Things to Remember
A loud snap filled the air, followed by a weak cry of knowing, when the last blow hit me. I had lost feeling some time ago, from the repetitive abuse of my own EMR being turned on me, and I was unable to determine the amount of damage I'd taken. Rufus had attempted to spare me by telling them the location of the underground Mako reactor. Of course, he lied. But at that point, he was willing to try anything to spare me any further agony, and possibly buy some time.
"I apologize for cutting our meeting short, Rufus. But it appears your lover may have been pushed a little too far this evening."
The words were muffled, and my body was numb from the beating. I'd lost count of the number of cracks that I heard throughout my captivity. But I was certain there were a few more this session, in addition to the last one.
Like every preceding day, one of the men was ordered to clean up the excretions around me from my lack of bodily control, when every muscle that made up a part of me was pushed to exhausting limits, from the relentless shocks surging through me, and like every preceding day, no one was allowed to go anywhere near me afterwards.
Save for Aldrich… He was the only one allowed to come near me… The only one allowed to touch me…
Those were his rules.
"That's enough, Adrienne. Disconnect the feed."
The blonde nodded and let me fall mercilessly to the floor by letting go of my hair, that he was forcefully gripping to keep me upright, and then he walked over to disconnect the line from Rufus, leaving me alone again; leaving me without Rufus' voice to hold onto. Leaving me with nothing but the pain to settle in again, when the adrenaline in my system decided it no longer needed to protect me from the anguish, and leaving me back to the coldness of the unheated cabin, as they all left…
Leaving me alone…
With Aldrich.
"That last crack sounded serious," he commented, impersonally, before he moved from the chair and crept onto the floor on his hands and knees. Smoothing my damp hair back from my face, he grabbed the cloth from the bucket and wrung it out, before he wiped the blood from my face and cleaned my hair.
Savouring my winces and deceptively laboured breaths, he commenced to clean the rest of my body off, renewing my senses to the intensified coldness caused by the moisture that remained on my skin from the cloth. Then slowly, he crept along me like a hungry spider, ready to spin a fine silk hold around the poor unsuspecting prey that got caught in its web, "Hurt?"
Unwilling to answer or look at him, as I laid slightly on my side with my raw wrists bound together by a course twine, I set my focus on my laboured and pained breathing instead. Focusing on my struggles and pains was more preferable than coming to terms with where I was, and who I was with.
"Stubborn as always," he observed, with a low and soothing tone and a tilt to his head, as he analyzed me with unfeeling eyes, while caressing the side of my face. "After all I've done for you," he added, as he watched me grimace when he slid his fingers carefully between my cheek and the floor, "And everything I've been through for you." I grimaced again and sucked in an inverted hiss when he turned my head to make me face him, causing a bolt of sharp pain to shoot down my spine, "You still give me the cold shoulder."
Rewarded with a wince from me, when he gently placed his hand on my, literally, cold and broken shoulder, and pressed lightly, the corner of his mouth jerked ever so slightly. But there was no change to his eyes or expressionless face while he watched, "I understand that the cold makes it hurt more."
Then, with a careful touch, he brought the damp cloth back to my face and ran it gently along my forehead. "I'm not entirely convinced that your lover would be willing to give in so easily. He strikes me as being almost, if not just, as stubborn as you," he commented, as his face hovered closely above mine, careful not to put his weight on me and adjusting himself so that his body was parallel to my own. "It's unfortunate for you, that your lover doesn't care enough about you to spare you any further abuse," he taunted, lowering his face closer to mine to further torment me, "Not that I mind…"
After that, he pushed himself up slightly and tilted his head, while looking down at me wolfishly, "I quite enjoy seeing you like this." Then he lightly brushed a stray strand of hair from my face, "I'm reminded of what it would often lead to." Shifting his body again, while he supported himself above me with his forearms and knees, he let his weight fall gently and evenly across my body, as I protested with a betraying whine, "Unfortunately, my body no longer allows me to indulge in such pleasures." Then he bitterly added, "And I'm probably correct in assuming that you still have no idea why."
Carefully, he let his weight fall a little more until he was no longer supporting himself with his arms or legs and his full weight was upon me, encouraging more betrayals of complaint from my raw throat that was sore from my cries. "Mm… I remember when those sounds were mixed with something else that betrayed you," He huskily said, into my ear, as tears of both physical and emotional pain deceived me, "It's too bad that the only thing I can offer you now is the heat of my body to keep you warm."
"But like all good things, you know I'm only going to get back up once you've gotten used to my temperature, and that it's only going to make the cold seem that much more unbearable."
Adrienne… How could I have forgotten that name?
A strong chill washed over me, causing me to open my eyes and sit upright in the bed without warning. Automatically, I went to massage my wrists from the rope burn, but there was none. Then I noticed something wet on my face and wiped at my cheeks, suddenly realizing that I must have been crying…
What was it he was saying to me? Something about getting used to something makes losing it unbearable? Something about getting close… Something about being cold…
I was still rubbing my wrist with my hand, and I think I half-understood what Aldrich was saying to me in my dream. It was more of a memory, really, one that I'd forgotten, brought forth in the form of a dream, and I think it applied to more than me or Aldrich.
Looking down at Rufus, who was still in a deep sleep, I couldn't seem to fight the overwhelming flood that was threatening to wash over me. I never cared before. At least, I never thought I cared before. When did I suddenly start caring? I'm not supposed to give a shit about anyone or anything. Yet, somewhere along the line, I managed to betray myself, and I had no idea when, where, or how it happened.
With a sigh, I reached over and grabbed a cigarette, and after lighting it, I bit on my thumbnail and turned my attention over to the dimly lit figure beside me. The light from the moon outside made him seem almost ghostly and ethereal. He almost glowed with an unnatural and celestial light. When he stirred slightly and mumbled something illegible in his sleep, I sat back against the wall and stroked his hair back to comfort him from whatever dream he was having, while I sat there lost in my thoughts.
While trailing the bruise across the back of his exposed shoulder with my eyes, I couldn't help but wonder what the hell it was that he saw in me, or even why in the hell he wanted to be with me. Like I mean, let's face it, I was hardly a worthy catch. Throw Rufus into the equation, and with his status alone, I could hardly see why he would want to bother.
Slum-scum, I was. Nothing more... I was someone who deserved to suffer and pay a perpetual penance, simply for being born.
To top things off, my hold on sanity was becoming more and more questionable with each passing day, and all I could do was hope that it had something to do with the combination of the build-up of everything that happened to me in the short while that it happened in. Maybe I could even throw the Mako into the equation, since my temperature was constantly above normal. Maybe my brain was just frying up, and I was suffering from an illusory state because of it.
