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Walking Out on Destiny	By : HarliqueenNight Category: Final Fantasy VII > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2575 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all things associated are owned by Square Enix and Testuya Nomura respectively. I own nothing save for the characters and places created for the sake of this fan fiction and recieve no profit in the creation of this fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 18
- 19
- 20
A/N: Okay, this chapter has a light hint of torture in it and you're going to hate me for it but its leading to the buildup. Vincent should be appearing soon if I got my planning straight. Cloud and Sephiroth won't meet in this chapter but they will in the next so YAY! I decided that since this chapter was pretty much done, I'd clean it up, correct it as best I could and then post it for you guys for being so patient with me. I'm actually working on the next chapter as I write this author note. Devotion huh! But I digress, don't hate me, this is actually a very important plot point. In mean time…enjoy… or…something. Have at it.

Walking Out on Destiny

Season Two Episode Four: Midgar, Midgar, That Title and Town (part two)

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Reno peeked over the back of the couch where Tseng slept peacefully. He was completely exhausted and had not even bothered to take off his uniform the night before. He had one arm over his eyes, shielding them from any sun that might try to get through and disturb him. Reno had stayed the night to insure Tseng actually went to sleep instead of doing his normal ritual of checking over the place. He was the only one of their Turk brethren who was still allowed inside of the Legendary Turk Vincent Valentine's house. Tseng had taken the invitation away from Veld save for once a year though Reno didn't really know why. He wasn't even sure what he'd done to gain such trust that the Wutain would even sleep so soundly with him in the area After all, Reno practically lied about everything. Even his age, though Tseng was the only one who knew he was younger than the paper trail said. He'd said he was fourteen, using his height to his advantage. In reality, when he'd bombed the place, he'd just turned eleven and Tseng saw right through it. Still, he remembered that he'd been imprisoned up until a few years ago when Tseng graced the cell block in search of him…in search of an outsider. He remembered it like it was simply last week.

Tseng stood outside the cell bars, his hair pulled taut in it ponytail and the talik still fresh on his brow. He was pressed and cleaned, wearing the new black uniforms of an official elite Turk rather than the trainers' blues. He gazed into the cell seeing Reno in nothing more than a muscle shirt and the prison issued bottoms, his feet were bare on the concrete floor. The red head's hair was long, gracing his lower back in deep red tangles from ill care. He was doing chin ups on one of the bars o the ceiling, his pale arms working with well built muscle from having nothing better to do. Reno had proven to be a dangerous subject, even though Melitta and had begged Veld to allow him in Turk after Vincent's murder. He'd escaped this prison twelve times throughout his sentence and had ended up down in the maximum security cages. He wasn't allowed contact with other inmates because of his charismatic tendencies and his ability to acquire things from other inmates. He'd blown up a part of the cell block from a homemade bomb he built into one of the P.A. speakers. Tseng found his eyes roving over the smoothness of that back before he could stop it, wondering how many people had Reno killed during his lifetime before and after he'd been incarcerated.

The guard banged on the cell. "Hey! Slum Rat. Got a somebody to see ya!"

Reno swung from the bar a bit before landing on his feet. He turned slowly and looked Tseng over, a sly smirk gracing his lips. He sauntered up to the bars and leaned against them, his wild chartreuse eyes boring into Tseng's cool gray ones. He laughed. "I remember you, yo."

"Do you?"

"Yep, the minute I saw you my neck ached," he said chuckling. "You got big though. And damn beautiful."

Tseng was prepared for the compliment and it showed in his eyes. He waved the guard away. "Thank you, officer. That will be all."

"Are you sure? He's a helluva trouble maker."

Tseng cut his eyes at the guard. "That will be all."

Recognizing rank, the guard glared at Reno who flicked him off before leaving them alone. Reno turned back to Tseng. "Got a cig, beautiful?"

Tseng fought the involuntary tick that was developing in his eye at that word. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a pack, offering it to Reno. Reno slipped on out gratefully and allowed Tseng to light it for him. Tseng did the same, realizing this might be a long conversation. "Do you know why I'm here?"

"Fuck if I know," Reno inhaled deeply on the cigarettes. "What are these?"

"Northern Wutai blends."

"Not too bad. I guess you can afford imported on your dime. So after I offered up premium information, it got completely ignored by your superiors and I ended up in this shithole. Bad start if you're trying to get something outta me, yo."

"And if I said, I want you in Turk?"

"I'd say I'm 'lergic to bullshit, yo."

Tseng smirked and tilted his head.

"No shit, you're serious."

