FicWad

Reno leaned against his chest. He hated nightmares, hated not feeling as strong as he felt that as a Turk he should, sometimes even hated being so damn dependant on his lover, but being alone had thoroughly sucked. He never wanted to feel like he had when he'd been on the streets again.

Rude tried to comfort the redhead, making small 'shushing' noises into his hair. He would wait to speak; he would be the strong, silent pillar that Reno needed during his breakdowns.

"Shit yo..maybe shit'll get better now. Gotta deal with the silver-haired fucker on toppa Avalanche now, but hey, we're Turks, we c'n handle it, right?" He actually let out a soft laugh, again bouncing back, regaining his equilibriam as he did so well now. "Sides, the chance to coppa feel on Miss Boobs is somethin' too good ta pass up." Rude knew he flirted and teased, which had once bothered the big man, but he knew where the lithe firehaired Turk's heart and loyalty really lay, so it didn't bug him so much now.

Rude rolled his eyes. Reno always chose to hit on and make comments about people Rude at one time had even the slightest thing for. He was regretting ever telling his partner about his fascination with the breasts of Miss Tifa Lockheart. He didn't even know what the big deal was, other than he couldn't help but stare at the woman's chest. And Reno had never let him live it down.

"An that Ninja has a nice ass too, but she's a little too crazy for me." He suddenly grows serious again. "Tseng's leavin' for the temple in the morning to try to get that materia. You know what that means. .. boss is gonna be moody as fuck.".

"That ninja doesn't have an ass," Rude corrected, then paused. Reno was right. Rufus was going to be in a ripe foul mood with Tseng gone, and even though he wouldn't mean it, he and Reno were probably going to receive the brunt of his frustrations.

"So we best get some sleep an' saddle up good, yo"

"Sleep means sleep, Reno," Rude mentioned, noting that the last few times they had tried to get to sleep, they were either attacked, had gotten distracted by each other's wandering hands, or both. "If you want to go to bed for any other reason, say it now." A small grin touched his lips, showing that even if Reno claimed he wanted sleep yet wanted something else, Rude wouldn't hold it against him.

"Allright, this time I do mean it big guy." and he'd notice how tired he looked, he was wavering on his feet, as if the past several night's sleep hadn't been too restful, which they hadn't. "An' get me my bottle of Hypnocel from the medicine cabinet, I need ta sleep with no dreams tonight or I'm gonna be shit in the morning." He knew Rude would probably say something about how over use of the dream suppressent was Hell on the system, he usually did, but tonight he DESPERATLY needed a good, restful, restorative night of sleep.

As Rude followed Reno into the bedroom, he just shook his head. He'd seen a guy who didn't stop using the R.E.M. stage suppressent absolutely lose it when he was a child. Scared the shit out of him at the time. He walked into the bathroom anyway, taking the half empty bottle out of the medicine cabinet. He had half a mind to just flush the pills and tell Reno they were out, but he just couldn't.

He walked back into the bedroom and tossed the bottle to Reno. "Those're bad for you."

"I know, yo. ..don't use 'em as often as you think, that bottle's been in there for three years. ..just use 'em usually after an especially nasty night o' nightmares when I need ta be at my best." He slapped back the gel-like tab and followed it with a swallow oof water.

Rude gave an almost dismissive grunt to Reno's excuse. Because, to Rude, that's all it was, an excuse. He loved Reno, and didn't want anything to happen to him, but where Reno had seemingly embraced his past and all the habits he'd picked up, Rude suppressed his, wanting to distance himself as much as possible from his days as a delinquent. He made a mental note to keep an eye on Reno's over the counter and illicit drug intake.

Reno with that walked into the room, falling into bed, tapping the spot next to him.

Rude carefully set his sunglasses on the nightstand, then climbed into bed next to Reno. He pulled the blankets up to his chin, rolling to face the redhead for a nice good-night kiss.

Reno gave it gladly, though he was already half-asleep. .those pills had a sedative effect as well.

Rude wrapped his arms around his sleepy redhead with a barely surpressed yawn, then slowly followed Reno into dreamland.

The morning was ushered in with the sound of a jangling alarm clock, one which Reno as usual threw one of his combat boots at. When he picked it up he cursed. "shit yo, 's8:30 we're late!"

