Chapter Ten.
Tseng woke up early the next morning with a jerk and an instinctive grab for the gun at his side. Though the dawn light was shining warmly through the gap in the curtains and there was nothing ominous about the atmosphere Tseng still found himself tense as a bow-string, something was not right. Then it hit him like a heavy rock from a great height, Reno was nowhere to be seen and the silence of the house proclaimed its abundance of emptiness. In the blink of an eye Tseng was off the bed and down the stairs, a gleam deep in his eyes betraying the fear he felt.
It was lucky that Tseng had trained himself in the art of observation or he might have missed the note pinned to the door moving at the speed he was. As it was he had ripped the door open and was over the doorstep before he could stop himself and reverse, slamming the door shut again and glaring at the paper fluttering against the wood. Reigning in his self-control Tseng plucked the note from the door and quickly scanned the messily scrawled message.
'Yo Bossman, I would've woken you but you needed the sleep. I know you're probably panicking, thinking I've gone and done something stupid but this time you'd be wrong yo. Just out for a walk, I'll be back in time to get to work so don't burst a blood vessel 'kay Mr Bossman?'
With no one there to hide his emotions from Tseng's face was an open book of frustration, exasperation and worry. Slamming the note down on the table Tseng reluctantly resigned himself to the fact that he had no option but to wait for Reno to get back, so with great ill-humour he sat at the table and began to meticulously clean his gun. It wasn't just that Reno was out alone that had Tseng so on edge, he was worried about the effect that last night's confessions would have on the fragile Turk.
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In the dim light between night and morning Reno slouched along the almost silent streets of Sector Four. The wind swirled the fog from the reactors into haunting phantasms in the half-light and Reno's long red tail of hair lashed around his head like a fiery whip. Not headed anywhere in particular Reno sucked in deep breaths of the chill air and tried to keep the battle in his head down to a dull roar. Brooding and distracted though he was Reno still moved with enough predatory grace and awareness to discourage the small-time criminals who scurried out of his path.
A large part of Reno's mind was occupied with figuratively shaking himself silly and demanding to know the fantastically pressing reason that necessitated him telling Tseng that last night. Evil Reno was having a field day of mockery and sneering but this was compounded by the fact that Reno agreed with every vicious word that echoed in his skull. Blue-green eyes stared dully in front of him and Reno bleakly wondered how the hell he could ever look Tseng in the face again.
In the small part of Reno's mind not taken up with castigating himself, a maelstrom of emotions smashed together and actually managed to spill over and drown out Evil Reno briefly. Under the shame and guilt and utter self-loathing lurked something that Reno tried everything to suppress but that kept bubbling back up, seeping into his heart and sapping his resolve. Though he denied it frantically Reno knew that he was hopelessly in love with Tseng.
Letting out a low groan Reno turned around and started trudging back in the direction of the Turk safehouse. The walk hadn't done anything to help his state of mind and Reno could already see the scowl on Tseng's face that would immediately be burning a hole in his face when he opened the door. In time to the listless thudding of his boots on the pavement Reno began to hold a spirited argument with himself.
Evil Reno started like always, 'In love yo? With that amazing specimen of perfect bloody Wutaiin stoicism? Don't make me laugh, you couldn't have picked someone more out of your league if you'd tried yo. Anyway, didn't the Don teach you well enough, you're not made for love; you're just a slut built for a quick fuck and nothing more. Yo, have you even looked at yourself lately?'
Gritting his teeth Reno resisted the impulse to hiss out loud. He knew he was fucking crazy but it would be nice if everyone else didn't have to know too. 'Shut up, just shut the fuck up, you're wrong. Oh Gaia you have to be wrong. He looked at me, when he took out my stitches… I didn't, I can't have imagined it. He's taken care of me even after… Even after knowing all this shit, he hasn't thrown me away. He didn't have to…'
Reno could almost picture the shit-eating grin on Evil Reno's face when the voice butted back in, not even waiting for him to finish, 'Hah! You think he'd be doing any of that shit if Rufus 'Bossy Bastard' Shinra hadn't ordered him to? Come on fuckface, we both saw how he was when Rufus made his little visit yo, pissed off doesn't even start to cover it. If he had any feelings for you he wouldn't keep manhandling you… For fuck's sake, I can't believe I'm arguing this, you know it's a total fucking fantasy yo.'
