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The Sins of Two Fathers	By : wickedorin Category: Final Fantasy VIII > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 687 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
"The Sins of Two Fathers" and the general overall
concept of "The Sins of Two Fathers" is completely copyright Orin Drake
1999-2005, as are the characters Kyrie and Rodger and some more random
people that don't matter as much. The characters Seifer Almasy, Squall
Leonhart, Quistis Trepe, Ellone (Leonhart?), Laguna Loire and Rinoa "The
Great Big Bitch" Heartily (biased? me?) are copyright Squaresoft, as are
the terms SeeD, gunblade, Trabia Garden, Griever, and probably a lot of
other stuff I forgot to mention. Hell, if you played the game, you
know. Enough said. Oh yeah, and there are plenty of spoilers
everywhere for everything. That about covers it.

        Background:
To be completely honest, I had no idea this was going to turn into a serious
story. I started writing is as a free-for-all squickfic yaoi fan
fantasy, but it got so out of my control that the characters are actually...
endearing. What have I done?! Ah well. Lesse, there's
a real obvious homosexual relationship, but they don't really do anything
in this chapter, so... oh, there's language. You know me, I like
my nasty language, so look out. Angst, I love putting angst everywhere.
That's about it for now. I will warn you, though, that FF characters
actually don't make up a lot of this story, especially not in the beginning.
I will make it up to you all some day. Enjoy.

        WARNING!!!
This chapter contains horrific acts of violence, rape, general torture,
gore (though not too specific), and death. Not for the faint of heart,
to put it lightly.

The Sins of Two Fathers

Chapter 12

by Orin Drake
        No working communications
devices, and no living crew. To allow the ship to roam to where Sephiroth
wanted it to go or not... Kyrie shuddered to think about either option,
really. What if her parents were there, where they were being
directed? But then, Sephiroth would want them to come after him.
It seemed like a stupid decision either way, honestly. She didn't
even react when Rodger walked up to her and waved a hand in front of her
face. After a few more seconds of being stared at, however, the worry
slid off of her mind like water off of feathers. She could
not
allow it to take hold of her consciousness. Worry was one thing,
but an agonized helpless panic was completely another. She would
not be that, she would not do that. "So..." she started, but could
not finish.

        "I think we're screwed either
way." Cloud didn't need a vocalization of her feelings.

        Kyrie took a deep breath
and crossed her arms tightly against her chest, but it was very still.
Very calm, very silent. "Any idea of what kind of chance we've got
if we go there?"

        "A bad one." Vincent
commented quietly. Brutal honesty was necessary at this point in
time.

        "I'd agree with that."
Cloud admitted despite himself.

        Kyrie looked to Rodger for
a moment, trying to judge what was going through his head. She bet
he'd had no indication she'd be getting him into shit like this.
Oh sure, all kinds of other, slightly less mind-blowing and life threatening
shit, but not this...

        Before she even had the
chance to consider what she wanted to say to him, he put on one of his
most suave grins. "I'm not leaving."

        At least that made her smile.
"Well, that's something."

        "Really, Kyrie... whatever
you decide to do." It was Cloud's honest answer, though he seemed
a little surprised it had actually come out of his mouth.

        "You've killed him before..."
she pondered out loud. It was neither a question nor an answer, but
it seemed important enough to state again.

        "Vincent was there, too."
The blonde assured.

        Another deep breath was
heard from her. She didn't want to put her friends' lives in danger.
But then, they had come with her quite freely. Hell, Cloud was after
Sephiroth when he just stumbled upon her. It still gave her a horrific
feeling that she actually honored that "deal", though... what a godawful,
gut wrenching thought, that. A blunt question, then. "Do you
think we can pull it off?"

        Well, now that was the
question. But he didn't think they could pull it off last time; well,
not at first. They were in that same stage of worry and regret right
now, though. If there was hope back then... "You both have
a little time to practice. It's definitely possible."

        Kyrie sat back and looked
at her fingertips. What, maybe three hours to learn Heal and Ultima?
But it would have to do. They couldn't waste time and effort trying
to contact other ports in person. Maybe this would serve as enough
of a surprise to give them the upper hand, at least for a little while.
"Let's do it, then."

        "Squall..." he heard again.
Same voice, closer... more real... and then his eyes shot open with a full-forced,
open handed lash on the side of his face.

        Squall's heart raced; not
with the pain, not really with the surprise of a strike... It was
that voice. That fucking voice. The voice of years ago, of
nightmares and memories hidden so deeply in the shadows they were less
memories than they seemed someone else's demented thoughts you were stuck
with somehow. He just wanted to shout "No!" over and over
until his throat was raw, until he had no more breath or voice left to
shout any longer. Denial, denial was his friend--

        But there was no mistaking
the hungry gaze of the predator before him. Green cat eyes, wild
with hatred and torture lust. His lips parted to speak the demon's
name, but he could not allow himself. If he spoke it, it would be
real. The words would become flesh. Certainly this was a horrific
nightmare. Granted he didn't have them often, but when he did...

        The other side of his face
stung with the back of the monster's other hand. The voice, so sneering,
so... ungodly, humiliating, painful... "Leonhart. I'm surprised
you don't remember me."