"I'm in desperate need of a partner." Tseng said as he moved closer to the bars. He leaned close and let the sweet smelling smoke filter slowly out of his mouth like a dragon ready to breath fire. He held Reno's eyes with his own. "I seem to keep killing them."

"Oh ho, have you now?" Reno chuckled, his voice low. "And how exactly am I supposed to be different, yo?"

"Because, unlike them," Tseng began with malice in his eyes. "who simply want to be Turk. I can very well see, you are Turk"

Reno's smirk turned conniving like. "What's your name?"

"I am Tseng."

"Well now, what took you so long Tseng?"

"Biding my time," Tseng put out the stub of a cigarette on the bars. "One thing that I ask of you."

"Figures. What is it?"

"I have someone I need to corner…someone I need to kill…"

Reno brushed the hair away from Tseng's face, letting it fall like water down his cheek to spill off the side of the couch. Tseng needed a damn day off. He was over worked from the start, and then to top it off, he ended up trekking all over the planet. Reno hated to admit it, but he had been worried since he got scarce few calls from the Wutain. He hung on the side of the couch staying awake and alert while his partner/boss caught up on lost rest. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he quickly picked up, keeping his voice at a soft tone as he walked away from Tseng.

"Reno, yo."

"Reno! If you're around, you have to warn…they know we hacked…coming for….Vincent's house…get out!"

Reno stared at his phone, confused by Melitta's frantic speaking. One thing was certain, they were screwed. He ran to the couch, just as the door was kicked off the hinges. Tseng sat up, immediately awake and alert. He grabbed a handgun from beneath the coffee table as black clad men poured into the house, their faces obscured by ski-masks. He turned and shot one of them in the shoulder as he whipped around, and caught another in the chest. He tried to run to get his materia glove but was clipped by one of the heavy rifle bullets and he stumbled to the ground. Reno was at Tseng's side, flipping his EMR to full extension and turning the setting to kill. Its end sparked and swung it across the head of one who'd shot at Tseng. There were so many which normally did not matter but they poured in and filled up the small space. Tseng didn't have time to grab his glove and he motioned for Reno to move out. They had to get outside where there was room. They fought their way through most of them. Reno placed a mean right hook into the face of the nearest one, the Mako enhancements forcing him to crush their face in. He hit another in the gut with an EMR, taking satisfaction in the jerking.

Tseng flipped over the couch, his foot going into one of their faces and he uppercut another. He pulled Vincent's knife from the concealed pocket of his uniform and slashed a man in his face and slit another's throat. He nearly made it to the patio door only to have a rifle pointed in his face. He was about to out maneuver them when the gunner hesitated and made the mistake of speaking.

"Commander…Tseng?" a light voice asked.

Tseng paused. "…Shuriken-AH!" the butt of the gun hit the back of his head just as his protégé was removing her mask.

"Tseng!" Reno was grabbed before he could make a different

"Don't take this personal, Reno!" the EMR shoved into his back forcing his body to seize and his consciousness waivered. He heard were two female voices he recognized.

"What were you thinking removing your mask during an operation, Cissnei! We have orders!"

"Heidegger never told us that Tseng and Reno were our target, Guns! We could've killed them!"

Reno's eyes looked at Tseng who was unconscious on the ground. His last thought: Son of a bitch, they're baby Turks!

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"Now, review. What are the three primary organizations within ShinRa Inc.?"

Rufus kept eye contact with his mother as he answered. "The first is SOLDIER, our primary militant force consisting of regulars and official SOLDIERs. Official SOLDIERs are marked by classes 1-3, 3rd being the lowest, 1st Class being the highest and are considered commanding officers. At the moment, they fall under the jurisdiction of Heidegger since he is head of our militant factions."

"Good, next."

"The second is Fleet, our primary means of corporate trade, transportation, and military mobility. Consisting of both naval ships as well as a fleet of twelve airships, not including the corvette model Isolde. They are the most impressive fleet in the waters and the only fleet in the sky that we know of."

"Yes, yes, and the most important faction."

"The final is the Department of Administrative Research aka the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department, best known as Turk. If we the executives are the brains and heart, Turk are the life blood. They engage in intelligence, reconnaissance, espionage, as well as black ops. However, they do handle underground affairs such as assassinations, strong arming and the 'recruiting" of scientifically eligible SOLDIER candidates."

"Now why are they so important to us, to you Rufus?"

"Because a Turk is loyalty, they will fight for me, they will bleed for me, and they will die for me. They will do whatever it takes, underhanded or not, to keep power in my hands."

Lady ShinRa nodded with a smile. "And what must you never do as President?"

"I must never try to control them, I must never try to disband them, and I must never ever underestimate them."