Despite wanting to argue, Reno had spent so long believing the insidious voice in his head that he honestly couldn't come up with a rejoinder. Lapsing into total silence Reno fixed his eyes on the footpath and sped up slightly, not willing to subject himself to the flagellation of his own thoughts for longer than necessary. Sighing softly when the house came back into sight Reno squared his angular shoulders and prepared to face a highly irate Tseng.
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The table in front of Tseng should have been suffering scorch marks from the intensity of the burning stare leveled at it but the wood in reality remained cool and char-free. When the door creaked in a somehow apologetic manner to signal Reno's return Tseng stayed exactly where he was but transferred his gaze to the man entering the house. Unseen, the tension turning Tseng's shoulders to rock eased a little under his impeccable suit.
He started out okay, but things rapidly turned to shit. Tseng didn't know what it was but the control he had over his emotions and his mind seemed to vanish like smoke in the wind where Reno was concerned. He waited until Reno had closed the door before saying reasonably, 'We agreed that going out on your own was not a good idea Reno, what were you thinking? I didn't even know you were out, let alone where you were out.'
Things were fine at that point. Just fine, totally okay. Then as Tseng watched Reno carefully the redhead shrugged offhandedly and said, 'I didn't think anyone would miss me yo, I was only out for an hour-ish. Besides, you need your sleep more than you need to be watching over the resident Turk fuck-up. Nothing happened yo, can't I just get ready for work Bossman?'
That did it. Lack of sleep, no problem; facing superior numbers and fire-power, bring it on; hearing Reno dismiss himself as worth less than an hour of sleep, a flare of rage that momentarily blanked Tseng's vision. The voice that came out of his mouth sounded less than composed as Tseng couldn't help snapping abruptly, 'What the fuck is wrong with you Reno? Rude saved your life, Rufus is working to bring down his father's favorite subordinate and you would throw that away to get killed in the street by a mako-addled junkie!'
As soon as the words were out of his mouth Tseng found himself wishing that he could take back the last ten seconds of his life. The look on Reno's face was one of shock, dismay and devastation, visible for a fleeting instant before the redhead turned and walked stiffly from the room. Tseng didn't follow, staying seated at the table and wondering just what in the fuck it was about Reno that shattered his calm and control into nothing.
In the silence of the house Tseng sat and tried to work out how he could fix that which his moment of anger had broken. For over an hour the Wutaiin Turk sat at the table alternately hoping that Reno would come back downstairs and then trying to work out what he would say if that happened. In the end though time ran out and Tseng was forced to leave for work before he was late and incurred a session with Veld. Walking quietly out the door Tseng spared a moment to whisper softly in Wutaiin, 'Qǐng yuánliàng wǒ Reno.'
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Tseng's words hit Reno like frag grenades, impacting hard and exploding into shrapnel that tore even deeper. Unable to speak beyond a breathless exhalation Reno abruptly left the room and strode jerkily upstairs. Making for his bedroom Reno barely made it through the door before the shivering started and he fell to his knees choking on disbelief and guilt. Barely able to control his limbs Reno shoved the door closed and tipped himself back against the wood, drawing his knees up to his chest and trying to stop the trembling overtaking his body.
Reno was shaken to the core by the unrestrained viciousness to Tseng's words as he had always seen the man as the most coldly self-possessed person he had ever met. Knowing that he had been the one to shake free Tseng's grip on himself scared Reno and thinking again over Tseng's words he felt guilt start to overwhelm him. The voices in his head drowned out the world and tears began to stream down his face.
In vivid color and slow motion the sight of Veld's fist heading towards his face had Reno flinching violently despite knowing it wasn't real. Words that the sadistic Director of the Turks had flung at him during their 'sessions' rang in his ears and filled his whole existence. Eyes squeezed closed Reno shook his head over and over, trying to stop the words filling his mind.
'You're fucking useless Reno, learn your fucking job.' Snarled with a sneer.
'I don't know why we hired a fucking slumrat in the first place.' Said after a back-handed blow that knocked him to the ground and required a small dose of Cure.
'You know you deserve this, you're a danger to your co-workers with the shit you pull.' Repeated so, so many times as a precursor to a vicious beating.
'I should send you back to the slums. Being a whore for Corneo would suit you much better than the life of a Turk. I just don't think you're good enough Reno.'
