Aftermath

Author’s Note: Main warnings are language and emotional intensity in this 5700 word chapter. I guess some of you might like to know that this is the chapter that inspired me to write the entire story... I've been picturing this scene in my imagination for longer than I care to admit. Maybe now I can have some peace.

Thank you to...
- Youkofox, for your beta read through.
- kamizuki, for your review. I'm not a big fan of cliffhangers, but it seems like if I didn't include them, some of my chapters would be like 9000+ words. haha! XD
- Iggy Lovechild, for your review and random awesomeness. I can't bring myself to respond to anything you put in your last review. But I can say that my Cloud muse was very near to me on this one.
- Squallfan, for your review. I guess you could say I needed a light moment between Cloud and Reno before this chapter hit. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
- moon, for your review. Sometimes it's a miracle that I can keep on schedule. *hugs*

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Chapter 13: Saving

As Cloud surfaced from the tunnel, he slammed on his brakes and slid Fenrir broadside in an attempt to stop. As he skidded to a halt, his back tire thudded up against a rocky pile of debris. A new section of road above the tunnel must have recently collapsed and the fallout was cutting off his clear path to the northern reactor.

It didn’t matter; he didn’t need the bike anymore. He was close enough to the chaos that he could navigate the rubble on foot. Quickly killing the engine and assembling his sword, Cloud let his eyes drift along the pillar of smoke rising up into the sky.

The old reactor loomed above Cloud as he ran forward. Orange flames mixed with green haze, causing an eerie brown mist to settle across the surrounding area. Bodies littered the ground: men and women he didn’t recognize, all wearing a brown colored uniform. There were too many bodies laying about for him to get an accurate count. Some were beginning to fade back into the lifestream and others just lingered there, their lifeblood draining onto the littered ground. Cloud’s blue eyes unfocused briefly, as he tried to emotionally distance himself from what he was seeing.

Up ahead, he heard what sounded like a fight in progress. The air was filled with static electricity, making Cloud’s clothes stick to his body uncomfortably. As he neared the skirmish, his heart caught in his chest when he saw a familiar red-head standing atop a decaying metal platform.

The Turk was covered in blood; he wore so much of it from head to toe that his clothing had taken on a crimson hue. Reno’s arms were spread out at his sides, his hands swirling in circles. Cloud had seen the Turk doing this before and he knew that Reno was channeling a spell. Expecting to see lightning, Cloud watched Reno’s hands move together in a forward thrust, and a great ball of crackling blue fire propelled itself out from his body.

Cloud’s eyes followed the streaking blue bolt, watching as it split and rippled through three men standing a short distance from the Turk. Two of the men fell and didn’t move again. Cloud recognized one of them as the man Reno had called Razor that night at the club. Seeing Reno and Rude at Club Nine seemed like such a long time ago...

His eyes flicked up instinctively as the other man Reno had cast upon only staggered a few steps backwards, clutching his chest. Amazingly, it looked like the massive bolt hadn’t phased him much. Cloud blinked with surprise, knowing that one needed to be very strong to survive a lightning blast from Reno: he’d been on the receiving end of one of those deadly spells more times than he cared to remember.

Unlike Razor and the other fallen gang members, Reno’s challenger was not wearing the same kind of uniform. Cloud studied the man from afar, becoming increasingly alarmed by his unusual presence. He was tall and gaunt, wearing loose fitting black clothing. His hair was pure white and was floating unnaturally upward; the strands looked too long to be supported by any hair product Cloud had ever heard of, yet they were suspended, floating weightlessly up toward the sky.

The man seemed like he was older than both of them, but Cloud couldn’t be exactly sure. Most unnerving was the odd green glow that enveloped him; it was bright enough that it was visible during the mid-afternoon light. A knot formed in the pit of Cloud’s stomach as he recognized the mako aura. Had Shinra and Seneco been working together to reinstate the SOLDIER program?

Cloud shook his head, not wanting to believe that Shinra would dare risk the life of the planet once again. That didn’t seem right to him. Cloud regarded Reno for a moment as he tried to understand what was happening in front of him.

We’re tryin’ to rid ourselves of some unwelcome guests, if you catch my drift, Reno had said to him the day before.

