Never Fall In Love
(With A Woman Who Sells Herself)
Yuffie Kisaragi2
Disclaimer: I own nada
Dedication: To my mother, who FINALLY watched Moulin Rouge... sorta...
Summary: AU Reffie Reno returns to Neo-Midgar to find the place changed. When his best friend, Rude Jackson, pursuades him to go to a play with him, Reno gets more than he bargains for.
Reno exited the tram, a new inter-continental PTS, Public Transport system, and nodded to his stoic partner, Rude Jackson. He really did not want to return to the city that made him think of his old home. He did not want to think about anything remotely similar to the woman he'd lost, the one that had slipped away from his feeble grasp and left as silently as she had come. Reno Chauvin was not one to fall in love, but when he did, he fell hard for the pretty brunette. It was supposed to be a fling, but they kept running into each other. At restaraunts... At her street corner... At the movies while with different dates... She, of course, was working, but he wasn't. They would looked at each other for a moment, then nod and go about their own ways. Every time she would walk the other way, though, he would catch up with her. Usually, it pissed off her date and ruined her business. What could he say, though?
"... Good to have you back, Reno."
"Shut the fuck up, Rude."
The bald man shook his head and climbed into the driver's seat of a black jeep, leaving Reno to toss his shit in the back and climb in on the passenger's side. "Elena is planning on making us stay out of the house tonight, so we're going to a play."
The crimson-haired spit fire raised a thin eyebrow. "A play? Damn, man, you've gone soft."
Rude Jackson could take insults better than anyone else on the planet. They ricocheted off of him like he was made of steel, then would stand there and glare menacingly until his opponent would piss his pants (which had happened on a few occasions, Reno had witnessed it!). Rude and Elena Jackson had worked with Reno as a part of an organized crime gig for nearly ten years. Reno was unlucky enough to get into the crime lord, Rufus ShinRa's, gang when he was twelve... That was nearly twelve years previous to our story. Elena had joined one year before the crime lord's reign came to a skidding halt and he was murdered by another gang leader, Sephiroth Alkinese... Currently, the most frightening gang leder on the planet.
"... The play is called Night Rave or something like that," Rude chimed in after a few minutes of silence. "You might like it, it has whores in it."
Reno's eerie turquoise eyes widened. "Rude? Did you just crack a joke?" He clutched at his heart in mock surprise. "My man, marriage has done something to you!"
Rude shook his head, quiet as always. "You've been gone for six months, Reno... That's not all that has done this to me, man." He allowed a small grin to pass over his face. "I'm going to be a father."
True surprise took over the look of mock surprise on the pale man's face. "Laney's knocked up?"
Rude scowled. "... If you put it that way it doesn't sound so great," he growled. "I'd prefer if you referred to my wife as being pregnant, Reno, not knocked up like a common hooker."
The spit fire studiously ignored that last slam against him. "Tch... Touchy..." Once again, Rude could take insults like they were nothing. But if you so much as looked at Elena wrong, you'd be six feet under in less than a second. Reno knew that he was being irritable, but didn't really care. He was back in a city that he hated, he was going to go see some shitty play, and he still couldn't get her out of his mind.
The black jeep pulled into a parking lot and the two men exited, one looking professional in a blue suit, a black tie finishing off the look. Reno, however, wore all black. Black boots, black jeans, and a black wife-beater under a black button-up, left un-buttoned, of course. His shades held back the top and sides of unruly fiery tresses, the back being in a messy pony tail that hung to the middle of his back. In his left ear was a stud with an obsidian stone within it, the only other piece of jewelry he wore was a chain around his neck. On the chain was a woman's ring, a beautiful smokey stone in the middle of it. It was a momento of his sister, who had been murdered by some sadistic fuck that worked for Rufus ShinRa five years before. Reno, Rude, and Tseng, now dead, took care of Heidegger fairly easily, using a new toy that Rude had invented.
Rude flashed his tickets before entering. Had either man stopped to look at the poster, they may have noticed something odd about the woman in the picture. Had either man taken the programs that were offered, they may have seen a certain name. Had either of them listened to the conversations around them, they may have heard her name brought up in cautious and excited tones. Neither did any of those things, however, so they were completely unaware of what was going to happen.
