Thanks for the memories

“Thanks for the Memories”
A Reno fan fiction
Chapter 21: “Making plans”
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*Disclaimer: The world that this story is set in and all characters therein belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can’t get enough of this world and the characters.*
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Reno had a great time in Junon but he was eager to see Rufus and the others again by the time he returned to Healin. The air was crisp as winter was setting in and he knew it was about time to start making use of the fireplace. “I’m home, guys,” he shouted as he walked through the door. He set his bag down and shut the door behind him just as Rude came through the archway leading into the den.

“So how was it?” the bald man asked.

“Great,” Reno answered with a grin, scanning his partner with hungry eyes, “but none of you were there and I got horny.”

Rude smirked and met him halfway from the foyer. They embraced and he enjoyed the feel and scent of the redhead for a few moments before pulling back and sobering. “I don’t want to crash your mood partner, but we’re pretty sure the boss is getting worse.”

Reno frowned. “How much worse are we talking?” He noticed that the temperature in the cabin was pretty warm…almost too warm.

“He gets cold easily, for one thing,” Rude explained, “he stopped going jogging in the mornings a couple of days after you left, too. Yesterday he had to leave the table at lunch and he got sick. Maybe you could talk him into going to a doctor, since you’re his favorite.”

Reno grimaced. “I may be his ‘favorite’ but that ain’t gonna make much of a difference where doctors are concerned. You know the man could have a broken leg and he’d try to pass it off as a fucking sprain.”

“I know,” Rude sighed. “That’s why I thought you should try to talk some sense into him.”

“I’ll try,” Reno agreed, “but if Tseng couldn’t convince him I doubt I’ll be able to, yo.”

~********************************~

“I’m fine, Reno,” Rufus said with a hint of impatience. “It’s simply taking me a while longer to adjust to this lifestyle.”

“I’d go for that excuse,” Reno said as he crossed his arms over his chest, “except you were as fit as a bull up until a couple of months ago. People get better when they’re adjusting Sir, not worse.”

Rufus stared at him from the wing-backed chair he sat in. He put his book aside and sighed deeply. “I’ll admit to being under some stress lately, Reno. I’m not used to running things this way and it can be daunting at times. All of these little symptoms I’ve been having could easily be a side-effect of strain.”

“But what if it isn’t?” Reno persisted, leaning against the wall. His eyes stayed fixed on Rufus, not backing down.

The President smirked. Reno simply wasn’t the sort to show his throat in a battle that was important to him…not even to a superior. “What would you suggest I do, Fox?”

“See a doctor,” Reno answered immediately.

Rufus stood up and shook his head. “That’s a bit too extreme for now,” he insisted. “I’ll just make a trip into town and purchase some vitamins and fresh fruit. I probably just have a deficiency—”

He abruptly stopped talking and grimaced as a dizzy spell struck him. He swallowed and did his best to conceal the lapse from his subordinate, but Reno’s glittering eyes narrowed suspiciously and he knew he wasn’t playing it off as well as he’d like. “Head rush,” Rufus started to say. There was a buzzing sound in his ears and suddenly he wasn’t chilled anymore…he was burning up. “I stood up…too…fast…” He stumbled and groaned as he felt a growing burning sensation, behind his left eye and down the back of his skull. His left arm felt as though it was heating up beneath the skin too.

“Boss?” Reno asked uncertainly as Rufus put a hand to the left side of his forehead and sucked in a couple of quick breaths. “Rufus?” The second word came out as a strained whisper.

Rufus raised his eyes to him and struggled to bring his face into focus. His vision was shifting oddly—as if his left eye were seeing the world in sharp, vivid contrast while his right was seeing as normal. It made him even more disoriented. Reno’s bright hair was flickering like flames and his eyes went from being almost neon green to the usual blue-green. The Turk bounded across the room and Rufus became aware that he was sinking to his knees. Reno’s arms were around him then and he sagged against the redhead, panting and closing his eyes.

“That’s it,” Reno growled, “You’re seeing a doctor if I’ve gotta tie you up and drag you myself, yo.”

