I WENT THROUGH THE VALEDICTORY CEREMONY!!! I HAVE NOW GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL!!!!

Rufus had expected it to more difficult then this; he had really expected to have to go throw pounds of paperwork just to see if he could find the terrorist with the Mako eyes.

And now, he was given a pretty straight forward clue by Tseng.

The Vice President stared at the Turk, who was currently lying on a hospital bed. He would recover quickly, thanks to the Turk's own Mako dose. Now, Tseng sat almost comfortably on the bed, looking at the Vice President in a respectful though slightly ashamed manner. Beside him, two Turks stood at the side, one of a relatively young age, possibly a new recruit, and the other a tanned and bald man named Rude, one of the more influential Turks.

Tseng had been discussing about the gunfight with them when Rufus passed by, intent on seeing his Turks personally himself. Unlike his father, Rufus maintained close ties with the Turks, only so that they would prefer him over his father. Half the time he could care less about their welfare, but a good dictator needed not only a strong army for war but faithful body guards who would willingly sacrifice their life for him. So almost every time the Turks got injured, Rufus would see them, even if only for a bit. Good thing he had, for as he passed by their room Tseng mentioned a terrorist with possible Mako eyes.

Rufus had quickly entered the room and demanded information. It might have not been the one he was searching for, but it was a lead.

Tseng gave Rufus a detailed report of how the gunfight started and escalated until the terrorists made it obvious they had the advantage. He described how the terrorists' favour had come through a redhead who wielded knives and guns like an expert. Though there was a good distance between them, and his face wasn't clear, Tseng was sure the terrorist's eyes were glowing, as if with Mako. Rufus suspected Tseng was hiding something from him then, but he said nothing. Tseng was one of his most faithful Turks, if it was serious; he'll tell Rufus later when there weren't other ears listening to the conversation.

"Judging by his height and built, I believe he's relatively young" Tseng continued "unfortunately, I cannot be sure of that. My apologies, sir"

"No matter" Rufus waved it aside, his eyes still sharp and determine "Now, you say he's either from AVANLANCHE or Eridanus (1)?"

"Yes sir, I explicitly heard the first group say they were of AVANLANCHE, and later during the gunfight I saw a few wanted terrorists of Eridanus."

Rufus' lips curled. "AVANLANCHE and Eridanus have both claimed responsibility to the ShinRa attack several days ago, haven't they?"

"Yes sir"

So he must be in one of those two terrorist groups… "Thank you, Tseng, I wish you a quick recovery"

"Thank you, sir" Rufus turned and walked out of the room. He really hadn't thought he would get some progress so easily. The terrorist was in one of those two groups, that information successfully narrowed down the population of Midgar. It still wasn't good enough though, while certain members of those groups were known publicly, there were many who were still undiscovered and hiding in the shadows. Who knows how many civilians were actually aiding the terrorists? For all he knew, his terrorist had simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and decided to just join the fun. Rufus could relate to that.

When that thought came to him, he paused. This was obsession; he was indirectly stalking a terrorist whom he didn't even know the name and face of. He was also already comparing himself with him, this couldn't be healthy.

Still, it has been a while since he had felt such interest in a terrorist. Maybe it'll make life even more interesting for him then paperwork or dealing with snobby ShinRa executives. He wasn't stupid enough to go into the front lines just for a chance to see the terrorist, if he wanted to see them, he would have to try something else.

Tseng said the AVALANCHE group came out of the Seventh Heaven Bar, he could always start there.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"You don't look that happy today, work was hard?"

Zack looked to his side and saw Reno sitting there, all good and charming. The SOLDIER smiled in relief, knowing he could, somewhat, rant about his hard day at work. He made no secret of his rather strange relationship with the greatest general history had ever seen, so by now Reno had heard enough about Sephiroth's cold attitude to not blink at Zack's comments. If Zack had been a more paranoid type of person, he would be suspicious of Reno's calm acceptance of everything, but Zack wasn't, so the fact slipped past him.

"…and I left after that." Zack finished after a long tirade of his day at ShinRa. Reno nodded sympathetically as he handed Zack another drink. The other man gulped it down gratefully, and Reno kept his expression carefully pleasant.

"Zack," the redhead began "I have to ask you, from what I hear of ShinRa, you're not exactly at your happiest there. Why do you force yourself to continue?"