Rude was instantly awake. The only thing more powerful than coffee in the morning was the words 'we're late.' He climbed out of bed quickly, making his way to the bathroom for a quick and shortened version of his morning routine

Reno for one was glad he'd showered the previous night, he got into one of the suits they'd gotten back from the dry cleaning shop's delivery boy last night.

Rude's stride had a purpose as he walked to the closet, taking out one of the freshly pressed suits. He loved the smell of dry cleaning. He dressed quickly, grabbing his sunglasses from the nightstand as the finishing touch.

"I think I better drive this time, yo, at least if we wreck we got an excuse for being late and he'll only chew us out insteada shootin' at us

Rude paused. Reno? Drive? He liked his stomach contents on the inside, thank you.

"Are you okay to drive?" he asked.

Ah yes. . .the only other time they had done anything in public. .Rufus had caught them and held that wicked looked shotgun in their direction. ..of course they HAD soiled his desk, so Reno couldn't say he really blamed him. "Yeah "m'fine for that, yo."

With another sigh and a longing look towards the fridge where the antacids were kept, he relented. Rude tossed the car keys to Reno and followed him towards the door, pausing before opening it.

"What about your cat?" he asked, seeing the creature napping on the sofa.

"I got the older lady upstairs comin' down ta feed 'im, and left the balcony door open, if he makes too mucha mess I'll take carea it when we get home."

With that he headed outside, only to have his cell ring on the way out, he answers it the way he usually does, and then his face grew even paler than usual "Gotcha boss. Yeah, I'm bettin' Laney is pretty upset, Yeah, Just clue me in on the details when we get into the office."

Rude raised an eyebrow in question. Usually he was the one to get the 'somebody fucked up' or 'something is SERIOUSLY going down badly' or the general 'snafu' calls.

"You forgot to turn your phone on, so he called mine instead.Tseng's hurt. .BAD yo. You're gonna be on guard duty alone for a few hours, I gotta go make the extraction with the chopper." It was well known that Reno was the more skilled pilot between the two of them, and the terrain around the temple was rough even for the best.

Rude sighed. Great. Tseng was injured, Reno was going to pick him up, and Rude was going to be left all alone to defend himself against a cranky Rufus. In one of those moods, the blonde didn't need a bodyguard for himself, he needed a bodyguard for all the people around him. The day was so not looking up at all. Not in the least.

Reno got to the building in surprisingly good time with no incidents, he looked to Rude. ..for a moment he'd put himself in Rufus's shoes and it caused a shiver to run down the slender frame.

Rude completely and totally mistook Reno's shiver.

"I think he won't shoot at me this time," he offered, referring to the one time Rufus had gotten so upset about Tseng being late in returning after a particularly nasty mission which had resulted in the wutain nearly dying that he started shooting at everything that moved, Rude included.

"I just. .I started thinking about what it would be like. ..if it were me in in the boss's shoes..." It was a sobering thought.

"Oh." Rude really didn't have anything to add, other than a quick kiss to Reno's lips after looking around to make sure no one saw them.

Rufus surprisingly was not in the foul mood they'd imagined. ..instead, he seemed. .. almost subdued, Dark Nation winding herself around his heels, mewing in a sympathetic manner.

"Sir," Rude said in acknowledgement, standing at parade rest with his hands held loosely in front of him.

Rufus nodded to him. "He's strong, at least that is what he always tells me." It was as close to breaking down as Rufus ever came, this quiet and thoughtful mood. "I've known him. .since I was 6 years old. He is ten years my senior and still. .. I care not for anyone else's approval, you know this, you and I have known each other nearly as long as Tseng and I have. I want to go myself instead of endangering your man, I know you love him as I do Tseng, but I cannot go. I am needed here during this time which is likely to soon become a crisis. Sephiroth has posession of the Black Materia."

"What?" Rude's eyes widened. Sephiroth had the Black Materia? But... the Black Materia was just a fairy tale. It was a story your grandmother told you when you got in trouble... something about how the evil deeds of children would bring the Black Materia and Meteor... It wasn't true. It couldn't be true...

But if Rufus said it, Rude knew it HAD to be true.

"I sent Tseng to get it, to bring it back here so it would be safe from the madman. ..so WE would be safe. . .So very many people will die if he isn't stopped."

"It exists..." Rude muttered to himself, looking down as he tried to process the information.

He paused, a single thought coming to mind. The other part of the fairy tale.

"Holy...?"

