Muder Marks

by Rival Turk

Reno realizes his tattoos aren't as acceptable as they used to be.

3. Chapter 3

DAY FIVE

We went to Reeve's on the motorcycles. We figured the Shinra knew where we were because Cid drove us off from NEW SHINRA headquarters in the Shera 2. Avera was kind of surprised that I knew how to operate one, to which I replied Cloud wasn't the only one who had the mad biker skills. Anyway, she dozed most of the way there, her head against my back, hands in my jacket pockets. I didn't mind at all.

Okay, anyway, I was exhausted too. I hadn't slept in days, and I hadn't let myself heal from the Helicopter crash. It was difficult to keep an eye on Avera and Cloud that night, but I did it. After all, I was sure that he was going to try and kill her. But it gets to be too much, even for me.

So I must have dozed off for about twenty minutes. So? I was half-dead. Anybody else wouldn't have lasted as long as I did! But when I woke up, Avera was gone. I went blind with panic, and then struck out at the first logical person who would have harmed her in our little Midgar safe-house.

After roughing Cloud up, he informed me that she was safe, and if I would have not jumped to conclusions and went for morning coffee, I would have noticed.

-----

Cloud smirked at the freshly-bruised and battered Reno. "How many times do I have to win before you give up? If nothing else, the Turks are trained to be diligent."

Reno, as usual in the past two days, covered his left eye with his palm. "I know you took her, you sorry S.O.B.!" He pointed a finger at Cloud, but it wavered from him being dizzy and staggering about. "Where is she?"

He chuckled at Reno's ignorance. He had never heard Cloud so pleased with anything, and when he finally did, it was because he had beaten Reno in battle. This made him even angrier. He bared his teeth and made a snarling sound. "Reeve ordered breakfast. She's probably competing with Denzel over the best way to eat a pancake." Cloud pointed through the kitchen window.

Reno's knees wobbled a bit at the sight of Avera, wide-awake and healthy, laughing over a forkful of battered goodness. Abandoning all dignity (and still dizzy), took off running. When he got through the front door and close to the kitchen table, he tried to skid to a halt, but he ended up tripping and sliding under the table, whacking his forehead on the edge. The world spun for a moment before Avera was standing over him. "Reno?"

He blinked twice, grinning sheepishly. His ears turned pink. "Hello." He quickly flipped over and crawled out. Why do I do clumsy crap like that whenever I get around her? "Well, how are you fee….?"

"Reno!" Before he could even get to his feet good, she tackled him. His eyes widened as she quickly kissed both tattoos under his eyes and then smack on the mouth. "Thank you so much!"

He pulled back quickly in avid confusion. "Well, you sure are feeling better, aren't you? Heh-heh."

"I guess all I needed was a good night's sleep," she replied simply. "I feel so invigorated! So full of energy!" She grabbed a cup of coffee and sipped it, those new eyes shining at him over the cup.

His eyes swept over her quickly. He realized with glee that she somehow looked better than she ever had before. Her skin seemed to glow, her hair had a silky sheen to it. The hand that wasn't on the coffee mug scooped around her hip that jutted out a bit. She smiled at him, raising an eyebrow. Apparently the Jenova/Cetra healing was working. Old scars that she had received from her father were gone magically. It was amazing. Invigorated, he thought to himself, Full of energy? "Oh, good…." He drawled, stepping up to her. In just one motion, he had an arm around her and had her snugged up to him. She grinned, getting the idea.

"Are they gonna kiss again?" he heard to his right. Marlene stared at him, popping a piece of pancake in her mouth with sticky peanut-butter fingers. Denzel giggled, showing bits of food in his teeth.

He rolled his eyes.Great. If it's not Cloud trying to crash one party, his kids are crashing the other one."Don't you need to go do something?"

Denzel giggled again. "Nope."

Reno sighed. Even after I'm fired, I have no time to play. "Fine." He scowled as Cloud walked in through the door, followed closely by Vincent. Avera, much to his dismay, moved away a bit.

Cloud glanced at her. "Could you take the kids out? I need to talk to Reno."

She nodded. "Of course."

And just like that, his down-time was cancelled for good.

"Without the specimen there are no guarantees. We have no idea how the new Cetra genes are reacting since her initial treatment." Hojo tapped his upper lip thoughtfully. "One would assume she's healthy, since she keeps evading the Turks."

"Reno's with her. That's the only reason she keeps escaping." Rufus threw a stack of papers on his desk as he took his usual post by the window. "I knew he was good, but he's proving himself better than I realized."

"The Turks will find him, eventually. They can do what they like with him. I just hope they don't damage the specimen. We have a long way to go before our research is completed."

Rufus turned his attention away from the window and sat across from Hojo casually. "What will be your next phase, when we retrieve her?"

The mad scientist's eyebrows furrowed, showing even more vividly the ghastly scar he wore since Cloud's attack. "Naturally, I want to make sure everything is proceeding correctly, first, but…I believe I would try to breed her."

Rufus kept his face neutral. "What purpose would that serve?"

