When all you can rely on are your friends

Btw, writing in italics is a flashback ok.

Chapter 2 – Reno's Past

            When Reno walked into the apartment a little while later, Elena was just sat on the sofa hand in her hands. Reno kinda felt sorry for her. That was most likely the reason why he decided to tell her about his dream. He would hate it if the two best… No only friends in the world were keeping stuff from him. He sauntered over to the naïve little blonde girl and sat next to her.

            'You wanted to know what me n' Rude were talking about this morning don't ya?' Reno whispered to her. Elena looked up and stared Reno in the eyes. She then nodded slowly. Reno took a deep breath and closed his eyes. 'Her name was Lu.'

            'Who? The girl you were dreaming about?' Elena inquired. Reno nodded at her.

            'She's probably not what you think coz you're thinking she was a girlfriend right?' Elena then looked shocked. If it wasn't a girlfriend then who was she? 'Ha thought you were thinking that' he answered when he saw the look on her face. 'I think I need a beer for this want one?' he asked her. Elena nodded and leaned back on the sofa.

            'She was my younger sister' a voice said from the kitchen. Elena sat up.

            'Your sister? I never knew you had one?' she whispered.

            'You don't know a lot of things I told you that once.'

            'So…… what happened to her, I mean it must have been something bad to scare you like that' she looked at the red head who had his eyes closed. 'Oh god I didn't mean it to sound like that…….'

            'It's ok 'Laney' He whispered to her. He took another deep breath. 'I had been a Turk for about 6 month as most of Midgar knew who I was. Not that they didn't already know me from before that.'

            'I heard of you before you were a Turk….' Reno looked at her shocked. 'What think I'm too naive looking to have grown up in Midgar? I just hide it well…'

            'Anyway' Reno continued, 'My sister was about 5 years younger than me, that made her about 13 when all this happened. That's about 5 years ago. We both grew up together depending on each other…' Reno turned the radio on, while Elena started at him. He chucked as a very fitting song came on.

He's drunk again, it's time to fight
She must have done something wrong tonight
The living room becomes a boxing ring
He's time to run when you see him
Coming licking his hands
She's just a woman
Never Again

I hear a scream, from down the hall
Amazing she can even talk at all
She cries to me, Go back to bed
I'm terrified, that she'll wind up Dead
In his hands, She's just a woman
Never Again

            'What you laughing at?' Elena asked looked puzzled. She'd been puzzled more time than she cared to remember today.

            'It explains exactly why me and Lu grew to depend on each other'. Elena looked at taking a minute to realize what the song was saying.

            'Are you telling me that your father used to …erm….well beat up your mum?' Reno just turned to her and nodded. 'That happened to my mum too, happened a lot in the slums.' The red head was kinda glad he wasn't the only one who had to watch that kind of thing.

Just tell the nurse, you slipped and fell
It starts to sting as it starts to swell
She looks at you, she wants the truth
It's right out there in the waiting room
With those hands
Lookin just as sweet as he can
Never Again

Seen it before, but not like this
Been there before, but not like this
Never before have I have
Seen him this bad
She's just a woman
Never Again

Father's a name you haven't earned yet
You're just a child with a temper
Haven't you heard "Don't hit a lady"?
Kickin' your ass would be a pleasure

He's drunk again, it's time to fight
Same old shit, just on a different night
She grabs the gun, she's had enough
Tonight she'll find out how fucking
Tough is this man
Pulls the trigger just as fast as she can
Never Again

Seen it before, but not like this
Been there before, but not like this
Never before have I have
Seen him this bad
She's just a woman
Never Again

As the song finished Reno spoke up again.

'I bet you mother didn't have the courage to kill your dad though.' He fell silent. Elena glanced at him.

'Well I wish mine would have coz my dad ended up killing my mum instead….. Anyway this is you we're talking about not me' she reminded herself more than she was Reno.

'Well……I had just got used to being two people, a Turk and the kind gentle big brother…… I know it doesn't sound like me but…… Anyhow there were some bastards who had a grudge on me for years when I worked for a gang and took his HQ out.' Reno sighed.

'Reno, you ain't gonna work late tonight again are ya I'm fed up of being home alone.' A petite red head girl shouted while running towards the door.

'I'll try not to Lu but if I've gotta I've gotta ok' a lanky red headed lad said just as he put on his navy blue jacket. Surprisingly his shirt was button and he had a tie on. Lu looked at him and shook her head.

'Nah that won't do' she yelled at him. She took off the tie, undid about 3 of the shirt buttons and untucked it from his trousers. 'Now that's loads better' Reno sighed.

'The boss will have a go at me if I keep going like this Lu.'

'Well tell him you're little sister made you' she said smiling up at him. He smiled back he couldn't help but do that.

'Well I've gotta go or I'll have my back side kicked for more than the shirt' he chuckled.

'Bye bye Reno don't be late or I'll kick your ass as well'

Reno smiled again as he started to stroll to work.

6 hours later….

'And Reno' a black haired man muttered to the red head.

'Yeah boss?' Reno replied already knowing what he was going to say.

'Get dressed in the light next time, it generally helps.' Tseng turned round in the revolving chair.

'I did but my sis decided I didn't look rite and did this.' Reno grinned at his boss. Tseng chuckled.

'Go on you're dismissed' He muttered as he went back to his paper work. Reno walked over and fell onto the sofa in the Turk lounge.

'Gave ya a hard time about ya dress sense then' Rude asked as Reno sat down.

'When doesn't he? It ain't my fault my little sister wants me to dress like this.' Reno complained. The phone next to the red head started to ring. He leaned over and picked it up. 'Manufacturing Department of Administrative Research' Reno said into the receiver.

