So I'm obsessed with Reno. THERE I SAID IT!! I am constantly drawing Reno, writing about Reno, looking at pictures of Reno, watching videos of Reno.. et cetera, et cetera.
So yeah, I um... like Reno. So this is where all my crazy Reno stuff is gonna go.
REEEENOOOOOOOOO!!! YAY!
What? Reno without Theda? You mean I actually took a break from that.
Yup. That story is actually over. It was only meant to be a trilogy.
Happy reading! -Tsukasa
There he was again. Every Friday night, he'd be there, the same seat at the bar. He always ordered the same thing. He always left with a different floozy.
He seemed to drink for fun, yet I drank to forget. I drank to ease away the pain of the hand life had dealt me. Yet watching him fascinated me. There was something about his red hair and blue eyes that took away the pain almost as much as my gin. I could lose myself watching him.
His smile was comforting. He constantly wore it, a slight smirk that occasionally parted and became a grin. There was an earring in his left ear lobe, and whenever he turned his head, it would glint. On his right wrist was a thick leather bracelet. There were two small red tattoos on his face, once on each cheek.
He talked in a way like I had never heard anyone else talk. It was drawling, lilting, slow and laid back. Just like him. He always wore a suit, but I never once saw him close the jacket or tuck in his shirt. He seemed too lazy for that sort of thing.
His hair was possibly the most interesting aspect of his appearance. It was unkempt and it fell over the goggles he constantly wore on his forehead. But then there was the ponytail, long, as if he'd been growing it for years. I had seen him take it down once in order to impress a date. It was like a cascading waterfall of blood, yet it was beautiful. It seemed as if it would be silky smooth and lovely to run your hands through, and it was just so red.
The fact that I was seeing him again and it was a Friday night was not what was surprising. It was the fact that that night, he was not smiling. There were no girls there vying for his attentions. There was no light in his blue eyes. And this night, I knew I could talk to him. I walked over and sat by him. His head was hung low, he stared at the glass of amber liquid before him, listless.
"Are you okay?" I asked him. He looked up. There was a smile. It was a hollow smile.
"Yeah, pretty much, yo."
"You're lying," I observed. "But don't worry, I won't tell."
He laughed. Bitterly.
"I've seen you here before," he said. "You're cute. But you're always sad. I can tell." He picked up his glass and examined it before downing the contents. Leaning forward onto the bar, he looked up at me. "Whatcha sad about,yo?"
If anyone else had asked me this, I would have stormed off angrily. Yet there was something about him and the fact that I had been watching him for so long that made it okay.
"I'm trying to forget someone that I used to love," I said. I then looked at my gin disdainfully and polished it off in a gulp.
"Yeah well... Aren't we all?" His voice was filled with contempt. He ordered another drink, then looked over to me again. "You know, I could help you forget." I laughed.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure you could." I was being sarcastic. Trying to push him away. He looked somewhat hurt. His nostrils flared slightly. His skin flushed.
"I was being serious," he said. He reached out and touched my face. "I could help you... take your mind off things." His hand was gone just as suddenly as he had reached out. I touched the place where his hand had been. It was warm. I couldn't remember the last time I had felt my skin that warm and something deep inside of me was longing for more.
"I... I don't know..."
"Just say yes." I looked up at him. His eyes, those intense blue eyes, were gazing at me intently, boring a hole straight to my soul. My pulse was starting to race. I could hear the blood rushing to my ears, causing them to heat up. Inside, ever fiber of my being was screaming "Yes!" Now my external shell had to concede its defeat.
"Alright," I said. "I'll take you up on that."
He smiled. A real smile this time. He raised his glass.
"Cheers, yo." And again, it only took him one gulp to down the thing.
The next morning I awoke before he did. Dawn was breaking over Edge, I could tell by the light coming in through his window. He lay there defenseless, as I had never seen him. Seeing him this way only served to make me even more fascinated by him. Never before had I witnessed him exhibit any behavior that could be construed as meek or mild, yet that is the way he looked as he slept, like a child. Suddenly he stirred.
"It's too early," he mumbled. "You should go back to sleep."
"What is your name?" I asked. He put his arms around me.
"Reno," he said, then he buried his face in my hair. I closed my eyes and inhaled deep.
For the the first time in months, I didn't feel any reason to forget anything.
Well, hello again my lovelies! Tsukasa here!
If you've read any of my other stories about Reno, you'll most likely know what I'm about to say:
I know Reno technically has no last name. It stemmed from me accidentally originally choosing Sinclair as Theda's last name, but when I learned it was a common choice for Reno's supposed last name I had to change her's to Grisham. Then I decided I liked Sinclair as a last name for Reno. It seems to fit somehow.
Anyway, this story focuses on Ringo, Reno's son who was 4 in the last story. Now he's 17.
Make sure to tell me if you like it (or if you don't. That's cool too)!
Happy Reading!
Tsukasa Kwassa Kwassa
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Everyone was constantly telling me how much I looked like my father. My father was famous it seemed. Everyone seemed to know him. My father worked for Shinra, a fact that my mother seemed to hate. I didn't want to tell her, but it was my greatest wish to become a Turk like my father, Reno.
The Department of Administrative Research had their eye on me since the time that I was very young. My father's boss, a man with long black hair whom seemed like the type to never wear anything but a crisp black suit, had come to our house once to ask my father if he planned to enroll me in the "academy" when I was old enough. My father had averted his boss's eyes as he mumbled a response along the lines of "Theda wouldn't like that."
I never found out what the "academy" was, or what it would have been like, because my father decided to home school me. He taught me all sorts of interesting things about our planet, its history, and the people that had made their mark on it. I learned of Jenova, the SOILDERs her cells helped create, the lifestream, mako reactors, Sephiroth, Meteor, the restoration of Midgar and ever of the origin, downfall and restoration of my father's company, Shinra Electric Power.
"Do you think I could become a Turk like you Dad?" I had asked him when I was no older than nine. My father's work was fascinating to me.
"Ringo, there'll be plenty of time to think about that when you're older."
"But I am older Dad!" I said. "I get older every second!"
My father laughed. I liked his laugh, it was loud and infectious.
"That you are, yo." My father always said that. "Yo." Once I asked him why and he had told me that it was the way everyone talked where he had grown up. But then my father sighed. "Ringo, you can grow up and be anything you want to be. You're a bright kid, much smarter than me. But your mother.. she has a hard enough time with me working for Shinra. I don't know how kindly she'd take to you working for them too. She's got enough to worry about, yo."
I frowned. My mother was a bit of a worry wart it seemed to me, but I didn't dare voice my opinion to my father. He loved my mother, more than anything and I didn't want to upset him.
That night I couldn't sleep however. All I could thin about was getting to wear a suit like my father's and going on missions in far away places. I wanted to fly in a helicopter. I wanted to fight the enemies of the world. I wanted to be a Turk more than I had ever wanted anything.
I kept the dream with me for years, even though I never did mention it to my father again. It was like a secret that burned in my chest constantly. On the morning of my 17th birthday I awoke early, before either of my parents did. After eating a piece of toast and tying my now long hair back into it's usual ponytail, I left in the direction of Shinra's headquarters. Entering the lobby is when I first realized how truly massive the place was. I allowed myself a moment to just watch the busyness of the place and appreciate the sheer enormity of the company. That's when I heard the shout behind me.
