Taking Care of Reno: Meteorfall
Chapter 23: Welcome Home, Now Get Back to Work
“Watch it, Fred…” his unenthusiastic companion muttered angrily as Reno pulled her against him, clutching her to his chest.
“Name’s Reno… Now quit squirmin’, ya little pain in the ass,” the redhead shot back, and sliced through the last of the ropes that held her. “And hold onto me, will ya? You’re heavier than ya look.”
“HEY!” came the indignant reply, but the young ninja took one look at the drop they were presently hanging over and tightened her grip.
“Alright, partner! Bring us down!” In response to his request, the pair began to slowly descend. A few feet from the statue’s enormous hand, Strife and Valentine reached up to guide them the rest of the way. It was a relief when his feet finally hit solid ground again. He stood in silence for a moment, waiting for Yuffie to release him. When she didn’t, he rolled his eyes. “Tch… You can let go, now, squirt.”
The girl belatedly uncoiled herself from his frame and scurried back, face red with embarrassment. He smirked.
“… So what now?” Cloud asked, suspiciously. Now that the two women had been rescued, it seemed their brief alliance was over. Reno looked back at Elena and Rude and shrugged.
“Like I said. We’re not technically on duty right now. ‘Sides…we have somewhere else to be.” He turned and motioned for his fellow Turks to follow, which they did wordlessly. “But don’t start thinkin’ this makes us friends…” he added as they started down the trail, disappearing around the bend and leaving Avalanche behind, “You start gettin’ in our way, we’re not gonna be so accommodating next time.”
Elena hurried past Rude and fell into step beside him. “Reno… Should we really just leave them here like this? Didn’t Rufus order us to –”
“Eh… I was just fuckin’ with ’em when I said that. Rufus ordered us back to Junon. Didn’t say shit about goin’ after Avalanche…”
“So… That mean you are going back to Junon?” Rude asked, and Reno glanced back over his shoulder.
“Well, someone’s gotta keep you two in line…” He paused momentarily and turned to face his partner. “Hell… I can’t just abandon you guys. I was fuckin’ stupid to ever think I could. And… you were right, partner. I need to suck it up and deal. There are more important things to focus on right now. My problems’ll just have to wait. We got a planet to save.”
“Hmph… That’s more like it,” the bald Turk replied, and slung an arm over the redhead’s shoulders, pulling him in against his side.
“Well… since we’re back on the job, what does Rufus need us to do now?” Elena asked, smiling slightly at the display. Reno ducked out from under the hand that was moving to ruffle his hair, vaguely annoyed at the attempt, and shrugged.
“Didn’t say. But we’d better get our asses moving and find out. My guess? We’re headin’ for home… Cannon’s probably gettin’ installed as we speak, and Rufus’ll wanna head back to headquarters to run things from there.”
“Do you think the cannon will really be able to get through Sephiroth’s barrier?” she queried as they made their way down the mountain.
“Better hope so,” Rude commented. “If it can’t… we’re pretty well fucked. Unless Avalanche has something up their sleeves.”
Reno shook his head. “They might, but damned if I’m pinnin’ my hopes on a bunch of half-assed eco-terrorists. Shinra made this mess… and the Turks are gonna do everything we can to make sure Shinra fixes it.”
By then, they’d reached the trail head. The bodies of Corneo’s pair of minions still lay slumped against the boulders.
“Run into some trouble earlier?” Rude queried. Reno snaked his arm around Elena’s waist and kissed her gently on the cheek.
“Fuckers didn’t wanna tell me where Corneo took ‘Lena,” the redhead answered, and stopped in front of them. “Tch… Guess we probably oughta ditch ’em somewhere outta sight before we leave. No sense leavin’ ’em layin’ around for the tourists to find.”
Rude gave an affirmative grunt as he lifted the nearest body off the ground.
“Oh, sure… leave me the fat one,” Reno muttered. His partner flashed him a teasing grin.
“You’re the one who killed them… I should be making you take care of them both.”
Tseng closed his eyes and focused solely on his breathing. This was never pleasant, but it had grown even less so ever since Dr. Ward had suspended his mako therapy treatments. All the deep breathing in the world, however, wasn’t enough to stop him from yelping in pain as the innermost layer of dressings were stripped away from the open wound in his abdomen.
“I thought you Turks were made of sterner stuff…” came a comment from across the room. Tseng opened his eyes again, and openly glared at his charge.
“You will have to forgive me if my defenses have flagged slightly under the strain of being in excruciating pain for the better part of a month, sir.”
“If yeh’d let me up yer dosage of painkillers again, yeh wouldn’t be in near so much pain, yeh stubborn thing,” Ward pointed out as she disposed of the soiled bandages and set to seeing to his wound’s weekly cleaning. Rufus crossed the room, and settled himself in the chair beside the bed, opposite the good doctor, frowning at the sight of the injury.