"We know not where it is, though the legends say it was passed along the female line from one Cetra priestess to her eldest daughter, through the generations. It was said to have been lost with the decimation at Knowles point."

That was it, then. The fairy tales told that only Holy could counter the Black Materia's Meteor. There was nothing more they could do other than try to stop Sephiroth from summoning Meteor, and if he did...

"It was the reason I still kept up the search for the last Cetra even though Father is now dead. I had hoped that perhaps with Tseng's bond with her. . .she might be willing to tell us where it lay or perhaps even assist us. Unfortunatly, Hojo's madness has poisoned her and the remainder of her friends against us."

"I have a meeting at the crater, Hojo says he found Sephiroth's original body perhaps, with luck we can prevent access of the clone which carries the materia to the body. In which case perhaps we can save ourselves

Rude nodded. "When do we leave?" he asked, wondering why Rufus hadn't mentioned the meeting earlier.

"Forgive me, my mind is in so many places at once. We will leave after Reno returns with the chopper, he has taken Tseng into Mideel to be treated by the healers there."

"Is he coming with us?" Rude asked, wondering if he needed to take extra weapons or not. To be a good Turk, Rude believed you had to have as much information on a situation as possible to make your decisions off of. Missions with Rufus were no exception.

"Yes, He is the one flying. .. Hojo is also coming, something which I personally would rather not have, but he is the one who knows the location.


Great. Hojo. Ever since that mad scientist had tried experimenting on the higher level Turks, Rude couldn't stand being near him at all. However, with four people in the helicopter, it was going to be a tight fit.

And only Rufus knew the FULL extent to which Reno had been a guinea pig. Fortunatly what Hojo had tried in that case hadn't taken, if it had succeeded, Rude would have been in for even a larger surprise than that damn cat, one he likely would not have been prepared for, not to speak of Reno's reaction. He had to let loose a low chuckle at the thought

"In the meantime, sir?" Rude asked, hoping he would be given a nice, mindless task like getting coffee, rather than the briefing with Hojo that he was suspecting was in store for him. Did he mention he always thought Hojo was hitting on him? The way the guy liked to touch people... it just creeped Rude out.

"Unfortunatly, we need to meet the idiot at the helipad in ten minutes."

Rude briefly wondered which idiot Rufus was referring to, Reno or Hojo?

"Yes, sir," he said, standing up straighter, preparing himself for the inevitable verbal nuclear war that always happened between Reno and Hojo and somehow, he always seemed to get dragged into the middle of it.

It was just as Rude predicted. "Uh uh, no way, fuck you, you can fuckin' WALK to the crater!" He then starts grumbling about stupid mad scientists who thought equality between the sexes meant gender bending.

Rufus laughed, ok so maybe Reno DID know Hojo had attempted. ..this trip could be fun.

Rude paused at Rufus' laugh, wondering just what was so damn funny about the impending headache and helicopter ride of doom. They had already started at each other's throats and they weren't even in the same room yet.

"Reno." Rude hoped that his one word warning was enough to both stave off his being dragged into the middle of whatever they were talking about and to let them know that he was to be left out of it if it did continue.

"Rudolph..." Hojo's voice was high-pitched in delight. He was the only one, other than Rude's grandmother, to call him by his full name. "Always a pleasure to be in the presence of such a wonderful speciman of a man."

Reno snarled "Stay the HELL back, or I'll take that shit you tried to put in me an' shove up your ass and YOU can be the one having ass-babies! You fucking sick freak! You're sicker than Corneo!"

Ass babies? Rude didn't even continue that train of thought for fear that his brain would start leaking out his ears.

"Professor Hojo," Rude said in acknowledgement. Even though he couldn't stand the creep, his mama taught him manners that were still deeply ingrained.

"Yes, Rudolph, yes," Hojo said, ignoring Reno completely in favour of circling Rude. "Isn't it about time for your semi-annual physical?"

Rufus stepped in now. "Yes, and he will be seen by my own personal physician if you have any desire to keep your funding.'


"VICE President..." Hojo paused, as if there were voices only he heard talking to him. "I mean, President ShinRa, your father made it a point to keep the funding for my reseach available even after his untimely demise. Yes." He spun to look again at Rude. "And I was just offering our dear Rudolph the option of a choice for his semi-annual physical, nothing more."

Nothing more indeed, Rude thought, adjusting his tie that suddenly seemed too tight and too uncomfortable. He wasn't entirely sure he was going to survive the helicopter ride.