"Good, always remember, Rufus. If the world comes crashing down upon you and you are alone in your misery, there will always be a Turk by your side."

Rufus smiled at his mother's fondness for the Turk. "Mother, will I be allowed to hand pick Turks to be at my side like you did?"

Lady ShinRa looked thoughtful. "Perhaps, one day. You're a bit too young to be into that sort of thing right now."

"But mother, you were just a kid like me when you use to run the back alleys and slums with your Turks."

"Yes, even in all my luxury I loved to get dirty and run around causing trouble with Veld and Vinc…" She felt her eyes cloud over. She licked her lips and willed the tears away. "I believe that's enough for today. Rufus, come walk with your mother. I have something I want to show you. Something your father doesn't know about and he won't know or I will tan your hide."

Rufus nodded and scooted back from the table to stand. She went near her desk and pulled a large scrapbook seemingly from nowhere. Once it was securely in her lap, she wheeled herself forward with Rufus following behind her quietly. They took the elevator down the stairs, Lady ShinRa complaining about the ridiculousness of the thing, and she led them out into the gardens. She located a nice secluded spot near her gardenias and waved Rufus over.

"Come sit in mama's lap."

"I'm a bit too old for that, mother," Rufus said though he took a hesitant step close as he did. "Besides, I don't wish to hurt you mother."

"Oh posh, you're a tiny little thing," she patted her lap. "And it isn't as if I can feel it. Get up here, boy."

Rufus fought back the smile bubbling up and climbed into his mother's lap. She was right; even though he was fourteen, he was still a bit frailer than he should've been. It worried her sometimes when she would hear his labored breathing when they slept together. Lucrecia said it was asthma but she refused to give him anything to aid him with it. The excuse was that he would grow out of it. He was always a bit weak, Lazard constantly a protective presence when it was possible. Lazard had often carried him back to her, his asthma having acted up. Reginald didn't know of Rufus's frailty and she'd be damned if he ever knew.

"See, you can't hurt mama. I wish you would call me mama. Mother sounds so formal."

"I like calling you mother," Rufus admitted. "It's dignified, just like you."

She smiled and held him close to her, opening her scrapbook. "Look, this was way back when I was thirteen and Reginald was young and strapping young man, like you."

"Wait, father actually looked like this?" Rufus asked staring at a more serious version of himself.

"Oh yes, Reginald was handsome just like you when we first met."

"That's…improbable."

"Heh, but the truth. Look, this is me and the original Turks. We took this in Kalm just before I was to be married at only fourteen." She flipped the page to a picture of her taking aim with an intricately designed pump shotgun. Her face held various freckles that darted across her cheeks and her hair wasn't the shining blond it was then. Her white and rose colored pants suit was dirty and she had smudges all over her. Clinging to her leg was a small fair haired little boy who looked up at her in complete adoration. Behind her, scruffily dressed boys and girls stood behind her posing with assorted weapons being plain silly. "See, mama was a bit of a tomboy and loved to get into trouble while shooting her way out."

"I believe that. After all, you weren't always like this, right."

"Oh no! I stood on my own two feet and gave your father more headaches than joys!"

Rufus laughed and turned the page for her and paused. "What's this?"

"This?" Lady ShinRa's smile was warm but saddened. It was the last group photo they had taken when they first donned the black suits and Lady ShinRa donned all white. "The Clandestine Dark Suits…"

"They're Turk…" Rufus was awed at how they went from the ragged group that ran after their mother…to this. Proud, deadly, and devoted in appearance, they stood around his mother like she was all that mattered. Rufus stared in wonder at his mother's imaged. The soft cunning smile on her face still managed to be more sophisticated than he'd ever seen on anyone, like she knew she held the world in her hands. He touched the pictured affectionately. "You were so beautiful."

"Yes, we all were. We single-handedly turned ShinRa into a name and force to be reckoned with." she whispered, fighting the ache in her chest. "Rufus, if there's anything I want you to take away from me, it's this. No matter what people say or think of you, you are a ShinRa. You have the world in your hand and no one can take it away from you as long as you are who you are. Never doubt yourself, not even for a moment. For when you do, someone will try to swoop in and take what is rightfully yours. The only way someone can take power from you, is if you let them. Understand?"

Rufus looked deep into her mismatched eyes and nodded slowly, absorbing all that she said. "Yes, mother."

"My little prince, I will lay the world at you feet before I leave this life, but you will have to take it. Don't become weak like me."

"How will I know when it's mine for the taking?"

Lady ShinRa brought their foreheads together. "You will know. Trust me, you will know."

