A/N: Rated M for language and sexual content. Standard disclaimer applies.

Updated 6/20/2020: Edited Reno's thoughts in the beginning and added new scenes throughout.

Chapter 8:

Reno fucked up – and he knew it. He let his sexual desire for Tifa cloud his judgement. Once he started flirting with her, he couldn't stop, and she noticed. He hadn't actually thought Rude would ever ask her out, so he thought his flirting was ultimately harmless.

But now that Rude had asked out Tifa, Reno felt immensely guilty. But he also didn't know how to stop. Tifa was like an addiction he couldn't satisfy. When he wanted a cigarette, he had one. When he wanted booze, he'd go to a bar, or grab a bottle from his home or work desk, or, if all else failed, his emergency flask. But what could he do when what he wanted was something he couldn't have?

Tifa had mentioned his flirting the other night and he knew what that meant. He was in her head.

It was something he had done many, many times with women in the past. Sometimes, if he suspected a woman might be a bit too moral for him, he would plant the idea of himself in her head early in the night and let it marinate for a while. Then he would watch her reaction to determine whether he needed to choose another target or decide what course of action would work on that individual woman. He rarely had to change targets.

Elena wasn't the only one who noticed how awkward Tifa was the other night at the bar. Whenever he glanced back at the bar – he did like to look at her – he kept catching her gaze. She would quickly look away, clearly found out. When she would approach the table, she refused to make eye contact with Reno or even look in his direction at all, but she seemed to be trying to get his attention subconsciously.

Maybe it was his own wishful thinking or ego.

He figured he'd test his theory that she was behaving like someone who just had a sex dream by pulling her onto his lap. Okay, it wasn't entirely to test his theory; he did just want to feel her body against his for once, but his plan was successful. She didn't scowl or threaten him for his stunt, even though she did struggle to get away from him. When she shoved him after, it wasn't as hard or angry as it should have been coming from such a warrior. It seemed playful to him, like a teenager who had just been publicly embarrassed by her crush but secretly liked it. She may have well given him a light slap with an unserious "Oh, you."

Reno had planted the idea of him in her head, and he knew it was working. He didn't think it would actually work on Tifa Lockhart, but apparently, he was wrong. Every moment spent with Rude now was agony. Reno was an expert at hiding emotions other than anger, but he found himself struggling around his bald partner. On the one hand, he didn't want to hurt his best friend. On the other hand… could he possibly have a chance to sleep with Tifa?

She was the most unobtainable woman on the planet, in Reno's eyes. A former adversary, in love with the World's Hero, who was so famous and beautiful she couldn't possibly see the Turk as anything but an ant among men. He thought maybe he had walked into the only possible confluence of events to make her even remotely open to seeing him as something more than a Turk. Cloud was gone – more than four months now – and they were no longer adversaries. Maybe even almost friends. And he now knew her well enough to know that she didn't seem to look down on anyone, anywhere, for any reason. She was too good for him, yet she gave him the time of day.

Was she playing his game against him? No, of course not, he thought. She couldn't possibly know how to even play games with men's hearts. Not Tifa. Not pure, innocent, perfect Tifa. She probably did break a lot of hearts growing up, but never on purpose. Reno could imagine many men had loved her from afar, like Rude, only to be crushed by her devotion to Cloud Strife.

Reno and Rude patrolled the streets in near silence that day. For once, Reno didn't mind. He had one thing on his mind, and it was the one thing he couldn't tell his best friend, and Rude wasn't usually one to lead the conversation. With the streets clear and drinking time approaching, the two men stopped and turned to each other as they did every day before acknowledging where they were going.

"The bar?" Reno asked his partner. Rude folded his arms and grunted, considering the question – in sincerity, unlike his usual pretending.

"I think I'll give her another day to think…" the bald Turk said.

"Oh c'mon, it's been three days! You're not afraid of her now, are you?"

"No. I'm taking a page from your playbook."