"Hum?" The man looked at him, eyes slightly unfocused. It takes a lot to get a SOLDIER drunk, as the Mako fought off the effects. Zack used to make a point of avoiding getting drunk, but gradually he grew to trust Reno enough to let him see the SOLDIER at that stage. The first time he actually got drunk, Reno had been kind enough to drag the SOLDIER up to where ShinRa housed their first class employees. Another time, Reno paid him a room, the quality of it depending on what Zack had done during his drunken stage. One time, Zack had woke up in an extremely filthy place, and Reno told him it was because he almost went streaking outside and it was highly embarrassing for the redhead.

Reno never brought Zack to Aerith for two reasons: One, he was sure no woman would like to see their boyfriend drunk, and two, he just didn't want Zack or Aerith to know he knew both of them.

"I guess…its that I like the job itself, not the people, the job. Plus…I wouldn't know where to begin if I was suddenly told to start over. Maybe a mercenary or bounty hunter…but I'm not quite sure."

Reno smiled, alcohol at least gave him honest answers. "What do you think of the presidents?"

"The President's brutal and his son is cruel" was the slightly slurred reply. The bartender, a beautiful young woman named Tifa, passed by their table and paused.

"Did your friend have enough?" She asked.

"In my opinion, not yet, but most people would not like drunkards, so I guess probably" Reno answered. He looked up at her "But one more drink for me!"

"One for me too" Zack added, grinning before shooting Reno a glare "and I am not a drunkard" He then placed his head back down on the table. Reno rolled his eyes.

"Two orders coming right up" Tifa moved away. As she did so, the front doors open again. By instinct, Reno turned to the door, he nearly choked.

The blond was disguised, his hair was messier, and his clothing was not the trademark white, but Reno would recognize the vice president from anywhere. More startlingly was the fact that there was no flock of soldiers or Turks accompanying him. Reno rubbed his eyes and looked again to make sure, it was definitely Rufus. Rufus with…wasn't that Reeve Tuesti of the Urban Development Department?

Reno blinked, last time he checked, Rufus and Reeve were nowhere close, and especially not during the time Rufus was Vice President. What the heck was going on? He quickly looked away to avoid getting caught staring, but his Mako enhanced hearing perked up and tried to eavesdrop on what they were saying.

Reeve was obviously uncomfortable, not with the place, Reno could tell, the behaviour was more directed to Rufus' presence. It looked as if he didn't plan to come down here with Rufus at all. As for the blond, he still had that air of superiority and arrogance, and made a point of sneering at the cheap drinks available in the bar. Nevertheless, he ordered one, and Reeve followed the example. Once their orders were placed and it appeared that no one would listen to them, Reeve addressed his companion.

"May I ask why you chose to come here, sir?"

"I could very well ask you the same thing" Rufus smiled almost maliciously.

"I simply wished to do a small study of the people."

"Something which I am sure others can handle."

Reeve said nothing, simply looked away. Reno almost felt sorry for the guy. He wouldn't before, but that was before the whole crisis with Jenova and Meteor occurred. He knew now that Reeve was one of the few officials who actually cared for the common people. Well, he knew that before, but at the same time he had simply viewed the guy as someone too nice for his own good and too much of a pushover. In his world now, Reeve was one of the most respected figures, and definitely better liked then the ShinRa family.

The drinks arrived to Reno's table, and he took a small gulp. Zack downed his in one, and Reno frowned again.

"You're awfully intent on getting drunk today" He noted "Something else happened that you didn't mention to me?"

Zack nodded, and because of the alcohol ruining his common sense, answered "I killed two people today."

"Criminals, you mean? Maybe terrorists?"

"Something like that," Zack set his glass down. "One of them was someone who's supposed to be reinforcement for some terrorist group. The other was a partner for the mission" Reno nearly choked on his drink this time, he looked up at the dark haired man, but the SOLDIER wasn't looking at him anymore. There was a faraway look in his eyes.

"You know what the funny thing about it is? It is the potential terrorist who's tearing me up on the inside." Zack placed a hand over his heart, a solemn air around him. Reno quickly forgot about the Vice President sitting a few tables from them. Rather, his eyes and ears were focused on the man in front of him.

