Title: Always there
Author:
Pandora Vetinari
Pairing: Tifa + Reno-ish (..you'll see)
Rating: R
Summary: Reno meets a barmaid in Junon and radically alters the course of their lives.
Authors notes: MWUAHAHAHA!!! I uncrappyised it at last!!! *ahem* What I mean is...This is one of my first fanfics, and after 18 months of practice and experienced, I decided to revise it. Not do anything special, mind you. Just add a few bits and go over some stuff.
Always There
Night settled across the dusty streets of Junon. The air lay thick with dense fog and the streets were littered with various pieces of shattered glass, which gave the gutters a glistening rainbow effect as it reflected the moonlight. The glass was crushed into powder as the heavy footsteps of one man came down heavily onto the ground as he stalked solemnly towards a small back street bar.
With an unenthusiastic grunt, Reno swung the door open and was immediately greeted by a heavy cloud of cigarette fumes. He made his way to the bar, slinking silently between the tables of loud mouthed hooligans and drunken dropouts. Despite an elegance of movement which surpassed any that the bar's inhabitants, no one paid him any heed. Not even beautiful crimson hair, which shimmered in the low lighting, seemed to draw the slightest bit of attention. Reno could have walked in wearing a bright orange bikini and no one would have noticed. Such was the skill he'd developed as a Turk. And besides, the majority of the clientele were either stoned or pissed. That was the sort of place this was, a dark haven filled with the dregs of society: the failures, the outcasts. He would fit right in.
Reno leaned against the grimy bar, making sure to stay in the corner, away from everyone else, and where the thick smoke was less likely to make your eyes water. He cast a scathing glance over the room. Groups of men were hunched, semi-comatose, over the cheap Formica tables. Several people lurched towards the exit and the relatively fresh air, while others staggered in the rough direction of the toilets. Behind the bar stood a solitary barmaid, who appeared to have been polishing the same glass since Reno had walked in, and was making no move to serve the drunks who were practically clambering over the bar. She was old and, even in the flattering dimness of the bar, incredibly ugly.
`For fucks sake' thought Reno `I'm in hell. This couldn't possibly get worse.'
In accordance to Sod's Law, at that precise moment it did.
The old woman snorted and batted away a hand that was waving about a note, slamming down the glass with a ferocity that cracked the bottom. The woman turned her huge bulk round and called through a pair of shutters into a back room
"Oi, ya lazy bitch. Get in `ere, there's customers want serving!"
"Coming." Came the quiet, laboured reply
The soft, feminine voice sent Reno into a sudden state of ice cold panic
`It can't be…It couldn't be!' he thought, the words echoed through his head like a mantra.
A young barmaid came in through a small door behind the bar and stepped up to the counter. She froze suddenly; burgundy eyes wide as she stared at Reno; not believing it was possible that he was standing in front of her
"I'm sorry," said Reno, drawing himself up and standing away from the bar "I didn't realise…" He turned to leave.
"Wait!" cried Tifa "…you don't have to go. Please, stay."
Reno stopped and looked at her.
"If that's what you want…" he said slowly, checking her reaction.
Tifa nodded solemnly, brushing a few strands of chestnut hair away from her face. Every action betrayed the young girl's fatigue, both physically and mentally, she was no more a threat to Reno then the drunks who were struggling to stay upright. She asked him if he wanted a drink but he declined, saying they'd both be better off if he stayed sober.
Reno watched as she moved away to serve other customers. Despite a distinct slowness in her movements, everything was done with an incredible skill. The beer pumps, which had stiffened with grime and age, were pulled down with one easy fluid movement. Slender fingers expertly handled a variety of liquor bottles and glasses. Tifa did have lovely hands, Reno mused, and like the rest of her, they were as strong as they were beautiful. He still had the scars to prove it.
Time wore on, and Reno began to get bored. Tifa had not once glanced in his direction, and the bar was beginning to become empty.
`Why the hell does she want me to stay?' he asked himself. He was soon answered.
"My shift's over now, could we go somewhere else please?" Tifa finally returned to corner as she wiped down the counter.
"We?" he asked, a delicate eyebrow arched in surprise.