'Well if it isn't little Reno' A deep cold voice said on the other end.

'What the fuck do you want Yeon?' Reno spat into the phone. Rude looked at him mystified.

'Well we have you little sister you see. If you wanna see her alive you'll meet us on Queens Street in 30 minutes' Reno's face fell.

'If you little shits do anything to her I swear….' The phone then went dead.

'Reno what's up?' Rude asked as he walked over to him.

'The little shits have Lu' Reno replied, head buried din his hands. Reno then leaped up and ran out the room.

'Reno wait!' Rude shouted but on deaf ears. He decided to go after him.

30 minutes later

Reno wandered around Queens Street looking for any trace of Yeon and his gang. His head was spinning. He didn't know what he would do if they hurt Lu.

'RENO!!!' Reno spun round and looked up to see a red haired girl dangling off a roof top.

'LU!!' he shouted and ran up the fire escape of the apartment block. When he finally reached the top, Yeon looked round at him.

'Well he's little Reno to the rescue look. Come to save your sister eh? The dearest thing in the world to you.' Yeon snared at him.

'She ain't done shit to you it's me you have the problem with leave her out of it!' Reno yelled.

'We've tried that approach it doesn't work so we had to use an alternative.' Yeon laughed at Reno. Before the red haired lanky male could do anything, there was a cold mental feeling on the back of his neck. 'So Reno it's come to this has it?' Yeon laughed again. The man behind Reno pushed him towards to edge so he could see Lu.

'RENO' she shouted to him with a terrified look in her chocolate eyes. 'RENO' she shouted again. She had started to lose her grip.

           

'Go on…. try and save her u good for nothing Turk!' said a voice from behind him. The redhead didn't answer. In response to this the man kicked the back of his knees. Reno just fell to the ground. He didn't even try and get up……. His mind was telling him it was over. A squeal brought him back to his senses. He ran to the edge to try and grasp hold of the girl, put she slipped and fell to her demise.

           

'Lu!!!!!' He yelled at her as if the outcry would save her. She was near the bottom now. The men assembled at the top were amused at the fact of seeing a Turk like this. 'Reno' she screamed again. There was a loud thud; Reno quickly looked away from the edge. He felt like his hear had shattered into millions of pieces. He looked up towards the entrance of the fire escape and saw Rude with Tseng behind him, guns held high.

'I'd leave the lad alone if I was you' said Tseng, intimating the gang on the roof. Tseng wasn't someone to mess around with and the gang knew this. Several of them made a run for it. The black haired Wutian aimed his pistol at the man who before had his gun positioned behind Reno. The gun shot echoed through the streets as it hit the guy, right in the head. He went down like a ton of bricks. Rude shot another one of them and the guy fell off the roof. Yeon knew he was losing he frantically looked around for Reno who was sat on the ground like he was before. The brown haired Junonian aimed at the red haired Midgarian. Rude saw this and ran to knock the man off balance. Just as Rude ran into him Yeon pressed the trigger. Reno's brain registered a pain like nothing he had ever experienced in his stomach. Rude regained his composure aimed his pistol at Yeon and shot him point blank in the head. The Junonian fell to the floor. As the remaining gang members saw this they all ran off. Rude ran over to Reno. A puddle of crimson liquid was beginning to form around the red head.

'Reno' the bald headed man whispered to him. Reno opened his eyes and looked up at him.

'Rude…… thanks man' Reno managed to spit out.

'It's ok.'

            Reno was sat silently on the sofa with Elena watching him. He felt like his hear had broken all over again after year of trying to mend it. Elena wanted to comfort him, tell him it would be alright but she knew it wouldn't help. Her train of thought was broken when she heard a sob next to her. There were tears running down the red head's cheek.

            'I wanted to save her………so much. She was …the only thing …left to live for' he managed to get out before the lump in his throat made his voice nothing more than a croak.

            'Come here' Elena whispered as she put her arm around Reno's shoulders. Reno turned his head to look at the blonde. He stared her in the eyes, looked away and mouthed 'thanks' to her. She hugged him tighter, as if doing so would make him feel better. Deep inside, Reno knew it was making him feel better. Even though Reno may look like a bit of a ladies man, he only flirted. He liked Elena; he had done for ages, that's why he also took the piss out of her. He smiled at that thought. Elena looked at him thinking he had gone stark raving mad. He was crying and smiling at them same time. Reno took a deep breath.

            'Laney?' he whispered.

            'Yeah Reno?' She didn't think she'd like where this was going.

            'What would you say if I said I liked you……… a lot' Reno closed his eyes and waited for the reaction. When he felt Elena move closer to him he opened them again.

            'I'd be happy, coz I like you a lot too.' Elena said gazing at him. Reno looked into her eyes to see if he could tell if she was telling the truth. He couldn't see any trace of her lying. He smiled. They gazed at each other for what seemed ages but was only a matter of seconds. Fed up of waiting Elena grabbed the collar of Reno's shirt and pulled him closer. She softly pressed her lips against his. Reno looked a bit shocked at first, his eyes opened wide, but then he relaxed and closed them. The kiss only broke apart when they needed to breathe. Elena pulled back a bit and looked at Reno again. She then leaned her head against his chest.

            'You don't know how long I've been waiting for that' Reno whispered after a few minutes. He stroked her blonde hair softly.

            'I can imagine.' The blonde said smiling.

Well who saw that coming? I didn't coz I only thought about it when I started writing that part lol. I didn't intend it to be a Reno/Elena fic but it is now lol. The next chapter shows what happened to Rude when Lena followed him, U know the girl who Reno was bitching too. Please R&R.