Something was burning the back of his neck in a small circle. Without even bothering to open his eyes, Reno scrabbled at it with one hand. Or would have, rather, if he hadn't had to struggle to free his hand from under something heavy and sharp. By the time he managed to brush off the ember, he could already feel a blister rising under his fingertips.
"Shit." he said. "What the hell?" his mouth was full of grit and small pebbles, and tasted as if he'd just eaten a bottle rocket. There was more hot grit against his face, he could feel it. It wouldn't be a good idea to open his eyes.
Just sitting up was as much of a struggle as freeing his hand had been. There were rocks and sheets of metal covering him from mid-back down. The metal made odd hollow sounds as it slid off of him. As soon as he sat up, a blast of scorching air hit him. Even the wind felt like it was on fire.
After scraping handfuls of damp muck away from his eyes, he finally dared to open them. A never-ending field of fires, broken concrete, and twisted scraps of metal greeted him. "Oh Christ, what happened?" He spat out a mouthful of what looked like wet ash. What he could see of his suit was torn to nearly beyond recognition; there were quite a few wet spots that were the familiar color of fresh blood as well. "No wonder I feel like a giant wearing cleats stepped on me." He inspected a cut on his hand that was still sluggishly oozing blood. "One apparently has."
A little digging unearthed his nightstick under a heap of charred wood. "Great, I found you," he said to the weapon, which remained unhelpfully silent, "but I'm still missing something, I know it." He squinted at the sky, which was black with smoke. It was impossible to tell if it was night or day. "What the hell happened? It's like something really...big...hit...oh FUCK!"
His trauma induced forgetfulness disappeared in an instant; he remembered seeing the Meteor overhead, then rushing Elena and Rude out of the Shinra building as the malevolent magic began to tear it apart around them. Then...light, green light, all around them as the life stream sprang up to do battle with Meteor. The Shinra building had collapsed then, which was when everything had gone black...
"No! NO! Shit!" Reno screamed to the ashen sky. "Elena! Rude! Where are you?" He stuck his nightstick into his belt, which had amazingly remained intact, and began to scramble through the rubble, looking for any sign of the other Turks. "Ok, slow down, deep breath," he muttered, "if they're trapped, panicking isn't going to do anyone any good."
Reno limped across the broken ground, looking for a scrap of blue fabric, a bit of blonde hair, or anything that would indicate where Elena and Rude were. He felt dizzy, and very sick, though he wasn't sure if it was caused by the stress, the heat, or the fact that he'd probably lost a great deal of blood. Only one thing mattered to him at that moment.
A piece of metal bent underfoot, and he tripped, falling headlong into a broken wall. For a moment, Reno saw nothing but pained stars. There was blood in his mouth. Still, he struggled to stand up...and then his hand encountered something yielding.
"Oh no..." He pulled debris away from the area, adding new cuts to his hands from the sharp metal scraps. A few frantic moments later, he pulled away the broken back of a chair to reveal a pale, delicate hand. A little more digging revealed a wrist, and then an arm, retreating under the huge slab of concrete. The arm was clad in torn fabric that had once been blue, and there were streaks of dull brown dried blood running in a maze across the pale skin.
"Elena?" Reno tugged experimentally on her hand. "Elena? Can you hear me? C'mon, kid, answer me." The only sound was the scorching wind blowing by. "Damnit, answer me! This isn't funny." Reno knelt down and peered under the concrete, squinting to see past the shadows. He could see a shock of matted blonde hair, and then another arm, this one with dark brown skin and a tattoo half visible on its wrist; Rude.
There was also blood, everywhere.
"Elena? Rude? Come on, say something. Move. Something!" Reno pushed at the unyielding concrete, straining against it. Sweat ran down his face, stinging all of the cuts on his forehead and the bridge of his nose. "Come on, you guys. This isn't funny!"
He didn't stop trying until a muscle in his left shoulder snapped, leaving his arm tingling; there was no strength left. He half-fell against the concrete slab and rested his forehead on his sleeve. His eyes were stinging. "This can't be happening. It just can't. This can't be real." The denial was useless, and he knew it. "See, Tseng, I told you not to leave me in charge. I told you I'd fail you. I couldn't get them out alive." he moaned. "Oh God..."
