything all at the same time. Now that he was leaving, well, it was as though he was turning her own personal doomsday clock on and it was counting down to the day of no return. The Nibelheim Incident. If that event happened despite her presence on Gaia, then she'd failed miserably and Rue doubted there would be much she could do from that point on that she would be able to 'fix'.

"-right?" Angeal's voice called to her. Blinking Rue found him crouched next to her bed watching her worriedly. Embarrassed at being caught thinking of things best not dwelt on, Rue offered the other teen an apologetic grimace.

"Sorry," she said with a half-hearted laugh. "I was-"

"Far away?" he offered quietly. Rue's grimace only grew and she looked away from Angeal's too-blue eyes and his worried eyebrows.

"Yeah," she agreed as she settled back on her pillows carefully. Eyes back on the ceiling as it was the only place that was reasonably safe to look at without wanting to cry a little.

"Listen, I know you don't feel like you can tell me what's really going on," Angeal began. He sounded so awkward, teal eyes were unable to stop from sliding back his way. Yup. He looked awkward too. "But, if you ever need anything, even if it's just to talk about nothing in particular, I want you to call one of us," He told her. Rue watched quietly as Angeal made the required three paces over to her and placed once of his much larger hands on hers as he spoke. If only he knew how much she wished she could just spill the beans and tell him everything, she couldn't of course, he would never believe her. Not yet.

"Yeah, I know," she said with a forced smile. Rue had a feeling it didn't fool him for a second, but instead of commenting on it, Angeal squeezed her hand a little before releasing it and moved back to his packing. The guilt was almost overwhelming and Rue wanted to groan at herself. She had to say something. Even if he didn't understand it until shit was falling apart. "Hey," Rue called. She smiled when he turned back to her as she tried to find the right words. "Listen, things are…really complicated, but just because Hojo -or Hollander- tell you something, it doesn't mean they're being straight with you. In fact, assuming that they're lying every time they open their lunatic mouths is a good plan and one I whole heartedly endorse." Rue huffed just thinking about the two scientists. They were a problem, but one for another day. One of Angeal's eyebrows was creeping up his forehead as he tried to follow her guilt induced rambling. "My point is, just because they seem to know what they're doing, doesn't mean that what they're doing is good, for anyone," she was still rambling. Spirits, she should just stop.

"Alright," he said with a patient smile. He was humouring her, they both knew that, but as it was all she was going to get, well, Rue was willing to take it.

"Good," she said with a nod and turned her eyes back to the safety of the ceiling. They had maybe five minutes of peace before she heard a very audible sigh from the only other person in the room with her, Rue pretended she hadn't heard it. Maybe he would just leave without saying anything about whatever was bothering him, it was likely something he knew she didn't want to talk about. Which would be why he hadn't mentioned it yet.

"Rue," he began and said young woman wanted to sigh herself. She really did have terrible luck. "I know it freaked you out, though I'm not sure why nor do I have all the details, mainly because you won't talk about it, but I want you to remember that we're never given a gift we can't handle. I've thought about it and I'm only guessing now, but from your initial reactions when you explained a little, I'm assuming that you've only ever associated Blood Bending with negative actions and people. I know that it scares you, that kind of power should, it was rather terrifying to witness personally," he stopped when Rue's face snapped to him with wide eyes. She'd scared him? Immediately Angeal corrected her, striding over to her quickly. "No. Don't think that. I wasn't scared of you, I know you, and I know that you don't like causing others pain and avoid it if you can. I also know you are a practical person, even when you're hiding behind the mask of a Little Imp." Angeal sat on the edge of her bed as he spoke. His face serious as his eyes bore into hers, making sure she was listening to what he was tell her. "It was the power itself that scared me, because I didn't understand it, but I know that if anyone could find a positive use for such a power, it would probably be the girl that made friends with Sephiroth upon first meeting him," he smiled at her gently. Rue stared, taking in the words and felt herself begin to tear up. Her lip trembled a little as she tried to keep it in, but she could feel her face beginning to screw up from the effort. Angeal's eyes widened as he realised what was coming, he hadn't been prepared for her to react to his words so strongly. The somewhat infuriating young woman was more stubborn and contrary than Genesis was half the time, so actually seeing her take his words to heart was unexpected and panic inducing. No man was comfortable with seeing a woman cry, well, no sane man with a heart anyway, he doubted Hojo or Hollander would take issue with it.

"I'm-I'm sorry-I just-" she tried to explain while trying her hardest not to burst into tears. He was right, about so much, and didn't even realise it. Angeal reached out and rubbed her shoulder gently, being careful of her slowly healing Mako burns.

"I know, it's a lot to ask, but I know you can do it, I believe in you," it was those words that sent Rue over the edge. The tears fell and she couldn't stop them, sobbing as quietly as she was able while trying to articulate just what those words meant to her. Even if he didn't fully understand the entirety of it. Unfortunately Angeal was not a girl and did not understand 'cry-speak' as most women could to varying degrees, so the poor guy had no idea what Rue was actually trying to say. Instead, Rue pushed herself up and dragged the confused young man into a tight hug, trying to convey her gratitude to him in a way that didn't require speaking. Thankfully when he hugged her back gently, again being careful of her injuries, Rue knew he, at the very least, knew she was grateful for his words.

"You should have stayed in bed," was the repetitive lecture Rue received as Rhys helped her hobble toward the gate to Cosmo Canyon. The young woman just snorted and kept moving, she was going to see the idiot off and thats all there was to it.

"Deal with it," she grumbled under her breath. She knew he could hear her. SOLDIER hearing was absurdly good normally, then add into the mix everything that had been done to Angeal and the other two and things just got stupid real fast.