Rufus didn’t have the energy to argue and Reno dragged one of his arms around his neck and hauled him to his feet, half-dragging him into the hallway as he shouted for Rude and Tseng.

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They would have gotten a house call if there were any landlines working to request one. They had to take Rufus into town using his jeep. The med building was fairly busy but due to the mixture of symptoms they described to the receptionist, Rufus was shown to a room after a short period of time. The doctor started out taking his temperature and blood pressure while asking for details about the symptoms. When Rufus described the odd visual discrepancies his Turks looked at him with quizzical expressions. The doctor frowned a bit too and checked the blonde’s eyes next, asking him if he was still experiencing visual problems.

“No, it began to clear up shortly after my companions got me into the vehicle,” answered Rufus around the thermometer in his mouth.

“Hmm. How is the dizziness?” The doctor took the thermometer out of Rufus’s mouth and checked it with a frown.

Rufus shrugged. “It seems fine now. It only happens on occasion when I stand up or turn my head too quickly.”

The doctor nodded. “That could normally be associated with an inner ear problem,” he murmured. “Well, your temperature is actually below normal, but not alarmingly so. Oddly enough, the left side of your face feels feverish to me.” He reached out and placed the back of his hand on the blonde’s left cheek. “There’s no visible flush in the skin to indicate fever, however. Have you been sleeping a lot lately?”

“Yeah,” Reno answered before Rufus could. He ignored his lover’s glare. “He’s usually a pretty energetic guy but a couple of months ago he started taking cat naps in the afternoon, yo. It’s gotten worse since then. Now he can hardly stay up for more than a few hours without a nap.”

“I see,” the doctor said. Noticing the angry look the young President was giving the redhead, he smiled. “You should try not to be annoyed with your friend, Sir. He wouldn’t be tattling on you if he didn’t care.”

Rufus grunted sourly. “I’m capable of describing my own symptoms without help.”

“Yeah, but you won’t be honest about ‘em,” Reno shot back, ignoring the shushing motion Tseng was making. “I’m just making sure the doc here gets all the info he needs, boss.”

The doctor chuckled softly. “He’s your employee then, is he?” he asked as he checked the blood pressure reading.

“Not for long, if he keeps this up,” Rufus said with a warning look at the redhead.

“Your blood pressure is low too,” the doctor announced, still chuckling softly at the exchanges between the President and the Turk. “Well Mr. Shinra, you have symptoms that could be caused by numerous things. I don’t want to jump to any rash conclusions, though. Have you been under a lot of pressure lately?”

“I’d say more than average,” Rufus admitted dryly.

“What about a change of diet? Have your eating habits changed?” He checked his ears next and Rufus winced as the viewing device was pressed into each canal.

“Yes,” Rufus agreed. “I used to have all of my groceries delivered directly to my home. Obviously necessity has forced me to adapt. Now we eat wild game and whatever else we can find for purchase from the agricultural community here.”

The doctor nodded. “You originally lived in Midgar, correct?”

Rufus inclined his head in confirmation.

“That’s a rather big city,” the doctor mused with a sigh. “The air is none too clean even on the upper plate, in fact. Well Sir, I think I can give you a simple diagnosis to start with and we can see what happens if we make some changes.”

“I can agree with that,” Rufus said amicably enough.

“First, we’ll start you off on some vitamin supplements. Now, I didn’t see any fluid build up or swelling inside of your ears, so for now I’m going to attribute the dizzy spells, nausea and vision problems to sinuses and put you on a mild antihistamine. If it’s at all possible, you should avoid mentally or emotionally stressful work. The sleeping problems could simply be due to a mild chemical imbalance caused by a combination of nerves and vitamin or mineral deficiencies. That would explain the blood pressure and temperature issues.”

The Turks nodded along, paying careful attention to what the doctor said. “How long should we try this before getting back to you?” Tseng asked.

“I would give it a couple of weeks, to give it time to make a difference,” the doctor answered. “If his condition gets worse before then he’ll need to come back in.”

Reno thought about this and he considered all possible scenarios in his mind. What if something happened to the jeep? Sure, he could fix just about any car problem but what if it was a medical emergency and Rufus couldn’t wait?

