Days of Exile

Chapter 27 – Unveil the Secrets

3 January 0008

In Sector 8, near the Shinra Building, Meia waited by the square – looking very different from the time when she was a child. The fountain was no longer working and Meia stared at the water inside… the perfect place for mosquitoes. She tugged at her loose braid and squinted at her reflection in the water. Was she overly dressed? Meia gave herself a quick check again –sandy brown dress with a flower brooch, black leggings and Mary Janes. She thought she looked incredibly childish, especially the Mary Janes. However, they were much more comfortable than her working heels, and combat boots did not fit her outfit tonight.

From the alley leading to the Shinra Building, Reno walked out. His red hair stood out a distance away. He was still dressed in his Turk uniform, white undershirt not tucked in and his buttons not done up. Meia rolled her eyes in exasperation. Couldn't he just adjust his attire just a little before meeting her?

"Meia!" He called out when he spotted her. Meia was going to wave her hand, but Reno was too quick for her. Within seconds, he ran up to where she was. He lifted Meia up and swung her around, just like how he used to when she was a child. Somewhere within, a childish instinct triggered inside and she chuckled in response. "Put me down!" Meia giggled.

Then, the childish delight quickly turned into a much sensible horror when she remembered that they were in public. "Put me down now!" She laughed again, although now the tone sounded more like an embarrassed twenty year-old woman than a ten year-old. Swiftly, he put her down. She frowned and smiled at him at the same time. "Reno." She chided smilingly.

"Hello Meia," greeted Reno, leaning in for a kiss on her lips. Her cheeks warmed at the touch. As they broke away, Meia quickly glanced around her. There was no one around in the square, save a few couples walking around. Meia was not used to such public display of affection and she blushed again, feeling very self-conscious. Reno smirked at her shy reaction. "It has been too long since we last met, don't you think?" He asked.

"Really?" Meia immediately regretted her words. Reno was right; the last time they met was before he left to chase after Sephiroth. That's was last year actually, early December. She realised. The reason why she did not feel that way was because they had always met as Reno and Matilda Ederfeld. "Oh yeah…" She quickly added. "It was last year that we met."

"Oh?" Reno peered at her curiously. "What happened to your superpower memory?" He tapped the side of her head playfully. "Losing touch?"

"No!" Meia stuck out her tongue. "My memory is as good as ever!"

"Then… perhaps I don't mean as much to you already?" Reno made a sad face. "I mean, we've not met in three weeks." He spread his arms out. "You don't seem to miss me as much."

Meia pouted, a little hurt that he thought of her so. "That's not true. Besides, you don't seem to miss me as much yourself." She answered defensively, thinking of how he often flirted with Matilda.

The redhead raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Instead, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into an embrace. "Believe me, little Meia." He said softly against her ear. "I missed you terribly." His hands ran through her dark hair; Meia felt his hand slide effortlessly through her tresses. "Did you know how worried I was when you disappeared last week? Why didn't you tell me about the change in your phone number? Even if you had gone to Icicle Inn, the least you could do is tell me!"

"Oh geez, you sound so controlling, Reno."

"Then maybe you should do a better job in being accountable." Reno released Meia from the embrace, but held her by her shoulders still. "You, being a former Turk, should know what good accountability is. That is the professional thing to do."

Meia pursed her lips. "I'm not a Turk anymore."

Reno's frown deepened. Meia shook her head and led Reno away from the fountain, so that they were walking instead of standing there like statues. "But you're not alone in this." Reno said seriously, holding her hand for his own assurance. "We are no longer living for ourselves. Don't you consider about me and my safety?"

Meia could not resist a cheeky grin. "I worry more for the enemies who are stupid enough to fight you."

A lopsided cocky grin appeared briefly on Reno's face, but it disappeared as quickly too. "But we both know that I can't be by your side to protect you always." He tapped her head playfully. "Every day I wonder if you're safe and sound. Whether Shinra has caught you or… or worse. And I worry because I don't have a good solution if that happens."

Of course he worried. Reno was simple-minded like that. Complicated relationships and ambivalence did not fit his style. That was why Reno did not want office romance in the first place. Not that Meia could not understand his rationale; one cannot always remain professional when his love interest and work commitments were too closely connected. Now, even though Meia was essentially not 'work-related', she was not entirely uninvolved.

