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Retribution Nor Redemption	By : wickedorin Category: Final Fantasy VIII > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 623 -:- 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
- 3
- 4
- 5
"Retribution Nor Redemption" and the general overall
concept of "Retribution Nor Redemption" is completely copyright Orin Drake
2002-2005, as are the characters Kyrie Leonhart and Rodger Kinneas.
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.

        Background:
Well. Here is the "anticipated" sequel to The Sins of Two Fathers.
This won't be as much action as it will be psychological warfare, I think.
Don't know what else to tell you. Beware bad language, sexuality
and social outcasts having fun regardless of their status at the expense
of others.

Retribution Nor Redemption

Chapter 4

by Orin Drake
        She remembered the
nightmare even as she opened her eyes to the morning light. That
was frustrating. Annoying, most of all. Not that she should
have merely forgotten it, per se, but it was still so clear, like she'd
just woken from it. Yes, annoying was certainly the word. Regardless,
she closed her eyes again and slowly crept her whole body backward to rest
against Rodger's. This was the truly fantastic thing about this whole
arrangement--being able to wake up without an alarm and just lay there,
next to him. What a weird thought, really. But she did enjoy
it, and she'd never deny the fact she was glad for him.

        He mumbled something as
her body came to rest next to his, then turned until he was on his back.
Securely in a safe place, Kyrie finally allowed herself to think back on
that dream. The events, the feelings... Hyne, it had been awful.
Not at first, no. At first it had been... pretty damn good, honestly.
But then... she shuddered. Maybe now was not the time, when it was
still so fresh in her mind. Later, when it had faded. She'd
feel much better that way.

        Her shudder triggered an
unconscious switch in Rodger, and his arm slid lazily over her side.
She giggled quietly to herself, being made fully aware that they had been
sleeping in the same bed for quite some time. Living in sin, as Vincent
had put it. Yeah, that was a pretty correct phrase.

        His body turned again, just
a little, allowing a flitter of light on his eyelid from the crack between
the curtains. With another murmur, he turned fully and embraced her
lazily, but consciously. "Mornin'."

        "Good morning." She
returned, just slightly perkier than usual. Hell, they didn't have
to go to class. It was finally starting to sink in. They'd
never
have to go to class again. Whoa.

        "Sleep better?" he inquired
with a yawn.

        "Out like a light after
that." Maybe that was a little strange, too... but then, she had
been tired. And she'd realized it was nothing more than a nightmare
to begin with. Maybe she was just being a little to jittery about
the whole thing. "What are today's plans?"

        "Go back to Esthar and annoy
everyone, of course." He carefully pulled the covers away in a joking
manner, exposing his topless girlfriend. "Then we'll see if we get
better job offers."

        She made a show out of hiding
her breasts with her hands. "Think these babies would help?"

        "No." He answered
deadpan.

        "Pft." She responded.
At ease here. Really and truly. It was a nice thing.
Still a little weird, but... comfortable.

        While Rodger was showering,
she had made coffee and starting watching, of all fucking things, world
news. Now that was just unreal. Very odd. But of course
not uncalled for; being the granddaughter of a world power and having an
interest in politics and world affairs, she was expected to keep up with
the news. But sitting around in a robe with a cup of coffee, watching
the news... it was cold shivers eerie. It was "shit I'm turning into
my dad" eerie. It was... way too close to adulthood. Which
explained why Rodger found her sifting through some of her old comic books
to bring back out of the closet.

        No matter. They still
had strawberry shampoo in the shower. But just in case, Kyrie placed
her rubber ducky on one of the shower trays. Never hurt to be too
cautious. She showered and dried relatively quickly, but still managed
to take her sweet time. Until there was something to hurry for, she
was not going to rush. She was fully aware that she wouldn't
be able to handle doing absolutely nothing for an extended period of time...
but it was sure nice for a little while.

        Her infamous hair styling
technique: flip head down, shake hair out with fingers, snap head back
up. It was easier than most. The fanciest thing she did with
it was scrunching it all into a ponytail, so the term "easy to manage"
came to mind. She looked at the mess atop her head in the bathroom
mirror.

        An ungodly shiver grasped
her body. For a moment, just for a fraction of her reality, she had
seen something else reflected back at her. It was just a flash
of something, like a glint of silvery light sparkling off the surface of
rippling water; but it was stationary in her mind. It was something...
nerve wracking. It was something... green-eyed.

        She'd pushed herself away
from the sink violently, almost stumbling backward. Her heart was
absolutely racing with the ghost of that image still on her unblinking
eyes, and she had to remind herself to take a breath. She remained
standing there, back to the bathroom door, just staring at that mirror
that only reflected her. For a moment there, just a moment...