Cloud had to admit that what he was seeing did seem to support the idea that Shinra was trying to eliminate the threat caused by Seneco. He glanced at a fading body, just in time to reconfirm that those among the dead were a part of Seneco’s gang, if the uniform was any indication. Perhaps Shinra really had learned their lesson the first time around.

Reno turned his head in Cloud’s direction, his aquamarine eyes locking blindly with Cloud’s. Etched upon his blood-streaked face was a strain of pure madness that caused a chill of uncertainty to ripple through Cloud’s chest. The Turk looked like he was nearing the edge of exhaustion and it was very clear that his state of mind was also waning. Cloud’s insides turned cold as he realized that Reno had probably killed each and every one of these people strewn about the area. This new awareness caused him to abruptly focus on the burn marks in the clothing of a corpse near his feet and he averted his eyes. Feeling a little sick, Cloud squeezed his eyes shut and his mind begged him to turn around and go the other way.

This isn’t your fight, Cloud thought to himself, amid a wave of nausea. He tried to leave, but his feet refused to move, as if rooted firmly to the ground.

The white-haired man regained his footing and stood up straight and solidly, his hand outstretched and gesturing at Reno as if baiting him. His shining green eyes brightened for a moment and the wind started to pick up around him, swirling his gravity defying hair around in tentacle-like waves. Without warning, Reno tore his eyes away from Cloud and let out a savage yell that echoed down eerily to his surprised ears. The Turk brandished his E.M.R. dangerously out to his side and whipped his lanky body around to face his challenger.

Reno’s posture was suffering and he leaned forward, trying to maintain some semblance of a battle stance whilst swaying precariously. Cloud observed several broken vials laying on the ground at the Turk’s feet. They looked like used potion bottles. Just how many of them had Reno used?

Reno lashed out with his rod, causing a golden pyramid-like enclosure to form around the man. His enemy trapped, Reno started to run toward him, but he wasn’t able to close the distance in time. The Turk stopped abruptly; his expression one of complete disbelief. Cloud and Reno both watched frozen in place as the man raised his hand and pressed it against the inside of the golden shell. As soon as he touched it, the prison walls dissipated, leaving him free to move about once more.

A bright glint of light caused Cloud’s eyes to shift lower; the man was reloading a shining large caliber gun in his hand. He leered at Reno hatefully and with one fluid motion, snapped the clip into the gun and pointed it directly at the Turk.

With certainty, Cloud knew that Reno was in dire trouble. He no longer cared whose fight this was. He ran forward as fast as he could, trying to put himself between the mysterious man and the tiring Turk.

Cloud jumped up onto the platform, his body twisted in the air arcing in a full circle before he landed on both feet. His sword clanged against the man’s plated steel gun barrel, causing the angle of his aim to slant off to the side sharply. Cloud was just a moment too late to stop the first wave of bullets from being fired in Reno’s direction.

Reno’s body convulsed and he let out a strangled cry. Both of his hands grasped at his side. Reno dropped to his knees, his head bowed forward. His E.M.R. dangled uselessly and hit the ground, dragging from his left arm.

“Reno!”

“Cloud,” Reno said, straining to watch what was going on. His eyes flashed desperately at Cloud, growling loud enough for the blond to just barely hear his next words. “You gotta… get the crown off him.”

Crown? Cloud studied the man’s head and noticed that he was wearing an ornate metal decoration in his hair. Cloud’s pupils dilated as they focused on the light green aura emanating from the man’s skull. Furious determination filled him as he realized that this was the odd glow that Vincent had been trying to describe to him. The misty green discoloration was so brightly radiating from the gunman that Cloud wouldn’t have been able to miss it if he’d tried.

“Where did you come from?” the man said, his voice surprised. He glanced to the side hurriedly, causing Cloud to look in the same direction. Several people were gesturing at the gunman and appeared to be ordering a retreat. “You don’t look like you work for Shinra.”

“I don’t,” Cloud said, his expression angry and focused. He unhooked the left switchblade from his sword and with a swift flick of his wrist, slid the blade in between the man’s hair and under the crown. Using his blade as leverage, he wrapped his thumb firmly around the smooth materia center of the crown. Having no choice but to trust what Reno had told him, Cloud gritted his teeth as the gunman’s eyes widened with knowing horror.

