Guest: Don't cry! You can give Eden a hug, maybe you'll feel better :)
UltraLuminary: Awesome you made a profile just for me! I wanted to send you a private message to thank you, but that option is blocked on your profile. That's totally okay, so I'll thank you here! I do hope your heart can manage! I wish I could tell all of you not to worry, but the fact that everyone is riding with me on this roller coaster fills me with joy haha. So, hold on a little longer!
Chapter 232
"There you are," Ollie said when we returned to the others.
Reno hadn't said another word to me since we'd parted and I didn't feel like talking to him either. It was obvious to me what his body wanted, but he appeared to be in enough control of himself to stop from giving in to his urges. Clearly, his body didn't agree with his mind. Talk about dead giveaway. What was really holding him back then? Was it Rufus? Or the other girl he mentioned? Or was this still about his conviction that we were bad for each other, that I made him bad at his job? Was it all of the above? I'd changed, he'd even told me as much, so what was the problem? Was I suddenly not good enough for him anymore? He'd chased after me back when I was on the run from Shinra and when we had been enemies, and now that I presented myself to him on a silver platter time after time, he kept pushing me away. Never in all my years had I ever met such an infuriating man.
"The hell have you been?" Ollie demanded.
"She got lost," Reno replied, not even once glancing in my direction as he told the lie. It amazed me that lying came so easily to him, but then again, it shouldn't surprise me. He was a Turk after all. Lies and deceit were their forte. Just not to me. At least, that's what I had always believed. How many lies had he told me over the years? It didn't even seem to bother him. "Just like I predicted," he stated as he reclaimed his spot on the ground, this time on Elena's right. "Did we miss anythin'?"
"Corneo stepped outside to relieve himself," Rude informed us. "Nothing else."
If I hadn't been in such a piss foul mood, I would have laughed at his choice of words, but as it was, I was in a terrible mood, and all I wanted was to go home and dry off. It was all I could do to stop myself from getting up and setting the Don's tent on fire, top it off with a hail of bullets and leave. I'd made a promise, and I didn't break promises, even if the person I'd made them to was a lying bastard.
Near morning, not much had changed. Ollie, Reno and Elena kept joking around, laughing and grinning at each other's remarks. Reno's casual, laid back attitude made me wonder whether he was really feeling this cheery, or maybe he was better at hiding his foul moods than I was. Though I seemed to recall some pretty shitty moods on his part. Everyone knew I sucked at faking things, so no one asked me anything. They were probably worried I would spontaneously combust on them. And I might. Ollie knew me well enough to know when to stay back and leave me alone. I'd noticed him steal a few looks from me, knowing something was up, but deciding against asking me. I was sure he would ask once the opportunity arose.
The clearing seemed to be waking up about an hour before dawn. Birds were by now flying around the trees in the approaching twilight, singing happily. Ollie was once again fast asleep beside me, snoring softly. My body felt frozen from cold rain, chilly morning air and hard, muddy ground. I worried I might not even be able to get up when I needed to. Elena had taken Ollie's example, as had Reno, leaving only Rude and myself awake. Something told me a man like Rude never slept on the job, no matter how long he would have to remain awake. He was far too concerned missing something vital. Reno, on the other hand, didn't seem to give a damn. Even though I had always thought he lived for his job, and still did, he was a different kind of devoted. He was aloof, yet dedicated. The way he wore his suit and failed to followed company rules said it all. Rude however, was always immaculate and correct. I couldn't imagine him ever being late for anything. As if Reno cared for being on time. It once again struck me how different they were, and how perfectly that worked for them. Elena was all about the rules, from the way she wore her hair to the way she talked and acted. She would do anything to please Shinra and Tseng. Probably more the latter than the first. It was difficult for me to place her. I understood the way she had wanted to protect Reno, and it showed how loyal she was to her team, but I still thought she should mind her own business. She wasn't a bad person, in my mind, but I doubted we would ever become friends. My mind trailed to the new recruit, Jack, and what kind of person she would be.
"So, where's this newbie?" I asked Rude, not knowing what else to talk about. "Shouldn't she be joining us to get some first hand experience? Or were you guys worried she'd instantly quit out of boredom?"
"She's still at the Academy," Rude explained in a low voice. "New recruits go through excessive basic training and Turk education, along with Shinra history and the use of a large variety of weapons and intell. All classified, of course."
"How long does that take?" I'd never heard of the Turk Academy before, but then again, Rude did mention it was classified. I supposed it made sense, since every division in Shinra had an academy.
