Author's Note: My mother recently bought that new Garth Brooks CD, Scarecrow, and, yeah, I admit it, I took a liking to country music. I grabbed some of my mom's older Garth CDs and made a personal favorite from this song. .. And, yeah, it took some nudging from my friend to listen to his music as well. You know who you are.

As my debut work here on Fanfiction.net..

Standing Outside the Fire

We call them cool
Those hearts that have no scars to show
The ones that never do let go
And risk the tables being turned

Reno snorts, flippantly shoving the hair from his face. He frowns at the smokey surroundings in the small Junon bar, sunglasses hiding his shadowed eyes; the light makes the twin scars adorning his cheeks stand out. Admirable and fearful eyes cut the Turk's way often.

We call them fools
Who have to dance within the flame
Who chance the sorrow and the shame
That always comes with getting burned

The sound of a ringing cell phone fills the air, Reno visibly sighing as he picks it up. Murmurs echo through the bar, and the younthful man stands up, shutting the cell with a resounding clack. He walks out of the bar without thought of paying for his drink.

But you've got to be tough when consumed by desire
'Cause it's not enough just to stand outside the fire

Reno strolls outside, signaling the helicopter with a brisk wave of his gloved hand. Exhaling audibly, he pulls a gun from his belt and checks the ammunition, waiting for his transportation to land.

We call them strong
Those who can face this world alone
Who seem to get by on their own
Those who will never take the fall

He climbs in the helicopter, then nods at Rude as he takes a seat. The stoic Turk motions at the pilot, who took off from the ground. Reno lights a cigarette, inhaling deeply and closing his eyes. He relaxes in the seat.

We call them weak
Who are unable to resist
The slightest chance love might exist
And for that forsake it all

The copter flies for a while, then lands in a different location. Elena climbs in, flashing the two a quick smile before quickly extinguishing it, replacing the childing look with an impassive frown.

They're so hell-bent on giving walking a wire
Convinced it's not living if you stand outside the fire

Elena presses her face against the window of the helicopter, brown eyes wide. She begins to allow a small grin to pass across her face, but bites her lip and surpresses it. Reno smirks, almost chuckling, then glances outside himself. Rude mutters something darkly on a cell phone, then grunts an affirmative.

Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire

Reno nudges Elena, who jerks slightly and glances over at them. Rude calls something out to the pilot, who complies with orders and brings the copter down to a landing point. Rude quickly mumbled some orders, gesturing at the cell phone. The other two nod, Elena's quick, almost perky, and Reno's slightly slack, confident.

There's this love that is burning
Deep in my soul
Constantly yearning to get out of control
Wanting to fly higher and higher
I can't abide
Standing outside the fire

The door of the helicopter opens, and the three step out, two cautious and the other almost sauntering. The town before them is bustling with activity, and the Turks check their ammunition and materia. All set, they begin to walk forward, a team. Missions await.

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Blech, whatever.. I should have picked a better thing to start with on FF.net.. maybe I'll post some more stuff off my site if things go well. Any reviews are, of course, welcome.

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The octopus is said to have the biggest brain of any invertebrate.