Welcome back, people! Thanks for staying. (does a happy jig)
RaspberryPolarBear - The plotline isn't terribly evident because a lot of parts are still iffy in my head. I have the main plotline down and ready to go, but I don't have the fillers between the first chapter, the climax, and the fall. So yeah. Reno and Arien's relationship wasn't too smooth to begin with, and it's getting more rickety at the moment. But no fear! Ivana Delassi, the romance expert, is always on Arien's side. I think...
StarlessEyesRemain - I know you hate cliffies, but it's a habit. And as Linkin Park pointed out (or did they?) breaking habits is tough. It's tough as heck. And you're already wondering where Arien and Reno are going! And only I know! (feels omnipotent) Anyways, it's going to be a little surprising, that's all I'm going to say right now. But there is going to be another sequel for this, and a prequel to C'Est La Vie... now if I can just get it down...
Rah - I tend to try not to make expositions too long unless it's crucial or I find it particularly touching/pretty/interesting. The toughest part is usually action, because it needs the drive and the quick tempo but each movement requires precise descriptions. (screams) but Reno is very quick-moving so I probably need more words to describe their movements. Turks are generally slower-moving then Cloud or Sephiroth according to the book, though.
Princess-Starr - Thanks for coming back! I'm guessing you'll want more sex scenes, because, you know, I write such awesome ones (heh heh heh). That's another tough thing for me though, apart from writing action; I really have no clue what they'd be saying to each other, and if I make it too uh... descriptive, I usually end up cracking up. Which freaks my mother out. So, if you like my level, then yey!
This chapter is about stuff that normal Reno-fans don't really write about often. So it might be interesting for you.Chapter I: Retracing the Past
Arien DeVir was, by all accounts, a regular woman. She did not have flashing eyes, or an exquisitely chiseled face, or a sweet demeanor, or an IQ of three thousand. In fact, her eyes were regular blue-green, Reno constantly taunted about her bitter expression, she definitely was not sweet, and her IQ was pretty regular for a Turk, minus Reno's. Reno's IQ did not count; she had no idea what it was. One moment he seemed a brilliant genius, next moment a dense idiot. But the point was, she was in no way extraordinary. That is, until she brushed against Shinra Company and the big fiasco with Sephiroth.
She lay in a now-familiar bed in a now-familiar house, staring into the dark ceiling, thinking. It was midnight, and the room was in a relative silence; she could hear Reno's breathing and his mumblings about an Elephadunk trampling on his pet squirrel, but she ignored it. Yet, nothing was darkness for her unless she closed her eyes; her mako-enhanced eyes had an ability called nightvision, which gathered light and magnified it so that she could see clearly. All Turks had it, but for some reason she had reacted too strongly with the vision. It gave her splitting headaches.
A hand touched her shoulder, and she ceased her thoughts. Renaldo Miller was a gifted assassin, a womanizer, a drunk, a Shinra executive, and a redhead to name a few. He was also Arien DeVir's boss, colleague, companion, and occasionally, lover. They lived in the same house, although neither of them knew what had possessed them to make such a foolish decision. But they did.
"…rie…"
She turned her head and looked into the half opened eyes of the face framed by flaming red. She suspected that Reno originally had brown eyes, just like her twin sister that she had condemned to death and herself, before the mako treatment had turned her eyes blue-green. Reno's were a shade lighter, a sort of an aquamarine, just like the stone set in the ring on Arien's right hand. His eyes fluttered, and his eyeballs moved quickly, darting left and right. He was in REM, and he was probably dreaming.
Reno shut his eyes again, mumbled, and soon was deeply asleep again. She resumed her wandering thoughts, thinking aimlessly, unsure of what they were going to do in the future.
Or what would happen to them.
"So… your mother's alive?" Arien asked, pulling at Reno's laundered shirt and hanging it on the laundry line in the small garden they owned. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Dunno. Never got around to family stuff till now, I guess," he replied. He watched as Arien finished hanging the laundry on the line. She carried the basket into the house, opening the glass thatch and tossing the basket into the corner. She came back and sat at the white table, where Reno was sitting, typing on a laptop. "And right now you get around to the entire family business? Why is that?"
