"Omnislash!"

"Wait, Cloud! Hang on!"

The spiky headed warrior halted his sword, looking back at the young brunette with a confused look. Tifa Lockheart ran forward beside Cloud. She glanced at the gigantic Proud Clod crackling up in front of them.

She clenched her fists. "I've got a score to settle with that Bitch! Cait Sith! Give me the Ultima materia!" She held out her hand expectantly, but the moogle did not respond.

"Cait now!" Tifa yelled urgently, but still, the moogle did not respond.

"Cait! Are you deaf?" Yelled Barret Wallace.

But the moogle still didn't respond. It remained still, lifeless.

"Cait Sith!" Tifa yelled again. Frustrated she ran over to the moogle. Cait Sith stood completely still, not moving at all. Tifa waved her hands over his eyes, but they didn't move. "He's not responding!"

"What the hell's wrong with him?" Cloud shouted.

Tifa shook her head. She tried poking him, but the large cat was completely stiff. "I don't know...It's like he shut down!"

"Whaddya mean shut down!" Barret yelled, suspiciously.

Cloud shook his head. "I don't have time for this."

"Wait..." Tifa started, but he had already bowed his head, concentrating on the glowing green orb in the palm of his hand. In a short moment a huge crack gave flowed through the Earth towards the gigantic Proud Clod, and the Earth began to rumble. Tifa, Cloud and Barret struggled to keep their balance as the ground shook violently beneath them. Soon the huge crack gave way beneath the Proud Clod, and Cloud and his companions watched covering their ears as the large robot collapsed onto it's self, coming down with a crash, followed by an explosion of fire. The crashing noises continued until the magic stopped from the earth materia stopped. The last thing they heard was a loud female shriek.

No one said anything for a while, just stared at the burning mass of rubble.

"Well...I guess that's the end of Scarlet and Heidegger," Tifa eventually stated, then she abruptly turned toward Cloud, her hands on her hips and gave the young soldier a look of mock anger. "Why did you have to go and do that Cloud! I told you, I wanted to finish them off!"

Cloud just shrugged, smiling. He looked up at the grey sky as it began to rain softly. "It's raining," he said softly. "How refreshing."

"Never mind the rain," said Barret. "We gotta catch up with the others and find Hojo!"

Cloud nodded, looking over his team. Tifa had a few cuts on her arms, but apart form that she looked fine. Barret was the same. "Everyone alright?" His companions nodded. His eyes fell on Cait Sith. He walked over to him and waved his hand over the moogle's face. "He still aint responding. I don't know what's wrong with him."

Barret walked over as well. "Don't tell me this is another Shinra ploy."

"Lay off Barret, Cait Sith already proved his loyalty in the temple of the ancients," Tifa said.

"There's nothin' we can do," Cloud proclaimed. "We certainly can't carry him."

"So we're just gonna leave him here?" Tifa asked.

"Good!" Barret exclaimed.

Cloud held up his hand. "Not so fast Barret. We're gonna come back for him of course."

Tifa didn't look too pleased with the idea. "Where's Cid? He knows about machines, he might be able to help."

"He's with Red, Vincent and Yuffie looking for Hojo," Cloud said.

"Can't you contact him on the PHS?" Tifa pleaded.

Cloud shook his head. "Don't worry, we'll come back for him," he assured. "Right now I wanna catch up to the others and get to the sister ray to confront Hojo. That's our priority."

"But we can't just leave him out here in the rain!" Tifa protested.

"He's a friggin' robot, aint like he gonna catch a cold!" Barret argued.

Cloud put a hand on Tifa's shoulder. "Barret's right, and anyway there's nothing we can do right now. We have to stop Hojo. Don't worry, we'll come back for him, I promise."

Tifa sighed, then eventually nodded. "Alright fine. Let's go."

Rain fell softly about him as he walked, pieces of scrap crunching beneath his shoes. Many small fires burned gently all around him, fuelling on the scattered parts of what was originally The Proud Clod. He hadn't known Scarlet had created such a weapon, only just found out through Cait Sith. She never really told him anything these days, not since the company had slowly been falling apart the day President Ronald Shinra had been killed by Sephiroth. Even though his son Rufus had replaced him, Reeve just knew things would never be the same again. And they weren't. Now he stood in a large back alley in Midgar, not far from the Sister ray, his eyes searching over the rubble for any sign that his two former colleagues had survived. The place was littered with broken metal and scrap which covered most of the ground. It reminded him of the slums below.

He didn't really know why he was there. He knew they were probably dead, but he had to be sure. If they somehow managed to survive Reeve knew he would probably have to keep an eye on them, in case they decided to get up to no good. He knew they could both be very evil people when it came to getting what they wanted. Maybe not so much Heideggar, Reeve knew he was a stupid man, but Scarlet was different. Reeve had known her a long time and knew how cunning she could be at times.

