Disclaimer: I do not own any of the FFVII characters, places, etc.
A/N: hint hint XxHowToSaveALifexX!
Chapter 11: Old and New
Reno was surprised to find himself sauntering off of a boat into the Wutai harbor, welcomed after years of being less then well received by Wutai. He had been sure to pull on his goggles to ward of the heavy blizzard around him. He glanced at Rude over the fluffy trim of his coat, and gave him a smirk. Rude had bundled himself up without regard, and still looked sharp. His black trench coat, gloves, and scarf looked stellar, matching his designer sunglasses. Somehow he was still warm with that bald head of his.
"Doesn't matter what we're doin'. You always look cool," Reno whined. Rude only glanced at him before collecting his baggage and heading for the waiting car. Reno followed along, folding himself into the seat beside his partner. "So, how about the help we're getting?" Reno asked.
"It's an interesting twist," Rude replied. Reno's jaw had dropped when he'd read the e-mail from Reeve informing him that Yuffie was personally interested in his investigations. He hadn't seen the brat in seven years, and they'd never actually been much of friends. Okay, so he and Yuffie had shared a couple of drinks and had a good time after Sephiroth's second defeat. He actually enjoyed their conversation and the unpredictable nature of his youthful counterpart.
"I've heard she's all married and has brats now. Can you imagine that?" Reno snickered, grinning. Rude shook his head. Yuffie had always seemed to Reno to be the least likely to have children. There was something to wild and reckless to be maternal in her. Maybe because she was young, Yuffie had seemed to Reno like she would never be settled in one place long enough to love. Then again, the vampire Vincent might never have children either, although God only knew how many women would kill to give him a couple of kids.
"Twins," Rude corrected, and Reno shrugged. He didn't care much for details. That was Rude's expertise.
They arrived quickly enough, and the driver assured them he would meet them back here with their baggage to take them to their hotel. They would be staying in the capitol city for a few days, at least until the blizzard let up enough for the trains to run.
"Aren't you gonna take our coats or somethin'?" Reno asked as they stamped snow off of their boots at the behest of a severe faced woman.
"You'll need them in the Empress' office," she replied in a rigid manner, and Reno glanced over at Rude. "This way."
There wasn't time to properly appreciate the architecture around them, Reno mused as he kept up with tiny, rapid strides that seemed to move this woman at impossible speeds. The decadent carvings and infinitesimally small paintings were merged together in a breathless drama that gave one a true sense of there being a place for all things big and small. Reno wondered idly if Yuffie knew how many carvings and paintings were in this massive Pagoda.
"Wait here," the woman snapped, after leading them up three flights of stairs. They stood in a drafty hallway, and glanced at each other. Was the heat broken? The woman vanished within the office, and returned in a moment. She opened the door fully this time, and Reno and Rude were allowed in.
A woman was sitting at an enormous desk, and while it physically dwarfed her, there was a particular presence about her that made it appropriate. Her face was tilted down, with the elaborate loops of her hair decorated with pale, sparkling gems. Eyelashes almost fanning on her cheeks, her eyes were scouring paperwork set before her, one hand poised over the keyboard in a careless fashion that positioned the fingers elegantly. Her elaborate white kimono was perfect, colored to mirror the bleak skies outside of the window. The lack of fire or heat made her seem impossibly pale.
Reno was speechless. He stared, slack jawed for the second time in the past few days, and couldn't even muster anything witty. Standing agog, he was mercifully given just enough time to wire his jaw shut and pull off his goggles.
"You still look like misguided yakuza twerps," the woman said when she did look up at them. There was amusement in her dark eyes, half a smirk on her face. Ah! There was Yuffie Kisaragi. She gained a little edge of danger as she shifted at her desk in a manner similar to Tseng's. As she adjusted the documents and extracted an overstuffed file, an essence of Tseng seemed to ooze from her. "Siddown. You're making me nervous," Yuffie dispelled those thoughts instantly.
Reno kicked back in a chair, tucking his hands behind his head, watching as she finished fishing for this and that. Still sitting up on her screen were news reports. His Wutain was rusty, but Reno picked up enough of their strange words to know that she was researching the latest surge in sex trade.