"Well…" he thought about it, enjoying the very rare moment of sunshine. He tossed another cookie into his mouth. "Watching you, I guess."
"Me?" She took one cookie from the plate and popped it into her mouth as well. "Why me?"
The small house the two had bought also had a garden. Reno did not care for it, along with the rest of the house, but Arien obviously did. She carefully nurtured and cultivated the small garden into a full bloom; there were rhododendrons and poinsettias, along with bushes of lavenders and daffodils dancing in the slight wind. He had often watched fondly as the woman worked with the soil, although he did not lend a hand. He was already turning into a mush, and gardening was not going to help him regain his stance as a cold-hearted killer.
"Well, you're obviously a loving member of the family, yo, that's why," he replied. Arien kicked him.
In fact, it was a small child that had jolted the memory of his mother awake. It was a small child, dressed in brown. His dark eyes were trying to look determined, but the boy was clearly not knowing where he was. Curly, brown hair crowned his head, the way it did his own before he had dyed it red. He seemed lost, looking for something to do. Reno had seen him in the streets when he was walking around The Edge, looking for a retailer of laptops. The small child reminded him of himself when he was a small child; he vaguely remembered himself playing in the dirty streets of the Slums, his mother calling him inside for dinner. Where was she now? He had not thought about his mother for years, and now it was returning to him vividly.
"…eno. Reno."
"What, yo?" he came back to reality. He still could not get rid of the yo talk. Old habits died extremely hard.
"Do you know where your mother is? Where she lives now?"
"Uh, no." He looked at her. "Isn't that your job?"
She shook her head. "My main job as an agent was messing with computer network. I did some field work, but it was after I tracked down the target via hacking. With this mess, I probably can't track down Reeve if I wanted to. I'm about as equipped as you are, Reno. But…"
"But what?"
"We can probably track her down within a month. The Edge is still a very small town." She shrugged – one of her idiosyncrasies. "We're Turks, after all."
The search was not as arduous as the two had expected. After some snooping around, Reno discovered that his mother was alive and kicking – along with his potheaded brother and his father. The first two news brought smile to him; the last one did not. Reno decided to pay them a visit anyways. He also decided that bringing Arien, who looked like a respectable, well-educated woman, would be a good thing to do, especially against his father.
And so on a bright Sunday morning, the two were walking down the newly constructed street. Reno was in a brown turtleneck and jeans; Arien was in a brown suede two-piece with a pink shirt underneath. The skirt was fitted, and the brown jacket made an oddly light contrast against her dark hair. They had taken leave from Rufus, who seemed too sleepy to care. They had also taken leave from Tseng, who seemed quieter since he came back. It was a rather surprising comeback, but Tseng was Tseng, and what could they say? Don't come back, we didn't miss you? Well, Reno might have been brave enough to say it, except for Elena's glare and Arien's jab in his ribs. That shut him up.
Their gait was slow and paced. Reno was pensive; how would his father take his homecoming? He knew the old man would like Arien, who looked proper, spoke properly, smiled at the right times. But he… was… well, improper. And rebellious to the hair. He knew that if he was still living under his father's roof, his hair would be all yanked out, his piercings never allowed.
They turned at the Main Street into one of the smaller alleys, where a small, grey house stood. The curtains were flowery, the windowsills immaculately white against the grim outer walls. The door was slightly ajar, so Mother was home. That was a good sign. Reno hopped onto the steps, rang the doorbell once, and waited.
"Are they home?" Arien asked. He nodded, a little tense. He had talked with her and agreed that revealing their true profession would probably unnerve the entire family. Currently, they looked like a normal young couple; it would remain this way.
The door opened, and a woman peered out. She looked a little faded, wrinkles around her eyes, and for a moment no recognition came across her face. She was a small woman, barely 5'2", and Arien wondered how Reno – who was not extremely tall but who was definitely not short either – came out of her. Reno's mother was slender, and she saw immediately where he had gotten his face. Apart from the tiredness and wrinkles around her eyes and her mouth, he was almost identical to his mother. Almost. His nose was different, and she guessed that came from his father.
