Woo for slight inspiration just to get to the ending of this thing! :D No it's not the ending yet, yet, but just a few more chappys, then a new fairy tale begins for our FF boys!

Stay with me on this, I know what I want to accomplish here, I just hope it comes out as good as it is in my head! Anyways, without further waiting….hope it meets up to the wait…

Chapter 14

The Rescue Part II

"What your wand?" Both Zack and Sephiroth said in union.

"Yup, that would be a good idea considerin' it's the main source a'my power boys! So I guess we should start with followin' my nose, eh?" Reno grinned and flew between them, wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders, "…an' my nose says it's close, maybe down the hall…?"

Sephiroth scrunched out of the fairy's arm and stepped forward, "Fine, then use your nose and get it…I don't like this feeling I am getting." He meant concerning Cloud, but he wasn't saying it aloud.

"Yeah…" Reno breathed, puffing out his cheeks with a deep breath-he knew what Sephiroth meant. The redhead and Zack caught each others eye, Zack grinned, Reno grinned back, and then leaned into whisper against his ear. "He really does love him huh?"

The brunet nodded and smiled again, "Yeah it's not a spell, not like in those fairy tales, um, no pun intended!"

"An' none taken yo!" The redhead teased back, grinning and quite pleased with himself about the fact that what his Cloud and the Prince had, was real. The both of them hadn't noticed the Prince had stopped and had turned to face them until he spoke, leveling two silver brows at them.

"Ahem, your wand?"

"Of course!" Reno announced, then promptly sniffed the air and closed his eyes, his brows coming together as he tried to focus on sensing where his wand was. It really wasn't about smelling it out so much as it was sensing it, but hey he had to come up with something silly to try and lighten the mood. Judging by the look in Sephiroth's eyes, he was clearly worried about Cloud, and Reno couldn't deny that he was as well.

Zack moved over to stand next to the Prince as the redhead took his time, he supposed, sniffing out this wand. And after a few minutes, bright blue eyes popped open and he looked excited, which was a relief to the both of them.

"Well?" Sephiroth asked.

Reno fluttered by them and took a sharp right down a short hall and came to a stop, hovering in front of a door that looked old and untouched for years, leaving the two behind him to pick up their pace to catch up with him.

"It's in here, I know it!" He stated, touching the door and tracing a finger over the old metal. Oh yeah, he could sense power in there, but it was a little different then just his wand alone, but he couldn't understand why just yet. He paused to give the door an odd, confused look.

Sephiroth silently brushed past Reno and touched the door as well, finding familiarity move over him. He'd been here before, but not in a long time, and that feeling made him hesitate a moment when he'd grabbed the door handle.

"Seph?" Zack questioned softly behind him.

Not answering his friend just yet, Sephiroth slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. What was behind this door was a memory and nothing more…nothing more then a very bad, haunting, memory. "Father…." He whispered to himself as he pulled on the handle and pushed the door open. Light filtered into the hall from the room before their eyes, and when they were able to see clearly again, all three were stunned with what they saw, but none more then a man who hadn't looked upon his father since he was a young teen.

The silence was near deafening…and uncomfortable!

The Prince stepped in first, then Reno flew past them and found his wand sitting upon another table off to the left in the old run down room. After retrieving his wand Reno hovered slowly back over to where Sephiroth and Zack still stood, while lifting green eyes to the figure before him.

Sephiroth couldn't pull his eyes away…

His father, Vincent, was a picture of perfection; just as the day he was put in this room. The man was the same…young, beautiful, powerful, and unimaginably perfect…

Sephiroth remembered it all to well. How he'd fought to hold back the tears. How his father had told him to stay strong, that their people needed him….but, that had never served to ease the young Prince's sorrow at all, not even for a moment. How can a child ever hope to cope with the loss of a parent, especially not in the circumstances that he had?

Now though, before his eyes, encased in a large glass coffin full of bubbling life preserving liquid, was his father, Vincent.

Sephiroth was left momentarily paralyzed.

Zack calmly took his place next to the quiet Prince and stared wide-eyed at what he saw, "Seph, is that…?"

"…my father…" Sephiroth cut in softly, his pained words reaching both of the other men in the room.

