My Light
By Ezri-Candy
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Chapter 1: Passing Down The Sentence
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A man with eyes the color of the sea and hair more red than brown, stepped out of the locker room shower area of the gym with a pure white towel wrapped around his waist. He let out a sight of contentment; the mission he had just finished had been a dirty one indeed.
His job had been to track a band of smugglers who had been stealing drugs used in the SOLDIER enhancement process, recover them, and kill them. It turned out that the selling was taking place in the Mythril Mines, so over the past two days, he had spent a majority of his time in the brush around the swamp. Needless to say, his job was successful. Being a Turk, he was trained to be a ruthless implement of death when Shinra demanded it.
Reno punched in the combination for his locker, taking out a black hair clasp and his navy blue suit. He pulled his damp fiery locks into a loose ponytail, not really concerned that a few strands refused to be restrained and dressed with practiced efficiency, making sure to leave the white dress shirt un-tucked and the top two buttons open.
'Damn, I need a drink…I wonder if Tseng and Reeve are up for hittin' the bar tonight since Rude is still in the hospital.' His planning was interrupted by the intercom.
"Reno, please report to the level 64 desk. Reno, please report to the level 64 desk. " A female voice came over the loudspeaker.
The red headed Turk smiled, he knew that was the voice was of beautiful blond that he had been 'working on' for the past week. It usually didn't take him more than that for a woman to submit to his advances, but since he had been on the mission, he hadn't had a chance to finish working his magic on her.
Reno walked to the desk on the 64th floor and gave the woman a boyish smile. "Hey gorgeous, you free tomorrow night?"
She rolled her eyes but smiled brightly at him. "Hi Reno, where have you been?"
He shook his finger at her. "Now Jessica, you know I can't tell you that. Did you miss me?"
Jessica blushed didn't answer. "Reno, I have a message for you. President Shinra wants to see you in his office ASAP."
Reno sighed, he did not like the corpulent man who ran the company and really didn't want to listen to the man's babbling or ranting. 'What does the pudgy bastard want now?' he thought as he turned his attention back to Jessica. "Duty calls…I'll see you later sweets."
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The aqua-eyed Turk made his way up the flight of stairs that led to the President's excessively large office on the 70th floor. The Turk was slightly surprised to find Reeve and Tseng seated before the President. As Reno looked at the faces of Tseng and Reeve, he was starting to become concerned.
A look of nausea and distress was clearly evident on the young executive's face as he stared down at his folded hands. Tseng, on the other hand, showed no obvious emotion, but Reno knew better. He had been trained by the quiet Wutain man and had worked closely with him for the past four years as his right hand man. Glimpsing into his the brown eyes of his boss, he could clearly see an odd mix of silent fury and sympathy burning beneath Tseng's calm exterior.
'Shit…something is really wrong here…' His mind warned as he came to a stop before the President's massive desk. "Sir." He said nodding his head in false respect.
President Shinra leaned back in his chair and gestured to the vacant chair between the other two men. "Have a seat Reno." He wheezed in his trademark nasal voice.
Reno winced at the sound of the man's voice as he sat. President Shinra was the only man the he had ever met whose breathing made him sound like he was constantly running a marathon. He sat in silence waiting for that wretched voice to start up once more.
Shinra popped a cigar in his mouth but didn't light it as he began to speak. "Over the last few weeks, certain sensitive items have been disappearing from various departments throughout the company. Most recently, the Urban Development department, under Mr. Brooks," he gestured Reeve, "has reported the plans for the upgrades to the reactor in sector three are now missing.
"I believe that this person has been working with the rebel groups that have taken up residence under the city plates. This is in order to halt the upgrades and sabotage us from within. There has been an internal investigation conducted and I now believe that we have found the perpetrator of these acts. I want you, Reno, to take this person out." Shinra ordered as he pulled the cigar from his lips. Reno watched in disgust as a trail of saliva hanging from his almost non-existent lip to the cigar snapped and landed on the President's double chin.
Reeve looked up pleadingly at the President. "Surely there has to be some other form of punishment than death if he is guilty? Perhaps we should re-evaluate the evidence before taking such hasty measures." The young executive said as he ran his hands through his shoulder length brown hair.
The round man looked at Reeve with disdain. "Mr. Brooks, there will be no second chances or leniency in this matter. A trusted member of this organization has betrayed my company and I will not stand for it!"
Reeve shook his head in defeat. There was nothing he could do for the man that he knew would never do such a thing. The man in question was loyal to Shinra regardless of his personal dislikes pertaining to the methods of the company. "I just don't think that this is the right course of action." He mumbled.
There was silence in the room for a moment. Tseng still had yet to say anything but Reno assumed that his silence had to the anger that he was harboring. The fiery Turk said nothing as he waited for the President to speak.
