Sparks and Steel

by T.C.Rose

Tifa must choose between the man she's loved since her childhood and a man she once considered her enemy. Cloud/Tifa, Reno/Tifa. Incorporates some elements of OTWTAS and AC but does NOT take place in those worlds. Lime/Lemon Content. Ongoing rewrites to improve the story. Chapter 27 replaced 7/26/2022.

29. The Forgotten Capital

A/N: Rated M for language and sexual content. Sex scenes – if you don't like to read them – don't read further!

Chapter 29:

"You've had this place cleaned… recently, right?" Tifa asked.

Reno glared and pursed his lips.

"Yes, your highness," he said with more than a hint of indignation. "I have a regular service. But to your point, I don't even bring women back here."

Tifa gave him a skeptical look. "Of course not, you're perfectly chaste," she mocked.

"It's the truth," he said. "Well, not the 'chaste' part, but I don't bring women here. Can't risk them falling in love and then knowing where I live."

Tifa's expression fell to a dismissive frown. What a cocky sonofa—

Reno took a drag from his cigarette and leaned over to put it out in the ash tray next to the bed. Tifa couldn't quite tell, but she thought she could see the Shinra logo on it. What she could see, however, was Reno's lean back muscles as he stretched toward the nightstand.

She had woken up before him and considered pulling a Reno and leaving quietly before he realized. But she had worn so many separate items the night before – the tank top, skirt, suspenders, thigh-high stockings, boots – she couldn't possibly have gotten dressed without him noticing. Not only his Turk training, but his apparent sonar for naked or nearly naked women in his vicinity would have given her away immediately.

So, she laid in bed and scanned the room for any warning flags. Reno seemed to live like a nomad, with hardly any personal items in need of taking if he were to flee in 30 seconds. His closet door was open and all she could see were suit jackets and dress shirts – and one black trench coat. There were no photos for her to leer at and, surprisingly, nothing to hint that he was a womanizer or that he had recently been with some other woman.

She thought she might be able to be silent enough to leave the bedroom and snoop around elsewhere, but as soon as she shifted, he stirred, and his arm reached around her to hug her to his body.

"No snooping," he said as if he were still dreaming. Damn Turk instincts.

She turned toward him and pouted. "But you snooped around my apartment!"

Reno sat up and reached for the pack of cigarettes on the nightstand. He lit one up and looked at her as she was still lying down.

"That was completely different," he stated matter-of-factly. "My job requires me to be secretive, yours does not."

"I see," Tifa said sarcastically.

Reno took another drag of his cigarette and used his free hand to pull the covers off Tifa, revealing that his t-shirt had ridden up past her hips as she slept.

"Besides, I needed to know what lingerie you've been hiding from me," he said, smacking her ass.

"Reno!" she scolded as if he had done that in a room full of people.

She sat up and leaned her back against his wooden headboard. She looked around his room, still unable to locate anything that would provide her useful information. So, she decided to simply ask him about whether the place had been cleaned.

After Reno put out his cigarette he turned to kiss her on the temple before hopping out of bed and heading into the bathroom.

Tifa had never done anything like this, so she didn't know the proper protocol. Did she wait for him to get out of the shower to say goodbye? Or was he expecting her to leave now? She'd heard about the "walk of shame," but never had to do one herself, since she'd only been with Cloud and they had lived together.

She thought it might be acceptable to make a pot of coffee to have it ready once he was out of the shower, so she walked out of the bedroom to find the kitchen and take stock of his pantry. His kitchen was clean, though she shouldn't have been surprised since he told her he had a cleaning service. She started opening up cupboards to find where he kept his coffee grounds. She found his extensive collection of liquor glasses and some dinnerware before finally finding a cupboard that had various packages of coffee in varying degrees of use. She figured the one closest to being empty must be his favorite and brought it off the shelf. Even though she knew she'd find nothing, she looked through the lower cabinets just in case he happened to have any vanilla beans or nutmeg. Of course, he didn't.

She started the coffee and moved on to his fridge to discover exactly what she expected: Beer and leftovers from who knows how long ago. She found a glass and poured herself some water from the tap and plopped in some ice from the freezer – he had plenty of ice. She leaned back against the counter and sipped her water while waiting for the coffee, or for Reno, whichever was done first.

It was Reno.

He walked into the kitchen wearing just his suit pants. His hair was still wet. He seemed alert despite the lack of coffee and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her back into the counter as he had done at her bar the night before.

"Love to find a strange woman in my kitchen making me coffee and wearing nothing but a thin white t-shirt," he said as he kissed her on the lips. Tifa blushed.

"Well, it won't be as good as my coffee since I couldn't find—"
"Nothing is as good as your coffee," he said flirtatiously, his arms wrapping around her small frame so tight he could almost touch his own body again.

As he spoke the coffee maker indicated it was ready, but Reno wasn't ready to let Tifa go. He could feel her breasts squished against his chest in his constricting hold, and he couldn't get enough. With one last squeeze he finally released her, much to her rib cage's delight. He opened up a cabinet and pulled down two coffee mugs to pour them each a cup. They each took a sip before Tifa spoke again.

"I can't believe I have to do a walk of shame," she said sullenly.

Reno cackled and spit out most of his coffee before getting control of himself. She had said it so innocently, reminding him just how much he was enjoying corrupting her. Of course, Tifa Lockhart had never taken a walk of shame! He found the idea of it so amusing he lost control again and doubled over laughing, holding his stomach.

Tifa put her coffee mug down and glared at him with her hands on her hips. "What's so funny?"

"You…the idea… the…" Reno was still trying to stop laughing as tears started forming. After a few more moments, he had finally composed himself and stood up straight, wiping the tears from his eyes. "S, sorry," he said with another chuckle. "It's just the idea of you of all people taking a walk of shame."
"Why's that so funny?"

"Because you're so…" he looked directly into her eyes. "… innocent."

Tifa scoffed.

"I am not innocent," she protested. Reno's roguish grin returned.

"Well, not since you've been hangin' around me, that's for sure."

She scowled.

"I wasn't innocent before you," she retorted, pouting.

"Oh, right, Strife," Reno said with animosity.

That guy was the only reason Tifa wasn't the perfectly innocent china doll Reno first thought she was when he met her three years ago. Well, "met" was the wrong term, more like came into contact with, and by that he meant her foot to his face.

"Tch," Tifa folded her arms across her ample chest and briskly turned her face away from Reno.

"I'm sure that blonde-haired virgin dirtied you up," Reno laughed again.

"It wasn't just him," Tifa said defiantly.

She didn't want to give him any details about what had happened to her after she arrived in the slums of Midgar, but she didn't like his teasing, even if she had always considered herself rather innocent and demure.

Reno's head snapped when she said that.

"It wasn't?" he asked, dumbfounded. He hadn't gotten that read from her.

"Remember I lived in the slums for five years before I found Cloud again." She felt like a little girl standing up to a bully who had taken her doll. She didn't have much to fight with, but dammit, she was going to fight.

Reno scanned Tifa's eyes as if he could read them like a computer code, trying to draw out the information behind what she was saying without her having to say it. Whatever happened to her in the slums was not her decision, he could tell. He softened and put a hand on each of her shoulders.

"Hey, let's not count that, okay?" he said, trying to lift her spirits.

He didn't want to think about what must have happened to her back then, but he could take a few guesses judging from her looks. An innocent 15-year-old country girl who looked like Tifa showing up in the slums of the big city? She'd be lucky if she managed to survive without getting… He shook his head. No.

"Look, babe, I'll be going with you, so it won't even be a walk of shame, yo," he added. "Your lifelong streak of no shame-walking remains intact."

