Title: Mother Nouveau

Disclaimer: All characters belong to SquareEnix and I make no money from this.

Synopsis: Tseng must endure the demon of Wutai in a lone log cabin in the mountains with his three very young remnants.

Warnings: yaoi, non-con, language, violence

Chapter One: Red Snow

"When will you be back?"

"Approximately two weeks," the man said as he slipped on his dark winter coat.

"But, Tseng," his young subordinate whined slightly, "It's the middle of winter! Who takes a vacation at this time of year?"

The turk leader zipped up his winter wear and commenced to putting on his thermo gloves. Of course it wasn't that unusual for people to take a vacation in the winter, but it was for him. Normally he'd go to Costa del Sol in the summer and enjoy the warm weather, but he felt he needed a change of pace. This time, he was headed for a much colder place. He'd always been fascinated with the mountains of the north and their almost majestic appeal. He had wanted to go hiking over there for quite some time but the mountains held very powerful monsters which the turk leader didn't think he'd be able to handle by himself, thus he had hired someone to aid him in this matter.

As he continued to get ready to depart, he felt the eyes of Elena glaring at him. Of course she wasn't the only one who hadn't wanted him to leave, Reno had voiced his objection more than once in the past few days, stating that he should just save his vacation time for next summer so they could all go to Costa del Sol together. Rude didn't seem to be bothered with him leaving, but then again he didn't speak enough for the turk to really know how he felt.

Regardless of his hard and cold exterior, the turk leader cared dearly for his unit though he didn't express it all the time; however, he was growing a bit tired of seeing them every day. After the fall of meteor and defeat of Sephiroth, the turk had spent practically every day with them. Not once had he had anytime to himself. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. And now, they had received information from the WRO, that a new deadly sickness was spreading and there was no cure in sight. The turk had a feeling that his life was going to be a lot more hectic in the following months. With the restoration of Shinra the main focus of Rufus, the turk didn't know if he'd be given leave anytime soon. It was now or never.

There came a knock at the door, followed by a swift entry. He figured it to be Reno, since only he would have the audacity to enter without waiting for permission. The turk leader faced the intruder…more like intruders since Rude had accompanied him.

"Yo Chief, you 'bout ready to head out? Your escort is here," he said through a smirk. Tseng nodded in understanding and picked up his lone backpack which contained a few items of clothing, two guns equipped with materia, and a few personal items.

His "escort", as Reno had put it, was actually and old acquaintance of his who knew his way around the mountains. They had actually met on an earlier mission and the turk had found him to be efficient in his work and knowledge. He knew what parts to avoid and where the most powerful monsters lurked. Tseng had hired him and had specifically given the man directions on how he was to conduct himself. Firstly, he was to only speak to him if it was related to their travels, nothing personal. Secondly, the man was to sleep in a separate tent, though they would share meals. And lastly, the man was to carry his bag as well as his own. The turk figured that since he was taking a vacation, he shouldn't have to carry anything remotely heavy on his back, especially since he was already being charged a hefty fee.

"So, you're really doing this?" the vibrant redhead to his right questioned. Tseng responded with a nod as he headed for the lobby of the building. Currently, the turks were staying in a newly constructed hotel located in the city of Edge. The hotel suite they had was quite grand. It held seven bedrooms, five full sized bathrooms and a full kitchen. President Shinra had also taken up residence with them and resided in the master bedroom of the unit.

"But Commander," the little blond to his left whined, "what are we going to do about Rufus with you gone?"

Tseng sighed, though he kept up his steady pace. What she had been alluding to was the fact that the President had become extremely irritable and unpleasant in the past few months. But Tseng knew they were just looking for a scapegoat, something to make him reconsider leaving; however, the turk would not be deterred. He simply shrugged his shoulders and kept moving forward. Soon his guide had come into view and the man stood up.

His guide was a middle aged man who stood at six feet and was very fit. He smiled at the sight of Tseng coming into view and waved. The turk only offered a nod of acknowledgement before handing over his bag to the other man.

"You ready to go there, Tseng?" his guide questioned.

"Yes, Randal," he said evenly.

His turks watched from the sidewalk as their leader got into the sleek black jeep that would take him to his destination. He peered out at them through the dark tinted window. A light snow had fallen, sprinkling white flakes over the dark suits of his subordinates. Once he had their bags loaded in the vehicle, Randal waved a goodbye to the two turks shivering in the cold to see their boss off. The burly man smiled as he got into the driver's side of the vehicle.

"They must really love you," the man said. Tseng immediately corrected.

