Right
AN: I own nothing in this story. This is for fire mystic so enjoy! Please R&R.
Tifa opened her eyes, a lazy, contented smile on her face. Reaching out an arm to wrap around her boyfriend's chest, she was instead met with empty space. She heard the shower running then and wrapped some covers around her.
Last night had been the one year anniversary of their relationship. Reno had taken her dancing and then back home to a candlelit dinner. He had even gotten her jewelry. All she had done was given him a pair of new goggles.
"I've got to top that next year," Tifa said aloud, the smile still on her face. If you had told her two years ago that she could be this happy with Reno of all people she would recommend committal to an asylum but here she was content as could be.
Well other than the weird dream she had last night.
The shower stopped running and Reno soon appeared in the bedroom doorway, a towel covering his still dripping body, the familiar scars visible on his skin.
"Hello stranger," Tifa said, sitting up. He smiled and lay beside her, arms wrapping around her body.
"Hi...sleep well?" Reno asked, kissing her on the lips. After breaking apart, Tifa's smile faltered a little.
"Yeah but I had a bad dream."
"What about?" Reno asked.
"I dreamed that someone kidnapped you in the middle of the night while I just watched it happen," Tifa said softly, hugging Reno tightly as she told him. But once she was finished she noticed the way Reno was staring at her. He looked for all the world like he had been caught at the scene of some horrible crime.
"Re, what's wrong?"
"What do you mean?"
"Normally you tease me a little about any bad dreams I have." Reno nodded then and rubbed the back of his head.
"Sorry about that. I'll tease you later on though. And don't worry about dreams Teef, they're not real." He kissed her again and once he was done he went to put on some clothes.
Shaking her head at his odd behavior, she got out of bed and went to get ready for the day.
The days passed and Reno's odd behavior had lessened a little but still showed up now and then. Tifa put the blame on all the free time he now had, Shinra having given him three weeks of vacation. Night had fallen and they were about to go to bed, Tifa dressed in one of Reno's shirts and Reno in a pair of boxers. Reno got closer to Tifa, hands trailing along her sides.
"Are you up for some fun tonight?" he whispered in her ear. Tifa gave a sigh and looked at him.
"Sorry Re, I'm not in the mood tonight."
"Is your mood the only reason?" Reno asked, disappointment evident in his voice. Tifa moved away a little from him at that and stared intently at his face.
"No...somethings different about you Reno. It's almost like you're a different person." Reno moved closer then and placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her onto her back.
"Is that so?" His grip tightened on her shoulders and his eyes seemed to glow.
"Let go of me," Tifa said, trying to check her mounting anger. Reno had promised her when they had first started their relationship that he would never force her to do anything she didn't want to.
"No, I'm tired of waiting. I've wanted you for so long Tifa and now the moment's finally here," Reno replied. Tifa managed to get a hand free and lashed out, punching him deep in the solar plexus. The force of the blow sent Reno flying off the bed, his body crashing to the bedroom floor.
"You're not Reno," Tifa stated. The figure on the floor got up, his red hair becoming blond and then flashing back to red in an instant.
"So...you finally figured it out. He's going to hurt you Tifa and I can't let that happen." The man's image then flickered like a jump in film and Cloud Strife's blue eyes were staring at his best friend.
"Where is he?" she asked calmly. Cloud got to his feet, just staring at her.
"You're not going back to him Ti- but Tifa was suddenly grabbing him by the neck and lifting him off the ground. Slamming him into the wall, her eyes bored into his.
"You walked out of my life. I allowed you to hurt me, so much so that I thought that I didn't have a right to be happy. Reno was there for me and fixed everything you broke. I won't let you hurt me again. Where is Reno?" Her grip tightened more at this and Cloud soon broke.
"Alright, I'll take you to him."
Tifa's heart was racing as Cloud led her to a grimy looking apartment complex, quickly opening the door. She rushed inside and started searching the rooms, finally finding Reno in one of them.
He was tied to a chair, an activated Sleep Materia glowing a pale blue strapped to his arm, which explained why Reno's eyes were closed and his breathing calm. She ripped the Materia off and threw it across the room before gently shaking Reno after untying him.
But the Turk didn't wake up.
"Reno, wake up...you've got to get up," Tifa said softly. She turned to Cloud then. "Why isn't he waking up?"
"I don't know. Maybe he'll stay like that and- but Tifa punched him hard, leaving the blond unconscious on the floor.
Reno was still asleep and Tifa was at her wit's end. She had slapped him, yelled at him, cried for him but nothing had worked.
"Reno...wake up...I don't want to be alone again. Please, I need you..." Tifa whispered, resting her forehead against his. She kissed him a moment later, the taste of his lips bittersweet. Breaking apart, she looked away, trying to come up with another way to wake him up when a voice spoke out.
"I thought I told you... that you're never alone, Tifa. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried," Reno said, his voice lethargic. Tifa was on him in an instant, hugging him tightly.
"Reno, I'm so sorry Cloud did that to you and I'm sorry I didn't realize that he was deceiving me and- but Reno just stroked her cheek and gave her a tired smile.
"It's alright. Everything is going to be alright." Tifa's eyes watered and she nodded.
"Yeah it is..."
And as Tifa hugged the man she needed more than anyone else, she whispered those words again.
"Yeah it is..."
