And we're here at the big finale, muchachos. (I can't believe Word didn't recognize that. It tried to give me "mustaches" instead. We all know it's spelled moustache.) Chapter XXX is here in all its resplendent glory, marking the end of one era and the beginning of another.
But before we commence festivities, I have some pimping… er. Announcing. I have some announcing to do. My next fanfiction project! It's already been decided, good readers, and though it pains me to say this, knowing the sadness it may cause some of you, it is not FFVII. It is instead based in the InuYasha anime. When you're done throwing rotten fruit at me, I'll recommence.
Good. I had an idea for the fiction a while ago and arranged an expedition into the wild, uncharted territory of InuYasha fandom to explore the possibilities. My crew and I were almost immediately chased out of that dense jungle by a veritable tribe of Mary Sues, as well as more feral packs of poor plotlines and butchered languages. Thus, we agreed to mount a second expedition, this time bearing good tidings for the jungle: a fanfiction. A good fanfiction, if I and my beta readers dare say so ourselves.
It is called Incontrovertible, and weekly syndication starts Monday, October 16th – one week from today. Yes, I know I'm getting progressively lazier, but I'm also getting progressively busier, so the two balance themselves out (even though they really don't). InuYasha is really like the Star Wars of fanfiction: love or hate it, at least you've heard of it and maybe know a bit about it. With this in mind, I heartily invite all my readers to join me one week from the time of this update in the InuYasha section. O brave new world that has such people in't!
Now, without further ado, Chapter XXX. 'Till next fiction, readers.
Da Chao temple was being used for the ceremony, seeing as how Seiryū's temple was barely standing. Benches had been quickly set up along the length of the main hall of the temple to allow seating for attendees, and the statue of Da Chao loomed up above the congregation.
Reno shifted uncomfortably in his suit. Yuffie had actually ironed the damn thing – which meant that she'd pulled out an iron, an ironing board, grabbed his suit, and handed the three articles to Reno, then threatened him with physical discomfort if he didn't do it. That was why his collar was stiff, his shoulders were squared by padding that wasn't crinkled, and he was actually wearing a tie. He really should have been wearing a tuxedo, but he didn't carry formal wear with him everywhere.
Yuffie, by contrast, was dressed quite handsomely: a black dress that closed in a choker at her neck and hugged her sinuously, stopping just above her knee. She'd actually worn heels, too, black ones, as well as stockings and black gloves. Her hair was done up so it cascaded about her face in delicate curling strands. Reno had commented in his usual drawling fashion that she looked like a high-class whore and had gotten a savage pinch for his trouble.
Rude was also dressed in his suit, looking much more stiff and formal than Reno ever could. For the sake of circumstances, he'd removed his sunglasses and all but one of his earrings, but his umbrella rested against his seat by his legs.
Rufus had somehow arranged for a formal black dress tux to be brought to him, and he looked quite dapper, while Tseng and Elena were attired in a black tuxedo and a lacy black gown, respectively. The rest of AVALANCHE were looking as formal as could be expected of them – which, excepting Cloud and Tifa, was not very formal at all, but they tried their best.
Godo wore an impressive black kamishimo outfit with bloodred highlights. Karsk, seated nearby with Arcturus, who wore a suit, was dressed in a black version of his uniform, the single crimson slash across his torso matching the color of his epaulets. Makoto eschewed his Shinsengumi outfit for a suit, and Rei wore a black kimono with gold embroidery.
After what Seiryū had done to the man, it was impossible to have an open-casket funeral for Souta. They settled on closed-casket, and a funeral in the eastern style. Makoto had suspected that Souta would not have wanted a Wutainese funeral.
The police finally got their lazy asses in gear after the now-Wusheng had fought off the biker gang revolt. Arrests were swiftly made and forty-three out of forty-five gangs around the city had been completely dissolved by official order of the state. The two exceptions were the Shinsengumi, for obvious reasons, and the Shattered Hand, because it had been so horribly smashed that there were not enough bikers left alive there to constitute a gang.
When the police had investigated Souta's compound, they'd found that he'd prepared a will.
The abbot began to read it as the delegation slowly brought the casket up the aisle in the Da Chao temple. There wasn't much in there; sanitation teams had been told to scrape up what they could and burn it. Godo had ordered a team of craftsmen to fashion a wooden statue of Souta to be placed in the casket, as was the old tradition in case the body of a dead man was lost in battle and could not be recovered.