"…but is he, alive?" The brunet asked, not able to take his eyes off the stunning and surprisingly young man, seeming to look as if here were merely sleeping. For a moment Sephiroth was silent and he took a step closer to the glass coffin and lifted a hand to rest upon it, keeping his eyes upwards as he looked into his father's sleeping expression.

"Hey you two! I found….it?" Reno cheered excitedly, though the moment he saw Sephiroth, his words trailed off. He stared at the brunet and silently questioned him with his eyes, but it was the silveret who broke the silence in the room next.

"Zackary, he was never dead in the first place…he, it's a curse. I know I told you he was taken from my life in order to save mine, I just never mentioned how…" Sephiroth stated, his voice riddled with regret and slight sorrow.

The brunets eyes widened in understanding while his lips formed a silent 'O', as he nodded his head. He didn't have a response to that, how could he?

"A curse? Well that's easily fixable!" Reno chimed in, offering the both of them one of his rewarding grins.

"Are you saying you can fix that?" The Prince asked, dropping his hand back to his side and looking to the fair with uncertain narrowed eyes.

"I can so long as you mean what you said that it is merely a sleeping curse, right?"

"That is all I remember, so yes, it is. If there is anything else, then I wouldn't know." Sephiroth murmured, lowing his gaze to the floor then back at his sleeping father.

"Well I think it's worth a try then! If he can wake him up, then Sephiroth, the Kingdom can be restored! There would be no fear left and Rufus could be banned for eternity." Zack exclaimed. Sephiroth couldn't really argue with that, and the aching desire to have his father back, gave his hopeful heart a jolt.

"Fine then Reno, if you can take this curse off him, then do it!"

Sephiroth met the fairy's eyes and for a moment they understood each other. The Prince rarely trusted anyone around him besides Zack, and well, now Cloud, and even if he was wary that this fairy could actually bring his father back to him, the look exchanged between them said it all. Sephiroth needed Reno, and he was willing to trust in his help.

With a nod, the redhead calmly cautioned the two to back up and he moved so he was hovering before the glass coffin. This was an easy spell to break for him, if that was all that Vincent had been cursed with. Reno hoped that this was the case. He lifted his wand and pointed the tip towards the glass, concentration (filled with worry and concern if he failed) expressing on his face as he parted his lips and whispered a single words.

The room felt like ice ready to crack after that, because at first, nothing happened. Reno looked disappointed. Zack was biting a nail, and Sephiroth had yet to take his eyes off the man still unchanged within his liquid world. Failure seemed inevitable! But then, quicker then the blink of an eye, two crimson eyes shot open, looking out through the liquid at three pairs of stunned eyes. Vincent's mouth parted and he tried to take a breath, but none was to be had. He immediately panicked and since he hadn't moved in so many years, he could to little to alert those staring at him of his desperate need to breath.

Vincent heard muffled words only, not being able to make out what was being said, and choked on the water filling his lungs. His body spasmed desperately for the air it needed and before he felt his world go black again…

"He can't breath!" Sephiroth shouted, shooting past them and ramming his elbow into the glass as hard as he could. His first hit cracked the glass but didn't break it. "Father!" He cried again, ignoring both Zack's and Reno's cries that they could help, and backed up again. The Prince ran towards the glass and forced his shoulder into the crack with all his weight. It cracked again and spread throughout the glass before it suddenly burst and shattered before them. All three cried out in surprise as a wave of water exploded towards them, soaking them, but Sephiroth, he saw his father starting to fall. The Prince grunted as he pushed past the pressured water to reach for his father, catching him just as he slipped free and tumbled to the floor on his back.

Reno flew up to get out of the way, but Zack could only slipped onto his own ass as water came at him and knocked the wind out of him. Three of them were now upon the floor coughing to gain back their bearings.

Sephiroth was the first to do so and both of his hands reached up to catch his fathers face and lifted it to his own. "Father!" He whispered, cupping the brunet's cheeks as he shook his head lightly.

Vincent coughed heavily, gasping and sucking air into his lungs before both crimson eyes steadily started to focus on the somewhat frantic man holding his face. When they finally found the green ones before him, it took a moment for his mind to catch up, but the that familiar face….he would know his son anywhere.

"Sephiroth!" Vincent breathed softly. His voice sounded strained, somewhat weak after being unused for so long, but the relief in it, could be heard by everyone.

