I Want To Be A Turk!
Chapter 36 – Embrace
Her head was pounding when she felt consciousness again.
What happened?
I remember that I've barely reached the doors of the Wall Market when… Ow!
Meia groaned and felt the ache on the back of her neck.
Someone knocked me out.
"Awake, my princess?" A male voice greeted her, chilling her to the spine. Meia looked up, her eyes focusing on a group of males in a room that she didn't recognize.
"…" She stared at the group of men who were smoking, gambling or just relaxing. As soon as the male voice spoke, the rest stopped whatever they were doing and stared at her.
So… So many of them! The thought loomed in her heart like a death sentence. Ten… No, there are eleven of them! There's no way I can defeat them at once… Her bound hands felt for her gun and bracelet… to find none. And unarmed. Her lower lip trembled.
"Look at the chick, she's basically petrified." One of them sneered.
She tried to speak, but her throat felt like it's stuck. The only sounds that she could make were whimpers but her helpless actions only seemed to interest the men more.
"This chick will be interesting to have."
"Such a pretty thing… And her skin…" Another one murmured, reaching forward and caressing her knee.
She cringed visibly at his touch, gasping. It was gentle, but nothing could describe the malicious intent that practically oozed from his touch. The man's grope was concrete confirmation that what Meia see in front of her is reality.
As if the physical contact triggered her throat, Meia finally found her voice to speak… and she screamed. Her throat muscles became taut with straining but she didn't care. She knew that screaming wouldn't help but she did so nevertheless. As her screams turned into shrieks, her tears ran down her cheeks endlessly. Her nose dripped but still she screamed.
"Argh! Keep quiet!" They reached for their guns but immediately another man held them back.
"Taping her mouth would be good enough." He said icily.
The other men grinned. "You're right, Pero. Ain't our leader for nothing."
"Wouldn't want to waste such a good creature by killing her." Another lackey added.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Meia shrieked, her eyeliner began to run from her tears, streaking her face. "WHERE AM I? WHO ARE YOU?"
Another man strode forward and gave her a resounding slap. "Shut yer mouth, whore." He spat. "You're lucky that you're taken in under the great Don Corneo."
"Easy with the hits, Pascal." Pero warned. "Boss still wants to take a look first."
Meia restrained from cringing at Pascal's vulgar name for her. The great Don Corneo? She stared at them. I'm… I'm in Don Corneo's hideout? Then these people must be his lackeys…
I must play this right. She thought, her tears subsiding. Her heart was pounding with adrenaline. I still have a fighting chance.
"I have business wi-" Suddenly, her face was grabbed roughly and a piece of stinky duct tape found its way over her mouth. "Omph." She protested but the duct tape did its job of sealing her mouth… and her last fighting chance.
Pero smirked. "Much quieter now, isn't it?" Meia could only respond by allowing her tears to fall.
The man who groped her knee earlier on seemed to be jumping on his knees in anticipation. "Pero, let me go at her first!"
"What the hell, Francis?" Another man argued. "You won't be using the girl right, you... Needle-phile!"
Meia tensed. Aichmophile... She thought, horrorified. If this man, Francis, truly has a compulsive obsession with sharp objects… he may be more dangerous than them all.
What are you thinking, stupid girl? She chided herself. They are ALL dangerous.
"I say we need to leave her alone till boss says that he doesn't want her." The man who taped her mouth said. "We'll be in deep soup if he finds out that we had her before he did."
"You mean we'll be in HOT soup, Bennett." The young man next to him nudged him. Meia stared at the boy in horror, for he looked no older than herself. "We won't defile her but… a simple touch wouldn't hurt, would it?" Meia watched helplessly as the young man walked towards her. Her eyes pleaded with him but he only smirked in response. "Maybe a little… strip tease?" He suggested, rolling the strap of her dress down her shoulder.
The men hooted and whistled and Meia could no longer see clearly because her eyes were so full of tears.
Somebody… save me.
"Ryder, you are learning fast!" Bennett snorted. "Soon, you'll be fighting with us for women, huh?" The other men laughed, except for Francis. "We're drawing lots, you know the standard procedure!"
"No!" Francis roared. He ran forward and pushed Ryder aside. "This woman is mine!" He grabbed Meia by her throat and she choked in surprise. "She is different from the other girls. I want her first!"