"I am their leader and boss, nothing more," he stated coldly. The guide started the car with a frown and shook his head.

"People don't freeze their asses off for someone they only see as a boss," he commented, which annoyed the turk leader. Although Randal was not one of his subordinates, he did not like being corrected.

"Be silent and just get me to my destination," he said in low, but authoritative tone.

Tseng then glanced out the window at Reno and Elena who were waving goodbye with wide cheery smiles. "Have a great time even though I still wanna go to Costa with ya!" he heard Reno yell loud and clear through the closed doors. The young blond at Reno's side nodded in agreement before adding in, "I'll miss…I mean…we'll miss you, Tseng!" Reno grinned as Elena blushed hotly at her slipup. As the car began to pull away, the dark haired leader waved back at them as a sentiment of thanks for seeing him off. Elena blushed at the small gesture and ran back into the building in a hurry. Reno just laughed and in a playful gesture, blew a kiss at his boss.

"How very inappropriate," the turk mumbled as the view of the redhead began to fade.

They arrived in the small mountain based town of Layalle after a two day drive. Tseng had thoroughly enjoyed the view of the white blanketed countryside during the travel. The trees that had been stripped of their leaves during the cold season, reminded him morbidly of skeleton hands trying to reach out of the earth. The trees that could survive the harsh winter were decorated with snow and blended in with the surrounding plane of white. Yes, regardless of the cold he loved winter, as it was his favorite season.

They headed for the town inn and checked into the only room they had available. The turk would have rather had his own room, but since they were just going to sleep anyway he thought it futile and childish to protest; however, once they entered the room the turk realized immediately there was only one bed. He then thought about complaining to the inn owners, but Randal had just brushed off the situation.

"Don't worry, I'll sleep on the couch," he said politely. The turk nodded and headed straight for the bathroom. After he relieved himself, he stripped off his clothing and turned on the shower. He allowed himself a small sigh of content once the hot water hit his bare skin. He made sure to pay special attention to his hair, washing it several times. Due to the rough nature of his trip, he didn't know when he'd get a chance to wash his lengthy dark mane again.

After he was clean, he changed into a pair of black cotton bottoms and braided his hair to avoid tangles. The long haired turk then slipped into bed. The room was very warm and the blankets around him provided extra heat. He felt comfortable and relaxed, but also a bit of excitement which he'd never let show through. Tomorrow would be the official start of his vacation.

They left early the next morning to venture out into the mountains. Randal had informed him it would take at least a three day hike to reach the top of the mountain. Tseng had told him that he was in no hurry to reach the top and decided to take it easy, not that he wasn't already. The only thing he was carrying was his standard issue gun, something he could never part from. One could never be too cautious in the wilderness.

Along the way, he did manage to see some very beautiful sights. He had small, but powerful HD camera which he used to photograph several scenes of nature's natural beauty. Though the turk was enthralled with the sights, he had to admit it was awfully cold. Even Randal, a native of the region, had said it was colder than what was deemed normal for the area. Tseng tried not to let that slight discomfort hinder his trip.

The nights were especially cold. So cold in fact that Randal had recommended that they sleep in the same tent to retain body heat. The stubborn turk knew he was probably right, but he wanted his personal space, thus he stuck it out for two freezing cold nights against Randal's wishes. Although he was freezing, he loved being alone in his small little tent with his blankets wrapped around him. He loved to read his novel in the dim portable lamplight while enjoying the natural music the night life provided. He just wanted to be left alone, but Randal wasn't so lenient on the third could sense the man's frustration throughout the whole day, though he ignored it. Finally, his guide spoke up.

"Tseng, I know you value your space and all, but you have to admit it seems to be getting colder with each passing day. We need to be together to keep each other warm, otherwise one of us could accidently freeze to death."

The turk listened to his hired help with great frustration. Or course Tseng valued his space, but he was no fool. He did not want to die over something that could have been easily avoided. He reluctantly but calmly agreed to Randal's terms. The big bearded blond man smiled and promised he would try not to be too much of a bother. Unfortunately, he was a bit of an annoyance to the turk. First off, he was just too big and took up a lot of space; in fact, they were practically side by side. Also, he kept disregarding the rule Tseng had set forth which was really getting on his nerves.

"Man this tent is tiny, or maybe I'm just too big!" Randal exclaimed. "Hey Tseng, what are you reading?" When his question was ignored, he decided to switch to another topic.

"So what time do you want to get up tomorrow? We can sleep in a bit more since we're close to our destination."

