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Completion Part 1




MOVEMENT ONE: LOVER'S TUNE

a year after Meteor

Tifa sat on her couch in Kalm. Well, their couch. She had moved in with the hero of the Planet himself, Cloud Strife. She looked over at him doing the dishes- he couldn't cook to save his life, so he did dishes. Her mind wandered back when she had learned to cook from Rude at his urging that it would help Tifa find a job. He had introduced her to Rude and the rest of the Turks. They had been so close....Tifa stop thinking about them! That part of your life is over. They wouldn't want to see you, you are happy. Tifa lied to herself on that last part. She wasn't happy.

She had given herself to Cloud just before the battle and immediately regretted it. He had been too rough, it hurt. It still hurt when he managed to get her to have sex with him, every time. She had tried to tell herself that they made love that night outside the Highwind, she still didn't believe that. It had been sex, nothing more. Cloud isn't him. You love him. There had always been a fire in her soul when he had looked at her. Her body tingled when they had touched. She shook her head. NO NO NO I am supposed to love the hero, I am supposed to love Cloud. He is my hero.

She had saved Cloud from the lifestream, but he had saved her from.... from what? It wasn't Cloud who consoled her when her mother died, it was him. It wasn't Cloud who pulled her safely out of Nebilhiem and gave her a home, he did. It wasn't Cloud who helped her get the information for Avalanche, he did that too. He was even the one to pull her from the lifestream, Cloud didn't do that. I really don't love Cloud. He doesn't love me either.

Cloud had called her Aeris last night in bed. It was almost feeling right until then. He felt badly, apologized profusely, but in the end it had happened. She wasn't mad at Cloud, she wasn't even sad. Somehow, Tifa had been expecting it. They hadn't talked at all today. Cloud finished washing the dishes and moved to sit down next to her.

"Tifa, I have been wanting to ask you this ever since you told me about the Turks." The blond man looked her in the face, his sapphire eyes begging her to be honest. "You don't love me do you?"

She was taken aback. "I am supposed to-"

Cloud cut her off gently "but do you?"

"Your my knight in shining armor, Cloud. You are the hero of the planet!" She meant that. Cloud was a hero and a great friend. No matter how confused he rightly was in the past.

"Not your hero." He looked to the side and sighed. When he turned back to her his eyes were downcast. "You talk in your sleep. I hear you call his name, the same as you hear me call for Aeris."

"But that's different." Tifa was confused, what was he doing?

"Yeah it is, Aeris is dead. I can't bring her back. But your hero is alive, Tifa." She opened her mouth to speak, but Cloud looked up with such sadness that she couldn't find the words. "You are my best friend Tifa, I want you to be happy. You fell in love with your knight in shining armor a long time ago. Why don't you go to him?"

"What about you?"

"I was thinking about moving to Cosmo Canyon. It's quiet there."

"I will come visit?" They hugged. She felt his tears on her shoulder and she cried with him.

"Whenever you want. Now get out of here."

Tifa went to pack her bag to head for Juion. She had apologies to make, she only hoped that he would want to hear them. I love you Reno.

***

Nanaki looked to his companion. Dark Nation (She changed her name to Rovina) had come a long way. She learned to speak, and was proving to be very intelligent. She was also funny and cute- did I just call Rovina cute? The red beast shook his head. No place to think about such things, she has prepared far to much for me to lose my concentration. They were going into the caves to try to find a way of relighting her tail fire. It was snuffed out sometime during her extensive experimentation. The research that she and Nanaki had done led them both to believe that relighting her fire would allow her to recover all of her memory.

Rovina herself was not entirely sure she wanted to remember everything. Hojo still haunted her nightmares, so vivid she could feel the pain all over again. All of that torment, the near wipe out of an entire race, for a few guard dogs. That is all I was, a pet to Rufus. She shuddered at the thought of the blond VP of Shinra.

"Are you cold Rovina?" Nanaki's voice freed her from the painful memories. She turned to him and smiled. He had been so happy to see her, the first creature to want to be near her. He was a proud warrior now, a hero as well. She hung her head in shame I don't deserve to share the same air space you do. Yet you want me near.

"No. I am simply thinking." about you.

"Care to share it?" Again with his sturdy honesty, with his calming sincerity. She did not deserve his friendship.

"This is not the time Nanaki. We are almost to the great warrior's resting place." They moved up the cliff with slow reverence. Rovina bowed a good distance away from the stone warrior and sat awaiting a welcome to come closer. Nanaki walked to his father.

"Father, I bring before you one of our people in great need. She is my friend, I trust her. She wishes the honor of your guidance." There was a rumble in the earth itself, no words were spoken. Rovina felt as if she was ushered forward. She moved to stand next to Nanaki, before the great Seto. Her eyes were cast to the floor.

"Look into my eyes, child." Timidly, Rovina obeyed, the stone cast hero's voice rang in her head. "You call yourself Rovina, and in havoc you have lived. You now seek to regain what you have been raped of."

"Yes great one." She was trembling, Nanaki moved closer to her side.

