"It's me, Kekipi!"
         Elena gave Rude a questioning glance as Cosmo Canyon's gatekeeper examined the redhead standing before him. Rude simply shrugged his shoulders; apparently, he didn't know what was going on, either.
         "How can I be sure you are who you say you are?" the gatekeeper asked. "I'd heard that you'd become a Turk, but I don't hold stock in such rumors. Besides, something about you seems different…"
         "If it's the eyes, then I can explain," Reno answered. "It's the result of an advanced case of material contamination, which is sort of like mako poisoning, complete with the side-effects of ocular discoloration."
         The man nodded slowly. "Right…"
         Reno smirked. "Catch all that? Still don't trust me? Okay, here's what I'll do for you." He shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it back to Rude, then started unfastening the buttons of his shirt. Elena peeked over his shoulder and whispered, "What the hell are you doing?"
         "Nothing. I just love a dramatic entrance, you know? Here, take this," Reno replied, yanking his shirt down past his shoulders and shoving it into Elena's hands. As Elena pulled the shirt's cuffs loose of Reno's wrists, she heard a gasp coming from the gatekeeper. Glancing up, she saw the man examining the two tattoos around Reno's upper right arm. The gatekeeper smiled.
         "All right, Kekipi! You have me convinced. So what brings you here? Company business?"
         "Nah, nothing like that. Me and my fellow Turks here are on our way to Wutai for a little r-and-r, but we need to stock up on supplies for the trip. Also, I sort of need to see the Elders about something."
         "They should be around. Shall I let them know you're here?"
         Reno shook his head. "Nah, that's okay. I'll find them myself."
         The man nodded, then stepped aside to let the visitors in. Reno walked through the gate and turned around to face Rude and Elena, the smile on his face threatening to tear his cheeks apart.
         "Well guys, welcome to Cosmo Canyon."

         In the Starlet Pub, Elena glanced at the table closest to the bar, where Reno quietly talked with an older-looking gentleman. Both men's drinks went untouched as they carried on their seemingly intense conversation.
         "Elena?"
         Broken out of her trance, she looked up to see Rude, setting his shades down on the table. "Yes? What is it?"
         The bald man started to say something, but paused, seemingly stuck for words. Elena glanced at him, then back at Reno and the older man, both of whom were now starting to get up from their seats. Reno, who had since put his shirt back on but had neglected to button it, sauntered over to his comrades carrying his still-full highball glass. Meanwhile, the older man left the pub.
         Elena leaned across the table. "Hey, who was that guy?" she whispered.
         "Awfully nosy, aren't we?" Reno replied as he picked up his coat and fished around in one of the pockets. "He's one of the Elders here. There was something important I needed to discuss with him."
         "What was it?"
         Reno's voice took on a serious tone as he drew out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, slapping them on the table. "I'd rather not say. I don't want to jinx anything, so don't worry about it, okay? Anyway, we're spending the night here, so just relax."
         "What? Do you think that's wise? I mean, I know this is your hometown and everything, but we don't have much time for our vacation, and besides, we've barely even started this trip! We probably might have made it as far as Nibelheim before the day was out!"
         "We're. Spending. The. Night. Here," stated Reno, tapping his index finger on the table, emphasizing each individual word. "And that's final."
         Elena examined Reno's face. There was something odd about his expression; it closely resembled one that Tseng would often wear. Seeking a sympathetic ear, she glanced over at Rude, who said, "If Reno says we stay here, we stay here. He knows what he's doing."
         "Besides," Reno added, pausing to down a mouthful of Lifestream cocktail, "it's only about a day and a half's travel from here to Wutai on chocobos like the ones we have, so don't sweat it."
         "All right…" Elena replied, sipping her own drink. She looked around the dimly-lit pub, with its walls cut straight out of the dry sedimentary rock. She wasn't sure what to make of this Cosmo Canyon place; there was much about it that felt alien to her. Such as that name Reno had given the gatekeeper.
         "Hey, Reno? Can I ask you something?"