"Francis…" Pero said slowly. "Release her… We need her for boss' inspection later." Pero glanced at his men knowingly. "If he doesn't like her, then you can have her and do whatever you like… alright?" He reached out a hand. "Just… return me the girl."
Meia felt herself being tossed onto the floor. She coughed uncomfortably, not being able to exhale out of her taped mouth.
"Hoo boy…" Pascal whistled and picked Meia up by her arm, not caring if his roughness hurt her. "You're hot property, aren't you, babe?" He caressed her cheek with his finger, but didn't mind when she pulled her face away from his touch. "Your bedding skills better be worth fighting for."
Suddenly, everything happened so fast, but Meia seemed to see it happen in slow motion. She first saw the wall disappear into a white puff of sand, then the deafening sound of a detonation.
"What was that?" They cried. Meia turned and stared at the gaping hole in the wall hopefully. Could it really… be?
The smoke cleared, revealing Rude. He scanned the room, analyzing the situation before he noticed Meia and her disguise. "Meia?" He asked, frowning. Meia nodded happily. Rude turned behind and grunted. Moments later, a mass of scarlet hair appeared at the broken wall. Meia had never been happier to see Reno. Reno too, scanned the room with an emotionless expression. However, he did not possess the inner calmness that Rude mastered. His cool exterior was cracking with the possibilities of what could've happened.
Reno turned to Rude. "Where is she?" He asked impatiently. Rude placed a palm unto his face and pointed at Meia. Reno's head whipped around at the pointed direction and raised his eyebrows, seeing her getup. Reno walked towards Meia and pulled the duct tape off her mouth gently. "Meia…" He uttered at the sight of the disguise. "Let me get the ropes off…"
As he reached for the ropes, Meia saw from the corner of her eye Ryder stepping forward to stop Reno, but Pero held him back, saying a few words to him. Meia saw that Ryder's eyes widened and immediately stepped back. Nobody else moved an inch in the presence of the black suits.
The last bits of rope fell. "Brother Reno…" Meia said, throwing her arms around his neck gladly, allowing his smell of fresh laundry overwhelm her mind. He patted her back and gently peeled her away from his embrace.
Walking over to the nearest man (who happened to be Pascal), Reno grabbed him by his collar and growled. "You dare to even lay a finger on our Turk?"
"T-t-t-turk?" Pascal stuttered.
"She's a Turk?" Pero stared at Meia.
"Damn right she is, you piece of scum!" Reno threw Pascal across the room and before he could recover on his feet, Reno was in front of him. He smashed Pascal's face with his shoe and glared at the rest of the lackeys. "Who has been funding your boss so that you can enjoy your food, your career, your life?"
The room fell silent at his words.
"You guys sure are in trouble." Kido said casually, leaning against the jagged wall and pulling a cigarette from his pocket.
"Kido?" Pero exclaimed.
Rude stared at Kido. "Your colleagues?"
Kido took a long puff and exhaled. "Used to."
"Pero!" One of the minions yelled. "It's us eleven versus the four of them! They don't stand a cha-"
"Shut your trap, Horace!" Pero yelled back. "Have you guys been smoking so much pot that you don't recognize who they are?"
Reno broke into a menancing grin. "You do well to listen to your leader, you worthless scumbags. When he say 'release her'…" He increased the pressure of his foot on Pascal's head till the lackey screamed with terror. He looked at Pascalin the eye and said slowly. "You jolly well-"
"Reno, stop!" Meia cried out. "You'll kill-"
Pascal's skull cracked with a sickening sound. Meia quickly looked away so that she won't see. The men in the room gasped, some couldn't handle the brutality and gagged.
"You are in luck," Reno said, smirking. "I'm in a pretty bad mood today… and I could use some exercise." Meia looked at Rude in horror but the bald Turk looked nonchalant, as if Reno did this regularly. "Well now…" Reno stepped over the dead body, wiping the fluids that were splattered on his trousers off Pascal's clothing nonchalantly. "What should I do to give you a taste of what you deserve?"
"Reno…" Rude warned, but Reno didn't notice.