        She closed her eyes, taking
a few more slow breaths. Talk about nightmare jitters. Apparently
the dream had affected her quite a bit more than she'd thought. Damn.
Just... damn. That'd been scary as hell. She took a long moment
to fully compose herself before she stared into the mirror again, even
daring to take a few steps toward it. Nothing but her. Just
her in the mirror. She resigned herself to cut out the psychological
thriller movies for a couple of months.

        "Are you alright?" Rodger
had asked almost instantly when she'd walked out of the bathroom.

        She stopped and regarded
him seriously, almost a little freaked that he could read her so well;
or maybe that he had been watching for this moment. "Yeah."
She paused with that word, and the seconds seemed to pause with her.
"I'm alright. The dream just kind of... hit me in there, I think.
I'll tell you later. Tonight. When it's a little less... real."

        There was a shiver that
crawled down his back after those words. But he hadn't seen any indication
that she was trying to hide anything from him. So, he let it all
go for now, giving her a quick kiss and getting ready to go. Tonight,
she'd said. She was certainly as good as her word, so he tried not
to worry.

        They did well; they were
quick in getting to the station, getting a bite to eat there before getting
on the Jet. Hell, they made it into Esthar at noon.
A thrilling accomplishment by any standards. Well, for them.

        Ellone was there to greet
them at the door, being on her way to some political something or other
outside of the palace. Of course, she stopped to give them both hugs
and effectively warning them that Jilly was on her lunch break and to avoid
certain hallways if they didn't want to run into the woman. You knew
that if Ellone didn't get along with someone, they were simply a
horrendous human being. While she never admitted to actually hating
anyone, it was quite clear with what never needed to be said.

        Getting off the lift before
Laguna's office, they were met with a most... interesting sight.
It was Ward, back from his vacation at Fisherman's Horizon. Only,
it was Ward in shorts and the brightest, most heinously colored short sleeved
shirt known to mankind. The sunglasses weren't such a surprise, considering
the ensemble. But the straw hat... As he saw them, he spread
his arms out. Translation: "Ta-da!"

        Kyrie put a hand over her
mouth. If it were actually possible for something to be too funny
to laugh at, perhaps this was it. No, there was no perhaps
about it. She absolutely could not speak. She wished she had
a camera. She hoped she could get the picture of his bare legs out
of her mind, and quickly.

        "Lookin' good, Ward."
How Rodger had found it in himself to speak without laughing was beyond
the knowledge of any god. He could feel it coming, boiling inside
of him, threatening to overflow into soundless painful gasps and streaming
tears.

        The man nodded. Translation:
"Thank you." He turned, showing off his new duds and tan at another
angle, then waved. Translation: "See you two later."

        They waved back and watched
him walk away. When he was well into the labyrinth of hallways, the
laughter finally exploded. Rodger was first, completely incapable
of holding it back any longer. It spread like wildfire, however.
Kyrie started out in a squeaking giggle and ended in a breathless, almost
painful coughing.

        It was at the very ending
edge of their laughter that Laguna casually strolled past. He had
nothing else to do today but arrange furniture, so he'd been taking many
jaunts around all morning to avoid the work, frankly. "I take it
you've seen Ward?" he inquired knowingly.

        Kyrie tried very hard to
restrain herself from another painful bout of amused insanity. "Was
he... you know...
on anything?"

        Her grandfather grinned
at her. "I've been trying to figure that out."

        Rodger was still in the
process of gasping, leaning against the wall to keep himself upright.
He had this amazingly disturbing vision of Quistis actually having decided
upon going with Ward. She'd ultimately decided to finish all of her
paperwork first so she could get a head start, then get a weekend at the
spa Elle had been to. But the mere picture of classy, "tasteful bathing
suit" Quistis coming back with Ward dressed like that... It
was just too much.

        "Should we go relax somewhere?"
Laguna found himself quite unable to stop a couple of short chuckles.
Rodger's laughter was spreading again.

        "Let's go bother Vincent."
Kyrie suggested a little too enthusiastically.

