I Tried – Chapter 29
Falling

By the time that Reno got home, Tifa was gone. Agitated, Reno took an extra long shower. Tifa wouldn't be home tonight, she'd be lucky if she showed up before noon, considering her "job".

He made himself a quick dinner and forwent the beer in favor of tea, though he didn't make it as well as Tifa did. After checking on Trigger, Reno turned on the TV and there he fell asleep.

The PHS ringing jarred him awake. Reno growled what was meant to be "hello" into the PHS. The voice on the other end was a bit frantic. "Re- I need your help, please Re?"

Reno and Rude pulled in behind AVALANCHE's headquarters. They'd been as quick as they could be, but it wasn't fast enough for Reno. She hadn't been able to say much, just "mako poisoning" and "Cloud". Reno wasn't a supporter of sticking his neck out, but this was supposed to be Tifa's friend. Furthermore, if Reno was right, then Cloud should have spent some time with Hojo. What was he doing loose?

They climbed up the fire escape behind the building. Even though Barret would be gone, and the rest of the team slept like rocks, Turks couldn't take chances. Tifa ushered them in, wringing her hands and pacing the upstairs bedroom. On the bed lay a man with bright blond hair and intense mako eyes.

Cautiously, Reno and Rude opened up a case of medicine; Rude took an empty syringe while Reno set up a kit. He walked up to Cloud, tied off his arm and stuck the needle in. Cloud's free hand flew up at Rude who caught it and then grunted in surprise.

Halting, Reno blinked. Rude was struggling to keep the much smaller Cloud in place. "What the hell?"

With a little groan, Cloud relaxed, his arm fell to the side and Rude quickly drew his blood. After untying the belt from his bicep and handing the vial to his partner, Rude lit a cigarette. "Too strong."

"What do you mean?" Tifa asked, pacing while Reno ran the blood test from a kit on the wooden floor.

"Thirty gil says he benches more than I do." Rude responded, flicking the butt out the window.

Reno was about to respond before vial he was swirling changed colors and started glowing a deep, mournful blue. "I.. I bet he does too…"

"What's wrong with him?" Tifa asked, swallowing.

Reno filled another syringe from one of the jars in his kit. "Hold him down."

"Reno!" Tifa protested, though she and Rude did what he asked.

Cloud jumped when Reno stuck him, lifting up off the table. Harsh blue eyes glared at him and an all too familiar smell assaulted his nose. Reno's light blue eyes looked into Cloud's deep ones. "Jenova." Reno muttered, dispersing the medication.

Cloud had a deep voice, not unexpected for a broad chest like his. "Ae-o-" his eyes fluttered closed and he went limp.

For a while, no one else moved. Minutes ticked by before Reno and Rude started packing up. They left a jar of medication- some nearly unpronounceable "M" word- and more syringes.

"I- I am going to stay here Re." Tifa said after Rude was already on his way to the car.

The wave of jealousy that hit Reno was somewhat unexpected. They were going to hit a reactor tomorrow night, that meant that he wouldn't see her for two days. She has every right to, after all, you've been gone for weeks before; the voice in his head reasoned. He just nodded. "Be careful, remember what I said."

Tifa wrapped him in a hug and then let him go. "I know, hurry, before someone comes up to check on me."

Even though he didn't want to, Reno nodded and slid back out the way he had come.

The next morning the news made Reno cringe. Rufus' voice boomed from every available outlet. "...today the No.1 Reactor was bombed. The terrorist group AVALANCHE has claimed responsibility for the bombing. It is expected that AVALANCHE will continue its reign of terror. But citizens of Midgar... there is no need to fear. I have immediately mobilized SOLDIER to protect our citizenry against this senseless violence. Thank you and good night."

Reno barely suppressed calling Barret every name he could think of and a few he'd make up in the process. He'd TOLD them, told them millions of times NOT to use their name, not to make a production, to be discreet. Painting your gang name in mile high letters was something that street punks did.

And street punks didn't live very long.

All day he stewed over it, listening to the President scream about it, listening to Rufus' ideas on how to deal with it. Reno was beyond upset by the time that Tifa finally strolled into the door. Without a word he gripped her by the arm and led her into the bathroom. After the shower was on and he was certain he wouldn't be heard, he vented.

"What in the bloody HELL above are you people doing? Do you want to give out your address next?"

Tifa balked, obviously not expecting anything like this reaction. "Re, do we have to do this now? I've been up with Cloud all night."

That did absolutely nothing to help matters at all. Reno gritted his teeth. "No, we cannot, I expressly TOLD you not to advertise, what am I supposed to do when you guys get found out?"

"Who says that we will!" Tifa snapped, affronted.

Reno raked a hand through his hair. "Damnit all to hell, I've told you guys to be careful, don't underestimate them. You've got us in your corner, but do I have to remind you with a flip of a switch your left without any trained fighters save yourself?"

Tifa's nose turned up a bit, stubbornly. "Cloud is going to help us."

"Cloud… what the hell does he have to do with anything?"

Maybe that came out harsher than Reno wanted it to. Tifa blinked at him and then her eyes went wide. "THAT is what this is about? You've got some nerve."

"Wait, I-" Reno tried to interject, but too late, his foot was in his mouth and he was going to get ripped a new one.