"Ah there you are my dear wife."

Being so close, Rufus could see the shadow fall over his mother's eyes and he watched them harden as they gazed into his own. Being able to see his eyes in hers, he realized that his did the same. They both pulled apart knowing that such affection for each other was best kept between them and away from Reginald's sight. They looked at him with identical looks that hid a quiet disdain behind seemingly affectionate faces. Rufus had long ago developed a dislike for his father, namely for his mother's sake. When neither of them thought he was looking, he saw how he treated her. He saw how he left too early and came home late. He saw the way he would talk down to her when she refused his advances. He saw and understood that this man no longer loved his mother…even though his mother still loved him. Rufus saw this sort of love as a hindrance to all that his mother could've and would've become if his father had not been a deciding factor in her fate.

"Reginald, darling," she said sweetly. "Wasn't expecting you home yet."

"I come home and find him not studying. That worries me, Elloria."

Lady Shinra snorted. "You are far too uptight. We were taking a break; it's almost lunch time you realize?"

Reginald checked his watch. "So it is. I believe I will be taking the boy out for a private lunch today."

"Private?" Lady Shinra asked suspiciously, her arm tugging Rufus tighter. Rufus placed a gentle caressing hand on her arm, hoping to ease her fear. Her arm loosened. "We all normally have lunch together. What's so special about today?"

"Why, I plan to take him up to the office with me."

Rufus's eyes became wide with excitement before he had the chance to school his expression. "The office? You mean I can go to the tower with you?"

"Only if Elloria is finished with you for the day?" Reginald said, his eyes dark.

Lady ShinRa almost said no when she saw the pleading look in her son's eyes. She sighed. He was still just a child, still easily led. He would have to learn sometime but she hoped it wasn't today. She shook her head and smiled. "I have nothing more for you today. At least nothing that cannot wait until tomorrow."

Rufus smiled and hugged her.

"Thank you mother."

"Now that that's settled, boy, get off your mother's lap. That's unbecoming of an heir of mine; you're far too big for such nonsense!"

"Go on, my little prince," she whispered. "Remember, don't be weak."

Rufus nodded and slid off her lap. He turned wanting to kiss her cheek out of habit, but she held up her hand warningly. Remembering himself, he nodded to her and went to his father's side. Reginald placed a hand at his back and ushered him along. "Have a good evening my dear. I'll have him home in time for bed. Oh, and where is that ungrateful bastard of mine?"

"Lazard is at school. He's studying for an assessment coming up. I place the boy in university and you don't even bother to remember that he has other things to do besides being at your beck and called."

"Ah yes, well making an investment in Lazard like you and Scarlet have, one would think you were grooming a president to replace me."

"Oh no, darling," she said looking at Rufus. "I'm grooming only one heir to ShinRa and he will exceed all expectation."

Rufus tried hard not to smile. Reginald scoffed. "Ha! Whatever you say, Elloria. By the way, Lucrecia will be by soon to administer your medication."

"I canceled."

"Excuse me."

"The attendee can administer a shot. I don't need Lucrecia deathing up my house."

"How crude of you. I bid you good afternoon, wife."

Lady ShinRa nodded and watched the man she for some idiotic reason still love disappear with the man she would love more than life itself. She began to wheel herself from the garden but stopped when she felt a pain in her chest all the way up to her eye. "No, not now!" she cringed.

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Confusion was clear on Rufus's face when the guards brought a barely unconscious man into the room. He was dropped into the floor and a soft pained grunt came from his lips. He tried to sit up but his arms wouldn't support him and he managed to look at the president and Rufus. He was Wutain…in Turk uniform. What was going on? Rufus looked up at his father who stood with a self-gratifying smile. He sat behind his desk, taking up most of the space and barely leaving Rufus anywhere to stand. People he recognized as the ShinRa executives came in. Scarlet came in shaking her head in disapproval, but when she looked at Rufus, it was as though her heart had stopped beating. Reeve came in behind her and looked at Rufus with wide eyes. They both only stood there looking between Rufus and the President.

"Reginald, this is completely unnecessary!" Scarlet spat.

"His only a child, he needn't be present for something like this," Reeve pleaded gently.

"Move out the way," Heidegger bellowed as he came into the room. He looked at Rufus and a great obnoxious laugh echoing form his throat. "Well now, isn't this interesting. Learnin' 'im young, eh old friend."

"That's the best way to do it. Wake him up."