“It doesn’t seem to have healed much in all that time…” he said, and for once, didn’t bother hiding the worry in his voice.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” was Ward’s clipped reply, “A good deal of the internal damage has knitted back together quite nicely. But I’ve had ta keep the wound open ta let it drain. Gives it a bit of a nasty appearance… and it certainly doesn’t feel too pleasant, I’m sure… but he’s actually well on his way ta recovery.” She snorted softly. “Now… if this Shiva-forsaken Turk would just stop doing things like this ta himself…”
“I most certainly did not do this to myself. And believe me… I didn’t ask to be skewered and left for dead, either,” the decidedly grouchy Turk leader muttered in reply. He inhaled sharply as the woman began applying an antiseptic to the raw flesh.
“Nearly finished…” she said gently.
“How long before we can move him back to Midgar?” Rufus asked, and Ward shook her head and fixed the young executive with a stern expression.
“As much as I’d prefer ta have him safely tucked in at Midgar General… he’s not going anywhere for the time being. Particularly not with that blasted cannon of yers drawing up all the power in the city. And don’t think I haven’t heard about that… I have plenty of friends back home ta keep me informed. Scheduled blackouts… bah. D’yeh know that the hospital has had ta switch over ta emergency backup three times just since yeh started? Yeh take care of that accursed rock that’s threatening ta do us all in, and the madman controlling it… then we’ll have a chat about taking Tseng home. For now, he’s safer here.”
Tseng breathed a soft sigh of relief as Ward finished what she was doing and reached for clean bandages. The worst of it was over… though he wondered just how many more times he’d have to go through this little torture. It was rather high on his list of unpleasant medical procedures.
“And what does your patient want?” Rufus asked in challenge.
“What he wants doesn’t matter one bit right now. He gets what’s best for him until I say otherwise. And what’s best for him is staying put.”
The Wutaiian looked from one to the other and shook his head. “Would you both kindly stop speaking about me as if I weren’t present?”
Dr. Ward simply chuckled, finally done securing the bandages. “Yer all set, yeh little pain in the rear. But yer still not going anywhere. I’ll check in on yeh a bit later.”
With that, she stood and left him alone with the President.
“How do you stand that woman?” Rufus asked… though not, Tseng noticed, until the doctor was safely out of earshot. It seemed the younger man had learned to hold his tongue around her.
“I trust Justinia as much as I trust any of my Turks, sir. Her sort of loyalty is hard to come by. And if it comes at the price of having to tolerate a certain level of… abrasiveness… then so be it.”
Rufus snorted softly. “Personally, I’m beginning to think you simply enjoy the abuse. At any rate, I thought you might like to know that your precious little Turks are on their way back to Junon. And Corneo is rotting at the bottom of a cliff, where he belongs.”
“A rather short vacation,” Tseng observed, but he smiled faintly. The President sat back in the chair and folded his arms.
“I suppose you would have preferred that I give them the entire week off so the slum rat could sit around wallowing in self pity. Meanwhile, our imminent destruction is still looming.”
Tseng’s smile widened ever so slightly. “You simply cannot admit that you do care about their well-being, can you? Any one of them would die for you.”
The younger man frowned and looked away briefly. “… I never asked that of them. Or of you.”
“That changes nothing,” the Turk chuckled. He’d always suspected that was the real reason the Shinra heir had always, with the glaring exception of himself, tried to keep the people around him at arm’s length. Most of them were ultimately expendable. Rufus was cold as a matter of self-preservation. Though he seldom spoke of it, the sudden and brutal loss of his mother had affected him deeply from a very young age. It had made him hesitant to get close to anyone ever again for fear he would eventually lose them as well.
“I’ll be returning to Midgar once they arrive. I hardy dare trust Scarlet, of all people, to run things now that the cannon is nearly installed.”
Ah… So that was what this visit was really about. He’d come to say goodbye.
Rufus shifted awkwardly and continued. “… And as that Rumah-be-damned harpy of a physician is intent upon you remaining here for the foreseeable future…”
“This will be the last we see of one another for awhile,” Tseng finished for him, when he trailed off.
“I suppose simply ordering you to heal faster will do me little good…”
“I will make the effort, sir, but I have my doubts as to the likelihood of success. I’m afraid you will just have to content yourself with ordering my Turks around for the time being, in my stead. Try not to get them into too much trouble.”
Rufus rolled his eyes. “Nothing can keep that blasted slum rat of yours out of trouble.”
The Turk leader laughed softly and reached out a hand towards his charge, letting it rest on top of his arm. “You may well be right about that… but he tries. Goodbye, Rufus. I will see you… one way or another… when this is over,” he said, warmly, “Though just for the record, I would prefer a living reunion rather than one in the afterlife… so if you wouldn’t mind saving the planet, I would be most grateful.”
“I have no intention of letting a lunatic like Sephiroth bring Shinra to its knees,” he replied… but Tseng could plainly hear the fear and uncertainty behind his words.
“Reno?”
The redhead jumped slightly, having nearly forgotten that he was even wearing the headset until Elena’s voice speaking directly into his ear interrupted his thoughts. He looked up guiltily, fully aware that he’d been ignoring her for most of the flight.
“Yeah?”
“Is something wrong? You’ve been staring at your phone since we left Wutai,” she prodded, concerned. Reno shook his head.
“I was just checkin’ my messages. Got a call this morning… but I felt like shit and didn’t pick up. Wanted to see who it was.”