        And speak of the devil...
The man in question had heard their initial burst of laughter all the way
from his office and had just taken the turn into the hallway they were
recovering in. He had a very good instinct of when to arrive at just
the right time to thwart all bothering efforts. As he met her eyes
with a devious plot-ruining grin, that's when he saw it--whatever "it"
was. He looked at her knowingly, even when she had turned away to
listen to whatever it was Laguna was saying to her. There was something
amiss about her manner. Maybe he could see a lack of sleep in her
eyes. Or maybe that was a twinkle of... unease? Distaste?
Perhaps even... a little nightmare anxiety? He of all people ought
to know. He made a distinct mental note to talk to her about it as
soon as possible. Something was not right, and it was wrong enough
to have shaken her. Hell, it was wrong enough to have shaken him
when he'd seen it in her eyes. Maybe Rodger was right to have been
so on edge of late.

        "Have you seen Ward since
he's gotten back?" Laguna pulled Vincent out of his thoughts for the time
being.

        He regarded the president
with a mockingly disgusted shake of the head. "As head of security,
I should not allow him in here like that. There must be... some danger
in it. Something about that has to be illegal."

        Rodger, who'd just gotten
over the freaking giggles, started in again. His girlfriend elbowed
him before joining in, picturing Ward in a solitary cell in the basement,
in that outfit.

        Vincent took advantage of
the break in conversation. "Can I have a moment with you, Kyrie?"
he asked politely.

        That was almost frightening
somehow. She hadn't any idea why, but there was a sense of knowing
under his tone. Normally at words like that, coming from Vincent,
she'd probably be grinning like a moron. But this was... definitely
serious. "Sure." She turned to Rodger and announced, "I'll
be back."

        He nodded and waved with
a smile, but felt something in his chest tighten as he watched them round
the corner together. He had no reason to feel either suspicious (no,
not like that) or concerned, but... he did. And it was getting
clearer and clearer in his mind even as he tried to pay attention to Laguna's
old war stories about Ward.

        It wasn't like Vincent was
just leading her out into the other hallway. No, he was actually
leading her all the way to his office. The edges of her "internal
alarm system" were beginning to buzz a little at this. She'd never
felt so... closely studied by the man before. The whole thing was
actually almost beginning to make her feel a little uncomfortable.
It was when she walked into his office and he shut and locked the door
that worry began to edge on a still panic. This was a serious situation.
And she wasn't really sure she wanted to be a part of it.

        Vincent sat leisurely at
his desk, trying to conduct an air of normalcy about this whole inquisition.
"You're just not quite yourself today." He started simply.

        She had no intention of
hiding anything from him, and never would have. He knew nightmares
like she wouldn't believe, she was sure. But her first thought was
still, Hmm, how to play this... "A really awful nightmare
last night. And I think I'm getting sick, besides." She added,
if only to appease herself. There was an unwelcome voice in the back
of her mind that suggested she was not getting sick, but going insane.
She told that voice to shut up and fuck off, respectively.

        He raised an eyebrow, watching
her face carefully. He knew she was not the "type" to have such nightmares;
it simply wasn't in her personality. "Tell me about it, then."

        A delicate, almost shy smile
came over her lips. "I, uh... well, alright. But can I skip
the beginning?"

        "Skip nothing." He
answered seriously. "No detail."

        Discussing this with Vincent
of all people was really going to make or break their relationship, she
was certain. "Ooookay." She cleared her throat. "Well,
I was having sex--"

        "What kind of sex?" he interrupted
wickedly.

        She paused for a moment,
struck by the question. But that didn't throw her off. "Alright,
I was being fucked. Happy?"

        "Very." He let his
expression soften a little, amused by her answer. "By..?"

        She smirked. The answer
to the question disturbed her as much as it had excited her at the time.
"Well... by Sephiroth."

        His breath hissed out quietly
as he closed his eyes. Leaning back in his chair a little, he commented,
"That is a nightmare."

        She coughed suggestively.
"Well, not at the moment it wasn't." She paused, hoping he'd offer
her a little more insight into his comment.

        "Go ahead." Was all
he said.

        Why she still felt a little
embarrassed discussing this with him was a bit of a mystery. Any
normal person would have felt a bit uncomfortable, sure. But she
was a little more... "not normal". She continued, anyway. "It,
uh, lasted. Quite a while. And then he actually came... and
that's when the nightmare started." She didn't realize she had goose
bumps on her arms as she continued, a shiver threatening to interrupt her
at any moment. "I felt like, uh, orgasm was coming on, but... it
didn't happen. It was something else. Something..." she searched
for the word, unconsciously wrapping her arms around her waist, "Transitional."

        His poker face remained
as he took all of the information in. Every last detail recorded
and analyzed. The word struck him as interesting, to say the least.
"Transitional?"

