Author's Note: Ok, well, I'm finishing this story no matter what happens
because I need practice, and I can't stop something once I've started.
However, it seems that I'm doing it in vain, since it seems nobody's
reading it! I've only gotten 2 reviews (thanks you guys! ^_^), but if no
one else is reading the story, what's the point? Oh well.
For the few of you who are reading, thanks a bunch! I appreciate it. I'll
get on with it now. ^_^
Disclaimer: I don't own nothin'.
This chapter rated R for language.
Things Unexpected
Chapter 4: Reconcile
Tifa awoke to the sound of something sizzling and cracking. She opened her eyes, and found herself staring at a strange ceiling. She looked around, but did not recognize the room she was in. It was a small, run-down apartment, with a few pieces of cheap furniture here and there. The sizzling sound was now accompanied by a pleasant smell. Was someone cooking?
She sat up on the couch where she lay, and immediately regretted it. Her head hurt. Her eyes throbbed, and her body ached. She didn't know where she was, but she was alive, at least.
"Good morning, sunshine." A voice sounded from somewhere behind her. She turned, and was shocked to find Reno standing in the doorway. He was holding a large frying pan; it's contents still hot and steaming.
"Reno! Where am I? What's going on?" She stood quickly, but her body ached too much, and she had to sit down again. He opened a cupboard above his head and pulled out a dish, onto which he piled a large amount of eggs from the frying pan. He placed it on the table in front of her, then handed her a fork.
"Thanks." She said gratefully, as she began to eat like there was no tomorrow. She wanted some answers, but damn, she needed food first!
"Hungry?" He chuckled, and sat down in a chair that looked as though it would collapse at any moment.
They sat in silence as she ate, neither one of them really knowing what to say.
Several minutes later, Tifa placed the fork on the now empty plate, and sighed contentedly. Now she was ready to talk. She turned to Reno, who sat quietly in his ratty chair, running his fingers through his hair absentmindedly.
"Reno." She said, getting his attention. "Where am I? What's going on?"
He looked around the room, then back at her before answering.
"You're at my place. Nice, isn't it?" He fingered a crack in the wall. "I don't know where you live, so I brought you here last night."
"Last night? What did you do last night?" She strained her mind trying to recall. She remembered going home, Cloud yelling at her and hitting her. She remembered running, and being lost. Then she remembered being chased, and attacked. After that her memory was a bit blurry. She put her hand up to her face, and was startled by the pain when she touched it. Half of her face was swollen. Probably from the attack, or Cloud.
Reno hesitated. Did she really not remember? Or was she deliberately trying not to?
"You know, after those guys tried to rape you. Then I came and kicked their asses. Remember?"
She furrowed her brow, trying desperately to remember what exactly had happened.
"No. I remember being attacked, but after that, it's blurry."
He crossed his arms, and leaned forward in his chair.
"Well, it's probably better that way anyway. But I heard you scream. Thank God I showed up in time to save you. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't."
Tifa shivered. The thought of being gang raped scared the shit out of her. She couldn't believe she had let herself get into the situation in the first place.
"What were you doing there, anyway?" Reno asked curiously.
"I. I was lost." She answered slowly. He didn't look convinced.
"You were lost? Do you know where you were? Where you are? The only reason I was there is because I live near there. This is probably the worst part of town you'll ever see."
She cupped her hands in her lap. She had a feeling he knew she wasn't telling the whole truth.
She sighed. She supposed there wasn't really any harm in telling him. He would take her side anyway, since he hated Cloud so much.
"I- I'd had a fight with Cloud." She glanced at Reno, as if expecting him to say something, but he didn't. Just sat there, looking at her intently.
"After I went home last night, he got mad. He was drunk. I tried to explain, but he wouldn't listen. He started swearing at me and throwing things. He always yells, but he's never gotten violent before. Well, not too violent. But, he started hitting me. I told him to stop, but he wouldn't. I. I couldn't help it. I started crying, but he just kept hitting me and hitting me. He swore horrible things at me. Things you'd never hear in civilized conversation."
She paused and took a breath. She realized she had started crying again, but she didn't care. It felt good to vent. She hadn't been able to do it in such a long time. She wiped her eyes and went on.
"Finally I was able to get away from him. I just took off down the street, and didn't stop until I felt like I was going to pass out. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. That's how I ended up here last night."
She picked up her napkin and blew her nose with it. She didn't know why she was crying again. Especially in front of Reno. She didn't want him to think she was weak. He probably thought she was pitiful. Hell, even she thought she was pitiful.
