Chapter 15
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Umm…I don't even think an apology would be enough considering I have posted chapters for my Skyrim story. But I am really sorry! I have a long outline for this story but it takes me longer to write it and I'm not sure why. But fear not, I have not given up! I hope this was a chapter people were expecting. If there are grammatical mistakes, I apologize, I wanted to get this chapter posted as quickly as possible. Please enjoy!
And thanks to everyone who keeps reading, I appreciate it!
Disclaimer: I still own nothing! All credits go to Square Enix!
~ oOo ~
I swear…now that I live with Reno I'll never have a proper night of sleep again!
As promised, early the next morning Reno and Amalia were already on their way back towards Healen, Amalia's Master Cure stored within her arm, ready for use upon their arrival. As she sat behind Reno and wrapped her arms around his waist, her body tensed every time he drove the bike and dipped from a sudden bump or bounced from an obstruction in the road; her body was still feeling the effects from last night. As soon as they had arrived home, just as the other day, the couple had immediately attacked each other in a fight for dominance. Their lips clashed, their chests touched and their hearts soared. Although they didn't make love as many times as they had the night before, these few sessions held more passion, more need. Amalia was concerned that she wouldn't be able to last but each time they began again, she surprised herself by proving she could. By the time she fell asleep, she was spent and sated but relaxed beyond belief and when she awoke, she could tell that the after effects would last throughout the day.
Although it did bother her physically, ironically, she didn't mind.
Reno was currently driving the same speed as he did the day before, ensuring that they would reach Healen soon. Although Elena wasn't in any serious or traumatizing pain, Reno knew that Amalia wanted to get there as soon as possible. He chuckled in the wind, knowing that his girlfriend was possibly the best person in the world, always putting people ahead of her than worrying about herself.
Glancing ahead of the road, he noticed they were nearing their location, but something in the pit of his stomach gave him an unsettling feeling. Pushing the unwanted sensation aside, he began decreasing the speed of the bike; but as he did so, Reno noticed something blur at the edge of his vision and he barely had enough time to swerve the bike before a pair of daggers almost collided with the side of his face. Behind him, Amalia squealed at the sudden change in direction as she tightened her grip around Reno's waist. Holding the handlebars in a deathtrap, Reno turned the bike, narrowly avoiding the deadly onslaught of a sudden attack. Stalling where the bike curled in the dirt, Reno glanced around to see where the attack came from; he glanced at the daggers stuck in the ground and based on the angle in which they were stuck, the red-head turned his head and followed the direction at which they were thrown. Looking off into the distance, Reno saw four figures clad in black kneeling alongside the cliff.
Amalia could feel the muscles along Reno's back tighten and she loosened her grip, using her eyesight to search the surrounding area. It took her a minute before she followed Reno's gaze to the figures off in the distance. Leaning towards Reno's ear Amalia whispered, "Reno, what's going on?"
"I think…" Reno tried to think of what to say without losing sight of the people before him. "They're the ones who attacked us."
"Oh fuck…not this again. Seriously, what are they trying to get?" Amalia stated, her voice hinted with a tone of annoyance and anger.
Oh Amalia, if only I could tell you everything…
Reno wasn't sure what to do, but he knew he had to do something. Should he call Rufus for back-up? Should he head straight into combat? He couldn't even think straight; his brain was trying to decide what the best decision to go with was. But when Reno though he was coming to a decision, the daggers still stack in the ground suddenly began to wobble and move; within a few seconds, they flew from the ground and raced back towards their owner who suddenly stood from his crouched position and grabbed the weapons as they neared his hands.
"Give Amalia to us!" The same man yelled into the wind, sending the hairs on Reno's arms to stand in irritation.
In response, Reno gunned Shiva's engines, deciding the best thing to do was to run towards Healen to try and escape before anything lethal could happen. Turning his head, he yelled towards Amalia, "Hold on tight!" Immediately Amalia rewrapped her arms around his waist as Reno rammed the accelerator and turned the bike towards the trail which led to Healen, hoping he could speed past them and hide the bike as they sought refuge with Rufus and Elena.
But as Reno drove the bike towards the mountain trail, he wasn't expecting four figures to jump off from their standing point and landed directly in front of the bike. Unable to maneuver the bike out of their way, Reno turned the handlebars, hoping he would hit all four of them with the side of the bike. Instead, the tires lost their traction and slid on rocks along the road, skidding across the dirt, flinging both Reno and Amalia off as Shiva skidded off into the distance. Both landed with a thud against the hard ground, with Reno on his back and Amalia on her side. Reno stood first and ran the few feet towards Amalia that separated them. He grabbed her arms and gently pulled Amalia to her feet; he then noticed a small gash ran along her temple down to her cheek, a stream of blood gently trailing down a dropping onto her shirt. He gently touched the side of her face and she winced; swiftly grabbing her hand, Reno turned to see that they were surrounded by the same people who had caused the crash.
Holding her close to his side, Reno swiveled his head back and forth. All figures were male, all wore black and all held the same expression on their face; one in which they held a desire to capture live prey.
The one who had thrown the daggers was the same man who had first attacked Amalia the other day. Taking a step forward, he said, "Reno of the Turks. It's good to see you, despite our last encounter."
Reno growled within his throat and tightened his grip on Amalia's hand. "Drop. Dead," he said through clenched teeth.
The man laughed manically and an unsettling shiver coursed through Amalia's veins. She knew deep within her that she could defeat this evil person. But for some reason, every time she was around him, she couldn't seem to pull all of her energy into her moves. Even as she stood there, she could feel that something with her body was off. Is he pulling some kind of trick? She asked herself. Or is it because I haven't truly fought any enemies in a while?
"Tsk, tsk, Reno. Now that isn't very nice of you."
"Does it look like I give a damn?!"
The man frowned, and retraced his steps backwards. "Looks like you need to be taught some manners. But before we get there, hand over Amalia, if you please."
