Smoke and Shattered Mirrors,

By Ealinesse

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Final Fantasy, just the plot to this story, and a couple of painfully annoying original characters. Woohoo. ^_^

Summary: Two months after the events of Word of Mouth, Yuffie and Reno are again thrown together by fate. But this time they must not only rely on each other to keep themselves alive, but sane...

(A continuation of Word Of Mouth, can be read as a stand-alone.)

Warnings: Language, (Kiwi Spelling).

Category: Action/Adventure.

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Prologue: A Prelude To Madness...

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Reno rubbed a weary hand over his eyes in frustration. "We've already been over this, Reeve. He's going to recognise me. He may look dumb as hell, but he's not stupid. It's only been five years since we last met. I haven't changed that much, and-"

"Reno, for the last time he's not going to recognise you. And if you'd just let me explain to you why, then you'd see. Understand?"

"Fine."

"Good." Reeve opened his desk drawer and slid out a plastic bag, placing it very carefully on the table in front of Reno. As the Turk began to open the packaging a little more than reluctantly, he continued. "He orders it every night at eight. One large family pizza from Peter's. Usually, the pizza takes about half an hour to arrive, so that's roughly an eight-thirty arrival. You can see why he isn't going to recognise you now?"

Reno shook his head emphatically, his eyes widening for only a second before they narrowed in disgust at the object of clothing he'd unwrapped. With a solid glare at Reeve he balled up the item and threw it out the office's open window, and began to leave. "No way, Reeve. No fucking way."

"Oh, Reno," Elena cooed in the seat next to him. "Don't tell me you have a problem with knocking on that big bad wolf's door after all this time?"

Reno shot Elena a patent glare, his eyes cold. "You know I don't. In fact, I'm rather looking forward to seeing his brains blown all over the wall. Don't think for a second that I don't want to get that bastard back for what he did to me. But let's see you try and work in that pathetic getup."

"Fine."

"Oh, come on, 'Laney. You know that's disgusting. I'm not some puberty boy that needs to deliver pizza's just to pay for his college degree!"

"No," Reeve cut in. "You're a Turk. May I remind you that you've done much worse in your life than wear this uniform, and you know it."

Reno smirked as he looked out the window of the fourth storey office. "Well, I guess I can't wear it now."

"Actually, you can."

Reno turned to look at Rude, whose mouth was twisted into the smallest of smiles. He cocked his head as his partner procured a plastic bag from behind his back, then tipped a similar set of clothing out onto his lap.

"How the hell…"

"See, Reno?" Elena said smugly. "We knew you'd do something like that. That's why Rude suggested we get another one, just in case."

"Why thanks, Rude," Reno muttered under his breath. He turned to Reeve with a scowl. "You've got more of those bloody things stored away somewhere, don't you?"

"You can count on it, Reno. I don't suppose I need to explain to you why it is so important we take this guy out tonight, now do you? Two months of research go down the drain if this doesn't work. Not to mention if he creates an alliance with the remaining underground factions, then we're going to be in a lot of trouble. If we so much as-"

"I know, I know." Reno waved his hands tiredly in the air. "I do get the idea, Reeve. But you're sure no one else delivers to him? No one else meets with him?"

"… No."

Reno sighed as he picked disgustedly at the item Rude had given him. "I'm going to live to regret this, aren't I?"

A slow smile spread across Reeve's face. "You'll do it then?"

Reno shrugged. "Just one more thing. Where do I hide my weapon?"

As Reeve pulled out yet another object from his desk drawer, Reno groaned and slapped a hand to his face.

"I knew it. I just knew I was going to hate this!"

* * * * *

"Aww, but you look so cute, Reno."

"Can it, Elena," Reno muttered as he proceeded to fit his earpiece. "I don't want to hear it."

"I know you don't, but did I mention that you look so cute! So… now what's the word… pubescent."