Regaining her composure, she looked at Reno, half expecting him to let loose some snide remark, or start laughing at her. But the look she received was one of sympathy. He just sat, looking at her, as if he was trying to talk to her with his eyes. Finally, he broke the silence.
"So what are you going to do?"
She looked at the napkin folded in her hands and shrugged. She hadn't thought about that. She wasn't going to go back to Cloud. She'd had it with him. Everyone had been right. He was messed up. She had merely been too foolish to see it.
"I don't know. I guess I'll stay with one of the girls from the salon."
Reno stood up and stretched.
"You want some coffee? You look like you could use some."
Her face brightened. Coffee was the one friend who never let her down.
"Yes, please."
He walked down the hall into the kitchen and began to make a pot.
"The bathroom's the first door on the left, if you want to take a shower or something. I don't have many women's clothes in stock right now, but you can wear something of mine if you need to."
She stood up, slowly, and made her way to the bathroom. Why was he being so nice? He had always been such an asshole to her and her friends, and now he was letting her wear his clothes? Had he always been like this? Or was it a trick? Maybe he wanted what those thugs had been after the night before. That was probably it. No. How could she think that about someone? He was being kind to her, and she was suspecting him of ulterior motives? Well, she had to admit, it wasn't like he hadn't done enough in the past to warrant the thought.
She looked in the bathroom mirror and gasped. She looked like shit. One whole side of her face was badly swollen and red. Her nose was bloody, and she had a nasty-looking gash above her left eye. As she removed her clothes, she found the rest of her body to be in no better condition. She had bruises all over the place. Her chest and stomach were sore to the touch. She was just thankful that more hadn't been allowed to happen.
She felt much better when she emerged from the shower. Reno had given her a pair of pants and shirt to wear, since the outfit she'd been wearing was torn and bloody. Hardy fit for future use.
She entered the kitchen and was greeted with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Reno handed her a cup as she sat down at the small dinner table. He sat down opposite her, and they sat, drinking their coffee, enjoying the rays of sunlight that streaked in through the window.
Suddenly Tifa remembered something.
"What time is it?" She asked. Reno looked at his watch.
"10:30."
"Can I use your phone?"
"Knock yourself out."
Tifa picked up the phone and dialed the number for Easy Cuts. She had forgotten today was only Friday, but she felt like shit, and wasn't in very good working condition at the moment.
"Hello? Sheryll? It's Tifa. Yeah. Hey, listen; I'm not coming in today. I had an accident last night, and I don't think I can make it. No. I'll tell you about it later. Yes, I'm all right. I think so. Yes. Thanks so much. Ok. Bye."
She hung up the phone, and sat back down at the table. She looked at Reno, trying to decide what to make of him. She noticed several small bruises on his face. Probably from fighting with those thugs last night.
"Thank you for saving me last night. I don't want to think what would've happened if you hadn't shown up."
"Well, I couldn't just leave you there. I'm not as bad a guy as you think."
"No, I suppose not. But thank you all the same."
"Don't mention it."
They sat in silence again. Tifa thought about what she would do next. Where was she going to stay? Sheryll was one of the only people she really knew, but she also knew it would be nearly impossible to stay with her. Sheryll lived with her husband, and three small boys in an apartment no bigger than the one Reno was living in. Asking her for lodging would be intrusive, and wouldn't work.
She supposed she could get a hotel. But all the hotels in Junon were either too expensive, or too dangerous. She didn't make much money, but she didn't want to get shot, either.
She sighed and lay her head down on the table. What was she going to do?
"What's wrong?" Reno asked her.
"I don't know where I'm going to stay. I was lying when I said I could stay with someone from the salon. There's only one person I really know there, but she has a large family and no room for them as it is. I don't have money for a hotel unless it's in the slums, but I don't want to live there again. I don't know what I'm going to do."
He looked at her for a long while. She certainly wasn't one for good luck. He couldn't believe she was still sane, with all the shit that had happened to her. He thought of Clod, that stupid asshole. He always knew that dumb fuck was messed up. Well, that was fairly obvious. Or so it seemed to Reno.
Poor Tifa. The girl never caught a break. If something bad was happening, it was happening to her. He had never had anything against her. In fact, he had admired her since they first fought on the pillar in Midgar. She was strong. But even strong people have limits. Limits as to how much shit they can handle. He felt sorry for her.
"You can stay here if you want." He said, finally.
Tifa looked up. Was he serious? She didn't rule out the possibility that this was some cruel joke. Nor did she rule out the possibility that he was just trying to get her in bed. Although if he did try anything, she was fairly certain she could kick his ass.
She didn't trust him. Not at all. But then again, he had saved her, and hadn't tried anything while she was out. Maybe he deserved a chance. Besides, she desperately needed a place to stay.
