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No one spoke. No one even breathed. Slowly, very slowly, Rufus turned his head to look at the elder, Mako eyes wide. Everyone watched him for a reaction, anticipating shock, or denial. A Weapon. A Weapon of the Planet. The monsters at the Northern Crater... Rufus was one of them? Rufus Shinra? They held their collective breath as Rufus's face fell into a look of disbelief, but his next reaction was something none of them expected.
He burst out laughing.
Rufus laughed outright, throwing his head back, closing his eyes, laughing as though to save his life. It was hilarious to him, his being a Weapon. He laughed until his sides hurt, sitting cross-legged on the ground. He leaned back on one arm and still laughed, as AVALANCHE stared at him with their mouths open wide in shock. He struggled to his feet, shoulders shaking in mirth.
"Shit..." Barret said softly. "Shinra's cracked..."
Rufus struggled to control himself, gasping half-heartedly and wiping tears from his eyes. "You..." he wheezed between giggles to Bugah, "are *mad*!"
"Mad?" The Elder frowned uncomprehendingly. "I'm mad?"
"Yes, you're *mad*!" Rufus shook his head, chuckling to himself, then gave a loose wave at the members of AVALANCHE, still sitting in a circle around the Cosmo Flame. "That's it. I've wasted enough of my time with you cretins. I'm going home."
"Why am I mad?" Bugah's voice was indignant, though his face didn't show it. "Perhaps you don't understand what I'm telling you."
"I'm a Weapon? That's impossible." Rufus laughed again at the thought, nearly doubling over. His stomach was starting to hurt from too much laughter, and his eyes were watering. "If I'm a Weapon, you're a Moogle. And Sephiroth was nothing but a very large, very *mean* chocobo."
The Elder's mouth opened in shock. "Rufus, listen to me-"
"No, that's alright. You've- haha!" He covered his mouth to hide his giggles, but his shoulders shook with his mirth. "You've probably spent too much time in the sun. Haha, it's all getting to your brain... Haha!"
"Perhaps you just don't want to admit to it."
"No, Bugah. You're wrong. I'm not a Weapon, I'm a human being." He flicked back his hair as though to prove it, raising an assertive eyebrow. "It's impossible."
"Ah, Rufus. You laugh, but you don't even know what a Weapon really is," he countered. "It's very possible. It's true."
"I *know* what a Weapon is; I was killed by one," Rufus muttered whitheringly.
"Alright, then, tell me." Bugah crossed his arms over his chest, his face blank. "Educate us."
Rufus sighed and pushed back his hair again, rolling his eyes. He began as though reciting from a book, a well-taught lesson heard over and over ad infitum. "A Weapon is a monster created by the Planet, summoned in times of crisis to reduce everything to nothingness. Obviously, I don't fit that description."
Tifa looked from the elder to the ex-President, her mind racing. "Bugah... He's right. It's... I mean, how is it possible?"
Bugah shrugged. "Your definition is loosely correct, Rufus, but-"
"Well," Rufus interrupted, eyes flashing, "I am not a monster. I was not created by the Planet. There is no crisis anymore, as Sephiroth has reportedly been killed. And I am *physically* not that strong. Any one of these people," waving a hand towards AVALANCHE, who watched as though spellbound, "could thoroughly beat me in a manner of seconds, with the possible exception of Reeve. And I'm a bit dubious about the stuffed animal."
"You haven't heard the full story of Weapon, Rufus," Bugah replied slowly, guesturing for Rufus to sit down again. The youth did so a bit exasperatedly, an indignant scowl on his face. "You have Professor Hojo's version, which isn't entirely correct."
"Hojo got his information from Professor Gast himself; how could they be different?"
"As you'll remember me telling you, Gast gave these files to me. Hojo never laid eyes on them." Bugah shrugged dismissively. "There are other papers, by Hojo, but these were removed by Professor Gast at his own risk."
"Probably the files he got killed for tampering with," Rufus noted absently. "They belong to Shinra."
"And they saved you from ever having to return to the Planet's punishment, so you should be thankful," Bugah replied out of the corner of his mouth. "Hmm?"
Rufus paused, registering the words. "Saved me? Why? What?"
