Disclaimer: FFVII and all respective characters belong to Square Enix
Updated: 13 March 2011
Glass Butterflies
Chapter 7
"Mornin', Rude, Elena." Reno said with a grin spread across his face, as he stepped into the hangar.
"Morning." Rude sat on a crate next to the helicopter, his eyes suspiciously following his red haired colleague from behind his shades.
"Good morning… You seem awfully cheerful today." Elena said, wary, as she checked and reloaded her handgun with care.
"We're going to Wutai…! Finally, a well deserved break from all the mind numbing paper work. Turks shouldn't sit behind a desk, they should be out there!"
"And here I thought you finally got laid." the blonde teased. It earned her a fierce glare, which she responded to with a feisty grin.
Rude was ready to jump up from his seat and pull the two apart, but to his great surprise – and relief – neither of them did anything that caused the incident to escalate.
Reno flopped down onto another crate and twirled the electro-magnetic rod's handle between his fingers with glee. "Are you guys ready?"
Elena shook her head. "You look like a kid on Christmas morning, eager to unpack his presents."
"Aren't you excited then?"
"Well… a little, I guess. It's only natural to feel jittery before a mission… But you seem exceptionally… bouncy. Are you sure you didn't get laid?"
"Don't push your luck."
"It has been a while since I saw you this excited before a mission though." Rude pointed out with slight amusement.
"Et tu, Rude?" the redhead cried out in mock aghast.
"Don't you feel guilty?" Elena teased, "Leaving your lover behind, all alone, as you head off for Wutai?"
"Why would I feel guilty? I'm just doing my job." Reno muttered, "Besides, we'll be back before Wednesday. He won't even notice I'm gone."
The moment he saw Elena's intent eyes looking at him, he realized he'd said more that he should have. There was doubt in her eyes, however, most likely thinking: 'Was he playing along with her little game of had he blurted out the truth?' He decided that his best bet was to play along, hoping that Rude wouldn't say the wrong things.
"Aren't you a little too optimistic?" the blonde asked.
"How hard can it possibly be to find those bastards selling Shinra blueprints on a tiny island like Wutai? Bastards who don't even remotely resemble Wutaians at that!"
"I guess you're right." Elena said, sceptical, yet hopeful.
.
Monday turned Tuesday.
Tuesday turned Wednesday.
And Wednesday turned Thursday. Three days had gone by and still no trace of the traitors had been found. Wutai's natural landscape was filled with rocks, cliffs, caverns and barren mountains. And for some reason, Reno had the unpleasant feeling that the locals were in on it. Irritated, he cursed and threw his equipment onto the table.
"We should've been back by now!"
Rude said nothing and put down his equipment on the floor by his side of the bed.
"Yeah, yeah. I know what yer thinking." the redhead muttered, "I've been too optimistic. But still! This is ridiculous. Such a tiny city filled with Wutaians and no one has seen two men who stick out like sore thumbs? Come on, man... Even if they're hiding out in the mountains, they need to get their food and supplies from somewhere. They're holding back information, and I know it."
"They're not very pro-Shinra..."
Reno pouted as he flopped down onto the bed and crossed his legs. "Why couldn't they have sent Tseng? I'm sure they'd talk to him. He only needs to do is leave his suit behind, I guess.
"They know Tseng's face." Rude pointed out, "They won't talk to him at all."
"They see him as a traitor, huh?" Reno stretched his arms above his head and let himself fall backwards on the bed. "An ally of Shinra is an enemy of theirs, and an enemy of Shinra is their ally. ...I guess we need to make those traitors enemies in their eyes too."
The bald man cast a glance over his shoulder. "How were you planning doing that?"
"I don't know..." He sighed, not removing his gaze from the ceiling. "They won't believe a word we say. ...do you think they have cell phones? Maybe we can track them down through the network, see if there are any calls from unusual places."
"The signal outside of the city isn't very strong, so were they to make any calls, they'd have to be near... just like all the others."
"...maybe they have a small radio tower of their own. Or an amplifier? We could track that..."
"With difficulty. The mountains absorb the signals."
Reno made a deep growl. "We need to find them soon. Any more of this Wutaian food and I'll die."
A snicker escaped Rude's lips. "Tseng feels the same about our food, but he seems to manage."
"Yeah." the redhead agreed as a lazy grin spread across his face, "Maybe we should bring him some food on our way back?"
The older man laughed, short, and took off his shoes, sitting down on the bed. The pale moonlight that streamed in through the small window cast sharp shadows in the dim room, and turned the redhead's tall colleague into a silhouette. Neither of them had bothered to turn on the lights, didn't even care to know if they would even work. Everything in the shabby remote hotel they were staying seemed broken or on the verge of breaking. Shinra could've easily paid for a better place than this, but it was in the best interest of their mission. Back in the shadier part of town, they'd have higher chances of finding traces of their targets. Also, fewer people would be aware of their presence.
"What happened this weekend, Reno?" Rude suddenly asked, changing for the night.
"Whadda ya mean?" He yawned. His slum was accent thicker than usual.
