Author's Note: HEEEEEEeeeeeyyy guys! =P I promise I didn't forget about you! I've just had some epic writers block (of course, during winter break when I actually HAD TIME TO WRITE!). I think I'm over it now and hopefully I can crank out some writing in the next few days before I go back to school! =/ Also, I (sadly) have such long intervals between writing, I'm concerned I'll forget about things. So if I mention something that sounds important and don't seem to bring it up again, PLEASE TELL ME. =P I don't want to forget anything cuz I have such great ideas for this story! I got distracted earlier (when I was supposed to be writing =P) and ended up reading the part when Reno and Elena first meet. LOL, I love that part. xD So funny. Anyway, enough stalling, I suppose you guys have waited long enough for this chapter! *nervous laughter* Please don't kill me? =P
Tseng sat at his desk, a slight frown appearing on his face. A file was laying across his keyboard, apparently Daniel's report on the surveillance mission. This was not what had caused Tseng to frown however. The man reached out, delicately straightening the pen positioned to the left of his keyboard. Daniel must have used my pen again. Tseng would never have left the item laying crooked. He was always trying to explain to his team that one could not perform neat, organized work if one's work space was not neat and organized. So far none of them appreciated his intense orderliness.
Glancing over the report, Tseng sighed. No luck on their first suspect. Oh well. We couldn't have expected to find the culprit on our first try. The mission hadn't been entirely useless; it had been good experience for Reno. Tseng wondered what the redhead was up to. It was nearly half an hour past the time he was supposed to get to work. He'd usually managed to cause some kind of a commotion by now. Tseng knit his brows, resolving to keep an eye out. The longer it took for Reno to play a prank on someone, the more elaborate and disastrous the prank tended to be.
As his gaze fell upon the memo that popped up on his computer screen, Tseng rolled his eyes. Apparently Heidegger needed to see him and his team urgently. Everything was urgent to Heidegger. Tseng suspected the man called these "urgent" meetings just to interrupt his work. Collecting his precious pen and a small pad of paper (as if Heidegger ever said anything worth writing down), Tseng headed down the hall to gather up his Turks.
"Good morning, children," Tseng greeted them cheerily, entering the lounge area where he knew they'd all be gathered, "We have an important meeting to go to, so let's be off. Where's Reno?"
"Ugh, do you have to be so cheerful?" Daniel cast an accusing glance at Tseng, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"Just because you're not a morning person doesn't mean you have to behave negatively towards me," Tseng smiled, "Caffeine is a drug, you know." He added this endearing comment with a glance at Myka who was already on her third mug. She stared him down while topping off the cup again.
"Addict," Talan's face remained completely composed, making it nearly impossible to tell if he was actually joking or not.
"Bite me!" Myka snapped back.
"Now, now, children," Tseng removed the pillow that Daniel had covered his face with, "Don't fight. Somebody tell me where Reno is and we'll head off to our very important meeting."
"Haven't seen him," Talan commented. The others simply shrugged.
"Ah, well, he's probably off plotting our downfalls," Tseng smiled grimly, "I don't have time to find him now, so let's go and deal with him later. He'd just be disruptive in a meeting anyway."
!#$%^&*&^%$#!
Tseng's cheery morning mood had been shot to pieces almost as soon as the conference room doors had closed behind them. On the plus side, his Turks seemed to have been jolted awake. Heidegger had been looking into the recent attack on the President since, after all, the infiltrators had been wearing SOLDIER uniforms. SOLDIER was more Heidegger's thing. Anyway, the man's interrogations had finally proved successful and they'd learned that Don Corneo was behind the attack. The news was surprising, considering they had a bit of an unofficial peace treaty with the Don. Shinra didn't interfere with his operations as long as he didn't mess with Shinra and provided them with information occasionally. Neither was powerful enough to subdue the other without considerable difficulty, so the arrangement kept both sides content. The bold move on the Don's part had come out of nowhere, and gave them plenty of reason to be concerned. Don Corneo needed to be kept in line with a firm hand. Their attention had been so focused on breaking up the drug rings lately that they'd perhaps let the Don get away with more than usual. The freedom must have gone to his head, and he'd gotten bold. They'd have to come down on him soon, and hard. Tseng had reminded the room that while they'd been preoccupied, Corneo could have garnered more power. They'd need to investigate before rushing into anything rashly. If they failed in an attempt to subdue him, it would only escalate the matter. They had to be sure of victory before going into anything.
