A/N: So another chapter finally shows up...Egads, I meant to post sooner but I'm sure you're all aware of the tortures of final projects...Anyways, the next chapter is waiting for you all. It's got some violence in it and some swearing...and the morbid storytelling continues, but I hope it is enjoyable nonetheless. Please enjoy!
I don't own FF 7
As a side note, many people have pointed out that there is a story very similar to mine called 'When Rude Met Reno.' I am aware of this story and actually am reading it. The author had my full permission to use my ideas to help get her story going. Yes, mine is the original, and yes, she is allowed to use these ideas or plot bunnies or whatever it is that she finds interesting. It is now clearly taking a different path than my story which indicates that she's true to her word. So, I hope we can all enjoy reading each others' stories. Thank you for your time. Now on with the show!
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Tseng and Rude both stared questioningly at the now fuming redhead. In a sudden burst of emotion, Reno was now muttering under his breath as he glared at a poor plant in the corner. If he did not know that it was impossible, Rude would have assumed the plant would wither and die under the redhead's harsh glaring.
"Very well. I will discuss this with the commander and the executives. Until there's a plan, both you are free. Dismissed."
"Sir."
As was routine, the two Turks saluted and left the room. Rude looked over at his partner who was causing the other employees to scurry to the other side of the hallway whenever he passed by. The redhead's eyes were a bizarre myriad of hues of blue and green. The colors seemed to flash across and then fade into another shade.
"You okay?"
Rude mentally kicked himself for that dumb question. Obviously, Reno was angry or upset or both. Before he could do or say anything else though, his partner paused and stopped right in the middle of the hallway. Staring off into space, Rude silently stood by and waited for something to happen. Then, unexpectedly, Reno grinned and tilted his head.
"I'm fine, yo. Hey, ya busy? No? Okay, let's get outta here for a while."
Reno tugged on Rude's sleeve towards the elevators. He pushed the down button and waited impatiently for the doors to open. While they were standing there, Rude just studied his partner, particularly his eyes. They were back to their normal, steady aqua color.
"Where?"
"In town, where else? I just had a great idea…Well, actually I already had the idea, but forgot about it, and now remembered it and decided it was a good time to act on my idea."
The large and silent Turk just cocked an eyebrow at the explanation. Well, they were just given free time and he had nothing better to do so he might as well tag along if only to keep an eye on the redhead. He idly wondered when he started to think he needed to keep an eye on Reno.
Speaking of the redhead, he was still continuing on his "idea" except now he was analyzing whether or not it would still be an idea or rather a plan now. While Rude remained silent, Reno was more than happy to fill in the silent gaps. He found himself strangely enjoying the redhead's company. Not that he needed noise, on the contrary, he held silence in high regards, but with Reno, the constant chattering did not bother him all that much. Granted, he sometimes was caught off guard and even stressed a little when the redhead started having a series of mood swings, but then, maybe that was why he enjoyed it so much. There was no predicting him.
The trip in the elevator finally ended with Reno coming to the conclusion that a tonberry would "kick cactuar ass" any day of the week. Now, Rude had been listening to the one-sided conversation, but still did not know how that conclusion was reached. As the doors slid open to the lobby, he nonchalantly wondered if Reno was going to go find a cactuar and tonberry and have them fight it out. Considering the gambling and other questionable activities the redhead took part in, he would not be so surprised if Reno did organize underground tonberry versus cactuar fights.
"And then chocobos will rule the world and it will then become a police state society until….ya listenin'?"
"…Unfortunately, yes."
"…..Hahahaha…..That doesn't matter anyways. Alright, let's see, where's the best place to go?"
They had been walking for a while with Rude trying to figure out how Reno decided chocobos would create a police state. They stopped in the middle of the sidewalk when they reached downtown. Reno was looking around searching for whatever his idea was. People began to collide with them since they were both blocking everybody's way and the abrupt stop caught everybody behind them off guard. He quickly bowed his head in an apology and dragged his partner to the side.
"Ah-ha. Got it, yo."
Before Rude could even ask what he got, Reno was already a good distance away. How he managed to move that fast in that large group of people was beyond the large Turk. In another interesting turn of events, he somehow managed to lose sight of the redhead. That was odd considering all the gray and drab people and the fact that Reno stuck out like a colorful flaming stick of dynamite.