"The man is one of Mr. Brooks associates. He runs the Social Welfare Department under Urban Development division." Reno visibly paled at this bit of information…it could only be one man. "Reno, you are to take this man out…his name is Mason Drake."
Reno's chest felt heavy, almost as if it was about to cave in. He closed his eyes momentarily in pain. He now knew why Tseng and Reeve were acting so strangely. He watched as Reeve tilted his head back with his eyes closed and watched as Tseng's fist clinched tightly.
He had just been assigned to kill their good friend…but that was not all…he also would be killing his childhood friend.
Reno neither moved nor said anything as the President continued to speak. "You will do this tomorrow evening, and retrieve his briefcase. There has been rumors of a meeting set up between him and one of the rebels tomorrow night so he will have the documents on him." Shinra reached into his desk drawer and pulled out an ornate silver lighter and lit the sopping wet cigar. "You are all dismissed." He said propping his feet on the desk, grunting from the exertion of his action.
The trio stood and quickly exited the office leaving a smirking President behind them.
The President let out an evil chuckle. "Killing two birds with one stone…The company will save millions and what better way to test their loyalty that to have them kill their own friend. If they don't, I will simply have them all killed."
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Tseng held the elevator door as Reno and Reeve stepped on the elevator. He reached over and pushed 65 and 61, for Reeve's office and the Turk's base level respectively. None of the men said anything until the bell signaling the floor chimed. Tseng met Reeve's sad green eyes and said one word. "Ksen."
Reeve nodded and stepped of the elevator. The three Turks, Reeve and Mason knew that nothing that they said in the Shinra building was safe so, they developed code words that signified the need for a meeting without Shinra's many ears listening. The word 'Ksen' was short for the word 'ksenodoheo' loosely translated, meant hotel, which let the men know that they were to meet at Tseng's apartment tonight, it being closest to the hotel.
Reno leaned back against the cool glass of the elevator as they made down to their floor. At the sound of the chime, Reno looked to the opening doors finding his boss, stand stiff as a board and his hands clasped so tightly behind his back, his knuckles had turned white.
The silently made their way to their network of connected offices as people dodged jumped out of path of the most dangerous people within Shinra's ranks. Reno reached and opened the door for his boss and with a look, the both went to their offices.
Reno sat heavily in his plush leather chair and buried his head in his hand, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. The intercom on his phone buzzed to life when Tseng's deceptively calm voice flowed from the speaker.
"I will inform Rude of the situation." He stated simply.
The red head pushed the button on the phone. "Okay boss." He replied burying his head in his now folded arms, think about the man that he was suppose to kill.
Reno had met Mason when he was five while living with his mother in the Sector four. His mother was raising him alone after his father left them a few months prior to fend for themselves. Because jobs in the slums were scarce, his mother was forced find employment at the honeybee inn as a sex worker. One thing that Reno prided himself on was his memory. He remembered the night that he met Mason, his parents, and subsequently, his decision to join Shinra like it was yesterday.
=-=Flashback=-=
"Baby, those curlers aren't toys. Come over her and have a seat." Maryanne said little boy, patting the counter top next to her. She hefted the child onto the countertop while she removed her makeup in the dressing room of the honeybee inn. The babysitter that she was barely able to afford had just dropped her young son off since she was coming off her shift.
"Mama is it time to go yet? I'm sleepy." A five-year-old Reno whined.
"I'm almost done…did you have fun at the sitters?" She asked, putting her long red hair into a loose bun.
The little one brightened noticeably. "Yup mama! Danni let me play wit da buildin' blocks today an we colored…it was fun!"
She smiled at him and ruffled his short red locks. "That's good! I wish I could have played too!" Reno leaned forward and placed a sloppy kiss on his mama's cheek. "Are you ready sweets?"
He nodded vigorously and hopped from the counter top. Maryanne stood and took her son's tiny hand in hers and made their way out of the inn.
Halfway to their home in Sector four, a drunken man stumbled out from behind a pile of garbage. He staggered over to them as Reno stood protectively in front of his mom. "Hey pretty lady, don't cha work at the inn?" His words were heavily slurred and he swayed on his feet.
The red headed woman pulled her son close to her, protecting him. "I'm sorry sir, I think you have me mistaken for someone else…now if that's all, I really must get my son home." She tried to walk past the man only to be stopped once more.
"Hey, I'm not done with you!" He said grabbing her arm with bruising strength. "How bout you ditch the kid and come have some fun with me." He said smashing his mouth to hers.
She was struggling to get away when Reno ran up and bit the man's leg. The drunk released his hold on the woman and clutched at his bleeding leg.
"You leave my mommy alone!"
"You lil' shit, you'll pay for that!" he said charging for them. He knocked Reno to the ground and kicked the child hard in the ribs.
