(no subject)

[yuto_h]

"Yeah, see you later, man!" Reno sputtered.
He never thought he'd agree to let the Turks walk him home, but he was really, really fuckin' drunk. He hadn't been that drunk since the Sister Ray, and as consciousness slipped away from him, he decided that he was just a little bit more drunk today.

When he came to, he was surrounded by the familiar, dark space that he had recognized as his prison, but as things came into sharper focus, there seemed to be much more Lifestream in it than usual. It started flowing past and over him, fresh and effervescent, completely engulfing his field of view until everything was white.

He felt some kind of presence in the space he was in, but he couldn't quite tell who, though. "H-hello?"

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[mechanical_nocturne]

Gast had thought long ago, when he first entered the Lifestream, that he would simply hang on until Ifalna and Aerith eventually joined him. Both had, in time, and yet he found there was something he couldn't quite let go of. Not yet.

There was unfinished business.

"'Long time, no see, Professor.' Isn't that how you greeted me last time we met? ...or have you forgotten me--pushed me from your mind altogether?"

He wanted to be angry. A part of him was, certainly. Yet he couldn't define his relationship with the man before him on one single incident, no matter how major. There had been a long history there, and it played out quietly in the back of his mind like an old film.

"...I've been waiting for you. I've...wanted to see you. To see how you're doing. To see what you've become."

[yuto_h]

Yuto was wide awake all of a sudden. "G-gast!" He reflexively looked down at himself, trying to figure out what unacceptable part to hide was most important. "I-I...I," he was frightened and shaking. None of it was good enough again. "I think I'm really going to say this, aren't I? I'm...sorry I killed you. I was arrogant and jealous and just...had absolutely no excuse. You see how things have ended up. I wasn't strong enough to resist Jenova, like you were. You were the scientist this planet needed. Of all the people I should be asking forgiveness from, you should have been the first."

[mechanical_nocturne]

Gast was a bit taken aback at the sudden apology. He honestly wasn't sure what he had been expecting from his former assistant. Gast's last memories of him had been the look of triumph on Hojo's face as the trigger was pulled, and his family and life were both taken from him.

He saw Yuto shaking and felt his apology was sincere. He squatted down slowly, as if confronting a frightened animal, so he would appear smaller. Less threatening. There was nothing to be afraid of, really. He was just a tired old man, after all.

"It really has been a long time...hasn't it?"

He awkwardly ran his fingers through his hair and scratched his head as he pondered what he wanted to say next.

"It was terrible. I didn't... At first, I really didn't think you were serious, back then. I didn't realize how far things had gone. And that's my own fault."

He sighed and looked straight at Yuto. "I'm sorry, too. I should have paid more attention to you. To what you were dealing with, to what you wanted and needed. I feel... I think all of this could have been avoided."

He shook his head. "But it wasn't. It happened. I can't speak for Ifalna or Aerith, but... I forgive you. We can't fix the past, but maybe we can both have peace when it's all said and done. Maybe you don't think you deserve that, but...you do. As much as I do, anyway."

And with that, he gave him a little smile.

[yuto_h]

Yuto had to turn away to hide his tears. It had been decades since Gast had smiled at him, and he didn't realize how much he'd missed having his superior's approval. "It'll be a very long time before I'll feel I can be forgiven, but it means so much to hear you say it." The radiance that surrounded Gast was blinding, white and mako blue-green. When he looked behind himself, Yuto could see telltale trails of black smoke being blown back by the light.

It should have been beaten out of him to show his emotions at his age, but none of this was real, and he had to stop and sob before regaining his composure.

"A lot of very bad things have happened since...what happened happened," Yuto said. "After...killing you, there was nothing stopping me from devoting my mind and my body entirely to serving Jenova. Not all of the blame can be placed on her, since I allowed it to happen, but my devotion to her endangered the life of the Planet itself. When I died, the Planet punished me until I truly understood what I had done. It gave me a chance to put things right, so I was re-formed outside of the Lifestream, and I've been trying my hardest to do right by it."