"God had nothing to do with this, I'm afraid. Don't give him credit for something he hasn't done." said a man's voice. The voice was deep, and held a dry note that brought deserts and other extremely hot places to mind.
"What?" Reno scrambled to his feet, jerking his nightstick from his belt. One of his belt loops popped off.
"Please, Reno, calm down. I can't hurt you unless you let me, after all."
Reno looked back and forth. There was still no one there, and no possible source for the mysterious voice. "Where the Hell are you? Show yourself, you little bastard!"
"Certainly." Before Reno's eyes, a man appeared, sitting on top of the concrete slab that had crushed Elena and Rude.; There was no warning or visual effect; one instant he wasn't there, then the next he was, sitting calmly on the burning hot concrete. The man seemed young, and looked like a curious cross between Reno and Sephiroth; he had long hair that was a bright, bloody red, pale skin, delicate features, and deep red eyes that seemed to glow with their own internal light. He was wearing black slacks and patent leather loafers, as well as a spotless white shirt that was unbuttoned to the waist; none of the dust or ash blowing through the air seemed to touch him.
As nonchalantly as he could, Reno hit the switch to charge up the tazer built into his nightstick. Sure, he could pretend that he saw strange men appear out of nowhere all the time. Not a problem. "Who are you?"
The man smiled. It was a crafty, secretive expression that invited all sorts of things, most of them involving tight black leather. "The Devil, of course."
For a long moment, Reno fought to laugh, or deny that such a thing was even possible. One look into the man's eyes was enough to convince him of the truth, however. In them, he saw nothing but fields of endless fire, and pain that nearly brought him to his knees. It took a great deal of effort to look away. "I see. To what do I owe this...honor?" Besides, what better place was there in the world for the Devil to be than the ruins of Midgar?
"Yes, I suppose it is an honor." the Devil mused. "I don't normally trouble Myself with individual cases, but if I do say so Myself, I'm doing rather a good job of it so far."
Reno looked at the wasteland surrounding the Devil, and did his best to forget that the last two people in the world that he could call 'family' were currently lying dead under his impromptu seat. "Yeah, I guess if you go for mindless destruction, this is pretty high on the scale."
The Devil's smile broadened at that. "Why, thank you. I do try."
There was a long, slightly uncomfortable pause. "So," Reno finally said, "why are you here, if you don't mind me asking."
"Easy question." the Devil replied. "I didn't actually manage to accomplish My first objective with this little play session, and I'm rather upset about it."
"You killed a lot of people. That ought to make you happy."
"You see, that's where you mortals have the wrong idea." the Devil said, standing up. He started to pace around, his feet barely touching the ground. "It's not really about how much destruction there is, though that is a side benefit. It's about souls...whoever has the most in the end will win, you understand Today was a fairly good day, in that most of the souls to come out of this were Mine, but I'm not exactly satisfied."
"Why would that be?" Reno asked. He watched the Devil warily. While the Devil had said he couldn't hurt him directly, he wasn't prepared to trust the Father of Lies.
"You see, most of those that died here were devoted servants of Mine; if they'd kept on living, they would have brought Me more souls in the end. Their deaths were rather unfortunate." the Devil shook his head. "This disaster was bound to happen no matter what; I had no way of directing it. I'd just hoped that I could take one soul in particular and salvage the situation."
Reno took a careful step back. He had a nasty feeling he already knew what the answer would be, but he had to ask anyway. "And who exactly were you after?"
The Devil smiled most charmingly. "Why you, of course, My dear Reno."
"Woah, let's stop right there." Reno waved a hand toward the Devil. His stomach felt as if it had shrunk several sizes. "I think you're making a huge mistake, here. I'm not that important."
"But you are." the Devil tucked his thumbs in his waistband. "You've been a faithful servant of Mine for years now, Reno, even without knowing it. You've made Me proud. You've done My work without a qualm or the slightest hesitation."
Reno's suddenly felt ill. "It was just a job."
"But you enjoyed it, and went about it with a commendable amount of glee. I love you hired thug boys; you're always the best." Suddenly, the Devil stopped smiling, his beautiful face twisting into a scowl. He walked deliberately toward Reno. "So what in Heaven's, if you'll excuse the curse, name is wrong with you? You've lost the ruthlessness that made you special to Me."