"And what makes you think I'd willingly hand her over?" Reno's back stiffened. It was four against two, yet Amalia was the strongest, he knew that for sure. But as he stole a quick glance behind him, he mentally cursed; he had not thought of reminding Amalia to bring her EMR and cursed again when he realized he didn't have his either. Groaning, Reno realized that her blades were in the bike, which had skidded to a stop fifty feet away from where they stood.
Fuck…we're screwed.
"And why won't you give my sweet to us?"
"For one, she is not your sweet and will never be your sweet. Second, I would never willingly give her to you. I'd rather die than see you get your grimy little hands on her."
"Hmm," the man tapped an index finger against his chin, deep in thought over the red-head's proclamation. "I think that can be arranged."
And before Reno could say anything, the man holding the daggers burst forward and slashed the weapon at the red-head. Amalia, quick on her feet, jumped backwards and pulled Reno with her, the dagger barely missing his cheek once again. But the group of four was also quick on their feet and bounded their way towards the couple, but in an instant, two jumped into the air and landed behind Amalia. The blonde tried to move away but the two figures each grabbed an arm and pulled her back.
"Reno!" She yelled, struggling against the tightening grip of those who were holding her. Wondering why she couldn't get away, she suddenly felt a sharp prick in her skin and looked at her arm. The figures were each wearing gloves with claws attached and each were digging deeper into her arm as tiny rivers of blood trickled down onto the dirt.
Reno turned around and once he saw Amalia's predicament he yelled, "Ashe!" But as he took a step forward to her aid, someone grabbed the back of his shirt and threw the red-head backwards, skidding across the dirt, Reno hissed as he tried to stand quickly, but a sudden rush of blood to his head had him kneeling back down, slowly breathing as his vision once again became clear. Off in the distance he could see Amalia struggling against those who held her – but that's all they did. As he once again tried to stand, the man he assumed to be the leader appeared before him and held one of his sharp daggers against Reno's throat, ensuring he continued to kneel on the ground.
"You're very persistent, aren't you?" The man sneered.
"Of course I'm fucking persistent! You're trying to kill my girlfriend but I won't let any one of you touch her!"
The man raised an eyebrow as a laugh escaped from his lips. "Is that what you think?"
Reno narrowed his eyes at the man. "Why else would you fucking attack her and hurt her?!" he said through gritted teeth.
The man leaned down towards Reno's face and whispered, "Just watch and see," as he moved off to the side so the red-head could have a clear few of his girlfriend several years away.
Although she was still struggling, the two figures gripping her arms had managed to force her into a kneeling position. From where he knelt, Reno could see blood continue to trickle from the gash along her face, as well as new markings on her arms. The figure on her left held his free hand over her mouth, silencing the blonde from screaming or saying anything. But Reno could tell Amalia was still fighting; she had always been a fighter and nothing was going to stop her from freeing herself from the clutches of the enemy. Not caring about the dagger that was still pointed against his throat, Reno yelled at the top of his lungs, "Amalia!"
From across the distance, Amalia quit squirming and looked straight into the red-head's eyes. Neither knew what was about to happen but Reno could tell that Amalia was thinking the worse. The way her eyes were opened and slightly glossy as tears began to crystallize.
She thinks we're going to die, Reno thought.
The red-head wanted to take action, he wanted to run towards Amalia and scoop her into her arms so no one could do any more physical, or mental, damage. But each time he made to move, the man shoved the dagger deeper into his throat, and after a few attempts, Reno felt his own blood flow down his neck. Not knowing what to do, he used his eyes to search for an answer. But when none came up, he looked again to Amalia who was no longer looking at him, but was looking at the fourth figure who disappeared at the start of the fight. Narrowing his eyes, Reno looked to see what was in the man's hand, but as his vision stabled and he could see, the red-head's eyes widened when he realized it was a syringe.
A…syringe…? What the fuck are they gonna do with a syringe?!
All Reno could do was watch from the sidelines and as the man stepped closer towards Amalia, time seemed to slow. All the red-head could see was the needle and the fear stretched across Amalia's face. As the man continued forward, the blonde continued to squirm, desperately wanting to get away, but the other two figures had a death grip on her; the more she moved, the more their claws dug into her arms, the skin covered in streaks of blood. But Amalia wasn't about to give up. Moving her face side-to-side, she gradually opened her mouth and once a few of the fingers of the figure to her right were in place, she lurched forward and clenched her teeth as tightly as she could.
From where he was, Reno could see Amalia's tactics and smiled, despite their current situation. That's my girl, he thought.
Amalia continued to clench her teeth, sinking the bone into the skin of her prisoner until she could hear him vaguely yelling in the background. The moment she felt the cold, metallic taste of blood drip onto her tongue she let go and immediately released a blood-curling scream. Looking directly in the eyes of the man holding the syringe, she screamed, "What do you want with me?!"
The figure smiled as he pulled the needle closer to his body, ready for impact. "Revenge," was all he said, before he surged forward and gouged the syringe into the blonde's neck. Amalia's eyes widened on impact, not sure what the hell was going on and from across the way, she could hear Reno scream her name, shouting venomous curses to the people holding them at their will. But as a few seconds passed, her body, at first, began to tingle from whatever substance was within the syringe. Once all the liquid was extracted from the needle, the man pulled back and knelt down in front of her. "How do you feel now, princess?"
Growling, Amalia tried to move her arms, but it wasn't the claws still attached to her skin that stopped her, it was the burning sensation that began to spread throughout her body. Her eyes immediately closed as her muscles began to spasm. Tilting her head, she screamed towards the heavens, the sound filled with an unimaginable agony. Fighting through the pain, she continued to try and remove herself from the grasp of the other two men, but as the fire spread from her neck, down into her arms, chest, stomach and finally her legs, she couldn't move any longer. The pain was too unbearable that all she could do was scream until tears unwillingly streamed down her face.
