Piece of Turmoil

Summary: Even if they wanted to tear each other's throats out and decapitate one another, even if they hated one another so much that there was a visible wall of tension between them at all times, they were in this together – and there was no getting out anymore.

Setting: The world is Final Fantasy VII, however there is no magic or monsters – slightly more high-tech than in the game. Midgar has been destroyed by the final attack in the first and only World War, WRO does not exist in this however ShinRa does and Rufus ShinRa is the most powerful man on the planet.

Rating: M – for language, mature content, and ideologically sensitive material

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the world, I do however own the storyline and the names given to characters that originally don't have them (last names)

Note: I do apologize if some of the characters seem a little OOC, I wrote them as how I see them and how they would act in these types of situations. Also, like my previous multi-chapters, this is not a top priority and will only update it if I feel people are interested in it, as well as, I write and post – will check for spelling and grammar mistakes when everything is done.

Thank you and please enjoy.

Prologue

The redhead looked up from the book before him when the bell at the top of the door rang. His eyes immediately narrowed when he noticed the large black male striding in and he stood up straighter. "What do you want?" he barked across the room, startling some of the customers that were sitting around at the few tables and chairs to do some readings.

"Just want to talk, Reno." The man's deep voice boomed and startled any who did not pay attention till now.

"Uh huh... I'm sure," the redhead's eyes narrowed again and he reached under the counter, where many regular customers knew he stashed a gun, and he leaned forward on the counter.

The large male brought both gloved hands up and cracked the knuckles by forming fists before stepping closer. Everybody was looking now.

Reno came around the counter, gun abandoned and that cocky stride in his steps that made many doubt he was just a regular book-shop keeper. He stepped right up to the larger man, glaring up into eyes covered by dark shades. They stared at each other and the tension in the store grew.

"Hey man!" they suddenly exploded, grasping each other in a tight hug that lifted the redhead a few centimetres off the floor and left a face-splitting grin on his face. "How ya been, Rude?" he tapped the larger man's shoulder in reassurance before stepping back a little."Sit down, sit down. Gotta a shop to watch, but I can still talk."

Rude nodded in silence and sat where he had been indicated. His sullen expression however made Reno's smile fall and he settled himself in front of his old friend. "Everything okay?"

"No." Rude shook his head. He made a motion to look around though his friend was aware that Rude already had the layout of the store in his head with every person sitting in their spot. Reno also made to look around and noticed a few people pretending to be reading while eavesdropping while others were blatantly staring at them.

He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and turned back to his friend. "Serious?"

"Very."

Reno sighed and slapped both hands on his thighs then rose using that as leverage. "Alrighty everybody! Out! I'm closing for the day!" he called loudly.

Rude reached up to his friend and tried to stop him however his hand dropped when he looked around and noticed something particular. "Where's Roxas?"

The redhead froze. So did some of the patrons, sending sympathetic looks back at the redhead and then to the large male before putting their books down and leaving all together. A few came to the counter, knowing the drill in these situations from the past and just leaving the books after they stuck a sticky to them with their names. They would be held for them, no need to hold the redhead back now by purchasing them on the spot.

"Reno?" the redhead walked to the door and locked it before turning the sign to signify that the place was closed and closing the curtains on the windows either side of the door. "Where's Roxas?" the question was more demanding now and when Reno turned to face his old time friend, Rude was surprised by the sorrow on his features.

"He... err..." Reno rubbed the back of his head. "He passed away last winter." Rude stood and took off his glasses both as an apology and as respect for the deceased male. His silence was prompt enough and Reno walked past him and up the stairs that led to his small apartment above the book store. The same apartment he had shared with Roxas for a grand total of seven months before the blonde was taken away from him.

Rude followed without question and once he arrived upstairs he was greeted with a glass filled with a golden liquid and the sight of his old friend refilling his own glass from a bottle of tequila. "Poison ruined his antibodies; he had to go to the hospital for even catching a cold. After a while he just gave up," Reno sat down at the edge of the large bed and Rude followed him, dragging a chair to sit across from his friend. "He said he didn't want to live like that. Doctors tried everything but... in the end he didn't have the will to live."

"I'm sorry." Rude nodded and raised his glass, clicking it against the others before following Reno's example in downing it all at once. "How come we haven't heard of this?"

