When the time came to face off against Cloud and his party—which consisted of him, Tifa, and Nanaki in this case—the last thing Rude felt like doing was fighting them. In fact, neither Elena nor Reno seemed up to the task themselves. When Cloud declared that he didn't want to fight the Turks if they had a choice, Elena seemed stunned by this decision, but Rude quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Reno had to talk Elena down a bit, but in the end, the three of them calmly walked away from the confrontation, allowing AVALANCHE to continue on to the mako cannon.
         At the next juncture, Reno began punching numbers into a security panel near a door, beyond which was a ladder leading back up to the top of the plate. In the meantime, Rude and Elena waited and watched as, at one point, Cid Highwind ran into view, presumably to catch up with his friends. Upon passing the Turks, Cid turned to them and gave them a quick smile. After the pilot was gone, Rude turned to Elena, finding that her eyebrows were askew.
         "Why did we just let them all go like that?" she asked.
         "Things aren't what they seem anymore, Elena," Rude replied. He walked up to Reno once the door was completely open.
         "Rude's right," Reno added. "I mean, think about the conversations we've had with various people ever since leaving the Shinra Building. I believe Cloud and his friends are up to something, sure, but it may have more to do with saving Midgar than taking over the cannon."
         "I don't quite follow you," Elena replied.
         "Listen—Urban Dev. knows that the city is in danger, but for some reason, Heidegger locks the Chairman away and orders his staff captured. What else could Reeve do except turn to his outlaw friends aboard the Highwind?"
         "Okay… I think I get it now."
         "Good. Let's get the hell out of this tunnel."
         Rude and Elena both nodded and followed Reno toward the ladder, and up to the surface.

         A large explosion sounded from the general direction of Sector Eight as they left the alley they had emerged from and walked out onto the street. Without a word to one another, the three Turks gravitated toward that sector.
         Eventually, they came to an intersection in Sector Eight, where ladders and scaffolding had been rigged to support the mako cannon. Beyond this scaffolding was an enormous self-contained fire, like a bonfire, and before it was a lone figure in a blue suit, who stood absolutely still as the sound of distant rescue sirens grew steadily louder. As the Turks silently drew closer, Rude came to recognize the silhouette as Reeve; they collectively stopped when the Urban Dev. chair moved, drawing his hands from his pockets. His left hand was holding something small and round, which Rude couldn't quite make out, and was soon tossed into the fire anyway; meanwhile, a pair of broken handcuffs dangled from his right wrist. Reeve then turned around, stopping mid-turn once he came face to face with the Turks.
         "You got out," Reno said. Reeve's sole reply was a nod. By this time, a fire truck had shown up, and firefighters scrambled off to attend to their work of putting out the flames. Reno spoke again; "What happened here?"
         "I warned her," Reeve said, his face and neck moist with sweat, and his voice hoarse. "I warned her that if she got in our way, we would kill her. She didn't listen, but then again, she never really listened to me."
         Elena was the next one to speak. "Scarlet used the Proud Clod?"
         "Her and Heidegger," Reeve replied. "You knew about this weapon?"
         "I heard about its development from some friends in Weapons Dev. It was designed as an anti-Weapon device, but I never heard anything about them finishing it."
         "Ah." Reeve drew closer to the Turks. "So what do you three plan to do now?"
         "What happened with the cannon?" Reno asked.
         "It's been taken care of, and consequently, so has Midgar. We managed to stop Hojo a little while ago. Cloud and everyone else are all now back on board the Highwind."
         "Is Hojo's dead?"
         "Yes, as is Rufus, most likely. There's no way he could've survived that Weapon's attack. By the way Reno, not one of you has answered my own question. What are your plans? Shinra's done for, and you're all now free to do whatever you like."
         Rude shared glances with his fellow Turks. It was not an easy question to answer.
         "Well, to be honest, I…" Elena started. "I'd kind of like to go home to my dad and brother in Kalm. I want to see them again before Meteor hits."
         Reeve nodded. "What about you, Rude? You have family in the Junon region, correct?"
         "Yes, but…" Rude couldn't continue, and found his gaze wandering to Elena. He knew he had to see his relatives once more before the fated day, but there were other priorities on his mind as well.
         "And you, Reno?"
         The Head Turk stared at Reeve with a flat expression before replying, "I have no living relatives."
         For some reason, Reeve seemed to accept this non-answer of Reno's, and turned back to Elena.
         "Before you leave for Kalm, I want you to do me a favor. There's a house in the Sector Five slums—"
         "The one occupied by Elmyra Gainsborough and Marlene Wallace?"
         Reeve paused, seemingly taken aback. "…Yes. Anyway, I want you to take Elmyra and Marlene along with you to Kalm. If we succeed in defeating Sephiroth, then chances are they'll be safer there than in Midgar. If not, well… then no one will be safe, anywhere."
         Now here was an interesting twist in the conversation. "'We'?" Rude asked. "Who's 'we'?"
         Reeve gave him a small smirk and replied, "Who do you think?"

