Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 10, 2006 5:19:43 GMT
Somewhere in the wastes between Midgar and the mountain country, Rude gave the rearview mirror a look. Just about everybody in the backseat was taking a well-deserved nap... he and Ami were the only ones in the car still awake.
He saw Reno and Nikky in the farthest back seat, sleeping in each other's arms.
He sighed. "Whatever happened to Reno?"
Ami, staring vacantly out the window, turned to Rude curiously. "What's that?"
Rude returned his eyes to the road. "Ever since this Nikkole girl came along, somebody else has been living in my partner's body. Somebody who doesn't use every breath to make a wisecrack and doesn't add the word 'yo' to every other sentence. Call me crazy, but I think I'm starting to miss the old Reno."
Ami nodded knowingly. "It was easier on everybody when he was just the comic relief. But everybody's gotta grow up sometime."
"Maturity is not the issue."
Ami shrugged. "Just give it a few days... Reno will get past the 'honeymoon phase' and be back to normal again, just as smart-mouthed and irritating as ever. Except for the fact that he will have someone to be smart-mouthed and irritating with. That's something a person can't do without forever."
Rude readjusted his grip on the steering wheel. "What does that make me, chopped liver?" he asked flatly.
Ami raised an eyebrow. The guy may just have more personality than the average rock, after all. "You guys have your brothers-in-arms relationship. I don't expect that to change. But it's not the same thing. There are different ways to love people. And there are certain kinds of love that can only be provided by certain people."
"You aren't buying into the soul mates idea, are you?"
Ami shook her head. "H**l, no. What I'm trying to get across is, it doesn't have to be an all or nothing proposition. When he comes back around to the non-hormonal world, you two will be friends just like always. It's not like Nikky's gonna steal him from you."
"I didn't say I expected she would."
"But you were thinking it." Amnesty looked back out the window. "I've lost my partner, even if only temporarily. You can relax... you aren't going to lose yours."
Rude barely uttered a word for the rest of the ride. This child thinks she's so wise... I hope that doesn't one day prove to be her undoing.
****
Ami's bloodshot eyes blinked rapidly as the car finally cruised into her old hometown, buried in the depths of the trees and ravines. In the past few months, things here had changed so little, and she had changed so much. The place hadn't grown at all... it had no sustainable economy or population of its own. Almost every man in the village lived in Midgar during the week, did his job, and came home to his family on the weekends. There were only four places in the town that actually employed anyone... the school, the restaurant/gas station, the general store, and the pizzeria/video store. There had once been a laundromat, but everybody in town had a washer, and those who didn't used their neighbors', so it shut down.
There was greenery everywhere. Buildings were few and far between.
She craned her neck looking for any sign of those she knew. She spotted some of her old schoolmates along the way, but no one she had been very close to... she hadn't been close to many people before she left.
"Which way from here?" Rude broke into her reverie.
Ami snapped out of it-- she felt practically like she was half-asleep. She never did manage to wind down enough to nap on the way, and the stress was telling on her. "Uh, head east. Then make a right on Zeering."
Rude did as Ami instructed.
"Okay, now take the left fork of Skyline, right up ahead, past that pool there. My house is third on the left, the one with the steep driveway."
Rude saw the house... and drove past it, because he saw something else there... a black car, unmarked, with no plates.
"They just beat us," he replied. "We're too late."
Ami gripped the dashboard. "No way." I've lost my boyfriend today already. I'm not about to lose my family, too.
"I've got a plan..."
He saw Reno and Nikky in the farthest back seat, sleeping in each other's arms.
He sighed. "Whatever happened to Reno?"
Ami, staring vacantly out the window, turned to Rude curiously. "What's that?"
Rude returned his eyes to the road. "Ever since this Nikkole girl came along, somebody else has been living in my partner's body. Somebody who doesn't use every breath to make a wisecrack and doesn't add the word 'yo' to every other sentence. Call me crazy, but I think I'm starting to miss the old Reno."
Ami nodded knowingly. "It was easier on everybody when he was just the comic relief. But everybody's gotta grow up sometime."
"Maturity is not the issue."
Ami shrugged. "Just give it a few days... Reno will get past the 'honeymoon phase' and be back to normal again, just as smart-mouthed and irritating as ever. Except for the fact that he will have someone to be smart-mouthed and irritating with. That's something a person can't do without forever."
Rude readjusted his grip on the steering wheel. "What does that make me, chopped liver?" he asked flatly.
Ami raised an eyebrow. The guy may just have more personality than the average rock, after all. "You guys have your brothers-in-arms relationship. I don't expect that to change. But it's not the same thing. There are different ways to love people. And there are certain kinds of love that can only be provided by certain people."
"You aren't buying into the soul mates idea, are you?"
Ami shook her head. "H**l, no. What I'm trying to get across is, it doesn't have to be an all or nothing proposition. When he comes back around to the non-hormonal world, you two will be friends just like always. It's not like Nikky's gonna steal him from you."
"I didn't say I expected she would."
"But you were thinking it." Amnesty looked back out the window. "I've lost my partner, even if only temporarily. You can relax... you aren't going to lose yours."
Rude barely uttered a word for the rest of the ride. This child thinks she's so wise... I hope that doesn't one day prove to be her undoing.
****
Ami's bloodshot eyes blinked rapidly as the car finally cruised into her old hometown, buried in the depths of the trees and ravines. In the past few months, things here had changed so little, and she had changed so much. The place hadn't grown at all... it had no sustainable economy or population of its own. Almost every man in the village lived in Midgar during the week, did his job, and came home to his family on the weekends. There were only four places in the town that actually employed anyone... the school, the restaurant/gas station, the general store, and the pizzeria/video store. There had once been a laundromat, but everybody in town had a washer, and those who didn't used their neighbors', so it shut down.
There was greenery everywhere. Buildings were few and far between.
She craned her neck looking for any sign of those she knew. She spotted some of her old schoolmates along the way, but no one she had been very close to... she hadn't been close to many people before she left.
"Which way from here?" Rude broke into her reverie.
Ami snapped out of it-- she felt practically like she was half-asleep. She never did manage to wind down enough to nap on the way, and the stress was telling on her. "Uh, head east. Then make a right on Zeering."
Rude did as Ami instructed.
"Okay, now take the left fork of Skyline, right up ahead, past that pool there. My house is third on the left, the one with the steep driveway."
Rude saw the house... and drove past it, because he saw something else there... a black car, unmarked, with no plates.
"They just beat us," he replied. "We're too late."
Ami gripped the dashboard. "No way." I've lost my boyfriend today already. I'm not about to lose my family, too.
"I've got a plan..."
