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 Nine...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 Nine: Tracks upon the Trusting Imagination
The young man's brow furrowed lightly, as his facial muscles twitched in response to the array of silent, yet completely inescapable images playing out within the coils of his unconscious mind. If he had been somehow able to view the exterior display he was unwillingly giving to the towering plant life surrounding him, he would no doubt have been left feeling rather disconcerted.
Though as he continued to move erratically upon the softened soil, which dented repeatedly with every impact, his attention was shown to be rather more attached to his current, seemingly unsolvable predicament.
Strands of flame red locks clung onto his face's most defined contours, as the once light sheet of humid sweat which had been created by his present atmosphere altered and began to mingle with the new, chillingly icy beads, which settled with an uncomfortable weight.
A few clumps of the darkened brown soil had already found themselves resting with some ease across the thin, fibrous materials that hung about his form, and though unnoticeable at first, there was also a rather generous amount of moist dirt gripped beneath the tips of his fingernails.
His outward appearance would have been quite concerning to any unknowing passer-by, though of course with his chosen position being situated within woodland which could have quite easily been described as uninhabitable, with its uncountable mass of trees being heavily coated in threateningly hanging vines, and the dense, untamed covering of foliage which littered most of the once safer paths, any presence they came across would have been seen as more likely to become a threat to them rather than an aid.
A soft, yet strained grunt of displeasure rumbled within the back of the red head's deep, clenched throat, as his lips remained clamped together, their once pink shade fading into a paler wash, as the tightness of their contact began to take effect, though this self-inflicted numbness seemed to go unnoticed by their owner as his grunts died away, and became replaced by session of rather violent jerks.
Although his form barely moved from the dent defined spot he had first chosen to place himself upon, the young man's somewhat lanky form was able to thrash about with a degree of impressive magnitude, as though held within the desperate belief, that he was, in fact, locked in battle with some unknown assailant.
The movements grew energetically worse before they were allowed to fade, and although his body appeared unharmed at present, an array of underlying bruises were no doubt beginning to form below his skin's pale surface, though the presumption was made to be left unfounded, as the red head, once again, didn't attempt to recognise any damage he had caused upon himself, choosing instead, to gently return to the images he found so enthralling.
A seemingly peaceful silence proceeded to pass, with the quiet only being interrupted with the occasional rustle being softly emitted from the gatherings of both dried and glossy leaves, which brushed against one another with each churning stroke carried upon the breeze.
The settled atmosphere was allowed to remain around the pair for some time, and after the red head had rested without movement for a healthy duration, he slowly lifted himself, and revealed his aquamarine gaze, which flickered at first, though soon became fully able, as he managed to gain his focus upon the surrounding area.
A darkened line was evident below his brightened eyes, and yet he did not seem to be overtired. The rest of him also seemed to intent on sharing the effect, as his hard-wearing clothes hung from his limbs with a worn pitifulness, whilst his visible skin began to show their battered patches, with their shade slowly beginning its colourful transition, as the damaged, blooded tissue gathered.
He grimaced slightly as he pulled on his trench coat, which had been used as a make-shift pillow, back on, as the action caused some of its heavy folds to tighten around a particularly effected area, resulting in a dull, thumping sensation to set in.
''How are you feeling?''
Reno quickly shifted his line of sight over to where the deep, calmly restrained voice had sounded from.
The noticeably larger of the pair was sat a few metres away, upon a particularly large tree root, picked clearly for its sturdy looking structure, rather than its comfortability.
His back rested against the roughened trunk, as the bald Turk's gloved fingers quietly, but meticulously riffled through the unknown contents of his personal carrier, which he had held attached upon the underside of his jacket during their travelling.
The younger Turk paused in thought for a few moments, as he studied the small clearing he was centred within. He concluded from the whitish rays freckling through the tree top canopy, and the beginning emittanceof various rustles and calls, unseen, though detectable through the undergrowth, that the hour had pasted into the detestable period of early morning.
