Tengoko: So, my hiatus isn't lasting very long. I guess with this update, I'm officially putting my hiatus on hiatus. I've missed writing about Reno and Tifa. Luckily, in the time I've taken off, I've managed to get my hands on Crisis Core. Thankfully, the events in Crisis Core do not throw off the continuity of this story, so I'll just continue as planned. Thank you to all who have reviewed and sent me feedback and/or comments. I dedicate this chapter to all of you — and if you have some extra time, please review this chapter.
Chapter 9: Landscapes
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She wondered how long he was going to ignore it. When asked why he didn't just turn the PHS off if he wasn't going to answer it, he simply said that he wasn't allowed to turn it off while he was on a mission. But then why did he ignore it? Every time it began to ring, he'd clench his jaw and set his eyes straight in front of him, blocking out the sounds of the tone. Whoever was trying to call him wasn't getting the hint. Reno wasn't in the mood for talking.
She wondered why he was so angry. Was he still upset from last night? What was it that she'd said to set him off? And more importantly… why did she care?
"Reno?"
He didn't answer, but the way his head moved and his eyes glanced over at her, if even for a second, let her know that he was definitely listening.
"Not that it's any of my business, but what exactly is going on?"
Another full minute of silence. So, he was going to ignore her too? She crossed her arms and resigned herself to not caring when suddenly that slick voice of his permeated the quiet. "In what context are you asking me this question?" he asked in a tone that was far from casual. "Are you curious to know who's calling, what the status of my mission is, or…?" He hoped it wasn't 'or'. Stick to the mission, never stray. He never really followed that motto closely, but he knew that if he was ever going to adhere to the rules he set for himself long ago, now would be the time. He couldn't afford to let her in, to tell her that what he was thinking was how uncertain he was about handing her over. When did he start caring about her welfare? He was a Turk, damn it. And she... she was AVALANCHE for all intensive purposes. Perhaps not an enemy, but definitely not a friend. The line was thin, and Reno wasn't sure that skirting around that line was the wisest of ideas.
"I want to know what's wrong with you," she spit out, not caring how that sounded. Just because she was interested to know didn't mean she was emotionally involved. She just hated not knowing what had happened, what she'd said.
Damn. It had to be 'or'... "Nothing's wrong with me," he lied.
"Neco told me that you question your job," she said, pushing the issue. "Are you questioning the job now? You didn't want to kidnap me, did you? And you still don't want to deliver me to Shinra, do you?"
Why couldn't she just let it go. Obviously he didn't want to talk about it. What would he have to do to get it through to her? "I want to do my job," he snapped. "It's not for me to pick and choose which part of my missions I do. If the president wants me to bring you to him, then I do that. Don't overcomplicate things, Tifa. I'm not a complex man. And Neco is just giving you suppositions. There's no way he could possibly prove or know that."
"He seems to know you pretty well, though."
"Tifa… you really need to shut the hell up," he said dangerously. Stop caring... she needed to stop caring. If that's what it was. He was convinced this was just another trick on her part to make him lower his guard just as he'd done back at the inn in Junon. He couldn't trust her to be sincere, and he definitely couldn't trust her with his inner most thoughts... about how he didn't want her to get hurt, how he wasn't sure how to just walk away after handing her over... Thoughts he needed to let go of or at least come to terms with before they got to Midgar. But the more she kept questioning him, the more he questioned himself... and the more that pissed him off.
Tifa glared at him. She didn't understand this new, unfamiliar Reno. What happened to the man who engaged in slapstick humor despite how dire the situation was? What happened to the guy who used to spit out one-liners at the most inaproppriate of times? She'd seen glimpses of the man sitting beside her from time to time, but it was not how she had come to know him. Not this serious, cruel, somewhat sadistic man. She'd often wondered how he fit in the equation of the Turks. He never seemed mean enough... She was beginning to understand. But, that didn't mean she was any more accepting of her situation or the fact that he had just told her to shut the hell up.
"What's the point? The worst thing you could possibly do to me is already being done. What incentive do I have not to keep pestering you? You can't hurt me. You can't take anything from me except my freedom, but you've already done that. So tell me, Reno… why shouldn't I…"
She didn't finish her sentence. Suddenly, a hand shot out from the back seat and clapped Reno on the shoulder. Tifa gasped, surprised by the unexpected appendage popping out of nowhere, and Reno, reacting like a trained killer, slammed on the breaks, and turned around, gun drawn, pointing at the troopers head.
