Final Fantasy VII:
Restoration
Chapter Five
Unwelcomed
Author's Notes: Yes, at the end of this chapter I did make a reference to Reno's past... I was originally going to make a whole biography-type doujinshi, but it's been put on hold, so I decided to tell a little about it in the story... So at least I can make my views on how Reno grew up known...
Sonrei nearly collapsed on to the bed. Cid Highwind arrived there rather quickly, but still, it was two hours sitting out in freezing rain. Then begun the argument of whether or not Reno should come. Cid had already said that he didn't want any Turks aboard his Highwind, and he is a very stubborn man, but after about ten minutes of that and Vincent reminding him that he was once a Turk, the old pilot gave and let Reno on the ship. She was so tired. So very tired. Something about that man, Futago, seemed so familiar to her, but she knew she'd never seen him before in her life. The thief slowly closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.
**
Reno growled in frustration and rolled to his side. Damn it. Sleeping on a rock would've been better than this. He didn't need this shit now. He just wanted to go back to Costa del Sol, go to the bars, maybe get a tan, pick up a few girls... Anything would've been better than this. He rolled to his stomach and buried his face into his pillow in hope of either falling asleep naturally or depriving his brain of oxygen long enough for him to pass out. Either one sounded good. Everytime he thought he was relaxed enough to fall asleep some thought would spring into his head. He tried to relax, clear his mind of any and all thoughts. Sonrei... Wonder what she's doing now?
Damn it, Reno. You're never going to fall alseep at this rate...
She seemed more concerned over Vincent than me today...
Wait... What do I care? I shouldn't give a damn what that woman does... It's her life...
'You idiot' Was all I got... She defended him from a crowd of people....
Shut up...
Damn it...
I need sleep...
Sonrei...
Screw it... I give up.
Why am I thinking so much of Sonrei? Well, I guess she is sort of cute... But she's a real bitch sometimes... Her eyes.... Wonder what she's hiding behind those glasses?... What do I know about her really? I know she's a thief... She's weird sometimes... And she doesn't know things she should...
Shut-up, Reno... Sleep...
The Turk rolled to his back and closed his eyes as tight as he could. So much so, it hurt. Sleep was soon to follow. Finally.
**
Vincent breathed heavily, sweat drenched his forehead as his head thrashed about his pillow. The raven haired man rose quickly, his eyes wide. He looked around the room, searching for something unknown. Chaos... The demon grew stronger each day. And today's transformation proved it.... Or had he grown weaker? He wasn't sure. The man tiredly brought his right hand up and rubbed his face and clenched his clawed left hand. He didn't need much sleep at all. Not after what Hojo did to him... An hour or two a night would do.
Vincent sighed as he felt his temples throb. A nagging, dull pain. He begun messaging his forehead in hopes that would help. Of course it wouldn't. Everything about this night disturbed him greatly. With the appearance of Futago, and the way he almost lost control of Chaos. The former Turk sighed and stood up to prepare to dress.
**
Elena rubbed her eyes tiredly. She had finally gotten Rude off his ass and to the Golden Saucer where the owner, Dio, told them that Reno had left with some girl already. This was getting tiring. They left the Golden Saucer soon after that on some Golden Chocobos that the owner just happened to have on him. Her body still ached from the Battle Arena. She tried to get Rude to go, but he was already passed out in the Ghost Hotel. The blonde turned and glared to the man to her side.
"What?" He asked, puzzled.
"We could've already caught up to Reno if you hadn't decided to take a little vacation at Costa del Sol."
"Don't worry so much about Reno... I'm sure he's fine."
Elena lowered her head to the Chocobo. She was tired... She hadn't slept in almost two days... Or had it been even longer? She wasn't even sure anymore. I hope we reach Cosmo Canyon soon... I don't think I'll be able to stay up much longer...
***
Cid stood next to Hikoushi, now the full-fledged Pilot of the Highwind. He exhaled, expelling smoke from his lungs. He was glad he was going back home to Rocket Town soon... That is if Cloud didn't need him. He was getting too damned old for this shit.
Reno walked into the cockpit slowly. He quickly noted everyone in the room. Cid hovered over the pilot, two men were fiddling with some controls, and Vincent stood in a corner. The Turk turned to the closest person.
