ABSOLUTION

Note: First Final Fantasy fic, not my first ever fic, just to clear that up. Let me know if it's alright. I'm doing a RenoXOriginal Character for my friend because she wouldn't quit bugging me about making a fanfiction for her, so she picked that pairing. I just decided to run with it. Any questions just email me at lucia.d.slade@gmail.com or put them in a review.

By the way, Final Fantasy is not mine. However, the story line, the original characters and the ranking system are.

Convict_Panthress

ABSOLUTION
Chapter III

Cloud berated himself as he felt his head give the affirmative answer. And just as he was thinking about taking it back, giving Rufus the bird and leaving, said man closed his eyes, an expression of gratitude and relief on his face, “Thank you…Cloud.”

Blue eyes looked away from the Shin-Ra president, and found the other being in the room. Amazingly, the ex-Turk converted SOLDIER had been quiet and no comments from the sarcastic peanut gallery had escaped from him, even though he was bound to have some in that head of his. Even though the blonde and red head never really talked, it had been Reno’s idea to reinforce the First Tsurugi with an experimental new type of metal. Combining the properties of steel and titanium, Reno had giving birth to what was fondly referred to steel-tanium. Apparently the ex-Turk was still good for something other than gossiping and verbal fighting.

Cloud took a few moments to examine the First Degree Weapons master. The famous red hair was still messy, his bangs long and stringy falling into emerald eyes, and Cloud absently noticed that the longer hair that terminated in a horse tail had gotten longer, ending to almost just below his rear. The goggles that usually rested upon the SOLDIER’s forehead were still there, helping push back some of the unruly flaming bangs.

Reno’s signature open suit jacket covering his wrinkled and un-tucked white dress shirt were the same as the last time Cloud had seen him. Except the laid back man seemed to have added another feature to his signature laziness: a belt whose excess wasn’t even strung through the loopholes, allowing it to slouch from the silver buckle.

And how the red head appeared to be one of the sought after bachelors, Cloud would never know.

Blue orbs met with Reno’s and strangely enough, those emerald eyes were slightly guarded. As if the SOLDIER was extremely exhausted and lost. The former Turk gave an attempt to smile, and succeeded, but Cloud already knew what was behind that mask. The Warrior nodded to his compatriot before turning back to the other blonde haired man, as if asking ‘what next’.

“Reno, now that Mr. Strife is here, please explain what happened at the third complex in Midgar.”

Reno glanced at both men before he started. “It was a self-appointed mission. And a simple one at that. I mean a mission’s gotta be pretty damn easy to only require two operatives, yo.” He ran a hand through his wild hair, sighed and stared out the window behind the desk, gazing out over the snow covered landscape. “I had been going through the reports of the last times we had encountered Sephiroth over the last God knows how many years, when I had remembered that when Sephiroth had been the General of SOLDIER long ago, the SRC-3 building complex had been the area he had taken up. He also trained there, and of course the training areas had computers that recorded strengths and weaknesses. And he was a high ranking SOLDIER, so of course there would be records galore of him on file. It was pretty ironic that when he went bonkers on Shin-Ra, us Turks had taken over the SRC-3 complex. There was always somebody reporting on how a battle with him went before we were forced from there.

And Shin-Ra in its entirety, forgot all about the information on those drives. Meaning it was still there waiting for us to use it. It almost literally hit me that the SRC-3 computer data drive was our advantage to getting the upper hand on him this time, yo.”

Cloud listened interestedly; he hadn’t thought that Reno was actually smart. Fuck, he was a genius! The swordsman shifted his weight on the other foot, “I’m sensing a ‘but’ at this point.”

Reno’s arms hung motionless at his sides as he turned back to face the other occupants of the room and nodded, “I guess you could say that. You gotta understand, I was in the helicopter, better to make sure that we could leave just as safely as we got there. But then, we weren’t expecting trouble anyway, yo.” Emerald eyes gazed over his shoulder at the snow again and shrugged. “I don’t know exactly what went on. Fourth Degree Maxwell and Grade Six Graduate Officer Winston wouldn’t talk to me—didn’t have time to. Thought it best to bring the body to boss here—”

“Body?” Cloud asked, gaze narrowing even as the red head turned his head sharply to look at him, giving the Warrior a feigned ‘how dare you’ look.

“Uh…yeah, body. As in B-O-D-Y…Can I finish talking here, yo?”

Cloud gave the former Turk a bland warning look before Rufus motioned his hand, “Continue, Reno.”

“Anyways,” the First Degree started again, turning back towards the window. His face devoid of the small amusement seconds ago, and his expression reflecting the dreary weather. “Maxwell had been asking me how old the computers were when suddenly they, Maxwell and Winston, were yelling and had opened fire and something had fired back. From over the radio I heard them chase it down but it must’ve gotten away. I had asked Duo what had happened, and I had looked out the window and—” the red haired pilot opened his mouth to explain before shaking his head.

“And what Reno?” Rufus asked, sensing the confliction in the First Degree SOLDIER.

“I noticed a female figure running into the woods, a cloak of fur covering her.”

“Did you see what she looked like?” Cloud’s question was harsh, and immediate.

Reno glanced at the Warrior. Why was the man so interested in the girl?

Cloud noticed those emerald eyes slam shut. He was hiding something.

“No. I couldn’t see her at all.”

Cloud closed his eyes. ‘Good.’

“But like I was saying before Mr. Wants-to-know-every-single-thing-that-goes-on-when-I-do-a-mission interrupted me.”

Cloud got the distinct urge to roll his eyes. If Reno asked to train with him again any time soon, the red haired man was going to get it. However, when the former Turk continued, the swordsman listened with his whole attention.

“The only thing I remember after that was Duo not being able to get in…it was like someone had blocked him. And Duo Maxwell’s the best hacker in four centuries! Then that’s when the yelling had started again. Something about the thing still being alive and from what I heard, it had attacked Graduate Grade Officer Kyya Winston. But just before I was about to come in, Maxwell had apparently killed it. After I ordered them to get to the copter double time, I got us outta there in no time before SRC-3 exploded.”

“And that’s all you know?” Rufus asked the red head.

Reno nodded, his flaming hair jostling with the movement. “And just like I said earlier, Duo brought the body here to you.”

The seated blonde haired man unfolded himself from his seat, his white suit with naught a wrinkle in it and the pilot sourly wondered how his boss’ clothing was always perfect. “Speaking of the body, Cloud I would like you to see it. In all my years, especially in dealing with the late Dr. Hojo, I have never seen something like this. Ever.”

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Note: If you like my writing and would like to see it outside the FFVII: AC world, please read my original story Reaper's Lilium: Cradle of the Lamb. And please, please review not only this but that story as well. I plan on publishing that so I would like to know if it is good enough to do so before I do it.