"You're a Weapon. Let me explain that." Bugah sat crosslegged next to Rufus, turning his attention now to the rest of the group, who had sat in muted awe the entire time. "A Weapon is merely a physical and spiritual embodiment of the Planet, kept to fulfill the Planet's wishes and needs. The Planet cannot merely create a living creature from nothingness, so it utilizes the Lifestream. Or, more accurately, creatures held outside of the Lifestream." He paused, looking around at the blank faces. "Do you understand that?"
"You lost me." Rufus muttered.
"Well, I would assume the Planet wasn't very pleased with the havoc wreaked on it by Shinra, Inc.," Bugah explained further. "So you were to be held outside the Lifestream a small while, for you to pay for your crimes. Sort of a perjury. But you were given a second chance by becoming a Weapon, and, with luck, you can atone for your life and erase your sentance. It's all a chance to redeem yourself, basically, by helping the Planet where you were once hurting it."
"Wait, wait, wait, so you mean a long long time ago, the other Weapons were wandering the Planet?" Cloud shook his head, frowning. "Like common, garden-variety monsters? How would they become Weapons?"
"They were killed at the Northern Crater two thousand years ago," Bugah explained patiently, "after Jenova fell from the sky on them. I don't know the why's and wherefore's of that, but apparantly they had done something which held them from fully returning to the Lifestream. The Planet needed them to fight Jenova when the time came, so they were merely put to sleep and held in the Crater. And over 2000 years, the high concentration of Mako energy surrounding the area caused some noticeable mutations. Meaning," he clarified, "that they weren't quite so gigantic and indestructable when they were first living."
Rufus's mouth opened, but it took a few moments for the words to come. "I... That's impossible. No. Bugah, please..."
Red XIII looked at him in surprise. "Rufus, are you ok?"
He held his posture even straighter in response. "I'm not a Weapon. I can't be. I..." He put his hands to his head and made a small sound of protest. "A Weapon? That's insane."
"The fact that you've been recreated by the Planet makes you a part of the Planet. Hence your dreams of being in the Lifestream, or, as you put it, having the Lifestream inside of you." Bugah nodded sagely, though his words were met with confused stares from all sides. Only Rufus understood, mouth set in a hard line of resignation.
"Oh..." He sighed and bowed his head, the red hair falling over his eyes. A Weapon. He was a Weapon. He wasn't human anymore, he was... Weapon. Weapon?
"One last question," he murmered softly, slowly raising his head to regard the elder. "If I... am... a Weapon..." He put a hand to his forehead, feeling suddenly dizzy. "If I'm a Weapon, what am I? I mean, I'm not... not made of ruby, or diamond, or sapphire... I'm flesh. Flesh Weapon. That's not very plausible."
"I, too, thought of this," Bugah replied, a bit craftily. "It was written there would be another Weapon, prophesized by the Ancients. Weapons aren't made of the gems used to describe them, merely possessive of their capabilities.. And it was written that there would be one more, with the properties not of any gem, but something completely different."
Rufus looked on with bright eyes. "Go on."
"Something even more precious than the other Weapons. Not as physically strong, but able to stand alone, unlike any stone. While diamonds need thousands of years to form, this only needs to be found and crafted to become something powerful."
The boy shook his head helplessly. "I don't understand."
"You've dealt with this a lot in your life, Rufus," Bugah added with a mischevious grin. "You would recognize it anywhere."
Cid took a thoughtful drag off of his new cigarette. "Iron?" he suggested helpfully.
"Materia?" ventured Cloud.
"No." Bugah shook his head sagaciously at them. "Think."
They thought, pondering, wracking their brains for the answer. Tifa looked at her own hands, then up to the ex-President, shaking her head in wonder. But Rufus's face had taken on an odd grain, dispair slowly creeping over his features. They watched; he had realized it. He had to face it now. A Weapon. There was no way to hide it anymore, no way to escape. He couldn't deny it anymore; he knew.
Rufus closed his eyes. "Gold."
Bugah laughed softly. "Yes. Gold."
He got to his feet, his shoulders low in weary resignation. "Gold Weapon..."
"Holy shit..." Cid's voice was soft with awe. "Like white gold..."