"The SOLDIER just got promoted; he was young, fresh, and eager. Maybe filled with dreams of becoming the next hero, hoping to gain Sephiroth's respect. Had just proposed to his girlfriend, and promised to marry her after his first mission; has a mother and father depending on him. He also has a younger sister as well, waiting for him to attend her graduation from school. Now I have to phone them all and inform them that he's dead." Zack refocused on Reno

"The other guy, the potential terrorist, was from my hometown. He used to be my childhood friend, he was a real good guy with a sense of justice, but he…he choose to join the terrorists. He knew I was talking of joining SOLDIER, and he used to agree with me. Was the one who first brought up the idea, in fact. He didn't come to Midgar because of some family emergency at the time, but he told me that he would come sometime later. As the years passed, I thought he had decided against it, or that maybe he had died. As it turns out, he had join the opposite cause…"

"I see," Reno nodded. At wake of this knowledge, he didn't blink when Zack snatched another glass from a passing tray. Tifa shot him an annoyed look, but said nothing as she double back to get another. Reno said nothing as the pattern continued, Zack getting himself depressingly drunk. After a while, Reno decided he had enough "Come on, let's get you out of here." Without guilt he wished out Zack's wallet and paid for the drinks, though Reno used his own money for his own share. He stood up and began to drag Zack out of the bar.

It was at that moment Reeve noticed them.

"Sir, is that…?" He trailed off. Rufus, who had been scanning the customers at the other side, turn to where Reeve was looking. Even he recognized the First Class SOLDIER, who was currently being dragged up by a redhead; said redhead had his back to them as, with amazing strength considering his slender built, he dragged the SOLDIER up and out the doors.

"No matter" Rufus dismissed "What soldiers do in their spare time is none of my concern. From the report I received earlier, he was on a mission earlier that killed a newbie. Let him get drunk for a while, as long as he returns to his duty sober afterwards." At the concerned look Reeve was giving, the Vice President frown "Fine, go after him if you wish."

"That would be a good idea, sir" Reeve commented "A First Class SOLDIER usually have their picture published on frequent basis, so there is a good chance that if he run into any terrorists, they will try to get rid of him at his current stage." Reeve left the bar, leaving Rufus alone. The blond dismissed his presence easily, and his eyes scanned the crowd again for a pair of Mako eyes.

Reeve, meanwhile, stepped out of the bar and quickly saw trouble had indeed arrived. Zack was at the side, throwing up on the ground, while Reno stood nearby. Several bulky men surrounded him, a few of them carrying clubs and knives. They were all growling at the redhead, who looked irritated and at the same time, arrogant. The eyes were viewing the men with contempt. Underneath one of his feet was another man, sprawled over the floor, face grinded against the ground.

"How dare you…" A man growled

"Treating our friend this way, bitch!" Another snarled.

"You're going to pay!" A third continued. He drew his fist back and ran forward.

Reno didn't even blink.

A pale hand quickly caught the larger one, effectively blocking the attack. The same hand then twisted, and threw the man over the redhead's shoulder. Another rushed forward, and Reno simply moved his upper body to the side, his feet still locked in the same spot, before striking the man's neck with the side of his palm. One threw a knife forward, but the young man caught the blade between his fingers, before throwing it back. Another struck from behind, and the former Turk back flipped into the air, kicking the man as he landed back on his feet. Two of them raised their clubs and rushed at him with a yell, but the redhead simply grabbed one of them and threw them at the other. The two men were smashed against the wall, leaving several cracks. The man who had his head stepped on earlier scrambled out of the way and stared at the strange boy in front of him.

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded. Reno merely flexed his fingers, and that effectively stopped the man. He turned and ran, his gang following him.

"We'll remember this!" One of them swore, even as they ran off like frightened children.

A soft groan drew Reno's attention away; as he turned to look at Zack collect himself. The SOLDIER was rubbing his head and muttering, so Reno moved forward "Yo, Zack."

"Re-no" The man groaned "My head…hurts. You let me get drunk again?"

"At least you didn't do anything embarrassing this time, yo" Reno said dryly. Zack just groaned in response.

"Why were you beating up those men?"

"They thought they could steal your money and that I was someone they could pick up" Reno answered. He held out a hand "Get up now, soldier."

"Huh," Zack replied as he grasped the hand "Well, you are too skinny for your own good, not to mention you have pale skin and long hair." Reno let him go, and the SOLDIER yelped as he fell back down.

"Let's drag you back home before I decide to leave you out at the streets" The former Turk folded his arms and made a point of turning away to leave. As Zack complained about his headache, Reno spotted Reeve standing with wide eyes at the front doors.

"Yo, sir" Reno's voice shook Reeve out of his stunned state "By any chance, can you help me drag my friend here back to his home?"

