Ow
Ow
Ow
How can my stomach still burn so much? Reno clenched his stomach, angry that he was still suffering the affects of being out in last night's storm. But he did expect it, the pain in his stomach and the burning in his throat would, normally, be a multiple day occurrence after being stuck in the down pour rain. Normally, he would be able to fight it off by remaining inside his office and tell his subordinates that he needed to do paper work all day.
But today was different. He couldn't allow his mysterious forsaken illness to prevent him from doing what needed to be done. At last, he was just hours away from seeing his older brother again.
"Man, I hope and pray that this pain can just let me be long enough to get him out." Gently, he sat back down on the sofa and leaned back, trying to relax. Right after Amira all but dragged Rena upstairs to Amira's powder room, Rufus went on his morning stroll in the immaculate back yard of the Shinra Mansion, leaving the first set of french doors wide open to allow the morning air to soar through the kitchen and sitting room, filling the room with the scent of the gardens and golden weeping willows.
"So different from the smell of the pine, dead animals and wild flowers." Reno mumbled with a small, tired smile as his mind wondered back to his childhood.
He remembered the afternoons, while their mother tended to infant Amira and their father was away, Jerran would dare Reno to a race threw the woods to the meadows on the other side. Their mother hated it because she couldn't keep her eye on him, but it was a chance to add a tally mark to their brotherly competition. Reno never won those races, being eight years young and much smaller, he always had to watch his older brother run further ahead of him. But Reno was able to keep up, at least enough for Jerran to remain in Reno's sight until they reached an opening. The sight of the meadow always left Reno in awe; it's never ending fields of long grass and colorful wild flowers warmed his heart and brought a smile to his young face. He loved the smell of the wild flowers, the sound of the wind in the trees around them, the long grass licking his face, the feeling of the ground beneath his feet as he jumped over hidden logs and crawled around pretending to be a cat ready to pounce. Jerran would occupy himself by carving wooden swords with a sharp stone, pretending to battle thugs and robbers, swearing an oath to protect his family. The two brothers would spend hours in the meadow until the sun had passed the trees and the stars danced in the sky.
These little things that would bore a city boy are the things Reno miss, and has missed every day since he was forced to live in Shinra Mansion. Sighing, Reno opened his eyes and stared at the white ceiling. His heart began to ache at the memories and his chest grew tight with worry. "I wonder, brother, do you remember those days in the meadow? The smells of the trees and flowers? Or the pain in your back every time I pounced on you? Ah, man. There's going to be a lot of changes. Lord only knows how you'll adapt and where you've been hiding these last ten years. I just hope you haven't changed a lot... and please...remember our mother."
"Don't tell me you've lost your mind."
"Hm?" Reno shot his head at the head, immediately regretting it. Suddenly, his stomach ached and his head grew dizzy, he held his breath, covered his eyes and clutched his stomach tightly. "Ow! Don't sneak up on me, man! In this state, I can get vertigo real easily."
Rude grunted in response, he had forgotten what happened to Reno the night before. "I don't remember you, ever, having vertigo or just getting dizzy just by turning your head too fast. You've spaced out a lot, hardly ate anything, had a pretty reckless attitude, but I've never seen you... like this before." Rude walked in and stopped at the edge of the white carpet, his face blank and his eyes hidden behind his dark sunglasses. "But, it's more than evident that despite all the time we've spent together, I don't know much about you."
Reno lowered his hand to look at Rude, sensing a bit of hurt in his tone. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt his partner.
"Don't talk like that, Rude." Reno tried to sound as reassuring as he could despite the pain. Fighting back the pain, he pulled himself up onto his feet, using the arm of the chair to balance himself, making sure his eyes met Rude's. "It's nothing against you, I swear it. This whole situation I'm in, with my family and all, is just down right pathetic and a lot of it, like the sudden appearance of Rena and reappearance of Jerran, doesn't make sense. I've spent the last ten years trying to find my older brother, and I have gone my entire life being kept in the dark about my twin sister. No point in bringing up a personal dilemma if it can't be explained, ya know?"
