They stood at the top of a hill, a cool breeze blowing the lush, green grass like ocean waves as it brushed up against the lavish fabric of their navy blue suits. The summer air smelled thick with warm rain, though the downpour had not yet begun. High above, the sky gently rumbled with thunder, setting an almost surreal mood. It seemed like the clouds in the heaves were within their reach, hanging low to the ground, ready to break and let the rain finally fall. Ahead of them was a giant mass of deep, ominous fog that rested over a city in ruins. A city they once called home: Midgar.
In the distance, they watched a group of people on the outskirts of the decimated metropolis. AVALANCHE. Saying their teary-eyed goodbyes, making their virtuous plans for the future, and celebrating the fact that they were heroes. They watched them with emotionless stares, a strange feeling in their hearts. None of the three knew what to think, nor what to say.
"Jerks," Elena finally said, arms crossed in front of her petite body. Her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she let out the only emotion she could cling onto.
"It's OK Elena," Reno replied as he stared straight ahead, hands buried in the pockets of his wrinkled pants. "Shinra's through. You don't have to keep up the anit-AVALANCHE façade anymore."
"…?" Rude gave Reno a confused look from behind his dark sunglasses but said nothing as usual. He really didn't know how to respond to a comment like that coming from Reno. After Tseng's death, Reno had become the Turks' commander, their sense of direction. And now he was the first to admit the fall of Shinra, and therefore the fall of the Turks.
"Wh-what?" Elena turned and looked up at Reno's tall frame, with disbelief in her chocolate brown eyes.
"You heard me," Reno replied, still not tearing his gaze away from the group in the distance.
"I-I guess so," Elena said, an unsure tone in her voice. She looked away from Reno and returned to monitoring AVALANCHE.
Reno sighed heavily and broke his trance, now looking away from the group of people in the small valley below them. He settled into a lounging position on the ground, legs sprawled in front of him as he leaned back on his elbows. He shifted one arm to reach for a cigarette in his jacket pocket and lit it. Taking in a long, exaggerated drag, he looked up to the cloudy sky.
"Beautiful day huh?" he said.
"…Yeah," Rude agreed, still taken aback at the actions of his friend.
"Beautiful day?" Elena questioned and looked down at Reno. "The company we work for is out of business! We're out of jobs! We're not Turks anymore!" She nearly exploded, losing slight control of her temper. How could Reno act so nonchalant after all that had happened?
"Whoa Elena, calm down," Reno eyed her and held out his cigarette adorned hand in a soothing gesture. "I'm simply talking about the weather and the sky; it's beautiful." Reno turned his head away from her and continued looking skyward as he smoked his cigarette in a peaceful manner.
"Reno!" Elena dropped her jaw. "Don't tell me you're not the slightest bit upset!"
"OK, then I won't tell you."
"ARG! You're impossible!" She threw her hands in the air in an exasperated motion; giving up and sitting down next to him, legs crossed and elbows resting on her knees.
"Heh," Reno lightly chuckled, "Just chill out Elena. There's no need to get worked up. Not anymore…"
"Why not?" she questioned. "The company has fallen; those jerks won."
"Yeah so?" Reno shrugged his shoulders, becoming somewhat annoyed by Elena's attitude.
"Are you not understanding!?" she continued, "Shinra is finished. Gone. Dead!"
"I know that."
"Then why are you acting as if nothing happened?"
"Cause there's nothing I can do about it," he replied, finally pulling his attention away from the sky. "Look, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at all pissed off, but honestly, I'm not that upset. We can find other jobs; we'll make it. We're Turks."
"We're not Turks without Shinra."
"The Turks made the Turks; not Shinra."
"What do you mean? Of course Shinra made the Turks; they made the organization!"
"I'm talking about our will; our spirit, Elena. They didn't make that; we did. Me, you, Rude…and Tseng."
"Oh…" she realized what he meant and began to feel a little more hopeful. "Ok…alright. Then we'll be fine. We'll get new jobs. But I'll tell you this; I will get revenge on AVALANCHE."
"What for?" Reno rolled his eyes and flicked the finished cigarette away and blew out a final puff of smoke. "For Shinra?! They're dead Elena; just like you said."
"What about us? We're not dead. We had to fight AVALANCHE, so why don't we just finish it?"
