Summary; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.
Ah, a big, long update for all you luvalee readers! The darn ruler still isn't working for me, so you'll have to deal with the OoOoOo's for now. Thanks everyone who's reviewed and encouraged me! I got Dirge of Cerberus a few days ago and started it last night - awesome game. I won't be using anything from the game plot in this, though - it's still based on FFAC and FF7. I love my stories, but that's WAY too complicated! Anyway, continue on...if you read this, that is.
Please review if you read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome.
"Hey, what's up?" Reno grinned, slapping his friend on the arm. Rude was sitting outside the door in the hall, shades on as usual and arms crossed over his chest. "What, is she in trouble or something?" he asked, noticing the man's solemn gaze.
"No – I believe she is tired," Rude told him, deciding not to get involved with whatever his boss was up to concerning the young woman behind the door. "She locked it, but I know you have a key."
"So do you," the redhead pointed out, but the other man merely shrugged.
"I think I merely agitated her."
"Hah!" the younger Turk shouted with a quick laugh, reaching into his pocket for the key to the door. He glanced over when Rude suddenly stood up, and blinked when he began to drag the chair down the hall. "Hey, where're ya going, buddy?" he asked, and the bald Turk shrugged.
"I have other things to attend to now," he said simply, and Reno rolled his eyes.
"Whatever, man," he replied, unlocking the door and returning the key to his pocket as he strode into the room, looking around curiously. Everything appeared to be in place, and the Turk shut the door behind him warily, wondering if Vincent had paid another visit to the young woman. Reaching the center of the room and still not seeing Xoe, he paused and rested his hand on his tazer, ready to draw it in a second. "Xoe? Where'd ya go?" he called, and jumped when he heard a noise behind him.
"Reno!" she cried, surprising the Turk into silence when she rushed at him, throwing her arms around his waist and pressing her body against his. To his further amazement, Reno realized she was shaking from head to foot, and looked down at her, his eyes wide.
"Hey, what's the matter?" he managed. She only shook her head and squeezed him even tighter, and Reno got the uncomfortable feeling he was wearing a corset. "Hey, c'mon, I was only gone a few days," he continued, completely out of his element. "I didn't mean to be so long," he added, but when she didn't reply he sighed and rested a hand on the top of her head comfortingly, his other releasing his tazer and slipping around her shoulders. "What's the matter? You're not crying, are you?" he realized in shock, feeling his shirt getting wet.
"I…was afraid…you…were never…coming back," she whispered between hiccupping sobs. Reno resisted the urge to scratch the back of his head, a nervous habit, and settled for shifting around a bit. As she calmed down after a few moments, the Turk waited patiently until he felt her grip loosen before moving his hand from her head to her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
"Not coming back? Why wouldn't I?" he asked, honestly confused. "I'm a Turk, after all," he added, and stammered when she stared back at him, panic creeping into her eyes at the last part. "Well…I mean…uh…" he tried to spit something out, but she took a deep breath and shook her head, as if to clear it.
"I'm sorry," Xoe apologized suddenly, but still didn't step back from the Turk. She stared at the ground between them, and he sighed.
"No problem – but what's the matter?" he repeated again. "Did something happen while I was gone? Did Vincent come back and act all creepy and shit?"
"No – it wasn't anything," she shook her head once more, and reluctantly released the Turk, who took a deep breath of relief and stepped back a few paces. "I guess I was just…scared," she managed, turning red from embarrassment, while Reno examined her in confusion.
"Okay," he shrugged, obviously not understanding what she was saying at all. "Well, I'm back now, so don't worry about it. I won't be going away for a long time, at least," he promised, deciding to have a talk with Tseng about her condition later that night.
As luck would have it, Reno didn't have a chance to talk to Tseng at all until the night after next, since Xoe refused to let him leave for anything more than to use the bathroom – and even then she kept a wary eye on the door. The Turk couldn't figure out what was wrong with her or what was causing her to act like that, but to his comrades' surprise, he patiently put up with it, apparently not even losing his temper.
"You've been surprisingly quiet up till now," Elena commented with a grin, as the four Turks grouped around the bar late at night, once Reno was sure Xoe was soundly asleep.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded, elbows lounging on the counter as usual.
"Nothing," she shrugged, and pointedly ignored the redhead's glare.
"Was there something you wanted to talk to me about, Reno?" Tseng asked calmly, the piercing stares not having gone unnoticed. Reno nodded, his eyes glancing toward the door. "All right – we'll be back momentarily," he told the other two, leading Reno out of the room. Heading into the room the lead Turk now shared with Rude, the dark-haired man turned to face Reno with a questioning stare on his face. "Now, what was it? I'm assuming it has something to do with Xoe."
"Yeah," Reno nodded, leaning against the wall calmly. "She totally freaked out when we got back – she acted like she was terrified of something. And she won't say anything about anything."
