Disclaimer: The Final Fantasy VII compilation does not belong to me. I do not own the characters, story, places etc. They are all the property, copyright and trademark of Square-Enix. I place no ownership/claim on them by using them in this work of fan fiction.

Warning: Contains Explicit Content

Chapter Eight: What We Hide in the Dark

He'd expected her to push him off. Bite him, scratch him, or perhaps scream at him and ask him what the hell he thought he was doing. It would have made more sense that way. Instead he felt her body slacken against his own, as she seemed to surrender to him completely. He let out a groan as he forced her backwards, her bottom hitting the edge of the sink as his hand moved up to the back of her neck, twisting in her hair as he pushed her closer against him. Her found her lips were too soft, too tempting, and as his tongue ran along her bottom lip, his teeth began to pull against it in with a growing hunger. The young brunette felt a shiver run up her spine at the sheer desperation of the sensation. Her own hands began to slowly travel up his chest but made no attempts to push him away. He felt her lips begin to part and didn't hesitate to deepen the kiss, his tongue sliding past her teeth and beginning to stroke against her own, all the time trying to take possession of it.

He wasn't sure they were even breathing anymore, as the kiss became more and more intense. Their mouths were so hot, so frantic, it was overwhelming. He didn't care about his shoulder and choose to ignore the pain it would no doubt cause him, as his other hand raked up her chest and tangled in the lacy thin fabric of her bra. It was icy cold and wet, but somehow that made it feel even better, as her nipples were already hard against his palm and the fabric clung so closely to her skin, it was almost not even there. He felt her shiver again and he couldn't help but growl at the effect he was having. He felt himself begin to harden, as his hips instinctively rocked against hers.

Without even a moment's warning, Reno broke the kiss and backed away with a low, pained hiss sounding from his lips. He came to a stop when his legs hit the back of the sofa and ran his hand through his hair with a low groan, "Fuck."

Yuffie watched in silence for a few seconds as the red head cradled his forehead and began to pace about the floor. Eventually her curiosity overtook the feeling of bewilderment and awkwardness at the situation and she gave a small cough, "Hey…What…Why'd you stop."

He didn't raise his head to look at her, knowing if he did he might lose the little control he had, "This isn't a good idea girly." He shook his head, sighing almost at himself, "You're not thinking straight…you're upset."

She shrugged, her voice despondent but with a hint of irritation, "Didn't seem to stop you last night."

Reno huffed with a sort of self-deprecating amusement, "Girly… I'm a man, I don't make the best decisions."

The young brunette eyed him with a sort of defiance, "Maybe you shouldn't think so much…doesn't suit you."

"Trust me…" He still wasn't looking at her, his eyes instead fixed hard on the ceiling, "This isn't something that comes easy."

Yuffie felt her jaw clench, as her anger rose. Without a word, she turned back around and reached for the top she had previously discarded. She was angry. Angry not only at him, but herself too. In some respects, he was right. This definitely wasn't a good idea. Still, she was so tense, her whole being felt like it was being pulled to breaking point. All she wanted to do was throw herself into something, or someone and get lost in it.

She began to pull her top back over herself, the fabric clinging slightly to her still damp skin, when she heard the red head sigh.

"Girly…listen…" He began to walk closer to her as he spoke, but stilled when she made to side step away from him, the hurt and confusion clear on her face, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

"Whatever, Turk." She moved past him and over to the other side of the room, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms over her chest. "Let's just forget it, okay."

They had remained in an uneasy silence for the next few hours, both just as unwilling to speak as the other. Eventually though, they were forced to make some sort of conversation when the subject on sleeping came up. Reno had pointed out there was a small single futon rolled up in one of the larger cupboards, along with some rather unimpressive blankets. She handed one to the red head and went to set up the futon, when a realisation struck her, her eyes flickering between the futon and the sofa with a hint of unease.

Picking up on her train of thought, the red head lowered himself down onto the sofa, rearranging the cushions to form a pillow, "Don't worry, I'll take the sofa. I'm used to it now anyway." His eyes scanned the young brunette, trying to add a bit of humour into his tone "Plus, the Pres wouldn't be too happy with me if I didn't put his little woman first."

She shot him back a hostile look, "I'm not his woman, Turk."

Reno couldn't help the smirk that crept onto his lips, as he practically whispered back, "Not yet."

Yuffie huffed, snatching back the blanket she'd given to him and throwing herself down on the futon in a rather dramatic fashion.

Why does he have to be such an arse?