Reno smirked, more like scoffed, turning his eyes away. "If you haven't, that means I've done a good job at hiding it. I just know that he would find out somehow if word got out."

That was when the large man froze. He grabbed Reno's glass from his hand, aware of what may happen to it once he broke out his news, and set both his own and the redhead's back on the low counter that separated the small living room from the kitchen. "He's out."

"What!?" Reno shot up, both fists clenching. Good thing the glass was gone or he would have had to deal with a pissed off and wounded redhead.

"He escaped two months ago and we lost him. Been trying to track him down and finally succeeded the other day. Tifa got in contact with him and has been—" he faltered for a moment before remembering he had a job to do "—she's been keeping in his circle for a few days now. She contacted us just yesterday that she found him."

"He's been out for two months and you tell me this now!?"

"Reno." Rude gave him a pointed look that stopped the redhead's pacing before it even started. "Last time we contacted you, asking for help, you screamed at Rufus that you were out of the business. "

The redhead dropped back to the bed. That man had ruined his life. After he had been locked away two years ago Reno had to go through a long and painful courtship of the small blonde that had been that man's unsuspecting partner, and it was only after he quit his job that Roxas became his. And even after being locked behind a thirty centimetre thick steel door with no windows that man was able to ruin his life. The poison he had been feeding his partner eventually killed Roxas. Now Reno sat alone in the small apartment that belonged to Roxas above the Deseré Books, the store that had been passed down to the blonde from his family and had been used as a drug front by the blonde's partner at the time.

"Reno?" Rude asked and it sounded like he had said the name a few times. Finally Reno blinked into awareness and sat up to stare at his old friend.

"So what now? Why are you here?"

Rude looked around the place before giving his friend a sympathetic look. "The question is 'why are you?'"

The redhead shot up suddenly, hitting away the chair that Rude had been sitting at a few minutes ago and sending it crashing back into the dining table that was now converted to a work bench. "You have no fucking right—" he was pointing a finger at his old friend and partner.

"We need you, Reno. You were the one who caught him last time, you're the only one that can catch him now," he paused a moment before nodding as if to reassure himself, "and I'm scared for..."

"Yea... Tifa. You mentioned her. How is she involved in all this?"

Rude straightened his frame and turned his eyes away. "Long story."

"That I want to hear if I agree to this."

"So you're thinking about it?" Reno growled low at the question and glared at his friend.

"No. I can't. I can't just leave the shop here, all the customers will—"

"Reno. You are not made for this. You are a born asshole, killer, psychopath, and genius. You are not meant to sit behind a counter all day long and selling books. We need you back."

Viridian eyes with sparks of blue and silver in them narrowed down to stare at the large man. "Rufus sent you, thinking it'd be easier to break me down?"

"Rufus doesn't know. Tseng sent me." At this Reno was actually surprised.

"You're saying there's still a chance of me not getting in, if I agree?" Rude remained silent and that was all the answer the redhead needed. "I'll do it on one condition."

"You'll have to take it up with Tseng, but I'm sure he already knows what that is."

Reno nodded slowly. "The asshole's mine if I find him first."

"I think that's why you've been set up with the partner you've got for this."

"I already have a partner?" Rude nodded, "Not you?" he shook his head and decided that the conversation was over soon so he took out his glasses and put them on. "Who is it?"

"Vincent Valentine."

Reno scowled at the name and turned his eyes away to glare at a spot on the ground.

"I'm sure your hate over him is more than your hate over Vincent."

"You're right. I just want him fucking dead." Rude nodded and reached on the inside breast pocket this time to protrude a small black card with white writing on it. The redhead nodded and the two parted. Although they were old partners and friends there was not much that could be said. They parted on bad terms almost two years ago when Reno decided to forsake his entire life for the blonde that had enraptured his mind and heart before leaving with both apparently.

The redhead looked down at the white writing and recognized the card for what it was: a meeting place to get in touch with his newest partner. He eyed the small card and immediately decided to decipher the code on it, getting himself back in the game almost immediately and surprised to find it falling so naturally on his shoulders.

.tbc

A new story in mind, not mentioned anywhere on profile page because this idea got to me not that long ago. I'll give cookies to anyone who can guess anything so far about the story! =D
note: this is more of my style of writing, so for future chapters beware that they may be a little dark and disturbing

Please read, review, and most of all: enjoy.

.sye