The file you are reading is not meant for your eyes; put it down and walk away or I Tseng Director of the Turks, or my successor, will find you and silently and effectively remove you from society, to then slowly starve and torture you to your breaking point. It is as this point that we will bring you do the absolute middle of nowhere where you will be given your freedom of choosing how you would like to die. Should you ever make it back to society the Turks will take this is as you rejecting our kindness of letting you choose your own death, and will be subject to a death at either my, or my successor's, discretion. This is the record of six of my most extraordinary Turks. They came from another world, a world where Final Fantasy 7 is owned by Square Enix but this is their story and theirs alone. For the sake of the future I left a record of their adventures locked deep in the Turk Archives but only if the fate of the world is threatened should this file be opened. You have been warned. Read at your own risk. -Tseng Akira, Director of the General Affairs Department, Shinra Electric Power Company
Chapter 23: How the Great Can Fall
"ANGEAL!" Seph, Tseng, and Alanna all winced, as Ryu's scream hurt their sensitive ears.
"Elena! Ryu! Report." Tseng snapped. Silence echoed back.
"Damn it, one of your report!" Tseng snapped. Still, only silence answered him.
Reno paused for half a second, before he took off running down the shaft.
"On my way to their last reported location, Tseng." He said, with Rude and Cloud hot on his heels.
"So are we." Morgan reported, he and Matti chasing after Genesis as he raced toward his best friend.
"Oh god, or whoever's listening, please let them be okay. Let her by okay." Morgan muttered under his breath.
Ryu sneezed and rubbed her nose.
"Did I ever mention I hate dust?" She muttered, as she followed behind Angeal, who was kicking up huge clouds of dust as he walked. He chuckled.
"It is good to see your sense of humor has returned." He told her.
"Yeah, well I still haven't found the brain bleach, so my mind is forever scarred by you." She told him. Elena chuckled, she'd heard about it.
"It can't have been all that bad." She said, unbending a bit. She knew what Ryu was trying to do, rebuild the bridges between Turks and SOLDIERs, one SOLDIER at a time. As much Elena disliked the SOLDIERs, she knew that they needed a working relationship with them. Ryu mock shuddered.
"It wouldn't be, I suppose, if I weren't already attached to another guy." She said. Angeal flushed red.
"What, it's not like you haven't seen Morgan's butt before, right?" Elena said.
"That is beside the point." Ryu muttered. Elena laughed.
"Mary almost killed me when she found out." Ryu muttered.
"Now why would she care?" Elena asked. Ryu rolled her eyes, and pointed at Angeal's back, and then made a heart with her fingers.
"OH." Elena exclaimed. Ryu nodded her head.
"Oh is right." She agreed, as they reached a cavern dug into the shaft. Ryu and Elena branched from either side of Angeal to explore the cave.
"Oh gross, human bones." Ryu muttered, looking at the remains of some poor worker who'd fallen victim to the monsters.
"Wait a minute…" She muttered, crouching to look at them. They were black with soot, and a fine net work of cracks spread across them, as if they'd been exposed to high, quick heat.
"None of them can do this…" She muttered. Her eyes widened and she jumped to her feet.
"Something's down here that ain't supposed to be." She said.
"What do you mean?" Angeal asked. Ryu pointed to the bones.
"Crawlers, Madouge, and Casenets don't use fire, but whatever this was it did. And it burned hot and fast." She said. Elena cursed.
"Let's check out the other end of the tunnel for more clues." Angeal said. The two Turks approached him from either side. They both saw the thing drop down from the ceiling, but Angeal couldn't. The girls saw the light collecting around it.
"A 2-faced. Relevant information: it knows self-destruct." Ryu's goggles said.
"Shit."
"ANGEAL!" Ryu screamed, and threw herself forward at him, as Elena did the same thing. Ryu hit his knees, collapsing him to the ground, as she dove over the top of him. The force of the blast knocked both their heads into the ground. Ryu blacked out, as the light from the blast died.
Reno, Cloud, Rude, Genesis, Matti, and Morgan all arrived together. Morgan and Reno sprinted to Ryu, who was flung across Angeal's body, shielding his major organs. Her coat was burned to a crisp on her back, the skin under it burned. One side of her goggles was half melted, with fuzzy white static flitting across the screen. That side of her face was red and burned. Angeal was slowly coming too.
"Where's Elena?" Reno asked, looking around for the other Turk, as Genesis kept Angeal lying on the ground.
"What?" Angeal asked fuzzily.
"Where's Elena?" Reno asked again. Angeal frowned, clearly trying to remember.
"Ryu knocked me to the ground seconds before that thing exploded in front of us." He groaned,
"Oh Gaia, Elena. She was standing between us and that thing." Angeal said, "Ryu is she?"His voice cracked.
"She's alive, other than what looks like a concussion and a few minor burns on her back and face, she's fine." Morgan said. Ryu's head was cradled in his lap. Gen moved to Morgan's side and cast cure on the burns. He met Morgan's eyes with his glum ones. Morgan nodded curtly, as Reno jumped to his feet.
"Elena!" He yelled. Rude was crouched next to a scorch mark on the ground.
"She's gone, Reno." He said, holding up something. It was a twisted and melted chunk of metal, but all the Turks recognized it. It was her pin from her elitist school that she'd attended, before becoming a Turk.
"No…" Reno whispered. Rude looked down at the scorch mark. He could make out a few bone white chips.
"She died doing her job; she wouldn't want it any other way." He said softly. Ryu stirred fitfully, she groaned and tried to sit up, as Seph, Tseng, Alanna, Zack, Mary and Piper entered the cavern. Morgan kept her lying down.
"What happened Ryu, do you remember?" Tseng asked, crouching by her side. Ryu licked her lips and spat out some blood. She gestured to a corner of the cavern.
"Over there, found some bones, burned," She frowned, "well exploded." She corrected herself, "Was looking for clues, from ceiling, 2-faced, self destruct." She frowned, "Angeal? Elena?" She asked. Tseng looked down at the ground.
"Angeal is alive, Elena…"
"Died." Morgan said. Ryu gasped.
"How? I was the one who covered Angeal." She said, struggling to sit up.
