Chapter 15: En Route
Note: I'll be giving the Highwind a few rooms that didn't appear in the game. A ship that big that's built for long distance flights would have to have more than four rooms.
Approaching the Highwind, the first change apparent to the team is a large number of incendiary bombs mounted on the bottom of the ship's fuselage. As they climb the rope ladder, they see that the railing has been hinged in places to drop out of the way and make it easier to launch the three helicopters sitting on the deck. The helicopters look like slightly longer, sleeker versions of the commonly seen Shin-Ra executive helicopter, except they lack the side platform and have large sliding doors on both sides with .50 machine guns mounted on swivels in the center of each doorway. A triple-barreled 20mm minigun is mounted on a turret under the nose of each, and two of the choppers are attached by cables to small scout cars sitting behind them that look similar to dune buggies. Each car seats three and has a .30 machine gun mounted in front of the passenger seat and a .50 one mounted on a rotating turret around the single rear seat which is slightly elevated to allow firing over the front seats. Two sets of tracks have been mounted on the deck to guide the cars off when the helicopters launch.
"Alright, it'll take ten hours to get to the crater at best speed. This'll be our last chance until the mission's over, so everyone get some rest." Reno announces. The Turks stop at one of the modified choppers and latch their heavy weapons in a rack mounted on the back wall of the chopper's interior, then place their assault vests and the heavy military-style pistol belts attached to them on the floor in front of the weapon rack. Reno then leads the way into the ship's interior, planning to commandeer one of the Highwind's staterooms. As soon as she enters the ship, Elena's eyes begin to water and she begins sneezing furiously. She quickly retreats to the deck. Reno sniffs the air and his eyes narrow with suspicion. "You've got chocobos on board, don't you?"
"Yeah, we've got a whole stable of them, right over there." Cloud announces, pointing at the stable. "How could you tell?"
"Because the mangy featherballs stink. Whole damn ship probably smells like them." He turns to follow Elena back onto the deck, and then suddenly halts. "Almost forgot. Hey, Valentine, catch!" He pulls a computer disc from a pocket and throws it at Vincent, who catches it easily.
"What's this?" he asks, looking as if he couldn't care less.
"A copy of all of Hojo's files on you." Vincent finally shows emotion at this revelation, his eyes widen and his face assumes a similar expression to what most people would have upon being handed a live viper. "Hey, you don't have to read it, but I figured you oughta have the option. Maybe knowing'll make living with the shit he did to you easier. Mosta the staterooms've got terminals that'll read that if you want to." he says before turning and walking back onto the deck. A moment later, Vincent turns and walks into his stateroom and the sound of the door locking is heard.
"Hey, how you doing?" Reno asks as he walks over to where Elena's leaning on the airship's railing.
"The clean air out here helps, but now I've got a killer headache from those damned birds."
"Hm, didn't think your allergy was that bad. Here, pop a couple of these." he offers before fishing a Bahamut Pez dispenser out of a pocket and pulling the head back, revealing that it's loaded with extra-strength Excedrin instead of candy.
"Thanks." she says, then takes two of the offered pills and swallows them dry. He then pockets the dispenser, steps behind her, and begins to loosen her tie. "What're you doing?"
"A little trick I picked up in Wutai called Acupressure." he answers, removing her tie and unbuttoning the top two buttons on her shirt. "It'll help with your headache, trust me." He then folds back the collar of her shirt, places his thumbs over two pressure points located on either side of her spine just below where it connects to her skull, and begins rubbing them in a circular motion.
"Feels nice." she sighs, relaxing under his skilled hands as she watches the Junon coastline recede into the distance.
He grins at hearing that it's working. "Hey, why d'you think I'm so good at massages? Fun trick, huh?" He then firmly slides his thumbs down to two more pressure points where her spine connects to her shoulders and then lightly slides his thumbs out along her shoulders, flicking them out into the air to either side of her.
Her eyes widen slightly in surprise as her headache becomes slightly less intense. "It actually helped. How the hell'd that work?"
"I dunno how, I just know it does." he says, starting the process over again. "The folks I learned it from had some sorta crazy mystical explanation, but I never bought into that stuff." A few minutes later, the painkillers kick in and their effect combined with the massage results in her headache being reduced to a minor annoyance.