"I am in control here now, and many of his rules have been overturned, your funding to be included if you do not keep your hands to yourself, do you think you have not done enough damage? It is after all YOUR son who is wreaking havoc here."

"Yes, my son. My son. My beautiful son," Hojo seemed greatly distracted by thoughts of his favourite experiment.

Rude took that moment to take a few steps away from the freak, hoping said freak wouldn't notice his movements.

Reno climbed into the pilot seat of the helicopter, simply handing Rude the schematics of the full artifical reproductive tract Hojo had had in mind with a soft grunt. "Now you see why I hate the bastard?"

Rude took one glance at the paper, another glance at Reno, then promptly wadded it up into a ball and tossed it under the seat. Of all the things he didn't want to think about...

"After you, PRESIDENT ShinRa," Hojo said with a bow, indicating that Rufus would enter the helicopter first and sit behind Reno while Hojo took the seat behind Rude.

"uh no, I will sit next to you you will sit behind the pilot."

Hojo pouted but did as he was told. It wouldn't do at all for his funding to be cut.

Rude breathed a visable sigh of relief. He nodded at Reno, indicating that they could take off whenever the redhead was ready.

Reno launched the chopper, 45 minutes later they arrived.

It was the single worst 45 minutes of Rude's adult life. The entire time both Rufus and Reno had to slap Hojo's hands before they could grasp on to Rude's arm. The guy was, officially, a freak.

When they reached the site Reno shuddered, full on freaked out by the half-body in the materia crystal. then he looked uP to see CLOUD floating toward the encased body. "Yo, Strife, you kinda light on your feet."

Rude just watched. The ride with Hojo had unnerved him more than usual, and with Cloud Strife floating around, his nerves weren't getting any better.
M
Reno could only watch as Cloud floated over the crystal, the black orb in his hands, he thrust his hands THROUGH the crystal and the cavern started shaking. "Shit, Not good, NOT GOOD!"

So this is how the world ends, Rude thought. He could only watch in disbelief.

"Sephiroth! My son!" Hojo squealed with glee.

Reno stood in shocked disbelief before moving in to lean against his partner. ..he could care less about the rules and policies right now. .the world was ending. .and their lives along with it.

Rude was resisting every urge to just shove the damn crazy scientist over the edge of the cliff. However, Hojo seemed to know more than he let on, so he was still useful. For the time being.

Rufus directed the two Turks back to the chopper. The freak could find his OWN ride.

Rude couldn't have agreed more. He quickly got back into the helicopter, watching Hojo do a strange little dance of possibly joy.

"Shit world's endin' yo. .everything, all the shit we fought to overcome, 'sgonna be gone! What the HELL was the point in it all when THIS is the result?" Reno was good and damned pissed off.

As the people in the crater got smaller and smaller the further away the helicopter got, Rude's outlook focused more and more on what he would regret about his brief 28 years on the planet. Well, his past as a drug runner, for one, his extremely brief stint as a car thief for another. He reached over, placing a hand on Reno's knee.

Reno on the other hand. .he wasn't ready to come to grips with dying. ..Not just dying. . .but everyone else dying, too. "Shit. ..we never even got to take that holiday at Gold Saucer. ..it was gonna be my anniversary presnt for ya. ..guess we won't be seeing it now, will we?" He resis the urge to punch the chopper's dash, but it's a damn hard fight.

Anniversary. He wasn't going to have any more of those, either. Damn. In fact, he wasn't going to see much of anything in his 10 year plan come to fruitition. Fuck. He squeezed his hand a little tighter on Reno's knee before turning to face Rufus.

"You know how this works," he stated. "How long before...?"

"A week, two perhaps. I have one or two things that I can try, and you know I will do everything in my power to stop it on my own, if it becomes clear that the white materia is not to be found. From the last I heard from Elena, they were in Gongaga, soon to be going from there into Ajit. Perhaps. ..perhaps one of their number does posess it."

Rude nodded once, at a complete loss for words as he contemplated how to fit all those things he wanted to finish into a week.

Reno just flew, no more outbursts, his eyes damp, but Damned if he'd let them fall. ..the enormity of the situation was simply too huge for tears...he sat straight up, heart totally numb, eyes bleak, empty, devoid of their former fire.

When they landed, both men were dismissed, sent home for the remainder of the day. Their vacation that was supposed to last the rest of the week and the next was shot. They were Turks; when trouble came up, they worked, regardless of their plans.

