"This is quite likely to scar him mentally. ." The comment from Tseng was almost musing. ..he wanted to tell Rude Reno would need him, but he didn't. . .Rude would likely get mad, and it wouldn't help.
"It didn't need to happen again," Rude said, tone quiet but icy. "... he was careless."
"He was trying to protect you." Elena stated flatly. "Right now you may not remember, but he does, he loves you, despite how he's being treated." Yes, Elena was testy, She had watched Reno, who was despite his unpredictability still somewhat a creature of habit, struggle through this. Yes, she knew Rude didn't particularly like being touched prior to Reno, but in her opinion there was more than one point at which Rude had been downright cruel. She wasn't going to tell him that, though.
"Still careless," Rude muttered. He wanted to just shove the redhead off his lap, curl up in a corner of the car and break the fingers of anyone who tried to touch him. He DIDN'T like being touched. "What good would he do me dead?"
Elena whispers "Looks like it's what you want." Under her breath, and right now she was honestly wondering why Reno hadn't just kicked his ass to the curb, or let Krastof take Rude. ..her fingers tracing the scars on Reno's face trying to lend the redhead just a small amount of comfort, knowing he'd get none from the one he rightfully should be. Ok, so maybe it wasn't completely Rude's fault, but she was simply sick of watching the smaller man being hurt from slamming his head into the brick wall Rude was putting up around himself.
A cigarette was lit in Rude's hand before he knew what he was doing. He cracked the window a bit to let the smoke out, and sat there puffing like a chimney. He couldn't deal with this. He couldn't. Everyone kept pushing him, and it just made him more and more angry with each passing minute.
Elena as soon as they got there carried Reno in, not even looking at Rude as she did, she was pissed as Hell, but she wasn't going to say it, no, she wasn't. .if he wanted to be an anti-social dickwad, let him. .. she'd do the best she could to help Reno, but she hoped to God Rude figured out what he stood to lose when Reno stopped trying altogether.
Rude waited outside, finishing his cigarette and lighting another while the others went inside. He had some thinking to do, and he wanted to do it alone, with no one pushing him or steering him or anything.
Reno didn't cry out as they treated him, just let out the tiniest of whimpers, even though it hurt, his head ringing like fuck from the blow he'd taken, he was torn up pretty badly inside as well. ..and he heard Elena ask the doctor for a complete run down of his injuries.
"The internal injuries are what we're most concerned about," the doctor, Dr. Grey, said in his monotone. "Other than that, we've got a broken nose, a few hairline skull fractures, and some bruising."
Elena nodded, she knew how the surfaces of the rifle had torn him up, she'd seen the blood when she'd come up on the scene, she ran her fingers through Reno's hair, feeling the tiny shakes that still ran through him. .
Reno's eyes flickered once, twice, then closed, unconsciousness had finally claimed it's prize, though his mouth formed Rude's name as it did. . .this is another situation Rude if he were inside would likely find eerily familiar.
Dr. Grey was shooing people out of the room, claiming his patient needed rest in that same monotone.
Elena strode outside, lighting up one out of Reno's pack that had been in his shirt pocket as she did, standing a good 100 yards from Rude. . .she appeared lost in thought herself.
Rude noted the blonde standing there, but didn't give her a second thought. He went back to his brooding with the lighting of another cigarette.
Then came the screeching tones from inside, another thing that might jog something, this one less than pleasent. ..dance floor of a club. .. Elena ran in, to find multiple doctors fluttering around Reno's bed, she stood back and allowed them to work, silently praying the entire time.
Rude walked down to the street corner, still brooding until he noticed a few children running down the street. Children? Krastof's gang was mostly children... But Krastof was dead... and Eric was still missing... "Eric," he said softly. He'd managed to escape the confrontation relatively unharmed; he was in perfect condition to go after his brother.
Elena heard a doctor yell clear, and had to fight to stand there . ..where was Rude now? He should BE here. It wasn't right that he wasn't. When his memory came back, if Reno died he'd feel horrid, she knew he would.