Reno ran a hand through his topper-most flame red spikes, before slowly drawing his attention back to his fellow-Turk, and flashing him a half-hearted smirk, ''Like I've just gone ten rounds with Sephiroth...''
Rude grunted and allowed a slightly smile to play about the corners of his usually straightened lips, ''Ten rounds...you really think you'd last that long?''
The red head mocked up some glitteringlyfake laughter, before rather ungracefully rising from his position and saddling up to the taller Turk, with a mild look of interest playing across his brow, ''So, how come you're up already?''
Rude answered, though kept his attention upon the carrier within his grasp, ''I had to retrieve are new coordinates. Besides...'' He raised a solitary eyebrow with a degree of softness, ''...you were becoming quite the sleep-deterrent..''
Reno's face tightened as he grimaced with embarrassment, before latching his fingers together in nervous play, ''Oh yeah...sorry about that.''
The seated form surveyed the red head for a brief moment with a knowing apprehension, ''Another nightmare?''
He responded with a simple nod, before plonking himself down on a neighbouring tree root and chuckling lightly, ''I always thought they were just for kids.'' His head lowered slightly before turning towards Rude, ''Do you ever get them?''
The bald Turk paused briefly in thought before answering, ''Not for a while now.'' his shoulder lowered slightly before he added, ''I don't tend to dream that much.''
A short silence followed, as the red head ran his finger tips along the bumpy surface of the nearest patch of tree trunk absent-mindedly, before he allowed curiosity to set in, ''What...what was your last nightmare about?''
Rude stiffened for a moment, before muttering rather too quickly, ''I don't remember.''
If he was being honest, the young Turk hadn't really expected his partner to give him any details on the matter, though he couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed at the masked refusal.
When the quiet between them began to tense, Reno decided a change in mood was called for, and quickly gathered his up his thin-spread energy to flash his fellow-Turk a wide, almost playful smile, ''Well, at least I didn't rip your insides out this time!''
His smile brightened even more, as he gained the wanted response, and soon they were both sharing the same, light-hearted atmosphere.
When Reno's chuckle began to die down, the taller of the two shifted to view him with a raised brow, ''I thought it might be best to leave you to your own violent tendencies this time.''
''Yeah...'' The red head nodded in amused agreement,before returning his fingertips to their bark inspection.
''I was thinking about maybe throwing a rock at you...'' Rude smirked slightly, and the red head began chuckling again, though he soon proceeded to flinch, as his joyful excursion took effect upon his aching form, ''But...it looks like you've got enough bruises already.''
Reno lowered his gaze as he gently rubbed a particularly sore patch of skin, ''Maybe you should just tie me up.''
When he received no response, the red head returned his line of sight, only to find a very confused, and really rather nervous looking Rude staring at him with quirked eyebrows.
Upon realising the obvious misunderstanding, the young Turk's eyes widened, ''I mean before I go to sleep!''
The taller Turk's expression relaxed immediately, ''Oh.'' before he quickly carried on with reattaching his carrier to the inner edge of his jacket.
He worked on it for a few moments, before adding with some sense of kindness, ''I got you some breakfast.''
Reno's head darted about like a energetic ferret's, and his eyes shone, as his aquamarine gaze latched onto a nearby container, ''Nice one!''
Within seconds he had retrieved the weighted item, and had torn of the plastic lid with a firm, yet not careless excitement.
He studied the contents for a while, before subjecting the round items to a various array of curious sniffs, and suspicious pokes, whilst Rude observed his actions through the corner of his eye.
''It's fruit Reno...''
A sharp, weighted clap sounded from the hidden clouds above them, and as the lingering after-rumble started to fade, a deepened sheet of clear, cold droplets began pouring out from their heightened source.
Reno didn't need to count the seconds in between the flash of strong, white lightning, which brightened harshly against his gaze, and the next thunderous emittance; he already knew the storm had broken out uncomfortably close to their path.
