A/N: Rating is there for THIS chapter. Don't say I didn't warn you. Enjoy!

Duet avec Chocobogoddess
Movement Three

He stopped, just short of stepping back into a more crowded part of the Saucer. "If you ever dig out the woman I fell in love with, I really do miss her."

Reno didn't bother to turn back around. He lit another cigarette and sucked it down in three angry drags. "Was fucking everyone but you huh Teef, well you fucked me at least, look at it that way." How could she just…

…push away someone that killed her friends…

He tottered a bit, too drunk to really navigate overly well and be deep in thought. Part of him wanted to go back to the bar and drink till he couldn't stand anymore. Reno felt stupid, he knew better then to get wasted and go hunt down his ex in the middle of the most crowded casino on the planet. He also knew that making up with someone required them to be not only sober, but thinking straight.

Regardless, Reno didn't think he'd be trying his luck again. Why was Tifa that important to him? He couldn't operate correctly without her, he felt overwhelmed. More than that, he was so fucking lonely.

He sat at the bar again, holding up his hand and getting another drink. It disappeared rather quickly and left him to stare at the thick glass. Following Tifa and her band of heroes was going to kill him, or moreover get him to do the job himself.

Something smelled, just for a moment, but it was gone. He jerked his head around, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. The motion left Reno wavering on the barstool. It would be best to get back to his room, take a shower and just go to sleep. The others would wake him in the morning, they would compile reports, and then, off once more following her…

He tossed gil on the bar and slid to his feet. Reno had always been a fighter; the idea of just proclaiming "fuck you all and the chocobos you rode in on" and shooting himself in the temple had never looked appealing to him. Though now…

Reno shook his head. Running away was not an option. He had one very big reason not to blow his brains out. Even if that reason would be better off without him. Reno threw the hotel room door open and sighed. He drew the chain, fastened the deadbolt and shoved a chair under the door. No matter if he woke up in the morning, he was in no mood for company.

Reno smoked a cigarette and started up his laptop. The file he opened up had a rather mundane title "ammo inventory report" though the contents were not about guns. He'd hacked into Hojo's system early as a Turk, Reno'd been curious about his father. He had no idea that he'd end up putting together a puzzle that left him with more questions then answers and a rather unwelcome extended family. Reno stood, letting out an angry growl. Maybe a shower would be better then making himself more pissed off then he already was.

He liked showers hot. This one was no exception. The water steamed thickly, rolling around the small hotel bathroom and beading over tiles. Reno leaned forward, stretching his back and letting the water hit him on the shoulders. He could almost feel the water work out the kinks down his spine. After leaning back and popping his chest Reno just closed his eyes and let the water hit him square in the face. Still on the drunk side, Reno felt his head cloud up with a combination of booze and heat.

Sleep would be nice. He shut off the water and toweled off. He'd sleep it off, and hopefully, wake up less in the mood to die. Hotels skimped on the towels, and Dio never did like everything to go smoothly for Turks. As a result, Reno's hair was damp still when he put his pajama bottoms on. Steam curled out his door as he threw it open. Immediately, there was a suffocating smell that made the Turk gag. And he thought his evening couldn't get worse…

"You take long showers," Sephiroth complained, not looking up from the computer screen as he scrolled through the file's contents. When Reno failed to answer, the silver-haired man finally did look over at him with a wide grin. "What, not pleased to see me, Little Cousin?"

Reno knew that door was still locked; he knew that there was still a chair propped up under the door handle. He didn't need to look. Maybe it was the booze, maybe he was really that fed up, but he felt his hand clench in a tight fist. "Fuck. Off." He snapped. The tight-laced fear that Reno usually felt was still there, but his previous mood seemed to dampen the effect. Or hells, maybe he was just getting used to being stalked by a psychopath.

Sephiroth unfolded himself from where he sat on the bed, stretching to his full height to smile down at Reno. "But we have so much to discuss, and Mother has left me alone for a bit." He smirked. "You owe me a few things."

He bristled; the hairs on his neck rose up on end. Reno didn't like being shocked. He really hated being shocked, damp, and half naked. "I don't owe anyone shit. And that goes in triplicate for you." Reno growled back. Though Sephiroth claimed Jenova was gone for the time being, he didn't believe it. It would only take a second, then she would be back. Of course, the way that Sephiroth was looking at him, he would almost prefer the murderous glare of Jenova.