Tseng tossed his pen and paper down on his desk in frustration, then thought better of it and carefully arranged them in their rightful places. Adding to his annoyance, there still wasn't any sign of Reno and the young man hadn't answered any of the calls Tseng had made. Digging through the file cabinet of personnel files in his office, Tseng pulled Reno's out, taking note of the address. He needed some time to think and organize his thoughts. A nice, long walk would be perfect.
!#$%^&*&^%$#!
Staring up at the trashy apartment building that corresponded with the address, Tseng wondered why Reno was still living here. He'd been with the Turks long enough to get a couple paychecks. Surely he could afford something even a little nicer by now. Mentally rehearsing his lecture on punctuality, Tseng entered the building, finding himself in a sort of lobby area, occupied by a sofa that Tseng didn't believe safe to sit on, a surprisingly good TV for the surroundings, and a rather large man glaring him down with a beer bottle in one hand.
"Whadaya want?" the man demanded, glancing scornfully at Tseng's pristine suit. The Turk director glanced at his watch. Yup, it was barely noon and the man was drinking. And not his first beer today, by the smell of things…
"I'm looking for someone," Tseng replied, politely enough but with a firmness to his voice, "Young man, red hair." What more description was necessary? If mentioning the hair didn't get a response, the man had definitely never seen Reno before. Indeed, a change appeared on the man's face as soon as he mentioned the hair.
"That scrawny bastard?" the man seemed surprised, "Whadaya want with him?" A whole new expression took control of the man's face, one of alarm and greed mixed together. "If you're tryin' to collect money from him, you'd best be on your way. He's only just started paying me what he owes, an' I'm not about to let somebody else get in the way of my money."
"You actually charge people to live here?" Tseng couldn't help but let the comment slip from his mouth, his already shortened temper wearing thin quickly.
"Hey, man, if you gotta problem with the place, you can leave! There ain't nobody askin' you to hang around here," the man took a swig of beer from the bottle before placing it down and crossing his arms over his substantial chest, "Whatever you want with the redhead can wait until I'm through collectin' what he owes me. Plus interest!" The man laughed drunkenly. "You'd be surprised what that kid will put up with just for an extension on his rent. I've beat him black and blue a couple of times and he don't even fight back if you promise him an extra week to pay!" The man's irritating laughter was cut short when Tseng lost his temper.
"Listen you drunken scoundrel," Tseng coolly pointed his black handgun at the man's head, "Bring me to the redhead and keep your damn mouth shut." The man nodded dumbly, eyes wide with fright and he led Tseng up a narrow flight of stairs and down a dark hallway, lit sparingly by one bare bulb. Banging harshly on a door with the paint peeling off at the end of the hall, the man cast a nervous glance at Tseng and his gun which was still drawn, though no longer pointed at the man's head. There was no answer from within.
"You have a master key, I'm sure," Tseng informed the landlord, "Open it."
"He don't ever lock it," the man explained, more meekly than before. He twisted the knob and pushed the door open, standing back for Tseng.
There wasn't much to be seen in the small room. Most notable was the ratty couch that Reno was curled up on, appearing to be asleep except for the shivering and occasional bouts of coughing that racked his frame.
"Reno?" Tseng put his gun away quickly, approaching the redhead, "Are you ill?" There was no response.
!#$%^&*&^%$#!
