Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Mark of the Phoenix ❯ Chapter 8

“Mark of the Phoenix”

Chapter 8

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

*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.*

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

 

 

Reno felt his adrenaline pumping as he stared at the woman he'd thought to be dead for three years. “It's really her, isn't it?” he said aloud, “I'm not losing my fucking mind am I?”

 

“It's really her,” Rufus assured him.

 

Reno twisted around in his seat to look at his boss. “What the hell's going on? What's she doing here? How's this possible?” His eyes were so bright they almost looked like Mako eyes. His face was so pale that his red crescent tattoos seemed to stand out on his cheekbones.

 

“You aren't piecing together a certain significance regarding my line of questioning to you during this little trip?” Rufus asked softly.

 

Reno's pupils dilated as the president's words sank in. He shook his head slowly. “No,” he said. “No fucking way. I ain't doing it so you'll just have to shoot me, boss.”

 

Rufus frowned. “You aren't doing what, Reno?”

 

“Killing her!”

 

Rufus's pale brows shot up with genuine surprise. “That isn't precisely the interpretation I was aiming for. Relax, Reno…I never said anything about you killing her.”

 

“Then why were you asking all those questions about deserters and shit, huh?” Reno's voice held a hysterical note in it. “You sat there asking me if I'd take out someone that defected, even if they never blabbed. How am I supposed to interpret that?”

 

Rufus understood his mistake. “Reno, those questions weren't to test your willingness to assassinate your girlfriend…quite the opposite. I was testing your reactions and trying to determine if it was going to be a mistake to show you this.”

 

Reno stared at him incredulously. “So you've known she was here all this time?”

 

“Yes. Tseng and I arranged it when she came to him asking to leave the organization. It was a gamble on our part but we counted on the fact that Cissnei was raised by the Turks to keep her from spilling any secrets. We've been having her watched by a reliable source outside the company to make sure she remained safe and kept her past to herself. She brings her daughter to this park every weekend at this time of day. She works in a pottery shop. Oh, and she's single, of course.”

 

Reno looked back at Cissnei and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was looking at the child she swung with adoration and love. He swallowed and studied the little girl, his mind quickly taking in little details he'd missed when he first spotted them. Even from his vantage point, he could tell that her laughing eyes were a blue-ish green color. Her hair was similar in color to Cissnei's and she had the same natural waves in it. There was a slight auburn tint to the shiny hair. She was a pretty child and she looked like she could be about three years old.

 

~Three years old…is she…is that…~

 

“Is that my kid?” Reno blurted out loud, pointing.

 

Rufus hesitated and studied the child. “I'm not entirely sure, but I'd say that she bears a striking resemblance to you, wouldn't you agree?”

 

Reno blinked, feeling like his sanity was hanging by a very flimsy thread. “Why did she want out?” he demanded, momentarily pushing aside the startling possibility that he was a father.

 

“I wasn't the one she spoke to and I didn't ask for many details,” Rufus said. “Tseng came to me seeking my help.”

 

“Tseng knew and he kept it from me…I thought I watched her die!” Reno's hands clenched into fists. “I'm gonna—”

 

“You'll do exactly nothing,” Rufus said firmly. “If it weren't for Tseng's mercy, she wouldn't be alive. Never forget that, Reno.”

 

The redhead took a few deep, ragged breaths and tried to calm his rage. “Why now? Why'd you show me this now when I've just started to move on?”

 

Rufus sighed. “Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a completely heartless bastard. I've been watching you and debating this for some time now, Reno. I thought you had the right to know that she's alive but I had to be certain you wouldn't become one of the people we're trying to protect her from. I gave my word to Tseng and he gave his word to her.” Rufus's eyes narrowed on the spectacle of Cissnei playing with her daughter. “Besides, I think a man should know if he has a child somewhere in the world.” The last was spoken as if on a personal level.

 

“She may not be mine, though,” Reno tried to reason. He felt dizzy.

 

“Look at her age,” Rufus said. “Look at her coloring and her facial features. Granted, Tseng never divulged to me that Cissnei left because she was pregnant, but it sounds logical to me. Think about it for a moment, Reno. What could cause a brilliant Turk like Cissnei to suddenly become so desperate to leave the organization? What could influence her to take such a risk?”