"I am not a simple man. Born in less-than-desirable circumstances, I quickly discovered that I had a voracious appetite for knowledge – and power. Accordingly, I studied the classics and applied myself to the acquisition of Furanui Kenjutsu at only age six. Twelve years later, I mastered Shiranui-ryu and joined the army.
"I heard the advent of great modern weapons being developed in the east by the Shin-Ra company long before we were foolish enough to undertake an offensive against them. I tried earnestly recommending the proliferation of military firearms to my superiors, and they refused, insisting that the jian and the dao would serve us admirably – even going so far as to neglect completely the existence of our tachi and our katana, our qiang and our gùn. The fools were obsessed with the way of the modern sword.
"Accordingly, when the time came, I refused to lend them my powers. I let them burn in the fires of change; creation needs destruction to supply its fuel. I let the Shin-Ra apply their blunt force to achieve change where my methods failed; you must fold the steel more times for longer blades than shorter ones. From the ashes they created I rose anew, reborn, the phoenix – to give life to my city, to restore it.
"But the city's small mind, its grasping intellect, has grown impatient with the steady progress of change. It clings to its petty jealousies and prejudices, ardently refusing to acknowledge its total loss to foreigners. Let it therefore burn again – until all our authority and vestiges of it are expunged, to free us from our cursed traditions that have so long kept us backwards and perverse. I love Wutai too much to see it mocked as it wrestles with the chains it has wrapped itself in – so those chains must be cut, even if the act of doing so carves deep into the flesh.
"Let the flames of my new discovery, of anarchy, burn away all our weaponry, all our heritage, until nothing remains except the tattered and burned masses of people – not Wutainese or foreigners, but merely people, who have lived through hell and have survived to propagate their systems, and our system as a whole. Wutai, whether in name or not, will persist into the ages through its death and rebirth. Structured order fails; natural order will always win in the end, and so it must be imposed – a disgusting paradox indeed, but one that must be borne.
"I hold no delusions; my cause is noble to my own eye, but to those proponents of structured order it is an abomination. Unlike chaos, that laughable sister of anarchy's natural order, structured order is dangerous due to its very nature; it will mobilize and crush dissension with all its power until it is yanked up by the roots and purged. I can guarantee no success, and if structured order persists, as it has so many times throughout history, I will accordingly leave that invention of structured order: a will.
"To Lord Kisaragi Godo, I leave three-fourths of my fortune, the total value of which I estimate at two billion gil. You will have your financial aid for Wutai, regardless if your daughter marries or not – it is the least that I, who must subvert the state for my ideal, can do in the event of my failure.
"To Lady Kisaragi Yuffie, I leave the other one-fourth of my fortune. You are resourceful, and I do not doubt that you will find a way out of this marriage your father has imposed on you, even if you have to traverse Heaven and Earth to do it. I have never been a supporter of arranged marriage; natural chemistry always produces children with superior systems, as the environment in which they mature is much superior. Accordingly, take this, so that you and Mr. Reno might have some financial base for your relationship.
"To Shigeru Makoto, I leave the ancestral blade of Furanui Kenjutsu, the Kikuichi-monji. I gifted you with this sword many years ago when you first set out to master Shiranui-ryu, and though I am borrowing it for tonight, it is with every intention of returning it, should you survive the upheaval. To what end you employ its edge after receiving it is not my concern; now the sword is officially yours. You have my blessings.
"To Takahashi Rei, I leave the entirety of my holdings – my compound in Wutai, as well as my residence in Edge City and my estate near Icicle Inn. All these places are valued quite highly, and if you choose to sell one or more of them, it is doubtful that you will ever have to work again if you live prudently. As I assume that you will be living with Makoto, however, I advise you to keep the estate by Icicle Inn; it is a fine place for a vacation or honeymoon, and the view is magnificent.
"As a closing statement, I ask that this document be read in its entirety at whatever funeral you choose to give me. Furthermore, I do request a funeral of some sort – a government cover-up of my death will not do. Barring my being able to put Wutai's backwards customs and traditions to the flaming sword of change, let my death serve as a potent example. Souta the Cunning, beloved and powerful strategist and hero of the people, benefactor of thousands and good-natured soul, being declared a villain will open their eyes at least a fraction. The road will still be long, but they will at the very least see immediately that our greatest enemy is not those who are different from us, but ourselves – in every sense of the word."