"Should I break your thumb? Burn your fingers one by one? Numb your tongue with my EMR?" He smiled almost demonically at the petrified men. "Tut tut tut… So many choices to make."
"Hey bro… it's just a misunderstanding!" Pero tried to sound diplomatic and in control, but the fear in his voice gives him away. He stared at Kido. "Kido, please! Tell your colleague to stop!"
Kido took another puff of his cigarette. "I'm only here to say hi." He stated passively.
"Reno…" Meia called him, but he made no response. "Reno… Oh Cetra, please don't make him do this." She begged to no one in particular.
Reno stretched his fingers playfully. "Maybe I should-"
"Reno." Rude said, but his voice was tense and full of warning. "We have to report back before we get found out."
"What happened down here, Pero?" An unfamiliar voice was heard in the distance.
Too late! Meia thought fearfully.
As Meia turned to look at the source of the voice, she saw a middle-aged man standing at the entrance of the room. "T-t-t-turks?" The man exclaimed fearfully upon recognizing their uniform.
Meia took a good look at him. The short and stout man was dressed luxuriously but in a very distasteful manner. His oily blond hair (or lack thereof) was slicked with gel and in his mouth, a roll of cheap cigar hung from the side of his mouth.
"Don Corneo." Kido greeted lightly.
THAT'S Don Corneo? She stared at him in disbelief. One of the largest crimelords in Midgar is… this? If anything, he looks like a dweeb. She thought. There was nothing emanating from this man that tells Meia of his ferocity in the slums. But well, looks can be deceiving. She argued to herself.
"Ooh, Kido!" Don Corneo jumped when he saw him. "It's been a while… The last time I saw you, you called me 'boss'."
"I'm no longer under your command." Kido pointed out. "I see that your foolish ways are doing you good."
Meia was reminded of the time when Kido briefly mentioned Don Corneo (A/N: refer to Chapter 16 if in doubt!). He said to flee from his boss as far as possible. Still, she couldn't see anything malicious from this man.
Don Corneo twitched his head left to right, as if in resignation. "Yes, I am doing well, you're the foolish one who wanted to leave my syndicate. It has been… 5 years?" The tall man made no reply and Don Corneo made a face. "Still silent… but of course, that's the way you've always worked." Don Corneo now faced his men. "What is the meaning of this? Why are the Turks here?"
The men glanced at each other fearfully.
"You're Don Corneo?" Reno stared at him condescendingly.
Meia noticed that Don Corneo twitched ever so slightly whenever Shinra-related people or matters were involved. What kind of terror does Shinra display over Midga-
Don Corneo straightened himself a little, which didn't do much. Compared to Reno's lanky figure and Rude's imposing height, his short stature was anything but intimidating. "I am Don Corneo." He answered. "May I ask what are Shinra Turks doing in my humble abode at such a late hour?" He asked, a little respectfully.
Jerking a thumb at Meia, Reno asked, "Do you know who is this woman?"
It was then that Don Corneo finally saw Meia at the corner, half-dressed. "Oooh! What a beautiful woman!" He said, clapping his hands together. "I'd love to-"
His words were cut off when Reno's EMR prodded his shoulder. "She's a Turk." Reno answered for Corneo. "Your lackeys mistook her for a whore and brought her here."
Don Corneo's eyes widened as he realized the situation. "I..." He turned to the lackeys. "You imbeciles! Of all people to scout for, you found a Turk! Who is the idiot who took her here?"
"Ostin did." One of his men replied.
"Bring him here!" Corneo barked, flailing his arms desperately. The men hurriedly ran, glad to leave the tension-filled room. Meia saw Don Corneo appeasing to Reno and Rude's moods, asking if they would like a seat while he "gets to the bottom of this".
No matter how she perceived the underworld boss, she could not see past his clumsy and boisterous actions. There's no way a crimelord has such a flimsy character. She argued with herself. Yet, his men stood ever so still in Corneo's presence, as if the slightest movement can trigger a terrible consequence.
Soon, Meia heard voices again and as she lifted her face to see the man who knocked her unconscious, she gasped at the familiar face. "You!" She cried out.
The men, whom the others called Ostin, looked genuinely surprised. "Excuse me, miss?"