        But he knew full well.
It shone in his eyes under the hatred; the satisfaction of the fear, the
pain. Squall had seen that so many times in his youth. Even
after so long, he was still reduced to forcing himself to stop the shaking.
It was only then he realized his arms were held above his head with expertly
woven metal chains, lifting his feet just an inch above the floor. This
isn't happening, this can't be happening, Seifer wake me up!

        The bastard with the greener
than green eyes only grinned in victory. "You mustn't worry about
your beloved." The word was spat out as a curse. "He's
just beyond that wall, waiting his turn."

        Absolutely agonizing shudders
overcame Squall's body entirely. He was first. For what?
He knew what. He didn't know how, but he knew what. It was
becoming more clear by the second, more obvious the thicker his fear became.
The panic was too hard to control, and his body would not obey him.

        Sephiroth waited until the
last possible moment, until he was absolutely certain the fear was clouding
the former SeeD's expert mind. He grasped the younger man's throat
tightly in his hand, feeling the pulse even through the leather and delighting
in the pain he was causing. Just like old times. The very though
made him chuckle darkly to himself.

        It was like that very sound
shattered the barrier of panic overwhelming Squall's mind. This time
he kicked out, roughly and without focus, but it caused the bastard to
think twice. The cocky grin remained plastered across his face, but
he released and backed up. Squall continued to regain control, trying
to use his body like a pendulum.

        But, unfortunately for him,
Sephiroth had planned on that part, too. On to the next step.
He darted forward and stunned the brunette thoroughly with an even harder
strike, one that was bordering on cracking his jaw. But he didn't
want that. He wanted to hear the words of denial pour from the boy's
lips.

        The hit momentarily rendered
Squall utterly useless. His mind was blank for a number of seconds
from the sheer force, his body completely inert. The first thought
fired quickly, however; less of a thought than a primal need to defend
himself. He didn't remember from what at the time, but he knew his
life was in danger. The animal need to survive was short-lived; it
all came back with the other man's tainted touch.

        "This is too much dignity
for you, Leonhart." Sephiroth seethed. Squall fought his every
action with the best of his strength but lacking words; he did not want
Seifer to hear him. It was a subtle reason that Sephiroth so reveled
in knowing. Something deep and hidden, torn out from within.
From one of his best students, who had abandoned him. Hatefully,
his slender fingers shredded at the front of his victim's pants, yanking
them from his hips.

        "No." Squall growled
quietly, teeth clenched with rage and tension. He kicked, crossed
his legs, tried to use his knees to connect with something, anything; he
did everything he could do, everything in his power, to prevent the inevitable.

        Regardless, Sephiroth assured
him that it was indeed inescapable by another impressive show of pure strength.
If he could not pull them off so easily, he would rip them to pieces.
Either way, his goal was satisfied.

        Squall was too angry to
react to the cold of the room just yet. He continued to fight valiantly
even as his briefs were torn from him with a satisfied laugh, and kicked
wildly as his shirt was ripped to ribbons. Not this time, not ever
again. He used his entire body to fight, using the wall to push himself
against as he swung out and tried to injure his tormentor any way he could.

        Sephiroth grinned widely,
standing back and watching until he had the opportunity to rush forward
and pin the struggling man against the wall with his body. Ah, the
practice he had had with that move alone made him smile. He savagely
grasped Squall's throat again, this time pressing his fingers deeply enough
to constrict, to bruise and wound. "What a beautiful sight."
He whispered. "You've grown up. But you still haven't surrendered."
He brought his other hand along the side of the younger man's face, running
it through his hair.

        Squall desperately wanted
to ask about the condition of his family. But he knew better.
Or maybe he didn't want to know at all. It didn't matter, he couldn't
breathe let alone talk. The crushing pain in his throat was enough
to force a weakness over him.

        Sephiroth chuckled.
"Still silent, are we? Stoic, little hero?" Satisfied that
the man underneath him was frail enough from oxygen loss, he released hold
of him completely and backed away. Instead of mercy, he granted his
prey a devious smile as he pulled his gloves off and placed them in an
inside pocket in his long coat. "I want to feel this."

        Squall barely heard him
over his own gasping, the sound of his heartbeat and the blood rushing
in his ears. But he knew there was danger ahead.

        The silver haired man rested
against his body again, running his bare hands lightly over his prisoner's
hips. It was only a whisper, as soft and gentle as the other man
could ever get. "Do you like to bite, like your daughter?"

        Squall's stormy eyes widened.
"Y-you didn't..."

        His velvet laugh coursed
through every vein of his victim's existence. "It's a nice little
family affair, isn't it?"

        The brunette's eyes were
wet from frustration, but there were no tears in there. Just a vibrant
rage. He kept his voice down, but it still found power enough to
echo in the walls. "You have no connection to her..."

        "She's coming for you, you
know." Sephiroth interrupted casually. "For both of you."

        Again there was a devastating
pain through his chest. He growled, halfway defeated before he began,
"You're a sick lunatic."

        Sephiroth's laugh was even
more quiet, and dangerously delicate. "You didn't used to think so..."
he taunted, forcefully separating the globes of flesh that tensed desperately
to protect the prize he sought from his torment. "But, you were young,
then. Stupid. And tighter." He leaned forward, lips against
the brunette's ear. "One more for old times sake, hmm? Maybe
you'd like me to show you what I did to your daughter... but then, I'd
have to rip you another hole."