He stalked quickly through the streets, trying to remember just how many bullets he had left in his gun, all the while his eyes darting about, searching for one of the kids he'd seen earlier.
Finally one of them saying "We have a rythm!" and Elena almost sank into the wall, looking up at one of the doctors who began clearing away from the bed, with eyes that asked what had happened. ..why had he crashed like that so suddenly?
The further he went into the Wutan Quarter of the city, the dimmer the light became. He passed boarded up stores, their once colourful awnings now faded, yet still blocking out much of the day's light.
Then Rude would see children coming out of the shadows, those shadowed forms following him, one in particular swift of motion.
"What happened?" she finally found the voice to ask.
Rude faced down one of the children, an unknown dirt covered face. He cracked his knuckles, fingers already encased in a pair of fighting gloves. "Where is Eric?" he asked.
The child, no more than 6 at most, points to a small ranshackle wharehouse.
Rude knew that regardless of anything he said, the children would continue to follow him. He moved quickly towards the warehouse, senses sharp as he prepared for the worst.
What he would find would be Eric chained. .. much the same way he and Reno had been at Corneo's place, on a huge electrified rack. ..chidlren scattered around him.
Rude's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting as he looked around, counting children. There were far more children than he had bullets... "Let him down," he ordered the small group by where Eric was being held.
Two of them did, younger ones. ..they knew their master was dead, and many of the younger ones were glad he was. ..one of them then piped up. "You should go see to the other. . .there was something on that rifle. ..the master carried the antidote on the chain he had around his neck. If he does not get it soon, he will never wake up. . .He wanted to make an example of that one and your brother to keep the rest of us from trying to leave."
Poison? Since when did Krastof stoop to using poison? He picked Eric up, looking over him for further injuries. "Did he use it on him?" he asked the nearest child. He had to know. Before he hunted down that rifle, he HAD to know.
One of them nodded softly. "He used it on both of them. .. "
"How long ago?" Rude growled. He cursed silently on his not bringing a vehicle to transport Eric with.
"2 hours ago for this one. ..for your man, about 90 minutes."
"Shit." Rude did a few mental calculations. The fever hadn't hit Eric yet, which meant the poison hadn't completely gone through his system. He still had a little time at least. "Where's the body?" He was well aware that the children wouldn't let the body be found by the police.
Three children stepped aside to show the body. "Your man's gonna get hit faster, he's smaller, and injured."
He wanted to snarl a comment about the redhead not being his man, but he just couldn't do it. Besides, he hated that term: 'your man'. It just irritated him. He fumbled through Krastof's clothing, finally finding the little vial of antidote. He quickly tipped a few drops of the greenish liquid into Eric's mouth before recorking the vial and pocketing it.
Elena again asked the doctor what had happened, just standing there, shellshocked.
"We don't know, Ms. Marshall!" the emergency nurse said loudly. "Now please, move out of the way so we can help him!"
She moved, choking on her tears, watching her coworker, no her FRIEND, twtiching in fever bound convulsions, forcing the doctors to restrain him to keep him from injuring himself. ...no other sound but for the noise of thrashing limbs hitting cloth and the doctors shouting orders.
As Rude finished hotwiring the nearest car, a tiny voice spoke to him. "There is one of us that is still looking for you," the voice said. "He claims a personal debt to one of your friends."
Rude frowned, turning to see a small, sickly looking boy.
"He is better trained than we are... watch out for him."
Rude grunted and nodded, placing Eric carefully in the back seat of the car. Getting inside himself, he drove as fast as he could towards the hospital.
He would enter just as Reno coded again, his body had absorbed the poison quickly, just before he did so Rude's name formed on his lips in a low moan.
Rude's stride was sure and quick as he stepped to what appeared to be the head doctor. He handed over the vial from his pocket. "Here. Antidote," he said before shuffling his feet, almost as if the tiredness hit him the second his 'mission' was completed, and flopping into the nearest chair.
