I own nothing...except the plot. I really don't think SE would want to claim this as their own...whatever...enjoy!
"You'll be fine, you'll make it. You always manage to pull through," Rufus said encouragingly. He sighed as he looked at the prone form of his partner. Reno hadn't moved or made any noise for almost twenty-four hours. As the heart monitor steadily beeped, Rufus thought back to the mission he had begged Reno to take him on. He was tired of sitting in the ShinRa building while the Turks had all the fun. Finally after hours of pleading and begging (and some promises for later) Reno had given in.
We had been told to 'take care of' some political speech writer. We were given a physical description of him and told when and where to do it. We didn't ask question, we never did. Not knowing was better than knowing. You had to distance yourself from your target or risk freezing. Freezing was not an option Tseng and Reno told me.
The guy's name was Will, no last name was ever given. That kind of detailed information made it too personal. He was going to be working late every day this week because he was working on a big speech for a congressman. He was always the last person to leave. Everyone else was gone by 8:30 or so. No one would be around to be a potential witness.
The plan was simple. Get in and kill the target, making it look like a break-in gone wrong. Reno and I got there at 9:30, and easily slipped into the small building unnoticed. The man's office was on the second story. Not wanting to make any noise and alert him, we took the stairs. Once we got to the second floor, it was a short walk down the hallway. Walking with our backs pressed flush against the wall; we were nearly invisible in the dark hall.
Third door down on the right, his name was on the glass in bold black letters. We didn't bother to read his full name, what would it really matter in the long run? Reno nodded once to me and reached to grab the door handle. Turning it quietly, he pushed the door open and looked inside. It was clear, so he signaled me to follow him into the office. The secretary's desk was empty, behind that was a closed door with a crack of light filtering through.
We walked up to the door and looked at each other. Without saying a word we communicated our plan. Reno was to kick in the door and I was to run inside. I would eliminate the target while Reno kept watch. Keeping watch was protocol, neither one of us actually thought we did it for a reason. When I entered the room, Will looked up. Before he could say anything, there was a bullet hole in his chest. He was dead in a matter of seconds. To make it look like a bad break in job, I threw some papers around, and kicked over his chair. I was in the middle of knocking some pictures off the wall when I heard the distinct sound of Reno cussing and firing quick, recessive shots.
Running back out of the office I came upon something right out of the movies. Reno was in the center of the room, surrounded by five men wearing what looked like S.W.A.T. team uniforms. There were two more lying on the ground with a pool of blood around them. Reno was slowly turning in place, looking each of them in the eye. He caught me eye and gave a small shake of his head. I nodded in understanding and moved further into the shadow. No one had noticed me there, and that could work to our advantage.
BEEEEEEEP. Rufus looked up from Reno's face. The heart monitor wasn't making the health beep, beep, beep noise anymore. Now it was making that one long, droning beep that signaled death.
"Nurse! We need help in here," Rufus pushed the nurse call button and ran out the door. "Of course, the one time I need a doctor, they're all on a coffee break." He rounded a corner and almost ran into the on-call surgeon.
"Whoa. No running in the hospital. That's how you go from visiting to being a patient," the doctor joked, taking a sip of coffee.
"My friend is having trouble. His heart monitor is making the really long beep noise!" He yelled, all medical jargon flying out of his head.
"What room?" the doctor demanded.
"Room 348," Rufus replied as the doctor took off. When they got back to Reno's room two nurses and a doctor were already working to revive him. With another shout of 'clear' and a jolt of electricity, Reno's heart was beating again. The two doctors quickly checked his vitals and, sure he was fine, left the room.
As I watched, the men started to move in on Reno. With one more glance at the shadow I was hiding in, he gave a confident smirk. I had seen that look before; he got it whenever he was going into a losing battle.
The first of the five men moved forward and drew his weapon. Daggers, old school; Reno took him out in a few moves without suffering any cuts. The next attack came as a two for one. Both had guns, but seemed reluctant to use them. Their weakness made them easy targets for Reno. In one fluid motion he had one disarmed on the floor and was shooting the second.
There was a loud clatter, and the two men looked around trying to find the source. Reno looked right at me, his eyes wide in horror. This was precisely why he hadn't wanted me to come along. He was scared I would get hurt or even killed; looked like I was proving him right. My hands had gotten sweaty and I had dropped my gun; I never was one for stealth for long periods of time. Reno tried to bring their attention back to him, but the smaller of the two had spotted me and was already heading in my direction.
As he moved towards me, the other one watched curiously. Reno took this opportunity to make his move. He lunged out with his foot and caught the guy in the face, sending him flying backwards. The smaller guy turned around just in time to see Reno send a punch right into his nose. With a sickening crunch the guy's nose broke, and Reno shot him in the head before he had time to recover.
With a look of relief I bent down to pick up my dropped gun. As I stood back up I saw the big guy get back to his feet and come running at Reno. Before I could shout any kind of warning he was on top of him. Reno really didn't have much of a chance; the man was twice as big as him and had jumped him from behind. I came up behind him and pushed the muzzle of my gun into the back of his head.
"Stop or I'll pull the trigger," I told him in the coldest voice I could. I honestly thought he was going to comply since he had stopped his assault. With a small movement he had drawn out his extra gun and was pointing it right back at me. Reno was barely conscious, but was aware enough to know that I had just stepped into an impossible situation.
I had already resigned myself to death, but not without taking this guy out. I wasn't going to let him beat-up Reno like that and just let him get away. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't see Reno grab for the man's gun. He wasn't expecting it and his aim slipped off of me. As they wrestled for the gun it went off.
When I saw that smile of satisfaction on Reno's face I thought he had won the struggle over possession of the gun. I was about to walk over and help him up when I heard another gunshot. Confused I stopped, that's when I noticed the pool of blood seeping out from underneath Reno. I knew that couldn't be from the man who was still on top of him.
"Don't look so glum. It's not your fault we weren't prepared. When you get back, take it up with Tseng. He should've warned us the guy was expecting us," Reno said with his usual smile. I leaned down and pushed the body off of him, it was hard to tell whose blood was whose.
"You're going to make it. I may have blown the stupid mission, but I won't mess this up. We'll make it to the hospital, and you'll be just fine," I said with false hope. He just looked at me with a touch of sadness in his eyes and smiled.
"Hope is always a good thing to have. I didn't have any, until I met you Rufus," he said in a quiet voice. He flashed the peace sign at me and closed his eyes.
Rufus walked out of the hospital room, leaving behind his best friend, lover, and the long constant beep of the heart monitor. .
A/N: I can't believe I killed Reno!! I hate myself now, but it was all for the greater good of the story. I can't believe I killed Reno for a stupid story!! But like my one wonderful friend pointed out, he can figure out how to come back to life again and again. Just like Seph.