Angel

by Reno Spiegel

Reno, the newly appointed bouncer at a bar called The Launch Pad, has his life interrupted as Tifa Lockheart reenters his memories. But, is there more to this story than just an odd meeting?

1. Reviving Memories

-Disclaimer- I do not own Final Fantasy Seven, nor do I own its characters and places. I just own this Fic.

Part 1: Reviving Memories



The cold winds of February sent his hair whipping wildly as he stepped from the door, stinging his face slightly.

The blue suit pressed against Reno's skin and his metal-bottomed shoes tapped loudly against the sidewalk, the man still wearing his Turk uniform. Maybe it had something to do with his past; with the man who had given it to him; with Tseng. But he knew it was foolish to hang onto something for that long, even if it belonged to someone, when you weren't related to them.

Right?

Gazing absently toward the sky, Reno stared at the stars and halted his steps. He didn't look at these enough in Junon, these heavenly bodies hanging over the metropolis. Further into Junon, the lights from buildings diminished their presence, but out here, they shone as brightly as they had back in Kalm. But Kalm was far away now, both physically and mentally.

She moved there.

He left.

Yes, Tifa Lockheart had moved into Kalm and sent him away, but under his own will. Even though the incident at Sector Seven had been years before, Tifa would most likely never forgive him for that. Many things that had transpired three years into the past would haunt his soul until the day he was cold in the ground, and perhaps in the Lifestream. But Reno was not one who hated Tifa, had even come to her bar to tell her to leave the Sector that day.

But Tifa Lockheart wasn't at the bar when he came.

'She wanted you dead.'

And she most likely still did, putting a pang deep in Reno's gut. Why did he care, though? He was a Turk, and she was in that blasted group. That AVALANCHE, the ones he'd been ordered to exterminate.

Reno started walking again.

Still, he wanted her to leave the Sector, for she'd been a good friend of his up until that day. He'd given her the gloves she always wore because she had handed over the mag-rod he used for a weapon, Reno one of her regular customers.

He still had the picture Rude had taken. He still had the picture of when he had come over on her birthday around one in the morning for a joke, an unexpected cake in his arm.

'She's probably holed up with Strife.'

Was this voice in his head to taunt him? It sure seemed like it, the way he was thinking right now.

Still, although he was Reno and hadn't exactly stayed away from the women, it was hard to stray your thoughts from a girl you. . .

Thankful for the interruption, Reno turned and walked into another door, this one to the bar he had taken a job at a few days ago. The Launch Pad, it had been called, and wasn't the best in Junon. The workers there all had their stories, and Reno was no different, being an ex-Turk. This was the place where the rejects were, to put it straight.

The stench of cigarettes and Vodka hit him as he walked in, but he quickly recovered and looked around. A blonde girl, just over nineteen, trotted over to him, a tray balanced against her hip. She looked him up and down and slugged him in the chest with an open palm, the hint of a smirk on her lips.

"You're late, Reno."

Reno shrugged. "You're acting like a bitch, Tarah," he said honestly, returning the smirk.

Tarah glared at him, but this was the usual Reno for you. She thumbed over her shoulder and readjusted her grip on her tray. "Karen's been waitin', but she's on a rampage today. Be nice," she stated.

Reno nodded and moved around her, on his way to the kitchen, where Karen was. She was the head cook, but Reno had been hired as an assistant, and she had a very short temper. When Tarah said she was on a rampage, it was good to stay away from Karen, but where was the fun in that?

Reno strode into the kitchen and pulled an apron from a hook, Karen grumbling and working over the grill. She could cook, though. All four of the employees were good at their jobs, along with a Wutai man who controlled the bar.

"Pleasant day," Reno said loudly, taking a slip of paper from over the delivery window. Karen swung around, spatula held defensively.

"I smelled you when you entered Junon, Reno," she said with a fake cheeriness before turning back to her work. She was a bit younger than he was, but could act like Reno's mother at any time.

Oh, but Reno knew he could push Karen further than this, and was going to do it. He walked to the burners and turned a few knobs, washing his hands and tossing a patty of beef onto the grill. Reno was a good cook, but Karen was by far better. It was around eleven, which is why Reno had come in. The second part of his job was fun for him in a way.

"You forgot to wash the damn spatula, you twit!" Karen growled, slapping him on the back of the head.

She could be nice when she had to, but when overworked, she was a demon at the stove.

Reno shrugged, flipping the burger again to make her even more irritated. In fact, he had washed the spatula, but wasn't about to say it. "Oops."

Karen growled and shoved him to the sink, putting the water on its maximum.

Reno smirked and shoved the spatula under. Being as flat as it was, the water jutted off and showered both of them.

Karen wanted to screech, but calmly went back to her work at the grill, having two orders of a burger basket and some stir fry waiting for her.

Around twelve, Reno was awarded as the first shouts of the night floated into the room, followed by a few roars like cheers. Reno calmly took his apron off and pulled his mag-rod from his belt, walking into the main bar area. A few drunks were going at it, but the fight didn't seem to be growing at all.

"The guy in the jacket started it, but the guy in the red ain't throwin' too many punches," Tarah helpfully informed him.

Reno nodded and scrambled through the crowd, finally coming to an opening where the two were slugging at each other. Their attention hit him as his mag-rod sparked, a large ball of light.

"Wrong place to try that," Reno scolded, hitting both of them easily. They went down, but hadn't gotten the worst of his rod, and were just unconscious.

Tarah gave him an approving smile as he turned around, the rest of the patrons seeming to sober up. The bartender, ViYlic, was quick to put the two outside, and Reno made his way back to the kitchen.

The work went slowly after that, and in around an hour, they were closing up, Reno having to shove an undercooked burger into a take-home box. The crowd gradually thinned out, and Karen was out before they had even officially closed. But Reno knew they'd clean up tomorrow before they opened up.

He made his way to a seat at a table when they really had closed, ViYlic sitting behind the bar and Tarah jumping into Reno's lap to irritate him. "We still haven't heard your story," she said slowly, eyeing him carefully.

Reno groaned, not liking to have to tell how he worked at ShinRa. Still, a pleading look from Tarah got him to launch into it reluctantly.

==========================================================================

"Well, looks like it ends here," Reno commented.

The Turks had left Midgar, only to wind up in Kalm. Rude had already taken off to Wutai, but Elena had stuck with Reno for the ride to his other home, more of a shack.

Elena nodded, looking at him sadly. "You sure you're gonna be okay here?" she asked, concerned. She knew Reno had to live alone as a child, most of the times sneaking food from stands in Sector Six, and she didn't really want him to be on his own again.

Reno just nodded, clapping her shoulder rather roughly. Even he could see this was a bit hard for her to do, leaving the Turks and all. It wasn't easy for him either, and as much as he would've liked to offer her a place to stay, he had to decline his own offer to do that. That just wasn't something he'd do, even being Reno.

Elena sighed, "I hope you'll do well." She wrapped him in a friendly hug for a moment, then pulled back and looked at him as if his mother.

"I'll make it. Want anything for the road?" he offered.

Elena immediately nodded, wanting to stretch this out as long as she could. She followed Reno into his kitchen, which they had stocked upon entering Kalm, and watched as he pulled open the refrigerator. He reached to the side without looking and picked up a type of cooler, though much smaller, like something she had once used in school.

"You look worried," Reno said thoughtfully, his brows furrowing as he handed over the snack he had given her. It was a large, securely-tightened bowl of his homemade salsa and some corn chips with cheese melted onto them. She once said she liked this kind of thing.

Elena brushed some hair from her face. "I just wanna make sure you're alright here," she replied, barely managing an uncaring voice, but Reno saw through the mask.

