Midterms are killing me, and as I sit here waiting in the library for one of my friends, I managed to type this all up in one setting. Shows how late my friend is.

There were guards standing around the area, and there were yellow tapes preventing people from trespassing, but almost everyone present knew that the investigation will be one done half-heartedly and probably abandoned quickly. After all, it was a terrorist's death, why should they help him with justice when he himself was a criminal?

Zack glanced at the people on the scene as he flashed his ID before entering. Technically as a SOLDIER this wasn't his jurisdiction, but no one tried to stop him. He moved forward to stare at the body.

The corpse was laid facedown on the floor, and his body was surrounded by broken glass pieces. Zack knelt down by the man and looked up. He found himself staring at a tall, old and most likely abandoned building. One of the tallest floors had a broken window; Zack could guess Biggs crashed through the glass before falling to the ground below.

Fall…or he was pushed off.

Zack went first to the window on the lowest floor and examined it critically with his eyes. The window was old, and while not cracked there was a layer of dust on top. Spider webs clung onto the corners and lead to shadows of the building. To Zack, it looked as if no one had been in the building for a while.

Then he went to the door of the building, it was also old, but not so dusty. As Zack watched, an officer with gloved hands tried turning the door handle, and it swung open easily. Inside the building was dark, the outside light unable to penetrate the dust of the windows. More dust and cob webs once again covered everything in the interior, but as the officer shined a light forward, several pairs of footsteps were seen on the floor. They all headed up to the stairs, but the more recent ones showed them going down the stairs and back out the door.

"Well, I don't think we'll be lucky enough to catch the culprits…if this was a murder," another officer was saying to his colleagues. He didn't dare meet Zack in the eyes, as if afraid of doing something that might trigger Zack's or ShinRa's wrath. Zack followed them up the stairs; they went at a slow pace, pausing often to shine their flashlights around or picking up things they assume might be important. On each floor Zack saw no sign of life or people living in the building. He, along with the officers, simply followed the trail of footprints up the stairs before eventually reaching one of the higher floors of the building.

This floor had chairs and a variety of footprints. Because of the broken window, light streamed into the room, and the officers turned off their flashlights. The place still had too much dust to be lived in, but it did indicate a recent occupancy. The officers glanced at each other before they began working, stooping down to pick up a few strands of hair with tweezers or their gloved hands. Zack himself walked around the area, trying to look for something that might prove helpful. Something white caught the corner of his eyes, and he turned to see something small glinting in the cracks of the wall.

He hurried forward and knelt down to the crack, momentarily he was surprised that it was a piece of what looked like film, or maybe a part of a photograph. Zack turned and gestured to one of the officers, "Over here."

The man used a pair of tweezers to pull the piece out of the cracks of the wall. They stared at what was obviously a piece of a photograph. The jagged ends indicated it had probably been ripped out of its whole. The triangular shape of the piece was probably done as one party held the middle of a photograph, and another party pulled at the two ends, for the triangular state was ripped through the center and was not the result of just ripping off a corner.

"Give it to me!" A voice shouted at Biggs, who tried to take the photographs back. A pair of hands seized the photo by both hands and pulled, while Biggs yanked from the other direction. The photo ripped, with a middle piece in Biggs' hand and the rest in his opponent's.

"What is this photo part of?" The officer asked out loud as he and Zack stared at the piece they now held. The small piece showed three colours, a vague grey at the background, and then a pale peach colour at one side of the photo piece. A red crescent-like shape stood in sharp contrast on the peach colour. "Hey guys! Check out what we've got!"

The rest of the officers crowded over Zack's shoulder to see the photo piece. While some dismissed it as junk and unimportant, they were still curious on what the photo was. One of them began voicing his thoughts, "The grey at this side of the photo here is vague and almost blurry, unlike the sharper colours of the peach and red here. The curve of the peach colour and the shades seems to imply that this object is the closer object, the grey is probably just background. As for the red crescents here…I'm not sure…they look rather sharp and almost painful…"

"Painful?" Zack repeated.