"I think you do." In less time than it took Reno to blink, Sephiroth moved and was across the room. Reno found himself against the wall, retreating. He began to pull away, but a gloved hand caught him under the chin and kept him in place. "Another taste?" The General's mouth descended to cover Reno's, his fingers fanning out under Reno's jaw and fisting in his hair.

Suddenly he was in-between Sephiroth and the wall, his arms pressed against the cheap wallpaper, fingers actually dug up thin strips of the stuff. He wasn't supposed to like feeling vulnerable. Reno's eyes almost drifted closed, but then he felt the other man's tongue flick over his closed lips. Blue eyes snapped open and the urge to fight him off started coming back. He had to get out NOW or he wouldn't. He was beginning to think drinking so much was a really bad idea, everything was moving slower, even though the buzz had faded. Reno managed to push the larger General out of the way with an attempted arm break and spin out of Sephiroth's reach.

He shuddered involuntarily, a mixture of instinctual fear and something he wasn't admitting yet. Maybe it was the fear that was drawing them both together. It was addictive, being afraid, he wouldn't deny that there was a thrill he'd gotten more than used to while he was a Turk. Something about knowing how close he could toe the line and come back. He backed up, stumbling slightly as the corner of the bed bumped his leg. Ragged gasps escaped his lungs and his heart pounded in his throat. He said the first thing he could think of to try to make Sephiroth go away on his own. "Don't you have a Cetra to kill or something to that effect?"

Sephiroth advanced slowly, deliberately. "Eventually. She isn't half as interesting as you are, Little Cousin." He kept looking at Reno with that same hooded gaze, like a stalking panther.

The room was thick now, even with the chill from the open window. Both of them were feeding on fear, though Sephiroth seemed determined to see how far he could push. Reno's hand twitched, reaching for a weapon he didn't have on the loose flannel pants. A line of cold water dripped from his wet hair down his tattoo, earning a shiver. "What do you mean?" Reno was fishing for a way out. Was Sephiroth using the same trick he'd used the last time he tried to kill Reno, or was this something else?

Suddenly, Sephiroth was no longer in front of him, but behind him. An arm wrapped around Reno's waist while Sephiroth inhaled the scent of Reno's damp skin. "You think she holds my attention at the moment? People who fight are so much more fun than those who are ready to die. I never liked sacrificial lambs." He laughed darkly against Reno's neck when Reno tried to pull away. Sephiroth seemed to know the other man was too shocked to move, his hand gripped Reno's hip and he spoke closer to Reno's neck. "She never fights with me… there's no spirit in her at all." He bit down on Reno's shoulder, jerking him back to his chest as he did.

Reno's reaction was instinct, mingled with a new sort of rage. He'd been abused by people with that mindset for most of his life. He'd never understood what was so much fun about watching someone struggle in vain. Reno could never grasp why people felt the need to feed on someone's helplessness. He'd been that person, the helpless one and he'd be damned if it was going to happen again.

He threw his elbow back, connecting with Sephiroth's ribcage, it did little to jar the general, though when Reno spun throwing both cupped fists into Sephiroth's face it had a lot more impact. Sephiroth toppled over, falling to the bed. However, Sephiroth was much faster then the half drunk Turk, in the next second the general grabbed Reno by the wrist and yanked him downward.

Sephiroth rolled, now trapping Reno beneath him with a low chuckle. "There we go, you see? Much more entertaining." He held Reno's wrists down, immobile. Lowering his head to rest his cheek against Reno's, he said quietly, "I can protect you from her, you know. If I tell Mother that I want you, she will not harm you. I could even make you forget pain." His lips brushed against the madly-beating pulse at Reno's throat, moved to Reno's ear, his temple.

Tossing his head from side to side did little more then make Sephiroth sit up. His flipping trick that had worked so well in the past was now something his attacker was prepared for. Reno bucked up, but Sephiroth's knees dug into the bare skin of his hip. He wasn't up to par; he was tired, drunk and terrified. But above it all, somehow he still managed to be angry. "I've never asked for anyone to fucking protect me, I'm not going to start with you." He still tried to push his arms up, more so to keep both of Sephiroth's hands occupied then out of any hope for escape.