"She got between the two of you and the blast."Rude said. Ryu shook her head.
"No, no, no we were just teasing Angeal about his butt, she can't be dead." She said. Tseng sighed.
"I'm sorry Ryu, but she's gone." He said.
"Oh God…" Ryu whispered, "This can't be happening."Morgan hugged her close.
Genesis leapt to his feet. Zack and Cloud looked up at him. Seph raised an eyebrow at him.
"I am going to kill everything in this forsaken place. That's what we came to do right? And now one of us is dead. Well to hell with the mission specs, I am going to kill everything in this cursed place." He snapped.
"She wasn't a SOLDIER, yo." Reno muttered in a monotone. Genesis glared at him.
"She died saving one of us." He snapped.
"She was doing her job, it was nothing personal." Reno yelled at him.
"Niisan." Ryu said, wobbling to her feet in Morgan's grasp. He turned to look at her.
"You can't stop him, and I for one like his plan. It's justice. We have to see the mission through, but none of us have the heart for it. Gen's way is quick and efficient." She said. He sighed.
"It would be true justice if we Turks handled it." He muttered. Ryu sighed.
"Elena died, not just because it was her job, but she believed that Turks and SOLDIERs are equally important, that together we're more. That we can do more." She said, her voice quivering. Tseng nodded his head and looked at Seph, he nodded as well.
"I'll help Genesis. Zack, Cloud, carry Angeal back to the transporter." Seph said. They both nodded their heads.
"Yes, sir." They said, and bent to the task. Rude approached Morgan and Ryu.
"Together you and I will carry Ryu." He said. Morgan nodded. Ryu sighed.
"I am not going to argue, because me head feels funny." She muttered. Tseng looked at the rest of the doppelgangers and Reno.
"Go back to the transporter." He said. Reno knelt and drew a bottle from his pocket and scrapped the bits of bone, the pin, and the ashes into it.
"I'll carry Elena." He said glumly. Tseng nodded his head.
"We need to bring her home."He said.
Morgan paced the back end of the chopper. Now that his fright over Ryuko's injuries had died down he had a chance to think. He glanced at Ryu. She had been strapped to one of the stretchers in the chopper, Angeal to another. Genesis had healed both of them but they still had to go to the infirmary to be cleared. Tseng was taking no chances that they were still injured. He wiped a slightly shaking hand over his face. When Ryu had screamed his heart had nearly stopped. He'd thought it had been her. For several awful minutes he'd been terrified she was dead. He glanced at her again. She was dozing on the stretcher, Morgan's suit coat draped over her. She smiled and buried her nose deeper into the fabric a contented sigh escaping her.
His thoughts turned back to a time when it used to be his sweatshirts she stole not his suit jacket. He grinned faintly. Those were better times. She'd come home from college and invariably steal a sweatshirt. She loved how they smelled which to him was a strange concept. She'd tried to explain it to him once. Something about the smell triggered her body into relaxing. No matter how stressed she was, it was a tactic she used still, if something about the job stressed her she sought him out planted her face in the middle of his chest and took a deep breath. Sometimes she wanted a hug too but other times she just walked away after that deep breath.
Morgan covered his face with his hand and swallowed. He'd almost lost her. He was still shaking from that thought. Ryu was everything to him, all that mattered to him in Gaia. Sure he cared about the others but he could learn to live without them but not so with Ryu. They'd gone through too much together.
Ryu opened her eyes to the white lights of an infirmary room. Slowly she sat up and looked around. Morgan was dozing in a chair next to her. He'd changed. He was dressed in cargo pants, tucked into his boots and a sweatshirt. A second sweatshirt lay in his lap. Grinning Ryu reached over and took it burying her face in it. As she'd guessed it was the one he wore when he practicing at the range.
Morgan opened his eyes. Ryu was cuddling with the other sweatshirt. As he'd thought that one, which hadn't been washed for a while, was comforting her. He sighed and stood. Ryu looked up at him, her eyes lighting up when she saw him. She dropped the sweatshirt and held her arms up to be hugged. Morgan sat on the edge of the bed and hugged her.
"What were you thinking?" He asked pushing her back, his hands resting on her shoulders. Ryu gave him a puzzled look.
"You could have died." He snapped. Ryu met his angry vibrant green gaze. His eyes were edging towards blue. He swallowed.
"You could have died Ryu and then where would I be? When I thought you..." He paused and took a deep breath. "When I thought you died it felt like I was dying." he told her. Ryu swallowed and blinked before throwing herself against him, curling into him.
"I'm sorry Morgan. I didn't mean to scare you. I just reacted." She whispered.
"You take being a Turk too seriously." He told her. Ryu shook her head and straightened up to look him in the eyes.
"I wasn't thinking like a Turk. Mary loves Angeal. Mary is important to me. I was protecting Mary." She told him. Morgan sighed, his anger slightly deflated by that, he couldn't argue with her about that. He chose to hug her tightly.
"I can't lose you Ryu. Your family would kill me." He told her, "Your dad would really get the shot gun out and use it on me." Ryu laughed and hugged him back.
"I love you too Morgan Delta." She told him. Morgan grinned and kissed the top of her head.
"I love you too Ryuko Sverd Sinclair. Don't ever let the others hear of this but the thought of losing you scared the shit out of me. I don't like being scared so don't do it." Ryu smiled into his sweatshirt.
"I'll make it up to you as soon as they let me out of the infirmary." Morgan laughed just as she knew he would.
"I'll hold you to that."
"Hold her to what?" Alanna and Genesis asked coming in. Morgan stiffened his arms tightening around Ryu as he scowled at Genesis. He clearly wanted to throw the first out. Alanna nudged Gen. He held up his hands in surrender to Morgan.
"I owe Ryu an apology and a thank you." He told him. Morgan scowled at him.
"I'm sorry Ryu for being an ass this whole time, and thank you not just for saving Angeal but for being who you are. 'My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the Goddess.'" He said to her. Ryu giggled and waved a hand at him.
"Go fuss over Angeal Gen. I'm alright. 'Even if the morrow is barren of promises. Nothing shall forestall my return'" She told him. Morgan groaned and glared at Gen.
