Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Innocent Seduction ❯ Escape at Dawn ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Important Stuff: Final Fantasy VII belongs to Squaresoft, but I'm writing this story since there's a lack of fanfics for this coupling out there! Oh yeah, this is an alternative universe where the whole Cetra and JENOVA stuff don't exist.

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He collapsed on the couch and put his legs up on the coffee table, clearing the surface of magazines and empty beer cans. He didn't care if his apartment was a miniture version of the slums he grew up in. Nothing mattered to him except himself. Of course it was selfish, but it was 'survival of the fittest' in a world where wealth and power determined life and death. And he, like many others, chose to live by any means possible--even selling one's soul to the devil.

His blue eyes were glued at the scene outside the window, watching the glittering lights stretch across the forever dark slums. Keeping his eyes plastered on the skyline, his hand reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He drew the last cigarette to his lips and threw the empty packet over his shoulder, not worrying if it didn't land in the trashcan. He lit the cigarette, briefly becoming the only light source of the room, and soon revelled in the poisonous habit.

His eyes narrowed like he was mentally evaluating a target as he blew the toxicating smoke into the air and closed his eyes in deep thought. Memories of a lonely and rough childhood plagued his mind, from running away from his abusive father and surviving on trash to years of gang life. Although he hated his past, he had to admit that it molded him into the person he was at that very moment--a man who knew what he wanted and took what he wanted, no questions asked.


An Aeris & Reno Romance
INNOCENT SEDUCTION
written by K-chan


CHAPTER TWO: ESCAPE AT DAWN

She felt the air escape between her lips and just knew that she was somehow still alive, but the emptiness was all around her like she was the only the person left in the world. She curled herself into a ball, burying her whimpers into her hand, not being able to face her dark surroundings. She was afraid to find herself in any sort of danger, but worst of all: alone.

She hugged herself tightly, keeping her eyes shut to stop herself from crying. Her thoughts were continuously of her parents, wishing that they would hold her and keep her safe. She called out to them, but not a single answer came, so she continued to weep, filling the void with her sorrows.

It was then that she heard a very familiar voice, so deep and soothing, hushing her quiet sobs with care. And soon the coldness faded away, leaving strong arms to keep her in a warm embrace. She held onto whoever, just not wanting to be left alone.

Her mind was now drifting between dreams and realities, leaning more towards consciousness, which caused her head to hurt. She moaned painfully, wanting to clutch the side of her head and make it stop aching. She didn't know why it was hurting nor could remember how it happened.

She felt a hand brush against her face, caressing it gently, and the heated breath burned against her neck. The intense sensation flushed through her body, yearning for more of the closeness. The hand brushed across her cheeks, wiping away the moistness staining her face with great care, and warm lips kissed away the sadness that threatened to overwhelm her.

She sighed deeply and buried her head against her 'protector' for the comfort she had long dreamed of. Her small hands clutched to the white shirt tightly, not wanting to let the person go, and this was exactly what he had expected her to do. Reno smiled as she pressed herself against him. With an arm tucked around her small form, hee nestled himself comfortably into her thick locks of hair, drowning into her scent. His free hand gently brushed against her arm, to calm her and make her feel safe in his presence. It was no easy task to keep his hands from wandering all over the place if he didn't want her to wake up, screaming his head and the whole apartment floor off. But there was also something about her that would've made him actually feel guilty if he invaded her.

He chuckled inwardly at the thought of having any guilt. He had slept with many women--too many to count--but he never felt anything for them, never regretting the many one-night stands. Before the mornings ever came, he was gone, leaving them with only memories of a wild night. But this girl in his arms was certainly different.

He remembered the beautiful, haunting eyes that had greeted him that night as his fingers played with her hair, twirling it about. He just couldn't explain what it was about her aura--her radiant aura that made her seem untouchable, untainted. She was like the 'forbidden fruit' of the garden, one that he would defy all to obtain and taste.

His hand gently caressed her cheek, and he soon settled with his current position because he knew had would soon get what he wanted, even if it would take some time. But to him, this little flower would be worth all the time. He smiled smuggly and drifted into a deep sleep.


She twitched her nose, feeling the ends of her curls lightly brushing against it. With her eyes still closed, her hand swept them aside and then placed itself where it had been before, against a warm surface that was steadily rising and falling. She immediately recognized it as breathing and could even hear a heartbeat, so close. Her eyes opened, revealing a pair of frightened, green orbs, and she remained so still, in the arms of the stranger.

She held her breath with all sorts of questions zipping through her mind, from the identity of the stranger to how and why she was in the unfamiliar environment that she was. She couldn't hold it in anymore and slowly exhaled, hoping the man wouldn't awaken. When she carefully drew her hand back from his chest, he shift a bit, tightening his arm around her body, and held her protectively against him as if she would disappear if he didn't keep her close to him.