"Reno! I thought you had requested leave for your son's birthday. Why on earth are you here? You better not be going through a divorce, you're going to be damn miserable to deal with if you are. I know how much you love--"
The man had turned me around and looked into my hazel- yellow eyes.
"You're not Reno, are you then," he said bluntly. I noticed the man was the same who had visited our house when I was little. I was pretty sure my father had called him Tseng. "Does your father know you're here?" Tseng asked sternly.
I merely shook my head. Tseng nodded in response to me.
"Ah," he said. "Well then, you'll need to come with me."
Tseng led me to an elevator. He pressed the button for the top floor.
"Am I in trouble?" I asked.
"With your father? Probably. He's very fiercely protective of you, in case you haven't noticed. Doesn't want Shinra corrupting you, I supposed. But you came here because you wanted a job right?" I nodded. "Then you're not in trouble."
We left the elevator, passed a secretary into a very large office with a large window that overlooked all of Midgar and Edge (which had melded into one at this point). In this large office was a large desk, and at it sat a man I had never expected to see with my own two eyes: Rufus Shinra.
"Ringo, is it?" he said, a slight smirk played upon his lips. He gestured at a chair before his desk. I sat in it and looked up at the man. He had blue, blue eyes, not smiling ones like my father's but piercing like lightning. His blond hair was slicked back, yet a few strands fell into his face with a careless elegance. "Tseng," he said. "Call Reno and inform him of his son's whereabouts. I suspect he'll want to come down here as well." Then after Tseng had left, he turned back to me. "You know, you would look exactly like your father if it weren't for those eyes of yours. Did you get them from your mother's side?"
I shook my head, still slightly awed.
"My mom's eyes are grey," I said. "Nobody knows where mine come from."
Rufus Shinra leaned back in his chair, nodding.
"You know, it took you far less time than I thought it would for you to reach us," he said. "But we all knew you;d end up here. Even your father, though I'm sure he hoped against it." I remembered the strange look my father had give me when I first asked if I could be a Turk. "You were meant to be a Turk Ringo. Ever since you were born. Shinra needs you.
Even knowing he most likely gave this speech to every other recruit he had, even knowing it went against everything my mother wanted for me, I was enraptured. My chest swelled/
"So you mean I can do it?" I said. "I can become a Turk... Sir?" I added hastily. Rufus Shinra smiled and nodded.
"But let's wait for you father to discuss it further." My smile fell.
"My father... He won't let me," I said sadly.
"We'll see," said Rufus Shinra.
About ten minutes later is when my father crashed through the door.
"Sir what is the meaning of this?" he half bellowed at his his boss. "Why is Ringo here?"
"I was under the impression he wished to join your department," Rufus Shinra said calmly. "I have been keeping an eye on your son, Reno. He's quite talented."
On my father's face twisted an expression midway between fury and disbelief.
"Sir, with all due respect," he said with not a hint of respect in his voice. "I kept Ringo out of the academy for a reason. He is not going to be at Turk. He is not going to have anything to do with this company. Nothing. Do you know what Theda goes through every time I'm sent on a mission. Pure torture. Can you imagine what she'd go through if her only son had to go away on dangerous missions too? She'd die, sir. I can't do that to her... I-I..."
Then my father turned and punched a wall with all his might. It dented. He cursed as one of his knuckles split and began to bleed. He almost seemed on the brink of tears of fury. It was truly frightening to see my father this angry.
"You lover her," Rufus finished for him. "Yews, I know. Please Reno, have a seat." My father did, but he did not look at me. "Reno, I'm going to be very frank with you. Ringo has expressed to me that it is his greatest wish in the world to become a Turk. And if you try to prevent him, you will be retiring much sooner than you thought, do you understand?"
Rufus Shinra's eyes flashed dangerously. I was shocked. I did not realize it might come to this. Guilt bubbled up in my stomach, making me feel ill. I did not want to even look at my father anymore.
"Yes, sir," I heard him say contemptuously through gritted teeth.
"Take your son and leave then Reno. We shall be in contact."
My father stood. He looked down at me and sort of half way jerked his head in the direction of the door. I followed him into the elevator and down to the lobby of Shinra Electric Power company. My father did not speak a word to me. I wanted him to scream at me until he was hoarse, but he merely remained as silent as stone. The burning guilt in my stomach bubble even more. I couldn't believe my own selfish stupidity. The entire way home I kept my head hung low, so if on the off chance that my father could bear to look at me, he'd see the shame that I felt.
Just before we reached our building, my father stopped and turned to face me. He took a deep breath and put a hand on my shoulder and looked straight into my eyes.
"Your mother is not awake yet," he said, his voice oddly cold. "You are not to tell her anything. I will tell her. You are to go directly to your room and back to bed. Your mother wanted to wake you up as a surprised for your birthday."
"But I'm not--" I began to protest, but seeing the look on his face, I stopped.
"Oh no," he said. "Oh no, no,. You see, you wanted to be a Turk? I'm your boss now, yo. What you didn't think of that? There are only two men in the company I answer to, that's Tseng and Rufus Shinra himself. Now go to your room."
I felt even sicker. My father had never been this angry before. Suddenly, I was not looking forward to work whatsoever.
My birthday celebration might have appeared normal, but in reality the only one truly having any fun was my mother., blissfully unaware of the rift that had grown between her husband and her son and ignorant as to the reason why.
That night I found it hard to sleep, and laying awake in my bed is when I heard it. The shouting. I got out of bed and crept silently down the hall to my parent's room.
"Why didn't you stop him?" my mother shouted.
"Theda, I couldn't. The president had him under his thumb. There was nothing I could do."
"No! Reno, that's not good enough! You swore that when you retired, we'd be done with that... company. Don' you remember what they did to my father? What they did yo me? How am I supposed to live with my child working for that... place?"
My father began to place his hands on her shoulders.
"Theda, I-"
"Don't touch me Reno!" she screamed. My father looked very shocked. "Just... don't. Please."
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. She looked up at him. My mother was crying. Suddenly, the sick feeling in my stomach that had been threatening to take over since morning did so. I ran for the bathroom and nearly did not make it. Kneeling over that toilet, puking up bile, I felt that I deserved every bit of torture I was going through. My hair was falling into my face and sticking to my cheeks, but suddenly I felt someone pull it back and out of the way. It wasn't long afterward that I had emptied my stomach completely and I turned to see that the one who had been holding my hair back was my father. I didn't say anything, I just collapsed into him crying, as if I were a child. He held on to me and at that moment I truly appreciated how strong he really was. I heard my mother sit beside me , and she hugged onto me as well. And I cried even harder.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," I repeated between sobs.
"It's okay," my mother whispered into my ear. "It'll all be okay Ringo."
My father said nothing and merely held onto me tighter.
The next morning my father came in to wake me up, carrying a package.
"Your uniform," he said. "I suspect your first assignment will be in there too." He turned to leave.
"Dad?" I said before he could leave. He turned to face me. "I really am sorry," I said. "I didn't really mean to make you upset."