The last phrase that growled in Reno's head destroyed his strained emotional control and a choking moan burst from his throat. As if the sound was a catalyst Reno's mind was ripped from the present and thrown back to suffer fragmented flashes of Veld's insanity. A small whimper escaped his throat but Reno couldn't hear it above the hell in his head.
A muscled arm curled around his neck, choking off his air cruelly and lifting him so he could barely touch the ground. Hot breath puffed on the back of his neck and he started to pass out, his lungs screaming for air. Unconsciousness was denied him however and suddenly he was flying towards the wall, hitting with a crash and falling to the ground to land on his fractured arm. He heard himself scream.
In a flash the scene skipped forward. He was crushed to the ground on his stomach under a heavy body, every inch of him thrumming with pain. The rip of his pants tearing, then with no warning Veld was thrusting inside him and Reno couldn't stop screaming, screaming. There was the pain but there was humiliation, disgust, a vague feeling that somehow he deserved this…
No. No no no no no! Reno felt the hand on him but he was too far gone to do anything but scream. He was being raped but his body was betraying him, aided by the calloused hand of Veld and the powerful thrusts slamming into just the wrong spot. He came convulsively and his mind fractured at the horror, only to tear apart further when Veld released inside him with a groan.
Suddenly Reno was in the hospital in the dark windowless room. Oh Gaia no, Veld! Please no… Falling, falling off the cot but not quick enough and Reno watched Veld come flying over the bed to pin him to the floor. Again. A hand stole his breath and Reno could hear nothing but the rough tones of Veld's voice promising more violation if anyone found out about their sessions. Shit. Oh shit. Anyone has found out.
At the realization that he had disobeyed Veld's very clear orders Reno yanked himself out of the barrage of memories and tried to slow his shallow breathing before he passed out. Slowly the crippling fear began to recede a little and gradually Reno found himself able to think more clearly. In a moment of uncharacteristic rationality Reno shakily told himself that Veld had no way of knowing that there was a rebellion stirring against him or that Reno had broken his silence.
It took a while but eventually Reno was able to get to his feet and make his way to the en suite bathroom. Catching a glimpse of his face in the mirror Reno froze for a moment, almost unable to recognize the ghostly white, gaunt reflection staring back at him with tormented hollow eyes. Reno tore his gaze away from the disturbing sight and began to wash his face, studiously avoiding looking into the mirror again and once he felt a little more human he forced himself to walk out the door and to the sewer entrance to get to work.
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Excited voices echoed among the dwellings of Shadowtree, word spreading quickly of a great tournament to be held very soon. Every member of the resistance from the youngest child to the most venerable elder were whispering enthusiastically, eagerly anticipating something that promised to bring joy to their difficult lives. Most people had been assigned a task to help with the preparations and every face was stretched in a smile, happy to be assisting with what promised to be the event of the year.
Not everyone was ecstatic however. After sitting in conference about the coordination of the different rounds of fighting for four hours straight Rude was ready to evaporate in a puff of exasperation and restlessness. His mind kept wandering far from the glades of Shadowtree, across the sea to Midgar to dwell worriedly on the well-being of the partner he had come to view as his brother. Rude periodically dragged his attention back to the meeting at hand, only to find it had crept back to the subject of Reno a minute later.
During the hammering out of an extremely boring and complicated set of rules for the final rounds of competition Rude nearly jumped out of his skin when a small hand gripped his shoulder. Standing behind the bald Turk was Yuffie the grinning ninja and she leant forward to whisper in his ear, 'If you run now I can take your place and finish the deliberations. Sidle slowly towards the trees and I'll make sure no one is paying you any attention.'
Rude nodded gratefully and was out of his seat like a shot. He winced as Yuffie raised a very intelligent issue about a point everyone thought had been settled but a small smile graced his lips when he heard the uproar behind him, an indication that nobody was paying him the slightest hint of attention. His feet taking control of his direction Rude found himself standing by the sparkling lake in the middle of Shadowtree and he slumped to the ground, unable to banish the image of the pale shadow of Reno he had seen through the vidscreen.
For as long as he had known the redhead Turk Rude had quietly enjoyed the man's irrepressible cockiness, although he would rather choke on his own tongue than admit it to Reno's face. Seeing his friend without a smile or a glint in his eye shook Rude to the core and knowing that Reno had been low enough to attempt suicide scared him shitless. Struggling with surging anger and despair Rude stared at the glittering blue lake and tried to find some semblance of calm within himself.