"Great now you've got her doing it to." He said. Gen laughed pleased that Ryu was back to picking on him and Morgan was back to griping.
As the two of them walked out of Ryu's hospital room, Gen snuck a look over his shoulder. Morgan was cuddling Ryu close to him, probably still lecturing her about scaring the crap out of him. Gen had seen it in the tunnels the look of absolute terror that Morgan had masked almost as quickly as it had appeared. Gen glanced at Alanna who was still upset at him. If only he could have that kind of a relationship with Alanna. One where you truly cared about each other, but he didn't see how it was possible.
Ryu rubbed her eyes again and sighed. She tugged at the edge of her suit jacket. Today, a week after Elena's death, they were laying her to rest in the Turk's memorial room. The few ashes Reno had been able to collect would have been placed in a plain urn. Cissnei or Chloe had probably already boxed up all her things in the office and her room in the building. Tseng would have found the best picture of her and framed it, as well as found another Shinra logo stake to put in the wall.
"Come on, it's time to go." Morgan said, taking her hand. Ryu nodded. Her head throbbed, she'd hit her head pretty hard, so she still had lingering pain. But she wasn't showing up feeling fuzzy to Elena's memorial, so she elected for pain.
"How's your head?" He asked.
"Fine." She told him.
Matti stood to join them as they entered the living room. The other three doppelgangers gently hugged them, they were dressed in their formal 2nd uniforms, but they weren't going. They were attending the SOLDIERs moment of silence for Elena, something that was a first for SOLDIERs. Seph wanted the SOLDIERs to understand the sacrifices the Turks made for them. Ryu slid her fingers over the secondary goggles that had replaced her first pair while a new set were being made.
"You're head is not fine." Her A.I. chimed in, fine after a reboot and download to her new body. "You should have taken your medicine. Elena would not have minded, I think."
Ryu was glad that all data of the trip had been erased from her data banks. Elena's last moments wouldn't live on file in the Turks offices. As they stepped into the office, Chloe dashed forward to hug her.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered. Ryu hugged her back.
"Ready?" Tseng asked them all. They all nodded. Every Turk that could had come into the offices. They followed Tseng down to the archives and the room set aside for the Turks that fell in the line of duty. They couldn't be buried, but they could be remembered. Chloe and Cissnei carried a box full of Elena's things that they'd carefully decorated the day before. Reno was carrying her urn. Tseng had her picture, and honorary stake.
"Today we gather to remember Elena." Tseng began.
"Elena died, not just doing her job, but protecting that which we believe in. She died protecting 1st class SOLDIER, Commander Angeal Hewley, from a 2-faced that self-destructed before he could kill it. But beyond that, she died because…" Tseng paused, "She died because she believed SOLDIERs and Turks, should and could work together. For the betterment of not just Shinra, but our world." Ryu bit her lip through his speech.
"Elena was an excellent Turk, a good friend to many of us. She embodied many of the qualities we hold dear. Honor, pride," Ryu smiled sadly at Angeal's two favorite ones, "efficiency, loyalty, dedication to her work and coworkers, a kind of blunt honesty. She certainly would never hold her punches for any of us." They all weakly chuckled at that.
"She was fast, ferocious in a fight, lethal and deadly. Elena's presence will be sorely missed by all of us." Tseng said, he turned to look at Ryu.
"Ryu, can you sing something in honor of Elena, of all of us you have the best voice." He said. She nodded her head.
"What music would you like me to play?"Her goggles asked.
"Can you play Blades of Grass and Pure White Stones?" She asked.
"Certainly, lyrics for you only in case you forget."
"Yes please." Ryu said. As the piano music flowed over the group, Ryu opened her mouth to sing.
"Blades of grass and pure white stones,
Shelter those who've come and gone,
Just below the emerald sod
Are those who've reached arms of God
Buried here with dignity
Endless rows for all to see
Freedoms seeds in sorrow sown
'Neath blades of grass and pure white stones
Blades of grass and pure stones
Cover those who left their homes
To rest in fields here side by side
Lest we forget their sacrifice
Buried here with dignity
Endless rows for to see
Freedoms' seeds in sorrow sown
Neath blades of grass and pure white stones
Just below the emerald sod
Are those who've reached the arms of God
Buried here with dignity
Endless rows for all to see
Freedoms seeds in sorrow sown
Neath blades of grass and pure white stones
Neath blades of grass and pure white stones"
Ryu sang. As she sang, Chloe and Cissnei stepped forward, placing Elena's box on the shelf next to the last Turk to die in the line of duty. Reno gently placed her urn on top of the box. Tseng placed her picture in front of her box.
They all stood silently, as Ryu brought the song to a close, as the last of the piano music faded away. Cissnei, Chloe and the other female Turks sniffled and wiped their noses. Morgan wrapped his arm around Ryu as she finished singing.
They all turned and followed Tseng, as he lead the way to the wall in the entrance that marked how many Turks had died.
The other part of the wall showed pictures of the SOLDIERs who'd died. There were no pictures for the Turks; they were unknown to the world. The crowd of visitors to the building watched, both fascinated and horrified, as the Turks appeared in force in the lobby. The Turks ignored them and stood silently, while Tseng drove the spike, with the Shinra logo on it, into the wall. They lined up and walked by the wall saluted the fallen, before heading back up to the Turk offices.
Ryu let herself fall onto the bed, and buried her head in her pillow. Morgan sat next to her on the bed. They stayed there in silence as dusk fell and the room grew dark around them.
"The good news is that Turks and SOLDIERs are united again."He said finally.
"At the cost of Elena's life." Ryu said.
"I know, but aren't you the one who's always saying we have to find the best in everything?" He said. Ryu sighed.
"I know." She agreed, "It's just hard to find it in someone's death." Ryu pushed herself up onto her arms and then sat up.
"I'm going to go sit in the chopper for a while." She said.
"Want some company?" Morgan asked. Ryu shook her head.
"No thanks, Morgan. I just want to brood alone for a bit, you know, try to come to grips with it." She said. He nodded and kissed her cheek.
"I love you." He said. Ryu smiled.