“Yo doc, how long would you say it could be before you get your land lines up again?” the redhead asked.

The doctor shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. The lines are intact but there’s no connection yet. It could be a few weeks or a few months before they get the phone lines operational again.”

Reno pressed his lips together and scratched his chin, eyeing Rufus thoughtfully. “Would you normally do house calls if you had a phone?”

“Of course, if it’s a serious matter or the patient can’t be brought in. It doesn’t do much good with the phone lines down though.”

Reno held out his hand to Rufus. “Hand over your cell,” he ordered.

Rufus blinked at him. “I beg your fucking pardon?”

Reno smiled at the doctor before turning to face Rufus and closing in on the examination table until he and his boss were eye to eye. “He’s ruling out the small stuff first, yo. That doesn’t mean it can’t be something serious and until we know for sure that it ain’t, I’m not taking the chance that we won’t be able to get you medical help if we need to.”

Rufus flushed, unaccustomed to being talked to this way by a subordinate but stunned enough by Reno’s unusual commanding tone that he couldn’t manage one of his own. “I can hardly leave my responsibilities to take care of themselves, Reno. I need my cellphone. Give him yours or one of the others’, instead.”

Reno shook his head, his tourmaline eyes hard and unyielding on the blonde. “Until you’re better, we’re taking care of you and that means we need to be able to call the doc when we think you need help. If we leave it up to you, you’ll be in your fucking deathbed before he gets word. Besides that, you need to take a break from work anyhow. You can make a list of things you want done everyday and we’ll relay it for you. Now, give him your phone…Sir.”

Rufus stared at the redhead incredulously. Reno had always been a pushy sort but until now, he’d also known his place. The young man stared into Rufus’s eyes without blinking, his fair features stern and hard with authority. Tseng and Rude stood silent, agreeing with Reno’s sentiments but just as surprised as Rufus was by his unyielding demand.

The President kept his gray eyes locked with Reno’s and reached into his blazer to pull out his cell phone. He handed it over to him slowly.

Reno’s expression relaxed as he took the phone. “Yeah, I know,” he said, “I’m gonna pay for this.” He gave Rufus a wink and handed the phone to the doctor. “Hope you don’t mind hanging onto that for us, doc. We just don’t want to take chances with him, with all the shit people are coming down with from chemical exposure and viruses.”

“No, it’s perfectly understandable,” the doctor assured him. “I promise I’ll take good care of the phone until we’ve gotten your boss on the road to recovery. Is there a charger cord that goes with it?”

Reno held his hand out to Rufus again and the President sighed and fished through his pockets for the rolled up cord. “Remind me again, which one of us is the employee?” he said to Reno almost petulantly as he gave it over.

Rude and Tseng smirked.

~************************************~

Reno made it up to Rufus that night after dinner. The blonde tried to hold a grudge, tried to be unresponsive and even unwelcoming as Reno came into his bedroom. The redhead was wearing a tie but it was just hanging around his bare neck. The blue shirt he was wearing was unbuttoned all the way and he took his shoes, socks and pants off to approach the bed wearing nothing but the gaping shirt and the tie. Rufus did his best to look uninterested but then Reno freed his hair from the ponytail and crawled onto the bed and on top of the blonde.

“You gonna forgive me, boss?” Purred the Turk with a smile, the bright strands of his hair falling forward to caress Rufus’s naked chest as he looked down at him from above.

Rufus didn’t answer. His eyes scanned the redhead’s body and he hardened in spite of himself, thinking that Reno looked positively slutty and fuckable in that shirt and tie.

Reno clucked his tongue and brought his mouth down to nibble the President’s ear, rubbing his body sensually against Rufus’s through the covers. “Come on, don’t be that way,” he droned softly, the fingers of his left hand combing into the other man’s ash-blond hair. “You know I only did it to take care of you. You’re lousy at calling it a day, baby.”

Rufus grumbled something and averted his eyes. Reno sighed heavily and shifted on top of him, letting the dangling tie skim teasingly over his chest. “Don’t you wanna grab it and punish me?”