The taller Turk seemed equally aware of the danger surrounding them, in such a wooden area, and for a few moments he slowed his steps, as though assessing the right moves to make. Seconds later his strong pace returned, and he continued on, never flinching at the closely paired strike and clap, thus displaying to the red head, its unimportance concerning their mission.
His feet thudded softly as the still, relatively dry soil, as it remained protected from the moist scatterings by the thick, overhanging canopy, which acted as a rather effective shield, though some of the weaker sections were forced to bow at the fierce attack, allowing the odd trickle of rain to run down the thinner branches, and upon the small, cover-free patches of woodland floor a pitter-patter sounded as the dirt was met with the impact of the quickened mass.
Rain continued to forcibly pound above them, creating a horribly dull harmony against the tree-top's upper most leaves, whose veined structures were desperately attempting to hold position. Soon the air began to dense with the change in atmospheric pressure, with the area steadily growing clammy, and yet also taking on a bracing chill, thus causing the red head's clothes to occasionally stick against his lightly moistened skin, only to hang on for the briefest of seconds, before brushing off again, to then be replaced elsewhere.
The Turk's had been travelling for an estimated good few hours now, and although they had set off within the early hours, the sky had melted back into a washed-out darkened grey, with the appearance of the threatening rain clouds. The paling atmosphere did nothing for the red head's already lowered spirits, and instead, just seemed to be adding to the even heavier, resting gloom upon his shoulders, as his body began to weaken in effect from the lack of driving energy and the array of painful aches, as he was forced to proceed upon the unmarked path.
Once upon a time, Reno would have taken the whole thing in his stride, after all, back in his early years of working for Shin-Ra, he had been involved within many a high-endurance mission, instructing and leading many a complicated kidnapping, as well as a few of the more dangerous assassinations.
Though now, it all seemed so much more like hard-work, rather than the once high-edged excitement; the job was getting to him, he had been out of it for too long, and it was showing.
Although he was fairly certain he wasn't the only long-standing Shin-Ra worker to have been effected, his fellow-Turk seemingly appeared to be handling the hardened excursion with a controlled ease, almost as if he had somehow known such a mission would arise once again, making the red head feel both confused and embarrassed at his own pathetic weakness, both physically and mentally.
The young Turk had no real founded knowledge when it came to the question of time length surrounding his newest mission, the forthcoming hindrances that would no doubt befall them, and the result wanted along with its completion, but the one thing he was sure about was the fact that progress had been made within the woodland section of their travels.
The two Turk's were now a healthy way through the mass of emerald hinted trees, having already passed the deepened, highly tangled centre gathering, which had forced out many knife lashings from both him and Rude, as they had battled their way through the green, whip-like overgrowth.
Although he was unable, as of yet, to see the lightened clearing beyond the lined trees, Reno did have some remembrance to what might be coming after their woodland exit, as he recalled the snow peaked mountainous view he had studied so carefully before the journey's beginning.
Even if leaving his current surroundings would, no doubt, result in him having to camp in colder, more uncomfortable conditions, not to mention the increased difficulty involving travelling upon the heightened region, the idea of escaping the dense, green trappings somewhat brightened the red head's thoughts.
The mindless drowning effect that the storm brought about, did little to effect Reno's thought trail, which had for some time been lingering upon the young brunette now so many miles away, and the nervous tension growing so quickly upon his side of the relationship.
The phone call, had indeed, lessened the weight upon him, in some respects, although in other's it had taken quite the opposite effect, after all, knowing that Tifahad been so cut up about his absence was both terrible and heart-warming; as the idea of her caring to such a degree opened up the unspoken possibilities between them, and yet the young Turk hated the troubled pain he had so unwillingly unleashed upon her.
When he got back, if he got back, he would have to tell her. Yuffie was right, How did that little ninja twerp get to be so profound? even if he still had no idea how she knew about his feelings in the first place. The whole restrained play had been running for long enough, and it was time to close his last performance and proceed to something bigger, and much, much better.