Everything happened so quickly. The man leapt backwards into the air, trying to wiggle loose from Cloud’s grasp, but he only succeeded in assisting Cloud by pulling the crown from his head. The sound of ripping flesh caused Cloud to wince, but his grip on the metal ornament remained firm. The man propelled himself a good distance before he fell out of the sky mid-jump, landing heavily on a nearby platform. Cloud watched as the green mist around him faded away.

Blood dripped from the sharp needle points on the crown. Cloud’s anger quickly turned to disgust as he tossed the strange glowing object to the ground. It was dimmer than it had been moments ago. Cloud glanced at the motionless gunman for only a second longer before turning his attention back to Reno.

Reno was looking deliriously down at his hands, which were almost completely coated in fresh wet blood. Cloud sheathed his sword and immediately broke into a short sprint to get to the injured Turk. He grabbed Reno’s shoulders and shook him very gently to get his attention.

“Where are you hurt?”

Reno tried to respond, but his words came out formless. As if in a daze, he pointed to his abdomen. Cloud pushed Reno back, forcing him to sit on the ground and he pulled the Turk’s shaking body into his lap. Horrified, Cloud saw the extent of the macabre work that Reno had been doing that afternoon. His face was streaked with gore and the Turk was completely drenched with blood. It was on his shirt, in his hair, on his suit; everywhere Cloud looked he saw blood.

“Shit, you’re covered in blood,” Cloud said, his voice wavering.

He reached for Reno’s shirt and pulled it open. Cloud watched one shiny gray button bounce and roll away into the cracked sidewalk out of the corner of his eye. He gasped when he saw the mess of Reno’s flesh; his side was ragged and torn and the blood was thick and still flowing. He quickly located the center of the wound and applied pressure to it with his gloved hand. Cloud was alarmed at how pale Reno was becoming.

“Where’s your phone?”

“Jacket… pocket,” Reno said, his words raspy and labored.

Cloud used his free hand to dig Reno’s phone out of his blazer. He quickly located Tseng’s name and placed a call. Thankfully, Tseng picked up on the first ring.

“Reno, where are you, this mission—“

“Tseng, it’s Cloud.”

“Cloud? Put Reno on immediately.”

“I can’t do that right now. Listen, he’s been hurt… bad.”

There was a brief moment of silence on the other end of the line as Tseng processed the information he was given, “Put Rude on the line.”

“He’s not here,” Cloud said.

Just as he finished his sentence, another ear shattering explosion went off dangerously close to them. Startled, Cloud couldn’t pull his eyes away from the northern reactor; it didn’t look like much was left of it. Rude was approaching at a breakneck pace, running toward them faster than Cloud had ever seen him move before.

“Hello? Cloud?”

“I’m here,” Cloud said into the phone, once he could hear again. “Rude’s on his way.”

“Very good,” Tseng said. “Tell Rude that I want him to fly Reno to the emergency landing pad at Healin. I will have a team of specialists waiting.”

“Ok,” Cloud said, hanging up. He dropped the phone into his own pocket and turned his attention to the bald Turk as he approached.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Rude said, trying to catch his breath. His tone was accusatory as he looked at Cloud, and he clearly wasn’t happy to see the blond hovering over his partner.

“Reno’s been shot,” Cloud said, not answering Rude’s question directly. “I called Tseng, he said to use the emergency landing pad—“

“The hell?” Rude pulled his glasses down, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“He ain’t lyin’ to you, partner,” Reno said, his voice slow and strained.

Rude gasped and looked at Reno as if seeing him for the first time since he’d arrived on the scene. Cloud watched Rude’s eyes switch over for a moment to inspect Reno and he caught the man’s horrified expression before the lenses went back up. He knew exactly what the man was thinking: Reno was in bad fucking shape.

“I don’t got any potions,” Rude said, his words sounding small and desperate.

“Tseng said you have the helicopter?”

“Yeah. The chopper’s over there,” Rude said, pointing off in the distance. “I’ll get the bitch started. Can you bring him over?”

Cloud nodded. Without further hesitation, Rude started to run in the direction he’d pointed.

Focusing back on Reno, Cloud continued to apply pressure to the wound; his glove was slick and wet from the excess blood. Reno’s eyes were closed and his breathing was quick and shallow.

