Not much to write today. Enjoy the story.
He opened the door slowly, almost afraid of what he'd find. Stepping into the ransacked apartment, he called out for her. "Tifa?"
No answer.
"Babe? You here?"
Thunder roared in the distance, Reno could hear the oncoming droplets slapping against the balcony. Poking his head into her bedroom, bathroom and closet, he still couldn't find his... friend. Was that all he could call her? Something wrenched in his chest. Was 'friend' the right word now, after all that had happened?
Continuing his search, he walked into the kitchen. There an ominous note lay lifeless on the counter. Gingerly touching it, he lifted it and read its message.
I went out to find him.
She didn't need to write his or even her own name. This redhead was the only other person, aside for her, that had the key to her apartment. Not even Rude had secured a key in the last two months.
I went out to find him.
The words were exactly what he'd been dreading. Dropping the paper, he dashed out the door; hadn't they decided to talk to him together?
With blonde strands glued to her face and her arms wrapped tightly around her torso, begging god to give her some warmth. Elena's heart throbbed with so much pain and sorrow. What did Tifa have that she didn't? She was a fighter just like her. They were both quite attractive. So why did Rude like Tifa so much more?
Before her thoughts could carry on, a familiarly feminine voice yelled from a distance. "Elena?"
Lifting her head, she stood frozen as Lockheart jogged closer. Tearful streaks were evident; the young martial artist had been crying recently. Maybe still crying.
Her crimson irises look at the equally youthful Turk for condolence. "I-I just talked with Rude..."
Elena didn't reply.
"I j-just don't know what to do. H-He seems so angry. And hurt. But I know that Reno is-" Something snapped and before either of the two women could understand what'd happened, Elena found herself throwing herself on top of her once-called friend and attacking her with all she had.
Rude wasn't too hard to find. Whenever he was upset, he would visit this dog park. Seemed that Tifa had already talked to him and left.
Both were dripping wet from the current storm. The larger man sat on a bench, scarcely noticing his best bud walking right up to him.
Reno stared down at him; not sure if it was sympathy or guilt he felt for the bald man. "Hey."
Cold eyes gazed back at him. Rude didn't even nod. He simply stood and towered intimidating over the shorter Turk.
Pulling up his hands as a sign of surrender, Reno took a step back. "Look man-"
"How could you? You knew how I felt and you still took her." Without the dark shades, his eyes glared viciously down at the aqua-hued ones.
"Whoa. You never knew how I felt."
"How you felt! How you felt! You go through a different woman a week!" Deafening and thunderous, his voice scared his traitorous friend a bit. A lot.
The two breathed mist into the rain for awhile; each waiting for the other to say something.
Suddenly, Reno realized something. He wanted Tifa so much; so much that he had sacrificed a friendship for her. A strong and very valuable friendship. He would give anything for her. She was something he truly wanted.
Shutting his eyes, a ghost of a smile overtook his lips. Whispering so quietly, if Rude wasn't so close, he wouldn't have heard those words.
"What do you have! What is it about you!" Screams howled into the night, only to be drowned out by the pour. Full-grown women wrestled each other in the drizzle; one defending and the other attacking. "Why won't he love me?"
The moment those words left her mouth, the struggle ceased. Tifa stared wide-eyed up at Elena, whom had tears filling her eyes. In seconds, she was sobbing uncontrollably and was being cradled carefully by her recent enemy.
"It'll be okay." The brunette whispered over and over again.
"I love her." With his eyes still shut, he didn't see the flying fist coming. Once it made contact, Reno flung and sprawled across the floor; spots flickered around his sight.
By the time he managed to sit up, Rude had already disappeared into the rain.
Cracking the door open, he stumbled into her home. Tifa glanced up, seeing his absolutely bruised face, she ran to the freezer and grabbed him some ice.
Tenderly pressing against the pack against his cheek and eye, she felt his hand slip over hers. "I'm coming with you to that town."
She grinned at his words. Sliding down the wall, he threw an arm over her shoulders and used the other hand to hold the cooling ice to his injury. Tifa, in return, cuddled close to him.
Silence stayed present for a bit.
"Do you think we did something wrong?" Her voice was barely audible. It was almost a question to herself instead of to him.
"No. No... we did what we our hearts needed to do." Dipping his head lower, Reno's lips connected with Tifa's. It would another three weeks before they would be leaving and making a new life. Nothing could stop them now.