Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Hazard Pay ❯ Part 2 ( Chapter 2 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: LilyMoonsAlias 
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shounen / Supernatural / Romance / Hentai / Action | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 02.12.2007 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 624 | Status: Work In Progress
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shounen / Supernatural / Romance / Hentai / Action | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 02.12.2007 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 624 | Status: Work In Progress
"Strife was on the cliff again all afternoon," Reno drawled into his phone. "No, make that again, and you better be able to hear the sarcasm dripping from the word." He switched the phone to his other hand. "How long do I have to keep doing this? Uh huh. Look, Ru...,er President, in the past two weeks the man has only gone to three different places, a swampy, ruined church, Tifa's bar, and this forsaken cliff to sit by a rusting hunk of metal to stare into nothing. He's not even making any deliveries. I don't see Strife cooking up any plans to swoop down with bloody vengeance on your recovering empire."
Reno's voice had steadily gotten more shrill and louder as the conversation continued. He was chilled from the gusting winds that whipped around the cliff, hungry, thirsty and feeling decidedly uncharitable towards his employer. Not to mention he was still pissed that his request for better wheels to keep up with Strife's black behemoth had been denied as a waste of resources. He held the phone away from his ear so that Rufus' condescending voice only sounded like a tinny, canned version of its usual tone and glared at the worthless bike that personally offended him. When his boss quit lecturing him on doing his duty without question he put the phone back to his head.
"Yes, sir," Reno snapped and folded the phone to slip it into his pocket.
Giving up on any chance of catching up to Strife, Reno circled the rusting sword that was jammed into the hard packed ground.
"Pretty crappy memorial, pal," he mumbled under his breath and hunched his narrow shoulders against the wind to stare at the hazed view of the city in the distance. A slight lessening of the wind at his back had him tensing and spinning on his heel.
"You're disrespectful and crass, Reno," Vincent Valentine said, his mouth partially hidden by the clasped neck of his cloak. "Would you be so if it were a Turk honored here?"
"A dead Turk is one who failed," Reno replied. "There's no honor in that."
Vincent narrowed his demonic eyes. Reno stiffened and returned the stare without flinching. He refused to give any indication that the man unnerved him at all despite the fact his hand twitched with the desire to put a firmer grip on the baton in his grasp. After an uncomfortable moment Vincent stepped forward and crossed his arms over his chest to look in the distance as well.
"You're tailing Cloud under Shinra's orders."
"Yeah." Reno didn't bother with denying it and those piercing eyes settled on his face once more.
"It makes me wonder why Shinra is worried enough about Cloud to keep him under surveillance."
Reno huffed a laugh. "Hello? This is the sword toting head case that has a penchant for destroying or killing Shinra...property," he finished, frowning.
"And hasn't since he defeated Sephiroth again. I question Shinra's motives."
Because he didn't know his employer's reasoning either, Reno didn't reply. He moved his head to glare at the city where the man responsible for him being on a windy deserted cliff was most likely enjoying a hot meal in his pleasantly comfortable office. When he turned back to ask Vincent if he was following Cloud or himself the other man was nowhere to be seen.
"How the hell does he do that?" Reno murmured under his breath.
The sorry excuse for a motorcycle in his line of sight wasn't going to answer him so Reno walked back to it and released the kickstand. With any luck Cloud was back at the bar and he could at least get away from the cold wind and maybe enjoy a beer or two. Grumbling in anticipation of another boring evening fulfilling his duty, as Rufus had so snidely put it, Reno headed back for the city.
Vincent stepped around the fallen slabs of rock that had concealed his presence and reached out a hand to minutely straighten the sword.
"Perhaps it isn't Cloud you should be watching, Reno."
Back in town, Reno was vaguely pleased that Strife's motorcycle was parked behind the bar. He grumbled as he slid off his own bike and adjusted the lay of his black coat. Reno resisted the urge to give the hunk of machinery a savage kick. A motorcycle was far from his favorite form of transport. Give him a helicopter any day. That was just one more reason to be irritated. As long as he was playing watch dog over Strife he was grounded and couldn't fly.
The noise from the crowd inside got a little quieter as Reno walked in the door. Several pairs of eyes flicked over his uniform, identifying him as a Turk. Reno was darkly amused that a couple of patrons hastily excused themselves from their parties and crept out the exit. A quick perusal showed Strife sitting at the end of the bar with his back to the wall. Reno settled on a stool and laid his baton on the scarred surface of the bar. Running the fingers of his right through his hair, he used his other hand to wave Tifa towards him.
"Whisky, neat," Reno ordered when the bartender and bar's owner stood before him.
Tifa just about slammed the squat glass on the bar, her face tight with disapproval. She moved off to serve another customer without speaking to Reno. Just perfect. Another pleasant side effect of doing his job. They had been getting along in almost a friendly manner ever since Reno and Rude had rescued the kids from the Remnants, but Tifa had cooled to just short of outright hostility as soon as it became apparent that Reno was keeping an eye on Cloud.