"Alright, I'm fine now." she tells him. "Too bad they turned this ship into a bird-sty, I was kinda looking forward to one of those nice beds they've got in the staterooms."
"Don't worry, I've got an idea." he assures her, then walks over to the chopper they'd stashed their gear in. He quickly rifles through a storage bin loaded with survival gear inside the chopper and pulls out a small cloth bundle while proclaiming, "Jackpot! I was looking for a tent, but this's even better!"
"What's that?"
"A jungle hammock. It's like a hammock with a small tent on it." he explains as he strings it up between two of the choppers. By it's size, it was obviously designed for only one person. The bed part of the hammock is roughly six and a half feet long and three feet wide and a slightly larger roof, designed to keep rain off, hangs two feet above it. The two pieces are connected by walls of dark netting that allows occupants to see out without anyone being able to see in. After swiftly assembling it and leaving one side wall flipped up on the roof, he carefully climbs into the hammock, which is hung high and close enough to the railings to allow him to easily see the ocean below.
"Good thing neither of us're claustrophobic." she jokes as she climbs into the tight space with him.
"Whoa, careful where you put that knee." he warns. After she settles in on him, he reaches over and pulls down the last wall, then zips as much of it as he can reach closed.
"Hey, this bed's actually pretty nice." she remarks with a smile. "Ocean view, nice breeze, and my favorite pillow." Her red-haired 'pillow' chuckles lightly as his dexterous fingers caress her back.
Tifa hangs back in the Highwind's main hall until after everyone goes their separate ways, then quietly follows Rude into the aft observation lounge. Leaning around the doorway, she sees that he's facing away from her, seated on a small couch that faces the Junon coastline. Curious, she creeps up and looks over his shoulder and sees that he has a pencil and small pad of paper in his hands. An accurate reproduction of the pristine coast north of Junon was rapidly taking shape on the paper. "Wow, that's really good." she says, inches from Rude's ear.
Rude jumps from surprise. He was able to count the people he knew of that were able to sneak up on him and were still alive on one hand and still have fingers left over. He was certain that only two such people were on the airship and that they were currently busy with one another, but found he needed to add another name to the list when he turned and saw Tifa. "Um... hi." he said, hoping she wouldn't notice how nervous he suddenly was.
"Oh, sorry for startling you, Rude." she apologizes as she walks around the couch. "Mind if I sit here?"
"Er... go ahead..." /Way to go, real smooth.../ he silently berates himself, feeling heat rise to his face.
She takes his invitation and sits down right next to him. "You've got a real talent there. Could I see some more?" she asks, gesturing to the pad. Rude hesitates. He was very self-conscious about his art and seldom showed it to anyone. "C'mon, I won't laugh or anything." Tifa promises, directing a gentle smile towards him. /Is he blushing again? I guess Elena wasn't exaggerating about his shyness.../
"Alright..." /They both said I need to open up to her as much as I can, guess I'd've shown her eventually.../ he thinks as he hands it over.
She turns the page and finds a sketch of the Junon skyline from the perspective of a rooftop. "Nice, you've really got an eye for detail."
"Um... thanks..."
On the next page, she finds a forested landscape, with several trees in full bloom. "Ooh, beautiful. I really like this one." Turning the page, she finds a drawing of a group of teenagers in military uniforms sitting around a table in what looks like a bar. "Hey, is that you?" she asks, pointing to one.
"Yes, I drew that from memory, it's from during the war. I usually don't draw things from that far back, but there's been a lot of reminiscing going on over the past few days." he says, still a little tense, but pleased that she's enjoying his work.
"Oh. Hey, is that Cid?" Rude nods. "And that must be Reno. I don't recognize anyone else though. Are they friends of yours?"
"Yes, they were." He points to a tall blonde woman seated between himself and Reno. "That's Elly of the Turks, she was... a really good friend of ours back then." His finger moves to a one-eyed brunette with a long scar down her face who's seated on Reno's lap. "That's Angela, she was also a Turk and a good friend. The guy next to Cid is Izlude, he flew with Cid as his weapons officer for most of the war. The others were friends of ours from Solider, Havoc, Gaspar, Valeria, Kika, and Viktor." He points out each of his old war buddies in turn as he says their name.