Yeah, if I was lucky, that would be all that it was… A fried brain.
Hmmm…
Well, with that thought in mind, I took a drag from my cigarette and looked back down at the man that had somehow managed to cross us over a dangerously fine line between employer and employee, to lovers. I couldn't help but wonder why, in the world, he would have wanted to do such a thing.
Rufus Shinra…
He could have had anyone that he wanted, and instead, he chose to go after the one thing that didn't want to be attained, and was bound to drive him into a pit of despair because of it. Was that what he wanted? Was he so self-destructive that he would want someone to destroy him, along with them? Or was there something I wasn't seeing… Something I was missing?
Maybe, he just wanted some kind of twisted challenge.
Well… I guess that would mean that he won…
But then, wouldn't that mean that the challenge no longer existed? What exactly was my fate once he realized that?
Too much thought. Too many things going on in my head… Always. It was no wonder as to why I was losing my hold on sanity.
I was tired of thinking, and I leaned over to check the time on the clock, noting that it was four-thirty-eight in the morning. I had only been asleep for two hours, and knowing damn well that I wasn't going to be able to still my thoughts enough to be able to get back to sleep, I figured that I might as well get up. We had a busy day ahead of us anyway, considering that Tseng and Elena's wedding was in the afternoon.
While holding my cigarette between my teeth, and moving carefully off the bed, I limped over to the dresser and grabbed a pair of track pants out of the drawer, and haphazardly threw them on. Then I limped carefully into the bathroom and pulled out a potion from the cabinet.
What the fuck was I thinkin when I offered myself like that last night? I wondered, as I downed the semi-bitter potion and looked at myself in the mirror, an why the hell does he like it so fuckin much?
Rufus Shinra… He was a fucking masochist. Who would have ever guessed? The guy had the weirdest kinks when it came to sex. So far, from what I'd gathered, he liked to have his life threatened, and was all for being tied up. Danger, pain, and death seemed to all be major turn-ons for him.
Maybe that was why he wanted to be with me. I was nuts enough to offer those messed up things to him without even thinking twice about it, be it willingly or just out of my fucked up outbursts. Was it for the excitement? Exactly how fucked up was his upbringing for someone as powerful and dominating as him to want to be so degraded and dominated by someone like me?
The more I got to know him, the more I found myself wondering exactly who he was. Most of the time, he was bitter and angry; cold and aloof. But there were times when he was around me that he was actually compassionate and caring; warm and surrendering.
It was the latter that actually scared me though. Not because there was anything threatening about him when he was like that, but because he was someone that I never knew existed. The possibility that Rufus Shinra was not who he seemed to be, actually struck me as frightening. Something was disturbing about a person who was gentle, subordinate, and caring, and at the same time, deadly, dominant and cruel…
Something not right about it at all…
Whatever happened to the real Rufus that was hidden beneath those many layers, and why was he buried so deep to begin with? What kind of person would he have been today, if he wasn't forced to bury his emotions so deeply? Would he have been compassionate? Would he have found himself a wife and had children by now? Or was he always meant to be the way that he was? Was that why his father was always so cruel to him and forced him so brutally to toughen up?
Rufus Shinra… Who are you, really?
"Good mornin, Beautiful," I greeted, with a lit cigarette hanging from my mouth, when a dishevelled Rufus walked into the kitchen and went straight for the coffee, as if his entire essence relied on it. Dark circles complimented his sleep-like, stormy-blue eyes, along with that puffy 'don't piss me off' pout of his that he always had when he just woke up.
He must have just thrown his white silk pyjamas on, right after getting out of bed. The tell-tale sign that he was still half asleep spoke by the way he'd done up the four middle buttons in misalignment.
The look he gave me in return was as piercing and dangerous as a dagger at my throat, and was charmingly accompanied by his usual happy sneer. "What the fuck is so good about it?" he grumbled, with one of his many cheery, and typical, morning replies, while he poured the black coffee into his signature mug, and started drinking it like it was life-support.
"Everythin," I replied, with a happy grin, ignoring his ever-so immaculate morning hostility, while he took another sip, and I continued to scramble his eggs over a medium heat. "Sun's shinin… Birds'r singin…" and I was about to continue when he snorted and cut me off.
"You really have gone insane, haven't you?" With his eyebrow cocked, over his frowning and unfocussed eyes, he took another sip of his very much needed, and strongly brewed, coffee, while I snickered at his grumpiness and continued with my reasons for why that day was a good day, with a tilt to my head, and a charming smile as I looked playfully at him.
"It's Tseng and Elena's weddin today…"
If only misery had known of its contender masquerading around as Rufus in the morning, there may have been a serious battle for the regaining of the title. But as it was, Rufus simply answered with a snort and another sip to his coffee.
He may very well have been the most miserable person I had ever known when it came to mornings. But I was used to it, and actually didn't mind it at all. In a way, it was one of those strange things that I found attractive about him. His natural grouchiness and irritability was in full throttle right after waking up, and he was generally not nearly as chillingly pleasant as he generally was until he had his second cup of coffee.
Of course, he was a little more tired than usual, since I kept him up for most of the night fighting with him over nothing and then asking him to have sex with me. Also, he was a little sore and achy, from me attacking him in the living room and freaking out on him for no reason whatsoever. So, in many ways, I could pretty much take the blame for the especially lovely mood he was in.
Mind you though, I didn't recall him saying no to the sex.
In fact, he seemed all for it, despite the fact that it wasn't our usual coupling that he claimed to enjoy so much.
Well, after making it halfway through his cup and standing there like he was sleeping upright, he finally looked down and noticed that his buttons weren't done up properly, and set his cup down so he could fix them. All the while, he grumbled about why the fuck did people have to get married, and why the hell did he have to go to the damn wedding… Weddings were an absurd and useless waste of time and money, and something else that I couldn't quite make out.
I couldn't help but get the impression that he wasn't particularly fond of weddings, and was even less fond of the fact that he was the best man.
"All it is, is a damned ownership title… It doesn't prove shit," he grumbled, under his breath, as if he'd spent a year in the Slums and picked up a thing or two. Maybe that was why I liked him in the mornings. There was something so unnaturally natural about him. "A piece of metal and a signed piece of paper…" he continued, with his annoyed rant. Then he stopped, with his hand on the fifth button from the bottom, and glared at me, "What the hell does that prove?"