Rude took in a deep breath and, slowly, released it. Reno had a point; this entire situation had too many unanswered questions to explain to anyone. Even more so, he hadn't thought about his partner's personal life, or about his family. From the day they met at the academy ten years ago, Reno knew more about Rude than he realized. Rude was surprised that he never bothered to ask anything about Reno's family, he knew Reno was, practically, an unwilling member of the Shinra family, a well trained fighter, an excellent pilot, constantly ran his mouth but was highly loyal to Shinra, and was, hardly, seen on his days off.
"It's a bit embarrassing." Rude commented with a very small smirk.
"Hm?"
"I've known you for ten years." Rude answered in a soft tone. "The only real thing I know about you is that you, really, wanted to get your ear pierced because it was in memory of your mother. We've hung out at bars after work, I can't count how many times you've had to pull me away from a bad situation when I was black out drunk. Hell, you were even there when I had my appendix removed." Hearing that last part, Reno couldn't help but chuckle at the memory. "And I've just learned so much about you in the last 24 hours then I ever have in the last decade. Just feels kinda odd and stupid, you know?"
Reno chuckled again and shook his head, running his hand through his bangs.
"Guess I never realized I was being the reserved one. But like I said, it's nothing against you. I've just been so focused on bringing my family back together after my mom died. And hey, the only reason the boss knows so much is because he found out from his dad. I didn't mean to keep it on the down low, it just never occurred to me that I didn't even tell you about my little sister." Reno paused to catch his breath, then laughed. "And after that little rant, I guess my social skills are still in need of some work."
Rude sighed, suddenly, noticing just how pale Reno's skin was and his eyes seemed to be a bit more tired than usual. He thought back to the night before and how Reno was suffering pneumonia from the storm. Then, as though Reno's body heard Rude's thoughts, Reno grunted like he was about to vomit and covered his mouth.
"I'm fine." Reno said through his hand. "It'll go away after today."
"With your current condition, are you sure it's a good idea to see your brother?"
Reno blinked in surprise.
"How did you-"
"You said something about it yesterday. And knowing you, you would've gone out to see him right away if the boss hadn't mentioned..."
Reno bit his lower lip and glanced down at the hard wood floor.
"It's fine, man." Reno said in a hush voice.
"How you holding up with that whole sudden twin sister thing? It's pretty heavy stuff."
"Long story short, I'm starting to accept she's my twin. I-I can't explain it, it's way too complicated...like everything else." Rude watched Reno's expressions carefully. He saw his eyes, slowly, well up, his pale face growing pink, he was holding his breath and his hand clutched his stomach even tighter than before. Rude knew, then, that he had hit a very sensitive topic that Reno was still processing. Reno looked back up, released a long sigh and gave Rude one of his best smiles. "To answer your question, I'll be fine. More than likely, this will subside and I'll be my normal self. Much to your chagrin, I bet." Reno winked. But then, a dark look came over his eyes. "Regardless, even if my face was the same color of a cloud and throwing up blood, I wouldn't let that stop me from seeing my brother. I've spent years trying to find him only to wind up stuck at a dead end. Suddenly, you arrest him for assassination and he's in jail where I have easy access, and I can get a chance to get him out."
"Do you not know who he tried to kill?"
"I don't give a damn. Jerran's not a killer, someone's framing him." Reno's tone of voice grew dark and deep, clearly angry and anxious. "The boss has promised to help me get him back, and I have every intention to hold him to that. I don't care what I have to sacrifice, I will get my brother back-"
The clicking of heels echoed from a distance, causing Reno and Rude to drop the subject. Reno looked over at Rude with wide and hopeful eyes, hoping that things were still steady between the two of them. Rude only responded with a nod, and Reno smirked in relief. He stepped to the side just as the door opened and Amira skipped into the room. Amira giggled like a school girl, excitement showed heavily in her large eyes as she spun around back to the door with her arm extended like an artist showing off her new masterpiece. Rena entered the room, clearly uncomfortable and uncertain. She stopped beside Amira and looked down at herself, then back up at Reno, waiting for a comment. Reno blinked in surprise, thanks to Amira's expertise in beauty, Rena appeared more woman-like and Amira highlighted Rena's features so to make her seem like she was glowing.