*****

         As Reeve said he had some things to take care of at the Shinra Building, he proceeded to say farewell to each of them in turn. Rude had received one of those combination handshakes and hugs that men give each other, along with a brief exchange of words, including something which Reeve whispered in his ear. Elena herself was next. She wasn't sure what to do when Reeve came before her; she had trouble even looking him in the eye. However, Reeve himself didn't seem to have this problem, as he took hold of Elena and gave her a brief, polite hug.
         "Good luck to you, and make sure Elmyra and Marlene stay safe."
         Elena nodded. "I will, and you take care of yourself. I'm sure we'll meet again when this is all over."
         Reeve smiled, or at least it seemed he was trying to, before giving Elena a second hug. While in his grip, she took the opportunity to whisper, "What was that you said to Rude?"
         He whispered back, "Nothing you need to worry about," before letting go of her.
         It was now Reno's turn, but all he and Reeve did was step aside from the others and talk to each other for a moment. The two of them parted with a mere handshake, and Reeve walked off in the direction that the three Turks had come from. After they watched him go, Elena looked over at Reno inquisitively; she did not need to say anything, as he seemed to know what was on her mind.
         "I'm meeting up with Reeve later tonight, if you must know. So even though he might not ever see you two again, that's not the case with me."
         "You aren't coming with us to Kalm, then?" Rude asked.
         Reno shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, I love you guys, but…"
         Elena smiled at her boss—no, her friend. "Reno, whatever you decide to do is fine with me. How about you, Rude?"
         "I can agree to that," Rude replied. "We're Turks, right? We have to trust in one another."
         It was after Rude had said that when Reno and Elena shared glances. She had been through so much ever since joining the Turks, and many of her best—and worst—experiences had been with this rambunctious redheaded young man from Cosmo Canyon. All of these experiences circulated around in one big jumble in her head as they looked at each other; she hated to think that it might all come to an end.
         Breaking the shared gaze, Reno clapped Elena on the shoulder with one hand, and Rude on his upper arm with his other. "So what're we doing still standing around here? Let's go get one last drink for the road."

         Ironically enough, the first bar they came to, which the three Turks quickly settled on, was McAllister's—the very same place Reeve had taken her to the day he had become her new neighbor, and first introduced her to Reno. The bar was much quieter on this night than it had been back then—doubtless because of Heidegger's imposed curfew—but it was still open and there were even a few customers around, enacting their own quiet defiance of martial law.
         Reno ordered a pitcher from the bar, and the Turks settled into a booth near the back, where they filled their glasses and raised them in a toast.
         "To the Turks, past and present," Reno declared. "To Rude, to Elena, to Yoshiro and Tseng, to Sasha and Garamonde, to Vincent and the others we never knew."
         "And to you too, Reno," Rude added. Elena nodded and smiled affirmatively.
         Reno chuckled. "Yeah, and I guess to me too. By our scars, we live and die simultaneously. We were born of the Planet, we live with the Planet, and it is to the Planet we shall return, when it is our time, only to be born again."
         "Reno…" Elena said, "that last part—it's beautiful."
         "Glad you like it, but you should thank my old teacher Bugenhagen for that one," Reno replied with a smirk. "Cheers."
         Elena and Rude each returned the "cheers", and the three of them clinked their glasses and drank.