"Genes are very fascinating. They can either weaken or strengthen generation by generation. I would like to see if two equal traits would produce more resilient offspring."

He swung his chair to the side, gazing at the wall. "We have no other specimen to match her caliber."

"We soon will."

Mr. Shinra glanced at him in surprise. "You don't mean you're planning on…?"

He giggled gleefully. "You a re the obvious choice. And what could serve your purposes better than a few super-sons with the ability to protect and further their father's interests in a way that the Turks never were able to?"

"She won't cooperate. And Reno…"

"There are ways to get around her uncooperative spirit. And Reno does have the Cetra gene. However, it is weak. Clearly it is not in the best interest of this project—or you—to have him be the father." Hojo smiled, coyly observant of Rufus' interest. "She's rather attractive."

A smile flickered a tiny bit on his face and his eyes sparkled, though he tried to keep it carefully measured. "It wouldn't be the worst thing I had to do, by far. Still, Avera is very strong-willed. I doubt she'd take that idea very casually. And, again, Reno would be a problem."

"You handle Reno, and I'll handle the specimen." Hojo stood and began to walk out. He stopped mid-stride and glanced at Rufus. "You know, she is my property. Made from the genes of my son; I created her. I gave her the power she has now. And mark my words—she will be powerful. Far too magnificent to breed with a lesser specimen. Whether she likes it or not, she deserves the blood of princes."

He raised his glass of brandy to him. "Here's to the future. The promised land may be attainable, yet."

The roar of the helicopter was deafening. It almost made Rude want to give up. But every time he started to, Reno's words and his own research kept coming back to him. So instead, he leaned in closer to the front two seats, where Elena and Tseng were. "I'm picking up a signal," Elena told the leader in her usual fascinated tone of voice. "I think it's Reno's PHS."

"That's only a myth to make the Turks insecure about being tardy or absent."

"Well, I never read it before, but I'm getting it now. The president said something before we left about being able to pick up Reno's signal. I think this is it. The president must have activated the homing beacon after we left."

He was suddenly interested and leaned over. "Really? Where is it?"

"It's…hey! Why am I losing it?" Elena tapped the screen in frustration, until she caught sight of the transceiver swirling below them to the ground. She turned to Rude. "What did you do?"

"I lost my balance."

She and Tseng glanced back to his right foot, where the transceiver should have been nestled in it's holding against the front console. Naked wires were still sparking at being severed from it's holdings. Rude's boot had a dent in it.

"Be more careful," Tseng admonished him. His voice bordered on anger, but his face registered something between impression and mild annoyance.

"My apologies."

"Elena?" Tseng prodded.

"I think I got a fix before Rude booted it, but….it can't be right."

"Why? Where was it?"

She looked at him in surprise. "A shopping mall close to Reeve's house, in Midgar."

Tseng glanced at Rude, who feigned surprise passably. "We should go, just in case. If it's bogus we can always refuel and re-supply."

When he was sure they weren't paying attention anymore, Rude pulled out his PHS. Working quickly, he sent Reno the text message: "ON OUR WAY TO REEVE'S." Then he tucked it in his jacket and tried to get a quick nap.

Tifa finished making the purchase and turned to Yuffie, who suspiciously hadn't made a sound in the last few moments. "Well I think these ought to fit Reno and Avera…what are you doing?"

Yuffie's eyes snapped up, and she put the high-tech PHS behind her. "Nothing!"

"Was that Reno's phone?"

"Well…"

"Yuffie! You stole Reno's phone?"

She looked indignant. "I did NOT! I'm just borrowing it for a while. Besides, it was cake! He was so beat up and tired he didn't even notice!"

"Yuffie!" Tifa put a fist on her hip. "Turn it off, right now!"

She put on a puppy face. "But….what if something important happens? You know, what if Rude or somebody calls?"

She rolled her eyes in reply. "Is that what this is all about? What IS it with you? Ask Reno for his number later. Maybe if you're nice to him, he'll forget about you stealing his phone and give it to you. Now turn it off!"

"But…" She jerked the PHS away from Tifa's stretching reach. "Fine! But you are no fun at all!" The phone played a happy tune as it bleeped off.

"Let me get this straight," Reno said, looking at Vincent with an expression that said he was slightly bemused. "She reminds you….I mean, WE remind you of Lucrecia and you?"

"It appears obvious, doesn't it?"

Reno looked at him for a moment, and then at Cloud. "And he told you about it. Is that why you trust me, now?"

Not even a second passed before Cloud clarified. "I understand you, now. I wouldn't go as far as trust."

"Ah."

"Tifa's in the city, getting you and Avera some clothes to change into. It will help you hide your identity."

"Good, good…."

"You may want to not carry your rod in plain sight. Keep it under your jacket or something."

"Yeah, good idea."

"And you'll want to cut your hair."

Reno's eyes blazed. "No bloody way!"

"That red pony-tail is a dead give-away."

"I don't care!"

"At least dye it," Vincent added in suggestion.