"Face it Elena; the Turks were never really 'Shinra.' We just did our jobs, nothing more. We weren't involved in any of their business dealings; we didn't decide who their enemies were. We just killed them; took our orders like good little lackeys. And now it's over. And to tell ya the truth, it feels kinda good. We're not their lap dogs anymore. The only thing I'm pissed about is life isn't gonna be so cushy anymore, but I can live with that."
"He's right," Rude said, still standing up, "We have no reason for revenge on AVALANCHE. We have no reason to hang onto Shinra."
"But what about Tseng," Elena protested, "AVALANCHE killed him!"
"Ya know; I used to think that. But I really don't think they did. I think they were telling the truth when they said Sephiroth killed him," Reno said thoughtfully.
"You believe that? You believe what THEY said?" Elena said with astonishment.
"Think about Laney," Reno looked her in the eye, "Terrorists or not, they still saved the world. Overall, they did what they thought was right for the Planet and its people. Shinra only did what was right for Shinra. Even its employees knew that. Some didn't like it, others didn't care, but they still knew."
"Ok so they saved the world, good for them," Elena said, "But Tseng was part of Shinra, so I'm sure they had no problem killing him."
"Then why didn't they kill us Elena?" Reno questioned her as if she were a two year old that understood nothing.
"Because they couldn't!"
"Is that what you believe?" Reno chuckled, "As much as I hate admitting it, we were no match for them. They had plenty of chances to kill us but didn't. And that's why I believe they didn't kill Tseng. They may have fought us like we were the bad guys, but they also knew we were just Shinra's servants. They saw us as part of the people they were trying to save, even though we worked for Shinra. Real heroes, like AVALANCHE, have honor."
Elena stared at Reno in shock. Shock that he was actually right; how Reno was a lot wiser than she thought he was. He suddenly seemed to be more than the alcohol guzzling, skirt chasing chain smoker she had known him as. There were actually aspects of a true leader in him, much like Tseng.
"Your right," she whispered, "I can't believe it but you're right. We were just Shinra's lackeys; footmen for their dirty work. Why am I still so eager to hang on to them?!" Elena almost shouted, sounding angry with herself for her naivety.
That's one thing Reno always admired about Elena; she could learn. She may have been stubborn and easily confused, but she was bright enough to see things for more than face value once explained to her. She really was smarter than most people thought, though she still had some naivety to overcome. The power of suggested still had too much of a hold on her at times.
"It's OK Elena," Reno gave her a crooked smile. "The company took care of us, maybe even brainwashed us to some extent. It's alright to not want to let go right away; it's understandable. But you're gonna have to let go. I know it's hard to just put it out of your mind and move on, but you have to."
"I know," she said then smiled, "…I think I can do that."
"Of course ya can," Reno winked, "Think about it Elena; the world almost ended. Now's not the time to hold grudges against AVALANCE or dwell on the past. We gotta move on with our lives; be happy that we can do whatever we wish to now, without taking orders from Shinra."
"Yeah," she smiled wider, "I guess that won't be so bad."
"Of course it won't," Reno grinned as he started to raise the excitement of his comrades with this newfound sense of hope. "We can do whatever the fuck we want now!"
"Yeah!" Elena laughed and Reno quickly joined her.
The corner of Rude's mouth lifted slightly. He took a spot on the ground next to Reno and Elena and then also began to laugh; joining his friends in the unexpected happiness on a day that seemed like it should have been discouraging.
"…Well I'm glad we had this little talk," Rude said after the laughter quieted down.
"WE?" Reno exclaimed, "It seems to me like I did most of the talking while you and Laney just sat and listened." Reno smirked cockily and sat up.
"…" Rude raised an eyebrow, "You're such an ass, Reno."
"Ass! I give you guys a piece of my infinite wisdom and you call me an ass? Such respect I get!" Reno said dramatically.
"Oh shut it Reno," Elena ordered playfully and giggled, "We're very glad you bestowed your knowledge upon us."
"Well of course you are," he stated matter-of-factly.
The hill they occupied grew silent. Reno had succeeded in shifting their moods to that of a positive one, but it still didn't change the fact their former home was a huge pile of junk and wreckage. They still really had nowhere to go and nothing to do.
"So what now," Rude stated more than asked.
"I dunno," Reno shrugged, "I did my part. It's you guys' turn to make a speech." Reno glanced over at Elena who appeared to be deep in thought.
"Don't look at me," Elena said. "I'm still thinking over what you said."