Reno opened his mouth to object but realized Rude was doing exactly what he would do in this situation – except Reno never had to wait more than a few hours for a woman to make up her mind and he didn't actually like the women he pursued. He instead placed his hands behind his head and blew air out of his mouth.

"Your call. Wanna drink somewhere else?" he asked, a strange feeling in his chest. They had been drinking at a different bar each night they didn't make the pilgrimage to Seventh Heaven.

Rude continued to consider the question, turning slightly and bringing a hand up to his chin.

"Think I'll take the night off," he said, to Reno's surprise.

"You're gonna sulk? She hasn't said no."

"She hasn't said yes, either."

"And she won't be able to say yes if you don't go to the bar."

"She can't say no, then, either."

"You're killing me."

"Sorry," Rude said before turning to walk toward his apartment.

Reno narrowed his eyes at his partner and watched him walk away. He considered following his friend and trying to get his mind off Tifa, but her bar was also calling him. Maybe he could satisfy his craving and help his comrade.

"Tch," he said before Rude was out of his line of sight. Reno turned his head to look down the street toward Seventh Heaven. Maybe just one drink, to gauge where she was on the whole Rude-date thing.

He entered Seventh Heaven to find he was not the first customer of the evening. His usual seat at the bar was open, so he took it and waited patiently for service. Tifa had looked up when he entered – the chimes above the door made it impossible to sneak in – but she was taking orders at a rather large table. A familiar, rehearsed smile was his acknowledgment that she had seen him.

When she finally returned to the bar, she seemed more standoffish than she had in a long time. It was subtle, like she was trying to hide that something was bothering her, but he picked up on it. Maybe she had wanted to see Rude?

Tifa had been tending bar since she turned 18. Before that she had worked as a waitress and bar back to help Marle with the bills. In fact, she remembered her first night bartending. She was so nervous, she ran to the bar early to prepare and ran into someone on her way. She remembered thinking the person she ran into was the human equivalent of a tree trunk. She apologized quickly – a habit she still had from growing up in the sleepy town of Nibelheim – and rushed inside. She was frazzled in the beginning, pouring the wrong drinks and even dropping a tray, but she quickly fell into a rhythm.

After bartending four years, she was almost robotic in how she greeted customers just walking in the door. Her face muscles moved instinctively, without her even noticing. She'd snap her head toward the door the second she heard the chimes, the same smile on her face every time no matter who entered, or even if someone was leaving. It was uncontrollable.

So, when Reno entered, she gave him the same smile that everyone else received. She was relieved to see that he was alone, hoping she would get the evening off from Rude so she wouldn't have to let him down that night. She hadn't figured out how she would say it.

Yet, she wasn't thrilled to see Reno, either. She felt oddly rejected over the past couple days, after he told her to go out with Rude and then neither of them showing up. She didn't know why she felt rejected, she hadn't been wanting anything from Reno, nor had she really thought he was genuinely interested in her.

She thought it must have hurt simply because he seemed to have been flirting with her and then pulled back. It reminded her of Cloud – everything reminded her of Cloud – and how he pulled away. She apparently just couldn't read men.

She placed Reno's glass of scotch in front of him and didn't realize she had held the glass a split second too long until she felt his fingers brush against her own just as she was releasing the drink. She pulled her hand away abruptly, all the way to her chest, as if she had touched a hot stove.

"Someone's a bit on edge tonight," Reno said. Tifa looked at him, her cheeks containing a ghost of pink.

"Sorry, it's just…" she had no end for the sentence.

"… you were hoping Rude would be with me? I get it. He's a great guy," Reno replied, smirking. There was something hidden behind that smile though, it showed in his eyes. The smirk didn't reach them.

"He is," Tifa said in a tone that let Reno know exactly what her answer would be to his partner.

Tifa didn't spend much time around Reno for the next couple hours. It was a slow night and most of the customers were at the tables, so she didn't need to come back to the bar very often. He considered drinking faster just to be close to her, but he couldn't abuse alcohol like that.