"Hey, have you seen-"
"Aaah! Oh, no!" The crew member screamed and frantically messed with some buttons as the ship rocked uncontrollably.
"Damn it, Reno, leave my crew the hell alone when they're workin'!" Cid snapped. Reno cleared his throat, trying to reclaim some dignity as he leaned against a wall.
"So, is Sonrei still asleep...?"
"No, she's on the upper deck."
Reno nodded once and left the cockpit. He quickly made his way up the stairs that lead to the upper deck and walked out. He looked at Sonrei who was leaning casually over the railing.
"Gods, this is beautiful!" She commented as she continued to watch the earth pass below them. Her hair flowed elegantly to the side as her eyes lit up with excitment.
"Did you need something, Reno?"
"My pay." The girl looked back, a bit disappointed. "Oh..."
"I'll give it to you when we land."
"Okay. What are you doing up here anyway?"
"Nothing... I was just looking around the ship. It interests me for some reason..."
"And I also wanted to think... About the man who attacked us..."
"Do you think he's following us?"
"I don't know... But I want to get back to Rude and Elena... They may be in danger."
"Yes, you're right," Sonrei added with a slight shrug.
"How do you feel, Reno?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your wounds.... Did they heal?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
***
Cloud paced back and forth in their meeting room. Reeve and Tifa both watched him intently. "Cloud... Maybe you should rest," Tifa suggested cautiously. Cloud glared toward the girl.
"Tifa, I'm fine. Right now I'm more worried about the man who just attacked Vincent."
"He almost won."
Tifa sighed quietly. She was extremely worried for Cloud. He was under a lot of stress. But he was a stubborn man sometimes. Cid and the others were supposed to be landing outside of Midgar within the hour. She wondered if they would bring more bad news. It seemed to be pouring in this week.
***
The group quickly exited the Highwind and begun their journey to Midgar. The sun was blinding, and the weather was almost unbearably warm. What was left of the city loomed in the foreground, contrasting with the rich green of the grass that was beginning to grow around, and the blue of the sky. As if it were a reminder of all the hell that had taken place over the last few months.
As if it were a reminder of all the evil that Shinra had done, as if it were meant to torture the soul. Everyone had their own reasons to despise Shinra and Midgar. Sonrei and Reno had grown up in the slums, both had to learn about death, pain, and suffering far too early in their lives. Cid's dreams had been destroyed by Shinra, and the evil company had taken Vincent's love and humanity away. But it was still home to at least three of them.
Sonrei sighed. She never thought she'd ever see this horrible place again. A part of her dreaded going back, and another was excited to be back. This was where she spent ten years of her life. Sure, most of it was spent just trying to keep alive and ward off the perverted scum, but it was still where she lived for most of her childhood. The girl glanced toward Reno and smiled slightly. She found herself growing fond of the ex-Turk each day. She knew he would probably leave as soon as he got his million gil though. He stared back at her with his blue-green eyes and smirked slightly. He leaned forward slightly and whispered, "Knew you'd want to get me in the sack before the end of this little trip..."
"What?!" She asked, her face flushing slightly. She glanced around quickly, trying to see if anyone had heard him. Luckily no one had.
"Ah, no reason to hide it... Hey, I am a very sexy man."
"You're an arrogant jackass, Reno. I wasn't even looking at you... Much less plotting some way to get you into bed." The Turk just laughed a little and smirked.
"Sure, babe."
***
Tifa slowly nursed a cup of tea in her hands, and raised it slowly to her lips. She savored the warmness of the liquid as it ran through her body. Cloud was sitting next to her, staring blankly into his cup. Cid and the others were supposed to have arrived nearly thirty minutes ago. Everyone in the room was a little on edge.
Reeve sat in a small chair in the corner, looking over old Shinra records on his laptop computer. His brow furrowed in concentration as his eyes darted back and forth while he read. The three glanced up as the door to the small building begun to open. Cid Highwind, Vincent Valentine, Reno of the Turks, and a girl stepped in.
"Who's the girl with you?" Cloud asked as he walked over to greet his friends, followed closely by Tifa and Reeve.
"Sonrei Tsukuru," She answered, stoically.
