Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)
Author's Note: Chapter Eight...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)
Chapter Eight: Thoughts for the Travellers
The aroma of pine and heated dirt hung thick within the already muggy air, the process set into motion almost immediately with the sun's first rays. Both the sudden rise in temperature and surrounding atmosphere had somewhat surprised the young Turk, though not as much as the change environment once they had entered the approaching density of trees.
For some reason he'd expected the woodland to be rotted, hollow-like, and in a sense...to seem older, but in actual fact, it had been quite the opposite, in both visually and mentally. It was somewhat likeable to being inside a tropical jungle, though without the monkey howls and swarming insects.
Various vines, and leaf weighted branches entwined with one enough, creating random designs like spider webs, locking their owner's bark coated trunks together, whilst their higher appendages criss crossed over, producing a make-shift canopy, both blocking and constructing patches of brightened pale light upon the grass-absent ground, whose soil lowered gently under foot, the red head's bodily pressure enough to break the melted surface, though never enough to force him to sink uncomfortably.
A silent groan escaped though his softly parted lips, whom had been locked in their current position for quite some time for the purpose of allowing the heavily filled air to enter his steam appropriately, though now that need seemed to drift away as his sense's focused upon the residing pounding within his skull.
The ache had began to form after only the first few minutes of walking, but had grown considerably since its arrival. Reno had put it down to a number of things; lack of sleep, lack of food, lack of comfortable environment and of course lack of mental peace, though in hindsight his partner must have been suffering a great deal more, for he had 'lack of blood' to add to the list.
Although his head was directed more towards the unmarked path ahead, he did managed to shift his gaze, thus allowing his aquamarine eyes to fall upon the larger form to his left, whom walked that little bit further in front, though not so much to be noticeable.
The red head eyed him with a masked curiosity for a few moments, before emitting a audible cough, which he knew would signal his desire to speak, albeit it nervously, ''So...where are we heading?''
''Up.'' The bald Turk didn't even turn his head, his gaze also fixed upon the approaching area until it was passed and replaced.
The red head rolled his eyes, though he knew the expression could neither be seen nor heard, ''Up...'' he gave a dissatisfied huff, whilst giving a heavy swing of his arms, ''Right.''
Rude was not oblivious to the gesture, and quickly responded to the unasked question, ''They sent me the coordinates for our next stop.'' He made a point to turn his covered sight towards his fellow Turk, ''That's it.''
The red head's brow furrowed, as he nodded, watching his partner's gaze revert back to its original point, before allowing his own to return.
Sure had hadn't expected much information, after all, what good had his questions done last time, but still, the fact the company were only giving them directions on a point to point basis was a little off putting, as if they either didn't trust them, or knew that if the path was given all at once they would refuse to walk it.
Though of course, none of it even mattered, not really, not to him, not yet. His mind had been rather preoccupied of late, and when it was not filled with thoughts concerning his current mission and his work, it was filled with thoughts of her, with memories which, at the time of happening had seemed somewhat futile, though now, they seemed both more precious and more affecting than he could he believed.
Reno's suited form sauntered across the road with an almost irrepressible confidence, and along with the perfectly unkempt hair, graceful smirk, and the black jacket flung across his shoulder, he made for quite an eye-catcher.
He had more than one reason to be pleased with himself; for once in a far to longer stretch, the red head had been let out from work earlier than expected, after actually managing to finish his paperwork, though of course he had had some 'help' from Rude, but still, he'd got it done.
Not only did he have freedom from the office, but it also just happened to be one of the best days of the year, weather wise that is, and he sure as hell didn't want to waste it inside Shin-Ra HQ.
No sir.
Instead of course he'd chosen to waste it in Seventh Heaven.
His smirk melted away into a warming smile as he pushed upon the beautifully glossy wooden door, which also seemed slightly heated, through its exposure to the sun's rays, though as he took a step inside his facial expression blanked to one of disappointment.