"Look, I'll be fine, and you've got my number if anything comes up," he reassured.

Elena just nodded, Reno walking around her and leading her back outside.

Reno looked around, liking where he lived. They were just next to the stone steps leading up to the second level of the town, which held the shops.

"Where you headed?" Reno asked abruptly, expecting an answer. He wanted to know, say something really did come up for them.

Elena hesitated. "Nowhere, really, but I'll find a place," she said after a moment. "And I'll get back to you on where it is when I do."

Reno, satisfied with the answer, just nodded.

The two exchanged good-byes and it wasn't long before Elena was walking toward the town entrance, waving over her shoulder.

==========================================================================

"Few years pass. . ." Reno's voice drifted off, but the story didn't.

==========================================================================

"What was that noise?"

Reno pushed himself from the couch and peered out the window, surprised to see a crowd gathering in the middle of the town. Three years and nothing like this had happened.

"What the. . .?"

Someone was shouting at the people, who seemed to be excited about whatever was going on. A crowd, in Kalm?

"C'mon! I'm not that popular!"

No doubt about it, he knew that voice, but from where?

Hair blew out from inside the crowd, a deep brown, almost like a raven's feathers. It was long, too long to just be another woman in the town.

It looked like. . .

The woman stepped back, wearing the usual white sleeveless shirt and black leather skirt, along with. . .

Reno backed away.

Tifa?

He froze and skidded aside as he saw he peer his way, but was almost relieved when no knock came to the door.

Why was Tifa Lockheart in Kalm?

It was then that it hit him, feeling physically. She was moving into Kalm, which meant he had to get out.

Almost carefully, his eyes strayed over to one of the pictures he had on a table, among some of the Turks'.

He had an arm slung around Tifa, who was in a pink nightgown, and a large cake held infront of them both, 'Happy Twentieth,' plainly written on it.

Yes, Reno Drannor had to leave Kalm as soon as possible.

==========================================================================

"Almost sad," ViYlic commented, having gotten them a round of drinks as Reno was in his story.

Tarah, not one to stay after work, was comfortably asleep on the man, having complained about being tired all day, from what Karen had muttered.

Reno shrugged, eyeing Tarah critically. This was a bit odd, being used for a makeshift bed, but he bit his tongue. It'd be rude to wake her up now.

"I'll close up, say you wanna carry Sleeping Beauty home like that," ViYlic offered.

Tarah and Reno lived in the same apartment building, but Reno looked skeptical. "You're closing up?"

They all knew whoever closed up had to open the next day at noon, though Reno only came when a fight was sure to appear and when the orders got too heavy for Karen.

ViYlic nodded, picking up the glasses again.

Reno returned the nod and carefully slipped his arms beneath Tarah, having gotten in a bit better shape over the years so he could carry boxes into the bar.

"Later," ViYlic said, opening the door for the two.

Reno just gave him another nod and stepped into the cold, thankful Tarah proved a heavy sleeper. Their building was only down the street, and even though he was Reno, he planned on following through on his deal with ViYlic. Anything else would be wrong.

Sure enough, they were inside the building within minutes, and in the elevator almost immediately. Reno was thankful they were already headed for the fifth floor, and he pushed past some people as he got off. He staggered down the hallway, her place at the end. He reached it without a problem and, using his Turk skills, managed to fish around in her pockets for a key.

From how she had acted and looked earlier, this was a large change.

He got into the apartment and ignored the details, immediately spotting the bed and walking over to it. She only shifted and groaned slightly as he let her down onto it softly, but stayed asleep, even after he politely pulled the blankets over her.

Unlike Reno, but he had learned to be a bit nicer to women over the years.

He found a pad of paper and jotted down how she had wound up here - making sure to include he'd behaved himself - and then walked for the door. The night had been long for Reno Drannor, and he needed some sleep.

And time to think.



==========================================================================



Once again, Reno found himself in the bar, but he had come early today.

In fact, he had opened up for ViYlic, not sleeping until one in the afternoon like usual. But instead of cleaning - he'd gotten that done hours earlier - he sat at the bar with his phone infront of him, brooding.

The story last night had gotten him thinking about calling her.

He knew he should, to see how everything was going, but this was hard after so long. What would he say after what had happened in Sector Seven; after everything? He had always tried to ignore her in their battles, go as easy as he could on her, and he had even let her pass in the tunnels back in Midgar. He wasn't such a jerk, was he?

Then again, there were two sides to this man. He had pressed the button and sent the plate down on the Sector that held her bar, and he had destroyed many memories of his own. That bar was like a second home, but he had crushed it with everything else. And her Cetra friend. Aeris, was it? He and Tseng were in on her kidnapping, but AVALANCHE had their revenge not long after.

Reno was finished with this.

He lurched forward and grabbed the phone, flipping it open and dialing the number he had gotten from the Kalm operator. He needed to call, devil or not.



==========================================================================



February was cold, and everyone knew it. Kalm just hadn't been showered with the worst of it yet, which was the snow that was sure to come, according to the television.

Therefore, even Tifa needed suitable quilts, though she only heated the place for one.

That gnawed at her.

Cloud had run off to go 'find himself,' and everyone else had scattered, leaving Tifa to move back to Nibelheim for a while. But that didn't work, and she soon found herself in Kalm. Kalm was nice, but still, the feeling she was completely alone was hanging over her day to day, taunting her like a bad school bully.

But she knew Cloud was looking for more than himself. He was looking for her, although it did bother Tifa. And she knew he would never find her.

"Ow," she muttered, sticking herself yet again with the needle, mostly out of anger. She'd never been one to sew things, but her quilts needed it this far into her first winter in Kalm. Nibelheim wasn't that bad, and the mountains usually caught all the snow, so she had to get used to this now. She perked up as the phone rang next to her, dragging her from her pondering. She picked it up and pushed it to her ear, greeting with a usual "Hello?"

Silence.

Maybe it was a prank, she thought. "Hello?" she tried again.

"Odd to hear that voice."

Tifa was puzzled, unsure what this was. "Excuse me, who's this?"

Silence came before, "Figures. I'm easy to forget."

This was becoming odd now, and Tifa was clueless as to who had her new number. "Who's this?" she repeated.

A dull chuckle came off the other end, though the voice was full of life. "Take a shot at it."

Tifa felt a knot tighten in her stomach at not knowing. "Cloud?" Her tone was hopeful, but she was replied to with a louder laugh this time.

"I'd shoot myself if I were, Tiff."

Tifa's eyes enlarged. No one had called her Tiff in years. It had always been Teef or Tifa, but the one person who called her that had been. . .

"Reno?!"

The man's tone was serious this time.

"Maybe not so easy to forget, eh?"

Of all the people who would call her, Reno was the last she would've thought of, but she had developed a high level of forgiveness over the years. Reno, however, was one she would need to forgive over a long period of time. Sector Seven had been a home to her, truthfully. She narrowed her eyes, as if staring at him.

"What do you want?" she asked, calm as possible.

"Actually, I want to apologize, as much as you probably don't want to hear it. Look, I got to thinking about you the other day - the topic of my past came up in a conversation - and I figured I at least should let you know I never wanted to release the Plate."

"I had orders from the President to do it, so I wasn't about to back out because of how I felt about the Sector, but I was hoping something might go wrong and I'd mess up. I know you're probably still a bit pissed at me for it, but I just wanted to let you hear this. I'm sorry, and if you have time, come to Junon, if you want. It'd be nice to meet up again, maybe just for kicks, huh? Ask around for me. Everybody knows where to find me."

The phone clicked off and Tifa was left with her eyes wide.