        She nodded, grasping for
the right words. "I... changed. It was like... we'd merged.
It hurt, but... it didn't hurt. It was like... when I was impaled.
Pain so intense it was something different." She stopped, shaking
her head. She just couldn't find the words. And then one solitary
name came to mind that finally gave way to a violent shudder in her.
The word was so cruel she could scarcely voice it, but she felt Vincent's
eyes boring into her, yanking it out of her. "Jenova."

        He remained very quiet for
what must have been a number of minutes. He watched her without staring,
but without looking away. She was cold, unsure, and confused.
It was interesting to see, of course, but more than that; it was important.
Sephiroth. Jenova. Things were coming back. Again.
"Do you have that communication transponder with you?" he asked at last,
in a flat voice.

        She reached into her pocket
and presented the device to him in her palm. It was clear he was
going to see what Cloud thought. But it was interesting to note that
he wanted to do so himself.

        Vincent lightly cupped her
hand in his metal one, placing his flesh and blood hand on top of the communication
device. Even through his metal limb, he could feel the heat coming
off of her. "Do you mind if I take this for a while?"

        "No." She answered
honestly. His claw felt like ice against her skin, and the fact that
he had more or less pinned her there was making her feel less and less
at ease. There was no reason to feel trapped, and she knew
that. But an undeniable part of her felt it anyway.

        "Did you tell Rodger yet?"
he sounded nearly disinterested.

        "No." She responded
again.

        "Maybe you both ought to
stay here for a few days. I'm sure Laguna wouldn't mind."

        There were too many ways
to interpret that to just let it go. "That bad, huh?"

        He slowly took in a deep
breath, thinking it over. "I don't know. But I'm... concerned."

        There was fear in her eyes,
but it was cold; frozen over. His tone and this whole conversation...
she swallowed, taking a moment to make sure she was calm and composed.
What else was there to say? "Okay."

        Kyrie found Rodger in the
secluded coffee nook that stood more or less halfway between Vincent's
office and Laguna's. Of course, he didn't really drink coffee.
Couldn't stand the taste of the stuff. He felt that was simply a
good place to wait for her. And, considering the time of day, they'd
have relative privacy. Laguna had gone off to handle a number of
things Kiros was freaking about, so they had practically no worry of being
interrupted. It was a good place to have waited--and he certainly
felt he needed to wait for her. He didn't ask what had happened,
but prodded her with a glance just the same.

        She was the picture of calm
as she walked up to him, turned and stood beside him. There was nothing
else she could have been, really. She knew very well he could see
through it, and there was no need to try and soften the blow. "Vincent
is worried. I told him about the nightmare... and he wants us to
stay here for a while. And find out what Cloud thinks."

        Any other person would not
have heard the delicate shiver of her voice as the last words were spoken.
But no one else had ever heard her talk so much, maybe. Hardly anyone
else knew how to read that ice, that hard coldness that worked like a dam
to hold back the things she refused to show. "Did you find out anything
yet?"

        "Jenova." She whispered
without looking at him. "I... that's all I know. At least,
I think so."

        "Tell me about the dream."
He more suggested than ordered, moving a little closer. He would
have to work very hard to retain himself through this, he already
knew. As she took a deep breath to begin, he casually wrapped an
arm around her and listened.

        Vincent had taken the long
way around the building and to Laguna's office, instinctually leaving the
couple alone. Sure there was a chance he could run into that maddening
Jilly woman, but it was one he would take at this moment. He'd made
his communication with Cloud as quick as possible, and he'd agreed.
Steps needed to be taken, right now, just in case.

        Venturing into the door
without an announcement, he was polite but blunt, as he felt he absolutely
had to be. Wasted time could result in consequences he'd rather not
consider. "Excuse me, sir, this is pretty important. And private.
Can we talk?"

        The president paled a little.
"Of course. Do you mind, Kiros?"

        What a question. "Not
at all. Talk to you later." He nodded to Laguna, then to Vincent,
and walked out of the room.

        Laguna had a startled puppy
look about him as he stood in greeting. "Sit. Tell me all about
it."

        He didn't exactly feel like
sitting for the illusion of a friendly exchange, but certainly had the
feeling Laguna ought to be sitting down for this news. He waited
for the president to be seated before he began. "It's out of concern
for Kyrie."

        A heavy weight struck President
Loire's stomach as he heard that. "Y-yes?"

        The former Turk knew this
wasn't going to be easy. He wasn't used to communicating with anyone
in the first place, but this was far more difficult. "I think something
is going wrong, frankly. She's had nightmares recently that could
mean something... very bad."

        There were nearly tears
in the man's eyes. "Oh." He managed with a bit of difficulty,
trying to control himself. The memories that always rested at the
back of his mind suddenly catapulted to the forefront. His wife,
his son, his son-in-law... not his granddaughter too...