"Follow your dreams to your name, let your heart help you light your fire." With that Seto's presence was gone.

Rovina looked at her flame-less tail. She began to cry. "I don't deserve your help Nanaki. You are a great hero, I was a puppet." She tried to stop sobbing, but couldn't. "You must be so tired of my tears."

Nanaki slid his head under her's, he sat with Rovina crying into his mane. "They were long in coming." As he spoke he wrapped his tail around her's- the way a human would hold another's hand to comfort. A blue flame began to grow on the tip of Rovina's tail. It was as if Nanaki's tail had been a candle, tilting to her own. Her fire glowed brightly for the first time in many years. The spark of friendship fired into love that night, before the warrior's approving gaze and under the all knowing stars.

***

In their small apartment Reeve looked out the window to Junion. He thought about the past year, all that had transpired. We are finally happy, free. With the exception of Reno they all remained in Junion city. Reeve chuckled at the red head's reasoning for moving into the country. "All the thugs an shit Reeve. I can't have my kid growing up in that." Reno had been a gang leader himself before he became a Turk. The idea of someone like that avoiding criminals was ironic to say the least. Reno was a good kid, hard to admit that, but he was despite everything.

Avalanche had basically stayed in touch, Cloud and Tifa- Holy, how he wished he could hate her- lived in Kalm. Red took Dark Nation under his wing so to speak. Cid was in rocket town, Barret in Coral. Cait Sith was put away, Reeve was making a hefty amount with his machine working as a result of that creation. Vincent lived in the apartment below Reeve's with a little white cat Yuffie made him take in.

Now there is a changed woman. Yuffie stayed in Juion as well, working in the Dojo with Reno, Rude, and Elena. Sometimes she took shifts for Vincent or Scarlet bartending/bouncing at a large local bar. She had become a big part of their little group, calling them the "Anti-hero's of the planet". Reeve had to smile about her crush on the bald Turk. He went back to the bedroom to wake his wife.

"Scarlet you are as bad as Reno. Get out of bed." He pulled the covers off the bed. The blond woman moaned in displeasure. He laughed and picked up his pillow. "Don't make this get violent now. We can do this the easy way or the Turk way."

Scarlet swung her pillow at her husband, hitting him square in the jaw, "that was my line you jerk!" they battled with the pillows till feathers were flying and both were out of breath. "Hey isn't Rude teaching Yuffie how to fire a gun today?" Scarlet asked.

"Yeah, now that you mention it. Reno bet me 30 gil that she'd shoot him."

"Only 30?" The ex-Shinra execs laughed. It is about time things relaxed for all of us.

***

The door to Rude's apartment swung open revealing an interesting sight. Yuffie was trying to carry Rude. However, the big ex-Turk not only outweighed the little ninja by over 100 pounds, he was almost a foot and a half taller then the 5'2" Yuffie. As a result, Rude was more or less limping with her attached to his side. Yuffie's mouth was going about a mile a minute. "Are you going to be okay? Do you need anything? I am sooooo sorry!" Rude sat slowly on the couch.

"Towel." Yuffie dashed to the bathroom and returned with a black towel. Rude lifted himself as she slid the dark cloth under his body. As he settled back down she put her hand on the offending upper leg causing Rude to growl in pain.

"I'm sorry! Is the bullet still in there?" She asked as she jumped backwards

"What do you think!" he snapped.

Yuffie bit her now trembling lower lip. "You don't have to be mean."

"You fucking shot me!"

"So act like a baby about it why don't you! I thought that you were a Turk! You must have been shot before!" She crossed her strong arms over her small, perfectly crafted chest. Yuffie was more upset with herself then with Rude, but she wasn't going to let him know that.

"Not there!" Rude motioned to the bullet lodged in his inner thigh.

"The way you are whining you would think that I shot your got damn dick off!" The language she had picked up from Barret, Cid and later Reno was coming out in her excitement. Rude looked down to his lap, back up to Yuffie and down to his lap again. He then held up his thumb and forefinger about an inch and a half apart. "No way!" She gasped. Rude only cocked an eyebrow in response. She leaned over him to look at the wound, her eyes started to drift about an inch and a half over, she blushed.

"You will have to get that out of there before I can use my materia." even though he was in a fair amount of pain, Rude couldn't help but be amused by Yuffie's shyness.

"A doctor-"

"Over my dead body." his grating voice ended that argument before it began. "Tweezers are in the bathroom with the bandages, everclear's in the kitchen."

Yuffie returned and sat everything on his high coffee table. She moved the furniture over so she could kneel beside him, you know first aid girl, you have done this before. OH GAWD. "Uhm Rude?" He just looked at her. "You are uhm going to have to take your jeans off."

Rude couldn't resist to comment at that, "if you wanted me out of my pants you didn't have to shoot me you could have just asked."