Later into the evening, Tifa was bringing a tray of drinks to a table when the chatter at the table nearby picked up enough to alert Reno's heightened Turk senses. His attention had been drawn to that particular table a few times throughout the night, as it was occupied by a bunch of rowdy college students out drinking on a weeknight. Reno had considered hissing at them or giving a subtle Turk threat, but scolded himself for thinking like an old man. Barely 30 and already wanting to tell people to get off my lawn.

But this outburst perked him up. He spun his barstool around to see them riling up one of the young men at the table. They were across the bar, but Reno knew what they were doing and about to do.

Tifa was bending across the next table over to hand people their drinks. Her ass was far too close to the table of young men. Just as the one being dared reached out to grab a handful of her flesh, Reno was across the bar. Reno grabbed the younger man's wrist hard, stopping him just inches from Tifa's rump. The barmaid heard the sound of Reno shooting across the bar with his inhuman speed and turned to find the reason behind his sudden movement.

"Reno, let him go," she told him, seeing the pain on the young man's face.

Reno released his grip on the man's wrist. The youth snatched his hand back and rubbed his wrist gingerly, skin already red. His friends laughed, but he was not amused.

"Geez, when'd you get a new boyfriend, Tifa?" the man asked.

"Shut up and get out," she responded, pointing to the door and holding the now-empty tray to her chest, just in case he had any other ideas on his way out.

The young man apologized profusely, blamed too many beers, but ultimately left. Reno had seen Tifa throw out other guys who got too handsy. He knew she didn't need any help defending herself. Usually, however, the men were dealt with after the offending action (she had several broken wrists under her belt), but for some reason Reno didn't want to watch someone else touch her. Granted, he was fully aware of the irony that not too long ago he had been the offending customer.

"Were they good customers?" the redhead asked when he returned to his seat and Tifa refreshed his drink.

"They're college kids in Edge, what do you think?" she replied.

Reno chuckled for a moment before he remembered Tifa was their age, not his. She should be acting just as stupid as they were, yet here she was, owner of her own business and savior of the planet. Reno knew what she had gone through in her life – it was all in her Shinra file – and he suddenly found himself angry that this beautiful creature didn't get the life she deserved. Well, okay, she got more a childhood than he did, but she should be at the table with those college punks, not serving them.

After most of the larger tables cleared and the bar quieted down, Tifa was washing some dishes in the sink, her back to Reno and the rest of her customers.

"What would you have done if it had been me?" he asked her. He'd been thinking about her potential reaction, given the way she had been acting these past couple weeks, but he hadn't meant to ask the question out loud.

"What do you mean?" she asked, continuing to wash a dish. Reno groaned. He was in too deep now.

"What would you have done if I had tried that move tonight?"

"You'd be leaving with a broken wrist, that's for sure," she said without missing a beat, like she knew all night he was going to ask that question.

"Good to know."

"Come to think of it," she said, rinsing her hands and turning the water off. She grabbed a towel to dry her hands and turned to Reno. "You did pull me onto your lap a while back, and you stole my phone. Give me your hands, both of your wrists should already be broken."

She reached across the bar as if she were going to grab him. Reno pulled his hands off the bar and down to his lap – just in case she was serious.

"Slum justice," he said, trying to think of a way to drink without putting his hands back on the bar.

"I guess so."

"You know, I grew up in the slums," he said. It was the most personal thing he had ever told her about himself.

She rested her hands on the bar and straightened her back. She never really thought about where he grew up. She didn't take him for a plate kid or an outsider, like her; she just couldn't picture him as a child. He must have been a Holy terror.

"Oh yeah, which sector?" she asked.

He was surprised she asked. He figured she wouldn't care enough, still, to let him open up to her. Not that he was about to, it just felt right.

"Three."

Tifa whistled. Stunned, but with a hint of pride.

"I always heard that was one of the toughest slums, surprised anyone could survive it," she said.

"Oh yeah? Well, what slums did you grow up in?" he asked, knowing full well her life story.

"Seven, remember?"

"Yeah…" he walked into that one. "All slums were bad though, yanno."

