Chapter 19- Loving for Loneliness' Sake

In every complicated zone of Reno's brain, love was the buzzword. In fact, there was nothing in his countenance to suggest that he had known a life before love. This new discovery made itself so glaringly apparent in the most simplistic movements that Sakura made. Every flash of a smile, every cautionary glance and longing stare that the young hermaphrodite gave him was alive with debasement, like a song sung by mighty tornadoes. It would be within the full and complete grasp of the truth to say that Reno did not give a care about what his friends thought, mostly because he had no friends.

'Surely', Reno thought, 'the secret will be safe from inquiring minds'. After all, Sakura appeared to be quite a stunning woman. She possessed a certain lady-like charm, and both her skin and expression were tender as a young maiden. Other than the additional male appendage, Sakura was the proud owner of a woman's body. She had the long hair and curvy figure to prove it. Somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, Reno took pride in the knowledge that Sakura's brief stint as a part of the Midgar nightlife had not lasted long enough to emotionally damage her. Quite the contrary, actually. In the tender moments when Sakura dared to look into Reno's eyes, he could see that his kindness had softened the young girl's heart. Perhaps she had even found her way back into the land of the innocent.

Luckily for Reno, Sakura's praises do not end there. Technically, her condition was not the only thing that identified her as male. In the first weeks that Reno knew Sakura, she had exhibited behaviors that Reno enjoyed quite well. On their first night out together, Reno acquired tickets to go to the Golden Saucer amusement park. It was the first time he had been, so he allowed Sakura to drive. After going in circles for half an hour, it became apparent that Sakura did not like asking for directions. Neither did she like going to the ladies restroom. She much rather preferred a stall next to Reno, which embarrassed him to no end.

"Wow."

"Reno, it's not polite to stare."

"I'm not."

"Yes you were. I can tell, because you're blushing."

"I am not."

"Then admit it."

"Admit what? No, I won't say anything."

"If you say it, then I'll take the couch tonight, and you can take the bed."

"Alright. I…"

Sakura put a finger to Reno's lips and whispered, "Shh. Not here. Tell all your friends about it."

"No way!"

"If you deny me before man, then I'll deny you too."

"Sakura, since when do you quote the Bible?"

"Reno, I know them all."

"What's your favorite?"

"You don't pick up a religious book and think that you're going to read it like a novel. Remember, it's not a library book. You don't have a time limit, so you can take it a couple of pages at a time. But to answer your question, I'd say that the Bible is my favorite, depending on the translation."

"Which one do you like the least?"

"Definitely Scientology. It's like, 'Empty your mind so that I can fill your head with nonsense like 2+26, just 'cause I said so'. People shouldn't empty their minds. That's just dangerous."

After a moment of silence, Sakura reminded Reno, "Don't forget. Tell all your friends about it."

"I will."

From the moment that Reno and Sakura walked into the 7th Heaven, Tifa Lockheart could hear the whispers of her narrow minded patrons: 'I thought Reno was more dignified than this', 'Look, the man-girl', 'I suppose he's finally gone crazy'. Reno marched up to Tifa's bar counter and asked, "Can I use your megaphone?" Tifa leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Reno, everyone can see your friend for who she really is, and I hope you're not making a fool of yourself."

"Tifa, everyone can see down your shirt, and I hope you would cover up your Mount Everests. Oh, too late. President Rufus just got an eyeful."

Across the room, Tifa could see that Rufus was blushing. She quickly stood up straight and handed the megaphone to Reno.

"Excuse me, I have an announcement to make! My girlfriend is more of a man than I am!" Needless to say, the entire bar was silent, except for the sound of Sakura laughing. Reno felt a hand on his back, and he turned to see Rude. "Reno, Sakura, we need to talk outside."

When they had left the building, Rude remarked, "What's happened to you, Reno? Did you fall in love with her already?" Reno looked at Sakura, who seemingly understood his thoughts and was nodding in agreement. "No, I haven't. We are both in love with the idea that we don't have to live lonely."

Rude sent Reno's mind scrambling with one brief confession. "Today, I had to talk Rufus out of firing you."

"Why? I've done nothing wrong!"

"President Rufus has the right to fire whoever he wants to, especially if you're acting like a nutcase. If I were you, I'd find a way to redeem yourself."

Upon hearing those words, Sakura lit up. Reno queried, "Do you have an idea?"

"I sure do, and what an idea it is."

"Alright, let's hear it."

"No, not here. Let's discuss it privately, away from the ears of those that feast on words like vultures."

"Like ravens."

"Like vultures."