I know that this chapter probably isn't as serious as the rest. If it seems odd, it's cuz I kinda felt odd about it. It's not one of my favorite parts of the story or the RP, though I have many. I don't know what I don't like about it, but I wanted to keep it as close as possible to the original RP. I have my reasons, sooooooooo... Why the hell am I complaining? Lol. The first bit as Reno wakes up was made up, since we never RPed it. So, R&R and be gentle with the flames.

Sure enough, Yuffie found that the trembles surely didn't get better. Frowning at the red-headed Turk as she rose early the next morning, she noticed that even in sleep the incessant shakes seemed to move the entire bed, causing him to clutch his stomach in his sleep. She blinked as he moved around and slowly opened his eyes, peering up at her sleepily. "Whaa?"

"Nothing. I was just looking."

He smirked. "Girls always want the Reno."

"What? I was just wondering why you were shaking like a leaf. I don't like stoners." She sniffed and shoved her nose up in the air as she turned away from him, walking out of the little 'bedroom' area, though it was by no means a bedroom, just four beds bunched together in a small area. She put her boots on in the living room area, which was also combined into a dining room and a lounge. She sighed and stared around at the things that furnished the small cabin. Sure, it was nice and cozy, but she would rather be out in the woods with her lover…right? She gave a growl of frustration as she looked over at Reno again. The red-head had lain down again and she sure as hell wasn't going to get him up.

Yuffie didn't have to make Reno get up. Rude yawned and rose from his bed only a few seconds later, leaving Elena where she had been, laying right next to where he was. Sliding up out of bed, he leaned over and put his shoes on, glancing over at Reno. He noticed the shakes, knew what it was and immediately knew he had to do something about it. Unfortunately, he knew Elena wouldn't approve one bit and that was a factor that made him cringe. He'd brought a bottle of Sake with him just in case something like that happened, but he didn't really expect to have to give it to Reno. He figured the kid would be just fine, shake like a leaf for a few days and then stop. Instead, it had been off and on, day in and day out. Rude hardly ever noticed it anymore, but that morning the shaking seemed different. Reno didn't usually have withdrawals in his sleep. "Ren? Wake up, kiddo. You need to get up and eat something, you're shakin' like hell."

"Mmm…? Ugn… No, don't wanna get up." Reno curled up under the covers, shoving his head underneath the pillows. The long red strands hung out from under the white cushion, draping over the side of the bed dramatically. Therefore, Rude reached over and gave a very impolite tug. "OW, GOD DAMNIT!"

"I live up to my name, right?"

"You sure as hell do, you fucker."

"Then why do you even stay around me?"

"I dunno. Free booze and stuff of the sort. Why shouldn't I?"

"Dunno. It beats me. Let's get up and get somethin' in your stomach, kiddo, 'fore you pass out."

Reno raised a brow. "Get what in my stomach? Wood or grass? There ain't shit in this cabin to eat, is there?"

"We've got a god damn freezer, you idiot. What, you didn't even look around the back of the house? This place has electricity. This place has a freezer and a stove, dumbass."

"Well fuck, I didn't pay attention. I was too busy trying to ward off ninja-girl over there. She wants my body, I swear to hell she does."

Rude snorted. "Reno, I've seen you so drunk that you think a piss ant wants your body. Have you been sneaking anything?"

"I swear I haven't!" Reno did the cross-my-heart-hope-to-die symbol, kissing his index finger afterward for emphasis. "I mean, how in the hell would I sneak anything? You patted me down before we came on the stupid ass trip."

"I didn't do a cavity search." Rude looked halfway amused.

"Approach me with white latex gloves and I'll fuckin' kill you. Ugh, you nasty bastard." Reno trembled slightly as he shifted around and picked up his ponytail holder from the floor. He raked his fingers through the long locks, sweeping them to the side as he arranged them as he wanted them. His ponytail was always simplistic, yet looked so dramatic. "Hair gel is your friend, m'man… Got any I could borrow?" He shot a huge grin at Rude, who didn't look amused. His bald head shined just as much as it had before. Reno gave a soft 'tsk' and winked. "Didn't think so, eh?" The 'good' mood he was in didn't fool Rude one bit, though.

"Reno, you still have to eat something."

"You can't make me! I refuse. I feel like shit right now, Rude. Can't I wait for lunch to eat?"

"No, because if you don't eat now I know you won't eat at lunch and then if you swear you'll eat at supper, I know you won't. Damnit, Reno, you gotta get back to normal. Don't make me shove food down your throat. Maybe having something in your stomach'll stop the withdrawals, or at least not make you shake as badly. Hell, you're gonna end up starving to death or worse." He looked worried. It almost made Reno want to eat. Almost. "Don't make me sit on you and shove it down your throat, you fucker."