He had sounded so sincere she was almost jumping out of her skin. Where had that come from all of a sudden? Reno, the one person she probably figured she'd never see again, had just called and apologized for something she'd always held herself partly responsible for. She let the receiver fall back to the base, almost forgetting what she was working on, and went back to trying to sew a decent quilt.

Why had he wanted to see her?

This thought came to her a few times, a bit suspicious of him. The offer sounded almost slightly tempting. What was she thinking, considering meeting Reno again, from what she knew of him?

He did sound like he meant it, though.



==========================================================================



Tarah was in a few hours after Reno, surprised to see ViYlic was nowhere in sight, and that Reno was awake. "This is a change."

Reno, cleaning a table, just nodded, already knowing the source of the voice. "Didn't sleep much," he muttered, lying. He'd slept, but found he was woken up by his cat.

"Hey, thanks for carrying me home last night," Tarah stated, slightly embarrassed. She sat down on the bar, surprised as Karen was the next to walk inside. ViYlic was supposed to open up, from what she knew.

The cook grumbled a greeting, more of a warning she wasn't in the mood to talk again, and disappeared into the kitchen. Not to her surprise, Reno hadn't cleaned, so she grabbed a rag and started on it herself, at the grills and stoves immediately.

"You seem preoccupied," Tarah observed back in the main room, her feet swinging just above the floor.

Reno finally came back to reality and sat down with a thump in the nearest chair, rubbing his forehead. They only had an hour before they opened up, and they needed their bartender, but that wasn't on his mind. He had invited Tifa to Junon in a blurted out speech, but wondered now if she'd come at all. He wanted her to, for some reason, but it seemed unlikely.

"Re - no?" Tarah called, stretching out his name.

Who was he to invite her, though? Like he had thought before, she was probably living with Strife and wanted nothing to do with Junon. But he would like to just see her again, maybe just a glare shot his way like before everything had happened.

He snapped awake as Tarah shoved her fingers into his nose, then quickly withdrew them. "Alive?"

Reno shot her a glare, but had to smirk. "Yeah, just a bit too deep in my thoughts," he said matter-of-factly.

Who should've been ViYlic walking in the door before she could reply actually turned out to be one of their earlier customers, Priscilla. She didn't live too far, but they had always cautioned her of thugs and gangs. She was around fourteen, but mature for here age, and it was always a pleasure to have her around. "Hi, Tarah. Reno. Any applications lyin' around?" she asked immediately.

The two workers exchanged a look before Tarah spoke. "You're a bit y -"

"It's for a friend," Priscilla dismissed, looking pleadingly at them. "Dad says I gotta be back soon, so I hate to rush you, but. . ."

Reno just nodded, standing up from his very comfortable chair. He walked behind the bar and yanked out a dusty application, not many up for working in a dump like this. He walked back over to the two and handed the paper to Priscilla. "Your friend got any questions, you know the number, right?"

Priscilla hurriedly folded the paper under her arm and nodded. "Yup." She turned and jogged out, calling back thanks.

Tarah looked at Reno once again after the door had clicked shut. "Looks like we're gonna have some help," she said softly.

Reno just nodded, wondering who was going to come around. "Looks like it."

At that time, ViYlic walked in, the business already booming, Reno could make a crack at. His short blonde hair looked unkept, and there were large bags under his eyes.

"Mornin', Chief," Reno greeted.

ViYlic nodded in return, obviously not up for much talk, and wandered to the pot of coffee resting on the bar.

"New help coming in," Karen called to him from the kitchen, sounding as if she'd cheered up a bit. But they all knew the rumors of ViYlic and Karen, and it didn't surprise them she'd been like that when he came in.

"She's got good ears," Tarah muttered into Reno's.

Reno just nodded, tossing a rag at ViYlic. "Now that your Wutain ass is here, get some work done. I had to open up for you."

ViYlic shot him a dirty look, but went to his work as Tarah suppressed a smirk.



==========================================================================



The week went by almost uneventful, and without their new help arriving, until Reno had to open his mouth that Friday after closing.

"I'm not the one who ignored table eight!" Karen yelled.

Tarah and ViYlic looked up from their work toward the kitchen at the outburst, and both knew Reno had started it.

"Actually, yeah you did, you bein' the one who grabbed the ticket!" Reno countered.

"And slapped it infront of you!"

They could all hear the growl that rose in Reno's throat. The two were in the main bar area now, a spatula in Karen's hand, but Reno's threateningly close to his mag-rod. "You grab the ticket, you serve the food! We both knew that, the first day I came in!"

Tarah twisted the towel she was using absently in her hands and bit her bottom lip, not liking how Reno might react if this became physical.

"Who's the head cook here?!" Karen screeched, her lungs trying to keep up with her rage.

Reno gave her a skeptical look, but resumed he flaring eyes within moments. "If that mattered on how the food's prepared, I'm sure you'd be havin' me do all of it!"

Karen looked ready to explode. "I'm not the one who comes into work with a hangover and expects the food to go to my partner, if I can even call you that!"

"And I ain't the one who spends every extra minute I get starin' out that window at ninja boy here!" Reno snapped, thumbing toward ViYlic.

The place went deathly silent as Reno gave her a look that could knock a WEAPON dead.

"I quit!" she roared back, slamming the spatula down and walking out.

All eyes were on Reno, but his own were on the spatula. "Let's hope whoever's comin' likes to cook."



==========================================================================



As it turned out, Reno's suspicions were confirmed as soon as the next day, the day when their business really got good, but frankly, this person made his skin crawl.

All he could see as 'it' walked in was that it looked a bit 'top-heavy,' rather short, and wore a large black cloak with a hood that hid any skin of it.

"Check that," ViYlic muttered as the person - or thing, to stretch the imagination - extended a small hand from its cloak and laid the application infront of him. He picked it up and noticed only the gender blank was left empty, something he would've liked to know. He turned it over and tapped the box. "Eh, Larken, if that's how to say it, you forgot this."

'Larken' just gave him what he thought to be a blank stare from beneath the hood.

'Does it speak?'

"You forgot this," he said a bit louder. Everyone else was silent as they watched him.

It still didn't reply, only tapped its foot absently on the floor.

"Gotta use the can sooner or later," he muttered, scanning the application again. "What's the eh, job you want?" Truth was, this Larken character was intimidating.

For one of the first times, Larken moved and jabbed the paper, but Reno took in the details of the hand, brief but informing. He thought he had caught a glimpse of a painted fingernail but couldn't be sure.

ViYlic was their boss, like it or not, for he had founded the bar and everything. "A bartender, eh? Well, that'd give me a break, and maybe I could become the full-time bouncer." He gave the others questioning glances.

Tarah nodded, thinking it might be fun for him to get outside and do something different.

Reno just shrugged, more focused on Larken. Why did he have a bad feeling about this. . . Well, maybe that had something to do with it. What was it?

"Sounds good," ViYlic decided, just nodding to Larken.

The cloak gave its own kind of nod and stepped behind the bar, grabbing a rag. It seemed to know where basically everything was there, so there was no need to show Larken around.

ViYlic just slid over the bar and made his way to a seat next to Tarah, Reno on the other side. He didn't have a feeling much different than the others' on this.

Tarah watched Larken go to work, easily cleaning and doing it quickly, all the time not making a sound or revealing itself.

"Well, time to open up," Reno declared, lifting himself from his chair and walking over to the window. He simply clicked on two neon signs and turned the sign to open, then leaning against the cold glass.

The first snow had come, making traffic much more slow, which would make it hard if Tifa wanted to visit soon, if at all.