The trooper stared wide-eyed. "Um… Mr. Storm…?"
Reno lowered his gun. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Bernstein?" he shouted. "Don't you ever do that to a Turk! If you'd done that to Rude, you wouldn't have a face anymore."
"I'm sorry, sir. But I thought you might want to hear this," he said, holding his phone up. "The director of security just sent us this mail."
Reno angrily put the buggy into park and turned in his seat. "Next time you need to get my attention, say my name. Don't just reach out and grab me. I don't like being touched. Now, what's the problem?"
Bernstein scooted back a little before saying, "They're saying that the NC001 has been attacked. That's the reactor near North Corel, right? They say that it's an isolated incident and it's under control though."
The transformation was instant. Tifa had doubted before that he could look any angrier; she was wrong. His face paled, his jaw was set as he clenched his teeth together. She saw his free hand start shaking from his unspoken fury while his left hand gripped the steering wheel so firmly that his entire hand was whitening. She felt like reaching out to calm him down, but she was afraid that might actually make it worse. Why did the attack at North Corel effect him so much. He was a Turk, not the President. It was only his job to punish those who committed the crime, not worry about the crime itself. She looked back at Bernstein who'd leaned back in his own seat to put some distance between himself and his superior. Tifa felt like doing the same, but she had never been the type to cower. Actually, her interests were piqued. She really was curious to know why this bothered him.
All thoughts had fled his mind for a good while. All he had was his rage; a rage so intense that it was blinding. It disoriented him at the very least, and it took him a moment to regain his composure. Trying his best to remain in control, he reached for his PHS that was in the cup holder and flipped it open. How could this have happened? After all of his hard work, after everything he put into the NC001 project, he saw it all going up in flames. He went straight to his mail and found that Tseng had sent him quite a few messages. He opened the most recent one:
Reno,
Why aren't you answering your PHS?
By the time you read this, I'd imagine that you'd have
already learned about the attack in North Corel.
Reeve Tetsui and Rufus Shinra are telling the media
that the attack was by a local gang and that it's an isolated
incident. However, the president has already informed me that
they believe that it was Barret Wallace and his newly
reformed AVALANCHE
I know that you're going to want to abandon your
mission and come to North Corel as soon as possible.
I implore you not to do that. Elena and I are already
here investigating. I can tell you truthfully that the
reactor is not irreparable. Reno, your mission is crucial.
In order to capture Barret Wallace and Cloud Strife
Tifa Lockheart must be in Shin-Ra custody.
Call me when you've finished reading this. Make sure
that you are away from prying eyes and ears.
-Tseng
Reno pocketed his phone and pushed his door open. "We're all getting out of the buggy," he said furiously.
Tifa just sat still, watching the scene unfold. The two men in the back seat didn't move, and one glance at them told her why: they were afraid of him. Well, she supposed if she was in their shoes, she'd be pretty terrified as well. "It's about to rain," she pointed out to Bernstein and the other trooper, looking out at the dark clouds rolling in. "Why would he want to get out now?"
"Maybe he has to piss?" Bernstein said crudely.
She watched as he walked in front of the buggy around to her door. He yanked it open, reached in, and pulled her out. Slamming her into the side, he wrenched her hands behind her and cuffed them together. "Wouldn't want you running while I'm out and about," he whispered angrily. He was being rougher than he had to be, but that was generous considering the things he wanted to do. He felt like shaking her until her brain rattled, wringing her throat… She might not have been directly involved in what happened, but she'd once been a part of AVALANCHE and in his mind, that was as good as being guilty. If she knew where Wallace was, he'd find—
He always thought it was cliche to suggest that when a person was struck with an ephiphany or an idea, a lightbulb went on in their head. However, there was no better way to describe it. It was instant, and so obvious that he mentally kicked himself for not seeing it before. So that's what this was about. The questioning. Rufus Shinra had no clue where Wallace was, and he probably was thinking Tifa would know. Of course Tifa would know. He squeezed the cuffs even tighter until he heard her wince. "Sor— " he caught himself. He would not apologize for hurting her. He would not feel guilty. "Sorry," he said in a more 'I'm not really sorry tone.' "But given our history together, can you really blame me for this lack of trust?"
