20. What Lies Ahead

Nanaki arrived at the hospital just after sunrise, dropped off by Rude. The corridors were quiet at this hour; he only passed a handful of humans on his way. They all stared, more or less openly, but none tried to stop him. Perhaps the Turks, or Dr. Uzuki, had instructed them to let him pass.

The bald Turk had given him the floor and room number. Once Nanaki reached his destination, he nudged the door open and poked his head through for a peek. A weary-looking Reno lay in the room's single bed; his face was turned away from the door, but he was easily identified by the red stream of hair that flowed across the pillow. With a twinge of sadness, Nanaki realized that it was shorter than before. A thin tube fed a transparent liquid into Reno's hand from a suspended bag, but otherwise he appeared blissfully free of the beeping contraptions doctors were so keen on hooking up to their patients.

Reno was not alone; Tess was bent over the side of the bed, her head resting on her folded arms. Judging by her slow and steady breaths, she was fast asleep.

As Nanaki pushed into the room, Reno glanced over and raised a finger to his lips. He slunk closer without a sound, his tail curved under his body to keep the light out of her eyes. Reno gazed at Tess and brushed some wayward locks out of her face.

"Found her like this when I woke up," he mumbled under his breath, then shook his head with half a smile. "She's gonna be sore, sleeping like this."

Nanaki peeked around the bed. She was sitting in a chair, with her upper body slumped onto the mattress.

"Then perhaps you should wake her," he murmured as he padded to the other side of the bed, across from her sleeping form.

"Nah, she has trouble sleeping. A bit of shuteye will do her good, even if she's gotta pay for it with a stiff neck." He moved his hand to her back, letting it settle between her shoulders, and looked up at Nanaki. "So... What's up?"

His face was almost as white as the walls around them, except for the deep bruises under his eyes, and his voice was little more than a scratchy whisper in his throat. Nanaki sensed no pain, but Reno hadn't lifted his head off the pillow, and his limbs lay limp and heavy on the bed. Nanaki had never seen him so still.

"Not you, clearly."

"Don't get your hopes up, Furball. I'll be fine… pretty much. Just gotta take it easy and stay hooked up to this heart monitor thing for twenty-four hours." He tilted his chin toward some kind of device, about the size of a pocket book, that hung from a strap around his neck. A tangle of wires snaked up to the collar of his corn-blue hospital gown and disappeared underneath the fabric.

With a heavy sigh, Reno let his head sink deeper into his pillow.

"That's the part that sucks the most if you ask me. Linnie won't let me sneak out a single minute too early, either." Reno lolled his head sideways, just enough to give Nanaki a tired grin. "Says it's the least I gotta do for her, when I drag her outta bed at two in the morning to patch up my sorry zapped ass."

"More like cooked ass."

"Heh, guess so." He grimaced as he carefully rolled one of his shoulders. "Gotta admit I've never been hit that hard before. Stings a bit, yo."

"And I must admit I did not think you would get up again." Nanaki slashed a fiery line through the air with his tail. "The simple protection on Isa's ring could not have saved you from a blast like that."

"Not on its own, no. Good thing I got a knack for the zappy stuff, huh? Turk suit helps, too."

Nanaki had come across creatures with an affinity before, enabling them to wield a certain kind of magic without materia – or resist its effects. No wonder this one was always so eager to play with his mag rod.

"It is a good thing, indeed."

Reno's chuckle was more like a wheeze in his throat.

"Keep saying things like that, Furball, and you're gonna make me think you like me after all."

Nanaki tipped his ears forward. "I shall watch my words, then."

Reno's eyes fell shut, a faint smile lingering on his pale lips. Nanaki had begun to wonder if he should take his leave and let the man rest, when Reno sighed deeply and opened them again.

"Everything's pretty blurry after I got zapped. Mind filling me in?"

He listened quietly, staring up at the ceiling with heavy-lidded eyes, as Nanaki went through it all. Even facial expressions seemed like too much of an effort for Reno now, though the punishment that Rufus Shinra had meted out to Mayor Hart was met with a wry smirk.

"Gotta hand it to that devious bastard. He sure knows how to make people pay." As he glanced at the woman sleeping by his side, his smile turned into a frown. "Don't tell her, though, okay? It'll just make her upset. Ain't something she needs to know, anyway."

"You keep many secrets from her."

Reno turned his frown on Nanaki.

