Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII, I only own Jenna.
A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! They help inspire me to carry on with the fics. I have got a little of my muse back, but the main reason for Stupid Mistakes going so slow is that I am wondering how to end it. I don't know whether it should be a happy or sad ending. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter, please review!
Chapter 5: A Conversation with Rufus and one Hell of a Boom
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Rude drove through Midgar faster than he had ever driven before, he couldn't believe that Elena had got Reno into her apartment. Maybe he would be able to convince the redhead to stay, but more importantly, what condition was he in? The bald man had to shake all the thoughts out of his head as he narrowly missed colliding with a truck.
That was close, concentrate on driving, Reno isn't going anywhere! he tried convincing himself as he continued to speed towards Elena's apartment.
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Reno was not entirely comfortable with staying at Elena's, to be honest, he was really only doing it for Jenna. The blonde Turk was currently checking over the redhead's wounds, when he had got into that fight. Deep down, Reno was blaming himself for the death of Jenna's parents, if he had got rid of the thugs faster then they might have had a chance at survival, but he took too long in the fight. Elena could tell that something was bugging him, and was just about to say something when she heard a large knock on the door.
"Rude's here, he wanted to see you." she told Reno, who widened his eyes in horror.
"I can't stay here...I feel bad enough for leaving as it is...I'm going back." he said and stood up, but was pushed back down softly by Elena.
"Please, he has rushed over to see you. You told Jenna that you would stay the night, if anything, stay for her. She seems to have grown attached to you." the blonde said with a warm smile and went to open the door.
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Rude was shaking in anticipation, he had no idea what waited for him behind the door. The suspense grew when Elena opened the door and stepped back to let him in. The bald man took one look at Reno and almost ran out of the room from shock. The redhead looked worse than the last time Rude had seen him. Walking over slowly, he sat down next to his partner.
"What happened to you? Tseng didn't find you, did he?" he asked, and when the redhead looked at him, the Turk couldn't help but notice that the hyper spark was gone from his lover's eyes.
"I got into a bit of a fight down in Sector 6. Jenna's parents were being attacked by a gang, by the time I finished 'em off, the poor girl's parents were dead." Reno said, avoiding Rude's gaze. Even though the bald man had his shades on, Reno could still feel the gaze through them, he got used to it over the years. The brusies were now a furious purple, but the cuts were starting to heal up, they had stopped bleeding a few hours ago. Still, the bruises on the pale skin looked worse than they really were, and this made Rude worry even more.
"Please, come and live with me. You can bring Jenna, but I just can't stand to see you like this. If Tseng saw you now then I am sure he would realise what he has done and regret it! Come on, you can't live like this, the slums have been different for so long, you can't adapt again!" he said, but a quick prompt from Elena told the bald man to keep his voice down because Jenna was resting.
"Rude, I don't belong up here. I told you that. Tseng will not be happy to see me, and in a way, I should be grateful to him, as he has told me what I really am, and all I was doing was living a lie. I was never meant to be up here, I should stay down there. Believe me, Shinra is probably better off without me." he said, still not looking Rude in the face. The two Turks could not believe what they were hearing, what happened to the confident Turk? The one who never let anything get him down? Elena walked into the kitchen and Rude just took a deep breath.
"Go and rest Reno, itsounds like you need it after the fight today. Keep in touch though, don't give Tseng the satisfaction of making you live in fear." he said, and pulled the redhead into a hug. When he released his Reno, the bald man watched the redhead walk of to the other spare bedroom.
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Tseng was just locking his office u pfor the night when he ran into Rufus. He fumbled a bit while putting the keys into hsi pocket, before maintaining his calm composure and looking at his boss.
"There something I can help you with, sir?" he asked, and wasn't surprised to see Rufus nod.
"Where is Reno?" was the blunt question the president asked. the blonde did not look happy, it had been a month and a half since Reno had left the company, and the president was a vrey unhappy bunny indeed.
"Rude and Elena haven't had any luck, he is refusing to come back."
"Then YOU can go and get him back," was all Rufus said as he walked to the elevator.
That's it, I didn't want to have to do this...but it seems I have to...Reno, you've pushed me too far...
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Now that Elena was sure Reno was asleep, it was time for her and her colleague to have a little chat. Rude watched her sit down, and then got ready to tell her his plan.