Reno dared a glance over at Rude, watching his jaw drop slightly and a lighter shade appear on his cheeks. Reno could only chuckle at his partner's reaction.
"Impressive work, Mimi, naturally. And you've clean up good, Rena, now you look more like a girl." Reno commented, analyzing her outfit, still feeling just a bit awkward as the dream replayed in his head over and over again. He was thrilled that Amira didn't put Rena in a little black dress, Reno wasn't sure how he would react if he saw Rena in anything like she wore in their shared dream. Suddenly realizing he was staring, Reno continued. "Glad she applied make up. With your shirt unbuttoned that low and the black slacks, you look like the female version of me and...you know...I really just can't have that. It's distracting."
She tilted her head and wiggled her eye brow curiously. "How am I a distraction to you?"
"Not to me, to a lot of others under my command. You know, because your a girl with a low cut shirt. Also, you haven't noticed?" Reno took a step back, allowing himself to bathe in the hot sunlight. Rena blinked a few times in a curious manner, taking a quick glance over at his choice of attire. His white shirt was unbuttoned half way down his abdomen to reveal his abs, his black jacket was unzipped all the way, slacks with heavy wrinkles and his shoes were scuffed and dirty. Then, she looked down at herself; her blouse was unbuttoned down to the top of her chest, revealing her long scars, she switched to the black jacket Reno and Rude were wearing and kept it mostly zipped, her shoes were clean like new and slacks were ironed.
It's both sexy and professional! Amira exclaimed when she had finished her work on Rena.
"I... see what you mean." Rena crossed her arms, switching the topic to something less trivial. "With this being my first day, should I not dress well enough to leave an impression on my fellow workers?"
Reno scoffed and rolled his eyes, walking out of the sunlight just as his vision started getting hazy and his head started growing warm. He turned his head away so no one could notice his face turning a bright shade of red and sweat on his hairline. Suddenly, his stomach boiled and the room began to spin. Reno grabbed the arm of the sofa to regain his balance, his head lowered down and his hand over his mouth.
"Oh no! Not again!" Amira shouted, running over to her older brother, resting her hands on his chest as though to help him stand. "I should've known! You're sick! You're still sick from last night, Reno!"
"Nah, just stood in the sunlight for too long." He sat up right and gave Amira his best reassuring smile. His fingers clasped around her chin. "Besides, can't afford to stay home today. My partner over there found our big brother."
Amira gasped and took a step back. Reno's smile grew seeing her reaction. He was beginning to wonder if Amira had given up hope that she would ever see Jerran or their father again. The 16 year old had adapted to her new life of school, ballet and wealth so well that she had must've forgotten where she came from and what her life was like before the life of luxury and a temporary replacement for Jerran.
Amira placed her hand over her racing heart and glanced down at her black flat's, trying to remember Jerran's face, to find her last memory of him. It seemed like her childhood was just starting when her oldest brother disappeared and she was left with Reno. Amira had no idea that she had allowed herself to become Amira Shinra and, nearly, erased her past. Her memories of her mother, the days spent taking care of the garden, gathering fresh fruit from the trees, the widespread of wildflowers in the meadows.
"Jerran." She whispered, her mind spinning with thousands of questions, trying so hard to remember the oldest brother that she, almost, forgot. Then she, suddenly, started jumping up and down like soda being shaken in the can. "Why did you wait until now to tell me?! You couldn't have told me last night!? Or, I don't know, surprise me after school!? Wait, where is he? How did Rude find him?"
"Na-uh-uh." Reno shook his finger at her. "If you want your surprise, you'll get it. By this time tomorrow, we'll have Jerran back and we'll be a family again."
Pinching her nose and puckering her lips, Amira, playfully, punched Reno's arm.
"You can be so mean; keeping me waiting to see him. I hate having brothers some days." She muttered, spinning around to face Rena. "Good thing I have a big sister here, now, so I don't have to be alone in my hatred."