She was there of course, his-the brunette bartender, but she wasn't the only familiar female. Sitting, sprawled across two stools, with an unmistakable air of self inflated importance and child-like energy, was the petite form of little Miss. Royal, Pain-in-the-Ass Ninja herself, Yuffie Kisaragi.
Tifa hadn't even noticed the red head's entrance, as her attention was completely focused upon the young girl in front of her, whom was flashing her friend the biggest puppy-eyes she could create, ''You're not old enough Yuffie...''
The ninja's cheeks puffed out in anger, ''Yes I am!''
She rolled her eyes dismissively, ''Ok then...you're not...mature...enough.''
Yuffie's outrage spiralled into dramatic portions, the kind that everyone known to her had come to expect, ''I am soooo mature enough!'' She crossed her arms and pulled herself up straight in an attempt to look as such, ''Just coz I don't have wrinkles, and actually have a little fun I'm suddenly immature?''
''No...you're immature because you act like a child...''
Her mouth gaped open for a while in supposed shock, though when she found herself at a lose for self-defensive words, she turned tactics, with a smirk playing wide across her youthful face, ''Whatever, but anyway, Reno drinks all the time and I'd hardly call him mature!''
It was the that the brunette finally noticed the young Turk, whom was now only about a metre from the pair, and the two shared a knowing smile, whilst the ninja carried on oblivious, her garbling keeping her senses distracted.
''I mean come on, he's lazy, eats junk food, plays pranks, has a ridiculous hair cut, carries around...what is it...oh yeah, a cattle prod!-''
Tifa almost allowed a previously suppressed giggle to emerge with a burst like force from her soft pink lips, as the rise in Reno's brow became to much to bear, though luckily for her, the momentary amusement was sounded out by the hard thud which came when the red head forcefully plonked himself down upon the bar stool neighbouring the petite ninja.
Although she flinched slightly at his sudden appearance, she didn't appear to feel any embarrassment or fear, clearly not caring about the now obvious fact that he must have over heard her, and she proved this by confidently pointing to the weapon which hung against his hip, whilst sticking out his tiny pink tongue, ''See!''
Reno purposely ignored the petite ninja, and instead directed his aquamarine gaze towards the brunette whom was now returning to him, glass tumbler in hand, within which swirled the smooth amber liquid.
As she handed him the familiar order, the two shared a somewhat hidden smile, one which lately they'd been using more and more, as they grew more comfortable with one another. As they began to trust. It was nice.
The red head took a sip, whilst the form next to him flapped about, the ignorance making her more irritated and yet confident by the second, as she decided to carry on with her little endeavour of offence, ''I told you Tifa...he's completely and utterly childish!...Well either that or his brain's turned to mush after getting beaten so often...'' Her brow raised in amusement, her cheeky flashing eyes glancing towards the young Turk, ''After all he's just like that lump of metal he uses; thin, scrawny, ugly, useless-''
Without so much as a glint of warning, the young ninja received a rather sharp shock upon her short covered butt, causing her to leap from her stool, giving a high pitched yelp, whilst Reno chuckled to himself as he replaced his EMR, and the brunette looking as though fighting hard to hold back a smirk of pure amusement.
Yuffie on the other hand was not so entertained, and soon she had sprung back to her feet, body posed in a fighting stance, whilst her eyes quite literally flared, though one hand was still busy massaging the bruised patch through her shorts, ''You wanna fight!''
''Not really pipsqueak...''
She gave a deep rumbling growl, before launching herself at the red head, her top set of teeth soon latched upon his suited sleeve, busily attempting to gnaw away, though the attacked seemed rather unmoved, proceeding to remove the petite form with a single finger, pushed upon her forehead with a controlled force.
She glared at him as he repeated his statement calmly, ''I'm not gunna fight you.''
Yuffie stopped suddenly, the easy acceptance of defeat rather unsettlingly uncharacteristic, and soon she was smiling sweetly at the red head whom had his uninterested gaze focused upon the tumbler, ''Ok,ok...I guess I better be going then...''