Snickering, I turned off the burner and set the frying pan aside, so I could turn to face him and adoringly take him in with a smitten flutter to my chest. Then I took my cigarette from my mouth, and held it between my fingers, while I smiled nostalgically at him and stroked my chin with my thumb.
"What?" he asked, when I just stood there staring at him, with a silly grin, which is what I'm sure he interpreted it as.
"Ya know…" I started, and took a deep breath while I stamped my cigarette out in the tray on the counter, and walked up to him to brush his bang out of his eye, and informingly told him, "Some people believe that it only reinforces their love fer each other."
Then a strange glimpse washed across his eyes, and he flinched subtly, before he focused on me with his brow cocked in an odd sense of surprise and suspicion, "Is that… so?"
The dark undertone and unimpressed amusement that he carried along with the smouldering eyes, that looked upward from a slightly lowered head, gave me the impression that he didn't really give a shit about the reason. Then he batted my hand away from his face in annoyance and grabbed his cup again.
Shrugging and still smiling at him, I brushed my own bang out of my eyes and decided to annoy him further, by circling my finger obnoxiously close to the front of his face, and telling him, "Yeah…" Then I leaned tauntingly forward, and pressed the pad of my forefinger to the tip of his nose, "That's… so." Emphasizing the 'so' by rocking forward on my feet.
Then, once I was satisfied with my successful tease, I removed my hand before he had the chance to bat it away again and straightened up before grabbing him a plate for his breakfast.
All he did in response, was quizzically stare at me, like he was trying to figure something out, and then he took another drink, tapped his fingers on his cup, like he was still thinking, and set it down again. And with a sudden interest and curiosity, he cautiously asked, with his head tilted, "Is that… What you believe?"
"I'm a bastard psychotic from the Slums, Rufus," I reminded him, with his own words and a shrug, while I placed the bacon I prepared before he came in, onto his plate, "Ain't much reason fer me ta believe in anythin."
"You… have no faith?" he asked, looking down at his cup and turning it clockwise on the counter, and then back at me, while I licked the bacon's crumbs from my fingers.
"Heh… Have we just met?" While setting the plate down, so I could scoop the eggs onto it, I grabbed the handle to the pan and then paused before turning my attention back to his puzzled disbelief. Surprised by the unspoken revelation that someone like Rufus actually had faith, I suddenly felt the need to justify my own lack thereof, "Ain't much in my life that leads me ta havin faith in anythin, Rufus."
For some reason, the revelation made him jerk his head back, to suggest I'd just slapped him with a raw fish, before he strutted over to where I was and placed both his hands on either side of me, against the counter I had my back to. "You don't believe that things happen for a reason?" he asked, calmly, as sleep swept away from him and curiosity kicked in. Then he scanned my features and settled on my eyes, cocking his brow and waiting for an answer.
"Why would I?" I asked, astonished that he'd even ask such a question. Had he not been paying attention to the fortitude of bad luck and meaningless bullshit that became the archetype of my life? Despite the fact that I was staring at him with resolution, he kept his eyes locked on me in question, and reached over to grab a piece of bacon to nibble on, while he simply waited to see what my next action was going to be.
All I did in return, was narrow my eyes and scowl at him in irritation from his silent and challenging approach. Then I let out a quick disgruntled breath and gave in, while raising my brow at him, "Ya gonna tell me that there's a reason for my life bein as fucked up as it is?"
After that, he stared at me in thought, and took another bite of his bacon before quietly contemplating his answer. "I don't believe that there is no reason," he stated, and then he broke a piece of the bacon off and stuffed it in my mouth, "I have a difficult time believing that the pieces just fall where they may, leaving us scrambling on a senseless journey to the end."
Then he wiped a crumb of crisp bacon from the corner of my mouth with his thumb, and added with his brow cocked. "After everything I've been through, and seen you go through, I'd like to believe that there's a reason," he told me, while reaching over and slightly tilting my head, before toying with the earring he bought and looking at it mindfully, "I refuse to believe that there is no purpose to our existence."
"Heh… I fail to see what the purpose to my existence would be."
"Perhaps you weren't meant to," he mused, thoughtfully, and let go of the earring to brush my hair out of my face. "Perhaps your purpose in life was to simply exist so that you could be my own personal annoyance."
At that, a slight deviant smile betrayed him, and he stuffed the last of the strip of bacon in his mouth and walked back over to his cup and refilled it, while casually stating, "As a matter of fact, I'm quite certain you were sent from the depths to torment me."
"Ha-ha…" I commented, as I turned around to scrape the eggs onto his plate and pepper them with herbs, "Glad ta know I've managed to fill that void in yer life."
Then, as I walked by him, I nudged him with my elbow, and challenged him with a witty expression, "So… What yer telling me is that ya ain't got a clue, 'bout what ya believe?"
And with a smirk, he hooked his finger into the back of my track pants and tugged hard enough to make me stumble backwards, into his chest, as he held his coffee out of the way to avoid spilling it. "I believe in purpose, Reno," he said, smoothly into my ear, and then he slid his arm around my stomach and pulled me closer. "Without purpose…" he started, and paused long enough to brush his lips along the outer edge of my ear and move his hand down to the front of my hip, "There is no reason to exist."
"That black'n white, huh?"
"Mm… That black and white."
He nudged my ear with the tip of his nose then, and released his hold on me. But before I got far enough away, he grabbed another piece of bacon from the plate, and placed it uncharacteristically between his teeth.
While he stood there with a wide grin and his brow cocked, he waggled the bacon, like a tongue, to taunt me. So, I lunged forward and snapped off the exposed half with my own teeth mimicking the resemblance of an animal going for the bait. Then he wrapped his arm around me again, and just held me while staring at me with an odd adoration, as he pulled the remainder of his half into his mouth and chewed on it.
"Yer eggs'r gettin cold," I told him, when he didn't let go.
But he didn't seem to care, and he snuggled me closer while continuing to stare at me, as his eyes wandered over my face, and he set his coffee down. Then he caressed my left scar with a bit of curiosity, while thinking out loud. "Those look like they were deep," he commented, thoughtfully, for the first time since I'd known him. In all that time he'd never made any kind of comment or question in regards to them, "Like they went right through to the bone."
Not really knowing why, I moved my eyes away from his gaze, while a bit of heat rushed to my face from an awkward discomfort that suddenly kicked in.
"I've always been curious…" he soothingly said, leaning up to me and brushing his lips along the one by my right eye, "But have always been afraid to ask."
"I find it hard ta believe ya've ever been afraid of anythin," I commented, lightly, and then I pulled back and smirked at him.