"Yeah Ringo, I know that, you" He came and sat at the foot of my bed. "I mean... you made yourself sick. That takes some doing." I nodded and he sort of smiled halfway. "Who are we trying to kid here? You're my son. I've never been good at doing what I'm told... damn miserable at it actually."
He looked up at me and then he started to laugh. Then I started to laugh. My father messed up my hair.
"Come on, get dressed then yo!"
It made me happy beyond belief to know he was no longer angry. He left my room and I opened the package. As I had suspected, it contained a black suit with a black tie. There was also a sheet of paper which said "Report to the 10th floor on 6/14 at 1300 for preliminary assessment and partner assignment."
It took me a second to realize that was later the same day. I looked at my watch. 12:30.
"Shit," I said bluntly, grabbing the suit and running in the direction of the shower. Ten minutes later, I bolted down the stairs and started a frantic search for food.
"Wait up, wait up!" my mother called as I approached the front door with a piece of bread hanging from my mouth. She looked at me. "Come on," she said. "You don't want to look too much like your father."
'I don't want to be late either,' I thought to myself, but I tucked in my shirt and allowed her to straighten my tie and zip up my jacket.
"There," she said. And then she hugged me. "Make sure you come back safe," she whispered into my ear.
"I love you Mom," I whispered back, and then I left.
Ten minutes late, I found myself in a room on the tenth floor, alone. It was a pleasant enough room, very bright, but very empty. The chair which I sat on was the only piece of furniture. Suddenly a man entered and I stood. He barely looked up, but kept his eyes glued to a the clipboard.
"Alright then, name?"
"Ringo Sinclair," I replied. The man made note of it.
"Age?" he asked.
"17."
The man let out a low whistle.
"Man are we taking em young. Okay... combat specialty?"
I hesitated a bit before answering.
"Hand to hand, I guess."
"Alright, so if I were to do this..." The man punched at me without warning and instinctively I blocked the blow and used the man's own wight to flip him on his back.
"Sweet Jenova, kid who taught you how to do that?" the man said as he stood again, now rubbing his head.
"My dad's been teaching me since I was seven," I said.
"Who's you father then?" he said, now retrieving his clipboard.
"Reno Sinclair," I replied. The man looked up at me, and for the first time he really looked at me.
"Sinclair... yeah, duh. Well that explains a lot. Reno's son... figures I'd be the one stuck with the song of one of the most elite fighters on the planet. 'K then Sinclair, follow me."
The man led me down a hallway to a room filled with weapons. In that room a much younger amn with glasses was waiting for us.
"Hey Ari, this one's gonna be an EMR."
The bespectacled man, Ari, looked up. His eyes locked on me, wide.
"I swear, sir I haven't been smuggling out more swords--"
"It's his son you nimrod. He's not gonna kick your ass, and he needs an EMR."
Ari apparently had met my father before under undesirable circumstances, because he trembled as he retrieved me a dangerous looking metal rod with a red button. It was attached to a leather bracelet by a long strip of leather and a circle of metal.
"There you go," said the man with the clipboard. "An Electro- Mag Rod. Your father uses one too, it's extremely well suited to his style of martial arts, which I notice he passed on to you." The man rubbed the back of his head and I felt a slight twinge of guilt for hurting him. But all other feelings melted away when I took the EMR into my hands. It felt perfect, like I was meant to have it. I made a few swings with it... it felt like an extension of my arm.
"You like that, eh?" said the man with the clipboard. He was smiling. "You are one interesting kid. C'mon. Time to get you a partner." I nodded and followed him eagerly. I couldn't wait to see who my partner would be. We went down more hallways until we came to a desk with a woman behind it.
"Hey Lamont, is that the Sinclair kid then?"
"Yes," the clipboard man said. He handed her his clipboard.
"Ahhh Reno... I can't believe he has a son! The man's so attractive, it's a shame to think he's married." My face suddenly felt very hot.
"Cripes Tacita, you'll make the kid's face turn the same shade as his hair!" Lamont exclaimed. Tacita rolled her eyes.
"They've paired him up with Petra Blackthorn, she's down on the end there."
Lamont, as I now knew he was was called, led me down a hall past a few doors to the one on the end.
"Well this is where I leave you then Sinclair. Good luck, maybe I'll see you down the road." Lamont gave me a laid back sort of salute and I returned the favor.
Inside there was a table and at it sat a stunningly pretty girl about my age. She had short black hair and dark skin, but her eyes were sparkling blue green, almost as if she had eaten a bowl of mako for breakfast. She had a large ornamental gun on the table before her, and she stared out the window dreamily, polishing the metal. I stopped in my tracks and just sort of stood there watching, caught off guard by her allure. Nut then she notice me. The girl jumped up to her feet and gave me a rigid salute.
"Sir! I did not notice you there sir! Please forgive me!"
"Er... hi?" I said. "I think you may have confused me with someone else. Are you Petra?"
"Do not think me worthy of you notice sir! I am nobody!" She was shouting so loud it made my ears ring.
"No," I said. "No wait! I really think you have me confused with- I'm not my father. I'm Ringo! I'm Ringo Sinclair, I'm you partner."
Petra gaped at me, her face growing pinkish.
"I though you looked sort of young," she mumbled.
"Yeah, by about 28 years," I said.
"There is no way Reno is 44 years old!" she exclaimed.
"Well actually, he's 45." This conversation was definitely taking a much different line than I thought it would.
"But he's so... The man doesn't have a single grey hair. His face is so smooth, he's just ridiculously good look--" Petra looked at me and then clapped her hand over her mouth.
"Maybe if I'm lucky that'll happen to me too then, " I said, chucking nervously. Petra merely seemed too mortified to speak. Knowing how red my pale skin must have blushed only made me feel even worse. My exceptionally pretty new partner had a crush on my father. My father who I looked exactly like in nearly every respect. I was extremely thankful when Tseng entered the room.
"Congratulations to both of you then. You are both officially now members of the Turks. Ringo, I know we've met, but Miss Blackthorn, in case you did not know, I am Tseng. I'll have you know, there is only one man I answer to in this company and that is Rufus Shinra. There are several men in this company who claim to be on the same 'level' as me, but you will come to find the Turks are in a league of their own when it comes to this company, and we are more often than not left to ourselves. To be a Turk means you will be asked to do many things. Investigate, protect, research and even eliminate threats. No one ever said this was and easy job, and I'm sure neither of you thought so either." he paused to give something that almost seemed like a smile, but it looked odd on Tseng's face. He then reached into his pocket. "I am giving you both you Identification Cards. Keep them on you at all times."
He slid them across the table. I picked mine up and examined it. Looking at the picture of myslef, I wondered where they had gotten it from, but resolved that it had something to do with some high tech device I did not understand and didn not ask. I slid the card into my pocket.
"I am going to five you your first assignment," Tseng continued, still very business like. "You are to compile a detailed profile on Zebulon Lawrence, a former Shinra scientist who seemes to think working for the local crime boss is better usage of his time. Shinra fired him, but his movements seem to be becoming more sinister as of late. Find out all you can pertaining to this man, using any means nessecary." Petra and I nodded. Tseng looked looked us over with his hard black eyes. "Good luck," he said and he left.