"Hm…and you wanted to tell me why?"
"Well, did Elena say anything?" the redhead prodded, straightening a little. "Rude says he doesn't know nothing, but I'm sure blondie does."
"She told me Sir spoke privately to Xoe the afternoon before we arrived," Tseng nodded, deciding it would be better for him to tell Reno something rather than have the temperamental Turk rampaging on the search for answers. "Perhaps something happened – Elena said she didn't know. Maybe memories resurfaced?"
"I don't think so," Reno shook his head, but crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. "Thanks for telling me, Tseng. Wait – why did you?"
"Because there's no need for you to become violent, that's why," the other man explained calmly.
"Whaddya mean?"
"I know you, Reno – you'll lose your temper soon enough and do something foolish, and that's the last thing we need right now," Tseng informed him, and Reno looked a little surprised. "Please, your personality is…layered, but hardly that complex."
"Hey!"
"See?" the amused man pointed out, and Reno only glared at him. "Calm down, Reno. I don't advise you try to start any trouble right now – I'm sure Xoe will return to her old self in a short time, with you around. You have to remember to pick your battles."
"She was terrified!" Reno protested, but Tseng cut him off.
"Yes, but we don't have proof of anything, do we?" he pointed out, and the fellow Turk was forced to mutter something. "For now, just concentrate on your assignment – and I advise you take a close look at yourself and your priorities and decide where your loyalties lay."
"Is that a threat, or advice?" the redhead asked suspiciously, his gaze following Tseng as the man headed for the door. His hand resting on the doorknob, Tseng turned his head enough to meet Reno's eyes, and shrugged slightly.
"Maybe a little of both."
"Hm," he huffed, tightening his arms over his chest before heaving a sigh and dropping them to his sides, left alone in the room. Figuring – correctly – that Xoe would probably be worrying where he was at that point, he shook his head in aggravation and headed out the door himself.
"Is something wrong?" Xoe asked curiously, as Reno entered the bedroom looking both tired and aggravated. He glanced over at her, and shook his head with a sigh.
"Nah – I'm just tired," he shrugged, tugging off his jacket and shirt and flopping over onto his cot, after flipping off his shoes as was his habit, remaining only in his pants and socks. "How about we go into Midgar tomorrow?" he suggested suddenly, and she frowned suspiciously at him. "What?"
"What's the matter?" she persisted, sitting up in bed and leaning forward. "You're not acting normal, Reno."
"I said I was tired," he repeated, rolling over onto his side and closing his eyes stubbornly. He heard shifting across the room and assumed she was going to sleep as well, and sighed heavily as he prepared to fall asleep. When a sudden weight appeared beside him, he jumped and turned his head, only to see Xoe staring at him. "What are you doing?" he demanded, as she stretched out next to him, her head resting against his shoulder blades.
"You looked lonely," she told him sleepily, and slipped into sleep before he could force her out of his bed.
"Lonely?" the Turk blinked in surprise, but decided against waking the young woman back up to question her. Shrugging slightly, he leaned back against the pillows, stifling a loud yawn.
"So, any more guesses about what that girl is, Vincent?" Cloud joked, meeting his solemn friend for drinks in Tifa's bar late that night. "I mean, you already established she's not human, right?"
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't mock me," the older man said stiffly. "I can sense her power, and it's anything but normal – even Kadaj and his gang didn't give off the same aura."
"Not a remnant, then?" the blond biker guessed, and Vincent nodded. "With all your history with Shinra and everything, I'm not surprised you can sense stuff like that. Have you figured out why you could feel her at the spring yet? You said something about Jenova."
"Yes," Vincent agreed. "Her power feels similar to Jenova, to Sephiroth, and to the remnants – but it's weak, as if not fully awake."
"Is she another clone?" Cloud wondered, taking another drink. "That'd make sense, if her power is similar…"
"More like Jenova than the others," his friend objected suddenly. "Whatever her connection is to all this, I'm sure Shinra is aware of something more than we are – and that he's planning on using her for whatever plots he decides to create."
"I didn't know you cared so much," the other young man grinned, but blinked when Vincent shot him a dirty look.
"If what I'm sensing is any indication, this girl contains much power – and it would be devastating if Shinra was able to control her," the dark-haired man informed the other darkly. "Unless you feel like having Rufus Shinra ruling you, you might want to make a change of attitude."
"You think she could be that powerful?" Cloud asked in disbelief.
"I'm not assuming anything at this point," Vincent replied, meaning nothing was out of the question at this point. Cloud didn't ask any more questions, knowing his friend wasn't going to say anything else on the subject.
"So that's what she is!" Shinra gasped, reviewing the test results himself early that morning. The papers lay on his desk before him, but he was barely able to believe his suspicions had all been correct regarding the young woman's origins. Reading them yet again, he decided it was time to put his plan into action, suspecting what she had been hiding from him and smirking in anticipation of finally being able to take control of her.