         The redhead turned his head toward her. That Tseng-like expression again. "Depends on what it is."
         "I was just wondering about the name you used at the gate."
         "You mean Kekipi? It's my tribal name. Just about nobody outside of Cosmo Canyon uses it, much less knows about it." Reno picked up his pack of cigs and dug around, finally drawing out a small cigarette that looked hand-rolled. Elena regarded it curiously, knowing that there was something about it that was odd, but not being able to place her finger on it. Then, Reno lit it, and a sweet-smelling smoke wafted into the air and past Elena's nose.
         Her eyes widened as she recognized the aroma, and she leaned over the table, harshly whispering, "Is that Zeio you're smoking? Don't you know that stuff's illegal?"
         "Chill, Elena. We're in Cosmo Canyon. This place, if you haven't already noticed, plays by its own rules. Shinra's laws mean jack-shit here." He held the joint before Elena. "Wanna try it?"
         Elena quickly waved it away. Reno shrugged. "Sorry if I startled you. Thing is, this is my first time home in years, and I think that calls for a little celebration."
         "All right," Elena replied, regarding him warily. Strange, she thought. He comes home and suddenly he's much different from the Reno I know…

*****

         At that point, Reno didn't care what Elena thought of him. Not because he'd been smoking Zeio for years now, but because his mind was on weightier matters, namely the ones he'd been discussing with Elder Bughe. The previous night's confrontation against Sephiroth made him realize that he needed to do something about Bahamut-ZERO. He knew that reversal of the summonary mutation process was a procedure that had never been attempted; however, there had been nothing in the Valentine documents that suggested it couldn't be done. He had to at least try, but to do that, he needed the wisdom and guidance of Master Bugenhagen and the Elders.
         He finished his drink, wedged the Zeio joint in one corner of his mouth, and stood, telling his fellow Turks that he had some personal business to take care of and that they shouldn't wait up for him. He was completely focused on the prospect of extracting ZERO; it was only afterwards that he realized just who he was leaving on their own.
         Reno walked outside, briskly making his way toward the long stone staircase across from the town's entrance. Save for a few new wind turbines and other structures, Cosmo Canyon was still the same peaceful commune he had left behind all those years ago. Now that he was back, he remembered why he left in the first place; the placidity of this town only amplified his restless nature.
         Climbing the wooden steps adjacent to the Tiger Lily Arms Shop, Reno spotted Elder Bughe waiting for him just outside of the entrance to a storage room. Through the doorway, Reno could make out the form of a man dressed in a long robe and floating a few inches above the floor.
         Elder Bughe greeted Reno as the Turk approached him. "I told Bugenhagen and Hargo about your situation, and they've agreed to help."
         "Thanks, Elder," Reno replied. "Do you really think we'll be able to reverse the experiment?"
         "Ho ho ho," chuckled the floating man from inside the storage room. "Part of that may depend on Bahamut-ZERO's temperament. Is he willing to leave? It has been something like seven years, correct?"
         Reno walked inside the room, followed by Elder Bughe. "Yeah, it's been a long time Master Bugenhagen."
         "Let me take a look at you," Bugenhagen said as he floated up next to Reno and examined him, like a grandfather who hadn't seen his grandchild in a long time. Reno regarded Bugenhagen in a similar manner; the eldest person in Cosmo Canyon—who was old even when Reno was a kid—seemed as full of life as ever. "Well, I see you've grown into a strong young man. Your father would be proud."
         "Thanks, Master."
         "I understand you're still with Shinra?"
         "Yes, but not as a scientist. I joined the Turks four years ago."
         "I see…"
         "It's just something I had to do. After the Battle of Leviathan I just felt I… couldn't study the Planet any longer."
         Bugenhagen nodded. "I'm sure you knew what you were doing. Now, let's head up to my observatory. Elder Hargo is waiting for us there."

         Spread out in Bugenhagen's study, the Turk and the three Elders pored over piles of documents and discussed a number of possible solutions to Reno's predicament. They came to numerous dead ends, but somehow, these would always lead to new ideas and the process would begin again. Then, Hargo found something in a book about the refining capabilities of Huge Materia. Reno crossed his arms and listened carefully as Hargo read the passage out loud.