"Yo, my name is Reno, nice to me you," the redhead stuck out his hand and smiled. Two twin crescents scars crinkled up with it, and Zack's first reply to Reno's greeting was "Are those scars painful?"

Zack stared, the red crescents on the photo looked startlingly like Reno's. If that was the case…was this a photograph of Reno?

Reno…did you kill Biggs?

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Look at this here, Andrew," the cold voice that the redhead spoke with would have made even a stronger man flinch. As it was, even Andrew shivered. While Reno was very easy-going and laid-back most of the time, the few times he spoke in such a cold tone usually were a warning to others that Reno was less then happy. The Eridanus member approached the table warily.

"Yes?"

Reno's sitting position would have lowered anyone's guard – anyone who didn't know him, that is. Andrew by now knew the other young man well enough. The redhead's feet were stretched forward in front of him, resting on the table. Messy red hair framed his face, pushed aside only because of his goggles. One of his hands held a lighter, which nurtured a small flame he had been using to burn the photos. When Andrew arrived to the table, Reno picked up a torn photo and tossed it between them, "Look at this."

The photo was torn from the middle and almost cut the photo in half. It was missing a triangular section from the middle, but from its torn edges the photo was obviously of Reno talking to Orion. Andrew looked at the picture, then back at Reno, who was moving his lighter in the air. When he said nothing, Reno sighed and explained, "I couldn't find the missing piece, which means it may be lying outside somewhere. Best case scenario, it's treated like trash, thrown away and forgotten. Worst case scenario, it's gotten into the hands of ShinRa or the police when they discovered Bigg's body."

"But we were careful not to drop any of the photos when we were returning back!" Andrew cried, "Reno, please, it can't be the fault of our men…!"

"Andrew, stop it," Reno sighed. "Even if it was our men, I haven't said anything yet. Nor am I planning to punish anyone anytime soon, honestly you act so frightened of me at times." Andrew shut his mouth, although they got along well most of the time, Andrew jumped every time Reno showed displeasure. He thought himself rightly justified, as he had seen Reno fight – and win. As Reno continued to talk, Andrew snapped to attention, "If the photo piece was not dropped by our men during the walk back, then it would be left at the crime scene. The police might link Biggs to me, as not that many people have scars such as mine. Before we begin to panic, go ask the men we were with. Maybe if we're lucky, the missing piece simply slipped into their pockets or got stuck on their shoes."

"Yes sir," Andrew answered as he turned away. He moved to the door and opened it, finding himself face to face with a mass of spiky blond hair.

"Cloud?" Reno's tone changed from cool to concern as he frowned at the newcomer, "What are you doing here? I told you to rest."

"I may not be in top fighting condition, but I can walk and run fine," Cloud answered from the doorway. Reno sighed as he placed his feet down on the floor and stood up. Andrew stepped aside, but Cloud didn't move as Reno walked in front of him.

"I know you well enough, Cloud, you're trying to act lone wolf and not depend on others again. Always so vigilant, but I won't let you or Aerith be harmed. So just settle on recovering for now, okay?"

"What were you talking about earlier?" Cloud asked, and Reno drew in a sharp breath. "I heard Biggs' name, what were you talking about?"

Reno stared at him, Cloud looked unflinchingly back. Andrew didn't know whether Cloud was unafraid because he was confident Reno wouldn't hurt him, or because Cloud knew he could fight back should something start. As it was, Reno settled on giving the blond a chilling smile before reaching forward. Andrew almost flinched again just by looking at Reno's expression, but Cloud didn't, and the former Turk only gently touched Cloud's face with the back of his hand.

"We were simply discussing what he has done to you," Reno answered. "It is nothing for you to be concerned about. Go back to Aerith, she will tell you everything you need to know. Anything else is unimportant."

"Reno, I just want to know…"

"All in due time," Reno smiled as his hand closed over Cloud's mouth. "If I tell you anything now, you will be moving about and ignoring your wounds. Once you've recovered, I will tell you everything. Allow us some time, please?" At those words, Cloud closed his eyes in silence, and Reno's smile grew. The redhead lightly pushed Cloud towards the door, and the smaller man left the room accordingly. Reno watched until he disappeared down the corridors, smile gone, "Andrew."