Rufus pressed his lips together, determined not to smile. Reno leaned down and nibbled his ear again, while dragging one hand over Rufus’s chest to squeeze his nipples one at a time. The blonde hardened further and closed his eyes, unconsciously lifting his hips between Reno’s parted thighs. The Turk stretched on top of him to press his body flush against his, moving back and forth so that Rufus could feel his rigid cock brushing against his body. The silky tendrils of fiery hair tickled his chest and before he even realized he was doing it, he reached up with one hand and caught the trailing end of the tie. Rufus pulled on it roughly when Reno tried to withdraw, forcing the redhead to keep his face close.

With a soft growl of arousal and anger, Rufus crushed his mouth against Reno’s and kissed him aggressively while sliding his free hand into the gaping opening of his shirt to explore his body. Reno whimpered submissively into his mouth as he stroked his chest, stomach and hips. Rufus cupped the redhead’s ass and pulled him more tightly against his pelvis, toying with the idea of punishing him for overstepping himself earlier in the day. While the thought of swatting Reno’s smooth, pale cheeks until they blushed was appealing, Rufus was rapidly losing his energy and he didn’t want to miss out on fucking his subordinate.

“Get the lube and a condom,” Rufus ordered, unable to resist smacking Reno at least once on the ass.

Reno grunted at the sting but he grinned at his boss and stretched out to do as he was told. He grabbed the items off the top of the nightstand and shifted enough to tug the covers down. Rufus slept in the nude, so there were thankfully no further barriers to get in the way. He prepared Rufus first, slipping the condom on him and stroking the lube over it for a moment, teasing him with the massage. When the President gave him a look that was caught between pleasure and impatience, Reno stopped and focused on getting himself ready.

“Let me do that part, Fox,” Rufus demanded, grabbing the tie to pull Reno’s upper body closer to him, which in turn put him in a more accessible position. Reno’s mouth met his immediately and his tongue teased against Rufus’s lips as the blonde took the lube and squeezed a portion out onto his fingers. He returned the kiss and reached down and behind to locate Reno’s anus. The Turk gasped sharply as two of the fingers slid smoothly into his resisting body. His gasp became a soft moan as Rufus slowly thrust in and out, spreading his fingers and stroking the gland inside as he stretched him.

Reno nibbled the President’s lips and undulated on top of him, making eager sounds of pleasure and need. The blonde suddenly thrust hard with his fingers and a shaken cry burst from Reno’s mouth. Rufus groaned softly, wishing he had the energy to spread his fox out beneath him and fuck him until he couldn’t walk. He would have an easier time of it with Reno on top, but angry sex wasn’t as affective without the ability to be in complete control. Perhaps it was better this way, because in truth Rufus thought that if he had full strength he might really harm Reno after the stunt that the Turk pulled today. Then again, if he were at full strength the stunt would never have been pulled in the first place.

When he felt that he’d relaxed his lover enough, Rufus withdrew his fingers and cupped Reno’s hips to guide him onto his waiting erection. Reno eagerly reached down to grip the blonde and guide him in. The redhead straightened up and closed his eyes, moaning softly as he sank down on his companion’s cock. He bit his bottom lip and started to rock—slowly at first and then with more speed and force. Rufus allowed him to take the lead for a few moments before removing his left hand from his hip and grabbing the dangling tie. He wrapped it around his fist and tugged Reno’s head down, ravishing his mouth as he thrust his hips brutally upwards.

Reno’s hoarse shout of surprise was cut off by the bruising kiss. His hands grabbed at the pillow under Rufus’s head and he held onto it tightly as his boss rammed into him again and again. His whimpers and moans were steady, broken only by the occasional sharp cry when Rufus gave a particularly hard thrust. His cock bounced against his stomach and left thick smears of precum on the skin. The powerful jolts of sensation shooting through his pelvis with each thrust made it hard enough to catch his breath, but Rufus was also firmly pulling on the tie and restricting his breathing further. It wasn’t exactly choking him but it didn’t allow him to take the deep breaths he needed.

Rufus broke the kiss and looked into his fox’s eyes, panting heavily and smiling with cruel delight as the Turk’s parted lips gasped as much as he’d allow it. He slid the hand still cupping Reno’s hip around to the front and grasped his rigid cock, stroking it firmly.