The sun moved overhead and Rude sat motionless. Waves appeared on the clear water when the wind picked up but Rude remained as still as a stone. Shadows stretched long across the ground and the sky turned the blood red of sunset, still Rude stared blankly at nothing. It wasn't until Yuffie appeared out of nowhere and gently touched his arm that Rude moved at all and even then he only turned his head an inch so that he could look at the ninja girl over the top of his glasses.
Rude should have been used to Yuffie completely wrong-footing him but he still gaped like a landed fish at the first words out of the tiny girl's mouth. With a look that managed to combine affection and complete exasperation Yuffie said, 'Just call your damn friend already Rude, I'm sure he misses you too. Worrying yourself sick isn't going to help anyone you know.'
With strength that belied her petite frame Yuffie hauled Rude to his feet and pulled him in the direction of her tent, muttering under her breath the whole way about emotionally constipated men. Rude for the most part ignored the girl fussing around him like a mother hen and spent the walk trying to figure out what to say to Reno. In the back of his mind Rude was unable to suppress a nagging suspicion, he was sure that there was still something Reno was holding back from him.
Maintaining his poleaxed look Rude allowed Yuffie to push him into the chair behind the desk and he simply watched as she efficiently assembled the vidscreen for him. Surfacing long enough to give Yuffie a strained smile of thanks Rude waited until the girl skipped out of the tent and then let out a shaky breath. Forcing himself to man up Rude punched in the key to call Rufus and made himself to sit patiently, waiting for the call to go through.
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Reno was completely immersed in a complicated experiment with some extremely volatile materia when a knock on the door made him jump, sparking a small explosion of inexplicably blue energy. Swearing worse than a foul mouthed SOLDIER Reno blinked to clear his vision and staggered over to open the door. The redhead's mouth snapped shut on a particularly disgusting curse upon seeing who it was and he stared suspiciously at Rufus who stood elegantly in the door of the lab.
Whatever Reno expected it was definitely not what he got. With a look on his face that looked incongruously like good humor Rufus nodded a greeting and stated, 'Come on, you're going on a break. Don't argue Reno just follow me.'
A little creeped out by the strangeness of the situation Reno gave up and followed Rufus silently through the dimly lit hallways of the Weapons Division building. When they arrived at a tiny little hole-in-the-wall office Reno entered the room on Rufus' gesture and saw a vidscreen sitting on the solitary desk in the center of the room. Curious, Reno walked over so that he could see the person on the screen and at that point he promptly forgot Rufus even existed. A wide grin spread across Reno's face and he couldn't resist blurting, 'Careful yo, I might start thinking you like having me around partner.'
Rufus quietly closed the door and stood guard outside but Reno was oblivious to all but the weather-beaten face of his oldest friend. Opening his mouth to babble something nonsensical Reno quickly snapped it shut again as Rude cut him off. There was no small talk or pleasantries and Reno lost his breath at the first blunt words out of Rude's mouth, 'What aren't you telling me Reno? I know you too well partner and it's not sitting well that you're still holding something back when shit's this serious.'
Reno's mouth hung open for a moment but then his walls came slamming back up and he wiped all emotion from his face. In a voice that was pretty much the antithesis of everything Reno he said flatly, 'You know it all Rude. If I was going to hide anything don't you think it would be that Veld fucked me like a damn geisha bitch? Dammit yo I knew it was too good to believe you called because you missed me.'
For a second Reno was sure that Rude was going to terminate the call but his partner surprised him massively. Through the vidscreen Reno saw Rude's eyebrows draw together in a scowl and his own eyes flew wide open when Rude lowered his head and took off his ever-present sunglasses. Rude looked Reno straight in the eye and the words he spoke sounded like a plea, 'Gaia Reno don't do this. You've never hid shit from me before and… Fuck… You can't fight this by yourself.'
Reno was taken aback by the tone in Rude's voice, one he had never heard from the huge man even in their worst moments. The impulse to deflect, dissemble and flat out deny was very strong but in the end Reno just couldn't lie to Rude. Looking away from the screen Reno muttered, 'Fuck you and the horse you rode in on yo… Why couldn't you just let it lie? I can't get this shit out of my head and somehow you fucken know from 2000km away.'