"Is something wrong, Sir?" Tseng asked calmly, entering the room after his boss had buzzed him in.
"Fetch Xoe and bring her here," he ordered, and the Turk regarded the man before him in slight surprise.
"So early, Sir?" he checked, and Shinra nodded firmly.
"I am aware what time it is, Tseng," the man said coolly. "Now, go get her and return immediately. And there is no need for Reno to accompany her," he added, and Tseng nodded sternly.
"Yes, Sir," he agreed, exiting the room as his mind tried to figure out what his boss was planning.
"Sir wants to speak to you," Tseng explained, restraining un-Turk-like laughter after he had found them sleeping in the same bed and woken them both up. Xoe only pulled the blankets back over her head in silent protest, while Reno yawned once again.
"Lemme get dressed…" the Turk slurred, but Tseng shook his head.
"He only wants to see Xoe," he told them, and Reno blinked in surprise.
"I guess I'll stay here, then," he said grouchily, turning around and shaking the lump gently. "Hey, you gotta go get dressed and stuff. Up and at 'em and all that shit," the redhead continued, and Tseng's eyes narrowed when she didn't respond.
"Is she all right?" Tseng asked, and Reno shrugged.
"She was last night…Xoe?" he checked, stretching and pulling the blankets away from her. "Hey, c'mon, you're not supposed to sulk," he grinned, but Tseng moved forward and leaned over her when he noticed her breathing was different.
"She's running a fever," the older Turk realized, and Reno's eyes widened in surprise.
"She is?"
"When did this start?" Tseng demanded, his palm pressed against her forehead as he took in her flushed face and labored breathing.
"I…not sure…" she managed sleepily, her eyes still shut tight. "Maybe…few days?"
"Hmph," the Turk grunted, straightening his figure. "Why didn't you tell anyone? Never mind – I'll inform Sir that you're in no condition to move from the bed," he said shortly, turning to leave. "Reno, put her in her own bed, for goodness sake. And then get a cold compress on her."
"Sure," he nodded, and scooped up the young woman as soon as his boss left. "So, you've been sick?" he asked, not expecting an answer, as he lowered her onto the mattress and pulled the blankets over her. "What kind of an idiot are ya, to be getting sick and not telling us?" he continued impatiently, annoyed at himself for not noticing. "Is the fever related to the stigma?" he wondered in his head, recalling how the disease had brought fevers to those who had it shortly after infection. "If it is, why didn't she get it sooner? Is it connected to that water?"
Unknown to Reno, the same questions were going through Shinra's head after Tseng informed his boss what was going on with the young woman – along with several other thoughts the informed man was able to guess at, knowing things the Turks were unaware of.
"All right – let me know when her fever goes down," the man ordered, and Tseng nodded sharply.
"Yes, Sir," he replied, quickly retreating from the room as Shinra waved him out.
"I wonder if this is a self-defense mechanism?" Rufus Shinra murmured, glancing at the files laid aside on his desk. His hand rested on them almost victoriously, and a slow smile graced his features as he reviewed the facts before him, going over the past few days critically. "It must be…" he nodded, satisfied he now had everything he needed concerning the young woman in his control. "I have the feeling the end is nearing for this farce of hers," he smirked, placing the files into a drawer and locking them away.
"Feeling better?" Reno asked quietly later that night, straddling a chair beside the bed and resting his chin on the back of his hands, which were placed on the back of the chair. He looked down at the sleeping young woman, not expecting an answer, and suddenly sighed heavily. "I wonder when the fever'll break?" he thought out-loud, and looked up when the door slowly opened.
"Want to take a break?" Rude asked, glancing quickly at the girl before returning his attention to his friend. The redheaded Turk looked exhausted, though his face was unmarred by rings around his eyes or anything else that would suggest he was tired. Rude had learned to read past his friend's appearances, however, and peered intently at him through his shades. "You look wiped out."
"Nah – I'm fine," the young man waved his hand dismissively, cracking a weak grin. "Did ya bring me any food?"
"Yeah," the bald Turk nodded, handing his friend the tray of food. "You sure you don't want to get some sleep?" Rude checked, glancing once more at the young woman in the bed. Her breathing was still labored, and her face was drained of all color except feverish spots on her cheeks. "I don't think she'll be waking up any time soon."
"I know," Reno shrugged lamely, running a hand through his mussed hair. "But I kinda feel it's my responsibility – I'm the one who has to watch her, remember?"
"Sure?" the tall man asked again, and sighed when his friend only continued eating, pointedly ignoring him. "Finished already?" he realized in surprise, when Reno poked him with the edge of the tray, his head tilted to look his friend in the eye.