"So, did you keep in touch with any of them after the war?"
"No, aside from Reno and Cid, none of them survived to keep in touch with."
"Sorry for asking."
"It's alright. It was a long time ago and I've... already mourned and accepted those losses."
"Oh." Tifa turns the page again and finds what looks to be a later re-enactment of the same scene, a drawing of Rude, Reno, Elena, and Tseng at a bar. As in the previous drawing, all involved wear expressions of happiness and varying degrees of inebriation. In the next drawing, she finds a grove of Wutaian cherry trees, with the blossoms just beginning to fall in the wind. "Wow. It must've taken you forever to draw all those petals."
He shrugs. "It gave me something to do. Drawing relaxes me like nothing else. It probably sounds strange, but no matter how bad a day I've had, I can... lose myself in it. It's a very peaceful feeling."
"It doesn't sound strange. Playing the piano makes me feel the same way. Just floating along with the notes, not a care in the world as long as the song lasts. Too bad I haven't had a chance to play for a while"
"I guess you'll have to get one for your restaurant when this's all over, so you can play anytime."
"That'd be nice. I wanted one for my bar, but I never could get enough help to move one in."
"I'll help." Rude blurts out. "Er... that is, if you need help moving one when you set up your business, I'd help. Reno owes me a favor, so I can make him help too. Between the two of us, we can carry a piano anywhere you want."
"Thanks, Rude. That's really sweet of you to offer. Hey, this may sound silly, but could you take your glasses off? I like to be able to look people in the eye when I talk to them and... well, I'm also kinda curious what your eyes look like." She flushes slightly at saying the last bit. "I'm sure you get women wondering about your eyes all the time..." she trails off, embarrassed. /Geeze, this is like the gondola ride with Cloud all over again. Why can't I just ask him if he's interested instead of beating around the bush? Well, at least he's attentive and isn't acting clueless.../
"Well, I normally wouldn't..." /...but I'd do almost anything for you. Just wish I had the guts to say it out loud.../ he laments as he slowly removes his shades, revealing his softly glowing baby-blue eyes.
"Hey, she was right." Seeing the question in his expression, Tifa elaborates, "Elena told me you had really cute eyes. I think so too. You oughta show them off more often." /Too bad they're not as easy to read as I hoped, all I can tell from them is he's really nervous and I already knew that before he took the shades off. I wonder why? I've never seen him act nervous before. Maybe thinking the end of the world's coming's affecting him more than he admits./
"Um.. thanks. I... uh... I like your eyes too." He hesitantly says while setting his shades down on a small end table. /Now that was pathetic. I can think of all these poetic phrases involving stuff like sunlight shining through a bottle of wine or off uncut garnets, but all I can say is I like them. Guess it's hard to talk when your heart's lodged in your throat.../
"Thanks." Tifa looks down and turns another page back, revealing a formation of helicopters like the ones on the Highwind's deck flying over a jungle at night. She turns another page and blushes lightly at the unexpected sight.
"Reno's eighteenth birthday." Rude quickly explains upon seeing the picture of a gaunt, haggard, yet smiling Reno in a hospital bed and Elly and himself flanking a large cardboard cake with a nude Angela popping out of it. "Staying in a hospital always depresses him pretty bad, so we did that as a surprise to cheer him up. He told Elena that story the other day, so it was fresh in my mind when I was drawing and I usually just draw whatever comes to mind or whatever I see."
"Oh." /Stop blushing, it's just art. Nothing worse than those sculptures at the Midgar Art Museum./ she silently tells herself, then turns the page and finds another landscape, the Nibel mountains as seen from the reactor. On the next page, she finds a picture of Rude in a traction bed with both arms and one leg in casts. His shades are in place, as usual, and he holds a cigarette in his mouth. Reno stands one side of the bed and is lighting Rude's cigarette, ignoring the large no smoking sign on the wall behind him. Tseng stands on the other side with a mildly amused look on his face. "What happened here?"
"I was in a pretty bad helicopter crash a few years back. We have a tradition dating back to the war that when a friend gets stuck in a hospital, we visit whenever possible. Tseng's executive duties kept him too busy for anything except short visits every few days, but Reno stopped by several times a day every day until I was discharged. He even snuck in real food for me so I didn't have to suffer through hospital food."