The petite ninja was gone in a flash, whilst the brunette leaned against the bar top, as she sighed with an apologetic knowing, ''Reno...''
''What?'' He looked up at her dumbfounded, though as he viewed her crimson-tinted eyes realisation seemed to hit, and as his hand fumbled around the now empty space where his weapon should be his eyes widened.
''Stupid ninja!'' He spun around and stared at the still flapping door, ''I'M GUNNA KILL YA!''
He turned to grab the jacket he had laid upon his seat, only to find Tifa already handing it to him, with her own form prepared and ready to go.
His brow furrowed with both confusion and excited interest, ''You coming too?''
''Sure...you'll need my help...'' She flash him a warming smile and grabbed his hand, dragging him across the room, and through the door, ''After all, what are friends for?''
''We'll take a break here.''
The cold clarity of the statement brought Reno to shift out from his unfocused gaze and bring his line of sight to match with his partner's, to whom he proceeded to simply nod rather than bother using his energy to express anything audible.
The bald Turk acknowledged the wanted silence and allowed his thicken coat to slide from his shoulders as he sat down upon a tree stump which was rather more pronounced that the other's in their vicinity.
Reno was not oblivious to the lowered grunt than he admitted as the garment came off, which soon coupled with a twinge, brought on as the reddened patch upon his skirt seeped through the now worn bandage, whose application had been rather far off in terms of time.
His aquamarine gaze flickered with nervous uncertainty, ''Do...'' He suddenly averted his focus upon his partner altogether and decided to take interest in a small, moisture damped patch of bark just inches from the taller Turk, ''Do you need me to take a look?''
''No, I'll see to it.'' His response was rather abrupt, though he had not a hint of anger within his tone, but rather calm avoidance, ''It's not important.''
A defending silence proceeded to fall around them, though the world continued to turn as audibly as ever. The bald Turk ripped the plastered bandage off in one single motion, though neither cried out in pain or flinched, with Reno left to assume the either he was restraining himself, or the wound in itself was so sore that he had become numb to it.
As Rude attended to the half closed area of skin, he became aware of an unrelenting aquamarine gaze upon him, soon forcing the bald, in an attempt to retain comfortability, to pry the currently restrained words from his fellow Turk, ''Is there something you wanted to say?''
The red head flinched slightly, ''I...'' he took a few seconds to regain the lasting dregs of composure, ''Is it all right if I go and make a quick call?''
He didn't need to say whom to, Rude already knew that, and his tone agreed, with a hinted calm acceptance, ''Do what you must.''
The young Turk faltered for a few moments, before swiftly turning and making his way across to the left of their make-shift resting spot, as his partner added warningly, ''Make sure not to go to far Reno.''
After clearing a good six metres, the red head came to a halt behind one of the larger trees, and rested against its trunk, before taking out the small, mobile communication device and flicking through its contents until he'd located and impressed the wanted number.
The droning ringing pitch echoed, around him as he held the item pressured close to his ear, and as it continued with its repetitive harmony, his mind began to assume that again he would be denied, though his heart gave a heavy thud when the tone altered with a gentle click.
''Tifa! Listen, please don't hang up-'' Instead of being cut of by the more suspected phone, he was met with the sound of a rather all to familiar, and all to indefatigable voice.
''I'm not Tifa dumb ass!'' Reno grimaced slightly at the bellowing tone, though soon recovered and reverted to the original, overwhelming surprise.
''Yuffie!''
''The one and only!'' Her anger had seemingly melted away, and he didn't need her in the room to see her confident ninja pose, which he could practically sense through the lump of metallic plastic within his hand.
''What are you doing? Why are you answering Tifa's phone? Is she ok? Why are you there? Did something happen?''
His frantic questioning was brought to a stand still by the ninja's own raised voice, ''Wooooahh! Calm it Turk boy! Anyway, I have every right to be here! Tifa is my friend you know! And I only answered her phone because she's out getting some more food, seeing as I kinda ate most of hers...plus the ringing sound was really annoying!''
