Reflections of Reno Chapter 13

The Tainted Reflection

By Christina Bruno

"Against my will I stand beside my own reflection."
-Crawling, Linkin Park

Ex-Turk? It was a milestone; a place he wouldn't have dared to tread if she was not holding his hand. If it were a few days of go, his response would have been something on the order of I'm a fucking Turk and you know it. But it wasn't, he had somehow changed. Nothing huge, but slight enough to have given her hope. Tifa smiled with some contentment; if her surroundings were different she would have been able to fully enjoy her conquest. She had burnt through a barrier, as cold as Reno. As the car peeled away abruptly, she had been parted from him. She turned her head a bit, just to catch a short glimpse of his shadow-draped face.

"It's going to be okay." She spoke quietly, so the two in the front seats would not hear her. But she knew Reno too well; he was probably harboring some odious feelings towards her at that moment. It was impossible to imagine he even liked her at that moment. But as she continued to analyze him, as many women do, she knew she was wrong. If he had felt that way, he would have figured out a way to save only himself. But he didn't and that is what mattered.

Reno turned to look at her, she lay on her back. The only light that came from there, shone through the grime covered windows. The front seats were too high, and hardly emitted any light from the front window. Always so damn optimistic… He complained to himself. He always tried to find some fault with women, and that was her gravest - not too bad, huh?. He just didn't want her to be perfect, for he was far from it. A tiny flame burst inside of him, somehow he regretted not escaping these scoundrels and saving her. But she and he both knew, it was Reno that needed saving.

"Once we get there, I'll kick these two's asses. I'll figure out a way." He muttered, looking down as his eyes trailed over his lithe legs and he looked at the straw rope that bound his feet together, leaving his ankles Eskimo kissing.

She smiled in the dark, trusting him. She'd been so damn gullible in the past, confiding in too many people. But for the first time, she thought she was trusting the right person. She shivered a bit as she felt the van's cool metal floor touch her bear back (mid-drift). She laid on her back, and she looked at the ceiling. It looked as if, someone had taken a rag, thrown it in mud, and wiped the top with it. She wrinkled up her nose, this van was either really cheap or seriously stolen. Probably a combination of the two?

"Who are these guys?"

Reno attempted to look upon her unfortunately; she was hard to find in the darkness.

"They're…bounty hunters. Probably from Gold Saucer or the Paramount, Dio probably hired them to get me and his money back."

"So they're like Turks?"

"In their own half-ass way, but the Turks had class. They're probably getting paid high prices, but money can't buy it." Reno grinned in satisfaction. He did have class as Turk. He recalled Wutai, Shinra had called him on his PHS. They had told him to find Cloud, while he was right in front of his face. He wasn't on duty, and he let Cloud slide by. He didn't know if that was even considered class, but he sure as hell honored himself for it.

"Are they going to put us in jail?" Tifa smiled to herself, he had used Turks past tense once again.

Reno slumped down a bit; he wanted to move closer to her. He hated to whisper, but it was all he could do. He could hardly support himself to move, since his wrists were bound. The wall was his only friend.

"No." He muttered lower, "They'll hand us over to whoever is paying them." He could have repeated who he thought the commissioner was, but he had already said it. He found repetitive people annoying. No wonder why Elena and his personalities had always clashed.

"But after we find that out, I won't let them get that far." He added.

"I know you will." She smiled in the dark.

It was exactly was the fiery ex-Turk wanted to hear. Reno loved compliments, even indirect ones. He knew that he was going to give them both vindications: at any cost.

It had been nightfall by the time they reached their destination. Reno had heard the screeching as the twin knobs of the back doors twisted, the bounty hunters threw the doors opened. Reno blinked, then squinted taking in the piercing lights that shot through the back of the van in that instant. His eyes had been in the dark for far too long, it was hard for him to take all multifaceted colors in. There were thousands of them coming from the towering buildings above.

Reno was thrust unto the street by the driver. He saw the usual Eastern patrons past, the same he had seen the day he had departed from here. One man in particular stood apart from the spoiled wives and common patrons. He was intoxicated, but of a higher class, his black tie was unraveled. A young woman was pulling on it, she was nibbling on his ear and talking dirty. That girl really got around town. It was Tifany the blow job that started it all. Yet he was just many of the men in suits with jeweled escorts clinging to him. He opened his eyes to take the entire city. Welcome back to the cruel planet of Corel.

