Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy VII ❯ Chapter 20: Heart Broken ( Chapter 20 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Reno was standing facing the window when Tifa came into the room. His arms were crossed over his chest. He obviously wasn't to happy with her. She tried talking to him and called his name a few times, but he refused to move. Not a word escaped his lips. He didn't as so much spare her a glance.
"Reno, please talk to me!" Tifa begged sitting on the bed.
He turned to her, his eyes were red and his face showed signs of dried tear lines. "I can't believe you," he said in a soft voice.
"What? What'd I do?" she questioned confused.
"I thought you said you didn't feel anything for Cloud!" he exclaimed and his eyes got teary.
"I don't!" Tifa said standing.
"Then why'd you run down to him so fast?" Reno asked in a hushed whisper.
"Reno, I was worried. When Cloud gets near Sephiroth, he does things that he can't control," she said calmly.
He scowled at her and made a half turn towards the window again.
"Reno, my heart belongs to you. I found out that I don't feel for him any more....not since you came into my life. If I would've still cared like that for Cloud, I would've done more than just running and asking if he was ok," Tifa explained.
Reno didn't say anything to this either. He fully turned to the window as he was before. Tifa went over to him and put her arms over his shoulders. She leaned against his back, so she was pressed against him. Reno hestitanly touched her hands with his own. He siged and shook his head, his ponytail brushing Tifa's neck and chest.
"I don't know Tifa...." he said sadly.
"Oh, Reno don't talk like that....please don't talk like that," she begged gently.
"Why shouldn't I?" he questioned.
"Because Reno...." she replied and leaned closer so that her lips touched the brim of his ear, "...I love you." The last part was said in a whisper.
Reno tensed up. He drew in his breath in a silent gasp. He wasn't sure how to react to the news she had just given him. He relased his breath and turned to her. "Do you really mean that?" he asked in the softest whisper.
"Yeah, I do," Tifa said nodding with an embrassed smile.
Reno didn't say anything once more. His face was beat red and he was unsure how to answer that. Tifa watched his nervousness and knew that a change of subject was due. She sighed and sat down again.
"Can I check your wound?" she asked changing the subject.
Reno jerked a little to the sound of her voice again, he had went into a daze. "Yeah....sure," he said sitting beside her and turning so she had access to his left shoulder.
Reno pulled off his jacket and then started to unbutton his white shirt. Finally he had both shirts off and was sitting in front of Tifa, bare backed. Tifa raised her hands up his shoulder and lightly touched the bandges. She slowly unwrapped them from his shoulder. She gasped, the cut was gone, there was no scab, nothing, but what had really caught her attention was the small patch of black on his shoulder blade. Reno looked over his shoulder at her.
"What?" he questioned.
"Reno you have....you have stigma," she said just above a whisper.
"What?!" he exclaimed reaching a hand behind him and touching the rough black tinted skin. "No....."
"Sephiroth did this.....that's what he meant when he said he'd bring stigma back. Reno, when he stabbed you, he gave you the Stigma," Tifa said sadly.
He lurched forward, dropping his head into his hands. He was silent and didn't move from the postion for a very long time. Tifa stood and paced. She didn't know what could be done. That's when she remembered something from a year ago. Aeris had healed all the children with stigma and then gave that capibility to Cloud. Which meant that Aeris could possibly heal Reno before the stigma spreaded through out his whole body. Tifa wasn't sure she would want to touch Reno now that she knew he had stigma. She had always feared that if you touched the infected areas, you would get stigma too. She stood and moved to the window. Reno raised his head and looked at her.
"You act like you don't wanna be around me," he said a little hurt by her movement.
"I just don't want to get stigma," Tifa said clutching her arms and leaning against the window.
"You're digusted by it, aren't you? You fear touching me now....you're treating me like I have a very bad disease," Reno said letting the hurt show in his voice.
"I just don't want to get stigma!" she insisted.
He stood approaching her. "That didn't stop you before....." he said stopping in front of her.
"Please, I don't want to get it too," Tifa begged softly.
Reno had her pinned against the window. (cutrains are shut) She wrapped her arms around her tightly. She was afarid to touch Reno, she was scared that she'd get stigma too. Tifa wouldn't look at Reno, she knew he was hurt just by the tone in his voice. That was another one of her fears, she didn't want to see the expression of rejection on his face, she was scared of hurting him. Reno didn't back up, even though Tifa was obviously rejecting their closeness. He moved forward, until Tifa was forced to touch his skin. She looked up at him alarmed the minute his skin touched her.