"Father!" Sephiroth exclaimed again.

"Is that really you? Am I really awake?" Vincent asked, because he'd dreamed of his son for so long, his untouchable son, that now, having him actually touch his own face would be heartbreaking if he found it to be a dream again.

Sephiroth nodded and pulled his father into a hug, "Yeah, I am real, you are awake, and I am hugging you. Father, I have missed you so much!"

"Good!" Vincent whispered, weakly allowing his son to hug him while trying to do the same back, but his unused muscles seemed less wanting to work with him. Sephiroth sensed that and helped move his father's arms around his neck, and the two men just laid there, hugging, crying soft quiet tears of relief and over whelming joy. Okay well maybe one man had tears in his eyes, Sephiroth had missed his father and after such a long time knowing he was there, but so far away to touch, it was just a relief to actually being doing so.

Reno and Zack gave them privacy by leaving the room and Reno proudly twirled his wand he'd reclaimed. Those three nasty brothers were in for a rude awakening once he had Cloud back and the blonde was safe. A pissed off fairy was no laughing matter, and sometimes, especially for Reno, it was nightmare for those on the receiving end.

Back in the room, Vincent and Sephiroth had managed to at least sit on the floor and take a few steadying breathes of relief. The Prince reached for his fathers' hand, and it was grasped tightly in return.

"How did you know I was here?" Vincent asked.

"We were led here by Reno, he's sort of a fairy or what not. I didn't believe in it either until I saw it with my own eyes. "Sephiroth answered, his father slowly nodding his head in understanding.

"How many years has it been? You're…in your twenties now?" The brunet asked bleakly, hating to admit that he hadn't seen his son in over ten years. The hatred in his heart over that was enough to boil his blood, but he kept that on the inside, not wanting to ruin their reunion with his fury for revenge.

"I am 23, so it's been 11 years, since I've seen you father, but had I known you where here, I would have come sooner. All Rufus told me was that you had to go away, of course when I got older, I found out the truth, that you had been cursed. Zack told me…he's the only man I trust here. He would never break that, but what happened then is in the past, right now you are back and you can help us, help me, make things right…and help me find Cloud." Sephiroth's entire body language shrunk in worry and his skin slightly paled, but that was all the emotion he had the strength to show. Losing Cloud and finding his father all in one day was a lot for a Prince who lacked a good nights sleep. Besides, Rufus ShinRa was up to something and Cloud was in danger. If he wasn't dead already, (no he would have to kill more then just the false king to satisfy the broken heart that would bring) he refused to believe his beloved was gone. There was still hope.

"Cloud?" Vincent murmured, giving his son's hand a squeeze when he noticed his attention wavering. This person had to be someone special to his son.

Sephiroth simply nodded and rose to his feet, his father following him. "But in order to search for him, no one can know you are free, otherwise, that would only give Rufus more fuel to his fire. Reno?" He called.

The redhead fluttered to attention, his bright red hair appearing from the doorway with a grin on his face. He knew when something was up and now that he had his wand back, his spirits were back in order.

"What's up?" The fairy redhead flew in, trailed by Zack, both wearing curious looks.

Sephiroth didn't steer from the thoughts in his mind and went right to the point, "I need a fill in for my father in case someone comes to check. Can you produce that? Fix the cage perhaps just like it was before and put a false image of him inside the case?" he asked hopeful that if this redhead was a fairy or sorts, he could do it.

"Hey that might work?" Zack chimed in, rolling on his heels between them.

Reno listened the whole time, already thinking of something he could do that might work, not that fixing the broken glass wasn't a hard thing, nor placing some false image of Sephiroth's father in there, but since no one in this room was his God-friend, it was going against the rules. But Reno snorted and shook his head. Cloud would have wanted this anyways and if it was going to help him, then so be it, rule breaking or not. Fairy council or not, this needed to be done.

With the flick of his wand, the glass coffin was repaired, the liquid filling back up and a clouded, foggy image of Vincent appeared. It would do well to fool anyone from a distance, but close up and at a lengthy study, one might see that the water was moving through the person asleep in there rather then around it.

"Well…that's that and about as good as it will get!" Reno said, waving his wand in front of the glass and tapping it lightly.

Zack and Sephiroth moved at the same time to inspect it, while Vincent kept his distance, honestly feeling a little odd about it even if he was relieved.