/That was unexpectedly nice of him./ "You two are pretty close, huh?" /Looking on the bright side, I guess it's good that the worst thing I can find about Rude is that he's friends with that jerk. And at least I like the other two friends of his I've met./
"In a way, we're brothers."
"How so? You two half-brothers or something?"
"Well, we may not actually be related, but we're still bound by blood. Over the years, we've bled for each other and on each other, spilt the same blood in battle, and saved each other's lives more times than I can recall offhand. It's hard to put in words the bond you get from experiences like that, but... well, I'm sure you've felt the same towards your friends in Avalanche."
"Yeah, I understand what you're saying." /Some of them may be jerks, or crude, or cold, or obnoxious, but after all we've been through together, that doesn't matter. I guess that's why a nice guy like Rude hangs around a guy like Reno./ "I hope I'm not being a bother with all these questions."
"I don't mind."
"Good, cause I've been wondering something lately. A few months back, I overheard a conversation between you two at Gongaga..." /I hope Elena's right, otherwise I'm gonna be really embarrassed.../ "So, do you still like me?" Rude responds by doing a very good imitation of the expression one generally sees on a deer caught in an oncoming car's headlights and blushes yet again, deeper than before. "How come every guy I'm interested in lately clams up instead of letting me know if they like me?"
"I... wha... you... interested?" Rude stammers.
"Why else would I've I followed you in here to talk alone? You're a really interesting guy, Rude, and I'd... like to get to know you better. I'm not usually this... forward, but it gets kinda frustrating, having only guys I'm not interested in approaching me..."
"You... really?" Rude takes a moment to collect himself before continuing. "Yes, I like you a lot. Especially how you're one of the kindest people I've ever seen and have a very strong spirit." he confesses quickly after regaining the ability to speak coherently.
Tifa directs her best smile at him. "You mean it? Rude, that's the sweetest thing any guy's ever said to me!" /At least when I don't count lies told to try and get in my pants. But I could see in his eyes that he meant what he said./ She then leans over and gives him a quick hug and kisses him on the cheek.
"Er... Well... Maybe after this is all over, you'd... like to go out to dinner or something?"
"I'd love to. Here, let me give you my number, so you can get in touch when you're finished with Tseng's memorial." The two then pull out their phones and exchange numbers. "Well, it's getting kinda late, so we oughta get to bed if we're going to rest up before the mission. Goodnight, Rude." She leans forward and kisses him on the other cheek, then pauses while still leaning towards him.
Rude gets the hint and hesitantly kisses her on the cheek. "Goodnight, Tifa." She then stands, still smiling, and leaves for her stateroom. Rude sits quietly for some time with a wide grin on his face before he leaves the lounge in search of an unoccupied stateroom.
"Hmm, wonder how Rude's doing? He shoulda made a move on her by now." Reno muses, laying on one side in the hammock during a lull and absently running the fingers of one hand through Elena's damp hair.
"Well, he's probably not having as much fun as we are, but I'm sure he's doing fine." she answers with a lazy smile while idly tracing paths through the sweat running across her lover's chest. "Tifa said she'd try to get him alone and talk."
"Heh, somebody's got a silver tongue." he laughs quietly.
"Hey, I didn't tell her anything that wasn't true. I seriously think they'll be good for each other."
"Really? Huh. Shame they'll have even less time than us, though. At least they'll get to die in good company instead of being stuck in some one-sided bullshit at the end. Wonder if they're making up for lost time, working through that box of rubbers I gave him?"
"Probably not. She's still expecting Holy to work and they're both a bit shy, although she's not nearly as bad as he is. I bet they kiss and don't go any farther."
"How much you wanna bet?" She whispers a steamy proposition in his ear, causing his eyes to light up. "Sounds fun. And if you're right?" She answers by whispering another idea in his ear. "Yeah, I like those terms, real creative. You're on. Hey, I ever tell you I love the way you think?" he asks before leaning over to plant a lingering kiss on her.
"You've mentioned it a few times, you silver tongued devil." she says with a fond smile.