Heideggar laughed and waved Veld from out of the hall. Veld knelt beside Tseng, taking a fist full of hair and yanking back. Tseng made a small sound of pain but did not cry out. He looked around the room at their faces, seeing an apologetic expression in Reeve's eyes and a shamed one in Scarlet's. Heidegger watched in utter amusement alongside the president. What he wasn't prepared for was to see the small boy standing on the other side of the president. His eyes were wide with confusion as well as horror. He didn't understand what was happening, and neither did Tseng. Veld leaned close to his ear and whispered so that only he could hear.

"This is for your own good, Tseng."

"You won't survive this, Veld," Tsend whispered through gritted teeth. "Even if I have to wait years, you will know pain when I finally catch you."

"Your promises are empty." With that, Veld slammed his head on the hard floor making him dizzy. A muttered spell was cast over him and Tseng felt himself drained. Veld stood. "He can't defend himself now. He can still move and struggle as you requested, but he can't cast and he can't use any of his finer skills. He's completely disoriented."

"Good, Veld. You've saved your neck once again. That's how a Turk is meant to be." Reginald stood and ushered Rufus forward. "Now then, son. It took a lot of research and pain to bring this hound to you."

"To me?" Rufus asked, unable to take his eyes off of Tseng.

"We even tracked down his real name which I will let you own, if you do the honors. You see, he's a half Wutain, a whore's mistake sold into the human trafficking rings and saved by one of your mother's pet Turks."

Tseng growled dangerously, trying to regain his bearings, but the confusion spell had been a strong one. He couldn't put his head together enough to try and attack the man who was slandering his past. The boy who approached him with the president was still staring down at him, his face unreadable but his eyes showing more conflict than any boy should've been going through.

"We have reason to believe that he's a spy for Wutai, after all he even has that cult mark on his forehead. Now this may or may not be true, but it's our duty to the world to take no chances. This Wutai dog needs to be brought under control and I want you to do it. Reeve!"

Reeve hesitated, his reason warring with his fear.

"Reeve, don't make me ask again."

Reeve closed his eyes and steeled himself before going over to them with a simple case in his hand. "I do not think this is something you should have a boy his age do."

"I don't pay you to think, Reeve. Open it."

Rufus stepped back when the case was opened revealing a simple black collar. It looked light and had very few buttons on it along with a small pad where a finger was to be placed. Reginald picked up the collar carefully and dragged Rufus over to Tseng.

"Here's the fun part, Rufus. You get to rope him in like the pig he is." Reginald handed the collar to Rufus who took it numbly and he lifted Tseng's head so that he was face to face with Rufus.

Steely gray eyes nearly over powered Rufus's blue ones and Rufus couldn't help but thinking at the back of his mind how beautiful this Wutain was. At the same time, he asked why this man was being punished. What had he done to deserve this? Tseng looked at the young heir seeing more of Lady ShinRa within him than his father. He seemed so confused as he looked down at the collar and then back at Tseng. Those smaller hands were trembled and Tseng felt a small amount of compassion well in his chest. The boy didn't know why he was here nor what to do. Reginald saw the softening look in his son's eyes and he backhanded the boy. Rufus fell to the side drawing a concerned noise from Scarlet and Reeve.

"Reginald! That's enough, he's only a child."

"He's my son! Boy you want to succeed me? Then you need to show me that you're the bigger monster."

Rufus drew himself up; fighting the obvious panic attack that was trying hit him. He looked at Tseng whose eyes were filled with pity. Don't be weak like me. Rufus touched his swelling cheek only once before reaching for the collar. His hands were shaking and he hoped his father wouldn't notice it as he got to his knees. Tseng's eyes still looked down on him as if he were just a child. He didn't like that look anymore than his mother did. He didn't like to be pitied. Reginald pulled Tseng's head back.

"Get your filthy eyes off my son, you slant-eyed pervert. Why don't you let everyone hear how you really sound?" He took Tseng's ear and removed the small, almost unnoticeable translator piece within his ear. "See, this is how he can keep up so well with us. Veld, your old partner gave him one of these a long time ago so that he could communicate with us and actually understand us. It takes everything we say and shifts it to Wutainese so that he can make sense of it and in exchange it helps him to speak our language better. He's one hell of a faker isn't he?"

"Húndàn!" Tseng shouted. Bastard!

"Now boy, if you don't want to end up on the floor again, you'll do what I tell you to do!"

Rufus looked at Tseng as he spat threats and insults in Wutain at his father. He stood to his feet so that he towered over the struggling man and looked down at him. He looked down at the collar and figured out how to open it. It snapped open and he saw tiny transmitters along the inside of it as well as a small piece of materia the size of a watch battery embedded in it. His eyes met Tseng's again and he dug in his mind for the precious few words he knew of Wutain from his mother.