"God, this from the Turk? You don't trust me?" Tifa looked extremely upset, almost like she was going to cry. Maybe, if she hadn't been so angry.

Before he could console her, the Turk comment clicked in his mind. "What the fuck do you mean by that?"

Tifa growled and stormed past him to the bathroom door. "I just came to get clothes. I'll see you at the meeting place if you think you can trust me." With that the door opened and slammed shut.

"Fuckin Shiva." Reno snapped, throwing his fist into the wall. He left the bathroom to see Trigger and her dragon standing in the hallway. "Hey, did I wake you, baby?"

The little girl looked around. "Where's Mommy? I heard the door."

"She's workin' a lot now baby, she'll be back."

Trigger nodded and then turned to go back into her room. Reno found himself looking at the front door for a long time before he went to bed.

Reactor Nine blew that very night. Now ShinRa was a buzz with motion. SOLDIER recruiter places were swamped with young men and women enlisting to stop the terrorists, rumors about a super SOLDIER surfaced and peppered almost every corner of the building. Rufus glowered at everyone, his father had been there personally, and had words with the blond haired leader. With a snarl, he sent Reno to the church in sector nine, three troopers at his heels.

The troopers were annoying beyond measure. They were tripping over themselves around him, two brothers and a sister from the looks of things too. Just wonderful, the whole family was idiots.

Reno was in no mood to make them- or anyone today- his buddy. First Tifa and now he had to deal with Aeris yet again. And that woman really disliked him. He couldn't wait till tomorrow when he could talk to Tifa and they could sort this out.

He could hear Aeris and Cloud in the doorway. Cloud seemed to be more than rattled, however.

"Sorry, bad timing on my part." Aeris commented as Cloud started to stride forward in true hero fashion. She tried to stop him, after a dark glance in Reno's direction. "Cloud! Don't let it get to you!"

She was still trying to ignore him. The troopers wanted to move forward, but lifting his hand he halted them and waited. The "it" comment grated on Reno's nerves. She knew something about him that he didn't. Reno didn't like knowing that.

Aeris pulled on Cloud's arm, getting his attention again. "Say, Cloud. Have you ever been a bodyguard? You DO do everything, right?"

Reno smirked, "do everything" well that was a new way of putting it. He lit a cigarette while Cloud smoothed his hair. Not that it helped him anyway.

"Yeah, that's right." Cloud then looked at Reno out of the corner of his eye. He breathed in deeply as though he smelled something interesting.

Reno could still smell the Jenova on him. He pitched the cigarette to the ground, now too edgy to smoke. He cleared his throat while they worked out some bargain for Cloud's body guarding service. They were both damned lucky he didn't want to kill either of them… yet.

Cloud still seemed out of sorts. He walked nose to nose with Reno, tilting his head slightly. "I don't know who you are, but… You don't know me…?"

Once again Cloud seemed to smell the air. Reno didn't need to, the smell wasn't too strong, not overpowering, but he knew that it was there. "…I know you." He said after a while.

"Oh yeah... I know you." Cloud said, slowly coming around. This guy really had a number done on him. If he hadn't been a point of contention between Reno and his girlfriend, Reno could have felt sorry for Cloud. "That uniform..."

The three troopers ran in then, over-eager. "…Hey, sis, this one's a little weird." One commented.

Whatever he'd said, the trooper brought Cloud out of his daze. "Shut up! You ShinRa spy!" He snapped, startling Reno with the clarity in his voice.

The girl trooper was next with a big mouth. "Reno! Want him taken out?"

Reno pinched his nose. "I haven't decided yet." He tried to make his tone convey his total distaste for everyone involved and his not wanting to be where he was.

Then Aeris yelled from where she stood. "Don't fight here! You'll ruin the flowers!" It was the first nearly civil thing she'd said to him. Reno nodded, while her and Cloud ran to the back exit.

He felt confused, there was something off-putting about Cloud, and it wasn't just his spot with Tifa. Reno mused half aloud. "They were…" not like my eyes. My eyes don't have that blue, they are just "…mako eyes." He shook his head, clearing it. He had time to wonder later, right now he had to chase off Cloud and Aeris and make it look like he wanted to catch them. "Yeah, all right. Back to work, back to work." Then he looked down. Great, stepping on the flowers. "Oh!"

And all as one, the siblings had to tell him what he'd found out on his own already. "Hey Reno, you just stepped on them!" Oh, did he? Wow, look at that. "They're all ruined!" When one steps on them, granted. "You're gonna catch holy hell!" Like he cared.

What happened next, Reno would have rather forgotten. It was rather like a comic book, with him shouting orders and Cloud making fools out of his three troopers. Reno's head was throbbing by the time Cloud and Aeris made good their getaway. So sure, Reno was, that they wouldn't hit a behemoth if they had to he even had them open fire on Cloud and Aeris. And, proven right, Reno stalked away, the now frightened troopers quaking behind him.

He did NOT need his phone ringing again. He really didn't need to hear a grave voiced Reeve say "The president wants to see you… you'd better hurry." Before Reno could ask why, Reeve hung up. No one was answering his phone calls either. With no other recourse, Reno double timed it to President ShinRa's office.

A/N: I just wanted to clarify that the words spoken in the church are not mine, but taken directly from the game. Thank you for reading.