'Why are you still thinking about her?! Let her die with everything else; the Turks, Tseng, Rufus, your sister, all of it!'

Reno suddenly jerked up and slapped himself, intentionally, to take those thoughts away, mostly the one about his sister. He noticed the other three hadn't seen it, and was quite relieved. Now he wasn't only talking to himself, but trying to kill himself. "I need help," he groaned, rubbing his temples.

This took Tarah's attention away from ViYlic for a moment. "Alright, what's goin' on, Reno?"

The fiery-haired man looked up, silently cursing himself. "Nothing."

ViYlic interjected, not pleased with the answer. He'd noticed Reno's stress level increasing lately. "Don't give her that. Give her an explanation, and I bet even Larken's curious now."

The newest of the staff shrugged from under the heavy material of the cloak, secretly uncaring, and kept with the work.

Reno sighed, giving in. "Alright, alright. The weather's bad, and I'm expectin' somebody here soon. Maybe, but if she does decide to come, she'll probably clock me and leave."

Tarah and ViYlic exchanged knowing looks, Larken still not looking like 'it' cared.

"You're waitin' for that Tifa girl, the one you. . ." Tarah started with a sly grin.

But the silence that descended upon all four was so odd they had the urge to look over to Larken, who had stopped its wiping and now stared at the bar, they were assuming.

ViYlic was the first with an idea and leaped from his chair, rolling over the bar and grabbing Larken by the arm.

Larken stood perfectly still.

'Shit.'

ViYlic, as expected, tried to peel back the hood, but Larken's hands flew to it and Reno was immediately behind the bar, insane laughter erupting from all three, despite Larken's situation.

Reno pinned its arms behind its back and nodded to ViYlic, who got at the hood with ease while Reno's legs were assaulted.

Tifa gave them all a look of defeat, blowing some hair from her face. She had wanted to play that out for a while, but the guy was too smart for her. She could feel Reno hold her arms tighter as the hood fell, spouting a string of scoldings at her. Oh, but she knew he was glad to see her. "You found me out, but I'm fresh outta medals. Now what was it you called me?"

Reno was immediately silent, having released his grip a moment ago, and she stood facing him now. He didn't even thing she'd want to speak with him, let alone actually laugh when they revealed her. But now she had him in a corner, and he had no way out. He just stared at her like a moron.

"I'm sure you were a bit drunk when you said it, so I'll let it slide," she concluded, peeling off the rest of the slightly-damp cloak.

Reno was about to snap back and say he wasn't, but thought better of it for now. He could see without looking below her neck she hadn't changed - mostly to keep his mind clear of. . .thoughts - and he still found her relatively attractive, but said nothing of it, of course. He then thought of something. "Great, I'm stuck working with you."

Tifa placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head at him. "And?" she asked, a bit of fake irritation in her voice.

Reno tried to put on the most innocent face he had. "How'm I supposed to work a grill with you out here?" he asked, his tone unbetraying to his face.

Tifa gave him a genuine glare, but knew he was kidding with her. Right?

"Work the bar and I got no problem," Tarah said politely.

ViYlic had introduced her, or Larken, to everyone there, so she already knew all she needed to know. Tifa stared up at Reno for a moment more, finding that shred of happiness in his eyes that made her trip worthwhile. He did care for her in a friendly way, despite what had happened years back, and she knew she felt the same way. He had drawn her from hiding to get her to Junon. That meant something special, right? He wouldn't just do that for anyone who happened to stop by, and she knew him well enough to guarantee it.

"That explains it," Reno said suddenly, snapping his fingers in a fake way of understanding something.

"What?" Tifa again was the first to speak.

"Tch. . .I knew you looked a bit top-heavy." The ex-Turk easily parried a slap aimed for his face, already knowing it was heading there. He just turned with a dismissing wave, putting on a wide smirk, and went to his job of being the new head cook. "Might need some help back here. Tiff? ViYlic? One o' you two?" he asked, turning around to face them in mid-stride.

ViYlic just jabbed her in the back, making sure it was unseen by Reno. He could run the bar for a while, and from the looks of things, the two might need to talk.

The work did go a lot quicker with Tifa instead of Karen, though the conversation was light and mostly about the task at hand. Reno did enjoy her company, but the question he dreaded finally came up after a comment about how thin the burgers were that day.

"You know I just came to Junon, right?" Tifa asked, using the tone that told him this wouldn't be the last of her questions.

Reno felt a knot in his stomach, knowing right away what this was going to build into. Maybe. "Yeah."

"And I'm low on gil right now."

"Yeah." Reno could guarantee where it was headed now.

"Well, I don't exactly have a place to stay, 'cause Priscilla's moving soon. I mean, I hate to ask, but. . ."

Reno just nodded, gripping his pan a bit tighter as he swirled the butter around. It wasn't often they got an order for a grilled cheese sandwich, but Reno wasn't exactly a moron. "Long as you want. I'll take the couch, but the place ain't exactly clean." But Reno hadn't done so bad, and he was making his apartment into a suitable place.. Why did his chest suddenly feel heavy? Maybe the smoke was finally getting to him, but he guessed it had something to do with the fact he was going to be living with Tifa Lockheart for a while.

A woman who was beautiful, he had to admit, but he felt he might have a silent objection as she attracted attention in the bar. He felt the rate of fights, some possibly over her, would rocket skyward. She knew how to work in a bar and all, but Reno would still feel jealous. Jealous? Where had that come from?

Tifa smiled to herself, glad to have at least someone she could count on anymore. Even from Reno, she'd take a place to live, some good food, and some gil to get her on her feet. She had to admit that since Meteor had fallen, she had been a bit low on anything to use on groceries, and had spent her last on moving.

It seemed she had just gotten lucky on Reno giving her an opportunity to turn that around. Maybe it wasn't going to be such a bad trip after all.

"I had a thought it'd be her," ViYlic said honestly.

Tarah had insisted she knew it was Tifa, but he could see the look in her eyes that betrayed her statements. She threw herself down on the bar furiously, glaring at him, but she knew he was too good to fall for it. "Alright, I didn't know for sure, but I bet even Reno thought it was her once or twice."

ViYlic gave her a skeptical look, folding his arms over his chest. "Reno Drannor?"

Tarah slapped her forehead and the two burst into laughs, not trying to insult Reno's intelligence, but he wasn't exactly one to solve a murder case.



==========================================================================



As expected by all of them, Tifa caught the eye of almost every man that walked into the bar that night, and the crowd seemed to be larger. Reno had to admit he had the urge to knock each one of them out, but reminded himself Tifa knew how to take care of herself.

And, as Reno had oddly guessed, the first fight that broke out was near the table Tifa was working on while the orders were slow. Obviously ViYlic was nowhere near, for Tarah called for Reno.

The ex-Turk had his mag-rod out in one swift move and was into the bar area, but this was growing slowly. A table had already been cracked and a chair was being used for a weapon, giving Reno the impression they might need to get the law involved.

Tarah jogged up to him, looking like she wanted orders.

"Just get the Force over here. I'll try to stop it 'til they can get in," he said, then dashing into the fray.

Luckily, Tifa knew a bit about hand-to-hand, and was able to help him out a bit.

Reno looked around and made a rough estimate of twenty or so people slugging it out, but there were many more who could help or hurt his job. He clicked the switch for his mag-rod to its highest setting and made a mad jab, cursing as he felt a fist slam into the back of his skull.

He spun around and slammed his palm into the nearest face, knowing he had a right to go all out now, his mag-rod taking a few seconds to recharge. He was rewarded as another went down and he ducked, bringing his foot in a wide circle.

Turks needed to know how to improvise with weapons, and this was how he knew. Just attack whoever you can get your hands on.