"That's because you don't really know me," he informed, and moved slightly forward, so he could rub his nose to my nose while pressing his forehead to mine, as he peered deeply into my eyes. "Believe it or not, you've always scared me." Then he slightly tilted his head enough to bring our mouths closer, before flicking the tip of his tongue lightly along my lips, and concluding, "It's what I've always found most attractive about you."
"An here, I thought it was my cookin," I replied, in an attempt to lighten up the suddenly creepy insight.
"Why would somebody want to scar such a beautiful face like that?" he asked, pulling back and running his curious eyes over them again.
"Cuz that somebody knew that if he were damaged goods, he would'n be worth his weight in Gil on the streets."
Stunned for a moment, he pulled back further and looked questioningly into my eyes. Then he moved both hands to simultaneously trace the direction of the scars, while asking, "You did this to yourself?"
"Could'n stand the thought of my body bein used," I answered, raising my brow sheepishly. "I may have been a lotta things… But ain't no way was I ever gonna be some piece'a meat fer men ta use an discard as they see fit."
"If that was your intention, you didn't do a very good job," he replied, and smiled softly.
"Huh?" I asked, and placed my free palm on his chest to push him back slightly, "What the fuck is that supposed ta mean?"
"Even with those scars…" he stated, and ran his fingers over my left one again, "You're still incredibly sexy."
"Yeah…" I replied, warily, and pushed him back further, so I could step out of his grasp. "Ya know that's jus ordinary coffee… right?" I asked, with my brow raised and walked over to the table to set his plate down.
"You know, the more I get to know you…" he claimed, after taking a deep breath and picking up his coffee again, "The more I realize I'm only scratching the surface."
"Could say the same fer you."
With a guilty smile, he walked over to the table, and swung over to kiss me on the cheek before seating himself in front of his breakfast, "Perhaps we should work on that then."
"Perhaps we should," I agreed, and picked up my cold coffee from the table to dump it.
After Rufus joined me for a shower, I figured it would be a nice idea to throw a tantrum in the bathroom, over my tie, while he looked for a set of cuffs that he felt were suitable for the occasion that he was still grumbling about. However, upon hearing my cussing and yelling at the tie as I ripped it from my neck and whipped it over the counter, repetitively, Rufus calmly decided that he would come in and help me out instead.
As he carefully and slowly pried the evil oxygen suppressant from my hand, he avoided my glare as I willed the cursed control choker to burn to ashes with my mind, and a reminiscent grin broke past his barrier.
"I suppose it's a good thing that redheads are rare," he commented, calmly, and then he turned me to face him by placing his fingers lightly under my chin.
"Why's that?" I asked, feeling suddenly ridiculous for yelling at a tie, and somewhat embarrassed too.
"Because if they're anything like you, the world is in a lot more trouble than I thought." Placing the tie around my neck, he commenced to skilfully fasten it, keeping it loose enough to avoid suffocating me, and tight enough to be presentable. "I certainly hope you're going to be able to control yourself at the wedding."
"Ya sure ya want that?" I asked, playfully, while sticking my finger in my collar to pull it away from my throat, "I might be able ta create a diversion fer ya by pickin a fight with a salad or somethin, than ya'd be able to make a run fer it."
Letting out a deep sigh, he placed the palm of his hand against my cheek and frowned with a sarcastic glow. "How would I know that you were faking?" he remarked, before the corner of his mouth turned up and a devious glint lit up in his eyes.
"Very funny," I grumbled, and swatted at his hands that were obsessively straightening out my uniform, before giving him a glowering glare at his attempt to make a joke, "Why don't ya like weddins anyway?"
"Why do you like them?" he retorted, and commenced at straightening my collar, while I struggled with him and kept pulling it back. Then he mumbled, "You're worse than a kid."
"Free food'n drinks," I piped up, with an anticipated grin, and still holding my fingers between my collar and my neck.
"Free food and drinks…" he mirrored, "You know you only get two…"
"Yeah… But those two are free," I reminded him, "An I ain't about ta start turnin down free drinks." Winking at him, I patted him on the left shoulder and then stuck my finger back in my collar to pull it away.
"Why am I not surprised?" he mused, and grabbed my hands from my collar in frustration. Then he pinned them to my sides by wrapping his arms around me, over top of my own, and surprised me with a slight outburst, "Would you quit dramatizing… It's not that damn tight!"
"Jus ain't used to it," I told him, looking at him sideways, as I cautiously pressed my question, "Ya gonna answer me 'bout why ya hate weddins so much? One would'a thought ya'd love em, considerin your aristocratic upbringin."
"Aristocratic? That's a fancy word."
"Learned it from Tseng."
"Very well… I've been to more than my fair share of my father's weddings, only to watch him use and discard every woman that he married," he answered, while pulling his upper body away, but still pinning my arms, and regarding me with a serious annoyance, "He taught me that marriage was only for show and that it meant nothing by the number of whores he screwed on the side."
Then he sneered and let out a disgruntled snort, before leaning forward and placing his chin on my shoulder while pressing the palm of his hand against the middle of my back. "But it was all my fault that he had to do those things," he soothed, chillingly into my ear, and started brushing his lips along the outer edge.
"He didn't want his sissy of a son not knowing what to do when the time came for him to carry on the Shinra legacy. So, he had to teach me what to do…" he informed, purring into my ear and running his hand down my back, roughly, before harshly whispering, "By making me watch."
He pulled back with a wicked grin then, and caught my eyes with a glaring fury. "And judging by the way that you keep coming back for more…" he said, with eyes gone black from a primitive possession, "I'm sure you'd agree that I did learn something... Though… perhaps…" Pulling me tighter and tilting his head, he brought his mouth dangerously close to mine so I could feel the heated breath of each word that came out, in a low growl on my lips, "Maybe not quite what Daddy intended for me to learn."
"Fu –"
When he met my mouth with a feral hunger that nearly suffocated me, I realized that talking about weddings was probably not one of Rufus' favourite topics, since it appeared to bring his adrenaline to a dangerous and predatorily instinctive level. So, I made a mental note, and decided that I would refrain from talking about weddings with him if I could help it.
At least, I decided that I wouldn't do it in public, and I admit that I was a little thankful that I made my first discovery in the privacy of our own bathroom. The other thing that I needed to add to that note, as well, was the small reminder to never bring it up after getting ready to go out on a special occasion, because all of my efforts went straight to Hell when he tore my clothes off, and I followed suit.