The doctor nodded, administering it, the screech leaving, the soft beeping sound returning...though he informed everyone there that how long it would take for the normally vivacious young man to awaken was anyone's guess. ..as to how whole he would be when he did so, that also was anyone's guess.
Rude slumped forward, nearly hitting his head on the ground as the stress of the last few days finally caught up with him and demanded unconsciousness.
Elena called Rufus, informing him of what had happened, including the incident with Tseng's son. ..her voice was shaky. "Tseng's watching over him. I just hope the both of them end up allright."
One of the doctors settled Rude into the bed next to Reno, the lithe redhead looked almost frighteningly pale.
The tiny snore that issued from Rude indicated that he was in a restful kind of sleep... something he certainly needed.
"At any rate, sir, it may help for you to be here, I don't know. ..He needs support from someone close enough for him to appreciate it."
"Is there something you're not telling me, Elena?" Rufus asked.
"Reno almost died, sir. ..and Rude had gone for his brother. ..I. ..I'm not sure how Reno's going to take it if he discovers Rude wasn't where he is going to feel for sure he should have been. And of course with the mess over the past few days sir. ..neither Tseng nor I are truly certain how to handle it when he does awaken." She softly explains everything she knew, including Rude's resentment over Reno wanting things to return to some sort of normalcy.
Rufus frowned. "Where is Rude now?"
"Sleeping next to him."
"His condition?" Rufus asked. He wanted to know all aspects of the situation before he decided if his presense was indeed needed.
"Unconscious, sir. ..they say. ..really if he's not going to fight. ..he may never awaken. .He's not at his best after the past several months, sir, and I'm not totally sure how much inner resiliance he has left. I'm hoping maybe your presence might help."
Rufus sighed. "Give me an hour." With that, he hung up.
Elena sat back, watching Reno, he was so still, face and limbs slack, they had entubated him after the second crash, and to see him with that tube down his throat was a very frighteneing thing. It felt WRONG to her.
Tseng paced outside the door, his thoughts in a jumble. Between finding out his child was not only in the area, but in a GANG, and the problems with Reno and Rude... the stress was starting to give him wrinkles. He knew it.
Elena herself felt the same. she got up and strode to the door as the president strode up. "Sir." she said. "Thank you."
"I want a full report." It was all Rufus said, the tension of the past while finally starting to show on his normally calm exterior.
Elena gestured as she told him everything she knew. ..from the incident with Josh, this Krastof who had been creating problems with the custody battle, then his connection with both Reno's and Rude's pasts. ..and how he'd poisoned Reno and Eric in order to deliver an example to the younger ones, the gang leader's subsequent death, flinching as she included how they'd found reno in the alleyway.
"I see." Rufus turned to Tseng. "And what is Rude's current mental state? Has he fully recovered"
M
"Not so far as I know sir. ..and whether he has when he is awakened. ..well, we will not know until then. He collapsed in exhaustion soon after we brought Reno in."
"I see," Rufus repeated. It appeared things were not boding well, but he could tell that Tseng was holding something back.
"My son was among the gang, sir. . .he stabbed me, saying it was too late. .. he is lost to me, as I had suspected he was."
The blonde took a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm... I'm sorry..." What more could he say? He pulled Tseng close, just holding him against his body.
Tseng leaned his head against the younger man's, taking in one shaky breath as well.
"His memories must resurface soon, they just have to. ..Reno needs him, now more than any other time. Rude was always his wall, the one to lean against when he had no one. This couldn't have been easy for him at all." Elena sighs, shaking her head, she loved both of them like brothers, but it was hard not to take Reno's part in this one, his pain had been so much more obvious.
"We must give those memories time. If Rude is unable to fulfill his role as Reno's wall... one of us will have to be the surrogate." Rufus looked at his two remaining, fully capable Turks.