Lightly shrugging his shoulders, Rude just found a nearby bench and sat down. Shopping and crowded places were not his favorite pastimes, but sitting off to the side watching people was far more interesting. All those passing by either ran by quickly or attempted to ignore his presence. After a while, those around or in the close proximity were beginning to become used to him as things started to flow normally again.
He did not know how long it had been as he studied every individual within his line of sight before he heard his PHS ring. As he reached for his PHS in his jacket pocket, the people around him suddenly grew tense and some even stopped mid-step. Rude quirked an eyebrow as he brought out the small mobile device and everybody seemed to relax.
"…I understand. We'll be right there."
Rude stood up as he looked around for his partner. There was no telling where Reno went of to and he was not looking forward to searching around for him. However, it did not take long before he saw a mess of red hair through the crowds.
"Heh, kind of helps finding ya when you're that tall, yo!"
The redhead smirked as he bounced up to him. Rude noticed him slide something into his pocket.
"Enough on that. I take it you got a call too?"
He nodded his head causing the redhead to sigh.
"So much for some free time. Oh well…I kind of got a bad feeling about this."
The silent Turk remained silent but nodded his head once. For some reason, there was a small gnawing feeling at the bottom of his stomach. It did not make too much sense that they would be called back in such a hurried manner if it was something small. Besides, there were still a handful of Turks at the building.
"I wonder if they found him or something…."
Reno was staring blankly forward as he walked. Even though he was looking forward, it did not seem as if he was actually seeing what was in front of him.
"Remember the third partner that I said we don't talk about?"
Rude nodded his head in the affirmative. The redhead chewed on his bottom lip a moment as he appeared to be gathering his thoughts.
"Well, as you probably guessed, it was Nernst, the guy we're after. I dunno how long..I think about almost half a year we were partners. Not the longest time, but long enough to have bits of information to give out."
They continued walked at a quick pace back to the main building. It loomed above the rest in the distance.
"Aargh! He's also the bastard who gave me these and stabbed me in the back! Literally and figuratively!"
He ran his finger gently along the pale scars around his eyes and suddenly became silent. The abrupt change from practically screaming to nothing was a bit jarring; especially for the people they passed.
"Good thing his aim sucks though. Even a foot behind me he still missed anything vaguely important to my functioning…." Suddenly, he became overly animated once again. ""Seriously, he had to have failed miserably at shootin'! Gya, I dunno what's worse; him bein' a backstabbin' traitor or havin' piss poor aim!"
He flapped his arms up and down angrily like a child as the passing pedestrians hurriedly averted their gaze and ran to the other side of the street. It was clearly still a touchy subject with him. Rude lightly shook his head as his partner continued to fume and glare. Figuring it could not hurt since he was already upset, Rude prodded a little further.
"When did he-"
"Not too long before all of ya rookies showed up. It was supposed to be a simple, 'get in and get out' sort of retrieval…"
Reno slowed down to his normal lazy drawl as he stared thoughtfully ahead.
"I had a gut feeling somethin' was off, but figured we could deal with it. Nernst was supposed to be watchin' my back…That was a mistake, yo."
There was a different tone to his voice when he said that last part. It was brief, but being the perceptive person that he is, Rude managed to catch it. He could not find a good word to describe it. Usually, he was quite gifted when choosing appropriate words; it was something he was always good at with him being usually silent, but now, he had trouble finding the right one to describe it. Then again, the redhead was kind of difficult to describe. It was no wonder the superiors always had their eye on him.
"Well, enough on that, yo. What do ya think we were called back for?...I got a bad feelin'."
Despite his claim of having a bad feeling, Reno still kept himself in a lazy posture and stared at the world with slightly hooded eyes. He pressed the button for the elevator and stepped inside when the doors opened.
"Do you have a bad feelin' or is this just me?"
Rude was a little surprised to have the redhead just about in his face, literally. Of course, he was standing a bit on his tip toes to reach, but it was slightly comical nonetheless. When he wanted to know something, apparently, he would definitely let it be known.
Before Rude could gather his thoughts again, the doors slid open and Reno spun around to smashed straight into Tseng.
"Sheesh, could ya be any more in the way."
Not having seen him, Reno did not have a good footing and managed to fall backwards from the impact and then bump into Rude who made a small "umph" noise and pushed him off. Tseng, having caught a glimpse of red when the elevator doors slid open, prepared himself for some kind of force. He remained standing and stared down reprovingly at the redhead.