Reno chortled. "Oh, such painful words coming from a drama queen."
"In all seriousness, though," She placed her hands on her hips, giving Reno her hardest and firmest glare she could muster. "It rained last night which means it's going to be a hot and humid day today. If you get dizzy or, God forbid, if I get a call that you collapsed at work, I will haul you back home with you kicking and screaming. Got it?"
"Hey, c'mon, Mi-Mi." Reno playfully bopped her nose with the tip of his finger. "Don't I always come out on top, sick or healthy?"
Amira sighed and rolled her eyes. "Why must I have three brothers who are too stubborn for their own good?"
Rena tilted her head again, remembering how many siblings she and Amira had. Sensing her confusion, Amira looked over at Rena and smiled.
"I consider Rufus as one of my brothers. His father adopted Reno and I ten years ago, Rufus and I have built something close to a sibling relationship. I don't know about the relationship between Reno and Rufus...uh oh..." Amira paused, realizing Rude was in the room. She chuckled and her cheeks turned a shade of pink. "Well, it's suppose to be a secret, but I guess cat's out of the bag since you were here last night and witnessed that little theatrical show."
"I will not utter a word of what I heard or seen to anyone." Rude assured her in a serious tone. "Elena and the Director are in agreement as well. No one will hear about this outside this house."
Amira's expression changed from shock to contentment in a blink of an eye. "Oh, I'm not worried at all, Rude. Frankly, I feel a bit embarrassed that you had to see all of that, it must've been awkward. Besides, even if we needed to keep this quiet, I trust you just as much as I trust my brothers."
Rude gasped softly, and quickly, clamped his mouth shut. He couldn't remember the former President Shinra ever having other children besides Rufus. And Reno never mentioned having a sister until yesterday, and unknowingly at the time, had met Reno's older brother. When he saw Amira yesterday, he never would have guessed she was Reno's younger sister. She was so different from him; had a more sophisticated style, more carefree and childlike, a heart full of light and love, a heart untouched by the cruelty of the world. And to hear she trusts him just as much as she trusts Reno, his heart grew heavy and tight, he felt that he had to protect her from those darkened days laying ahead of her, shield her from any unknown certainties that laid hidden on their path's today. They have never met before, Lord only knows how much she knew about him and his own dark deeds, and she trusted him greatly.
Rude wasn't sure how to respond or how what to say without making the situation awkward, so he just cleared his throat and crossed his hands in front of his stomach.
"Amira, you have best get to the car. Hudson's waiting for you." Rufus stated, entering into the house through another set of french doors.
Rena watched him carefully, he was wearing his 'nice guy' mask again, the only one he wore around Amira. His blue eyes were full of light and kindness, his smile was small and relaxed, he bore no darkness or malice in his expression.
Reno was cautious, too. He had no idea what Rufus had in store, what trick he had ready up his sleeve, what kind of deal his silver tongue waited to speak. Ever since his father's death, Rufus hadn't changed much, if anything, he seemed to be a bit more happier. Reno wasn't surprised; Rufus had longed for freedom from his father's rule, and if Rufus wasn't as patient as he has been, Rufus would have drawn his gun and would have shot the old man behind his head at his office years ago, maybe, before Reno and Amira were forced into the family.
Our priority is getting Jerran out, and that's on his list, too, Reno relaized. He stood up right and turned to face him.
"Oh, you're right! I'm going to be late!" Amira shouted, running to the far wall behind Rude, grabbed her lavender back pack, slung her white jacket over her arm, jumped over to Rufus and planted a kiss on his cheek. Then, she ran over to Reno. "Do not over do it. I mean it!" She commanded, giving him a kiss on his forehead. She turned to Rena and kissed her cheek. "You and Rude have all permission to haul him back here if he faints or gets worse. See you guys after school! Have a good first day, sis!"
With that, Amira dashed out of the room and disappeared around the corner. The echo of her heels grew faint as she ran to the garage and President Shinra and his Turks heard the door slam. Amira was out.
No one moved.
No one uttered a sound.
