Summary; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.

Here's the next chapter, people! Some fluff in here, and more Vincent scenes. Nothing much else to say, so keep on reading.

Please review. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome.


As the lodge faded behind them, Reno's mind raced as he tried to think of what to do next. Xoe was still unconscious, and leaned against him limply as he held her tightly to keep her from falling. Glancing around to make sure there was no pursuit, the redhead made an abrupt turn down a dirt path into the trees, kicking up rocks as he made his way through the winding trail. After a few minutes it widened a bit, and he pulled off the side and shut the motorcycle down.

"Whew…should be okay here," he sighed, swinging his leg over the side, still holding Xoe close. Trees blanketed the ground, creating a dense canopy overhead and barely filtering through sunlight. The sky had grown dark with clouds, but didn't appear to be threatening rain any time soon.

"Uhr…" Xoe moaned softly, and he glanced down at her with a shake of his head.

"This is friggin' crazy," he muttered, and flopped to the ground, cross-legged and resting the unconscious young woman on his lap. Within a few moments she began to shift around uncomfortably, and Reno helped her sit up straighter, supporting her with a hand behind her back. "You feeling all right?" he asked, as her eyes blinked open to reveal their usual clear green color. He suppressed a sigh of relief as she looked around curiously, before turning back to him.

"Reno…where are we?" she asked blankly. "What happened?"

"Uh…whaddya mean?" he replied, a little taken aback.

"I remember waking up, getting dressed…and when Shinra came in, I blacked out," Xoe frowned to herself, trying to recall what had happened. "Did I faint? I didn't get sick again, did I?" she asked anxiously, and he had a completely blank look on his face, much to her worry.

"She doesn't remember anything!" he realized, and suppressed a grin. "That means she doesn't remember what Shinra said…about…" Shaking his head to return to reality, he grinned easily at the nervous young woman, trying to reassure her.

"It's a little complicated, but…yeah, you got sick again," he shrugged, scratching the back of his head absently. Xoe peered suspiciously at the Turk, and he mentally groaned when her gasp reached his ears.

"Reno! What happened?" she demanded, leaning back slightly to observe the bloodstains a little better.

"Damn."

"It's…nothing," he tried, but she ignored him.

"What happened?" she repeated. "How did you get so many wounds? Reno!"

"There was…uh, a…an incident," Reno finished lamely, and she narrowed her eyes.

"Incident?" she prodded, and he grinned weakly.

"Yeah. Uhm…" he tried to stall for time, but the look in her eyes clearly told him he didn't have much time to spare. "We were attacked," he said quickly, deciding to hide the truth for a while longer. "Everyone's fine, but I grabbed you and took off."

"Was it after me?" she asked, and he blanked.

"Uh…well, all of us," he amended. "But you were sick, so I decided to run for it. The others handled it, trust me."

"So, when are we going back?" Xoe pressed, moving around to get more comfortable. Reno stared up at the sky for a while, hoping an answer would drop from it into his lap, but nothing came. Xoe remained silent, waiting for him to reply, and blinked when he shook his head.

"I thought we could…take a vacation," he told her, hoping it would it. She cocked an eyebrow at him, and he resisted the urge to wipe the cold sweat off his face. "You know…like a break?"

"I…guess," she shrugged, obviously not believing him but deciding not to push him. He almost sighed, but blinked in confusion when she suddenly yawned and closed her eyes.

"Hey! What the hell?" he demanded indignantly, but realized she was already asleep. "Oh well," he muttered, crossing the arm she wasn't sleeping on behind his head and shutting his own eyes. "Might as well get some rest," he decided, not feeling anything nearby.


Several hours later, as the sky slowly grew darker with the night, Xoe's eyes abruptly popped open and she looked around, a worried look in her eyes.

"I didn't…why didn't he tell me?" she wondered quietly, seeing Reno soundly asleep. Shaking her head slightly to clear it, she sucked the cool air into her lungs and thought back to the dreams she had just had, and frowned. "Did that really happen? It must have," she thought, knowing all her other 'dreams' had been memories. "But…at least I know why we're here," she sighed, and gently easing out of Reno's lap. Getting to her feet and stretching for a moment, she looked around, feeling she was being watched. Deciding it wouldn't hurt to take a little walk, she picked her way through the brush into the trees, keeping an eye out for anyone as she did so.

After wandering around for a bit, she turned around to head back and jumped when she saw Vincent standing in front of her calmly.

"You…scared me!" she gasped, catching her breath.

"Sorry," he said shortly, before moving closer and peering down at her. She looked back nervously, unsure what he was going to do.

"Uh…"

"What happened at the lodge?" he demanded suddenly, and she blinked.

"What?"

"I sensed something there – and now it's here," he informed her. "There's something inside you…like there is me."

"Huh?" she asked, but he ignored her.

"What is it? Is it another of Hojo's experiments? Or Shinra's?" he continued, and she paused before lowering her head and shaking it slightly.