"I love you too, nothing's changed that." She said.
"I know, I'm just reminding you of it." He told her. Ryu smiled.
Zack sat in the entrance to Angeal's rooms, looking dejected. He'd been there the whole week. Angeal had yet to emerge. He sighed glumly, as he heard yet another bottle fall to the floor, empty.
"How much are you going to drink before you come to your senses?" He muttered at Angeal's dark room.
"Zack…" He said ominously.
"Ooops." Zack said, realizing he'd been heard.
"Go away, Zack. I'm not going to teach you, or play, or whatever the hell it is you want." He said tiredly. Zack stayed, sitting stubbornly.
"You always call me the puppy Angeal, but I'm more than that. You're my friend, not just my mentor, but my friend. Don't you get it Angeal, we're all worried about you. I'm not leaving until you snap out of it." he said firmly.
"GET AWAY FROM ME ZACHARY!" Angeal roared, "Don't you understand? People die around me." Angeal whispered.
"What, just because Elena, sad as it is, dies for you; no one else can get close to you now?" He asked, hurt.
"My honor as a SOLDIER has been lost, my pride is gone. Zack, I have nothing left." He said morosely.
"You've got me, Mary, Genesis. All of us, you've still got all of us." Zack replied. "Please Angeal, don't do this to yourself." He begged. He looked up when Piper rested her hand on his shoulder.
"Why won't he listen to me?" Zack whispered. Piper knelt by his side and hugged him.
"Because he isn't ready to listen, yet." She said.
"Mary, come to my office please." She heard as she answered her PHS.
"Yes sir, be right there." She replied. Now what, she thought. She had been running on the track, but she had found that recently it was difficult to get more than a mile or two before she tired. She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally.
Angeal had locked himself in his room, and Zack refused to leave his door. Mary spent a good amount of time with Zack, trying to convince him to eat, but he refused most of the time. She understood that they were both upset, but she didn't see how they could stop doing their jobs because of it. She had continued her training, even if she was without her mentor. It was hard, and she didn't get much done, but it was better than sitting around and being sad.
That was the hardest thing, dealing with the emotions that were all around them. Elena had died, and all of the Turks were upset, along with some SOLDIERs. She was upset too, but more of her grief went to Angeal, and how he had crashed after the incident. She wished she could comfort him, but he wouldn't let her, or anyone else, in to talk to him. On top of that, she was still shaky from that day. She had thought that she lost him, and that was an absolutely horrible feeling.
The elevator doors opened, and Mary shook her head to clear away the depressing thoughts. She walked through the office, and knocked on Tseng's door.
"You wanted to talk to me sir?" She asked, as she entered, and took the seat he offered to her.
"Is there any progress with Angeal?" He bluntly stated.
"No. He still won't let anyone in, and won't leave his apartment. I don't know what to do." She replied.
"I think more forceful measures need to be taken. He needs to talk to someone, and I think you are the best one for it." Tseng stated.
"Why me, he obviously won't listen to me." Mary asked, surprised at what Tseng was saying.
"I think you mean more to him than he is letting on. You just need to make him listen to you. And what I've heard from some of the others, if necessary, you are quite good at making people listen to you." He replied. Mary blushed slightly, and looked at the floor. She had an idea of what he was talking about. She was known to have a very mean, forceful side when provoked, but it took a lot, and she always felt horrible about it afterwards.
"Just use your mommy-mode. That should do it." Matti said, from the corner he had been standing in. Mary jumped, she hadn't noticed him there.
"Wow, you are getting much better at the sneaky thing. And you know mommy-mode isn't simple, Matti. I don't know if I can do it." Mary said.
"Just think of poor Zack, and the state he is in because of Angeal. He is hurting one of your puppies. And think of yourself, he is hurting you too." Matti said, in a very knowing voice. Mary looked back down to the floor, embarrassed that Matti would say these things in front of Tseng.
"I'll try, but I can't make any promises." She said.
"That is good enough. You can go now. And good luck." Tseng said. Mary got up and left the office.
"Do you really think it will work?" Tseng asked his student.
"Trust me. If she manages to get angry, it will work. I just hope I'm not around when it happens."Matti honestly replied.
Ryu settled into the cockpit of the small chopper with a sigh. She looked out over the stars and the city.
Cloud swallowed nervously as he followed Tseng into his apartment in Sector 8. He'd been here several times, but this time the young SOLDIER felt different. He knew he'd been right in chasing Tseng out of his office and bullying him into returning home, but now he had no idea what to do with the Wutainese Turk. He stood in the front entry way, out of habit taking his boots off and tucking them away while he dithered about what to do. Should he try to make him eat, should he run him a bath? Cloud had no idea of what the Wutainese mourning process was like, what kind of comfort Tseng would accept from him.
Cloud watched as Tseng made his way to his room, listlessly throwing his tie and jacket towards his dirty clothes. Cloud frowned. Tseng was anal about neatness. It was something the young SOLDIER had had to learn quickly. While Cloud didn't mind a little mess, it drove Tseng crazy. He followed Tseng into the bedroom as silently as he could and put the tie and jacket in the appropriate hamper. Tseng brushed past him and headed into the kitchen and grabbed a beer. Cloud moved quickly after him; this much Cloud knew was bad. Rude had warned him to not let Tseng drink. Cloud wrestled the bottle from Tseng's grip.
"No." He said firmly. Tseng scowled at him, getting ready to yell. Cloud straightened his spine and took a deep breath. He reached out and pulled the taller man into his arms and hugged him.
Tseng stood still in the circle of Cloud's arms. The young SOLDIER seemed ill at ease, that much had made it to his grief stricken mind.
"Want my beer." He muttered. Cloud shook his head.
"No you don't; you just want to forget." Cloud corrected him. Tseng growled low in the back of his throat. It irritated him that Cloud saw right through him. Cloud stepped back and taking his hand, tugged gently on his arm leading him away from the kitchen. Tseng listlessly followed him. If he couldn't drink he didn't care all that much. Cloud released him once they were in the living room and headed into the bathroom. Intrigued Tseng followed him. Cloud was sitting on the edge of the Tseng's giant tub, his hand under the stream of water coming from the faucet.