"My apologies, subordinate."
The redhead stood up straight, looked off to the side, and shrugged carelessly though it looked a little sheepish. Not being stuck on one thing for too long, Reno immediately snapped his head around to face Tseng who had shooed him back into the elevator.
"So what's the emergency?"
"What makes you think it's an emergency?"
Tseng remained neutral as ever as he casually studied the shining metallic doors. Reno tapped his foot a few moments and leaned forward a bit to get closer to the field commander's face.
"'Cause ya got that weird twitching 'this really sucks right now" kind of twitch...Oh, now I think it's because I'm irritating you?"
The silent Turk watched the small exchange and had a feeling he knew what Tseng was doing. In fact, he had used it before as well. Attempt to take deep breaths while counting slowly to ten. However, ten seconds or so seemed a bit too long for Reno to handle and waved his hand over his face.
"Hey, ya gonna answer me or not?"
With incredible reflexes, Tseng's hand snapped out and latched onto the redhead's wrist. Rude was more than impressed by that display of speed and strength as Reno was currently trying to pry his hand away while the field commander acted like nothing was going on at all.
"Again, it is not an emergency."
With a tone of finality, he let go of the redhead's wrist. Reno glowered at him as he shook out his wrist.
"If it weren't, ya wouldn't have called us in, yo."
A small noise resembling a "hmph" came from the field commander as he continued to avoid eye contact with the redhead.
"With any luck, it isn't anything. However, with the previous events, Commander Veld determined it better to err on the side of caution."
Tseng seemed to hold his breath as if in anticipation for something. A snort from Reno let Rude know why.
"'Err on the side of caution?' To 'err on the side of caution' doesn't require a Turk let alone two Turks."
The field commander let out a small sigh.
"Three Turks. The commander insisted I go as well."
"Ha, sucks for you, yo."
The elevator stopped and Rude noted that they were on one of the upper hangers where aircrafts were kept. Various aircrafts lined the floor making a path to the outside. A single black helicopter with the ShinRa logo on its side was out on a launching pad.
"So, where we goin'?"
Rude followed Tseng to the side when the field commander motioned for the larger Turk to sit shotgun.
"Junon."
"Oh, well yup, somethin' definitely went wrong, yo."
Rude was somewhat surprised when Reno sat in the seat next to Rude. He looked down and saw that the redhead was in control of the collective, the helicopter, and ultimately, their lives.
"What are ya starin' at? Junon is kind of a crappy city where things always go wrong...and that's not what you're thinkin' about is it?..."
Tseng leaned forward and patted the larger Turk on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. We're probably safer with Reno in the air than on the ground."
The redhead shot a venomous glare over his shoulder as he slipped on the headsets and began starting it up. The engine roared to life and before long, they were off the ground and flying straight for the canon city.
"See? I know what I'm doin', yo. I have yet to crash. I'm one of the best when it comes to flyin'."
"'One' of the best?"
Rude was mildly shocked at his partner's admission of not being the best. Reno snorted.
"Cid's probably the best...even if he wasn't, you'd better say he's the best or he'll skewer ya with that spear of his..."
He did not doubt it. The few times he had seen or more often than not, heard Cid, Rude was sure the foul mouthed pilot was quite a character.
"Did you learn from him?"
"Hell no. Try learnin' something from him and all you'll learn are the most creative ways to use a single swear word. Ya gotta know what's happenin' before he takes time to tell ya anythin'. Got some pointers though."
There was a soft snort from Tseng over the headsets.
"Yes, like how to be even more foul-mouthed and ill-mannered."
Reno chuckled triumphantly as he made subtle adjustments in the direction. Rude was impressed. It was one of the smoothest helicopter rides he had been on. It did not take long before Junon was in sight.
"Well that's good, yo. We didn't crash so my initial feelin' of doom is gone. Sadly, that means somethin' else is wrong."
He landed the helicopter down and shut off the engine. The three Turks climbed out of the aircraft and stopped when they reached the streets.
"Lemme guess...We're goin' to a warehouse...Why the damn warehouses?"
Reno huffed and crossed his arms earning an annoyed glance from the field commander.
"Warehouse Four on the harbor and shut up Reno."