“Now,” Rufus growled, “which one of us is in charge, Fox?”

“Y-you are,” Reno answered immediately. He whimpered and bowed his head. “Rufus…oh fuck…Rufus!”

Excited even further by the redhead’s words and expression of pleasure, Rufus released the tie and Reno’s prick to grab his ass and guide him harder and faster atop him. “Prove it…Reno…show me that you’re mine.”

Reno’s eyes stared into his and the desperate lust in them was almost shocking. “Whatever…you say…boss,” he panted. He straightened up again and started rocking and bouncing on top of the President so roughly that the bed not only bumped against the wall, but skittered back and forth over the hardwood floor.

Rufus certainly got his angry sex. Usually only the uke in an encounter would suffer pain from such brutal fucking, but Reno’s motions were so raw with carnal savagery that the blonde’s pelvis was actually hurting from it. Oddly enough it just turned Rufus on more and he found the strength to sit up and put his arms around the redhead. He might not be the one taking it up the ass but he was certainly the one getting fucked, here. He didn’t even realize he was moaning Reno’s name over and over again as the Turk slammed his body onto his cock. He tilted his head back to look at Reno’s flushed features and he was stunned.

Apparently, Reno was angry too. Rufus thought the Turk was only acting on his orders but the narrowed tourmaline eyes and slight snarl on those shapely lips told him that his subordinate was just as pissed off as he was…as well as aroused.

~What in the hell does he have to be angry about? I’m the one who was disrespected today and he’s the one at fault!~

Rufus couldn’t ponder beyond that. Reno gave a feral scream and spurt his release all over the blonde’s stomach. His ass clenched painfully tight around Rufus’s cock and the blonde shouted an oath as he pulsed inside of him as a result. Both men were trembling with exhaustion and sweating heavily by the time their respective climaxes finished. Reno held Rufus tightly and remained straddling his lap for a while, leaving the other man’s softening cock inside of his body. They half expected someone to knock on the door and ask if everything was all right, with as much noise as they’d made. Fortunately, Rude and Tseng were quite accustomed to Reno’s loud advocacy during sex. Anyone else would have probably thought they were murdering each other but the Turks were used to it—in fact they took turns causing those same sounds quite often.

After a while, Rufus finally released Reno and lay down. The redhead climbed off of him and disposed of his condom in the wastepaper basket before wiping the drying spunk off of his body with a tissue from the box conveniently placed on the nightstand. He stretched out beside Rufus and laid his head on the other man’s chest, kissing the pectorals and running his hand over his stomach.

Rufus combed his fingers through the Turk’s lustrous, disheveled hair and sighed as his muscles lost what remained of their strength. That was the first time he and Reno had ever fought each other during sex and now that his mind wasn’t fogged with pleasure and lust, he had time to think about it.

“Would you care to explain that aggression, Reno?” Rufus looked down at the bright head that lay on his chest and waited for an answer.

Reno tilted his head back to look up at him and he frowned. “Yo, the aggression you told me to use?”

Rufus smirked. “I told you to show me that you’re mine, not attempt to crush my pelvis. You’ve always been eager and passionate Reno, but never angry like that.”

Reno shrugged and lowered his eyes. “You were angry first, boss.”

“I was angry because you humiliated me at the doctor’s office today,” reasoned the blonde.

“Wasn’t trying to humiliate you,” Reno mumbled sourly, “I was trying to take care of you, man.”

“And you did,” reminded the President, his anger fading as he considered the event again and realized it was simply love that had driven his Turk. “You got your way, didn’t you? So tell me, why are you angry?”

Reno sighed, knowing that Rufus wouldn’t relent until he answered. He looked his boss in the eye and moistened his lips with his tongue before speaking. “All right, so I’m pissed. I’m pissed that you’re sick and we don’t know why. I’m pissed because you’re so fucking stubborn and you’re resenting every damn thing we try to do for you. Don’t you get it, Rufus? Without you, we’re nothing.”

Rufus stared at him, disturbed by the statement. “Reno, the sun rose and set before you met me. Should something ever happen to me—“

“Don’t even think it,” interrupted the Turk fiercely.