"Wait…I can't do that. I don't know the SOLDIER homes…"

"It won't take you long, and do you really have to wait on your blond companion?" Reno asked. Although the words sound innocent, he knew that Reeve will take it another way. As he predicted, Reeve nodded, and stepped down. The two of them ignored Zack's words about being able ot handle himself as they placed one of Zack's arms over their shoulders and began walking. They arrived to the upper plates, and headed to the SOLDIER dorms. To fill in the silence, Reno was talking the whole time. The subjects were not personal though, and Reno made sure not to let slip anything that might incriminate him.

"…Speaking of Seventh Heaven, it's a very popular hangout since the bartender is famous for her beauty and ability to kick ass. She's not someone you would mess with. Don't know her political views or what she thinks of life at the moment, but I think she doesn't really like the pollution here. You hear her mention her country-side home more often then here…"

Reeve didn't say anything except to make a hum of acknowledgement. His eyes had been too busy scanning the people, trying to study how the 'commoners' were doing. It slightly pained him to see most of their feelings consist of despair and anger. Yet, as they moved closer to ShinRa made homes for their workers, the faces grew fewer, and as a result he studied Zack's strange companion, coming upon a strange realization.

The redhead had Mako eyes.

That wasn't common for the normal people.

They were reaching some of the quieter areas now, and Reno was starting to calm down after his non-stop rant. Reeve studied the redhead's common clothing, the pale and unblemished skin that should have been toughened due to the fight with those men. When Reno finally paused, Reeve took a chance.

"Look...Reno, I've wanted to ask for a while, but who are you?"

Reno blinked, and glanced at him strangely "I told you already, I'm Reno, Zack's latest drinking buddy, nothing else."

Reeve stared at him "That's a lie"

Reno returned the stare "What are you talking about?"

"You're not, to quote, nothing else" Reeve clarified "What are you hiding from me? Your words regarding ShinRa...there's contempt in your voice. What happened in your past? You're hiding something, I know it."

"Oh really?" A strange gleam suddenly entered Reno's bright Mako eyes "What about you? What are you hiding from me?"

"What…what are you talking about?"

"Do you have anything you are hiding from me, kind stranger?"

"No-Nothing, I'm just…as you said…I'm just a kind stranger."

"That's a lie" There was something sharp in that voice now and the tone made the hair on the back of Reeve's neck stand.

"What…why would you say that?"

"Kind stranger, you said you know nothing about the SOLDIER dorms earlier, didn't you? I was watching you as we arrived here. You didn't need my help at all; you knew where the SOLDIER dorms were from the very beginning. That's not all either, that blond companion you had with you…I believe I have seen his face before. Actually, I'm sure I have seen him before."

The air suddenly grew very still; the smile Reno had earlier had something resembling danger on those lips now.

"Who was he, your blond companion?"

"He…he was just someone working above me"

"Under ShinRa laws, why would a superior want to fraternize with his underling?"

"I'll actually like to know that as well!"

"Then, why was he looking around the bar so calculatingly? Looking for terrorists?"

"That's…that's none of your business…"

"Truly?" The Mako eyes closed, curved up in a happy arc. Reeve nodded, almost eagerly.

"Yes, it really…it really has nothing to do with you."

"YOU ARE A LIAR REEVE TUESTI!!!!"

The scream cut through the air and echoed in the streets. Several rats hiding in the shadows squeaked and scrambled out, their feet scratching the ground as they spread out across the floor. Other vermin spread out along the walls, crawling into the light like a hideous creature sliding against the flat surfaces. Reno's expression had twisted terrifyingly, distorting his features and giving him an expression of pure anger. The happy smile that he had been wearing earlier had completely disappeared. Reeve was rooted on the spot, staring almost in terror as the redhead dropped Zack down and advanced towards him.

"Just like how you and ShinRa have your own secrets, kind stranger…" Reno purred as brought his once-again-smooth face close to the older man's "The common people and I have our own as well."

"I…I understand" Reeve nodded. Reno pulled back, and smiled welcomingly at him again.

"Let's go," He chirped as he helped the fallen SOLDIER up again "Zack's home isn't that far from here."

(1) The Orion constellation is usually seen besides the Greek mythological river Eridanus

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, anyone? I swear I love that scene XD Rena, Mion, Shion, Satoko and Riku are great characters. Who wants to start a Higurashi fandom?

Wow, three fics (One More Chance, In Cold Embraces, and This Vampire's Addiction) all updated at one go. My way of being generous after High School graduation. Or maybe it's just my way of showing I will not abandon my stories, as I still have provincial exams to finish. At that stage, updates will probably come slower. Unless I get a drastic amount of reviews (hint hint)