He pointed at the redhead who just smirked triumphantly and began strolling towards the harbor. Rude patted Tseng's shoulder and followed after his partner.
"Ryoko, Todd, Trista, and Ben were sent to take down a weapons dealing. Our targets had been taking ShinRa weaponry. However, we received a distress call a short while ago."
Rude now felt that sinking sensation in his gut. Four Turks should be able to take down average weapons dealers. With the current trend of events, there was good reason to be concerned.
"Damn...Why'd ya guys let him go?"
The redhead muttered more to himself as he stepped up the pace towards the harbor warehouses. As they approached, the surroundings were quiet. There should have been some sound, but there was nothing.
The absence of noise put the Turks on edge. Rude mimicked the others' motion and drew his gun. The three Turks approached the warehouse and Tseng motioned for them to stop.
Large doors were already opened. Tseng crouched down and peered cautiously through the opening. After signaling the plan, Reno nodded and slipped inside followed by Rude then Tseng.
"Nobody's home, yo."
"Check out back."
"Gotcha."
Reno lazily yet still warily made his way out back while the other two examined the inside.
Rude studied the layout and noted the lack of anything out of place. There should have been some sort of evidence of a struggle. The field commander's face was grim as he stood next to the larger Turk.
"I haven't heard any swearing or yelling from Reno."
For the briefest moment, the bald Turk thought that Tseng had prophetic powers.
"Damn it all! We've got a little company!"
Reno's voice came from outside and reverberated throughout the empty warehouse. Both Tseng and Rude quickly dropped behind a couple of cement pillars and peeked around the side. They could hear gunshots, swearing, and more gunshots as the redhead suddenly burst through at incredible speeds.
"Shoot 'em, shoot 'em!"
Bullets whizzed by Reno's head causing him to duck and weave at spastic intervals. As he was running, a man was not to far behind aiming a gun right at him. Rude stepped away from the pillar and took aim.
"Duck!"
The redhead immediately dropped to the floor as Rude wasted no time firing his gun and placing a bullet through the man's head. However, before his partner could stand up, another came out from behind another pillar and quickly grabbed the redhead and held him by the neck while using him as a human shield.
Reno was not so much worried as he was more or less miffed at being held hostage even when the man placed the barrel of his gun against his temple. The redhead just sighed and rolled his eyes while his head drooped to the side a little.
"Don't move. Don't anybody move!"
It was obvious that he was more panicked than anybody else in the room; more so than even the redhead. Tseng calmly came from behind the pillar with his gun drawn and aimed.
"I don't suggest you move either Reno."
The man holding the redhead hostage suddenly stepped back and began to visibly shake when he heard the field commander. Reno did nothing but roll his eyes.
"Wait, wh-"
A single gunshot rang out and suddenly, the man holding the redhead loosened his grip and than fell to the ground with a bullet right between the eyes. Reno just nudged him with the tip of his shoe before shrugging and walking over to the other two Turks.
Rude remained impassive as always, though inside, he was mentally bowing towards the field commander's skills. While they all had to be decent shots with a gun, some were apparently better than others.
The shot that Tseng fired was perfect in many ways. For one, to hit dead between the eyes was not the easiest shot. Plus, Reno was being used as a human shield. Any movement from Reno or miscalculation from Tseng would have put the bullet into the redhead instead.
Speaking of the redhead, he was currently ejecting the clip from his gun and putting in a new one as though nothing happened. He talked animatedly with Tseng who appeared to be ignoring him. Rude was impressed with the level of trust that the redhead put into his commander. It made him also wonder a little bit about how well those two knew each other or for how long. He knew Reno seemed to naturally trust his comrades in arms, but he could also tell that his partner was not exactly willing to trust too much with anybody else. That was actually dangerous for any of them. However, in that situation, he was more than ready to let Tseng do whatever he needed to since he was helpless at the moment. He could tell that the two behaved differently with each other than when they interacted with the others. Rude could just not figure out what it was like.
"Sheesh, stop your nagging already. I get it, I get it, yo."
"Don't use that tone with me. I know you and you're going to forget. I swear, you would lose your own head if it weren't attached."
"Yes, mother."
The silent Turk suddenly had to cover his mouth and fake a cough in order to hide his sudden need to laugh. That conversation right there was pretty much the defining aspect of that relationship. Sure, there was plenty more depth than that, but for now, that was a good enough description or comparison to satisfy Rude's mind.
