Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Past Grudges, Saving Graces ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer : Yes, that's right, you have finally chanced upon the mysterious fanfic writer who just happens to own Squaresoft. Yes, Final Fantasy VII belongs to me. Sorry, you can't borrow Reno. Not even for the night.

Chapter I
Strangers in the night, reflections on the Past, and the sneaking suspicion that someone is watching you...

Someone was following him...

Reno had never been the paranoid type, but despite popular opinion, the Turk wasn't stupid. One couldn't be in his position without a certain degree of intelligence, especially his new position as head of the Turks under Reeve's presidency. No, he was definitely not stupid. Reno wasn't relying on gut instinct either, though it *had* felt like someone was watching him. No- he distinctly heard a second set of footsteps echoing behind him.

He smirked, amused. It was a good thing he wasn't drunk at the moment. He could have some fun yet.

Now what was the best way to confuse a stalker? Reno wondered to himself, the smirk still playing upon his face as he made a sharp turn.

Several turns later, Reno was trying desperately to stifle the sudden urge to laugh as he navigated the streets of Neo-Midgar. However, the next turn he took held a surprise for him, rather than the stalker. The smirk fell away when he saw something shiny and metallic pointing towards his head. He yelped in surprise as his eyes focused on the gun, it's cool sliver metel pressed against his forehead.

For once in his life, Reno was speechless. He continued staring at the man who held the gun. Something looked familiar about him... something in those cold gray eyes. The man was impressively tall, moreso than Reno who stood at about six feet tall. His hair was either platinum blond or white, Reno couldn't tell. The man looked to be about 45 years of age, but something in his demeaner, in the way he stood, in the smirk that played upon his features told Reno that he was not to be messed with.

Then there was the scar. A gruesome whitish-pink line that ran down the man's face, beginning near his hairline and running down the left side of his face, stopping just under his jaw.

Reno was screwed. But just as things looked bad, the continued to get worse. The man's voice shook him out of his reverie.

"Mr. Charlemagne, I presume?"

Reno blinked, inwardly screaming. No one knew his last name. Rude didn't know his last name. Tseng didn't know his last name and he's been like a father to him. He gulped, shaking this strange occurence off. He needed to find a way out, but how?

His fate was sealed when he heard the familiar booted footsteps of his stalker, coming from behind.

Forgot about him, Reno noted, never taking his eyes off of the man before him. The man backed up a few feet, the gun still trained on the redhead.

"Down on your knees, Charlemagne." He complied, not knowing what else to do. He felt the boot of the stalker pushing into the small of his back, forcing him to lie on his stomach on the concrete sidewalk.

The man in front of him dug through his black trench coat, retrieved a syringe and threw it to the stalker. "Be careful with 'im Kayce. He's a Turk, don't forget that."

"Will do sir." Kayce answered as he lowered himself, still keeping Reno firmly held on the ground.

Reno felt a sharp prick on his left shoulder, and stifled a gasp as the liquid was injected, burning its way into his bloodstream. Then everything slowly began to fade.

Yuffie sat quietly in a small forest outside of Wutai, meditating.

It had only been four years, but so much had changed. Yuffie had been none too surprised when she heard the news concerning Tifa and Cloud a year earlier, but Cid and Shera engaged? Maybe she just didn't see that one coming. Barret was, of course, raising Marlene who was slowly but surely growing up. Yuffie suppressed a laugh, thinking of the young girl's antics. She had a feeling that Barret was in the process of growing a few new grey hairs.

Nanaki, formerly Red XIII now resided at Cosmo Canyon, learning from the canyon's elders and training to be the canyon's guardian. As for Vincent... well, she wasn't too sure about Vincent. He could be a number of places. She had a feeling he wouldn't settle down somewhere. She just hoped he wasn't where they'd found him.

Yuffie had changed as well. She'd matured. Simple as that. She was 21 and looked every bit of it. Though her hair and her choice of attair remained nearly the same, she was different. She still knew how to have fun. Yuffie was by no means extremely serious, or very serious at all for that matter, but gone were the materia stealing, somewhat selfish days of yore.

Over time, her skills had improved. She'd lived up to her long professed title of ninja.

Yuffie got up from her spot on the soft green grass and stretched. She picked up her conformer and began heading towards Wutai.

She could have sworn she heard a scream carried by the wind.

"Where are they?"

Reno painfully looked up. He was chained to the ceiling by his wrists, half hanging, half standing. It was some sort of building, a basement. He looked around, taking in the scenery, while trying to catch his breath. The room was dark and musty, lit only where his interrogator stood. He could barely make out the outline of a large cot in the far corner. He blinked drowsily as the voice boomed again. He'd just woken up from his drug induced stupor at most ten minutes previous. Reno could barely concentrate without feeling his head invountarily drop to his chest.

"Where are they?"

"I don't know." He shot back, surpising himself with the quickness of response. His head ached but Reno knew his headache was the least of his worries as he awaited another punch to the stomach. It came with full force. He gagged, fighting unconsciousness.

"Should I ask again?"

"I. Don't. Fucking. Know. And if I did, do you think I'd honestly tell you?" He saw a flicker of anger in the other man's eyes and closed his own.

He gritted his teeth.

A blow to the stomach.

He gagged with an explosion of coughing.

A punch in the face.

He spit blood in the direction of the man, grinning slyly through the pain. "Fuck you."

Blow after blow rained on him. He heard something crack and finally screamed out in pain. After a few minutes, the barrage ceased. Reno barely noticed the chains loosening as his captor unlocked them, letting him fall unceremoniously to the hardwood floor. He heard the door close and lock. Reno moaned softly as he pulled himself onto the dusty old cot, finally giving into unconsciousness.

A/N: Yes... I'm evil and I like it. I also like random cliffhangers. Hope someone liked this, found it intriguing, or has some thought on it... tah.