A few minutes passed before her screaming began to fade, her throat too hoarse to try and construct any more noise. Gradually opening her eyes, despite the pain, she noticed through blurred vision that the man who induced her with the unknown toxin was still kneeling before her. "Did that hurt, princess?" But because her voice was hoarse, Amalia couldn't give a reply. Closing her eyes once more to the pain, she tried to understand the conversation that was occurring around her, but an overwhelming sense of darkness was calling her name.
"Did it work?"
"Yes, she'll be out for the next few hours from the pain, but this is exactly what he asked for."
"So are we to take her with us?"
One of the figures laughed. "No, not yet. She's to remain here."
"But what's the point in all that? Why not just take her with us?"
"Because those were the Master's…"
But Amalia could hear no more; she tried to refrain herself from succumbing to the darkness, but an endless sleep was calling her name and that's exactly what she wanted to do. As she fell into a pit of nothingness, her head fell forward and those who were holding her looked to the third figure. As he nodded his head, they each released their death-grip on her arms as she tumbled to the ground, her lifeless body not moving a single inch.
"Amalia! Amalia, wake up! Dammit, wake up!" Reno's eyes were bulging from their sockets, not able to believe what he was seeing. Amalia had screamed bloody murder, he could physically feel her pain and it simply crushed his heart that he couldn't do a damn thing about it. She's not moving. Why the fuck isn't she moving? Please, Amalia, please…you can't be d-…no…you just can't be. You cannot leave me here! Turning his head to the side, despite the knife continuing to slice at his skin, Reno growled, "Fucking let me go!" But the red-head didn't give the man any chance to answer. Reno grabbed the figure's hand holding the dagger and, with all his might, bent it backwards, the bone breaking in two as the man screamed and backed off. Seizing the knife that fell from his hand and standing, Reno stood in a fighting position. The three figures who stood around Amalia's body turned and ran towards their leader, who gently cradled his broken wrist.
Reno pointed the dagger at their leader. "Leave, now."
"What makes you think we weren't going to leave, Reno?" One of the men sneered.
"I don't give a fuck," Reno growled as he gradually sidestepped his way towards Amalia. "Just leave us the fuck alone, you've done enough."
The man who worked as the leader laughed hysterically. Turning towards the other men, they all nodded their heads as they each took several steps backwards. "As you wish, Reno of the Turks – but know this: we will return. Whether you or the Savior is aware of it, we will return for what the Master wants. And the Master always gets what he wants." And before Reno could question their motives, just as the leader had done several days prior, each figure began to dissipate and eventually disappeared into thin air. Reno continued to hold his guard and waited a few moments, scanning the entire area, watching for any sudden movements and waiting to see if they were finally gone.
Once Reno felt the area was safe, he immediately disregarded the knife and sprinted towards Amalia. Skidding across the dirt, his hands fell to her shoulders as he gently turned her body over so they were face-to-face. Other than a blood trail leaking from her mouth, Amalia seemed to be at peace. Moving two fingers down to her neck, the red-head searched for a pulse and after a few minutes of probing, he finally found it, and although it was very weak, it was still there. Reno's breath caught in his throat as he could feel the sting of tears desperately wanting to fall. No, goddammit…I will not cry! To cry means that Amalia has…no, she's still alive and I'll do everything in my power to save her!
Gently placing Amalia back onto the ground, Reno stood and ran to grab Shiva from where it had skidded off to. Remembering to grab the knife he dropped, Reno made his way back over to Amalia where he cradled her against his chest as he straddled the seat. Quickly pulling his phone out, he dialed the person he truly needed to speak to in that instance.
"Hello, Reno, how – "
"There's no time for formalities, Rufus! We've got a situation here! Amalia and I were both attacked on our way to see you and she needs medical attention right away!"
"Reno, are you serious? How bad is she?"
"A few cuts and bruises but this time they injected some…substance into her and she's unconscious along with a very weak heartbeat. We're right at the base of the mountain; I'm headed your way now!"
"Good. I'll assemble the doctors and they can take care of her once you get here."
Reno hung up the phone and tossed it into the compartment. Gunning the bike with all its power, the red-head sped up the trail as quickly as he was able to. Glancing down at Amalia, he couldn't tell what was wrong. Her face looked to be relaxed but there was sweat forming along her brow and her skin seemed to lose a bit of color as the seconds passed by. Pressing the gas even more, Reno couldn't think – he didn't want to think of what they had done to her. All he could do was hold her as he sped his way to Healen, the only place with doctors who could have a chance at saving her.
~ oOo ~
"Reno, you heard the doctors, you can't go in there!"
"And why not, sir? I need to be in there with her!"
"And now I'm saying you can't! Let the doctors be – they'll take care of Amalia, I promise."
Now residing within Healen, Reno and Rufus stood outside the door that led into Amalia's room where several of Rufus' best doctors were in there with her, trying to determine what she was injected it and how it would affect her. But Reno wasn't appreciative of the fact that he couldn't be in there with her. At first he argued, then agreed to wait outside. But as the minutes ticked by and an hour soon passed, the red-head simply couldn't take it anymore. He had barged towards the door leading into the exam room until Rufus grasped his shoulder, preventing him to go any further.
"Rufus…" the red-head turned towards his boss, his eyes weakened by the current emotional state he was in. "I need to see how she's doing."
His boss sighed. "I understand, Reno, trust me I do. But this is important, not only to help Amalia, but also towards our investigation. We need to give the doctors their space in order to conduct their tests and to do everything they possibly can to find what they injected her with. Come," pulling his shoulder back towards his office, Rufus guided Reno down the hallway back towards his office where they each sat on the couch. "So, is there anything else that happened?"
"No, Rufus," Reno held the bridge of his nose, unsure of what to think or feel. His body felt numb, but on the inside, everything was on fire, as if everything was molten lava coursing through his body. Once he had arrived at Healen, Reno was met with Rufus who had several doctors trailing his tail. The doctors placed Amalia onto a stretcher and wheeled her off to the exam room and that was where they had stayed. It hadn't taken every ounce within Reno's body not to shove the doctors away when they placed their hands upon her skin. After seeing the people touch her beautiful skin, the thought of any man having physical contact with her suddenly made him ill. Amalia was lying unconcscious with bruises, cuts and whatever she was injected with – all Reno had was simple bandage wrapped around his throat from the cut of the knife. "I've told you everything that has happened, from beginning to end. The only thing that might be useful is the knife they left behind."