"Duìbùqǐ." I'm sorry.

Tseng stilled. It was badly pronounced and barely over a whisper but he'd heard it. He studied Rufus for a moment before resigning himself to his fate. Within the limits of Reginald's hold, he tilted his head back and bore his neck knowing that this was how it was going to end no matter what he did. Rufus's trembling hands came forward and he slowly snapped it around his neck. Small clicks and pistons fired off as it tightened enough to not be taken off. Reginald threw Tseng to the floor once it was in place and dispelled the confusion cast from the Turk. Tseng was immediately alert and he made to attack the president only to have the collar tighten and a charge seized up his body. It was far more painful than any materia shot he'd taken and it left him writhing on the ground. Rufus stepped back seeing how the body undulated and twisted. Reginald came forward flexing his wrist, each flex causing Tseng's body to contort in a different way. Tseng clawed the ground, his back arching trying to ease the pain as his limbs were lit a flame by agony. Scarlet had to turn away, not because she'd never seen torture, but because she knew that this was her fault and that Elloria would be disappointed in her. Reeve closed his eyes and looked down, the sounds pervading his ears and mind. If it weren't for the threats against his mother, the only family he had left, Reeve would've quit and left this new corrupt ShinRa to its devices. Only for a brief moment did he wonder if his mother's life were worth the suffering of the young man and the boy who had to watch. In between Veld's indifference, Heidegger's laughter, and the horrible pain, Tseng couldn't breathe or think or anything. When Reginald turned up the setting to maximum in order to test it, Tseng's will broke.

"AAH!" he screamed loud in the confines of the office as his nerve endings felt as though they were being twisted. Tears leaked from his eyes and saliva dripped from his mouth. He almost swallowed his tongue as the torture didn't stop. What was only five minutes felt like hours and when it finally ceased, Tseng was no longer present in his mind. His eyes were dull and he stared at nothing. His breath came in exhausted pants and he whimpered.

"There, see," Reginald said, his voice gloating. "The only good Wutain is one under foot."

Rufus trembled, his heart beating too fast and his breathing irregular. Scarlet was at his side and she managed to catch him as he went to his knees in a panic attack. She cried for Reginald to get help for the boy.

"Hah! He'll live. Weak brat!"

Tseng laid there, his eyes taking in the scene from somewhere far away. He couldn't acknowledge anything around him as the pain still hummed in his body. A name was on his lips through no real thought other than he wished they were here with him, to save him where the other could not.

"Seph…iroth…"

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Sephiroth sat straight up, breaking out of sleep as if someone had slapped him. His breathing was erratic and he closed his eyes again to sooth the dizziness from sitting up to fast. It was well into four in the afternoon. Genesis had left a message on his pillow to let him know he'd been gone and Angeal was on duty at the moment. He sat on the side of the bed and put his head in his hands trying to figure out what this feeling of dread was that had broke him out of a peaceful post sex sleep. His answer was given when the phone was ringing.

"Hide and seek. Trains and sewing machines…all the blood and tears…we were here first..."

"Tseng," he muttered before picking it up and answering it. "Hello?"

"Sephiroth, is that you, yo?" a voice he didn't recognize barreled through the receiver.

"Who is this? What are you doing with Tseng's phone?" Sephiroth demanded his voice cold.

"Look, you don't know me but I'm Turk. My name's Reno and I'm Tseng's partner. Your number was the first one I saw so I called it. Listen real careful, dig?"

"Tell me what's happened to Tseng."

"Tseng is here at home, they dumped him here after they were done. Just get to Tseng's house and do it fast alright! I'll spill the beans when ya get in, just get here!"

"Understood." Sephiroth did not need to be told twice. Once Reno hung up the phone, he was on his feet and slipping on jeans and a shirt. He tied his hair into a ponytail and was out the door texting. He contacted Angeal and Genesis, letting them know that something had happened.

When he'd arrived at Vincent's home, he was enraged by what he saw. The living room and kitchen was torn asunder. Precious things lay broken and shattered upon the carpeted floor and dirt stained the carpet. The once serene and melancholy aura that Tseng had conditioned this place in was distorted, defiled, and destroyed. He looked at the broken coffee table where Tseng used to keep his tea set and then to the couch where a red head sat with Tseng cradled in his arms. Tseng laid there, his pupils dilated to the point that his dark gray eyes appeared black. His hair was a mess around him and he was wrapped in a blanket. Around his neck was a strange black collar that blinked every now then with a red light. He stare at nothing as the redhead pet his hair tenderly, trying to calm him out of it. He noticed that the redhead had a similar collar attached to his throat. Reno looked up at the great general as he strode into the room, his presence seeming to make the air crackle. Reno could practically feel the rage burning his skin. When he spoke, the quiet anger made Reno's head ache like razors were being drawn over his brain.

