Disclaimer: …What? Don't look at me. It's not like I'm getting paid for this.
Warning: Some very mild language and nudity. Oh, and randomness abounds freely here. Don't expect anything realistic.
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Tifa leaned her head back into the wet rocks with a sigh. The steam around her floated up in waves, caressing her skin as if to sooth. All of the tension and stiffness in her muscles seemed to give way to the pressure of the heat surrounding her. She was a dried, wrinkly prune by now, but an unconcerned one nonetheless. The moon's ivory light gleamed on her frail body through the glossy foliage that loomed over her. Her clothes lay rejected in some shadowy corner somewhere. Bugs were probably all over them by now, she supposed, but she stopped that thought before it came. She was supposed to be relaxing!
Time stood still for a while. Oh, the wonders of the natural hot spring. Tifa's secret childhood "hiding" spot. It was still there after all these years, her getaway for now, amongst people that, though she loved dearly, drove her insane. Sure, she trusted them with her life, would take a flying bullet for the team, but for now the tired woman just needed some peace. As soon as they'd decided to stay at her hometown for the night, she'd seized the opportunity to pay a visit here, to this spring she'd soaked in so many times before.
Being back in Nibelheim was digging up too many things that were meant to stay buried in the back of her mind, and all the Sephiroth business was giving her a raging headache, which required some treatment, thank you very much. This wasn't even the real Nibelheim, anyway, and who the hell were those black cloaked-
"Shut up, Tifa. Give yourself a break." She told herself harshly.
It just wasn't like Tifa to unwind and forget all of her worries for a while. Even if she tried, there was always a taunting, nagging thought that would emerge and promptly rattle her nerves. Like Cloud… he seemed to pick her up one minute, and throw her down the next, like some little child with a new doll to play with. She knew he was simply oblivious, and not trying to be cruel, but how much longer until he realized that she was hurting for him? She couldn't wait forever. And, what would he do if he ever did wake up and just look at her? She just wanted to sink her head below the water and never resurface. She was, after all, the only person who knew about this place…
"That isn't like me." She said, in reference to her bleak thoughts.
"What isn't?"
Tifa, out of instinct, had to keep herself from jumping out of the water and getting into her fighting stance, ready to strike. Useless that would be, as her gloves were out of reach and she was, well, nude. Her heart leapt into her throat, making her give a startled yelp.
/Wasn't/ she the only one who knew of this place?
The man before her seemed immensely amused. So amused, in fact, that he let out a laugh, running a hand through that damnable flaming cerise hair and adorning that cocky smirk of his, eyes fixed on her intensely.
God damn it all.
'How am I supposed to defend myself… in the buff? I'm as vulnerable as I'll ever possibly get, and for gods' sake in front of /Reno, of all people!'
She just sat there, muscles as tight as a spring ready to uncoil, glaring at him.
Never one to keep his mouth shut, he took the initiative to break the silence. "Well," he raked a glance over her with a strange glint in his eye that made her squirm involuntarily.
"Don't suppose you were expecting company."
She said nothing. Carefully, he pressed on.
"This is, um, awkward." He said, though he showed no sign of embarrassment, just the glow of amusement.
"What are you doing here?" she bit curtly, sending up silent prayers for him to just… leave. Why, here, practically in the middle of nowhere, did he have to find her? Why now?
"I should ask you the same." He replied nonchalantly, scratching his chin in mock curiosity.
"I'm taking a bath, what does it look like?" Tifa's face was hot, and not because of the spring.
"It looks like," he grinned cheekily. "You're naked."
She was sure her face was melting off. "Am not."
"Ha! Are too!"
"Am not."
"Prove it, then."
She sunk deeper into the water and growled.
"Will not."
He relinquished, but the smirk never left his face.
The silence in the air became thick after that. Tifa absolutely refused to look at him, shifting her weight uncomfortably.
Only adding to her frustration, he decided to make himself right at home, sitting on a dry rock and resting an arm on one knee, his other leg dangling over the water. What in the shit was he doing? He should be gone! G-O-N-E. Not sitting here, watching her bathe! Or at least, he should be trying to kill her, or something. Anything but this. He began to hum a keyless tune, completely undaunted.
Finally, when the stillness threatened to snuff her, she sighed in exasperation.
Her voice was deceptively calm, but still laced with dread. "What do you want, Reno?"
"You still haven't answered my question." He cut in, not missing a beat.
That stumped her for a minute.
"What question?"
He rolled his eyes. "My first question. What's not like you?"
"Why should you care?"
He chuckled, and playfully pouted. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, babe, I'm just curious. Why are you mumbling to yourself in the middle of the woods, and where's your little buddies?"
"They're asleep as far as I know."
He nodded, and raised a brow. "Well, then why are you talking to yourself in the middle of the woods, in the middle of the night?"
He obviously wasn't going to give up until he got what he wanted. "Because I've gone mad." She said, not really sure if she was being entirely sarcastic.
"Ah, that would explain the Spike infatuation."
He couldn't help but laugh, standing up to back away, as she splashed him, the hot water soaking through his messy white shirt. And, despite how annoying and imposing he was, his laugh was so infectious, and she found herself laughing, too.
She seemed to forget, if only for a moment, that he was her sworn enemy.
He reached a hand down into the water, and swept it her way, and she laughed again. She didn't stop laughing, in fact, as the absurdness of the situation seemed to go to her head, and all of a sudden it was painfully hilarious. He wouldn't stop splashing, his eyes were alight with something, her voice ringing in the air around him, and when she stopped to study his expression, her laughter becoming soft giggles, he abruptly looked away.
"Settle down now, settle down," he said, looking at her with his usual smirk and raising his hands in mock surrender. "I still don't think you've entirely answered my question. Maybe I'll get it out of you next time."
"Next time?" she blinked, and he just nodded.
With a strangely casual wave, he turned on his heel and retreated out of her sight.
She sat for a while, her brain trying to wrap around what had just taken place.
Cautiously, shyly, she raised herself out of the water, feeling the night air chill her skin. One glance to the place where she'd thrown her clothes told her one thing: they were gone.
Oh, she was going to kill him.
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There you have it. Not my best at all, but I have been procrastinating, and almost had excuses down to an art form, when I read somewhere that the best way to improve your writing is to do just that: write. I really do hope you enjoyed reading it. Reviews make me a happy girl. I also find criticism useful, just not flaming.