"Well, alright then, just making sure you're clear on it." he replies with a lazy grin.
"Hey, no worries there, I think the whole planet's clear on it. I still can't believe you went on TV like that."
Reno responds by flashing a Cheshire grin at his fiancé. "You really think I'd pass up a chance to brag to the whole world about how lucky I am? Cause I am, you know. Luckiest guy on this whole damned planet."
"Heh, there you go with the flattery again, acting like I'm some big prize or something."
"I mean it. What, you don't think it's a big prize to find someone you can love and they love you back? Stuff like this doesn't just happen everyday, you know."
"Well, when you put it like that... Guess that makes me the luckiest gal on the planet, huh?"
"Guess so. Hey, there goes the sun. Last we'll see of it till we leave the crater."
Elena rolls over in the hammock so her back's against Reno's chest and slides down so he can see over her head. "Wow, beautiful view of it from up here. If this's gonna be our last sunset, it's a pretty good one."
"Sure is." he replies, holding her tightly. "One of the best I've ever seen, but it's still not as beautiful as you."
"Shameless flatterer." she teases, smiling.
"Hey, I may be shameless, but that's not just flattery. So, tell me, Lena, ever make love while watching the sun set?"
"Not yet. Sounds like fun." she purrs.
"Attention, now approaching the Northern Crater." the trainee pilot announces over the Highwind's internal PA system. He repeats the message twice, waking everyone who was sleeping inside the ship. They quickly dress and gather on the Highwind's deck, where they find the still-sealed jungle hammock hanging with a small pile of used condoms stuck to the deck below it from being pushed out of a side zipper.
"What the -- is this shit? Mother--s, leaving their --ing -- and shit --ing stuck to my --ing deck! --! This --ing ship ain't no --ing cheap-ass love motel!"
"The --'re you bitching about, waking us up like this?" Reno voice comes from the hammock, sounding annoyed.
"This --ing mess you --s made on my --ing ship!" Cid yells.
"Hell, I'm sure you've got a mop on this bucket somewhere. If it bugs you that much, clean it your own damned self."
"--! The -- you think-"
"We'll be at the crater in ten minutes." Rude interrupts. We haven't time for this, we should be getting ready. You decent?"
"Hell, you oughta know by now I'm never decent. But we've got our pants on." Reno jokes. He then unzips the side of the hammock and flips it up onto the hammock's roof, revealing that he's lying on his back with Elena lying on top of him, head resting on his chest. Both of their uniforms are rumpled from having been slept in, and he hasn't bothered putting his shirt back on. "Alright, everyone take a cork." he instructs, fishing the mentioned pill bottle out of a pocket. He then swallows one dry and everyone else follows his lead. "One every twelve hours till we get out of the crater. There's water loaded on the cars, enough for those two teams for as long as we'll be down there. The other team's water's on their chopper. Rude, Cid, Strife, pre-flight your choppers. Everyone else, do whatever you gotta to get ready." he orders.
"An' what'll you be doing?" Barret asks.
"This." Reno answers, then wraps his arms around Elena and holds her tightly. "Now, leave us alone 'till we're ready to drop the napalm."
"Say what?"
"Didn't you hear? We're busy." Elena declares, eyes closed as she cuddles up to her lover for what she knows could very well be the last time.
"Just a few more minutes..." Reno whispers, eyes closed and a wistful smile on his face.
Elena whispers back, "Only thing I regret's not making a move on you sooner."
He chuckles softly at this. "Yeah, me too."
A similar conversation was taking place on the other side of the assault team's chopper. "So, it's almost over." Tifa says.
"Nervous?" Rude asks while looking over his chopper.
"A little. But mostly I'm anxious to get it over with."
"Understandable. After all this time preparing, the anticipation to finally pay him what's owed for all he's done is rather strong."
"Yeah. Hey, could you promise me something?"
He removes his shades. "Probably. Depends on what you ask." Rude replies, turning from his work and smiling at her.
"That looks good on you." Tifa states with a smile.
"Hmm?"
"You should smile more often. It looks good on you."
"I think I can manage that, at least when you're around to give me something to smile about."
"How'd a sweet guy like you end up as an assassin?"
"Conscription."
"Ah. Could you promise me you'll come back from this mission?"