"No…it…I'm it," she amended. "There's nothing inside me at all – I was created by the power leftover from Jenova when Holy destroyed it, and all the power that was in the geostigma that the water cured. I'm not even human – I don't know what that makes me."

"Did Shinra tell you this?" Vincent demanded, his suspicions having been almost correct.

"Yes…he said I had something in my blood that matched a fragment of Meteorfall, or something like that," she nodded. "Are you going to destroy me now?"

"No," he replied curtly, turning his back to her. "I was able to sense you in the Woods – probably because of Chaos inside me. But you haven't caused me any trouble, or anyone I care about. And about that power…just don't use it. It doesn't matter what you are, if you don't use it. Trust me."

"Are you…telling me that you're going to let me go?" Xoe asked in disbelief. "I thought you would…get rid of me, so I don't cause trouble."

"I will, if you do," he said, and glanced over his shoulder at her. "You should be getting back – that idiot Turk will be worried."

"I…I'm lost," she admitted with embarrassment, and peered at him. "I thought I sensed something and went looking for it. I guess it was you. But…could you help me get back to Reno?" she asked, suddenly nervous he would just leave her in the middle of the woods. Vincent eyed her for a long moment before sighing in defeat and moving to her, cloak swirling around him.

"All right – come on," he ordered, reaching out and grabbing her hand to pull her after him. She jumped to catch up to his strides, but smiled gratefully at his back. Vincent remained silent, his face expressionless as usual. Something in her eyes when she looked at him had reminded of a child, a lost little girl who didn't know who to turn to.

"I can hardly leave her wandering around," he sighed to himself.


"What the hell's going on?" Reno demanded, having woken up and discovered Xoe gone. Not long after, Vincent appeared next to him, a cheerful-looking Xoe in tow. "What're you doing here?" he continued, turning to Vincent. "And where'd ya go?" he finished, glancing at Xoe.

"I went for a walk and got lost. Vincent found me and brought me back," she told him, deciding not to let him know she knew he had lied to her before, understanding he hadn't done it out of a malicious desire to mislead her.

"Hmph," the redhead grunted, obviously unhappy.

"Stop by Tifa's and get some things," Vincent suggested quietly to Reno.

"Huh?" the young man blinked, before realizing Vincent must know what had happened at the lodge. "Seriously?"

"Just don't stay there too long," the man replied, before turning and disappearing back into the forest. Reno stared after him in disbelief for a moment before turning to Xoe, who met his gaze calmly.

"I'm confused," Reno said finally with a defeated sigh, his shoulders slumping. "What the hell is going on? Everything's friggin' nuts lately…"

"Why don't we go to Tifa's in the morning?" Xoe suggested, patting his shoulder. "I'm sure she'll let us stay the night there."

"I don't know if I can stand being there for that long," the redhead groaned, but nodded. "Fine, we'll do that. Not like I got anything else on my plate, after all. C'mon, might as well get some more sleep in before we leave."

"All right," Xoe agreed, and he glanced at her suspiciously before convincing himself she hadn't remembered anything.


"Well, I'm surprised no one's shown up," Reno muttered, as they pulled up to the back entrance of the bar in Midgar. It was already late afternoon, as the pair hadn't woken up until well past dawn and it had taken them a bit to get their bearings.

"What?" Xoe asked, glancing over his shoulder at him as he stopped the machine.

"Nothing," he shrugged, getting to his feet and helping her off as well. "If she tries to throw us out, I'll just have to bring up Vincent," he added with a groan, and she grinned.

"You make it sound like a punishment," she commented, and he shook his head.

"Never mind," he said, and she rolled her eyes behind his back as she followed him into the back room.

"What're you doing here, Reno?" Tifa asked in surprise, meeting them as they came in. "Rude was here yesterday evening, asking if you'd been here. I said I hadn't seen you in weeks – which I haven't," she added pointedly, hands on her hips. "So what's going on?" she demanded, noticing his bloodstains and haggard look.

"It's a long story," Reno said, waving his hand to emphasize his point. "Vincent said you'd let me spend the night here – please?"

"I think you could use a change of clothes as well," she relented, her gaze moving over to Xoe. "Are you okay?" she checked, and the young woman nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"All right – c'mon, Reno, I'll give you some stuff I've got," Tifa sighed, turning around. The pair exchanged shrugs and followed her up the stairs to the living quarters above the bar.


"Much better," Reno sighed, having taken a shower while Xoe had something to eat. He was currently sitting on the bed wearing a pair of black boots and equally-dark pants Tifa had given him, while Xoe bandaged up his reopened wounds.

"Is it too tight?" she checked, finishing off another one on his arm.

"Nope – just right," he shook his head, looking around the small room Tifa had lent them for the night. "Any food around?"

"Tifa said you can eat once you get cleaned up," Xoe reminded him. "And that includes the bandages. Arms up so I can get this one," she ordered, and calmly continued to patch him up. The wounds were mostly shallow and had stopped bleeding, but several were rather deep and Reno decided to bandage them just in case.

