Atonement
A/N: Do not read if you've read it before! I just had to resubmit it, fix some grammar errors, and some format errors, etc. Same stuff, basically.
Note: I have not played the game, but have seen the movie and studied all the writing, and Last Order to the best of my ability. Bear with me.
???'s POV
I knew I was going to pay for my deeds.
I knew it, and still I did them. Still, I did not suspect what was to come next.
She had been good, cuffed to the bed. I would savor her screams for a long time. Oh, sure, I knew it was wrong, but that was the thrill of it. The thrill that I may have been caught.
She had been taunting me with her eyes. She had been taunting me for over a year since I held a bomb in my hand, waiting for those two silver-haired bastards to come on their motorcycle. Three months since Rude had left the Turks…
I wanted her.
The deed had been easy. Call in a distress signal; draw the soldier away from the house. Quietly, easily, silently slip in behind the fighter, and knock her out. The ninja was upstairs, sleeping. Perfect.
Cuff her to the posts, wake her up, and muzzle her. Shock her for the fun of it. Strip her of her clothing. Smile at her. Take her innocence. All was very easy. And pleasing.
The escape went off without a hitch. Hide the fighter, bind her. Leave through an open window. Laugh to myself as I disappear into the city, Midgar. My new home.
Call the boss. Tell him where to find her. I'm done for the day, done for the week. Unless I want her again.
Then, it begins all over again.
I sit underneath a tree, at the park. I sit, and I picture the scene once the boss is done with her. Panic, because the fighter isn't there. Once the ninja is discovered, torn, bloody, and unconscious, anger. Hate. But no proof. No one to blame, so the soldier will blame himself. I feel glad that Rude is out of town on this occasion.
I check my watch, in annoyance. The boss should be here now. He wanted her as badly as I did, and he should be satisfied. Maybe he's enjoying it. Maybe he decided to go to the back door, have some fun with her ass. The thought makes me erect again, but I still my desire, my hunger.
I wait.
After he is an hour late, I begin to worry. I hate that I have to wait, so I return home, to the Turk H.Q. To catch some sleep.
I have no idea what is to come, what my price will be.
Tseng's POV:
The hand strikes me again, and I feel my nose shatter. My companion seems to already be dead, beaten to death in a similar fashion, just like I am being beaten. When he will let up, I don't know. Probably never. He bares his teeth, punching me in the gut, knocking the wind out of me. I sink to my knees, clutching my stomach, begging for mercy, but he doesn't stop. He will never stop. He hates me; he always has, and always will. For as long as I live.
Finally, he steps back, panting slightly. I finally regain my breath, my face shattered, my cheeks sagging. The girl wasn't worth this. I hadn't even satisfied myself yet when he barged in, and took all of three seconds to assess the situation. My companion had tried to run, but this man was a Turk, and if he didn't want you to run, then you didn't run.
I had spat on his suit, smiling when he threatened me. I had reached for my revolver, and then he was on top of me, kicking me, punching me, even head butting me. He was supposed to be out of town. Shock after shock of pain had tormented my body, until now, when he stopped.
He stands, towering over me. I cower, begging, whimpering. He glares for what seems like hours, before asking a question. If I do not answer, his tone says, he will castrate me, and burn me alive. He's done it before, to many men. He can do it again.
"Who?" He barks for a second time. I look up at him, one eye swollen shut, and the other almost there. I whimper, and moan, and clutch at my ribs with one hand, the other on the ground, holding me up.
He stomps on my hand, applying pressure until all the bones are broken. I scream. I twist and turn, the pain is unbelievable, but still his foot is planted, still pressuring my hand. "Who?" He asks again, dangerously.
"R..R..Reee..." I wheeze, and he lets up. I collapse on my stomach, bleeding. I can feel myself dying. I look up at him, and finish my answer, knowing full well that I am condemning a man to death. "Reno…"
He pauses, slightly, before kicking me, hard in the head. I see a flash of red, then I see nothing… Empty, dark, nothing…
In the darkness, a sinister laugh sounds. Someone welcomes me…
Reno's POV
My first sign that I hadn't planned right was when both Tseng and the rookie, Miller, had not come back into work. The second sign was when they both were found dead, Tseng in a dumpster, Miller's head thrown through my apartment window. On the head was a tangle of hair, attached to Miller's remaining teeth.
The third sign was a phone call. Which I answered, and all I heard was a quick click.
I knew I was in trouble.
I call Elena. She doesn't answer, and I start to panic. Why? I silently think. Why does he care about some stupid Ninja bitch?
I put my jacket on. The only remaining Turk, Hayden, is at his desk, sleeping. I go to wake him.
"Come with me," I say, and he obeys groggily, standing to his full height, grabbing his suit jacket, and walking with me.