The abbot finished reading the will and handed it to an attendant. "Let us reflect silently upon the deceased for a moment and wish him our best."
Reno bowed his head and closed his eyes.
I liked you, Souta. It's really an indication of how much when I'm praying for you after you put a figure eight into my chest with your sword. I don't agree with your bullshit about systems and whatever, but you were doing what you thought was right. That's all anyone can do, I guess. Good luck.
"We commend the body of our fallen compatriot to the earth, and his soul to the Great Wheel."
The abbot's attendants lowered the casket into a great groove only recently cut into the stone floor of the temple in front of Da Chao. The god stared down, brows furrowed and teeth bared, ready to smite the congregation with his terrible sword if they so much as sneezed impolitely.
Over Souta's grave, the attendants slid a large marble slab that fit with a shunk into the groove. Upon it was an inscription:
HERE LIES SOUTA THE CUNNING
WIELDER OF DESTRUCTION
HARBINGER OF CHANGE
HE WILL BE MISSED.
Not really, thought Reno as he stared down at the words after the congregation began to disperse, the ceremony concluded. You're gonna be a lot of things from now on, Souta, but you sure as hell aren't gonna be missed.
"Let's go," Yuffie said to him.
"Yeah. Let's."
The two of them left the temple, the resounding knell of Souta the Cunning's ideals echoing hollowly in their wake.
The next day, the scene was a familiar one, though only in the sense that one might find an Impressionist painting of a subject familiar after seeing a Surrealist painting of the same.
Reno – who was backstage, so to speak, waiting for his cue – and Rude were still in suits, and the AVALANCHE crew still looked fairly motley, but beyond that everything was changed. Yuffie was now in a golden gown that shimmered as light moved across it. Rufus wore his white tuxedo, in keeping with his usual tastes. Tseng wore a deep blue suit, while Elena sported a sky-blue gown. Godo was still in a kamishimo outfit, but it was red and gold, a good sight more festive than his previous clothing. Karsk had donned his normal grey uniform for the occasion as well.
All of them sat in the square in front of the Pagoda. The pathway leading up to its steps had been converted into the aisle, flanked by the rows of benches holding the congregation. The same abbot from yesterday stood at the top of the stairs, called for a second time in as many days to perform a ceremony that was a weird mix of Wutainese and eastern custom. He looked fairly happy about it, though. This was a happy occasion.
A bell sounded, and Makoto ascended the stairs up into the square. He was dressed in his most exquisite finery, a blue-and-white kimono that fit squarely over his powerful frame. It bore his name on the front, synonymous with truth; patterns of white flowers blooming against a blue sky curled across the silk and seemed to sway with his movements. At his side was the Kikuichi-monji, his birthright as decreed by Souta.
Nobly, Makoto walked down the aisle, passing through the congregation and eliciting excited whispers and murmurs. He arrived at the stairs up to the Pagoda and ascended all except the last, stopping and doing a quarter-turn to his right on the second to last stair, then riveting his gaze straight ahead and clasping his hands behind his back.
The bell sounded again, ringing out clearly through the air, and Reno knew it was his cue.
He smiled at Rei and took her by the arm, then helped her ascend the stairs into the public square. Gasps went up as she was revealed, and Makoto's gaze was jerked inexorably around to behold her, despite his best efforts otherwise. Instead of a thick, red-and-gold bridal gown, Rei wore a light, downy white wedding gown. It enfolded her in multiple layers of sparkling silk cloth, starting as transparent as air and no thicker than a millimeter, then gradually working its way down to less transparent but no more weighty fabric that hugged her body and modestly covered her from collarbone to ankles, leaving her shoulders and arms bare. No geisha would ever be caught dead wearing something this decidedly foreign, and that was precisely why Rei had chosen it: change. In her hands she held a bouquet of white roses, a sign of respect for Yuffie.
Reno escorted her down the aisle through the forest of whispers and up the stairs to stand across from Makoto, who was making a conscious effort to keep his jaw from dropping. Her amethyst eyes pierced her veil and gently caressed his sepia, conveying a whole gamut of thoughts and feelings in a single glance.