Her clothes were still covered in blood and sweat, but she decided she'd just have to sleep in them; she wasn't about to take them off again. She dove under the few blankets she'd found and lay down, turning her back to him. She felt so angry still. The way he mocked her about her 'relationship' with Rufus was one thing, but he'd practically had his tongue down her throat only a few hours ago. He'd looked at her with such sincerity earlier that she couldn't help herself. She'd wanted him, wanted the comfort he could bring her. So why had he stopped? He'd made out like it was for some 'noble' reason, but Reno wasn't like that. He was selfish, cocky and impulsive; someone who lived moment to moment, only caring about getting maximum satisfaction and entertainment. So why? She couldn't understand it.

The young woman nestled her head further against the thin futon mattress and tried to clear her head. The sooner she fell asleep, the better.

The next time Yuffie opened her eyes, it was past midnight. She rubbed her face with her palms. The room was not as dark as she thought it should be, as the lights from the street outside filtered through the fabric of the curtains, bathing everything in a dark blue haze. She stared at the wall for a few moments, taking in the quietness of the room, before turning around as quietly as possible. She tried to focus on the form lying on the sofa beside her. His eyes were closed, his chest moving slowly in time with his breath. A slight guilt crawled over her as she noticed the blood stained shirt he'd used as a make shift cover; maybe she had been a little unfair earlier.

Reaching round to grab one of the blankets lying on her futon, she crawled a little closer, kneeling beside the sofa and carefully removing the shirt laying across his chest. She had meant to replace it with the cover in her hands, but she found herself coming to a halt, as her gaze fell to his shoulder. Another wave of guilt washed over her. She hadn't acknowledged it, but she was pretty sure he had pushed her out of harms way earlier. He hadn't brought it up either, which seemed strange. Didn't he want to tease her about being in his debt or mock her clumsiness? She was suddenly startled out of her thoughts when the supposedly sleeping red head spoke, his voice quiet, as his eyes remained closed.

"Girly, I know I'm pretty, but it's rude to stare."

When she didn't respond, he cracked an eye open to check he hadn't imagined the presense beside him. His instincts were validated when he found her kneeling before him, but he felt himself become uneasy, when the young brunette didn't move an inch. He'd expected her to scurry back to her futon with a yelp or a huff, embarrassed at being caught out, but instead she was looking at him, with an intent he couldn't place.

He pushed himself up on his elbow, his voice so low it was barely audible, "Girly…"

Yuffie didn't answer. Instead she edged even closer to the side of the sofa and lifted a hand up to his leg. She began to slowly trail her hand up his trouser leg as she kept his gaze locked with his. It took everything in her to hide the hesitancy in her movements and she hoped he couldn't hear her thundering heart as it beat painfully in her chest. As she reached his crotch, she softly brushed her hand across the bulge there, her touch feathery light, but purposeful.

She saw his jaw clench, but she didn't make to stop, moving her hand higher towards the band of his trousers, as she began to undo his belt. She could tell she was testing every last inch of the resolve he had when she saw his eyes darkened with an intensity that almost felt dangerous. As his belt came open and she slowly began to undo his zipper, she felt his body still under her fingers. She hesitated for a moment; she was in unknown territory here. Summoning all her courage and rebellion, as her hand slide down the front of his pants and tighten around him.

There was a loud slapping sound as Reno's body flew up and his hand grabbed hers, yanking her closer, his grip like iron. They were close enough now that she could practically feel the threat radiating from him.

"Girly…" His voice all but hissed out from between his teeth, "You keep going like this…" His grip tightened even more around her wrist, "Do not push me. I'm not a good guy."

She refused to cower under his gaze, as she gave a soft sigh, "I don't care right now."

They stayed completely still for what seemed like an eternity, as if both testing the others resolve. The first to give in was the red head, as he pushed her back down to the futon, and for the briefest moments she thought he had rejected her. The thought didn't last for long, as he soon joined her, his mouth crashing into hers with even more ferocity than before. Yuffie felt the air being crushed from her lungs as he pushed her possessively into the mattress, forcing his tongue into her mouth with a growl.

She struggled to speak as she wrestled her lips away from his, his mouth going instead to attack her throat, with his teeth slowing nibbling down to her collarbone.

"Re-Reno."

He made his way across her chest and up the other side of her neck "Don't…" he brought his lips up to her ear, his voice sounding strained, "I can't stop again."

"No, it's just-" Her voice escaped her in a yelp as she felt his hand slip past the waistband of her shorts, to the juncture between her thighs.

Her could feel her breathing become more shallow as his fingers twisted around her pants, pulling them to the side and beginning to stroke against her entrance. Suddenly he pulled his hand away and out from her shorts, lifting himself from her.