"Who did this?

"Chill man, your voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard. He's in some kind of shock, yo! I can't get him to come out of it, it's like he's not there. I called you cause I thought you could help since you were number one on his speed dial."

Sephiroth sat on the other end of the couch and reached for Tseng, but was stopped by Reno's protective hold on his brother. Sephiroth gave him a pointed look. Reno sighed.

"Look, just be careful with him. He's in a lot of pain. "

Sephiroth nodded and pulled Tseng into his embrace and hugged him close. Tseng was limp against him, his skin cold and clammy against his warm body.

"Tseng?" he whispered. "Tseng, can you hear me. It's your brother. I want you to listen close to my voice."His tone of voice was one he used on shell shocked Infantry Men when they killed for the first time. "You're safe inside Vincent's house. It's warm here and there is no one to touch you, no one to hurt you."

Reno sat back on his heels and watched, listening to the way Sephiroth's voice shifted from painfully cold to almost breathtakingly warm. The words washed over him like tender caresses from a caring parental hand and Reno found himself relaxing. He watched Tseng as his eyes fluttered.

"You're in my arms and no one is going to take you from me. There's no more pain and nothing to be afraid of. Now, I want you to wake up and I want you to repeat your name to me right now. What is your name?"

"Tseng…"

"Good. Where are you?"

Tseng's tongue darted out to lick his lips his voice heavily accented like it had been when he was a child. "I'm home…"

"Yes, and who is holding you?"

Tseng blinked very slowly, clarity coming to his eyes and he looked up at Sephiroth with tired eyes. "Dàgē."Big brother. Tseng swallowed trying to find his voice. "Sephiroth, what are you doing here?"

"Catching you," he said simply, brushing the hair back from Tseng's face. He looked at Reno. "Get some water and while you're in there find something light for him to eat. He doesn't need anything heavy."

Reno nodded, glad to have something to do. He was beginning to feel out of place with how Tseng and Sephiroth looked at each other. Brother eh? Tseng never told him that Sephiroth and him were actually related. He just thought they were friends.

"Your language transmitter is gone. Tell me what happened Tseng…if you can."

Tseng closed his eyes and leaned into the scent of Sephiroth's skin, using it to ground himself. He forced his mind to think in Midgardian so that he could explain. "It was the president. These…these are our new chains."

"Veld allowed this?"

"Veld is weak without Vincent standing behind him. He's become a different sort of monster, Sephiroth. One I will take great pleasure to putting out of its memory," Tseng shivered as he tried to sit up straighter, but Sephiroth kept him trapped in his strong arms. "I'm fine."

"The hell you are. You were actually shock, which is something I thought I would never see in you."

Tseng's fingers brushed over the collar. "If you only knew what this thing could do…you wouldn't question it."

"How do I get it off?"

"You can't, yo."

"Reno," Tseng said, a small amount of relief in his voice.

"Yeah, I came back soon as I came to. Found you on the floor, man. Had me kinda scared there, boss man. Anyway, those things can't come off without proper clearance. Its one of those technological breakthroughs. They're going to start using them on POWs on the Wutai front, but I guess they wanted to be sure they worked. I don't think I got it as bad as Tseng did, yo."

Sephiroth looked at the redhead then at Tseng. "You never told me you had friend's Tseng."

"I haven't talked to you for more than ten minutes in a while, Sephiroth."

"Touche," Sephiroth looked at Reno. "We weren't properly introduced. I'm Sephiroth, Tseng's adoptive brother."

"Reno, Tseng's only willing partner!" He said with a grin. "And apparent nurse maid."

"I'm conscious enough to put you out."

"Say no more. I don't like pickin' at you while you're not up enough to kick my ass no more than I enjoy kickin a baby chocobo! Here." He handed Tseng some rice crackers. "You all this homemade stuff is weird. How do you feel, Tseng?"

"Like a train wreck."

"At least you're alive little brother."Tseng blinked when he felt Sephiroth's arms tighten around him and he hid a small smile in the covers of the blanket.

l

Lady ShinRa put her book down when she heard the front doors open. She wheeled herself to the top of the stares with a smile on her face, happy to hear Rufus's voice. It faltered when she saw her son's tired expression as he followed Reginald inside. The bruise on his face made her heart freeze.

"You haven't made me proud yet, but you'll get there. Now go on and get cleaned up, and remember what I said, boy!"