"Are there any alive?"
"Yeeeeeah-no. I'm pretty sure I killed the few outside, yo."
The field commander's brows knitted together as he was contemplating the best course of action. Reno just waited somewhat patiently for his boss to tell him to do something. Rude, with a bit more patience, stood stoically to the side.
"Very well then. What of the Turks assigned here?"
Reno's bored expression quickly turned into a pensive one and then blank. He motioned towards the back and shook his head.
"Dead. Except one..."
He trailed off at the end and began walking back from where he came from. Tseng stroked back a stray strand of hair as he sighed and followed the redhead. Rude just felt sort of numb, like it was not sinking in all the way.
When they got out back, Reno was sitting on top of a large wooden crate and motioned to right behind him.
Behind the boxes, in a dirty, smelly warehouse junk yard, three bodies were scattered, swimming in a pool of drying blood. Rude walked closer with Tseng and examined closer. He wished that he would have stood back a little bit.
The closest body was Ryoko. Her hair was splayed around her and was stained by blood. The once vibrant, lively eyes were now empty staring at nothing and everything. She lied on her stomach where most of the blood had spilled out. Her back showed one large stab wound that most likely went straight through her.
The next one was some Turk that Rude had never met though had seen a few times. He had an arm protectively around the third body. It turned out to be Trista. Her body was filled with bullet holes as was the other Turk. A single dirty streak ran down her face from her eye to her chin.
"Guess who's missin' from the group?"
"...Todd..."
Rude ripped his eyes from the grisly scene before him and decided to stare at the ocean like his partner. Tseng joined them shortly before pulling out his PHS and walking a short distance away.
"You rookies are droppin' like flies, yo."
There were better things he could have said, but it was Reno so that was about all that could be expected. Then again, saying something comforting would have put Rude on edge even more. And on top of all of that, it was true.
"Is this normal?"
"Um…dead people with holes in 'em ain't normal buddy."
He felt the redhead pat him on the head like a dog as he said that. Rude lightly shook his head to get the redhead away causing him to smirk.
"Nah, people, especially Turks, should not be dying off this fast. Ya chose a really interesting time to join, yo."
Figures. Rude nodded his head once and continued to watch the ocean water towards to the distant horizon. The water up close was filthy and it was obvious that there were more industrial sections to the city. However, the further out a person looked, the water became clearer and would even sparkle a little as the sun hit it just right. But that was in the distance, it was difficult to see.
"We're done here. The few Turks stationed here are on their way and will take care of everything. Let's go."
Tseng walked off stiffly as Rude and Reno followed. The walk back to the helicopter was silent, even Reno chose not to say anything. Such a silence was nothing new for Rude and he figured nor was it normal for Tseng, but for the redhead, the silence was slightly unnerving. But the faithful redhead could not stay silent for long.
"So, why would Todd stab his partner, kill off the rest and run off with the plant defenders?...Guess Nernst is rallyin' people to his cause, yo..."
He drifted off and began kicking a small stone along the sidewalk. Rude listened to the rock scuttle across the pavement as he processed everything that had happened. The longer this Nernst and these soon to be terrorists remained at large, the more deadly the situation was becoming. They needed to be stopped but were proving to be a bit more difficult than originally thought.
"We're still people too..."
The redhead mumbled to himself as he then kicked the stone as hard as he could. It banged up against a trash can tipping it over. Tseng adjusted the cuffs of his coat as he softly sighed.
"Indeed we are..."
Tseng lightly shook his head while Reno suddenly smirked. Whatever brought on that little comment seemed to be the perfect thing to help move things along once again. Even Rude felt a bit more at ease now that his partner was in a more relaxed state.
"Ah yes, upon our arrival, you and Rude will go to see the tailor."
The redhead paused mid-step and stared incredulously at him.
"Why the tailor?"
His tone reflected the sudden wariness and suspicion he cast towards Tseng. The field commander authoritatively glared back.
"For the party tomorrow night, you will wear a suit that actually fits."
"But they're way too stuffy! And they're uncomfortable and-"
"End of discussion Reno."
Reno's shoulders drooped and he trudged behind his superior. Rude inwardly chuckled at his partner's apparent depression on having to wear a tailored suit.
They continued to walk slowly though picked up the pace when the sky began to cloud over and the sun cast a dull warm glow from behind a cloud.
