A/N: I don't own them, though I wish I did. They all belong to SquareEnix.
Sing Electric
Cissnei had never seen Reno like that. He was always carefree to the point of laziness, and his hours off the job were spent drinking. She knew he took his job seriously, but this...was unexpected.
She had brought a target in for "questioning," expecting that one of the Turks who specialized in martial arts would take care of it. To her dismay, they were all out missions. Expecting that she would have to do it herself, she pulled out a knife and leather gloves from her locker before checking in with Tseng.
The normally stoic man looked at her sympathetically, knowing that the young Turk disliked carrying out the interrogation process. "Just wait outside the cell, I'll send someone." Cissnei nodded gratefully before making her quick exit, walking down the halls briskly toward the cell where the unfortunate man waited.
She leaned against the wall, twirling the sharp knife carefully between her slim fingers. It was the standard company-issued weapon, given out specifically for these little sessions. Most of the Turks had gone out and bought improved tools, but Cissnei, not having a fondness for this sort of thing, never bothered. She thought the small knife did its job quite well.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up, gasping slightly when Reno sauntered down the hall, leather gloves already on, swinging his EM rod back and forth. As he got closer she could hear the quiet hum of electricity running through the smooth metal, waiting impatiently to connect with bare skin. "Reno...Isn't Rude out on a mission?" She asked, slightly disturbed by the grin on his face.
"Uh...Yeah. It's why I'm here, yo." He stared at the door like a kid waiting to open a Christmas present.
"Don't you usually go with him?" She stared at the opposite wall, not wanting to watch his expression.
He looked at her sideways for a second. "We aren't attached at the hip, yo. Now look, do you want me here or d'ya wanna do it yourself?"
She sighed and unlocked the door, walking in with a small sense of dread. Reno practically bounced in after her, and she could hear the click of the dial on his weapon as he turned up the voltage.
A smooth metal table sat near one wall, two chairs behind it. The victim sat in a chair in the center of the room, bound, gagged, and looking completely terrified. He saw the enthusiastic redhead first and looked back at Cissnei with pleading eyes.
Cissnei took her seat, Reno sitting next to her, looking bored. She looked at him for a while, and he stared back, looking confused. She let her eyes shift to the person in question, and realization dawned on his face. "Oh...right." He stood up and walked lazily over to the chair, removing the gag. The person breathed with relief, and Reno knocked him in the side of the head with the handle of his weapon.
Cissnei clenched her teeth and gripped the edge of the table. "Not yet."
He looked at her for a second. "Yeah, yeah." He moved to a corner of the room, leaning against the wall, watching the man with anticipation.
And so Cissnei began the questioning. Reno stood quietly, looking disinterested as the man answered her questions with a quivering voice. She took notes for future reference, silently hoping that he would answer all her questions and she could leave. She saved the most difficult question for last, the one that would most likely require persuasion in exchange for an answer.
"Who are you working for?"
The man still looked terrified, probably because he couldn't see the lanky redhead. "I...c-can't..t-tell...y-you..."
Cissnei sighed, resting her face in her hands. She looked up at Reno, who was watching her raptly with a wicked gleam in his blue eyes.
He moved like lightning, and before the poor man could take a breath, Reno was poised to strike, the rod hovering close to the man's groin. Cissnei could hear the steady hum of electricity, and the man looked at Reno, pleading.
"P-please...No...I have a w-wife...and ch-children..."
Reno grinned as his lips moved to the man's ear. "Well...ya ain't gonna have anymore."
Cissnei steeled herself against the noises that followed; the buzz as the volts worked their way through the body, the screams, and Reno's chuckling as he hit the dial.
"Now do ya wanna tell the nice lady?"
Cissnei stared in awe at the redhead...he was actually enjoying this. Catching her stare, he smiled at her.
"I c-can't. T-they w-would k-kill my f-f-family."
"We're quite capable of that as well," Cissnei spoke up from the table, wishing the ordeal were over. The man looked at her with wide eyes. Reno did too, his mouth hanging slightly open with suprise.
