Scars of the Past

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It's kinda hard with you not around - Know you in heaven smiling down - Watching us while we pray for you - Every day we pray for you - Till the day we meet again - In my heart is where I'll keep you friend - Memories give me the strength I need to proceed - Strength I need to believe - My thoughts Big I just can't define - Wish I could turn back the hands of time - Us in the six, shop for new clothes and kicks - You and me taking flicks - Making hits, stages they receive you on - Still can't believe you're gone - Give anything to hear half your breath - I know you still living you're life, after death - Every step I take, every move I make - Every single day, every time I pray - I'll be missing you - Thinking of the day, when you went away - What a life to take, what a bond to break - I'll be missing you (Puff Daddy - I'll be Missing you)

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Chapter 10 - In Midgar

Back in Midgar, Reno was once again sat on the roof of the Shinra building. He put his head in his hands. It felt as if the Turks were dropping off like flies. With that he was losing the only friends he had. He looked up into the sky, at the huge meteor that had appeared soon after the barrier had emerged, sealing off the crater. Didn't look like any of them were going to last too much longer. The red head pulled his knees up to his chest. He was too involved in his own thoughts to notice the blonde woman that sat beside him. She bent round to look in straight in the face.

"Scarlet?" Reno looked at her, kind of puzzled.

"Yes it's me. Is that really so hard to believe?" The Turk shook his head. "Elena told me you'd probably be up here." They sat in silence for a while, until Reno spoke up.

"I know I'm not the son-in-law you always hoped for.........."

"What the hell gave you that idea?" Scarlet cut in.

"Well, throwing shoes at me doesn't exactly give me the impression you like me all that much." The blonde chuckled.

"I don't do that because I hate you. You can be annoying sometimes though." Reno laughed this time.

"Annoying people is what I do best." He said, trying to look proud about it, but failed.

"Reno, If I hated you that much would I have let you marry Addy?" Scarlet spoke softly.

"I always wondered why you actually let me marry her."

"You want to know why?" Reno looked at her.

"Yes....." Scarlet looked up at the meteor.

"When she brought you home for the first time...."

"Not exactly a good example there." Reno cut in. The blonde laughed.

"Look I forgot about the whole whore thing."

"Doesn't sound like it to me."

"Just shut up will you?" Reno didn't answer, so she continued. "When she first brought you home, I looked at her when she was staring at you." She stopped for a minute. "The look she had in her eyes, when she was staring at you, just shouted out that she loved you with all her heart." Reno sighed. He let his legs fall back over the side of the building, and rested his chin on his hands.

"I'll never find anyone like Addy." Scarlet looked at him.

"What the hell you on about? Shit, Reno you're only twenty four. That's not exactly old." She paused for a moment. "What about Elly?" Reno spun his head round to look at her.

"She's.... just a friend, and I'm not twenty four for much longer." He hesitated. Scarlet smiled.

"Reno, no one is going to think any less of you, if you find someone else." She carried on when he didn't interrupt. "I made that mistake."

"Would I be such a bad person, if I said I liked Elly a little bit more than a friend?" Scarlet shook her head.

"Of course you wouldn't." She stood up and brushed her dress down. "Just think about it ok? Don't let yourself think that you'll never find anyone else. You've probably got at least another fifty years to live. Do you really want to be on your own?" With that she walked back in the building.

"Maybe I don't wanna be on my own." Reno muttered, before getting up, taking one last glance at the fiery rock in the sky, and strolling back inside.

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Elena was sat in a chair in Reeve's Office, staring at the two children who were playing. Reeve stopped writing his paperwork and looked over to her.

"What's up?" The blonde looked at him, a bit startled that he spoke.

"What makes you think there's something up?"

"You're staring off into space, you only do that when you're thinking hard. What's up?" He tried again. Elena sighed.

"Nothing is up." She mumbled.

"You could have fooled me." He put down his pen. "Seriously El, What's a matter?" She fidgeted around in her chair.

"Nothing!" She shouted. Callum and Marlene even looked up at her. She sighed again and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ok, so there's something, but I don't wanna talk about it." Rude stood up from where he was sat, and walked closer to the desk.

"You like Reno." It was more of a statement that a question. Elena nearly dropped the cup of coffee she was holding.

"What?"

"You like Reno. It obvious." The male Turk stood up, walking over to get some coffee.

"He has a point, El. Hell even I can see it." Reeve told her. She sighed in defeat. She sat there for a moment or two before talking.

"I thought it was just a crush that would go away, like Tseng was, but now the crush for Tseng has gone, but Reno is........." She whispered, trailing off near the end. Rude and Reeve looked at each other.

