Disclaimer: I own a copy of FFVII, but Square owns the big sha-bang

A/N: Lots of char. development coming up. Brace yourselves. Plot will come next chapter. Thanks once again to everyone who reviewed.

A/N2: I am SOOO SORRY that this took so long. You mad at me?

Interlude: Restless Night

Vincent sat in the still silence of the empty bar, fighting with his inner demons. He let the darkness absorb him as he focused his attention inward. He felt something stirring in him the past few weeks - Chaos. As much as he feared the stirring, he was strangely comforted by the feeling.

He had felt the stirring before, but not in battle. In battle it was something completely different. When fighting, Chaos fed on a combination of Vincent's superficial anger and his physical fatigue. Then Chaos just came upon Vincent with no warning. But this strange stirring wasn't Chaos' style. When the beast wished to emerge, he would just begin to hijack Vincent's body.

This sensation was like the demon was trying to talk to him, but without words. Chaos could "speak" inside of Vincent's mind whenever it pleased. Vincent heard it, but never could understand the demon's strange language.

But this was different, Vincent couldn't hear it, but feel it. It was a feeling he didn't like. Vincent felt it on his way to face Hojo again. That time the feeling was distinct - blind, hateful, unending rage. Chaos wanted Hojo dead just as much as Vincent did.

Vincent felt it on his way into the Northern Crater. He recognized the feeling as apprehension, doubt. Chaos didn't seem eager to fight Sephiroth. The demon only came to him a few times in the long, grueling battle. It was as if the demon was trying to tell Vincent not to fight Sephiroth, not to fight his…

A loud crash cut Vincent's reverie off. After no following screams or such occurred, he assumed both the members of AVALANCHE and the Turks were all right. AVALANCHE…

The thought of his former teammates brought Vincent back to the original reason he was pondering the demon's actions. This feeling was telling him to leave. He had wasted enough time with these people; Chaos wanted him to get a move on. But I shouldn't leave them behind. Not without warning, at least. I owe them that much.

He could feel the beast mocking him. How pathetic he was - afraid to leave a few humans behind. He was just using them as an excuse so he wouldn't have to act. Excuses were all he ever had. Why didn't he save Lucrecia from Hojo's experiment? Because she asked him not to interfere? Nothing more than an excuse! Why did he leave her in that cave by herself to fall ill? To save the world from the unending evil of Sephiroth? Another excuse! And now he was staying here because he didn't want to leave without saying goodbye? What a load of crap! Excuses were all Vincent ever had. Just another excuse. The truth is that he is nothing more than a coward.

Demon! Quiet, NOW! Vincent couldn't handle the negative thoughts the demon was feeding him at the moment. Whether or not he agreed with Chaos' accusations didn't matter, he had to think. The demon might have been giving a valid argument, but underneath it, the demon hoped to take control of Vincent. He wouldn't give in, especially not in a building full of peaceful bystanders.

So, after successfully sending the demon back into the recesses of his mind, Vincent was faced with two choices. He could leave to find Lucrecia on his own, while running the risk of being a rude guest and being overwhelmed physically (as strong as he was, Vincent acknowledged the fact that Cloud and the others would be a great help). Or he could wait until morning and follow the directions Cloud would be sure to provide, while running the risk of leaving Lucrecia with her kidnappers past her usefulness.

Suddenly another loud crash from the same area of the bar/inn brought Vincent from his thoughts. It also made up his mind for him. If, in less than ten minutes, one of the great, "invincible" AVALANCHE members had fallen out of bed twice, there was no way Vincent would leave them on their own with a healthy conscience. If the kidnapper didn't kill them, their clumsiness would.

Yuffie was rudely woken by the harsh pain shooting through her body caused by the hardwood floors that covered every inch of Tifa's establishment. Stupid beds. Despite her time outside of her homeland, Yuffie never got used to any sleeping apparatus outside of Wutai. When you slept on nothing more than a pad on a floor, you ran no risk of falling.

"Stupid Easterners and their floating beds!" After her outburst, Yuffie clamped her hand around her mouth. Usually she didn't mind waking up her AVALANCHE cohorts, but staying in a room next to the Turks forced Yuffie to rethink her actions.

As she laid herself back down into bed, the bruise forming upon Yuffie's backside made itself known. Oww! Despite her drowsy state, Yuffie remembered to keep her voice in check. Perhaps Tifa had a medicine cabinet downstairs to help mend her wounds?

