Seasons in the sun

Disclaimer:I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor the characters within, nor any music I might use in this piece. Will credit respective owners for the music when I know what I am going to use.

Summary: Everyone has to die eventually...even a Turk. The years of boozing and women and drugs finally catch up to the sassiest of the four. a/n: takes place post asvent.

Elena ran her fingers through her close-cropped blond hair, cursing softly under her breath. "I swear to Leviathin I am going to take that cattle prod of yours and shove it up your ass when I see you. I can't believe you stayed away for 3 YEARS without even bothering to contact one of us." She pulled the car, a mid-priced sedan, into the driveway of the fancy apartment building that she had had to practically BRIBE Rufus into giving her the address of. She hit the buzzer marked "Tarshill" To hear a slightly strained rendition of a familiar voice saying "Whatever you're sellin', we don't want any."

"It's Elena, you dumbcluck! Could you buzz me up, please?"

"Elena? What the FUCK are you doing here and how'd you find me?"

"I'll answer you, for fuck's sake, Reno, if you'll open the damn door!"

With a buzz and a soft click the door unlocked, admitting her into the building. She strode up the stairs and knocked on the door. A tall red-haired man that had been pretty lean even before but was now PAINFULLY thin opened the door, alnost getting bowled over as she threw her arms around him.

Reno looked down at her with those pale jade green eyes, his face uncharactistically serious, his voice shook as he spoke. "I'm dyin' , Laney."

"Don't fuck with me this morning, Reno, I ain't in the mood."

Reno's face remains utterly without humor :"Does this face say I'm fuckin' with ya?"

Elena giave him a look that said she'd love to swat him. "How long?"

"6 months, a year maybe. ..All the stupid shit I did finally caught up with me. Liver cancer, metastisized everywhere, into my bones, even into my blood. ..basically just one big fuckin' cancer cell."

Elena suddenly puts her hands on her hips, she looked pretty damn mad. "And you were just going to pass on and not tell ANY of us what was going on? God dammit, Ren, what the FUCK were you thinking?"

"I didn't want anybody's pity, Laney...you know me, I hate people feeling sorry for me, yo."

'Pity! God dammit, don't you know how Rude feels about you, don't you even CARE? you were going to let him find out through the news or the obituaries? That's cold, Ren. . .just cold"

Reno seemed almost to wince at her words. "You think I don't know, Laney? You think I don't fuckin' care? I care TOO God Damn much! I don't want him to see me like this. . ." When he turned he knew she would be able to easily see the balding spots in the back..his hair falling out as a result of the attempts to lengthen the amount of time he had left even if only a little.

"I gotta go...we're supposed to be in Wutai in an hour, and if I don't get moving I'll be late again and Tseng will yet again chew me a new butthole." She chuckles. She'd matured CONSIDERABLY since meteor, and was comfortable enough in herself and in her relationship with their leader to be almost burtally honest.