The curtains opened and the play began, Reno and Rude sitting in the middle of the third row, perfect seats for any play... Perfect for Rude, anyways. Reno had been intending on sleeping through the damned thing, like that was going to happen with the speakers two feet in front of his fucking face.
A man talked, almost as if he was in the background, about his only love being dead, then about a night club called the Night Rave. Reno was quite uninterested until the girls came out, dancing somewhat obscenely. He sat up a little straighter for a better view. Music played loudly, girls danced, men (both on stage and off) stared and cheered and oggled the "whores" on-stage. All at once, the music stopped and a woman decended from the ceiling of the stage, her boice echoing gracefully around the theater. She wore a corset-style diamond outfit and black top hat, her make-up not as heavy as the other women on-stage. Reno, along with many of the other male audience members, leaned forward, trying to get a good look at the woman, who had mostly kept her face hidden with the tilted top hat.
As the music picked up and she went into her song, "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend", Reno's eerie turquoise eyes widened considerably. The woman was gorgeous, her ebony locks pulled to one side and pinned under the hat, her smokey gray eyes entrancing, and her short stature looking taller due to the stillettos she wore and her long legs, covered only by a thin black mesh. Her lips were carefully painted ruby red to make her skin seem porcelain-like. She performed wonderfully, but Reno would not have expected anything less of her. As she looked across the crowd, holding out a long note, her eyes caught his.
A flash of recognition crossed through those smokey eyes, but never did her note waver, never did her face betray that pouty look she had worked so hard on for this play, never did she show him any other interest during the play. But that one flash of recognition made Reno hope, made him wonder, made him slightly queasy, to tell the truth.
Her character was the Sparkling Emerald of Night Rave, who fell in love with the poor writer from Wutai. But, to keep their night club, and to transform it into the theater that she so desperately wanted to become the star of, she was forced to be a wealthy lord's... er... shall we say... "sex slave". The writer and actress found ways to "rehearse" and be together, but the lord found out. The usual threats on the writer's life went around, but she intended on leaving. That was when it was revealed that she was dying from MAKO poisoning. Her task was to convince the writer that she didn't love him, so that he would leave and not get killed. In the end, she died, he lived, and the theater went under. A depressing ending in Reno's opinion.
As the actors and actresses took their bows, the woman who played Christine and the young man who played Dominick got the greatest round of applause the small theater had ever heard. They held hands and bowed, the woman's smokey eyes lingering on Reno as if she couldn't believe that he was there. Her ruby lips had been painted in deep plum the last time he'd seen her, she'd been wearing too much make-up too, and her skirt had been short, the boots and fishnet stockings being what drew most men to her. Those or her low-cut, off-the-shoulder tops that fit too tightly, acting as a boustie.
Reno followed suit as everyone else stood to applaud the young actress and actor. They were both new to the stage, or so Reno overheard some woman saying. His eyes were carefully trained on her gray orbs, which fell to be downcast in modesty. This was not the type of attention she had been used to getting. He knew that she could be back in Wutai, sipping lemonade or watching a beautiful sunset from atop Da Chao. She was the princess, after all.
"She's changed too," Rude leaned over to say. "I wouldn't recommend letting her slip away this time."
Reno's mouth went dry, his tongue seemed to swell, and his mind went numb. No sarcastic comment fell from his mouth flambouyantly, as Rude would have expected. Instead, he watched her until she was off-stage. Even then, he stood there for a few more moments, willing her to come back out. "Just one more minute," he replied to Rude's elbow in the side to get him to move. "Maybe she'll..."
Shaking his bald head, Rude Jackson shoved his slightly shorter friend toward the aisle. "... We can go back stage to see her, Reno."
Those eerie eyes turned to his friend, where deep mohagoney orbs stared blankly back. "Back... stage?"
With a sigh, the man led Reno out of the building and around the corner to a back entrance. There, he leaned against the brick wall and waited. Reno, finally understanding that this was the actor/actress entrance and exit only, joined his comrade. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it deftly, taking a long drag before exhaling slowly, the nicotine being a welcoming prescence in his system after more than two hours without it. There they sat, just like in their Turk days, waiting for the person they needed information out of.
"Great job, everyone!"
The woman scarcely heard a word of the compliments she kept receiving, just said a merry "Thank you," or "You were great!" Her mind was still on the red head in the third row, next to the dark-skinned bald man. His eyes... His smirk as he watched her act... His attitude that was more than visible in his every action...
