Because Reno/Cissnei is my favorite Final Fantasy pairing, and it definitely doesn't get enough love. Here you go! For reference, 'Daniel', is Martial Arts (Male), 'Rod' is Rod, and 'Kylie' is Gun (Female), from Final Fantasy VII Before Crisis. I do love reviews, so feel free to give them to me! Thank you Kenticusness for the title, since I was stuck on coming up with one.


"Why the hell are we out here Rude?"

Reno's disgruntled voice came, along with a grunt as he pushed away some foliage and gingerly hopped over it. He hated this place. Hated everything about it. And hell, it came him the creeps. Big, glowing trees? It was like the place was on crack. "You should have stopped daydreaming when Tseng briefed us." Oh, great. Rude and his sarcastic humor. Casting a look back at his partner of so many years, Reno gave him a smile that oozed sarcasm. "Oh ha ha Rude. Very funny. And I know why we're out here, or supposed to be doing anyway. The place sure looks alive to me!", he sarcastically shot out, waiting for what he would say but not getting any response from Rude.

So they kept on. Not seeing a damn thing. Reno could be back in Edge, hitting up a bar and drinking his night away, and instead he was out here in the middle of God forsaken nowhere, with no beer and Rude as a companion. Which, hell, Reno loved the guy, but he'd much rather be looking at some female then him. Rude had to understand that. Of course, Rude had always been a sucker for the women that would break your heart. When one name came to mind, he shuddered. More like a vixen there anyway. Not that he'd had more luck in the 'keep a woman' department. But that was because he didn't want to keep one. Or so he told himself.

And why the hell was he thinking about this while they were on a mission? Oh, right, because there wasn't a damn thing to do out in this glowing freak forest. Scanning the area, Reno pushed his glasses up a bit further on his face and tapped his shoulder with his EMR. "This place gives me the creeps." He was just being truthful. Hell, it should give anyone the creeps. Trees weren't supposed to glow like that. They were supposed to be green…and leafy. Another reason why he didn't like this place.

"It does have certain…oddities.", came Rude's delayed response. Something Reno was used to, if he got an answer at all. Trampling through another patch of underbrush, Reno stumbled out on the other side, scowling as he watched Rude simply step over it. Oh…well sure, it would be nice if you were as big as Rude.

"Oddites? Right, only oddities. Like big-ass glowing trees." That earned him a chuckle. Pulling out his PHS, Reno checked the time. It was going to be nightfall here soon, they'd been crawling around in this damned forest for hours, trying to find this 'threat' that Tseng was telling them about. "Shoulda sent 'Laney," Reno started with a huff of breath. "Ain't nothin' to do, she could have actually handled it." Reno knew he was getting a disapproving look from Rude, but he wasn't seeing it, so it didn't matter. "Elena's saved your ass before Reno, keep that in mind.", came the quietly spoken reprimand. "Yeah!? Like when!" Unfortunately, Rude had a great memory. "Like that time in Mideel." Well…Reno couldn't really argue that, but he was going to try anyway. "She didn't save my ass! I had that under control, I just didn't want to get all the glory myself. One is the loneliest number, ya know. And you sure weren't comin' to save me." He heard the 'whoosh' of breath that came from Rude being unamused and grinned. "I was too busy cleaning up your mess. And explain how her finding you unconscious, gagged, and bound isn't rescuing you."

"...Eh…" Rude looked satisfied with himself, but Reno couldn't help but put a monkey wrench in that satisfaction. "I can't help that everyone wants some Reno time." That earned him a palm to Rude's face, before he grinned back at him. "You're an idiot Reno, you do know that, right?" "That's what my mom always tells me.", he shot back cheerfully. "You haven't spoken to your mom in twelve years.", Rude casually reminded him. Well…touché then. It burned to have Rude beat you at a sarcastic duel.


Reno had the distinct feeling that they were being followed.

