Almost Human
Tseng glanced at Rufus who stared at the destruction with cold detachment, "Sir, you shouldn't really be here," you have seen enough of this evil.
"I am fine Tseng, it is nothing I haven't seen before," the vice-president continued to watch the Turks massacre the gang who had been causing trouble for ShinRa.
Tseng nodded, "Very well sir," there was no swaying the young man so he would have to endure it.
When the Turks were finished there was no evidence of what they had done. The bodies were unceremoniously piled into the back of trucks which were to be driven out onto the Midgar plains and be destroyed.
"Are you ready to return home sir?" Tseng asked after watching the last truck leave.
Rufus ran his fingers through his ash blonde hair and nodded, "I would say the entertainment is over. Yes you can run me home to my father now Tseng."
Tseng lowered his eyes, he knew Rufus saw him as more of a father then the President of ShinRa, after all Tseng looked after they boy and practically raised him while his father beat him, "Maybe you would like to stay with me tonight?" Tseng offered.
Rufus snorted, "Sure, father will really love that," he bit back sarcastically.
"SIR! DROP!" Rufus immediately obey falling into a puddle of blood as Tseng fired at the blonde's would be attacker, blood spurted for the man and splattered on Rufus' white coat, "it is safe sir."
Rufus stood up giving the dead body a look of disgust, "Filth," he muttered darkly, "Tseng, let's go."
Rufus was like an ice statue sitting in the front passenger seat of the car and staring at the poverty of the slums as Tseng drove the car through that garbage littered streets.
"Someone needs to clean up the filth in this place," Rufus said darkly, "when I am president I intend to make this place bearable."
Tseng cleared his throat, "And what of the people who have no where else to go, sir?" the Turk gave the ice statue a sidewards glance.
"They will find somewhere else to go, if they can't afford to live here they don't deserve to."
Tseng tightened his fist on the steering wheel, this was not the man he had raised Rufus to be, this was a product of his abusive father whose uncaring ways had led to a brilliant mind becoming that of a monster, "I must disagree."
"You are not paid to give your opinion, Turk," Rufus said stiffly turning back to stare out the window.
Tseng passed through sector five focusing completely on the road so he could not think about the ice statue that sat beside him.
"Tseng stop the car!" unquestioningly the Turk obeyed.
"Sir?"
Rufus leapt from the car pulling his gun from his pocket, Tseng climbed out after him as the vice-president shot a man. Tseng raced over and saw a small bloody body lying by the now dead man's. His skin was pale like snow and his vivid red hair was the same colour of newly spilt blood. Uncaring of his white suite Rufus moved over to the smaller body and pulled it close. Sea-blue eyes peered up at Rufus through swollen eyes, he was a teenager about seventeen and as he tried to focus on his saviour he licked his lips.
"Sir?" Tseng moved over to the blonde and the red head.
"He was been beaten Tseng, I could not allow it," Rufus stood up cradling the teenager against his chest, "we need to take him back to the ShinRa hospital."
Tseng froze staring at the warmth in Rufus' eyes as he held the bloody body close, he quickly snapped back to reality, "Yes sir," the Turk rushed to the car and opened the back door for Rufus and the boy.
Tseng drove through the rest of the slums unable to stop himself from glancing at Rufus and the boy in the back, Rufus stroked the vivid red hair and murmured words of comfort as they drew closer to their destination. The slum boy was thin and malnourished his skin was sickly pale and bruises of varying severity and ages decorated the pallid flesh.
"Stay awake," Rufus murmured, "We are almost there," he stroked the boy's forehead.
Rufus waited impatiently for the healers to finish with the boy in the ShinRa hospital room located in ShinRa tower, by his side stood Tseng. The blonde VP stared at the far wall with his icy grey eyes ignoring the blood that soaked his white suit.
"Sir, perhaps you should go clean up," Tseng suggested looking the young man over.
Rufus glared at him, "I am fine Tseng," he said coldly, "I want to make sure the boy is alright."
Tseng drew close to Rufus and spoke in a low voice, "It is because of your father, isn't it?"