        Squall closed his eyes tightly.
It was his only possible reaction. Neither he nor Seifer had ever
told Kyrie about Sephiroth. Neither of them had so much as acknowledged
his existence after the two finally got away from him entirely. Maybe
they'd just hoped forgetting that period of time would erase it.
And indeed it was erased for quite a while; until the guardian forces were
released. Memories were slowly recovered. As were nightmares.
But even then, they never talked about it. The thought, the very
idea that he could have gotten his filthy hands on her...

        But his thoughts were shattered
instantly with white hot pain thrusting, expanding, jarring his spine and
crushing all other things. Just pain, just rawness and brutal
agony came through all senses as though they had all been wired incorrectly.
Damage,
nothing but damage, like a computer blinking nothing but a flashing
prompt; there was simply nothing else there. He couldn't help the
bitter groan that escaped. He didn't even know it had happened.

        Sephiroth grinned eagerly,
getting a better grasp on his victim's hips before driving into him again.
Beautiful. His pain was absolutely beautiful; and familiar, like
the smell of bread baking. He felt the quiver; the aching,
seeking thought process as though it were rolling through Squall's body
rather than his mind. His victim getting away was not an option,
and he loved it. Glorious those fully desperate attempts at suppressing
painful noises, at trying to wrench free of the torment which no doubt
must be as familiar to prey as it was to predator.

        "You left me, Squall."
He panted, thrusting even harder, even faster thanks to the blood.
"You and your whore abandoned me. After all I did for both of you.
After all I offered you."

        "M-maniac..." his prisoner--his
victim--
responded painfully.

        "You convinced him
to leave, too." Sephiroth continued, closing his eyes with the impending
eruption. "And you, and your daughter... will be your sacrifice..."
He purred loudly with his release, grasping Squall's hips with devastating
strength.

        Squall couldn't hold back
the shriek as he felt something inside of him shatter. What bone
it had been, he wasn't sure of, and even the location he could not have
pinpointed. Everything hurt so much that it didn't really matter
anyway. Something was broken, a bone had splintered somewhere between
his knees and his chest. That's all he wanted to know right then
and there.

        "Shit." Kyrie commented
under her breath. Well, Ultima had done a little something, anyway;
it had melted one of the ship's deck panels. Not quite what she was
going after, or aiming for. But it was... something.

        "No, that was good."
Cloud attempted reassurance. "Just, uh... inaccurate."

        "Thank you." She responded
with deeply meant sarcasm.

        "Maybe it would help to
bring your fingers together just as the energy passes through them."
The blonde continued to be helpful. He couldn't allow her to lose
faith in herself; she really was good. And learning astoundingly
quickly. But he knew it was frustrating.

        Rodger had his own problems,
quickly slapping at a small smoking spot on his jeans. Even Vincent
found it hard to maintain a straight face, but he was utterly successful.

        At the attempt at trying
to strike a nice balance between practicing and not draining them of energy,
Cloud had gone into the galley and broken into the pantry. Various
food wrappers, bottles of water, dried and canned things, and some bread
littered the area around them. Kyrie had suggested that Materia made
for the perfect weight loss plan. But obviously they would have no
food in battle, so Cloud suggested the building of stamina as well.
At which the two "students" giggled like third graders, of course.

        Seifer sure as hell heard
that
through the thick walls. For several minutes, he'd been straining
his ears to figure out whether or not people were talking, or if he was
just imagining it. But that shriek made it obvious that he was not
in a very friendly place. More so obvious than the shackles, even.

        And then a moment later
his stomach tightened and dropped. A scream. A gut wrenching,
absolutely thoughtless scream. And another. And another.
Broken words and shattering sobs; and screaming. And a helpless feeling
that he knew exactly who those screams belonged to.

        The demon kneeled in front
of the other man, unchained but slumped uselessly against the wall, and
whispered gruffly, "I always told you, Leonhart. If you ever looked
at me like that again, I'd tear your eyes out. One tonight.
One... for later."

        Squall could not respond.
He'd heard the words, but they came through one at a time with the pulsating
pain through his face and head. Reality hadn't struck him.
The fact he'd just had an eye taken from him didn't hit him.
He just could not find the means or energy with which to react at all.
Distantly, he felt blood trickle, but his own mortality didn't occur to
his pain tinted world.

        "And now if you will excuse
me, Leonhart..." Sephiroth stood and adjusted his reborn erection with
a satisfied smirk, "I need to take care of this."

        Silence, then. A very
eerie, somehow terrifying silence. Seifer couldn't even swallow.
The possibilities were endless, but all of them were just... horrible.

        And then the door to the
far right of him opened. Regardless of how godawful his thoughts
were, the screams had been, he did his best to stand tall. His shackles
were not the sort that kept him hanging, but kept him rather close to the
wall with short lengths. He made a conscious decision not to look
as though he were straining against them. Just the opposite; that
smirking cockiness he had constantly displayed as a teenager began to emerge
as he watched the door.

        But that was not to last.
Fear flooded every feature of his face and every inch of his body.
"Sephiroth?"

        The silver haired bastard
grinned. "You've grown into a man, Mr. Almasy. How nice."