Yuffie wasn't sure, but she was about to find out. From her sitting position on her bed, Yuffie flung herself with a thud, feet first upon the floor. It felt good to wake up with the familiarity of her boots strapped snuggly to her feet. Good, no creepy Vinnie incidents tonight…

Reno…

That voice. He could never forget it, not after all these years…

Reno…

Or has it really been that long…

Reno…

No, it hasn't been that long since he heard her voice. But it has been years since he heard her say his name…

Reno, don't go…

Four, five years maybe? Four years. It was four years ago when she stopped calling him Reno. In more recent occasions, she opted to call the young Turk "bastard" or "no good son-of-a-bitch."

Reno, please don't do this…

Hmph, he liked it that way anyway. No one should love a Turk. He would've like it better if she never spoke his name again.

Reno…

But that stupid girl never did what Reno liked. She had to call for him one more time…

"Reno, don't hold it against them…"

It was her voice that ripped Reno from his dream. Why was he dreaming of her some much lately? Fuck!

Reno got to his feet silently and, after grabbing his flask, surveyed the room. Rude laid sound asleep in his bed while Elena snored loudly in an identical bed across the room. The two held true to their vocal reputations even in their sleep.

As Reno's lips rejoiced in the sweetness of the amber hitting them, his eyes soon fell upon the pile in the corner consisting of his jacket and dress shoes. In a few seconds, his shoes were laced tightly around his feet and his jacket hung unbuttoned on his shoulders, covering the back of his untucked shirt.

He wasn't exactly sure what he was doing, but he needed to stop this dream. Or did he think of it as a nightmare? It didn't matter to him at the moment, he just didn't want to deal with it right then. He needed some fresh air.

As his hand reached for the doorknob, Reno recalled a pair of blood red eyes. Shit! Valentine's out there... He didn't think the cold, ex-Turk would interfere with Reno's late night walk, but he didn't want to chance it. The window was a much better option...

GAWD! All I see here is alcohol, alcohol, and more alcohol... What is this place, some kind of bar!? Yuffie was quite displeased with the lack of medinical items she found in the pantry behind Tifa's bar. She knew Tifa was too much of a worry-wart to run an establishment without at least a few potions and bandages laying around.

As she turned to begin her search of the rest of the main floor of the building, a frightening pair of eyes scared her to the ground. "GAWD, Vinnie! Why do you always have to be sneaking up on me?!?"

Vincent simply ignored her question and extended a hand to help her to her feet. Once Yuffie was flat footed again, Vincent's lips parted. "What did I tell you about drinking?"

Yuffie's eyes flared in anger. Who does this creepy bastard think he is, accusing ME!? "GAWD! For you information Vincent Valentine, I was not looking for a dri--"

"Quiet." The last thing Vincent wanted was Yuffie to wake up the rest of the building. It was hard enough dealing with her, let alone trying to explain what was going on to the rest of AVALANCHE and the Turks.

In a hushed, pleading voice, Yuffie argued her case. "I was just looking for a potion or something for my achey little bum." Yuffie put on her best, innocent, puppy-dog eyes.

Those eyes were met by Vincent's cold crimson spheres as his claw fumbled around in the pocket of his cloak, until producing a potion which Yuffie quickly downed. The cold sting of metal that Yuffie had come to recognize over the years as Vincent's prosthetic hand silently lead her to a nearby chair.

Yuffie eased herself down, making sure not to put any weight on her injured leg. As she shifted uncomfortably (partially from the pain, partially from being alone with Vincent), a human hand searched Vincent's cloak until it brought out a roll of gauze and a small, unmarked bottle.

Yuffie's eyes went wide in surprise. "Vinnie, it's not that bad. No need for surgery."

Vincent ignored her protest and began work on Yuffie's leg. She needed the medical attention, and Vincent needed something to ease his mind…

Tifa jumped from the swinging bench on the patio of her bar when she heard a low thud a few feet away. Her heart began to beat slightly faster with fear. As she tightened her Premium Heart around her fist as she inched her way towards the edge of the deck. Her hear began to beat even faster, this time with anger, when she saw the source of the noise.

"Reno! What the hell are you doing?"

"Getting some fresh air. What's it to ya?"

"I didn't think being a cold heartless killer meant you couldn't have the courtesy to use a door instead of trampling my flowers."

Reno had had enough. It was late, he was dead tired, Cloud had been pissing him off for the past few days, Elena's snoring was keeping him awake, and he had just dreamed of her: he wasn't going to take this. "You know what, shut up. Just. Shut. Up."

Tifa was in no better of a mood. She used the night like a release similar to Vincent's: he needed his peaceful nights to regenerate his ability to tolerate being around people; she needed her peaceful nights to regenerate her ability to cheer everyone up.