She blushed at the intimacy and wanted so much to see who he was. She closed her eyes, sighing sweetly. She enjoyed the warmth in his arms because for once, she felt safe like nothing in the world could ever harm her again--not like last night.

'Last night?!'

Her eyes flew opened as the events of the previous night unfolded in her mind. The tears threatened to flow as she recalled what the killer was about to do to her, but she pushed them back and held her whimpers at bay. She couldn't remember exactly what he looked like, but something in his eyes was stuck in her head, and the grin that she would never forget either.

And then a thought hit her: What if the man next to her was the killer?! It gradually sunk into her head that it was the most possible explanation, because he had been the only one in the church with her when she was knocked out. He must've taken her somewhere after that to...

She wanted to huddle herself into a ball and cry, but it all came out to a frightened tremble that she couldn't stop. She tried to remember what happened after the church, but everything was so vague. She had cried, not wanting to be alone, and then someone appeared to take away all her sorrows and loneliness and give her the love and care she longed for.

But was it him? What did he do to her? Did he drug her so she couldn't remember what happened? And why was she still alive at all? She was deeply afraid he might wake up and kill her, but a part of her wanted to know why she was alive, and perhaps unharmed. How ironic that she felt so secure in the arms of a killer.

With clenched fists, she debated whether to remove herself from him or wait until he woke up, but her curiosity got the better of her because of the want to see his face. She tested how deep his sleep was by lifting her head up from his partly bared chest, and when he stirred, she panicked, but he only reached his free hand down to his crotch area and scratched it. She blushed and averted her eyes elsewhere until he was done.

His arm then hung lazily over the side of the bed. Now, she only had to worry about the one that was beneath her, wrapped around her slim body, but her eyes wandered from his chest up to his face. The green pair widened at the peaceful sight of the red-head snoring away like nothing in the world would disturb his rest. He seemed so relaxed. Although his face had two small scars, each underneath his eyes, he didn't look like a killer. But then again appearances could be deceiving.

She continued to stare at him, taking every single detail of his features from the wild, red hair to the tiny drool at the edge of his mouth. Her gaze returned to the scars, and she wondered how he got them and had the urge to trace her fingers on them. She moved on to his closed eyes and thought about what color they could be. Light brown, or a deep chocolate color? Green like hers? Or maybe blue like the skies?

After a few moments, she turned away from him and studied the room. It was rather small, but quite a better size compared to her place. The walls were plain and bare from what she could make out from the poor light that came from a window on the opposing wall, where the lights of the city illuminated the room. She could hear the chirping of the few birds in the distant that usually indicated the early morning hour, but it was still dark outside. It was nothing new though, because the lower half of Midgar would forever be in darkness, even if they created articifical light to comfort themselves.

She sighed quietly at the thought and was quickly startled when his arm around her fell away from her, freeing her from his hold. She blinked for a few seconds before slowly pulling herself away from him, but she didn't move too far. She sat near the edge of the bed with her legs tucked beneath her, pulling her red jacket against her body for warmth. Her eyes have a better view of the room now as they wandered over to another wall, where it had the door: her escape route. She should've sprung for it, but there was slight hesitation in her as she glanced back at the sleeping form by her side.

She had no evidence that he was the killer, but it wasn't impossible that he could be one. Still, she had to leave no matter. With her mind set, she dropped her bare feet onto the floor and shivered at the cold surface. She had to find her shoes or a pair of shoes to get her safely through the slums. She was on all fours searching for them, but it didn't take long when she found them in the corner. She grabbed them and smiled because she would soon be home and out of the messy situation.

She held the shoes to her chest as she quietly stood up, turning around towards the doorway, but she gasped, dropping her shoes to the floor. "Mornin', beaufiul," he greeted her. He was sitting up in the bed with his arm leaning on his knee. He had been awake ever since she was, but he pretended to be asleep since he was curious as to what she would do.

Without another thought, she rushed for the bedroom door but stopped when he spoke again, "You won't get away from here so easily." She was out of the room after that, not understanding what he meant when she was almost free. All she had to do was get out of the front door, but part of her mind was wondering why he wasn't stopping her. Why was he certain she wouldn't get away from him? What did he have planned?

She made her way down the short hall and into the dark living room, stumbling over objects she couldn't care less of finding out. She didn't bother checking over her shoulder if he was behind her. The door was only meters away as she eagerly pushed herself from the floor and staggered towards it. Her small hand grabbed the doorknob, about to happily turn it...


TO BE CONTINUED...