"Yes, father," was the submissive whisper. Rufus painfully made his way up stairs, every piece of him aching from the mental and emotional exhaustion. He paused when he met his mother's concerned eyes. He forced a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. "I'm a bit tired. Father's a bit of a slave driver. Can we…can I tell you about my day in the morning?"

Lady ShinRa nodded, noticing how he didn't quite look her in the face. She waved him over and gave him a tight hug. "Good night, my little prince."

Rufus felt the tears well up, but he fought himself. He refused to cry or show anything that would hurt his mother, or cause confrontation between her and his father. The man was deranged and if he ever turned that derangement on his mother, he didn't know what he would do. He pulled away.

"Goodnight, mother," he said softly. "I love you."

She watched him go, knowing something was horribly wrong. Reginald came up the stairs and stopped in front of her. He looked down at her with a self-serving smirk on his face. "How was your evening, darling? Get much done?"

"More than you normally do. How was Rufus's visit?"

"Eventful," he said rubbing his chin. "I approve."

He walked passed her and she turned her chair to follow him. "I'm thinking of starting physical therapy once more."

"What for darling?" He asked as they went to their room. "What could you possibly need to invest in that hopeless venture for?"

"Our son is ample motivation. Teaching him from a wheelchair is not enough for me. I've missed out on running and playing with him as Melitta and Lazard do. I want to show him what a mother is supposed to be before he becomes man."

"And what makes you think you'll get life into those dead limbs of yours."

"Oh, you didn't get word. Kanaye has been found. Since he is still on ShinRa payroll, he's decided to return and become my primary physician once again. I no longer need that viper of a woman to give me that horrid medication."

Reginald gritted his teeth before sighing. He turned and put his thick hands on her armrests and leaned down to kiss her on her forehead. "My dear, you're like a wounded Queen Couerl…best left for dead."

"Hah," she laughed. "We shall see when I have my claws into you again, dear husband. You lay hands on him again, Reginald, and I will blow your fucking balls off in your sleep. I didn't bear him for you! You would do well to remember that."

Rufus stayed in the shower for a long time. He trembled and shivered as images of Tseng's torture came into his mind. The expression of mindless pain on that beautiful porcelain face made his blood run cold and he turned up the hot water. He'd just stood there. He'd just stood there and let it happen. For all that his mother taught him about fairness, authority, and power, he didn't even try to exercise any of it. Then after Tseng, he had to watch the torture of several more. They were not so severe but still so painful to watch. Worst of all, these people were Turk. Turk was practically his mother's children and he let that happened. He turned off the shower once the hot water was gone. He stepped out and dried off, avoiding the mirror. He didn't want to see the coward there, didn't want to see the blue purple bruise that had formed. Getting dressed, he quietly snuck out of his room and padded down the hall like the lost cub he was. He knocked on a door not too far from his own and once hearing confirmation, he went inside.

"Lazard?"

Lazard sat up tiredly from the bed, the covers pooling around his waist. He squinted since he had his glasses off and he scratched his head. "Rufus? What on earth are you doing up so late?"

Rufus didn't say anything. He simply went over to the bed and climbed into it from the foot. Lazard realized it was one of those nights and lifted the cover. Like a lost kitten Rufus crawled under them and lay on the unmarred side of his face. Lazard gave him a gentle pat on the head and lay next to him, bare skin to bare skin. He cuddled Rufus around the waist like he used to do his bear of the same name. Rufus took comfort in the warmth and closed his eyes tiredly.

"Wish to speak of it?" Lazard asked in a sleepy whispered.

"No…no this is something I will handle myself, brother."

"As you wish, but I'm right here."

A calm smile came to Rufus's lips and he pushed back against his brother's chest. "Goodnight, Lazard."

"Sleep well, Rufus."

l

A/N: I know everyone is like dying to have Vincent back in the game and see more of Sephiroth and Cloud, but you must be patient. This is a process. Love only happens through a series of fortunate (or sometimes unfortunate) events. Sit back and let it happen and enjoy the buildup. XD after all, I mentioned that Sephiroth had a string of lovers…not just two. We still got shit to do! So enjoy. But if it makes you feel better, Cloud and Sephiroth will meet next chapter as well as the introduction of a few more cannon characters. This will be the last short chapter. The rest will probably top off at 8,000+ words. It may seem like a lot, but you will soon realize it's really not a lot. Since most people appreciate the idea of longer chapters since it gives them more time with their favorite characters. Reno will also get more screen time in the upcoming chapters because Reno…is fucking Reno. NO FFVII Fic is complete without him!
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Walking Out on Destiny