Disclaimer: Same as always! I still don't own a thing!
A/N: Sorry for the long hiatus. I'm taking three lit courses this semester and the books are drowning me. Yep, didn't know paper could do that didja? Anyway, sorry for the delay and hope you enjoy the next chapter of...this.
: BAD LANGUAGE APLENTY. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED
The blatant disappointment flared up wonderfully in Reno's temperament. Although he had spent the whole morning with his eyes practically buried in Kiyoko's ample cleavage, Rude had misjudged, and these beauties that they spent towing around were really just tour guides. On the other hand, what was to say that Rude should have thought that they were...something other than tour guides anyway? Sure they dressed a little...risque, and exposed their Goddess-like figures without even a hint of shame, but still...
As Kiyoko and Mae (or so he thought he heard the other girl introduce herself as) led them up to the main attraction, The Nibelheim Mansion; Home of the Royal Valentine Family, Reno was aching to either get some play or get away from these girls. He wasn't in a mood to be teased by some half-naked succubi all day.
"This, everyone, is the world-famous Nibelheim Mansion! Home of The Royal Valentine Family--"
"Look, lady. We ain't stupid, we know were we are. Now enough with the chitchat, yo. There's a lil something I want to tell you," Grabbing the girl and pressing her hard into his body he practically growled, "The word of the day is 'legs', babe, so why don't we go back to my hotel room and spread the word?"
At the same moment that this was occurring, the Crown Prince, as well as Reeve and Yuffie were just stepping outside the door. From far away they could see four figures standing by the mansion gate, two of them seemed to be making out from their vantage point. Yuffie thought there was something familiar about the one with the bright orange hair...she couldn't place it but, she could have sworn she knew them.
Reeve, knowing that shock of orange hair the moment he spotted it, quickly threw a hand over Yuffie's eyes to keep her from getting a closer look. The Crown Prince barked out a sharp exclamation that seemed to break the two apart. The other two spectators, some baldheaded man in sunglasses and another rather oddly-dressed female turned and looked in his direction. Ordering Reeve to take Yuffie in the house for a brief delay, he decided to go deal with these disrespectful, young hooligans himself/
Initially Kiyoko was startled out of her mind. She wasn't used to any of her customers being this forward with her or this rough. Once she regained her bearings she roughly shoved the man off of her and gave him a good backhand across the face. One of her large rings cut a small gash across Reno's face. Running off back in the direction of town, her friend turned around and vomited a string of abuse at her friend's attacker.
"Look, you sick fuck! That's just wrong! You don't do that to a girl! Do we look like a couple of common whores to you?!"
The cheeky redhead wanted to add his piece to that, but kept his tongue firmly placed between his molars, and let her continue her tirade. There was anger flashing in those green eyes of hers, made to look even more fierce with copious amounts of colorful makeup.
"I don't know what kind of fucked-up slum you were brought up in, jerk, but neither of us are the kind of girls who would EVER defile ourselves with your filthy money, probably for some seizure-like spasm of five minutes!! So if you're looking for someone to screw, I'll tell you this; GO FUCK YOURSELF!!"
The other girl quickly turned and ran after Kiyoko, holding her hand over the clips in her short black hair to keep them from falling out.
Vincent had been meaning to walk down and give them all a piece of his mind, but instead stood on the driveway watching them with an amused smile hinting at the corner of his lips. It was like watching some really bad high-school drama or something. Instead of chastising them further, he instead turned back towards the mansion and decided to let them leave on their own, focusing his attention on the matter at hand; taking Yuffie around to see Nibelheim.
Reno spat out a small infusion of saliva and blood, from where he had bitten himself from that slap. Rude looked at him stunned, unable to make so much as a comment about what just happened. On the one hand, he did feel guilty, fully knowing that he had mistaken the girls for...working girls...too. On the other hand, he never would have thought that Reno could behave like such an animal.
"Dumb bitch..." Reno spat once again and rubbed the back of his sleeve across the cut on his face. "What the fuck does she know about me? I bet whoever she IS fucking is just some two-minute sweat seizure, that's why she accuses ME of being a spaz. Whore."
Rude had enough. Taking a few strides up to his partner, he grabbed him by the shirt collar and shook him violently.
"What the Hell is wrong with you, man? You're acting like a Godforsaken animal! This isn't the Reno I know! Sure, he might be a womanizer, but he's not some vicious brute who goes around saying things about women that would make the most vulgar of pimps blush! I didn't think you were the type to be such a stupid, self-centered asshole! Get over yourself! Do you really not take notice of what a complete and utter prick you're being?"
Reno one solid hit to the face, he sent the already embarrassed man sprawling, walking away agitatedly as the redhead scrambled to his hands and knees. He stopped when he heard a strangled cry from the direction behind him. He had never heard Reno cry before.
"Look, yo. I know...I know this just ain't me! Look at this monster I've become! I'm treating decent girls like trash, I'm acting like a total jerkwad, and I haven't even been a good Turk lately! I'm real fucked-up yo! Just like that broad said! But I just don't feel like I can ever be normal again, knowing that I can't have what I want! Haven't you ever been in love? Can't you spare me just an ounce of compassion? Look at me, partner, look at me..."
Rude turned around and picked his partner off the ground. He held him by the shoulders, only with much less hostility this time, and forced Reno to look at him.
"Reno...if this really means that much to you, maybe we should just tell her the truth. Maybe we should just sort this whole mess out and make things right. And maybe then you'll have a fair chance at having her."
"But Rude, I'm just a second-rate, half-ass Turk. A man like me don't have anything to offer a princess, straight outta heaven, like her."
Rude noticed to his horror, that the Crown Prince of Nibelheim was emerging from the palace with...Yuffie and Reeve?! Quickly hitting the panic button, he grabbed Reno and started moving them rapidly in the direction of the inn.
"Look buddy, maybe right now isn't the right time to make this call. Let's just go back to the inn and you can clean yourself up and decide what you think is the right thing to do."
Reno noticed Rude's sudden hurried demeanor and shot a glance back at the palace to see what had spooked him. He felt the bile rise in his throat as the princess herself was locked arm in arm with one Vincent Valentine. The Crown Prince.