"Do you mean it?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
He shrugged. He knew she probably didn't like him much.
"I dunno, you need a place to stay, don't you?"
Tifa thought long and hard about his offer. She didn't really have any other choice.
"Alright. Thank you. Again."
He grinned at her and stood up, putting his cup in the sink.
"Ok, there's not much in the fridge. Mostly eggs, since that's all I can cook. Feel free to explore. Although I doubt you'll find anything of much interest. I have to go to work now. There's an extra key in the desk over there if you want to go out. Umm. I think that's it."
He put his shoes on and started for the door.
"Oh, one more thing-" he said, turning around. "I have a cat. Her name is Tailes."
"Tailes?"
"Yeah, just pet her and you'll understand why. See you later."
He left, locking the door behind him.
Tifa still sat at the kitchen table. She wanted to meet Tailes. She stood up and placed her coffee cup on top of his in the sink.
She looked around for the cat, and eventually found her sleeping on Reno's bed. She was small, black, and beautiful. She opened her eyes when Tifa entered the room. Standing slowly and stretching, Tailes lifted her head curiously at the stranger. When Tifa held out her hand, Tailes sniffed it, and then rubbed her head against the slender fingers.
"Hi" Tifa said to the feline. "I'm Tifa. You must be Tailes. Odd name, I gotta say, but you sure are striking."
As if to show Tifa the meaning behind her name, Tailes arched her back and stood her long tail straight up in the air, puffing it out as best she could. She purred loudly as Tifa giggled and stroked her back.
"Oh I see! Well you certainly are sociable, aren't you?"
A tiny mew was her reply.
Tifa spent the rest of the morning cleaning up Reno's crappy little apartment. Couldn't the man do laundry? Honestly, the place looked as though an elephant had released its frustrations inside. Working actually took her mind off things for a while, and by the time she was done, all she wanted was to curl up on the couch and take a long nap.
And that's exactly what she did.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~* A/N: Well, some weird stuff happening in this chapter, 'eh? Tifa actually accepted Reno's offer? Kinda strange. I wonder how this new arrangement will work out? And as for Tailes, I wanted to give Reno a pet because, to me, he just seems like the kind of guy that would like animals, and I love cats. ^_^ As for the name, "Tailes", I had a cat named Tailes, and she was wonderful. She was hit by a car last week, and to honor her memory, the Tailes in the story is going to be exactly like her. So when (if) you're reading something about Tailes, remember that my Tailes was the same way.
I love you, Tailes! This one's for you! ^_^
Disclaimer: I don't own nothin'.
This chapter rated R for language.
Things Unexpected
Chapter 4: Reconcile
Tifa awoke to the sound of something sizzling and cracking. She opened her eyes, and found herself staring at a strange ceiling. She looked around, but did not recognize the room she was in. It was a small, run-down apartment, with a few pieces of cheap furniture here and there. The sizzling sound was now accompanied by a pleasant smell. Was someone cooking?
She sat up on the couch where she lay, and immediately regretted it. Her head hurt. Her eyes throbbed, and her body ached. She didn't know where she was, but she was alive, at least.
"Good morning, sunshine." A voice sounded from somewhere behind her. She turned, and was shocked to find Reno standing in the doorway. He was holding a large frying pan; it's contents still hot and steaming.
"Reno! Where am I? What's going on?" She stood quickly, but her body ached too much, and she had to sit down again. He opened a cupboard above his head and pulled out a dish, onto which he piled a large amount of eggs from the frying pan. He placed it on the table in front of her, then handed her a fork.
"Thanks." She said gratefully, as she began to eat like there was no tomorrow. She wanted some answers, but damn, she needed food first!
"Hungry?" He chuckled, and sat down in a chair that looked as though it would collapse at any moment.
They sat in silence as she ate, neither one of them really knowing what to say.
Several minutes later, Tifa placed the fork on the now empty plate, and sighed contentedly. Now she was ready to talk. She turned to Reno, who sat quietly in his ratty chair, running his fingers through his hair absentmindedly.
"Reno." She said, getting his attention. "Where am I? What's going on?"
He looked around the room, then back at her before answering.
"You're at my place. Nice, isn't it?" He fingered a crack in the wall. "I don't know where you live, so I brought you here last night."
"Last night? What did you do last night?" She strained her mind trying to recall. She remembered going home, Cloud yelling at her and hitting her. She remembered running, and being lost. Then she remembered being chased, and attacked. After that her memory was a bit blurry. She put her hand up to her face, and was startled by the pain when she touched it. Half of her face was swollen. Probably from the attack, or Cloud.