"Good to meet you, Ms. Tsukuru."
***
Everyone sat around the small meeting table. Sonrei glanced around, seemingly uninterested. Reno slouched down in his chair, joinging her. Vincent sat at the back, Cid sat beside him, liting a cigaratte up, Reeve and Tifa sat along side Cloud.
The spikey haired man cleared his throat, preparing to speak. "So, Vincent, tell us more about this man."
"He looked similiar to Sephiroth. He had long silver hair, he wore black clothing, and his skin was a medium brown. Though, there was something disturbing about him... He had black and red eyes... He couldn't have been human."
"Sonrei had brought some of Hojo's old blueprints with her. They were for a cloning machine... I fear someone has built the machine."
"Can you find out who?" Cloud queried.
"Yes... I know of someone who may be able to tell me something about this... But I must find her on my own." The blonde hesitated. Did he really want to let one of his friends go out on their own with an insane man on the loose?
"... Okay," He said with a nod.
"But if there's any danger, then call for help."
"Reno, do you know where Rude and Elena are?"
"Yeah, probably still in Junon."
"On the upper city or lower?"
"Upper."
"Cid will take you there. I want you to bring them back here... They may be in danger."
"Hey, the Turks-"
"This isn't the time to argue, Reno. Your pals' lives may be in danger. Do you want to help them? Do you want them to die?" Cloud said, his tone was cold and stern. The redhead looked down at the table before him and nodded.
"Fine. I'll bring them back here..."
"Tifa, Reeve, will you stay here? I want to check on Nanaki and Barret."
"Of course, Cloud," Tifa said with a slight smile.
"Sonrei, I want you to accompany me." The girl's head shot up and locked on Cloud.
"Hmm, you have no reason to watch me. I pose no threat to you. However, I will go with you... I have nothing better to do anyway."
"Good."
"Then it's settled. Vincent will find his friend, Cid and Reno will go find the other Turks, Reeve and Tifa will stay here to watch Midgar, while me and Sonrei will go check on the others tomorrow."
***
Reno walked down the street slowly, his head bowed. He had left shortly after the meeting. He held in his left hand a couple bottles of whiskey. At least with booze fogging his reality, he didn't actually have to give a damn what happened. It was like watching a show or something. He forgot what it was like going through a day sober. It was horrible. Sonrei haunted his thoughts, this Futago guy was nagging at him. He slowly lifted one of the bottle to his lips and downed as much of the bottles contents as he could. At least the liquor would get his mind off of his problems for a while. He walked to a deserted spot and sat down.
***
Sonrei sighed quietly and stood. She turned to Cloud who sat next to his girlfriend, Tifa. "Hey, I'm going out for a while... I have to give Reno something. I'll be back in an hour." Cloud eyed her suspiciously, but nodded anyway. The raven-haired girl quickly walked from the building and turned left. Truthfully, she just wanted all eyes off of her. They were constantly watching her. It made her a bit nervous. Living on the streets taught her never to draw attention to herself. Blend into the crowd.
The girl glanced up to see Reno sitting on a bench. He threw a bottle across the street, a loud shattering sound followed. "Hey," She called up. The redhead stared at her for a second then returned to looking at his feet.
"Getting drunk again, eh?"
"Why're you here, Sonrei?"
"I don't know... Cloud and his pals were making me a bit nervous."
"Well, I don't really want company..."
"Ooh... I just thought you'd want your pay..."
"Y'know, so you can go back to your oh-so-interesting life as a drunkard." Reno stared, shocked. What was her problem?
"What's with you?"
"Nothing... I'm tired I guess..." The girl replied.
"Look, don't come to me complainin' 'bout my lifestyle... if I wanna go get drunk every night, then I can, you got that? I'm a big boy."
"I'm sorry. I did step over the line," The girl apologized as she slumped down next to him.
Reno glanced over at the girl. Why did she have to be here? Couldn't she see that he was trying to avoid her? He didn't want to lie down tonight and have thoughts of her keep him up. He didn't like that. She gently removed her jacket and put it between them. She chewed on her bottom lip absent-mindedly and stared at the ground
"What are you hiding?" He finally asked.