Reno counted to ten inside his head and took a deep breath. He tried to remind himself that if he killed her, he'd have no backup tonight, and that couldn't bode well for him in the long run. But goddamn it, couldn't she keep her mouth shut for just a second?

"Reno?"

At Rude's voice he looked up at his partner, then down at his hand as he held out a small black object. He unclenched his fists and took the item. "My locator?"

"Your locator."

Reno blew his breath out through pursed lips as he surveyed his new uniform. He bit back a wince as he failed to find a spot worthy enough to hide it without it being too obvious. "Just great. Where the hell am I supposed to put it?"

"I've already thought of that. Here."

Reno looked at the bum-bag that Reeve had procured warily. "In there?"

"Yes."

"Don't suppose I get any money to keep in it? You know, just in case."

Reeve frowned, and Elena stepped forward. "Already thought of that too. Check in the bag. Perhaps it would be easier for you to pull your weapon on him after you've given him some change. It would look better, and then he wouldn't ask any questions when you don't hand him the pizza box straight away."

Reno bit his lip as he strapped on the bum-bag warily, jingling it slightly to feel the slight weight of loose change. "How much?"

"Thirty dollars petty cash. It should suffice."

"And if he hands me more money than I can give him change for?"

"He hasn't so far."

Reluctantly he climbed into the black van, and Rude and Elena followed quickly, all equally geared up with communications devices, and secondary ammunition – just in case. Reeve stood at the back of the van, his hands behind his back as he fingered his own earpiece.

"Be careful. Remember, I'll be listening in at the function I'm going to be at, so if anything goes wrong meet straight away at the rendezvous point across the strait in Costa Del Sol. You'll be picked up there."

"Quit your stressing, boss," Reno said, and Elena didn't like the look in his eyes. "Donovan is going to get it. No one turns traitor like that and gets away with it."

As the van pulled away from the curb, Reeve shook his head as his assistant tried to hurry him along. "That's what worries me."

* * * * *

"'Of course you'll be able to find your way,' she says. 'It'll be no problem. You just let the taxi drop you off on fourth street, and then you keep on going to the right, and all of a sudden you'll be there.'" Yuffie scowled as she peered into one house, and then the next. She reshuffled her bag over her back and stopped, did a full circle turn, picked a direction, then resumed her rant.

"'Not to mention that there's a store nearby, so you should be able to see it. There's a big pink neon light that says MacClaren's – you can't miss it.'" Yuffie stopped again, cursed, and kept walking. She looked up, left, right, and down. For as far as the eye could see were darkened, rotten houses; old, chilling buildings that didn't look like anyone had lived in them for a long time. "Well I obviously have missed it, Tifa, and I did turn to the bloody right," she muttered. "And by the looks of things I've missed it good."

In the darkness she stumbled on a hidden object. She pinwheeled her arms as she began to tumble forward, but caught herself just in time to save the item tucked under her arm. She let out a sigh as she readjusted the small present into a more secure position. "Is it my fault I'm hopeless with directions? Knowing them they won't even realise I'm gone, and this will be a complete waste of time. I may as well just sit down and stay here until someone comes along."

She didn't bother to mention whether indeed anyone would ever come along. This street looked a long time unused – not the kind of place Tifa would choose to hold her birthday party, at any rate.

Yuffie wandered along for a while, not really sure where she was going. It took her a while, but eventually she found a seat. As her legs began to ache with the unnecessary exercise, she sank more than sat down onto the bench, dumping her bag and the small parcel down beside her. She closed her eyes, ignoring the dank smell and the eerie darkness of the location.

"Trust me to get lost inside an alley," she muttered. "Last time I let Tifa give me directions for Midgar." She held back the memories such a place brought up, and instead focussed on playing with the golden ribbon wrapped around the object. It wasn't until it was snatched rudely out of her hands that she noticed she wasn't alone.

Yuffie snapped her eyes open and allowed them only a little time to adjust to the darkness before leaping to her feet. It was another second before she managed to register the small boy in front of her, holding her parcel in his hands.