"Sir?"

"It would be preferable if Cloud does not know anything, understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Go find the men now."

Andrew nodded and hurried off as Reno returned to his chair. He sat down and placed his feet back on the table, before noticing the photo he had left on the table earlier.

Oh damn…don't tell me Cloud saw that.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The room was cold, as was necessary to keep the bodies the state they were in. Zack stood at a distance as the men stored Bigg's body into a bag, and then locked it in a metal drawer. With that done, the men left to do other duties, while Zack headed back down to the hospital. As he walked down the corridors, he thought he heard, at a close distance, wails; both of a newborn child and of mourning family members.

Yes, such was the hospital, a place of death, but also of birth.

It seems today he was lucky too, for his phone rang and when he picked up a professional voice told him, "The Turk has awaken and is available for questioning, you may do so now."

"Yes sir," Zack answered, and Rufus hung up. Zack considered himself lucky that he was already in the hospital, and made for the Turk's quarters. He arrived to see Tseng already there, while Rufus stood at another side. It briefly crossed Zack's mind that while Rufus often visited his Turks, he did so at his own time. For Rufus to be here as soon as Rude woke, either he was actually concerned or he was really interested in hearing the story of what happened first-hand. Zack would bet it was the latter.

"Now that all of us are here," Rufus turned to Rude, "Shall we begin?"

"Yea," In an attempt to relax the atmosphere Zack gave the Turk a casual grin, "Why don't you tell us what in the world happened to you?"

Rude sighed, "I was only trying to follow my orders, and the mission itself seemed relatively simple at first. I didn't think it would turn out this way, sir."

"Go to hell, ShinRa dog!" The man yelled.

"You may be released after ShinRa deems your information accurate and reliable," Rude continued, but as soon as the words left his lips, a new voice countered him.

"No, I'm going to be the one who decides his fate."

Biggs froze, his eyes widened almost in horror. Confused at the reaction, Rude turned to look at the source of the voice. A scruffy-looking young man stood there, red hair framed a young face, while goggles hid his eyes.

"I don't know why you're here, Turk, but any chance of a peaceful surrender of the terrorist you currently hold in your custody?"

Rude looked at the newcomer in disbelief, "Either you are extremely stupid, or extremely confident. I do not plan to just hand this terrorist over, ShinRa will deal with him."

"I did not wish to engage in another fight so soon, especially not against you, but you stand in my way. Andrew, step back." The order was obeyed, and before Rude could blink the redhead suddenly lunged forward. A claw-like hand surged forward and grabbed Biggs' throat before pulling back. The stranger spun, pulling Biggs away from Rude, while one of his long legs rose up to meet Rude's face. Rude blocked it, but by doing so he let Biggs go.

The stranger twisted away, dragging Biggs with him. The man yelled, but choked midway at the redhead's harsh grip. The newcomer manoeuvred easily away from Rude and threw Biggs towards Andrew, who caught him easily. Before Biggs could try escaping, more men suddenly emerged – the newcomer had come with backup. They seized Biggs quickly, while the redhead turned back to Rude. Now with Biggs out of the way, Reno jumped into the air, hands held in a claw-like way, as he lunged back at Rude.

The darker man blocked both hands with his own, but he wasn't able to block the redhead's feet as they surged forward and kicked his chest. As he stumbled back, the newcomer flipped back and landed on all fours. He didn't allow Rude any chance to recover, for he lunged forward again. A swift punch sent Rude reeling back, but mostly unharmed. That was, until the redhead reached inside his jacket and pulled out something long and metallic. Rude thought he heard the sizzle of electricity, before the metal baton struck him.

"So while that attacker was fast, he shouldn't be able to defeat you on his own unless he had that weapon?" Zack asked. Rude nodded tiredly, and Rufus frowned.

"Did you recognize the weapon?" He asked, and Rude shook his head.

"No, it looked like a metal baton, but it looked retraceable. Judging by the electricity, it was probably some sort of stun weapon."

"Sir, I advise that we check with the Weapons Department," Tseng looked at Rufus, who nodded.

