Running up the broken stairs, he turned down another debris filled hallway. Somewhere in this mess was Rufus Shinra. And for the past hour, he ran through the remains of five rooms he knew Rufus would have been in. Metal scraps and the cement from what-the-hell-ever cut into his jacket and pants, more often than not into his flesh as well. On top of that, an ungodly amount of dust managed to collect itself into his red hair.
He gave an angry sort of snort, turning up another stairwell. Rufus had damn well better be in this room. The chances of him being alive after Diamond WEAPON's attack seemed pretty slim. But, damnit, Rufus deserved a proper funeral if he did die. But— "Guh, fuck, stop thinking that. That fucker would laugh at Death and shoot him with that damn shotgun and get back to his paperwork."
Reno scowled, stopping to rest at the top of the stairs. He leaned forwards, resting his hands on his knees and drew deep breaths. Can't pass out of exhaustion before saving the president, right? Drawing another deep breath, he ran off again, almost tripping over his feet in the process. Note to self: Stand up straight before running.
After a few minutes of running around almost blindly, he reached his designation. "Aw, shit!" He yelled, seeing the debris in his way. Reno groaned and began almost ripping the rocks from the places, an almost desperate feeling washing over him. Shitshitshit. Rufus, you better be alive in there. He spent another five minutes digging his way through the mess only to be rewarded with a tackle from a very frightened, but still protective Dark Nation.
"Shit!" He swore, glaring up at the dark furred creature while clutching at his heart. "Stupid mutt. Scared the shit out of me. And get off, it's me." Reno pushed it off of him, sighing. "Rufus okay?" He asked, almost expecting a verbal reply from those intelligent eyes. It leaned down, taking the end of Reno's torn pantleg in it's teeth and gave a tug. Shaking his head, he stood. "All right, all right," he said, running his fingers through the dark fur on it's head. "Show me where he is."
Dark Nation gave an odd sound between a bark and a meow, leading the Turk towards it's master. Just beyond the charred remains of Rufus Shinra's desk lay the battered, unconscious but still very much alive president. Reno felt his heart and stomach give a strange lurch as he knelt beside him, reached out and was startled by the resistance his hand gave four inches away from Rufus' neck. He blinked and looked to Dark Nation. "You little rat. You've been casting barrier on him, haven't you?" Reno gave a startled, amused laugh. "Good boy, Nation," he said, rubbing Dark Nation's head.
Once the barrier spell dissipated, Reno pulled Rufus onto his lap, brushing away his long bangs. "You certainly living up to your rumor, Mr. Shinra," he said, wiping some of the dirt and dust from his face. "Despite all this, you're not bleeding." Lifting him up slightly, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to his hair. Dark Nation rested it's head on Rufus' lap, looking up at Reno with it's intelligent eyes. Reno sighed. "What am I going to do with you two."