He was almost certain that, even if she regretfully didn't feel the same, the pair would remain friends, though, even if it turned out like that, would he be able to stand it? Would he have to wait until his feelings faded away? What if they never went, and he was forced to watch her become someone else's?
But, what if she did, in fact, share his feelings, what would happen then? Would they just live happily ever after? Somehow that idea seemed rather unlikely; with him working as a Turk, and with her, so opposed to the company. True she had no problem being his friend, but committed to a relationship, well, that would be something of an entirely different meaning.
The young Turk was suddenly snapped out of the uplifted, elation lined thoughts and back to the dulling reality, as a particularly roaring rumble of thunder echoed violently about their darkened surroundings, followed swiftly by a flash of lightening, which shot with purpose direction, from the heightened distance of the clouded sky, and down towards one of the woodland's taller trees, which had happened to have the misfortune of being positioned some degree above the neighbouring trunks.
Its bark crackled as the heated strike split its insides with a gracefully unwitnessed ease, and soon the fibrous timber began to weaken, succumbing to the now stronger, gravitational pull. Within seconds its frame had started its descend, taking other branches and crushing plant-life in its path, and as the lightning ravaged trunk came to rest upon the woodland floor witha deafening thud, Reno's heart missed a beat, upon the realisation of just how random both his, and Rude'sluck had been, as they both continued on throughout the storm's passing.
The last remaining daylight hours soon melted away, as evening fell down upon the woodland, and thus leaving both Turk's illuminated only by the faint, pale moonbeams, that managed to pierce through the greenery.
Their camping spot was noticeably less comfortable that their previous choice; the trees seemed tightly packed, and seemingly closed in around them, whilst a rather unrelenting scent, which could only be described as decomposing foliage, hung heavily within the air. Not only that, but the surrounding tree's had entwined their thickened roots with one another, barley inches below the soil, meaning that wherever Reno decided to sit, he always found himself being pressed by an array of bumps and pressured soil.
Nevertheless the two Turk's positioned themselves upon the some of the more smoother spots, and began to consume the foodstuff that they had been collecting during their time travelling, which included, much to the red head's disappointment, a variety of fruit and a couple of large fungi, that, according to Rude, where safe to eat, though Reno was still slightly skeptical.
After finishing his second, rather peach-like fruit, and flicking its stone in the direction of one of the neighbouring tree's, the young Turk sighed with tired boredom and tilted his head slightly towards his partner, ''You gunna be up early again tomorrow?''
Rude remained silent, though his brow furrowed as he took another bite-sized portion of his purple-shaded berries.
The red head allowed his body to stretch pleasingly as he let out a prolonged yawn, before trying again, ''You know, to get our next co-ordinates.''
The taller Turk responded with a mere grunt as he continued with his meal, Reno feeling both a bit unsatisfied and rather curious.
''So, how does it work then?''
Rude swallowed down the last of the seeded morsels, before lifting his gaze briefly, ''How does what work?''
''The whole directions thing, I mean, do they call, or do you just get a message, or-'' He cut himself off, as he performed a 'so on and so forth' hand gesture, whilst his other free hand absent-mindedly attempted to remove the small, dried patch of gained dirt upon his trouser knee.
''Why does it matter?''
Reno raised his brow lightly, clearly unaware of the stern, annoyance within his partner's tone, ''I was just interested, that's all-''
''Well just stop it, ok.'' The pained desperation that lined the taller Turk's voice silenced the red head immediately, and left them to sit in an uncomfortable silence.
Eventually, Reno's brow cocked, as his line of curiosity, began to mingle with suspicion, ''Rude...what's going on?'' he survey his fellow-Turk intently, before his own expression dropped as the unwanted realisation set in, ''You've known...haven't you?'' ''All this time...you've know exactly where we were going...''
For once Rude's silence was more revealing than anything he could have spoken.
The red head let out a disbelieving huff, ''I can't believe this.''