“So? Who was it?”
“… Lira,” he replied softly. He tucked the phone back into his jacket pocket and sighed. “Guess I’m gonna have to call her back when we hit Junon.”
Elena swiveled around as best she could in her seat to face him.
“Well… That’s good, right? She called you. You can finally talk to her and set things straight.”
“… Yeah.”
“So… What’s the problem?” she asked, a confused look on her face. Rude snorted softly.
“I know that look. Probably thinks she only wants to talk to him so she can tell him he’s scum and she never wants to speak to him again.”
Reno glared at his friend, but it didn’t last long. That was precisely what he was worried about.
“Hmph. Told you so,” Rude added, glancing at Elena, when he didn’t protest. Elena rolled her eyes dramatically and held out her hand.
“Give me your phone.”
“… Why?” the redhead asked, suspiciously.
“So that I can call her for you. You’ve finally started to pull yourself out of this hole you’ve been stuck in for weeks. I’m not going to let you climb right back into it. You’re not just going to sit there coming up with one worst case scenario after another. Fork it over.”
Reno grudgingly handed over the phone and Elena pulled up his call log.
“For fuck’s sake, you’re not callin’ her now, are ya? She’ll barely be able to hear us over the fuckin’ engines.”
Elena sighed, apparently realizing that he was right, and tucked the PHS into her own pocket.
“Fine. But as soon as we land, I’m making that call and you’re talking to her.”
“… Rufus is gonna want to see us right away. And the boss’ll –”
“As soon as we land, I’m making that call and you’re talking to her,” Elena repeated, and Reno distinctly heard his partner snicker softly over the headset.
“Well, well… look what the cat dragged in.”
Reno was the first one off the helicopter, but he was swiftly followed by the rest of his team. On seeing the base’s security chief, he grinned.
“Hey, Vir… Miss me?”
“Did I miss your constant disregard for base rules, your habit of climbing on things you’ve got no business being anywhere near, or your single-minded desire to bed half my subordinates?” she teased, locking eyes with the redhead. “No. No, I did not.”
“Hey… I already told ya the women’s barracks are safe from me these days. You still don’t believe I’m happier havin’ just ‘Lena?”
“Oh, I believe it. I’m just saying that I don’t miss having to chase you out of said barracks every morning. Not one little bit.” She made her way up to him, and unexpectedly pulled him into a warm embrace. “You doing any better?”
The redhead flashed her a slightly lopsided grin. “Got a little bit of a wake up call while we were in Wutai… so… yeah, kinda. For now.”
“Speaking of calls…” Elena interrupted, pressing his confiscated PHS into his hand. “Rude and I are going to check on Tseng. Meet us there when you’re done.”
Reno blinked, and it was only then that he realized she’d already placed the call. He swore softly, much to Viridia’s amusement, and rolled his eyes in exasperation. He probably should have known that Elena was really going to do it. Viridia waved farewell, and followed the other two Turks towards the medical facility, leaving Reno to his phone call. He sighed as he listened to it ring, and took a seat on the lip of the helicopter’s doorway waiting anxiously for Lira to answer. For a few tense moments, he was gradually becoming more and more convinced that she wouldn’t.
“… Reno?”
He swallowed sharply, suddenly at a loss for words. It took him several tries to get his voice to work again.
“… Hey,” he finally managed. “I… I saw that you tried to call me earlier.”
“Yeah,” Lira replied. “I… have some things I need to say to you.”
The redhead exhaled slowly, his mouth suddenly going dry. That certainly sounded a little ominous. He’d known this wasn’t going to be easy, but he’d hoped she’d at least give him the opportunity to… well, he wasn’t sure exactly. Explain? Try and justify what he’d done? Plead for another chance? Reno caught sight of one of Viridia’s security patrols heading roughly in his direction and slipped into the back of the helicopter, out of view. The last thing he needed was an interruption.
“I’m listening. Go a head ‘n say ’em,” he said, resigned to his fate.
“What you did… There’s no way you can ever justify it,” she began, and Reno squeezed his eyes shut. “So I want you to tell me why. The Reno I know would never hurt so many innocent people.”
“I…” he said, and felt his throat close up slightly, “I didn’t have a choice, Lira. I got picked. If I’d said no, I woulda just been pawning it off on Tseng, or Rude… or ‘Lena. I couldn’t do that to them. I didn’t want one of them to have to live with it.”
“Why couldn’t you all have just said no?!” Lira demanded, and Reno was silent for a moment.
“… Because. We’d have been branded traitors. Shinra doesn’t tolerate traitors.” He sighed, and a tear made it’s way down his cheek. “I know it was selfish. But the truth is, those people died because… I couldn’t bear the thought of anything happenin’ to my family just ’cause I couldn’t stomach followin’ orders.”
“That’s your excuse?” she demanded, angrily.
“No… That’s my explanation,” Reno said softly. “There is no excuse. Not for somethin’ like this. Like you said… I can’t justify it, and I’m not tryin’ to. But you asked why. That’s why. A lot of people died so I could protect the ones I can’t live without.”