        "Fuck..." he murmured, fully
grasping the situation. The sounds of the previous moment finally
fell into place. "Fuck--no. What did you--?!"

        "Hush, Almasy." Sephiroth
hissed with a familiar ferocity. A purr with the promise of the powers
of Hell. He didn't bother shutting the door behind him. There
was no escape. The sounds of this would flow easily into Squall's
open chamber.

        "Just a few more moments
and we should see it." Vincent announced from the top of the stairs,
having rechecked the panels on the bridge.

        A nervous flutter was Kyrie's
first response. It wasn't so much unexpected as it was... bothersome.
She didn't want to get nervous. She sure as hell didn't want
to be, and certainly not appear, nervous. She made eye contact
with Rodger, searching for a comforting gesture of any kind.

        He looked back at her, taking
a deep breath and letting it out through his teeth. He didn't know
what to expect, at all. But he sure as hell knew that this would
not be pleasant, and it wouldn't be easy. Maybe her parents were
held by the freak that had done that to her back--which was still
quite visible, by the way. It pissed him off to know anyone had gotten
away with that. He knew by now that she fought back, but... that
knowledge really didn't help.

        "Home stretch." Cloud
sighed. "It's just best not to think about it."

        "Mmm." Kyrie agreed
distantly. Easier said than done. But he knew what he was doing...
more or less. This was going to be... interesting. There was
a very good possibility that they were going to die and the planet was
going to get destroyed by the man that thought he was god. Lovely.
It was up to the four of them, it appeared. Not quite the heroic
situation she pictured would ever be happening to her in her lifetime.

        "It doesn't get easier."
Vincent remarked to himself.

        Kyrie swallowed. "I
can't imagine it ever could."

        Rodger saw his opportunity.
He stepped closer and put his arm around her. This could be it.
This could be the end. But he found, with very little surprise,
that he didn't mind. He'd be with her. How weird. If
they survived, he wondered if he would ever get used to that. If
they didn't, well... it sure sucked that they never got to have sex.

        Then she saw it. The
highest tower with made up part of the drilling facility, just up ahead
on the glittering water. Instead of feeling feeble and afraid as
she was absolutely sure she would, she just felt... cold. Not a bad
sort of cold, and not so much a distant cold. Just... "this is what
I have to do" cold.

        Pain. Just pain.
Godless, thoughtless, wordless... A tone of pain. A surge.
A sound. A color, maybe. He was losing blood. He'd be
cold and half crazy soon. But even that thought was hard to grasp
at consciously. Until he heard a shriek from behind the wall.
His head weakly shot up, his remaining eye watering so much he could barely
see anything. He just followed that harsh sound. That... almost
familiar sound. His blood ran cold, even colder than the few moments
of sheer terror before. Seifer. He was in there with Seifer.

        "Seifer!" Squall cried hoarsely,
finding only the strength to slide over to the wall, little by little.
"Seifer!"

        "Squall!" his voice ripped
along with his fragile insides from the other side. "You have to
protect her!" He paused to scream again, feeling life and pain flash
in and out of his existence.

        "Yes!" Sephiroth added in
a lustful gasp. "Protect your sacrifice from me, Leonhart!"

        Another agonized scream
tore from Seifer's throat. He wasn't dying fast enough. Not
even close to fast enough.

        Sephiroth continued his
torment, harder with each thrust. "You belong, in a pile, of your
own, blood, and shit, Almasy."

        "Fuck you, Sephiroth!" Squall
spat helplessly, his voice breaking across the first word like he was a
young teenager again. The pain both mental and physical now; overwhelming.

        "You've had your
turn, Leonhart!" Then, suddenly, there was a snap. A wet, awful
snap. A gurgle that could only be Seifer's accompanied it, and the
sound remained in the air for just a few seconds before it silenced completely.
A large, dead thump hit the ground, and only Sephiroth's footsteps left
the room.

        It very well could have
been his imagination. It could have been panic or the remainder of
the shock and pain coming back to claim him again. But he swore he
could smell the devastation in that blood. He'd smelled blood a million
times, years ago. Hell, he'd been bathed in it from time to time;
blood from all sorts of monsters and men alike. It was never like
that, though. There was never that much... desperation.

        The landing of the ship didn't
go particularly well. But there was no dock left (it had crumbled
and fallen completely apart due to the salt water and lack of any sort
of maintenance) , and they sure as hell weren't swimming. Vincent
maintained enough control of the "new-fangled" board to ram the ship into
the edge of the island so they could get out the same door they came in.

        "Great driving, Slick."
Kyrie joked, picking herself from off of the floor.

        "And that's why I never
left you in charge of anything..." Cloud added.

        The pale man appeared to
take the comment in stride, dusting himself off and walking away to the
elevator. No words, no comments, no invitation.

        That guy could be a comedian.
Kyrie kept to herself.

        With the aid of her card
once more, the four of them rode the elevator down. As the panel
opened, they began to look for signs of trouble. It was really hard
to tell at this point, however; the seven towers for drilling, and the
main building between them, were flecked in red and green from rust and
long growing vines.

        "This place never keeps
anything going." Kyrie commented. Once it had been a famous
deep sea research center, then fell into disrepair. Then it was a
deep earth research and mining facility, once again let go and forgotten.
Now it was quite possibly the home a psycho of which she had unfinished
business with. Well, she was determined that would be even shorter
lived than the other uses.