His eyes darted from one to another. "Are you kidding me? It's red! The color of passion, of fury, of romance! Chicks dig the hair. Avera probably gets turned on every time she sees it. I'm not dying it. I'm not cutting it off!"

"You're being ridiculous," Reeve put in from the back of the room. They didn't even notice he was there, before.

He was seething. "Screw all of you! I'm not cutting it off! That's like cutting off my--"

"At least put on a cap," Reeve replied.

The clock on the wall ticked off a full minute before he replied. He crossed his arms, sitting back sulkily. "I'll consider it." He put a finger in his ear. He thought he heard an old engine popping in the distance, then figured it was just damage to his ear from the helicopter crash. But when it got slightly louder, he got worried. "Does anybody else hear that?"

They all paused to listen, but immediately, Marlene and Denzel came crashing through the door. "Cloud!" Marlene called.

Right then, they heard the thrum of a motorcycle cranking up just outside. Reno and Cloud leapt to their feet in unison. "The Turks are coming!" Denzel exclaimed. "She thought we would all be in danger. She said she'd draw them off."

"Oh, no," Reeve sighed. Cloud and Reno glanced at each other and both tore for the door.

They came out just as Avera took off in a cloud of dust. It blinded them, and they stood choking for a while. When it finally cleared, Avera was gone. Reno blinked in a sort of fondness. His girl could sure pilot a motorcycle… "Let's go!" He shouted, jumping onto Tifa's bike. Cloud nodded briefly and headed for Fenrir. The chase was on.

12:00noon

Hojo interrupted Rufus in the middle of his lunch. "We just got word from the Turks," he announced as he walked in. "Apparently they've found the specimen and are giving chase."

"It won't be easy if Reno's with them," he replied, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Between his skill and his temper I'll be surprised if they come back at all."

"Apparently Reno lost track of her. He gave chase when she tried to draw them off. But they accidentally split up. She's on her way towards Kalm, and he's branched off to Junon. Tseng and Elena are following he and Cloud."

"Cloud's with them?" His eyes flashed up as he looked over his beef stroganoff. At an affirmative, he dropped his fork and looked out the window. Now he'd have to find replacements for Tseng and Elena. That left Rude. Well, maybe Rude could be first in command. After all, he would be the senior officer. And he had muscle in a fight. Turks were dropping like flies lately. "And Avera?"

"Rude took a truck and is after the specimen."

He nodded. Rude handled her the last time when no one else could, and he figured he could do it again. "And why are you here? Couldn't wait for my secretary to tell me herself?"

Hojo leaned over the table enthusiastically. "Don't you see? The specimen is of good health and energy! I believe we can safely continue with the plan."

"You want to take it to the next stage already?"

"Of course! Once we have her back in hand, we can move on to expansion stages. If we're going to breed her, however, I would like to get a head start on your genetic coding."

Rufus was silent for a while. Hojo watched him quietly, waiting for an argument. Instead, he turned with a smile. "Then I should finish my lunch and get to the lab," he agreed. "Reno's quite the womanizer. He'll replace her in no time. No harm done. Have my mattress turned and my pillow fluffed when I get there."

Hojo giggled. "Only the best for you, sir."

They enjoyed the rest of the rolls together, laughing in glee at their imminent success.

Memory: "Reno?"

I remembered how angry I was at being interrupted. It was my week off. I was mending my broken body and my damaged soul after the plate had come crashing down on Midgar. I had committed murder for the upteenth time for Shinra, and I was decidedly sick of it. Midgar had been my hometown, and even though I knew hardly anyone there, the thought of killing the people I should have gone to high school with bothered me. I was now in Wutai, wanting to drink until I got alcohol poisoning and died myself. I didn't open my eyes, hoping the bar broad, whoever she was, would go away. My feet on the table twitched.

Whoever she was, she was halfway giggling. "Reno of the Turks."

I opened my eyes then, all the alcohol fueling my temper. I was ready to shout at her to go the hell away, that I didn't need the presence of a drunk hooker. Before I got a single word out, my mouth formed an "O" and my feet fell off the table. There she was. The girl that was supposed to have died three years before. She was nineteen and wonderfully gorgeous. Her hair was down for the first time; her emerald eyes seemed to glow with light. Her mouth parted into a smile just slightly, her tongue just barely brushing her lower lip. Reno didn't move. He stared at her stupidly, that same expression on his face.

"You okay?"

It started just like that. We started a conversation and she kept me company for over two hours. She insisted on doing that, saying she could tell I was having a hard time. Unfortunately, her father came looking for her. Her face went frozen as he screamed her name from the doorway. He then swaggered over to our table angrily. "Where the hell you've been?" He slurred. He stunk of days-old booze.

"Sorry," she said humbly. My eyes turned to hers, noting her expression. Not anger, not even sadness. Just discomfort. They traveled to the bruise I had noticed before, just over her left clavicle. Then they floated back to the drunk.