"Oh! I should just leave your perverted ape ass to bleed to death!" she began to help him out of the pants none the less. Just Yuffie's luck, Rude wore briefs. She immediately blushed redder then Reno's hair. Rude stayed silent, thinking that Yuffie looked hot when she blushed. Despite being distracted by a certain aspect of Rude's anatomy Yuffie did a good job of bandaging the big man up. To his credit, Rude didn't complain at all during the procedure. Yuffie stood up when she was done, putting much needed distance between herself and Rude.

"Thanks." he said simply. "You are a mess. Use my shower if you want."

"Uhm yeah I will. You gonna be okay?" He nodded.

When Yuffie had cleaned up after her first aid work and hopped in the shower Rude lit a cigarette. She fucking shot me. It was true, he had been shot MANY times before. But never by a sexy ninja. He shook his head, good thing this hurt like a bitch when she was fixing it. He pushed himself up to go put on boxers or something, Yuffie was uncomfortable enough at the moment. Even if Rude thought it was attractive when she blushed.

DOLT DOLT DOLT! Yuffie berated herself. All that work to get Rude alone and she had to almost castrate him. Thinking about that made her blush all over again. She picked up Rude's soap, he smells so nice. As she continued to clean his blood off she realized that she would have to find something else to wear. Maybe Rude has something....

"Why is it frikk'n freezing in here!" The ninja walked around into the living room dressed only in one of Rude's hoodies. It fell down to her mid thigh, she hadn't zipped it all the way up. Even if she had, it would probably still try to come off her slender shoulder. OH fuck. Rude thought, suddenly grateful for the coverage of his baggy sweats. Okay, so this is what I get for the pants comment.

He shrugged, she came and sat on the coffee table. The height of the table made it possible for them to look eye to eye. He's got such bright eyes.... Say something! "Are you better?" He nodded. "How's come you don't talk much?"

"My mouth got someone very close to me killed." WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST SAY???

He waited for a barrage of questions, but none came. Yuffie frowned. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault." it was mine.

"I doubt it was yours either." He blinked at her. "I mean you couldn't have been very old."

"Twelve." Rude replied in a tone that said he didn't want to say any more on the subject. Yuffie picked up on it and nodded.

"Your turn, ask me something." He arched his eyebrow at her, "Lets see is that 'Yuffie why are you so adorable?' Or something else? Nanaki never did teach me to read minds all to well...." Rude smiled at her and she felt something run up her spine. He couldn't help himself any longer, he reached over and tucked a piece of her shoulder length hair behind her ear. His rough hand was warm on her skin. She put her small hand over his, holding it to her cheek. Yuffie smiled back at him.

"Staying tonight?" he asked.

 

CRESCENDO ONE: CAPTURE

"Damn it Yuffie where are you?" Reno hung up his phone and strode back into the kitchen. He had to be at the Dojo all day and Yuffie volunteered to take Suzanna.

The poor kid would be bored in the Dojo all day. He poured himself another cup of coffee and walked out to the patio. I have a patio, of all things I never thought that I would have.... The red head laughed. He moved just outside of Junion for the sake of his daughter more then anything, but the more time he spent in the country the more he enjoyed it.

The breeze was clean and calming, you could just hear the small stream that was below the hill of the property. Reno had stumbled upon the place by chance and was surprisingly welcomed by the little town. Having Turks around meant that the numerous roving gangs of mercenaries gave the town a wide breathe.

His house was attached to a larger property, he was their farm hand. Working with chocobos agreed with him. The chocobos were happy and so was Reno. The farm work had added much needed muscle weight to the now tan ex-Turk. His bangs were still long, but he had the back buzzed short and out of his way. One thing that he wished hadn't happened was that mass of freckles across his nose. Yuffie teased him all the time, "you really do look like a crook now Re!".

Thinking about her reminded him that he still needed a sitter. Maybe Rude knows where she went. "Trigger! It's almost time to go!" He yelled out to the barn. Suzanna came out of the barn, her red hair already a mess. She smiled brightly at her father, and with all the enthusiasm of a seven year old she jumped up and hugged him. "How's the hatchling?"

The freckles that annoyed Reno so greatly on himself gave his daughter this cute air of mischievousness. "Blue, an' loud." She commented, cheerily. "Find auntie Yuff yet?"

"I'm gonna call uncle Rude. If I can't find her you will just have to bother Pawpaw Reeve today."

A very Reno smirk crossed the child's face. "Yippie!"

"Go brush your hair kid." He quipped as he dialed his best friend. Reno about dropped the phone when an exceedingly not Rude's voice answered. "YUFFIE???"

***

A loud warking woke Cloud, the blond hero looked over to his clock, 10:30am. When Tifa left he took some sleeping pills and went to bed. He hadn't wanted to let her go, but she wasn't happy. Hell, he wasn't happy, Tifa wasn't Aeris. Missing Tifa more then he wanted to admit had given him a nice reason to "sleep it away". He usually fed his birds by 9 at the latest. The chocobo's were probably hungary. He threw his clothes on and went out to the barn.