I stood and Petra followed suit.
"Where to now?" I asked. She shrugged.
"All Turks are given an office, I just don't know where ours would be," she said.
"Alright, well let's just get out of here for starters." I figured maybe we could get directions from Tacita or soemthing like that, but once we made it back downt he hall, we ere greeted by our escort, a blond woman by the name of Elena. Her and Petra seemed to hit it off right away.
"Tseng is sort of like my partner I guess," she said when Petra asked about it. "I'm not his first though. He never really talks about his original partner though, and when I joined they just sort of stuck me with him. I guess they figured his experience would rub off on me. You know it's odd, most Turks don't even have partners. I mean the only two I can think of who really rely on each other and work closely together are Reno and Rude. I guess they just decided it would be better to pair you two up."
"But if Tseng's your partner, does that mean you're high up in the department?"" Petra asked enthusiastically.
"Not really. I'm something like eighth in command. After Tseng is Ringo's father." She smiled at me. I felt my ears heat up again. "Then there's Rude, there's my sister, there's Cissnei and a few others. This department isn't as big as you'd think though! You two are the first to become new members since the initial restoration... in 14 years I think."
This surprised me a little.
"What about the academy?" I asked. "I always got the impression it was rather large."
Then it was Petra's turn to blush.
"It only started 14 years ago. We were supposed to be the first graduating class only... I was the only one to graduate. Everyone else either dropped out or flunked the final exam."
"Oh," I said, suddenly aware of how lucky I had been to get the job I had. That's when we arrive at our office. It was completely empty except for our two desks which were angled in such a way that we could see one another as we worked. On the desks were computers, but that was it. I sat down at one of the desks and suddenly the computer scanned my eyeball in a flash of bright light. I was temporarily blinded by colorful little starbursts, and my eye watered and began to sting.
"Input name?" asked a box on the screen.
"Ringo Sinclair," I typed into the computer. Apparently this computer now recognized me as its master, because it now opened many new windows explaining how to use it and welcoming me.
"I guess we should get to work," Petra said, sitting at her desk. I nodded, pulling up a new window. And so began my work.
It turns out being a Turk gave you clearance to access databases no one else could, so finding information was not the difficult part. It was in fact the sheer amount of information that made the job so tedious. You had to scan through pages upon pages in order to find one specific paragraph. Petra's comupter was linked directly to mine, so whenever I would find something I would send it to her and vice versa. But after a few hours of reading nothing but the daily tooth brushing habits of Zebulon Lawrence, my eyelids began to droop. The next thing I remember was my father shaking me.
"Ringo, we're going now. Wake up."
"Huh?" I said sleepily.
"Man, could you be any more like me? I swear, it's like having a clone, yo. We are going home now. It's 7 o' clock. It'd help if you were concious."
I looked around groggily.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" I aked Petra.
"I liked watching you sleep," Petra mumbled, blushing slightly.
"Oh. Well... I'll see youtomorrow then," I said. SHe looked up, smiling at me. her eyes seemed to be full of light."
"Yeah, see you!" she said cheerfully. I felt my stomach lurch, but I wasn;t quite sure as to whu. I stood and followed my father out of the room.
"So ummm...." he said once we had entered the elevator. "Some partner you have there, yo. When I came in to get you, she stood up and nearly knocked over her desk."
"She's sort of... obsessed with you Dad." My father laughed hearing this.
"Oh man, just what I need," he said shaking his head. "But I dunno Ringo, she was giving you the eyes, yo."
"Probably because I look like you," I mumbled, blushing. He laughed even harder. Just then the elevator door opened and somebody obviously form a different department walked in. The man looked to my father and gave him a nod of acknowledgment. Then he looked to me and did a double take. When we left the elevator, the man looked very concerned about his mental health.
"All, right," my father said. "All right, I'll stop making fun of you. I just think it's funny the gave you a partner like her... though I'd watch out. She could probably kick your ass, yo."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, confused.
"Are you kidding? The girl's a SOILDER reject. When the restoration first began, it was the plan to re instate SOILDER. However, the public demanded the program shut down when she was very young, so at a loss of what to do, the department heads decided to send her to the academy. I was the one who handled her case. I was her escort for the first month she was there. There were a lot of people who wanted that girl dead, yo."
"Why?" I asked, shocked. My father sighed and shook his head.
"SOLDIER was the organization that gave birth to Sephiroth. It scares a lot of people. You're too young, you weren't there for it Ringo. Everyone on this planet nearly died, because Shinra messed up. And... well obviously Petra Blackthorn is too young to have anything to do with Sephiroth, but people don't like thinking its possible for him to come back. Although he already has once." The expression on my father's face was hard to read. He looked almost bitter. I though of Petra's blue glowing eyes.
'So it is from Mako then,' I though to myself. But then a quite different thought crossed my mind. I turned to my father laughing.
"At least now I know why she has a crush on you," I said sniggering. "You were he protector. She probably thinks you're some sort of God!"
He pushed me, laughing.
"Now you're asking for it, you little twerp. After all the things I've done for you, this is how you treat me? Did you even listen to a word I said?" I just looked at him and laughed. "Oh, so you think that's funny? That's messed up, yo." I just laughed harder, and so did he, until tears were streaming down both our faces. Only my father had the power to make me act so ridiculously. However, through our laughter, I had hardly noticed we had already made it home.
That night, I kept thinking about Petra and her Mako eyes. I didn't even really know why I was thinking about her, but I couldn't seem to think about anything else. Eventually, realizing how long a day I had had, I decided it was far past time for me to get some sleep. I pulled the covers up over myself and turned out the light, and within seconds I was asleep.
In the following weeks, I found that I didn't stop thinking about Petra. At first I thought it was because I was seeing her everyday and we had to work so closely together, but slowly I began to realize the feelings I had for her were of a more affectionate nature. I found myself becoming nervous whenever we talked, and sometimes while we were working I would allow myself to just watch her for a few moments. Once or twice, she looked up and our eyes met. She would smile. I would turn as red as ever and busy myself as quickly as possible.
Our work on the Lawrence cas was becoming increaslingly difficult. Our profile had uncovered a very sinister organization the man seemed to be running, which we were in turn told to investigate. Through our investigation, we found threatening individuals, who we were in turn told to profile as well. Often times when my father dropped by to say he was heading home, I would have to remain behind to continue working. It was late on one of these nights that after drooling on my keyboard five sepearte times, I decided that my efforts were becoming useless and I might as well go home.
"I'm gonna go," I said to Petra. "I'll see you tomorrow." Petra always stayed later than me, she wasmuch better at this whole "desk work" thing. But this time was different.
"Wait," she said, half standing and shutting down her computer. "Do you mind if I walk home with you? I live in Sector 3, but the station's in the same direction as your building I'm pretty sure."
My heart was racing, but I couldn't very well say no.
"Yeah, sure." I was blushing again. Why didn't my father ever blush like this?
'Probably because he's so cocky that he has no shame,' I though to myself. Another time maybe I would have laughed, but walking down the empty Shinra hallway with Petra merely made me nervous. My face felt so hot, I could only imagine it being nearly purple.
"Are you okay?" she said, her glowing mako eyes looking over me with concern.