That won't be the first look like that that they share, Reno thought, none too satisfactorily.
He stepped down a stair and to one side, seeking out Yuffie's gaze in the audience and giving her a wink. This'll be good.
"As this ceremony is a new one to Wutai," the abbot announced, "we will not stand on it in its entirety, which I am informed is quite lengthy. We all know why we are in attendance – to marry this man, Shigeru Makoto, to this woman, Takahashi Rei. Accordingly, we have determined that the 'best man,' Mr. Reno, will make a short –" and the abbot gave Reno a warning glance – "speech to begin."
Reno gave him a grin in return and spread his stance a bit. "Good morning, ladies and germs."
Silence.
"I'm dying up here," he drawled. "Anyway. Normally I'd be making this speech after the whole thing's been done up and signed in blood – ink, whatever – but I've heard from reliable sources that the car they're driving away in with 'Just Married' on the back is actually an airship called the Shera, and their destination's a certain estate by Icicle Inn. So let's keep things short, eh?
"When I first met the groom, Makoto, I knew instantly he was up to no good. I was right, too – but he really turned around. Turned me around, too. In the short time I've known him, he's proved himself to be a good, honest man, and one tough sunuvabitch." Some members of the congregation colored or coughed nervously, though more informed parties smiled and took Reno in stride, just as Makoto and Rei did. "He also changed me, and for the better. When I got here I could've cared less what you all thought of foreigners. Don't tell anyone, but when he got stuck up about it, I got genuinely pissed about it for the first time – because, people, he reminded me of myself in a lot of ways. I wondered how someone like me could be drawn in by bigotry and irrational prejudices, and then figured by extension that he couldn't be like me, that he was just bullshitting me.
"It's way too easy, folks. I'd almost fallen into it, too. Nobody here's innocent. We all hate someone or something for no good reason, and that's to be expected. That's the human condition. If we got nothing to hate, we find something to hate amongst one another. Nothing we can do about it except try to be the best people we can, and to try to emulate examples of this behavior, like my friends Makoto and Rei here." Reno shifted a bit and pulled his hands from his pockets to gesture at the happy couple. "They're standing there not just 'cause they love one another, but because they each stood up and decided to make a difference in some aspect of their lives. They brought change, they didn't just wait for it.
"That's why I'm saying that if anyone deserves Makoto, it's Rei, and vice versa. They really are two of a kind, and birds of a feather oughta flock together. I know you all are thinking I'm being a terribly irreverent ess-oh-bee right now, so lemme be serious now." Turning to Makoto, Reno said, "Bud, you got my permission, and I'm sure you'll sleep easier for it – not that you'll be sleeping anytime soon." With a bow, the redhead concluded his speech and stepped down.
"Think I overdid it?" he whispered as he plopped himself down next to Yuffie.
"Don't you see the two of them? They're practically glowing. Your speech was very… you, and they loved it."
"I think they were the only ones," Reno chuckled quietly. "Oh, well. Another day, another speech."
He fell silent as the abbot got through asking if there was anyone in the audience who objected to the union. The Turk didn't miss the fact that Makoto's hand instinctively drifted to the hilt of the Kikuichi-monji in case someone actually did speak up, and he smiled when he saw Rei lay her own hand on Makoto's to restrain him.
Nothing.
"In that case," the abbot announced, "I believe this is when I pronounce you husband and wife. In the tradition of our eastern neighbors, Makoto-san, you may kiss the bride."
Makoto's face lit up. With faintly trembling hands, he lifted the veil from Rei's face and drew her to him. She angled her face up to his and they embraced as their lips met in a brief, almost chaste kiss.
Applause thundered up from the congregation, and the newlyweds both started and stared out at the gathered audience, who all rose in admiration. Makoto's gaze moved to Reno, who gave him a signal: kick it up. The Shinsengumi leader nodded, almost imperceptibly, and kissed Rei again, fiercely, stiffening as she responded and snaked her arms up his back, the bouquet forgotten and half-crushed between them.
The abbot flushed and sheepishly stepped up his applause. Makoto and Rei disengaged, and Rei remembered the bouquet a moment later, retrieving it and recalling that Reno had told her to throw it to someone in the audience – whoever caught it next was to be married afterwards. A mischievous gleam flashed through her eyes, and she threw it to Yuffie, who laughed and stood up to catch it.