"Well, if THAT ever happens…" Meia began, sounding more sour than she had intended. "You can always find another 'Meia' as your lover, since Shinra is your Number One."

Reno stopped walking and stared at Meia sternly. "I'm not joking here, Meia. I'm loyal to Shinra, but I'm not giving up on you too." Meia stared at Reno, realising that she was taking his words too lightly. She mumbled an apology, to which Reno's hard expression softened. "Don't just disappear on me like that, without a single word."

Meia hugged him with affection. "I'm sorry," said Meia sincerely. "I was too caught up in my thoughts that I was distracted. Sorry if I made you worry." He ruffled her hair and assured her that he wasn't too upset about it, though Meia heard from his tone that he was indeed very affected and upset about her disappearance. "Is your work okay?" She asked. "Did you manage to catch Sephiroth?"

"Oh, lots of things happened since we last met." Reno answered. "Obviously we didn't catch Sephiroth, if not I'll be promoted to President immediately."

Meia gave a half-hearted laugh, while peeking at the Meteor above. Does Reno know that Sephiroth was the cause behind Meteor? Sure he does, the tiny voice chided in her head. He is a Turk.

"Tseng has been missing in action for the last two weeks."

"Two weeks?!" Meia had to feign some surprise for that. She was not supposed to know anything that had happened since the night of Sephiroth's break in into the Shinra Building. "He isn't…?"

"No," said Reno firmly. "Tseng is not dead. I'm sure of it." He sighed. "Perhaps he is just hiding somewhere, away from AVALANCHE or Sephiroth or some crap like that. Tseng won't die that easily."

She watched her lover with a pang in her heart. A part of her wanted to explain to him what had happened to Tseng – injured and resting in Junon. However, Tseng had reminded her not to tell Reno and Rude about his whereabouts, for whatever reason. Then again, to tell Reno would mean that Meia's cover in Shinra would be blown.

Meia held his hand with both of hers. "I believe so too, Reno." She said assuringly. "Don't give up looking for him. Let me know when you find him; I'm worried too." Reno smiled dryly. "So with Tseng not around the last two weeks, does this mean that you have been in-charge?" She asked with an amused smile.

"I wish it was funny." Reno sighed.

"Tell me from the beginning, how you ended up being in-charge," Meia smiled. "Well… if you can." She added, knowing that some stuff were confidential.

"It's no fun to be in-charge, yo?" He proceeded to tell her about the things that he had to do. He talked about Elena, Rude, Tseng. He talked about the different places he had to go to when they were chasing Sephiroth, and the various encounters with AVALANCHE. He even mentioned briefly about Don Corneo.

"I'm just glad that fat bastard is dead." Reno said nonchalantly. "No one can survive that high a fall."

Meia shook her head sadly. "What was he thinking, kidnapping Elena and Yuffie like that?"

Reno talked a lot about Meteor and Shinra's plans to destroy Meteor. Apparently, they intend to collect fragments of something called "Huge Materia" and send into space to collide with Meteor.

Meia listened to everything with mixed feelings. She was relieved to know that most of the details that she heard about or knew were accurate, if not close. But the other details were definitely confidential, yet Reno was not holding back in his words. Does he really trust me that much with Shinra's secrets?

"Is it safe?" Meia asked out her concern. "To trust an outsider with such information?"

Reno made a face as he pondered her question. "Well, it's no surprise that we have Meteor coming our way," he began, pointing at the ball of fire above. "Secondly, I'm the in charge now, so I get to decide what information stays in Shinra and what goes out. Nevertheless, I'm telling you all these because I want to tell them to you."

"Oh…" Meia felt extremely guilty at Reno's answer, because she was thinking of all the falsities that she had given him since she fled from Shinra. She initially lied about coming to Midgar (though she later told him that Sephiroth was the reason why she returned), she was lying about her identity as Matilda and now about her trip to Nibelheim. She felt terrible, yet she did not want to tell Reno these things. Not yet anyway.

"Hmm?" Reno noticed her uneasiness. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Meia smiled. Another lie.

Reno observed her a little longer than usual, making Meia uncomfortable. "So what about you?" He said finally, though Meia knew that he was not convinced with her answer. "How's Icicle Inn?"

"Oh, there's nothing much."