        It was a bit of a jump to
land still, as the door was quite high up on the ship. But Vincent
had tried to adjust for that, so the leap was barely anything. They
stayed there on the sand and stared at the nightmarish structure for quite
some time, trying to decide exactly what to do. They'd had
the fortune of landing right at one of the three main entrances, so there
was always that option. Who would think that they'd use one of those?

        Kyrie cringed a little,
a tiny mental screech having halted her thoughts. It was a burst
of light, a sudden pain behind her right eye. Very weird. She'd
never experienced anything like that before. But worse, that pain
was followed by a clear and exceptional dread. A knowing dread.
She rubbed her right temple and tried to ignore it, but there was
no dismissing that feeling. Something... had happened in there.

        Rodger had looked over more
or less when the pain had come to her. He didn't know why he felt
something may have happened inside the building, but... "They're in there,
aren't they?"

        "I think so." Was
all she could say.

        Cloud nodded slowly.
The dread had spread from her like a great wave of energy, like her Materia
were already feeling her emotion. If her parents were in there, with
Sephiroth... the result would not be good. "Alright. Let's
go."

        "Is it wise to storm the
front?" Vincent asked even as they'd begun walking.

        Cloud delicately removed
the Buster Sword from his back and regarded the answer. "Well...
frankly, he might be busy. Enough not to notice at first."

        Ugh. Kyrie
felt her stomach tighten. But she reminded herself thoroughly that
now was not the time, to let that cold encase her. She needed to
be strong. They were a team of four, not three and her. Pushing
back the emotion until she could almost sense it being absorbed
by the Materia somehow, she didn't say a word. She didn't think she
could. And so, in silence, they merely walked in through the closest
main entrance.

        The three "security doors"
were so damaged that they swung open with ease. And without the need
for a card. From the look of things, someone had sure as hell
come in the same way they were heading, with a vengeance. Panels
were torn open and wires hung limply, all security systems deactivated.
Great for them. But they had no way to trace anyone or anything.
Not that it mattered, since her personal computer was a piece of worthless
shit anyway.

        Past the unmanned front
desk, they walked out into the first tower's observation platform.
Nothing seemed out of place there, or even in motion at all. A clearly
visible layer of dust covered most everything, making it a touch difficult
to breathe.

        "Alright." Cloud announced,
trying to take control of the situation. "Now... what should we do?"

        It was odd to hear Mr. Soldier
ask that question. It inspired pure silence from everyone, actually.
But the edges of Kyrie's nerves were too frayed to wait for things to work
themselves out. "I've got to find them." It was not a desperate
tone, but it was an important one.

        Vincent forcibly stopped
himself from making any suggestions. It may not be smart to split
up at this point in time, but... he wasn't sure what it was. Something
about her very mood suggested that she'd be able to handle herself.
A momentary glance at Cloud only mirrored his thoughts, so he nodded curtly.
"Alright. You and Rodger should try to find them."

        She was a little surprised
at that. She was certain they'd have both disagreed right away.
But, no complaints. "And you will..?"

        "We will..." Cloud answered
with a slight uncertainty, "We'll try to find out what Sephiroth is doing
here in the first place."

        "And if we run into him?"
Rodger couldn't allow himself to remain quiet about that one tiny little
detail.

        "Run." The blonde
suggested dead seriously. "And find us in one of the towers."
He paused for a moment as though tasting the air around him. "But
I... don't think you'll have to worry about that. He's not as concerned
with you two as he is with us."

        Kyrie bit her tongue gently.
She didn't want to use them for bait--but one look at either of
them and they were completely at ease with the situation. Well, as
much as they could be. Another word now and things might get weird.
So, she looked at Rodger, and together they drew their weapons and went
back into the main hallway to get to the central building.

        "This isn't good."
Vincent stated quietly.

        "Yeah, I know." Cloud
agreed with a sigh. "I have a... feeling that they won't take long,
though."

        "Map!" Kyrie skidded to a
halt mid-corridor. There was an unlit glass panel to their side somewhat
like a mall directory, mapping out the main building only.

        Rodger tripped and nearly
fell after her, catching her shoulder for support. Somehow that came
off as a little more subtle than he thought it would, and she merely spun
him around so that she could rest one arm around his waist as they looked.

        "Alright, we're here."
Kyrie pointed, getting her bearings. "And there's a brig right below
us."

        Rodger noticed the dread
tone in her voice immediately. Not that she should have been excited
to have found out where her parents might well be dead, but... well, he
couldn't blame her. He just put his arm around her and gave her a
quick but well meant squeeze, and off they went to find the nearest set
of stairs.

        The third tower Vincent and
Cloud had checked, and still no activity. Not a sound. Not
even a rodent living among the rusted machinery. Worst of all, not
a sign of Sephiroth. Maybe they'd made the wrong decision about where
to go with the ship. Maybe he had planned some area at random that
just happened to coincide with this abandoned place. While that didn't
seem to fit him, there was a very good chance he'd changed his behavior
after this long. Maybe he was--

        "So you found me after all,
you useless fuck." Echoed off the walls.