         They talked for what seemed like ages, but was only actually a short time; yet it was not until the following morning that Elena noticed they only talked about the past and the present, and not at all about the future. This was understandable, as Meteor's estimated date of arrival was only a week from that night, and there was no way to tell whether or not Reeve's newfound friends aboard the Highwind would be successful in whatever it is they were planning to do in order to stop the thing.
         However, the overall tone of the conversation changed once Rude excused himself to go to the restroom, leaving her and Reno alone with their half-empty glasses. Once Rude was gone, Reno leaned over and asked Elena, "Do you remember anything about the last time the three of us went out together? You know, before me and Rude left for Junon?"
         Elena suddenly felt very awkward. "No… Actually, I don't remember a thing." This was true; she couldn't recall a single thing from between the first part of dinner and her waking up with a pounding headache the following morning. "I must've gotten pretty drunk, huh?"
         "Elena, you were fucking smashed."
         "Oh…" She thought about why Reno was bringing this up, when a thought came to her and she felt her cheeks grow warm. "I… didn't do anything embarrassing, did I?"
         "Well, you did swear out loud a little. And when we left the restaurant, you told us you were going home, then nearly walked off in the wrong direction."
         "Is that all? Thank goodness…"
         "Nope. After we walked you to your apartment, you said good night to me and Rude."
         Elena just stared at him, waiting for him to go on. "And?"
         "You hugged me and kissed me on the cheek…"
         "And?"
         Reno smirked. "And you slobbered all over Rude's ear. Nibbled at it, too. You looked like you were really into it."
         "What?" she exclaimed, trying not to raise her voice too much.
         "You like him a lot, huh."
         Elena wasn't sure how to reply; in the meantime, both her cheeks and her ears were burning up.
         "Is he really going to Kalm with you?"
         "I… I hope he does. Even if he does go to see his family beforehand, I kind of want him to be with me at the end. I can't explain it…"
         A smile crossed Reno's face, one that Elena found warm and soothing. He lay his hand on top of hers, which was resting on the table beside her glass, and gave it a small squeeze.
         "And what about you?" Elena asked. "You're not honestly going to stay here, are you?"
         Reno withdrew his hand and began fishing around in his coat. He soon pulled out a cigarette and lighter. "I have to. There's some things Reeve and I have to work out."
         "How… how have things been recently between you two?"
         "After—well, you know—we weren't talking for awhile, but that seems to have changed." Reno lit his cigarette and looked past Elena. "Welcome back, big guy."
         Elena turned her head to see Rude walking toward their table. "What were you two talking about?" he asked.
         "Oh, you know," Reno replied. "Stuff."
         She could sense Rude's eyes upon her, awaiting her own reply. "Yeah, stuff. Nothing much."
         After Rude reclaimed his place at the table, Elena glanced over at Reno, and they exchanged smiles for a moment.
         Thank you, Reno, Elena thought, for your kindness and friendship. I do hope you know what you're doing…