Tifa smiled.

"I should get dressed," she said before moving out of the kitchen.

"No, you shouldn't!" Reno called after her. He took another sip of his coffee.

Tifa joined him a few minutes later dressed and certainly not looking like a woman who was about to be walking shamefully home alone. Reno grinned to see her in that outfit again and walked back into his room to finish getting dressed himself. When they were both ready, he held out his elbow for her to take, which she accepted with an ironic laugh.

The city of Edge was just about overrun with monsters at this point. Reno and Tifa had to fight non-stop the entire trip back. Grashtrikes, ceasars, sahagins, vargid police, zenenes – the streets were filled with the creatures. There were so many, the monsters were fighting each other for territory.

Reno knew he couldn't stay at Tifa's all day – or forever, for that matter – and almost considered parting from her so he wouldn't have to trek all the way from her place to the Shinra building. He had to prepare the helicopter for the trip to… wherever… the next day and was not looking forward to walking the streets alone. Still, he had assured her she would not be walking home alone in shame, so he continued on with her.

They arrived at Seventh Heaven nearly out of breath. Tifa unlocked the door to let them in and they both ran inside to get away from the creatures.

"I think we're living in a horror film, yo," Reno said as he slumped to the floor to catch his breath. Tifa was leaning against the closed door.

"We leave tomorrow. Hopefully we can figure this thing out then," Tifa replied, pushing off the door and placing a hand on Reno's shoulder.

"If it stays like this, I'll have to become a hermit," Reno admitted, getting back to his feet. He looked around the room as if studying it for the first time, stroking his chin. "I could live here the rest of my life… good booze," he looked at Tifa, "plenty of fun…"

Tifa gave him a heavy-lidded stare with a frown.

"Ugh, I hate being stuck inside all day," she groaned. "I'm going to go change, I don't think there's anything more for you to snoop."

"Sounds like a challenge," Reno responded. "But alas, I can't take you up on it. I actually do have to go back out there."

Tifa stopped where she was, on the third step of the stairs leading up to her apartment.

"Seriously? You're going back out there?" she seemed concerned.

"Gotta, babe," he confessed, heading for the door. "Gotta make sure the chopper's ready to transport your royal highness and comrades tomorrow."

Tifa made a face at him and sighed.

"Be careful, okay?"

He nodded and held up his hand as if to promise.

Outside, he realized his best chance to get to Shinra HQ was to get off the streets – literally. He dashed across the street, avoiding a herd of levrikons, and quickly scaled up the building he and Rude – well, mostly Rude – had been watching Tifa from earlier in the week. From his vantage point on the roof he could see the monsters hadn't quite mastered climbing yet. Now all Reno had to do was jump from roof to roof all the way to Shinra. Easy peasy.

He stood on the parapet of the roof he was currently on and looked to the next building. Not too far, he could probably make it easily. With a grunt he heaved himself into the air and landed on the building next door. He smiled as if someone were around to see his simple feat. Hearing no applause, he kept going, leaping from roof to roof until he could no longer travel straight. Shinra wasn't too far, but he couldn't just take the rooftop path anymore.

He leaned over the ledge to survey what lay below. He took a minute to calculate his route and then leapt from the roof and took off running once he hit the ground. He dodged nimbly around a hell house, between some more levrikons, hopped up onto the back of an elfadunk and down the other side, and kicked his way through some hedgehog pies before finally making it inside the front doors to the new Shinra building. Catching his breath, he strolled over to the elevator, trying to keep his head high and not look winded. How were other people getting around?

He got off the elevator at the top floor and headed for the roof, looking forward to spending the day with his most favorite – well, second favorite, now – thing in the world: His helicopter.

Meanwhile…

Tifa had to find ways to keep herself occupied while staying indoors. She packed a small bag to take with her to the Forgotten Capital, a backpack to keep with her while searching the city, and a backup bag with extra potions and gear to share. She assumed the others had gathered their own supplies, but she always liked to be prepared just in case.

When that was done, she ran through her normal exercises, even though she was a little sore from the non-stop fight from Reno's apartment building back to her bar. It did kill a little time before the bar opened, though.

With that done she decided to look through the photo album Reno had perused the day before. She hadn't looked through it in awhile, and wondered what seemed to bother the Turk. She figured it out when she got to the last third of the book, which was filled with photos of just her and Cloud. She ran her fingers over some of the pictures, remembering the circumstances surrounding them being taken and found a smile forming on her lips. She found it odd that Reno would be bothered by photos of her and Cloud. He didn't seem like the jealous type and she certainly didn't think he had feelings for her.

She closed the book and laid back on the couch to try and nap. The bar wouldn't open for hours, and she ran out of things to do by herself.

When it was finally time to open the bar, Tifa made her way downstairs quickly to turn on the "open" sign, then stood expectantly behind the bar for her customers. She waited. And she waited. And then she waited some more.

The bar had been opened for an hour and yet no one had entered – on a Friday night. She left the area behind the counter to peer out from the front window and saw the streets still filled with monsters. She banged her forehead against the window in frustration. She was bored out of her mind and now the monsters were keeping her from human interaction. At least she wouldn't lose any money closing the bar down for awhile.

She kept the light on but grabbed a book from upstairs to read, just in case. She grew sick of the book around 11:00. No one had come in – not even the Turks. She figured that if even they weren't traveling out to her bar, no one would be. She closed up and headed upstairs to sleep. Getting up early to start the trip to the Forgotten Capital would at least get her out of the house, and hopefully find the solution to the monster problem.

She flopped back on her bed. Her phone buzzed. Reno.

"See you tomorrow, princess," the message said.

Tifa put her phone away and tried to go to sleep, but her mind kept racing to thoughts of what she might find at the Forgotten Capital the next day. Cloud had been going there, would she find him? Would he be… alive? Injured? Or…

She squeezed her eyes shut tight to fight back the tears that were forming. Cloud was alive. He wouldn't leave her. He loved her. He was alive...

The next morning…

Reno was surprisingly close to being on time to pick Tifa up outside of Edge. Just twenty minutes late. Tifa supposed that must be some kind of record for him in both his professional and personal life. The chopper had scared off the monsters that had been gathering around where Tifa waited, which was good, since the situation had become somewhat tense.

Reno and Rude both stepped out of the helicopter to greet her. Rude took her bags and set them in the back of the aircraft. Tifa realized how strange the scene would have seemed to her friends. If this had been happening two years ago, she would surely be getting dragged into the helicopter kicking and screaming to face an impending death. It was just her and two Turks. Quite the unsavory company.

"Sorry we couldn't stop by last night," Rude apologized when he approached her. Tifa nodded to let him know she understood.

"Hopefully we'll find an answer today," she told him.

"Where to first?" Reno asked as he headed back to the cockpit.

"Cosmo Canyon," Tifa replied. No need to tell him who would be joining them yet – just in case.

Reno squinted at her in half-hearted disappointment. She'd have to give him more information eventually.

"Cosmo Canyon it is," he said, climbing into the pilot's seat while Tifa climbed into the back area.

Tifa watched the world fly by beneath her as the helicopter took off toward the other continent. Just as she had done when Reno flew her, Barret, and Marlene to Costa del Sol, she tried to look below in case she could see Cloud. Yet again, she couldn't see him, but she could note the large herds of monsters that seemed to be all over the planet. Things hadn't been clear when they went to Costa del Sol, but the hordes hadn't been this bad. The planet seemed to be getting overrun.

