Disclaimer: Both Reno and Yuffie belong to Squaresoft, unfortunately, but the plot is vaguely original. I think.
And that's how it all started. With no where else to go due to her father kicking her out of home, Yuffie had welcomed the shelter of her old enemy with open arms and, as Elena found out in her early Turk days, had fallen into the deep but brightly coloured pit of drugs and alcohol.
Determined not to let the brat follow the same path as him, Reno had done his best to quickly give up the drugs and the drink. This, however, only lasted for a few weeks – he soon had to creep out in the dead of night and lock himself in the dank bathroom they shared to inject himself with various things. He couldn't resist the alcohol, either, especially after Yuffie had brought home some rum in celebration. Reno didn't know that she drank, and was filled with pity when he saw the skinny girl gulp down the hard liquor as if it were fruit juice.
He remembered when he had first introduced her to the floaty feathers.
Rude had payed him a visit for the first time in several months and had invited Reno down to the local pub with him so they could "catch up". Not wishing to intrude on Reno's personal life, Yuffie had hidden away in the bedroom they shared, knowing that there was a possibility that Rude hadn't forgotten what AVALANCHE had done to Shin-Ra and the Turks. A few hours later had brought Reno home completely drunk and so consequently didn't know what he was doing when he handed the fragile ninja a sweet laced with drugs and then proceeded to screw her while she was out of it. He had woken up the next morning to the noises of vomiting and sobbing. Reno had never felt like such a monster in his whole entire life.
From there it had just gone downhill. Yuffie was hooked on the drugs and hooked on Reno. She never told him that she loved him, but the ex-Turk could tell that she did. It was evident in the eyes that at first were bright and sparkly, but had steadily gotten duller and duller as time went by, only to be ignited when she was with him.
Now they'd been living together for quite some time and even though they weren't officially 'together', since becoming Yuffie's lover Reno hadn't gone to the usual prostitute haunts he normally frequented. Maybe it was out of respect for the chit or maybe it was penance for what he was turning her into.
The fiery ex-Turk patted the bed beside him, looking expectantly at the swaying ninja. She knew the drill even when she was stoned out of her face. Yuffie fell onto the bed and stumbled forward, mumbling something about being able to see every fibre of the bed. This was standard talk for someone who was drowning in feathers, so Reno just ignored her words and set about starting the pleasant job of removing all her clothes whilst she ranted.
As the two moved beneath the covers, the sun's final rays sank beneath the horizon, leaving only darkness.
~
"Fuck," groaned Reno as the morning light invaded his sleep. Muttering incoherent curses, the ex-Turk forced himself to sit up and prepare for the day ahead. He tumbled out of bed, catching a glimpse of the clock as he went by. He frowned as he saw the time, wondering if the drink had finally got to his brain cells.
It read 11:34.
Shocked that he had overslept, the fiery man pushed himself up from the floor so he could wake his partner up. They were supposed to be out of the hotel by midday and Reno knew that Yuffie liked having a little time to make herself presentable.
The said person, however, was nowhere to be seen. With flame brows furrowing again, he clambered onto the bed and patted the lumpy duvet gently, just in case the small ninja had somehow gotten lost in there. Unable to accept that she wasn't there, his gentle pats soon grew to frustrated punches and rounded off with an irrepressible scream of rage.
She was gone and there was nothing he could do about it.
Trying to suppress the fury boiling up inside, Reno decided to calm down and get the little possessions he had brought with him together so he could leave before the hotelkeeper came up and demanded more money. While he was gathering his toothbrush, he told himself that he didn't care that she had run off. He didn't care if she was sick of the life he had made her live. He didn't care if she didn't love him anymore.
After all, it wasn't as if he had fallen in love with her.
Cursing himself for letting this mere slip of a girl getting to him in this way, the ex-Turk stalked back into the bedroom and looked around, just to make sure that he hadn't let anything behind. Inevitably his eye landed on a crisp piece of paper which, on closer inspection, turned out to be a note from Yuffie.
Reno, it read,
I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry. Please don't worry about me – I'm going to see an old friend of mine. I hope you find what you're looking for.
Yuffie.
Water stains scarred the paper. She had been crying while writing this. Crying because of him.
Close to tears himself, Reno screwed up the piece of paper and held onto it tightly, not able to think. He stayed there for perhaps five minutes before he stirred, telling himself to get over her. She'd obviously gotten over him, else she wouldn't have run away. Sighing uncharacteristically, the red head rose, picking up the bag containing his clothes and sleeping equipment as he descended and strode out of the door, preparing himself to face the hard, cold world without the company of his little ninja.
~
Thank you so much to the people who reviewed this story! It made me squee a lot. In fact, I squeed so much that I eventually coughed up a second chapter (!) which is an achievement for me because I usually start fics and never finish them. This particular fic isn't going to be too long – I think I may finish it in the next two chapters – but I think I have the plot in my head, so with luck I'll actually get around to writing the rest of it later. Thank you for being so patient.
~sachiie