"Yuffie!"
She turned to see her co-star, Vincent Valentine, clad once-again in all black. "Yes?" she asked, feeling the heat rush to her face with the absence of make-up to mask her.
"Are you going to the cast party tonight? Or will you skip out again?" he asked in his usual quiet manner.
"I... uh... I've got... Uhm..."
He nodded once, his long black hairshifting slightly to slip handsomely over one eyes. He scowled and brushed it irritatedly out of his line of vision. "I understand. Don't be awake all night tonight, we still have a week's worth of shows."
Smiling, the woman pulled her short hair out of her face and tied it back in a topknot with a red ribbon. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Vince." She smiled cheerfully. "Have fun tonight."
A small smile forced its way onto the otherwise stoic mask. "Of course, Yuffie."
With that, he left her to put the knee-high boots on, tucking them under her designer jeans. She heard heels clicking behind her and saw Tifa Lockheart and Aeris Gainsborough, two of the "whores", on either side of the evil lord from Wutai, Cloud Strife. "Hey, guys!"
"Hey, yourself," Tifa said with a mischievous smile. "What's with you and Vincent, eh?"
This baffled the young star. "Wha... what?"
Aeris giggled girlishly. "He only talks to you, Yuffie! And he never smiles unless it's at you!"
The spikey-haired blonde man grinned broadly. "Well, I'm outta here. See ya at ten tomorrow mornin', Yuffs!"
"Bye," she replied, watching the three walk out of the building through the backstage entrance and exit. The lights were all off, except for the one in her dressing room. She sighed and slid her leather jacket on slowly, knowing that she was going to be tired in the morning, knowing that she should just sleep in her dressing room, knowing that no motel would cheap enough for her right now. Then again, she could always go to Cid... No. No more charity.
With her head held high, the woman flipped off the light and strode toward the door, her heels clicking on the hard wood of the stage. The sound made her head throb painfully, but she ignored it until she could get outside and get her meds out of her purse without having one of the janitors oversee. The cool air rushed in and met her in a bitter embrace as she opened the backstage door. As soon as she had stepped into the sreet light, she dug around in her purse until she found the bottle, then popped two small pills into her mouth, swallowing them dry.
"Yuffie," a familiar voice said softly.
She turned, smokey eyes trained on the person as she screwed the cap back on and dropped the bottle into her small tan purse. "Reno," she managed breathlessly.
He grinned roguishly. "Wonderful performance, Yuffie."
A small smile, though it was forced, crossed her face. "What are you doing here?" She immediately wished she had not asked such an ignorant question. She knew why he was there, he was there to see the play.
"Baldie conned me into seeing the play with 'em."
At the mention of his comrade's name, Yuffie looked past him to see Rude leaning against the building, a cigarette in his mouth. "Hello, Rude. How's the wife?"
"... Good, thanks."
She smiled once again, then looked back to Reno. "Well, I've got a cast party to get to, so... See ya around." She turned to walk away, but he caught her elbow gently. Her smokey eyes, looking black in the semi-darkness, met his eerie turquoise.
"Yuffie... What happened between us?"
She licked her lips, wishing frantically for the make-up she had worn not-so-long ago when she was still a street corner hooker. When she could get anything she wanted as long as she was a good fuck. She longed for the mask she could hide behind, of painted smiles and rosy cheeks, or temptingly pouty lips and dark, mysterious eyes. Those masks that she had grown accustomed to in her four years of living in Neo-Midgar.
"You realized what I really was, Boy Toy," she said, adding that tone to her voice that made her sound slutty, using the pet name she had given him when he had become a regular, holding herself differently. She wanted him to leave her alone, yet wanted him to hold her again. "I need to get to that cast party, Vincent's expecting me." Dumb, she scolded herself immediately, dumb, dumb, dumb!
He let her go, eyes turning cold. "Right... Well, goodbye, then."
She walked away from him, down the street, with every intention of going to that damn cast party. She needed someone to see her there, so if he asked... Wait. Why did she care what he thought? Hadn't she just been another good fuck? Hadn't she only "toyed with his heart"? Cringing, she knew that she was lying to herself. Both he and she knew that she was more than just another street corner whore. They'd had something special, but he was ruining her business! His jealousy of those other men, her clients, was too great. She knew that he couldn't support her, so she merely disappeared one night. Moved to the other side of town, where a man by the name of Reeve Johnson had picked her up one night. He asked if she had ever acted before. Act? Of course not! But, it seemed, she was a natural!