Hesitating with his hand on a tree, he subtly peered over his shoulder, pretending to be studying his companion while checking out the forest behind them. He hated the feeling of being stalked. Aqua eyes scanned here and there, but unfortunately for him, the terrain kept him from really being anything. The mist hid much. That and the trees blocking much of the sun caused a nearly blind view. He hadn't heard a sound out of place, nor had he seen any odd things in their searching.

Which was exactly the problem.

'You're paranoid,' he thought to himself, glancing over at his partner to see if Rude might have any of the same inclinations. Well, even if he did, whatever emotions he might have or feelings on the situation were successfully hidden behind his ever present shades. So instead of trying to play a guessing game, he opted to just get it out in the open. Laying a hand on Rude's arm to stop him, Reno dropped his voice lower. "I feel like we're being watched. You see anything?" Rude might have brushed off what Reno had said as more of the 'heebie jeebies', but there was a serious note to the redheads voice that made him consider the option.

Reaching up to adjust his glasses, Rude peered first at his lanky companion and then over his shoulder. "I haven't heard or seen anything unusual.", he commented. Reno hated that feeling of paranoia he was getting right now. "Exactly. It's too damned quiet here. Keep your eyes open." Reno hadn't needed to tell the bigger man that, for Rude was good at doing so, but he made no comment other to nod. Still, as they stepped out once again they were both more on edge.

A large pool. Reno dropped down by the body of water, shimmering there eerily and sighed. He really hated this place, but spoke no more of the creepy feeling that he was still getting. There was unspoken communication between the two men that they were both getting that same feeling. "The flower girl..." Reno nodded. This had to be close to the place where she had been laid to rest. Probably not the exact pool…but close. They didn't often speak of Aerith, or Zack either for that matter. Actually, they didn't often speak of anyone that had been a part of their past. It was easier for everyone that way. They could think of the people, think of how they had been sent to track Zack Fair and Cloud Strife down and bring them back, but they didn't think of the failure to do so. They could think of Aerith and how she had been killed.

And ever looming in the background, was the Turks that they had used to fight beside. They had thought them all dead, but Reno was glad to have realized that they had survived when the shockwave emitted from the destruction of Ziconiaide had destroyed the construct on which the rest of the Turks had been standing. He could still remember the terror that had gripped him while he watched the supporting construct that his 'family' had been standing on collapse. He and Rude both. It was a moment in life they wouldn't be forgetting, nor did they talk about. And even though he learned that most of them were still alive…there was one that hadn't showed up to help in the evacuating of the civilians. One that hadn't come home that day.

As soon as the image of her flashed in his mind, Reno shut it out. It would do no good thinking about that now. But while crouched there next to the water, Reno felt a shiver run down his spine, causing him to shudder. This…was why they tried not to talk about the people that had been lost along the way. "Don't, Reno." How did Rude know what he was thinking about? "I know." But it was hard.

A second later, still lost in thought, came a screech that caused him to spring to his feet and them both to whirl around. "Shit, what's that?", came his immediate reaction to what they saw. Rude just grunted in reaction, so Reno figured that he didn't know either. The growling came after, followed by snarling from the grotesque beasts that were arriving. They looked…like dogs. Big, ugly as hell, drooling demon dogs. Oh…what a fun day at the office. A second trotted up a second later, and a third…fourth, fifth, sixth. "Damn, you ready Rude?" "As I'll ever be." Reno pulled out his EMR as one sent another screech into the air, which mellowed into a screech and howl mix. "That's cute."

The next minute they were on top of them. Grunting slightly, Reno twisted out of the way as one flew toward him, slamming his EMR –and zapping it with the electric charge – on its head. With a yelp, the creatures went to the ground, writhing there as the charge ran through its body, before stretching out and lying still. Out of the corner of his eye Reno saw one trying to gnaw on Rude's arm. Before Reno could react, he watched as it was bodily picked up and slammed into some rocks, yelping before a well placed hand movement snapped its neck. Okay, so Rude could take care of himself as always. As another jumped Rude, Reno was faced with two. As they jumped toward him, Reno ducked the swiped paw of one, coming up with his EMR to jerk into its underbelly and zap it. Backflipping away, Reno kicked the jaw of another beast, causing it to fly backwards as he moved quickly to follow it and end this little battle.