"It ain't like that, okay? Shit like this is Turk business. It's better if she don't know anything about it. Hell, I wish I didn't know half the things I do."

"She might not agree."

Reno sighed and was silent a while.

"I did tell her about the other thing, though. The thing you sniffed out the other day, 'bout me, remember?"

Nanaki had to think. "Your… lack of selectivity?"

Reno arched an eyebrow.

"Well, fuck you too, Furball. For the record, I'm plenty selective. I just don't select based on what someone's got in their pants, is all."

"Noted." The man didn't appear upset, so Nanaki tilted his ears forward. "Apologies for my poorly 'selected' words."

"Heh, sure. Don't worry about it." He affirmed it with half a smile, which spread to a grin as he gazed down at Tess. "I told her that night at the safehouse. She didn't seem surprised. We talked for a while, and then she said…" He paused, swallowed. "She said she loves me."

As soon as he had whispered it he giggled, pitched high with disbelief.

Nanaki's tail swished in a tight figure eight. Suddenly he felt very responsible for the advice he had given her.

"What did you reply?"

"Fuck, I don't even know. Knowing me it had to be something dumb, like 'huh?' or 'oh shit'." Reno laughed again. "But then I found my brain again, and…" He smiled and stroked her hair. "I guess I told her I love her too."

Nanaki let out his breath.

"It sounds like your secrets are a problem for you, more than they are for others."

"Heh. Maybe. It's just… hard, y'know? Used to be a bad thing, letting someone this close. Better if people outside the Turks didn't know too much. Better for everyone."

Nanaki had nothing to add, and Reno fell into another contemplative silence. His fingers drew gentle circles on Tess's back as he gazed at her face, soft with deep sleep. Eventually he cleared his throat and looked over at Nanaki again.

"Anyway. What happened next?"

"Excuse me?"

"Last night, after Hart got what was coming to him. What then?"

It took Nanaki a few beats to readjust and return his mind to the events of the previous night.

"I spent the time until dawn making sure we had seized all of the remaining Glimmer. I paired up with one of your fellow Turks for it. The hairless one."

"Rude, huh? Hope the guy didn't give you too much trouble."

"On the contrary, I prefer your partner. He is easy to read."

Reno laughed, sounding more like his usual self.

"That's gotta be the first time anyone's said that about Rude, yo."

He turned away from Nanaki as Tess raised her head, blinking owlishly against the light. Reno smiled and gave her shoulder a small squeeze.

"Hey there, sleepyhead."

She yawned, pushing herself up as she rubbed her eyes.

"We have got to stop meeting like this," she mumbled.

"I hear ya." He chuckled and pulled her closer. "C'mere, babe."

As their lips met, Nanaki focused intently upon a silk screen that stood half-folded near the door. Five-fingered leaves in two shades of green were scattered across the fabric; he counted twelve of them before Tess broke the kiss. She didn't pull back very far, though, for when Nanaki looked back at them, she was resting her forehead against Reno's, her hand cupped over his on the bed. Their eyes were closed and neither of them moved. Nanaki was just about to return to his counting when she drew away and pinned the man on the bed with a firm stare.

"I thought you promised not to get hurt."

"Hey, I promised not to get stabbed or shot," Reno protested with a weak smile. "Ain't my fault that asshole pulled materia on me."

She narrowed her eyes. "Time to add materia to the list, then."

"Yes, ma'am."

Nanaki expected Reno to punctuate his reply with a roll of the eyes, but he just smiled up at her. Her scowl melted away, and she dipped her head down for another kiss. Nanaki counted twenty-two leaves before she straightened back up.

"You're gonna mess this thing up, baby." Reno tapped the device hanging from his neck.

"I'll take that as a compliment." She yawned again, then gave a quiet chuckle. "Sorry. Wanted to be here when you woke up, but that didn't go exactly according to plan."

"Sure it did. Ain't like you vanish when you fall asleep, y'know."

"I hope I didn't snore, at least."

"Don't worry, babe. I'm pretty sure you didn't wake anyone outside this floor." He laughed when she shot him a dirty look. "Kidding, baby. Just kidding."

"Recovered enough to be a jerk, huh?" she retorted with half a smile. "I guess I'll count that as a good sign." She turned her attention to Nanaki, leaning over the bed for a better look. "How about you? All limbs still attached and functional, I hope?"