"What are you doing?" Tseng asked. Cloud jumped slightly and turned to look at him, his face red.
"I was thinking you might like a bath to relax." He stammered. Tseng considered it and nodded his head.
"A bath does sound good." He admitted. Cloud smiled, relieved he'd gotten something right. He stood and shrieked, jumping up and almost hitting the ceiling. Tseng looked around frantically to see what had scared him. Sitting on the edge of the bathroom counter was a small spider, and Cloud was staring at it in horror. Tseng reached out and gently smushed the spider with his thumb. Cloud let out a sigh of relief.
"I loathe spiders." He muttered.
"Why?" Tseng asked, hiding well the fact that he too wasn't found of the creatures. Cloud looked away, biting his lip. Tseng sighed almost silently; it seemed this was yet another time Cloud chose to withdraw into himself rather than trust him. Tseng turned his attention to the buttons of his shirt.
"When I was growing up," Cloud began suddenly. Tseng paused and turned to look at him. Cloud was nervously fiddling with the neck of his turtle neck.
"The other kids would collect any kind of bug, but mostly spiders, and they'd put them in my desk, or locker. Or if they could in my lunch, or down my clothes." Cloud confessed. Tseng stood still, staring at him, processing that not only had Cloud chosen to confide in him, but that he'd admitted finally to being bullied. Tseng took two long strides to stand in front of Cloud and hugged him.
"I'm not too fond of spiders either." He admitted. Cloud looked up at him.
"But you aren't terrified of them." He pointed out. Tseng smiled wistfully.
"That's because I wasn't bullied with them. If I had been I might very well be." He told him. Cloud ducked his head and then turned to look at the tub. He jumped out of Tseng's arms and turned the tub off.
"Whew, it almost over flowed." He said, relieved he'd caught the tub in time. Tseng smiled and drew Cloud back into his arms. Cloud leaned back against Tseng's chest, it seemed the Turk wanted to hold him and Cloud was fine with that. If Tseng needed to hold him he'd let him. He could be soft and cuddly this once, much like the damned chocobos he was nicknamed after. Although to be honest, the title didn't bother him all that much. He knew the others meant it lovingly. It was the same as Dumbapple, Fire Cracker, Puppy, or Brute.
"What are you thinking about?" Tseng asked. Cloud grinned.
"I was wondering if this was okay." He blurted out. Cloud blushed, way to mess up Cloud. He snapped at himself. Tseng frowned.
"If what's okay?" Tseng asked. Cloud fished around for something to say. Finally he gestured to the tub.
"I don't have one clue how to help you Tseng. I'm western and you're Wutainese. I don't know what kind of things to do or give you to make you feel better. I don't know if there's a tea or something you'd like, because when I was upset Mum would always make me hot chocolate to make me calm down." Cloud blabbered frantically, trying to regain his composure. Tseng smiled and tightened his grip around Cloud. Cloud shut up when he felt Tseng's arms tighten around him. He felt Tseng kiss the top of his head.
"You have no idea how happy it makes to know you want to look after me. But you don't need to fuss so much, anything you do I know comes from your heart." Tseng told him. Cloud tried to take a deep breath. The infuriating Turk wasn't helping his nerves. He turned around in Tseng's arms and grabbed a fist full of his shirt.
"Would you please just tell me?" He asked. He knew Tseng was mourning, but honestly the man could tell him if wanted some tea of something. Tseng smiled and took pity on him.
"Some green tea would be nice, Cloud."He admitted. Cloud smiled and made to leave the room. He paused and looked at Tseng.
"I'll bring you some, you enjoy your bath." He told him. Tseng finished getting out of his clothes and climbed into the tub. He leaned his head back against the edge and closed his eyes. He didn't notice when Cloud returned so lost in thought was he, nor did he notice him sitting next to the tub gently playing with Tseng's hair, just as the girl's played with his. Tseng slowly opened his eyes as the water cooled. He slowly became aware of Cloud playing with his hair. He had to admit it felt good. He turned his head and saw the cup of tea sitting on the rim of the tub. He reached for it and took a sip. While Cloud had much to learn about tea brewing, Tseng could tell he'd but a lot of effort into trying to get it right and Tseng appreciated him trying. It touched him that Cloud was trying, and even though he worried too much about their many differences, it touched him deeply that Cloud tried to understand that maybe his own ways were not Tseng's. He made to get up and Cloud handed him a warmed towel. He smiled, slightly startled that Cloud had remembered such a small detail from the last time he'd been to the apartment. Cloud smiled shyly.
"I remember." He told him. Tseng nodded and dried himself off. When Cloud handed him the warmed bathrobe he wasn't surprised. It seemed Cloud did remember even small details of Tseng's routine; even when they mattered not to Cloud. Cloud herded him into his room to dress comfortably, as Cloud tended to his worn clothes. Tseng paused and put his hands on his hips watching Cloud. The young blonde seemed caught up in what he was doing but it hadn't escaped Tseng's notice that he was still in his formal 1st uniform, minus the harness. While SOLDIERs claimed their uniforms to be comfy he knew Cloud must have been sweating up on the stage during the SOLDIER's memorial for Elena, crowds always made him nervous.
"Go take a bath or shower Cloud." Tseng told him. Cloud stood and looked at him confused. Tseng smiled softly.
"You need to relax as much as I do." He told him. Cloud frowned.
"With all due respect Tseng, I wasn't as close to Elena as you were. I can wait." He said, shaking his head. Tseng frowned; Cloud had just gotten formal on him.
"Cloud, I'll be alright left to my own devices for a bit. I was thinking of cooking, it relaxes me. And I know you hate crowds, you're stressed." Tseng approached and gently cupped Cloud's cheek in his hand and kissed his forehead.
"Go, I'll cook some food for us, and you can find something in my closet to wear. If not some of Reno's leftovers in his room might fit you." Tseng told him. Cloud capitulated and went to take a shower.
