Jade, Wine, and Turk training
By Kimetara
Multi-part
Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII. Yeah, you know the drill, been through it eleven times already...
AN: *crawls out from underneath homework* *dusts self off* *looks up* Oh, hi everybody! Yes, despite my long disappearance, I'm still alive! ^_^;; Please enjoy and remember to review!
Chapter 11: Reminders
Josh grinned as he reached into the full shelves. *What luck, getting here right when the cowboys are out.* He snickered at his nickname for the Chocobo ranchers.
Suddenly, Josh felt his right arm go numb. "What the fuck-" he managed to get out, before feeling a hand twist the collar of his shirt. "Hey!"
Reno threw Josh against the wall, then immediately pointed his nightstick at the man. "Just what," he hissed, "do you think you're doing?"
Josh's eyes went from the nightstick, to Reno, then back. The second time he looked at the EMR, he noticed the end pointed toward him was sparking. "Uh...look man, I just came here to pick up some food, that's all."
Reno's eyes narrowed. "You idiot! What if they were in?"
Josh shrugged nonchalantly, trying to ignore the fact that in three seconds he could be fried. "I would've just asked then."
Reno suddenly smirked. "I don't think you get it," he spoke coolly. "Unlike you, these people actually know who Tifa Lockheart is." The crackling on the end of Reno's weapon increased. "More so, they're good friends with her and her AVANLACHE groupies. And do you know what will happen to us if we get caught kidnapping her?" The Turk moved his nightstick closer. Josh pressed himself tighter against the wall. "I'll tell you what. We're both dead, understand? Abduction of the 'Planet Saviors' is not something looked kindly upon." Josh nodded frantically, keeping his eyes trained on the sparks growing nearer and nearer to his body.
Abruptly, Reno withdrew his EMR. "If they were home at the time, I would've been forced to kill them, and you as well. But since they're not..." Reno shrugged, "I'll let you off." The Turk turned and began opening cabinets, before noticing that Josh was still a puddle on the floor. "Well? Don't just sit there imitating a bullfrog, get some supplies."
"Right." Josh scrambled up, then hurriedly left the kitchen of the Chocobo Ranch. He'd go check the living room...far away from that crazy Turk.
Reno watched Josh scurry away, debating whether it would be for the best to kill him or not. He ended up deciding against it. *We'll be at the Junon basin tomorrow, thanks to that new road through the swamp and mountains. I can put up with him for that long. Look how long I put up with Elena,* he grinned at the thought. Elena really had gotten on his nerves at first, partly because she was a constant reminder of how badly Reno had been beaten. But she'd grown on him – eventually.
*Yeah, I can stand him another day...now let's get some decent food. Maybe I'll wash up a bit too...*
~~~~~
Tifa sat in the dark walls of the truck, longing for a good shower. It'd been...what...three days since she was kidnapped? *Ugh. I'll bet my breath smells horrible too.* She wrinkled her nose at the thought. Even if she wasn't that dirty, thanks to being in one area doing nothing for the past three days, she just felt filthy.
She was hungry too. And rather sore from sitting and sleeping on a floor of metal waves. *Still...it's nothing compared to that first year in the Midgar slums.* Tifa shuddered, remembering having to eat out of trash cans and beating off random rapists. She had gotten lucky, unlike so many others...the hospital had managed to secure her a job as a bar waitress, and Tifa had gradually made her way up to the cook, and finally the bar's owner. It could have been so much worse though...
"Tifa?" Startled out of her trip down memory lane, Tifa instinctively turned her head to see the person calling her.
"...yeah?" she finally answered.
"Here." A package was pushed underneath the door. Tifa stood up and walked to it, feeling as if she were in a prison, where people were fed through little slots.
*At least it's food...* "Thanks, Reno," she called softly, but too late. He'd already walked away.
~~~~~
Marlene smiled happily. "Wow! Mom, these invitations are so pretty!" she squealed, tracing the gold border.
Elmyra laughed gently. Marlene had taken to calling her "mom" for the past three years, and Elmyra had immediately grown attached to the young girl... *...just like Aeris,* she thought sadly.
"Thinking about Aeris again?" Elmyra blinked. Although no Ancient, Marlene was a very perceptive little girl – more so than Aeris, in certain ways.
"How'd you guess?" she inquired, while writing "Cloud Strife" in bold calligraphic letters.
"You always get this strange sort of half-sad half-happy half-wistful look when you think about her," Marlene answered seriously. Too seriously, for Elmyra's liking. Marlene was such a mature little girl – Elmyra assumed it was from growing up in the slums. *The exact opposite of Aeris.*
However, Elmyra covered her thought up. "That's three halves, dear," she commented, amused.
Marlene tilted her head. She knew what her "mom" was doing, but that's all right. Marlene had purposely said three halves anyway. "Okay. Hey, can I do Mr. Highwind's invitation?" she asked enthusiastically, deciding to let the serious topic drop. After all, this was supposed to be a fun time!
Barret came in. "There ain't no 'Mister Highwind,' Marlene, it's jus' Cid. He ain't no 'Mister' anything."
"Okay, Daddy. Can I do Professor Cid's invitation?" she repeated. The thought of calling any adult by their first name, outside of Tifa who was like a big sis anyway, was foreign to Marlene.
"PROFESSOR Cid!" Barret yelled. Elmyra shot him a look. Barret groaned. "Ugh. Call him whatever you like, I'm out of here." Elmyra's laugh followed him out the door, soon joined with Marlene's.
Barret grinned. He'd gotten damn lucky, that was for sure.
AN: Sorry for the long wait! (Blame IB... -_______-;;) That's why I posted two...and also because this chapter was rather short and had almost nil Reno/Tifa. ^_^;;