"That will be done, now…" the Vice-President turned back to Rude, "What did your opponent look like?"

Rude looked increasingly tired, but he answered. "He has long red hair, tied in a ponytail. Rather pale skin, and a slender body built. Judging by that and the tone of his voice, he is quite young. I couldn't see much of his face, he wore dark goggles…wait," Rude frowned thoughtfully, "just trailing down his goggles was something red…scars. He had two crescent scars under his eyes."

Zack frowned, "Red crescent scars?"

Reno's scars…those twin red marks under his eyes…the photo!

"Yes…I remember now, they really stood out against his skin," Rude confirmed. Zack spoke up before anyone else could.

"Biggs' body has been found by the police and the evidence gathered accordingly. One of them was a piece of photo that seems to show a red scar on skin. I'll like to bring it to you later and have you confirm the shape, okay? I'll give you a bit of rest first, of course."

"Biggs is dead?" Rude repeated, he leaned back against his pillow and closed his eyes. "I see…so that terrorist really did decide his fate." He paused, then opened his eyes again, "Biggs is of AVALANCHE but the terrorists who tried to catch him, including the one that fought me, have already stated themselves as under Orion, which means they are Eridanus' men. The one who first commanded them was named Andrew, Biggs and the newcomer who fought me addressed him as such."

"Andrew of Eridanus, I shall see if ShinRa has any files on him," Tseng promised. "Were any other names brought up?"

"With the exception of Biggs, Andrew, and Orion no other names were mentioned," Rude recalled. "They did discuss a mercenary whom Andrew described as Orion's favourite, while Biggs called him Orion's New Pet. There was a mention of the mercenary's friend, who is under Orion's protection, but Biggs apparently took a shot at him when he trespassed. Strangely enough, Biggs called him the sleeping friend you've all been protecting." Another memory passed Rude's mind, and he spoke again, "Andrew mentioned Orion's favourite mercenary as the one turning the favour to the terrorists during the fight with the Turks."

Rufus stared, "No surprise that he is a favourite if the mercenary was that skilled…wait, the terrorist who fought in the gunfight and turned the favour against us was the redhead with Mako eyes so that means…"

"You were fighting against someone who might be our greatest threat!" Zack concluded.

"Which means that the terrorist was from Eridanus," Tseng concluded. Rufus' mind was working even quicker.

From the very beginning when Eridanus and AVALANCHE broke into the company and set off those explosions, Rufus had the memory of Mako eyes seared into his memory, but through the smoke he could not determine anything else. When he heard of the Turk-Terrorist gunfight, he had learned that the terrorist with Mako eyes had red hair. Now, thanks to Rude's trailing of that dead but unimportant AVALANCHE terrorist, he had confirmed that the one Rufus was looking for was of Eridanus.

"Soldier," he addressed Zack, who snapped to attention, "Bring a copy of that photo here, we will have it confirmed as the terrorist's before deciding further action."

"Yes sir," Zack saluted before leaving the room. Once out of the Vice-President's sight, he sprinted down the halls and jumped out the window, landing on one knee and hand several floors below. Yes, the advantages Mako gave the infused soldiers were worth everything. He located his motorcycle, hoped on, and roared off down the streets. It took only a few seconds for him to arrive to another building, and with a flash of his ID – along with the occupants' recognition of his face – he was inside the building. After some questioning, he was quickly given directions to his destination. Everything went smoothly and quickly.

Yet when he arrived to his designated floor, the hairs on the back of his head stood up as he realized something was wrong.

He first realized this when he saw the floor was empty. There were no men or women walking around like they should be. Zack quickly lowered himself slightly, minimizing the risk of making himself a target, and quietly moved forward. He grasped his sword firmly, making sure it did not crash against anything and give out his movements. As the Soldier passed by a desk, he saw a pair of feet prodding out from under. Glancing around for confirmation of the empty hall, he moved forward.

The uniformed man was alive; he was just knocked unconscious and stuffed under the desk. No serious injury, he will wake up sooner or later. His attacker had no doubt sneaked in here trying to raise as little awareness as possible. Still moving on the low level, Zack continued quietly to his destination, and when he found more and more unconscious bodies hidden crudely around, it didn't take long for him to realize that whoever knocked these people out were headed to the same direction he was.

