Chapter 5

Part 2

Reno and the Package

Disclaimer- I din't have one of these in the last part…so this makes up for that'n too. I don't own FF 7…blah blah…thank you for reading.

Author's note: Sorry…I'm going to make the actual chapter with the real first plot…I had to change it. But yeah, I'll develop that story later. It'll have the same first four and 1 half chapters, but chapter 5 part 2 'll be different.

Later that morning there was a knock at the front door. From my room I heard Tifa yell, "Cloud!" I got up from my place in front of my desk and joined everyone in the living room.

Cloud emerged from outside, coming in through the back door. "What?" he asked as he wiped some grease from his hands. He'd been working on his new bike.

"Someone here to see you," Tifa called, still looking out at the figure only she could see.

"Who's it?" Cloud asked as he walked, still cleaning his hands.

I glanced at Vincent, who looked back at me with a raised eyebrow from his seat on the couch's arm.

Tifa leaned forward and grabbed the figure outside. As she yanked him in, the first thing we saw was red hair…

"Reno!" Cid growled.

Vincent leapt from his perch and drew his gun, aiming, but not firing, at Reno's heart.

Tifa shut the door and pushed the Turk toward Cloud. We all closed in, encircled him.

"What do you want, Reno?" Cloud asked smoothly.

"I'll tell you what he wants : to blow us all up. Whacha got in that backpack, boy!" Barret demanded. He reached for Reno's bag.

Reno spun to face him, "Hey! Hold ON!"

"Answer Cloud, Reno. I'm a little bit trigger-happy to-day," Vincent threatened. His trigger finger twitched slightly.

"Hey! Let's not get too hasty now. I don't like you guys, 'cept maybe for her…she new?" Reno asked, looking at me. "Anyway, I'm not here to blow you up, sadly. I'm playing messenger," he continued to switch his gaze from me to the gun still leveled with his heart.

Vincent lowered his gun a bit, at least the bullet wouldn't kill Reno now. "Her name's Harper and you will have nothing to do with her."

Tifa looked to Vincent accusingly for some reason.

"Hmm, Harper," he tested my name, "This's for you then, I guess anyway." He shouldered off his pack and took out a brown, taped shut box. He handed it to me.

It was small, about the full size of my hand. I stared at it curiously.

"Can I go now?" Reno asked.

"Yeah," Cloud said.

Reno turned to leave and Vincent put his gun.

After the door shut and Cid, who was closest, locked it, everyone turned to look at me.

"You gonna open it or what?" Cid asked.

I looked at everyone.

"Yeah, let's see what the little Turk brought you," Barret pushed.

"O…ok." I peeled back the tape on one end of the box and dumped the contents out. Out tumbled a small tape recorder. It was labeled Harper. I set the empty box on the cabinet and turned again to face the group, then I pushed the play button.

A calm, steady, soothing voice spilled out : a voice that stirred a kind of recognition. "Hello Harper," the man's voice said.

Cloud and Vincent snapped to attention. "Sounds familiar…" Cloud mumbled.

The man's vice continued, "The identity of your parents has been hidden from you so that you may have a chance at a normal life. Hidden…until now. I recorded this message when you were three, and asked a trusted friend at Shinra to deliver it when you were 25. Twenty-two years my dear…Harper," the strange voice purred my name like it belonged to a goddess. "Haper…this is your father speaking—"

I pressed stop so I could catch my breath. My heart fluttered within the confines of my chest.