"Sorry? That's all you have to say?" His hand flashed out, wrenching her forearm. She winced in pain, but her demeanor never changed. Apparently she was used to this sort of thing. "Sorry don't put supper on the table."

Before I realized what I was doing, I shot out of my chair, slamming my glass down on the table. Avera's face registered absolute shock as I got into his face. To this day, I don't even know why I did that. Sure, I thought she was cute. And I was really enjoying her company. But I think maybe just a tiny part of me didn't like getting interrupted in the middle of my booze. "Make your own damn slop," I shouted, angrily. Maybe we were both mean drunks, I don't know. But I didn't appreciate him treating any woman like that, much less….my Avera.

"What was that?"

"You heard me," I muttered angrily, grabbing his arm that was on hers. "Piss off." I shoved him back, away from her. He advanced, and I came at him again. I shoved him harder this time, and he fell on his back in the floor. "She'll go home when she damn well feels like it tonight."

"Reno!" She stood up, grabbing my arm. I whirled. Okay, I was slightly drunk. For a split second, I thought I was being attacked. I went for my shock-rod in pure habit, but I saw her eyes. She glared at me, just warning me to try it. I dropped my hand, chuckling in embarrassment.

The drunk came to his feet angrily. "You some kind of hero?" He spat.

"Today I am," I chirped in like the natural smart aleck I am. "All of Midgar thinks so, I'm sure. But you're welcome to try and find out for yourself."

He growled at me, pointing a finger at Avera. "This isn't over." He left as quickly as he had come.

"You didn't have to do that," she told me, seriously. "He gets mad, he goes away."

"Yeah," I drawled sarcastically. "And leaves little mementoes." I touched a finger to the scar over her eyebrow from the cut she had received years before.

She looked panicked for a moment, and then jerked my hand away angrily. "Don't," she warned me. She swallowed hard, and for a second, I could have sworn I saw fear, beneath all that tough stuff.

"Okay, look, Avera. I've got the week off, see?"

She frowned. I know, I know. I was changing the subject pretty quickly. Hey, I was drunk.

"I got air miles and I have a tourist package for Costa Del Sol. May as well go while I'm on vacation. I might not get another chance, otherwise."

She blinked. "Sounds like a good idea. You should go. You need the r and r."

"Nah--"I waved my hand and she had to catch me before I fell over. "I mean, what fun is the beach without a pretty girl?" She watched me, trying to figure me out. "I mean, ya' wanna go?"

She stared at me in confusion and suspicion for a minute, and then at the sound of a glass bottle breaking outside, she jumped a bit, jerking my jacket (which she was already holding onto to keep me upright). She smiled. "Sorry." She turned to the door, where her father threw another bottle at the door, trying to hurry her up. "I'd love to."

Avera was sure she had lost Rude. After all, when she and Reno split up, the Turks had to land the helicopter and get on separate vehicles. Considering the fact that they first had to find the vehicle they would use, and then the fact that they were now land-based, she knew she would be hard to track. In Kalm, she parked behind the clinic in a dark alley and counted ten minutes before proceeding. She bribed a girl for her cloak with the necklace her father had given her when she was six, and took off for the bus depot. She was positive she could make it back to Midgar by the end of the night, if she timed transports well.

She sat in a middle seat, keeping her head low. She knew her eyes were now extremely odd and easy to recognize. She was thinking of how much Reno would yell for taking off without him. She could almost imagine his blue eyes blazing, his nose matching the color of the tattoos under his eyes. She gave a stifled giggle, and that's when she felt the gloved hand on her neck. She froze, eyes going wide.

"Don't turn around," the deep voice warned her. "You're heading back to Midgar?"

There was no use lying. "Yes," she whispered calmly.

"Why? To be with Reno?"

"To find him, yes."

The grip on her neck tightened. "Don't lie to me. Do you have a relationship with him?"

"Yes," she struggled. The squeeze of his fingers was starting to get uncomfortable.

"And do you love him?"

Her eyes narrowed and she paused. Why did he want to know that? What did it matter to him, so long as he had her? Was he planning on taking it out on Reno some kind of way? The grip got tighter, hurting this time. "Yes!" She gasped. "And he'll give you hell when he finds out what you're doing."

"What? Escorting you to him?" The gloved hand fell away from her neck.

She whirled around, coming eye-to-eye with Rude. "What?"

"Here." He took off his sunglasses. He handed them to her casually. "They won't be able to see your eyes."

Her jaw dropped slightly as she took them away. This was Reno's partner, Rude. The one that defeated her the first time, in Wutai. She remembered Reno saying once that his partner never parted with his glasses, under penalty of suicide. "Rude…I….Thank you, Rude."

"Don't worry," he reached into his pocket and pulled out another pair. She grinned at him. "Never leave home without them." He then sat next to her, as if they rode the bus together every day.

She put the glasses on, stealing a peek at him. "Why are you doing this for me?"

"I'm not."

"For Reno, then," she replied, without hesitation.

He looked at her, no emotion registering on his face, as usual. "Maybe," he finally responded.

"Why did you ask me that; you know, what you asked a second ago?"