His breath sounded just as laboured as hers as he spoke, "This all needs to come off."

She nodded somewhat unsteadily, slipping her top up and over her head, before beginning to shimmy her shorts down. Before she could think about taking off her pants, Reno took over, pulling them down over her legs and bringing himself back over her. Propping himself up on one elbow, he returned his mouth to hers. She expected another onslaught of relentless kisses, but this time he was slower and more deliberate. His tongue brushed against her lips, waiting for them to part before lazily exploring her mouth. As he pushed further into her mouth, his hand made it's way to her bra, but he didn't bother to remove it. Instead, he just pulled the thin lacey cups down, where pushed her already perky breasts, higher up her chest. Reno's hand began to mold against her, his palm brushing gently against her nipple and earning a soft moan from the young brunette.

He smirked against her lips, "God girly…you're so sensitive."

"Shut up." She took this opportunity to rake her fingernails down his back, eliciting a harsh groan from the red head.

Reno couldn't help but chuckle, "You're very troublesome…"

His hand left her chest and returned to concentrate it's efforts between her thighs, his fingers stroking against her clitoris with a torturous delicacy. As her own arousal grew and became more desperate, Yuffie brought her hands around his hips and down the front of his trousers that still lay open. She hooked a finger over the waistband of his pants and pulled, slipping her hand inside and wrapping it around the evidence of his own desire and begun to stroke up and down it's length.

He groaned, "Stop."

She felt her heart clench, worried she'd done something wrong, "Why?"

The red head ran his tongue down her throat, "We'll get to me later… I want you to cum first."

"W-Why?" Yuffie could feel the heat rise in her cheeks at the bluntness of his words.

His lips went lower, with his tongue alternating between slowly flicking over her nipple and lazily circling it, "You've not done this before, have you?"

Her voice rose in pitch as she felt herself become defensive, "S-so?"

Without much warning, he slipped one of his fingers inside her, his mouth pushing harder against her as her back arched off the futon.

His words came out in a deep breath, his voice now heavy with need, "It'll feel better this way, trust me."

Yuffie didn't really have much of a chance to argue, as he added another finger to the first and begun to thrust them into her, his thumb once again working against her clitoris in rhythm with her fingers. She could feel the heat growing in her core as her back arched even higher. She couldn't think about what she was doing, or who she was doing it with. All she could do was try and hang on to the futon as the feeling inside her engulfed her mind and forced sounds from her throat that would have made her blush if she could actually hear them. He increased his pace and she threw her head back, curling her fingers into his skin.

As she felt her core begin to tighten, her breath caught in her throat, "R…Reno I-"

Aware of her impending orgasm, he returned his mouth to hers and swallowed the moan that sounded from her lips as she tightened around his fingers. Her body instinctively tried to wriggle away from the intensity of the sensation coursing between her thighs, but he hooked his leg around hers, holding her in place. As she finished riding out the attack on her senses, Reno withdrew his fingers, pulling his trousers and pants off and hooking his arm under one of her legs, pulling it open, as his leg pushed the other aside. His caught her eyes with his and rested their foreheads against one another.

"You need to tell me if it hurts too much…okay Yuffie."

She gave a shaky nod, feeling her excitement drop a little as uncertainty began to take over, but the gentleness in his eyes gave her all the reassurance she needed. He shifted over her as he lined himself up with her entrance, hesitating for a moment before placing a chaste kiss against his lips. He lowered his lips to her neck as he slowly pushed into her. A harsh breath sounded from Yuffie's lips at the sharp twinge of pain inside her, but she soon found it transformed into nothing more than dull ache as she relaxed against him.

Reno could feel the tension dissipate from his partner and smirked against her ear, "Not so bad, is it?"

He nipped her lobe, before moving over to her collarbone, his hips rocked against hers as he begun to thrust into her, pushing deeper as his speed increased. As he found a rhythm particularly pleasurably, the pain in his shoulder got the better of him and a groan of pain sounded from his throat. He stopped, slipping out of her and onto his back beside her.

The red head motioned towards her, "Can you go on top?"

Feeling a mixture of embarrassment at the thought of being so exposed and determination to hide said embarrassment, Yuffie nodded, moving to straddle him. Once she was steadily on top of him, she made to guide him back inside her. The sensation was different as before, her breath hitching in her throat as she noticed how deep he felt in this position. A knowing smirk played across the red head's lips as a blush tingled in her cheeks.

She slapped her palm against his chest, "Stop laughing at me Turk!"