Tseng sat on the floor, his hands folded under his chin as he observed Reno. He'd called Daniel to bring a car and as he waited, he watched the redhead. He wasn't sure if Reno even knew he was there yet. He'd tried speaking to him, but Reno seemed to be in a fevered sleep. And he certainly had one hell of a fever. His face was flushed and his forehead burning to the touch. He hadn't stopped shaking since Tseng had come in and he was caught in frequent fits of coughing that hindered his already labored breathing.
"Reno," Tseng tried again to speak to the young man. This time the feverishly bright aquamarine eyes actually flickered open, looking at Tseng but not really seeming to see him. It was almost as though he looked just past the Turk leader.
"Tseng?" Reno's voice was hardly more than a raspy whisper and triggered a violent bout of coughs. Tseng noticed the redhead rubbing his chest while he coughed. "I'm late for work…" His gaze drifted out of focus just as his mumbled words fell into silence.
"You're sick, Reno," Tseng wasn't sure if Reno understood what he was saying, "I'm taking you home and getting you a doctor. Just try and rest." The redhead nodded weakly, clearly struggling to take even, deep breaths.
"Feels like…can't breathe," Reno managed to whisper, still rubbing his chest, "Damn, it's really cold."
"Yes, you seem to have a profound lack of blankets in here," Tseng commented dryly, glancing at his phone as it buzzed in his hand, "Now quit talking and focus on breathing. Our ride is here." Daniel appeared in the doorway, making a sympathetic face when he saw Reno on the couch.
"We're taking him to my apartment," Tseng said quietly to Daniel. The man nodded as he pulled one of Reno's arms over his shoulder, supporting most of the redhead's weight. Daniel had him settled in the backseat of the sleek black Mercedes in a matter of moments.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Tseng turned contemptuously to the landlord, tossing a wad of bills at him, "Someone will be by to collect his belongings later. He's not coming back."
!#$%^&*&^%$#!
Reno exhaled slowly, carefully, desperately trying to avoid setting off another fit of coughing or sparking that awful pain in his chest. He heard his harsh, labored breathing and his heart thudding slowly in his ears, the voices in the room strangely muffled. They'd taken him to Tseng's apartment and even though he was more focused on trying to escape the feeling of suffocation, he still looked around curiously from where he was on the black leather couch. Daniel had left again, going back to Shinra to fetch a doctor. Tseng suddenly appeared in Reno's field of vision, pressing the back of his hand on the redhead's forehead with a frown.
"Do you still feel cold?" he questioned. Reno focused his eyes on the man's face. It took a surprisingly long time and still longer to actually process what he'd said.
"Like ice," Reno quickly regretted speaking as the words were followed with a cough. Managing to squeeze in a rattling breath, he wrapped his arms around his chest tightly for warmth and to try and soothe the pain in his chest. Tseng piled blanket after blanket on top of Reno, but they didn't seem to be helping. That was the extent of Tseng's ability to assist. He stood looking down at the redhead, unsure of what to do. Hopefully Daniel will get that doctor soon. He began to pace restlessly, worried about Reno and the situation with Don Corneo that still required his attention. At least Reno was resting. Well, sort of. He'd been drifting in between sleeping and waking for quite some time in the grip of a high fever.
!#$%^&**&^%$#!
"Pneumonia," the doctor had spent hardly more than a moment looking over the sick redhead, "He's got pneumonia."
"So what do we do?" Tseng questioned.
"Well, try and keep him warm mainly. I'm prescribing an antibiotic which should help, but if he gets any worse I'm going to insist you move him to a hospital. It's really his breathing I'm worried about. Pneumonia puts a huge amount of stress on the lungs and one of his is already weak."
"He's got a weak lung?" Daniel echoed from his chair across the room where he sat with a concerned frown.
"Yeah, the one that had a bullet go through it," the doctor commented dryly.
"Oh…"
"So basically just try to keep him comfortable and watch his breathing carefully. If he gets any worse, call me at once," the doctor handed Tseng the prescription and left.
"Well…" Daniel unfolded himself from the chair and came to stand next to Tseng as they both looked down at Reno who was sleeping restlessly, "What should we do now?"
