I know I better stop trying

You know that there's no denying
I won't show mercy

On you now

"How much do you know about spiders, Reno?"

"Is this some trick question, what the fuck are you getting at?"

"RENO! RENO!" Elena. I tore through the doors and clawed a path through the gaggle of assembled workers. Please... my heart raced so fast, please don't be what I think it is... At the end the elevator was open, Elena stood petrified holding a shaking, bloody finger out to the bloodbath. I knew then, no... no I didn't want to admit it. Tseng couldn't be right... Rude was no killer... Slowly I advanced through the gaggle of workers, fighting to repress the tears I knew were going to swallow me whole. He couldn't do this to me.. How.. why!? Collapsing down to my knees I screamed, gazing helplessly at what was left of Rufus Shinra's body.

"The Cobalt... you know as well as I do."

"He's not like that anymore! He's no killer, Tseng!"

"NO! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I couldn't remember anything, only that I had run into the elevator and held the lifeless corpse against mine, staring into the wide blue eyes. There was no way death had been swift. He suffered.. He suffered so much... Tormented, teased, brutalized... Blood seeped through my clothing but I didn't care, holding Rufus and screaming. Tseng tried to seperate us but I just screamed and attacked him, my nails tearing at any inch of skin they could clawing the superior Turk apart. Tseng threw me down, easily dominating me in blind rage. He didn't say anything and that hurt worst of all. Just gazed at me with those all knowing eyes that blatantly said 'I told you so.'

"Squish him like the bug he is Reno, before he strikes again."

"Fuck off! He won't hurt anyone!"

My legs floated along as I moved outside and pulled the phone out from my pocket. I could smell the blood on my hands and taste the thick bile in my throat as I called him. How could he.. how DARE he do this to me!? It was my fault.. My fault...

Rude's voice. "I love you Reno."

"BULLSHIT!" How could he tell me that... after that he'd done.. why...

"Believe me or not." Stoic. Calm. Absolutely cool. No remorse he felt for torturing our President to death...

"Don't ever fucking come back here." I was surprised at the ice to my own voice. Cold, sharp. The tone of the Turk. "You're an enemy of Shinra. Come back here and you will be shot on sight." Silence. I couldn't hide the tears anymore, whimpering and blubbering into the phone like a kid whose puppy had just run away. It was the knowledge perhaps that this was my fault.. If I didn't love Rufus.. if Rufus didn't yank me around.... If I didn't keep crawling back on my knees like a good little mutt and let my master fuck me over whenever he willed...

"Just know I love you." He meant it. He fucking meant it. Rude did love me.. that's why.. that's why he killed him...

"I hate you!" Childish, blind, I couldn't help it. I loved them both so much.. why couldn't.. no, it was stupid to think they'd get along... Rude... Rude how could he do this to me? Was I just wrong? Why.. why did Rufus have to suffer.. why couldn't he just kill him quickly?!

"Tarantulas, especially the Old World breeds like the Cobalt Blue, bleed out their victims and slowly devour them, savoring their prey."

"You're a twisted fuck, Tseng. Leave Rude alone."

"...I'll never forgive you if you let something happen to Rufus."

"Nothing's going to happen! Just fuck off!"

The line went dead.

Deep inside my heart broke with it.