It was amazing and although in ruins, out shined a metropolis like St. Bevelle in more ways than one. The city had a dark aura about it as if written directly from some old depressing Yevonite poem and the faces of the people proved testament to it. The sky was gray, not a sparkle of blue able to burst from the saturated clouds and shed some kind of sunshine on the city. It was like the sky wanted nothing more than to weep its tears but something was holding it back, just as most of Midgar's pedestrians.
A single over packed suitcase was straining her arm, but it was nothing compared to the emotional strain on her heart. But that was behind her now, Midgar, the fallen city, would be her new life. What she had done she refused to let follow her any longer.
"Okay…now where exactly am I?" Yuna mumbled finding a rusty bench to rest for a moment, her arm nearly numb. The 19 year old would feel around in her brown pouch fumbling around until she'd pull out a crumbled slip of paper, the handwriting barely legible in her haste. "Go past Loveless…I passed that an hour ago." She groaned flinching as a motorcyclist missed her by only a hair's width "I should have passed 7th Heaven already." Yuna sighed getting up as a pout formed on her gentle face. It was the third time she had gotten lost already and every second of it was all too frustrating. Her mismatched eyes searched desperately for anything familiar but every building and street seemed to change the second she'd look away and back again. Feeling her stomach begin to knot she took her bag starting to walk up the streets with no real destination.
It had not been since she was a little girl taking her first steps on Besaid she had been this lost but this time there was no Lulu to find her in the middle of the jungle. And this place was indeed a jungle on its own with trees of steel, concrete and glass with rivers of tar and cars.
The sidewalk its self seemed to be made to trip tourists or newcomers such as herself when her foot scraped into one of the many little potholes sending the brunette to her knees. She was far from surprised by the gash on her knee when she reached for her suitcase beside her for some reassurance only for her to grab air. Her heart leaping to her throat, Yuna looked up immediately into what she thought had to be the shores of Besaid on the clearest day trapped in the human eye.
Eyes like the clearest aqua ocean, fierce yet somewhat sly as they had captured her own orbs of blue and green completely. Her eyes had managed to escape the pull of the aqua optics and found the two slim diagonal scars on either side of his high-defined cheekbones. Yuna's lips parted as she managed to avert her eyes realizing that she was staring not only at the scars but his long messy hair the color of blood in which a few strands fell in front of his eyes. She looked away quickly picking herself off from the pavement, blood trickling down her leg.
"This yours?" The male asked smirking watching as the young woman brush herself off from the gravel that the sidewalk left on her. It was all too obvious she was not born in Midgar; her skin had too healthy a glow about it to be raised in such a place. Yuna felt her cheeks flush reaching for her heavy suitcase feeling before feeling her knee give out again. However, instead of feeling the blow and rocks digging into her skin she felt a pair spider like hands around her waist catch her and lifting her back up. Avoiding his fierce eyes 19 year old chuckled embarrassed yet still keeping her cool as she had been trained endlessly to do.
"Yes, and I'm sorry… I'm a bit lost." The man smirked making her a more nervous when he didn't let her go.
"That I can tell. There are some steps over there; Think you can manage that?" Reno asked in rather condescending tone as his eyes were unable to leave her rear end as the summoner walked, rather limped, to a stone stoop safe from the high traffic sidewalk. She was offended but she was in no real position to bite off the head of the only "kindness" she had received in the city.
Yuna watched as he picked up her suitcase seemingly taking his time and yet she couldn't help but admire his looks anyway. A slim lanky physique, tall although quite a few people had this quality over her, and a seemingly tameless mess of crimson hair pulled back into a just as messy pony tail. What confused her most however was not his attention that he gave her but the way he wore his dark navy blue suit so casually she couldn't tell if he was someone actually important, or just a plain bum. Looking back to her oozing knee Yuna jumped startled when her old suitcase was tossed to her side, the man sitting beside her.
"Scare you?" He asked rather smugly to the young woman. She seemed so exotic compared to the rest of the city's women while the glow in her soft looking skin gave away her foreign background.
"Hell even the way she smells is weird." The Turk thought to himself feeling the edge of the stone steps dig into his back. "It's fruity… like a flower or maybe like an island...?" His distinct eyes went back to the young woman who seemed more concerned about her suitcase being destroyed than the open wound on her little knee. It didn't present much of a problem though as it gave him an almost perfect view of her backside, and a small amount of breast that remind him somewhat of Tifa and her clothing 2 years ago. What man could forget that?
"It seems so." She retorted although her voice was more kind than sarcastic.
Seeing that no damage was done to her suitcase, the hairs on the back of Yuna's neck began to prickle knowing she was being watched. Pausing at the feeling the young woman rolled her eyes letting out a groan. She wasn't used to this level of vulnerability anymore.
"But hardly," She recovered, "I'm Yuna by the way and thank you."