Maryanne clawed at the man and beat him with her fists while screaming for help. She ran over and picked up her crying son and started to run, only to bed tripped and fall to the ground. The man got to his knees and pulled out a switchblade. "Now I'll take what I want and kill you both!"
She pulled Reno close to her chest and attempted to get to her feet. The man got to his feet and was about to charge at them when two shots rang out and hit the man in once in each leg, shattering the bone in one of them. The drunk yelled out in pain and collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.
Maryanne looked up to her savior. "Thank you for helping us."
A blond haired man in his late thirties stood a few yards away, holding a smoking pistol in his hands. He stood in front of a brunette woman clutching a child with light brown hair around the same age as her son. He came forward and helped Maryanne to her feet "My name is Nathan." He gestured for the woman behind him to step forward. "This is my wife, Liza and my son, Mason. Are you hurt?"
She had tears running down her pale cheeks as she peeked down at her precious son who was having problems breathing. "I am fine but my child is not." She climbed to her feet and began to clamor away before Nathan restrained her.
"What happened to him?" The man asked with concern.
"That bastard kicked him…I think his ribs are broken."
Nathan plucked the child from Maryanne's arms. "Come with us. Liza will heal him once we get to our home." She nodded and they quickly made their way to the Drake's home, also in Sector four.
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Thanks to the mastered cure materia Liza had used, the red headed child made a quick recovery. The two families became close rather quickly and their boys became like brothers. They did everything together and while Liza watched Reno while his mother was at work, and Nathan escorted Maryanne home on his way from work.
=-=Twelve years later=-=
Reno sat at the recently built playground on the edge of Sector four. He had been living with the Drake's since his mother had died the previous year after living with cancer, but not being able to afford treatment. 'Maybe she would have lived if son of a bitch she called her husband hadn't left us. We might have been able to get her some kind of treatment.' He thought bitterly.
"Hey Reno, whatcha up to?" Mason said as he sat next to the red headed teen on the bench.
"Hey Mas. Just thinking…"
Mason looked and him with amusement in his green eyes. "That can't be good."
The corner of Reno's mouth upturned slightly as he playfully punched Mason in the shoulder. "Shut up." He sobered slightly. "There's nothing for me down here…Your parents have done so much for me and my mother, I want to help them, but there nothing in the slums. Mas, I'm thinking of going to look for work with Shinra."
"Ya know Reno, I was thinking about it also. I don't want my parents to live in the slums anymore. I want to move them somewhere safe, like to the upper plate or even to Kalm.
Reno took a deep breath and ran his hand over his face. "Well, I'm headin' up there in the morning, so I guess I go tell Miss Liza and Nate."
Mason laughed. "You know, ma hates when you call her that…makes her feel old."
Reno smiled. "I know, but they know they are like an Aunt and Uncle to me."
Mason nodded and they headed back to their small home.
The next day, Reno went to the Shinra headquarters and signed up for the Shinra guard.
=-=End Flashback=-=
Reno pulled his head out of his folded arms. Mason got an office job and was trained in the Urban Development department where his gained knowledge helped him advance up the corporate ladder.
Reno himself had advanced in the guard rather quickly because of his skills. Reno was an excellent marksman but preferred a nightstick-like weapon called an electromag stick. This had caught Scarlet and Heidegger 's attention. Heidegger reassigned Reno to the Turks as a trainee at age eighteen under Tseng's tutelage.
That was eight years ago. He and Mason had been able to move Liza and Nate to Kalm where they lived quietly after their first year with the corporation. They both passed around two years ago in an accident outside of Kalm.
The Turk sighed and looked over to the clock. '6:00…Tseng should be coming out in…five…four…three…two…one.' Reno looked through his open office door to see Tseng exit his. He gave a mental chuckle at the man's predictability.
Tseng gave Reno a look that said 'don't forget' before leaving the office.
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AN: So yeah, this is my first Chapter for my Reno/Aeris fic…I hesitated to post it, but I wanna know what you think of the first chappy and if you think I should continue. Right now, I'm working on chapter three of this story and hopefully when that's finished, I can post chapter 2. I haven't decided if it going to be AU or follow some of the events of the game.
(Oh yeah, I got a nice pic of the Turks and Rufus in my profile if you want to check it out)
Also, can anyone tell me where the name Mason Drake came from? I'm just curious to see if anyone knows
Any flames will be used to line my rabid Chocobo's pen, then said Chocobo will pay a visit to said flamer.
Tseng, would you do the disclaimer please?? {blows a kiss to Tseng who blushes slightly}
Tseng: Ezri does not own final fantasy 7 or any of it's characters. We choose to visit her because she shows us a better time and does not keep us locked in the basement of Square-Enix.
See ya peoples!!