"I- yes. I'm fine." My stomach did an elaborate somersault. She was worried about me. Was that good? What that bad? I didn't scarcely know what to think. We stood and waited for the elevator.
"Ringo, your hands are shaking. Are you sure you're not sick?"
Oh, what I wouldn't give for my father's brash over confidence. The first thing he probably said to my mother was "You're really hot. Lemme by you a beer." Suddenly I was snapped back to reality. Petra's hand was on my forehead.
"You don't have a fever," she said. Then she she looked up at me with those haunting eyes, and they began to fill with tears. "You're afraid of me, aren't you. You're just like everyone else."
"No!" I said, very near desperately. My hand raised automatically to dry her tears. "Petra, it's not that at all... You must be the most beautiful girl I've ever met and I can't stop thinking about you. And I'm nearly going insane because... I... I... really like you."
"Oh. Ringo I-" She wrapped her arms about me. Again, my stomach commenced with its gymnastics. "Ringo why didn't you say so sooner? Don't you realize how long I've wanted you to say that?"
"Probably since you realized how much I looked like my father," I said, now hugging her back. But she pulled away from me laughing.
"Is that what you thought? No, Ringo... Your dad's way too old for me. Plus he's not the same person. He's much more..."
But I never found out what that was. She trailed of, just gazing at me. It was rather disconcerting. Our faces were so close that I could nearly feel her eyelashes. The next thing I knew, we were kissing. The elevator dinged and we merely backing into it. Usually the fact that the elevator was so slow bothered me, but this time I was grateful. I couldn't stop touching her face. It was almost as if I couldn't believe it was really her in front of me. Then as the elevator opened, I pulled away from her.
"Come on," I said, taking her hand. "Let's get out of here."
The next day I awoke feeling as if I could explode from happiness. I came downstairs from my shower whistling. My mother laughed when she saw me.
"Someone's happy today," she said. I smiled and gave her a hug. "Something good must have happened. Either that or you want something."
"I'm just happy, Mom," I said.
"Wouldn't have anything to do with that girl you walked home with, would it now?" she said, giving me a knowing look.
"Maybe," I said. "But don't tell Dad."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
"What are you two conspiring about? You're up to no good, yo." My father was now coming down the stairs, tying back his long hair.
"Come on," my mother said, approaching my father. "You'll be late to work."
"I love you," my father said and he leaned down to kiss her. He was a great deal taller than my mother.
"Dad," I said, opening the door. "Let's go."
"Aren't we Mr. Responsible?" he said sarcastically, but he followed me out the door and it wasn't long before I was in my office waiting for Petra. She walked in and I smiled. Beaming in return, she walked over to me and we embraced.
"Good morning," I said.
"Yes, it sure is," she replied. I gave her a kiss, but then for a while I just stood there, my eyes fixed on hers.
"We need to get to work," she said, still staring up at me. She said it because she knew it was true, but there didn't seem to be any conviction behind the statement.
"I guess you're right," is said. "But I wish you weren't."
I leaned in to kiss her again when my father walked in.
"Hey Ringo, Tseng wanted to see you guys... and holy shit, I am so sorry."
It was hard to tell which one of us looked more mortified, me with my ears going a shade somewhere close to magenta, Petra who's eyes were the size of dinner plates or my father who I discovered could blush just about as red as I could.
"So... um yeah. He needs to see you. Excuse me. I need a drink."
"Don't you think it's a bit early for that Dad?" I asked, trying to pretend like nothing had happened.
My father just shook his head vigorously.
"No. Not after that it's not, yo. Just... go. Tseng. Please."
Still feeling horribly awkward, I walked past my father and out of the office, Petra following me. I turned right, in the direction of Tseng's office. Petra ran up along side me.
"Is it me, or did we just get busted?"
I looked back at my father who was now walking off in the other direction, mumbling something along the lines of "burned into my retinas."
"Yeah, I guess we don't have to worry about finding a way to tell him now," I said. I looked over, catching her eye and we both burst out hysterically laughing. We continued to walk down the hall. Just before we reached Tseng's office, I glanced into my father's office, knowing he was no longer there. My father's partner Rude at his desk, working diligently as per usual. I then glanced over to the other desk. It was a horrendous mess. I smiled. That was my father for you. However, Tseng's office was the next one on the right, and we walked in.
"You wanted to see us sir?" I asked. Tseng looked up.
"Yes. Yes I did," he said standing. "I'm giving you two your first mission."
Our first mission. I'd been doing desk work for so long, I had hardly remembered Turks went on missions. I glanced over to Petra. She looked excited.
"You have been working the Zebulon Lawrence case diligently I understand. Since you two know this case better than anyone, you must realize this means I'm sending you to-"
"Nibelheim. The old abandoned Shinra mansion," Petra replied before Tseng could finish.
"As much as it pains me to hear the place referred to as old, you are correct. You are to detain Lawrence and incapacitate as many of his followers as possible," Tseng said. "You will be leaving this afternoon. Here are your tickets. Go back to your office, gather your weapons and any items you may require Ringo, I suggest you tell your father where you're going." I winced, thinking of having to face my father after what had just happened. But I knew I had to.
"Yes sir," we said in unison, bowing our heads. We then turned and left. As we stepped out into the hall, I noticed my father standing in the door of his office, smirking.
"So lovebirds, what's verdict, yo?" he asked.
"We're going on a mission," I said. "To Nibelheim."
"I see," my father said leaning against his door frame. "In that case, I'll tell your mother you won't be home for dinner." My father pushed off the door and strode over to us. "Good luck Ringo," he said, smiling and then he messed up my hair.
"Hey, stop that!" I cried laughing. My father laughed too.
"Good luck to you too Petra," he said before turning back to his office.
It wasn't long before we were at the station, waiting for our train. We had one bag between the both of us, filled with materia, some potions and random snacks. Petra had her gun strapped to a holster beneath her jacket and my EMR had contained itself in its leather bracelet (how it did that, I always wondered. My father had tried to explain it once and merely ended up confusing himself) and we had our tickets, so all that was left to do was wait. Petra leaned against me and was beginning to fall asleep on my shoulder when I heard the hissing that signaled the approach of the train. I shook her gently.
"Come one Petra, it's here."
We gave our tickets to a squat man in a uniform, and then found ourselves at seat. I put the bag up in the overhead bin and then sat next to Petra, who was already seated. She looked tired. I put my arm around her.
"You can sleep if you want," I said.
"Thanks Ringo," she mumbled, leaning against me. The train gave a lurch, signaling we were on our way to Nibelheim. For a while I watched Petra sleep, but it wasn't long before I had fallen asleep myself. When I awoke I found that I had drooled all over myself.
'How do I always manage to do this?' I thought, exasperated. I started to wipe my off my face with my sleeve and glanced up at the itinerary screen. The stop for Nibelheim was approaching. I looked over to Petra, who was now curled up like a cat by my side. As much as I hated to do it, I knew I had to wake her.
"Petra, it's our stop," I said gently, running my hands though her hair. She groaned.
"Alright," she said groggily. "I'm getting up." She sat up rubbing her eyes and I stood in order to retrieve our bag.
"You know, you make a good pillow," she said.
