And here we have a little snippet that happened entirely by accident during Calculus, of all classes. Just a bit of bonding and deja vu. Yes, there are parts that are supposed to be repetative. It's aprt of the deja vu thing.
"Way to promote our image, yo", Reno grumbled.
"Shut up, " Tseng snapped.
"Why are we sharing a truck with you guys again?" Zack asked. "Seph?"
"We have the same destination, and will be working together at some points. You and I are sharing a truck with them because, in theory, we have better self-control and are less likely to start or participate in a fight with them."
"Can I request a change? Swap over with a cadet from another truck or something?"
"No."
Zack groaned and threw Tseng a dirty look. The Turk rolled his eyes but didn't respond.
"If he pukes, I will too. Why can't I move?"
"First, because I don't feel like riding herd on some starry-eyed cadet. Second, because having said cadet in here will be bad for the reputations of everyone currently in this vehicle; mine simply for displaying favoritism, yours because of showing weakness, and theirs for breaking the perfect image the general army has of the Turks. Just ignore him." Sephiroth reopened the book he'd brought with him, a clear sign that the conversation was over.
Zack sighed and leaned against the side of the truck, closing his eyes in the hope of being able to nap. Directly across from him, Reno fiddled with a Rubix Cube. Tseng was in the corner farthest from them, up against the cab, knees drawn up and forehead resting on them.
"This has never been a problem before," Reno commented. "Since when do you get motion sick?"
Tseng said nothing.
"We do a lot of traveling," Reno continued, "an' this has never happened before. Sure you're not actually sick?"
"We aren't usually in the back of a truck," Tseng growled. "In fact, we're rarely in the back of any vehicle. I get sick when I sit in the back. Get over it."
Reno paused, considering this.
"We've been in the back of helicopters."
"Only on land," Tseng corrected, not looking up. "I'm fine on water or in the air."
"Well, that just sucks, doesn't it?"
"Shut up, Reno."
"Y'know, it might be better if you sat back here, where's there's fresh air."
"If sitting in the back of a vehicle makes him sick, sitting further back is not going to help," Zack snorted.
"I'm just trying to help, yo."
"It's not helping," Tseng grunted. He shifted to draw Reno's eye to the gun holstered under his arm. "Do I have to tell you to zip it again?"
Reno shut up.
It was quiet until they turned off the main road and onto one of the short cuts built by ShinRa for the transportation of troops and such in the shortest amount of time possible. It was unpaved. After a few minutes, Tseng groaned and scooted past Reno to lean heavily against the back hatch.
"Tseng-" Reno began.
"Don't talk to me."
"Sorry."
Apparently still not convinced that Tseng was motion-sick and not coming down with something, Reno leaned over and felt his forehead.
"No fever," he announced.
"We kinda figured," Zack grumbled. "Fevers don't go with getting carsick."
"Get off, Reno," Tseng complained, swatting at the redhead.
"I've never seen him so crabby," Zack murmured to Sephiroth.
"You aren't very friendly when you're not feeling well either."
"But he's…he's Tseng!"
"Meaning?" Zack fumbled to explain what he meant until Reno stepped in to clarify.
"He doesn't do grumpy," he said."He only does quiet, tired, or pissed."
"Like he doesn't do sick?"
"Something' like that, yeah."
For awhile, there was near silence in the back of the truck. Zack and Reno fiddled with the Rubix Cube. Sephiroth read. Tseng stared fixedly outside and concentrated on breathing slowly. Then they hit the switchbacks. By the time they'd gotten off them, Tseng was clinging to the back hatch, trembling and looking more miserable than Reno had ever seen him.
"Hey, Tseng? Maybe- mmph!"
"I wouldn't talk to him, if I were you," Sephiroth warned. Reno mumbled behind his glove. "No. If he gets sick, so will Zack, and I do not want to deal with that, or with you. Be quiet." He withdrew his hand.
"Shouldn't he lie down or something', though?"
"At this point, he shouldn't move."
"I don't think you guys are helping," Zack commented, twisting the Rubix Cube.
"But-"
"No, Reno," Zack and Sephiroth said together.
The sliding window into the cab opened. "General?"
"What is it?"
"There's a real rough patch ahead, sir. We thought you might like a warning before we hit it."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, sir."
The window slid closed. Sephiroth sighed. 'Rough road," he muttered. "Wonderful."