"You were unusually happy this Monday."
"No, I wasn't." he countered and kicked off his shoes, "Don't go actin' like the rookie now."
"Elena was right before."
Touché... "Nothin' happened..."
"Then why were you so happy?"
"Why're ya so damn interested?" he snapped, and immediately wished he hadn't.
Rude looked away for a moment. "Just interest. It's good to see you this... content."
"...sorry, I didn't mean to snap..."
His colleague and friend was silent.
"It's just... Elena won't stop buggin' me about it, an'…"
"You're confused."
The redhead looked at him for a while, and said. "Yeah… I am. And I don't like it one bit. I don't want to feel like this. It feels so… right, but…" He sighed. "Ya know."
"I won't think any less of you because of it." Rude said, assuring.
Reno smiled wryly. "I don't know if I can."
The bald man arched his eyebrows, and the younger Turk looked away. "Why?"
"It's just… not right."
"Didn't you just say it felt right?"
"I also kill people for a livin'…"
"We do it because we have to, not because we like it."
Reno shook his head. "…yeah, that's true, but… still."
Rude moved closer, and the queen-size bed shook a little under the weight. The redhead looked up to the man towering above him. He seemed to search for the right words, and Reno's head was already swarming with words to defend himself with.
"What's wrong with loving someone?"
"I don't love him."
"But your feelings are sincere aren't they?"
"Yeah… I guess."
"Then what's so wrong?"
"It's a guy!"
"…and?"
The lean Turk sighed exasperated and looked back up at the ceiling. "We're both guys. That's just…not…right."
"Says a society which bases their opinions on century old misconceptions. If it weren't for scientists, they'd still believe that the planet was flat."
"Are ya saying scientists have different opinions about this?" Reno asked, mocking.
"Biologists, yes. They see it all around them in the animal kingdom. It's a natural trait that in fact helps the survival of a species. After all, two males can support a larger territory, which consequently means more food and more safety."
Reno frowned and rolled onto his elbow. "…what about two women?"
"…more milk? They do say that breast feeding makes children smarter…"
Reno laughed at that last theory, and said. "So then… if it's a matter of genes, then why is everybody so anxious about it?"
"Why was everybody so fixed on the fact that women should wear skirts? Keeping in mind that trousers are only a couple of hundred years old."
"…people are crazy, man."
Rude softly chuckled.
"Heh, well, thanks… It does make me feel a little better."
The bald Turk curtly nodded. "…having heard all of this, I'm pretty sure Elena was wrong this Monday."
Reno make a choking sound, and Rude could almost hear him think: Not again. "Yeah. She was wrong. Haven't even seen 'm this weekend! Or heard 'm over the phone!"
"But something did happen."
The redhead sighed. "….yes." he finally answered, giving up. "We kissed. And it felt…. I don't know. It felt different. Different from all the other kisses I've had in my life. …but so… good, I guess. I could feel it in my entire body, in my entire being. …tinglin'. Is that what a kiss is supposed to feel like? 'Cuz if that's the case…. Ugh. Whatever. …ya happy now?"
"I'm glad you found what you were looking for."
"Did I?"
"…hmm. Sounds you're at least one step closer to your goal."
"…I don't wanna talk about this, man." the lean man muttered and pulled the pillow over his head. "I'm so confused, I don't know what to think any more."
Rude smirked a little, and laid down, pulling the blankets over his shoulder. "That'll pass, I'm sure."
.
The next morning, they woke up to relentless banging on their hotel-room door.
"Cut it out!" Reno snapped at the person behind the wood, climbing out of bed, still not fully awake, "Yer gonna break the ravaged thing!"
"Hurry up!" urged on Elena's voice from the other side, "I saw them!"
In an instant, Reno tore open the door. "What?"
"I saw them walk by under my window just yet, Hurry, we might still find them!"
Rude jumped out of bed, snatching his uniform of the chair and quickly put them on. Reno grabbed his jacket from another chair and combed his hand through his hair in a seemingly futile attempt of tidying his wild hair.
Barely five minutes later, all of them where hurrying down the many alleyways and narrow streets in the hope of catching a glimpse of the two traitors. Even this early, the back streets of Wutai were bustling with activity. Merchants and farmers were promoting their wares on every corner, some with loud voices, others silent, too busy with their customers.
The Turks darted through the living maze of people, their eyes sharp and focussed, scanning every part of the area, but to no avail. Reno cursed when they reached the edge of the city and kicked the city wall. Elena stared at the redhead as he hopped around with one foot clutched in his hands. Rude glanced around for a bit more, before giving up their hopes of spotting them.
"Now what do we do?" the blonde asked the Turks' second-in-command.
"Whatever needs to be done." Reno replied, "I say we split up and check the more remote alleys. They can't be far. Most likely, they're hiding inside a building somewhere."
The two nodded, and were about to head out.
"One more thing: if you see them, contact us first and give us your location. Don't go in yourself. No doubt, they'll have back-up of the sorts." he sternly added, and then nodded in reply to their sounds of agreement.