Reno moaned softly around the tube that was breathing for him, as if fighting against it, not to breath on his own, but willing himself not to, he was tired, until a voice cried out from the doorway. "Papa. .."
"I came to check up on the boys. .." Tifa started before gasping at the sight that met her eyes. "Denzel. ..take Rennan out, please. .."
Rufus took a deep breath, watching the elder boy nearly drag the little redhead away, saying something about cookies.
But hearing Rennan seemed to have helped, for he had stopped fighting the equippment and seemed to have sunk into something other than the oblivion-inducing comatose state, he had even had a little of his color return, even if not very much.
Rufus went to sit by Reno's hospital bed, folding his hands up in a sort of praying motion and placing his head on his hands. No, he wasn't praying. It was just... easier to think in that position.
"Come on, you crazy bastard" Tifa whispered as she knelt next to Rufus. "You're better than this, dammit. . .I know you're tired. ..believe I know how tired you are, but think of your son. ..and think of how badly Rude would feel once his memory does come back if you leave him like this. .." She looked up suddenly to see a large, dark haired form in the door, it was Rude's little brother, now awake, even though he still appeared pale and shaky, she nodded to him, and then cocked her head as if to ask what he was doing in here, as last she'd heard Eric really didn't care for Reno very much at all.
Eric didn't have the energy for the snide comment that wanted to slip past his lips, so he let it go with a rather Rude-like grunt as he hobbled towards his brother's bed.
Tifa simply shook her head, sqqueezing Reno's hand gently, then looked over at Rude, she reached over and gave his a gentle squeeze as well, they were connected, in a way, through her.
Eric just looked down at Rude, finally speaking softly. "Bastard. Now I owe you." Had Rude been awake, or even partially awake, he would have known that the words were not as malicious as they sounded. It had always been like that between Eric and Rude.
"You love your brother more than you let on, don't you?" The wordss were soft, and honestly spoken.
"He is my brother." As if those four little words said it all. Eric's tone, however, spoke volumes that he did not want to discuss the issue further.
Tifa nodded, then simply smiled. "Like he loves the little guy here, he just doesn't remember that right now. ..you look like you're still feeling some of the effects. ..that stuff was a fairly nasty neurotoxin."
"Why do you care?" Were it any other broad with a nice rack, Eric would've been far nicer. But he'd heard of this Tifa chick.
"Because I care about your brother, and I care about him," She tilts her head in Reno's direction "and you're his family, of course I care, just because I'm a fighter doesn't mean I can't care about others."
"Rudy was right," Eric muttered, his head turned and face in shadow as he mouthed, but didn't voice, the words, 'Butch ass bitch.'
Tifa simply let it slide off her back, as she always did, it was hard to get her riled, before turning back to the smaller and more ill of the couple, willing him to awaken, to fight back.
"Tifa?" Denzel asked, poking his head around the doorway.
"Yes, Denzel?"
"Rennan wants to come in and see his dad, now."
"I guess so. ..but let him know he has to be quiet, and careful, ok, his dad's real sick right now."
Denzel turned, relaying the message verbatim to the small redhead.
Tifa gestured Rennan in, noting how the little boy drew back at the way his father looked, face pale, with the tube down his throat, and all the tubing and wiring attached to him that were giving him air and nutrition and were monitoring his vital signs.
The little boy looked up. "Is Papa dead?"
"No, he's just really, really sick.. .and he's really tired. ..tired enough that fighting to get better is hard.
A frown passed the child's features. "And Papa Rude? Is he dead?"
"No, he's just sleeping. ..but I still don't know how much he remembers yet."
"So... they're not going to die?" Ah, the simplistic wisdom of children.
"Rude should wake up soon enough. .." She wasn't sure what to tell him about Reno. ..the lithe redhead could possibly die, but she didn't want to worry Rennan. "Your papa just needs someone to help him fight, is all."
The boy was quick, quicker than most would take him for. In a moment he had crawled onto his father's bed, sat on his knees and yelled at his face. "Papa! I'll fight for you!"