She was dressed in a brown dress, and her dark hair was in a loose ponytail. She was so different from her own mother, who was motherly and loving like the woman she was seeing right now, but was definitely more delicate and fragile. Yet, she definitely had the mother look about her; that loving look that told her that whatever Reno did, she would always forgive him in the end. This was the woman who had nursed him when he was a baby, who had scolded him, who had fed him and nursed his injuries when he might have skinned his knee or jammed his finger. Here was Reno's past that she did not know.
"Hey, Mum."
"…Reno?" Tears flooded the woman's eyes as Reno bent down to be kissed and hugged. "Where were you, my darling! We were so worried when the Meteor fell! We had no idea where you were… for so many years… and I wondered, again and again, if you were eating right… if you had a place to sleep…" the woman's voice was filled with anguish and relief. Arien watched the two fondly. It was a discourse of a mother and a son, where she was not allowed and where she had no intention of stepping in. She imagined a little of herself doing the same thing to a child, her child. For some reason, the boy had the same, angular chin that the man next to her sported, along with his crooked grin. Looking at Reno, she dismissed the idea. Reno a father? Very unlikely.
"… and… oh, who is this woman?" Reno's mother finally turned attention to her. She was jolted awake from her thoughts as Reno's husky voice introduced her. "Um…. Mum, she's my girlfriend. Arien DeVir."
"Hello, Mrs. Miller," she found herself saying nonchalantly, as though as she was saying her next door neighbor's name. She found herself drifting off as Reno started to explain their relationship briefly. She was jolted awake again when Reno pulled her hand. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," she replied, shaking her head and refocusing. "A bit dazed."
"Yeah. Well, don't be, I need you to fend of Dad, yo." He scowled. "I really hate that old bastard. Shiva knows what he's gonna say when he looks at me…"
"Why?" She looked around. The interior was very cute if simple, with flowers in the halls and clean carpet on the floor. It was homey; she liked it.
"Because he hates my guts, that's why. I'm 'a disgrace and a failure' to the Miller family." Reno imitated his father's baritone by lowering his pitch. "He'll like you, though. Well-brought-up and proper and all that shit. He'd recommend you to break up with me and find a respectable man, yo."
"Hmm. I'll have to entertain that thought." She grinned at him.
"Here you are," Mrs. Miller pointed at a simply furnished, yet elegant living room. "Reno, your father would want to see you and Arien, so I'll call him down. Sorry, dear," she smiled at Arien. "Reno left our home when he was fifteen and-"
"-Mum-"
"-he never talked to us or saw us ever again. We missed him so much."
"Of course."
The woman left. Reno grimaced.
"Ohh, shit."
"Your choice, Renaldo. Your choice." She traced the tattoo on his cheek. "Although, I must say, you really look like a young teenager trying to look cool rather than a grown 22-year old man. Maybe that's my fault." She pursed her lips. "I guess we'll have to start with cutting your hair…"
"Never!" Reno cried, horrified.
"Never what?"
Reno became silent as Arien faced forward. She jerked him up and they both stood. Leon Miller definitely had Reno's nose, but that was where the similarity ended. His eyes were darker, his mouth more severe, losing the joviality that Reno sported about his face. He stood at least half an inch taller than Reno as well; a flash of hatred passed over Reno's face, then dissipated. The redhead had officially opened war against his father by wearing the cool poker face that he put on whenever he was going into a mission. Arien smiled. If he was going poker face, she'd go innocent.
"Why did you never contact us?" Leon boomed. He had a deeper voice than Reno too. Reno took a step forward, making his attitude become extremely cocky.
"Cuz I didn't see any reason, that's why."
"Oh ho! So that's why you made your poor mother cry, day after day, when you left."
"Mum cried?"
Was Reno really that insensitive?
"Yes. Ah, welcome," he turned and smiled at her. "I know that pathetic excuse of a human being is giving you trouble, but I hope you aren't fed up with it. Please, sit."
So they sat. There was an awkward silence and then Leon opened his mouth. "So, Miss. DeVir, how did you meet this thing?"
Reno scowled. Arien shrugged. "He's my boss," she answered simply. Leon raised his eyebrows.