        Vincent took a curt breath
and continued. "I think it would be a good idea if you located Cloud
Strife's satellite and brought him back to the planet for a little while.
But it must be an absolutely private issue."

        Laguna nodded slowly.
"Alright." He agreed, his voice rough. This would take some
doing, money-wise. But Kiros would think of something. "Is
there... anything else you can tell me?"

        The red-eyed man began wishing
he was still in a state of emotional suspension. It was hard to look
the president in the eyes at this point. "Not until I'm sure, I don't
believe. But I would like to request she and Rodger be kept here,
under surveillance. It may well be nothing."

        Laguna swallowed back everything
threatening to pour out onto any unsuspecting victim. "Yes, that's
fine. I'll arrange everything and let you know."

        "Thank you, sir."
Vincent ended the conversation quickly by standing up. "I'll return
the favor." He walked out before anything else could be asked.

        As the door closed, Laguna
made certain to lock it from his desk panel. "Kyrie..." he croaked
in a sobbing whisper. Wasn't it supposed to be over now? For
good? Not another one. Not again.

        Vincent was rather surprised
to see Kyrie just sitting in his office chair, waiting. He assumed
she'd have been... well, just about anywhere else. And with Rodger,
at that. Her normally inseparable companion was nowhere to be found,
and she looked like she'd been quite comfortable for a number of minutes
at least.

        She met his questioning
glance and responded, "He took the Jet to get some stuff from the house."

        He nodded slowly, closing
the door behind. No need to drag this situation out. "Cloud
Strife is coming down for the time being."

        While she was really and
truly elated about that... "Great, but... why?"

        "We are both very concerned
about you." He sat down across from her. So that's what the
other chairs felt like. Not hardly as comfortable as his, but it
may be in bad taste at the moment to ask Kyrie to move. "The Jenova
cells... I think they might be mutating."

        She swallowed, forcing the
fear to subside for the time being. This didn't sound good, not in
the least. She found that she really had nothing to say in response;
unusual for her.

        Vincent continued, seeing
that startled look cross her eyes before the ancient cold began to freeze
them over. "Sometimes there's seemingly no trigger at all, and they
can still mutate while they're inside. It's been a very long time,
but I can only assume it's as true now as it was when I was infected."

        She unconsciously rubbed
her forearms, a chill running through her entire body. "What... what
else do you know?"

        "Not much." He admitted.
"It may have to do with Mako exposure, as well. I wasn't exposed
to that much, unlike Cloud and Sephiroth. But I did have a lot of
Jenova cells. The lack of a steady stream of Mako might have a correlation
to the mutations."

        She closed her eyes for
a moment, letting this information fall over her. "Aren't the Materia
pure forms of Mako?"

        "Yes, but they don't get
strong enough to border on Mako poisoning. I happen to know there's
a correlation between that and a lack of the mutation, as well."
If only he'd known back then, he may have paid more attention to Hojo's
research.

        She hated this. She
absolutely fucking hated this feeling encompassing her. Rodger
was not beside her for this, weird in itself. He'd be back in no
time, she knew, but... it just wasn't right. And all this shit happening,
and no one knew what it was... It was giving her a distasteful, almost
helpless feeling that sank into the depths of her stomach. She was
momentarily convinced she'd never be able to eat again.

        "It's important to remember
that I really don't know for certain what's going on." He tried to
be reassuring without resorting to false hope. That could be much
worse. "So don't worry just yet."

        She swallowed and took another
deep, silent breath. What the hell was she supposed to say?
Or do? Or react with? "I knew it was too good to be true."

        To her surprise, Vincent
grinned. "Now that's the attitude to have." As he took a breath
to make a fatal quip, something in his pocket chimed. For four years
he'd had this damned phone, given to him by Laguna for important security
matters. And yet this would be the first time it was ever used.
That was mostly because the president had no problems with walking up to
him and telling him things rather than calling, but the fact remained that
it took him a while to realize what the hell the noise was. As it
finally struck him, he pulled the phone out of his pocket and fumbled with
the buttons until something beeped. "Hello?"

        "Vincent." Laguna
greeted curtly, his throat sounding raw. "He'll be touching down
in two hours. It's at highest priority. I'll need you to take
care of the logs, Kiros will take care of the rest." In a completely
uncharacteristic move, he hung up instantly upon that last word.

        The surprising behavior
gave Vincent pause before he hung up and placed the phone back in his pocket.
He'd hoped very much that he handled the situation with the president as
well as he could. It was simply that time could not afford to be
wasted... his thoughts were casually smacked aside with Kyrie's piercing
stare. "Two hours. I have to go make sure things are secure."