"Thanks. I take pride in that." I sat down next to her and touched her face. She leaned in and kissed me. I pulled her in closer. I could only wish that the world would disappear so I could make that moment last forever. But the train did eventually pull to a stop and we knew we had to go. We had a job to do.
Nibelheim almost looked like a place that time had forgot. Compared to the sprawling crush of humanity that was Midgar and Edge, it seemed almost antiquated. It was hard to believe the whole place had been nearly burned to the ground. The Old Shinra Mansion was a dilapidated mess of an old building, and there was something eerie about it.
"I don't like this," I said to Petra. "This place gives me the creeps."
"Come one," Petra said. "We'll sneak in around the back."
At the back door a guard stood. I was surprised to see that I recognized him as Ari, the man who had given me my EMR. Petra drew her gun, but I stopped her.
"Wait, I've got this," I said. I then swaggered out from behind our hiding place.
"Ari, you lied to me, yo," I said, in the best imitation of my father's voice. Ari blanched and began to fumble with his gun.
"I-I'll shoot!"
"Like shit you will Ari," I said. I kicked the gun out of his hand an followed through by hitting him in the face with my EMR. There were sparks and he slumped to the ground. Petra ran out.
"You have no idea how much you just sounded like your father," she said, an air of bewilderment in her voice.
"Yeah, well that was the point," I said, blushing slightly. Petra gave a mock shiver.
"That was so creepy." I smiled. We then entered the building.The smell of mold seemed to consume everything. It seemed that we were in the basement. It was unusually quiet, which made me uneasy. I couldn't help but feel there was something wrong. We eventually reached a long hall way lit with candles. Weapons drawn we crept down it to a door. After assessing its strength, Petra kicked it down.
"Ugh, that is disgusting," she said looking inside. I looked. There was a large coffin.
"Vincent Valentine," I said.
"Pardon?"
"Vincent Valentine was a Turk fifty years ago. A scientist named Hojo experimented on him and he spent thirty years in that coffin. Now he's a permanently young man with red eyes and a red cloak, and without protomateria he turns into a monster," I explained. Petra gave me a dubious look.
"You so made that up," she said.
I opened my mouth to argue, but was cut off my a man's voice from behind us.
"I'd listen to your boyfriend if I were you dear. Because he's absolutely right." Suddenly we were surrounded by men dressed all in black. I thrashed violently and tried to fight them off, but there were too many of them. It wasn't long before two men held back my arms and two more held back Petra. I looked up to see a man in a white lab coat before us. Zebulon Lawrence.
"I must say, this facility really couldn't be better suited to human experimentation, as Vincent discovered and as your mother should have had it not been for that meddlesome father of yours."
"What?" I said angrily.
"Oh, you didn't know?" he said nastily. "Your mother was due to be brought in for experimentation when you father intervened and allowed her to escape. Did you know Sephiroth himself was created in this place? Yes it has a glorious past. And that is where you come in my dear," he said sinisterly to Petra. I tried to fight off the men holding me, but to no avail. I had to watch on in anguish as he the man approached her and touched her face. "Did you know you are the last remaining Mako enhanced being excepting Cloud Strife? When I knew I need a SOILDER for my research, you must forgive me dear, but I decided you were definitely easier to get a hold of. The stupid Shinra dogs did half the work for me. Imagine my delight when I discovered they assigned the very rookie I wanted to my case? They thought I would be easy for a rookie... they though wrong." He then turned his attention to the thugs holding her. "Take her to the operating room."
"No!" I screamed, struggling once again. But it was no use.
"Ringo!" she cried. "Ringo help me!"
"Petra!" By then I could no longer see her. Lawrence stepped in closer to me. "I will kill you if you touch her," I said savagely to him. He laughed.
"Yes, I'm sure you would if you were able to. But I've been meaning to pay back your father for divesting me of one of my finest specimens, so if you'll forgive me I'm afraid you'll be staying right here where Vincent did."
He left and the thugs started carrying me towards the coffin.
"No!" I screamed. "No! Get off me! Get OFF!"
I managed to punch one of the men in the jaw. I heard it break. Using both their astonishment to my advantage, I dispatched them quickly enough. I then ran off in the direction I saw them taking Petra. I could hear her screaming. It made me feel sick, and hatred bubbled up in my stomach. I ran up stairs. Her screaming was getting louder. It almost sounded as if they were torturing her. I needed to find her, and fast.
Suddenly I came to a door the screaming seemed to be coming from behind. My heart racing, I burst through the door. What I saw was sickening. Petra on an operating table, Lawrence ripping at her clothes, cutting into her skin. I was blinded with a rage that I had never felt the likes of in my life. Something inside me snapped and I ran at him. His assistants tried to stop me, but I utterly destroyed every single one of them. Blood spattered my face and clothes. I jumped on Lawrence and began to beat his face in with my own bare hands. He was laughing. The sick bastard was laughing. Then I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. I looked up. It was Petra, holding her stomach which was bleeding profusely.
"Ringo, don't," she said. "The mission." She then began to fall to the ground. I caught her.
"Petra?" I said, my emotions starting to take over.
"Ringo..." Her voice sounded weak, as if she were fighting merely to keep the power of speech. "You were the only one... who's ever... loved me. Who wasn't... afraid of... my eyes. Thank you."
"Why are you talking like this?" I said. "Don't worry, I'm going to get you out of here."
"I love you Ringo."
"Petra don't. Save your strength." She just smiled at me. But then I heard a sound from behind me. All I remember after that was seeing Zebulon Lawrence smile evilly as he shot an large oxygen canister next to a candle. Then everything went black.
When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by people. My mother with tears in her eyes. Rude looking just as serious as he ever did. Tseng looking horribly ashamed. Elena, her eyes red and puffy. My father. My father with his arm covered in bandages and his face covered in scratches.
"What happened to me?" I asked. My mother began to cry harder.
"There was an explosion," my father said, his voice weak. "Rude and I only just got there in time."
"Petra," I said. "Where's Petra?"
No one said anything. I felt a lump form in my throat.
"No," I said. "No, it's not possible."
I started to get out of the bed, but when I went to put weight on my right leg, I found that it wasn't there. My father caught me.
"Ringo, I'm so sorry," he said. "Petra was... dead when we got there." Suddenly the lump in my throat began to feel a lot more like a gaping hole in my heart. All I could do was cry and hold on to my father. He was crying too, something I had never once witnessed him doing. My entire world seemed to be crashing down around me.
The next week was Petra's funeral. I stood at her grave marker, dressed all in black, a new metal leg attached to the stump of my old one. "The girl in who's eyes was Lifestream, now resides in the Lifestream" read her epitaph. Thinking of Petra's eyes, tears flowed silently down my face. I looked up at the sky. I knew she was there, and I hoped she was watching me. Suddenly, I felt myself smiling, though I didn't quite know the reason why. I dried my eyes and made my way back to where my father was waiting for me.
"Are you gonna be okay, yo?" he asked, his voice devoid of its usual lazy, sarcastic quality.
"Yeah, you know. I think I am," I said. He smiled at me wanly, and put his arm around me.
"I'm glad, Ringo," he said. "Let's go home."
