Author's notes: None. Just read and enjoy

Cissnei, waiting in the den, heard Reno go into the bathroom, and went down to Si'ara's room. She tapped on the door lightly, and smiled when it was opened a few moments later. "Can we talk for a minute?"

Si'ara had sat on the floor and cried after Reno left the night before, then had mechanically pushed herself to her feet and changed into the nightgown Cissnei had left. Several minutes spent staring at the bed had been enough—she knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep in this room. So she'd curled up in the corner, trying to work out a feasible plan for escaping once she and her captors were back on the road.

Every line of thought, however, circled somehow back around to the evening's most recent events. She knew Reno had been angry over her refusal to admit that the kiss in Junon had meant anything to her, but she didn't know why. He was the one who had said she had every reason to hate him…

But she didn't hate him. Hadn't hated him. And for a moment, she'd thought that maybe the fact that he was so worked up over one little kiss meant that there was actually something besides whiskey-flavoured ice in that heart of his…

But she'd been in a fighting mood, angry at the way he'd treated her, angry at herself for feeling anything for the man who had kicked her ass to drop the Sector 7 plate on her home and her friends, angry about the kiss that should never have happened, not the way it did… And before she'd had a chance to say or do anything to take the edge off of her refusal to admit anything of her true feelings, he'd lashed out, catching her off guard and shattering any illusions she'd had about what kind of person Reno the Turk was.

Hot tears had burned their way down her cheeks as she remembered, not the rough and unwelcome kiss, but the careful way he'd held himself when he'd stopped so suddenly, the light touch of his fingers on her lips, the way his hand had trembled slightly against her wrist…

Seeking guidance, or at least some form of peace, she'd slipped out of the room as quietly as she could, and had gone to the den, where she'd been able to relax so easily earlier in the evening. There, she'd curled up in the large recliner and cried some more, the tears bringing exhaustion and the room a sense of safety, the two combining to lull her gradually to sleep.

She wasn't sure how she'd gotten back to this room, but she had slept soundly for several hours, worn out from the emotional rollercoaster ride she'd been on, and had woken up early. She'd dressed in her own clothes and stayed in her room, unwilling to face anyone yet. However, the light tap she heard now at the door could only belong to her hostess. Mindful of her manners, whatever Reno might think, she opened the door, then stepped aside to let the woman in.

Cissnei shook her head. "Let's go out to the barn. The chocobos all went inside for the night, so you can come meet some of the babies." She slipped past Si'ara to the dresser and pulled the black bag out of the bottom drawer. "I'll have one of the guards stick this in the buggy, if it has everything you wanted?"

"I don't really need anything…" Si'ara glanced at the top dresser drawer without meaning to.

"Take it." Cissnei smiled. "You can always send it back with Reno if it doesn't suit you."

In the face of such a sensible plan, Si'ara could hardly object. She followed the former Turk down the hall, waited while she stuck her head through a door to speak to one of the guards, then trailed along behind her as she went out onto the porch.

A light rain was falling, occasionally sheeting across the field in a gust of wind, but nothing close to the level of the other night's storm. They hurried across to the barn, and Si'ara burst into delighted laughter as half a dozen chocobo chick heads popped up simultaneously, accompanied by a chorus of curious "warks." The young birds bounded to their feet and rushed up to the two women, flapping stubby little wings in excitement.

Cissnei smiled at Si'ara's response, relieved to see the clouds lift from the younger woman's face. "Adorable, aren't they?

"Yes." Si'ara reached down hesitantly, and laughed again as a chick stuck its face in her hand, searching for food. "How old are they?"

" A few months." Cissnei pulled down a sheaf of greens and began tossing handfuls into buckets, handing a few to Si'ara. "But that's not what I brought you out here to talk about." She watched out of the corner of her eye as Si'ara fed the young chocobos, a shadow slipping back into place around her.

"Well, there's not much I can do about going back to Midgar at this point." The silver-haired woman kept her voice light and casual, but couldn't fool the more experienced Turk.

"Just because Reno does what he's told to do doesn't mean that he enjoys it." The older chocobos had joined the breakfast group, keeping the women separated, making it easier to discuss such a sensitive matter.