         "'Once mastered, high-level materia bear low-level materia of the same type. Huge Materia, on the other hand, can take the abilities of numerous high-level materia and concentrate them in a single orb. But I have seen that this is not the case with all Huge Materia. Some can draw magical abilities or properties from sources unknown; perhaps the Planet itself?'"
         Reno tipped his head back. "There's just one problem. I'm not the Planet."
         Bugenhagen chuckled, "Ho ho ho. But you are of the Planet, are you not?"
         "Yeah, but it's not like I can just tip ZERO into the Lifestream and expect him to rematerialize when the right Huge Materia comes along."
         "No, but perhaps we can separate ZERO's consciousness from you," Hargo added. "Kekipi, do you remember those documents you once sent to me when you were in Rocket Town? The ones about the effects of mako infusion on members of SOLDIER?"
         Reno thought for a moment. He had access to many of Shinra's scientific documents back when he was a materiologist, copies of which he occasionally passed along to his mentors. "Just barely. Why?"
         "I seem to recall there being something in there about mako's effect on the human consciousness—that many of the SOLDIERs in the study experienced confusion or memory loss."
         Bughe folded his hands and pinched his eyebrows in thought. "Are you saying that the mako might've somehow separated parts of the subject's consciousness from the subject himself?"
         "I don't get it," Reno frowned. "What does that have to do with me?"
         Hargo replied, "It's possible that absorbed magical abilities have the same properties as memories, in the sense that they can be separated from oneself and assimilated with the Planet. If we exposed Kekipi to a tolerable amount of mako and concentrated all of our energies on separating him from Bahamut-ZERO, we might be able to reverse his original experiment."
         Bugenhagen nodded. "An interesting proposal. However, we wouldn't be completely sure that it would have worked unless we have the right Huge Materia in our possession. If we don't have such a Huge Materia on hand, then we have no way of verifying ZERO's extraction."
         "So there'd be no guarantee," Reno sighed.
         "I'm afraid not."
         Bugenhagen folded his hands behind his back and paced about the room, murmuring, "I've never liked this whole business of exposing living tissue to the Lifestream, but we don't have many options at this point. Kekipi, it's ultimately your decision."
         Reno thought it over for a moment, then nodded. "Let's give it a shot. What have we got to lose?"
         "There's the risk of mako poisoning, of course," said Bughe. "Also, no one's ever attempted an experiment like this before."
         "So let's be the first," Reno declared. "I'm sick of having to take tranquilizers every day. I wanna be able to get pissed like regular people without having to worry about turning into some all-powerful dragon."
         "All right, let's do it," said Bugenhagen. "If it means that much to you, then I'll assist you."
         "I'll help too," Bughe put in.
         "As will I," added Hargo.
         Reno smiled gratefully. "Thanks Master, Elders. I owe you one."
         Bugenhagen shook his head. "Don't worry about repaying us, Kekipi! We'll be gaining valuable knowledge in helping you with your experiment, and that's payment enough."
         Reno nodded, then smiled as he recalled his second unexpected encounter in Gongaga.
         "Actually, I can also pay you back with a bit of news. I saw Nanaki recently. He's on his way here."
         All three of the older men suddenly focused on their former student.
         "Where was he?"
         "Is he all right?"
         "Yeah, he's okay," Reno replied. "What I want to know is why you guys even let him go in the first place. Isn't he still just a kid?"
         "Actually," Bugenhagen said with a heavy sigh, "Nanaki left on his own."
         Reno paused, then said, "Please don't give him a hard time when he comes back. He's been through a lot."
         "Not surprising. But thank you for the wonderful news, Reno. You've lifted this old man's spirits."
         Grinning, Reno replied, "Now aren't you glad I paid you back? Anyway, we should probably start this experiment as soon as possible. We're short on time as it is."
         "There's a small Lifestream fissure near the Ancient Forest," Bughe mentioned. "That would be an ideal place to conduct our experiment."