"Yes," Rufus nodded. "That is a vital piece of evidence. I'm hoping we'll be able to find several fingerprints from the handle."
"Let's hope it's not compromised because I was holding it."
Rufus turned towards the Turk. "Well…it's understandable why."
But Reno growled and covered his face with his hands. "God I can't believe I was so stupid that I didn't even think about bringing my weapon. I just…Rufus I felt so helpless. There was probably more that I could've done but…I didn't know if they would do anything else to Ashe if I tried to intervene. Time just…it was as if time froze and my body couldn't do anything."
The two men stayed quiet for several moments; Reno was trying to calm his nerves while Rufus was thinking of what happened. Eventually, Rufus finally broke the silence, wanting to bring his Second-in-Command back towards his normal self, but even Rufus knew that was impossible unless Amalia was by his side. He knew she was the best woman to be in Reno's life, but a small part of the Shinra President was nervous that the couple were too close together and questioned if that was their weakness. Brushing that thought aside, he said, "Listen, I honestly think you chose the best decision." Reno immediately turned his head towards his boss but Rufus spoke before he could say anything. "Just hear me out: we still don't know the complete plan these guys have with Amalia. So for you to stand off on the sidelines, we're able to see what they possibly want."
"Rufus! Think of the condition Amalia is in right now!"
"Yes Reno I am aware of that! But if you had done something, they might've taken action the next time Amalia would be alone, in which they could have caused her more agony or they could've something completely different than what they did today. And if they did the latter, Amalia's life could've been in more danger than it is now."
Reno took a few minutes to soak in his boss' words. They held a truth within them that Reno didn't want to accept, but he forced himself to – for the sake of Amalia. He understood the position Rufus was coming from; he wanted to find every possible answer about this investigation and those after Amalia. But it was too much for Reno to handle. He was tired and mentally drained knowing that there was someone out there trying to cause pain to the one he loved – and until they found more answers, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.
Taking a deep breath, Reno finally spoke. "I just hope Tseng and Rude are able to find something in Nibelheim."
"Yes, this whole investigation would turn around if they did. But Reno," Rufus turned towards the red-head. "As I stated yesterday, I promise that we'll do everything in our power to protect her. We won't let anyone else harm her," but Rufus acknowledged his statement contradicted Amalia's current situation. "Uhh…well...what I meant was – "
"No, don't worry Rufus, I understand what you're trying to say. We…" He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his fiery, tangled locks. "We'll never be able to tell when someone will strike; we just need to find these fuckers before anything serious happens."
"I know you've thought about this so tell me, what is serious to you?"
Reno's eyes immediately watered upon hearing those words. It was the initial fear that plagued his mind and heart; always there to poke at Reno's pride, to shove it back into his face. "That I'll lose her completely – that's the worse I think could happen."
"Well then stop."
"Sir? It's not as easy as it looks…"
"Yes Reno, I am aware of this. But, the way I see things, is that you could either continue on in your life constantly afraid that you're going to lose Amalia – although it is an acknowledged fear. Or…you could still live your life and push that mentality towards the back of your heart. Sadly, it will never leave, but why live your days with fear and anxiety everyday instead of spending each day with Amalia being carefree about the future?"
Smirking, Reno shook his head. Rufus had said something yet again that was clear and on point. "Sir, what is it with you today? Have you suddenly become wiser or something?"
It was Rufus' turn to sigh. "Well…when you have weight on your shoulders as heavy as I do you finally begin to see the bigger picture of things that surround you every day. Reno I know it hurts, I may not be hurting in the same way as you, but I can visually see how this is affecting you. And as your boss, more importantly your friend, I can't stand to see you like this. You never…sulk this much – it's not the Reno we know. Although your reasons are justifiably…"
For the first time in a few hours, Reno chuckled and rubbed his forehead. "You know Rufus, don't take this personally but…I like the person you've become in the last few years."
His boss raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yes."
"Wanna know the secret?" The Second-in-Command nodded eagerly. "It was your girlfriend."
Reno was about to ask how exactly, when the door leading to the extended hallway opened and the main doctor walked in, clipboard in hand. Quickly jumping to his feet, Reno went to sprint passed the doctor, wanting to see Amalia as fast as he could, but the doctor blocked Reno's path with his arm. "I'm sorry Reno, but I need to speak to you and Mr. Shinra first."
Inwardly growling, the red-head nodded his head, understanding the doctor's position.
Reno thought back to when they had first arrived at Healen. As soon as he had made his way towards the building and parked – in which the angry red-head drove up the ramp and parked right next to the door – the doctors and Rufus were summoned and burst through and eased Amalia from the bike. With Reno's help, they carried her through the building and carefully laid her down onto one of the exam tables. Immediately after, the few doctors ushered Reno out before he had a chance to say anything; Rufus dragged him out of there but Reno was too numb to notice what was really going on around him. Before his boss pulled him from the room, all his vision could focus on was the semi-lifeless body of the woman he loved being probed with needles and heart monitors, her chest barely rising up and down.
But Rufus was right there to guide him back down the long hallway to the main room which acted of Rufus' office. He was truly grateful for the help from his boss he gently sat him down on the couch and left, leaving Reno to gradually understand what was going on and for him to realize where he was. After a few minutes, Rufus final returned with Elena holding onto his arm for support. As Reno looked at her, he noticed her eyes were wide and tears were stationed in the corner, not truly wanting to fall in disbelief. Leading her to the couch, Elena sat down and immediately pulled Reno into a hug, who numbly leaned into her embrace, unsure of how to feel. "Reno…Rufus told me what happened…I'm so sorry…"
Elena held Reno for quite some time, knowing that he was hurting on the inside and she knew she was hurting too – Amalia was his girlfriend and her friend, neither obviously wanted harm to come upon the other blonde. But Elena, at first, didn't believe what Rufus had told her when he walked into her room. But after a while, it finally sunk in that they were finally able to injure Amalia and upon hearing the truth, Elena grew pissed. She wanted to go after those people but Rufus advised against it. In the privacy of her room, Rufus explained that this was something Reno had to deal with and he would eventually be the one to take care of it in the future, if it ever came to be.
