Title: Rain
By: KuroSakura
Summary: The bond between partners in the Turks is just as close, if not closer, than the bond between lovers. A Turk's partner is everything, confidante, silent understanding, drinking partner. At least, that's how it was for Reno. Until a night in the rain destroyed everything.
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Angst, Tragedy, Hurt/Comfort,
Couples: Sephiroth/Vincent,
Warnings: Yaoi, 1st Person, Character Death, Swearing, Drinking, Smoking, etc, etc.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.
…
-Vincent-
We don't go out very often, Sephiroth and I. People are...not our favorite things to interact with. But, sometimes, even we need companionship that comes from sitting in a dingy little restaurant with 20 or so other patrons. We don't usually speak with the other patrons, we just listen to their voices, lilting, remorseful, vibrant, and angry. It doesn't matter that we don't speak with them. We just need to hear them. If we needed to interact with people, meaning actually speaking with them and holding conversations, we would go to Cid, or Zack. People we know and arguably care about. Otherwise, we simply stay in our home, interacting with only ourselves or the delivery boys who bring the pizza Sephiroth has found himself taken with.
But tonight we needed other voices. The four in my head have been louder than normal, and Sephiroth cannot always drown them out himself. So he went without his pizza as we traveled into town to sit in the darkest corner of the restaurant, both of us with our backs to the wall while we watched the hub-bub of other lives. Now we've begun walking back, thankful for the fresh air after a few hours buried in the stench of humans, even if it is raining. It's just a light rain, though.
Except the air is not so fresh, as there is the sharp scent of blood being beaten down by the rain. The four demons inside me lurch toward the surface at the scent of it, and I have to pause in my walk to force them back down. Chaos, surprisingly, is the first to retreat back to the black areas of my soul he's claimed as his own. The rest follow him fairly quickly, except for the Galian Beast. It continues to fight my control, determined to discover the source of the blood. I am finally left with a choice, compromise with the beast and search it out while still in control, or continue fighting with it for the rest of the night.
"Vincent, where are you going?" Sephiroth asks as I turn away from our path, beginning to follow the scent of the blood. He dislikes being in the rain longer than he absolutely has to. His hair frizzes beyond belief when wet, despite the amount of care he puts into it. I don't answer, just continuing to follow the scent. I hear him sigh behind me as he begins to follow me. I wasn't sure if he was going to or not, but my Gil was on that he would, and I was right. As independent as we both are, I'm not sure we know how to live without each other any longer. We've just grown far too used to having the other with us at all times.
Perhaps this relationship is no longer healthy. Perhaps it's no longer even a relationship. Yes, we still share our bed, but sex is not nearly as common as it used to be. In fact, Chaos tends to be the one to instigate intercourse now. I believe Sephiroth and I have moved into a codependent situation. We are comforted by the other's closeness. Or maybe I'm just too dull of a person and Sephiroth has lost interest. I would understand such a situation.
But our relationship, or lack thereof, is the least of my concerns when I step into the dark alley. The streets Sephiroth and I had just been walking on are lighted, so it takes even my demon-enhanced eyes a moment to adjust. And in that moment, I have to dodge an EMR that I cannot even see, although I know it is coming at me. Unfortunately for my attacker, Sephiroth is standing behind me, and he grasps the wrist to keep the person in place. My eyes adjust, and standing in front of me, struggling against Sephiroth's grip, is Reno. I look around quickly, not wanting his partner, Rude, to get the jump on us, but he appears to not be here.
"Let go, let go of me, you fucking bastard!" Reno is shouting, and Sephiroth looks close to shutting him up. I turn back to Reno, noticing that he is covered in blood, the same that drew me to this alley in the first place. Also, thanks to Galian's enhanced sense of smell, I know that not all of the water on Reno's face is from the rain. The realization beginning to dawn on me, I glance at Sephiroth. He nods, grabbing Reno's other wrist to keep better control of the struggling Turk as I step further into the alley. Reno's struggles get worse, and as I glance around a stack of boxes tossed out for garbage, I see why. Rude.
I feel my heart clench for Reno. Rude has probably been the only person he's ever really cared for, and had care about him. I step forward, leaning down to scoop Rude up in my arms. I don't really know the two Turks very well, but even I know that Rude is too good a person to simply be left out in a dark alley during the rain. I will make sure his body is properly taken care of, and that Reno is given a place to mend at, even if he doesn't want it. Besides, maybe he'll be able to drown out the four demons in my head.
I walk back to the mouth of the alley, stepping over garbage and boxes which now seem more in the way than before, since I'm carrying Rude. As a person, he's actually bigger than I, so it is unwieldy to carry him. Sephiroth quirks an eyebrow at me as we move into the road. He's still holding Reno, who is still trying to get at me, growling obscenities and threats. "We're taking them with us. I will not allow Rude to simply be left in an alley, and Reno will need a place to stay for awhile."
Sephiroth gives Reno a long look, then finally shrugs. I suppose he's come to the same conclusion that I have. He might be useful for noise against the demons.
A/N: I'm sorry, Rude! I love you! Ahem...This one...is likely to be darker than I seem to be doing recently. I certainly hope it is. I need to stay in the habit, as I have two novels, one which is certainly going to be hellishly dark. Anyway, R&R, please!