Something's not right. That voice in his head warned him. Cloud stopped, listening to the cold, still dark morning. He thought about getting his Ultima weapon before continuing into the barn. Strange monsters that liked to eat chocobos had been sighted near the midgar ruins. If something was trying to eat them they would be making much more noise then this. Cloud reasoned and pushed the barn door open.

Five pairs of strange mako eyes greeted him. They glowed so brightly that he could make out the facial features of every man. One man's eyes glowed a pale blue, unlike the green of his companions. Cloud jumped backwards instinctually, back out into the open. "Who the hell are you guys?"

They moved swiftly outside, the frosted grass barely crunching under their boots. They were dressed in a variation of the outfit that Vincent had been found in. Unlike the ex-Turk's old outfit, these were an almost black shade of blue, their burgundy capes did a poor job of concealing the swords each wore. The silver steal on their boots glinted in the rising sun. Their leader spoke, his voice was dark and grating as a midnight desert. "You will come with us."

"What makes you think that I am going anywhere with you?" Cloud edged to the gutter, intent on using it as a weapon if he had to.

"You have no choice,"

Cloud's eyes narrowed. He had a good idea where these guys wanted to take him. Never again. "I always have a choice, death first." He ripped the pipe off the house as he spoke, then all hell broke loose.

Cloud swung the pipe in a high arch, taking the nearest man on a short flight with a crackle of breaking bone. The man flipped onto his feet as his back connected with the frozen earth, his jaw hanging open in a broken mess. Cloud was given no time to think about that as he was swarmed by the other men. The pipe split in half as he swung it at the head of another attacker. The man's head was half off, but he continued coming at the hero. Cloud rolled into the mass, taking out two knees in the process. The felled men shouldn't have been able to stand, but they did. They staggered after him, dragging their broken legs behind.

Like an army of zombies they continued despite pain. Their pale eyed leader stood in the doorway of the barn, an amused smile on his cruel features. His voice rumbled like thunder over the fight. "Give up Strife, you cannot win." Cloud ignored him, instead he ran to one of the slower attackers and pulled out their sword. Cloud swung the weapon around, but faster then even the hero of the planet was the pale eyed man.

The battered minions slid into a circle as their leader advanced on Cloud, a masume in hand. They locked blades, sending sparks to melt the frozen grass. The man's eyes widened for a split second as Cloud attacked. Omni-Slash should have finished any other man, but this pale eyed fellow refused to go down. He countered, surprising the hero. Cloud was still groggy from his drug induced sleep. He faltered, leaving a split second for the man to throw an elbow to the hero's head. Cloud Strife fell to the ground and slid into darkness.

***

Tifa frowned at her PHS. Cloud wouldn't let a call from me go unanswered. She didn't know what to think, she was worried about him. It was noon, he should be up. She dialed his PHS, knowing he always forgot to take it out of his jeans and he would have it on him. It rang four times, then a grating voice picked up.

"Good afternoon,"

"Oh I - I must have the wrong number," Tifa stammered.

"Hardly miss Lockheart. Mind your own business."

Tifa was pissed. No one kept her from her friends. "Listen, you know who I am so you must know that I can hand you your ass if I ever see you. Where is Cloud?"

There was a slight laugh on the other line. "Ahh so feisty this afternoon aren't we? Cloud is with the SOLDJETSI. There is no more for you to know. If you value your life forget about him." The line went dead. Tifa stared blankly into the PHS for a full minute. She dialed Cid.

***

"FUCK!" Cid yelped as he hit his head on the coal reactor. Who knew under Cid's foul mouth laid the mind of a genius? He had figured out how to convert the mako reactors to burn coal fairly cleanly. The pilot had been key in bringing Coral out of it's slump. Him and his even headed new wife, Shera.

"You need ta watch yo got damn mouth!" Barret snapped. Coral was prospering after the fall of mako. Every that couldn't use solar or hydro power needed coal for fuel. The big man couldn't have been happier. Elmyra and he had been married just a few months earlier, and Coral was once again a proud city. Life was great and then Cid's phone rang.

Muttering more curses under his breathe the pilot answered his phone. "Yeah.... WOAH girly. YOU ARE DOING WHAT! Fuck no. You stay the hell there woman. Yes I am," Cid looked over to Barret. The two men walked out of the reactor. "SHERA! Track Cloud's friggn' PHS." She stared blankly at her husband, "LIKE IT'S YOUR JOB WOMAN! Yeah we will pick you up. Be careful." Cid snarled as he hung up his PHS. The then turned to Barret, "remember how I said it was boring? FUCKING SHOOT ME NEXT TIME."

Shera ran towards her husband and Barret, her face white. "He's in the Midgar ruins." Both Cid and Barret erupted into a volley of curses that could have made Sephiroth blush.

***

Reno and his daughter were heading to their truck. Parking in Junion was near impossible, so Reno put it in an abandoned lot two blocks away from the Dojo. It wasn't a nice section of town, but who in their right mind would attack a Turk? The night was clear and cold. He was more then ready to sit with Suzanna in front of a warm fire. Reno was digging his keys out of his pocket when movement caught his eye.

