Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Prophetic Fulfillment ❯ Mistakes ( Chapter 8 )

Prophetic Fulfillment

A Shinimegami Rena Valentine Production

Chapter 8

Mistakes

"How are your eyes?"

She didn't know how long he had be standing there, on the deck of the Highwind. Minutes, hours, either was equally up for being right. Something was bothering him. No, a lot of things were bothering him, this was obvious.

Not like there weren't a lot of things bothering her too...

"They work."

His voice was quiet, emotionless. He stood bent over the edge of the railing, staring out to the green and brown depths thousands of feet below, seemingly unphased.

Gen looked away, suddenly interested in the wooden floorboards of the airship, grasping for words as she tried to keep their meager conversation afloat. "...That's good... Eyedrops?"

The wind picked up, whipping his fiery hair about. "...Yeah... works wonders."

"Ah..."

He continued staring beyond the horizon as the ship continued its corse, his eyes shielded by a pair of dark sunglasses, something he hadn't worn correctly in quite some time. Avalanche and their two 'guests' were now headed toward the ocean, their destination a mystery. Someone else was calling the shots for now.

"Listen, I'm know I'm very sexy n'all, but if you could stop gawking..." Reno turned around, a lopsided grin slowly spreading across his face, lighting up the darkness that was so obvious on his candid face.

"I think I may need those eye drops soon..." Gen moaned dramatically as she pinched the bridge of her nose and sat on the floor.

"So... there a reason you're staring at me, or are you just bored..." He sat across from her, leaning against the railing he seemed so fond of.

She tapped her fingers against the floorboards. "A little of both, I guess."

Reno grinned fiendishly, his mind furiously digging deeper into the gutter it was generally mired in. "There are ways to remedy that..."

The tapping stopped as Gen wordlessly rolled her eyes.

...

...

...

"So what happened to you, anyway?"

Gen looked up at him, quietly, mulling his question over in her head.

"I... don't know... I was talking with Cloud and Tifa..."

Reno stifled a snort. Cloud... he'll put anyone into a coma...

"And suddenly... I heard you... calling me. Then I just passed out."

Reno looked up suddenly, stunned.

"I dunno... you sounded like you were in trouble. In pain. It was bizarre to say the least. I was worried... What happened?"

Reno played with the zipper of his jacket, "I was an idiot... a fucking idiot..."

"You got that right."

Reno looked up, startled, to meet the wine coloured gaze of Tifa. She was accompanied by an obviously tired Nanaki.

"From what Red tells me, you're a little too important right now to be--"

Reno gritted his teeth in annoyance and hoisted himself up, suddenly, ignoring the dizziness that came with the movement. "We're not going to start this shit again, are we? First Gen, then you..." He took a step back, bracing himself against the railing, silently hoping they wouldn't notice.

Worry briefly flashed across Gen's eyes, but she remained silent.

...That's a first.

Nanaki sat on his haunches, eye going from Gen to Reno. "I think we should all meet in the cockpit. Expla--"

Reno shoved his hands into his jacket pocket, "I don't..."

Thamasa.

Flames.

Ruin.

Destiny.

He shook his head, clearing his vision of the memories of a past he had never really seen.

"You don't what?" Tifa crossed her arms in annoyance. "Nanaki says that something is going to happen. Something..."

"I don't know."

"Why do I have this feeling that you're not telling me something?" Nanaki stood up, staring at him, searching for the answer.

Reno shrugged. "You forget who you're dealing with, Red." He nodded, forcefully and sighed. "Fine... But can this... breifing wait? I'd like to talk to Gen a little." Reno scanned the deck, noticing, for the first time that they were alone. Gen had obviously exited sometime during their conversation.

Tifa looked to Nanaki and nodded. "Sure. We're on our way to pick up Yuffie in Wutai anyway."

Reno cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

~*~

He found her alone by her room, her eyes closed as she felt the sea breeze in her hair. He hated to admit how beautiful she was.

"So... is there a reason you're staring at me, or are you just bored?"

He smirked and edged closer to her. "A little of both."

She turned to him and smiled. "You're a bad influence, Charlemagne."

"It's a gift."

He was silent a moment, staring at the persistent gulls, following the Highwind. "There's something I wanted to talk with you about..."

"Yeah... as do I..." She mumbled as she played with the straps of her gloves.

"Something... happened to me out there..." A laugh escaped from him, a kind of sad, yelp of a laugh. Gen could find little mirth in such a sound. "Actually, a lot of things happened to me out there. A lot."

He paused a moment, then opened his mouth to continue, but something wasn't right. Something in the air. He turned away, hearing a soft buzzing noise in the background. "Do you hear that?"

"What?" Gen looked about, but heard, and saw nothing.

"Something... it sounds familiar."

They were quiet a while, listening for the elusive sound, when the source came into view. A large, black helicopter.

"Reeve?"

~*~

"We contacted Reeve while you were unconscious... We may need his help."

"What? Are you saying you're all too incompetent to..."

"No. Just that this may be too important... too threatening... We need an important figurehead like the president of Neo Midgar to back us." Tifa's face was stern, her voice firm, strong with conviction. Behind her stood an unusually stoic Cloud.