Cosmo Canyon had more defense systems in place than the last time she had traveled here. It had only been a week, but spiked barriers had been constructed to try and keep the monsters from getting to the city. Even still, Tifa and the Turks had to fight a few just to get up the stairs to greet Nanaki and Vincent.

"Nanaki, Vincent, you remember Reno and Rude," Tifa said nervously when all five were face to face. Vincent and Rude both crossed their arms. Rude at least nodded and grunted in response to Tifa's re-introduction, while Vincent appeared to stare right through the two Turks with a blank expression on his face.

"Thank you for agreeing to travel with us," Nanaki said politely even though he was skeptical of their reasons.

"Anything to save the planet," Reno said a little too eagerly. The others all looked at him. "What? Am I not allowed to care about the planet?"

"We're just not used to it," Tifa replied with a half-smile.

Reno considered making a smart-ass remark to her but figured it would give them away, so he just glared.

Reno and Rude always had mixed feelings about Vincent. He was an ex-Turk, but he was also a member of AVALANCHE. They also only knew him as a bit of a legend in the Turk ranks. Reno wasn't even born yet when Vincent was out Turking it up, but the raven-haired loner served as a cautionary tale for new recruits to stay the hell out of Professor Hojo's way.

Nanaki's nose had picked up a familiar scent as soon as Tifa and the Turks arrived. It wasn't Tifa's natural scent or the familiarity of the Turks. It was something he had first noticed while traveling with AVALANCHE the first time. Certain humans seemed to give off a certain scent around other humans. Nanaki had suspected it had something to do with love – or lust. Either way, when he smelled it, he knew what it meant and he did what he could to get away from it. He hated knowing that much about humans when he knew they couldn't detect it amongst themselves on any physical level.

Tifa and Aeris always had that smell when they were around Cloud, and the blonde had it when he was around either of them. Cid had it when he was near Shera, but no one else really had it. As soon as the three guests arrived at the top of the stairs in Cosmo Canyon, however, Nanaki smelled it again. All three of them had that scent, which perked the red beast's curiosity. He had come to realize that Tifa and Aeris felt an attraction toward Cloud and he for them. The same went for Cid and Shera, even if the pilot refused to acknowledge his feelings.

So, what, then, did it mean that Tifa and two Turks all had the scent? Based on his previous experience with a love triangle he assumed the two Turks felt something for Tifa, but Nanaki had a hard time believing Tifa had feelings for either of their prior enemies, let alone both. The musk definitely warranted further investigation.

"We ready?" Reno asked after an awkward pause. He was pretty anxious to learn where AVALANCHE believed the answer to the monster situation would be.

"Seems like it," Nanaki responded as they began to make their way back to the helicopter.

Vincent and Tifa hoisted themselves inside and buckled in before noticing Nanaki's apprehension. While the helicopter had doors, it didn't exactly have any seats designed for non-humans. He considered lying on the floor or remaining stationary like in the Highwind, but knew that wasn't an option. Climbing into one of the seats proved difficult, but he finally managed to get up, turn around, and sit down in the seat next to Tifa while she hooked him into a harness.

"You all good back there?" Reno called from the pilot's seat, having watched the red beast struggle.

"All good," Tifa replied with a bit of a laugh.

"Where we goin' now, yo?"

"Wutai," Tifa said, to Reno's dismay. He knew that whether it was the final destination or just a stopover, the annoying ninja would be joining their party.

"Wutai it is," he grumbled.

The ninja meant Tifa wouldn't get a room to herself that Reno could sneak into undetected. It also meant possibly getting caught – Yuffie was a self-proclaimed ninja, after all. On top of all that, Reno found her quite grating. He wasn't exactly the picture of maturity, but he couldn't remember ever being that immature.

Wutai seemed to be clearer than other cities. It hadn't suffered much during Meteor, so it didn't need to rebuild its infrastructure or its police force. The guards were working hard, but people generally seemed to be able to walk the streets without fear. It was a pleasant change from Edge and Cosmo Canyon, for sure.

The group walked through the main section of town nervously. People knew AVALANCHE, and they knew the Turks, but they had never really seen the Turks and AVALANCHE. Granted, the two groups had sort of worked together in Wutai years ago when the ninja pest and Elena had been kidnapped by Don Corneo, but that was up on Da Chao, so it's not like the townspeople really saw them.

As they approached Turtle's Paradise, Reno started to slowly, absentmindedly, almost instinctively, drift toward the entrance. He didn't even realize he was heading inside until Tifa grabbed him by the shoulder to keep him with the group. He didn't seem phased or angered by her touch – a point noticed by Nanaki.

"I could just drink while you all pick up the kid?" Reno pleaded. Rude scoffed.

"You're not flying the helicopter while drunk," Tifa scolded.

"It would just be one drink?" Reno said, thinking that might make it okay.

Tifa didn't let go of his shoulder and until they had crossed the bridge heading away from the bar. In an effort to maintain the appearance that he was not that close to Tifa, Reno dusted off the shoulder of his jacket when she let him go and then placed his hands in his pockets and fell to the back of the group. That'd fool 'em.

Nanaki stayed up front with Tifa, trying to get a read on her relationship with the Turks. He was still learning about humans and the world, so he was interested in the dynamics at play between former adversaries. Tifa, however, seemed eager to get to Godo's home and wasn't paying much attention to anyone else, though she did give Nananki a side-eye when she realized he had been staring at her as they walked.

"What's wrong?" she asked him. He shook his head.

"Nothing. I'm just still trying to figure out two-legged creatures," he said, almost to himself.

Yuffie was waiting for them on the porch outside her father's house with a suitcase, a duffle bag, and her materia satchel. Reno noticed the large suitcase first.

"Geez, how long do you think we'll be staying?" he asked her.

Yuffie looked confused and turned to her belongings.

"That's my spare materia bag," she informed him in a tone suggesting he was an idiot for even asking.

Reno brushed off the barb.

"Fine, but don't blame me if the chopper is over its weight limit," he said dismissively.

"Just take it," Yuffie instructed as if Reno were her bellhop.

"Excuse me?" he asked pointedly. "I'm not your servant."

"You expect me to carry that?"

"Yes!"

Yuffie scoffed before grabbing the handle to the suitcase and dragging it behind her, struggling even with two hands. Reno looked mighty pleased with himself and turned to head back out of town.

"So, I guess we have another destination after this?" he asked in Tifa's direction. "The chopper's at capacity, yo."

"Yes," she responded. "I'll tell you where we're going once we're all back in the helicopter."

Reno couldn't help but feel a little stung that she didn't trust him enough to tell him where they were going now. Did she really think he and Rude would just take off and leave AVALANCHE? He thought he and Tifa might have built up some kind of trust these past two months. He supposed she could just be acting cautious in front of her friends.

"Why did we have to meet you outside Godo's house?" Tifa asked Yuffie as they made their way back through town.

"I keep an extra stash of materia there for special occasions," the little ninja responded, still struggling to keep up with everyone else while dragging her large suitcase. Rude had politely taken her duffle bag.

Once everyone was securely strapped into the helicopter, Reno turned from the pilot's seat to call back to AVALANCHE.

"So, now will you tell me where we're going?"

"Do you know where the Forgotten Capital is?" Tifa called back to him.

"Do I know where the Forgotten Capital is?" Reno responded, a little indignant. "Who do you think you're talking to, Lockhart?"

Reno turned to Rude and lowered his voice so AVALANCHE couldn't hear back over the roar of the motor. "Where is the Forgotten Capital?"

"East. And a little north," Rude responded simply.

"Helpful," Reno huffed.

"It's north of Bone Village" Yuffie yelled from the back.