"All paws present and accounted for," he reported, tipping his ears forward. "But it is time for me to take my leave." He bowed his head at her, then at Reno. "I wish you a quick recovery."

"Don't leave town without a goodbye, yeah?" Reno said.

"I will not." He drew back his lips in a smile. "I am still waiting for that shaken milk you promised me, after all."

Nanaki and Reno had the rooftop to themselves. The barren plateau of brick and concrete belonged to the building with the Turk safehouse, and offered a wide view of Edge's un-scenic eastern side. Gusts of wind whistled through the alleys and the husks of buildings in their final stages of being born, but the breeze did not bother the two of them, sheltered as they were by the wall of the rooftop access at their backs. The air barely moved in their little pocket of stillness, which allowed scents to settle and linger. The most interesting ones came from the tall cardboard cup in Reno's hand, teasing Nanaki's nose with the sparkling scent of some Costan fruit whose name he couldn't remember.

The scent from his own cardboard cup was sweetly familiar. Holding it like a human was out of the question, so Nanaki had lain down and wedged his vanilla milkshake between his front paws. Using the straw had required a bit more trial and error, but he had found his rhythm at last. The downside was a more obstructed view, but he could still see Edge's forest of construction cranes and the skeletal beginnings of the buildings they tended.

Having milkshakes with a Turk, like a pair of old friends. Who would ever have thought?

Were they friends? Nanaki reflected on the question as he thought back on the adventures of these recent days. Not exactly friends yet, perhaps… But they had come far from the enemies they had once been.

"The CID have rounded up their investigation," Reno said. "Seeing how Thorne let me get fried half to death on her watch and all," he gave Nanaki a wink, "I managed to sweet-talk her into giving me the highlights. Turns out the good ol' mayor had a nice lil' haul of materia stashed away in his luggage."

Nanaki's ears perked up. "The materia from the collector?"

The man nodded, mid-slurp from his milkshake.

"From that Golden Orb place, too," he added once he had swallowed his mouthful. "Some of it, anyway. Seems Hart was always fixing to sell the rare pieces overseas, but then his lil' misfit crew ran out of the broken Midgar stuff and started grinding up everything they got their hands on, just to keep their Glimmer operation going."

"Mayor Hart could not have been happy to discover this."

"Yup, and even less happy 'bout the Kalm fuckup."

"You mean the murder of the collector?"

"Uh huh." Reno paused for another sip of milkshake. "Hell, just robbing her would've been bad enough. It's one thing to knock over black market shops in Edge, but when you're fucking with the peaceful civilians in Kalm, you draw way too much attention."

Nanaki gave it some thought over a mouthful of his drink, trying to see it from the human point of view.

"And so the mayor wanted the Wester brothers dead… to cut the trail short?"

"Sounds that way. But once you and me started poking around… Well, now he had even more loose ends to deal with."

"With lightning magic? That seems… unwise."

"Sends a pretty clear message to those in the know, though, don't it?" Reno shrugged. "My guess is Hart was gonna make someone take the fall for the whole thing, only we kept pushing and he ran outta time. So he figured he'd cut and run, ship it all to Costa where people still have the gil for the good stuff."

"And yet with all this 'good stuff', there is still no sign of the materia I seek?"

With a sigh, Reno shook his head. "Sorry, Furball, no luck there. Guess it got ground up before Hart could put a stop to it."

"I see."

The fire of Nanaki's hope went cold. Its ashes were bitter on his tongue.

"But," Reno continued, drawing out the word, "Thorne says Hart also had a list of names on him. The CID thinks it's those potential buyers, and if that's true… Well, chances are some of 'em wanna add to their collection, and one of those collections might have what you're looking for. If and when I manage to charm that list off of someone, I'll hand it over." He shrugged. "It's a long shot… but might be worth checking out."

"Thank you," Nanaki said, though he was unable to muster much enthusiasm. While he appreciated the gesture, it sounded like the kind of detective work that would be far too troublesome for one of his kind.

"Chin up, Furball. Can't have been the last one in the world, yo."

He was probably right, Nanaki mused, yet it was slim comfort. The prospect of having to begin his hunt anew was daunting no matter how he looked at it. The Stigma did not tire and stop like prey, and every dead-end left him further and further behind.

"Fitz got promoted the other day, did she tell ya that?" Reno paused for another sip of his drink. "Project lead. Reports directly to the Prez now."