"Uunngghh… Gaia… Reno…" he muttered, half-baked, with his fingers digging into the wall once I was inside him, and then he reminded me, "Don't waste any time… We have to be there in fifteen minutes..."
"Nnnnnnggg… Rufusss… You feel sooo gooooood…"
Honestly though, the disturbing insight and screwing Rufus silly against the wall was not really what I had in mind when I asked him why he didn't like weddings…
"Yeah… harder… nnn… ffffuck… harder…"
"Cum for me, baby… Show me how much ya love me."
We were also a half-hour late due to the fact that we had to clean ourselves up and change our clothes afterwards.
"Ah… A-hahh… AGGGHHH!"
That was both of us, by the way.
"Gaiah… I love you…" he breathed out, in heavy pants when he slid to his knees against the wall.
"I know ya do, Rufus," I dominatingly replied, while staring down at the heap he'd turned into and licking his seed from my hand.
"Don't ever leave me…"
But everything worked out all right, because the priest was also late…
The wedding went about as smoothly as one could have expected it to. Elena couldn't have looked more beautiful than she did, standing at the altar next to the man that she loved. It may have been a combination of the excitement and the promise of motherhood that made her glow as brilliantly as the sun, while she gazed into the eyes of the man that she idolized and smiled.
She literally beamed.
On the other side though, Tseng remained straight-faced as ever, throughout the whole ceremony. But the light in his eyes could have been enough to light the room, should the need have arrived, and they remained fixated on the one thing that meant more than the world to him…
Elena.
She was roughly eight months pregnant, give or take, with his child, and he kept his hand on her belly as he peered longingly into her eyes. I honestly didn't think the rest of the world mattered to either of them at that moment, and he finally smiled when the time came to kiss his shining bride.
It was so beautiful that it pissed me off.
Rufus stood behind Tseng, setting the perfect example of what an ice-sculpture should look like, and how one should behave. He was even diligent enough to par it down to the icy glare that suggested he was less than happy to be where he was, as he stared straight ahead the whole time, into space, attempting to completely avoid eye contact with anything that was remotely alive.
It was probably just as well that he did that though, because no one in their right mind would have wanted him looking at them like that anyway. It was a little unsettling.
The only time Rufus did move and focus his eyes, was when it came time to hand the ring over to Tseng. His hand came up to firmly grip onto Tseng's shoulder, and he gave him that 'I hope you know what the hell your doing' kind of chastising warning, while looking like he was holding his breath, when he met the Wutian's nervous, charcoal eyes.
Man, what a charmer that Rufus could be.
The reception went quite well, with all things considered. Rufus remained with the wedding party, playing the upper class eccentric quite well by breaking the waiters hand when he touched him, and rewarding himself with a renewed sense of fear and power from the rest of the catering crew.
I'd almost forgotten how lovely Rufus was when he was in the public eye. Since I'd gotten to know him so well, it was easy to forget why it was that people feared him in the first place. But he was doing a damn good job of helping me remember why I always used to think he was always going to kill me.
Now, don't get me wrong here, he wasn't a complete asshole. He played the aristocrat exceptionally well, and was compulsive about setting the right appearance. The thing with Rufus, and it had been a thing with him for some time, was that he never took to being touched by people he didn't like or know. He'd get downright nasty if someone deliberately touched him, but it was all right if he touched you though.
However, he wasn't always like that. It was something that gradually happened to him, and by the time he was sixteen, he had become a full throttle introvert, perfecting the art of egotistical alienation. He even managed to turn himself toward being overly obsessive and compulsive, and made sure that everyone knew about his special little quirk by either beating them within an inch of their life or simply shooting them.
Back then, the only people allowed to even stand within a foot of him were Tseng, his doctor, his tailor, and his hairdresser. Well, of course, I couldn't help but push him back in those days either, by constantly testing the limits. But for reasons unknown to me at the time, he never gave in to my death-wish, and now it seems like neither of us can keep our hands off of each other.
Mind you, I'll admit that he wasn't as bad as he used to be. It almost seemed like each day, he became a little less standoffish, and a little more accepting towards physical contact with those around him. It was almost as if he knew he had a problem and was trying to correct it, despite the fact that he was still having trouble with it.
And once again, I found myself asking if it had something to do with his father. But after the earlier incident in the bathroom, I decided that I'd save the question for another day.
Personally, the more I was finding out about him, the less I wanted to know, and the more I felt guilty for being so close to his father back in those days. I was literally beginning to despise the man that I once looked up to, and eventually viewed as a father figure, and I was beginning to hate myself even more than I already did for never knowing what was happening behind the scenes to Rufus. I was also beginning to understand why he was the way that he was, which was bothering me all the more, as I Inconspicuously stole a glance over at the man that I viewed to be the most beautiful, albeit narcissistic, person in the room.
My beautiful Rufus…
There he was, sitting at a table, with an enchanted Tseng to his left, and staring hatefully at his accountant from the twenty-third floor for some unknown reason, while he drank his vodka and gripped his fork so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. Whatever the hell was going through Rufus' mind at that moment must have been pretty unpleasant, and I found myself not even wanting to entertain the speculation.
Although, I did wonder exactly how much his accountant may have fucked up on the paperwork to elicit such a frightening reaction from the most malevolent deity on the surface of the planet.
Well, while trying to pull myself out of my thoughts, and suddenly obvious fixation on the mystery of what made Rufus tick, the waiter placed a glass of scotch that I didn't recall ordering in front of me. It was the third time that it had happened that evening, and I was starting to feel a little guilty about not paying for any of them yet.
When I asked him how much I owed him, and stuck my hand in my pocket to pull out some Gil, he held his hand up and told me that it wasn't necessary, and before I got the chance to ask him why, he had already started walking away, leaving me to stare at my scotch in a state of confusion.
It wasn't until Rude asked me if I was even curious about who was buying them for me, that I even gave it much thought. To be honest, I thought maybe I was ordering them for myself and already paying for them, since I was still unsure about how much of myself I still had control of. Of course, there was always the very far-fetched possibility that Rufus was ordering them for me too, but that didn't seem very likely, given the pleasantly bitter and antisocial persona he was carrying that evening.
"Thought I was payin fer em myself," I murmured, while sheepishly raising my brow and bringing the glass to my lips.
Naturally, that statement awarded me a very concerned look from Rude, and the suddenly curious attention of Tifa, who'd been sitting beside him the whole time. I'd also like to add at this point, that she looked incredibly stunning that evening.