Genesis sighed. Angeal was still hiding away in his room, wrapped in depression, Zack like a loyal puppy lingered in his doorway growing thinner as the week passed. Alanna was still avoiding him; she hadn't looked at him in months. He lifted a listless hand, he'd felt for a brief spark of time. When Elena had died, he'd been so angry. Elena and Ryu had both risked their lives for Angeal, and he had no doubt if it had been him they'd have done the same. He'd been so stupid causing the rift between SOLDIER and Turk, maybe if they'd all been working together this past month and a half, maybe Elena would have lived. He couldn't live with the guilt. He rose and went to his desk. He found a piece of paper and with his best hand writing wrote:
Even if the morrow is barren of promises
Nothing shall forestall my return
To become the dew that quenches the land
To spare the sands, the seas, the skies
I offer thee this silent sacrifice
-LOVELESS Act V
He walked out of his room, looking back one last time, before closing the door firmly behind him.
Ryu sat up straighter, as a shadow crossed in front of her star gazing.
"Genesis, he appears to be examining the edge." Her A.I. reported.
"Call Alanna, now." Ryu said, silently exiting the chopper.
"What is it Ryu?" She asked tiredly.
"It's Genesis, it looks like he's gonna jump." Ryu said.
"What!? Crap, I can't get up there fast enough to stop him."
"Remember what the Bitch told us? That as we become closer together, our powers will merge?" Ryu asked.
"Yeah but…"
"Try to channel through me, I'll try to blank my mind. We have to try Alanna." Ryu said.
"All right, all right."
Ryu looked up at the stars, and let her mind fall blank. She pushed her sadness over Elena, her fear for Genesis, everything out of her mind. And as she blanked out, she felt Alanna's mentality touching hers, looking with her eyes at Genesis; seeing him preparing to jump and ordering him away from the edge.
Genesis walked to their edge of the building, preparing to jump. He didn't remember making his way up there; he had just let himself go after his decision had been made. It just seemed a very poetic way to die, falling from 100 stories. It was sure to be quite a scene. He was wondering how it would feel, descending that far in a short amount of time. He had always wondered what it would feel like to fly.
Genesis took a deep breath, and prepared to take a step forward, when he felt a hand on his arm.
She felt her body approaching his and taking his arm.
"Come on, Gen." Her mouth said, but she didn't think the words.
Gen startled. Ryu was standing next to him, but it wasn't Ryu. Her hair was dark blonde, and her eyes far bluer than normal. Her voice had a slightly different quality to it than normal.
"This isn't what you want; think of how everyone would feel. No one wants to mourn another death."Alanna said through her. Gen looked at her hopelessly.
"Trust me Gen. I've been done this road before, it's not the answer." Ryu said, of her own free will, Alanna's mind still there in the back of hers. She absently noted how very strange it felt to be sharing her head and body with someone else's mind.
"I've almost lost a dear friend to suicide. It hurts everyone you leave behind, trust me. If you want to hurt Alanna in the most gruesome way, then by all means jump. But if that's not what you want, then come away." Ryu said, tugging on his arm again. Gen watched, bewildered, as a faint streak of red appeared in her hair.
"She'd be hurt?" He asked, surprised.
"Of course she would be, silly. She loves you." Ryu said. Alanna flared up furious in the back of her head. Gen's eyes brightened and Alanna silenced when she saw it through Ryu's eyes.
"Come away Gen, this isn't the answer." Ryu said, leading him to the elevator as her hair, eyes and voice returned to normal, Alanna leaving her mind. A massive headache took root in both their temples.
Like he was a giant doll, she guided him back into the apartment where Alanna slammed into him.
"How could you Genesis? How could you?" She sobbed, hugging him, burying her face into his chest. "Don't scare me like this. Oh Gaia…" She trailed off, into a stream of unintelligible sounds, muffled by his shirt. Ryu waved her fingers in the direction of his room, one hand shading her eyes from the light.
"She'll be embarrassed if everyone watches her cry all over you." She told him. He nodded his head and picked her up, and carried her to his room. He paused in the door way.
"Thank you, Ryu," He said. She looked up from rubbing her forehead and waved a hand at him, making light of it.
"You owe Alanna thanks too. She's the one who truly stopped you." Ryu said. Genesis nodded his head. Because he loved her, he hadn't jumped.
Once they entered his room, Genesis sat down on a chair, adjusting Alanna in his lap.
"How could you?" She whispered, while continuing to sob into his shoulder.
"I didn't know, 'Lanna. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry." He replied. He honestly did not know that she would be upset. He felt awful for making her cry like this. "I'm sorry." He whispered again, continuing to hold her, trying to comfort her.
Ryu plopped down on the ground by the door and tipped her head against the wall.
Please, no more tonight She thought desperately, as the headache ripped through her skull.
"Uh, Ryu. Rude is calling, should I patch him through?" Her goggles asked.
"Go ahead." Ryu said tiredly.
"Ryu?"
"Yes?"
"I hate to ask, but can you track down Reno? He's gone off by himself. I'd look for him myself, but I have my hands full with the younger Turks." Rude said.
"Yeah, sure." She said, pushing herself back up onto her feet.
"Thank you. He's probably so drunk he can't walk anymore. When he drinks to get drunk he can down them quickly." Rude told her.
"Goody. First Angeal, then Genesis, now Reno…" She muttered.
"What did Genesis do?" Rude asked, alarmed.
"Tried to jump off the top of the Shinra building."
"Is he all right?"
"Yeah, we got him in time. He's with Alanna now."
"Ah, good then."
"I'll see you tomorrow in the office." Ryu said. Rude chuckled.
"Tseng will give us the day off for doing babysitting duty." He told her.
"OH."
"Morgan!" She called. He popped his head out of their room.
"Yeah?"
"I am going to track down niisan. Stay here in case someone else does something stupid, and don't let Gen near anything sharp until Alanna gives permission." She said. He gave her a brisk salute.
"Got it, boss lady." She smiled.
"I love you, goof." She said.
"I love you too, boss lady." He replied. Ryu left the apartment shaking her head in laughter, and it felt good to laugh again, she realized.
She walked along the streets of Midgar, searching her brother's favorite drinking dens for him. She realized Elena would probably scold them all. She paused to look up at the stars.