He looked over to five figures, dressed like an old Vincent Valentine. The tallest of the figures belonged to a woman. She spoke in a sharp commanding voice. "Unless you want any harm to befall you and your child, you will both come with us."

Reno slid his keys in between his knuckles and moved Suzanna between himself and the truck. "The costume party is down the ally. I don't think you know who you are dealing with."

She sighed heavily. "Have it your way." The four men around her rushed at the red heads.

"Under the Truck Trigg!" Reno yelled, as he met the faster of the four with his keyed fist. He jabbed the man in the throat and twisted, ripping his attacker's windpipe out. Reno spun and threw an elbow into another man's ribs, it felt like he was hitting steal. Reno ignored the pain and kneed the man he elbowed in the face. He kicked out at the third man, hitting him in the chin. Reno followed it through with a side kick to his kidneys. He was grabbed by the fourth man, but Reno brought his head back into the man's nose. There was a crack and Reno was released. He rolled out of the fight to glance under his truck. Suzanna was cowering near the driver's side tire. He looked up and froze, the man whose throat Reno had ripped out was standing! He had only kept one of the four men down, the one with his nose now residing in his brain. "Come on Trigg!" The little girl dashed out to her father.

"I am giving you one more chance, " The woman's icy voice slid to them.

Reno nodded to his daughter and they moved at once. Holding their left hands against their noses they both chanted quickly. As they brought their hands back down twin pyramids encased their pursuers. Reno picked Suzanna up and took off down the ally.

The woman smiled, she raised her hand and snapped her long fingers. The pyramids around her fell. She then walked over to the minions she had with her. They were groaning, mindlessly tying to escape. She moved like lightning, striking two lightly and freeing them. The third, the one with the cut throat, she flicked on the nose. Then she put one hand on his shoulder and the other on the back of his head. She twisted, swiftly breaking his neck. After making sure Reno's tires were flat she led her remaining men down the ally.

Reno stopped near a church dumpster. He sat his shaking daughter down and handed her his PHS. "Don't move. If I don't come back call uncle Rude. Do not move from this spot." Reno swallowed dryly.

Suzanna shook her head, red hair waiving furiously. "I'm scared, don't leave me alone Daddy!" She hugged Reno closely.

"I have to Trigg, I don't want these guys to get ahold of you. You crawl up there and wait five minutes okay? Don't make a sound until then." His heart ripped as he spoke, the last thing he wanted to do was leave his child in a dark ally, but he couldn't run the risk of her getting caught as well.

"Promise you'll see me again." Suzanna urged, when Reno didn't speak she pressed harder. "You never break promises! Promise me you'll come back!" She was trying hard not to cry, but tears fell down the seven year old's cheeks.

Reno hugged her tightly. "I will see you again Trigg, I promise. Now don't move! I love you, Trigg."

"Love you too Daddy." She edged back behind the dumpster and Reno headed back to those whatever-they-weres that had attacked them.

He didn't have to run long. He spied them down the ally. "Giving up?" The woman asked. Reno shook his head and darted down an ally furthest away from where he had left his daughter. They chased after him. Reno could run, it came from years in the slums. He could run a mile in under five minutes if he had too and yet the woman gained. The other two had no chance of catching up, but dogged behind like toys on a string.

He ignored the pain he was getting in his side and ran harder. He tore down ally after ally, his only concern was getting these people FAR away from where he left Suzanna. Suddenly there was a toe against the back of his knee. Reno tripped to the floor, as he tried to flip up the woman was on him.

She was straddling him, with her hands pinning his wrists above his head. Reno was amazed at how strong she was. He pushed his arms up, but she held him so tightly his wrists hurt. Out of breath, Reno stopped struggling. A sensation of helplessness that he hadn't felt in years washed over him. It was a sensation that he promised himself he would never feel again. She looked him up and down, a flirtatious smirk on her face. "I bet your used to this aren't you?" She asked with a dangerously playful tone.

"Fuck you," Reno snarled.

She smiled lecherously, "maybe later."

Reno simultaneously pulled his arms to his side and thrust his hips up, flipping the woman off of him and into the wall. "In your dreams bitch." The other men were on him before he had time to run. They were stronger then Reno, but he managed to shrug them off. The woman grabbed the back of his shirt and slammed him into the wall harder then he thought Rude could. Pinned again by this strange woman he glared into her bright mako green eyes. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Such language to use in front of a lady. Where is the child?" The woman was tall, she easily looked 6'3" Reno in the eye. Not only that, she was stronger then he was. He tried to fight her off again, but there was no avail. Reno didn't answer her, there was no point. She appraised him with her haunting eyes again and smiled. Reno shivered, not from the cold. "Alright then, we will find her later." Without warning she let go of Reno and brought a knife hand to the side of his head. She backed up as his unconscious body slid to the floor. Her minions picked Reno up, knowing her command without her having to speak.