"Really? You used to tell me all sorts of things, even the most mundane events were narrated as if they were exciting."

Meia's jaw dropped at his reply. "Weren't they?" She gaped. Reno shrugged. "I can't believe it," she exclaimed and clutched her head. "Have you been feigning interest all this while?"

"It is not Icicle that interests me," he answered. "Seeing how animated and excited you look whenever you tell me the stories, is what interests me." Meia wrinkled her nose and mumbled something about being a mere entertainment toy. "Oh Meia," Reno laughed. "You never bore me. I don't think you will ever bore me. One reason being that I'm easily amused." Quickly, he changed his subject. "How's Randy and Heidi?"

Meia quickly thought about the two Icicle Inn natives that she had been friends with for a long time. "They are both fine, still loving as ever. Randy kept complaining that he wants to visit the South again, this time with Heidi. She is equally excited about the plan too. Leia and Haato are still sparring like nutcases on the mountains." That, Meia was not lying. At least, she heard the information from Cassie last night. "I could fill you in with all the details of ALL our conversations, if you like." She ended with a cheeky grin.

"Nah, we don't have time to listen to every single detail." Reno grinned. "Have Randy and Heidi realised that you're a former Turk?"

"No," replied Meia, feeling a tinge of shame. "I couldn't bring myself to tell them." She was aware that Randy had his reservations against Shinra. He thought that for such a monopoly, they could have done more for the Planet. She never considered telling Randy and Heidi about her job because she was afraid that they will shun her when they found out about her.

"Meia," Reno frowned. "If you can't even trust that your friends can handle the truth, are you giving them the due respect of being their friend?" He challenged with an admonishing tone.

"I-" Meia clamped her mouth shut, for she knew that there was truth in Reno's words. "I'm just afraid that they'll leave me because of who I was."

"Meia…" This time, there was no edge in his voice. "There's nothing embarrassing about our job." Reno took a deep breath. "Our jobs are dirty, but you make it sound so dishonourable."

She made a face at him. "We are probably the epitome of dishonour, for what honour it is to kill innocent people just for the goals of a single man?"

"Meia…" said Reno gently. He took her hand and rubbed it comfortingly. "You seem to have forgotten your beginning feelings of being a Turk, because now," he faced her and spread his hands at her. "I see someone who is ashamed that she was once a Turk." Meia flushed at the truth of his words. "That little girl has forgotten how overjoyed she was when Veld decided not to kill her after all and employ her as a Turk. She was the one who grabbed my leg." He swung his leg casually. "She wouldn't let go and almost threatened us to kill her if we didn't comply.

"That girl that I used to know…" Meia's stomach clenched itself at Reno's words. "She would be so confident and bold, yet caring and compassion to her beliefs. She would come up with all sorts of theories in desperate attempts to humanise the Turks." Her face twisted as she remembered her past. "Her innocence and simple heart actually made some, if not all, of us a little less like a machine and more like a human."

Reno stared at Meia, who was quietly sulking during his entire soliloquy. "Meia, it's not that you're no longer like that. In fact, you're even more confident and bolder… but you're no longer who you used to be. You've forgotten everything you've said as believed as a child. What happened?"

"Perhaps I've lost my innocence," snapped Meia. Every part in her stung with Reno's words. How could he say that of her?

"Then, it's a shame." Reno said sadly. "Compassion and simple-mindedness were the things that I loved in you." Reno was alarmed when he saw fat tears rolling off Meia's cheeks. Wasn't she snappy and grumpy just now? "Meia?"

Meia drew a huge breath. "Compassion and simple-mindedness were the things that you loved in me?" She looked up at Reno and for a moment, Reno noticed how lovely she looked despite her red-rimmed eyes. (Talk about inappropriate thoughts, he chided himself.) "Now that you claim it's gone… Do you no longer…"

It was then that the redhead realised his mistake. Instantly, he drew her closer and held her tightly. Meia sobbed. Reno had no idea that his flippant remark would affect her so much. "No, Meia!" He said fiercely. If he could, he would squeeze all the sadness and doubt from her by his embrace. "I still love you like how it all began. How can you be so silly to think that way?" When Meia did not reply, Reno sighed. "I'm not going to apologise for what I've said, but I did not mean to hurt you… You were being so snappish and I joined in…"

Finally, he heard her heave a sigh. Of relief. He too, almost caught himself heaving a sigh of relief. When she looked up, her pink face was full of sheepishness. "… I'm sorry." She apologised. "I didn't expect myself to be so affected too… It must be the monthly hormonal changes." From the tone in her voice, Reno realised that she was not joking.