Cid leaped full-tilt from his chair, straight over Yuffie's head, and snatched the bouquet out of midair. He landed in a skid in front of them and whooped triumphantly. "INTERCEPTION!"
Dead silence followed for a moment, after which the applause resumed, though in a somewhat more scattered fashion. "Don't worry about it," Yuffie called to Rei as the geisha started and looked to be about to descend the stairs. "Poor old coot needs all the help he can get."
"I daresay we're all boarding the Shera," Rufus observed as the newlyweds made their way inside through the opened viewscreen of the bridge. "Cid can drop Makoto and Rei off at their estate by Icicle Inn by this evening, then see the rest of us back to Edge."
"Rude and I still have a day left of leave…" Reno started.
Rufus turned and speared him with a stare. "You stay here another day, Reno, and all of these people's various gods will be manifesting to suck my accounts dry. No, I think we're leaving, now. You're lucky that the money that Souta fellow left to Yuffie covered your debt to me and left her with enough to dote on you for the rest of your life – because I certainly know that I won't be. I'll see you on board." He turned and moved aboard the Shera, suit billowing in the wind, Tseng and Elena following him.
"I daresay he's cross with you," Godo observed humorously. "Still, I can't blame him. Were circumstances different, Reno, you would have deprived me of the financial aid that Wutai requires even after the biker gangs' demise, and you would owe me a good deal of money as well. I believe you owe Souta more than can be accurately recounted."
Reno shrugged. "Ifs don't factor much in my calculations, Mr. Godo. It was good to have met you."
"And it was good to have met you, Mr. Reno. I will never consent to my daughter marrying you, of course, but you can always have yourselves married without my permission. I'll only have to exile the two of you from Wutai for a year."
"How generous," Yuffie deadpanned. "We'll consider it, Pops." She gave him a hug, after which Reno shook his hand.
"Take care, both of you." That said, Godo turned about and headed back to the Pagoda.
As the rest of AVALANCHE tromped onboard the Shera, Reno moved to the figure standing apart from the rest of the onlookers and well-wishers. "So, Karsk. What're you gonna do?"
The Sub-General flashed him a smile. "I will stay on as commander-in-chief of the Wusheng. I promised the General, many years ago, that I would protect Wutai, and my men and I have finally been given the capacity to do that. How could I ever decline the post Lord Godo offered me?"
"Good luck, then," Reno said. "But if you ever get bored with the stiffs here, come to Edge. I'll buy you a drink."
Karsk nodded and extended his hand. "I'll keep that offer in mind, Mr. Reno. Best of luck to you in your future endeavors."
Reno took the proffered hand and gave it a firm shake. "Best of luck to you, too, Karsk. Be seeing you."
He released the man's hand and watched Sub-General Karsk follow Godo back towards the Pagoda.
Drawing up to the open bridge of the Shera, Reno beckoned Yuffie to join him, while Rude approached from inside. "Everyone's aboard and waiting for you two."
"You said your goodbyes, partner?"
"Yes." Rude looked after Sub-General Karsk. "I hope Karsk finds what he's been looking for all these years."
"Solace? Yeah, I figure he will," Reno assured him. "Yer just odd, Rude. You'll beat a man to death with an umbrella, but you get soft on some sixty-year-old badass with a tragic past. I think that says a lot about you."
Rude simply shook his head. "If you want."
"You take all the fun out of poking fun at you," the redhead pouted.
"Don't worry," Yuffie said impishly, giving Reno a poke in the side. "I'll just practice on you, and you can learn by my example."
Reno pulled Yuffie to him and kissed her. "Just try it, Yuffie. 'Cause you know how it goes – you remember what ol' Reno does when the ground quakes, the flaming arrows fall from the sky, an' the foundations of Heaven shake – yeah, ol' Reno just looks that big storm in its eye and says 'Gimme your best shot. I can take it.'"
Yuffie shook her head wonderingly at him. "Shut up and kiss me again, you crazy asshole."
They kissed, lost to the world, while Rude looked up at the noontime sun, thinking that it might be better if it were setting but knowing that they'd make do with what they had. He checked his watch, adjusted his tie a bit, and said to nobody in particular, "That's all, folks."