        She nodded slowly, understanding.
Even with high priority, only two hours? It must be very high
priority. That did just the opposite of setting her at ease.
But, taken at face value, Cloud was going to visit. That was fantastic.
She could call him names in person. She finally realized she was
being watched closely, some sort of general consensus of the situation
being either expected or asked for. "Landing area in two hours then?"

        He nodded once, then went
straight for the door. Damn emotions. They were difficult things
to control after a while. And he certainly didn't want to see this
ordeal getting any worse.

        Kyrie found places to stroll
for those two hours. After all, the estate was like a maze, and with
several floors on top of that. Sure she'd been a little worried about
running into that psychotic non-freak that looked after the transportation
office, but at this point in time, she had nothing to lose by being rude.
Hell, if anything was an excellent excuse, it was insanity.

        What a thought. She
couldn't hold it back as she wandered. The dream, the mirror, the
shiver that simply wouldn't leave her... Yes, Vincent and Cloud were
right to be concerned. She was a little "concerned" herself.
She was trying desperately not to think about it as she attempted to lose
herself on the third floor, getting some odd looks from people who usually
never ran into her.

        She found, through trial
and error, that she could actually get around and to where she wanted to
go if she just took the time to remember where she'd been. It sounded
quite obvious on the outside, but she'd never really needed to realize
it before. Hell, she found her way to the cafeteria in no time--even
though she couldn't have possibly eaten. It was rare her nerves actually
got to her, rarer still that she got nervous at all. These were pretty
fucking exceptional circumstances, though.

        A quick glance at the clock
got her on her way; and, praise Hyne, reunited her with Rodger. He'd
just come off the lift as she was walking by, a bag in each hand and a
little out of breath. She didn't wait for him to ask before informing
him, "Cloud's due to touch down about now."

        "Already?" he asked, stepping
to follow her. Hell, the bags weren't that heavy. He could
lug them around until he found someone to pawn them off on.

        "Yeah." She confirmed
under her breath. She hadn't meant it to come out that way, but...
that nervousness kind of closed in after a while.

        Rodger took a moment to
drop the luggage, offering her the silent, warm comfort of a hug.
It wasn't much, he knew. Hell, it probably seemed cheap and a shoddy
effort at best, but... it was heartfelt. He wanted her to know he
was there for her, through anything. Dammit, they'd get through this,
whatever it was.

        She returned it, understanding
without the need for any words. It far from calmed her, but... it
did help. They shared the slightest brush of a kiss and were off
again, down the hall and to the "hidden" landing area. It was another
of those just in case sort of places that everyone knew about but no one
thought about, and hopefully no one would remember. If this was quick
and everything was done right and to code, so to speak, no one would know
any better. That's where Kiros and Vincent came in, disguising records
and telling people who asked that it was just a meteorite. Perhaps
not the most glamorous parts of their jobs, but important all the same.

        I.D.s shown and confirmed,
they were ushered below ground level via secret lift and into the dock
to wait. What became immediately clear as the door locked behind
them was the fact that top secret things needed just a little more funding.
The little room contained absolutely nothing but a grid of monitors and
two keyboards. Not that it really needed anything else, but...
a chair might be nice.

        Luckily, they didn't have
to wait long enough to need chairs. Perfectly on schedule, the tracking
system began to blip. Two specialists worked on the keyboards to
bring everything in smoothly while three guards stationed themselves; one
at the dock door and two at the outside door. All they had been told
was that there was a box inside the seal that was to be guarded and was
never
to be opened or the entire universe would turn to dust. Laguna could
have a very good imagination when he needed to.

        Kyrie and Rodger watched
the monitors, finally seeing a speck in the blue sky. As it got bigger,
so did a tail of gleaming fire behind it until just the shape of the seal
and the ship that was sent out to get it could be seen. As it entered
the lower atmosphere, the ship's thrusters ignited and turned so that the
speed lessened and lessened until it touched down softly, right outside.

        Mechanical arms went to
work on the bolts that held the seal shut. The seal itself was still
so hot that even through the three feet of metal walls and a twenty yard
hallway that separated the docking chamber, the temperature began to rise.
Good thing the funds for the place had included air conditioning.

        Two by two the bolts were
released and collected, working from bottom to top. The "greeting
party" watched the monitors closely, the last two bolts having been removed.
Slowly, the mechanical arms twisted and reset themselves into what looked
to be two large keys. One pressed itself into the slot on one side,
and the other did the same on the opposite side. Together, they twisted.
The front of the pod opened from the top and fell slowly downward, a fine
mist of compressed air shielding whatever was hidden within for just long
enough to have made everyone hold their breath.