"He does it." This time Si'ara's voice was flat, condemning Reno with its lack of emotion.

"Yes." Cissnei paused, trying to figure out how to explain how a Turk thought to someone who wasn't a Turk. "But it isn't as simple as you think it is. He does it because he believes in his heart that it's the right thing to do."

Si'ara scoffed before she could stop herself, and shook her head, laughing bitterly. "The right thing to do? I know that you know what kinds of things Reno's done. How can you even say that as though you mean it?"

"I didn't say that it is the right thing to do. I said that he believes it is." Cissnei pushed her way through the crowd of feathers and warm bodies to Si'ara's side. "He trusts the people he works for to make the judgment calls for him. And believe it or not, they've been right far more often than wrong."

"Turks don't ever think for themselves?" Instead of looking at Cissnei, Si'ara buried her fingers in a chocobo's feather's, scratching it lightly while it made a soft warbling sound.

"Only the ex-Turks?" Cissnei waved that thought away before it even registered and frowned slightly. "Are you trying to insult me, or is that just the way it sounds?" For the first time since Si'ara had arrived here, her hostess sounded like a Turk, a dangerous edge to her voice reminding the bartender just who she was speaking to.

"I- No, I'm sorry." Silence reigned for a few minutes, then she sighed. "I never thought… Look, this is stupid. I forgot what Reno is, that's all. I thought he was… I don't know."

"I think you had a pretty good idea what he was to you, and what you were to him." Cissnei handed over a few more greens, and fed a few to the knee-high chocobo chicks herself. "Someone with whom you've shared experiences that most people never have-danger, tragedy, triumph. An enemy and an ally. Maybe not a friend, but one of a handful of people who understands what you've been through and who has seen the things you've seen."

Si'ara was silent, her brow furrowed in a frown as she continued to stroke the chocobo mother, absently allowing it to pluck greens from her hand. Cissnei sighed.

"Hate him if you want to-" she started.

Si'ara shook her head immediately, glancing at Cissnei, that one look filled with betrayal and hurt. "That's not the way it is. I don't hate him."

"You think he hates you?"

The only response was a shrug.

"Because of last night, or because he's taking you to Midgar?" She frowned as she caught the way Si'ara flinched when she mentioned the previous night, but the silver-haired martial artist recovered quickly.

"He doesn't care what's going to happen to me when I get to Midgar. He knows Rufus. If Rufus just wanted to talk, he could have called, or even sent someone to invite me to Midgar, instead of having me abducted like this."

"I don't think Reno is happy about that part. But he has to trust Rufus and Tseng to have valid reasons for doing the things they do, even if it seems to cause someone harm as an immediate result."

"And that makes it okay?"

Cissnei made an exasperated sound. "Look, let me put it to you this way. You said that you don't hate Reno, right?" Si'ara nodded. "If Rufus Shinra was standing in the centre of Edge, setting a bomb to blow up the city, and Reno stood between you and him, would you let Rufus blow up the city just so you didn't have to hurt Reno to get to him?"

Si'ara scowled at Cissnei, but she saw a glimmer of understanding in the former terrorist's eyes. "It's not the same thing."

"It is." Cissnei smiled gently. "And you know it. It's just a matter of degree." She picked up one of the chicks and handed it to Si'ara, who turned from the mother to accept it reflexively. "Last night is a different matter-the two of you will need to work that out on your own. But you'll only make that harder if you confuse his job with his feelings." She realized that Si'ara was likely to assume that Reno had talked to her under far different circumstances than those that had occurred, so she added, "It's silly-he's older than me, but I think of him as a younger brother. He acts so impulsively, and sometimes he doesn't know how to deal with the consequences."