Reno raised a solitary, unseen eyebrow, ''Now you know what it's like for the rest of us when you speak.''
A rather impressive raspberry was blown down the receiver, ''You know, you have some nerve calling her!''
Her comment stopped his self amusement immediately, ''Huh? What do you know about it?''
''Well I know she was pretty pissed off when you left, and whenever your name comes up she calls you a jerk, and then changes the subject...all these would imply you've been a bit of a jackass...though she's not always angry...I mean...she has been crying a lot, really depressed like, but only when she thinks I'm not looking, and-oh dear...''
Her voice trailed off rather suddenly, and Reno knew in an instant that she'd said more than she'd intended, ''You shouldn't be telling me this...'' There was a slight pause in which either spoke, but instead listened to the quiet crackling upon the line, ''You don't know anything really...do you?''
Again he could sense the expression of calm annoyance upon the young ninja's un-seeable face, ''I know you left, when she practically begged you not to.''
The red head sighed and pressed two fingers to his pounding temple, whilst the girl gave a resounded huff, ''You know, you really are an idiot sometimes...''
Although his silent tired smirk could not be seen, it seemed to seep into his tone, ''I guess so.''
''Don't you get it? Gawd you're dense...'' She inhaled deeply in preparation for her rant, ''...remember chocobo head? Remember when he disappeared? Vanished from her life? Left her alone and went off and put himself in danger...ALOT!'' Her yell echoed painfully through the communicator, ''She doesn't want to go through that again! And frankly she shouldn't have to.'' She paused and this time exhaled in a gentle grace, almost with a hint of wistful knowing, ''She cares too much Reno...she doesn't know what to do.''
His aquamarine eyes glosses slightly as a thin surface of salted liquid brushed over them, though he managed to keep this new development for his voice, ''I never thought...''
A small giggle escaped from the ninja, ''Do you ever?''
Reno would have laughed too, though his present circumstances suddenly became once again apparent, ''I...I have to go.''
''Good! You're hogging the line, and there's a box of frosties in the kitchen with my name on them.''
He smiled at her strange, energetic enthusiasm, which seemed such a lost emotion his own current residence, ''Goodbye Yuffe.''
''See ya later Reno...oh and Turk boy?''
''Hm?''
''When-if you get back...I hope you can suck it up and finally tell her.''
The young Turk's form gave a nervous jolt, before quickly lowering the device and flicking it shut.
His mind seemed to blank as he allowed himself to stare at its blackened case, before gently pushing off from the roughened bark and walking back over his created path, even though nearly ever particle of his being seemed to resist his return.
It had grown dark remarkably quickly, and soon the darken wash of twilight blue was alight with a perfectly patterned mass of tiny stars, each burning with an irrepressible incandescent glow.
The ground had formed a more than adequate bed spread, with the soil being both soft, yet not damp, and with the weather that night being so calm, and the air so warm, he neither wanted or needed a blanket to become comfortable.
Rude was seemingly already within the thralls of unconscious rest, though the red head could not be utterly certain as his partners shades remained, whether out of necessity or forgetfulness, he didn't know, and he didn't appear to be the snoring type.
He though, had not been so lucky. Sleep seemed to have evaded him with a delicate, torturing ease, with both his body and mind becoming restless to the point of the extreme, even though with all honesty, he should have been exhausted, with his physical exertions, coupled with his mental state working over time for yet another day.
All he could do now was lay as still as possible, and hope that eventually, boredom rest would overtake his current state and allow him to drift away, as he blackened out his aquamarine gaze.
The brunette stirred upon the pleasantly sprung mattress, though her own state was rather less than enjoyable. Her throat rustled dryly as she sprang into a coughing fit, spluttering various germs into the pink handkerchief, capturing them instantly, whilst her nose reddened as it streamed clear lines of fluid, her surrounding skin already a pasty white.
