Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)
Author's Note: Chapter Ten...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)
Chapter Ten: Treacherous Paths, with Treacherous Friends
Rude's eyebrow twitched slightly, before setting into place beside the other, which was furrowed deeply along the bringing bridge of his nose.
The silence that continued to settle between the two Turks was one of unbearable tension, with the red head's last statement still ringing through the air, and the evening's past revelations retaining their hold underneath.
Neither could be sure of the length of time which was allowed to pass before a response was made, but when the words finally managed to escape into the quiet, pine-scented, woodland night, they came with a noticeable edge of confused apprehension.
''What are you talking about?''
The young Turk took in a shuddering breath, as his aquamarine gaze faltered for a few moments from his partner's form, ''I...I don't know.''
The sharp splintering of violated wood pierced against the matted ground, and trembled through the mass of long since forgotten bracken litter and newly fallen leaves that were neighbouring in such close proximity, as the bald male took a few, hesitant steps towards the red head, whom still stood reeling from his unexplainable experience.
''Reno.''
His head jerked with a half-suppressed offence, as he returned his attention back up towards his partner, whilst his teeth made to grind against one another, ''I'm not crazy.''
''I wasn't suggesting-'' Rude made to raise a supposedly friendly hand in defence, but before his five, strong held fingers could make contact with the higher, colder air, they were halted in their path by a swift, blocking motion from the red head.
Reno's eyes were flashing with both anger, and childish accusation, both of which were prominent within his raised, uncontrolled tone, ''Yes you were!''
The bald male allowed his eyes to roll within their sockets, after emitting a rather tired sigh, ''It's just...'' a small, low chuckle escaped his lips, with a hint of disbelief carried in its wake, ''...a ghost?''
Reno stomped his foot in an agitated desperation, ''Don't you look at me like that!''
Anyone observing the scene would have likened it to some silly, playmates spat, with both Turks standing off against the other with a somewhat overplayed tone of drama and disbelief.
Rude crossed his arms and inhaled deeply, ''You've been having dreams, you're upset, and you're overtired...can you blame me for being a tad skeptical about the authenticity of your claim...''
Every syllable had been drawn out to its full worth, making his tone seem even more patronising than before. The red head's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing suddenly, ''Why do you have to talk like that? It's so...formal. Can't you just say you think I'm imaging it all.''
The bald male made to open his mouth, but seemingly no words that could find their way out would be deemed as a worthy response, so instead his lips clamped together tightly, whilst the red head was given the chance to fill the silence.
He rose a solitary eyebrow, though no smirk, or arrogant smile appeared to join with it, as a rather serious, knowingly calm expression of unreadable emotion graced his facial contours, ''I know the difference between dreams and reality...and I know what I saw...and that was not a creation of my own mind.''
Reno's aquamarine gaze locked onto his partner's with an unbreakable ease, for what seemed like an eternity held within a second, with the red head continuing to hold his focus steady, and showing no signs of flickering, whilst Rude seemed almost burdened underneath it.
After an unpredicted moment, the bald male broke the matched stare and directed his own to take fascination with one of the nearby tree trunks, as his voice returned, though it was now a mere tremble against the air, ''It's late, and we have a long trek to complete. We best get some rest.''
The somewhat disappointed sigh was emitted from the red head, ''Whatever.''
As he willed himself forward, upon the unmarked path that would return him to the equally non-distinguishable camp, Rude remained behind, waiting for him to proceed him, before he chose to follow, though the moment the young Turk had surpassed the form of his partner, he made a point to halt, and tilt his head, so as to view him once again.
''Oh and Rude?''
The bald male made no audible response, though he acknowledged the intent to query with a simple, unremarkable nod of the head.
''Don't think I've forgotten.''
Although the red head's gaze was not purely directed at Rude's own, he could still feel it burning upon him; the damage he had caused upon their shared friendship becoming apparent once again, as the young Turk spoke without a hint of sarcasm or amusement, but just with the serene quality that only ever came with true conviction.
''I still think you're a complete jackass.''
For the most part, their remaining woodland journey was carried out in a state of personal silence, with only the sharp snapping of hardened bracken and the gentle rustle of clashing leaf matter providing a travelling soundtrack.