Hayden is big, bigger than Rude, and he has a good forty pounds on him, too. He will do as a nice distraction, should I be ambushed.
As I walk to my car, Hayden walks with me, not asking where we are going, and not caring. We drive, heading out of town, when a traffic jam forces us to slow. I am getting edgy. I know he is coming for us.
Coming for me.
I honk my horn desperately as the exit to the highway is also flocked with traffic. Midgar is one of the worst cities to drive in.
I am beginning to sweat. I feel vulnerable, exposed, almost at a stand still in traffic. I bow my head, and pray that Elena is okay.
Elena's POV
I stare up at him, at his dark glasses, and see myself in the reflection. He looks crazed, angry, and above all, bloody. His suit is ruined; dark red spots pepper his suit jacket, and his white shirt. His tie is missing. Blood covers his hands, his pants. He looks like he's just been out on a job for Shinra.
I ask him again. "Are you okay?"
He answers me by stepping through my doorway, into my apartment. He looks around, walks into the kitchen, my room, the bathroom, checking to see if anyone is here. Then he turns, and heads out the door.
I step in front of him. It's like stepping in front of an enraged mountain.
"Hold on Rude. Hold on-" is all I manage before he tears me aside, walking straight out my door. I stumble, but keep my balance as I turn to face him, but he's gone.
I shudder, and pity whoever has pissed him off this badly. I hope it's not someone I know.
Reno's POV
Hayden is getting edgy, sensing my anxiety. He squirms uncomfortably, until I sigh, and mutter, "Let's go."
I open my door, and clamber out. He follows, as I start jogging down the side of the highway. Soon, Hayden joins me, and we jog, breathing calmly. It's all I can do to sprint. In my head, I make promises. To never do this again, to never think of women as items, to never fuck someone unless they ask for it.
To never kill again.
Hayden suddenly stops, squinting. I stop too, and turn to face him. He cocks his head, listening. I open my mouth, to reprimand him, to urge him on, but before I utter a word, I see a blur of black, and Hayden is trying to draw his knife.
I wheel, and begin to sprint, as far behind me I hear Hayden grunting, and the sounds of fists hitting flesh. I run, harder, faster, pushing my body to its limits, as I hear a distant yelp, then footsteps. Someone is chasing me.
I draw my nightstick, screaming, as I wheel, lunging at my stalker. He dodges me, surprised.
I turn to strike him again, and I hear him yell "Reno-!" before I buzz him, and he goes down, shaking as electric charges race through his limbs.
It is only then I realize what I've done.
I just electrocuted my only protection, my best protection. Hayden lies at my feet, dead from my blow to the head. I collapse to my knees, as a shadow falls over me. I look up, and see him. My ex-Partner.
My death.
He towers over me, a long cut from his ear to the top of his shaved head. He stands over me, his mirrored glasses glinting in the sunlight, his ripped jacket, his blood stained shirt.
I drop my nightstick, involuntarily.
"You fucked her." He says. "You fucked Yuffie, you raped her." It was not a question.
I cower as his voice rises. "Then," he said, still relatively calm. "Then, you electrocuted her. You beat her. You cuffed her to her own bed. You knocked her out."
He takes a step towards me. I flinch back.
"You slapped her. You stole her innocence. You knocked out Tifa." He stated, his anger rising.
"And then," He shouted. "You got your sleazebag Turk friends, you got Tseng to fuck her. You organized a rape, a rape of someone who I like."
I am on my back, he is right in front of me. His fists are clenched. He leans closer to me, smiling a little smile.
"You little shit." He says, and his fist slams into my head.
Yuffie's POV.
I tremble on Tifa's bed, under miles of covers. It has been three days since the incident.
I flinch whenever the door opens; flinch whenever I see suits, or ties. I want to die.
The door opens. Rude walks in, sunglasses off, wearing a dark blue T-Shirt and jeans. He closes the door quietly, and sits on a chair near my bed. I pretend to sleep, as I hear his weight shifting around. Slowly, carefully, I open my eyes, and see him.
What I see held such sadness in it I almost cry.
He sees me, and I hold his gaze for a long time. And slowly, I begin to sob.
I'm grateful to him. I'm grateful for the way he pulled Tseng off of me, the way he dragged him away, so I didn't have to see it. What he didn't know is that I wanted to see the bastard get his ass kicked, get his face ruined.
I close my eyes, and feel his weight on the bed as he lies down next to me. His arms encircle me, and I lean my head on his chest, cry into his shirt. He holds me, stroking my hair, whispering in my ear, comforting me.
After I have calmed down, he whispers into my ear, softly, as if he is scared I will run.
"I love you."
Check out more Ruffie fics. The other three are actually quite good.
TheWaiter