        Cloud stopped cold.
Vincent cringed at the memories that voice brought back to him. It
was unmistakable. After all this time, all these years, they recognized
it instantly, the sour bile of the tone biting straight through their flesh.

        The voice continued, coming
from everywhere at once. "I shouldn't have trusted that girl."

        Cloud swallowed. "Little
late for should-a's."

        Rodger blasted through the
door with one clean shot of his rifle. "Shit."

        Kyrie took a moment to inspect
the iron door that was now laying almost off its hinges. "That Fire
is good stuff."

        "Hell yeah." He agreed,
looking from side to side. No sign of a psycho. Or a human
being at all. It seemed very much abandoned. But there was
something too peculiar about this area. If it had been sealed off
for so long, then why wasn't the air stale?

        The further they walked
down the hall of dust covered, sealed doors, the more Kyrie's heart raced.
In her mind's eye, she could see it around the next bend; two unlocked
doors. One was open, one was halfway shut. She needed to get
to the open door. It was crazy to think that there was a chance,
completely insane to...

        "What?" Rodger whispered,
noticing Kyrie had stopped in her tracks with wide eyes.

        Two doors were open down
that corridor. Just as she'd been imagining. One open, one
half closed. Could the Materia be unlocking some second generation
sorceress powers or something? Now was not the time to think about
that. "I'll take the open door. You take the other."

        He swallowed. "Are
you sure?"

        "Yeah." She whispered.
"There's no... no danger here. Not now."

        The breath caught in his
throat for a moment, but he believed her. He trusted her. Besides,
what else did he have to do? Hang out and wait for her? He
nodded and walked by the open door without looking inside. He couldn't.
He didn't want to, and he didn't think it wise.

        Kyrie herself took a stilling
moment to close her eyes and allow herself a little extra oxygen; not hyperventilating,
as that would cause nothing but disaster, but taking deep and slow breaths.
One hand on her gunblade in case, she strode forward.

        The smell was unbearable.
It was nothing in particular--a mix of nothings in particular. Just
a smell of unholy hell and desperation. And then a very slight movement
in the corner.

        Oh, Hyne, it was Squall.
He looked... he looked further than dead. What had once been a stormy
blue eye was now crusted over with reddish-brown gore. She almost
couldn't look; not for the gore itself, but because it was her dad.
It was Squall Leonhart laying there, breathing in ragged gasps,
covered in cold, crusting blood.

        "Shit... Dad?" she whispered
quietly, kneeling in front of him. "Dad?" she tried again, louder.

        His remaining eye rested
on her, taking a moment to register the vision through the pain.
His lips were so dry, so... cold looking. His whole face looked drained
of more than blood. "Ky..."

        Alright, one down.
Not in top form, but there none the less. "Where's Seifer?"

        "He's dead, Ky." He
whispered, his remaining eye miles away.

        She didn't respond.
At all. Seifer was dead. That was... pretty damn painful, actually.
She just cradled Squall's nearly lifeless body in her arms and stared into
space. Sephiroth had done it. She knew that. Just as
she knew that every wound inflicted was Sephiroth's slow, deliberate doing.
Who else would it have been?

        "Get out, Kyrie."
He ordered quietly.

        "Then you're coming."
She responded calmly.

        Too calmly. He knew
that calm. "Now. Get out."

        "He'll just come after me."
It was true. She knew it. He hadn't made a deal with her for
no reason. He hadn't kept her "safe" after he'd kidnapped her in
the first place for no reason. And since he knew who her parents
were, who knew what else the psycho had in mind for her...

        Dammit. Damn his daughter.
Regardless of how distant a father he had been, she'd stay by his side
no matter what. Should the world fall down... which, he supposed,
it was. And this time there was nothing he could do. Too weak
to push her away and too tired to argue, he moaned quietly. Everything
hurt. Everything. Every single damned muscle throbbed.
But a single thought suddenly invaded his consciousness that burned far
worse. "Did he... did he touch you?"

        She knew what he meant.
The words he'd used made her cringe, only having an indication of what
had occurred before she'd gotten there... "No." She assured
lightly. "No, Dad."

        He knew as well as Vincent
did; Sephiroth marked his prey. If he hadn't gotten to her
yet, he would. But in that sliver of a moment where he had full consciousness,
before the pain covered him again like a warm blanket to lull him away,
he saw her eyes. Cold though they were, he of all people could see
underneath the ice. She was determined. Murder in mind, but
the skill and patience to pull it off. She could do it. He
believed in her. He couldn't tell her, couldn't voice it, but he
put a shaking hand on her shoulder and nodded tiredly.

        She knew no want, no need,
for comfort for him stronger than at that moment. But she understood
Heal would have no bearing on his condition. She'd need Cloud's Restore
materia. And that meant trying to get him out of here. They
could do it, she and Rodger. So she waited. She knew that it
wouldn't take long. Seifer was dead. There was nothing left
to hold on to.

        Rodger cringed at the sight
of Seifer's body. There was no way a Phoenix Tail would do any good,
as if he'd thought to bring one with him anyway. The body was too
cold, and the blood loss was too great. Even if he could have, he
didn't think he would. That would require extensive healing that
not even medicine and Materia could accomplish quickly enough to take away
the pain. The fact remained, though, that it was too late.
He shook his head and walked into the door Kyrie had disappeared into.