"Reno, what is your job?" He asked skeptically. "Did you ask her to say that?"
"No, you fuc…" Reno shut up as Arien interjected.
"No, Mr. Miller, he really is my boss."
"Oh."
Reno's mother came down the stairs and entered the living room. "Oh, Leon," she said with a huge smile, "Reno came back! Isn't that wonderful?"
"Yes, Isabella," Leon smiled at his wife. It was a cordial smile, warm and full of love. It was a very harsh contrast to how he treated his son.
"They're living together, too!" Isabella gushed. Leon raised his eyebrow.
"They're living together?"
"Uh, yeah." Reno looked away. "Look, Dad, if you don't like it, deal with it. You ain't my boss now, yo."
"I don't like your tone, young man. It's disrespectful to your father."
"Yeah, well, cry me a river." Reno snorted.
"What do you do for a living?"
"Bodyguarding," Reno replied shortly.
"For whom?"
"Can't tell you." Reno replied. "And I don't give a shit what you think, old man." He stood up and looked down at Arien. "Hey, I gotta use the bathroom."
"It's upstairs, to your left, sweet," Isabella instructed. The younger Turk just nodded slightly. Reno left.
When Reno left, Leon sighed. "You must think of me as a terrible father," he said to no one in particular.
"Not really," Arien replied. "I am not the one to pass judgment."
"Ah, but I must admit, I never treated Reno and Luca fairly," he told her. "I was more severe to Reno, and neither of them knows why. It's just that Renaldo was frailer, and I saw that he would be leading a more fruitful, if harsher, life." He waved his hand noncommittally. "He was not exactly robust as Luca was."
Arien did not reply. Reno was not exactly robust, that was true. She had seen him sick only once, but then, she could not exactly say Reno had a sanguine complexion or a healthy amount of muscles.
"I'm glad you are with him, Miss. DeVir," Leon Miller told her. "Reno has not exactly been fed with too much apparent love. He needs you." A glance was shot at her.
"He probably needs you now more than ever."
"So what did you guys talk about when I was minding my own business?" Reno asked as they made their way through the streets. They were going to stop at the local food market; Reno was a little annoyed when Arien belatedly reported that their fridge was nearly empty, but he never argued with the prospect of good food. "Let's all diss Reno competition? You can tell me, babe, with that old man, I wouldn't be surprised even if you lost, yo."
"Mm, maybe," she replied.
"He always compared me to Luca. Always. Did he tell you to leave me and stick with Luca instead? 'Cause I think he's looking for prospective wives for that pothead." He grimaced. "I'm sure you'll enjoy life being covered in chocobo manure."
"Reno, stop." She looked at him, exasperated. "You're being a little silly."
"Fine. So now I'm a silly idiot." Reno was livid. "Why don't you just go fuck yourself?"
Arien gave up. There were some things worth attempting to remedy and to change. This was not it. Reno could be a bonehead sometimes, and this was that time. Besides, she was too tired to care. The uncertain prospect of what was happening, her fears of the future, her doubts of whether she was able to rebuild her life from scratch or not, was tormenting her enough without Reno adding to it by venting his anger to her. She had a sudden impulse to just leave everything, abandon everyone, and disappear. It was certainly the easy way out.
She fastened her pace without realizing; Reno, whose ire was slowly simmering down, realized it at once. And he could see that she was not in a happy mood.
"Wait! Arien!" Starting into a quick sprint, he caught up. "Arie! Why are you walking so fast, yo?"
"Well…" Arien's anger was not an explosive one like Reno's; instead she had a tendency to fall into lapses of silence, with her replies excessively short and terse. "You did tell me to 'go fuck myself', so…"
"Arie, I'm sorry, okay! I was bugged about my dad, I always am, that doesn't mean that you can go pissy at me, I just can't control it…"
"Then I suggest you learn self-control." Without even turning, she resumed her march.
"Oh, so now you're giving me the silent treatment."
"I'm not."
"Then talk to me!"
"Just leave me alone for a while," was the reply. "I can't talk to you right now without yelling."
Reno sighed. In his mind was one thought:
What a homecoming.