Si'ara laughed ruefully. "Vincent says the same of me," she admitted. "He says that sometimes he despairs of my ever learning to think before I act." She let the tiny chocobo nuzzle her cheek as she added softly, "I thought maybe you and Reno…"

The flush that colored Si'ara's cheeks was visible even with the improvised chocobo shield to protect her, but Cissnei pretended not to notice. "No. I think that would ruin our friendship. One-time flings are one thing, and we haven't even done that, but for a true relationship of any kind, Reno needs someone who can stand up to him. I can do it when I have to, but I don't have the strength to keep it up long-term." She considered that for a minute. "I think that's because I don't have the motivation. He's a friend, and as I said, much like a brother, but that's plenty for me."

Si'ara didn't answer, and after a few minutes of companionable silence and contented chocobo "wark"s, Cissnei suggested they return to the house. Si'ara consented and they headed that way, but at the door to the barn, she froze suddenly, dropping her gaze and curling her hands into fists.

Cissnei moved past her casually, intercepting the approaching Reno with a skill born of years of practice. "Good morning," she called easily. "I had Si'ara come out and help me feed the chocobos." Now within whispering range of the red-head, and far enough away that she was confident Si'ara wouldn't hear, she added sharply, "Talk to her if you can do it civilly, but if you have to upset her, wait until after you leave."

Reno stopped where he was, eyes narrowing slightly, lips compressed into a thin line as he regarded the woman in the doorway to the barn. Calm as he seemed to be, to someone who knew him well, everything aspect of his pose radiated controlled anger, from the tilt of his head to the way his hands hung loosely at his side. He didn't answer Cissnei, instead keeping all of his attention focused on his uncooperative captive. The former Turk didn't stop to see what he would do, but headed on into the house, hoping he would listen to reason this time.

Si'ara wasn't sure what to do-she had been unable to make herself follow Cissnei when the ex-Turk had moved past her to the house, and now she was trapped out here with an obviously angry Reno between her and the closest thing to safety that she had at the moment. She tensed as he started toward her, her heart-rate quickening as unwelcome memories of the previous night flooded back in a rush.

Reno saw the color rush to Si'ara's cheeks as her breathing quickened and she stared at a fixed point on the ground between them. Scowling, he started toward her once more, determined to remind her that after the way she had acted, she should have expected nothing different than what she'd gotten. As he came within a few yards of her, however, she raised her head, defiant violet eyes meeting his, her breathing slowing as she raised her fists, shifting her weight to a more defensive position.

Oddly, whereas her immediate reaction had brought home to him a faint sense of guilt, spurring him to anger, this change to a more confrontational stance relaxed him, put them on more familiar ground. Rather than meet her head-on, he veered off slightly and stopped to lean in the doorway, staring into the barn at the chaos of chocobos milling about within, leaving her a free path back to the house.

Si'ara lowered her hands, puzzled by Reno's behaviour. She'd been sure that he meant to yell at her, order her back to the house, remind her of her place as his captive. Instead, he slouched against the doorframe, staring into the barn, and took out one of his ever-present cigarettes, tucking it between his lips and lighting it, not speaking to her, but not displaying the anger she'd sensed in him earlier, either.

"I… Cissnei asked me to come out and see the chocobos." She knew Cissnei had told him as much already, but she wasn't sure what else to say to him at this point.

"Yeah? So I heard." He blew a trio of smoke rings at an approaching bird, which "wark"ed indignantly and backed away. "Can't see the attraction myself, but Cissnei likes the wretched things." He slanted a glance at her and found her watching the house, clearly unsure how she should respond at this point. "You should go in and eat. We'll leave after breakfast."

"She gave me a couple of outfits." The tension she'd been feeling was draining away slowly. "Do I have time to shower and change?"

Reno turned to look at her directly at last, expression carefully neutral. "Make it quick. I want to get on the road as soon as we can."

Si'ara looked out across the field for a moment, then back, meeting those aqua eyes with a steady gaze. "At this point, I'd have to say the feeling is mutual."

Reno nodded, then pushed himself off of the doorframe, gesturing for her to head back to the house and falling into step beside her. "It won't happen again, babe," he said quietly, reaching out and briefly touching her arm with the back of his hand before raising the cigarette to his lips for another drag. "Go eat and get washed up. I need to make some arrangements before we head out, but I plan on leaving here in the next hour or so."

Si'ara nodded and went into the house, heading to the kitchen for some breakfast.