"Nothing... I've nothing to hide. Tell me this, Reno, what are you hiding?"
"W-What?"
"You seem to be hiding a great deal... Just looking at you, I can see that."
"I'm not hidin' nothing. You're the one who hides behind those damned sunglasses... The one who doesn't know a damn thing 'bout Avalanche, or Midgar for that matter." The girl's head shot up.
"What are you talking about? I know about them..."
"Yeah, only after I told you." Yes, keep it up, Reno... She'll storm off soon... I won't have to worry about her... He thought as he reached for her sunglasses, She turned her head away quickly.
"Quit it, Reno! I mean it..."
"Why should I? Is it too much to ask just to see your eyes once? What, were you in SOLDIER or somethin'? I saw your eyes once..."
"I never was in SOLDIER... I already told you!"
"You're being a real bastard, Reno. Besides, I never press about your past..."
"I mean, how did you get those scars? Were you in some gang? Did you get'em on a mission? What?!" She asked as she stood and picked her jacket back up.
"My uncle gave them to me, okay? I had ran away for a year 'cause the bastard beat me, and drove my only girlfriend to suicide... "
"I came back after I graduated from Highschool to settle the past, and he decided to try to kill me instead. There, happy now?! Now your turn."
"I told you, I have nothing to hide!" Reno stood up angrily facing her.
"Why are you acting like this now, Reno? I thought we were friends..."
"Then you're a stupid little bitch." He instantly regretted his words. If he could've turned time back, he would've. He watched as Sonrei's head lowered and her bottom lip quivered slightly. She reached up and slapped him across the face.
"You... pathetic man... No, you pathetic murderer." He reached out and grabbed her wrist when she tried to walk away.
"Let me go, Reno."
"No. How do I know I can trust you? For all I know you led that guy there..." Reno said slowly as he pulled the girl to him and pulled the glasses from her face. Beautiful blue Mako eyes met his. Eyes that were holding tears back. Gods, he'd made her cry... He'd never seen her cry.
"Are you happy now, Reno? Just let me go... I'll leave the gil in your room.... I don't want to see you ever again."
"It's better this way... I'm not lookin' for new friends, and you wouldn't want to know me. I don't even wanna know me sometimes... Just go do your job for Cloud, then take your million gil and go some place nice." This was probably the most respectable thing he'd ever done in his life. Even though she'd spent most her life stealing, he could tell she had a good spirit. He didn't want to ruin that with his crimson stained past. He turned her hand over slowly and placed the sunglasses back in her hand. She quickly slipped them back on and ran away.
***
Sonrei ran quickly toward the Avalanche Headquarters. She opened the door and slammed it loudly behind her. Everyone present stared up at her. The one named Tifa begun to walk toward her. "Are you all right, Sonrei?" The younger girl cleared her throat and nodded slowly. She felt something wet drip from her cheek, and reached up curiously. Tears.
"I'm fine," She said as she made her way to her bedroom and slammed the door.
***
Reno staggered in the front door drunkenly. After Sonrei had left he bought three more bottles of whiskey. He hadn't been this drunk in a while. He looked around the room. Tifa, Cloud, Reeve, Vincent and Cid still sat around a table discussing various things. Tifa looked back toward him, giving him a dark look.
"What did you do to Sonrei?" She finally asked.
"Look I don't wanna talk 'bout it. I'm drunk as hell... I just wanna go to sleep," The Turk growled as he stumbled across the floor and into his bedroom. At least he assumed it was his room. He couldn't really remember, nor see very well. Ah, well.
***
Futago gracefully stepped toward the figure who stood, covered by shadows. He quickly ran a hand through his long silver hair as he glared evilly toward the other. "Greetings, Father."
"What is it?" The man in the shadows hissed, his voice cold and insane.
"I came to tell you about the battle..."
"The fight proved more difficult than I had originally thought... I would have still won, however, if it hadn't been raining and thundering. It would have been dangerous for me to continue with my electric charged sword."
"Next battle, I will not lose, Father. I will kill Vincent Valentine slowly for you, Father... He will suffer until his last breath."
"Good, good, Futago. You may go and heal yourself now." Futago nodded. He then turned quickly on his heel, rushing off. His long silver hair flowing elegantly behind him.