“Reno, can you still hear me?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you have any potions or healing materia?”

“Nope,” Reno said, somehow managing to force words through his dry-looking lips. “Used a bunch... couple broke… in my pocket.”

Cloud put his free hand into Reno’s pocket and retrieved several broken potion bottles, carefully tossing the jagged glass away from them both. The material was soaked with the liquids the vials had contained. Cloud firmly grasped the lining in between his fingers and with solid force, ripped the pocket right out of Reno’s pants. A startled yelp escaped Reno’s mouth as he reacted to the sudden jerk of his body.

“Ah, shit. Sorry,” Cloud said, apologizing for having been too rough. Reno just whimpered quietly, letting his eyes drift closed.

Cloud scrunched the pocket lining in his hand tightly, squeezing the remaining liquid out of the cloth and onto Reno’s wounded side. There wasn’t much left, but he was hoping that it might help slow the bleeding. He lifted his hand and placed the material against the open wound and pressed down again firmly. Reno let out a solid cry of pain this time and he grabbed the front of Cloud’s sweater, pulling the blond down closer to his blood splattered face.

“I fucked up real bad,” Reno said, looking at Cloud through thinly cracked eyelids.

“No,” Cloud said, trying to reassure him. “You’re going to be fine.”

Even as he said it, Cloud’s mind was filled with doubt. Reno didn’t look like he was going to be fine. In fact, he didn’t look like he was going to live through the next ten minutes, much less the half hour needed to get to Healin. He gazed down at the red-head fading away right in front of him and his heart filled with despair. How had he allowed himself to care so much about the man he was cradling in his lap?

Reno convulsed and let go of Cloud’s sweater, closing his eyes tiredly. Cloud’s heartbeat pounded in his ears uncontrollably as fear gripped him inside.

The sound of a swishing rotary blade suddenly roared to life in the distance. Cloud took a deep breath, preparing himself for the arduous task of getting Reno to the chopper in one piece. He shifted his blade to one side, moving it out of the way. As an afterthought, he grabbed Reno’s E.M.R., which was still resting against the ground, making sure the safety switch was activated. The last thing he needed was to have that supercharged weapon touch either one of them during this ordeal.

“You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Reno said through gritted teeth. Cloud could tell that Reno was still trying to be professional, but the Turk sounded more confident than he looked, despite his determination. Reno wrapped his fingers around the rubber grip of his weapon, holding it shakily in his left hand. Cloud allowed that little ray of hope to strengthen him, as he entertained the thought that they could make it through this challenge. He lifted Reno up off the ground and over his shoulder.

The Turk grunted and bit down on his lower lip, as if repressing a louder sound. Cloud forced himself to ignore Reno’s discomfort and wrapped his arms firmly around the red-head’s waist, trying to both hold him steady and continue to apply pressure to his wound.

“Hold onto me,” Cloud said. “It won’t take us long to get there.”

Cloud felt Reno’s cold, blood slicked fingertips press against his exposed arm, as he weaved around the debris running as smoothly as he could. Cloud was trying not to jostle him too much, but that was nearly impossible given their current situation. Reno wasn’t making much sound, seemingly handling the added stress well until about halfway; Cloud felt Reno’s grip loosen and he realized that the Turk had gone quite limp in his arms.

“Hang in there, Reno,” Cloud said, his voice nearly catching in his throat as his emotions threatened to overcome him. He silently swore that he would not lose Reno like he’d lost Zack and Aerith. This time nothing short of his own death would stop him from doing everything he could. “Almost there.”

Cloud picked up his pace and stopped as he finally reached the chopper. Rude had left the side door open and Cloud quickly hoisted Reno off of his shoulder and onto the floor of the large compartment in the back. He jumped in after him and slammed the door shut. Rude had been watching them both with a very concerned expression on his face and as soon as Cloud had finished with the door, he turned his attention to the cockpit.

Cloud grabbed two hearing protector headsets and put one on Reno, and then one over his own ears. He leaned over the red-head, his cheek close to the Turk’s lips, trying to check for breath, and his fingers stumbled over Reno’s neck looking for a pulse. As if responding to Cloud’s touch, Reno stirred enough to open his mouth.