For the first time since I'd known the lady, she had adorned herself beautifully, and took on an unnaturally feminine and delicate quality that I'd never seen her carry before, making it hard to believe that she was ever the woman who'd kicked my ass on several occasions in the past.
"Have you been under that much stress?" Rude asked, in regards to my admittance over not knowing what I was doing. But all I did was shrug, before getting uncontrollably antsy over something.
"Let me get back to ya on that, Rude…" I sarcastically said, and sneered at myself for creating an opening for more questions, "I don't think my list is completed yet." Then I stared straight ahead, took another sip, and stuck a cigarette in my mouth, before I got up to walk outside so I could smoke it.
"…"
"Lovely evening," Reeve commented, as the door to the outside closed behind me, and he lit his cigarette. Besides me and Rufus, Reeve was the only other person that I knew of who didn't accompany himself with a date. It didn't seem to bother him though, since he made up for it by casually socializing with several of the employees from his department.
Naturally, he managed to avoid anyone that he felt he had nothing in common with. Despite his kind nature, he always appeared awkward around people he had nothing in common with. I guess it was to be expected, since he wasn't really a man for small talk.
Anyway, I responded with a nod and an abrupt, "Yeah". Then I lit my cigarette and leaned beside him, against the cold brick wall, and avoided eye contact due to the embarrassment over the day before. But he didn't really seem to care about that, since he never made a comment towards the situation.
I still couldn't help but wonder how in the hell he managed to act like nothing happened, and he even managed to carry himself off the following day with the same likeness. Personally, if I'd walked in on something similar between two guys, I don't think I'd ever be able to face either of them again, let alone talk to them like the incident never existed.
"I never expected you to be a scotch man," he commented, motioning his glass towards mine, "I always figured you for a cheap bourbon man, to be honest with you."
Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Reeve, I thought to myself as I took a sip, and then I retorted with an annoyed mumble in my defence, "Ain't opposed ta bourbon."
With a smirk, he let out a subtle snort with a jerk back to his head to announce his amusement. "Scotch man, myself," he stated distantly, swirling his glass and staring at the contents, "Years ago, I never would have thought that we could have so much in common…"
"What ya mean?" I asked, taking a drag from my cigarette and studying the surroundings to the outside of the building, and the people walking by and loitering in proximity.
"No offence, Reno…" After taking a fair drink from his glass, he indulged in his thoughts about me in the past. "But I always viewed you as nothing more than a henchman for President Shinra… Not too bright, a bit of a back-stabbing swindler, and maybe even a bit of an ass-kisser… A lowly dog, if I may state," he commented, with his brow casually cocked.
"Now that I've actually gotten the chance to know you better, I've discovered that you're not the idiot I always thought you were. There's even an odd sense of refinement to you that I never would have guessed you possessed. Don't misread me though, I still don't trust you as far as I can throw you."
With my brow raised and my cigarette halfway to my mouth, I looked at him in absolute disbelief over what he just said to me, "Refinement?"
Chuckling at his own disbelief over what he just said, he brushed a loose wave away from his face and turned his attention over to me, "Well, for one, you actually can wear a tie. Though, I wouldn't have believed it if it weren't for me seeing it." Then, with an awkward tilt to his head, he regarded the neatly done up tie around my neck, and then he continued, "And according to my father, only a civilized man drinks scotch and smokes this brand of cigarettes."
While holding up his package of cigarettes for me to observe, I noted, for the first time, that we smoked the same brand. "Of course, as far as similarities go… I never knew that you were mechanically inclined. I always thought that you were rather ignorant when it came to things that required a certain disciplinary action of thought."
"Thanks fer the vote of confidence," I thought, out loud, and with a sarcastic undertone and a snort, "Speakin of mechanical thingamajigs…" Emphasizing the last word to help him out with his less than admirable point of view about me, I took a drag from my cigarette to over-exaggerate my slow and lowly train of thought, "Ya got those watchamacallit thingy's set up, that ya were talkin 'bout in Rufus' office the other day?"
Clearing his throat with a slight blush rising to his face, although I'm not sure if he was blushing over the reminder of the office incident or something else, he told me that he took the liberty of already positioning them and setting them up.
"Good, cuz I think I want ya ta turn em on, so I can see what yer overly fancy-assed cameras can do that normal ones can't," I told him, bitterly, as I flicked my cigarette onto the street and observed the lingering loiterer across the way, with a slight suspicion. Then I pushed myself away from the wall in an attempt to get the hell away from the upper class snob that was generous enough to grace me with his presence.
"Reno…" Reeve called to me, when he noticed how pissed off I became over his condescending attitude.
"What?" I snapped, "Ya ferget ta mention how much of a slob I was? Or maybe ya fergot ta throw senseless son of a whore, an ignorant alcoholic in there too?" Overtaken by frustration at how all the well-to-do 'high society' civilians of the upper plate continuously ground me down because I was born into a life I never had a choice over, I was suddenly unable to hold any of it back.
With a bit of surprise, he straightened himself up and set his eyes on me. "No," He said, straight-faced. "I… wanted to apologize. I didn't mean to insult you. I actually meant to do the opposite. But it all came out wrong." Then his eyes shifted back down to his glass as he swirled it around, and then he mumbled, almost to himself, "I had no idea your mother was a lady of the streets."
Not expecting him to apologize, I was taken off guard, as I stood there frozen and embarrassed for my ill-tempered outburst. But the best I could come up with was, "Don't worry 'bout it," before I went back into the building to make my way for the men's room so I could relieve myself.
To top off what was turning out to be a most fucked up day as far as ordinary went, while I was washing my hands in the restroom, Rufus' accountant entered with a smile and a cut-off greeting, as Rufus stormed in behind him and wrapped a choke-wire around his neck.
"What the fuck are ya doin?" I shouted, in surprise, while Rufus strangled the life out of his accountant in the men's room of the hall where Tseng and Elena were celebrating the first day of the rest of their lives together.
While struggling with the flailing body in front of him, he looked up at me, somewhat surprised to see me standing there. Then he went on to explain, with a grimace on his face from the effort it took to slowly kill the poor unsuspecting man, that he didn't want to ruin Tseng's wedding by using a gun. Apparently, the noise would have brought too much attention to something he preferred to do quietly, out of respect for the man that he'd always looked up to.
"Well, what the fuck did he do wrong?" I asked, with my hand motioning towards Rufus' victim that was beginning to weaken from the growing lack of oxygen.
"He's been fixing the records, and skimming from the top," he answered, while tightening the wire.