"No, Reno. I won't just shut up. You have done nothing but complain and pick fights with everyone since you got here. What's your problem?"

"My problem is that I'm being forced to work with a bunch of low-life terrorists!" Reno's words were partially true. He was indeed bothered by AVALANCHE's involvement in the recovery of Reeve, but that was only one of his many problems.

Tifa was fuming. How the hell could he have the nerve to call her and her friends terrorists? They just got done saving the world, for crying out loud! "Listen to me, Reno. If you call me or any of my friends a terrorist one more time, so help me God, I will pummel you into oblivion! And how are we the low-lives?!? You're the murderer!"

"Murderer? Don't act like you've never killed anyone! I was just doing my job, what's your excuse?"

"I was trying to save the world, damn it! Why am I being penalized for that?"

"Bullshit! Yeah, you and your do-gooder friends saved the world from that silver-hared psycho, I'll give you that, but what about before Sephiroth came around? What was your excuse then?"

Tifa's mind suddenly went reeling. Before Sephiroth? Tifa had managed to block that sad part of her life out a long time ago. Before Sephiroth, I was… I was… nothing more than, a… I was… Tifa couldn't even bring herself to think the word that Reno had been using so freely lately. Before Sephiroth came along, before she and Barret set out to save the world, AVALANCHE was a terrorist group.

Two years ago, Mako was only one of the few problems Barret, Tifa, Jessie, Biggs and Wedge had with Shinra. All of their lives had been partially ruined by Shinra. Barret lost his home town and took the blame for it. Tifa lost her hometown and her father. Biggs was a former SOLDIER before Shinra took everything he had: his home, his job, his now deceased wife. Wedge's parents were beaten to death by Shinra guards for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jessie was a slum girl. She grew up in the city that she loved, a city that Shinra was slowly destroying.

Stopping Shinra's abuse of the planet's resources was only one part of the original AVALANCHE's plan. The bulk of it was revenge. President Shinra and his goons had destroyed their lives, now it was their time to do a little destruction. And that's just what they did: destroyed. Shinra offices were blown to pieces. Shops that were run by Shinra supporters were robbed. Guards were killed at night. Executives were mugged and beaten. Homes on the plate were burnt to the ground. All in the name of revenge.

Tifa never really supported all the actions of her AVALANCHE members, but she would never dream of leaving them. She didn't want to kill people, but she sure as hell wanted Shinra to pay. She lost her father to Shinra, so she wouldn't really mind if some Shinra exec's kid lost their father to AVALANCHE. But she always had a premonition about doing it herself. That was why she usually tended the bar while the rest headed off on missions.

Usually, but not always. Tifa vividly recalled the first time she ever saw Reno. She passed by the red headed Turk in broad daylight as she, Barret and Jessie posed as tourists taking a walking tour through the main floor of one of Shinra's office buildings. That office building would become AVALANCHE's first bombing. She saw Reno again later that day. She ran past him as she fled the scene while he ran frantically back into the burning building.

"You remember now, don't you? A don't try to act like it was just the others. Don't tell me you were back at the bar, because I saw you. Do you know how many people died that day? Do you have any idea how many innocent lives you stole that day? The people that died that day had nothing to do with your pain. They were just trying to earn an honest buck in a cut-throat city. You sent them to their death just because the showed up for work!"

Despite Reno's constant use of "they" and "them", Tifa had a feeling in her gut that he was upset about one person and no one else. Sometimes Tifa wished she didn't have such instinct when it came to others. "Reno, I'm –"

"Can it! Don't you dare tell me that you're sorry. Tell it to Rude. Maybe he'll listen. He needs it more anyway…" The ferocity that once filled Reno's voice was completely drained. Now he spoke sullenly.

"Reno, what do you mean?" Tifa's voice was suddenly filled with concern. Concern was not something Reno was looking for.

"Bite me."

"Reno, please don't walk away." Tifa's voice began to crack as her eyes welled with tears. There was too much going on in her head. Reeve, someone who she had grown very close to over the past year, was missing. Reno and Cloud were constantly fighting. They were getting no closer to finding Reeve. The items that had been found lead her to think that the events of a year ago might replay themselves. Vincent seemed on edge (something potentially dangerous to everyone within a hundred mile radius). Yuffie had broken in to her liquor cabinet. Tifa could handle any of this any more. She was about to snap.