        As the mist dissipated,
what could only be Cloud Strife waved his hands in all directions so he
could see what was ahead of him. Upon noticing a camera pointed right
at him... he waved and smiled like he was going to be broadcast all around
the world.

        While this made his friends
smile, everyone else in the room was struck dumb. They'd been told
to look after a box. Not this... very strange impossibility
of science in a number of ways, not least of which was the hair.

        "It's alright." Kyrie
informed them. "He's safe with us."

        Well, she got some stares
after that. But, she was Laguna's granddaughter. They hoped
she knew what she was doing. The sealed doors on either side of the
docking hallway began to turn and creak open, completely clearing the mist
from the monitors. Out hopped, quite literally, Cloud Strife.
It'd been a while since he'd actually walked, so his feet were just a little
liable to do things he didn't want them to. No matter, he'd made
it back, safe and sound and gazing upon friends he wasn't sure he'd ever
be able to see again. While the others looked on in stunned horror,
the three companions pretended like they were the only ones there.

        Kyrie had no idea just how
glad she'd be to see Cloud. Maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder
or some other over-used tripe.

        "Lost some weight?" he joked
almost viciously.

        She gave him a half serious
glare. "Well, no goddamn hug for that."

        He looked brutally wounded
for a fraction of a second before coming right back, arms open. "Aw,
come on." Human contact would take come getting used to again.
Especially with this bunch of freaks. Granted it was a group of freaks
with which he belonged, but still...

        "I'm willing to bet your
muscles are slightly atrophied, so you better not come any closer."
She warned in good humor.

        Good point. "Fine,
fine." He winked at her, then turned to greet her better half with
a big smile. "Rodger. Been surviving this one?" he casually
darted his thumb in Kyrie's general direction.

        Rodger leaned in and whispered
loudly, "Yes. But not well."

        The blonde grinned and clasped
his whole arm to shake it. "Well, glad to hear it."

        The door to the estate opened,
the slightly late palace head of security walking through. Cloud
felt as if perhaps his jaw had just disengaged from the rest of his skull
and fallen to the ground. He was... shocked. He'd never seen
Vincent in anything but his "vampire gear", as it'd come to be known in
his own mind. "Holy fu--... Vincent. You look... different."

        The man grinned widely,
which further amazed his former companion. "Not... that different."

        Cloud did not say, Now
you and Kyrie look exactly like father and daughter. He
settled upon, rather, "What have you got to eat around here?"

        It seemed for a time that
the cafeteria didn't hold enough food. Plate after plate of everything
and anything was completely decimated, and early orders for food supplies
were suddenly being sent out. The suppliers must have been under
the impression that some sort of feast was underway at the presidential
palace.

        Kyrie, Rodger and Vincent
simply sat together at the other side of the table, watching in disbelief.
Anatomy and science proved nothing of this. Proved just the opposite,
really. If consulted, physicists would faint at the sight.

        After almost an hour of
this truly frightening behavior, Cloud leaned back in ecstasy. After
a long, deep, contented sigh, he stated, "Now it hurts."

        "It ought to." Vincent
commented, crossing his arms. "You'll probably be expected to work
the bill off."

        For just a moment, there
was a look of sheer terror on the blonde's face. He wasn't used to
the pale man joking with him. Come to think of it, he wasn't
quite as pale as he used to be. Weird, just weird. "Just put
it on my tab. I'm sure I owe lots of other people, too."

        "Luckily most of them are
dead." Kyrie stated flatly.

        Cloud chuckled at that,
making a halfhearted attempt at sitting up straight, then collapsing back
into the chair to support his body. "I'm still not used to gravity."
He gazed at the ceiling for a moment, collecting his thoughts. There
was a drunkenness that came with a really good meal--or several of them.
"So... what's the plan, Valentine?"

        Vincent took a breath before
beginning. "Well... there isn't much of one just yet. These
two are staying in the estate. You'll have a room on one side of
theirs, I'll take the one on the other." He lowered his gaze.
"Then we wait."

        Even the sweet buzz of a
full stomach wasn't enough to dull that ache. Wait. Wait for
what? Did anyone know? Nothing was confirmed as of yet,
but... still. He knew enough to be concerned. And he was sure
he'd get filled in with the details soon enough.