Rufus glanced down at his white trenchcoat, a look of sorrow passing over his face. "Oh... Oh, I..." He shook it off and turned to Bugah, hands clenched into fists. "But what do I do, then? I may be a Weapon, but that doesn't mean anything if there's no crisis."
"Is there? I can't tell you. You must know for yourself." Bugah shrugged and turned away. "You're the only one who can feel any connection to the Planet.."
Rufus paused, a dim memory burrowing its way into his thoughts. "But..." He had been delirious at the time. Was it possible? No, no... Could it? "Jenova Summon..."
Cloud started, leaping to his feet. Barret, Tifa, and Cid followed suit, gasping in surprise. "What did you say!?"
"Jenova Summon." He stared deep into the fire, struggling to peice together his feeble memory. "I... I have to find Jenova summon..."
"You're going to summon Jenova!?" Cid burst angrily. "You're crazy! #$)(*% crazy! *Hell* no!" He reached threateningly for his Venus Gospel, adding, "I'll kill you befo-"
"No... Not summon it... Dest-" He broke off, pinching the bridge of his nose in thought. "Destroy it. Destroy Jenova materia. What's that mean?"
Yuffie snorted in disbelief. "There is no Jenova materia, though. That's stupid. Who would want to summon Jenova? That would *massacre* us all!"
"That's probably why we have to destroy it," Cait Sith pointed out, winking impishly at her. Reeve sent a glance at his creation but said nothing, letting the grin on his face tell all.
Rufus cut in on AVALANCHE's discussion with one quick shake of his head. "How do I do that, then? I mean, I'm supposed to wander alone for the rest of my life until I find it? What if I'm too late?" He turned to Bugah, holding out his hands imploringly. "I don't even know how to use materia! And ... it doesn't just *crumble*. I need force to destroy it..."
Bugah's eyes glittered meaningfully when he looked at Rufus, a smirk at the corner of his mouth. "Well, you don't necessarily have to be alone..."
Rufus's eyebrows raised. "There are other Weapons?"
"Noo..." Bugah sent a nod over his shoulder, then turned away, leaving Rufus scratching his head. He glanced at AVALANCHE, who were looking at each other meaningfully, and finally understood. "Oh, no."
"If it has to do with destroying Jenova, we're gonna be there." Cloud stated, Cid and Barret nodding their assent from behind him. "We're gonna save the Planet no matter what it takes."
"*No*. No." Rufus shook his head adamantly. "The answer is no. I don't care what I have to do, I'll... I'll get the Turks. They'll... They'll be willing to help me out. I'll pay them somehow. But not *you*. I refuse."
"Ummmm..." There was a wincing pause. Yuffie got to her feet hesitantly, a sheepish grin on her face. "About those Turks..."
Everyone turned their faces towards her, wary of the tone in her voice. "Yuffie..." Barret started warningly.
She didn't wipe the wan smile off her face. "Uhh, they might not be so thrilled about working for you anymore. They seemed pretty pissed off at you, actually. So I don't know if they'll be happy with getting hired to look for something you know nothing about."
Cloud's face darkened into a frown. "When did you talk to the Turks?"
"They were in Wutai." She rolled her eyes skyward. "And I kinda forgot to tell you."
"Wutai!?" Rufus cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "Telling you I-... Oh, those ungrateful bastards..."
"What were they doing in Wutai?" Cid huffed angrily. "Probably no good. Why didn't you call us, kid? They probably-"
"Well, they were only there to booze... They left early this morning and I haven't seen them since." She shrugged helplessly, a guilty smile on her face.. "And I didn't think it was all that important... They said their company was dead and their president was chargrilled, so-"
"*What!?*" Rufus yelped. "The *nerve*!"
"I suppose the Turks are no longer an option then, Rufus?" Bugah noted guilefully. "You don't seem to have a plan anymore."
The boy scowled at him. "Then I'll go alone. I can use a shotgun; I can take care of myself. There is no way..."
Reeve slowly walked forwards and put his hand on the ex-President's shoulder.. "Rufus... You're never going to make it. What if you run into someone who's got a grudge against Shinra? I mean, the world already thinks you're dead...."