"Hey!" she yelled as he began to sprint away.

"… Catch me if you can!" came the small voice as it receded into the darkness.

There was no decision to be made. Yuffie slung her bag over her shoulder, readjusted her shuriken, and began chasing the boy down the alley. That present had been expensive, and if she lost it there'd be no way she'd be able to get it remade in time for Tifa's party. She was going to kill the little brat.

She scowled. At least when she'd stolen off people they'd not known it at the time. This boy was just plain untalented.

* * * * *

"Reno, calm down."

"I am calm," he hissed into the small microphone. "Whatever makes you think I'm not calm?"

"I can see you from my position. You're going to crush the pizza box if you squeeze it any harder. We've still got half an hour at least before we have to go in there. Stop worrying. It will go as planned."

Reno winced and relaxed his grip on his cardboard box which held his weapon inside. "Fine." He readjusted himself on the rooftop, and resisted the urge to punch the living shit out of anything he could get his hands on. Right now he was nervous. No, that wasn't it. He was never nervous.

… Apprehensive?

Yeah, that was it.

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, merely lying there for a while before he grew bored of that. He was about to ask the time when he caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye, and the sound of heavy footfalls alerted him to activity down in the alleyway. He frowned and leaned closer.

"Rude? You see that?"

"Affirmative. But it's not coming from inside Donovan's hold. It's in the alley itself."

"Gotcha."

There was silence for a moment as the two tried to see just who it was. Eventually Reno gave up on normal vision, and instead opted for his night-vision goggles. He leaned in closer, only just making out the dirty figure of a small boy. He looked like he was off the streets, and he had a small item tucked under his arm as he darted from one shadow to the next. It was more than obvious he was hiding from someone.

"Shit," he mumbled. Get out of here, boy, he thought. Scat before you see too much.

"That's not all, Reno."

Reno felt the urge to wince as he heard Elena's voice over the other end of the line. "What is it?" he muttered.

"Wait until you see who's chasing him. Incoming to your right. ETA approximately five seconds."

Reno felt himself leaning right over the edge of the rooftop as he waited for whoever it was to come into his range of vision. "Come on," he growled out through clenched teeth. "Hurry up." He glanced at his watch, nearly groaning in annoyance as he realised the time. Twenty minutes to go.

When he looked up he realised he'd missed it. Well, at least he thought he had. There was no way the figure he'd just seen could be here now. It just wasn't possible. As the figure ducked around the corner before he could so much as deny or confirm his sighting, he called out to his partner over the radio, who was located on the rooftop just a way away from him.

"Rude?"

"Yuffie," Rude confirmed.

"Oh, shit." He got to his feet straight away, fear and anger gripping his heart as he clambered over the edge of the roof. "What the hell is she doing?"

"By the way she's yelling I think the boy has something of hers."

"She's yelling? She's going to bring Donovan down around us!"

Before he knew what he was doing he was climbing down the ladder to the building and slipping out of the adjacent alley. He ran swiftly, trying not to draw any undue attention to himself as he slipped past the only lit house in the block.

He found her at the end of an alley, facing away from him as she scavenged the shadows for sight of the small thief. He took a silent step forward, then another, finally getting himself in range enough to pull her back against him. He did so quickly and efficiently, clapping a hand over her mouth as she began to struggle.

"Stop it," he hissed against her ear. "It's just me."

Reno felt her freeze against him for a moment, before slumping in relief. He let go of her as she turned around to face him, her eyes still wide enough to show her shock.

"Reno?" She frowned as she surveyed his clothing, a small smirk finding its way onto her face even though it was still clear she was confused. "Delivery boy? I see you've finally found your place in life."

"Enough," he whispered tersely. "You've got to get out of here."

Yuffie's frown deepened as she looked him in the eye. Any trace of amusement fled her face as she realised he was serious, and no amusing comment she could come up with was going to change that. "What d'you mean? That little shit stole my stuff!"