Meia tore her wig from her head and exclaimed. "You were the one who directed me to Don Corneo's mansion! Remember? 'Honeybee'?" She gritted her teeth. "You knew I was a Turk!"
Ostin stared at Don Corneo's questioning look. "I swear, boss!" He cried fearfully. "I didn't recognize her! She was wearing the Turk uniform when I pointed out the mansion."
"I had to don a disguise to infiltrate your mansion because your lackeys wouldn't let me in." Meia retorted.
Don Corneo frowned at Pero, who bowed and left the room. Pero soon returned with two men and asked Meia if they were the men who didn't recognize the Turk uniform. Meia nodded tentatively. She had a bad feeling about them.
"Look, old man, are you going to do something or not?" Reno cut in impatiently. He had no time, neither was he in the mood to listen to Corneo lecture. "If not I'll-"
His words were interrupted when Don Corneo whipped out an old-fashioned barrel gun and shot the men dead. Meia widened her eyes at the emotionless determination behind Don Corneo's actions. He… he didn't even give the men a chance to explain… She shivered at the thought of how easily a life can be extinguished.
"I hope you're happy, Mr. Turk." Don Corneo glanced at Reno calmly. Reno shrugged and retracted his EMR, though his finger remained at the button to activate it again should there be surprises.
"Don Corneo." Meia said, standing up to look at the man levelly. "I'm Meia, a Turk from Shinra." She cleared her throat. "In light of tonight's events, you are doomed to die for abducting an employee of Shinra."
Don Corneo cried out. "Please don't kill me!" He raised his hands in surrender.
Meia stared at him, feeling very puzzled at his actions. How can someone be such a dweeb yet… She thought about the merciless expression briefly shown on the man who killed his two men in cold blood. Yet so dangerous?
She held a hand out. "I will not kill you." She frowned. "I came here to ask for an audience with you. But I suppose tonight is no longer a good opportunity." She rubbed her arms self-consciously. "I WILL meet you at another time. I expect that I won't need to wear this atrocious attire in order to see you." She picked at her dress. "You WILL attend to Shinra's appointment set for you, will you not?" She asked calmly, emphasizing at certain parts.
"Yes, of course of course…" Don Corneo rubbed his hands together. "Shinra employees to my mansion are always important visitors." He emphasized the last two words quietly, giving a sideway glance at his men.
Meia nodded. "Thank you."
"Not so fast." Reno grabbed Meia by her hand and pulled her to his side. "You're just going to let him go like this?" He asked of Meia. "His men tried to…" He trailed off because he didn't know what exactly Don Corneo's men did. He didn't want to say the wrong things on such a sensitive matter.
"It's fine. Nothing happened. It's just a kidnapping misunderstood." Meia said firmly. "I need Don Corneo in the future. I hope he cooperates with Shinra. If not…" She made a note to give a long and hard stare at the crimelord. "He'll have consequences ten times worse than today."
Don Corneo squealed in terror. "Yes. I understand." He stuttered. "Allow me to walk you out?"
"That wouldn't be necessary." Rude cut in. He pushed his sunglasses at them and led the other three Turks out… from the gaping hole in the wall.
They left the mansion, unharmed by Don Corneo. Reno held onto her hand so tightly, it scared her.
"Reno…" She cried. "It hurts!" She tried to pull her hand away but he refused to let go.
He walked to the car and took out a towel. "Wipe your face." He said coldly. Meia obediently did so, glad that the makeup was coming off. However, Reno's anger wasn't ebbing. "Why in the wildest dimensions of your stupid imagination," He yelled and Meia flinched at his words. "Would you want to go to that pervert's mansion NOT dressed in a Turk uniform?"
"Excuse me?" She retorted back. "They wouldn't let me in unless I was some eff-ing hot chick! They threw me out of the house before I could do anything!"
"You could've gotten back to Tseng and told him!" Reno argued back. "He would've helped you set the appointment. That is under the contract between Shinra and Don Corneo!"
Meia stared at him. Does he have any emotions or the slightest bit of common sense? How could he scold her like that, after that terrifying experience? "Tseng said nothing of that sort!" She yelled back, but her pitch was getting higher and higher. "I don't want to go to him for help. I wanted to do something right, for once!"
