It was surreal... They had been pushed to the brink of death, time and again, surviving by the skin of their teeth and the ferocity of their faith. They'd been victorious, and the four sacrifices had cemented that. Then the Void -- nothingness. Loss. Seconds passed, minutes, hours, days, years? He had no idea.
Then they were out again, quick as a blink, and the world was -- well, for one thing, it was still there. There were no Calamity monsters, no Calamity Heroes, the sky was clear and there were the sounds of celebration. Moogles and cheering and laughing and music... It was a little overwhelming. Even if it was a good thing.
Reno reached for Johnny's hand as he took it all in.
The Party
Considering all they'd been through, there was certainly cause for celebration of their success. The Calamity had been quelled, this world would live -- and die -- as it should. The Heroes of Light had done it.
Reno took a break from the festivities to gaze upon the statue of the Four. Briefly he touched Sephiroth's stone foot in quiet remembrance before raising his drink in a toast.
The Decision
It was a hard decision to make. He could return to Gaia, which was likely expected of him, but he wasn't about to leave Johnny behind. He'd lost one lover already, he wouldn't lose a second. And he didn't trust Gaia not to destroy the man he loved, somehow, some way, for whatever reason. He was Shinra; Johnny was exotic, at the very least. It didn't take much more than that to be a target.
He could return to Johnny's world. But that seemed dangerous, too. The mere existence of demons seemed dangerous, and them mixing with people -- sexually -- seemed extra dangerous. It just seemed like half-breeds were natural targets there, too -- belonging to neither world, shunned by both, if Reno had to guess. Johnny was stronger than Reno, the redhead could admit that. If Johnny was the one in trouble... Reno feared he could do nothing to help. Nothing except avoid the danger in the first place.
And then there was Kyo...
The safest compromise was a sacrifice in itself. Reno and Johnny could stay here, in Crystallis. They had a place here, if they wanted it. They were recognized. No one would try to experiment on them, no one should try to kill them... probably. And maybe, with all the other off-worlders coming out of stasis, maybe somehow they'd find Kyo, too. Somewhere.
The choice was clear, even if a little painful. Reno would never go home again. He had some sincere goodbyes to make.
OTA
It was surreal... They had been pushed to the brink of death, time and again, surviving by the skin of their teeth and the ferocity of their faith. They'd been victorious, and the four sacrifices had cemented that. Then the Void -- nothingness. Loss. Seconds passed, minutes, hours, days, years? He had no idea.
Then they were out again, quick as a blink, and the world was -- well, for one thing, it was still there. There were no Calamity monsters, no Calamity Heroes, the sky was clear and there were the sounds of celebration. Moogles and cheering and laughing and music... It was a little overwhelming. Even if it was a good thing.
Reno reached for Johnny's hand as he took it all in.
The Party
Considering all they'd been through, there was certainly cause for celebration of their success. The Calamity had been quelled, this world would live -- and die -- as it should. The Heroes of Light had done it.
Reno took a break from the festivities to gaze upon the statue of the Four. Briefly he touched Sephiroth's stone foot in quiet remembrance before raising his drink in a toast.
The Decision
It was a hard decision to make. He could return to Gaia, which was likely expected of him, but he wasn't about to leave Johnny behind. He'd lost one lover already, he wouldn't lose a second. And he didn't trust Gaia not to destroy the man he loved, somehow, some way, for whatever reason. He was Shinra; Johnny was exotic, at the very least. It didn't take much more than that to be a target.
He could return to Johnny's world. But that seemed dangerous, too. The mere existence of demons seemed dangerous, and them mixing with people -- sexually -- seemed extra dangerous. It just seemed like half-breeds were natural targets there, too -- belonging to neither world, shunned by both, if Reno had to guess. Johnny was stronger than Reno, the redhead could admit that. If Johnny was the one in trouble... Reno feared he could do nothing to help. Nothing except avoid the danger in the first place.
And then there was Kyo...
The safest compromise was a sacrifice in itself. Reno and Johnny could stay here, in Crystallis. They had a place here, if they wanted it. They were recognized. No one would try to experiment on them, no one should try to kill them... probably. And maybe, with all the other off-worlders coming out of stasis, maybe somehow they'd find Kyo, too. Somewhere.
The choice was clear, even if a little painful. Reno would never go home again. He had some sincere goodbyes to make.