"S-still, I-" The man's pleas were cut off by Reno's fist flying from his side. Cissnei heard the sickening crunch of bone as his leather-clad fist connected with the man's face. Blood spattered everywhere, crimson drops landing on every possible surface.
Reno's unbuttoned shirt got the most of it, the tiny drops blooming like flowers as they sank into the fabric. Cissnei crossed her arms and pinched the bridge of her nose, guarding against the metallic smell. Reno didn't seem to mind, only taking the time to wipe the glove on the man's shirt. He walked over to the table, leaning against it.
"How about now?" The man whimpered, and Cissnei could tell he was missing some teeth.
"J-jin I-ishin."
Reno chuckled. He looked at Cissnei, nodding his head toward the door. They walked out, leaving the man bleeding and alone in the cold room.
"What is it?" Cissnei asked, slightly irritated at the delay.
"Ishin. That's where Rude's at right now. Undercover job, and I ain't exactly your idea of the perfect bouncer."
"Oh. So that's it then. We're done."
"Yeah. You go get cleaned up...I'll clean up this mess."
Cissnei didn't ask what "cleaning" entailed; she already knew. Reno would kill the guy and call someone to dump the body.
"Yeah...I'll do that." She walked away from him, quickly, not looking back. She had seen a side of Reno she hadn't thought existed, and she wasn't sure if it was a good thing.
Once inside her apartment, she headed straight for the bathroom, dumping her clothes in the laundry basket and turning on the shower. She let the scalding hot water make its trails down her skin, running her fingers through her hair. She watched the drain, looking for traces of the man's blood as it wound its way toward the drain, but the water was clear as crystal.
After about an hour and a half, she reluctantly shut off the water, climbing out and grabbing a towel. She went to her room and dressed in a clean suit and hoping the blood would come out of the other one. She was suprised by a knock on the door and she rushed out, straightening her jacket and fixing her tie.
Reno leaned lazily against the door, standing up straight when she opened the door. His uniform, though as wrinkled as ever, was devoid of blood, the white shirt looking nearly brand new. Cissnei, noticing the absence of the electric humming, looked down and saw that his weapon was gone and his right hand fidgeted with his jacket sleeve.
"Reno."
"It's all taken care of."
Cissnei nodded. "Thanks."
"No problem." There was an awkward silence and Cissnei leaned against the doorframe. Reno sighed, leaning back against the wall. "Did I scare you earlier?"
"What?" Cissnei turned to look at him.
"You looked kinda freaked out back there." He watched her, slightly amused.
"Well...I've never liked doing that sort of thing."
"I could tell." He smirked at her. "So killing's alright, but you can't handle torture."
"Killing doesn't take but a moment. Torture..." She looked away from him, unable to watch the twinkle in his eye.
"You gotta watch."
"You must think I'm weak." Cissnei leaned against the doorframe again and stared at the floor.
"Nah. Everyone has their area of expertise."
"And yours?" She looked at him sideways as he studied the ceiling.
He chuckled darkly. "Talkin' about on the job or off it?" He looked at sideways again, a cocky smirk appearing.
She rolled her eyes. "On the job."
"You saw it, babe."
"It doesn't bother you?"
"Used to." He turned and looked at her, and she could tell he wasn't lying to make her feel better.
"How'd you make it stop?"
"Drank a lot," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking at her sheepishly.
"Figures." He chuckled again.
He stood straight again, moving his hands to his jacket pockets. "You wanna come with?"
"Where are you going?"
"Gonna go get a drink, yo."
"And Rude's not here so you need a temporary drinking buddy?"
"Got me pegged, babe."
"I suppose I could." Cissnei checked her jacket for her wallet and locked her door before following Reno down the hall. With the same quick movements she had witnessed earlier, he pulled his right hand out of his pocket, capturing her smaller one in its grasp.
"Don't let it bother you so much, Cissnei. It's just a job."
Cissnei smiled to herself and squeezed his hand. "You're right."
"'Course I am, babe."