"Never thought someone like you would help us," Reno said idly, just to provoke her. He wanted to see the fire in her eyes. "Especially not after all those years right after the Wutai war."
"Don't push it bar monkey," Yuffie intoned flatly, her eyes flashing up at him. Reno gave her a lazy smile.
"Mind if I smoke?"
"Window's over there," she pointed. Reno's eyes shot towards it, and then returned to her. Her eyes twinkled, daring him. Never one to keep a lady in suspense, Reno swung up and stalked to the window. With a bit of wrestling, he shoved it open as a blast of snowy air threw icy flakes into his face. Once he'd pulled his goggles and hook back on, he settled himself in the sill and lit up. Whatever Yuffie was expecting, she didn't let on how she felt about his reaction.
"So what's this about you helpin' out?" Reno demanded.
"We have a common interest," Yuffie answered, sliding the folder towards Rude. "I need people with filthy hands and no honor to get into the slums and underbelly of the city. How perfect that Reno and Rude of the Turks should just fall into my lap,"
"Well, I'm not there yet. You offering?" Reno asked playfully.
"There hasn't been a whole lot of that lately. I might take you up on that offer if you're on good behavior," Yuffie shocked him. Reno just smiled, and felt more at home. Sharks he could handle. If Yuffie was a shark, then he could read her motives and guess her intentions. "Wipe that smirk off your face. Do you think I would ever sleep with you, pervert?" Yuffie scoffed at his amusement, and turned to Rude.
"So you need us to do the dirty work," Reno sobered, fully prepared to enjoy working with Yuffie.
"I need you to do what you do best. Really, with the list of your connections here, it shouldn't be hard," Yuffie flicked a page at Rude, who examined it. Without moving a muscle in his face, he turned to look at Reno.
"This is a list of all our contacts," Rude informed him. Reno arched his eyebrows. "Everyone."
"Oh, so this is a ransom game now, huh?" Reno's smile grew darker.
"I've managed to do all of this on my own," Yuffie stated, glancing at her computer and striking a few keys. "The list is all in my head, and I'll be happy to forget it if you'll lend me some help,"
"Why can't you do it?" Reno pried, flicking ash from the tip of his cigarette. He appreciated briefly the contrast of the red ember against the hazy gray-white of Wutai winter. "You're good enough to stalk us without being noticed."
"There are a number of reasons my hands are tied for something that could take a few days," Yuffie answered. "Trust me, if I ask for help, I need it. Don't think I'm desperate, it would just be easier for me to higher a little bit of muscle instead of get my advisors' and Elders' panties in a wad." An amusing wrinkling of the nose made Yuffie look eighteen again. "Besides, I might need a vacation and monitoring you two would be the perfect excuse," she rolled her eyes heavenward.
Reno just smiled. There was nothing he could say that would express the peculiar mixture of amusement and pity for the Empress. If she thought tagging along through the festering underbelly of former Shinra slums was a vacation, there was no telling what it was like in court. He laughed, feeling the bizarre nature of their arrangement tickle his funny bone in a way that only a hired killer could be tickled.
Yuffie ignored him and spoke briefly with Rude, ironing out the particulars and tossing him a heavy purse. Rude nodded mutely, collecting purse and file. Reno just sucked on his cigarette and let Rude do what he did best. Casting his eyes over the city view, he was surprised by how little it had changed since he'd been gone. The horizon was unmistakable in its grandeur, and every building that had been destroyed was stubbornly rebuilt. It could have been the same city he had come to as a green recruit all those years ago.
"Hey, yakuza brat," Yuffie threw a dry paintbrush at him. Reno snapped out of his daze and hopped off the windowsill. He picked a bamboo brush out of his jacket, turning it between his thumb and forefinger. "Get outta my office. Your audience is over." She had her head perched on one hand, staring up at him. Reno set the brush down carefully on her desk, arranging it delicately between a cold mug of tea and an official stamp.
She didn't even bother to wait for them to leave to get back to her research. Her fingers skittered over the keyboard the instant Reno turned his back. He kept quiet until they were outside, headed for the car.
"So…"Reno drawled. "Did it feel funny to you to talk to her like a grown up?"
"I try to avoid the fact that she's thirteen years younger then I am," Rude nodded. Reno blanched. Time sure flew.