*AUTHOR'S NOTE*
Hallo, Tsukasa here again. Remember that Reno fanfic I wrote a while back, and how I promised there was more coming? Well this is the sequel. It takes place five years after the original story, six years after the events of Advent Children. I hope you like it! 
Yet again, yes, I know Reno technically has no last name. It stemmed from me accidentally originally choosing Sinclair as Theda's last name, but when I learned it was a common choice for Reno's supposed last name I had to change her's to Grisham. Then I decided I liked Sinclair as a last name for Reno. It seems to fit somehow.
Happy reading!
Tsukasa Kwassa Kwassa
Reno Sinclair was second in command of the Turks, the Department of Administrative Research at the newly rebuilt Shinra Electric Power Company. He was a young man, no older than 35, with spiky red hair and a long red rat tail. He was decidedly rangy and his skin was pale. His eyes were pale as well, but the seemed to smile when he talked and they were a remarkable shade of blue.
It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon and Reno was at his desk at work. Reno's desk was a mess. He hardly ever used it, and paperwork seemed to stack up on it like nobody's business. Reno never did any of it; his partner Rude always covered the same cases as him, so the paperwork was identical. Reno looked over at Rude, who was busy typing at his computer. He smiled. His partner was so… diligent.
Reno redirected his gaze to a picture he had on his desk of his wife Theda and their son Ringo. Theda has short black hair and a pretty smile. Reno smiled sort of sadly looking at the photograph. Theda has always hated the fact Reno worked for Shinra. In the time that he had been working for the company he had been badly injured countless times, and he nearly died once. He didn’t want to think of what would happen to Theda should his job kill him. As soon as this though crossed his mind, Reno's cell phone began to ring. He answered.
"Hey beautiful. I was just thinking of you, yo."
Theda laughed. Reno smiled at the sound.
"Oh really? Do they let you do that on the job?"
"What is it Theda?" he said, grinning now.
"I just wanted to let you know, we're having soup for dinner. And Ringo wants to show you something. Apparently he finished your portrait?" Hearing this, Reno laughed. Ringo was four.
"Tell Ringo I look forward to seeing it. I'll be home at eight, all right?"
"All right."
"I love you," Reno added, his voice softer.
"I love you too Reno." She hung up and Reno returned the phone to his pocket. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, stretching. With so much time to kill, Reno soon became bored and he started to amuse himself by tilting his chair back on two legs.
"Don't do that," Rude said without looking up. "You might fall."
"I'll be careful, yo. You should worry about yourself. You work too hard man." Rude chuckled.
"That's only because you don't work at all," he replied.
"Aw, come on—" Reno stared, but the door to their office opened without warning and Reno fell backwards out of his chair. In the doorway stood Tseng, their superior and first in command of the Turks.
"Reno, the President needs to see us."
Reno stood, nursing the newly formed bump on the back of his head. Rude laughed to himself.
"Told you that you would fall," he said, still not looking up from his work.
"Stop gloating," said Reno. He then followed Tseng out of the office.
Rufus Shinra had been President of Shinra Electric Power for seven years now, and Reno had known him for even longer than that. He admired Rufus and his ability to lead such a large company. Just his own small branch of the company was enough to make Reno's brain hurt. As they walked into the President's office, Reno noticed Rufus had some very difficult looking files up on his computer.
"Mr. President?" Tseng said. Rufus looked up.
"Tseng. Reno. Come in."
They did. Reno plopped himself in one of the chairs in from of Rufus's desk. Tseng frowned and remained standing.
"Yes sir?" he said.
"I have new missions for you," the President said smiling. "Tseng, I need you and Elena to investigate reports of some sort of monster on the loose in Nibelheim. You'll be leaving tomorrow." Tseng nodded curtly and the President turned to Reno. "And you Reno. You and Rude will be looking into reports of a terrorist attack that's about to occur in Edge."
"Sounds like fun, yo," Reno said playing with something on Rufus's desk.
"Yes, well I knew I could count on you. Both of these missions are classified. You aren't allowed to tell anyone on the outside. No, not even you wife Reno." Hearing this, Reno looked up.
"But sir!"
"No Reno. You don't want her worrying more than she has to, right?"
Reno bit his lip. It didn't seem right not to tell her, but he wasn't going to argue with Rufus Shinra.
"Very well, you and your partners will be further briefed tomorrow. You can go now."
After they left the office, Tseng turned to Reno.
"You shouldn't have questioned the President like that Reno."
"Yeah, well, when you have a wife, we can talk about it, but I'm not exactly in the mood, thanks." Tseng merely looked at Reno for a few seconds and shook his head, turning away. Reno turned as well and returned to his office.
"Hey, you okay?" Rude asked as he walked through the door. Reno sighed.
"Yep, fine. We have a new mission, by the way."
"Fine with me," Rude said and turned back to his work. Reno sat at his desk and continued to amuse himself with inane things until it was time for him to leave.
Reno always walked home, as he lived relatively close by. It was a cold night, and the wind was blowing hard. It chapped Reno's skin and made his cheeks flush. Bits of wadded up garbage and discarded papers blew around his ankles. Reno shivered. A chill had run down his spine, but it wasn't the cold. Reno flicked his wrist and suddenly a dangerous looking metal rod appeared fully extended in his hand. It glinted in the dim light.
"All right, whoever's following me, show yourself!"
Suddenly, Reno felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. Something warm and wet began to trickle down his neck. Reno touched it, and when he brought his hand into the light, he could see it shining with blood. Reno's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapse.
Reno awoke to a dull aching in the back of his head.
'I should have listened to Rude,' he thought without opening his eyes. 'The bump I got from galling out of that chair really hurts.'
He half consciously reached back to massage the bump and felt his head wrapped in bandages. All at once, Reno's memories came flooding back to him. He opened his eyes and sat up with a start.
From what he could tell, he was in a cell of some sort, and the building was obviously abandoned, most likely in Midgar. There were no windows and the light was dim, suggesting it might be underground. Reno could just make out a plate and he reached for it. On it was brad and some sort of cheese. Reno ate without hesitation. He needed to think and he couldn’t think while he was hungry.
Reno was still a little hazy from the blow to the back of his head. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious for. All he knew is that he needed to escape.
That's when the door opened and he was blinded by the bright light that flooded in.
"Ah... so you are awake then. That makes things simpler."
The speaker was a woman with long auburn hair. One of her eyes was clouded, as if it was blind, but the other was piercing and yellow. She hoisted Reno up by the arm and started to drag him out of the room.
"Come along then. This will be easier if you don't struggle."
Reno did struggle however. He tried to free himself from the woman's grip. The woman pressed two fingers into his neck, causing Reno's body to spasm uncontrollably as if there was some sort of electrical current running through him. He tried to scream, but no sound would come. The pain was too great.
"I told you not to struggle, Shinra dog. You should listen to what you're told." The woman continued to drag Reno's limp body down the hall. She led him to a dark room with a char and nothing else. The woman forced Reno to sit in the chair and then went to close the door. She stood in front of it, her arms folded. A light came on, and suddenly Reno could see that they were not alone in the room. In front of him sat three men behind a table. Reno couldn't make out their faces. His vision was blurred.