Choosing to ignore her, Reno continued to dig through his inner coat pocket looking for the proper materia. He was never really one to keep organized despite of both Tseng and Rude's advice. Not aware nor caring on whatever the red head was doing, Yuna returned the favor looking back to her knee about to wipe away some of the blood from the sore wound freezing as she felt his hand ever so lightly touch her her wrist.
"It's Reno. Don't move." His hands were slender and long and in his palm he held a round green stone that emitted a small glow against her cut until both the blood and the wound were gone. Yuna moved around her slim leg, a small smile creeping on her face when she got up as good as new.
"Thank you, Reno." Her eyes glittered down at him truly touched as this time she successfully reached for her suitcase this time pulling out her slip of paper. "I don't suppose you can tell me where this is can you?" Reno got up, his lazy eyes widening as he read the address, smirking not only at her intended destination, but at the fact he was tall enough to be able to see down her shirt. Yuna took no notice to this though as she peered up at him hopefully.
"7th Heaven huh? Why there?" The Turk thought to himself surprised when his question was instantly answered.
"I need to get there soon; I'm starting a new job." Yuna looked at him a bit shocked when he snorted glancing up from the paper, refusing to look directly at her. It was then that Yuna realized where his eyes truly were and her mouth plummeted open as she took the paper from his rolling her eyes. "Are you going to help me or not because I'd rather not be later then I already am."
Reno watched her amused as the young woman had her hands resting loosely on her hips. She was sexy no doubt about that and even her little tantrum made her somewhat more appealing although bratty immature girls were never exactly his taste.
"Maybe, if you have some manners about it."
"I wouldn't talk about manners if I were you." She spat, her slim brow arched, her cheeks pink while her mind could only imagine on what the stranger had seen. "And maybe isn't good enough. I'll find it on my own Reno, thanks." Although she was fuming with anger the smirk that appeared on his pale face almost made her crack a smile…almost.
"I am going to have to see you when you start working." Reno's aqua eyes glittered seeing her full carnation pink lips pout and her sudden bad girl attitude waver a bit. Still the young woman merely rolled her eyes.
"I'm leaving now."
"Then why don't you turn around girlie?"
"Why? So you can stare at my...backside again?" Yuna glared at him feeling her cheeks become flushed with heat as a more serious anger filled her this time. Even when she was a summoner she hated being stared at as if she were an object of some sort. Reno only laughed at the brunette twirling his one finger motioning her to look behind her. Groaning Yuna turned seeing a pub with the sign 7th Heaven above the very stoop she had just been sitting on.
"You're such a-" The ex-summoner turned, her eyes glittering with anger only to find that she had been talking to herself. Reno, if that was even his name, was gone. "…Pig." She finished letting out a sigh as she walked into the bar unaware that a pair of aqua eyes that still watched her every move.
From the moment Yuna walked in to 7th Heaven she was surprised by how polished and clean everything was compared to the city. Although she knew she wasn't being fair to the city it was true Midgar had come a long way since it's disaster meaning that now less than half of the building were crumbled on the ground now. The place wasn't too full but that wasn't surprising for a Monday afternoon when she pulled herself and her bag to the counter where a woman about her age seemingly waited for her. The bartender's chocolate cherry eyes glittered recognizing the new arrival instantly. Needless to say Yuna stood out more than she had realized.
"Miss Lockheart?" Yuna hesitated with a small smile on her face feeling a strange calm come over herself that she had the right person when the bartender nodded.
"You got it. You're late you know. Normally I'd give a lecture but since your new, I'll let it slide." She teased seeing the relief on the ex-Summoner's face. Tifa came out behind the bar with a grin on her olive colored face. Tucking back a lock of her dark hair she tossed a small glance to the scratched up suitcase. "I'm surprised you brought so little, I thought you were going to be staying here long term."
"Oh I am Miss but this is all I need. I do aplogize for being late however. I got a bit…lost"
"Don't worry about all the "Miss" stuff, Tifa is just fine." The 22 year old smiled grabbing a rag off the clean counter. "You'll get to know Midgar fast so you're sure to meet some people. Now Reeve said he explained everything to you on the phone so you already know this isn't exactly super star work correct?" The ex-summoner nodded returning Tifa's friendly smile.
"Tifa I am the farthest thing from a celebrity. I just want to make myself useful and sphere hunting is what I am good at. I accepted this job knowing I am going to get messy"
"Good, good then. I'll let Reeve know you arrived in one piece in the morning then so let me help you move your things now and show you to your room upstairs." Yuna nodded surprised when effortlessly Tifa took her belongings as if they weighed as much as a dry leaf. Hesitating the 19 year old paused at the stairs, Reno's aqua eyes flashing in her mind.
"Hey Tifa you wouldn't happen to know Reno would you?"
"A who?" Tifa replied tossing Yuna's bag on the bed.
"Oh…never mind."
O.o.O
