centerMaking a Difference/center
p"It's not in our hands now." Rude had said before he had left, and Elena was not happy to realize that it was true. She had always felt the drive to make a difference, a need to take things into her own hands. Perhaps that was why she had first wanted to join the Turks, Shinra's elite secret service. iI was stupid,/i she thought, ito think that I was strong enough./i It was as if Sephiroth's attack on the President had somehow sealed their doom, for the weeks since then had brought nothing but defeat after defeat. iEven our time on leave ws a catastrophe. Who knows what would have happened if Reno, Rude, and the AVALANCHE team had not come to my rescue? I shudder to think. Cloud did it to save his own captured comrade, of course, but still, it has to mean something, doesn't it?/i
pCloud. AVALANCHE. It seemed that the fates of the Turks were somehow intertwined with those rebels who had brought them defeat. She knew that one among them, Vincent Valentine, had once been a Turk himself. She remembered Vincent only vaguely, from when she had first begun training, as a quiet, thoughtful man with incredible skill as sharpshooter. She had heard that he had been killed, however, on some mission to guard Professor Gast... How odd that he should reappear now, working with those who called themselves Shinra's sworn enemies. And, she remembered suddenly, when Heidegger had ordered them to scour the city for any sign of AVALANCHE, had he not said that the information came from Reeve?
pNow ithat/i was interesting. She remembered how devoted the young city planner had been to his work, and had heard that it was even more true when he became a section head and took his place on the Board. He was one of the last people that Elena imagined would betray Shinra.
pHere, sitting in her apartment looking out over the ruins of Midgar, she found heself wondering if perhaps those who had sided with the rebels were right, after all. Now it seemed as if those "terrorists" were their only hope where Shinra had failed... iReeve, you were right.../i
pReeve. Why did her thoughts keep drifting back to him? Their flirtations of years ago had been childish, innocent, and far from her only dalliance, so why... iHe did what you only dreamed of. He's making a difference. Saving the world. You were just too stupid and weak to see that./i Those last words sounded a bit too much like Reno for comfort. Was she even thinking like that trigger-happy pig, now?
pShe jumped at the sound of another explosion in the distance, which pulled her back to the present situation. iI just wish there was something I could do.../i Suddenly she stopped. iI can. Reeve! I said so myself! He's the one who's making a difference, here. Since he was labeled a traitor, it's unlikely that he would be in Company Housing... If he's even alive. It was just as likely that even if the company hadn't done away with him, the riots had... Didn't his parents live in town?/i She got up and looked through her drawer for the Midgar directory. She always felt better once she had a plan of action.
br
pThe house was in a section of the city that seemed to show less damage than the rest. Not particularly surprising, since it was a calm, middle-class area.
pShe felt nervous as she stepped up to the door. iAt least I'm dressed casual.../ishe thought. iWhen a Turk makes a visit to one labeled as an enemy of Shinra, it's rarely so congenial./i She checked the number once more against what she had written down before she walked to the door and knocked. When the door was answered by woman in late middle-age, she instantly saw the resemblance to the man she had once known so well. Obviously Reeve's mother. Well... That was one less thing to worry about."Yes...?" she asked, peering at her curiously.
pElena blushed. "I used to work with Reeve. Is he..."
p"He's here." the woman answered, looking her over. "It's probably best if you come in."
br
pReeve lay on the bed of his family's spare room like one dead. He was dressed informally in a loose t-shirt and pants, casual for the first time she had seen in years. Elena was immediately struck by how childlike he looked, so peaceful and innocent. His longish hair was touseled, with a few strands hanging almost in his eyes. She felt the uncontrollable urge to brush them away, tuck them behind his ears. Yet he was barely breathing. "Is he... okay?" she asked the older woman next to her, who nodded.
p"He does wake up." his mother assured her. "He should again, soon. I've been watching him..."
pElena smiled slightly. She could easily see how one could spend hours watching Reeve sleep... iSilly girl,/i she chided herself, iyou haven't even spoken more than five words to him in years, so why are you suddenly so obsessive?/i "What is he doing?" she asked instead, pushing the other thoughts aside.