That maniacal grin never went away; it only intensified with Reno's struggles. "So much anger! So much fear! Delicious." Sephiroth's teeth gleamed white in the dim light, looking sharp and deadly. "If only you weren't so stubborn. But then," he licked his lips, bending back down until Reno could feel his breath, "That's what makes you so much fun."

Reno snarled loudly as if pushing frustration out of his mouth. He curled his lip in disgust. "Your definition of 'fun' is as fucking pathetic as you are."

"Pathetic?" Sephiroth paused, thank all the gods, but he paused.

Reno almost relaxed, thankful that he at least stalled whatever it was Sephiroth had planned. "Pathetic." He confirmed.

"Pathetic." The word came out flat this time, and Sephiroth's hands tightened on Reno's wrists. The humor that had been lurking behind his voice until now suddenly evaporated. "Is that what you think of me, Little Cousin?"

Reno actually bit his lip to keep from yelping in pain. The grip that Sephiroth had was awesome; he couldn't deny the man's power. His breath came out ragged, feeling rushed. "What else do you call someone who pushes away anyone that came near him till they promised him the world? What else do you call someone so afraid to get out on his own and maybe get hurt that he runs away to some lying parasite and turns his back on people that actually knew his REAL mother?" Lashing out in his current situation was perhaps less then wise, but this was past the point of caring.

The mako in the man's eyes roiled, flared as Reno had seen it do before. If he'd wanted to distract Sephiroth, Reno had certainly succeeded. Or perhaps not. "Do not blaspheme about my parentage. No matter who gave birth to me, Jenova is my mother. Oh, you thought I didn't know about that? I spent days reading Hojo's notes, you see. I finally opened my eyes to who and what I truly am. YOU," his hands squeezed again as he barked the word, "Should do the same. But you are throwing your opportunities away in favor of the filth you call humanity."

Reno blinked up at Sephiroth, he had a total lack of what to say. He wanted to be able to say something so insightful that it would make Sephiroth leave, or so angry he'd get it over with and kill him already. But what could he say? For every person that was good or honest there were twenty who were not. He'd known the height of how ugly people could be when he was just a small child. And yet, there he was, still fighting them at the same time, he wanted Sephiroth to fail so they could all go on. His hands felt numb, his wrists throbbed, and it felt like the weight of the world depended on what he would say. As a result, Reno was silent.

Sephiroth sneered. "I can see you thinking about them. You know how they pollute the world, yet you still want to be counted among them?" He bent closer, close enough to nuzzle the soft spot under Reno's jaw. "I offer this once more," he whispered harshly, his voice strained, as if he fought something within. "Come with me, Little Cousin--no, Reno."

Reno could hear his good heartbeat in his ears. One thought was enough to make up his mind. "No."

"I should have killed the little one first," Sephiroth growled, "Perhaps you would have been able to think clearly then."

If he'd been passed out drunk, that threat would have been enough to rouse him. Reno twisted his wrist against Sephiroth's left thumb, breaking Sephiroth's hold. When the general tottered forward a bit, Reno checked him in the face, slamming the heel of his hand against the tip of Sephiroth's nose with enough force to kill most people. When Sephiroth reared up, Reno slid out from under him and kicked out, hitting the other man in the chest with bare feet.

Where Sephiroth had been taught the highest classes of hand to hand combat, Reno'd been in bar fights. He knew enough to know martial arts weren't enough in a street fight. Style totally forgotten, Reno snatched a lamp off the bed-stand next to him and smashed it over Sephiroth's shoulder.

Plaster and glass exploded into clouds, clinging to Reno's wet hair, turning it white in places. General Sephiroth toppled to the ground at a crouch, and it would have been sporting to let the other man gain his feet, but then again, it would be sporting not to threaten an innocent child. Reno's knee connected with Sephiroth's jaw, casting the other man back yet again. Despite the repeated blows, once on his back, Sephiroth rolled backwards, leaping to his feet. The lamp left an ugly gash along the side of his face, staining his hair.

