This is my first ever AkuNo story. Enjoy people!


Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

Axel looked up into glossy, and unfocused, blue-green eyes. He'd never seen those gorgeous eyes so lifeless before. Even though Axel was looking straight into them, they were not looking back. Those eyes which had always looked at him with an abundance of emotions be it lust, want, mischievousness, laughter... fondness? There had always been something, but right then, there was absolutely nothing.

Axel's hands clenched in the fabric of Reno's shirt in desperation, his own eyes trying to see something, anything. But as it became clear that the other redhead was far gone into whatever haze he was in, Axel then let go and let his hands come to rest at the small of Reno's back. His eyes searched Reno's face instead, but there was nothing, only blandness.

Axel was at a loss, he didn't know what to do, and that was a very foreign and frightening feeling. He'd been trained in the Organization for as long as he could remember. None of what he had been thought by them could help him at that moment. There was no way to go back and fix things, no way to unravel the lies that they had told one another...

They should have stopped. They should have gone their separate ways. There should have only been the one time. Axel had always done that before. It was alright to have fun, find someone to have a good time with. But nothing long lasting, Axel didn't do friendships outside the Organization. He had acquaintances, he had 'friends' to keep up the ruse, to keep the facade of a normal life and persona intact. Even though it was all built on lies, his whole life as Axel was one big fucked up lie... but one tends to realize such things when it's too late. The normalness he was surrounded by, all lies. There was nothing normal about Axel, and he damned well knew that. He'd been trained to do unmentionable things by the Organization since he'd been picked up from the street by them all those years ago. And Axel knew the rules of the Organization, rules that had been imprinted into his mind since the very first day with the Organization.

1. The Organization is your family.

2. You do everything to protect your family.

3. You do not question orders.

4. You do not reveal your Organization identity to anyone outside of the Organization.

5. You don't get attached to people...

But Axel had gotten attached. He'd fallen hard and been caught by the man whom he had his arms around at that very moment. It was heartbreaking to see Reno so... broken. Axel had often wondered if he even had a heart, and now he was certain of it, because if he didn't he wouldn't be hurting so bad.

He should never have bent his own rules. He shouldn't have been swept away. Because by bending his own personal rules he had ended up breaking one very important one, and that one broken rule... it changed everything.

"Reno..." It wasn't the first time he said the name since he'd been shoved into the cell, all concrete and no windows, stale air and harsh lighting.

Reno was a Turk, the enemy...

Axel hadn't known. If he'd known before he'd first met the other redhead Axel would probably have killed the other man within minutes of laying eyes on him. But neither of them had known whom the other was. The lies saw to that, well crafted and perfect as they were.

The Turks of ShinRa, an elite force dealing with criminals in a ways that weren't strictly legal at all times... Dealing with things in a way that the FBI or the CIA couldn't, or rather, didn't have authorization to do.

They hadn't known...

They hadn't asked...

They had been fine with the half truths and obscure answers they had gotten from one another. Taking it for what it was, not really suspecting anything. Who wanted to know about the mundane work of a security guard? Who asked probing questions about a Uni-student's day at school? The highlights were told anyway, the rest... it hadn't been important. As long as the lies and half truths weren't questioned there was nothing to worry about.

''Hey...Reno..." Still no recognition or answer, and Axel's eyebrows furrowed in worry. Reno wasn't all there. Axel could smell the sharp tang of alcohol on Reno's breath, he'd seen the bottle in Reno's hand and it was almost half empty. "...talk to me, please..." Axel hated how his own voice shook, and he had to forcefully swallow a few times to get rid of the lump in his throat. His tone had been horse and it had cut through the silence in a very unsettling way bouncing off the walls even though he'd barely spoken over a whisper.

Axel's fingers clenched in the fabric of Reno's shirt again, and a heavy sigh shuddered past his lips as he finally shifted his gaze away, closing his eyes and mentally cursing himself. There really was no way out. He knew where they were, he'd heard the other Turks talk, but that really didn't help. It didn't matter that he knew that they were being held in the ShinRa building, several floors down.

There was no escape...

This was their last attempt to get him to talk, to spill what he knew. He never would though, because he wasn't stupid enough to think that it would make a difference. If he knew it would have... he might have. But seeing what they had done to one of their own, even though Reno knew nothing, it was proof enough.

Half-truths and blatant lies was what had gotten them into the situation they were in. Half-truths and lies was what would get Axel, and very possibly Reno, killed. Because they hadn't known. Because they had chosen to ignore the signs...

They had hurt one of their own in their desperation to get at information that he didn't have. Reno didn't know anything... Reno only knew the student who had a part time job as a fucking bartender. Reno knew nothing else, but they had still hurt him.

They had hurt his Reno...

Axel pressed his forehead against Reno's chest with his eyes tightly shut and his lips pressed into a thin line. Everything was wrong. It never should have happened. "...I'm sorry..." He eventually whispered, his long fingers scrunching up the fabric of Reno's shirt even worse than before .