"Very well then," he said idly, before flipping to the next page. He still felt the man's crisp green eyes peering at him though he ignored it. As he read, the man next to him did little to hide his staring. Tseng could practically feel his eyes wandering over him. He didn't know if the man was just curious about him or if there was more to it, but he did know that is was irritating him to no end. After marking his place, the turk closed his book and turned off the light, enveloping the tent in darkness. With his weapon by his side, he shifted to get comfortable in his sleeping bag.

After an hour of trying to fall asleep, the turk realized he was just too cold to fall out. He was shivering, even though he was wearing several layers of clothing. Something was wrong. He could sense it in every fiber of his being. It was too cold, almost unnaturally so. It was like Gaia wanted them to leave this area and quickly. Was the planet trying to warn him? The turk would have thought that notion ridiculous two years ago, but after all that he'd seen in regards to the planet and what she could do, he didn't find the idea so insane.

He laid back down, still shivering and teeth practically clattering. Suddenly, warmth enveloped around him and he turned his head to identify its source. Randal had moved closer to him and had draped his arm around the turk. The muscular man had retained a heat that Tseng couldn't.

"I know you may be uncomfortable, but I'd rather you not freeze to death," he said softly. The turk just nodded his head in acceptance and closed his eyes. He indeed felt warmer and decided to allow Randal the closeness regardless of how uncomfortable he was.

"Not gonna lie to ya, Tseng," the rugged blond beside him began, "As we got further into the mountains I saw less and less wildlife. I thought this to be good luck but I now see that I misunderstood the signs. It's too cold for them to stay here which means it's entirely too cold for us as well. I think we should head back tomorrow morning."

"We only have a few hours until we reach our destination right?" the Turk asked evenly.

"Well, yes. About a six hour hike," his guide stated.

"I would like to continue on then. We can head back after we've reached the top," Tseng said, disregarding his guide. He was already so close and it was a lot warmer during the day so he was sure they would be able to make it in good time.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Randal said. "We should head back as soon as possible. Sorry Tseng, I'll refund you half your money."

"No need," the long haired turk said through a yawn.

"But Tseng," Randal protested, but the turk was already dozing off due to the other man's warmth and was soon fast asleep.

Early the next morning, Tseng awoke to the smell of breakfast being held next to him.

"Time to wake up Tseng," Randal said as he handed a plate of food to the sleepy eyed turk. Tseng took the dish and started to munch on a plate of eggs, potatoes, ham and bacon. The guide sat beside him as he ate and turned to the turk with a sigh.

"We are leaving for the town after you finish eating," he said sternly. His deep emerald eyes set on the turk anxious to hear his response.

Tseng halted his action as he heard the order from other man. He placed his plate down and regarded his guide with a displeased expression. The long haired leader did not like how the man was speaking to him. This was his vacation and he would decide what would be the next action to take. He knew the guide was just concerned, but he was a turk and taking risks were a part of his life.

"I told you last night…"the turk began, only to be interrupted by a fuming Randal.

"We are leaving for the town! I know you may not realize this but my life is at stake here as well and I'd like to go home to my family, Tseng. You may not have someone you care about but I do!"

Tseng resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the man's emotional display. "We are not going back." The chief turk replied before he exited the tent.

"Tseng!" Randal said in pursuit of him. "We are leaving, now."

The turk ignored him, and stretched out his arms. It had been quite cramped in the tent with the huge mountain man at his side, but at least he had been warm. The temperature hadn't changed much though, but the turk didn't let that discourage him. It had been a personal goal of his to hike up to the top of a mountain and he was so close he couldn't stop now, not when he only had six hours to go.

Once Randal had packed up the tent and supplies, he walked up to Tseng who was currently leaning against a tree.

"We are ready to go?" the turk asked.

"Yes we are," Randal said. "Let's get moving. I believe if we pick up the pace we'll be able to…"

The Large guide trailed off once he realized Tseng was already walking off in the opposite direction he wanted them to go. "Tseng! You're going the wrong way."

"No, I'm going the right way," he said firmly.

He heard the blond man scowl as he ran up behind him. Sensing the man's intent, Tseng side stepped as the mountain guide's hand reached out to grab his shoulder.

"Do not touch me," the turk snapped, glaring at Randal as the blond tried to grab his arm again. Tseng slapped his meaty hand away and furrowed his brows in anger.

"We must go back!" the rugged blond demanded, his normally pale features now red with frustration. "I'm just doing the job you hired me for and you don't want to listen!"