p"You know about his... talents... yes?"
pElena nodded. "Yes. I found out about it back when we were both new to the Company." And how! That stupid trick with the doll...
p"He's using it." his mother said. "To help the rebels."
pSo it iwas/i true, then! Elena smiled grimly. "I see..."
p"Are you helping them, too?" she asked.
p"Yes." Elena said, softly. iWell, I am now,/i she added mentally.
p"That's good, then." she said approvingly. "It's good that he's not alone." iDoes she mean what I think she means?/i Elena wondered, but then Reeve's mother interrupted her thoughts. "Well, I was going to get supper around. Why don't you stay and watch him while I do? It should be ready when he wakes up."
pElena agreed, but stared after her as she left the room and shut the door behind her. Had that been a conspirational wink that she had seen before the woman left?
pSuddenly there was a stirring from the bed, and she turned. Reeve sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Mom?" he looked up. "No." he blinked. "Elena! What are you doing here? I haven't seen you since..." he stopped suddenly. "But you're a Turk. You're not here to..."
pElena stopped him with a gesture. "No. Never think it. I was thinking about how Shinra's a mess and the fate of the world is in the hands of those rebels, and... I wanted to help."
p"Oh." he said, and looked at her again. Slowly, he smiled. "So does this mean you've forgiven me for the moogle incident?"
pShe stared at him, then laughed. "Yes, I guess I have. Now come on. Your mother made dinner."
pHe blushed, something Elena found very endearing. "I would, but..."
p"But what?" she asked with concern.
p"Er... Could you help me up?"
pElena giggled and helped him shakily to his feet. He was surprisingly light, she noticed, and she worried slightly about his health. He looked at her sheepishly, and inclined his head towards the door, inquiring. She nodded, then found herself giggling again as he offered her an arm in mock-gallantry. He escorted her out into the main room arm in arm, both of them laughing.
pFrom her place by the stove, Reeve's mother smiled.
p"It's not in our hands now." Rude had said before he had left, and Elena was not happy to realize that it was true. She had always felt the drive to make a difference, a need to take things into her own hands. Perhaps that was why she had first wanted to join the Turks, Shinra's elite secret service. iI was stupid,/i she thought, ito think that I was strong enough./i It was as if Sephiroth's attack on the President had somehow sealed their doom, for the weeks since then had brought nothing but defeat after defeat. iEven our time on leave ws a catastrophe. Who knows what would have happened if Reno, Rude, and the AVALANCHE team had not come to my rescue? I shudder to think. Cloud did it to save his own captured comrade, of course, but still, it has to mean something, doesn't it?/i
pCloud. AVALANCHE. It seemed that the fates of the Turks were somehow intertwined with those rebels who had brought them defeat. She knew that one among them, Vincent Valentine, had once been a Turk himself. She remembered Vincent only vaguely, from when she had first begun training, as a quiet, thoughtful man with incredible skill as sharpshooter. She had heard that he had been killed, however, on some mission to guard Professor Gast... How odd that he should reappear now, working with those who called themselves Shinra's sworn enemies. And, she remembered suddenly, when Heidegger had ordered them to scour the city for any sign of AVALANCHE, had he not said that the information came from Reeve?
pNow ithat/i was interesting. She remembered how devoted the young city planner had been to his work, and had heard that it was even more true when he became a section head and took his place on the Board. He was one of the last people that Elena imagined would betray Shinra.
pHere, sitting in her apartment looking out over the ruins of Midgar, she found heself wondering if perhaps those who had sided with the rebels were right, after all. Now it seemed as if those "terrorists" were their only hope where Shinra had failed... iReeve, you were right.../i
pReeve. Why did her thoughts keep drifting back to him? Their flirtations of years ago had been childish, innocent, and far from her only dalliance, so why... iHe did what you only dreamed of. He's making a difference. Saving the world. You were just too stupid and weak to see that./i Those last words sounded a bit too much like Reno for comfort. Was she even thinking like that trigger-happy pig, now?