"Sector 7 was rough when I first moved there, but Biggs and Wedge helped clean it up with the Neighborhood Watch," she explained before her eyes widened. "Oh! That reminds me, I need to call Wymer, he just got promoted."

"Who? What?" Reno said with just a hint disdain in his voice. Who was this other guy?

"Wymer led the Neighborhood Watch back in Sector 7. He joined the Edge Police Department and just made lieutenant."

"Oh."

"Sector 5 was also pretty nice as far as slums go," Tifa continued, not noticing his change in demeanor. "Aerith and her mom really helped out there. Sector 6 was a hellhole, mostly, but I always heard the other sectors were even worse."

"You never went to Sector 3?" Reno asked, regaining his interest in the conversation.

If Sector 6 was the place to find Shinra-sanctioned entertainment, Sector 3 was the filthier, darker, more dangerous version. The only women Reno met growing up were professional whores – not that he would ever tell Tifa that – and almost every man was in a gang. Those that weren't lived in fear of the gangs and the pimps.

"Oh, Gods no!" Tifa said, as if the answer should have been obvious. "I mean, the rumors made it sounds really scary."

Reno couldn't argue with that. If a girl like Tifa had wandered into Sector 3… well, he didn't want to think where she would be right now if that had happened.

"Should have dropped the plate on Sector 3…" Reno mumbled.

"That's horrible, Reno," Tifa scolded, throwing the dish towel she had used to dry her hands down on the counter and walking away from him in a huff.

Reno took a sip of his drink without trying to stop her. The rumors she heard about Sector 3 probably made it sound like The Gold Saucer compared to what it actually was. He finished his scotch, determined not to travel further down memory lane.

Tifa returned to him, calmer than when she last left, and refilled his drink.

"You okay?" she asked. He waved her off and cracked a lopsided grin.

"Of course, yo," he said. "Can't get caught up in the past, yanno?"

Tifa nodded but didn't say anything else.

No one else bothered her the rest of the night, but he stayed until closing anyway, just in case. He remained at the bar even after the last patron left, yet Tifa didn't seem to mind. She didn't even pressure him to leave. Something about their previous conversation weighed on her. This Turk, this monster, may have a backstory that explained his actions back then. Not only that, his usual lightheartedness appeared to dissipate when he spoke of his past.

Tifa didn't know if that was typical for him. Neither he nor Rude ever discussed heavy topics in her presence. She imagined they avoided the topic of their pasts for the same reason she did. She didn't push him to leave because it seemed like he just needed a little more time to sulk.

"Need some help?" he asked her as she gathered bottles and napkins off the tables.

She looked at him and blew a stray lock of hair from her face, thinking she had just misheard him.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"Want some help? Closing up must take forever."

"Um, sure," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

It was the most mundane work Reno had ever done in his life, but he wasn't ready to go home yet. He pretended he was cleaning up a Shinra-related murder to get through it. This, however, surprised Tifa, as she was amazed at his cleaning skills. He knew what chemical to use for what substance, and what kind of cleaning material to use on what surface.

"Never figured you for a clean freak," she said as he scrubbed down a table.

"I can clean up when I have to, thankyouverymuch," he responded with mock arrogance. Tifa raised her hands in defense.

"Oh, excuse me."

"You think just cuz I'm a Turk I don't know how to do dishes?"

"I never said that," she replied, her tone lighter than it had been previously in the evening.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Lockhart."

"Tell me something, then."

He was taken aback by her question. He wasn't prepared, and he hated being unprepared. She couldn't possibly be interested in learning more about him, he thought.

"Uh, well," he scratched the back of his head. "Did you know I can dance?"

Tifa burst out laughing. "No way."

"A Turk has to be prepared for any situation."

"And dancing is one of those situations?"

"If you have to blend in to get close to a target, yes."

"I don't believe you."

"Well, maybe if you're good, I'll show you some day," he smirked. What was he doing? He was supposed to be helping Rude, not feeding his addiction.

"I'll hold you to that, too," she said, placing her hands on her hips.