Restoration
Chapter Five
Unwelcomed
Author's Notes: Yes, at the end of this chapter I did make a reference to Reno's past... I was originally going to make a whole biography-type doujinshi, but it's been put on hold, so I decided to tell a little about it in the story... So at least I can make my views on how Reno grew up known...
Sonrei nearly collapsed on to the bed. Cid Highwind arrived there rather quickly, but still, it was two hours sitting out in freezing rain. Then begun the argument of whether or not Reno should come. Cid had already said that he didn't want any Turks aboard his Highwind, and he is a very stubborn man, but after about ten minutes of that and Vincent reminding him that he was once a Turk, the old pilot gave and let Reno on the ship. She was so tired. So very tired. Something about that man, Futago, seemed so familiar to her, but she knew she'd never seen him before in her life. The thief slowly closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.
**
Reno growled in frustration and rolled to his side. Damn it. Sleeping on a rock would've been better than this. He didn't need this shit now. He just wanted to go back to Costa del Sol, go to the bars, maybe get a tan, pick up a few girls... Anything would've been better than this. He rolled to his stomach and buried his face into his pillow in hope of either falling asleep naturally or depriving his brain of oxygen long enough for him to pass out. Either one sounded good. Everytime he thought he was relaxed enough to fall asleep some thought would spring into his head. He tried to relax, clear his mind of any and all thoughts. Sonrei... Wonder what she's doing now?
Damn it, Reno. You're never going to fall alseep at this rate...
She seemed more concerned over Vincent than me today...
Wait... What do I care? I shouldn't give a damn what that woman does... It's her life...
'You idiot' Was all I got... She defended him from a crowd of people....
Shut up...
Damn it...
I need sleep...
Sonrei...
Screw it... I give up.
Why am I thinking so much of Sonrei? Well, I guess she is sort of cute... But she's a real bitch sometimes... Her eyes.... Wonder what she's hiding behind those glasses?... What do I know about her really? I know she's a thief... She's weird sometimes... And she doesn't know things she should...
Shut-up, Reno... Sleep...
The Turk rolled to his back and closed his eyes as tight as he could. So much so, it hurt. Sleep was soon to follow. Finally.
**
Vincent breathed heavily, sweat drenched his forehead as his head thrashed about his pillow. The raven haired man rose quickly, his eyes wide. He looked around the room, searching for something unknown. Chaos... The demon grew stronger each day. And today's transformation proved it.... Or had he grown weaker? He wasn't sure. The man tiredly brought his right hand up and rubbed his face and clenched his clawed left hand. He didn't need much sleep at all. Not after what Hojo did to him... An hour or two a night would do.
Vincent sighed as he felt his temples throb. A nagging, dull pain. He begun messaging his forehead in hopes that would help. Of course it wouldn't. Everything about this night disturbed him greatly. With the appearance of Futago, and the way he almost lost control of Chaos. The former Turk sighed and stood up to prepare to dress.
**
Elena rubbed her eyes tiredly. She had finally gotten Rude off his ass and to the Golden Saucer where the owner, Dio, told them that Reno had left with some girl already. This was getting tiring. They left the Golden Saucer soon after that on some Golden Chocobos that the owner just happened to have on him. Her body still ached from the Battle Arena. She tried to get Rude to go, but he was already passed out in the Ghost Hotel. The blonde turned and glared to the man to her side.
"What?" He asked, puzzled.
"We could've already caught up to Reno if you hadn't decided to take a little vacation at Costa del Sol."
"Don't worry so much about Reno... I'm sure he's fine."
Elena lowered her head to the Chocobo. She was tired... She hadn't slept in almost two days... Or had it been even longer? She wasn't even sure anymore. I hope we reach Cosmo Canyon soon... I don't think I'll be able to stay up much longer...
***
Cid stood next to Hikoushi, now the full-fledged Pilot of the Highwind. He exhaled, expelling smoke from his lungs. He was glad he was going back home to Rocket Town soon... That is if Cloud didn't need him. He was getting too damned old for this shit.
Reno walked into the cockpit slowly. He quickly noted everyone in the room. Cid hovered over the pilot, two men were fiddling with some controls, and Vincent stood in a corner. The Turk turned to the closest person.