Reno, who had been backing up a step for each step the Devil took toward him, bumped into a broken piece of concrete. His legs nearly gave way, and he sat. "I guess I've just found reason to reevaluate my life." he said, an odd smile on his face. "A lot's happened in the last several months...several years, really."
"That is exactly the problem." the Devil sneered. "When you lot start going good, there's nothing to do but grab you while you're still in reach. At the rate you're going, you'll end up helping the other side. I can't have that." the Devil sighed quietly, now simply looking tired. He pushed a lock of hair out of his eyes with one hand. "It's terrible really." he said. "I feel so betrayed...it's very true that nothing hurts so much as the sting of an ungrateful child."
"I think you're an expert on that." Reno muttered.
"Too true." the Devil laughed. "But enough of this cheerful banter. I haven't got all eternity."
"So you want my soul, huh? Why not just kill me?"
"Against the rules, My boy. I can't just go about and kill anyone I wish; if I could, I would." the Devil shook his head. "No, I have to use circumstances at hand. As it is, I'm not going to have another opportunity to kill you for at least three more years. That will take far too long. I was all set to snuff you out this time, and look how it worked out." the Devil curled his lip. "Your disgusting friends had to get all selfless and push you out of the way."
Reno closed his eyes for a moment, fighting back an onslaught of tears. Maybe he really was going soft. "Those fucking idiots." he muttered.
"Exactly. So why don't we just get this over with, so you can go insult them in person." the Devil smiled. "Deal?"
"Wait a minute." Reno stood quickly. "If they were stupid enough to prefer to save me over themselves, I'm not going to let that go to waste. I know how these things work. I don't have to go quietly; you have to challenge me to a contest or something."
The Devil let out a long-suffering sigh. "You have to make this difficult, don't you?"
It was Reno's turn to grin. "Just ask Tseng, if you ever see him out there. He'll tell you I live for it."
"I have no doubt." the Devil replied. "So fine. What's you game? Cards?"
Reno shook his head. "I don't think so. I know better than to trust a deck I haven't stacked myself."
"Music? Perhaps a contest of violins?"
"No musical talent. No way."
"Chess?"
Reno appeared to consider that for a moment. "No, I don't think so. I haven't played in years."
"You're very uncooperative, you know that." the Devil said.
"I think it's one of my better qualities."
The Devil crossed his arms over his chest. "How about Badminton?"
"Nope."
"Snakes and Ladders?"
"Definitely not."
"Truth or Dare?"
"Not in this lifetime..."
Nearly three hours later, they were still arguing over what sort of game to play. Reno, for once, managed to maintain his temper; he was actually enjoying himself as the Devil became increasingly frustrated. "Dice?"
"I know better than to play any game that it's possible to cheat at."
The Devil looked toward the sky, his face a mask of hurt. "Why does everyone assume that I have to cheat?"
"Because you always do."
"That is beside the point." the Devil gently massaged his temples with his hands. "Fine, fine, this my final offer. We'll play a game of 'Shock.' Whoever manages to shock the other the most wins. All right?"
Reno considered for a moment and nodded. "If that's your final offer, I guess I can't refuse, right?"
"Finally." the Devil clapped his hands together. "I'll go first then, shall I? When I win, you'll come quietly with me..."
"Hold your horses." Reno cut the Devil off. "If you win, fine, I'll go with you quietly and you can cheerfully torment me for the rest of eternity. I'll even try not to complain." he ignored the Devil's muttered 'Well, that takes all the fun out of it, doesn't it.' and continued on. "But if, by some stretch of the imagination, I manage to win, I get something in return."
"You get to live," the Devil snapped, "isn't that enough for you?"
"Nope." Reno shook his head. "You already told me that you won't be able to try to take me out for at least another three years. I could walk off now and keep living. No, I want them back."
"Who?"
"Don't play innocent. It's pretty unbelievable." Reno made a face. "I want Elena and Rude back."
The Devil smiled secretively. "Certainly. If you win."
"And I want them to be alive."
The Devil's smile faded. "Fine."
"And unhurt."
"Fine."
"And untraumatized mentally; I want them back to normal."
"Fine."
"And I want them standing right here." Reno pointed to a spot only a few inches away from them. "No bringing them back to life still under the slab, or buried in molten lava up to their necks or anything like that."
The Devil was by now scowling. "You're really taking all of the fun out of this."
Reno smiled sweetly. "I've worked with too many lawyers, man. I know I better close up all the loopholes I can."