“I’m so thirsty,” Reno said. The hairs on Cloud’s neck bristled as he realized that Reno was showing signs of going into shock.

Cloud leaned over Reno, repositioning himself so that he could resume pressure on his wound and was completely dismayed to find that the Turk was still bleeding. Fresh crimson rivers stained in between his fingers, and ran down his arm.

“You gotta stop bleeding,” Cloud said.

“I—I can’t breathe,” Reno said, gasping suddenly, his eyes widening in panic.

Cloud put one arm behind the Turk, lifting him up into a seated position, with the red-head’s back leaning against his chest. Reno drew in a shaky breath, and curled his fingers around Cloud’s supporting arm weakly. Cloud hugged him tightly from behind, burying his face in Reno’s bloodied blazer.

Reno hung his head forward, again falling limp in Cloud’s arms. The Turk appeared to be trying to conserve energy, which was fine with Cloud, even if it did make him sick with concern. He strained to see outside the windows trying in vain to see if they were closer to their destination, but he had no idea how close they were getting to Healin, nor did he really know what it looked like from the sky. He had no microphone, so he couldn’t ask Rude how much longer it would take. His anxiety reached a new high when Reno unexpectedly jolted and shivered.

“It’s cold, ain’t it?” Reno said softly, leaning back against Cloud.

“A little,” Cloud said, his voice catching as he spoke. He wasn’t cold at all.

Knowing that he had to try and keep Reno as warm as possible, Cloud struggled to pull his trench cover off with one hand. Once it was free from his body he draped it over Reno, tucking it around him tightly.

“We’ll get some coffee, and—“

“Cigarettes,” Reno said, interrupting him.

Cloud chuckled, trying to give the illusion that this was a normal conversation, despite the feeling of desperation rising within him, “Yeah, and cigarettes. Whatever you want.”

“I want… you,” Reno said, his voice soft and halting.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Cloud said, feeling his cheeks flush hotly. He tightened his hold on Reno, being careful not to press against him too hard. They sat there in silence for a time that seemed to span forever. Cloud could feel his own heart beating rapidly as the stress of the situation kept him from relaxing. He was monitoring Reno for any sudden changes, silently hoping that nothing else went wrong. He knew that there wasn’t really anything he could do if Reno started to go critical on him.

What scared him the most was the blood loss. The more blood Reno lost, the less chance he had of making it to the medical facility. Cloud had no idea how much he’d lost so far, but it had been no small amount. Reno shuddered against him and leaned his head back against Cloud’s shoulder.

“I knew I wouldn’t… see my thirtieth birthday,” Reno said, chuckling softly and coughing.

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Cloud said, trying to discourage the negativity.

“Hmm,” Reno said.

“It’s going to be alright,” Cloud said. “Trust me.”

Cloud felt Reno relax against him and he shifted his chin, burying his nose in the Turk’s hair. Cloud took a deep breath, just letting Reno’s scent soothe him. Cloud’s ears popped suddenly and he realized that the chopper was descending slowly. Gasping excitedly, Cloud almost shouted for joy; they were landing and soon Reno would be on his way to receiving medical attention.

As the chopper neared the ground, a nervous sensation rolled through Cloud’s stomach. Something didn’t seem right. Reno was too relaxed. He hovered his cheek and ear over the red-head’s mouth and nose, and inhaled sharply when he realized he wasn’t feeling any breath coming from him. He quickly felt Reno’s neck for a pulse and started to panic when he didn’t feel that either. He was pretty sure that it had only been a few seconds since he had last felt Reno draw a solid breath.

“Fuck!”

Acting quickly, Cloud pulled himself out from under the Turk, positioning Reno flat on his back. Sitting up on his knees, Cloud tilted the back of Reno’s head, gently pinched his cold nose and pressed his lips to the red-head’s silent mouth. Cloud began alternating between feeding air into Reno’s lungs and performing chest compressions on him.

Had he not been in such a state of focused urgency, he might have found it ironic that something he’d learned during his Shinra grunt training was finally being put to use... on a Shinra employee. But this wasn’t just any Shinra employee, this was Reno: the one person working for that cursed corporation that Cloud actually gave a damn about.

Unable to hold back his emotional response, tears sprung forth from Cloud’s eyes as he felt the chopper touch down on the landing pad with a solid lurch. His vision blurred as he breathed for Reno; the Turk’s chest rose and fell with each attempt.