***

The sky burnt with a green fire. It encompassed her, it swallowed her everything. Then she saw them, the archangels of hell. She saw the blond hero, the chosen. She saw the red fallen. She saw the one who started it all. She felt Jenova. Rovina leapt up with a start. "Midgar!" she yelled. Nanaki jumped awake at her outburst.

"What?"

"We must take the trade plane to Midgar. We need to go now!" She looked into Nanaki's eye and said slowly, "The orchestra has started without us."

"What do you mean?" Nanaki began packing quickly. "Why Midgar? It is nothing anymore."

"No, Nanaki, it is where it all will begin." She stopped him from grabbing his PHS, "They are already there."

***

Suzanna waited. She was shaking from a mixture of fear and cold. The seven year old's breath came out in ragged clouds of mist, her tears were frozen to her face. She made no sound. No one came, he promised. Suzanna knew her father wouldn't lie to her, he never had before. She was getting colder and more frightened by the minute. Noises around the ally made her jump. She eked around to the front of the church and slid inside.

A man was sitting at a large piano, he was playing a song that Suzanna knew well. A song that her father played. She stood, looking around slowly, the frost on her melting, matting her red hair around her face. The man stopped playing and looked at her. He stood quickly and stared in shock. "Well deja vu. Hello there child." His voice was calming.

She began to back up when there was a pounding on the door. Suzanna ran forward and hid behind the tall, bald priest. He looked down at her. "Some one looking for you?" She nodded. "Hide over there." He motioned to the pews. The banging began again. He walked to the door a tall, mako eyed woman stood there. "Do you need a dry place to stay?"

"I am looking for a child father," Her voice far more chilling then the winter night. "We took her father into custody, she may freeze to death outside. We doubt that she would know to come to a holy place given her father, but you never know."

The priest nodded, "I have seen no child. But what does she look like? In case I see her."

She handed a card to the old man, "She has very bright red hair, green eyes. Freckles, pretty normal country girl. It's only for her safety, her father's got some shady associates..." The woman's voice trailed off. The priest shook his head in agreement.

"I will call if I find her. Thank you for notifying me." She said nothing and closed the door of the church. The old man turned to the girl. "You do not remember me do you?"

She shook her head, "no sir."

"Call your father's friend. I trust them more then the woman who was just here."

 

MOVEMENT TWO: QUESTIONS

They pulled up outside the fallen gate of Midgar city. The rusted entrance of what had once been sector one was closed. The rubble of the city now housed only the bodies of those that could not escape the great plate's fall. Mold and vines clung to everything in green-brown patches. Everything that wasn't rusted over that is. A skeletal hand seemed to be reaching out to the Turks as they got out of their vehicles. Midgar was a wasteland.

Rude looked over to Elena who was sitting in the driver's seat of the large diesel truck. She shrugged, "maybe the lock is rusted?" The blond looked over at the two vans that came with them. Reeve climbed out of the first and Vincent followed suit, climbing out of the second. The dark haired men walked up to the truck. "So Reno's here?" Elena questioned.

"He has to be," Reeve looked up at the fallen city he had a large part in building. He had no idea that it would become a tomb. A wave of guilt hit him as he saw the broken and scattered bones of those that never escaped, I had a part in trapping them in. "His signal is coming from in there. We have to break that down." Reeve motioned weekly to the once grand city's entrance.

Rude got out of the truck and walked with Vincent and Reeve to the gate. They all pushed on the rusted entrance. It groaned in protest, but held firm. Rude looked over to the others and shook his head. Yuffie climbed out of the back seat of the truck. She was holding a sleepy Suzanna. Their eyes met and she nodded. Yuffie spoke for Rude, "We are going to have to knock it down." Elena smiled from the driver's seat.

"Now we're talking!" She punched the gas of the truck and barreled into the gate. There was a loud squealing as the new metal of the grill connected with the rusted metal gateway. It finally burst open in a red cloud, allowing them back into hell. Elena jumped out of the truck and surveyed her damage with a smile. "I love running shit over," she then walked back over to the group to help dig their equipment from the vans.

"You sure Daddy's here Pawpaw Reeve?" The little girl asked from Yuffie's arms.

Reeve nodded to her. She hopped down and tugged on Vincent's shirt. "When you gonna find Daddy, Pawpaw Vic?"

Vincent looked down at the red head sadly. She smiled up at him, without fear, but with hope. Vincent was amazed at the ability of children to look past things like physical appearances. He smiled back at the girl, "as soon as we get set up, Trigger."

"He has got to be here. The tracking chip won't work if they take it out." Reeve looked into the monitors. "Lets see if we can get the remote to work." He flipped out a palm pilot looking device and pointed to a blip on the screen. "Here's his signal. He is awake, but not really moving. He can't be far."

A shadow glided over the land. Vincent looked up to see the Highwind. A sense of foreboding was evident in the ex-Turk's voice. "No they can't be far at all."

***

"Must you fucking pace like that? You're making me edgy!" Cloud snapped at Reno as the red head paced their small cell.

"Must you speak? You are giving me a headache." Reno retorted, first I get molested by an amazon on steroids and now I have to be confined with Jerk-Off.