"I am, unfortunately after I leave it will be the Private's turn to 'deal with it'," he pointed out with a sigh. They way he was eyeing her over gave Rue the distinct feeling that he wanted to pick her up and drag her back to the inn and toss her back into her bed, and then trying her to the damned thing to keep her from getting back up.

"Don't you even think about it, mister," she warned. Her finger pointed at him accusing and warning at the same time.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he feigned ignorance.

"Of course you don't," was her dry response.

"Don't worry sir, I'll make sure she rests plenty after you leave," Rhys assured Angeal from the other side of Rue. She glared the word 'traitor' at him and he grinned at her, unaffected by her ire.

"Glad to hear it, Private," Angeal nodded to the younger teen over Rue's head.

Finally they made it to the gate, a few of the locals eyed the trio over, their eyes lingering on Rue's shuffling, slightly hunched, form as she leaned against the gate post lightly with her hip taking most of the weight. The pillows and bed she had been prone on for days were bad enough, she wasn't going to make things worse by leaning on something with no give to it. She watched quietly as Angeal gave Rhys some last minute words of advice or orders, or both, probably concerning her. It didn't matter what he said in the long run, the moment he was gone she would be able to do what she wanted, for the most part anyway. Rhys wasn't as physically strong as Angeal, so she doubted he would be able to throw her around like a sack of potatoes even if he wanted to. She was also less likely to let him.

"Oh ho ho! Leaving us already are we?" called a cheerful male voice. Looking up Rue watched bemused as Buganhagan floated on over on his weird orb-thing, his eyes hidden behind his coloured glasses. Angeal turned to the elderly man and gave an awkward half-bow-half-nod.

"Just me, Rue and the Private will be remaining, this is the safest place for her, after all," he explained stiffly. It seemed he still wasn't sure what to make of the eccentric man, and Rue didn't blame him. She still hadn't spoken to the man at any real length, everyone had been so adamant that she recover some first after all.

"Ah, yes, I see, well then, have a good journey back to Midgar young man," Buganhagan replied lightly. His cheerful attitude didn't waver, though there was a dismissal in his tone that even Rue could hear and with the way Angeal had tensed she wasn't the only one.

"Thank you again," was all Angeal said before walking over to where Rue was carefully leaning. "You are going to stay out of trouble, and rest, aren't you?" his eyebrows promised pain if she did not comply. Rue rolled her teal coloured eyes at him in response.

"You say that like I actively go looking for trouble," she grumbled while folding her arms.

"Don't you?" he asked her sceptically.

"Pft, what? Do I look like a main character? My hair isn't nearly absurd enough, besides, I don't have a death wish," Rue waved his scepticism away with a sigh. Angeal stared at her silently for a few moments, obviously not sure what to make of her words.

"Don't worry Sir, I'll keep her out of trouble," Rhys stepped in to assure his commander. Angeal nodded and patted the young mans shoulder as he stepped away from them, an unreadable look on his face.

"Good, I'll call you when I get there," he told them over his shoulder as he headed to the truck that had brought them to the canyon mere days ago. Rue couldn't help the feeling of helplessness forming in the pit of her stomach as she watched her friend depart. She knew, in the back of her mind that this would not be the last time she saw Angeal, there were years to go before anything really bad happened and those three were now her friends, she would definitely see them again before they started coming apart at the seams. The young woman only hoped there would be something she could do to stop it all before the end of the war.

Because that event, was her first deadline.

"Well, I guess we better get you back to the inn, before you keel over on us," Rhys smiled at her. Rue grimaced, she knew he was right, but Buganhagan was right there and she really wanted to talk to him about starting her Earth Bending training.

"Well, my dear, why don't we have a chat tomorrow after you've had some rest? I'm sure there's quite a bit we need to discuss after all," Buganhagan smiled at Rue as he spoke.

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks, Mr Buganhagan," Rue nodded to the older man and allowed Rhys to lead her away. Leaning on the young man more heavily than she'd like to have been.
'Well, tomorrow is going to be an interesting day…' were the only words that floated up from her inner peanut gallery. When Rue attempted to make contact with the other Avatars within her, all she got was more silence. Frowning to herself as Rhys helped her back into her bed, Rue decided she was going to get some damned answers about a few issues that had been bothering her for some time.

Just why were her past lives hanging around inside her skull, and why were they being so damn quiet all of a sudden?

AN: Okay. Wow. So I think we can all agree 2016 was a shitty year all 'round. My health wasn't good at all and I had multiple RL stuff come up that stopped me writing much at all. Also. This chapter was really difficult. Or at least it was until I realised Angeal had some shit to say about the blood bending thing. After that, things came much easier to my great relief.

Unfortunately this chapter marks the last we will see of our SOLDIER trio for a while(probably). Rue will get the occasional phone call, but seeing them in person won't be happening for a bit over a story year. The current time in story is January 1998. Rue won't be seeing Seph, Gen and Ange in person till March 1999.

Of course, if you guys want a bonus scene with the guys being hormonal teens, ask. Cause otherwise I'll forget.

Thank you to 'Gandalf da black' for reminding me that I owed you guys another chapter. I'll try to make sure it's not another year before you get the next one! This story isn't dead, I just had various kinds of shit exploding in my face all year. A lot of it health wise.

I suspect, but won't promise, that the next chapter will be a bit longer than the last few have been. We're going to get some answers, Rue is probably going to flip her lid, and possibly a table, and Rhys will be even more confused than he already is.

Thanks for the reviews, faves and follows! They make me happy and give me inspiration to keep going!

RLK