A car pulled up beside her. It was a black Corvette, one that she recognized. A window rolled down and she could see Vincent Valentine in the driver's seat. "... Would you like a ride, Lady Yuffie?"
A smile graced her pretty features. "If you don't mind. I changed my mind about going to the cast party."
He stopped and she got in... It was then that she realized what she looked like, once again, to any on-lookers. A common hooker. Not the marvelous actress that she was pretending to be, not the princess that her father wanted her to be, and definitely not a woman that Reno Chauvin needed in his life. Then again, did Vincent Valentine need her in his life either? Would she only bring him hurt as well?
"Are you going to close the door?" he asked blandly, no real emotion in his voice.
Suddenly, she felt naseous. "Maybe... Maybe I'll walk instead."
He watched her curiously as she got out and ran down an alleyway. Reaching over, he pulled the door shut and started to look for her, but she had vanished.
Yuffie ran hard and fast, her breath coming in gulps until the heel of her boot broke, causing her to lose her balance. She felt onto her front, mud streaking her porcelain-like face and designer clothes. Tears, fiery hot, spilled down her face as she laid in the puddle sobbing for all her worth. Shadows appeared around her, whispering amongst themselves, grinning broadly. One of them finally spoke up. "Came back, princess?"
She looked up, knowing that cold voice. Her smokey orbs were cursed with the vision of a tall man, in all leather, steel-colored hair streaming down his back freely. "S-Sir Sephiroth," she gasped, scarmbling to her knees, trying to decide how bad her ankle actually hurt and whether it would be wise or not for her to break the other heel off and run for safety. Judging by the men around her, she would say not very...
"Come, my princess," he said in his velvety voice, beckoning her to rejoin him as she had once joined him before she was a hooker. Once again, she could have luxury, only at the price of being used and abused. Diamonds, hot water, magnificent clothing... All of that for sex and abuse. He could supply the goods for her habits that she had dropped less than six months before. He could give her anything, it was all at her beckon call, all she had to do was say yes.
His hand was extended to her, encased in the usual black leather. Slowly, she placed her own smaller hand in his gloved, and was pulled up easily, landing in his arms. He smelled of expensive cologne and leather, his breath of tobacco and booze. His arms were strong as they pulled her close to him and his mouth went crashing down onto hers. She could taste the cigarettes and alcohol, the taste making her feel queasy. It was wrong. The mixture of some fancy alcohol and too-expensive cigarettes wasn't the right mixture. It didn't taste right. Either way, she allowed him to deepen the kiss, even if it was only for his pleasure.
When he pulled away, both breathless, he grinned wickedly. "Welcome back, princess." He half-carried her to his limo, sitting at the other end of the alleyway. He had been waiting for her, she realized as she got into the limo beside him. And he had known she would walk down that alleyway.
Reno walked into Rude and Elena's apartment, Elena meeting him at the door. "Hey, Reno. Was the play any good?"
"Just fucking peachy," he grumbled, walking to his room. The room had been deemed Reno's when he had first moved in with the couple. His bed was still there, as well as his notebooks and pens that he had been working in before he took a much needed vacation. Immediately, he started writing furiously in the nearest notebook, taking out his frustrations in words on a piece of paper. Rude and Elena left him alone, knowing that he would likely murder whomever was to interrupt him.
His words were melancholy, full of lust. He craved something that he would never be able to have, something that would never be his. He allowed one tear to slide down his cheek, but that was it. No more, no less, only one small tear that hung from his nose for no less than three seconds before splattering to the notebook paper he was scribbling on. After he'd finished, he dropped th notebook onto the floor and fell backwards onto his bed. He was asleep before he hit the mattress.
Yuffie awoke sore and tired. It was eight-thirty, but Sephiroth was already awake. "I... I have to get to the theater by ten," she said softly.
He smiled. "Of course, princess. Your shows are over after Sunday, right?" She nodded. "Then, we shall go to your show every night until they are over."
By "we", he meant he and his band of merry men, all of which were dressed in nice business suits, reminding her of the Turks, a group from the ShinRa clan. Reminding her of Reno...