"I've taken care of myself in the past."
"You've had big, nasty bodyguards, Rufus," Cait Sith mewed smartly. "And butlers, and servants, and maids... You've probably never even made yourself lunch before."
Rufus pulled himself to his full height. "Well... That doesn't mean I *can't* take care of myself."
Reeve sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "Look, sir. Drop the act, just for once? Let us help. You won't make it alone."
Rufus's eyes were steely blue, his fists clenched. "Fine," he spat furiously at his former executive. "Fine! Have it your own way." He turned towards Cloud, one pair of Mako eyes glowing heatedly back at the other. "But let's get one thing straight: *You* are coming with *me*. *I* am not coming with *you*. And after this is over, I will *never* see any of you again. Should we meet, I will kill you." He ran a hand through his hair and gave them his infamous glare. "Do you understand?"
"Feelin's mutual, Shinra," Barret glowered back. "We're only here 'cause of th' Planet. We don't give shit about you."
He smiled sardonically in reply. "Deal. So, 'fearless leaders', where do we go first?"
"Well, we've gotta find out what Jenova summon is in the first place," Cloud sighed, scratching the back of his head thoughtfully. "Where could we go for that?"
"Maybe the library in Nibelheim?" Tifa shrugged, twirling a lock of hair around one petite finger. "I mean, they've got a lot of information there, maybe..."
"Perhaps we could consult the Huge Materia in the observatory," Red added, his yellow eye reflecting the light of the fire. "It may be able to tell us whether it exists or not."
"Well, look, I don't think it's going to be that type of Summon," Yuffie sighed pretentiously. "I mean, with your normal summon, the monsters are teleported in and out. If Jenova summon were to do any good, the Jenova would have to stay for a long time. Right?"
Cid gaped at her. "That's probably the smartest thing ever to come outta that big mouth of yours. Where'd you get that shit from?"
She smirked half-modestly. "I know my materia. Duh."
"So... It's not a normal summon. What could it be, then?" Tifa bit her lower lip and glanced plaintively at Cloud. "If it's not a summon, what it is? A magic?"
Rufus's voice was cold. "Black, maybe?"
Everyone turned to look at him. Cid cursed loudly.
"Black?" Cloud shook his head at the ground. "He's right. It has to be the black. Think about it, it makes sense. It's the only materia that can summon something permanent. Maybe instead of summoning Meteor, someone could summon Jenova?"
Rufus laughed, short and indignant. "Don't tell me I have to go all the way to the Northern Crater with you! Ohhh, God..."
"Well, first," Cid interrupted, taking a long drag on his cigarette, "we ain't gonna be goin' anywhere until we fix up the Highwind. Holy really @$(#'ed her up."
"Would you be able to fix her up in Rocket Town?" Red queried, his mind calculating fiercely. "We could stay-"
"Naw, Rocket Town's ain't got the supplies for an Airship. The only place that would be able to fix 'er up would be Junon."
Yuffie laughed guiltily again. "Junon might not be a good idea..."
She dodged the glares shot her way and crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. "Look, the Turks told me they got kicked out of Junon. It's a riot. Maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to bring the former President of Shinra in there. There's probably lunatics all over who'd love to kill him."
"Well, we gotta. Unless we were plannin' on walking to the Crater." Cid shook his head thoughtfully, cigarette jumping between his lips as he spoke. "There's probably plenty of people just outta the Shinra works who'd help us out on the Highwind. We've just gotta keep Rufus low a while."
"Right. But how're we gonna avoid people in a hotel?" Barret pointed out. "They're gonna be seein' his sorry face eventually."
"I have a place," Rufus put in softly.
"Well, getting a hotel is the least of our problems. We don't even know what's going on in Junon. Riots, Yuffie?" Tifa turned to the girl and held out a hand. "How do you know we can trust the Turks?"
"I dunno. I just thought you might wanna hear it." The teenager shrugged (somewhat sassily) and pouted. "I'm just trying to help. Geez."
"So if we could find a place away from the riots-"
"I said," Rufus interrupted, louder this time. "I have somewhere we can stay.."