He shrugged one shoulder to pop his neck. He kept his face turned straight ahead, and unreadable. "Because if you said no, I would have killed you. But you said you did, so I believe you."

"Why?"

"Because it takes a very honest person to admit they like Reno."

She laughed heartily.

He looked away, pulling out his PHS.

"What are you doing?"

He sighed. Was she going to keep up all this idle banter? She couldn't be like this all the time. Rude knew for a fact Reno wasn't into the talkative type. He was more into the "shut-up-and-give-me-sugar" type. Oh, well. If Reno insisted on making his own life miserable, who was he to stop him? "I'm calling your boyfriend," he muttered. Before she could ask another question, he raised his hand to silence her. "He'll meet us in Sector Four."

She grinned at him merrily. "Thank you."

He stole another glance at her when she wasn't looking. He took in her gleaming smile; her flushed cheeks at the mention of seeing Reno; long hair of the palest yellow he had ever seen in his life; high cheekbones; Mako eyes under the sunglasses, with an old faint scar on the right eyebrow; A halter top under the open denim jacket. By looks alone he could see why Reno tolerated her chatter. She overlapped her slender fingers as she yawned, politely bowing her head. Then, she craned her slender neck until she was comfortably rested against the window. How did Reno get a girl that pretty? That's not fair at all."Are you going to sleep?"

A flicker of a smile touched her lips. "Hardly. I'm talking."

He set his teeth for the chatter to start again when he realized she wasn't talking about speaking with him. She was totally relaxed, smiling to herself. A shiver ran over his spine. He dialed Reno's number hesitantly. He hoped he knew what he was doing.

"I can't believe we lost them again!" Elena hissed in irritation. Tseng walked beside her, quietly contemplating the situation. Elena's hand was in his pocket—it got cold at night around this area. It was very late. They had been hunting for Reno and Cloud for hours, ever since they rented the car for the drive to Junon. "And I just can't get why Reno would do this! Even he's not so stupid as to leave the Turks to protect some psycho science experiment!"

"I'm sure he has his reasons," Tseng answered, quietly.

She paused. "Boss, you're not….taking up for him, are you?"

"Of course not. I'm just saying that Reno's not stupid. A bit unprofessional… sloppy maybe….but not stupid. And he's always drawn a line between duty and loyalty."

Elena nodded. "Come to think of it, he's never been the same since the Midgar plate incident."

"Maybe he does have the right idea about a thing or two," he said, a crooked smile on his face. They reached their destination—the deserted Chopper 3. "How about it, Elena? Want to call it a day?"

She looked at him curiously for a moment, then smiled darkly. "You are the leader," she replied, stepping up to him. "So I guess I have to do whatever you say. Unless you go AWOL, too."

He touched her hair absent-mindedly. "Don't count on it."

DAY SIX

I had always considered Rude my Turk buddy. Sometimes I even thought of him like my brother. I respected, admired him in a way. But I didn't understand him, really. I felt sometimes like I was the only one with a conscience. That being said, I knew all in all that he was a good guy. I didn't realize how good he was until I saw him with her, protecting her that way. I think that may have been when I really regarded him as my brother.

-----

Reno killed the motorcycle and hit the pavement at a dead run. Cloud rolled his eyes and pulled Fenrir up alongside his. If the ex-Turk didn't slow down, he was going to have a heart attack and keel over. The Turk ran through Sector Four alleyway until he saw Rude's gloved hand waving from the shadow of a building. Gulping for air, he slid to a halt next to him. "Avera?"

"She's asleep," Rude answered calmly.

He glanced to his left to see her curled up next to a garbage can, her cloak wadded up under her head. "On the ground? Are you insane?" He knelt beside her as Rude argued.

"What do you want me to do? Hold her? She's not my girlfriend."

"Avera?" Reno touched her hand as he rocked back on his heels.

Rude shook his head. "The war inside of her is beginning. She won't wake up at all for a few hours." At Reno's angry click at the back of his throat, he figured he'd better offer some solace. "She's regenerating. She's perfectly safe."

He glared at his partner. "Safe? You call this safe? She's sleeping next to a garbage can in a dark alley because our stupid boss has some psycho plan to use her to take over the world!" He hopped up, angrily indignant.

He shrugged. "You could thank me?"

Reno's chest heaved as he tried to calm down. "Right, buddy. Sorry. Didn't mean to take it out on you."

Cloud finally showed up in the filtered light from the street. "You turned, too?" He asked Rude in disbelief.

"I'm helping Reno," he replied. "But I'm still loyal to the president."

"How can you say that?" Reno snapped. "Look at her!"

Rude smirked at him. "Look at this." He held up a data screen between his fore and pointer fingers.

"What's this?" He griped, snatching it away.

"Hojo's report, the President's medical files, his personal log, progress plan—everything. The president isn't the one to blame. That's why I still claim loyalty to him. There's a lot there, so we should probably read it on the way."