         Reno added, "We could use the black chocobos my friends and I rode in on to get there."
         "Sounds like a plan," said Hargo. "Well, let me get ready."
         Elder Hargo left the observatory, with Bughe following soon afterward. As Reno got up to leave, he asked Bugenhagen, "Master, have you ever shown Nanaki the cave?"
         "Which cave? What are you talking about?"
         "The Gi Cave."
         Bugenhagen floated closer to Reno and whispered, "You know about that?"
         "My father once told me that Seto was in there, protecting us, but I couldn't mention it to Nanaki."
         "I'm sorry, Kekipi, but I promised Nanaki's parents that I wouldn't."
         Leaning in closer to his former teacher, Reno murmured, "You know, there's a reason why Nanaki and I have never gotten along, and I believe the answer's in there." He looked straight at Bugenhagen. "Master, you might want to think about breaking your promise."
         The old scientist smiled and shook his head. "Sounds like something you'd say. Little Kekipi, always the rebel."
         "I'm serious," Reno replied. "Listen, just think it over. I'm going to go get the chocobos ready. See you downstairs."
         Bugenhagen nodded, and Reno left the observatory to prepare for what he hoped would be his last experiment.

*****

         Rude sat before the steadfast flames of the Cosmo Candle, watching them grow brighter as the sun sank beyond the canyon's cliffs. Elena was in their room at the Shildra Inn, taking a bath, and Reno was who knows where.
         "Hey."
         Rude looked up to see Elena approach him from the other side of the flame. She walked around and up the stone step to the place where Rude was sitting.
         "What's going on?"
         "Nothing much. Reno hasn't come back yet."
         "Hmm," Elena nodded as she sat down next to Rude. Although she wore her regular Turk slacks, the rest of her clothing was different; an untucked grey tank top and leather sandals rounded out her atypical ensemble. Her hair was a bit damp, with a sweet shampoo scent clinging on; a towel was draped across her shoulders, catching idle drops of water that still fell from the straight blonde strands. "I guess that's all right. He did tell us not to wait up for him."
         "Right," Rude replied. They silently stared at the flames for awhile, Rude occasionally glancing over at Elena. Her expression was difficult to read; it seemed placid, yet there was also this tension buried underneath.
         "So, Elena…" Rude asked, wanting desperately to break the stillness. Of course, he didn't mind his own silence; but to see the usually chatty Elena as such made him uneasy. "Is this your first time in Cosmo Canyon?"
         "Yeah. Actually, this whole trip has been my first time anywhere on the Great Continent," She smoothed her bangs back, and without turning her eyes from the flames, she asked, "You?"
         "I came here once before, about three and a half years ago. It was on a retreat with Urban Dev."
         "A retreat?"
         Rude nodded. "It was Juno's idea. This was a few months after the Corel incident, and morale in our department was pretty low. The retreat was intended to lift our spirits and think of things we could do to revitalize the area."
         "Did it work?"
         Rude shrugged. "I'm not the one to ask. I was recruited into the Turks not long after returning to Junon." Another uneasy silence followed, and after a brief moment of consideration, he felt compelled to add, "The Gold Saucer project was started a few months after the retreat. A lot of people within Urban Dev. and other company departments were against it, so the project's architect had to recruit an outside investor from Costa del Sol. Even that wasn't enough; the architect ended up financing a large portion of the project himself."
         "This architect was Reeve, right?"
         Rude nodded. "And the investor was Dio, who also became the Saucer's manager."
         "So the Gold Saucer was built as a result of the retreat?"
         "Perhaps. If you think about it, something had to be done with Corel. The area had been devastated; the riots had turned it into a barren desert, and there were a lot of people left homeless, and jobless. The Gold Saucer certainly was a fantastic idea, and it's revitalized the area's economy somewhat, but I'm not sure the right decisions were made…"
         Shifting his eyes to Elena, he was pleasantly surprised, but also shocked, to see that the young woman was now completely focused on him. He shyly turned away.
