The Right Thing
Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII, and as much as I wish I did, I don't own the Turks.
The Turks were lazing about on a pair of back-to-back benches in a square in the city of Edge. Rufus had given them the night off, so they had decided to go to a restaurant. However, when they reached the restaurant, they found that only Tseng had the money to actually order anything, and it was only enough to order something for himself.
"I refuse to eat when no one else can," he had said bluntly.
Reno had laughed, amused at their pathetic situation. "Guess that plan's shot, then."
They had all agreed that they weren't that hungry, anyway, so they'd strolled around the city for a while – not that there was much to see – and when they were all tired, they'd collapsed on a bench.
Rude had dozed off next to Tseng. He believed that since he always wore sunglasses and never spoke much, no one would be able to tell if he did fall asleep, and since the rest of them knew that he thought that, they let him. Elena had arrived in that place between sleeping and waking, when a person tended to start thinking too much and began asking unanswerable questions. Tseng would have fallen asleep long ago, if not for Reno's many unexpected remarks. Reno, the night owl of the bunch, was wide awake.
"You know, I was thinking…" Elena began after a while.
"Here she goes, trying to get us started," Reno muttered.
"Come now, Reno, you know you enjoy these discussions," Tseng said.
"And you know that I'd never admit it."
"Like I was saying – " Elena cut in.
"I don't think this is the time to discuss things, Elena," Tseng replied quietly.
"When does the rookie ever pick the right time?" asked Reno.
"Hey!" Elena protested.
"I suppose you're right," Tseng agreed. "Please continue, Elena."
Elena stared in the opposite direction huffily, refusing to look at them. "I was thinking – "
"We know that," Reno muttered.
"If you don't shut up, I'm going to leave," Elena retorted, glaring at him.
He laughed. "Go ahead, rookie."
"Well…are we bad?"
This comment was met by silence.
She chuckled bitterly. "I shouldn't have said anything."
Tseng shook his head, though she couldn't see him. "No, it's a perfectly reasonable question. I guess it all depends on how you see things."
"Well, let's see – we're kidnappers, spies, assassins…no, we're real good," Reno said sarcastically.
"When you put it that way…" Elena agreed. She stared up at the sky thoughtfully. Then, she sat up straight and moved away from Reno. "Is it bad to fight for what you believe in?"
"It's never wrong to fight for your beliefs," Tseng told her.
"But what if you're fighting for the wrong thing?"
"I suppose that's for you to decide, isn't it?"
"And how do you know you're fighting for the right thing?"
"I guess it feels right…right?" Reno interjected.
"And if it does feel right, is it possible to fight for it the wrong way?" asked Elena.
"Yes," Tseng said.
"What are we fighting for?"
"Well, Shinra is gone…all that's left is us and Rufus."
"Are we fighting for each other, then?" asked Reno.
"That sounds about right," Tseng said with a nod.
Elena turned sideways to look at him. All she could see was his long black ponytail hanging down his back. "So are we doing the right thing, the right way?" she whispered.
Tseng turned his head, gazing at her from the corner of his eye. "Does it feel right?" he asked.
Elena didn't know how to reply. She knew what they did – well, what they used to do – was wrong. Now they were a bunch of misfits who had nowhere to go, so they stuck with Rufus – with each other – so that they could feel like they had a place, even if they didn't. She looked down at the slats of the bench, at Reno's hands resting on his knees, at Rude's lowered, slumbering head, then back at Tseng, who had moved so that he could face her.
And it felt right, being with them. They were her only friends, her only family. They were all she had, and she would do whatever it took to stay with them.
"Yeah, it feels right," she said softly, smiling at Tseng.
He smiled back, and Elena knew she'd said the right thing. "Then it is."