“There had to have been another way…”
“If there was… I couldn’t see it,” he replied. Lira was silent for a long time, and for a moment, he was half convinced she’d simply set the phone down and walked out on him.
“Ward’s been gone for awhile. Weeks,” she said at last, and Reno wasn’t sure if she’d accepted his answer or simply decided perusing it further was a lost cause.
“… Tseng got hurt.”
“Is it bad?” Lira asked.
“We almost lost him,” Reno answered, ignoring the lump that formed in his throat at the thought. “He’s doin’ okay now. Gonna be stuck in the hospital for awhile, though. We’re… not sure yet if he’s gonna be able to come back to work.”
“… Is everyone else alright?”
“Kinda depends on your definition of the word. Rude’s fine, but ‘Lena was out cold for days from savin’ Tseng. And… I’ve definitely been better.”
“What happened?”
“Tch… What hasn’t? Between the panic attacks, a giant fuckin’ monster tryin’ to destroy half of Junon with me in it, almost suffocating in tin can on the bottom of the ocean, and havin’ ‘Lena kidnapped by your former pervert of a boss… it’s been a rough few weeks.”
He heard an audible gasp on the other end of the line. “Coreno took Elena?”
“Yeah… and another girl. We got ’em back alright, though. You don’t ever need to worry about him comin’ back, Lira. He won’t be.”
“… I… I hate to say it, even about Don Corneo… but I’m glad.”
“… How’s the baby?” Reno inquired, hesitantly. He wasn’t sure he had the right to even ask… but it was Lira’s, and Lira was always going to be special to him.
“Gettin’ bigger by the day. You can tell he’s in there now.”
“You need anything?” He expected her to turn him down flat. Lira had always been her own woman… and now he wasn’t even sure he could still consider her a friend. He heard her sigh quietly.
“… I didn’t want to ask. But it’s a little hard to find work right now with all the craziness going on in the city, and… most of my savings are still down in Wall Market.”
“Please don’t down there, Lira… You still got a key to mine ‘n ‘Lena’s place, right? There’s some emergency cash in a box in the kitchen. Top cabinet by the fridge, behind the liquor bottles. It’ll hold ya for awhile at least. I’ll figure somethin’ else out for later. Just… stay outta the slums right now, ‘kay? Please?”
“I will…”
“Lira… ?” he began, squeezing his eyes shut. There was really only one thing left to ask. “Is this the last time I’m ever gonna talk to you?”
When she didn’t answer right away, he was fairly certain he knew the answer.
“I haven’t forgiven you, Reno,” Lira finally replied. “I just can’t seem to do it. Yet. But… I think I can. Eventually.”
The redhead sagged in relief. That was something, at least. A hope to hold onto.
“Take care of yourself, okay?” she added. “Don’t you go gettin’ yourself killed before then.”
Reno gave a sobbing laugh and swallowed against the thickness in his throat. “I won’t. Promise.” He glanced at the clock on his phone and frowned. Elena and Rude were waiting… and so was Rufus. As much as he would have liked to continue this, he couldn’t right now. “I gotta go… President’s waitin’ on me, and that’s never a good thing.”
“When this is all over, we’re going to sit down and have a real talk. Bye, Reno.”
“Bye…” he whispered, and ended the call. He really had intended to go straight to the medical bay to meet Rude and Elena, and then to report in to Rufus. But for a few minutes, at least… he could only sit there.
“I hope the three of you haven’t bothered unpacking yet,” Rufus proclaimed as the three Turks entered his office. Their visit with Tseng had been brief… Ward had shooed them out shortly after Reno had arrived with the excuse that the Turk leader was overdue for fresh x-rays. “You won’t be staying long.”
“Somethin’ happen while we were gone?” Reno asked, curious as to what the President had in mind now.
“Among other things,” he replied, “we have managed to locate the Gelnika that went down en route to Rocket Town. You and Rude will attempt to recover the prototype weaponry that went down with it… and then continue on to Rocket Town to provide extra security for the launch.”
Reno’s eyebrow shot up. “Er… just me ‘n Rude, sir?”
The executive stepped back from the window, turning to face them. “I will be taking Elena with me to Midgar. I have a cannon installation to oversee, and frankly… I don’t trust Scarlet not to attempt to stab me in the back the moment it’s turned. Once the rocket launches, you’re to join us at headquarters.”
The redhead frowned. He would have preferred to keep Elena close… but as the recovery mission was a two man operation, and Rude would make for better backup in his hometown, it was hard to argue the point. And he wasn’t about to send Rufus off alone.
“Yes, sir. And… If we happen to run into Avalanche?”
“I would very much like to tell you to dispose of them… however…” Rufus replied, taking a seat, “Tuesti informs me that they ultimately intend to challenge Sephiroth and are actively seeking a way to stop Meteor from falling. As loathe as I am to have them running loose… we seem to have a common goal. Should our own plans fail, we may need them. If they attempt to interfere, do what you can to drive them off… but don’t disable them entirely.”
“Got it,” he sighed. Those guys were really getting to be a pain in the ass… but even he had to admit, they weren’t completely useless. They’d certainly come in handy in Wutai.