"…Me too," Rude replied.
"Well," Reno sighed, "What we're gonna do now is something we all need to decide for ourselves. I can't tell you guys what to do with your lives now. So just think about what you want to do."
The hill was silent again. Even if they all had their minds made up on what their new desires and goals would be, it would be tough accomplishing them. Who knew if the people of the Planet would accept them? Shinra was gone, and though the Turks had established the fact that they wanted new lives, others may not care. To the citizens of the Planet, they were murders and criminals, the evil spawn of Shinra. And on top of all that, much of the Planet had been reduced to rubble, especially Midgar. If they weren't ostracized or rejected, they would still be struggling just like everyone else during the clean up.
But they had to start somewhere. Difficult or not, they all wanted a clean break from their ties with the old evil empire, Shinra Incorporated.
"I don't care what I do; I just want to do something different," Elena was the first to speak. "I may always be a Turk at heart, but I want to do things right this time around. Something…normal I suppose."
"Me too," Rude said quietly.
"Whatever works," Reno said.
"So," Elena looked over at her two companions, "Where do you think you guys will go?"
"…Don't know," Rude said.
"Beats me," Reno shrugged, "I don't have anywhere to go really. Midgar's been my only home."
"I think all of us could say the same," Rude said.
"Well, I think if we're going to start new, we should find a new place to live," Elena said. She glanced over at the group below; a few had left on the Highwind, while others stayed behind. From what she could make out, it looked like the foreboding ex-Turk and the hyperactive ninja had left, along with the Cid, Barret, and the ex-specimen. The only two remaining were the leader Cloud and his bubbly childhood friend, Tifa. A figure that appeared to be Reeve approached them and began to speak though Elena couldn't hear a word. She figured they were staying behind to help clean up Midgar, as that was probably Reeve's plan. Elena may have agreed to hold no grudges with them, but that sure is hell didn't mean she wanted to live anywhere near them. "I think Cloud and his bimbo are staying here. And I'm sure I speak for us all when I say there's no way I'm living in the same town as them."
"You can say that again," Reno hollered.
"No joke," Rude said.
"I wanna get as far away from them as possible," Reno said, "In fact, I'll target cities that I know they won't live in."
"Me too," Elena emphasized.
"…Yeah," Rude agreed, "But we still haven't figured out…where exactly."
Another silence. Each one of them thinking the same thing: a place far away. A place where no one will know they were the Turks; somewhere that they could get away from the people's cruel judgment. And most of all, a place that was void of AVALANCHE. Their choices were fairly limited.
"Any ideas boys and girls?" Reno looked between the two sitting next to him on the hill. A loud clap of thunder rang over the countryside and the wind picked up its pace significantly.
"Not yet," Elena said as she looked at the threatening clouds above them.
"…Junon," Rude stated quietly. His peers turned their heads his way. "I have a brother there. He owns a martial arts school. I could help him out there."
"Brother?" Reno drew back his head in a touch of shock, "You never told us ya had a brother."
"…You never asked," Rude replied.
"Humph," Reno shrugged it off. "Sounds like a good idea man. What about you Laney?"
"I-I dunno," Elena stuttered, "I have an aunt in Icicle Inn that runs a hotel. I guess I could go there."
"Hmm," Reno looked towards the ground, "Looks like I'm the only one left without a plan, huh?" Reno laughed somewhat nervously and flicked his long red ponytail back.
Rude and Elena glanced at each other; both knew their friend had no family. Reno was an only child, left to fend for himself at a young age. His parents, a young Midean couple that owned a neighborhood grocery store in the slums, were both shot and killed when Reno was 15. Other than that, Reno had no family, and if he did he was not aware of who or where they were.
"You'll think of something Reno," Elena smiled sweetly, "You always do." Elena placed a delicate hand on Reno's shoulder; it's light touch barely registering in his mind. He turned to face her and smiled weakly.
"Yeah," he said, trying to shake off his uncertainty, "I'll figure something out." Reno sat staring at the ground as he thought, knowing his options were thin. The members of AVALANCHE were spread out all over the Planet; they inhabited most of the places he wanted to live. Reno felt like he should close his eyes, spin around and go towards the city that was in whatever direction he faced. But he quickly scrapped that idea when he thought of the possibility of ending up in some tiny, country city like Gongaga or Kalm.