Reno hesitated. Did she really not remember? Or was she deliberately trying not to?
"You know, after those guys tried to rape you. Then I came and kicked their asses. Remember?"
She furrowed her brow, trying desperately to remember what exactly had happened.
"No. I remember being attacked, but after that, it's blurry."
He crossed his arms, and leaned forward in his chair.
"Well, it's probably better that way anyway. But I heard you scream. Thank God I showed up in time to save you. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't."
Tifa shivered. The thought of being gang raped scared the shit out of her. She couldn't believe she had let herself get into the situation in the first place.
"What were you doing there, anyway?" Reno asked curiously.
"I. I was lost." She answered slowly. He didn't look convinced.
"You were lost? Do you know where you were? Where you are? The only reason I was there is because I live near there. This is probably the worst part of town you'll ever see."
She cupped her hands in her lap. She had a feeling he knew she wasn't telling the whole truth.
She sighed. She supposed there wasn't really any harm in telling him. He would take her side anyway, since he hated Cloud so much.
"I- I'd had a fight with Cloud." She glanced at Reno, as if expecting him to say something, but he didn't. Just sat there, looking at her intently.
"After I went home last night, he got mad. He was drunk. I tried to explain, but he wouldn't listen. He started swearing at me and throwing things. He always yells, but he's never gotten violent before. Well, not too violent. But, he started hitting me. I told him to stop, but he wouldn't. I. I couldn't help it. I started crying, but he just kept hitting me and hitting me. He swore horrible things at me. Things you'd never hear in civilized conversation."
She paused and took a breath. She realized she had started crying again, but she didn't care. It felt good to vent. She hadn't been able to do it in such a long time. She wiped her eyes and went on.
"Finally I was able to get away from him. I just took off down the street, and didn't stop until I felt like I was going to pass out. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. That's how I ended up here last night."
She picked up her napkin and blew her nose with it. She didn't know why she was crying again. Especially in front of Reno. She didn't want him to think she was weak. He probably thought she was pitiful. Hell, even she thought she was pitiful.
Regaining her composure, she looked at Reno, half expecting him to let loose some snide remark, or start laughing at her. But the look she received was one of sympathy. He just sat, looking at her, as if he was trying to talk to her with his eyes. Finally, he broke the silence.
"So what are you going to do?"
She looked at the napkin folded in her hands and shrugged. She hadn't thought about that. She wasn't going to go back to Cloud. She'd had it with him. Everyone had been right. He was messed up. She had merely been too foolish to see it.
"I don't know. I guess I'll stay with one of the girls from the salon."
Reno stood up and stretched.
"You want some coffee? You look like you could use some."
Her face brightened. Coffee was the one friend who never let her down.
"Yes, please."
He walked down the hall into the kitchen and began to make a pot.
"The bathroom's the first door on the left, if you want to take a shower or something. I don't have many women's clothes in stock right now, but you can wear something of mine if you need to."
She stood up, slowly, and made her way to the bathroom. Why was he being so nice? He had always been such an asshole to her and her friends, and now he was letting her wear his clothes? Had he always been like this? Or was it a trick? Maybe he wanted what those thugs had been after the night before. That was probably it. No. How could she think that about someone? He was being kind to her, and she was suspecting him of ulterior motives? Well, she had to admit, it wasn't like he hadn't done enough in the past to warrant the thought.
She looked in the bathroom mirror and gasped. She looked like shit. One whole side of her face was badly swollen and red. Her nose was bloody, and she had a nasty-looking gash above her left eye. As she removed her clothes, she found the rest of her body to be in no better condition. She had bruises all over the place. Her chest and stomach were sore to the touch. She was just thankful that more hadn't been allowed to happen.
She felt much better when she emerged from the shower. Reno had given her a pair of pants and shirt to wear, since the outfit she'd been wearing was torn and bloody. Hardy fit for future use.
She entered the kitchen and was greeted with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Reno handed her a cup as she sat down at the small dinner table. He sat down opposite her, and they sat, drinking their coffee, enjoying the rays of sunlight that streaked in through the window.
Suddenly Tifa remembered something.
"What time is it?" She asked. Reno looked at his watch.
"10:30."
"Can I use your phone?"
"Knock yourself out."
Tifa picked up the phone and dialed the number for Easy Cuts. She had forgotten today was only Friday, but she felt like shit, and wasn't in very good working condition at the moment.
"Hello? Sheryll? It's Tifa. Yeah. Hey, listen; I'm not coming in today. I had an accident last night, and I don't think I can make it. No. I'll tell you about it later. Yes, I'm all right. I think so. Yes. Thanks so much. Ok. Bye."