“Then get going. The submarine is waiting for you at the dock.”
Reno groaned. “Seriously? I barely survived the last one…”
“If you don’t wish to ride in the sub… I suggest you practice holding your breath. The Gelnika is some four hundred feet down,” Rufus said, smirking slightly. “Do try not to sink this one.”
Hardly half an hour later, Elena was at the controls of the helicopter, as she and Rufus set out on their way home to Midgar. The executive had been eager to depart. In fact, they were in the air before Reno and Rude had even boarded the sub. She’d barely had time to say goodbye to the redhead.
Rufus, to her surprise, seemed to be watching her intently as they flew, and she couldn’t figure out why. It was beginning to make her a little nervous, actually.
“I assume the slum rat was your instructor?” he suddenly asked, and she jumped slightly at the unexpected comment.
“Er… yes, sir. For the most part. Tseng taught me for awhile, too.”
The young man crossed his arms over his chest and turned his attention to the landscape in front of them.
“My requests to learn were always denied. My father forbade it. He believed flying to be too ‘dangerous’ a hobby for his only heir to partake in.” He snorted softly in contempt. “I wasn’t even permitted to drive until I was nearly twenty…”
Elena glanced over at him, surprised. She’d never realized that Rufus had been so sheltered. He sighed.
“There are times I have genuinely wished that my mother had never married him.”
“Um… No offense, sir, but that would sort of mean that you would never have been born…”
Rufus laughed… Not his usual snide, scoffing laughter. He genuinely laughed. “Surely you aren’t naïve enough to think that marriage is a prerequisite for pregnancy…”
Elena flushed pink at the comment.
“I was, in fact, born just shy of seven months after their wedding. The official story is that I was premature… I can assure you, was not. My father simply wanted an heir, and his mistress at the time presented him with one in the making. So he married her to legitimize me.” He shook his head, and leaned back in the seat. “Perhaps if we manage to survive this I’ll reverse his little prohibition on flying. You certainly seem to enjoy it.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied, smiling, “I do…”
They sat in silence for a little while, Elena piloting and Rufus’ attention shifting between the view and what she was doing. It wasn’t long, however, before the conversation resumed.
“Tell me something, Elena…” the President said, gazing upwards at one of the instrument panels, “Are you planning to marry that perverted lover of yours?”
“I-I… er… we… we’re… still sort of getting used to just being together, sir,” she stammered in surprise. It really wasn’t like Rufus to ask such personal questions and it had definitely caught her off guard. “We’ve really only been together for a few months. I don’t think… well… I don’t think it’s on either of our minds quite yet…”
“But if he were to ask you… what would be your answer?” he asked. Elena stared at him, appraisingly, for a moment. She wasn’t sure where this was going… or if it was really going anywhere at all. It could simply have been that the President was bored and looking for a way to amuse himself. It wouldn’t have been the first time.
“To be honest, sir… I… I don’t think that will ever happen,” she admitted. “Reno’s not really that big on the idea of marriage. I took him to a friend’s wedding as my date once.” She grinned widely to herself at the memory. “He was more impressed with the reception than the ceremony. He said that if people wanted to be together, then they should just be together. I think he sees the rest of it as a little… unnecessary.”
“But would you say yes?” Rufus pressed, and she glanced at him sidelong as she adjusted their altitude to clear an upcoming peak.
“In a heartbeat, sir,” she replied, smiling. For a brief moment, she thought he looked almost disappointed, but a moment later, he smirked.
“I always knew you had terrible taste.”
Metal creaked ominously and the lights flickered again. To be honest, he’d been a little shocked to find them still working. The damn thing had been down here long enough, he’d have thought for sure that the battery would have drained itself dry by now. Hell, he’d been shocked that they’d found the Gelnika still intact.
Still, though… he wasn’t sure how far he trusted the downed plane’s structural integrity. Particularly given the puddles on the floor and the steady drip of water that echoed throughout its fuselage.
“… Let’s do this quick, huh partner?” he said as they moved deeper inside. “I really don’t wanna be down here any longer than I have to.”
“Still a little traumatized?”
“Tch… Wouldn’t you be? Thought I was a goner for sure for awhile there. ‘Specially when the air started runnin’ out.” The door ahead of them was shut tight and Reno stopped in front of it. “We sure this is a good idea? For all we know this fuckin’ door’s the only thing between us and the Ifrit-forsaken ocean.”
Rude snickered softly and gave the manual release for the electronic latch a sharp twist. It gave a soft hiss and slid open.
“Intel said we’re fine.”
Reno glared at the man, but didn’t reply. Instead, he turned his attention to the weapons that had been inside the secure cargo area.
“Not much to look at,” he commented, hefting what appeared to be a fairly adequate rocket propelled grenade launcher.
“These look a little more promising,” said Rude, who had opened a large box to peer inside. Oversized grenades were arranged in neat rows of three, each packed into it’s own personal foam nest. Reno recognized the familiar glow of materia emanating from within a transparent band that ran across the center of each.
A loud clank echoed through the plane, and Reno looked up, alarmed.