"Looks alright to me!" Zack said nudging Sephiroth who hummed in agreement.

"Yeah let's go find Cloud!" The silveret turned without another word and headed out the door, leaving the others to shut it. His mind was consumed with finding the blonde, knowing he would never feel right unless Cloud was safe in his arms and he could feel the warm easy weight of him close to his chest. The tinge of pain and regret for not being able to protect him stung his heart and made it ache deep in his chest.

Cloud shivered, waking for the fifth time, alone, cold, wet, and hungry. Even the persistent rumble in his stomach echoed in the dark sounded a little creepy. Sniffing he glanced around, not that he could see much, but it was the only thing he could do. By now his arms were aching for how long they'd been holding the weight of his body in the cuffs. When he went to move them he hissed under his breath and although his toes touched the ground, it wasn't enough to relieve the stress his arms had to bare.

He sighed, resigning himself to seek out sleep again so he could leave the pain behind, but….that would not be. The door to the room he was being kept in creaked open and a dark figure stood in the doorway, black as night by the bright light that shown behind him. Cloud turned his eyes away and shut them, already shaking with fear even before the footsteps sounded on the stone floor and moved closer. Then before he could say anything a hand touched his chin and turned his face to meet the blue eyes before him.

Rufus ShinRa smiled, a wicked curled to his lips as he spoke, "So, Cloud is it? Just what are you to Sephiroth?" he asked, laughing a little, and truly not expecting an answer to his question, because he continued, "…someone so important that he would go against his King? I presume…" he added, a haunting tone to his voice then.

Cloud took a deep breath, holding it as the man spoke, and realizing that he was facing the King and that the man was even more dangerous alone and in person then hearing about him by word of mouth on the streets. He didn't speak; he was afraid too. Rufus continued anyways.

"…and you did serve three of your brothers didn't you? They gave me a lot of information about you that might make you more useful then killing you…" he purred, rubbing a thumb over the blonde's lower lip as he spoke. This sent a chill down Cloud's spine as he wondered just want those three had told him, but they were not his brothers…but his captors. Still, Cloud remained silent.

"Wouldn't you say? Perhaps you might want to explain or give me reason why I shouldn't let you stay here and starve hmmm? " Rufus' thumb continued to move over Cloud's lips, giving way to the fact that Kadaj had said something about him, something intimate. "…do you have something to say, little one? Who's so precious to the Prince…" he taunted, blue eyes narrowing at the blonde who stared wide eyed down at him.

For a moment Cloud didn't know what to do. Was this a trick? Or was there something the King wanted from him? If so, he wouldn't betray Sephiroth or say anything that might get him into trouble, and honestly, deep down, he loved him so much that he would consider dying for him…but then again, he desperately wanted to see him. Even to touch him just once would be enough that if he had to give him up, he would. The blonde studied those cold eyes and he licked his lips, slightly drawing his head away so that Rufus' thumb wasn't touching his lips.

"I am just a slave…just, a slave…." He finally answered. It was an honest thing to say and the only thing he needed to say or wanted to. And of course, this brought the most chilling smile on the King's face then he'd ever wanted to see. It sent such a chill through his bones that Cloud froze, unable to move or look away as Rufus stepped closer and brought their lips together as he spoke.

"Perfect…" he said, folding his lips over Clouds and stealing it between his teeth, biting it hard enough to break the skin, and as the blonde jumped, Rufus licked the drop of blood from his bottom lip and stepped back, a vicious glare in his eyes and a curl smile pulling at his lips. "I indeed have a mind to use you for something…" he whispered, running his thumb along the bit marked lips and down to Cloud's neck, feeling his pulse racing, and as he moved it down to press against his chest, feeling his heart beat heavy and almost fearful, Rufus smiled even more. Then he backed away with not another word, leaving the room with a small click of the door echoing in the wake of a haunting feeling in the air.

Cloud's flinched when he was bitten and started to shake as he watched the King leave the room. Blue eyes were wide with fear and he couldn't help it when they began to water and tears slowly rolled down his cheeks.

"Sephiroth…." He called out.

(Okay that took a few years, but I have a mind to finish this…as always, comments are welcome and please be kind. I have since begun to re-read this so I can try to make it work up until the ending…be patient and I hope you enjoyed it.