It was then Reno remembered he had a meeting with Rufus the next morning, which meant he was getting a real "Turk" assignment. He might very well be contracted to do some of that "Turk shit" he promised Tifa he didn't do anymore.

"Uh, we're about done here, right?" he asked.

She dropped her arms to her sides and looked at him, a little confused. Just like before, he seemed to be flirting with her, but his demeanor had suddenly changed. Did she just have this effect on men?

"Sure," she replied.

"This was fun, but I got a meetin' with the boss man tomorrow mornin', yo," he said.

"Of course. Thank you for helping tonight, Reno."

He nodded. "S'no problem, Lockhart." He then saluted lazily and headed for the door.

Tifa stared after him a moment. What the hell was that about?

The next morning…

Birds chirped from a nearby tree as the morning sun rose above Edge. Dew still dappled the plants in the backyard of Marle's orphanage and the air was cool but thick.

Tifa felt the sun on the back of her neck, warming her skin as she cleared her mind and closed her eyes. She was leading the children through a series of Tai Chi poses to warm them up for today's lessons. She breathed in and opened her eyes as she moved to part the wild horse's mane, watching the children as they mimicked her movements. She continued through her poses, breathing in and out and giving the children tutorials on how to clear their mind.

When she was training or fighting, she could heed Master Zangan's words, but as soon as she was going about her typical day, her thoughts kept wandering. Right now, however, the only thoughts on her mind were calming; about her next move. She finished her 24-posture warmup and smiled at the children.

"You all did great," she said, her face as warm as the rising sun. "Today, we'll be working on our dodge rolls. You can't fight back if you don't dodge first."

When she finished teaching the kids, she sat with Marle at the older woman's kitchen table, sipping coffee with her legs crossed under the table. Tifa held the coffee mug with two hands, sipping peacefully. She always enjoyed this part of the day, when her mind was steady after her workout. As the days wore on, she'd always end up thinking about so many things she wished she could ignore, particularly her ongoing worrying about Cloud.

"Should I go to the Forgotten Capital to look for him?" she asked Marle.

"Sweetheart, if that little ninja friend of yours had her heart broken, would you tell her to go look for the guy four months later?" Marle responded in a motherly tone.

Tifa sighed and took another sip of coffee. "I guess you're right."

"He's fine. He's just a jerk," Marle said. Tifa was past the breaking point enough to hear harsher words about Cloud. "He's strong. He can take care of himself. He'll come back if and when he wants to. There's no one after him anymore. He can't be poisoned by mako anymore."

Tifa told Marle everything. Well, almost everything.

"But he was in so much pain before he left," she argued, though not forcefully.

Marle groaned. "Honey, you have got to move on. I hate seeing you like this again."

"I know, I'm sorry Marle," Tifa said, lowering the mug to the table and looking down into what was left of her coffee. "I've been getting better, I promise."

"I know. Sometimes you even seem happy," Marle said with a laugh, leaning back in her chair and looking through the doorway to where the children were.

Tifa didn't know what to say. She knew what Marle was talking about. For some reason, Reno's flirting put her in a good mood, loathe as she was to admit that. Marle would ask her why she was in a good mood and she would quickly wipe the smile from her face. She couldn't be happy because a Turk was giving her attention, she just couldn't.

"Are you ever going to tell me?" Marle asked.

"About what?" Tifa said after taking another sip of coffee, feigning ignorance. Marle scoffed.

"Tifa, when could you ever hide anything from me?"

"…Never."

"It's one of those Turks, isn't it?"

Marle always knew.

Tifa nearly choked on her coffee and began coughing. She put the mug down before she dropped it and Marle leapt up to get her a glass of water. As she was pouring, the older woman smirked. She placed the glass in front of Tifa and sat back down, arching her back and raising her shoulders as she rested her chin on her fist in anticipation of Tifa's admission.

"I don't like either of them, Marle," Tifa said. Marle chortled.

"So, you didn't just choke on your coffee?" the older woman teased. Tifa scrunched her nose in mock annoyance.