He was relieved as he heard the blaring sirens and screeching tires of the Junon Force, what they might call police in other regions of the Planet. The doors slammed open and everyone was sent scattering, the Force able to take care of it now.

But that didn't mean they were safe, for now it was like a stampede.

Reno stood back up and dashed through the crowd, only half-sure of what he was looking for. Soon enough, he saw a large knot of people crowded around ViYlic, who was dealing out punches like he was born with lightning for hands. He made a good bouncer.

This was the worst brawl Reno had seen, but he, ViYlic, and Tarah knew how to handle it.

Tifa, on the other hand, had had his help in the biggest fight he was aware of, and the man was drunk off his rocker.

He crashed into one of the troopers from the Force, but shoved on, his eyes darting around for Tifa.

He finally spotted her in the back corner, a few men closing in on her. Reno leaped over a fallen brawler and kicked one of the men in the back of the head, wanting to laugh as he crumpled like paper. He didn't even know why he was doing this, for Tifa knew how to take care of herself.

Maybe he was over-protective?

Or was there something more to it?

He jammed his mag-rod into the back of a second, sending him down with a pig-like squeal. The last was far drunker than Reno had ever been and just fell when he tried to make a getaway.

Tifa looked slightly surprised, seeing Reno panting with his hands on his knees. She was sure she looked like a fool, but she hadn't been wearing her gloves at the time.

Reno looked up at her, feeling no immediate danger, and swallowed heavily. "Welcome to the Launch Pad."



==========================================================================



Reno tapped a chair with one leg remaining, sighing as it fell over and broke into pieces. It was like the calm after a storm, a time you got to see if anything remained. They certainly weren't opening tomorrow.

"We'll make the six o' clock," ViYlic commented, one to always find humor. He meant the news in the morning, of course.

The bar was fine, but they'd lost a few chairs and a table. Tifa was a bit shook up, a fight like that breaking out on the first day she was there, but Reno had assured her those rarely happened.

"You're acting like an ass, ViYlic!" Tarah complained.

"You're acting like Karen," Reno muttered, mimicking her voice.

"Well, I say we just all leave. I'll get a buddy over here with the new stuff. You guys just take tomorrow off, and everything'll be fine when you get back," ViYlic assured.

Murmured acceptions came and Tarah hurried out, Tifa walking to the back to grab the cloak she had worn.

"You're lucky," ViYlic said quietly, nudging Reno with an elbow.

The ex-Turk gave him a skeptical look, already knowing he was referring to Tifa.

Tifa and Reno finally set out on their short walk to his apartment, but Tifa had a few things to say.

"You three don't seem too friendly," she observed, looking up to her friend. When she really thought about it, he was one of her best friends, enemy at one time or not. She smiled inwardly, shrugging deeper into the fabric of her cloak. Really, it wasn't her type of outfit, but it would do.

Reno shrugged. "We've all got our stories, and not too many friends. We're still that to each other, but it doesn't show too well."

This piqued Tifa's interest. "Stories?"

'I should've kept my mouth shut.'

Reno hesitated, stopping in his steps and turning to face her. Well, it was going to come up sooner or later. He put on a faint smile, knowing these weren't happy stories at all. "ViYlic was shot in the Wutai/ShinRa war. So, while he was out of that, he got arrested for murdering someone, but he got out and came here."

The tall man continued, "Tarah's father was an abusive man, and her mother died when she was little. He would usually come home drunk, hit her, other stuff that scarred her enough," he said in a dismissive tone, knowing she understood what he could've said. "Eventually, he got alcohol poisoning, died, left her on her own. She got into the wrong crowds, started drugs. So, she wound up here with ViYlic in the bar somehow."

"Like you know, I made some mistakes, and I'm on my way to fixin' 'em."

Reno went on. "Karen, the cook that quit a few days ago, was a lot like me. Shifted between foster families, never really had a place, so when she was old enough and had the gil, I'm sure you can guess."

The Turk gave her a prodding look. "So, how 'bout you?"

Tifa was nearly too shocked to speak. All those people seemed so nice, but she would've guessed they had done all that. Tarah took drugs, and ViYlic was a wanted murderer. What was her story, though? She put on a smirk and poked him in the arm playfully. "Well, a desperate man invited me to Junon, and I took it up."

Reno glared at her, but turned silently and moved on, close to the place now. "Just don't bring that up and you'll be fine."

Tifa was about to ask why, but they stepped into the apartment building and she thought better of it. Junon was still slightly foreign to her, so she thought she better take the advice of someone who lived there.

Reno led her up the steps infront of him, sighing with a bit of relief as they made it to the landing. He nodded a greeting to the only person in the hallway, though he had no clue who she was, and walked the rest of the way to his apartment.

Tifa watched with mild interest as he fumbled with his keys, but they finally made it inside. Tifa noticed a small television set to her right, and a reclining chair across the room from it. The kitchen had a bookcase for a divider, and other than that, only one other room was actually separated from them.

The couch was in the middle of the room, facing the television and the chair, and the walls looked like they hadn't been painted in a long while.

She nearly screeched as a cat darted off the arm of the couch and leaped onto Reno's shoulder.

Reno smirked at her. "Don't like cats?"

Tifa shrugged quickly, recovering from her surprise. "The way it came at you, I didn't know what it was up to."

The ex-Turk peeled the cat off of him, ignoring its hissing protests, and sat it back on the floor, watching it dash off toward the bedroom. "Well, he'll run around at night, so don't be surprised if somethin' crawls ontop of ya. Unless it's me, you should be fine."

Tifa shot him a look, which he was oblivious to, and sighed, remembering. "My bags are still at Priscilla's."

Reno shrugged it off. "I'll go grab 'em while you're asleep. I know how to get to her place well enough. The bedroom's that way," he said, motioning to the doorway that was across the room from them. "Like I said, I'll take the couch, so you should be fine. Not much in the way of food, so I guess we'll need to shop tomorrow."

Tifa bit her bottom lip as she looked up to him. "Y'know, I can sack out here on the couch. It's no problem, really."

Reno waved it off dismissively, gently prying her cloak from her shoulders and tossing it across the arm of the chair. "Nonsense. I might not have guests often, but when I do, I know what they get and what I get. Now, I'll go get your stuff, and you can just do whatever you need to, alright?"

Tifa still looked reluctant, but from the expression the man's face held, it looked like she wasn't going to get the couch. "Yeah, alright. I should be outta your hair soon enough, so I guess it won't matter for too long."

Reno smirked, a way of telling her she was wrong. "Maybe, maybe not. No rush to have ya leave. Night, Tiff."

"Night, Reno."

And with that, the red-haired ex-Turk was out the door.



==========================================================================



It didn't take long for Reno to reach Priscilla's house, and it looked like someone was still awake. Reno was always up to the early hours of the morning, however, and his bangs on the door were loud as ever.

That's why he was surprised when a still-dressed Priscilla opened the door. "Hey, Reno," she chirped.

"Um, hey. Why're you still up?"

Priscilla shrugged. "I was just the first to hear you, so I got the door. Whatdya need?" she queried.

Reno shrugged inwardly, knowing it was best to talk to her anyway. "Actually, I'm here to pick up Tifa's stuff."

Priscilla disappeared silently into the house, emerging with a large duffel bag slung over her arm and another on wheels trailing behind her. "One more inside. Need help carryin' 'em?" she asked politely.

Reno shook his head and relieved her of the bags, waiting patiently as she ran back to get the third. This was heavy enough, so he could barely guess what else Tifa had.

Luckily, all Priscilla came out with was a large wrapped package and a dark look on her face. "No peeking."