Drat! The little brat had heard.

"Got it!" Reno sneered.

He flipped a few switches and started to lift the aircraft off the ground. Soon, they could no longer see Wutai beneath them. Once they had crossed the ocean to the northern continent they should have been able to see snow, but instead they saw what appeared to be oddly colored mud.

"Look!" Yuffie exclaimed, pointing a finger at the landscape below.

"What is it?" Nanaki asked.

"Hell if I know," Reno responded.

"Monsters," Vincent said matter-of-factly.

The others squinted their eyes to see better.

"Oh my God, he's right," Tifa said, horrified.

Hordes of monsters were below them, nearly covering the ground. They all seemed to be grouped together and moving north together. They could see monsters from all over the world packed together. Tifa could pick out harpies, griffins, and even cactuars all mixed together as if they were being summoned.

"Jenova…" she said just barely audible.

"Do you think so?" Yuffie asked.

"If they're heading north, they're likely going to the Northern Crater," Nanaki suggested. "Jenova may be calling its cells home again."

"But didn't we defeat Jenova?" Tifa asked.

"Maybe not completely…" Nanaki said. "I'm hoping the Cetra left behind some information about how to truly kill the creature."

They could hear Reno groan in the front of the helicopter.

"This is another book trip?" he asked. He was so damn sick of information and documents and waiting around for other people to figure things out. "There's a bar in the Forgotten Capital, right?"

No reply.

They were nearing the abandoned city. The monsters were heading through the city, taking the right shell path that led to the mountains and Icicle Inn.

"Uh, anyone know if these buildings are solid?" Reno asked.

No reply. Reno groaned again. Some help AVALANCHE was.

He decided not to chance landing on the one building with a flat roof and instead set the helicopter down between the left and center paths leading around the city. The monsters seemed to be avoiding this area.

"That's odd," Nanaki noted. "They seem to be on a set path."

"Well, as long as they leave us alone," Reno piped in, grabbing his bag out of the helicopter.

He considered grabbing Tifa's and pretending he was just picking up random luggage but thought better of it. Better to let them think he was still a selfish prick. Rude picked up a few extra bags to help Yuffie and Tifa, and the team headed toward the abandoned city.

Tifa led the way, anxious to see Aeris' final resting place in the hopes that she would find Cloud. If he were anywhere in the world seeking forgiveness, he would be there.

Neither Reno nor Rude had actually even been to the Forgotten Capital, and were amazed by the architecture. It looked like what mermaids would live in – if this were the ocean and mermaids were real. The plants looked like coral and the buildings looked like they were maid of seashells. Some even looked like giant seashells. They followed Tifa as she led them through a dark, narrow tunnel toward what looked like a clearing in the creepiest forest ever.

The trees were bright white and seemed to produce their own light. Reno had to shield his eyes from the glow. Aside from the white trees that looked dead, there was a huge building that somehow seemed both natural and manmade at the same time. In front of the building was a large lake illuminated by light shining down through an opening in the forest canopy.

Tifa approached the lake and fell to her knees. Yuffie rushed to her friend's side as Reno held back the urge to join them. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew when Tifa was unhappy, and he hated to see it.

"Aeris…" Tifa said first. "He's not here." Her voice was soft and wavering as she tried to hold back tears. Cloud was… supposed to be here. She looked around the shore of the small lake. It didn't look like anyone had been here recently. She would have expected some sign that Cloud had been here. A bedroll, some potion bottles, trash – anything.

She started thinking that the whole "forgiveness" thing might have been a lie. How else could she explain his absence? This is where he would have come to speak with Aeris, right?

Yuffie put a hand on Tifa's shoulder and sat down on the ground next to her.

"Maybe he's down below?" Yuffie suggested. "Or maybe he's coming home to you."

She didn't know what to say. She, too, expected Cloud to be living near this lake if he were anywhere – and if he had been telling the truth about seeking forgiveness. She didn't want to believe that Cloud had simply abandoned her best friend like she meant nothing, but it had been nearly two months since he left, and it was getting harder for Yuffie to believe he was coming back.

Tifa closed her eyes and placed her hand on top of Yuffie's. She felt a pit in her stomach that she couldn't explain. Perhaps it was the sinking feeling that Cloud had left her. No, it was something else. Something like fear. Fear that Cloud was in trouble somewhere, but she didn't know where. She let the light from above wash over her, silently praying to Aeris.

"Help," Tifa heard a voice say.

She fell backwards onto her butt and looked around desperately. Did no one else hear that? She shook her head. She must be hearing things, being so close to Aeris and the abandoned Cetra city. Her mind must be playing tricks on her. She was probably just wanting to hear Aeris or the voice of the planet since she was here and Cloud wasn't.

"You okay?" Yuffie asked as Tifa started to get to her feet.

"Yes, I'm fine… I think I was just over—I think I just missed her," Tifa said, holding a hand to her head.

Reno stood in the back of the group with his arms folded and his face contorted into something of a grimace. So, Cloud wasn't here. That opened up an opportunity for him, but he didn't like to see Tifa so sad, especially since he couldn't do anything about it in front of the others. He had actually half wanted the blonde bastard to be here, just to stop her suffering. He didn't know why she was still so hung up on the guy, but he wanted to see her happy.

Nanaki moved next to Tifa and pushed her hand up onto the top of his head. One thing he had learned about humans; they seemed to calm down after petting him. Tifa scratched him behind his ears before moving toward the shell house.

"Let's keep moving," she said as she walked along the water's edge.

Nanaki's nose suddenly started twitching. There was that smell again. He slowed to discreetly sniff the air as everyone else walked past him. It was Reno. Reno had that strange human scent Nanaki suspected had something to do with love emanating from him. Nanaki had only smelled it this strong once before – on Tifa after they found Cloud in Mideel.

"Don't sniff me," Reno said harshly when he noticed Nanaki's nose coming toward him.

"Apologies, I think it's the lake," Nanaki offered.

Reno was getting a little creeped out by AVALANCHE's pet. In all his travels and dealings with Shinra, he had never met anything like him. And so far on this trip the thing kept sniffing the air like he smelled something to eat nearby. It was weirding Reno out. Was that thing planning to eat him?

His concerns were deserted when they entered the shell house and began walking down the glass stairs. Now Reno was freaked out about falling to his death and that his last words would have been "don't sniff me." Hardly a dignified death for a Turk.

"Wow," he said, elongating the word. "Wouldja look at this place?"

Not much better for final words, but they would have to do. Rude was also soaking in the scenery while trying not to fall off the narrow glass pathway that had no architectural structure holding it in place. Physics should have dictated the stairs break under their weight, yet somehow they didn't.

The city itself was strange looking, but less so than the above sea level ocean scenery back outside. The doorways and windows were shaped oddly, and there were multiple spires and staircases, but at least it looked manmade. In the center of it all, below them, was a deep, clear pool that reflected the colors off the side of the buildings. In the center of the pool was an open platform with a short staircase leading down to some pillars and the end of the walkway.

Tifa stopped walking once they were amongst the buildings. She refused to even look at the platform where Sephiroth had killed Aeris.

"Where's this library?" she asked Nanaki and Vincent.

"I'm… not sure," Nanaki admitted. "It must be in one of these structures."

"Split up?" Yuffie suggested.

"Rude and I will go that way," Reno said, pointing at a random building.

"Oh no," Yuffie said with her hands on her hips. "You two aren't going off by yourselves to steal whatever you find or set some trap."

"Whatever," Reno said, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. "You decide how we split up."