"Let's go home," Rude said softly after committing their 8am work starting time to memory.

Reno nodded, simply handing over the keys...he knew he was in no shape to drive. ...inside, deep inside, he hurt. ..but on the outside nothing showed, his face gone cold and hard as steel.

He held in his hand a single gift from Rufus. ..an actual LEGAL marriage license and two white gold bands. .. Again, it was supposed to be for their anniversary. ..it would never happen now. ..none of the surprises he had planned would.

Rude knew that look. He'd seen it in the mirror every morning for the first four years of being a Turk. He quickly adjusted the mirrors and seat in the car before slowly pulling out onto the street. After a block of silence, he spoke.

"Talk to me."

"I had. ..so many things planned for our anniversarry so. ..so many. .." He slides the marriage license with Rufus' signature on it into his lap. .Rude would remember the time he had asked Reno that if he were a woman or if it were legal. .. would he do it. ..would he commit to Rude for life? Well, there was his answer right there. "Never get to now. It was gonna be beautiful, yo."

What was...? No. No way. A marriage license? Reno managed to finangle a marriage license?

"How did you...?" he asked.

"Rufus did it all up for me, yo. ..The night his dad died, he legalized it all for us...was gonna pick it up this morning anyway. . .now 'suseless as the paper it's written on. ..all our fuckin' dreams.. .just dust."

As much as Rude wanted to say, 'No! There has to be something we can do!'... he couldn't. He couldn't blatently lie to his partner, especially about something as important as the world ending. Besides, he wasn't the one prone to random outbursts; that was Reno's department.

"Rufus will think of something," was the best he could come up with for comfort.

"Yeah. ..guess he will..or maybe that Cetra chick does have it,. ..can only hope, right?"

Then Rufus' phone rangin his office and he spoke a word or two. it was the phone inside the AI of Cait Sith reporting in. "The Cetra is dead. ..but she did have the materia. .she had it. ..she was at the alter when she was killed, praying for it. ..perhaps...perhaps there is hope."

Rude parked the car, walking slowly towards the elevator that would take them to their condo. He briefly thought of the cuahl, wondering how it fared without Reno all day. He wondered about a lot of things, actually.

Reno answered their phone, giving Rude the news that Cait Sith had given Rufus, his face softened, just the slightest bit. . .though he would look up at the angry red fire in the sky and then shrink inside again. ..until they opened the door to their home and Livewire dove Reno, all soft whimpers and purrs and nudges.

Rude just walked directly to the bedroom, intending to change into something more casual for the rest of the evening. However, he stopped short at the sight he found.

"CAT!" he boomed, quickly picking up the offending object and stalking towards Reno and the cuahl. He held up a hanger, his freshly cleaned suit hanging off it, covered completely in cat hair. "This was just cleaned yesterday!"

"He loves you too, yo.. .maybe we oughta get garment bags for the suits, that'll cat proof 'em." He said it as if it were completely normal, as if the world weren't possibly going to be destroyed soon. ..even with the news. ..well, he didn't go for a lot of the mumbo jumbo, give him something he can touch.

"Obviously," Rude muttered darkly, tossing the suit onto the couch. There was no way he could get all that cat hair off it without sending it back to the cleaner. "And maybe, instead of cat proofing, the damn cat could just stay off the bed?" He was quickly dropping into a mood, and as much as he knew the cat was just doing what cats do, the stress of the entire week was finally breaking down his cool exterior, letting a little of the tightly controlled anger free.

Reno's own facade cracked a little, a tinge of hurt showing in his eyes. .."I'm takin' him out for a walk, I'll be back in a bit."

"Keep your phone on," Rude said, pressing a light kiss to Reno's cheek on his way into the kitchen. He took down two rocks glasses from the cupboard, pausing a moment before taking down a third and muttering, "Damn cat."

Reno nodded, then strode out the door, his shutting it a bit harder than he had to also a sign of the fact that with his raw nerves Rude's show of anger had hurt. He walked through midgar, the cat on the lead he'd gotten from Rufus that the president had used while still training Dark Nation, looking up at the sky which was that angry ruby red. ...then he saw the flash from the direction of Rocket Town that sailed over the horizon. ..was it that old rickety rocket?

