A Shinimegami Rena Valentine Production
Chapter V
Who said things could be simple? Thoughtful Interludes, Caffeine, and Nicotine.
He couldn't believe it.
Of all the people Godo could have sent along with them, it had to be her. Reno stared at the girl who calmly stared back. They were stuck together, Reno and Yuffie. And while he knew that he should learn to deal with this... setback, he would rather not.
What kind of help would she be, anyway? Sure, Yuffie was part of Avalanche, and yeah, she was pretty good with that shuriken thing, but really... Reno continued staring, and she stared back, seemingly enjoying this staring contest of sorts. A smirk played upon her face. Most wouldn't, couldn't warm up to the idea of staring down a Turk, particularly Reno, but she was unfazed. Her gray eyed gaze was lopsided. She didn't take him seriously for one minute.
"Finally realized how sexy I am, didn'tcha?" Yuffie grinned and placed a hand on her hip. She was bored out of her mind. Godo had sent her to help them out. What he didn't understand was that there were no real leads as so who this Constantine Brandt was, and where they could find him. They had to start from scratch, and since Yuffie, Reno, and Rude weren't as adept at using a computer as Elena was, they were stuck together, waiting for something, anything.
"I prefer a woman with a little more curves." Reno paused a moment, thoughtfully as he stared up to the ceiling. "Actually, in comparison to you... I prefer a woman with a lot more curves."
Yuffie scowled and stuck out her tongue. "At least I didn't get my scrawny ass beat by a stuffed cat."
Reno rolled his eyes. "Are we still talking about that?"
"Some things you can never live down."
"Like being rescued by me?"
Yuffie turned around and poured herself a cup of coffee. Reno was starting to give her a headache. "As if. You wouldn't have gotten anywhere if it hadn't been for Cloud."
"...And Cloud wouldn't have gotten anywhere if it hadn't been for me. Face it, brat. You owe me." Reno grinned, deviously. He didn't know where he was going with this. It almost sounded like something he should have reworded. Yuffie wasn't exactly someone he wanted to wax perversion with. The thought of sex with Yuffie made him feel... Well...
Reno shook his head. He needed sleep, alcohol, something.
"Well what is it you want, oh mighty saviour Reno?" Yuffie shifted her weight onto her left foot, this fight was getting tiresome. She supposed she should have been the bigger person and let Reno be Reno, but then again, it wasn't in her nature. She wouldn't let Reno win this one.
Reno was stuck. What did he want, anyway? He growled under he breath, dug through his pants and produced a crinkled up pack of cigarettes, lit one and took a drag. Therein lay his something.
"Leviathan, you are disgusting." Yuffie wrinkled up her nose and turned around. "I'm going to talk to Reeve and see, what exactly we're going to do. You just stay here and continue being productive."
"I know you don't want to be here..." Reeve had been going over the old Shinra documents, in hopes of finding something on Brandt. There had to be something on him in the Turks files... It was the only thing that made sense. Why else would there be a vendetta?
That was when Yuffie had come in, or rather barged in. She plopped herself onto one of his plush leather chairs and propped her feet onto his desk. Yuffie had never been one for formalities. Especially with her old friend.
Over time, Reeve had learned that Yuffie was, indeed, a very interesting, complex person. He'd found her to be the more amusing members of Avalanche when he'd met her through Cait. They were both outcast, the two of them as well as Vincent. She was useful, yes, but not so easy to get along with. And Reeve, or rather Cait Sith? He had been the double crosser... The suit with a heart.
Reeve had learned a lot through Cait. He'd gotten to know all of them, but Yuffie most of all. He got the impression that Yuffie was lonely. She was difficult, yes, but she still needed someone to talk to... And more often than not, that someone was Cait. Thus started a friendship that lasted years after Meteor, and brought her into his office to gripe about Reno's "gawdawfully gross" habits.
"It wouldn't bother me so much if there was something to do! I can't believe Godo sometimes..."
"Hey." Reeve grinned as he closed another file cabinet. Nothing. "It's better than doing nothing, right? And Reno can't be that bad?"
"Nah, he is. You're just used to him." Yuffie smirked.
"Y'know, when I first met you, you actually reminded me of him." Reeve's grin grew exponentially when he watched her face contort into that of extreme disgust.