But time passed and eventually Rufus led Elena back to her room so he could be alone with Reno before the doctor went to find them with any news. Thus, what brings them to the present.
Reno couldn't believe his ears – the doctors were finally done examining Amalia after the last several hours of keeping them in the dark. Staring blankly at the doctor, Reno couldn't even process the words that were jumbling around in his head. Turning towards his boss, the red-head said sternly, "Please, let me go see her, Rufus."
"I know Reno, but we need to hear what the doctor has to say first."
Glancing between his boss and the hallway that led to Amalia, Reno finally decided to agree with Rufus and turned back towards the doctor. Rufus was right – again. He had to listen and hear if they found anything upon examining her. "Well?" he asked.
The doctor scratched his head and glanced down at his clipboard. "Well, as you know, we examined Amalia and searched for any unknown substance that might have entered her body from the injection. We checked all her vitals, her blood, breathing…everything."
Reno merely stared at the doctor, his eyes unwavering. "And…? What did you come up with?" He stated impatiently.
"I…" The doctor looked away, unsure of how to say what was currently on his mind. "Like I said, we checked everything, but…we couldn't find anything." The doctor noticed the expressions on the men's faces and held up his hand so he could finish speaking. "We checked everything twice, read over all the reports and as far as we can tell, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Amalia Strife."
"But how can that be…? I saw her be injected with something. You should've found something!" Reno nearly yelled.
"We did, however, find one…questionable aspect."
Rufus' ears perked. "And what would that be?"
"Well, since Amalia was injected with Jenova cells and was exposed to Mako, we checked those critical areas as well. And for some reason, the energy levels within her have spiked and for some reason, they were about two-hundred percent higher than normal and we don't know why that would be affecting her."
"So, you're saying…" Reno tried his best to grasp what he has just heard. "The Mako already within her is suddenly higher than what it should be?"
"Yes. As you know, Reno, when a person is first exposed to Jenova Cells and Mako, the experience on their body takes a greater effect when they are first exposed, then balances out to a normal level once the body has adjusted. And from what we have seen, Amalia's body is reacting as if she went through an injection of either one."
Both men were speechless. Reno held the bridge of his nose and Rufus simply stared at the doctor. He knew the man was telling the truth – he had been a part of his personal team for several years, even belonging to the team of doctors his father once used when he was still President before he was murdered by Sephiroth. Rufus knew the doctor wasn't lying. "How…" he began to say. "How is that possible…?"
Reno blankly stared at the doctor, the last of his words ushering into the red-heads memory. He simply couldn't believe it. The problem was due to a sudden spike in the Mako levels within Amalia? How was that even possible? Shaking his head, Reno turned towards the door and sighed before asking, "Can I go see her now?"
"Yes," the doctor replied quietly.
Leaving the two men behind him, Reno made his way through the door and down the hallway. Making a left at the end, Reno slowed at the exam room Amalia currently resided in. Placing a hand on the doorknob, Reno took in a deep breath before gently opening and walking in. Across the room, Amalia was curled under a blanket facing the wall; this made the red-head smile. Crossing the room, Reno grabbed Amalia's hand and held it close, using his fingers to find her pulse, which he found. The rhythmic beat under the tip of his fingers was a positive sign that she was doing better than earlier when it felt as if her pulse was growing weaker by the second. Grabbing a chair, Reno sat down next to the bed and gently brushed aside loose strands of hair away from Amalia's face.
And that spot is where Reno sat for what felt like hours – no one bothered him, he simply wanted to be alone, the sole protector of Amalia in her time of need. As the seconds ticked by, the blonde gradually began to stir; at first it was a simple sound, and then a groan until finally she began to slowly move around in the bed. At long last, Amalia turned in the bed towards Reno, her eyes slowly opening before they focused on the beloved red-head who sat firmly by her side.
The first thing Amalia noticed as her eyes opened was that everything around her was brighter than it should have been; the lights, the paint on the walls, even Reno's hair seemed a bit fierier than usual. Blinking to clear her vision, she said weakly, because her throat was so dry, "Reno…"
The red-head immediately leaned forward and placed a hand on her cheek. Amalia sighed and leaned into his hand, a feeling of contentment washing over her. Leaning back down on the bed, she searched Reno's face, his mouth upturned into a slight smile as his eyes depicted a deep sadness within him. "What happened?"
Reno sighed and ran a hand through his fiery hair, eyes avoided hers because he wanted to avert the details. "You really wanna know?" She nodded, her eyes wide his curiosity. "What do you remember?"
"Um," Amalia rubbed the side of her head; she wasn't in any physical pain, but her muscles felt stiff, a soreness that burned with a fire if she tried to soothe her limbs. "I remember being thrown off the bike…I was being held and so were you. Last thing I remember is staring up at someone with a sharp object in their hand. That's about it."
Softly rubbing her cheek, Reno didn't want to tell her what happened, she didn't need to know. But if he didn't say anything, she would continue to pester him for information, eventually reaching out to Rufus for some answers. "They…" he took a deep breath. "They stabbed you in the neck with a syringe and you collapsed from the pain."
"From a syringe?"
"Well, it was more than that. There was something in the needle and whatever it was forced you to go unconscious. You've been sleeping for about three hours."
"I was out for that long?!" Running a hand across her neck, Amalia couldn't feel anything but she honestly didn't remember what happened – and part of her was glad for that.