She was dressed in the very best and dropped off by a limo. The day went about as usual, only a few glances tossed her way, but well enough. The show went on without a hich, although no red head smirked at her from the third row. Instead, a tall silver-haired crime lord sat in the back, a smile on his face at her every scene. She could not help but feel disgusted. Her performance was not affected by him, however, as they received another standing ovation.
After the show, she skipped the cast party, once again, and went out to eat with Sephiroth. They went to a greasy burger place, but only beause she begged him. As they sat in the booth, him beside her, hand over her free one, lips tracing her jaw line, she saw Reno. He looked over, swallowed, then started away, eyes downcast. He debated, seriously, about attacking the mother fucker that dared touch Yuffie in that way, but merely sighed and gave up.
His eyes upon your face
His hand upon your hand
His lips carress your skin
It's more than I can stand
She watched him walk away, ignoring the fact that Sephiroth had stopped his kissing. "So," he said softly, more of a gorlw than anything else. "That is why you left before?"
Yuffie swallowed. "Seph, I-"
He shook his head and flung her out of the booth, leaving her to land on her rear. "Out of my sight, you damn whore," he snarled.
Her breath quickened and she trembled as he stood over her.
Why does my heart cry?
Feelings I can't fight
You're free to leave me
Just don't deceive me
And please believe me
When I say, "I love you"
She stood and ran, not wanting to face the wrath of a pissed off crime lord. She had done that once, it was not fun. As she ran out of the hole-in-a-wall grease bucket, however, she ran right into Reno Chauvin. He looked at her with curious turquoise eyes, then shoved her away. "Go back to your master, whore," he spat at her.
A flash of lightning illuminated the area around them, illuminated the fear and anger and frustration in the Wutaian princess's eyes. With one swift motion, she smacked him across the face and glared at him through tear-filled eyes. "Of all people," she managed to choke out before collapsing into sobs, the rain beating down upon her fiercely.
Give you your time
To do what you're saying
And if you have to
And if he has to
I won't blame you
His eyes softened as her sobs slowly tore holes in his heart. "Yuffie," he whispered softly, taking her in his warm arms. "I'm so sorry, Yuffie."
She sobbed openly into his chest, crying for the hurt she felt without him, crying for the joy she felt while being with him, crying for the throbbing in her ankle from the night before. "Gawd, I'm such a kid," she said through sobs.
He laughed, his laughter making her halt the tears. "No, not a kid," he told her softly. "Just frustrated."
She looked up, her arms still around his middle, even while wearing heels, she was still short compared to his six feet and two inch frame, and sniffed, the rain still pouring around them. "I'm sorry I left you, Reno. But you were right... I'm nothin' but a damn whore." She pulled away from him and started to take another step back, but his arms were locked around her petite body. Smokey orbs, the mascara around them being smeared and running, looked up in confusion, her hair plastered to her scalp.
"I should never have let you slip away, Yuffie. You're not a damn whore, you're an actress." He leaned down and pecked her on her soft lips. "And I love you, Yuffie Kaiya Kisaragi."
Her breath caught and she stared at him in disbelief. "You do?"
He chuckled. "Yes, and I think we'd better get outta here before Sephiroth decides to reclaim this wonderful woman." He took her hand and they raced across the parking lot to Rude's jeep, where they climbed in and took off, the driver's fingers interlaced with the passenger's.
"Rude's going to kill us," she mumbled through chattering teeth. "This thing's his baby and we're soaked."
Reno grimaced. "Yup, we're gonna die tomorrow morning." He looked over at the soaked woman. "You're beautiful, Yuff."
A blush crept across her cheeks and she grinned. "I love you, Reno."
He smiled. "I love you, too."
YK2: Whew! THE END! Gawd! I stayed up half the night typing this! I hope you all liked it!
Dracon: YK2 does not own Moulin Rouge, from which the lyrics are from (Roxanne, if you wish to know). Not to mention the play that Yuffie starred in was a spin-off of Moulin Rouge.
YK2: It's a great movie! I just bought the bloody soundtrack! Huzzah! Anyweays, review, Reffie lovers!
Surka: ZzZzZzZz
YK2 & Dracon: --Stare-- Yeaaahh....
Till Next Time! AUDI!!!
-Yuffie Kisaragi2, Dracon Fira, and the ever-sleeping Surka Sokyu-