"Reno, don't blame me for something that you do every day of your life!" Her voice was filled with a sudden rush of anger and energy, but it quickly reverted back to teetering on sobbing. "Reno, don't blame me for wanting to take my life back. I was only a little girl. The only things in my life were my father and my town. They were the only things that hadn't left me. And they took them both away from me. That sadistic president and that bastard…"

Tifa couldn't hold back any longer. She didn't want to hold back. She had been holding back for as long as she could remember. She hadn't let herself cry in front of anyone else since the death of her father. She hadn't let herself cry at all since she joined AVALANCHE. She fell to her knees and let the water flow.

The tears that rolled off her chin were tears for her father, brought upon by Reno, but that's not all. They were tears for Nibelheim. Tears for Jessie, Biggs and Wedge. Tears for Aeris. Tears for the love that she and Cloud will never share. Tears for Reeve. Tears for a suicidal Vincent. Tears for a soon-to-be-father Cid, who had no idea how to raise a child. Tears for the still impressionable Yuffie. Tears for poor Marlene who has already suffered far too much as such a young age.

The tears that rolled off Tifa's chin were enough to break down Reno's pissed-off armor. He fell down on one knee in front of Tifa. He desperately searched for words. So many years of sarcasm and insults had left the sensitive side of Reno almost empty. He remained there for a few moments, gently rubbing her back to ease her sobs.

There was something in Tifa's eyes that had caught him. The look she had was comepletely unnatural when compared to the cheery smile she wore at all times. She was actually hurt. The hurt reached out and grabbed Reno.

"Hey, Tif. Don't worry. Both President Shinras and Sephiroth are dead now. And about your father and Nibelheim, well, what's past is past, right?" Reno felt like the biggest hypocrite. What's past is past? Ha! Reno's whole life was fueled by the past, a past he refused to accept.

But, luckily enough, Reno got to her. Tifa wasn't exactly sure if it was what he said, or just the fact that Reno of all people was trying to cheer her up, but something ease her cries. In another few moments, fresh tears came no more.

Tifa made her way to the swinging bench beside her while Reno straightened his back into an upright position. They remained this way for what seemed like an eternity (but was actually more like ten minutes), one swing to soothe herself, the other standing perfectly still to calm himself. It was a very awkward time for both of them.

Tifa decided to break the ice. She wasn't sure how Reno would react, but the question had been eating away at her. "Reno. Who died in that building?"

Reno's chest tightened as he heard the question that he knew was coming. "Someone important, to both me and Rude." He wasn't sure whether he was too tired to restrain himself, or if the moon out this late at night had infected his brain, or if just maybe that look in Tifa's eyes a few minutes ago had really touched him, but Reno didn't feel like holding back.

He had been readying himself over the past few minutes to tell Tifa the whole sad story. After all, he knew her story. Plus, there was that look (and I'm sure the bit of alcohol in his system helped out a little too). "Her name was Christina, but everyone called her Chris. She was Rude's sister… and my ex-wife."

As Reno paused to retain his composure, Tifa could do nothing but stare wide-eyed, mouth agape, at the man in front of her. Ex-wife!? Reno was Married?! And Rude had a sister?! Oh my god…

"She started working for Shinra about six-months before hand, around the same time we divorced. She knew I didn't want her working for Shinra, that probably why she did it." Reno smirked as he spoke of his ex-lover. She was always very sly and vengeful. That's probably why they made such a cute couple.

"Oh my god, Reno. I am so sorry. I never knew. I –"

"You couldn't have known. And don't be sorry. She doesn't want you to be."

"What? She doesn't" Tifa was quite confused. Reno never seemed like the type to "feel" what their loved ones wanted, especially after they passed. He was too much of a realist to say something like that.

"She doesn't. Or at least that what she told me…" Reno wouldn't dare share the words with Tifa. He held Chris's last words so tight to his heart, no one would ever hear him speak them, save maybe Rude. Reno, don't hold it against them…

"Reno, what -- ?" A quickly raised hand silenced Tifa. Reno suddenly regretted telling Tifa what he did. He felt he could trust her not to blab to anyone, but he should've realized she would want to pry. Reno didn't life prying.

After a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence, Reno spoke again. "I'm going for a walk."

Tifa didn't dare protest. She wasn't exactly sure what had just happened. Everything went by so fast. Another stupid argument suddenly twisted into one of the deepest moments she's shared with anyone in a long time. She couldn't figure out why it happened, but decided not to think to much about it.

For now, she's just watch Reno walk away…

A/N: Phew. This was frigging long. And guess what, it's not done! Once again, I have made this interlude way too long and I am in the midst of chopping it up into two. I should probably stop making these so long, eh? Read on, my friends, and please review.