Rude muttered to himself, trying to keep his anger to a minimum, but he could feel the near rage boiling just below the surface. He pulled the two bottles from Rufus out of the fridge, looking at them thoughtfully before cracking the seals on them and pouring himself a double... and another for Reno when he returned.

Reno called Rude's phone, his jaw hung open as he watched the rocket sail toward the huge rock. "Look out the window, yo."

Rude frowned. Reno called him to tell him to look out the window? What in Shiva's name...? He took a sip of his drink, stepping out onto the balcony and looking at the street below.

"What am I looking at?" he asked.

"Look up, yo, tell me if I'm seein' what I think I am or if my mind is fuckin' with me,"

Rude looked into the sky. The large red object in it demanded his attention, so he figured that had something do to with whatever Reno was going on about. A movement caught his eyes, so he squinted to try to see it better.

"I'll be damned," he said dryly, taking another drink. After a pause for contemplation and another sip, he added, "Amazed they got that piece of shit off the ground."

"Not sure what the boss is doin' with it, but it's headed right for the fucker."

Rude grunted in response, finishing his drink. He contemplated going back into the kitchen for another, but he didn't want to miss the show if the rocket took out the legendary Meteor. Decisions, decisions...

A yelp sounded over the phone as the rocket hit. ..Then a cheer as the meteor seemed to break apart in the flash.. .but then. ..a soft, almost sad curse as the huge piece of space debris under the influence of the spell put itself back together.

Rude turned and walked back into the kitchen. He could have missed that show. "No good piece of shit anyway..." he mumbled, forgetting he was still on the phone.

"I'm inclined to agree...shit, yo. ..I thought. .. for just a minute I thought. ..oh, and tomorrow we go to Wutai...Boss wants us to bring Tseng back the folk from Mideel sent 'im home at his request so he could see ta what little family he's got left, but he wants Tseng to be there. ..in case, ya know. ."and he can't say it...in case the world dies.

Rude nodded, then remembered it was a mobile, not a video phone. "I see," he said, even though he couldn't really relate. There was no point in seeing his family. His mother and father lived in a small house he'd bought for them on the plate, but there was no point in upsetting the elderly couple. His elder brother... who knew where he was. His younger? Rude had no desire to see the little shit that had tried getting out of jail by using the middle child's name.

Rude paused, then asked, "Do you need to make arrangements to see anyone?"

"Mom isn't dead..he brought her home ta die but when child servces took me they put her in this home in Kalm. ..she's all the family I got left, but she wouldn't even know me anyway..I.. .I only got you."

Rude grunted in response. He took a small sip from his glass, liquor warming his stomach already. He hadn't eaten at all...

"See you when you two get home," he said.

"Yeah, yo." He walked back toward the building, when he opened the door, he fed Livewire the tuna steak in the fridge that was about to turn anyway, and got him down a bowl, running some clear water into it. Once he had the cuahl taken care of he walked to where Rude was, tentatively putting his arms around him from behind and leaning his head on the bigger man's back, his way of apologizing for whatever he had done wrong every time they'd fight or things would get too tense. ..that facade suddenly cracked, and a shaky breath could be heard against his back, no tears, eyes still dry, but the shaky breath of one whose hurt was simply too deep for them, one that had no outlet.

Rude took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before exhaling.

"There's a drink on the counter," he said softly, adding, "And a glass for the cat if he wants one."

"Don' wanna move, yo. ..wanna stay right here." his voice shook, the timber that of the hurt creature he had been when they'd taken him off the streets creeping into it. He was scared, hell he was TERRIFIED, but doing his best to keep up hope, to not fall apart.


"Thought you might want one," he said. His muscles were tense as if he were going to snap into destructive motion at any given instant. He hadn't felt that helpless since he was a teenager. He was angry, not at anyone in particular, but at the situation. He'd worked so hard to become more than just a street punk, more than the blue collar worker his father had been, more than anyone else thought he could become. He had become the epitome of power, both in body and in position. He was at the top of the most powerful department of the most powerful company of the world. And he still couldn't stop a stupid rock from destroying it all.

Reno moved off, feeling the tense anger inside that body, of course misinterpreting it as being at him, so he walked into the kitchen with his back achingly tight...took two sips off the shot, then with a heart rending cry threw it against the far wall before simply standing in the middle of the kitchen tight and thrumming like a bow's string just after an arrow has been launched from it.

