A/N: Ok, ok, ok.

I've been writing on "The Fire" for a while, and as I'm working out the main plot I'm beginning to realize that a LOT of time has passed since AC took place. There are some relationships that are going to come about that- while they look nice in my head- won't make sense unless I explain them separately. I want to do this for two reasons- the first being so their sub-story doesn't take over the main plot that I want to focus around Vincent and Yuffie, and the second being because I would REALLY like to write some smut RIGHT now. So.

I'm going to start this little mini-series of sub-fics explaining the relationships between the characters in my CURRENT FFVII "The Fire" universe. They'll all be individual stories, but they'll have this little spill at the beginning of them, and they'll all eventually tie into my main fic. Is that cool? If you don't understand you can always PM me. Thanks!

This story takes place five months after the events of AC, a little under two years before "The Fire."

Enjoy!
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Paint

Chapter One: Art

"Shawty so incredible; body language- she's a poet,
She's so bad, and what's so sad- is she doesn't even know it.

Little Mama- understand. The way you do the things you do-
Nobody else can, and you can probably get whatever from whatever man.

But shawty do what's in your soul; still it'd be a shame to see you go.
'Cause the way you move..."

-The Way You Move
~Ne-Yo (ft. Trey Songz and T-Pain)
~~~~~~~~~~~

"I never was one much for paintin'."
"I've never known you to be 'one much for anything' besides booze and women."

Reno snorted, shooting his bald counterpart a look as the two continued down one of the many halls in the New Midgar Museum of Art, slowly making their way to the college wing where night classes were taught.

"I can be pretty sophisticated when I want to." The red-head scoffed. "I just never want to."

"I'm sure." Rude muttered in his cool, mocking tone, then pointed down the hall. "It should be that third one on the left."

Reno followed his direction, heading toward the classroom. While the art was interesting,they were there for a reason.

"I still can't believe she picked this up to fill in her job as a Turk while we were gone," he grumbled, shaking his head. "Ri-goddamn-diculous. Not to mention the fact they even hired her is just bogus-."

He trailed off when they reached the open doorway and looked inside. Contrary to what the assassin had expected in terms of a night-class, there were nearly a hundred people lining the room, each student sitting at their own easel quietly as they looked toward the middle of the giant circle their chairs made to the model they were painting.

She was a slender thing, her normally kept, smooth blonde hair tossed up into a short, messy ponytail with a few wisps of bangs left hanging to frame her oval face. Her brown eyes shimmered in the dim mood lighting, fixed on a point only she could see as she sat backwards on a small wooden chair; breasts pressed against the wooden finish to hide them from full view, and a white down-feather comforter draped around her waist so that her more delicate parts were covered. Otherwise every bit of flesh was completely bare. Her legs, borderline pale-but-smooth, somehow went on forever, right into a pair of smart black pumps.

Much sexier than the ones she used to wear in the field.

Naturally, if Rude had any kind of reaction, you couldn't see it. Reno, on the other hand, spared no expense in terms of discretion.

"Holy shit!" He crowed.

Everyone stared at them. Elena cringed. The teacher looked annoyed.

"Elena, do you know these...men?"

"'Laney, someone took your clothes!"

She rolled her eyes, throwing an apologetic look to the professor. "Unfortunately, yes."
"That's really you, ain't it?"

"I suppose this ends our session for the evening."
"It appears so. I apologize for the early dismissal, Professor Thompson."

"Is that a tattoo?!"
"Reno!"

The walls shook with her voice, and everyone looked back to the read-head, who shirked.

"Yep, it's her."

Sliding the blanket to cover herself Elena stood, stepping away from the chair and toward the small dressing room at the front of the class.

"Thank you everyone." She waved to the students, then glanced at her more stoic partner. "Rude."

He nodded, then stepped out into the hallway to wait for her. Reno smirked.

"What, no 'hey Reno'?" When she didn't reply he tacked on, "you know, blankets aren't considered proper work attire."

"Fuck off."
"Missed you too, Blondie!"
~~~~~~~~~~

A few minutes passed in the hallway as the guys waited for her to finish getting ready. When she finally emerged, they were still somewhat shocked at her appearance. Her hair was still up and messy, the top button of her shirt wasn't pinned, she was carrying her jacket and still wearing those pumps that emphasized her sweet, sweet ass.

"Car outside?" She asked, eyebrow raised as she casually passed between the two and kept going down the hallway toward the elevators.

It had only been five months since the group had split- when Rufus sent them all separate ways to finish his recovery and 'start over.' Apparently something had happened to him during his sickness that made him want to change (at least, that was the circulating water-cooler story), so once he was well enough to stand for more than an hour without passing out, he dismissed the Turks, not giving them a definite 'yes' or 'no' concerning the possibility of future reinstatement.