"You died so that we could all live, live to the fullest of our lives; not mope around all day." She whispered, and she could have sworn she saw the North Star flare brighter for a second.
"Watch over us Elena, from up there, and don't become Mako." She whispered.
"You're not so tough now are you Reno?" Someone snarled. Ryu cocked her head to the side.
"Voice patterns indicate someone from the slums." Her goggles said. Ryu slipped her EMR free; she was still dressed like a Turk. She was even wearing a tie. She rounded the corner. Gathered around Reno's propped up figure were several young men from the slums.
"And what exactly do you think you're doing?" She asked, ice water flooding her veins. She was so pissed off about everything. She was actually spoiling for a fight.
"Oh looky here, it's Reno's big sister, here to save the day."One of them sneered.
"Step away from him. Now." She said, through clenched teeth.
"I don't think so. Six of us, one little you. The odds are in our favor." He said, his lip curling as he eyed her. Ryu shrugged.
"Suit yourself."She said, before she launched herself at them. It was over in seconds, all of them dropped to the ground, victim of an EMR blast.
Ryu stood and watched them scramble away from her.
"Weaklings."She sneered. Reno groaned. Ryu sighed, remembering the original mission. She crouched down by his side and hoisted him to his feet.
"Come on Niisan, let's get you home." She said, guiding his staggering footsteps. She tried not to breathe through her nose.
"Gaia! Reno, you stick of booze and trash."
"That'zz wha hap'enzz when youz lan' in a pile."He slurred. Ryu made a disgusted face.
"Well, maybe you shouldn't fall into it." She told him.
"I iz puzzhed" He grumbled. Ryu sighed.
"Ryu?" Morgan said over her earpiece.
"Yeah?"
"Rude just asked me to track down Rod, one of the Turks Elena was close to. Seems he's white lining it through traffic."
"Oh goody. Just be careful. And can you please ask somebody to check on the girls, get Sephy or Matti to do it." She said, as she and Reno staggered onto the train. People gave them strange looks. A drunk Turk and a sober one.
After what seemed like hours, Ryu finally got them to his apartment. As she shoved the door open, she was assaulted by the smell of unwashed clothes, food that had been left out, and body odor.
"Oh Gaia. Typical man cave, but oh my goddess, does it smell." She said. Reno, silent as a rock, was limp and pale by the time she got him onto the bed. Ryu sighed.
She turned her back on him briefly to gather up his dirty clothes and toss them into his washer, before filling the sink with dishes and hot water. She turned back to check on him. He wasn't doing well, and he still smelled like trash. Ryu sighed, and hauled him up over her shoulder and carried him into the bath room. She eyed the shower stall, turned the water on cold, stripped him down to his boxers, and shoved him in. She threw his clothes out into the bedroom as he came to, sputtering.
"What the hell!" He yelped, turning the water to warm.
"Are you trying to freeze me to death?"He sputtered.
"No." Ryu said over her shoulder, "Just get your attention."
"What are you doing in my apartment? What are you doing in my bathroom!?" He asked. Ryu huffed and crossed her arms, keeping her back turned to him.
"Huh, maybe because Rude called me worried about you; and Morgan is out chasing Rod down. Genesis tried to jump off the roof ten minutes before I came looking for you. Oh, and Angeal is still trying to destroy his liver with booze, like you were. What the hell is wrong with you people?! Can we as a collective whole not mourn properly? Elena died so that we could live, not self destruct like that fucking 2-faced did! Doesn't anybody get it?" She snapped. With a thump she dropped to the floor.
"Doesn't anybody understand that people die, and it hurts, but we have to go on. For them, for ourselves. We can't mourn forever, none of them would want it." She whispered, drawing her knees up to bury her face against them.
"Don't any of you care that there are people who love you? And it hurts us to see you like that. Mary and Zack with Angeal, Alanna over Gen. Me worried sick about you and Tseng. Poor Sephy was chewing his fingers worried about Chloe."She snapped, angry again. Reno sighed and shut the shower off.
"Umm, neesan, can I have some clothes so I can come out of the shower?" He asked quietly. Ryu sighed and fetched him clean clothes. Once he was dressed, she helped him back to the bed. He collapsed onto it.
"I'm sorry, neesan. I just lost it for a while. It was almost you, it could have been you, and... I don't want to lose you." He whispered. Ryu leaned down and kissed his forehead.
"It's our job Reno. But if I were to die tomorrow, I'd want to know that you and all my friends were living. Just like I want to know my family back home are living their lives." She told him. He sighed.
"You ask the impossible." He muttered. Ryu smiled.
"Isn't that what you'd want for me?" His eyes snapped open.
"Yes. You fight dirty, Ryu" He muttered. She smiled.
"I'm a Turk, and I learned from the best of them." She told him. He smiled faintly, before he fell asleep. Ryu sighed and turned to tend to the sink full of dishes.
"Ryu." he called, "You haven't cried for Elena yet. How long can you go on being strong for all of us?" He asked, regret in his voice. Ryu paused in the door way.
"For as long as I have to be." She told him before she walked out.
Cloud emerged from Tseng's bathroom in a cloud of steam. With a sigh he stretched and headed to Tseng's room. He paused as he passed Reno's room. He looked across the hall and to the closed room. Tseng and Reno never went in there. Curious, Cloud opened to door and peeked in.
It was another bedroom, much like Reno's. In fact there was a matching red and black comforter on the bed, and the beds were the same style; so were the dressers, night tables, and desks. They were all the same black metal and wood constructions. The room was neat and ordered, there was nothing out of place and nothing personal left out. Cloud wondered if some of the Turks sometimes crashed in here when needed. Hesitantly he walked to the closest and opened the door.
His eyes widened, hanging neatly in place, where Reno's old school uniforms and matching sets of girl's uniforms, at least for primary and secondary school. The female uniforms stopped before the teen years though.
He spotted a pair of what had to be Reno's old gym shorts and grabbed them. As he'd guessed they were the right size and length for him. It galled him though that Reno had probably worn them when he was thirteen not seventeen. Cloud hated being short. He left the room and went into Tseng's room. One of these days Cloud would think to suggest leaving some of his clothes here, but that made it seem far too permanent or something. What if Tseng were to take it the wrong way.