"If you stay here a moment longer you're going to have more than stolen goods to worry about."

"… What are you doing here?"

"None of your business," Reno muttered. He leaned forward to grab her arm, but she danced just out of his reach, her hazel eyes narrowed. "Brat, I don't have time for you to be difficult!"

"Well if you'd explain to me what's going on, then-"

"I don't have time!" He pointed and continued in a hushed whisper. "See that building? There's a stakeout taking place here tonight, and if you're smart you'll get the hell out of here while you still can. We've been waiting for this chance for years, please don't stuff it up."

Yuffie lowered her eyes at the tone in his voice, and drew circles on the ground with her toe. "If you tell me where fourth street is."

"Goddamn it, Yuff!" He scowled, but then frowned when he saw she was serious. "Okay, okay. Follow the road to the end of this alley, turn right when you get to the end and keep going straight ahead, then go left at the big pink sign. You got me?"

"… All right, then." Yuffie seemed to sense his frustration, and instead of commenting further she began to walk away. "Nice to see you too."

Reno winced at the tone in her voice and ran the few steps to catch up with her. "Wait." He tugged at his lip, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "So… what'd you lose, exactly?"

"Just a present. Nothing important."

"Ah. For who?"

"Tifa. It's her birthday."

"Oh, so that's why Reeve wouldn't tell us where he was going tonight."

There was no answer.

Reno sighed as he reached the point where he was set to turn off, and ran a hand through his hair when Yuffie refused to comment. He watched as she hesitated for a second, then turned to face him.

"Good luck, Turk," she muttered, before turning to leave.

"Yuff?" he called back, wincing at how his voice rung out a little too loudly for his liking through the alley.

"Yeah?"

Reno grimaced at the expectant look in her eyes, not liking how his next words were going to sound. "Promise me you won't hang around here tonight. This place isn't safe."

To this Yuffie raised an eyebrow ever-so slightly, her expression curious but wary. "Don't worry, Reno. I'm not an invalid."

He scowled. "Promise me."

Yuffie winced at the look in his eyes and ducked her head. Why did he sound so worried? She sighed. "All right."

"Good."

Without further comment the two split ways, and Reno couldn't help but think he'd handled things a little badly - even for him. He scaled the ladder, knowing that it was for the best. There was no way it was safe for anyone to be around here tonight. Donovan was unpredictable and dangerous. It wouldn't do to let anyone slip within his grasp.

He was near the top of the ladder when he heard a small scuffling noise. He was about to accuse Yuffie of not keeping her word when a small figure darted out of the shadows and into the other. It was too small to be Yuffie.

Even so, he knew just who it was.

Reno checked his watch, and after assuring himself that he had enough time to deal with the small thief, he leapt off the ladder and slipped into the darkness of the alley with only the smallest of details to Rude.

* * * * *

It took him nearly five minutes to reach the boy without alerting him to his presence. That was five minutes too long, according to his nerves. Reno slipped up beside the boy as he looked about to slip through a small gap in a wall of one of the old buildings. In the darkness he looked like nothing more than a scrap of rags, and for a moment he felt a stab of pity.

… That was before he caught sight of the small box-like object that was tucked under his arm. Reno frowned and closed up the remaining proximity between the two. As the boy began to swing under the small gap Reno grabbed the scruff of his shirt and pulled him back.

"You know, a little birdie once told me that stealing isn't very nice."

As the small boy began to struggle, Reno snatched the small box out of his grip and placed it on the floor of the alley. He pulled the boy in closer. He cocked his head as he lifted the boy up to eye level. "They also told me that stealing from ladies is even worse."

"Spare me your sob story, delivery boy!" the small boy said. "You're only one step up from me. What's the matter, can't make ends meet either?"

Reno scowled, making note to have words with Reeve when he got back about his so-called 'disguise'. "I think you'll find that I'm little bit more than that, boy. Ever heard of the Turks?"

Reno caught sight of the boy's fright for just a moment before he covered it up. "Ah, so you have."