"The doctors were examining you to see if they could find anything within your body…"
But Reno stayed quiet and as Amalia watched, she could only imagine what he was thinking – but she deserved to know what the hell was going on. "And did they find anything?"
"N-nothing that stood out, the only anomaly was that…how should I put this…they said that the mako energy within you has spiked to higher levels for some reason. They said your current levels are the same compared to a person received their first dose of mako injections."
"Wait…what? So they injected me with mako?"
"That doctors never came to that conclusion but I've been thinking the same thing. It's the only explanation why the energy levels within you are so high." Reno gazed down at Amalia and noticed the distortion of expressions across her face; first confusion, then anger, then sadness. Grabbing her hand, he squeezed gently. "What're you thinking?"
"I just want to know why they attacked me. Why me? What have I done to them?"
At her statement, Reno could not say a single word; what was he supposed to say? You were attacked because some evil, demented sons-of-bitches are after you? Because someone thinks you're the "savior"? He was at a loss of words. Desperately wanting to tell her, Reno listened to the words of Rufus' words that replayed in the back of his head and bit his tongue; instead he grabbed her hand. Reno felt a heavy weight upon his shoulders; he was guilt ridden by not telling Amalia the truth but he knew why he shouldn't, but there was still a part of him that was screaming to tell the truth and be done with it.
"As long as it wasn't anything serious, right?"
Lifting his head, Reno looked deeply into Amalia's eyes. She was smiling, despite the confusion of what happened to her, Reno loved her even more. This is the most courageous woman I have ever met. She just brushes off the fact that she was attacked – again –and thinks nothing of it. Maybe she's used to it from the past she's had? Reno rubbed the back of his neck and forced a smile upon his face. He agreed with Amalia – her injuries, as of right now, weren't all that serious – but in the future, there was the chance they could get worse. And he didn't want to think of what could happen to her.
"Reno...?"
"I'm still here, baby," he replied automatically, although it felt as if his mind was a million miles away.
"You're really quiet."
"I was nervous about what might happen to you."
Sighing, Amalia stretched her arm out and pulled Reno off his chair and into a hug; she could tell he really needed one, as did she. Reno immediately latched his arms around her and squeezed, wanting to ensure that she was truly there, that she wasn't gone from his sight. Underneath her fingers, Amalia could feel Reno trembling. Rubbing the palm of her hands across his back, she tried to soothe his anxiety and as the minutes passed, he gradually began to calm down.
Pulling away from her embrace, Reno once again looked into her eyes and leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss against her lips. Standing, Reno walked towards the door and said, "I'm gonna go get the doctor real quick, ok?" But as he held the handle, Reno couldn't manage to open the door.
"I'm not going anywhere, Reno, I'll be here once you return." With a quick sigh and a nod of his head, Reno left and the door shut softly behind him.
Looking around the room, Amalia was still confused with what happened. Using her arms, she braced herself and sat up, stretching parts of her back that were throbbing. She had a tube attached to one of her arms, tracing all the way back to a water bag hanging on a metal stand right alongside her bed. But the question that was still probing her head was why me?
Honestly, what have I done in the past to these people? I can't remember anything and I don't remember these people from the time Meteor attacked. Could I have done something prior to that? Was it something I did before Cloud and I even left Nibelheim? I can't…I can't think back that far…but whoever is doing this…I hope they stop. Not for my sake…but for Reno's…
Moving a few strands of hair away from her face, the door clicked and opened as Reno, Rufus and one of the doctors all walked in. Reno and Rufus stayed by the door as the doctor walked towards Amalia, stethoscope and clipboard in hand.
"Good to see you awake, Amalia. How're you feeling?"
"Oh, I feel fine. My muscles are a little stiff and I'm fucking hungry…but other than that, nothing out of the usual."
The doctor laughed at her statement as he jotted some notes down. "I think Reno can get you some food once we're done here. Now that you're awake, I just want to check your vitals to see if everything is as it should be. Is that alright?" She nodded and stole a quick glance at Reno who had his arms crossed, but she could tell his shoulders were tensed. Helping her sit up farther away from the pillows, the doctor slipped his stethoscope underneath her shirt and instructed her to breath several times, in which she cooperated. Repeating the same feature on her chest, the doctor placed more notes onto his clipboard. He checked her eyes, throat, pulse, eyes – everything once more now she was awake.
Lastly, he checked the mako levels within her body and as the information appeared on the screen, he tapped the end of his pen against his chin, still confused at the numbers he was seeing. "I still don't understand this." Turning towards Amalia he asked, "I'm sure Reno explained to you about what I'm speaking of?" She nodded. "Well, I just ran the same test and the results are still the same. The mako within your body is clearly acting up towards something. But what that something is…I have no idea."
"Well…" Everyone turned towards her. "Reno said that these levels are the same as if I had just recently been injected with mako for the first time. Is that true?"
"Yes. When a person who wants, well…I guess that would be wanted, to be become SOLDIER, the doctor at the time would have explained this all to the patient. However, I am aware of your situation and how you came to be injected with mako. I assume Hojo never told you or your brother anything?"
"No," she shook her head, trying her hardest not to remember anything from those years. "I doubt he would, but even if he did, neither I, nor my brother, would remember."
"True enough, we all know Hojo would have kept secrets if it meant securing his research," the doctor looked towards Rufus. "But, yes, what Reno said was true. Your chart is telling us the same information as if you were just injected with mako for the very first time. Quite peculiar, if you ask me."
The room suddenly went quiet, but Amalia broke the silence, wanting at least some of her questions to be answered before they left. "So…what happens now? Where do we go from here?"
Rufus finally said something since entering the room. "We'll just need to keep an eye on you to see if something happens. We don't know what substance they gave you to cause these spikes in your mako energy and since we don't know that, we don't know what kind of side-effects it'll have on you." As Rufus was speaking, Reno continuously thought to himself, please don't ask about the attackers, please for the love of god, don't ask about the attackers. But Reno's wishes were granted – Amalia let it go about the attackers, nor did she ever ask if they were going to do anything about them.