Rude entered the kitchen, Reno's cry and the sound of broken glass quickening his steps. He surveyed the scene, still just as tense. That anger at himself for being so helpless sought an exit, appropriate or otherwise, and it found one.

"What the fuck was that?" he asked, voice deep and rumbling like a thundercloud ready to burst.

Reno eyed the shards of glass with longing eyes. "That was me getting sick of everyone getting pissed off at me for shit I can't fix, yo! Everyone seems to think I should be perfect, yo. ..this perfect 'paragon for the kid who lifted his ass off the street and made good for himself' I'm not perfect yo.! Right now, I got most of the answers, but I'm just as fuckin' terrified as everyone else, hell, MORE because I KNOW there's no damn hope!"


He picked up one, drawing it with furious force across his arm just above his wrist, those eyes defiant. ..he knew. ..the promise he had made so long ago lay at his feet in pieces like the shards of glass there...but he was too damn angry and hurt to care. "See, I ain't fucking perfect!" His voice shook. ..hard... "Not. ..p-perfect."

Rude carefully set his glass down, stepping gingerly around the glass shards and stalking towards the redhead. "Do you think I enjoy the prospect of our deaths?" he asked, voice and eyes dark and stormy. "Do you think I get a kick out of watching you tear yourself apart for no reason other than you think everyone thinks you're perfect?" He took another step forward, forcing Reno back to the wall without touching him at all. With each additional word he got louder until his voice boomed throughout the condo. "Do you think I get off on how absolutely helpless I've become to keep the one person I want to happy?" Both of Rude's arms shot out, palms flat on the wall, trapping Reno's head between them, still without touching him. "Do you?!"

Reno's eyes suddenly showed fear. ..not of their situation. ..but of the powerful man who had him pinned. ..it was one of the very few things he couldn't stand. .being pinned, unable to move, to fight back, to run ..and to have Rude do that to him, KNOWING it was one of the few triggers left in his life. ..he lost it, totally and completely lost it, thrashing against him with the glass shard he still held. ..he was not a bit truly cognizant of what he was doing. ..he kept up the wild struggle until he had exhausted himself. .. when he was too tired to fight looking up at him with those terror filled eyes. ..terror OF him.

The small chink had appeared in the dam, and Reno's unrestrained reaction caused the floodgates to open, releasing all of Rude's pent up rage. He spun away from the redhead, fist connecting with the top of the island countertop with the sickening sound of a few fingerbones breaking. He had made a promise to himself never to lay a hand on Reno in anger, and even with his inner demon released, he held himself to that. With a shout of rage, he turned to stalk towards the door, putting his fist through the drywall as he made it to his shoes. He was no longer just angry at the situation, but he was angry with himself for cornering Reno like that, which in turn fed the anger more.

Reno then felt fur against his legs. ..Livewire, standing between him and the angry bald man. ..protecting him, though the cuahl wasn't exactly sure what was going on, he only knew that the one he was instinctivly to protect was terrified. ..and his lover furious beyond measure. ..

At that moment the redhead broke and ran, the door slamming hard behind him. . .he had never, EVER seen Rude that angry, not ever. He sat in the street now as the little tornados began touching down, voices from bullhorns from atop Shinra company trucks telling people to evacuate...something had sped the thing's fall, but it wasn't what he saw...what he saw was the rage in his lover's eyes as he was pinned against a wall.

A few more holes made a matched set in the walls of the condo as Rude's anger continued to manifest. He continued to yell, stalking around the living room and kitchen like a caged beast. He was completely not expecting the large cat that connected with him, taking him and pinning him to the ground.

The cuahl growled at him, and Rude growled back, but still the animal held him there, doing nothing more than keeping Rude still as the rage quieted enough for him to push it back beneath the surface.

"Get off," he growled lowly, staring the cat in the eyes.

The cat made a small hissing sound, then moved to the other side of the room, watching Rude like a hawk.

He stood, brushed himself off, and put his shoes on. If what he was hearing coming through the windows was true, they didn't have much time left.

Livewire gave one last soft growl, but as he sensed that Rude no longer held any ill will toward the little redhead he backed off, then fell into step beside the big man.

Rude decided the stairs were his best bet. And as much as he didn't want to, he jogged down them, trying to think of some way to explain exactly what had happened in his mind to Reno without getting into too much detail.

