Tseng was late. At one-ten, he found Reno drinking at the wall-market bar, chatting amiably enough with someone or other he seemed to know at a corner table. When Tseng arrived, he waited by the door until Reno finished his beer and his chat. Then he waited a little longer, as Reno seemed totally unconcerned with his presence. Finally, Reno got up, stretched, smiled, and sidled towards the door, jerking his head at Tseng, gesturing for him to leave.

They met outside on the street next to the inn, as the local high-priced girls came down the street for their last foray of the day. Reno gave Tseng an apologetic shrug.

"You were late," he said, by means of excuse. "It was cold."

"Fine," agreed Tseng. He paused, leaning up against the wall o the inn, unsure exactly where to start.

"How've you been?" asked Reno. He gestured at Tseng's side, the one where Sephiroth had stabbed him all those years ago. "How's the war wound?"

Tseng chuckled. "It still plays up when it rains."

Reno smiled. "You're not that far along yet, old man," he grinned, poking Tseng with a lanky finger. "I see you're keeping yourself up pretty well, huh? You look good."

"You too," Tseng replied.

"Yeah, well." Reno threw him a grin. "I always look good."

They stood quietly for a few moments, listening to the stores close down around them as the wall market activity slowed to a stop for the night. After a little while, Tseng spoke up again.

"They're looking for us again, you know," he said.

"I know." Reno sighed. "I know they are. Here more than anywhere else, I think. I guess we shouldn't be surprised. We knew they'd never leave us alone."

"What are you doing here, anyway, Reno?" Tseng asked, with a little frown. "Of all the places to hide, you pick the one the closest to home. Why? You're smarter than that."

"It's like hiding in plain sight," Reno shrugged. "The criminal never returns to the scene of the crime, right? I figured they'd never find me, not here." He paused. "Look at me, huh? I'm a bartender. I'm a damn good bartender, but…I was one of the most skilled fighters in the world, trained by and with," he nodded at Tseng, "the best, and look at me, I'm mixing drinks." He paused, waxing philosophical. "What do you ever win in this world, huh, Tseng? Not much. Right? Not much."

Tseng shrugged. "I was no better, I made sandwiches for six years. It's not important, now."

"Yeah," Reno agreed. "Yeah. I guess."

"Look," said Tseng, kicking a clod of dirt across his shoe, "you can't stay here. You got family?"

Reno shook his head. "Nah, nobody." He paused. "But you're here, now, right?" He grinned, suddenly, and poked Tseng in the side again with that same finger, teeth flashing in the lamplight. "You missed me, didn't ya?"

Tseng snorted his derision at the comment, but Reno kept smiling.

"Aw, Tseng," he said, looking out on the darkened street. "You missed me after all."

Tseng ran his hand through his hair again. Why was it always cold in Midgar, he wondered, even in the summer, when the rest of the continent was warm? How had he known Reno would be here, anyway? He supposed that he'd known that Reno, a sentimental guy beyond what he chose to share, wouldn't be able to leave home. It was a very lucky educated guess, the kind for which he'd been praised when he was in the Turks.

"So, boss," asked Reno, crossing his arms behind his head against the wall. "What's the plan? Where we going now?"

"We?" Tseng was startled. "We're going our separate ways in the morning." He shook his head. "Traveling together would be stupid, suicide."

"Hey, look," started Reno, "how're you gonna make sure I don't start any trouble if we're on opposite continents, huh?"

"I don't need to watch you anymore," Tseng said quietly. "Earlier today it was you telling me to be careful, remember?"

"Yeah." Reno murmured. He snagged a lighter from his pocket and played with it for a moment. "I guess so."

"Meet me at the gates in the morning," Tseng suggested. "I'll take you as far as the chocobo farms. We'll part ways there." He paused. "You'd better go home. If you're luckier than me, you'll have time to pack."

Reno nodded, threw him a half-hearted smile, and slid off through the wall market back towards the bar.

Tseng, alone, slept on a bench till morning.