But inspiration finally struck, and it now seemed clearly obvious to him where he would go. It was time to go back to his roots and see where his ancestors had come from. He'd go to Mideel: the lush isle covered in tropical forests and clean, white-sand beaches with water so warm and so clear you could bathe in it. It's moderately populated city full of rich culture and opportunities. He knew his work was cut out for him; Mideel was damaged just as horribly as Midgar if not worse. The island city was still recovering from where the Lifestream had erupted and scarred the land. But if Reno's fellow Mideans were anything like him and his parents, they were determined people, ready to arise to any challenge no matter how great. He'd go there and help salvage what he could from the ruins. Mideel now felt like the only other place Reno belonged besides Midgar, and it was the key to his new life. By finding his past, he'd create his future.
"I tink I'll go ta Mideel," Reno said deep in thought, his subtle Midean accent that he inherited from his parents showing through.
Both Rude and Elena smiled, as if they knew what he was thinking. They were sure Reno would be happy in Mideel; fitting in with others like him. Mideans were known for their outgoing nature, and strangely charming obnoxiousness. They were intelligent and uplifting, hard-working yet relaxed, witty and exotically attractive. They were a society that would suit Reno well.
"Sounds good," Rude said.
"See, I told you that you'd think of something," Elena winked and withdrew her hand from his shoulder.
"Yeah," Reno looked at her and his eyes grew gentle, a mixture of sorrow and contentment hidden in their glowing aqua depths. Elena felt an itch in her throat as tears formed in her eyes. She knew what this meant. She knew why that look was present in Reno's eyes; the Turks were splitting up. Elena tried with all her might to not let the tears flow. Being called weak too many times, she was not about to break down like a sobbing fool. She would be strong, like a Turk, for it would be the last time she could be.
Reno rose to his feet and stretched, lifting his arms to the shadowy sky. Rude quickly followed suit and stood next to his comrade. Elena lifted her head to look at the two, still struggling to not let them notice her moistened eyes. Reno offered a hand to help her up. Taking it, she was launched off her spot on the grass with one swift tug from Reno's strong grasp. She took her place next to her friends, still overlooking the few remaining members of their recent foes.
"Well, I guess we'll be heading out now then huh? No point in sticking around any longer, right?" Reno glanced between his two friends.
"…I suppose," Rude spoke almost inaudibly.
"Al-already?" Elena stuttered.
"Yeah, if we leave now we could get a lot of traveling done before it's too dark. Rude could make it half ways to Junon and me and you might catch our ferry rides to the other continents," Reno said and nodded in the direction of the three Shinra motorcycles they had stolen in their mad rush out of Midgar. "At least we made it outta Midgar with some sweet rides, no?" Reno grinned widely, coercing small laughs from his colleagues. Reno draped his arm over Elena's tiny shoulders and pulled her close to him. He placed his other hand on Rude's shoulder and patted it a few times.
"You guys ready?" he said, a hint of hesitance in his voice. He wished with all his soul that this would not be the last time he'd see his friends.
"…Yeah," Rude said, his voice far away.
"So…this is goodbye?" Elena's voice was shaky and uneven.
"I'm afraid it is, Laney," not a trace of humor or lightheartedness was evident in Reno's tone.
"Not forever though right?" Elena added.
"No…not forever," Reno said soothingly.
"We'll keep in touch," Rude said, though he doubted they would. They really had no way to get a hold of one other after they parted. Their cell phones no longer had service, with Shinra dead and gone. And no one really knew the addresses or telephone numbers of their destinations; communication seemed impossible. But none of them wanted to think of that now.
"Yeah of course we will," Reno weakly smiled and tried to sound optimistic.
"Of course," Elena repeated in a firm manner, trying to convince herself she wouldn't lose track of her friends. She was too afraid she'd lose control if she let herself believe she'd never see them again.
The wind grew stronger, blowing Elena's hair into her eyes. She smoothed it back behind her ears and nonchalantly wiped a tear from her eye before the others could see it. The thunder roared fiercely overhead, signaling the rain was finally going to fall. Reno looked up to the brutal yet dazzling heavens and brushed a lock of crimson hair out of his eyes. Rude also turned his attention to the raging skies above.
"Looks like it's going to rain," Rude stated in his usual monotone way.
"Yeah, we better head out before it starts pouring," Reno commented.