"So ya had ta wait 'til ya were at a fuckin weddin ta kill him?" Staring at him in utter disbelief, at the disturbing insanity that Rufus was known to display on occasion, I patiently awaited an answer while he took a second to think about it.
"No," he sang, casually, as if we were just having an ordinary conversation, and dropping the dead accountant to the floor, "I had to wait until the idiot bought you a third scotch." Taking me off guard with his comment, that made him sound a little pissed, he picked the lifeless body off the floor with one hand and dragged it over to the janitor's closet, which naturally, happened to be locked. "Damn… Reno… Unlock the fucking closet," he barked, while glaring at the door.
"Yer fuckin nuts, Rufus," I blurted out, unable to keep my opinion to myself, as I walked over to the door and pulled out my lock-pick, "That ain't no fuckin reason ta kill a man at a fuckin weddin."
"Oh? Really?" Crooning, as he glared at me, with shadowy eyes, he tapped me on the top of the head with the wire, and continued with his chastising sing-song, "I suppose you should have thought of that before accepting the drinks then."
"Thought I was payin fer em myself," I mumbled, while kneeling in front of the door and fiddling with the lock.
Looking at me with a slight suspicion, and placing the wire in his pocket once the door opened, he commenced to hang the body up, by its jacket, onto a hook in the closet, and then straightened out the suit that his victim was wearing. Then he took a deep breath and turned his feral, unanticipated, and provocative attention over to me with a smirk, "You look incredibly sexy right now."
"Yeah…" I replied, while taking a step back from him. Then I turned my head slightly, to the side, while keeping my eyes locked with his. "I ain't comin outta no fuckin closet with ya, Rufus," I told him, coming to terms with what he was thinking.
"Why not?" he asked, and stepped forward so he was standing at the door to the closet, before he rested his right arm above him, against the frame, "It's perfectly private in here, despite the company." Then, as he jerked his head to the hanging body and smirked at me, he continued. "And as far as coming out of the closet goes…" He said, almost growling as he lunged forward and grabbed me by the collar, before angrily hissing at me, "I'd much prefer it if everybody knew that you were off limits."
Then, I wound up pushing him back when he roughly latched his mouth to mine, and kicked the door to the closet shut, closing it off from us, to stress the fact that it wasn't going to happen. "We're at a fuckin weddin!" I reminded him, before he pushed me into the door and pressed both his hands against either side of me to keep me from escaping him.
"I don't recall that ever bothering you before," he said, coolly, as he held me captive in the men's room, against my will. "As a matter of fact, I recall you finding all sorts of interesting places to fuck the whores you brought to all of my father's weddings."
Shuddering at Rufus' insanely predatory state and the fact that he was pressing himself against me and brushing his lips across my jaw, while letting me in on another little tidbit that he knew, without me knowing that he knew, I wasn't sure if I should run or give in. Sadly, I nearly gave in. But then I remembered that we were not only at a wedding, but in the men's room, where anyone could walk in at any time, and pushed him back again.
"Fer fuck's sake, Rufus!" I croaked, while adjusting my pants that had become painfully uncomfortable, and making my way to the exit to sanity, "Yer fuckin crazy!"
"Well then…" With his brow cocked, he grabbed me from behind and pulled my rod from where it was hitched on my belt. Then he hit the switch to bring out the sword and muttered, "Impressive", before he wedged it into the bathroom door that I'd nearly made it to, jamming it shut, "I guess that makes two of us."
After that, he spun me around and smashed his mouth to mine, while pressing my back forcefully against the door, as he started pulling my shirt out of my pants like he was in some kind of a hurry, before he heavily breathed into my ear, "I want your cock in my mouth." Then he forcefully grasped my buckle, and hungrily met my eyes, "That's all I want, Reno… I just want your cum in my mouth." The next thing I knew, his lips were pressed fiercely to mine once more, stressing the intensity of his bizarre and sudden urge, before he dropped to his knees.
"Nnnnnnggg… Gaia… Rufus…"
Well, I figured since he wasn't going to take no for an answer, that I might as well let him. Besides the fact that he was scaring the shit out of me, I couldn't help but be turned on by his strangely lit up desire after strangling somebody to death in a bathroom…
It was just one more thing for me to add to my mental note for the day about Rufus…
"Ffffff… Ahhhhhh…"
Well, that and the fact that I should probably make it a habit from that point on to actually make sure that I was paying for my own drinks.
"Rufussssss…!" I growled, as I came into his mouth, and he swallowed.
I couldn't say I wasn't thankful that Rufus' secretary had distracted him earlier, when the girl from the third floor flower shop started flirting with me while I was at the bar.
"Ffffffuck…! You're so good…"
After we left the men's room and walked into the hallway, I received an odd smirk from Reeve, who'd watched us both come out together, as he was leaning with his back against the wall with another scotch in his hand. Calling me over, as Rufus returned to the reception, he pulled me aside and leaned slightly into me. "You're tie's crooked," he smoothly commented, as his smirk returned. Then he commenced to inform me that he'd gotten all of his fancy miniature cameras up and running, or as he liked to call them… probes.
"I took the liberty of surveying the area after they were set up…" Reeve mentioned, as we walked through the reception area towards the back room, "And I noticed something that may require your attention."
Stepping back as Reeve opened the door for me to enter; I took a quick look around, out of habit, to make sure that everything was as it should be, before I turned my attention back to him. I had to admit that I was also paying mind to Rufus being all right with me talking to Reeve, which he didn't seem to mind at all.
Well, shrugging to myself about where all that weird trust that Rufus had, in regards to the dark haired man that escorted me away from him came from, I nodded to him and entered the small, dark room that was set up with several monitors and other bits of related equipment.
"Ya know that pretty brunette's been checkin ya out all evenin," I commented, after he closed the door and I stuck my hands in my pockets.
I suppose it was an attempt to avoid the topic, since Reeve wasn't exactly what you'd call a man who went looking for prospects. But he made the strangest comment, as I looked at the monitors and tried to figure out what it was that he wanted me to see. "I'm old enough to be her father," he said, straightening out his jacket and setting his attention over to the main controls.
"She's the same age as me, Reeve." Pulling a cigarette out with a total disregard to the rule about no smoking in the building, I placed it in my mouth and lit it.
"Exactly," he stated, before giving me a disapproving glance and then pulling out his own cigarette to follow suit.
Tapping on the glass on one of the monitors that appeared to have gone dead, I wound up turning my curious attention over to him in complete surprise. In all honesty, the man looked no older than Tseng, who was only eleven years older than me. "How the fuck old are ya?" I asked, with an obvious bluntness that stated I found him a whole lot more interesting all of the sudden.