"Pfft… I dare you."

"Never dare me, Reno. You're twenty-somethin' years old. I shouldn't have to hold you down and make you eat, but if I have to, I will to make you live another day."

"Damnit, you're too protective!"

Yuffie was sitting in the living room, completely ignoring the two. She was more concerned about what she'd felt. God, I wish someone could get some peace around here. Stupid fuckers gotta talk too much, gotta sweep their hair around and look good. Stupid, loudmouthed little mother fucker. I want my Vincent, don't I? Yes, yes I do. I have to get to Vincent somehow. This is absolutely UNBEARABLE! She shot a glare over in Reno's direction as he continued to argue with Rude about breakfast. Why in the hell did HE have to find me? How come it couldn't have been Sephiroth's evil twin or even the bastard's spirit or something? Anything but him… Gotta get to Vincent somehow.

"I don't see where the stupid 'MOUNTAIN THERAPY' is workin' too much. I don't feel any happier. I don't feel all SMILES AND FUCKIN' SUNSHINE! I wanna go home and drown in my own misery until someone gets a clue and leaves me alone and then lets me cut my fuckin' wrists."

"You're a desperate little bastard, you know? Desperate for attention, desperate for help. And we're gonna help you, by the spirits!" Rude reached out for Reno, who definitely tried to get away. He snatched him by the ponytail, causing the younger man to yelp out in pain as he drug him toward the living room. "No matter what I gotta do, I ain't gonna let our leader die. Damnit, get a grip, you stupid fuck." He smacked Reno slightly too hard across the face, but it knocked some sense into the red-head.

"Fine! Just let GO! God DAMN you tug on my hair like it's a leash."

"It has the same effect as a leash, fortunately. I have a natural place to grab you instead of having to have a steel collar imbedded in your skin to clip a leash. Or would you prefer that?"

"I'd prefer you get your rough ass hands off me. I don't swing that way yet."

"Yet?" Rude raised a brow, starting to wonder. "Yeah, you definitely need somethin' to eat. You're startin' to mix up the meanings of your words and phrases. Come on, I won't let Elena near it. I'll cook for you if you want?"

"I don't want anything…"

"You're going to eat something. I'm going to give you one more chance, and if you don't choose what you're going to eat, then I'm going to pick something I like and I'm going to cook it the way I like it and then I'm going to hold you down and plug your nose until you eat it. Understand?"

"Fine… I want normal breakfast shit. Can we manage that, overlord?"

"I think we can underling. Now stop pouting and sit there like a good little Turk while I get things out of the freezer."

"Wait, eggs in the freezer?"

"I guess. I dunno. I have to see what's out there and then get what I judge to be normal breakfast. Sit tight."

As Rude headed out of the room, Reno looked over at Yuffie, very irritated. "What the hell are you staring at?"

She glared up at him from the table, narrowing her eyes. "I'm not staring at anything."

"Yes you were, you little lying Wutainese heifer. What, tryin' to size me up from peripheral vision? Pfft… I must say, if you're curious, just ask. I might give you a feel." Reno couldn't help but irritate someone. He smirked at her, feeling a slight adrenaline rush as he saw he was getting on her nerves.

"Leave me alone, you red-headed fuck."

"Whoa, whoa…someone's touchy, aren't they? What got stuck up your ass?"

"You keep messing with me, carrot top, and I'm gonna show you just what a ninja can do. All kawaii like, because I AM kawaii, and don't you forget it." Yuffie struck a pose, then got serious again, staring down at the table.

Reno rolled his eyes. Man, this is gonna be one hella long day…

Later that day…

Reno sighed as he picked at the blankets that he was sitting on. The thread was coming out slightly from where his fingers had run over it in nervous shambles so many times that day. He couldn't be still, was pretty much just a wreck as the others were kind of worried about him. Yuffie was walking around, just as irritating as ever. Rude and Elena acted like they enjoyed her, but Reno wasn't so sure what to think about her. Chick's cute and chick don't even like me. What a disgrace. It's a pity that she can't realize just what LOVELY material I am to work with. He snorted in disdain. I mean, only gotta put up with the smell of Sake, right?

"Reno, what the hell are you thinking of?"

"None of your business. Lemme alone."