"What is your name?" one of the men said.
Reno could barely speak. Sweat beaded on his forehead. The pain had been so immense. All he could manage was something garbled in response.
"What?" said the one in the middle.
"I said you can kiss my ass, yo!" Reno shouted. The woman at the door stared, but the man in the middle waved her off.
"It's alright Deanna. Calm yourself."
The woman, Deanna, refolded her arms. Reno heard the man in the middle sigh.
"You seem to be quite defiant," said the man. "It's no matter, we already know. I was merely curious as to how you'd respond. Mr. Reno Sinclair, am I correct? You work for Rufus Shinra…. Well Mr. Sinclair, we might as well inform you as to why you are here. Our intelligence tells us you are one of your boss's favorites, and he is likely to do anything to ensure your safety. You see, your company seem to have a number of my esteemed colleagues being held captive. We need your help to get them back."
"That's not my jurisdiction," Reno said through gritted teeth. "I had nothing to do with your friends being captured. Why did you do this?"
The man laughed.
"I don't think you quite understand Mr. Sinclair. You are merely means to an end."
"You're monsters," said Reno angrily.
The man gave Deanna a quick nod. She came over and started at Reno's neck with her two fingers. Reno tried to fight her off, but he was still too weak from her first attack. As she pressed her fingers into Reno's neck again, he couldn't help but cry out in anguish. And when she returned to her position by the door, Reno was left in a heap, twitching every few seconds.
"Ah yes, well Mr. Sinclair. When you were brought here, the wound you sustained seemed to have caused more blood loss than predicted. The only blood we had left in you type seemed to be the kind with these very peculiar nanomachines in it. The react with the implants in Deanna's index finger in quite an interesting way, you'd have to agree?" Reno merely whimpered. "Ah, well I'm glad we can understand each other. Mr. Sinclair, tomorrow I will be calling Rufus Shinra in order to negotiate the return of my colleagues. I do so hope you'll be present."
With that, Reno felt himself being lifted. He was carried away, down more hallways to another room where he was placed on the floor. Reno lay there, unable to move for a while.
'I have to get out of here,' he thought. Then he thought of Theda, who was most likely out of her mind with worry as to why he had never come home. He thought of Ringo, who was too young to even understand the situation. Reno began to cry for the fist time in nearly five years. He pulled himself into a tight ball on the cold concrete floor and cried himself to sleep.
When Reno awoke, he felt strong enough to stand once again. He tried to get a better grasp on his surroundings, and he began to pace back and forth. A guard came in to give him breakfast, but Reno stopped him before he could leave.
"Hey is there anyway you could take me to a bathroom? I mean… I gotta go, yo."
The guard rolled his eyes. He took Reno by the wrist. Reno smirked, and flipped the guard on his back. The man was knocked out. Reno looked around, and then ran down a hall as fast as he could. Only one thought consumed his entire mind and that was escape.
Reno turned down a few different hallways, looking for a way to make it out. Finally, Reno spotted what seemed to be a ladder leading to the outside. Reno placed his hands on it and prepared to climb. Suddenly he heard a harsh voice behind him.
"Don't move, Shinra scum."
Reno didn't give himself time to see what was behind him. He clambered up the ladder as fast as he could, gunshots and screaming behind him. When Reno reached the surface, he didn't once look back, he just ran.
A shot rang out. Reno felt a sudden white hot pain in his shoulder. The blood began to pour, but Reno just continued to run. Eventually he no longer heard the footsteps behind him. The shouts quieted. Reno began to slow his running. As he came to a halt, his breath was hard and uneven. For the first time, he looked down at his shoulder. There seemed to be a hole straight through it.
Reno ducked into the first halfway structurally sound building he could find. He sat on a bench and proceeded to rip the sleeve of his shirt off. Using it as a bandage, Reno tied it tight in order to stem the bleeding.
Suddenly, looking down at the bench he was sitting on, Reno realized it wasn't really a bench at all, but a pew. He stood and looked around almost incredulously at his surroundings. He was surrounded by rows of pews, but instead of an altar there was a pool of calm, sparkling water and scores of beautiful white flowers.
'Well,' Reno thought to himself. 'At least now I know where I am.'
Reno set off shortly thereafter. He still didn't know who might be after him. He knew on thing however: he needed to make it Edge.
Reno felt strange walking through the place that had once been his home. The ruins of Midgar had an eerie aura about them. They made Reno uncomfortable.
'What I wouldn't give for a helicopter,' he thought. But Reno knew he wasn't going to just find one lying about, and he laughed in spite of himself. He picked up his pace and tired to focus on just getting to his destination.
It was hours before Reno could finally see Edge. However, at this point, the blood loss was starting to get to him. He felt light headed and nauseous, and the mere action of walking was becoming difficult.
'I have to make it,' Reno thought. 'I'm so close."
He could hear the sound of Theda's voice in his mind.
"Reno. I need you," he could hear her saying. She had said those words to him so many times.
Reno began to walk faster and faster. The pain in his shoulder was immense, but he wasn't going to slow down for that. The sun was rising to the right of him, and yet by the time he had reached Edge it was mid morning.
There were people all around him, rushing to their jobs and various engagements. Reno's hear was beating out of his chest. He was woozy, and the city seemed to spin about him. It was almost difficult to breathe. Reno felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and turned around, entirely prepared to beat the hell out of whoever had touched him. Fortunately, he didn't.
It was a young man Reno now recognized as a junior officer from his department.
"Sir, is that you?" he said, his eyes wide. "Gosh, you look horrible. What happened to you?"
"Take me to Rufus Shinra," Reno said in a very laborious manner.
"Right away sir," the young Turk replied. He helped Reno to a car nearby. "You know, we've been looking for you for nearly three days now, sir. The President sure will be glad we found you."
Reno nodded, still breathing heavily. He leaned back in his seat as the younger man started the car. Suddenly, all the relief and happiness that he had actually survived overwhelmed him. At first he merely smirked, but then he broke out into a full grin. He laughed, and the junior Turk looked over, confused. Reno didn't care. He had done it. He had escaped.
Epilogue
She sat alone in her kitchen, eyes red from crying. Theodosia Sinclair had just put her son Ringo to bed, and though she tried to remain strong for him, now that he was asleep she could hardly keep herself together.
Ringo looked so much like his father, with his vibrant red unkempt hair, pale skin and smiling eyes. Theda almost couldn't bear it.
"We're doing everything in our power," they had told her, but Theda didn't know if she could believe it. She could never trust Shinra, not after what they had done to her.
Theda heard a something that sounded like the front door closing. She stood and went to investigate, her hear racing. That's when she saw him. His head was wrapped in bandages, his arm in a sling. His eyes almost seemed sunken into his skill. And he looked so tired, as if he could sleep for days. More tears pricked Theda's eyes. She ran to him.
"Reno," she choked out through sobs. She held onto him hard, as if she were to let go he might evaporate into thin air.
He put his good arm around her and squeezed back. Theda could hear him crying, but she didn't say anything. She knew he didn't like people to know it was even possible for him to cry. They stood there like that for close to half and hour.
"I love you," Reno said.
"You came back," she said.
"Yes," he replied. "I survived."
End