"Told ya Junon sucks, yo...Even the sky is ugly."
Neither of the other two Turks responded and just sped up in order to beat any rainfall. They approached the helicopter allowing Reno to check things over and test the system.
"Alright, time to leave this place."
He slowly lifted off and then angled the aircraft towards Midgar. The flight was in silence and a bit more tense than when they left, but it was not uncomfortable. Rude knew that they were all trying to process a lot of information.
The ride was not too long and Rude was glad to step off and into the hangar. Reno finished properly shutting off the machine while Tseng came up beside Rude.
"Make sure he stays put."
The larger Turk nodded head and the field commander silently marched off. Reno watched him leave as he stood next to his partner.
"Let's get it over with..."
Rude followed his partner to the elevators and Reno pressed the button for a lower floor.
"Man, this party's gonna be a pain, yo. Now with the crazy people runnin' around, security's gonna be stepped up and that means more work for us."
"You sure you're not angry because of the suit?"
The redhead tilted his head a little as he stepped into the elevator.
"Could very well be, yo..."
With a shrug he leaned against the wall with a smirk. They soon arrived at a floor a little bit below and before he got off, Reno ran his hand over all the buttons so that each floor was lit up.
"...What?"
The larger of the two Turks stared blankly at the redhead like a parent does a child when silently scolding him about something. Reno shifted his gaze to a plant to the side and shrugged.
"Eeh..right, let's go."
The level they were on looked like a small lobby with a few scattered store-like sections. Rude wondered what else they kept in the sixty-six or so floors of the building.
"I know what you're thinkin.' Why the hell does ShinRa have a small shopping mall in here? Apparently, big wigs like the executives are generally idiots and need emergency shopping places close by."
They walked across the lobby towards the back corner. The closer they got, the more the redhead walked slower.
"Man...I don't wanna..."
He whined as he trudged towards the tailor behind Rude. The older Turk grabbed him by the shoulder and gently nudged him forward. The gentle nudge caused the redhead to stumble forward right into the shop.
"I've been expecting you!"
They were greeted by a cheerful man and woman. Reno just snorted and slid his arm around the woman's shoulders.
"Let's go sweetheart. Sooner we start, sooner we get done, yo."
She giggled coquettishly as they walked towards the back. The man sighed as he watched them leave.
"Ah, youth. Now, we already have the suit, we just need to see how it fits and make the necessary adjustments."
He calmly led the larger Turk to another room with a three panel mirror in the center. This was nothing new. Anybody who had worn suits more often than once knew how a fitting worked. Rude figured everybody around ShinRa had to be aware considering it was most employees' uniform.
"Why don't you try it on and see how it fits?"
Rude nodded and stepped into the dressing room. Hanging neatly on a hangar on the wall was a simple black suit much more formal than their working attire. As he changed into the new clothing he wondered what Reno would look like in a suit that actually fit and did not look like he pulled it from a trash heap.
"How is it sir?"
There was a light rap on the door. Rude stepped out and nodded.
"Not bad."
He stood patiently while the tailor straightened out the suit here and there, turned him around and pinned a few areas up before nodding.
"Well, that was certainly easy."
The tailor motioned back to the dressing room and Rude carefully began changing back making sure to not undo any pins. It actually fit quite well before any alterations. Then he remembered that he had to give his measurements when signing some papers. So it was apparently used for these things.
"You're much easier to deal with than your friend. That boy can't stand still for two seconds. Not to mention that his measurements are pretty much useless since his weight fluctuates so much thus changing his build...It's like he does everything he can to irritate me."
The bald Turk lightly chuckled. Just about everybody seemed to hold that opinion of the redhead. He did have a way of finding all the perfect ways to annoy somebody else.
He carefully hung the suit up and handed it to the tailor.
"It'll be sent up when it's ready. Thanks for coming!"
"Thanks."
Rude nodded his head and noticed Reno was still absent. However, the sound of giggling and whispers signaled his arrival.
"See ya 'round!"
He waved back at the young tailor who cheerily waved back. After they stepped in the elevator, Reno sighed.
"Man, chick's got looks but totally lacks brains, yo."
"Picky are you?"
The redhead gave Rude a lop-sided grin.
"Nah, I ain't that picky, but a girl's gotta be able to do a little more than sew a suit and giggle."
"High standards."
"Always set your goals high, yo!"