Sure enough, he soon saw the adjured door of the room he had been told to check. The guard was dumped unceremoniously by the door, as if the culprit had tired of even bothering to hide the body. Zack moved forward and pressed his ear lightly on the opened door, where he heard quiet shuffling. Someone was in there, conscious and moving. Zack took a deep breath, and then he kicked the door open.

Everything that happened next was faster then Zack's mind could register. A hooded figure whirled around at the loud bang the door made as it bounced against the wall. Zack saw a gloved hand snatch a small plastic bag from the Evidence Room, before the figure jumped back up against the wall. The figure's blue-black cloak spread around his body like wings, and Zack glimpsed a slender but definitely male built, before the figure threw himself forward to the door – where Zack was standing.

The Buster sword swung forward, and the figure jumped back out of the way. Although the figure was hooded and the high collar covered the intruder's lower face, Zack caught a glimpse of glowing blue eyes. Glowing…Mako!

"Reno!" Zack shouted at the figure, "There's no need for that disguise, I know you are involved in Bigg's death!"

The hood cast a shadow over the figure's face again, before 'Reno' lunged forward once more. This time he pulled out something from under his cloak, a small sword with a hole at its center (1), which he swung expertly. Zack blocked it, but the other figure used that as leverage as he somersaulted over Zack's head and out the door. The figure was sprinting down the hall before Zack realized it.

"Reno!" The Soldier turned and dashed after the figure, who looked over his shoulder in annoyance. The figure reached the end of the hall, and instead of running down the stairs, he gathered himself into a ball and threw himself out the window. The glass shattered and tried to cut the figure, but the blue-black cloak protected him.

Zack ran to the broken window and looked down. The figure was falling on his back to the streets below, cloak fluttering around him like dark wings. The face turned upwards to Zack, and in one split second, as if done on instinct, a gloved hand rouse and pulled down the collar. Zack then saw a face that was most definitely not Reno's, but still set with Mako eyes. Eyes that were bluer in comparison to Reno's.

The stranger's hand then released his collar, allowing it to quickly cover his face again. Then he stretched both hands above his head and cart wheeled onto the rooftop of a nearby, low-level building, disappearing from sight. Zack thought about following the stranger, but decided against it. Instead he raised the alarm by alerting the staff members on the lower and upper floor, before rushing back to the Evidence Room.

His guess was correct; the photo piece that they had gathered from Bigg's crime scene was gone. All other evidence was untouched, but that photo piece of what may have been Reno's scar was gone.

Zack stayed out of the way as staff members poured onto the floor, gathering their unconscious colleagues and cleaning the broken glass. When he was questioned, Zack refrained from telling them that he had seen the culprit's face or that the culprit had Mako eyes. He didn't know whether he did it to protect association with Reno, or because he didn't think it will be a good idea for the public to know. He did know that he will have to tell Rufus that there was more then one person with Mako eyes running amuck among the terrorists.

Zack also knew that the stance of the investigation will not change because of this little intrusion, if anything it provided the perfect excuse for investigators to claim inability to solve the case because important evidence had gone missing. After all, who cared for the death of a terrorist? There were other cases they could be following up, such as who the mysterious and deadly Somnus was.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

It honestly did not take that long for the terrorists' information network to report to them. After all, anything remotely connected to the death of a fellow comrade tend to be reported quickly. Any clues or reaction from ShinRa were also paid attention to, so it wasn't long before Eridanus received the news.

"...Zack Fair, First Class Soldier, was left unharmed. He reported that he saw only the suspect's blue-black cloak and the sword, nothing else. Evidence from the room has been confirmed to be missing."

"Evidence on that AVALANCHE member's death so soon after his death, ShinRa will know something's wrong, the only thing to our advantage is that they won't care. For them, terrorists killing terrorists will help them instead." Reno flicked his lighter on again, before snapping it shut. "What was the missing evidence?"