Unable to lift his eyes and look at his best friend Reno spoke to the floor, 'I'm having nightmares Rude, ones that are driving me insane because they're memories yo. Sometimes it's that fucker in t-the basement… Shiva's stone cold cunt Rude, he took everything from me with what he did. I wake up wondering well fuck, maybe he thought… Maybe I wanted it somehow?'
Slumping back in his chair Reno transferred his gaze to the ceiling, 'I ain't been sleeping well yo, I know how I look too so don't bother to comment. All the hell I've seen with the Turks, the people I've killed, I've never had no trouble sleeping… And then along comes that sick bastard, screws up everything in my tiny fucking head.'
With a sigh Reno slouched forward and locked eyes with Rude who was starting to look sick to his stomach. Barely louder than a whisper Reno said, 'This is fuckin' with me Rude, turning me into something that isn't me yo. I'm hiding in my own head and fuck, you know I'm not one for hiding. And I'm scared. I hate myself for it but I'm scared out of my Gaia-damned mind and I'm barely dealing with it.'
Raising a hand when Rude went to speak Reno continued in an even softer tone, 'I, uh, there's something else yo, something I haven't even told Tseng. It's left me a fucking sniveling mess and there's nothing I can do to fix it. When… In the hospital yo, after that stupid shit with the window, Veld was there… I c-couldn't do anything and I thought he was going to kill me yo…I just cowered there like the useless piece of nothing he's always told me I am.'
When Reno stuttered into humiliated silence Rude made a noise that was something between a whine and a growl. In the long moment that Reno stared uncomfortably at his friend Rude finally marshaled his powers of speech and snarled, 'Ah fuck partner what I should be over there standing next to you. It's shit but all I can do is remind you of the plan and try and make you believe that we will take that sack of shit down no matter what it takes. You stick with Rufus and Tseng Reno, they'll watch your back until I get home.'
A small smile ghosted across Reno's face before disappearing again behind his grim facade. He floundered for something to say to show Rude just how touched he was but before he could come up with anything the door of the tiny office slammed open and standing there like a skeletal angel of vengeance was Scarlet. The next few seconds were full of dragging and snapping and it was all Reno could do to wave wretchedly at Rufus. To Reno's surprise Rufus smiled wryly and made a gesture of commiseration before Reno was pulled out of sight.
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Standing outside of an out of the way office was not exactly how Rufus had planned to spend his afternoon but leaving Reno unguarded was unthinkable so he utilized the time creating fiendish extensions to his plan. Caught up in his own twisted scheming Rufus was midway through working out the logistics of flooding Veld's punishment room with fake blood when he was shoved to the side unexpectedly and narrowly missed sprawling on the ground in an undignified heap.
Extremely pissed at having been caught unawares Rufus spun on his heel ready to blister the offending person with his acid tongue, but his prepared scathing words evaporated in his throat when he saw the look on Scarlet's face as she blew through the door. Although he definitely did not appreciate being manhandled in such a fashion Rufus had a very well developed sense of self-preservation and knew that now was not the time to pick a battle with a very irate Scarlet.
Calm and collected by the time Scarlet reappeared with a shell-shocked Reno in tow Rufus managed a sympathetic wave and a sardonic smile before the redhead was hauled away to an uncertain fate. Unhurriedly Rufus walked into the office room and sat gracefully down in front of the vidscreen, nodding serenely at Rude who was staring wide-eyed back at him.
In a curt tone, calculated to snap Rude out of his bewilderment Rufus said, 'Nice to see you too Rude, you're welcome for the call by the way. As you know that was Scarlet, Reno's superior until things are a little more conducive to his well-being in the Turks again and I should have known she wouldn't agree with Reno taking an unscheduled break. Now are we going to speak or should I just continue talking to myself?'
As planned Rude responded instinctively to sharpness and Rufus let out a short breath when the Turk stuttered out, 'My a-apologies Sir, it won't happen again. I… This is just so wrong. There's, well, ah fuck, may I speak freely Sir?'
Rufus narrowed his eyes but nodded his assent for Rude to continue. If possible the bald man became even more halting but he managed to force out, 'I can't even believe I'm saying this Sir… It hurts my brain to be thinking it, but Reno… Reno's losing it and I don't know what to do. There's some things that he's still hiding from us… Fuck I don't think he's even talking to Tseng and you know how he looks up to him. I hate to ask Sir, but do you think, maybe, you could talk to Tseng and see if he can snap Reno out of this secretive bullshit? Gaia dammit to hell Rufus I'm really scared for him.'