Three pairs of blue eyes stared at each other. Two hearts were racing. One was still. In the background, they could hear a car door slam shut and a car drive off. They waited until the car was a good distance away before anyone said anything. Rufus smirked, his eyes hopping between the twins, making it obvious that he had a plan but was enjoying watching them squirm as they try to decipher it.
Finally, he raised his hands up and shrugged.
"Come now, we have a big day ahead of us, do we not?" He asked in a scarily joyous tone, the smirk still on his face. Rena remained silent and still.
"I want to see my brother." Reno begged, trying to not sound so pathetic as he was feeling. But he was so desperate and impatient that he couldn't help but sound pathetic. The most recent picture of Jerran was plastered in his mind and it was, still, hard for Reno to believe that the shabby man in that photo was his dear older brother. "Someone framed him. He doesn't deserve to be in prison."
"How typical and pathetic of you. Just so desperate to see your brother." Rufus shook his head. By his smirk and the tone of his voice, it wasn't hard to tell that he was enjoying this small form of torture. "Rather stupid of you considering the facts. You don't want to know who he was going to kill? How he was caught or how I'm going to get him out of jail?"
"I don't care!" Reno shouted, his eyes wild and frustrated. He didn't care that Rude was seeing this or how he spoke to Rufus Shinra. He was so close and nothing was going to stop him. "I've spent years and sacrificed so damn much to find him and our father. The sooner I talk to him, the sooner I can find our father, finish making our family home and get my life back!"
Rufus scoffed and a dark, knowing look came over his eyes.
"Tell me, why do I sense that our dear Amira has been kept in the dark about this plan of yours? The house you're rebuilding out in the meadows? That you plan to be rid of me once everything is set in place? Maybe you need to be reminded of how you are able to make that dream of yours a reality? Or maybe our little sister can remind you?" Rufus spoke in a low voice, crossing his arms, his eyes staring ice cold daggers into Reno's crystal blue eyes. Even though he valued his minuscule relationship with Reno, more for Amira's sake, Rufus enjoyed dangling Reno's long yearning dream in front of him like a bone over a hungry dog. "Easy there, brother, you best not get too angry. You'll only worsen your condition, and then, I will have to lock you in your room for the rest of the day."
Reno glared at Rufus with steel cold hatred, fighting back the pain once again, he stood up and dragged his feet over to Rufus until he was inches away from his face. The two men stared at each other in such intense silence that both Rude and Rena became uncomfortable, one wanted to punch the other while the latter just smiled menacingly, as though he was having fun.
"You know that does not stop me. Confining me to my room has never worked before and it sure as hell won't work today." He growled between gritted teeth, growing more angry with each passing moment. Although he had punched Rufus once upon a time, Reno knew better than to do it when so much was at stake. Meanwhile, Rufus's smile only grew deeper and darker, a small chuckle creeping up his throat. "Damn you, Rufus Shinra. I will not let anything keep me from seeing my brother. Mock me all you want, Boss, you won't have to put up with me for too much longer. And I will make sure Amira sees the real you!"
The two men stared at each other again, waiting for the other to throw the first punch. Rufus's smile melted away, Reno's breathing was hot and hard, the tension weighing heavily on everyone. Rena braced herself in case she needed to separate them. She hadn't seen either of them fight before, but she knew it was senseless to fight right now because Jerran was waiting for them. Also, if those two fought like the boys Rena grew up with, their fight would be long, noisy, and leave a path of destruction behind.
"We shall see." Rufus spoke, turning around and headed to the door. Rude stood up right, stone faced and tall. "Today will be Rena's first day, make sure all the bases are covered; training, manuals, tours, confidentiality agreements, absolutely everything. She will be your responsibility today, Rude."
"Yes, sir." Rude complied and turned to Rena, gesturing for her to follow him.
"Before that, she's coming with me!" Reno shouted, gaining Rude's attention, his eyes still hard and frantic. "I need her with me when I talk to Jerran. After we get him out, she's all yours, partner. I swear, just one hour is all I need. One hour."