But that wasn't the only reason he searched for them.

Reeve hoped Scarlet lived.

He didn't really care about Heidegger - never had but Scarlet was a different story. Out of everyone in Shinra he had known her the longest. They went back a long way. Reeve would say that he was the only one who ever really knew her properly, knew how she calculated. So this was the main reason why he had abandoned Cait Sith and come here now.

He had been searching and picking through the rubble for over an hour now and found nothing. His heart sank at the thought that Scarlet had probably been blown to pieces. But something told him that that wasn't true. This something forced him to continue despite his aching back. He knew he was getting closer to finding her, he could feel it.

He sat down and rested for a few minutes and wiped the sweat off his forehead, breathing heavily. He wasn't as fit as he used to be. Just then he heard a noise, causing him to jump up. It had been a sort of moan, barely audible. It had come from ahead of him. Reeve strode towards that direction, straining his ears.

"Scarlet?" he called anxiously, his heart suddenly beating faster.

He heard the moan again, this time louder so Reeve was able to pinpoint the noise and run over to where it was coming from. He fell on his knees and began to pick away at the rubble, cutting himself on sharp metal quite a few times. He stopped when he saw a hand sticking out amongst the pile. A huge, hairy, fat, pink hand with ugly chewed up fingernails. Heidegger. He looked at it for a moment and shook his head in disgust. There was no way he was going to help him.

He turned away, ignoring the deep grunts coming from where the huge man lay. Finding him only made him more anxious to find Scarlet. At least it meant she couldn't be far away. He just hoped she was alive. His eyes meticulously scanned the area around Heidegger.

"Scarlet?" He called again. He waited a for a long time for any kind of response, but he heard nothing. He shook his head in despair and bent down and continued to pick through the tonnes of rubble. About ten minutes later he gave up and collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.

"This is impossible," He said to himself, closing his eyes. "I can't do this all by myself."

He thought about contacting Avalanche but they were busy dealing with Hojo and anyway, would they really agree to help him find her? He breathed a deep sigh of frustration. He had warned her, he had warned her to stay out of Avalanche's way but she hadn't listened, and now she had probably gotten herself killed.
"Why Scarlet, Why?" He said aloud.

But he had known she had been going down this path for a long time now. They all were.  As much as he hated to admit it she had it coming. They all did; her, Shinra, Rufus, Heidegger, Palmer, Hojo...money and power had driven them all crazy. But the thing with Scarlet was that unlike the rest of them, she hadn't started out that way. Scarlet had started out kind and graceful and innocent. It was only until she got involved with Shinra...Which was why he couldn't give up on her, why he had to find her no matter how hard it was. It wasn't her fault completely, they all made mistakes. She deserved a second chance, Reeve decided. She deserved to live.

With reinforced motivation he sat up and vigorously continued his search. "Scarlet, I'm gonna find you no matter what!" he called excitedly. "I know you're around here somewhere..."

It wasn't long before he found a pointy red shoe protruding from the mess.

"Scarlet!" he cried. This had to be her. Though he was extremely tired, he began to pull off all the rubble and debri. Eventually the skin of her legs appeared and he could see they were very pale and filled with cuts and bruises. He worked his way up her body. Her red dress was torn and soaked in dry blood. She had a very deep wound on her abdomen. As he removed more and more pieces off her and uncovered her face, he realised just hot badly hurt she was. She had lost a lot of blood, which surrounded her now.

He gently brushed dirt which rested on her closed lids and her pale cheeks. He put a finger under her chin at the side of her neck. Her pulse was weak, and she was barley breathing but at least she was alive. He looked her over with worry for a moment. Her lips were purple and was very cold and pale, Reeve was concerned she was hypothermic.

"Scarlet," he whispered quietly.

She was unresponsive. He shook her gently. "Scarlet, wake up."

Reeve waited a moment but she didn't move. He could feel a lump forming in his throat. "Scarlet it's me reeve..." He closed his eyes and prayed silently to a god he didn't believe in. He breathed deeply, holding her flaccid hand tightly in his. She had to wake up, she just had to. She deserved a second chance. She was the only on of them who deserved a second chance. Even though in the past he didn't agree with some of the things she had done, he knew she was never truly evil. Inside, the woman who lay before him was just that same troubled and lonely teenager he had met so many years ago. Reeve understood now that though she had made the wrong decisions, she had only done what she thought she needed to do to survive. Though she embodied a versatile demeanour, underneath she was weak. She needed power and money to keep her going. In those days without power and money you would be trampled on, people would take advantage of you. Looking after number one was the law of survival in the slums, where she had come from. She was always scared of people, always afraid they'd hurt her. Thus she made sure she hit back at others first, before they hit at her.

Don't... die...please.

Reeve slowly unclosed his lids and got a shock when he saw Scarlet's large striking grey eyes staring straight at him.