His hands trailed up her thigh and grasped her hips, "I wouldn't dare girly…you might stop."

Realising the effect she was having on him filled her with a sense of excitement and satisfaction. It was almost liberating. With a new found confidence, the young brunette began to lift herself up and down, gliding against him in a tortuously slow rhythm. Reno groaned as his fingers dug in to her pale skin. His eyes found their way to hers for a moment before they fell closed, lost in the warmth of her. She didn't get to continue her teasing for long, as the red head's eyes flew back open and his own hips began to thrust up into her, earning a yelp of surprise from the young brunette.

His tempo increased as he watched her eyes flutter closed and her breasts bounce in a very pleasing with each thrust. He could only growl in appreciation of the absolute beauty before him, as he gave a final burst of thrusts before tensing beneath her.

They remained in that position for a few minutes as they both tried to catch their breath. Once her heart began to return to a more reasonable pace, Yuffie slowly lifted herself off the red head, falling beside him in a tangle of sheets. She stared at the ceiling as they lay in silence. Her whole body felt like jelly and a shiver began to prickle over her skin. She grasped the edge of a sheet and pulled it over herself, not daring to turn to the man beside her in fear of the creeping regret that she felt would surely come. Instead she closed her eyes, choosing to get lost in sense of contentment that she she was feeling at that moment.

Yuffie awoke a few hours later and found more throws than she remembered, draped over her body. She looked around, a small part of her expecting to find the red head asleep next to her, but she was alone. In fact, she was completely alone. Her brow furrowed as the realisation crept over her, before sitting bolt upright and further scanning the room. Where was he? Had he just left? No, he wouldn't, but then what was he doing? Why wouldn't he tell her he was leaving? Just as the panic began to rise in her chest, the door opened and Reno stepped through.

Noticing the young woman was not only very much awake, but looked a little like she was about to cry, his brow furrowed, before realisation hit and he motioned to the phone in his hand "Had a call…Didn't want to disturb your beauty sleep."

She relaxed only a little, as she nodded, "Any news?"

He made his way back over to the sofa and sat down, "They've said we can go back now. The Pres wants to see you too but…" His eyes flickered over her and the covers she had pulled up to her chest, "…you should probably have a shower first."

The young brunette looked down at herself, a blush forming as she knew he wasn't just referring to the blood and ash from yesterday, "Yeah…" She started to look around for her clothes, paling when she realised they were scattered about the place, with many being out of her current reach. Carefully getting to her feet and making sure the covers were securely wrapped around her, she started to collect them up.

When she bent down to collect her pants, she found them being picked up by the red head, who looked down at them with a small smirk, before slowly extending them out towards her, "Couldn't resist…"

She snatched them back with a scowl, which only made his smirk bigger. He took a step closer, voice lowering softly, "You know you could always leave them off…we have time for another round-"

Yuffie took a few quick steps backwards, eyeing him with a sudden wariness, "Don't get ahead of yourself Turk! Last night was just-"

He took another step closer, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked at her, "Just what?"

She didn't know what she was seeing in his eyes, but she felt it drain the irritation from her voice, "It was just…" She shrugged lightly, "I just needed a distraction. Don't think this will become a habit."

"A distraction…" Reno let out a low chuckle, his gaze becoming oddly distant, "…Yeah."

Rufus began to pace up and down his the room he was now using as a temporary office, as Tseng left through the door. The Turk had come to let him know that Reno and Miss Kisaragi had been informed of the new circumstances and they would be heading back to her apartment shortly. It also seemed Reno had been injured in yesterday's incident, something he had failed to mention yesterday. Apparently he had gotten it in an attempt to protect the young woman and she had taken care of him as best she could whilst they were at the safe house.

The young blonde's brow furrowed. He couldn't explain it, but no matter how much he thought about it, he truly couldn't understand why the Turk was choosing to go above and beyond for this particular mission. Reno had never been an especially enthusiastic employee, in fact he often doing things in a way that gave him the most pleasure, but often lead to trouble for everyone else. It was why he was partnered with Rude, who in contrast had a sense of restrain and order. Unfortunately the cool, collected one of the pair had been on another mission when Miss Kisaragi was due to arrive and Rufus had reluctantly given the job to Reno alone. Now he was beginning to wonder if he hadn't made a rather problematic mistake. There was something about the way those two interacted, he couldn't put his finger on it, but it made him uncomfortable.

He sat back down, his finger tracing along his jaw, as he made a mental note to keep a closer eye on the red head, before returning his attention to the papers that lay on his desk.

Author's Note: All reviews are greatly appreciated!