Rufus smiled and caressed those frowning lips with his fingertips. “Am I going to have to start quoting Tseng on the realities of life, Fox? Now as I was saying: should anything happen to me, the sun will still rise and set. Don’t misunderstand me—for as long as I draw breath I expect you to belong to me. Did it ever occur to you however that the reason I’m so possessive of you and my Turks is because each and every one of you are something? Your qualities existed before you joined the Turks and they’ll remain even if this organization disintegrates.”

Rufus cupped the redhead’s chin and held his gaze. “Don’t ever let me hear you refer to yourself as ‘nothing’ again, Reno. I don’t employ ‘nothings’ and I certainly don’t take them as lovers. Is that understood?”

Reno nodded slowly, blinking at the other man as he tried to stomp his emotions. “Yes, Sir,” he whispered.

“And no more angry sex until I’m feeling more like myself,” Rufus added with a grimace. “I can at least admit that I can’t afford the pelvic bruises in my condition.”

Reno laughed and wriggled up his body to give him a deep kiss. “Yo, I’ll make a deal with you,” he chuckled against the other man’s mouth, “Don’t be so stubborn about letting us take care of you and I won’t fuck you like a beast until after you’re better.”

~***********************************~

After that, things were pretty simple for a week or so. Rufus had a couple more spells but they didn’t seem to be as bad as that first one. He ate a little better but I had a feeling he was just forcing himself so we wouldn’t worry, yo. I caught him hacking up in the bathroom one night after dinner. He tried to hide it, saying he was gonna have a shower and turning the water on while he got sick. If it’s even possible to barf quietly I’ve never met anybody that could do it, yo. I heard him when I went upstairs to see if he wanted some company in the shower and I heard him through the bathroom door.

I thought about busting in on him but then I changed my mind. Then I thought about telling the others and staging an intervention, but that would just make him mad. Since he wasn’t arguing with us when it was time for his medicine and he wasn’t complaining when we took care of him, I let it slide. The boss is a proud man, yo. Dealing with a man like him in a situation like that took a little finesse. Elena came for visits every few days and she brought her doctor boy toy with her a couple of times to have a look at the boss. Ma gave me some homemade soups and casseroles to bring home to Rufus too, when I visited her.

Winter was just about there and it was getting really cold. Rufus started having chills at night so the three of us took turns sandwiching him. We played it off like we just wanted to fool around but I could tell by the way he grumbled that he wasn’t buying it. He never told any of us to piss off, though. I think he liked the warmth as much as the sex, yo.

By the middle of the second week of his treatment, things got bad fast and we finally found out what was wrong with him. I’ll never forget that day, or the feeling I got in the pit of my stomach when the doctor gave us his diagnosis.

~*****************************************~

Rufus was having another spell and this time, he was writhing in pain in his bed. In a few short days, he’d gotten to the point where he couldn’t even be out of bed for long without getting winded. He’d lost interest in sexual intimacy as well—not because he didn’t want it but because it wore him out too much. Reno sat on the edge of the bed and wiped the blonde’s clammy face with a warm, wet cloth while Rude tried to reach the doctor and Tseng boiled some tea.

“We’re getting the doc for you,” Reno promised helplessly as he tried to make his groaning lover more comfortable. “Just try to relax, Sir.”

“My gut…feels like…on fire,” Rufus panted, curling into a fetal position. He held his left arm with his right hand as the pain flared up there as well, and he closed his left eye when the odd vision shift began.

Reno pressed his lips together and reached out to rub his lover’s troubled arm with his free hand. “This ain’t just stress or sinuses,” he declared with certainty. He took the washcloth away from Rufus’s head to dip it in the bowl of hot water again and he stopped and stared at it. The damp material looked dirty for some reason…it was soiled with inky stains that he was sure weren’t there before. He looked at Rufus again and tilted his head, frowning fiercely.

Dark spots of liquid were beading the left side of the blonde’s forehead like sweat, but Reno had never seen black perspiration before. As he watched, more beads seeped out of the President’s pores, down the left side of his face, neck and shoulder. Reno’s entire body tingled with fear and he was about to ask Rufus if this had happened before when the blonde suddenly began to convulse.