Taking a moment to absorb the atypical look of worry on Rude's face Rufus nodded decisively, 'You're right, Tseng does have the best chance of all us in breaking through Reno's defenses. If you'll excuse me I will do my best to hunt him out and make sure that this stops now. Also, I'll keep you updated as to what happens; I don't think I've ever seen you this agitated Rude and I don't like it.'
Rufus ignored the incoherent thanks that Rude was stammering and brusquely bid him goodbye. Once the vidscreen went blank the son of Shinra sat and glared at the desk for less than a minute before grabbing the vidscreen and sweeping out of the room. Once again on a mission Rufus stalked through the corridors of ShinRa, ignoring the frantic scuffles of lowly employees to keep out of his way, entirely focussed on finding Tseng.
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Rude, as a rule, was never flustered but he felt like kissing the vidscreen when Rufus promised to keep him in the loop about Reno. Staring at the black screen Rude grappled with a strange mess of emotions ranging from gratitude and hopefulness towards Rufus, to a gnawing pain in his gut regarding the things Reno had told him. Unaccustomed to dealing with anything even vaguely like the emotional shitstorm in his head Rude groaned and staggered outside.
Somehow Rude's feet had a destination in mind again and he found himself back at the lake he had visited earlier. Finding his way to the tree that he already thought of as his tree Rude slid to the ground and began to do the closest thing he had to meditation, removing his sunglasses and meticulously cleaning every tiny spot of dirt from the tinted glass. The big man's breathing slowly evened out and by the time he moved on to the second lens he was feeling a lot more like himself. He even heard the displacement of air that signaled the approach of Yuffie and quickly turned to stare at the girl just as she reached for his shoulder.
A quick smile crossed Rude's face at the startled obscene curse that slipped from Yuffie when his head snapped towards her but the gentle expression was quickly chased away by the storm cloud that seemed to have set up residence. Turning his attention back to the last stubborn speck of dust on his glasses Rude felt the girl sink down cross-legged beside him and lapse into comfortable silence. Rude let the silence last just long enough for him to be sure that the big-mouthed ninja wasn't there simply to babble inanely and then he looked sideways at his companion.
Rude decided to start lightly and hopefully saying, 'Hello Yuffie, I see you're not here to make my head explode. Is there something you need to talk to me about regarding the tournament plans?'
Unfortunately Yuffie had not arrived with light banter in mind and destroyed Rude's tranquil state with six evenly spoken words, 'Rude, talk to me about Reno.'
In a split second Rude held a war in his head, battling over whether or not to do something he had never voluntarily done before; open up to someone outside of the Turks. It was a big deal for Rude but in all honesty it was never really in question and his shoulders slumped in defeat. 'I don't know what Rufus has told you Yuffie, but I'd bet he at least outlined the events that have taken place. I won't tell you the parts that are only Reno's to tell but if you've got time I think I need to get this shit out of my head.'
Without hesitation Yuffie nodded so Rude continued, 'Veld needs to be stopped so he doesn't self-destruct and take the Turks with him, but for some of us it's a lot more personal. Reno has been my partner for longer than I care to think but what Veld did to him has broken him in a way that all the horrible Turk business never has. Dammit Yuffie, seeing him like this scares me. Nothing scares me, but this, the way Reno is now, terrifies me.'
Rude stopped for a second to swallow heavily but when Yuffie leant gently on his arm in support he managed to keep talking, 'It's my fault Yuffie. I was meant to remind Reno about his damn report but I thought it would be funny to let him sweat about forgetting to hand something in yet again. Bahamut's balls! Fuckin' funny… How in hell is this fucking funny?'
This time Rude had to stop because his voice had dried up completely. He had spent the last few days shoving all the conflict in his thoughts into the background but now the guilt inside had burst into full bloom. The hulking Turk struggled to keep control of himself but when Yuffie wordlessly wrapped him in a huge hug he let out a shaky sigh and let himself hug her back. Sitting there by the lake enfolded in the unconditional acceptance offered by the girl who was wise beyond her years, Rude felt something poisonous inside him start to loosen and fade away.
Qǐng yuánliàng wǒ – Please forgive me.