Reno lifted the package over his free shoulder and put on an innocent look. "Me? Peek? C'mon."

Priscilla let out a genuine laugh and the two exchanged good-byes before Reno was on his way back to his place.

It didn't take long for him to get back, only a few minutes more from the weight, but he was finally inside the pitch black apartment. He felt his way to the couch and threw the bags down on it, more careful with the box.

For one person, she had a good amount of luggage. It looked almost like she was going to. . .live with him.

Reno shook the thought from his mind and silently opened one of the bags, clicking on the light next to him. For once, he wasn't trying to snoop, only find her some clothes for the next day. He finally came upon a black sweater and a pair of jeans, drawing them from the bag and standing up.

He was a bit tired, but he was usually up much longer.

He walked cautiously into the bedroom, the moonlight drifting in through the window. She was only half-covered by the blankets, but in a deep sleep, his cat at her feet. Reno walked forward and laid the clothes next to her, then walking around the other side and standing over her.

He still couldn't get over the thrill of her staying with him, but was still unsure why it was so strong. Maybe this could turn out to be something good for him after all.

He backed slowly out of the room and walked to the couch, laying the bags on the floor and dropping down on it.

He was asleep before his head came in contact with the pillow.



==========================================================================



"She took off an hour ago."

He knew the voice well, but whose was it, and where was he?

"Alright. Well, if she comes back in, tell her to meet me out infront of the ShinRa Building around noon, wouldja? And you do the same, alright?"

That was his voice, but who was he speaking to?

"Will do, Reno."

That was. . .Johnny?

He ran faster, looking for her frantically.

Looking for who?

"You ready?"

That was undoubtedly Rude.

"Yeah."

The reply came with a sigh, and he felt himself running again, up long metal stairs this time.

What was going on?

"Reno!"

He threw himself over the edge, toward Tseng's voice, but he came up short. . .

And fell. . .

Down. . .

Down. . .



Reno woke with a start, his breath ragged.

Where was he?

He looked around, noticing he was on the couch and still in his usual clothes. Slowly, the previous night returned to him. He stood up wobbly, needing something to wake himself up, but noting he was still out of coffee beans.

Reno walked into his room carelessly.

What was that noise?

His cat hissed at him as he entered, but he paid the thing no heed as he crossed the room to the bathroom, gripping the doorknob. He opened it with a swift motion and was blasted with steam.

The shower curtain wasn't closed.

Reno immediately shut the door again, his breathing once again heavy. He noted his Reno-devil was probably laughing at him. Had he seen what he thought?

'Most likely. Shit!'

Reno backed up and landed on his bed, his hands folded over his eyes. This was getting embarrassing.

Thinking better of his choice, the ex-Turk quickly stood up and strode from the room, closing the door behind him as he collapsed on the couch. That would be something to drive Tifa away, and being Reno, she would probably thing he meant to do that.

He waited a few minutes before he heard the door creak open, and he knew death was slowly approaching.

"Nice to see you're awake."

She didn't sound mad at all. She sounded. . .perfectly normal.

"You know I didn't mean to do that," Reno muttered through his fingers. What made it worse was the fact the curtain had been fully open.

She was silent.

"Proof we've both been single for years?" he tried, desperate to find a loop in this.

Reno finally looked up after she hadn't replied, slightly puzzled. Tifa stood - now dressed in what he'd laid out for her - with a cocky smirk on her face, one that would be seen from Reno.

"I'll accept that, and I figure we both might have to change a bit," she replied, putting an unimaginable amount of relief through Reno.

"So, we never speak of this again and go get you some decent clothes?" Reno queried, lifting himself from the couch and looking at the clock.

10:49.

"And lunch," Tifa added, following his gaze.

Reno merely patted his suit straight and grabbed his wallet from the kitchen counter, stuffing it into his back pocket before grabbing his mag- rod and clipping it to his belt. He looked at himself, then her, and nodded he was ready. "Tseng needs food."

Tifa arched a brow, wondering if he'd gone nuts. "Tseng?"

Reno slapped his forehead and blushed slightly, something that was rare for him. "Tseng's the cat. Maybe it's a stupid name, but I've always liked to think of it as really him."

Tifa looked almost touched. "Oh, you're sweet," she said with more than a hint of sarcasm. "Now, isn't it a bit more important that we're dressed and fed instead of treating your cat like the mayor of Junon?"

Reno shot her a look, noting to himself how she'd taken on a tone that reminded him slightly of Scarlet.

He gave her an awkward smile and led her out of the apartment, closing and locking the door behind them after they'd grabbed coats. He actually wore one this time, though it still had the seal of ShinRa on it. "And we need to get you a real coat," he said with a bit of disgust, looking at the dusty cloak she still had on, although the hood was down now.

They walked in silence until they were outside and Reno broke it. "Why'd you even come?" he asked.

Tifa looked up, taken slightly aback by the question, but quickly recovered and mulled it over in her mind. She wanted to say she didn't know, but was that true? Not really, for she'd come and taken a temporary residence with him. She wouldn't do that with anybody, but she couldn't find the words to describe why she really had come.

"Because you're my friend, and I think we should give this a bit of reconsideration; all the fighting and where we really stand in each other's lives," was the best she could come up with, but it really didn't sound too bad when said.

Reno gave her a puzzled look, but spoke first. "You act like we're dating."

Tifa couldn't help but laugh lightly at this, bringing a smirk to the man's face. It was then she noticed she didn't laugh enough anymore.

And Reno knew few people could make Tifa Lockheart laugh in the middle of a serious conversation, and almost felt as if he'd achieved something; something more than just a laugh.

"But, if you really wanna know, that's half of the reason."

Tifa immediately wished she would've left it there.

Reno caught this and prodded her a bit more. "What's the other half?"

The former AVALANCHE member didn't reply, and turned away from him. She knew, deep inside, what it was, but she wouldn't dare say it to his face. She had felt a kind of empty void when Cloud had left.

She'd been relieved when she found it filled again, and being around someone was all she wanted, but had been surprised when she found Reno filling it better than Cloud had.

She stopped her thoughts.

What was she thinking? That Reno and she. . .?

"Nevermind that," she blurted out, making her way down the street, much quicker this time.

Reno picked this up and kept with her pace, his usual smirk back. Oh, this was too good not to follow up on. "Tifa?" he called, getting no response back. He just shook his head, leaving it for later, and took up the lead again. They came to an expensive - women's - clothing store and Reno immediately hurried in, Tifa a little reluctant.

She finally followed, however, guilty as she saw all the beautiful outfits. Sure, she would've taken any of them, but Reno paying didn't settle right with her. She spotted him waving her over to one of the walls and quickly obliged, arching a brow as she saw the newspaper in his hands.

"Not even a day in Junon and you're in the paper," Reno stated, showing her the front page. Sure enough, the Launch Pad's article was there, and her name was mentioned among the workers. "Well, we should do some real shopping." He stuffed the paper into his coat pocket and handed a single gil to the woman behind the counter, who was staring at him oddly.

Tifa looked at him about the same way as he moved around the racks, whistling absently. They were the only two in the store, and a man looking at the clothes would probably seem a bit odd, so Tifa walked over and helped him out.

Within minutes, they had a few outfits, and the woman behind the counter politely guided Tifa to the fitting rooms.

"Newlyweds?"

Reno looked at the woman who had helped them oddly. "What?"

Her nametag said her name was Leann. "You're newlyweds, I can see," she repeated.

Reno narrowed his eyes, almost offended by her conclusions. "No, for your information, she's a friend of mine in from outta town."

"Then you're gay," Leann said immediately.