"I don't know the first thing about taking care of sick people," Tseng looked at Daniel with a completely mystified expression.
"Uh…soup?" Daniel suggested weakly, "That sounds right, doesn't it?"
"But should we wake him up to give him soup?"
"No?" Daniel's answer was more of a question and the two men stared at each other blankly for a few moments, completely at a loss. Reno's fevered mutterings caught their attention as he tossed weakly underneath the mountain of blankets.
"Did he just say 'Elena'?" Daniel asked.
"Yes, yes he did," Tseng mused.
"That's the girl he kept talking about after he was shot."
Reno mumbled her name again.
"I wonder… " Tseng went over to the laptop sitting on the neat desk across the room, silently working for a few moments, "Ah ha! You know how all our phones can be tracked?" Daniel nodded, coming over to look after one final glance at Reno. "Well, when Reno leaves Shinra, he goes here every day without fail," Tseng pointed at the highly-detailed map of Midgar on his computer, zooming in on a red trail from Shinra headquarters to a dot somewhere under the Plate, "That's not his apartment." Tseng turned to look at Daniel.
"Elena?" Daniel questioned, eyebrows raised curiously.
"Hopefully," Tseng went back over to Reno, carefully slipping the young man's cell out of his pocket without disturbing him. After looking through it for a few seconds, he held it up triumphantly, displaying a picture on the screen of Reno and a blonde girl smiling up at the camera. "Elena."
!#$%^&*&^%$#!
Elena looked up at her window and sighed. It was still early for Reno to show up, but she could always hope. It was Saturday, so she didn't even have school to help occupy the hours between visits. It was like the rest of her life was grey in comparison with her time spent with Reno. Her father was being especially loud and obnoxious today. He'd already slapped her once for doing nothing more than walking down the hall at the same time he did. She could hear him yelling at some poor girl right now. She decided to be especially daring and sneak out. It wasn't like she'd been told not to go anywhere. She'd just wait for Reno in that lovely little park above the Plate. He said he walked by it coming home from work. She smiled just imagining herself laying in the grass and watching the clouds up above. Even if they were grey and threatened to unload a barrage of raindrops on the people below, she still preferred it to her room.
Pulling on her thin coat to guard against the cold, she winced as she heard a crash, wondering what had put her father in such an awful mood. All the more reason to get out of reach. Slipping quietly down the hall and out the backdoor, Elena wrapped her arms around herself and kept her head down as she hurried through the alley and onto the street.
"Elena?" Her head snapped up when she heard her name. A man dressed in a suit with long dark hair and looking only slightly less surprised then she stood only a few feet in front of her. Suspicion and a bit of fear crept into her eyes. Who is this guy? How does he know me?
"Is this you?" the man questioned, approaching slowly and speaking softly as if trying not to scare off a frightened animal and holding up a phone with a picture on it. Peering at it, Elena's eyes went wide. It was the one of her and Reno that he'd taken just last week.
"Where did you get this?" she questioned, taking the phone and holding it carefully in her cold fingers. Finally her mind made the connection as she looked again at his suit. "Are you a Turk?" she lowered her voice to an awed and frightened whisper.
"Yes, my name is Tseng," the man replied, "I'm Reno's boss. He's quite sick at the moment and keeps asking for you in his sleep. I tracked you here…" The man's voice trailed off as he glanced up at the unsavory establishment. While there wasn't exactly a sign out front, it was still obvious what kind of place it was.
"It's not what it looks like, I promise," Elena muttered, blushing in embarrassment, "Reno's sick? Can you take me to him?" She swallowed her fear of the intimidating man before her. Clearly, Reno needed her.
"I was hoping you would say that."
!#$%^&*&^%$#!
"Look what I brought," Tseng smiled slightly, walking into his apartment and tossing the pill bottle to Daniel.