He wasn't in the mood to argue. He didn't want to go through any more books or documents, especially any that might be written in some ancient language. He wanted to be at a bar, or at least messing around with Tifa somewhere away from this place that was making her sad.

Yuffie had never been asked to split up the group before. Cloud always got to make that decision, except for once when Tifa decided and another time when Cid was in command. It felt like too much power to entrust to her. She might have felt almost the way she did when she was wielding materia. Almost.

"Hmmm," she said, one arm folded across her chest while tapping one foot. "Rude should go with Vincent so they can bore each other to death. And I'll go with… Nanaki."

Yuffie grinned, and Reno realized she must know about him and Tifa. Of course Tifa told her, that annoying little ninja was her best friend since that Ancient died. He wouldn't admit it, but he was now actually glad the pest had joined them.

"And that just leaves you and… Tifa…" Yuffie smiled.

"Fine!" Reno seethed. Couldn't look happy about it.

"Okay, can we search now?" Nanaki asked.

"Yes, you may," Yuffie responded, enjoying her short moment as the leader.

Vincent and Rude walked into a building on the main floor, while Tifa walked down a curved staircase and immediately back toward a building in the opposite direction of the platform below, Reno dragging his feet behind her.

The buildings were small, so it didn't take long to determine they were not in a library. Tifa walked along the smooth, rounded interior wall, running her hand along the stone just to feel its sensation. There wasn't much in the building, just a stone bench in the back – apparently the only thing that hadn't degraded with time.

"What are we looking for?" Reno asked, trying to be helpful when all he really wanted to do was push her up against the wall and grope her.

"I really don't know," Tifa said.

She reached the bench and sat down, resting her elbow on her leg and her head on her hand. Reno noticed and joined her.

"I guess I thought…" she said sullenly. "I don't know what I thought. We never spent much time down here, so I didn't pay attention. Maybe there's nothing here."

Reno looked around to make sure no one was looking in through the window or doorway and put his arm around Tifa's shoulders.

"Yeah, I don't think there are any buildings down here that would have any information."

Tifa leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed.

"I hate it here."

"I know, babe," Reno kissed the top of her head.

Wait, he wasn't that type of guy. His eyes darted back and forth as he suddenly wished he hadn't done that. Maybe Tifa didn't notice. She pulled out of his embrace and looked into his aquamarine eyes.

"Did you just kiss the top of my head?" she asked.

"Uh, no…" Reno replied sheepishly.

He had to do something to end the sappiness. It was one thing to comfort her, as he had done before, but it had been just the two of them then. He couldn't act all sweet when one of the others might walk in at any moment and get the wrong idea. When he couldn't think of anything more dignified, he reached out to grab her breast and push her down onto the ground behind the bench, rolling on top of her as he did so. She yelled. Good, let people think he was just making a random move on her because that's the kind of guy he was.

But when they hit the ground, they heard a click. Tifa hadn't fallen completely off the bench, her legs were still on it, pinned by Reno's lower body. When they heard the sound they both looked at the wall behind them. Tifa heard movement but couldn't see anything while upside down, but suddenly felt herself sliding down, with Reno still on top of her.

She screamed, grabbing onto Reno tightly and uttering curse words at him. She had always hated going down the slides backwards as a child. Reno had a better vantage point as they fell. It wasn't a long drop, maybe 20 feet, but when he saw the opening coming he wrapped his arms around Tifa tightly and spun around so he would land on the ground first.

He landed on his back with Tifa on top of him, clutched to his chest. She squeaked when they hit the ground, and immediately got up to look around. The secret passage had led to a rather grand-looking room. It must have once been finely furnished, but all that was left was whatever had been made out of stone.

"You okay?" they heard Yuffie's voice from the top of the secret entrance.

"Yeah! I think we found the library," Tifa called back.

"Sweet! Be down in a sec," Yuffie said, and a few seconds later she was flying off of the slide and directly into Reno, who had just managed to stand up.

He landed hard on the ground again with an "oof." Yuffie got up without apologizing and joined Tifa to look around the room. Within moments the rest of the group was sliding down the passage. Reno scrambled to get out of the way, lest he be taken down by two other people and a wolf-lion thing with sharp claws and a fiery tail that may or may not have wanted to eat him.

"How did you find this?" Yuffie asked in amazement.

"I, um," Tifa stammered.

"I stepped on a button, I think," Reno cut in, scratching the back of his head.

Yuffie's eyes narrowed at them. "Did you now?" she asked skeptically.

No matter. The group walked through the room until they saw doorways leading off in various directions. A wide staircase in the back of the room led to an upper balcony, but a room leading off to the right proved more fruitful.

"The library!" Nanaki uttered as soon as he saw a book from the doorway.

He ran off toward the room leaving everyone else to follow. He didn't know what he had expected to find, but discovering a library this large, full of so much ancient knowledge, was beyond anything he could have hoped for. The others – except for Rude and Vincent – looked around the room in stunned amazement. The library alone may have been the size of the Shinra mansion in Nibelheim. It was almost imposing in size and stock. There must have been 100,000 books in the room, at least, with shelves stretching three stories up and rolling ladders on each wall, as well as several balconies with spiral staircases.

"Looks like we're going to be here for a while," Reno said, stretching his arms and yawning.

"At least it's safe down here," Rude offered as consolation.

"Yeah but all our stuff is back outside," Yuffie reminded him

Reno jabbed a finger toward Yuffie. "You need your materia down here? You got something to make you read faster?"

Yuffie leaned back to avoid having a finger stabbing her in the face. "No, but I'd rather not sleep down here without my stuff."

Reno rolled his eyes. "Fine, I don't wanna look through dusty old books anyway, I'll work on getting the luggage down here while you all read."

"Oh no, no, no," Yuffie said, now wagging a finger in Reno's direction. "You're not going up there alone. You'll leave us here."

"Aw c'mon, I wouldn't leave Rude," he said, waving a hand toward the bald Turk, who nodded as a thank you.

"I also don't want you near my materia, so I'm coming with you," Yuffie insisted.

Reno blinked a few times. He'd rather travel with Vincent or the red dog thing that may or may not want to eat him than the annoying ninja.

"Forget it, I'll take the vampire."

Vincent glared from over his collar.

"No! I don't trust anyone else with my materia, come on!" Yuffie said, grabbing Reno by the wrist and dragging him back to the secret passage. Reno tried to catch Tifa's eyes as he was pulled away, but she was still amazed by all the books.

When they were back to the passage, Yuffie finally let the red-haired Turk loose. He rubbed his wrist. She may have been small, but she had nails.

"Geez, what's your problem?" Reno hissed. Yuffie motioned toward the passage.

"Ladies first," she told him.

He glared at her and proceeded to climb up the passage he had fallen down earlier. What was Yuffie's problem? Bossing him around like they were in Wutai and she had her guards backing her up. He reached for the entrance to the tunnel and hoisted himself back into the room with the bench where he had pawed Tifa.

He reached down to offer Yuffie a hand, which she skeptically accepted, and pulled her up into the room easily. It was easy to look strong when lifting children.

"Th, thanks," Yuffie offered, blushing a little.

"Huh? I just didn't want to wait for your slow ass," he growled, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. He then thrust his hands into his pockets and left the building to head for the glass staircase.

"Yeah, right," Yuffie said, following him. "I think, deep down, you're a nice guy."

"I'm not," Reno said without emotion and with his eyes focused ahead.

"I think Tifa thinks you are," Yuffie cooed, clasping her hands behind her back.

Reno spun around to point at her accusingly.

"What do you know about that?" he snarled, the cigarette dangling from his lower lip.

Yuffie laughed.

