The Prize
The Prize
AN: I own nothing in this story. Please R&R.
Tifa Lockhart picked at her salad disinterestedly when she felt the presence. For a moment her hand touched the hilt of the sword covered by her jacket but she retracted it when she recognized who it was.
"Hey Tifa, remember me?" Tifa turned around and smiled at the man, taking in his long red hair and striking green eyes.
"Yeah, I remember you Reno." Reno looked her up and down, taking in her long sable hair and lithe body.
"You've grown your hair out again I see." Reno remarked. "That could be dangerous in a fight."
"I know how to take care of myself, you taught me, remember?" Reno chuckled and nodded as he remembered the first time he had seen her all those centuries ago.
1578 A.D. Japan
The stench of blood was starting to fade unlike the bodies of the slain. They lay twisted and cut open, their mangled flesh visible for all to see. Reno shook his head at the mindless slaughter, thankful that the sight still sickened him. A loud cry of pain reached his ears then and he searched among the corpses until, pushing aside a body, he found a young woman. Her body was pierced through by a spear, blood pooling around her trembling form.
"My…family…he killed them all…" The woman moaned, sorrow flowing as swiftly as her tears from her brown eyes. "I want to die…kill me please…" Then she passed out. Reno quickly removed the spear and wrapped his cloak around her body, picking her up and removing her from the battlefield.
Soft sunlight danced on the woman's eyelids and she snapped them open. Her chest was aching slightly and she sat up. She was lying on a futon, a kimono covering her body. The layout of her room suggested she was in a dojo or temple of some kind. Getting to her feet, she then heard the sounds of heavy breathing and feet striking the floor again and again. Exiting the room, she saw a man practicing a series of katas with a katana. His body was white and lithe, scars appearing here and there on his chest and back. His shoulder length red hair streamed behind him as he moved; his motion as graceful as a dancer. He stopped in his training and turned towards the woman. His eyes were the color of bamboo leaves and he had a pair of red scars underneath said eyes. He smiled at her.
"You're up I see. How are you feeling?" He said in perfect Japanese.
"I'm alright, but who are you and where am I?"
"Ah yes, how rude of me. My name is Reno MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. And right now you are someplace safe miss…"
"Lockhart Tifa." Reno bowed a little and held out his hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Lockhart."
"Why am I not dead?" Tifa asked.
"Because we can't die. You're Immortal, just like me."
"You're crazy." Tifa replied.
"Then how come you're standing here when you got pierced through the spleen with a spear?" Reno questioned. Tifa undid her kimono a little and looked at her stomach. A scar was all that was visible from her wound.
"Why am I Immortal and why did you save me?" She asked a few moments later.
"Well I can't really answer the first question. We've been around since the dawn of time but it takes a first death for us to truly be Immortal. And as for your second question, well I'm not one to butcher helpless people, Immortal or no." Reno answered. "Now if you're feeling up to it, I'd like to train you."
"I don't need help from a gaijin like you. I know how to fight." Tifa replied haughtily. Reno just grinned at her and motioned towards a row of weapons on the wall. Tifa walked over and quickly picked up a katana. Reno slid easily into a stance and motioned for her to begin. Tifa rushed towards him, blade thrusting towards his chest but Reno simply side stepped and a second later Tifa felt the flat of the blade slap her bottom hard. Tifa spun and slashed at his right shoulder blade but Reno blocked the blow and once more Tifa felt a ringing pain on her buttocks.
"I can keep this up all day if you like." Reno said in a joking tone. Tifa growled in annoyance and attacked again and again but each time was the same as the last until her bottom was as red as Reno's hair. Tifa slumped to the ground and winced a little in pain at the motion. Reno's blade was suddenly at her neck.
"If you lose your head it's all over." His blade then left her neck and he held out a hand to Tifa.
"Why are you training me?" Tifa asked.
"To help you survive. You will meet many Immortals as you live on. It's the game we play. In the end there can be only one."
"Why do you do it?"
"To win the Prize. We don't know what it is but we're compelled to fight for it. Now rest awhile and after that we'll start training."
The next year was the most intense of Tifa's life so far. She had sparred with Reno on high mountains, in forests, and even underwater, all the while honing her skills and mind. He taught her about the Quickening, the innate power of the Immortals unleashed after one loses their head, along with the ability to sense other Immortals. She learned about the sanctity of holy ground and how no Immortals could fight there. And she learned humility.
One day Reno and Tifa were sparring in a clearing of trees when it started raining. Reno put away his blade and took cover beneath a tree. Tifa had laughed at his precaution.
"We're Immortal, what do we have to worry about?" She had said, making a few slashes with her sword. Just then a bolt of lighting came down and struck her. Her nerve endings were on fire and her hair stood up on end. She then sunk to the ground and groaned heavily.
"Pain still hurts." Reno reminded her. Tifa could only groan in reply.
Finally the day came for them to part. Tifa had just come into the temple from an early morning jog when she saw Reno packing up his things.
"Where are we going?"
"We aren't going anywhere but I on the other hand am leaving." Tifa approached him and bowed humbly.
"Thank you…for everything." Reno nodded and started to leave but he suddenly felt Tifa's arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. "Will I ever see you again?" She asked softly. Reno turned around and looked her in the eyes then, a hand brushing away some tears that had fallen down her face.
"If I don't lose my head, yes I will see you again, count on it. Until then you're going to have to live on your own. There's some money for you in your room. And don't forget to enjoy life every now and again okay?" Tifa nodded and smiled at Reno, watching as he walked out of her life.
2008 A.D. New York, Present Day
"And I see you've gained some weight." Reno remarked. Tifa glared at him then but he deflected it with a smirk.
"Why are you here Reno?"
"The Game's coming to an end. I know you've felt it. There can't be more than a dozen or so of us left."
"So you're here for my head?" Reno's hands brushed over his white trench coat idly as he laughed at Tifa's question.
"No, I just came to warn you. But if it did come down to the two of us, could you do it?"
"For the crack you just made about my weight sure I could." Reno chuckled a little and stood up.
"Well it's been nice seeing you again. Last time was during the American Civil War, right?" Tifa nodded. "Watch your head." And then he left, leaving Tifa confused, which happened a lot when Reno was involved. Sighing she finished her salad and then left as well.