"You know," Tseng said leaning against the bedroom door frame. Cloud jumped and tripped over his half off pants. As he righted himself he heard Tseng laughing.
"Yes?" Cloud asked trying to keep his shredded dignity around him. He hated it when Tseng snuck up on him.
"You really should leave some clothes here. You're here a good portion of the time; it's silly for you to keep having to bring a bag and you'd have clothes for times like this." Tseng said. Cloud bit his lip to keep his joy from showing.
"You wouldn't mind?" Cloud asked. Tseng shook his head.
"It's far more practical." Tseng reasoned. "And I'd like you to. I'd like you to feel like this is your home Cloud." Tseng told him. Cloud smiled and nodded his head. Tseng smiled in return. He found it hard to stay gloomy with Cloud around. The youngest SOLDIER wore his feelings about Tseng for everyone to read. Tseng only had to look at him to know Cloud cared as deeply for Tseng as he could.
"I have to go back to dinner." Tseng told him. Cloud nodded and paused. He considered putting on one of Tseng's shirts, but the Wutainese kept his apartment warm enough that Cloud didn't feel the need for one, so he followed Tseng back into the kitchen.
"You know I don't think I remember Reno ever wearing those." Tseng commented after he'd cast a glance at Cloud. The black shorts were plain and had little wear to them, Cloud guessed Reno had out grown them before he'd worn them too often.
"They're a little tight in the waist." He admitted, "Reno must have been skinnier then too. And what is with the girl's uniforms?" He asked. Tseng laughed.
"They kept sending Reno girls uniforms for his schools, no matter how many times we tried to return them, they never took back. And it took us years to get the problem corrected. I hung on to them in case one of class mates needed a spare uniform." Tseng told him. Tseng smiled as he went back to chopping vegetables for dinner. Cloud hoisted himself up on the counter next to Tseng and watched him. He would have never thought to sit on the counter until Ryu had done it to counter her own shortness. Tseng looked up at him. Cloud smiled at him and Tseng smiled back. Cloud felt his heart lift, maybe he and Tseng had differences but surely they could work it out.
As Mary left Tseng's office, she decided to try and get some training in. That would be the best way to try and process what was asked of her. She agreed that Angeal needed someone to talk to, but she wasn't sure if she could get him to listen. She wasn't even sure what she would say to him. She could understand parts of how he was feeling, but at the same time, she disagreed with his reactions to his feelings. It didn't help that she had a slightly different view of Honor than he did. She would definitely need time to think about it. Also, she would need time to get angry, really angry.
While she was considering where to go, she accidently bumped into a filing cabinet, knocking over the files that were sitting on top. "Gaia damn it." She cursed, while bending over to pick up the mess.
As she collected the papers, she looked up in time to see the arrogant Vice President stroll by, making some arrogant comment about her being useless and clumsy. Mary felt an instant pang of anger flow through her body, as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was not overly found of the arrogant blonde, and his tone was almost too much for her patience. She controlled her anger, as she stood up and placed the files on the cabinet and continued to the stairs.
She decided on a training room with a rock wall. She had found that she enjoyed climbing, even more now that she was used to heights. About halfway up, she reached a gap, which meant that she had to jump to get to the next set of handles. As she reached up mid-jump, she reached for the handle and gripped it tightly. The handle promptly broke, and Mary was sent crashing to the ground with a thud.
"Ow. Son of a… umph…" She muttered, as she lay on the ground. She had hoped the rock wall would help dispel some of her anger, but now she was more upset than she was before. She got up, and decided to try a different approach, heading to the SOLDIER floor.
When she arrived on the floor, she found an empty VR room, and grabbed a buster jr. from the rack, and started a new session. She must have been more angry than she realized, because halfway through the mission, the buster jr. broke in half. With a sigh, she threw it against the wall and picked up another. This continued with all of the buster jrs, until all of them were gone. Mary still hadn't managed to get through a mission, with each of the swords breaking before she could kill the last monster. With each sword, her anger grew, until she finally snapped along with the last buster jr.
As the end of the sword hit the ground, Mary grunted and threw the handle at the wall, and managed to break the VR room. The illusion faded away, as Mary stormed out of the room.
She was now very angry. The whole time she had been trying to train, all of the thoughts of the day were flying through her mind, making her anger more intense. She stormed up the stairs, until she reached the highest floor they would go to, and entered the elevator. Once the doors closed, she started pacing back and forth, muttering to herself. She was glad that no one else was in the elevator that day. When the doors opened, she continued her angry tirade down the hallway, and into the apartment.
"If they want mommy-mode, they will get mommy-mode." Mary muttered, as she walked through the living room. Matti had returned to the apartment, and was sitting on a couch. He was glad his plan had worked, but now he was sort of regretting it. He looked around for something to protect himself with. He was glad to see her walk straight to Angeal's room, without hesitation.
Zack looked up, as Mary stepped over him and entered Angeal's room, a set look on her face. She firmly closed the door in his face. Matti sunk down into his seat on the sofa.
"I don't want to be here for this." he muttered. He reached down and pulled a random metal bucket over his head.
"I will see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil." He muttered. Zack looked at him, curious.
"For what?" He asked, as something smashed against the door.
"There's room for two in the bucket..." Matti offered, his voice sounding tiny from within the bucket.
"ANGEAL FUCKIN' HEWLEY!" Mary bellowed.
"That." Piper said, grabbing Zack's arm and pulling him to his feet.
"Come on, let's all go hide in your room with some soda and candy, and wait out the storm." She said.
"But..." He protested.
"Trust me Zack; she'll straighten him out for us." Matti said, helping to haul him to his feet.
"If you say so." Zack said, hanging limp in their grasp. His usual energy was gone in the face of his mentor and older brother figure's despair.
A/N: So, there you go. Angeal is alive! And Elena is dead.
Mary: Alanna, don't be such a cold bitch about it
Sorry, I'm not perfect, and I don't like her. Well… Didn't like her. Now she's dead. Problem solved
Mary: You are terrible
And you are scary. Let's just leave it at that.