"It's so annoying. He makes me smile and laugh. Sometimes I think about him during the day," she admitted. "I'm going to Hell, aren't I?"

Marle laughed. "We can't control our hearts, Tifa."

The younger woman groaned. She was so sick of talking about her love life, for lack of a better phrase. She and Marle talked about other things too, like how the bar or the children were doing. It's just that Marle was the only person she could tell anything without judgment. She didn't want to talk to Yuffie about these things, since Yuffie was so boy crazy she'd probably tell Tifa to go for it.

"A family is coming by today," Marle said after a pause in the conversation. Tifa perked up at this news.

"Oh? How did they sound?"

"They're a young couple who's been struggling for a while now to get pregnant. It sounded like they've given up," Marle said sullenly. "I think someone has a good chance to find a family today."

"That would be wonderful!" Tifa exclaimed, forgetting her own problems, thankfully. "Though I'm always sad to see someone go. I love these kids."

"Maybe you'll adopt someone of your own one day," Marle said. "Though I think you've pretty much adopted all of these kids."

Tifa chuckled and looked into the other room. The children were busy with their art projects. Tifa let out a breath and smiled as she watched the children at a moment.

"It's probably time I went to the theater," she said. Marle nodded.

"See you tomorrow?" Marle asked.

"As always," Tifa said as she walked out the front door.

She mentally kicked herself for telling Marle anything about the redheaded Turk that made her laugh every night. Saying it out loud made it real, and now someone in the world thought she had a crush. No, Marle didn't know which Turk it was, but this was bad enough.

As Tifa walked to the theater, she decided she would not discuss this matter with Marle anymore. She wanted to just bury these feelings so deep they could never see the light of day again. There had to be ways to make her forget about Cloud that didn't involve sulking over some other guy, especially not this particular guy.

Meanwhile…

Reno and Rude sat in the waiting room outside Rufus' new office, which was in a shiny new office space in downtown Edge. It wasn't as grand as the old Shinra HQ, but Rufus felt that if the company was going to rehabilitate itself after Meteorfall, it would have to rein in the luxury. At least for corporate matters. Salaries had returned to their usual grandeur as the company once again provided people with everything they needed: Equipment, vehicles, supplies, personal protection from monsters, whatever you needed, Shinra now sold.

Rufus also had some of the remote Turks scouring for new oil and coal deposits. The company had acquired some near Fort Condor, but Rufus was anxious to acquire more – and before anyone else could find them. If the world was moving off mako, Rufus wanted to be part of it. He had the Shinra scientists who still lived in Junon working on the underwater reactor to turn it into a deep-sea oil drill. No one but Rufus could afford such a switch, and he figured that if he could get to oil no one else could access, he could rule the world again.

Of course, the new Shinra building belied this goal. As the old building was built with looming black marble, intimidating from floor to ceiling, the new office was the exact opposite. The walls and floors in most places were white marble (the Shinra family seemed to just have an affinity for the material). Wood accented the marble and other stonework in a way that was modern and inviting. Now when people entered the Shinra building, they didn't want to leave. The old building was designed to strike fear in the hearts of visitors and would-be terrorists. It didn't do much for the morale of the workers, however.

The waiting room in which Reno and Rude now sat had wide, distressed wood panels placed horizontal along the entire wall, except for the large frosted glass doors that separated them from Rufus' office. They sat in posh, white leather chairs in front of an oblong wood coffee table. The receptionists' desk to their left was made of a simple maple wood with a frosted glass front similar to that of the doors. There were no windows, but a skylight above them bathed the room in a natural glow.

"The president will see you now," Rufus' receptionist informed them. She was a perky young woman who had, unfortunately for her, already hopped on the "Reno Train" shortly after she took the job about six months ago. She considered quitting, as he and the other Turks were frequently meeting with Rufus, but she resigned herself to pretending their encounter had never happened while secretly thinking her feigned indifference may lead him back to her. It wouldn't.

"Thanks, doll," Reno said with a half-hearted salute as he and Rude headed into Rufus' office. He didn't notice the woman try to hold back a smile.