"Don't be afraid...I'm not going to hurt you," he said trying to shake off the pain in his voice.
She just looked at him and nodded. "I know, I know...I'm just..." she choked out.
"Afraid of the stigma? I know you are, but you have to overcome your fears....I did. If you get stigma, then we can find a cure together," he finished.
Tifa smiled, she knew Reno was right. It wouldn't matter if Reno gave her the stigma, not if Aeris could cure it. She nodded very very slowly. "You're right Reno, I shouldn't be afraid. If I get stigma then we can cure it as a couple," she said.
Reno smiled to her words. "I'm so glad you agree," he said happily.
"Yes, but there is just one question I have," Tifa replied.
"What's that?" he questioned.
"When are we going to tell the others about us?" she asked.
"We'll tell them, if you catch the stigma that I have," Reno said.
"And if I don't?" she questioned.
"Well...then we wait until I feel like telling them," he answered.
She nodded in agreement. "I can live with that," Tifa said her grin turning into a smile.
He backed away now and let her get away from the window. She sat on the bed again and sighed. She looked over at him. He was still standing by the window with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Now who's afraid to touch who?" she asked.
Reno smiled shyly. "What do you suggest I do?" he questioned shrugging.
Tifa smiled back and beckoned to him. He hesitated, but then went over and sat beside her. Tifa reached out and gently touched his face, he just stared at her as she did so. Then she dropped her hand from his face and ran her hand over his chest and stomach. Reno moved away a little, surprised by her touch. She smiled at him again and watched his surprised reaction. She scooted closer to him and reached out her hand again. This time he didn't flinch, he let Tifa touch his bare chest. Finally her hands went back up to his face again. She leaned into him, not holding any thing back. She kissed Reno firmly and deeply. Again he was surprised by her firm touch, but he didn't jerk away, he just hesitated. After a second of hesitation he kissed her back just as deeply. Tifa moved her hands from his face and over his bare shoulders. She hesitated and pulled away for a moment as she felt the rough patch beneath her palm. Her hands were now stationed on his shoulder blades.
"What's wrong?" he whispered.
She blinked back into reality and smiled at him. "Your hair....I've never seen it down..." she said.
"What?" he said and then laughed. "Are you serious?"
"Take it down, or I will," she said smiling wider.
"Ah, so I don't have a choice do I?" he asked sarcastically.
"No, sorry," Tifa said half laughing and then raised one hand to the pony tail holder in Reno's hair.
She pulled out the pony tail holder and tossed it onto the bed side table. Reno shook his head and his red hair brushed Tifa's one hand that was still on one of his shoulder blades. It felt soft and silky to the touch and was wavy and spiky, just like that hair on the top of his head. She moved away from him, just to get close enough again to mess with his hair. He didn't do anything as Tifa played with his hair, he just sat there and accepted it. After a few minutes he grabbed one of her wrists and it caused her to look at him. They were laying on the bed, Reno was half sitting up against the head board. Tifa was to his right, she had been leaning on his chest to reach his hair. Now she was frozen in this postion by his grip on her wrist.
"I get the picture, you like my hair," Reno said still holding her wrist.
Tifa couldn't help but smile widely. "It's so soft and silky," she said using her free hand to stroke his red hair.
He smiled to the comment and pulled her to him. He was kissing her again and she didn't resist. Tifa used her one hand free hand to grab a hand full of Reno's hair. He ignored her firm hold on his hair and just continued to kiss her. Tifa gave his hair a hard tug, causing Reno to tilt his head back away from her. He was right in the middle of a sharp painfull gasp when Tifa started kissing him again. After a few more minutes, they pulled away from each other, looking at one another. They both knew what they wanted to do and they both knew that they wanted it. Reno understood the look in Tifa's eyes, her desire, because he felt it too, but instead of giving into it he slid down off the head board and onto the pillow he'd been lying on. Then he pulled Tifa down onto his chest and held her in his arms.
Tifa had felt a strong desire for Reno and she knew he could tell. However, laying against him now, just holding each other, it was just as intense. There was so much desire between them, and she was a little surprised that Reno hadn't taken advantage of that. He was being a gentleman tonight. After a while Tifa eventually fell asleep in Reno's arms and he fell asleep holding her.