He made a mock gesture of cheering and chuckled. The elevator stopped at their floor and they stepped out. Immediately, they were greeted by the sight of Victoria pacing back and forth gnawing on her thumb. Shanon was watching her pace warily.
"Guess ya found out, huh?"
Perhaps not the most thoughtful and comforting thing to say, but it was enough to stop her movement.
"You're positive?! Y-you're sure his body wasn't there?!"
She grabbed the redhead's jacket and stared up pleadingly. The redhead sighed and gently unwrapped her hands from his suit.
"Yeah...Everythin' fits and besides, Ryoko was stabbed while the others were shot. He most likely initiated the ambush...For what it's worth, sorry, yo."
Victoria's shoulders were shaking though Reno still held her hands. A small stream of tears stained her cheek.
"I can't believe...No...I can believe it...I just...I just wish it wasn't..."
"I don't think any of us want it, yo."
Reno gently shoved her towards Shanon and sighed.
"Take it easy. Tomorrow night's all the more important."
Rude stared at Victoria for a few minutes before following his partner to their rooms. When he got there, the redhead had left the door open and was in the kitchen. Closing the door behind him, Rude went to see what was going on.
Reno yanked out a can of beer and stormed to his room without a word slamming the door in the process.
The bald Turk raised an eyebrow questioningly but shook it off. He walked over to the couch and plopped down. Suddenly, there was a loud stream of colorful curses coming from his partner's room. He was not even going to say or think anything. Rude just decided to leave it at frustration.
Granted, he too was frustrated. So far, within about a week, most of the Turks were being killed one way or another. Now, it was worse since they had an idea and even knew names, but were unable to find them and do something about it.
"This bites, yo."
The redhead came back from his room in a plain shirt and pants a few sizes too big and sat down on the couch next to Rude. He glared menacingly at the blank television screen. Rude reached over and decided to turn the television on so it was not so creepy.
The news was on and the station's reporter was downtown somewhere in front of a large crowd of fairly angry and boisterous people.
"Excuse me, sir, what do you think about ShinRa Electric Company and the use of mako as an energy source?"
"They're murderers! They're killing the planet with all their digging and draining! Down with ShinRa!!"
"Funny how they fail to realize that the stuff they enjoy and take for granted are because of the very thing they're against, yo."
Reno stared spitefully at the crowd on the screen. Rude studied his partner with mild curiosity. The redhead was a bit of an enigma.
He would one minutes say he hates the company and even admitted to the suffering it had caused others. But then, here he was angry against people who probably had a good reason for hating the company. Reno was willing to fight and die for a company he could care less about. Rude recalled his partner telling him before that this was his job and he would just do it because it is.
"Really, ShinRa's askin' for it, yo. Old man Shinra may know how to run a business, but he's bad with the people. But still, they should just shut up since they don't do anythin' about it."
"Talking does solve problems."
The redheaded Turk took a gulp form his drink.
"Maybe if they say more than 'down with Shinra!' or some other expressive response that really doesn't mean anythin' yo."
"Insightful."
Reno chuckled at the comment. He looked over at Rude and raised his beer can.
"Sometimes alcoholic drunkenness is time of lucid clarity, yo."
Taking another swig of beer, Reno smirked. Rude just shook his head.
"A real philosophy."
"With enough beer, anythin's a philosophy."
Rude smiled lightly and stood up. He wanted to go to bed and start a new day. With any luck, tomorrow's party would go smoothly.
"Night."
His partner nodded and continued to watch the news. Closing the door to his room, Rude let out a heavy sigh and sat down on his bed. He rubbed at his eyes wearily and fell backwards and started staring at the ceiling. He idly thought that he had turned the lights on, but the room was still dark. However, the fan blades were moving in slow circular patterns. Rude just remained mesmerized by the ceiling fan and the way it interrupted the small trail of artificial light from his window. Thoughts began to drift around, his mind unfocused on any specific thought. He could not remember when he drifted off to sleep.
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A/N: So what did you think? Yes, I killed more people off...but it is necessary to match up with Before Crisis. And what about Todd? He's certainly gone off places I originally didn't intend for...Then again, I thought this story was going to be about six chapters long but that obviously didn't happen...and it's not ending anytime soon...Funny how that works. Whatever the case, I truly do hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next up: There's a big party and more fighting...go figure...