Reno wanted to laugh at the absurdity that Tifa felt Cloud needed protecting, but she was fiercely loyal to her friends. Reno guessed that he didn't fall in that category. He twisted in his seat until he was facing the end of the bar where Strife leaned against the wall. There were dark shadows under the man's eyes like he wasn't getting enough sleep. Reno wondered if he even slept most nights then promptly wonder why he was even thinking about it. His job entailed watching Strife's activities, not concern over his health and well being.
Glaring at the object of his irritation, Reno finished the contents of his glass in one swallow and motioned for a refill. It didn't look like they were going anywhere anytime soon so Reno saw no problem with enjoying the bar and a few more drinks. At least he was inside away from the rapidly chilling air and reasonably content.
Two hours later and Reno was still at the bar, only a little squiffed and relaxed. He was laughing at some joke the customer seated next to him was telling when he was abruptly spun around on his stool. A punch connected with his jaw before his dulled reflexes had a chance to react. Reno hit the floor cursing and reaching into his coat for his gun. His baton still lay on the bar.
"You got a lot of nerve showing your face here, Turk," the man who had punched him stood over him and growled.
"Just what the fuck is your malfunction?" Reno snapped and regained his feet. His attacker was easily as big as Rude, but that didn't worry the Turk at all.
Before the big man could reply Cloud stood between them with his back to Reno and a fistful of the man's shirt.
"Stand down, Duncan," Cloud ordered. "There's not going to be any trouble here tonight."
"But the explosion set by this little shit and his partner destroyed my building!" Duncan yelled into Cloud's face.
Unruffled as usual, Cloud pushed Duncan towards the door of the bar. Whatever he was saying in low tones to the furious man was lost in the noise of the crowd gathered to watch the show. At the door he brushed Cloud's hands off himself and shot another venomous glance at Reno. The Turk sneered back and made a point of strapping his baton back on his wrist.
"Your popularity is astonishing these days, Reno." Tifa offered him a clean towel to wipe his face. "Maybe you should take the hint."
Reno chuckled at the hopefulness in Tifa's voice.
"Sorry, Tifa. Orders are orders."
"You alright?" Cloud asked coolly.
"I'm just grand," Reno retorted. "You didn't need to do that. I would have smeared that guy."
Cloud shrugged one shoulder. "I didn't do it for you. Tifa doesn't need a fight messing up the place."
"Whatever. I'm going to bed. See if you can't do something a little more interesting tomorrow, Cloud. You're boring me to death," Reno said.
Cloud ignored the jibe, leaving Reno a little disappointed. His adrenaline was still pumping from the aborted fight and needed an outlet. Reno tossed enough on the bar to cover his tab and left. He stopped short at the sight of the slashed tires on his motorcycle. Apparently Duncan had exacted a little revenge for the destruction of his property. Even the cables had been ripped to shreds. A scowl twisted Reno's lips as he snorted in disgust and called Rude to come give him a ride. The scowl slowly transformed until Reno was grinning broadly. Maybe now he could get a better bike out of his employer.
Reno's voice had steadily gotten more shrill and louder as the conversation continued. He was chilled from the gusting winds that whipped around the cliff, hungry, thirsty and feeling decidedly uncharitable towards his employer. Not to mention he was still pissed that his request for better wheels to keep up with Strife's black behemoth had been denied as a waste of resources. He held the phone away from his ear so that Rufus' condescending voice only sounded like a tinny, canned version of its usual tone and glared at the worthless bike that personally offended him. When his boss quit lecturing him on doing his duty without question he put the phone back to his head.
"Yes, sir," Reno snapped and folded the phone to slip it into his pocket.
Giving up on any chance of catching up to Strife, Reno circled the rusting sword that was jammed into the hard packed ground.
"Pretty crappy memorial, pal," he mumbled under his breath and hunched his narrow shoulders against the wind to stare at the hazed view of the city in the distance. A slight lessening of the wind at his back had him tensing and spinning on his heel.
"You're disrespectful and crass, Reno," Vincent Valentine said, his mouth partially hidden by the clasped neck of his cloak. "Would you be so if it were a Turk honored here?"
"A dead Turk is one who failed," Reno replied. "There's no honor in that."
Vincent narrowed his demonic eyes. Reno stiffened and returned the stare without flinching. He refused to give any indication that the man unnerved him at all despite the fact his hand twitched with the desire to put a firmer grip on the baton in his grasp. After an uncomfortable moment Vincent stepped forward and crossed his arms over his chest to look in the distance as well.
"You're tailing Cloud under Shinra's orders."
"Yeah." Reno didn't bother with denying it and those piercing eyes settled on his face once more.
"It makes me wonder why Shinra is worried enough about Cloud to keep him under surveillance."
Reno huffed a laugh. "Hello? This is the sword toting head case that has a penchant for destroying or killing Shinra...property," he finished, frowning.
"And hasn't since he defeated Sephiroth again. I question Shinra's motives."
Because he didn't know his employer's reasoning either, Reno didn't reply. He moved his head to glare at the city where the man responsible for him being on a windy deserted cliff was most likely enjoying a hot meal in his pleasantly comfortable office. When he turned back to ask Vincent if he was following Cloud or himself the other man was nowhere to be seen.