Though occasionally, when the area would fall particularly still, from lack of both passing weather disturbances and covered ground, Reno would catch his own breath so as to listen to that of his partner. True, nearly every thought connected with the bald co-worker would be filled with a sense of burning confusion and uncontrollable anger, but, no matter how hard he tried, the young Turk was still very much concerned for the well-being of his partner.
The wound had begun to heal at least, with the bleeding ceasing to be so constant, with only the sparsest of trickles emitting from the deep gash when rashly physical movement, or stretching was applied, but that was a small comfort when shared with the internal damage that was still rather weakened.
The red head could hear, in his flickering breath, and see, in the masked flinches, that it was still, very much, affecting Rude, and the added pressure of travelling in such harsh, poor conditions was no doubt, testing his body to the limit, with its breaking point waving on a very, very thin line.
Reno's attention had been so wrapped up within his own, conflicting thoughts, that his outward senses were slightly unaware of the increasing degree of pure sunlight that had been, before, somewhat mingled and entwined through the treetop canopy, though now seemed to be sourced with a much clearer ability, as the green obstructions began to disappear.
It wasn't until a rather swift chill began to whip at the higher contours of his cheeks, and the tip of his well defined nose, brushing them with a warm, red hue, that the young Turk noticed that the trees had indeed cleared, as their passage through he woodland came to a quiet end, whilst delivering them at their journey's next, daunting and all too demanding looking pass.
The dark, cold, silver looking slate of the mountain's foundation was of a size unreadable by mere observation, and even the red head couldn't withhold the wisp like gasp that was emitted when his aquamarine eyes allowed themselves to widen upon meeting with the mass of rock.
The whole area seemed cast in shadow, and yet a certain brightness surrounding them, as the higher points stood buried within layers of deep set snow, causing the high burning sun to reflect off the pure whiteness with an almost painful precision, and yet he was still unable to determine its true height, with the top being at such an altitude that it had become hidden within the puff like clouds, and the added icy smoke emitted from the chilled mountain peak.
There was no denying that the following climb would be one of incredible challenge, and with both the younger Turk and his partner being on such distant terms, the idea of committing to such a pursuit was not a very comfortable one.
The thought of what Shin-Ra might be searching for in such extremes, filled Reno with both intrigue and fear, although he was somewhat dubious to the idea that what they had come for would be upon the very top of the mountain's peak, with the many cavernous trenches and deepened rock-faces being a rather more viable options.
Reno's gaze lingered on the looming structure of natural creation for a few more moments before it flickered under the overwhelming state of awe, and reverted back down, towards the form of the bald Turk, whom was now busily arranging and constructing the apparatus needed for their vertical hike.
The red head couldn't help but wonder about the real authenticity behind Rude's apparent ignorance concerning the mission and their actual purpose, sure he had admitted to knowing the location, but he had yet to either deny, or indeed acknowledge the extent of his knowledge within the context of the end goal.
For the following three minutes, he observed his partner in silence, taking note of every facial grimace, and muted sigh, hidden behind the plate of smooth, emotionless calm that he displayed to such a level of perfection, that the changes were almost impossible to spot, with Reno only able due to his high exposure and far-backed history involving the taller, silent Turk.
He had to fight against the small, half smile, that threatened to tug at the corners of his thin, pale lips, as he watched Rude study the mountain surface and emit another quiet sigh, along with a deeply furrowed brow; he knew for a fact, that the bald male had an intense dislike for heights, in fact, he feared them with a passion, though of course he would never dismiss a mission on the principle.
In the past, the red head had rather enjoyed teasing his co-worker about his little phobia, especially during their trips upon the Turks personal, Shin-Ra Helicopter, with Reno purposefully performing fancy swoops and jarring swifts within the air, much to his partner's obvious discomfort.
Of course, the younger Turk hadn't acted to be a 'bully' of sorts, but now that he looked back on it, maybe what he had thought of as 'a bit of fun', wasn't exactly seen so accordingly by Rude, and although he had never made a strong, formal complain against the behaviour, there was no denying that the numerous offences to his nervous state had affected his own, personal feelings towards the red head.
Reno's brow contorted, both in self-shame and anger, Am I really any better than him...
His hand raised itself slowly up to the collar of the whitened t-shirt and began to play with the material in a subconscious agitation, I have to be...I wouldn't...I couldn't do what he's done...
A deflated sigh of pained amusement escaped from his parted lips, whilst his arm flung back down, and his fist clenched, as he mouthed out silently, ''Who am I kidding...''