"I promise I'll do what I can to make it back to you after killing Sephiroth. You stay safe too, alright?"
"Alright. That shouldn't be hard, though, since I'll just be guarding the cars."
"Thanks. I need to get back to work, now." he says before turning back to his task. A few minutes later, the pair walk back to the main group, finding that Cid and Cloud had already finished. "We'll be over the crater in a couple minutes." Rude announces after looking over the railing."
"Guess we're outa time." Reno laments. He and Elena climb out of the hammock and he quickly takes it down, then stuffs it back in the survival gear bin in his chopper, along with his shirt. "It's supposed to be unusually warm in there." he states before pulling on his assault vest and pistol belt.
"Good idea." Rude says, swiftly removing his tie and then unbuttoning his shirt. Tifa decides that she likes what she sees when he doffs his shirt, and is a bit disappointed when he dons his vest.
"Time to mount up!" Reno announces. The members of Avalanche begin to move towards their choppers.
"Hey, Rude." Tifa calls. When he turns, she reaches up, grabs his vest, and says, "For luck." before pulling him close and kissing him on the lips. He's stunned for a moment, then wraps his arms around her and kisses back. Reno and Elena cheer loudly, and Yuffie joins in a moment later. Everyone else on the deck looks very surprised, with the exceptions of Vincent, who's trying to look aloof as always, and Nanaki, who looks confused because he finds human mating customs to be very confusing and isn't entirely sure what's going on. When the pair pull back and realize that they're the center of attention, both suddenly look embarrassed.
"Stop gawking." Reno commands. "Haven't any of you losers ever seen a kiss before? Now, get to your ships."
"Hey," Elena calls, "congratulations. Didn't I tell you?"
"Yeah, thanks." Tifa calls back before joining her team on their chopper.
"Thanks." Rude says. "I guess that matchmaking makes us even."
Elena puts on her assault vest, then looks at her two partners. "So, I take it things went well for the two of you?"
"Yeah." Rude answers, smiling faintly.
"Hey, buddy, you get lucky last night?" Reno asks.
"..." Rude looks slightly embarrased.
"C'mon, don't pull the silent act."
"Well, we kissed last night."
"Yes! I win!" Elena shouts.
"Yep. Guess you get to collect your prize when we get back." Reno states with a grin while climbing into the pilot seat. "So, Rude, did you use tongue?"
"...no." he answers as he settles into the gunner's seat beside Reno.
"Did she?"
"...no."
"Damn, talk about wasting opportunities." Reno teases with a smirk. "So, you two ready?" After seeing both his companions nod, he turns on his radio. "All squad leaders check in. This is assault leader, ready to go."
"My team's ready." Cloud answers.
"Shit, yeah! Security leader here, my --ing team's chomping at the mother--ing bit and ready to --ing go!" Cid announces.
"The Highwind's crew's ready. We'll be in range to drop bombs in two minutes." the trainee pilot states.
"Alright." Reno says as he hits the switches to begin warming up his chopper's turbines. "Let's get to work."
Author's Note: As always, big thanks go to Noroi for betaing. And I also appreciate all the feedback, as always. Looks like that rumor that went around a couple months ago about the site banning review replies finally came true, so I'll check out their new review repy system in a bit and send a little something to each of you. Yes, I know this chapter's extremely sappy. Next chapter should have plenty of mayhem to make up for it. And in case anyone's dissapointed that Tifa and Rude didn't get any, like Noroi was, remember that there's a sequel on the way. They'll get around to using the box Reno gave Rude eventually. FYI, that acupressure thing from the beginning actually works. Cid's pal Izlude's name comes from Final Fantast Tactics. Havoc's buddies Gaspar, Valeria, Kika, and Viktor all have names from games in the Suikoden series. Reno's line 'Stuff like this doesn't just happen everyday, you know.' is a homage to The Princess Bride. Sure, it's heavily paraphrased and lacking in Dread Pirates, but the spirit's the same.
New Note: Edited because this site edits out "..." when it's on a line by itself for some reason and I had to go back and fix where it deleted one of Rude's lines.
Edited again because some site update deleted all the '--' lines I used to use to denote scene changes. So time to slap horizontal rulers into all my fics.