"I don't like being handcuffed," she said, her eyes narrowing. It wasn't a simple statement. It was a warning. Not that she could break them. Even with her abnormal strength, she would have enough momentum to break the chain without the help of some sort of tool... perhaps a sharp rock.
"I don't like being on this mission. But sometimes, we have to put up with shit that we don't want to deal with. If I have to live with it, so do you!" He threw her down and then banged on the window, shouting to the troopers who were still inside. "I thought I told you to get your asses out of the buggy… NOW!"
He grabbed the first one out by the collar, swinging him around. "You stay here and you watch her. She's not to move. If she tries to run…" He was going to say shoot her in the leg. But he didn't. They'd take that order seriously… Even though he was serious… "Just do what you have to do. But keep her here… even if you have to hurt her. I'll be back."
Reno started walking towards the mountains. He waited till he was a decent distance away from the buggy, far enough to not be heard but close enough to still see the three he'd left behind. Tseng didn't answer his PHS at first, but Reno wasn't about to just leave it at that. He called again… and again. Finally, the fourth time, Tseng answered his phone.
"It's about time you answered!" Reno yelled.
"I was otherwise occupied," Tseng said calmly, unfazed by the young Turk's temper.
Reno growled. "What happened? Do you know anything else?"
"Look, I know you have a lot invested in North Corel. And I know you're not going to calm down, even if I ask you to, but Reno, don't get side-tracked. The only reason I told you as much as I did was because I knew that if you found out any other way, you'd have left Tifa Lockheart on the spot and come straight here."
"What makes you think I won't do that right now?" he challenged.
"Because you owe me," he said simply. "I'm asking you not only as your boss but as somebody who's covered your backside for many years. I know you want revenge, Reno. We all want Wallace for this. But, the best way to go about it is to keep doing what you've been doing. Get Tifa Lockheart to Midgar."
Reno paced and raked his hand through his hair, moving his goggles back and stringing a bunch of curses under his breath. He stopped at last and said, "Understood. Tifa Lockheart will be in Midgar within the next seventy-two hours." He didn't wait for Tseng to reply. He snapped his PHS shut and then kicked the closest thing next to him. A large rock. He didn't even feel the pain in his foot. He just kicked it again. "DAMN IT!" he yelled.
He looked up at the sky just as a raindrop fell on his forehead. He closed his eyes when the rain came, feeling the cool water on his face. He felt like he was about to burst. He needed to do something… anything. He opened his eyes, and then… he froze.
It couldn't be. Blinking hard repeatedly wasn't making him go away. But... he'd been gone for so long. Would he really just show up now? Yes, there was no other explanation. It wasn't a hallucination. He was really there, standing on the mountain, close enough for Reno to know exactly who it was. Even if the black coat, the SOLDIER pants, the blond hair and the riding goggles hadn't given him away, the Buster sword would have. "…Cloud?"
Reno stepped forward, not believing his eyes. What now? Who was going to move first? Reno didn't reach for his gun… he didn't make a move besides that one step. Cloud slowly removed his goggles. Despite the distance between them, Reno felt the stare. He grabbed the hilt of his sword. Reno thought this was it. They were going to fight. Cloud was here to rescue Tifa and that was that. Yet, he didn't pull his sword. Instead, he pointed with his free hand just as Reno heard somebody shout; heard a woman shout.
Tifa!
Reno spun around, not sure what to make of what was going on. The troopers were dragging her down to the dirt; Bernstein holding her legs while Ferguson tugged her by her shoulders, slamming her down. She was putting up quite a struggle, shouting, biting, kicking. But with her hands behind her back, her main source of strength was unusable... And now Ferguson was on top of her, his knife pressed against her throat while Bernstein sat on top of her legs to keep her from kicking them. Reno took another step in their direction before remembering Cloud was there. He turned his head to see if he was coming to save her... but he was gone. Wait...! He was gone? That couldn't be right...
He'd worry about it later. With the speed his was known for, and sometimes envied for, he took off towards them, shouting for the two troopers to stand down. They either couldn't hear him or they weren't listening. "Ferguson! Get off of her now!" he shouted again. This time, he knew he had been heard because Ferguson looked straight at him. He still didn't move and he made no indication that moving was on his agenda. He bent down to try to force a kiss on Tifa. That's when Reno reached for his gun.