"It's my fault too, yo?" Reno replied awkwardly. "I can't help but goad you a bit more when I know that you are hiding something." Meia, with eyes wide, began to speak, but Reno stopped her. "Call it gut instinct, but I have this inkling that you know a lot more than you let on." He tried not to notice how her jaw tightened at his words. "Before you left Shinra, you were so carefree and so willing to share with me your thoughts." He placed his hand on her head. "I no longer have that free access to that sanctuary of your brain as before."

"We are no longer what we used to be," was Meia's quiet answer. "But since you've laid your cards out so intently, then I shall follow suit. It is as you say." She wiped her tears and stared at Reno squarely. "I know more than I tell. But I can't tell you yet." Her gaze dropped and she stared at the floor. "These things do not only affect me, but others. But it is nothing life-threatening." She promised. "If it was life-threatening, I'll not hesitate to take the path that ends up with the least damage."

"Relax, little Meia," sighed Reno. "I don't intend to demand you to tell me anything, anyway."

Meia peered at him curiously. "You don't?"

"I'll have my ways of finding out if I want to know, won't I?" Reno slid an arm around her waist. "For now, I shall simply trust you that you're not going to stab me in my back."

Meia stared at Reno with wonder. Logically speaking, Reno was endangering himself, to put all that trust into someone who was not a Turk. In fact, Reno was putting his trust on someone who had not been truthful to him. A surge of gratefulness welled up inside. Thank you, Reno. Someday, I'll tell you everything that had happened to me.

"And for now," Reno pondered. "I'm… I'm really craving for some good caramel-walnut ice-cream sundae… What say you?" He grinned, squeezing her waist comfortingly.

Trust Reno to change the topic so quickly, without little concern of any closure. Meia thought with a shake of her head. There really is no one else like him. "There's a sundae shop in Sector 1 that is open till late."

"Then I propose that we make our move to some good ice-cream."

Meia smiled. "I'll lead the way."

4 January 0008

Leia and Haato were entering the Icicle Inn when Randy Ederfeld walked into their paths. His hands were stuck in his pockets and his dark ebony hair was a great contrast to the white snow behind him. Like all Icicle citizens, Randy had fair skin that will not remain tan for long. Not even a month of sun in the Southern countries could maintain his tan for long, as he quickly realized some years ago.

"Leia." He said. From the confrontational tone in his voice, Leia knew that it was not going to be a normal conversation.

"Hello, Randy." She smiled. "Going for a walk?"

"Um… yeah." Randy said, a little thrown back by her casual response. Apparently, he'd thought that he sounded aggressive enough. "No, wait, I'm not going for a walk. I'm here to find you."

Haato regarded Randy with curiosity. "Should I leave the two of you alone?" He asked.

Randy was going to nod his head, but Leia pursed her lips into a thin line at Randy's awkwardness. "No, Haato. You don't have to go anywhere. Randy, if you have something to say, say it."

The young man faltered a bit. He had spent the last few days working up his courage to ask. It did not help that Leia was so impatient about it. "A few days ago, right before the new year… I saw you and Haato leaving the town pretty hurriedly and you…" Randy trailed off. Leia threw him a look that clearly advised him to not waste their time. "He was wielding weapons." He said, looking at Haato.

"What's wrong with that?" Haato shrugged, patting the katana at his side for extra measure. "Lots of people carry weapons around."

"Not in Icicle Inn." Randy argued. "Then again, you're not from Icicle. We are peacekeepers, not rogues who fight for nothing."

"Oh, I'm sorry," replied Haato with unmasked sarcasm. "I forgot that I was not an Icicle native. Thank you for reminding me."

"Haato." Leia frowned. Out of respect for Leia, Haato spoke no further.

Randy glanced at Leia, then at Haato, and back at Leia again. "Leia," he said concernedly. "Why are you dating an ex-convict?"

Instantly, the both of them tensed, only slightly so Randy did not notice. "It takes a lot of guts for one to accuse another of being an ex-convict. What are you talking about?" Haato all but growled. "What evidence do you have?"