"What don't I know. I am her best friend, you know," Yuffie was just toying with him now, and he knew it. Even worse, it was probably going to work.

"Whatever," Reno ran his hand through his hair and returned it to his pocket. He turned around and continued up the stairs. That little pest wasn't going to get to him.

"Want to know what she thinks of you?"

"No."

"Want to know what she thinks about Cloud?"

"I think I already know."

"Hmm, well, I think you're wrong."

Reno twisted around and had to stick out his arms for balance. They were about halfway up the glass staircase, perilously high over the city.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, now you want to know what I have to say," Yuffie teased with a grin.

"Forget it," Reno said, turning back toward the top of the staircase and continuing the climb.

"I know she's not so committed to Cloud coming back," Yuffie continued to try and meet his gaze while holding her hands behind her back.

Reno paused for a moment. Could she be telling the truth? No, and it didn't matter anyway. He walked up to the shell house where they had left all the luggage. He picked up a few duffle bags and slung them over his shoulders.

"She said that?"

"I can tell. There's someone else…" Yuffie looked to be enjoying herself, but Reno wasn't about to let her get away with this.

"Whatever," he said, grabbing a suitcase that was not Yuffie's and heading back down the glass stairs, a bit slower this time.

Yuffie was again struggling with her materia bag, and with each "clank" of the wheels hitting a glass step, Reno winced, fearing the stairs would break.

"You know, I've actually never seen her get this way about anyone but Cloud…" Yuffie continued.

Reno tried to brush her off and concentrate on getting down the glass stairs without falling to his death. Was she carrying Tifa or Rude's bags? He could just push her off. Tifa would believe it was an accident, right?

Just another half a glass staircase until he was safely on solid ground. Yuffie seemed to finally get the hint and was silent for the rest of the trip down the stairs. Reno thanked the Gods once he was finally off the glass.

They were just about back to the secret passage when Reno dropped the bags and sat on the bench suddenly.

"What way?" he asked. That little sneak had gotten to him.

Throughout all of this, Reno never expected the possibility that Tifa might develop feelings for him. When he worried about hurting her, it had been fear that she would merely be reminded of Cloud abandoning her. He never thought she might get hurt because she actually liked him.

Well, it wasn't like that changed anything. He didn't care about her feelings, remember? All he wanted from her was sex. All he liked about her was her tits and ass and what was between her legs – and the smell of her hair and her smile and the way she made him feel like there was more to life than being a Turk…

"Aww, see? I knew you had a heart in there somewhere," Yuffie teased, slinking up to Reno and poking him in the chest with her extended index finger. "Even if it is two sizes too small."

"You're wrong," Reno said, swatting at Yuffie as if she were a mosquito.

Yuffie sat on the bench next to the redhead and crossed her legs, a devilish grin on her face.

"Oh yeah, heartless guys go out of their way to get girls their favorite flowers all the time."

Reno snapped his head at her, glowering.

"She told you about that?"

Yuffie nodded eagerly. She then nudged him with her elbow. "She tells me everything."

Reno turned his head from the little ninja so she wouldn't see how red his face turned. He reached out an arm to push her off the bench, but she rolled backwards to avoid him. Unfortunately for her, she rolled right back into the secret passage. She screamed as she fell and landed on her back.

Reno threw his head back and laughed maniacally.

"Serves you right!" he called down to her before dropping the luggage down the chute piece by piece.

"Is that everything?" Tifa asked when Reno and Yuffie returned to the library.

The remaining members of the group were looking through books and hadn't moved too far from the entrance in the time it took the Turk and the ninja to return to the surface and back again.

"There's some more, but if you make me go back up there with her," he pointed a finger at Yuffie, "we will be one annoying brat short."

Yuffie grinned as Tifa shot her look that said, "you better not have told him anything." Yuffie's grin quickly melted into an innocent smile.

"Most of the books are in Cetra and I can't quite translate," Nanaki informed the two who had just joined them. "But many are surprisingly in English."

"Oh, goody," Yuffie groaned. It was the first thing she said Reno could agree with.

Later…

Reno sat up suddenly from his bedroll in one of the rooms of the underground (well, more underground) building. He had chosen a room across the hall from the library, wanting to get as far away from those books as possible. His vision had started to blur when he was forced to actually assist AVALANCHE – and Rude – in going through them.

The room he and Rude were sharing must have been some kind of seating area. The furniture was somehow preserved, with a plush couch (which Rude was sleeping on) and several matching armchairs and a regal-looking coffee table. A fireplace had been carved into one of the walls.

Reno heard something outside the room and instantly shot up to investigate. He was wearing only his suit pants, which he struggled to keep up without a belt. He grabbed his pistol and held it in the ready position as he stood with his back against the front wall of the room to peer out the door.

He could see a pair of delicate, bare feet disappear into the secret passage and he followed, looking around to see if anyone else was awake. What he didn't notice was that Rude had heard the sound as well but remained in the room when he realize Reno was going to investigate.

Reno climbed up the chute with some difficulty, as his pants kept sagging over his feet, making it tough to get traction. He pulled himself out of the hole in the ground in time to see Tifa ascending the glass staircase. She looked almost like she was sleepwalking and was wearing a pair of tiny white pajama shorts and a black mid-riff baring tank top without a bra. Her hair was messy from sleep and she looked up ahead to the exit back to the surface.

Reno relaxed his hold on his gun and followed her, making sure to stay out of her sight – if she was even capable of noticing him at this point.

She was standing at the edge of the lake outside the shell house when he emerged from the glass staircase. She was cloaked in that bright white light that streamed in from above the trees, giving her an ethereal glow that illuminated her skin and caused the shine of her hair to almost blind him.

Her arms were wrapped around her stomach as though she were hugging herself and she was looking toward the water in the middle of the small lake. Reno watched her from the entrance to the shell building, leaning against the wall and folding his arms across his chest. He was soaking in her beauty in what he assumed to be night, though the clearing hardly looked different than when they had come through earlier.

Tifa wasn't moving, so Reno didn't want to approach her. Through no fault of his own, however, the sound of a falling branch somewhere behind him caused her to whip around and find him staring at her.

"Reno?" she asked unnecessarily.

He ran a hand through his hair and shrugged sheepishly, placing his other hand in his pocket to keep his pants from falling.

"Yeah, sorry, yo," he said, staring at his feet. "Heard a noise and followed to make sure nothing attacked you."

"It's safe up here," Tifa responded softly.

Reno looked up to see her beautiful mahogany eyes fixed on him, her eyebrows slightly raised in confusion. He pushed off the entrance and walked over to her with his shoulders slumped.

"Yeah but if you go much further it's not," he offered as explanation. "What're you doing up here?"

Tifa sighed and looked at her feet.

"You'll think I'm crazy," she said sadly.

"We're all crazy."

"I just… Ever since we got here, I've felt like I heard Aeris' voice, but I can't understand what she's trying to tell me," Tifa said, raising her head to look back over the lake. Reno just stared at her blankly. "It's like, I hear her voice as if she's standing right next to us, but nothing she says makes sense."

"That's… uh… hmm," Reno scratched the back of his head. What could he say to that? He had no idea what she meant but he wasn't about to make her feel crazy.

"I just keep getting this feeling like I need to leave," Tifa said, a little resolve in her voice now.

"Like something bad's gonna happen?" Reno asked. "I get that on missions sometimes, and something usually goes bad."

"No, it's not like that," Tifa shook her head gently. "It just feels like I need to leave for some reason, but I don't know why. I don't think we're in danger or anything."

"I can take you back, if you want," Reno offered. Tifa turned to him.

