Huh? What's that in the horizon? Could it be? It's...

O My Lord Valentine
---Chapter Twelve! (took me long enough)

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. If I did Yuffie would grow up and get some home training.
Warnings for this Chapter: Reno. RENO is the warning. XD
Author Note: I'm so sorry for not working on this story! I've been in the pissiest of moods lately. You wouldn't like me when I'm pissy. Anyway, lemme get back in the groove of things. I need to make some deadlines. If I ever go slacking off again and you're bored be sure to email me as and nag my slow ass on. Seriously.

Reno stood at the cockpit like President Rufus at his window, surveying his handiwork. Yes, and he felt very accomplished and proud of himself, for whatever stupid reason he'd sustained in his mind. Vincent didn't know what to say. For all he knew, Cid and the others were still at Choco Bill's, and probably mad as hell.

On the other hand, Reno is quite mad as well. In other ways.

"Excuse me." Vincent politely raised his hand, even though no one was looking at him. "Where exactly are we headed to?"

"Eh...We're kinda wanted. I figure we'll just hang low somewhere." Reno didn't like that empty silence that was Vincent's response. "Is that okay with you?"

"Depends on where we're going, I guess." Sure, Reno didn't really answer the question, but Vinny didn't stick around to ask again. He left to pay a visit to the chocobo keeper, only to find that the keeper had fallen asleep outside of the room. Probably disturbed by Cloud's own dancing green chocobo.

Yes. She dances. Vin's not quite sure if Gaea learned to dance herself or if Cloud taught her, but she dances, all right.

He entered the room to find Gaea wiggling around in the back of the room like she had an itch in her bum. "Afternoon, Gaea." He sat in the tuft of straw next to her and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Wark?"

She seemed to expect an answer from Vincent, so he groaned and guessed the question. "I'm fine, thanks."

"Vin!" Reno came rushing in after him and knelt to his knees, grinning slyly. "I thought you were still in the cockpit! You had be talking to myself thinkin' you were there!"

"Oh. Well, here I am."

Reno's grin faded to a simple gentle smile. To Vincent's discomfort, Reno seated himself beside him, shoulder to shoulder. Reno eyed his watch carefully, but said nothing.

Again with the awkward silence.

Reno recalled a friendly tip he'd pried from Cloud a few days ago. It went something like this: "Alright, if you want a pointer, here's a good one. Vinny likes to think he's somewhat masculine, but really, honestly, he's not. Barret says he is, but he's not. He's a woman and he knows it. Just treat 'im like you would any other woman, 'cause that's what he is. A woman."

This being one of Reno's more polished skills, his pride was automatically renewed.

"Reno, I really want to know why you left our...my teammates behind."

Dancing choco Gaea twirled gracefully in the corner. Reno grinned with a quiet, faraway glance.

"See, Cloud often picks me and Cid to fight with him as a team. And well, I can't very well be of use when I'm not present..."

Vincent lost his breath, though regained it quickly enough. "Reno. Get your hand off my ass."

"Oh no!" he replied sheepishly. "That was my knee. See?" He raised his hands. "Both of 'em!"

"You just moved it."

"Ah, so I did." And he took the liberty of replacing it as well.

"..."

"We're gonna have to take the chocobos," Cloud concluded. "It's the only way we'll catch the Highwind."

Tifa shrugged and patted Dante's head. "I wonder where they're going. Cid, are you gonna be all right?"

"Shut up." Choco Dasher nipped at Cid's moppy hair as he sat huddled by the stable in an angry, smoking wad.

"Cloud, maybe we should go without him this time--"

"No! I'm going and I'm whoopin' Reno's ass for this!"

Barret crossed his arms. "Damn straight you will."

"CLOUD," Tifa said in a distractingly loud voice. "Are you certain that Vincent's safe all alone with Reno?"

"Of course he is. My green chocobo will alert me to anything strange in the ship." He nodded with assurance, only to spring up as he reviewed his words. "The pilot will, I mean! And those other crew dudes too."

