Loveless

Chapter 29

On her way back to the company, Eloise ran into someone she hadn't seen in a long time. Her reaction was instinctive — she smiled and hurried toward him before even thinking.

"Reno!"

The redheaded Turk looked up in surprise, then broke into a grin. He pulled her into a tight hug and spun her around, laughing loudly.

"Yo! Long time no see! You vanish for months and expect me not to notice?"

She laughed and wriggled out of his arms, slightly breathless.

"Who told you I was gone that long? Tseng?"

Reno raised an eyebrow.

"That's what Lazard told Tseng. Said you were visiting your parents." His tone shifted just a little. "But now Lazard's missing and apparently sided with Hollander, so... yeah. Kinda makes me wonder."

Eloise stiffened for half a second, then smoothed her expression. This was not a conversation she could afford to have.

"It's true," she said calmly. "Lazard didn't lie about that."

Reno studied her face, searching for cracks, but then shrugged and slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close again with easy familiarity.

"Heh. Either way, you've missed a lot of action. We should catch up sometime. You owe me a story or two."

She raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

Reno laughed, unapologetic, and nodded.

"Maybe."

Before she could answer, her phone buzzed. The moment she glanced at the screen, her expression shifted. She listened in silence, then answered quietly before ending the call.

"It was Sephiroth," she said, slipping the device away. "I'm needed in Junon."

For a brief moment, disappointment crossed Reno's face, but it faded when he really looked at her. Her eyes were different now. She felt different but he chalked it up to her growth as a SOLDIER.

"Guess that means next time, then," he said with a crooked smile.

Her lips curved upward in response, genuine this time.

"Next time."

When Eloise arrived, she was attacked almost immediately by what the Turks called Genesis copies. Her body reacted on instinct. She moved faster than she used to, her strikes sharper, her tolerance to pain unnaturally high — almost numbing, like her tolerance to alcohol had once been.

"Eloise!"

She cut down the last copy and turned at the sound of her mentor's voice. Sephiroth looked tense as he motioned for her to follow him.

They moved through the ruined structure in silence until Eloise noticed another SOLDIER ahead. As they drew closer, she recognized Zack speaking to Hollander. The scientist was smiling — smug, self-satisfied — before suddenly losing his footing. Two Genesis copies caught him and vanished with him into the distance.

"Tch. Should've known," Zack muttered bitterly.

"Mission failed," Sephiroth said flatly. "This will go on your permanent record."

It might have been a joke, but it barely sounded like one.

Zack turned toward him, ready to reply, then noticed Eloise standing a few steps behind. His expression shifted instantly. He smiled, wide and familiar, and lifted a hand in greeting.