Reno turned away, something nagging at the back of his mind.

"I don't see what's so..."

"...Maybe you two should go... I'll take care of things from here." Gen spoke up from her silent corner for the first time in a while. She'd been unusually silent since she awoke from her coma...

Tifa nodded awkwardly, slightly taken aback by Gen's sudden show of leadership. "Sure..." She left the pair, heading downstairs with Cloud.

"What was that about?" Gen's arms were crossed, her voice acidic.

Reno looked out to the green land they were heading for. It was only a matter of time before they were there, and that meant...

"Are you going to answer--"

"I have nothing to say. I don't want to get into it."

Gen sighed as she too looked to the horizon. "I don't think I'll ever understand..."

"Welcome to my world."

"You make vague allusions that something's bothering you, but when someone tries to get close and understand, you close up."

"...Please keep your hands and arms in the ride at all times..."

Gen growled, audibly, a sound of fury that he hadn't heard since the last time she caused him physical pain. He winced. "If you're going to do this, than I'm not going to put up with it. I'll be in my room."

She turned to walk away, but was stopped by his voice piercing through the awkwardness. "I let them down."

Gen turned to him, her face blank, but her eyes caring.

"I wouldn't be their leader... couldn't. I'm not a Turk anymore. I'm nothing. I don't belong with them."

"...Reno." She inched closer to him, but he wouldn't look to her.

"They counted on me. They weren't the first to do it, and they won't be the last to be let down."

"Reno." She was beside him now.

"Mom, Dad, Ayla, Tseng... I'm like... a curse, a disease. A cancer upon whoever trusts, confides, needs me. I'm..."

SLAP.

"Shut the fuck up already." Gen was furious, tears streaming down her face. "I don't want to hear any of this shit anymore. None of it. Absolutely none of it."

"You... You're afraid that you're going to be next."

"You aren't a curse. Shiva! This is a load of bullshit. Do you actually believe a fucking word you've said?!"

He turned to her, sorrow written in his green eyes, something she had never seen in him before. Reno, the cocky smart ass... sorrow didn't seem to fit on his face, despite what she knew, what Ellone let her see. He was silent.

She sniffed, trying desperately to keep the tears from falling. "You can't believe that. Nobody should... No--" She stifled a gasp as she felt something warm pressed against her cheek. He held her face with an uncanny, un-Reno like gentleness, as he brushed a stray tear from her face.

He was silent a while, staring into her eyes, inches apart. "You're cursing."

She was speechless, unable to garner a response.

"I guess I really am a bad influence..." He stifled a chuckle, the laugh never reaching his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be... You've done nothing wrong..." She smiled, despite her tears, and raised a hand to his own, mirroring his actions. She felt him stiffen as she ran her thumb over the scar tissue under his right eye. "You've done nothing wrong..."

It felt perfect, so good. Like nothing he had felt before. Nothing. She continued stroking him, whispering words he barely heard, his mind and body, two separate entities as he felt himself closing the gap between him.

She stared into his eyes, feeling his breath upon her, smelling the vague mixed scent alcohol, cigarettes, and aftershave. Then she felt his lips pressing against her own. Reason told her to pull away, but something else made her stay, made her part her lips and deepen the kiss, tasting him.

He pulled away suddenly, his eyes wide with yet another emotion she'd never seen him show. He took an involuntary step back and looked to the floor.

"You've done nothing wrong..."

"Why?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. Reason finally hit her and she was confused, utterly confused. What she knew, what she wanted to know, what she felt, everything became a blur, a mish mash of emotion and truth.

He turned to exit, the sudden movement once again causing a sharp wave of dizziness. He stumbled and braced himself against the wall, allowing him to slide to the floor. Everything used to be so easy, so simple, and now? Reno hated change. He hated feeling the way he was. He hated how things had become. He wanted to be in control, again, but as the days went by, he felt himself losing his hold on everything. And he was terrified. He was lost. He was tired, so tired of everything.

None of this should have happened. None of it.

He pulled himself roughly to his feet, grasping for the walls. None of it... He knew he had to get out of there. Had to leave her before he did something else he would regret.

"I'm sorry... so sorry..."

She made a move to get closer to him, but he jerked away, his eyes wild, fearful. He regretted it. Gen felt numb, she could read it in his eyes. He regretted what he, they had done.

He exited the deck as fast as he could, stumbling, but managing to get as far away from her as possible. She stared, unable to move, or respond, her face devoid of emotion.

I've been a fool. I should have pulled away, I should have left him alone. I should have...

Outside, the Highwind landed on the calm greenery of the Wutaian continent, as did a large, black helicopter. Two men and a woman stepped out and prepared to board the massive airship, curious as to the "situation" and how their former comrade and friend was related.

The wind continued to blow...

A/N - Okie... If that ending seems a little hasty, I'm sorry. I needed someplace for it to end, and this seemed like the better place, rather than letting the chapter go on and on with the arrival of the remaining Turks and Reeve. They'll be in the next chapter as will the results of the kiss, Reno's little mental breakdown, and Yuffie. Can't have a fic without Yuffie. *nodnod*

That should be out... soon. Yes. Soon... *shifty look*