"Hey, have you seen-"
"Aaah! Oh, no!" The crew member screamed and frantically messed with some buttons as the ship rocked uncontrollably.
"Damn it, Reno, leave my crew the hell alone when they're workin'!" Cid snapped. Reno cleared his throat, trying to reclaim some dignity as he leaned against a wall.
"So, is Sonrei still asleep...?"
"No, she's on the upper deck."
Reno nodded once and left the cockpit. He quickly made his way up the stairs that lead to the upper deck and walked out. He looked at Sonrei who was leaning casually over the railing.
"Gods, this is beautiful!" She commented as she continued to watch the earth pass below them. Her hair flowed elegantly to the side as her eyes lit up with excitment.
"Did you need something, Reno?"
"My pay." The girl looked back, a bit disappointed. "Oh..."
"I'll give it to you when we land."
"Okay. What are you doing up here anyway?"
"Nothing... I was just looking around the ship. It interests me for some reason..."
"And I also wanted to think... About the man who attacked us..."
"Do you think he's following us?"
"I don't know... But I want to get back to Rude and Elena... They may be in danger."
"Yes, you're right," Sonrei added with a slight shrug.
"How do you feel, Reno?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your wounds.... Did they heal?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
***
Cloud paced back and forth in their meeting room. Reeve and Tifa both watched him intently. "Cloud... Maybe you should rest," Tifa suggested cautiously. Cloud glared toward the girl.
"Tifa, I'm fine. Right now I'm more worried about the man who just attacked Vincent."
"He almost won."
Tifa sighed quietly. She was extremely worried for Cloud. He was under a lot of stress. But he was a stubborn man sometimes. Cid and the others were supposed to be landing outside of Midgar within the hour. She wondered if they would bring more bad news. It seemed to be pouring in this week.
***
The group quickly exited the Highwind and begun their journey to Midgar. The sun was blinding, and the weather was almost unbearably warm. What was left of the city loomed in the foreground, contrasting with the rich green of the grass that was beginning to grow around, and the blue of the sky. As if it were a reminder of all the hell that had taken place over the last few months.
As if it were a reminder of all the evil that Shinra had done, as if it were meant to torture the soul. Everyone had their own reasons to despise Shinra and Midgar. Sonrei and Reno had grown up in the slums, both had to learn about death, pain, and suffering far too early in their lives. Cid's dreams had been destroyed by Shinra, and the evil company had taken Vincent's love and humanity away. But it was still home to at least three of them.
Sonrei sighed. She never thought she'd ever see this horrible place again. A part of her dreaded going back, and another was excited to be back. This was where she spent ten years of her life. Sure, most of it was spent just trying to keep alive and ward off the perverted scum, but it was still where she lived for most of her childhood. The girl glanced toward Reno and smiled slightly. She found herself growing fond of the ex-Turk each day. She knew he would probably leave as soon as he got his million gil though. He stared back at her with his blue-green eyes and smirked slightly. He leaned forward slightly and whispered, "Knew you'd want to get me in the sack before the end of this little trip..."
"What?!" She asked, her face flushing slightly. She glanced around quickly, trying to see if anyone had heard him. Luckily no one had.
"Ah, no reason to hide it... Hey, I am a very sexy man."
"You're an arrogant jackass, Reno. I wasn't even looking at you... Much less plotting some way to get you into bed." The Turk just laughed a little and smirked.
"Sure, babe."
***
Tifa slowly nursed a cup of tea in her hands, and raised it slowly to her lips. She savored the warmness of the liquid as it ran through her body. Cloud was sitting next to her, staring blankly into his cup. Cid and the others were supposed to have arrived nearly thirty minutes ago. Everyone in the room was a little on edge.
Reeve sat in a small chair in the corner, looking over old Shinra records on his laptop computer. His brow furrowed in concentration as his eyes darted back and forth while he read. The three glanced up as the door to the small building begun to open. Cid Highwind, Vincent Valentine, Reno of the Turks, and a girl stepped in.
"Who's the girl with you?" Cloud asked as he walked over to greet his friends, followed closely by Tifa and Reeve.
"Sonrei Tsukuru," She answered, stoically.