*****

         Nothing had happened between him and Reeve the previous night. Once they had gotten to his place, all they did was smoke, drink, and talk for a few hours before going to sleep in separate rooms. Reeve told him about his last conversation with Yoshiro and the treachery Rufus had committed four years prior, showing him the contents of the oblong box—the murder weapon, the documents, the photographs. When the topic of Rocket Town and Kayane came up, Reno felt himself reluctant to discuss it at first, but eventually he opened up to Reeve, the anger and pain from seven years ago unleashed once more, but with no mutation to show for it this time around. Reeve, for his part, listened in silence, not so much as commenting on Reno's story, even after it was all over.
         It was not until after Reno asked Reeve why Rufus would be mad at him, and Reeve—almost reluctantly, it seemed—gave his answer, that the Turk decided to hand in the Cait Sith report the following morning. Reno did understand why Reeve had treated Rufus the way he did, especially in light of what he had just been told about the elder Tseng's murder, but he could also see things from Rufus' point of view. After all, he had been in that same position himself, when the spy in question was named Kayane; although, to Reeve's credit, he never crossed certain lines that that Wutaiese bastard had been all too eager to. It was just Reno's little way of leveling the playing field; although he detested Rufus, the President deserved to know the truth, especially considering Reeve's recent treatment of him.
         On the night everything fell apart, Reeve only mentioned the Cait Sith report once, shortly before Reno left with Rude and Elena and the Urban Dev. Chair made his way back to the chaotic mess that was the Shinra Building.
         "Rufus got your report, by the way."
         "Oh yeah?"
         "Yeah. I understand why you turned it in to him, so I'm not upset with you about it."
         Reno nodded, and that was the end of it.

         While at the Shinra Building, Reeve had seen to it that any imprisoned Urban Development staffers were freed, then called a meeting of whatever high-level managers and military personnel he could get ahold of. As he told Reno later, plans to evacuate the Upper City into the Slums were decided upon, and when a SOLDIER captain pressed the question of what, if anything, was being done about Meteor, Reeve simply responded that he had an outside team looking into the problem. In addition, a plan had been put in place to cut worldwide mako consumption by fifty percent in these final days; Reeve noted that he would shut off all the reactors permanently if he could but for the knowledge that the modern world needed to go on, even under the current crisis, and that there was simply no time to implement alternatives.
         It turned out that afterward, Reeve had attended a second meeting, but this time as Cait Sith aboard the Highwind. When he and Reno met up again outside the Shinra Building, Reeve told him about it during the course of their conversation.
         "After the meeting, we all walked back to the bridge. I bid my friends good-bye, and good luck, then shut Cait down."
         "What was the meeting about?"
         "Cloud wants each one of us to find within ourselves just what it is we're fighting for, and offered to drop us off anywhere in the world. We can choose not to come back if we want to, but…" A small smile crossed Reeve's face. "…I don't think any one of us would dare consider that option. And that even goes for our resident materia thief. What about you? How'd things go with Rude and Elena?"
         Curious, Reno thought. The order that he said their names in this time… "All right, I guess. I thought it was hard to say goodbye before that Gelnika mission, but now it's for real. I sure as hell hope you and your buddies know what you're doing, 'cause it pains me to know what'll happen if you all fuck up."
         Reeve chuckled nervously, and they left the Shinra Building.