"How about I break your legs ya lanky bastard? Then we can both relax." Cloud was more then simply edgy, the thought that he may end up a lab rat again was giving him major anxiety. The addition of Reno to his situation was not helping matters. Cloud was bitter about Tifa leaving him. Reno had been doped up until about an hour ago, and then life got interesting. The two had traded insults since then and things were coming to a head.

The ex-Turk turned to Cloud. His eyes changed color, from a deep blue to light mako green. "I would love to see you try that short shit."

"Lets go then!" Cloud got to his feet, "I seem to recall you tucking your tail between your legs and running home to your Shinra last time we fought."

"Yeah I was outnumbered, jackass." Reno slid into a fighting stance, "it's just you and me now."

"To bad for you." Cloud growled as he attacked. Reno didn't dodge as Cloud had expected him to, instead he met the blond with a hard block. Both men started to kick out at the same time, knocking their lower legs together with a loud crack. Reno took advantage of his height and jumped backwards, throwing a leg over Cloud's head and turning it into a hook kick. The blond grunted as Reno's boot connected with his ear. On his way down Cloud threw an elbow to Reno's back, both men hit the ground.

Reno rolled back against the wall and jumped to his feet. Cloud did the same. Both men were aware that fighting would get them nowhere, but thoughts of a certain brunette and sheer aggravation with the situation egged them on.

Cloud wasn't fazed as Reno faked forward. The second time the red head moved it was too fast for him. Reno came up to the left, but slid right making the blond punch thin air. Without even setting his foot down, Reno threw three return kicks at Cloud. Hitting him in the lower leg, the stomach and his head. Reno then jumped up and hit Cloud in the ribs with a side-kick. The blond didn't fall, but he did hit the wall hard.

Cloud shook his ringing head. He knew that Reno would win if he kept fighting this way. Reno had him on speed and height, making him able to hit the blond at a distance where Cloud couldn't reach him. If Cloud could get in close it would be a different story.

Reno didn't attack again, he slid into another stance and waited. "Had enough yet chocobo head?"

"Puss'n out?" Cloud asked, trying to make Reno come to him.

"Not likely, but you seemed to need some time alone with the wall there." Reno was the king of baiting people in fights. He was not going to let the blond get him in close. Cloud had only really hit him once, but that hurt like a bitch. It was not going to happen again.

"Then do something you sorry excuse for a heroin addict." Cloud snapped.

"Lead the way great hero." Sarcasm dripped from Reno's voice.

"I think there's more to this then the whole Turk, Avalanche thing." Cloud muttered, sliding into a stance to match Reno's.

The red head was surprised, but didn't lower his guard. "That is a shocking revelation coming from you meat head." Reno switched his stance, "so what if there is?"

"Maybe something named Tifa?" Cloud backed away further from Reno. "Maybe a bit jealous? That she wasn't interested in some Shinra whore?"

"You're hitting below the belt Strife," Reno's voice was dangerously level.

"If you kept your below the belt in check more often then it wouldn't be so easy to jab at."

Reno lunged at Cloud while the blond was still speaking. Cloud grabbed a hold of Reno, but the red head expected it. Reno rolled down to the ground and kicked Cloud's legs out from under him. Forcing the blonde's arm strait Reno rolled over behind him. Cloud was on one knee, his arm craned up so he couldn't move. "I am going to let that last comment slide, blondie. The next time I get you like this, your going to have to use your other hand to jack off for a long time." He kicked Cloud in the back as he let go.

"Fuck it," Cloud growled, rubbing his arm. "Just stop the got damn pacing."

"I am claustrophobic, I can't exactly help it. It is kinda like you being a dick."

Cloud sighed heavily this is going to be a long night.

***

"What the fuck are they doing here?" Barret yelled as the ship touched down. The large man lead the rush out of the Highwind. The Turks turned and looked at the oncoming heroes. Vincent walked forward, bringing the two man charge to a halt. "Have you forgotten that Yuffie and I are here as well?"

"You always were fucked in the head," Barret snapped. He glared around the other group and huffed.

Cid leaned on his lance and lit a cigarette. "So what brings you guys to this pile of shit?" the pilot asked.

"Reno appears to have been kidnapped as well." Vincent said as mildly as he could.

"Who the fuck cares where that murdering tramp is?" Cid snapped.

"I know who does." Yuffie said slowly. All eyes turned to the ninja and the little red head she was holding.

"He probably took off with some slut for a few days." Barret growled loudly.

"Stop yelling!" The little girl pleaded. "I want my Daddy!" Everyone looked wide eyed at Suzanna, she started to cry. "That scary lady and those monsters took him."

"Reno wouldn't leave his daughter unless he had no choice in the matter." Tifa muttered from behind Cid and Barret. Tears welled up in the brunette's eyes. She ran to Rude, wrapping her arms around the big man's neck. "I am sorry! I was such a selfish bitch to all of you." She was sobbing, "you all probably hate me don't you?"