"Good to meet you, Ms. Tsukuru."
***
Everyone sat around the small meeting table. Sonrei glanced around, seemingly uninterested. Reno slouched down in his chair, joinging her. Vincent sat at the back, Cid sat beside him, liting a cigaratte up, Reeve and Tifa sat along side Cloud.
The spikey haired man cleared his throat, preparing to speak. "So, Vincent, tell us more about this man."
"He looked similiar to Sephiroth. He had long silver hair, he wore black clothing, and his skin was a medium brown. Though, there was something disturbing about him... He had black and red eyes... He couldn't have been human."
"Sonrei had brought some of Hojo's old blueprints with her. They were for a cloning machine... I fear someone has built the machine."
"Can you find out who?" Cloud queried.
"Yes... I know of someone who may be able to tell me something about this... But I must find her on my own." The blonde hesitated. Did he really want to let one of his friends go out on their own with an insane man on the loose?
"... Okay," He said with a nod.
"But if there's any danger, then call for help."
"Reno, do you know where Rude and Elena are?"
"Yeah, probably still in Junon."
"On the upper city or lower?"
"Upper."
"Cid will take you there. I want you to bring them back here... They may be in danger."
"Hey, the Turks-"
"This isn't the time to argue, Reno. Your pals' lives may be in danger. Do you want to help them? Do you want them to die?" Cloud said, his tone was cold and stern. The redhead looked down at the table before him and nodded.
"Fine. I'll bring them back here..."
"Tifa, Reeve, will you stay here? I want to check on Nanaki and Barret."
"Of course, Cloud," Tifa said with a slight smile.
"Sonrei, I want you to accompany me." The girl's head shot up and locked on Cloud.
"Hmm, you have no reason to watch me. I pose no threat to you. However, I will go with you... I have nothing better to do anyway."
"Good."
"Then it's settled. Vincent will find his friend, Cid and Reno will go find the other Turks, Reeve and Tifa will stay here to watch Midgar, while me and Sonrei will go check on the others tomorrow."
***
Reno walked down the street slowly, his head bowed. He had left shortly after the meeting. He held in his left hand a couple bottles of whiskey. At least with booze fogging his reality, he didn't actually have to give a damn what happened. It was like watching a show or something. He forgot what it was like going through a day sober. It was horrible. Sonrei haunted his thoughts, this Futago guy was nagging at him. He slowly lifted one of the bottle to his lips and downed as much of the bottles contents as he could. At least the liquor would get his mind off of his problems for a while. He walked to a deserted spot and sat down.
***
Sonrei sighed quietly and stood. She turned to Cloud who sat next to his girlfriend, Tifa. "Hey, I'm going out for a while... I have to give Reno something. I'll be back in an hour." Cloud eyed her suspiciously, but nodded anyway. The raven-haired girl quickly walked from the building and turned left. Truthfully, she just wanted all eyes off of her. They were constantly watching her. It made her a bit nervous. Living on the streets taught her never to draw attention to herself. Blend into the crowd.
The girl glanced up to see Reno sitting on a bench. He threw a bottle across the street, a loud shattering sound followed. "Hey," She called up. The redhead stared at her for a second then returned to looking at his feet.
"Getting drunk again, eh?"
"Why're you here, Sonrei?"
"I don't know... Cloud and his pals were making me a bit nervous."
"Well, I don't really want company..."
"Ooh... I just thought you'd want your pay..."
"Y'know, so you can go back to your oh-so-interesting life as a drunkard." Reno stared, shocked. What was her problem?
"What's with you?"
"Nothing... I'm tired I guess..." The girl replied.
"Look, don't come to me complainin' 'bout my lifestyle... if I wanna go get drunk every night, then I can, you got that? I'm a big boy."
"I'm sorry. I did step over the line," The girl apologized as she slumped down next to him.
Reno glanced over at the girl. Why did she have to be here? Couldn't she see that he was trying to avoid her? He didn't want to lie down tonight and have thoughts of her keep him up. He didn't like that. She gently removed her jacket and put it between them. She chewed on her bottom lip absent-mindedly and stared at the ground
"What are you hiding?" He finally asked.