"No, I don't want to leave. I won't just leave everyone because of some weird feeling I can't even explain."

Reno let out a chuckle.

"Yanno, Lockhart, we're actually a lot alike."

Tifa choked back a laugh, which would have been a lot more hysterical a couple months ago before she had gotten to know Reno. She shouldn't have laughed at all; based on what she had learned about Reno in the past two months, he wasn't so wrong.

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"No matter what I felt on a mission, I'd never leave. I knew not everyone would feel it, so I made sure to stay back for those who needed me."

He reached out to wrap his arms around her and pull her to his chest.

"Yeah?" she asked into his pectoral muscles.

Reno rested his chin on the top of Tifa's head and swayed with her.

"Yeah" he practically whispered.

He held her under the light for a few moments before she lifted her head to look into his aquamarine eyes.

"I think she's telling me to stop looking and go home," she said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Reno looked down at her to see the light reflected in her quivering eyes.

"Aeris was always a little blunt," Tifa said with a fond smile. "The words I've been able to understand were 'help,' 'home,' and 'go.' I think she wants me to go home and help the people of Edge and to stop waiting for Cloud."

"It's not like you've been doing nothing but wait for him," Reno informed her with a half-smirk.

"It feels that way sometimes," Tifa returned to rest her head on Reno's chest, a slight smile forming on her lips.

Reno pulled away and held her at arm's length, keeping his stance wide so his pants would stay up. Really should have grabbed a belt.

"I've never really gotten that from you, Lockhart," he said, hunching over so that his eyes were level with hers. "I've seen you go about your life – you run a business, you help your friends, you put up with me…"

She laughed at that. "Yeah, you are a full-time job sometimes."

"Don't I know it."

They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before starting to inch closer together. Tifa closed her eyes as she felt Reno's lips meet her own in a surprisingly gentle kiss. There was no viciousness or competition for once, just a smooth, tender kiss that reminded Tifa of the way Cloud used to kiss her, though she was trying not to think about Cloud at the moment.

Reno hugged her tight again and stood with her a few contemplative minutes before asking, "Wanna go for a walk?"

She glanced down at their bare feet and considered objecting but looked around at the beautiful yet eerie forest and nodded her head. Reno squeezed her to him one last time and let his slender fingers thread themselves into Tifa's. He quietly led her into the forest of white, leafless trees in no particular direction. There was something quite beautiful about the contrast between the seemingly dead trees and Tifa's boundless fortitude.

Reno felt butterflies in this stomach as they walked deeper into the woods, still holding hands without saying a word. He wanted to say something to her to lighten the mood, which seemed heavy due to the location, but he suddenly found himself at a loss for words. He didn't have much experience with being speechless, but he found himself worried that he would say something to make Tifa think he was stupid or lame. Had a woman ever thought that about him? He couldn't recall, but somehow believed it was a possible option for this woman.

"Yanno, I've never been here before," he said after a while.

"Really? I thought the Turks had been all over the world," Tifa responded solemnly.

"Pretty much, but we're a people organization, yo, and there are no people here."

Tifa gave a half-smirk at his claim. "The Turks are a 'people organization?'" she asked sarcastically.

"Well, the killing of people, mostly, but still, there's no one here to assassinate."

Tifa chuckled.

"Yanno, if someone had told me two months ago that in two months I'd be standing in a creepy dead forest with a gorgeous woman who used to be my enemy, I'd have called them crazy," he said, stopping and turning to face her again.

"I would have too," she added with a warm smile. "But like you said, we're all crazy."

"Some of us more than others, my dear," he said, that trademark grin reappearing. "You, you're definitely crazier than most, though."

She pulled back from his grip and put her hands on her hips. "What? Me? How so?"

He laughed and reached out to embrace her again, pulling her close so that their lips were mere millimeters apart. He could feel her nose tickling the tip of his own and smelled her sweet breath. He started to worry she could hear his heart beating faster.

"Because you put up with me… and, I think, you actually like it."

Before she could answer – and she didn't really know how, anyway – he pressed his lips against hers. She closed her eyes and settled into the kiss as he leaned her back against one of the oddly luminescent trees. He wrapped his arms around her and pushed his hips into hers, partially to keep his pants from falling down while his arms were preoccupied.

His tongue made its way into her mouth when she brought her hands up to rest one on the back of his head and the other behind his neck. He squeezed her tightly and lifted her up just a bit. When he set her back down firmly on the ground, he slowly moved his hands to the hem of her shirt.

They couldn't see the lake from where they were. Reno hadn't really expected to try anything with her while in the city where Tifa's best friend had been murdered, but he couldn't help himself after seeing her illuminated near the water's edge. At least they were far enough away that he couldn't say anything had happened, like, on the girl's grave or anything.

She just continued to kiss him as he lifted her shirt above her breasts, which fell easily from the confines of the fabric. He left the shirt hiked up to her collarbone, allowing his hands to explore the warm flesh beneath. His calloused hands roamed freely, enjoying her breasts and taut nipples. He returned one hand to the small of her back and teased her nipple with the opposite thumb.

Tifa moved one hand down to trace the muscles of his chest down to his abs and to his bony hips. She brought both hands down and around to the small of his back to let her fingers sneak underneath the fabric of his pants just slightly. He pressed his chest against hers and brought his hands up to cup the sides of her face, deepening the kiss before reaching down again to pull her shirt over her head.

She didn't move to cover herself this time but did make sure there was no distance between their bodies. Reno dropped her shirt next to their feet and she felt the oddly smooth bark of the tree on her back. She moved her hands to his hips, leaving her pinky fingers to lightly breeze across the skin just under his waistband. He shivered as her soft touch, a little tickled. He moved his hips away from hers just enough to let his pants fall to his ankles and stepped out of them.

"Tell me what you want, yo."

He pressed back against her and she could feel his erection against her abdomen. She felt heat settling in her most sensitive area as her heart started beating faster. His hands continued to roam her body, seeming to want to feel every inch of her.

She wasn't hearing Aeris anymore as Reno explored her and didn't even realize the voice had stopped. She had been fighting her feelings for so long, believing Cloud would come back to her – that he couldn't have just left her the way he did. But he wasn't anywhere he should have been. It didn't even look like he had been here.

What she could understand from Aeris made her believe it was time to let Cloud go. He wasn't here for a reason, and Reno was. In fact, Reno had been around a lot the past two months, and he had been showing her something different. What Tifa thought about in that moment was not the past sexual encounters with the red-haired Turk – it was the flowers, the conversations, the laughter.

Reno had been there for her the past two months as Cloud had been previously. He had protected her, kept her company, even checked on her when she was sick – in his own Reno way.

She knew he may have started being nice to her just to get in her pants, but she now knew there was something more to his actions. She couldn't believe even Reno would go to so much trouble to sleep with a woman. She couldn't be that special.

"I want... you," she breathed.

Reno brushed her skin with a gentle flurry of kisses down her chin and neck, lingering on her breasts, before he knelt on the ground and gripped her pajama shorts on either side. The butterflies and heat in her loins kicked into overdrive as she allowed him to slip her shorts and panties down to her ankles. This was really happening, and she was really letting it happen.

He took a step back to study her, pushing air out from his lungs in an approving breath as he looked her up and down. She stood leaning against the tree, with one hand grasping her alternate arm to hug across her body in a timid stance to show how nervous she was. Her head sunk a little as she watched him grin wolfishly at her.

He approached her again, pressing his hips into hers and placing a hand on each of her upper arms. He kissed her again in a manner closer to his usual passion. He seemed to be fighting with himself to be respectful toward her when he really wanted to throw her down and ravage her.