"I suppose this won't change your mind?" Rude was standing not too far away, watching him as he rocked back and forth and stroked his fingers across the blanket. He pulled a dark-looking bottle out of a cloth bag he'd brought, shaking his head. Reno immediately noticed what the bottle was. "Yes, I know this is supposed to be your rehab. You're shaking too bad to be making any progress me and Elena both thought. Take a few shots to stop the shaking, why don't you?"

Reno stared at the bottle, knowing that it was his opportunity to drink himself stupid. Then again, weren't his friends trying to look after him? They wanted him to get better, and though he wanted to get seriously wasted, he did have a conscience. Rude watched him carefully, trying to decide what to do based on what he was going to do. "I dunno, Rude… I mean… I've been clean for a week, should I start again?"

"I said a few shots, not half the damn bottle. And not a quarter of the bottle neither. I trust you. We're counting on you to get better, Reno. Don't take advantage of the trust, okay, kid?" He handed the bottle over to Reno who slowly nodded.

Now this is what I could do… I could go through rehab, just gimme a damn good supply of soda and a few shots of whiskey or Sake every now and again. I mean, wouldn't that be ideal? Just something to hold in my hand… Gotta have something to hold onto. He walked over to the table and sat down, popping the seal as Rude walked out to talk with Elena, who was walking through the forest line and looking at the flowers. Few shots, Reno… A few shots is all. That's all you need, okay? No more, no less. Three shots… Or two? Two and a half. Yeah, that's good. Don't need more than that. You're weak, but you're not that weak, right? Reno didn't even notice as Yuffie came skipping in.

He was still deliberating how many shots to take as Yuffie gasped at the bottle of liquor, then batted at it. Reno stopped thinking for a moment as he heard a shatter. Seconds ticked off the clock as he slowly turned around and looked up into Yuffie's face. "ALCOHOL'S BAD FOR YOU! None for you, mister." Reno's eye twitched, more than nervous shakes. "What? I'm doing that for your own good, and you know it! You're not supposed to be drinking."

"KILL!" He pounced at Yuffie and she squealed, diving away and then ducking out of the door. "GOD DAMN ANKLE DON'T LOOK SO BAD, YOU BITCH! YOU CAN RUN ON IT, CAN'T YOU?" Reno fumed as he felt the craving get worse. "Stupid bitch…" He almost wanted to weep. Told you that you were weak. "Shut the FUCK up!" He growled at his inner voice as suddenly he heard Rude and Elena talking louder than normal to communicate over the sound of a chopper. Reno smacked a hand to his forehead. "We can't even get away from ShinRa for two days before they're sendin' choppers after us."

Thirty minutes later…

"So how does this involve us?" Reno had turned business-like again, unlike he had months before when he was on the job. "Why did they send for us when it's just a gang?"

"Because it's one of those high-scale gangs. The one you were a part of. What was the name? Scrip-… Scrop-…"

"Scorpions. Very common name, fuck up. How could you get it mixed up with anything else?"

"My my, aren't we on our monthly today?" Rude raised a brow, then eyed Reno. "What'd you do with that bottle of Sake?"

Yuffie was nearby, squealing as she chased a bug around the room. "Dumbass over there shattered it." Reno pointed to the trash. "I cleaned the glass up."

"I'm surprised you didn't lick the floor, you know." The ninja girl stopped just long enough to add her input.

"Wow, thanks a lot, teeny-bopper. Now shut the fuck up." Reno growled his irritation as he looked back at Rude. "So what're we gonna do?"

"What do you think we should do, Ren? ShinRa called us back on duty, so we gotta go, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. We'll head back and exterminate 'em the best we possibly can. They're hard to get rid of. I mean, look at me. I can't even get rid of myself, so we know damn good and well it's gonna be a bitch to get rid of some of them."

Elena sighed and shook her head. "I wish you would stop talking about that, you know?" She smiled sadly at him. They bickered constantly, but they all had a way of caring.

"Whatever. Let's just get ready to head out, okay?"

Yuffie looked over at them. "I'm going, aren't I?"

"Do you think you should?" Reno shot her a poisonous glare that sort of made her duck her head.

"… Not really, I don't guess. You don't need me anyway, huh? I just slow things up. You can go ahead." She turned away and shuffled outside.

"Whatever…" Reno felt a tinge of guilt deep inside of his chest as he frowned. Dumbass! Just screwed another girl over. Are you happy with yourself, you stoner? "I'm not a god damn stoner!"

Rude stared at him oddly. "We didn't say you were, Reno… Are you okay?"

"I'm just fine, okay? Leave me alone." With that, they all turned to get packed and ready to head back to Midgar.

Yuffie had her own ideas and set of plans.