All eyes turned on him. He crossed his arms over his chest and continued, a smirk on his face. "It's better than any hotel, and I will guarantee far enough from the main population to ensure I won't be seen."
"Where?" Tifa asked. He paused, but turned to give her a disarming smile and breezily flicked back his hair.
"Where else? My Junon mansion."
Rufus's eyes strained feebly to make out the words on the paper, though Bugah was there to explain anything he couldn't read or didn't understand. They sat at the table in the Cosmo Candle, the candlelight throwing oblong shadows over Professor Gast's writings and making the already messy handwriting infinitely difficult. Rufus sat back with a sigh and rubbed his forehead, weariness written in every detail.
"Are you done, Mr Shinra?" Bugah asked patiently. "I understand there's a lot to absorb here."
"Yes. But half of this stuff doesn't even apply to me," he responded sourly. "It's all about some expirament Professor Hojo did. I know nothing about that, and it has nothing to do with me personally."
"Well, it dealt with how a Weapon is formed, though it wasn't a very successful expirament. Professor Hojo's somewhat infamous for his attempts at playing Planet." The Elder squinted at a peice of parchment he held in his hands and shook his head dolefully. "It seems the aftershocks were terribly dire."
"Yes, well, that doesn't concern me," mumbled Rufus, returning to his papers.. His eyes moved back and forth across the scientific jargon, his back aching and telling him he had been there perhaps a little too long. Outside, the darkness indicated a time of about one or two in the morning. AVALANCHE and their new (insistantly temporary) ally were making plans to leave for Junon sometime within the next few days, but Bugah was adamant that Rufus study all the information he could regarding Weapons. Apparantly, it would all come in handy someday if Rufus were informed. It was nothing but a tedious waste of his time.
He was interrupted in his thoughts by a light tap on his shoulder. He turned his head slightly to face the new interruption, feeling incredibly drained. "Yes?"
"Rufus? Bugah? Do you two need anything?" Tifa. She was somewhat glassy-eyed herself, probably having spent the past two hours sleepless or unrestful. Rufus had thought she'd retired to her room several hours ago, but here she was, taking a seat next to him on the bench. He slid over to give her room.
"No, Miss Lockheart, we're perfectly alright," he sighed, moving the candle so that less heat was hitting his face directly. Too many bad memories. "And to what do we owe the honor of your presence?"
She ignored his question and instead picked up a yellowed paper. "What is this? Professor Gast's things?"
"That which you're holding there is Hojo's," Bugah answered. A small frown appeared on her face, her lips moving slightly as she read. "An expirament he conducted many many years ago. Rufus claims it has no importance to him."
The boy sighed wearily. "I'm tired enough as it is, Bugah. I have no time to waste with-"
"Hojo, you said?" Tifa interrupted suddenly, jerking her head up. The two men shot each other a confused look and nodded slowly at her. Her cheeks were crimson, face flushed, as though she had just come across something very exciting. "I don't believe this."
"What?" Rufus moved closer and tried to peer at the paper as well, but she was holding it in a death grip and hastily taking the words in, her eyes flying furiously over the page. "Miss Lockheart, what is it? I don't-"
She paused, not moving at all except to hand the page to Rufus. "Read this."
"Umm..." He glanced at Bugah and shrugged, taking the parchment from her and squinting at it. "Weapon Synthesis Project No 1, human specimin 25... I don't understand. What does this have to do with me?"
"Not you, Rufus. Keep reading."
He sent her a baleful look, communicating exactly how exhausted he was, but resigned himself to continue reading. "Basic objective: To reincarnate specimin as Weapon, perhaps prophesized Gold?" He glanced at the Elder, a dubious look on his face. "What's this mean?"
"Go on, go ON," Tifa insisted.
"Possible expiriments: adding gold to specimin, mortally wounding and retrieving, psycho-analyzation necessary. Enhance Weapon / w/ other organisms, perhaps Jenova." His eyes stopped, mind racing. "What does this mean?"
She pointed to the bottom of the page, where more words were hastily scrawled: "Program's outcome: Negative. Specimin is not a Weapon, Jenova unresponsive, reincarnation has negative effects: guilt, nightmares, uncontrollable violence. Specimin put in state of slumber. Failure."