"Uncle Seki."

For a moment, confusion passed through their faces. "Uncle Seki?" Leia frowned, thinking of the semi-resident that came to Icicle Inn while she was away in Midgar. "What does he have to do with…" She then noticed that Haato was a little tense. "You know him?" She asked, but did not need an answer. She remembered. "You two were from Gongaga, I'd forgotten about that."

Randy was confronting Haato regarding his past in Gongaga, when Haato and Leia's bigger worries were the discovery that they were working under Shinra as Turks. Somewhere within, Leia felt her tension ease. Then again, since they had returned to Icicle Inn, Leia had been expecting some sort of eventual confrontation from the villagers. After all, it was hard to keep a secret for so long, and eventually someone will open the can of worms and dig deeper into her disappearance over the last eight years.

"Ah, Uncle Seki?" Haato sighed. "Didn't expect to see him here."

"He stayed in Icicle Inn for some time, while we were still… working." Leia hastily added, casting a glance at Randy. "I've never seen him before, but Meia knows him personally, though."

The native young man stared at Leia. "Wait… you knew?" He asked. "You know that this man is from Gongaga?" Randy pointed a finger at Haato. "Do you know that…" Randy stopped and checked himself. "Leia please, can we talk in private?"

"Randy, I know of Haato's past."

"You… You do?"

"Of course." Leia gave him an amused look. "Did you think that I am dating a man who is keeping his background a secret?" Randy's surprised (almost flabbergasted) look was the answer for her. "Randy, thank you for being worried…"

Randy stared at Leia. "How could you, Leia?" He asked incredulously. "He killed so many people."

"Hmph," Haato smirked. "Nice to know that we're so generous with forgiveness." He remarked with enough sarcasm to poison a spider. Randy narrowed his eyes at the foreigner, sizing Haato and his words up.

This is not going anywhere. Leia thought to herself. Besides, I won't stand around and see Randy putting down Haato like that. It is rude on many levels. Not only was Randy being an unwelcoming host of Icicle Inn, he was speaking to someone at least five years older."Randy," Leia cut in. "I appreciate your concern, but it is all in the past."

"With someone like that, I doubt it," retorted Randy with furtive glances at Haato. "Who knows what other secrets he has been hiding?"

"Seriously?" Leia exclaimed, glaring at the younger man. "Can you be any more impolite to my guest? I will not have you insulting him like this." She looked at Haato. "Let's go." She said.

"Oh, no, stay!" Haato quickly answered. "I love to be insulted once in a while," he said, giving the younger man a dangerously subtle smile. Leia gave her boyfriend a look, to which he complied. "Fine, let's go." He half rolled his eyes, obviously disappointed that the fun was ending.

"Hey, not so fast!" Randy shouted. He grabbed Haato's arm and pulled him back. It took the swordsman almost all his mental strength to not pull out his katana in defence. In the mini struggle, something shiny fell out of Haato's pocket. As Leia grabbed his hand to support him, she could feel his racing pulse trying to calm down. Haato obviously was taken by surprise by Randy's 'attack'. Both of them were more relieved that Haato did not accidentally chop off Randy's hand or something.

Haato all but glared at Randy. "I don't like to be manhandled," Haato said, sounding less than amused. "I rather be womanhandled, though, if there's such a thing."

"Randy!" Leia warned dangerously. "I will tell your mother about you if you do not behave normally! You are not a kid anymore!"

"I don't mean to interrupt but…" Haato placed one hand on his hip. "Even if you've discovered my past, it's not going to change anything here. I'm here and I'm welcomed here as Leia's boyfriend because Leia has seen past my mistakes. If you're so adamant about getting me to leave, then prove it."

Randy raised an eyebrow. Was the visitor actually challenging him? Despite Randy's strong stand and beliefs, his determination wavered slightly in the presence of Haato's confidence.

Haato grinned. "Prove that I'm not trustworthy enough, even now. If you can do so, then I'll leave without complaint."

Randy pondered the challenge, tossing it in his head. Finally, he scowled, clenching his fists by his side. "Argh! Fine, go!" He muttered more to himself than at Haato and Leia. "… Hey, you forgot something." He picked up the card, but something caught his eye.

Something that froze his insides, if possible.