“We got what we came for… let’s get outta here before this fuckin’ plane implodes or somethin’.”
Rude nodded and lifted the box out of it’s compartment, and the two men turned to go… only to discover that they were no longer alone.
“… Again?” Rude lamented, with a barely suppressed groan.
“Turks…” came Cloud Strife’s irritated response. The pilot from Rocket Town was with him, as was Valentine.
“We just seem to keep runnin’ into each other lately…” Reno drawled, stepping forward. “Look… Since I really don’t wanna get into it down here, I’ll level with ya. These are weapons developed solely to destroy Sephiroth.”
“Plane was attacked by Weapon and sank to the bottom of the ocean,” Rude added from behind him.
“I can’t give you what’s here. And trust me… fightin’s a bad idea under the circumstances. So we’re gonna take our shit and leave. You wanna hang out and strip whatever’s left, have at it.”
“What if we want the same thing you’re after?”
Reno unclipped his EMR from his belt and gave it a sharp flick to extend it.
“… Then we’re probably all gonna die down here,” he replied, praying the bastard wouldn’t call his bluff. He really didn’t want to fight his way out. And while he also wasn’t too keen on fucking up yet another mission, he didn’t want to die, either. If they forced him into a fight, he’d concede. It was his only real option… unless they backed down first.
“We won’t let you get in our way,” Rude echoed. Cloud started toward him, reaching for his sword.
“Cloud.” He paused and looked back at Vincent, who shook his head. “Don’t be foolish. They don’t want to fight us, and it’s dangerous to force a confrontation.”
“You’re suggestin’ we just let these two motherfuckers go?!” the pilot demanded. “With all those weapons?”
“This craft undoubtedly holds other valuables. We don’t even know for certain that would be of any use to us,” Vincent said, nodding towards the box in Rude’s arms. “There’s no need to challenge them over it.”
“Tch… Finally. A voice of reason.”
Strife frowned, but slowly lowered his sword and stepped back, out of the Turks’ path. Reno lowered his own weapon and started for the door, Rude in tow. That had been close.
“Welcome back, sir,” a familiar and thoroughly unwelcome voice greeted the pair almost as soon as they stepped off of the elevator. Elena had to force herself not to groan as Scarlet fell into step beside Rufus on the way to the presidential office… and she got the distinct impression that her charge was of much the same opinion of their welcoming party. Scarlet’s syrupy sweet tone certainly didn’t seem to be making the desired impression on him, at any rate.
“Is the cannon in place yet?” he asked, coolly and without breaking stride.
“Yes, sir… Reeve is coordinating the rerouting of the city power grid as we speak. It should be up and running in another forty-eight hours or so.”
“And your other weapons?”
“On their way to the troops in Junon.”
“Good. What has the reaction of the city’s population been?” he asked.
“… Sir?” Scarlet queried, a confused look on her face, and Rufus paused, rolling his eyes.
“We’ve just moved a massive weapon into their backyard. I expect there has been at least some form of protest… I would very much like to know whether it is significant enough to warrant putting extra security on the streets. We cannot afford delays over another group like Avalanche crawling out of the shadows.”
“Er…” the woman stammered, and he scowled at her.
“Well, don’t just stand there like the idiot you are. If you don’t know, go and find out!”
“Y-yes, sir…”
He watched calmly as she backed off, and scurried toward the elevator, quickly vanishing from sight, and smirked. “Hmph… that’s should keep her out of my hair for awhile.”
“… I’m starting to think you’re not particularly fond of Scarlet, sir…” Elena commented, biting down on a snicker. Rufus snorted softly.
“That is an understatement. While I will certainly agree she is a thoroughly competent engineer and researcher, she has absolutely no business on the executive board. Those rumors about how she gained said position are entirely true… and I have no intention of retaining her in her current position once this crisis is behind us. Were it not for Sephiroth and Meteor, she’d already be gone… along with that pompous bastard my father allowed to control the Turks for so long.”
They made their way up one of the twin staircases and into his father’s former office, and Rufus hesitated before taking a seat at the huge desk, frowning.
“… In spite of his mistakes… this was not how I wanted to inherit this,” he sighed, running a hand over the smooth, polished wood.
“It’s never easy to lose a parent. Especially when it’s so sudden…” Elena replied. She knew what that was like, herself.
“Not even when they were a truly terrible parent, for the most part,” Rufus agreed. He shook his head. “You may see to whatever other tasks you may have. I’m sure your own offices require at least some attention by now. I’ll summon you if I need you.”
“Yes, sir.”
She quietly slipped back out the door, leaving him on his own in his new office… and began to realize just how hard this must all be for the young president. Most of her concern over the last few weeks had been focused exclusively on Reno. It hadn’t even occurred to her that Rufus might be struggling, as well. Between losing his father, and taking control of the company, and being suddenly thrust into the position of being responsible for the fate of the entire planet… it had to be overwhelming.
Elena found herself with a whole new respect for Rufus in that moment. He’d barely had time to breathe in between crises, and yet it didn’t seem to phase him. At least not outwardly. She found it hard to believe that he didn’t suffer in silence when no one was around to see it… and that thought saddened her. Rufus was far from the cold, uncaring man she’d once thought he was. It had taken her awhile to realize that, but it was nonetheless true… and she was beginning to understand why Tseng was so unflinchingly dedicated to him.