        His stomach rolled.
He saw her trying to lift Squall with one arm slung over her shoulder.
It was less Squall that it was a bloody shell of him, really. The
sight was... sickening. Somehow he found the strength to keep his
stomach in check and walk over to help, however.

        Kyrie gladly accepted it,
very gently letting Rodger take over. "I have to go see. For
myself."

        "Ky, really... you shouldn't..."
he tried to convince her in a voice too soft for Squall to hear.

        "I have to." She whispered
back. "I just... I have to, Rodger. I'll be right back."

        He didn't like it, but he
understood, he supposed. He nodded halfheartedly and shouldered Squall,
helping him out into the hallway.

        She didn't bother taking
a moment to still herself before she stepped into the other room.
Distantly she knew it wouldn't have helped. Nothing could have helped
that moment. Seeing the body, a startling nausea overcame her.
The gore itself was nothing. Yes, there was blood. Yes, his
neck was at a disturbingly unnatural angle. But... she shivered,
another wave of nausea almost knocking her off her feet, as she imagined
what he may have gone through before he finally died.

        It may well have been worse
for her than finding Squall. That, too, made her stomach quiver to
think about now that she was alone. But at least her dad knew she'd
come for him. Seifer... she closed her eyes, holding back an outburst.
He may have died hopeless. Alone. She... did not value that
thought.

        Opening her eyes again,
she took a steadying breath. She couldn't let the emotion overtake
her now. She'd learned her lesson; now she must ease into the storm.
When she came out of it again, then she could mourn. Now it was time
to focus all her attention, emotion, strength. She needed to get
those remaining out to safety. And fucking kill that asshole.
She could not forget that part.

        Crouching before the corpse,
she gingerly reached her hands around to the back of its neck, carefully
trying to avoid making contact with the flesh as she unlatched his collar.
As she drew her hands back, she hesitated. Maybe it was sick fascination.
Maybe it was to stroke her anger. She simply had to touch him, just
once more. Cold, stiff skin met her fingertips for an almost unbearable
instant. She could not allow the emotions to flood her, not now.
Feeling as cold as the body itself, she stood up and placed the collar
around her right thigh, stopping only to stare at it blankly. Detach!
she reminded herself. Just for now. Now they needed
to break into the locker room and get some clothes for Squall, first.

        "One more tower." Cloud
reminded himself out loud. Things weren't looking good. After
the initial tease Sephiroth had offered them, the voice had gone completely
quiet. He didn't even so much as bother to try and kill them. That
was what the nervousness was really eating at.

        Vincent hadn't needed his
friend's well meant reminder. It was busy digging into the back of
his mind already. Maybe their fears were not warranted. But
even then, there would be more fear. Anything having to do with Sephiroth
truly earned a response of fear.

        "Cloud!" they heard from
around the corner. Turning to look, at least one of their fears was
completely realized. The blonde almost didn't recognize Squall with
the gore, being pulled steadily along by his daughter and Rodger.
It was a rather unbelievable sight to see the "great hero of the world"...
well, like this.

        By then, Squall was just
completely out of it. The loss of blood mixed with the horrors he'd
been through and could only imagine had taken advantage of him. His
eye was half open but sightless, and he flopped like a rag doll.

        Vincent moved to help Kyrie
with her share of the weight as she inquired, "Is there anything you can
do?"

        Cloud swallowed before answering.
The band on her thigh. It was Seifer's, he remembered. It took
a single second of eye contact to get the gist of the situation, so he
dropped it. "I can only do so much..." He admitted quietly.
"I can help, but... I can't really heal him..."

        She nodded, almost invisibly.
Anything, something, was better than nothing at all. An attempt,
that's all it would take.

        "Okay." Cloud agreed.
"Just, uh... leave him, on the floor. I'll see what I can do."

        Between the three of them,
they set him on the ground rather gently, letting him lay there since he
couldn't exactly sit upright. What a godawful sight it was.
Most especially for Kyrie. She'd never seen him anything close to
this. She certainly never cared to.

        It was nearly hopeless,
the blonde realized. He could help, certainly, but... not much.
The materia wasn't strong enough, and he couldn't let all of his energy
get expended on this. But any help he could offer, he would give.
Delicately placing his hand in the center of Squall's chest, he let the
materia do its job.

        No response at first.
Kyrie, Rodger and Vincent just stared, waiting, watching intently.
And then there was a little glow, more yellow than green. It moved
over Squall's flesh like a shadow, covering the wounds in a bright green.
Kyrie remembered what it had been like for her hand; but she saw no such
thing for her dad. Restore hadn't the power or energy to seal anything
all the way, but it did its work to stop the bleeding. The rest would
simply have to be up to Squall. Try as he might, Cloud just could
not get any more energy to flow, so he released his hold.

        "Wait..." Kyrie suggested
gently. It was like seeing the open doors before she really saw
them, and knowing there was impending danger inside. She just...
felt like there was something she could do. What, she sure
as hell didn't know. It was like a tiny picture in her mind that
wouldn't focus, so she stepped forward and did as it instructed; holding
her right palm upward, she crossed it with her downward left one and closed
her eyes.