Memories of Zack’s last few seconds of life flashed through Cloud’s mind causing him to momentarily lose his tenuous grip on reality. Zack had tried to protect him right up to the end, pulling his body up over Cloud’s, trying to shield him from the bullets that were pinging all around them. Cloud had felt each impact as the bullets tore into his friend. Cloud had wanted desperately to find a way to help Zack but neither his limbs nor his voice had responded to anything his mind had told them to do. His mako sickness had forced him to lay there and watch his best friend die, unable to do anything but be still and leak tears from his eyes.

Cloud battled with himself internally, forcing himself to stop dwelling on the things he couldn’t go back and change. Zack had chosen to protect him. Just like Aerith had chosen to save the world. Gritting his teeth, Cloud struggled to accept the fact that neither of his friends’ deaths had been his fault. Reality was calling to him, confirming what he knew all along: there was no way he could have saved Zack or Aerith, but he was in the position to make an honest attempt to try to save Reno. Drawing upon his deep strength of will, he stifled the chorus of screaming voices within him and he devoted his full attention to the present.

“Reno,” Cloud said. The Turk still wasn’t responding to any of his attempts to revive him. “You can’t go like this.”

Cloud felt the warm liquid from his eyes roll down his cheeks and spill into the corners of his mouth. As he tasted the salt from his own tears, he refused to give up and tried again, gently forcing another warm puff of air into Reno’s lungs.

“You can’t leave me,” Cloud said, whispering desperately. “Not when I care about you this fucking much.”

Reno’s entire body shuddered spasmodically as he took a rasping deep breath, and coughed violently. He clawed at the air as if climbing up out of a deep dark recess and a howl escaped from his throat that sounded like a combination of a screaming frightened child and a dying wild animal. Cloud hovered above the Turk, gripping his forearms solidly to stabilize him, trying urgently to make eye contact.

Finally, Reno looked at Cloud’s face and an understanding passed between them. If Cloud hadn’t been so determined to save his life, surely the lifestream would have claimed him instead. Reno’s hand found Cloud’s, gripping weakly. The red-head’s body shook uncontrollably and he pressed his blunt nails against Cloud’s palm. Cloud allowed himself to be pulled forward and he swept Reno up in a gentle hug.

“Don’t fuckin’ leave me,” he said, nearly echoing what Cloud had been saying moments before. Reno’s voice was weak and strained; Cloud could barely hear him.

“I’ll be here,” Cloud said, resting his forehead against Reno’s. “I promise.”

The side door of the helicopter slid open with a loud clatter and Rude tapped Cloud on the shoulder urgently. The rotary blade was still winding down, causing a small amount of wind to kick up around them. Cloud had been so wrapped up in keeping Reno alive, he hadn’t even noticed the bald Turk leaving the cockpit.

“Out of the way, Strife,” Rude said, tugging on Cloud’s sweater.

As Cloud allowed himself to be removed from the cabin, he felt Reno’s nails scrape down the length of his fingers, until finally they were separated. Several hands were pulling him back and out of the way, but he didn’t really take notice of who was touching him. Standing about ten feet back from the chopper, Cloud watched as Reno was loaded onto a stretcher and carried off into the medical facility.

A red ribbon fluttered out from behind the stretcher, as the medical team hurried away. Cloud’s eyes widened in surprise and stunned amazement fell over him as he walked over and bent down to pick it up.

“My ribbon?” Cloud said finally, not quite believing. He looked up into the dusky sky and clutched the ribbon with shaking fingers, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

Cloud and Rude remained standing there next to the helicopter for an immeasurable amount of time, both just listening to main rotor wind down completely. Silence eventually filled the air around them, as neither had anything to say to the other.

“Guys,” the voice behind him belonged to Elena, who seemed to be approaching both of them with a delicacy that indicated that she was perfectly aware that both men could be suffering some emotional fallout from what they had just experienced. “I brought you some coffee.”

She forced a paper cup of coffee into Cloud’s bloodstained hands, pausing when she saw his blood smeared and tear-stained face. Cloud cast his gaze downward, realizing that he probably looked like a fucking mess. Elena didn’t say anything. She just smiled at him with what looked like a genuinely friendly expression. Maybe she knew he had feelings for Reno. If she didn’t know, she probably would soon enough.