“Oh, thank fuck…” Reno sighed as he and Rude stepped out into the bright late-afternoon sunlight of the Costa del Sol docks. It had taken hours to get there. “Tch… was startin’ to feel a little claustrophobic in that fuckin’ sardine can.”
Rude chuckled. “Just what you need. More issues.”
“Ha ha,” the redhead replied, dryly, but he smiled slightly at the comment. “Come on…Copter should be waitin’ for us. Let’s get this shit loaded up and grab somethin’ to eat before we head out. I’m starvin’.”
The bald Turk gave an affirmative nod as he slung the carrying strap of the launcher over one shoulder and lifted the box of grenades, trailing behind his partner.
“There a reason you’re not carrying anything?”
“Perks of leadership…” Reno joked. “You ever see the boss do any heavy lifting?”
“Hmph.”
“Fine, ya big baby. Hand me somethin’, then.”
Rude grinned somewhat evilly and before Reno could reconsider the offer, he’d offloaded the large munitions box into the smaller man’s arms. The redhead staggered under the sudden weight.
“You asshole…” he grunted, as he struggled to heft it, and turned back, continuing toward their destination… albeit at a much slower pace than before. Rude followed him, chuckling quietly the whole way, and didn’t stop until Reno had set his burden down in the cargo section of the waiting helicopter. The temporary Turk leader glared at him and pressed his hands into his lower back, kneading the muscles there. Rude smirked and tucked the launcher in alongside it’s ammunition.
“I ‘spose you think that was hilarious.”
Rude merely smiled and wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulders. “Next time, don’t brag about the ‘perks of leadership’ when I’m the one doing all the work. Let’s get some dinner. My treat.”
Reno hauled the door shut and secured it, and several short minutes later, the pair found themselves seated at a pleasant outdoor cafe on the beach.
“Heh… Think ‘Lena’s enjoyin’ babysitting the President?” he asked, picking up the menu and scanning through the options.
“Probably about as much as you enjoyed hauling that box,” Rude teased. “Missing her already?”
Reno shrugged. “A guy gets used to not goin’ to bed alone after awhile. Gotta admit… I like not wakin’ up alone, too.” He paused a moment, and then looked up from the menu. “Hey… um… You still carryin’ that ring around with ya?”
Rude’s eyebrow rose behind his recently returned sunglasses. Elena had at last taken pity on him and returned them as they were leaving to board the sub.
“Why? You ready to take it back?”
“Been thinkin’… I really wanted to do it right, but… I also really wanna do it before anything else can go horribly wrong. I mean… if you’d taken any longer gettin’ me outta that sub that went down, I’d never have even gotten the chance. Maybe… a shit proposal’s better than no proposal at all. At least then, if somethin’ ended up happening to me, she’d know how I feel about her.”
Rude shook his head. “She knows how you feel about her.”
“Well… yeah. I know. But gettin’ married’s a big deal to her, even if it’s never really been that important to me ’til now. I want her to know that I want that.”
Rude reached into his pocket, pulling out the requested item, and set the little box on the table between them. A hint of a smile crossed Reno’s lips as he picked it up, opening it and running a finger over the smooth, gold band and tiny diamond.
“Think she’ll be okay with this one? Maybe I should get her a better one…”
“She’ll love it,” Rude assured him, “Quit making excuses.”
Reno snapped the box shut and tucked it into his jacket. He looked up at his friend. “You’re… gonna be my best man, right?”
“Try and stop me.”
The redhead took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Am I s’posed to be this terrified?”
Rude started to laugh, and shook his head. “Reno, think about that for just a second… There’s a meteor bearing down on us that could very well destroy the entire planet and all of us along with it in a matter of weeks. And you’re more scared of asking the woman you love to marry you.”
“… Shut up.” He looked away, blushing faintly… but a moment later, joined in on the laughter.
It was dark by the time Elena made her way back upstairs… long past the time she would have gone home for the day under normal circumstances. Much of the building had emptied out already, save for a few late workers like herself and security’s night shift. She knocked firmly on the door of Rufus’ office before pushing it open. He looked up from the plans scattered across his desk.
“Yes?” he queried, upon recognizing her.
“Most people have already left for the evening, sir,” she said, stepping inside. “I was going to see what was left in the cafeteria. Did… you want anything to eat?”
The President silently turned his gaze toward the clock on the far wall and frowned. “I hadn’t realized it was so late.” He scowled faintly and stood, rounding his desk and walking towards her. “I have no intention of dining on anything that joke of a cafeteria might be serving. Come… The Silver Swan’s restaurant would be a welcome change from the fare in Junon.”
“Er… Yes, sir,” she replied, as he brushed past her and out on to the staircase. She obediently followed him towards the executive elevators, and then down to the parking deck, stopping in front of a familiar, sleek and shiny black car.
“I don’t think Tseng will mind terribly if we borrow it…” Rufus said upon seeing her expression. “At least… not if he is never told about it.”