Tifa looked down and gave the slightest off shrugs. "I guess I…." She paused, a small frown gracing her lips. "I want someone to talk to. Someone who knows what I'm talking about and understands..." Tifa stopped again, her frown deepening. She tilted her head up and looked at Reno "And besides, if you're in here then that means your world is no more perfect than mine."
A coy smile tugged at the corners of Reno's mouth, and he lazily draped his arm around her shoulders.
"Come on then. I know the place."
The pair wandered idly through the narrow back alleys of Junon. Reno kept his arm loosely around Tifa, partly to shield her from the biting frost, which was already beginning to settle on the roads, and partly to discourage the attention of the drunken yobs that leered from the shadows. Although Tifa had made no complaint, she was obviously uncomfortable with how near they were to each other.
As they walked, Tifa kept a close eye on Reno. Although she was less than pleased with their closeness, she couldn't help but feel comforted by his warm scent of spicy cologne and cigarette smoke. It seemed to surround her, and in some bizarre way, made her feel secure and protected from the coldness of what lay around her. She was so deep in thought she wasn't aware Reno had stopped and taken his arm from around her until he moved away and exposed her bare arms to the bitter night air. The two of them ended up down an alleyway that opened out onto a small overhang, overlooking the vast ocean. Reno easily leaped over the small wall that blocked the metal plate off from the road. He sat down on a small step and motioned for Tifa to do the same. When he was sure she was comfortable enough, he asked again why she was there with him.
Tifa took a while to answer, trying to find the words to convey what she was thinking. To Reno it looked as if she hadn't heard, instead searching for something just beyond the horizon. The moon shone brightly in the night sky, no longer obscured by the tall buildings that stood behind them. It's light poured down openly onto the overhang, giving Tifa's smooth alabaster skin a pale glow and adding small silver highlights to the soft tendrils of chocolate hair which framed her face. The moonlight softened her tired features, smoothed out the faint lines caused by a small frown, and emphasised the generous curve of her breasts and hips. She looked like the marble statue of some great Goddess. Calm, serene, and at peace.
Eventually, Tifa parted her lips and took in a deep breath, both mind and body tensing for what was about to be released.
"Because I was happier then. The travelling…even the fighting. No, especially the fighting… I was with friends. I felt wanted- needed, I guess. It was something I was good at"
By most standards, Tifa's answer was vague. But it was enough for Reno understand, both what she was saying and why she was saying it to him. He stood for everything she had known before, and reminded her of what she had left behind. A time when she'd had a purpose, and wasn't just drifting along on her own. And Reno understood perfectly, because he felt exactly the same. Where Avalanche had been Tifa's purpose and source of companionship, the Turks had been his. The Turks and Avalanche had crossed so many times, but yet had been so close to each other in both what they did and how they fought. In the end, they may as well have been the same thing.
"I take that's why you still wear that same outfit, down to the gloves, despite working in that shit hole of a place. It reminds you of then." He gave a short bitter laugh, his eyes taking in the shape of the heavy combat boots, revealing but practical miniskirt and the now off white shirt, which fitted closely around her.
I return for his observation, Tifa treated him to an ice-cold glare.
"And I take it that's why you're still wearing the uniform of the Turks?" she said tartly, turning away, not bothering to listen for a reply.
Reno let out another bitter laugh and looked out onto the ocean. With a sigh, Tifa followed his gaze onto the still waters. She noticed, with some degree of wonderment, that the surface lay unbroken by waves or ripples, so that the reflection of the stars made it look like the horizon was composed completely of the sky. It was beautiful, yes, but at that moment, it seemed despairingly empty. There was nothing out there; Tifa and Reno were alone.
Tifa looked back at Reno, feeling a slight twinge of guilt for her unnecessarily harsh tone, especially as Reno was being more than polite. But thinking back, Tifa couldn't pick out one single moment when he'd been the monster she'd expected. Of course, he was a cold- blooded assassin, and more than capable of performing the most ruthless tasks required of him, but he knew how to play whatever game Shinra wanted him to play without becoming a puppet on a string. He knew when to back down, and he knew when not to start the conflict. Despite being a professional killer, he was still human. He'd shown it in Wutai and the tunnels in Midgar. Tifa knew she should hate him but…
"Sector seven…why?" she ventured nervously, turning her gaze back to him
The pause that followed lasted barely more than a second, but it said all that was needed to be said.
"A few of my friends worked near the sector one reactor."