Looking at the stunned expression on Randy's face, Haato's hand shot into his pocket. A split second later, a curse tumbled out of his mouth.

"What's wrong?" When Leia saw the card in Randy's hand, her heart sank.

Randy's face broke into a triumphant smile. "So I've found the secret to your past." He gloated, waving the Shinra Employment card at their faces.

Leia could have slapped her forehead in exasperation. So much for trying to hide our identities here! She lamented. Haato had always kept the employee card with him. He said that it was his lucky charm ever since they left Shinra, but Leia knew better. After being taken out of Gongaga by a group of Turks led by Tseng, Haato had no alternatives except to be a Turk. In essence, Shinra was his home and was his future.

The gig's up. She thought.

"Fine." Haato said quietly, though not in a subdued way. "Yes, I was a Turk."

"Was?"

"I quit."

Leia stared at Haato. Was he really going to confess his past to Randy like that? Then again, there was no way he could have denied his identity. His photo is on the card. She thought about her own employee card, hidden in her room. Perhaps she has to reconsider storing that card for keepsakes.

"Aha!" Randy beamed. "I knew it!" Turning to Leia, he asked, "Now do you see? He is not the nice man that you think he is! If he is able to become a Turk and do worse things for that scumbag Shinra-"

"I'll watch my mouth if I were you," warned Haato. "And besides, I became a Turk because I had no other alternatives. It was either become a Turk, or death."

The Icicle native stared at Haato for a brief moment before he understood the implications. "Wai- wai- wait," he stammered. "It was the Turks who brought you out from the Gongagan prison?"

"Of course it was," replied Haato crossly. "Who do you think it was? The tooth fairy? I had no other choice. If I wanted to live, I have to sell my soul to Shinra."

Randy stared at Haato, his expression unreadable.

"Randy, please," Leia was surprised how pleading she actually sounded. Seeing Haato leave Icicle Inn for good was the last thing she wanted. "Just let it go."

"Leia, he's a Turk!" Randy exclaimed. "Do you know what that means?"

"Of course I do." Leia's face was tight with seriousness… and resignation. "… We were colleagues."

The effect was a lot more than she had expected. She could see the gradual change in his facial expression from comprehension to utmost horror. "You're lying!" He said. "Mom said that you went to Midgar to be an administration clerk!"

"Don't be dumb, Randy."

Randy shook his head. "I don't want to believe that it's true!"

Leia sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Randy, if you want, you can come to my house and we can talk this through… No, we will not kill you." She rolled her eyes at Randy's fearful look. Just how farfetched are the rumours becoming? It was a real protection when I was working. It was even better when dumbasses, like Reno, abuse their authority to make the rumour more valid.

"Contrary to your fantasy, we don't kill people on a whim." Haato corrected. "We do have a little bit of logic. Just a little." He emphasized with a pinch of his two fingers.

"Don't make matters worse." Leia chided Haato. "Randy, if you still doubt our integrity after hearing the stories, feel free to expose our pasts as you intended to. But at least, hear me out first."

Randy regarded the two of them seriously, weighing various options in his head. Finally, he nodded slowly. "I'll go with you back into the house. I'll listen to your stories, but only because of you, Leia." He said. "I still trust you, despite the circumstances."

"That's all I need." Leia inwardly sighed with relief. She gave Haato a look. They've just bought some time. Hopefully in the short span, they can come up with a plan to get away with this easily. "Let's go back together, then."

"Leia." Randy's voice was quiet and subdued. "Were you really a Turk?"

"…" Leia took a deep breath. "Yes, I really was."

"Does that mean…" Randy stared at Leia's brown eyes. "Meia…"

I had forgotten about that completely. Leia realized. It will be a shock for Randy and Heidi to find that Meia was a Turk too. They trusted Meia and her friendship, only to find that she was working in the organization that they all despised.

Leia's silence was the loudest answer for Randy's biggest fear and doubt.

What a short chapter, yet so long. Two very very long scenes, indeed. It was real easy to put the line breaks in this chapter!

Thank you for the silent support! I haven't been hearing from my usual people, but there are still new readers now and then. Thank you for the encouragement! I'm amazed that you guys aren't tired of Meia and co. yet, considering that we're 27 chapters already (and we had 63 chapters before that!)

Hang in there! The best is yet to be (I hope!)