"Good intentions, terrible timing!" Reno argued back. "If you want to do something good, the very least you can do is stay out of trouble!"
Rude placed a hand on Reno's shoulder. "Enough." Rude said. "Meia has gone through enough for the day. You can scold her another time."
It seemed like finally Reno came back to his senses. He released her wrist, now almost purple from his tight grip. She flung her hand from his touch and rubbed her sore wrist. "Meia…?" He asked gently.
Meia glared at Reno. "Let's go, Brother Rude." She said icily.
"Meia…" Reno's hard voice broke at her reaction but she walked ahead.
She was glad that she didn't suffer serious injuries. Whatever terror she had in her heart was momentarily overwhelmed by her anger… and sadness.
It's the first time I'm quarreling with Brother Reno… Really quarreling.
"Get inside the car." Rude said, opening the back door for her.
"I'm walking back to HQ." Meia shot back.
Rude stared at Meia. "I'm not in the mood to play games with you." He said, his warning tone making up for his words.
Meia bit her lip and sullenly crawled into the company car. Reno sat at the back as well, but neither spoke a word in the journey back to the Shinra HQ.
At the Shinra lobby, Meia excused herself and entered the elevator first. "If it's fine with you…" Meia looked at Kido.
"I'll inform Tseng that you'll meet him tomorrow." Was the man's reply. Meia nodded and the elevators doors closed.
Reno turned to Rude and said quietly. "I'll talk to Tseng tomorrow."
Rude frowned. "Tseng's debrief…"
"Tell Tseng that his debrief can wait." Reno walked towards the main doors again.
"Reno," Rude grunted. "Are you going to climb all the way up?"
"Need the exercise." Was his curt reply before he disappeared between the doors, where the staircase, leading straight up to Floor 59, is located. Reno would have to take the lift back down to the Turk floors again, but he could use the exercise.
Kido glanced at Rude. "Reno vents his emotions by climbing stairs?"
Rude pushed his sunglasses against his nose. "He doesn't like elevators. And the long staircase is quiet, good for reflection. No problems with that." He walked into the elevator and held the door for Kido. "Tseng isn't going to be happy with Reno." Rude sighed inwardly. "Reno just can't sit through the debrief and get it over and done with, can he?"
Kido glanced out of the full-length glass windows, overlooking the city below. "Reno and Meia won't give a care about anything else until they reconcile." He smirked. "In a way, they are quite compatible."
I'm… I'm saved.
Meia gingerly washed her shoulder, the one that was touched by Ryder earlier on.
I am lucky, considering that there are worse possibilities when being captured by a bunch of pervertic hounds.
She rubbed her knee, touched by Francis and gave it an extra good scrub.
If it wasn't for Brother Rude, Brother Reno and Brother Kido... Maybe I'll really be in deep trouble.
Brother Reno...
Meia stepped out of the shower and changed into her pajamas. Then, she fell back onto her bed, suddenly feeling insecure even in her blanket.
Faced with her fears alone, Meia suddenly wished that she didn't quarrel with Reno. Her ordeal was terrifying, but the people concerned for her safety must be more frantic about finding her.
Meia suddenly remembered an incident when Sunny quarreled with Carmelle. She could still remember every detail. There was a period in time, mere weeks before their deaths, that Carmelle was waitressing in a Wall Market bar. Sunny didn't like how she would return to their pavilion-home in the wee hours of the morning. He'd often show his displeasure but stay up nevertheless until she reached home.
When Carmelle didn't return at the usual time one night, Meia awoke, hearing voices belonging to Tihan and Sunny. Sunny hot-headedly insisted on going out to find Carmelle, despite Tihan's attempts to calm him down. Sunny ran out into the darkness, calling out Carmelle's name.
When Carmelle did return, an hour later, she was being carried in by Sunny, his face taut with seriousness. She was attacked by a Hellhouse on her way home and was badly injured. Meia saw Sunny calmly knocking on houses and waking sleepy residents to ask for a potion. Then, while Carmelle sipped on the weak potion and Meia did the bandages, Sunny scolded Carmelle. Brutally. Meia never saw the good-natured Sunny in such fury and she flinched at the sight of him being like so. Carmelle looked visibly hurt, but she did not argue, as if she understood why he was so upset, more than she was with her own predicament.