"What?" Reno blurted out.

Leann drummed her fingers on the counter subconsciously. "Look, you lead her into a women's clothing store, pick out most of her clothes, and then say you're only friends. Either you're lying, or you're gay."

The ex-Turk walked to the counter and slammed his hands down on it. "No, actually, I'm Reno Drannor. Maybe you know me from Midgar?" he hissed quietly.

Leann bit her lip, indeed having heard of him. "Y'know, you're friends, and that's cool with me. Actually, I'll give you fifty percent off because of my accusations," she replied reluctantly, knowing if it got out to her boss, she'd be on the street again. But she also knew what a Turk could do.

Reno just nodded, a content smile on his face as he stood back up.

Tifa was out in a few minutes with the same look on her face, announcing they all fit and looked well on.

Reno nodded sideways toward Leann. "Well, odd as it seems, Leann here's one of my old drinking buddies from Midgar, and we've got a pretty good discount on this, eh?"

Leann nodded quickly and rang it all up, finally coming up with a not-so- low amount of gil, but Reno paid it all.

After a few fake good-byes between the two, they were outside again, Tifa with a large bag of clothes.

"And now we need coats," Reno muttered, rubbing his rough hands together. He looked down the street and hurried that way, not really knowing Junon all that well yet. He still hadn't mentioned anything about Kalm to Tifa.

"I really feel guilty about this," Tifa confessed, but Reno waved it off.

"Like I said, you're a guest, and a good one at that. Think of it as your first pay from the Launch Pad." True, he was using his check from work to do this, but at least he wasn't blowing it on more beer like usual.

"Thanks, Reno," came the soft reply, bringing a smile to his unseen face.

For once, he was doing good in a big city, and it felt better to have one of his oldest friends with him on that. It felt nice to be thanked for something, also, for it had been a long time since he'd had someone say that to him.

'Rude would laugh.'

Reno let out an almost silent chuckle at the thought itself, but he knew he was right. He walked forward, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket, which hadn't been worn in years.

'Of all the things. . .'

His hand came back out with a small box, something he hadn't seen in the same amount of time. It was neatly wrapped and slightly dusty from sitting around, but he knew it was still good, if a bit late.

"Reno?"

He swung around, noticing he'd stopped his walking, to meet almost concerned eyes of Tifa. Reno lifted the box and handed it to her, smirking again. That smirk was always with him, it seemed, but this time he knew she'd jump out of her skin. "I guess I'm a bit forgetful."

Tifa carefully set her bags down, confused out of her mind, and unwrapped the small box, clueless. She noticed it was a white box that opened easily, something she had seen before. She opened it and gasped softly, setting her eyes on a pair of diamond earrings ontop of a small note. She slipped the note out slowly and opened it, noticing it was a bit longer than it looked, and read it to herself.

'Tiff,

Hope you can put these to some good use. Kinda of a joint gift between the two of us, but we didn't really know if you had piercings. However, Rude brought up the fact that if you didn't, we could always take you to get them some day. Happy twentieth birthday.

Reno, Rude'

"Well, four years old, but I hope it's still acceptable," Reno said nervously when she had looked back up, rubbing his neck.

Tifa was speechless, frankly, unable to really comprehend words at the time. She'd never been given a present like that, even though she'd always dreamed of it, and even though they were four years old, she still found them as beautiful as if she were just turning twenty.

"Why was that year so important to you?" she asked.

Reno paused for a moment. "It's the only year I was around."

Tifa saw the point he had, but still. . . Diamond earrings and fighting gloves?

The two started off in silence, Tifa still holding the box in awe. Reno may have had a lot of money, but why did he spend it on her? He barely knew her, after all, even if they had known of each others' existence for four years.

But they'd been absolute enemies most of the time, like it or not.

"Well, here we are," Reno announced, stopping infront of a store. The crowd was mostly teenagers, but they offered jackets and coats, so he'd take them.

Tifa was the first in this time, Reno walking a bit slower.

He was immediately over at the jackets, which looked enough like coats, and found Tifa already scanning the things. Loud music was blaring around them, but he'd gotten to the point he could block anything out.

The ex-Turk's eye was caught by a large jean jacket, deep blue in color, with the symbol of a local clothing company. Yes, this was definitely a place for teenagers, but he wasn't about to let that affect his choice. He grabbed the thing off the rack, noting how heavy it was, and tried it on.

It fit. . .

Tifa looked over and gave him a crooked grin, almost knowing beforehand he wouldn't stray from that color. "Looks. . .good."

Reno gave her a look. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. What're you gonna get?"

Tifa just shrugged, looking around again. Nothing was very appealing to her, but she knew she couldn't walk around in the cloak. It itched like mad, anyway. She finally settled on a pure white 'coat' that fell below her knees, though it was meant to do that.

"We're done," Reno sighed, taking the coat from her and walking to the front desk. After paying - they were surprisingly cheap - the two were once again outside, donning their new outfits. "Well, we're makin' good time. We still might be able to jet over to the Pad and see how ViYlic's doin'."

Tifa looked disappointed. "Can we go somewhere real for lunch?"

Reno turned to face her. "We both work there. I call that real, don't you?"

Her face didn't change.

"Oh, fine. We'll head downtown. I think there's a new bar opening up, and I assure you they serve quality food." Reno was getting weak.

'Yes, Rude would laugh at me.'

But it felt good to finally be able to talk and laugh with someone, let alone be near Tifa Lockheart. He had to admit he was growing to like her more with each minute that passed, but that didn't mean a thing.

Their talk was rare as they made their way downtown, and finally Tifa brought something up. "Why don't you have a car, or something like that?"

"Waste of money, and where're you gonna get exercise with a car?" Reno replied dismissively, ending that conversation.

Tifa just nodded, not dwelling upon the subject, and was silent until they reached their destination.

"Closed Sundays. Grand opening tomorrow," Reno read the sign aloud. "So, either way, we're screwed on lunch here," he announced.

Tifa was about to turn and start off before his hand closed on her shoulder, startling her. She looked up to see him peering through the glass.

"Well, lights're on and I hear stuff, so I guess it wouldn't be so bad to have the first meal," he said.

"You're implying we sneak in?" Tifa asked skeptically, surprised as she received the shake of a head.

"If he asks, you're Hailey Jolteve," Reno said quickly, banging on the door.

A moment later, a tall man in a leather jacket stepped out, towering over both of them, Reno by a foot or so. "Yeah?"

"Hi, I'm Cramen Jolteve, this is my wife, Hailey, and we're from the JPBO. May we have a look at this establishment?" Reno asked firmly, obviously having done this before.

Tifa almost choked on her tongue with nervousness, but the man nodded and let them inside.

"JPBO?" the man asked, his voice even deeper as they stepped into the narrow hall off the door.

"Junon Pub and Bar Organization," Reno replied at once, turning to face him. "And you are?"

"Zan Hurst. I invented that trick, you bastard. Now stop with the games, Reno."

Tifa froze, knowing she had jumped nearly three feet at the last words. They'd been found.

"Zan!" Reno howled, laughing and slapping him on the back.

The tall man returned the slap and laugh, Tifa left clueless. What was going on?

"Tifa, this is Zan Hurst, Rude's brother. Zan, Tifa Lockheart, I'm sure you remember," Reno introduced the two, still thrilled about all of this. Zan was one of the 'Turk Trio,' years back, along with himself and Rude. They knew all the tricks, and, as Zan had said, invented a few of their own.

"Who could forget Tifa Lockheart?" Zan said with a hint of a wink, then turning to look at Reno. "You still wearin' that damn suit," he scolded, referring to the Turk suit under Reno's coat.