Reno could hardly support himself, as he looked at the building before him. His stood on his feet, as his ankles touched, but he would never fall…again. The Paramount was written in ruby lit letters. He grumbled to himself, as a robust man in a black shirt came over to him, swinging his thin frame over his shoulder.

"What the fuck?!" He grumbled, as he tried to look back at Tifa. She was still in the van.

"Reno!" She cried, not for help, but she did not want him to leave her.

He couldn't kick or punch. He was bound by the ropes and he had hated every moment of it.

"The boss wants to see you." It was the same plaster-haired bitch from before. She had followed the robust man, he was huge. Reno felt a weight on his back as the man's arm strapped over him, keeping him down.

Reno growled. All he could think about was what they were going to do to Tifa. He hissed, and a wad of spit flew out of his mouth right onto the bitch's face.

"You are fucking a man."

The wiped her sleeve over her face unaffected. "You will eat those words, boy."

Boy? Reno was a man. He was sure of it.

He attempted to struggle, and he couldn't look back at Tifa. He headed into the Paramount, escorted by the muscle man. The bitch walked behind them.

"Bet you two are you just dying to fuck. See who's manlier than the other."

The man grunted and the bitch ignored him. What would the arrogant son of a bitch know about anything?

He could hear the casino's clinging around him. People letting out cries of defeat, others releasing cries of victory. It was so tempting. He had missed the game, and he knew he was going to feel that way. If only he could bet the 5 dollars in his pocket, he'd be a millionaire.

They boarded the elevator; it was clear and looking over the beautiful and booming city. It was no longer a prison; there was one in the west. It was not desert prison, it was a plane building draped in an ebony blanket. He wondered if they would bring him there. But above that, he wondered what was going to happen to…her.

The Shinra building had had a clear elevator, but not nearly as large and as beautiful as this. It over looked Midgar, and this place was no comparison. Midgar have been completely jade (and jaded) and covered in dark clouds. This place was bright, luminous, and rich. At least the better half…

They had finally made there way to the top floor. They stepped off of the elevator, a red velvet carpet led to a single room. It was probably the boss's sweet, was Dio up there with him? Reno was convinced Dio was gay. Reno didn't hate all gay people, just Dio. In fact, he loved lesbians. What straight, male pervert doesn't adore lesbians? But gay men, they were okay. Reno didn't mind them much, as long as they didn't make a pass at him. In fact, they were some of the best gamblers around. But they weren't as good as him, no one was. He was an egotist.

But he wasn't the only egotist in the room, as the three had entered it. He continued to think of Tifa, but now he was concerned with his own affairs. The room and dark, and Reno could feel an eerie breeze blow over him.

"Throw him in the chair." Said the thundering voice of a man that sat at the before them desk, his back was turned. All Reno could see the chair's thousand dollar navy cushioning.

The robust man did exactly as ordered, flinging Reno unto the chair. Reno grunted at the mistreatment. Had he ever treated any of his captives this badly? No. Tseng wouldn't let him.

"Are you aware that you have coast this casino and Dio, the owner of Goldsaucer, millions of Gil?" the man spoke calmly; it was almost intimidating how calm he was. A million was probably one gil to him. Rich fuck. He hated him already, not even knowing him.

"Fuck you!" Reno lashed out at him.

He simply ignored him. Reno was nothing. "Where's the other one?"

The bitch nodded and began to speak. "It was his girlfriend sir. We are going have her put away."

The man began to laugh. In a moment he had changed. His laugh was cold, and familiar. Reno didn't know who he was, but he knew he was caste from the mold of malevolence.

"Oh his girlfriend…"

The man turned around. In an instant, Reno could feel his world spinning in circles. That face, that hard, horrible face. It was the face of a merciless murderer. His skin had become wrinkled, and his hair had turned gray, but one thing remained and it was that sinister smile. He had hated it all of the years he had spent beneath him.

"Were you planning on killing her too?"

Memories flooded his mind, as well as hatred he had harbored for all of these years. He began to become infuriated. He felt the blood rush to his head, he wanted to launch out of the chair and attack him. He wanted revenge.

"What you don't recognize the man that gave you life?"

He was speechless, the rage consumed him. It was eating away at him. He was engulfed; he was drowning in the detestation. Because he knew that he had taken after him. No matter how he tried to avoid it. They had both craved the same things, he was just waiting for him to fall. He couldn't swallow it all; he felt his knees knock together weakly from the aggravation. Oh how he had abhorred that face: The face of his father.

Chapter 14