His partner rubbed his knuckles together with a nervous frustration, ''They were going to tell you too but...they decided that it might make things...problematic.''
Reno's face clenched in anger, ''Whose 'they'? Tseng? Rufus?'' he only let the briefest silence pass before his tightly restrained temper overloaded, ''WHO?''
''I don't know.''
''You lied to me.'' Although their was no escaping the clarity of regret within both his fellow-Turk's tone, and pained expression, the young red head couldn't repress the stinging hurt he felt at the deception.
Rude massaged his forehead with a forceful pressure, ''It was an order, I couldn't-''
''What else have you been hiding from me Rude?'' After letting out another deepened huff, Reno jolted up, ''You're suppose to be my friend, we're suppose to work as a team...how can we do that now?''
For a lingering moment, the two Turk's stared at one another, as though they were both either too distressed or too tired to continue.
The red head shook his head, lowering his gaze, and muttered without a hint of anger, ''How am I suppose to trust anything you say?''
''Reno-'' Rude quickly rose, and attempted to place a comforting hand upon his shoulder, though as soon as his gloved fingers brushed upon the Turk's skin, he was tugged away.
''I'm not-'' He shifted his gaze slightly, though not enough to look his partner in the eye, before walking away towards some parted trees, ''I just need a moment.''
Before long he had made his way through a great deal of low growing bracken, which Reno, in his current mood, took delight in breaking under foot; with each snap of thorny wood, came a release from the building tension, even if it the amount was so minuscule.
His facial muscles clenched, How did this happen...
The young red head halted for a moment and leant back against a nearby tree trunk, allowing his head to tilt back in tired self-exasperation,''How did I let this happen...''
He remained there, pressed upon the hard, roughened bark, for a few quiet minutes, with lowered lids, as he attempted to clear his thoughts.
After managing to gain some sense of clarity, Reno arched his back slightly, as he began the process of pushing his body, back out of his tree-made rest, though as his flame red locks fell back into place, and his head settled back into its upright position, something calling whistled past his earlobe, causing him to abruptly return to his senses.
A light rustle sounded to his left, by a nearby group, of wall-like lined trees, and yet the wind had all but disappeared, leaving the woodland grove to be coated with an eerie sort of serenity.
The red head narrowed his aquamarine gaze, as he proceeded to watch the emerald leaves, and brown bark, grow, and yet fade back; the experience likeable to a long distance walker rising his line of sight up to meet the horizon, to find the view rushing forward into focus, and yet also remaining as distant as ever.
He felt a wave of light-headedness come over him, as he observed the moving greenery in disbelief, and attempting to shake himself out of it, Reno rubbed his eyes forcibly, with the back of his hand, before proceeding to allow his vision to blink back into focus, though when it did, he found the surreal sight had remained.
For a while, Reno wondered whether he had finally succumb to exhaustion, and was either asleep and having another dream, or was still awake, and experiencing some sort of hallucination, no doubt caused by the woodland food, Rude had falsely proclaimed to be safe.
The silence soon became deafening in its intensity, as the red head's sense began to prickle with uncertainty at his chosen reasoning behind what he was witnessing.
There was something else, something there, it felt wrong in every way, and yet also jarringly real; as if some long hidden secret had decided to lift its mask for him, and him alone.
Within his chest, the young Turk's heart beat steadily against its protecting ribcage, as he continued to watch the stillness contained inside the now, empty partition.
Suddenly, but not so unexpectedly, a figure began to approach out, from under the lower lying mist, that cloaked the depth of void-like space. As it drew closer, and lost the surrounding shroud of whitened air, a set of lightning blue eyes, glinted towards him, through flicks of dark red hair, which whipped about them, and although the unknown body was present, it remained unfocused within the young Turk's gaze, whilst allowing wisps of leather-heavy scent to meet with his senses.