 

Reno groaned, imagining it all in his head. Cissnei had been acting strange just before the accident, he recalled. She'd seemed skittish, like a high-strung cat. When she wasn't a bundle of nerves she seemed sad. She'd told him she loved him abruptly that night and the way she'd looked at him the day he dropped her off at that building…the signs had been there and he'd missed them.

 

“I've gotta talk to her,” Reno said.

 

“You aren't thinking with your head,” Rufus warned him. “I brought you here to ease your mind. She's alive and safe for the time being, but if you want her to remain that way, you'll have to stay away from her. She's still a defector and you know what that means if the organization ever discovers that she's alive. Until now, Tseng and I were the only two within the company that knew.”

 

Reno swallowed. Rufus was spot-on with his logic but this was almost worse than thinking she was dead! “You could have told me sooner,” he said in an accusing tone, even though Rufus had just finished explaining why he'd waited for so long.

 

“Reno, even if I could have been sure you wouldn't come after her, we've been a bit busy trying to survive for the past three years. We couldn't have afforded the distraction.” Rufus sounded like he was losing patience.

 

Reno feasted on the sight of his ex and the darling little girl that could be his daughter. He thought about taking a picture of them with his cellphone, so that he'd at least have some sort of memento but he couldn't even do that without risking their safety.

 

“Why didn't she tell me?” he whispered.

 

“I think you already know the answer to that question,” Rufus said.

 

No, he didn't, but Reno was too floored by these revelations to argue further. He closed his eyes and shoved his emotions down as best he could. “Can we go home, Sir?”

 

Rufus looked at him with something like sympathy in his eyes. “Yes, we can go home.”

 

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

 

Reno was drinking heavily again and Rude couldn't understand why. The redhead had retreated into himself once more, the flame that had rekindled sputtering and dying before the bald man's eyes. He noticed the change after his partner returned from his trip with Rufus and he wondered what had happened during that trip to snuff out his fire again. For two weeks, he stayed silent and hoped it was only a temporary phase. When Reno showed no signs of improvement, his worry increased.

 

He finally found out what was wrong in a very bad way, just before the weekend. Whatever it was that Reno was struggling with finally made him snap. Rude was giving a report from his latest assignment to Tseng when Reno burst into the Wutaian's office and locked the door behind him. He was swaying on his feet and he drew his gun and advanced before either man could react.

 

“You sonofabitch,” Reno snarled as he took aim at Tseng's head.

 

“Whoa,” Rude exclaimed as he intercepted the infuriated redhead. “What's going on, Red? Just calm down a minute, okay?”

 

Reno stopped and looked at him with bleary eyes. “Can I trust you, man?”

 

Rude took his shades off and looked him in the eye. “Partners for life, remember? Yeah, you can trust me. Tell me what's up and don't blow a hole in the boss's head.”

 

Reno considered Tseng with a scowl. Then he looked at Rude again. “Okay, ya ready for this one? I think I'm a Dad.”

 

Rude was stumped. Reno was making no sense at all. “You think you knocked someone up and your solution is to storm in here and shoot Tseng? What does he have to do with it?”

 

Reno laughed unsteadily and shook his head. “No, man. I'm gonna shoot him `cause he sent away the lady I knocked up, get it?”

 

“No, I really don't,” Rude answered truthfully in a mystified voice.

 

“I think I know what this is about,” Tseng said in an impressively calm voice. “Reno, this should be discussed in private. Please put the gun away and—”

 

“You shut the FUCK up!” Reno yelled, raising the weapon again.

 

“Easy!” Rude said, trying to think of what he should do to diffuse the situation.

 

Reno smiled humorlessly at his partner. “Know what this shitstain did ta me, partner? He blew my girlfriend up…only she wasn't blown up after all, man. He just made sure I thought she was and he sent her away with my kid in her belly. How d'ya like that shit?”

 

Rude looked at Tseng with a deep frown, finally beginning to make some sense of Reno's words. “Sir, is there any truth to this?”

 

“It's a radical interpretation of the events, but yes,” Tseng admitted with a sigh. “How did you find out, Reno?”