Rufus continued to glare at the Turk, "Don't talk about it," he hissed.
The door opened and the doctor stepped out, "You may come in now sirs," he said with a respectful nod to the two men.
Rufus nodded stepping in, "You are dismissed."
The boy was almost as pale as the sheets that he lay among, most of his bruises had disappeared thanks to the cure materia and the blood that had covered his face was gone revealing two identical scars that resided under his eyes. Rufus' cold eyes softened as he looked at the boy who stared up at him.
"I am Rufus, what is your name?" Rufus asked softly stroking the boy's pale cheek.
There was no reply, the sea-blue eyes just continued to stare up at his saviour, Rufus sat down at the plastic chair beside the bed and took the teenager's pale hand in his own.
Tseng stood a respectful distance away watching on with intense interest, the ice statue he called Rufus Shinra was gone replaced with a soft caring man who sat by the pale boy. His musing was broken by the ringing of his PHS.
"Tseng speaking," he answered pressing the PHS to his ear, "he is with me sir…yes sir I will tell him…alright, goodbye sir," Tseng turned to Rufus hanging up his PHS, "Rufus, your father wants to see you immediately, you better go get changed."
Rufus looked down at the redhead boy, "I'll be back soon," he promised standing up, "Tseng, watch over him."
"Of course," Tseng nodded.
"Where were you today?" President Shinra glared at his son who stood before in his office.
"I went with the Turks when they tracked down the gang that has been bothering us. You did after all say I am to be the head of the Turks it is only fitting I escort them on some missions," Rufus replied.
The president glared at his son, "From now on you are to tell me where you are going understood?"
"I am hardly a child anymore father, but if that is how you want it, that is how you'll have it," Rufus glowered at his so called father.
President Shinra stood up and advanced on his son, with a powerful strike he backhanded his son, "Never use that insolent tone with me," he growled.
Rufus rested his hand against his smartening cheek glaring at his father coldly.
Tseng watched the boy sleep, it was like watching Rufus all over again, soft whimpers and moans escaped his cracked lips as he restlessly slept on the hospital bed.
"How is he?" Rufus asked softly entering the room and moving over to the bed.
Tseng turned to Rufus, "He is sleeping. Your father?"
Rufus stroked the red head's cheek, "He saw us bringing the boy in, I told him he was a potential Turk you had to pick up.
Tseng's eyes widened, "Rufus…"
"I know, it takes a lot to be a Turk, but giving that boy a chance will be better then the fate he would otherwise receive from my father," the boy slowly opened his eyes to stare at Rufus, the corners of his cracked lips flicked upwards. Rufus smiled at the teen, "Please Tseng, do what you can. You may go."
The Turk nodded, "I'll do what I can," the Wutaiin left, he would have to fabricate documents for the boy, he would get his name later.
Rufus sat back down beside the hospital bed, "Reno," he looked up in shock when the boy spoke, "ma name."
Rufus smiled, "Reno… I like that name."
'More trouble then he is worth,'
'Should be put out of his misery,'
'Trouble maker,'
'Troubled,'
'Hopeless case,'
Tseng read through the reports from the Turk veterans who had been helping him train Reno and sighed, trainees who weren't worth the effort were shot and Reno was getting very close to that fate. The Wutaiin Turk stood up and looked out his window at the training area below where the red head was training with other trainees, he had taken to fighting naturally but computing skills were his weakness, he was a smartass, arrogant, class clown. Tseng rubbed his brows trying to remember why he kept the boy. Stretching he left his office to go to the training area.
When the Turk leader arrived Reno was engaged in battle with on of the veteran Turks. Taking a deep breath Tseng prepared to call Reno away but then froze. Rufus Shinra stood by the wall watching Reno, his eyes weren't cold they were… warm, affectionate. Tseng glanced back at Reno and remembered why he put the effort in for the boy. When Reno was around Rufus, the blonde Tseng saw as his own son was happy, there was life in him again and when Reno spoke to him, Rufus was…human.
Hope you enjoyed, please review constructive criticism more then welcome. Flames are used to cook marshmallows for me to use to fatten up plot bunnies XD.