Well that had gone smashingly well.

Slapping Rude on the back, Reno tapped his shoulder with his EMR and moved toward one of the dead creatures. When he got there, Reno knelt down, prodding it with his EMR before staring at it. What the devil was it? He'd seem some pretty crazy shit in his life, but this took the cake. It wasn't one of anything, just some grotesque looking creature that looked like something from some horror movie. Still, they hadn't been hard to take down. "Ugly bastard," he said when he rose to his feet. "Think we should take one back to ShinRa with us?" "The scientists would probably like to study it." Yeah, probably. Well, glad the whole thing was over and now they could get back to-

"Look out!", came a shout from Rude. Reno, not having been paying attention, turned to try and see what Rude was yelling about, when something big swept him and Rude both up and deposited them face down on the ground. Groaning, Reno clutched at his stomach and sat up, blurry vision clearing slightly as he saw Rude crawling to his feet. The next thing he saw was a huge, ugly as sin creatures looming down on them. "Shit," he bit out, adrenaline assisting him to roll out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed by a giant claw that slammed into the ground, causing it to shudder and knock him off his feet as he attempted to get up. Rude was up at least. Springing to his feet, Reno avoided another swipe at him narrowly as Rude gathered his strength and slammed a fist into the 'leg' of the creature. Or whatever the hell it was. It didn't do a thing. Not a thing. 'Shit shit shit shit shit,' he thought to himself, before waving at Rude.

"We gotta get the hell out of here! Comon!" Turning on his heel, he attempted to run, getting only a few feet before he felt that thing collide with him again. This time he slammed into one of the trees before falling to the ground. He could barely register what was happening anymore, but he had obviously landed on Rude, who pushed him off. Reno flopped onto the ground and attempted to get up, getting to his hands and knees before once again they were being slammed back and into the ground. They didn't get back up this time. Through the ringing of his ears and the pounding of pain that was spotting his vision and making him see triple of everything, Reno watched the giant thing come at them. One step…two.

They were dead.

No way they were living through this.

Reno tried to stand up, tried to sit up, tried to do anything, but he couldn't seem to move his limbs. Through the fog he couldn't seem to make out what was happening, but the blow he expected to come that would end their lives never did. But he felt something warm clasp his hand. "Reno!? Reno!" Summoning all the energy he had left, Reno opened his eyes, glancing up at a figure that was kneeling over him. Wavy, chestnut hair, petite figure. She…she…he must be dead. Moving his lips in vain, it took an extreme amount of effort to get anything out. Weakly he tried to grip her hand, but he couldn't accomplish even that. "C…Cis…?", he finally whispered out raggedly. "Stay with me Reno," came the soothing, yet urgent voice. Stay…stay…with…he could try. Blinking his eyes rapidly, he tried to keep them open, yet failed as the darkness took over.


"Rod! You've gotta distract it!", Cissnei shouted over the noise, shielding Reno and Rude from the advancing creature. Grunting, she drew back her shuriken and let it fly, watching it as it sliced through the 'face' of the beast and returned to her. Leaping in the air to catch it, she landed crouched down. "Ow! God damnit! What the hell do ya think I'm doin'?!", came the bellowed reply from the other side of the beast. Flipping open her PHS, Cissnei dialed a number quickly, getting a "What's the status Cis?", from the deep voiced male on the other end. "Daniel we need the helicopter two miles west of your current location right now.", she spoke quickly, still hearing Rod swearing and taunting the beast to try and get its attention diverted from the two fallen Turks. "On our way," came the calm voice, helping to calm her down as well.

"Tha' all ya' got?! Huh!? Come at me!"