"Old enough to be your father," was his witty reply, which suggested he had no intention of answering the question with any accuracy.
"Over here…" he detachedly said, as he motioned for me to join him by the monitor he was standing in front of, "I'm not an expert on these types of things. But that man is the same one that's been hanging around since the reception started." Then he crossed his arm in front of his chest, and rested the elbow of his other one on it while taking a drag from his cigarette, before he stood back to give me some room, "I'm sure you've noticed him."
"Yeah… Thought it was suspicious that he hadn't left yet," I answered, as I studied the figure that was dressed in ratty clothes and wearing a concealing hat and scarf that covered his face.
"I was thinking the same thing," he mused, while stroking his goatee in thought. Then he added, "When I turned the monitors on, I noticed that the man is carrying a piece." Pointing at the bulge in the overcoat, that I noticed earlier, but was unable to see what was beneath it, he zoomed in on the slight opening to show the hidden bushmaster.
"I also noticed that there are two others…" he said, and pointed at two other monitors revealing two other men in similar attire, and continued, "One at the back and one at the side. I hadn't noticed them earlier, due to the fact that you and I only took our breaks in the front of the building. But what makes them appear to be together, is their attire and the similar bulge beneath their coats."
"Mm… We'd better get Rude an Jared in here."
"I'll get Rufus too," Reeve replied, before he left me standing there, tapping on my rod, as I contemplated the possibility of an assassination attempt on Rufus' life, or worse.
Fuckin job security…
When we had all gathered in the small room, it was agreed that there was a possible security concern, as the four of us watched the suspects with a careful eye. It was Rude that noticed the miniscule earpieces that the men were wearing, which wound up confirming our initial assumption.
The observation set Rufus into action by ordering Rude and Jared to take out the two from the back and the side, and he decided that he would take out the one from the front, which I naturally had to disagree with.
"Sir, they may be here to assassinate ya," I piped up, after he'd given his orders, "It ain't wise fer ya ta set yerself in a dangerous situation like that."
Protesting that he was more than capable of taking care of himself, and pointing out that he didn't want me out there. But not stating why, out of respect for keeping his fears about my condition away from the others, we wound up getting into an argument that we normally didn't do in front of an audience.
When things nearly got physical between us, Rude stepped in and reminded Rufus that I had been working as a Turk for nearly seventeen years, and that I was more than capable and qualified to do the job with the necessary skill required.
Of course, Rude had no idea why Rufus was behaving so protectively over me, and I also half-suspected that my beautiful white god may have had some pent up energy over the things that had been bothering him all day, and was itching for more release.
"I'm the only one with a weapon that can take one of em down without killin em!" I yelled at Rufus, to point out the obvious, since everyone else was carrying guns. "Ya want one of em fer questioning doncha?"
"He's also the most qualified for concealing his presence," Rude added, as a reminder. "As hard as that is to believe," he added, in a lower tone to emphasize his dig. Then he flicked at my hair in a jesting manner, causing me to bat his hand away in annoyance.
With a reluctant glare, Rufus let out a deep sigh, as he regarded me with a disapproving look, and then agreed that I was the most capable of getting one of them alive. However, it was going to have to be on his terms, and his terms involved using himself as a pawn to draw my targets attention away from the possibility of discovering me before I had the chance to strike.
For the next twenty minutes, we spent the time diligently deciding which one of them appeared to be the best one for questioning. Then, once we all agreed that the man in the front appeared to be the foreman of the small group, Rude and Jared made their way out back, while Rufus went to inform Tseng of the situation, and I made my way back outside to sneak into the area behind the man.
The plan was a simple one that had withstood the test of time. Due to the fact that we were at a wedding, we wanted to do things as quietly and time-tested as possible, without drawing too much attention to the situation at hand.
So, Rude and Jared were to go to the back and side, while I was to lie low after eluding detection once I was in place. We were all to wait in concealment until orders were given by me, once the confirmation had been made for us to go ahead.
In the mean time, Rufus would make for an early leave, accompanied by Grunt SOLDIERs, to create a diversion. The plan was for Rufus to attract their attention by appearing as an easy target, which would also verify our suspicions. After the suspects had been verified, we were all to make our move… Two dead and one captive.
Keeping my eyes on the door, and my hand on the rod, I waited impatiently in the shadows, as my target stood, unsuspecting, no more than a few feet away. When I turned my attention to my target and studied the form that was in front of me, I couldn't help but notice something familiar about the way he smoked the cigarette in his hand. Though at that point, I couldn't really say what it was.
While trying to put my finger on it, I attempted to study him closer, and noted that it was damn near impossible to pick out any distinction by the way he concealed his appearance, right down to the oversized raider-style hat that covered his hair, and the loose and highly wrapped tartan that hid most of his face.
Well, anyway, upon Rufus' appearance at the exit, and the vehicle pulling up to wait for him, the suspicion was confirmed when my target lowered his head and mumbled something, before going for his gun.
Then, like often times in the past, the events that followed seemed to play themselves out like a motion picture, when my mind and my body took on a will of their own, leaving me no longer the one in control of my actions. As an observer, I got to hear, see, and smell, as my distant sounding words gave the order, and the shots from somewhere behind the building echoed through the streets.
I don't even recall stepping forward and hitting the switch on the rod, when the Grunts threw Rufus to the ground and prepared themselves to protect him. But I do recall, watching the sparks fly, and the body convulse with a small stream of corroded-smelling smoke rising from where the charger and the tattered cloth met.
I do recall nudging the hat off the head with my foot, and chuckling with an unnaturally sardonic satisfaction, when I observed the colour of the familiar figures hair, and the features I had come to know so well.
I do recall beating the figure repetitively and out of control with a determination to crush every bone in its body into a non-existing state.
I do recall turning the dial for the charger to a level damaging enough so as not to kill, but enough to leave extensive and irreparable damage.
And I do recall Rude and Rufus, tackling me down, before I wound up brutally killing the bastard in the middle of the street without anyone ever getting a chance to interrogate our more than perfect catch of the day, while Jared collected the severely damaged body and dragged it into the trunk of the car and locked it, leaving a trail of blood from his path.
I also recall Rude calling me by a name I hadn't heard from him in over seven years…
"Ren!"
As I made a futile attempt to struggle with the vice-like grip of Rufus.
"LET ME GO!" I shouted, with an insane growl cutting through the edge of my voice…
"I'M GONNA KILL HIM!"
Revised: January 15, 2009