"The photo piece," Andrew answered, and Reno stopped toying with the lighter. Andrew continued, "The other evidence seems to be mostly untouched. It appears as if the Soldier was seeking for the photo so he realized right away it was missing."

"So Zack was looking for that piece? ShinRa might be interested after all," Reno frowned. "A blue-black cloak and a sword…we can only guess the culprit is a swordsman then. That's not enough for us to guess who took the photo, Andrew, aside from the men who were with us did you tell anyone about Biggs' last moments?"

"No," Andrew answered honestly. "As you ordered, none of us spoke about the incident."

"Then, who can be the person who took the photo?" Reno tapped his lips with a finger, and another thought occurred to him, "Unless…"

A knock came from the door, drawing the attention of the two men. The redhead called out, "Come in."

The door opened, and Cloud stepped in, "Reno."

This time upon seeing the blond, Andrew lowered his head in a slight bow, "Cloud." The blond glanced at him in slight confusion, but Andrew didn't explain. It was an unofficial rule that seem to have come into being when Eridanus saw how important Cloud seemed to be to Reno, their trump card and deadliest weapon. Although Reno seemed persistent in keeping Cloud out of Eridanus' affairs, Reno had told them to keep an eye out and make sure Cloud was never harmed. The protectiveness the redhead had been exhibiting when it came to his now awaken friend warned Eridanus not to do anything against the blond. After all, by now they knew too well Biggs' fate for shooting the blond.

"Cloud, what brings you here?" Reno smiled, almost kindly, but Cloud saw right through it. Andrew glanced between them, and Reno dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Obeying the order, Andrew left, leaving the two Mako fused humans alone.

"Reno, I want to know what you have been doing with Eridanus."

"If I recall correctly, from where we came from Eridanus did not become as infamous as it is now," Reno pointed out. "Don't tell me you were aware of the organization."

"I only heard the name in a passing," Cloud answered, "And don't ignore the question, why are you with them?"

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"Why are you here and not with the Turks?" When Reno said nothing, Cloud continued, "Aerith told me from the very beginning when we first arrived, rather then apply directly to ShinRa you called yourself a mercenary and allied yourself with Eridanus. You've been rising in the ranks rapidly, as expected from one with your training, but why are you still here?"

"You don't need to know my reasons," Reno said softly. Cloud frowned as he pulled out something from his pocket and placed it on the table between them.

"I just want to know what you've been making of yourself here," Cloud stared at Reno as the redhead looked at what Cloud had placed on the desk. It was the triangular photo piece, Reno knew right then who had been the thief who broke into the evidence room and nearly engaged in battle with Zack.

"Why are you with us now, Reno?" Cloud asked. "Why are you here with the terrorists, yet killing off our comrades?"

"Our comrades?" Reno repeated. "Never my comrade, AVALANCHE and Eridanus does not get along, Cloud. That's one of the reasons I won't tell you anything, I know you consider AVALANCHE as your friends, especially since that Ancient and Childhood friend of yours is here. If this world is anything like ours, they will eventually join AVALANCHE. You will eventually too, they hold too much sway over you, and try as I might I know I can't keep you here."

"There was still no need for this," Cloud hissed. "Reno, answer me now, were you involved in Biggs' death?"

"Yes," Reno admitted, cold and blunt, Cloud's expression didn't betray anything he was feeling.

"You killed him?"

"No," Reno answered, and a flicker of confusion passed over Cloud's eyes. Reno allowed him to stew in it for a while before explaining, "I never did have the intention of killing him, at least not so soon.

"Sit down!" The men shoved Biggs down onto a chair, ignoring his hiss of pain. His hands had been bound behind his back, while a blindfold covered his eyes. Now that he was seated, a man removed the blindfold. Biggs blinked at the light, seeing that he was now in an old building with several men surrounding him, watching him for any signs of hostility or resistance. Only one of them did not face him, Reno was staring out the window instead. It was dusty and cracked, another sign of old age, but some light managed to filter in. Biggs growled, and Reno looked back at him.

"Yo, sorry for the inhospitality, but I don't think you would have come had I just invited you," Reno smirked. Biggs let out another snarl.

"You! What the hell do you want?"