Gaea watched in wonder as Reno cattily pounced on Vincent in the patch of straw. He stopped Vincent's holster-bound hand and leaned closer to his trapped, shocked face.

He breathed into Vincent's mouth with a less-than-innocent smile. Vincent found his own breath exiguous, his forehead itching with dry grass and wet with anxiety as Reno captured his lips, fingers toying with his black lapel, for once unobstructed by dark fabric and buckles. Again he tried to mumble some sort of objection, perhaps "Reno, let me go" or "Oh no, are you drunk?" and again, it merely managed a moan, as Reno dropped himself on Vincent's panicked body. He released the ex-Turk from the elongated kiss, grinning.

"Reno, what are you doing?!"

"What's it look like I'm doing? C'mon!"

"Reno...Cid!"

"Wark?"

"Gaea!"

"Hey, not your left hand! That hurts." Reno straddled him and took his shoulders hostage, never minding that tedious old superstition that what he was doing was wrong, kissing him again, noting the heat of their flushed chests. Gaea swooped out of the door as Vincent ran his head into the wall (accidentally, mind you), both of them hesitantly trying to escape.

The chocobo keeper, awakened by the ruckus, grabbed Gaea before she could rampage the ship.

"Gaea, what's going on in...Oh. Captain's not gonna like this."

"This is an outrage!" (Wiggle-wiggle.) "Running away like the mouse he is!"

"Sorry...sir." Elena smothered the tiles beneath her shoe. "We were busy fighting AVALANCHE and I guess we weren't--"

"BAH!"

"Um...But we know he took off westward and seems to be continuing that course toward Cosmo--"

"GRAH!"

"So sir! If you'll give us the chance to apprehend them nonviolently--"

"Mmmmmmmmmm--"

"...?"

"--MMMMMMMGRAARR!" (Wiggle-wiggle-wiggle!)

"He didn't listen, Rude." She stood defeated in the doorway.

"Didn't think he would." Rude took a bite out of his sandwich, promptly holding it a safe distance away for examination.

Elena continued as he picked out the tomatoes. "I guess we should go after him, huh. Go and break up this adorable relationship of theirs." She leaned beside Ruse against the counter.

He crunched into a pickle, not recalling the sight of any pickles in his food. "Mm...Well his mission backfired."

"It did?"

"Yes. Instead of using the Ancient Turk to teach him the mannerisms of a good Turk, he allowed himself to be lured from his career altogether." He sniffed the sandwich and took another bite.

Her breath caught as she fell into a seat. "You don't mean?"

"He's reneging his duties. I'm sure he'll be...fired."

There was a painful moment of silence. Elena glanced at Rude, with his sandwich awkwardly close to his mouth. She suddenly felt the need to gasp again as she looked at his face. "Rude...are you--?"

A streak of tears leaked from under his shades. "He makes..." (Sniff.) "...good sandwiches."

Elena patted his back as he began to blubber. "Oh it's okay, Rudey! It's okay!"

"I used to..." (Sniff.) "...say when I was fighting, 'Say hello to mah lil' friend'...and there'd be Reno..."

"It's alright, we'll get him back! Just you see. We'll go get him right now, after you finish your sandwich."

Vincent obviously tried to pry Reno's frisky arse off of him. He shoved and growled and made every attempt, until he at last got bored and gave in. Reno's fiery ponytail fell over his shoulder and down Vincent's arm. There were times few and far apart when Vincent would remember moments like these from long ago, when all seemed quiet like the only people living were him and the one that he loved...

He hardly minded the fact that he didn't really love Reno. But at times such as these, his feelings skewed.

Reno seized the ex-Turk's neck as confusing thoughts rushed in his head too. He didn't mean to be doing this, but still...since Vincent no longer fought back...

"WHOA!"

Vincent and Reno sat up instantly as the raggedy voice caught their ears. What color was left in Vincent drained completely pallor.

"Hey!" said Tifa. "Red's missing!"

AN: Woo, dudes. Okay...I dunno...don't flame me. I just had to have someone walk in on them.