         First, they headed to Reeve's place, where they picked up a few of his necessities and mementos, including the framed picture and lacquer box. From there, they made their way to Reno's slightly smaller apartment. They called a local restaurant to have some food delivered, as neither of them had eaten in some time, then proceeded to lounge about the living room where they talked a little bit, but mostly spent the time in silence, just waiting for their dinner to arrive. Once it did, they ate, still in the living room, still in relative silence. After finishing up the last of the meal, Reno looked over at Reeve and asked, "What's been on your mind all this time?"
         "What an idiot I've been, and what I can do to fix it."
         Reno shrugged and started to clear away the takeout containers. "Don't worry about it. I don't hold anything against you."
         "It's not just you. It's a lot of things."
         "You thinking about that meeting Cloud called on the Highwind?"
         "Yeah. Other things as well."
         "Don't think too hard, or you'll go crazy." With a bag of garbage left over from the meal in hand, Reno walked out of the living room and into the kitchen to dump it in the trash can. When he came back into the living room, he was startled to find Reeve reclining on the couch, shirt undone, with one hand resting on his stomach while the index finger on his other idly traced the rim of his glass of beer on the coffee table. The expression on his face was stern, but not unkind.
         "Reeve—" Reno started, but the rest of the words got stuck in his throat.
         The bearded man's eyes roved away from his glass and up to Reno's face. "Take off your shirt," he calmly ordered.
         Reno swallowed hard. Upon first seeing Reeve like this, he had suspected something was going on, but this demand fully confirmed it, and he knew exactly what it entailed. Nevertheless, he did as he was told, and started fidgeting with the buttons.
         Reeve removed his hand from the glass, and folded it atop the other on his lean abdomen. "You're doing it all wrong. Don't you remember that wonderfully smooth performance you gave back at the Gold Saucer?"
         Reno stared at Reeve incredulously, but at the same time felt the blood rush to his face. Reeve was right: what was wrong with him? He should be jumping for joy at this opportunity to set things right—that's what this was, wasn't it? After clearing his throat, he rebuttoned the shirt and started over again, but found that flicking the buttons loose from their eyelets as effortlessly as he had done over a year ago was much harder now than it had been back then. Reno eased the shirt off as best he could and let it fall to the floor, while Reeve watched, now propping his head up with one hand.
         "I suppose that'll have to do. Now, you know what comes next."
         Indeed he did, but as Reno stepped toward the couch, he felt the lump in his throat return, and it was larger this time. His coffee table was made of plain, ordinary wood, but telling himself that fact did nothing to quell the anxiety within him. He could potentially suffer a pain which would be greater than any type of physical harm he knew of, despite everything Reeve had told him over the past two days. He knew that this whole thing Reeve was putting him through now was a test, and he was failing. Reno shook his head.
         "I'm sorry, but… I can't go any further."
         Reeve nodded. "I wasn't necessarily expecting you to. I just wanted to know if you had mental scars of your own, left over from that incident. I didn't think you'd ever really understood the impact that incident had, at least on me."
         "Well, I think I do now."
         "Mmm." Reeve sat up a little ways and extended his arm out to Reno. "Come closer."
         Reno took a couple of steps forward, his own arm outstretched. Reeve gripped his hand and suddenly pulled Reno down on top of him. Finding that his face was now only a few inches away from Reeve's, the redhead's heart beat furiously and his breathing grew short. Reeve gently placed a hand against Reno's cheek.
         "Calm down. Believe me—I won't do anything to hurt you, not ever again. I'd sooner kill myself than to let that happen."
         Still, Reno found himself trembling a little in Reeve's touch; it was only after he felt the latter's lips brush against his own that he began to feel at ease. By the time their mouths and tongues became inseparable, their bodies pressed hard against each other, their legs intertwined and their hands caressing or playing with whatever part of the other they could get ahold of, the anxiety had melted away for good.