"Ah, the antibiotics, awesome," Daniel scrutinized the label studiously, as if he understood any of it, not noticing as Tseng stepped aside, holding the door open for the cautious girl that followed hesitantly.
"Daniel, say hello to Elena," Tseng shut the door, not even getting the chance to point the girl towards Reno before she was on her knees next to the couch, peering into Reno's pale face. She pushed the loose strands of blood-red hair out of his closed eyes gently, laying a hand delicately on his hot cheek.
"Hello to Elena," Daniel followed Tseng's orders literally, "Apparently he has pneumonia. The doctor gave us this." He handed the pill bottle to Elena who took it and glanced over it, gleaning all the information she needed.
"Poor Reno," she breathed quietly, then spoke louder, "Tseng, do you have a kitchen? And tea?"
"Yes," Tseng responded quickly, obviously relieved to have the responsibility of caring for Reno taken out of his hands.
"I'll make him some tea and then wake him up to take his medicine." The awkward hesitancy Elena had displayed since running into Tseng had completely disappeared now that she had Reno to take care of. "Fill this with water," she commanded Tseng easily, handing him the teapot he'd found in the back of a cabinet.
"This is so my fault," Daniel commented sorrowfully, leaning his elbows on his knees and staring morosely at the redhead, "I shouldn't have let him stay out in the rain."
"You were out in that same rain and didn't get sick," Tseng pointed out practically.
"It's not your fault Reno doesn't know how to take care of himself," Elena said, entering the room with a cup of the steaming tea she'd prepared, "There's more in the kitchen if you want some." Setting the cup down carefully on the low table in front of the couch, she turned her concerned eyes to Reno who was still caught in a fitful slumber. Shaking him gently, she called his name.
"Reno, wake up," she traced the scars on his cheekbones, flicking his unruly hair from his face. His eyelids twitched and his lips moved for a moment as if he were speaking but the only sound was his ragged breathing. Elena continued softly calling his name and gliding her fingers over his delicate features until, with a long, gasping breath, Reno's eyelids fluttered open, revealing cloudy aquamarine eyes that stared up at her groggily. A look of confusion passed over his face for a moment before a vicious fit of coughing made him wince, the pain in his chest stabbing through him brutally. Elena kept a hand on him comfortingly until he regained control of his breathing and opened his confused eyes again.
"Elena?" The word was more mouthed then spoken but the girl understood.
"You're not dreaming," she smiled, her hand resting on top of the pile of blankets, "Tseng came to find me."
"You kept asking for her in your sleep," Daniel happily pointed out, earning a half-hearted glare from Reno.
"Anyway," Elena's cheeks colored only slightly, "I made you some tea and you need to take this medicine." Elena handed him the cup and the pills once Reno was settled comfortably sitting up. He took his medicine without arguing and didn't put up a fight over drinking the tea either, revealing just how badly he was feeling.
"So," Elena raised a disapproving eyebrow and fixed her equally disapproving look on the redhead, "I hear you were out in the rain last night?" Reno looked up meekly, knowing what was coming as he nodded slightly. "And so once you were thoroughly soaked I suppose you just went home in the awful cold and simply went to bed without even bothering to change or dry off?" Again, Reno nodded meekly. "Did that seem like a good idea?"
"At the time," Reno managed to whisper, clearly struggling to breath as he shivered. He pressed a shaky hand to his pale forehead.
"What's the matter?" she asked anxiously.
"Dizzy," he replied, closing his eyes.
"Well, you have an awful fever," Elena took the cup out of his hand, "Why don't you lay down now?" Nodding weakly, the redhead slid beneath the blankets, rolling over onto his stomach. Even those simple movements seemed to exhaust him. A tiny cough escaped his lips.
"It seems as though you have the situation under control," Tseng commented, watching Elena sit beside the couch, rubbing Reno's back comfortingly as his breathing slowly steadied. "If you think you two will be alright on your own, it's time Daniel and myself returned to work. They'll be wondering where we've gone."
"I suppose we'll be fine," she looked up in surprise. She'd almost forgotten about the other two men in the room.