The rough patch was heralded y two things: a tap on the window from the driver, and Tseng pulling himself up onto his knees and vomiting over the back hatch.
"Aww, gross," Reno complained. "You can't be serious."
"I'd say he's quite serious," Sephiroth said, pointedly not listening to Tseng's gagging and retching.
The truck rattled and bounced along, furthering Tseng's condition and making it difficult for Sephiroth to feign indifference. Too concerned to obey Sephiroth's orders to stay still and quiet, Reno crouched beside Tseng and did what he could to help. While this was little more than serving as a physical support, Reno was glad to be of some help.
Sephiroth was the first to notice how uncomfortable Zack looked. He'd put the Rubix Cube down and was kneading his stomach slowly, looking decidedly green around the gills. Zack caught him looking and shrugged helplessly.
"You should sit near the hatch," Sephiroth murmured.
"I'm not getting anywhere near him until I have no choice," Zack retorted. "God, I feel like crap."
"You certainly look it.
"Thanks," Zack muttered, closing his eyes with a shaky sigh. "That really helps."
Tseng slumped against the corner of the truck. Reno moved to rummage in the backpack he'd bought with him, coming up with a water bottle and tossing it to Tseng. It bounced off Tseng's shoulder and rolled against his foot. He gave Reno a look, but picked it up with a quiet "thank you".
They juddered along is relative silence. Tseng had curled into his corner again, looking like death warmed over but not actually vomiting. Zack stared fixedly at the passing scenery, doing his best not to look at Tseng. Reno fidgeted, looking back and forth between Tseng and Zack. In his little bubble of enforced calm, Sephiroth continued to read.
The 'rough patch' was more of a rough stretch, lasting for longer than anyone had expected. Near the end of it, Tseng scrambled upright to be sick again.
"AS soon as we hit reasonable terrain again, I'm getting out," Zack growled. "I'll run beside the truck if I have to, but I can't stay in here."
"If you must," Sephiroth said distractedly.
"We didn't have time for breakfast," Reno muttered, back at his post beside Tseng. "And you hardly touched lunch. Where is all this coming-oof!"
Sick as he was, Tseng was still entirely capable of elbowing his subordinate in the stomach.
"You should have done that two hours ago," Sephiroth commented, looking up from his book to survey the damage. "He'd have- ow! Zack."
Zack didn't respond. Sephiroth sighed, dusted the boot print off his leg where Zack had stepped on him, and went to join Reno in his attempts at being useful.
"The next time we all wind up in the back of a truck, I am knocking both of you out before we leave," he growled.
"I'll help," Reno volunteered, folding his legs beneath himself. "Listening to Tseng and Zack is not my idea of fun, yo."
"I'll hold yo to that," Sephiroth said darkly, brushing Zack's hair out of his face and looping one arm around his waist to make sure he stayed in the truck while they crossed a series of spectacular potholes.
"I'll give it to you in writing and sign in blood."
"Deal."
"It's gonna be a long ride."
"Now this brings back memories," Reno groused.
"How so?" Cid asked.
"Years ago it was me, Tseng, Zack, and Sephiroth all in the back of a truck on our way to…I don't even remember where, but Tseng and Zack were so sick. Just like this." Reno patted Tseng's back. "Ain't that right?"
Tseng raised his head and gave Reno a venomous glare.
"Shut up."
Reno laughed.
"You said that then, too."
"Reno," Vincent growled impatiently. When Reno looked up, he fingered the holster on his hip meaningfully.
"Alright, alright, I got it. There's just one-hey!"
Cloud lurched to the tailgate, nearly knocking Reno right over it. Vincent sighed and knelt beside him.
"See, this is so accurate it'd be déjà vu if Cloud wasn't so teeny," Reno sniggered, leaning out of the way of Cloud's half-hearted slap.
"Hey, are you guys alright back there?" Tifa called through the window set into the back of the cab.
"Most of us are," Cid confirmed. "Remind me why we're all back here together."
"Because Rufus needed Tseng and Reno to run errands for him, and we were going in the same direction. The weather's been acting up lately, so flying with you wasn't an option. Why?"
"Why? Two of 'em are hurling over the tailgate, that's why."
Tifa peered over Cid at the two men hunched over the back of the truck."
"Yuffie, did you bring that medicine you use for motion-sickness on the HighWind?"
"No."
Cid groaned, slumped against the back of the cab, and covered his ears.
"It's gonna be a long ride."