Reno stood in front of a smoking Cid, Betsy's blades whirling proudly behind him. Tseng leaned out of the back waiting patiently as Reno said his good byes.
"Thank you. For everything." Reno said, looking at the ground rather sadly.
"Yer welcome. I am jus' happy that Betsy is werking again."
Reno nodded and looked back up at Cid. "I am sorry it has to end like this. We have to take Rufus to our safe house to look after and if he ever get's better we have to wait for him to dismiss us."
"I's alright. We knew goin' into this that all this fucking horse shit was a possibility. I jus' wish it wasn' so soon."
Reno nodded, "Me too."
"Where are ya goin' to stay?" Cid asked, "Or can't ya tell me."
Reno shook his head, "We are going to a place called Healin lodge. Appropriate name with what we will be doing there."
"How will y'all get food? I thought ya had no real friends left."
"We have some Shinra sympathetics that are going to help us."
Cid nodded and looked at the ground, kicking a rock around with his toe. "I guess this is g-bye then."
Reno shook his head, "Not good bye. Not unless you are planning on me dying."
Cid looked up at Reno looking a bit hopeul, "So you'll come back if this shit blows over?"
Reno nodded and gave Cid a smile, "And if I get a day off or vacation time. That is, of course, I you will still have a punk ass Turk freeloading at yer house."
"Nah, I dun really like punk ass freeloading Turks. However I do have this one guy that is an amazing ass pilot tha's gunna help me open a fucking air school. Even though he calls me old an's a fucking smartass at times, I think I've grown to really like him and will be fucking bored as shit without him."
Reno gave a smile and offered a hand to Cid, "Until we meet again?"
Cid pushed the hand out of the way and wrapped his arms around Reno, "There are some times in life that even the manliest of men need a hug."
Reno smiled and pressed his lips to Cid's holding their embrace for as long as they possibly could before they pulled away.
"Dontcha dare go and forget about coming back. Ya dont haveta, but don't you dare forget that it is always an option fer ya."
"I won't." Reno said pressing his lips against Cid's one last time, before he turned and walked towards the chopper.
Cid looked past Reno to Tseng, "If he gets hert on yer watch I will beat the livin' dog shit outta ya."
Tseng smiled and nodded, "Trust me, I won't let any harm come to him."
Reno climbed into the helicopter without looking back. He knew if he did he wouldn't be able to fly away. He knew that if he looked back he would see that longing look in Cid's eyes and he would never want to leave.
He moved into Betsy's cockpit and sat in the pilot's chair.
"I am sorry to do this Reno." Tseng said over the headset once Reno put it on.
"Do me a favor Tseng?" Reno said as he started the flight sequence.
"Anything." Tseng returned almost immediately and rather hopefully.
"Shut the fuck up. I may have forgiven you for being stupid, but right now you are still the guy that is takin gme away from the man I love."
There was silence on the other end and then Rude spoke from the headset Reno had put on, "Ready to fly partner?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." Reno said and carefully maneuvered the helicopter into the air.
Cid watched as Betsy took off, allowing the wind from her blades to buffet his graying hair. He watched as they flew away from Rocket Town. He felt something oddly hollow as he watched the Turks leave and he shook his head.
"M' too old fer this fucking horse shit."
He turned and walked to his now empty house, realizing for the first time in a while just how lonely his once usual life style was.
The Turks flew to Healin lodge in relative silence, Tseng having taken his head set off the normal channel and switching it to a private one so he could speak to Rufus without being interrupted or feeling guilty for taking up the same airway Reno was on.
Reno stared blankly out of the windshield, feeling utterly hollow.
"Will you be okay?" Rude asked over the airwaves, knowing by Reno's telltale silence that the redhead was lost in thought.
"Right now I'm not, but I will be."
The two remained silent for a moment before Rude spoke again. "Do you think you loved him?"
Reno stared for a moment more before he responded to Rude, "Yes."
Rude fell silent for the remainder of the ride and Reno was very thankful that he was the only one in the cockpit.
Sometimes, even the manliest of men need to cry when they have their hearts torn open.
~Here it is the last chapter. Thank you all or reading. Thank you all for reviewing! Especially to Ohmigoditskirby, KakashiXIrukaLover, Yatsuki, Black-Rogue-Fairy for the marvelous reviews! Don't worry to much there is an epilogue that will certainly clear some things up. Please forgive me and thank you or reading! ~CR