"It is not much further. I do not see why we cannot continue on and then descend the same day," the head turk rationalized, crossing his arms in annoyance.

Instead of replying to the turk's logic, Randal gritted his teeth together and lunged forward, reaching both of his thermo gloved hands out to grab the stubborn turk. Infuriated with his guide's incessant nagging, the turk reacted by effectively cocking his arm back and punching the big man in the face. Though Randal stood at 182cm and weighed about 90 kilograms, the big man stumbled at the force and directness of the turk's strike.

Tseng watched with uncaring and uninterested eyes as his guide hissed at the sharp pain. He had had about enough of this man, and though his intentions were good, he still found him quite unnerving. The turk wasn't denying that his guide was probably right but the turk was consumed with his desire to reach the top and complete a lifelong goal of his. He was so close to his destination and the turk hated the idea of just turning around and going back after all the hiking he'd done to get to this point, not to mention he wouldn't be able to take off from work for a very long time. And in his line of work, not even the next day was guaranteed. He didn't know if he would even be alive next year to do this again. It had to be now or never.

After gathering his bearings, his guide scowled and fixed his narrowed emerald eyes on the turk. "Tseng, I've tried to be civil with you but you just won't listen. I'm leaving for town with or without you."

"Then give me my stuff and I'll continue on," the long dark haired man said, his tone calm and level.

The blond mountain man then dropped one of the two bags he had slung over his shoulders, the solid bag plopping down into the snow. The turk grabbed his bag without a word and put on his backpack that was at least ten kg.

"Tseng…just please, come back with me. You'll die out here without my help," the blond said in a last attempt effort to convince the stoic turk.

Tseng didn't even look back as he continued along the path that went to the top. He walked and walked until his guide was no longer in range. The dark haired Wutaiian wondered if he was doing the right thing by ignoring Randal's advice. He could only hope his stubbornness wouldn't get him killed in the long run. He had a map and a good sense of direction, but he wasn't sure if he remembered which routes to avoid or which ones contained the most dangerous of beasts.

As he walked, he contemplated whether what he was doing could be rationally justified. At the moment he couldn't find any rational reason as to why he should continue on. First, he didn't know the area which was already a disadvantage. Secondly, though he did have a weapon with him, he didn't know if it would be enough if he encountered a monster. And lastly, he would have to make his way back down the mountain by himself and if anything did happen to him, he was on his own.

He stopped walking and sighed as he came to a final conclusion. As much as he desired to get to the top, he wanted to live to make it to the bottom. With a frown on his lips, he turned around and started up a quick pace, hoping to catch up with Randal. He hoped the mountain man wasn't too far ahead.

Thirty minutes later he had reached the sight of their camp from last night, only the remnants of a few logs remained, sticking above the rising snow which also concerned the turk. The snowfall had picked up in the past hour and at least an inch of snow had fallen already. The temperature had dropped and the turk shivered with every step he took. He also noticed that the skies had darkened considerably, though it was still before noon. He pulled out the map and scanned over it intently as he walked. The wind was picking up speed and it was hard to read the map with all the elements working against him. The dark haired man continued, pressing on through the ever deepening snow against the icy wind.

Then, breaking through the windy wintery scene, a sharp cry was heard from a distance. The voice was most definitely male, the scream raspy and cracking as the pitch increased. Could it be Randal? The turk thought as he slowly went in the direction he had heard the noise. As he got closer to the loud wails, he pulled out his gun and aimed it high just in case he would have to defend himself. Then he saw it. A coin sized drop of fresh blood setting on top of the white snow. Just about a foot away was another drop of blood, then another, forming a trail. Each blood stain increased in size as he moved along the bloody path, an unusual pattern. He cautiously followed it, eyes alert and gun ready for anything. Another groan sounded a few yards away and he crouched down.

"Randal," he called out, having to speak rather loudly to be heard over the wind.

"T-tseng! D-don't come any closer!" he heard the familiar voice of his guide say, though it was laced with pain.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, wondering why the man didn't want him to approach.

"I am…but I don't want you to come over here…something is not right," he strained to say.

Ignoring the man's request, Tseng crawled over to where he heard the pained groans and was slightly taken aback once he saw the condition the man was in. He'd seen his fare share of violence but this would definitely be added to his memory. Randal was covered in cuts on his face and legs, he was even bleeding though his thick winter jacket. He was shivering, and covered in a thin layer of snow, meaning he's probably been here for a bit. Tseng moved beside the fallen man and scanned over his injuries, none of them looked fatal, just painful.