Of course I would...
''Do you need a hand?''
Rude made a rather noticeable flinch at the sudden emittance from the red head, whom had resolutely refused any conversation with him since their last confrontation.
A short pause passed between them, as the bald Turk studied his partner in a state of both wary confusion and masked relief, though eventually he managed to gather up the will to mutter out the simplest of answers, ''No...it's ok.''
His tone had been both steady, and calm, and yet the gentle warm, along with the underlying waves of somewhat 'child-like' nerves had not gone unnoticed by Reno, whose gaze remained locked upon the bald male, with some degree of careful deliberation.
''Here, take this, and harness yourself.'' Rude rose from his previously hunched position, with the gathered items, and handed the red head a long piece of material, along with a variety of clips and metallic sharpened tools.
''Make sure to use the pickaxe when we reach the icier slopes, and take your time, don't rush and choose weakened spots...''
His voice died out as a silent and almost invisible shudder waved over the bald Turk, whom was clearly unsettled by the both the image and the thought that came with the guiding tips.
A few moments later, he seemed to regain his former state, and carried on with the straight, unwavering directions, ''We'll need to work together, it'll be dangerous, and this will be a very long, uncomfortable journey unless we both concentrate, plan, and communicate with each other. Otherwise...-''
Once again, Rude's voice appeared to fail him, though this time, it was the red head whom broke the silence, with a tone rather lacking in his previously displayed new-born anger.
His lips pulled apart, with hints, rather surprisingly, of amused teasing, and yet the very brushes of a genuine, heart-felt smile graced itself upon him, ''Don't worry, I won't let you fall.''
Reno heaved himself up, onto yet another, ice hard ledge, which, in itself was no more than half a metre wide, meaning that he was still, basically, hanging from the mountain side, just one motion away from taking a rather more than uncomfortable drop.
The red head relaxed against the cold rock, as he took a few seconds out to remove one of the hooks, and replace it upon the new, chosen stop, before proceeding to clamber to his feet and tighten his grip above a nearby dent, which looked to be the perfect size and shape to be used as a foot hold.
A series of clenched gasps were soon emitted from the young Turk's mouth, as he realised the next, acceptably well-sized ledge, upon which to pause, was not yet within his line of sight, meaning this section of high-scaled climbing would be rather more prolonged than he'd hoped.
As he pulled himself up to latch his foot upon an nicely-protruding piece of jagged rock, the red head slowly began to grumble quietly to himself, with his words catching upon in-between, with the raised excursion's breath-choking effects prominent within his light, tired tone, ''I'll...never...complain...about...having...to trudge...though...tree infested land...ever...ever...again!''
Luckily for Reno, the bald male was quiet a healthy measure ahead of him, and was not able to pick up upon the begging admittance, as after spending an unbearable amount of time with the red head inside the woodland, within which, he had made personal note to air, and argue every little niggling irritation he found with the area, the comment might have indeed resulted in Rude finally having something to tease his partner about.
Though the dislike for the new, unmarked path, was hardly surprising, and the idea of anyone actually enjoying such a thing seemed far too close to true insanity to be associated with a healthy, leisurely, thrilling pursuit.
Both Turks had allowed a gentle quiet to settle, though this time, not because of any pained, undesirable tension between them, but rather because each movement required a great deal of concentration, not to mention that one was always having to look out for the other, after all, if either fell into trouble the only help they would receive would come from their fellow partner.
Each ledge had slowly been becoming further and further set apart, and although both had been trained to withstand such stains upon their bodies, neither could deny that their muscles were being pushed to the limit on this, though, it was not just their inner strength that was being punished.
Both of the climber's organs were not quite immune to the pressure that the atmospheric change was putting upon them, as now the air had become noticeably thinned, and the breathable contents had been diluted to within an inch of existence, not to mention, that every passing breeze felt like it had been brushed with the sharpest of chilled metallic whips and it wasn't even as if the area itself was a very invigorating stimulant; with the barren rock face, being both steely in shade and harsh formation, whilst the ice and thick snow covering made any scatting of plant life impossible.
Though it wasn't a total loss, as the lack of visual interest did lead to the red head being both able to keep his awareness alert and his thought clear through the quiet, but even then it wasn't perfect, with the calm state meaning that he couldn't always withhold the odd, unwanted thought, that made to creep into the corners of his mind, and mingle through to the centre of his focus.