         "Elena… can I ask you something personal?"
         "Sure, I guess so," she answered in a somewhat quizzical tone.
         Cautiously, he glanced back at her. "Why did you become a Turk?"
         Elena shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. It was just a calling, I guess. Something I've wanted to do for a while now, you know what I mean?"
         "Actually, no, I don't. I'm sorry…"
         "Why are you apologizing? And why did you become a Turk, Rude?"
         He sighed. His own motives for pursuing a career as a Turk were rather complicated. He took off his shades, exposing his deep blue eyes to the red and orange flames dancing before them. He stared into them, trying to imagine what it must have been like five years ago, at the very moment when Sephiroth set his childhood home ablaze.
         "It's not something I can… explain. Not in words. If we pass through Nibelheim on our way to Wutai, perhaps I can show you."
         Still focused on the flames, he could hear Elena shifting her weight beside him. "You're from Nibelheim, right?"
         "Yes."
         "Back in Kalm, you mentioned an incident that happened there. Did that have anything to do with it?"
         "Very much so."
         "Rude," she said, in a tone so genuinely concerned as to send an anxious quiver down his spine. "What exactly is the 'Nibelheim incident'?"
         He took a deep breath and broke his gaze from the flames, shifting his eyes to the cliffs beyond them. Edging closer to Elena, he said in a low voice, "Five years ago, four men from Peace Preservation—Sephiroth, a SOLDIER First-Class, and two MPs—were sent to Nibelheim to investigate problems at the mako reactor there. Some days later, the town was set on fire, and Jenova—which was being kept there at that time—had its head cut off. There were no reported survivors."
         "What?" she whispered back. "I never heard anything about that…"
         "You weren't supposed to. The Company covered up all evidence of the incident."
         "Then how do you—" She stopped short as Rude abruptly turned to face her.
         "That's why you should see Nibelheim, if you want to know why I joined the Turks."
         At that moment, Rude heard footsteps approaching them from behind. He turned around, Elena following his lead, to see two older men, one of whom was the guy Reno talked to in the pub earlier that day, carrying a limp, bloodied figure. An even older man floated alongside them as they carried the figure past the Cosmo Candle. Rude heard Elena gasp as they got a better look at the body. "Reno!" she exclaimed.
         Silently, Rude and Elena stood and began following the old men, who carried Reno to the Turks' room at the inn. They set Reno on his side, slightly curled into a fetal position. Two large fresh scars ran down either side of his back; they were red and fleshy. Similar scars marked his lower back, neck, and the edges of his face. Wondering what the hell was going on, Rude looked at the three Elders, still idling beside Reno's bed.
         "Kekipi will be all right," the floating man said. "He just needs some rest."
         "Like hell he does!" Elena snapped, a quaver in her voice. "Look at him! He's all torn up!"
         "Elena…" Rude started, once again not knowing what to say. Was she aware that she was talking back to the Elders of Cosmo Canyon?
         "Don't worry about him," one of the other Elders replied. "I understand how you feel, but Kekipi's current condition came about because of a decision that he himself made. Our friend here is stronger than he looks. As Bugenhagen said, he will be okay once he's rested."
         "But I don't understand. What decision are you talking about?"
         "Ho ho ho," Bugenhagen chuckled. "That is between us and Kekipi. As you are his friends, I'm sure he'll tell you once he's ready to do so. We must be going. Please take good care of him."
         "We will," Rude nodded. The elders turned to leave, and Rude once again stared at the body at his feet. Reno's chest rose slightly as he breathed, and Rude felt a small bit of relief wash over him. He knew how tough Reno was, but he generally put more faith in his eyes than in mere words.
         Elena came to stand beside Rude and she too looked down at their incapacitated comrade. "What do you think, Rude? Is he really going to be all right?"
         "…Yeah."
         "What do you think he was doing that made him end up like this?"
         Tracing the long, red scars on Reno's back with his eyes, Rude came up with a theory, but he didn't want to share it with Elena. It wouldn't be right, he thought dejectedly, as Reno should be the one to tell her.