CHAPTER THREE
Reno looked at his watch, 'well the kid's been in there for almost fifteen minutes already, he had better of found something by now…better go check, Tifa and Cloud will kill me if I've lost the little guy.' With that thought he stood up and strolled into the store where he saw the boy lean over and whisper something into what appeared to be the sale clerks ear.
"Hey kid, find what you were looking for?" Reno asked as he approached.
Denzel turned around and looked up at the Turk, his grin was answer enough for Reno.
"Yup! It's perfect, thanks Reno, I don't think I would have found it if you hadn't told me to come in here! We just have to wait a few minutes while that man puts some things on it for me. Ok?"
The two waited in silence for the older man to return with Denzel's gift, ten minutes later he indeed returned and slipped around the counter to show Denzel his work.
Denzel studied the gift for a few moments turning it this way and that, before shyly turning to face Reno, and slowly handed him his find. Reno got the hint and carefully took the gift in his hands and examined it closely; to say he was shocked would be an understatement, it was for lack of a better word…perfect. "Good pick kid, he'll love it." He said as he handed the gift back to the boy who nodded his thanks.
Another few minutes and the two walked out of the jewelry store with Denzel clutching a box tightly in his tiny hands like it was some precious stone.
The car ride back to Seventh Heaven was filled with excited chatter from the boy in the passenger seat; Reno just shook his head and chuckled.
Once the Turk dropped the boy off he made a mental note to be sure to drop in tomorrow sometime and see what the ex-soldiers reaction was to his gift, he meant what he told the kid, he knew Cloud would love it.
Reno knew he always acted as the smart ass and didn't mind that his friends…funny how he started referring to Avalanche as his friends…but he didn't mind that they thought of him that way. It actually made watching them easier, they never would suspect him of being the observant kind and he loved it that way, made playing pranks on them all the better.
He'd been watching Cloud since the second fall of Sephiroth and had indeed seen a change in the sword bearing man, it was a subtle change but it was there nonetheless. He could see it more when the blonde was around Tifa and the two children that lived with them. Reno began to notice how Cloud looked at the young boy, and how he spoke and interacted with the kid. There was no doubt in Reno's mind there was a bond forming between the two, a bond that was always there but one the blonde wasn't ready to accept until now. 'Yup tomorrow will be a very interesting day, and a life changing one for Blondie that's for sure!'