"What do I want? Shouldn't I be the one asking that question?" Reno turned himself fully to face Biggs, the redhead's Mako eyes were flashing dangerously. "However ignorant you may be, I'm sure that a top of member of AVALANCHE such as yourself would have heard of the one I was protecting, a person I had the whole of Eridanus know about however much I tried to keep him out. Taking a shot at him so soon after our last attempt at ShinRa infiltration and assassination, are you trying to start a war?"

Biggs sneered, "Why the hell would I try that? Even I know that for terrorists to fight amongst themselves would only benefit ShinRa."

"Then why did you shoot him?"

"My reasons are my own!"

"Do you have some grudge against Eridanus? Or is it me?" Reno asked. "I highly doubt you're this trigger happy unless it was a ShinRa-related person."

"Ha, there is your answer!" Before any of them could blink, Biggs' feet shot forward and kicked his closest guard down. It seemed as if while they had been talking Biggs had managed to untie himself. The man suddenly sprung out of the guard circle, landing a good few feet away. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out several photos, which he then held in front of them. The photos were of Reno and his Eridanus comrades. Reno's eyes narrowed angrily.

"What is the meaning of this, Biggs?"

"What will the world say when they see these photos?" Biggs sneered. "A person with Mako eyes, the result of associating too closely with the military and force of ShinRa. Eridanus may be fooled but I never thought one should not allow a former ShinRa employee into the very heart of the liberators of ShinRa's oppressed people."

"Liberators?" Reno sneered, "You tell yourself that, Biggs. You and I both know that the label of terrorist isn't unjustified, we kill almost as much as the so-called employees of ShinRa have done." A few of Andrew's men flinched at that, but otherwise did not seem to be shaken at the truth flung into their faces. "What do you intend to do with those photos?"

"The world will never be allowed to be born renewed if we have remnants of ShinRa around," Biggs answered "I plan to do away with all reminders. Mako should never have been used, let alone fused into a person's body! I intend to use ShinRa's forces against their own: people who have allowed Mako-infused beings to live among us still!"

Reno's eyes narrowed, so did his men, "You plan to destroy Eridanus then?"

"For the sake of the new world, we can't let anyone know of Mako's advantages, they will be too tempted to take in their own; and history will repeat itself." The photos were shaken, and Reno knew that those photos were going to ShinRa if things went Biggs' way.

"Give it to me!" He shouted at Biggs, who tried to take the photographs back. A pair of hands seized the photo by both hands and pulled, while Biggs yanked from the other direction. The photo ripped, with a middle piece in Biggs' hand and the rest in his opponent's. Biggs nearly tripped, and as he did so the piece of photo slipped out of his grasp and into the cracks of the wall. He lunged forward at Reno, who quickly moved out of the way. Because of this, the man flew forward and smashed through the window, falling to the ground below.

"His desire for my death was his own downfall," Reno finished. "I never laid a finger on him."

"Needless to say it is going to be interpreted as murder by AVALANCE," Cloud pointed out. "When Barret and the others find out…"

"As of now, AVALANCHE is almost at the same level of Eridanus, in other words, though it is infamous itself it is nothing compared to the level back home," Reno countered. "If a battle starts between us, bring it on, but I think like Biggs they will know that a war between terrorists will only benefit ShinRa. By now they're already sticking their noses in deeper then they should, I had to fight with Rude earlier and it wasn't a happy thing."

"What about Zack?" Cloud asked, "When I went to retrieve this photo piece and he saw me, he kept calling out your name!"

"I admit, I got friendly with him, but I never used him," Reno snapped, "I never fought him or set him up. If possible I will spare his life in a fight, but don't take my word for it. Why are you so protective of him anyways? Were you formerly in a relationship with him?"

"Reno, you know as well as I do that I care for him only as a friend! Besides, my memory of him is still as vague as ever."

"And you will do well to remember that," Reno stated. "I don't want a dead man to be the one ruining our relationship, Cloud. I know well enough that those terrorists could already, and Sephiroth when you two meet."

(1) This is just one of the smaller swords Cloud uses in Advent Children, the ones where he can combine with larger swords

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