Sephiroth let out a feral roar, took a step forward, and suddenly buckled. Reno had been expecting a counterattack, but hadn't expected this. Was it a trick? I told you to kill him! Jenova's grating voice cut across Reno's mind, shrieking at Sephiroth. Even if you had tamed him, he is our enemy! But you disobeyed my orders because what? You want to fuck him? Play with him? And you-- her hellish tone changed and beat at Reno like bats' wings. Know this. Your people can protect you for only so long. In the end, I will see you flayed, first in body, then in spirit. I will eradicate your kind from existence.

A shockwave of pain hit both Reno and Sephiroth at the same time, though somehow Reno remained standing. Sephiroth, on the other hand, laced his fingers into his hair as if they could ease the sharp agony. He whimpered--so softly, Reno almost didn't catch it, but there it was. The great general, gasping for breath while his consciousness was buffeted by a more powerful being.

Reno growled and backed up. It hurt to watch, something inside him felt bad for Sephiroth's predicament. It wasn't really his fault if he didn't take every chance offered to him, how many wrong choices had Reno made before? It was Jenova who was pathetic. He began to doubt that she even knew what she wanted. Did she want to eradicate humanity? Or did she want in the gates of the Promised Land? Did she even know? "No, Sephiroth isn't the pathetic one here. You are. All you exist for is to make other creatures miserable. You're worse then humanity if all you live on is someone else's weakness. Fucking bloated tick is all you really are." Reno snapped, glass cut into his scalp and feet, but that was something he failed to notice.

Jenova began to scream something at him, but all at once, Sephiroth straightened. The voice was still there, but distant, and the strain of keeping it so showed on Sephiroth's pale face. He was breathing hard, fists clenching and unclenching, eyes closed and brows knit in pain. At length, he calmed and opened his eyes. His gaze lit upon Reno's face

"It is a constant battle," he said, not in apology, but almost matter of fact. "Despite our similar goals, she does not understand some things I want." He stepped forward, boots crunching the glass on the floor.

It was the first time that Sephiroth seemed conversational. The first time he actually almost appeared like someone Reno could have gotten to know. It was something he couldn't do now though, and while he had been hurt, this was the reason that Reno understood Tifa. Maybe in the end things would be alright, but they couldn't be right now. Reno backed up, breaking a large globe of plaster under his foot. He opened his mouth and then closed it. "I'm sorry, Sephiroth." Reno didn't know what else to say. Jenova near him was enough to turn his stomach the idea of something like that, even at this moment of clarity, controlling his very goals was revolting.

The other man seemed to understand--of course, they were linked by Jenova's mind--and nodded. "I do not think we will meet again. It's a pity." One black-gloved hand reached out to caress Reno's lower lip with a thumb. "Although--"

With that speed that Reno was beginning to hate, Sephiroth closed the distance between them. The grin was back as well, though tempered with the inner battle that Reno could almost hear. The flash of green from Sephiroth's eyes blinded him for a moment, just long enough to startle him and allow the other to kiss him once more. Reno, disgusted, struggled, opening his mouth to argue.

A chuckle rumbled up from Sephiroth's chest as he took advantage of the position. He deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue past lips and teeth to touch Reno's. The motion sent a jolt through Reno's body.

He pushed the other man off, swearing and stumbling backwards. "What the fuck is it with you?" His heart still pounded in his chest.

"Just a souvenir," the other replied. The hard light came back to his eyes. "Next time I see you--if ever--I will be prepared to kill you." He gave an ironic little bow, at odds with his disheveled appearance and the blood that still trickled down his cheek, and stepped back. "Goodnight, Little Cousin."

Reno said nothing, just stared ahead as Sephiroth swept past him. He didn't like the way the worn leather felt against his skin and he liked the feeling of Jenova clamoring to kill him even less. Still, he waited until he heard the crinkling of the coat disappear, till the hiss of Jenova ebbed away, and until the night air had made the room livable again before he turned to close the window. This time he made sure it was locked and tugged on the bars for good measure.

Reno fell down on the bed, not bothering to pull the covers back or even shake off the plaster. His eyes remained open and focused on the death penalty sitting on the one undisturbed dresser. No, not tonight. Tonight he'd put up a fight to stay alive, he couldn't stop fighting now. Still covered in plaster, he rolled over and fell asleep.