“Rude, Tseng!” Reno shouted at the top of his voice as he held his lover down on the bed, “Get the fuck up here, yo! Something’s really wrong!”

Reno looked around for something to put between his lover’s teeth to keep him from biting his tongue and he finally cursed and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. “Come on, open your mouth, baby,” he said shakenly as he tried to pry the blonde’s jaws apart. Rufus must have retained some sense of awareness because he relaxed just enough for the redhead to put the wallet between his teeth.

Reno heard the sounds of footsteps thudding on the stairs as he weighed Rufus down with his body and held his wrists tightly. The other man bucked convulsively and groaned behind the wallet in his mouth. The black sweat was rolling down the side of his face and his eyes briefly fixed on Reno.

The redhead stared with shock as Rufus’s left eye…changed. It went from steely gray to bright, emerald green as he watched, and the pupil elongated vertically for a moment. Reno stared at the serpentine eye and remembered the last time he saw one that looked like that. It reverted back to its former human shape and color just as Tseng and Rude burst through the door, leaving Reno to wonder if he’d imagined it.

“I have the doctor on the phone now,” Tseng said as he hurried to the bedside with his cell clutched to his ear. “What’s happening?” He and Rude looked down at the seizing blonde and they both wore expressions of shocked concern.

“What’s that black shit on his face and arm?” Rude asked.

Reno hadn’t noticed the mysterious perspiration coming from his arm and he looked down at it. “Shit, it’s getting worse. Get the doctor here, Tseng.”

“We need you to come as quickly as possible,” the Wutaian immediately said into his phone. His dark eyes were fixated on Rufus with grim dread. “This is no allergy attack.”

~**************************************~

Elena came as soon as she got word from Reno and the four Turks waited anxiously on the back patio while the doctor and his nurse assistant worked over Rufus. Reno lit a cigarette and downed another shot of whiskey from the bottle they’d set out on the patio table.

“I swear I saw something happen to his eye,” he said as he lifted his cigarette for a drag.

Rude noticed the way his partner’s hand trembled and he resisted the urge to reach out and offer comfort. Red was too wound up for comfort right now and any attempt to give it to him would be more likely to piss him off than anything else. “What did you see?” he asked instead.

Reno exhaled the spicy smoke and shrugged. “I dunno man, it was like it changed colors for a second. It was Rufus’s eye one minute and someone else’s the next.”

“Who?” Elena asked.

Reno grimaced and poured another shot for himself. He looked at the Turk woman as he downed the drink and shivered. “Sephiroth,” he muttered, looking off at the forests surrounding the cabin.

“Did you just say ‘Sephiroth’?” Tseng inquired with a lifted brow. The others likewise stared at Reno like a mental patient.

“Yo, I know how it sounds,” The redhead snapped crossly, “and maybe it was just panic that made me think I saw what I saw, but I ain’t lying. It was over in a flash though…otherwise I’d have shown you guys so you wouldn’t look at me the way you are now!”

Rude poured a shot for himself and stood beside Reno, silently supportive. Elena was working her mouth and trying to say something, while Tseng contemplated and kept his eyes on the tree line.

“So…what are you saying?” Elena asked softly. “Do you think Sephiroth’s ghost is trying to possess the President?”

“I don’t know what I’m saying,” Reno shot back. “I’m not losing my head, all right? Strife took care of Sephiroth and that’s that. All I’m saying is I saw something and it wasn’t natural, yo.”

The doctor came out of the house, looking somber and tired. The Turks forgot their conversation and rounded on the man as one, each of them anxious to hear his diagnosis. The doctor wasted no time, understanding enough about the Turks to know it wasn’t wise to keep them in suspense.

“I have some terrible news,” he said as he looked at each of them gravely. “You might want to have a seat for this.”

“Just tell us what’s wrong with him,” demanded Elena.

The doctor sighed. “It’s Geostigma. Most victims infected with it expire within a year.”

Reno felt like his heart had stopped beating. His shot glass fell from his numb fingers and shattered on the patio.

~******************************************~

-To be continued