Chapter 3: Obliviously Amazing Man-Wonder
"We've been walking for over two hours."
"We have not."
"Have too." Raz shoved more wet hair out of her eyes and glared at Reno. "It's been over two hours, I'm telling you."
"And I'm telling you," Reno countered, checking his watch, "that it has not. It's been one hour and fifty-seven minutes exactly."
Raz stared at the side of his head in anger and bafflement. Reno was indeed the Obliviously Amazing Man-Wonder. One minute he could make you laugh, the next he could make you want to beat him with anything within reaching distance.
Reno caught her staring at him and winked, grinning sideways at her before turning his gaze back to the flats. "What'cha looking at?"
Raz blushed deeply, for once glad that her sopping, sad excuse for hair was covering her reddened face. "I was just wondering how you managed to be so absolutely irritating."
"Long years of practice, I suppose."
Raz rolled her eyes and said nothing for a while, keeping her eyes on her feet and concentrating on the sloshing sound they made. It had stopped raining about a half an hour ago, but it was still damp out and her hair, clothes, and shoes were refusing to dry. "How much longer before we see other humans?" Raz inquired, without looking up, biting back the added because I'm sick of looking at your freaking face.
"Hmm…by your calculations, it would probably be two more hours. By mine, eleven minutes."
Raz caught the sarcasm and glanced up automatically. Reno was grinning and staring ahead, so she followed his gaze. "Oh!" she exclaimed generally, forgetting any sharp reply she had been forming in her head. Sitting atop the flat expanse of land was a dark mass of buildings. As the sky darkened, little lights flicked on in the windows of the metropolis.
"This is your city?" Raz asked, sparing Reno only a single glance, not wanting to look away from the buildings for fear that they might vanish.
"Yup."
It was only now that Raz began to wonder … "What were you doing so far away from here in the first place? You didn't bring a car with you that I could see … you just … appeared."
"Are you so high and mighty that you haven't heard of walking?" Reno raised an eyebrow at her.
"Yes, but," Raz huffed and looked away from him again, ignoring his comment about her status as best as possible, "but what the hell were you doing all the way out there?"
There was a moment of silence on his end, and this caused Raz to look at him. A troubled look had overcome his features and he was frowning at the ground in front of his feet.
"What's up?" Raz asked, feeling uncomfortable.
Reno shook his head, his fiery hair falling into his emerald-colored eyes and his mullet swishing across his black jacket. "It's just that … well, I'm not really sure why I walked all the way out there. I just … had a weird feeling." He glanced furtively at Raz, making her feel even more awkward. "It was almost like I knew someone was out there. Someone desperate."
Raz stopped in her tracks, and Reno stopped also, but he kept his gaze on the ground.
"That's strange," Raz commented after a moment of silence.
"Hmm."
"Like a psychic connection or something …" Raz trailed off, realizing something suddenly. "Oh my gosh, that's what that was."
Reno glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "What what was?"
"When the plane crashed, I was knocked out for a little while -- I'm not sure how long. But …" She paused. "I had the strangest feeling … like, someone was grabbing my hand. That's what pulled me awake -- someone grabbing my hand, trying to pull me out of the plane. But when I came to, there was no one there. I -- I was clutching air."
The city loomed ahead as the silence lengthened between the two lone figures on the plane.
Reno was the first to start walking again, and Raz had to hurry to match his unusually quick pace.
"Wait --" Raz began but was surprised when Reno spun around to face her once again.
He held up a hand, dropped it, and a pained expression crossed his face. Then he said, "Let's not tell anyone about our … um … little incident, agreed?"
"Sure, but --"
"No questions, just do it, please. It's just not …" He trailed off and rubbed the back of his head.
"Not a natural occurrence," Raz finished.
Reno nodded.
Raz shrugged. "Sure. I wasn't intending on telling anyone anyway. It would ruin my repu--" She cut herself off before she could finish. Did she actually still care about her reputation? Did it really matter all that much?
If Reno had caught her hesitation, he didn't show it, because he had begun walking -- in his regular slouched manner -- toward the city again.
There was more silence, but then Raz felt the urge to ask, "Does your city have a means of transportation to Midgar?"
Reno snorted. "Of course it does."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Raz's hackles rose at the sarcasm.
"I mean, of course it does. That," he pointed to the city, "is Migar."
Raz blinked and stumbled. "No way!" she exclaimed. "I was near it all along! Yes!" She laughed and clapped her hands together a few times before realizing that Reno was no longer beside her. She spun around to find him standing a few yards back.
He was staring at her with amusement.
"What?" Raz said lightly, trying to wipe the relieved smile off her face and failing.
Reno just shook his head and grinned at her. "Nothing." As he passed her, he added, "You have a beautiful smile."
Raz paused, surprised, before softly murmuring, "Thanks."