Reno scrolled through it quickly with an incredulous curl to his top lip. There was indeed a lot. Plus, it was getting late. Along with the dark came increasing cold. His girlfriend was cuddling with an aluminum garbage can. He made a grunt and handed it back to his partner. "Hang onto this for me."

"Give me your phone."

"Why?"

"I have to destroy it."

"What! What do you have against my phone?"

"It's got a tracking device installed. It's how we found you. I threw mine out the window." He held out his hand.

"But it's new."

"Reno!" Cloud and Rude fussed in unison.

He made a tsch sound in his mouth. "Fine." He patted his pockets, searching for it. "Rude? You threw yours out the window? For me? What a sweetheart."

"Hand it over," he retorted, grumpily.

"Hang on a second, will ya?" He complained, searching harder. He finally looked up in confusion. "Where is….argh! Grr! That….Damn woman!" He glanced at Cloud. "That brat stole my phone?"

He looked unimpressed and unconcerned. "Who? Yuffie?"

"Yes! Jeez! And I thought I had built up a nice repor with her! I did kill Don Corneo for her, right? I'm dating her best friend, ain't I? Once a thief, always a thief!"

Cloud crossed his arms. "Sort of like Shinra spies."

"Ergh! What was that?" He dove for Cloud, but Rude held him back. He gave up quickly. He didn't feel like fighting anyone, tonight, anyway.

Rude shook his head. "I was wondering why you never responded to my message," he wondered aloud. "Guess now I know. That girl's got some talent."

"Oh yeah, real good with her hands," Reno spat sarcastically. "I knew you'd like her!"

Cloud waved nonchalantly. "I'll get it; chop it in half and pretend it's Reno."

Reno flipped up his left middle angrily. "You're not winning any medals here, either, yo!" He rolled his eyes. "Do whatever you frickin' well want. It's not like I couldn't get fifty more with my salary."

Cloud was about to pop off again that he was fired when Rude stepped in. "A friend of mine has agreed to put her up at the Golden Saucer. They have a new inn there and apparently she and Reno have quite an amusing reputation."

"You talkin' about Dio?" Reno asked with a smile.

Rude nodded.

"That's perfect! He's one cool guy! I tell you; the things he'd let us get away with…"

"See ya," Cloud flatly interrupted, and left.

Reno looked at Rude as if asking what he did. "Good to see ya, partner."

"You look like hell."

"Yeah, well, this crazy Turk shot me out of the sky while I was enjoying a nice little helicopter ride. You wouldn't believe it." He chuckled, turning to pick up Avera. "It's amazing, too, because I'm such a good pilot."

"Maybe he's better."

"Nah…" He grunted as he picked her up. "It was a lucky shot."

"Lucky shot? He's twice the pilot you are."

"Twice as good at being blind." They argued like that all the way to the truck Rude had rented. Finally, Reno turned to Rude with a smile. "Really—it's good to have ya back, buddy. I was getting kinda lonesome, there."

Memory:It was raining, it was dark, and it was cold. That's really all I really remembered about that night before she showed up. I did have one drink, but I had been purposefully limiting myself for a month, now. I think I was afraid of turning into her old crappy dad. Or maybe I just wanted her respect. Or maybe I found more interesting things to think about than the bottom of another bottle. I don't know. I still liked booze…anyway! I was trying to catch up on a little late-night programming when I heard a knock on my door. I frowned, turning up the television set. I thought it was probably my next-door neighbor trying to hook me up with his ugly sister again. There was another knock, louder, more insistent. "Go away, Earl!" I yelled out the door. "I told you already; I have a girlfriend, okay?"

Whoever they were, they started flat-palming it. I was just about to get really pissed off when I heard her voice. "Reno, please. It's me. Please!"

I jumped off the couch, checking my reflection in the mirror quickly before I opened the door. I mean, what girl wants to see a slob of a boyfriend? I cast a forlorn glance at my garbage tray of a coffee table as the doorknob spun and it opened. I had started to smile, but I felt more like I was choking when I saw her. She was all messed up. Black eye, split lip, gash on the forehead. Rage came up inside of me so hot I think I actually hallucinated about killing her stupid father. Her eyes were tearing up. "Sorry. I couldn't go to Yuffie's. She's out for the weekend. I wasn't going to come; I know how you feel about your company finding out, but it's sort of cold, and I knew you wouldn't like me to be out in…."

I dragged her inside by the blanket she had wrapped around her. Her teeth were chattering violently. "Come here," I told her, drawing her over to the recliner. "Just got to get you warmed up."

She studied me carefully as I took that old blanket and hunted around for a new one. "You're angry with me, aren't you?"

I feigned innocence. "No. What do you mean?"

"You're mad at me for not doing anything about it. For not fighting back."

"Maybe you shouldn't have to," I don't think I ever remember trying so hard to be so calm. "Maybe you need—you know, somebody to—take care of the situation—you know, for you." I handed her the blanket, staring into those green eyes I was so fond of; the green eyes he had pounded with his dirty fists.