 

Reno smirked. “Rufus. He showed her to me on that trip to that sunset place or whatever th' hell it was. Not feeling so fucking clever now, are ya?”

 

“Cissnei's alive?” Rude asked, feeling a little less alarmed now that Reno had lowered his weapon and was simply staring at Tseng with betrayed, angry eyes.

 

“Yes,” Tseng answered. “She wanted out of the Turks and so I arranged to stage her death and make it possible. Rufus and I have kept it a secret until now.” Tseng swore softly. “Damn it, Rufus…why did you do this?”

 

“Because unlike some assholes, he thought I had the right to know. It's my kid, isn't it?” Reno staggered again and dropped his gun on the floor.

 

Tseng closed his eyes and nodded. “Yes. Cissnei was pregnant with your child when she came to me asking for my help. I'm not sure I would have spared her if it weren't for the baby.”

 

Reno gulped air and put a hand to his stomach. “Think I'm gonna be sick,” he muttered. He put his hands on his knees and took a few deep breaths, fighting to keep what little of his dignity was left and avoid puking on the floor.

 

Rude patted him on the back, helpless to think of anything to say or do. He thought about everything he'd heard and he realized something. “I think the president might have unintentionally jeopardized Cissnei's safety by leading Reno to her.”

 

Reno straightened up with a look of alarm. “How?”

 

“The organization keeps a close eye on him at all times,” Rude reminded, “I'm not saying it's definite, but someone might have been watching. It's just a possibility we should consider.”

 

Tseng felt a little better about Rude finding out but worse about Rufus's decision to show Reno where Cissnei was. “Do either of you think Elena could be trusted with this information?”

 

“They were friends,” Reno said faintly. “I wouldn't want it to go any further than her, though.”

 

“Elena can keep her mouth shut when it counts,” Rude confirmed. “And Reno's right…Cissnei was her friend.”

 

Tseng nodded, still inwardly cursing Rufus for his actions. “I'll send for her. Reno, do you think you're sober enough to hear what I have to say or shall I have Rude toss you under a cold shower for a while?”

 

Reno thought about it for a minute. “Hold up,” he said, “I'll go stick my head under the faucet.”

 

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

 

Elena had never seen Reno looking so bad before. When she arrived at Tseng's office, he was there with Rude and his hair was wet and hanging around his face like limp red seaweed. There were dark circles under this eyes and he was far too pale for her liking.

 

“Pardon my saying so, but you look like total hell,” Elena said to Reno. The concern on her face softened the insult. “What's going on?”

 

Reno jerked his chin at Tseng. “Ask him.”

 

She frowned and looked at their superior. “Sir?”

 

Tseng quietly gazed back at her for a moment, judging her with his eyes and measuring whether she could be trusted with the information regarding Cissnei. Deciding it was too late to turn back now, he explained everything to her. Elena's eyes were wide with shock by the time he was finished and she looked at Reno with pity.

 

“I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now,” she said softly. No wonder he looked like shit.

 

“I got this sting in my back,” Reno muttered as she shot another glare at Tseng. “Must be from the knife in it.”

 

Tseng said nothing, understanding Reno's anger and even appreciating it. Were the shoe on the other foot he honestly couldn't say he would have reacted much better. “This information is to stay inside our circle at all costs,” the director said firmly. “The only reason I've chosen to share it with you, Elena, is because the four of us have worked so closely together over the years and I fear the day will come when Cissnei is going to need allies. You aren't to discuss this with anyone except for each other, is that clear?”

 

Elena nodded, swallowing a lump that had formed in her throat.

 

~Poor Reno! The guy showed a side I never saw before when it came to Cissnei. It killed him inside when we thought she was dead and now this!~

 

She thought back on the night of Rude's birthday party, when Cissnei got that phone call that had upset her so much. The brunette had told Elena that she wasn't pregnant and she'd played it off like she was upset because she'd hoped she was. Evidently, the opposite was true. It didn't really surprise Elena to find out her coworker and friend had decided to keep the baby, but she was a little surprised she never told Reno and didn't try other options first.