"You like him." The black haired man said. The red haired boy had walked over sometime during the conversation. He tugged at Elena's trouser leg.

"If you like daddy, does that mean you are gonna be my new mummy. I'd like you as my new mummy." The blonde stared at the child. She heard Reeve chuckle.

"Damn, he's smart for a three year old."

"I'm four soon." The little boy beamed, proudly. "So my daddy told me anyway." Elena was still trying to get over the shock of what Callum had said to her. He held his arms out to be picked up, so she complied.

"Shit..... if it's Callum's birthday soon then it must be......." She trailed off.

"Reno's as well." Rude finished for her. He patted her on the back. "Don't worry, there's still like four weeks left till his birthday." She looked at the two men.

"Neither of you are going to say anything, are you? You too Callum." They all shook their heads. "Good." She smiled. The door banged open, making Elena jump half a mile into the air. The blonde President stormed in and dropped onto the chair Rude was sat in before.

"Aren't you supposed to be in Junon?" Reeve asked. He looked up.

"I just came back to drag fat ass and Scarlet with me. Not that I want to or anything." The blonde sighed. "Has any of you seen Scarlet anywhere? I found fat bastard, he's already getting on the ship."

"She went to talk to Reno. She should be back soon though, because she went ages ago." Elena answered. The President nodded.

"Looking for me?" The blonde woman in question asked from the doorway. Rufus jumped out his chair.

"Scarlet! Come on, you're coming to Junon with me and fat ass."

"Oh joy." She said sarcastically. She turned and headed towards her office. The blonde man turned when he reached the doorway.

"See you all sometime next week." He shouted, then turned and walked off down the hallway. Reno poked his head around the door.

"What's he doing here?" He asked, making Elena jump out of her skin again. Reeve chuckled.

"Just came by to find Heidegger and Scarlet. He's going back to Junon now." Rude answered.

"Daddy?" Callum asked, walking over to the red head. "You still haven't got me that ice scream." Reno smiled.

"We'll go now ok?" The little boy nodded.

"Can Elly come?"

"If Elly wants to....." Reno looked at the blonde. She smiled and nodded. Callum smiled ran up to Elena and started dragging her out the door. After they left Reeve looked at Rude.

"Hundred Gil says that them two end up going out in the next two months." Reeve said.

"I say in a month. You're on."

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Callum was sat on a swing, strawberry ice cream all over his face, while Elena and Reno were sat on a bench nearby.

"Scarlet found you then?" She asked, after they had been sat in silence for almost ten minutes.

"Yeah. It's just like you to know where am I." She smiled.

"I'm your friend, it's my job to know." They sat in silence again before Reno spoke.

"She was just giving me some advice that's all." The blonde looked at him. "I knew you were gonna ask what she wanted, so I thought I'd tell you before you bothered to ask."

"What advice then?"

"Errr...." The male Turk hesitated for a minute. "....... She told me that I shouldn't think I won't find anyone else." He whispered. Elena looked up at the sky.

"Do you think that?"

"Not anymore......" He whispered more to himself than to the blonde, but she hear him.

"What made you change your mind?"

'You did'. He thought to himself but actually said, "I don't know." Elena twirled her short hair around one finger.

"Did she start with the, 'no one is going to think any less of you, if you find someone else' speech?"

"Yeah, how did you......." The blonde chuckled a bit

"Addy gave Scarlet the same speech when her father left." Reno looked at the ground.

"I completely forgot about her father leaving. No wonder Scarlet said that she made that mistake........." He trailed off. "She should really take her own advice....."

"She's right though Reno. Not one of us will think you're a bad person if you find someone else." The red head gazed at the swing for a while before talking again.

"How are you anyway? I mean Tseng and that......." He trailed off.

"I'm fine. I figured out it was just a crush. I miss having him around though."

"It's kinda quiet......... ok well not by much, but it's still........."

"It's different. I know what you mean." Elena cut in. Reno nodded at her. He looked up at the meteor.

"Makes you wonder if that hunk of junk is actually gonna hit us or not, or by some miracle Rufus finds a way to get rid of it."

"Is it just me, or does it look like that thing is heading straight towards here?" Elena asked.

"I've had that feeling all along. Seems fitting that the place where it all started would be the first to go." He looked at Callum, who was grinning his head off, while trying to see how high he could swing. Reno stood up from the bench. "We'd better be getting back." Elena nodded.

"Think about it though Reno. If you manage to find someone else, tell them. Just don't hang around too long." She began to walk off. Reno smiled. 'I won't' He glanced over to Callum.

"Come on Kid, time to go." Callum shot off the swing and ran up to his dad.

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