Surprised, Nanaki looked up from his milkshake. The man's voice revealed very little of his thoughts, but his body was an open book.

"You are not pleased by this."

Reno surveyed the scenery, but the taut line of his jaw suggested his thoughts were elsewhere.

"He had the previous lead killed," he finally said. "Didn't use one of us Turks, though. Hell, he won't even admit to it, but we all know what went down."

His voice was thoughtful, more than anything else. Nanaki didn't know what to make of it.

"Why?"

"Didn't like Kilmister's results, I guess. Ain't gonna argue with that, the guy was fucking useless. Spent most of his time hyped up to his eyeballs. I gotta wonder, though…"

"Wonder what?" Nanaki prodded. Why did the man insist on such a roundabout manner of speech?

"Not using a Turk for the job, then putting Fitz in the guy's place... Can't help thinking the Prez is telling us something."

Reno's train of thought was too convoluted, too human for Nanaki to follow. He read the language of his body instead.

"You believe it is a threat," he concluded.

A strange look crossed Reno's face, as if it was trying to accommodate several thoughts at once.

"Hell… who knows," he sighed, raking his fingers through his hair. "Maybe he was sick of the asshole and wanted someone who actually does their job right. Maybe he's just fucking with my head after that lil' stunt I pulled. But, just maybe…"

"Why would he threaten one who is already willing to help?"

"The guy's running low on time." Reno shrugged. "Bound to make anyone antsy."

Nanaki studied the Turk as he reflected upon his words. Reno's scent betrayed no sign of pain and he was not as deathly pale as he had been in the hospital, but his eyes were still shadowed and weary. He had donned his Turk suit and gone back to work straight from the hospital; or so Tess had told Nanaki, her voice tight with irritation. It seemed Rufus Shinra was pushing both his Turks and his scientists to their limits – and beyond, in certain cases.

The dregs of Reno's milkshake rattled through his straw. He breathed out a slow sigh and smacked his lips.

"So… What's next for ya?"

"I have not yet decided." It wasn't entirely true. Nanaki was planning to track down Cloud Strife and pick through the materia that AVALANCHE had amassed, but that wasn't something Shinra and the Turks needed to know.

"Well, if you ain't in a hurry, maybe you could do me a favor. Stick around for a bit, yeah?"

Nanaki eyed him, surprised by the request.

"Why?"

"Don't like leaving Fitz by herself. Not when the Prez is being a dick, yo."

"Will you not... 'stick around'?"

Reno chuckled.

"I'm gonna be too busy dancing to the Prez's tune. Sounds like I'll be flying way up north for a pickup soon. Might take a few days. She could use the company."

"What interests Shinra in the north?"

Reno glanced at him, raising the corner of his mouth.

"Wouldn't you like to know, kitty cat."

Nanaki couldn't help but tilt his ears forward in amusement as wry as the man's smile. Not exactly friends, no… But he was happy to grant the favor that Reno asked. A few days in the Healen mountains would be a welcome respite, after all the excitement on Edge's streets – and under them. And, if Nanaki was honest, he was in no hurry to resume his lonesome travels. A few more days of friendly company would do him good.

Reno finished his milkshake with one last loud slurp.

"Well, break's over. See you around, Furball."

He touched two fingers to his temple in salutation, then sauntered around the corner of the rooftop access. Nanaki heard the door open and close, and then he was alone.

Nanaki surveyed the cityscape below. It no longer reeked, like it had on the day of his arrival. Perhaps he was too high up to properly experience its smell – or perhaps his nose had grown accustomed to it. What else might he grow accustomed to? The city's glittering towers of metal, concrete, and glass? Its unpredictable humans?

He could certainly get accustomed to vanilla milkshakes, he mused as he slurped another mouthful through the straw. As for the rest… time would tell.

A/N:

Aaaand here we are, at the end. After three years of planning, drafting, re-drafting, and editing this story, it feels so damn good to have reached this point at last.

Special thanks to:

- my long-suffering beta reader Mr. Stompy

- the one and only jbaillier for pointing me to the gruesome facts of electrical burns

- Jeemh for the GORGEOUS fanart (search Tumblr or AO3 for the username)

- YOU for reading the whole darn thing :D

- especially you wonderful people who took the time to comment, favorite & follow!

Thanks so much, everyone! You rock!