 

~She must have been really terrified. I know I would have been and let's face it, the Turks don't exactly have a maternity leave program. Trying to raise a kid in this line of work would be a nightmare.~

 

Still, she'd gotten the impression that Cissnei and Reno were so crazy about each other that she would have trusted him enough to tell him they were going to be parents. It was disappointing and depressing, but Elena couldn't really blame Cissnei for what she did. Knowing the brunette, she was only thinking of the best interests of her baby.

 

“What's her name?” Elena asked as an afterthought. “The little girl, that is.”

 

“Sadie,” answered Tseng with a regretful look at Reno. “She named the child Sadie.”

 

Reno lowered his eyes.

 

~Pretty name. Leave it to Ciss to come up with it. Goddammit, I deserved to know. I thought she trusted me.~

 

“Reno, take a few days off,” Tseng ordered. “Get some rest, pull yourself together. Perhaps after you've had some time to reflect you'll have a better understanding of Cissnei's position…as well as my own.”

 

Reno snorted. Tseng's words were his roundabout way of asking forgiveness, but Reno didn't know if he could ever give it to him. He didn't even know if he could forgive Cissnei. That moment kept replaying in his mind, when he watched the building collapse and thought she'd been crushed. He guessed that she slipped out the back to the street behind it before the structure went down. He wished he could go back in time and catch her before she got away undetected, if only to ask her what the hell she was thinking and tell her that her fears about him were wrong—he could never hurt her.

 

“Go fuck yourself…Sir,” Reno finally said. Shooting a final glare at Tseng, he walked out.

 

Tseng let the comment go, considering the pain he'd caused Reno.

 

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

 

“Why did you do it, Sir?”

 

Rufus looked up at Tseng, who had crossed the floor of his office with angry strides and was now looking down at him.

 

Rufus set aside the documents he was going over and pushed the button that would lock his office door, to ensure nobody would come in and disturb them. “I assume you mean why did I show Reno where Cissnei is?”

 

Tseng nodded. The Wutaian's face was composed and calm as usual, but his body was visibly tense.

 

“I have many reasons,” Rufus began with narrowed eyes. “Because I strongly believe that men have a right to know when they've fathered a child. Because I know Cissnei can't hide from the organization forever and we can't change decades of policy for one woman. Because ever since we sent her into hiding, Reno's been half the man he used to be and I need him whole to be of use to me. Finally, if you must know, I think a child should have the opportunity to have a father who cares in his or her life and I believe Reno could step up if given the chance to.”

 

Tseng's tension faded a bit and he regarded his boss with clearer eyes. The final excuse Rufus had made was very telling. There had been no love lost between he and his father when the former president was killed. Although Rufus concealed it, Tseng had always known he was bitter over his father's cold, unloving treatment of him. His mother had died when he was young and his father saw him as an heir to be molded to his liking, rather than a son to cherish. Rufus had grown up without any paternal affection and Tseng couldn't really find fault with him for wanting more for Reno's daughter. It was uncommonly kind of Rufus but Tseng knew he was acting as much for his own satisfaction as he was for anyone else's benefit.

 

“I thought you were fond of Reno,” Rufus went on. “Don't you think he's suffered enough?”

 

Tseng's lips pursed. Rufus was talented at manipulating people and now he was trying to turn this around and make it out to sound like Tseng was the one in the wrong. “Sir, with all due respect I'm sure you know that isn't the problem with this situation,” the Turk director said softly. “You know our organization watches you closely. You know that you can hardly go anywhere without a Turk not far behind, ready to defend you against threat. In your attempt to be kind you may have lured the wolves to Cissnei's door.”

 

“I took extra precautions to ensure that we weren't followed,” Rufus said calmly. “I even purchased a temporary cell phone for the trip so that I could call the office if needed without being traced.”

 

Tseng's brow furrowed in thought. That explained why he couldn't get in touch with Rufus during the two days he and Reno were gone. It also explained why the man hadn't told anyone they were leaving. Tseng had assumed Rufus merely wanted to get away for a while without being bothered, so he hadn't thought much of it until Reno's drunken attack on him today.

 

“That still leaves the dilemma of the company aircraft you used and Reno's phone still being traceable,” reasoned Tseng. “I'm sure people were curious to see the two of you leave without announcement and they probably would have tried to monitor your itinerary.”