"I was hungry," the other man grinned, taking a deep breath. "Ah, that really hit the spot. You can go now, Rude – I'll be fine, thanks. I'll let ya know if I need anything."
"All right," Rude nodded, taking the tray from the young man and striding from the room reluctantly, shutting the door behind him and leaving Reno once more in the quiet room.
"I wish you'd wake up," the young man grumbled, sighing heavily again and once more putting his head down, staring at the young woman beside him. "I wonder if the geostigma is spreading more, since the fever kicked in," he mused, the thought suddenly occurring to him in a brainstorm. Considering his options briefly, and not very thoroughly, he scooted off the chair and onto the edge of the bed, observing Xoe for a moment before continuing his 'brilliant' plan. Moving her over onto her stomach, he propped himself up with one hand next to her shoulder while the other slowly lifted the back of her shirt.
Reno quickly pulled his drifting eyes back to her back as they noticed a part of her breasts showing as he pulled the shirt up more to see her whole back. He absently noticed her smooth skin, and then blinked when that thought registered.
"Wait…no geostigma anywhere on her body?" he realized, furrowing his brow in confusion. His other hand pulled her glove off, and his eyes widened when he saw the stigma was almost completely gone – as if it was being absorbed back into her body by the fever. He remained still for a few moments, trying to figure out what the hell was going on, and was completely oblivious to his surroundings until the door behind him slammed open. The Turk jumped up, startled, and promptly fell off the bed. Groaning, he rubbed the back of his head and looked up, only to see Elena glaring down at him, while Tseng calmly pulled Xoe's shirt back down and replaced the blankets over her.
"What the hell are you doing, you pervert?" she demanded a bit loudly, trying to keep her voice down slightly. "I knew you had a dirty mind, but I didn't think you would try…that…when she's asleep!" the blond woman hissed in disgust, and Reno's eyes widened even more in shock.
"You…me…I wouldn't do that!" he shot back angrily. "I was looking for the geostigma!"
"And?" Tseng asked dryly, as the younger Turk got to his feet and brushed himself off in annoyance, trying to regain some of his dignity.
"There's none on her back or anything – and what was on her arm is disappearing," Reno informed them snidely, exchanging dirty looks for Elena's glares of disgust and suspicion. "It's like the fever is absorbing it back into her body."
"He's right," Tseng commented, and Elena turned to see the head Turk peering at Xoe's arm.
"What is wrong with you two?" she demanded furiously. "Did Reno's lack of morals rub off onto you, Tseng? Leave her alone and get out – I guess I'll have to stay here until she wakes up!" the Turk huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at the two men in irritation.
"Just until morning," Reno replied, stretching with a sudden yawn. "I guess I could use some sleep. Night."
"Hold on," Tseng stopped him, and the younger man froze in his attempt to escape from the room. "Elena and I didn't come just to check up on you – Sir wanted us to see how Xoe was progressing. He seems anxious for her to regain consciousness, for some reason."
"And you're telling me this…why?" Reno asked suspiciously, not sure what the two were up to. "I thought you were Sir's little lapdogs."
"Reno –!" Elena began, but a lifted hand from Tseng silenced her.
"I'm not sure what Sir is up to, but it's making slightly nervous, whatever it is. And I'm sure it has something to do with Xoe – I'm telling you this so you don't leave her alone," Tseng told Reno firmly. "Sir hasn't been himself since she arrived – he's like a man obsessed with something. If he is no longer competent and able to run the corporation, it's our duty as Turks to eliminate him and continue our work."
"You're saying you're gonna assassinate Shinra?" Reno asked in disbelief, his jaw dropping completely.
"Just trust me, Reno," Tseng ordered, turning back around so his back faced Reno. "I already informed Rude of this. Now, get some sleep. Elena will get you in the morning."
Reno stared intently at the two Turks for a long moment before spinning around on his heel and striding out of the room. Elena turned to her boss cautiously, and frowned at him.
"Why did you tell him all that?" she demanded, and Tseng looked at her coolly.
"I would have thought it was obvious," he stated, and shook his head when she merely continued to stare at him. "Reno is obviously infatuated with Xoe – whether it's merely a passing fancy or love, I don't know, or really care. But I told you before – Reno is a dangerous man to cross, and he's probably the most skilled out of all of us. Especially when he's acting on instinct," Tseng added thoughtfully. "And he's not an idiot – he discovered the geostigma, or lack of, didn't he? Besides, our loyalty isn't to the president, but to the corporation and its works."
Ah, the mysteries are starting to reveal themselves! Shinra now knows what she is - if I'm nice I won't drag it out too long for you guys. Anyway, please review! And if you have any scene ideas - between anyone, just something silly or whatever you desire - leave it in a review or message me, and I'm sure I could fit it in. I always give credit. Do I sound to desperate? Yeah...a little brainblock here, people!