"Here's a number you can reach me at if there's a problem," Tseng placed a business card on the table. "I think he likes you." Tseng smiled knowingly, seeing Reno's hand slip out from beneath the blankets and find it's way into Elena's. The girl blushed and stared at the floor, letting her hair fall around her face.
"Well, duh, Tseng," Daniel grinned, "Why do you think the guy mutters her name all the time?" Reno was asleep or at least beyond responding.
"In any case, I trust you'll take excellent care of my newest Turk."
"Yes, sir," she muttered, keeping her eyes glued to the floor until she heard the door close behind the two of them. Then she glanced up at the place where they'd stood a moment ago. Strange…she'd expected the Turks to be much more intimidating and heartless. Their leader appeared to be an absolute gentlemen and the other one, Daniel, hardly seemed a deadly assassin. Maybe the others are more…stereotypical. She continued rubbing Reno's back, encouraged by the smoother sound of his breath. His lungs must be under an incredible amount of strain. First a bullet had gone through one and now this!
"Just hang on, Reno. We'll have you better in no time." She stared into the redhead's sleeping face, recalling Tseng's words: 'I think he likes you'. It almost surprised her when she found herself wishing it was true.
!#$%^&*&^%$#!
Reno's fever became worse in the next few hours, leaving him unable to sleep. Exhausted as he was, he lay in a sort of daze, staring with hazy vision at the ceiling, small beads of cold sweat forming on his almost transparently pale face, his breath coming in thin little gasps. Elena constantly dabbed a wet rag over his face, clutching his hand as if it was the only thing keeping him there. She murmured soothingly, not really saying much of anything but hoping it would help somehow.
"It hurts," Reno's voice was so quiet and his face so still, Elena wondered if she imagined the only words he'd spoken in a long while. She responded anyway.
"I know, baby, I know," she smoothed the dark, damp strands of hair out of his forehead, desperately willing him to feel better.
"No," he shook his head weakly and, his grip weak, pulled her hand under the covers and placed it over the center of his chest, a little lower than heart-level. "It hurts here." Elena frowned, wondering if that was normal for pneumonia patients. Instinctively, she began to gently rub the area.
"Does that help?" she asked. He nodded slightly. Glancing at the phone, Elena considered calling Tseng. Reno wasn't doing so well and she didn't like the sound of this chest pain. However, calling meant taking her hands off the redhead. I'll wait. If he gets worse, I'll call.
The sunlight streaming through the windows and stretching it's golden fingers across the wood floor was beginning to fail when Reno finally seemed to be feeling better. His strength returned enough that he could sit up again and so she gave him more tea, sitting next to him on the couch and letting him lean against her. Eventually he fell into a deep, restful sleep, his head in her lap. Tseng returned not too much later, Daniel and two others in tow.
"We brought soup," a green-eyed woman declared before ever introducing herself.
"Shhh!" Daniel shushed her dramatically, "He's asleep!" His hissing whispers were louder than the woman's voice had been.
"I take it you are Elena," a man stepped forward from the back of the group, ignoring the antics of the others. His dark hair matched his deep-brown eyes and black clothes. He stuck out a hand awkwardly. "I'm Talan." She shook the outstretched hand and the man quickly retreated to a chair as far away from the activity as possible.
"Damn, he's got bad luck," the green-eyed woman glanced at Reno sympathetically.
"Her name is Myka," Daniel's lop-sided grin appeared, "But you can just call her a hell-hound." The woman's eyes quickly turned steely as she lunged at the man.
"And you can call him dead."
Author's Note: So yeah...I'm actually not totally pleased with this chapter. It all worked out a lot better in my head. Maybe it's cuz blood isn't involved? =P I'm a terrible sadist, I know. Oh well. I don't see anyone complaining. xD I hope you all had wonderful holidays! And thanks for putting up with my horrifically late updates! o_O Is it too much to ask for a review too? I don't want to push it!