“Tseng wants to see you both in his office when you feel up to it,” Elena said. She glanced back at Cloud, speaking softly. “You don’t have to talk to him if you don’t want to Cloud, but we’d appreciate it if you would. It might help us figure out what happened back there.”

Cloud nodded, feeling reluctant to go anywhere just yet. Rude didn’t look like he was too keen on going anywhere near Tseng’s office just yet either. Elena stood there silently for a moment longer until things started to feel awkward.

“You both should clean up,” she said finally. “If you need anything let me know.”

Cloud watched her go and glanced at Rude, who was staring forlornly at his coffee cup, as if he wasn’t quite sure what he should do with it. Cloud’s legs were suddenly feeling weak and tired. He needed to sit down. He shuffled over to the steps leading into the facility and sat down heavily on one of the middle steps, about halfway up.

Rude followed him and did the same. The bald Turk took his sunglasses off and put them in his front pocket. Cloud looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and surprise. He’d never actually seen Rude with his sunglasses completely off before.

The first thing he noticed was the deep thoughtfulness that seemed to be lurking behind those eyes. Without his glasses, Rude looked almost… human. Cloud instantly understood why the man wore the lenses; it helped him keep up his hard-line appearance without giving away what he was thinking and feeling. Cloud had no problems reading the worry and concern reflecting in Rude’s eyes now that his glasses were off, and he found himself wondering why the Turk would show him such a thing.

“I saw what you were doin’ back there,” Rude said, as if reading Cloud’s mind. His gruff voice sounded huskier than usual and he cleared his throat.

“You would’ve done the same,” Cloud said.

“I shoulda never let him outta my sight.”

“It’s not your fault—“

“The hell it ain’t,” Rude said, interrupting. The bald Turk shook his head. “Tseng is gonna have my head for this one and I fuckin’ deserve it.”

Cloud listened to what Rude was saying, trying to understand why he was telling him all this. It seemed strange to be speaking on this level with him and he certainly didn’t have any words of wisdom he could share on the subject. In fact, he barely had enough energy to process his own thoughts much less worry about someone else’s. Cloud decided that silence was probably the best course of action for now.

“I wanna get even with the fuck that did this.”

“I ripped his crown… off,” Cloud said, hesitating. He wasn’t sure that Rude would understand what he was talking about.

“Good,” Rude smiled, showing teeth in a satisfied grin that revealed that he had no pity for the white-haired gunman. “He’s a dead fucker then.”

Cloud nodded, not completely understanding. He didn’t really want to get involved with the Turks’ business, but he definitely wanted more information about what had just happened.

More than anything else though, he wanted to see Reno and make sure that he was going to be alright. Maybe talking to Tseng would allow him that opportunity. Either way, he wasn’t leaving the premises until he could check up on the red-head; he’d made a promise he intended to keep.

Cloud looked down at the coffee cup in his hands, trying not to look at the bald Turk sitting nearby and he was soon staring at his bloodied hands with a vague sense of longing. What if this blood was all he had left of him? The thought made him feel lightheaded and fearful.

“Reno’s my best friend,” Rude said, his voice cracking. “If he don’t make it, I don’t want to do this shit no more.”

Apparently he wasn’t the only one worried sick about Reno. Cloud had never really thought of the possibility that Reno and Rude could be best friends before, but it made sense to him now. He cursed at himself silently for being blissfully unaware and stupid; he should have known that they cared for each other on a deeper level than normal co-workers might. After all, the two of them had been working with each other a long time, and stressful situations tended to bond people together with an irremovable closeness that Cloud himself had experienced many times before.

Cloud clutched the red ribbon in his hand tightly, remembering the intense expression on Reno’s face when he started breathing again, “I think he’s gonna make it.”

“I hope you’re right,” Rude said.

Rude glanced at him, then at the ribbon thoughtfully. He took a sip of the coffee and shifted his gaze so that he could stare straight ahead into the distance. He put his sunglasses on again, effectively ending their conversation.

“We better go inside and clean up or they ain’t gonna let us get near him.”

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A/N: Please review, and be kind. ^_^ (...)