.
The hours raced by like a speed train, and before they knew it, night had fallen over the isolated city in faraway Wutai. One by one, the Turks returned to the hotel, every last one of them disappointed.
"We can play this game of cat and mouse until the end of days," Elena complained, "we really have to come up with something else."
"I know, but what?" Reno said, "We can't infiltrate, we can't gain information the easy or the hard way – simply because we don't know who holds information and who doesn't, we can't bust in on the yakuza – because I'm beginning to suspect that's who those two are dealing with. And kidnapping one of those guys for information won't work, because we don't know who's with the yakuza either! Or pretending we're also selling Shinra information, which won't work because everybody recognises us as Turks." He sighed. "We're pretty stuck, from what I can see."
Elena pouted and let her head hang. Rude said nothing, seemingly deep in thought.
"Won't Tseng know who's with the yakuza?" Elena softly suggested.
Rude was going to say something, but swallowed his words on the last moment, and Reno looked up. "He just might…" The redhead nodded. "He just might. He should have at least some leads on who's somehow connected with those thugs."
He looked at his colleague then. "Somehow I have the idea you were going to say something important…"
Rude shook his head. "Not something Tseng'd want us to know."
"Us…" Reno quickly corrected, and gestured at himself and Elena.
"Yes."
"Which would be?"
"…"
"Oh come on, yo, it's important isn't it? Important for this mission?"
"…."
"We won't tell anyone."
"You had better not, or Tseng'll have my head."
"Promise." Elena said a little too quick.
"Ah, yeah…" Reno agreed, and gave the blonde a funny look from the corner of his eyes.
"Tseng told me that he had been part of the yakuza, before the fall of Wutai."
"W-wha...?" the blonde exclaimed, baffled.
"Woah. No wonder he didn't want to come back here. Leaving the yakuza, switching over to Shinra's side on top of that... he'd be killed."
"No doubt."
"He must have had good reasons to leave…"
"We should call and ask if he has any useful information."
"…who's gonna call?"
"…"
Reno looked at Elena, who looked back, puzzled, oblivious. "You call."
"Huh? Why me?"
"Aren't you anxious to hear his voice again?" he sweetly asked, teasing.
Elena shot him a glare, but took out her cell-phone.
"Let us know what he said, will you?" Reno asked with a grin, and headed for his room, dragging Rude along by his wrist.
.
Then Friday turned Saturday, Saturday turned Sunday, but they had a lead. And one that led them straight into the lion's den. Blood splatters decorated smudgy walls of an abandoned house in a remote alley, mutilated body parts lingered in places no man would ever find them. The Turks were on the move, and their direction was set. It wouldn't be long until the traitorous Shinra weapon designers would meet a similar fate as the unfortunate souls that once had occupied the lower ranks of the Wutaian yakuza.
Sunday turned Monday, into Tuesday, and into Wednesday, when the two men finally showed their faces. The Turks had taken their positions. Cold, autumn rain clattered down on their heads as they waited outside for the weapon designers to come outside again. Elena looked down from a roof across the narrow street and kept her gun aimed at the door. Rude hid himself just outside of reach of the light that streamed out from the cracks and chinks in the wood and the barred window. Reno was a little up ahead, keeping unwanted visitors away, should anyone wander that far off from the main road at this godforsaken hour.
Muffled voices could be heard inside through the wooden walls, but the actual conversations were lost. Things were being moved around – crates, small tables, they weren't sure, but they could hear the scraping on the hard floor. For a moment, there was also the sound of heavy coins on a wooden surface, a short silence, and then a bit of moving around again. Not much later, the two men exited the shabby looking building, a bit jumpy, as if they were expecting an assault – from muggers, the men of the yakuza who might have changed their minds, or others perhaps. Of course, they must've heard that the Turks were in town and looking for them. So far, things had gone smoothly and nothing had happened, but the Turks weren't known for sleeping on the job.
One mere click was heard on the rooftop – only for Elena's ears to hear – before one of the men slumped down to the ground, never to rise again. The other man panicked as his partner laid at his feet, staring up at the dark sky with unseeing eyes and a dark red fluid spread out from underneath him. He broke in to a run.
The point of Elena's gun followed the man precisely, but she noticed too late that a higher, adjacent building was blocking her aim. She muffled a curse, and jumped to her feet. When her feet hit the ground below her however, she noticed that the last man hadn't gotten very far. Rude emerged a little from the shadows, his own gun with silencer held out in front of him, and gestured her to leave the alley with a short jerk with his head.
She complied and left her colleague behind to hide the bodies. A little ahead, she ran into Reno, but ignored him as she'd been told. She crossed the street to wait there in the deep shadows that the shabby houses cast at the hour of night. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her chest. Her blond hair clung to her face, and the rain had seeped into every layer of fabric on her body and a small puddle had formed inside her shoes. Yet she did not complain. Rookie or not, she was and would always be a Turk.
After a while, Reno gestured her from across the street and walked away. Their job wasn't over yet. They still had to retrieve those blueprints before things went from bad to worse.