"Thanks," he added, lowering his arms stiffly when she finished.

"Well, I owe you for all the times you bandaged me up," she shrugged, getting to her feet and replacing the bandages in the drawer they had come from. "Tifa left you a new shirt and things, since yours are too stained to be fixed," she continued, and he noticed she hadn't changed her own outfit.

"I'm assuming your things are all fine," he commented, and she nodded.

"Dirty, but Tifa washed them for me while you were in the shower," she told him, and he snapped his fingers, making a face since her back was to him.

"Damn," he muttered to himself, and blinked innocently as she turned to him suspiciously. "What?"

"I'll be downstairs," she shook her head, rolling her eyes and closing the door behind her.

"Fine!" he called behind her, and shrugged as he looked around for the mentioned clothing. Sitting on the bed was a snug black turtleneck, with a lower neck than normal, and a dark forest-green dress shirt. "Sweet," he grinned, happily putting them and surprised they actually fit him. Tucking the snug shirt into his pants and grabbing the black belt that was next to them, he left the green shirt unbuttoned and hanging out like his other one had been.

Checking the room, he quickly found his tazer in a drawer, together with his lock that attached to his belt so it hung at his side, and cheerfully snapped it on underneath the green shirt before striding out of the room and promptly falling down the stairs.

"Reno – you're an idiot," Tifa shook her head, as he stumbled to his feet and rubbed his head.

"Ow."

"Are you okay?" Xoe asked, trying to hide her giggles.

"You think that's funny?" he asked, donning an offended air and stalking to the table, where several of the children laughed at him as he got his food. The redhead ignored them and dug into his food, while Tifa sighed.

"No…well, you looked so surprised," Xoe admitted, having finished a second helping and merely sitting with the empty plate before her.

"Hpmh," he muttered, shoveling the food into his mouth, trying to avoid the kids' poking and pulling of his hair.

"Xoe told me some of what happened," Tifa informed him, making no effort to shoo the kids off of him. The Turk looked up apprehensively, glancing at the two young women in front of him, but Xoe's face was a complete blank. "I guess you can stay one night, but I don't feel like having more of you around. Tomorrow morning you can grab some supplies and get moving."

"That's fine," he agreed, having moved onto another second helping of food and quickly polishing that off as well. The sky was beginning to grow dark, and Tifa suddenly got to her feet.

"All right, kids – you all have to get to bed, remember?" she reminded them, and was met with a chorus of protests from the group. Reno winced as they clung to him, trying to hide from the advancing woman.

"Aw, c'mon, let go!" he complained, trying to pry them off himself. Xoe closed her eyes in amusement, while Tifa hauled Reno away from the kids.

"He's not a toy," she chided them, fists on her hips. "Let's go, you guys. Or I'll have to tell Cloud about this when he gets back." This threat seemed to have some effect, since they effectively stopped arguing and scattered from the room, banging heard as they clambered up the stairs. "I'll go deal with them – you guys can have more food if you want," Tifa added absently, chasing after the bunch.

"Interesting…are all kids like that?" Xoe asked, turning to Reno, who was trying to smooth himself out.

"Little brats…" he muttered, and looked up when he realized she was talking to him. "Huh? Oh, I guess. I don't know."

"They seemed to like you," she commented, and he snorted.

"That's one I haven't heard before," he replied, finally satisfied he had gotten all trace evidence of children off of him. "Want any more food?" he offered, but she shook her head. "Me either," he shrugged, sitting back down in his chair. "I guess we can leave tonight, if you don't want to stay."

"You just don't want to deal with them anymore," Xoe pointed out with a grin, and he sighed.

"Yeah…all right, we'll spend the night here and leave early morning," he decided, folding his arms behind his head. "What'd ya tell Tifa, anyway?"

"Reno…I remember what happened at the lodge," she said quietly, and he leaned forward in surprise.

"Huh?"

"It came back when I was sleeping last night," she continued. "You didn't have to hide it from me, you know."

"Xoe…"

"I'm not mad," she assured him with a shrug. "It's fine. I understand why you didn't tell me. But at least now it all makes sense."

"I guess," he said reluctantly, leaning back again in the chair. "You sure you're all right? I mean…"

"I'm fine," she nodded, staring down at the plate in front of her.

"Well…" Reno trailed off uncomfortably, completely unsure what to say, and looked up when Tifa came back.

"There…every night. You'd think they'd learn," she shook her head, and glanced at the pair. "Everything all right?"

"Yep – I'm going outside to practice," Reno informed them, getting to his feet. They watched as he ambled from the room, tazer swinging at his side, and Tifa turned to Xoe.

"I'll help you clean up," the young woman offered, and Tifa nodded.

"All right – help me get the dishes to the kitchen, and we can wash them up," she told Xoe, who silently began to gather the plates and silverware up into a pile.


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