"Nothing... I've nothing to hide. Tell me this, Reno, what are you hiding?"
"W-What?"
"You seem to be hiding a great deal... Just looking at you, I can see that."
"I'm not hidin' nothing. You're the one who hides behind those damned sunglasses... The one who doesn't know a damn thing 'bout Avalanche, or Midgar for that matter." The girl's head shot up.
"What are you talking about? I know about them..."
"Yeah, only after I told you." Yes, keep it up, Reno... She'll storm off soon... I won't have to worry about her... He thought as he reached for her sunglasses, She turned her head away quickly.
"Quit it, Reno! I mean it..."
"Why should I? Is it too much to ask just to see your eyes once? What, were you in SOLDIER or somethin'? I saw your eyes once..."
"I never was in SOLDIER... I already told you!"
"You're being a real bastard, Reno. Besides, I never press about your past..."
"I mean, how did you get those scars? Were you in some gang? Did you get'em on a mission? What?!" She asked as she stood and picked her jacket back up.
"My uncle gave them to me, okay? I had ran away for a year 'cause the bastard beat me, and drove my only girlfriend to suicide... "
"I came back after I graduated from Highschool to settle the past, and he decided to try to kill me instead. There, happy now?! Now your turn."
"I told you, I have nothing to hide!" Reno stood up angrily facing her.
"Why are you acting like this now, Reno? I thought we were friends..."
"Then you're a stupid little bitch." He instantly regretted his words. If he could've turned time back, he would've. He watched as Sonrei's head lowered and her bottom lip quivered slightly. She reached up and slapped him across the face.
"You... pathetic man... No, you pathetic murderer." He reached out and grabbed her wrist when she tried to walk away.
"Let me go, Reno."
"No. How do I know I can trust you? For all I know you led that guy there..." Reno said slowly as he pulled the girl to him and pulled the glasses from her face. Beautiful blue Mako eyes met his. Eyes that were holding tears back. Gods, he'd made her cry... He'd never seen her cry.
"Are you happy now, Reno? Just let me go... I'll leave the gil in your room.... I don't want to see you ever again."
"It's better this way... I'm not lookin' for new friends, and you wouldn't want to know me. I don't even wanna know me sometimes... Just go do your job for Cloud, then take your million gil and go some place nice." This was probably the most respectable thing he'd ever done in his life. Even though she'd spent most her life stealing, he could tell she had a good spirit. He didn't want to ruin that with his crimson stained past. He turned her hand over slowly and placed the sunglasses back in her hand. She quickly slipped them back on and ran away.
***
Sonrei ran quickly toward the Avalanche Headquarters. She opened the door and slammed it loudly behind her. Everyone present stared up at her. The one named Tifa begun to walk toward her. "Are you all right, Sonrei?" The younger girl cleared her throat and nodded slowly. She felt something wet drip from her cheek, and reached up curiously. Tears.
"I'm fine," She said as she made her way to her bedroom and slammed the door.
***
Reno staggered in the front door drunkenly. After Sonrei had left he bought three more bottles of whiskey. He hadn't been this drunk in a while. He looked around the room. Tifa, Cloud, Reeve, Vincent and Cid still sat around a table discussing various things. Tifa looked back toward him, giving him a dark look.
"What did you do to Sonrei?" She finally asked.
"Look I don't wanna talk 'bout it. I'm drunk as hell... I just wanna go to sleep," The Turk growled as he stumbled across the floor and into his bedroom. At least he assumed it was his room. He couldn't really remember, nor see very well. Ah, well.
***
Futago gracefully stepped toward the figure who stood, covered by shadows. He quickly ran a hand through his long silver hair as he glared evilly toward the other. "Greetings, Father."
"What is it?" The man in the shadows hissed, his voice cold and insane.
"I came to tell you about the battle..."
"The fight proved more difficult than I had originally thought... I would have still won, however, if it hadn't been raining and thundering. It would have been dangerous for me to continue with my electric charged sword."
"Next battle, I will not lose, Father. I will kill Vincent Valentine slowly for you, Father... He will suffer until his last breath."
"Good, good, Futago. You may go and heal yourself now." Futago nodded. He then turned quickly on his heel, rushing off. His long silver hair flowing elegantly behind him.