"How the hell does he do that?" Reno murmured under his breath.
The sorry excuse for a motorcycle in his line of sight wasn't going to answer him so Reno walked back to it and released the kickstand. With any luck Cloud was back at the bar and he could at least get away from the cold wind and maybe enjoy a beer or two. Grumbling in anticipation of another boring evening fulfilling his duty, as Rufus had so snidely put it, Reno headed back for the city.
Vincent stepped around the fallen slabs of rock that had concealed his presence and reached out a hand to minutely straighten the sword.
"Perhaps it isn't Cloud you should be watching, Reno."
Back in town, Reno was vaguely pleased that Strife's motorcycle was parked behind the bar. He grumbled as he slid off his own bike and adjusted the lay of his black coat. Reno resisted the urge to give the hunk of machinery a savage kick. A motorcycle was far from his favorite form of transport. Give him a helicopter any day. That was just one more reason to be irritated. As long as he was playing watch dog over Strife he was grounded and couldn't fly.
The noise from the crowd inside got a little quieter as Reno walked in the door. Several pairs of eyes flicked over his uniform, identifying him as a Turk. Reno was darkly amused that a couple of patrons hastily excused themselves from their parties and crept out the exit. A quick perusal showed Strife sitting at the end of the bar with his back to the wall. Reno settled on a stool and laid his baton on the scarred surface of the bar. Running the fingers of his right through his hair, he used his other hand to wave Tifa towards him.
"Whisky, neat," Reno ordered when the bartender and bar's owner stood before him.
Tifa just about slammed the squat glass on the bar, her face tight with disapproval. She moved off to serve another customer without speaking to Reno. Just perfect. Another pleasant side effect of doing his job. They had been getting along in almost a friendly manner ever since Reno and Rude had rescued the kids from the Remnants, but Tifa had cooled to just short of outright hostility as soon as it became apparent that Reno was keeping an eye on Cloud.
Reno wanted to laugh at the absurdity that Tifa felt Cloud needed protecting, but she was fiercely loyal to her friends. Reno guessed that he didn't fall in that category. He twisted in his seat until he was facing the end of the bar where Strife leaned against the wall. There were dark shadows under the man's eyes like he wasn't getting enough sleep. Reno wondered if he even slept most nights then promptly wonder why he was even thinking about it. His job entailed watching Strife's activities, not concern over his health and well being.
Glaring at the object of his irritation, Reno finished the contents of his glass in one swallow and motioned for a refill. It didn't look like they were going anywhere anytime soon so Reno saw no problem with enjoying the bar and a few more drinks. At least he was inside away from the rapidly chilling air and reasonably content.
Two hours later and Reno was still at the bar, only a little squiffed and relaxed. He was laughing at some joke the customer seated next to him was telling when he was abruptly spun around on his stool. A punch connected with his jaw before his dulled reflexes had a chance to react. Reno hit the floor cursing and reaching into his coat for his gun. His baton still lay on the bar.
"You got a lot of nerve showing your face here, Turk," the man who had punched him stood over him and growled.
"Just what the fuck is your malfunction?" Reno snapped and regained his feet. His attacker was easily as big as Rude, but that didn't worry the Turk at all.
Before the big man could reply Cloud stood between them with his back to Reno and a fistful of the man's shirt.
"Stand down, Duncan," Cloud ordered. "There's not going to be any trouble here tonight."
"But the explosion set by this little shit and his partner destroyed my building!" Duncan yelled into Cloud's face.
Unruffled as usual, Cloud pushed Duncan towards the door of the bar. Whatever he was saying in low tones to the furious man was lost in the noise of the crowd gathered to watch the show. At the door he brushed Cloud's hands off himself and shot another venomous glance at Reno. The Turk sneered back and made a point of strapping his baton back on his wrist.
"Your popularity is astonishing these days, Reno." Tifa offered him a clean towel to wipe his face. "Maybe you should take the hint."
Reno chuckled at the hopefulness in Tifa's voice.
"Sorry, Tifa. Orders are orders."
"You alright?" Cloud asked coolly.
"I'm just grand," Reno retorted. "You didn't need to do that. I would have smeared that guy."
Cloud shrugged one shoulder. "I didn't do it for you. Tifa doesn't need a fight messing up the place."
"Whatever. I'm going to bed. See if you can't do something a little more interesting tomorrow, Cloud. You're boring me to death," Reno said.
Cloud ignored the jibe, leaving Reno a little disappointed. His adrenaline was still pumping from the aborted fight and needed an outlet. Reno tossed enough on the bar to cover his tab and left. He stopped short at the sight of the slashed tires on his motorcycle. Apparently Duncan had exacted a little revenge for the destruction of his property. Even the cables had been ripped to shreds. A scowl twisted Reno's lips as he snorted in disgust and called Rude to come give him a ride. The scowl slowly transformed until Reno was grinning broadly. Maybe now he could get a better bike out of his employer.