"Scarlet!" he exclaimed with relief. "Thank God!"

For a moment she remained staring at him, unmoving, then gradually her dry lips began to move. They quivered as she struggled to speak. When she did her voice was dry and raspy "Reeve..."

Reeve didn't do or say anything for a while. Just stared back at her. Her mascara was smeared, and there was dirt all over her face and blonde mane, but Reeve never doubted she was beautiful. Looking down into her deep grey eyes brought back many memories, and a feeling of nostalgia. Through all the strife they had both been through, they had some good times. Eventually he reached out and caressed her icy cheek. He swallowed the lump of anguish which had begun to form in his throat and spoke.

"Scarlet, it's ok."

Her lids slowly closed and opened as she blinked for the first time. "Reeve..." she uttered again.

"What is it?" he answered immediately.

Reeve waited patiently as she struggled to speak.

"I... feel...cold."

He nodded fighting to hold back the tears which had begun blur his vision. Her voice was so tiny now, she seemed so much like a child. "I know, just hang in there. I'll get help and you'll be alright, ok?" He let go of her hand and started to reach in his pocket for the PHS but stopped when Scarlet's arm suddenly grabbed hold of his.

"Whoa-"

"Don't." Her voice was surprisingly firm.

"But-"

"...I'm dying." She suddenly released her arm from his and it flopped to the ground. "So don't... bother."
Reeve gazed down at her, surprise and sorrow written on his face. "Don't say that..."

Scarlet coughed a few times before answering. "Please...understand. Leave me be. I don't want to spend the last moments of my stupid life," she coughed a few times before continuing, "trying to be hopelessly revived by a bunch of paramedics."

Reeved looked at her incredulously, not knowing what to say. "But..."

"Let me spend it with the only person who's ever truly... cared...for me."

Reeve didn't reply for a moment, just stared, his expression sorrowful. Even though he wished it wasn't true he understood and slowly shook his head. "I understand."

A faint smile arched Scarlet's lips. "Thankssss...Reeve. I always wandered what you saw in me."

Reeve shakily returned the smile. "Are you kidding?"

Scarlet let out a short laugh, but soon her face turned serious again. "When...this business is all over," she swallowed, taking a deep breath. "You mussssst....go to Ju...non," she said finally.

Reeve gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Reeve, when I say this. Please...don't ask any questions, ok?

Reeve nodded hesitantly. "Alright," he replied.

"What...I'm trying to say Reeve is..." She paused for a very long moment before coming out with it. "I knew she was yours from the moment I held her in my arms..."

"What?"

"Said...don't ask questions," she said firmly. "She had your deep dark eyes...looked so much like you. Good thing she didn't inherit anything from me..."

"Are you saying..."

"I couldn't keep her...just couldn't risk her being like me, so I gave her up for adoption."

Reeve didn't speak for a long time. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What about me?"

"It was fourteen years ago...I was young...you was young...don't hate me..."

Reeve couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"The people who adopted her named her Pricilla..."

Reeve didn't reply.

"Pretty isn't it?" Scarlet smiled, thinking back.

"Pricilla," repeated Reeve...and then surprisingly smiled. "You never fail to surprise me Isabelle."

"Hmm, been a long time since anyone called me that."

"I don't hate you. I never have."
 

Scarlet's face turned serious. "I know...but Reeve, I'm not going to apologise because I knew what I was doing."

"Sounds just like you," Reeve commented.

Scarlet smiled. "Yes, but I am going to say...thank you. And...I know I had a funny way of showing it but I did care...about you."

Reeve slowly nodded. "Thank you, Scarlet."

A long silence followed, and all that could be heard was the splashing of the rain against concrete. The two Shinra employee's eyes never left each other.

"Reeve..." Scarlet began, her eye lids getting heavier and heavier.

"Yeah?"

Scarlet did not reply for a long time. "I'm...scared." A tear crept out of her eye and rolled down her cheek.

Reeve nodded. "I know," he said, laying himself down beside her. He put his arm around her body and put her head on his shoulder, turned her face towards him so he could look her into her beautiful slowly dying eyes. "I know you are," he repeated. "But you don't have to be anymore, because I'm here." You never had to be, Reeve wanted to say, but he avoided bringing up the past- there was nothing that could be done about it.

Scarlet gave a curt nod. "Kisssssss me...one last time...Reeeeeve." With that she drew in one final breath.

Reeve wiped off a trickle of blood oozing from her mouth before moving forward and tenderly touching his lips with hers.

Scarlet's eye's finally closed.

Reeve kept his lips pressed to hers until he heard her heart take it's final beat. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard and hugged her limp body tight against him. With tears streaming out of his eyes, he began to laugh uncontrollably. It is known that people deal with things in different ways.

"I can't believe I'm a dad!" he cried.

chapter 1 will be up within soon.
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