"We need to tell Rufus exactly what happened, Tseng can not get away with this." he said, and was pleased to see that Elena agreed.
"As a note though, don't you think that talking to Rufus about this would escalate the situation. I am just worried about Reno, didn't you say that he had threatened to send someone after him if he contacted us?" she asked, and Rude pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Why did Tseng have to be such a bastard, why, oh why?
"Something has got to be done, Elena. That kid, Jenna, she can't be any older than five! She can't live down there, and if Reno is having trouble surviving, then she is in a hell of a lot of danger. Tomorrow, we talk to Rufus, ok?" he said, and Elena didn't bother to put up a fight. Rude was a man on a mission and there was nothing she could do about it. The blonde hoped that everything would be ok, but there was this annoying feeling of dread in her stomach that wouldn't go away.
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The day was so nice in Midgar, well, as nice as it got really, when Rufus walked into his office, ready for a new day. It was another day where he hoped that Reno would be back, running around Shinra, screaming like a muppet, but the president was beginning to doubt the redhead would return. With a sigh, he sat down on his desk, but was distracted by a note from his secretary.
Elena and Rude have booked an emergancy meeting with you, they should be in your office at about 9am. I believe the topic is about Reno, they said the matter was urgent.
Rufus was pleased he had such a good secretary, unlike the last one, who was too busy making herself look pretty and never got any work done. The blonde looked up at the clock and noticed that it was almost 9, so soon the meeting would get underway. Rufus decided to just relax until the two Turks arrived at his office.
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Elena and Rude walked down the corridor in solemn silence, neither of them not sure of what to say. They wanted to get this meeting over and done with, but in a way, they were worried. Tseng had not been in the office all day, and the pair had to wonder what their boss was doing. Both of them feared the worst, so they wanted this meeting out of the way so that actions could be taken. Elena knocked on the president's door, and when she was told to enter, she allowed Rude to follow her and they both took seats in front of the president. Wasting no time, Elena already had the first sentence formed in her head.
"Sir, I don't know if you know, but Tseng is the reason why Reno won't return." she said, getting straight to the ooint. Rufus hated time wasters, and she had learnt this, and always made sure she was quick and to the point.
"Why do you believe this?" the president asked, obviously oblivious to everything that had happened the day Reno quit.
"Tseng drove Reno back to the slums, calling him a slum rat may seem like a petty insult, but to somebody like Reno, it really hits home." Elena replied, it seems that she was going to be doing most of the talking, Rude was only there as a witness and to back up her points. She watched as Rufus closed his eyes, and the atmosphere immediately dropped. Once, Elena had admired Tseng, but right now, she felt nothing but hatred. He had driven one of her friends away, and she was now in danger of losing him. This felt like a nightmare to her, but she knew that it was worse for Rude. He was one of the first Shinra employees to stick by the redhead and help him get used to life above the plate.
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Tseng was wandering through the slums, being careful to remain out of site. Seeing as he was a Turk, a lot of the slum residents stayed out of his way, especially as the Turks only usually went down to the slums to pick people off. The Wutain man found his target, and slowly began to climb the ladder.
This will get rid of Reno, once and for all! he thought happily as he climbed the long pillar. Setting the bomb, he climbed back down and got ready to move into Sector 5, he did not want to be in Sector 6 when that bomb was ready to go off. From the gate to Sector 5, he detonated the bomb before running through the gate to safety.
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Reno and Jenna were relaxing back in Sector 6 when they heard a loud rumbling. Dust started to fall down below, and all actions had ceased in the Sector. Jenna looked over at her friend, fear in her eyes.
"What's that?"
"I don't know...but I think we need to get out of here!" Reno shouted. Grabbing Jenna, he lifted her onto his back and began running for Sector 7. That rumbling sounded familiar, and it brought back bad memories.
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Things were silent in Rufus' office, he was trying to think of something to say but had come up with nothing. All eyes widened when the trio heard a rumbling. Elena walked over to investigate, and looked on in horror as the Sector 6 plate began to sink.
"Sir, somebody's triggered the Plate Release System! The Sector 6 slums are about to be crushed!"
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A/N: Another chapter for you guys, I hope you enjoy it. These chappies are getting longer and longer lol. Please review so I know if you enjoyed it!