"Where do I know you from?" Tifa blurted out, still drawing a blank.

Zan nodded for them to have a seat and started a trio of drinks, then spoke. "I was the Turk nobody ever saw, to put it straight. I was the one who took all the pictures, and usually came into the bar drunk off my ass. Now, Reno, I think you forgot the main rule of that one," he said slowly, setting the drinks down.

"We thought you were open," Reno dismissed, Tifa as confused as before.

"Yeah, but I wanna know if you really remember how to pull it off," Zan replied, sitting down with his own drink.

Reno sighed, looking like an adult was yelling at him. "Always bring a clipboard, use the same name every time, and speak with an accent."

"Yep," Zan said simply, drinking deeply from his glass.

Reno shared a chuckle with him before the taller looked over at Tifa, as if he'd just noticed her. He clicked his tongue and smirked slyly, speaking slowly. "Reno Drannor and Tifa Lockheart. Who'da thunkit?"

Tifa reddened and turned away as Reno coughed loudly, grabbing his attention. "Actually, she's just here to look for a place." From the luggage Reno had seen in Kalm, it looked like she'd brought everything she owned with her, meaning she had most likely left the small town and sold her place.

Zan looked skeptical, but nodded.

They talked a while longer, finishing their drinks, before Zan spoke again. "Well, I know you're glad to see me and all, but I can't let you stay. Too private of a place before the opening, so you gotta scat."

Tifa was relieved at these words. She barely listened as they exchanged addresses, phone numbers, and other things they might like to know about each other. But she was interested in the way Reno had replied to Zan's assumption, as if he was defending only her. She guessed if she hadn't seemed so disturbed, he would've said something smart with a chuckle, knowing him, but he seemed to want to stick up for her.

But, then again, maybe she was jumping to conclusions.

When she finally came back to reality, they were outside the bar, Reno looking at her impatiently, and evening had already passed.

"What? Oh, sorry," she apologized, looking around.

Reno said, "I asked if you wanted to zip over to the bar and see how it's going." She seemed a bit nervous, and he finally figured out why. "Look, Zan'll blurt out anything that comes into his mind."

Tifa just shook her head, wondering why she felt like she was floating all of a sudden. Her head was pounding, and she felt ill. She had only had an egg that morning, so she didn't see how anything could've disagreed with her. Unless. . .

"Tiff?" Reno cocked his head to the side a bit as she got a kind of faraway look in her eyes, swaying heavily. He barely knew what he was doing as he moved forward, catching her as she finally tipped and returned her drink to the outside world, although her clothes did manage to catch some, much to his displeasure.

He noted she obviously didn't drink much, because a single glass of vodka barely got to him anymore, and she looked like she was already passed out from it. Truth was, he'd never seen this, for Rude and himself could usually hold it down. He heard her mumbling unintelligible things every few seconds, which probably meant she had a vague knowledge of what was going on. He had no trouble lifting her up and getting her in a comfortable position in his arms - and Tifa wrapped hers unknowingly around his neck - but when he looked down the street, he saw they had a long walk ahead of them.

He had a long walk, Reno corrected himself, looking back down to Tifa. She wouldn't be feeling too good when she really woke up, he knew that much, meaning he had to at least get her back to the apartment before that. He'd done this with Tarah, though.

Reno moved quickly down the streets, ignoring any looks and stares he was given. There were quite a few of these, sadly, as he moved along.

'Rufus and Tseng are probably laughing, up there in the Lifestream. . .'

Reno, doing something nice for his former enemy. He had to admit he would've just stared at Tifa as she laid on the ground years ago, but he'd learned to treat people better. And Tifa Lockheart was someone who he'd help in any situation, considering she'd been nice to him and put up with his attitude back then.

Why was he thinking like this? Was he starting to. . .?

Reno chuckled softly, turning a corner. He suspected the vodka may have had an affect on him after all. It took a good twenty minutes to get back to the apartment building, and as he was reaching for the handle, Tarah walked out, nearly bowling him over.

"Oh, hey, Re --" She stopped as she saw Tifa, then exploded on Reno. "What'd you do now?!!"

Reno gave her a brief run-down of what had happened, but she didn't look satisfied.

"You probably made sure it went that way, so you could get her like this," she hissed, glaring daggers at him.

Reno looked almost offended, knowing what she was getting at. "Look, if I still acted that way, what stopped me from doing that when I had to carry you all the way here?" he shot back, anxious to get this over with.

Tarah glared at him, but let him pass, knowing she had been defeated.

Reno walked in and pounded up the stairs, finally reaching his landing and looking at Tifa again. She seemed so innocent, laying in his arms like that, but he knew she could most likely send him through the wall if needed. Her muttering had stopped, but she was still hanging onto his neck, her head resting against his chest.

'Just move, and keep your head clear.'

Oh, so he did have something up there that told him the right thing to do? Reno snorted and walked down the hallway, easily getting into his apartment. His arms ached as he walked into the room he usually slept in, setting Tifa on her feet for a moment. He peeled the coat off of her, muttering all the while, and tossed it across the bed.

He looked at Tifa again, frowning as he saw the large, wet mark on the neck of her sweater. Well, he surely couldn't let her sleep like that.

But, as realization hit him, so did reluctance. She might hate him for it, but he almost mechanically reached down to the bottom of her sweater.

'Keep your head clear. . .'

His hand moved upward, ignoring the voice in his head that shouted at him to take advantage of this, as Tarah has assumed.

'. . .Don't freak out. . .'

He moved his hand to her back and continued, knowing it was better to touch. . .nothing.

'. . .Keep moving. . .'

He finally got the back of the shirt over her head and started on the arms, moving quicker now. If she didn't wake up, it was possible she wouldn't know. Now was the tricky part of actually removing it.

'. . .And whatever you do, do not picture things you know you shouldn't, Drannor!'

The sweater came off easily, and Reno immediately tossed it onto the coat, starting a kind of pile. He nearly dropped dead as he looked back to Tifa and noticed she had nothing under the sweater, but listened to the voice in his head again, almost a kind of instructor.

'Okay, Drannor, you're smarter than you think. She very well can't sleep in jeans, so. . .'

More torture was the only thing Reno could describe it as, but knew she was bound to be wearing something beneath those. He felt almost guilty as he eased her down on the bed, keeping his mind and eyes from wandering, but the work this time went much quicker, considering he knew there'd be nothing to see.

Luckily, he thought as he tossed the jeans onto the pile, his prediction proved truthful, and relief washed over him as he pulled the blankets up over her, looking around to see if he'd forgotten anything.

'Heh. . .Tseng would be impressed. . .'

He was only slightly surprised when he looked over and saw the cat of the same name on his shoulder, like a bird looking for prey, and it was obvious he'd been oblivious when Tseng had jumped up.

Reno frowned. He'd forgotten the cat food, but he would get to that later, after he found Tifa something to wear the next day.

He walked into the living room, surprised when he saw an empty bag next to the couch with a note on it. The ex-Turk walked over and snatched the note up, reading it to himself.

'Reno,

Tifa called this morning, asked if I could do some laundry. You were asleep, so I figured it was fine. Her stuff should be done tomorrow morning.

Tarah

(Be careful where you leave your address book, Reno.)'

"How surprising," Reno said flatly, dropping the note and looking around again. All he had were Turk suits, and they were probably all too large for Tifa. He sighed heavily and slumped down on the couch, knowing the day couldn't get any worse, although it was nearly over.

She better be an understanding person, Reno thought to himself, already knowing she was. He figured he'd done well for the night, and just needed some sleep.



-=This Fic posted at THe EdgE oF InsaNity=-

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