Livewire ran beside him. ..whimpering at how much the wind had picked up...even he was having trouble keeping his feet. ..and he had FOUR of them...his head lifted now and he mewed sharply, running to wear the scent of the one he thought of as his mate rested. Rude once he caught up with the cat would see Reno leaning against a building with his eyes still wide and unseeing as a tornado touched down right on the skyscraper's roof. ..tearing it apart.. .Livewire let out a loud roar and threw himself on top of the redhead, casting a barrier spell and when some of the debris pushed through protecting him with his own body.

"Reno!" he shouted, chasing after the cat until he reached the redhead. "Are you okay? Reno! Talk to me!"

Reno looked up at him as the terror in that gaze retreated a little. .."Livewire. ..shit, is he ok?"

Rude shrugged. He didn't know the first thing about keeping animals healthy. The welfare of the family dog had always been something his mother had taken care of, not that he was home enough to know more than the dog's name.

"Hey," he said, taking Reno's hand for a minute. "If we die, I don't want you to be mad at me, okay?"

"m'not mad, yo. ...but you scared the fuck outta me back there. .. .for a minute there. ..thought you were really gonna hit me."

Livewire whimpered, he was a shade banged up. ..but ok. ..but then Reno turned back, his face frozen in an expression of horror as he pointed back toward the tower...the last ditch...Sister ray, aimed toward the crater. ..then a volley of fire heading back toward them. ..suddenly the explosion which blossomed, and the loud creak as the top two floors of the tower collapsed in on themselves. .."Oh Gods no. ...Boss. ..."

Rude couldn't watch the building's collapse. He just couldn't. He had too much at stake in that building and what it stood for. He glanced around at the flying debris.

"Inside," he ordered, picking up the heavy cuahl and carrying it towards the door. "We have to go inside."

"I gotta go, He might still be alive in there, remmember, our job is to protect the president...well I'm gonna."

Rude set the cat down as gently as he could as he reached out quickly to grab Reno's arm.

"No!" he shouted over the wind picking up. "There is nothing you can do. Floors collapsed on him, Reno. He's dead!" Rude paused, the enormity of his own words sinking in. "He's... dead..."

With that Reno shook his arm free went around back, grabbing his little motorbike, plopping the helmet on, he gave Rude a look that says "Do you have faith in me?"

Rude took a deep breath, knowing that once Reno made up his mind, there was really nothing he could do.

With a sort of sad smile, Rude answered, "Don't you fucking die on me."

Reno set a hand on his cheek, smiling softly before continuing

"Rude. ..you know the boss, yo. ..if anyone could have survived that hellhole. ..it's him. He survived the abuse he took from his dad for all those years...besides. ..you know cuahls have barrier magic, it's possible Dark Nation cast a barrier around him like Livewire did for me." With that he rode hard toward the tower. ..when he got there the electricity was off, the halls filled with smoke, he called. .. hearing a tiny whimpering sound from a vent above him he crawled into it, when he reached the other side of the vent he saw Dark Nation. ..the big cat held a figure on her back. .. the figure was wearing white...and the chest still rose and fell, even if in a somewhat shakey manner.. .he dialed Rude's phone. "Get the car ready, we need to get outta here. ..Boss is ALIVE. Banged up,. but alive."

Rude didn't bother thinking. His Turk training kicked and and he just did as he was told, no questions asked. However, once it was certain the President was okay, there would be a hell of a lot of questions asked... if they all survived the Meteor.

Reno was waiting outside when Rude pulled up, the president in his arms. ..when he saw the brilliant white wash on the horizon. "Whoa, shit yo. ..is it?"

Rude's jaw dropped, his sunglasses falling down his nose as a single word escaped his lips.

"Holy..."

Reno watched it buzz all the way across. ..the cigarette he had held between his lips falling to the ground with a soft "tinking" noise. ..but instead of blocking the meteor. .. it seemed to be sucking it in even faster. "Fuck. . ..I thought it was supposed ta STOP it."

"It is..." Rude whispered, realizing simultaneously that the fairy tale his grandmother told him was, in fact, both the truth and a blatant lie.


Reno watched it for a moment. ..then saw something else. ..this slower than Holy. ..it seemed as if the Ancient's face hung on the horizon for a moment. ...then whipping tendrils of green. ..floating out of vents within the planet's surface. ..welling out and then up. ..wrapping around the meteor. . .surrounding it. ..slowly seeping into the seams the rocket had created and like little fingers tearing it apart. "Fuckin' a. ..did I. ..just see that?"