"Reno, Rude, please, take a seat," Rufus said, motioning to the two leather chairs in front of his desk.

His new office was far less intimidating than his previous one, and far more modern. The room had a panoramic window along the back wall, and lines of paned windows on each side wall, giving the room a far more refreshing light than the seemingly endless night of the old Shinra building. It was still much too large a room for the limited furniture in it, though. Rufus' office took up the entire top floor of the building except for the receptionist's area out front, yet all that was inside was a desk and two chairs for guests.

Rufus' desk was made of a light birch wood, with a solid rectangle of wood containing drawers to his left and a glass-topped desk in front of him that was connected to the wood. The glass was raised in the back and to a lesser extent on the sides, with large metal bolts in the corners to fasten it to the wood underneath. Rufus couldn't say he liked the desk, since it lacked the splendor and intimidation of his father's (not to mention the escape hatch), but he understood the need to appear less imposing to the common people. Not that any commoners ever made it into Rufus' office, but he did invite the media in to interview him and photograph him in the new office enough to give such an impression.

Reno and Rude did as Rufus asked and sat down in front of their boss. They loved visiting the boss, and it could be seen plainly on their faces. Reno leaned back in his chair with his fingers intertwined behind his head, one foot resting on his opposite knee. Even Rude appeared to be glowing with anticipation, yet it wasn't obvious to anyone who didn't know him. To Reno, who had known Rude for about 14 years now, the bald Turk was practically beaming.

Why? Because whenever they were called into Rufus' office now, they were given a "Turk" assignment. Something with a challenge, something with danger, something with intrigue. They were excited, anything was more preferable to patrolling for fiends like a bunch of Shinra grunts.

"I've called you both here because I have a request."

The two Turks leaned forward in their seats, anticipation elevating their heartbeats.

"As you know, the world seems to be overrun with monsters," Rufus continued. "What I'd like is for you two to travel once again to the old Shinra building – to Hojo's lab."

Reno's anxious grin dissipated. He hadn't climbed that high in the old headquarters since the day they found Rufus, and he was not looking forward to making that trek again. Also, it wasn't dangerous, just tedious, as no monsters climbed that high. From what he remembered, there wasn't much of the lab left.

"I'd like you to look for any notes Professor Hojo may have left behind regarding Jenova, Meteor, the Lifestream, or anything related."

Reno and Rude looked at each other. While their faces were expressionless, they knew each other well enough to see that they were each confused by what Rufus was asking of them.

"Sir?" Reno asked first.

"I know this isn't a usual 'Turk' assignment, but there's more," Rufus continued. "After you've searched Hojo's lab on the 68th floor, I'd like you to travel into the Shinra basement, to Hojo's second lab."

"Second lab?" Reno asked, astonished.

He had worked at Shinra since he was 16 and heard numerous rumors about what was in the Shinra basement – mostly legends about prototype weapons and Hojo's horrific experiments – but he had never been. As far as he knew, Rude had never been either. But boy had he always wanted to see it. He and Rude had once tried to sneak down during a slow week. They managed to find a suspicious door that they thought must lead down to the basement, and they fooled the guards into leaving their posts with a simple ruse. (Reno sweet talked a couple female employees into coming onto the guards to lure them away. It worked, but each woman was angered to discover that they were not the only one Reno had spoken to about the distraction.)

Once behind the suspicious door, they headed down a set of stairs to a large vault door that required a key card. Thinking that, since they were Turks, they must have top-level clearance, Rude went ahead and swiped his key card, assuming that his card would draw less suspicion than Reno's.

Unfortunately, that was not the case, and an alarm immediately sounded. Within seconds, the two Turks were surrounded and brought to President Shinra's office. It was the closest they had ever come to being fired (even closer than the tainted-food-in-the-cafeteria prank).

Reno's excitement returned upon learning that he would finally be able to see what was in that basement.