Their rough-based travelling had certainly brought about more problems than expected, and even then, they were not the kind that Reno ever would have connected, in his widest imagination, with something like a mission, even if it had been shrouded within a rather guarded cloak of hushed secrets and unspoken decisions.
He was worried, that was fact, though what exactly about, he could not be entirely sure. But then again, Reno didn't really have any need to chose, he had so many perfectly liable reasons, that anyone of them would have fit the bill with quite an untouchable ease.
The young Turk had found himself rather forced, of late, to experience an array of unwanted emotion, as not only had he been shunned and withheld from the young brunette whom he had been so desperate to return to from the moment he had driven off on that road from Seventh Heaven, he had also been put through a series of dreams, both equally intriguing and disturbing in the content, which had, to his mind, begun to manifest within his own world, though it was the revelation about the true extent of Rude's knowledge and detailed orders that had been the red head's most recent, and most difficult problem.
''Reno.'' The bald male's voice echoed around the slated air with a quiet, yet determined delicacy.
The younger Turk slumped his form against a partially smooth section of rock, ''Hm?''
''Our final stop is upon my next ledge, when I reach it, I'll throw down my wire, then I'll pull you up.''
When the last of Rude's instructions had made their way down towards the red head, he gave a slow nod of agreement, before thumping his head upon his own metallic equipment, and sighing tiredly, ''Great...''
Reno remained hovering in place for a few minutes, with only a few cubbyholes to hold his grip, whilst the bald male carefully pegged his way up to the finishing ledge, though due to a hoard of low lying clouds, the young Turk was currently unable to direct with gaze anywhere upon it.
He pressed his forehead hard against the most comfortable section of cold rock, as he emitted a large, drawn-out yawn, I am so...so...tired... the red head allowed his aquamarine eyes to flicker to a gentle close, Just for a few seconds... another, lingering yawn escaped past his lips, ''Just for a few...''
His voice faded out completely, leaving in its wake nothing but the soft hum that could be likened, by anyone their to view it, to that of a muted snore.
''Reno.''
The bald male's call rang down, through the air, though by the time it had reached the red head, it seemed like nothing but a quiet annoyance, and not nearly great enough to penetrate his unconscious walls.
''Reno?''
Rude's voice had raised itself noticeably in both volume and intent, though this time, there was definitely more than a hint of concern about his tone.
Only a few seconds followed before a booming call reverberated around the mountain top, with such force that it managed to tremble down to the red head's finger tips, and finally teasing his senses to a state of awaken awareness, ''RENO!''
''Argh...oh shhhit!'' The young Turk stirred and immediately tightened his grip, as he again took note of the rather undesirable drop below, and the lack of supportive rope that would have kept him safe, in place.
''Reno? Are you ok?''
He sighed in relief at the sound of the familiar voice, and took a few steadying breaths before responding, though not altogether convincingly, ''Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just...just a little out of it...''
A distant rustle of soft material on rough metallic could be heard, before Rude called back down, his voice completely lacking in emotion now, as it took an a calm, concentrated edge, ''I'm lowering the wire now.''
True enough, after the passing of a mere few seconds, Reno caught sight of the dark, silver tip of double strengthened wire, which had attached, at its bottom, a hook of cloth, which the red head took to be the foot hold in order to lock him upon the self-made winch.
He quickly made to grab it and entwine himself around its steely structure, before proceeding to give it a sharp, swift tug, signalling quite clearly to his partner his readiness, and soon enough he felt himself slowly, but steadily being hoisted further and further into the masking, wisp-like clouds above.
Reno emitted a rather over-dramatic huff as his belly flopped up, onto the ledge, after one more stable heave from the bald male, whom now stood beside the sprawled out body of the red head, busily winding the wire-rope back into its once-coiled state.
After the skin upon his face began to grow somewhat numb from its snow buried position, the young Turk finally managed to pull himself up, though it did seem to take him a few moments to regain his balance, as his feet tried to ground themselves into the deep white ice particles, whilst his senses attempted to focus upon his new surroundings.
The ledge was definitely much larger than he had initially believed; it seemed as though a full sized motorway had been carved into the mountain's structure, and yet it looked as though it had been formed naturally, as the paths sides towered higher than reachable, and were tipped with jagged slate spikes, and the ground was far from smooth, as even through the snow covering the red head could feel the bumps and grooves beneath, embedded into the rock.