Rod was doing a spectacular job at distracting it.

Still, it could turn back at any moment, and she wouldn't be able to do anything then. Glancing between the two men, Cissnei knelt down, wrapped her arms around Reno's chest and started trying to drag him away. Thankfully he was a lanky one, instead of Rude's size. Huffing and puffing, Cissnei managed to drag Reno to a rock outcrop and went back for Rude. Doing the same with him, she wrapped her arms around his chest, but had dragged him only a few yards when she heard the blades of the helicopter. Abandoning her effort to drag the larger man, she sprang to her feet and cupped her hands over her mouth. "DAN'S HERE, GET DOWN!"

She hoped that Rod had done so, because the next second the sound of shots filled the air. Cissnei ducked down and to the side, on one knee, shielding Rude and herself. From where she was, she watched as Daniel and Kylie opened fire with the high powered machine gun fitted onto to the helicopter. Screeches filled the air as the beast jerked and tried to swipe the helicopter from the sky. Cissnei held her breath as Daniel expertly maneuvered around the flailing beast and Kylie continued to shoot it, releasing it when they weren't knocked from the sky. As it fell back and continued to try gaining its feet, the beast slammed into trees, causing a massive amount of destruction. God, she hoped Rod had managed to find somewhere to bed down in.

Continuing to hold her breath, Cissnei stayed where she was, crouched over until one final round of shots knocked the beast off its feet. In its descent toward the ground, it knocked over trees that were around it, before finally resting there, half submerged in the water that the two men had been crouching beside only moments before. "Rod?" As the helicopter started to land, Cissnei abandoned the downed, but still breathing bodies, and took off at a dead run toward where she had last seen him. "Rod!?", her worried voice rang out as she tried to find him in amongst the chaos. Scrambling over fallen trees and debris, Cissnei tried to find the red haired man. Holding her breath, she continued her frantic search as the engine was cut from the helicopter. "Cissnei?", came the female voice questioningly. Cissnei was about to tell them they had to find Rod, when a disgruntled voice rang out. "Ge' the damned thing offa me!"

Crawling over another tree, Cissnei landed on the other time, able to see the man she was looking for. "Rod…I thought you were dead.", she choked out, kneeling down beside him. "Dan, Kylie, come over and give me a hand." Peering down into the hole that Rod was tucked up into, the beasts appendage covering most of the hole so he couldn't get out, she found herself laughing softly to relieve the tension. "Yeah, yeah, laugh all ya wanna Cissy. Next time, you distract the damn thing an' I'll just keep watch over two bodies." "Oh come on Rod, don't you like being so close to death?", came the amused voice of the blonde that approached from behind. "Oh shut up Kylie." With the three of them pushing at the flesh of the beast, they allowed room for Rod to wiggle out, where he proceeded to flop on the ground and pant heavily. "Whew, tha' was close."

Too close.

"Are you okay Rod?", she asked, still a bit worried. "Aww yeah, I'm fine Cis, don'tcha worry 'bout me." Feeling the hand on her shoulder, she looked into the concerned eyes of Daniel. "Reno and Rude?"

Shit. She'd almost forgotten about them in her near panic over Rod's safety. "They're alive. But they've received severe trauma to their bodies. Reno was holding on when I got there, even tried to talk, but Rude was unconscious already. We need to get them to a hospital as quickly as possible, there's a strong possibility of internal bleeding with the hits they took." Already she was leading the way over toward the two men, jogging to get there faster, until she was kneeling down beside Rude. She watched Daniel drag Rude up and settle an arm over his shoulder, Kylie supporting his other side, while her and Rod did the same to Reno. "Hey! The hell took you two so long anyway? In case ya didn't notice, Cis an' I were kinda in a mess.", came Rod's voice from beside her. Kylie glanced over her shoulder. "Do you ever stop complaining Rod?"

The entire ride to the hospital was filled with the bickering from those two.