Reno's eyes flickered, just for a moment, as if his body was marshalling energy, trying to awaken, but it simply wasn't there as yet.
"Pa-pa!" With each syllable, Rennan smacked his hands on the bed, as if his bouncing insistence could rouse the elder redhead.
A single finger twitch, before it all fell slack, as if that tiny effort had exhausted him.
"He's trying sweetheart, but he's really, really tired. ..here, sit with me, sweetheart. ..when he's strong enough he'll wake up, I promise."
"But I wanna talk to him no-ow..." Rennan whined. Ah, the abilities of children to turn single syllabled words into multi-syllabled ones.
"I know, sweetie, but he can't now. .."
Reno's eyes squinted as if to say "Come on, quiet, people're trying ta sleep here."
Tifa turned to hear a couple of mutters from Rude's direction, but couldn't understand what he'd said.
There was a small laugh from Eric, who'd managed to hear exactly what Rude had mumbled in his sleep.
Elena looked over at Eric questioningly. with a brow raised, as if to ask what he'd said.
Eric just mouthed the words to her, and if she didn't catch them... her problem. 'If you wake me up again, Reno, I'm going to stuff your disgusting socks in your mouth.'
Elena laughed. ...maybe he was remembering some. She then whispered them into Reno's ear, and they actually elicted a tiny grin around the tube.
Eric leaned back in the chair he was sitting in. Once his brother woke up and he insulted him good and proper, he was out... and on the first plane back to Costa.
Elena whispered "That's right, keep remembering more, big guy. . .you have someone who could really use your encouragment right now. . .besides, your brother's waiting on your snappy comment." The little blond turned to Eric with a smirk, she knew him better than she let on.
There was a 'fuck you' in Elena's future from the irritated Eric. Right about... now.
Elena just did what Reno would if he were awake and himself, giving Eric a fully outstretched tounge.
Oh ho? She wanted to play that way, huh? Eric grinned slyly. "Got a better place for that, babe. Why don't you come over here and I'll show ya."
"Be glad to but Sam would not be happy."
"Bein' with one of my brothers never stopped a girl before."
Elena laughs, loud enough to wake the dead, simply because for once she'd find someone of her own mettle. She yanks him by his shirt, planting her lips right on his.
Eric kisses her back, and after a moment, his hand reaches up to goose her breast. When she jumped back with a squeal, he grinned like the charmer he could be. "A little lower was what I had in mind."
Elena just winked and thought to herself a moment. "Maybe it would bring back some memories, but I think your brother would kill me."
Eric snorted, reaching out to grab her pants by the belt. He pulled her towards him, recapturing her lips. "Like it better when you don't talk," he mumbled against her lips.
Elena actually melted into him, peering over at Rude who looked to be slowly awakening, then winked, putting on the best show she was able.
"Fucking A, Eric," Rude mumbled. "Do you have to do that right there? Jesus fucking Christ..."
Elena laughed "Morning, Rude. .."
Reno's fingers twitched again at the sound of that deep, whiskey on velvet voice he knew so well.
"Can't you keep your fucking hands to yourself?" Rude complained, sliding his pillow over his head. "No respect for anyone. None for me, none for my coworkers..."
Reno's hand lifted from the bed, reaching for the much loved voice, a soft groan sounding from deep in his chest.
"Guys. ..look. ." she whispered almost reverantly. "Rude, keep talking. .."
"I'm not speaking to you, Elena." Rude groaned from under the pillow. "Because if I keep speaking, I might just call you a whore for making out with both of my brothers. And I'm sure neither of us want that."
Reno's eyes opened at that last sentence, and he reached for his pillow, flinging it at Rude in the teasing manner he had when they'd first moved in together.
Rude's head stayed under his pillow. "Nobody asked you either, Reno." He gestured grandly towards where the pillow came from.
The respiritory therapist came in just then "I see someone's awake, and I think it's safe to take you off this thing, would you like that, Mr Tarshil?"