The four of them had reacted very differently to unemployment. Tseng, on a somewhat predictable level, went to the city to see what he could help Reeve Tuetsi with in the Foreign Relations Department the Boss had supposedly put him over (what a hack!). Reno had- also somewhat predictably- crawled into a bottle of whiskey and beautiful (and 'whiskey-beautiful') women and stayed there 'til his savings got low (and by 'savings,' I mean the money he didn't have time to spend getting blitzed on the job), altogether about three months. When that happened he looked up Rude, who'd gotten into the bodyguard business (again, predictable) and was running detail on some millionaire mob-boss's 20-year-old daughter. Doing an old friend a favor, Rude got the drunk hired on- a job that lasted nearly two weeks before it got back to the Man that the ginger had taken it upon himself to make sure his daughter was taken care of in every way (if you know what I mean, and I'm sure you do). He and Rude barely escaped with their lives, then set to picking up odd-jobs here and there until getting the call about a month later that it was time to come home.

It was sad how happy someone could be to get their old job as an assassin back.

Elena, though, she was the wild card of the bunch. Taking every shred of discipline and wound-up anal-retentiveness she had and setting it on fire, the woman then proceeded to enroll herself in a few classes at the local School of Art.

That's right, 'Laney was a schoolgirl.

Public Speaking. Theater. Sculpting. It was a light load, but for someone in their late twenties who had been training in the art of kill-for-hire nearly fifteen years, you had to start small and simple.

As for the modeling- the guys could only assume it was a way to pass the time, because she sure as hell didn't need the money. Maybe she just wanted the attention?

The two turned to watch her walk as she went on ahead of them. With the way her hips were swaying, Rude almost considered looking over the rim of his glasses.

Almost.

"We're gonna be late, assholes. Come on!"

Her sharp tone snapped them both out of their trance, and they trotted to catch up with her. A few minutes later and they were sliding into the slick black ShinRa Co. Car Rufus had sent to pick them up.

"Fancy," Elena murmured, moving across the leather seats to sit against the far window. Rude sat down beside her, and Reno flopped onto the seat across from them, sprawling out lazily as the driver shut the door behind them.

"Nice to be back in the good-life, eh guys?" He looked up at his comrades sheepishly. Elena glanced at him, then looked at Rude.

"Are we picking up Tseng as well?"
"You would ask that."
"Shut up, Reno."

"No," Rude replied calmly. "He has business to finish in the Old City before coming back to the Tower. Rufus will send for him in a few days."

She nodded, turning her attention to the tinted windows and thoughtfully biting her fingernails. Would Tseng still be the same leader she knew? Part of her secretly hoped he'd missed her.

"He probably didn't miss you, you know."

Okay, maybe it wasn't that secret.

"Thank you, Reno." She continued to stare out the window, letting every bit of annoyance she felt pour over into her tone.

"I heard he and Reeve were...you know."

"Reno." Both of the other Turks scolded him, and he snort-laughed. The car rolled to a stop in a warehouse parking lot, where the driver moved to let Rude out.

"Well hey hey!" Reno sat upright, confused. "Where are you going?"
"Getting some gear," he deadpanned. "President's orders. Be right back."

The door shut behind him, leaving Elena and Reno in a shell of silence for a minute or two before Reno slumped back into his seat.

"So much for a 'new and reformed ShinRa,' right?"
"You knew something like that wouldn't last."
He shrugged indifferently. "Not like I care. Ol' Prez's need for power just means I get my old job back." He tried to strike a dramatic pose. "Killin' hopeless bastards with style!"

Elena rolled her eyes. "You really couldn't find anything to do with your time off, could you?"
"Meh. Day-jobs are for suckers."

He fussed with his hair as she went back to looking at the city. A few minutes passed before she glanced at the door.

"Wonder what 'gear' he's getting?"
"So, you take your clothes off for money?"

She startled, brow furrowing as she looked at him to see he was grinning. Letting out a disgusted noise, she crossed her arms.
"Not the way you're thinking, you hack."

"But you do."

Giving him an elegant look of 'piss-off,' the female-Turk disregarded the question, letting it fall to the wayside as the car door opened and Rude re-entered, not bothering with the awkward air he came back to.

"Here." He got their attention long enough to hand them their company-issued weapons. Reno nearly sprang on his EMR, lavishing it with kisses as he curled up in his seat, holding it close. Elena was a bit more discreet, slipping her metal-lined gloves on and returning to her previous stance.

"Where to now?"
"The Tower," Rude replied, settling back coolly as the car began to move again. "The President wants to see us right away."
"Sounds like a long night."
"More than likely."

With Reno now distracted by his long-lost love, the car ride to the newly finished ShinRa tower was pleasantly quiet; the more mature ones of the trio mentally preparing themselves for an assignment they knew was probably waiting for them to pick up the moment they entered the building.
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A/N: I know. I just finished "Caged," and then THIS pops up. It should only be a few chapters long, and I hope you enjoy it! ;) Please review!
-Ari

P.S. Also, I just wanted to share that every time I typed the word 'shawty' for the song at the top, a certain image popped into my head. Since this thing won't let me paste the link, just search the phrase "How to Find a Shawty," and look at the images.

(Bahahahaha!) ^^