"Two weeks to learn the basics and information. After that, it's time to learn in the field and from seniors. Training takes place outside of missions. Recruits are appointed a mentor."
"Like Tseng was to Elena?" I remembered Elena always being paired with Tseng, though she was often sent out with Reno and Rude because they did more fieldwork than Tseng.
Rude nodded in reply. "Reno is going to be Jack's mentor. He's second in command and the best qualified besides Tseng."
I tried hard to ignore the dragon that suddenly awoke in my stomach. I hadn't even met the girl yet, and she was barely legal besides. There was no reason to get worried. Or jealous.
"He's offered?" I asked in surprise, thinking this was very unlike Reno to do. Voluntarily asking for more work didn't sound like something he would do. "That's a first."
Beside me, Rude shrugged, telling me he didn't think it very characteristic either.
Then I suddenly knew what this was about, remembering how disappointed Reno had been in himself after what we had pulled off at the casino, and how he had wanted to resign afterwards. Not only that, Rufus had badgered him about slacking in his job, and had separated us so that he would get his Turk back. It all came down to the same thing; every decision Reno had made lately had been to prove he was still capable as ever. I felt sorry for him.
"He's trying to prove himself," I answered my own question out loud.
There was no need for Rude to answer, I already knew that was the reason for Reno's sudden sense of responsibility. Maybe it accounted for his change in attitude too, and his brooding mood. Still, Rude cocked his head in a way that told me I had guessed right. It hadn't even really been a guess.
"That's just stupid," I grumbled, still feeling moody and cold, not to mention tired and now annoyed that Reno felt cornered like that. "He's proved his worth over the years, they just don't like that he's starting to think for himself."
My attention got drawn towards the center of the clearing, where the camp finally seemed to be in the middle of waking up. Flaps were pushed aside, and men emerged from several of the tents.
"Hey, look." I nudged Rude in the shoulder, but his eyes were already trained on the goings on.
Slowly, he removed his night-goggles and reached into his back pocket to switch them for his sunglasses. Then he placed a hand on Elena's back and whispered into her ear to wake her up. Her head rose off her arm, some leaves sticking in her short blond hair.
"Is it on..?" she asked, seemingly ready to dive into a fight if needed.
"They're waking up," I informed her just as the lamps went off in camp, leaving us in semi-darkness. "Let's see what happens." I decided to let Ollie sleep, thinking it too risky to wake him up now. He had a habit of shouting when he got startled.
Elena, on the other hand, simply raised her right hand and smacked Reno over the head, very effectively waking him up.
"What..?" His head shot up with a jolt, before addressing Elena. "Did you just slap me?" he asked her with a pout.
"Course not, why would you think that?" she replied before she started crawling away backwards, making sure to keep low to the ground. Now that it started getting light, we would be easier to spot. "I have to go to the ladies," she apologized softly at Reno's questioning look. "I'm sorry, I can't hold it."
Her statement instantly made me wonder about her pregnancy status. I hadn't heard anything about it, and no one had confirmed my suspicions. Until then, I'd just have to bite my tongue and not ask her about it. Maybe it was nothing after all. She apologized again before being swallowed by the still dark woods behind us.
"Foxy, wake your boy up," Reno ordered me, his voice still a little husky from sleep. I could get used to waking up to that. "We gotta –" His jaw snapped shut, and it didn't take me long to find out why.
Someone came crashing over to us through the foliage, mere yards away. It was too dark to see, but the amount of noise they were making made it clear that it wasn't Elena coming back. It was obviously a male, and a large one at that. He was making his way right at us. I stared up at the shadow that loomed closer to our position in the thick foliage, holding my breath and trying to be dead silent. Beside me, Rude and Reno did the same. I could only pray that Elena would stay away long enough and that Ollie wouldn't wake up as the man passed by. Fortunately, he didn't. The man walked right by Ollie, a foot more to the right and he would have kicked him in the head. I couldn't believe our luck. The man made a bee-line for the camp, completely unaware of his surroundings. Luckily for us. He emerged from the trees and strode over into the camp, while we let our breaths go.
"Uh," Reno started once the shock had faded. "Was that Mayor Domino's dick-head of security?" He looked at Rude in question.
"Looks like," Rude confirmed as Elena finally returned.
"Did I just see Mister Lee stroll into camp?" she asked when she rejoined us, taking up position on Reno's right.
"Who?" I asked them in confusion, feeling like the only one left in the dark.