The form halted, mere metres from him, before a slowly creeping smile graced their features, and not the especially kind sort, but rather more, ''knowingly confident' in its presence, though it wasn't the smug expression that made Reno's jaw tighten, and his eye's moisten, it was the scent now overpowering the intruder's previous material-influenced one, a scent that was all to familiar; one delicately feminine, yet brushed with the lightness of bar wood, and always mingled with the orange-fruited shampoo, that the brunette so adored.
Before his body could tremble with recognition, a whip-like silver blade, sliced through his cheek, leaving a sharp pang in its wake, though when Reno lifted his hand, to grasp the attacking wound, his fingertips were met with neither an opening, nor an overflow of heated blood.
When he rose his pained gaze back up to the taunting offender, his aquamarine eyes found no empty parting, no eerie void-like silence, and no unknown figure, but just the woodland, the trees, once again, returned to the wall-like line.
A tearing rustle behind he, caused the young Turk to avert his gaze away from their focused spot, and towards the opening where the sound was being emitted, the breath caught within his throat as he peered into the emerald darkness with narrowed eyes.
As the familiar form barged through the tangled mass of bracken, a silent sigh of relief departed from Reno's tightly clenched throat, though when he attempted to greet his fellow-Turk, he found himself unable to form the words; his mind seemingly still busy attempting to process the events that took place just moments ago.
Although he had allowed it to settle slightly, Rude's breathstill actively rippled as he spoke, ''Reno I-'' the bald Turk stopped as his eyes began to study the young red head, whom was staring at him with not hatred, annoyance, or confusion, but fearful shock.
Rude's face straightened immediately as he began to share his partner's nervous field, ''What happened?''
''I've...'' The young Turk's face tightened in a light, thoughtful confusion, before his voice regained itself, ''I've just seen a ghost...''
A/N= Sorry for the wait! I've been super busy this week, because finally, after...nearly nineteen years I've gotten my own room...
Me and my sister have always shared a room...forever, but three years ago she left for Uni...and left all her junk behind; bed, cupboards, books, toys...meaning that although I had my own room,it was still as though I was sharing...
But now, after deciding to take her MA and then move up to Birmingham (where she's studying) afterwards, she's (after much protesting from me) moved all her stuff down to the spare room we have downstairs (which used to be the computer room till we moved them somewhere else about six months ago), I'm finally getting it to myself!
We've re-painted, re-carpeted, got new curtains, new duvet covers, new bed...well futon, new furniture which I never could fit in before (wardrobe, desk, desk chair, nice big shelving unit, light, nice flat screen TV, beanbag, rug, mirror) along with my old stuff, not to mention four beautifully amazing Final Fantasy VII wall scrolls...I literally start salivating just thinking about them...
But yeah...basically I've been/am still in the process of finishing it... thus it has been rather distracting...not to mention hard work...
Anyway, onto the actual chapter!
I know this RenoxTifa fic hasn't actually had a great deal of actual Tifa in it recently, but don't worry because she'll be making another appearance very shortly ;)
I'd already planned to do a section with a mention to storms, and when I came to write it this evening, a real storm started outside! It was quite weird...and amusing...though there was one yesterday as well, and I'm home alone...and it was like 11pm...and I had no torch...not fun...I had to use my lap top screen to guide me to the bathroom!
But yeah...I kinda laid the romantic stuff on in the last chapter, so this one kinda called for something different...plus I had a few things I wanted to get in XD
And I know this mission might seem like it's dragging on a bit, but it's rather important concerning the rest of the plot of both this fic and its sequel! :)
Now, on to the subject of my next update!...
My parents have gone away on holiday again for a week, thus leaving me again with a free house, but unlike last month, my mate is/will be back from University! So basically she'll be coming over for nearly the entire week to keep me company, and enjoy my new room!
Now this will basically mean I'll have no time and actually no opportunity to write anything during those few days, which means it'll be a little longer till you get an update, but not too long!
But I will still be checking my email/profile, so I will read reviews... (hint hint)
And the next chapter should be out sometime late in the week beginning 6th-12th July, :)