Soon after, the doctor left, stating that since all her vitals were still in the clear, she could go home whenever she wanted, but pulled Reno aside and asked him to keep an eye on her at home. Once the three of them remained, Rufus himself asked how Amalia was truly feeling and she gave the same reply as she did with the doctor, nothing had changed. Looking at the two men who were concerned about her, Amalia suddenly thought of someone who wasn't in the room.
"Where's Elena?" she suddenly asked.
Reno and Rufus immediately looked at one another and both said, "Shit…"
"What?"
Rufus said, "We didn't tell her, it would've been too much stress on her leg."
"Her leg? Oh! Her leg!" Amalia looked at Reno. "Fuck that's why we came here today! I still have my materia, I need to see her!" Before the men could say anything, Amalia was already jumping out of bed and running past them through the door. Rufus laughed as he and Reno swiftly followed behind as she made her way down the hall towards Elena's room. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Reno and smiled. "I'm not going to tell her. I don't want her to know, ok?" The red-head only nodded, but he knew as soon as they left, Rufus would be explaining everything to Elena since it pertained to the overall investigation.
Knocking on the door, Amalia walked in and noticed Elena was standing, one hand placed firmly on the mattress to keep her balance. Looking up and the people who walked in, she smiled upon realizing who it was. "Amalia! Reno! You finally made it – I was wondering what the hell was taking you so long!"
Rubbing the back of her head, Amalia lightly laughed as she walked closer to her friend while the two men stayed within the doorway watching their interaction. "Sorry, I know we said we'd be here in the morning but…we ran into some trouble."
Elena's eyes immediately widened as she looked passed Amalia towards her boss and co-worker. "Trouble?" she said slowly. "What kind of trouble?"
"We had some issues with my bike." She could hear Reno and Rufus sigh in the background – they had been holding their breaths for too long.
"Oh." Elena blinked. That was not an answer she was expecting. "Is everything ok?"
Reno watched as Amalia giggled and wondered how she could be lying so well. Maybe it's because she doesn't know the actual truth and brush it off as if nothing really did happen.
"Reno almost ran into something back in Edge so Cloud had to help fix the bike – the engine stopped working on us."
Elena turned towards her co-worker. "Reno!"
All the red-head do was shake his head, knowing full well that Amalia was to put the fake excuse on his shoulders. "Yeah, yeah, I've already heard it from these two. I'm a bad driver, it's not my bike, I don't know what I'm doing blah, blah, blah. Happy, yo?"
"Mmm, a little since you basically just said you're stupid and can't comprehend on how to ride a bike."
"Hey! I am very capable of riding Ashe's bike!"
Elena turned her gaze away and said, "Apparently not."
Reno's brow twitched and he was about to state a crucial comeback when Amalia held up her hands. "All right, all right you too that's enough. Elena, I have to ask, what are you doing out of bed?"
The other blonde grunted. "I was sick and tired of being stuck in that bed! I needed to stand, move around, do something!"
Amalia giggled again. "Don't worry, I didn't forget to bring my materia so I can fix your leg in no time."
Elena clasped her hands together and gave Amalia the best pair of puppy dog eyes that she could, even providing small tears in the corners. "Oh Amalia, you're the best friend anyone could have!"
"Yeah, yeah, you can tell me that after I fix everything, alright?"
"Hell yes!"
"Alright, I need you to sit back on the bed, we need to take this cast off."
"Don't we need to get the doctor to take it off?" Rufus asked, his curiosity piqued at how she was going to take it off and repair her leg.
Looking around the room, Amalia spotted the plate leftover from Elena's lunch on the side table and, luckily, the knife was still there, the sharp edge hanging off of the plate. "Nah I got this." Banging her fist against edge sent the utensil flying into the air where it flipped around before finally landing in the open palm of Amalia's hand. Looking at Elena and noticing her bulging eyes, Amalia smiled. "What? I know I'm a badass."
"Ashe, how're you gonna use a steak knife to cut into the cast?"
"Very carefully," she said, her concentration focused solely on the knife and cast. Placing the sharp edge at the top near Elena's thigh, she counted to three then quickly ran the knife down the length of her cast and a lightning-fast paced. All the eyes in the room widened while Amalia's began to glow. Elena averted her eyes from her cast to look up at her friend; the colors of her friend's eyes vibrated radiantly. As the knife cut through the cast, Amalia's breath was ragged as she gently set the knife back down onto the side table.
Turning around, Amalia was met with the open mouths of both men. "See? Told ya I'd get it off."
"How…how the hell did you do that, Amalia?" Rufus asked.
She laughed. "As I stated, very carefully." Turning her attention back towards Elena she asked, "Now let's fix that leg, huh?"
"Please."
Nodding, Amalia hovered her left hand over the blonde's leg, conjuring the magic of the Mastered Cure materia within her arm. The palm of her hand started to glow green as she ran it up the length of Elena's thigh. Seconds flew into minutes as Amalia worked her magic but eventually she pulled her hand back, a satisfied grin plastered across her face. Looking up towards her friend she said, "Well? How does it feel?"
Elena cautiously extended her leg and her eyes widened. Jumping off the bed, she continued to extend her leg forwards, backwards and side-to-side; there was not a single trace of pain within the entire length of her leg. Jumping up and down, the blonde pounced on Amalia and squeezed her arms around her friend's neck. Stumbling backwards, Amalia smiled at Elena's genuineness and returned the embrace. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Smiling, Amalia squeezed her blonde friend tighter, proud that, in the end, she could help – despite the day that she had. Elena eventually let her go and walked around the room, amazed that she could once again use her mobility and to not be confined within a hospital bed. Both Reno and Rufus watched the female and smiled as well, knowing that was truly happy that she could walk again. Walking around Elena towards his woman, Reno grabbed her hand and squeezed, her eyes tilting upwards to meet his. Leaning down towards her ear he whispered, "I am so proud of you." She giggled, her cheeks turning bright red; she was about to reply when Rufus spoke up.