"Mister Lee used to be Mayor Domino's head of security," Rude explained quietly while Mister Lee strode over to Corneo's tent in the middle of the clearing. "He handled everything from personal safety to political assassinations."
Reno chortled. "C'mon, we all knew Mister Lee was in Shinra's pocket. Looks like he's found a new employer. Damn it, it's too far away to hear. I have a feeling this is good."
"Let me," I offered, wanting to prove my worth. Also, I wanted something to do. Something other than catching a cold and wasting my time lying in the mud. "I can –"
"No." Reno shook his head without even giving it a moment's thought. "Can't risk that. This is Turk –"
"I promised, Reno," I interrupted him. "You can trust me. In and out, no one gets hurt. Pinky swear." I recalled that used to be what he teased me with, back when things were less complicated between us. If only we could go back to that. It actually made him chuckle, making me smile over the fact that he remembered too.
He looked at Rude for a moment, having a silent conversation with his partner, before checking it with Elena. "Elena?"
"I'm dead, let her," she simply replied, fighting back a yawn.
He sighed and considered me for another moment. "Fine. Stay outta sight, don't cause trouble."
"I know, Sir." I smirked when I already felt the adrenaline waking up my muscles, heating up my extremities and getting them ready for use. "I'll be good."
With that, I pushed off the ground and bolted over to the nearest tent, hiding from the men. Slowly, I made my way over to the giant red tent in the middle, making sure to stay out of sight. Stealth wasn't my thing, but I wanted to prove to them that I was more than simple brute force.
Voices carried out into the dawn, loud enough for everyone close to the tent to hear. They made no secret of their foul business. I moved as close as I could and listened.
"How many more girls do we need?" a voice asked from inside the tent. I assumed this was Mister Lee.
"The client needs five more." I recognized Corneo's voice and it sent shivers up my spine. This man was one of the vilest creatures in existence, and my fingers itched to break his neck. "Find them and take them to base. Oooooh, this is going to be the gig of the decade! We were already filthy rich, but this is exactly what we were looking for!"
"That's nice," Mister Lee replied dryly, sounding unimpressed. All he probably cared about was getting his paycheck in time. "But Cosmo Canyon is getting suspicious, and taking any more women from there is too high-risk. We can't afford to get caught. If Shinra sticks their nose in our business –"
"Screw Shinra!" Corneo snapped. "What're they gonna do, huh? They're a joke. They don't have the balls to start war with the underworld, we'd wipe them off the face of the Planet. Stick to the plan. I don't really care where you find them. The Costa has some nice ones too! Ooooh, so juicy!"
"In that case I highly recommend retreating to your mansion. They can't find you there. As far as they're concerned, you're dead, and we want to keep it that way. The outskirts of the city are the safest place for you to be. I'll handle things here."
There was at least a full minute of silence before Corneo spoke again. "Whatever you say, Lee. Now, get me one of the freshly harvested merchandise. I haven't had my mornin' dose of kitten yet."
My skin crawled at the thought, and I wished that I could go into his tent right that moment and end his life, but I couldn't. I could only hope that Shinra finished their research soon and we'd get the green light to finally take Corneo down. The tent opened and I pressed myself into the side until Lee had disappeared back into the woods where he'd come from. The Turks and Ollie were probably still there, keeping an eye on me. I couldn't spot them, which was a good thing. I quickly made my way back over there to update them on my findings.
After reclaiming position between the still sleeping Ollie and Rude, I informed them on what I'd heard. As I did, a very young girl with blond hair was dragged over to Corneo's tent, screaming and struggling the whole way, trying to get free. Once again, anger bubbled up inside me. How people could have such little regard for others was beyond me. It only reminded me why I did what I did. Now more than ever.
"Those animals," Elena growled with anger on her angelic face. "It really is too bad we can't get him right now. Reno? We can catch them by surprise and end this right here."
When I looked his way, silently hoping he would agree, he wasn't even looking at her. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the red tent resolutely, the wheels in his head almost visibly turning. Rude remained silent, patiently waiting for Reno to make a decision. At first I thought that Elena's suggestion had been a joke on her part, but apparently they were now seriously considering it.
He wouldn't want to hear my opinion, and he already knew it besides, so I remained silent as well, watching him as he stared into the camp. Was he weighing the odds? There was no doubt in my mind that we could take them. We were armed, and we had the element of surprise. We'd sweep through this clearing like a hurricane. The thought excited me enough to get my heart beating faster, anticipation warming up my stiff limbs.
"Damn it," Reno cursed. "As much as I want to, we can't. Tseng will have my head."