 

“Yes,” Rufus agreed, “but for no other reason than to assure they knew where we were. Nobody would have reason to suspect that I've been keeping a defector's location secret for all these years, nor would they have reason to believe I'd suddenly decide to lead a solitary Turk to her. My reputation is such that people would expect me to order her immediately disposed of, if I knew she was alive and knew her location.”

 

“Fair enough,” Tseng conceded with a sigh. It was true; Rufus was known as a cold, practical bastard and there wasn't a single person in ShinRa or the Turks that would ever suspect him of protecting a deserter unless they knew him very, very well. As far as Tseng knew, he was the only member of the corporation who had come to know Rufus well enough to see the man beneath the ice.

 

“You're right,” the Wutaian continued after a moment of contemplation. “Eventually, they will find her. They always do.” He frowned, his mind already going over the possibilities. The chances that Rufus had inadvertently led danger to Cissnei weren't as high as he thought, but as Rufus pointed out it was only a matter of time before someone happened upon her location and recognized her. The Turks did missions all over the world and the only reason Cissnei hadn't had to change locations yet was because Sunset Coast was a new city and the organization hadn't had the opportunity yet to establish an office there yet.

 

“Then I suggest you start considering what safeguarding measures you'd like to take now,” Rufus said, “before it happens.”

 

Tseng nodded, his mind already formulating ideas and discarding them. “I may need your creative input again, Sir. After all, few people have your talent for concocting plots.”

 

Rufus gave him a cool, conniving smile.

 

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

 

Reno answered his phone on the third ring. “What do you want?” he asked dully, not bothering to look at the ID to see who it was.

 

“Just checking in on you partner…like I do every day.” Rude's deep voice was casual, but there was concern lurking beneath the surface that he couldn't hide from the redhead.

 

“Nothing's changed, man,” Reno informed him as he absently clicked through television channels. “How's everything on your end?”

 

“Fine.” Rude hesitated and drew a deep breath. “Look Red, it's been almost three weeks. You've got to snap out of it.”

 

“I Don't wanna talk about it,” Reno muttered.

 

“Tough shit,” rumbled the bald man, “Do you know you're acting just like she did after Zack died? Cut me some slack, partner…I don't have your talent for cheering people up and besides, Cissnei's not dead.”

 

“She might as well be,” argued Reno, his voice growing tense as his anger rose again. “I can't go anywhere near her and even if I could, what the hell would I say to her? `Thanks for putting me through three fucking years of grief and by the way, I'm thrilled that ya never told me we were having a kid'?”

 

Rude was silent for a moment before he answered. “Some guys would prefer it that way. Maybe she thought you wouldn't want it.”

 

Whether he intended to fire a barb or not, it struck. Reno clutched the phone in agitation and stammered as he tried to respond to that. “Well…maybe some guys…but I'm not…she never even tried to find out!” It sounded childish and he knew it. He grimaced and ran his fingers through his mussed, fiery hair.

 

“How do you think you would have taken it if she did tell you?” Rude asked neutrally.

 

Reno's eyes darted around the room as he considered the question. He licked his lips and shrugged, shaking his head. “I don't know,” he finally snarled. “Things were different then and I was living in the moment. I think I would have panicked more than I would now, but I sure as hell wouldn't have tried to make her get rid of it.”

 

“How was she supposed to know that?” Rude persisted. “Look, you're pissed and you've got every right to be. The thing is if you don't even know how you would have coped with it, you can't expect her to have known either.”

 

“Well, thank you Mr. Logic,” Reno grumbled. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Ah, who the hell am I kidding? She ran `cause she didn't trust me. Hell, if I was a girl knocked up by a guy like me I'd probably haul ass too.”

 

“Knock it off with that self-pitying crap,” Rude said with annoyance. “You and I both know she had plenty of reasons to run and it wasn't all about you.”

 

Reno thought about it, remembering that she'd been taken out of a foster home at a tender age by the Turks and trained rigorously from then on to be a deadly agent. Suddenly he wondered how in the living hell Cissnei's sweet, generous nature managed to survive all that.

 

~Fuck it…may as well just admit it to myself that I miss her. She was one of a kind and no matter how pissed off I am at her, I'm always gonna miss her.~

 

“Reno?” Rude's voice was mildly inquisitive.