         Later that night, they washed their sweat and other assorted other bodily fluids away in the shower together, though their wet, soapy bodies threatened—and succeeded—to make more in the process. Afterwards, when he was thoroughly dried off, not to mention physically spent, Reno collapsed into bed next to Reeve. If what Reeve had told him in the past was true, then he had never made love to another man before, although Reno wouldn't have known it judging by what had just preceded. Despite the few requisite moments of awkwardness, it had all seemed so natural and perfect. He lay on his side, his body nestled comfortably against Reeve's. Aside from the occasional shift of a limb, neither of them moved. Finally, after what could've either been minutes or hours, Reeve broke the relative silence of the dark, somber room.
         "I have a confession to make."
         Reno laughed slightly. The past two days had been riddled with Reeve's confessions; what was the big deal about another one? Yet apparently, Reeve didn't see things quite this way.
         "This is important. It's not about the past, but the future."
         Reno's smile lessened, but did not disappear altogether. "Sorry, I didn't realize. So go ahead, confess."
         "I've been thinking about that meeting on the Highwind."
         "Still? What about it?"
         "Perhaps I should join them in person to help them fight Sephiroth."
         Reno wasn't sure what to say to this, but he could tell from the tone of Reeve's voice that it was an option he was seriously considering.
         "If I do decide to go this route," Reeve continued, "you should come with me. I'm sure the others would appreciate your help."
         "Yeah but… they're your friends. I'd be too much of an outsider."
         "But I can't leave you behind. Especially not now."
         "Then don't go."
         "Eh?"
         "Isn't Cait Sith already on board the Highwind? You don't need to be there as long as you have him. And I'm sure that your presence here in Midgar would be much appreciated by its residents."
         After a brief moment of silence, Reeve replied, "Yeah… maybe you're right. I'll think about it some more then."
         "Okay." The room fell silent again, but it was an uneasy sort of silence. Reno twisted around to face Reeve. "I have to know… is there something else on your mind?"
         "Yes. I was thinking about what'll happen if we succeed in defeating Sephiroth."
         "Well it'll stop Meteor, right? You guys seem to know that much, though I'm sure you haven't told me everything."
         Reeve nodded. "Sephiroth is somehow preventing Holy, a spell Aeris cast before she died, from reaching the Planet. At this point, Holy is the only thing that can take care of Meteor."
         "Wait a minute," Reno said. "I've heard of this so-called 'Holy' magic, but materia for it has never been found in a pure state. The only Holy-elemental magic known to exist is the summon Alexander."
         "Aeris had a such a materia. It was that pale bauble she always wore in her hair."
         "What? You mean that bunk piece of materia? She once told me that that thing was useless—certainly not an unheard-of phenomenon, especially for such an oddly-colored stone."
         "No, it does have a use. It's White Materia."
         "White Materia… No way…"
         "Yes, Reno. And like the old legend said, it will make all bad things disappear. Bugenhagen himself told us this."
         "'Bad things' means Meteor, right? I don't see what the problem is."
         "Well, 'bad things' might also include humanity itself. Whether or not that'll be the case is up to the Planet."
         Reno was stunned; certainly, this was a type of power he never even dreamed could exist. "Are you serious?"
         "Yes, but… I'm still going to help my friends battle Sephiroth, be it via Cait Sith, or in person."
         "Considering what you've just told me, I hope you come to the right decision about whether or not to join them. As for me, I'm gonna try and get some sleep."
         "You do that. I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep for awhile myself… I've got too much on my mind right now. Sleep well."
         Reno and Reeve shared one final, tender kiss before the former rolled back over and drew the bedsheets close around him. Despite finding himself now preoccupied with Reeve's ponderings, Reno eventually drifted off to sleep.

         It was the sunlight hitting his face which had awakened him the following morning. Reno groaned; out of all of the apartment buildings in Midgar, the sun just had to break through the clouds facing his bedroom window. He remained still for a moment, basking in the temporal warmth and thinking about the previous night, a huge grin spreading across his face as he did so. His eyes still closed, Reno nudged over to Reeve's side of the bed, and found nothing but an faint, oblong indentation in the mattress. Reno's eyes shot open and he propped himself up. Reeve wasn't there, nor did he seem to be anywhere else in the bedroom.
         Reno got out of bed, hastily pulled on some clothes, and checked out the rest of his apartment. Reeve was nowhere to be found. On top of that, there were no notes in plain view, no clues as to where Reeve had gone. However, most of Reeve's stuff was still where they had left it, stacked up in a corner. This sight was a relieving one to Reno, as it seemed to indicate that he hadn't taken off for, say, the bridge of the Highwind. Wherever Reeve went off to, it wasn't far, and he intended to come back. Still, Reno was a little worried. Where could've Reeve gone to that he couldn't have left the Turk so much as a quick note?
         Reno sighed wearily as he trudged into the kitchen and started heating some water for his morning coffee. He then picked up the cordless phone from its place on the wall, hoping all the while that Reeve had his PHS on him.