Rude gripped Tifa's slender shoulders and shook her, "you know that I could never do that, none of us could." He pushed the bangs from her face, "no matter how hard I think some of us tried."

"He speaks!" Cid yelled earning a glare from both Rude and Yuffie.

"You can't just waltz back here when your boyfriend disappears and expect us to take you seriously!" Scarlet snapped.

"I was on the way to Junion for Reno!" Tifa yelled at the blond woman.

"Bullshit." Scarlet said slowly.

Reeve placed his arm around his wife's waist calming her. "What do you want?"

"Reno's missing too?" was all she asked.

***

Nanaki and Rovina came through the gates of Midgar, looking back and forth in shock. "Its been so long, Nanaki. I don't think I am ready." She moved close to his side, his body bringing her comfort.

"You are as ready as I am." Nanaki listened as Barret's raised voice bounced off the fallen walls.

The two beasts shared a look of concern and took off running. They saw the Turks and Avalanche in a clearing. Barret and Rude were nose to nose, Tifa and Yuffie trying to get in between the two big men. "What! Can't say anything? Too slow in the head to explain yo self?"

"Barret leave Rude alone!" Tifa yelled as she tugged on his gun arm.

"Rude don't kill'em! Please, just back up and walk away!" Yuffie begged the bald man as she squirmed in between them.

"He ain't gonna do shit brat!"

That comment appeared to piss the big Turk off. Rude's arm shot up and gripped Barret by the collar. His other arm pushed Yuffie gently but firmly aside. He jerked Barret almost off his feet. "First off you aren't worth talking to, and secondly she isn't a brat." Rovina and Nanaki arrived just in time to stop the fight.

"Rude!" Rovina yelled as she ran down to the fight. "Nanaki stop him!" Both beasts pushed in between the two men, who were in shock at seeing Rovina speak. "Rude we need each other! I mean it!"

Everyone stared at Rovina and Nanaki. Reno's daughter was the one to break the silence, "Dark Nation?" The little red head darted to the black beast and wrapped her arms around her neck. "Ya got your fire back! You talk too!" It was the first time that she cracked a smile since Reno was captured.

"It is Rovina now, child. Yes I did." She put her head on the girl's shoulder, giving her a hug.

"Do you know where Daddy is?"

The black beast looked into the girl's face, she placed a paw over the child's hand. "We will try to find him, but we must work together."

"Pardon my fucking french," Cid said "but what the Holy shit faced hell is going on?"

"I don't exactly know, we need to look in the Shinra building, we need to see what they want with Cloud and Reno." Rovina looked at the girl, "you stay close, Trigger. You are the final piece, as long as we have you they cannot win."

"You learn to talk and you speak in fucking circles!" Highwind cursed.

***

Sitting at a table outside the vans Barret was getting more agitated by the minute. The revelation that Reno and Tifa had been so close was a blow to his ego. The idea that she could have a relationship with Turks made his skin crawl. He kept throwing almost nervous looks at Rude, who was far to close to Yuffie for his comfort. Barret wouldn't tell her, but he loved the little ninja like a daughter. Yet another betrayal in the black man's eyes. The fact that Rude could have turned him into a pile of goo about fifteen minutes ago was also something to stew on. Barret wasn't as stupid as he acted, he made a mental note never to piss Rude off one on one again.

Coffee was brewing in one of the vans, they had decided to explain everything and then get to work in the morning. A lot of explaining was going to have to go on as far as Barret was concerned. Cid was sitting next to him, also shifting about in discomfort. Yuffie and Rude returned from the truck where they put Suzanna to rest. Thankfully, Trigger was asleep in the truck and couldn't hear what was being said about her father. "How old's that kid again?" Barret asked in an almost disgusted tone.

"She is seven." Yuffie snapped at Barret like a mother answering an annoying child.

"And the missing shit head is?" Cid asked. His temper also was flaring. The pilot hated being confused. He hated not understanding what was going on and as a result this day went way beyond just ticking him off.

"Reno is twenty two." Vincent said, he was beginning to lose his temper with his old companion.

"Shit, did he come out fucking?" Cid asked almost dropping his cigarette. "That would make him fifteen when that kid was born!" The blond pilot shook his head in a mixture of pity and hate. "Where'd he learn that? His whore of a mother?"

Vincent moved like a flash of light in a mirror. Cid's chair was kicked out from under him. Vincent held him by the neck, the thumb of his human hand pressed on the pilot's windpipe. The ex-assassin's voice was calm, but Cid's face was slowly changing to a shade of blue. "Don't ever make assumptions about shit you know nothing about again, Highwind." The dark ex-Turk released Cid, who erupted into a coughing fit. Looking every bit a Turk at the moment, Vincent stood up. He sighed and spoke again in a low mournful tone, "that woman was no whore. She was my wife."

"What about you and Lucrecia?" Yuffie asked, "Weren't you lovers?" Vincent looked at Yuffie, an unfamiliar look of surprise etched on his face.

"Lovers?"




Huh? Now what is the meaning of this?

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