The next day, Carmelle quit the waitressing job. Nothing more was said after that, but Meia will never forget the look on Sunny's face when he was searching for Carmelle: A look that tried to subdue its own emotions by hiding it behind an unusually stoic face. A calm, cool exterior that's on the verge of breaking and revealing his true anxiety for Carmelle's safety.
The exact look that she saw in Reno when he brought her out of Don Corneo's mansion.
… Brother Reno!
She jumped out of her bed and reached for the door handle. The door opened fully and to her surprise, she saw Reno pacing outside her room. Reno jumped as the door swung open, but before Meia could say a word, he strode inside and closed the door behind him.
"What are you-" Her words were cut off as Reno pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Meia… Please don't do stupid things like that anymore." Reno spoke into her ear, sending the biggest shivers down her spine. His shirt stank and was damp with perspiration. From the force of his arms around her shoulders and his hand pushing her head closer to his chest, she sensed how upset Reno was.
Brother Reno… Has he been pacing outside my room for a long time? Meia closed her eyes and sighed softly in relief. So Brother Reno is not truly angry-angry, more Sunny-angry.
"I'm sorry." Meia said softly. "I'm sorry for yelling at you when you are worried for my safety."
"... Me too." Reno replied, surprising Meia again. Reno can be quite prideful so apologizing is not something he does often.
Out of relief, her eyes teared at the understanding that their friendship is reconciled. Meia couldn't see the expression on his face, because he was hugging her so tightly. "Brother Reno…" Was all she said before her voice cracked and she found herself crying uncontrollably.
"Meia." Said Reno in a tone that was neither reproachful nor amused. "I guess what you went through must've been messed up but... You are a Turk. Is there a need to cry like that?" He pulled her away and thumbed the tears that were rolling down her face.
Meia flushed at her immature actions. "I know, Brother Reno." She said sheepishly. "I'm not crying because of what happened in Don Corneo's mansion. I'm crying because I'm relieved that we're not quarrelling anymore."
The expression on Reno's softened briefly, then he frowned. "You weirdo. Wipe your tears, we're not quarreling."
"I know that it's stupid to cry," She rambled on. "I'm just..." Meia sniffled. "More than relieved." She wiped her nose with her sleeve. "And in case you are wondering, nothing happened to me in Don Corneo's mansion." Meia shivered at the thought. "It's just that when I thought about how close I was to being..." Meia ended by bursting into tears again.
An image of Reno's disapproving glance at her crying (right after he said not to) burned in her mind. However, instead of reproach, she felt Reno's arms wrap around her again and she willingly reciprocated. All she could register was his comforting smell (albeit a little sweaty), her wet tears on his t-shirt and his firm arms around her.
Please… Don't let me go yet. She wished in her heart. As if Reno could hear her thoughts, he patted her head rhythmically and gently as she continued crying. Soon, her sobs subsided and a long but comfortable silence fell between them.
Reno was the one who broke the silence. "Meia…" Meia heard him say. "Do you know how important you are to me?"
Her heart fluttered. Hearing it from Reno was a lot different from hearing it from Cissnei, possibly from anyone else. Even if the words contained no romantic connotations. She wrapped her arms tighter around the redhead's chest. "Yeah, I know, Brother Reno." She murmured into his shirt. "Sister Cissnei told me about it."
Reno was silent for a while. Then he ruffled her hair. "You can't die, you hear me?" His voice was almost commanding. "This is an order from your superior. If you are hurt, or if you die… Who am I going to bring to the Chocobo Ranch?"
She could imagine him grinning as he said that and she smiled. "That's right," She said. "A Turk mustn't break his promises, especially pinky promises."
"… Good that you know." Reno murmured, stroking her hair.
"… And thank you for rescuing me…" Meia murmured. "And the embrace."
Meia could've sworn she heard Reno mutter in the softest voice that she never knew Reno could muster. "It's all yours."
Here you go! The long-overdue chapter! I've just finished my "Moves Like Jagger" story! To those who have not read it, give it a try =)
More author's notes in my blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com
[for some reason, explained in my blog, I would much rather change the content in my chapter into something else. So yeah, check it out :P]
Thank you for your endless support! Do read and review!