"Amalia, I am truly thankful for your help today, I, as do Elena, really appreciate it."
"Tch, it was nothing you two, you know I'll always help in any way I can."
"I know you will, Amalia…" Rufus mumbled.
Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Did you say something?"
Crossing his arms, Rufus chuckled. "No…I didn't say anything at all. Elena?"
The blonde stopped jumping around the tiny exam room and turned towards her boss, her excitement clearly evident upon her. "Yes, sir?"
"Now that your leg is all healed, I think it's time we returned to our normal headquarters."
Reno stepped in. "Will you be returning immediately?"
"No, probably not for a few more days or so. I think we'll wait for Tseng and Rude to join us before we head back." Reno nodded in agreement and looked back down towards Amalia. She was off staring at Elena and, just as he told her, he couldn't be any prouder of his lover than he already had been. Time and time again she always put everyone else before her and considered herself last. Even today after the possibility of being drugged, she took it upon herself to keep the promise she made and heal Elena's leg. The thought of her selfishness swept through him like liquid fire; a trail that ran from his heart straight down into his pants.
Within seconds he could feel the massive bulge wanting to escape from the confines of his jeans.
Swallowing deeply, he squeezed Amalia's hand one more time, he looked at the other members in the room and cleared his throat; they immediately looked in his direction and by the expressions on their faces, he could tell that they knew what he wanted to do. "Elena, it's great that your leg is feeling better, but it's been a long day for the both of us and I think it's time we get going."
"Aww, are you sure? Can't you stay for a little bit longer?"
Amalia laughed at her friend but deep down, she was feeling the same fire as Reno was. Her hand was burning from his touch and the current look he was giving her sent shivers down her spine and within a second, she sensed a familiar moistness between her legs and a throb that only Reno could satisfy. "Sorry girly but Reno's right, it has been a long day and since we had issues with the bike, I'd rather head home while there's still some daylight left."
"Well…I guess that makes sense. Then I'll have to come visit you once we head back to our headquarters in Edge. Would that be ok…?"
Amalia walked across the room and clasped her friend's hands within her own. "Elena, that would be perfect." Elena and Amalia spent the next few minutes discussing what they would do once they were back in Edge while Rufus pulled Reno outside and spoke to him about their next move.
"Reno, after today, I want you to keep an extra close eye on Amalia." He could tell his subordinate was about to speak but held up his hand, knowing that they only had a few minutes to have this conversation. "Look, I know I don't need to tell you that but it's part of my job. Keep your phone close by because we'll be in touch once I hear back from Tseng. I'll retell them what happened today and then we'll come up with another game plan."
The red-head sighed. "Sadly, I think that's the best option we have, sir."
"I'm glad you think so because I don't know what to do anymore. After what happened today, I think it' safe to say that –"
But then, the door from Elena's room suddenly opened and Amalia walked out, shutting it behind her softly. As she turned, she noticed that the two men were talking and asked, "Oops, I'm sorry, am I disturbing something?"
Rufus only smiled. "No, you're perfectly fine, Amalia. Reno," He looked at his employee. "I'll give you a call when needed."
"Yes, sir." With that, Rufus opened the door to Elena's room and shut it behind him, leaving the couple their privacy as they walked hand-in-hand outside towards Shiva so they could finally go home. Just as they opened the door, they could hear a loud "WHAT?!" coming from down the hall. Reno sighed as Amalia narrowed her eyes. "Her told her, didn't he?"
"Yep, Rufus told Elena."
"Ohhh, that jackass."
As they walked towards the bike, Reno laughed. She was the only person he knew who would bluntly call Rufus a jackass. "He just told her because he knew she'd want to know you were attacked – again."
She sighed and climbed onto the bike once Reno was aboard. "I can understand that, but…"
"Listen, don't worry about it yo. You just worry about what I'm going to do to you once we get home."
She gasped. "You're not saying…?"
But his only reply was to rev the engine and speed off into the distance.
~ oOo ~
"Oh god…"
Amalia crashed onto the bed and nuzzled into Reno's chest, watching as his breathing gradually began to calm down. Their sex had once again been passionate, loving and demanding, each wanting to pleasure the other and receive pleasure in return. For the third day in a row, as soon as they walked through the door of their apartment, both attacked each other, wanting none other than to feel their bodies against each other.
Lifting his eyes, Reno was met with a pleasurable sight – Amalia on her back, the bedsheet loosely draped across her lower half, one arm laying cross her stomach while the other stretched over her head. He smiled and gently traced his fingertips over her bare stomach, eliciting a soft giggle from the blonde. Reno couldn't stop himself, he was insatiable of leaving Amalia alone and with everything that had happened earlier, he needed to make sure she was still there. Touching, kissing, licking, pleasing – whatever he had to do to remind Amalia that he was there and that he would never leave. But it was also a way for the red-head to recognize that she was there as well.
His fingers grazed her skin; across her stomach, towards her shoulders and down the length of her arms. Amalia sighed, her head turning to the side to look at Reno, his eyes glossed over with lust, a sign that he wanted her again – and she would grant it to him.
Leaning up on his elbow, Reno peered down at the beautiful woman next to him who held the same gaze. Caressing her cheek, he asked, "Have I told you today that I love you…?"
Nuzzling into his hand, Amalia peered up at the red-head with an intense gaze of her own. "Yes…but I'd appreciate it if you could show me again."
Growling, Reno grabbed her hips and switched their positions so she peered above him. Guiding her dripping, and still throbbing womanhood, Reno drove his still hardened cock into her. "Ashe, I'll show you all night how much I love you, if that's what it takes."
~ oOo ~
And there we have it folks – another chapter down! I'll be honest, I can't say when the next chapter will be posted. I start my final semester of Graduate school in a few weeks, so the next few months are going to be hectic. I've got a lot coming up, but that won't stop me from writing. Have a Happy New Year everyone, and I hope the start of 2017 makes every smile!
As always, review are accepted and most appreciated!
Chocobocolina :3