"I was an orphan, Reno. He took me in when no one else did. I don't know why he gets so mad at me sometimes. Sometimes I feel like he's testing me, to see what I'll do. But I don't know what he wants, so I don't do anything." She sighed, her teeth still chattering. "I can fight him off. I've had training. But I just don't want to. I don't think I could forgive myself for fighting back."

"You think you deserve this?" I shouted angrily.

"Of course not," she said, still so calm. "I don't think anyone deserves this. That's why I refuse to hurt him. I'm not like him."

I smirked at her. "Well, maybe I am."

She looked concerned. "Please Reno, don't. He's my dad. It could even get worse. He says he hates the Shinra and if you--"

"Relax. I'm not gonna kill him." All the while I was thinking to myself that when I got through with him, he was going to wish I had.

She frowned, not quite believing me. "Besides, I can deal with it. If I just—close my eyes, it's eventually over. I'm still alive, the pain isn't as bad as I think, and I just go somewhere else until he feels better about everything."

My stomach was churning up something vile into my throat. I thought to myself I would feel better about the whole thing when I hit him twice for every time he hit his daughter. I forced a smile. "Well, I'm glad you came. I was trying to watch the late-late show. They say it's always better when you have someone who can laugh with you. So-" I tried not to look at her for a second. I knew she was tearing up on me. We fell into this awkward silence for a minute. I put my hand in my pocket, looking away. I didn't know what to say to her. How could I shout about her old man? I was a murderer, myself. It wouldn't be anything big for me to waltz over there and shoot his horrid face off. That was my job. I was used to it—sort-of. You never get used to the smell of blood, no matter what they say, and you can never stop your ears from hearing the screams of all the families that miss them. I blinked when I realized I was tearing up, too.

"Maybe I should go."

My eyes shot up to her. She was making her way to the door. "No!" I yelled, almost desperately. She turned to me, surprise in her eyes. I balled my fist inside my jacket. I was scared, I was mad, and I was half-stupid, but I wasn't going to let her go sleep in the rain while I daydreamed about wonderful ways to torture her dad.

"But what if your partner or Shinra…?"

"Screw 'em. Um…I think I have an old shirt you can wear. And uh…we'll rent on pay-per-view. And if you fall asleep, just fall asleep. What do I care?"

Her mouth twitched a bit, and then she smiled. My heart froze inside of me. Even all banged up, she was gorgeous. "What if I snore?"

Before I realized it, I was smiling, too. "So what? You'll be in good company."

"Snoring isn't very lady like."

"You mean you do snore?"

She blushed. "I don't know. No one's ever told me before."

I moved to her, leaning against the door behind her with a purposeful motion to see how close she'd let me get. She didn't move, but her eyes darted a bit nervously. She put a hand to her lip as she smiled—apparently smiling wasn't doing anything to close the wound on her mouth. "I don't care whether you snore or not," I flirted with her, leaning in a bit closer. "Sleeping anywhere close to you is pretty good any way you look at it."

She laughed then. I knew that would work. She never could hold up against the Reno charm. I leaned in and let her rest her head on my neck.

We watched maybe a movie and a half. She was nestled under my arm, warm against my side, all curled up in that blanket I had given her. Well, all except for part of her left leg. I picked a thread off of the knee of my pants absent-mindedly and almost viciously as I listened to her breathe. She was sleeping there, perfectly safe and content. Yeah; safe and content and black and blue. I glanced at her, swearing in my head: 'I don't care what you say, Avera. It's for your own good. The next person that touches you is on the Reno Turk hit list. I don't care who they are.' I felt the fingertips of my left hand tingle, just like it did whenever I used the shock rod. I just couldn't wait to get my revenge. Part of me thought I would feel badly for killing her father. The rest shrugged it off. I was over-protective and a murderer. With those two combined, what would make it so difficult?

Rufus woke up with a start in the comfort of the laboratory bed comforter. His eyes, sharp and focused, danced over the ceiling. It seemed pigment to four different colors, all swirling in a beautiful display of beauty. The voices started. Beautiful, clear voices, fighting for his strength. He felt wanted; so powerful. His mouth split into a smile, and he laughed.

Hojo looked up from his paperwork. His face glowed with the revelation that everything was falling into place. "What is it? What are you feeling?" This was too good. Everything was going so well.

"I can hear her," Rufus drawled sleepily. His laughter increased, almost to hysterics. "She's singing to me."

It was comfortable enough next to her bed in Dio's luxury suites. But honestly, after four hours of sitting in any chair, no matter how plush, your butt begins to ache. She was sort of tossing and turning and he was squirming in his seat when she suddenly snapped awake. "Out!" She screamed.

Despite his concern, he cracked a smile. "Jeez. Sorry, your highness."

She looked at him in confusion.

"Hello."

"What are you doing?"

He stood up, tossing the data screen in the seat. "Reading, I suppose. What was all that yelling at me for?" He sat next to her. He suddenly realized how tired he was. He hadn't gotten over half an hour of sleep in the past four days. His left eye was still killing him. His neck felt like he had vice-grips laced with fire materia on them.