He started to pull her down to the ground and directed her to sit on the seat of his pants, since it was the largest piece of fabric worn between the two of them. He laid her back down and watched her nervously squirm below him as he stood up to remove his boxer briefs.

This was it; his prize. All his hard work, all his years of wanting – it was all about to pay off. Two years ago he had met Tifa Lockhart while she was trying to kill him. For months he was forced to try and kill her as well. Two months ago she still hated him. But now? Now he was about to be the second man to enter her this way, and the achievement did not pass him by.

He slowly lowered himself to his knees as she took in the sight of him. He was all muscle and bone, so thin yet so strong. She was anxious as he approached her again, noting that his erection was bigger than she was used to – and she was just so small.

He didn't immediately enter her; instead, he sucked on his own fingers to warm them up before slipping one inside her. His hands were still a bit cold due to where they were in the world, but that just served to heighten the feeling inside her. She reached her hands out on the ground around her, looking for something to grip as her back arched off the ground just from his fingers once he had pushed a second into her. She tried to keep her eyes open so she could see his muscles and mentally prepare for when his cock was inside her, but she kept finding them closed as she writhed in pleasure.

Satisfied with how wet she was, Reno removed his fingers from her and leaned forward so that his arms were on either side of her shoulders.

"You want this," he said. It was meant to be a question, but it didn't quite come out that way.

Tifa felt as though her heart would jump out of her chest when she quietly nodded her head. He grinned at her in a way she had never seen before and she braced herself for what was about to happen, so nervous that her inexperience would disappoint him.

Reno brought one hand to his cock to steady it as he approached Tifa. He gently rubbed the tip against her entrance, teasing her before he gave her what she wanted – what he had wanted for years.

She was tight. Reno knew it had been months since she had last been with someone, but he wasn't expecting her to be like this.

"God, you're tight," he said as she whimpered beneath him.

It was exhilarating, almost like fucking a virgin. He eased his way into her as she winced. He knew it was hurting her, so he gave her body time to adjust to accept his considerable size before he continued on.

Thanks to his experience, he knew when to stop pushing in. He wasn't quite to his hilt but knew that going any deeper into her in his position could ruin the moment. He fell forward onto his hands and began to thrust into her - delicately at first, until he could tell it was feeling good for her.

Her insides burned with pleasure from the friction as his cock slid in and out of her. He picked up his pace as she relaxed and wrapped her legs around his waist. He leaned down toward her and pushed his tongue into her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down onto her before moaning loudly and leaning her head back, giving him access to her throat.

He sucked on her neck while continuing to grind his hips into hers. She had never wanted to be one of those women who was accused of "just lying there," so she bucked her hips against his, quickly finding his rhythm. She tried to keep her mewls dignified, but the sensation was just too good, and she found herself making some rather unladylike sounds for him. It only served to excite him further. He sat up on his knees and placed his hands beneath her buttocks to lift her off the ground. She rested her ankles on his shoulders as he thrust deeper into her, causing her to moan loudly. Reno knew that sound. It was the sound a woman made when a man was hitting the exact right spot. It was the closest he could get to causing the same sensation as his mag rod. Somehow, though, women always preferred this more natural method of pleasure.

"Reno… Reno!" Tifa cried out in that voice that straddled delight and pain.

She was embarrassingly close to losing control, and she was afraid he wouldn't enjoy her if she came too early. She couldn't help it though, and soon she was howling his name at the feeling of her insides gripping his cock and the hot liquid now running down to the ground beneath them.

"Goddammit, girl," he said almost cruelly. Tifa couldn't tell whether he was mad or turned on.

He pulled out of her suddenly and in a move that Tifa supposed was how he usually conducted himself in such moments, he forced an arm beneath her and in one fluid motion lifted her up and twisted her around so that she had to get on her hands and knees.

Reno had to take a moment to admire her from this angle. If she didn't have such a pretty face and rack, this would have been his favorite view of her. He grabbed her by the hips and pulled her closer to him as he again rubbed the tip of his erection against her entrance. He was about to thrust back into her when he noticed her legs shaking violently as he teased her. He had never seen a woman react that way and he grinned.

Tifa had never reacted that way to any kind of touch, and she felt humiliated. One leg was shaking so violently she felt she must look like a dog. Reno howled behind her in approval, however, easing her fears. He then entered her again with no difficulty. Within a second he was pushed in to his hilt and began thrusting deeply into her.

She tried to stay in a modified push-up position for him, but the more his hips pounded against her, the more she slid down to the ground. After a few minutes of struggling to stay up, Reno placed a hand on her back and pushed her chest to the ground, lifting her hips up higher and closer to him as he did so. This position gave him access to that spot again and couldn't believe she was about to come a second time.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God, Reeeeeno!" she cried as she did so.

He slapped her on the ass as he again felt her tightening around him almost to the point of being painful.

"Ohhhh fuck," he said without stopping.

He again pulled out of her, this time grabbing her by the arm and twisting her around to face him. He then laid on the ground and brought her to hover over him, helping her ease down onto him. She was surprisingly adept in this position, but he tried not to think why that may be. Instead, he guided her hips up and down on top of him until she took over and planted herself onto him, with his cock completely inside her, and gyrated her hips without her body leaving his.

"Oh, shit," he said as she took control, his pupils large as he watched her breasts bounce while she rode him.

It was now getting to the point where he was struggling to hold back. He didn't know what might happen to them after this – he knew he could screw her a million more times if it was like this. But he knew anything could happen – she could overthink everything, for one – so he was going to get everything he could out of her, just in case.

Tifa eventually came a third time on top of him, mewling his name with a hint of disgust as the liquid ran down her thighs and his hip bones. Reno had been with a lot of women – a lot – and some of them came pretty viciously. But he had never taken as much pleasure from bringing a woman to the height of rapture as he did now.

Tifa Lockhart was something else. To look at her, one might think she was easy. To know her, one would know she was timid and inexperienced. Yet here and now, actually being with her, Reno realized she must have been sent to him by the Gods. Her body, her wit, her skills, her movements, everything she was doing at that moment; it was all too much for him. He hadn't thought a woman like her could exist, which is why he had spent so many years of his life with whores.

He could tell Tifa was nearly spent. Her legs were shaking, she was doing that single-handed clapping thing she had done the previous week when she didn't think he noticed, and her breathing was labored. He knew she was losing feeling in her extremities, and while he was proud of himself, he decided to give her a break. She had more energy than any woman he had ever been with, and God bless her, she was a trooper, trying her hardest to please him when he could have come the instant he was inside her.

He lifted her off of him and spun her around to push her back to her hands and knees. She yelped at the quick movement and he was already inside her. He pounded his hips into her with more speed and force than before, and she struggled to keep from sliding along the ground. She found nothing to grab onto as he pumped her from his tip to the hilt, pushing her each time his hilt made contact with her ass.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuuuuuuuuuuuck…" Reno practically yelled as he finally released inside of her. He thrust into her a few more times to empty his load before sliding out to catch his breath.

Tifa was flustered, and now terrified that he had come inside her. He had been with a lot of women, and she hadn't insisted on a condom, so taken with the moment. Now she worried what she might have caught from him - or whether she would end up pregnant.

He was still hovering over her, breathing heavily in the heat of the moment, before they both collapsed onto their backs on the ground.

When Reno finally found his voice again, all he could say was, "Fuckin' A, Lockhart."

Tifa turned to her side and closed the gap between their bodies. She reached her hand across his chest to intertwine her fingers with his. "I think you can call me Tifa now," she said with a crooked smile.