He drew a key out of his pocket, and somehow Elena wasn’t the least bit surprised that the man had made himself his own copy of it before shipping the car off to Midgar. Rufus opened her door for her, ushering her inside, before slipping around to the other side and climbing behind the wheel.
“Um… Sir? Don’t you think that I should –”
“No, I do not. You clearly don’t understand just how infrequently I have the opportunity for something like this,” Rufus stated firmly, cutting her off and starting the engine. Before she could protest further, he’d peeled out, and taken them straight onto the street. Elena belatedly reached for her seat belt, dragging it across her body and fastening herself in securely as the executive took a sharp right into Sector 4.
‘And I thought Reno drove like a maniac…’ she thought to herself, though she stopped short of voicing her opinion aloud. When he charged through an intersection moments before the light went red, her fingers instinctively gripped the nearest available handhold.
Thankfully, it was a short trip… As they pulled up in front of the exclusive hotel, she made a mental note to demand that she be allowed to drive them back. Moments later, she was accompanying Rufus through the revolving door and into the richly decorated lobby.
“Ah… President Shinra! What a pleasure to see you again…” a voice greeted them, and Elena grinned when she recognized it as Kel’s more professional tone. The man himself quickly accompanied the greeting, striding purposefully up to them and presenting himself with a formal bow. He flashed the Turk the briefest of subtle smiles, but otherwise didn’t acknowledge her.
“I realize it’s somewhat short notice… but I was hoping your restaurant might be able to accommodate us this evening.”
“Of course, sir… We’d be delighted.”
“Something with a little privacy if you can manage it.”
Kel nodded, and gestured toward the restaurant’s entrance. “Right this way,” he replied, leading them inside and snapping his fingers at one of the waiters. “A private table for two. Now,” he said in an urgently hushed voice, and the other man hurried to take over their care, seating them in a cozy corner of the dining room partially blocked off by an ivy-strewn partition.
“Can I get you something to drink, sir?”
“A merlot, I think. I’ll leave the selection up to you.”
“And for you, miss?”
“You’re welcome to order whatever you like,” Rufus said, off-handedly, “And I would remind you that you’ve been off duty for… hmm… nearly three hours now.”
She probably shouldn’t… but she’d caught sight of another familiar face on their way to the table. The bartender on duty was the same one that had been at Chai’s wedding.
“Oh… um… a Cosmo Candle, please.” She was off duty, after all… and it had been awhile. The waiter disappeared to fetch their drinks.
“You actually like those things?” Rufus queried, an eyebrow rising in silent judgment.
“Well… yes, sir. I don’t really drink much, to be honest, but they’re a little bit of a guilty pleasure.”
Rufus shook his head. “I’ve always found them to be rather unpleasantly cloying, personally… but to each their own, I suppose…”
“Oh… well… they can be a little on the too sweet side if they’re not made quite right. But the bartender here knows what she’s doing.”
The president looked up from his menu, surprised. “You’ve been here before?”
“Yes, sir… er… Actually, Reno is good friends with the concierge. We spent the entire weekend here for my birthday a couple of months ago. And a friend of mine had her wedding upstairs. That’s where I know the bartender from.”
Their waiter chose that moment to return with their drinks, and Elena smiled as she took a small sip of hers.
“Hmm… Bring me one of those, as well, if you would,” Rufus requested, and the man scurried back to the bar.
The Shinra manor was lit up when they arrived. Elena had called ahead and to check in with security on the premises… Rufus’s step-mother had vacated the home when the blackouts had begun, opting to travel, instead, to the family’s villa in Costa del Sol for the time being. Fortuitous for the Turk, as it meant no messy confrontations as she half-carried a half-drunk Rufus through the front door.
As it turned out, he, too, had a bit of a taste for a properly mixed Cosmo Candle. Unfortunately, she suspected, he hadn’t realized just how much liquor was actually in one… and after three of them over the course of dinner, he was more than slightly tipsy.
“There was no need to strip me of the keys… I was perfectly capable of driving us.”
Elena gave a derisive snort and briefly released her grip on him. Rufus staggered for a moment, before catching himself against a sidetable and standing up straight.
“… On second thought… I do see your point,” he conceded. “What in Rumah’s name is in those blasted things…”
“Mostly vodka,” Elena replied, not quite covering up a quiet giggle.
“Ah. That would certainly explain it, then.”
“Yes, sir,” she agreed, with an amused smile. It was why she’d stopped after the first one. She took his arm, steadying him as they mounted the stairs, heading up to his room. A good night’s rest and he’d be fine – if, perhaps, a little hungover – in the morning. They paused in front of his bedroom door.
“Goodnight, sir,” Elena said, reasonably confident that he could manage on his own from there. She turned to go, planning to make herself comfortable somewhere downstairs for the night. Not that she didn’t have confidence in the family’s private security personnel to keep an eye on things… but it was her job to look after the President, after all.
“Elena…” Rufus’ voice called out, and she turned back, curious as to what else he might need from her. She wasn’t prepared at all when reached for her, unexpectedly pulling her close to him.
She was even less prepared when he kissed her.
~fin~
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