"He doesn't have to know," Elena offered.
"And lie to him?" Reno shook his head.
If there was one thing I knew, it was that loyalty and respect for one another was a sacred thing among Turks. Tseng was their leader, and if he couldn't trust them… Besides, she was his girlfriend, could she even keep something like that from him?
"You've rebelled before," Elena argued. Once again her stubbornness surfaced, but this was the first time I appreciated it in her. As a woman, seeing the girl being dragged to her doom must hit close to home.
Reno's eyes finally snapped to hers, flashing with something dangerous. "That was different, that was an internal affair. You don't know shit about that anyway." So he was in a foul mood after all. His gaze shifted over to me, as if he felt me watching him, and I quickly averted my eyes. "We have our orders. We stay where we are."
Elena kept her mouth shut, but I could tell she was fuming inside. She'd called him out on his decisions before, but this time she seemed to think better of it. Still, it left a tension in the air that was almost palpable.
"We'll get him soon enough," Reno then mumbled, once again intently watching the red tent. "Ya didn't happen to hear where this mansion of his is, did ya, Foxy?"
"They didn't say," I whispered, feeling a little disappointed as the adrenaline disappeared from my veins.
Reno sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Let's get the hell outta here then. I've seen enough."
I took some much needed rest on the way back to Edge, along with Rude, who had also been up all night. Like Ollie, -who was fast asleep the moment he smelled the floor-, Elena seemed tired all the time. Not long after I'd fallen asleep, I woke up to her shuffling around, and she too hit the bunk. Soon, she was fast asleep, her breathing even and slow. Rude's back was turned towards us, but I assumed he too was sleeping like a baby by now. I watched Reno fly the chopper by himself for a few more minutes, simply taking him in as he sat there, unaware that he was being observed. His slim fingers pressed an occasional button, and he'd lowered the headphones to rest around his neck. While he seemed laid back and relaxed, I could tell he took his piloting very serious. His attention never wavered, even though he was all alone and there was no one to tell him off for slacking on the job. I noticed him roll his shoulders and neck a few times, and realized he must be feeling pretty tired and stiff after having slept on the ground on his stomach in the pouring rain. I knew I hadn't yet gotten rid of the chill that had taken residence inside my bones, I still lay shivering under the woolen blanket. He'd taken off his soaked vest and tossed it aside somewhere, but his remaining clothes were just as drenched as the rest of us.
I got up from the floor – having offered the only bunk available to Elena – dragging my blanket along. I grabbed a dry one for Reno, thinking he might appreciate it. As I closed in on his seated form, he lifted a hand and massaged the back of his neck. I stood watching him for a moment longer, simply enjoying the way he moved. Then I saw him sigh.
"You we're right," he suddenly said, startling me out of my daze. "I lied."
There was no need for me to ask him what he was talking about, so I sat down in the co-pilot seat beside him and handed him the blanket.
"Thanks." He took it from me with a genuine smile. Then he pulled his shirt off over his head, and tossed it over his shoulder. As my gaze roamed freely, my eyes momentarily caught sight of a pendant, hanging on a thin silver chain resting against the junction of his clavicles. Then he wrapped the blanket around himself and obscured it from view. I'd never noticed it on him before and I wondered what it meant to him. "I'm sorry, okay?" he then said to me.
The brief sight of his upper body had almost been apology enough for me. Relief washed over me that he hadn't hooked up with someone, but truthfully, it didn't make a difference whether he had or not.
"I don't care, Reno," I replied to him, knowing that wasn't entirely true.
That familiar cute chuckle left his lips. "Now who's lying?" He cast me an amused glance before fixing his attention back on the horizon.
There was nothing there but water, and still he wouldn't tear his gaze away from it.
"All right, let me rephrase." I sat up a little straighter, hugging my own blanket tighter around me. "It doesn't matter. Nothing I try seems to make any difference, so I give up. Okay? So go on and lie to me. Stay or leave, go hook up with some hussy, or no one at all because relationships don't work for you anyway. Do whatever the hell you want. It makes no goddamn difference to me."
"You're being dramatic again," he pointed out, reminding me of my most recent pathetic night, among others. He was wrong though. I wasn't feeling the way I had back then. Then, I'd felt depressed, afraid and tormented. Now, I simply felt like my life was over, and all I could do was accept it. Perhaps happiness would mean letting him go entirely. "Maybe you oughta get some sleep," he added, stealing another fleeting look from me.