        Everyone's jaw dropped.
There was a surging, tingling ball of energy rolling between her hands.
It was tiny and dull at first, but soon grew larger, the glow got stronger,
the colors beginning to surge and flow in circles. As the ball stopped
growing but continued to strengthen in color, there was a sound like pure
electricity was roaming from it.

        Raw energy.
Cloud recognized it. He'd only seen this done once before; and not
to heal a man. But hell, what was the point of not taking this chance?
What's the worst that would happen to them? Besides death and severe
burns, anyway. He closed his eyes again, trying to mentally form
his Restore materia into almost a cup shape; a receiver. Placing
one hand over Squall's chest, he thrust the other quickly between Kyrie's
palms.

        ZING; it was
a thought, a sound, a feeling, and a reality. There wasn't even pain--at
this point. Just something akin to a popping sound, and Cloud suddenly
found himself face down beside Squall.

        "Oh my disastrous bitch
Hyne,
that fucking hurt." Kyrie panted.

        Cloud's fingers began to
tingle as all of his limbs came back to life. He sat up by himself
and gazed at the president of Esthar's son for a moment to see their handiwork.
Well, it hadn't healed him completely, that was for certain. But
the more "minor" wounds were healed over. No doubt whatever bone
had shattered was also halfway to knitting. Some of the internal
damage was probably still there, but that extra zap had been enough.
He wasn't sure how his Materia were going to come out of this, but he doubted
they could be any worse off than they were before.

        "Are you... alright?" Rodger
could think of few other ways to word that question.

        Kyrie shook out her arms
for a moment before responding. There were just the slightest bit
tingly. As was every other part of her body. "I... hope so."
She looked down at Squall, his single eye fluttering softly. "I've
never done... anything like that before." She licked her dry lips
and waited for any sign of anything from him. "And I'm not
sure I can do it again."

        "Well, it was... damn good
for a first time." Cloud commented, checking for a pulse. It
was racing, but there was a relatively steady one there.

        "Ky..." Squall whispered
even before his eyes focussed. He'd heard her before, he just hadn't
been able to respond.

        She took a sharp breath
and kneeled, running her fingers over the back of his hand. "Dad?"

        He took several deep breaths
before opening his eye again, taking a look around him. Well, he
recognized Rodger, alright, but--was that Cloud? From Esthar?
Was he delusional? But now was not the time for these questions.
His last memory was--oh. Seifer. His eyes focused on the band
around her thigh and he had to fight back tears. His voice was more
harsh than his daughter had ever imagined it could be. "Sephiroth."

        "That's why we're here."
Cloud responded, helping him to sit up.

        Squall only nodded.
Like Rodger, he had a good indication of things, but... really knowing
all the details would just slow them down. They'd have time later.
He wiped some of the gore off of his cheek with the back of his hand, but
didn't want anything to do with the empty socket. The thought, frankly,
grossed him out. But more, it was just... disturbing. He didn't
want to touch it, or think about it. One eye. That would make
fighting a lot harder. But if Fujin could do it...

        Vincent wordlessly offered
the band of fabric that had been his headband. It wasn't much, but
it was a beginning.

        Funny thing, that.
So Kyrie thought anyway. Vincent was quite the gentleman to her family.

        Cloud tried to fill him
in. "We think he has something to do with drilling into the earth.
But none of these drills have been used in years. This one is the
last room we have to check, so... well, this might answer our questions.
You should stay here and--"

        "I'm coming." Squall
stopped him, tying the red band securely.

        "Dad..." Kyrie began softly.
She would not see him hurt. This was bad enough. This
was beyond merely bad.

        "Kyrie." That's all
it took. One word and a look. She hadn't realized just how
much she'd really inherited from him. Battle ready coldness.
And that stern, shushing look.

        She swallowed. "Okay,
but stay back from the fighting, huh?" It was a dumb suggestion,
but one he'd be forced to follow. He didn't have his gunblade with
him. "Can you walk, do you think?"

        He tested his legs a little.
"I can try."

        Cloud and Vincent got him
to stand, Rodger and Kyrie walked alongside until he got his bearings.
Without another word, they walked down the short corridor into the seventh
and final drilling station. Once again, there was no movement, no
motion at all. But there was the unmistakable scent of oil and warm
metal. The gears here were not dusty, but shimmering. Their
hearts fell.

        "Damn." Rodger breathed
for all of them.

        As if the word itself was
a magical phrase, the platform they were standing on shook. With
a fast mechanical click, they were headed to the floor level.

        No words. Just a relatively
terrified silence. There was no Sephiroth in sight, but like an ocean
breeze, they could all sense him here, very close. Every fear realized.
Every ounce of strength undoubtedly about to be tested.

        "Oh how this sucks."
Kyrie whispered as the platform came to a halt, melding perfectly with
the metal floor.

        Another mechanical click
sounded, this one more grinding. The lights dimmed for a few seconds,
and then a heavy, shrieking moan came from the gears that drove the drill.
In the center of the huge room in which they stood was that giant drill's
blade in the center of a wide pit, digging deep into the earth.

        Another, almost inaudible
click (due to the drill going full speed), sounded across the vast space.
They looked up to see Sephiroth, fully dressed and looking ever so dapper,
riding the other lift to ground level. He smirked without comment
as he eyed the group, savoring every moment. They all had different
reasons, but their reactions were much the same.
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The Sins of Two Fathers