The red head rubbed her shoulder comfortingly, then fluffing one of her pillows energetically, before placing it comfortably beneath her, and proceeding to give the covers a quick straighten, attempting to make the young woman's stay upon the bed as bearable as possible.
He turned then, and was about to leave the room, though only made it across a quarter of the carpet before Tifa's weakened voice sounded out rather desperately, ''Where...Where are you going?''
Reno swivelled his gaze around to meet her own, and flashed her one of his warmest smiles, along with a trademark wink, ''Don't worry, I'll be right back...''
''You better...'' She mirrored his smile, though her eyes flickered tiredly.
The red head entered the kitchen and grabbed the wanted items, before crossing back over the living room, where both he and the brunette had spent most of the day.
The sofa was now surrounded by tissues and blankets, not to mention the cushioned surface was scattered with various toys which she has requested upon her confinement.
When he received her phone call, he had been on one of his rarer days off, though when her voice had journeyed down the receiver it had sounded more like a higher pitched version of Cid after a week of chain smoking than the usual lively harmonic voice he had come to associate with the caller, though when he arrived to find her curled up upon the sofa, trembling like a defeated youngster, he understood immediately.
She'd caught the most dreaded and rife of illnesses...the common cold.
When he entered the bedroom once again, he brought with him a glass of chilled water, a box of super soft tissues, and a bottle of smelling oil, which supposedly helped clear the air ways. He wasn't entirely convinced by this claim, but Tifa seemed to enjoy it, and if it help her sleep, then it was fine by him.
He hesitantly reached out and stroked away a few strands of her darkened locks from the clinging grasp of the sweat with hung around her face, as his body suddenly filled him with a strange urge to sit down beside the young woman, and watch her through the night, there to protect her.
The red head sighed as her crimson-tinted eyes opened again, ''So, you good?'' he cringed slightly at his lack of thought chosen words, ''I mean, you've got everything you need now yeah?''
Tifa nodded gently, before stopping and allowing a nervous smile to play upon her colour drained lips ''Wait, there is one thing...''
''Hm?''
She used her free hand to pull him closer and soon her mouth was level with his left ear, and as she whispered the air brushed against his lobe, with a heated pleasure.
He departed once again, and when he returned, he carried with him a small, stuffed toy chocobo, one of the toys she'd asked him for first that morning, though when he drew himself up to the woman upon the bed, he was quick to notice her closed lids, and the serene calm which had befallen her physical form.
She'd fallen asleep.
He smiled inwardly at the sight, before carefully tucking the brought item in between the brunette and her sheets, so it resided beside her, moving only slightly with every small motion upon the mattress's surface.
Reno watched her for a few more minutes, before returning to the living room, where he soon plonked himself down upon the toy covered sofa and nestled himself within the fluffy heap.
As he turned, he came face to face with what looked like a giant stuffed cabbage, though he chose to ignore that point, and rather perceive how adorable he found it since the brunette's request for the comforting mass.
If it had been anyone else, he would have probably thought it somewhat stupid.
A contented smile curled upon his thin lips, as he lowered his head down upon one of the sofa's cushions, and before allowing his eyes to close, he took one last glance at the green fluffy ball, his brow rising, as he sighed, ''I think I might actually love that women...''
Reno's form stilled, as a subconscious smile of delighted purity graced his features, and as he finally committed himself to the rest he so desperately wanted, he seemed to forget all warning thoughts concerning what damaging images his mind might bring him that night, as his body drifted into unconsciousness.
A/N= Sorry for the wait peeps! It has been rather hectic at home at the mo, and I've had to do a lot of things I wasn't expecting to do this week, but yeah...sorry
Anyway, I thought I'd make this chapter a little lighter than its predecessor, and I thought it was time for a few more good old fashioned flashbacks! It seemed the right moment to draw the focus upon Tifa and Reno's relationship, and how he views it and what he feels were important moments etc, because obviously technically he and we for that matter have no idea how Tifa feels about him...