"Maybe you ought to mind your own business and fly the chopper," I snapped, facing away from him.
Nice that he was worried about me, but I felt like my point had simply blown over his head and out the window. He grinned bemusedly and I knew that he was thinking about the first few times we'd met, how our interactions had been exactly like this. He'd let my snide remarks slide right off him and I'd riled at every single one of his taunts. What a pair we were. Had we ever even been a match? My heart told me that we were the perfect match, but wasn't that just the heart's desire bending things to its own desires? I felt a sudden sense of loss come over me, and in my anger, I had to bite back tears that were threatening to burst from my tired eyes. One managed to escape my efforts and I hastily wiped it away before it rolled all the way down my cheek, but I hadn't caught it quick enough to prevent Reno from noticing. The damned Turk noticed everything, with his trained eye for detail.
"Are you crying?" He seemed dumbfounded, as if Eden Fox would do no such thing. And dammit, he was right. If there was one thing I hated, it was crying in front of other people. He'd seen me cry before, not even that long ago, but that had been a very emotional moment for all of us, even for him. "Don't you dare cry over me, ya hear me?" he suddenly said, sounding a little angry even. Then he sighed through his nose and shook his head. "What do you expect me to do, babe?" His gaze left the stretch of sea in favor of my face, his eyes pleading for an answer. "Rufus' warning was pretty see-through, I doubt I need to ask him to clarify what he meant when he told me to get the hell outta Whiterun. And I don't think you need me to explain it to you either."
There it was then. Rufus, and Reno's fear to lose his job, and his fear of failing at his job. I couldn't blame him, but it still hurt.
"Which brings us back to the fact that it doesn't make a difference what I do," I pointed out. "So, let's just forget about it and move on. Don't ruin my dates, stop flirting with me, and most of all, keep your hands off me. Think you can do that, Turk?"
I'd expected him to scoff, to laugh at me for flattering myself. I felt ridiculous just having stated my demands like that, but I had to if my heart were ever to survive this.
"No," he said instead, surprising me. "I can't do that." He shook his head, and I saw a slight blush make its way up to his cheeks, my eyes landing on the red tattoos adorning his face. Wait, what did he just say? "But that's the problem, ain't it?" he then added. "I've tried, and I'll keep trying, but I can already tell ya I'll fail, coz I want you so bad. You drive me crazy, you know that? I can't even look at you without being reminded of that night. Or this morning." There was no falter in his voice, he didn't seem uneasy, or embarrassed. The only sign that gave away he had just told me those things, was the already present blush on his cheeks deepening significantly. "So I'll tell you one more time; we oughta stay away from each other as much as possible, like I've been sayin' for months. We work together when we have to, and that's it. No favors, no calls, no messages. Think you can do that, merc?"
"Yes, I can," I replied, my mind still stuck on 'I want you so bad'. Why did he have to go and say that? I know I told him to be honest, but I never asked him to be this open with me. "I'm going back to sleep." I got up from the seat, hugging the blanket around my shivering form. "And I want you to stop calling me babe," I demanded as a last condition.
He looked at me as he lounged back into his seat, one arm casually draped over the arm rest. Smooth skin peeked out as the blanket fell open around his collar, the pendant on his chest reflecting in the morning sun. "Ain't gonna happen, babe."
I rolled my eyes at his never ending sass, making him grin. Truthfully, I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face. "What's that around your neck?" My curiosity got the best of me. It had caught my attention twice now. His hand shot up as he looked down, fingers wrapping around the necklace.
Another slight blush rose to his cheeks, but his focus returned to the distance. "The first bullet you shot me with. I dug it outta my shoulder."
I was at a loss for words, my mouth opened a few times, but no words came out. He'd kept the bullet and hung it on a chain around his neck? I wanted to marry this guy. For some reason, this was the sweetest thing someone had ever done. I also realized that maybe it was a little disturbing, but we were far from normal to begin with.
"You're special to me, Foxy. What ya did for Rude..." His words trailed off, leaving out, what, exactly?
"That's..." I bit my lip to keep me from telling him what I had been thinking. He didn't need to hear it, didn't want me to tell him I thought he was sweet and funny and dangerous, and that the mix turned me on like nothing ever had. He didn't want to hear me say that I loved him. "...Crazy," I finished.
Turquoise eyes shot up, his expression sharp. Had he been expecting a different response? "Think I'm crazy?"
"I think you're amazing." The words were out before I could stop myself, and I hastily left his side before he could come up with a retort, wanting nothing more but to bury myself under my blanket.