She hung up the phone, and sat back down at the table. She looked at Reno, trying to decide what to make of him. She noticed several small bruises on his face. Probably from fighting with those thugs last night.
"Thank you for saving me last night. I don't want to think what would've happened if you hadn't shown up."
"Well, I couldn't just leave you there. I'm not as bad a guy as you think."
"No, I suppose not. But thank you all the same."
"Don't mention it."
They sat in silence again. Tifa thought about what she would do next. Where was she going to stay? Sheryll was one of the only people she really knew, but she also knew it would be nearly impossible to stay with her. Sheryll lived with her husband, and three small boys in an apartment no bigger than the one Reno was living in. Asking her for lodging would be intrusive, and wouldn't work.
She supposed she could get a hotel. But all the hotels in Junon were either too expensive, or too dangerous. She didn't make much money, but she didn't want to get shot, either.
She sighed and lay her head down on the table. What was she going to do?
"What's wrong?" Reno asked her.
"I don't know where I'm going to stay. I was lying when I said I could stay with someone from the salon. There's only one person I really know there, but she has a large family and no room for them as it is. I don't have money for a hotel unless it's in the slums, but I don't want to live there again. I don't know what I'm going to do."
He looked at her for a long while. She certainly wasn't one for good luck. He couldn't believe she was still sane, with all the shit that had happened to her. He thought of Clod, that stupid asshole. He always knew that dumb fuck was messed up. Well, that was fairly obvious. Or so it seemed to Reno.
Poor Tifa. The girl never caught a break. If something bad was happening, it was happening to her. He had never had anything against her. In fact, he had admired her since they first fought on the pillar in Midgar. She was strong. But even strong people have limits. Limits as to how much shit they can handle. He felt sorry for her.
"You can stay here if you want." He said, finally.
Tifa looked up. Was he serious? She didn't rule out the possibility that this was some cruel joke. Nor did she rule out the possibility that he was just trying to get her in bed. Although if he did try anything, she was fairly certain she could kick his ass.
She didn't trust him. Not at all. But then again, he had saved her, and hadn't tried anything while she was out. Maybe he deserved a chance. Besides, she desperately needed a place to stay.
"Do you mean it?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
He shrugged. He knew she probably didn't like him much.
"I dunno, you need a place to stay, don't you?"
Tifa thought long and hard about his offer. She didn't really have any other choice.
"Alright. Thank you. Again."
He grinned at her and stood up, putting his cup in the sink.
"Ok, there's not much in the fridge. Mostly eggs, since that's all I can cook. Feel free to explore. Although I doubt you'll find anything of much interest. I have to go to work now. There's an extra key in the desk over there if you want to go out. Umm. I think that's it."
He put his shoes on and started for the door.
"Oh, one more thing-" he said, turning around. "I have a cat. Her name is Tailes."
"Tailes?"
"Yeah, just pet her and you'll understand why. See you later."
He left, locking the door behind him.
Tifa still sat at the kitchen table. She wanted to meet Tailes. She stood up and placed her coffee cup on top of his in the sink.
She looked around for the cat, and eventually found her sleeping on Reno's bed. She was small, black, and beautiful. She opened her eyes when Tifa entered the room. Standing slowly and stretching, Tailes lifted her head curiously at the stranger. When Tifa held out her hand, Tailes sniffed it, and then rubbed her head against the slender fingers.
"Hi" Tifa said to the feline. "I'm Tifa. You must be Tailes. Odd name, I gotta say, but you sure are striking."
As if to show Tifa the meaning behind her name, Tailes arched her back and stood her long tail straight up in the air, puffing it out as best she could. She purred loudly as Tifa giggled and stroked her back.
"Oh I see! Well you certainly are sociable, aren't you?"
A tiny mew was her reply.
Tifa spent the rest of the morning cleaning up Reno's crappy little apartment. Couldn't the man do laundry? Honestly, the place looked as though an elephant had released its frustrations inside. Working actually took her mind off things for a while, and by the time she was done, all she wanted was to curl up on the couch and take a long nap.
And that's exactly what she did.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~* A/N: Well, some weird stuff happening in this chapter, 'eh? Tifa actually accepted Reno's offer? Kinda strange. I wonder how this new arrangement will work out? And as for Tailes, I wanted to give Reno a pet because, to me, he just seems like the kind of guy that would like animals, and I love cats. ^_^ As for the name, "Tailes", I had a cat named Tailes, and she was wonderful. She was hit by a car last week, and to honor her memory, the Tailes in the story is going to be exactly like her. So when (if) you're reading something about Tailes, remember that my Tailes was the same way.
I love you, Tailes! This one's for you! ^_^