That got an enthusiastic nod from him, though he gave a soft whimper, as it sent a shooting pain through his head. With a cough when he was ordered the tube came sliding out. "Yeah, well it doesn't mean I love you any less, aibou, so get used to it. "The voice was rough, like sandpaper. "And that was some nasty ass shit, m'head feels like someone stuck onea your bombs in it."
Rude's good mood quickly soured as he remembered just how poorly he'd been treating everyone. On top of that... he was still a little pissy about everyone's being so pushy about him remembering. It was generally just not the greatest feeling. But no one really needed to know that.
"So, babe, how long until you can't fuck because of this?" Eric asked Elena, splaying his hand over her abdomen."Rude. ..come over here a sec, please."
"As soon as I get outta here. ..you wanna fuck?" Elena's eyes were teasing.
Rude pulled the pillow down harder over his head. "I don't need to hear this..."
Eric's smile said more than words ever could.
Michael TW Kelley: "Rude. .." Reno said in that slightly breathless tone. "If you don't kiss me right now I'm gonna just die, so get your ass over here."
"Can't move. Will see brother making out with Elena. Don't wanna see that." Rude's words were muffled as he pulled the pillow still tighter against his head.
"Then get over here with the pillow over your head. ..we'll give 'em a run for their money."
Elena laughed and hauled Eric out of the room.
"Thanks for the piece of ass, bro." Eric's parting words were punctuated by his pinching of Elena's ass.
"They're gone, now kiss me for fuck's sake."
Rude slowly peeked out from under the safety of the pillow. Not seeing his brother whoring it up with Elena, he just as slowly crawled off the bed, as if he were expecting them to run back into the room naked, jump on the bed in front of him, and start going at it like chocobos.
Reno sat up, all joking gone now, his eyes showing how badly he'd missed Rude's. ..well, everything. ...he patted a spot on the bed next to him.
Rude moved to stand next to Reno's bed, his eyes occassionally darting towards the door for the pair that had left. He pressed a tiny peck to Reno's lips before pulling away. "Brush your teeth," he commanded.
"Help to the bathroom? I don't know if m'legs'll carry me right now." He did try to get up and immediatly his knees crumpled.
Rude nearly carried Reno into the bathroom, propping him up against his body so he could do his business.
Reno as soon as his breath was freshened turned, leaning his head in, his fingertips tentivly tracing Rude's goatee. ..."I've missed the Hell outta you, ya know. .." his eyes mist over, but that smiile, that soft, shy smile, stays affixed.
"So there's no more hell in me," Rude quipped, leaning in for a chaste kiss.
Reno tried to keep it chaste, Gods, did he, but he couldn't, a soft, questing tounge sought entrance. ..those eyes overflowing, salt tainting his tounge. ..
Rude pulled away after a minute. "Give me... give me a few days," he asked.
Reno nodded, leaning against him. .."'sgonna take that long before I can do any more than kissin' anyway. ..fucking Kraptoff" and Rude would suddenly get a flash of an 11 year old Reno calling the big gangster the same thing.
Rude just rolled his eyes and shook his head, dipping down for another quick kiss before helping Reno back into the room.
Reno settled into bed, eyes drooping, he gave the boss and Tseng a look to say he was ok now, and a tired thumbs up. before whispering "I love you, big guy. ..you're mine. ..never forget it."
"Yeah, I know." Rude pressed a kiss to Reno's forehead before he returned to his own bed, body and mind still exhausted.
"I know it's a lot ta ask. ..but can we cuddle. ..not askin' for anythin' else. ..just. ..cuddle."
Rude sighed, then patted the bed in front of him. He was already comfortable and really didn't feel like moving.
Reno army crawled across, yanking himself into the bed with main strength. . .then settling his head on Rude's chest. ..eyes beginning to slide closed.
A deep breath rose and fell from Rude's chest before he fell into the oblivion of sleep.