"…Yeah," Elena whispered, her eyes still locked on the small gathering of people below, watching them as they took cover in a broken down van. Everyone's struggling now, for a place to belong. Even them, she thought. "…Better head out…"
Reno dropped his hands from each one's shoulders and took a step back. He cracked his knuckles loudly and sighed. Elena and Rude turned to face him and the three stood in a circle.
"I guess this is it then?" Reno tried his hardest not to sound too dejected. He wanted his friends to always think of him as the confident, smug Reno they knew all so well.
"I'm not good with goodbyes," Rude said.
"Well you can add that to the long list then Rude," Reno smirked.
Can't you just be serious Reno, Rude thought and sighed inwardly. But I guess this is how you want us to remember you…I understand old friend.
"…I'll miss you too, Reno," Rude said seriously. He almost couldn't believe he was leaving behind his closest friend.
"Yeah…ya know I'll miss you," Reno's voice became a little more serious as he took the hand of his friend. They clasped palms then came in for a brief hug. "Good luck Rude."
"You too Reno," Rude replied then turned to Elena.
"…Goodbye Rude," she said delicately, "I'll truly miss you. Remember me?"
"Always Elena," Rude took her hand and brought her close to him and held her in his arms. He stroked her soft blonde hair, knowing he'd very likely never see her again. "Never lose that optimism of yours."
"Never," she whispered, a quiver hidden in her throat as the task of preventing her tears became harder.
Rude pulled away from Elena and gave her hand one last squeeze. He smiled one of his rare smiles and turned to head for his motorcycle.
"Bye Rude," Elena called out.
"Later man," Reno said, a strange feeling washing over him at the sight of his best friend leaving.
Rude pulled on his helmet and climbed aboard his bike. The engine started and he sped off in the direction of Junon, his friends watching him as he grew smaller and smaller on the horizon.
"Well, I guess it's only us now huh?" Reno turned to Elena, fiery hair waving in the wind.
"Yeah," she said meekly.
Reno approached her and simply put his arms around her tiny body. She clung to him, slender arms wrapped tightly around his waist. And she cried. Cried just like she didn't want to, silently scolding herself for doing the exact thing she had told herself not to.
"Shhh," Reno's voice was surprisingly sincere and comforting, "It'll be Ok Laney. You'll be fine, and so will Rude, and so will I."
"I know," she choked out, "I'll just miss you."
"I'll miss you too," Reno whispered. I'll miss you most of all, he thought.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to cry," she unburied her face from his chest and wiped her eyes. "I know you think I'm weak for it."
"You're not weak; you never were. You were a great Turk, Elena," he said and smiled at her.
"Thanks Reno," her eyes sparkled and beamed underneath her tears.
Reno broke their embrace and reached into his jacket pocket, retrieving his favorite lighter. It was made of pure platinum with the engraved initials, R.L: Reno Lopez. He handed the small trinket to Elena and enclosed it in her palm.
"I want you to take this," he said, voice faintly wavering. "Something to remember me by." He gave her a wink and crooked smile.
"Th-thanks," she said and grasped onto the item with all her strength. "I'll take good care of it Reno, I promise."
"I know ya will."
"But I have nothing to give you…to remember me by."
Reno took a small pocketknife out of his pocket and flipped it out. He took the lock of Elena's hair that was longer than the rest; her so-called bangs, and cut it so it was the same length as all her hair. Taking the elastic band out of his ponytail, he wrapped it around the golden lock of hair.
"I have this," he said with a smile. Elena grinned widely.
"Ok," she said. "Don't lose that because I kinda liked my hair the way it was. You're lucky I let you cut it." She playfully put her hands on her hips and giggled.
"I'll keep it in a safe place," he assured her.
The hill was calm and serene; only the occasional sound of thunder wailed, or bright streak of lightning crashed. They looked at each other, not yet wanting to leave but knowing a goodbye couldn't last forever.
"Goodbye Reno," Elena said, a solemn look on her face.
"Goodbye…Elena," his voice was calm and gentle.
They both jumped on their bikes and fastened the helmets securely on their heads. Reno tucked the lock of hair into his jacket pock and smiled dimly. Elena held the glinting lighter close to her heart then safely sheltered it in her own jacket pocket. The two then sped off at the same time in opposite directions. Elena forced herself to not glance in Reno's direction, as he did the same. And they never once looked back to the quiet hill where the wild rains were now falling.