There was a pause, while Rufus tried to make sense of the jumbled sentances. "I don't get it. What about me? ... I mean, it says the project failed, but-"
Tifa interrupted him, waving him quiet and addressing herself to Bugah. "Elder, I think I know the man this expirament was conducted on. We found him in the abandoned Shinra mansion, asleep in a coffin, and he's a good friend of ours. He's right now in Nibelheim-"
Rufus gasped in realization. "*Vampy!?!*"
"His name," she frowned at him, "is Vincent."
/Vincent.../
Another dream. Another nightmare. Lucrecia was reaching out to him, her long brown hair flying behind her, her white arms reaching out for him. /Vincent..../
Have I failed you? he asked inside his mind. Where do I find you?
/Find... you.../ She echoed, her eyes overflowing with pain. /You've failed me. You failed.../
There was no more of her then, only the darkness of Vincent's own mind. He was held thus a few moments, before the world seemed to fall from under him and he was plunged anew into deeper, vivid nightmare.
He was awakened by a banging on the door of the mansion, reverberating through the hallways like thunder. //Leave me alone.// His eyes couldn't focus in the absolute darkness, but that was alright. There was nothing to see. Nothing left for him anymore. He was to be punished again... He had failed to discover- More banging. From outside, Cid's loud curse could be heard. Vincent got to his feet wearily, tired for the first time since he had awakened from his deepest slumber, the slumber of over twenty years. He was in the furthest bedroom, having dragged himself there to think, and he supposed he had fallen asleep sometime in the wee hours of the night. I need to be alone... The banging sharpened his senses, wiped the sleep from his eyes, and set him on edge like nothing else. Cid must have come back with the Highwind to take him to Rocket Town. As he moved vaguely through the mansion to the enormous front hallway, he rehearsed in his mind the reasons why he had to stay. He had to atone. He had to be forgiven. He couldn't leave anymore. Perhaps Lucrecia... This was the only place where he had been happy with her, and she had been happy here as well, though fleetingly. This is where it all began. It would end here. Vincent had no need to leave. This was simply what he had to do. He prepared himself for Cid's berating, knowing full well that the catankerous old pilot would never understand. But then, Cid had never seen the one he loved put through immeasurable misery. And he could actually remember what had gone on in his life. For Vincent, it wasn't even the vaguest of memories. He was as nothing. That was why he couldn't leave. He opened the great wooden door of the mansion slowly, the light flooding into the dim main hallway and illuminating the scarlet and black of his outfit in dazzling light. But, instead of just Cid standing before him, there was the entirety of AVALANCHE, Cid, Barret, Yuffie, Tifa, Cloud, Reeve, Cait, Red XII. Rufus Shinra stood in the middle with his arms crossed over his chest and a brazen look in his eye, a few yellowed documents in his hand. Vincent was nonplussed. "Yes?" Rufus gave the dark man a broad smirk and took three leisurely steps forward, unceremoniously handing Vincent the papers. "Alright, Vamp. It's like this...."
Author's Note: If you didn't get that, basically Hojo tried to turn Vincent into a Weapon, and failed. (You like the "playing Planet" one?) Alright. Hmm, Gold Weapon, suits Rufus, don't you think? Needless to say, he's got a lot coming at him from now on. I don't usually write these Author's Notes things, so I'll redeem myself and stop rambling, then.
Anyway, the real reason I write this is to clarify something in the last chapter (8, for those who can't count). The entire dream sequence is accurate. Entire. I haven't reneged on anything. There are a few apparant memory lapses, but, believe me, everything is as it should be. Everything. Now, I'm sure everybody's going to go over it and try to figure out what I'm talking about, but if you don't get it now, you will rather soon. Just trying to avoid a lot of unneccessary flames telling me I'm an idiot. Save your typing.
Let's lighten the mood. Fun fact: The kingdom of the dead in Norse mythology is called... that's right! *Niblheim*! Heh heh, just a nugget of wisdom I unearthed studying for my Literature and Composition. Also found out Raganorok (y'know, that one sword, and something else in FFVIII...) is the Norse doomsday, and Odin is the cheif Norse God. Heh. Learn something new every day, doncha?