"Fine." the Devil snarled. "I've already wasted enough of my time. Let's get started then, shall we?" The was all the warning Reno had; the Devil raised his arms to the sky, and flames leaped up around the two men. A howling wind whipped past them, momentarily blinding Reno with dust. "I think, for a start, let's just take a look at what awaits you in Hell!" the Devil shouted over the wind.
Devils leapt up around Reno, all of them shrieking in voices that would drive most mortals mad in seconds. They ripped into his clothing and skin with claws of bone, laughing all the while as Reno merely clenched his teeth until he thought they would break. He was dragged down through fires, and presented with images of the horrors left to sinners; screaming women raped by demons, unfortunate men carved into pieces and then sewn back together with gut threads in an endless cycle. They descended through a wasteland of sharpened icicles with frozen bodies spitted on them, and a murky pit of green water where souls drowned for all time and were torn at by black-skinned sharks. Still, the descended, for an eternity...
It took Reno a long moment to realize that the images had ended. His hands were clenched into pale, shaking fists; there were crimson threads of blood running from beneath his fingernails, where he'd cut into his own palms. Reno closed his eyes tightly for a moment, trying to clear his mind, and also keep his stomach from rebelling. When he could bring himself to look again, the Devil was standing in front of him, arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face.
"Feeling a little shocked, Reno? Would you like to acknowledge defeat now?"
Reno slowly stood, forcing his hands to relax. "Not shocked." he said. "Disgusted. Discomfited. Nauseated. But not shocked." Reno shook his head. "You obviously didn't pay much attention to how my childhood was. This was like strolling down a lane of memories I've been trying to forget. So no, I don't admit defeat. I don't even think you're in the running." He closed his eyes. "What you've shown me is just how I'll feel for the rest of my life, if I'm alone. It's my turn now."
The Devil narrowed his eyes. "Have it your way." he said. "Take you best shot."
"I intend to." Reno took a deep breath to calm himself down. He carefully straightened the tattered remnants of his shirt, doing his best to ignore how some of the tears looked suspiciously like claw marks. Then he slowly sauntered toward the Devil, putting on the faintly drugged smile that someone had once called his 'bedroom mask.'
The Devil stood his ground as Reno approached, but his angry look was replaced by one of confusion. "What are you doing?"
"Hush," Reno said quietly as he stopped in front of the Devil, "it's my turn." Without another word, he slipped a hand behind the Devil's head and pulled him forward into the most passionate kiss he could muster up. He licked the Devil's soft lips, then carefully slid his tongue between them. The Devil's bright red hair, so like his own, was very soft under his fingers.
When he let go and drew back, the Devil's deep red eyes were wide with startlement. "What--" That was all he had time to say before the business end of Reno's nightstick connected with his groin and delivered nearly 20,000 volts.
"You bastard!" The Devil shrieked, blown backwards by the force. As he flew through the air, he disintegrated into ash, until there was nothing left to hit the ground.
Reno only smiled, thumbing the switch on his nightstick off. "I win." he said quietly.
An instant later, Rude and Elena appeared in the spot that Reno had indicated. While their uniforms were nearly as bad off as his, they themselves were unharmed. The two looked around in confusion.
Elena spotted Reno first. "Reno! Oh my God, what the hell happened to you?"
Reno smiled, wincing as a split in his lip made its presence known. "Oh, out and about. Partying like normal. You know how it is."
"What happened to us? And to Midgar?" Elena squinted her eyes against the blowing dust. "I remember running out of the Shinra building, but..."
"You did wonderful, sweety. You and Rude both. You got through it a lot better then me, see?" He smiled. "Oh yeah, and I can see your panties. Nice tiger stripe."
Elena squeaked and tried to pull her shirt down enough to cover the large tear that had developed in her pants. "You asshole."
"How's that any different than normal?" Reno laughed. "Come on, let's get going before I fry like an egg out here. I need a cold beer or three." The three set off across the ruins of Midgar, heading for the mountains in the west and the promise of cool air and new life that they held.
Only the Devil watched them go, seated on his throne of broken concrete and still-smoldering fires and unnoticed by the mortals. "What did you say once? Oh yes...'No one can hope to beat the Devil, except the Devil's own.'" he laughed quietly. "You did good, kid. Did Me proud."