"Eww... please Reeve... I was sick enough on the flight here."
"You know, things would be a lot easier if you would just deal with her being here." Rude stared down his red-headed friend through his dark glasses.
"Yeah, but you know I've never liked things easy." Reno looked out the window and tossed his half smoked cigarette down thirty or so floors, taking half a second to wonder exactly whom he must have hit. "Well... other than my women."
Rude sighed. It had been a long day. Sometimes Reno could be impossible. "Just consider being a little easier to get along with. I'm sure Reeve's talking to her as we speak."
"Yeah, yeah..." Reno shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down to the street thoughtfully. Yuffie was just too much fun to play with. She was one of the few people he knew who would actually fight back. Elena could be fun to tease, but after a while, she would either tire of it, or take something seriously. Yuffie however...
Well, she'd shoot something, anything back. The chocobos could come back and leave again, and she'd still have a retort. Even if it made little sense.
Reno hated to admit it, but he derived a lot of fun from being around with her.
He just couldn't admit it. And she could never know.
The clicking of keys filled the silent, darkened office of Elena Cole. If anyone could find imformation on this man, it would be Elena. She had been hired as a Turk for many reasons, one of which was her talent with computers.
Lines of text and code flew by the screen, her fingers moving nimbly. She was oblivious to the outside world, completely immersed in the countless numbers and letters.
Suddenly, the screen darkened, the computer stopped. She blinked, confused, and removed her hands from the keyboard. "What?"
This had never happened before. She checked the power source. Everything was on. It should be working fine.
A sound startled her, it had gotten too quiet in there. She looked to her right, trying to ignore the pounding of her heart, the sound echoing in her ears. A fax was coming in, the header stating that it had originated in Mideel. With shaking hands, she reached into the paper tray and picked up the paper. Maybe the incoming fax had froze up the computer?
She turned it over and gasped. The black text revealed two words.
~*~
"So it's Mideel?" Reno was pacing the room, internally fraught with worry. This had to mean something...
"Y-yeah." Elena didn't look up. It was obvious from the moment she confronted them that she was worried, terrified. Whoever had sent this had meant it for her, and they had to know something about her. After all, they knew how to reach her. She shivered inadvertently.
"I don't like it." Rude's voice echoed across the room from his corner.
"None of us do." Reno said dryly. "But we have to do something."
Yuffie had been silent since Elena confronted Reeve. The woman had been pale, obviously beyond spooked. Distraught. Yuffie couldn't imagine how she'd react in such a situation.
But were they missing a vital issue behind this? Was she the only one who could see through the fax?
"You guys do realize that this is probably a trap... Don't you?"
Reno scowled. "What do you take us for? Idiots? Of course we know it's a trap. Shiva..." He tossed himself onto a chair, and watched Yuffie timidly look down. Maybe he'd been a bit too harsh with her. They were all under a lot of pressure. It didn't look good.
Reeve placed a hand on Yuffie's shoulder. "Even if it is a trap, which it probably is, we have to do something. I'll have the helicopter prepped for flight. We'll be on our toes. Nothing should go wrong."
"Optimistic." Reno said under his breath, his eyebrows knitted together in worry. He was afraid for Elena. He didn't want her to experience what he'd gone through. She was almost like a sister to him. A younger, annoying, slightly naive sister.
Yuffie sighed and wordlessly followed Reeve out, going to her room to collect her bags. She wasn't in the mood to fight with Reno, and she knew that if she stayed, it would start. It always did.
Reno and Rude once again sat silently in the coffee room, the silence awkward and tense.
"What did I tell you Reno?" Rude stood up.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'll try to behave."
"That's a good boy. We'd better get going."
Reno stood up and stretched, loudly popping his neck into place. He had a feeling it would be a while before he got some alcohol into his system. A long, tiresome while.
Author's Ramble: Well, here's more. Though I should update this before I got started on another TCBTP chapter. Somehow that project is getting the bulk of my creative thought. That and prospects of a web comic. *grin*
I'm starting to get an idea of what I'm going to do here. Slowly. Which is good. Very good. Looking back on this chapter, this is almost starting to look like a Reeve x Yuffie. Kooky. Thanks for reading so far. I'll try to get more out soon. ^_^;