Rude became conflicted. Being an only child, he had no idea what it was like to be so extremely loyal to a family member, to be devoted to an older sibling, to have such a deep love and bond. However, being alone is how he was able to come as far as he has. He had worked hard and relentlessly until he became a trusted member of the Turks. With that being said, Rude understood that he had a job to do and had to respect the decisions of Rufus Shinra, his boss.
"How is it you have lived with me for ten years, and you can, still, be so hardheaded?" Rufus asked, clearly agitated and annoyed. "I did not say when Rena would go with Rude. She and Rude will be coming with us to the Court House and I will negotiate a deal with him that will guarantee his freedom." He looked over his shoulder at Reno again. "To allow you to talk to him, Reno, is a kindness I am extending to you. Do not forget it."
Snap
Suddenly, Reno gasped and he found it hard to breath. His chest grew tight that it felt like several vacuums were sucking on his muscles, and his heart quickened. Rena's attention shot over to him, watching sweat appear on his face, his blue eyes filled with panic and his body trembled. Recognizing the symptoms, she ran over to him, dragged him by the sleeve of his jacket and forced him to sit down on the couch. She knelt down in front of him and placed her hand on top of his head.
"Breath. Focus on breathing."
"Get...away...I...don't...need...help!" He commanded with an animal-like growl, shoving her away from him. Rena shook off her shock and went back to his side.
"No!" He screamed, collapsing forward onto his knees. "Leave...me!"
"You have to relax." She persisted, dropping down to her knees, analyzing him. "If you keep screaming at me and being defiant, you will faint."
"Isaidgo!" He shouted at such a quick pace that it took Rena a moment to register what he said. Not that it mattered, she didn't move. In fact, she jumped in front of him and clasped his face, forcing him to look directly at her.
"I swore to myself, to our mother, that I would protect you and Amira." She whispered in a firm voice, earning a sharp gasp from him. "Even if it means helping you get through a panic attack, I will not let you endure this alone."
"Damn it! Damn it!" He shouted, pulling his face out of her grasp and dropped his head in between his knees. He shut his eyes and felt her hands on his back, her voice whispering in the background.
Come on, come on, focus on something. Anything! Reno screamed in his thoughts as his focus hopped between his finger nails digging into his scalp and Rena's soothing voice. Deciding to go with the less painful option, Reno held his breath as he focused on her words. Her tone, her words, the kindness and protection he felt in her words reminded him of their days as kids in the dream world.
Whenever she was too scared to jump over a rapidly flowing river, he would coax her into closing her eyes and taking his hand before he pulled her over. He remembered how deathly afraid she was of the water, her hands wouldn't let go of his until they were far away from the sounds of the rapids. Even then, it would take until the dream ended when she would release her grip. Other dreams, after another round of abuse Reno endured, Rena would comfort him with soft songs she made up on her own, telling him funny stories of kids she lived with, or just hugged him. He knew she was here, she was real, she was alive, but it still felt like he was dreaming again. Reno was struggling and Rena was trying to comfort him, yet he was trying to push her away. It was as though he knew he could trust her, but his heart just wouldn't allow him.
"All better." She whispered in his ear. Reno shot wide awake from his reminiscing state, relieved to find he was breathing normally, his body had relaxed and his finger nails were pulled out of his scalp. He raised his head, meeting Rena's bright blue eyes, studying him intently.
"You will be just fine, now." She assured him, holding her hand out to help him up. Reno stared at her hand, knowing that he should accept it. But, in his heart, he knew what it would mean and he wasn't ready. Carefully, he slid around her and stood up.
"Let's just go." He mumbled, feeling dizzy and hot again. Keeping his head low and his fingers pressing against the middle of his forehead, he barged past Rufus and Rude and headed towards the family garage.
Rude looked back at Rena. Her emotions were blank, but her hand was still extended. He couldn't help but pity her. It was obvious that she wanted to develop a relationship with Reno, but Reno didn't adapt to change very well and hated having anyone help him.
"He's right. We have to go, Rena." Rude told her, gesturing for her to follow them. And just like that, Rena's face hardened and stern, her hands at her side, and in a graceful way, walked out of the room following Rude.