        Though she had thought it
impossible, Kyrie's stomach tightened even more with those words.
Rodger's fingers delicately passed over her hand, but it was little comfort
to the whole idea. Stay here and be watched. That wasn't...
fun. Not that any of this was supposed to be fun, but Cloud's arrival
was supposed to be a happier thing. Or so she'd thought, at least.

        "Let's get you two moved
in, then." Vincent instinctually cut off the thought process.
"I'll bet the president arranged some nice ones for us."

        Speaking of Laguna, where
was he? She knew that when he'd gotten bad news, he usually locked
himself in his office for a while to get a clear head and think it over.
But he hadn't come to greet Cloud. And there was no word from him
at all since he'd called Vincent three hours earlier. As if she didn't
have enough to worry about, she knew, but that didn't change things.
Not that she herself felt very reassured, but she hoped she could cheer
her grandfather up a little bit. Or see him soon, at least.

        "Nice" rooms nothing.
They got three in a row in the presidential guest suite. As Rodger
stepped inside the one in the middle, the bags crashed to the ground.
It was like every unreal advertisement for the most expensive hotels he'd
seen throughout his life, all rolled into one and made ten times better.
The main room had three leather couches and a huge picture window that
looked out over the old part of the city, opening onto a huge balcony.
There was a bedroom fit for a god to one side, and a bathroom that may
as well have been advertised as including a swimming pool. It was
nice
without being gaudy.

        "I've got to hand it to
the decorator." Kyrie commented after the long silence.

        "Mine better be this nice."
Cloud stated. A moment later, he darted out the door to check for
himself.

        "Nice honeymoon suite, isn't
it?" Vincent grinned suggestively.

        Rodger stared at him blankly
for a moment. "You're not helping as much as you think you are."

        That comment caused Kyrie
to laugh, quite hard. Damn but it felt good to. The glory of
having friends...

        "I'll try not to take that
personally." Vincent joked. "I'll leave you two for the moment.
I'm hoping to have gotten something bigger, myself." He turned and
walked out before anyone had the chance to throw that comment back at him.

        Kyrie darted into the bedroom
and took a running leap at the bed. Hell, it's what one did in a
hotel. Not that this was a hotel. This was by far better.
So, taking that into account, she hoped the quality of the beds was that
much better as well. The initial body slam bounce had gone quite
well, so she quickly unzipped her boots and continued her bedspring inspection.

        "Ah, that maturity."
Rodger quipped. The temptation was too great, however. After
a few more bounces, he leapt and pounced her before she could bounce again.

        "Now is not the time."
She grinned, wriggling from underneath him and sitting at his side.
"It is nice, isn't it?"

        "Very." He
took her moment of looking around to compose his thoughts into one easy
question. "How's everything?"

        She took a deep breath,
then turned to face him. "A little dizzy." She joked at first.
"Alright I guess. So far so good and all that."

        Something... something in
her manner had changed. It felt almost as if maybe she'd dropped
her shoulders, but she clearly hadn't; it felt like how that action
looked,
as if that made any sense. He regarded this subtle change with a
worried curiosity until she'd grasped his hand.

        "Kyrie..." he whispered,
knowing better. He saw her eyes change. Just for the
fraction of a second, just enough to start to give him that terror chill.
Green eyes crossed just for a moment in the place of her crimson ones.
He moved--but whatever had encompassed her was faster. He couldn't
stifle the cry as he felt the bones in his wrist grinding together,
her sickening sweet touch turning deadly violent...

        She "woke up", suddenly and
instantly, having her arms held painfully behind her back, being restrained
in the exceptionally strong arms of a former Turk. The sudden onset
of complete nothingness and then pain was almost too much a shock to handle.
"Uncle!" she squeaked in submission, feeling one shoulder on the verge
of ripping from the socket.

        Vincent immediately released
his death grip, but kept his metal hand clamped securely around her wrist--just
in case. He was certain she'd "come to", so to speak, but there was
no telling exactly what was actually going on.

        When the pain softened to
a dull ache, what had just happened flashed across her mind--she'd very
nearly shattered Rodger's wrist. It was like living someone else's
memory. In fact, that's exactly what it was. She closed her
eyes for lack of any better way to escape the moment. Had she let
that happen? She hadn't been in control. She hadn't been...
there...
This thing, this consciousness inside of her had used her body...

        "Are you alright, Ky?" Vincent's
voice was soft behind her.

        "Fuck no." She admitted
flatly. "You should have snapped my arm like a twig."

        Whether that had been a
suggestion or a passing thought, he didn't care to ask. He'd been
partially right about this situation, he discovered. But that didn't
ease a damn thing.
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Retribution Nor Redemption