pShe jumped at the sound of another explosion in the distance, which pulled her back to the present situation. iI just wish there was something I could do.../i Suddenly she stopped. iI can. Reeve! I said so myself! He's the one who's making a difference, here. Since he was labeled a traitor, it's unlikely that he would be in Company Housing... If he's even alive. It was just as likely that even if the company hadn't done away with him, the riots had... Didn't his parents live in town?/i She got up and looked through her drawer for the Midgar directory. She always felt better once she had a plan of action.
br
pThe house was in a section of the city that seemed to show less damage than the rest. Not particularly surprising, since it was a calm, middle-class area.
pShe felt nervous as she stepped up to the door. iAt least I'm dressed casual.../ishe thought. iWhen a Turk makes a visit to one labeled as an enemy of Shinra, it's rarely so congenial./i She checked the number once more against what she had written down before she walked to the door and knocked. When the door was answered by woman in late middle-age, she instantly saw the resemblance to the man she had once known so well. Obviously Reeve's mother. Well... That was one less thing to worry about."Yes...?" she asked, peering at her curiously.
pElena blushed. "I used to work with Reeve. Is he..."
p"He's here." the woman answered, looking her over. "It's probably best if you come in."
br
pReeve lay on the bed of his family's spare room like one dead. He was dressed informally in a loose t-shirt and pants, casual for the first time she had seen in years. Elena was immediately struck by how childlike he looked, so peaceful and innocent. His longish hair was touseled, with a few strands hanging almost in his eyes. She felt the uncontrollable urge to brush them away, tuck them behind his ears. Yet he was barely breathing. "Is he... okay?" she asked the older woman next to her, who nodded.
p"He does wake up." his mother assured her. "He should again, soon. I've been watching him..."
pElena smiled slightly. She could easily see how one could spend hours watching Reeve sleep... iSilly girl,/i she chided herself, iyou haven't even spoken more than five words to him in years, so why are you suddenly so obsessive?/i "What is he doing?" she asked instead, pushing the other thoughts aside.
p"You know about his... talents... yes?"
pElena nodded. "Yes. I found out about it back when we were both new to the Company." And how! That stupid trick with the doll...
p"He's using it." his mother said. "To help the rebels."
pSo it iwas/i true, then! Elena smiled grimly. "I see..."
p"Are you helping them, too?" she asked.
p"Yes." Elena said, softly. iWell, I am now,/i she added mentally.
p"That's good, then." she said approvingly. "It's good that he's not alone." iDoes she mean what I think she means?/i Elena wondered, but then Reeve's mother interrupted her thoughts. "Well, I was going to get supper around. Why don't you stay and watch him while I do? It should be ready when he wakes up."
pElena agreed, but stared after her as she left the room and shut the door behind her. Had that been a conspirational wink that she had seen before the woman left?
pSuddenly there was a stirring from the bed, and she turned. Reeve sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Mom?" he looked up. "No." he blinked. "Elena! What are you doing here? I haven't seen you since..." he stopped suddenly. "But you're a Turk. You're not here to..."
pElena stopped him with a gesture. "No. Never think it. I was thinking about how Shinra's a mess and the fate of the world is in the hands of those rebels, and... I wanted to help."
p"Oh." he said, and looked at her again. Slowly, he smiled. "So does this mean you've forgiven me for the moogle incident?"
pShe stared at him, then laughed. "Yes, I guess I have. Now come on. Your mother made dinner."
pHe blushed, something Elena found very endearing. "I would, but..."
p"But what?" she asked with concern.
p"Er... Could you help me up?"
pElena giggled and helped him shakily to his feet. He was surprisingly light, she noticed, and she worried slightly about his health. He looked at her sheepishly, and inclined his head towards the door, inquiring. She nodded, then found herself giggling again as he offered her an arm in mock-gallantry. He escorted her out into the main room arm in arm, both of them laughing.
pFrom her place by the stove, Reeve's mother smiled.