Reno turned to look at her, and cursed himself under his breath for the look of horror and guilt painted onto the soft features.
"We're equal on that score, I believe." He said softly.
Tifa nodded silently, the tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. She felt the sudden, desperate need to change the subject, to take her mind away from the overwhelming feeling of guilt and loss.
"How are Elena and Rude?" she asked, tossing out the first thing that came to mind.
Another brief pause. Another silence which said too much.
"I haven't heard from Elena since that business in the tunnels and Rude…" He stopped. Tifa wished he would start again, the silence was unbearable "Rude was in Midgar when Meteor fell." He said in barely more than a whisper, his gaze returning to the ocean.
Tifa's eyes widened in shock and sympathy. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry."
Reno shrugged "Don't be. `Cause then I'd have to be sorry about Cloud, and whatever that jerk's done he won't have my sympathy."
This time it was Tifa's turn to shrug. Her eyes were drawn down to her feet, and her fingers clenched nervously in her lap.
"Cloud left. Simple as that. I don't know why and I don't care. I've lost too many loved ones to do it again. I've moved on." She said, her voice was on the verge of cracking, betraying the presence of tears.
"Of course you have." Said Reno, his disbelief evident in his tone. Then his voice took on a more wistful and almost serene sound. "Y'know, when I was younger, I used to wish I could've lived in a place like Nibelheim, rather than grow up in that shit hole of a city they ceremoniously call Midgar. I thought the slums were cursed, but it's not that, is it? It's fate, or whatever, that's the curse. I mean, look at us. By the time we were both sixteen we'd both seen more than most grown men ever do. And this is what it's come to... Life's a bitch. It throws fuck knows what at you and expects you to cope. You're lucky to have coped this well."
On those last words, Tifa Lockhart, a warrior of both body and soul, burst into tears. Reno pulled her close to him as carefully as he could, feeling the heavy sobs shake her entire body. It had been too much for her, in the end. It would have been too much for anyone.
Eventually the violent sobs abated, Tifa lifted her head up and looked at Reno. The hollow sadness in her eyes was almost unbearable.
"Tifa…" he started, not quite sure what to say to her, if anything. The sudden pressure of her lips cut off his words. Tifa pressed closer to him, the kiss hungry and almost desperate. He wrapped his arms round her, his body over-riding any attempts by common sense to stop, and moaned softly as she slid her hand underneath the worn blue jacket.
Tifa pulled the knife from his inside pocket in an instant, before Reno was even aware she had known he had it. He cursed himself as he watched her pull away from him and flick the blade open. Reno looked at her questioningly, but made no move to stop her, merely watching in a calm, detached manner. He knew she wasn't a threat, her eyes told him that, but Reno still didn't like the situation, and felt no desire to push Tifa any further.
"I'm not coping!" she hissed, her voice hurried and whispered, shaking through the fresh sobs that were building up and leaving a suffocating tightness in her chest. "I can't do this, Reno please, for the love of god, I need to escape!" She pushed the handle of the blade into his hand, and in that instant, he finally knew what she wanted.
"Tifa, I can't…I've shed enough blood. I swore there wouldn't be anymore"
"Reno…please…" she begged, her voice strained with the tears which left shimmering paths down her cheeks.
With a deep breath. Reno held the knife to her chest and gave Tifa one final glance. He couldn't deny her this. He'd taken too much from her already. If he walked away from her now, he could add her dignity and pride to that list. Neither of them wanted that, so Reno could do nothing but watch as she slid her arms around his neck and nodded her solemn consent.
The last words she ever spoke came in choked gasps, through lips stained with the blood that came up with each word.
"You would be there for me…for us…whether we needed you…or not…Reno… Somehow…you were always there when…when it mattered most…you were always there."
Tifa closed her eyes, and died in his arms.
Reno cradled the young warrior, rocking her limp form gently back and forth as one would a baby. For the first time in his life, he was lost. He wasn't quite sure what to do, and his mind had gone as fuzzy as his vision, which was beginning to mist over with tears.
He looked at the bloodstained blade in his hand, studying it as if he'd never seen it before. There was his answer. Pure and simple.
The words, the voice, the soft peaceful smile… `You were always there'
Reno smiled, and bade the world good bye.
"And I always will be, Tifa Lockheart, I always will be."