"You're not a Turk."

"On the contrary," Reno said, pulling out his badge from his pocket. A dark grin found its way onto his face. "I am. See this? This proves it. Now get out of here before you regret even trying to continue this conversation."

He dropped the boy and placed his foot on top of the small box as the thief made a grab for it. "I don't think so."

A bitter scowl found its way onto the boy's face. "Me and my sister aren't going to eat for a week now, you know that, Turk? Think you're the best, don't you? All your money. All you do is pillage and murder, trade sides when it's of greater benefit to you. You're lower than a thief. You know that, right?"

Reno blew his breath out slowly between his lips as a deep frown found its way onto his face. "All too well," he muttered. Before he could stop himself he was digging into the bum-bag and scavenging through the change Elena had given him. When he found one he deemed appropriate, he held it out to the boy. "Here's twenty gil. Spend it wisely."

The boy eyed the note warily, his hand poised just out of reach. "… No tricks?"

"No tricks," Reno said, and the boy took it. "Now get out of here before you get caught up in all of this."

The boy complied gratefully and left without a backward glance. Reno sighed as picked the small object up and began to climb the ladder, realising he had ten minutes until the mission was a go.

"Was that wise?" he heard Rude say over the line. "That boy's just going to spend it straight away on nothing in particular. What if you needed that change for Donovan?"

"I'd rather the boy be starved and alive than dead on the floor of an alley because we couldn't stop him from doing what he did best."

"All right."

"Now was that me, Rude, or did those words hold pity? You know, I think you're growing a heart after all, Reno." came Elena's voice over the line. "You aren't getting soft on us, are you?"

"Funny, Elena," Reno muttered. "Really funny. Rude, how long?"

"Ten minutes," called Rude.

"Then I suggest we get ready."

That was enough to silence the three of them, and without any more need for speech Reno began sorting all of the items he would need. He checked his gun twice, and heard the familiar clicks over the line that indicated Rude and Elena were doing the same. When he was done he sat back against a raised part of the old building's roof and waited for the time to pass, hoping like hell both the boy and Yuffie had had the sense to leave while they still could.

* * * * *

In their moment of distraction none of the three Turks saw the figure as it peered out from beneath the curtains of the house. Nor did they hear the back door to the house open, or see the small figure slip inside.

"Mister Donovan, sir?"

"What is it, boy?"

"Y-you said to alert you to anyone I saw around here, sir."

This seemed to get the man's attention. The boy watched as the man looked up from the table, an intense look in his bright blue eyes.

"Well, what is it, boy? Spit it out. If there's someone there then I need to know! Is it the pizza boy?"

"Y-yes. I mean, no! No! He was dressed like one, b-but he said… that-"

Donovan was on his feet instantly. "What do you mean he was dressed like one."

"W-well, he said he was a Turk, sir."

"A Turk?" Donovan's eyed narrowed. "Did he tell you his name? What did he look like?"

"N-no name, sir. B-but h-he had red hair."

"… Anything else?"

"Two scars, sir."

"Where?"

"One on each cheek, under each eye."

The man grabbed the boy by the collar and pulled him in so close their noses almost touched. "Did he tell you why he was here?"

"N-no. He just told me to get out of h-here before I got caught up in what's going to happen."

"He didn't tell you what? You didn't see anyone else? Answer, boy, this is important!"

"No. No one else was there, sir. J-just a girl, who left a while ago."

Donovan dropped the boy and fished a few notes out of his pocket, before shoving him roughly out of the back door. He faced the group of men playing cards in the other room. "Men, grab your guns. It looks like we've got someone to kill tonight after all."

With that the man turned to the window, his Mako eyes cold. A cold grin formed on his face as he fingered the gun at his side. "Well, Reno. It looks like we will be meeting again after all."

* * * * *

Author's Notes: First chapter, new story, all-new madness! ~_^ Feel free to drop me a review to tell me what you think.