In a Quiet Town
Chapter 8: All Good Things
As Curtis disclosed the secrets of his plan to the gathered crowd, Reno could see that there were many who simply didn’t want to believe that they’d been used. He heard not a few insinuations and outright declarations that he and Yuffie were making it all up… using the materia to force Curtis to say he’d lied to them. But with the gun still aimed at his head by his own hand, no one moved to do anything about it. In the end, Reno had to send some of the townspeople into the house to see the files in the upstairs office for themselves. The wait for their return was agonizing, but well worth it. Their added testimony finally convinced the vast majority of what had really been going on in the town.
When Yuffie’s spell at last wore off, Reno took the gun, and Curtis found himself in the hands of some of the very displeased citizens of Duraman who had remained behind after the crowd had dispersed. Most of his hired guards had shown their loyalty by fleeing at the first opportunity, like rats from a sinking ship. A few stayed behind, siding with the town over their ex-leader.
“You think you’ve stopped me?” Curtis hissed at Reno and Yuffie, who both stood in front of him, “You haven’t… I’ll start over somewhere else… I’ll…”
A shot rang out from behind them before Curtis could continue, and instinctively, Reno pushed Yuffie down, feeling the bullet graze his cheek as he did so. He ignored the surprised cry from Curtis’ direction, rolling to face the new threat and returning fire with his confiscated gun, watching as the figure that stood at the gates of the house crumpled to the ground.
“That idiot…” Curtis gasped, his voice pained.
Reno and Yuffie looked back at Curtis in time to see him slump forward, having to be supported by the two men who had been restraining him. Blood spread in a dark stain over the front of his shirt.
“Guess that solves that problem,” Reno commented, checking for a pulse and finding none. Obviously, the bullet had been meant for either Yuffie or himself… Curtis had just been in the wrong place when Reno and Yuffie hit the ground.
“Who shot him?” asked Yuffie, more than a little shocked. They walked toward the motionless body by the gate, and Reno rolled the second dead man onto his back.
“Riley. How the hell did he get out?” Reno sighed.
———-
After ascertaining that all three brothers were dead – Curtis and Riley both shot, and Garris having not survived the trauma caused by his encounter with Reno’s electro-rod – Reno and Yuffie began the long walk back to where they’d had to leave the car.
“Gawd… Why am I carrying this?” Yuffie complained, as she half-dragged the heavy gas can along the road.
“Cuz I’m hurt… A certain overweight ninja landed on top of me, remember?” Reno replied, smiling innocently, “Besides… I did save your life… Several times, in fact.”
“Excuse me? Who saved who from drowning, huh? You think I enjoyed giving you mouth to mouth? You owe me, Turkey…” the ninja replied, as she set the gas can down and crossed her arms stubbornly, “And who’re you calling overweight?!”
“Aw… You know you liked givin’ me mouth to mouth… And by the way, you wouldn’t have so much trouble carrying that if you weren’t lugging around all that materia,” Reno countered, nodding to the bag she had slung over one shoulder.
“No way am I leaving this behind!” she nearly screamed, “It took forever to find all the best ones in that mess in the vault!” She clutched the bag possessively and glared at the Turk.
“Fine… Just keep dragging it along then,” Reno said smugly as he turned and continued walking, “But I’m not gonna help you carry it…”
Yuffie continued to glare at his retreating form for a moment before picking up the gas can and stomping after him, not really noticing that he had slowed his pace to let her catch up.
“You know something? I was actually starting to think that maybe… just maybe… you weren’t as big an asshole as I thought you were,” she seethed, “That maybe I was being unfair by seeing you as nothing more than an arrogant, egotistical, lazy, worthless son of a bitch…”
“Yuff… I think you’ve been spending too much time with that pilot friend of yours…” Reno chastised, pretending to look shocked, “Such language…”
Yuffie ignored the interruption.
“But you are the biggest jerk I have ever met!” she continued.
“Why Yuffie… I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” said Reno, goading her farther, and grinning happily as anger and annoyance flashed in her eyes. He knew he should stop, but she was just so much fun to provoke… and oddly attractive when she looked like she was ready to break his neck. He knew he should stop… he truly knew he should…
“But seriously… Why don’t you tell me how you really feel? Spending all this time with me… Life or death situations…” he said, ignoring the little voice that was pleading with him to shut the hell up, “Come on… say it. You know you want me. I can see it in your eyes…”
His grin grew wider even though tiny alarms in the back of his mind were going of frantically trying to dissuade him from getting himself killed by the ninja. Yuffie set the gas can down with an echoing thud.
“Uh oh…” Reno backed up a step as Yuffie closed in on him. She was definitely going to slap him for that… not that he didn’t deserve it. He decided that it was better to let her vent some of her anger, not wanting to spend the next few hours driving with an irate, carsick ninja… so he made no attempt to dodge when he saw her hand move back, ready to strike. But instead of the open-handed slap he’d been expecting, she caught him hard with a right hook. Unprepared for the blow, Reno stumbled backwards, losing his balance and landing ungracefully on his butt, staring up at her in surprise. Yuffie began to laugh at the caught-off-guard expression on Reno’s face.
“Damn, Yuffie… Remind me not to tease you anymore,” said Reno, rubbing the side of his face, “You have no sense of humor at all…”
“You want a second black eye to go with the one I just gave you?” she retorted, an idle threat made for appearances sake, somewhat-guiltily noting that the flesh around his left eye was indeed already beginning to bruise.
“Alright, alright…” said Reno, holding up his hands in defeat to humor her. It was Yuffie’s turn to grin as she pulled him to his feet.
“You had it coming, ya know…” she said in lieu of an apology.
“Yeah, I know.”
She turned and headed off down the road, making a point of leaving the gas can behind for Reno to carry.
———-
They drove in silence for a long time, and it wasn’t until Yuffie slumped over, leaning on his shoulder, that Reno realized she’d fallen asleep.
“Mmm… Reno…” she murmured softly. Reno smirked and wrapped an arm around her, taking his eyes off the road only briefly to glance at her peacefully sleeping form.
“Ok, so I’m a jerk…” he admitted after awhile, even though he knew his traveling companion couldn’t hear him.
“Yeah… you are…” the ninja mumbled sleepily, stifling a yawn, “But I guess I can forgive you for that.”
“Ha! I knew you loved me!” Reno replied, trying to mask the fact that he hadn’t meant for her to hear.
“Just drive, Turk-boy,” Yuffie replied, rolling her eyes, but smiling all the same.
-fin-
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