Axel had never felt so helpless. There was nothing he could do. Even if he gave ShinRa the information they wanted, Axel was still a dead man. Whatever he did either one or both of them would die...

"Come on Red... just talk to me." His voice was muffled against the fabric of Reno's torn and bloodied shirt, it looked like Reno had been through much worse than him, which was cringe worthy to think about, because Axel hadn't had it easy.

Reno said something then, but it was too low for Axel to hear even though he was so close. A few mumbled words which carried no force in them, hardly even more than an exhale. Axel raised his head to look up at Reno again, it hadn't happen too often that he had to look up at Reno, but as it were Axel was sitting on the cold concrete floor, while Reno was sitting on a low four legged stool. Axel had gotten as close as he possibly could, he'd wanted Reno even closer but the other man hadn't wanted to move, so Axel had just been the one to shift them around the best he could. He'd nestled himself close, it had taken some awkward maneuvering, but Reno hadn't said a word, hadn't protested or even moved.

"What was that Red?" Axel tried to keep the tremor out of his voice; he did his best to make it sound normal and upbeat. He'd never had a problem controlling his emotions, but then again, he'd never let his emotions grow beyond his comfort zone before Reno came along.

"...you're not here..." Reno mumbled, his words slow, unsure and slightly slurred. Axel raised his arms, the chain of his shackles brushing against the bloody gash on Reno's back, but the other man still didn't react. "I'm here Red. Not that I'm really that thrilled about it." Axel said, forcing a week smile onto his lips, Reno's eyes shifted just the slightest, and his left hand came up to run through Alex's spiky tresses a few times but then fell back to his side like dead weight.

"You can't be here..." The words were firmer this time, as if Reno was trying to convince himself. The pain on the Turk's features, how his brow furrowed, how he pressed his lips together into a thin line after he'd said it and the absolutely broken look in his eyes... It was heartbreaking for Axel's to see it, to hear the voice that more often than not had a note of carefree laugher in it, so dead and flat.

Axel watched as Reno squeezed his eyes shut and give a minute shake of his head. "If you're here..."

'...You'll die...'

Unspoken, but Axel already knew, how could he not know? A fair share of the Organization had fallen due to ShinRa already. Axel had figured that he would die young, kind of came with the job. But at that moment he had a whole new understanding for the rules.

Do not get attached.

Don't fall...

Axel wanted to lie. He wanted to tell pretty lies about how they would be fine. How they would get out of there and go somewhere just the two of them. Thing was, in reality, the bad guys don't get the "Happily Ever After", they more often than not get caught get imprisoned, or they are killed...

He wanted to lie, but he couldn't. There were too many lies between them already. They had been small ad insignificant lies about work, friends, family... but those small seemingly inconsequential lies had ultimately led to where they were now. Sitting in a small concrete room with no windows, the air around them stale and heavy and the only sounds came from them, their breathing and the clinking of chains from their shackles.

"...Hey Reno..." Axel eventually forced out, his voice tight and still shaking with held back emotions. Reno didn't open his eyes, he kept them tightly shut. Axel shifted his grip on Reno, pulling him down the few inches that were needed; the other redhead didn't fight it so Axel pressed his forehead against Reno's. He stayed like that for a moment, debating with himself. He didn't want to tell any more lies, he had one truth though, words he'd never said truthfully before...

Axel whispered the words he never thought he'd actually say, to actually mean them, they weren't a lie. He then closed the short distance between them, pressing his lips against the other man's. He couldn't see it, but Reno's left hand gripped the stool he was sitting on tighter, just for a moment, and then it relaxed again and Reno kissed Axel back.

The moment didn't last long as the door to the cell was suddenly flung open. There was yelling, Axel pulled away in a flurry of motion. The bottle Reno had been holding went flying as his arms were yanked upwards so that Axel could free himself. Reno fell off the small stool in an ungraceful heap and there was more yelling, the shouts bouncing of the stone walls, before the sharp sound of glass scratching against concrete sounded through the room.

Reno's eyes were still closed, and he hissed in pain, it was all too much... it couldn't be real...

Then a gunshot rang out, the sound deafening in the small room and Reno's eyes opened with a start, clear and focused...

"AXEL!"

Then there was silence...


I hope it was to ya all's liking! This story was all inspired by Nijuukoo's lovely piece of art, "Heartbreak Warfare". Go and give it a look on her Deviant art account or her tumblr. I'm almost done with the second chapter, and I know where I'm going with this.

Tell me what ya think, if ya have the time to spare. :)

Please excuse any grammatical/spelling errors. English isn't my first language, and on top of that I'm dyslexic. XD So I have a pretty decent excuse. I'm trying to find a Beta, so hopefully I'll have one for the next chapter.