As his partner begun to mark his way through the snowy mass, Reno began to chuckle, ''I don't suppose you brought any carrots, or coal?''
Rude came to a slow halt and rounded back, with a tilted head, whilst his brow lay furrowed in confusion, though he made a point of not actually airing the obvious query, and instead just made to stare at the red head, until he succumbed to an explanation.
To his credit, it didn't take long, and within moments Reno had begun twirling his fingers, and darting his gaze with a sense of childish nerves, ''You know...for snowmen...''
The bald male narrowed his gaze for no more than a second, before swiftly turning and continuing on his way, and sighing rather patiently, ''Let's just...keep moving.''
Reno hung his head, and started to trudge slowly behind his partner, giving the occasional shiver, and low grumble whenever his feet stubbed against an unseen rock, or a particularly chilly breeze passed by.
Why can't Shin-Ra ever sent us to a beach...or to a strip club...why does it always been to be perilous, and desolate...and covered in bloody cold snow!...
The two Turks had only been walking for about ten minutes when the red head noticed he'd begun to fall behind, though with this detachment came an allowance for new, slightly unprofessional ideas to take shape within Reno's mind, and soon a wide smirk had crept across his thin, weather chapped lips.
''Reno, hurry up, we've got to-'' The bald Turk had intended to finish his sentence, but was muted by a rather large, rather well-aimed snowball to the cheek, the skin of which tightened, as his nose scrunched, after the wet ice slid down and fell to the ground with a dull splat, ''Reno!''
The red head stood a few metres back, his arms wrapped around his stomach, as he tried to support his form, whilst it jerked with an unquellable laughter, though he was soon silenced when he, found himself, the victim of a snow formed attack.
''Ergh...'' He emitted a light-hearted growl, as he wiped the icy particles from his face, ''That hit my nose!''
Rude raised a solitary eyebrow, ''I have good aim.''
They stared at one another for a few moments, before a smile graced both their faces, which were now reddened from the cold, and yet white, frozen water particles remained trailed down their cheeks.
The red head gathered up a good amount of softened snow from a nearby slate stump, and grinned widely, ''Pfft! Mine is better!''
Within moments the pair had set off in an avid chase, and all moan-worthy thoughts had seemingly disappeared from either Turk's mind's, though it wasn't allowed to last.
Rude had just made his way through a rather close-knitted rock formation, when he came to a sudden stop, meaning that when the young Turk came to follow him, he ended up crashing straight into his partner's back with a rather painful thump.
He soon propped himself up upon his elbows and shook the various bits of snow from his flame red hair, before looking up at the cause for the jolting stop, ''Woah...'' Reno's mouth fell open in an almost comic suddenness, ''Is this where we're...-''
The bald male nodded slowly, also seemingly affected by the new, awe-inspiring sight, ''Yeah, this was the next...and last direction given.''
Just ahead of them, set deep against the mountain's face, was what seemed to be a cave, but not just any cave; the opening seemed immersed within a thick, black shadow, with anything past a metre into its deapths being shrouded, and its size was immense, though neither Turk could quite understand how it had not been viewable from below.
Reno continued to observe the darkened, ominous area, and soon enough his brow had furrowed, with the wave of recognition that washed over his mind, What...wait...
He slowly hoisted himself to his feet; using Rude's sleeved arm as support, before muttering quietly into his shoulder, though the red head appeared to be talking more to himself rather than his dumbfounded partner.
His breath seemed to catch with every word, as his voice came out at no more than a whisper, ''I know this place...I've seen it before...''
He tightened his grip upon the Turk's coated material, ''In my dreams...''
A/N= Ok, sorry for the wait peeps! I swear my weeks been crazy busy...but anyway I finally got it up!
Thought I'd focus on Reno and Rude's relationship in this, seeing as they have so much going on atm between them, and of course they're the only ones on the mission, so they kinda needed a little bit of development...
This chapter was a little bit lighter than its predecessor, but that's mainly because the next one is gunna be quite dark...so be prepared for that!
Oh and I know, I know there really isn't any Tifa in this...apart from a little mention, but don't worry the mission's climax will be coming very soon, and lots of good brunette action will follow XD