"You look tired." One of her hands fell in his lap, to reach for his own.

"Yeah, maybe," he smiled. "Besides, I'm not used to going this long sober."

She grinned sleepily, fighting hard to stay awake. "Is that why we're still alive?"

He shot a surprised look at her. "What was that?"

She giggled. "I'm just kidding." She paused, running her hand up his forearm. "You need some rest."

He didn't argue. That was a bad sign. She fought harder the urge to sink back to sleep; instead, she focused her attention on Reno. "Come on, Turkey. Rest."

He did as he was told, fairly falling next to her. He had her cuddled up to him like a giant teddy bear in about three seconds flat, faking sleep.

"That's not what I meant."

He ignored that last statement. "What was that shouting about?"

She was fairly uncomfortable, but she was too tired to fight about it. "I can hear Rufus--" She paused, hearing his breath stop for a moment. "I guess maybe his plan is working."

"Never," he groggily mumbled. He was fading fast.

"I can hear them all. It's the Cetra gene. It must be."

There was a fairly long pause. "No; why wouldn't I hear it?" he slurred.

She gave herself a start at that last comment. "What do you mean by that? Reno?" It was no use. His breath was now strong and steady in her ear. Try as she might, she also couldn't prevent the sleep from overtaking her as well. Just as she entered the realm between sleep and awake, however, she heard a voice again. "My blood is Cetra—I am Cetra." She was too tired to wonder what that meant.

The voices were stronger that night than ever before. In fact, I hardly ever actually heard them. Maybe twice a year, tops. Most of the time I thought I was drunk when I did. The last time I had heard it was when the lifestream healed geostigma. And even then, I couldn't really tell what they were saying; They were more mumbled and gibberish. It was kind of scary, but this night was completely different. The voices were loud and crystal clear. One must have been that Ancient—the flower girl. I also heard that kid of Cloud's, and that girl he was always hanging around with. There were a few I didn't recognize, too. But in the far distance, beyond all that, I heard Avera.

I found not only could I speak to a few of them, I could listen in. And though at first I couldn't figure out how to talk back, I drowned out everyone else and listened to her.

-----

She seemed to be talking to herself, although Reno knew that was ridiculous. In what appeared to be a dream, he stepped closer to her. Everything around him seemed white and empty—except that woman in front of him. Her long hair blew behind her gently, blowing in a breeze that was unfelt. She was wearing a black cloak, which creeped him out a bit. "Stay out!" She said firmly. "You have no right!"

At first he thought she was talking about him and he got a little miffed. But then Rufus appeared out of thin air, right next to Reno. He instinctively jumped, but apparently couldn't be seen just yet. "I have just as much right as you. My blood is Cetra—I am Cetra."

She turned to him, then. Reno could see with deep satisfaction that her eyes were green again and she was wearing a white jumpsuit under the black cloak. She didn't say anything to him. Instead, she tried to stare him down. She put her hands on her hips, glowering at him.

"Beautiful," Rufus breathed. "You'll be the perfect mother for my perfect race of sons."

Reno did a double take. "Say what?"

If they realized he was there, they gave no indication. Instead, she tossed her head and laughed. "Keep dreaming, sir. It may happen then."

He smiled. "We're the same. I have been infused with the compound. The dose is more concentrated than yours, and I don't have the luxury of being a Sephiroth clone. But I feel the burn. Surely, you do, too?"

"The only burn I feel is a burning desire to knock your block off."

"You tell him, Bright Eyes!" Reno agreed.

"You can try to fight it," Rufus nonchalantly stated, "but soon the burn will devour you. And then our new race will be conceived. It wouldn't be so bad to be an honored mistress of the king of the world, eh?"

Reno jumped at him. "Over my dead body, you…."

They both looked at him. "Reno?" He asked in surprise. "I had no idea you had the capability to get this far."

"Stay away from her!" He growled.

"This could be a problem," Rufus said to himself, fading out. "His genes are advanced. The fire may…"

Avera stepped up to him in relief. "I'm so glad you're here. But…why….are you here?"

"Who me? Not sure. Never got this far, heh-heh."

She paused, looking to the right of his shoulder. "You must be. You must have the Cetra gene?"

He nodded. "Found out about it two years ago. They were going to see if I had gotten infected with geostigma. They said I had natural immunity because I was in the later stages of Cetra implantation."

"Implantation? Were they experimenting on you, too?"

"Heck, no. Apparently it was happening naturally." He smiled at her. "Isn't it nice that we have more in common now?"

She stiffened, almost as if someone had frightened her. Her eyes stared into his as she started to fade. Fear ran all over her features. "She's fighting me!" She gasped. "Jenova! I have to…" And she faded away.

"Wait! Avera!"

"….She's gone for a little while."

Reno turned to see Denzel standing beside him. He smiled and pointed at himself. "She sent me to tell you everything. She says you have to know how to protect Avera."

"Who sent you? That flower girl?"

Denzel smiled spookily. "No. Ifalna."