"How did this happen?" he asked, thinking that a beast might have been the cause of his attack.

"It was…," the man paused to cough, though it sounded more like wheezing, "insane."

"What?" the turk questioned.

"You're not gonna believe this, but as I was walking back I thought I heard my name. Thinking it was you, I stopped and expected to see you coming but you never came so I shrugged it off and kept going. Then…then the voice told me to stop and I complied. It was so crazy. I felt that even if I wanted to I couldn't disobey that voice. The next thing I knew, the temperature had dropped and the wind picked up. I…I didn't even see it but I was suddenly attacked by some force. It was the most intense thing I've ever experienced."

Tseng listened intently as the husky blond struggled to sit up. It sounded ludicrous, and he scanned the area once again before turning his attentions back to Randal.

"That sounds a bit improbable," he stated. Randal chuckled, though he groaned in pain a moment later.

"I know…but that's what happened. Can you help me up?" he asked. Tseng removed the backpack from the man before he helped him up, the blond using him as a crutch.

"I'm glad you came back, Tseng," the gruff man said as they started to walk. The turk strained a bit as Randal's heavy weight leaned on him for support. Tseng kept his gun in his other hand just in case whatever had attacked Randal came back.

"I'm sorry you weren't able to make it to the top," he said regretfully. The dark haired man shrugged his shoulders at the man's remorse. They were moving at a slow pace, but couldn't go any faster with Randal being wounded.

"Tseng, you have a phone?" the mountain man asked.

"I do, but I'm not sure it will work with such bad weather," he said honestly. He then set Randal down and pulled out his phone. He called the emergency number but got an error message. The reception was virtually nonexistent. With a frustrated sigh, the turk helped up his guide up again and they moved on though the snow.

It was getting colder as the day progressed and they weren't making much progress. The wind held them back and it was hard for them to move though the thick snow that was falling. They were virtually inside of a winter storm. Tseng was struggling with the man's weight leaning on him and could barely walk. He was thirsty, but even their thermo resistant canteens that held their water had frozen. They had to resort to eating chunks of frozen food, sucking on bits of precooked meat until it melted in their mouths. Tseng was uttered disgusted with having cold food in his mouth, but he'd rather be grossed out than hungry.

As the sky darkened, Tseng hoped they would find someplace out of the storm to set up camp. Randal had mentioned there were caves on the mountain but a lot of them were inhabited by monsters. Tseng knew their situation was not good, and he needed to find a place to take cover for the night. He was very tired and very cold, his legs were cramping and his shoulders ached.

Tseng…

"What?" the turk responded.

"What what?" Randal said, his green eyes staring into Tseng's chocolate ones.

"You just called my name," the turk said, slightly annoyed.

"N-no I didn't," the rugged blond said though a pained groan.

The turk didn't say anything, but he was sure he had heard his name. He shook his head, thinking that it was probably the intensity of the weather that was messing with his mind. They walked on without incident though it was getting harder to see their way.

I'm coming for you, Tseng…

He stopped, frozen in contained fear at the very deep and masculine voice he heard booming in his ear. That voice…he'd never forget that voice until the day he died. The turkfrantically tried to see through the fading light and the congested snowfall.

"Tseng?" he heard Randal say as he surveyed the area. "Is something wr…"

The turk then heard the metallic whistle of what sounded like a blade in motion right beside his ear, followed by a sharp gust of wind by his face. A second later, he felt a hot liquid, thickly dripping down his face and soaking his hood. He felt it drip onto his long, dark lashes and didn't blink once he saw the tiny crimson droplet. The weight against him became unbearably heavy, and slumped. With wide eyes, the turk slowly rotated his head to the right and saw nothing but dead trees and falling snow. What he should have seen was the head of his hired guide but that was now two feet behind him.

He dropped the heavy body and backed up a few feet, taking out his gun and removing the safety. His dark eyes fixed on the headless body of Randal, his torso soaked in blood. Tseng swore at the gruesome scene. He hadn't seen a decapitation in years and the sight before him was quite disturbing, but not as much as the fact that he didn't know how the hell it happened. One minute they were limping along and now Randal was dead.

He sat down against a tree and didn't move from his spot for a whole hour, not wanting to get up and nervous to do so. He was freezing though, the temperature had dropped considerably and the wind on his bloody face was so cold it hurt.

"I'm going to die here?" The turk thought as his body shivered uncontrollably and his eyes fluttered shut.

He would have reacted to his body suddenly being lifted up by strong arms, but by then he'd already passed out.

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