"Yes, Hojo had a second lab in the Shinra basement," Rufus confirmed. "My father apparently never asked questions when it came to that man, and I suspect there may be any number of evils behind those doors – if it's still standing – as well as an untold amount of scientific information."

"What are you looking for, exactly?" Rude asked.

The Turks weren't used to asking questions, but he felt it would help them to narrow their search if they knew why they were looking for this information. Rufus leaned forward over his desk and interlocked his fingers in front of his chin. It's how Tseng looked when he had important information to divulge.

"Shinra took a big hit politically due to Meteor, the Weapons, and Sephiroth," Rufus began. "I was hoping we could figure out what was behind the recent increase in monster activity and put a stop to it for the people."

Reno and Rude exchanged another look with each other and shrugged. Rufus could have said anything and they would have still been just as excited to go into the Shinra basement.

"You got it, boss," Reno said as the two Turks got up to leave.

"Oh, and Reno," Rufus said as they were nearly at the door. "Don't touch anything but Hojo's documents."

As soon as the door closed behind the two men, Reno dropped to the floor on his knees and raised his hands into the air in desperation.

"Whyyyyy?" he asked the heavens, before leaning forward onto his hands and punching the floor with his fist. "Why did he have to add that last part?"

Rude bent down to place a comforting hand on his comrade's shoulder.

"How would he know what we touched?" Rude asked, quiet enough so that the receptionist couldn't hear.

Reno looked up with him, his mouth open in an enthusiastic smile. He stood up and dusted himself off before motioning for Rude to follow him as he strutted out of the waiting room and then out of the building.

Upon exiting the building, Reno immediately took out his phone to send a text as he and Rude walked to their company car.

Meanwhile…

Tifa felt her PHS vibrate in her pocket as she held a couple of boards in place for the designated carpenter to nail them down. When he was finished, she removed her phone from her pocket and checked the message, still holding out hope that it would be from Cloud, even though she knew at this point that was probably impossible.

"1 text message from Reno."

Tifa rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. She hadn't responded to his first text and didn't plan to respond to this one either.

"Feel like dancing, babe?" his message said.

"Babe?" she thought to herself, her eyebrows scrunching together and her lips tightening. "BABE?"

She was nobody's babe. Not even Cloud would be able to get away with calling her that, though in all likelihood he would probably only receive a light-hearted punch in the arm and a giggle to show her displeasure.

And what about that "feel like dancing" business? He kept flirting with her, she was sure of it now, but he'd always stop abruptly. It was starting to annoy her. Now this text message was starting the cycle over again. Like they had plans. Like they were close enough to make plans. Like she would ever even want to.

If she could reach through her phone to slap him, she would have. What was his game?

Fate seemed to be continuing its cruel joke, as Tifa actually found herself watching the door each time it opened to see if the red-headed Turk was entering. Each time the door opened and someone entered who did not possess that certain roguish charm, her rehearsed smile would turn into a frown, and then she would mentally chastise herself for even wanting to see him.

He had done something to her. He had cast some spell – but not from any materia she was familiar with. She told herself it was just because of that sex dream and bad timing, probably mixed with him being the first man since Cloud to give her any attention. Wait, no, that wasn't true – she was hit on every night. She was a famous, attractive bartender after all. So, why did it feel like Reno was the only man giving her attention, especially when Rude literally asked her out?

His minor and inconsistent flirtations were sticking with her long after he had left. She started wondering if he actually liked her. If he did, she was flattered, but she doubted he was genuine. But if he was genuine, then she felt special, given his proclivity toward womanizing. No, he couldn't possibly be genuine. He must be working his charms on her like one of his sluts, and Tifa was determined not to fall for it.

Still, it was nice to be pursued – if that's what he was doing.

God dammit, what was he doing?

More importantly, why was it working on her?

She was confused and suspected that's what Reno wanted. It was getting her to think about him way too often, and now she was actually anxiously eager to see him again.

Neither Reno nor Rude came to the bar that night. In fact, Tifa wouldn't see or hear from them for the next week, the longest she had ever gone without contact with the Turks since her bar first opened.