 

“All right, I'll touch base with Tseng and tell him I'm ready to come back to work,” Reno said. “I'm sick of looking at the inside of my apartment anyhow.”

 

“See you at work, partner.” Reno could practically hear the bald Turk's quiet smile in his voice.

 

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

 

Tseng felt some relief when Reno called him and assured him he was ready to come back to work. The redhead's voice still hadn't regained the life it used to have, but he sounded stable and rational. Tseng drew up the papers stating that Reno was back on active duty and he told him to return to his normal schedule.

 

Though the burden of guilt he felt for his part in dampening Reno's flames was lifted a little, Tseng still had a lot on his mind and a lot of work to do. It was business as usual for everyone except the Wutaian, who worked secretly behind the scenes to try and secure safety for one former Turk. He and Rufus stayed late often, to exchange ideas and make plans.

 

It was tempting for him to tell Reno what they were doing but his common sense prevailed and he refrained. The old Reno would have already guessed by now that it was only a matter of time before Cissnei was discovered but Tseng had the feeling that at the moment, Reno was living under the assumption that as long as he stayed away from her, she'd be safe.

 

Finally after several weeks of brainstorming, Tseng and Rufus came up with a plan that they both thought could ensure the safety of Cissnei and her daughter—at least as far as the danger from the Turks went. There were strings attached though…strings that the young woman might not be willing to bind herself with.

 

Tseng was just beginning to work on a complicated process of paperwork, file alterations and record forging when his phone rang. He stacked the first pile of documents neatly on his desk and picked up.

 

“This is Tseng.”

 

“Sir, it's Katsu,” came the voice of a young man through the phone, “Something has come up that you should know about.”

 

“Go on,” said Tseng.

 

“A couple of our people were taking holiday leave in Costa Del Sol and they went to check out that new city that's just south of there—”

 

Tseng closed his eyes and contained a groan, knowing where this was going before the Turk even finished.

 

“—And they saw someone while they were there,” the young man went on. “She looked just like that girl Cissnei that died a few years ago and they wanted to tell you right away, but I told `em to wait and dig up some information first before bothering you with it.”

 

“I see,” Tseng replied in a smooth voice. “I assume since you're informing me about this that they discovered something of significance when they investigated.”

 

“Yes Sir,” confirmed Katsu. “We did some research and found out that she's going under the name of Emily Gates, but she's only been a resident for two years. We managed to get her fingerprints without alerting her. We've matched them up and confirmed that she's Cissnei. It seems she staged her own death and we think she's in some kind of witness protection program.”

 

Tseng frowned grimly. ~You're correct that she's in a protection program…but not the sort that you think.~

 

“Sir? We have people ready and waiting for your order to move in.”

 

The director combed his fingers through his long raven hair. He had no choice, really. Any failure to act as expected under such circumstances would result in him being implicated in Cissnei's defection. He thought he could buy some time if he was careful about it. He had to send them in early to avoid rousing suspicion, but he didn't have to send them in right this minute.

 

“Send them to get her tomorrow morning,” he said, his thoughts racing. “The first priority is to bring her in for questioning.” It was a perfectly reasonable move to make and it would allow them the opportunity and time to affect another disappearance for her. Traitors were commonly interrogated before they were disposed of; to find out what secrets they gave away before they got caught. Tseng knew beyond a doubt that Cissnei wasn't guilty of sharing any of the organization's information but he had to at least appear to follow protocol.

 

“In the meanwhile, I'll get people on the case to investigate further and find out how this happened,” Tseng finished as he formulated how he was going to set his and Rufus's plan into motion.

 

“Yes Sir,” Katsu answered respectfully. “I'll relay your orders and we'll leave first thing in the morning.”

 

“Good. Thank you, Katsu.” Tseng ended the call and then he immediately pulled out his other cellphone, which was a secured, untapped line.

 

“Hello Tseng,” answered Rufus Shinra's voice as the other line picked up. “I presume this isn't a happy phone call.” The president also had a separate phone for just this reason.

 

“No Sir,” Tseng confirmed. “The wolves are at the door.”

 

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

 

-To be continued